《Path of the Hive Queen》 Chapter 1: Welcome to the World Silence. Darkness, cozy, cradling. Thudding. The beat of a heart. Sensation seeped into the dark void. Slight movements, a body. A vague sense of the world around it, of up and down. She opened her eyes. That should have made things better. It didn¡¯t. Instead, she was assaulted by a screaming, blinding confusion of colors and light. Those only made the disorientation she felt worse. Disorientation. She felt disoriented. She realized that now, although she hadn¡¯t before. A few moments of silence stretched out, far too long, then the painful intensity of the light faded, the world putting itself into proper order. Now, she realized it really wasn¡¯t that bad. Her surroundings were kind of dim. She tried to turn her head to see better, but stopped, claimed by another bout of disorientation with a side note of vertigo. She took a deep breath and sensed her torso expand slightly. It felt odd. She was cradled in what felt like a cozy, unyielding container of some kind. The hardness of her back and her limbs brushed against its sides, letting her know it was roughly cylindrical. She raised her head again. This time, she realized that it was perilously close to a jagged edge of whatever held her. Angrily, she pushed outwards with all of her limbs, or at least all of the ones she could get to properly move. There was some resistance, then the material gave way. She almost tumbled out and fell flat on her face, but reflexively caught her balance. Now she stood on her legs, on uneven, stony ground. She was in a dark space with a high ceiling, with gray walls and a rocky floor. She blinked, suddenly noticing the box floating at head height.
Welcome to the world, little Hive Queen!
After she stared at it for a few moments, it disappeared. She blinked again, not out of a sense of surprise this time, but because the first time had seemed wrong somehow. It took her a moment to realize it was probably her field of view. She had no idea what to think about the box, and suddenly realized that she had precious little context to begin to think of anything. Anything at all. She¡¯d woken up here, in this dim cave or vault or something ¡ª Actually, it seemed like the thing she¡¯d been in was an egg. Dark chunks of its shell still littered the ground. Well, of course it was an egg, where else would she have come from? She took a tentative step forward. Her instincts said that this was perfectly fine, but another part of her mind wasn¡¯t so sure. The part that had classified the floating thing as a blue box, that had been able to read it and understand what its message meant. She knew people weren¡¯t supposed to come from eggs, that was a thing for chicken or insects. And she was a person. In fact, she was pretty sure she was a young woman. Except that her body didn¡¯t seem to quite fit that knowledge. She slowly ran her hands over it, which gave her a couple of rapid realizations. First, she was covered, or at least some parts of her body were, in some hard material, not just skin. Second, there was something at her sides. Their shape was a little hard to ascertain with just touching, but she definitely felt like the outline of her torso wasn¡¯t human. All of which meant that, third, she definitely wasn¡¯t in a human body. And what the box had said, Hive Queen ¡ª that felt familiar. That was her. She knew that the same way she knew that her mandibles should be kept clean and that eggs were best laid in a safe environment. Wait. Back up. What do I know and how? For lack of anything better to do, she slowly started walking out of the room while considering the mess that was her mind. She knew a lot of things that humans should know, but there was context missing. She knew what a car was, how school worked, how to smile politely and pretend you were listening to someone, that the Internet was full of trolls. But she couldn¡¯t say how she knew that. She had a vague sense of herself, but it was as if someone had stripped all the pertinent facts out of it. She didn¡¯t even know her name. She just couldn¡¯t recall it, no matter how hard she thought about it. She didn¡¯t know her age, or her ethnicity, or what town she came from. At the same time, she was obviously a Hive Queen, whatever that was. Besides something cool and great and the natural terror of lesser lifeforms ¡ª wait, where did that come from? Just what the hell does this all mean, anyway? Before she could start to panic in earnest, she focused on her surroundings. The room she¡¯d been in led into a corridor with uneven, dark walls. There was light coming from the other side. She hurried forward, absently touching her face and confirming that she did indeed seem to have mandibles on the sides of her face, though they weren¡¯t arrayed like they would be on any kind of insect she knew about. Her whole face was kind of wet and sticky, just like most of her body, actually. Huh. She seemed to have pretty normal hands. Five fingers, opposable thumbs. Maybe the claws on the tips were a little longer than fingernails, but they probably wouldn¡¯t get in the way too much, if she was careful. That was something, at least. The corridor seemed to lead directly to the exit. When she reached it, she paused to let her eyes adjust, then took a closer look at everything. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. The walls were stone and the corridor, as well as the entrance, seemed pretty rectangular. Were they actually artificial? There were some odd holes in the stone of the entrance, and a slit at the top. Besides that, she didn¡¯t find any identifying details. ¡°Great,¡± she said to herself. ¡°Now where am I?¡± Oh, she could speak. That was good. Her voice sounded a little croaky and raspy, but she could probably even pass for a human with a bad cold on the telephone, if she tried. Shaking her head again, she turned around and took her first step past the entrance. Beyond was ¡­ a forest. She wasn¡¯t sure what she¡¯d expected, but it wasn¡¯t this. It seemed like a rather idyllic scene, actually. The sun shone from somewhere beyond the trees, birds sung, and she could even hear the burbling of a stream in the distance. The grass was lush and green in a small clearing around her. When she turned, she saw that the land rose into a few stony hills, the largest of which she was standing on, or beside, rather. The entrance was set into the hillside, which was a little rockier than the rest. Beyond the rough doorway of gray stone, grass covered most of the hill. It might have been a bunker that had long been abandoned and overgrown, but no one would build a bunker that badly and only from stone. She took a deep breath, then another for good measure. She didn¡¯t know where she was, where any of this would be located on a map, but she had a feeling it was a long way from home, wherever her home might be. People like her definitely didn¡¯t exist there, as far as she knew. Besides, only a few of the trees and bushes looked vaguely familiar, and none corresponded exactly to something she could have named. Most of them seemed completely foreign. She tried to pinch her arm, then realized she couldn¡¯t through the hard, chitinous material that covered her. It actually looked more brown than gray in good lighting. Instead, she pinched the skin of her face, which seemed to be free of that hard exterior. The pain helped her to focus and push away the stirrings of panic. She wasn¡¯t going to have a panic attack. Sure, most people probably would panic after being dropped alone in a strange place like this, but for all she knew, this was perfectly normal for her. After all, she didn¡¯t have anything else to compare it to, did she? She started walking, less from having somewhere to go than a desire to get away from the place where she¡¯d woken up. Where I was being born, actually. Probably. Hatched? Oh god. She pinched her cheek again, then forced herself to focus on her surroundings. The forest wasn¡¯t too dense, so she could find her way between the trees easily enough. She saw a few small animals around, though they disappeared quickly once she got close to them. She didn¡¯t get a good look at any of them. The birds were mostly hidden in the branches of the trees, and she didn¡¯t recognize the few she saw. She decided to go towards the sound of the water. That might be dangerous, but she had no other reference points. Besides, she suddenly realized she was really thirsty, and hungry, too. In a survival situation, you were supposed to look for water and shelter, right? She could probably climb a tree or something, later, or even go back to where the egg had been. As she walked, she tried to bring back a blue box. They reminded her of some kind of prompt or interface component, like in a video game. But concentrating as hard as she could on it didn¡¯t get her anywhere, and saying things like ¡°Information!¡± or ¡°Status sheet!¡± out loud only made her feel silly. Of course, if this was a video game, then there would probably be monsters. She eyed the forest around her nervously. She¡¯d have to make finding a weapon a priority. Even if monsters weren¡¯t an issue, there could be bears or wolves in this forest. Though those weren¡¯t supposed to attack humans unless they were very hungry. But she wasn¡¯t a human anymore, was she? At least, assuming she¡¯d been one before. To be fair, she didn¡¯t have any proof of that. Although, someone giving some random unborn Hive Queen human knowledge or putting a human mind into her both seemed like completely crazy ideas, but she did feel like she had more personality than a complete newborn. It didn¡¯t take long to reach the waterway she¡¯d heard, just a few minutes. It was still farther than she¡¯d expected, given the ambient sounds of the forest. She must have really good hearing. Probably better than human hearing. Carefully, she stepped onto the banks of the river. It was really more of a brook, with rocky banks and placidly flowing water. There were no other animals in sight right now, though the forest grew pretty close to it, so she couldn¡¯t see too far up and down the river. A little awkwardly, she clambered onto a larger piece of rocky ground at the edge of the water. She started to cup her hands to get a drink, then paused and leaned further forward. The river wasn¡¯t great as a mirror, but she did get a reflection of herself from the water. It was a little distorted and not exactly sharp, but she still froze and stared. Her head seemed to be mostly human, except for a few features that seemed vaguely insectile or reptilian, or something. At the sides of her cheeks, she had bony outgrowths that turned into what she¡¯d thought of as mandibles, reaching down past her chin. Her lips were thin and her nose seemed to be slitted. Her skin color was grayish brown. She reached up and ran a hand through her brown hair, past small horns, noting that it felt coarser than you¡¯d expect. It was still stubbly and very short. Apart from that, she clearly had a girl¡¯s face. She didn¡¯t need the water to see her legs, which were covered in a hard material a bit darker than her face, though it softened at the joints. Her feet looked largely human. But she did get a look at her torso, which made her suck in a sharp breath. Most of it was also covered in the shell, although she apparently had small breasts with no visible nipples. What caught her attention was what she could see of her back, though. There seemed to be a second layer to it, a bit reminiscent of a beetle¡¯s shell, just at her sides and mostly underneath her arms. She tried to move it, but it didn¡¯t do more than flapping weakly. Beneath that, though, she caught a glimpse of what had to be some kind of membrane. Do I have wings? Seriously? She bent and cupped water in her hands, using it to scrub herself. But while she managed to get her face and most of her body reasonably clean, the things she was most interested in remained covered in stickiness. She just didn¡¯t have the reach or proper angle to clean them. She eyed the water, then sighed and started drinking. She didn¡¯t think submerging herself in it was a smart idea. On closer examination, the water was flowing treacherously quickly, and she didn¡¯t even know if her body could swim. Drinking from it was probably a health risk, but she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d find another source of water anywhere close by, and dehydration would definitely be bad. Besides, her instincts were pretty insistent on getting water. Finally, she scooted back from the edge of the river and turned to scrutinize the forest again. With her thirst quenched, she was starting to feel her empty stomach roaring at her. Entering the world was hungry business, and she could already feel the strength in her limbs fading as tiredness set in. Now she had to find something to eat in a place where she didn¡¯t have the faintest idea what was edible, or even what her body could use. Great, just great. Don¡¯t forget ¡®don''t get eaten by monsters¡¯. Unless I¡¯m supposed to be the monster, I guess. Chapter 2: Finding Food The Hive Queen had kept track of how she¡¯d gotten to the river, but decided not to walk back on the same path. Instead, she would meander around a little bit, maybe on a curving path, but ultimately heading back where she came from. The hills and the river were the only landmarks she had, and she should probably explore the place where she¡¯d woken up a little more. As she walked through the forest, she tried to catalog what she saw, and kept an eye out for anything edible. She guessed that it was spring or early summer. Even though she wore no clothes, which she wanted to fix as soon as she could, she didn¡¯t feel particularly cold. She¡¯d estimate the temperature to be about twenty degrees Celsius. Although that could be off, since she didn¡¯t know anything about her body¡¯s reaction to temperature or how well it stored heat. There didn¡¯t seem to be any mushrooms or any kind of nuts around, but she found several berry bushes. Those were probably the easiest source of food, but she had no idea if they were poisonous or not. Finally, she stopped by a bush of dark berries with its lower branches and part of its upper branches stripped of berries. Hopefully by animals. That indicated that the berries, which looked like purple blackberries, might be safe. She carefully took one, remembering not to pick close to the ground. Even if they were poisonous, one berry hopefully wouldn¡¯t kill her, right? Of course, it was possible they were mildly poisonous and one wouldn¡¯t be enough to tell, so she¡¯d still have to be careful later. She popped it into her mouth. It tasted sweet, a bit like a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry. Feeling herself start to smile for the first time in her short life, she examined the berries more closely to be sure she could recognize them, then set off again. She was already tempted to eat more, her empty stomach crying out for food, but she needed to wait. Because of her slow pace and occasional stops and detours, the walk took a lot longer than before. But finally, she emerged back into the small clearing around the hills. At first glance, nothing had changed. She still couldn¡¯t see any larger animals, although a few birds kept singing. She didn¡¯t recognize their calls, but her mysterious source of human knowledge didn¡¯t have much to say about birds, so she probably just hadn¡¯t known enough to place them. She started walking towards the hillside where she¡¯d come from, then stopped. It had taken her a moment to realize that the darkness inside the doorframe wasn¡¯t the lightless depth of the tunnel. Instead, something had moved to block it. She ran towards it, feeling her heartbeat speed up. The doorway was now closed off by a slab of some dark material. It felt hard and cool to the touch, and she couldn¡¯t be sure if it was metal or stone of some kind. She pushed against it, first tentatively and then with all of her strength, but it didn¡¯t budge at all. Great. She let out a breath and stepped back. The thought that someone had come and closed the door after she¡¯d left sent a shiver down her spine. She hadn¡¯t seen, heard or scented anyone else. That thought gave her pause, but she quickly shelved the realization that her sense of smell was better than human and refocused on the issue. It was possible this was some sort of automatic mechanism, maybe triggered when she went out of the door. Oh god, were there cameras watching her right now? She looked at the entrance again, scrutinizing it closely, but she didn¡¯t find any sign of something like that. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean much. Still, she hadn¡¯t seen a single sign of technology since waking up here. She took a few steps away from the door. She¡¯d just have to find somewhere else. But before she could figure out what her next move should be, she paused. There was a strange scent in the air right now. Something that she hadn¡¯t smelled here before. She clenched her fists and cursed herself for not at least taking a stick from the forest and sharpening it to get a weapon. The scent got slightly stronger, and now that she focused on it, she could hear movement, too. A few seconds later, the creature causing it stepped out of the trees. The Hive Queen blinked and had to suppress the urge to rub her eyes. Well, that answers the question of whether or not this place has monsters. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a normal animal. Her first thought was that someone had made the world¡¯s largest version of a bathroom rubber duck. It looked just like that, a duck as big as a pony that was colored yellow all over, except for the dark eyes and the beak, which was orange. Then the duck opened its beak to let out a shrill cry and she saw a maw filled with sharp teeth that would have made any wolf envious. The Hive Queen gulped and took half a step back nervously. ¡°Good ducky?¡± she tried. ¡°You¡¯re not going to attack me, are you? Who¡¯s a good monster?¡± The monster clearly didn¡¯t like that, or maybe it was just generally bad-tempered, because it advanced forward in a menacing manner that ducks should not be capable of, emitting another cry and showing its teeth. She cursed and quickly looked around. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t find either a weapon or a good escape route. She quickly ducked to gather a few loose stones, then stepped forward. She didn¡¯t want to get pushed against the rock by her opponent. The duck clearly wasn¡¯t quite as confident as it appeared, since it didn¡¯t immediately charge her. She approached the middle of the clearing and even managed a bit of sideways movement. She didn¡¯t think ducks could climb trees, so getting into the forest might be a good idea. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. She stared at it, trying to look for any tells and evaluate its threat level. After a second of intense focus, another blue box popped up over its head, fading quickly.
Monster Duck ¡ª Level ?
She jerked in surprise. But the greater implications of this could wait for later. For now, at least she had a name for her opponent. The level display was not encouraging, but it didn¡¯t seem like a very high level monster. Maybe you got question marks for any enemies of a higher level, or you needed a special skill to tell someone¡¯s level at all? The duck approached more closely. She took a deep breath, then threw the heaviest of the rocks she found. It clanged off the outside of the duck¡¯s beak. At least it made the monster stumble. She quickly took the next rock in her right hand and tried again. This rock was a little rounder and gave her better aim, and she managed to hit the duck¡¯s side. This projectile actually seemed to hurt, sending a few feathers hurtling away and making the duck give another shrill cry. Unfortunately, it also charged her immediately. She stumbled to the side, somehow managing to turn the movement into a proper dodge. The feathers of the duck¡¯s stubby wings brushed her cheek. Her hand darted out, and she managed to score a cut on the back of its leg. She jumped back while the duck turned around, and tried to gauge the effect of her cut. Her claws were pretty small, but clearly sharp, and there was blood flowing from the wound. Not enough to have it bleed out, though. Now the duck was further inside the clearing, closer to the hill with the entrance. Before she lost more valuable time, the Hive Queen turned and sprinted towards the treeline. She smelled the duck approaching and somehow heard its steps over the thundering of her heart. It was much faster than her and catching up quickly. She managed to reach a tree just in time. This one was pretty big, old and sturdy, and she scrambled up the trunk using a few lower branches. Her claws were a big help. The duck¡¯s maw almost caught her, and she felt something sharp brush against the back of her lower leg. Then she pulled it up and sat on a wide branch a few meters up the tree. She took a deep breath. The hard covering on most parts of her body clearly had at least some defensive value. She wouldn¡¯t trust it with a full-force bite from that maw, but it should come in handy. And the duck apparently couldn¡¯t climb, judging from the way it screamed shrilly. She winced and clapped her hands over her ears. Okay, now what? I can¡¯t just sit here all day. It might get tired and wander off, but it might also find some way to attack her. Plus she really need to eat something. Actually, it did smell pretty good. She shook her head to clear it of that thought and looked around. The birds in their vicinity had fallen silent, and it looked like the smaller animals had made themselves scarce. She had let go of her stones to run and climb. Note to self, when I get clothes, make sure they¡¯ve got decent pockets. She could probably sleep up here in the tree, but a part of her really didn¡¯t want to let the duck prance around down there any longer than she had to. That part wanted to not just ensure her safety, but to kill this monster. It had dared to attack her, and it was a threat. Threats should not be tolerated. Of course, whatever her Hive Queen side might like, killing it wouldn¡¯t be that easy. Now that she looked at it more closely, its feet had some pretty sharp-looking talons. But those and its teeth seemed to be the only dangerous spots. How flexible was the monster? Well, it¡¯s still a duck. Definitely a bird of some kind. There were some vines clinging to the tree. She¡¯d ignored them earlier since they didn¡¯t hinder her climbing up, but now she saw that they looked quite sturdy. Experimentally, she reached over and tugged at a vine. It barely budged. Frowning, she peered at it more closely. Was there a slight blue tint along its side? Another box appeared.
Climbing Vine ¡ª Plant
She sighed. Very helpful. She tried cutting one with her claws, but it was hard. And she probably couldn¡¯t get a long enough part to work as a rope, anyway. Still, she persevered, and after a few minutes managed to saw through the vine. She then carefully stood up on her perch and tried the same at a higher spot of the same vine. After ten minutes, she had a piece of Climbing Vine to use as a short length of rope. Then she repositioned herself again and watched the duck carefully. It didn¡¯t stay still, but fidgeted and paced under the tree, occasionally baring its teeth at her. This was definitely a monster, she didn¡¯t think a normal animal would show that amount of baseless aggression. She steadied her breathing and held still, all of her focus turned to her prey. The minutes slid by as she patiently waited. Then, finally, it moved again, to what she judged as the perfect position. She let herself drop. The impact when she hit the monster drove the air out of her lungs, but she acted right away. Clinging on tightly with her legs, she yanked on her arms and caught the duck¡¯s beak with her vine. It started thrashing, but she held on grimly. It clearly struggled under her weight on its back, unable to jump and try to buck her off. Its taloned feet couldn¡¯t reach her, and it couldn¡¯t open its beak to bring its fangs to bear even if it could have contorted itself enough to bite her. Minutes dashed by in a frantic struggle for survival. Her arms, legs and back ached, and she once felt herself almost slipping loose, but she clamped onto her prey and refused to let go. It lost feathers and at one point rammed into the tree, but it didn¡¯t seem to be smart enough to try and get her off that way, and it wouldn¡¯t have the right angle for it, anyway. Finally, its struggles slowed as it ran out of energy. Dark spots started to gather in the corners of her vision, but she wouldn¡¯t let up. When she judged it sufficiently exhausted, she quickly passed the ends of her improvised rope into her right hand and struck with her left. Her claws sank into its eyes and popped them. The duck jerked. She drove the tip of her index finger further in, ignoring the mess coating her hands and the throes of her prey, drilling into it until she could go no further. Finally, the duck¡¯s spasms slowed and ceased. She took a few deep breaths, carefully relaxing her clenched muscles. She slid off the monster¡¯s back, stumbling as she reached the ground. She went to brush off her hands on the duck¡¯s coat. Then she paused. Suddenly, she was acutely aware of the raging pit of her hunger, and the dead monster in front of her smelled delicious. She sank to her knees before it and started ripping off feathers. The monster¡¯s skin parted easily under her hands. She stopped thinking about anything except her meal. Chapter 3: Whats in a Name? It was the best meal of her life. Of course, it was also the first the Hive Queen could remember, but it was still the best. She didn¡¯t mind eating the meat raw, or cutting into the corpse. She just ate. She wasn¡¯t quite what one would call lost in a feral haze, but her thoughts took a backseat while she enjoyed the deliciousness. Maybe like the food haze you got from eating your absolute favorite meal turned up to eleven. When she regained full awareness of her surroundings, she stumbled back and looked around. She¡¯d eaten a sizable chunk out of the monster. Bloody clumps of feathers and viscera lay strewn on the ground. Somehow, she¡¯d actually managed to keep her mandibles and antennae clean, although she felt stickiness on her chin. She wiped it off on her arms, then grimaced and tried to wipe off her hands and arms on the bushes and grass as best she could. She was still naked, which didn¡¯t even matter much, because she was alone. Her hunger had been completely sated, and she felt full and satisfied. Despite the still less than ideal situation, it was hard to even get herself to care about the predators that might be drawn by the smell. She stumbled off, shaking her head and stretching her arms and legs. I think I ate too much. Despite the satisfied feeling, there was a distinct pressure in her belly. As she walked, it only got stronger. She paused in another small clearing, then turned back in the direction of the rocky hills. What she wouldn¡¯t give for a companion, someone to have her back in this dangerous weirdness. Someone to help with all the things she¡¯d have to do to get basic necessities, and more importantly, to help her defend herself against monsters. She sighed. She had the feeling that duck had been a pretty weak one. Hopefully, she wouldn¡¯t run into stronger monsters until she figured something out. She looked for something she might use as a weapon, but didn¡¯t see anything better than the stones she¡¯d picked up before. She still felt that pressure. When she focused, she managed to locate the uncomfortable pressure in her abdomen, where she would expect menstrual cramps. Wait, is that a memory from my previous life? Great, the first thing I remember has to be that of all things. She shook her head. That would be the area of her uterus. She had a sneaking suspicion what that might mean. She walked on, feeling pulled onward by more than her previous decision to try to avoid predators. The Hive Queen¡¯s instincts were driving her. In the back of her mind, she was aware of that, but she didn¡¯t really care. It wasn¡¯t doing much of anything, anyway. She reached the hills and climbed one of them until she got to a good spot. It was a little secluded, sheltered under a rock overhang, but not too far from the cover of the forest. She crouched down and started pushing away stones, then digging out a few handfuls of dirt until she made a small hollow. She sat back, brushed off her hands and sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. The fight had been a whirlwind of adrenaline and danger. She must have taken longer than she thought, since it was already getting dark. The sun was setting somewhere beyond the forest, painting the western horizon orange, and there was less and less light to see by. It had been a hell of a first day, even if it only lasted a few hours for her. But she wasn¡¯t finished with it yet. She could feel the pressure increasing. It was an uncomfortable sensation, though not as much as she might have thought. It wasn¡¯t really painful, but a sensation of something gathering, preparing to come out. And with it, she felt something else stirring. She realized she¡¯d dimly sensed it before, but she¡¯d been too preoccupied with other things to actually notice it. But it was there, like an energy spread all throughout her body, and it was gathering now, too, as she instinctively prepared it for something. Then the pressure abruptly eased, like a bubble popping. She leaned back and propped herself up with one arm behind her as she instinctively reached forward with the other, just catching something in her hand. She even saw what almost looked like a faint sparkle around it, if it hadn¡¯t been a trick of the light. Stolen story; please report. She held an egg, colored the same grayish brown as her own shell. She turned it over in her hands, checking it out. Then, she carefully put it down in the hollow she¡¯d made, watching curiously. At first, it had been about the size of a chicken egg, but now it seemed to be growing, almost as if it had been compressed and was unfolding. In the end, it fit perfectly in the indentation, and she estimated it to be at least twenty centimeters tall. She had a feeling that wasn¡¯t even its full size. She sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose and stood up. So. That happened. Actually, the feeling of having made an egg wasn¡¯t all that weird. Her human memories indicated she should probably freak out, but it felt perfectly natural. And she was a Hive Queen now. She probably should have expected something like this. She eyed the egg suspiciously, then poked it. Its shell was pretty hard, and a little warm. She didn¡¯t know what was going to come out of it. What if it was another monster that would be hostile? Some species didn¡¯t exactly go in for family ties. Well, if that was the case, judging by the size at least it shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem to deal with. Besides, it was probably fine. She was a Hive Queen; she should have a hive. Right? She would have preferred to just stumble on one, though. Or even better, be born in an established hive in safety and comfort. By now, night was falling in earnest. She glanced around. This place was a little more sheltered than the top of the hills, but still pretty exposed. She didn¡¯t like the thought of sleeping here, alone on the ground, where any monster could come at her. She needed to sleep, she couldn¡¯t keep awake the whole night. This was a dangerous environment and she needed to stay sharp. Besides, she¡¯d have to sleep sooner or later, or she¡¯d literally kill herself. She was already exhausted. Her low-light vision appeared to be pretty good, probably better than the human norm, but she wasn¡¯t confident that she could spot every monster or even just normal predatory animal that might be coming for her. Her instincts wanted her to protect the egg, but she needed to protect herself, too, and that was more important. With a last regretful look back, she turned and made her way back to the forest. She would choose a tree that was close by, where she could keep an eye on it. Luckily, the trees on the edge close to the rocky hills were still tall. She found one that looked promising, a big one with a thick trunk and some wide upper branches. She climbed up carefully, then tried to make herself comfortable. The tree had a fork from its trunk that gave her a wide enough base, and thick enough branches she wasn¡¯t afraid of them breaking under her weight. She would have preferred to tie herself to the trunk or something, but she didn¡¯t see any more of the climbing vines, and she¡¯d lost the one she had somewhere along the way. It wouldn¡¯t have been much good, anyway. Too short. There was a bit of a hole in the canopy above her, enough to let her see the night sky. She stared up at it for a long time, mesmerized by the stars. There didn¡¯t appear to be any moon. Sure, it could just be a new moon night. In fact, it probably was. But a part of her thought there genuinely might not be a moon here. She hadn¡¯t thought much about it, but by now she had to consider the possibility that she wasn¡¯t in her own world anymore. If she¡¯d ever actually been there in the first place. She was quite sure they didn¡¯t have monsters like that there. Or the blue boxes that occasionally showed up. She really needed to figure out how to get more information from them. Still, this place seemed to be, in general, friendly to civilization. There had to be humans around somewhere, too, right? Or at least some sapient species. Maybe elves or dwarves, who knew what sort of fantasy world she¡¯d landed in? But she didn¡¯t know how they would react to her. She looked like a monster. A humanoid one, but still. She sighed and turned, trying to find a more comfortable position. It was getting colder, though the temperature wasn¡¯t below what she couldn¡¯t tolerate, so far. ¡°I need a name,¡± she said to herself. Why hadn¡¯t she thought of that before? She really should have a name, everyone did. But what kind of name? Try as she might, she couldn¡¯t remember what her name had been before. It was as if the information was simply purged from her memory, along with all other personal details. She had to have had one before, but she doubted she¡¯d even recognize it if someone said it now. Alright, then she just needed to give herself a new name. Easy enough. She sighed. Okay, let¡¯s get started. What do I know about myself? She was a new Hive Queen. That was pretty much all. Maybe she should just call herself ¡®Queen¡¯? She frowned to herself. No, that¡¯s far too simple. I¡¯d be embarrassed trying to introduce myself. Well, how about ¡®Regina¡¯? That should fit. It was actually a real name, that some people had, right? It was still a little on-the-nose, to be fair, but she liked the sound of it. Regina smiled to herself as she turned again, then finally closed her eyes. She breathed deeply, snuggling into the hard surface of the tree, and let some of the tension drain out of her. She expected sleep to be hard to find, but the day had exhausted her. She listened to the sounds of the forest for a while, gradually slipping into slumber. Chapter 4: Let There Be Fire! It wasn¡¯t a good night. While she didn¡¯t have much of a frame of reference, Regina found it far from restful. She slept fitfully, almost slipping off her perch several times. More than once, she woke up to hear what had to be monsters making noise in the dark forest. One of them emitted an unearthly, bone-chilling howl. Another time, it was the braying of a large wolf pack. Luckily, these sounds were all distant, surely kilometers away still. Each time, she lay still for a while, listening for them, to see if they moved closer. They didn¡¯t. At least she had managed to catch a few hours of rest. When dawn started to paint the eastern sky with warm colors and the general level of light increased, she carefully climbed down from her tree. Her legs refused to cooperate at first and she stumbled a few steps. She stretched a little, then took a good look around and started walking. There were no monsters visible. She didn¡¯t even see many normal animals. Did this place even have large predators, or were they out-competed by monsters? The first thing Regina did was hurry to check on the egg. She breathed an unconscious sigh of relief when she saw it sitting in its little hollow, with no signs of monsters or predators. She hurried up to it, then carefully looked it over and tried experimentally pushing on its shell. It didn¡¯t budge easily. The shell still felt hard, although it had cooled noticeably. But the egg seemed a little larger to her. Had it actually grown? Maybe it was just because of the different lighting. She wished she had some measuring tape, but on the list of her wishes, that was pretty far down. After that, she walked around a little, in a rough perimeter of the spot, and examined the terrain. She also picked up a few rocks she found, trying to get the roundest or sharpest ones. She put those in a small pile close to the egg when she returned. Then Regina took the sharpest rock she¡¯d found and went back into the trees. She didn¡¯t have to walk long before she found more of the Climbing Vines. It turned out that the rock was less useful than her claws, so she buckled down and started cutting through a vine with them again. After a while, she had a few good-sized lengths of improvised rope and her fingers ached. She returned to her pile of stones and put them down, winding one of them around her waist and a shorter one around her left arm like a bracelet. Thus prepared, Regina set off back in the direction where she¡¯d fought the Monster Duck. What she really needed was a way to store water. She knew people used to use waterskins made from the bladders of animals. She just didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to get one from the remains of her prey, and she didn¡¯t really want to try. It turned out she didn¡¯t get the option. When she returned to where she¡¯d fought the duck, Regina found a mess of broken branches and blood splatters on the ground. But the corpse of the monster was gone. Except for a few pieces of bone and what might be intestines, she didn¡¯t find anything remaining of it. Presumably a larger monster had dragged it off or eaten it on the spot. Regina glanced around nervously, but the forest still appeared to be innocently calm and quiet. She continued on for a few minutes towards the river. By now, the day was starting to warm up. She¡¯d probably have at least fifteen hours or so of sunlight, assuming the length of days lined up with her expectations for the apparent season. That was enough time to get some things done. Once she reached the river, Regina carefully checked for any monsters. Except for a small herd of deer a little further downriver, she didn¡¯t see any animals. Two of the deer looked at her when she stepped out of the forest and seemed to evaluate her, but the herd didn¡¯t move. She still hurried, quickly cleaning herself as well as she could and taking a long drink. What she assumed were her wings were still gunky and hard to move. She sighed and turned to head back. Her size was difficult to estimate without anything specific to compare it to, but she would put her height somewhere in the ballpark of a large kid or short woman. Now that she thought about it, it was entirely possible that she wasn¡¯t fully grown yet. Maybe she couldn¡¯t even use her wings yet, even if she had them. To investigate that, she got to one of the trees close to her improvised camp and put her back against it, then carefully cut a line into the bark with her claws at the height of her head. She¡¯d check herself against it periodically. After that, she continued her work. The walk had given her enough time to think about what she needed to do and come up with a few ideas and priorities. So Regina walked through the forest and gathered the driest branches she could find, dropping them a few meters away from her egg. She also took some dried leaves and pieces of bark that might serve as kindling. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Of course, she didn¡¯t really know how to make fire. But she knew the basic principles. She didn¡¯t have any flint and wasn¡¯t sure how to identify it even if there was some around. But she had a vague impression of people in the jungle making fire by generating enough heat with the friction of several pieces of wood against each other. After half an hour of searching and preparations, she had a length of wood with a reasonably even surface that would serve as a board, with a small indentation cut into it in the middle. She put a long, straight stick into it and pushed her improvised tinder around it. Then she started rubbing the stick between her palms, turning it as quickly as she could. Regina was at it for a while, trying to find the best way to turn the stick quickly and generate maximum friction. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t going too well. The claws at the ends of her fingers tended to trip up the piece of wood, giving it quite a few scratches and slowing it down when it was caught in them every time she got too close. It also wasn¡¯t easy on the insides of her hands. They didn¡¯t have the thick, protective covering that her less movable parts did. She sighed and shifted on the ground to find a more comfortable position. Then she tried again. She got it up to a pretty good speed before she lost the rhythm and it caught in one of her claws, stumbling to a stop immediately. ¡°Dammit!¡± She clenched her teeth and tried again. This time, it didn¡¯t take long until the stick slid out of the indentation she¡¯d made for it. ¡°Why won¡¯t you just spark already?!¡± For a moment, she sensed something again, another shift in the energy she¡¯d felt before. A small spark came to life on the rough wooden board, and then a small trail of smoke rose up from the tinder. A blue box appeared.
Mana: 83/100
Regina stared for a moment. Then she turned to the fruits of her efforts and carefully blew on the nascent fire, watching it closely until the tinder had fed a real flame. She fetched another stick and got its tip to catch fire, before she carried it to the pile of sticks she¡¯d assembled. There¡¯s actual mana points in this weird system here. She couldn¡¯t help but grin and let out a whoop of joy that startled a few nearby birds into taking to the air. I can do magic! It also gave her more information about the way this thing worked. Granted, 17 mana for a little spark didn¡¯t seem very impressive, but that was hopefully just because it was an uncontrolled eruption of power and would improve with practice. She could still set a few things on fire with the mana she had. Regina glanced at the fire, then scrambled to clear the area around it and dragged stones there to form a perimeter. She didn¡¯t want to start a forest fire. It was still pretty small, but she found the bit of warmth it emitted welcome. Maybe she should try putting some fire close to the egg. She turned her attention inward, trying to search for the energy she¡¯d used. The mana. After a few seconds, she realized the sensation had never really left, it was still there at the periphery of her awareness. 84/100 mana. It had been at least ten minutes, probably more. That wasn¡¯t a particularly fast regen rate. Maybe it was being impaired by something? She kind of felt like her magic should generally regenerate more quickly. Of course, her Hive Queen side might just not understand the circumstances, or something. She got another piece of wood and tried again, this time attempting to carefully monitor her use of her magic and guide it directly into the wood in a controlled manner. This time, it worked after a few seconds of focus. The wood caught fire. Regina glanced at the notification that appeared.
Mana: 72/100
Apparently, she¡¯d managed to reduce the mana used from seventeen to twelve. That wasn¡¯t bad for a first attempt. But she hesitated to experiment any further. With her slow regen, it would take a while for her mana to fill back up. And if she was attacked by a monster in the meantime, the ability to at least singe it a few times or light its surroundings on fire might be critical. Sighing, Regina started to gather a few more sticks in a spot close to the egg, then put her newly afire stick into it. At least she had a few improvised torches now. Even just a stick that was on fire would be useful against any predator or monster that might show up. Hopefully, the fire would help to scare them away from her spot, anyway. She shook her head, then decided to set off again. There were a few more bushes of those berries in the forest, and she¡¯d earned breakfast. Luckily, Regina found one only a few minutes from her campfire, and quickly stripped its upper branches. Everything was quiet, and nothing bothered her during her meal or her walk back. She gathered a few more sticks, then settled down next to her fire. The warmth was nice. She kept it small and made sure it would last for a while. She¡¯d gather more firewood later and keep it burning through the night. Then she closed her eyes and rested. Occasionally, when her mana had regenerated a little, she¡¯d try again to set another stick on fire with as little mana as possible. It was late afternoon when Regina stirred herself again. She stood up, stretched, and wandered over to her egg. It had definitely grown. This time, it wasn¡¯t a trick of the light or just her imagination, she was sure of it. She stared down at it, then sat on a grassy patch, sighing. At least she wouldn¡¯t have to wait long. Chapter 5: Tricks, Traps and Exploration Regina startled awake, pulled from a dark dream by a nearby sound. The dream didn¡¯t linger, and she felt wide-awake instantly, quickly sitting up. The night was almost silent, except for a few scattered insects and the rustling of leaves. Her fire had burned low in the night, though it still gave off enough light that she saw her surroundings clearly. Piles of rocks, cut vines and wood sat beside her campsite. After a moment of looking around, she spotted what had woken her. From the edge of the forest, she saw a shadow creeping closer. Two eyes glowed softly in the darkness. She grabbed two of the best rocks she¡¯d found, which she¡¯d put next to where she¡¯d slept on a heap of leaves she¡¯d gathered. Then Regina took a step to the side and carefully picked up a burning stick in her right hand, waving it from side to side for a moment. Her potential opponent was a big cat with a black coat. It looked a bit bigger than a normal panther to her. She watched as it stalked carefully closer, its reflective eyes fixed on her. After a moment, another blue box popped up on the edge of her vision, where it didn¡¯t obstruct her view.
Black Panther ¡ª Level ?
She hissed at it, a drawn out, chilling sound she hadn¡¯t known she was capable of. The big cat stopped. Regina took a few steps forward slowly and waved her improvised torch. ¡°Get away from here, kitty,¡± she called out, trying to sound confident and intimidating. ¡°There¡¯s no food for you here.¡± The panther had paused. As far as Regina could tell, it seemed hesitant, perhaps wondering if the potential meal was worth it. At least it wasn¡¯t mindlessly aggressive like the monster duck had been. Regina took a deep breath, then focused on the feeling of the energy in her. She fixed her gaze on a bushel of grass just in front of the cat, then let the magic go. It felt harder than in any of her practice, as if she had to push through an obstruction that was actively fighting her, but after a moment of struggle, she managed it.
Mana: 70/100
The grass caught fire. The panther wasn¡¯t close enough to be burnt by it, but it still drew back, hissing. She should have had about ninety mana. This had taken more than her earlier experiments, probably because of the distance involved. But she¡¯d managed it, and the cat seemed to get the message. She stared hard at it, unblinking, clutching her torch. After a moment, it disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Regina put two new branches into her fire and sat back down, sighing. She should have enough firewood to last the night. And she definitely had better low-light vision than a human. She kept sitting there for a while, listening to the sounds of the night and watching the edge of the forest and the hills. After some time during which everything was quiet, she gave in to her sleepiness and lay back down, closing her eyes. It still took her a while to fall asleep. The rest of the night was quiet, with no more disturbances. When Regina blinked the sleep out of her eyes the following morning and got up, she saw she had slept through most of the dawn. She yawned and stretched, still feeling tired. Hopefully, she¡¯d be able to get a good night¡¯s sleep one day soon. But she shook herself awake and started her day. She had a lot to do. The egg appeared to have grown overnight, at least a little. She found it hard to estimate how big the creature inside would be. It was probably still a little smaller than her egg had been. I should have paid more attention at the time, but in my defense, being hatched is a little traumatic. Not that a comparison would help much. She didn¡¯t know what was inside, but she seriously doubted that it was someone else just like her. That just didn¡¯t feel right. Still, Regina couldn¡¯t help but feel a little anxious at the increased size. If it did house a monster that turned out to be hostile, a bigger one would give her more trouble. Still, her instincts didn¡¯t want her to leave the egg. And they definitely knew more about this than the human side of her mind. She shook her head and left, heading back into the forest to get started with the plans she¡¯d made when she was trying to sleep. It took Regina a while to find another berry bush, and while she was hungry, she didn¡¯t take all of the berries she could reach. They might have to last her a while. She¡¯d really like to get some more meat, but she¡¯d have to be careful. After that, she went to the river, which was again empty except for a few birds, then returned to her camp. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. She spent a few frustrating hours trying to make simple tools and things she could use. It was harder than it seemed to lay traps. She had wooden sticks and the vines she used as ropes, but no knowledge of how to use them. Still, after a while she managed a few simple slings that were hopefully well enough hidden, and one more complicated trap involving a young sapling she¡¯d bent back and tied with a vine. They were all targeted at the small wildlife of the forest. Regina knew she didn¡¯t have much hope of her work holding up to bigger animals. She also managed to make herself a crude spear, little more than a sharp rock tied onto the straightest stick she¡¯d been able to find. She was a little dubious that it would actually work better than her claws, but it couldn¡¯t hurt to try. Well, it could, but it¡¯s still worth trying. Thus armed, Regina set off for a bit of exploration, to get to know her surrounding territory better. She didn¡¯t want to go too far from the egg, but there were still a few spots she hadn¡¯t explored yet reasonably close by. It took her a few hours, since she went slowly and took the time to examine any points of interest closely, as well as returning to check on her campsite periodically. She saw a few more predators or monsters, but only from a distance, and avoided them as well as she could. The most interesting thing she found were another few plants that the strange system gave her blue boxes for. None of them seemed as useful as the vines to her. Maybe they had health-related effects, but the blue boxes didn¡¯t say and Regina wasn¡¯t keen on experimenting on herself. She still carefully memorized their locations and appearance, in case it ever turned out to be relevant. Maybe they¡¯d be useful for some experiments later. They smelled just like any other forest plants, and she wasn¡¯t sure if their scent would be enough for her to recognize them. She hoped her inhuman sense of smell would help her protect herself against monsters, but the panther last night had appeared downwind of her. Other hunters would probably be smart enough to do the same. In the end, Regina got reasonably familiar with the surrounding area. When she returned to her campsite, she drew a crude map in the dirt with a stick, although she didn¡¯t really need it to remember what she¡¯d seen. It appeared like the surrounding area was largely forest, with the river cutting through it in a slightly meandering path. The best landmark aside from that was her own location. Further to the west, she¡¯d found other clusters of hills, which slowly grew more frequent until they transitioned into a largely forested low mountain range. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but she thought there might be a larger mountain chain in the distance. She¡¯d need a day with clear skies, no dust in the air and a good vantage point to check. Hopefully she¡¯d see the tops of those mountains more clearly then, if that was what she¡¯d seen. She hadn¡¯t found any signs of civilization so far, but she also hadn¡¯t been able to look very far into the forest to the east. There could have been a village in a clearing just a few kilometers from here and she wouldn¡¯t know. You might even reach the end of the forest and several towns or cities not much farther than that. I can hope, at least. Of course, there didn¡¯t appear to be any air pollution that she could detect, and she¡¯d seen a marvelously clear sky with innumerable stars at night. Far more than Regina thought she would have seen before, not that she could remember specific instances. That indicated she was either far in the wilderness, a long way from any cities, or that the local civilization was at a low tech level. She wasn¡¯t sure which she¡¯d prefer. However things turned out, if she felt she absolutely needed to leave, she could always throw a few tree trunks in the water and try to ride them down the river. It shouldn¡¯t be that hard to make a canoe, right? She hadn¡¯t seen any rapids or waterfalls, either. But for now, she had access to water, at least some food, and hadn¡¯t been eaten by monsters yet. This place wasn¡¯t so bad, if she had to be stranded alone in the wilderness. Regina stayed out until the daylight started to fade again. Then she took a quick break, gathered a bit more firewood, and decided to check on her traps quickly before she went to the river again. To her surprise, one of her traps had actually caught something. It was a loop made of vine which now held a small furry animal dangling from a tree. She carefully poked it with a stick before she started to take it down. Her catch looked like a rabbit, or maybe a hare? Regina wasn¡¯t clear on the difference. She thought its ears were a little short and its teeth a little too sharp, but for all she knew, that was actually perfectly normal. She reset the trap as well as she could, since it had been her most successful one so far, before she carried her prey back to her campsite. Once there, she used the sharpest rock she¡¯d been able to find to try to skin it. Her claws would probably have been better, but she didn¡¯t like the idea of using her fingers for something this gory. Her instincts were eagerly pushing her to eat it, and she had to swallow her saliva regularly. But she wanted to preserve its hide, if she could. Unfortunately, the stone wasn¡¯t up to the task, and she made a bit of a mess of it. At least she managed to avoid puncturing its intestines. She pulled those out and threw them aside, grimacing at the smell. She should bury them later. This work was bloodier than she¡¯d like. But, as Regina discovered when she absently licked a claw clean, blood didn¡¯t taste so bad. She paused at that thought, then shook her head and carried on. She carefully took out the hare¡¯s teeth and a few sinews. Then she finally gave in to temptation and cut off a piece of meat to try. It tasted delicious. She¡¯d been afraid it was something about the monster that had made it taste that good, but maybe her species just liked meat. Raw meat. Regina grimaced and quickly put a larger piece onto a stick to get it over the fire. She waited impatiently, wedging the stick between a few rocks and using another to dig a hole for the garbage. Then she took her meal from the fire, even if it was still a bit undercooked, and ate. Still good. It seemed like her species could eat cooked food, at least. Now if only she had something to drink, it would be an even nicer evening. Chapter 6: Companion The egg started to hatch the next day. Regina had just come back from her last trip to the river. At first, she thought she¡¯d imagined the crack. It was a very faint sound, almost lost to the birdsong and rustle of the forest. But she hurried over to the egg to check on it anyway. The egg was now big enough that she thought a human child could probably fit comfortably inside, if they were curled up tightly. She stared at it for a few moments, but didn¡¯t hear anything else. Then it started to tremble faintly and the small crack she¡¯d missed started to expand until it wrapped itself around most of the egg¡¯s upper part. She took a step forward, starting to go and help, before she hesitated. Regina lowered her arms and simply watched, tense, as the egg cracked further. Her fingers found the sharp stone she¡¯d tucked into the makeshift belt around her waist and she clenched it tightly. The first bit of the shell started to fly off. She took a step back, narrowing her eyes. She smelled someone else, a strong scent that she couldn¡¯t quite place, but felt as if it should be familiar. It was a different kind than anything she¡¯d gotten from the forest. Then the being inside the egg seemingly gave it a push and it started to shatter in earnest, allowing the hatchling to climb out. Just then, a blue box popped up in Regina¡¯s vision.
Congratulations, System Access has been unlocked for you!
Welcome to the System. Full functionality should now be available.
She blinked, focusing back on the newly hatched being. Normally she¡¯d be excited to delve into it right away, but this System had the worst timing. What she saw was obviously another member of Regina¡¯s species. Its body shape suggested a male, and something about the scent said the same. He was a little shorter than her, at least for now, but although he stood on two legs, he had six extremities. One pair of human-like arms much like hers, and another pair that was much more insectile, with a scythe-like appendage on the front of each. He was covered in the same kind of shell she was. After she looked at him for a moment, another blue box popped up to identify him.
Drone Warrior ¡ª Level 1
The newborn warrior tilted his head slightly, blinking his dark, obviously inhuman eyes. ¡°Hello there,¡± she said, her heart pounding quickly. The drone warrior appeared to hesitate for a moment, before he took a step towards her. ¡°Mother? My Queen?¡± Regina felt a weight she hadn¡¯t realized was there lift off her and let out a deep breath of relief. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. She smiled at him. ¡°Come here. We have a lot to talk about.¡± There was something about him. Her instincts were pretty silent, except for a general positive feeling, but she felt connected to him in a way she couldn¡¯t describe. It was only after she¡¯d spoken that she started to wonder if he might be a threat, and even then the idea felt silly. This was a drone of her hive. Of course he was hers. The warrior walked towards her, his first few steps unsteady before he seemed to find his balance. He looked around, but his gaze quickly returned to her. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know what we are?¡± she asked hopefully. He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m a warrior of the hive. Beyond that, I don¡¯t know.¡± His stubby antennae flicked. ¡°We¡¯re not human, are we? I know about them, but we¡¯re clearly not.¡± She nodded. ¡°How do you know that?¡± This whole thing was strange. ¡°How do you know how to speak this language, for that matter?¡± He tilted his head again. ¡°Because you do, I think,¡± he said hesitantly. ¡°I think I get it from you, my Queen. I don¡¯t know. There are things I know, that I just know when I need them, but that¡¯s all.¡± She regarded him thoughtfully. That might make sense, in a weird way. If newborn drone warriors got knowledge imparted to them somehow, then they could be ready to fight much more quickly. It wasn¡¯t like any of this was normal. ¡°Maybe we can ask the system about me?¡± he asked. ¡°I saw a blue notification earlier.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She smiled. ¡°Try to call up your status sheet. Do you think there¡¯s a way I can see it, too?¡± His gaze grew unfocused for a second, then he nodded. ¡°I got it. I feel like you should be able to see it, too. I mean, you¡¯re the Hive Queen.¡± She narrowed her eyes at him. A moment later, with a soft ping, a window opened.
Name: N/A Drone Warrior
Level: 1
Mana: N/A
Con: 9 Str: 10
Dex: 9 End: 8
Int: 15 Wis: 9
Regina raised an eyebrow. ¡°Huh. Interesting.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The way the new warrior looked at her vaguely reminded her of an eager puppy. ¡°Did you get it? What do you think, Mother?¡± She winced slightly. I can¡¯t be a Mom, dammit! She shifted her weight uncomfortably, suddenly aware of how she must look like to him. A strange woman of the same species, wearing only a kind of loincloth or short skirt made of a rabbit pelt, with a vine wrapped around her forearm and armed with stones and a spear made of a stick. Her middle was still stuck with a bit of gunk, and she had a cut on her cheek from an errant tree branch of all things. ¡°I think it¡¯s interesting,¡± she answered, pushing those thoughts aside. ¡°You have pretty high Intelligence for a warrior, I guess, but if that¡¯s how you¡¯re talking to me so well, I¡¯m definitely not going to complain.¡± ¡°Thank you, my Queen!¡± He bowed his head. ¡°I hope I will be able to be useful to you.¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°Well.¡± First things first. ¡°You need a name. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve already got one?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll give one to you. Hm.¡± She frowned, thinking for a moment. He waited patiently while she paced up and down a few steps. ¡°Max,¡± she finally decided. ¡°What do you think? It can be short for Maximus later, maybe, but I guess you¡¯d need to grow into that.¡± He smiled. ¡°Thank you, my Queen.¡±
Name ¡°Max¡± given to Drone Warrior Lvl. 1!
She shook her head. ¡°Alright. I guess we¡¯ll see if that actually has any effect.¡± She hesitated for a moment. She should see about her own status sheet, but a part of her felt trepidation at the thought. Besides, Max was still just hatched and deserved her attention. Not to mention there were things she still wanted to investigate. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what I¡¯ve been doing, okay?¡± she said. ¡°Is there anything you need?¡± He shook his head as he started to follow her. ¡°No, thank you, my Queen.¡± ¡°You can call me Regina,¡± she said. Then she realized she hadn¡¯t actually given him her name before. Ugh, that was kind of rude. She showed him the piles she¡¯d made of firewood, other wood she¡¯d gathered that might be useful for construction or making tools, stones, cut vines, and her abortive attempts at making a basket. It hadn¡¯t gone well. Then she led him into the forest to point out the traps she¡¯d attempted. ¡°I haven¡¯t been out here long,¡± she explained, scratching her cheek. ¡°I only hatched a few days before you, actually. I¡¯ve killed one monster and scared another one off in that time. With your help, I hope we¡¯ll be able to do more than that.¡± He nodded firmly. ¡°I¡¯ll fight whatever monster you need me to. Uh, how well do these traps actually work?¡± ¡°I caught a rabbit yesterday.¡± Regina shrugged. Max took a good look at the sling she was currently showing him, but he looked a little doubtful. She could guess what he was thinking. His blade limbs didn¡¯t look well suited to this, or to other detail work, and he clearly preferred the idea of using them against bigger game. Personally, she appreciated that he had natural weapons of his own and didn¡¯t need her to make some. ¡°How about we go hunting?¡± she suggested. ¡°There are a few animals and maybe even weaker monsters that I think we could take with two of us. And now that I don¡¯t need to keep watch on an egg, I can move a little farther from the camp. Besides, I could use some food, and you¡¯re probably hungry, right?¡± He nodded eagerly. ¡°I am. That would be great.¡± So they set off. Max walked besides her as well as the forest allowed, but from the way he looked around, Regina got the feeling he was trying to play bodyguard. She smiled slightly. She felt a lot better having someone else with her, and she actually did feel safer with a warrior to protect her. Although it might be more than that. Regina dodged around a tree once, but somehow, she still knew where he was. She only realized it after she was back beside him, as seamlessly as if he¡¯d always been in her sight. She hesitated, then closed her eyes for a moment. She could still tell his location. She was aware of it the same way she might be able to tell the position of her fingers, even if she didn¡¯t pay attention to them. When she focused on it, she got an actual sense of his presence. To the human part of Regina¡¯s mind, it was uncanny. She slowed to a stop, looking at Max thoughtfully. ¡°Regina, is everything alright?¡± he asked. He glanced around as if expecting a threat to jump out of the woodwork, and his right blade lifted a little. ¡°No, everything¡¯s fine,¡± she answered. ¡°I just realized I don¡¯t really understand what kind of connection we have, even if I can feel it. I get the feeling there¡¯s more to it that we haven¡¯t explored.¡± Max relaxed a little and smiled. ¡°You can explore it however you like, my Queen. It would be an honor.¡± He frowned slightly, clearly thinking hard, searching his instinctive knowledge. ¡°I feel like you might be able to send your awareness into me? It¡¯s hard to explain.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to try that. Are you okay with it?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m yours to command. No warrior of the hive would object to hosting his queen.¡± He sounded certain, even as he looked a bit unsure, like he wasn¡¯t sure where this came from. Regina nodded, then sighed and closed her eyes. This time, she focused closely on Max. The smell of him, the feeling of his presence. There was a small part of her mind that was linked to him, always. She hadn¡¯t realized it before, although a part of her must have known. Then she had a brief sense of disorientation, and suddenly she was even closer to his consciousness. It felt strange, and yet clear. She settled into it like she was sitting down on a seat that had been designed for her. He looked at the forest and her, and Regina saw what he saw. It was strange to look at herself through someone else¡¯s eyes, and she paused for a moment. She heard the way the birdsong sounded in his ears, and she smelled the forest through him. And herself. The way she smelled to him was a little weird for her. It seemed stronger than anything else, and it brought feelings of home and family, pride and determination, even if those were only vague concepts for Max. Regina shifted. She could still move her own body, although it was difficult with her attention split. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to do anything that required care or concentration. ¡°How does this feel for you?¡± she asked. She slurred her words a little, and heard it through both her own body and his ears. ¡°It¡¯s okay, nothing bad,¡± Max said. She felt the movements he used to talk. ¡°Hard to describe. Do you want to try controlling me?¡± She paused for a moment. That was possible? It did feel like it should be. ¡°Alright.¡± Then she reached in and nudged him a little. Max¡¯s head turned, and the view she got of the trees around them changed. She carefully took a step forward with his body, noticing the way he automatically compensated for the distribution of his weight. Then she made him crouch down, and tried to move his scythe-appendage across the ground. The result was barely legible. You needed a lot of imagination to read it as letters. But it should be possible! Regina pulled back, then withdrew from his mind completely. The transition was just as disorienting as before, though it passed quickly. It made her far more aware of the feelings she¡¯d gotten from Max. Echoes of which she still sensed. The warrior smiled. He looked pleased. ¡°Do we keep going now?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. Let¡¯s go.¡± Regina shook her head and set off again. Would it work like this with every hive drone she had? A very interesting development, indeed. Chapter 7: First Hunt Max wasn¡¯t sure what to make of his life. He had only been alive for a few minutes, definitely less than an hour. He had a vague feeling that it wasn¡¯t normal to be the only hive drone of a queen in the wilderness, without even proper tools or structures. He kind of liked the forest, actually, although it wasn¡¯t like he had seen much of anything. He glanced around warily as they walked through it. That was a bit of a problem, since he didn¡¯t have any experience with its dangers. As the only Warrior, it fell to him to protect the Hive Queen. He wasn¡¯t sure he was up to the task. But he had to be! Failure wasn¡¯t an option. He looked at his Queen, Regina, and noticed that she walked with easy grace down the game trail they¡¯d found. She kept a quick pace without any signs of tiredness. Which was actually more than he could say, since he was starting to breathe hard already. Just then, she looked at him, caught his gaze and smiled. Was she actually stronger and had more endurance than him? Maybe that had to do with those stats? He knew his were low. ¡°Regina,¡± he began hesitantly. She¡¯d told him he could call her that. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was a softly-worded command or just an offer. ¡°Can I ask you about stats?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sure. I only know what I can guess from the video games that I somehow know about, though.¡± He nodded when she paused, perhaps gathering her thoughts. ¡°I guess Con means Constitution and says how tough you are,¡± she began. ¡°That probably means general hardiness and resistance to poison and so on. There doesn¡¯t seem to be a Vitality stat and I haven¡¯t seen any health bars, so I guess that just works like the real world. I mean, like it would without a System. This isn¡¯t a video game.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Anyway, Strength seems pretty straightforward, just the strength of your muscles. Dexterity is presumably related to fine motor control and how nimble you are with your hands. If I had to guess, speed is probably determined by a mix of Dex and Str. But who knows. And Endurance is probably your stamina. I guess Intelligence and Wisdom sound clear, but I honestly have no idea how the System would measure them. Or increase them, if raising stat points is a thing. That thought is actually a bit scary.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Max agreed. He didn¡¯t want any weird System messing around with his head. Sure, his Queen might have access to it, too, but that was completely different! He shook his head to dispel that thought and focused on what he¡¯d wanted to talk about. ¡°My Queen, if I may ask, what about your own stats?¡± She glanced away. ¡°Well, I guess I have to take the plunge sometime,¡± she mumbled. He kept quiet as she stopped and stared off into the distance, clearly checking a System screen. After a second, her face twisted into a scowl. ¡°What do you mean, unavailable? What the hell?¡± She paused, then narrowed her eyes. ¡°And what the hell is up with that mana count? I¡¯m pretty sure it was at most ninety earlier, I was practicing, and how did that increase?¡± When she turned back to him, Max had to fight the impulse to bow his head and scramble away. He rather doubted that would please her in these circumstances. Instead, he gathered his courage and asked, ¡°Is there anything I need to know, my Queen?¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Her expression turned thoughtful. ¡°Maybe I can share it with you. Hold on a moment.¡± For another few seconds, she seemed to focus on her System interface while he waited. Then another window opened up.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 1
Mana: 105/120
Hive: 1/1, 0
Your stats are currently unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Max could understand why Regina was frustrated at not being able to see her stats. He wasn¡¯t sure what was up with the mana, though. As if sensing his thoughts, she started to explain, ¡°I had a mana pool of 100 earlier. I guess your hatching changed that. Maybe my mana actually increases based on my hive?¡± She looked happy at the thought, and Max had to agree with that. Her getting stronger would be nice. ¡°It¡¯s also regenerating faster,¡± she continued. ¡°Look, it just jumped up a point. Not sure why that is, it could also be because of your presence. Or maybe having an egg developing was siphoning off mana.¡± He nodded. It wasn¡¯t like he had any input to offer. ¡°Then the Hive.¡± She frowned again. ¡°I¡¯m guessing it shows the limit of the hive members I can have, not just how many I currently have. Which means just you. Hopefully that increases if I level up, but I can¡¯t see how it wouldn¡¯t. And the third number is probably the number of eggs currently gestating, or whatever you call it.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Max nodded again, more glumly this time. He really would like to have more brothers or sisters to help him. There was strength and safety in numbers. ¡°Thank you for the explanation, and for allowing me to see your status.¡± She gestured with her hand as if waving off his thanks. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going, Max.¡± They followed the trail for another few minutes, while Max thought about what he¡¯d seen. He wished he had her stats to compare his to, though that might not be a good comparison. He had his natural weapons, hopefully they would be enough in a fight. He did want to hunt, though. The idea of a good fight and fresh meat made his heart beat faster in excitement and his mouth water. Hunger was a growing hole in his belly, but he still had enough strength to last for a while. It would have to do. He didn¡¯t even know what he could eat. Except meat, obviously, given what Regina had said. At that moment, she stopped again, this time beside a bush with dark berries. It looked like half of them had been stripped off. ¡°You should be able to eat those,¡± she said. ¡°Go ahead, eat as many as you like.¡± She took one of them and popped it into her mouth. Max copied her. The berries tasted pretty good, and before he knew it, he was eating them by the handful. Regina ate a few, as well, but not as much as him. Then, with the worst of his hunger sated, they continued on. Max glanced around, looking at the birds singing in the trees above them. They might be tasty, too, if he could find a way to catch them. ¡°I was hoping to get a deer,¡± Regina explained quietly, ¡°or maybe a weak monster. Can you help me track some prey?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, my Queen.¡± Max focused on what his nose could tell him. He did catch traces of deer, not that he knew how he recognized the scent. There should be a herd around here somewhere. Monsters were harder to identify. But he started walking in the direction he smelled the deer, his Queen keeping pace with him. They quickly stumbled onto a game trail that was probably used by the deer. He could also smell water close by, though he didn¡¯t see the stream itself. The wind shifted, which would help them hide their own scent from their prey, but made it harder to find that prey. They hadn¡¯t walked that far, but Max got the impression Regina hadn¡¯t been here before. She glanced around warily. He frowned to himself, taking a deep sniff of the air. There was something about it. The trees were thinning ahead of them, probably leading to another clearing, but they were still thick enough to hide behind. ¡°Wait!¡± He darted forward and grabbed Regina, bringing them to a stop. He could almost feel the sudden surge of anger from her, but his attention was fixed on the trees. A few meters away, just behind them, leaves rustled. They turned around and he let go of her as the smell got stronger. Then the monster jumped out. After a moment, he recognized it as a wolf. A really big one. It had mostly gray fur, though its eyes were burnt orange, and when it bared its teeth at them, they looked really big and sharp. As Max stared at it, the System gave him a notification.
Flametongue Wolf ¡ª Level ?
Flame? Just as he was thinking it, a burst of heat grew in front of the wolf. He jumped aside just in time to dodge the tongue of flame that shot from the monster. It crashed into the tree behind them, sending out showers of sparks. His heart seemed to skip a beat as he looked for Regina. But she was okay, she¡¯d dodged to the other side. Now she advanced on the wolf, her makeshift spear held out in front of her. Max scrambled to do the same on its other side. He really wanted to tell his Queen he would take care of it himself, but he could tell that would be a stupid idea. The wolf seemed to consider her the greater threat, since it turned to face her. He jumped forward and stabbed at it with his blade-arms. Or tried to, at least. One of them glanced off its thick fur, and it jumped just in time to dodge the other one. But that opened it up to attack from Regina. She darted forward, thrusting her spear at it. The hit connected, but it seemed to be a shallow slash. The wolf carried through with its movement, only a little blood trickling from the wound. Max had only a split-second of warning and dove to the side to evade another flaming attack. It scorched the back of his shell, and his left blade-arm drooped. Burning pain prickled in it, but he still had his other limbs. While Regina occupied the wolf¡¯s attention, Max crouched and picked up a few stones. He threw them at the monster with all of his might. One of them hit it on the snout and seemed to daze it, allowing his Queen to rake its chest. The wolf retreated, yipping a little. Then it growled at the two of them. Max charged forward, sweeping for its limbs. The wolf tried to dodge, but his blade clipped its right foreleg. That made the monster stumble to the side. This time, Regina didn¡¯t press the attack. Max learned why a second later, when a burning piece of wood sailed for the monster. The wolf ducked, but the torch still hit its back. Max crouched in a defensive position as the smell of smoke stung his nose. But after a moment, he realized it wasn¡¯t very strong. The wolf¡¯s thick fur seemed to protect it against the fire somewhat. Maybe he should have expected something like this, given its ability. It growled at them again, a sound that would have made his hairs raise if he¡¯d had any. ¡°You take its left side, I¡¯ll go right,¡± Regina said in a clipped tone. Max moved to obey right away, keeping his injured blade back while he led with his other one. He tried to take his cue from his Queen. When she darted forward once again, he moved in, too. He swept his blade low, then stabbed upward when the wolf moved. It managed to dodge the thrust of Regina¡¯s spear, but Max got it in the side. He put all his strength and weight into it. When the wolf stumbled to the side and he had to correct his balance, he saw that he¡¯d gotten it. That wound bled a lot more than the others, and the wolf was obviously panting. Regina didn¡¯t give it any time to recover. She swept in again. She feinted to the side, which the monster managed to dodge, but then Max pushed it off balance and she managed to thrust her spear into its eye. He moved to her side, taking a defensive position. But the wolf only thrashed aimlessly. Finally, it collapsed to the ground, its eyes staring lifelessly upward. ¡°Huh,¡± Regina said. ¡°Did you level up, too?¡± Chapter 8: Leveling Up
You have leveled up
Regina stared at the notification for a moment longer, an excited grin on her face, before she turned back. She could dive into System screens later, at least as far as it would let her. For now, they had to deal with the monster they¡¯d just killed. She glanced at Max. It was a pity that he hadn¡¯t leveled up, too, but that shouldn¡¯t take much longer. Regina had fought a monster before and arguably contributed more to this one¡¯s death than him, so it was probably to be expected. ¡°It¡¯s probably best if we bleed it out here, before we get it back to our camp,¡± she said. ¡°Alright,¡± Max agreed. He crouched and cut open what was probably a vein with one of his blades, then lifted the corpse of the wolf to let the blood drain. Regina grimaced, considered if they should have dug a hole for it, then stepped closer to help him lift it. Max glanced at her hesitantly, then at their kill. ¡°Uh, may I ¡­?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she said. She didn¡¯t know what exactly he was asking for, but he¡¯d probably earned the right to take a bite. Instead, the drone lowered his face to the cut and started drinking the blood draining out of it. Regina raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t comment. The smell did seem vaguely appetizing, although she¡¯d rather wait until they had some actual meat that they¡¯d cooked on the fire. It didn¡¯t take long for most of the blood in the corpse to drain. Max lifted the front of it, while Regina grabbed the wolf¡¯s back legs, and they started walking back the direction they¡¯d come. The monster was heavy, but it was doable, especially with the two of them. It occurred to her that a human would probably find it weird to think of eating a wolf. Regina didn¡¯t mind, though. It was their prey which they¡¯d killed. Wouldn¡¯t leaving it to rot be the irresponsible thing to do, anyway? The trip back took longer than they¡¯d taken to get there, since they were weighed down by their kill. Regina kept a wary eye out. The smell of blood might attract predators, and just because she hadn¡¯t seen any higher-level monsters here didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t exist. A few times, a rustling in the undergrowth made her tense up and reach for her spear. But she never smelled anything alarming, and they didn¡¯t see another monster. ¡°Let¡¯s stop here,¡± she said once they reached the edge of the forest beside their camp. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to clean or gut a catch, but let¡¯s try our best.¡± Max didn¡¯t seem to mind. She used some vines to string the corpse up, then he set to the task with enthusiasm. ¡°Leave it to me, my Queen,¡± he said when she approached with another sharp stone. ¡°I think I understand the basics, and there¡¯s no need for you to dirty yourself with work like this.¡± Regina nodded. Truth be told, she definitely preferred not to do this herself. She leaned against a tree so she could at least watch him. ¡°If we can get the fur largely intact, we can use it,¡± she commented. ¡°I¡¯d also like to get the bladder, so we can have something to store water in. The rest is optional, though we should have enough meat to last a while, especially if we cook it. Hey, you¡¯re doing pretty well.¡± She could see that Max fumbled a little. His Dexterity wasn¡¯t very high. But he used his small claws and, carefully, the blade on his other arms to good effect. After a moment, she started digging a hole to bury the innards in. Then she leaned back and finally took a look at her status sheet. Her stats were still unavailable. But as she¡¯d expected, the entry for Hive had risen to 1/2. After a moment of looking at her status, she saw another notification.
You may now select your first Spell!
Regina whistled, although the sound didn¡¯t come out quite right. An actual magic spell? That sounded great. She¡¯d have to take a long look at her possible choices and consider it carefully. But for now, her eyes were drawn back to the fourth line of her status, where it described her hive. ¡°You know, I¡¯m not quite sure what to do.¡± She sighed. Max raised his head, looking at her with perfect attentiveness, while he kept handling the wolf¡¯s rib cage. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should make another egg. I could, now, especially after I get a good meal. At least I think so. But would it be good to just create another person like that? And what about my mana? If it limits my regen again, that might be a problem. What do you think?¡± Max frowned, bending back down over his work. ¡°I don¡¯t know, my Queen. I feel like our hive should grow, but it¡¯s not my decision to make. A hive¡¯s growth and makeup are the Hive Queen¡¯s purview.¡± ¡°Hm. Alright.¡± Regina shook her head, then stepped forward to take one of the cuts of meat Max was making. She put the first two on sharpened wooden sticks and stuck them over the fire. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. It didn¡¯t take too long for him to finish and for their food to be done. She carefully lowered the first spit and put the meat on a large leaf, then laid it beside her. She knew Max would insist she get the first steak. She pushed the second one towards him and he copied her. The monster tasted a lot better than the rabbit. Regina chewed in silence, calling up another screen to check on that Spell she¡¯d been promised.
You may now select your first Spell. You can use a Spellbook, learn a Spell from a teacher or other source of information, or pick one from the list below:
Spark, Magic Missile, Magic Armor, Heat Vision, Expand Senses, Physical Augmentation, Water Manipulation, Lesser Basic Conjuration
Regina raised an eyebrow. A teacher or books were obviously not an option for her, so she¡¯d have to pick one of those. It looked like a pretty basic list. Well, she already knew it was possible to do magic without the help of a Spell. Hopefully, that meant she could learn something like Water Manipulation on her own with training. ¡°I can learn a spell for my level-up,¡± she told Max. ¡°I just have to choose one.¡± He nodded. ¡°That¡¯s great. Which one are you getting?¡± She considered it for another moment. ¡°I think I¡¯ll choose Magic Missile. Hopefully, that will help me understand how magic in general works. And we don¡¯t have a ranged option yet, so that takes priority. My senses are already pretty good, I don¡¯t think my physical stats are too lacking, and they all seem pretty basic. I¡¯d love to be able to conjure stuff, but that would probably be so weak that it¡¯s not worth it.¡± She sighed. ¡°Hopefully, unlocking Magic Missile will enable me to get more powerful attack spells later.¡± She focused on it intently for a moment. The screen vanished in a shower of small sparks, and she felt something settle in her, like a small shift in the mana in her body. Narrowing her eyes, she thought hard about her Spells, calling up a new window.
Spells:
Spark
Magic Missile
No further information was provided. Interesting that I already have the Spark Spell. I guess my practice paid off. Well, the others are probably much harder to learn, unfortunately. Regina stood up and tried to brush off her hands, which wasn¡¯t easy with her current lack of accommodations. She then turned and eyed a piece of rock some distance away. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Max perk up expectantly. She took a deep breath and focused on the mana inside her. It was easy to move it, a lot simpler than when she¡¯d started. She knew the shape she had to give it. Magic Missile was more complex than Spark, but she guided it into place almost by instinct. Then she raised a hand and focused on pushing the mana out in just the right way. There was a slight ¡®fwoosh¡¯ sound and a faintly blue shimmering ball shot out of her hand. It arced through the air slightly, its passage disturbing nothing and causing no wind, before it hit the side of the rocky outcropping. Regina narrowed her eyes and stepped closer. There was no sign of her attack, the rock wasn¡¯t even scratched. Still, this was a good start. She glanced at her status again quickly. 105 out of 120 mana and rising. Good. I guess a 15 mana cost isn¡¯t too bad, especially if I might be able to optimize it, and if I get more by growing my hive. ¡°That was awesome!¡± Max grinned. ¡°The next monster that tries to attack you is in for a nasty surprise!¡± He deflated a little. ¡°I hope I get a cool ability when I level up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take much more for you to get to level 2, anyway. There¡¯s no experience bar in our screens, but the System might still tally XP behind the scenes. Anyway, are you finished with the remains of the monster?¡± ¡°Oh, almost!¡± He jumped up quickly. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got the bladder, but I still need to clean it, and I should bury the rest of the viscera.¡± ¡°You do that.¡± Regina wandered back to the campfire while he scurried off to continue working. Then she cracked her neck and walked over to the little hollow where his egg had been, while Max was still busy working. She took a deep breath. Time to make another egg. A prompt popped up.
You are able to lay another egg. Choose carefully what you will add to your hive.
Drone Worker
Drone Warrior
¡°Hm.¡± Regina regarded the prompt with narrowed eyes. Suddenly, the System was involved in this process and telling her what sort of drone she could make? Well, not that she¡¯d had a lot of conscious control last time. She¡¯d probably chosen subconsciously. With a little sigh, she reached out and tapped the ¡®Drone Warrior¡¯ option. A worker would be nice, but right now, she was still concerned about survival. A Worker might have some ability to fight and defend themselves, but she couldn¡¯t rely on that. Her limit would increase again when she leveled up, so it wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d be limited to only warriors for long. She crouched down and closed her eyes as she felt a sense of pressure gathering again, this time definitely involving her mana acting up. A few minutes later, she walked away from the nesting spot, another large, dark egg sitting snugly in the earth. It looked almost identical to how Max¡¯s had looked. Regina busied herself moving a small pile of sticks over, making another small fire close to it to warm the egg. Hopefully, her options would expand when she leveled up. She was excited to see what other types of drones her little hive might get. Maybe something that could fly? That seemed pretty advanced, but maybe later. A specialized hunter or scout could be nice. Maybe something to help her out with more mundane things. What I¡¯d really like is a magic teacher drone, but that¡¯s probably too much to ask for. Still, getting some drones with magic should be in the cards, right? I can¡¯t be the only one in the whole hive. Maybe eventually something that lays eggs, too? She checked her status again over the next while and grimaced to herself. Her mana regeneration was reduced by a lot, as she¡¯d feared. Well, considering drones apparently grew to maturity (or something close) within just a few days, a bit of her mana was probably a more than fair price. She had a feeling that her class, or race, or whatever, was already really powerful as it was. Sure, in terms of hives, having a single point of failure was probably a risk, but if you considered a Hive Queen herself? You¡¯d quickly have a strong mage with an army of loyal subordinates. Regina wasn¡¯t sure if she should hope that the people of this world didn¡¯t know about them or that they did. Chapter 9: Preparations ¡°Regina,¡± Max called from the edge of the forest, ¡°do we need more wood?¡± Regina turned to watch him stagger under a big pile of sticks and broken off branches. Having four arms came in handy, even if two of his lacked proper grasping implements like hands. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough,¡± she replied as she approached him, glancing over what they¡¯d gathered so far. Max had settled in pretty well and the two of them had even started to develop something of a routine in the day or so since he¡¯d woken up. She¡¯d finally gotten some proper sleep while he was staying on watch, then switched with him to watch for monsters or other dangers while he slept. They¡¯d even caught another rabbit, which provided them a good breakfast. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what we¡¯re supposed to do with all this,¡± Max admitted, stretching his upper arms and cracking his neck after he¡¯d set down his batch. ¡°Neither am I,¡± she replied. ¡°But we need some sort of shelter. It hasn¡¯t rained yet, but that¡¯s only a matter of time.¡± Regina looked up at the sky with a frown. Clouds were gathering in the north. It might even rain later today. ¡°We should build it in the forest, so we have the shelter of the trees,¡± he suggested. ¡°Maybe up against one of them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking, yes. A shame we didn¡¯t find any other caves, that would have spared us a lot of work.¡± She sighed. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get started.¡± As it turned out, building a crude shelter wasn¡¯t all that difficult. They used the bigger and more robust logs of wood to form the basic structure, then added smaller sticks and a few large leaves they¡¯d found. Regina used copious amounts of vines to tie it all together. She had some vague impressions of a building technique that used mud, maybe straw, and interwoven sticks to make walls, though that wasn¡¯t very useful yet. She knew her limits, and started with a shelter that looked like a small half cylinder built against a thick tree trunk. It should be just enough to fit the two of them. It didn¡¯t need to have a lot of space, just offer them some shelter from the elements. It wasn¡¯t like they had any delicate possessions to protect. ¡°Once this is done, we should get started with building a proper building,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Or at least something close to it. Even just a hut. I guess that might go better if we wait until we have some Workers, though.¡± Max glanced up. ¡°That means you intend to continue leveling, my Queen?¡± ¡°Of course. There are hopefully enough small monsters around to push both of us up a few levels.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°We should probably focus on that once we¡¯re done here.¡± The other egg was still in development, and Regina couldn¡¯t help but be a little resentful of her System limits in making drones. She might not have the ability to take care of many of them, but it was still her body and her hive! They built their shelter near the treeline, so they still kept as close to the fireplace and the egg as possible. Later, Regina could ask Max to cut down some more tree branches for some more protection against wind and rain. Once they were finished, she stepped back to take in their work. It wouldn¡¯t win any beauty contests, but it should be functional enough. Max cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯d like to go to the river, and maybe gather some more food on the way back. Can I go?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She gave him a distracted smile, then returned to her fire to make a new torch they could use. After she was done with that, she gathered new firewood, then checked on the egg again. It was growing quickly, at about the rate Max had, as far as she could tell. Already, it looked bigger than any bird egg she¡¯d expect to see. Although in a world that might very well have giant monster birds, maybe that didn¡¯t mean much. Max was still out, so Regina made a slow circuit of the immediate environment around their camp, setting up a few new traps on the other side of the hill. She paused when she came to the cave system where she¡¯d entered the world, checking the entrance. It was still sealed, and the door still didn¡¯t react to her efforts to get in at all. She shook out her hands and moved on. When Max still didn¡¯t return, Regina grew a bit worried. She considered going after him, but she didn¡¯t know exactly which path he¡¯d taken. Besides, he might have just wanted some time alone. They¡¯d been together almost non-stop since he was born, and with the apparent urge to be loyal that he felt, he might need some space. Still, after she waited for maybe fifteen minutes without a peep, Regina sighed and closed her eyes. She just wanted to check on him quickly. So she focused on that sense of him that she¡¯d gotten before, and tried to see if she could feel anything. Almost immediately, she realized that she needn¡¯t have worried. Their minds were obviously still linked, and this little distance between them wouldn¡¯t even begin to hurt the connection. She could pinpoint Max¡¯s location pretty well, or at least his bearing and distance from her. Dropping quickly into his mind to get more info, she realized that he was heading back to the camp, carrying a small animal. Regina withdrew and instead turned her attention to one of her projects. She¡¯d started trying to carve something from a log of wood, though it was slow-going. Stones really weren¡¯t good enough for that kind of work, and her claws weren¡¯t well suited to it, either. A few minutes later, she sensed Max approaching and put it away. He walked closer with a grin on his face, holding up his catch to show it to her. ¡°Mother, I leveled up!¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Regina cocked her head. ¡°You did? Is that a monster?¡± She tried focusing on it, but the System didn¡¯t give her anything. ¡°The System told me it was a ¡®Spiky Squirrel¡¯.¡± Max lowered it to the ground. ¡°I guess it stops after a monster is dead. Maybe because it¡¯s not really a monster anymore?¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°There may be an ¡®Identify¡¯ or ¡®Analyze¡¯ skill we could get. Anyway, what happened?¡± Max scratched his nose. ¡°Ah, I stumbled on it on my way back from the river. It was a pretty aggressive little thing. It hit me with a few spikes, but my armor turned away most of them, and I got it with my blade-arm.¡± She could see that. It was a bit of a bloody mess. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like you going off and fighting a monster on your own,¡± she stated. He bowed his head, but she could still see his crestfallen expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my Queen. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± Regina pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. ¡°Never mind. At least you¡¯re Level 2 now, that¡¯s a good thing. We can eat that for dinner later. What did leveling up do for you?¡± Max brightened up again. ¡°My Con increased! I guess the System automatically allocated a stat point. It also lets me choose an Ability. Give me a second.¡± Regina looked over his new status sheet.
Max Drone Warrior
Level: 2
Mana: N/A
Con: 10 (+1) Str: 10
Dex: 9 End: 8
Int: 15 Wis: 9
¡°That¡¯s good,¡± she said. ¡°You could use some more End, but Con¡¯s not bad, either. Although Warrior is probably a Strength-heavy build with a minor focus of Con. I guess we¡¯ll see. So what abilities did it offer you?¡± Max appeared to stare into space as he presumably accessed another System window. ¡°Only a few. They¡¯re called Class Skills here. I could get ¡®Warrior¡¯s Charge¡¯, ¡®Strength for the Hive¡¯ or ¡®Last Bastion¡¯.¡± He frowned as his eyes darted side to side. ¡°It seems like Charge is a movement ability that gives me a short-term boost to my stats, and the Strength thing is a direct increase to Str that varies based on other hive drones in your group and might give bonus effects. Bastion only works if I¡¯m the only fighter of the Hive in the vicinity, it boosts my Con and basically makes me immune to fatigue or effects that would impede my mind or my movements.¡± That sounded interesting. ¡°Do the descriptions give any more details?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. They¡¯re pretty vague.¡± Max looked at her. ¡°Which should I take?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your decision. I¡¯m not going to force you to take a Skill you don¡¯t want.¡± Max frowned. ¡°Really? I want to be as useful as I can for you and the hive, and I¡¯m not sure I know what¡¯s best.¡± ¡°Still. It¡¯s generally better if we don¡¯t rely on me to make these decisions or micromanage everything. Besides, making people get specific skills and forcing them down a path that doesn¡¯t suit them won¡¯t work out well in the long run. But if you want my opinion, I can still give you tips.¡± Regina frowned thoughtfully. ¡°They all sound pretty nice, especially if this is a basic skill. We don¡¯t have many drones in the hive right now, obviously, so that one¡¯s probably not a good choice. The charge sounds good, but with our current situation, that Last Bastion could be a real lifeline. Even later, there will probably still be situations where it¡¯s applicable. It will probably be more situational, long-term, but we have to survive to get there first.¡± Max nodded seriously. ¡°Thank you, my Queen. Then I¡¯ll choose Last Bastion.¡± ¡°Good. I wonder if the choice of skills is influenced by our situation, or if everyone gets those starting options?¡± Max stretched. He didn¡¯t look any different. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think we have any way to find out.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Regina turned to throw a new log into the fire. They didn¡¯t really need it during the day, but she preferred to keep it burning. Their situation was getting better. Weirdly, that just made her nervous. They still hadn¡¯t seen much of this world they lived in. She barely had any idea what she wanted to do, and without more information on what was even possible, making detailed plans would be an exercise in futility, anyway. There had to be a way to find out what happened to her, but how? Max stepped away to take care of his kill while Regina sat on a pile of leaves, staring into the fire and thinking. Somewhere along the way, establishing a real hive had gone from a possibility for the future to a goal. It was probably her Hive Queen instincts at work. And it wasn¡¯t like the human part of her could disagree. A bigger hive meant more power. Alone in a strange land with only the companions and tools she could make herself, who wouldn¡¯t use the advantages they had and try to grow their power? Not to mention that having some semblance of civilization would be nice. She¡¯d kill for proper toilets and a soft bed, not to mention things like electricity. ¡°Regina?¡± Max approached hesitantly, interrupting her musings. ¡°Is there anything else I can do?¡± ¡°No. I think we¡¯re finished with everything I¡¯d planned for today.¡± She glanced up at the sky, assessing the cloud cover. It seemed like they might yet get lucky and avoid rain. Max nodded, then started pacing slowly behind the fire. After a few minutes, he stopped again. ¡°You¡¯re sure, my Queen? There¡¯s nothing I can do for you?¡± Regina was about to tell him to just relax, then hesitated. ¡°Well, actually, you might help me with my wings, or whatever those are. I can¡¯t reach back there myself, and there¡¯s no good way to get that area clean.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Max jumped to get their water, in the waterskin they¡¯d finally made, and a few soft leaves. Regina smiled slightly. She supposed they could always refill the water later. Then she stood up and tried to stretch out what passed for her middle limbs. Max was very careful. It was obvious he wasn¡¯t really built for it and had little idea what to do, but Regina still appreciated it. He quickly removed some of the dried gunk, and she finally felt the breeze on something she hadn¡¯t been very aware of previously. After a while, she twisted her head as much as she could and flexed muscles she hadn¡¯t really used before. This time, her body responded much better, and Regina actually saw what she was dealing with. It looked like she did have wings, which were usually folded tightly against her body under a kind of protective covering that extended from the limbs anchoring them. The wings didn¡¯t have feathers and didn¡¯t quite look like insect wings. Fully unfolded, they would be a lot bigger than the more rigid parts suggested. Regina shivered slightly and let out an involuntary sigh as she moved her wings. ¡°Well,¡± she said after a moment, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can fly with these, at least not yet.¡± She tried beating them a little, and although she felt the force of it, it was clear that wouldn¡¯t be nearly enough to lift her. She couldn¡¯t even do a full movement of the wings. ¡°You look really cool!¡± Max commented. She smiled at him. ¡°Thank you, Max.¡± Then she carefully folded them back against her body. He had to help her get everything into the correct position. Regina sat down again, running a finger along her side. ¡°I guess they¡¯re still growing in. I can¡¯t wait.¡± She could already tell they would probably be a headache, but if she could someday actually fly on her own power, that would be worth it. Chapter 10: The Next Level
Regina crouched down lower, steadying her spear, and waited for Max to make his move. Between them, in a clear spot among the trees, their prey had frozen.
Spiky Squirrel ¡ª Level 2
It was bigger than any squirrel she knew about, and its back was covered in gray spikes that made it seem even larger. It still wouldn¡¯t even reach her knee. She couldn¡¯t help but feel that their preparations might have been a little exaggerated, if this was all they had to face on their hunt. Max took a step closer, his scythe-arm poised to strike. The squirrel reacted, drawing itself up higher. Regina saw a faint quivering, a moment before it launched its attack. A volley of small spikes shot towards Max. He ducked, raising his shield. It was little more than some big pieces of bark around a crude frame of sticks. But the spikes struck it and didn¡¯t penetrate. Clearly, they didn¡¯t have much punch. Regina breathed out and launched a Magic Missile at the squirrel. It was facing away from her now, and the attack hit. The squirrel was tossed a small distance away from her. She stepped forward as it jumped to the side, chittering angrily. She could tell that it was dragging one of its hind-limbs, and its back looked a bit scorched. She would have sent another few missiles, but Max stepped up to it now, so she stopped herself. It wouldn¡¯t do to hit him. Instead, she watched, prepared for another strike, as he went on the attack. The Spiky Squirrel was fast and agile, clearly quicker than him. But Max was a lot bigger and had much more reach. His first swipe missed, but his second bladed limb managed to cut the small monster. It was pushed to the side again. Regina used the opportunity to let another Magic Missile fly. It hit and flipped the squirrel over. Then Max stepped forward and brought his blade down. She grinned as the monster stopped twitching and Max stepped back to wipe his blade on some grass. The scent of blood hung in the air, but she was a lot more excited about the experience they hopefully earned than the food. ¡°A few more of those and we might level up again,¡± Max said. He sounded cheerful. ¡°Maybe.¡± Regina shrugged and walked closer to look the squirrel over more carefully. She hadn¡¯t seen much of the other one he¡¯d killed, and she was a little curious about the monsters here and how they differed from their animal counterparts. ¡°But it¡¯s probably going to take more than our first level-up. You usually need more experience for every successive level. Plus, we¡¯re higher-level now, too, so opponents at Level 2 probably give less experience.¡± Max shrugged. She couldn¡¯t fault him for that. Neither of them really knew how the System worked. And it wasn¡¯t that hard to find monsters to fight in this forest, so leveling up shouldn¡¯t be difficult. Assuming they won every fight, that was. She waited while Max started to process the corpse of the squirrel right here, mostly letting the blood drain and removing its intestines. Its hide got quite a few scratches and rips in the process, a reminder that he was still a Warrior and not an experienced hunter and gatherer. She¡¯d offer to help, but he probably wouldn¡¯t like that. Okay, maybe she just used that as an excuse because she didn¡¯t want to do it, but it wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t pull her weight here. Then a new scent reached her nose and Regina froze. If she had hairs, they would be standing on end right now. There was danger here, more than what they¡¯d faced before. And it was approaching. ¡°Max,¡± she hissed. The Hive Warrior had already paused in his work. He let the squirrel fall to the ground, forgotten, and came to her side, weapons bristling. Regina kept her gaze fixed in the direction the threat came from, even as she started backing away. Max did the same. She could sense the tension rising in him. Neither of them was fast enough to get away from what was coming. It dove from the sky in a dark blur, accompanied by a screech like metal grating against metal. It took a moment until Regina could make out more than a blur of feathers and claws, but when it slowed down as it neared the ground she got a good look at the giant bird of prey.
Circle Vulture ¡ª Level ?
Its head and neck were bereft of feathers, but really, the monster looked more like a falcon than a vulture. A grossly oversized one. Its feathers were dark, with only a few bright spots, and its beak looked wickedly sharp. Regina ducked on instinct, feeling an incoming tide of mana. She rolled to the side and regained her feet, blinking to clear her vision. The sapling to the side of her was now twisted, listing to the side and tangled in the branches of another tree. ¡°Hey, you ugly bird!¡± Max yelled. He stomped and tapped on his shield, clearly trying to draw the monster¡¯s attention. The bird let out another screech, though that one sounded a bit more bearable. Its beady eyes fixed on the Hive Warrior, and it flapped its feathers as it hopped towards him. Regina cursed and edged further to the side. She had some doubts about the wisdom of Max¡¯s plan, but she didn¡¯t have any better ideas. A large monster like that should have been hindered among the trees, even if the forest was pretty light here and they were in what you might generously call a clearing. But it didn¡¯t seem to care. Just as it darted towards Max, Regina let loose with a Magic Missile, hitting it dead-center somewhere on the neck. The monster shuddered while Max dodged to the side, seeking shelter behind a tree. But it didn¡¯t seem to be more than inconvenienced. And now it turned again to face her. This was definitely a higher-level monster. Regina edged towards the corpse of the squirrel they¡¯d killed and kicked it towards the bird, hoping it had only come here for that and would leave them alone once it got some food. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The bird eyed the squirrel, then looked back at her. It took another step forward, ignoring the offered prey. Clearly, it was in the mood for a more substantial snack. ¡°Shit!¡± Regina darted to the side, trying to find shelter behind another tree. She quickly checked her mana. Only a little over half of it left. With her reduced mana regeneration, she wouldn¡¯t even regain one point of it before it no longer mattered. There was no point trying to conserve her MP for later, but that still only gave her a few more castings. She heard the monster circle around to get at her and ducked low, rushing towards another tree. Something crashed against the one she¡¯d just been hiding behind, and she could feel its shaking from here. Regina straightened up and eyed her opponent. It cocked its head slightly, then she could see it tense before it started to move again. Now she understood why it had been given its name. The monster moved in an odd, winding pattern through the forest, dodging around trees as if they weren¡¯t even there as it moved in circles. Gusts of wind gathered around its wings, enabling the movements, and she could sense the hints of mana in them. Far too quickly, it was upon her again. Regina jammed her spear into the ground and ducked to the side as well as she could. She felt one of its taloned feet rush past her head. Her spear hit it in the chest, but barely slowed it down, and then the shaft broke with a crack. Cursing, she rolled to the side. Max threw a stone at its beak, distracting it enough to let her get away. Regina crouched behind another bush, even if it didn¡¯t offer much cover, the remnants of her weapon discarded. Now she just had a few stones and her claws. And Max, of course. She needed to make her attacks count. At least the bird didn¡¯t seem too smart. It let itself be goaded away from Regina, turning towards the Warrior again. She hesitated, unsure what she could do. Before she had the chance to act, it rushed at Max. She winced as she watched it barrel at him, accompanied by a whirling current of air. It knocked into Max¡¯s shield, almost ripping it from his hand, but it was like the attack hit a stone wall. He didn¡¯t even have to take a step back. Of course, she realized. He¡¯s the only Hive Warrior here, his Last Bastion Skill must be active. So pushing counts as impeding his movements? She shook herself out of her daze and ran closer, trying to line up a shot with another Magic Missile. With his shield out of position, Max couldn¡¯t deflect the next attack from the bird. Its beak pecked at him, and Regina heard a crunch as the shell on his left shoulder broke. His scythe-limb drooped to the floor. For a moment, she was afraid that was it. But Max kept standing. His boosted Constitution allowed him to stay on his feet, even as he stumbled a step to the side, raising his other blade. Regina launched another Magic Missile at the bird. This time, it hit the back of its legs, right where it met its torso. The bird hopped up as if poked by a lightning rod, screeching again. The smell of burnt feathers told her she may have hit a weak spot. Regina kept advancing, trying to swallow her nerves. Skill or not, Max wouldn¡¯t stand up to it for long by himself. ¡°Hey, birdbrain!¡± she called. The monster turned to face her again, crouching down slightly as it prepared to jump. She let loose another Magic Missile, right before she dove to the side again. She couldn¡¯t see it, but she heard the monster crashing through a bush and landing close to her position. Regina whirled around, holding her clawed hands up, even as Max staggered towards her. She¡¯d landed a clean hit. As the bird thrashed around, she saw that one of its eyes was a burned out ruin. Then Max was there. He approached from its blinded side. While Regina straightened up and hissed at the monster threateningly, capturing its attention, he pounced. The monster tried to turn its head at the last moment, but it was too late. Max adjusted and drove his blade right through its other eye. It twitched a little, then Regina¡¯s last Magic Missile hit it in the neck, making the head jerk again. For a few seconds, they both waited, starting as the monster tumbled to the ground, twitching. Then Regina let her shoulders relax and stepped closer, breathing out heavily. She kicked it, but it didn¡¯t respond. Critical hit, I guess.
You have leveled up
¡°You were really good.¡± She turned to Max, smiling widely. He ducked his head. She had the feeling that he¡¯d have blushed if he was able to. ¡°Thank you.¡± Regina¡¯s smile faded into a frown as she studied his wounds. The bleeding seemed to have slowed, but just from the way he stood, she could tell it was bad. ¡°How are you, Max?¡± The Hive Warrior straightened up slightly and grimaced. ¡°Not too bad,¡± he assessed. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to use my left arms for a while, but I¡¯m not in danger of bleeding out.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s bandage it up anyway, just to be sure.¡± Regina collected a few leaves that seemed spongy and a few lengths of vine, then tried her best to bind Max¡¯s wound. It clearly hurt, but he held still and let her work. ¡°I gained a level,¡± he said, trying to roll his shoulder and grimacing again. ¡°Me, too.¡± Regina glanced at the dead monster. ¡°Well, I guess with you out of commission, it¡¯s my turn to do the grunt work.¡± She dug a small hole and drained the blood with a few cuts. Then Regina tried to heft the monster¡¯s corpse to carry it to their camp. She staggered under the weight, but kept her feet. This was not going to be a pleasant hike. Getting back to their camp took twice as long as it should have. Max walked carefully and slowly, but the real impediment was the thing¡¯s weight. Regina set it down once to take a small rest before she began carrying it again. Maybe she should start exercising. After I take a bath. She dropped it to the forest floor after they reached their camp, deciding that it would keep for a while. Then she rolled her shoulders and turned back to the campfire. Maybe there was something more they could do for Max¡¯s injury. Just as she reached the fire and resisted the temptation to just collapse in a heap beside it, she heard a cracking sound. Regina froze, but after a few moments, it came again. She turned to the egg sitting in its little hollow. It was starting to crack. She grinned. Then, on impulse, she checked her status sheet.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 3
Mana: 13/120
Hive: 2/4, 0
Your stats are currently unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Good. She was level three and there was a new Hive member. Regina made to turn her attention back to its hatching, then paused. The limit for her Hive had increased. Not by one, but by two, from 2 to 4. That meant ¡­ it would keep growing more quickly. She didn¡¯t know if it would be linear, of if it was quadratic or exponential growth. The hatchling finally climbing out of the egg brought her attention back to the present. Max stepped up to the new drone and plucked a bit of eggshell from them. ¡°Welcome, new brother!¡± He sounded cheerful. Regina looked over the new Drone Warrior. He looked very similar to Max. Not quite the same, there were a few small differences and she could easily tell them apart, but they could have passed for twins. ¡°Tim,¡± she decided. ¡°We¡¯ll call you Tim. Welcome to the world.¡± He looked up at her with a wide-eyed expression. ¡°Thank you, my Queen.¡±
Name ¡°Tim¡± given to Drone Warrior Lvl. 1!
She smiled. The hive grows. Time for me to finally get some Workers. Chapter 11: There Are People With three people in their improvised camp, Regina felt like she could finally relax a little. They split night watches so everyone got some sleep. It was summer (probably), so the nights were pretty short, anyway, but she felt much better rested. Max showed Tim around and explained everything they were doing. The younger Warrior tended to be quiet, but took to it with enthusiasm, and with Max¡¯s help he quickly got himself a shield similar to Max''s. He¡¯d been very helpful in dealing with the remains of the bird monster, too. Today, the two Warriors were gone on their first hunt together while Regina stayed back to watch the camp. She looked out into the forest periodically, but they were too far for her to hear. She could always check in on their status through that psychic hive connection, but that didn¡¯t seem necessary. Regina sighed and stretched, before she glanced at her eggs. She¡¯d laid two of them, both Drone Workers. Since they already had three combat-capable people, she didn¡¯t think that was too much of a risk. They¡¯d even managed to fight off a higher-level monster, even if Max had gotten injured. He wouldn¡¯t be able to rely on his Skill now, though. The eggs looked mostly the same as the Warrior eggs, although the coloring was a little different. It tended to be spottier, like blotches of paint rather than a swirling gradient of color. They had started at the same size and seemed to grow at about the same rate, though, which she took as a good sign. Her mana regeneration was drained even more than before, probably because there were two eggs. It was slightly more than half as fast as it had been with one egg, though. Maybe that was because she¡¯d leveled up. Even if she couldn¡¯t see her stats, the System might still give her points in Int or Wis, or whatever governed how her mana worked. Regina would have liked the chance to practice more. Unfortunately, with her mana regen that slow, she couldn¡¯t afford to cast many spells. She did notice that Magic Missile had gotten slightly easier, though. She¡¯d tried as best she could to investigate how the Spell worked, how her mana acted and reacted to her and how best to shape it. She¡¯d gotten a better feel for it, but she knew she was still far from making her own spells. She stood up and paced up and down a few steps. The forest around her was quiet and couldn¡¯t hold her attention. There wasn¡¯t much of a breeze and her nose would warn her if any monster got too close. She glanced around her camp. She¡¯d always had something to do, virtually every minute since she woke up in that vault. Boredom was novel. They didn¡¯t have any books to read, but maybe later she could play simple board games with Max and Tim. After an hour of sitting around and twiddling her thumbs, the two warriors finally returned. Regina stood up and watched a little anxiously as they came closer. ¡°Tim got his first level!¡± Max called, grinning. The younger Drone Warrior was carrying two Spiky Squirrels. He set them down and nodded at her, also smiling. ¡°Great,¡± Regina responded. She glanced at Max. ¡°How is your shoulder?¡± Max shrugged. ¡°Healing, I think. I made sure to be careful.¡± They¡¯d discovered, to her relief, that he didn¡¯t appear to need any treatment. Instead, his wound was slowly closing and the shell around it regrowing. Looking at it now, it already seemed a lot better than just after he got the injury. It might be gone completely in a few days or weeks. ¡°So, let¡¯s see your new stats.¡± Regina turned back to the other warrior, smiling.
Tim Drone Warrior
Level: 2
Mana: N/A
Con: 10 Str: 11
Dex: 9 End: 9
Int: 13 Wis: 9
As expected. She nodded. Tim had a lower Int than Max, although it still seemed pretty high for a Warrior. He was probably going to get increases in Str and Con, too. ¡°It offered me my first Class Skill, my Queen. I was thinking I could get the Warrior¡¯s Charge one,¡± he said hesitantly. ¡°Sure,¡± Regina agreed. ¡°You can do that.¡± Tim stared into space for a few seconds, clearly selecting his Skill. Regina turned to watch Max, who was carefully handling the two squirrels with only his right arms. Tim quickly joined in. ¡°After you¡¯re done, please add what you¡¯ve seen today to the map.¡± She pointed at a wooden plank she¡¯d drawn on with burnt sticks. Her first, crude map, which she¡¯d drawn into the dirt, hadn¡¯t survived the recent rains. They¡¯d take this one with them into their shelter if necessary. ¡°Of course, my Queen,¡± Max answered. ¡°We didn¡¯t see anything really new, though. Should we build another shelter?¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Regina smiled, pleased that he¡¯d had the same thought. ¡°Yes, I think that would be wise. Ours isn¡¯t made for three people, and our hive is growing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best with the construction, my Queen,¡± Tim said. Regina nodded, then got up and started gathering wood to get started. She suspected that she had the highest Dex score among them, which, admittedly, wouldn¡¯t take much. With the experience they had from the first shelter, she was determined to make the next one better. They had more than enough mud to plaster onto walls, but finding sticks large and straight enough to build the skeleton for the shelter was tricky. Regina went along the forest¡¯s edge, trying to go where they hadn¡¯t gathered wood before. After a while, she noted that she¡¯d come pretty close to the vault where she¡¯d woken up. Was that only a week ago? Regina set down the bundle of sticks she¡¯d gathered so far and stretched. She glanced at the rocky hill. Even knowing it was unlikely, she couldn¡¯t quite shake the uneasy thought that there might be cameras watching from there. She¡¯d revised her earlier opinion about whether or not this was her world. There was actually a moon, which looked like she expected the moon to appear, it just wasn¡¯t always visible due to terrain obstructions, clouds and the fact that it was summer. The gravity and atmosphere was also the same. Even the flora and fauna didn¡¯t exactly scream ¡®alien¡¯, apart from the monsters. She hesitated, then grabbed her sticks again and turned to head back towards the designated shelter. There was little point in constantly checking that spot when nothing changed. She¡¯d have to get her answers another way. Maybe, once the Workers were hatched, she¡¯d travel down the river a bit, see where it led her. She went on a small detour on the way back to pass by the river and check it out again with an eye to how well you might traverse it. It was pretty thin and she was uncertain if it was deep enough to allow boats to use it. The current would also be a problem if you wanted to go upstream. She eyed the banks of the river as she walked parallel to it, occasionally getting a good look through a hole in the canopy of the trees. The river had swelled a little, but it was still in no danger of flooding. There was a herd of deer drinking from it farther down the river, but she left them alone. Then she stopped as a splashing sound reached her. Regina froze and turned to look upriver. There was a bend in the stream above her, so she couldn¡¯t see far. She leaned forward and squinted. Was that - yes, a dark shape was coming down the river. She dropped her sticks and jumped behind a tree. After a moment of frozen hesitation, she slowly crept forward until she reached a good spot, where she could look at the river but was still hidden by some dark branches. It was a boat. An honest to goodness, wooden, artificially made boat. It looked pretty large to Regina, but she didn¡¯t know much about boats. It didn¡¯t have a sail, but did have a pair of oars. There were three people on board. She squinted and tried to get a closer look. When she did, she might have dropped the sticks if she hadn¡¯t already. The people all wore rough clothing in earthy colors, looking like someone dressing up for a medieval-themed event. Two were men with swords on their hips, shields and axes lying in the boat. The last, a woman, had a bow slung across her back. She wore her blond hair up in a braid, which gave Regina a clear look at her pointy ears. When the woman turned after a few seconds, she saw that she had a sharp, graceful face that you could easily describe as ¡®elfin¡¯. Regina leaned back against her tree as the boat wound its way down the river. An elf. Medieval fighters and an honest-to-goodness elf. This really is a fantasy world, isn¡¯t it? She shook her head. She knew she shouldn¡¯t make assumptions. Three people did not a population make. Still, it made her hesitate to reveal herself. If she had the drones with her, a strong hive backing her up, that would be a different story. But if these three attacked her, she wasn¡¯t confident in her chances. She did look like a monster, and it was impossible to know what sort of experience they might have with her species. She hesitated, warring with indecision, until the sounds of the boat started to fade. She peeked beyond the canopy again to see the boat swiftly float downriver, effectively making her choice for her. Regina stared after it for a moment, before she shook herself and went to pick up the wood she¡¯d gathered. She started drudging back to camp, feeling like it had gotten heavier all of a sudden. ¡°Hey, I think we figured out a way to make the next shelter a little larger,¡± Max said when she returned and dropped the sticks. He looked excited, but then paused when he saw her. ¡°Is everything alright, my Queen?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Regina said. She sat down on a convenient log. After a moment of staring at the sticks and realizing that she hadn¡¯t even started thinking about building the shelter, she sighed and leaned back. She decided she might as well talk about it. ¡°I saw people,¡± she said. Max and Tim both started, turning to look at her expectantly. She quickly explained what she¡¯d seen, and her decision not to attempt to contact them. There was a moment of silence after she¡¯d finished. Max chewed on his lip. ¡°I think that was smart,¡± he said. ¡°Rushing in unprepared just because we wanted to meet actual humans would have been a bad idea.¡± ¡°Your safety is more important,¡± Tim agreed. Max just looked at her for a moment. ¡°Are you alright, Regina? It can¡¯t have been easy.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She stared into the fire. She told herself it was stupid to get depressed because of this, but that didn¡¯t make it any easier. Previously, she hadn¡¯t really thought about what being in the body of a Hive Queen with human memories meant. Not in that context. Now that she¡¯d actually seen other humans, the fact that she was a monster, at least outwardly, suddenly gained a whole new weight. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Tim asked. ¡°We¡¯re probably going to run into them or people like them eventually.¡± Regina shook her head and stood up. ¡°We prepare,¡± she said. She forced herself to smile slightly. ¡°We need to get enough strength that we can hold our own and don¡¯t need to be afraid of a random group of travelers, then we go looking for civilization.¡± ¡°Who knows, they might actually welcome us with open arms,¡± Max said. He caught their looks and shrugged. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s possible. We don¡¯t need to just assume they¡¯ll be hostile.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Regina frowned thoughtfully. ¡°You¡¯re right. We¡¯re obviously a sapient species, at least in part. There definitely could be dealings and exchange between them and the local humans or elves.¡± But she couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to believe it would be so easy. Oh, he had a good point and she was definitely eager to find out what the locals knew about her people. At the same time, when she considered the urges and instincts she¡¯d felt from her Hive Queen side, especially before Max hatched, they seemed a little dubious. Chapter 12: Going Hunting The Workers took exactly as much time to hatch as the Warriors did. Their eggs were a little smaller in the end, but the hatched workers still came up to Regina¡¯s chest. Like the rest of them, they had six limbs. While the Warriors sported two scythe-like bladed implements at the end, the Workers¡¯ were less dangerous and more suited to construction and crafting. Their left one was shaped like a shovel, though you could also use the underside as a hammer, while the right one was more of a grasper, with a small blade more suited to cutting cloth or food than combat beneath a pointy bit they might use as an awl and a hooked part bigger than a finger. Their skin was also covered in the chitin-like shell, but it looked thinner than that of the warriors. The most obvious difference to Regina was that they looked female. She wasn¡¯t sure if that was coincidence, an integral feature of their different roles, or maybe even something she decided subconsciously when she picked those, but it didn¡¯t matter much in practical terms. The day after they hatched, while the Warriors went out hunting, Regina wanted to get started on constructing a proper building with the Workers. ¡°My Queen?¡± Tia asked. ¡°Can we just dig out a room? That seems like it would be simpler.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°The ground here might not be good for digging,¡± Mia said. ¡°At the hills, it¡¯s rocky, and we¡¯d have to be careful of tree roots and stuff in the forest. Besides, we¡¯d have to be careful to ensure we don¡¯t risk a collapse.¡± Regina nodded, looking at her two newest drones. She¡¯d named them Mia and Tia, not the most creative choice, but they didn¡¯t seem to mind. The girls were still smaller than her, but they both had decently high Str, Dex and Int. She called up Mia¡¯s status again.
Mia Drone Worker
Level: 1
Mana: N/A
Con: 6 Str: 11
Dex: 11 End: 10
Int: 14 Wis: 8
She remembered that Tia¡¯s status was largely the same, except that she had a point more in Con and one less in Wis. The low Constitution meant Regina would hesitate to send them into combat, but at least they weren¡¯t entirely helpless if they were attacked, and they¡¯d hopefully be good in their intended roles. ¡°We might still be able to use our skill in building a normal hut, I guess,¡± Tia said. ¡°For foundations, maybe.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Regina said. ¡°What was it called again?¡± ¡°Ground Evacuation, my Queen,¡± Mia replied. ¡°It¡¯s mostly for dirt, but I think it might work on rock, too. The skill just vanishes it without us having to whisk it somewhere else, which should be really useful for digging, but maybe we can find uses for it in other tasks, too.¡± Regina nodded and swiped her feet to clear the little sticks and leaves from the patch of ground in front of her. The Drone Workers having a starter Class Skill at level 1 had been a pleasant surprise. With a bit of creativity, it could probably be useful in war, as well, even if it was obviously meant for crafting, or rather, construction. Which was what they needed now, anyway. They drew in the dirt with sticks as they talked about what they were going to build. It didn¡¯t take long, since they didn¡¯t exactly have many options. ¡°A simple hut is probably best,¡± Regina said. ¡°We¡¯ll need to make sure it gets a proper roof,¡± Tia said. ¡°We need shingles, maybe? And, of course, proper walls.¡± ¡°That means we need wood.¡± Regina glanced at the forest and frowned. ¡°There aren¡¯t many other building materials around. I guess if we had clay, we might be able to make bricks, but I¡¯m not sure if we could get that.¡± ¡°We might be able to find some,¡± Mia spoke up. She glanced at her sister. ¡°We have some knowledge. We should be able to recognize it if there is good clay.¡± ¡°Great. Then I¡¯ll send you out with a warrior to look around the area later.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°Meanwhile, let¡¯s get started here.¡± They¡¯d need to cut down a lot of trees if they wanted to build a log cabin. That would be a lot of work, but probably the easiest choice. They could also try the method with mud and sticks, but Regina was afraid that it might make for worse walls, especially without anything to cover them. Either way, they needed wood. She led them into the forest to look for suitable trees, but the two Workers quickly took over assessing which ones were good candidates. They didn¡¯t have a proper saw, but they did have a simple ax with a stone head, and the Workers would be able to use their inborn blades, too. Regina hung back, feeling like she didn¡¯t have much to contribute. She¡¯d get Max and Tim to work on cutting down trees once they were back, too. Until then, she went to a tree and experimented with trying to use magic to help bring it down. Now that there were no eggs in development, her mana was regenerating faster. Her Spark spell wasn¡¯t much good, since it was still mostly useful for starting fires. She tried using a Magic Missile, but that didn¡¯t damage the trunk of the tree much. Then she tried to cast the Spell, but not release it, instead gathering the attack above her hand. She only managed it for half a second before the energy dissipated, shocking her hand and charring a few leaves. Regina grimaced, but kept at it. Even after several tries, she only managed to keep the magic contained for a second or so, but when she held it close to the trunk, it had some effect. In the end, it would have been a lot easier to hack at it with a stone ax, though. She took a break from that and instead began to burn out the remains of the trees that Tia and Mia had cut down. The two Drone Workers started stripping branches and bark off the trunks. An hour later, Max and Tim finally returned, giving Regina all the excuse she needed to stop what she was doing and go talk to them. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°This is going to take a while,¡± Max commented, observing the Workers. Regina shrugged. ¡°Most likely. But it¡¯ll go faster with the two of you helping.¡± Max frowned slightly. ¡°Maybe we should still focus on hunting. This work would be easier with higher stats, right? And we would also be safer if we had higher levels.¡± She hesitated. He did make a good point there. ¡°Alright. You¡¯re not wrong.¡± She glanced at the two of them consideringly, then up at the sky. They still had a few hours of daylight left, at the very least. She didn¡¯t know if the Workers could also level up by doing their jobs, or if they needed to go out and kill monsters, as well. She figured it could go either way. There was little they could do but wait and hope for the best. "Do you want to go out right now?¡± Max asked. She nodded. ¡°Might as well. The quicker I level, the faster our hive gets new members. And we still need all the help we can get.¡± Besides, she was curious about what kind of progress her next levels would bring. After a minute of back and forth, it was decided ¡ª mostly by Regina, since everyone deferred to her ¡ª that they would all go together. She didn¡¯t want to leave the Workers unguarded, and while his injury was mostly healed, she didn¡¯t want to strain Max too much, either. They set off quickly, with Tim going first and Max guarding their rear. The younger Warrior was silent as they went. Regina, who was walking in front with him, noticed that he was trying to keep his steps as quiet as possible and avoid making a commotion in the forest, which she approved of. That was a good habit to get into even if you weren¡¯t trying to sneak up on a high-level monster at the moment. The two Workers clearly tried their best, but they made a lot more noise. ¡°It seems that you didn¡¯t have much success hunting earlier,¡± she finally commented, keeping her voice soft. ¡°Any idea why?¡± Tim glanced at her and ducked his head. ¡°We called it a hunt, but really, it was mostly a patrol,¡± he replied. She nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll rely on you to guide us to a good spot.¡± Despite his shyness, he did know what he was doing. Tim led the group through the forest on a direct path to his goal, not slowing down or checking where he was going. Regina readied herself and kept an eye on her surroundings. She didn¡¯t want to get waylaid by a monster. Luckily, they reached their target area without being ambushed. Tim slowed down and snuck behind a large bush. Regina joined him, noting a faintly familiar scent in the air as she did. They were downwind of its source. Mia and Tia stayed back, while Max stepped forward slowly. A peek through the bush¡¯s branches showed her what Tim had chosen as prey. There was a clearing with a small group of big wolves lying on the soft ground of the forest. Most of them were a bit smaller than the wolf monster she¡¯d fought before. ¡°Well, I see you have a high opinion of our skills,¡± she said. Tim shrugged slightly. ¡°They¡¯re only level 2 or 3, and there are only four of them. I thought we could take them. But if you¡¯re displeased, my Queen, of course I¡¯ll lead you to where we might find other prey.¡± Regina frowned, considering the situation. She focused on one of the wolves.
Flametongue Wolf ¡ª Level 2
A quick check showed that the others were similar, with only one at level 3. Still, she hesitated. They could probably each take one. If it was only the three of them against three wolves, she¡¯d be confident. With the Workers to watch out for, it might be harder, though. Was it really worth the risk? She stepped back and quietly went to join Mia and Tia. ¡°I would like you to participate in the fight so you can gain experience,¡± she said, keeping her voice down. ¡°Is that okay for you? Can you fight?¡± The two girls exchanged a glance, before Tia nodded. ¡°We can, my Queen. Not as well as a Warrior, but we won¡¯t be a burden.¡± ¡°Alright, then. Let¡¯s get started. Keep back and only attack when one of the wolves is already injured or distracted, and make sure you¡¯re not in danger from more than one of them at a time.¡± She glanced at Max. ¡°Look after them and make sure they don¡¯t get overwhelmed.¡± They all nodded. Regina gave them one last look before she quietly stepped forward again to join Tim. She made sure that everyone was in position, mostly taking cover behind a tree and prepared to jump out, before she focused her attention on the wolves. She picked one of the weaker ones as a target and watched to make sure it wasn¡¯t moving. It appeared to be dozing, like most of them. Only one had its eyes open. Regina exhaled, pulling on her mana and guiding it into shape. Then she let her gathered mana snap out. The attack shot out from her hand and raced towards her target. The wolves were alarmed by the glowing ball coming for them, starting to stand up. But she¡¯d aimed well, and her target didn¡¯t make it to its feet before the attack hit it in the snout.
Mana: 145/160
Regina blinked the notification away, focused on her opponents. The wolves had obviously noticed them now and were starting to charge her group. She quickly gathered mana for another shot. The Magic Missile raced out, but this time the wolf was on its feet and managed to dodge the attack. It hit another wolf behind it, impacting one of its hindquarters and causing it to stumble. Regina prepared another one as fast as she could. Then the wolves reached them. Max stepped out behind a tree and roared, fixing their attention on him. A tongue of flame shot out, but he caught it on his shield. At the same time, Tim circled beside him. His scythe-limb flashed out and he drove one of the wolves to the side. Regina got another shot off, hitting the same wolf she¡¯d already shot. This time, it stumbled to the side, though it kept its feet. But it was clearly hurt, crouching with its fur bristling. It shot a flaming attack at her, but Regina managed to dodge it, although she had to interrupt her casting of her next spell. Mia and Tia jumped the injured wolf. Tia brought her shovel-limb down on its snout with force, dazing the wolf. Mia cut its right forelimb with her small blade. But then another wolf turned from Max¡¯s shield and charged them. Regina cursed and shot another Magic Missile, but it flew wide. The wolf¡¯s fur might have been a little singed, but it didn¡¯t halt, jumping Tia. The girl screamed as the jaws of the wolf caught on her lower right arm. Then Mia bashed it over the head, but it didn¡¯t let go. Regina acted on instinct. She jumped forward, shoulder-checking the wolf. That finally made it let go. It was a stupid attack, but she was already preparing her next spell. Just when the wolf lunged for her, she let the Magic Missile fly. It caught the wolf directly on its open snout. Unfortunately, the magical attack didn¡¯t arrest his momentum, and the wolf still crashed into her. But at least it had made the monster draw back, so it didn¡¯t manage a proper bite and its teeth slid off her shell. Regina took a step back, preparing another spell as quickly as she could, despite the headache starting to pound through her skull and the burning feeling of using too much mana too quickly. Then Tim was there. He stabbed the wolf, and his blade passed through its singed fur, reaching its heart. The monster shuddered and finally went still. Regina took a moment to breathe, before she looked around. Two of the other wolves were down, one apparently dead and one badly injured. Max was holding off the last one. She breathed deeply and focused, then cast another Magic Missile. The attack caught the wolf on the side of its head, just as it was starting to lunge for Max¡¯s shield again. The spell seemed to injure and daze the wolf, turning its lunge forward into a stumble instead of a proper attack. Max stabbed out from behind his shield, catching the wolf in the throat. He used his shield to push it back, then cut it again. The wolf finally fell. Regina straightened up and looked around the battlefield, blinking. It was a mess, but they¡¯d all made it. Tia was still standing. Then she noticed the notifications the System sent her, that must have been pushed aside until now. It was good that the System had a feature like that. But she didn¡¯t focus on the blinking icon, instead turning to Tia. ¡°How badly are you hurt?¡± The Worker poked at her arm and grimaced. ¡°It cracked my shell and it¡¯s bleeding, but I don¡¯t think the bone is broken. It¡¯ll heal.¡± It had better. They didn¡¯t have any medicine or even disinfectant. Chapter 13: Just Better After she made sure that none of them were in immediate danger and that Mia was caring for Tia, Regina turned her attention to the notifications the System held for her.
You have leveled up
Mana: 55/160
She grinned, then blinked it away. Level 4, yay! Only a few more fights and I¡¯ll see if there are any significant thresholds in this System. ¡°I leveled up,¡± she announced to the others. ¡°What about you?¡± Tim shook his head, while Max nodded. ¡°I did as well. Level four now.¡± Considering his contribution to the fight, and the fact that he¡¯d probably been close to a level-up before it, that didn¡¯t surprise her. It was a shame Tim hadn¡¯t leveled, but he probably wasn¡¯t very far off now. Regina stepped over to her Workers. Mia was trying to staunch the bleeding of Tia¡¯s wound by pressing leaves against it, with mixed success. Regina quickly unwound one of the pieces of rope she was carrying and, with her help, wrapped it around Tia¡¯s arm to press the leaves against it. ¡°Tim, get the waterskin and fetch water from the river for her,¡± she ordered. ¡°Max, get started with the bodies. Mia, can you help him?¡± ¡°I can hardly do worse than the Warriors, my Queen,¡± she answered. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Regina nodded and leaned against a tree beside Tia. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± she asked her quietly. ¡°I¡¯m alright, Mother,¡± she responded with a weak smile. ¡°Maybe a little faint, and I¡¯m really hungry right now.¡± ¡°Okay. Maybe you should eat some of that meat right away.¡± She looked at Max, who was starting to butcher one of the wolves. He must have heard, since he came over with a chunk of raw meat for Tia a minute later. She devoured it quickly while Regina looked away. ¡°The two of you didn¡¯t level up, did you?¡± Tia and Mia shook their heads. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my Queen,¡± Mia said, lowering her head. ¡°We didn¡¯t contribute much to the fight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± she assured her. ¡°You¡¯re only level 1 and you¡¯re obviously not a combat class, if that¡¯s a thing in this system. You can just go out with the warriors to hunt some weaker monsters later.¡± Tim returned soon, passing their crude waterskin to Tia, who guzzled down the water. They used the rest to try to clean her injury. With the wolves they¡¯d killed, they¡¯d hopefully be able to get more of them, now. They had three people working on it, so they managed to take care of the carcasses quickly. Tia insisted on helping. She cradled her injured limb to her side and just used her left arms, but Regina could tell it hurt. She sighed and started fashioning a sling for her from another vine. She didn¡¯t really want to join in the gory work, and none of the others seemed to mind that. So Regina kept an eye on the forest around them and told herself she was doing an important job by standing watch. She did help in carrying their prey when they finally returned to their campsite. Tia wanted to help with that, too, but Regina put her foot down. They had to make two trips to carry everything, but it didn¡¯t take very long, anyway. While the boys and Mia continued their work and tried to preserve as much of the wolves as they could, Regina checked the campsite, then focused on the sense she had of her drones. Tia¡¯s injury was clearly noticeable. Regina didn¡¯t feel her pain, even when she focused her attention on the Drone Worker, but she could tell it was there. She even got a pretty good sense of how badly injured the girl was. Finally, she turned her attention to her most recent level-up and quickly checked her status. The ¡®Hive¡¯ part gave her pause: It now listed her drones as 4/6. That meant her cap had risen by two again, not by three or four, as she¡¯d half-expected. Regina frowned, then gave her status a closer look, and promptly jerked upright.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 4
Mana: 75/160
Hive: 4/6, 0
Con: 12 Str: 12
Dex: 12 End: 12
Int: 12 Wis: 11(+1)
¡°What the fuck,¡± she muttered. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Distantly, she noticed the others pause in their work. ¡°What is it, Regina?¡± Max asked. ¡°My stats are finally unlocked.¡± She stood up and walked towards him, checking on their progress absently. They¡¯d gotten a lot done. ¡°I have more points than you,¡± Regina said. She frowned thoughtfully. ¡°If I had to guess, it looks like I started with a twelve in all of the physical stats and a ten in Int and Wis, and then got one point in Int or now Wis with every level.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Max straightened up and wiped his hands on a scrap of fur. ¡°Really? That does seem a bit weird.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you more suited to using magic in the first place?¡± Tim commented. Regina shrugged. ¡°My last point has apparently been put in Wis. And I haven¡¯t noticed myself get any stronger or more dexterous, but my control over magic has grown. Not to mention my mana, though that¡¯s apparently connected to you drones.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Well, I would have probably distributed my stat points from leveling up the same way the System has done it, so I guess I can¡¯t complain.¡± At higher levels, it might be a problem if her physical stats never rose. But she was obviously best suited to a mage build. She wondered if there was a way to assign your stat points yourself. Maybe you needed to be a higher level? ¡°It looks like Hive Queens are just better at the start.¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad thing.¡± The other drones nodded in agreement. After a moment, Max returned to his work and the others redoubled their efforts. Regina smiled faintly. ¡°I¡¯ll go walk a perimeter of the camp, see if there are any monsters afoot,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, and by the way. I should have probably said this sooner. If I¡¯m ever away for a longer time or incapacitated for some reason, Max is in charge, okay?¡± ¡°Understood, my Queen,¡± they chorused. Tim and Mia glanced at Max, who just stared at her for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m honored, my Queen,¡± he finally said. He looked like he wanted to ask her if she was sure, but didn¡¯t want to sound like he was questioning her. Regina smiled at him, then turned to start her patrol. It was the obvious choice, since Max not only had the highest level, but was the oldest and most experienced one, after herself. As she walked, she considered how she wanted to go about laying eggs. She had two new ¡®slots¡¯ in her hive now. Their group still wasn¡¯t large enough that she was worried about getting enough food for everyone, so she didn¡¯t see much reason not to have two new drones. More people would help to keep them safe and help with their undertakings. In general, considering their situation, she would prefer to have a few more warriors than workers right now. But they did need both. So, since there were only two spots, Regina decided to go for one of each. She¡¯d wait until her mana was full again, though. Her patrol was quiet. She didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary and didn¡¯t even hear any monsters, only the usual birdsong of the forest. Once she returned, she saw that the drones were mostly finished with their task. Tia was sitting on a log beside the others, looking a bit paler than usual. They must have managed to convince her that she should rest. Regina joined her. ¡°I don¡¯t think building a house is going to work, or that trying is really such a good idea,¡± she said after a minute, glancing at the wood they¡¯d stacked. ¡°It would take a lot of time and effort, and by the time we¡¯re finished, there are going to be new drones, so we¡¯d have to do it all over again. And so on.¡± Mia looked up from where she was cutting a wolf skin and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re probably right, my Queen. We¡¯d need to cut down quite a few trees if we want to do it properly, unless we manage to use different materials.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I think you actually need straw for that method I mentioned earlier. And I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯d need that to make bricks, too, even if we found clay.¡± She sighed, looking out into the forest. ¡°Let¡¯s just build a few simple shelters, something to keep the rain off. Constructing a proper dwelling is a side project.¡± Tia stood up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get started!¡± Regina resisted the urge to roll her eyes and got to her feet as well. She¡¯d feel bad if she lazed off while the injured girl was working. It quickly became obvious that the Worker was a lot better at this than Max had been, and, if she was honest, a lot better than Regina, too. It might have been connected to her relatively high Dex stat, but Regina¡¯s was also high. She probably just couldn¡¯t make use of it as well as Tia. After a while, the boys and Mia finished up for now and joined them. With the whole group working on it, they made good progress. The experience from their first try helped, but they managed to improve on it. A few hours later, Regina stepped back and surveyed their accommodations. Four shelters, all of them built up against thick tree trunks and looking roughly like round pyramids cut in half. They¡¯d reinforced their original ones, but the two new ones were taller and had a larger base area. They were built of wooden posts, branches, vines and pieces of bark that held together surprisingly well. Mia had even fashioned something that could work as a crude door. ¡°Well done, everyone,¡± Regina declared. ¡°Very good work. I¡¯d say we¡¯ve earned a reward. Let¡¯s make dinner.¡± The boys grinned, and Max ran off to get the best cuts of wolf meat prepared. Regina followed them, smiling. She didn¡¯t protest when Mia claimed the post of cook to start grilling the meat over the fire. Cooking probably was more in a Worker¡¯s skillset. They ate a lot that evening. Regina briefly considered rationing their food, but dismissed the notion. They still had more than enough and they didn¡¯t have a good way of preserving it, anyway. Plus, so far, they hadn¡¯t had too much trouble hunting. Instead, she ate a large portion herself, since she needed the energy for producing two eggs. After dinner, she stood up and stretched. ¡°Alright. Boys, would you go to the river and fetch water? Girls, please check on the plants with System screens and gather a few berries.¡± Tia opened her mouth, looking confused, then she looked at Max, who was heading off, and turned to go. The others left as well. With them gone, Regina retreated to one of the shelters and prepared to lay her next two eggs. Now that they had some kind of dwelling that would offer them protection and concealment, it would be better to have them here than on the hill.
You are able to lay another egg. Choose carefully what you will add to your hive.
Drone Worker
Drone Warrior
She frowned to herself. She¡¯d hoped there might be new classes or templates available. Not yet, apparently. Shrugging, she mentally focused on both choices and settled down to grow her hive. Chapter 14: Gathering Information Regina didn¡¯t know how she¡¯d managed to sleep in a tree or out in the open the first few nights. Compared to then, she slept like a baby now. The shelters were a little small, but they¡¯d built enough so that they weren¡¯t too cramped. The hive now also had enough people to keep a night watch, so she finally slept through the night. Granted, her heap of leaves and fur scraps still wasn¡¯t the most comfortable, but she was nice and warm, at least. The sun still stayed out for a long time. Regina suspected that it was the middle or end of June. That seemed to fit with the general temperatures and the vegetation they¡¯d found in the forest. She was glad she hadn¡¯t been dropped here in winter. But it also meant she should keep in mind that winter would come, and they needed to prepare. For all she knew, it would come early and be a bitter one. Hopefully, they would have found civilization and reached some kind of arrangement before then. ¡°What we really need is some metal,¡± she said, looking at their pitiful supply of tools. ¡°No, actually, what we need is knowledge and skill. There¡¯s probably a lot more we could do with what we have, but we just don¡¯t know it.¡± Max nodded. He was currently trying to make a new ax, with limited success. ¡°I really wouldn¡¯t say no to some worked metal,¡± he replied. ¡°Stone just doesn¡¯t make for good weapons, and we don¡¯t even know how to work it. Even if we did, though, metal would probably be much better.¡± Regina nodded thoughtfully. By now, she¡¯d realized that all of the drones only knew what she knew. Plus maybe some basic, mostly instinctive things related to their duties, or what would be typical work for a Warrior or Worker of the Hive. She suspected they were actually drawing on her own knowledge. ¡°Do you know how to read?¡± she suddenly asked. ¡°I mean, I guess you do, since you read your status screens, don¡¯t you?¡± Max paused. ¡°Yeah. I do.¡± He frowned. ¡°It¡¯s the weirdest thing. At first, it was harder. I knew how to do it, but the knowledge was kind of odd, disconnected. It felt like I was learning it at the same time. But by now, I just read it, probably the same way you do.¡± ¡°Wow. That¡¯s ¡­ interesting.¡± It meant that he, and the others, might literally take this knowledge from her mind and assimilate it. That would explain why they all spoke the same language she did, despite just being hatched. Reading was obviously another part of that. Regina sighed and stared into the fire, absently twirling a stick in her hands. I wonder if that works for things I learn here, too? Only things I knew before? Only things I know up to the point when I lay their eggs? She threw the stick into the fire. I guess there¡¯s only one way to find out. If I learn a new language in the future and then make a drone, I¡¯ll see if they speak it or not, I guess. Or does it need to be a native language? ¡°Do you speak any other languages, Max?¡± she asked. ¡°Not that I know of, my Queen.¡± He looked a bit confused. She shook her head. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m exactly good at any others, but that doesn¡¯t mean much. I wonder what kind of knowledge gets transmitted? There have to be limits. Just then, a crashing sound came from behind them. Regina turned around quickly, half-rising from her seat. She relaxed as she saw that Tim had dropped a piece of wood and it had crashed into and thrown over a small pile of rocks. She couldn¡¯t help but smile while he bent down and hurriedly tried to pick everything up, under the faintly exasperated gaze of Tia. The boy had offered to help the workers, but Regina suspected they might be second-guessing their enthusiasm now. Or relegating him to grunt work. The girls were trying to craft some more tools for them. It was sorely needed, but Regina privately doubted their success, given their lack of materials. Still, they had the time for it, and the Drone Workers were ostensibly better suited to such a project than she herself was. Maybe they¡¯d surprise her. The sun was climbing the eastern sky, and Regina estimated that noon was just around the corner. They¡¯d caught a squirrel in one of their traps and still had meat left over from the wolves, so they were set when it came to food. Later on, she intended to gather the warriors and escort the workers to the river to check on the local terrain and soil, and to look for any more monsters they could hunt. But that could wait. ¡°It¡¯s weird to think I¡¯ve been here for almost two weeks,¡± she commented to Max. He tilted his head, frowning for a moment, before his expression cleared. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. ¡°It kind of is. Still, we¡¯re making some progress, aren¡¯t we? Don¡¯t expect too much, my Queen.¡± Regina nodded, humming in agreement. That wasn¡¯t really what she¡¯d meant, but he wasn¡¯t wrong, either. She stretched and stood up, looking at the rest of her hive once more. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Suddenly, Regina stiffened. She drew in a deep breath, and sensed her claws digging gently into the palms of her hands. ¡°Threat,¡± she hissed. Then she raised her voice and called, ¡°Max, Tim! On alert!¡± Max jumped to attention right away, tossing aside the piece of wood he¡¯d been playing with. Tim stepped towards her as well, his posture rigid and his eyes darting between her, the workers and their surroundings. Regina felt her pulse thumping in her ears as some undefinable excitement rushed through her. Suddenly, she felt more in tune with her nature than she had since the day she hatched. But that was a distant consideration, as her focus was turned on the threat encroaching on her territory, her Hive. She picked up her spear and started walking almost before she knew it. In a corner of her mind, she felt Max fall into step slightly behind her, taking a guarding position. But she didn¡¯t turn her head to see him. Regina walked towards the edge of the forest, then turned sharply. The hills rose up here, dotted with rockier ground than the forest to the east, but this part of it wasn¡¯t level, anyway. It created features like the dip she now darted for, where a low growing bush and scattered rocks right where the forest relinquished its ground created a secluded alcove. She reached out, unconsciously trying to spread her wings slightly, which didn¡¯t work. Then she kicked a loose rock to the side. With a muffled groan, the bush moved. Regina darted forward, but Max cut her off slightly, rushing into position to guard her. She stabbed down with her spear, feeling it meet some resistance and only just not crashing through it. She had pulled the blow. The hidden person shifted again, which helped Regina convince her eyes not to fall for the trick and finally showed her where someone had hidden themselves so masterfully close to their campsite. Even knowing they were there, it was hard to make out more than a general shape and a few edges in the darkness of their nook. ¡°So there is an intruder,¡± she said, feeling a slight snarl on her face that didn¡¯t want to leave. ¡°Come on, come out. Slowly.¡± The shape started to slowly slide out, giving Regina an even better view. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t stab me.¡± Regina paused, tilting her head, and felt some of the aggression leak out of her as the human parts of her mind started churning faster. The voice was high-pitched, matching the slender form of the person now standing up carefully. Her first thought was ¡®elven ranger¡¯. It was a young man (or young-looking, at least), clad in a mix of leather and cloth that did a surprisingly good job of providing camouflage in the forest. His face was all sharp lines and yet still looked vaguely delicate, and he had pointy ears, standing up at the sides of his head. As the sunlight hit him, she noticed that his eyes gleamed a little with its reflection, like a cat¡¯s eyes. They were a dark, burnt orange, while his hair, which fell to his shoulders, was an earthy brown.
Alenas, Level ? Forest Scout
Max put a sharp blade against his neck as soon as he was in reach. The elf stiffened slightly, but didn¡¯t try to move away. Instead, he slowly raised his hands in an apparently universal gesture. Regina noticed that he had a bow strapped to his back and a pair of knives or daggers on his leather belt. ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked. ¡°You were obviously spying on us.¡± He gulped slightly, clearly recognizing the barely restrained aggression in her stance or face. ¡°I¡¯m a scout of the nearby elven community,¡± he said. Regina narrowed her eyes. There¡¯s an elven tribe nearby? She hadn¡¯t known about that, but they hadn¡¯t traveled all that far from this spot, either. ¡°That¡¯s not much of an explanation,¡± Max said. By now, Tim had joined him, flanking Regina on her other side, and looked like he wanted to gut the intruder and present the corpse to his queen. Tia and Mia had also approached, though they kept a warier distance. Mia was holding a torch. ¡°I promise I didn¡¯t mean any harm,¡± Alenas answered. He sounded earnest, and managed to meet Regina¡¯s eyes evenly. ¡°I simply wanted to know what your group was doing here, this close to our homes. You understand the need to gather information, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Regina crossed her arms. Her fingers twitched. She still felt the impulse to rake them through his neck and deal with this possible threat, but she quashed that easily. He was only a part of a larger group, and killing him wouldn¡¯t exactly help her position. Still, a part of her was alarmed by how easily this could have become violent. ¡°Alright, Max, let the guy breathe.¡± She glanced at the younger Warrior. ¡°Tim, hang back and keep an eye on the surroundings, there might be more of them.¡± The two immediately did as commanded. Still, Alenas clearly understood that he risked a quick meeting with something sharp and pointy if he made any suspicious moves. He stepped carefully forward, keeping his hands away from his weapons. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. He glanced at each of them, then faced her again. ¡°I assume you are the person in charge here?¡± Regina narrowed her eyes, then told herself to calm down. ¡°My name is Regina,¡± she said. He nodded. ¡°Alenas,¡± he replied. He probably assumed that she¡¯d read that already. Does that mean he¡¯s got a notification for me, too? What is it telling him? Well, probably just ¡®Regina, Hive Queen Level 4¡¯. That could be bad enough. He appeared to wait expectantly for a moment, but neither Max nor either of the girls felt the need to introduce themselves. ¡°Pleased to meet you,¡± the elf continued with a smile. He took a step to the side. ¡°My apologies for startling you. Then I¡¯ll just stop bothering you and return to my people to inform them that there¡¯s no need to be concerned.¡± Regina crossed her arms as Max stretched out one of his blade-arms to bar his way. ¡°Not so fast, mister,¡± she said. The elf turned to her, nothing but polite attentiveness on his face, but she still noticed the way he sagged slightly. Regina smiled, showing a little more teeth than was strictly necessary. ¡°I¡¯m sure your people don¡¯t expect you back right way. Stay with us for a minute,¡± she invited. ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡± He didn¡¯t give any outward signs of it, but she still had the impression he sighed. After he gave Max another glance, he returned her smile. ¡°Of course, Hive Queen Regina.¡± Chapter 15: First Contact Talks To his credit, Alenas didn¡¯t act intimidated or threatened, but rather as if he was a welcome guest in their camp. Regina didn¡¯t really mind. She offered him a seat by the fire and considered offering some of the cooked meat they¡¯d prepared, but then decided not to. He had to have his own provisions and she didn¡¯t want to give what they had away to spies. Besides, it wasn¡¯t exactly the peak of culinary hospitality. ¡°It seems you have not been here long, my lady Regina,¡± he remarked, glancing around. ¡°You could say that,¡± she replied. ¡°May I ask from where you hailed? I am afraid it must have slipped my people¡¯s notice.¡± ¡°No, you may not,¡± she said, frowning a little. He might not even believe me if I told him I was just born here days ago. ¡°Not that it matters, save that I have no place else to return to.¡± He nodded. ¡°Of course. I only ask out of curiosity. I fancy myself to be familiar with the people of the world, but I must confess that I have never seen such as you before.¡± He was speaking more formally, she noticed. Perhaps trying to be diplomatic? ¡°That is a shame,¡± she replied, giving him a brief smile. ¡°You see, I do not know much about my people, myself. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know where you could find them, either.¡± His right eyebrow rose a little. ¡°That sounds like you must have quite an interesting tale.¡± Then he shook his head. ¡°But I will pry no further, of course.¡± Regina nodded. She felt Mia¡¯s gaze on her, one eyebrow slightly raised, although the Worker didn¡¯t speak up. But Regina hadn¡¯t revealed their isolation by accident. If it turned out that her people were actually known as a horrible scourge of some far away place, she could always insist that she didn¡¯t have anything to do with that. It might not be worth much in such a case, but it would help. And if there were friendly relations, then the elves would hopefully see no reason not to help a young royal (kind of? Probably?) and her companions return to her people. Of course, if they were the type to tolerate no others and just kill them all to be safe, that would backfire. It was a risk. But what she thought elves should be like and Alenas¡¯ behavior made that scenario seem unlikely. ¡°These are my ¡­ companions,¡± she said, trying to be friendly. Weirdly, using that word felt like forcing out something sour. ¡°Max, Tim, Mia and Tia.¡± She indicated each in turn. Alenas¡¯ mouth twitched, but he smoothed his expression quickly. ¡°A pleasure to meet you all,¡± he responded, inclining his head to them. After a sharp gaze from Regina, the drones all mumbled similar niceties. If the elf was offended at the lackluster response, he didn¡¯t show it. Probably, she figured, because he was aware they¡¯d caught him sneaking around close to their camp and had little reason to feel nicely towards him. She didn¡¯t know what would have resulted if this had happened while Regina was away, leaving Max in charge. A slightly defiled corpse seemed likely, though. I need to have a talk with them after this. She suppressed a frown. They are still just kids. She wondered what his level was. It couldn¡¯t be extremely high, or he wouldn¡¯t be this wary of them, right? Unless it was an act and that was what he wanted her to think. She supposed she didn¡¯t have any way of knowing. ¡°If it¡¯s not too rude to ask, may I inquire how big your people¡¯s community is?¡± she asked. He shrugged and waved a hand airily. ¡°Oh, not the biggest, but not the smallest, either.¡± Very useful. But she hadn¡¯t really expected a straight answer. ¡°Your own group seems quite small,¡± he remarked. ¡°Unless there are more members that I¡¯ve yet to meet.¡± Regina¡¯s eyebrow twitched. ¡°Not quite.¡± She glanced at the others and shrugged slightly. ¡°Not at the moment.¡± That made him frown. He followed her gaze, and she could see him studying their features. Then his eyes returned to her. Regina shifted slightly. She and all her drones were still mostly naked, and it made her feel uncomfortable. The elf was clearly taking note of their state of dress, too. It was obvious he was deliberately keeping his eyes off her chest. She appreciated the courtesy, of course, but it was an odd feeling for her. ¡°As you can see, we are somewhat lacking in amenities,¡± she said with her best self-deprecating smile. ¡°If your people are interested in trading, we would certainly welcome the chance.¡± Hopefully, that possibility would also provide incentive to deal with them. He smiled slightly. ¡°You are looking for necessities like clothing, I assume?¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She nodded. ¡°That, as well as other things like medical supplies.¡± His eyes wandered to Tia. Her injury had healed up a bit, but it was still clearly visible. ¡°Yes, I can see the need for that,¡± he replied. Then he regarded her thoughtfully. ¡°I hope you understand that I cannot make any promises. I am but a simple scout. Whether this is possible, and how we will deal with you in general, will have to be my superiors¡¯ decision.¡± ¡°Of course, I understand.¡± She wouldn¡¯t like any of her drones making promises on her behalf, either. She hesitated for a moment. ¡°But you do see the possibility of friendly interactions, Mister Alenas?¡± His face closed off slightly. ¡°I cannot say,¡± he repeated. His eyes narrowed. ¡°I do think it would improve your chances if we knew more about you and your people. I¡¯m sure you understand that the unknown can be concerning. Especially when dealing with people who are clearly monstrous, if you¡¯ll forgive me pointing that out.¡± Regina paused. ¡°I suppose I cannot begrudge you the use of that term,¡± she said. The elf grimaced slightly. ¡°Monstrous or not, the elves have always understood that demihumans are children of the gods, too,¡± he assured her. ¡°We are not like those fools who consider anything with monstrous traits inferior or cursed.¡± Regina nodded, trying not to smile. He¡¯d just given her some information she needed about the world and its people. So, I may need to watch out for fanatics ¡ª probably human, they usually are in the stories I remember ¡ª but the elves, at least, aren¡¯t xenophobic. Or no more so than usual. That¡¯s good. And they have a polytheistic religion. ¡°So, we will not have to worry about bigots in your ranks?¡± she asked. ¡°If you¡¯ll forgive the blunt question. I know little of elves.¡± Alenas shook his head. ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t think so. Obviously, you have Names and the System has granted you a Status. That should be more than enough proof for anyone.¡± ¡°Good. Then, to answer your question¡­¡± Regina frowned. ¡°There truly isn¡¯t much I can tell you. However, our group is most likely going to continue to grow, though I can¡¯t say at what rate. I¡¯ve only been here for, hm, I think it¡¯s been twelve days?¡± She shook her head. ¡°We are not particularly attached to this place, so if it is necessary, we would be happy to move, as long as there is a place for us somewhere.¡± Alenas nodded. ¡°That is good to know. If I may ask, how will your numbers grow? Are there more of you wandering the forest?¡± ¡°Uh, not quite.¡± Regina hesitated. She really didn¡¯t like the idea of telling him about how she created drones. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s rather hard to explain, and a bit of an, ah, delicate subject. Quirks of our race, I suppose.¡± She also didn¡¯t want to tell him about the two eggs currently sitting in one of their shelters, preparing to hatch soon. He raised his eyebrows a little, but nodded. ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t believe you¡¯ve mentioned the name of your race?¡± Regina grimaced slightly. ¡°I haven¡¯t, because I don¡¯t know.¡± She shrugged at his look. ¡°In truth, none of us has ever heard the name.¡± ¡°How curious. Well, I did promise not to pry. What else can you tell me about your people?¡± ¡°We¡¯re omnivores, and as you can see, there is quite a bit of physical polymorphism in our race. We prefer warmer temperatures, and obviously, we have protective shells over our skin in addition to a proper skeleton. I can use magic, but I¡¯ve had no real instruction in it.¡± Alenas nodded. She couldn¡¯t read his reaction very well. Did he think she¡¯d given him too little or useless information? ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, would you tell me about your people?¡± she asked. ¡°As I mentioned, I don¡¯t know much, and I¡¯m rather curious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the best person to ask when it comes to our lore,¡± he answered. ¡°Obviously, we are one of the core sapient races. We are a long-lived people, and individual elves may devote themselves to many different pursuits.¡± That sounded completely generic and very devoid of detail. But Regina didn¡¯t press the point. She knew that, since it could still come to hostilities between their people, he didn¡¯t want to give her any information that might help her fight them. ¡°I see,¡± she said. He smiled again. ¡°If that is all, I think it is time for me to take my leave. My colleagues will start to wonder where I am, and it wouldn¡¯t do to worry them overmuch.¡± Regina nodded and stood up as he did the same. ¡°Of course. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mister Alenas. I do hope this will prove to be the start of a productive relationship between our groups. When might we expect to hear from you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure. Unfortunately, I cannot say that. Perhaps in a week or two. Farewell, Hive Queen.¡± He inclined his head at her, then turned to leave. Regina copied the gesture, then watched as he walked away. Alenas didn¡¯t turn and didn¡¯t run, although he did walk at a relatively quick pace. He moved with grace that probably spoke of a high Dex, or just elven heritage. After a moment, she turned to her hive. ¡°Tim. Go and see where he goes. Shadow him. If he notices you, that¡¯s probably fine, but I want to know in which direction he leaves. Keep your distance and come back once you get to the edge of the territory we¡¯ve explored.¡± ¡°At once, my Queen.¡± Tim hurried off into the forest, where Alenas was disappearing between the trees. Regina sighed and sat down again, resting her chin in a hand. She looked at the forest where their unexpected visitor had left, even though she couldn¡¯t see anything. She felt Mia and Tia move off to resume their work, but Max stayed. ¡°I wish I could tell if I said the right things or not,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you did, my Queen,¡± Max said. But when she glanced at him, his expression made her think he didn¡¯t really believe that. She sighed. ¡°The thing is, Max, while we probably had him in our power right now, the actual power difference is definitely not in our favor. I don¡¯t know how big his tribe or whatever is, but they could probably crush us easily if they wanted.¡± ¡°Is that why you were so friendly and open?¡± ¡°Was I?¡± Regina tugged on her right mandible. ¡°I decided it was better to give them a few answers than make them feel like they would have to force them out of me. I think most of what I said was readily apparent or would have been obvious after repeated contact.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t tell them about the eggs.¡± Max frowned. ¡°Right. There are a few cards up our sleeve. Like my ability to produce new warriors quickly and my ability to see through the eyes of hive drones.¡± Max followed her gaze into the forest. ¡°Do you think you convinced him we¡¯re no threat to them?¡± Regina sighed and shook her head. ¡°I wish I knew.¡± It felt like their quiet life in the forest was coming to an end. This encounter could be the start of something better, or a huge danger. After a moment, she groaned and put her face into her hands. ¡°I should have found a way to ask him what language we were speaking.¡± Chapter 16: Is That a Dragon? Regina jerked upright, her heart hammering. Blinking, she looked around, trying to see what had woken her up. After a moment, she realized that Tim had been shaking her. He was withdrawing his hand now and taking a step back. She stood up, rubbing her eyes and trying to brush the last dregs of sleep away. It was still dark out, at least mostly. The moon was nearly full, and the eastern horizon might have been just a touch brighter than the west. It still felt like the middle of the night. She¡¯d been too restless after the encounter with the elf to go to bed early, and she couldn¡¯t have been asleep very long. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± she asked, looking around. ¡°Sorry to wake you, my Queen.¡± Tim sounded tense. He kept glancing to the side. ¡°I think you need to see this.¡± Regina frowned, following his gaze and looking south. Then she stiffened. There were a few dark blots in the sky, and she heard a howl echoing over a great distance. Then the wind turned, and she faintly caught a spicy scent. ¡°Wake the others,¡± she told Tim. ¡°Then gather our weapons.¡± ¡°Yes, my Queen.¡± He moved off. Regina crawled out of her shelter and grabbed her spear, which she¡¯d left leaning against its wall. She stepped away from the trees to get a better look, rolling her shoulders. The sense of an impending threat helped her disperse the last of her sleepiness. The drones worked quickly. Max and Tim grabbed their weapons, while Tia and Mia took what tools they had lying around that could double as weapons in a pinch. They also took anything important and put them into the slings and belts they¡¯d made out of the vines they¡¯d gathered. Regina glanced at the shelter where the eggs were waiting. They should be ready to hatch soon, but in the meantime, they were far too large and heavy to easily carry. A bellowing sound turned her attention back to the forest. Max stepped beside her, his ax and shield clutched tightly. Regina didn¡¯t take her eyes off the shadows. After a moment, she could make out the shape of the monster approaching them. It looked like an oversized fox. Before she even got a System notification, Tim jumped at it with a shrill warcry. Regina blinked. He¡¯d moved far quicker than normal and his lunge even pushed the beast back a little. Then she refocused and cast a Magic Missile. The magical projectile hit the fox in the face, causing it to jerk back. Tim took advantage, slashing with his left blade-arm at the same time as he swung his ax. The fox stumbled back, evading the swing, but the blade caught him in the throat. Its fur stood up, suddenly bristling with spikes. But then a thrown stone from Max caught the monster again in the eye and the ability seemed to melt off its fur. Tim dodged an errant swipe of its paws, then stepped forward, driving his blade in deep. The fox twitched before it fell backward. They didn¡¯t get any time to celebrate the victory. Another roar resounded, still distant but noticeably louder. Regina inhaled sharply, and the scents she caught prickled in her nose, warning of danger. ¡°Tim, stay close,¡± she ordered him. ¡°Defensive position.¡± She didn¡¯t really know what a good defensive position would be, but apparently Tim had a better idea than her. He and Max moved to flank her a few steps out, leaving all of them enough room to swing their weapons, with the Drone Workers behind them. That also put her in the middle of a rectangle with the warriors at the front and the workers at the back. Another monster crested the top of the nearest hill, halting and hissing at them. It was some sort of big cat, looking like a cross between a lion and a jaguar.
Lionit ¡ª Level ?
A moment later, another monster broke through the treeline into the cleared area around the hills. This one looked like a giant snake with red streaks across its body.
Red-Striped Snake ¡ª Level ?
Regina cursed and launched another Magic Missile. She aimed for the snake on the theory that it would be slower to dodge. Her guess seemed to pan out, as the snake started slithering away, but still got its tail caught by the attack. It drew back, hissing at them again. Regina hissed back. The cat used that moment to pounce. Tim activated his Charge ability again, meeting it a few steps out from her position. Max quickly stepped forward and bashed it with his shield, giving his fellow Warrior long enough to regain sure footing. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Regina hesitated, then decided not to risk another missile. She had to conserve her mana, anyway. The warriors and the cat tussled for a few seconds. It looked more like a shoving match than a proper fight. The hive drones had the advantage of being able to take cover behind their shields while at the same time menacing it with multiple weapons. After a bit of back and forth, during which Tim only suffered a scratch down his left leg and the cat got a few shallow cuts along its flanks, it backed away. Regina glared at it, trying to project threat. After a moment, the monster clearly decided that this food wasn¡¯t worth the fight and withdrew. That left them with the snake, which had approached by now. They¡¯d all stepped forward a little, fighting right at the edge of the treeline, not far from their shelters. Regina prepared a Magic Missile, just to be safe, but hesitated. She felt a prickly feeling, like an itch on the back of her neck. She raised her head and glanced at the sky, which nearly made her step back on reflex. There were several flying monsters in the sky now. Most of them were still a good distance away, except for a falcon that was circling above the hill. But her attention was drawn to the largest creature, which was quickly nearing their position. Even the snake seemed to sense it, freezing in its tracks for a moment. ¡°Is that a dragon?¡± Max asked, sounding a little incredulous. ¡°Technically a wyvern, I think,¡± Regina answered, still staring. ¡°It only has four limbs and its forelimbs are its wings.¡± The monster looked unmistakably lizard-like, with scaly dark green skin. It was long and sinuous, but she could tell that fact only hid how much bulk it had. Its head was ringed by small spikes, and its elongated snout fit large, sharp teeth, as she saw when it opened it to roar. The sound made Tia flinch. Regina stared at it for a long moment, but for once, the System refused to provide a description. It approached rapidly, showing it was even larger than she thought, at least the size of an elephant. In fact, was it accelerating? ¡°Fuck! Duck! Get out of the way!¡± Regina yelled. She suited actions to words and dove to the side, jumping into the forest and rolling behind a tree. Its leaves stirred in the wind caused by the wyvern¡¯s passage. Regina blinked some spraying pieces of bark out of her eyes and scuttled backwards. The monster must have had its eye on the snake. It was hard to make out what was going on, the details lost in the quickness of its descent and the way it crashed through the forest. Trees toppled or bowed and groaned with stress, twigs and leaves raining down all around. Regina hopped back further, trying to get distance, then froze. The wyvern had come down where they¡¯d been, at the forest¡¯s edge. Now its thick, scaly tail lashed through the air, shaking off a tree¡¯s branches, and crashed to the ground right atop two of their shelters. They crumbled like they were made of cardboard. Regina winced, then shook herself free of her paralysis. ¡°Boys, girls,¡± she called. ¡°Flee! Regroup by the berry bush!¡± She didn¡¯t wait around to see if they would follow her order, but turned and ran into the forest. There was no way they¡¯d be able to fight that wyvern, and they needed to be gone before it noticed them. There were no monsters in their immediate surroundings, probably because none of them wanted to get too close to the wyvern, either. Regina didn¡¯t look back at what had become of their camp. Behind her, she heard the lizard roar again, a deep thrumming that seemed to shake the forest itself. After a heart-pounding minute of frantic running, thanking whatever determined her biology for her low-light vision, she reached the rendezvous point she¡¯d set. A dark shadow flitted away behind the tree trunks. Regina clutched onto her spear and slowed. She took a deep breath when she saw that the others had made it. The boys and Tia were already there, and Mia was just emerging from behind a bush. They all turned to her with obvious expressions of relief. ¡°Alright, we don¡¯t have the time to dawdle,¡± Regina said. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It clearly isn¡¯t safe here anymore. Are any of you injured?¡± ¡°Just a scratch, it won¡¯t slow me down,¡± Tim said. ¡°I twisted my right work-limb,¡± Mia said. ¡°But I¡¯m fine otherwise. I can still run.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡± Max hurried forward to put himself in the lead, while Tim fell back to put the workers ahead of him. Regina walked after Max. She hesitated for a moment, glancing back, but there was nothing to see but the darkness of the forest. Shaking her head, she went. They hurried, but didn¡¯t run. She didn¡¯t want anyone to twist an ankle in these conditions. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Tim asked quietly. Regina ran a hand through the stubble of her hair, trying to think quickly. ¡°Let¡¯s head towards the river, then follow it downstream, but in the cover of the forest. I don¡¯t think we should attempt a crossing right now. There will probably be other monsters, so stay sharp.¡± They fell silent for a minute. Regina listened to the forest around her, her nerves wound tightly and her claws tapping against the shaft of her spear. The others were probably the same. Then Max broke the silence. ¡°What is going on?¡± He glanced back at her for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s just after we met that elf.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think the elves sicced a horde of beasts on us. They¡¯d probably have better ways to make sure we die, if that¡¯s what they wanted. But this is weird.¡± They were quiet for a few more seconds, until Max cleared his throat. He sounded hesitant when he spoke again. ¡°My Queen, when that wyvern came down ¡­ I saw it demolish the newest shelter.¡± Regina didn¡¯t turn to look at him, but kept scanning the forest. She could smell more beasts again. The main horde was probably behind them, but there would be others ranging ahead of the bulk. ¡°Yes, that was the shelter with the eggs. They¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mia asked. Regina sighed. She took her attention from her surroundings for a moment to try and chase down the mana sense she got of her hive. ¡°I can¡¯t sense them, so yes, I¡¯m pretty sure. Actually ¡­¡± She called up her status. ¡°Yes, my mana regeneration is back up to a higher value. At least I¡¯ll be able to fight more effectively. I have a feeling we¡¯re going to need that.¡± It was a shame. But the eggs had still been in development, not actual people. And there was no way they could have protected them. The hive walked the rest of the way to the river in silence, on the alert for more beasts. The closer they got, the more signs of monsters Regina heard and saw. This was not going to be an easy trip. Chapter 17: Random Encounters The monster stumbled backwards, trying to rub the sting out of its eye. The System called it a ¡®Troll¡¯, but it had to be a young one, since it only stood a head taller than Regina instead of completely dwarfing her. Its size, bulky physique and oversized club were a poor match for the trees around them, as it might have discovered when it lost the club to a bush. Max darted forward, cutting right into its knee. Its craggy-looking skin didn¡¯t stop the thrust. The troll stumbled and fell to its other knee, which allowed Max to swing his ax at its neck. Regina watched carefully, but didn¡¯t join the attack herself in order to conserve her mana. Her intervention didn¡¯t turn out to be necessary. The boys made short work of the monster, and its twitching body thudded into the ground after only a few seconds. She glanced around, then kept going. There didn¡¯t seem to be any other monsters around for once. She didn¡¯t know how long they¡¯d been fighting their way through the forest, but this had to be the most safe they¡¯d been in that time. And just a few meters farther, there was a small clearing, caused by a toppled tree. Its trunk looked inviting. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s take a five minute break,¡± she decided. With a sigh, she sat down. Tim collapsed right where he¡¯d been standing, and Max looked like it cost him serious effort to drag himself to the tree trunk and sit down. Mia and Tia were only a little better off. They¡¯d all gotten at least one level, though Regina hadn¡¯t had the time to pay much attention to their status sheets. It was a small miracle that none of them were seriously hurt. She had a nasty cut on her left arm and both Max and Tia were limping a little, but they could keep going. And they did need to keep running. Regina could tell they were only at the outskirts of the monster horde. Whenever she caught a glimpse of the sky, she saw the dark spots gathering behind them. That would have been a clue if all the monsters moving this way weren¡¯t. ¡°I wonder what the monsters are doing with our place?¡± Max asked. ¡°Probably not much,¡± Tim replied. ¡°They¡¯re just moving through, aren¡¯t they?¡± Regina grimaced. ¡°He¡¯s right. And we will come back one day.¡± She saw their surprised expressions and shrugged. ¡°Once we have built up our hive and gotten enough strength, we¡¯ll come back and chase those monsters out, I promise you. If nothing else, there¡¯s still that vault door I need to investigate.¡± The others nodded. Max at least looked a little comforted. Regina sighed and turned her attention to the System.
You have leveled up
You may select a Spell. You can use a Spellbook, learn a Spell from a teacher or other source of information, or pick one from the list below:
Spark, Magic Missile, Firebolt, Magic Armor, Heat Vision, Expand Senses, Physical Augmentation, Water Manipulation, Lesser Basic Conjuration
Regina chewed her lip as she considered her choices. A few were tempting, especially Magic Armor and, of course, Firebolt. That one was new. She needed something to help her survive this trek through the forest, and that was the obvious choice. But she still hesitated. For one thing, fire in a forest might not be the best idea. But the more important reason was that she wanted to consider her long-term strength and that of her hive. One of the main problems they¡¯d been facing was their lack of tools and materials. She¡¯d do a lot for just a bit of iron. Hell, even copper would be great. And it wasn¡¯t like Conjuration would have no applications in combat, right? Resolved, she made her choice and tapped on Lesser Basic Conjuration. The screen vanished with a small shower of sparks, and she felt the new spell settling into her, a shift in her mana. Regina closed her eyes and focused on it, but didn¡¯t try actually casting it yet. It was harder than casting Magic Missile, since conjuring something was complex. But she understood it now, intuitively, at least in its basics. She knew that this spell would be a mana hog for anything even halfway big or complicated. But getting a little bit of metal was now in her grasp. Only simple shapes, she couldn¡¯t make arrowheads or anything, but it was a start. She opened her eyes again and looked around. ¡°I have an idea,¡± she said, turning to the Workers. ¡°Do you think you could make a sling or something?¡± Tia stood up and grabbed a length of vine. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, my Queen!¡± It only took her a few minutes. What she created was a very crude sling, little more than some flexible length of vine with a small open pocket in the middle. But it should work. Regina focused, activating her new spell and concentrating on what she wanted. A moment later, she caught a small bit of iron in her palm. It was round, smaller than the rocks they¡¯d been using, but a lot smoother. She tossed it to Tia, who caught it and put it into her sling. ¡°Hey!¡± Max suddenly yelled. He jumped up from the tree trunk. Regina whirled around, her eyes widening as she saw what had caused him to call out. She¡¯d been too distracted to notice, but another monster was sneaking right into their clearing. It must have suppressed its scent in some way. Somehow, the light of the rising sun didn¡¯t seem able to illuminate it. Its outline reminded her of the Circle Vulture they¡¯d killed, although it was sleeker, and looked like someone had dunked that bird in a pot of shadow. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Shadowing Stalker
Tia reacted quickly. The sling whined slightly as it sped through the air, then she loosed the bullet. It hit the monster and bounced, but the impact rocked it back. Max roared and swung at it with his ax. Tim was circling around. He¡¯d used his Charge ability too much and now couldn¡¯t access it, but that wouldn¡¯t stop him from fighting. Regina watched for a moment and tried to get a good sense for the fight before she joined in with a Magic Missile. For all its stealth, the monster didn¡¯t seem that good in open combat. Max exchanged a few blows with it, catching all of them on his shield, which was getting more tattered by the minute. But he got it a few times, and inky black blood started spraying the grass around it. Then Tim entered the fight as well, stabbing at it with three weapons simultaneously. The monster dodged them all, but that let Max strike at the area probably containing its neck. Regina tensed up as she heard a low hum, but the Shadowing Stalker grew still. Tim retreated carefully, while Max poked it again with a blade-limb. It lunged forward one more time, but the Drone Warrior was prepared and met it with his ax. A moment later, the monster toppled backward, leaking solid shadows everywhere. Regina released the breath she¡¯d been holding and relaxed her stance. ¡°Great work, guys. But this is probably a sign that we shouldn¡¯t linger. Let¡¯s keep going.¡± She glanced at the girls, who were standing up, then back at the Warriors. ¡°Max?¡± The drone finally shook himself free and turned, stepping back to join them. ¡°I got a level, my Queen, kind of.¡± Regina waved the others forward and turned to look at him as they started moving. ¡°Congratulations, but what¡¯s the matter?¡± Max shook his head. ¡°The System says that my level-up has been suspended due to exceeding my Hive¡¯s current limit.¡± He cleared his throat and quoted, ¡°¡¯The level a Hive Drone can reach is bounded by their Hive Queen. Your experience has been banked.¡¯¡± She swore softly. Well, she probably should have suspected that there was another shoe ready to drop when it came to a Hive and what it meant to a Hive Queen. It would have been very overpowered otherwise. Arguably, it still was, even with this limitation. Still, this meant that she would always have to have the highest level in the hive, didn¡¯t it? ¡°So much for the idea of me sitting back and sending you guys out to hunt while I stay safely at home, I guess,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to fight and level hard. Well, we still don¡¯t know much about leveling outside of combat. Still ¡­¡± ¡°You would have probably been the strongest person in the hive, or at least one of the strongest, anyway,¡± Tim said. ¡°You have been since the beginning.¡± Regina pulled a face, but nodded. He wasn¡¯t wrong about that. ¡°This also confirms that there really is an experience mechanic, even if the System is using it behind the scenes,¡± she said, trying to focus on easier subjects. ¡°Interesting. There may be a way to tell how far you are from leveling up after all.¡± The group kept discussing their notifications and the System as they continued traveling. They still seemed to be ahead of the monster horde or at least its main part, although they still saw monsters occasionally. They had to scare off or fight off some of them. Luckily, none was anywhere near as strong as that wyvern, and they managed it without getting more than a few scratches or bruises. Regina suspected that the stronger monsters were all behind them. They could only tell time by the occasional glimpses they got of the sun moving across the sky under the forest¡¯s canopy, but she estimated that they must have been traveling for a few hours at least. Regina suspected that they might be slowly reaching the edge of the forest. Its trees didn¡¯t grow quite as closely together here. Unfortunately, the number of monsters in the area increased. They had to slow down, especially when they spotted a horde of what looked like the cat cousins of the Flametongue Wolves circling a thicket around some trees. One of them caught sight of their group, and alerted the others with a yowl. Regina clutched her spear tighter and prepared to cast a Magic Missile, while Max and Tim lowered their shields and readied their axes. Before they could engage, a hail of icicles rained down on a few of the monsters. Regina started, but didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and shot one of her Magic Missiles at the closest monster. A moment later, a few arrows joined them, then two figures with swords fell on the wolves. The fight was over quickly. Regina hung back, noticing that Max and Tim also seemed wary of the other people. When they turned to face her group, Regina got a good look at their faces and the sharp ears poking out of their long hair. They were dressed similarly to Alenas, although they seemed a little more heavily armed, with everyone carrying at least three blades. She also got peeks of dark chainmail under their outer clothes. After a moment of focus, the System gave her the names and classes of the group. They all had question marks for levels and seemed to be a mix of rangers, fighters and a Frost Mage. ¡°Greetings,¡± a middle-aged (looking) woman said, inclining her head. ¡°You must be the group of demihumans the scout Alenas spoke of. I am glad to see you survived the arrival of the beast horde.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Regina replied, stepping forward and bowing her head as well. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s us. I¡¯m glad to meet you as well.¡± She glanced to the east, where a haunting howl was echoing from further into the forest at that moment. ¡°What can you tell us about this beast horde?¡± The elf, who according to the System was a Forest Ranger called Anuis, sighed. ¡°We knew it would be coming soon, especially considering the apparent dearth of high-level beasts in the region, but it is earlier than expected. Beyond that, we haven¡¯t noticed anything out of the ordinary. The stronger monsters are all still inbound.¡± She glanced at her companions, who had been gathering the bodies of the cat monsters. Two of them were leaving. ¡°I wish we had more time to talk, but we need to finish securing this area.¡± ¡°Of course, this isn¡¯t the time or place for a long chat,¡± Regina agreed, mentally lamenting that fact. There was so much she wanted to ask them! ¡°Say,¡± Max began, hesitantly. He glanced at her, then seemed to take heart from her encouraging smile and kept talking to the woman. ¡°Your home is safe from the monsters, isn¡¯t it? Would you consider giving us shelter there?¡± The elf¡¯s face fell and she sighed mournfully. ¡°Alas. I wish we could, children, but I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not possible. You see, there are protections around our home that prevent anyone but an elf from entering. Of course they can be adjusted to allow visitors, but we do not have the time to modify them now before the bulk of the horde arrives, especially with our mages fighting monsters.¡± Regina sucked in air and barely stopped herself from cursing again. That sucks. Finding shelter with the elves would have been perfect. Well, they might just be reluctant to let us in, anyway. ¡°I see,¡± she replied. ¡°Well, if there is any help you can give us, it would be much appreciated. I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t know the area very well.¡± The woman exchanged a glance with a male elf who¡¯d stayed. He nodded at her and passed her a leather satchel. Anuis glanced inside, then held it out to them. Tim stepped forward hesitantly to take it. ¡°There is a human village not too far in this direction, if you follow the river downstream,¡± she said. ¡°Once you¡¯re past the forest, you should pass the defensive line soon. You¡¯ll be safe from the monsters there.¡± She glanced at the sky, in which a few more dark spots had appeared. ¡°I suggest you hurry.¡± Regina bowed her head again. ¡°Thank you very much. I hope we will meet again, under better circumstances.¡± She stepped forward and turned to the others. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Despite the situation, a part of her was excited to meet humans. Chapter 18: To Civilization Max didn¡¯t have to wait long to get the experience the System had banked for him. The next fight after they left the elves, against a group of blue-colored monster snakes that were apparently different races, judging by the System¡¯s naming, Regina reached level 6 as well. Max reported that he leveled up right away and gained the associated stat point, this time in Str, before she even checked her own status sheet. The System put her own point into Int again. They kept going, staying about a hundred meters away from the river, close enough to hear it but far enough to stay out of sight. None of them wanted to risk meeting any water monsters, and the open space meant flying creatures might be more of a danger there, as well. The sun wandered across the sky and started to descend towards the western horizon as they traveled. Regina was forced to have them take more frequent breaks, but she estimated that they still made good time. All of them had gained levels, including the Workers, and their higher Endurance stats were coming in useful. Max and Tim were actually struggling more than the girls. The monsters of the forest avoided them more and more, but their numbers didn¡¯t dwindle. If anything, she felt like there were more monsters around. So, even when the sun started to set and it grew darker, they pressed on. She would have preferred to stop for the night, but she didn¡¯t want to risk getting woken up by being chewed on by a monster horde. It would be rather hard to reach civilization then. Regina sighed and glanced at the small knife Max was clutching. Made of metal, it was their best weapon, even if it seemed more like a utility or camping knife than a proper weapon. It had been in the bag the elves had given them, along with some rations and a flask of water made of a milky translucent material that reminded her vaguely of plastic, although it obviously wasn¡¯t. Blotches of dried blood decorated the knife now. She was seriously considering the idea of trying to make some kind of boat or raft to move faster when the forest finally started lightening for real. Regina let out a long breath and glanced around. The song of the birds and even the calls of monsters were slightly louder in the direction they came from. That indicated they really were reaching the end of the forest. ¡°Alright, guys, keep your eyes open,¡± she said. ¡°It seems like we¡¯re finally approaching the end of this damned forest, but we still need to stay vigilant and prepared to deal with whatever we find there.¡± ¡°After today, I don¡¯t think we have any problems understanding the need for vigilance, my Queen,¡± Mia said. Regina glanced at her and gave her a small grin. It was true that they¡¯d only barely escaped an ambush from monsters several times. Their coordination and ability to work together, to plan and notice patterns in their surroundings, was one of the things that helped her hive the most. She didn¡¯t think there was a team of experienced combat troops that she¡¯d rather have following her for this trip. To be fair, their better than human senses helped, too. They¡¯d stopped for a short snack a few times, when they¡¯d defeated a monster that provided easy meat. She¡¯d been considering a short trip to the river as well, to get some water, but now it was probably better to press on. A crunching sound and a familiar scent greeted them as they stepped into the next clearing. Regina didn¡¯t need the System to tell her what monster they faced this time, since they¡¯d encountered it before. A Hull Turtle, a big rocky creature that was pretty fast for its size and even tougher than it seemed. She considered for a moment, then stepped sideways into the undergrowth. ¡°Let¡¯s just avoid this one,¡± she said quietly to the others as they followed her. They continued on their way, but circled around the turtle. They¡¯d gone almost halfway around when the monster raised its head. It must have caught their scent or heard something. Regina suppressed a curse and quickened her steps. She didn¡¯t turn around, but she could hear the monster turning to follow them. Its scent moved closer. Max broke into a run and she followed. They rushed along the forest, trying not to lose their footing on the low incline of the terrain, with the occasional rocks and twigs on the ground. They made far too much noise, and the turtle had obviously started chasing them. But they ran faster than it could follow, and its sounds fell behind as they started to outpace it. Then another scent moved closer and Regina cursed, swerving around a thicket of bushes to try and get out of the sight of any monster coming from that side. They were closer here than before, she realized. Sounds and scents came from the other side, too. Some of them withdrew from the barreling Hull Turtle, but not all. The ground fell away beneath her as they crested a low hill and started down a slope. Regina skittered down it, noticing from the corner of her eye that Mia, behind her, was using her additional arms to help her keep her balance. She almost crashed into a tree once, but managed to avoid it and keep her feet. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Then the slope leveled out and Regina kept running forward, bleeding off her momentum. It took her a moment to notice that the trees had grown scarcer. Just a few steps further, they completely stopped. She emerged from the treeline. Regina surveyed her surroundings for a moment. They stood in a grassy, slightly uneven meadow. There was another forest or maybe a part of this one further to the left, though the plain seemed to continue beyond that. To the right, the river wound its way out of the forest and curved to the east. Hills rose directly in front of them, making it hard to see very far. She took a deep breath and checked on her hive. They were all accounted for. Like her, they stepped out of the forest hesitantly, looking around, and kept close to each other. There was no one else in sight and no sign of any manmade structures. The village was probably either behind the hills or the forest, or maybe further along the river. The cry of some large bird of prey emerged from the forest behind them, and Regina winced. She looked at the drones and cleared her throat. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough staring. We¡¯re not safe yet. I don¡¯t know why the monsters don¡¯t seem to like leaving the forest, but they still might. So let¡¯s go.¡± They set off into the meadow. It was easier to walk here than in the forest, even if the grass was high and scraggly. Dirt of a healthy, brown color could be seen in the small spots where it didn¡¯t grow. Regina suspected that this was a fertile region people would have been happy to settle. She headed towards the river at an angle. Most likely, a settlement would be built close to that, right? It provided an easy source of water and transportation. They had walked maybe a hundred meters when Regina felt something through her new sense for mana. She slowed down and looked at the ground. There was a line in the earth which she was just stepping over. Several lines, actually, interwoven and spaced out around a central one. They weren¡¯t visible with mundane senses, except perhaps for the oddly straight and lush grass that grew marking out the line if you paid close attention. But there was power in it, thrumming with a low hum and almost crackling in the space just above the ground. Regina felt a prickle going down her spine. She felt like something was flaying her shell back, but it didn¡¯t hurt. Then she was past, and she took a deep breath. She turned to watch the others. They all seemed fidgety and she saw Max shiver, even though she doubted any of them were able to sense this like she did. Regina turned around to continue walking, intending to keep close to this line to see if something might change about it, or if it led somewhere. This had to be the defensive line the elf had mentioned. She¡¯d expected something more along the lines of trenches, palisades and garrisons. Still, there were probably military bases here, to monitor the area, if nothing else. She¡¯d only taken a few steps before she felt the prickle of someone using magic again. Wincing at the sensation, she looked up. There was a dark spot in the sky, which was growing rapidly closer. Regina heard one of the others draw in a sharp breath as it resolved itself more clearly. She clutched her spear tightly, but didn¡¯t react otherwise. They¡¯d all come to a stop now. It was better to face this calmly. A wyvern much like the one they¡¯d seen in the forest circled in the sky, losing altitude and approaching them. But this one had a rider on his back. It was a figure in dark clothing holding something bright. Regina took a deep breath and shot her drones a reassuring smile, before she relaxed her grip on her weapon and leaned it against her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± she told the others. ¡°Be polite.¡± The wyvern landed in front of them with a thump, its rider jumping down right away. Now that she got a closer look at him, she saw that he was a middle-aged human with brown hair and a short black beard. He wore a dark robe that looked like it had armor padding in some places, and a wand with a glowing crystal on its tip stuck in his belt.
Derrek Zephyr ¡ª Level ? Thaumaturge
Regina took a step forward and bowed her head. ¡°Hello.¡± The man approached closer, stopping just far enough to be out of weapon range. He looked at them and grunted. ¡°Hello to you, too. Not to be rude, but what are you supposed to be?¡± Regina gave him a quick smile. It was better than the alternative. ¡°My name is Regina. Beyond that, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tell you much. These are my companions.¡± She gestured at the forest. ¡°We were chased out by the monster horde and are hoping to find shelter.¡± The mage crossed his arms and frowned at them for a moment, but he didn¡¯t seem particularly upset. ¡°Alright. Truth be told, I have too much to do to waste time with pointless details.¡± Her smile widened. That sounded promising. ¡°You¡¯ll need to accompany me to our base,¡± he continued. ¡°That¡¯s not optional. We don¡¯t have the resources or time to deal with this during the horde. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be safe there. You can leave once it¡¯s over and you¡¯re checked out and cleared.¡± Regina grimaced. She didn¡¯t like the idea of being brought to some military base. Are we being deported or put into quarantine? She shook her head. Intellectually, she couldn¡¯t blame them much for not letting people wander around unsupervised during a monster horde attack. All the same, it was only the knowledge of the coming monsters and the fact that he was obviously stronger than them that stopped her from refusing out of hand. Her claws dug into her palms and she made herself take a deep breath. No matter how much the thought of being in anyone¡¯s power made her want to retch, it didn¡¯t change the situation. ¡°Alright,¡± she finally replied, shooting the others a stern glance. They clearly didn¡¯t like it any more than she did, but they¡¯d just have to deal. ¡°Point the way. How long do you expect this horde to last?¡± He grunted. ¡°Maybe another few days.¡± She¡¯d have to keep her eyes open. This time, she¡¯d watched his face while he spoke and seen that how he moved his mouth lined up perfectly with his words. He even had a bit of an accent. Nothing she could place, just a way to draw out some syllables and a more lilting melody to his speech. As he turned to mount his wyvern again, she shared a glance with Max. ¡°This is weird,¡± she muttered. ¡°He¡¯s definitely speaking Global.¡± Chapter 19: Human Hospitality As it turned out, Regina had been right in her assumption. There was a settlement close to the river, not too far from the forest¡¯s edge. The thaumaturge with his wyvern led them in its direction, staying silent most of the way. She quickly realized that the military outpost was more important, though. It was more of a castle and stood some distance from the village, in the middle of an island in the river. Because of the limited space, it seemed to have been built mostly upwards. High walls encircled it, studded with battlements made of the same gray stone blocks. A keep rose in the middle, and through the currently open gate, she caught glimpses of other buildings inside the walls. A drawbridge led up to the gate from the nearest shore. A few people were out, apparently preparing to pull it up, but they stopped to let her group inside. Derrek rode his wyvern into the castle without a word. Regina hesitantly walked across the bridge, nodding at the humans. They stared. Once they stepped past the gate and it started to rumble as they closed it, a System notification popped up. She blinked.
You have leveled up
¡°Regina?¡± Max asked in a low voice, glancing around. ¡°I just gained a level,¡± she explained. ¡°Huh. I guess this confirms you can get experience for non-combat things. Unless this System has exploration XP, I¡¯m guessing I got it for leading my hive out of danger.¡± ¡°Over here!¡± Derrek waved them over. Regina hurried to him, glancing around the castle. Her first impression was dirty. An unpleasant smell hung in the air, coming from what were probably the stables. At least, she hoped so. But the rest of it wasn¡¯t much better. The buildings looked primitive to her eyes, built low and with few windows. There were quite a few people around, all seeming busy with something and most of them wearing armor and weapons. Many of them paused to stare, and they started to whisper to each other about the newcomers. Regina tuned them out. She felt vaguely disappointed, and silly for feeling that way. Why did I want to go to civilization so badly? She couldn¡¯t shake the thought that she¡¯d much rather just build her own hive. There, things would have a proper order, at least. Her claws twitched and she resisted the urge to hiss at a passing woman in well-worn clothing. She itched to teach these gawkers some respect, but that would be a terrible idea even if there weren¡¯t obviously high-level humans around, and she managed to restrain herself. The mage led them through a door into an outbuilding and down into a basement. It was bare stone with no carpets or wall paneling, and correspondingly dank. The low light level didn¡¯t present a problem for her, at least. ¡°Stay here until you¡¯re called for,¡± he told them. ¡°There¡¯s a privy through there. Someone will come to bring you some water and rations.¡± Regina glanced at the others. ¡°We could help you fight the monster horde,¡± she suggested. He shook his head. ¡°Appreciate the offer, lady, but we¡¯re ready enough for them and throwing in unknown elements at the last minute won¡¯t help. Be seeing you.¡± With that, he left, and the door clicked shut. Regina sighed, then settled down to go to sleep. It was uncomfortable, but not much worse than what she¡¯d had before. The others lay down as well, and were soon drifting off. Now that they¡¯d finally been able to stop moving, the exhaustion from staying on the move all day, running from the monster horde, was pressing her down like physical weights tied to her limbs. They had to wait a long time for someone to show up. When they did, it was a young girl, maybe in her late teens, who timidly opened the door and passed them a few plates of food and a pitcher of water. When Regina tried to question her about the situation, she only shook her head and scurried off quickly. At least she didn¡¯t lock the door. After the meal, Regina was very tempted to go exploring, but decided to stay a considerate guest for now. Occasionally, she could hear the roar of a monster from above, very muffled by the stone and probably by distance. She didn¡¯t want to pop up into a battlefield, and finding someone to explain things would probably be hard in that situation, anyway. With nothing better to do, she called up and considered her status.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 7
Mana: 80/160
Hive: 4/16, 0
Con: 12 Str: 12
Dex: 12 End: 12
Int: 14(+1) Wis: 12
Her mana had not gone up, even though both her Int and Wis had risen since the last time it did. That indicated that it really was a function of how many drones her hive had, instead of directly coming from her attributes. The limit for her Hive, on the other hand, had risen by a lot. She¡¯d gained three levels and it had more than doubled. She hadn¡¯t checked it at level 6, since she¡¯d had other things on her mind. But it had probably risen by three to 12 and then risen by four to 16 now, at level 7. Taking a bit of a stab in the dark here, but it looks like the cap increases every level, and the amount by which it does rises by one every two levels. That should give me ¡­ twenty-five spots by level 9 and thirty by level 10. Assuming it stays that way. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Regina closed her status with a sigh. She couldn¡¯t just start popping out eggs now, even if she was physically in the condition to do that. There would be questions, and she was reluctant to show these humans how her hive grew. Trying to hide the eggs didn¡¯t strike her as a smart idea, either. And besides, they might not even finish developing by the time this monster attack ended. The drones all seemed to be quiet and subdued. She wondered if the loss of their home, small as it had been, struck them harder than her. Or maybe they were just exhausted. She didn¡¯t know what to say to comfort them. Their future was uncertain and she didn¡¯t want to lie about it, and reiterating her promise to get their old territory back wouldn¡¯t mean much. After the short visit, it grew quiet and dark again. They only had a single flickering candle to light the cramped basement room. She didn¡¯t think they¡¯d get a replacement quickly, so Regina told the others to go to sleep and put it out. She tried to do the same, wrapped in one of the furs from the wolf monsters they¡¯d taken, but found it hard. Now that exhaustion wasn¡¯t dragging her down, at least not quite as much, the situation started to wear on her nerves. She didn¡¯t mind being underground. There was even something vaguely comforting about the cozy darkness with her hive. But she did not like the people above, out of her sight, and her hive being dependent on them. She wished she didn¡¯t have to go with that mage to this castle. The night had made way for the next day by the time they got another visitor. When she listened closely, Regina could still hear sounds of battle, though they were intermittent and muffled. She estimated that it was sometime around noon when the door creaked open again. She narrowed her eyes, distantly glad that not much light fell into the room, so it didn¡¯t ruin her vision, but was still enough to see by. Then the visitor muttered something and the room lit up with a blinding light. Regina grimaced and blinked, trying to focus her eyes. By the time she did, their visitor had entered the room. The drones had stood up and were gathering at her back, eying him warily. Max and Tim especially were clearly prepared for trouble. ¡°Greetings,¡± the man said, nodding at them. His eyes passed over the others before coming to rest on her. ¡°To you as well,¡± she replied, trying to focus on him and call up a description from the System.
Elric Neralt ¡ª Level ? Master of the Earth
On closer look, he clearly wasn¡¯t a soldier, since he didn¡¯t wear any armor and only carried a short blade at his hip. He looked more like a medieval noble. She wouldn¡¯t consider his clothing extravagant, but compared to the people outside, it was finely made and showed little signs of wear. It was also more colorful, dyed in dark green and orange tones. ¡°So, I assume you¡¯re the leader of this group?¡± he asked. Regina nodded. ¡°Yes. I am Hive Queen Regina.¡± That much, he could probably get from the System. ¡°You seem to have a low level for a royal class,¡± he commented. ¡°Not that I know the way of your people. What do you call yourselves, if I may ask?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± she replied, narrowing her eyes. ¡°What brings you here, Sir Neralt?¡± ¡°Baron Neralt.¡± He sketched a shallow bow. ¡°I am the baron of the nearby village.¡± ¡°I see. It is a pleasure to meet you. So is this about strangers showing up close to your village?¡± ¡°You could say that, I suppose.¡± He smiled briefly. ¡°I have heard you are of a strange and new kind of demihuman.¡± Regina frowned. She felt he was a bit rude, more so than Zephyr, the mage who had brought them here. Although that one had arguably been ruder, this noble¡¯s attitude felt more intentional or targeted. Maybe he was just testing them. ¡°I suppose you must have seen very much of the world, to decide if someone is so strange and new,¡± she replied, letting some coldness creep into her tone. The baron chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s a fair point, Lady Regina. I have asked around and no one can remember having seen or heard of someone like you, although it is true that we are hardly familiar with all the wonders of the gods¡¯ creation.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°No offense taken,¡± she replied. ¡°So, what can I do for you?¡± She gestured around the room. ¡°I would offer you a seat, but I¡¯m afraid the accommodations they¡¯ve given us are rather spartan.¡± He nodded with a little grimace. ¡°I can see that. I hope you can forgive the lack, my lady. Considering the situation, we are not well placed to deal with guests, and space is scarce. Still, putting up a young lady in a place like this is a little much. I shall see if I can arrange for something better.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow before she could stop herself, not quite sure what to make of that. ¡°That would be appreciated.¡± ¡°Apparently, you came from the forest. Am I correct in assuming that the monster horde drove you out of your homes? I¡¯ve heard that you are now seeking shelter here.¡± She nodded. She¡¯d told the mage that already. Of course he¡¯d passed it on. ¡°That is correct, my lord. I am hoping that after this horde, we may be able to make arrangements. I would like to find a spot to rebuild.¡± He looked at her curiously for a moment, then nodded. ¡°I see. Truth be told, I came to speak to you for that reason. As I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been told, my village is the closest to the forest, or at least the closest in this area.¡± Regina leaned forward slightly. Making connections with the ruler of that village would be helpful, even if she didn¡¯t want to give up any of her independence. She saw that Max and Mia were looking similarly interested. ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± she said. ¡°We do have some space for guests,¡± he continued. ¡°Assuming they are not a burden on our people, if you¡¯ll forgive my bluntness. I notice that your entourage has a rather martial appearance. I am considering whether I might host you until your people come for you.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°That sounds fine,¡± she said. ¡°We would certainly be able to help you defend against monsters.¡± The baron nodded slowly. ¡°Good. Then, at the end of this monster horde, we might talk more. You understand if I am reluctant to make any promises until then.¡± ¡°Of course. You need to get our measure.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it quite like that, Lady Regina. In any case, I need to return to my duties. Have a pleasant day.¡± ¡°You as well.¡± Regina frowned after him as the baron left. She was happy to get an offer, or potential offer, of a place to stay. On the other hand, he might have ulterior motives for this. She hoped he wouldn¡¯t be trying to control her or boss her around. She was Hive Queen; she was sovereign. She would not be bound by any of these humans. But let¡¯s not borrow trouble, she told herself. Besides, we need to wait for the end of this monster horde first. She shook her head and turned to the others. ¡°I think we¡¯ve waited down here long enough,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can find out up above.¡± Chapter 20: Castle Defense Mia didn¡¯t know everything her Queen did. Despite the danger and exhaustion of their journey, it had been obvious that Regina was looking forward to meeting humans. Now that they had, Mia couldn¡¯t help but wonder why. The humans in her Mother¡¯s memories had to be very different than this, because these ones were a little underwhelming. Not that she was going to say anything. The humans had taken them in, after all, and while Mia really didn¡¯t like the feeling of being dependent on someone outside the hive, she knew it was still better than taking their chances with the monsters outside. Besides, it wasn¡¯t her place. Still, as she looked around the castle, she couldn¡¯t help a little voice in the back of her head saying that a properly run Hive would never be this dirty and disorderly. She could see some care and organization, in the way the soldiers were stationed at the gate and on the battlements, and what looked to be caches of supplies or ammunition distributed. There were barrels of water from the river, presumably for putting out fires, as well as buckets of arrows and munitions for the siege weaponry she saw on the corner towers of the fort. Some men in armor that generally looked fancier than the others were walking around, probably knights or officers. There were also a few women bustling around, wearing simpler clothing without armor. Mia looked around for a moment, trying to pick out a good target. Tia was already approaching one of the women, while Max and Tim were heading for men in armor. She didn¡¯t see her Queen, but she knew she was still behind her. Then Mia started walking, heading towards an older woman whose clothing looked a bit finer than that of the others. The human was even wearing a short sword on a belt. She stood close to the entrance of one of the buildings in the courtyard, beside the main keep, talking to another human female. As Mia watched, the other woman left, and her target turned, then paused as she saw her coming.
Marianne Neralt ¡ª Level ? Lady
The hive was to gather information, so Mia suppressed her hesitation and smiled at her as she approached. ¡°Hello, ma¡¯am, do you have a moment?¡± That was polite, wasn¡¯t it? The woman frowned slightly. ¡°I suppose so,¡± she answered. ¡°You are one of those demihumans from the forest, aren¡¯t you? I thought you were quartered in some part of the cellars.¡± ¡°We are,¡± Mia answered. The smile was hard to keep up, especially with the twinge of pain from her right side. It had gotten better, but she knew her right work-limb wasn¡¯t fully healed yet. ¡°At least, I assume so. It¡¯s a dank basement, anyway.¡± The human¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°I see. What can I do for you, girl?¡± Mia hesitated for a moment, quickly running through the information they wanted to gather in her mind. Regina was curious about the language they spoke, but it probably wouldn¡¯t be smart to just outright ask about that. Then they needed general information about the humans and the region, and about this fight. A deep, bellowing roar resounded from behind them and she heard human men crying out for a few moments before there was a hissing sound and the noise stopped. ¡°How is the battle going?¡± she asked. ¡°How long until it¡¯s finished?¡± The human laughed. ¡°Oh, if only I knew. Beast hordes can take a few days or a week.¡± Mia cocked her head. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first monster horde you¡¯ve seen?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± The woman narrowed her eyes. ¡°How old are you, girl?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m ¡­ five, I think.¡± Mia resisted the urge to smile at herself. It was five days, of course, but the human wouldn¡¯t know that, so she should assume she meant years! The woman blinked, apparently surprised. ¡°Really? Five? Your people must be odder than I thought. But I suppose that explains why this is your first monster horde, they do come every five years.¡± Mia nodded. Five years sounded like a really long time. At least it was good her hive wouldn¡¯t have to worry about another horde for years. ¡°What¡¯s this castle called, anyway?¡± she asked. ¡°And there¡¯s a village near here, right?¡± ¡°This is Fort Forest¡¯s Watch. Our village is usually called Forest¡¯s Haunt, but its proper name is Neralt village.¡± The woman glanced around. ¡°Where¡¯s your mother, child?¡± ¡°Uh, probably still in the cellar room, I think,¡± Mia said. That wasn¡¯t quite a lie. She didn¡¯t know for sure if her Queen had left it, after all, although she was probably out here somewhere, too. The human frowned. She looked suddenly disapproving. ¡°I¡¯d heard you were a group of adolescents.¡± ¡°Yes, I guess so?¡± Mia scratched at her work-limb. That was a stupid question. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The woman shook her head. ¡°I think I see your big brother standing by the smithy, there. Why don¡¯t you go to him, child?¡± Mia opened her mouth, then paused as she saw the way the woman was looking away. She reluctantly took a step back. The human obviously wanted to leave. She probably wouldn¡¯t answer any more questions. ¡°Alright. See you later, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°¡­ Perhaps, girl.¡± Mia walked away. She did see Max standing by a building made of stone with a big chimney. She walked slower this time, trying not to jostle her injured arm. Mia felt like she hadn¡¯t done so well back there. Hopefully, the others had more luck. Coming up to him and with the human¡¯s comment in mind, she noticed that Max really was bigger than her. Only by a few centimeters, and he didn¡¯t exactly look much older, but still. That only made sense, since he was the oldest drone in their hive. He extended his right blade-arm and Mia brushed her left work-arm around it, returning his greeting. ¡°What did you learn?¡± he asked. Mia quickly explained the few facts she¡¯d gotten from her conversation. Max nodded. ¡°I heard that they come every five years, too,¡± he said. ¡°I also learned that the fighters here are a mixture of militia from the locals, soldiers from the kingdom and adventurers.¡± ¡°This probably isn¡¯t the only fort they have, is it?¡± Max nodded in agreement. ¡°Probably not. This area belongs to a kingdom and I got the feeling they sent soldiers to other castles along this defensive line the elf mentioned, too.¡± ¡°Maybe there are more villages further back,¡± Mia suggested. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t build a heap of stones like this just to protect one village, would you? I mean, maybe these humans would, they don¡¯t seem like the most efficient people.¡± Just then, the ground shook slightly and a streak of burning light arched across the sky, but it fell to pieces before it reached the walls of the castle, showers of light raining down beyond the walls until she couldn¡¯t see them any more. ¡°Maybe one of the others found out more about that.¡± Max sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t help feeling uneasy about all this.¡± ¡°I suppose you¡¯d rather we had taken shelter with the elves,¡± she said, raising her eyebrows at him. Max winced slightly, lowering his eyes before he raised them to meet hers again. ¡°Yes,¡± he agreed quietly. ¡°I know that I spoke out of turn when I asked them. It¡¯s just ¡­¡± Mia bumped him with her work-limb again. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay, our Queen wasn¡¯t angry at you,¡± she said. ¡°I mean, I wouldn¡¯t have dared, but she did put you in charge when she¡¯s gone. So you¡¯re basically her second-in-command, right? It probably is your job to speak up, sometimes.¡± Max smiled a little. ¡°Thanks, Mia. Yeah, I was just trying to help. It¡¯s not my place to speak for her, but she is our Hive Queen. There are some things a Queen shouldn¡¯t have to say, you know?¡± Mia nodded, grabbing his right hand. He was right. The idea of their Queen reduced to asking for help from strangers of another race made her feel bad, like she tasted something bitter in the back of her throat. She didn¡¯t know if Regina would have done that, and she certainly wouldn¡¯t judge, but she was glad it wasn¡¯t an issue. Max was smart. Probably smarter than drones usually were, at least young ones. He did what was best for the hive, even if it wasn¡¯t just fighting. She felt a little proud of him and resolved to live up to his example. Maybe she wasn¡¯t as smart, but she could still do her best for their Hive, couldn¡¯t she? And their Queen had so few drones right now that they all had to do their best, so she could really rely on them. They shared a look, and she knew they were thinking the same thing. The feeling of failure still burned in her insides whenever she thought about it. They¡¯d lost their home, the place they¡¯d been born and where they¡¯d been building a settlement. Even if their Queen didn¡¯t seem to care much, Mia couldn¡¯t let it go that easily. It was the only place she¡¯d ever really known. Except for this castle. Which was not as good. Suddenly, the roar of the battle intensified. She glanced up, watching as what looked like all of the siege engines fired at the same time. Then she tensed up when she saw the monsters headed for them. She couldn¡¯t look beyond the walls, but something was picking off the soldiers from the battlements. After a few seconds, there was a loud roar, and the earth shook so badly she almost stumbled. She grabbed onto Max to stabilize him, looking at the gate with wide eyes. Something crashed against it. Then a shadow passed over it, and she looked up. The human who¡¯d brought them here was flying on his wyvern, fighting flying monsters. But there were more, a pack of three wyverns coming from the direction of the forest. Mia squinted. Was there a shadow on the back of one of them, or was that just a trick of the light? They closed in and she saw two of the wild monsters diving at the tamed one with the mage. The other wyvern flew over the castle and crashed into the keep. The whole castle shook again. As if on cue, another roar sounded from outside, and something crashed into the gate again. She heard the telltale sound of splintering wood. Max bristled, extending his blade-arms. He took a step forward as if to shield her. Mia grabbed onto one just above the blade. ¡°Max, where¡¯s Mother?¡± His eyes flickered around their surroundings. ¡°Back there, I think. Let¡¯s go!¡± The two of them turned and ran, not sparing another glance for the fight at the gate. Even so, Mia heard more footsteps and more crashes. A fireball arched overhead. Then there was the sound of screaming metal and more bursting wood, and the heavy thumping of Trolls or other monsters. Her nose told her there were a lot of monsters, and they were coming closer. They didn¡¯t find Regina near any of the other buildings, although she did see Tim and Tia, who seemed to have met up. Max and Tim gestured at each other for a moment, then the two others ran to the left and Max guided Mia to the right, a simple search pattern. Mia looked around frantically, trying to find any sign of their Queen. Why did they all leave her alone? Stupid! She mumbled curses at the fact that the humans all seemed to be taller than them. Many of them were running towards where she knew the monsters were pushing into the fort, but a few just seemed to be running nowhere, panicking. Finally, they found Regina behind the building with the door to their basement room. She turned to Mia and Max, a relieved smile on her face. The human man in fancy armor who she must have been talking to rushed off without even saying goodbye. ¡°My Queen,¡± Max gasped as they met up. ¡°What do we do?¡± Regina grimaced as she looked around. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have much of a choice. We might need to fight our way out.¡± Mia straightened up. She wasn¡¯t much of a fighter, but if these monsters wanted to get at her Queen, they¡¯d have to go through her, and she wouldn¡¯t make it easy for them! Chapter 21: Getting Out Regina cursed her luck as she looked around. The castle buzzed like a kicked beehive, but the activity had a frantic edge. The gate was half hanging off its hinges, and already the first few monsters had forced their way inside. Soldiers and knights were swarming to the gate to hold it, but the walls were being pressed too, and a wyvern still lurked at the top of the keep, sending broken tiles and pieces of stone showering down. She didn¡¯t see Tim and Tia, so Regina closed her eyes for a moment to check on them. She dove into Tim¡¯s mind right away. It took her a second to process the view of the castle wall and buildings she got and extrapolate his position. When she did, she opened her eyes again and glanced at the two drones with her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Max stuck close to her as she started running, his blade-arm held at the ready. Mia trailed a step behind her. Regina wove her way through a group of agitated people without armor, then rushed down the side of another building. Tia almost crashed into her as she and Tim rushed towards them. Regina smiled at them and squeezed the Worker¡¯s shoulder for a moment before she started walking again. She felt like they needed to keep moving. Seamlessly, Tim and Max fell into guard positions at either side. The battle had only gotten worse in the short time she¡¯d been distracted. ¡°Fuck,¡± Regina muttered, glancing at the circling monsters in the sky. Some of them looked like oversized birds of prey, but there were also the wyverns and what looked like a flying serpent as well as a twister of condensed wind that had to be some kind of elemental. Some of the soldiers she¡¯d looked at had been at her level, but most seemed to be higher. She didn¡¯t think there was much her little hive could do here. And she didn¡¯t particularly feel like throwing her life away trying to save the castle, anyway. She just wanted to get out. ¡°Any ideas?¡± she asked her drones. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how we can make it out of here.¡± They shared a look. Then Max said, ¡°The Workers¡¯ Ability.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Regina couldn¡¯t help but smile briefly. She¡¯d almost forgotten about that. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can dig through the castle wall, Mia, Tia?¡± Tia shook her head. ¡°No, my Queen, that would take much too long.¡± That figures. ¡°If there¡¯s a back door, we could dig under it,¡± Regina said. ¡°Let¡¯s go and look, at least.¡± She glanced at the gate as they went. It was just about splintered in half now, with more and more monsters trying to force their way through and sometimes succeeding. A few had gotten past the soldiers at the gate, probably either flying or climbing the wall at a spot that was less guarded. There would be no escape that way, in any case. And even if they left the castle, they¡¯d still have to contend with the monsters outside. ¡°Why are they trying to get in so badly?¡± Max asked. ¡°No idea,¡± Regina said. ¡°There¡¯s the center and power source for the nearby enchantments of that defensive line here,¡± Tim answered. ¡°A soldier I talked to said so, at least. The concentrated mana attracts monsters or something.¡± Regina shook her head. She¡¯d sensed that the castle was built directly in the middle of that line. Right at that moment, the wyvern atop the tower moved. She reflexively ducked and covered her head as dust rained down, sprinkled with heavier stuff. Something creaked and cracked as the shadow of the wyvern moved from the keep and landed with a thump on the roof of another building. Soldiers started to pepper it with arrows, and it roared, making the nearest ones clutch their ears. She looked up just in time to see a Flametongue Wolf pouncing at them, a tongue of fire shooting out towards Tim. The Warrior ducked and it crashed into the side of the house beside them, but didn¡¯t manage to catch anything on fire. Max jumped at the monster and Tia followed, swinging her work-limb at its snout like a hammer. It yowled and retreated, only to run right into Regina¡¯s Magic Missile. She hit it in the eye, making the monster visibly shudder. Then Max¡¯s blade ended any threat it posed. It wasn¡¯t the only monster that had made its way inside the walls, and she could tell that their number would only increase. They needed to get out as soon as possible, or they¡¯d be overrun along with the castle defenders. Maybe they could take shelter in that village, some defensible structures had to be better than nothing. The group kept walking, moving along the wall. Regina resisted the temptation to turn to look at every roar and crash she heard. They only got a few meters before they were attacked by the next monster. This one jumped out of the shadows at them. Regina barely ducked away in time. Max¡¯s blade limb jumped out and caught the monster, some kind of dark lizard-looking thing, in the gut. It screeched, then Tim caught it in the snout with another blow. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Mia and Tia stepped up and swung at it as well, while Regina exhaled and looked around. What she saw made her swallow hard. There was a breach in the wall, not all that far from them. It looked like half of the battlement was missing, and monsters were climbing over the wall. Human defenders were frantically trying to get there to close the breach, but they were being harried by other monsters and the gate wasn¡¯t faring any better. Already, Regina could see and smell quite a few bodies lying on the ground that wouldn¡¯t be standing up again. ¡°Screw it,¡± she said, ¡°Let¡¯s get onto the wall.¡± There was a staircase at a corner tower not far from them. Soldiers were clogging it, but at least it was intact and they still moved. Regina hurried in that direction, taking a moment to check that all of her drones kept up with her. Max stopped beside the prone figure of a fallen soldier for a moment. The guy had what looked like half his chest caved in beneath his chainmail, but Regina didn¡¯t feel much looking at it. She shoved that observation to the back of her mind for later. At the moment, she couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted. Max took the sword lying beside the dead soldier and passed it to Tim before grabbing the ax that had fallen a few meters further. Regina nodded and kept moving at a faster pace. When they had the opportunity, they should look for more actual weapons, but they couldn¡¯t afford to get bogged down. Getting up the staircase was easier than expected. She squeezed herself past a human man and hurried up the stairs. It looked like reinforcements were slowing down, not a good sign. She glanced around, trying to ignore the noise of the battle coming from everywhere, then hurried along the walkway to the left, away from the spot where the fighting was fiercest. ¡°My Queen, let me go first.¡± Max pushed himself past her and took the lead. Another monster jumped at him before they could take more than a few steps. Max bashed it against the wall, and Regina fired a Magic Missile into its face point-blank. The monster, some kind of harpy-looking biped with scraggly feathers, screeched and shuffled backwards a meter. Then Tim and Max grabbed it and heaved it over the wall before Regina could even launch another attack. They made their way along the wall, occasionally dodging humans and pushing off or cutting down monsters, until they reached a spot that Regina judged the best they could get. They were almost directly opposite the largest breach, and there weren¡¯t as many monsters around here. A glance down the wall showed that the river looked clear and the riverbank, which was only a few meters away in this spot, remained empty. ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± Tia grabbed one of the vines they¡¯d managed to take along and passed it to Max. Tim grabbed on, too. Then she threw the rest of the rope over the wall and followed it up. Belatedly, Regina grabbed onto the rope as well. Tia started climbing right away, but her weight wasn¡¯t too much for them, especially split between three people. Regina knew the vine rope wasn¡¯t large enough to reach the bottom, and after what felt like a very short time, it slackened as Tia let go. ¡°You go next,¡± she told Mia, ¡°then I¡¯ll follow.¡± Mia hesitated for a moment, before she grabbed the edge of the wall and pulled herself on top of it. Regina looked around, watching a bird monster that looked like it was coming too close, then clenched her jaw as Mia began climbing. Quickly, the rope was free again and it was her turn. Regina took a deep breath, but started moving right away. She couldn¡¯t put the boys at more risk. Climbing was awkward with her claws, but she managed. There were some small clefts in the stonework where she could put her feet. Regina resisted the urge to glance down more than once and just swung her legs over the wall and let herself drop, catching herself with the rope. She climbed down until she reached the end of the rope, then let herself dangle from it, pushing off with her right foot as she let go. For a moment, she fell, the wind whistling past her, before cold water closed around her. Regina kicked her feet and struggled until she broke the surface, gasping more from the shock than the need to breathe. She started swimming for shore. Luckily, her Endurance and Strength were more than enough to contest with the rushing water. Something warm brushed past her right leg and Regina instinctively jerked it away. She redoubled her efforts, her pulse pounding even faster. But despite what she half-expected, she managed to reach the river¡¯s shore without encountering any aquatic monsters. Regina stumbled out of the water, taking a deep breath and looking around. Mia and Tia were waiting not far off. When she turned to look at the river, she saw Tim just behind her in the water. Max was climbing down the rope, presumably having tied it down somewhere. She resisted the temptation to anxiously watch his progress and instead kept an eye out for monsters. She almost missed the slightly darker patch in the field just a few meters from her. But when she looked at it just a moment longer, the System gave her a notification.
Field Mimic ¡ª Level 7
Regina cursed and loosened a Magic Missile. The green field jerked, letting her see it as the monster it was. Its beady dark eyes were very easy to miss, and the knobs on its underside looked faintly ominous. Mia pounced on it quickly, using her little blade to cut it and spill bright green blood. Then Tia joined in, hammering it with her work-limb. Regina grimaced and stomped its head, feeling something deform beneath her foot. Tim joined them a moment later and when she looked around, Max was just staggering onto the shore. ¡°Thank fuck,¡± she said. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± The warriors straightened up and moved to guard positions, their metal weapons held firmly. When Regina started walking, they stayed in step with her. From here, she could see that while there were a lot of monsters on the plains, they weren¡¯t exactly blanketing it. It wasn¡¯t immediately obvious, but she recognized a large-scale movement towards the castle. Mostly on its other side, which held the main gate. But the river curved here, so they were actually on the same shore of it as well. ¡°Smoke is coming from up ahead,¡± Tim said. Regina followed his gaze, frowning. He was right. Sighing, she adjusted her course to head more directly for the village. ¡°Are you sure this is wise, my Queen?¡± Max asked hesitantly. ¡°We¡¯re not going to survive long out in the open with the monster horde about,¡± she replied. ¡°Let¡¯s at least check it out. If it¡¯s too dangerous, I¡¯ll think of something else.¡± The others didn¡¯t say anything, but she knew they weren¡¯t happy about her heading into danger. Too bad for them that we¡¯re all in the middle of it already. Chapter 22: Still Alive From outside of it, the way the monsters all seemed to home in on the castle was a lot more helpful. Not only did it mean that there were fewer monsters in the fields outside the forest, but it allowed Regina to extrapolate their movements. She could see the patterns in the way the monsters who were outside moved, which made it easier to guide her hive to avoid them. Their trip away from the castle were the most nerve-wracking one of her life. At least in the forest, you couldn¡¯t see all the monsters in the area, even if they might be waiting behind some trees to jump you. They were also in the middle instead of at the edge of the monster horde now, which meant she could probably expect to encounter more high level monsters. The further they traveled from the castle, though, the lower the monsters¡¯ levels seemed to get. She only managed to get a blue box for some of them, those who were closest. But while they were mostly question marks at first, after leaving the castle behind them, she could read the level about half of the time. They couldn¡¯t completely avoid meeting some monsters, unfortunately. A few of them simply moved away from her hive, probably sensing that they were outclassed or at least out-leveled. Regina and the warriors managed to scare away a few others. But that didn¡¯t always work. Max pulled his ax out of the hide of a young Hill Troll, probably about level 10, and wiped it in the grass as they finished their latest fight. Regina shook her head at how much of a difference a proper weapon made. They could have defeated the troll before, but it had gone much faster now. ¡°I was hoping I would level up again,¡± he muttered. ¡°Soon,¡± Regina consoled him. ¡°It¡¯s obviously getting harder at higher levels, but given how much we¡¯re fighting compared to before, our next levels shouldn¡¯t be far off.¡± She certainly wouldn¡¯t mind if Max and Tim reached level 7 too. She glanced at the downed troll, then hurried away quickly. Already, she could see what looked like a vulture monster circling overhead, and a few dark shapes were also approaching. They needed to leave them the free meal and get gone. She could see more of the village as they came closer. It looked bigger than she¡¯d expected. She¡¯d estimate it as housing at least a thousand people, rather than the little hamlet she¡¯d imagined. Of course, that was only by medieval standards. Smoke was rising from several houses, and the wind carried the faint sounds of combat. It also smelled faintly of ash, which covered whatever other scents there might have been. Regina spared a moment to be thankful that this direction was downwind of the place. It looked like the monster density was higher here, too. That didn¡¯t bode well for any defenders, even if there weren¡¯t nearly as many as at the castle. Regina looked around, picked her steps carefully and fell into a jog. The sound of the drones¡¯ steps behind her increased like hers did and made it harder to hear any quiet noises, but that was worth it. She dashed across the field onto a dirt path leading into the village. The village¡¯s houses looked to have sprung up wherever there was room, without much in the way of organization, or straight roads. The outer houses all had gardens extending into the fields around the village. One of them sported a few small fruit trees. Regina barely noticed a shadow moving behind one of them in time to stop. A small fireball flew across the road right in front of her. A second later, her own Magic Missile responded. She managed to curve it slightly, and was rewarded by a small scream as a figure stumbled out from behind the tree. Regina was already readying another missile when its appearance registered. She canceled the spell and took a step forward, holding out her hands. ¡°Stop!¡± she barked. The woman across from her started, but Regina hadn¡¯t really been talking to her. Max and Tim stopped right away, and she saw Max slowly lower his blade-arm. But Regina didn¡¯t take her eyes off the woman for long.
Janis ¡ª Level 7
The human woman was maybe twenty or thirty, it was hard to tell. She wore some kind of cloth head covering Regina didn¡¯t know the name for and a dress of roughspun material that didn¡¯t look to have been dyed. There was dirt on her face and her dress, and she noticed a few rips near the hem. Not what she would have expected of one of the first human magic users she met. There also didn¡¯t seem to be anyone else with her. ¡°Calm down,¡± Regina said, unable to suppress all of the exasperation in her tone. ¡°We¡¯re not your enemies, but you¡¯re lucky the boys there didn¡¯t get to you before I could stop them after you attacked me.¡± The villager frowned. She looked Regina up and down. ¡°You¡¯re actual people, then, not monsters,¡± she mumbled, as if to herself. ¡°Begging your pardon, I¡¯m a little jumpy today.¡± ¡°Of course we¡¯re people,¡± Regina replied. Obviously, there was no need to tell the human that they actually were monsters, even if she suspected that would be accurate. ¡°Then maybe you can help fight the monsters in the village?¡± the girl asked, now sounding hopeful. Regina was starting to realize that she was younger than the grime made her seem. She sighed, considering it for a moment. They did intend to enter the village in the first place. ¡°They¡¯re not strong, really,¡± Janis hurried to say. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any over level 10. I reckon the strong ones all went and tried to get into the castle. It¡¯s just we don¡¯t have many fighting men here, since they¡¯re all gone to the fort, too.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. That did sound like it would make for good experience, if nothing else. ¡°Alright, then,¡± Regina said, looking around again. ¡°Guide us to the monsters we can most easily take out. And maybe if you know a good defensive spot, too. We need to take shelter from the horde, but I¡¯m not averse to helping out with killing a few monsters.¡± ¡°Thank you, m¡¯lady.¡± Janis smiled. ¡°Right this way, then.¡± Despite how they¡¯d met, it appeared she did know her way around, at least. Janis led them into the village through a back alley. It took less than a minute until they saw their first monsters. Regina crept forward carefully, watching as Max let Tim go on ahead to peer around the wall of a house before she did the same. This one looked a bit like the Troll, but with a squatter frame and four arms. It also had a wide maw that gaped open to show an uneven row of teeth.
Rockborn Abomination ¡ª Level ?
Regina withdrew and nodded at the others. Tim nodded back before he visibly took a deep breath, then got a running start and jumped at the monster, using his Charge ability to cover the ground quickly. His sword bit into the abomination¡¯s side, but it didn¡¯t seem to do much damage. Regina attacked with a Magic Missile, trying to target the same spot, but she missed and only managed to hit its shoulder. The monster rocked back slightly, but seemed to regain its balance quickly. Max attacked from the other direction, his ax crashing down on another arm. The monster withdrew a little, and Tim immediately followed it up with another cut. ¡°Careful!¡± Mia called. ¡°There are more coming!¡± Regina looked around and stepped closer to Max. Two other monsters must have been attracted by the sound of the fight and were running at them now. They both had question marks for levels and names she didn¡¯t recognize. One, a Flaming Fox, looked exactly what it sounded like, while the Rolling Grass seemed like a bigger version of the mimic they¡¯d fought before. She took a deep breath. She didn¡¯t have much mana left, but this wasn¡¯t the time to be stingy with it. So she sent a Magic Missile at the second monster, which stopped it in its tracks for a moment. Tia swung her left work-limb at the fox, then snatched it back. Tim pivoted from the Rockborn and slashed at it with its sword. Mia didn¡¯t miss her cue and stepped into his place immediately, taking a swing at the monster¡¯s head. That left the grass free, which was clearly angling to get at Tim¡¯s side. But a moment later, another Firebolt roared out, throwing it back. The air started to smell of burnt grass. Regina glanced at Janis, who looked paler than before and had one hand clenched tightly into her skirt, before she turned to the fight against the Rockborn. It was clearly their toughest opponent. She¡¯d lost her spear and didn¡¯t have any proper weapon, or even natural weapons like the drones. But she did still have magic. Regina focused on her mana and held the spell she wanted in her mind, shaping its details meticulously. A few long moments later, she had a little bit of lead in her hand. She¡¯d sensed instinctively, with the knowledge the spell gave her, that it was cheaper in terms of mana than steel or even diamond. It was a simple shape, oblong and coming to a point at one end. A simple dart. Regina centered herself and weighed it in her hand, then let go. With her relatively high speed and Dexterity, the projectile flew true, with more power behind it than any rock she¡¯d thrown before. The short range helped. The monster let out a shrill cry and clasped one hand over its right eye. Blood was starting to pool under it. Max didn¡¯t give it any time to gather itself, but darted in. His ax bit deeply into its knee, where its defense was clearly weaker. The monster stumbled and fell. Then, while Mia cracked it over the head, Max swung at its neck. It gurgled and stopped moving. Regina turned around and smiled in relief as she saw that the fight was over. Tia was standing over the burnt corpse of the grass monster and Tim had given the other one several deep slashes. Apparently, the flames were only surface-level and it had a flesh-and-blood body beneath that. ¡°How did you learn how to cast that, anyway?¡± she asked the villager. Janis ducked her head and glanced to the side. ¡°I just figured it out,¡± she mumbled. Regina raised an eyebrow. Considering her experience with the presumably much simpler Spark, that meant Janis was probably either talented or a pyromaniac. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going,¡± she said after a moment. They moved through the outer parts of the village at a slow pace. She learned from the last time and only engaged monsters when there were no others close by. Once, they missed one and had to fight two at once again, but the monsters were both under level 7, so it wasn¡¯t a problem. Max and Tim both reported leveling up after their third and last fight, against another Rockborn Abomination. With this part of the village cleared, they started to move into the center. Regina decided to keep to the main road. While it might be more exposed, it also offered better visibility and let them fight side by side more easily. This street was actually paved and reasonably straight. Strangely enough, they didn¡¯t encounter any more monsters in the next few minutes. Regina frowned, taking a deep breath of the air. It smelled of fire with the scent of various monsters mixed in, but it was hard to differentiate which of those would still be alive or even nearby. The street opened up into a small open yard, which probably functioned as a town square or marketplace on specific days. She saw several people standing there. Two of them appeared to be in plate armor. Then the last one turned around, and Regina frowned as she recognized the local baron. Apparently, they weren¡¯t the only ones who¡¯d abandoned the castle. He must have moved quickly. ¡°Hive Queen Regina and companions,¡± Neralt drawled, shaking his head. ¡°Thank you for escorting them, Janis.¡± Then he looked from her back to Regina, his eyebrows drawn slightly together. ¡°I am glad to see you still alive, although I admit I did not expect to meet you here.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have expected to see you here, either,¡± Regina answered. ¡°I take it the castle has fallen?¡± He grimaced. ¡°Unfortunately, it has. My duty compelled me to return here quickly to defend those I am sworn to protect.¡± Or he just didn¡¯t like the high-level monsters who had probably overrun the castle. But it wasn¡¯t like Regina minded. ¡°We already killed quite a few monsters infesting the village,¡± she said. ¡°I am prepared to help you defend it going forward, but not for free.¡± The noble sighed. ¡°With myself and what remains of my men here, I think we stand a decent chance of defending the village without any further casualties. But you are welcome to stay.¡± Regina crossed her arms. ¡°We will need supplies and weapons.¡± She glanced down at herself. ¡°Clothing. As well as food and such. Further compensation for our assistance can be discussed later.¡± He stared at her for a moment, but she met his eyes calmly. She knew that she was negotiating what had to be mercenary work. Even if there weren¡¯t exactly many other places they could go, he wasn¡¯t in a position to turn away help. ¡°Fine,¡± he finally conceded. ¡°I will arrange for a bath first.¡± Chapter 23: Primitives and Monsterbloods Wearing proper clothing for the first time was an interesting experience for Regina, a relief, but also a little annoying. She¡¯d gotten used to not wearing much, and her shell as well as the high temperatures of summer had made it tolerable. But now that she had the option, she¡¯d jumped on it. Regina ran a hand down the front of her dress, frowning slightly. She wasn¡¯t wearing a bra, since they apparently didn¡¯t exist here, but her chest was small enough that it shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem. The dress was a drab brown and made of a heavy, slightly itchy cloth. It went down to about halfway past her knees and only had short sleeves. She would have preferred to get some sturdy pants, but a woman from the village had brought this instead, and she¡¯d been too eager to get into the bath to argue about it. She glanced around the room one last time. She wouldn¡¯t have expected a bathhouse in the village. But it was apparently a fairly prosperous settlement. For obvious reasons, the building was situated directly on the riverside, with some of its water diverted into its pool. There was a fireplace to heat water up, but Regina hadn¡¯t wanted to wait that long. The cool water was refreshing, anyway. She¡¯d left a lot of accumulated dirt and grime drifting down into the river. I really hope the village has a clean water source. Wasn¡¯t there a well earlier? Regina shook her head and made herself move. She was exhausted and felt drained. It took more effort than it should just to walk. While the fighting could have been enough to cause that, she knew the real culprits. Regina glared briefly at the three eggs sitting on the floor of the wooden room. Now that it was over, she could tell she might have been a little too influenced by her Hive Queen¡¯s urge to lay eggs. If nothing else, it might have been better to wait for a more suitable place. But she was now warm and safe, had had enough to eat, and was much below the limit for her hive; this wasn¡¯t surprising. It had still been her decision, and she didn¡¯t regret it. The monster horde could last up to a week. Even if they would start at level 1, getting reinforcements might be vital. And she needed the strength of more drones after that, too. She cracked the door open and glanced around. Mia and Tia had let her go first. Luckily, Max and Tim were already back from the men¡¯s section of the baths. ¡°Boys, give me a hand please,¡± she said. They entered the room and carefully took one of the eggs each. Regina picked up the third and they carried it outside. Max raised an eyebrow at the coloring, but didn¡¯t comment. These would be two warriors and one worker. Maybe she should have gone for three warriors, but workers could also be useful in fortifying the village and gave her a different kind of clout for the situation beyond the fight. She¡¯d settled on having three warriors and a worker, but three eggs was the limit of what she could do in one sitting. Clearly, creating them did take a toll on her body, and even if the process worked with magic, eggs probably still used up nutrients or something. They quickly put the eggs into the bags they¡¯d been given with supplies. The boys would just have to carry those directly. Luckily, the eggs were still small enough that this worked without problems. Regina glanced around, but there didn¡¯t seem to be anyone watching them. Then she straightened up, frowning at the side wall of the bathhouse, little more than a wooden shack, and squashed the impulse to lean against it. She couldn¡¯t help her lip curling as she looked around the village. It seemed so ¡­ small. Dirty, chaotic, battered. Human. Nothing at all like the cities of gleaming skyscrapers in her memory, but not inviting to the monster side of her, either. She knew that had little to do with the way they were built, really. Her hive would be lucky to manage something like these houses, at least for now. But they weren¡¯t hers. Regina sighed and resolved to get moving. ¡°Tim, you can join me. The rest of you, get some rest.¡± ¡°Yes, my Queen.¡± She hadn¡¯t been inside the empty house the baron had assigned them yet, but she didn¡¯t feel the need to right now. She was still quite low on mana, not to mention the effect of her recent production, but she didn¡¯t feel like just curling up yet. So she left the bags to the other two to watch over and took off with Tim in tow. The boys had been given pants, she noticed with a bit of grumpiness. Tim was wearing a short off-white tunic over them, but he¡¯d cut holes in it to allow for his blade-limbs. From the way he walked, she could tell that he didn¡¯t like it. She suspected that if she let them, the boys were both going to end up going shirtless, at least. Well, she could care less. Regina had planned to wander around a little and maybe ask people she passed, but that turned out not to be necessary. As soon as they stepped onto the part of the main road leading to the town square, Janis came hurrying towards them. ¡°Well met again!¡± She smiled. ¡°You look much better.¡± Then she clapped a hand before her mouth. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. Pardon me, please.¡± Regina waved a hand dismissively. ¡°You¡¯re fine. I need to impose on you for a minute, actually.¡± Janis looked surprised, but quickly mastered her expression. She glanced around. From the way the group of fighters gathered in the square were looking at them, Regina guessed that she was hanging around where she supposedly didn¡¯t have a reason to be. ¡°Alright, I¡¯d be happy to help, m¡¯lady. What is it I can do for you?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Regina tilted her head, looking at the human. She¡¯d been fully prepared to bully her into it, but Janis looked genuinely willing to help. That¡¯s good. She can come in useful. Maybe I could even learn something about magic. I should have enough to entice her, too. "Show me around the village,¡± she answered. ¡°I need to know the lay of the land if we are to plan defenses.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Janis set off, with an unsure glance at them as if to check they were really following her. Regina smiled and walked down the road, looking around curiously and assessing what she saw. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t find much to contradict her first impression. The village was probably pretty fortunate, for a medieval shithole. They could walk all over it in just a few minutes, and Regina took note of the position of the houses. The narrow streets would probably help defend against the monsters, although she didn¡¯t think the houses would do much to stop them if some of the stronger monsters decided to go right through them. Still, with a few strategically placed ditches and maybe some spikes, they could do a lot to prepare the ground in their favor. ¡°There aren¡¯t any monsters around right now, thank the gods,¡± Janis explained. ¡°They¡¯re probably swarming what remains of the castle and fighting over whatever they find there,¡± Regina commented. The other girl shuddered, and Regina realized too late that that category probably included the bodies of the defenders. She¡¯d been thinking in terms of whatever you might get from beast attracting mana enchantment materials. ¡°How old are you, anyway, Janis?¡± she asked, partly to divert attention from her last words. The human gave her a sideways glance. ¡°It¡¯s my eighteenth summer this year.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. She really was younger than she looked at first. Probably the conditions of life here. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°And how old are you?¡± When Janis noticed Regina¡¯s look, she hurriedly added, ¡°Milady.¡± Regina nodded. The villager had probably settled on that address because of her Class, or whatever you called the System identification it showed. Regina had no qualms about getting respect from these ¡ª well, ¡®primitives¡¯ was a little unkind. Probably poorly-educated and weak strangers? She quickly thought back over the time since her awakening, trying to count the days. ¡°I¡¯m fifteen,¡± she answered, simply neglecting to mention that she meant days instead of years. Janis nodded, not looking surprised. So she really did look like fifteen for a human, then. Good to know. ¡°And you, young sir?¡± she asked Tim. ¡°Excuse me, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard your name.¡± ¡°Tim,¡± he answered simply. ¡°Pleasure to meet you,¡± Janis responded. She looked at him for a moment longer, then turned back to Regina. ¡°Anything else I can help you with?¡± Regina glanced around. She¡¯d already seen enough of this settlement. ¡°Do you know any other spells?¡± Janis shook her head. ¡°Afraid not, m¡¯lady. Just Spark. I¡¯m not a real mage like you. That spell you cast, was that Magic Missile?¡± Her eyes brightened and she looked at Regina with unbridled enthusiasm. ¡°It was, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Regina confirmed with a small smile. That was easy. ¡°It¡¯s a pretty simple little spell. You basically just gather your mana and press it into a simple form ¡­¡± She explained how she cast Magic Missile for a few minutes while they walked slowly down the road. Janis hung on her every word, while Tim¡¯s eyes darted around, looking for any potential hidden dangers. He was probably listening too, though. After she was done, Janis frowned, looking like she was trying to do a difficult calculus problem in her head. Regina watched attentively as mana flickered around her. Her own sense for it had grown, but it was still difficult to tell what went on inside someone else. Still, she found it fascinating to see someone else trying to do magic. Janis didn¡¯t manage to cast the spell, but Regina estimated that with some more time trying and maybe a few tips, she¡¯d get there. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a Class?¡± she asked. ¡°Huh?¡± Janis blinked, clearly ripped from her thoughts by the abrupt question. ¡°Oh. I, well ¡­¡± She tugged at her head covering. ¡°I was holding out, trying to get a better one. I want to be a mage.¡± She looked almost defiant as she said that. Regina just nodded. She didn¡¯t particularly care about whatever social taboos they might have regarding someone¡¯s station and Class. But it was interesting to learn that humans did apparently choose their classes, and could even level without having one, although probably not as quickly as with a good Class. Presumably, there were prerequisites to meet before the System granted you one. Well, you couldn¡¯t say Janis wasn¡¯t being proactive in chasing her goal. ¡°How do you cast Firebolt?¡± Regina finally asked what she¡¯d been leading up to. The human chewed on her lip. ¡°Well, you also push mana into a shape, but it¡¯s a bit more, er, restive for this one ¡­¡± They stopped at a corner of the town square while she tried to show Regina how the spell worked. She could see people watching them, but ignored them, focusing on the lesson. Firebolt really was more complicated than Magic Missile, although it seemed like some elements were the same, and it had some of the properties of Spark as well. When Janis demonstrated how she moved the mana for Firebolt, Regina had trouble seeing it, but she still managed to get an idea of how it was supposed to move. She made Janis repeat it until the human girl was looking pale with drops of sweat dripping down her forehead. Finally, Regina took a deep breath and tried to copy her. Moving her mana this way was hard, and she felt like she was straining muscles she didn¡¯t know she had, trying to bend something into a shape it didn¡¯t want to go. But she persevered, and it got easier. After a few long seconds, she even managed to draw the form into her hand and let it bubble to the surface, causing sparks to flicker from her skin. The proto-spell fell apart after a moment, but she knew she¡¯d made progress. With a bit of experimentation, she¡¯d be able to learn it, she was sure of that. Regina ran a hand through her stubble of hair and looked around. A few villagers who had been watching turned away as soon as they caught her gaze and hurried off. Some of the men in armor standing ready in the town square frowned disapprovingly at them. She shook her head and started looking for the baron. She¡¯d discuss what they needed to do to get the village ready for defense, then retreat to the house her hive had been given and get some rest. Regina didn¡¯t see him around, so she set off towards the largest and fanciest house in the village, which actually had three stories and was mostly built of stone. Janis trailed along behind her and Tim. One of the soldiers stepped out of the group and almost directly into their path. ¡°You should be careful, girl,¡± he said to Janis. ¡°You know how the Delvers feel about people trying to go beyond what they should. Or associating with monsterbloods.¡± He glanced at Tim. Janis frowned. ¡°So they are really coming here, Alan?¡± The fighter nodded. ¡°They¡¯re gonna be here soon enough. Just take care, Janis.¡± He shook his head, going back to join the rest of the group. Janis looked a little bit paler suddenly, Regina noticed. Her fingers were hidden in the sleeves of her dress, fidgeting with the edges. Regina sighed. Their arrangement had been working out well. She was not looking forward to dealing with this. Chapter 24: Against All Threats One day. The monsters left them in peace for most of a day. Well, more like a night and some change, really. As Regina stared out at the group of monsters approaching the village now, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that it still wasn¡¯t enough. But she hoped she was wrong. It wasn¡¯t like she only had her hive to fight them off. And they¡¯d used the time they had well. The morning sun was only just cresting the horizon, but thankfully it came from the side, so she still got a good look at the pack of monsters drawing closer. They looked like overgrown, rabid dogs, except that there were odd spikes and plates of bone growing out of their bodies. Regina leaned her arm on the earthen rampart they¡¯d built and glanced around for a moment. Quite a few of the baron¡¯s men covered this post, the main road leading into the village. They had, with the help of her workers, built a palisade together with a ditch. It was rough and quick work, but it should hold for a while. Or so she¡¯d heard the commander saying, at least. Her hive had used the night to recuperate, although they¡¯d had one or two members at a time out to patrol the village. Regina took the last shift and didn¡¯t move much from here until the others arrived. The evening before, Mia and Tia worked hard with the locals to build their improvised fortifications. They¡¯d both hit level 5 yesterday and, although Regina had missed it in the commotion, they¡¯d gotten a new Ability. According to Mia, it was called ¡®Meld and Merge¡¯ and it basically glued things together magically. That would be very useful for crafting and had even come in handy with building the palisade. And even better, unless she was greatly mistaken, they would both get experience for that work. That was one of the things she¡¯d been able to confirm by watching and listening to the villagers: Combat wasn¡¯t the only way to level, even if it was by far the fastest, and Classes with a non-combat focus, especially, gained experience by doing tasks that pertained to their Class. In her case, Regina suspected she¡¯d get experience for doing queenly things ¡ª leadership, presumably ¡ª and perhaps for growing her hive. She shook her head and focused on the coming fight. Behind the horde of dogs ¡ª which she could now see were called ¡®Spike Dogs¡¯ by the System, very creative ¡ª other monsters were moving closer, too. This wasn¡¯t the occasional stray monster they¡¯d faced in the night, but a significant part of the horde in the area coming for them. Suddenly, one of the human fighters in the group opened fire. Regina resisted the urge to turn and stare in surprise. She didn¡¯t think they were in a reasonable range already, but his arrow shot out like a bullet and hit the closest dog right in the throat. It collapsed where it stood. The rest of the pack started to howl, but they didn¡¯t change course. Other fighters joined in, everyone with a ranged option unleashing it on the monsters. Regina resisted the urge to fire a Magic Missile. She needed to conserve her mana today. Even without the eggs, there was no way her mana regeneration would be able to keep pace with the fights. Only two of the Spike Dogs survived to reach the palisade. There, two of the human warriors captured their attention, while Max and a human swordsman cut them down quickly. Regina wasn¡¯t sure if they¡¯d used Skills or not. But they didn¡¯t get much time to rest. The next group of monsters, a mixed pack of hyenas and feline monsters, was approaching already. This time, the soldiers took fewer of them out at range, probably because their more powerful abilities were spent or needed to recharge. Half a dozen of the monsters charged at the fortification at once. One got stuck in the ditch and three tried to scramble up the palisade, but one large black cat managed to vault it with a leap supported by a sudden gust of wind. Regina thrust with her spear, but the monster dodged. Then Tim caught it in the side with his sword, almost ripping it open, just before a human warrior appeared at his side and skewered the monster. Regina assumed Tim had used his new Skill. He¡¯d chosen to go for Strength of the Hive, and even with only one other Warrior present, the baseline buff wasn¡¯t so bad. Max used the shield he¡¯d been given to bash a hyena off the palisade, and the rest of the pack was quickly killed as well. But more and more monsters approached the fortifications. Just as Regina considered moving her position, two black forms fell from the sky, quickly growing bigger, and resolved into large birds of prey. One falcon opened his beak and spewed a fireball right at their defensive emplacement. Regina cursed and dodged to the side, wincing as a rush of air and heat shot through the space beside her and barreled into the side of a building. Shingles flew and tendrils of smoke curled into the sky. She narrowed her eyes and focused on one of the birds, gathering her mana.
Fiery Falcon ¡ª Level ?
Her Magic Missile hit it in the wing and sent it plummeting downward, only to be engulfed by the Firebolt Janis sent up. The other bird was struck by an arrow and tumbled to the ground some meters away. Regina stepped back and leaned against another wooden wall, taking a deep breath. The front-line fighters were fighting off the current group of beasts and seemed to have it well in hand, even if they fought half a dozen at once now and were clearly pressed harder than before. She frowned and absently poked at the feeling of the mana in her body and whatever else she could sense. There were the three eggs, hopefully safe deeper in the village. It would still take some time until the eggs hatched, but they could use the reinforcements. The more the better. Experimentally, Regina poked at the feeling inside her that was the call for new eggs. A System prompt popped up, and Regina grimaced, feeling the exhaustion from before again.
Congratulations, you have unlocked a new Template: Drone Scout
You are able to lay another egg. Choose carefully what you will add to your hive.
Drone Warrior
Drone Worker
Drone Scout
She still felt drained and knew that even if she could push through this, that wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. So she focused on closing the window and took a deep breath, regaining her mental equilibrium. Apparently, there wasn¡¯t a System-enforced limit on how many eggs she could lay at a time, but a soft limit imposed by her own biology. Or the mana drain. Regina frowned as she considered the message. She didn¡¯t think a scout would be much use at the moment, even if she was curious about how one would look like. This also indicated that unlocking new Templates for her drones wasn¡¯t just a matter of reaching the right level, but that there were other prerequisites. Probably something like having three or four Warriors for this, if eggs counted. Just then, a System window popped up with a new notification.
You have leveled up
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Regina blinked and shot upright, looking at the palisade. Max was just removing his ax from the corpse of a large crow monster with what looked like pebbles stuck between its feathers. More monsters were approaching, she smelled several new scents she hadn¡¯t encountered before, and another hyena just vaulted the palisade while something big and heavy crashed against it. Regina jumped forward, trying to help where she could. Thoughts of how this confirmed that she got experience from her drones were pushed to the back of her mind as the fight continued. As time wore on, the number of monsters coming for the village seemed to increase instead of leveling off. She occasionally heard sounds and saw flashes that showed the other positions were also having trouble, but she focused on the problem in front of her. Regina had been given a spear with a fancy steel spearhead, which she suspected came from someone who¡¯d died in the castle. She mostly used that, since it wasn¡¯t a limited resource like her magic. Fighting in a group, if not quite in formation with others was a new experience for her. She rarely got a hit in, since most of the human fighters were faster and better coordinated. Max used the new Ability he¡¯d chosen, Warrior¡¯s Charge like Tim¡¯s, a few times to get a strike in and take on a monster that might have attacked her, too. The palisade didn¡¯t survive the fight for long. A bigger Troll than she¡¯d seen before started ripping out posts, and some small level 6 Dirt Elemental actually produced earth to fill in the ditch. Most monsters were only slowed down by it, anyway. Slowly, the human and Hive defenders retreated, seeking the shelter of the narrow opening where the street led into the village. Regina took to using Spark to light some wooden scraps she found on fire, mostly from the houses which were a little worse for wear, and tossing them at the monsters. She managed to distract them and even singe a level 8 Shadowing Stalker, burning some of the darkness covering it off and letting a human defender cave its head in. That almost cost her a hand when another fireball from overhead crashed down into the group. Regina yelped and jumped back, stumbling over a broken tile on the ground. She glanced at the Fiery Falcon overhead, but it was already winging away and disappeared over the village¡¯s houses. A stone crashed into her shin and Regina fell to a knee, gasping in pain. She pushed herself upward, just in time to dodge the charge of a Lionit like the one she¡¯d seen in the forest. Regina thrust with her spear, but it retreated and she only scored a shallow gash along its back. Then Tim charged at it, throwing it back with a sweep of his blade-arm and sword at the same time. Regina retreated a step. Then she saw another black form darting at Tim from the side and jumped forward, thrusting with her spear. She didn¡¯t manage to arrest the panther¡¯s momentum, but the cat¡¯s lunge missed Tim. The Warrior retreated. The Lionit tensed in preparation for another pounce. A moment later, Tia¡¯s work-limb swung at it and it turned on her, growling. Regina watched the other monster carefully for a moment, then thrust out with her spear again. The panther was just dodging another swipe from Tim and ran into her thrust. Regina put all her strength into it and twisted. She¡¯d caught its shoulder, but the wound bled heavily. Tim stepped in and, with another combined swipe, stabbed into its heart. Then Regina felt something like a cold breath on her neck and turned. Her eyes widened. ¡°Tia!¡± The Worker was stumbling to the ground, blood flowing heavily down her side. The Lionit shook its head, teeth dyed red, and followed. Regina¡¯s spear caught it in the side and it hissed, turning. She smashed the Magic Missile she¡¯d just formed into its head and it lurched to the side, where Tim waited for it. Regina didn¡¯t wait for him to stab it in the heart. She hurried over to Tia. The young drone was lying on the ground now, pressing a hand to her side. Regina fell to her knees beside her, wincing as she saw the cracked shell and bloody mess beneath it. ¡°It¡¯s okay, just hold on,¡± she told her, tearing a strip from Tia¡¯s dress to press against the wound. ¡°We¡¯ve got this.¡± The Worker looked pale. She hadn¡¯t even known they could do that. ¡°Don¡¯t make yourself a target, my Queen,¡± she gasped. ¡°Shush,¡± Regina answered, ¡°the others have it in hand.¡± A quick glance to the side confirmed that. They were holding the monsters off for the moment. Regina looked at Tia¡¯s injury and reached for her mana. She would not let one of her drones die like this! She inhaled deeply and focused, trying to direct her mana through her hands into her. It was the only thing she could think of. A gut wound like Tia¡¯s might be lethal even if it didn¡¯t become infected. She didn¡¯t have any medicine or even bandages. So Regina ignored the smell of blood and worse and focused on what she could tell of her drone¡¯s anatomy. She knew a lot more about how the body worked than she¡¯d even realized. Granted, mostly the human body, but some things couldn¡¯t be too different. Regina focused on the tissue and cells in the affected area, trying to visualize them. The various organs, liver, kidney, spleen, intestines, the smooth muscle cells, the nerves, the endothelial cells of the blood vessels and their counterparts in the intestines. She lost herself in trying to remember how they regenerated from injury before she pushed that aside and just visualized them whole. Natural healing couldn¡¯t deal with this, she needed magic. Regina felt the little bit of mana she had leaving her, and suddenly grew dizzy. But she didn¡¯t stop, eyes fixed on her target. She focused on the tissue beneath her hand, trying to shape mana and make it make her vision a reality. Was the blood flow slowing? A section of the wound slowly grew closer together, but it was such a small one. Regina swayed on her knees. It needed to be more, but it was so hard to focus. Then suddenly, someone grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back. Regina blinked. It took her a long second to process what her senses were telling her. When she did, she stiffened up immediately. Two men had grabbed her. They wore heavy plate armor, with visors covering their faces. There was another man looking at her, holding his helmet under his arm. His eyes were narrow and she had a feeling it wasn¡¯t just the scar running down the side of his face that made his lips curl.
Egon Trito ¡ª Level ? Blade of Light
¡°So, you are the little monsterblood they told me about,¡± he said. Then his gaze moved down to where Tia lay, still gasping. ¡°It seems you had a turn of bad luck.¡± Regina gritted her teeth. ¡°What do you want?¡± She started struggling, but the two others ¡ª presumably Delvers, going by what she¡¯d heard before ¡ª didn¡¯t move a centimeter. ¡°I want to protect the people of this village,¡± their leader answered seriously. ¡°Against all threats that may have come to them.¡± ¡°Oh, fantastic,¡± she snarled. ¡°And that gives you the right to come and harass the people who were protecting them?¡± She jerked her head back, trying to headbutt one of the men holding her. But she only struck something hard and unyielding that sent a stinging spike of pain through her head. A commotion to the side made her look up. More of the Delvers were holding their weapons at Max and Tim, who had turned towards her. The two bristled, but kept standing where they were. Probably more because they didn¡¯t want to endanger her further than because of any danger to themselves. ¡°Don¡¯t struggle,¡± Trito said. ¡°If you want your underling healed, stop distracting us.¡± Regina stilled. ¡°Then heal her.¡± Trito held her gaze for a moment longer, before Regina made herself look at Tia with an effort of will, breaking the staring contest. Then he crouched down beside her. His gloves lit up faintly as hazy light spilled around and over the wound. Regina took a deep breath, watching as the wound started closing before her eyes. She could sense his mana at work, but only very faintly. It took at least a minute until Tia looked like she was in reasonably good shape, although there was still a lot of blood. She sat up and he stepped back. While Tia struggled to stand, Mia rushed forward, finally let through by another fighter. ¡°Gather them up,¡± Trito commanded. He looked at Regina again. ¡°Don¡¯t resist.¡± She stiffened as she realized what he intended. After a moment, she started gathering magic. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he warned her, coming closer and grabbing her chin. ¡°You only risk your followers getting killed in a fight, and you couldn¡¯t defeat us anyway.¡± Regina looked at the drones, breathing hard. What the hell does he think he¡¯s doing, anyway? Is he holding them hostage to get me to cave in? Would they kill them? ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, girl,¡± one of the men holding her spoke up. He sounded annoyed. ¡°The weakest of us is twenty levels above you, there¡¯s no way you could fight us. You might be a monsterblood, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯re smarter than that.¡± After another long moment, Regina sighed and nodded slightly. She swallowed bile in the back of her throat and her pulse still hadn¡¯t calmed down, but she knew she really couldn¡¯t fight these people. She just needed to find a way to either convince them that they shouldn¡¯t mess with her or to escape. The two warriors started dragging her down the street. As they turned, she caught sight of the remains of the palisade. The bodies of monsters littered the ground. None of them moved. Chapter 25: Suspicious Activity Regina paced up and down the room, feeling like the proverbial caged animal. Or caged monster, maybe. It was small and cramped, but no more so than the house they¡¯d been quartered in before. Still, she had to take tight turns to continue pacing. Rather than a dedicated cell, she was in a ground-floor room of the biggest and fanciest house in town, built of stone. It was where the baron and his family lived. Presumably, they just didn¡¯t have a proper prison in this village. A door opened from the room onto a sort of veranda outside, and she¡¯d seen the Delver stationed there. She still smelled him and heard whenever he moved. The doorway to the rest of the house had been bricked up at some point, leaving the room inaccessible from there. These men were reasonably competent, she had to admit. She¡¯d looked over every part of the walls and door, but not found any weaknesses. Not competent enough to put a guard in the room with her or split her hive up completely, though. She could still sense the others, and knew they were together in the house they¡¯d been assigned before. She suspected that with this group of fighters coming, the village didn¡¯t have much room. Maybe they thought they didn¡¯t need anything fancy because their prisoners were so low level. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Regina called to test their reaction. ¡°I haven¡¯t hurt anyone, you can¡¯t just keep us imprisoned without cause!¡± ¡°You will be dealt with fairly,¡± she heard the voice of their leader, Trito. Regina paused. She¡¯d almost missed the sound of his footsteps approaching. He seemed to stop in the corridor outside the room. ¡°It certainly doesn¡¯t look like that from where I¡¯m standing,¡± she replied. ¡°Look at it from our point of view for a moment, if you¡¯re capable of that,¡± he answered, soundly faintly amused and still condescending. ¡°A group of strange and heretofore unknown demihumans - if that¡¯s even what you are - come out of the forest before a monster horde. And right after that, the beast horde is stronger and more vicious than normal, almost suspiciously focused, and overruns an entire castle. Somehow, the demihumans survive unscathed and show up at the settlement that¡¯s the next target of the monsters. Suspicious, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Regina bit down on a curse. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything suspicious about us being driven out by a vicious monster horde,¡± she answered, trying for a calm tone of voice. ¡°You can¡¯t prove anything, and how would we even have done anything like that? Is it even possible?¡± ¡°There have been recorded instances of a horde being guided by an intelligent monster,¡± another voice chimed in. Baron Neralt. He was coming closer as well. ¡°However, I do have to agree that this is all very speculative. Sir Egon, Lady Regina has fought at our side without any indications of betrayal or mischief.¡± Regina took a deep breath. She had no idea what was going on with the horde, although she would really like to know, but she was glad that Neralt didn¡¯t seem to be fully on the Delver¡¯s side. Still, it was worrying that Trito seemed to have enough power to work around a noble on his own land. Even if he was just a baron. From the little she¡¯d heard about Delvers in the village, they sounded more like an adventurer¡¯s guild, if one only open to humans and with some obvious prejudice. ¡°I didn¡¯t suspect her of being an idiot, Neralt.¡± Trito sounded annoyed. ¡°But she is just a monsterblood. Be careful of your words.¡± There was a faint sigh, then she heard the baron retreating. ¡°I need to see to the defense of the village,¡± Trito said more loudly, clearly to her. ¡°You will be held here until the monster horde is dealt with. I suggest you wait calmly, it will certainly be taken into consideration if you are quiet and cooperative.¡± A moment later, she heard his steps receding as well. Regina sat down on the straw-stuffed mattress of the narrow bed, tugging on her mandibles. She did not want to just sit and wait quietly until they decided whatever it was they wanted to do with her. So she closed her eyes and reached out to her drones. They were all together, in the main room of the one-story wooden house. Regina mentally grabbed for Max¡¯s mind and dove into his consciousness, sinking into place behind his eyes. It took her a moment to parse his senses, but she quickly gathered herself. Taking a moment to adjust, she turned his head, looking around him. The other drones must have noticed something, since they had all stopped talking and were looking at him, or rather her. Regina pulled his lips into a smile. ¡°Hello, guys, it¡¯s just me,¡± she said, or tried to. The words came out a little garbled. ¡°Mother?¡± Tim jumped up and leaned forward. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Regina nodded with Max¡¯s head. After a moment of consideration, she withdrew a little, giving him back sole control of his body, even as she still got the information from his senses. Max sighed and stood up as well from where he¡¯d been sitting. ¡°I don¡¯t get the feeling that she¡¯s hurt,¡± he said. He looked around again, focusing in on each of his companions for a few seconds. ¡°My Queen, we are all unharmed, except for Tia¡¯s injury, as you can see,¡± he said, talking quietly to himself. ¡°There is one guard in the house, and at least five outside. Some of them appear to be normal soldiers instead of Delvers. They¡¯re probably busy fighting the monsters.¡± He glanced at the others again. ¡°Anything else?¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°We¡¯ve still got the, you know,¡± Mia said, glancing around. She clearly didn¡¯t trust that the humans couldn¡¯t listen in. ¡°Where we put them before. If we manage to escape, we can bring them along. They went through our stuff, but I don¡¯t think they recognized what they saw.¡± ¡°I got the impression they thought it was food,¡± Tia muttered. Regina smiled to herself where she sat in her own cell. It was good to know that the drones were alright, at least. She made Max nod and smile again, then withdrew to hang back in his mind, just enough so she was aware of what happened around him. There was no point in controlling him all the time, after all. Just as she was considering whether talking to the guard outside her room (or at least talking at him) was worth it, she noticed another change in their surroundings. Max shifted and moved to look out the window of their room. It was too small for even one of the drones to climb through, but they¡¯d opened the wooden shutters to let fresh air in. Regina tensed as she realized what he saw. The house was built close by the water and they had a good view of part of the river. Now, there was a boat gliding down it, moving remarkably quickly. It looked bigger than the one she¡¯d seen before and appeared to have been built of a single piece of wood, with elegant curves. It didn¡¯t surprise her much to recognize sharp-eared figures in it. About half a dozen elves in total. After Max stared at the scene for a moment, their descriptions popped up. It felt strange for Regina to see System notifications through another¡¯s eyes. All of the elves were higher level than him and, judging by the class names, probably reasonably strong. She even recognized one, the Forest Ranger called Anuis, who they¡¯d met in the forest. Max followed them with his eyes as long as he could, but they moved out of his field of view quickly. Regina could tell the other drones were all staying extra quiet and listening hard. Luckily, the walls of the house didn¡¯t isolate sound very well and it was built right next to the center of the village, so what was happening wasn¡¯t far away. They could hear the sounds of the boat coming to a stop and people climbing out. Then there came the muffled sound of conversation. Regina got enough to guess that the elves were exchanging greetings with the locals and were being welcomed into the settlement. The voices¡¯ position changed slightly as they walked further away from the river, and incidentally passed closer to the house her drones were kept in. With a start, Regina realized that Anuis was asking about them. She was talking to Neralt and Trito. ¡°Yes, Regina and her companions came here,¡± Neralt said. ¡°They are still here, although Sir Egon is concerned about a possible betrayal and is keeping them confined.¡± There was a moment of silence, before she replied, her voice tight, ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I do not see what concern it is of the elves,¡± Trito replied. ¡°They are not of your people, I should think, and I will not compromise on ensuring these people¡¯s safety.¡± Regina frowned to herself at the Delver¡¯s tone. She hadn¡¯t really considered it in depth, but she wouldn¡¯t have expected him to treat elves the way he did demihumans, or ¡®monsterbloods¡¯. Since they were, well, humanoid. Maybe she was missing something. Their voices grew weaker as they moved on, and Regina leaned back on her narrow cot with a sigh. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what to think of the elves. They had undoubtedly been helpful. On the other hand, there were too many unexplained things in this whole situation. Well, she already knew the elves had extensive defenses around their home, so it didn¡¯t come as a surprise that they weathered the monster horde well. She¡¯d also expect them to keep an eye on it and the human holdings, and the fall of the castle would have been hard to miss. That they came this early suggested that they really weren¡¯t very concerned about their safety when it came to the monsters, though. After maybe an hour, when Regina was considering taking a nap to keep her strength up and escape the boredom and unhelpful musings, something moved near the drones. She sat up again and focused on her connection to Max, which she¡¯d left half-open in the back of her mind. His obvious agitation now bled into her sense. Regina blinked in her own body. There was suddenly a person standing outside the house, right by the the window, probably looking at the drones. She, or rather Max, couldn¡¯t see anyone, but they smelled them, the soft scent of leaves and an almost electric tingle she¡¯d come to associate with the elves, and heard them clearing their throat. ¡°Please don¡¯t be alarmed,¡± the elf said softly. The voice sounded female, but wasn¡¯t familiar. She spoke quietly enough that the human guards probably couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°We simply wanted to make sure you were alright.¡± Regina took control again and tried to answer, but her words came out slurred. Frustrated, she retreated a little again, letting Max back in. When we¡¯re out of here, I¡¯m going to practice speaking through all of my drones, she resolved. I should have done that before. ¡°We are fine so far, thank you,¡± Max answered instead. ¡°However, our queen has been separated from us.¡± ¡°Do you know where she is?¡± Max hesitated. Regina nodded his head and pointed his finger in the exact direction where she was kept. Then she jumped into Tim, enduring the disorientation for a moment, and moved his arms to draw a rough map on the ground. Luckily, Max caught on quickly. ¡°She¡¯s in the manor house, in a room on the ground floor to the northeast,¡± he said. Regina couldn¡¯t see the elf¡¯s expression, but from the short pause, it was clear the woman was surprised at what they did. ¡°Well,¡± she finally said. ¡°Is there anything we can do for you?¡± Regina switched again and scribbled on the ground with Mia¡¯s work-limb, thankful that it was just packed dirt and not stone or anything. She knew she was showing the elves one of the cards she¡¯d kept up her sleeve, but under the circumstances, that seemed worth the risk. ¡°Can you please help us escape?¡± Max asked. He looked at her and widened his eyes, putting on an expression that abruptly reminded Regina how much like a kid he looked. The elven woman again remained quiet for a few seconds before answering. ¡°I cannot promise you much, children. However, we have little love for the Delvers and this would not be the first time we are helping someone unfortunately caught in their clutches. If you are able to act alone well enough to have a chance, we might be able to assist you.¡± Regina smiled. She didn¡¯t have a finished plan, but she did have a few ideas, and a few assets she could leverage. It was frustrating trying to communicate them via short scribbles, and took longer than she wanted, but finally she thought she was getting the key ideas across. ¡°I see,¡± the elf replied, and Regina pictured her nodding decisively. ¡°We should certainly manage to distract them for you, if nothing else.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I will have to check with the others, you understand, but I am confident that if you are able to get out, we can also take you to safety from there. There is more to talk about, but Anuis will speak to you if this endeavor succeeds.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, ma¡¯am,¡± Max replied politely. Regina stood up, taking a moment to find her balance with most of her attention still tethered to Mia¡¯s consciousness. That promised to be interesting. Chapter 26: Ready to Go
The sun slowly moved across the sky, and although Regina didn¡¯t have a clock, she could tell the passage of time by the activity of the people in the village. There was a guard shift change at some point, and it seemed like more Delvers trickled into the central part of the settlement. And then, of course, there were the elves. Luckily, they had no intention of leaving soon. Regina had to stop herself from pacing and checking on their progress all the time. While she kept half of her attention with the drones, she tried to be unobtrusive and let them work, rather than taking control of one. The only ones really working were the Drone Workers. Mia and Tia had been at it for what felt like hours already and were clearly feeling the strain, but they grimly persevered. The key to Regina¡¯s idea was their ability to dig. Their Class Skill, Ground Evacuation, was perfectly suited for the task. So, the both of them were making a tunnel, trying to dig as quietly as possible. It only had to be wide enough for one of them to crawl, but that meant it did still have to fit a person. They were also careful about the floor of the room they were in and trying to stabilize the tunnel so it didn¡¯t collapse. You had to reach a certain depth for that. Not to mention avoiding the foundations of the house. So far, they¡¯d managed to keep their efforts secret from the guards. It helped that those didn¡¯t seem to be professional soldiers, or at least not used to keeping prisoners. Regina had the impression they were distracted by the visit of the elves and their comrades¡¯ fight against the monsters. She¡¯d heard the occasional sounds of combat, but only rarely, and only for a short time. Given that that noise was probably only what reached her across some distance, the sounds had to be deafening close up. She wouldn¡¯t bet against monsters with sound-based attacks, though. In any case, this told her that the fighting was still ongoing. They were still only a few days into the monster horde, and it would probably continue for a while longer. Under the circumstances, she was almost glad of it. If they tried to escape and were stopped, it would only make things worse. But she¡¯d heard the way Trito spoke of so-called monsterbloods. She didn¡¯t trust in his professionalism, and objectivity would be a pipe dream anyway. No one seemed particularly interested in finding facts or proof of anything. Why would he let a little thing like lack of evidence stand in his way? She heard a loud noise from the others and froze, focusing more of her attention on them. Currently, she was watching through Tim¡¯s eyes. That left Max, as the unspoken leader of the group, free to talk and act, while still giving her a close viewpoint and not bothering the girls at work. At least Tim didn¡¯t seem to mind at all. None of them did, now that she thought about it. There was another crash outside, and then loud voices. Someone else came, a higher-pitched voice. The conversation faded as they moved farther away. Then Regina realized with a start that the loud argument was coming towards her. She could now hear it more clearly with her own ears. Frowning, she shakily stood up and crossed the room to the door, trying to see whatever she could and listen closely. At least she was getting better at handling input from different consciousnesses at the same time. Then the shutters on the small window in her room moved. Regina¡¯s eyes widened, and she rushed over to quietly open it a little. They hadn¡¯t been closed completely, presumably to let in some air, so it was easy. She took a deep breath and listened hard. The guard was obviously distracted, and the loud argument of people moving down the street right by the house covered for any suspicious sounds. An elf stood in front of the window. She could smell them. It seemed like the same woman who¡¯d visited the others. Presumably the rogue or spy of the group. Regina smiled in her general direction and nodded slightly. Then a roundish brown object appeared. She blinked in surprise as it moved through the window, then quickly grabbed it. Regina mouthed ¡°thank you¡± at the elf, but the woman started moving away immediately. Frowning, Regina looked down at the object. It was about the size of a small apple. She closed the window carefully, then held it up and looked closer. After a moment, she bit into it. It was pretty ingenious, really. A way to store and consume potions that didn¡¯t leave any traces behind. The outer layer reminded her a bit of a cracker in taste and consistency. After she carefully started eating away at it, she saw the blue liquid inside. Regina sipped on it, but it only tasted like water, then resumed eating the covering. This wasn¡¯t very sanitary, but she had bigger problems. Maybe this wouldn¡¯t work for everyone, but so far, her people seemed to be able eat pretty much anything. Regina finished it off, then called up her status and watched as her mana started climbing upwards. After a while, it was almost full again, at 150 out of 160. She grinned to herself. She felt a lot better already. Then she turned around and checked out the room once more. She quickly ruled out the door into the building as an escape route. It was barricaded too tightly. Even if she could open it up, it would attract too much attention. That left the window and the back door to the outside. The door was locked, but she had ways of getting around that. Regina focused on her mana and quickly cast a Lesser Basic Conjuration. The spell gave her a small, thin rod of iron, about as long as her hand. She grinned and started poking around inside the lock of the door. They clearly hadn¡¯t used any kind of magic to secure it, and technologically advanced this place was not. That affected things like locking mechanisms as well. Regina knew that a modern lock from the world of her memories would have been impossible for her to pick like this, but this one should be doable. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. She still had to poke around in it for a bit before realizing she wasn¡¯t getting anywhere. Then she withdrew her bit of iron and focused for a moment to conjure a second, smaller one. This one she formed so it was vaguely T-shaped, with smaller bits on the end, which made it look more like a key. She had a good enough idea of the dimensions of the lock to make it fit. Then she inserted it and carefully tested to see if she could open the door. Once she was sure she could get out, she paused and listened. The guard might not be a professional, but he¡¯d notice when she opened the door. So she took a mental step back and focused on her hive. The guard in the other room of their house still hadn¡¯t moved, and from his regular breathing, he was probably taking a nap. She would call it unprofessional, but given that this was one of the actual soldiers, probably one of the baron¡¯s men, and not a Delver, that would be ironic. She appreciated it anyway. Tia and Mia were just putting the finishing touches on the tunnel. Regina smiled and slipped deeper into Tim¡¯s consciousness again. ¡°I¡¯m ready to go,¡± she said. This time, it was even vaguely understandable. The drones looked excited. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this!¡± Max was clearly trying to psych himself up, or maybe the others. He insisted on going first, and Regina didn¡¯t stop him. He crawled through the tunnel, then carefully poked his head out. Seeing that the coast was clear, he scrambled out, with Mia following him right away. They¡¯d picked a spot where a side alley dead-ended along the walls of some houses. Given the current situation, no one should be paying any attention to it. Regina still waited with bated breath as her hive climbed out of the tunnel. The hardest thing was taking the eggs out. They were still growing and almost bursting the seams of the bags they¡¯d put them in, and trying to push them through a narrow tunnel wasn¡¯t easy. But they managed it in time. Once the drones were safely out of their prison, Regina took a deep breath, then turned back to her door. She waited, frowning to herself. If the elves abandoned them now ¡­ But a tense minute later, the real distraction started. She heard raised voices, wordless shouts and exclamations. The roar of a monster, which sounded deeper than a wyvern, followed. And a few seconds later, the raised voices from closer to her own position escalated into a shouting match. Regina opened the door, trying to be quiet, but mostly going for speed. She only took a moment to grasp the scene outside before she rushed through it. The guard outside her door had looked away to watch the brewing fight between two of the elven guests and some of the Delvers. He was just turning back towards her, but Regina didn¡¯t give him any time to react. She barreled into him, pressing the shaft of his polearm between them so he couldn¡¯t use it. Then she got her arm around his throat and started squeezing. The Delver was wearing his helmet, but no gorget. He bucked and tried to get her off, but although he was clearly much stronger than her, he couldn¡¯t use his strength to his full advantage like this. Regina kept choking him out, dragging his body backwards once his struggles started slowing down. Killing him might have been easier, but she didn¡¯t need to make the humans any angrier than she had to. Once she was sure that the man wasn¡¯t just feigning, she released him and propped him up against the side of the building, taking his weapon. It looked a bit like a waraxe combined with a normal spear. Regina slipped into the alley beside the building, breathing a sigh of relief. That could have gone worse. Then she froze. There, further in the alley, stood another person. ¡°I knew I heard something,¡± Janis said. The villager slowly moved closer, frowning at Regina. It was the same expression she¡¯d worn when considering a magic-related question. ¡°Stop right there,¡± Regina said. ¡°If you don¡¯t want this situation to get worse, you¡¯ll just let me pass. No one needs to know you ever saw me.¡± Janis stopped. ¡°Why would it get worse?¡± ¡°Because I can kill you before any of the Delvers get here, if you yell for them.¡± Janis made a face. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have done that anyway.¡± She took a step to the side, pressing herself against the wall of the alley. ¡°You should probably hurry, m¡¯lady.¡± Regina hesitated for a moment, before she got moving again. She paused as she passed Janis. The girl¡¯s demeanor had changed a little. Now, Regina inhaled a deep breath. There was something about her scent that felt weird, or at least not like the other humans in the village. ¡°Why, Janis?¡± she asked. Janis shrugged. ¡°Of course I¡¯m on your side. These Delvers are prigs, and you don¡¯t deserve the way they¡¯ve treated you.¡± She frowned. ¡°Not that others do.¡± ¡°Alright. If you really want to help, then go down the street to the other Delvers, make sure they¡¯re distracted.¡± Regina hesitated for a moment. ¡°Once I¡¯m established somewhere, maybe we can continue that talk about magic.¡± Janis smiled at her, then bowed her head and turned away. Regina heard her leave and the sound of her steps speed up as she started jogging, while she did the same. She tried to stay out of anywhere people might be watching, but it only took Regina a minute to reach the spot on the outside of the village where her hive was waiting for her. She untensed slightly as she joined them. A quick look confirmed that everything was as it should be. ¡°Catch up later,¡± she said. ¡°We need to hurry. Let¡¯s go.¡± The drones fell into step behind her seamlessly, with Tim and the girls carrying one of the bags each. They reached the river at the edge of the village quickly. Two cloaked figures already waited for them there. Once Regina approached, they lowered their hoods and Regina recognized two of the elves. ¡°Good, you¡¯re here,¡± the man greeted them. A Forest Scout called Bianorn, according to the System. ¡°Get in. The others will catch up quickly.¡± A shimmering in the air suddenly appeared and faded after a second, and Regina got the faint sense of magic being present. Then a small wooden boat became visible in the river, pulled up on the shore right between the elves. The first one jumped in without waiting for a reply. Regina followed him in, then helped Mia climb in as well. The boat was packed full with all of them, but the elves didn¡¯t seem to care. The second man pushed it off the shore and it quickly started moving. A faint wind began to rise, and Regina sensed an intricate layering of mana as the boat got moving upriver. Then a shout came from behind them. She turned around and froze as she saw the people standing on the riverbank. A few Delvers, and Trito¡¯s scarred face in the lead. He started running, and even as the distance to the village visibly increased, he kept pace with the boat. Just as he left the outskirts of the village, a dark form dove from the sky. Regina winced slightly as she watched the wyvern crash down on the man. The Delver lit up with light just before they collided. Regina scooted closer to the edge, trying to make out more details, although the boat was turning as it followed a bend in the river. Just before they got too far away to see clearly, she watched the wyvern shudder and fall to the side, where it lay unmoving. The Sword of Light, still glowing faintly, still stood. He didn¡¯t continue chasing them, and she quickly lost sight of him and the other Delvers. Chapter 27: Strategic Advantages and Space to Grow Regina kept glancing back, looking for anyone who might be following them. The boat slowed down, not going quite as fast as during their escape. Everything seemed still and silent behind them except for the monsters. After a while, when the trees made it hard to see anything, she came to the conclusion that they weren¡¯t followed. Or if they were, she wouldn¡¯t be able to detect their pursuers anyway. So she turned her full attention to her more immediate surroundings. The boat was cramped, with the drones almost sitting in each other¡¯s laps. The elves clearly tried to keep some distance, even if it was hard under these circumstances. ¡°Thank you for that,¡± Regina said. ¡°What about the others? Your companions, I mean?¡± ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be far behind us,¡± Bianorn, the elf who¡¯d spoken before, replied. The boat slowed down further, and eventually drifted to the side until it almost beached on the riverbank. Regina frowned and glanced around. They were in the outskirts of the forest now, and while she still saw monsters around, none of them got close to their group. Maybe one of the elves was using a Skill for that. After a few minutes, she jumped as something bumped the boat. Regina blinked in surprise when she saw the figures coming out of the trees. I was only looking away for a moment! The elves on the boat stood up, and Regina followed suit after a second. Hesitantly, she stepped out of the boat and onto the rocky shore of the river. She stumbled and hurried a few steps away, where the ground wasn¡¯t as wet and slippery. The elves backed away enough to keep the space around her open. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you all made it out unharmed,¡± Anuis said. She stood at the front of the second group, her bow slung over her back and her hood up. Her posture and bearing were more confident than it had been in the village, as if she was in her element now, here in the forest. Regina glanced at Tia, who was just climbing out of the boat as well, taking one of the bulging bags. She still moved a bit stiffly, but her wound seemed to be healed well enough not to cause trouble. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t linger here for too long,¡± Bianorn cut in. ¡°The Delvers might still be following, and we can¡¯t keep the beasts away forever.¡± ¡°True,¡± another male elf agreed. He looked tired. ¡°The sooner we get to the outpost, the better.¡± ¡°Outpost?¡± Regina asked as the elves all hefted their packs and prepared to leave. ¡°We¡¯re not going to your settlement?¡± Anuis shook her head. ¡°No, we are still in the middle of the monster horde, which makes trying to get you into the city tricky. But do not fear, you will not be in undue danger in our company. And you will want to see where I am taking you.¡± Regina nodded and started walking as the elves did. One woman stayed behind with the boat, presumably to take it back to wherever it came from. She noticed that the drones stayed close to each other. After a moment of hesitation, Regina fell back to walk among them. She reached out to squeeze Max¡¯s shoulder softly and took Tia¡¯s arm for a moment. They both seemed to relax visibly. She made herself smile at her hive. We¡¯re going to need to have a long talk once we have some privacy. ¡°Where exactly are we going, then?¡± she asked Anuis after a few minutes of walking through the forest. ¡°An old outpost that is rarely in use anymore,¡± the elven ranger answered. In the forest¡¯s light, the brown streaks in her hair seemed more like gold, reflecting the sunlight oddly. ¡°It is reasonably close to a spot where we once thought to build a settlement before some unfortunate circumstances coinciding led to the project being abandoned. But it is still a good spot, at the edge of a bay in the forest.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh?¡± Anuis glanced back and gave her a smile. ¡°It is still somewhat close to human lands, and more exposed to danger,¡± she said. ¡°Further out in the open than our kind typically prefer. But I¡¯m sure having lots of space to grow would not be a problem for your hive.¡± Regina paused. This sounded good. Remarkably good. ¡°Is that so? Forgive the blunt question, but if you let me build my hive there, what is in it for your people?¡± Anuis chuckled and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who makes these decisions, child. But even I can see that having some people we are friendly with settled there would be strategically advantageous, in order to cover our flanks. Of course, that does presume your group will be strong enough to hold the place.¡± Regina nodded, but didn¡¯t say anything. Anuis was looking at her with a clearly speculative look, a curious gleam in her eye. She decided not to risk revealing anything more than she had to. Still, while the elf¡¯s words made sense and she could see the potential benefit of such an alliance for them, it presumed that they saw her as someone who could build a true settlement up, or even a client state of sorts. That implied they had some knowledge of her capabilities. The thought made Regina¡¯s heart beat faster, and she wasn¡¯t entirely sure whether it was from anxiety, excitement at a possible lead, or something else. The journey through the forest took several hours. They mostly followed some narrow, winding game trails. Anuis appeared to know exactly where she was going, even if there was no proper road here. There were still monsters in the forest, more than she¡¯d seen before the horde, but still considerably less than there were in the thick of it. A few times, their group got attacked by monsters. Anuis and the elves were nice enough to let Regina and her drones fight some of them. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. She stayed back, biting her lower lip, as she watched Mia and Tia take down another Black Panther. The monster was only level 6, which made it good experience for them. Max and Tim had already defeated its companion and were now trying to skin it, with one of the elves looking on and giving tips. The panther lunged, but Mia managed to dodge and cracked it over the head with her work-limb, while Tia scraped it with the sword she¡¯d borrowed. It was only a shallow cut, but the monster drew back, hissing. Tia followed it, charging forward, and managed to score another cut with her sword. Mia sidestepped to keep it pinned between them. When Tia drew its attention again, Mia swung at its hindlimb. She didn¡¯t seem to do much damage, but she distracted the panther enough for Tia to stab it again, in the chest this time. The panther tried to retreat, but clearly had trouble keeping its feet, and fell down eventually. Tia stabbed it in the throat, then stepped back, grinning broadly. ¡°I reached level 6, my Queen!¡± Tia told her. ¡°Me too,¡± Mia added. ¡°Well done!¡± Regina congratulated them. ¡°Let¡¯s get these taken care of quickly, then go on, I don¡¯t think our new friends want to wait long.¡± Only ten minutes later, they encountered another pack of monsters. This time, the elves didn¡¯t even warn them. The ranger guarding their right flank simply stepped aside, grinning slightly. Max charged at the Red-Striped Snake, level 8, before Regina could even say anything. Tim followed a moment later, capturing the attention of the second snake, which was a level lower. Regina gathered her mana and prepared to throw a Magic Missile. She waited until she had a clear view before loosing her attack on the third snake. She couldn¡¯t see its level, and her attack almost seemed to bounce off its scales. While it paused in its tracks, it didn¡¯t seem very hurt.
Mana: 108/160
Before she could continue the fight, another elf stepped in, drawing the higher-level monster away from the rest. Regina didn¡¯t protest, and instead turned her attention to the other two. Tim was pushing his snake hard, while Max had adopted a more defensive style. Regina gathered the mana for a second Missile, then loosed it when it looked like Tim might be overextended. The attack caught the snake in the jaw it had just opened and caused it to jerk back. That proved to be its downfall when Tim quickly skewered it through the mouth. Then he pivoted and slashed at the other snake, which Max was keeping still. The two Warriors quickly ended that one, as well. Regina glanced around. Most of the elves seemed to have vanished into the forest, but Anuis was just coming back towards them. ¡°You¡¯re finished, good. We¡¯re almost there. Let¡¯s hurry, we still need to set up camp before nightfall.¡± Regina nodded. A part of her wanted to keep fighting until the next level up, or at least until Max and Tim leveled up. They had to be really close to it, considering the fight against the monster horde in the village. But there¡¯d probably be opportunity enough for that later. After only a few more minutes of walking, they finally reached the outpost. Regina paused and took it in. I probably should have expected a treehouse. Although calling it a treehouse was like calling the castle a walled hut. The outpost spread over several trees, anchored to broad branches and secured with intricately knotted ropes as well as wooden planks. Some parts of it looked like they¡¯d grown naturally from a single piece of wood, but in impossible shapes. It was situated on top of a hill, and if Regina squinted, she could just see the end of the treeline further down. The elves all seemed to cheer up as they reached it. They nimbly climbed up and even offered to help the hive with their bags, but Regina refused. She didn¡¯t want them to see the eggs quite yet. Instead, she climbed up with one hand, holding a bag in the other. Once on a wooden platform, she found a secluded spot in an oversized knothole to deposit them for now. ¡°The others can set up camp for the night,¡± Anuis said, dropping down from above to appear beside her. ¡°I thought we might take a look at the place I mentioned earlier.¡± Regina tried not to wince and nodded. She glanced around at her drones. After a moment of consideration, she called, ¡°Mia, with me, please. The rest of you, help the elves set up camp.¡± She wanted to have a worker along to help her assess the space with an eye to construction and planning a settlement, and Mia seemed like the best choice. Mia smiled as she jumped over to join Regina and Anuis. The elven ranger didn¡¯t comment, but simply jumped down to the ground, barely touching the rope hanging down. Regina suppressed a sigh and chose to climb down the trunk of the tree, using her claws for better handholds. Mia copied her. The young Drone Worker stuck close to her as Anuis led them through the forest, ducking behind trees and crossing game trails as she went down the hill. Regina heard some sounds from the canopy above that didn¡¯t quite sound like birds. If she had to guess, a few other elves were accompanying them, but she didn¡¯t comment on it. Finally, the three of them emerged from the trees into open ground. They stood on another hill, where the forested slope gradually gave way to a meadow. She could see what the elf had meant by calling it a bay; the forest almost surrounded the place in a rough semicircle, and there was a small lake to the east, which probably connected to the river. ¡°I can see the strategic relevance, I think,¡± Regina said after a moment of looking at it. Then she glanced northeast with a frown. ¡°But it is still pretty close to Forest¡¯s Watch, isn¡¯t it?¡± Anuis nodded with a sober expression. ¡°That it is.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t suppose the Delvers have forgotten about us,¡± she continued. ¡°They might not go after us right away, but I doubt we¡¯ve heard the last of that.¡± ¡°Most likely not,¡± the elf agreed. ¡°I cannot promise you that my people will protect you from all threats, either. We have other commitments and conflicts.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want that, anyway. We need to stand on our own, and be able to hold our own. No offense,¡± she added after a moment. Even relying on the elves as much as they already did didn¡¯t sit well with her. She tolerated it because this offered her the opportunity to build up her hive, to grow her own strength. That didn¡¯t mean she was prepared to trust them unconditionally, or to trust her safety and that of her hive to them. ¡°Well, in any case, you don¡¯t need to decide this right away,¡± Anuis said in a gentle tone. ¡°Let us go back to the others.¡± Regina nodded and turned to go after a last look. She¡¯d confer with Mia privately later, or better, bring her here again tomorrow to take a closer look at the whole valley. But she still felt like the decision was already made. Even if it would be dangerous, what were their alternatives? Go try to settle in the elven city? Try to find other human communities to take them in? She snorted to herself. No. She needed space for her hive to expand, if nothing else, and she and her hive wouldn¡¯t bow to anyone but herself. Chapter 28: Two and Two The monster horde had already lasted for several days, but it would go on for a few more. Tim had managed to get that information from one of the elven rangers in the group. He didn¡¯t mind it much, since it would offer him and his Hive the opportunity to gain more experience and, hopefully, levels. But listening to the constant sounds of monsters from the forest around them wore on his nerves, even if he did his best not to show it. He and Max both reached level 8 the day after they arrived at the elven outpost. They fought another pack of Lionits, with the elves watching them. One of the monsters was higher level than them, but they were never in real danger. Regina leveled up again in the same fight. After that, she took Mia and followed Anuis and a few others into the forest again, heading for the site where their new hive would be built. She hadn¡¯t said so in so many words, but Tim was sure of it anyway. He might not be as smart as Max or his Queen, but he tried to keep his eyes and ears open, and he could put two and two together. They were only gone for a minute when Tia sought him out. She crouched on a branch half a meter above the wooden platform some distance from the main structure where he was practicing with his blade. ¡°Teach me how to fight,¡± she asked. Tim nodded and tossed her the wooden sword he¡¯d begged off Bianorn to practice fighting with different kinds of blades. He wasn¡¯t too surprised at this request. He¡¯d seen how fervently she¡¯d thrown herself into the fights with monsters lately. ¡°Hold the sword like this,¡± he told her. ¡°No, a little tighter, you don¡¯t want it to slip out of your hand.¡± The wooden sword was a short one, roughly carved out of a piece of wood in a way that made him suspect that the elves had just made it during the trip on a whim. But it worked well enough. They¡¯d had to leave their weapons behind at the human village, so he appreciated it. He led Tia through some exercises, mostly about how to hold the weapon and some basic movements. This was all instinctual to him, and teaching someone else often made him pause uncertainly. He¡¯d never received any training himself. But he did his best to convey what he knew about fighting, and it even helped him better understand what he was doing. Even if he probably wasn¡¯t the best teacher. But at least this way, he could help Tia. He wouldn¡¯t put it past her to sneak off and try to train on her own. Tim watched her closely, trying to see if she was overexerting herself. Her injury was mostly healed, but he could tell that it still bothered her. Besides, why else would their Queen have left her behind? So he focused on basics that weren¡¯t physically demanding, just holding the weapon and a few stances. "Alright,¡± he said after a while when it was clear she was getting frustrated. ¡°Give it back to me, please, then we can work on some exercises using your work-limbs.¡± ¡°For all the good they are,¡± she muttered as she handed the wooden sword back. Tim frowned. ¡°They are,¡± he said. ¡°Besides, if you have to fight and we¡¯re not there, it¡¯ll most likely be when there¡¯s a surprise attack by monsters, so you probably won¡¯t have any weapons on you.¡± Tia mirrored his frown. ¡°But -¡° She hesitated. They were interrupted by Max jumping onto the platform from a neighboring one. He landed with a thump and straightened to his full height. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m just showing Tia a few things,¡± Tim replied. ¡°Do you want to join in? We could do a bit of group training.¡± The other Warrior looked at both of them for a moment, narrowing his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good idea,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t we have better things to do, and what if someone gets hurt?¡± Tim paused. It hadn¡¯t occurred to him that Max might not approve. He opened his mouth, but he wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°We¡¯ll be careful, and why not?¡± Tia asked, putting her hands on her hips and stretching her work-limbs a little to the side. ¡°I need to fight better.¡± Max shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re doing fine, and you¡¯re a Worker, not a Warrior. Maybe you should focus on what you can do in that area?¡± ¡°But Max! I need to learn how to fight. I don¡¯t want to keep being useless.¡± Oh. Tim took half a step back before he caught himself. ¡°You¡¯re not useless,¡± he said. He had felt pretty frustrated trying to build the shelters, but he wasn¡¯t sure how to say that, and he didn¡¯t really want to talk about that. So he just said, ¡°So what if you¡¯re not as good at fighting as us? We¡¯re higher level and Warriors.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t able to protect you from that monster.¡± Max¡¯s tone was a lot gentler now, and he brushed the side of his blade-limb against her shoulder for a moment. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll do better from now on.¡± He glanced at Tim, who nodded. ¡°We both will.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°But we¡¯ve been fighting all the time, and we need it to level and grow stronger for the hive.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t need to fight to level,¡± Max countered. ¡°If Mother had wanted only drones who could fight, don¡¯t you think she would have laid only Warrior eggs?¡± Tia hesitated for a moment before she responded. ¡°But that was before the monster horde!¡± "Which will be over soon.¡± Tim cleared his throat. He interjected hesitantly, ¡°Maybe we should ask our Queen when she gets back?¡± Max paused, then nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. In the meantime ¡­¡± He glanced around and raised an eyebrow. ¡°We should patrol the perimeter. And someone needs to move the eggs to a better spot, and Tia should study the treehouse to see how the elves built it and assess if we could do something like that. You¡¯re not going to argue that you¡¯re obviously the best suited of us for this task, are you, Tia?¡± Tia winced and stood up straighter. ¡°I¡¯ll get right on it, Max!¡± Then she turned and vaulted over a branch to the next platform. Tim nodded at Max and grabbed one of the ropes to descend to the ground. He¡¯d start looking for signs of monsters around the base of the outpost. Glancing up, he caught an elf watching them, who quickly turned once he caught his gaze. Tim winced. In the future, they really needed to make sure conversations like this were more private. Maybe our low Wisdom stats are a problem after all. Their Queen returned after several hours, looking tired, but also smiling slightly. Mia, on the other hand, was looking more excited than he¡¯d ever seen her. Granted, that wasn¡¯t saying much. Tim hopped onto a branch near them and sat down, waiting for the rest of the Hive to gather. As he did, he glanced at his status sheet again.
Tim Drone Warrior
Level: 8
Mana: N/A
Con: 11 Str: 13
Dex: 10 End: 11
Int: 13 Wis: 9
He¡¯d gained another point in Str with his newest level. The next one would probably go to Con. His Int and Wis hadn¡¯t risen since he hatched, so he had no idea when their turn might come. Although he felt like he was smarter now than when he¡¯d just hatched, so how well did they really describe someone¡¯s intelligence or wisdom? Max and Tia showed up shortly, and Regina smiled at them all. ¡°We¡¯re going to be staying here,¡± she announced. ¡°In the place they showed me, I mean. We¡¯ll wait out the end of the monster horde with the elves, then we¡¯ll get started on building a proper hive. They¡¯ll leave by then. I also got promises for a bit of help, so it should hopefully go better than last time.¡± Tim smiled, and saw the others grinning, too. He couldn¡¯t help but feel excited. A real hive! A place to stay and build, at least. He knew it would mean a lot of work, but he didn¡¯t mind that. And if his Queen thought they could handle the humans they would undoubtedly have to deal with, that was a bit of a relief, too. ¡°What can we do to prepare?¡± Max asked. Regina chewed on her lower lip. ¡°Try and learn as much as we can from the elves, I guess. We can also keep fighting monsters, but we¡¯ll have to do that once we¡¯re on our own, anyway.¡± ¡°What about the eggs?¡± Tim asked in a low voice. That bothered him. Did they trust the elves enough to show them new drones hatching? It would probably be pretty obvious what was going on. Regina glanced around, presumably checking to make sure they were alone. He couldn¡¯t hear or smell anyone else close by, though, and that was probably a more reliable indicator. ¡°We¡¯ll take them to a secluded spot in the forest,¡± she replied. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just come back with a few more people. I kind of already told Alenas that would happen, and they¡¯ll probably figure it out soon no matter what we do. If they haven¡¯t already.¡± Tim cocked his head. The way his Queen was frowning slightly, the way she spoke that last sentence, implied that she suspected they did. And considering what he¡¯d heard Anuis say, that made sense. And if the elves had, could the humans figure it out as well? He shook his head and made himself focus on the conversation. Tia was asking about getting combat training. ¡°Sure,¡± Regina answered easily. ¡°If you have the time, I don¡¯t see why not. Actually ¡­¡± She frowned thoughtfully. ¡°I guess I could make that a rule, once we have more Workers. They all need to get some self-defense training, at least. And more advanced training if they want, as long as it doesn¡¯t interfere with everyone¡¯s work.¡± Tia gave Max a pointed look. He glanced away, scratching the base of his right blade-limb. Mia, on the other hand, looked apprehensive, if anything. ¡°Go take a nap or something, Tia, I don¡¯t like your color,¡± their Queen said. ¡°Mia, go see about tools like we discussed. Max, I¡¯d like to go on a patrol around the camp with you. Tim - do what you do, I guess.¡± Tim felt his chest puff up a bit before he made himself stop. He¡¯d seen the small smile on his Queen¡¯s face, before she turned to jump to the ground with Max. He felt gratified that she didn¡¯t feel the need to give him any specific instructions. Gods knew (if they were real) she had more than enough to deal with already. He didn¡¯t want to add to her burden. Even this crap with Tia and Max arguing over combat training. Tim shook his head and resolved then and there to solve problems, not make them. He knew that he would probably end up in a leadership position once they had more, younger Warriors. Even if he would rather act on his own, fight without having to worry about others, he¡¯d do his best. He climbed to the higher platform where most of the elves had set up camp to talk to Bianorn again. Maybe he could get him to make them some more training weapons. They could use those. Or even real weapons. Anything was better than a stone ax. Chapter 29: New Beginnings The monster horde ended the day after her new drones hatched. If Regina had known that, she might have just tried to hide them in the forest. When Max brought a group of three level 1 drones into the outpost, the elves seemed just a little nonplussed. Regina watched them closely. She saw Anuis¡¯ eyes narrow in what might have been realization or intense consideration, and Bianorn glanced at her with a look she found difficult to read. But at least none of them made an issue of it. She managed to deflect their questions, hopefully. For the most part, she just told them that she didn¡¯t really know where her people came from ¡ª which was at least a half-truth, since she had no idea where she had come from or how exactly whatever biological or magical process made the drones worked. She also said that there were some issues she would rather not speak about, as they were sensitive for her and her companions. Regina didn¡¯t get the impression that they were satisfied with it, but the elves didn¡¯t press her too much. Instead, they focused on packing up their camp. The number of monsters in their surroundings had decreased, and when Anuis declared that the horde was over and they were leaving, the forest seemed about as safe as it had been before, if not more so. ¡°It¡¯s usually quiet after a monster horde,¡± Bianorn told her when she mentioned that observation. ¡°Many strong monsters have been killed. Those that survive generally retreat and lick their wounds.¡± ¡°That is why I¡¯m confident you will be safe even without us,¡± Anuis said, stepping up to where they were standing at the base of the treehouse. She inclined her head towards her. ¡°It has been a pleasure, Regina. I wish you the best of luck.¡± Regina mirrored the gesture. ¡°To you as well, Anuis. Safe journey.¡± The others quickly made their goodbyes as well, and before she knew it, the elves were walking down the trail, leaving them behind. Regina stood looking after them for a while. After a minute, she heard someone shifting behind her and turned. Her hive was gathered in the small clearing, looking at her expectantly. She paused for a moment. Seeing them like this, the difference between her old companions and the new hatchlings was apparent. Not so much physically, of course. Max was just a bit taller than the new Warriors and Tim might be as well, and they might look just a bit sturdier and more muscular, but that was all. No, it was in the way they looked at her, in the way they held themselves. She could tell that Max, Tim and even Mia and Tia kept a small bit of their attention on the surrounding forest. The others just looked kind of eager. She smiled at them. ¡°How have you been settling in?¡± Ben exchanged a look with his brother Dan, before he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve had much settling in to do, my Queen.¡± She chuckled and nodded. He wasn¡¯t wrong. Regina considered them for another moment. Ben had started with the same stats as Tim, while Dan had one point less in Dex and one more in End. Bea, on the other hand, had stats like Mia¡¯s, but with a point in Str traded for one in Con. ¡°Is there anything else we can do, my Queen?¡± the young Worker asked now. ¡°Pack up everything if you haven¡¯t already,¡± Regina answered. ¡°We¡¯re going to move to the new site immediately.¡± The others nodded and hurried off to gather what supplies they had. Fortunately, the elves had been kind enough to leave them some camping equipment, and they had meat from the monsters they¡¯d fought. It didn¡¯t take long for everyone to be ready to leave. Regina glanced back once, then led her expanded hive through the forest. She shook her head to herself. This was probably a big enough group not to have to worry about monsters, but a part of her still wanted more. She¡¯d let her mana fill back up, use it for the most necessary tasks, wait until it was full again, then lay more eggs. At least a scout or two this time. Maybe another Worker. There was probably a lot of work in front of them. Once they reached their new home, or rather where it would be, Regina felt herself smiling. It was a nice summer day, with a fresh breeze tempering the heat from the blazing sun overhead. The lake¡¯s water glittered in the sunlight, and it smelled of grass, fresh earth and new beginnings. ¡°What now?¡± Max asked, glancing around. Regina had given it some thought. ¡°We should build some shelters first, like we had before, just to keep the rain off when necessary. Then we¡¯ll get started building proper structures. There¡¯s clay by the water, but we¡¯ll probably have to just let it bake in the sun instead of firing bricks properly. We¡¯ll also use the wood of trees we cut down. Do any of you have anything to add?¡± She looked around, but they all shook their heads. ¡°Good. We¡¯ll probably have to experiment a lot. I was thinking we might even try building two different houses in two styles, a log cabin and one with bricks, so we¡¯ll see what works better and how much effort it takes.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°We¡¯ll need a lot more than two houses anyway,¡± Mia commented, frowning thoughtfully. ¡°But it¡¯s not like we have a time limit, do we, my Queen?¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d rather get a settlement going as soon as possible, but no, not really.¡± ¡°What about defenses?¡± Max asked. ¡°We can build a ditch and a palisade,¡± she answered. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have the means for anything more, but it should be enough to at least keep some monsters off and help us fight the ones who¡¯ll attack anyway. But our biggest defense is probably going to be you Warriors. You¡¯ll also do the bulk of the hunting for food and level that way.¡± ¡°There are also fish in the lake,¡± Tim noted. ¡°And if it comes down to it, we can just eat grass and leaves from the forest.¡± Regina nodded, then looked around. She suddenly saw their surroundings in a new light. ¡°Has anyone actually tried eating grass or leaves yet?¡± After a moment, Tia raised her hand. ¡°I tried a few juicy leaves, just out of curiosity. They tasted kind of odd, but I didn¡¯t have any problems.¡± Regina just shook her head. Fucking weird alien biology. We really could be an apocalyptic swarm if we tried, couldn¡¯t we? Well, at least I won¡¯t have to worry too much about food supplies. She looked at the others again, noting that the new drones had remained silent so far. That wasn¡¯t surprising, since they simply lacked the experience to contribute much. But her hive was still bigger than it had ever been, and the additional hands (and other limbs) would be useful. ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± They went to the edge of the forest, about two hundred meters from the shore of the lake, to build their shelters. Regina sent Mia and Tia to look for the same kind of vines they¡¯d used before, while the rest of them started cutting and gathering branches. Building the shelters went a lot more quickly now than it had before, since they had some experience with the process. Regina also didn¡¯t need them to be too fancy, since they were just temporary structures. It helped that her hive had some pelts from monsters they¡¯d killed over the last few days. Those would help keep them warm at night, at least. Although she¡¯d learned that the drones liked sleeping curled up together, Regina preferred less elbows getting in her face. She was ripped from her thoughts by a familiar low growl. Regina stood up, dropping the branches she¡¯d been holding, and squinted into the forest. After a moment, the System showed her the designation of the Monster stalking them.
Black Panther ¡ª Level ?
It was at least level 10, and quite a bit bigger than the other monsters of its kind she¡¯d seen before. After a moment, when it apparently realized that she¡¯d seen it, the branches of the tree rustled and she heard it getting closer. ¡°Hatchlings and Workers, get back,¡± Regina commanded. ¡°It¡¯s too strong. Max, Tim, we¡¯ll take it together. I have the center.¡± Max and Tim arrived by her side in a flash. They advanced on the panther together, and Regina kept half a step back. She was glad she¡¯d brought along the polearm she¡¯d taken from that human guard. The panther tried to swipe at Tim, but he deflected it with one of his blade-arms. Then Max attacked, getting its attention. Regina and Tim waited for an opening, trusting in his defense. When it came, Tim stabbed at it from the side while Regina aimed a blow at its legs. The panther dodged to the side, but she still managed to catch its right hind leg and make it stumble. That was all the opportunity Tim needed. He Charged forward, thrusting his blade into the joint of its other leg. The panther made a yipping sound and folded. Max bashed it over the head and Regina prepared another strike. Then Tim sidestepped with the motion of the panther¡¯s turn and stabbed it in the neck. That ended the fight. Regina took a deep breath and stepped back, glancing at the forest. ¡°I leveled up, my Queen,¡± Tim reported quietly. ¡°Good job.¡± Regina smiled at him, then looked at Max, but he was simply staring at the dead monster. After a moment, she cleared her throat. ¡°Would you get started on harvesting it? Teach the new guys how to do it.¡± They still didn¡¯t have consistent access to metal, except for her Conjuration spell, but Regina had been thinking they might be able to make use of monster parts. High-level ones were quite strong, and their fangs and claws should be more durable than mundane animals¡¯. Probably good enough for some spearheads or arrowheads, or even to make things like needles or awls. She went back to gathering branches and weaving them into the walls for the shelter she¡¯d been working on, leaving the gory work to the drones. By this point, she no longer felt bad about that. Her main strength, besides making more drones, was in magic, anyway. She glanced at her status.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 9
Mana: 170/200
Hive: 7/25, 0
Con: 12 Str: 12
Dex: 12 End: 12
Int: 14 Wis: 14(+1)
She¡¯d used some of her mana earlier to conjure stuff they needed and it was filling back up. Her physical stats hadn¡¯t risen since ¡ª ever, actually, as far as she knew. She didn¡¯t think it would stay that way for long, but clearly her mental stats would keep ahead of them. Regina frowned and sighed to herself. She should reach level 10 soon. She had the feeling that something interesting would happen when she did. She hadn¡¯t gotten a new spell in a while. And she should really practice making Firebolt some more, she knew she was close to getting it. But it was more than that. She suspected that level 10 would be some kind of threshold. Already, she could feel a weird kind of tension in her body, as if it was preparing to do something new. ¡°How many of these shelters are we going to build, my Queen?¡± Bea asked hesitantly. Regina blinked, then looked at her and smiled. ¡°At least three, I think. I have a feeling our hive might be growing quicker than we can keep up with building housing, soon.¡± Bea smiled, as did Tia, who had paused in her work to listen in. Mia was still bent over the entrance to the shelter, measuring something in order to put in the door she was somehow putting together, and appeared immersed in her work. Regina grinned and got back to work again. She felt more relaxed than she¡¯d been in what seemed like a long time, surrounded by her hive in their own territory. Chapter 30: Types and Abilities The hive settled into a new routine quickly. Very quickly. Clearly, Regina wasn¡¯t the only one who felt good about finally having a bit of space to call their own, and the drones were working hard to develop it into something approaching a real home. She¡¯d had a long discussion with Max and Tim about their security and defensive measures. In the end, Regina decided that their fortifications would have to wait a bit. Not because they weren¡¯t important, but because they wouldn¡¯t be able to finish them quickly, anyway. She wanted a proper palisade around their homes, and since she expected rapid growth, that meant they¡¯d need to reserve space inside it. There was just no way they would be able to chop down and process enough trees for such a large wall, at least not with their current strength. That left the Warriors free to assist the Workers and to hunt. Regina had laid more eggs the same day they arrived here. Two Drone Scouts and a Drone Worker. The scouts should be able to help the warriors hunt, as well as help guard their hive. Her hive was growing by leaps and bounds, but it still felt small. Regina wanted to start a proper settlement, and that needed manpower. She also needed to level up. Max had quickly followed Tim in reaching her level, which meant that even if the two of them fought enough monsters to earn another level-up, they wouldn¡¯t be able to get it. A higher level would also raise Regina¡¯s limit for her hive and possibly speed up her mana regeneration, if nothing else. She was probably gaining experience for establishing herself like this, but it hadn¡¯t been enough to put her over the threshold yet. A part of her wanted to wait and see if the hatching of her three next drones would do so, but without any way to chart her progress or experience gain, that was probably not very helpful. So she set out to hunt monsters, accompanied by Tim and the two lower-level warriors. Max was staying behind along with the higher-level Workers in order to protect the hive. Regina had considered what might go wrong during this trip and resolved to stay close enough to get back quickly and take whatever they could use for first aid. She had not considered the possibility that she wouldn¡¯t find anything to fight. ¡°This is a little ridiculous,¡± she huffed, plopping down on a fallen tree trunk as they crested yet another hill. ¡°I can¡¯t believe there aren¡¯t any strong monsters around.¡± Tim glanced at Ben and Dan, who were breathing heavily and clutching their makeshift weapons. They¡¯d both had several fights, with low-level monsters they had encountered. Tim had held back and only stepped in when they seemed to be in real danger to help them level up. It had paid off, since both were level 2 and could probably reach level 3 quickly. ¡°There are still monsters,¡± he noted. ¡°But they¡¯re no challenge for me and I doubt I¡¯ll get real experience from them,¡± Regina retorted. ¡°That is why I left them to Ben and Dan.¡± The two Warriors exchanged a glance. Ben looked like we wanted to say something, but then closed his mouth and looked away. ¡°Bianorn did say that the stronger monsters are either dead or have retreated, my Queen,¡± Tim reminded her. ¡°I know.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°Do you think we should keep going or head back?¡± Tim frowned, glancing at the sky. ¡°We¡¯ve been out here for several hours, and even if we¡¯ve been walking in an arc around our territory, I wouldn¡¯t go too much farther.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go back. Maybe we¡¯ll see some monsters on the way.¡± On the way back, they encountered another small pack of Flametongue Wolves, none of them over level 4. Tim joined in and helped Ben and Dan fight them, taking on two of the wolves to leave them one each. Regina hesitated, but didn¡¯t join the fight herself. She didn¡¯t have a real weapon at the moment, and she was more focused on using magic, anyway. But with her mana regen limited, she didn¡¯t want to use any mana she didn¡¯t have to. It took longer to get back than she¡¯d thought, especially since they waited for the younger Warriors to gut and clean their kills. Regina lent a hand in carrying them back to the camp. When she finally walked out of the forest and saw that everything appeared to be calm, the same as when they¡¯d left, she breathed a sigh of relief. She set the carcass of the wolf she was carrying down with a thump and watched as Bea hurried over to take it. Her hive couldn¡¯t afford to waste any materials they got. Still, as Regina walked away and looked out over the field and the sparkling water of the lake, she felt cautiously optimistic. They just needed some time to grow. But we might not get that time. That night, she slept in the first of the completed shelters, using wolf pelts as mattress and blanket. Her sleep was more restful than it had been in days, and she went about her day with new energy. By her count, it had now been about three weeks since she first woke up in this world. Since she hatched. And a week since the monster horde started. It had been relatively short, but apparently vicious. Her hive would have to be strong enough to face the next one in five years, whatever else happened. Regina didn¡¯t worry about that, though. Five years were a long time, especially to someone with her Class, or Template, or whatever made her a Hive Queen. She helped the Workers finish up the last of their provisional shelters and helped with preparations for their real building projects. The boys were set to work chopping down trees, passing the one good ax they had between them. Regina and the Workers went to what she would optimistically call a clay pit and started experimenting with the material. They would probably need wooden frames to form proper bricks of the same size and shape, and from what she vaguely remembered, mixing in straw would be good. Maybe they could also try just using the clay as a binding material for walls with a structure of woven branches. They didn¡¯t get a lot done that day in terms of building, but they made good progress in figuring things out. Regina felt motivated to get it done quickly. The next day, she woke up early, took some of the cooked meat they had left from dinner, and set off to the location. She wasn¡¯t the first one to arrive, though. Mia was already there, bent over the frame of rough wooden planks they¡¯d prepared the day before, apparently immersed in her work. ¡°I hope you got enough sleep,¡± Regina commented. She¡¯d had to almost drag Mia away last evening, too. The drone started, looking up and reflexively drawing in her work-limbs. After a moment, she relaxed. ¡°Oh, my Queen! I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t see you there. Yes, I slept well and I feel rested enough.¡± ¡°Good. It¡¯s nice to see you so engaged.¡± Regina put down the waterskin she¡¯d taken along and started poking at some clay they¡¯d dug out. ¡°Do you think this is more promising than the log cabin idea, then?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We probably won¡¯t know until we really get started. Speaking of, where should we try to bake the bricks?¡± ¡°I was thinking just setting them up over there. It¡¯s a clear space and the sun will shine directly on it. It¡¯s going to be a warm day, too. Let¡¯s see ¡­¡± They both dove into their work and didn¡¯t talk much except to point out issues or suggestions. Tia was at the forest¡¯s edge today, trying to get wooden beams prepared for the actual building. Ben occasionally showed up and she saw Dan patrolling around the field, but she didn¡¯t pay them much attention. Regina was so engrossed in her work that when it was interrupted, she felt disoriented for a moment. She blinked and looked up, then paused as she realized what it was that felt different. That sense inside of her, not quite her mana but connected to it, had shifted. If she focused on it, she could feel three presences more clearly. But her moment of realization was interrupted by the System.
You have leveled up
You may now select your first Ability!
Regina gasped and crouched down. She felt dizzy for a second, and there was a warm sensation in her body. It spiked until she she felt a stab of heat through her core. It took her a moment before she could focus on the next screen the System showed her.
Congratulations, you have reached Level 10 as a Hive Queen and unlocked your second type of drones. You may now create Swarm Drones.
¡°My Queen! Are you alright? What¡¯s happening?¡± She felt Mia¡¯s hands on her shoulder. Regina took a deep breath, pulling her attention from the System to her surroundings, and answered, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I leveled up and apparently unlocked a new type of drone.¡± She paused and grimaced. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to see what that means quickly.¡± A pressure grew in her abdomen, one that felt familiar, though slightly different. Regina closed her eyes, focused on the agitated mana in her body, and tried not to worry as she let her biology run its course. When she was finished, Regina straightened up and took a step back, breathing deeply. She felt tired, though no worse than last time. Which was interesting, since there were five eggs laying in the grass this time. They had the same swirling brownish gray coloring as her other eggs. But these eggs were a little smaller. Regina carefully picked one up, turning it in her hands thoughtfully. It felt slightly warm, almost alive, like the others. Then she glanced at Mia. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get these into the shelter.¡± Mia nodded and carefully gathered up the eggs. The two of them headed back to the edge of the forest, where they¡¯d built their shelters. It wasn¡¯t a long trip. Once they arrived, Regina put the eggs into a small indentation on the ground in one of the shelters, braced by twigs and cushioned by leaves and fur scraps. Only then did she step back and look around for the former inhabitants of this space. Max was talking to the three new drones a short distance away. They and Tia had all stopped what they were doing and were watching her, but clearly didn¡¯t want to come and bother her. Regina eyed the two new Scouts for a moment. They looked like leaner versions of the Warriors, for the most part. Although, interestingly enough, one of them seemed to be female. Like the other Scout, one of her lower limbs extended into a blade like the Warriors¡¯, but shorter. The other one instead was a more complicated, multi-pronged tool, and Regina couldn¡¯t make much sense of it with only a quick glance. But she turned her attention back to the System. It felt like it still held information for her. As soon as she thought about it, it showed her a new screen.
Hive [Unnamed]
Total: 11
Inner Hive: 10/25 (+0) Swarm: 0/10
Warriors: 4 War Drones: 0 (+5)
Workers: 4
Scouts: 2
Regina whistled to herself. It sounded a bit higher-pitched and yet more scratchy than she would have liked. So, she now had a new type of drones, Swarm Drones, with one new Template, War Drones. From the name and the eggs, she could guess that they were intended to be weaker but more numerous. Still, that couldn¡¯t be all of it. ¡®War Drones¡¯ sounded very generic, less like a proper class than something like ¡®Drone Warrior¡¯. Regina blinked and turned her attention to the next notification screen the System was showing her. She¡¯d finally unlocked her first Ability, and she was curious to see what that meant.
You may now select your first Class Skill. Please choose one of the following:
Hive Locator: You can sense the location of all of your Hive members. You will now be able to pinpoint their coordinates and distance more precisely as well as receive more detailed information on their status. At higher levels of mastery, you will be able to project the location of your Hive as or into a fully visible map, including information on Hive members¡¯ status.
Enhanced Telepathy: Your mind is the mind of your Hive. Your psychic connection to your Drones deepens, enabling closer communion. Telepathic contact is easier and may include broader targeting. At higher levels of mastery, you will be able to use your psychic power outside of the context of your Hive.
Mage¡¯s Focus: Your path is one of magic. Your rate of mana regeneration will be improved, as you will get an effective bonus to your Wis stat, the size of which depends on your Int stat. Learning new spells will be easier for you. At higher levels of mastery, you will have greater control over casting your spells and be able to cast two at once.
Regina couldn¡¯t help herself and whistled again. All of these Abilities sounded very good. Even if she had to wait ten levels, they seemed a lot more powerful and complex than what the drones got. But she knew what she wanted as soon as she saw the option. Mage¡¯s Focus was very tempting, especially since the reduction in her mana regeneration rate was one of her greatest issues right now. But its main effect was something she would get anyway as she leveled up further. It was the only choice that focused on her own power, not her hive. But she wasn¡¯t just any mage. Regina knew that, while her path might be one of magic, her greatest strength was her hive. She should choose something that would help her strengthen it further. Hive Locator would be cool, but what really called to her was Enhanced Telepathy. Besides, it sounded like she could get most of the effects of the locator option with that, too. And if it strengthened the psychic connection between them, it might affect not just herself, but her whole hive. It might even allow the drones to talk to each other eventually. And while Hive Locator¡¯s map might be a great strategic asset, the prospect of using psychic power on people outside the hive was what really convinced her. If she could just walk up to an enemy and make them surrender, or stand still while her drones killed them, that would be a real game changer. Even if actual mind control wasn¡¯t possible, it sounded very promising. Resolved, Regina tapped on the middle option. The screen disappeared with a small shower of sparks. For a second, she just stood there, wondering if that was it. But after a moment, she could tell that something had changed. Her sense of the drones was clearer. Not really any different, but it felt a bit deeper, for lack of a better word. She wouldn¡¯t be able to describe their locations any easier than before, but it was far more profound than that. For an instant, she felt like they were a part of her in a way that she hadn¡¯t noticed before. Smiling, Regina turned and started heading to the cluster of drones, who were still not so discreetly watching her. Time to meet the new drones, and maybe try out her new Ability a little. Interlude: Embers The monster roared, shaking the leaves of the nearby trees, but she could tell that it was a roar of pain. It crouched, blood dripping from the Lionit¡¯s side. Janis took a step back, her focus narrowing on her opponent. She breathed deeply, feeling her mana spread through her body and forcing it into shape. It twisted, almost slipping through her mental fingers. A drop of sweat dripped down her forehead and she blinked. Then she was ready and she cast the Spell. A Magic Missile shot out of her hand, slamming into the wound in the monster¡¯s side. The Lionit made a high-pitched yipping sound as it was thrown off its feet. It struggled for a few moments more, but finally lay still. Janis raised a hand to rub her eyes.
You have leveled up
¡°Gods yes!¡± She stumbled to an overturned rock and sat down, stretching out her legs, still grinning. She¡¯d done it. She had learned Magic Missile, and she had reached level 10. Janis sat there for a minute, recovering her breath. She felt too elated to care about her tiredness, the blood on her dress or the badly-wrapped gash in her left forearm. She had been stuck in level 7 for what felt like years, even if it had only been a few months in actuality. Then she¡¯d finally reached level 8 helping defend the village against monsters. That had been the day the Delvers came. Her grin slipped from her face at the memory, and she took a deep breath and made an effort to release the tension in her body. She¡¯d gone out frequently since then, hunting monsters, at first near her village and then coming into the outskirts of the forest. Janis shook her head at herself. After she¡¯d lost her parents, she¡¯d promised herself she would never become an adventurer, and look at her now. But it had paid off. In only a week, she had gained two levels. Of course, she knew she¡¯d only gained that last level because of Magic Missile. Most people might not know, but one of the benefits of leveling without a Class was that the System would reward you for various things, not just accomplishments in line with your Class. Learning a Spell by herself must have brought her a nice sum of experience. Janis smiled again. Now that she¡¯d reached level 10, it was time to finally get her Class. With a shift of her attention, she pulled up the message.
You may choose your Class. This choice will define yourself and your path forward. It cannot be be undone. Choose wisely. Based on your racial characteristics, past actions and personal accomplishments, the System has selected the following Classes for your consideration.
Below that was a list of Classes. Janis whistled silently as she read through it. There were more choices than she had expected, at least twenty. Focusing on any of them made a new screen expand, giving her a bit of information on it. But she quickly breezed past them. There were a lot that she didn¡¯t care about, from Baker¡¯s Apprentice (probably because she¡¯d helped out at the village bakery a bit) to Hunter (these fights against monsters, presumably) to Disciple (she couldn¡¯t even guess where that came from). But she¡¯d finally gotten the choice she wanted. Janis hesitated as she saw that the System offered her the option of Fire Mage as well as Mage. For a moment, she wavered, tempted to choose it. But then she shook her head. Old, almost forgotten advice from her father rang in her ears, warning her not to over-specialize. Besides, she didn¡¯t want to restrict herself, not when it came to this. It might be childish, but she daydreamed of being able to fly. She¡¯d need air magic for that, not fire. And she remembered the old adventurer who¡¯d passed through Forest¡¯s Haunt years ago, who she¡¯d talked to for hours and persuaded to test her magical talent. She had an affinity for air magic as well, not just fire. With her choice made, the System sheet dissolved in a shower of colorful sparkles, and her bones thrummed like someone was blaring an inaudible trumpet. Janis shivered, feeling a warmth spreading throughout her body. She sensed her mana rise and vibrate for a long moment, before it calmed again. Then she stood up and flexed her hands. She felt much better now, as if all of her prior pain and tiredness had been swept away. Grinning again, Janis called up her status sheet.
Janis Mage
Level: 10
Mana: 250/250
Con: 10 Str: 9
Dex: 10 End: 12
Int: 15 Wis: 14
Janis nodded to herself, happy with what she saw. Then the echo of a far-off howl brought her back to reality. She stood up, glancing at the corpse of the monster she¡¯d killed and at the sky. Usually, she would skin and harvest it here, but the sun was sinking and night would fall soon. She didn¡¯t like the thought of leaving it behind, especially since the pelt and teeth would make her a nice profit. But as her mother used to say, you couldn¡¯t spend any money if you were dead, and she didn¡¯t fancy the thought of being in the forest at night, even if she was not far in. So she grabbed her hunting knife, secured her pack, and set off back to the village. She felt her excitement drain out of her with every step and chided herself for it. The village might not be where she wanted to be, but it was her home for now. And her aunt might actually be worried for her, even if the old shrew wouldn¡¯t show it. Janis emerged from the forest quickly and crossed the fields towards the village, putting her newfound energy to good use. It was still getting noticeably dim outside by the time she reached it. Janis frowned as she saw the soldiers standing by the entrance on the main road. The Delvers had finally left a few days ago, but things still hadn¡¯t gone back to normal. At least she could finally walk around the village without feeling like she was constantly being watched. She pulled the strap of her pack tighter as she remembered what happened a week ago. She¡¯d often found her thoughts straying to Regina, the strange ¡®Hive Queen¡¯, over the last week. And not just because she was the reason Janis had learned her new Spell. The girl had shown her something she hadn¡¯t seen in all the years she¡¯d lived in the village and barely realized she missed. It felt odd to think of her in that manner, since she was only a fifteen-year-old girl, whatever her Class. But she hadn¡¯t acted like a girl, she¡¯d acted like a woman. A confident, if not quite regal, woman, sure of her power and her responsibilities. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Janis was no idiot and realized that Regina had seen her as a useful contact at best. An illusion of friendship was not why she¡¯d headed out that day, resolved to do what she could to try and free her from the Delvers¡¯ clutches. It was for the best that there had been no need for that, of course. Janis hadn¡¯t told anyone about her encounter, but she had been pondering it. Although going out to search for a mysterious demihuman with unknown intentions in the wilderness sounded a lot like adventuring. And there was the way Regina had looked at her in that alleyway. Assessing. For a moment, Janis thought she¡¯d seen what she¡¯d rather not let people know. Janis frowned to herself at the thought, then glanced around at the village. She had reached level 10 far more quickly than someone without a class should. Still, she didn¡¯t think any of the villagers would notice or realize anything. If the baron heard of it, he might, but she didn¡¯t think he would say anything. As far as she knew, no one in Forest¡¯s Haunt suspected that she was anything but completely human. ¡°He, Janis!¡± She glanced up and started. Ty, the smith¡¯s son, was carrying bags of ore out of his father¡¯s shop without a shirt on. When he caught her gaze, he set his bag down and waved, tensing his muscles a bit more than was perhaps necessary. Janis returned a small wave and quickly hurried on, forcing herself not to make a face. She knew that her aunt had been talking to Ty¡¯s mother about arranging a betrothal. Janis could already hear her nagging her again about finding a husband and settling down. Yes, the boy was strapping and had a secure future, but it would take a lot more than that for her to let anyone tie her to this village, to a life like this. Besides, his family was most likely only interested because she had high Int and Wis stats. By the gods, most of the people in this village could barely read and write. At least Janis had had the benefits of a real education, before. Her parents hadn¡¯t been the most successful of adventurers, but they¡¯d done well enough. Her life in the city sometimes felt like a pleasant dream, separated from her current life by almost a decade of dirt and drudgery. Janis occasionally felt it would be hard to find a more backwards place. Not that she was going to tempt fate by saying so. Still, a voice in the back of the head was questioning her resolve. At least adventuring was one of the few careers where women could act almost equal to men. Janis paused as she finally reached her aunt¡¯s home, surprise pushing away her dark thoughts. After a glance at the black courser tied to the wooden post, she opened the door and entered with a smile. ¡°Janis! Good to see you. You look healthy.¡± ¡°Uncle Rich.¡± Janis closed the door and returned his hug, before she stepped back and looked the man over. Her great-uncle had reached a high enough level that his aging had slowed. Although she knew he was at least sixty, he still looked like a middle-aged man. His black hair showed some gray, but he was still tall and broad with muscles instead of fat. His clothes were dusty from travel, but still of finer make than hers, as expected for a knight in the service of the local marquis. ¡°Are you staying for dinner, Sir Richard?¡± her aunt asked, bustling out of the small attached kitchen. A few strands of red hair had broken free and were dangling down her face, and she¡¯d rolled up the sleeves of her old dress slightly. ¡°No, thank you, Madam Marian. I won¡¯t be able to stay for long.¡± ¡°Janis, go stoke the fire!¡± Aunt Marian barked. ¡°And make sure you clean your shoes properly this time.¡± Janis rolled her eyes and went to do as she was bid. With Spark, it didn¡¯t take her long, and she returned to the main and only room of the house quickly. Then she sat down on the chest opposite Uncle Rich. ¡°I¡¯ve got news, Uncle. But first, what brings you here?¡± ¡°I was sent to talk to the baron, and I wanted to check on you,¡± he replied. His smile quickly faded into a sober expression. Janis sat up straighter. She hadn¡¯t seen him in almost a year and was looking forward to talking to him, but this seemed serious. ¡°Has something happened?¡± ¡°You could say that, although it¡¯s nothing that concerns you directly. But the conflict between the elves and the Nerlian kingdom has escalated.¡± Janis paused. ¡°You mean they¡¯re going to start a war?¡± He let out a small sigh. ¡°The war has already started. We just got word from the capital. The Nerlians have already mustered their armies. They¡¯re most likely fighting their first battle as we speak.¡± Janis drummed her fingers on her thigh, trying to remember everything she knew about the situation. A cold shiver trickled down her spine. ¡°But that means we¡¯re going to be called on to join them, doesn¡¯t it? The king is married to a princess from Nerlia, right? So ¡­ ¡± Her uncle shook his head and leaned forward. ¡°I can¡¯t be sure, but I would guess that is likely. My lord has already implied that I would be given command of some levies we¡¯d send to Nerlia.¡± Janis grimaced. ¡°They¡¯re calling up levies?¡± He sighed again and shrugged. ¡°We need men to defend against any major threat that might come from the forest, not to mention that we are close to an elven city. They won¡¯t strip too many from the march.¡± His lips twitched into a small smile. ¡°Besides, I may have mentioned that the marquis likes the king just as little as the reverse.¡± Janis snorted. He had mentioned that before, though she hadn¡¯t paid much attention. It was the kind of gossip knights liked to pass around just as much as washerwomen, they just pretended to be more discreet about it. ¡°I even heard him say that if His Majesty orders him to move out in force into the forest against the elves, he¡¯s going to mysteriously lose the missive,¡± Uncle Rich added in a conspiratorial tone. Janis shook her head, but she couldn¡¯t help but smile. Was he drunk or something? If Uncle Rich was telling her this, it was probably all over the castle. Well, it wasn¡¯t her problem. Janis glanced up to see her aunt standing by the doorway. When their gazes met, Marian didn¡¯t glare at her or move away. She just looked concerned. ¡°We¡¯ll simply have to wait and see,¡± Uncle Rich continued in a louder voice. ¡°I just wanted to see you before I left. Now, what is this news you have got?¡± Janis smiled, feeling some of her excitement return. ¡°I got a Class!¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°You mean you got a Class, or -?¡± ¡°I chose a Class,¡± she quickly corrected. ¡°I¡¯m a Mage, level 10, now.¡± ¡°Congratulations, Janis. I have to admit that I half-expected something like Fire Mage, though.¡± ¡°That was an option I considered,¡± she admitted, ignoring his teasing smile. She hesitated for a moment. ¡°But I was hoping you might help me find a position with it. You said mages are always in demand.¡± ¡°You¡¯re bound and determined to get away, aren¡¯t you?¡± He frowned. ¡°You know mage Classes are usually something for nobles and people from families with means. Books, for spells and such, aren¡¯t cheap, not to mention the issue of leveling safely ¡­¡± ¡°I know, you¡¯ve told me before. Mages are weaker and more vulnerable at lower levels, although they¡¯re powerful later. But I¡¯ve already reached level 10, and I learned three Spells on my own!¡± Well, one of those was Spark, which barely counted, and she¡¯d had help from someone for another, but it was still nothing to scoff at. He nodded slowly. ¡°You clearly have talent. And my lord wouldn¡¯t turn his nose up at the chance to get more mages. Most nobles wouldn¡¯t. Alright, I¡¯ll talk to a few people. Just don¡¯t expect instant results.¡± Janis grinned, barely containing herself from jumping up. She knew she¡¯d still need to be patient and that there might be issues, but she found it hard to care. She was confident she would finally get out of this village, hopefully to something better. Chapter 31: Swarm Drones It started to rain the day after Regina reached level 10. A light drizzle at first, that slowly turned into a pounding rain pouring down on them as the day wore on. Regina and her drones gritted their teeth and continued with their work. Lots of animals seemed to seek shelter from the rain, and it hampered visibility as well, so Regina kept the Warriors close. With the additional help, despite the weather, work on their log cabin proceeded quickly. They cut down trees and prepared logs to use in building it. Max and Tim¡¯s higher Con stat seemed to have made their blade-limbs tougher, enough that they could use them to chop down trees relatively well. The rain continued through the night, but their shelters kept the worst of it off them. Regina heard the wind howling through the branches of the trees, but it never quite turned into a real thunderstorm. By the time the sun started to rise, the rain was tapering off, and the clouds parted to let some sunshine through. The western horizon showed a truly breathtaking rainbow that made Regina wish she had a camera to capture the sight. Their meadow had turned to mud in a few places, but overall, it was in pretty good shape. They were far enough from the river not to have to worry about any flooding, and the little lake wasn¡¯t going to be much of a problem even swelling with runoff water. Regina told herself that it could have been a lot worse. She wanted some proper walls by the time a real storm came, though. She took a break from working in the woods to go to the lake and try to catch some fish with Tia and Tim. It turned out that her Magic Missile worked just as well underwater, so even without proper equipment, she could contribute. Tia used one of the crude spears they¡¯d fashioned, while Tim preferred to dive. He was really good at crouching at the bottom of the lake¡¯s shallows, still and hidden, then pouncing on an unsuspecting passing fish. His stats probably had something to do with it. ¡°My Queen, maybe we should start trying to smoke some meat or fish,¡± Tia suggested. ¡°Winter is going to come eventually, and there might be times when we don¡¯t have time or opportunity to go hunting.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. And we can¡¯t rely on just meat for long. I don¡¯t want to overhunt the area. Or even on the greenery. We don¡¯t know if we can really sustain ourselves on that long-term.¡± Tia cocked her head, looking thoughtful. ¡°Do you want to start cultivating crops?¡± Regina sighed and shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll have to. I just wish we knew how best to do it or had some seed grains. Maybe we can gather some wild grains, but I¡¯m not sure how well that¡¯ll work.¡± ¡°Is it even the right time of the year for that?¡± Tim asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sure there are some crops that you can plant in the summer.¡± Regina stretched where she was sitting on the grass, glancing around. It was a nice day, even with the smell of rain still in the air. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to be too worried about food or crops. They¡¯d get by, and they were still only starting out. Besides, she was sure she could trade something with the elves eventually. Then she made herself get up. She ripped out some grass and ate it, just to try it out. It tasted surprisingly bitter and she had to chew it a bit, but it wasn¡¯t so bad overall. Regina started walking up and down the lake, assessing her surroundings. The lake wasn¡¯t large, but it would let them build and test boats later on, and the connection to the river would be useful for transport. Just as she returned to the spot closest to the forest, Regina paused. She felt something shift again. The sensation was different from last time, but she still had an idea of what it meant. Although it had only been two days, not three. She briefly dipped into the connection she had to her hive as she turned and walked back, checking on everyone¡¯s position. Max and most of the others were still working in the woods not too far from the shelters, though Ben as well as Ace and Ada, the two new Scouts, were out patrolling. By the time she arrived, the new hatchlings had apparently managed to free themselves of their eggs and stepped out into the open. There, they simply stood, still except for the way their eyes, antennae and occasionally heads tilted to take in their new environment. Regina paused, coming to a stop a few meters away, and scrutinized them. The War Drones were clearly smaller than the other drones, and built somewhat differently. While their upper limbs had blades similar to the Warriors, their middle ones seemed to be designed to let them walk on four legs as easily as two. They had something resembling hands, though they were stubby, covered in their shell material and four-fingered. But the most significant difference wasn¡¯t in their physical appearance, but in their minds. Since she picked her Class Ability, Regina had been more aware of the drones¡¯ minds and found it easier to sense them. She didn¡¯t even need to try with these Swarm Drones; they didn¡¯t seem to have much of a barrier and almost automatically linked with her. And what she found was both easier and harder to interpret. They had the same senses and carried information just as easily, but the drones¡¯ own cognitive processes were basic. Frowning, Regina picked one at random and dove deeper into it. She sensed what it sensed; the wind, the ground under its feet, the movement of the leaves of the surrounding trees, and more. But its feelings were erratic and transient, and barely went beyond hunger, warmth, companions ¡ª and something she found hard to put into words, but the closest would be duty. There was no real, higher-level thought. No awareness of itself as an autonomous entity. Regina gathered herself and took a step closer. ¡°Move forward,¡± she told them. At once, the War Drones obeyed her command, walking a few steps forward. All of their attention was on her. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Regina frowned. This was quite interesting. Then she focused and sent a mental command to the left-most drone. On cue, it started stepping back, then circling the others, then jumping into the air and finally cutting down a thick branch from a tree. She took a moment to direct her attention to her telepathic sense again and focused on Max, sending a short message. She couldn¡¯t really communicate with actual language and detailed thoughts, not yet. But it worked for simple ideas like ¡®Come here¡¯. Sure, she could have just called him over the normal way, but she was trying to practice. In the meantime, she focused on one of them again and tried to focus her attention in a way she¡¯d come to associate with accessing the System. Right away, its status screen appeared.
War Drone
Level: 1
Mana: N/A
Con: 8 Str: 8
Dex: 8 End: 8
Int: 4 Wis: 4
Regina frowned. It looked like they had considerably lower stats than other drones, or people. Forty in total instead of sixty. And obviously low mental stats, although that raised the question of whether they could get smarter if they leveled up. Still, they weren¡¯t so weak that they couldn¡¯t be dangerous with superior numbers. ¡°My Queen?¡± Max asked as he came to a stop beside her. ¡°So, the new drones hatched. You called for me?¡± Regina nodded and glanced at the Swarm Drones. ¡°Order them to do something.¡± Max frowned, but he turned his attention to them and took a step forward. ¡°War Drones, form up in two ranks,¡± he said loudly. The War Drones immediately formed two lines, although they were a little uneven since they were an odd number. Max looked back at Regina, who shrugged. Then he continued, ¡°Stand on two legs and jump into the air. Alright. Uh, patrol around this clearing in pairs while one of you stays here.¡± That took a moment longer, and Regina felt an echo of more frenetic mental activity, but in the end the middle War Drone stayed in its place while the other four walked off straight away from it. ¡°It seems like that¡¯s about the limit of what they can handle,¡± Regina noted. Max looked thoughtful. ¡°They¡¯re not like us, are they?¡± ¡°No. They don¡¯t seem to be sapient, as far as I can tell. And, well, I can definitely tell, with the telepathic connection. To be honest, I feel like maybe I was supposed to get access to them first and your kind of drones later, but who knows.¡± ¡°What does this mean for us?¡± ¡°For starters, I¡¯m going to lay another five of these eggs as soon as my mana refills.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I think this development increases the hive¡¯s strength a lot.¡± Max nodded. The two of them turned and slowly started heading back towards the others through the trees. They paused as they passed two of the War Drones patrolling in a rough circle around the clearing, walking side by side on four legs. ¡°Forgive me if this is out of line, but you seem pretty happy about this,¡± Max observed. Regina blinked and looked at him, then shrugged. ¡°To be honest, I feel a little relieved. They¡¯re quickly produced and don¡¯t take as much mana out of me, and, not being self-aware, they¡¯re expendable combatants. More expendable, I mean. If we have to fight, I¡¯d rather risk some of them than one of my Warriors.¡± Max nodded. They¡¯d stopped, close enough to hear the others at work, but still surrounded by trees. ¡°All of us would gladly risk our lives for you and the hive, but I definitely agree, for what it¡¯s worth.¡± Regina ran a hand through her hair, which was still little more than stubble. ¡°I know.¡± They stood there for a few seconds, looking at the War Drones and listening to the sounds of the others. Regina wasn¡¯t in a hurry to move. Instead, she tuned in to their minds with half of her attention. ¡°It seems a little weird, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Max finally said. ¡°To me at least. I can¡¯t imagine how it must feel like to you.¡± ¡°It does feel odd,¡± she said. ¡°I mean, I laid their eggs.¡± ¡°They¡¯re your children,¡± he said, tilting his head. ¡°Yeah. Although it feels really weird to think of them like that, having children that are non-sapient.¡± She exhaled and shook her head. ¡°I mean, I know I haven¡¯t been the best mother, but ¡­¡± Max shifted uncomfortably. After a moment, he laid a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself, Regina.¡± She looked up, met his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s a case in point. You¡¯re calling me by name because I¡¯m not comfortable being called ¡®mother¡¯.¡± Max winced a little and withdrew his hand, but he didn¡¯t look away. ¡°There will be too many of us, there already are, for you to act like a parent in your human memories,¡± he said after a moment. This time it was Regina¡¯s turn to look away. ¡°I know,¡± she said quietly. The underbrush rustled as Max stepped forward. ¡°The knowledge you have and that our hive has is a huge advantage, and I¡¯m sure it colors our view of the world. But presumably our species must do things differently.¡± ¡°I know,¡± she said, looking back at him. In his eyes, she read an unspoken question. Do you know? But Max was too respectful to say it. ¡°When did you grow up so much?¡± she said with a light smile, breaking the tension. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s join the others.¡± They resumed walking, while Regina tried not to dwell on the conversation. She focused on the link to the Swarm Drones in her mind and called them back. She should probably feed them first, and then they could be useful and help with the work. They reached the other drones quickly and caused a bit of a stir with the arrival of the War Drones. Regina watched with a smile as the work got abandoned and they started admiring and testing out the new troops. Then she glanced at her status screen to distract herself.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 10
Mana: 176/270
Hive: 10/25, 0 Swarm: 5/10, 0
Con: 12 Str: 12
Dex: 12 End: 12
Int: 15(+1) Wis: 14
It now showed not just her sapient Hive drones but also her Swarm Drones. Her mana had also increased a bit with the new drones'' hatching. It could still rise further, although Regina wasn¡¯t quite sure how many slots she wanted to fill in the hive. She¡¯d probably level again before she could reach the limit, anyway. Regina shook her head and mentally ordered the War Drones to get to work cutting down trees and hacking off branches. She¡¯d have to experiment to see how detailed her commands could and would need to get, and how well her other drones could mimic it. They were presumably supposed to lead parts of the Hive¡¯s Swarm. Chapter 32: Visitors, News and Questions Whatever Regina might have been in a previous life before she came to wake up in the egg of a Hive Queen, she was pretty sure it hadn¡¯t been something practical. Like an architect or engineer. She felt the lack when she looked at the buildings they¡¯d erected. Her hive finally had two log cabins and was in the process of building the third structure. They were bare, rectangular things, with no decorations or finesse. As Regina compared them to the skeleton of the next one, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they would collapse. Then she shook her head and turned away. She was being too negative. Besides, she might have been someone in the medical field, she did seem to have a bit of medical knowledge. That could be useful. She walked over to Tia and Bea, who were working on the other project. They¡¯d already dug a ditch that was at least fifteen meters long, with a corresponding mound of earth behind it. That was where they¡¯d put sharpened stakes to make a palisade. It was about the best defensive fortification they could build under the circumstances. Still, it would take a while to finish. ¡°How is it going, girls?¡± Regina asked. Tia looked up. ¡°I think the amount of dirt I can remove when I use my Class Skill is increasing slightly, my Queen. But it is still going slowly.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°That¡¯s interesting, and don¡¯t stress yourself too much about it. We knew this would take some effort.¡± ¡°It would also be helpful if you could finalize and mark out where you want the line to be.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Max and the others about it. Although you should probably be part of that conversation, as well, Tia.¡± Regina glanced up at the sky to gauge the time, a habit she¡¯d found herself developing. ¡°Let¡¯s say, today at dinner?¡± ¡°Whenever suits you, my Queen. Is there anything else I can help you with?¡± Tia asked. ¡°Not really, I¡¯m just making the rounds. Keep up the good work.¡± Regina nodded at them, then turned around. While their new home wasn¡¯t quite the makeshift camp it had been, calling it a settlement would still be a bit of a stretch. Things were going well, though. They¡¯d only been here for a few days, and that it was taking shape already probably said good things about her drones¡¯ competence and motivation. Regina strolled away from the two Workers and in a curve around the perimeter of the camp. She found herself a little lost, unsure what to do in general and how best to put her skills to use. She didn¡¯t even have a clear picture of what her skills were. She had been considering it and concluded her main issue was that she didn¡¯t really have a clear goal. She wanted to build up her hive, sure, but how and what for? There was the question of how she¡¯d come to be in this situation, but she didn¡¯t exactly have many leads in figuring it out. In a way, things had been easier when they were running from the monster horde or trying to deal with the humans. For now, Regina determined that she wanted to get a clearer picture of the state of affairs in this world, and she would feel safer going out and trying to get information with a stronger base, a stronger hive. Which kind of puts me back at square one. Ugh. Maybe I just need to wait until it¡¯s large enough to actually need a queen. Her thoughts were interrupted when Dan, one of the younger Warriors, ran up to her. ¡°My Queen! Ace just came back with news.¡± Regina turned and glanced toward the forest. ¡°Did he say what he found?¡± ¡°He said that we¡¯re going to have visitors from the forest, my Queen.¡± Regina nodded, then started hurrying towards the trees, Dan falling into step behind her. Max was already there, talking to the young Scout. ¡°I hear we¡¯re getting visitors?¡± she asked as she arrived. ¡°A group of elves,¡± Max said. ¡°They were going to come sooner or later, weren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I saw five elves, but there might have been more, my Queen,¡± Ace reported. ¡°They were all armed. That was about ten minutes at a run from here.¡± That meant they were coming quickly. Regina nodded, then stepped forward. ¡°Alright. Dan, go get Mia and Tia. It¡¯s probably best if we keep the drones who have dealt with them before here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to try to hide the rest, my Queen?¡± Max asked. Regina hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not going to work, at least not in the long term.¡± She frowned, considering if she should at least hide the War Drones, but then decided it wasn¡¯t a good idea. ¡°Besides, it would be foolish to assume that they didn¡¯t already have a scout with stealth abilities check in on us. If not before, then on this trip.¡± They didn¡¯t have a lot of time to prepare, and Regina didn¡¯t see the point in doing much. If anything, this just showed her that she needed to have better eyes on her territory and its surroundings. They could have easily missed the visitors¡¯ approach completely. The elves came out of the forest a few minutes later. It was a group of three men and three women, which meant they had indeed had at least one more person somewhere else on the way, maybe in the treetops. ¡°Welcome,¡± Regina greeted them. She stepped forward and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nice to get visitors. I know our little settlement isn¡¯t much, but we¡¯re working on it.¡± The man in the lead bowed his head slightly. It wasn¡¯t anyone she recognized, although Regina had taken a look at what the System showed her for all of them. Unsurprisingly, they were all higher leveled. ¡°Thank you, Hive Queen,¡± he responded. ¡°You seem to have made good progress in a short time, simply judging by what I can see here.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Thank you.¡± Regina stepped back to invite them to come closer. ¡°We can at least offer you some food and water. I have to admit I¡¯m curious to hear what brought you here.¡± They walked further inside, to the fireplace at the center of their camp. She saw the elves looking around curiously. ¡°Curiosity is what brought us here, in the main,¡± the leader answered. According to the System, he was named Lianan. ¡°We wanted to check up on your group and perhaps give you some help if you needed it.¡± Regina nodded. She gestured at some seats around the fire, little more than some grass that had been pressed down and a few monster pelts, and sat herself. ¡°That is appreciated. You represent your government, then?¡± He tilted his head slightly. ¡°We do, yes.¡± ¡°Well, I think what we need most at the moment are good tools and perhaps weapons. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think we have much to trade for them with, at least not yet.¡± The elf nodded. ¡°I understand. We may be able to provide some tools to help you get started. Unfortunately, weapons are a different story. I¡¯m afraid our government will not be able to spare those.¡± Regina narrowed her eyes. She glanced at Max, who stood beside her and was clearly listening attentively, then back at the elves. ¡°As I said, I am happy to have you visit, but why now? We have not been here long, and I was under the impression that it was not a trip of just a few hours.¡± Lianan looked undecided for a moment, before he nodded. ¡°The journey would take several days ordinarily, yes, although that can be shortened for those with higher levels.¡± That was an interesting fact which Regina tucked away in her head carefully, but she didn¡¯t want to get distracted. ¡°So there is a reason you are coming to visit now?¡± Another elf spoke up now, a woman with orange eyes who was apparently called Nias. ¡°Yes. We have also come to warn you. Events are afoot that might impact you. In any case, we are to inform you of them, and see if there is perhaps even something you could contribute.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all ears. What is this about?¡± Lianan answered, ¡°About three months ago, there was a raid on an elven enclave near the Brightvers Forest. It is located several weeks¡¯ travel roughly northwest of here. The locals found evidence that the local human kingdom we share a border with, Nerlia, was involved. The border has been disputed for a while, and we have had disagreements on the ownership of the silver mines nearby, as well as the management of the monster spawning grounds in the area. In retaliation, the local detachment of the Guard raided an outpost that served as a base for adventurers and soldiers, trying to secure evidence. Unfortunately, the son of a local human noble was caught up in it and maimed in the fighting. To cut a long story short, there were several escalating incidents, and our attempts at diplomacy failed. The Nerlian king has officially declared war and mustered his armies.¡± Regina sat back and crossed her arms, contemplating that. ¡°So you are at war?¡± He inclined his head affirmatively. Well, that¡¯s ¡­ interesting news. Regina frowned. This made her see a lot of what had happened with the elves in a new light. No wonder they didn¡¯t want to send weapons, they probably needed all they had for themselves. ¡°I have to admit I¡¯m not very familiar with the local geopolitical landscape,¡± she said. ¡°How big of a threat is this?¡± Nias grimaced. ¡°We could handle Nerlia alone. Unfortunately, they have an alliance with the local human kingdom here, Cernlia. They might very well join the war soon.¡± Regina glanced out over the lake. ¡°This is the kingdom to which the village and the castle that fell to the horde belong?¡± ¡°They have retaken and are rebuilding the castle,¡± Lianan said. ¡°But yes, indeed.¡± Regina looked at her drones. They all seemed concerned. ¡°How much danger are we in?¡± Max asked. Lianan and Nias exchanged a look. ¡°We cannot say,¡± Lianan answered. ¡°I do not think they will send soldiers here, but if they do, your settlement might be at risk. It is simply too close. And if they learn of our, well, relationship, they may consider you targets.¡± ¡°Well, thank you for letting us know,¡± Regina said, not voicing what else she was thinking. She fell silent for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°We might be able to help, if not now, then soon. But I cannot make any promises.¡± This was just bad timing. If they had even a few more weeks, she¡¯d feel much better prepared. As it was, sending just a few War Drones wouldn¡¯t be more than a token gesture. Lianan nodded. ¡°We understand. And thank you for your understanding.¡± That seemed to be all that the elves had wanted here, and they quickly prepared to leave again. Regina wondered if she should feel offended that they hadn¡¯t even accepted any food from them, but then she realized that she had no idea what elves ate, they might all be vegetarian, and most of what her hive had was monster meat. She accompanied them back to the edge of the forest and exchanged polite goodbyes with the two leaders. After that, the elves set off back into the trees. Regina turned to leave, then paused. There was something else here. She couldn¡¯t hear or see it, but there was another scent in the air. She turned and frowned at the space to the side of where the elves had stood, where an old tree¡¯s thick branches offered a good perch. ¡°And who are you?¡± The air shimmered and another woman appeared. She floated down to the ground as if gravity didn¡¯t mean anything to her. ¡°Oh, shoot. I must be losing my touch. Too long since I dealt with a race with such an enhanced sense of smell.¡± Regina frowned. The woman¡¯s scent was odd. The closest she could compare it to was the charged feeling in the air during a thunderstorm, before lightning struck. That comparison didn¡¯t make any sense, but it was weird. At first she¡¯d thought the visitor was just another blonde elf, but on a closer look, she wasn¡¯t so sure. While the woman did have pointed ears, her skin still looked just a little shimmery, her features seemed more human than elven, and her eyes were a very light gray closer to silver, without the reflective quality of elves¡¯ eyes. Regina focused on her for a long moment, but the System refused to pop up any information. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude,¡± she said, taking a step back and glancing at the Warriors stepping up beside her. This person was obviously powerful. ¡°But I¡¯d like to know who you are and what you¡¯re doing here.¡± ¡°Watching you, of course,¡± the woman replied lightly, as if it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I was just leaving anyway. I just thought it would be interesting to see how you reacted to the news of a war. Tell me, are you thinking of participating?¡± Regina resisted the urge to clench her hands. A part of her was really not happy about being questioned by a stranger showing up uninvited in her territory, and only their obvious strength kept her from showing it. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Do you think I should?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking for my advice?¡± The woman clapped her hands together once. ¡°Interesting indeed! I suppose Alianais might be onto something with you.¡± That didn¡¯t sound like she was going to get an answer. Regina paused, unsure what to say. ¡°Alianais?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re just precious!¡± The strange woman grinned again, then turned to go. ¡°Ciao for now, little Hive Queen.¡± Then she looked back and winked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t depend too much on divine favor if I were you, kid. Benerron might have stuck his fingers in, but you¡¯re just as likely to get burned as given a parasol, if you catch my drift.¡± She disappeared. In an instant, none of Regina¡¯s senses could detect her anymore. For a moment, she just stood there, staring at the spot where the woman had been. Regina shook her head, not sure what to think at all. Chapter 33: A Hives Structure Regina was obviously living in a fantasy world now, something that could have come out of a story or movie in the vague memories she had of her former world. She hadn¡¯t processed that fact well enough, hadn¡¯t realized what it meant. Now, as she considered the visitation by the woman that was clearly implied to be some kind of divine being, she cursed her short-sightedness. And her ignorance too, while she was at it. She¡¯d known that the people of this world, or at least this region, believed in several gods. Given that elves and demihumans obviously existed, she should have considered that maybe physical gods did too. And here she was: if not the only Hive Queen in the world, then clearly the only one in a large area. Even if you disregarded whatever was up with her mind, memories or soul, it shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise that she would be noticed. For all she knew, powerful wizards with farseeing or clairvoyant powers had taken notice, too. Or maybe psychic dragons, or super-spy demihumans. She just didn¡¯t know what was possible in this world. She really needed to find out more about the names the woman had mentioned; presumably, two gods (given the comment about ¡®divine favor¡¯), and both of them apparently interested in her. Although she didn¡¯t know why, how much or what for. For now, there was little she could do but keep an eye out and try to prepare. Regina had already decided that the next time elves came to visit, she would send at least one of her drones back with them, maybe even go herself. She wasn¡¯t confident that she could find their city on her own, but the previous group had said they¡¯d send tools. Then there was the war. A part of her was irritated that they¡¯d brought her in just when they were clearly gearing up for a big conflict. It felt like she was getting played, and she did not like that. But Regina didn¡¯t let that anger get out of hand. She would have probably done the same in their place, and they hadn¡¯t even asked her for anything yet. Now, if she actually got drawn into this war, that would be a different story. In the meantime, she focused on preparing and growing her hive. She¡¯d already decided that she would focus on making more War Drones for now. Given the current situation, they could reliably and productively have several of them put to work under the control of one of her sapient drones. Once she had a few dozen of them, she might focus more heavily on increasing the sapient drones¡¯ numbers. Regina went out a few more times to hunt down monsters, accompanied by a few of her warriors. They even took along a few War Drones. It seemed those could level up just like any other person or monster. Sending them in groups against the weakest of monsters proved to be the best strategy to get them past the first level, although it took more fights that way. She¡¯d already noticed that the System must adjust how much experience one gained for a fight based on several factors, like whether or not one was in a party and everyone¡¯s relative levels. Regina reached level 11 a few days later, which increased her hive limit for sapient drones to twenty-eight and the limit for Swarm Drones to sixteen. She got the feeling that with a bit of practice or some more levels, she might actually be able to influence which of the caps got expanded. Although she didn¡¯t have anything concrete to base that supposition on, it was just a hunch. For now, she filled up her limit of War Drones while the hive continued their expansion. They finished a few houses, though those were honestly little more than huts with four walls and a thatched roof. They also kept working on the defensive palisade, though that was slow going. Regina had marked out the part of the forest they would clear first, and started burning out the stumps of trees they¡¯d felled. At least they were in no danger of running out of trees anytime soon, and clearing the forest further would give them more space to build on or to use for other projects. She used her Conjuration magic sparingly to create a few things they needed. Mostly, that meant small amounts of metal, which she already created in the basic shapes that were needed. She talked with Mia and made plans to start making charcoal and build a proper forge. Although that would need to wait a little, since they had more important projects to tackle first, and not enough metal or ore to make it worthwhile. But she was starting to realize that what they needed most was still knowledge, and not just in the abstract sense, but practical know-how on how to make and use stuff on a medieval technology level. They could muddle through a bit with experimentation and the Workers¡¯ instincts, but that would only take them so far. And while Regina might know a bit about electronic and more advanced technology, they simply had no basis for building it. They needed to make the tools to make the tools to make something like an electrical generator. Although a proper old-fashioned waterwheel would probably be more useful at the moment. That was what convinced her to call the current meeting, as she gathered around the fireplace with her original four drones. ¡°We all understand how much we need more knowledge and understanding, my Queen,¡± Mia said after she¡¯d told them what she was considering. ¡°But how much could we realistically hope to learn even if we sent someone to the human village?¡± ¡°They probably know at least some things that would be very useful,¡± Max said. ¡°I think the issue is whether they would agree to teach us.¡± The others nodded. ¡°We don¡¯t know anything about the situation there,¡± Tim said. ¡°To be fair, that¡¯s one reason that I do think we need to find out more. But it¡¯s possible the Delvers are still there and would attack any drone they find. It¡¯s even possible they¡¯ve turned the previously helpful humans against us so that those would do the same.¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°So, it¡¯s risky even if it might be necessary,¡± Regina concluded. ¡°Yes, my Queen,¡± Tim answered. ¡°And not just for whoever we send, that¡¯s not why I¡¯m concerned. But do we want to tip them off that we¡¯re still in the area?¡± ¡°Especially since we probably have much better odds of learning something useful from the elves,¡± Max added. ¡°We¡¯d just have to wait for their next group to come.¡± ¡°It would make us even more dependent on them, though,¡± Tia said. Regina sighed and tugged on her mandibles. They all had good points. ¡°For now, we need to get a better idea of what¡¯s happening over there,¡± she finally said. ¡°The elves said that they¡¯re rebuilding the fort, but I¡¯d like to confirm that. Then it might be helpful to even just watch the village from a distance, and scout out the area a little more thoroughly.¡± The drones nodded. ¡°As you say, my Queen,¡± Max said. ¡°So who do you want to send?¡± ¡°I was going to ask one of the scouts.¡± Max and Tim exchanged a look. ¡°Then we should pick at least a few Warriors to go with them, my queen,¡± Max said. ¡°There are still monsters around.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Right. Not either of you two, though. I need you here.¡± And she didn¡¯t want to risk them. Even without considering her personal attachment, they were her most experienced and highest-level warriors. Neither of them looked happy, but they didn¡¯t protest or point out that they were the only ones who¡¯d actually been there. ¡°Then I suggest Ben and Dan, my Queen,¡± Tim said after a moment. ¡°They¡¯re the highest level after us. I¡¯d put Ben in charge, he has a good head on his shoulders.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°Make the arrangements, then.¡± Half an hour later, the scouting group set off, the two young Drone Warriors accompanying Ada. Regina had debated sending a few War Drones along, but decided against it. They were too weak to be of much use, considering they¡¯d need to level up a lot just to have the same stats as a normal level 1, and she didn¡¯t want to send too big a group. With that matter taken care of, Regina tuned her attention to the next important point she wanted to consider: The structure of their settlement and the hive. She met with Mia and Tia again while Max and Tim went off to help the other warriors hunt or cut down trees. ¡°You can probably guess what I wanted to talk about,¡± she began. ¡°Do we need or want an underground part of this hive?¡± Mia frowned thoughtfully. The three of them sat around the low burning campfire, and she perched on top of a tree stump, dangling her legs. In contrast, Regina sat on a small pile of monster pelts, which had to be more comfortable. ¡°The boys would probably say that it would have a lot of defensive potential,¡± Tia said when Mia didn¡¯t speak up right away. ¡°Especially if we have actual tunnels and stuff.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I know. But how feasible is it? Can we do a proper underground hive system?¡± If they could build something like that, it would be great, but so far, she¡¯d hesitated. At least log cabins weren¡¯t likely to collapse if someone didn¡¯t dig correctly or to get flooded. ¡°It should be possible,¡± Mia said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t like to dig too close to the lake, though. But farther up, especially in the direction of the rocky hills we saw before, it should be better.¡± ¡°So, would it make more sense to wait until our base is a little better established and we can expand?¡± Regina asked. Mia and Tia exchanged a look, then shrugged. ¡°If you want my recommendation, my Queen, I think we can start right away,¡± Mia said. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to keep working on it and expand it further in time. Besides, having longer tunnels that connect different places would be one of the advantages of something like this, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll defer to your expertise,¡± Regina said with a small smile. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it this way, then. I¡¯d like one of you two to take charge of that project.¡± ¡°Maybe I could do it, my Queen?¡± Tia offered. ¡°Then Mia could keep working on the houses and other buildings.¡± Mia nodded, seemingly agreeing with that suggestion. ¡°Okay. Then you¡¯re responsible for the fortifications and the underground part, Tia, and you for the rest of the work, Mia,¡± Regina stated. She paused and considered the situation for a moment, while Mia and Tia left to get to work. Her hive was starting to get something like a real organization. It was probably inevitable that the older and more experienced drones would end up in charge of their fields. The need to allocate the War Drones just reinforced that. At least she hadn¡¯t noticed any signs of resentment from the other drones. Regina glanced at their budding village. She was living in one of the cabins at the moment. The drones had insisted on giving her one to herself. They shared the others, and, from what she heard, they were happy with it and wouldn¡¯t have wanted their own bedrooms anyway. The War Drones usually slept outside in the old shelters, though there were always a few drones on watch at night. It was probably about time to suit actions to words and organize some regular self-defense training for all of the Workers. They should work out more of a schedule, too. Regina liked having dinner with all of her hive. It gave her the opportunity to see all of them, even those she hadn¡¯t talked to much. She sighed, stood up and stretched. It was time to do some more training. She¡¯d rationed all of her magic, but as she had a little spare mana right now, she was determined to finally get that Firebolt spell worked out. She wanted to learn a healing spell, too. She felt like she¡¯d been close. That would need someone to be injured, though. Unless she could practice it on some monsters or animals that were injured in a hunt and not killed? Who knows, maybe making them capture something alive will be good practice for the warriors, anyway. Regina smiled to herself and walked to a tree stump she¡¯d chosen as a target. On her fifth try, she finally managed to set it on fire with her new attack. Shaping the mana correctly wasn¡¯t easy, but her control had improved, and she still remembered the pattern precisely. Regina grinned, focusing and forming another spell. She had a headache already and felt like she¡¯d run for a few hours, but she wouldn¡¯t let that stop her. After a moment, a new streak of fire flew from her hand and crashed into the tree stump, making it smolder. She pulled up her spells window, basking in the accomplishment.
Spells:
Spark
Magic Missile
Lesser Basic Conjuration
Firebolt
Regina smiled to herself and staggered off to find something to eat. Learning more spells would probably get harder from here. Chapter 34: Scouting Mission Ada stepped out of the forest slowly, carefully. She glanced around, looking out over the vast field. She¡¯d never seen that much grass before in her life, but that was not important to her right now. There was a lot that she hadn¡¯t seen before. She listened carefully and tried to parse all of the scents she could catch. The wind was coming from the east, which was helpful. After a few minutes, when she was convinced that there really wasn¡¯t anyone else around, she turned and called back. ¡°It¡¯s okay to come out now!¡± Ben and Dan stepped out from behind the trees. They looked around just like she had, their eyes wide with curiosity. ¡°Did you find any points of concern?¡± Ben asked. Ada shook her head. ¡°No. The only monsters probably aren¡¯t close enough to bother us, and I couldn¡¯t find any traces of other people. Still, this area is pretty exposed. Let¡¯s move through it quickly, okay?¡± Ben nodded, and they set off together, Ada a few steps in the lead and the two Drone Warriors behind her. They¡¯d traveled some distance through the forest already, and only encountered two monsters that they had fought off. Mostly the warriors, really. Ben had even gained a level and was level 6 now, while Dan and Ada were both level 5. Ada might be younger than them, but she¡¯d been leveling quickly, probably because she¡¯d done a lot of scouting. Her brother Ace might have reached level 5 first, but Ada had been the first one to speak up and volunteer when their Queen asked for one of them to go as part of this little expedition. She wouldn¡¯t let her down. But she knew this wouldn¡¯t be like the scouting she¡¯d done before. The human dwellings were situated in areas that were too exposed, and there would probably be people actively looking for any potential threats that came near. It was one of the reasons she had decided not to follow the river. That would have been too obvious, and they might be watching it more closely. Still, the human castle was built in the middle of it, so they couldn¡¯t go too far. At least Max, Tim and Tia had drawn her maps of the area, as detailed as they could make them, and told her what they¡¯d seen. It was almost as good as if she¡¯d been there herself. And while Ben had been put in charge of their group, he let her do her job and followed her decisions when it came to the scouting part of their mission. Which was really most of their task. They moved slowly, trying to keep low and use the cover of the high grass. Ada had to suppress a wince occasionally, when one of the Warriors¡¯s steps would make an especially loud thump. They weren¡¯t that good at stealth. But it should be okay, considering they were alone. Anyone close enough to hear their footsteps would know they were there anyway. She just didn¡¯t want to be unprofessional. The castle came into sight quickly, making them slow down even more. Even from a distance, Ada could see that its walls had been damaged. There were some discolorations in the stone it was made of. It looked like they¡¯d rebuilt the walls, though, at least the basic structure. Small shapes still swarmed over it, humans at work. A wyvern perched on the roof of one of the corner towers, its head tucked against its back. It looked like it was napping. From what she¡¯d heard, it might mean that wyvern riding mage was here, or someone at least equally powerful. She changed course, keeping the distance to the fort open and starting to circle around it. They were definitely watching, and she didn¡¯t want them to get discovered. It was probably better to just check on the village and then go from there. Ada told Ben and Dan what she wanted to do, and they nodded. ¡°Just check our surroundings carefully,¡± Ben said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to stumble upon hidden humans. Or hidden monsters.¡± ¡°You can keep your eyes open, too,¡± she responded. ¡°I may be a Scout, but more pairs of eyes are better than just one. The same goes for ears and noses, too.¡± Dan snorted softly, but he didn¡¯t say anything. They kept moving in silence. They had deliberately left the forest on the side of the river where the main part of the village was located, so they didn¡¯t have to cross it here. The river curved around, anyway, heading off roughly to the northeast. Ada occasionally caught a shimmer or a dark shape moving through the water, showing there might be aquatic monsters. She was glad they didn¡¯t have to try and swim in it. ¡°This is pretty interesting,¡± Dan said after a few moments. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll meet many monsters?¡± Ada resisted the urge to look at him. ¡°Keep your voice down, please. And is that why you volunteered for this mission?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t volunteer for it,¡± he said. ¡°Tim volunteered us.¡± Ada glanced back and raised an eyebrow. She caught Ben thumping Dan in the arm. Then they continued on in silence. The village looked exactly like she¡¯d expected, but she did have good descriptions to go on. It was basically just a cluster of simple homes, not much better than their Hive¡¯s settlement, even if it was much larger. The main road leading there from the castle, and probably further on into the kingdom, was the only one that looked like it would support wagon traffic. There were no paved streets and the others all seemed to have been built with few right angles. From out here, they couldn¡¯t see much. The fields around the village mostly still sported crops, especially grain, but it was trampled in many places. That had to be the effect of the monster horde. There was a pair of men standing at the entrance to the village, wearing a kind of heavy cloth-based armor and metal helmets, and carrying weapons and shields. They didn¡¯t look all that fearsome to Ada, but she couldn¡¯t read their System descriptions from this far away. ¡°Do you see them?¡± Ben asked in a low voice. ¡°I can barely make out anything.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Ada nodded and started walking to the side, keeping the distance open. ¡°I can. There are two guys standing watch.¡± She described what she saw. She was thankful for her first Class Ability, Keen Sight. It was a passive ability that improved her eyesight, especially at long distances. The other options had been improvements to her hearing and sense of smell, but she hadn¡¯t picked those because she knew they were already quite good compared to humans, or probably most people, while potential enemies wouldn¡¯t expect her eyesight to be this keen. Besides, vision was the sense that covered the longest distance, under most circumstances. They moved around for a few hundred meters, getting a new angle on the village, but didn¡¯t really see anything new. Ada wasn¡¯t sure whether they should try to get closer from a new direction, where there might be fewer people watching, and get a closer look. But she didn¡¯t know how many men were keeping watch or where they were stationed, and it was possible some where hidden in a position where she wouldn¡¯t see them. ¡°We could maybe get closer, if we move away from these soldiers,¡± she said. ¡°But it would be a risk. I¡¯m also not sure how much we would really see.¡± Ben nodded. He looked thoughtful. ¡°Do you see any indications that there¡¯s something important further in?¡± ¡°Not really. But I¡¯m not exactly an expert on human villages, you know.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± Dan suggested. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back empty-handed.¡± Ben frowned at him. ¡°Our pride doesn¡¯t matter, Dan, only the good of the Hive. It wouldn¡¯t be good if we get discovered. At least we¡¯ve confirmed that they¡¯ve rebuilt the fort. We could just keep watch on the village for a while and see if we catch sight of anyone who might be a Delver.¡± Ada nodded. That sounded smarter to her too. She crouched down, trying to make her presence as inconspicuous as possible, and settled in to watch and wait. They didn¡¯t have a hard time limit for their mission, and it was understood that it might take a few days. Absently, she wondered if there¡¯d be new siblings when they got back. After a while, she shifted her weight and glanced around, scanning the fields around them and the horizon to make sure that they were still in the clear. When she came to the forest, she paused. ¡°Ben, Dan,¡± she hissed. ¡°There¡¯s someone approaching from the forest, heading towards the village.¡± The boys started and looked backwards. ¡°Crap,¡± Ben said. ¡°What should we do?¡± Ada glanced at the village. They were still a good distance away from it. ¡°We could move sideways,¡± she said, ¡°keeping away from the village and away from the other human. We¡¯ll have to double back to get back to the village or to where we came from, but we shouldn¡¯t encounter any dangerous monsters, at least.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Ben said. ¡°Lead the way.¡± At least the human probably couldn¡¯t see them. They all tried to keep close to the ground as they started moving again. Ada glanced back occasionally. The human was moving quickly. Running at a steady pace, she realized after a moment. They¡¯d already come close enough that she could make out more details. It was a pretty small figure, with a brown cloak and long red hair. Unfortunately, just trying to circle around the village would have them get too close to the river, so she was moving away in a straight line. She checked for monsters and smelled some coming from further ahead and to the north, so she adjusted course again. ¡°Wait,¡± Ada said after a few minutes. ¡°She¡¯s changed course and is coming towards us.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Ben cursed softly. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move more towards the forest, we might be able to lose her in there. And hurry up.¡± Ada changed course again to follow his directions, but that only let their pursuer catch up more quickly. They started running as well, but they only managed to keep pace instead of opening the distance. Then they finally reached the cover of the forest. Here, Ada had to slow down. She picked her way carefully through the trees, trying to keep the noise down. But this section of the forest had a lot of underbrush, and the Warriors were even noisier than her. By now, they could all smell their pursuer getting closer, although it was harder to see through the vegetation. She seemed to be able to track them pretty well, too. ¡°Let¡¯s stop and wait for her,¡± Ben said in a low voice. ¡°Ada, circle around a bit.¡± She nodded and picked up a few sticks, throwing them in the direction they¡¯d been going one after another while she slipped around some trees. It didn¡¯t take long for the human to appear. Ada focused on her and looked at the System notification.
Janis ¡ª Level ? Mage
She recognized the name from Max¡¯s stories, although she didn¡¯t know how common it was for humans. Carefully, Ada stepped out from behind her tree, to the side and slightly behind the human. Janis glanced around, then raised a hand in what might be a greeting. ¡°Hello. I apologize if you felt threatened, that wasn¡¯t my intention.¡± Ben took a step forward, while Dan sidestepped, positioning himself better for a fight. ¡°Why did you follow us?¡± Ben asked. ¡°I was just curious. You three belong to Regina¡¯s group, don¡¯t you?¡± Ada managed not to stiffen or give any other tell, but unfortunately, the Warriors did. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Ben asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think there are more of your people around,¡± Janis answered. She cocked her head. ¡°You were spying on the village, weren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t deny it, it¡¯s quite obvious considering where I saw you.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t mean any harm,¡± Ben said, but he sounded tense. Dan shifted. ¡°We should take her with us,¡± he suggested. ¡°Our Queen can decide what to do about her.¡± Ada tensed. Ben narrowed his eyes, but he didn¡¯t immediately refuse the suggestion. ¡°Now, let¡¯s all calm down,¡± Janis said, clearly trying to sound calm. But they way she glanced around showed that it might just be dawning on her how dangerous of a position she¡¯d put herself in. ¡°Why would you do that? I don¡¯t mean you or your - hive, is it? - any harm.¡± ¡°You saw us observing the village, as you said,¡± Ben said. ¡°We don¡¯t want there to be any unnecessary escalation. But you were in the forest alone, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to go and accuse you of anything,¡± Janis responded. ¡°Besides, I think you¡¯re a little too paranoid. The Delvers have been gone for a while, and no one in the village has anything against you.¡± But if there was going to be a war, then the humans knowing that the Hive was around and had new members might be dangerous. Ada glanced at the others, reading the tension in their postures. Ben was extending his blade-arms. They don¡¯t know about her, she realized. Right, they were on patrol when Max told her and Ace the story of what had happened in the village, and when they talked about the mission later, no one mentioned any individual villagers. ¡°Guys,¡± she said in a low voice. ¡°I think our Queen might be upset if we tried to kidnap this woman.¡± Assuming they could even win in a fight. ¡°She helped the others.¡± Ben glanced from her to Dan for a long moment, while Ada held her breath. Then he nodded and took half a step back. ¡°I apologize if we were rude,¡± he said to Janis. ¡°Please just forget about this little incident.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Janis smiled slightly, her shoulders sagging in obvious relief. Clearly, she wasn¡¯t such a high level that she wanted a three-on-one fight. She stepped backwards. ¡°Please tell your queen that I¡¯m happy she and the others got away and I¡¯d like to take her up on her invitation some day. But it might be best if you all moved deeper into the forest again.¡± With that, she left. The three drones stood there and listened to her go. Ada frowned. Those last words ¡ª Janis knew about the war, didn¡¯t she? But she didn¡¯t tell them about it, just gave a vague suggestion. She certainly wouldn¡¯t earn Regina¡¯s trust that way, if she was trying to. And she might still talk about their presence here. Well, no one had gotten hurt, at least. Chapter 35: To Grow Stronger Despite Regina¡¯s fears, the digging seemed to work out very well. The Workers¡¯ excavation Skill was very useful, and they had a good intuitive understanding of how far and how wide to dig to avoid a potential collapse. She went to inspect the beginning of this more literal hive the same day she laid more normal drone eggs. She¡¯d decided on one of each Template for now. While Workers were more useful immediately, the coming war meant she didn¡¯t want to fall behind on Warriors, and Scouts had already proven useful. Tia seemed proud as she showed Regina around the small cave. They¡¯d started it on a hill at the edge of the forest, which was probably good for making the entrance. So far, there was just a dim cavern, barely big enough for a few drones together, although that was probably a good thing when it came to defending it. Then they had the beginning of one tunnel leading away from it on a curving path, and a niche where a second tunnel would start. ¡°We intend to dig deeper here and lead a tunnel underground towards the center of the village,¡± Tia explained. ¡°But we¡¯ll need to talk with the Warriors about where best to place that entrance so we can hide it.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Makes sense.¡± She looked around and smiled. There wasn¡¯t much light, but she didn¡¯t have a problem seeing in the dimness. The place felt cozy, even if the walls were just bare dirt. ¡°Keep up the good work,¡± she told Tia and the other Worker with her, Ina. ¡°Of course, my Queen.¡± Regina blinked against the sunlight as she climbed out of the cave, but her eyes adjusted quickly. She stepped away from the entrance, looking out into the forest. ¡°I think we should go hunting again,¡± she said. ¡°Of course, my Queen,¡± Max responded. He had hung around outside, but he liked to keep an eye on her, especially if she was close to or in the forest. ¡°Do you want me to come?¡± Regina considered it for a moment. ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°Just the two of us once again.¡± Max was the strongest drone in her hive, Tim was busy training with the other Warriors at the moment, and bringing lower-level drones probably wouldn¡¯t help much, especially when it came to experience. She still took along a single War Drone, just in case she needed an extra set of hands (or hand-analogues). Then they set out into the forest, heading directly away from the camp. The two of them walked quietly, trying not to spook any potential prey. Stronger monsters had begun slowly trickling back into the area, although from the reports she got, it still wasn¡¯t anything she¡¯d have to worry about. Still, they had only walked for fifteen minutes before they encountered the first level 10 monster, a Flametongue Wolf that appeared to be a loner. Regina gestured at Max, then stepped aside and crept forward. After a moment, he leaped at the monster, which was sitting in the sun in a small clearing. The wolf jumped up immediately, but Max¡¯s Charge brought him there in an instant. Regina exhaled and launched a Firebolt. The attack struck the wolf in the side, just as it was ducking a swipe from Max. Its fur sizzled and it jumped aside and shook itself. There didn¡¯t seem to be any major damage, though. Maybe she should have expected it to be resistant to flame-based attacks. Regina narrowed her eyes and stepped closer, then dodged to the side as a tongue of flame lashed out at her. She felt the heat on her right arm and side, but she¡¯d managed to evade most of it. Max made the monster pay for it, cutting a deep gash into its side. The wolf started to back away, perhaps looking for an opening to retreat, but Regina stepped to the side and launched a Magic Missile at it. The attack hit its injured side, and the force of it sent the monster stumbling and losing its footing. Max pushed it down, then cut it again. Regina approached and thrust at it with the simple spear she¡¯d taken along, ending its life. ¡°That was good,¡± she said, grinning. ¡°I can have the War Drone take it back to the camp and we can continue.¡± ¡°As you wish, my Queen. Perhaps you should summon a second one, then.¡± Regina nodded. That would be more efficient than sending one back and forth. She focused on it and sent the commands out telepathically, which she found easier to do with the simple drones. Then they continued on. For the next hour, they didn¡¯t find any other monster worth a fight. They had to change course and head sideways because she didn¡¯t want to get too far from her hive. The forest was thicker here, the underbrush making it harder to move, especially without making much noise. Then, they finally found a level 11 Troll. They crept closer slowly, since it seemed occupied with picking bugs from under a fallen log. But then it stopped and turned towards them, growling. Max jumped forward, capturing its attention. Regina circled to the side and did a few probing stabs with her spear. The monster wasn¡¯t very good at evading, though it had thick skin. They settled in for a long fight, as she cut the Troll and opened several bleeding wounds while Max kept its attention and weathered several blows. Then Regina heard a soft rustle and smelled a new scent. She broke off and turned to the side. After a moment, she lunged forward, stabbing her spear into a bundle of darkness that was just on the side of another tree. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The Shadowing Stalker hissed, its disguise fading. She hadn¡¯t managed to score a major injury, but the Troll turned towards them, roaring. Max used the opportunity to send two swings into its neck in quick succession. The monster stumbled for a moment before falling. Regina retreated, holding the Stalker off. A moment of focus showed it was level 10. Then Max used Charge again, appearing at its side quickly and scoring a deep gash in its flank. The monster yowled and turned at him, but he ducked its swipe. Regina focused for a moment, then launched a Magic Missile. The magical projectile hit it right in the eyes, and it shivered violently, seizing up. But Regina didn¡¯t watch its death throes, as she finally got the notification she¡¯d been hoping for.
You have leveled up
Regina glanced at the System screen and frowned. She¡¯d been hoping for another Spell. Maybe having learned one herself had an effect? She shook her head and decided to think about it later. For now, she ordered the War Drone to carry the dead Shadowing Stalker, then set off back towards their camp with Max. She hadn¡¯t been in this part of the woods before, and looked around, trying to imprint it on her memory. ¡°Which level are you now again?¡± she asked Max. ¡°Still level 11,¡± he responded with a sideways look. ¡°And you didn¡¯t get another Ability?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m hoping there¡¯ll be one for level 12.¡± On the way back, they kept talking about their Class Skills, trying to speculate which ones Max and the other Warriors might get later. He was hoping for something that increased his toughness and ability to defend others. She¡¯d noticed he was clearly focused on defense. Regina was just curious to see how things like that would impact the way his stat points would be distributed as he leveled up. After a while, they neared the camp and she realized that there was more noise than she would have expected. Regina frowned and reached out to her telepathic connection, taking a look through the War Drones¡¯ senses. Then she started running to get back, with Max following her. I really need to get into the habit of checking on the hive when I¡¯m away. They had more visitors. This time, there was a wagon, standing on the field near the cabins with two horses being unhitched from it. About six elves had accompanied it, including Bianorn and a few others she recognized. The drones all kept working as she returned, clearly unsurprised at her and Max¡¯s approach. Bea was helping a red-haired elf with the horses, letting them graze on the field. The other visitors turned to them. Bianorn stepped forward and inclined his head. ¡°Hive Queen Regina! It is good to see you. I apologize for dropping by unannounced.¡± ¡°No need to apologize, we¡¯re happy to see you,¡± she replied with a smile that was mostly genuine. ¡°In fact, there were a few things I wanted to discuss.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The others started unloading the wagon or just looking around while he continued the conversation. ¡°We brought some things that should help you establish yourself. Chiefly some fabric and various tools. Is there anything we need to discuss right away?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I was hoping to accompany you to your city, though, or at least send one of the others.¡± Max tensed up a little beside her, probably unhappy with the idea that she¡¯d be leaving. Bianorn raised an eyebrow, but he didn¡¯t seem particularly surprised. ¡°We will need to adjust our defensive measures, as I believe Anuis mentioned to you,¡± he said. Regina nodded. ¡°I know, but this is important. There is a lot of knowledge that we need, which I hope to find in your city. It¡¯s simply the best place for it. It will allow us to grow stronger. Which, I believe, is in your interests, considering what you told us of this war.¡± ¡°Does that mean we have your promise to support us in the war?¡± ¡°Of course not. Does it look like we have the ability to fight a war, even if we wanted to?¡± Regina gestured at the surrounding camp. This was all they had, a few simple huts and some low-level drones. ¡°But our people do grow in strength quickly, and we wouldn¡¯t just meekly go away if someone sent soldiers and tried to move in on this area.¡± Well, if they were obviously outmatched, then she would probably cut her losses, even if her territorial side disliked it. She didn¡¯t point that out, but he probably expected it anyway. "I see,¡± Bianorn replied with a faint frown. He inclined his head. ¡°I will be happy to accompany one of your people to the city, in any case. Who should I be expecting?¡± Regina glanced at her drones. A few warriors were hanging around. The older and stronger drones stood closer to her. ¡°Tim,¡± she said after a moment. She hadn¡¯t missed the elf¡¯s look. While Tim might be a warrior, he was certainly no muscle-head, and he seemed to have gotten along well with the elves when they had helped them previously. ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you, my Queen,¡± Tim promised. He gave the elf a slight smile. ¡°I look forward to it, Bianorn.¡± ¡°Likewise,¡± the man responded with a nod. Regina sat back on her seat and took a moment to consider the situation. Her gaze was drawn to Ada, who stood waiting and watching with a serious expression on her face. She¡¯d heard the scouting group¡¯s report when they got back, and had the feeling there would be consequences in the future. She didn¡¯t blame any of the drones. They¡¯d acted pretty well in the situation they¡¯d found themselves in. At least it hadn¡¯t come to violence, and Janis would probably not betray their presence to the Delvers or anything like that. Still, it was entirely possible that other humans had seen them, or that Janis would mention the encounter after all. In any case, it had caused her to rethink her idea of sending drones to the human village to ask for knowledge or training. She couldn¡¯t rely on them to handle things perfectly, which wasn¡¯t their own fault, just a consequence of their short lives, lack of experience and the situation. While she could give them directions, that would require her to know when to focus on them, so it wouldn¡¯t be very helpful for surprises. And even if they were perfect diplomats, things could still go very wrong. With the humans apparently preparing for war and maybe even to move into the forest, giving them information on her hive seemed like something to avoid. She hadn¡¯t seriously considered doing as Janis suggested and moving deeper into the forest. They¡¯d built too much here for her to simply abandon it, and she wouldn¡¯t let the shadow of war chase her out of her own territory just like that. Regina glanced around at her hive again, smiling to herself a little. They were growing, and quickly. With more information on this world, she¡¯d be able to guide her hive even better. And they needed to level up. Monsters were one thing, but the forest only had so many of them, and their levels also seemed pretty limited, at least out here. Regina had no desire to kill people, but maybe this war wasn¡¯t such a bad thing in some ways. She¡¯d just need to play her cards well. But why shouldn¡¯t she look to strengthen her hive, and maybe expand her territory, if people were already going to war? Regina shook her head to herself. First things first. She didn¡¯t even have an army capable of playing any role in such a big conflict. Yet. Chapter 36: The City of Trees The wagon rumbled its way along the road, moving quicker now than it had at the start of their journey. Tim glanced back at a creaking sound, but none of the elves seemed concerned. To be fair, the wagon was well-constructed and obviously suited to moving through the forest. It was long but narrow, able to wind its way through trees more easily, and its wheels seemed very broad. They were made of some kind of wood he hadn¡¯t seen before that appeared springy and elastic. ¡°This road seems a little odd,¡± Bea commented in a whisper. ¡°Not bad, don¡¯t get me wrong, but it doesn¡¯t look to be reinforced. If it saw heavy traffic or bad weather, it seems like it would devolve into mud.¡± The road indeed barely deserved the name at first glance. It was marked by the absence of trees, cutting a straight lane through the forest. But the grass that made up its surface seemed perfectly even, and he hadn¡¯t seen any major bumps. ¡°They must know what they¡¯re doing,¡± Tim answered. He was glad that Bea ended up accompanying him to the elven city. Not that he disliked the elves, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous, and having another drone with him helped. Especially since Regina apparently wasn¡¯t able to contact them anymore. She¡¯d been checking in on them regularly, but he hadn¡¯t felt the presence of her mind in a while. The last time, it had seemed muted, as if it was weakened by the distance. They¡¯d been traveling for some time and should reach the city soon, at least. It was hard to measure the distance, but Tim estimated that his Queen¡¯s range was about fifty kilometers. Judging by what Bianorn had said and a glimpse of the map he¡¯d seen, the elven city should be about seventy kilometers from the hive. He didn¡¯t know how accurate his guess was, though. Well, there was nothing he could do about it. Tim shook his head and focused on the trip. They¡¯d been traveling quite quickly since they broke camp this morning, at a steady pace that ate up the distance, with only a short stop for lunch. He was glad his End stat had risen with his last level-up, even if he and Bea had ridden on the wagon for a bit here and there. ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡± Bianorn let himself fall back to join them and smiled cheerfully. ¡°As soon as we crest that rise, we should be able to see the city.¡± Tim smiled back. He was looking forward to it. They weren¡¯t able to see much of it, though. The trees still blocked most of their view. But Tim saw enough to realize that the city was larger than he expected. It seemed to stretch on for kilometers, and he could catch glimpses of buildings and structures a large distance away. There didn¡¯t seem to be a single city wall, but rather several stretches of wooden wall. ¡°What do we need to do to be able to enter?¡± he asked Bianorn. ¡°There¡¯s a small ritual,¡± he replied. ¡°Just come with me, and your companion can go with the other group. It shouldn¡¯t take long, but we¡¯ll need to take a detour.¡± Apparently, they had to travel to a location some distance outside the city to key in visitors. For security reasons, ostensibly. Bianorn and a few of the other elves left the wagon behind and jogged off into the forest, and Tim followed them. Finally, they reached a small wooden shrine. He couldn¡¯t sense magic, but he had the impression that he would have felt quite a bit of it if he¡¯d been able to. There was a small compound around the central building, with a stone wall encircling it. ¡°Just put a few drops of your blood into the bowl here and we¡¯ll take care of the rest,¡± Bianorn said as they entered. Tim looked around. The room was bare and almost cramped. Another elf wearing a dark robe entered from a door opposite theirs, barely glancing at him. There was a stone podium in the middle of the room with various odds and ends, including a small bowl. Tim carefully nicked his lower left arm with his blade-limb and let a few drops of blood drip into it. The other man picked up the bowl, and Bianorn said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll all be ready by the time we get there.¡± Tim shot a curious glance at the ritual space, but let Bianorn lead him out of the room. The elf took off without another word, and he had to hurry to follow him back towards the city. Bea was there by the time they returned, and the group continued on their way. Soon, the forest lightened up around them, and when they walked down the slope of a hill, he found himself passing beside a wall and into the outer part of the settlement. ¡°Welcome to Ariedel.¡± Bianorn smiled at them. Their earlier glimpse hadn¡¯t done the city justice, Tim realized. There were a few buildings on ground level, but the elves had also built upwards, into the trees. It had looked like the city was mostly hidden by trees. Actually, there were simply a lot of trees making up the city, providing structure and buildings. It looked like a larger version of the outpost they¡¯d stayed at, but more solid. There were proper roads on the ground, but also an equivalent higher up. It looked like they were mostly, like many of the buildings¡¯ walls, grown right out of trees. But as they traveled further into the city, he noticed that this was only one level of it, too. There were large holes, open shafts leading down below ground, usually with wooden structures leading out of them and upwards. They had staircases and bundles of ropes that were probably elevators. From the placement of these access points and the occasional glimpse below under a tree¡¯s root systems, he realized that the city simply incorporated an underground part. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. All of this made it hard to judge how large it really was. It covered a wide area, a lot bigger than the human village, but the different levels meant there were probably a lot more inhabitants than the perimeter size suggested. And he could see quite a few of those out and about, walking on the roads and tree-paths, occasionally swinging from ropes or heading down into the ground. Most of them were elves like those he¡¯d seen before and dressed similarly, though most didn¡¯t carry weapons. But he also saw a few other races. There were some shorter people that might be dwarves or halflings or something, some he couldn¡¯t place, and even a few humans. As Bianorn led them through the city, most of the people they passed looking curiously at them. They mainly stayed on a paved, wide road that was probably a main road and led straight into the city. As they reached what had to be the center of it, the city grew more open, with the buildings being farther apart. Finally, they reached one that seemed to be built entirely on the ground, with trees incorporated only subtly, but it still rose at least four stories high. There were a few elves standing outside, dressed in dark green clothes with a cloak that probably constituted a uniform, and carrying sheathed swords and bows. Bianorn exchanged nods with them, then led Tim and Bea inside one of the entrances without pausing to talk. Tim followed quietly, turning his head to take in everything. The sounds and smells of the city were almost overpowering, but it was a little quieter here. They passed through a wood-paneled corridor and into a small atrium with a field of flowers planted on one side. A large table and some chairs stood to the side, and an elven woman rose from one of them as they walked in. Tim regarded her curiously.
Enais of Ariedel ¡ª Level ? Mistress of the Forest
She was the first elf Tim had seen up close who actually looked old. Her hair was entirely gray and fell down to her shoulders, shorter than most elven women he¡¯d seen. Her face was lined with wrinkles, though there seemed to be more laugh lines than frown lines. She had eyes of a dark orange color that still looked vibrant. Her posture was a little bent, though, and she had a cane in one hand. Tim didn¡¯t know how old she was, but given that elves were famously long-lived, it could easily be several centuries. Her class sounded powerful, too. Regina had told him to be polite. He gave a short bow, which Bea copied. ¡°Hello. I am Tim, and this is my sister Bea. It is a pleasure to meet you.¡± The elf smiled at them. ¡°My name is Enais, and it is a true pleasure to meet you. Do sit down, please. I would have liked to meet your Hive Queen herself, but I suppose it was always a foolish notion. Of course she cannot leave her hive so easily.¡± Tim sat down on one of the offered chairs, exchanging a glance with Bea. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± he replied. ¡°You sound like you are familiar with the concept of a hive and hive queen?¡± ¡°Oh, not so much.¡± She waved her cane airily. ¡°But that would be true for any leader in her position, I imagine. We are aware of how quickly your hive is growing. In any case, I imagine you must have questions. We have some things to discuss. Oh, and if you would like some refreshments, please help yourselves.¡± Tim nodded, ignoring the glasses of water and plate of fruit and snacks on the table. ¡°Are you a part of the government, then?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± She smiled again. ¡°I am a Special Minister, to be precise. That means I do not have an official portfolio, but I am involved in the governing of the state. It¡¯s a more common position for us than you¡¯d think.¡± At that moment, Tim wished Regina had a Drone Diplomat or Drone Politician to take his place here. He was a warrior, not someone you should send to talks like this. But his Mother had chosen him, and he¡¯d do his best. ¡°Thank you for all the help your people have already given us,¡± he said. ¡°I have to admit there is still much we do not know, and we were hoping to learn some of these things coming here.¡± ¡°I have already arranged for you to get tours of some crafters¡¯ workshops and the city¡¯s library later,¡± Enais replied. ¡°If there is anything else you would like, please feel free to speak up.¡± ¡°That will be very helpful. We appreciate it.¡± He glanced at Bea, who nodded enthusiastically. ¡°If possible, we would also like to look at some maps, and perhaps have longer discussions about the history and politics of the region. Beyond that, we have questions about the System.¡± Enais inclined her head. ¡°As expected. I will not ask where your hive came from on our first meeting, but information about the System, especially about Classes and other specifics, is usually valued highly and losing guarded knowledge of this sort would be a dreadful blow to many groups. I do not think we will be able to help you much in that regard, though.¡± Tim shook his head. ¡°Just some general knowledge would already be helpful. For instance, we are unsure if or how the quality of being a demihuman is based on the System.¡± The elf pursed her lips slightly. ¡°A complicated matter to start with. As you likely know, elves are considered humanoid, not demihumans. The difference is usually academic, or at most, a matter of designations and restrictions. The basic structure of the System is the same, although there are differences that underpin this distinction.¡± ¡°And the difference between monsters and demihumans?¡± She raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly. ¡°An even more interesting matter. Despite what some might say, the line between monsters and demihumans is broad and sometimes difficult to pin down. At least when we are talking about sapient monsters. They are rare, but there are more than just dragons. There is some debate in academic circles, but generally, the main difference is considered to be that demihumans, like humanoids, choose a Class, while monsters are simply born as whatever they may be.¡± Tim exchanged a glance with Bea. That was interesting. All of the drones ¡ª even their Queen herself, really ¡ª had been born with what she called their Template. That would mean they were closer to sapient monsters than demihumans on this line. On the other hand, they did have Abilities called Class Skills. ¡°Monsters may evolve when they reach level 20,¡± Enais continued, ¡°similar to a humanoid¡¯s Class Evolution. Well, it is called that in common parlance, but the technical term would be Class Progression, to distinguish it. A monster¡¯s evolution seems to be more comprehensive and includes physical changes. Of course, demihumans may experience those as well when evolving.¡± She reached for a glass of water and took a sip, but didn¡¯t take her eyes from him. She must be wondering why he asked about this, and she was giving them a lot of information. Tim couldn¡¯t shake the impression that she¡¯d seen through him. ¡°And could you tell us about the assignment and effect of stat points?¡± he asked, changing the subject. Enais smiled slightly. ¡°Of course. I do consider myself something of an amateur scholar. The first thing you should be aware of is that the stat points in one¡¯s status sheet are a reflection of reality filtered through the System, rather than some sort of causal mechanism.¡± Tim leaned back and listened attentively to her explanations. He needed to commit everything to memory and bring it back to his Hive. Chapter 37: Back Home As soon as she established contact with Tim¡¯s mind again, Regina felt like a rock she¡¯d been carrying dropped from her shoulders. They hadn¡¯t been caught completely unprepared, of course. It was one reason Regina had decided not to send some War Drones with Tim and Bea. She suspected there might be a range limit to her link with the hive, and she didn¡¯t know what would happen if they got outside of it. It was something to test, but not with the elves there and on an important trip that was supposed to be quick. And that caution turned out to be warranted. They¡¯d been gone for a few days now. She¡¯d tried to check in every few hours and she¡¯d felt the connection growing weaker as they traveled. At around fifty kilometers, she hadn¡¯t been able to talk to them or take control of the drones anymore. That limit would hopefully grow as she leveled up, but it was already not as bad as she¡¯d feared. Are you okay? she asked first. She felt Tim nod. It was still hard to get a clear impression of his senses, although that was improving as he traveled closer. ¡°I¡¯ll just talk out loud,¡± he murmured. ¡°That should be easier.¡± He glanced back, and she saw that he was walking alone with Bea, ahead of a group of three elves, who were apparently escorting them back. Tell me what happened. How was the city? What did you learn? Tim hesitated for a moment before he began describing the city. Regina listened with rapt attention, only faintly feeling the heat on her skin from where she sat close to the campfire in their hive¡¯s settlement. It really was a shame that she hadn¡¯t been able to see the city through his eyes, it sounded interesting. ¡°They brought us to a wooden building in the center that probably belonged to the government. There, we met alone with an old elven woman, one Enais of Ariedel, high-level Mistress of the Forest, a Special Minister of their government. She gave us a lot of information. I¡¯ll try to retell it as closely as I can ¡­¡± Regina frowned to herself as she listened to Tim narrate their meeting. That really was a lot of interesting information. She stayed quiet and simply tucked it away in her mind. ¡°We met her again a few times after that, but only briefly,¡± Tim concluded. From what you said, it sounds like this Enais knew more than she was letting on. Tim hesitated, and she could sense the faint echo of a flash of uncertainty. He must have trouble parsing her message. Her telepathy still wasn¡¯t that clear. ¡°I think she did know a lot, maybe even more about us than she admitted,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was wise to push her, though.¡± You¡¯re right. She wanted to meet the elf herself at some point. Hopefully, she¡¯d be able to get more information. How did the rest of your stay go? Tim continued his tale as they traveled through the forest. There was a lot of interesting knowledge and observations in his tours of elven workshops, but even more in the library. They hadn¡¯t been able to bring any books with them, but Tim and Bea had both spent some time reading. Regina was already planning to gather other drones and have the two of them recount what they¡¯d read in as much detail as possible as soon as they got back. If only they had proper writing materials. Making paper was something she¡¯d thought about. Along with making a printing press. That shouldn¡¯t need particularly advanced technology. Who knows, it might even exist in this world already. ¡°I didn¡¯t see many signs of the war,¡± Tim finally said. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not sure what I should look for, anyway. There were few soldiers in the city, or at least few elves carrying weapons. It¡¯s possible they are all somewhere else, maybe gathered at the border. I didn¡¯t have the impression that they were concerned about enemies making it into the city, and if those defenses they have are as powerful as they seem, I can see why. I would have to have been in the city before to actually tell if there was more of an atmosphere of concern now than usual.¡± Regina nodded. I understand. Good work, anyway, Tim. Did you find out anything more about their military strength? ¡°I didn¡¯t find much else, my Queen. They didn¡¯t give us a close look at their fortifications or any defensive enchantments they¡¯re probably using. Most of the elves seem to favor bows and swords or similar weapons, and I didn¡¯t see any mounted soldiers, but they do have horses. Besides that, they also seem to rely on mages for fighting.¡± Regina recalled what Anuis had said when they first met. That made sense. Then she became aware of a sudden clamor. It took her a moment to realize that it was not coming from Tim¡¯s surroundings, but that someone was yelling on her side. I need to go, she sent, but you two are doing good work. Keep hurrying back. She turned her attention to her own body, blinking as she opened her eyes. After a second, she realized that Max was calling for her. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± she said, standing up. She felt a bit stiff, but it faded quickly as she took a few steps. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Max looked relieved. He¡¯d been hovering a few meters away. Now that she focused on it, Regina could see that a group of War Drones and most of their remaining warriors were streaming towards the edge of the forest. ¡°The Workers seem to have encountered a problem,¡± he said. ¡°We should hurry.¡± Regina didn¡¯t ask any more questions, but started running towards where the drones were gathering. As she did, she briefly dipped into the consciousness of other drones in her hive, skimming along the surface to get a quick picture of what was happening. She never stayed long, since she needed to keep some of her attention on running. But it was enough to give her a general sense of the situation. ¡°You, go fetch our medical supplies,¡± she called to one of the War Drones. Then she slid to a stop in front of the entrance to the tunnel Tia and a group of drones had been digging. It was broader now than it had been, but still too cramped. Just as she arrived, Tia stumbled out, one of her work-limbs hanging limply down and blood dripping down her left leg. At the same time, Warriors tried to head in. ¡°Everyone back off,¡± Regina barked. ¡°Max and I will go in first. Max, protect Ina and get her out.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Max didn¡¯t hesitate, but charged forward right away as the other drones immediately gave him space. Regina followed him in as quickly as she could. In the cavern beyond the entrance, she found Ace kneeling on the ground, cradling one of his arms. He must have been closest and been the first to respond. Beside him, Max slid in front of Ina, covering her, while the young Worker was stumbling back, falling onto her back. She didn¡¯t manage to get up again. Regina took it all in at a glance, her attention focused on the threat. The creature Max had just pushed back looked a bit like a mole, but much bigger, with thorny spikes on the front of its body, large teeth and claws that were clearly good not just for digging. Behind it, a group of several more crowded in where the cavern transitioned to the tunnel. After a moment, the System gave her its information.
Tunneler (Fighter) ¡ª Level ?
She hadn¡¯t seen the System use such a clarification before, which implied that there were several types of these monsters. Of those she could see, a few were at level 10 or 12, which meant the others were hopefully only a level or two higher. Regina drew herself up and hissed at them, almost surprising herself with the action. It had been a while since she¡¯d done that. The first Tunneler scuttled back a step, but then stopped, and while the others shifted a little, they didn¡¯t seem inclined to flee, either. ¡°Ben and Dan, come in if you can!¡± she called out, still keeping her gaze locked on the monsters. The two were the highest-level Warriors present after Max. ¡°Someone get Ace and Ina out!¡± She considered opening with a Firebolt, but she didn¡¯t want to use that Spell in these close quarters. She also didn¡¯t have that much mana. The monster had obviously had enough of waiting and posturing, and lunged forward. At the same time, its companions advanced as well, shrieking angrily. Max¡¯s blade-limb crashed down on the first Tunneler, sending it back half a meter and pinning it to the ground for a moment. Then his second one swept out to hold back the others. Regina gathered her courage and jumped forward. She didn¡¯t have a weapon on her, but she still had her claws, which were sharp enough to cut most monsters¡¯ skin. She jumped on the first Tunneler, using its position and her greater size to her advantage. Its claws skittered off the shell on the side of her leg, and she rammed her own into its eyes. It spasmed for a second, then went still. Instinct made her look up and she twisted out of the way as a second Tunneler barreled at her. She managed to avoid the worst of it, but its claws sunk into her side and penetrated this time before momentum ripped them out again. Pain pulsed through her as she felt her cracked shell, but she ignored it, dodging again and jumping onto the Tunneler. She managed to pin it down, though it didn¡¯t give her a good angle to kill it. Then Ben was there, swinging down onto its head with his ax. Gore splattered as the Tunneler died. Regina shoved it away and jumped up, turning to the fight. Max was holding off three other Tunnelers by himself. Just at that moment, Dan stepped out from beside him and skewered one of the monsters. He didn¡¯t manage to kill it, though, and another one used the opportunity to jump at him. But Max was there, shouldering Dan aside and intercepting the attack. The monster¡¯s teeth slid off the shell of his arm. Regina ran forward, watching for the right moment before she swiped her claws at the injured monster, ending its fight. Beside her, Ben and Dan cornered the other one, cutting it down systematically with their blade-limbs. Max was focusing on the last one. Regina sighed, then formed a Magic Missile and launched it at the monster. The magical attack threw it back against the wall of the tunnel, allowing Max to skewer it through its belly. That was all of them.
You have leveled up
¡°My Queen! Are you injured?¡± Dan hovered at her side, watching her with concern. She waved him off. ¡°I¡¯m fine. But the others might not be.¡± With a muffled groan, she turned around and hurried out of the tunnel. She knew Max would make sure that no new Tunnelers would be able to slip in from where their tunnels must have intersected with the hive''s tunnels. Ace sat on the grass by the entrance. She could see that while he was obviously injured, it didn¡¯t seem to be life-threatening. But a few meters away, the other drones had laid Ina out on the grass. The young Worker looked pale, and the blood covering her made it hard to tell her exact injuries. Tia was trying to clean it up with a wet cloth while the War Drone Regina had called earlier dropped off the basket they kept what served as medical supplies in. It was very bare, just a few rolls of cloth for bandages and a few dried herbs that were supposed to be beneficial according to what they¡¯d heard from the elves. Regina knelt down next to Ina, pressing her down gently as the drone tried to rise. She took a deep breath. From up close, she could tell it wasn¡¯t quite as bad as she¡¯d feared. Her left thigh showed several bloody gashes, her work-limb¡¯s shell had cracked, and she had a bloody but shallow cut on her head. Not as bad as Tia¡¯s injuries had been. But Ina¡¯s Constitution was still low. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said, trying to sound soothing. ¡°We¡¯ve got this. You¡¯re going to survive. Just stay still and let me take a look, okay?¡± ¡°Of course, my Queen,¡± Ina whispered. Regina frowned to herself. She still had some mana left, and if this wasn¡¯t the situation to try to learn magical healing, she didn¡¯t know what was. So she placed her hands on Ina¡¯s injuries and started breathing deeply, trying to focus on it. It was easier than the last time, perhaps because she¡¯d done it before. She gathered her mana and tried to slowly push it through her hands. As she did so, she focused on the wound, trying to take in every detail and visualize those she couldn¡¯t see. After a while, her mana started leaving her in a trickle. Regina almost lost focus, but kept it up. She concentrated on the idea of Ina regaining the blood she lost, of her cuts closing up. She encouraged her stem and progenitor cells to divide, the cells of her muscles and skin to notice the emptiness beside them and work to fill it. Then she added the idea of her brain settling down into equilibrium, weathering the effects of pressure and mechanical trauma. Time once again lost its meaning as Regina fed her mana into the construct in her head and her drone¡¯s body. She commanded it to obey her will and heal. Finally, her mana level noticeably dipped, and the flow stopped. Regina blinked. The injuries had closed up. Not perfectly, but they looked a lot better. Blood had stopped flowing and they were mostly scabbed over. Regina exhaled and moved back. She focused on the notification the System held for her.
Congratulations, you have learned a new Spell: Basic Heal
Regina smiled. ¡°Make sure to rest. That goes for you, too, Ace and Tia. I¡¯ll heal you in a minute.¡± The drones all nodded and stepped away, clearly understanding that she wanted some space. Ben helped Ina to her feet and led her off, towards the huts. Regina closed her eyes and just enjoyed the sensation of the sun on her skin for a moment, before she opened them again. She glanced around, making sure everything was okay, before she returned her attention to the System. There was something else to check out.
Congratulations, you have unlocked a new Template: Drone Harvester
You are able to lay another egg. Choose carefully what you will add to your hive.
Drone Warrior
Drone Worker
Drone Scout
Drone Harvester
Regina smiled, stretched, then headed off to the closest shelter. She already had three eggs in development, but with her increases in her mana capacity and regeneration, and this new level, she felt she could do four. She was looking forward to seeing the new drone type. Interlude: Embers II Kiara Lyns bent further over her horse¡¯s neck, feeling the wind in her hair as she thundered down the road. Her smile was unrestrained, free where no one could see it. After a long moment of enjoyment, she sat back and lightly tugged on the reins. Her horse, well-trained as she was, slowed down immediately, dropping from the gallop into an easy trot. Kiara sat deep in the saddle, weathering the bumpy gait with the ease of long practice. It was not a minute too soon. The area around them opened up, and after the curve in the road they came upon the castle right away. Kiara glanced back at her escorts. They had fallen back a little during her wild gallop, but had caught up now. She slowed down further to a fast walk, straightening up. The men gathered beside the path and guarding the gate did the same as she approached. She noted that most of them saluted with the local fist-to-chest gesture instead of bowing, which she approved of. Maybe it was because of her own more martial appearance. She already knew some of the ladies in her father¡¯s court would be scandalized. Here she was, not just spurning the side-saddle, but actually wearing trousers! Of course, if she did wear skirts, they would be either an annoyance, stifling in the summer heat or she¡¯d risk more impropriety, especially at a fast gallop like before. In any case, Kiara did not care too much. She wasn¡¯t the only woman to act like this, whatever the sticks-in-the-mud might think, and normal court life was far away. War tended to do that, she¡¯d been told. She smiled to herself at the thought. She was wearing not just trousers, but also light chainmail over a thin gambeson, though her helmet dangled off the saddle for now. The short riding sword at her side felt comfortable, and while she was not hoping she would have to use it, she was confident in her ability if it came to that. The castle and its surroundings were still a bustle of activity, although Kiara knew that this belied how many people were actually here. She¡¯d been to this castle before, of course, several times, and knew well that it was considerably smaller than her father¡¯s main seat in his capital. There weren¡¯t many more soldiers around than normal, and many of those men who had been called up in addition were with the king¡¯s army, gathering to leave for Nerlia, for the actual war. Most of the rest had been sent to various forts and holdings closer to the forest. Still, there were several hundred men gathered here, a sizable reserve force. She had heard the reports on the levy and the conditions of the roads and knew it would not take too long to reach any spot where trouble might break out, either. She was aware that her father, Marquis Lyns, hoped that none of them would be needed, that they would not have to fight the elves, in the forest or otherwise. Although a part of Kiara couldn¡¯t help but think about the glory and valor that might be earned in such a case, she knew he was right. She had been raised to put her duty to the march before her personal desires as well as to support her father loyally, and she didn¡¯t doubt her ability to do that, either. He might not quite see it the same way, though. After she dismounted in the outer courtyard and handed the reins off to a servant, she looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her father. Instead, she saw the latest addition to his court, and her own entourage, come towards her. ¡°I hope your ride was pleasant, Milady,¡± she said, smiling tentatively. ¡°It was productive,¡± Kiara replied. Then she forced herself to return the smile and continue in a more pleasant tone. ¡°We familiarized ourselves with the surroundings and checked on the progress of the fortifications nearby.¡± Janis nodded seriously. Kiara peered at her for a moment, looking for a sign of aversion or confusion, but found none. Perhaps she should not use her usual standards, she chided herself. The red-haired girl was young, more than a year younger than Kiara, but she was a mage. And a largely self-taught one at that. There was her background to consider, too. Kiara was not blind to what it meant about the girl¡¯s talent and potential, or her usefulness. She still couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disgruntled that her father had foisted Janis off on her. The girl barely knew any spells and was still at a relatively low level, and hardly the knowledgeable, educated advisor you wanted in a court mage. But Kiara knew it could simply be that her father saw Janis'' potential and wanted his daughter involved in cultivating it, forming bonds early that might earn her the loyalty of a powerful asset later. And having a mage along was probably a good thing in these times, all else aside. It wasn¡¯t like they could just be found on the street. ¡°Milady, a high-level man arrived from the direction of the capital a few minutes ago,¡± Janis reported, interrupting her thoughts. ¡°From his aura, I estimate he is at least over level 40, more likely 60. He came on a horse, but did not seem used to riding. I believe the marquis is meeting with him either already or very soon.¡± Kiara nodded and gave the mage a more genuine smile. ¡°That is good to know. Thank you, Janis.¡± The other girl bowed her head, then fell into step with Kiara as she hurried around the other horses and men and towards the doors. The soldiers at the sides of the gate snapped to attention and pushed it open for her. She nodded at them before she stepped through. Showing respect to her men was one of the lessons her father had drilled into her, even if he had always done it with a bit of a strange look on his face. It wasn¡¯t hard to find her destination. A familiar servant greeted them and showed them up the stairs to a side room. The castle¡¯s main keep was in good shape, but not big enough to get lost in. Kiara slowed down as she approached and entered. It looked like her father was entertaining the messenger, and she saw a servant walk in holding a tray of refreshments. When she entered, she found that he was accompanied by two of his senior commanders and advisors. They all looked up as she entered, but Kiara was focused on the middle-aged man sprawled on a comfortable chair, his boots and clothes dusty from riding.
Derrek Zephyr ¡ª Level ? Thaumaturge
Kiara tried not to show her surprise. She recognized that name, although the mage appeared to have left his famous wyvern behind. She was a little surprised that Janis had apparently failed to recognize him, although she supposed that she would have had little opportunity to see or hear about him in her village. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Kiara.¡± Her father nodded at her. His clothes were immaculate, but she noticed the shadows under his brown eyes, and the gray in his dark hair looked more pronounced today than usual. ¡°Take a seat.¡± She bowed her head and pulled out one of the chairs, while Janis quietly took up a position at the wall of the room a few steps behind her. ¡°Sir Derrek, it is a pleasure to meet you,¡± she said. The man grunted. ¡°I¡¯m not a knight.¡± Kiara shrugged slightly. It had been a polite courtesy, but he was said to be blunt and not fond of honeyed words. She didn¡¯t let it faze her. ¡°This is my daughter, Lady Kiara,¡± her father introduced her, rather unnecessarily. ¡°The heir to the Lyns march.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Derrek sat up a little straighter, although his tone was still casual. ¡°I heard that there was bad news for your family. Lady Lyns had a miscarriage, if I¡¯m not mistaken. Again.¡± The marquis nodded, his expression a little stiffer now. ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡± ¡°You have my condolences. It must be quite upsetting.¡± ¡°Yes, we are all quite sad, but we will bear with it.¡± Derrek looked at her, and she saw a glint in his eyes, what might be amusement or irony, as he raised an eyebrow slightly. Kiara narrowed her eyes. She found it hard to pretend to be sad that her mother still hadn¡¯t born a son for her father. And why shouldn¡¯t she? She¡¯d been raised as her father¡¯s heir since she was a child. If her parents had a son, he would inherit the title instead. A newborn babe would be considered her better, regardless of all those years of experience and expectation, just because it was male. Kiara certainly didn¡¯t want her mother to suffer, but she hoped she would simply have no more pregnancies. At least that was not unlikely at her age. ¡°Regardless,¡± Derrek said after a moment, turning his attention back fully to her father. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here for family drama, m¡¯lord. The king sent me.¡± The marquis sat up a little straighter, and Kiara felt her attention sharpen as well. It was an open secret that her father and the king did not see eye to eye. That he sent such a strong messenger was not a good sign. ¡°Of course,¡± her father replied. ¡°If you brought a message, I would read it right away.¡± ¡°No need. It¡¯s a verbal message.¡± Derrek¡¯s lips twitched slightly, but she wasn¡¯t sure if it was a smile or a smirk. ¡°Then, we¡¯re all ears.¡± ¡°His Majesty wishes to inquire about the number of soldiers you sent him. It is known that there are far more fighting men in this march. He is dissatisfied with your contribution and expects you to promptly rectify the matter.¡± Kiara saw her father stiffen slightly, although he kept his face blank. ¡°We need men here to cover the march. In case it escaped you, we share a border with the elves. I sent His Majesty the soldiers I could spare, and no fewer than many other lords, according to my correspondence.¡± ¡°Of course your need for fighters to cover your lands is clear, although we expect most of the fighting to happen in Nerlian parts.¡± Derrek leaned forward slightly. ¡°Still, you should have more men. Is your march not well-populated?¡± ¡°Do you expect me to draft every village hunter? To use barely trained, under-leveled conscripts?¡± There was an angry glint in his eyes now. ¡°The harvest is not far off either. Men I send to the war are unlikely to be back and able to work during harvest season.¡± Derrek shrugged, casually leaning back. ¡°I am simply passing on His Majesty¡¯s words.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more, isn¡¯t there?¡± Kiara cut in. She frowned at the mage. ¡°What do we need to gather this many fighters for?¡± He nodded, giving her an approving look that didn¡¯t make Kiara feel any less angry. She couldn¡¯t help but think that the king was deliberately giving them a greater burden, just out of pettiness, or maybe to weaken them and cripple their ability to rebel against him. ¡°You are correct,¡± the thaumaturge said. ¡°His Majesty also commands you to start pushing into the forest. You do, as the marquis just pointed out, share a border with the elves. While the major part of the fighting will be on Nerlia¡¯s side, it will be helpful to put some pressure on them from here. We want them to know they cannot expose their borders. To that end, you will launch some raids and a few deep strikes into elven territory. More will not be needed. The king is reasonable.¡± Kiara¡¯s father stood up. Judging by the pulsing vein on his forehead, he did not find his liege particularly reasonable. ¡°You are asking for more men and also want me to send fighters into the forest after the elves? That will expose the march if we don¡¯t get any reinforcements. You are asking too much.¡± Derrek Zephyr stood up as well, slowly. It emphasized that he was taller than the marquis. Slowly, he laid his hands on the table between them. ¡°Let us get one thing straight, Marquis Lyns. I am not asking for anything. Your lord and king is commanding your obedience.¡± The marquis sputtered. ¡°This is a brazen -¡° Kiara stood up as well, taking a step back before she caught herself. Zephyr suddenly seemed to loom larger than before. His hair stood up slightly and sparks crackled around him, off his skin and in the air surrounding him. The shadows in the room seemed to deepen as he appeared backlit by a menacing light in alternating brightness and darkness. But all of that was mere theater that only emphasized the magical aura emanating from the Thaumaturge, which suddenly seemed to fill the room like a thick, cloying fog. Kiara drew in a shuddering breath. She did not usually consider herself a weak person and she was even proud of her magical senses, for a level 15 Arcane Warrior. But this moment showed her how very far she still had to go. ¡°You will do as you are told,¡± the thaumaturge said, and his voice thundered through the room, shaking the tapestries on the walls, with an echo that grated in her ears, feeling like it ripped at her skin and the mana beneath it. After a long moment, the light brightened slightly and his voice was a little less thundering as he continued, ¡°or you will not like the consequences of your faithlessness.¡± Silence hovered in the room, no less heavy than what had preceded it. Kiara¡¯s father and the king¡¯s man stared at each other. Until finally, the marquis reacted, moving his head in a jerky nod. ¡°Of course we will,¡± he said. ¡°Good.¡± The mage sat back down, smiling, suddenly cordial again. ¡°I will have to take advantage of your hospitality for one night and then leave tomorrow. My power is needed where the actual war will take place. Of course, you will not be left to your own devices out here, never fear.¡± For the rest of the meeting, Kiara found it hard to focus. Luckily, it did not drag on for long. Her father and Derrek Zephyr made some more strained conversation, before the Thaumaturge excused himself with smiling eyes and a short bow. ¡°We have a lot of things to organize,¡± her father finally said, glancing at the door as if to make sure their guest was really gone. ¡°We¡¯ll need to assemble the rest of the commanders. Let them know we will meet in half an hour. Kiara, please make sure the servants know to look after our visitor properly.¡± Kiara nodded and turned around to leave. She¡¯d almost forgotten that Janis was in the room, too. The young mage peeled off the wall and followed her out quietly. They walked in silence for a short while. Kiara took a detour to a small balcony that opened onto a walkway around the keep, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. ¡°You¡¯re from the village closest to the great forest, aren¡¯t you?¡± she finally said, turning to her companion. ¡°How dangerous is it?¡± Janis looked concerned. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever been to the outskirts. Its stronger monsters were culled in the monster horde, but they were already trickling back. Farther in, there are far more powerful ones. The elven city is also said to have impenetrable defenses.¡± Kiara grimaced, but nodded. ¡°Alright. At least we won¡¯t have to assault it.¡± She shook her head. ¡°We¡¯ll send raiding parties into the forest, of course. We¡¯ll need to send quite a few fighters. But those might actually profit from the opportunity to earn levels.¡± Janis still looked hesitant, worrying at her lip as if she was trying to chew on further words. ¡°What is it, Janis?¡± Kiara asked. ¡°If you have something else to say, please do so.¡± The red-haired mage hesitated, then seemed to gather herself. ¡°Milady, monsters and elves aren¡¯t the only things we might meet in the forest.¡± Chapter 38: Information and Deliberation The discovery of monsters in the tunnels set back their plans, but it could have gone worse. A few of the warriors investigated, and Regina sent some War Drones as well, since those were smaller and better able to fit through tight tunnels. It turned out that the Tunnelers they¡¯d encountered seemed to be either an isolated group or some distance away from their main group. The tunnels they had dug were a rather haphazard warren no more than a few hundred meters long in total. There were two very narrow tunnels leading farther off into the distance, but Regina simply had them closed off. The Workers were easily able to handle it. With their Ability, they produced some reinforced compressed dirt that they used to brick off these tunnels, melding it into the surrounding earth. Still, Regina insisted on some warriors staying close to keep an eye on things. From now on, there would be at least two warriors there whenever they worked on the tunnels, and several War Drones posted nearby at all times. They could even help with the digging, so it wasn¡¯t a total loss, even if it did hurt the hive¡¯s productivity. Regina wasn¡¯t discouraged by the discovery of underground monsters, though. If nothing else, it indicated there could be more to find underground, not just danger, but also opportunity. Still, their levels seemed to be higher than those of the surface monsters in the area, unless they¡¯d just had the bad luck of encountering an exceptionally strong group. Comprehensive exploration could wait until her hive was stronger. In the meantime, she got a bit more practice in with her new Spell. She also used this occasion to finally ask the warriors to bring some injured monsters back alive if possible. Not only would that allow her to further practice and perhaps improve her healing, but it was worth trying if they could use it to level other drones. She was a little skeptical, since it seemed the System rewarded effort and true accomplishments more than just kills, but with her new healing spell, they at least had a safety net in case things went wrong. Of course, this was still easier said than done. The warriors were all eager to please, but bringing back injured monsters took some doing, and she emphasized that she did not want them to put themselves into unnecessary danger. Her eggs were still in development, which limited how much mana she could use, but at least she didn¡¯t need to conjure as much stuff now that they had some things to work with. The day after the fight, Regina spent some time walking around the settlement, checking on everything, making sure things ran smoothly and taking note of what they needed. Max trailed along behind her for most of the way. He seemed content to leave the training of the other warriors and workers to Tim. Regina didn¡¯t send him away, though. She liked his company, and he spoke up when he saw a problem. After she was done with her rounds, which didn¡¯t take too long, since their burgeoning village was still very small, she settled down by the main campfire and waited. She checked on Tim and Bea and could tell that they would be back very soon. Their elven companions had already departed, leaving them to return to the hive on their own. Regina used the time to glance at her status screen.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 13
Mana: 203/420
Hive: 10/34, 4 Swarm: 16/30, 0
Con: 12 Str: 12
Dex: 12 End: 12
Int: 16 Wis: 16(+1)
Her mana had risen in tandem with the growth of her hive, especially with all the War Drones. She still hadn¡¯t quite figured out how its cap increased. It probably depended on other factors besides the number and types of her drones. Maybe there was a soft cap at certain levels. Still, she was pretty sure she had a large mana pool for her level. The caps for her hive were also rising, and the one for Swarm Drones was quickly catching up with the one for sapient drones. It didn¡¯t take long for them to hatch. Regina stood up as soon as she sensed the change and made her way towards the edge of the forest. They¡¯d kept storing the eggs in the most sturdy of their old shelters, since they were still building more actual houses. Or at least huts. The drones had gotten free of their eggs and were already outside by the time she came. Regina paused, then grinned. There was one Drone Warrior, one Drone Worker and one Drone Scout, as expected. But this time, the Warrior actually seemed female. She paused to consider that development while Max started greeting his new hivemates. There seemed to have been a specific gender distribution, and she¡¯d been quietly worried about that. It was good to see this apparently wasn¡¯t an absolute. ¡°Welcome, kids,¡± she said after a moment, stepping forward and smiling at them. ¡°I¡¯m Regina, and this is our hive. It¡¯s still quite new, but we¡¯re happy to have you. Your names are ¡­¡± She hesitated for a moment. Did she want to go with her current pattern of three-letter, single syllable names for boys and two-syllable words for girls, or for warriors and workers? Well, it really didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Amy,¡± she pointed at the Worker, ¡°Ash,¡± at the male Scout, ¡°and Zoe,¡± at the female Warrior. ¡°How long are you going to be able to keep that up?¡± Max asked in a quiet murmur. ¡°Probably not long,¡± she admitted. ¡°We still haven¡¯t named the hive, either.¡± It could just be referred to as ¡®the hive¡¯ or maybe ¡®Regina¡¯s hive¡¯, but a proper name would be good at some point. Max glanced around. ¡°Perhaps everyone could offer suggestions for a hive name?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you trust my naming sense?¡± She mock-pouted at him. Max opened his mouth, then closed it again. ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard to find a cool, meaningful name with just three letters.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, Max, a hive isn¡¯t a drone.¡± She watched silently as other drones came by to greet the new hatchlings. Max helped, as well, offering them a quick tour while he explained some things. Regina felt as if maybe she should be doing that herself, but in truth, the other drones were probably better suited to it. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. It didn¡¯t take long for Tim and Bea to return. Regina went to greet them, then gathered around the fire with the two to listen to a more detailed recounting of their trip. Tim did most of the talking, with Bea taking over the more technical stuff related to her field. Regina listened quietly, trying to make sure she remembered it well. ¡°This is going to be very useful,¡± she said as they finished. ¡°The political implications aside, we should be able to build up our hive better, and we need various crafts for it. I was already considering building a water wheel, anyway.¡± ¡°I examined the one they showed us, my Queen,¡± Bea said, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s enough to reproduce one entirely.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out,¡± Regina replied confidently. Or you Workers will, anyway. ¡°Speaking of implications,¡± Tim spoke up. ¡°They didn¡¯t have much on old history, but I noticed that there didn¡¯t seem to be any reference to anything more than a few centuries ago. A thousand years, tops.¡± Regina nodded slowly. ¡°That is interesting. Although, given the cultural and technological level around here, I¡¯m not sure if I would have expected them to develop writing or proper historical record-keeping that long ago, anyway.¡± ¡°The elves do seem to have a democratic system,¡± he said. ¡°For the most part, at least.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Did you find out anything more about religion?¡± Tim exchanged a glance with Bea, before he nodded. ¡°Yes. I did find a few mentions of the names you told us to look out for. Apparently, Alianais and Benerron are both major gods in this pantheon. Although the latter is, uh, not exactly beloved, I think? Someone called him the god of monsters.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Regina leaned forward slightly. ¡°That sounds interesting.¡± ¡°To be fair, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s actually his official title or anything. According to a section of a book I read that was written by a priest, he¡¯s the god of struggle.¡± ¡°And there were like two different books that mentioned he¡¯s supposed to be responsible for the monster hordes,¡± Bea added. ¡°Huh.¡± Regina frowned. That does hang together, at least. This was just one more thing to ask about and try to find information on. At least, if he was a patron of monsters or something, it made some sense why he might be keeping an eye on them. Unless she was misinterpreting things. Although, having a god of struggle paying special attention to you might not be the best thing. She shook her head. ¡°And the other one? Alianais?¡± Tim looked down. ¡°I didn¡¯t find anything specific,¡± he said. ¡°She was mentioned a few times, but it sounds like everyone would know, and I didn¡¯t have the time to look for more details, since I also wanted to get other information.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Regina assured him. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any hurry. Let me just call some of the others in, and then we can go over the information again in detail.¡± She closed her eyes for a moment and focused on her connection to her drones. She contacted Max, Ben, the two older Scouts, and the rest of the Workers and told them to come. That would leave Dan, the new guys and the War Drones to keep an eye on things, like the tunnels. The drones came quickly, gathering close to the campfire. Regina smiled at them and stood up to greet them. ¡°Tim and Bea just came back from the elven city. They¡¯ll recount what they learned, especially about crafts. Please pay attention and try to remember it. Then we¡¯ll discuss what to do going forward.¡± Everyone looked expectantly at the two drones. Tim glanced at Bea, who cleared her throat, then started talking. With little preamble, she dove into an account of the workshops they¡¯d visited and what she¡¯d seen and heard there. Regina listened closely again. From what she could tell, it sounded like the elves were indeed at a medieval level of technology in most things, but perhaps not quite. Maybe closer to Renaissance level in general? And it appeared the plastic-like substance she¡¯d wondered about before was a special kind of tree sap they harvested from patches of the forest around the city. It had other uses in their crafting as well. They also used magic to grow wood in specific shapes and with specific properties. That seemed to be something the elves in particular specialized in, compared to humans, who preferred clay, stone, and metal, and a slightly different school of enchantment. None of that sounded very surprising to her. After that, they discussed what they wanted to do for their hive. It was mostly the Workers who talked, while Regina held back and listened. There seemed to be general consensus that working metal in large amounts was out of their reach, but they should at least make some more use of the clay they had found, at least for things like storage containers. Wooden houses were working out well so far, and while they needed to think about long-term food production, it wasn¡¯t an immediate problem. ¡°We¡¯ll need threads and something to make fabric, at least eventually,¡± Regina said thoughtfully. ¡°That means hemp or something. Growing that shouldn¡¯t be too troublesome here, and I¡¯m pretty sure we can find seeds to get started. That leaves crops for food.¡± ¡°Which ones do you want to try cultivating, my Queen?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Well, given that our metabolism is apparently a real cheat, we don¡¯t really need plants that are usually considered food crops. There should be lots of plants that grow quickly. I guess we have moss on the trees and stuff in the forest. Then there¡¯s things typically considered weeds people don¡¯t want.¡± She considered for a moment. ¡°Maybe to start with, we should just mark out some areas where we¡¯ll let the fields grow wild and see what happens. Then we can help some of those plants along.¡± She¡¯d actually had two of the War Drones eat nothing but grass, leaves and weeds for over a week, and it didn¡¯t seem to have harmed them in any way. She was pretty sure their gastrointestinal tract was like that of the other drones and probably herself, too. ¡°Hay should be easy enough to make and keep well over the winter if we have a dry place to store it,¡± Bea said thoughtfully. ¡°And from now on, we¡¯ll start smoking some of the meat from hunts,¡± Regina added, looking at the gathered drones pointedly. ¡°Mia, figure out how best to do that. We need to build a storage shed, anyway. And we can always feed scraps to the War Drones.¡± She knew that, when it came to monsters and animals they hunted, her drones usually ate pretty much everything, down to the bone marrow. Regina approved of the efficiency. In principle. She suspected they¡¯d eat the skins, too, if the hive didn¡¯t have other uses for them. ¡°Alright.¡± Regina stood up again. ¡°You can get back to work. Actually, Tim, Ben and Ace, I have another task for you.¡± Most of the drones dispersed while the three she¡¯d named remained, looking at her expectantly. ¡°I want you to take one or two War Drones and travel away from the hive,¡± she explained. ¡°It¡¯s probably best if you go roughly in the direction of the elvish city, but not directly there. Tim and Ace should be able to handle the navigation. I want you to test out what happens when War Drones travel outside my control radius.¡± ¡°Of course, my Queen,¡± Tim said. ¡°What should we be looking for, specifically?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give them some orders before you set out. I¡¯d like to know if they¡¯ll keep on doing what they are and if they¡¯ll still follow orders you give them. Plus, simply checking if the limit is the same in the first place.¡± ¡°You can count on us, my Queen,¡± Ben said. ¡°We¡¯ll set out right away.¡± Regina shook her head and smiled. ¡°No need, this can wait. Tim should get the chance to rest first. Besides, I want you to be at the top of your game.¡± There might still be dangers in the forest, after all. But she didn¡¯t want to send too many Warriors away from the hive, either. It was important information to get, though. And it might help her shed light on some other aspects of the way her hive and her bond to it worked, like the passive transmittal of information the drones seemed to receive at the start of their life and how it worked for the non-sapient War Drones. Chapter 39: Movements and Claims The nights were getting shorter. Not by much, but noticeably enough to make it clear that it was not early summer. The summer solstice was probably a few weeks past, at least. Unfortunately, a calendar wasn¡¯t one of the things Regina had thought to ask Tim and Bea to look out for. It was one more thing for the list. She was already planning on making a trip to the elven city herself, but before that, she needed to know that she could leave her drones by themselves if necessary. Tim and the others left with two War Drones the day after he returned. There was no hurry, so she¡¯d told them to go slowly and be careful. There might still be stronger monsters around. Ace had a detection ability that increased his hearing, which should help them avoid monsters, along with their keen sense of smell, but it was better not to be reckless. Regina sat on the roof of their newest completed hut, looking out over the forest. It bore her weight without any complaints, a sure sign that her hive had gotten better at construction. The wooden shingles had been fixed in place with the Workers¡¯ Ability. The wind rustled through her hair, which was still short, but had grown a little in the last few weeks. She wondered if she should feel more reluctant to send her drones out like this. It might be a risk, but she felt it was worthwhile, so she hadn¡¯t dithered. They hadn¡¯t hesitated or shown any reluctance to take on the mission, either. And why would they? They¡¯re my drones. Regina sighed to herself. She tugged at her mandibles, then glanced down at her body. She took in the chitin-like shell, which had darkened slightly since her hatching, the vague outline of the wings folded against her body. It was easy to see why some people might call her a monster, although the real qualities that might evoke that term were mental. After her first few days, she hadn¡¯t felt like she had many problems with her Hive Queen instincts, or at least with integrating them with the human knowledge and impersonal memories she had. But now, this side of her felt more ¡­ prominent. That might be because she no longer had to focus on protecting her life against the monster horde or humans. It might also have something to do with establishing a proper hive. Or at least something close to it. Even now, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to be very concerned with the idea that she might be a monster. She was obviously sapient, a person, and it wasn¡¯t like she remembered a different existence to compare it to. However, the possibility that her Hive Queen inclinations might make her act in less than optimal ways was worrying. It was subtle. But whenever she thought about her little village and its surrounding territory, she¡¯d inevitably feel possessive and inclined to fight whoever might try to take it from her. Actually, that feeling wasn¡¯t so different when it came to the drones. Although the very idea of someone trying to subvert them or lure them away was ridiculous. Still, she was probably a little more okay with the idea of making beings that were beholden to her than she would if she was still human. She still had some lingering attachment to the idea of humanity. Maybe it was that she knew how great they could be, capable of terrible yet also wonderful things, no matter how little the humans around here seemed to live up to that. But it was also quite easy to see them as enemies, or at least a threat. They weren¡¯t her people. And pretty much the same went for the elves. Regina shook her head again, then stood up and climbed down from the roof. She wasn¡¯t getting anywhere with these musings. She¡¯d just have to keep them in mind and monitor her own condition and mentality. She didn¡¯t want to endanger her hive with some misplaced attachment to humans, but she also didn¡¯t want to restrict herself from what she might otherwise have or invite unnecessary problems. She focused on her connection to her hive¡¯s drones, checking up on them. Tim and his group were walking through the forest, not having encountered any monster that would be a concern to them yet. The rest of her drones were hard at work, for the most part. Regina paused as she looked through the War Drones. She¡¯d posted a few of them at various positions to keep an eye on the hive and its surroundings. Now, she realized that one of them had moved. It was the one she¡¯d posted the furthest from the hive, though still inside her control radius. It was at the edge of the forest where it opened out onto fields closer to the human castle and village. She¡¯d given it pretty detailed instructions. Now, after looking through its senses for a bit, she realized what happened. There were groups of humans around, ranging farther from the castle than before. Regina pulled back and glanced around. She mentally tabbed through her contacts until she reached Ada, then told her to Come to me. It didn¡¯t take long for the Scout to show up. Regina stood at the edge of the village outside a clear yard where the warriors usually trained, from where she had a good view of both the recent construction and most of the drones that were here. ¡°My Queen, you summoned me?¡± Ada asked, coming to a stop near her. Regina nodded. ¡°The War Drone closest to the human settlements shows that there is increased activity there. Obviously, I only got a short snapshot of it, but it seems like there might be something more going on.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°You think they might be preparing to send troops into the forest?¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. What would you think about sending you there to find out more?¡± Ada chewed on her lip for a moment. ¡°It would take me quite a while to get there, my Queen, even if I traveled as quickly as I can. I¡¯m also not quite sure what I could really do. In fact, it might be best to recall that drone, too.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°You think that they might discover you, or it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. They must have high-level people with powerful Abilities. If they¡¯re sending teams into the forest, or just near it to watch it more closely, it would be hard to hide.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Regina rubbed at her temple and sighed. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll order it to come back as stealthily as possible. However, I¡¯d still like you to go out a bit. Not too far from the Hive. But take a look at the area facing Cernlia, and keep alert for any signs of visitors.¡± ¡°Of course, my Queen, right away.¡± Regina shook her head as she watched Ada go. Left unsaid was that they couldn¡¯t hope to hide their presence here if it came down to it. If the humans actually started looking, they¡¯d find them. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. She checked on Ada frequently as the young scout moved out. Ada traveled in curves and meandering paths across the forest and around the lake, in the general direction of the human castle. She didn¡¯t seem to find anything out of the ordinary, just the usual monsters going about their business. Even the stronger ones in the area seemed to have learned not to come too close to the hive by now. The rest of the day, Regina found it hard to focus as she kept checking on her drones outside the hive. Luckily, there wasn¡¯t much for her to do. She mostly observed the warriors¡¯ training and sometimes participated a bit herself. They¡¯d found out that training did help you level, just not as much as actual combat for your life. Still, she usually sent out a Warrior with a group of War Drones to level them up fighting weaker monsters, although she decided to keep them nearby for now. The Swarm Drones were usually too weak to take on even a low-level monster individually, but as the name implied, they worked in groups. Regina had done some tests over the last days and realized that the way they shared experience in a group differed from the other drones. As best she could tell, a War Drone would get experience from a fight its group was in even if it didn¡¯t fight at all itself, like a party experience share mechanic. They still wouldn¡¯t get as much experience if they took down a monster as part of a group as if they did it alone, but it seemed like there was a mechanic that would grant War Drones (and possibly other types of Swarm Drones once she had them) some bonus experience from others. That made it easier to level them up than she had feared. A smaller group of War Drones kept fighting monsters through the night, since Regina didn¡¯t want to lose any time leveling them. She woke up once in the middle of the night and checked on Ada, who had holed herself up on a good perch in the crown of a tree a few kilometers away. She¡¯d leveled up again at some point, reaching level 8, probably from fighting a few monsters during her trip. The next morning, Regina checked the hive¡¯s tunnel system. It was growing quickly and Tia had even started working on the tunnel that would lead back to the center of the village, although that would take some time to complete. It also needed careful thought, since they wanted it to be hidden, as well as protected against flooding and other problems. The sun had only just started getting some distance from the horizon when her newest Scout, Ash, came to find her. He looked like he had run the whole way there from his patrol. On the training field not far away, Max immediately stopped what he was doing and started heading over. ¡°My Queen, there are people coming,¡± Ash gasped. Regina paused. She glanced in the direction he came from, but couldn¡¯t see anything else yet, just forest. ¡°Really? Where? Who?¡± ¡°Roughly the direction of the human land, my Queen. At least five humans, maybe more. I think they saw me.¡± Regina cursed. She closed her eyes for a moment and focused on Ada. The other Scout didn¡¯t seem worried, but kept walking through the forest, looking around. Ash says humans are coming. Did you see any sign of them? Ada stopped and she could feel her surprise. ¡°Humans at the hive? No, my Queen, I didn¡¯t see anything. The animals might be a bit more agitated than normal, but I thought that was just my presence. They must have passed me.¡± Regina shook her head and suppressed another curse, then turned her attention back to her surroundings. She noticed that Max had already sent a War Drone to the other drones in the tunnels and called the warriors to assemble. She picked out a few Warriors, the two younger Workers and some War Drones and told them to hide in their buildings. The last of them barely got inside before the humans arrived. They traveled so quickly that Regina didn¡¯t have much warning before they¡¯d emerged from the trees and were almost at their houses. She shook off her surprise and stepped towards them, Max at her side and the other warriors clustered around them while the workers stayed back. There were eight humans, most of them wearing some kind of armor and all of them carrying weapons, from swords to pikes to warhammers (small looking ones, so they couldn¡¯t have absurd strength). They had different classes, mostly ones Regina hadn¡¯t seen before. There were only two people whose level she could see. One of them was a level 12 Rogue, but it was the other one that captured her attention for a moment, a young man in cloth armor with a patchy blond beard.
Gavin Barkle ¡ª Level 13 Cleric of Alianais
One of the human men stepped forward, and her attention returned to him. This one seemed to be the leader. He was massive and had what looked like half an armory slung across his back and on his belt, above burnished plate mail.
Ulric ¡ª Level ? Weaponmaster
¡°Hello,¡± she greeted him carefully. He nodded at her, sweeping his gaze across them. ¡°Demihumans,¡± he greeted them curtly. ¡°As you might know, there is currently a war between the local elven tribesmen and the kingdom of Cernlia. We answer to the lord of the local lands, Marquis Lyns.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Regina answered. ¡°We did hear about that, however, we¡¯re not involved in this war.¡± The man frowned. ¡°If you¡¯ve settled here, you must have made agreements with the elves. Additionally, you apparently use some goods of elven make.¡± Regina blinked and then looked at her drones. Some of them were holding the tools they¡¯d gotten from the elves as improvised weapons. Then there was a bundle of cloth still lying at the entrance of a house, and some of their clothes made from rough cuts of it. ¡°And what if we had?¡± she asked cautiously. ¡°I must inform you that you are occupying a spot of strategic importance,¡± he informed her. She had the impression he wasn¡¯t used to speaking in that way. ¡°Furthermore, this place, like the surrounding area, is claimed by the kingdom, which means you are squatting.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°Oh, really?¡± she almost growled. Some of the humans moved their hands to their weapons. Others already half-drew them. She took a deep breath and made herself calm down. ¡°Yes. Really,¡± he drawled. ¡°We didn¡¯t see any indication of that,¡± she said in a more even tone of voice. ¡°In fact, there hasn¡¯t been a human within kilometers of here at all, as far as we know. If this place was so important to your kingdom, you¡¯d think it would be secured in some way.¡± Ulric frowned thunderously. ¡°I assure you, this is the case.¡± Regina cocked her head. ¡°Why should we believe this?¡± In fact, she was pretty sure the elves could produce some kind of claim on the area, too, though they had obviously given it to her hive. She didn¡¯t think mentioning that would help, though. ¡°Are you calling me a liar?¡± The human pulled a sword half out of its sheath. Regina shrugged, trying to appear calm. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that this is an easy claim to make. I don¡¯t mean to question your word. It¡¯s not personal. But anyone could come and say something like this.¡± The humans muttered, clearly not mollified. ¡°You do not intend to leave, then?¡± he asked. ¡°No.¡± She stared at him, not saying anything else. Inwardly, she raged. How dare these idiots come and try to chase me out of my territory?! ¡°I see.¡± He met her stare for a while longer, before he looked aside and turned, holstering his weapon again. ¡°You will be hearing from the kingdom again.¡± Regina released a breath she hadn¡¯t known she was holding as she watched the humans turn to leave. Most of them didn¡¯t release their grip on their weapons, though. She could sense her drones behind her relaxing, content the threat to the hive had been driven off for now. She turned and met Max¡¯s gaze, sharing a look. Then suddenly, something prickled at the back of her neck. Regina whirled around again, just in time to see that the humans had turned. One of them - a higher-level Shaman, she vaguely remembered - had his hand raised and was clearly using some kind of Spell or Ability. Then she grew dizzy and her vision spotty. Regina inhaled to shout a warning to her drones, but she couldn¡¯t seem to get enough air. She lost her balance, blinked and tried to stand up, but the ground rushed to meet her. Darkness crashed over her. Chapter 40: The Brazen Blades When Regina came to, it was like bobbing to the surface in a murky morass of water, still partly submerged. Somehow, she managed to not move and instead try to clear up the murk in her mind. Thinking felt harder than it should be, as if she was still dragged down by the aftereffects of her sleep, but she felt intimately that she was in danger. Judging by the pressure and temperature she felt, she was clearly lying down, probably outside or in an open room like one of their huts. There were some sounds around her and a variety of smells. In her current state, she found it hard to sort them all out. She tried to keep her breathing regular while she got her bearings, and didn¡¯t open her eyes to look. After a moment, she focused on the psychic link to her hive that connected her to her drones. She quickly realized that most of them were relatively close to her, and feeling agitated. To her relief, it seemed all of them were accounted for. She checked on those outside. Ada was moving, and a quick dive deeper into her consciousness showed that she was going back towards the hive. Then Regina switched to Tim¡¯s group. They were also moving. The War Drones were with them, and since they were back within her radius, she could sense and control them easily. Be careful, she told Tim, feeling him freeze up for a moment. There were a group of eight humans coming to the hive, trying to tell us to leave. They attacked us somehow, and seem to be in control of the settlement right now. Make sure that they don¡¯t catch you. ¡°Of course, my Queen,¡± Tim murmured. She sensed his heart-rate increase as the others with him sent him concerned looks. I¡¯ll be in touch. After that, Regina quickly contacted Ada and told her the same thing. She also gave the Scout her best guess for the position of Tim and the others, although they were probably still a lot further away. Then Regina gathered herself and dove into Max¡¯s mind. Immediately, she felt the pain he was in, although it only seemed to come from bruises, no serious injuries. Max was with a group of other drones and currently staring at three of the human fighters. Regina recognized the outside of the huts, telling her everyone¡¯s position. Hey, she whispered into his mind. Try not to react. It¡¯s probably better if you don¡¯t try to talk to me, at least out loud. I just woke up, and I have little idea what¡¯s going on. Can you look around a bit for me? Max froze and held his breath for a moment as she contacted him, but it wasn¡¯t very noticeable, considering he¡¯d been still before. Then he slowly let his gaze wander around his surroundings, giving her a better view of everything. At the same time, he focused on a few images and concepts. She could almost feel him willing them towards her. It was like trying to read a letter through a pane of milky glass, but Regina still caught some of the emotions accompanying it, at least. It was clear to her that the humans had managed to take the settlement without much of a fight, probably because of that knockout attack. It had to be either gas or some ability reminiscent of it. It was also possible that it had a shorter range, but that the humans had cowed the hive by essentially taking her hostage. Most likely a mix of both; they¡¯d taken out the ones closest to her, including Max and the stronger Warriors, and made the rest submit. If Regina hadn¡¯t been affected, if she hadn¡¯t been in reach of the humans, she knew the drones would have fought to the death to protect her. But they weren¡¯t berserkers and could weigh risks and danger. At least the War Drones appeared to have followed the remaining ones¡¯ orders and stood down. Although, now that she paid closer attention to it, she could tell that three of the War Drones were indeed dead. She couldn¡¯t sense them in her hive, and she caught a glimpse of their bodies piled to the side. Regina internally shook her head and suppressed the surge of anger she felt, then focused on other drones. She picked out Mia¡¯s mind and dove into it. It¡¯s me, try not to show any reaction, she thought at her. Please carefully show me more of your situation. Don¡¯t respond aloud. Mia did the same as Max and moved her head a little, glancing over her surroundings. At the same time, she focused on certain images that explained what happened. Alright, I¡¯ll be in touch again, Regina said. Be ready to move when I tell you to. Then she repeated the same with Tia, who had a harder time sitting still and not doing anything. After that, she moved to Dan and the other drones. Regina was still trying to work her way through the hive and establish contact with everyone when she was interrupted. She was just about to dive into the mind of the next drone, Ina, when she realized that there was increasing noise in her vicinity. She pulled back into her own mind and tried to sort out the sounds and smells, then quickly jumped her focus into Tia so she actually had a view of what was going on. A small group of humans were approaching her. She was still lying out in the open between their houses, with some of the other drones in her sights if she¡¯d opened her eyes. Half of the humans seemed to be on guard duty, but two of them had turned their heads and were watching. Their leader, Ulric, headed the group, accompanied also by Gavin Barkle and the Shaman Oswald Oak. Under other circumstances, she might have felt sorry for anyone with such a name. Considering he¡¯d knocked her out so they could capture her hive, though, she had to force herself to calm down and not try and jump them. ¡°She¡¯s still out?¡± Oak asked. ¡°The effect doesn¡¯t usually last that long. You think their bodies are particularly susceptible or something?¡± ¡°She¡¯s probably feigning,¡± Ulric said with a shrug. Then he kicked her. It was odd to feel while most of her attention was somewhere else. Regina still couldn¡¯t suppress a grunt of pain. She found her focus jarred back into her own body. She opened her eyes, blinking once, then sat up slowly while she glared at the man. At least Ulric stepped back to let her up. ¡°Is this the kind of honor we should expect from you and your lord¡¯s men?¡± she asked acerbically. Ulric grimaced slightly and shrugged. ¡°As we informed you before, this land belongs to the kingdom. If you had complied right away, this wouldn¡¯t be necessary. You should be glad we¡¯re trying to minimize unnecessary loss of life.¡± ¡°So you didn¡¯t kill any of the drones?¡± she asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Three of the small creatures died,¡± he admitted readily. ¡°Their own fault for attacking us. They¡¯re mindless animals, aren¡¯t they?¡± Right, they don¡¯t have names in the System, Regina realized. She shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re valuable livestock,¡± she lied. Considering their appearance and name, it was probably easy to see they weren¡¯t used as normal cattle, but she figured it didn¡¯t matter too much. ¡°Their loss is not trivial. I don¡¯t expect you¡¯ll compensate me.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. He snorted, and she heard one of the men farther away chuckle. Regina looked at them with narrowed eyes. There were only eight of them. She still had about twenty drones here, although admittedly, most of those were War Drones. Still, in terms of pure stats, at least, she was sure they could handle the humans easily if they ganged up on them. She just didn¡¯t know enough about their Abilities. And they would need a good opening to strike, if that really was the best idea. ¡°We haven¡¯t been given any real orders on what to do with you,¡± Ulric said. ¡°Which means it¡¯s up to my latitude. You¡¯re a curiosity, so it might be fun to take you inland and see what the lords and learned sirs have to say. I¡¯m sure the Delvers might express an interest, too. If you behave, I might just set you free somewhere in the southern forest and let you run away.¡± Regina glared at him. She was pretty sure he was overstepping his authority, at least in the spirit of his orders, if not the letter. Still, she didn¡¯t know how things worked with them in practice. ¡°You¡¯re just sellswords, aren¡¯t you?¡± Oak glanced away, but Ulric just chuckled. ¡°We used to be the Brazen Blades, one of the best adventuring groups you¡¯ll find operating out of the march. The war had need for swords, though, so we found our patriotism and signed up. So, you see, we¡¯re not going to be the last people they send into the forest. You should count yourself lucky it was us that ran into you.¡± Regina stared at him, not amused. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to pay you with, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for.¡± He grinned and shook his head. ¡°Let no one say old Ulric isn¡¯t an honest businessman. That¡¯s not really an option, though, is it? We wouldn¡¯t betray our noble lord to render aid to an enemy.¡± ¡°Are you sure they don¡¯t have any valuables?¡± someone else called from a few meters away. A few of the other fighters chuckled. ¡°Stop messing around,¡± the Cleric finally spoke up. ¡°We¡¯re here for a reason.¡± ¡°Right you are, Barkle,¡± Ulric agreed. He stooped a little to get closer to Regina¡¯s eye level. ¡°We need information on the elves. Tell us about your dealings with them.¡± Regina spoke before she¡¯d made any sort of conscious decision. ¡°Go fuck yourselves.¡± There was a moment of silence. Ulric grinned again, but there was nothing nice in it. ¡°Looks like our little lady isn¡¯t such a lady after all. What do you expect from monsterbloods, right?¡± A few of the others shot him dirty looks, including the Shaman. Ulric either didn¡¯t notice or ignored them as he continued, telling her, ¡°That¡¯s not an acceptable answer.¡± He reached out and slapped her. It looked casual, but the force of it wrenched Regina¡¯s head back and stinging pain spread through her face. She could practically feel the bloodthirst coming from her drones. She had to take a moment to dive into the link and order them to calm down. ¡°Maybe some time reflecting on your choices will do you good,¡± the man said. ¡°Bel, make sure she¡¯s nice and secure.¡± Another man, an Earthen Shield she hadn¡¯t paid much attention to, held up a hand and Regina felt a bit of mana coming from him. Then the ground underneath her wobbled and she felt herself sinking down. She grit her teeth and simply observed what happened as closely as she could. After a long minute, she was entombed in the earth almost up to her neck. The hole conformed to her body roughly, but still left a gap, so she still had a bit of wiggle room. Not enough to climb out, though. The humans turned away from her and went back to whatever they were doing. Clearly, they intended to camp here overnight, perhaps for several nights. Regina closed her eyes and conserved her strength. She could be patient. The sun moved across the sky, while she and her drones stayed put. Regina put her War Drones into what she called hibernation mode, which made them completely still, their minds almost emptying, but not actually asleep. The other drones had a bit more trouble, but at least they were able to move enough to let their blood circulate properly. The humans had tied up a few of them, the ones with the highest levels, but clearly hadn¡¯t had enough rope for everyone. With the drones¡¯ blade-arms, Regina didn¡¯t think it would be difficult to free them. A Drone Warrior was never really disarmed. Well, unless they were literally disarmed. Then she sensed the slight sensation in her mana that told her another drone was awakening. Regina didn¡¯t move and hoped that their captors wouldn¡¯t notice. Unfortunately, her hopes were quickly dashed. One of the men stood close to the shelters and called out as soon as he heard the egg¡¯s shell cracking. ¡°Hey, that egg is breaking! I think one of them is coming. Like those lizard monsters, you remember?¡± As Ulric and a few others hurried over, Regina sighed. She sent her mind into the new drone¡¯s mind, trying to establish a proper connection. Your name is Ivy, she thought with all the intensity she could muster. She repeated the thought firmly until she sensed the drone stepping out of the shelter. Don¡¯t struggle, she added. It seemed to work. There was some back-and-forth too low for her to make out, before the humans returned and dragged the drone to the others. Regina only got a look in passing.
Ivy ¡ª Drone Harvester level 1
The Harvester looked a bit like the Workers, but the distribution of her shell seemed to be a little different. She had one scythe-like blade on one of her extra limbs. It looked a bit like the Warriors¡¯, but set at a different angle. After a moment, Regina realized she could adjust it, making the blade have a sharp angle like a proper scythe or be straighter and more of a weapon. The other limb had a more complicated tool she couldn¡¯t make much sense of. The humans gathered again to discuss the just-hatched drone and what it meant, with some of their posted guards changing. Regina closed her eyes and pretended to ignore them while she actually listened in through the closest drone. They quickly resolved to report their finding to their superiors and Ulric ordered a more thorough search of the camp to find any hidden eggs. The sun was starting to sink by now, and the air grew slightly chillier. Regina checked in on the progress of her drones. Ada had linked up with Tim and the others by now, and they were approaching the hive. They were pushing heavily, moving at a pace their two War Drones could barely sustain. Finally, Regina made a decision and ordered them to leave those behind and hurry back. All of the sapient drones in the group had relatively high Endurance stats, which meant they could cover the distance quicker than a normal human. The War Drones would slow them down. The humans started a fire in their fireplace and started drinking some kind of alcohol they had brought. They still kept half of their people on watch at all times, though. By this time, Regina¡¯s legs had started to ache and she wished she could just sit down. Finally, at least a few hours later, their fire burned down and Ulric and a few others visited her again. It was night now, the air chilly enough Regina wished she was closer to the fire, while her drones huddled together for warmth. But the stars in the cloudless sky, the mostly full moon and the fire provided her enough light to easily see. ¡°Have you changed your mind yet?¡± Ulric asked as he stood in front of her. Regina had to crane her head back to look at his face. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you much about the elves even if I wanted to,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re not exactly making a case for your benevolence or trustworthiness, either, you know.¡± He sighed and crouched down. ¡°You could either spend the rest of the night and tomorrow like this, or you could have a nice blanket and sleep with your clan, until we let you go far away from this conflict.¡± ¡°Oh, this isn¡¯t so bad.¡± He stared at her, as if he was trying to intimidate her with his gaze. Regina stared back. Finally, Ulric shook his head and sat down. He still seemed to tower over her. ¡°If you insist on making this difficult. Barkle, you¡¯re up.¡± The young Cleric seemed a bit nervous, but he nodded and knelt on the ground next to his leader. A faint light started to rise from his hands. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± Regina asked. She allowed some of the nervousness she was feeling into her voice. If they thought she might crack, they might give her more information. ¡°Just a bit of divine magic to help you see things clearly,¡± Ulric said with a smirk. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just start talking?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t going to hurt her, right?¡± Oak muttered beside them. Ulric shot him a glare that clearly told him to shut up. The light in the Cleric¡¯s hands intensified for a moment and he leaned forward. But then it suddenly exploded into a bright flash. Regina winced. She felt a sensation like her ears were popping under pressure, but it had a faint resonance in her mana senses, too. After a moment, she saw that Barkle wasn¡¯t leaning forward towards her anymore. He wasn¡¯t channeling the spell, either. Instead, he had collapsed to the ground, tucked into himself. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Ulric asked, standing and drawing a sword in the blink of an eye. ¡°Backlash,¡± Oak muttered. After a moment of hesitation, he crouched down beside the Cleric. ¡°He¡¯s still alive. But -¡± ¡°He messed up the Spell? That kid ¡­¡± Regina eyed him curiously. It seemed like her opening would be closer than she¡¯d hoped for. The Shaman shook his head. ¡°No, his channel was perfect.¡± He hesitated and glanced at her. He gulped. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, this is more like ¡ª well, I guess Alianais didn¡¯t approve of what he was trying to do.¡± Regina laughed. Chapter 41: An Opening The trek through the forest reminded Tim unpleasantly of the time a few weeks ago when they¡¯d been chased out of their first home. This time, there was no monster horde behind him, but if anything, he would have preferred that. His little group moved as quickly as they could, though he made sure not to burn all of their energy by running too fast. They hadn¡¯t gone that far back towards the hive when they became aware of the trouble there, so they had quite a large distance to cover. Though they were finally getting close. Tim was glad for his good low-light vision that allowed him to navigate through the forest even in the darkness of the night. He turned his head and looked at his companions, slowing down slightly as he noticed how heavily they were breathing. There was no point in arriving too exhausted to fight. At least they had been able to move faster since leaving the War Drones behind. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure of that decision, but Regina knew what she was doing. And he wanted to come to her aid as soon as possible. He thought back to the War Drones. They¡¯d followed orders perfectly, now, at least. When they¡¯d gone beyond the limit of Regina¡¯s psychic connection, it had taken him a few minutes to realize what had changed. They didn¡¯t turn aggressive or anything. Instead, it was more like they suddenly became a lot dumber. They clearly still regarded him and the others as part of their hive, their dominant pack members or something, but they simply had trouble understanding what he wanted from them. Plus, they got a tendency to wander off. Maybe they lost the ability to understand speech, or language in general. Tim shook his head and returned his thoughts to the present. There was no sign that being beyond their Queen¡¯s control radius had changed anything in them, so there was no point in contemplating it now. Besides, the War Drones still with the others would follow orders just as they always had. ¡°We¡¯re getting closer,¡± Ada said in a low voice. Tim looked back and nodded, slowing down. The others matched his pace. Ada had joined them not long ago and they¡¯d exchanged what information they had, but they were thinking about maybe splitting up again. He wasn¡¯t sure that would be a good idea for the fight. ¡°Scout a little further ahead, please,¡± he said. ¡°The rest of us will move forward more slowly.¡± He could swap her with Ace later, but Ada was actually better rested than the other Scout for now. ¡°Yes, Tim.¡± She flitted away and disappeared into the foliage of a nearby cluster of trees and bushes. Tim started moving again, hearing the others following. Neither of them spoke. They hadn¡¯t talked much on the way back, either. None of them had voiced any complaints, and he knew they were all determined to get back and do their part to free their Hive and their Queen from the human intruders. He had to admit he was a little proud of his younger hivemates. Then he felt that hard to describe sensation that told him Regina was paying attention to him again. He slowed down and held up a hand to alert the others. It looks like we have one less enemy to worry about, she said. Or that was what he thought, anyway. It was always a little hard to grasp the telepathic messages she sent, although he felt like he was getting better at it. Tim listened with focused concentration as she told him what had happened. From what he gathered, the humans had imprisoned her underground, and just now, their leader had one of the others do something, but it failed and hurt him. That goddess hadn¡¯t liked it or had punished her follower. Regina conveyed that she thought the man was out of the fight for at least the night, and she seemed confident. ¡°Understood, my Queen,¡± he answered in a tone so low even his companions would have trouble making it out. It didn¡¯t matter as long as she could hear it through his ears. ¡°We¡¯re getting close. I sent Ada to scout a bit ahead. We should be there soon. Do you have any further orders?¡± There was silence for a moment, then she sent, Wait until I give the command. Or until trouble is breaking out, the others fight. Try to attack from the forest to the left of the old shelters. Then she withdrew again. He got the feeling something else had demanded her attention. Hopefully the humans were leaving her in peace. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up a little more,¡± he said anyway. He spoke just loudly enough the others would hear him, something he¡¯d learned to judge by now. Ada showed up again a few minutes later and they stopped to confer. ¡°The basic layout of the camp is still the same,¡± she reported. ¡°I saw four people on watch currently, although one of them might have been with the other group. Two of them came out of the left house. I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s where the last one is.¡± ¡°Probably the one who¡¯s down,¡± Tim interjected. He quickly explained what Regina had told him. ¡°Makes sense,¡± Ada agreed. ¡°They did look a bit agitated. I don¡¯t think any of the watchers is really specialized in perception, but I could be wrong. I had the cover of the trees, anyway, so I¡¯m pretty sure they didn¡¯t see me. It¡¯ll be more of a problem to actually move to the houses. I also saw some of our people. They seem to be packed into a few groups, with human watchers. Dan was tied up, I¡¯m not sure about others, since I didn¡¯t see everyone.¡± Tim nodded. ¡°I guess that¡¯s about what I expected. Did you sense anyone else out there? Or any monsters, for that matter?¡± Ada had leveled up again on the trip, he knew. She was one of the stronger people in the hive now and should be good for this. Her latest Class Skill, Life Sense, would hopefully show them if there were any hidden enemies. Stolen novel; please report. She shook her head. ¡°There are a few small animals around, but nothing bigger, and no signatures that feel like the humans except for the eight we know about.¡± ¡°Good. Then if you think it¡¯s safe enough, let¡¯s move to the tree line.¡± They continued on slowly, carefully. He knew human ears weren¡¯t that good, but they still tried to minimize the noise they were making as much as possible. Ada and Ace were naturally good at this, but it was a bit harder for the Warriors. Luckily, they still found some suitable spots right at the edge of the forest, where he had a good view of the houses, but anyone there would have trouble seeing them. Especially since it was still dark and the humans only had the light of the campfire, the moon and the stars. It was a bright night, relatively speaking, but he still didn¡¯t think they could see very far without aid. They waited. Time seemed to pass in a crawl, slowly creeping towards dawn. Tim almost flinched when something changed at last. The humans in the camp moved, although he had trouble seeing the details. Regina contacted him again right away. They¡¯re getting back to me. Okay, I think this is time. There was a short pause, then she continued. Are you in position? ¡°Yes, my Queen, we¡¯re ready,¡± Tim whispered. Okay¡­ I will try to get one looking to you. Move right away. Move quickly. Her presence receded, and Tim took a deep breath. ¡°Any moment now. Be quick,¡± the whispered to the others. A second later, a brief flash illuminated the camp. Tim didn¡¯t question it and started running right away. He pumped his legs, trying to cross the distance towards their Hive¡¯s settlement as quickly as possible. He needed to have an enemy in his sights and in range to activate Warrior¡¯s Charge, but he¡¯d use that soon. Shouts rose from the camp, but it wasn¡¯t immediately clear whether they came as a reaction to Tim¡¯s group. He caught a glimpse of drones pouring out of a house. War Drones were at the front, swarming the human fighters outside. Two of them had thrown themselves over their Queen, blocking a strike from the big man who had to be the leader of the humans. Tim focused on the other human next to him, who wore lighter gear and carried a staff. A Shaman. He felt a familiar, slight buzz as his Ability activated. Then he rushed forward, crossing the distance in the blink of an eye. His blade shot out, but the human dodged his swipe. Tim¡¯s momentum still carried him forward and he shoulder-checked the human, throwing him back. Tim stumbled, but used his other blade-limb to catch his balance as he attacked with his ax. This time, there was a feeling of resistance, like he was trying to strike through a viscous fluid. Tim aborted the attack and stabbed with his blade-limb. It slowed again, but he put all of his power into it, the strength he gained fighting alongside his brothers and sister. The blade flashed down and cut into the human¡¯s leg. The man went down with a cry. Tim prepared to end him, but another drone jumped onto him right away. Tia, he realized after a moment. He turned and sidestepped, raising his shield to catch a javelin thrown by another human. The impact almost spun him around and his shield splintered, but Tim didn¡¯t care. He ran forward two steps, coming at another human currently flattening two War Drones from the side. The human dodged, but Tim let him block his right blade-limb and attacked with his left one at the same time. This forced the human back a step, making him stumble over the corpse of one of the War Drones. He suddenly seemed to grow taller, halting his momentum and bringing his warhammer forward with blinding speed, but Tim barely managed to evade it. Then two other War Drones fell onto the human. One of them managed to bite his arm, making the man drop his weapon. Tim didn¡¯t stay to help, but immediately jumped forward again. He could see that Max was down, clearly still alive, but one of his blade-limbs was mangled and his weapon-arm twisted badly. Regina was still stuck in the ground beside him, Mia frantically trying to dig her free. But the human Weaponmaster, Ulric, turned on her at this moment. Time seemed to slow down for Tim as his focus narrowed down to the situation in front of him. The world faded out at the edges, the fire surging through him making it irrelevant. He had a moment to curse the fact that he had no ranged weapon or Ability. But he wouldn¡¯t let that stop him. Tim raised his ax and threw it towards the human. It wasn¡¯t a real throwing weapon, but the distance was short and he¡¯d put all his strength, increased by his Class Skill, into the throw. The ax struck the human with the back end of its blade, with no chance to penetrate his armor, but the impact staggered him. Tim¡¯s Ability was available again and he Charged at the Weaponmaster. He felt something break his shell on his left thigh, but it wasn¡¯t a deep blow. He used his hands to grab his opponent¡¯s arms while his blade-limbs tried to look for a chink in his armor. He didn¡¯t find one right away, but he didn¡¯t need to. Other drones jumped on, and with Tim grappling him, they managed to wrest his sword and strange ax out of the human¡¯s grip. Then Tim heard a faint whistling sound and a glowing blue ball of magical energy crashed into Ulric. The human jerked. Tim didn¡¯t waste the opportunity, but instead darted his head forward and bit down. The human¡¯s scream rang in his ears, deafening at such close range. He sensed someone stepping beside him. They¡¯d finally managed to free his Queen. Tim raised his head to look at her, feeling some of the frantic fury leaving him. She must have seen his unspoken question, for she smiled, showing teeth that were sharp but not quite as dangerous as his own. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this,¡± she said. Her words sent the other drones into a little frenzy. Tim bent down again, cutting through straps and divesting Ulric of his armor at the same time as he sought out his major blood vessels. Others weren¡¯t as restrained. After a long few seconds, he finally stepped back. He knew his Queen wouldn¡¯t want them to eat humans, so he spat out the blood pooled in his mouth. He finally saw his System notifications.
You have leveled up
You have leveled up
He¡¯d probably been close to reaching level 13 anyway, but more than one level was still quite something. It meant his Queen had also leveled up, at least. Tim found it hard to feel excited about it, though. He glanced around. Regina was already kneeling next to Max, her hand on his twisted limb. Tim watched as it started to straighten out, then turned to the others. With both of them occupied, he should make sure things were taken care of. ¡°Move all of the injured who can be moved here,¡± he called. ¡°War Drones, stand down and stay at your posts. Scouts, make sure our perimeter is secure. Ben, come here.¡± It looked like most of the humans had survived, or would with medical attention. Leveled people were tough, and these seemed to be mostly warriors anyway. He didn¡¯t know if his Queen wanted them alive, but he shouldn¡¯t presume. Tim shook his head, looking at the Hive¡¯s drones laid out on the ground. He could already tell they had lost quite a few War Drones. He¡¯d need to confirm the status of the sapient drones. At least the intruders had been dealt with, and his Hive got their gear and weapons and surely some levels out of it. Chapter 42: First Dead By the time Regina finished treated Max and the worst of the injured, Tim had organized the others, and things had settled down a little. She stood up, stretching and cracking her neck, and glanced around. She¡¯d used up almost all of her mana and needed to take a break to let it recharge before she could continue healing. She also finally had time for the System notification waiting for her.
You have leveled up
Congratulations, you have unlocked a new Swarm Template: Production Drones
Regina paused to consider the message for a moment, before she dismissed the issue to the back of her mind. Another type of Swarm Drones would be good and she was curious to see what they offered, but she didn¡¯t have the time to delve into it right now. She also didn¡¯t want to impede her mana regeneration with new eggs just yet. Regina took a deep breath as she stepped back from the injured and took in the situation. She¡¯d healed all of the surviving humans, well enough that they would keep on surviving, at least. It was no surprise that they had been generally worse off than the drones. Still, three of the humans were dead. There wasn¡¯t even a body left of Ulric so much as several pieces. Regina felt her upper lip lift in a subconscious snarl at the thought, baring her teeth, and smoothed out her expression. Her anger had mostly subsided with their victory, but traces of it still lingered. She could tell it was much the same for the drones. They really showed a lot of discipline in this situation, all things considered. Tim appeared by her side in an instant, and she smiled at him. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve done very well.¡± ¡°Of course, my Queen. I¡¯m just glad that we won and that you¡¯re unscathed.¡± She nodded. ¡°How do things stand?¡± Tim looked serious, almost grim, but he met her gaze readily. ¡°We lost most of the War Drones, my Queen. Only six of them are left. I¡¯ve posted them to watch the perimeter. But if they hadn¡¯t thrown themselves at our enemies like that and shielded the others, we would have lost more of them, too. As it is, we have five serious casualties.¡± His blade-limbs flared out slightly. ¡°And one fatality.¡± Regina nodded slowly. She could already sense the diminished number of consciousnesses in her hive, distantly. She didn¡¯t need to ask. ¡°The injured should all recover without major issues, they just need some time,¡± she said, her voice even and a little detached. Their little houses all still stood, although some of them had obviously been a bit battered in the fighting. They would need repairs. Besides that, their settlement had survived remarkably well. It was the people who would need their attention. ¡°Alright,¡± she said, speaking up a little louder so the drones could hear her. ¡°Everyone who¡¯s injured, wait here for me to get to you. Gather the human prisoners over there. Warriors, it¡¯s your job to watch over them. Get what rope we can salvage and tie up those who look most able to fight. Oh, and the sleeping Cleric as well, no point taking chances. Lay out the dead over there, at the edge of the field. Once that¡¯s done, gather firewood for a pyre.¡± The drones sprang into action, following her orders. Regina could see that some of them participated in the work despite having obviously sustained some injuries in the fighting, although they were only lightly injured, with shallow cuts and the like. Anyone with more serious injuries stayed here. She didn¡¯t make an issue of it. There weren¡¯t enough workers to go around, anyway. So she simply turned back to the injured and continued with her work, trying not to let herself get distracted by pondering of what she should do with their prisoners. There were still a lot of open questions, especially about why they¡¯d acted like this. Max was sleeping at the moment, but as soon as he woke up, she¡¯d discuss things with him, Tim and maybe a few others. It took her a while to treat all of the injured. Not just because she had to wait for her mana to regenerate, but also because she simply couldn¡¯t sustain intense focus for that long continuously. She took a few breaks, checking on her patients with more mundane methods. They¡¯d all remain a bit banged up, with bruises and scrapes, but she needed to ration her energy. At least there was no injury inherently beyond her Basic Heal. Those were probably the ones that had proven fatal. After she was done, Regina slowly made her way to the edge of the open field she¡¯d named earlier. Max had just woken up and was dragging himself there, as well. The other drones, those who weren¡¯t assigned to guard their human prisoners, followed. Tim waited beside the pyre he¡¯d helped to built. It was comprised mostly of scrap wood and branches picked from the forest. Someone had wrapped Amy into a spare sheet of cloth and she was laid out on top of it. It was quick, but Regina approved. Her instincts said that they should dispose of the dead as soon as possible. That was probably for sanitary and hygienic reason. And there was no point in keeping the dead waiting, or those who would mourn them. Regina stepped forward, lifted the makeshift covering and looked at the dead girl¡¯s face for a moment. It was the first real death of her hive, the first time one of her sapient drones died. Regina couldn¡¯t remember what level she had been. Still three, or did she reach four? She shook her head. Too low to be in such a fight, especially as a Worker. A part of her was guiltily glad it hadn¡¯t been someone she knew better, like Mia. Amy simply hadn¡¯t been with them long enough to really form meaningful connections. Regina exhaled deeply and stepped back. She was just a kid. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°She gave her life for the Hive and for our Queen,¡± Mia said. She¡¯d stepped forward. Her voice was quiet, but in the silence, it reached everyone. ¡°We will honor her sacrifice. We will be worthy of it. She was our sister, and she did not die for nothing.¡± Simple words, but heartfelt, and fitting. Regina could tell that the gathered drones approved. ¡°I will not forget you,¡± Regina said to the pyre. ¡°I promise you that. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t protect you. I¡¯m sorry you didn¡¯t get to live a fuller life. But Mia is right. It means something.¡± After a long moment, she raised her hand and cast Spark. She made the flame hotter than normal fire would be, ensuring that the wood caught fire. Regina moved around it, lighting several spots. The fire quickly grew to consume the pyre. Regina turned away and walked to the pit they had dug beside it. It was remarkably deep for such a short time, evidence of the Workers¡¯ Ability being used. She carefully took the first of the dead War Drones and heaved it into it. There was less ceremony for them. These were also her drones, but they hadn¡¯t even had individual names, for the most part. Just a few nicknames the drones assigned. Regina threw the first handful of dirt and the others helped to fill in the grave. She didn¡¯t do anything with the humans¡¯ bodies yet. She wasn¡¯t sure what they should do, and they would keep for a while. After the short funerals, Regina returned to the survivors, contemplating what to do. "Am I the only one who thinks something is odd here?¡± she asked quietly. Tim shook his head. He and Max were sticking close to her, while Mia and Tia had returned to overseeing the other drones. ¡°No. I¡¯m wondering what¡¯s up, too.¡± ¡°I get the feeling these aren¡¯t exactly the most competent soldiers we could have met,¡± Max said. He was still walking with a bit of a limp, but she wasn¡¯t even going to try to keep him in bed. ¡°And this wasn¡¯t a very big group. I¡¯d guess that they aren¡¯t the only ones in the forest. Still, if you consider the travel times and probably communication times involved, they¡¯re moving quite quickly. I¡¯m not sure how good their communication loop is with their capital or wherever they ultimately get their orders from.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Well, I have a few questions for the Cleric, but that will have to wait until he wakes up. Until then, we should question the remaining survivors. It¡¯s probably best if we speak to them separately.¡± They didn¡¯t waste time, but got to it right away. Tim and Max took one of the humans, the Shaman who¡¯d seemed more concerned or maybe more principled than Ulric, and dragged him into one of the houses that were currently empty. They¡¯d have to move the rest of the prisoners into another one, but for now being out in the open meant there were more eyes on them. Oak had had a few nasty cuts and a few broken bones which Regina had set. He still looked battered and pale. He leaned against the wall of the hut, looking from Regina to her Warriors. ¡°Oswald Oak, right?¡± Regina said. ¡°We want you to answer some questions. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not going to hurt you.¡± Ethical considerations aside, she knew that torture was not a good way to get information from people. They¡¯d just tell you what they thought you wanted to know. She didn¡¯t have an easy way to check their truthfulness, either. That was why she wanted to question the humans separately. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you much,¡± he replied, still looking wary. ¡°Ulric asserted that this place is claimed by the local kingdom. Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I never saw any official documents or anything like that, but from what I¡¯ve heard, Cernlia claims the edge of the forest up to about the elves¡¯ city, anyway.¡± Regina nodded. That was unfortunate, but not a surprise. ¡°Did you plan on gassing us from the beginning?¡± He looked at her for a long moment, then sighed. ¡°Well, I suppose there¡¯s no point in keeping quiet about it now. It was a backup plan. We wanted to convince you to cooperate, but if not, Ulric decided on this as the best way to avoid getting anyone killed.¡± ¡°What was the ability you used?¡± He just looked at her, keeping his mouth shut. Regina sighed. She hadn¡¯t really expected an answer, but she¡¯d worked her way through easy questions successfully. At least it had to have either a high cooldown or some significant drawbacks or limits, since he hadn¡¯t used it again. ¡°Did you know you were going to find us here when you set out?¡± He hesitated, then shook his head. ¡°No.¡± Regina frowned. He could be lying, but she was inclined to believe this was the truth. That was interesting. ¡°Did you send a report back on it?¡± He didn¡¯t answer again, but from the way he flinched slightly and looked to the side for a moment, she thought the answer was yes. They¡¯d probably sent someone back as soon as they¡¯d found the hive¡¯s village. ¡°What are you humans doing in the forest? Why are you sending in teams like this?¡± He shrugged. ¡°No one talks to me about grand strategy, lady. I just know we were sent here.¡± Regina crossed her arms. This was not getting her anywhere. She asked a few more questions, but Oak either didn¡¯t answer, said something that wasn¡¯t helpful, or his answer was slanted in a way he was probably doing on purpose to not give her information. She nodded at Max and Tim, who dragged the human back to the others, then picked the next one. Over the next hour, she interrogated the human survivors. Two of them were too badly off to be moved, so she talked out in the open. None of them told her anything important. What they did say matched Oak¡¯s answers, but they either barely knew anything or didn¡¯t want to talk, probably both. After she was done, Regina left the humans and walked out of the village towards the fields, watching as a few War Drones dug another hole. ¡°What are we going to do with them?¡± Max asked, stepping up beside her. ¡°We¡¯ll have trouble keeping them, especially once they heal up.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Regina pulled a face. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to kill them out of hand. It feels like a waste. I¡¯m thinking the best thing to do is give them to the elves. If nothing else, they might be able to get more information from them, it would take them off our hands, and it¡¯s probably a good gesture.¡± Either in the pointed ¡®look what your war did to us¡¯ sense, or in giving them potentially valuable sources of information. ¡°Killing them might help us level up,¡± Max pointed out. ¡°Then again, we did already defeat them, and I guess killing defenseless beings would probably not give us much experience.¡± Regina nodded, but stayed silent. She didn¡¯t know when the elves would send someone by again, but sending the prisoners with some of her drones to the elven city would be risky. If it took too long, they might have to spend more effort on keeping them prisoner or take more drastic measures like injuring them again. They waited at the edge of the village, watching while the drones cleaned up and started the repairs on the hive. The night slowly turned into day. ¡°You know I would never question you, my Queen,¡± Max spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t like the way this is going.¡± ¡°You mean that the humans definitely know we¡¯re here now and we¡¯re going to be on their shit list?¡± Regina asked, quirking an eyebrow. Max nodded, still looking serious. ¡°They had it coming. It¡¯s still dragging us deeper into a conflict we¡¯re not really prepared for, or have any real stake in. This isn¡¯t our war.¡± ¡°Correction, Max.¡± Regina looked at the horizon, at the sun slowly climbing beyond the forest¡¯s edge. ¡°This wasn¡¯t our war.¡± Chapter 43: Adjustments and Open Questions They managed to sort things out pretty quickly, to Regina¡¯s relief. The hive would be a little short on manpower for now, but that couldn¡¯t be helped. She decided to leave some tasks alone and focus on what they needed right now. Which wasn¡¯t just guarding their prisoners, but also training. She¡¯d pushed herself and laid new eggs for one Harvester, mostly for testing purposes, three War Drones and one Production Drone, also to see what that type was about. She would have liked more of them, but fighting drones had priority right now. Regina knew she couldn¡¯t afford to take a passive or halfhearted attitude to gaining experience and levels anymore. She sat down with Max and Tim and worked out a training schedule that would push their warriors and even the other drones to their limits, but help them rise through the levels quickly. They incorporated every trick they could think of and everything they¡¯d discovered through their experimentation. She had free access to a supply of monsters, and she intended to make use of it. Regina herself stayed at the hive, guarding the prisoners together with the workers and warriors not on shift in hunting expeditions or training. They¡¯d also bring back monsters to fight here, and she could heal some and have them fighting again and again. The System rewarded victory more than death. It helped that her drones had all gained levels, another bit of evidence for that discovery. The average level for her Warriors was now 12, with Max and Tim both at level 14. The levels for the Workers were slightly lower, but catching up. The War Drones were lower still, but they¡¯d risen to about level 10, which was actually really fast growth. For the survivors of the fight, at least. Regina was confident they could grind out a few more levels quickly. She¡¯d had Ivy, her single new Harvester, help with odd jobs around the camp. Her type seemed to be a bit better suited to combat than a normal Worker Drone, but she was still clearly meant for something else, mostly. Regina had the feeling there was something she was missing there. Hopefully it would become clearer with time and a few more levels. Around midday, when they¡¯d finished cleaning up and setting up everything, and were settling into the new routine, she got a new notification from the System.
You have leveled up
You may now select another Ability
Regina whistled quietly. She¡¯d been expecting to level up quickly, but this was still a welcome surprise. Clearly, she¡¯d gained a lot of experience for fighting off a threat to her hive and was still getting some from their efforts. That she already had another Ability choice was what really made her grin, though. Quickly, she leaned against the wall of the house behind her, taking a last look around, before she looked at the System screen.
You may now select your second Class Skill. Please choose one of the following:
Hive¡¯s Roster: Your Hive is manifold. Unlock the next two Templates you would gain access to immediately (one each for sapient and Swarm Drones). Requirements for unlocking new Templates will be lightened. At higher levels, you will gain access to the chance to customize Swarm Drones more easily.
Mage¡¯s Focus: Your path is one of magic. Your rate of mana regeneration will be improved, as you will get an effective bonus to your Wis stat, the size of which depends on your Int stat. Learning new spells will be easier for you. At higher levels of mastery, you will have greater control over casting your spells and be able to cast two at once.
Infect: Your Hive is all-encompassing. Induct a foreign creature into your Hive. They will be treated as Hive members by your magic and Abilities and count towards your Hive limit. Be careful, for introducing hostile elements may negatively affect your Hive. Inducted Hive members will have their speed of Experience gain increased. At higher levels of mastery, you will be able to use this Ability more often and grant further benefits to inducted Hive members.
Regina stared at the screen, feeling her heart start to beat faster. She knew what she was going to take as soon as she read the option. This time, she didn¡¯t even take time to think about it. She reached out and mentally clicked on Infect. The screen dissolved in a shower of sparkles, and she felt a slight shift in her mana. There was no other visible reaction this time. She was still confident that it would work. Regina kept smiling as she pushed off the wall and kept walking walking through their settlement. She¡¯d been half-hoping to see Mage¡¯s Focus again, or maybe even another ability that would help her magic even more. But she didn¡¯t regret passing on it now. Infect was going to open up all new possibilities. She probably shouldn¡¯t use it on enemies, or rather on unwilling targets. The warning aside, she didn¡¯t think her psychic strength was that great, yet, and trying to keep someone actively fighting it under control would get old. She couldn¡¯t exactly puppet their body all the time, even if it wouldn¡¯t make it harder to control her own. They could probably work things out if she really needed a specific person under control, but it would be much less of a headache to work with a volunteer. And then she would be able to look through their eyes, talk to them telepathically, and just generally use their strength for her own. Regina grinned. She had some questions about the specific mechanics of this, but she¡¯d just have to find the answers to those in time. For now, just having the option supported her decision to stay here. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. She had considered packing up and moving, but to where? Anywhere else she could think of would either be also in the potential line of fire, or too close to powerful monsters, like deeper in the forest. Dealing with warring sapients would probably still be easier. Besides, she just didn¡¯t want to let this be. Even if you left aside considerations of anger or vengeance, these humans were a threat, and she didn¡¯t want to leave them at her back. She wanted to crush the threat. Even knowing how irrational this thought was given her situation didn¡¯t change that. Well, for now, she¡¯d see what she could get from the elves. In any case, they should have some time still. Ulric had been planning to move today, if what she¡¯d learned was true, and she didn¡¯t think anyone would be looking for him for at least a day after that, probably more. It would also likely take some time to assemble a bigger force even if they intended on leading one here. Regina still planned a schedule for posting some drones to keep an eye out for approaching humans. She was a little sorry she couldn¡¯t pick the first Ability choice, since new Templates might have been something useful. One of them was probably a specialized warrior type. But again, it sounded like she wasn¡¯t getting anything she couldn¡¯t unlock with more time, effort and levels anyway. The possibility of customizing Swarm Drones in the future was tantalizing on its own. Still, as she looked around, she shook her head and made herself focus on the present. ¡°Regina?¡± She turned to see Max hurrying towards her once more. He was still injured, so she¡¯d insisted that he stay in the camp, where he was supervising the other warriors and helping to guard the prisoners. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The Cleric, Barkle, has finally woken up. He still seems to be a little under the weather, but he¡¯s mostly coherent.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go talk to him.¡± They moved two of the other human prisoners out of one of the huts so they could talk to him undisturbed. Regina mentally called back Ben and Zoe and added them to the guard detail for the prisoners, just to be safe. They¡¯d both just leveled recently, anyway, fighting a small pride of Lionits Ben and his team had brought back to the Hive. Gavin Barkle didn¡¯t look too good. Since she had just reached the same level, Regina could see that he was level 15. He had dark shadows under his eyes and his skin looked sallow, but he followed them with his eyes when they came towards him. Regina crouched down, but still kept herself above where he was lying on the floor, half-leaning on the wall. ¡°Mr. Barkle,¡± Regina said. ¡°I see you¡¯ve woken up. You don¡¯t look too good. You were asleep for about half a day in total, I¡¯d say.¡± He grimaced slightly. ¡°And I see the situation changed considerably in that time. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ll let me speak to my companions, Hive Queen?¡± ¡°Considering what you were apparently going to do to me, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in a position to make demands, Cleric.¡± He lowered his eyes for a moment before he raised them to meet her again. ¡°Fair enough. Be assured I would not try something like that gain.¡± He winced a little. ¡°My goddess has rather pointedly expressed her displeasure.¡± ¡°How?¡± He blinked. ¡°You were there. I should think it¡¯s obvious.¡± So, she knocked him out, and he might still be weakened. ¡°What, exactly, would you have done?¡± He frowned, then answered after a moment of silence. ¡°It¡¯s a rather standard spell of divine magic. It not only reduces a patient¡¯s sensation of pain, but also relaxes their minds, being used to suppress emotional turmoil and help with negative emotions, such as what you would experience after suffering a significant injury in battle. If given more power, it can induce something like faint euphoria and a certain disinhibition of the mind. It is at its core an innocuous, beneficial treatment.¡± ¡°Most of the time, I see.¡± She ignored the way he ducked his head again, frowning to herself at the description. It sounded a bit like a magical opiate or another psychoactive drug. Not that she couldn¡¯t appreciate the benefits. There was a use for painkillers and even depressants or whatever for someone acutely affected by trauma. Still, the Spell didn¡¯t seem very magical to her, in terms of wondrous capabilities. At least it was pretty clear what they¡¯d intended to use it for. She shook her head and shelved that line of thought. They had more important things to consider. ¡°So, you follow Alianais. What¡¯s she like?¡± Barkle blinked. ¡°I beg your pardon? I¡¯m not sure I understand the question.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like you to tell me more about the goddess. Don¡¯t assume I know or believe anything and explain like you would to a five-year-old. That¡¯s not beyond the scope of what a Cleric can do, is it?¡± He still looked surprised, then cleared his throat. ¡°The goddess is generally considered one of the major gods of the pantheon. She is worshiped in human as well as elven lands, and, it is said, even by dwarves and more distant peoples. Oh, Alianais is called the goddess of Change and Progress. She¡¯s usually depicted in a humanoid form, sometimes with pointy ears like the elves, and white hair and eyes. Unlike some of her fellows, she prefers not to visit mortals often. There are several churches under her name, though they are nominally integrated and do cooperate. What else do you want to know?¡± Regina crossed her arms. ¡°That¡¯s a good start.¡± Change and Progress, huh? I guess I can see why she might be interested in my progress. Especially if she¡¯s aware of the knowledge I have. Then again, if this world literally had a goddess of progress as well as magic, why was it still at what seemed to be a medieval technology level? Couldn¡¯t a deity just wave their hand and give them computers and spaceships? Well, maybe that was as silly as it sounded. She really didn¡¯t know anything about it. ¡°When were you supposed to report back in?¡± she asked next. Barkle hesitated, glancing to the side. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Regina didn¡¯t know if she believed that, but on the other hand, that would be the case for any answer he gave. ¡°Who¡¯s in charge after Ulric?¡± His gaze flickered, as he probably wondered if Ulric was dead. ¡°Beltis, then Oak.¡± Regina nodded. That was good to know, and it matched what the two others she¡¯d asked this question had said. Of course, the Earthen Shield, Beltis, had died alongside Ulric, and Oak was still not exactly in good shape. ¡°Your size doesn¡¯t seem typical for human squads, or adventuring companies for that matter.¡± She was taking a stab in the dark here, but his reaction should be informative. He winced a little. ¡°We were twelve the last time we set foot into the forest. Getting better conditions for signing up before being drafted wasn¡¯t the only reason Ulric wanted to enlist.¡± That explained why their group¡¯s makeup might be a bit lacking. ¡°Alright. You seem to be an honorable sort, Gavin Barkle. I promise you good treatment if you give me your word you will not make trouble or attempt to escape.¡± He hesitated, scrunching up his face as he clearly thought deeply for several seconds. Then he nodded. ¡°Fine. You have my parole, Lady Regina.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Regina smiled. She didn¡¯t intend to let her guard down, but that should hopefully keep him quiet. At least until the elves arrived. When they stepped out of the hut and she checked on her hive, one of the War Drones posted to keep watch in the direction of the city saw a group making its way towards them. Chapter 44: Guests and Tests The sun had already set by the time the elves reached the hive. Regina waited outside to greet them once more, though this time she was not accompanied by as many drones as before, since she needed the warriors to guard their prisoners. She smiled as she saw the approaching group. She recognized the elf in the lead right away. Bianorn appeared much the same as always, and he seemed concerned as he looked around. He only had two other elves with him, though both of them had a level too high for Regina to read. One was another Forest Scout, the other a Druid. ¡°Hello again,¡± she greeted them, nodding at Bianorn and then the others. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you. Unfortunately, we¡¯ve had some trouble since you parted with Tim and Bea.¡± She had both of the mentioned drones with her, while Mia and Tia joined in watching the prisoners instead. They seemed happy to see each other as well. ¡°So I see,¡± he replied, returning her nod. ¡°We came largely because of the humans¡¯ new movement, but it seems we are too late.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± Regina said, gesturing for them to come along. ¡°We managed to come out on top, so to speak. However, we lost most of our dumb fighting drones.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°We also lost a sapient hive member. One of the youngest.¡± ¡°Oh, I am sorry to hear that,¡± Bianorn replied, bowing his head, while the other two elves exchanged looks that seemed surprised. ¡°Is it appropriate to express my condolences for your loss?¡± ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t see why it wouldn¡¯t be. We appreciate the sentiment, anyway.¡± Regina guided the visitors to the spot by the fireplace, where they were offered some water and some berries the drones had picked yesterday. She stayed quiet, letting the silence build for a few seconds longer, before she fixed them with a serious gaze. ¡°Were your people aware that the humans were preparing to push into the forest?¡± Bianorn paused. He obviously recognized the importance of the question. ¡°Not until recently,¡± he replied, meeting her gaze. ¡°The three of us set out soon after. There were deliberations before that, but they did not take too long. If I may ask, when did this fight occur?¡± ¡°They first appeared more than a day ago,¡± Regina answered after a moment of thought. ¡°Then I doubt we would have been in time to help, I¡¯m sorry to say. Did they attack without talking?¡± Regina shook her head. She gave them a short account of what happened, skipping over some things and emphasizing the fact that Ulric had claimed the area belonged to the human kingdom and that they had launched a surprise attack after being refused. ¡°I see.¡± Bianorn frowned thoughtfully. ¡°This is truly an unfortunate turn of events.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Regina agreed, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Your people gave us this land, or at least the right to settle here, as I understand it. No mention was made of anyone else owning or claiming it.¡± He snorted. ¡°That¡¯s because the humans don¡¯t own it. I take your point, Lady Regina. The situation should perhaps have been made more clear. And I am sorry that you were drawn into our conflict with the humans.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± She shook her head, smoothing out her expression. ¡°I hope you will make sure this cannot happen again.¡± He exchanged a look with his companions. ¡°We do want to offer you our protection, rest assured. However, with the current state of the war, our options are limited. That¡¯s why only the three of us could be spared for this trip. Now that we know what happened here and have a better idea of the lay of the surrounding land and the human forces, it will be easier to reach a decision.¡± Regina tilted her head. She did want their help, even if she was wary about any attached strings. ¡°What do you intend to do?¡± ¡°As I said, I am unsure what we can offer you. Perhaps it might be best to relocate your entire people closer to our base in order to protect you. Failing that, perhaps station some fighters here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I would agree to pack up and go with you, Bianorn. And having elven soldiers here will only make this place more of a target for Cernlian attacks.¡± He sighed softly. ¡°I know. I assure you, we will do what we can, but as I said, I cannot promise you that we will protect you completely. In any case, until we know more, my group will stay here. That should be sufficient to ward against any further human raids of this sort.¡± Regina leaned back and crossed her arms. This was probably the best she could hope for. And really, she only wanted their protection until she could stand on her own. ¡°We also have some prisoners from the attack. I was considering sending them with you.¡± She was pretty sure she could grow her hive faster than anyone expected. She just needed a few days or weeks until then. The elves¡¯ protection was her best shot. As long as she didn¡¯t let them put her in a position it would be hard to get out of. Bianorn seemed surprised. ¡°Oh, I appreciate the thought, Lady Regina. Who and what levels, if I may ask?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show them to you later. They¡¯re about level 15 to 20, I think.¡± ¡°It will not be easy to send them to the city,¡± he mused. ¡°We will likely have to wait for further communication and for escorts to be sent. In the meantime, we can help you in guarding them, too.¡± He hesitated. ¡°I take it you killed some of them, then.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Regina shrugged. She had indeed killed a few people, or caused their deaths, at least, but she found herself surprisingly unaffected by it. It was probably another part of her Hive Queen nature. Even if she¡¯d wanted to, she found it hard to muster much guilt or pity at the notion of killing enemies who¡¯d threatened her. If anything, when she thought about it, she only felt faint satisfaction. And the drive to do the same to the rest of her enemies. They fell silent for a minute. Regina didn¡¯t feel in any hurry to break the silence. Instead, she just kept watching the elves. The other two started to fidget a little. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Lady Regina, may I speak freely?¡± Bianorn asked eventually. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re reluctant to host elvish soldiers or move to our territory - to tie yourself closer to us, perhaps - and your mistrust seems understandable.¡± He hesitated for a moment, then shrugged with a small smile. ¡°Would it help if I told you that we already know you make new drones yourself within a few days?¡± Regina froze for an instant, then leaned back, keeping her posture casual. ¡°How? Did you spy on us?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No. Well, not spying as such. Does it matter? I doubt you expected it to stay a secret for long. In any case, I assure you you do not need to feel like you have to hide this from us. If you like, we would be happy to stay away during the birth of your drones or anything to do with them.¡± Regina frowned. He was right about her expectations, if she was honest. At least she was confident she still had a few cards he didn¡¯t know about. ¡°I will have to consider this,¡± she finally said as she stood up. ¡°For now, you are welcome to stay here as our guests. Let us know if there is anything you need.¡± She traded nods with them, then walked away from the fire. Regina didn¡¯t go far, but around a few corners of the houses towards the edge of the camp. Then she beckoned to Max, who was once again staying close to her. ¡°Is there something you need, my Queen?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes.¡± She spoke so quietly he would only just make out her words, to keep them private. ¡°I want a bird monster. Preferably one that can survive on its own for a while but is generally unobtrusive. Please get together with the others and see what you can do. Oh, and I want it alive, obviously.¡± Max looked at her questioningly, but didn¡¯t say anything and simply nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get it done.¡± Regina turned away, going to check on the Workers. She hadn¡¯t realized it at first, but the Ability description for Infect clearly said ¡®creature¡¯. Even normal animals would probably count, and monsters should, too. They might be harder to handle than actual drones or willing participants, but, on the other hand, it was probably easier to control something that wasn¡¯t sapient. While the System screen hadn¡¯t said, she suspected the limitation of hive members not having higher levels than the Hive Queen still applied, but she could work with that. It took a few hours, during which she checked on the prisoners again. Bianorn left his two companions here to help watch over them while he disappeared into the forest, presumably scouting out the surroundings. Regina had Ada keep an eye, or rather her Life Sense, on him to make sure he wasn¡¯t going after the warriors she¡¯d sent on a bird hunt. Sometime during the day, she must have passed another threshold with the trickle of experience she was getting from her hive, and leveled up again to level 16. Regina had hoped for another spell, but she didn¡¯t get lucky. It seemed like discovering some on her own did have an impact on the System offering her Spells. Well, her healing spell hadn¡¯t even been on the list, so far, so it wasn¡¯t like she hadn¡¯t gotten something out of her efforts, at least. She pulled up her status to ponder it again when she had a free moment.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 16
Mana: 43/350
Hive: 13/47, 1 Swarm: 6/51, 4
Con: 13 Str: 12
Dex: 12 End: 13
Int: 17 Wis: 16
She tugged on her mandibles, frowning to herself. She still hadn¡¯t figured out how the cap for her Swarm Drones increased. The one for Hive Drones clearly had been slowed down by the addition of Swarm Drones, but it was still a pretty regular pattern. At the moment, she was far below her limit in both, something she definitely wanted to amend. And now that she¡¯d gotten another level, she could try making another Swarm Drone egg later. Her mana had also dropped with the deaths in her hive, but not as much as she¡¯d feared. The previous two levels, her stat points had finally gone to some other stats beside the mental ones. She would have liked more of those, but she was also relieved the others wouldn¡¯t fall completely behind. Constitution and Endurance seemed especially important, generally speaking. But for this level, Int had risen again, which was a bit of a relief. She didn¡¯t really need much Strength or Dexterity, especially since she mostly fought with her magic, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to match warriors in those stats, anyway. Finally, Max returned with the others. He stayed in the forest and sent a War Drone to her. Regina was confused for a moment, but then focused on her connection to her drones and realized what he was doing. She sent the War Drone back to assume a watch post and ambled away into the forest. Max and Ben were waiting in a small clearing a few dozen meters into the forest. They had a rough, improvised net of knotted Entangling Vines, with a few rocks holding it down on the ground. Regina grinned and stared at their captive for a moment.
Dark Wing ¡ª Level 13
It looked like a black swallow, not that she knew much about birds. It was maybe a little bigger than most, but not by too much. Its beak looked particularly sharp and its eyes were like black ice, but it didn¡¯t look much like a monster at first glance. She sensed some mana from it, though. It was mostly unformed and carried a feeling of darkness, shadows and cold. ¡°Very good work, boys,¡± she told them. ¡°I hope this wasn¡¯t too hard. Are you hurt?¡± ¡°Ben has some scratches,¡± Max said. The other Warrior shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine, my Queen, they¡¯re barely noticeable. It took us a while, but we worked out a method in the end.¡± ¡°Well, as I said, good work. Let¡¯s see if this works.¡± Carefully, Regina approached the bound bird monster. Its struggles seemed to intensify, but it was easy to see that raw strength wasn¡¯t its forte. Regina reached through the net, then withdrew her finger, barely in time to save it from a sharp beak. The bird was quicker than it looked. ¡°Uh, can you give me a hand?¡± Max and Tim approached, and after a few tries, managed to pin down the bird well enough that it couldn¡¯t struggle too much. Regina touched it and thought about her newest Class Skill, Infect. She didn¡¯t know if the Ability required physical contact, but that seemed like a good guess. The bird struggled even harder for a few seconds, then stilled. It started to twitch slightly, then it shrieked, before it got what looked like a full seizure. Regina could sense some mana working into it. Its eyes grew cloudy and its movements slowed. She frowned. Well, maybe she should have expected something like this, given the Ability¡¯s name. It could be that this actually worked like an infection of some kind. Although it seemed to progress very fast. After about half an hour, Regina began to feel a new presence in her psychic Hive connection and the bird started moving again. She tugged away the net, allowing it to move freely, while she focused most of her attention inward. It was a strange sensation. The bird wasn¡¯t sapient, but it also wasn¡¯t mindless, and it arguably had a lot more of a mind than the Swarm Drones. It clearly understood something of what was happening. Still, the bird¡¯s attempt to fight against it was unfocused and didn¡¯t carry much effort. Looking through its senses was strange, and it took Regina a short while to get used to it. Regina released the grip of her mind from the animal, watching as it flapped its way up and settled on a branch of a nearby tree. It didn¡¯t try to attack them. After a long moment, she dove a little deeper again, nudging it to fly to the west. It resisted at first, but when her prodding grew more insistent, it took off. ¡°Hm. I think this will work out well, especially once we have a little practice.¡± ¡°This is very cool,¡± Max agreed, looking after the bird. Regina smiled. She knew she probably had to keep it inside her fifty kilometers control radius ¡ª although, hopefully, that one had expanded a bit with her new levels. Still, she had something that should work well as a fast scout and unobtrusive spy now. Chapter 45: Small Discoveries The next few days went by without incident, although Regina was poised for more trouble showing up, presumably in the form of humans. No more of them approached, though. However, from both her new minion and the drones she¡¯d sent out to scout, she knew that the humans were still sending teams into the forest. Many of them moved deeper in, probably towards the elves. Bianorn and the other elves didn¡¯t seem concerned about it. They were quiet for the most part, staying at the camp or occasionally going out to scout. A few times, the elves brought back something they¡¯d hunted or gathered, and Bianorn once showed up lugging the corpse of a black bear with fur as hard as steel that had been level 20. Regina appreciated him donating the corpse, although she wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do with it. They didn¡¯t have the right tools for working with that, but the Workers might still be able to do something with it, perhaps turn it into armor for Max or the defense-focused drones. The other thing she didn¡¯t quite know what to do with was the new Production Drone. It hatched together with her new War Drones about two days after she¡¯d laid them. That gave Regina another surprise. The new War Drones were all level 2, not level 1. When she first appraised them, she just stared for a moment, confused. ¡°Well, I guess I still have more to discover about the System and the part of it that governs hives,¡± she then muttered. Max gave her a sideways glance, then ordered the drones to various tasks. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t complain,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s possible we only just noticed that because the level of the other War Drones is higher now than it used to be. Perhaps they start with, like, a fifth of the average level of their type? Rounded down, I guess. That would help to make up for their relatively lacking stats.¡± ¡°Possible,¡± Regina said, shaking her head. ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡± Then she looked at the new drone of her new type, frowning thoughtfully. It looked about the same as the War Drones at first glance. At least, it had the same general size and shape. However, it didn¡¯t have any blade-limbs, and she didn¡¯t think they would be much use in a fight. Instead, its other pair of limbs was shorter and a bit stubby. There were strange ridges and indentations on them. Regina frowned harder, then looked at Ivy, the Harvester, who was working on the neighboring hut. Yep, there definitely seemed to be a bit of congruity. She wasn¡¯t quite sure about it, but the names alone and how quickly the two types were unlocked after each other suggested there might be something there. ¡°Maybe I should have expected this, it¡¯s using the term Production after all,¡± she muttered. ¡°You, uh, produce what you¡¯re going to produce.¡± The drone reacted to her order right away, as she could sense through the psychic link, although it wasn¡¯t readily apparent at first. Parts of its body contracted slightly. Then something shifted a little and it started excreting a substance. Regina stepped closer. It had made a greenish black goo that didn¡¯t look like much. ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll have to work on that,¡± she said with a small sigh. This was only a level 1 drone. ¡°Make another bit of it, I¡¯ll watch more closely.¡± This time, she dove further into what she could sense of the drone. Not only did she get a sense of its mind, but also some idea of its body. She felt what happened to some extent. It would need a bit of study and maybe a deeper connection to really understand it, but she was confident she could get there. In the meantime, she already had the impression that it was somewhat adaptable, maybe even modular. After a while, Regina shook her head and took a step back. She looked around, then called the nearest War Drone that didn¡¯t seem to have much to do, one of the new ones, over. ¡°Eat a bit of that substance,¡± she told it. The War Drone complied, and Regina watched closely. This didn¡¯t seem to be very harmful. The drone¡¯s unformed mind didn¡¯t have much of an opinion on what it just ate, but it did seem to curb its hunger slightly. ¡°Alright, go back to your work. You, stay close to that house and eat some grass.¡± They didn¡¯t have a lack of food, but this might still be useful. Still, for now, Regina decided she was better off focusing on warrior types. Though maybe she should take the opportunity to let her mana fill up more and use it for some necessary tasks around the camp first. About a day later, Regina was trying to help with hanging a real door into the newest house, which had the best doorframe, when she realized that the Harvester egg was cracking. She excused herself. Bea could get this done on her own. The Worker seemed focused on the task and only nodded. She almost seemed to get it this time, but the hinges they¡¯d tried to carve out of a monster¡¯s bone still didn¡¯t seem to quite get it. ¡°So, we have a new Harvester,¡± Bea said, turning to look at her. ¡°What are you going to name them, my Queen?¡± Regina started, then turned around. The new drone had just climbed out of its egg and stepped outside. He seemed like a boy, so she decided on, ¡°Zac.¡± Bea nodded and smiled slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll get him oriented.¡± Regina returned the gesture and left, since they weren¡¯t going to finish this right now, anyway, instead considering the next additions to her hive. She decided to make another two Warrior eggs and four War Drone ones. Those taxed her mana regeneration, but since her levels and mental stats had risen, she could deal with it more easily than before. Regina waited until she was sure that the elves were away and not paying attention before she did, then put the eggs in a relatively secluded spot in one of the houses her drones used. There probably wasn¡¯t much point, but she still felt reluctant to have them out in the open. Once she was done with that, she found Max waiting for her. ¡°We¡¯re trying to adjust the training schedule, but I¡¯m not sure how much time we have left,¡± he said. He glanced around, then continued at a lower tone of voice, ¡°Has your new scout found more human movements?¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°About the same as before. I sent him out a little further, and he¡¯s able to move much further than Ada and the others, fortunately. We still have to be careful of monsters. But even using Dark only gives me one viewpoint, so I don¡¯t really get a full picture.¡± ¡°Dark?¡± Max raised an eyebrow. Regina shrugged and smiled a bit sheepishly. ¡°I was considering calling him Shadow, but that seemed a bit clich¨¦.¡± ¡°And you think ¡®Dark¡¯ is better?¡± Regina put her hands on her hips and pouted, no, glared at him. ¡°I seem to remember someone recently saying they would never question me.¡± Max grinned and laid a hand on his heart. ¡°I still wouldn¡¯t dare, my Queen. I wouldn¡¯t say I was questioning you.¡± ¡°Not me, just my decision.¡± She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, but had to suppress a smile. ¡°Can you really call that a decision?¡± Regina snorted. ¡°Oh, shut up, Max.¡± She hit him lightly, which at least wiped the smirk and mock thoughtful expression from his face. ¡°You¡¯re just making it easy for me, Regina.¡± She shook her head, then started walking, while Max followed along. ¡°I think we can stick with the current schedule for now,¡± she said. ¡°If you¡¯re careful, I¡¯ll even let you go out to join the hunting party and bring back some monsters, but don¡¯t go too far from the camp.¡± Max nodded seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll take care. Do you want us to look for further monsters for you?¡± Regina chewed on her lip thoughtfully, then shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t know how many spots I have, but it probably isn¡¯t many, and I¡¯d prefer to keep my options open. Besides, having one foreign presence in the hive is already a bit irritating, and I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯ve, uh, trained Dark fully, yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably good to keep him out of sight,¡± Max noted. ¡°Do you want me to discretely let the rest know about it?¡± ¡°Good idea. My telepathic communication is still not completely clear, and it¡¯s probably better not to risk misunderstandings. Just keep it quiet.¡± She hadn¡¯t told all of the other drones about the bird monster she¡¯d Infected yet, but they probably needed to know, especially if they might run into him out in the forest. At least the elves didn¡¯t seem to have noticed. Regina had tested out her range with her new mobile minion, and discovered that it had indeed grown. She didn¡¯t have a good way to measure distances, but she estimated that it was at least a few kilometers further than the first time she¡¯d seen the limit. So it did increase with her level. Unfortunately, it would probably still take some more time until it would be large enough to reach the elven city. Max nodded at her and moved off. Regina looked after him for a moment before she started moving again. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do next. So she simply wandered around the edge of their camp, looking around and trying to evaluate it. She paused when she noticed a drone approaching from the direction of the forest edge. It was Tia, she realized after a moment. She came from where the tunnel system they¡¯d been digging opened. Regina shrugged and turned to meet her. ¡°Were you in the tunnels?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Tia said, ¡°I was just checking to make sure there were no Tunnelers or anything else breaking into it.¡± Regina had decided to leave the tunnels alone for now. Especially with posting additional guards, it would simply take more time and effort from her people than they could spare. The tunnels also weren¡¯t likely to be finished in time for another confrontation with the humans, at least not in a way they would make much of a difference. She¡¯d decided to focus on raising their level instead. ¡°Alright, good thought,¡± Regina said. ¡°Was there anything?¡± ¡°Not that I could see. The tunnels were pretty much the same as before. It¡¯s funny, I didn¡¯t really realize how far we¡¯d come until I was gone for a while.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°How are you holding up, anyway?¡± Tia paused for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Pretty well, I guess. You probably didn¡¯t notice it, given the situation, but I think I did pretty well in the fight.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°You¡¯re more warlike than half the boys here,¡± she teased her. ¡°I didn¡¯t have much attention to spare for the details of what everyone was doing, but I did notice you fight. You¡¯re doing really well.¡± Tia scratched her cheek, looking a bit embarrassed. ¡°Thank you, my Queen. I guess ¡­ I¡¯m not like Mia. I like contributing to our defense, not just building houses and stuff. Actually, I found that I really like working on the palisade and tunnel system, on fortifications and things like that. Maybe we can even make siege engines or more complicated emplacements at some point.¡± Regina clapped her on the shoulder. ¡°Good, I¡¯m glad you like that. We can certainly use more structures like that, although it may take a bit until we have the resources and time to really work on such projects. So you don¡¯t just want to fight more?¡± ¡°Not really. I still keep up with training and sparring, and I like that, but I¡¯m no Warrior and there¡¯s no point trying to pretend I am, you know?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°I¡¯d miss my work, anyway,¡± Tia added. ¡°Fighting is all well and good, but I like building things, too. It¡¯s useful, something that doesn¡¯t just give immediate gains.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Regina smiled again. She was glad that Tia seemed to be finding herself. While Regina was making her decisions based on effectiveness and what she thought was best for the hive, she also wanted her drones to be okay, and she did care for her. ¡°You mentioned Mia, how¡¯s she doing?¡± ¡°I barely manage to get a word out of her these days.¡± Tia rolled her eyes, but she also smiled slightly. ¡°She¡¯s very focused on her work. Not that I¡¯m complaining, my Queen. She¡¯s also reached level 13, too, even though she didn¡¯t get as much from the fight.¡± Regina nodded. She had noticed that. ¡°Then I guess I won¡¯t bother her.¡± She resolved to keep an eye on the other girl, though, if it looked like she was too focused on work for too long. That couldn¡¯t be healthy, even if they weren¡¯t human. ¡°Do keep checking the tunnels regularly, though.¡± ¡°Of course, my Queen.¡± Clearly sensing that the conversation was over, Tia nodded at her and resumed walking. Regina noticed that she was heading to where they kept the prisoners, to join the drones guarding them. Regina returned to the center of the village, deciding to check on the elves again. She still felt weird about allowing outsiders into her home, but at least she didn¡¯t seem to feel any violent aversion to the idea. She¡¯d been half afraid her Hive Queen side would act up because of it. So far, it seemed to be in disgruntled agreement over it, though. Maybe that said something about the measure of trust she¡¯d given to Bianorn after all. Just as she stepped between the houses, a faint burning sensation made her pause. Regina almost stumbled, more from the surprise than anything else. She frowned to herself and closed her eyes to dive into her senses. It was immediately clear where the sensation came from. Dark had experienced strong pain, and she even suspected the bird might have deliberately sent the sensation to her, or at least pushed it towards her more than normal. The bird was still alive, thankfully. His left wing had a bad burn, but he managed to tumble out of the air in a half-controlled way and landed on the upper branches of a tree. Regina was more concerned at what had caught his attention in the first place, though. ¡°Lady Regina?¡± Bianorn asked, coming up to her. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± She gave him a tight smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She wanted to tell him ¡®We¡¯ve got visitors¡¯, but stopped the impulse. Instead, she focused once more on what she could see of the situation, though the group of humans was moving out of Dark¡¯s sight. They looked different than before. If Ulric¡¯s team had been somewhat ragtag mercenaries or adventurers, these looked more like knights. Professional, well-equipped ones, with armor and weapons that looked either new or well taken care of, and several pack animals, probably mules. There were a few people who didn¡¯t look like knights with them, though. Regina couldn¡¯t get a good look at everyone and couldn¡¯t see their levels, but they were probably heading for her hive. Still, she wasn¡¯t as alarmed as she thought she¡¯d be. Mostly because of the white cloth hanging from a few of the lances. She shook her head slightly and returned her attention to the elf. She just had to ask him to keep his fellows close without giving him the real reason. Chapter 46: Talks Janis pushed back the hood of her robe, letting it fall to her shoulders and giving herself a better view of the forest around her in its dim light. It had started drizzling a few minutes ago, but the clouds seemed to have given up already and dried up. She was wearing much better clothing than the last time she¡¯d been here, of course. Her mage¡¯s robe and its hood would not only protect her from even heavy rain and biting wind, but it was also made of superior quality materials and embroidered with skill, if sparingly. She looked like a real mage in the service of their local lord. Just another token of Lady Kiara¡¯s generosity, who barely seemed to give it any thought. Janis glanced at her, only to see the older girl turned to look toward the fort, in the direction they came from. There was a faint frown on her face. After a second, it smoothed out and she returned her gaze to the trees ahead of them. Janis suppressed a sigh and resisted the urge to look back as well. She was not sure that everything was entirely put in order there, either. But for now, they were here on another important task. At least, she thought it was important. Janis wasn¡¯t entirely sure why both Kiara and her father, the marquis himself, had seemed to give such weight to her words. She¡¯d felt guilty for telling her lady about Regina and her people, she still did. But it was the sort of information his soldiers needed if they were to go into the forest and might happen into a situation they were not prepared for. Perhaps that was the reason. With another group in play, even if they were small - for now - the situation in the Great Forest had changed significantly. Even more so if the new faction was of a strange race, with unknown capabilities. In any case, Kiara had been upset to discover that things had gone off-course right from the beginning. While the marquis had sent word to the forces stationed at the forest¡¯s border, mostly to Forest¡¯s Watch, it had been too late to reach the first squads sent into the forest. Janis didn¡¯t know how that could happen, but she supposed the marquis and his commanders might have sent their first orders right after the conversation with Derrek Zephyr, and he had perhaps hesitated before deciding how to handle this matter. She also knew he wasn¡¯t happy about Kiara heading here herself, although Janis hadn¡¯t been privy to that conversation. She could hardly blame him. Although he had also sent along fighters strong enough to protect his heir from just about anyone they might encounter here. Janis glanced at the men out of the corner of her eyes. She didn¡¯t have a high enough level to see the level of any of them. She knew that at least three of them had passed their second Class Evolution, though, and she suspected that at least one was close to his third one. Still, she suspected that Lady Kiara was simply taking the chance to get out, away from her father¡¯s oversight and control, so to speak. She seemed a little too excited to be here. Janis hadn¡¯t said anything, though. She wasn¡¯t in a position to judge anyone for putting themselves into danger unnecessarily, after all. ¡°We¡¯re going to be there soon, right?¡± Kiara asked. Janis looked at her, then, as she saw that none of the others was about to answer, she shrugged slightly. ¡°I assume so, Milady. We¡¯ve already covered a relatively large distance.¡± They were moving much more quickly than they would normally be able to, thanks to one of their companions¡¯ Class Skill. They also knew approximately where the squad they followed had gone. None of them spoke after that, and they continued traveling in silence. It only took about ten minutes before the knights leading the group slowed down. Janis looked around, trying to see what had changed. She realized that they had not encountered any monsters in a while, especially not any of the ones above level 10 or so. In addition, it seemed like the forest might be lightening. ¡°There should be a clearing ahead on the banks of a lake,¡± one of the men, a Sir Willard, said. Another one raised their hand and seemed to be using a Skill of some kind. A spectral sparrow flew out of it and into the forest, moving at high speed. About a minute later, it returned, alighting on the man¡¯s hand and then disappearing. ¡°There is a village of sorts ahead,¡± the knight said, bowing his head respectfully to Kiara. ¡°We appear to have found our goal.¡± She nodded. ¡°Let us go, then.¡± After a few seconds of preparation, they continued. The guards had drawn more tightly around them and were holding their shields and weapons at the ready. Two of them were holding their lances out so the white cloth tied to them flapped in the soft wind a bit. It didn¡¯t take long for the party to reach the edge of the forest. Janis hesitated for a moment, taking in the sight. They kept walking, allowing her to make out more details. There was only a cluster of simple houses, although she had not seen ones built in quite that style before. She also saw what appeared to be the beginnings of a ditch and palisade wall curving around some corner of it. The fortification was clearly unfinished, although someone had dug out the ditch wider than the palisade atop the mound of earth that must have come from it. The whole thing was not placed directly around the houses, but farther out, leaving a lot of space. Clearly, the builders intended to accommodate future growth within the settlement. There was also a firepit placed in a central location, made in a style Janis didn¡¯t recognize, with stones forming a circle around its edge. It was currently lit, but the fire was burning low. The small village only captured her attention for a moment, though, and she focused on its inhabitants. She thought she recognized a few of them at first, before Janis realized that some of them looked almost alike. They seemed to come in several groups, but all of them were like the ¡®drones¡¯ she had met before. They wore simple attire of monster furs and rough cloth, with extra holes to accommodate their additional pair of arms. They¡¯d assembled at the edge of the settlement, and stood with regular spaces between them, like a formation, most of them holding weapons. The second thing that caught her eyes were three elves standing off to the side, as if making it clear that they were not part of the group. Janis had only seen elves rarely, but their identity was obvious. They were armed and seemed prepared for trouble. Janis almost felt Kiara¡¯s hesitation and sent her what she hoped was an encouraging smile. She heard the young lady take a deep breath, before she composed herself, her face becoming a mask of calm. Slowly and carefully, the group made their way towards the demihumans and stopped before them. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Janis¡¯ eyes were drawn towards the woman in the middle, the only one who seemed old enough to be called such, although, naturally, she did not appear to have aged very much since their last encounter.
Regina ¡ª Level ? Hive Queen
So, the girl had leveled up enough to surpass her. Janis had risen very quickly recently, reaching level 13 just two days ago, so she couldn¡¯t help but be impressed at this progress. In addition, Regina was flanked by the two biggest male drones, who Janis recognized as two of her previous companions, Max and Tim. They were both higher leveled as well, indicating even quicker progress. ¡°Janis,¡± Regina stated in a cool voice, gazing at them like a true queen receiving petitioners, ¡°I am not fond of people who break their promises. Who are your companions?¡± Janis shifted uncomfortably before she made herself stop. Sir Willard was whispering something into Lady Kiara¡¯s ears. Janis couldn¡¯t make out his words, but she read the surprise in her lady¡¯s eyes, and the clear wariness with which she eyed the people she faced. Perhaps he¡¯d told her their levels? After a moment, when no one else spoke, Janis decided to answer, since she was the one who had been addressed. ¡°This is Lady Kiara Lyns, daughter and heir of Marquis Lyns of the kingdom of Cernlia. We are accompanied by several of the march¡¯s knights and guards.¡± She hesitated for a moment, then continued. ¡°And I apologize.¡± The strange girl nodded slightly. ¡°Am I correct to assume you are here under a flag of truce?¡± ¡°We are,¡± Kiara spoke up. She inclined her head the slightest bit and gave her a polite smile. ¡°I am aware that the strength we have brought along might seem intimidating or even threatening, but we are only here to talk.¡± Regina didn¡¯t look particularly intimidated, assuming she wasn¡¯t simply hiding it. Janis chose to see her apparent trust in the sanctity of the white flag as a good thing. ¡°Then I am happy to talk, of course.¡± Kiara glanced at the elves, who had not introduced themselves nor been introduced so far, then nodded and took another step forward. ¡°Perfect. Then, may I assume that you have encountered one of the squads we have sent into the forest?¡± ¡°You could say that.¡± Regina¡¯s expression seemed to darken a little. ¡°They were not as polite as you, nor as peaceful.¡± Janis tried not to let her dismay show on her face. She¡¯d been afraid of that. Kiara seemed to share her sentiments. ¡°Oh? Could you please explain what happened, in your view?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Regina seemed to take a moment to gather herself, then spoke. ¡°They approached us a few days ago, giving little warning of their presence. Their leader, Ulric, told us of the war, cast a few aspersions, then claimed that this area belonged to your kingdom. As he produced no proof of this, and since I already had indications of a prior claim, I refused to comply when he tried to evict us. He seemed to accept our response and his squad turned to leave, only to launch an unprovoked surprise attack. Following this, he imprisoned us, hit me and used what could be classified as a form of torture. He even got his Cleric to attempt to do something immediately punished by his goddess. In the ensuing fight, many of our tame monsters died, as well as one of our members, a young girl.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Three of them also died fighting, the rest are alive and well.¡± Janis stiffened, and she saw Kiara react the same way. This is a serious issue, and those are serious allegations. Not even mentioning whatever this Ulric did, blood has been spilled on both sides. ¡°I see,¡± Lady Kiara said slowly. ¡°This is concerning. I would like to talk to the survivors of this fight to verify this story, but I do not doubt you, Lady Regina.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± Regina answered. ¡°We had no stake in this conflict, no grievance against your people. I would like for you to keep us out of your disagreement with the elves.¡± Kiara nodded. ¡°I would also prefer for you and your people to stay neutral.¡± ¡°Then, would you agree to a temporary truce?¡± Kiara paused, clearly surprised by the offer. ¡°I suppose so,¡± she said slowly, exchanging a glance with Janis. She knew what her lady was thinking: They were already conducting the raids ordered by the king, and would hopefully be done with them soon. After that, they had much less stake in what was happening in this forest. ¡°I would propose an agreement for you - or any humans - to stay out of our territory, or the area near this settlement, for two months. We may reevaluate our relationship after that.¡± ¡°One month,¡± Kiara countered. Probably less because she had an inherent issue with a timeframe two months, Janis thought, but more for the principle of the matter. ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°If anyone on either side engages in aggression against the other, or intrudes into their territory, the agreement is broken.¡± Regina hesitated for several breaths before replying. ¡°Agreed.¡± She glanced at one of the warriors beside her, who had shifted his stance, then back to the humans. ¡°What sort of guarantee can you give me that you will abide by this deal?¡± Kiara stiffened slightly again, but she didn¡¯t show any obvious sign of anger. ¡°I have nothing material that would work and no intention of leaving hostages. However, I will give you my word as a member of the Lyns family, on our honor. That should be enough.¡± Regina seemed to consider it for a moment, glancing at the knights around her and Janis, before nodding. ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t ask if you can speak for your side, then.¡± ¡°And what do you offer, Hive Queen Regina?¡± The girl shrugged. ¡°There is little I could offer. Do you have a suggestion?¡± Kiara¡¯s eyes darted to the houses. ¡°As a gesture of goodwill, I would like to receive the soldiers in your custody. I am willing to pay ransom for them.¡± From their body language, Janis could see that the other demihumans did not like that idea at all. Their lady, however, seemed much calmer about it. ¡°I can agree to that,¡± she said. The elf standing in the center, who had been silent until now, cleared his throat. ¡°Lady Regina, I seem to recall that you would send these into our custody?¡± She glanced at him and shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t promise anything, Bianorn. And I can still do with them what I want, since they are mine. Including ransoming them.¡± She turned back to Janis and Kiara. ¡°I have little need for money. Would you give us weapons?¡± ¡°Regina -¡° Bianorn began. ¡°It¡¯s decided,¡± she interrupted him in a low voice. He shut his mouth again, looking distinctly unhappy. Janis caught his gaze roving over the assembled human fighters, clearly seeing that he was outmatched. ¡°I cannot agree to that,¡± Kiara said, ignoring the byplay. ¡°However, we have some bars of refined metals that should be useful as currency for trading with many different factions and races. Would you agree to that?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± They quickly finalized the details, and Kiara picked up some ingots of various metals, including iron and steel, from one of the pack mules. She passed them to one of the knights, who carried them to the demihumans and handed them to one of the Drone Warriors. After that, about half of the drones departed and returned quickly with a group of human prisoners. Janis couldn¡¯t help but be a little surprised as she saw them. They really did look alive and well. Either they were all taken uninjured, or someone among this group has a healing ability. The latter seems more likely. She listened in as Lady Kiara quietly conversed with the apparent leader, a shaman called Oak, while the guards cut the ropes binding the others. She asked a few questions, and he seemed to support the account of events Regina had given. Janis knew there would be a more detailed interrogation once they were back. ¡°Alright, then our business here is concluded,¡± Kiara finally said, smiling again. ¡°I wish you good fortune and hope we will meet under better circumstances next time.¡± Regina nodded seriously. ¡°Agreed. Goodbye.¡± Kiara hesitated for a moment, but nothing more was said, so their party turned around and left. They had walked for a minute before the young lady let out a deep breath and turned to Janis. ¡°Well, that was exciting.¡± Janis nodded and smiled a little. ¡°It certainly was. And illuminating.¡± ¡°Did you see how quickly they progressed?¡± Kiara shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have believed it possible!¡± That was probably a good reason to not want this hive set against them, Janis reflected. She nodded again. She just wished she was able to read Regina a little better. How sincere was the girl about her words and intentions? Chapter 47: Resolutions, Ambitions Regina waited for quite a while until the humans were out of sight before doing anything else. She didn¡¯t know the range of their hearing, especially with some people among them who seemed to be quite high level. Once she finally turned from watching the forest, her stance relaxed and she let out a deep breath. Glancing down, she saw that her fingers trembled slightly, and made them stop with an effort of will. She¡¯d been focused during these talks, pushing her emotions aside and doing her best to only present a calm, cool facade. In truth, she¡¯d known that there would be nothing she could do if the visitors decided to discard diplomacy in favor of violence, that attacking her hive would be easy for them and with their numbers and levels, they might be able to wipe out everyone here without breaking a sweat. She hated that feeling. ¡°I hope you are sure of that decision, my Queen,¡± Tim mumbled quietly. She glanced at him and gave him a short nod. I would have found it more difficult to hand over Ulric, but this was a different matter. In the end, they¡¯re just five humans, not very important in the great scheme of things. Presenting myself better to that Kiara Lyns was probably more important. ¡°If you will excuse us, Lady Regina,¡± Bianorn said stiffly, ¡°we will need to discuss matters.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± While the elves departed, she glanced at a few of the drones, thinking, So do we. For the next few minutes, Regina kept most of her attention on Dark and a few other drones she¡¯d sent out to scout where the humans were going. The bird had regenerated pretty well from being burned. Ada and the others simply made sure the humans didn¡¯t turn back or approach again, while she sent Dark to follow their movements. She made sure to keep it back and out of sight of them. That didn¡¯t allow her to get any close-up views or follow their conversation, but she didn¡¯t want to risk it getting hurt again. At least she could confirm that the humans were indeed leaving. They moved at a very quick pace straight through the forest, in the direction of the human settlements. The soldiers occasionally killed a monster that got in their way, but they didn¡¯t stay to hunt. Finally, Regina returned her full attention to her surroundings. Her drones had already scattered, for the most part, returning to their duties. She sent a mental nudge to Tim and a few others and then headed into one of the houses that was empty at this time. Max had stayed close by and followed her in. He was the first one to speak when the others arrived and Ben closed the door. ¡°Why did they agree to all of that?¡± Regina sighed, leaning against the back wall of the house. A quick check through several drones¡¯ senses showed that no one else was nearby. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. Tim was frowning. He folded his arms and leaned against another wall. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. They could have just wiped us all out instead of bothering with diplomacy. They clearly realized that we were growing in strength quickly, from our levels, if nothing else. So, it would make sense to nip a potential threat in the bud.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking, too. And unfortunately, I think we still can¡¯t discount that scenario. It might be be due to that girl being softhearted ¡ª or whatever you want to call it, I don¡¯t mean to criticize her ¡ª or because Janis influenced her. Or, what do you think?¡± The others shrugged. ¡°It could be due to a religious reason,¡± Mia spoke up. ¡°They clearly just wanted to find out what was going on at first. Then you mentioned that a goddess intervened, right? And they probably confirmed that with the prisoners.¡± At the mention of the prisoners, a few of the others¡¯ faces darkened. Regina knew that they didn¡¯t like that those had gone free. But none of the drones complained. It didn¡¯t even seem like anyone would bring it up. She couldn¡¯t help but feel pleased at their obvious trust in her, or at least respect for her decisions. ¡°As good a possibility as any,¡± Regina agreed. ¡°If there are physical gods around, it probably makes sense to not want to piss them off by killing someone they¡¯ve protected in the past, especially when you¡¯re probably in the wrong. But in any case, I think we can take this deal as valid for now. It¡¯s always possible Kiara will get overruled on it later, but we should have a bit of time right now.¡± There was a short silence, and the gathered drones exchanged glances. ¡°Was that what you wanted to accomplish, my Queen?¡± Max asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if this is presumptuous, but did you have a plan for this truce negotiation?¡± Regina smiled faintly. ¡°My original plan was to get some time to build up our forces, then strike and take a bite out of their land while the human kingdoms are distracted fighting the elves.¡± He raised an eyebrow, and she felt the attention of the others sharpening even further, if that was possible. ¡°Is that still the plan, then?¡± Regina allowed her smile to widen. None of them had even blinked at her declaration. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Two months would have been better,¡± she said after a moment of deliberation. ¡°But one month is already more than I expected. We definitely have more of a stay of execution than I could have hoped for, if nothing else.¡± She crossed her arms, glancing at the gathered kids. ¡°We¡¯ll have to be prepared to adapt, but I don¡¯t see why the basic idea shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± Tim pushed off the wall. He looked to be deep in thought. ¡°What is your objective, my Queen? Revenge or justice, territory, resources?¡± ¡°Most of those, yes,¡± she replied with a serious nod. ¡°But mostly territory, and the resources that naturally come with it. We don¡¯t need too much, at least at first, but this little area isn¡¯t going to support us for all that much longer. I want to expand beyond the forest, and this is probably the best chance we¡¯ll get.¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°I also want to deal with the humans from a position of strength, and I seem to remember that it¡¯s generally better to be on the offensive than the defensive.¡± There was a little more to it, which she found hard to put into words and was still not entirely clear within her own mind. She was aware that her strategy as stated - you couldn¡¯t really call it a plan - had issues. But she was sure of the general thrust of things, the direction she wanted to take. ¡°Then we will need to work hard to make it possible,¡± Max stated with a small smile. She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s probably all we need to say right now. Let¡¯s get back to work and spend some time considering everything. I welcome all of your input.¡± Their small gathering dispersed and the drones all got back to work. Regina stepped out of the house, glancing up into the sky. Dark clouds were gathering to the east. She smiled to herself. She half-expected something to happen after this, but the next few hours were quiet. Drones went about their work, either building or reinforcing the camp¡¯s buildings and defenses, or training and fighting monsters. She kept more of the Swarm Drones outside and in positions to watch the forest than before, but they were still close enough to the camp to be protected. Like in the one case where a Monster Duck attacked one of the new War Drones. Luckily, it survived with the help of Dan showing up to defeat the monster, although Regina had to heal the drone. The sun set and the activity in her hive died down. Regina stayed up later than normal, but finally forced herself to go to bed after Max¡¯s silent hints became more pointed and she realized she was keeping him awake, too. The next day proceeded much the same. However, there was one change. The atmosphere between her hive and the elves had noticeably cooled. A deaf and blind person would have known that Bianorn was angry at her for giving up the human prisoners, and perhaps for making a deal with the humans, too. Regina understood that and regretted it on more than a personal level, but she wasn¡¯t about to go and apologize. She was doing what she thought was best for her hive, which he should understand, and she wouldn¡¯t let the elves manipulate her. Although they probably had already. Around midday, Bianorn sought her out. He had vanished into the forest about an hour before and moved quickly away from the camp. Regina had considered sending a drone or even Dark after him, but she didn¡¯t want to risk them and needed Dark to keep an eye in the direction of Cernlia. Bianorn headed straight for her when he showed up again, and the two other elves stood up from where they had been sitting and came as well. Regina stopped what she was doing, an attempt to weave a basket out of some dried, long stalks of grass, and stood up to greet him. ¡°We need to talk,¡± he started. ¡°I just had word from home.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you going to tell me how you did that?¡± She could think of a few options, mostly using some Ability. Perhaps even tamed beasts similarly to her own bird. That they had some means of communication didn¡¯t surprise her too much. ¡°The details aren¡¯t important.¡± He glanced at the others. ¡°The government is concerned about your deal with the Cernlians.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to point out that it is unreliable, anyway,¡± Bianorn said, looking her firmly into the eyes. ¡°They could not speak for Nerlia, and they didn¡¯t even represent Cernlia. Only the local marquis whose lands border on this area, but we do know that he and the Cernlian king are opposed, so I wouldn¡¯t expect all Cernlian soldiers to care about this agreement.¡± Regina nodded. She was aware of the limit, although hearing more about the political landscape was good. ¡°Thank you for the information. I will certainly keep that in mind, and I know better than to trust this truce blindly.¡± Bianorn sighed quietly. ¡°Unfortunately, you will not get any reinforcements. The fighting to the northwest is gaining in intensity.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± she repeated. ¡°You need to do what you need to do, of course. It was nice to host you, and I hope we can part from each other with no hard feelings.¡± Bianorn stared at her for a moment. ¡°That almost sounds like you are kicking us out,¡± one of the others, the Forest Scout, spoke up. Regina shook her head. ¡°I simply assumed that you would be recalled, now that your group has completed its reconnaissance here and that we are presumably no longer in danger due to this truce. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°No,¡± Bianorn said after a long moment. ¡°We will leave tomorrow, once one of the other scouts sent into the area meets up with us. Thank you for your hospitality.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it isn¡¯t much,¡± Regina replied with a friendly smile. ¡°Let us know if there is anything you need help with. Until later, then.¡± She nodded at them, then departed, walking with a casual and relaxed pace. Through the eyes of a War Drone stationed close by, Regina got a glimpse of the elves exchanging a few hushed whispers before walking off together. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure if she should want them to stay longer. After all, they might still protect the hive against a strong beast attack or human treachery. But she still thought it was probably better this way. Regina sighed and shook her head at herself.
You have leveled up
She dismissed the System notification, tugging at one of her mandibles and resisting the urge to shake her head again in surprise. The timing was probably just a coincidence, otherwise she might have gotten a trickle of experience for asserting herself against foreigners. Level 17 now. Regina smiled. Although she was climbing in levels, her speed of leveling hadn¡¯t really slowed down yet. That was probably coming, but still, she was gaining strength quickly. Now she just needed to focus on her drones doing the same. She glanced around, then headed off for one of the huts. She would get a few more War Drones started. And as soon as the next clutch was finished developing, which should be soon, she would add more. Maybe a Warrior or Scout, or two, again. They¡¯d need to get started on adding more dwellings soon. Chapter 48: Upgrade and Training The next few days passed in a blur of work. The hive expanded again, getting new members, building a new hut and finally making some decent progress on the palisade around their budding village. Regina also decided to resume the tunnel project, which Tia seemed happy about. After her latest pair of Warriors hatched, who she named Ted and Tad, Regina decided to add one more Warrior and one Scout to their number. By this point, the development of the sapient drone eggs had been out of sync with the War Drones for a while, but she didn¡¯t exactly have so many that she was in danger of losing track. They were also coming back into alignment, with the latest group of Swarm Drones she had prepared hatching on the same day as the sapient drones. Regina waited until they were all hatched, sighing to herself as she finally felt the everpresent drain on her mana fade. With her rising Wisdom stat or maybe just growing experience, she had become more sensitive to these kinds of things, able to sense them more clearly. The feeling of her mana regeneration being impaired didn¡¯t really bother her, as such, although she preferred having all of it available to her. The latest batch of Swarm Drones included two Production Drones this time, since she¡¯d decided she could try to experiment with them or at least get started on getting a few to higher levels. After she¡¯d sent them to their duties, she hung around near the last eggs. Once they finally hatched, Regina found herself once more trying to come up with names. The Scout seemed to be be male again, while the Warrior felt like another female. ¡°Alf and Eva,¡± she finally decided. She smiled at them. ¡°Welcome to our hive. We still don¡¯t have a name for it, sorry. I¡¯m Regina. The big guy over there is Max, he should be able to help you get started.¡± ¡°Of course, Mother, thank you,¡± Eva replied. Max let out a barely-disguised sigh and shot her a disgruntled look before he stepped forward. Regina tried not to smile as she listened to him greet the two hatchlings before they moved off. While she had the chance, she used her mana to create a few things the workers had asked for, mostly metal nails and such. Hinges were a bit tricky, but she managed to make shapes you could probably put together into working ones. Regina then moved into the now empty hut and called up the System Screen. She¡¯d decided to make one big batch of War Drones now, ten at a time. At only two days of development for their eggs, they really could replenish and increase their numbers quickly. Already, she¡¯d be able to make up for the ones killed by the Brazen Blades, and more besides. Once she was finished with that, Regina stepped out of the hut, blinked against the sunlight and stretched. Then she froze as she saw another System notification window appearing before her eyes.
You have leveled up
Regina smiled. Her smile widened even more at seeing the next Screen the System had for her.
You may select a Spell. You can use a Spellbook, learn a Spell from a teacher or other source of information, or pick one from the list below:
Spark, Magic Missile, Firebolt, Lesser Basic Conjuration, Basic Heal, Magic Armor, Heat Vision, Expand Senses, Physical Augmentation, Water Manipulation, Earth Manipulation, Haste
Well, finally. It felt like ages since she¡¯d seen one of these messages. Regina glanced at it, then decided not to rush her decision and instead moved into the hive towards the central fireplace, looking around and considering what they needed as well as what she already had. In the information Tim and Bea had brought back from the elven city, mostly in their memory, there had been no mention of Conjuration magic. They had apparently run across some information or mention of other types of magic, including elemental manipulation spells. That implied that conjuration was rare. The fact that the local economy didn¡¯t seem to have a major inflation problem and there weren¡¯t old weapons lying around everywhere seemed to support that assumption. Regina didn¡¯t know why she had been offered the choice, especially so early, but it might have something to do with her species or Class. Her healing spell was another major factor. Regina felt confident she could level it up by herself, if that was possible. Or get other ones, if not. She¡¯d already gotten it on her own, and it wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d exhausted her knowledge of medicine. What she didn¡¯t have yet, but might be useful, were buffing spells like (she assumed) Physical Augmentation or Haste. The problem was that she didn¡¯t know much about them. It was possible they would only work on the caster. Although what Tim and Bea had said about magic made that seem unlikely. Still, they might be single-target spells. On the other hand, boosting her drones could help a lot in a fight. Then there were the elemental spells. Regina was definitely tempted by them. Besides combat utility, something like Earth Manipulation could help a lot with building structures and defenses for her hive. Though, to be fair, it wasn¡¯t like she needed magic for that. She sat down at her usual spot and frowned at the screen. Then Regina tried to focus on one of the choices she had made before, Lesser Basic Conjuration. After a moment, the letters almost seemed to tremble slightly, and she felt a faint sense of pressure in her mana. Then the characters appeared to rise out of the screen¡¯s plane a little, like one of those effects where you saw words cast in relief, and they rearranged themselves until they read Basic Conjuration. Well, she would have preferred something like Greater Conjuration, but that was still good. Regina shifted her focus and tried to do the same with the other spells she had. Most of them didn¡¯t really react, although she felt as if Firebolt trembled a little, like maybe it was upgradeable, but not for her, or not yet. Or, since Basic Heal sounds upgradeable, too, maybe it just means I¡¯m close to meeting the requirements. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. She took a few more seconds to consider it, but in the end her curiosity was too strong. Regina had never upgraded a spell before, and she told herself that seeing how the process worked out was important, at least once. So she focused back on the first one, then reached out and tapped on the words. The screen dissolved and she felt another shift in her mana. It made her gasp, a feeling like small sparks traveling all through her body, though not exactly painful. She felt something shift, almost in her head, but not quite. The new and improved Spell settled into her. Regina stood up, glancing around, then held out her hand. To begin with, she tried doing what she had previously and conjured a piece of metal in a triangular shape, like a rough arrowhead.
Mana: 231/580
She nodded to herself. So far, so good. It felt a little easier to do, and didn¡¯t seem to take as much mana. Such an improvement by itself would already be pretty good. Still, that wasn¡¯t all she wanted. Regina focused on a new project, going for something more ambitious. Previously, she¡¯d had trouble with organic things, or anything with a more complex internal structure, whether that meant something consisting of several parts or overly complex molecules. It was why she usually used metal, beside that being the thing her hive lacked. But this time, she thought of something else. She focused on it to the exclusion of all else, the sounds and scents of her camp fading into the background. Basic Conjuration. Then she held it in her hand. Regina grinned and used her other hand to touch the sheet of plastic. Well, sheet was overstating things. It was a piece only a bit bigger than her palm. Still, it had worked. Regina had thought about polyethylene, not that she knew much about plastics, and that seemed to be about what she got. She checked her mana.
Mana: 206/580
25 units. A bit steep for that little material, but she would take it. It looked like Conjuration was going to remain a mana hog. Hopefully, she could get the resource requirement down with some practice. Since her mana pool was growing, and would only increase more along with her hive, she didn¡¯t let it bother her. Regina experimented a little more with it until her mana dropped below a hundred, which she wanted to keep in reserve. It turned out that besides having an easier time conjuring basic objects and an enhanced materials selection, she could also do more complex shapes. For example, she could let the arrowheads she created have a hole at the base so you could actually mount them on a wooden shaft more easily. Unfortunately, creating a more complicated mounting still seemed to be too much to ask for. But the spearheads and the like she could make, while still small, were a lot better than before. The warriors would be happy. Thinking of the warriors, she moved on to the improvised training ground they used. It only took her a second to see that they were down to two of the captured monsters, neither of which seemed very inclined to play along. Regina sighed. Max disengaged from a conversation with Ben and Dan and headed for her. ¡°We¡¯re still leveling up quickly,¡± he said. She glanced at the others. ¡°The thing with the monsters is still not working out like I thought, is it?¡± ¡°No, but we did still get some use out of the idea.¡± Max shook his head, then extended his blade-limbs in a stretching motion. ¡°From what I¡¯ve been able to gather, killing a monster does get you a little more Experience than simply winning against it, but we more than made up the difference.¡± ¡°But fighting them several times still gives diminishing returns?¡± He nodded. ¡°If not, everyone would probably be farming them like this. Although getting a monster out of the forest to some human city would take a lot of effort. Anyway, you¡¯d probably get more XP if the monster changed and got stronger. And it might just be because they¡¯re simple-minded. People clearly train against each other all the time and do get experience from sparring.¡± He grinned a bit ruefully. ¡°Every time I spar against Tim, he seems to pull out a new trick.¡± Regina chuckled. ¡°Alright. Well, at least it was good practice in other ways. Just out of curiosity, how often do you win against Tim?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re pretty evenly matched, honestly. Although I¡¯d say I still win a little more often.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just because you like to cheat!¡± Tim called, walking over to them. He smiled, then looked at Regina. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a serious complaint, by the way. Finding new ways to surprise your opponent is good training for real combat.¡± Regina grinned. ¡°I see I shouldn¡¯t try to spar against either of you, then. At least not in public. It might be bad for morale if I got my ass kicked too easily.¡± She rarely did real sparring, at least not when she went all-out. That would waste too much of her mana, which she needed for other things. Besides, as the Hive Queen, she should theoretically only have to fight for her own life as a last resort, not that that had worked out well so far. She also had a bit of an unfair advantage against her own drones, at least in theory. She¡¯d concentrated on learning physical combat when she joined their training so far, both unarmed and with the variety of simple weapons the hive had. ¡°Of course,¡± Max said solemnly. ¡°We couldn¡¯t risk hurting the dignity of our queen.¡± ¡°Funny you should suddenly think so,¡± Regina retorted with a small smirk. ¡°Please don¡¯t stop being snarky, or where would I get my entertainment from?¡± Max returned her grin, and even Tim smiled. That was about the most you could get out of him with banter. ¡°How are the others doing?¡± Regina finally asked. They both glanced at the drones training on the field, then back to her. To her mild surprise, it was Tim who answered. ¡°Quite well. I think we can safely say that either Ivy is just good or Harvesters are a little better suited to combat than Workers. The other Warriors are also shaping up nicely. I think a few of them might need a bit more intense training, extra focus on a few areas, but I¡¯d go into battle with any of them.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Regina smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s hope we won¡¯t have to fight too much until all of us have the chance for more training. And the War Drones?¡± ¡°Training with them is a bit different. More difficult than with sapient drones, arguably. But I think we¡¯re doing alright.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Max spoke up, ¡°they still follow orders just as well with or without training, and teaching them anything like how to implement tactics by themselves is hard, but we can teach them new moves.¡± ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll let you get back to it.¡± Regina stayed and watched as the two boys returned to the field and the training continued. She was no expert, but she could tell that they had improved. They were drilling moves, something like improvised katas, as well as doing light sparring. One thing that struck her was that Max really was bigger now, and so was Tim. Max would probably grow taller than her soon. Even Ben and Dan looked a bit older than the newest Warriors. Clearly, the drones aged more quickly than humans. She just hoped that this would simply let them reach their full size more quickly. She didn¡¯t want to find out how limited their lifespans were like this. Chapter 49: Digging Deeper Max dragged himself from the training field, breathing hard, the corners of his vision swimming. It took all of his strength just to stay on his feet and not stumble. But he didn¡¯t mind. It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d exhausted himself training, although this time he was deliberately doing it to see if he could train his Constitution or Endurance, or at least the way he made use of it. He knew he would be fine if he just waited for a bit. Tim shot him a look and smiled at him, heading into the field a few meters away. Max read the edge of amusement in the smile, the slight exasperation, although he knew most others wouldn¡¯t have. He debated flipping Tim off, but the effort was too much for a useless rude gesture. Once he was out of the way, Max leaned against the mound of earth at the foot of the palisade for a bit, before he straightened up. The fortification still wasn¡¯t finished, but it was going well, and they were already considering expanding it further. He blinked, noticing a System screen hovering in his vision.
You have leveled up
Max grinned, satisfaction chasing away the tiredness. He took a look at his status screen, curious to see his newly assigned stat point.
Max Drone Warrior
Level: 16
Mana: N/A
Con: 14 Str: 13
Dex: 11 End: 13(+1)
Int: 15 Wis: 11
He nodded to himself. Well, his Endurance was probably due to rise, anyway. It was hard to say whether his efforts made any difference. Although his build still seemed to favor Constitution over Strength, in accordance with his own wishes. He wondered if the System did that based on whatever information it gathered, assigning stat points to suit a person¡¯s activities and role. Maybe it looked at the Abilities you chose. Max dismissed the screen, then stood up and turned away. He looked around, but couldn¡¯t see Regina anywhere. He felt annoyed at himself for the way his heart seemed to skip a beat at the realization. She might tolerate him hanging around all the time, but he really couldn¡¯t cling to her twenty-four-seven. Besides, she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, especially here and now, a peaceful day in the middle of the Hive. If he hung around her too much, his training and other duties would suffer, and that wouldn¡¯t help either of them. On the contrary. Still, he decided he might as well go take a look around and check on her location. After all, it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t have anything he might need to talk to her about, and knowing where she was would be necessary for that. Plus, he was the strongest defensive-oriented drone in the Hive, if not the strongest overall, so being there to protect his Queen was a natural desire. There were fewer people around than he expected, which probably meant that a decently large group was out hunting at the same time as one was in the tunnels. He only saw Mia and Bea working on something at one of the houses, and of course there were Tim and Dan on the training field with some of the War Drones. Max paused as he passed by the two Workers. Looking closer, he now saw Bea had a handful of a gray-green substance, which he placed as the output of a Production Drone after a moment. It looked a little denser and clearer and, if he was honest, less gross than what he¡¯d seen before. ¡°Did you modify what the new drone type does?¡± he asked. Mia glanced up, obviously startled. She smiled at him. ¡°Not really, I think this is mostly an effect of them leveling up. The oldest one is already level 5. We¡¯ve been experimenting with the stuff a bit, though.¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± he said, stepping closer and peering at it. Mia seemed to be applying the substance to the side of the door. ¡°What have you got so far?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit sticky, and it keeps its form remarkably well once you apply some pressure,¡± Bea said. ¡°We want to do some more intensive stress testing with the Queen once she¡¯s available.¡± ¡°But it could be useful as a crafting material, right?¡± he asked. ¡°Or even a construction material, maybe,¡± Mia said with a nod. ¡°Though we might need higher-tier stuff. It¡¯s probably going to keep improving with levels.¡± ¡°There might also be new versions or new substances at higher levels,¡± Max said. ¡°Well, I suggest you name it before Regina does.¡± Bea coughed in a way that was obviously an aborted chuckle, while Mia smiled and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any hurry. Besides, her names aren¡¯t always that bad.¡± ¡°You do realize she called the new bird monster ¡®Dark¡¯, right?¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°Better than ¡®Shadow¡¯.¡± Max stared at her for a moment, but her expression didn¡¯t even flicker. He snorted, but he knew she saw his amusement. ¡°Well, alright then. Good luck, and let me know if you need help.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± They turned back to their work, and by the time Max took his second step away from them, he could hear them already moving something around again. Max walked out of the camp and on the trail towards the entrance to the tunnel system. It wasn¡¯t much of a trail, just a path where the passage of feet had pressed the grass of the plain down, and mud peeked through in a few places. Absently, he wondered when Regina would want to start building roads. Actually, he¡¯d put even odds that Mia would suggest it to her first. The tunnel system did indeed seem to be busy, with the sound of several drones at work coming out of it. He glanced over the young Warrior standing close by the entrance. Ted was keeping busy cutting down the low branches of a nearby tree. Two War Drones were helping. Max nodded at him and entered the cave. Inside, he quickly found Tia and Ina in the main chamber, conferring and drawing on a rocky wall with sticks of charcoal. Regina was just coming out of the second passage, which he knew still only extended a few meters, not much more than the start of a new tunnel that would eventually come to be here. ¡°And here I thought I¡¯d shaken off my shadow today,¡± Regina commented, smirking slightly. Max shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°I should familiarize myself with the tunnels, anyway, and if you intend to push deeper, it¡¯s probably smart to have a strong Warrior along.¡± She glanced at the Workers, who seemed to have settled their discussion. ¡°Alright. I did want to see what we could find digging further towards the rocky area. You¡¯re rested and ready to use your Abilities a lot, right, girls?¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. They both nodded, and Tia said, ¡°Sure. We¡¯ve already found a few pockets in the ground, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if we happened upon a passage that was large enough to traverse.¡± Max knew that expanding their tunnels didn¡¯t usually go that quickly, but maybe there was something different about the composition of this soil, or whatever you called it. He quickly found his question answered when he reached the newest part of the tunnel. It split about a hundred meters after the entrance cavern, with two tunnels curving to both sides. He followed Regina down the left-hand one, and quickly found that the makeup of the earth and stone around them changed. Its color became a deeper, reddish-tinted tone, and the edges of the tunnel seemed to grow a little more jagged. ¡°It¡¯s actually easier to dig through here,¡± explained Tia, catching his look. ¡°It is,¡± Ivy agreed as they came upon the Harvester, working at the edge of the tunnel, though sideways compared to the direction it had gone in. It looked like they might want to make another split. ¡°Alright,¡± said Tia. She sounded cheerful. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± She had a pick with a tip of steel conjured by their Queen, Max realized. When she held out a second one they¡¯d apparently left in the tunnel to him, he took it without comment and started hitting the tunnel walls. It took him a little while to find a good rhythm and see how best to do it by watching Tia. But after he got into it, Max realized with a hint of pride that he was actually doing better overall. Probably because of his greater strength. They made visible progress through the tunnels. Under Tia¡¯s direction, their digging angled down slightly. Every so often, she or Bea would use their first Ability to remove chunks of earth at once. Max considered using his own to increase his Strength, but it was made for fighting, not really something like this, and he was the only Warrior close by. ¡°Wait,¡± Regina said after what he guessed might have been about two hours, but he wasn¡¯t sure. It was hard to tell time down here. It took Max a moment to realize why she wanted to stop. Then he put his pick down and ran a hand over his head. There was what looked like a hole in the ground. ¡°Is that just a crack?¡± Tia asked. Regina shrugged, then a light appeared over her hand as she cast Spark. She lowered it down and brought it as close to the hole as possible. Max frowned and leaned closer, trying to look. ¡°Those are some deep shadows,¡± he said. ¡°I think it goes down pretty far.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s broaden it a bit and see what it¡¯s like,¡± Tia suggested. ¡°I don¡¯t want any narrower versions of Tunnelers surprising us. And even if there¡¯s nothing, making a shaft down and then a deeper tunnel or cavern in this spot wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea.¡± ¡°I guess we could always use it as a trap or storage space or something,¡± Regina said. She extinguished her light and nodded. ¡°Alright, then. It¡¯s probably better if you direct things, I don¡¯t want to cause anything to collapse or anything like that by accident.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a concern here,¡± Tia said with a small smile. They got back to work, this time digging a little more carefully. A few pieces of rock still fell down the cleft, and Max listened for the thuds of their impacts. He wasn¡¯t sure, but it sounded like it went some way down and probably wasn¡¯t entirely straight and regular. After about an hour of digging, they all realized this was not just some small cleft in the rock that had appeared due to some pocket of air or water or whatever. Or maybe it could be, he didn¡¯t know anything about geology. It also didn¡¯t look like it was artificially made, but didn¡¯t seem like a normal cave, according to Regina. She discussed it with Tia, mentioning that she had some images and ideas of those in her memory, though she didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d ever been in any personally or if she¡¯d just seen pictures somewhere. Then the hole actually widened, and they reached what seemed a lot more like some kind of cave. Max frowned as he peered down into it. It looked a bit like someone had dug a bell-shaped cavern in the ground, then put a hole through the center and smoothed the slopes leading into it, but distorted and uneven, like it was a natural formation. ¡°It almost looks like this was some kind of room,¡± Tia said, glancing around, her work-limbs held in front of her. ¡°But not quite.¡± ¡°I could go down,¡± Max offered. ¡°In case there¡¯s any danger.¡± He glanced at Regina. She frowned, then sighed. ¡°Alright, but be careful, and only move over a small distance at a time.¡± Max nodded, then carefully wedged his feet and legs through the hole. They hadn¡¯t really needed to widen it here, it was just big enough for a drone to squeeze through. He might have grown a bit over the past few weeks, but he was still only about as big as a human fourteen-year-old, as far as he could guess. He held his breath, but managed to get a toe-hold on the rim-like part of the rock before he dropped down into the small cavern. He extended his right blade-limb to help balance himself, but had to keep his left one folded tightly against his body. His left hand moved over the rock, but he didn¡¯t find anything good to grab onto. ¡°Can you see anything more from down there?¡± Regina asked. Max ducked his head, trying to get a better angle. ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡­¡± He wasn¡¯t really in the best position to take a close look at everything here. ¡°How¡¯s the consistency of the rock?¡± Ina asked. ¡°About the same as before.¡± He shrugged, then paused, dragged his foot over the ground a bit. He was glad he wasn¡¯t wearing shoes. ¡°Actually, maybe not quite the same. The shade is a bit darker and it¡¯s smoother than it looks. But I don¡¯t know if that means anything.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go down, too,¡± Regina said. ¡°Uh, that might not be the best idea, my Queen.¡± He glanced up. ¡°It¡¯s pretty small and cramped here.¡± Max edged around the hole in the ground. The slope made it hard to keep his balance, and the cramped confines didn¡¯t help. Maybe it would have been easier with only four limbs. The rock wasn¡¯t nearly soft enough for him to dent with his blade-limbs, at least not easily. Then he crouched, as best he could, balanced with a hand on the wall, and looked down. ¡°Definitely a shaft going down,¡± he said. ¡°Wait, I think there might be a fork in it, another one. About as big as the tunneler shafts?¡± He took a deep breath, tasting the air. There was the dirt and rock, a hint of water, maybe, and something he found harder to identify. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that sound?¡± Regina asked. Max froze, listening hard. There was a rumble, sounding far distant and quiet, but still noticeable. It didn¡¯t seem to be getting louder, or did it? He wasn¡¯t sure. Then suddenly he heard something scrabbling up the shaft. He tried to stand up, looking down. ¡°A Tunneler¡¯s coming!¡± He didn¡¯t have enough time to properly inspect it and get a System window, but it looked like the Tunneler Fighters he¡¯d seen before. It climbed up the shaft quickly. Max extended his blade-limb, pushing against the monster. He¡¯d gotten the angle slightly wrong and couldn¡¯t put much force behind it, so his blade skittered off its side. Max tried to step back, coming in with his second blade-limb. The Tunneler was climbing out of the tunnel. He cut it on the left shoulder, but it still managed to get out, screeching. Max stepped forward, as well as he could, and thrust with both of his weapons at the same time. He managed to get the Tunneler in the face, but it jerked to the side so that it was only a shallow cut. His second blade cut into its paw. The Tunneler opened its mouth, and suddenly a ball of mud flew towards him. Max ducked low, but when it hit his shoulder, it was like the impact lacked any force behind it, even though he felt it. His first Ability, it was clearly passively on. ¡°Fuck,¡± he heard Regina curse above him. ¡°Are there more of them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so!¡± Max called, trying to side-step around his opponent. He didn¡¯t want to take his eyes off it. There was more noise above, but he didn¡¯t have the attention to spare for it, either. Instead, he decided to take a risk, crouched further to lower his center of gravity, and moved forward. The Tunneler prepared another attack. Max acted quickly. His left sword-arm thrust into its chest and penetrated. The monster fell back, but its attack was already on the way. Max tried to straighten. Then the ball of earth impacted on his lower torso, wrenching his hip back. ¡°Fuck!¡± He barely had the time to realize another Warrior must have come into the tunnel. The impact made his left foot slide back. It crashed against the walls of the cavern, then rebounded. The force of the attack turned him. Max tried to compensate, but the smooth, angled ground offered him no purchase. His right blade-limb bouncing against the rock sent another shudder through him. He tried to reach for the edge, but didn¡¯t quite mange to grab on. Then he tumbled down the shaft. ¡°Max!¡± Regina¡¯s shout echoed after him. He tried to curl into a ball. The fall seemed to take forever and yet was over in moments. Cold crashed over him, his feet seeming to explode with heat at the same time. Max thrashed around, almost gasped, but he was underwater. He kicked, encountering some kind of resistance, waving his arms, then, after a moment, he calmed down and made more purposeful movements. He breached the surface of the water and took in a shuddering breath of air. He was in what looked to be a small underground lake, or maybe a pond by its size, but a surprisingly deep one. Cave walls above him, several scents in the air. There was very little light, but it allowed him to get a faint sense of his surroundings. This was not what he¡¯d expected to happen today. Chapter 50: Underground Exploration Max kicked his legs to move towards the bank of the lake. He winced at the stab of pain that followed. Obviously, he¡¯d fallen from a great height and the impact on the water had not left his legs unscathed. It was still cold, which probably helped a little, actually, but he needed to get out. At least he could swim. He felt Regina¡¯s touch in his mind, intimated that she was looking through his eyes. Well, that¡¯s something, she said. Are you alright? ¡°Under the circumstances, I feel quite lucky,¡± he muttered. Max finally dragged himself out of the lake, ignoring the pain in his legs. The ground around it was rocky, as if he had expected anything else. He looked up. The faint light coming through it showed him the hole he¡¯d arrived through, no more than a meter in diameter, maybe less. The light was probably from the others. Max sighed, stretching out his limbs and trying to figure out his injuries. He was lucky he had such a relatively high Constitution stat, it would probably be worse without it. Besides, it would probably heal much faster like this, too. ¡°I think my shell is cracked in a few places,¡± he muttered. ¡°There¡¯s a bit of blood. I don¡¯t think any of my bones are broken. Well, maybe a toe or something. I think I can still walk if I have to.¡± He glanced up and snorted. ¡°Yeah, I will definitely have to.¡± We¡¯re trying to see what we can from up here. None of us has a good idea where this is. ¡°Please don¡¯t follow me down the hole,¡± he hissed. Then he straightened up and sighed. At least she¡¯s safe. And so are the others. ¡°I¡¯ll try to explore,¡± he said after a second. ¡°Maybe there is a way back up.¡± If not, we can make ropes and you can climb up. If you can climb? Max grunted, then nodded. He wasn¡¯t looking forward to it, but he should be able to. He gingerly stood up, suppressing a wince at the pain flaring up again. He pushed it away and focused on the situation. He was alone somewhere in a cave underground. Actually, a cave system, there were definitely at least two openings, like tunnel entrances. He took a few shaky steps, then moved with more assurance. The floor of the cavern was a bit ridged and uneven, but mostly level. He estimated that it was about ten meters long, but it was hard to be sure, given the lighting. At least he should have plenty of air for a while. The air tasted stale, but he still detected traces in it that he guessed came from flora. One of the tunnel openings was a bit higher up and looked smaller and more uneven. The one he approached first was level and reminded him of an archway. A tunnel stretched away from it into the dark depths. There was still a little bit of light, perhaps coming from somewhere underground after all. Max carefully moved forward. The tunnel was remarkably even and regular, although he didn¡¯t know if that was an indication that it was artificial. It looked natural, but the edges of it were weathered, the roof a bit sloped. He wasn¡¯t an expert on this. Regina was quiet, not commenting on it. She was probably busy talking to the others up above. His feet still hurt and the hard ground wasn¡¯t easy on them, but he could walk. And the further he did, the easier it seemed to get for him. Max glanced around, trying to take in every detail. The air smelled pretty clean, not very stale, so there were probably connections to the surface, beyond the one he¡¯d come from. That one hadn¡¯t really been open until his hive¡¯s digging, anyway. He still smelled other scents that he couldn¡¯t quite place. There had to be some ventilation down here, right? After a few minutes, the tunnel opened out onto another cavern. It was longer than the one he had come from, and there was water dripping from the ceiling, along a few stalactites and stalagmites. Some plants and mushrooms lived here, clearly taking water from that trickle and the few puddles on the floor. Dim light came from a part of them on the upper walls and the side of the ceiling. Bioluminescence, he realized after a second. The light had a bluish tint in his eyes, and it didn¡¯t illuminate the cave that well, but it was more than enough for his eyes to see. Max slowly made his way through the cave, being careful of his footing. He crouched and touched one of the plants. Its leaves were a faded, light green, pretty big for its size. He considered eating one to try it out, but it might be better not to leave any trace of his passage here, in case there were more monsters or other residents of this underground ecosystem. He¡¯d reached the other side of the cavern when he encountered his first Tunneler. He paused, surprised, at what the System showed him.
Tunneler (Gatherer) ¡ª Level 11
It looked like the other Tunnelers he¡¯d seen before, but a bit sleeker, maybe a bit longer. Its claws looked different, not as fearsome. Max stopped and considered backing away, but it was too late. The dark-furred monster had already seen him. It screeched, though the sound seemed quiet in the open space here, and barreled at him. Max set his feet and extended his blade-arm. Keeping his eyes on his opponent, he activated his third Class Skill, which he¡¯d gotten a few levels ago but not had much opportunity to use. A ghostly shield appeared in front of him, dark but transparent, covering his front. It hung there for a moment, prickling against his fingers, before he heaved it forward in a smooth motion guided by his Skill. It met the charging Tunneler and threw it back, sending it literally flying until it crashed into the wall of the cavern. Max jumped forward, stabbing with his blade-arm. The Tunneler appeared dazed from the rebound and couldn¡¯t react in time. He pierced its abdomen, then cut its neck with his other blade-limb. Max shook his limbs out and tried to wipe them on the dead monster, then continued on. He knew the smell might attract others, but there was little he could do about that, and he didn¡¯t want to bother with carrying it along. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. The tunnel continued on much as before, but after a while, he happened upon a crossing. Max looked around, curious, but wary of any other monsters. It had a bit of an odd configuration. The tunnel crossing this one was smaller and set a few decimeters high into the wall, but it was almost perfectly round. There seemed to be more light coming from it. Squinting, he could see what looked like another cavern much like the one before further along the former tunnel. His curiosity got the better of him and Max diverted to the smaller tunnel. He followed it for only a short distance before the light grew brighter and he realized it opened onto yet another one. Carefully, Max edged forward, pressing himself against the wall as best he could. He found another surprise. The tunnel before him was bigger than the one before, and it looked more regular. It was shaped like a half-circle, stretching into the distance. A dark stripe went along its ceiling, what he suspected was metal after taking a closer look. His current tunnel opened up into it about a meter and a half in the air, and there was some gravel beneath it. It looked like something might have broken out of the structure. Carefully, Max lowered himself down. The light was brighter from one side of the tunnel, and he got more of the interesting smells from that side, too, so he headed in that direction. The wider tunnel also meant that it was more exposed, though. He saw a few holes, most of them up above ground level, all quite small. They looked like they¡¯d been made by Tunnelers. He walked for what might have been twenty minutes along the tunnel. During that time, he encountered and fought Tunnelers a few more times, both types he¡¯d seen so far. They were mostly alone, once in a group of two, so he could handle them without too much trouble. Max, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s a good idea to continue, he heard Regina¡¯s voice in his head finally. As far as he could tell, she seemed concerned. ¡°I¡¯m still okay, and this is interesting,¡± he answered quietly. He glanced up at one of the light sources to prove his point. They appeared in regular intervals. Someone had set them into simple fastenings on the ceiling of the tunnel. He hadn¡¯t realized at first that they were plants like those he¡¯d seen before, just bigger and brighter. In many places, they were growing out of their containers. They¡¯d clearly been put here some time ago, though he wasn¡¯t sure how they survived. Didn¡¯t plants need light and water? The System showed him a description.
Cave Light
That sounded like they¡¯d been named by people, but who knew. More interestingly, they didn¡¯t quite fit the tunnel, in his opinion. The structures supporting them were made from a different material, what he suspected was iron, and it looked like someone had gouged holes into the tunnel¡¯s ceiling. The ground is odd, too, Regina commented silently. It¡¯s not quite regular and smooth, and it looks like it¡¯s a bit deeper than it should be. He realized that she was right. There was even a noticeable difference in the rocky side of the tunnel, at an even height. ¡°Like someone made a path out of this,¡± he muttered. Max continued on. The light grew brighter here, although the different fixtures were still at least a hundred meters or so away from each other. The reminder of Regina¡¯s presence, her silent company, was reassuring, though. He¡¯d rarely been this alone. Not since his very first days, when it had just been the two of them. But he made himself focus on his exploration instead of dwelling on that. A few hundred meters further - although by this point, he had little idea where exactly he was in relation to his hive, or how far away - he came to the end of the tunnel. At first, he only saw a dark shape. The brightest light source was overhead directly before it, making it hard to see any details beyond the light. Then he realized that there was a gate capping off the tunnel. It was made of some dark material, looking completely even and quite solid, though there was a line in the middle showing that it probably opened there and might slide into the sides of the wall. Wait, Regina said. This looks faintly familiar. Kind of. Maybe not. Max frowned, looking at it more closely, still from some distance away. He could kind of see what she might mean. This didn¡¯t look like anything he had seen from the humans or elves so far. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Not really. But this whole thing, this tunnel ¡­ I almost think it¡¯s some old subway tunnel. But that can¡¯t be. And there wouldn¡¯t be a gate cutting it off like this, it would lead to a station. There was another hole close by the gate, looking far more irregular than the tunnel, like something had scooped chunks of it out. Max hesitated to get closer, some instinct warning him it might be dangerous. He took a few steps towards it, silently. Then something shifted and rumbled, and one of the scents he¡¯d been catching intensified. He froze, then stepped back. After a few long moments, he caught a glimpse of a dark shape moving in the larger cavern.
Tunnel Terror ¡ª Level ?
I think it¡¯s better if I go. Max swallowed and carefully backed away. Go back, his Queen urged him. Judging by the name, not to mention the size of that thing, it¡¯s clearly past at least one Evolution. We¡¯ve been making some ropes, let¡¯s get you back up. Max nodded, then turned and headed back. Luckily, the Tunnel Terror didn¡¯t seem to have noticed him, and nothing followed him. The way back took longer than he thought, and he had to fight three more Tunnelers, though, luckily, they were all below level fifteen. Still, he was getting tired and his feet started to ache badly. A moment of inattention during his last fight cost him, and now the shell on his shoulder was cracked, too. At least he could still use his left arm freely. Once he finally got back to the lake where he¡¯d fallen in, he realized he had a new problem. Don¡¯t worry, Regina told him. I have Tim and a few other Warriors here. We can pull you out, or at least help you get out. We¡¯ll just drop the rope down now. You¡¯ll need to swim into the lake to get it, then maybe swim back out and tie it around yourself securely. ¡°Alright.¡± He waited for half a minute before he saw the end of the rope being lowered down the hole. It was more like several ropes, really, a few Entangling Vines intertwined and tied together, in a braid several vines thick, most likely to let it bear his weight. Mia had probably helped to make it, he knew she¡¯d been doing something like this. They must have used their entire stockpile, but he supposed that they could simply reuse them. Max sighed, then swam out into the lake and gathered the end of the rope. They had lowered it down just enough, probably guided by Regina. He didn¡¯t want to swim back and forth, so he tied it around his body right there. The buoyancy of being in the water might have helped. He was careful of his blade-limbs. This was one situation where having them wasn¡¯t an advantage. Once he was done, the rope went taut and they started pulling him up. Max kept himself still until he reached the ceiling, where he had to maneuver himself to fit into the hole. He tried to use his hands and even his legs to help push him up, but Tim and the others still did most of the work. Once he was finally lifted out of the shaft and into the tunnel, Regina looked at him with a small smile and shook her head. ¡°I changed my mind about you sticking close to me.¡± Max chuckled, then a small sigh of relief escaped him as she grabbed his shoulder and started healing him. Chapter 51: Priorities and Tactics Regina felt like just when she¡¯d started to settle in and feel like she¡¯d found her feet, she was reminded how little she really understood the world in general and her surroundings in particular. She wouldn¡¯t have guessed that there was such a tunnel system beneath the forest, although on second thought, the possibility had obviously been there. For now, she wasn¡¯t sure how best to proceed, but resolved to be very careful. There were obviously strong monsters down there, and she wasn¡¯t sure how well her hive would fare against them. Maybe it was better to wait with any exploration missions until they were stronger, and she had a better understanding of what they might face. Besides, there had to be other entrances, other ways into the place. It had shown obvious signs of being visited by people, at least in the past. She wasn¡¯t sure if that meant the elves or humans or maybe both, but it was one more reason to be very careful. ¡°I suggest waiting until one of the War Drones has reached a higher level and sending it in then,¡± Max opined, as they walked back to the main camp. He craned his head back slightly, apparently enjoying the sunlight on his face. ¡°They¡¯re smaller than the rest of us, which will be useful in those tunnels, you can still see through and direct them precisely, and if it gets into a more dangerous situation, well ¡­¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll only lose a War Drone and not a sapient member of the hive,¡± Regina finished. She nodded. ¡°Good idea. Let¡¯s station at least one or two in the tunnels to watch for anything coming up, but I suppose there¡¯s no need to rush otherwise. It might even be best to give it some time, in case something down there noticed your trip.¡± Luckily, she¡¯d been replenishing her number of War Drones, so sparing a few of them for this wasn¡¯t that much of a burden. It would still slow down their leveling, if the War Drones just stood guard without fighting anything or training. Well, unless the occasional Tunneler ventured out. ¡°I¡¯ll make a cover, something to block the tunnel,¡± Tia said. ¡°We probably can¡¯t do anything to completely barricade it, especially if it¡¯s supposed to be removable, but that will still make the place more secure.¡± ¡°Good idea,¡± Regina answered. ¡°I¡¯ll depend on you, then.¡± They¡¯d reached the middle of the camp by now, and Regina looked around. ¡°Go and rest,¡± she said to Max. ¡°You¡¯ve had a long day, and I don¡¯t want you to wear yourself out.¡± He paused for a moment, then bowed his head. ¡°Of course. Please do call if you need me for anything, though.¡± Regina nodded, but she wasn¡¯t planning on it. Instead, she watched as Max trudged to one of the houses. Then she turned back to the others. Bea had stayed by the tunnel entrance, and Tia was eying one of the houses. Regina realized after a moment that the sound of people at work was coming from it. Tia probably wanted to compare notes with Mia. So she just nodded at her and went to the training field, to work off some stress and practice with magic a bit. She had gotten better with her Conjuration, although, if she was to be honest, she wasn¡¯t sure how much of that had to do with talent or creativity and how much with simply practice. She also wasn¡¯t sure how much more she could improve in her usage of the Spell. Ironically, she¡¯d had more luck with Spark and even Magic Missile recently. She could now use Spark as essentially a light spell as well as to start fires in various ways, at different temperatures and even some distance away from her body. She didn¡¯t know if it was possible to upgrade the Spell, but she was curious if just working on and perfecting it might let her get an upgrade. Regina also used that to test the substance the Production Drones made. She had a long meeting with Mia where they discussed it in detail, and then tested it against pressure, temperature and other hazards. It held up pretty well to high temperatures, though she didn¡¯t have a good way to test if the same was true for freezing, and it handled vibrations and mechanical stress well enough, too. They just needed a lot of it if they wanted to really use the stuff as a building material, which Regina thought probably wasn¡¯t very economical. Still, it was a substance that was as easy to shape as wax, but would harden out in time and stay in its shape. That would let them use it for lots of detailed work, from window latches to cutlery. Maybe they could even work it into armor, at least for some components. She¡¯d let Tia figure that one out. In the meantime, Ivy and a few others began cutting some grass, letting it dry and gathering it up. Ina and a few other drones also started a makeshift vegetable and herb garden (not that humans would have quite agreed with everything they took as a vegetable), and Dan made some harpoon-like spears that worked well for fishing. They¡¯d probably do well against some types of monsters, too. Regina encouraged them to continue with that work, and at the same time kept the drones back from going out hunting too much. The forest was big, but if they overhunted this area, they¡¯d have to go farther out to find monsters to fight or even regular game. That wasn¡¯t worth it. The hive had settled into a routine by now. In the end, even the discovery of the tunnels didn¡¯t upset it very much. They just had to be sure to guard their own small tunnel system and its entrance more seriously, but the threat of monsters digging up from below had already been there. Regina watched her drones advance, fine-tuning their routines and what few procedures they had to try and get the most out of the time they had. The average level of the War Drones dropped, since more newly hatched ones joined them, but the older ones still rose in level, even if they had slowed down. The same went for the Warriors, as well as the not as numerous Workers and Scouts. Regina considered adding a few more Workers, actually, but ultimately decided to hold off for now. Their military strength was still the priority. The day her latest clutch of War Drones hatched - still at level 2, but probably for the last time in a while, as this added ten of them to her hive at once - she pulled up her Hive sheet from the System to consider it.
Hive [Unnamed]
Total: 51
Inner Hive: 17(18)/58 (+0) Swarm: 32/75 (+0)
Warriors: 8 War Drones: 29
Workers: 4 Production Drones: 3
Scouts: 4
Harvesters: 1
Monsters: 1
If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.She whistled silently to herself. They were already over fifty people? Well, not people but beings; over half of those were Swarm Drones. Seeing the numbers made her realize a few things, like how much Workers had fallen behind in terms of numbers compared to Warriors. And she still only had one Harvester. Maybe it was time to make one or two more. As well as a few more War Drones, of course. Regina grinned to herself, then went to do as she had decided, preparing to add one more Harvester as well as another nine War Drones to her hive. She would have liked to make it ten, but she was already pushing herself. She¡¯d just have to be content with that. She was already putting a lot of strain on her body, or maybe her mana, over time. She didn¡¯t know if that had any negative effects. Regina didn¡¯t really think so. It seemed like Hive Queens were made to produce eggs. But still, it was probably better not to push it too far. Still, while fifty seemed like a lot to her right now, it really wasn¡¯t. It probably wouldn¡¯t even come close to matching the combat power of the Cernlian fort, much less the rest of the region around it. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t want to attack while the country¡¯s attention was in any way there, but it still showed that if she wanted to contend with what they could throw at her, she would need more than this. A lot more. Realistically, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to get as much from just her hive in a single month. I guess I always knew that, really. Regina shook her head and made herself focus on the immediate situation. Now that she had a few more War Drones available, she could make a wider perimeter for them to guard and watch, and spare a few additional ones to watch the tunnels or other spots. She also sent two of them out further into the forest, trying to chase down some monster packs¡¯ locations and get a better feel of the surrounding land. They wouldn¡¯t be as good at it as Scouts, but that was okay. The rest of them would focus on training, along with the warriors. She knew Max and Tim were excited about the possibility of trying out some larger formations, and she would gladly let them have their fun. They didn¡¯t have much to draw on, so they¡¯d have to work out tactics themselves. Which might be a good thing, since it meant they didn¡¯t have much bias to overcome. Hopefully. When Regina came to watch, she realized that she might have been thinking about it all wrong. ¡°Swarm tactics, right,¡± she muttered to herself. She¡¯d been picturing something more like the typical Zerg rush, hordes of weaker enemies drowning their opponents in numbers without much rhyme or reason. This was not what the War Drones were doing. Or rather, she realized, what the Warriors were practicing with them. Instead, the drones moved in formation, close together and their steps synchronized to perfection. She could even feel the echo of it in her mind. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how, but she was pretty sure that the psychic connection was playing a role here. Maybe she didn¡¯t need to relay everything after all, or maybe she was doing it subconsciously. In any event, the fighters she watched marching on the exercise field showed a level of drill and discipline you wouldn¡¯t have expected without at least a few weeks of drilling. And they weren¡¯t just marching, of course. The boys also tried out basic combat moves and formations. Charging, defense with raised shields, even a pincer maneuver. If they went on like this, they¡¯d probably get to specialized movement combos or raising field fortifications eventually. Regina paused, watching them and thinking. She knew enough about the forces the human kingdoms could probably field to know just how weak her hive was in comparison to them. It was why her idea had always been to nibble at the edges, while they couldn¡¯t send their most powerful, highest-level fighters at her and their armies were occupied, using her connections with the elves to arrange things and get backup if necessary. But now she realized that she had advantages the humans didn¡¯t, not just in terms of producing new fighters quickly. The men who had attacked their hive had been basically mercenaries, adventurers who had enlisted in the forces of the local lord. There were drafts, levies. Obviously, the various factions did also have professional soldiers. Probably the knights, like those who had accompanied Janis and Kiara Lyns. They did seem to have a basically medieval social structure. And knights had been high-status, expensive professionals, lower nobility themselves. There couldn¡¯t be that many of them. Not to mention, every noble with a fief would be responsible for fielding their own forces, and if they tried to build up a standing army or hire too many knights, the king probably wouldn¡¯t like it. Ever since she¡¯d heard that there was tension between the local marquis and the king, Regina had been considering whether she could use that for her own ends. It felt like another piece of the puzzle was now slotting into place. The elves had only one major city, in this region of the world at least, and they were still obviously holding their own against more than one human kingdom. They also had a different, arguably much more efficient system and a much more professional military force. Although, even then, their real soldiers were, what, a few percent of their population? Regina had much more warriors compared to ¡®civilians¡¯, because she could afford to. It didn¡¯t take that much work to sustain them, to provide food and other necessities for them. That might change if her hive grew, but not by that much, considering her drones would still be extreme omnivores. "Is everything alright, my Queen?¡± Max asked. ¡°You¡¯ve stood here looking preoccupied for a while.¡± Regina started. She¡¯d been so deep in thought that she hadn¡¯t noticed him break off from the others and approach her. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s fine, I was just thinking.¡± Max nodded and stood beside her. They looked at the Swarm Drones training for a few seconds. ¡°What were you thinking about?¡± he finally asked. Regina didn¡¯t turn her head to look at him. ¡°Right now, I was considering how much better I could be doing things for the people in the human kingdoms.¡± Max raised and eyebrow and nodded. He seemed to sense her mood and didn¡¯t distract or annoy her, but just stood there for a moment. Still, his interruption had brought her back to reality. She shifted. ¡°Actually, my Queen,¡± he began. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we will gain enough strength to really do anything against the human kingdoms in a month.¡± She sighed. ¡°I know. I suppose I knew that¡¯s probably unlikely. But we did say we would reevaluate our relationship after a month.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ll play for more time?¡± Regina frowned thoughtfully. ¡°If nothing else, we¡¯ll be strong enough that they can¡¯t just wipe us out that easily. They would have to have some of their higher leveled people take valuable time away from the front, or divert larger units. It should be in their interest to keep us neutral, or attempt to, at least.¡± Max nodded. He started smiling. ¡°That makes sense. You¡¯ve really played this well, Regina. I didn¡¯t realize how much.¡± She shrugged. Not really. I just hope it¡¯s well enough. Then she shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go join the training.¡± Chapter 52: Next Time It took a few days until Regina decided to send another drone into the underground passages Max had discovered. She didn¡¯t think there was any hurry. The humans seemed to be content to respect the truce deal they¡¯d made and stay out of their territory, and they hadn¡¯t seen much from the elves, or anyone else, for that matter. The monsters were the same as ever, though there were still remarkably few high-level ones around. Maybe even fewer than before - the human strike teams still occasionally moving through the forest might be thinning their numbers, as might the elven fighters the city sometimes sent out, as well. Regina chose one of her oldest War Drones, which was also the second strongest at the moment, at level 16. That was quite high for them, and she didn¡¯t want to lose it, but this was worth the risk, and she¡¯d much rather risk it than one of the sapient drones. She¡¯d been really worried about Max and wasn¡¯t keen on repeating that experience. They let the drone down into the tunnel through the hole using a rope. That worked a lot better than it had with Max, since it was smaller. Regina took control of the drone directly for this descent to make it easier. Once they had lowered it far enough to reach the lake, Regina withdrew her mind. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to make it swim very well. To her surprise, the drone seemed pretty good at that by itself. It managed to make its way onto the shore of the lake, its mind a little more tumultuous than she was used to. She could tell that it disliked being away from its hive and its hivemates like this, but it followed its orders without complaint. Not that it had any real avenues of complaint, admittedly. Regina kept one mental eye on it while the drone started exploring the tunnels. The other tunnel out of the cave it had entered in led into similar territory as the first, although the layout was of course different. There were still a few tunnels that had the characteristic look of being made by Tunnelers. Luckily, the drone was pretty sensitive to any signs of the monsters being around, and managed to avoid them pretty well. Regina sighed to herself. One of her strongest or not, the War Drone still had lower stats than even a new sapient drone, or a young monster. At least its nose was keen. She could sense the fear coursing through it, what she might have called nervous energy in a person. Its mind was still simple and unformed, and there wasn¡¯t much to differentiate it from any of its fellows. Regina didn¡¯t even feel bad about causing those feelings in one of her drones, although she¡¯d been a little apprehensive about that. Once the drone reached the main, large tunnel after a few hours of exploring the tunnel system, Regina ordered it to head in the opposite direction of where Max had gone. She was curious about the place he¡¯d found, but she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to get much like this, and if there was another entrance to the tunnels, following that corridor seemed like a good lead. The tunnel seemed to go on for quite a while, or maybe she was just getting impatient. There were a few others crossing it occasionally, and the drone hesitated as Regina debated sending it down one or two of them to check them out. In the end, though, she made it continue on the way it was going. The other tunnels were rare, anyway. They mostly looked like natural cave openings or ones dug by Tunnelers, but she was hardly an expert. Unfortunately, the drone did have a few close calls with monsters it almost had to fight, and would probably get eaten by. There were Tunnelers, but also other types of monsters down here. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t pull up their System descriptions through the War Drone. Maybe that was possible, considering she was mentally linked to it, but she hadn¡¯t figured out how yet, and she didn¡¯t exactly have a lot of time to try it right now. Something to work on later, back in the hive. After a while, the light in the tunnel seemed to increase, just slightly. The drone noticed it as well and hurried forward with a bit of what passed for excitement in its mind, clearly wanting to get out of here. That was when another monster struck. It had hung on the ceiling, in a dark spot between light fixtures, Regina realized after a moment. Its pebbly skin was almost the same color as the walls of the tunnel, which made for excellent camouflage here. It dropped down on her War Drone, not giving it any time to react. Regina only got a glimpse of a squat body and sharp claws before pain erupted through the drone¡¯s body. She gritted her teeth, trying to take what she could from the connection while ignoring the pain. Then the drone¡¯s vision dimmed as it lost too much blood and its thorax was crushed by another blow from the monster. Its mind dimmed as well in her mental view, then ceased existing. ¡°Fuck.¡± Regina opened her eyes and shook her head, opening and closing her hands to fists a few times. ¡°What happened?¡± Max asked. He, Tim and Tia were sitting with her, ready to give her advice or opinions on what she found. They¡¯d been pretty patient these last few hours. ¡°Lost the drone to some monster,¡± Regina said. After a moment, she stood up and stretched, then shrugged as she saw their looks. ¡°Well, we knew it was a big risk. And at least we got some information out of this. A better idea of the tunnels¡¯ layouts, if nothing else. I¡¯ll draw a map.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fetch a tablet and something sharp,¡± Tia offered, jumping up and running off. She returned with what was basically a wax tablet but made with the substance secreted by the Production Drones. It was a little harder to scratch than wax, even though it wasn¡¯t fully hardened here, but it worked well enough. Regina sat for a while, trying to remember everything and get it down as accurately as possible. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°We should probably wait a bit before trying this again,¡± she finally said. ¡°And maybe send several drones that time. We¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no hurry,¡± Max agreed. ¡°Probably better to let the monsters calm down if they¡¯re upset that something was in their territory.¡± ¡°And next time I¡¯ll start drawing a map while watching.¡± Regina shook her head, feeling a bit disgruntled as she stared at the simple mess of lines and small symbols she¡¯d drawn on the not-wax tablet. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure we have a bigger one prepared for next time, then,¡± Tia said. She sounded almost cheerful. Regina sighed. The feeling of a member of her hive dying was never pleasant, even if it was just a non-sapient drone. That would probably get less intense as their numbers grew, and she would get used to it. This was actually the first time she¡¯d sensed a drone¡¯s death while she wasn¡¯t focused on something else, though, and she¡¯d been right there with the focus of her attention in the drone¡¯s mind. She could remember the sight of the monster pouncing on it, but at least it didn¡¯t bother her much. It wasn¡¯t the sort of thing that would traumatize you. Which made sense, considering Hive Queens would be unstable wrecks if they felt everything every time one of their drones died, she supposed. ¡°The elves will probably know about this,¡± Tim said. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine they¡¯ve had this cave system under the forest all the time without learning about it. But we¡¯ll have to be careful in asking them about it.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. We may not want to reveal we¡¯ve even found it, yet.¡± She paused and glanced at one of the huts. She felt a familiar sensation, letting her know that the latest clutch of eggs was hatching. It made Regina stand up and end the meeting. They could talk more later, though there wasn¡¯t really anything else to say. Instead, she went to check on the new drones, then decided on which ones to hatch next. Luckily, there didn¡¯t seem to be any limits specific to Templates within the two types of drones, so nothing prevented her from filling her Swarm with almost exclusively War Drones. Which she was doing. She still hadn¡¯t reached the limit, although, at this rate, she would bump into it eventually. Even if she kept leveling up further the way she was. But Regina decided not to worry about it. She would simply start adding more sapient drones to her hive then. By the time she was finished with that, Ada found her to give another scouting report. Regina walked leisurely through the camp, listening to her talk. ¡°And that¡¯s everything we could find towards the human border, my Queen,¡± she concluded. ¡°Nothing much changed. In contrast, the elves seem to have become more active. There are actually two groups who are moving roughly in our direction.¡± ¡°They¡¯re moving towards us?¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. Ada shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell if they¡¯re traveling towards us or just towards the human lands, or even specific human parties. These could be counter-strikes, ambushing Cernlian raiders. No one here is really going in a straight line, at least most of the time. And we can only see some of it, we¡¯re probably missing a lot, my Queen.¡± Regina nodded. She knew that half of the information came from herself, relating what she had seen through Dark¡¯s eyes, and Ada had collected and analyzed it to get an understanding of the situation. Even with the third Class Skill most of the Scouts had taken, which allowed them to move quickly for a period of time, there was only so much ground they could cover. ¡°They¡¯re still some distance away, anyway,¡± Ada said. ¡°Since you made the deal with the Cernlian noble, everyone has kept well clear of our territory.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good thing,¡± Regina said. ¡°Good work, Ada. Is there anything else we need to be aware of, or something we need to discuss?¡± ¡°Not that I can think of, my Queen. Unless you want to adjust the training schedule?¡± Regina hesitated. ¡°I know you spend a lot of time out in the forest. Would having more Scouts help?¡± Ada didn¡¯t speak for a moment. Then she shrugged, but she was also frowning slightly. ¡°That kind of decision isn¡¯t mine to make. But having more people scouting would increase our coverage of the forest, and maybe even help us level up faster, if it means we can spend more time training. On the other hand, we do get experience from, well, scouting. I¡¯m not sure how it compares, to be honest.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll add at least another Scout or two next time, then. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think I can sustain any more eggs at the moment.¡± She sighed slightly. ¡°And we probably need more Workers as well, although the Harvesters should help. Oh well, maybe after this.¡± Ada smiled, looking faintly sympathetic. Regina could practically hear her thinking that she was glad she didn¡¯t have to make those decisions, or something along those lines. She smiled back at Ada with a touch of irony. Fair enough. They said goodbye and Ada walked off, towards one of the huts. Regina looked after her, noting the obvious exhaustion in her posture and the way she walked. Ada had clearly pushed herself with her latest scouting trip. Regina was seeing more of that in her drones than she was really comfortable with, but no one had had serious problems yet, at least. Still, she wondered if she should maybe adjust the schedules. Or just talk to them about the importance of proper rest and managing your energy. Not that she was any kind of authority on the subject. Or much of anything else. Regina shook her head at herself and headed towards the makeshift pen where they kept a few of the weaker monsters they had captured. Only those who didn¡¯t have magic powers or other abilities that would help them break out and wreak havoc in the hive. But they were good training for the lower-leveled drones and especially the War Drones, though getting those to fight the monsters without killing them wasn¡¯t always easy. Though, to be fair, that¡¯s rarely easy for anyone. I guess trying it might help build discipline and control, anyway. This time, they had another Monster Duck, a grass monster she couldn¡¯t make much sense of but which was probably an ambush predator, and a snake. Regina hesitated. Then, remembering her first ever fight in this world, she chose the duck. This time, she didn¡¯t want to spar or train her fighting ability, but her healing. She felt a bit bad about it, but perfecting her skill and perhaps even discovering a new spell might be the difference between life and death for one of her drones at some point. So, she called over two of the War Drones and, with their help, moved the Monster Duck into an enclosure to the side. She tied shut its beak and dropped rocks on its claws, then picked up a knife and started cutting. After the first cut, Regina paused, then resisted the urge to facepalm. There were still many plants they¡¯d found in the forest whose use they weren¡¯t sure of. This would be a good way to test out if they did anything. With any luck, they could find ones with beneficial effects. Like sedatives. For now, she simply tried to knock out the monster with brute force, then returned to studying its anatomy. She had probably used too much force and given it a concussion or worse, but she probably would end up killing it anyway. She did feel like her healing got better with some practice, at least. Her control improved, and she managed to regulate her mana expenditure better. It probably wasn¡¯t nearly enough to level the Spell up or discover anything new, but every little bit helped. Chapter 53: What Survived Regina stared down at the piece of metal. It was a long, cylindrical object, a hollow tube. And she had very little idea what to do with it now. She resisted the urge to flick it away and instead put her chin on her hand, sighing to herself. The novels and shows she could vaguely remember always made it look so easy. But getting pretty much anything that the peoples around her couldn¡¯t was a giant pain in the ass. Maybe they could use something like this for a blowpipe? It was probably too big. Oh, well. She¡¯d always known she wouldn¡¯t be able to make something complicated, like a gun or lightbulb, that easily. If only my old self, or wherever I got these memories from, paid a little more attention to how things worked. Unfortunately, the only thing she knew about modern weapons was that they used gunpowder. Maybe. Or they had at some point in their development. And bombs and stuff relied on the chemical components that made them up, but since she didn¡¯t know which, she couldn¡¯t create them. Regina shook her head to herself. ¡°Maybe something simple like sulfuric acid,¡± she muttered. But she was leery of using something as potentially destructive, especially indiscriminately. Though she should be able to create some similar stuff with relatively simple molecular makeup that she knew. Actually, she could probably make quite a few poisonous substances. But nothing struck her as really practical right now. She considered whether she could create gases, and imagined getting half a cubic meter of carbon-dioxide. There was a drain on her mana, but, of course, she had no way of knowing if that had actually been conjured. It should have dissipated right away into the surrounding air. Regina still moved a few steps away, only taking a breath once she did. She was pretty sure that the air that used to be wherever she conjured something was simply displaced, and since it was simply air, that didn¡¯t change much. But she had no way of really testing that, either. She wasn¡¯t about to try and play around with high-pressure containers without at least a bit more in the way of safety measures and preparation. It wasn¡¯t really feasible here. Sighing, she switched tracks and focused on something else. After a long moment of intense concentration, she held a small nugget of gold. Regina lifted it up, watching the play of the sunlight across it. For some reason, creating gold was much harder, or at least more mana-intensive, than iron. It might have something to do with mass and density. Still, she wondered if this would be useful for buying things the hive needed. Though she didn¡¯t really want other people to know she could do this. She got up and carefully hid the gold in the small stockpile she had made of various odds and ends and possible crafting materials. After she stepped back out of the hut, she paused, a little unsure whether to continue. She was using up her mana, and she still had a large drain on its regeneration by letting so many eggs develop. Times like these, she really wished she¡¯d chosen the mage Ability. Especially since she¡¯d decided that she might very well only have two slots for external Infected hive members and wanted to leave the other one open. Then again, Dark had been invaluable. She focused on the presence of the bird monster in her mind, then paused as she recognized what it was doing. The bird was following one of the groups of elves Ada had pointed out to her. She hadn¡¯t told him to do that. But Dark seemed to have warmed up to his place here very quickly, maybe because of the steady supply of food. He was also already level 17, and would probably reach 18 very soon. Regina pulled up his status screen with a thought.
Dark Dark Wing (Hive)
Level: 17
Mana: 134/300
Con: 12 Str: 9
Dex: 17 End: 14
Int: 13 Wis: 12
Despite Dark¡¯s relatively high Int value, which was probably connected to the fact that he had mana, the bird wasn¡¯t sapient. Regina knew that. Which meant the System might really have different ways of tracking and accounting for intelligence depending on what type of being something was. And to be fair, Dark is pretty smart. At least as much as a dog, I think. Arguably more so than my Swarm Drones, even if he can¡¯t understand language that well. Then Regina shook her head and made herself focus on the situation at hand. She recognized the trees and terrain the elves moved through. They were pretty close to her hive. Watching through Dark¡¯s eyes for a minute, she was pretty sure they were indeed coming towards them. ¡°Max?¡± Regina turned, finding the boy not far away from her, giving orders to a War Drone. He straightened up as soon as he heard her and turned towards her with an attentive expression. ¡°My Queen?¡± ¡°We have visitors. A group of elves. Please let the others know and organize them.¡± She turned her focus inward and sent messages to those drones that were further away, while Max talked to those who were here and organized the group. Once the elves approached their settlement, walking slowly and obviously making more noise than they would have needed to, the hive was ready to greet them. Regina¡¯s attention was captured right away by the old woman in the middle of the group. She was the only one who didn¡¯t seem to be armed, unlike her five companions, and she was wearing a rather elegant-seeming, if still practical, dark orange dress instead of pants.
Enais of Ariedel ¡ª Level ? Mistress of the Forest
Regina blinked. She recognized the name right away, of course, from Tim and Bea¡¯s account of their trip to Ariedel. So, this was the member of the government they had met there. She shook the surprise off and greeted them with a smile. ¡°Hello and welcome. I¡¯m Regina. I¡¯m afraid our hospitality might leave something to be desired, but we are happy to see you.¡± The old elven woman returned the smile and bowed her head. ¡°Thank you, Hive Queen Regina. I am Special Minister Enais, and it is a true pleasure to meet you. Please do not worry yourselves. My old bones can still take a rough journey, and none of us expect you to have any luxuries to offer.¡± Regina glanced at the other elves. It took her a moment to recognize Anuis, who had cut her hair short and was wearing a different outfit in darker tones, with a new longbow on her back. She followed right after Enais. Exchanging a few more pleasantries, Regina guided the visitors inside the settlement and led the way to a crude table the drones had erected out in the open. It was hastily put together, little more than a few wooden planks on a piece of a tree stump, with tree trunks split in half horizontally serving as seating, but at least they had somewhere to sit. Enuis looked around with every evidence of genuine interest, hiding any disdain she might have felt. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°It is truly remarkable what you have managed to do in such a short time,¡± she remarked to Regina. ¡°To think that less than two months ago this place was simply a meadow by the lake.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Regina replied. ¡°Would you like something to drink? Some food?¡± She tried to be a pleasant host and delayed any serious conversation. Besides probably having a very high level, Enuis was clearly of high status and would be used to something like this. Regina recognized the importance of making a positive impression and fostering good relations. They ate some monster meat the drones had grilled over the fire, seasoned with a few herbs from the forest, and none of the elves seemed to mind that there was only water to drink. ¡°It is nice to see you again.¡± Regina turned to Anuis at one point, while Enais was chatting with Max. The elf smiled. ¡°Likewise. I did not think I would come here again, certainly not so soon, with my new duties. I¡¯m glad to have been wrong.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve been promoted?¡± Regina guessed. Anuis inclined her head, still smiling. She looked satisfied. ¡°Yes. My recent efforts for the war have been judged positively. Our interactions might have been part of it, as well. I¡¯ve been raised to the rank of Three Century Commander.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an age thing, I take it?¡± The elf laughed softly and shook her head. ¡°No, no. It¡¯s a numbers thing, so to speak, a step up from Century Captain. Not that these numbers always apply, or even in most cases. I tend to command specialists rather than common recruits.¡± She leaned forward slightly, gaining a conspiratorial gleam in her eyes. ¡°It helps that I am close to Progressing my Class.¡± Regina nodded. She appreciated the information. So Anuis was in the upper thirties in terms of levels, then? Close to forty? Unless she was already past that and was approaching level sixty. But the Class name didn¡¯t seem to indicate that. According to the System, she was still a Forest Ranger, a Class Regina had seen a few other times among the elves, and which was probably past the first Evolution step. ¡°And I am sure you will benefit from exchanges with the drones, as will the rest of us,¡± Enais cut in. She¡¯d turned towards them again. ¡°I would like to leave you to it, if you have a moment to speak privately, Hive Queen?¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Of course, Special Minister, I¡¯d be glad to.¡± She stood up, and when Max tried to do the same, she shot him a sharp glance and shook her head slightly. He sank back down onto the log serving as a bench. Regina wanted to speak privately to Enais, as well, and she knew that if the elf wanted to kill her, no amount of guards would be able to make a difference. Better for Max to keep talking to Anuis and the others. Regina led Enais through the camp and then around the palisade. They didn¡¯t start talking until they were a few meters away from everyone. ¡°I hope I was not being pushy,¡± Enais said. ¡°I also apologize for not sending word of our arrival ahead of time. We have limited ways of doing so, and if we had sent a messenger, they would have arrived only very shortly before us, anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfectly alright,¡± Regina assured her. ¡°I am somewhat surprised someone of your status made the trip, though, to be honest. Not that I don¡¯t appreciate the visit.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The old elf smiled and shook her head slightly. ¡°My daughter has told me about you and this place, but seeing you with my own eyes is different.¡± ¡°Your daughter?¡± Regina glanced back to where the others were talking. ¡°Anuis?¡± ¡°Indeed. She happened to be the perfect choice for an escort, considering she has interacted with you before.¡± Regina nodded. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Anuis¡¯ apparent success and recent promotion was due to nepotism, then immediately felt bad for the thought. The elven woman had always struck her as competent. And to be fair, the fact that she was the one who encountered Regina and her companions first, if you didn¡¯t count that unfortunate scout, had to be pure luck. ¡°But as I said,¡± the old elf continued, ¡°I have been looking forward to talking to you.¡± ¡°Likewise,¡± Regina said slowly. ¡°What my drones have told me of your conversation was very interesting. Thank you for passing along that knowledge, and allowing them to gather more of it, by the way.¡± Enais waved that aside. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It is not every day one gets to talk to a Hive drone.¡± Regina frowned slightly and kept looking at Enais. ¡°Something that struck us in discussing said conversation was that you seemed to know more about us than one might expect.¡± They stopped walking, now standing outside the palisade and some distance away from the others. Enais turned to face her more fully. There was a slight smile on her face, but Regina found her expression hard to read. ¡°I suppose I do,¡± she admitted. ¡°I confess I had my doubts when I first heard of you. But the more I learned, the more I realized that I was indeed hearing about what I thought I was, and meeting your drones confirmed it. There are insectoid people, and even sapient monsters, but none quite like you, and none with an actual Hive that grows this quickly. But in this day and age, few people remember anything of the Hivekind.¡± Regina felt like the world spun around her for a moment and had to take a deep breath. Hivekind? Is that what we are? She said, ¡®in this day and age¡¯. So, people don¡¯t know about us anymore, but they used to? What? ¡°Hivekind?¡± she finally asked, her voice tight. ¡°That is what the name translates as, as far as I know.¡± Enais shook her head. She looked distantly sad. ¡°Of course, I have never met one before. I don¡¯t think even our very eldest have.¡± Regina stared at her. ¡°I thought elves were long-lived. Just how old is this information about my apparent race?¡± ¡°Elves are long-lived, but not immortal,¡± Enais stated. ¡°We might live a few centuries. Personally, I am about eight hundred years old, and still at least two centuries too young for this conversation.¡± Regina exhaled. ¡°What can you tell me about them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know much, I¡¯m afraid. I have taken the liberty of writing down all information I remember having heard and found in our records about your race, in case it contains something you are not aware of.¡± She pulled a folded sheet of paper from a pocket of her dress. ¡°However, there is not much. Your race kept its inner workings to itself, for the most part, and not many written records of the age survived, anyhow.¡± Regina took the paper, still making an effort to keep her breaths steady and even. ¡°Why did they ¡­ leave? Die out?¡± Enais gave her a gentle smile. ¡°Your race is supposed to be dead, I¡¯m sorry to say. I do not know how it could be that you are here. I know they died in the wars of the Arrival Times, but I have no detailed knowledge.¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°I suspect the only ones who do may be the gods themselves. I do not know who else could know how you came to be, in any case.¡± Regina frowned. This whole thing sounded ¡­ Well, she definitely needed to know more. If that means speaking to the gods, then so be it. I guess. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have any suggestions for how to ask them?¡± she asked, a little drily. Enais chuckled. ¡°Besides going to a temple and praying, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to help you. You are, of course, welcome in Ariedel.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Why are you telling me all this?¡± For the first time, she thought she saw genuine insecurity in the old woman, a moment of hesitation. ¡°Because you should know, and because I would rather be the one who provides this information,¡± she finally said. ¡°I am not going to pretend I like this deal you made with the Cernlian marquis, but I understand why you did.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°You are an intelligent young woman, Regina. I would have expected nothing else from a Hive Queen. I am sure you understand your capabilities and what threat you might pose. There is more to it, of course, but ¡­¡± Enais shrugged slightly, an elegant motion. She gestured as if to throw away something. ¡°I see,¡± Regina repeated. In unspoken understanding, they kept walking. Silence lingered for a few minutes, while Regina tried to wrap her head around what she had learned. ¡°Let us talk of lighter things,¡± Enais finally said. ¡°Your people have accomplished something quite impressive here.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Regina glanced around, then back at Enais. Maybe I should strike while the iron is hot. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to defend it. I don¡¯t suppose you would sell us weapons? The Cernlian left me with some assets as ransom.¡± Enais smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. We have captured some weapons.¡± Their conversation turned to the details of such a deal. The negotiation went well, but Regina¡¯s full attention wasn¡¯t on it. She knew Enais was an ally she should cultivate, at least. Perhaps she knew more about these previous Hives than she had said, but if so, Regina resolved to get to the bottom of it, eventually. Chapter 54: Musings, Responsibilities The first chance she got, when she could be assured of her privacy, Regina pulled out the information Enais had given her and took a look at it. She still wasn¡¯t sure what to think about this. About the fact that apparently, her (new?) species had lived here but been wiped out a thousand years ago. Regina supposed she¡¯d already known some part of it, since she and her hive obviously existed but there were no others of their kind anywhere here. They had to have come from somewhere. Of course, she still didn¡¯t have an answer to that question. Did my egg somehow survive in some place for centuries? But what about my memories from another life? Did I get them from the same people that did this, or am I missing something? She shook her head and forced herself to focus on the information on the piece of paper. It was written in a neat, elegant hand, but the writer had apparently had some trouble keeping their lines straight, which might indicate that they didn¡¯t often write like this. Enais probably had a secretary. Or maybe the elves usually used lined paper, who knew. Regina read it carefully, then reread it to make sure she didn¡¯t miss anything. There wasn¡¯t much about the actual situation of the Hivekind in the past, the history. Most of the information written here were things she already knew. It was nice to have confirmation of a few of her hypotheses, though. For example, Enais mentioned both sapient and Swarm Drones, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any further types of drones, and it was also mentioned that Hive Queens seemed to be the only non-drone members of the species. The paper was light on details, however. It contained speculation about a psychic connection between members of a Hive, but Regina had already found out far more about it than was written here. The information also stated that her race grew quickly but had short lives, with the possible exception of Hive Queens. Regina frowned as she read that part. She had already suspected that they leveled up more quickly than humans, just like elves probably leveled up more slowly, considering their lifespans. Still, this was concerning. At least the information Tim and Bea had brought back from the elven city said that reaching higher levels increased one¡¯s lifespan, and since this tended to be absolute rather than relative gain, it made far more of a difference for the shorter-lived species compared to people like elves. Regina didn¡¯t know if this applied to her sapient drones as well, or only Swarm Drones, or the reverse, or what. One other thing made her freeze and re-read the sentence to be sure that she had gotten it correctly the first time. The Queens of the Hives were one of the anomalies raising many questions regarding the way mana interacts with the sapient races. They are born as Hive Queens, with all of their potential already unlocked. There have been no reported cases of one evolving as some monsters do. Whether it is possible for them to undergo Evolution at all is unclear. That meant she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to unlock a new Class, as Hive Queen was already a top-tier Class? She still only got one stat point per level, but Regina supposed that the rest of the benefits coming with it, like the potentially vast mana pool, were great enough on their own. She wondered why Enais hadn¡¯t written anything about the way the System worked for her kind directly, though. Was that too secret to be included in the information she''d found? Regina skimmed through the sheet of paper one more time, then carefully folded it up and put it away. She should try to copy the most important parts down, perhaps expanded with her own observations, later. For now, she was going to give this to Max and the others and let them read it. Not only did they deserve to know about their species just as much as she did, if not more, but she was curious to see their reactions and opinions. They turned out to be surprisingly calm about it. "I guessed something like that,¡± Max said after she finished talking about her assumptions regarding the lifespan thing. ¡°It does line up with what Tim and Bea brought back.¡± Tim nodded. They were sitting around the fire, and he had just finished reading the piece of paper and passed it on to Mia, who was now looking at it with a frown, while Tia was reading over her shoulder. ¡°This also implies that we are indeed monsters,¡± Tia said, glancing up. ¡°Sapient monsters. But I guess we knew that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it matters all that much.¡± Max shook his head. ¡°Enais and the other elves are on the way back, right?¡± Regina nodded. She¡¯d deliberately waited with this until the elves had departed. She didn¡¯t want Enais to watch, and she didn¡¯t know how much the other elves accompanying her knew. Better to be careful. Right now, she closed her eyes for a moment and focused on Dark, who she had told to follow the elves at a distance. The bird hung so far back that she barely even saw the party, but she recognized enough of their surroundings to have a rough idea of where they were going. ¡°They¡¯re heading back to the city, moving pretty quickly.¡± ¡°From what I could gather, the war has gotten more intense,¡± Tim remarked. ¡°They probably don¡¯t want Anuis and the other fighters to be gone too long, since they might be needed.¡± ¡°Probably,¡± Regina agreed. ¡°Did you learn anything else about the war, Tim?¡± ¡°Nothing specific. They¡¯re pretty good about not letting details slip. I know the war has come closer to the city, though. There have been a string of skirmishes over the last while.¡± Regina nodded, then stood up. ¡°Alright. I guess that¡¯s all for now. Let¡¯s get back to work, and let me know if anything important comes up.¡± She¡¯d let them mull it over in peace and maybe discuss it among themselves. The others followed suit and started scattering to their various tasks. Regina headed out to check on the current batch of eggs first, then decided to do some more practice and make her rounds of the camp. She had just finished a workout and thrown a few Magic Missiles, one of them at a passing bird, when the System gave her a familiar notification.
You have leveled up
Regina ran a hand over her short hair, then jogged over to pick up the bird she¡¯d picked off. She¡¯d only managed to hit it on the wing, so it was still alive, if badly injured by the fall. Regina quickly shot another Magic Missile at it to end its suffering, then picked up the bird and carried it to where Ivy was working on the corpses of monsters and animals they¡¯d hunted. She didn¡¯t recognize the bird¡¯s exact type, but it looked like a mundane bird of prey, maybe a goshawk or something. She still wasn¡¯t sure about the ecosystem in this place, with magical monsters and mundane animals mingling, mostly to the detriment of the latter, as far as she could tell. But there was some kind of balance, and people hunting monsters might contribute to it, like the culling that happened during monster hordes. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Once she was done with that, Regina turned her attention to the System, and finally read a message she had been waiting for. Not this exact notification, but one like it.
Congratulations, you have unlocked a new Template: Drone Shooter
Regina grinned. That sounded like a ranged drone. Finally. She¡¯d been uncomfortably aware of her lack of ranged combat options, at the hive level. At least she herself could use magic, but she was only one person. She also noticed that the pattern for new Templates seemed to hold, with this one being the third warrior-type Drone Template to be unlocked. She was looking forward to seeing what it could do. She¡¯d have to wait for a bit before she could make new eggs, though. She still had some of them developing, and she didn¡¯t think it would be a good idea to add to them. Besides, she wanted to get several of the new drones, not just one. She was confident enough in the promise they held. Regina headed to the training ground to share the news. She hadn¡¯t even checked beforehand, as she realized after a moment, but she still found Max there. When he wasn¡¯t hanging around her, which she knew he¡¯d been making an effort not to do all the time, he was almost always here. Tim was away on a hunt at the moment, taking some of the younger Warriors with him to teach them a few tricks. ¡°Guess what I just got?¡± She called out as soon as Max finished his current kata with his ax. He lowered his weapon and stepped towards her. ¡°Considering you don¡¯t seem angry, probably nothing I need to be concerned about.¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m not that transparent.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I got a level and a new Drone Template.¡± ¡°Oh, nice!¡± Max beamed excitedly, suddenly looking a lot more like he had at the beginning, all of a few weeks ago. ¡°What kind? What can they do?¡± ¡°It seems we¡¯ve finally got a ranged combatant. Shooter.¡± Regina couldn¡¯t help grinning proudly, even if it wasn¡¯t her that decided on the System¡¯s unlocks. ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Max¡¯s excitement had cooled a bit, but he still seemed enthusiastic. ¡°That is something we¡¯ve been missing. The others are going to be happy to hear that. I can tell them about this, right?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Regina tilted her head slightly. ¡°Why did you feel the need to ask that? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve ever kept that kind of thing secret.¡± He shrugged, kicking at a loose stone. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But we don¡¯t exactly have a lot of strictures or rules here.¡± Regina sighed and crossed her arms. ¡°Is this where you try to get me to make an official chain of command?¡± ¡°We already have a chain of command. It¡¯s just not official. Well, maybe half-official, considering what you¡¯ve said. But the other warriors all take their cues, and orders, from me and Tim. And to a lesser extent from Ben. Even Ada has taken a leading role among the Scouts.¡± Regina tugged at her mandibles. She¡¯d noticed that Ada was usually the one to give her scouting reports or come talk to her about what they¡¯d found or their issues, but she hadn¡¯t given it much thought. She shrugged. ¡°Alright. If it works, I don¡¯t see a problem.¡± Max looked like he was suppressing his frustration. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to be in charge,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°Tough luck,¡± she told him. ¡°No one asked me whether I wanted to lead a hive, either. Well, I¡¯m pretty sure no one did. Maybe if I get a Drone General or something as a Template, we can do things differently, but I wouldn¡¯t hold my breath.¡± She shook her head and gave him a small smile. ¡°You¡¯re the oldest and the strongest. It doesn¡¯t mean you have to do much leading. Apparently, there are others who will, like Ben.¡± Max sighed softly. He didn¡¯t seem happy with this. She had the impression that the topic would come up again, but Regina didn¡¯t want to get dragged into a debate. Given how the hive continued expanding quickly, there was no point in setting any structures in stone right now. Especially since she didn¡¯t know what would happen with regard to their Templates or Classes, and that was obviously important information to have. ¡°Alright,¡± Max said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Ben I¡¯ve officially got your approval for putting him in charge of various things, then. Knowing him, he¡¯s probably not even going to mind.¡± Regina shrugged and hid a smile. She lingered for a bit while Max went back to training, watching the others. The younger Warriors were training with intense focus, although she could see they weren¡¯t quite at the level of Max and the older ones yet. There were also a lot of War Drones, often sparring against each other under the supervision of one of the Warriors. They were good enough, Regina decided. She still didn¡¯t like that she¡¯d lost one of her strongest War Drones the last time she¡¯d decided to explore the underground tunnels, but they grew quickly enough that she could afford such losses. Now, what she would have previously called the middle range of War Drones were increasing in level, and she could spare a few of them. Regina glanced around, then focused on the psychic connection she had to her hive and looked for a specific drone. Checking up on her, she saw that Ada had not returned to the forest yet, and, in fact, looked like she was deciding whether to go to the training ground. Regina gave her a mental nudge, summoning the Scout to her. Ada arrived quickly, greeting Regina with what she guessed was an excited smile. ¡°What do you need, my Queen?¡± ¡°I wanted to discuss a change to our patrol patterns and scouting,¡± Regina said. She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Apparently, you¡¯re the one to talk to about that.¡± Ada nodded, looking a bit apprehensive. ¡°If I¡¯ve overstepped ¡­¡± Regina made a dismissive gesture. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m happy for you to lead the scouts.¡± ¡°Oh. Then, what can I do for you? Is there an issue with our work, or do you want us to look for something specific?¡± ¡°The latter.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible. ¡°I want you to keep an eye out for entrances to this underground cave system. I know you¡¯ve already been doing that, but I¡¯d like you to intensify the search. Range further afield if you need to. I¡¯ll allocate more War Drones to this.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ada hesitated for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re confident there are entrances for us to find, my Queen?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure. Apparently, there are plants underground, but I¡¯d still expect there to be ventilation shafts and other connections allowing for airflow from and to the surface. Plus, ways for other people, like elves or humans, to have come there. Just do your best.¡± ¡°Of course, my Queen. We won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± Ada bowed her head and scurried off. Regina watched her go with a frown, then shook her head and turned back. She was confident in Ada¡¯s abilities, as well as that of the other scouts. Even if a few of them were pretty young, still. Well, we all are pretty young. But we level up fast. Hopefully, they would get this done quickly. In the meantime, Regina turned her attention to her psychic hive bond once more, trying to sift through it. It was hard to focus on more than one drone, but she¡¯d been working on getting a general sense of a group, or even her whole hive. That was easier with the War Drones, although there were a lot of them here. Still, Regina felt she was making at least a little progress with her telepathy. She settled down to make a mental accounting of her Swarm Drones and consider how best to allocate them to different tasks, and which ones she should send to join the scouting teams. She figured things were coming along pretty well. Chapter 55: Delving Ada crept forward silently. It wasn¡¯t really necessary, of course. The Hive¡¯s War Drones had already been through here and secured the area. It just made her feel better. Her Queen had insisted that Ada, and the other sapient drones she had agreed to send out here as scouts, would be behind the Swarm Drones. If they happened upon a monster too strong to fight, or an environmental hazard like a gas pocket, the Hive wouldn¡¯t lose Ada and the others. Well, it was only her and Ace that were supposed to go deeper. Dan and Zoe had come along as well, but they¡¯d stay in the first fallback position they had found with a small group of War Drones that would act as a strategic reserve, too. Ada had worked that plan out with Ben, and Regina had agreed without hesitation. It had taken them a few days to even get started with this expedition. Ada was a little frustrated by that, but she had to admit that it also meant she had a bigger team now, since more drones had hatched in the meantime. And she probably shouldn¡¯t have expected to find entrances to the underground caverns that quickly, in any case. I¡¯ve made the War Drones all stop by now, Regina said in her mind. Her mental voice had been getting clearer, or maybe Ada had simply gotten better at parsing it, over the last few weeks. Now, she hardly ever had to wonder or guess at the meaning of a part of her communication. We¡¯ve gone pretty deep. There should be a major fork up ahead. If you think it¡¯s best, this is probably a good spot for you and Ace to split up. ¡°Alright,¡± Ada muttered under her breath. She glanced at Ace. ¡°The War Drones have stopped. We¡¯ll take a look at the fork up ahead and then probably split up.¡± He nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± It was barely ten meters before their tunnel opened up into the crossing Regina had mentioned. They were still pretty far up, close to the surface, maybe a hundred meters away from the nearest entrance in a straight line. Ada paid careful attention to the air currents, breathing deeply and even holding up a finger, though that didn¡¯t help much. Still, she could tell there was airflow, and she had already spotted one small crack in the rock that she was sure actually hid a shaft going to the surface. They¡¯d already seen a few scraggly plants, too. The oxygen those produced, especially further down, would definitely help, as well. Ada peered down both of the tunnels. She paused for a moment, listening as their Queen explained what the Swarm Drones had found along both of them. Ada got the feeling that Ace was listening in as well, with Regina sending the same information to both of them. That was convenient. ¡°Alright,¡± Ada finally said. ¡°I think we should split up and cover more ground. You take two War Drones and I¡¯ll do the same. There shouldn¡¯t be anything even close to dangerous for now. If I keep to the left and you to the right, we¡¯ll probably be able to meet up again in that cavern with the two rows of stalagmites. Okay?¡± ¡°Yes, Ada. Understood. Take care.¡± ¡°You too.¡± Ada bumped his shoulder affectionately, then set off down her chosen tunnel. She turned around and whistled, pitching the sound softly so it wouldn¡¯t echo too far. The pack of War Drones they¡¯d taken along, who¡¯d stayed a little further behind to let the two of them scout ahead, caught up. Two of them fell in behind her, while the other two went with Ace. War Drones weren¡¯t the stealthiest of drones, although they were probably better than some of the Warriors she trained with. But that made their use in this situation a bit tricky. Ada wanted to keep them close enough to help if it came to a fight, but she also needed to be able to scout ahead unhindered, especially once they got into less secure territory. Still, she felt her pulse pound in her ears and she had a smile on her face. This was what she lived for: exploring the unknown, undertaking a dangerous but important mission for her Hive. She¡¯d barely realized that she¡¯d missed this over the last little while, when she¡¯d mainly just kept an eye on the same stretch of forest and worked with the others. Not that she didn¡¯t like the latter part, of course. But having some real reconnaissance to do once in a while made it all better. Ada went forward carefully, keeping a close eye on the makeup of the rock around her and her elevation. This tunnel sloped slowly downwards. She knew she had to be careful, especially if she happened upon enclosed or cramped spaces further down where ventilation would be compromised. Pockets of unbreathable, flammable or otherwise dangerous air were a real hazard in cave systems like this. It felt somewhat reassuring to realize that she came equipped to explore this kind of environment just as well as a surface forest, at least in terms of instincts and inborn knowledge. That would let her serve her Hive much better, not to mention help her stay alive. The tunnel split a few times, though those tunnels were small enough she would be unable to traverse them, or would at least have trouble with it. Ada suspected they might have been dug by Tunnelers, at least in part. She paused and sent one of the War Drones into the last one to check it out, since it was smaller than her. This is a dead end, Regina informed her after a minute. The drone is coming back. Ada started slightly. So, her Queen was keeping a close eye on her. She nodded and waited for the War Drone to emerge from the tunnel again, then patted its shell-covered back and set off down the tunnel again. They should be coming to several caves now. True to what she remembered, the tunnel opened out into a shallow cave. Ada looked it over carefully, peered at the few plants she could find and the Cave Light on the low ceiling, then crossed the cave and entered a short stretch of wider tunnel that opened into a new cavern after a few meters. She spent a little more time here, since this cave was larger and also had three tunnel entrances, though one of them was little more than a gap between some rocks that led into a narrow cleft. Ada sent one of the War Drones through it, hoping it would be able to fit, then investigated the flora more closely. There was a bit of water dripping down from the rocks, perhaps from an underground brook that passed close by the cave. It had shaped some stalagmites and stalactites that looked quite pretty. She saw that some of them had broken off, though, or been broken off. That could have been from one of the monsters down here. The edges looked rough, but then, it was stone. Or close enough. She wasn¡¯t a geologist. Just as she made to exit that cave, Ada ran into her first monster. She barely had the time to identify the Tunneler, level 12, before her other War Drone barreled at it. It must be taking its orders to protect me quite seriously. Ada shook off the moment of surprise, then jumped forward, swiping with her blade-limb. The Tunneler was engaged with the War Drone and couldn¡¯t maneuver, so her attack made contact and cut deep into it. She twisted her blade and thrust forward again, cutting off its life before it could use whatever Abilities it might have. Ada took a deep breath, cooling down from the excitement of the sudden fight. She then stepped over the Tunneler and continued, even more careful than before. There was nowhere she could bury the corpse, and burning it would be very reckless down here, not to mention likely to attract many other monsters. The corpse might do that by itself, but the monsters down here probably fought each other just like those on the surface, so it shouldn¡¯t be too out of the ordinary, at least. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. She continued onwards, and after a few minutes, reached another tunnel that opened out into a large one just like the tunnel Max had described. She didn¡¯t think it was the same one, though. They¡¯d had to travel several kilometers away from the Hive¡¯s settlement to reach the entrance she had come through, and she¡¯d probably traveled less then one down here so far. Speaking quietly, she let Regina know about her guesses. I thought it was probably just a long tunnel, but what you say makes sense, her Queen replied after a moment. Continue on, and remain careful. I¡¯ll inform Ace. He¡¯s a few hundred meters southwest of you, at least as far as I can guess. If you keep to the left with further tunnels, you should be able to meet up. Or just keep going down this corridor, and I¡¯ll tell him to head in your direction. Ada nodded and kept going. She found a spot where the wall of the large tunnel had broken away a bit and some pieces of rubble leaned against it, and used those to reach a higher position. This allowed her to examine one of the Cave Lights lighting up the tunnel, and the fixture holding it to the ceiling. She couldn¡¯t make much sense out of either, though. It was obviously a metal grill of sorts, fastened to the rocky ceiling. Although the material of that was odd, too. It didn¡¯t look or feel quite like the stone she¡¯d seen before. Ada kept going, and quickly came upon a crossing, where Regina informed her two of the War Drones she had sent in first were close. She had already ordered them to converge on Ada¡¯s position, giving her some backup and letting Regina get a better idea of her immediate surroundings. Ada chose not to wait for them to come, but instead continued on. The tunnel ahead of her seemed to be more brightly illuminated. She slowed down, then glanced at the light fixtures overhead. They were still spaced evenly, and the glowing plants in them didn¡¯t seem to be any brighter or more numerous as she continued along the tunnel. That meant there was probably an additional light source ahead. Ada moved to the side, hugging the wall of the tunnel, and ordered the War Drones to stay behind her and move as quietly as they could. Then she slowly kept walking forward. She quickly realized that there were people ahead. The light source was too regular. While it flickered a little, though less than a fire would have, its position didn¡¯t change. But more importantly, she heard voices talking. As she came closer, she was even able to make out a few words. She realized that they weren¡¯t directly ahead in the tunnel, but probably in a side tunnel or a cavern close to it. Then the light started moving, and she heard muffled footsteps. Due to the architecture of the tunnels, it was hard to pinpoint any source of noise, so Ada wasn¡¯t entirely sure about their relative location. She slowed down, glancing around, then suppressed a curse as she saw the passage opening into the larger tunnel she was in. It looked like a large crack in the rock, as if someone had split it with a giant pick, and it was already close to her. She glanced back, but she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to get completely out of the possible range of vision in the straight tunnel, and the noise of her footsteps would only make that worse. So she pushed off the wall a bit, straightening up, and ordered the War Drones behind her with short gestures. Then the other group came into view. Ada quickly let her gaze sweep over them, pausing just long enough to read their names and Classes in the System. To her surprise, she was able to read the level of two out of the four humans. The others were probably a few levels higher than her, but she wasn¡¯t sure if any of them had reached level 20 yet. They mostly had warrior- or rogue-sounding Class names. Two of them carried closed lanterns, probably magical ones. Then they noticed her, and immediately assumed combat positions. The two with armor and heavy weapons were in the front, the one she pegged as a rogue and the one in cloth armor behind them. Maybe that one was a healer or support type after all, the Class name Binding Blade didn¡¯t tell her much. Ada raised her hand, trying to inconspicuously move her blade-limb back out of the way. ¡°Hello,¡± she greeted them. ¡°Please don¡¯t be alarmed. I mean you no harm.¡± She smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet anyone else down here.¡± Which wasn¡¯t strictly a lie. The humans didn¡¯t attack right away, but they also didn¡¯t appear to relax. ¡°What manner of creature are you?¡± the left warrior, a man named Roderick Lions, asked. Ada paused for a moment, her gaze focusing on their equipment. She got an unpleasant premonition. ¡°You should be able to see my name and Class, right?¡± she asked them. ¡°Not to be rude, but I believe I was here first. What is your affiliation?¡± The humans looked at each other, and then they took a step forward almost in unison. ¡°This is one of those bug people Sir Trito and his men found in Forest¡¯s Haunt, isn¡¯t it?¡± the possibly-caster asked the others in an undertone. ¡°Probably,¡± the apparent leader replied. Ada sighed slightly. ¡°You¡¯re Delvers, aren¡¯t you?¡± They were still in a combat formation. Now the War Drones stepped out from behind her, and the humans tensed, tightening their grips on their weapons or raising them slightly. Ace and his War Drones are on the way to your position, Regina told her. If it comes down to it, let the War Drones fight and run. I don¡¯t want to lose you. Ada didn¡¯t reply, but she acknowledged the order in her mind. She would sacrifice herself for the good of the Hive, but she certainly wouldn¡¯t mind surviving. ¡°There¡¯s no need for this to turn violent,¡± she said, backing up another step. That was probably a bad signal, but she didn¡¯t want to let them get too close to her. ¡°My Hive has negotiated a truce with the local human power, besides.¡± The leader snorted. ¡°You claim your leaders have a truce with the kingdom of Cernlia, monsterblood? Is that supposed to protect you from trespassing in the Delvers¡¯ domain?¡± ¡°Not the kingdom, but the march,¡± she replied. ¡°And I wasn¡¯t aware this was considered trespassing. Are you sure about that?¡± She didn¡¯t think this was actually the Delvers¡¯ territory, not just because it was under the forest the elves lived in. ¡°What the marquis does is of little concern to our superiors,¡± the leader responded. But she saw two others frown, indicating they might not agree with his arrogance. ¡°Surrender your weapons and submit to our custody.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that,¡± Ada replied. The leader didn¡¯t seem to want to continue the conversation. The next second, a small throwing ax sailed towards her. Ada ducked, then immediately turned and sprinted down the tunnel, trying to zigzag just enough to throw off any other projectiles. Her War Drones threw themselves at the humans, buying her valuable time. She heard the smack of weapons on flesh, grunts and a sharp curse, then the thud of something hitting the ground. The Delvers ran after her. She didn¡¯t turn to look, but could hear the sounds of their footsteps pounding on the ground. Ada focused on putting as much energy into her run as possible, though she knew she¡¯d have to be able to keep it up. She¡¯d already activated her third Class Ability, Boundless Movement. It helped and would let her keep running for longer, although it was more tailored towards endurance than sprinting. Then they reached the other tunnel, and just as the humans passed it, dark shapes flew out of it. Ada only glanced back quickly to confirm what was happening, then kept moving, although she had slowed down a little. She smelled the scent of her brother Ace and was able to pinpoint his own movements. He¡¯d waited for the War Drones with him to attack the humans, then thrown two rocks and sprinted out of the tunnel. He was now closing in on her quickly. Ada kept running, glancing at him. Another throwing ax swept through the air, and she saw him stumble. But then Ace righted himself and kept running. Some instinct made Ada duck, and she felt the rush of air as a small spear sailed over her head. Then she moved to the side and continued on. Just as she started to think another one was coming, Ace grabbed her arm and pulled her into another tunnel. This one was much narrower than before. The other Scout scrambled up a steep rock wall, and Ada followed him quickly, using her multi-use-limb to help her. Once up, she stayed low for a few steps, then started running again more quickly. Curses echoed from behind them again as the humans tried to follow them. I¡¯m here, Regina said in her mind. She sounded just a bit anxious. You¡¯re not far, just make it to us. The next few minutes were a blur of exhausting running, scrambling through the tunnels. After two more turns, they reached the same one Ada had used to get down and put on another burst of speed. At least two of the humans were still behind them. Just as she feared they would catch up, dark forms dashed out of the shadows ahead and lunged at their pursuers. Three War Drones. Ada forced her tired limbs to take her further up the tunnel, using the respite their attack gave her and Ace. Then she finally saw the light ahead brighten as they reached the end of the tunnel. Chapter 56: Throw Down Regina paced, up and down by the entrance to the tunnels, in tight arcs. It was probably a good thing that she had already taken the same steps several times by now, because all of her attention was somewhere else. She¡¯d debated it for a moment, but with Ben¡¯s advice, she¡¯d decided to call Dan and Zoe up here to make their stand against the Delvers rather than have them stay underground. She didn¡¯t want to split her drones into three or even more groups for their pursuers to pick off. Of course, she¡¯d still sent some of the War Drones down there to make sure that Ace and Ada managed to reach the surface, and was now intently watching what happened. The three new War Drones lunged at the Delvers, managing to arrest their momentum. One of the men even stumbled into the rocky tunnel wall. The others made short work of the drones, but it allowed the two Scouts to keep running and escape them. Regina grimaced and winced as she felt the three War Drones dying shortly after one another. She¡¯d already lost too many today. Then she withdrew her mind from the link and focused on her own body and her actual surroundings. ¡°Here they come,¡± she warned the drones with her. Ben took a step forward as if to shield her. Then she caught sight of Ada and Ace. The two Scouts put on one last burst of speed and stumbled out of the tunnel entrance. They immediately veered to the side, and Dan and Zoe stepped up to close the gap, while Ben arranged the War Drones with curt words and gestures. Regina glanced at her Scouts. Looking into their minds, she could tell they were exhausted, but also thrilled to have made it out. You did well, she whispered to them. Gather your strength. This wasn¡¯t over yet. It took longer than she thought. Maybe the humans had decided to slow down and regroup, accepting that they wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to the Scouts this quickly. Regina wished she still had eyes on the group. She¡¯d seen that there were only three humans when her War Drones attacked last, but didn¡¯t know how far behind the other man was. Then she finally caught the scent of them heading up, heard their footsteps and saw the dark shapes coming. Four of them, after all. Regina was tempted to order the attack before they realized what was up. The humans were obviously on their guard, though, and besides, she still didn¡¯t know how high leveled they all were. Plus, she figured she should probably make some effort to protect the truce, at least. Even if them attacking members of her hive unprovoked made her want to tear their limbs off and put their heads on pikes as warnings to whoever might try something similar. ¡°Humans,¡± she greeted them just as they stepped out of the tunnel. ¡°You have attacked my people unprovoked. Stand down and throw down your weapons, and we will sort this out peacefully.¡± She saw their leader¡¯s eyes dart around. He was clearly surprised by the drones now surrounding them and the entrance to the tunnels. Ada and Ace straightened up and stepped forward to join the Warriors. Regina only had the pair of Scouts and the three Warriors along with six War Drones here. But she¡¯d sent out a call to any other nearby drones as soon as she realized what was happening, and Tim and a few others were on their way. If she managed to stall the Delvers just a little, they would be here soon. Still, the hive already outnumbered the humans. ¡°We will not surrender our weapons to monsterbloods,¡± their leader spat. ¡°By what right do you accost us like this?¡± ¡°We, accost you? You¡¯re the ones who attacked us. Now surrender.¡± The Delvers exchanged looks. Regina could tell that the woman and the younger man were doubtful and would probably prefer this to be resolved without violence. But the leader was still blustering, even if he hadn¡¯t attacked yet. Maybe he felt less sure than he acted, being outnumbered like this. ¡°Your drones intruded into territory they had no right to be,¡± he declared. ¡°We simply acted accordingly. And this area, as well, is claimed by the kingdom of Cernlia. We have permission to be here, which I doubt you do.¡± Regina cocked her head. There was something else here. After a moment, she realized what. Faint sounds reached her ears from deeper in the tunnels. There are more of them! She quickly dove into the psychic connection to her hive to check on the other drones. Tim, Tia and a few other drones were coming. About two dozen War Drones. Max had been out, in the opposite direction from the hive. He was hurrying as fast as he could, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach them quickly. ¡°Why is this territory supposedly a place you have more right to be?¡± she asked. At the same time, she silently alerted the others and told them to prepare, but not to let anything show. ¡°The tunnels don¡¯t seem to belong to anyone except perhaps the monsters living in them, or the elves whose forest this is.¡± The man, Lions according to the System, sneered. ¡°You simply show how little you understand of the world, as expected from a savage monsterblood.¡± Regina tensed up, hearing the sounds of incoming footsteps grow louder. ¡°I ask you for the last time, Delvers, will you surrender or not?¡± ¡°No,¡± the leader and the cloth-armored man spat together. They raised their weapons at the same time as the drones did. Regina took a step backward and gathered her mana. She was glad she had a mostly full mana pool for this. Then the fight started, with Zoe Charging straight at the weakest of the humans. Dan followed a heartbeat behind. The earth shook as one of the humans used a Class Skill. A second later, more people rushed out of the entrance. They had barely stepped into the light before Ben and half of the present War Drones jumped them. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Regina exhaled and let mana flow out with it. A large Firebolt exploded out of her palm. She¡¯d aimed the trajectory of the attack carefully to make sure no drone would be in its path. Her bolt caught two of the reinforcing humans. It threw one of them off her feet and made the light armor of the second one smolder. Ben and the other drones capitalized on this opportunity. Regina saw his strike push right past the blade a human had raised in defense as he and the other warriors activated their strength-boosting Skill. The fight only got more chaotic from there. Regina did her best to stay back and out of range of the Delvers¡¯ attacks. They seemed to be too hard-pressed to rally and push for her, luckily enough. Regina threw one more Firebolt, then switched to Magic Missiles. She didn¡¯t want to risk hitting one of her own drones. Fire was, unfortunately, not very friendly to anyone. They managed to keep the humans off-balance and prevent them from linking up and forming a good defense. It helped that none of them seemed to have real magic at their disposal. A few of the Delvers would beat any of them in melee, but the hive warriors made sure not to take them on one on one. Casualties mounted, though. Four of her War Drones were quickly taken out of the fight, one with a lethal wound. Ben got a nasty scratch across his side and suffered a broken arm trying to parry an enhanced strike from a Delver. Ace and Ada accumulated minor wounds, but they were good at dodging. But then one of the human warriors pushed Zoe back with his shield, hitting her hard enough to send her flying until she hit a tree. Slowly but surely, the momentum was turning. Regina gritted her teeth and intensified her efforts. She was the trump card her people had, and she wouldn¡¯t let them down. Then a new figure streaked out of the trees, striking at Lions¡¯ back. Regina didn¡¯t need to look at him to recognize Tim. He roared, a war cry that was taken up by the other drones. They all started pushing harder. Another human trickled out of the cave entrance, then another. Regina spent a few precious moments deliberating whether she could block it off. But her Conjuration wasn¡¯t suited for that, and she didn¡¯t have the focus to spare to figure something out. She needed to keep fighting. Her mana was getting dangerously low. She hefted her polearm, which she¡¯d taken from a human guard so long ago, and stepped forward. A strike found its way between a human rogue¡¯s defenses, occupied as she was by two War Drones. The human managed to twist around and save herself from a fatal injury, but the cut still bled deeply. Regina put all of her strength into her weapon, pushing her back as she pulled it out and swept it around, attacking another warrior. He managed to block it with his shield, but then Zoe swiped at his legs and he stumbled. Tim capitalized on the opportunity, jumping at him and sticking a knife between the plates of his armor under his armpit. Regina took a moment to glance around and take stock. War Drones were trickling in, as quickly as they could move. She still had numerical superiority, even if her drones¡¯ levels were lower on average. The woman in Lions¡¯ party suddenly started glowing slightly. Regina swallowed a curse. That looked like an Ability activation. The light seemed to leapfrog to her party. Lions straightened up as the blood flowing from his back stopped, and he advanced on Ace, pushing him back. Regina grimaced, but didn¡¯t hesitate. She stepped forward, thrusting her weapon at the human, sending a nudge to Ace at the same time. The Scout reacted, backing away as Regina bought him the chance. Lions¡¯ ax swept down on her, and Regina barely got out of the way. She tried to parry his follow-up strike with her polearm. It crashed against her arm like an unstoppable wave, pushing her weapon out of the way and sending a shudder up through her arm. But the human was unable to follow up on it, as Ben and a War Drone attacked him from both sides. It gave Regina a moment to tap into her mana, and she quickly formed a Magic Missile, thrusting her hand out and letting it explode into his face. Lions cried out and fell to his knees, were he rolled and came back to his feet, swaying slightly. Regina stumbled back a step, breathing hard. She looked around to make sure no one else was going to attack her. Then she noticed a notification in the corner of her vision.
You have leveled up
Regina blinked, then jumped forward. She saw that her drones had gotten the upper hand now. A few War Drones lay dead on the ground, but so did a few humans. Regina hurried to Ben and put a hand on his shoulder, sending some of her remaining mana into him to heal him. Then she stepped towards Lions again, flaring her wings as she stabbed her polearm into the ground, its smaller blade just a centimeter from his head. The drones had battered him down until he crouched on his knees, bleeding in several places. He looked up and their eyes met. Her second thrust ended it, the tip of her weapon sinking into his eye and skull. Regina turned away, pulling out her weapon, then went to the side of the woman she¡¯d noticed before, from his original party. She was on the ground, too, but she wasn¡¯t currently fighting anyone, and was reaching for the sword she had dropped. Regina kicked it away and stepped onto the Delver¡¯s hand. She panned her gaze across the battle. ¡°Give no quarter.¡± She hadn¡¯t spoken very loudly, but she knew every drone heard her. The humans fought furiously, but they had already lost. The drones now had overwhelming numbers and made short work of them. She didn¡¯t see anyone trying to surrender. Whether that was because the Delvers had heard her or because it was just the way they were, she didn¡¯t know, and at the moment, she didn¡¯t particularly care. She only needed one person to interrogate. Regina realized her face had pulled into a snarl and smoothed it out. She watched the battle end and her enemies die, though. She was crushing pests, and at the moment, she would have liked to have more of them here so that she could keep crushing. But it was these people who had provoked her wrath, their own ends. Delvers. I wish I knew what their deal was. This is not going to be without repercussions. Regina shook her head. She glanced at Tim, who¡¯d stepped up beside her, and nodded towards the human woman still lying by her feet. ¡°Secure that one.¡± Then she stepped away. She took a deep breath, parsing the scent of blood and battle and the forest beyond, then frowned. I leveled up. Shouldn¡¯t I have gotten something? ¡°My Queen,¡± Tim murmured after a moment. She turned her head and saw he was looking at her. Specifically, his eyes were glued to her back. Then he met her eyes. ¡°Your wings came in. Are they finally functional?¡± Regina blinked. Right. Her wings. She moved muscles she hadn¡¯t before, and stretched. A slight breeze blew past her as her wings flapped. She saw that they were bigger than she had expected, and almost entirely transparent, but supported by a delicate lattice that was darker. Let¡¯s find out. Regina bent her knees, then jumped as high as she could. She moved her wings on instinct, and they flapped, sending air under her. She felt a faint shift in her mana as some of it began to flow. Regina started falling, but her wings flapped again, and she never quite touched the ground before they carried her upwards again. She couldn¡¯t help the grin on her face as she started ascending, making her way through the air. Chapter 57: Boosts and Brooding By the time they made it back to the hive, the sun was almost setting. Regina had gotten tired of flying and was now on the ground again, walking. She¡¯d discovered that using her wings drained a bit of her mana, or rather, reduced her mana regeneration. Since she needed all the mana she could get for healing right now, she¡¯d reluctantly grounded herself. The fact that her wings were new and untrained, and she¡¯d discovered they could feel sore from being used too much, also played a role. Zoe and Ace were carrying the human they¡¯d taken captive, while the others and the surviving War Drones ferried the corpses of the Delvers that hadn¡¯t made it. Regina was pretty sure that none of them had escaped. Even in the chaos of the fight, she¡¯d remained aware of how many there were. Of course, there could have been someone who¡¯d stayed in the tunnel, watched or listened from a distance and then retreated. She couldn¡¯t rule that out, although she had sent a few War Drones back into the tunnels after the fight to take a look. Her thought process was interrupted when she almost stumbled over a root, and Regina forced her thoughts back on track. ¡°Leave me some space, Max,¡± she said irritably. ¡°I can walk on my own.¡± The boy backed off a bit, though he kept walking beside her. ¡°Sorry, my Queen,¡± he muttered. Regina sighed and shook her head. She could tell Max felt bad about only arriving once the threat was over, especially since she herself had been in danger, too. She debated telling him that she didn¡¯t expect him to be there whenever something dangerous might happen, but she didn¡¯t think that would help. Especially since she knew he¡¯d been unhappy about not being allowed to accompany her to the cave entrance they¡¯d found in the first place, anyway. Regina simply hadn¡¯t wanted to concentrate all of their strongest fighters in one spot. Or the de facto leadership of her hive. Then they finally left the trees behind and walked across the field to their little village. Regina felt some of the tension drain out of her. She glanced around, quickly taking stock. She¡¯d lost too many War Drones, but the force remaining here at the camp was still considerable. Most of the Workers and the two Harvesters were also here. Regina paused as she saw two new drones among the group coming out to greet them. Right, the Shooters had finally hatched today. She¡¯d have to take a closer look at one later. For now, it looked like they had two different weapon-limbs as well. One of them was mostly smooth and a bit bulky with a kind of hook at the end. After a moment, she realized it was one of those spear thrower things. What was the name? An atlatl, right. The other limb seemed to be mostly a narrow cylinder. Probably a blowpipe or something similar, given the name. They also had strange sections of chitin on their torso. Maybe those would help with shooting some weapon? Most of the drones present rushed out to help the returning group deal with their cargo. Tim directed them to place the bodies in a convenient location and tie up their prisoner. Regina stretched, grimacing. She hadn¡¯t realized it at first, since she¡¯d been occupied with other things, but something was going on with her. Her mana, and maybe her body, were slowly changing. It felt like her mana was condensing, and of course her body had finally finished growing its wings. Regina flapped them weakly, craning her head back to look. They looked delicate, like an accident or misplaced sharp implement could rip right through them. They also felt sticky. At some point, she¡¯d gotten some blood on them, and she didn¡¯t like the way they poked out of her back. She tried to fold them back in, but it didn¡¯t quite work. ¡°Damn it,¡± Regina grumbled, trying to reach back and failing to accomplish much. Luckily, she didn¡¯t have to deal with it alone. Mia, who¡¯d come out with the others, was eager to help. She dragged over one of the amphorae of not-wax they¡¯d made to store water, then used a rough piece of cloth and the water to help Regina clean up. With her help and a bit of fumbling, Regina managed to fold the wings neatly against her back, covered by the shell plates. That gave her the full mobility she¡¯d gotten used to. Her shirt, which was ripped and had only hung on barely, seemed like a total loss, though. ¡°Thanks,¡± Regina told Mia with a smile. ¡°Of course. Can I do anything else to help?¡± Regina shook her head. She sat down on a log someone had dragged out at some point, glancing at the crowd. Then she turned her attention to the System notifications she¡¯d received, reading them again.
Congratulations, you have reached Level 20 as a Hive Queen! You have passed the first milestone on your Class path. As your Class Hive Queen does not offer a Class Progression, you are not eligible for Evolution at this time. Physical changes will occur as your physical form is refined. The Drones of your Hive may now undergo Evolution upon reaching level 20.
Regina sighed. She¡¯d expected something like this. And being able to grow wings and fly would have been a great Evolution benefit, anyway. She switched her focus to the next screen.
Frequent use and diligent training have improved your mastery of your Class Skills. After reaching level 20, further improvements may manifest themselves.
Your Hive Drones may now gain the ability to communicate through your psychic bond if they are close. They may also connect to the minds of Swarm Drones.
The number of foreign creatures you may induct into your Hive using Infect has risen from 2 to 4. Infected Hive members now receive a baseline +20% to Experience gain, irrespective of factors such as species or commitment.
Regina resisted the urge to whistle once again. These gains were pretty good. It sounded like her drones would be able to talk to each other telepathically, at least if they met some conditions, and would also be able to send mental commands to Swarm Drones. That could be really useful in a situation like the confrontation with the Delvers they¡¯d just had. And the last benefit was great, too. Plus twenty percent?! I mean, I knew there was an increased leveling speed because of boosted experience gain, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be so high. Some people might just want to join my hive for that buff alone. And she finally got some actual numbers regarding that Ability, which the System hadn¡¯t given her when she¡¯d chosen it. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. She¡¯d need to spend some time testing this out in detail, especially the drones¡¯ telepathy thing. For now, though, Regina dismissed her System screen and looked up again. The drones had handled things by themselves while she¡¯d been distracted, and most of them had already gone back to work, doing whatever they had before. She tuned in just in time to hear Max finalizing a new deployment for the War Drones, to account for those they¡¯d lost in the fighting. After that, he, Ada, Tim and the other leaders of the hive gravitated towards her. Regina made an executive decision and headed for the firepit and the table and benches they had erected close to it. They all deserved some food for the trouble they¡¯d gone through. She spent the short walk thinking of names for the new Drone Shooters, and finally settled on Len, Lou and Lea. She was nearing the end of the rope, she had to admit. Once they¡¯d all gotten some grilled monster meat and water and rested their feet for a moment, Max spoke up. ¡°What are we going to do about the Delvers?¡± The mood instantly turned even more somber. Regina looked at Ada. ¡°What were your impressions of the group you met, Ada?¡± The young Scout shrugged. She seemed a bit hesitant. ¡°I don¡¯t know, my Queen. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve interacted with many humans. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She frowned slightly. ¡°They seemed pretty upset to see us down there, though. I guess that much is obvious. And they were obviously contemptuous of us, but that seems to be par for the course for the Delvers. I got the impression their leader was a bit extreme, though. The others might not have attacked us that readily, or chased us all the way through the tunnels.¡± Regina nodded. It seemed like bad luck that the most brash of the humans had been in charge. Maybe things would have gone differently if they¡¯d met more reasonable Delvers. But that didn¡¯t matter much, now, what was done was done. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not sure how this will impact the truce deal we have,¡± she admitted. ¡°The Delvers obviously didn¡¯t seem to think the Cernlian marquis¡¯ agreement bound them, but I¡¯m not sure how much we can trust that. They were probably Cernlian citizens, or at least acting in territory that is technically supposed to be Cernlian soil, as I understand it. That probably means it would be part of this march, if their claim was more than empty words.¡± ¡°Uh, aren¡¯t you making this a bit too complicated, my Queen?¡± Tia asked. ¡°They were humans, and they definitely ¡®engaged in aggression against¡¯ us. Isn¡¯t this a clear violation of the truce?¡± ¡°I guess,¡± Max said slowly, capturing the gazes of the others, ¡°the question is what you want it to mean, my Queen. Do we want the truce to be broken?¡± Regina sighed, leaning back and stretching out her legs. ¡°Good question. This is definitely sooner than I¡¯d hoped to be in conflict with the humans. But I don¡¯t want to appear weak by just letting an attack slide, either.¡± ¡°No one might know about this fight, anyway,¡± Tim pointed out. ¡°There probably weren¡¯t any survivors on the Delvers¡¯ side, and it¡¯s not like any of us are going to inform the human authorities, unless you want to send a message.¡± ¡°Good point,¡± Regina admitted. ¡°But the Delvers are definitely going to search for their missing members, at least. I don¡¯t think ignoring this will make the problem go away.¡± ¡°Then what do we do, my Queen?¡± Mia asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should send any word about this to the humans,¡± she replied after a few seconds of consideration. ¡°At least, it would be better if we could talk to the elves first. Beyond that, we¡¯ll just do what we can to prepare. Keep growing our forces and our strength, level up, and maybe make some defensive preparations, draw up a few plans.¡± Max nodded. ¡°That sounds reasonable.¡± ¡°Maybe we should try to get more information from the Delver we captured,¡± Regina added. ¡°I already tried to ask her a few questions,¡± Tim said. ¡°She went completely silent. Didn¡¯t even give me her name. And considering we can get that from the System, that¡¯s just pure stubborn spite.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°Alright. Maybe stewing for a while will make her feel more talkative.¡± The woman was still injured, though she wasn¡¯t in danger of dying any time soon and even seemed to be healing on her own more quickly than normal humans should. Probably because of the System. Regina didn¡¯t feel like wasting mana on her. Let the Delver deal with her injuries and be happy she wasn¡¯t dead. Like her companions. Wow, I guess I¡¯m more vicious than I thought. Regina shook her head at herself, watching with one eye as the others left. She knew that her urge to fight against the humans might be a bit stronger than it should be, coming from her Hive Queen instincts. But now that she considered it in depth for the first time, she realized just how much she might have let it guide her decision-making. It was especially apparent when you compared it to how she felt about the elves. Regina didn¡¯t trust them and would prefer not to give them complete information about her and her hive, but she didn¡¯t feel like she was actually in danger from them. Maybe it would be better to say she didn¡¯t feel threatened by the elves. They had never actually attacked her and clearly didn¡¯t have any designs on her territory, since it had already been theirs and they¡¯d given it to her. While they might be trying to manipulate her, that was probably just to be expected. Who wouldn¡¯t try to get help when they were facing war? Regina buried her face in her hands. Should she have just tried to make peace with the humans and live peacefully in her little village, expanding into the forest? Or tried harder, at least? Even though they couldn¡¯t expand much before getting into the elves¡¯ territory? Well, it might not matter now. What¡¯s done is done. We have the truce for one month, and we fought and killed Delvers. Besides, even knowing that how she felt might be coming from her Hive Queen side, that didn¡¯t mean she should ignore it, right? Regina took her hands from her face and straightened up. She had too much to do to sit here brooding. Chapter 58: Reconnaissance Regina decided that she hated the feeling of tiering up. Or not-quite-Evolution, or whatever you wanted to call it. It was like ants crawled through her veins, or rather the channels her mana used in her body. And her new wings were cool and all, but their growth had subtly thrown off her balance. Although that might also have something to do with her new height. According to Max, she¡¯d grown a few centimeters and looked older by about half a year at least if you converted it to human terms. She could now pass for sixteen, if she was human. Regina herself found that a bit hard to judge, especially since Max and the others also kept growing, and more quickly than her, if you didn¡¯t count this growth spurt. The uncomfortable feeling lasted for a while, before it faded and her mana seemed to settle down again. Regina had also gotten used to her new physique, somewhat. A few more days and she would be completely comfortable with it, she was sure. For now, she wanted to try out her new wings again. She¡¯d slept poorly this night and wasted more time in the morning than she¡¯d planned, and now the sun was already pretty high in the sky. At least that gave her a lot of visibility. Regina climbed up to the roof of one of the houses again, the same one she¡¯d perched on a few times. She stepped to the edge, then took a deep breath when she looked down. She extended her wings, grimacing a little at the still unfamiliar feeling of plates on her back shifting. Gathering her willpower, Regina jumped forward and beat her wings. They caught the air and sent her upwards. She flapped hard again, rising out of the fall before she had the chance to get too close to the ground. She couldn¡¯t help but grin excitedly as she rose into the air, the houses under her shrinking. Glancing down, she saw a few drones pause what they were doing and look up. Uh oh, Max doesn¡¯t look happy. Regina chuckled to herself and leaned into a turn. She decided to corkscrew upwards in wide circles. Luckily, growing out her wings had apparently also given her an instinctive understanding of how to fly. She could vaguely tell there were different air currents at different temperatures, although she wasn¡¯t very good at using them purposefully. Still, it was enough for her to get by and stay in the air. She wouldn¡¯t want to try flying in some tight confined spaces, at least not yet, but she could go where she wanted in the open. So, it¡¯s probably better not to try flying under the forest canopy yet. Regina turned around once she¡¯d reached a comfortable height and looked over the scenery below her. There were a few birds and flying monsters around, but luckily, none of them bothered her. She could see quite far from here. There was the old elven outpost, which she¡¯d already intended to take over soon, if they didn¡¯t object. There was the river, which you could follow into Cernlia and to the fort and village. She also saw the ground rising upwards toward the west, approaching the mountains. A lot of details were still hidden by the crowns of the trees. Regina hesitated for a moment, before she turned herself towards the deeper forest and put on more speed. She kept relatively close to the trees¡¯ canopy, but high enough up not to be surprised by any ambushes. It didn¡¯t take long for her to reach the old outpost. She had to search for it a bit, since it was pretty well camouflaged from here, but then landed on the upper wooden platform. Regina glanced around and watched as a few squirrels scurried off into the trees. A few smaller monsters seemed to do the same. She didn¡¯t see any larger or stronger ones around. So, she closed her eyes and focused on her Infected minion for a moment. Dark was in the forest. He¡¯d reached a high enough level already that the bird didn¡¯t have to worry too much about random attacks, so she was comfortable sending him further from the hive. He was already in the direction leading to the elven city, and she ordered him to fly further towards there. Regina took off again. She felt more comfortable circling in the air above than sitting in the fancy treehouse, with respect to avoiding attacks. At least in the air, she could see them coming. It also helped her to evaluate and train her endurance when it came to flying. She could already tell that she would need a bit of conditioning to be able to fly longer distances easily. Luckily, Dark was both fitter and probably faster at flying than her, and it didn¡¯t take him long to approach the city of Ariedel. Regina landed again, since she didn¡¯t yet trust her ability to stay up in the air with the focus of her attention elsewhere. She was closer to the city now than if she¡¯d stayed in the hive¡¯s camp, but she was still pretty sure her range had grown. Experimentally, she had Dark fly in a wide arc around the city. He got over halfway around it before she lost the ability to communicate with him. And even better, he actually returned to her zone of control like he was supposed to. She was pretty sure he couldn¡¯t really flee from her, but it was still nice to get confirmation that the bird monster seemed to be okay with his situation. Regina slowly had him get closer to the core of the city, although she remained careful and had him stay away from people or anything that looked enchanted. Who knew if the elves had means to detect bound monsters or the like. Luckily, Dark¡¯s innate stealth ability helped. This was the first time she¡¯d seen him use it full on, maybe because he¡¯d gained a few levels recently. Dark seemed to be swallowed by a bundle of shadow, until his presence was barely detectable. It was a bit hard to see from the viewpoint of his own eyes, but she had the impression that anyone looking at him flying above would only see the blue of the sky reflected. Regina took a good look at the city, now that she could. It looked both familiar and strange. Familiar because this was the first city she¡¯d seen in this life, and it did resemble those in her memory in many respects. Strange because this was a city of elves built mostly out of trees, and apparently living wood. It also didn¡¯t show any evidence of advanced technology. No electrical lights or solar panels or charging stations for vehicles, let alone cars themselves. The shops obviously sold handcrafted wares instead of mass-produced goods, and there were eateries with kitchens inside or even in the streets instead of VR caf¨¦s. Regina took it all in, and tried to figure out what she could about its inhabitants. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. But after a while, she had to admit she was getting nowhere. This might tell her a bit about the daily lives of the city¡¯s citizens and their technological level, but it wasn¡¯t helping her get a better idea of their political or military status. So, she reluctantly told Dark to leave. No point in taking needless risks. On the way back, the bird didn¡¯t fly in a straight line. Regina debated giving him a nudge to head straight back home, but refrained from it. He probably knew about things she didn¡¯t, like the territories of stronger bird monsters that he should avoid. So she just watched with one eye, trying to keep some of her attention on her own surroundings to look out for monsters, while he flew northeast and then started turning towards the hive. Then she noticed something in her view from the bird and focused more on it. She nudged Dark, getting him to stay where he was, or rather, start circling. That also made him get a bit higher, which helped her get a view of everything. She supposed she should have expected it. There was a war going on, after all, with the elves here in the forest one of the main participants. Still, she was a bit startled to see what was clearly signs of fighting. Maybe because she could actually see it even from up here. She might have expected the fighting to vanish beneath the trees, but she could see flashes of light, the occasional large-scale alteration of the terrain like a small piece of the forest being frozen, and even a few vaguely humanoid shapes moving. I guess the use of magic and Class Skills isn¡¯t exactly subtle. Most of the time. Regina frowned to herself as she localized the combat she saw in relation to the city, the border of the forest and the river. It was closer to the former than she¡¯d expected. Suddenly feeling a bit less assured, she withdrew from Dark¡¯s mind further and took to the air again herself, heading back to the hive. Regina landed on the roof of the hut with a thump, stumbling a bit as she caught her balance. She tried to fold in her wings, but didn¡¯t quite manage it, again, although it was better than last time. They were mostly out of the way, at least. Regina sighed and resigned herself to asking Mia or one of the others for help again. Or maybe it would be less embarrassing with a Swarm Drone, though then she might have to take direct control. Regina shook her head and focused back on Dark. The bird was still flying back towards the hive, this time on a pretty straight trajectory. It would still be a while until he arrived, although Regina recognized the view of the forest from above, so she had a pretty good idea of his position. Then she paused as she noticed something yet again. This time, she didn¡¯t need him to wait or get closer to get a better view. It still made her frown. The humans had sent fewer teams into the forest over the last few weeks. The reasons were probably something to do with the state of the war that Regina didn¡¯t know much about. It was clear that they had tried to keep pressure on the elves to stop them from committing all their forces to the front against Nerlia, or something like that. In any case, she saw a group of humans now, a pretty large one. At least a dozen people. The equipment most of them wore reminded her of the Delvers they¡¯d met in the village during the monster horde. Regina cursed under her breath and jumped down to the ground, extending her wings again to slow herself down. Best to assume that the Delvers were looking for their missing members. Even if they hadn¡¯t found out they were missing already, they would soon. They¡¯d probably go into the tunnels, look through the cave system. Well, it wasn¡¯t exactly a hospitable environment and there were monsters in the tunnels. At least there was a chance they wouldn¡¯t connect it to hostile action, to her hive. Regina snorted to herself. Who am I kidding? These are racist bigots. Or speciesist, whatever. Xenophobic. They are definitely going to suspect us, or the elves. Which probably wouldn¡¯t be much better. Especially since we are closer. And there might be monsters, but that many people disappearing without leaving any remains is on another level, anyway. ¡°I need to send a message to the elves,¡± Regina concluded aloud. ¡°My Queen?¡± Max asked. He¡¯d appeared almost as soon as she¡¯d come down. Judging by the frown on his face, he wasn¡¯t happy about her little trip. But Regina ignored that for now. She had bigger things to worry about. So, she quickly told Max everything she had seen through Dark¡¯s eyes. When she was done, his frown had only deepened. ¡°A large party of Delvers?¡± he repeated. Regina nodded, glancing towards the hut where they¡¯d put their human prisoner. They¡¯d fought eight Delvers in all. Two parties of four, presumably. ¡°How do we get a message to the elves?¡± Max asked, clearly referencing what he¡¯d heard her say earlier. Regina sighed. ¡°I could write down a letter and get Dark to deliver it. Well, it might not be easy to arrange that, but it should work. I can conjure paper and ink now, at least, even if those are hard. But it might be better to send a drone. That way, we could actually talk to them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to take time, though,¡± Max pointed out. He still looked concerned. ¡°Even assuming whoever you send doesn¡¯t run into any monsters or have to detour around a strong one¡¯s territory, travel will take more than a day. Even if they really push themselves.¡± ¡°I¡¯d send Tim, considering he¡¯s talked to them before and could enter the city,¡± Regina said. ¡°But then we wouldn¡¯t have him here for the time it takes, either. Crap. You¡¯re right, this is a problem.¡± ¡°We probably have some time until the Delvers move on us, if they are going to.¡± ¡°Sure, but assuming that the elves are going to react, that will take some time, too.¡± Regina sighed and tugged on her mandibles, considering it. ¡°Alright,¡± she finally said. ¡°I¡¯ll send Dark with a message. I can probably use a feather from him as a writing implement or something. It¡¯s not going to look nice, but whatever. Then I might even be able to drop the message without revealing him, or at least making it obvious that I have a monster minion in the hive. We¡¯ll just have to see what happens.¡± Regina nodded to herself, then pulled up her status sheet again and glanced at it.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 20
Mana: 445/1200
Hive: 25/66, 1 Swarm: 56/100, 10
Con: 13 Str: 12
Dex: 13 End: 13
Int: 19 Wis: 19
She had gotten three stat points for reaching level 20. That might mean that her strongest ones, Int and Wis, had both gotten a bonus point while her normal level-up stat point was allocated to Dex. Her Swarm limit had risen to 100, which was about what she¡¯d expected given previous levels. Ten times its starting value at level 10. Her hive had grown in number and was still growing, but it still wasn¡¯t as big as she¡¯d like. It would just have to do for now. Chapter 59: Class Choices The hive did resemble a kicked beehive a bit, even if Regina disliked the obvious metaphor. She couldn¡¯t think of a better one, though. And the way the drones bustled about, chaotic and yet somehow organized, without getting in each other¡¯s way, was pretty impressive. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about Max, my Queen,¡± Tim said. Regina turned to him, blinking. ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡± She felt a bit guilty to realize that that was ¡­ mostly true. Max had gone out with a few other Warriors and a score of War Drones (assuming she remembered correctly that a set of twenty was called a score, she wasn¡¯t quite sure.) They were hunting a monster Ash and his scouting team had found, a Rock Troll she was pretty sure had reached level 20 at least. It was moving towards the hive, which meant it needed to be dealt with. Regina had wanted to go out and fight it herself, but the drones had all been obviously anxious about that idea. They wanted her to stay at the camp, especially since they might still get attacked by angry humans at any moment. Max had almost literally begged and pleaded to go instead, so she¡¯d given in. She was pretty sure he wanted to reach level 20 himself. Which would be useful. ¡°Max can handle himself,¡± Regina told Tim. The assurance in her voice wasn¡¯t faked. Max had never let her down, had always been the strong presence at her side. She knew intellectually that it didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t screw up, or even just get unlucky. It was just hard to feel that emotionally. ¡°Of course he can,¡± Tim agreed. Regina shot him a look. It occurred to her that Tim might want to be the one who reached level 20 first, but he seemed completely confident, even reassuring. It¡¯s good to see they¡¯re close, no matter what. Their conversation was interrupted by a group of War Drones and one Production Drone carrying what looked like a hastily put together door through the nascent street. Regina stepped aside to let them pass, glancing around and noticing the group of three Workers, headed by Ina, who were waiting by the skeleton of the newest house. This one was larger than the ones they¡¯d built before, also intended to house a number of sapient Drones. They still seemed to prefer sleeping together, and mostly used furs, scraps of cloth they might turn into pillows and mats of woven grass to build a large sleeping area. Regina herself was happy with her small but more private room and her bed, even if it was mostly just a plank of wood covered with things intended to make it a softer surface. There was talk of building a new house for her, but she¡¯d stopped that. The hive had more important things to do. They didn¡¯t have to wait long for Max and his group to return. Regina breathed a small sigh of relief as she saw him come out of the forest, followed by a cluster of War Drones carrying the large, gray corpse of a monster. He didn¡¯t look entirely happy, though. ¡°The threat is dealt with,¡± Max reported when she met them by the palisade. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what we might be able to use its parts for, but I¡¯m sure there will be something.¡± ¡°Good work,¡± Regina said. ¡°Any problems?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, it went pretty well. Trolls might be tough, but they aren¡¯t the smartest, so we managed to bait it into our trap pretty easily. I didn¡¯t level up, though.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Regina managed a smile. ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re all okay.¡± They stepped into the camp, and the drones went back to various tasks, with Ivy taking charge of the Troll¡¯s corpse. Regina listened to Tim gently ribbing Max about the trip, but she only smiled to herself while pretending not to hear anything. Max went straight to the training field, and Regina decided to work on some more controlled maneuvers with her flight while watching the drones¡¯ training. She didn¡¯t even get the chance to lift off into the air, though. As soon as Max finished his first training bout, a fast and hard exchange that left Tim wheezing on the ground and probably regretting his recent decisions while Max stumbled away from him, he froze up. Regina paused, then tried to fold her wings up again when she saw Max looking for her, a smile on his face. ¡°I reached level twenty,¡± he told her, obvious excitement in his voice, even though he tried to appear calm. ¡°It says I can undergo Evolution, and it¡¯s offering me a choice of Classes.¡± ¡°Does it say exactly that? Evolution, not Class Progression?¡± Tim asked. He¡¯d pushed himself to his feet and was coming up behind Max. The other Warrior glanced back and nodded. ¡°Yes, Evolution.¡± He hesitated. ¡°What Class should I take, my Queen? There are five options.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. ¡°I think this is one of those decisions everyone in the hive should probably make for themselves, considering how important it is that the choice is one they¡¯re comfortable with and can make the most of, even if I¡¯ll give advice. Which of those options do you like?¡± Max frowned and looked off into space, clearly reading System screens. Regina didn¡¯t begrudge him the time, and waited silently until he returned his attention to her. ¡°There are a few that sound interesting,¡± he said. ¡°Two look like straight-up evolutions of the Warrior Class, probably based on humans. One sounds like a pure Hive thing, but still pretty generic. Then there¡¯s the options of Drone Commander and Royal Bodyguard.¡± Regina¡¯s other eyebrow climbed up. ¡°Both of those sound good. Interesting that the latter option doesn¡¯t have ¡®Drone¡¯ in the name, but it¡¯s still pretty clearly tailored to you. The other one sounds like something that would be very useful, too, though. What does it say about them?¡± ¡°Not much, unfortunately.¡± Max hesitated for a moment. ¡°I know we need commanders, but I feel like the Royal Bodyguard Class is rarer and maybe a better choice for me. And it does line up with what I¡¯ve been doing, so it should be okay to evolve further ¡­¡± He trailed off. Regina was quiet for a few seconds. ¡°Pick which one you want, Max.¡± He nodded, then his gaze focused on something in front of him as he clearly made the selection. The next moment, he stiffened and almost fell over. Tim only just caught him. Regina took a step forward, but hesitated before touching him. It looked like shadows crawled out of the cracks of his shell, solidifying until his body was wreathed in a dark cocoon. After a minute, Max wasn¡¯t visible anymore, just a vaguely person-shaped bundle. ¡°Is this what I think is going on?¡± Regina asked, running a hand through her hair. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°It looks like he¡¯s molting,¡± Tim answered. He was examining Max¡¯s form with interest. Regina shook her head. ¡°I probably should have expected something like this, given the info about Evolution for monsters,¡± she muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s get him inside.¡± ¡°It should be okay,¡± Tim said as he grabbed where Max¡¯s feet should have been. ¡°This is probably normal.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Regina picked up his shoulders. She appreciated the reassurance, although she was aware Tim probably hadn¡¯t said that just for her sake. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope it doesn¡¯t take very long.¡± As they carried Max into one of the houses, Regina focused a part of her attention on her psychic bond to her hive. She didn¡¯t get much from Max. He was obviously unconscious. Then she called up his status with the System.
Max Royal Bodyguard
Level: 20
Mana: N/A
Con: 16 Str: 15
Dex: 11 End: 14
Int: 15 Wis: 12
He had been going for a defensive build, so she felt whatever Abilities the Class gave would probably synergize well. It looked like he¡¯d gotten a point in Con and Str for his Evolution, too. Regina was looking forward to seeing what else he might get for his new Class. And he¡¯s probably going to grow even more, and maybe get other physical changes. ¡°I wonder what kind of options me and the others will get?¡± Tim mused. Regina shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be interesting ones. Don¡¯t take stupid risks trying to catch up to Max, though, please.¡± Tim nodded, although he didn¡¯t quite look her in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯m already level 19, anyway,¡± he said. Regina would rather not have all of the people she relied on most incapacitated at the same time. On the other hand, it would be good if they could all get stronger Classes as soon as possible. They set Max down on one of the mattresses in the smallest hut, and Regina stationed a War Drone there as they walked out. Less to guard him against any damage, she trusted her hive members, and more so that she could keep an eye on him and see when the molting, or whatever it was, finished. ¡°Did you manage to get that message to the elves, anyway?¡± Tim asked, changing the subject. ¡°Yes. It went pretty well, I think.¡± Reflexively, Regina checked on Dark. The little bird hadn¡¯t come back to the hive, but he was currently perched on a tree watching a squirrel and prepared to ambush it. ¡°I managed to get Dark in close enough to drop off the note outside the government building you described. They did see him as he flew off after that, of course, and one elf almost caught him in some magical net, but he made it out safely. I think someone called off the chase pretty quickly.¡± ¡°Does that mean you didn¡¯t get to see their reaction?¡± ¡°Unfortunately not. Dark kept his distance from them, so I saw a bit of the commotion, but no details. They might send someone with a response, though.¡± ¡°Well, Ada and the others are keeping an eye out. And that¡¯s my cue to get back to training, I was going to spar with Ace.¡± Regina nodded and waved him off, before she turned back to the hive¡¯s camp. Mia and Tia had both reached level 18, although they were mostly doing different things. Right now, though, they were cooperating on a project, trying to use the not-wax the Production Drones made to improve their fortifications. Regina didn¡¯t have high hopes for it, but even if they only managed to improve the way the palisade held together a little bit, it would be worth it. She was a bit more hopeful for their other project, which involved creating quivers and other parts of equipment their fighters might need. Regina slowly walked through the camp, checking on everything. She paused by the training field¡¯s newest extension and watched as the new Shooters practiced, hitting a few simple targets and target dummies made out of wood and scraps of cloth and hides the others had set up. It turned out that they were actually producing their own ammunition, even if it was rather limited. Their chitin-like exoskeleton (she¡¯d decided that since it added some structure to their people¡¯s bodies, it deserved the name, even if they also had an endoskeleton) grew some spines on the sides of their weapon-limbs. The larger ones even worked as simple, small javelins for their throwing arm, even if actual ones with real spearheads would probably be better. But Regina liked the fact that they wouldn¡¯t be completely dependent on the hive¡¯s supplies. And it wasn¡¯t like they didn¡¯t still have hands, which they could use to fight with other weapons, even in close combat. Max had already said he wanted them trained in that, just to be safe. Their aim was pretty good, considering they were barely trained. Regina didn¡¯t have much of a point of comparison, but she didn¡¯t think she could hit such a target close to its center at, what, twenty meters? No, probably more. And that was just with javelins, which were probably harder to aim than a bow and arrows. What we really need might be crossbows, she considered. They could be used by even the Warriors with relatively little training at high accuracy, right? If I remember correctly, they¡¯ve got this sight thing. Well, they won¡¯t be easy to make, but it shouldn¡¯t be that hard. Regina made a mental note to try something. She¡¯d taken to writing down some of what she remembered on the odd piece of paper she summoned, as well as a few wooden boards and slates. Mostly just basic physics formulas. They should be able to help the Workers figure out a few mechanisms, or help with building them, at least. She included things like atomic theory and the basics of electricity, even if it would probably take a while before they were really able to use that. And if all else failed, maybe she could even use that knowledge to bargain with some of her enemies? They did say knowledge was power, after all. Though Regina was still reluctant to show too much of her hand to anyone. She wasn¡¯t particularly surprised when she heard a commotion coming from further towards the edge of the forest, where Tim had gone to train. Regina sighed and checked on what was going on through her telepathy. It didn¡¯t take her long to realize that Tim had been fighting a group of Spiky Squirrels, and was now setting off into the forest with a group of young warriors. Regina made to stop them, then paused. If she remembered the schedule correctly - and she was quite sure that she did - then they had scheduled an expedition, anyway, and Tim was bringing those who needed the experience. She was confident enough that he would not be going off chasing glory and XP while he had them to look after. Besides, it was probably not a good idea for her to interfere, in general. Especially with the hive continuing to grow, she needed to let her drones handle things themselves and couldn¡¯t jump in for everything. Still, she just happened to be near when Tim and the warriors returned a while later. Judging by the satisfied smile on Tim¡¯s face, he had gotten enough opportunities to earn Experience for himself. Most of the others had gained a level, as well. Regina wasn¡¯t surprised when he sought her out to talk about the Class choices offered to him. She listened to him lay them out in a calm manner, quietly thankful for Tim being Tim. They were similar to the choices Max had, although the last choice was somewhat different, more suited to Tim¡¯s actions and style of combat than Max¡¯s. ¡°Alright,¡± she finally said. ¡°They all sound pretty good. But I assume you want to choose along the same lines as Max did. A few of the others are close, so I guess we¡¯ll get more standard Classes from them.¡± Not that they were wrong. The Classes that sounded more like prestige Classes and were probably harder to qualify for could definitely be more powerful, and she couldn¡¯t afford to forgo power right now. ¡°I want to do what I can to best serve you, my Queen,¡± Tim said. ¡°And the hive. If you need me to make a certain choice, I will.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°No need. Do what you¡¯re good at, that will serve us all best in the long run, I think.¡± She smiled slightly. ¡°Just go into the hut next to Max before you confirm the choice, please.¡± Tim smiled, nodded and set off, still with a bit of a spring in his step. When Regina checked a minute later, she saw another cocoon beside Max¡¯s. Tim¡¯s Class had changed to Royal Blade. Chapter 60: The Storm ¡°So,¡± Regina started, folding her hands behind her back. ¡°Has this little holiday made you any more talkative?¡± Her rather unwilling conversation partner glared at her and stayed silent. They were in one of the oldest and smallest huts in the hive¡¯s small settlement, with the Delver sitting leaned against the back wall. She was tied up with so much rope she should have trouble moving at all. Ben had been very enthusiastic about making sure Regina was safe during this interrogation. She also had a few drones in the room with her, although she didn¡¯t really think they would be needed. Regina examined the human again.
Elenia Wood ¡ª Level ? Binding Blade
Apparently, she was over level 20, which might explain the more fancy-sounding Class name. Regina didn¡¯t think she was much higher than that, though. A level in the early twenties, tops. She seemed about ten years older than that, although Regina found it hard to tell. She¡¯d looked like she could use a shower even when Regina first saw her, much less now. ¡°I hope the pain is manageable,¡± Regina continued. ¡°It looks like your injuries haven¡¯t quite healed, yet.¡± The woman didn¡¯t blink and just kept glaring at her. Regina considered healing her as a gesture of goodwill. So far, she¡¯d mostly left the Delver like that because it weakened her and hopefully made her less likely to escape, and because she¡¯d wanted to conserve her mana. With the boost to her mana pool and mana regeneration that her growing hive and new level had given Regina, the latter wasn¡¯t really much of a concern, though. And the former probably wasn¡¯t, either. ¡°You know, if you meet me halfway, I can help you out,¡± Regina said. She smiled slightly at the human. ¡°How about that? Just answer me and say a few words, and I¡¯ll heal you. You should know that I can use a healing spell.¡± At first, she thought the Delver would decline her offer and stay spitefully silent. But then she shifted, and Regina saw a flicker on her face which she guessed was a reaction to the pain, or maybe just her decision. ¡°Fine,¡± the woman grumbled. ¡°Great. So, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Elenia Wood,¡± she responded after a moment. The truth, according to the System, but saying anything else would have been idiotic, anyway. ¡°And your level?¡± The Delver scowled at her and stayed silent. Regina raised an eyebrow, otherwise keeping her expression unchanged. After half a minute of this, the woman finally answered, sounding just as unfriendly as she was before. ¡°Twenty-two.¡± Regina nodded, then stepped forward and reached out to touch the Delver. She kept the motion obvious and slow to make it clear what she was doing. The woman didn¡¯t flinch away, though that might have been because she had a hard time moving, anyway. Regina lightly laid her hands on her arm and focused on sending mana into her. She healed the most serious of her issues. When she drew back, she had the impression the woman had relaxed slightly, though she was still tense. ¡°And you are a Delver, I¡¯m assuming,¡± Regina continued. Her prisoner nodded shortly. Well, at least we¡¯re making progress. Small, small progress. ¡°You know, I really don¡¯t know where your hostility comes from,¡± Regina said. She held up a hand as she saw the woman¡¯s somehow even darker glare. ¡°Not right now, I might act the same in your situation.¡± And they had killed all her squadmates, but she¡¯d rather not mention that. ¡°I mean at first. Ada was friendly and not hostile, but your party just attacked her anyway. And don¡¯t try to tell me some nonsense like she attacked first, I know exactly what happened.¡± This actually seemed to soften the woman¡¯s glare a little. Regina found it hard to figure her out. But maybe she did feel guilty about attacking unprovoked? Nah, better not count on that. ¡°Your scout trespassed where she shouldn¡¯t have,¡± Elenia responded stiffly. ¡°And she refused our offer of surrender.¡± ¡°See, but why¡¯s that? Those caves are a lot closer to where we live than wherever you came from. Not to mention, the elves are probably the ones with the best claim to the area, but I¡¯m pretty sure you didn¡¯t have permission from them.¡° ¡°It¡¯s not about what¡¯s above the tunnels, it¡¯s about what¡¯s in them. And we are humans. You aren¡¯t.¡± Regina frowned. On the face of it, that sounded like racist-xenophobic talk, claiming superiority just because of their species. But something about it struck her a bit differently. "Oh? What is it about the caves that is so exclusive to humans?¡± The Delver averted her eyes, looking at the wooden wall beside Regina, and clenched her jaw, staying silent. After a moment, Regina sighed. She stretched, taking care not to move her wings, and backed off a little bit. ¡°Be like that, if you want,¡± she said. Then she paused, stepped forward again and let a little mana flow into the woman, healing her further. There was no point in getting too upset, or being inconsistent about this. She¡¯d talked a little, so she had earned this bit of relief. ¡°We¡¯ll speak again soon.¡± Regina turned around and left the building without looking back. Ben glanced at her, then stepped inside to release and retie the prisoner, taking two of the higher-level War Drones with him. Regina wasn¡¯t worried about the woman taking advantage of the opportunity. She had no weapons, and she was still in the middle of the hive¡¯s settlement. Once outside, Regina glanced up at the gathering clouds. The sky to the west had grown visibly darker, with clouds now covering most of it except for a clear patch to the east. It was going to rain soon. There might even be a real storm. Regina wasn¡¯t too worried about it, since they had, with their new resources, managed to get their houses completely waterproof, but it might stir up a few monsters and hamper their ability to operate in the forest. She made a mental note to find out if weather-control magic was possible. Her list of questions like that was steadily growing. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Ben joined her soon, and she read the concern in his expression when he, too, looked up at the sky. ¡°How are Dan and the others?¡± he asked. Regina quickly checked. ¡°They¡¯re on their way back, moving pretty fast. They should be here soon.¡± She paused. ¡°Make sure the warriors are prepared, and I¡¯ll go tell Mia and Tia to secure everything for a storm.¡± She focused on her psychic connection and quickly sent off the message. They¡¯d discovered that the best way to get drones started on using it themselves was with her connecting them, at least at the beginning. So she contacted both of the Workers, pulling them into something like a virtual conference call, except much more involved and not really separate from the psychic bond of the hive, to talk. They were able to hear the thoughts the other drone sent, too, and with a short exchange, the three of them quickly coordinated what to do. When Regina withdrew her attention back to herself, she glanced up at the sky, considering it. A thunderstorm was going to severely limit her ability to fly. So, she readied her wings, then bent her knees and jumped as high as she could before beating them, taking the opportunity to get up there and have a look. She still hadn¡¯t figured out the trick to staying in one spot while flying, so she flew in tight circles. Right away, she noticed that it had already started to rain further east. It was going to come here quickly, too. She quickly glanced around, but the forest made it difficult to see any details of monsters¡¯ or even people¡¯s movements, like usual. Regina sighed, then slowly came back down. She paused after a few meters, though, beating her wings a little harder. Was that spot darker than normal? I wish I had a skill like Ada. She frowned to herself. She just couldn¡¯t be sure. But it was better to be safe. So, Regina touched down close to Ben, who was currently talking to Zoe and a few other drones. ¡°There might be trouble during the storm,¡± she said. ¡°Are we going to be ready for it?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do whatever we can, my Queen,¡± Ben promised. The drones had all straightened up and were looking determined. ¡°If you agree, I¡¯d like to station our warriors at various locations and have some keep manning the palisade, if at all possible.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Regina said. ¡°Maybe we should have them trade off if the storm is going to be too extreme.¡± Privately, she doubted it was going to be that bad, though. She didn¡¯t want to station all of her warriors at the palisade, in case some danger snuck inside. But she trusted Ben to handle it well enough. ¡°You can count on us, my Queen,¡± Ada spoke up. She¡¯d stepped up to join the group just after Regina landed here. Regina smiled at her and nodded. The Scouts were basically a warrior type, so it made sense for Ada to be essentially part of their command staff. She hoped Max and Tim would wake up soon. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have let them evolve their Classes yet. Especially Tim. But it will hopefully be worth the downtime once they¡¯re finished. And maybe I¡¯m jumping at shadows. She pulled herself from her thoughts and turned to see how the Workers were doing. By now, all of the drones were gathered back in the settlement, except for a few War Drones in the tunnels. Regina closed her eyes for a moment and focused on Dark. The bird was restless, uneasy, but she guided him to a perch in a thick cluster of trees, where he should be dry and safe enough. That would leave her with some eyes outside, at least. She¡¯d planned to use Infect on another monster or two, but hadn¡¯t gotten a good prospect for it yet. At the moment, she wished she had looked harder or settled for something less optimal. Drops of rain started to fall, quickly growing in frequency. They chased Regina into one of the houses. She was tempted to use her magic to dry off, but decided to conserve it, and she hadn¡¯t gotten that wet, anyway. She felt like rain and her species didn¡¯t mix well, but maybe it was just her, since she had wings. The wind picked up in tandem with the rain, and all too quickly, the storm had started in earnest. Regina listened to its howls over the patter of the raindrops hitting the roof, grateful that she didn¡¯t have to weather it out in the wilderness. The thought that none of their buildings had a lightning rod made her worry for a moment, but then she realized that with all of the much taller trees around them in the forest, it shouldn¡¯t be an issue. For about half an hour, everyone was quiet and simply waited it out. A proper clock was one of the things they hadn¡¯t managed to get yet. They had a sundial, but, of course, that wasn¡¯t much use in a situation like this. Thunder roared occasionally, and Regina tried to count the seconds between it and the flashes of lightning. She wasn¡¯t confident she¡¯d even got all of those, considering they only had small slits in the windows they¡¯d left open, and they all used wooden shutters instead of glass. Something they should probably work on. Regina distracted herself by considering if she could make glass as a feasible export for the hive. Then, after a period of tense waiting, they finally heard noise that might not come from the storm. Regina immediately closed her eyes and focused on her psychic bond with her hive, checking on and with various drones stationed outside. It took her only a few moments to make sense of what was happening. A few dark figures were moving across the field, clearly hoping the darkness and driving rain of the storm would help to hide them. At the same time, a few winged forms approached from above, keeping roughly on course despite the wind and rain. ¡°We have incoming people, probably hostile, including what seems to be tamed flying beasts!¡± Regina alerted the others. Ben cursed in a low voice, then opened the door. He exchanged a few quick words with the other warriors in the building, before he left. Regina stepped out right after him. Behind her, the others spread out to carry the news to the other drones and organize the defense. She knew he¡¯d already made plans, but now they knew where the actual threat was coming from. Regina chose the best spot for herself and ran there. From here, she had a good view through the gap in the palisade they¡¯d left for a gate and rough barricades, at the approaching humans. More warriors and many war drones had gathered here. The Warriors mostly carried throwing spears and some other things they had as ranged weapons and stood on the primitive battlements behind the palisade wall. Regina jumped up to join them after checking out everything. The humans were quickly coming closer, so Regina prepared her Spell. She could now tell that they all carried weapons, mostly blades and other melee weapons, so this was obviously an attack. After a moment, she released a Firebolt, sending it shooting towards them. The attack landed between two running humans, sending one of them off their feet. Regina smirked with satisfaction and prepared a second one, but waited and watched for a moment to gauge how effective it would be. Her drones let loose as well. Unsurprisingly, the Drone Shooters did best, throwing javelins at the attackers that shot straight towards their targets¡¯ center mass. Then a transparent blue shield flickered into existence, several meters wide, looking a bit like a force field from a science fiction show. It caught most of the projectiles, and while it seemed to flicker, the human casting it clearly managed to stabilize it. It moved with the humans. Those had clearly given up all attempts at stealth by now. Regina cracked her neck, hissing at the incoming humans. A few of her drones picked up the sound, then more joined in. If it wasn¡¯t for the storm, it might have echoed threateningly across the field. But she didn¡¯t care. Let them come. She was ready for them. Chapter 61: Battle at the Camp Regina had a hard time counting the attackers coming at them from the forest. Partly, that was because of the weather and the poor visibility it entailed. Some of them were also using magic or Skills. Besides the blue shield, which she was guessing or at least hoping would fade over time, someone pulled up clumps of earth and hurled them at the palisade. Others emitted brief flashes of light, shifting gusts of wind that didn¡¯t quite get lost over the storm, and even rumbles in the ground. Luckily, their palisade held pretty well. They¡¯d driven the stakes deep into the mound of earth making up its base, and the Workers had used their melding ability to have them hold together. Regina heard parts of the palisade creaking, and it seemed like a section of it almost bent inwards because of the impact, but it held. Her drones paused, then intensified their efforts. Regina sent another carefully aimed Firebolt. This time, she aimed for a group of two attackers away from the shield. They dodged and rolled, but she still managed to catch them with the backblast of the explosion, and one man visibly staggered when he got back to his feet. Regina frowned. It looked like fire wasn¡¯t going to work very well, given the weather. That was a shame, especially since fire and related things was one of her best weapons. She¡¯d had some time to prepare, knowing it was possible that an attack was coming. She was pretty confident that, while she probably hadn¡¯t done nearly everything she could have, she was pretty much ready. Sure, some things might not work now. Still. Regina grinned at the approaching humans. She would take every one of them that walked away from this as a personal failure. ¡°Volley on my command!¡± Ben called out. He paused for a second, then. ¡°Ready, set, fire!¡± A hail of javelins and a few arrows rained down on the humans, catching a few of them. Not every projectile that hit, even outside the shield, actually did anything, since many of the attackers wore heavy armor or used Skills or other ways to protect themselves. Still, she saw at least two slow and one go down. And the shield began to fade. But the cleared area around their palisade wasn¡¯t large, and the attackers now started to reach it. Regina set her feet, glancing down at herself one more time to check that she was ready. She wore pants, a shirt and a cloak, since she wouldn¡¯t be able to fly, anyway. She carried a bag slung over her side and had her polearm in her left hand as a backup. It should be a good fit for defending herself, hopefully. The humans were clearly stronger than they should have been. A few vaulted over the ditch before the wall in a single jump. When they tried to scramble up it, the drones met them with their blades. Regina held back for now, watching and assessing the clash. She had the impression that their counterattacks had scrambled the humans¡¯ charge, the surprise attack they¡¯d obviously planned. But they rallied quickly. Then a soft sound from above, almost lost to the wind, made her remember they weren¡¯t alone, and she looked up. A small flock of birds circled down from the air above. A Magic Missile caught one of them in the center, completely unaffected by the wind or rain. The bird sank down faster until it apparently managed to right itself. ¡°Len, Lea, Zoe, up above!¡± Ben called out. A pair of light javelins and an arrow quickly arched through the air, seeking out the birds. Two of them were hit, one in the wing and one in the body. Regina watched carefully, prepared to cast another Magic Missile or even a Firebolt. Luckily, it didn¡¯t seem to be necessary. Another hail of projectiles rose up, this time much more poorly aimed, but large enough to make up for it. The group of War Drones Zoe had taken charge of, throwing spines from the Shooters, Regina confirmed with a glance. Then a cry pulled her attention back to the wall around her. One of the drones was wounded. Ina, who¡¯d been throwing stones, since they didn¡¯t have enough proper weapons for everyone. Regina quickly hurried the few steps towards her and laid a hand on her shoulder, activating her healing Spell. After she was done and stepped back towards her old position, she glanced at her mana.
Mana: 987/1360
She hadn¡¯t been topped off on mana even before the fight started, though she¡¯d been relatively close, since she¡¯d decided not to cripple her regeneration too much by having a lot of eggs in development. She¡¯d have to watch her mana expenditure. By now, the palisade was obviously getting pressed harder. Regina hesitated, then stepped towards Ben. They¡¯d never intended this primitive wall to be able to hold back a serious attack, just to slow it down and give them the ability to thin out the attackers. ¡°I think we might want to retreat,¡± she shouted over the wind at the Warrior. Ben glanced back at her, but didn¡¯t pause in swinging his sword and blade-limb at a human who was trying to climb over the palisade. Two meters to his right, another attacker had decided to cut through the logs with some kind of special weapon or Skill, and was succeeding. ¡°If that¡¯s your command, my Queen!¡± Of course, they didn¡¯t give it up right away. Regina stayed, a bit farther back, and tried to assess the state of their defenses. Ben and the others were drawing closer together, preparing for a guarded retreat. Regina reached out with her mind, linking the drones. She¡¯d never done it quite like that before, but she wasn¡¯t really taking on the burden of trying to speak to many at once. Instead, she was connecting them together, not all at once, but in a few groups. Ben and Ada, Dan and Tia. It helped that the drones, or at least some of them, had a much better grasp on the War Drones now. In eerily coordinated unison, considering the lack of training involved, the drones jumped down from the palisade in staggered groups, backing away deeper into the settlement. Shooters and War Drones with throwing or projectile weapons intensified their efforts to support them. The humans had not been unscathed so far. Regina saw a few bodies lying on the ground when she took a quick look through a few of the War Drones¡¯ eyes. There weren¡¯t even that many of them in all. But she could tell that at least a few of them were probably stronger than anything she¡¯d faced before. One large man in particular, who was clad in full plate armor and swinging a large greatsword, or at least a huge, straight sword. They¡¯d deliberately left a gap in the ditch and heap of earth going around the camp, to leave a path through the wall. The hastily put together wooden barricade serving as a gate was already much worse for wear. It was torn apart completely now, a bright explosion throwing splinters of wood around. Luckily, none of her drones were close enough to be seriously hurt by it. A large figure stepped into the gap, pausing for a moment as if to take in the battlefield before him, and completely ignoring the few stones and small spikes thrown at him. Regina focused her attention and called up the System information.
Merl Reteren ¨C Level ? Sword of Light
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.That¡¯s the same Class that Trito had, right? Or at least very close. Regina frowned at the sight for a moment, before she focused and kept moving backwards, keeping the attackers in view. She¡¯d considered using Molotov cocktails, but in the wind and rain, that probably wouldn¡¯t be a good idea, even if they had the bottles for it. Still, pure alcohol was very easy to create. She knew the chemical structure of ethanol, simple as it was, and her Basic Conjuration had no problem with making liquids. Honestly, Regina was almost tempted to try something with it, but she couldn¡¯t create anything at a large distance, at least not yet, and she didn¡¯t want to get close. She would have needed more time to prepare to fill the ditch with alcohol or something else flammable and light it up. She still experimented with it now, soaking the tip of a javelin in alcohol and using Spark before letting a drone throw it. Unfortunately, the wind and rain didn¡¯t do it any favors, and there just wasn¡¯t that much material for the fuel to cling on to in the projectile. At least it got a reaction from the human leader, though. As soon as the flaming spike struck at his armor, trying to find a chink between different plates, he turned towards her and got moving. Regina bit down on a curse and backed away. She glanced around quickly. Right now, she was standing in the shadow of the first hut, with a clear space between them and the palisade. Most of the humans had vaulted over it or followed the leader through the door, and were engaged with the drones. According to their usual tactics, the hive let the War Drones take the front, getting the brunt of the damage but protecting the sapient ones behind them, and swarming the humans where they could. The storm was letting up, the wind dying down somewhat and the rain no longer coming down like someone was dumping a lake on them. Regina took the first object from her pouch and threw it at the leader as hard as she could. The human dodged, so it clanged off the side of his leg armor. He glanced at the block of wood, then looked up to face her as Regina took a step forward. ¡°Human!¡± she yelled at him. ¡°Call off this attack and surrender! I don¡¯t know who you are, but I see no reason for anyone to attack us like this.¡± At first, she thought he wouldn¡¯t answer. Then he did, a gravelly voice rumbling from beneath his helmet. ¡°We will not, monsterblood. We are not here to talk, but if you surrender immediately, you can save your people¡¯s lives.¡± Regina frowned at him. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to reconsider that?¡± Even as she spoke, she was already channeling mana. She barely gave him any time to react to her words before she launched the Spell. To his credit, the human reacted quickly, stepping aside to dodge the attack. But it wasn¡¯t aimed at him. The Firebolt curved over the space between them, moving to hit the cube she¡¯d left there before, and his movement had not brought him far enough away from it. From the outside, the thing looked like a solid block of wood. In reality, that was only the outer part, a very thin layer. Inside, it contained the simplest thing Regina had known to conjure. Quite a lot of it. She remembered the makeup and properties of hydrogen quite well, the details of a proton, electron and even orbitals, while molecular hydrogen was just about the simplest molecule there was, and also a gas under normal conditions. And she didn¡¯t need to be in direct contact, if that was even possible, with whatever she was conjuring. When it came into contact with the fire, after mixing with the oxygen in the air, it created an explosion that put the human¡¯s own attack to shame. Regina¡¯s enhanced hearing caught much of it. For good measure, she¡¯d studded the pressure container with bits of metal and diamond, and that and wooden splinters created proper shrapnel. It was possible the man survived the explosion ¡ª she didn¡¯t know how well his plate armor would protect him. But it definitely blew him off his feet, and Regina¡¯s drones didn¡¯t waste time. War Drones quickly swarmed him, and the System no longer showed his information. Regina turned her attention to the other humans. She knew her little trick would be easier to avoid the second time. Some of the hydrogen still burned, blue flames licking at the air and barely doused by the rain. Beyond them, she saw several humans who had frozen where they had been preparing to attack. She decided to be nice and snap them back to reality with a Magic Missile to the face. Unfortunately for the attackers, the hive¡¯s drones were much better off than in any other battle so far, with the weapons and gear they¡¯d looted from the Delvers they¡¯d fought. They were ready, in tune with her and the flow of the battle. Now, more projectiles and even the occasional simple incendiary rained towards the humans. Regina saw one of the men look around, then turn tail and run. She almost laughed. Instead, she sent a few more Magic Missiles towards them. Their morale has to be hitting rock bottom by now. Their surprise attack was foiled from the start, we¡¯ve defended ourselves at every turn, and now we¡¯ve even killed their leader, who was probably also the strongest. The drones seemed to smell weakness and pressed harder. Regina reached out again, but kept herself in the background as Ben coordinated an advance. Using their telepathic connection, that went far more quickly than it otherwise would. The drones clashed with the remaining humans, blades flashing and a few Abilities being activated. Luckily, her hive had the War Drones to tilt the odds in their favor, especially with the numerical superiority. Regina hurried towards the drones who had gotten injured in the scuffle, healing a deep gash that had almost torn Bea¡¯s arm off and then jumping to Zoe¡¯s side to treat what might have been a crushed forelimb. That one taxed her healing Spell to the limit, and she wasn¡¯t sure there weren¡¯t any lingering effects. Regina had just finished with that and stepped back as she felt a prickle on the back of her neck. She frowned. Something felt a bit off, although it was hard to pin down. She turned around, then froze. A large, black wolf the size of a horse that had definitely not been there before bared its teeth at her. Its coat seemed to twist with shadows, and she felt a faint sense of mana connecting it to a figure behind it, a slightly older man leaning heavily on a wooden staff. Regina formed a Magic Missile in her hand and stepped back slowly. She swallowed, trying to find a weakness to attack. A War Drone jumped at the side of the wolf and tried to bite into it, but it barely seemed to react. Instead, it opened its maw and started to lunge forward. Only to crash into a raised shield that had suddenly blocked its path. Regina blinked, then turned to look at the figure that had appeared beside her, a familiar presence. Max was larger now, towering at least half a head above her. He had filled out, and both his normal and blade-arms showed corded muscles. His blades themselves were darker and seemed both longer and sharper. He apparently hadn¡¯t had the time to grab his ax, but he didn¡¯t seem to care. He heaved the wolf off his shield and struck with his blade-limbs. The wolf yowled as one of them cut into its face, almost taking its eye. The darkness of its coat intensified, but Max wasn¡¯t impressed. He simply stepped forward and struck again, raising his shield to block the wolf¡¯s teeth. Regina snapped out of it and formed another Magic Missile, which she threw directly into the wolf¡¯s face. That elicited a pained whimper, and Max took advantage. Regina didn¡¯t follow as he pushed the wolf back, judging that he had it well in hand. Instead, she turned to the rest of the battle. She formed another Magic Missile and prepared to throw it at the man who must have summoned the wolf, but stopped. A higher-level War Drone had already jumped him. Regina looked around and felt a smile creeping onto her face. At least two of the humans had to have taken the opportunity to run away, and several more of them lay in the dirt, broken or bleeding. ¡°We need at least one or two prisoners!¡± she called out to her hive. She hadn¡¯t intended for it, but two of the humans immediately threw down their weapons and went to their knees. They¡¯d both had a little space to breathe, not fighting off any of the drones at that moment. Regina sent a few War Drones to gather their weapons and watched while the rest of them flanked the few remaining fighters. Curious, Regina paced forward and glanced at one of the humans. One of the few women in the group, she looked to be roughly in her early twenties, and the System called her a simple Warrior. The other one was a young male Rogue. ¡°Why did you attack us, Delvers?¡± she asked while she made a few War Drones tie them up with some of the vines they¡¯d stored. The woman started, then her eyes sought out the man¡¯s before they flitted back to her. She opened her mouth. ¡°Er, we - We¡¯re not Delvers. Ma¡¯am.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°Truly?¡± The woman started to say something again, but a glare from the man made her reconsider. Clearly, they¡¯d just decided not to reveal their actual identities if they didn¡¯t have to. Regina sighed. She thought the reaction was probably genuine. These were just simple soldiers who clearly seemed to be out of their depths. And for all their faults, the Delvers she¡¯d seen had never been particularly subtle. A cracking sound from behind her distracted her. Regina turned, just in time to watch a mostly familiar figure stumble out of a hut. Like Max, he¡¯d grown and put on more muscle, though it was not as pronounced. His color had darkened a bit and his blades were both black, looking wickedly sharp. ¡°I didn¡¯t miss anything important, did I?¡± Tim asked. Max walked away from the dissolving body of the monster wolf he¡¯d slain and gave a muffled laugh. Chapter 62: Queens Shield The storm seemed to have spent most of its power. It dragged on, rain still coming down and the occasional gust of wind shaking the leaves of the trees in the forest, but that only made things unpleasant. By the time they had cleaned up the aftermath of the battle, at least mostly, everyone in the hive was thoroughly drenched and uncomfortable. The ground had devolved into mud in many places, especially where the grass had already been trampled by them walking and where the battle had taken place. At least there didn¡¯t seem to be any large-scale environmental destruction, like you could probably do with magic or Skills at higher levels. Even the explosion had been in a clear, unobstructed stretch, and the houses hadn¡¯t really suffered damage in it or the rest of the battle. Tia had barely waited for the important things to get settled, like dragging the bodies of the dead humans to a designated spot and collecting their gear, before she approached Regina, grinning and with barely suppressed excitement in her step. ¡°I reached level 20, my Queen!¡± she said. Regina smiled. ¡°Great. I got two levels, myself. So, you reached your Evolution now?¡± ¡°Exactly! I¡¯m just looking at my options, and they seem really exciting.¡± Max smiled where he was standing beside and behind his Queen, keeping an eye out. It was good to see Tia being so cheerful, especially given what had just happened. He wasn¡¯t particularly surprised that she had reached the level-up. Tia wasn¡¯t exactly hesitant when it came to joining a fight. And some of the defenses they¡¯d used, like the palisade, were her work, so she might have gotten some Experience for that, too. Tia and Regina started discussing the choices the System offered her. Max didn¡¯t listen in on everything, but he caught enough to have an idea of what she received. Tia didn¡¯t seem very enthusiastic about a straight-up evolution of her Drone Worker Class like Drone Burrower or Drone Craftsperson (Max wondered if that name was deliberately gender-neutral. Did the System even see them as having genders, considering their biology?). An option she seemed to like better was Drone Engineer, or even Drone Architect. Mia had stopped a short distance away from them, and Max noted her perking up when she heard those names. But Tia had gotten even more options than Max, and he was not surprised to hear that she seemed to focus on the last one. ¡°So, you want to be a Drone Combat Engineer?¡± Regina asked. ¡°I can¡¯t say that doesn¡¯t fit, even if you¡¯ve mostly done large-scale work more in the line of building defenses like the tunnels and palisade.¡± ¡°Yes, please. Can I?¡± ¡°Of course. Have fun with it.¡± Tia smiled brightly. She then turned to Max, and appeared to hesitate for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s it like?¡± ¡°Nothing to worry about.¡± He smiled reassuringly. ¡°Just like falling into a deep sleep. I didn¡¯t even know I was out for - a day or so?¡± ¡°More than that,¡± Regina cut in. ¡°Do it right now, Tia. I¡¯d rather have you back as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Of course, my Queen!¡± Tia scurried off, heading for the hut Max and Tim had just come out of. Regina turned back to Max. She smiled, but after a moment that expression faded into a faint frown. ¡°Something feels different about you,¡± she told him. ¡°I know you just changed your Class and everything, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just that. More like, I don¡¯t know, my sense of mana?¡± Max nodded. ¡°I think I can guess what it might have to do with.¡± He focused for a moment, sharing his status screen with his Queen.
Max Royal Bodyguard
Level: 20
Mana: 100/150
Con: 16 Str: 15
Dex: 11 End: 14
Int: 15 Wis: 12
Regina raised an eyebrow after glancing at it for a second. ¡°You¡¯ve got mana now?¡± ¡°Seems like it. I didn¡¯t expect it.¡± Max shrugged and tried to listen into his body for a trace of that mana again. He probably wasn¡¯t nearly as good at it as she was, but he could feel something. ¡°I don¡¯t really know what to do with it, yet.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out,¡± Regina said confidently. A grin slowly spread across her face. ¡°This is great. It might be more like what Dark has, though, kind of associated with one element. I don¡¯t think he can learn just any spells. But I¡¯m going to try to teach you a few simple ones, just in case.¡± ¡°What element would that even be for me?¡± Max wondered. She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find out. Like I said, it might not be the same. Maybe it just powers a specific Skill or two for you.¡± He nodded. Then he looked around. ¡°It looks like we suffered more losses,¡± he said quietly. Regina nodded. She looked sober, and a grimace flittered across her face. She¡¯d mentioned once that she sensed the death of her drones, even the Swarm Drones. He wondered how this felt for her. ¡°I¡¯ll need to go and do some healing,¡± she said, then set off. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Max followed after her, taking a closer look around while his Queen worked her magic. Luckily, it seemed like they¡¯d been spared serious losses. Their tactic had worked better than he¡¯d have expected, and while it had cost them quite a few Swarm Drones, none of the sapient drones had sustained a fatal wound. Maybe we have learned from Amy¡¯s death. But he pushed that thought away quickly. From what he had seen, they had kept the Workers and especially the low-level drones back, though. Those had thrown some stones or maybe a few javelins or arrows, but they hadn¡¯t really been in the path of the attack. Especially since the humans had again included many close combat fighters, or many who could fight at a mid-range with their Abilities. Max waited patiently while Regina worked. He wished he could do more to help her, but his own skills didn¡¯t extend beyond basic first aid. He kept watch, guarding her back. They might have won this battle, but there was no point in taking chances. There could still be an enemy about who might want to take this opportunity to sneak up on her. Max felt like he was better at the task than he had been. His new Class helping him, maybe. A few of the others shot him looks, but no one complained or even indicated that they disapproved. They cared about her safety, too. Max glanced around, looking for Tim. He was just starting to wonder if he¡¯d missed something when Max saw him walk through the gap where the gate was supposed to be. Tim caught his look and gave him a nod, smiling slightly. He moved quickly and fluidly, and Max wondered if he had gained mana, too. As soon as he had the opportunity, they should sit down together and talk about their Evolutions and what they entailed. ¡°What are we going to do with the prisoners?¡± he heard Mia ask quietly. Max glanced at her, and noticed Regina turn to her, too, standing up from the drone she had just been treating. Alf jumped up and scurried off, obviously relieved. ¡°Keep them in a separate hut from the other one for now,¡± Regina answered, raising her voice just slightly, so everyone would be able to hear. ¡°We¡¯ll need to interrogate them, and then, depending on where they actually come from, we may be able to get rid of them. Uh, as a ransom or something, I mean,¡± she hastily added. ¡°I don¡¯t think killing prisoners is something I want to stoop to lightly,¡± he heard her mumble to herself. Max hid a smile and watched as a few of the drones, escorted by a bigger group of War Drones, brought the two humans into one of the houses. At this rate, they might have to build a new hut just as a prison. Though he didn¡¯t think the others would mind moving closer together. Max closed his eyes for a moment and focused inward. He thought about Tim, the sense of having his brother beside him or guarding his back, the feel of him. A moment later, he felt the psychic connection linking them. Where are you? he asked. I¡¯m with Regina. He sent a short impression of his location. Did you look around outside? Yes, Tim answered. His mental voice sounded clear, the connection steady. I¡¯m talking with Ada, and after that, I intend on heading back out to look around. See if there are any other humans hiding in the woodwork. Or even monsters attracted to the scent of battle. Good. Max glanced around. Take some others or War Drones with you if you feel it might help. Ada and the Scouts should do the same. She just said the same thing. Tim sounded a bit amused. You¡¯re staying back to protect the Hive? Of course. I¡¯ll make sure you and the Scouts are covered for the work we have to do now. The connection faded, though he still got a faint impression of Tim starting to move. Trying to connect to Tim always worked best for Max, compared to the others. Still, it was particularly clear and easy today. Maybe something about the Evolution, the new Classes or having mana now helped. Then Max noticed Regina start moving, and he quickly fell into step behind her. She walked up and down the edge of the settlement, inspecting the palisade and taking in the state of the area. Max accompanied her quietly, doing the same. ¡°Max,¡± she spoke up after a few minutes, ¡°are you using a Skill? Did you get a new one for your Class Evolution?¡± Max stopped and hesitated. He glanced at his screens. ¡°Yes, I did get a new one, my Queen. It¡¯s another defensive Skill, basically. It relates to my new Class directly, though.¡± ¡°Sounds interesting. What does it do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®Queen¡¯s Shield¡¯. It lets me cast a shield on you, or rather my primary charge or superior, that should be able to take one attack.¡± Max shrugged slightly. ¡°I also get the passive benefit of always being able to tell where you are. More exactly if I¡¯m close, but also the direction and rough distance if I¡¯m farther away.¡± Regina shook her head, but he could see her smile slightly. ¡°And you cast that Spell?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s really a Spell. And yes, I cast it pretty much right away, before the battle was over.¡± Regina stared at him for a moment longer, and he tried to meet her gaze steadily. Then she turned her head and looked at the gap in the palisade again. ¡°Well, alright. That should be useful. How often can you use it?¡± ¡°Only once a day for now, although I¡¯m hoping that will go down as I get better with it,¡± he replied, checking their surroundings again. ¡°It lasts for about an hour and a half right now.¡± ¡°Okay. In the future, tell me when you¡¯re using it. We need to manage its use carefully, so you don¡¯t have the Skill on cooldown when it would be needed.¡± Max nodded silently. He hoped that it wouldn¡¯t lead to her being more careless with her life, relying on having the Skill that should protect her. It would only hold up to one major attack, after all. He already felt like she put herself in danger too much, but he didn¡¯t say anything about it, knowing that he couldn¡¯t tell her how to act. Regina looked like she wanted to say something else, but then she paused. Slowly, she started to frown. She looked off into the distance, then turned to him again. ¡°Elves are coming,¡± she said. ¡°A relatively large party, but it looks like Anuis is with them again.¡± Max nodded. ¡°Do we want to meet them here?¡± ¡°You know what, I think it might be time for us to approach them. Let¡¯s move out with a group. It shouldn¡¯t be hard to arrange to meet them.¡± ¡°The formerly abandoned outpost might be a good location,¡± he suggested. ¡°It¡¯s still pretty close to the hive. But that¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± Regina looked around, and the corner of her lips curled up. ¡°I don¡¯t think I necessarily want to explain exactly how we managed this little bit of landscaping work, if they don¡¯t find out anyway.¡± She started walking again, and Max fell in beside her. ¡°There is still a little bit of time left on the truce deal,¡± he said after a minute. ¡°That it is,¡± she agreed. ¡°Plenty of time for preparations.¡± Max smiled. He didn¡¯t know exactly which faction of humans had attacked his home, his family, this time. But every bone in his body urged him to make sure there wouldn¡¯t be a next time. And while his ¡®build¡¯ and Class might be defensive in nature, he knew that anyone only staying on the defensive was ultimately doomed to lose. They hadn¡¯t been able to use most of the little tricks and things Regina knew in this battle, but that wouldn¡¯t be the same for future ones. And perhaps more importantly, they had the chance to get allies involved. He¡¯d act according to Regina¡¯s wishes, though. He trusted her. Chapter 63: Conferring and Questioning The day after the battle had dawned bright and clear, the morning sun sparkling off the drops of dew and water left from the previous rains. The air smelled refreshed in that way it did after a storm, with scents of earth and plantlife stirred up by it and washed out by the rain. From her place up on one of the wooden platforms of the old elven outpost, Regina had a great view of the forest. She glanced up at a few clouds gathering in the sky, still scattered, if a bit darker than she would have liked. It was possible it would rain again later today, although she couldn¡¯t tell for sure, and there probably wouldn¡¯t be another thunderstorm. A large part of her hive¡¯s forces had moved into position around her in the treehouse. Regina looked around, meeting the gazes of Max and Tia. Tim and Ada had gone out, along with a small party, to greet the elves that were moving in their direction. A quick check through Tim¡¯s eyes showed that they were still returning to the outpost together. Tim was talking with Anuis, while Ada was guiding a group of young elven fighters through a copse of trees. Regina kept herself from pacing up and down or showing any other sign of nervousness. At least the elves all seemed friendly and relatively relaxed. In contrast to the humans. Regina glanced back at their captives. The three of them were kneeling on the wooden platform, guarded by Dan, Zoe, Ivy and a cluster of War Drones. The humans¡¯ clothing was still a little bloody, and Elenia, the Delver they¡¯d captured first, had begun to reek a bit, although the drones had let her wash up with some water before they started the trip. She still had a few small scabs and bruises, but was mostly healed. It only took a few more minutes for the incoming group to arrive. Regina jumped down to the ground to greet them, though she didn¡¯t try to fly. She¡¯d decided to wear a shirt rather than have the chance to use her wings. It was probably better to look as civilized as possible. Besides, this wasn¡¯t going to hinge on her flying skills, but rather her diplomatic ones. If she did need to, she¡¯d just rip another shirt. ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± Anuis called out when they arrived, smiling at her. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, especially to see you unharmed.¡± ¡°Commander Anuis,¡± she greeted her. ¡°Thank you, it¡¯s very good to see you as well. I hope you don¡¯t mind us coming here, but we thought it would be a good location to talk.¡± ¡°Not at all, it isn¡¯t like we were using it.¡± Anuis seemed to turn more serious as she looked around at Regina¡¯s drones. ¡°I heard you were attacked again. I hope your hive did not have to suffer many losses.¡± ¡°We lost some more War Drones, but no sapient members, fortunately. Will you come up with me?¡± The group used a few ropes and tree trunks to climb up, leaving only a few drones and an elven fighter down on the ground as guards. Regina used the opportunity to look at the other elves. She guessed that Anuis had taken two squads of about ten people along. There were a few with Classes that sounded like they were a higher tier. Regina recognized some of the elves, ones she had seen with Anuis before. At least she didn¡¯t have to remember their names. Anuis raised an eyebrow when she saw the prisoners. ¡°Ah. Dare I ask what happened to the rest of the humans?¡± she asked. ¡°They died in the fighting,¡± Regina replied. Actually, they still had all of the bodies. The Workers had dug what you might generously call an underground storage basement, and Regina had occasionally conjured some ice to keep it cold and keep them from decaying too much. ¡°At least, when it comes to the Delvers we fought first. The Binding Blade is the only survivor of that group. The group that attacked us yesterday is another matter. We know that some of them survived, they ran away. The other two were among those attackers.¡± Anuis nodded. A few of the other elves stepped forward, and they exchanged a few hushed words. ¡°What else can you tell us about them?¡± she asked. ¡°They claim that they aren¡¯t Delvers.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure what to make of the whole thing, to be honest.¡± The elf commander took a step forward, taking a closer look at the humans. She clicked her tongue. ¡°I can understand that. Your hive does seem to attract trouble, Lady Regina. Unfortunately, the Delvers are not the only humans who might attack you, even if I have to confess that I still find this assault surprising.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Regina muttered. ¡°I was hoping you might have an interrogation specialist available, or something along those lines.¡± Anuis turned back to her. ¡°A good thought. We would certainly be happy to aid you in this.¡± The other elves gathered together, and Regina caught them eying the humans. There was definitely no love lost there, and she realized that she didn¡¯t even know much about how the common people in their city felt about the conflict, about being attacked by the human nations. And these were hardened soldiers who¡¯d fought them. The prisoners had all stayed quiet, but now the man broke the silence, sounding obviously nervous. ¡°There¡¯s no need to get violent.¡± Regina saw Anuis smile slightly. ¡°You do realize torture is not likely to be productive in gathering information,¡± she muttered to her, speaking so quietly that she was sure the humans wouldn¡¯t be able to hear. Anuis looked at her and inclined her head. ¡°Of course,¡± she replied softly. ¡°I have some options for interrogating suspects or prisoners,¡± one of the other elves said. According to the System, he was called Niolin and his Class was Commissar. Regina looked at him for a moment. The name of the Class sent distant warning bells ringing in her head, but it really wasn¡¯t much to go on. And any parallels to the history in her head were probably coincidence or at least very indirect. ¡°Alright,¡± she finally said. Two of the elves immediately turned around and went down again, to look for certain herbs they could use for alchemy, he explained. At the same time, the Commissar pulled out a few devices and substances and set up further away on the wooden platform. Anuis cleared her throat and nodded her head to another platform a story higher, where they would be out of the way and able to talk privately. Regina nodded and followed her, telling her drones telepathically to stay and only taking Max and Tim along. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°There is another matter I wanted to address,¡± Anuis began, speaking softly enough Regina assumed it would be reasonably private. ¡°Your bound bird monster shouldn¡¯t have been able to fly over the city as easily as it did.¡± Regina started. She should have expected them to know something was up. And she hadn¡¯t thought much about the magical shield enveloping the city, but now she realized that it probably should have turned monsters like Dark away. ¡°Oh. Well, I¡¯m not going to deny that it was mine. Your defenses didn¡¯t work correctly?¡± ¡°To be fair, they are less tuned, so to speak, for approaches from the air than the ground,¡± Anuis replied. ¡°The shield is also intended more to ward off groups of attackers than single intruders. But it still raised some questions. Some suspect that it has to do with another matter that also caused some concern, or at least interest, in regards to how they keyed your two drones into the shield.¡± Regina frowned. She hadn¡¯t forgotten the fact that the elves had taken blood samples from Tim and Bea. ¡°How so? I don¡¯t even know how your magical defense works.¡± Anuis shrugged lightly. ¡°Like you said, it is magical, and highly technical to boot. I do not know the details, either. But the signatures received from the two visitors¡± - She glanced at Tim, who was listening in with a serious expression - ¡°were apparently quite similar. To the extent that I¡¯ve heard they might even have both been able to enter with only one person being initiated.¡± ¡°Well, that sounds interesting, but not completely unexpected, to be honest. It might just be a quirk of our biology.¡± Regina glanced at the drones, but decided not to elaborate. From what she¡¯d seen so far, the probably magical anomalies of their kind still had a basis in biology. You could say that all her drones were technically clones. At least, they presumably had the same DNA. There didn¡¯t seem to be any other parent involved, after all. They¡¯d have her own or a subset of it. The drones might even be haploid, that¡¯s how it is for bees, right? But Regina shook her head and forced her mind back on track. ¡°I see,¡± Anuis said, throwing a speculative glance at Regina and the drones. ¡°The magical defenses around Ariedel are based on an entity¡¯s magical signature, rather than biology, however.¡± Regina only shrugged. ¡°There is a magical bond involved,¡± she acknowledged. The psychic connection linking her hive, to be specific. ¡°Has this sort of thing not happened before with bound animals or monsters?¡± ¡°It has, though not very often.¡± Anuis shook her head. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let those responsible worry about that matter. It¡¯s good to know that this seems to be contingent on a specific reason that has to do with this case rather than a more general fault in the shield. Let us rejoin the others.¡± Regina nodded. It was good to know if she didn¡¯t have to have any other drones undergo the ritual before they could enter the city. She wasn¡¯t sure if that applied to herself, too. But she had more important and more concrete things to worry about for now. When they returned, a few elves were still working on preparations. Regina glanced at the prisoners, noting the way their eyes hung on them. She realized the elves were probably making a show of it deliberately, as an intimidation tactic. Regina didn¡¯t feel particularly happy about all this, less for moral reasons, since the prisoners had, after all, attacked her and her hive, but because she didn¡¯t know how effective they would be. She was already taking a chance in essentially sharing her prisoners with the elves, hoping they could get something useful out of it. ¡°Look, there¡¯s no need to do this,¡± the prisoner who¡¯d talked before spoke up again. ¡°We¡¯ll tell you what you need to know, it¡¯s not like we know much, anyway.¡± Regina glanced at Anuis, inviting her to take this opportunity. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± the elf said, crouching down a little to look at the bound humans. ¡°To start, who are you?¡± They all replied with their names and Classes, something that Regina could obviously check with the System. Even her first prisoner, the Delver, joined in. We should probably separate them later, interrogate them separately, but I imagine Anuis knows that. ¡°Your equipment looks Nerlian,¡± the Commissar remarked. Regina had noticed that some of the weapons and armor they¡¯d captured were lying on the ground. She caught Max¡¯s gaze and raised an eyebrow slightly. He nodded, confirming that he and the other drones had shown these to the elves. ¡°We¡¯re from Nerlia,¡± the other woman admitted, her gaze darting between Regina and the interrogator. He was currently siphoning off the top part of some concoction into a glass vial. At least it looked like that. ¡°You¡¯re Nerlian soldiers?¡± Anuis asked, but she didn¡¯t sound disbelieving. ¡°How did you come to attack the Hivekind? Did you work with the Delvers?¡± Elenia, the previously captured Delver, scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t tell them anything,¡± she barked at the other two humans. Anuis nodded to another of her subordinates, who grabbed the Delver under the arms and started to drag her away. Then she returned her attention to the other two humans and raised an eyebrow, keeping her expression still and cold. They visibly withered. The Delver is clearly made of sterner stuff than them, Regina couldn¡¯t help but think. ¡°The potion is ready, Commander,¡± Niolin spoke up. Over the next few minutes, the elves got to work interrogating the human prisoners. Regina watched attentively, but quietly, as he gave them some of the potion to drink and then started asking questions. The concoction seemed to be some variant of a truth potion, she figured, if maybe weaker than a real one might be. The captives were clearly affected, and showed some signs of being drugged. Their pupils dilated and their reactions seemed just a bit slower. But they didn¡¯t really seem inebriated, and still answered clearly. Unfortunately, they were both low-level grunts and couldn¡¯t tell them too much about what was really going on. Still, Regina got the gist of things. It was clear that Nerlia, or at least someone very high-up in its army, had decided to take out the hive. They seemed to be aware of the treaty, judging by a few rumors that the two soldiers had caught, but clearly didn¡¯t like the idea of just leaving the hive alone until it gathered more strength. So, this had been something of a preventative strike, and considering the complex political relationships involved, maybe a political action as well. They had also at least talked to the Delvers, although, again, the two captured soldiers knew very little about it. Apparently, a few of the people taking part in the attack had been Delvers, or had at least joined the strike team relatively recently and seemed ready to fight some monsterbloods. ¡°I can¡¯t help but think that they didn¡¯t send us their best,¡± Regina commented when the interrogation wound down. Anuis snorted, a small smile tugging on her lips. ¡°Well, your hive must have seemed like an easy target, weaker than one of our outposts. You didn¡¯t even have any fighters past the first Evolution, as far as they knew.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take it too hard, my Queen, I¡¯m sure the next ones to attack us will be stronger,¡± Max chimed in. Regina shot him a dark look, but couldn¡¯t resist the smile forming on her face. She shook her head and looked back at Anuis. This is going to be a bit tricky, she considered, and took a moment to breathe and gather her thoughts. ¡°What I¡¯m wondering is,¡± she finally said, ¡°if the humans that attacked us weren¡¯t them, then where is the party of Delvers we saw and reported in our message to you?¡± Anuis¡¯ gaze sharpened. ¡°One would assume they are still in the tunnels,¡± she replied after a long moment. Regina nodded. ¡°Perhaps. If so, I wonder how we might turn the situation to our advantage.¡± Niolin started smiling openly, with a bit more viciousness than you¡¯d want to see directed your way. Anuis still looked thoughtful. ¡°That is an interesting point.¡± ¡°I wonder, Commander, how long are you supposed to be dispatched here?¡± Finally, Anuis started to smile, too. ¡°We are not expected back immediately. I dare say there would be time for a little excursion or two.¡± ¡°Great. Let¡¯s talk about how to go about it, then.¡± Regina glanced at the human prisoners again, all three of whom were being taken away. ¡°And perhaps we can then discuss something that goes a little further.¡± Chapter 64: Resorting to Violence Sounds echoed oddly in the underground caverns, traveling farther than one might think or barely beyond the bounds of one¡¯s own location. The faint scent of decay, of rock, mushrooms and stale air insufficiently refreshed through the small connections to the surface seemed to pervade the space. Anuis imagined that being deep underground was only slightly better than being far out on the ocean (not that she had ever been particularly far out to sea). But her duty had sent her down here, and so she did not falter nor slow her steps as she crossed this most recent cavern. Beside and behind her, the steps of her warriors accompanied her, kept just as quiet as hers, yet not entirely soundless here in the depths. In contrast, the rhythm of the drone accompanying her seemed odd, discordant, steps not quite at the same pace as the elven soldiers. Anuis glanced at the focused faces around her, her command decade. She knew they didn¡¯t like being down here in the ancient tunnels any more than she did, but they would still perform acceptably. They had not let her down yet. ¡°How far do we need to keep going?¡± one of her men, Niolin, asked. He pitched his voice low, but not quite as low as he would have had they been alone, she knew, since there was still some uncertainty about the hearing of their Hivekind allies. ¡°Maybe ten minutes of walking at this speed,¡± the Drone Warrior accompanying them said after a few seconds of silence. The System showed her level as seventeen, and her name was Zoe. Anuis had seen her before, but not paid her much heed, as she hadn¡¯t seemed to be among the inner circle of her Hive Queen. ¡°And are the other squads ready?¡± she asked. The Drone didn¡¯t move her head or give any indication of distraction, but her gaze remained fixed ahead. Anuis knew she was communing with her Queen in some way. Her mother had given her most of the information she had on the Hivekind and their capabilities before Anuis had set off. ¡°I believe they are,¡± Zoe finally replied. ¡°Squads two and three are closing in on our position, though squad four might not find a good tunnel leading this way in time. We haven¡¯t explored these tunnels as thoroughly as we¡¯d have liked.¡± Anuis nodded. ¡°That will be acceptable.¡± She had maps of these underground caverns and tunnels, ones they had studied beforehand, but she knew they were not entirely reliable. New tunnels tended to appear down here, dug by the monsters or unearthed by explorers sneaking down into the cave system. The Delvers were known to have barricaded paths or caused cave ins, as well. They continued walking in silence, moving from a cave into a narrower tunnel. Her soldiers shifted their formation smoothly, keeping their melee fighters on the outside, guarding their front and back, and leaving their ranged fighters in the middle. Anuis herself kept to the forward part, but not directly at the fore. The War Drones their allies had allocated them were at the back. They would have to switch formation to let them take the brunt of the damage at the front later, but she did not want the mindless beasts traipsing ahead, especially considering their apparent weakness. She used the silent approach to steady her nerves and prepare herself. She had little compunction about attacking the Delvers, and knew her decisions might raise questions, but were not likely to be condemned back home. Anuis Eltarianal had made Ariedel¡¯s defense her duty and career, and had fought many different monsters as well as sapient people, including humans. She had her fair share of experience when it came to Delvers. What made things different this time was, of course, Regina¡¯s Hive. Anuis considered it her good fortune to have met her and become involved in these events. Not simply because it had benefited her career. Although she had finally earned her last name just recently. For most elves, reaching even your third decade without a proper name would have been shameful. But Anuis had not wanted to settle for anything less than her mother¡¯s surname. She knew her mother Enais had mostly given her the right to use it now because she had found the Hivekind, which was not much of a personal accomplishment on her part, but that was how things worked. Her new allies and even some of her own soldiers presumably didn¡¯t know; after all, the System did not acknowledge elvish last names, or, at least, did not display them openly. She still felt it had helped solidify her standing with the troops after her promotion. Now Anuis stopped her musings, as she could finally hear their opponents. Humans tended to seem loud to her, and the equipment and weaponry of these ones did them no favors in that regard. Still, she could tell as they approached that the Delvers were doing well, acting professionally. They didn¡¯t quite march to a steady beat, but there was a rhythm in their movements, and they stayed quiet except for a short, hushed command. Unfortunately for them, their senses were not up to par, especially down here, where vision would be constrained. Zoe whispered directions into her ear, as well, and Anuis signaled to her soldiers with hand gestures. They slowed down, making sure they would move together with the other groups. It had been a bit of a hassle to coordinate this push, since they weren¡¯t entirely sure of the location of their quarry, and needed to move through the tunnels in such a way they could cut the Delvers off completely while not spooking them prematurely. But with the help of the Hive Queen and her coordination, they had managed it. Anuis spared a moment to wish that Regina was here with them and ready to take part in the fight instead of staying safely up above, guarded by some of her strongest drones. She didn¡¯t truly think that she would need her, but she would have liked the chance to see her fight. Anuis knew the Hive Queen had magic, but seeing her cast her Spells in combat was another matter. Still, she could not blame Regina for staying back, all things considered. She had been more useful coordinating them than she would be in a fight, in any case. Then they turned a corner and finally caught sight of their targets. The group of Delvers was in a relatively large tunnel, not quite as big as the main, old thoroughfare, but still wide enough to let her soldiers take a formation several people across. The humans stopped and immediately assumed defensive stances, with several even conjuring armor with the use of a Skill or calling up elements to coat their weapons or crackle in the air. However, Anuis¡¯ gaze was drawn even beyond them, where another large tunnel, little more than a thoroughfare of a cave further back, connected to this one. Another squad had taken position there, this one a more even mix of her soldiers and the higher level warriors of the Hive. ¡°Greetings, Delvers,¡± Anuis called out in a clear voice that would carry well. She did not step out, however. ¡°You are perilously close to the territory of the Elvish Free State and our allies¡¯ Hive. In addition, your leadership is suspected of ordering a recent unprovoked attack against peaceful explorers.¡± The humans spoke in hushed whispers to each other, too many at once for her to make out more than a few scraps of words. Then the apparent leader took a step forward. He was an Earth Guardian only three levels lower than her, enough to make Anuis wary, though not truly concerned. ¡°In our eyes, it is you who are trespassing, elves,¡± he replied. Then he glanced at Zoe and the other drones behind them. ¡°And demihuman monsterbloods. I had thought elves had better sense than to consort with their kind. Do you not know that they are suspected of attracting and attempting to make use of a monster horde?¡± Anuis did not outwardly react, although she was torn between snorting in contempt and raising a curious eyebrow inwardly. ¡°These allegations are baseless, as you would know, had you any schooling in monsters or hordes, or knew the details of the situation. Our friends were driven from their old home by a particularly irksome monster horde, and never offered humans any violence or offense.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She glanced at the other group, particularly at Tim, the new Royal Blade, their apparent leader. He inclined his head slightly, clearly not offended that she had spoken for them. ¡°Be that as it may, we are searching for some of our companions who have recently gone missing here, and the demihumans you so strongly defend are the obvious culprits.¡± ¡°I assume they are the ones who perpetrated the aforementioned unprovoked attack and suffered the consequences of their actions. If you truly do not know of this, perhaps you are innocent in this matter. Stand down and put down your weapons, and we will do the same, so we may settle this peacefully.¡± The plan called for them to fight and eliminate this group of Delvers, but Anuis presumed Regina would not be too upset with her. The thought of attacking without at least trying to talk to them did not sit well with her, and it went against her people¡¯s long-standing policy, to boot. The human drew his sword, a gleaming blade that seemed too large to use comfortably in such tight confines but still sized to be used with one hand. ¡°We will not be doing that,¡± he replied calmly. ¡°You just admitted to being involved in our comrades¡¯ disappearance and apparent death. If you do not surrender right now, we will be forced to resort to violence.¡± Anuis shook her head lightly. This one seems quite calm and almost reasonable. It¡¯s a shame. But she knew they would be unlikely to back down unless they were confronted with an even greater strength disparity. Surrendering, especially to nonhumans, would end the leader¡¯s career at the very least. And considering he seemed to be quite strong to be sent on a mission like this, he was likely either a newcomer or had angered someone important, and clearly had something to prove. ¡°You only have yourselves to blame for this, then,¡± Tim said, perhaps to keep her from drawing this out further and giving them more time to prepare. ¡°Indeed,¡± Anuis said. Then she raised her fist to shoulder height and opened it, calling on one of her first Skills, Wind¡¯s Aid, at the same time. Her soldiers took the signal to attack. At the same time, the four arrows the humans had just loosed encountered the gust of wind she had summoned and lost their course. Two of them collided with each other, while the rest scraped into the walls of the tunnel. The humans started charging, while the frontline fighters among her own soldiers rushed to meet them. Anuis soon came to the realization that the Delvers were concentrating their efforts on the other group, presumably assessing them as being the weaker threat. Some of them tried to move down the tunnel the way they had come, as well, but the screams and sounds of battle quickly echoing along them showed that they had encountered the third squad. Since that group had been intended to directly follow after them, it contained many skilled in stealth and following their targets undetected, but also quite a few of their stronger fighters. Her own preferred weapon was not very well suited to this environment, but Anuis still drew her bow and nocked an arrow. Without it, she would not be able to use some of her best Class Skills. She calmly watched the battle and looked for an opening, a straight shot at some important target. It came after just a few moments, and she loosed her arrow towards one of the stronger human fighters, a level 35 swordsman. He turned around just in time, perhaps warned by some Skill or just instinct, and raised his left shoulder to catch it on his pauldron. But her arrow spun in the air, guided by her Skill, True Shot, which she had imbued it with. The arrow slipped by his pauldron with not even a finger¡¯s distance to spare and instead sought out the small piece of bare skin between it and the side of the man¡¯s helmet. His reflexive move to get away, somewhere between a jerk and a swatting motion, only made it easier. The human screamed as it hit home. It was likely not a lethal strike by itself, but one of the drones used the man¡¯s distraction against him and slipped their blade into his other side. It quickly became apparent to Anuis that the humans were more practiced in fighting down here than her elves. But they were still encircled, and the Hivekind seemed well suited to fighting them, as well, despite what Anuis knew should be a propensity to swarm that would be hindered by the tight confines. But they worked well with her own stronger soldiers, pulling injured or distracted humans out of position and descending on them in groups. Their smaller War Drones managed to slip past the gaps in the humans¡¯ positions, disrupting their simple formation. Above all, they fought with a coordination that was truly remarkable, especially as they did not have years of training to rely on. The humans¡¯ higher levels might still win out, though. That was why Anuis hung up her bow after a quick look and instead drew her sword. She advanced, relying on her soldiers to adapt their motion to her, and went to meet the Delvers in battle head-on. She had not seen anyone whose Class name she recognized as being past the second Evolution, so she should be able to take any one of them, especially with the support of her soldiers and allies. The fight was brutal and fast; true combat always was. She saw humans falling left and right, and even some on her own side cried out and fell, being dragged to safety by their comrades. Anuis cut a swath through the humans, mopping up the lower-level fighters. The Delvers were good, she had to admit. But she had studied the sword for far longer than any of them had been alive, and in a pure contest of skill, none of them would be her equal. That was always the way. The System might attempt to keep their strength at the level of the humans, make their experience gain slower and thus keep her people from reaching the higher levels as quickly, but it did nothing for the difference in true proficiency. Anuis had had all of her Skills for years and had mastered all of them. The humans might throw more attacks at her, but she danced around them with her high Dexterity, parried and redirected their strikes with no wasted movement, always moving just enough but never extending too far. A quick thrust exploited an opening in a spearman¡¯s defense. His neighbor raised his sword just slightly too high and had his right foot just a bit too far forward, creating an imbalance in his stance, so Anuis let his swing pass by her ear and pushed him off-balance. The human stumbled into the warrior behind him, both of them tangling up long enough for a trio of drones to bite down on their legs and a flailing arm. Then the weaker fighters were out of the way and she faced a man more her equal. According to the System, they were the same level, just one small step away from reaching the next tier. His Class was Swordsman, as well, and the blade in his hand an elegant weapon she could see at a glance had been made by foreign masters. Much like her own, a gift from her mother, which, despite its simple appearance, would have cost her more than a year of her salary. His Skills would be tailored around his sword, but she knew how to deal with such a Class. The world seemed to pause for an instant as they faced each other, blade in hand. Then they started to move. Anuis was the slightest bit faster than the human. She brought up her sword first, catching his own blade and diverting his low swing. His sword was just starting to light up, evidently the activation of a Skill. But a step brought Anuis forward and she carried the momentum of her sword, now inside his guard, into a strike. He was wearing scale armor, but she could tell it was not of the same quality as his weapon. Her own blade cut through its lower portion, opening his femoral artery. He turned, trying to chase her, and three blades of razor-sharp wind flew from his blade. Anuis slipped past two and dodged the third, letting it pass just over her head. She¡¯d already taken a dagger into her left hand and now stepped forward again. His reactions were already slowed by the serious wound he had taken, and he only barely managed to parry her sword. He could do nothing to stop her slipping her dagger into his kidney. His skin started to darken, but Anuis didn¡¯t give him the time to channel another Skill, instead thrusting her sword into the eyeslit of his helmet. The human fell to the ground and she stepped back, putting her back to the wall of the tunnel. Her caution turned out to be unnecessary. The other humans were all either wounded or trying to escape. Already, many of the War Drones were gone, no doubt chasing down stragglers. Anuis glanced at the message the System showed her.
You have leveled up
Finally, she had reached level 40. Anuis pulled her focus away from the other sheet waiting for her, pushing it to the edge of her consciousness. She would deal with it later. Only long experience allowed her not to grin openly. She would need to find a moment of quiet, but then she could finally achieve her second Class Progression. There was no time for it right now, though. ¡°Sound off,¡± Anuis ordered. Her soldiers started reporting in, and then the Hivekind did the same. Anuis forced her thoughts back to the situation at hand, but she still felt pleased. Their first common battle, perhaps not to remain the only one, had gone rather well. She had her suspicions what Regina wanted of her now. And while decisions about an alliance and military campaigns were above her head, at the strategic level, she did not think the Hive Queen would be disappointed, and Anuis had to admit to herself she was a little excited to see where it would lead. Chapter 65: Preparations, Plans and Personal Questions Regina felt like she hadn¡¯t really appreciated the scale involved in her own little hive, a group of just a few dozen at best, dealing with a proper, nation-sized state like the elves. Granted, a very small one by the standards of her memories, even historically, since it was basically just a city-state. But the elves still outclassed her in terms of firepower, infrastructure and information gathering. She had started to realize their strength when they fought together with her drones down below, and in the aftermath. Anuis especially had been enlightening. For all her helpful and generally nice demeanor, the woman was amazing with a sword. In a way that would probably be terrifying if you were on the other side. It was even more impressive because Regina knew that swordfighting wasn¡¯t really the focus of her Class, but she¡¯d still managed to defeat a dedicated Swordsman in, like, one move. I guess those long lifespans are good for something. How old was she, anyway? Enais was eight hundred, and she might not have been able to have children past a certain point, but Regina didn¡¯t know how aging worked for them. Anyway, Regina decided that she didn¡¯t regret allying with the elves, instead of the humans, at all. Not that they¡¯d even officially agreed to an alliance, but that did seem to be how things had developed. She still resolved to be mindful of the fact that she didn¡¯t have any official hold over them. In some ways, cleaning up after the battle in the tunnels took longer than it did in the first place. Regina paced up above, having too much restless energy to sit still. She hadn¡¯t liked sitting back and letting others fight for her, but her ability to coordinate them had obviously been more important, and she¡¯d probably have to get used to the feeling, anyway. They¡¯d gathered the bodies and equipment of the humans, worked out and implemented a method to distribute the latter, and healed anyone who needed it. The deliberations and preparations after that had taken even longer. No one had actually confirmed it, but Regina was pretty sure Anuis had been given some artifact or other method of communicating with the city. Several times, she¡¯d excused herself with the justification of having to run things by her superiors or get permission, and generally come back a few hours later with some new idea, requirement or adjustment. At the moment, Regina stood before the wooden wall of the hut she slept in and hesitated. She was blocking the path a little bit, so passing drones had to veer around her, but she barely noticed. Instead, she looked at the scratches in the wood. She¡¯d taken to putting these claw marks in the wood, one for each morning she spent in this forest. They had already spread slightly over the plank in neat little rows. One of them was marked with a rough circle around it. The day she¡¯d made the truce agreement with the local humans. Regina glanced from it to the last scratch she¡¯d edged into the wood. Twenty-eight days. She mentally went over the last few weeks, considering the progress she¡¯d made after the negotiation. The pattern of escalating incidents and violence. She stood there for a few minutes, until a notification from the System brought her back to her surroundings.
You have leveled up
Regina glanced in the direction of the building where they stored the eggs in development and smiled. So another few drones had hatched. She¡¯d gotten better at it and could now roughly sense those. She¡¯d been too distracted to notice them hatching, but she could get an idea of how many eggs there still were based on the incipient links and how they drained her mana regeneration. She¡¯d been a little disappointed that she hadn¡¯t gained a level after the fight with the Delvers, although she hadn¡¯t participated directly. It seemed it had still pushed her close to the Experience threshold. There was more to this System message, though.
Congratulations, you have unlocked a new Swarm Template: Winged Drones
Not for the first time, Regina wondered about the names the System gave the drone types and everything else. But she wasn¡¯t going to complain about this one. It sounded like they would be flying drones. Just the thing I needed. Or one of them, anyway. I wonder if they¡¯re going to have some kind of ranged capability? Even if not, a flock of flying drones is still going to be handy in a fight and very useful otherwise. Regina finally turned away and headed towards the hut, considering how many of them she wanted to try out and get in development right away. There were still a few War Drones developing, but she decided to go all in and get eight more eggs of the new Template. They probably wouldn¡¯t be too strong, so having more of them would be better, and she was confident that they would be useful. Even if not, it wasn¡¯t like having a few more level 1 War Drones instead would make that much of a difference. Once she was done with that, Regina was about to check on the warriors in the training yard, before she noticed the people gathering. She glanced around, then up at the sky to gauge the time, then went over to join them. ¡°I hope you finally got a conclusive decision from the city,¡± Regina said to Anuis as she joined them. The elf nodded at her. ¡°Not to worry, I believe everything has been settled.¡± Anuis looked exactly the same as before, but Regina still hadn¡¯t gotten used to the faint sensation in her mana sense she got from her. She glanced at the System notification again.
Anuis ¡ª Level ? Forest¡¯s Elite
It was clearly a third-tier Class (or second-tier, if you started counting with the first Class Evolution). While Regina couldn¡¯t see it, she knew Anuis had to be level 40. She wouldn¡¯t have gotten another level so quickly, especially with the elves¡¯ lower leveling speed she¡¯d heard about. ¡°I see you leveled up again,¡± Anuis commented after a moment. She smiled and shook her head slightly. ¡°My congratulations. Your speed truly is legendary.¡± Regina ducked her head, feeling a little embarrassed, before she straightened up again. It was weird to think she¡¯d gotten this far after only a few months in this world, but she had a few special advantages no one else did. Especially considering her Class was clearly unique. Her drones had the same, really, if probably in a different way. ¡°I may also be able to have winged drones to put to use,¡± she said. ¡°But I can¡¯t guarantee that, we¡¯ll have to see.¡± Anuis¡¯ look sharpened, but she only nodded. She clearly knew about Regina¡¯s eggs, but was tactful enough not to talk about it. And it was probably obvious Regina had unlocked something in the System just now. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t need them, although other hidden trumps will, of course, be welcome,¡± the elf replied. She glanced at the other elves standing around the open table, who Regina had met as her subordinate commanders. They all looked focused, if not eager to get started. ¡°We have received our final orders, and I¡¯ve confirmed that I will get my full Three Centuries. As I mentioned, that does not mean we will actually have three hundred soldiers, but they will be more than up to the task.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Regina let out a relieved breath and smiled. She could have tried with only her own hive, and the fighters Anuis had already brought, but more soldiers would definitely be better. She¡¯d flown a few reconnaissance flights, or more accurately piloted Dark on a few, but she still wasn¡¯t entirely sure of the power level of the castle¡¯s garrison. ¡°That¡¯s great news,¡± she replied. ¡°Then we are good to go?¡± ¡°From our side, certainly,¡± Anuis replied. Her lips curled up into a small, slightly lopsided smile, that felt like she had seen or knew something amusing, or knew more than she was telling. As the two of them had gotten more comfortable with each other, Regina had seen an expression like that more often. She knew the elf wasn¡¯t trying to be condescending and generally didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Will you be ready as well, Lady Regina?¡± ¡°Definitely,¡± she answered firmly. ¡°The drones are all itching to get started. If they weren¡¯t, well, themselves, I¡¯d be worried about discipline holding up if we had to wait much longer.¡± ¡°Your drones are remarkably disciplined,¡± another elf remarked. Niolin, the Commissar. Regina shrugged noncommittally. The elfish soldiers seemed very disciplined, themselves. Who was he comparing her drones to? Children or ¡®savage primitives¡¯? Well, they are very young, and we haven¡¯t had years to train. I guess that¡¯s not unreasonable to say. She wasn¡¯t going to explain about the psychic connection she was almost sure had something to do with the matter, though. ¡°Do we have a final accounting of our forces?¡± Bianorn asked. Unlike the rest, he seemed almost cheerful. He¡¯d shown up along with some reinforcements from Ariedel a day after the fight with the Delvers underground. Regina assumed that he was part of another unit, but had been assigned to Anuis for the time being. Or maybe he¡¯d been detached previously. She¡¯d learned that the single long line on the jacket, when the elves wore what was presumably their uniform, if not a formal version, indicated his rank as a Century Captain. That might mean he had been promoted, as well. Anuis tapped one of the sheets of paper she¡¯d laid on the table, then glanced at Regina and raised a questioning eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have a final version of the hive¡¯s contribution yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯m planning to take around fifty War Drones,¡± Regina said. ¡°I planned to adjust that depending on the situation, your forces and what we know of the humans. They will be led by all except for three of the Warriors, all of the Shooters, a few other high-level drones, and, of course, myself.¡± Anuis nodded. ¡°That should be plenty to carry out the plan. I assume you have a command structure set up?¡± ¡°Yeah. Max is going to stay with me and play defense, so Tim will be leading the assault. After him, Ben will be in charge, then Tia and Zoe.¡± She¡¯d excluded Dan from what was otherwise a list of their most senior fighting drones, since he was better at fighting on his own and absolutely didn¡¯t want to command anyone. ¡°We also have a unit structure set up and assigned Swarm Drones.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Anuis pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. ¡°Then I suggest you bring them to the advance briefing we have set up.¡± Regina nodded. Who knew working with a professional military would involve so many briefings? At least they weren¡¯t making her sign paperwork. She resolved there and then to push all of that onto the drone commanders when her hive¡¯s forces got big enough to need more of that kind of thing. They continued talking for a few minutes longer, discussing the forces the elves would field, Anuis¡¯ Three Centuries, and how best to apply the units. Regina listened intently, wishing she¡¯d thought to bring something to take notes. There was no one else also in the third tier of Classes like Anuis. From what Regina had heard, those often functioned as single high-value assets or special units. They¡¯d been assured that if it was necessary, some of these would be sent to support them. The unstated assumption was, she figured, that the elves didn¡¯t expect them to meet anyone who would need these strong fighters, but they would hopefully be ready if they did. Their stronger fighters were probably off to fight at the actual front. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the bigger picture, people,¡± Anuis said at the end, as if to wrap up the meeting. ¡°We are not trying to win the war by ourselves.¡± She panned her gaze over the assembled officers. ¡°We will be dealing in a major part with locals, and one of our aims is to use the rift between the local noble and the Cernlian king. Be mindful of it, both in the course of the operation and in planning.¡± After that, the meeting dissolved and people started heading out. Regina looked out and sighed. She¡¯d have preferred to keep meeting the elves at the old outpost, but it just wasn¡¯t really practical. So now most of their fighters were there, but some of them here, camping in the field beyond the hive¡¯s small settlement. ¡°I hope we have not lost you with our discussions, Lady Regina,¡± Anuis said, coming up to her. ¡°I did not intend to exclude you.¡± Regina turned to face her again and waved a hand to brush off her concern. ¡°Not at all. I found it interesting, and I¡¯m sure the others will, too, when I bring them.¡± Some of them had already been at meetings with the elves, of course, but not all. ¡°I¡¯ll need to complete my personal preparations. I assume you¡¯re doing the same?¡± ¡°Indeed. I was hoping to take some time this evening for reflection and prayer.¡± Anius smiled slightly, then looked at her with an expression Regina found difficult to read. ¡°I assume you will wish to do that as well.¡± ¡°Taking some time for reflection and maybe trying a round of meditation might be a good idea,¡± Regina responded thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯m not the type for prayer, though.¡± ¡°Oh? Maybe I have been misinterpreting something, then.¡± Anuis shook her head slightly as if to chase away an unwelcome thought. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I might have done to give the impression I was religious,¡± Regina laughed lightly and awkwardly tugged on her mandible. She had no idea about who she might have been before her hatching, of course, and she barely knew anything about the gods of this world. ¡°Is there something I should know about religion among the elves? And do you follow a specific god, by the way?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, I do. I follow Alianais.¡± Anuis ducked her head, looking slightly embarrassed. Or maybe that was just an act, Regina didn¡¯t know anything about their cultural norms, and maybe you weren¡¯t supposed to talk about this. ¡°Not the usual patron of my profession, I suppose, but it is the norm in my family, since my mother owes particular respect to her. That was why I mentioned it at all. I am still coming to grips with the new abilities of my Class Progression.¡± Regina frowned. She felt like she was missing something. ¡°Your new Class has abilities relating to the gods?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much,¡± Anuis said dismissively. ¡°But my Class seems to branch out for - or from - several possible paths and has some features of many such. That includes a small bit of divine magic, I have discovered.¡± She paused and looked at Regina, frowning slightly. ¡°I can see something of it clinging to you, for lack of a better word, Lady Regina. That is why I assumed that you were a disciple of the divine, so to speak.¡± Regina stared at her for a moment, before she managed to school her expression. Internally, she felt like someone had just dumped cold water on her. ¡°I see, thank you for your trust and for telling me this,¡± she said slowly. ¡°What else can you see about this? Who does it come from?¡± Anuis sighed softly. ¡°You truly didn¡¯t know? I am not a scholar or priest, but as far as I can tell, it seems clear enough. You bear the Mark of Alianais, Regina.¡± Regina shook her head. Maybe I should have expected something like this, she thought distantly. ¡°Really? That¡¯s a thing? Wait, it might be why the humans were open to negotiations, right?¡± ¡°That is a possibility. Few people would be prepared to kill a god¡¯s champion lightly. Or someone they had cause to believe to be such.¡± Regina nodded slowly. She recalled that the human diplomatic party had talked among themselves and had obviously been surprised at what they must have seen when they met her and her hive. She¡¯d just chalked that up to their levels. But she hadn¡¯t been able to hear what they said. ¡°But there was a cleric of Alianais with the people who attacked us first, the mercenaries turned soldiers. Shouldn¡¯t he have been able to tell?¡± Anuis shrugged. ¡°I do not know.¡± Perhaps he didn¡¯t recognize what he saw. Or perhaps something happened in the time between those two encounters. Regina supposed it didn¡¯t matter much now, except for what it meant regarding her interactions with other people. ¡°Well, this is good to know,¡± she finally said with a sigh. ¡°But I guess it doesn¡¯t change things now. Unless there are any other things I should expect related to this?¡± The elf shook her head again. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you anything more about your situation, I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°Then we have more immediate things to worry about,¡± Regina decided. Not that she was happy to let this go, but at least it didn¡¯t seem like that goddess intended her any harm. Regina looked around again to double-check that no one had listened in on their conversation, then finally started walking away from the conference table. She definitely had a lot to think about, and more and more questions she wanted answers to. ¡°I hope you¡¯re up for a real conversation, sometime soon, if you¡¯re listening to me,¡± she muttered as she walked. The idea that there might be someone listening to her did not sit too well with her. There was no answer. Chapter 66: Covert Approach The stars were one of the upsides to the whole situation, Regina thought. She only had dim memories of the time before, and certainly no personal ones, but they did not include views like this. The light pollution of modern life would never allow it. It was still a bit bittersweet, though, reminding her of how different this place was compared to her reference point. And what it lacked. Light pollution didn¡¯t come from nothing, after all. Still, she was only distracting herself, and she made herself focus on the situation at hand. The stars and the moon were still shining brightly in the sky, and it should still be some time before it started to brighten with dawn. Regina figured that pre-dawn counted as morning and that the day would count as being begun, the time as the next day, or rather the next month. There was still enough light for her to see clearly, although she didn¡¯t know about the elves, and humans would probably have trouble. Unless they had a helpful Skill. That was always a possibility. The drones around her blended in with the shadows pretty well, but once they were out of the forest, they¡¯d be in the open. There was no going around the open fields surrounding their targets. They¡¯d considered an approach by water, but it was a lot harder to avoid all the monsters that might be lurking in the river, and fights meant noise, besides the splashing water and the issues of temperature, breathing and other inconvenient considerations. At some point, they¡¯d just have to rely on speed over stealth, she figured. Besides, the humans shouldn¡¯t be able to get reinforcements from anywhere nearby or get any very quickly. Actually, she figured that was at least half the reason the elves were supporting her in this. If you could even call it support, considering they probably fielded more raw power than she did. But they had agreed that Regina was officially calling the shots, so she didn¡¯t much care. Obviously, the elves wanted to use this to further their war, as one operation of their war effort. And if Regina actually managed to establish herself and come to some kind of terms with the humans, they would just see that as an unexpected bonus, she suspected. Even if it meant she might not join their war outright to fight against humans, or rather some humans. Ben had told her the elves probably just wanted to secure their flank. The newly Evolved Drone Commander was sticking close to her at the moment, on her left side while Max had taken the right. She could vaguely sense him giving orders and passing intelligence between other drones. His new Class had given him a Skill that allowed him to make better use of the psychic hive link for such a purpose. Then Regina turned her attention farther away, to currently more distant members of her hive and further reaches of the psychic connection. She checked briefly on Dark. The bird monster flew through the night air on stealthy wings, hopefully very hard to make out against the dark sky. He still stayed relatively high up, so a stray look shouldn¡¯t out him as anything more than a random bird in the night, perhaps startled by some monster in the forest. She conveyed a sense of approval for his actions, since he was sticking closely to the instructions she¡¯d been giving him. It was also nice to have a high vantage point to look at the scene spread out below, although, in the darkness, there wasn¡¯t that much she could see. Dark¡¯s vision was good, but it still had its limits, and trying to make out details from this height at night would be asking a little much. Then Regina took a deep breath and dove into the second originally foreign consciousness in her hive. Although she¡¯d already used Infect on this one several days ago, she felt like it was a longer and more complicated process to integrate it into the hive. She even caught herself thinking of the monster as an it instead of her, not like Dark, who she always called him. Like people did with their pets. But the still unnamed (she was going to ask the drones for help with this one, then at least Max couldn¡¯t snark so much about it) new hive member was different than her little bird. For one thing, she had already reached level 20. She was also a bit of a grumpier personality, if Regina had to put a finger on her experiences connecting to their minds, though not necessarily smarter. It had been a difficult fight to subdue her, although Regina had only watched it from a distance while Tim fought. The biggest difference was, of course, that the monster was a Mana Beast, a big monster about as different from Dark as you¡¯d find. She resembled a large bear, though the head looked more feline, and the fur was a spotted brown and black color. Her sharp teeth and claws looked dangerous, but they were misleading. Regina had wanted to get a second scout, but this little treasure had been too much of a temptation to resist. She was still keeping her last two slots open for hopefully sapient recruits, but with her new Swarm Drone type, she shouldn¡¯t be missing out too much. The new minion was also one of the very few monsters she¡¯d seen or heard about in the forest who was almost entirely focused on magic, something she definitely needed more of in her forces. "It¡¯s almost time,¡± Ben muttered quietly beside her. Regina turned to look at him and nodded, slowing down even more. They would stop and lay in wait once they were a little bit farther. There had been discussion of staying in the forest to begin with, but they had decided that it was better to be closer. The stealth and illusion Skills and Spells they used, mostly coming from elven soldiers, should be enough to keep them undetected before the commotion started. And if not, they¡¯d just lose a little bit of the advantage of surprise. Regina glanced around, then focused on various other drones. Mia had stayed back. She was still in the process of becoming a Drone Engineer, not a Class that would do very well in a fight. Tia and the rest of what you could call the hive¡¯s real leadership were here, though. She couldn¡¯t see Ada, who was further out doing her thing, but most of the others stayed with other drones. Regina hadn¡¯t been out of the forest since the elves rescued her from the village, and it looked a lot different without a monster horde crawling over the fields, even at night. She kept her focus on the village, though. Regina would primarily be supporting the team they sent to take it, although her ability to instantly coordinate with her drones was too useful to forgo for the other part, too. They¡¯d settled on doing simultaneous assaults on both the castle and the village pretty early in the planning. That way, there would be no risk of reinforcements coming from the other place to unexpectedly flank the attackers, and it would curtail the Cernlians¡¯ ability to bring important assets or people out of the area. The more complicated planning and timing was worth it. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Or so Regina had been told, anyway. She wasn¡¯t a strategist. She was trying to learn, but she still knew that Max, Tim and Ben had a much better intuitive grasp on strategy than she did. Finally, Regina faintly felt a stir going through her psychic link at the same time as it did in the physical world. She stopped and dropped to her stomach, hiding herself in the long grass. She wore an old gambeson with long strips cut into its sides that would hopefully allow her to use her wings, but she didn¡¯t even need the extra insulation. Then she focused on the link again and checked on the other drones who were closer to the fort. They were doing much the same thing as the other group had, although they were spread out farther. The approach to the castle in the middle of the river would be much harder. They¡¯d also determined that the strongest enemy fighters would be there, which meant that most of their own heavy hitters were assigned to it. That included Tim, who was leading the small number of hive drones assigned to this part. Regina dove deeper into his mind and felt him crouching low to the ground, keeping perfectly still. Is there an issue on the other side? he asked her right away. Regina really appreciated that her drones could directly talk back to her this way now. It still wasn¡¯t easy or clear, and she used the general impression she got of his state of mind and focus in part to infer his meaning, but it was a lot better than them having to talk out loud. No, I¡¯m just checking in, she told him. Then they both fell silent and waited. It would not be long now. From Tim¡¯s position, she actually had a better view of the soon to be battlefield. And more importantly, he was close to Anuis, who was essentially the overall commander of this operation. After a time which she found difficult to determine, Regina watched Anuis stir through Tim¡¯s eyes. The sky was noticeably lightening now, the first faint light of dawn starting to appear on the eastern horizon. ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± Anuis said softly. She glanced at Tim, who nodded to show they were ready. ¡°Begin.¡± Other elves passed on her order in a whisper. Then they started to move out. Regina watched long enough to make sure everything was going to plan, before she turned her attention elsewhere. She contacted several members of her hive, trying to pull them into a psychic conference, and passed on what she had just witnessed. They still stayed motionless and silent for a while longer, lying down outside the village. The others would need more time in order to approach their target, and their element of surprise was more important to preserve than that of her group. Regina didn¡¯t have anyone in position to watch as the first elves sank into the water and started diving towards Forest¡¯s Watch. There were no drones included in this part of the plan. This team had protection from river monsters because of an alchemical paste they¡¯d smeared on their skin. It wouldn¡¯t last long, but it would let them approach silently. Then they¡¯d get started on the entrance. One of them was an Earth Mage, and the others had skills that would let them get through the gate or over the walls undetected. They couldn¡¯t be sure that none of the defenders had a Skill like Danger Sense that might alert them to something going down, though, which made this one of the riskiest stages of the plan. Regina watched quietly as the rest of the strike team moved carefully closer to the fortress, preparing to support their comrades or take advantage of the opportunity they would create. Then Ben whispered quietly, and sent another command through the link, a feeling that Regina amplified as much as she could. She waited for a moment to let Max go first, as he kept insisting on, then rose into a low crouch and started to make her way forward. Ada was watching their targets keenly, along with several others, and so far, there was no sign that any of the humans had detected them. The drones and the elves accompanying them crept forward quietly, only the soft rustle of grass breaking the silence over the field. Regina quickly dove into her link to check on things. She was getting better at that, both at acting quickly and at getting a burst of information. She was also still moving. It gave her an idea of everyone¡¯s position, and she could tell that they were all closing in on their objectives. She closed her eyes for a moment and focused on her mana sense. There was the faint tingle she¡¯d learned was associated with Max¡¯s shield, which he must have cast on her just after they left the forest. Beyond that, she could faintly sense a few magical signatures ahead. They were too far and she was too unskilled at it to make out much detail. But it did tell her there were at least a few people who could do some kind of magic among their enemies, as well as most likely a few magical artifacts, defensive enchantments or things like that. She wished she was more familiar with magic and what you could do with it. Then a loud crash sounded from the direction of the castle. Out here, you barely heard it, and Regina wasn¡¯t even sure if she was just imagining it based on the feedback from the drones closer by. They definitely heard it. She felt Tim freeze for an instant, before he looked at Anuis, all cold and professional again. ¡°Move in,¡± Anuis ordered in a clipped tone, no sign of surprise or dismay on her face. Regina left Tim to his own actions and instead focused on the people around them. ¡°Things are going down,¡± she whispered very quietly. This way, it would be easier to reach more drones quickly. ¡°They¡¯re moving on the attack. Let¡¯s join in ¡­ now.¡± She could only just make out the drones passing her words on to the elvish soldiers with them. Then Zoe started rushing forward, and the other drones and warriors followed. Regina heard Ben give a clipped command, and the War Drones moved out in front, ready to tank some damage for the sapient members of the strike team. Regina herself stepped on her impatience and nerves and waited a second until she joined in the charge. This way, she was at the back of the middle part of their formation, if you could call it that. Max moved slightly ahead and to her left, in position to cover her against attacks. Ben had sped up a little and was in the thick of it, directing War Drones. His blade-arms seemed to glint in a stray bit of starlight. Then Regina realized that it wasn¡¯t the typical nightly illumination. Something started to light up the human village, and an instant later, it became a flash bright enough that it almost blinded her. She managed not to stumble or lose her step, using her other senses to guide her forward. It almost looked like someone had set fire to the village. But after a moment, she realized they had probably lit several bonfires, which they might keep around in case of monster attacks or something. The extra light let her see the defenders, which were gathering at the corner where she and her first four drones had fought with the humans to hold off the monster horde what felt like ages ago. Regina gripped the dagger she carried on her belt, slipping it out of its sheath, while she readied her magic. Her team was already very close to the village. Judging by the shouts rising up, they had been spotted, but that wouldn¡¯t help the humans much now. She¡¯d just have to make sure of that. Zoe stopped for a moment, crouching down to present a smaller target, and threw something Regina couldn¡¯t see very well. Then the brightness increased yet again as another flash erupted at the defensive position, shaking the shutters of the nearby houses. Get them, Regina thought. The stealthy approach was over, now the real fight had begun. Chapter 67: We Had a Truce The village of Forest¡¯s Haunt, which was the colloquial name of Neralt Village, and Fort Forest¡¯s Watch were actually only a few hundred meters away from each other. That presented both opportunities and problems to any combined defense plan, but especially to Regina and her force¡¯s attack. But the castle still only had a single true entrance, a bridge over the river leading to the small island it was built on. She¡¯d learned that this bridge was usually left down and accessible when there was no major threat like a monster horde going on ¡ª and apparently, despite the war continuing to rage deeper in the forest, it seemed not to be considered a major and present threat. Regina only delved into Tim¡¯s mind quickly, she couldn¡¯t afford to spend too much time with her focus too far from her own body and surroundings. But it allowed her to get a good glimpse of the situation, especially since Tim promptly sent her the equivalent of a condensed status report in a thought bundle when he noticed her attention. The fight had obviously already started on the island, too, judging by the loud noise and bright flash of light coming from the fort. Tim and the rest of the strike team were running towards it right now, moving so quickly they would be there in just a few seconds. Just ahead of him, an elf in light armor had stopped and held out his hand. Regina realized after a moment that the bridge was being held in place by an Earth Shaper, as discussed, with stone and dark claws made of compressed dirt latching onto it, keeping it in place and covering its surface to provide the attackers passage into the castle. A hail of arrows rained over it, coming from just a few people. Then a few people charged right over the bridge at great speed, using their high stats and Skills to cross it before the enemy could muster a response. The sound of an explosion closer to her brought Regina back to her own situation, and she switched her focus to her surroundings. The edge of the village was awash in the light of several lines of fire, though they had been placed carefully. They didn¡¯t want to burn down the houses, or their inhabitants. Even for the defending fighters, Regina had impressed upon her side¡¯s people to minimize casualties if possible. It looks like the Molotov cocktails worked out pretty well, she noted to herself as she kept running but slowed down. Max used his Charge Skill to rush to a warrior who¡¯d kept his feet and was about to charge a War Drone further inside his defensive position. Regina glanced around, launching a Magic Missile at another warrior behind him. At this stage, she knew they needed to prevent the humans from forming an organized defense. A flash of dark wings overhead let her know that Dark had swooped down further, and she paused to take a look through his eyes, while Max returned to cover her. The fires made for unpredictable and changing illumination, but Regina saw enough to recognize the several groups of defenders in the perimeter of the village and roughly where they seemed to be heading. There are more further in, she quickly told Tim, and pulled Tad, who was sticking with Bianorn, the leader of their elvish contingent, into the conversation. I think they¡¯re coming towards us, but I¡¯m not sure. They might be assembling somewhere a little further into the village. There don¡¯t seem to be any civilians out and about out here, but farther down, they¡¯re streaming towards the center and even out of the village at the other side. We need to send someone to cut those off, make sure no messengers or priority targets escape, Ben replied. Tad? There was a short pause as the Drone Warrior talked to Bianorn, then he replied, He says he¡¯s on it. He¡¯ll take me, Ted and eight of our War Drones along. ¡°My Queen, we need to move,¡± Max spoke up. Regina took a quick glance around, then hurried after Max, who was leading her into the shadow of a pretty solidly built house. Once they had some kind of cover, she took a moment to switch her focus to Tim and the other side. The battle had engulfed the castle by now. Tim was still standing outside the gates, but only just. He¡¯d just pushed a human fighter into the river and turned around to survey the battlefield. It was chaos. Someone had either brought out or summoned tamed monsters, and they were fighting all over the courtyard and even walls. The roof of one of the houses inside burned. Humans and elves were clashing inside, a few War Drones trying to pile on or harry distracted enemies. The Mana Beast provided a good distraction, throwing balls of fire and demolishing walls. Tim snuck further inside, sticking to the outside. After a few steps, he paused. A human mage was off to the side, clearly in intense concentration, and as he watched, he saw the stones of the gate swelling closer together. Tim sprang into action and threw one of the daggers he¡¯d brought along. His aim was a little bit off, and the man twisted aside at the last second, so the dagger only hit his shoulder. The man cursed and turned his focus onto Tim, who was closing in quickly. Until a sudden push against him almost sent him off his feet. A bluish barrier had risen in front of him. Tim didn¡¯t pause. He set his feet and activated his newest Class Skill. The Cut would go through almost anything, and it opened a rift in the magical barrier that let him jump through. The mage¡¯s eyes widened in fear, and Tim brought his blade-limb forward. Someone grabbed her arm and started dragging her. Regina switched back to herself and found Max guiding her further into the village. A second later, something concussive splashed against the house¡¯s wall, shaking the spot they¡¯d just been in. She stumbled, but managed to right herself, then launched a Fireball behind her. A scream of pain showed that she¡¯d hit her target. She cursed as she saw sparks catching on the roof of a nearby house. That was why she¡¯d wanted to avoid Fireball. But then another human from beyond the building appeared to throw a bucketful of water on it before the fire could spread. That was probably a Spell, and it told her the location of one of their squads. Regina threw a Magic Missile at the prone form of the human Shaman, level 15, who¡¯d attacked her. He was trying to get back to his feet, but the Spell threw him back down again. Then she sent out a call through her hive¡¯s link. Immediately, a group of three War Drones scrambled over another nearby building and launched themselves off it, towards the human squad. ¡°Fuck!¡± Regina tugged on Max¡¯s arm and hurried around the house towards the sounds of fighting. When she rounded the corner, she saw that Ace and a few other drones had already arrived and were engaging the humans. They were still some distance away, but Len¡¯s thrown javelin had pierced one of the humans through the side. Then Eva almost flickered and rushed towards them, her Warrior¡¯s Charge¡¯s speed throwing off the lash of water aimed for her. She slammed the presumed magic-user into the side of the building, Strength for the Hive clearly active. Regina stopped and quickly assessed her options. The tools she¡¯d made with her Conjuration, especially what the drones were calling ¡®hydrogen fragmentation grenades¡¯, were too indiscriminately destructive, especially here between buildings. Fireball was also out. So, she sent two Magic Missiles in quick succession, then paused for a moment to see their effects before throwing two more. A small headache started to pound against her temples from drawing on her mana like that, but she ignored it. One of the humans turned towards her, his spear readied. Before he knew it, Max appeared in front of him, deflecting the thrust with his shield, then his blade-arm lunged forward. Blood spurted from the soldier¡¯s leg and he went down with a cry. Max quickly stepped on his sword-hand and swung the blunt side of his ax into him, knocking the man out, hopefully. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The fight was intense but short, and soon the soldiers all lay on the ground. Eva bled heavily from her shoulder, even as she tried to tie up one of the human soldiers. Regina stepped forward to heal her. Then she glanced at her mana quickly.
Mana: 564/1520
Regina frowned. She should probably conserve her mana better, and try to reserve it for healing. ¡°Let¡¯s move on,¡± Max said. He nodded at the others. ¡°Ace, I think you should take two of the War Drones and circle around to meet the other team. The rest of you, stay with us.¡± Ace nodded and turned away, while the others immediately fell into a rough formation around Max. Regina noticed that they placed her in the center, with Eva guarding her back, but didn¡¯t comment. They started advancing through the village, moving slowly and making sure they weren¡¯t walking into any ambushes. Mindful of the lesson she¡¯d just learned, Regina limited her peeks into drones through the hive¡¯s link to short glimpses, which let her move unhindered but still gave her some idea of what was going on. She was getting a lot of practice in parsing snippets and putting information together like this. The village¡¯s center was essentially encircled now, and it didn¡¯t seem like there were any human fighters outside left. Bianorn and the others had their hands full dealing with villagers that had wanted to escape, but it actually hadn¡¯t come to a real fight there, yet. At the same time, the assault on the fort was proceeding, but a bit trickier. One whole wall had fallen down, rubble littering the courtyard and the island outside, but a few War Drones climbed over the stones and used it to attack enemies from above. Tim was hurriedly conferring with Anuis, while it seemed like a core group of humans had hunkered down in the keep, which had a few small breaches but had clearly not been taken yet. Regina quickly turned to Ben, who was a little further inside the village, to her southeast. We¡¯re ready, he reported as soon as he felt her presence in his mind. The strongest fighters have set up in the town square, around the large stone building, with what remains of their forces. I would gather our own forces before we engage them. Alright, Regina agreed. Let¡¯s do that. She quickly cast her mind further out, jumping to one drone in each group and relating the order. All the while, she kept slowly advancing with Max and the others. The village wasn¡¯t that big, and it didn¡¯t take long to reach its central part. Fires flickered here as well, illuminating their surroundings. At the same time, the sky had brightened from the east, the light of dawn painting the scene further away. The sun must have started to crest the horizon, though she couldn¡¯t see it from here, since her line of sight was obstructed. It was clear that their attack had surprised the human fighters. Some of them looked like they¡¯d thrown on their gear in a hurry, with a few buckles loose or pieces of armor slightly askew. They still seemed ready to fight. Regina¡¯s gaze lingered on the strongest among them, the ones most likely to be a threat. Some of them were familiar.
Elric Neralt ¡ª Level ? Master of the Earth
Marianne Neralt ¡ª Level ? Lady
Alan ¡ª Level 23 Guardian
There seemed to be a few people in at least the second tier of Classes, Regina noted, and the baron and even the older lady were probably in the third. There were also a few who didn¡¯t sound like they had actually combat-oriented Classes, but they would at least have the stats to be helpful in a fight. She could tell they were tense, even if they stood with their weapons and shields raised and ready to defend their home. She could understand that. Her own forces were converging here as well, spreading out in a bit of a half-circle to face them on the town square. There would be a few ranged fighters in the nearby house, the home of the baron, presumably. But her side still had the numerical advantage. She had dozens of War Drones, some sapient drones and some elvish soldiers. They were coordinating well, the bit of joint training they¡¯d done clearly helping. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± the baron bellowed, taking a step forward. ¡°Hive Queen! We had a truce!¡± Regina stepped forward as well, wordlessly urging her drones to let her through, though she didn¡¯t step out of the group itself, and Max remained at her right side. ¡°We did have a truce, but it expired with this day,¡± she responded, pitching her voice to carry well through the square. ¡°Besides, it was you who broke it first. Human soldiers attacked us. Delvers went after us, attempting to kill our people unprovoked, and soldiers of Nerlia attacked our settlement, sneaking in under the cover of a storm like thieves in the night.¡± He didn¡¯t respond for a moment. She could see that her words had given him pause. ¡°I am aware of no such thing, Lady Regina,¡± Baron Neralt finally said. ¡°My only wish was for us to coexist peacefully.¡± ¡°That might be true, and clearly, you might not have been the one who ordered these attacks, but you didn¡¯t stop them, either. I expect you were in no position to do either of these. But your village is part of Cernlia, and I am sure at least some of the people who did attack us used it as a base.¡± He took a small step backward, probably readying himself in case violence broke out. ¡°So, this is how it is to be, then? You threw your lot in with the elves, and are now coming to attack us under cover of night like thieves?¡± Points for picking up my phrase, but the drama of it wasn¡¯t quite on target, I think. Clearly, he¡¯s not that much of a public speaker. Regina inclined her head. ¡°Our friends in the forest have graciously lent us some aid, since we are combating a common threat. But I have no wish to assault or kill you or the people in your care, Baron. I implore you to surrender.¡± She gave a short dramatic pause and softened her tone. ¡°I would much prefer to settle this with little bloodshed. In truth, I still want to come to a peaceful, beneficial arrangement with you and your superiors.¡± It seemed like Janis or the marquis¡¯ daughter weren¡¯t here in the village. That was a shame, but Regina hadn¡¯t counted on it, anyway. She hoped they¡¯d come once they heard what had happened here. After all, the truce she had brokered was at issue. But she had plans for what to do if they didn¡¯t. What she¡¯d told the baron was the truth, or at least most of it. Regina¡¯s strategy was pretty simple. She¡¯d considered three things she would have to do or use: making a show of force, carrots and sticks. This was mostly the former. Her knowledge of advanced technology and what you could do with it could serve both for a show of force and as potential carrots. The elves, of course, were more to do with showing strength. Baron Neralt exchanged a look with Lady Neralt. Judging by their respective ages, she was probably not his wife, but his mother. Regina used the opportunity their hesitation provided to check in on Tim and the other side of this battle quickly. It was almost disorienting at first. The air was chocked with smoke and dust, screams and the clanging of metal came from everywhere, and Tim was moving quickly. They were fighting in the main keep. Tim paused right away, standing still, and Regina saw that his attention was on a fight between Anuis and a tall man clad in plate mail, a Champion. He only stopped for an instant, before he bolted into motion again, appearing in the blind spot of the human and thrusting the sword the elves had given him into his side. ¡°And what does the other party involved in this say?¡± the baron asked. ¡°Honored elves, does your apparent new ally speak for you? Do you also desire to leave us in peace?¡± ¡°Indeed, Lord Elric,¡± Bianorn answered, taking half a step forward and inclining his head gracefully. ¡°Our grievance is with Nerlia, and with those invading our domain seeking to kill our people. This war may have disrupted the peaceful and amicable relationship we had before, but it is not forgotten. This does not rest on our opinion, however. The Hive Queen is leading this enterprise, and we have agreed to give her our support in this, in seeking to secure the safety of her hive and people, and a favorable arrangement with this local territory and its lords.¡± Neralt simply looked at him for a few seconds, the two of them locking gazes and perhaps measuring something. Then he turned to her. ¡°If this is the case, I see little choice. I will not risk my people against a superior force and see them die needlessly for this.¡± He bowed. ¡°I surrender to you, Lady Regina.¡± Regina had to work to control herself and not let any of her surprise show while she replied with a nod. That actually worked? In the castle, the Champion was just falling, while Tim staggered away from him, clutching one of his blade-arms to his torso and stemming the flow of blood out of it with one hand. Anuis knelt in the center of the room, the light coming through a hole in the ceiling or upper wall painting weird shadows over her. A cheer went up from some soldiers standing outside of Tim¡¯s field of vision. Regina smiled, and motioned her drones to disperse while she walked towards Neralt. The battle was over. She¡¯d taken the first step. Interlude: Delvers When the king of Nerlia had declared war on the elves in their forest, and later the king of Cernlia had joined him, he might have thought that the Delvers would be the first to take up his banner. Certainly he would have thought that they would flock to join his army and offer their swords to his cause. After all, it was common knowledge that the Delvers disdained anyone who did not have pure human blood, be they demihumans or civilized folk like the elves, or even the very rare halfbreed. If he was in the king¡¯s shoes, Owin mused while staring into the fire, he probably would have thought the same. The details of the Delvers¡¯ beliefs and attitudes were generally not very clear to the uninitiated. Which might, a part of him admitted, be because they were somewhat ambiguous, uncertain and even contradictory, in some cases. In any case, Owin thought that the king must have been disappointed. The Delvers had had arrangements with the elves, ones that had actually lasted quite a long time, all things considered. Perhaps that had been inevitable, given how likely they were to come into contact during delves. The Delvers had not been particularly eager to fight and bleed against them for the benefit of a grasping king. Of course, there was more to it than that. He didn¡¯t follow politics closely, but he knew there were schemes and alliances in play. His people did have some political clout in Nerlia, even if it was perhaps less than in Cernlia. Not that they could influence the Cernlian king, he imagined ¡ª he¡¯d heard others complaining about his general intransigence often enough. Perhaps that was simply spite. But now here he was, sitting in front of a campfire a very short distance from the soldiers of the Nerlian army. Owin sighed, staring into the fire, a little morosely. How did he even end up here? It was certainly not because he¡¯d wanted to. But while his standing in the order might be nothing to sneeze at, he still was not among those who made the big decisions. More¡¯s the pity, he thought, then shook his head at himself. He did not want to be among the politicians and diplomats. Give him a fight or an exploration mission any day, or even a stint working with the marvels in their workshops; he much preferred that to trying to weasel around slimy merchants or nobles. And the upper echelons of the Delvers were more politicians than he would have liked, even if he knew they couldn¡¯t all be simple fighters. ¡°Are you still brooding?¡± A playful voice ripped him from his thoughts. He looked up to see Gwen sitting down and giving him one of her looks. ¡°It¡¯s a nice day, Owin. Do you want to spend it sitting here and moping about your oh so unlucky situation?¡± He gave her a rueful smile. ¡°I suppose not, Gwen. Thank you for interrupting me. I don¡¯t know how I would have ever noticed the nice weather without you.¡± She snorted lightly, leaning forward to punch him on the shoulder. Owin turned away a bit, not enough to completely escape the blow, but to send it glancing off his arm. It didn¡¯t hurt, since her strength was not very much compared to his Constitution. ¡°Do you want the next battle to start already?¡± Gwen asked. She now looked thoughtful all of a sudden, too. ¡°I know some of the others do. Many are getting frustrated with all these sneaky, hide-and-seek tactics the elves are using, the skirmishing and the way they¡¯re keen on harassing us without giving battle properly.¡± ¡°Well, we are in a forest, Gwen,¡± he pointed out reasonably. ¡°Of course we are not going to have field battles the way we might in an open, well, field. But no, I¡¯m not craving the next battle. Despite what people may say, I am really not a battle maniac.¡± She sighed softly, and he quickly straightened his expression and made sure it wouldn¡¯t give his thoughts away. Despite her put-on cheer, he knew that she actually liked fighting in this war even less than he did. Unfortunately for her, as someone with a rare and combat-oriented Class like hers, she had little chance of getting out of it. ¡°Look at it this way,¡± she said, and he felt like she was talking to herself as much as to him, ¡°at least you don¡¯t have to put up as much with some of the others who are more enthusiastic about this, and keep volunteering and going out.¡± ¡°Right,¡± he agreed, stifling a chuckle as he thought of a few others she might mean. ¡°I guess Egon and his ilk have been acting a bit differently recently.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± She leaned back and crossed her arms. ¡°Sure, I was thinking of some other people, though. He¡¯s not that bad, really, compared to a few men I¡¯ve met back at headquarters.¡± ¡°Really? I suppose you do know him better than me.¡± He¡¯d only met the man a few months ago, and they hadn¡¯t even been on a mission together, so far. ¡°Well.¡± She uncrossed her arms and shrugged. ¡°Egon Trito is a true believer, no mistake about that. But he is still reasonable about it. At least in most cases. I would not trust him to hide his disdain of demihumans, but he would not just attack whoever he meets, I don¡¯t think.¡± Owin nodded. That described quite a few of his fellows, really. It felt a little uncomfortable to hear her talk like this, however. Even though he had been the one who had gotten the ball rolling in her questioning the Delvers¡¯ traditional views on some things. She had been as bad as how she described Sir Egon when she first joined them as a bright-eyed young woman. Which was, granted, less than ten years ago. By now, the way she talked about another Delver made him think she had gone farther than he might be comfortable with, and almost certainly farther than was wise. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, Owin.¡± She sat up straighter and frowned a little. ¡°I still believe in us, in what we should stand for. I still strive to remember and respect what our people did and lost. I just don¡¯t think we can blame today¡¯s demihumans for what happened so long ago.¡± Owin sighed. He just couldn¡¯t argue with her. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry. Not that I actually said anything ¡­¡± he mumbled. The sharp look she threw him made him suspect she still caught his words. But then the sound of footsteps quickly coming closer captured his attention. He turned around and rose to his feet right away when he noticed the second in command of his squad, Joren, approaching them. He did not like the look on his face. ¡°Sir, the Commandant has called a meeting.¡± He came to a stop and nodded respectfully at Gwen before facing Owin again. ¡°You are required to attend. You both are, I¡¯d presume. It looks like there may have been some news.¡± Owin exchanged a look with Gwen and quickly patted his side, ensuring he still had his dagger. Then he also gave himself a once-over, glancing at his jerkin, and decided he was presentable enough for a meeting. If they wanted him to attend in fancy dress, they should have given him more notice. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The two of them quickly made their way to the pavilion where the meeting was going to be held, the same as several briefings they had attended here before, mostly together. Owin didn¡¯t really care much for being a leader of men (and some women), but since he had reached his second Class Progression, it had been hard to avoid. These additional demands were just one more reason why he disliked the recent developments. The camp was unusually quiet around them. It might be due to the time of day, or perhaps the way the war dragged on was wearing on the soldiers. They all sent him and Gwen curious glances, but they didn¡¯t interfere or try to stop them. They would be able to tell that the two Delvers had a relatively high level, and they were obviously not some common soldiers. Owin still looked around, trying to assess the state of the camp. It was relatively orderly, but the tents and even a few simple huts weren¡¯t set up quite in straight lines everywhere. The campfires were rather big, considering their location, but also still some distance away from any trees, and trying to hide the camp¡¯s position would most likely be futile, anyway. Owin saw people of several nationalities. A few of them might even be mercenaries from further away. But there were essentially no demihumans and no one of any other humanoid race, of course. They weren¡¯t likely to join the human kingdoms in this war, but that suited him just fine. There were a few clerics of various gods, and even what might be paladins or the like. Owin kept well away from them and had no intention of getting near them in the future, either, although he kept his expression bland and neutral. Beside him, Gwen did the same, but he knew she would feel the same way. When they finally arrived and entered the Commandant''s pavilion, he greeted them with his usual boisterous manner and broad smile. Owin nodded at the others gathered around the conference table, his smile fading away when he saw the senior Delver he had just been talking about, engaged deep in discussion with the Elite Blade of Light. Sir Rodrick was one of those men who seemed to combine all the worst of the Delvers¡¯ philosophy and the outside world. For Owin, it was apparent that no Delver should uphold the rampant misogyny plaguing the latter, but somehow, he seemed to manage it. ¡°Forgive me for speaking up when I¡¯m both junior and the last to arrive, Commandant,¡± Gwen said when it seemed like no one was going to start the meeting, ¡°but may I ask why you have called us here? I¡¯m sure the others are wondering the same.¡± Owin nodded in agreement, as did a few other people present, and looked at him expectantly. The Commandant cleared his throat. High level did not equate leadership positions within the Delvers, but it did correlate, and according to the rumors, he had risen from a similar position as Owin. He didn¡¯t seem entirely comfortable being the center of attention. But Owin also knew from experience that he would do his job competently, anyway. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sorry for the short notice,¡± he responded. ¡°Actually, I just came from a meeting with the General, and we¡¯ve also recently had some troubling intelligence reports. I hope you are all familiar with the issue of members going missing while delving under the forest?¡± Someone snorted softly, though Owin hadn¡¯t been looking in their direction and wasn¡¯t sure who. ¡°What did Eric and his men get into this time?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the idiot got another squad lost or stirred up some monster nest?¡° Owin frowned to himself. The man hadn¡¯t really struck him as an idiot, for all their points of disagreement. But he wasn¡¯t surprised Rodrick talked this way. In the first place, going down into the tunnels this close to a war being fought, and one they were participating in, was a foolish move. And assignments to the cave system or to search for people who had probably wandered off and gotten lost, or been eaten by some monsters with little evidence remaining, did not go to the people you wanted to shine or to rely on. The unfortunate had probably messed up considerably or angered someone important. Like Sir Rodrick (loathe as he was to admit it, but that seemed like something the twit would do), or even the Commandant. ¡°I wish it were that simple.¡± The Commandant shook his head. The lines on his face somehow seemed deeper than normal, and his hair to have more gray in it. ¡°We have not had any sign of the squad that first went missing, although the elves¡¯ movements have changed - as we previously discussed - in the area around this time. What our Seer has seen is, shall we say, not promising. The second team also failed to report in.¡± Owin grimaced. Someone with a Seer Class was a strategic asset, one of the most valued ones for the Delvers. His predictions lacked some specificity, but his information was always good, even if gathering it had severe limitations. ¡°In any case, this is only part of what concerns me,¡± the Commandant continued. ¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to remind any of you of the rather, ah, spontaneous Nerlian movement in the direction of where the scouts say the new demihumans¡¯ nest is. Which is, let me remind you, close to the entrance our squads must have used. They are certainly involved, that much has been seen.¡± ¡°So, they¡¯ve survived this far?¡± Gwen asked. She leaned forward a little, looking intently focused. ¡°This is leading up to something, isn¡¯t it?¡± Their leader nodded and even spared her a small smile. ¡°Indeed. Either we previously underestimated the degree of their attachment to the elves - and vice versa - or recent events have changed it. The elves appear to have sent them troops, and, as it turns out, those were not only for defending their territory.¡± Owin frowned. He¡¯d heard of most of this already. Then he blinked as he realized what it must mean, but he managed to keep his silence and let the Commandant continue. An attack? ¡°We just received a communication from Cernlia,¡± he continued. ¡°Apparently, the alarm in their defensive outpost closest to the forest and the elves¡¯ city here has been triggered. There was no follow-up information, and, in fact, no one has managed to reach them since with any of the enchantments they might use. This only allows one conclusion: They have been attacked, and have likely lost the ensuing fight.¡± There was a short silence in the room as everyone digested this news. Owin looked at the other senior Delvers he was familiar with, seeing his own concern mirrored in their expressions. ¡°Considering how you led into this information, Commandant, am I correct in assuming that you believe the demihumans and elves are behind this?¡± he asked. The Commandant nodded. ¡°Precisely. The elves are almost certainly involved in some form. They might have decided to attack alone, but I also wouldn¡¯t discount the possibility of the demihumans being involved, considering the reports I mentioned. They are also both closer and presumably more expendable to the elves than their own soldiers, so I would assume that they would have tried to use the demihumans or at least get their help for such an operation.¡± ¡°The elves aren¡¯t really known for that kind of vicious pragmatism,¡± a senior Delver who¡¯d come in armor and looked like he¡¯d arrived straight from a patrol objected. ¡°They¡¯re also not cuddly idealists, or we wouldn¡¯t be getting our butts kicked this often,¡± Rodrick retorted. The Commandant raised a hand to stop the argument before it could devolve into bickering. ¡°You both have a point, but I was only speculating. We certainly don¡¯t know their motivations or reasoning for sure.¡± ¡°Are we going to try and find out what happened?¡± Owin asked. ¡°I assume the Nerlians want to send scouts, right?¡± He nodded. ¡°The Cernlians will certainly react as well, and they¡¯ll be first, since they¡¯re closer. Still, I would prefer not to be blindsided or to have to rely on the generals¡¯ information. I intend to pick several people to send to gather more information.¡± ¡°As scouts or with other means?¡± someone asked. ¡°Both are possible, but the latter would likely be safer.¡± Owin suppressed a sigh and popped his back as the discussion continued, the gathered Delvers debating several people and the merits and disadvantages of getting them to gather information. His gaze crossed Gwen¡¯s, and the way her eyebrows shifted fractionally almost made him smile. This was an important development and it might herald a shift in the war, but right now, he knew they were both thinking the same thing. This was going to be another long meeting. Chapter 68: Intentions and Communications Regina ran a hand over her face, taking the moment to cover her eyes and expression. Then she let it drop again, her gaze still fixed on the motionless form of the drone in front of her. Ash was covered with a large sheet of cloth, although she had turned over a corner of it to look at his face. It looked peaceful, far more so than it should, given what had happened. They would be building pyres once the immediate issues were settled. He, however, would not burn among them. When she listened very closely, she could still make out the faint rasp of his breath. Not that she needed to. His presence in her psychic link was awfully quiet, but it was still there. It hadn¡¯t gone out completely. They had lost quite a few War Drones, again, and she¡¯d run herself ragged and exhausted all of her mana healing the others and her people. Regina was thankful to whatever higher powers there might be that she hadn¡¯t lost any more of her sapient drones. Of her ¡­ children. She¡¯d even considered offering a prayer to Alianais, briefly. Then she¡¯d discarded the idea. Now, Regina took a step back, checking over Ash again. She had healed his serious wounds, at least as well as she could. His torso had been a bit of a mess of blood and other things, but someone had cleaned him up since, and there was little sign of it remaining. She wasn¡¯t sure about his internal injuries, however. I still only have Basic Heal. Basic. It¡¯s an unpleasant reminder that I can and will need to upgrade it further. The elves had laid him into some kind of bush-and-flowers-based healing constellation, which had put him into this deep sleep and slowed down any further deterioration. She hoped he¡¯d keep healing and wake up soon. For now, though, she couldn¡¯t afford to spare the time. Regina sighed and turned around, stepping away from him and towards the center of the newly taken village. In the light of dawn, it looked more alive than before, but also, well, not so great. Any fires that might have started in the fight had quickly been put out, luckily, but some houses did sustain damage due to the effects of other Skills and magic. Not that they had had many mages here, those were probably at the castle. ¡°He¡¯s going to be alright, my Queen,¡± Max murmured. ¡°Are we going to sort out things here now?¡± Regina gave him a sideways glance and nodded. He wasn¡¯t that close with the younger Scout, but she knew Max cared about the other drones, and they¡¯d trained together some. ¡°I need to meet with Anuis and the others, but it might be best to include the baron and maybe the rest of the local leadership somewhat.¡± Carefully, of course. Max nodded and kept walking beside her as Regina continued on. She took the time to examine her surroundings critically. Some of the villagers had apparently grown brave enough to venture out of their homes now. She saw several of them talking with elves or hive drones, who were clearly making an effort to be nice and approachable. Good, that was how things should be. No point in upsetting the inhabitants any more than they had to, especially since good relations would probably still be valuable to have. Regina also took the time to focus on the System screens she had put aside previously, now that she finally had a spare minute to deal with them and consider them in detail instead of just taking a quick glance.
Congratulations, you have unlocked a new Template: Drone Attendant
Nice. It had been a while since she saw any of those messages, although that was probably just because it took quite a few levels to get a new Template. Seven or so? She could sit down and figure it out later. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure what the new type would do. It would probably be a worker type, judging by the previous unlocks, but that might not mean much. Then there was the next message, one that brought a pleased grin to her face.
You may select a Spell. You can use a Spellbook, learn a Spell from a teacher or other source of information, or pick one from the list below:
Spark, Magic Missile, Firebolt, Basic Conjuration, Basic Heal, Magic Armor, Heat Vision, Expand Senses, Physical Augmentation, Water Manipulation, Earth Manipulation, Haste, Fire Manipulation
Regina frowned thoughtfully. She¡¯d been hoping to get another Spell for a while now, but she wasn¡¯t sure what to pick. It might be time to finally go for a physical or buffing type spell, but on the other hand, upgrading her existing ones had proved to be a great choice last time. She mentally focused on the ones she already possessed and poked them slightly. Basic Heal was kind of vibrating in that odd sense, but she couldn¡¯t get it to do more than that. She could tell that she wouldn¡¯t be able to upgrade it yet, but hopefully soon. Maybe next time. Magic Missile was also ready to be upgraded, but what caught her attention was Firebolt. When she focused on it, it shifted and the characters became Fireball. Regina couldn¡¯t help but smile as she looked at the words. Such a classic. She¡¯d wanted to throw fireballs since she learned she could actually use magic now. It would likely be good for area effect damage, something she didn¡¯t really have much of yet. But something she could probably use, the way things were going. But if things went true to form, it might also use a lot of mana, and might be overkill in some situations. Regina shook her head and elected to shelve the decision. She had other things to worry about, and it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try out a new Spell later. Although she should definitely find some time to slip away as soon as possible. She¡¯d not had any eggs developing during the fight, except for a few Winged Drones, which should be ready soon. She probably should have waited with them, considering the full two-day incubation period meant she hadn¡¯t been able to use them in the fight and had needed her mana regeneration. She still didn¡¯t want to tax it too much, but at least trying the new Template was important, especially since it would still take a few days for the first drone to hatch. ¡°Is everything alright, my Queen?¡± Max asked. Regina blinked. She¡¯d been too caught up in thought. The fact that she¡¯d barely gotten any sleep and was still exhausted probably didn¡¯t help. The last of the screens could wait. ¡°Sure, I just got a few new System notifications.¡± She quickly explained what she¡¯d read so far. Max was grinning broadly by the time she was finished. He was always excited when she got new goodies and the hive grew. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Regina didn¡¯t leave him any time to celebrate, though, but quickly continued on her way to where she was going in the first place. Luckily, she saw the baron not too far away, apparently talking to Bianorn. Several other humans were also there. ¡°Lady Regina,¡± the elf spoke up first as she joined them. ¡°Commander Anuis has sent word that she¡¯s coming here soon. If it¡¯s convenient for you, we should hold a meeting then.¡± Regina nodded. She probably should have checked in more, but she didn¡¯t currently have any sapient drones close to Anuis, anyway. She still took a dive through the psychic hive link, looking through a few War Drones¡¯ eyes as well. It didn¡¯t take her long to spot Anuis, who seemed to be jogging towards the village with a few other people in tow. They had apparently crossed the river without using the bridge at some point. She looked good, the few bloody cuts she¡¯d had when Regina last saw her through Tim¡¯s eyes apparently healed. Speaking of, Regina decided to check on Tim, as well. He was still in the castle, somewhat injured, but he¡¯d taken charge of the drones there and was currently picking through the rubble that had been part of the castle¡¯s walls. Come here as well, Regina told him. Then I can heal you and you can join in this discussion. She sensed the echo of conflicting emotions from Tim, relief and reluctance. As you wish, my Queen, he answered. It didn¡¯t take long for Anuis and her group to arrive. They were moving much more quickly than normal humans would have been able to, which probably meant they had enough stat points in Str and maybe Dex. It also wasn¡¯t a very large distance, anyway. ¡°Good morning!¡± Anuis greeted them when she arrived, smiling at Regina. At first, the elf seemed almost uncharacteristically cheerful to her. Then Regina realized it was probably something to do with surviving the battle, coming down off the excitement and adrenaline. She returned the greeting, as did a few others. ¡°Century Captain Anuis,¡± the baron greeted her. ¡°So, you are the one in charge?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Three Century Commander now,¡± the elf replied. ¡°And yes, I am leading the elvish forces here, Baron Neralt. Allow me to apologize, on a personal level, for the disruption and damage. Unfortunately, the war has little consideration for such things.¡± The human noble nodded. Regina couldn¡¯t help but notice he was treating the elf quite respectfully. She didn¡¯t know if that was because of Anuis¡¯ rank or her Class and level. From what she could gather, she suspected the baron¡¯s own Class probably wasn¡¯t focused on combat, despite the name, at least not primarily. ¡°You are not wrong about that, unfortunately,¡± he responded. Regina returned her focus to Anuis, who was looking at her right now. Their gazes met, and she saw Anuis nod slightly, her expression tighter around the eyes than you would think if you only focused on her smile. Regina felt like they passed some unspoken understanding in that moment. While the baron might be friendly enough, and they really didn¡¯t want to cause him problems just because, he was still on the side of their enemies. A nation that was at war with Anuis¡¯ people and at least allied to one which had sent soldiers to attack Regina¡¯s. It would be a mistake to trust him, or any other human here, too far. ¡°Have we seen any response from outside yet?¡± she asked. ¡°Possibly, but it is hard to say,¡± Bianorn answered. He glanced at Neralt before turning back to speak to Anuis and Regina. ¡°No one has yet tried to get close to this village or the fort. However, we can assume that the local governmental base has at least some information.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°They probably know about the attack, or at least that something happened. You did send a message out, didn¡¯t you, baron?¡± Neralt didn¡¯t look happy to be asked the question. ¡°You will understand if I will not give you information on such things, I hope.¡± ¡°Of course, your loyalty is commendable,¡± Anuis said. She didn¡¯t put much feeling into her words, though. ¡°But we did find several devices in the castle that I am quite sure served some kind of alarm and communication function. Of course, we destroyed the obvious communication device as soon as we could.¡± Regina nodded and hid a smile. That part went well, at least. From what she had learned, while magic made communication over larger distances possible, it was nowhere near what you might get with an Internet, or telephones, or maybe even good old radio communication. It was mana-expensive and didn¡¯t exactly have a large bandwidth or allow for long messages. She also wasn¡¯t sure if it was at the speed of light or not, since apparently no one had measured it very accurately. It would be hard to coordinate the time used between locations far enough away, she supposed. ¡°Baron Neralt,¡± she turned to him, ¡°I am not sure if you still have any means of communicating with your lord or others outside this village. If you do, feel free to relay everything that has happened and everything we are saying now. I do not want to be your enemy, or your march¡¯s enemy. I would prefer some kind of amicable relationship. However, the situation would not allow me to simply sit still and allow more and more enemies to come to me until one finally managed to destroy my hive, so here we are.¡± ¡°Not our enemy, but the kingdom¡¯s?¡± he asked, tilting his head slightly and raising an eyebrow. The question sounded not quite mocking, but maybe sardonic. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Regina replied, taking care to keep her tone calm and even. ¡°The kingdom of Cernlia is allied to the kingdom of Nerlia, which not only wages war against our friends, the elves, but has also attacked me and my hive before. I¡¯m not saying we can¡¯t have peace, but I won¡¯t simply lay down and let them do whatever they like.¡± ¡°Quite reasonable,¡± Anuis commented. Of course, none of what she¡¯d said would be a surprise to her, although Anuis presumably knew that, while Regina hadn¡¯t lied, she¡¯d obviously said these things to send a particular message. ¡°So, you raided our village to show that you are to be taken seriously?¡± Neralt asked. ¡°Not really, no. I wouldn¡¯t call it a raid, first of all.¡± The baron glanced around, and Regina saw his eyes widened slightly as he seemed to realize something. ¡°You¡¯re going to stay here?¡± Regina smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to make this a hardship for your village, Lord Neralt. I will come and heal any of the villagers who need it. You live close to a forest of monsters and do hard physical labor, I¡¯m sure there will be quite a few cases. Then I and my hive also intend to help out in other ways. We won¡¯t let anyone starve even if the harvest might not turn out well, if it comes to that, and we¡¯ll help your infrastructure and various other areas that need it.¡± ¡°And you will also defend yourselves against any attacks that might come,¡± Anuis commented. Regina inclined her head. ¡°Of course.¡± Attacking the village was one thing. Defending a somewhat fortified position on an open field? Completely different matter. Especially since many of her drones had gained more levels recently, and they thus had more options. Baron Neralt glanced between her and Anuis. He looked like he wasn¡¯t quite sure what to think, but also wished this wasn¡¯t his problem. ¡°Actually, I had a few questions for you,¡± Regina told Anuis. She glanced back at the baron. ¡°Perhaps you might want to go and tell your men what you have heard?¡± He looked at her for a moment, before he nodded his head and turned around. ¡°Of course, Lady Regina.¡± She watched him walk away, knowing she had just seen him bow to her authority, kind of, for the first time. ¡°What did you want to ask?¡± Anuis queried. ¡°How we typically deal with captured enemy combatants?¡± ¡°Oh, right. No, but we should definitely talk about that later. I wanted to ask you about Spells. Specifically, if I upgrade a Spell I already have, do I lose access to the previous version?¡± Anuis raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes and no,¡± she answered. ¡°One will only rarely keep the Spell in one¡¯s System list of Spells, but it should be possible to use the more primitive version. Sometimes, this simply means casting it with less mana expenditure and a smaller effect, if the upgraded Spell is a direct improvement of its kind. Other times, you should still be able to use the mana pattern you first learned to cast the original Spell.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Great, thank you. And do you happen to know anything about specific Spells? Say, Fireball?¡± Now, Anuis started smiling slightly. ¡°Fireball is a respected tool on the battlefield. It has a much wider area of effect that your Firebolt, and skilled wielders are also able to focus or spread out the fire.¡± Regina grinned. ¡°Great.¡± This obviously told Anuis what Spell she wanted to pick, but it wasn¡¯t like she wouldn¡¯t have seen it in action anyway. With her questions answered, Regina didn¡¯t waste time. She called up the System message again and selected Fireball. Now I can call myself a proper mage, right? She grinned inwardly. Chapter 69: Strengths and Goodwill In the aftermath of the meeting with Anuis and the others, Regina had had more work to do than she thought. She talked to several more people, looked over the makeshift defensive positions they¡¯d set up, and contacted a few of her drones. It took a bit of finagling to figure out who would be going where and who they would need to stay on the island. She wanted to go there soon to look at the condition of the castle with her own eyes. Sure, she could see the same things through her drones, but she¡¯d be able to move around it in her own body and felt like she¡¯d experience it better in person. After she finally had a free moment again, she hesitated. The sun had definitely risen by now, and in its light, her surroundings seemed to look a bit different. She considered whether she should go on a tour and get to healing the sick and injured villagers like she¡¯d promised, but another System message had been niggling at the edge of her mind for a while. Lately, she¡¯d appeared to go up levels pretty quickly, and level 25 seemed like a bit of a threshold, probably because several spaced-out progressions had something at this level.
You may now select your third Class Skill. Please choose one of the following:
Swarm Strength: Your Swarm strengthens your Hive. Double your current limit for Swarm Drones and increase the limit¡¯s set points, multiplying with a factor of 2^(Tier-1) (doubling applies this increase retroactively). All Swarm Drones will now be born with a limit corresponding to a third of the average of their type (rounded down). Stat point gain for Swarm Drones is increased at higher Tiers. The requirement for Swarm Drones to become sapient will be raised, but Swarm Drones that Evolve to sapience will integrate into the Hive more easily.
Hive¡¯s Roster: Your Hive is manifold. Unlock the next two Templates you would gain access to immediately (one each for sapient and Swarm Drones). Requirements for unlocking new Templates will be lightened. At higher levels, you will gain access to the chance to customize Swarm Drones more easily.
Queen¡¯s Strength: Your power is your Hive¡¯s power. Once per three days, you may boost your own abilities and strength drastically for a limited period of time. Your effective Int and Wis are increased by a factor of (Tier-1)*0.25. Your Spells will be more easily cast and mana fatigue delayed. Your physical stats are increased by a factor of (Tier-1)*0.1. This Ability lasts for level/2 minutes at baseline, but increased draw on your mana will reduce its duration. Afterwards, your stats will be reduced by half and your effective casting time doubled for twice the duration.
Regina frowned as she read through the Ability choices again carefully. They all sounded good on paper, but, then again, they always did. And, in what seemed to be becoming a pattern, while she¡¯d originally been looking forward to getting Hive¡¯s Roster, now she thought it might not be the best choice after all. She was leveling up pretty quickly and getting new Templates wasn¡¯t really much of a problem, and besides, this seemed like short-term benefit over long-term gain. The upgrade to the Swarm, on the other hand, captured her imagination. A true exponential progression. And it would help her in the short term, too. While she hadn¡¯t hit her limit for Swarm Drones yet, she easily could if things continued like this. Them being hatched at higher levels would remove some of the need for grinding their levels, which would probably be especially important later on, and let her build stronger forces more quickly. The part about them gaining sapience was really interesting. But, while it seemed like it would objectively make them more useful, it would take away from their expendable facelessness, which was kind of the Swarm Drones¡¯ whole point. So, she didn¡¯t mind if that would happen later, especially if it helped the hive further. The third option left her feeling a bit ambivalent. It would probably be helpful, but she wasn¡¯t sure how wise it really was. Actually, this was the first time she¡¯d gotten an active Skill offered instead of a passive. She didn¡¯t like the danger of being weakened by a lot after the effect ran its course, especially since it didn¡¯t give any details of how much the duration would be lessened, so it might not last that long in practice. The cooldown also wasn¡¯t exactly short. Frowning and shaking her head to herself, Regina made her decision. She mentally tapped on Swarm Strength, and watched the screen dissolve with a rain of sparkles. She didn¡¯t feel very different afterwards. There might be a small shift in the part of her mana sense she associated with her link to her drones, but she might just be imagining things. Anyway, she¡¯d dithered here for long enough, so she finally got moving. True to her words, Regina made a round of the village and offered healing to the inhabitants. She figured it was better to establish herself as helpful as soon as possible. Since she still didn¡¯t have that much mana, she had to prioritize and treat the most serious cases first. There was one man with a broken and cut leg, probably some kind of work accident, that had gotten infected. She was privately surprised he¡¯d lived this long at all. Luckily, it was nothing her healing Spell couldn¡¯t fix. She also got a woman with mangled arm that looked like it came from the jaws of a monster and a little girl who must have fallen from somewhere high up. The villagers were obviously wary of her, but they treated her with respect. A few even seemed surprised when she said she wanted nothing in exchange for the healing. Healing magic is probably expensive, ordinarily, and these are ¡®simple peasants¡¯. I¡¯m also not sure how common a Spell like a Heal variant normally is. The little girl, on the other hand, seemed fascinated by Regina. She was a little relieved when the kid¡¯s mother dragged her away. Children - well, human children, anyway - were not something Regina knew how to deal with. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. She also checked in on her drones again. Several more of them had reached level 20 and could start the process of their Evolution. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much time we have until we are attacked again,¡± Ben said when she broached the subject of whether they should let these drones do it now. ¡°They likely won¡¯t be able to participate in the next fight. But I also don¡¯t like the idea of them being stuck like this for days, or longer.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I think we should just let everyone evolve now. The time it takes seems to be a little variable, anyway. And with the help of the elves, I think we can deal with whatever might come in the next few days, since they would be acting on short notice, too.¡± ¡°Thank you, my Queen.¡± Ina smiled. ¡°Although I¡¯m not sure I would be much help in a fight either way, even with my new Class. From the options I have, I¡¯d like to choose Drone Craftsperson.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°That sounds useful. Go ahead.¡± The others who were eligible to evolve now weren¡¯t here at the moment, but Regina didn¡¯t doubt that they¡¯d hear about it right away. ¡°We have quite a few different Classes now,¡± Max commented. He¡¯d showed up at some point during her walk and was accompanying her again. ¡°Even just for the Warriors, we now have four different ones, already. My Royal Bodyguard, Tim¡¯s Royal Blade, Ben¡¯s Drone Commander, and Dan¡¯s Elite Drone Warrior. The last one is probably going to be the most common.¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably right. We didn¡¯t have anyone else who got a Class like yours and Tim¡¯s offered, right?¡± They both shook their heads. ¡°Those probably have special conditions. Well, I guess we¡¯ll see. Our hive is definitely growing stronger, anyway. I¡¯m looking forward to what other options we¡¯ll get.¡± The others smiled at that, and she knew they were happy to hear her say the hive was growing stronger. Ben quickly left to talk to the other drones and probably tell them they could go through their Evolutions. Regina turned around and watched her drones. Then she closed her eyes and focused on her link to others further away. Her range had expanded yet again, though she found it difficult to tell by how much exactly. Still, her hive¡¯s settlement was definitely in reach. Just now, she sensed the hatching of the newest Swarm Drone eggs. She waited silently while they hatched, and finally got a good look at them through each other¡¯s eyes. The Winged Drones were even smaller than the War Drones. Their bodies were slim and light, and she got the impression their shells wouldn¡¯t stand up to much damage, at least compared to others. They had wings in roughly the same style she did, a mix of insectoid and vertebrate, like the Hivekind¡¯s bodies. They were large, their wingspan considerably longer than their bodies. Their forelimbs had relatively large hands, compared to their body size, which would hopefully be useful for carrying stuff, or even something like a bow or projectile weapon. She nudged one of them to fly. Its wings beat quickly, and it managed to lift into the air. At first, it swerved almost drunkenly, but quickly stabilized itself. She could tell the flight was draining, especially since the drone had just hatched and hadn¡¯t eaten anything, but Regina didn¡¯t much care at the moment. She grinned to herself. Right now, the few drones she¡¯d left at the hive¡¯s place would take care of them, give them something to eat. Then she should probably leave one or two behind and get the others here as inconspicuously as possible. They had lots of testing to do. And with no more eggs draining her mana regeneration now, Regina could afford new ones, even keeping most of her mana for preparations. She¡¯d make two Drone Attendants, ducking into a dark corner as soon as possible. For now, Regina opened her eyes and filled Max in. He grinned, looking happy at the possibilities the flying drones opened up. In the end, Regina had to wait until the elves could accommodate her. They had brought along some supplies and left them with a few guards some distance from the village, and now brought them in. Regina had to applaud their preparedness, although they wouldn¡¯t stay here forever. They¡¯d planned that the elven forces would leave, eventually, though they wouldn¡¯t be going right away. In any case, they were more than happy to put up a small tent for Regina¡¯s use, and she made use of that to not let the humans know where the hive¡¯s new eggs came from. Once she stepped out of the tent, she wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do next. She called over a nearby War Drone and started to scratch it on the head. This one was level 19. Its right forelimb had a small discoloration in its shell, where it had cracked, and, while she¡¯d healed it, the edges had shifted a little and left a mark. She¡¯d see if it could also undergo Evolution soon. Regina dipped into its mind for a moment. It was feeling pure bliss. She grinned, kept scratching and looked a little deeper. Its mind didn¡¯t really feel any more complex. Then she discretely handed it the two eggs in their bags and told it to carry them to the Workers. Maybe I should make a habit of petting War Drones, like a theatrical thing. She laughed to herself and turned to head back to the center of the village. Of course, that was when the baron found her. He seemed to have waited for her on one of the widest streets leading to the town square, and Regina decided to let him say what he obviously wanted to. ¡°I hear you made good on your word and have offered healing to my villagers, Lady Regina,¡± he said. ¡°Is that the correct address I should be using for you, by the way?¡± She shrugged. ¡°People have been using it for a while now, so I don¡¯t see why not.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He looked a bit confused, maybe wondering if she didn¡¯t have customs of her own people to use. ¡°In any case, I wanted to thank you.¡± ¡°Just doing my job.¡± He just looked at her for a moment, then clearly realized she wasn¡¯t going to say anything else and continued. ¡°I also wanted to discuss what your, ah, drones are doing on the village¡¯s outskirts.¡± ¡°Yes? If you have any concerns, I¡¯m happy to listen.¡± ¡°They are digging into the earth and working ¡­ something with wood and at least one material I don¡¯t recognize.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°May I ask what that is about?¡± ¡°Building defenses,¡± she explained. ¡°Largely, anyway. You¡¯ll excuse me for not giving you all the details, we do have things to do. Don¡¯t worry, this will not be a danger to you or the civilians here.¡± He stared at her for a moment. But then, he clearly realized that was all he was going to get out of her. Regina smiled at him. Then he let out a little sigh and shook his head. She figured that went well enough. She should probably give Anuis or Bianorn a heads-up, though. Chapter 70: Contacts Regina knew her hive wouldn¡¯t get much time until they would have to face conflict again, but she was trying to get every bit of preparation that she could done, and things were working quite well, so far. She had to regulate her mana expenditure carefully, but she still managed to Conjure a few things that would be quite useful. The hive¡¯s drones, especially the Workers, were also hard at work preparing defenses and other things they could use. Meanwhile, Tim of all people had started cozying up to the local human fighters. He really was better at making friends than one might think. Case in point, she saw him talking to Bianorn several times, too. It even looked like the elf was teaching him some moves with the sword. Regina decided that particular situation didn¡¯t need her attention, and would probably proceed better without her. They had a lot of people stand watch for the next night, and Regina was half-expecting to get woken up by some night assault launched by an enemy strike team. Despite that, she still managed to sleep pretty well, only waking up two times in the middle of the night. She even broke her usual policy and, instead of sleeping alone in a room, joined Mia and Tia, since Max was on guard duty along with several of their oldest and most powerful drones and Tim was out doing whatever. But the night passed quietly, without any interruptions. She also took a look at the village and its people, and what they were usually doing. She¡¯d already spent some time thinking about her Spells and was considering getting Water Manipulation next. Not only could it be a good counterpoint to her Fireball, but it had a lot of potential uses, probably even for combat. Seeing the agriculture-focused, mundane life of these people gave her another way to look at it. She had heard that the land here wasn¡¯t considered barren or unproductive, but it wasn¡¯t particularly fertile, either. There was probably a lot more to it, something to do with the nearness of the forest and the river, but she didn¡¯t know anything about that subject. That day, the weather was a lot nicer than it had been the last few days. There was barely a cloud in the sky. Regina enjoyed the warm sunlight. The days were getting shorter, and she didn¡¯t think the temperature would rise as high as it had been a few weeks ago again. Still, the sky was a deep blue as she looked up at it. Then Regina blinked. Something about the view seemed odd, as if something was casting a shadow in the sky. It was hard to make out. She quickly walked a few meters farther, then tried to see if she could spot any change. It did seem like the thing was relatively close, though, obviously, still up in the sky. She almost took off her tunic and unfolded her wings to fly up and take a closer look, but then paused. It was probably not the wisest choice. So, Regina closed her eyes for a moment and focused on Dark. The little bird was currently nesting in the thick fur of the Mana Beast. He did seem to be awake already, though, and at her prompting, he took off into the air. The other monster snorted and turned around, ostensibly still asleep or at least dozing. Regina focused on Dark and nudged him to explore. But he didn¡¯t find anything. When he reached clear skies and looked for the darker patch Regina had seen, there didn¡¯t seem to be anything. She frowned to herself and pulled most of her attention back, taking another look herself, but there wasn¡¯t much to see. Maybe I was just imagining things, after all. Although it¡¯s probably not bad to assume that we¡¯re being watched. Hell, for all I know, the Nerlians or this Cernlian king have something like a Diviner or Clairvoyant Class and can look at what¡¯s happening here at any time. ¡°Max?¡± Regina looked around. For once, her oldest drone was not hanging around her. He appeared just a few seconds later from the direction of where most of the Workers were busy at the village¡¯s edge, though. ¡°Yes, my Queen?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen something that struck me as odd, although I¡¯m not sure if it was really there. However, we should probably assume that we might be being watched, anyway.¡± He nodded. ¡°Tim thought of that, too. We¡¯re trying to conceal what we¡¯re doing as much as we can, but a few things you just can¡¯t hide that well.¡± ¡°I know. Let¡¯s go take a look, unless you were busy with something else?¡± He shook his head, and they set off together. Regina decided to go on a circuitous route, looking around at this part of the village as they did. She had a feeling it was probably considered a large village around here, even though it didn¡¯t seem like it to her. They got some wary looks from the villagers, but, overall, those seemed to just be trying to go on with their day. Judging from what she¡¯d seen of the night sky and the length of the day and night cycle over the weeks, Regina estimated it would be about mid-August now. There was still a bit of summer left, and the farmers probably had some work to do, though she didn¡¯t know what they¡¯d be doing. She also wouldn¡¯t expect the war to go into some kind of winter pause for some time yet, if ever. The harvest also hadn¡¯t started yet, but it might not be too much longer, at least for certain crops. There were some that would be brought in in late summer or early autumn, right? At the moment, it probably meant she should try not to damage what was growing on the fields. Regina tried not to disturb the drones when she approached them and looked at what they were doing. The Workers were obviously contributing the most, especially with their abilities. Tia was directing a few of them, enthusiastically pointing at different spots on the ground and demonstrating something with a few pieces of wood or the hive¡¯s material. Regina¡¯s lips twitched as she looked at her. She seems to be having fun. Mia was also there, but a bit more restrained, and seemed to be focused on working on some more complicated bundle of wood, not-wax and a few metal pieces. Regina made a mental note to check their stocks and ask what they needed conjured next. It was actually Tia who noticed Regina¡¯s arrival first. She put down what she was holding and hurried towards her, still smiling. ¡°My Queen! Was there something you needed, or did you just want to see our progress?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Regina smiled back. ¡°It seems to be going pretty well.¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°It is!¡± Tia glanced over the surroundings, looking pleased. She gave a little wave to Mia, who had looked up now. The other girl nodded at her and bent over her work again. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure what else you want to do, though,¡± Tia continued. ¡°We don¡¯t want to give away all our cards, and some things might endanger the villagers.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I thought about mine fields, but that¡¯s probably not a good idea,¡± she admitted. ¡°For something like that, we¡¯d need to familiarize them with it very well, and that¡¯s not exactly a good idea in terms of ¡®operational security¡¯. Not to mention the possibility of accidents. Kids get hurt easily, or so I gather.¡± Tia made a face, but brightened again quickly. ¡°Of course. I think we can do some other things, though.¡± They slowly walked up and around where the others were working, talking about their plans. Some of them were rather simple and relatively obvious, like just digging ditches. Some were a little trickier. Regina didn¡¯t like autonomous mines, but something that could only be triggered deliberately, like with one of her Fireball spells, might be a different matter. Or at least preparations or placements for such things. She hoped none of it would be needed, but she wouldn¡¯t bet on that. She also focused on measures that would not be bound to a specific location, like preparing more of the ¡®grenades¡¯ from before and a few other surprises. Regina stopped by Mia and had a quick exchange with her, as well. Mia seemed happy to see her, even if she was a bit more subdued about it than Tia. ¡°Are you sure this will be enough?¡± she finally asked, a little quiet. ¡°Of course I can¡¯t be sure.¡± Regina sighed softly and sat down on a piece of lumber beside her. ¡°We¡¯ll do our best, but, to be honest, all of this is taking a massive risk. Do you think I shouldn¡¯t have done it?¡± Mia paused and lowered her work-limb, raising her head. Regina heard Max shift beside her and Tia glanced between them, but Mia didn¡¯t look away from her. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so, Regina. I think you¡¯re making the best choices you can under the circumstances.¡± Regina smiled again and stood up. Having Mia support her like this meant a lot to her. ¡°Thanks, Mia.¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to it, then.¡± Unfortunately, at that point they were interrupted by Ada, who came running up to the group from the village and was obviously breathing hard. ¡°Commander Anuis sent me, my Queen,¡± she said as she slid to a stop beside Regina. ¡°Apparently, there are humans approaching from further away. She wants to meet at the southeastern edge of the village, at the exit of the wider road.¡± Regina suppressed a sigh. They hadn¡¯t even had the chance to talk about defenses for the castle yet. Well, not in detail. ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°Tia and Mia, one of you should come along, please decide which one. Max, Tim, you too.¡± She probably didn¡¯t need to bother mentioning Max at all, he would obviously try to accompany her. ¡°Also, I checked on Ash,¡± Ada said as they hurried around the edge of the village. ¡°That elven healer says he¡¯s doing well, and will hopefully wake up soon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great news. Thanks.¡± Regina smiled. They quickly reached Anuis, Bianorn and a few other officers. They stood behind a wooden barricade that only left a relatively small gap across the street. Regina slipped inside and noted that the drones positioned themselves in such a way that she would still have a view out of it. ¡°Who is it that¡¯s coming?¡± she asked. Anuis looked faintly amused. ¡°An elite squad or something similar, I would imagine,¡± she replied. ¡°There are no more than eight people, and their approach is relatively open. I don¡¯t imagine they¡¯re here to retake the village. More likely is either reconnaissance or diplomacy.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Then we should meet them openly, I¡¯d say. Do you think we should include the baron?¡± Anuis frowned. ¡°I will leave that decision to you. However, I would first wait until we know what they want, and then let him come out.¡± Regina nodded again and turned to the others. ¡°Would you inform him and make sure he¡¯s not preparing to make trouble?¡± After a short exchange, Tim and Bianorn left to take care of it. Regina waited with Anuis, looking out over the fields. After a minute, Zoe showed up and handed her a bag with a few prepared devices and projectiles. Regina gave her a quick smile and turned back, but she noticed that Zoe positioned herself to cover Mia. Tia had apparently decided to stay back and keep working. Soon, she could make out the approaching humans. The party was on horseback, riding pretty quickly down the road that led further into the kingdom. Or, to be specific, into the Lyns March, apparently. Most of them looked like knights, and Regina didn¡¯t recognize any of the men whose faces she could see. ¡°As I suspected,¡± Anuis murmured. ¡°They would give us trouble if it came to a fight, but I do think we could take them. There might be several above level 40, but they are grossly outnumbered.¡± That was good to know. Regina hesitated for a moment, wondering how to act. The humans reined in their horses soon, a short distance away from the village¡¯s entrance. One of them lowered a kind of pole with a white cloth tied to it. ¡°Let¡¯s go out and meet them,¡± she said. She also gave a few commands over her psychic hive link and positioned the Winged Drones on the roofs of the surrounding buildings. The group headed out, Max again walking beside and slightly ahead of Regina, to cover her. ¡°Greetings,¡± the apparent leader said. From closer up, Regina recognized him as one of the knights she¡¯d seen before. ¡°Greetings to you, as well,¡± she replied, and Anuis echoed her. Regina paused for a moment, then continued talking. ¡°I would like to make it clear that we acted after the truce I had negotiated with your Lady Kiara ran out. My hive was attacked several times by humans, once including Nerlian soldiers. We have tried to limit collateral damage and we have and will continue to respect and protect the civilians.¡± She figured it was best to get the important points out there right away. The knight, Willard, tilted his head, though Regina couldn¡¯t see his expression because of his helmet. ¡°That is unfortunate news. I understand that the elves and the hive have jointly attacked and claimed the fort Forest¡¯s Haunt and its surroundings, including Neralt Village.¡± ¡°That is correct,¡± Regina confirmed. ¡°Indeed,¡± Anuis said. ¡°You may also note that the Hive Queen and her people are primarily responsible for this situation, while my forces are supporting her.¡± The knight nodded. Regina wondered if he was recording the exchange. ¡°I see. Are you intending to ransom the baron and his family?¡± Regina shrugged before she could stop herself. ¡°Possibly. You¡¯ll have to discuss that with him.¡± She imagined he looked surprised behind his helmet. ¡°You will allow us to speak to him?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°As I already told him, I seek no quarrel with your people, and this situation is simply an unfortunate necessity.¡± Well, a little more than that, honestly, but I figure he doesn¡¯t need to know that. ¡°I would be happy to accompany you and a companion of your choice into the village, or simply let the baron come out to meet you here. I¡¯ll even do you the courtesy of letting you talk privately, without anyone listening in.¡± Now he definitely seemed surprised. ¡°I appreciate that, Hive Queen Regina.¡± Ah, why couldn¡¯t all human warriors be so nice and reasonable? Regina had no difficulty keeping her smile in place. With good timing, the baron stepped out of the makeshift gate at that moment, Tim and an elven soldier accompanying them. She waved him forward and gestured at them to stay back. ¡°Let¡¯s officially take the parole, then we will withdraw a short distance,¡± Anuis suggested. Regina nodded. She was glad at least one of them understood the customs that might apply here, and apparently trusted the humans well enough to stick to them. Chapter 71: Progressions As it turned out, their trust was well-placed. Regina waited in silence for a few minutes, while the humans talked. Immediately after they seemed to finish, Baron Neralt turned around and headed back to the village. Regina felt a bit relieved. It wouldn¡¯t have been too hard to capture him again, even with a fight against the human knights, probably. She was still glad this meeting, at least, didn¡¯t invite violence. Regina had kept her promise and didn¡¯t listen in on them, mostly because she didn¡¯t find a way to do it safely enough. She didn¡¯t know what Skills the knights might have. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit curious what they¡¯d said. It was probably nothing outside what she¡¯d expect them to talk about given the situation, though, judging by their expressions. Regina smiled and stepped forward a bit. ¡°I hope that was satisfactory.¡± The leader of the knights nodded politely. ¡°Indeed, thank you for your forbearance, Hive Queen.¡± ¡°Of course. Let me know if you have any further requests.¡± Regina glanced around and frowned a little. They seemed pretty reserved. She had the impression the knights didn¡¯t have the authority to make any decisions about the situation, or didn¡¯t want to act and potentially make a mistake, or get blamed for something. That was probably to be expected. They did seem a little less hostile after talking to the baron, going by their body language, unless that was just wishful thinking. ¡°We will carry your messages to the marquis,¡± the leader said with an air of finality. Regina suppressed a sigh. She¡¯d hoped for more, to get at least a bit more of an impression to work with, but that would have to do. The knight gave them a brief nod, then turned his horse around. The rest followed. Regina watched them ride off for a few seconds, before she turned. She wondered who would come to visit next. She expected Janis or Kiara again, or at least a diplomatic envoy. They would have longer to travel, presumably. Although, even having looked at a few maps, Regina didn¡¯t have a good sense of how quickly one covered any set distance in this world. ¡°Well.¡± She smiled at the others. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work.¡± She walked off with Max and the group scattered, everyone returning to their duties. Regina returned her focus to the present moment and went back to the defenses they were preparing. She spent the next few hours conjuring a few different kinds of material between letting her mana recharge. They couldn¡¯t hope to cover the complete perimeter of the village with detailed preparations, so it was better to focus on portable stuff. That was without considering one of their biggest advantages, though: the castle in the river, which they had also taken. It would make for a great defensive base, just as it was constructed to be. Regina spent most of the next day in the castle. She discovered, to her relief, that the damage wasn¡¯t as bad as it had looked like at first. The walls were all still mostly intact and structurally sound. The gate would need to be reinforced and there were quite a few repairs necessary, but everything was feasible. It helped that they had the aid of an elf with an earth manipulation ability, and they even got some advice from a stonemason and builder. Regina didn¡¯t know what he was doing as a soldier, but she figured that either the elvish army made very sure to have access to a diverse skillset, or their longer lifetimes allowed the elves to get proficient at other trades and still switch to a military career easily. As soon as she could, she climbed the castle¡¯s keep, the central tower, to look at the landscape below. After she reached the highest level she could go, Regina realized she¡¯d been stupid. Carefully, she took off and folded her tunic, then stretched out her wings. It took her a minute to find a good spot to launch from, but then she soared into the air and immediately banked to the side to get onto the roof of the tower. The landing was rougher than she¡¯d have liked, rattling her bones and making her almost fall on her face. She straightened up and glanced around. The stone roof was mostly level, circled by low battlements. There should be an access from below, but it was presumably blocked. The tower was circular, which she vaguely remembered should have meant it was constructed in a later period than other castles, but things here didn¡¯t line up with what she knew about the middle ages all that closely. I¡¯m pretty sure they didn¡¯t have any actual monsters and elves, at least. She snorted to herself. Regina sat down and watched the horizon, focusing on sensing her mana and practicing with it. She stayed there until it had recovered quite a bit, then reluctantly got up and flew back down to keep working on the main reason they were here. The next few days passed without any major excitement. Regina kept considering and second-guessing her decisions about the eggs in development, how many and which types she should allow herself. She still felt like she needed her mana, but in the long term, she needed to keep her drones¡¯ numbers up. At least she could comfortably sustain batches of over a dozen at a time by now, and a single egg barely affected her mana regeneration. Of course, with a Wis score of 20, that was probably to be expected.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 25
Mana: 786/1645
Hive: 29/113, 2 Swarm: 67/440, 5
Con: 13 Str: 12
Dex: 14 End: 14
Int: 21 Wis: 20
Regina frowned a little to herself as she read through her status once again. She still didn¡¯t have nearly as many drones as she could have. Probably because she had leveled relatively quickly. Plus, her War Drones kept dying in fights. She¡¯d lost more of them in this most recent battle than ever before, in absolute numbers. Of course, she also had more now. Besides that, while her mana pool was okay - and apparently quite large for her level, judging by what she¡¯d heard from the elves - it still had a lot of room to grow. It was probably capped somewhere, as well, but she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever really been close to bumping against that limit. Just one more thing to work on, for the future, she told herself. If the humans left her in peace for a few days, or better, weeks, she could grow her Swarm into a real force to be reckoned with. Though she wasn¡¯t looking forward to the actual process. It hadn¡¯t really bothered her so far, at least not like that, but with this such high numbers, making eggs got a bit bothersome, and inconvenient. She was still excited when the last two sapient drones hatched. Regina had moved her eggs to an unoccupied building inside the perimeter of the castle that was still solid and almost entirely undamaged, hiding them from sight, at least from any casual observer. She sensed the shift in her mana that signaled drones hatching and went to have a look. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. The new Drone Attendants were both female. But what captured Regina¡¯s attention was that they looked to both have wings. Their general build was relatively similar to hers, though the color looked a bit duller and more uniform and they were smaller. Taking a closer look, the wings also seemed a bit different. From the looks of it, she didn¡¯t know if they could already fly. Regina opened her mouth to welcome them, then paused. Unconsciously, she started to frown. As her mental stat points and experience grew, she¡¯d gotten better and better at sensing mana. It was telling her now that the two drones in front of her had it. Not like the others, although she was pretty sure they were also linked to her, but more like she had sensed it from Janis and other casters. After a moment, Regina started to grin. ¡°Welcome to life, young ones!¡± she told them. ¡°I¡¯m Regina, and the other drones around here are part of my hive, like you.¡± While they familiarized themselves with their surroundings and Max talked to them, Regina thought about names. Once she had settled on them, she quickly took at look at their status sheets.
Via Drone Attendant
Level: 1
Mana: 150/150
Con: 7 Str: 6
Dex: 10 End: 8
Int: 15 Wis: 14
Via¡¯s sister, Ira, had the same stat distribution, and also 150 mana. Regina nodded to herself. That definitely seemed like a mage type, or at least the first Template that could use magic. Her drones had always had high Int stats, but she hadn¡¯t seen any higher than 15 so far, and their Wis was also high. ¡°Do you know any Spells?¡± she asked them. Ira cocked her head slightly to the side. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Mother.¡± ¡°You could teach them, Regina. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll learn quickly, and it will benefit the hive a lot, my Queen,¡± Max said, putting slight emphasis on the last two words. Ira nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°That¡¯ll let me see how easy the spells I know are for other people to learn, too. Not that my own drones are probably a good marker for the other people around.¡± She shook her head. ¡°We¡¯ll help you any way we can, my Queen,¡± Ira said. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here, I think.¡± Via nodded. ¡°I have some ¡­ strange instincts. It¡¯s a little hard to be sure of anything, but I¡¯m pretty sure of that.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Regina told them. ¡°You¡¯re the first of this Template, and I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s meant for. It¡¯s good if you can listen to your instincts and figure stuff out.¡± She quickly checked her own mana again.
Mana: 843/1685
It sounded like she had gotten an increase to her mana pool with their hatching, even though they had mana of their own. That went counter to her hypothesis that she might be siphoning the mana out of her drones. Then again, that would make it hard for any drone to have mana, but they clearly could. Something like it might still be true, she just didn¡¯t have nearly enough data or insight to figure it out. And even if she did, it probably wouldn¡¯t change things much in a practical sense. She was already getting a lot of mana, anyway. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t spend all of her time teaching the new girls magic. There was always more work to be done. With her hive growing, Regina had to spend more time making sure she was on top of things. They were organizing themselves pretty well without her, but she was still the leader. She especially needed to look over the defenses and preparations for combat they were making. She¡¯d prefer to use them for demonstration purposes, but if an army made its way here, she also wanted to be ready. Although Regina had already decided to increase how many eggs she had in development and raise her Swarm¡¯s numbers, even if that cut further into her mana. She figured she¡¯d gotten used to Max following her around a lot of the time, and having new people do it couldn¡¯t be that bad. Maybe a change would even be nice. The two new Attendants did like to stick by her, as well. At this point, she was pretty sure they were supposed to be something like ¡°queen¡¯s attendants¡±. And with her hive potentially into the hundreds at this level and growing further, that made some sense. They turned out to be surprisingly useful, though. The first time Regina decided to produce a large batch of Swarm Drones after their hatching, they followed her into the hut and made sure she was comfortable. The other drones had so far stayed away from her at these times, maybe because they¡¯d felt she was a little uncomfortable with it. Via and Ira, on the other hand, took everything in stride. Via was taking the first eggs away before she was even finished, and Ira brought a bucket of water and helped her wash up. Regina resolved to test their medical knowledge, teach them about it and see if they could learn her healing Spell, soon, but otherwise stayed silent about it. It did make her feel better about the coming clutches of eggs she¡¯d planned. She was coming to the decision to leave only a little mana reserved for spells and occasional conjuration, and focus on increasing her hive¡¯s numbers. That would also be an investment for the future, since it would grow her mana pool, as well. She ambled out into the outskirts of the village, heading towards the southwestern fields. Then she stopped as she heard a rumble coming towards her, and turned to see a mountain of dark fur barreling at her. Regina laughed and stepped back, scratching the Mana Beast under the chin with one hand, then using her other one to pet it on the back and sides. The monster chuffed softly and shifted, making it easier. ¡°I see you¡¯re warming up to me, Arcanis,¡± Regina said with undisguised amusement. She personally thought the name wasn¡¯t that good. She might not have even needed to ask her drones. But Tia¡¯s suggestion had met with approval from the rest, and Regina hadn¡¯t seen a reason to refuse. It was a pretty on-the-nose reference to the Infected minion¡¯s type, at least if you had her language skills, but she supposed it could be worse. Arcanis didn¡¯t seem smart enough to understand Regina¡¯s words, but she¡¯d clearly sensed something from her, because the monster turned again and huffed. Regina smiled and intensified her petting for a few moments. Then Arcanis seemed to have had her fill of her attention and wandered on, approaching the Attendants, who were watching curiously. Regina kept smiling, mostly because she saw that the Mana Beast had leveled up again. It looked like the Infected monsters benefited from the experience gain boost. Then she turned her gaze to the fields further on, and paused. She saw one of the War Drones that was walking around, perhaps searching for some food or patrolling around its hive¡¯s new territory on some instinct. She recognized this one. It had grown larger than its fellows, its shell seemed sturdier, and the blades longer and sharper. Regina called up its status sheet again with a thought.
War Drone Elite
Level: 20
Mana: N/A
Con: 13 Str: 13
Dex: 11 End: 13
Int: 6 Wis: 5
Its Class seemed to have upgraded automatically upon its Evolution. Maybe because it was not smart to make a (good?) decision by itself. Regina guessed that this would be the norm for most monsters, the non-sapient ones. She didn¡¯t mind it, exactly. Regina idly sent the drone a mental command and watched as it hurried off in the direction of the river, presumably trying to bring some fish in. She didn¡¯t have high hopes for that endeavor, but it might be amusing to watch, as well as instructive. She still wanted to understand the minds of her drones, and the psychic link, better. Chapter 72: Explosive Progress With every day that passed, Regina felt more confident of herself and her hive¡¯s ability to stand what may come. They were quickly growing stronger, with the hive growing in numbers and its members gaining levels. They were also making inroads with the villagers and human fighters, and their crafting and defensive preparations went well. At the same time, with every day that passed, Regina was feeling a bit more anxious. She didn¡¯t let it show and generally did pretty well at suppressing the feeling, but it still remained. It was probably pretty normal, given the situation. The anxiety of waiting. It didn¡¯t stop her from getting work done for her hive. Besides getting a lot of eggs developing, Regina also spent lots of time at the castle, taking part in the repairs and even fortifying it further. She talked with the baron and the other human leaders, chatted with Anuis and got some more information about the System and general knowledge from her, and even spent some time with her hive members. She¡¯d decided to focus on increasing her Swarm, but also included two more Drone Attendant eggs. She didn¡¯t add more because she figured they actually weren¡¯t that strong in battle. Via and Ira clearly had trouble learning her spells, beyond the basics. They had finally gotten Spark and Magic Missile, and even, pretty quickly compared to its complexity, Basic Heal. They would probably do pretty well as healers, or at least shifted into such a role. The two were also nice to have around apart from that. Over time, like with the other drone Templates, they settled into a role and a job within the hive. The Attendant¡¯s role seemed to be something like a mix of a maid, nurse or midwife, personal assistant and lieutenant, maybe an aide or something. Regina certainly wasn¡¯t complaining. She¡¯d been a little afraid that this might lead to a conflict with Max, but he seemed happy enough about the girls. Regina suspected that was because he wanted her taken care of, so he approved of what they were doing. She found the whole thing a little amusing, but she didn¡¯t do anything about it. She wasn¡¯t about to ruin this. He did seem more enthusiastic about sparring with her, though. And Regina had to admit that he might have a point, anyway. For probably the first time in her life, she felt physically tired in a way that went beyond the aftereffects of an intense training session or getting a lot of exercise. Producing so many eggs in such a short time, pushing herself and her capacity to handle large batches, seemed to be taking a toll on her body. It was worth it, though. They crested the one hundred mark for Swarm Drones just a few days after the attack on the castle and village, and she had a new flock of Winged Drones she was already sending to scouting tasks. Carefully and as discreetly as she could, but there just wasn¡¯t much of a way to hide drones like this when you needed them in the air. Regina used them to scout out the surroundings, keep an eye on the edge of the forest, and make sure that no one tried to sneak out of the village or something like that. Not that she really cared too much if some local peasant wanted to leave, but she¡¯d rather have them safe and sound in the village than risk some idiot getting themselves eaten by a monster, or running to some other settlement and whining about the evil occupiers to get sympathy. I guess my opinion of the humans in this world isn¡¯t too great, Regina mused to herself at that point. I¡¯m pretty sure my old self, if there really was one, wouldn¡¯t have thought like this. Of course, I¡¯m pretty sure I wouldn¡¯t have had problems like this, either. And from what I can extrapolate from the memories I do have, I don¡¯t think my life was very violent or had a lot in common with this situation. She sighed softly to herself. I just wish I knew for sure if there even was something like that. Her level also ticked up into 26 around this time, which improved her mood a lot. It was probably due to all the Experience she was passively getting from her hive and their activities. Maybe fortifying her new base actually contributed, as well. Her drones leveled up reasonably quickly, too, to the point that the humans were obviously starting to catch on. Then, finally, the outside world finally made itself known again several days later. Regina had scheduled regular checks for herself, looking through the eyes of Swarm Drones she¡¯d sent scouting around, while also getting reports from the sapient Scouts. But it was actually a Winged Drone coming for her that got her attention. ¡°Did you find something?¡± she asked it as the drone landed on the roof of the house opposite her, on the outskirts of the village. She¡¯d given them orders to come and get her attention in specific circumstances. Not waiting for an answer which it couldn¡¯t give, anyway, Regina dove into its mind and that of other drones to check. She quickly realized what was up, and went to inform the others. She started contacting her drones telepathically, while she considered the deployment of her Swarm Drones in the back of her mind. She had expected visitors, but these were moving more quickly than she¡¯d thought. They would be here very soon. The party of humans was bigger and probably higher leveled, on average, than the last. Their horses looked well taken care of and expensive, not that Regina knew much about such things. Most of them seemed to be knights, as well. But she wasn¡¯t too concerned, because they again had white flags, and because she recognized the two people in the center. Regina couldn¡¯t help but smile. She¡¯d been hoping that Janis and Kiara Lyns would be sent again. By the time the human delegation arrived, Regina and her allies greeted them at the entrance to the village. Regina had Max, Tim, Mia and Ada with her this time, while Anuis, Bianorn and a few other elves accompanied them. The greetings and welcome were almost routine by now, Regina reflected. She stepped forward, greeted them and welcomed them to the place. The humans replied politely. Anuis joined in to greet them as well. Simple enough and quickly accomplished. It might help that the human noble girl was obviously taken aback by what she saw, judging by the way she not-quite-stared at Regina and her drones. It took a moment for Regina to realize that it had to be the drones¡¯ Classes, which had changed in several cases. That obviously indicated their Evolution - if the physical changes hadn¡¯t - and they¡¯d been several levels below 20 when they¡¯d last met, over a month ago. ¡°Thank you for hosting us,¡± Kiara Lyns said, obviously shaking off her surprise. ¡°I would like to see the local baron as well, if you¡¯d be so kind.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Regina gestured to the village behind them. ¡°Do come in, and we can all talk at the baron¡¯s residence.¡± The humans exchanged quick looks, before the knights dismounted and they led their horses into the village, following the Hivekind and elves in. Regina listened as the human noble and Anuis exchanged a few sentences, clearly trying to take each other¡¯s measure. It didn¡¯t seem like they¡¯d met before. They left one knight behind to watch over the horses, which were tethered to some iron hooks not far away, while the group went inside. The baron¡¯s house was a bit cramped for them all, but Regina assumed they would prefer to be inside rather than talking out in the town square. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you again, Lady Kiara,¡± the baron assured her, bowing his head politely. ¡°I wish the circumstances were better. To give credit where it is due, though, Lady Regina and her people have treated us most courteously. I cannot complain about their actions or conduct. The same goes for the elves, naturally.¡± ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear it,¡± Kiara replied. She glanced at Regina. ¡°Not that I was doubting your virtue, of course.¡± Regina smiled slightly. She wondered what Kiara actually thought about her in terms of virtue. Certainly, she wouldn¡¯t be happy about her actions after their truce, even if Regina technically waited for it to end. Then again, Kiara should be smart enough to understand that it was humans attacking her that drove that decision. ¡°I heard what you told to Sir Willard about your reasons for this attack,¡± the human continued. ¡°Still, I would like to discuss it with you personally, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Regina leaned back and took a moment to gather her thoughts, then started to talk. She recounted everything that happened and explained her actions, following the arguments she¡¯d prepared for herself beforehand. She focused on humans, associated with the other treaty party, attacking and overall posing a danger to her and her hive, as well as her responsibility as its leader, the fact that she¡¯d waited for the agreed truce period to end, and her general good intentions and moral conduct towards the humans she had in her power now. The last part might have been painting herself as far saintlier than she was, but Regina figured that was okay in diplomacy like this. The whole thing implicitly made her the person who had to justify themselves, but she didn¡¯t really care, since she wanted to say these things anyway. Besides, she didn¡¯t think she was good enough to win any kind of verbal sparring or whatever with the human noble, who might have been trained in rhetoric, so she didn¡¯t want to waste her energy worrying about it too much. They discussed the matter for a while longer, with Anuis chiming in more and more. Regina noticed with a start that she was shifting the focus of the conversation, pushing the humans to explain how the attacks could have happened, without seeming to make them feel too defensive or to let them reframe things back to treating Regina as the aggressor. ¡°Our agreement could never have bound people intrinsically outside of our authority, let alone another nation like Nerlia,¡± Kiara explained calmly. ¡°While it is possible that their attack was in reaction to learning of our own truce agreement, I would caution you not to hold this assumption as truth.¡± ¡°Of course I understand that,¡± Regina said, nodding slowly. ¡°I bear you, on a personal level, no ill will for that. I would never have expected you to be able to stand up to a sovereign nation, being just a province of the Cernlian kingdom.¡± The noble¡¯s face darkened slightly at those words, so Regina assumed she¡¯d noticed the sting in them. ¡°However, that is why I would like to talk to you further. Would you care to accompany me outside, Lady Kiara, perhaps taking Janis as well? There are a few things I would like to show you.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Most of their knights kept back while Regina led the two human girls and a small party of drones and elves outside. While they walked, Regina took the opportunity to take a closer look at her guests once again.
Kiara Lyns ¡ª Level 16 Arcane Warrior
Janis ¡ª Level 14 Mage
If she remembered their previous levels correctly, they had both gained one level since their last meeting. That was probably a more than decent pace for most people, considering the timeframe. It had been little more than a month. At least it indicated that Janis probably hadn¡¯t learned lots of Spells since then, though. Most likely, her quick rise after she gained her Class and somehow came to join the noble was from learning the new Spells she got access to at that point. Regina stopped outside the village, facing a field that currently lay fallow to the west, with the river close enough she could hear it. The castle loomed off to the side, and she caught the young lady glancing at it, before she turned her attention back to what was in front of her. She frowned slightly. ¡°Apologies, but I am unsure what I am supposed to see here.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t started yet,¡± Regina answered with a smile that wanted to turn into a smirk, but she controlled herself. ¡°This is a little demonstration of what we can do. In order to give you a taste of what defensive measure we are able to take ¡­ or what we might be able to offer.¡± Kiara still frowned a bit, but waited expectantly. Janis looked simply curious. Anuis, who was standing a pace behind them, maintained a serene expression, but Regina knew she would be watching intently. In some ways, her presence was a complication, but it would be hard to exclude her. Regina glanced at Tia, then, without further ado, she turned and started the demonstration. To begin with, she focused on the mana she had gathered and ejected it in a specific pattern. A ball of fire roared to life in front of her hands and shot off over the field. She¡¯d aimed at a dead tree stump they¡¯d dragged here, one of several. The Fireball impacted with a satisfying crash, throwing burning splinters of wood around. ¡°That was for comparison purposes,¡± Regina explained, ignoring the speculative look in Kiara¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll likely have identified it as a Fireball. For the next part, I¡¯ll use a Firebolt.¡± She turned back and drew on less mana this time, shaping it in a way she was more familiar with. The smaller Firebolt formed quickly and flew over the meadow, right at another stump. But when it impacted, the resulting explosion blew the previous one out of the figurative water. If you looked closely, you could see several secondary explosions erupting at different spots, merging together into a big detonation that devastated the surrounding meadow and rattled the ground under their feet. Regina smiled at the reactions she got. Kiara¡¯s eyes widened, and Janis barely seemed able to peel her eyes off the sight, though she still looked more like someone seeing a spectacular meteor shower, rather than showing concern. ¡°Of course, we don¡¯t need to use a triggering Spell to achieve a similar result,¡± Regina continued. She held out her hand and nodded at Tim, who immediately placed a small, round container in it. Regina¡¯s heart beat faster as she took it, but she made sure not to show that and instead carefully aimed, threw back her hand and then lobbed the improvised projectile at the field. It hit a bit off to the side of where she¡¯d aimed, but that didn¡¯t really matter. It still detonated as soon as it hit the ground, producing a nice explosion. Regina smiled in satisfaction. She was no expert in chemistry or explosives, but it had been relatively easy to Conjure nitroglycerin with a bit of experimentation. It helped that the chemical structure wasn¡¯t too complicated, just glycerol with some nitro groups added on. That was covered by her knowledge of organic chemistry, presumably acquired together with her medical knowledge. She¡¯d need to experiment with this further, but it was good enough for now. ¡°That was not a Skill, or using magic in any way,¡± Regina explained to her audience. ¡°It also does not have many limits.¡± On cue, since she¡¯d given the command telepathically, a Winged Drone swooped down from further up in the sky, flying very carefully. It opened its hands and released what it carried, quickly flapping its wings to ascend again. The explosive fell down, causing another detonation much like the previous one. Regina mentally lamented that they didn¡¯t have target dummies or anything like them for a moment, but the demonstration was probably impressive enough. And it didn¡¯t show all of her cards. ¡°That is ¡­ impressive,¡± Kiara finally said after another long moment of silence. ¡°How did you manage something like this?¡± ¡°Now, I can¡¯t go giving away all my trade secrets,¡± Regina replied playfully. ¡°But that is all I wanted to show you here. Let¡¯s go inside. There is more I would like to show and discuss.¡± Kiara nodded. She looked a bit spooked, if anything. Janis, on the other hand, had an expression like a VR fanatic whose friend just showed off an expensive new rig. Maybe there was a bit of jealousy, but mostly greed. The drones radiated smugness as they turned around, and Regina tried not to smirk. Chapter 73: Hints and Proposals They didn¡¯t talk much as they returned from the field outside to the village. Regina was content to let her guests stew on what they had just seen. She wanted to give the demonstration some time to sink in, though not enough for them to come up with explanations or plans for how to mitigate this kind of thing. Then she saw the person waiting outside one of the village¡¯s houses, and almost stopped walking. Regina had to work not to let her expression show anything. She¡¯d gotten too caught up in what she was doing and forgot to consider that this village was Janis¡¯ home. Well, not that the girl had seemed very invested in it, but this still wasn¡¯t something she could or should ignore. Regina sighed softly to herself and slowed down, turning to Janis. ¡°If you would like some time to catch up, I¡¯m sure we could arrange it,¡± she said quietly, trying to seem as nonthreatening as possible. Janis looked at her aunt, Marian, then glanced quickly at her boss. ¡°Thank you for the offer,¡± she said. ¡°Maybe after this is over? If you¡¯ll permit the visit.¡± She looked back at Regina when saying that. ¡°Of course I would give you time to visit your family,¡± Kiara said. ¡°If our hosts will allow it.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Regina echoed. She tried to smile at the elderly human woman they were almost passing. Luckily, Janis¡¯ home seemed to be in a side street, so they didn¡¯t actually have to go right past her. ¡°If you want to take her out of the village, even, I think we might be able to arrange something.¡± She did feel some temptation to use Marian against Janis, but Regina didn¡¯t act on it for several reasons. For one, she wasn¡¯t sure how close Janis actually was to her aunt or how much she would care. She also didn¡¯t want to ruin the tentative rapport they¡¯d developed and position herself as an enemy, possibly driving the young mage to actions she wouldn¡¯t otherwise take. And she didn¡¯t want to have to worry about one human villager, who might get hurt in some battle by accident. "I appreciate the consideration,¡± Janis said, but she still seemed a bit stiff. They passed the street and went deeper into the village again. Regina exchanged looks and a few telepathic messages with her drones. Mia was preparing for the second part of her presentation, while most of the Workers and some other drones hung around and helped. Regina saw a few drones and nodded and smiled at them. She felt a happy, satisfied undercurrent from them. It seemed they were all happy she was making an impression on the humans. They returned to the house Regina and her drones had once slept in, back when they¡¯d first been at the village during the monster swarm. It seemed to have still been unoccupied, or at least quickly emptied, so they could use it. The drones had used the main room on the ground as an improvised work station. ¡°This will have to be quite something to trump what you just showed us,¡± Kiara said with a smile, clearly trying for some levity. ¡°Or did you want to discuss something first, Lady Regina?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a fixed schedule,¡± she replied with a smile of her own. ¡°I do have to admit I am curious. There is little point pretending what you just showed us has no military relevance. I wonder how someone with your background managed a feat like this, I admit.¡± ¡°I suppose that touches on part of what I wanted to clarify,¡± Regina said. She sat down on one of the chairs they¡¯d brought in along with a small table, gesturing the humans to the others. She saw Kiara¡¯s gaze slide to the back of the room, but pretended to ignore it. ¡°I am aware that I, and the rest of my people, might seem like primitive, uncivilized people.¡± Privately, she found that quite ironic, but she could see how people might look at it that way. ¡°Poor savages, or something along those lines. I believe I can refute at least part of that quite easily.¡± She held out her hand, and Tia handed her a wooden box, the nicest-looking one they¡¯d been able to either find or make. Regina opened the lid with a bit of a flourish and her guests bent forward to look into it. She heard Janis draw in a sharp breath. The gold inside the box seemed to glitter in the light streaming in from the candles and open windows. Regina smiled in satisfaction as she looked at it. She¡¯d shaped most of it somewhat. Valuable resources might give you a bit of respect as someone who could provide them, but showing that she and her people could work metal went beyond that. To that end, she¡¯d also included some jewelry and odds and ends made of titanium and other, rarer and arguably more useful metals. There was a chance they could recognize it. ¡°Where did you get this much wealth?¡± Kiara asked. She could barely take her eyes off it, but when she did, she looked almost suspicious. Regina tried not to let it bother her. ¡°Trade secret, like I said. But don¡¯t worry, I came by all of this honestly. We have a means of getting materials like this.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be, but -¡° Janis snapped her mouth shut. ¡°Janis?¡± Kiara frowned at her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Conjuration.¡± The young Mage stared at Regina, wide-eyed. ¡°That¡¯s the thing that makes the most sense. It is the answer, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That seems rather improbable,¡± Kiara objected. ¡°I thought only some master mages with decades of experience were able to learn these Spells.¡± Janis shook her head. ¡°It is usually restricted to experienced masters, yes, because it takes a lot of study. The System seems to require a lot of knowledge for Lesser Conjuration. But there¡¯s no rule stating it has to be restricted to them. There are even cases of artisans who found magic later in life who learned to Conjure objects related to their profession.¡± That just made Kiara look more intrigued. They both looked at Regina, who had to stop herself from fidgeting or giving any sign of unease. She hadn¡¯t really planned to reveal this right now. Though maybe I should have expected this. But she didn¡¯t have many options at the moment. ¡°Perhaps it is,¡± she acknowledged, shrugging a little. ¡°But let us get back to the topic at hand, please. As you can see, we are rather flush in some materials and would be willing to trade them, under certain conditions and in certain circumstances.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but glance at Anuis, who¡¯d kept in the background so far. Regina had never actually offered trade to the elves, and she knew that they wouldn¡¯t like this. But she had warned Anuis she would be trying to build a favorable relationship with these humans. ¡°I see,¡± Kiara said, leaning back slightly. ¡°I am unsure what we have that you might want to buy with this gold, Lady Regina. Especially considering the present war.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Regina smiled again. She knew revealing wealth was a risk, which was why she¡¯d coupled it with revealing her ability to defend herself. And Kiara was right in one respect, her primary interest here wasn¡¯t actually trade. At least not standard trade. It seemed like a bad idea to rely on her Conjuration for that. ¡°The war is a concern,¡± she agreed, glancing at Anuis again. ¡°And the reason we are talking, to be frank. The war is a detriment to all of us, as I see it. Our hive is being threatened by humans, and your side has to field soldiers and perhaps resources for a war that barely impacts you, cuts off trade with a neighbor, and must be a general nuisance.¡± She paused for a moment. She¡¯d gotten some information from Anuis, but it was probably best not to let that on, at least not too much. ¡°Let me be blunt,¡± she continued, waiting for Kiara to nod at her. ¡°I believe we can make common cause. Your father is at odds with the Cernlian king, that is not a secret. I think we can assume, without impugning his honor, that he might take a chance to rebel if he could, given the way his own liege lord has treated him dishonorably.¡± She was mostly guessing here, and it was harder with the requirement to not sound like she was attacking Kiara¡¯s family¡¯s honor, but the girl didn¡¯t seem too upset. ¡°Well, I would be happy to support such an endeavor.¡± Kiara frowned thoughtfully and leaned back in her chair. For a long few seconds, the room was quiet. Then she spoke. ¡°What exactly is it that you have in mind?¡± ¡°Material support,¡± Regina promptly answered. ¡°I am not going to send soldiers to fight. Although we are, of course, happy to act as a diplomatic bridge between the march and the elves, to make sure there are no ¡­ undue complications. Otherwise, I would finance you, give you access to some of the money you need to raise troops and perhaps gather allies, provided that we can come to an agreement.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kiara paused again, then looked at Anuis. ¡°I apologize, Three Century Commander, but I would prefer to continue the rest of this conversation in private.¡± Anuis nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± She stood up with no sign of resentment, inclined her head at them, and left. Regina gave a silent signal to her drones, so some of them departed, as well. In the end, only the two humans, two of their knights, Regina, Max, Tim, Mia and Tia were left in the building. ¡°Money is not going to be enough to win a war,¡± Kiara stated. ¡°There are only so many troops we can raise, or that anyone else could. Many men are already sent to the war against the elves. We could hire mercenaries, I suppose, but I would wager that many of those companies are also already under contract for the war.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I understand. I might be willing to provide you with some explosives, as well. Furthermore, consider that Cernlia will be distracted fighting against the elves, while you will not have to worry about fighting them. You might also be able to hire mercenaries away from Nerlia or whoever has employed them.¡± As far as Regina was concerned, this was a situation where everyone won. Well, except for the Cernlian king, and Nerlia, which she didn¡¯t exactly mind. Kiara and her faction would get the means for a successful revolt, and their enemies would hopefully be too distracted to bother Regina, not to mention that she¡¯d have the march¡¯s protection. Cernlia would probably have to withdraw at least partly from the war against the elves to focus on this new threat, which meant the elves would be in a much better position to deal with Nerlia. That was why Anuis, and her superiors, would hopefully keep supporting her actions. It was probably a risky strategy in the long term, but sitting and waiting for Nerlia or the Delvers to keep attacking her would be worse. ¡°I suppose,¡± Kiara said. She was frowning slightly, looking to be deep in thought. Then her gaze refocused on Regina again. ¡°You are asking a lot, Hive Queen Regina. Or proposing it, at least.¡± Regina sighed and leaned back, glancing at the few devices scattered around the table and the back of the room. Most of them were still very much works in progress, not ready for use yet. She wasn¡¯t sure whether to involve more of that kind of thing. But she had already shown them quite a bit. ¡°How do you know how to do all this?¡± Janis asked, clearly following her gaze. ¡°It¡¯s Precursor knowledge, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Janis,¡± Kiara admonished her. Janis looked back with a look that clearly said ¡®What?¡¯. ¡°Precursor?¡± Regina asked, frowning. ¡°That does seem like the only explanation,¡± Kiara said. ¡°The knowledge and power of the Ancients ¡­¡± She shrugged a bit and shifted in her seat. ¡°I do not know what you might have found deep in the forest, or wherever else. We are not trying to pry.¡± Regina just stared at them for a few moments, her thoughts whirling. She had previously picked up a few other hints, although she¡¯d never been sure if it meant anything. Now, the explicit mention of something called ¡®precursors¡¯, connected to what she herself developed, made her certain the suspicion crystallizing in the back of her mind wasn¡¯t nonsense. This might be some kind of post-apocalyptic, regressive world. Maybe even the same one her memories came from. Regina took a deep breath and shook her head. Whether the knowledge she had was from another dimension or just out of time, she still had more questions than answers, and these two were unlikely to be the ones with the answers. Especially since she still needed to accomplish another goal. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she finally said. ¡°Like I said before, I¡¯m not ready to tell you any secrets.¡± It wasn¡¯t like she knew the whole truth, anyway. Kiara nodded. She looked like she hadn¡¯t expected anything else. ¡°What is it you want, Lady Regina?¡± she asked. ¡°You have promised quite a lot. What do you expect in exchange? What assurances do you want?¡± Now they were getting somewhere. Regina smiled, trying not to let anyone see her increasing heart rate. ¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to explain that I expect such a further conflict to ¡­ take some of the heat off, so to speak. But I do expect some concessions.¡± Kiara raised an eyebrow. ¡°So, what is it you want?¡± ¡°Perhaps the question shouldn¡¯t be what,¡± Regina smiled wryly, ¡°but who. I want Janis.¡± There was a moment of silence, as Janis¡¯ eyes widened and Kiara stiffened. ¡°Please explain,¡± she said tightly. ¡°I would like to extend an offer for Janis to join my hive. We will treat her well, and she can still work with you. But such an arrangement would be invaluable to smooth our cooperation, and we would also take it as a sign of trust.¡± Regina turned completely to Janis now. ¡°Becoming a member of my hive will boost your own progress, increasing the speed at which you gain Experience and levels by twenty percent.¡± Janis still looked like she could barely believe what she was hearing. Kiara glanced between the two of them, visibly realized that Regina was serious. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s out of the question,¡± she said stiffly. ¡°Milady,¡± Janis spoke up. ¡°Lady Regina is offering so much. I¡¯m sure your lord father would be eager to get the support she¡¯s offered. And if this boon she¡¯s promised is actually real ¡­¡± Kiara leaned towards her, and the two started putting their heads together and talking in a furious whisper. Regina leaned back and tried to pretend she didn¡¯t hear anything, all the while she listened in. It went about as she¡¯d expect, going by their initial reactions. Kiara was clearly reluctant to lose her vassal mage (or whatever the proper term was), while Janis seemed intrigued by the opportunity. Regina suppressed a sigh. She knew she probably could have gotten something more practical, or at least more immediately useful. She¡¯d debated with herself over whether to go with this idea, but she¡¯d decided she wanted to recruit the girl. Janis was clearly talented and driven. More Spells could be acquired, even experience would come with time, but talent couldn¡¯t be bought and motivation was tricky. Besides, she hoped this would forge a more direct link between her and Kiara, which should come in useful, as well. Finally, the two humans turned back towards her, and Kiara sighed softly. ¡°How would this even work? Janis isn¡¯t ¡­ one of your people.¡± ¡°Hivekind,¡± Regina said. ¡°She isn¡¯t of the Hivekind.¡± She didn¡¯t see any particular reaction to the mention of the name. Janis just nodded like she wanted to prompt her to elaborate. ¡°I have an Ability that can be used for these purposes,¡± Regina explained. ¡°Among other things, it would allow me to communicate with a recruit, instantly, over a relatively large distance. Further details are the sort of information I would prefer not to get out.¡± ¡°As long as the price isn¡¯t something I would never agree to give beforehand,¡± Janis said. Regina shook her head. ¡°I can promise you that, while this will change your life drastically, I will not force you to do anything you couldn¡¯t stand.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯d like to accept.¡± Janis smiled at her, before she looked at Kiara. ¡°Please, Milady. I promise I won¡¯t forget the kindness you¡¯ve shown me, or the loyalty I owe you.¡± Kiara stared at her for a moment longer, before she sighed and shook her head. ¡°Very well. I suppose I cannot very well refuse.¡± Regina saw Max and Tia grinning, and allowed herself another smile. Great. Chapter 74: New Recruit Regina stood at the edge of the village once more, looking out at the fields and watching as Kiara and the knights she¡¯d taken along rode away. She smiled and almost waved before she caught herself. Then she glanced at Janis, who stood beside her and looked like she wasn¡¯t sure how to act, either. Even after Kiara had acquiesced, there¡¯d still been a lot left to settle. There still was. Kiara had made it clear that she was going to ask her father for his agreement, but at least they had a provisional deal. Presumably, someone would be sent soon to finalize it. They still had to settle the status of the baron and the village, but Regina suspected the castle would be more important to the marquis. For now, Kiara had officially ordered Neralt to cooperate with Regina, and work with them to defend the village from ¡®any threats that might come¡¯. Regina wasn¡¯t about to hand this territory over to anyone else. She shook her head to dispel those thoughts and focused on the mage girl. ¡°Let¡¯s do this now, if you¡¯re ready, Janis.¡± Janis looked a bit hesitant, but she nodded. ¡°Of course, Lady Regina. What should I do?¡± ¡°Just Regina is fine. And you don¡¯t really need to do anything. It might be best if you give me your hand or something, though.¡± Janis nodded and held out her hand. Regina gripped it and focused on the second Class Skill she¡¯d received from the System. She felt a slight shiver in her mana as Infect activated, and her own mana reached out to Janis. The process seemed similar to when she¡¯d used it on monsters. But the human didn¡¯t resist or try to get away, she simply stood there and let it work. After a moment, Janis started shivering uncontrollably. She swayed, but managed to keep her feet. Her eyes rolled up before she closed them. Tia stepped forward to steady her. Regina focused on the mana she could sense, watching as her own interacted with Janis¡¯ and seemed to settle into her. Overall, it was more peaceful than with Dark, and went more quickly. After a few minutes, Janis¡¯ shivering had subsided and she straightened her posture again. Regina felt a tenuous connection to her mind, but it seemed like it was only barely there, still being assembled, and she couldn¡¯t get much information from it. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Regina asked. The young woman breathed out deeply, then nodded. ¡°That was strange,¡± she answered. ¡°But I think I¡¯m alright. This is - quite interesting. I didn¡¯t realize joining your hive entailed magic like this.¡± Regina nodded. Then, she tentatively focused on the mage and tried to bring up her status. It took a moment of intense focus, but then the System made it happen.
Janis Mage
Level: 14
Mana: 150/650
Con: 10 Str: 9
Dex: 11 End: 12
Int: 17 Wis: 15
Regina internally nodded to herself. This was about what she¡¯d expected. Janis had what seemed to be a pretty big mana pool, but she was a dedicated Mage. Her stat distribution was mostly what she¡¯d expect, with a clear focus on the mental stats, although those still looked pretty high. ¡°Let¡¯s get back,¡± Regina said. They turned around and started slowly walking back into the village. She noticed that Tia kept close to Janis, surreptitiously preparing to support her should she stumble. Regina approved of that. ¡°Will you teach me your Spell?¡± Janis asked. Regina chuckled. She wasn¡¯t surprised at how fast that question came. ¡°Of course. I intend to teach you several of my Spells that could be very useful. I¡¯d like to start with my Basic Heal Spell soon.¡± Janis might need to learn a lot of new material, if what Regina had heard was true, especially for the Conjuration Spell. Heal might be more practical. Janis looked a bit surprised again, perhaps because of the Spell¡¯s name. The psychic link was still consolidating, and it seemed more stable now. Regina tentatively tried to touch it, and got a blurry sense of Janis¡¯ mind. It was harder than with her drones, or even the other minions. She could clearly sense Janis notice and react to the contact. As if by instinct, her mind seemed to harden. It didn¡¯t keep Regina out ¡ª couldn¡¯t, probably, not the way they were now linked ¡ª but it did make it harder to see anything the mage wouldn¡¯t want her to see. Still, Regina was hopeful that Janis might be able to contact her on her own, without Regina focusing on it. ¡°I still don¡¯t think I understand your hive very well,¡± Janis said. ¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot in the last few weeks, too.¡± Regina grunted affirmatively. She turned her focus to somewhere else for a moment and called up another System screen.
Hive [Unnamed]
Total: 149
Inner Hive: 31(34)/121 (+2) Swarm: 114/560 (+12)
Warriors: 10 War Drones: 75
Workers: 5 Production Drones: 10
Scouts: 6 Winged Drones: 25
Harvesters: 3
Shooters: 5
Attendants: 2
Monsters: 2
Demihumans: 1
There were a lot more members in her hive now than in the past, especially considering the Swarm Drones, and ¡ª ¡°Wait, why are you listed as a demihuman?¡± Regina blinked and turned to stare at Janis. A slight stir went through the drones. Janis winced a little and Regina saw her eyes darting around for a moment. Then she shrugged sheepishly. ¡°The System tells you that? Well, I suppose I am ¡­ not actually a human. Technically.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Then what are you?¡± Regina looked her new hive member over quickly, but she¡¯d had the presence of mind not to let her question sound accusatory. She tried to express only friendly curiosity. ¡°Some kind of changeling or shapeshifter?¡± Janis pulled a face. She was silent for a moment, then sighed. ¡°I¡¯m a monsterblood, Regina. Literally, I suppose.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we all?¡± Tia bumped her shoulder affectionately. Regina smiled at that. ¡°You mean actual descent from a monster, or something like that?¡± Janis nodded. ¡°An elemental, as far as I understand it. They¡¯re sapient monsters,¡± she explained, clearly noticing their lack of understanding. ¡°One of very few kinds of monsters that can breed with humanoids. I don¡¯t know much more than that. Most demihumans are simply their own people. A dwarf of werecat or whatever else doesn¡¯t actually have human blood, or any real relation to monsters. But there are a few exceptions, halfbreeds like me.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s interesting,¡± Regina said, sincerely. ¡°What kind of elemental was your ancestor? Which element?¡± The Mage shrugged. ¡°If I had to guess, probably fire. I don¡¯t know any details. It had to have been several generations back, although, apparently, there are several descendants of elementals in my ancestry. People tend to seek out those similar to themselves, evidently.¡± Regina nodded again. That made sense. Although, if she understood it correctly, that meant Janis was mostly human. Maybe. She didn¡¯t understand how such crossbreeding would work, there was doubtless magic in play. It probably explained why she had a natural talent for magic, at least. The mention of her ancestry seemed to have sapped some of Janis¡¯ excitement, and they kept walking in silence. Regina hesitated for a moment as they reached the center of the village. She didn¡¯t actually have much of a plan for what to do with Janis, or where to put her. ¡°If you¡¯d allow me, Regina,¡± Max spoke up. ¡°There¡¯s quite a bit our new member should know about the hive, and you don¡¯t need to be there for all of it.¡± The tentative way he said the last part clearly implied that it might be better if Regina wasn¡¯t there for some of it. ¡°If you like, I could show her around, introduce her to the others.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Regina glanced at Tia and Ada, who seemed eager to help, as well. ¡°Take your time, Janis. And come find me once you¡¯re done and have further questions. Otherwise, this psychic link might also be able to help.¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lady. I have so many questions about that.¡± Janis almost visibly brightened up again. ¡°Is it how you command the War Drones and the others like them?¡± ¡°Yes. Although they follow spoken orders as well.¡± They needed to test out whether that worked for Janis, too. It should. ¡°And it will let me contact you?¡± ¡°Hopefully, at least at some point.¡± Regina sighed a little. ¡°The others still have trouble with that. I¡¯m hoping you might learn to use it to locate me, at least, or something like that. I suppose we¡¯ve got time to experiment.¡± Janis nodded. Then Tia gently tugged on her sleeve and they turned to go. Regina mentally added clothes for Janis to her list of things to arrange. Unlike the drones, she presumably wouldn¡¯t want to go without or only partially covered in a pinch. Although Regina was still looking for better clothes for herself, too, so that didn¡¯t change much. ¡°You¡¯re tense, my Queen,¡± Via said, appearing close at her side in a manner she must have learned from Max. ¡°Maybe you would like to take a bath, to relax?¡± Regina rolled her eyes. ¡°I think we should continue with teaching you two about physics and magic.¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°Although I guess there¡¯s no reason we can¡¯t talk in the bathhouse.¡± The village¡¯s open bathing facilities were popular, but the pair of older women at the entrance cleared out quickly as soon as Regina and the others arrived. Regina decided to not worry about it and instead enjoy the bath. She even let Ira wash her hair. She had no idea where they had gotten proper soap from ¡­ although she dimly remembered that existed in the middle ages, so it probably came from the village. After getting clean, they walked out to the other edge of the village, while Regina kept talking about magic. She found it hard to fit her own insights, which were mostly instinctive, into words. Maybe having Janis around would be a boon in that regard, as well. Surely, in the weeks she¡¯d been at the marquis¡¯ castle, she¡¯d read some books about magic, even if she hadn¡¯t before. Still, Regina found it helpful to put her thoughts and knowledge together properly into teaching others. After about an hour, the human (or partly human, apparently) mage joined them. Her hair looked a bit frizzy and she¡¯d clearly earned the drones¡¯ trust, considering none of them accompanied her. Or maybe that was due to the existence of the psychic link, and Janis properly integrating into the hive. It was good timing, anyway. ¡°Good, you¡¯re back,¡± Regina greeted her. ¡°Do you have any questions?¡± Janis shook her head. ¡°None that the drones couldn¡¯t answer. I¡¯ll probably have more questions in the future, however.¡± ¡°Feel free to ask.¡± Then Regina smiled, feeling a bit excited. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about magic. What Spells do you have?¡± Janis hesitated for a moment, probably because this was critical information. ¡°I have Spark, Firebolt, and Magic Missile, as you already know,¡± she began, waiting for Regina¡¯s nod to continue. ¡°I also recently learned Magic Armor and Fire Manipulation. Beyond that, I¡¯ve been studying a few other Spells to get one of them. I won¡¯t have access to the books now, but I think I can get there with a bit of work, especially for Haste.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Regina didn¡¯t bother to hide that she was impressed. The Spells sounded useful, if maybe a bit like a typical beginner¡¯s arsenal. Flame Manipulation might play well with Janis¡¯ Firebolt, and its Fireball upgrade Regina was planning to teach her. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to teach them to you,¡± Janis said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll learn them quickly. Although, how many Spells do you already know?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got Spark, Magic Missile, Fireball, Basic Conjuration, and Basic Heal,¡± Regina answered after a moment of thought. Janis was a member of her hive now, and in a place she controlled, so she didn¡¯t see the need to hold back this information. Janis¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°Basic Conjuration? Isn¡¯t that a higher-tier version?¡± Then she shook her head. ¡°But this means you already have five Spells, two of them an upgraded version. Even if you¡¯re already at level 26, I don¡¯t know how many more Spells you can learn. It might be better not to pick my own.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well ¡­¡± Janis shifted and tugged at her sleeve. ¡°According to what I was taught, every Spell you learn is like a pattern for your mana, and it imprints on and shifts your mana in small ways. It gets more difficult to hold so many patterns in your memory, but you also need to adjust the mana flows and distribution in your body - largely subconsciously - and having many spells can cause issues. When you level up, with larger mana pools, you can afford to learn more Spells.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Regina hadn¡¯t known there was a limit to how many you could have, although this explanation did make some sense. ¡°How big is this limit?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no fixed number. It depends on the mage and what Spells they learn.¡± Janis shrugged. ¡°But most people can only have five or six Spells before their first Class Progression. It might be related to why the System offers a choice of Spells at certain levels but holds back when one learns Spells on their own.¡± Regina frowned again, but thoughtfully this time. ¡°You mean ¡­ the System defers the allocation of new Spells to people who learn them from other sources?¡± She had noticed something before, when considering at which levels she got her Spells. ¡°That¡¯s right. At least, it¡¯s what most people seem to think.¡± Janis glanced at Via and Ira. ¡°Generally, people with access to proper teachers and spellbooks tend to have more Spells than those who don¡¯t, but the Spells the System grants do mitigate that to some degree. I talked to an adventurer who only learned his Spells from leveling up, and he was a perfectly capable and competent mage.¡± I guess there¡¯s more nuance to this than I thought. But it¡¯s good news that the actual trained mages won¡¯t have that many spells to throw around, I guess. Regina nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s train together a bit,¡± she said with unfeigned enthusiasm. ¡°I can decide which of your Spells, if any, I want to learn later.¡± Janis smiled, and Via and Ira perked up, too. Clearly, they were all eager to do some magic together. Regina was struck by the sudden thought that Janis might be the closest thing to a peer she had, at least in terms of someone she had friendly interactions with. Her drones were all, well, her drones. Anuis was nice, but also much older, and Regina still didn¡¯t entirely trust the elves. She shook her head and focused on the moment. Maybe this was a chance for friendship, maybe not. She still wanted to pay attention, and she didn¡¯t get many chances to show off a little with her magic. Chapter 75: Settled Satisfactorily ¡°Are you sure that these little ¡®particles¡¯ are actually the basis of everything, everywhere?¡± Janis drew her brows together, looking a bit dubious. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very sure atoms exist,¡± Regina replied, trying not to sound too amused. Her whole society, in her memories, couldn¡¯t be wrong about that, could they? And there are, like, lots of experiments that prove it. Plus, pretty much all my knowledge of chemistry. And biology, too, since it¡¯s based on chemistry in a sense. Like, if iron atoms don¡¯t exist, what does hemoglobin transport in the blood and what are red blood cells for? You¡¯d get no oxygen and die without it. Regina shook her head at herself and stopped the rather silly train of thought. This question was almost making her doubt things it shouldn¡¯t. Besides, if my knowledge was wrong, presumably my magic wouldn¡¯t work. I got a Conjuration Spell and even Basic Heal, and I¡¯m using it accordingly. So, magic or the System itself is basically supporting that it is true. When she put it into those terms, Janis nodded. ¡°Sorry if it sounded like I doubted you, Regina. I understand what you mean. It¡¯s just ¡­ strange.¡± ¡°Lots of things about the natural world are weird,¡± Regina replied. A few of the drones gathered around them nodded in agreement. Regina had decided to make these lessons open to the public, so to speak. Or at least, open to her hive. The drones all seemed to have some basic knowledge, along with their seemingly innate language proficiency, but she wasn¡¯t entirely sure how far that went. Still, the focus was on her, the Attendants, and Janis talking and learning about magic as well as the knowledge she carried. Regina was hoping that if she taught them enough, they¡¯d be able to learn Conjuration as well, either from her or as a potential Spell on offer from the System. It didn¡¯t seem like it was going to happen with just a few hours of lessons, though. Regina considered whether she should just switch to medical stuff and try to get them Basic Heal directly, but she didn¡¯t think that was the best idea. If nothing else, knowing basic science would be very helpful in learning more specialized material. And while healing Spells would be great to have, they weren¡¯t as potentially game-changing as conjuring stuff out of thin air (or rather mana, as she¡¯d established air wasn¡¯t necessary for it). ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the periodic table. Or what I remember of it, anyway.¡± Regina sat up straighter on the cut off tree stump serving her as a stool and resumed drawing in the dirt with a sharpened stick. ¡°Remember, it¡¯s all about how many unbound electrons a certain element, or rather an atom in a potential molecule, has. So, carbon has four and can thus form molecules with four bonds, while oxygen just has two. That¡¯s why it takes two hydrogen atoms to form water, although water is also a bit of a special case, since there¡¯s a high electronegativity differential ¡­¡± Janis¡¯ expression, which had just cleared and looked like she understood, darkened again, and Regina reminded herself to stick to the topic and keep things simple. ¡°Never mind that, we¡¯ll talk about electronegativity and hydrogen bonds in a minute,¡± she said. ¡°For now, is the basic idea of the table and the elements clear?¡± Via and Ira nodded confidently, and the rest also seemed like they¡¯d at least followed along. Janis didn¡¯t answer, but Regina had the impression that was because she was deep in thought, focused on considering what she was learning and presumably its implications. She paused as she noticed Max coming closer. He¡¯d decided not to attend this lesson, maybe because she¡¯d already talked to him about most of the content a few weeks ago, when they¡¯d been out in the forest together. Many other drones were also not here, but presumably busy with other work, though she didn¡¯t doubt they¡¯d hear about it from their fellows. She still hadn¡¯t quite decided how much of it she wanted the humans from the village to hear. ¡°There¡¯s another human approaching, my Queen,¡± Max reported as he came to a stop outside the circle of drones, who¡¯d put up improvised seating arrangements. Regina glanced around, then stood up and joined him. ¡°I don¡¯t imagine they¡¯re coming from the forest?¡± He shook his head. ¡°From deeper into the march, possibly Cernlia as a whole. It¡¯s a rider, and he seems to be alone. I¡¯d assume he¡¯s a messenger.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She turned back to face the others. ¡°This is the end of the lesson, I¡¯m afraid. Please get back to what you¡¯re doing. Janis, come with me, please.¡± Ira joined them as well, while most of the other drones scattered to go back to various tasks. Tia seemed to hesitate for a moment, then headed back to the workshop, joining Mia. Janis was quiet as they walked to the edge of the village again. Regina assumed that she was trying to get used to being part of the hive, their source of knowledge and probably point of contact for humans. After she¡¯d been living as a human for so long, it was probably a bit of an adjustment. She didn¡¯t say anything about it, though. The rider didn¡¯t seem to be in any hurry, or more likely, he¡¯d been pacing himself for the long trip. Regina couldn¡¯t tell from here if the figure was actually a man or woman, but she¡¯d trust her drones¡¯ information. Ada or another of the scouts must have spotted him. Besides, given what she¡¯d heard of the culture from the villagers and Janis, using a male as a messenger was probably more likely, anyway. Janis gasped quietly as the rider came closer. Regina glanced at her, surprised for a moment, before she realized that the girl must have spent time at the marquis¡¯ court, so she¡¯d be familiar with at least some people from there. ¡°You recognize him?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°That¡¯s my great-uncle Richard,¡± Janis answered. Regina raised an eyebrow. After a moment of consideration, she decided that was probably a good thing. Unless her relative had heard of Janis joining the hive and set out to bring her back himself or something silly like that, which didn¡¯t seem likely. As the visitor came closer, she focused on him and managed to get a description from the System.
Richard Straightlance ¡ª Level ? Dauntless Knight
She¡¯d gathered that Knight was a Tier 2 Class, over level 20. This Class sounded like it was probably an evolution or progression of it, which would mean he was above level 40. Like Anuis, but probably some levels higher. The knight lifted his visor as he approached, then took off his helmet and hung it on his saddle. He didn¡¯t look quite as old as ¡®great-uncle¡¯ made him sound, but he did sport some wrinkles and gray in his hair. He slowed his horse down further, walking towards them slowly. ¡°Hive Queen Regina, Three Century Commander Anuis Eltarianal, greetings.¡± He stopped his horse and bowed in the saddle as he reached them. ¡°I bring word from Marquis Lyns.¡± ¡°Greetings to you as well, and welcome,¡± Regina answered. ¡°Do come in.¡± Janis glanced hesitantly at Regina, before she stepped towards her uncle. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Uncle Rich,¡± she said in a low voice, but not quite quietly enough for Regina not to hear it. ¡°I thought you were leading the march¡¯s levies against the elves?¡± ¡°I was recalled recently,¡± he answered, also quietly. I¡¯ll make sure you have time to talk to your uncle privately later, Regina sent her. Right now, Anuis and a few of the elves looked a bit impatient or eager to start talking with him. Janis nodded subtly, and melted back into the group while Richard started walking. The group moved into the village. Several people stopped and looked curiously at them, but Regina ignored them, and the rest followed suit. ¡°I hope your trip was without trouble, Sir Richard,¡± Anuis said, clearly making polite conversation. ¡°Quite, the gods seemed to smile on my journey,¡± he responded. That must mean he made good time, but she already knew he¡¯d probably set out from the marquis¡¯ current location pretty quickly. They reached the baron¡¯s house soon, where Neralt welcomed the knight politely. They seemed to have met before, but considering that he¡¯d apparently visited Janis here in the past, that made sense. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯re all eager to hear your lord¡¯s message,¡± Regina finally said once they¡¯d all settled down. The baron looked unsure if he was supposed to be included, but she didn¡¯t mind if he stayed. This would concern him quite a bit, after all. ¡°Of course.¡± The knight set down the mug he¡¯d been handed (ale or something, judging by the smell) and straightened up. ¡°Lady Kiara conveyed your offer and recounted the demonstrations you gave,¡± he said. ¡°Her words were quite impressive. To be perfectly honest, there was some doubt about your trustworthiness, but that matter is largely settled.¡± ¡°I presume they sent you to also check in on me,¡± Janis said with a small smile. ¡°I assure you, Uncle Rich, I¡¯m quite happy here.¡± He returned it and shrugged slightly. ¡°I can see you¡¯re being treated well, and hearing that puts my mind at ease.¡± His eyes flickered slightly to Regina, though. He cleared his throat and regained a more serious, official demeanor. ¡°In any case, Marquis Lyns is agreeable to your proposal. Provided a few remaining questions are settled satisfactorily, he would gladly enter a binding agreement with you. Circumstances being what they are, making it an official treaty seems unwise, however.¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± Regina answered with a small smile. ¡°Go on, please. You mentioned remaining issues? Like the status of the village and the castle, I presume?¡± He nodded. ¡°As a matter of fact, my lord has prepared a suggested agreement. If what he proposed meets with your approval, I am authorized to conclude this deal in his name.¡± ¡°Good.¡± That meant they wouldn¡¯t have to keep sending messages back and forth, hopefully. "The marquis cannot officially give up on the barony, but that does not mean he will try to reclaim it,¡± the knight said, glancing quickly at the baron. ¡°As such, he would officially place Baron Neralt under your authority, and leave you free reign to fortify this village and the surrounding lands as you see fit. Note that this does not only include this village, but also the smaller neighboring ones.¡± Regina nodded. She hadn¡¯t visited those villages yet, although she¡¯d heard them mentioned. She supposed what the marquis suggested wasn¡¯t a bad deal. He probably thought that some words on paper in human records archives wouldn¡¯t matter to her, especially compared to who was actually in control. He might have been right if she¡¯d been just a normal sapient monster. Although, even her Hive Queen side didn¡¯t like the thought of someone else having any kind of claim on territory she would consider hers. She felt the urge to destroy any such possibility. That wouldn¡¯t be very realistic, though, so she ignored the slight tightness in her body and nodded. ¡°That seems agreeable,¡± she said. ¡°What about the castle?¡± He¡¯d specifically not mentioned it. ¡°A complicated issue. My lord wants to work towards a use of Forest¡¯s Watch that is amenable to and secures the security of all sides. That includes fielding a joint garrison to staff and defend the castle.¡± Regina frowned in thought for a moment. Then she nodded. ¡°I think we can do that.¡± She probably didn¡¯t have the drones for a proper garrison, at least one as strong as its previous one had been, yet, anyway. The devil would be in the details, she figured. But it didn¡¯t sound like the marquis wanted to send his own soldiers there right away. ¡°Excellent.¡± He smiled, looking a little relieved. ¡°I suppose I can agree to this,¡± Neralt spoke up. ¡°Not that anyone was asking for my agreement, I note.¡± Richard smiled, looking apologetic. Regina didn¡¯t bother doing the same. She wouldn¡¯t want to be in his place, but it could have been much worse. And she wasn¡¯t his boss who had just handed him over to someone else. ¡°Do you have some kind of contract prepared?¡± she asked. Richard reached into his satchel and smoothed out a folded-up piece of paper. ¡°This is not intended to be an official contract, given the potential pitfalls I¡¯ve mentioned before,¡± he said. ¡°But it should help to have the terms of the agreement laid out clearly.¡± Regina nodded and reached out to take it. She read through the paper carefully, but it seemed to contain pretty much what they¡¯d just discussed. She then glanced around for a moment, until Ira handed her a quill and a small pot of ink, and she carefully signed her name. The marquis had already done the same, and he¡¯d even had the foresight to send Richard with identical copies, she noted. Pretty confident of him. But I guess he did suggest a deal that included some significant concessions on his side. After that, the meeting was pretty much over. Regina made small talk for a bit, although it seemed a little stilted and awkward to her. She also handed him a case containing some of the precious metals and stones she¡¯d conjured before they left the baron¡¯s house again. She made sure to arrange things so Janis had some time with her great-uncle to talk, though. Now, she¡¯d just build up her hive for as long as the peace held. Chapter 76: Learning and Realizations There were a lot of things Janis liked about her new situation. To be fair, there were also a lot of things she disliked about it. The fact that she was back in Forest¡¯s Haunt honestly counted among them. But the ease with which she got access to new knowledge, learning such interesting things, had to be her favorite thing. It also helped her train her magic considerably, and likely would have even without being shown new Spells. Regina was not the best of teachers, however. She clearly tried, and it could have been much worse, but she obviously found it hard to simplify her subject enough to make it easy for her student to understand. She also tended to get frustrated at it. ¡°No, cells are not the only thing making up the body,¡± she now said, her fingers opening and closing a bit as she clearly tried to restrain frustration. ¡°The extracellular matrix is quite, well, substantial. Like bones, only the inside of them really has cells. Although the body actually has many kinds of tissues and other things, depending on where you look. And there¡¯s a lot of water in the body, just in general.¡± Janis nodded, choosing not to comment further on it. Instead, she leaned backwards a little, until the shade of a nearby house¡¯s roof fell just so to block the sun from her eyes. The two of them were sitting outside, on a blanket thrown over the lush grass, at a quickly put together table that held a few sheets of paper. Mia, Ira and a few other drones were standing close to them, most of them working on another task on the side while they listened, like carving wood or shaping something out of wax. Wasn¡¯t a matrix something to do with mathematics? But she didn¡¯t ask the question. She figured it was one of those fancy terms that had more than one meaning. She¡¯d stumbled across several of those. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re going for Water Manipulation?¡± Ira asked. Regina smiled. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a large part of it. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s going to work out, but it¡¯s not like the Spell couldn¡¯t be helpful in other ways. Still, the human body is about two thirds water, it stands to reason there¡¯s something there.¡± Janis frowned to herself. That was not how mages decided which Spells to learn, from what she knew. Not to mention that Regina seemed to rely on getting the Spell from the System. But she supposed her situation was different than usual. ¡°I think this is enough for now,¡± Regina then said, standing up. Janis hurried to do the same. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to work, everyone. We can discuss this further over dinner, or tomorrow.¡± Janis hesitated and lingered while the drones mostly left right away. ¡°I think I would like to try the healing Spell again,¡± she said. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m really starting to ¡®get it¡¯ by now.¡± ¡°There¡¯s still a lot left to learn,¡± Regina responded. ¡°But you should still try. It¡¯s not like I knew everything there is to know about biology when I unlocked it.¡± Janis nodded and started to follow her to where the War Drones were training. She wondered, not for the first time, if she should just ask about where Regina¡¯s own knowledge came from. So far, Regina hadn¡¯t really told her about that. Janis had some guesses, of course, and it didn¡¯t even seem like Regina was keeping it a secret, as such. But Janis knew she was still new to the Hive and she hadn¡¯t earned much trust yet, or had any real need to know about it. Still, I figure she won¡¯t mind if I¡¯m a little curious. She found it a little hard to tell if the drones knew, or how much of the truth they knew. They didn¡¯t seem to care much. When she¡¯d tried to obliquely ask about it, Mia hadn¡¯t seemed to understand what the issue was. Regina was their Queen, and the drones seemed to somehow get information they needed when they hatched. Janis wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that whole kettle of fish, either. The drones were normal people, but also, somewhat odd. Or maybe Mia did know everything about it and had simply not wanted to tell Janis. That made her think of her Uncle Rich despite herself. He¡¯d asked her some questions, but Janis had not said much. She hadn¡¯t even mentioned that she was going to learn new Spells. She wasn¡¯t even sure why, herself. I can¡¯t risk giving away anything about the Hive, though. Or at least I shouldn¡¯t. Besides, any idiot would have been able to tell he wasn¡¯t happy about the situation. But so what? It wasn¡¯t his life. Like Aunt Marian. Although, I suppose I haven¡¯t actually heard her say anything negative about this ¡­ Maybe I will if I talk more with her. We¡¯ve barely exchanged a few sentences. Regina called over a War Drone, which ran towards them and then sat down, unmoving. Janis only caught a faint echo of what must pass through the psychic Hive bond, but she felt like Regina was doing something. Then the Hive Queen laid her hand on its shoulder and Janis felt the faint sensation of mana being used. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll just make a cut on its arm, I guess, and then you can try to close it,¡± Regina said. Janis took a deep breath and nodded. Without any visible hesitation, Regina extended the claw on her right forefinger and pressed it against a presumably soft part on the elbow joint. Her claws looked like they¡¯d become sharper since Janis first saw her and they made a decent cut, blood welling up right away. The drone didn¡¯t even flinch, and Janis realized she must have numbed it. Janis bent closer to look at the cut, then carefully laid her hand above it, her fingers on both sides. She closed her eyes and focused on her mana, trying to guide it out through her hands into the drone¡¯s body in a controlled manner. As she did so, she visualized what Regina had explained to her, tiny compartments that made up the body, a complex system responsible for the clotting of blood and closing of wounds, using some of what swam in one¡¯s blood. She tried to push the idea of the cells regenerating, of new ones arising and the blood flowing only inside again, where it belonged, into the drone¡¯s body. She winced as a headache started gnawing at her temples and her mana seemed to fizzle out. It dissipated into the drone¡¯s body, agitating it a little, without affecting the cut. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Janis took a deep breath, then tried again. For long minutes, she guided her mana into the drone¡¯s body, trying to affect the changes she stubbornly kept envisioning. Finally, when her mana was starting to run dry, she noticed that it seemed to be absorbed in a more purposeful way. Janis intensified her focus and watched with both her mana sense and her eyes as the cut slowly closed. Finally, Janis pulled back her hand and stared at the drone¡¯s skin. It was completely whole again, its shell unbroken, although it was still flecked with blood. She smiled slightly.
Congratulations, you have learned a new Spell: Basic Heal
You have leveled up
¡°I¡¯ve got it,¡± she told Regina. ¡°And I gained a level, too!¡± Her new boss smiled. ¡°Great. Well done, Janis. I¡¯ll be relying on you to help me heal people, then, when it becomes necessary.¡± Such as if they had to fight again. Or when, rather, she supposed. Janis knew that Via and Ira should also be quite close to getting this Spell. They seemed to have a natural affinity to support-type magic, so that should help as well. ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s nice not to be the only mage in the Hive anymore,¡± Regina said as they turned around to leave, the War Drone scurrying off again to whatever tasks it had. Janis smiled. ¡°I can imagine. I like having other people to talk about magic with, as well.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible, a mannerism Janis had seen before but found difficult to interpret. ¡°Sure, that is a bonus,¡± she said with a wry smile. The two of them walked back into the village, the conversation halted for now. Janis looked curiously at Regina. She noticed the way the Hive Queen wrinkled her nose as she stepped around a spot in the street where the dirt was turning to mud, even though Janis was pretty sure that that was just due to a bit of recent rain, and the way she glanced at the wooden houses. ¡°You must dislike being in a little, human village like this,¡± Janis commented. ¡°It¡¯s not my favorite place in the world,¡± Regina admitted. ¡°But it¡¯s mine now - sort of - and it is growing on me.¡± Janis smiled, glancing at a few of the villagers she saw. All people she recognized, and most of whom hadn¡¯t liked her. ¡°I suppose the lords and ladies had something of a point when they talked of ¡®dirty peasants¡¯. I imagine it might seem similarly for you.¡° This line of thought felt a bit strange, since Regina had lived in the forest, but Janis knew she must have learned all of her knowledge somewhere. It was too much and too coherent to have been found in some random book. It stood to reason that whoever or wherever had this much Ancient knowledge had more comforts to offer. ¡°Oh, I consider everyone else to be ignorant primitives.¡± Regina¡¯s lips curled up slightly at the side. ¡°Don¡¯t take it personally.¡± Janis raised an eyebrow before she could stop herself. It was a playful comment, and she had the impression that Regina was mostly joking. But not entirely. And ¡®everyone else¡¯ clearly didn¡¯t simply refer to the inhabitants of Forest¡¯s Haunt, but also the other people she had met. Maybe even the elves? "It could be worse, anyway,¡± she continued. ¡°People are surprisingly cleanly for - uh, ¡®dirty peasants¡¯.¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± Janis couldn¡¯t help but frown at that comment. She remembered how Regina had seemed almost surprised when they¡¯d first talked about her own knowledge of the medical arts, especially plagues and diseases. As if she didn¡¯t expect people to know that they could infect each other with disease, and that filth and excrement made it worse, while regular washing helped protect the body. That was just common sense, though. Like how alcohol could burn out wounds and cleanse them. Their conversation trailed off here, while Via and Ray, two of the Drone Attendants, joined them. They were both still quite low level, and she could tell Ray, the younger one, had been using his mana a lot recently, probably practicing to learn a Spell, leaving him almost dry. Via still had some in reserve. Janis wondered if they were acting as bodyguards, too. That seemed to be Max¡¯s job, judging by the Class name and what she¡¯d seen so far, but the older drone wasn¡¯t here right now. He was probably training or hunting in the forest to try and earn levels to keep up with his Queen. "How many drones are in the Hive now?¡± she asked. Regina stared off into space with a fixed look for a moment, and Janis could tell she was looking at a System sheet. ¡°Almost three hundred,¡± she said, with a satisfied look on her face. Janis nodded. She hoped they had food for all of those. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Regina said, apparently reading her expression. ¡°The Swarm Drones can sleep huddled up outside, and they can eat what the Production Drones provide. We don¡¯t have that many sapient drones, so it won¡¯t be a problem. Swarm Drones aren¡¯t going to complain about monotonous fare. I could even send them into the forest for a bit.¡± ¡°What about your old base, deeper in the forest?¡± Janis asked. She¡¯d almost forgotten about it, but now she realized she¡¯d never heard them mention what they¡¯d done with it. ¡°It¡¯s still there, and we¡¯re still using it,¡± Regina answered. ¡°I left some drones there before we went here. I guess there¡¯s only a really small part of the Hive there now, since all our, uh, new membership comes from here. Maybe I should start sending more Swarm Drones there ¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how many monsters there are in that area of the forest, but I¡¯d be worried about some potentially damaging your construction,¡± Janis advised. ¡°I¡¯ve always heard that the forest can be tricky and dangerous in more subtle ways also. Of course, that¡¯s not to mention the clashing armies that are still somewhere between its trees.¡± ¡°I suppose any drones there are awfully exposed,¡± Regina mused. ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to mainly leave it to Swarm Drones. Actually, I keep meaning to recall the sapient ones and leave just some Swarm Drones, even if it¡¯s a hassle. But, in fact -¡° She broke off and stopped walking suddenly. Janis glanced around, but she couldn¡¯t see anything which would have caused that reaction. They were on one of the village¡¯s main streets, which led to the village square, but there were no other people close by, and all seemed quiet. Then she realized that Regina had to be seeing something transmitted from one of her drones. She almost seemed to pale, if that was possible with her type of skin. ¡°Damn it,¡± Regina cursed. ¡°There¡¯s someone moving in on the hive¡¯s camp.¡± The other drones all tensed up, and Via even produced a dagger from somewhere. It didn¡¯t seem like a carefully deliberated reaction. Janis didn¡¯t spare her much attention. ¡°How do you know?¡± she asked. ¡°Who, from where?¡± Regina took a deep breath and shook her head. ¡°I sent a group of Winged Drones towards that area, since we were talking about it, anyway. On the way, I noticed signs of movement coming from the north or northwest. It looks like a pretty big group, though it¡¯s hard to see much under the forest canopy. None of the Scouts is close to it.¡± Janis had to suppress the urge to curse, as well. That sounded like it was a human force, maybe a squad or several from the army. What were they going to do? And what should she, herself, do? Janis knew she might be called on to fight humans and even fellow Cernlians alongside the Hive, but she didn¡¯t think it would happen so soon. Not that she was reluctant. She owed the Hive loyalty, and they were her march¡¯s allies, anyway. But she couldn¡¯t help the nerves suddenly tangling in her guts. Chapter 77: Danger and Distraction Regina had given her drones remaining in the hive¡¯s settlement strict instructions to run if they were attacked by anyone. Her Hive Queen side chafed at it, but trying to keep her territory wasn¡¯t worth the potential loss of life. She¡¯d moved almost all of her sapient drones to the castle and village, leaving very few people there. Unfortunately, she did need at least a few to command the Swarm Drones effectively. While Regina could control them with her mind, she could hardly focus on it all the time, and the Swarm Drones weren¡¯t very good at acting on complex orders or adjusting their actions to match new circumstances. Quickly, Regina dove into the mind of Zac, the most senior drone and the one in charge of the group. You need to run, she told him. It looks like this is too big of a group to fight. You¡¯ll get help as quickly as I can manage it, but you need to go now. Take all of the Swarm Drones. My Queen, what about the camp? He asked, wincing slightly. Her entry into his mind hadn¡¯t been the most gentle, and he was standing frozen in the middle of walking between two of the huts. I don¡¯t think the defensive measures we have left are going to stop them. They could just burn the houses down. They¡¯re just houses. Go. It grated on her, but the camp wasn¡¯t worth the risk of her drones being killed or taken captive. Then Regina opened her eyes again and took a deep breath. She reached out with her mind once more and contacted Max, Tim and the rest of the stronger drones who were close by, urging them to come quickly. ¡°Are we going to try to fight them or launch a rescue mission?¡± Janis asked. She looked concerned. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can reach the place in time.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°I can fly. I could take the Winged Drones.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Max asked, running towards them and sliding to an abrupt stop. Regina quickly filled him in, and his hand went to the ax on his belt while his expression darkened. ¡°Shit. We can¡¯t afford to risk you, though, my Queen. I know you probably want to hurry out there and fight the intruders, or help the others, but it¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°We definitely need to inform the elves, right?¡± Tia asked, who came running and stopped a bit slower than Max. ¡°Of course. Tim, go and do that.¡± Tim, who was just approaching, nodded and turned around right away. Regina focused her attention on Dark and made the bird fly towards where she¡¯d spotted the group in the forest. He was still faster than the Winged Drones. Regina stayed still and watched through her drones¡¯ eyes, occasionally switching between them. The group of humans - she¡¯d seen enough to confirm their shapes, at least - were moving quickly, as if they were all using Haste or something similar. This was obviously supposed to be a fast, surprise strike. Her drones were packing up really quickly, but by the time they were all at the outskirts of the makeshift village, the intruders had already come considerably closer. The lake also meant they wouldn¡¯t be able to run away on the best direct course. Regina cursed and started pacing up and down. ¡°I heard what¡¯s happening,¡± Anuis said. When Regina looked up, she realized the elf had come with two other officers. ¡°We have a few soldiers who can move quickly. I¡¯d be willing to lend them to your aid if we can establish what is happening and determine a good plan.¡± Regina sighed softly. Dark had reached the humans by now, though he still kept his distance, according to her orders. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re Delvers or Nerlian soldiers. Maybe both. There are at least two dozen, and many seem to be above level 20. They¡¯ll be there very soon.¡± She took a deep breath, checking on her drones once again. ¡°The drones won¡¯t be able to escape them at this rate. They can¡¯t move fast enough. And the humans are altering course slightly.¡± ¡°I expect at least a few of them will have some tracking abilities.¡± Anuis frowned. ¡°Dammit.¡± Regina stopped and glanced up into the sky. ¡°I¡¯ll fly over there. I¡¯ll take all of the Winged Drones, everyone who can move quickly enough should try to catch up as fast as they can.¡± ¡°Regina -¡° Max made as if to grab her arm, then hesitated. ¡°That would put you in a lot of danger,¡± Anuis said. ¡°We do not even know if you and your flying drones will be enough to hold the attackers off. Judging by how you described them, I would rather doubt that, in fact.¡± ¡°I only need to stall them long enough for the drones to escape,¡± Regina countered, already stretching out her wings. Luckily, she was wearing a tunic with slits across the sides and back, so it only took a bit of fumbling. ¡°I¡¯ll take lots of grenades.¡± She paused and briefly dipped into the minds of her Winged Drones to make sure they would grab what they could. ¡°We need to be careful, anyway,¡± Tim said. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t send all of our strongest fighters away.¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Regina said. "If anyone else who¡¯s going can use the Haste Spell or something similar, they should use it on you, Tim, and we can stay in contact.¡± Talking about it had actually calmed her down a little. She still felt the urgency of the situation, that danger was coming closer with every passing second. But they couldn¡¯t just rush off without any kind of plan. Regina only cursed herself for not making better surveillance arrangement for the forest or getting all of her sapient drones to the village and castle. Not that she would have been happy to lose Swarm Drones and her old base, but she could have dealt with it. I hope. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. That was why she didn¡¯t spend long hashing out the details. They could talk on the way, if necessary. Although Regina also tried to keep some of her attention on the drones in the forest. Using her psychic link this much and trying to keep many different points of attention in focus was taxing. She lifted off into the air and summoned her Winged Drones with a shrill whistle, although she¡¯d already called them telepathically. Then she banked and rushed off towards the forest. Unfortunately, the Drone Attendants couldn¡¯t actually fly yet. It would be nice to have other sapient fliers who could manage the Winged Drones, the way the Warriors and some others did it for the War Drones. Regina beat her wings hard, but she actually couldn¡¯t fly as quickly as she would have had she been alone, since the Winged Drones were still slower than her. Their speed seemed to depend on their levels, but since there wasn¡¯t that much of a difference between them - none of them had reached level 10 yet - it didn¡¯t matter much in practice. Keep moving, she telepathically urged Zac. We¡¯re coming to help you, but the more time you can buy, the better. We¡¯re trying, Zac answered back, breathing hard. I¡¯m sorry, my Queen. None of this is your fault. Regina hesitated for a moment. Leave the slower Swarm Drones behind if you need to. They may be useful as a distraction, at least. Regina took stock of her situation as she approached the outer reaches of the forest. She had a flock of over fifty Winged Drones, some of them carrying payloads, though not all. Then there was herself, of course. Her mana pool was about two-thirds full, which meant she probably had more than a normal mage her level. A group of her allies was moving quickly into the forest, consisting of Ada and Ace, who had Skills allowing them to travel more quickly, as well as several elves. Janis was following them with another group who couldn¡¯t quite go as fast, feverishly trying to figure out Haste while moving. Then they were almost there, and Regina had to focus on her own surroundings. The forest beneath them made it difficult to see any details from up here. Although she could get a view from different vantage points through her drones, she still had to figure out how to integrate that information. She slowed down a little and sent a group of eight Winged Drones ahead to test the water. They gave her glimpses of the humans rushing through the forest as if the undergrowth didn¡¯t exist. Regina gave a short mental command, and the first Winged Drones started dropping grenades on the leading humans they could see. A few consecutive booms shook the forest, and the branches of the trees beneath the flock rustled with the force of the explosion. Regina started circling, still some distance away from the humans¡¯ force, and mostly focused on what she could see from her drones. The attack had done a lot less damage than she¡¯d hoped. For one, the trees got into the way and made it hard to deliver the explosives to the correct location, and also seemed to catch and buffer some of the blast. What was worse, the humans she had to deal with now were stronger than any group she¡¯d faced before. She saw a heavily armored man staggering away from close to where a grenade had impacted, maybe a little rattled but obviously still in the fight. Then a scream from further away diverted her attention. Regina flapped her wings almost on instinct, turning toward it. She dove into Zac¡¯s mind and immediately cursed. He¡¯d done as she said and sent most of their Swarm Drones to cover their retreat, but that gambit only met with limited success. Regina must have overlooked a group of humans who¡¯d already been catching up to Zac and the others. They had already put down almost all of the Swarm Drones and were still chasing the other drones down. Switching to the drones¡¯ perspectives, she even caught glimpses of a few humans further to the side, clearly attempting to hem them in. ¡°Most of the flock, dive down and try to cover the drones¡¯ retreat, over there!¡± Regina shouted. It was easier to give verbal orders to so many at once. At least they all had good hearing. The Winged Drones followed her order at once, turning and flying to their new goal. The flock spread out slightly as they did. Regina hesitated, then flapped her wings harder for a few seconds to gain more altitude. So far, she hadn¡¯t seen any kind of air capability from the humans except for tame Wyverns, but they could still shoot upwards, so she didn¡¯t want to be too close. Her caution was validated almost right away. A big tongue of flame, vaguely reminiscent of her Fireball, shot into the sky between some trees. It caught two Winged Drones and incinerated them almost at once. Regina cursed and ordered the drones to spread out a bit more. The flying drones¡¯ arrival gave her other drones some reprieve. More grenades fell on the humans, injuring them or at least slowing them down with the side effects they had on the forest. Regina sent more of her Winged Drones to specific spots, trying to gauge how effective they were. Unfortunately, while they could easily bomb their enemies just by using gravity, they didn¡¯t have much in the way of weapons. Some picked up rocks and anything else they could to let them rain down on their targets, and some dive-bombed humans in small groups. Regina winced as she watched four out of five of one team that tried this dying. But they did injure the human fighter, who looked like a high-level rogue, as they did. She pulled herself out of watching the fight and instead turned her focus to Dark. The bird was already in the forest, relatively close by, and she sent him forward now. With his magical stealth, she could use him to get a better look at the enemy and maybe find some hints to their affiliation, reasons for the attack or their plans. He should still avoid getting too close, though, considering the high levels some of them clearly had. Dark took her orders well and approached them quickly but quietly. He seemed to decide to circle around from the northwest, and Regina let him. She watched, still circling above the forest, as he got close enough to pick up snatches of conversation. His hearing had improved quite a bit, probably the equivalent of a Skill that sharpened his senses, although she hadn¡¯t figured out how to pull up a monster¡¯s Ability list yet, if they had one. She almost laughed as she heard one of the humans curse loudly after another Winged Drone dropped off its payload. ¡°Well, you wanted a demonstration of their new explosive equipment, Commander! Are you satisfied now?¡± Another man, presumably the commander, said something still too low for her to make out. Dark hopped onto another branch and he seemed to get louder, allowing her to catch the next sentence. ¡°You know as well as I do that we need to investigate this, Bird. This reeks of Precursor technology. And did you forget that the mages think their leader might have a Conjuration Spell?¡± Dark paused here as they passed by, but Regina figured she¡¯d heard the important bit. She nudged him to turn to other squads, but they seemed to be less talkative. Except for a lot of cursing and some shouted orders, she didn¡¯t get much. Regina was considering sending him closer to the previous group again, when her mana sense suddenly tingled. She pulled her awareness back towards her body, realizing that she¡¯d been sensing a small accumulation of mana close to her. But she didn¡¯t have time to consider it. Regina had only just started to draw in her wings to move herself away when the magical net caught her. It burned against her like hot wires and tangled up her wings. She shouted as she started plummeting downwards. Chapter 78: Fight in the Forest As Regina lost altitude and frantically tried to beat her wings, she spent a moment cursing herself for her carelessness. She shouldn¡¯t have lost sight of her surroundings, no matter how hard it was to properly manage the input from the psychic link coming from many drones, if she had to go out here herself in the first place. Regina twisted her hands and tried to use her claws to slash apart the net tangling her up, but it resisted her attempts. She could sense mana from it, and suspected that it wasn¡¯t really physically present, but more of a mana construct. So she sucked in some of her mana and expelled it out of her skin, in a move that vaguely resembled the Spark Spell but was more uncontrolled. That actually seemed to work and withered the net somewhat. Regina put more force into her movements and managed to dislodge it well enough that she could at least get some control of her trajectory back. She twisted in the air and stretched her wings, flapping them carefully, just enough to get herself turning and level out her descent. All of that had only taken a few seconds at most, but she didn¡¯t have any time to spare. She¡¯d only just started to get control when she dove into the crowns of the trees. Branches whipped at her face and body, and she instinctively curled in her wings. Burning pain spread through her left wing where something thorny ripped the delicate limb. At least her descent was slowed. Regina tried to grab for a hanging vine and missed, but she still managed to push off a tree trunk and go diagonally through the top part of a bush, slowing down her momentum even further. Then she crashed into the ground. Regina groaned softly. She needed a few seconds before she could roll over. As she did, she sank down a few centimeters and realized she was lying above a bush or something. Her whole body hurt like hell. She gritted her teeth and staggered to her feet, grateful once more for her Con stat and shell. She froze for a moment and listened. Luckily, with her impromptu course adjustment, she hadn¡¯t gone down right over the enemy¡¯s position. But they¡¯d surely heard her and would be on the way now. So, she turned and staggered off, resisting the urge to close her eyes as she focused on her mana. It was hard to muster the necessary concentration and willpower, but she scraped it together and forced her mana into a familiar pattern. The burning pain decreased as the Spell got to work. Regina breathed out and cast Basic Heal again. She was able to walk more surely now, bones that might have been cracked mending and her right ankle supporting her full weight again. Regina rolled her shoulder and winced. She clearly wasn¡¯t entirely healed. She had dispersed her mana and used a rather general Spell. But Regina didn¡¯t have the time to assess her status in depth and fix it. She started running, trying to keep quiet enough to listen for pursuers. Her sense of smell turned out to be more help. While the various scents of the forest blanketed her surroundings and made it hard to pick up anything too far away, they didn¡¯t cancel other scents out too much. Regina tried to steer away from monsters and animals - not always an easy distinction to make just based on scent - and keep moving away from where she knew humans had gone. She dipped into the minds of Dark and a few drones briefly, enough to get an idea of their own positions and where they saw humans. But she was too far away from them to join the drones easily, not without running right into human squads between them. Then Regina froze when she finally picked up footsteps. In the sudden (relative) silence, she could hear them coming closer, trampling the underbrush of the forest. Several people, at least one of them probably in heavy armor. Can you try to fly towards them and see what¡¯s going on? she told Dark. Carefully. The little bird vanished from sight, judging by the edges of his flapping wings in his vision, and quietly flew towards her location. Or slightly off, actually. To where he¡¯d find the human soldiers. He had a good sense of direction. Regina started walking again, as quietly as she could. She tried to head away from her pursuers, but unfortunately, that meant she tended to get farther away from her hive. She cursed silently and decided to adjust her path to curve to the right. At least this way, she¡¯d get to the edge of the forest eventually, and she hoped to meet Anuis and the others coming from the village. Her shoulder still hurt, a low throbbing, but she decided to conserve her mana, and besides, for all she knew, they had a mage or someone who could sense Spells being cast. At least she could walk and run. She didn¡¯t want to waste time arguing with her drones, but Regina still contacted Zac, Max, Tim and Janis and told them what was happening. You¡¯re alone and surrounded by enemies? Max sounded panicked and she could faintly feel his heartrate and breathing speed up. I¡¯m coming! You shouldn¡¯t have flown out yourself. Just run, we¡¯ll be there as soon as we can! No, you¡¯ll stay in the village! Regina snapped. Stay there and guard the others. You¡¯re not fast enough and I don¡¯t want drones wandering in the forest that they can just pick off. She cut the connection and jumped over an exposed root. She didn¡¯t have time to argue. Ironically, Janis was the one who reacted the best, or at least most calmly. I¡¯ll let the others know. Stay safe, Regina. I think I¡¯ve almost got Haste figured out. I¡¯ll do my best to help. She kept an eye on the group pursuing her through Dark, but she was caught off guard when a shift in the wind carried the smell of humans from another direction. She strained her ears and tried as hard as she could to listen for it, moving more slowly and silently, but she couldn¡¯t pick up any sound from them. Probably a stealth Skill of some kind. Trying to see them through the green thicket of the trees and bushes would be pointless. Regina took a deep breath, steadying her nerves, and continued on. After a moment of thought, she nudged Dark to change course. Regina tried to keep going and stick to the course she¡¯d previously planned, but she could tell the humans were getting closer. They weren¡¯t moving quite as quickly as they had before, maybe out of caution or maybe because they needed to track her, but they were still faster than her. She grimaced to herself. She found it hard to estimate how far away she still was from Zac and the others. She¡¯d moved away from them, running after the crash, and trying to circle back around now was risky. But if she remained alone, they¡¯d just run her down, eventually. Regina slowed down and tried to adjust her wings, as well as she could given the trees around her. It would be a challenge to take to the air again. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t sure she could do that even in perfect conditions. One of her wings still hurt, and she saw that the gash in it looked like it had only been sparsely patched over. She wasn¡¯t familiar enough with how wings worked to give it a good assessment, or maybe even to properly heal it. She contacted Zac again, taking a moment to see through his eyes. It was disorienting, since he was running through a small thicket of trees at the moment, branches slapping his torso and face. He was gasping for air. She heard a whistling sound behind him, and he ducked his head. Regina cursed silently and switched her focus to the Winged Drones. Many of them were still in the air, or had even taken flight again. She quickly took stock of how many of the grenades they still had. There wasn¡¯t much left, unfortunately. She gave the order for some of them to pick up whatever else they found that they could use as a projectile. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Then she dipped into Zac¡¯s mind again, and cursed. One of the other drones with him, Ted, was obviously limping, and had fallen back. Zac was slowing as well, concern dominating his mind. Regina abruptly stopped and turned. This wasn¡¯t working. She debated silently for a moment, then slipped to the side and started going towards the direction where she smelled humans. She still had her magic, and if she managed to take them by surprise, she might break through. Besides, it would probably focus their attention on her, perhaps allowing her drones and allies an advantage. The latter were coming pretty close to Zac¡¯s group now. Regina saw the squad of humans on her trail before they saw her. It looked like a pretty standard party, actually, with three men and one woman. She breathed out silently, then pushed the mana she was gathering into a shape. A small container slowly formed in her hand. Its sides were quite thin, just barely qualifying as cardboard rather than paper. She focused again, filling it, then threw it. The enemy fighters were still reacting to the thrown projectile, shouting and turning, weapons raised, when the Fireball shot towards them. Regina threw herself to the ground and listened to the sounds of branches swaying and crackling in the wind caused by the explosion. She then jumped back up and looked at the group of humans. None of them were still on their feet. A few Magic Missiles took care of them. The forest had not fared well, though. She could see at least two bushes on fire, and the flames were already spreading.
You have leveled up
Great, but that wasn¡¯t going to help her much right now. Regina glanced around and quickly realized that one of the humans was unaccounted for. He¡¯d probably fled. The other three were on the ground, but they might have sent a message. She didn¡¯t waste time, but immediately started jogging away again. Over the next few minutes, as Regina made her way further inside the enemy¡¯s positions, she tried to use her Winged Drones and occasional glimpses from other drones to spot where they were. She didn¡¯t need them to know that the humans behind her were coming closer, though. Their scent alone said enough. And more of them were coming. She got enough bits of information to guess that several squads, or whatever units they used, were swinging around towards her. She was getting encircled again. And there were a lot of humans in her way. Regina took a deep breath, then spared a moment to look at her drones again. They actually seemed to be getting pressed less strongly. Regina hesitated, then continued on her course. She knew she could probably get them to stage a diversion or something. Try to buy herself better odds with their lives. Well, key word is try, it might not work either way. But she wasn¡¯t going to do that. Sure, she was the centerpiece of the hive, and, theoretically, even if every drone died, she could still rebuild it. But it wouldn¡¯t be the same. The hive is the people in it. She suppressed a snort. She wasn¡¯t keen on doing some grand self-sacrificing gesture, but she refused to throw her people away, not matter how much her instincts might want to treat them as expendable. When she encountered another human soldier again, she could tell there were a lot more of them around now. She didn¡¯t have the advantage of surprise this time. In fact, she barely realized there was an arrow coming for her fast enough to duck. A moment later, a Winged Drone dove from the sky, bowling over the man in leather armor who¡¯d taken cover behind a tree. Regina jumped to the side, then threw a Firebolt. He rolled away just in time, still trying to wrestle the drone¡¯s claws off him and mostly succeeding. At least the tree didn¡¯t catch fire. Regina decided to take what she could get and ran to the side, ducking behind another tree, then a wide bush. She glanced up to check the position of further Winged Drones. Unfortunately, it was hard to tell where exactly many of them were in relation to her, and she didn¡¯t have the time for a detailed dive into their minds to figure it out. Most of them were gone from the sky, too. Either killed, injured, fighting in the forest or otherwise grounded. She was getting driven further from her allies again, she realized. Regina slowed and looked around. She only just caught the swaying of some leaves, more than the breeze would explain. On instinct, she threw herself down again, hearing another arrow whoosh over her head. Regina rolled to the side and back to her feet, ignoring the stab of pain that went through her wings. She froze for a moment as she took in the scene in front of her. There were already about half a dozen people nearby, and she could smell and hear more of them approaching. She dodged another arrow that suddenly split into three just a few meters away, hissing as one of them scraped barely past her left arm. ¡°There she is!¡± someone called from further up. She didn¡¯t recognize the voice. Regina took a deep breath and slowly backed away to the thickest patch of ground she could find. She still had some mana left, but not enough. And she needed time to use it optimally, which she wasn¡¯t going to get. She had to find whatever advantage she could. Regina dove deeper into her mana pool, searching. Time almost seemed to slow down as her focus narrowed down on it. Anuis said Alianais marked me. And there was something, she could tell. Maybe it was the situation, the razor edge the danger lent to her awareness, or maybe it was just easier to find now. Her Class didn¡¯t give her any ability with divine magic, but she could still feel that she had more than just her own mana, or the psychic connection to her hive. A knife hit her chest, but it clattered off her shell without even leaving a scratch. There was a small pop. Max¡¯s shield must have run out. She didn¡¯t really know what she was doing, but Regina tried to grab onto the sensation and pull. ¡°Alianais, I invoke you!¡± She¡¯d meant to only think them, but she found herself calling the words out loud. And then, suddenly, her shell started lighting up with light, like someone had shoved a high-powered LED mesh into her body and turned her shell transparent. Regina felt a swelling in her mana pool, accompanied by a burning sensation that left her gasping. She blinked, her vision swimming for a fraction of a second before it stabilized, but she could tell her attackers were too shocked to react, or maybe too slow. ¡°It took you long enough, little Hive Queen.¡± Judging by the way one of the enemies she could see flinched, the soft but somehow thundering voice was audible to everyone. They seemed to be wary about attacking a champion of a goddess, she noted in the back of her mind. But she couldn¡¯t focus on it. ¡°Please help me!¡± Regina cried after a moment. She didn¡¯t want to get skewered by more arrows or knives, everything else could wait. ¡°I already am helping you. But if you insist on a show of power ¡­¡± Suddenly, the light around her pulsed and a wave of it spread out. It was like a shockwave, except that it didn¡¯t disturb the trees around her and the accompanying low thunder seemed more like a sound effect tacked onto it. But light flashed when it hit soldiers - even those she shouldn¡¯t actually see behind more trees - and it hurled them to the ground. Regina blinked. Then she realized she was wasting valuable time and called on her mana at once. It reacted more quickly than ever before, and in just a few seconds, she was holding several more fragmentation grenades. People were already picking themselves up from the ground by then, so she didn¡¯t waste any time in throwing them. She went to her knees, covering her head against the explosions shaking the clearing. She could tell the light around her was fading. Regina clenched her hands. ¡°Wait, Alianais. You owe me an answer.¡± Wait, maybe I shouldn¡¯t talk that way to a goddess. But she doesn¡¯t strike me as the type to insist on deference. There was silence for a moment, then she spoke again. ¡°I owe you several, in fact. You will get your answers.¡± Regina shook her head and levered herself to her feet. Her light was still dying, now almost completely gone. She glanced up, but, of course, she couldn¡¯t see anything different. Then a groan pulled her attention back to her surroundings. Her mana was completely full right now, somehow. Regina quickly cast more Magic Missiles, sending them to everywhere she could see, hear or smell humans. She waited for a few seconds, but everything was silent. The smell of burnt flesh pervaded the forest, and no birds sang anywhere in the vicinity. Regina sighed and glanced at the System notification.
You have leveled up
Regina found it hard to muster a smile at the level-up. Instead, she turned her attention to looking for her drones and allies. At least this little incident should have provided a good distraction, and it had taken care of a big chunk of the enemy¡¯s forces. She could probably be most helpful coordinating everyone. Chapter 79: In Person By the time the last group of reinforcements for Regina¡¯s side arrived, they basically had no one left to fight. Anuis and the other people with her made short work of the remaining human fighters, though they did capture a few that they could interrogate later. It helped that Regina still had some Winged Drones left. With her replenished mana, she conjured some gifts for them to give to any nearby enemies with express delivery. Not what I¡¯m used to thinking of as delivery drones, but hey. At least they¡¯re useful, even if no one would get it if I made that joke. Regina smiled wider and shook her head. She knew she was coming off an ¡®adrenaline high¡¯, and had to steady her hands to make sure they weren¡¯t trembling. She¡¯d become too familiar with the tired and somehow exultant feeling of a battle won. It didn¡¯t feel right to celebrate now, though. She had lost drones. Regina quickly changed her focus to Zac and looked through his mind¡¯s eyes. Ted hadn¡¯t made it, and the Harvester was carrying his dead body, obviously trying hard to keep his composure. He will get a proper funeral once we are back, Regina whispered to him. Please don¡¯t blame yourself for anything that happened. If any of us is to blame, it¡¯s me. I should have recalled all of you from the hive¡¯s camp days ago. You couldn¡¯t have known this would happen, my Queen, Zac responded. And at least we won a big victory against these intruders. They lost far more than we did, I know Ted would take satisfaction in that. I hope so. Get back to the others and rest, Zac. You¡¯ve more than earned it. Regina kept walking, but she couldn¡¯t help her eyes darting to the occasional corpse in the underbrush. Or, more often, in some cleared spots. She could use her newly healed wings to fly, but she preferred to be walking right now. It didn¡¯t take long for her to reach Anuis and the others. She paused before she entered the clearing they were in, taking a closer look. Right then, a fast-moving figure came from the other direction and skidded to a stop. It took Regina a moment to realize that Janis had finally figured out Haste. Two Spells in one day. I¡¯m sure mages back in Cernlia would have trouble believing her. ¡°Good, you¡¯re safe,¡± Anuis said with a slight, relieved smile, looking at Regina. Regina knew she only saw that relief because the elf chose to show it, but she didn¡¯t mind. Janis¡¯ smile seemed a bit more genuine, or at least brighter. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright, Regina! But what was that? A new weapon you created?¡± Regina shook her head, still walking closer. ¡°No, not really. It¡¯s a bit complicated.¡± ¡°Divine magic,¡± Anuis said quietly. ¡°That mark you carry is not simply for show, it seems.¡± Regina nodded slightly, but didn¡¯t say anything. She didn¡¯t really want to talk about it. She had tried to find out more about this mark previously, though with nothing really to show for it. She¡¯d even tried calling out to Alianais before. Now that it had worked, she still wanted to find out more. It took a while for them to settle things after the fight. They had to take stock of the injured and dead, both their own and their enemies¡¯. The Scouts got more work to do, trying to investigate if and how many of those had fled. Regina knew there were at least some. They would carry information on what they¡¯d seen back, but it had been so chaotic that she wasn¡¯t too concerned. At least about their enemies learning any new details. It was pretty clear that they had been watching them, or probably the village, before. Another group of drones, led by Max, arrived later. Regina met them in another clearing, on her way back from checking on a few Swarm Drones she hadn¡¯t felt comfortable moving. Max sped up when he saw her, then slowed down hesitantly as he came closer. Regina smiled and turned towards him, raising her arms, and they hugged. It was not entirely comfortable with the hard shells, but she didn¡¯t care. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be here to protect you, Regina,¡± Max said. ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot. I know you made yourself my bodyguard, but you can¡¯t be there all the time.¡± Regina smiled and nodded at the others. Ben and most of their stronger drones had stayed behind, showing restraint she appreciated. Tim was already working with Anuis. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here now, my Queen.¡± ¡°So you are,¡± Regina agreed. She tugged on her mandible and glanced around. They happened to be close to a particular spot she knew. When they were almost finished and the others clearly thinking about going back to their base, or more likely the village, Regina hesitated. ¡°I know they need me here,¡± she said. ¡°But there¡¯s something I need to see.¡± Max nodded seriously. ¡°Whatever you think best, my Queen.¡± He hadn¡¯t gone more than two meters away from her, and didn¡¯t seem inclined to start now. Regina glanced at him, then turned and sighed. ¡°Go tell the others to go without me,¡± she told the nearest sapient drone, Dan. ¡°We¡¯re going to catch up later.¡± Well, we¡¯re probably not going to be fast enough to ¡®catch up¡¯ exactly, but close enough. Dan nodded and hurried off. Regina turned and started striding purposefully to her target while Max fell into step with her. But when she reached the small crack in the overgrown rocks that hid a cave opening, he hesitated. ¡°My Queen, is it wise to go there? Delvers or Nerlians from the battle might have fled there.¡± ¡°What happened to ¡®whatever you think best¡¯?¡± She grumbled quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll take some War Drones along, Max, don¡¯t worry.¡± She let some of the drones from the group she gathered go first. They were a few of the highest-level Swarm Drones she had, though she didn¡¯t want to take any that had actually reached Tier 2 already. These would at least serve as an early warning system, though. Not that she hoped to meet any hostiles down there - though she wouldn¡¯t mind finding a few of her enemies who had gotten away - but there were also monsters down there, after all. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. They descended in silence. Neither of them had brought a torch, but they didn¡¯t really need one with their low-light vision. Regina looked around curiously. She¡¯d seen the underground caverns several times, but this would be the first time she actually went down here and saw them in person. There weren¡¯t many surprises at first. It felt and looked pretty much the way she had expected, from what she¡¯d gathered using her drones¡¯ senses. Regina spared some of her focus to make sure the Swarm Drones with her were going the right way, spreading out a little, but not too much, and scouting their surroundings for them. A few times, they did happen upon monsters. Those either fled or started a fight. The two times that happened, Regina quickly got other nearby Swarm Drones involved and they wore their enemy down with numbers. One of their drones got heavily injured, though, and Regina stopped to heal it. Her miraculously refilled mana was drying up fast, she noted. But that was fine. She still had about five hundred points left, which should be enough for a fight or some more healing, or both. Regina still tried to be cautious as they proceeded deeper into the caves. It took longer than she thought, although she probably should have known better. She paused twice to check on other drones outside, on their trip back and in the village, although she didn¡¯t contact them. Then, finally, they reached the big tunnel. Regina paused as they approached and slowly stepped further in, barely paying attention to the gravel-strewn slope leading down from the side tunnel they came from. The mana down here was ¡­ interesting. Her mana senses still weren¡¯t nearly as fine as they probably could be, but she had gotten better at perceiving it. She could even sense the faint traces of mana in the Cave Lights hanging on the ceiling. There was more to it than that, though. She couldn¡¯t quite put her fingers on it, but something sent a trickle of electricity down her spine. It wasn¡¯t just the mana, though. Regina walked forward, slowly, craning her head and taking in the view. It was at once alien and yet eerily familiar. She¡¯d had the thought that they looked like subway tunnels before, and that impression was only reinforced now. She stepped towards a wall and ran her hand over it. It felt like stone, and yet, there was something off about it. Regina frowned and walked forward, trailing her hand along it. The surface was very smooth, not something she imagined you could get with some pickaxes, and yet, it didn¡¯t look like it was made out of stone building blocks, either. Regina looked around and called one of her drones that was carrying an ax to her. It was a fancier model, which they must have looted from a human at some point, with a spike on one end. She focused and created a covering for it out of titanium, leaving it a very pointy spike. Then she swung the improvised pick against the wall. It took a while and some elbow grease, but she didn¡¯t care. A monster came to investigate the noise, but Max and the War Drones held it off. Regina was grateful for her Str stat, which gave her strength above that of a normal human. When she stopped, she had a rough hole quite a few centimeters into the wall. ¡°I think that¡¯s it,¡± she said. Max tilted his head. He¡¯d waited quietly. ¡°What do you mean? Is this about what the wall is made of?¡± Regina nodded. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s really concrete. Or cement, or whatever. But definitely a modern building material, and not the kind you could create with medieval level technology or knowledge, either. This isn¡¯t just some ancient original cement, it¡¯s familiar. At least, I think so.¡± Max frowned. ¡°That seems odd.¡± Regina snorted. She gave the drone back its weapon and started walking further down the tunnel, moving quicker now. ¡°You could say that.¡± This was just another piece of evidence that her supposition was correct, and this world had once seen at least one civilization with more advanced technology. The Precursors, presumably. She¡¯d asked about them, of course, but hadn¡¯t gotten much. Just vague mentions of a past golden age, like something straight out of mythology, and a lack of records. From what she could gather, especially given the history texts Tim and Bea had seen in Ariedel¡¯s library, that was centuries ago, probably a millennium or more. As Regina hurried further down the tunnel, ignoring any monsters which scurried off at her approach, she realized what was giving her a weird feeling about the mana in this place. It felt twisted, for lack of a better word. Not in the crazy, evil or corrupted sense. Probably not, at least, but she hadn¡¯t seen any indication of that. More like someone or something had taken the mana and twisted, shifted it just slightly out of alignment, or maybe put in new mana that didn¡¯t belong, and didn¡¯t quite settle. There was an odd feel to it in her mana sense. Like the place, this relic of a bygone age, doesn¡¯t belong with it. She shook her head. I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m thinking. She couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that it was her world, her memories¡¯ world, which was beneath that twisting. ¡°Are you alright, Regina?¡± Max asked quietly. She nodded and took a deep breath. ¡°Just fine.¡± This was an interesting experience, but she didn¡¯t think she would get many answers musing on it. They continued on their way, going down the tunnel. The light was getting brighter, and soon, Regina saw the end of the tunnel approaching. She reminded herself to be careful. There seemed to be at least one strong monster close by here. Maybe she should have taken Anuis, or just more people. This wasn¡¯t really something she wanted to share with anyone, except perhaps the drones she was close with, though. Regina sent a War Drone forward, letting it creep carefully closer to the door at the end of the tunnel. It looked like a steel gate that one might see in industrial use or as a security door, just very large, but she¡¯d need to get closer to look for any details. Luckily, it seemed that there were currently no strong monsters close to the gate. There were a few Tunnelers, but the War Drone, and maybe the others quietly coming up behind it, managed to make them skitter away instead of fight. It looked like the monsters might have started to learn to be wary of her hive. Regina approached the door carefully, glancing around to make sure it really was safe. Max stayed half a step ahead of her, his shield, which he must have taken off a dead soldier, raised protectively. But everything was quiet. Regina paused as she moved towards the door. If possible, the weirdness of the mana only increased here. Or so she thought, it was hard to be sure. She examined the door. Definitely industrial steel or something similar. I could conjure a diamond blade or something to try and cut through it. Or I could just heat it to the point that it melts or lets us create an opening. She stepped forward, hand already raised, when she paused. There was something else now, a faint tingle, a kind of sensation she couldn¡¯t quite describe, but it felt vaguely familiar, from not long ago. She turned to see a woman step out of the shadow, where there definitely hadn¡¯t been a tunnel entrance. Regina recognized her at once. Pointed ears but mostly human features, shimmery skin. The watcher she¡¯d met before. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t if I were you,¡± the divine (presumably?) being said. ¡°You¡¯re not ready for this.¡± Regina lowered her hand and took a step away from the door. That sounded like a warning she¡¯d better heed. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude,¡± she said, inclining her head. ¡°But who are you, and why are you here?¡± The woman smiled. She barely glanced at Max, who¡¯d assumed an obviously combat-ready posture. ¡°I am Lianaleine. You¡¯ve done well since last we met, Hive Queen Regina. I was sent here by Alianais. You¡¯re supposed to come with me.¡± Regina glanced at Max again, then back at the divine messenger. ¡°Okay.¡± Alianais had promised her answers. And if she had any ill intentions, there wouldn¡¯t be much Regina could do about it. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure I could take your valiant warrior back to safety.¡± The goddess (she decided to just stick with that assumption) waved her hand, and in a small shimmer of sparks that reminded her of System screens, Max disappeared. Regina glanced at the War Drones, who¡¯d stayed stock still. ¡°Uh, head back to the hive, try to avoid trouble,¡± she ordered them. Then she turned back to the goddess. ¡°Where did you take Max?¡± ¡°Back to the village you captured. Now, come.¡± She held out her hand. Regina glanced around one more time, steeling her nerves. She heard a distant rumble that seemed to be moving away from her. Then she took the woman¡¯s hand and light filled her vision. Chapter 80: The Mirrored Halls When Regina blinked and opened her eyes again, she realized she was somewhere else. She almost jumped, but managed to control her reaction. Instead, she focused on what she could perceive. They stood on top of a hill, part of a picturesque scene of rolling hills stretching out around her. They were covered in vibrant green grass and occasionally dotted with colorful flowers, none of which looked familiar. But that barely registered to her next to the mana in this place. It felt odd, but in a very different way than where she¡¯d just been. Instead, the mana here felt strong, very strong, but almost as if it was flavored with something else. Something she vaguely recognized from her recent contact with Alianais and the other goddess. ¡°Welcome to the Mirrored Halls, Regina.¡± Lianaleine started walking, and Regina quickly matched her. ¡°It¡¯s also sometimes called the Celestial Home, or similar titles.¡± As they kept walking, it felt like the world around them started to shiver, and then, within a few steps, Regina found herself walking through a dimly lit, ancient forest. She glanced up at the towering trees, listening to the echoes of birdsong, though no birds were to be found. ¡°Am I supposed to be here?¡± she asked. Lianaleine smiled and shook her head. ¡°Mortals usually aren¡¯t, but since you are a champion of Alianais, sort of, it¡¯s okay for you to be here. As long as you don¡¯t linger too long.¡± Regina glanced around, trying to watch as the forest changed once again and they were walking in a desert, sunlight sparking off the perfect white sand. ¡°What is this place? Some kind of parallel dimension?¡± ¡°Sort of. In truth, it¡¯s a place that doesn¡¯t exist anywhere in the world, but somewhere outside of it. Not quite a pocket dimension, although it is significantly smaller than your world.¡± Regina frowned as she looked around. Something about what she was seeing felt off. Besides the obvious shifting between different landscapes. But now, as they walked through a pristine path on the side of a lake or ocean, the impression persisted. She shook her head to chase the thought away and glanced back at her guide, who was strolling forward at an unhurried but still quick pace. ¡°So, I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but who are you, exactly? What do you do?¡± ¡°Like I said, my name is Lianaleine. Once, I was a goddess of ¡ª well, it doesn¡¯t matter much. Just a minor goddess of something the people of the world do not need. Nowadays, I am what you would call an administrator of the System.¡± She winked at her. ¡±But that¡¯s not why we¡¯re here.¡± Regina¡¯s eyes widened involuntarily. A System admin? That seemed to confirm that the System did come from the gods. They kept walking, passing through several more biomes. Regina kept looking around, trying to make sense of what they saw. At some point, a white structure began to appear in the distance, and it stayed there, growing closer with every step. Then, as she started to recognize it as a giant building made of some almost shining white stone, Regina realized what had been bothering her. Namely, the horizon. There actually was one, it wasn¡¯t like they were walking on a flat pane. But it seemed like it was too close, like the world they were on was a smaller sphere than the planet should be. It didn¡¯t really seem like it was a real planet, though. Maybe all of what I¡¯m seeing is just some kind of illusion. Leianaleine doesn¡¯t even seem to notice or care. She glanced at her guide again, who seemed focused on her task. The playful demeanor she¡¯d shown the first time they¡¯d met appeared to have almost disappeared. Although, Regina did catch her looking at her once, and the goddess turned her head back to look forward again right away. Regina frowned. It¡¯s almost like she feels some ¡­ guilt? I don¡¯t know. Then they reached the foot of the building, and before she could ask where exactly they were going, the next few steps brought them onto a white courtyard. On second glance, it seemed like a large balcony, made out of marble or some other posh material, with an intricately crafted balustrade some meters away. But Regina couldn¡¯t spare the location any attention, because the woman she now faced took all of her focus. She knew right away that this was Alianais. The feeling of her mana, the sensation of her presence, was familiar. The goddess of change and progress had the same pointed ears as the other goddess and the same shimmery skin, although hers was darker. Her face looked almost human, but her eyes were a shining gold which almost seemed to shift from the depth of a burning forge to a flat gold pane. She had long white hair, though it didn¡¯t make her look old, but was thick and lustrous. Strands of it were braided in a crown, the only kind of crown she wore. Unlike Leianaleine, she didn¡¯t wear a dress or gown, but sandals, black pants and a white shirt of some glimmering fabric Regina didn¡¯t recognize. Regina hesitated, unsure what to do or how she should greet the goddess. But Alianais stepped forward immediately and offered her a warm smile. ¡°Regina. It¡¯s good to see you in person. Thank you for coming.¡± Regina bowed her head and tried her best to smile without letting her see that she felt a bit off-balance. ¡°Of course. Thank you for the help, Lady Alianais.¡± She hesitated. ¡°Am I supposed to call you something specific or perform a certain greeting? I¡¯m afraid no one¡¯s told me if there¡¯s any custom to follow.¡± She¡¯d rather not offend someone who could probably kill her with a thought, though. The goddess shook her head. ¡°No need for that. Using my name is fine.¡± She then turned to Leianaleine. ¡°Thank you, Leian. I won¡¯t keep you any longer.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The other goddess nodded, then gave Regina a smile and a wink. ¡°Bye for now, kid. Enjoy the visit and don¡¯t make trouble. Maybe we¡¯ll see each other around.¡± She didn¡¯t wait for a response, just bowed to Alianais and then vanished. Regina blinked, then turned her attention back squarely to Alianais. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit nervous. A part of her would have liked Leianaleine to stay, although it might be better to talk to Alianais alone. ¡°So, this mark you gave me,¡± she began. ¡°What is it? And how does it work?¡± Alianais seemed to sigh softly, although the sound carried a bit oddly in this place. ¡°That¡¯s a little complicated, actually. In essence, the mark is there because of the interaction you got with my magic previously. I simply ¡®made it stick¡¯, so to speak, and later turned it more visible to those who may be looking for such things. I apologize if you felt that was violating your privacy or putting pressure on you, but it seemed advisable given the dangers you faced.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°You¡¯re saying you just wanted to protect me? When did I come into contact with your magic, anyway? Was it when I met the elves and Leianaleine showed up, or what?¡± ¡°I would indeed like to protect you.¡± Alianais smiled slightly, but it still seemed to carry the brightness of a small star. ¡°Why?¡± Regina asked bluntly. She could think of a few possibilities for why the goddess of change and progress might be interested in her, but it was still a bit concerning, and she wanted a straight answer from her. Alianais hesitated again, and looked like she was considering whether to give it to her. But then they were interrupted. The light seemed to grow brighter again, and Regina blinked, only to find another figure seemingly falling towards them from above, but just standing on the stone of the terrace a moment later. She couldn¡¯t help but tense up as soon as she saw the man. He had the same pointed ears as the two goddesses, and long silvery gray hair. His skin was about the same shade as Alianais¡¯, and his eyes were a shining white, not just the irises, but uniform white orbs that didn¡¯t show any pupils. But those didn¡¯t faze her much compared to the fact that he was wearing what appeared to be a three-piece suit. It looked off, the dimensions kind of uneven and the cut odd. Like someone hadn¡¯t seen a suit in twenty years and then decided to recreate one from memory. ¡°Deirianon,¡± Alianais said, frowning a little as she looked at him. ¡°Did you need to interrupt? I¡¯m in the middle of a conversation.¡± ¡°I know that you were talking to your little Hivekind project.¡± The man, who had to be another god, turned his head slightly towards Regina. It was hard to make out his expression, especially with his featureless eyes that didn¡¯t show where he was actually looking. ¡°Hello, little Hive Queen. That is why I came, Alianais.¡± Regina tensed. Suddenly, she realized that he wasn¡¯t speaking Global, and yet, she could understand him perfectly. When she focused on it, she recalled vaguely the actual sounds he¡¯d made, but not enough to write a transcript. It just felt like he was talking in Global. At the moment, she didn¡¯t remember if Leianaleine or Alianais had done the same. ¡°What is it you want, Deirianon?¡± Alianais asked. She was clearly annoyed and didn¡¯t bother to hide it. She also seemed to be talking in Global. ¡°You don¡¯t have a leg to stand on if you want to complain about Regina being a champion of mine. We all still remember that boy you wouldn¡¯t let die even after he¡¯d got half a kingdom overrun with monsters. Which is very much against your ideal.¡± That made Regina remember where she¡¯d heard the name before, in the information Tim and Bea had brought from the elves a while ago. If she recalled correctly, Deirianon was the god of peace. Clearly, Alianais didn¡¯t like him very much. Which was a bit concerning, in principle. Maybe it has something to do with peace being connected to stagnation, or something like that? Or maybe they just don¡¯t like each other for personal reasons. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to complain about that,¡± he said, a bit indignantly. ¡°Although I still don¡¯t approve of this, Alianais. You¡¯re stirring things up that should better be left alone. Do you even consider how much death and destruction you might cause, for every bit of ¡®progress¡¯ you might get?¡± ¡°Change doesn¡¯t have to be destructive,¡± Alianais replied. She sounded like they¡¯d had this argument before. ¡°And it¡¯s not like there¡¯s any lack of death and destruction right now, you know. I wish you¡¯d all just opened your eyes long ago.¡± ¡°You¡¯re incorrigible.¡± He shook his head, then sighed and turned back to Regina. ¡°I advise you to practice restraint, Hive Queen. I might not be able to smite you easily, and it¡¯s not in my nature to do so, but that¡¯s still in your own and everyone¡¯s best interests. I know you¡¯re still human enough to care about the virtues of peace, in any case.¡± ¡°Are you finished?¡± Alianais sounded annoyed. He turned back to her and gave her a smile that might have been a bit mocking, before the god started to disappear. Unlike Leinaleine, he didn¡¯t just vanish, but appeared to disintegrate in a curtain of sparkling light. Regina stared at where he¡¯d stood for a moment, before she turned back to her apparent patron goddess. She couldn¡¯t help the frown on her face. There was a lot to unpack in that conversation. One thing, however, stood out to her most clearly. ¡°He said I was ¡®still human enough¡¯. What does that mean? What do you know about my past? So I was really a human before? How did I come to be a Hive Queen?¡± The goddess smiled and held up a hand as if to stem her stream of questions. ¡°Easy, Regina. I was getting to this explanation. Yes, you were human, to the best of my knowledge. To be precise, your soul was, or rather, it was once a young human woman¡¯s.¡± ¡°My soul? Did you do this?¡± Regina demanded. ¡°No, I most certainly did not,¡± Alianais responded, now a bit of sharpness in her voice. ¡°I assure you, your situation is not of my doing. Your kind, the Hivekind, did what they usually do, as I understand it.¡± Regina blinked and took a deep breath. ¡°They ¡­ moved my soul from a human body into, well, this?¡± ¡°Indeed. Into the egg of an infant Hive Queen that had just been conceived, evidently.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s horrible. What kind of practice is that? And is that why I don¡¯t remember my previous life? But I did keep a lot of memories, obviously.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so quick to condemn your antecendents, girl.¡± Alianais frowned, suddenly looking a lot more severe than the friendly woman she¡¯d appeared to be so far. ¡°As for your memories, it is my understanding that the removal is also part of the usual practice. Something you surely knew about when you agreed.¡± ¡°I ¡­ agreed?¡± Regina stared at her. ¡°I agreed to die and become a Hive Queen?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t really die. And yes, you did agree.¡± Regina shook her head and took a step back. ¡°I need a moment,¡± she mumbled, but she barely noticed Alianais¡¯ reaction. She just stared out at the Mirrored Halls, not really taking in the view. She¡¯d have a lot of other questions later, she just needed a moment to come to terms with this. She¡¯d just heard that she had once been another person, a human. And for some crazy reason, she¡¯d agreed for her soul to be put into a Hive Queen¡¯s developing body. Well, there were a few reasons she could think of, but it was still a lot. And since she¡¯d apparently given up her personal memories in the process, she didn¡¯t know why. Regina took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. Maybe it was better that she didn¡¯t remember what she¡¯d lost, not on a personal level. Chapter 81: Cataclysms Past The landscape of the Celestial Home didn¡¯t actually change. At least not when viewed from here. That would usually be a given, but Regina didn¡¯t know what to make of it compared to her journey here. Maybe Leianaleine had actually teleported them. But the landscape was shrouded in mist in a few weird places, like someone had randomly dotted clouds on it. It was a picturesque, breathtaking view. She¡¯d stared out at it for a few moments, when Regina realized she wasn¡¯t getting anywhere and turned back to look at her host. At least the tumult in her head had settled a little, so she felt she could get started on trying to find some answers. Even if they were going to be just as disturbing as what she¡¯d just heard. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she told her. Alianais smiled reassuringly. ¡°Take all the time you need to process it.¡± Regina crossed her arms. She was still wearing a torn and bloodstained tunic, but at least she¡¯d managed to fold her wings properly again. ¡°So, what happened?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a rather broad question,¡± Alianais said. ¡°The answer is quite long and complicated.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible. ¡°Well, the world is very different from what I remember. Let¡¯s start with that. Was my soul taken to a different planet or something?¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re still on the same world, but your egg was in stasis for a long time.¡± Regina frowned. That just raised more questions, although she had almost suspected something like this. ¡°Maybe you should start at the beginning,¡± she suggested. Alianais sighed and stayed quiet for a moment, seemingly collecting herself. ¡°It¡¯s a long tale, but I would say that the very beginning of it starts on another world, the one we originally came from. We called it something that translates to ¡®haven¡¯, but it turned out not be as much of a sanctuary as we gods thought.¡± Regina leaned forward slightly in interest, but stayed quiet. ¡°You see, the multiverse is vast and consists of many different places, different worlds,¡± Alianais explained. ¡°This one may be an Earth, but there are several versions of it. Yours was particularly far advanced, although time does run differently between universes.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Different worlds? Different versions of Earth? Regina bit her lip before she could ask more questions, to let the goddess continue her tale. ¡°Travel between different worlds is extremely difficult, and usually the territory of select few. There is one major exception, however, at least in what you might call our corner of the multiverse. A faction that has managed to somewhat institutionalize travel between different worlds, to their own benefit and the detriment of any worlds unfortunate enough to be in their grasp.¡± Alianais paused, looking into the distance with an expression that was hard to read. ¡°That¡¯s what happened to your old world?¡± Regina asked. ¡°They were conquered by these people?¡± Alianais¡¯ eyes refocused on her and she nodded. ¡°Divine entities like my compatriots and I have greater power and greater knowledge than short-lived mortals on our worlds. We knew about them, and we knew their expansion was bringing them close to us, that our world was in their path. We knew that if we were to fight them, we might bleed their forces, but we were unlikely to succeed in the end. Not when they could suck magic itself out of our world. So, we prepared. Our world is a long way away from this one - insofar as such terms have any meaning when discussing the multiverse - but due to a quirk of the local magic or perhaps the matter of the multiverse itself, it was easier to establish contact with this world. As you might know, your Earth had very little magic of its own, at that point. But we worked at it and eventually managed to create a portal to this world. These portals would not have lasted, but it would have to be enough. Through this contact, some mana transferred over, raising the mana level in this world somewhat, and we transferred a few people as well.¡± ¡°A few people?¡± Regina repeated. She felt like she was keeping up with the story, but the more she heard, the more unreal it felt. ¡°The Hivekind, at first.¡± Alianais shrugged slightly. ¡°They were newcomers in our old world, in a sense. We had only had contact with them for a few years. But we came to an agreement. The details aren¡¯t important now. You must have been one of the first people they recruited when they came here, perhaps even the first. I assume you don¡¯t remember anything that happened after this?¡± Regina shook her head. When she searched the memory she¡¯d apparently been left, she had a vague impression that magic existed, but the knowledge felt disconnected from anything else. Like it was just a fact everyone knew, but she had never learned details, or maybe like it was something she¡¯d only learned recently and she¡¯d never had the chance to learn, or had forgotten, any more information. She didn¡¯t remember anything about a gate to another world, or any gods or aliens coming. ¡°Like I said, we managed to bring some people over quietly and peacefully,¡± Alianais continued. She was obviously simplifying the story. ¡°We were in talks with the various governments of the world at this point, working out an arrangement that would help us all.¡± ¡°I assume something happened and you failed?¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. ¡°You could say that.¡± When Alianais paused, something that looked very much like pain flashed across her expression. ¡°We were too slow, and the threat came earlier than expected. They ¡­ disrupted the portals we had opened, causing them to shut.¡± Regina cocked her head and crossed her arms again, but she didn¡¯t speak up this time. ¡°We tried to pull as much mana through the portals as we could - to save it, so to speak. So they couldn¡¯t drain everything. But a lot of magic was, well, disrupted by the abrupt destabilization of the portals between the worlds.¡± Alianais met her eyes. ¡°It led to calamity and cataclysm.¡± ¡°How?¡± Regina asked quietly. She clenched her fists. She was starting to feel her throat tightening, caught up in the story. ¡°Mana levels rose explosively, but not smoothly. There were surges that caused a lot of devastation, with chaotic and destructive effects. The more complicated and delicate something was, the more surely it was going to be ruined. Essentially all advanced technology was also destroyed. Take computer chips, as fragile as they were, with just the right atoms in the right places and electrical charges; I doubt a single one survived anywhere. And since the world was so technologically advanced, almost everything depended on them.¡± She sighed. ¡°Perhaps the people might have weathered it - despite the widespread devastation, the sudden deaths, despite the natural disasters and the changes - if they had handled it better. But they didn¡¯t. To be fair, there was tension even before the cataclysm came. And when it did, the nuclear weapons followed.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Regina bowed her head and stared at her hands. She could almost imagine what she heard about, the pictures Alianais painted in a few words. Although she knew that the reality would have been so much more horrifying, nightmarish on a scale she probably couldn¡¯t really comprehend. She concentrated on breathing deeply while the realization of what had happened to her world, to her original home and the people she came from, sank in. ¡°It still - doesn¡¯t explain everything,¡± Regina finally said, and if her voice was a little strained, the goddess didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°It was chaos, for a time,¡± Alianais replied. ¡°Even we don¡¯t know everything that happened. There are a few more factors that came into play to shape the world like it is today, though. Every city was destroyed. Every single one. Many by nuclear strikes, some by the direct effects of mana surges or indirect effects like blowing the remaining fission reactors, some by earthquakes or volcanoes. The weather and climate were just as upset by the cataclysm as the rest of the natural world. Of course, soon enough, nuclear winter settled in. It was probably the primary cause of death for the survivors. Not that many made it. A few, scattered settlements survived, though hardly unscathed. A few places did better than others. Big islands, inland.¡± ¡°And the new species like the elves came through the portals before they closed?¡± Regina asked, raising her head. ¡°Indeed, and some humans as well. As soon as we realized that our time was up, we sent as many people through them as we could. Perhaps not many in the grand scheme of things, but it was still a sizeable population, which has had over a thousand years to grow.¡± ¡°A thousand years ¡­¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°It was a long time,¡± Alianais said, nodding. ¡°A lot has changed, beyond the obvious. The mana didn¡¯t just bring destruction, it caused many other effects. The climate was eventually reset, bringing it more in line with both original Earth and our original world, incidentally. It helped plants and animals evolve, and we have also seen remarkable convergence toward what we used to have on our old world. It reshaped the landscape itself. If you look at a map, even the outline of the continents will not be the same.¡± Regina started pacing, shaking her head to herself again. She felt like too much information was shoved at her at once. She both wanted to get out of here and grill Alianais about everything. She noticed that her breathing had become irregular. She tried not to, but it was impossible not to think about the implications of what she was being told. ¡°Did we really lose all advanced technology?¡± she asked. Alianais nodded. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, or near enough. Any electronic records were destroyed, and so were the vast majority of books. Libraries tended to be in major population centers, which were generally hit most severely. For a while afterward, no one could work with or create new devices without risking major damage to themselves and their surroundings. Besides that, while some humans did survive, like I said, many people came through the portals, or are those descended from them. And the arrival of powerful magic had other effects, as well. It was much easier and safer to use it to try and regain some of the comfort and benefits that had been lost, so even native survivor groups usually tried to learn as much of it as they could, which generally meant linking up with groups of newcomers. That was before the introduction of the System. And, of course, war didn¡¯t stop happening, either.¡± Regina found it hard to look at her, although she tried not to let it show. She didn¡¯t want to show how much the goddess¡¯ tale was upsetting her. ¡°Does that have anything to do with why my hive seems to be the only Hivekind left?¡± she asked. ¡°You made it sound like I was put into an egg and kept in stasis for a long time without being hatched, but I don¡¯t imagine they transfered souls just to let them languish.¡± Alianais seemed to hesitate for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. I think that you may have been a case different from the other Hive Queens that were raised after their arrival. Under review, so to speak, perhaps not up to the standards they used later. It hardly matters now. The fact is, the Hivekind were one of the targets of the new warfare that broke out after the apocalypse.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Because they were different.¡± Alianais sighed softly. ¡°That¡¯s the way it usually goes, especially in times of crisis like these. To be honest, it was exacerbated by the fact that the Hivekind were relatively new to the scene. Many people connected their arrival with the cataclysms that happened afterward, and many races banded together against them.¡± ¡°But they weren¡¯t actually at fault, were they?¡± Regina frowned. Alianais shook her head emphatically. ¡°No, they were not. I think their end proves that, more than anything. The Hivekind relied on advanced technology more than any other race. It left them weakened after what happened. And most of them were very new and very young; the older Hives died in the catastrophes like anyone else. Their reliance on a Hive Queen proved to be the weak point that doomed them. Some drones may have survived, but they couldn¡¯t perpetuate their species, and most barely even tried to keep going.¡± Regina pulled a face. She could imagine that all too well. It sent a shiver down her spine, especially when she related it to her current situation. One mistake or unlucky move, and if she died, the Hivekind would be essentially extinct. Again. At least on this world. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s all we have time for today,¡± Alianais said, looking off into the distance. It had started to rumble sightly. Although the landscape didn¡¯t really move, it looked like it. Regina wondered if another god was expressing their annoyance. ¡°Wait, why?¡± she asked. ¡°You can¡¯t stay here too long. You shouldn¡¯t. Besides, I¡¯m sure your companions are worried about you.¡± Regina hesitated for a moment. It was clear she wouldn¡¯t get the opportunity for a lot of questions, so she should focus on what she needed to ask the goddess now. Put that way, the choice was pretty clear. ¡°Just answer me one more thing. Why are you telling me all this? What do you get out of it?¡± Alianais hesitated visibly again. At this point, Regina really wasn¡¯t sure if the goddess was playacting or if she had so little interaction with others, or at least mortals, that she really hadn¡¯t learned to control her expressions better. ¡°I won¡¯t force you to do anything for me, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re afraid of,¡± she said. ¡°I will offer you some protection, at least to an extent. Beyond that ¡­ I did what I thought was right.¡± Regina thought back to the short exchange Alianais had had with the other god. Clearly, that had something to do with it. ¡°Now, you really should go.¡± Alianais waved her hand, and a shimmering curtain of light appeared next to Regina, about the shape of a person. Regina glanced back at Alianais, then nodded after a long moment. She didn¡¯t really know what to think of this. At the moment, her emotions were a bit of a mess, she¡¯d had too much input too quickly to really process it. But she was really unsure how to feel about Alianais, or these gods in general. Arguably, they indirectly caused the apocalypse, killing billions of people. I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s fair to put it that way, but ¡­ But she tried not to let any of that show. She could sort out how she felt and what, if anything, she might want to do about it later. If there was anything she could do. For now, she should take this calmly, at least outwardly. Alianais seemed inclined to be helpful, and it would be stupid to provoke her to change her mind. ¡°Thank you for the explanations, anyway,¡± Regina said. Alianais returned the nod, then waved her hand. It seemed like a sudden gust of wind picked Regina up and pushed her to the portal, although there was no actual wind. She didn¡¯t fight it, and stepped through the portal. In a moment, awareness of hundreds of drones nearby snapped back into her mind. Chapter 82: Reactions and Goals Her drones couldn¡¯t really act admonishing or reproachful with her, Regina discovered. At least she wouldn¡¯t call it that. They did express how they felt, that they were upset at her absence, but subtly. She at least tried to act contrite and understanding, and promised to stay in the village or base, with lots of drones around, for the foreseeable future. Regina had no intention of breaking that promise. She¡¯d barely noticed that her psychic hive link had apparently gone dormant while she was in the Mirrored Halls, but being back with her hive, in range of most of the drones, felt nice. Although the way the Attendants tried to fuss over her might have something to do with it. At least they seemed to understand that she wasn¡¯t in the mood for celebrations or being social and didn¡¯t talk much. Freshly bathed and with a new tunic and pants, Regina went to talk to Anuis and the remaining leadership of the hive. They met in the castle, where they had a pretty good view of the forest. Anuis seemed to have decided to return here fairly quickly, rather than staying at the hive¡¯s base in the forest. Regina suspected that was because she felt concerned about the hole that a large part of their forces being away made in their defenses. If someone wanted to attack them, like the Cernlian king, it would be a good time, and they might coordinate with the Nerlians to that effect. ¡°So, we¡¯re sure they came from the Nerlian army?¡± Regina asked, leaning back against the battlement. They were currently talking on one of the fort¡¯s towers. ¡°Reasonably certain,¡± Bianorn said. ¡°Although it¡¯s more like a mixed army that is somewhat headed by the Nerlians. Not all of the people we captured are Nerlians. Some are mercenaries, Delvers or even Cernlian soldiers.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not even all human,¡± Niolo, the Commissar, put in. ¡°I saw a few werekin, a halfling and even a dwarf, and there might be a few demihumans that look human enough to pass unnoticed.¡± Regina wondered for a moment if the elves disliking dwarves was true, then decided she had bigger things to worry about. ¡°It looks like the marquis is keeping Cernlia off us for now, though,¡± she said. ¡°Do you think the Nerlians, and their allies, will keep trying?¡± Anuis shook her head. ¡°I doubt you will have to worry about another attack like this any time soon, Regina. By now, your connection to Alianais is quite obvious, and the fact that you were protected by divine power in the battle will come out soon enough.¡± She smiled slightly. ¡°Most people are rather unwilling to attack a champion of a goddess.¡± Regina frowned thoughtfully. ¡°You think that will stop them for long?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± Anuis shrugged. ¡°They might try to bring in more help, perhaps even paladins or champions of other gods. And the Delvers don¡¯t care much for the gods, as a rule. It will also be a somewhat different matter for a more offensive conflict. But I¡¯d estimate that you have some time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know. Thanks, Anuis.¡± Regina looked out over the forest. It would be good. Finally, she¡¯d have some time to focus on building up her hive, establishing themselves. She wasn¡¯t yet sure how what she¡¯d learned would change that, but she¡¯d have time to reflect, hopefully. She also wanted to let Max and Tim know and get their opinions, and a few others, too. But she didn¡¯t seriously consider talking about it with Anuis. Actually, if anyone still remembered more about those times, it would be the elves. The fact that Enais had recognized the Hivekind was telling. If so, they hadn¡¯t told her about it, and she supposed she couldn¡¯t blame them. They probably didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d have the soul of someone living before the apocalypse, too. Regina seriously doubted the Hivekind had ever made that public knowledge. She wondered how the Delvers would react if they knew. Then she shook her head and focused on the situation. She delved into her psychic link quickly, checking on a few drones. After a moment, Regina turned to look at the others again. ¡°Well, you¡¯re welcome to come to the funeral. We¡¯ve decided to do it right away, outside the castle here.¡± Anyone who wanted to say goodbye to Ted had already arrived. There weren¡¯t that many drones, probably because he¡¯d been young and had spent a lot of time in the forest with few others around. Plus, most of the drones were pretty busy. Regina considered using her wings, but instead went down the stair to ground level and walked out of the castle¡¯s gate. Anuis chose to come along, presumably to pay her respects as a diplomatic gesture. An elvish soldier had also died in the fight. Regina didn¡¯t know what arrangements they¡¯d make, although they would probably send his body back to the city for his family. There didn¡¯t seem to be much she could do to help. The hive was kind of developing a tradition of burning their dead, at least the sapient drones. Other drones had already gathered some wood and built a pyre, and Ted lay on it, wrapped in a big sheet. Regina went up to it and put some accelerant on the pyre. She experimented with a few different kinds of flammable liquids. This time, Max stepped forward and said some words about the deceased. Regina listened quietly. She hadn¡¯t really known him enough to contribute anything. She knew this wouldn¡¯t be the last time one of her drones died, but it still made her feel like she had a knot in her throat. She wasn¡¯t quite sure if that was from sadness or guilt. Still, her hands were steady when she stepped forward to light the pyre. They¡¯d also gathered the Swarm Drones who died, quite a lot of them this time. Their current position was close to the river, so she didn¡¯t think burying them, especially in shallow graves, was a wise idea. Instead, the drones worked on building more pyres, these ones lower and wider. There was less ceremony when she set them alight. After the funerals, if one could use the word, Regina wandered around the place a bit. The castle was bustling with activity compared to before. Well, it was close to the forest, and a fortified base they were using for the defense of the territory Regina had recently come to control and as a potential defensive hardpoint against further attacks. At least, that was how Max had explained it. Eventually, Regina found herself on a field a short distance away from the castle, with the wind picking up in the direction directly opposite from it. Max had trailed her again, and she waited for a minute until Tim and Tia joined them. Mia was still in the village, but Regina would catch up with her later. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°I¡¯ve got to admit, my Queen, we were worried about you,¡± Tia said with a serious look. ¡°Especially once Max came back alone.¡± Regina grimaced. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to worry you, but I wasn¡¯t in any danger. For that matter, if Alianais wished me harm, she probably could have acted on it regardless of where I was.¡± Tia nodded, and Max and Tim looked like they had to reluctantly concede the point, as well. Regina understood how they felt. Even if she might still have been in danger, it would clearly feel different to them if they were with her and could try to protect her. I¡¯m not sure if the drones being so protective of me is a good thing, she mused. I do want to survive, obviously. But it could still cause issues. ¡°What did you learn from Alianais, Regina?¡± Max asked. ¡°You¡¯ve been kind of absent ever since you came back.¡± Regina sighed, then gathered herself and started talking. She recounted her trip to the Mirrored Halls and her conversation with Alianais, with as many details as she could. She had to stop herself from pacing up and down as she related the story the goddess told her, but talking about it actually helped her to recall and get a grasp on it. ¡°That¡¯s a lot to unpack,¡± Tim finally said once she¡¯d finished. The others looked like they had things to say as well, but stopped to listen to him. ¡°How sure are you that she was being open and truthful?¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of a hard question to answer.¡± Regina shrugged and tugged on her mandible. ¡°She probably had some reason for telling me, but at the same time, it did feel kind of like she was ¡ª I don¡¯t know, trying to unburden herself? Mitigate some guilt? Maybe she just wanted to talk about it with someone who wasn¡¯t there and would understand. Anyway, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the kind of story you would invent out of whole cloth, especially if she wants to get me on her side. It¡¯s probably biased and there is definitely information missing, but that¡¯s kind of a given.¡± The drones nodded. ¡°Makes sense,¡± Tia said. ¡°So, what do we do about it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much we can do about it,¡± Max said. ¡°At least not in the short term.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right about that,¡± Regina agreed. ¡°For one thing, I want to find out more about all this, if I can, but I¡¯m not really sure how. For now, getting stronger so I can try to get past that door underground is on my list. And maybe going back to where I hatched, too. In the meantime, we should probably focus on the human kingdoms. If nothing else, that¡¯s also where we might get more info and knowledge.¡± ¡°The Delvers, too, maybe,¡± Max suggested. ¡°If we can find some way to deal with them, uh, constructively.¡± Tia snorted, and Regina almost did the same. ¡°Right,¡± she said. ¡°The apocalypse happened over a thousand years ago, by the sound of it. It might be hard to find useful stuff.¡± In the meantime, well, she had just gotten confirmation that there were no other Hivekind on the planet. That was kind of a big deal on its own. I don¡¯t even know how I would go about repopulating the species ¡ª if that¡¯s something I should be doing. And there¡¯s the fact they apparently had advanced technology, and it sounded like they didn¡¯t come from the same place as the gods. But maybe I could find some of that tech? Or even old pre-apocalypse stuff? Though it sounded like that was all destroyed. Regina shook her head. She was starting to get a headache. To distract herself and think about something else, she called up her status screen.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 28
Mana: 987/2955
Hive: 35/138, 0 Swarm: 260/1225, 16
Con: 13 Str: 13
Dex: 14 End: 15
Int: 21 Wis: 21
She had lost some Swarm Drones and her mana had dropped accordingly, although the loss was bearable in numerical terms. The bigger her Swarm grew, the less every single new drone seemed to add to her mana pool. Although it might just be that her mana pool was capped instead. Probably a ¡®soft limit¡¯, if so. She¡¯d have to add one egg of the same kind of drone before and after a level-up and pay close attention to her mana pool to investigate that. Although maybe not when she reached level 30, that might count as some kind of threshold level. And she didn¡¯t really want to slow down the growth of her hive. Still, I¡¯m probably pretty close to level 29, anyway. Well, visiting the home of the gods and talking to them might not give any Experience, although her drones were busy and probably earning quite a bit, plus they were improving her hive¡¯s defenses. She was still a long way from reaching her hive¡¯s limit for the number of drones. The two level-ups she¡¯d just gotten hadn¡¯t helped in that regard. Not that she was going to complain. At least it confirmed that she was on track to having a cap of two thousand for the swarm at level 30; before she got her latest Ability, it couldn¡¯t have been over a thousand already. Regina shook her head. This wasn¡¯t really working if she wanted to relax and stop worrying. Not that she was likely to be able to stop thinking about things any time soon, she had too much to consider. At least focusing on her numbers and the hive¡¯s stats was productive. Regina decided to head back to the castle and look for Anuis. She could at least plan the defense of their territory, and maybe get answers on a few other things while she was at it. Max, as expected, followed her, although he kept quiet. Luckily, she caught Anuis alone, or mostly, going from one of the towers to the gate of the fortress. The elven commander nodded at the junior officer accompanying her and he hurried off ahead. ¡°Is there something I can help you with, Regina?¡± Anuis asked. ¡°I wanted to quickly discuss a few things,¡± she answered. ¡°First off, you said that you think they will leave us alone for at least some time. Can you put any kind of number on that?¡± Anuis shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I would hesitate to make any such claims. I cannot predict the behavior of the humans. They might send another force in a few weeks, or not bother us again for months.¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°For that matter, it will depend on our government¡¯s reaction as well, I think. They might recall me in the coming weeks.¡± ¡°Alright, thanks for the answer.¡± That was a shame, but not unexpected. ¡°Otherwise, well, do you have any idea if, when or how I might be able to call on Alianais¡¯ support again? Or use divine magic in general? You recognized her mark ¡­¡± Anuis frowned. ¡°I¡¯m hardly an expert. Although I would caution you to be careful. You should in principle be able to channel divine magic, but you would need a Class suited to it to do so safely or efficiently. And I assume that what happened was quite a large exertion, a lot of power being used?¡± Regina thought back to the event and nodded. ¡°Then it may be some time before you should try to do anything of the sort again, even if you were able to.¡± Anuis gave her a warning look. ¡°If I were you, I should not attempt to use divine magic again for at least a month.¡± Regina pulled a face and sighed. ¡°Alright. Thank you for the warning, I¡¯ll be sure to be careful.¡± So, she couldn¡¯t count on using that kind of divine power again, and it might take a month before she could seriously try anything with divine magic, maybe more. That was good to know. ¡°I trust you won¡¯t object to us taking custody of the prisoners?¡± Anuis asked. Regine blinked, the change of subject taking her from her thoughts. ¡°Go ahead, but I would prefer it if you left some of them here. We can put them up in the village. I know you won¡¯t give us the recipe to that interrogation potion, but could you leave us a few vials, too?¡± They continued on walking to the gate, talking about practical matters. Regina felt like she was getting better at her job, slowly but surely. It helped that Anuis was easy to work with. Chapter 83: Structure and Efficiency Over the next few days, Regina started a reorganization of the hive and their territory. She worked with the senior drones to iron out the details and make it happen. The hive was still growing quickly, but that just made it more important to have some kind of structure for new drones to settle into. In the end, she kept the broad categorization into warriors and workers that seemed to come naturally as an overall element. Max, Tim, Ben and Ada would be leading the warriors, officially. Or semi-officially. Hopefully, in time, there would be at least one Shooter to join them. Mia and Tia were in charge of the workers, with Ivy having a leading role as well, and hopefully at least one Attendant would be, soon, too. Of course, the Attendants were a bit of a special case as well. They were arguably outside of this structure, working directly with (and for) Regina. They had not only high Int but also high Wis stats, besides magic, so that made some kind of sense, anyway. The drones would still work together and coordinate their efforts closely, of course. When warriors currently didn¡¯t have much to do or were otherwise going to help out with construction or more worker-oriented stuff, they¡¯d presumably be under the worker in charge, as well. And the reverse for workers helping warriors. And if some drones wanted to do more of the other kind of work despite their Template, or cross-Evolve their Class into it, that should be possible, too. As long as the drones worked everything out together. Besides that, Regina was considering making a tradition where some drones took newly hatched ones under their wing. Whether or not they actually had wings. That would mostly be relevant once she started adding more eggs for sapient drones, but it was better to be prepared. There were too many drones already to just manage it as a small family, and Regina certainly couldn¡¯t handle it herself. She just wasn¡¯t sure if it would be best to introduce small care groups or single mentors. When she asked the others, they just shrugged. ¡°I think mentor-mentee pairs might work best,¡± Max finally ventured. ¡°We don¡¯t know when or how many new drones you¡¯ll make at once, and that doesn¡¯t seem like the kind of thing we can easily manage in advance.¡± ¡°And new drones won¡¯t really need childcare, since they¡¯ll be mostly grown,¡± Mia added. ¡°They¡¯ll just need some guidance and the chance to gather some experience.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°That makes sense. Alright. Do any of you have anything to add?¡± She looked at the other drones, who shook their heads. ¡°I think we¡¯ll just have to see how it goes when there are more new drones,¡± Tim said. ¡°Do you intend to start increasing the number of sapient drones more?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I still intend to focus on the Swarm Drones and get more of them. But I don¡¯t want the discrepancy between sapient and Swarm Drones to get too far, either. Or the ratio, at least. I think we do need sapient drones to control the Swarm effectively.¡± The others nodded. Regina appreciated that they trusted her to take care of managing the hive¡¯s development and growth, but she sometimes wished she had someone to review her decisions. Or some kind of guide or manual. A pity the System doesn¡¯t have a tutorial for the Class. She smiled to herself. The meeting dissolved, and the drones headed out to their various tasks. Max waved as he went off to the training field. His gaze darted to Ira, who was coming up to Regina, before he left. She suddenly wondered if he was pressuring or otherwise getting the Attendants to keep him informed of her condition with her making new clutches of eggs. Or maybe having Tim do the talking. Regina shook her head and turned back to Ira. ¡°That time again, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Are the current batch of eggs almost ready, my Queen?¡± Regina nodded. She¡¯d started to be able to sense that kind of thing. Or maybe she¡¯d just gone through so many periods of it that she got accustomed to the timing. Regina headed off to the house - more like a hut - they were using for the eggs. Ira must have called ahead to Via, who was already there and preparing some hot water and a few towels. ¡°You really spoil me,¡± Regina muttered. The two Attendants grinned. If they were like this in the current conditions, Regina didn¡¯t want to imagine what they would do if they ever got more plush accommodations to work with. Hah, no, I¡¯m totally looking forward to it. Regina grinned to herself, then sobered again. I guess they¡¯re trying to give me something to look forward to, rather than be anxious or resigned. She pushed herself to create two more Worker eggs as well as sixteen Swarm Drones today. Her capacity for this was growing, but with hive limits in the thousands, they wouldn¡¯t be reached quickly. The attendants carried the eggs off, and when Regina stood up, she felt a bit weak in the knees. She sighed and sank into the simple wooden bathtub Via had prepared. Ray showed up to hand off more soap, and Regina let herself relax for a bit, just floating in the water. She moved ¡®make a bigger tub¡¯ up her priority list. Then she started practicing with her magic, to get the new Spell she¡¯d chosen for herself. She knew quite a bit about water, from its chemical composition and makeup to its rough freezing point and stuff like that. But for this, that didn¡¯t seem to be enough. Regina moved her hand, creating some ripples, and watched them bouncing off the edge of the tub. She tried to put some mana into the water, but it just dissolved. She wasn¡¯t dissuaded. She had tried this before and hadn¡¯t had much success so far, but she knew practice was key. So, Regina tried to push some mana into her hands, as if she was preparing to form a spell, but kept it there. Then she tried to slowly push it out, into the surrounding water. This time, there was a small ripple in the water. Regina grimaced as she felt a slight sting against her fingers. She tried to trace the mana in the water, but it had already dissipated into the ambient mana. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Regina tried again, but she didn¡¯t see much improvement. Finally, she sighed and got out of the water, which was getting cold. Via held up a towel for her and she dried herself off before putting her clothes and shoes back on. Her hair was growing in, but it was still short enough to not need much effort to dry, especially when it was warm outside. Regina ran a hand through it, then paused and rolled her eyes but kept still when Ira went at it with a simple comb that looked to be carved out of bone. She wouldn¡¯t mind having a real mirror to use, Regina reflected. Once they were done, she stepped out and walked through the village again. There were quite a few drones around, especially Swarm Drones. ¡°Are the villagers still grumbling?¡± she asked quietly. ¡°They¡¯re uneasy, my Queen,¡± Via said. ¡°They¡¯re concerned their food stores won¡¯t be enough.¡± Regina nodded, suppressing the urge to grimace. Their food situation was actually becoming a problem. With several hundred drones, the amount of food they needed to procure had grown by a lot. Of course, the Swarm Drones could eat the substance the Production Drones produced, and she did feed that to them, but there were limits and Production Drones needed to eat, too. The fields outside the village were largely used for the villagers¡¯ food production, and the drones would have to compete with their livestock for the grass of the meadows. They could still eat the greenery in the forest, and so far, they still hunted in the forest. But there were only so many monsters or game available and Regina didn¡¯t want to overhunt the area. Besides that, Conjuring organic substances was still tricky, and she hadn¡¯t managed proper food yet. Even if she could, there was no way she could make enough of it. ¡°We may have to open new fields, perhaps in the area around the castle,¡± Regina said. ¡°That¡¯s going to be more of a long-term investment, though. And we should use the river more. Maybe we can grow some algae.¡± ¡°Mia has also been talking about growing ivy on many of the structures we have,¡± Ira said. ¡°And we can find other quickly-growing plants to use as crops. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re restricted to what the locals consider edible.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Alright. Get one of the Workers to take over that project. I think Ina doesn¡¯t have much to do currently, right? Or, wait, let¡¯s ask Zac. A Harvester would probably be better for this kind of thing.¡± Ira nodded. ¡°I¡¯m on it, my Queen.¡± She peeled off, presumably to go find the right drones, while Regina continued on. She decided to go towards the river. After a few meters, she took a right turn and headed for the sound of clanging and sawing, farther out from the village. A few War Drones carrying logs of wood stepped aside to let her and Via pass. Regina paused as soon as she came into sight of the construction area, taking in the progress they had made. They were building a waterwheel. It was a simple technology, which was even known around here. Consequently, the locals didn¡¯t have any objections and were helping out gladly. They would be able to use the mechanism for milling flour or something when it was free. Regina was honestly a bit surprised they didn¡¯t have a big mill already, but she supposed that with the System and higher Strength, it would be easier to do it manually (and cheaper if you didn¡¯t have to pay a miller). Maybe there were also some local politics involved. ¡°My Queen!¡± Tia greeted her cheerfully as she arrived. ¡°We¡¯re almost finished with this, and Mia and the guys are putting together the actual wheel.¡± Regina glanced at the wooden supporting structure they had set up. Hopefully, they could connect an electrical generator to it at some point. From what she remembered, they would need a lot of wire for that, as well as magnets, though. She hadn¡¯t had any luck trying to conjure those yet. This could also do with a covering, but they would be constructing a real building here later, or at least a hut or something. ¡°Good. Don¡¯t let me stop you. Is there anything you need help with?¡± ¡°Not really. This should be about ready to use soon.¡± Regina stuck around while they finished up, then helped get the wheel into the water. As one of the strongest drones, Max heaved it into place. An old carpenter from the village who had seen two of these in action before had helped with the planning, so they¡¯d settled on a design with a large wooden log being turned that they could attach various mechanisms to with a system of gears. Regina stepped into the shallows of the river and watched as the wheel sputtered into motion, the water splashing in the wooden compartments. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have a large incline to work with here. ¡°We could make a separate compartment, maybe with a water reservoir,¡± Mia said, probably thinking along the same lines. ¡°We¡¯ll see how this works out,¡± Regina said. ¡°There¡¯s always room for improvement later.¡± ¡°Personally, I¡¯m looking forward to making some paper,¡± Via commented. ¡°Definitely,¡± Regina agreed. That was one of her main goals for this. She¡¯d need to do more experimenting to figure out how to make it work, though. Or maybe get knowledge from elsewhere; paper did exist in this world. In this time, she corrected herself, grimacing. She trailed her hand into the water, watching the wheel at work. Then she decided to try something and began gathering some mana. She attempted to infuse it into the water and keep it together while it was moved around by the wheel. The smaller volumes that were separated for a short while from the rest of the water in the river made it more interesting. It actually seemed like it was easier to keep the mana together with the wheel. Regina switched tracks and tried to use a bit of mana to put into the wheel and speed it up for a moment. It worked, for a short, sputtering moment, though the mana clearly didn¡¯t like to stay in the wood. Infusing or enchanting items was probably a separate skill, or a group of Spells. Still, it proved she was onto something. Regina slowly worked her way closer to her goal, until she was able to directly affect the movement of the water with her mana. She took a short while to rest, glancing over at the drones at work on the rest of the project, who were giving her space, then refocused. After another hour of experimenting, with her mana dipping low, she was finally able to create a splash of water and make it move as a spray directly over the river. She cracked her neck and turned back to dry land, checking her System notification.
Congratulations, you have learned a new Spell: Water Manipulation
Regina smiled to herself. She couldn¡¯t wait to tell Janis and talk to her about it. And to experiment further with her new Spell, although that should probably wait until later. ¡°Did you learn the Spell, Regina?¡± Max asked as she joined them again. She grinned. ¡°Yep, I did it.¡± The surrounding drones made awed noises and congratulated her, and Regina ducked her head, suddenly feeling a bit bashful. ¡°Thanks, guys,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll try to teach it to those of you with magic in our regular training. Though healing and conjuring should still have priority.¡± They nodded, and Via and Ray, who¡¯d shown up at some point, looked excited at the prospect. Regina stayed for a while, watching as they made the first tests of the new wheel. After a short time, she got another notification, as presumably some other drones¡¯ accomplishments got her Experience to tick over a threshold.
You have leveled up
Regina grinned again, and finally got herself moving. Then she slowly ambled down the streets of the village, checking on the bands of War Drones and occasional Winged Drone nested on the roofs. It was nice to have her hive around her. They might never replace what had been lost, but they would certainly make something. And now that they had a secure base of operations, access to at least a few materials and allies, and a better understanding of the world, they were in a much better position for it. Chapter 84: Autumn Coming With the weather turning colder and the days shorter as autumn arrived, the villagers focused on the harvest. Regina was pretty sure that it was now September; probably mid to late September, in fact. This new world used a calendar that split the year into twelve months of thirty days each that were named differently, with five of them having an extra day and a sixth a leap day from time to time - every four years, but not every hundred years, except for every four hundred years, following the pattern she knew. Clearly, someone had reformed the calendar at some point, although when she asked, no one could tell her any further details. Regina got some of her drones to help the locals with the harvest. She had several hundred War Drones by now, and they might as well keep them busy. Besides training and the occasional hunt, she didn¡¯t have much for them to do, anyway. Ivy and the other Harvesters also accompanied them on occasion, as did some of the Workers, learning about the humans¡¯ farming methods. Regina herself found time to finally visit the other villages in the barony. There were three of them, if you counted one hamlet that was basically just a few families¡¯ farmhouses built next to each other. The others were also considerably smaller than Forest¡¯s Haunt. Apart from that, they didn¡¯t look too different to Regina¡¯s eyes. Medieval houses, a few dirt or cobblestone paths, a well or two, and lots of fields around them. Their inhabitants eyed her with dark and skeptical gazes, but they didn¡¯t make trouble and spoke respectfully, perhaps encouraged by the small group of the baron¡¯s men he had sent along. Regina practiced her new Water Manipulation on the fields of one of the villages, and let the group of Swarm Drones she¡¯d brought gather hay and weeds from the grassy hills beyond the village¡¯s cultivated farmland. Visiting all of the villages took about a week in total, though she stopped in Forest¡¯s Haunt in the middle. It also let her get her first experiences with horse-riding. To her relief, the horses didn¡¯t seem to mind her presence. Neralt himself gave her some tips when he lent her one of his for the trips. Regina resolved to work riding lessons into her schedule after that. Janis could probably help her. Clinging onto a horse while it was led by another rider holding the reins for most of the journey felt almost humiliating and made her uneasy. At least her body shrugged off the unfamiliar type of exercise. Besides, she found that she actually liked horses. They might be skittish, awkward flytraps, but they were kind of cute. Well, the old me was probably a city girl who found the idea charming, I¡¯ll just blame that. In any case, it got her thinking about transportation. With stats and Skills, people could potentially move a lot faster than they had during the actual Middle Ages, even with mounts or carriages. Still, that didn¡¯t mean something like a railway couldn¡¯t help. For that matter, there might even be something like a railway network somewhere else. It wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d seen a lot of this world, or talked to people who had. Anyway, she didn¡¯t have enough metal, or the capability to smelt and refine more, to build rails, but it was something to keep in mind in the future. Along with potentially building airplanes, or maybe zeppelins or something. She could conjure helium, even if it might take a lot of time, and a lot of mana. Though with flying monsters around, that might be more dangerous than it was worth. Regina also met with the baron to discuss sending messengers to the marquis. She wanted to establish lines of communication, and ideally trade. The enchanted communication apparatus in the castle had been destroyed, and she didn¡¯t know if she would even want to repair it, so any messages traveled at a frustratingly slow pace. It couldn¡¯t be helped, though. Eventually, her Winged Drones might be strong enough to carry a rider on their backs, but she was leery about sending them too far outside of the territory she controlled, let alone out of her psychic range. She did take the chance of sending a few Winged Drones deeper into the forest, though, and while one of them was eaten by a giant bird, she found that her range had expanded again. It was hard to be sure how much, though. She still didn¡¯t reach the major battlefields of the war in the forest, which were beyond and somewhat to the side of Ariedel for someone coming from the direction of her hive. The first hint of the outside world touching their quiet life again came from Anuis instead of the local human nobles, though. She sought Regina out on a windy and overcast autumn day, a bit more than a month from the autumn equinox and the harvest festival it would entail, while she was standing at the edge of Forest¡¯s Haunt, watching both the people in the fields as well as the drones setting up another defensive fortification at the entrance to the village. They¡¯d been digging a ditch around it, though they still left several spots open, of course. And now, they were constructing what would basically be a short wooden tower to overlook one of the roads. It was probably more important than a wall. Regina supposed that there was a reason the village hadn¡¯t previously had much of one, besides the way its houses further out were constructed to fit together and only allow entrance into it along the streets. Anything that got past the castle and the defensive line would probably not be stopped or even significantly slowed by a simple palisade. Anuis greeted her with a nod. ¡°There is some news from the city.¡± Regina returned the greeting, turning back to face the elf. She couldn¡¯t help but tense up a little, wondering if this was where Anuis explained that she was being recalled. She didn¡¯t look tense or concerned, at least. ¡°What news?¡± ¡°Some status updates on the course of the war.¡± Anuis glanced at Max, who accompanied Regina again. ¡°We can talk about those together with your commanders later, I would suggest. Beyond that, we¡¯ve had some contact from further abroad that I thought you should know about. The first regular caravan from the Ilians arrived a few days ago. They tend not to come in summer.¡± Regina frowned. That sounded odd to her. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they not travel in the winter, when the mountains are snowed in, but be able to in the summer, when the glaciers and whatever have receded more?¡± Anuis smiled faintly. ¡°Sun and less snow means that certain monsters come out more. No one in their right mind tries to travel directly over the mountains, especially not the highest parts, but at the sides, the thinner parts of the mountain range that aren¡¯t quite as high, you can pass. Especially in the spring and autumn, when the passes are still clear but the mountains¡¯ dangers are less active.¡± Regina nodded. She supposed that made sense. ¡°So, what was it you wanted to talk about?¡± ¡°The merchants have brought some news. Apparently, the dwarves are stirring and growing restive, even fighting under the mountains again. That¡¯s not very surprising, and we had gotten some indications to that effect before. Still, it might spill out into the forest and the border regions, or have indirect effects that will, so it¡¯s best if you know. Additionally, we¡¯ve had some inquiries from other lands. The Ilians brought a message, and there are ambassadors from other nations in the city as well, with many envoys coming because of the war.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Regina stopped herself from raising an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn¡¯t realized the elves were that connected on the international scene. Although she supposed it made sense. After all, Cernlia and Nerlia presumably hosted ambassadors from other countries, as well. ¡°Apparently, news of your connection to Alianais and your display of divine magic have spread.¡± Anuis hesitated a little and glanced around, before continuing in a quieter tone of voice. ¡°My mother wrote to me privately that several envoys and other foreigners with some position or standing have been making inquiries about it. I am supposed to relate your reaction and your intentions concerning how to deal with them, if you have any.¡± Regina blinked. This seems a bit shady. Although, on second thought, this kind of off-the-record, backroom dealing is probably normal. She¡¯s just sounding me out so they know how to act, I doubt Enais would be keeping this a secret from the rest of the government or anything. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought much about it,¡± she admitted. ¡°But in principle, I¡¯d be happy to talk to people from other countries. Although I would prefer not to disclose any details about my, uh, status or relationship to Alianais or any proficiency with divine magic.¡± Presumably, they were less interested in that than in whether she really was a champion of the goddess of change and progress, though. She grimaced for a moment. ¡°Of course,¡± Anuis replied. ¡°I will pass that on. Travel between the city and Forest¡¯s Watch or Forest¡¯s Haunt is, of course, blocked at the moment, or at least restricted, so I doubt you will have to worry about an influx of visitors.¡± Regina nodded. She was getting curious about this, but she was in no rush to deal with any other people. It sounded like potential headaches, and she should probably focus on stabilizing her own position before she started getting near international politics. Well, nearer than she already was. Assuming that was where things might go. From there, the conversation turned to more mundane and practical matters. Anuis had not been recalled yet, but the city had already sent orders for part of her units to return. As Regina¡¯s own hive and her forces grew, she knew that the elven soldiers would be called back to the battlefields of the forest. Especially since the war was clearly dragging on for longer than expected. ¡°We have many fighters in the second tier now, and with the truce and agreement with the marquis, I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re more secure here than we were at the beginning,¡± Regina said, smiling faintly. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you and your soldiers, but you won¡¯t be abandoning us to excessive danger.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± Anuis said. Then she shook her head. ¡°Forgive me, I did not mean to sound as if I doubted your abilities. Even when my own recall order comes, a part of me will be reluctant to leave. Even if I do, to be frank, look forward to getting back to the real battlefields and defending my home against those who try to harm it. But I¡¯m sure we will have many opportunities to meet again.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Regina agreed. They split off, and Regina looked after the elf for a moment before she turned around to get back to her drones. Her contemplation was interrupted by an incoming System message.
You have leveled up
You may now select another Ability
Finally. Regina grinned. She had taken longer to reach level 30 than she¡¯d hoped, but now she finally seemed to have gotten enough Experience. Now she was already halfway to Tier 3. At least in terms of levels, it would presumably take a lot more Exp and a lot more time to reach level 40. But that was okay, she supposed, she was still leveling up very quickly compared to pretty much anyone else, apparently. Regina quickly let Max know, then carefully unfolded her wings and got them through the slits in her tunic. She took to the air and started flying towards the castle. The few humans and more drones stationed on its walls looked up, then got back to their tasks. Regina landed lightly on the roof of the castle. A tree in the forest would have provided more privacy, but she had to be mindful of her security. She folded her wings up again, more or less, then leaned against the balustrade and pulled up the System message.
You may now select your fourth Class Skill. Please choose one of the following:
Queen¡¯s Fecundity: Your efforts grow your Hive. The production of any drone eggs will now be easier and the mana required will be reduced. The number of eggs developing in any clutch of the same type will be automatically increased by a factor of 1.25 (at the current level and Tier). At higher levels of mastery, this will also occur in clutches with any mixture of Templates and may strengthen eggs and hatchlings.
Queen¡¯s Strength: Your power is your Hive¡¯s power. Once per three days, you may boost your own abilities and strength drastically for a limited period of time. Your effective Int and Wis are increased by a factor of (Tier-1)*0.25. Your Spells will be more easily cast and mana fatigue delayed. Your physical stats are increased by a factor of (Tier-1)*0.1. This Ability lasts for level/2 minutes at baseline, but increased draw on your mana will reduce its duration. Afterwards, your stats will be reduced by half and your effective casting time doubled for twice the duration.
Psychic Focus: Your path is one of the mind. Your psychic link of your Hive will be strengthened, it will be more resistant to potential harm and its range will increase. You will gain greater facility at sensing minds near you. At higher levels of mastery, the ability to project your mind and senses through the link will be increased.
Regina frowned thoughtfully to herself. Queen¡¯s Fecundity was a rather, well, weird-sounding name, but it sounded like what she needed most right now. She supposed there had to be some circumstances where Queen¡¯s Strength was an opportune and necessary choice, even if it didn¡¯t seem very much so to her. Now that she¡¯d seen it twice and would have passed on it twice, it should stop appearing as a choice. Of course, the other new option would probably come up again, then. She might want to take it in five levels. It sounded like it could be quite useful. Although she already had Enhanced Telepathy. She didn¡¯t know if those would stack, or if it was supposed to unlock benefits she largely had already. So far, she hadn¡¯t really used her telepathy much, especially lately. Still, she could see it had the potential to be a very useful tool. But increasing her hive¡¯s numbers was the priority for now, and something that was arguably much more time-dependent. Regina sighed and nodded to herself, then selected the more practical option. She was definitely keeping the other choice in mind, though. With that done, she stretched and unfolded her wings. She didn¡¯t feel much different, but she supposed she¡¯d find out what had changed soon enough when she would add the next batch of eggs to the hive. Her hive still didn¡¯t have a name, even. She was kind of tired of seeing ¡®Unnamed¡¯ in her hive status window. Maybe she should call a hive assembly or something. Regina jumped and caught the air with her wings, soaring down. The wind tugged on her clothes and she almost got a flying bug in her eye, but she couldn¡¯t help but smile. It was always nice to grow in power, even if it was in a less direct way. Chapter 85: Names and Reports Regina let her gaze sweep over her assembled drones. There were too many to fit into any building, or even to fit into the castle¡¯s courtyard comfortably. Besides, she wanted to keep this meeting relatively private and there was no need to disturb the fort¡¯s normal operations. So, they were meeting in a field off to the side of the most direct path between the village and the castle. The drones mostly lounged on the grass, with a few standing or even lying down. Some Swarm Drones milled abound further out. Regina had brought all of the evolved Swarm Drones, most of them with an Elite class, out of a vague feeling that they should be there. They were obviously smarter than their weaker brethren, although she wasn¡¯t sure if listening to the discussions would do them any good. Via had brought a blanket for Regina, which she was sitting on, but she¡¯d conjured a few poles of metal and made something more like a proper elevated seat so she could see everyone. Or maybe a stage, since it was wide enough for a few other drones to be up there, too. She would have worried about the mana expended, but they could reuse the material later. She still knew every drone by name, but Regina had a feeling that it might be becoming harder. She was committed to pushing the numbers of sapient drones up, even if she felt a bit anxious about making more actual people. Especially since they would be weak at the start and might easily get hurt in any confrontation. But that obviously wasn¡¯t the healthiest mentality for a Hive Queen. Besides, there is that old ¡®safety in numbers¡¯ saw. That¡¯s essentially the whole basis for my strategy right now, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Thank you all for coming,¡± Regina started. Everyone who had still been talking shut up and looked attentively at her. She could almost feel Max tense up slightly from his spot beside her, probably also a bit anxious about how this was going to go. ¡°We¡¯ve never had a proper meeting with all of us together, except maybe at communal dinner,¡± she said. ¡°So I thought it was about time.¡± She dipped briefly into the minds of a few Swarm Drones. She was using them to cover for the other drones¡¯ tasks, so they could really all be here. Things seemed to go well enough. ¡°Before we start, are there any matters you want to address in this meeting?¡± Tia raised her hand slightly. ¡°The hive still doesn¡¯t have a name. I know we can just call it ¡®the Hive¡¯, since there¡¯s no other one, or even ¡®Regina¡¯s Hive¡¯, but we could give it a proper name.¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually on the agenda already,¡± Regina answered with a smile. Ada spoke up next. ¡°I would like to know how many new drones will be joining us in the coming weeks, so we can organize training and patrol schedules. It would also be good to know for the new mentor program.¡± ¡°I can answer that right now,¡± Regina replied, giving her a brief smile. ¡°There will be several sapient drones in each of the new batches of eggs for now, so roughly around ten a week, I guess.¡± Ada nodded. Regina looked around, but no one else seemed to have any items for the agenda. Or maybe they were waiting to see what topics would be raised in the meeting. She supposed most other matters were more specific to certain fields and didn¡¯t really need a gathering of the hive to settle. Still, she started the meeting off by asking each of the leaders of the respective fields to give a short report. Max seemed to have anticipated it and gave a succinct account of the numbers of their various Templates, the training plan, patrol patterns, and recent efforts to turn the Winged Drones into more effective aerial combatants. Mia seemed a bit nervous when she spoke, which Regina privately found slightly amusing, but also gave a clear overview of the workers and the status of their current projects. Tia was more laconic and Mia had to prod her a few times to expand on a specific point. Tim didn¡¯t say anything, presumably leaving it all to Max. Ada elaborated on a few matters related to the scouts, but otherwise didn¡¯t seem to have much she wanted to say. Ivy talked about the farming efforts, cutting herself off when she realized she was getting too technical. Regina nodded. ¡°Very good. Great work, all of you, and thank you.¡± She smiled at them, noticing how most of the drones stood up just a little straighter when they smiled back with obvious pleasure. ¡°Now, are there any questions?¡± Regina asked the assembly. There was silence as, once again, no one seemed to have anything to bring up. She was starting to think her drones just weren¡¯t comfortable with speaking up in front of everyone. Something to work on, perhaps. Or maybe they just have too much blind trust in our leadership? She resisted the urge to shake her head to herself. On second thought, it¡¯s probably better if the others address this. I¡¯ll bring it up to them more privately later. ¡°Alright,¡± Regina continued after a short pause. ¡°A quick announcement that I¡¯ll be moving the open lessons to the evenings, to about an hour before sunset. There will be additional lessons in the mornings that are open to everyone, with the villagers welcome to attend.¡± That announcement caused a short stir among the hive, and she gave them a minute to talk about it in hushed voices. She knew a few schedules might need to be adjusted. ¡°With all that out of the way, we can get to the question of our hive¡¯s name, and probably our territory by extension,¡± Regina finally said. She grinned again. ¡°Since I¡¯m sure some of you are dreading what I might choose, let¡¯s hear your suggestions.¡± There was another moment of silence, before drones hesitantly began to raise their hands and speak up. In the first two minutes, they got several suggestions that even Regina found a bit uninspired - such as simply ¡®the Hive¡¯, ¡®Hivekindland¡¯, and even ¡®the Greatest Hive¡¯. A few slightly more down-to-earth suggestions were ¡®Radone¡¯ (probably combining ¡®Regina and ¡®drones¡¯) and maybe things like ¡®Unlimited¡¯ or ¡®Harbinger¡¯. Regina was actually considering the last one, a suggestion from Dan, when she noticed Max glaring at her. She shrugged a little. ¡°So, you don¡¯t want to call it the Hive of Three-Letter Names?¡± Tim asked. He looked so earnest it was obviously a joke. A few drones and Janis snickered, Regina rolled her eyes and tried not to show that the joke had gotten her, and Max slapped him on the back of the head lightly. ¡°Maybe the ¡®Great Forest Hive¡¯?¡± Mia suggested after a short pause. ¡°It seems like hives could easily be named after landmarks or where their territories are located, and the forest basically is that defining landmark for us.¡± ¡°Or maybe ¡®Geeniver Hive¡¯?¡± Ada said. ¡°That¡¯s what the river is named, right?¡± Regina nodded, but made a face for a moment. The name was obviously some derivation of ¡®green river¡¯ and she didn¡¯t like the way it sounded. ¡°Personally, I would go with suggestions like ¡®Renaissance¡¯ or ¡®Rebirth¡¯, or even ¡®Resurgence¡¯ or ¡®Ascent¡¯,¡± Max said. ¡°They¡¯re meaningful, and they have a connection to our history and maybe even the path we¡¯re on.¡± Regina sighed softly. ¡°It sounds a bit - I don¡¯t know, pompous? Or maybe too epic? But that¡¯s just my opinion. Although, we might want something that¡¯s not as obvious, since I don¡¯t know if we want people to know about our history right away. Or know that we know.¡± They all nodded, and Max thankfully didn¡¯t look upset or dejected. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Um,¡± Tia spoke up, ¡°how about ¡®Starlit Hive¡¯?¡± She seemed to notice Mia¡¯s look of surprise and shrugged. ¡°We spent almost all our time above ground, and it seems like that was probably not the norm for previous hives. I mean, I know we got our start in the summer and everything, where the stars aren¡¯t out for that long, but I thought it was poetic.¡± Max and Mia looked skeptical, but Regina smiled. ¡°I like it,¡± she said. ¡°The sun is technically a star, too. And we might actually get technology back to the level it was before, when people were just starting to really explore the solar system. Maybe we will get closer to the stars. I think it fits.¡± With that, the matter was pretty much concluded. They held a short vote, but almost every drone raised their hand, and Regina knew that her own approval had clinched it. After a second, even the drones who hadn¡¯t before raised their hands now, too. The name was the last item on the (very rudimentary) meeting agenda, so the gathering broke up after that. Regina watched as the drones departed, until a gasp from Janis diverted her attention. ¡°My name changed!¡± the mage told them, looking wide-eyed between Regina, the Attendants, and the other drones still near her. ¡°It¡¯s got the name of the hive added to it now.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really? Let me see.¡± She pulled up Janis¡¯ status screen.
Janis Starlit Mage
Level: 17
Mana: 348/750
Con: 10 Str: 9
Dex: 11 End: 12
Int: 18 Wis: 17
The young mage had worked hard, and with the help of the drones, Regina¡¯s magic lessons and talking with the Attendants, as well as the Experience boost she got from Regina¡¯s Infect, she¡¯d gained a few levels in the last weeks. But the only thing that had changed from when Regina last looked at it was the name. ¡°Well, so much for sending you or future inducted hive members anywhere undercover while concealing their allegiance,¡± she said. Janis snorted softly and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s strange,¡± she said. ¡°I mean, in many ways, whether you have a last name or not is up to chance. Some people are the bastards of some noble or adventurers who made a name for themselves or the like, and their children and grandchildren get the name too. I still never thought I would get one, unless, maybe, if I married someone. But that wasn¡¯t exactly something I planned on doing.¡± Regina grinned. ¡°I know, you¡¯re a strong, independent woman.¡± To be fair, she liked that about Janis. But Regina turned serious again quickly. ¡°Is this going to be alright?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the demihuman assured her. ¡°I was just surprised, but I don¡¯t really mind. It is ¡®kind of cool¡¯, as Tia would say.¡± Regina glanced at Tia, who only shrugged. She shook her head and pulled up her Hive status screen again to check it.
The Starlit Hive
Total: 448
Inner Hive: 39(42)/157 (+2) Swarm: 405/2000 (+19)
Warriors: 10 War Drones: 215
Workers: 8 Production Drones: 40
Scouts: 6 Winged Drones: 150
Harvesters: 5
Shooters: 6
Attendants: 4
Monsters: 2
Demihumans: 1
¡°Alright,¡± Regina said. ¡°I think with that, our meeting is really over. I should go back and check on the eggs, and I¡¯m sure you have things to do.¡± The others nodded and the group dispersed. Regina headed to the house they stored the hive¡¯s new eggs in to take a look. She still couldn¡¯t pick out those who seemed to have been automatically generated by the System¡¯s magic (or maybe some inherent Hivekind magic?) from the rest. Regina hadn¡¯t actually seen them appear. When she¡¯d first tested the new Ability, she¡¯d just tried making a batch of four eggs, and then there had been a fifth lying on the ground when she looked. Since then, Regina had discovered that it always happened, apparently automatically, since the new Skill was clearly a passive one. They had made several compartments dividing the room by now, separating different groups of eggs and other areas. Some of the Workers had built the wooden dividers, with the advice of a few of the village¡¯s craftsmen, although those obviously didn¡¯t know what it was for. Regina was pleased with how much her drones were learning from the tradespeople and crafters of the village. It might not be rocket science, but they had a wealth of useful knowledge. And after initial difficulties, most villagers were happy to share their know-how by now. The drones¡¯ help with the fields and various other tasks clearly bought them some goodwill, and it helped that they weren¡¯t using it in a way that would create competition for the village¡¯s crafters. At least not in the short term, Regina admitted to herself. Then again, they¡¯ll probably be the ones who profit from a general increase in the level of technology. Assuming we ever get there. She shook her head and left the building, since it wasn¡¯t time to add to the eggs in development there yet. Instead, she made her way to the baron¡¯s residence. Once she arrived, the baron¡¯s servant bowed respectfully and asked her inside, where she was invited to sit and offered tea. Regina accepted thankfully. She knew that tea was a valuable imported luxury around here, so this was generous on the baron¡¯s part. Of course, ever since the marquis had sent a first messenger to ask for more ¡®financial support¡¯ and Regina had sent him back with another box of gold and a few diamonds, the baron¡¯s respect for Regina seemed to have grown considerably. Although it probably had more to do with me gifting him a smaller box, she mused, smiling to herself. Not that there is that much he can spend it on out here, in the current situation. She should have tried just buying people sooner, but on the other hand, she was suspicious of how far such bought loyalty would go. Well, live and learn, I suppose. After a minute, Lady Marianne Neralt arrived. She looked like she¡¯d quickly changed into a more presentable dress, though Regina didn¡¯t know the first thing about fashion around here. It was in a pale green color and had some lacy parts, anyway. The noblewoman bowed toward Regina, while her gaze darted quickly to Ira, who stood behind her queen¡¯s right shoulder rather than taking a seat. Not that what passed for the baron¡¯s receiving hall was very big or had many chairs. Regina suspected it was also his office. There were a few nice tapestries on the walls, at least. ¡°I apologize, Lady Regina, my son is currently out riding. How may I help you?¡± Regina smiled and gestured for the woman to take a seat as well, inclining her head politely in greeting. ¡°That is no problem at all, Lady Marianne. I simply wanted to check in, to see if there was anything you might need or want to discuss.¡± Neralt returned her smile, looking completely at ease. ¡°Of course, Milady. We¡¯re always pleased to see you.¡± Then her expression turned more serious and she hesitated for a moment. ¡°In fact, there was something you should know. I would have waited until Elric was back so he could give you a more complete account, but since you are here now ¡­¡± Regina nodded and put down her teacup again, leaning forward slightly. ¡°Do go on.¡± ¡°My son is out riding today with a few of his best men because we received a concerning report from the outer part of the barony. Where the forest meets the hills to the north, a local shepherd and hunter have found suspicious tracks. Not monsters, but rather a large group of people, apparently men in heavy armor.¡± She shrugged as if to show that she wasn¡¯t familiar with reading tracks and was only relaying what she¡¯d heard. ¡°There have also been several livestock going missing, and a local hedge-witch says she¡¯s felt someone working mana.¡± Regina frowned, straightening up again. ¡°In the future, please tell me of news like this right away. I appreciate that the baron wanted to investigate the situation for himself and learn more about it, but I do have means you don¡¯t and I¡¯d prefer to be kept abreast of developments in the barony.¡± Marianne Neralt bowed her head. ¡°Of course, Milady.¡± ¡°That said, I don¡¯t think this sounds like cause for too much concern yet.¡± Regina glanced quickly at Ira, who gave her a nod. ¡°I¡¯ll see what my own scouts have to say. If there is a group of outlaws or worse out there, sending a flying drone might tip them off.¡± Neralt nodded. What neither of them voiced was that it was less likely to be outlaws and more likely soldiers from the Cernlian central government or one of the nobles involved in the brewing civil war. It sounded like that was finally reaching them, Regina mused. She¡¯d known something would happen sooner or later. Although it might not be a big deal, yet. Chapter 86: Scouting Unfortunately, the hive¡¯s own scouts didn¡¯t have much to add to the information Marianne Neralt had given Regina. The area in question wasn¡¯t one they spent much time and attention on, apparently. Ada looked abashed when Regina explained the matter, a look that didn¡¯t fit the normally confident drone very well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my Queen,¡± she said. ¡°We were just more focused on the forest and maybe the path deeper into Cernlia.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Regina reassured her. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to do better going forward. I think we have enough scouts now, even if we have to rely on Swarm Drones, so that we can cover more ground and watch the edges of our new area of influence better.¡± They spent a while talking about their scouting efforts and patterns. By the time they were done discussing a reorganization and Regina had promised to make at least a few more Scouts in the next few clutches of eggs, Max came to tell her that Baron Neralt was returning to Forest¡¯s Haunt. Regina said goodbye to Ada and started heading back to the village, since they¡¯d been talking in one of the castle¡¯s towers. She could have flown ahead, but she didn¡¯t want to leave Max behind all the time, and it didn¡¯t sound like Neralt was expected back right this second, anyway. They walked slowly and caught the baron after he had dismounted and was about to head into his house. When he saw Regina and Max, he paused and then forced a smile on his face before bowing. ¡°Baron,¡± Regina greeted him. She was still trying to decide if or when to switch to using his first name. ¡°I heard you went out investigating some signs of strangers up in the hills. Did you find anything?¡± ¡°You¡¯re well-informed,¡± he said, glancing around. ¡°Come inside, please, Milady. Let¡¯s talk in the parlor.¡± Once they were in the parlor (which was apparently also the receiving hall and what Regina would have called a living room), Marianne showed up as well, probably alerted by one of the servants. She and the younger Neralt exchanged looks before he started explaining what he¡¯d found. ¡°Some people were doubtlessly there before, Milady. However, they were already gone by the time we arrived. I did find the remains of a campsite, and following a trail one of the hunters picked out, we came upon several more. They did not form a line leading into the forest or towards the army, or, really, anywhere in particular.¡± ¡°So, people were watching the area, or rather scouting it,¡± Regina concluded. ¡°How likely is it that the same thing might be happening to the south, or even further east?¡± Neralt grimaced slightly. ¡°The terrain to the south is more open, excepting the forest itself, of course. That would make it harder for anyone to go unseen. That said, it¡¯s certainly possible. I should think the east would be more challenging, and unlikely to be worth the effort required to scout it covertly, but since we do not know who this group was, it is hard to be certain of anything.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°That makes sense. Alright, thank you, Lord Elric. I¡¯m going to send some Winged Drones to scout from the air now, unless either of you has an objection?¡± The two humans exchanged another glance, then Marianne shook her head and Elric demurred. Regina leaned back in her chair and let her eyes slip close as she turned her focus toward her flock, rousing a group of Winged Drones. If either of the Neralts were surprised that she stayed, they didn¡¯t voice it. But she didn¡¯t think it would be a long flight, and it might be better to have them on hand to talk about it. Max still stood unmoving, watching her back and feeling calm. Regina quickly checked on Ada, who was talking to two of the other Scouts, then on the War Drones further out from the settlement. By this point, the group of flying drones had already moved some distance from the village. Regina focused on them and watched the terrain pass by. It didn¡¯t take long to find the first campsite, which was nestled between two low hills, but still perfectly visible from the air. From there, Regina sent half of the drones in this group, about ten, into a spiraling search pattern. They almost missed another camp, one drones flew over twice before one crossed at just the right angle to see the small cave marked by a fallen tree trunk in one of the scattered copses of trees. They had an easier time finding the other one. It was harder to make out any tracks from the air, though. Regina hesitated for a moment, before she left that group of drones to circle in the air and called up several others from the castle and village, sending them to fly out and meet up a few kilometers away from it in two groups. She sent them roughly south- and eastward, trying to split her attention effectively and switching between the viewpoints of individual Winged Drones. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything in the other directions,¡± she murmured. Then she opened her eyes briefly just in time to observe the humans¡¯ reaction. They didn¡¯t seem surprised. Regina returned her focus to her drones and started sending out a few War Drones to range ahead a little way from the village, though she didn¡¯t think that would do much good. She also brought the Winged Drones in lower and tried to take a closer look at the terrain. If nothing else, this was a good opportunity to familiarize herself with the area more thoroughly. Seeing everything laid out like this and then basically zooming in was cool. She wished she had a good computer and several monitors to properly show it. ¡°How far are you sending drones out?¡± Max asked softly. Regina cracked open an eye and looked at him, shifting in her seat at the same time. ¡°Hard to say, about a few dozen kilometers.¡± She turned back to look at the nobles. ¡°Is there anything further from the borders of your barony that I should be aware of, or would it be worth it to look a little farther?¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Neralt shrugged after a moment of consideration. ¡°Nothing that comes to mind,¡± he said. ¡°There is no settlement or other construction close to us, except if you follow the road, I suppose, and no other point of interest.¡± Regina nodded. Then she returned her focus to the drones. She¡¯d let them travel a bit further, maybe she could see something. After flying for what she estimated was a few kilometers beyond where she estimated the borders of the barony to be, she saw the first signs of civilization. Thin plumes of smoke were rising on the horizon, and she saw dark spots in the distance that could have been settlements. Regina nudged one of the Winged Drones to fly higher, disappearing into one of the low-hanging clouds that were scattered around the sky, while she kept the rest back. When the drone dove again to get a view of the landscape below, Regina realized that she had happened upon an encamped army. She still kept it high enough up and far enough away that she couldn¡¯t make out any details, so she didn¡¯t see the coat of arms they were using. For a moment, she considered taking the drone further down and trying to get close enough to confirm it, but then she dismissed the idea. There were probably a few high-level fighters with this force, and they might have ways to discover her drone. She¡¯d rather they didn¡¯t find it spying on them. Regina made the Winged Drone circle around once, mimicking the flight patterns of large birds of prey, before she had it turn and fly off. If she remembered the information the baron and the marquis¡¯ messengers had shared correctly, this should be the gathered forces of a nearby earldom. The army, if one could call it that, was certainly far smaller than what she had heard about concerning the fighting in the forest. They would probably meet up with other forces before they actually went and did anything aggressive. Or even defensive, most likely. ¡°I¡¯ve reached the forces of the county to the northwest, I think,¡± she said, opening her eyes. ¡°Earl Whitor¡¯s men?¡± Baron Neralt asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve had any new information on which side he is taking recently.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°It seems pretty small, in terms of numbers. Maybe a few hundred people, definitely less than a thousand.¡± ¡°That is as I would have expected,¡± Marianne Neralt commented. ¡°Keep in mind that the Cernlian nobility has already sent many men to fight in the king¡¯s war with Nerlia against the elves, Milady. I expect that many of the lords would have kept some of their strength back - enthusiasm for the war was never particularly high, from what I¡¯ve heard - but there are still only so many fighters to go around.¡± ¡°Not to mention that alliances and positions are still being drawn,¡± the baron added. ¡°Many lords will want to keep at least some assurance or some measure of security at home, in case they have to ward against an attack by a neighbor or even one from further away.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°This is a bit of a mess, from what I¡¯ve heard,¡± she commented. She hesitated for a moment. ¡°That army is still several dozen kilometers away, so I doubt we have to worry about it. I¡¯ll keep an eye out, though. Maybe we can even find out more about the position of various forces in the region.¡± ¡°That would be helpful,¡± Neralt said. ¡°But I was under the impression that you wanted to keep your drones at home and, what was it you said, a low profile?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Regina confirmed. She glanced at Max, who shrugged slightly. ¡°We¡¯ll see. Perhaps it¡¯s best to ask for more information from Marquis Lyns before we decide anything.¡± No one had anything else to say about that, so Regina refocused on the drones she¡¯d left in the air. She sent the other groups a little further out, trying to see more of the terrain and maybe any settlements or army camps without making the drones easy to discover. She did catch sight of what might have been one of the latter, further to the southeast, but there were two towns relatively close in that direction, and she made the decision to keep her drones well away from those. She just hoped that she might get an Evolution option for at least one of them that made them a stealthier scout. Besides faster flight and increased carrying capacity. There are a few upgrades that would be nice to have. After a while, she decided she had seen all she was going to and focused on getting her drones back. She had a few of them fly home on roundabout paths, though, taking the opportunity to scout the terrain more thoroughly. After a few moments, she noticed something. She sat up straighter, frowning a little, and deliberated for a moment before sending a Winged Drone in for a closer look. ¡°What is it, my Queen?¡± Max asked. ¡°Did you find something?¡± ¡°It looks like we are getting some visitors,¡± Regina answered. She blinked and glanced at their hosts, before returning her attention to what she saw through her drone¡¯s eyes. ¡°From the forest. They will probably be here soon. It looks like a party of ten or so, and they¡¯re definitely coming from Ariedel, not Nerlia or anything.¡± She paused for a moment, then told her drone to turn about. ¡°In fact, it looks like there¡¯s an elven scout.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m sure Commander Anuis will be able to help,¡± the younger Neralt said, but he still seemed a bit tense. He hesitated for a moment, before seemingly gathering his courage to speak up. ¡°Milady, not to be impertinent, but what are your plans for this barony? For my men?¡± Regina frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean. I thought I¡¯d been pretty open about what I was planning here.¡± He shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Milady. I know that Marquis Lyns has essentially given us into your keeping. Already, your forces are likely much stronger than mine. I was not called on to send many men to the war, given our position at the border. In fact, several soldiers were assigned to us precisely because we were guarding it. I was simply wondering if you were intending on using them.¡± Regina¡¯s eyes narrowed as she felt a flash of anger. She took a deep breath and suppressed the feeling, knowing it wasn¡¯t entirely fair. Still, his question rubbed her the wrong way. ¡°Your soldiers are still alive because I elected not to see their death,¡± she said with a hint of frost in her tone. Then she shook her head. ¡°I was planning to rely on my hive and whatever forces the elves might put into play, but I might feel compelled to deploy your soldiers, as well.¡± The baron frowned and exchanged a look with his mother. After a moment, he bowed his head. ¡°I apologize if I caused offense, Milady. We certainly appreciate the mercy you showed.¡± Those words sounded a bit forced, but she supposed she couldn¡¯t blame him for that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, baron,¡± Regina said. ¡°Soon enough, my hive will grow to such a level that your forces will be almost insignificant in comparison.¡± ¡°Not that we don¡¯t appreciate your assistance and will continue to do so,¡± Max put in, glancing at Regina. ¡°Of course,¡± she quickly agreed. ¡°Your valuable insight and guidance will always be appreciated, Lady Marianne, Lord Elric. And I will do my best to ensure that you and the people in your domain will continue to benefit from our association.¡± He nodded and smiled. Regina found it hard to tell if that expression was sincere. ¡°Of course, Lady Regina. I wouldn¡¯t doubt it.¡± Regina forced another smile, acutely aware, even if she didn¡¯t show it, that Max was still looking at her. Chapter 87: New Visitors Regina found herself unusually agitated in the aftermath of the meeting with the Neralts. She paced along the main roads of the village for a short while, looking at everything. The villagers stepped out of her way, but she caught the gazes they threw each other. She was too lost in thought to care much, however. With the way her hive had been growing, only a small part of the drones could now fit into the village. The rest were housed in wooden huts and other shelters they¡¯d quickly put up. With winter coming in a few months and the weather likely to get colder soon, they needed better accommodations. Many of the Swarm Drones were working on that project. But Regina was privately a little disappointed that she couldn¡¯t do better than this style of building. It wasn¡¯t too much of a problem yet, especially since they had the castle as well. Her Swarm Drones were hardy, and if nothing else, they could probably survive the winter in the forest. Tia was also talking about adding underground burrows and passages, which was something Regina agreed with in principle. It¡¯s just hard to decide where. She shook her head and turned to walk along one of the roads. Quickly checking on several drones, she confirmed that their visitors were coming closer. ¡°Who are they, anyway?¡± Tim asked. Regina glanced at him, smiling slightly despite herself. The Royal Blade had appeared out of a side alley, so quiet she¡¯d barely noticed. Max, who was still accompanying her, actually flinched slightly, then gave his brother a dirty look. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± Regina admitted after a moment. ¡°I didn¡¯t get a good look earlier, just enough to tell that people were coming. They seem like ¡­ I don¡¯t know, gnomes?¡± She watched the people sitting on and walking around a wagon that looked far too cumbersome to have made it safely through the forest. They were all very short, maybe one and a half meters or so. She had Dark observing them, and the bird¡¯s good eyesight gave her some detail even without getting very close. Their skin tone was a tan brown, but with a bit of an odd texture. Their proportions looked a bit off compared to humans, with short legs and big heads, although it was not enough to seem grotesque, just different. They all wore pants and coats or long jackets or vests, mostly in dark colors. The cut seemed a bit more modern to her eyes than what the human villagers wore, although that could just be a matter of their respective social status or means. What made the name gnomes come to mind were mostly the spectacles a few of them wore plus various other gadgets, like binoculars and some metallic thing that might be an overly complicated compass or just some strange tool. Their faces looked more or less human, though, and all of them were actually quite what she supposed humans would consider attractive. Regina hesitated for a moment, then decided that she would wait at the town square or the baron¡¯s mansion for the visitors. Instead, she asked Max and Mia to greet them. Once Regina reached the baron¡¯s house again, she noted with a bit of amusement that he seemed to have done the same, sending a high-ranking soldier out but not coming himself. Anuis, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem interested in any kind of power play and simply went out to greet them herself. As Regina watched and listened through her drones, she quickly realized why. The visitors were cheerful but didn¡¯t seem inclined to formality. One of them greeted Anuis by name, in a way that made it clear they must have met before, although Regina couldn¡¯t tell how many of them she knew. After the first greetings were exchanged, they entered the village. Regina paced for a few seconds before stopping herself, switching the viewpoint drone through which she watched. She felt the sentient ones recognize her touch on their minds, though they didn¡¯t let anything show outwardly. ¡°I¡¯ve never met gnomes before,¡± she heard the baron say quietly to his mother from where they were standing a short distance away. ¡°This should be interesting.¡± Regina smiled. So, at least she¡¯d guessed right. It was a little hard to tell in which Tiers the visitors were even when she finally saw them with her own eyes. Of course, she could see the levels of anyone below hers, but that was barely a third of the group. Judging by those she could see, though, and given the two repeated classes, she knew at most three of them would be above level 40 and in the third Tier. Their Class names were hard to parse for her, since they all seemed to be pretty metaphorical. What was a True Painting or an Unbroken Rock supposed to be, anyway? When they reached her, those who hadn¡¯t already hopped down off the wagon and they all bowed to her. They seemed to immediately peg Regina as the leader, but given her Class name, that was probably obvious. ¡°Hello and welcome,¡± Regina said, bowing her head. She glanced from one gnome to the other, but it was hard to tell who their leader was. She noticed that some of them wore small ornaments and accessories, which probably had cultural significance, but nothing jumped out at her. She didn¡¯t want to call anyone by name and guess wrong, so she didn¡¯t add anything. ¡°I greet you,¡± one of them said, taking a step forward. It was the Unbroken Rock, whose name the System showed as Tikimaken. She couldn¡¯t read his level. ¡°We are thankful to be received with such hospitality.¡± ¡°It is very nice to meet you, and we are hoping for fortuitous and fruitful acquaintanceship,¡± a female gnome added, also stepping forward. She was a higher-level Light Mind, according to the System, called Tikelikel. Regina nodded, and they exchanged greetings with the baron, as well. Max and Tim stepped up beside Regina again. She noticed the way several of the gnomes¡¯ gazes clung to them. They looked curious. Though to be fair, all of the visitors looked curious. A few even gazed around at the houses of the village like they were waiting for them to reveal dazzling secrets. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t think me rude, but I haven¡¯t dealt with your people before and so am not familiar with your customs or the dictates of politeness,¡± she finally said once the two apparent leaders of the gnomes joined them just in front of the manor. ¡°So, I will get to the point. What brings you here?¡± Stolen story; please report. They exchanged a look, so quickly that Regina might not have noticed it if she hadn¡¯t been paying close attention. Their faces seemed to be a bit more expressive than humans, at least naturally, and the stillness with which the two held them seemed a bit forced. Although, to be fair, I¡¯ve only seen them for a few minutes, so what do I know? ¡°Curiosity, mainly,¡± the woman replied. ¡°We have heard of you and your ¡­ hive? Did I get that correctly? This might be a good opportunity for trade, but we are also considering what else we might be able to discover and learn here. And we think we have a few things to offer in exchange.¡± Regina glanced back at their wagons. ¡°Technology?¡± she guessed. The two gnomes smiled. ¡°You might not know this, Hive Queen Regina - is that the correct address, by the way? I wouldn¡¯t want to offend.¡± She shrugged. ¡°You can use my Class name or call me Lady Regina, that is what most people here do.¡± ¡°Excellent. As I was saying, you might not be aware, Hive Queen, but gnomish lifespans are quite long. More than half as long as a typical elvish lifespan, in fact. We remember things, and we aren¡¯t always as tight-lipped about them as our pointy-eared friends. No offense.¡± She glanced at Anuis, who stood a short distance away and wasn¡¯t looking in their direction. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that,¡± Regina said evenly. ¡°Well, Lady Regina,¡± the man picked up the thread of the conversation. ¡°Does the word ¡®hydraulics¡¯ mean anything to you? Or ¡®electricity¡¯?¡± Regina stiffened. She saw from the way their own expressions changed right away that she hadn¡¯t managed to conceal her immediate reaction to the question. ¡°Quite a bit, in fact,¡± she finally drawled. She might as well, if she couldn¡¯t pretend ignorance. ¡°What do the words mean?¡± the baron asked, looking confused. When he glanced at Regina, there was something like suspicion in his expression, too. Clearly, he had noticed her projects, and things like the use of advanced (comparatively, anyway) explosives. The two gnomes traded another look. It sent a flash of anger through Regina, which she quickly suppressed. ¡°Never mind that,¡± Regina said. She was considering telling Neralt a little more about it, but she definitely wouldn¡¯t be doing that in front of others. ¡°Before we continue this conversation,¡± she continued, turning to the visitors, ¡°I would like to know with whom, exactly, I am speaking. Do you represent your government, or are you simply private explorers, or something else?¡± Tikimaken nodded. ¡°A fair question, Lady Regina. The answer is a bit complicated, however.¡± ¡°Our people do things a little differently,¡± his companion added. ¡°We are merchants, broadly speaking. But we are also working for the government of the confederation. Or at least part of it.¡± Regina frowned. She made a mental note to ask Anuis about their culture and political organization. And that of other races and nations, too, while she was at it. Obviously, what the gnomes had was a bit more complicated than the medieval feudalism around here seemed to be. The gnomes asked a few more probing questions, but Regina did her best to dodge them, or just block their inquiries. They can¡¯t expect to just come here and get our hospitality and have us tell them everything they want. Even if I do want to forge connections outside of the elves and Cernlia. Regina shook her head as the meeting petered out and Neralt started to take them to make arrangements for where they could stay. She considered for a moment that she might be drawn into some kind of political conflict. They probably belonged to one political faction of several in this gnomish confederation. Although another political conflict would probably be more accurate. After all, there is that Cernlian civil war I may have contributed to instigating. And even the elves probably have factions, and my association with Enais, even if it¡¯s rather indirect, would have already placed me on one side. ¡°Is everything alright, my Queen?¡± Max asked softly. She looked at him and smiled. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m just considering some things. But I¡¯m relatively optimistic that this is a good opportunity.¡± She turned and started walking away, only looking through the eyes of a few drones for a few moments to watch what was happening behind her. Max joined her, and Via followed them as well. Regina paused when they reached another intersection. Janis was just coming out of a house that Regina recognized after a moment as her aunt¡¯s. She looked pensive, maybe cautious, but not as emotional as Regina would have expected. ¡°Is everything alright, Janis?¡± she asked. The young Mage nodded, although her smile looked a bit forced. ¡°Of course. I just decided to chat a bit with Aunt Marian. You know, catch up.¡± ¡°I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d be more curious about the new arrivals,¡± Regina commented. ¡°We don¡¯t get many visitors here, especially from other races, at least from what I¡¯ve seen so far.¡± Janis hesitated, then sighed as Regina raised an eyebrow. ¡°They don¡¯t like elementals,¡± she finally said. Regina¡¯s other eyebrow joined the first before she smoothed out her expression. ¡°Oh? Why?¡± Janis shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. Probably something to do with where they live. It¡¯s close to what people call ¡®mana zones¡¯, from what I¡¯ve heard. You¡¯d expect there to be more of certain monsters.¡± ¡°Do you think they could tell that you have elemental blood?¡± Max asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. They might.¡± Regina shook her head. She knew that elementals were sapient monsters, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that they were nice or friendly. Or living peacefully with anyone else. ¡°Be that as it may, you¡¯re a part of our hive. If you tried to hide the whole time they¡¯re here, it would get old pretty fast,¡± she told her. ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, if they have any problems with you, they can keep them to themselves. They¡¯re here because they want something from us.¡± Janis smiled brightly. ¡°Thanks, Regina! And I do have to admit that I¡¯m curious.¡± She sighed and shook her head. ¡°However, there¡¯s another reason I was going to look for you. I got some news.¡± ¡°I hope it¡¯s good news,¡± Regina said drily. Janis shrugged, but she was frowning faintly. ¡°I got a letter my great-uncle had sent to my aunt. Actually, I¡¯m not entirely sure how he did it, since we haven¡¯t seen a messenger recently, but I dimly recall that he had a friend who was some sort of magic-using beast tamer, so he probably got a pigeon or something.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow again. Once more, she had to remind herself that this wasn¡¯t really a medieval world, or rather, that people had abilities and means beyond that. This kind of communication sounded useful, and she would be asking the baron, or the marquis¡¯ next messenger, some pointed questions. Although she supposed the danger of a letter getting intercepted would be pretty high this way. ¡°Go on,¡± she said. ¡°He wanted to warn us that the war was getting closer,¡± she said. ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s really started off with a bang in a few places. Count Whitor seems to be sitting on the fence, but Marquis Relains is apparently moving to support the king. Or maybe he¡¯s just feeling him out to see if he should offer his full support, he doesn¡¯t seem to like him, either, and Lady Kiara called him a ¡®slimy snake¡¯ once. I don¡¯t know how that would work, but anyhow. That¡¯s what I have.¡± ¡°That¡¯s our southern neighbor, isn¡¯t it?¡± Regina asked. Janis and Max both nodded. ¡°Well, good thing we have defense plans. Let¡¯s go to ¡­¡± Regina paused, frowning in thought. ¡°The orange warning stage should do it. I¡¯ll think about it and adjust the new batches of eggs for the hive. Max, get with Tim and increase our training with a special focus on the terrain to the south. Anything else you can think of for right now?¡± She looked at them expectantly, but the drones and Janis shook their heads. ¡°They won¡¯t know what hit them,¡± Janis murmured. Regina nodded, trying to project confidence. If they give us a few more weeks, they really won¡¯t. Chapter 88: Contacts, Scouting and Field Testing It turns out they really won¡¯t know, Regina mused in a thoughtful and maybe slightly amused tone. I¡¯m sorry, what? Ada asked. She got the impression of her Queen shaking her head. Nevermind. Keep watching. Ada resisted the urge to tilt her head in confusion or make any other movements. As far as she was concerned, making sure that the humans didn¡¯t know anything about what the newly named Starlit Hive was doing was the whole point. And it seemed to be going well so far. Although, of course, Ada couldn¡¯t be sure that their targets really didn¡¯t suspect anything and weren¡¯t simply faking it. That was probably always a danger when trying to lay a trap. But as she¡¯d heard Max say once, the best traps were those that worked even if the quarry became aware of them. That had stuck with her, and Ada felt confident that they had been preparing one of these. The group of humans she was thinking about drew closer during the short exchange. They walked at a relatively quick pace, but nothing out of the ordinary. She would have described it as ¡®marching¡¯, but they didn¡¯t really keep proper ranks and their formation was too uneven for that, not that the terrain would do them any favors in that regard. They were currently moving through a copse of trees, which might be much sparser than the large forest to the west, but still had its fair share of rocks, roots and uneven ground, and the hilly ground didn¡¯t help. Ada tried to trace their path as she kept watching the humans. They were mostly men, with only a few women in the group. One of the women and one of the men wore cloth armor that seemed much lighter than the others¡¯ equipment, who all wore metal armor, usually at least a breastplate and a few other pieces, and all of them wore some kind of helmet. Their equipment seemed disparate, but those of the group who were using the same type of weapon had matching weapons that looked like they¡¯d probably been made by the same person or in the same mold even if not manufactured in bulk. None of them openly wore any coat of arms or identifying detail, which she supposed showed some basic sense on the part of their organization. A soft rustling beside her diverted Ada¡¯s attention, and she turned her head slightly to look. Then she rolled her eyes. She was currently hidden in the shadow of a bush, with careful camouflage. The War Drone who had just come up to her wasn¡¯t, but since it was behind her, it should still be out of their targets¡¯ sight. Ada narrowed her eyes and focused intently on the War Drone Elite, trying to access its mind. She¡¯d practiced this diligently, but she still had some trouble with it. After a few seconds, though, she sensed something with that other kind of sense which she only felt fully when her Queen connected to her directly, and she got some impressions from the drone. It had finished the task she had assigned it and was now coming to report. Ada slowly crawled backwards, then moved her hand and gestured at the drone to move back. After that, she closed her eyes again and focused on the minds of the other nearby Swarm Drones. One by one, she touched their minds and relayed new orders. It helped that they¡¯d made detailed plans beforehand and she just needed to give them the go-ahead. Then she felt a slight brush against her mind, one she recognized quickly. Regina had departed at some point, so softly Ada hadn¡¯t realized it at the time. Now, Tim told her, We¡¯re ready here. How about you? Is everything going well? They¡¯re still moving, and don¡¯t seem to be changing course, Ada answered. The Swarm Drones on my side are ready. I¡¯d just like to get out of this spot first. She felt Tim¡¯s wordless agreement before his mind withdrew, and Ada even caught an echo of Regina, as she was probably contacting Tim right now. Then Ada patiently eased herself backwards in tiny increments, taking care not to disturb the greenery or even the shadows around her too much. Once she was far enough, Ada made her way around the small copse of trees to join another group of drones. She moved swiftly, but she couldn¡¯t even hear herself making any sounds, since she¡¯d activated her newest Class Skill. Simply called Stealth, it was an active Ability that didn¡¯t last long, so she was careful about activating it, but it muffled her footsteps and hid her passing. She¡¯d experimented with it and learned that, while it didn¡¯t hide her from sight, it made people or other creatures less inclined to look in her direction or to notice her presence. It even dampened her scent. Once she reached the group of drones, mostly higher-leveled Swarm Drones with Ace and two Warriors leading them, she reached out to Tim again. We¡¯re ready, she reported. Alright, he answered. Then we can start. I repeat, we are launching the attack now. She felt him reach out farther and contact several other drones. Still, to be sure, Ada glanced at the other drones around her and raised a hand, wiggling it up and down in the sign they had previously arranged. A few of them nodded. Then Ada returned her focus to their targets, trusting in her enhanced sight to see them clearly. The first sign of anything going on came in the form a low sound that slowly grew louder, though it took a while for the humans she was watching to notice. When they finally did look up, the flock of Winged Drones was almost above them. Ada smirked to herself as she watched their reactions, feeling smug. ¡°Now,¡± she whispered tersely after a few seconds. The group of drones started moving, and Ada hurried to put herself in the lead. They had timed it quite well, and the Winged Drones let their cargo drop just before she and the other drones reached it. One of the War Drones in the group coming from the other direction was already too close and got caught in the blast, but Ada only felt a sudden gust of wind against her face. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The grenades the Winged Drones had dropped were somewhat underpowered compared to the Hive¡¯s best, but they set off the next part of the trap. The pit traps that had been covered with a thin layer of earth, twigs and rocks opened up, taking quite a few of the humans with them. Two large tree trunks fell down with a crash, cutting one of group off from his companions and boxing in the others. Before the lone human swordsman could do more than turn, Tim reached him in a flash. The human was quick enough to parry his initial attack, but Ada saw Tim coming in for a second one with both of his blade-arms and a dagger, and she doubted the human had experience fighting someone with six limbs. Then she reached her own target and had to focus on it. Ada stopped and struck her own blade-arm against the rotten tree beside her, sending up a puff of dust and a few splinters of bark. She leaped forward, catching the attack of another human warrior in heavier armor. Close combat wasn¡¯t her strong suit, but she managed to hold him long enough for the closest War Drones to swarm him. Then the strongest of the Winged Drones had circled around for another attack, diving down onto the remaining, scattered humans. Regina must have directed them personally. ¡°Finish them!¡± Ada cried, raising her hand and glancing around at the drones in her group. ¡°No intruders in our Hive¡¯s territory!¡± The drones roared in response, and while Ada paused to take stock, they quickly finished off their enemies. Following the orders they¡¯d received, they managed to take most of them prisoner. Ada quickly moved between them, checking their bindings. Technically, Tim was in charge, but he had other things to take care off, too. Besides, this whole thing was actually more of a mission for her than for him. ¡°I think I¡¯m done here,¡± she told him when they finally met in front of one of the pits. Swarm Drones were pulling the remains of two men out of it. Tim glanced at her, looking thoughtful, and nodded. ¡°Yes, I think that was all of them. A lot of people for a scouting or exploration team, although I guess they could have been intended as a raiding party. We¡¯ll get that information out of them soon enough.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s better if I don¡¯t wait that long to do some scouting of our own,¡± Ada said. ¡°They might be missed soon.¡± She paused, focusing more closely on the psychic link in her mind. After a second, her Queen answered, If you think that¡¯s best. Be careful. I¡¯ll keep you in contact with Tim and the others. Ada nodded, then gave a low whistle she had trained with. A few seconds later, a few Winged Drones dropped from the air close to her. Ada smiled and scratched their heads, before she carefully climbed on their backs. She ended up perched on top of and between two of them, her body secured with a harness she¡¯d made out of rope she¡¯d brought along. These Winged Drones were two of the strongest in the Hive, both getting close to Evolution at level 20. She¡¯d practiced this painstakingly, although this would be the first time she¡¯d actually use it in the field, so to speak. If it went well, this could become a regular tactic of the Hive¡¯s scouts and maybe even the basis for small mobile strike teams. Of course, she also knew that carrying a passenger would tire them out quickly, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to fly as far or as fast. It was a shame that the Hive still didn¡¯t have any sapient flying drones except for Regina. The Attendants had wings, but they clearly weren¡¯t developed enough yet to fly properly, though they could glide and could probably spend a long time in the air if they started from a high enough altitude. Ada grimaced and resisted the urge to cover her eyes as the drones rose up off the ground. She was shaken to and fro until their flight leveled out somewhat. For once, Ada was glad that she was still only about as big as a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old human girl, and thinner and lighter than a Warrior. The drones clearly had to work at it, but they managed to gain some altitude. Ada focused on their minds - she had also practiced finding and connecting to them a lot - and directed them onto the best course. Even considering her Skills, the Winged Drones moved a lot more quickly than Ada could have on her own. She paid careful attention to their path and the landscape underneath them, keeping her Keen Sight on and looking out for the soldiers she knew had to be there. She wasn¡¯t sure how long the flight took, but soon enough, Ada saw signs of them on the horizon. She told the drones to descend and slow down, but let them get close enough to see the army. Then Ada had them turn back for a little bit and descend further. The Winged Drones circled down until she found a good spot for them to land, a small depression surrounded by a scraggly copse of trees. Ada sighed and fumbled with the ropes. When she jumped down, she stumbled a bit, but quickly caught her balance again. She hesitated for a moment, before she decided to leave some of the ropes on. Enough that she could hopefully grab them in a pinch, but so the Winged Drones weren¡¯t tethered together anymore. ¡°You, fly up again and circle farther off, a few kilometers in that direction,¡± she ordered one of them. ¡°Keep watching our targets, but withdraw if they come closer.¡± With that, she set off. Ada tried to go as sneakily as she could, but she didn¡¯t activate Stealth yet. It was a relatively long walk, since she¡¯d wanted to set down far enough to be sure that they wouldn¡¯t easily be seen. Luckily, it was also getting dark, and she made sure to approach from the north, so she wouldn¡¯t be directly in the path of the setting sun. The sky was relatively overcast, too, which should help matters. Finally, she got closer to the army. She activated Stealth, but subtly, so it wouldn¡¯t take as much energy. It was a trick she¡¯d learned recently, but she found it very helpful. Then Ada crept forward, carefully picking her path to stay under the cover of trees and bushes most of the time. Finally, she crawled under a bush, slowly and carefully, and stilled as she got a good look at the army. As she¡¯d surmised before, it was already on the move. This force was bigger than the one Regina had found before with her Winged Drones, judging by what she¡¯d said. It looked decently well organized, with a small line of wagons and marching soldiers in several columns. It seemed like they¡¯d broken camp recently or were just traveling slowly. Ada would still have to start relocating soon, since they were coming closer. Although they weren¡¯t moving towards the Hive, but in a more easterly direction. Ada focused on the individual parts that made up the marching army. Soldiers, mostly men, a few knights or nobles, a few banners with devices that didn¡¯t mean much to her. When she got to the back, though, she froze. There was a group of Delvers here. She¡¯d seen enough of them by now to recognize their style of equipment. There were only a few of them, maybe a single party. She couldn¡¯t even be sure they were actual Delvers, or current ones. And they were speaking to an even more surprising group. Ada hadn¡¯t had much to do with the gnomes who were visiting Forest¡¯s Haunt, although she¡¯d been there when they arrived. Apparently, they were merchants, and probably gathering information as well. As far as she knew, they were staying there for now, presumably smoothing the way for trade deals and trying to schmooze the locals. She wondered what they might know about the other group of gnomes that was evidently traveling with this army. They had a wagon much like the one the Hive¡¯s visitors brought, although the gnomes with the army seemed to have put on more traditionally human clothing. There wasn¡¯t much else she could make out, unfortunately. Believe me, her Queen whispered in her mind, probably having caught her last thought, I¡¯m going to ask them some pointed questions. Chapter 89: Gnomish Confederation of the East You should probably withdraw now, Regina said after taking a moment to consider what she¡¯d just learned. She was still deeply nestled in Ada¡¯s mind, enough to be aware of the quick beating of the young drone¡¯s heart. You¡¯re right, Ada answered, startling mentally. They might be able to detect me more easily. If nothing else, the gnomes probably have spyglasses. Regina sent a feeling of wordless agreement, then followed it up with approval and a touch of pride. She¡¯d been getting better at subtle nuances in her psychic communication, and Ada was one of the best at it among the drones, too. She watched as Ada carefully crept backward, behind her cover and then farther to put a few meters of distance between it and her, before she rose into a crouch and just as carefully backed away. Regina kept most of her attention on Ada until she was sure that the scout had not been discovered. She kept looking in on her while Ada made her way to where she¡¯d left the Winged Drone, but she also started checking on other drones. From what Regina could guess, her range had expanded to at least a hundred kilometers, or at least some number in that ballpark. She didn¡¯t exactly have satellite maps. The army she had just been watching through Ada was close to the limit of her range, but she could still communicate with the drones there quite well. She nudged the Winged Drone to return to Ada as stealthily as possible, then told Ada to be careful and keep low to the ground until she was further away. With that done, once Ada was safely on her way back, Regina turned her attention to the world around her once more. She sat in one of the village¡¯s houses, with Max standing beside her. He¡¯d presumably taken it upon himself to guard her while her attention was elsewhere. Via waited a little further away, but the rest of the drones all had things to do. Regina stood up and stretched, sighing to herself. Then she told the two of them what she¡¯d just learned. ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Max mused. He shook his head. ¡°The ambush went well, and we have the survivors in custody?¡± Regina quickly focused on Tim and the other drones there again, checking in on them. She nodded. ¡°Yes. They¡¯re returning as we speak. I¡¯d estimate that they¡¯ll all be here in a few hours at most.¡± ¡°Well, at least that is dealt with,¡± Via muttered. Regina smirked. She understood the sentiment. They¡¯d been aware of that particular army for a few days, and she¡¯d been a bit concerned when it sent this raiding party or whatever it was supposed to be in their direction. That they had taken it out that easily, while testing and refining a few tactics in the process, made her feel some satisfaction. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a good idea to just ¡­ confront the gnomes right now?¡± Max asked. He sounded concerned. Regina shrugged and stepped towards the door. ¡°No, but I don¡¯t think putting it off is going to help. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be very confrontational.¡± When she stepped out into the street, both of the drones came with her. Regina glanced up once, looking at the clouds and considering if it might be raining soon, before she suppressed another sigh and made her way towards the center of the village. It was bustling around her. With the prospective new need for the hive to be on war footing, she¡¯d pulled more drones into the village. The human villagers had also been told at least some of it, and they seemed a bit tenser than usual. Regina smiled and nodded at the people she passed, trying to seem calm and reassuring. She found the two gnomes who were probably their leaders (not that she would rely on that assumption) talking with the baron again. They¡¯d apparently realized that Regina felt suspicion or at least caution towards them, and tried their best to establish a good relationship with the baron. To be fair, that was most likely better for business. She knew they¡¯d also been talking with Mia, who was probably the best choice of everyone in the hive to handle something like organized trade. Regina had valiantly resisted the urge to ask how long they were staying, so far. ¡°Excuse me,¡± she said politely as she joined them. Tikimaken smiled broadly. ¡°Hive Queen Regina! We¡¯re always happy to see you. And we were just finishing up here, if there¡¯s anything you need?¡± The baron quickly nodded. ¡°Indeed, I think we¡¯ve come to a satisfactory agreement.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Regina said after a moment. She should probably follow up on that later. Or get someone else to do it; she wasn¡¯t entirely sure where she stood with Neralt right now. The baron didn¡¯t seem inclined to stick around after that, and Regina and the two gnomes walked a few steps down the road so they could have more privacy. ¡°I apologize if you feel that I have been acting discourteously or treating you with undeserved suspicion,¡± she finally started. ¡°The situation is still very delicate for me, and I have not had much contact with members of your people, or indeed many people.¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfectly understandable,¡± Tikimaken replied. He almost sounded cheerful. ¡°I assure you we haven¡¯t and won¡¯t take offense. It¡¯s not the first time we¡¯ve dealt with people with different cultures, or even those who are more insular and unaccustomed to strangers.¡± Regina smiled and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. In that case, I hope you won¡¯t mind if I ask some more questions about your people, and your group, specifically. For instance, I¡¯m not entirely sure what location you actually come from or how populous it is.¡± Tikelikel spoke up, ¡°We are from a city to the southwest, in the foothills of the mountains, which is part of a confederation, a larger nation with several million souls.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°And are there many other gnomes around out here?¡± She hesitated, and the two of them exchanged a look. Clearly, Regina¡¯s casual question hadn¡¯t gone as smoothly as she¡¯d wanted. ¡°Some,¡± the female gnome answered. ¡°Not many.¡± "This is a bit of a backwater, if you¡¯ll pardon the bluntness,¡± the male added. ¡°Is there any particular reason you are asking about that, Lady Regina?¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Regina exchanged a glance with Max, then resisted the urge to sigh. She might have to be blunter than she¡¯d planned. ¡°I have seen indications that other gnomes are in the region as well,¡± she finally said. ¡°Ah.¡± Tikelikel made a gesture she wasn¡¯t familiar with, crossing her arms for a second. ¡°Let me guess. A group of gnomes, perhaps with a wagon and clothing like ours?¡± Regain hesitated for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Yes. Should I assume they are merchants - or not quite merchants - like you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s certainly possible,¡± the gnome answered. From her tone, Regina had the impression that she was relieved she¡¯d found what seemed to be the issue at hand. ¡°We aren¡¯t the only ones operating out here, although I can assure you we are the only ones who are going to be dealing with your Hive, and we have all the proper authorization.¡± ¡°I would guess, Keli,¡± Tikimaken spoke up, giving his partner a look, ¡°That the Hive Queen has seen these other people in the company of one of the armies currently bumbling around in this country, perhaps even one hostile to her interests.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow, watching the exchange between the apparent leaders of the gnomish group with interest. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of it. When she¡¯d asked Anuis, the elven officer had said, among other things, that ¡°gnomes have strict gender roles, but in a very different manner compared to humans¡±. She hadn¡¯t figured out which of them was supposed to be in charge, if anyone, though. ¡°Oh, I see!¡± ¡®Keli¡¯ turned back to Regina and gave her a smile. ¡°I understand why that would be cause for concern, Lady Regina. And, to be frank, it would be a reasonable concern.¡± Her expression turned completely serious. ¡°You see, we are, in broad terms, representatives of one particular faction among the Gnomish Confederation of the East.¡± Ah. Called it. But Regina shook that thought off and simply looked at the gnome attentively. ¡°Our faction is currently in ascendance,¡± the Light Mind continued her explanation. ¡°Beyond certain business interests and what you might call electorates or voting blocs, it also has a certain underlying ideology. Or at least an ideological footing. Now, this faction currently holds about sixty percent of the votes in the executive council, which is enough to decide most governmental matters. However, there are still other powerful factions, one in particular. Besides the fact that a larger majority is required for some matters, they have a lot of influence and power of their own.¡± She paused. ¡°Are you following me?¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Seems quite straightforward so far.¡± The gnome gave her a bit of an odd look at that, but only for a moment, before she smoothed out her expression and continued. ¡°As I said, other factions enjoy influence of their own, and also both legal and unofficial authority. They are certainly more than capable of sending out teams like ours, or even of forging political alliances of their own. There is actually something of a legal mechanism - or at least a tradition - for that. And, well, our territory borders the Great Forest, and what is happening here in Cernlia as well as the Elvish State can have definite impacts on the Confederation.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow but kept her expression mild. ¡°I see. I assume that your faction, which is, apparently, currently in control of the government, wants something from me and my people. And your oppositional faction has apparently decided to support the central Cernlian government or some of its lords, or might do so, at least. That just raises the question, what is your your ideological or economic agenda, and what do you think you stand to gain from us?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it quite like that,¡± Tikelikel muttered. Then she sighed softly. ¡°But you are not wrong, Lady Regina. We do indeed believe that a closer association can be of benefit to us, and to your people as well. To be frank, what you have demonstrated so far, along with your people¡¯s explosive potential for growth, is already enough to attract much interest, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed. Your apparent association with the Goddess of Progress only adds to that.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible. She wasn¡¯t really opposed to establishing some kind of relationship with the gnomes, especially if she dealt with their actual government. If nothing else, if they really had lifespans and memories that were as long as they claimed, she¡¯d hopefully be able to find out more about what had happened to the world. Although she should be very careful in pursuing that. ¡°Hm,¡± Regina said. ¡°When is the next election?¡± They both looked surprised at the question again. ¡°There are several elections in our form of government,¡± Tikimaken answered. ¡°The one with the most impact on the executive council will be in two years.¡± Regina nodded and filed that information away. ¡°Alright. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve quite gotten a full answer for my previous question, though.¡± He sighed. ¡°Our people¡¯s philosophical and political beliefs are complicated and hard to sum up, Lady Regina. In brief, though, we consider ourselves members of the ¡®historicals¡¯. A little like human Delvers, but far less militant, we believe that -¡° He hesitated for a moment - ¡°that the ancient past should not be forgotten and can still serve as a guiding light for us. We might have lost many things, but society can still grow and progress. And while certain technologies may be better left forgotten or outright banned, others can be of great help to the people.¡± Regina stayed silent for a moment while she contemplated that. She noted the small insight into the Delvers, and considered what technologies they might want banned. ¡°I can agree with most of that in principle,¡± Regina finally said. She smiled at the two gnomes. ¡°Thank you for answering my questions. I believe it might be good for us to take a look at some of the projects my hive is working on. Although I would prefer to wait until at least the immediate situation is resolved.¡± They both bowed their heads. ¡°We are gratified to hear that, Hive Queen,¡± Tikelikel said. They exchanged a few more pleasantries after that, but the conversation quickly stalled and petered out. Regina was already making plans for the future. I think we have enough drones now that it¡¯s about time to send more of them out, she told Max. We can still keep a few hundred here to secure the core of our territory. Sending a few Winged Drones to scout is all well and good, but if the war is so clearly heating up, I don¡¯t want to just hide here. She¡¯d experimented with her new Skill a bit in the last few days. It had more effects than just giving her extra eggs. While there still seemed to be a limit to how many eggs she could make in one batch, just based on her body¡¯s tolerance, it was less arduous than before and, more importantly, the mana requirements to support their development were reduced. She could now easily have over twenty eggs at once, thirty if she pushed herself a bit. And she was hopeful that that number would increase rapidly when she leveled up. After all, her hive limit was growing exponentially. She could easily afford to lose a few dozen Swarm Drones now. I understand, Max answered, though he sounded a little amused. And you want to make an impression for our new gnomish contacts. Maybe, Regina conceded. But within limits, of course. I¡¯m not showing them everything. Regina hesitated for a moment, then turned back to the two visitors. ¡°By the way,¡± she said casually. ¡°Have you ever heard the name ¡®Hivekind¡¯?¡± The two gnomes froze for a moment. Although they immediately acted like nothing was amiss, she¡¯d noticed that reaction. A stronger one than she¡¯d been expecting. ¡°I¡¯m sure we don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± Tikimaken responded, voice tight. ¡°Even if we had any knowledge of the old villains, we certainly wouldn¡¯t be talking about it, except to the appropriate persons back home.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Regina answered quickly. ¡°It¡¯s just a name I came across in my historical studies recently and I was curious. I certainly didn¡¯t want to offend or bring up any cultural taboos.¡± ¡°No offense taken,¡± Tikelikel replied. They quickly made their goodbyes and turned to leave. Once they could no longer see her, Regina breathed out. Well, she thought. That could be a bit of a problem. ¡°I wonder how much of a cultural rebel or progressive the typical member of their faction really is?¡± Max muttered quietly. Regina huffed and shook her head. ¡±Well, as new insectoid demihumans who must have a thriving culture somewhere out there that we¡¯re cut off from, something like that is both not much of an issue for us and something we don¡¯t have much experience with.¡± Max gave her a sideways look and she got the impression he was refraining from rolling his eyes. Interlude: Civil War Kiara was surprised by how much she missed having Janis around. She felt like she hadn¡¯t even realized how much the young mage did for her until she was gone. And if she was honest, if only with herself, it irked her how easily Janis had left without looking back, jumping to join this strange Hive. Not that Kiara couldn¡¯t understand it. She had realized how much curiosity drove the girl. Kiara sighed to herself and shook her head, shoving those thoughts aside. Why am I even thinking about it right now? Well, I would like to have her here with me, I suppose. She was still coming to grips with her sudden change in circumstances. From the simply tolerated daughter of a march far from the capital and farther from the king¡¯s graces, she had risen to the daughter and only viable heir of the leader of a rebellion against said king. One that, while still in its beginning stages, held unquestionable power. Several noble lords, especially counts and other marquises, had come to offer their support and seek his leadership. Even Duke Bluegrass had joined their side, accepting Marquis Lyns¡¯ authority in the process. Not that he was any more powerful than the Lyns in reality, despite his higher rank. Kiara rolled her shoulders and looked up at the darkening evening sky. When she glanced around, she met the gazes of a few other young people her age and forced another smile onto her face. She nodded at them courteously before she kept walking. She had wanted to attend a gathering of the noble sons and heirs, while her father would have preferred to keep her with the young ladies. In a sort of compromise, he had simply combined the two and arranged for the youths of both genders to be entertained together. It had been a stressful and demanding afternoon, although Kiara privately thought that she had acquitted herself rather well. And she couldn¡¯t deny that she had taken some satisfaction in how the others treated her according to her apparent new status. Unfortunately, she was also coming to suspect that several families were angling for a match with their sons, a prospect Kiara found rather less enthralling. At the moment, she enjoyed the cool evening air as she made her way past several tents. The rebellion - it still didn¡¯t have a better name - had gathered a relatively large force at one of her father¡¯s old redoubts, Castle Graysen. That was where her father himself would be traveling soon. Kiara, on the other hand, would be going west, bringing reinforcements to another staging area further from the capital. They had received word that Marquis Relains was stirring himself and seemed to be coming to threaten the western march. Or possibly other locations in the vicinity. So, her father and his supporters were sending some knights and soldiers, drawn from several of the lords¡¯ assembled forces, to make sure they could defeat him. Hopefully, we¡¯ll be able to crush him quickly and then move on to support the rest. Kiara glanced up at the sky, which was still free of clouds. The weather seemed to be holding, at least. She wouldn¡¯t mind leaving the small castle and minor lord¡¯s hall where the major lords of their faction were currently gathered. It had been chosen more for its convenient location than any military or strategic importance, much less comfort. Outside the residence which had been allocated to her family, Kiara met her father. He looked at her, glanced at the pair of knights escorting her (assassins were apparently a concern) and then gave her a small smile. ¡°Ah, Kiara! I trust things went well?¡± She bowed her head politely and returned his smile. ¡°They did, Father. I was able to sound out most of my peers, and I¡¯m confident that most of them are on board with this endeavor. Some of them seem to find it quite, well, romantic, for lack of a better word.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Hah! The brashness of youth. I¡¯m glad you were able to handle it well.¡± ¡°With all due humility, I do think I made a good impression,¡± she said mildly. Then she hesitated for a moment. ¡°I look forward to accompanying the soldiers to Castle Westgate.¡± For a moment, his gaze seemed to sharpen as he looked at her. Then he nodded. ¡°Lord John Cern will be leading that army. We can hardly deny him this honor under the circumstances. I will be sending Sir Richard as well.¡± He sighed. ¡°In all honesty, I am still not quite comfortable with the thought of sending you into such danger. ¡°Father -¡° ¡°I know. We have talked about it.¡± He gave her a smile that seemed a bit forced. ¡°I would not begrudge a son a chance to prove himself, so I will not deny it to you. But be very careful, Kiara. I cannot afford to lose you.¡± She bit down on the first reply that wanted to leave her lips, and instead nodded. ¡°I will, I promise.¡± They parted, and Kiara quickly went to bed. But that night, she laid awake, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, for what felt like hours. Snippets of the conversations she¡¯d had that evening kept replaying in her head, and she kept thinking about what the future might hold, and what she could do. The next morning, she was sluggish and distracted. She went through her morning routine by force of habit, had a quick breakfast and then prepared for her departure. She was only shaken out of the haze when one of her father¡¯s servants came bringing a letter. Apparently, a messenger pigeon - one of a tamed monster species that some people liked to train and use for that purpose - had arrived in the night, and among its cargo was a personal letter. Kiara received it with slight trepidation she wouldn¡¯t admit to, which seemed to dissipate into a cold feeling in her veins as she read. Her mother was pregnant again. Kiara folded the letter with movements that were a little rougher than necessary. She sighed, then glanced in the direction of her father¡¯s quarters. Mother only recently had another miscarriage. And now he has - tried for another child again so soon? She took a deep breath. Although she tried not to dwell on it, the possibility that it might be a boy was also something she could not forget. ¡°Milady?¡± Sir Richard, who had come to call on her, asked, following her gaze. ¡°Do you wish to go and say your goodbyes to your lord father?¡± She hesitated, then shook her head. ¡°No. Let us take our leave, I wish to depart expeditiously. We have some distance to go and the day will not grow any longer.¡± The old knight looked a little dubious, but he made no further comment and instead escorted her to where their forces were gathering. Kiara went to the small army¡¯s leader to offer her greetings without looking back. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Lord John was a middle-aged man who didn¡¯t seem quite comfortable in his saddle. He was perfectly courteous, but Kiara didn¡¯t know if he truly liked having her along. The flush on his face and the rings under his eyes seemed to give credence to the rumors that he was a heavy drinker. She just hoped he would still do his job well. They set off when the sun was only just starting to leave the horizon behind, riding at the head of a column of soldiers marching on foot. Kiara kept close to her father¡¯s knights and vassals, and Lord John seemed happy to not have to entertain her. In fact, he ignored her more than was strictly polite, in her opinion. But he was keeping a boisterous and unruly conversation going with his knights, punctuated with bawdy jokes and even occasional ¡®martial¡¯ contests, and she had little desire to insert herself into it. Instead, Kiara watched the landscape and the soldiers, and idly wished Janis was here again so she could have someone intelligent to talk about other things, before she struck up a conversation with a few of the knights. They camped at night in a small depression between low hills, and Kiara was thankful she at least didn¡¯t have to share her tent. The march became monotonous quickly, so she reviewed some of her studies in her mind and practiced sensing mana. Eventually, the Great Forest started coming into view, or rather a dark shadow on the horizon that she thought was it. Looking at it, Kiara couldn¡¯t help but think of her old fianc¨¦, who had died years before on an expedition through the forest. Not that she had ever been particularly close to the boy, or even liked him at all. The arrangement had been decided when they were children. Kiara had actually been relieved when she received the news, even though she felt guilty about it. But it showed that the forest was dangerous, and the land before it would not be any less so, given the current situation. ¡°We¡¯re not going to actually venture into the forest, Milady,¡± Sir Richard said, presumably noticing her look. ¡°Not unless things go very wrong.¡± Kiara smiled slightly and nodded. ¡°I know. But you don¡¯t need to hover around me like a worried nanny, Sir Richard. Perhaps you should go and talk to Lord John and his posse, I mean, entourage.¡± He raised an eyebrow, but apparently elected to ignore her choice of words. Instead, he inclined his head to her politely and turned his horse, nudging it into a canter to catch up to the commander¡¯s group. Kiara looked around again, still feeling a little uneasy. It was a shame that they didn¡¯t have any fliers, or many scouts, really. Apparently, Lord John hadn¡¯t considered those a priority. Considering they did not know exactly where the Marquis Relains¡¯ army currently was, Kiara considered that to be rather short-sighted. At least the terrain is open, she told herself, so we¡¯re not likely to be walking into some sort of ambush. Hopefully. She had just finished that thought when she became aware of a commotion further ahead. Kiara hesitated for a moment, glancing at the knights around her, before she had her horse fall into a trot to get closer. One of the knights behind her called after her, but Kiara didn¡¯t respond. After all, she was still surrounded by their fighters, so this was hardly much of a risk, but she wanted to know what was happening. The terrain had become hillier as they went, and there were soft rises and dips in the ground here. Once she reached the top of one such low hill, Kiara paused in surprise. There was a fight raging ahead of them. No, not just a fight ¡ª a battle. At least several dozen combatants on each side were engaged in a violent, brutal struggle. As she watched, one man¡¯s arm was ripped off. Kiara swallowed hard, the ferocity and carnage somehow much more disconcerting than the relatively clean fighting she had seen in exercises and tourneys. But she only took a moment to suppress her visceral reaction before she focused on the more important aspects of what she was seeing. Instead of fighting against other humans or even elves, the men - and they were mostly men, some of them wearing the colors of the southern march - were beset by creatures she immediately recognized as Hive Drones. And almost a third of them were actually flying. She saw several craters and broken shrubbery where Kiara realized they must have used their strange new (or Ancient) explosives, and the Winged Drones also dove at lone soldiers in groups. The rest of the drones on the ground fought with the same precise coordination. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this something?¡± Kiara blinked and turned her head. She had been so caught up in what she was seeing that she had missed Lord John riding up to her, flanked by a few of his companions. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect we would see fighting so soon,¡± she said. Then she shook her head. ¡°But that is no excuse to simply sit here and watch. Let us make haste and order our men to attack. If we handle this deftly, we can catch the intruders between our two forces and finish them off.¡± Lord John looked dubious, and made no move to do as she recommended or give the men any orders. ¡°I am not sure that rushing into this would be wise, Lady Kiara. These ¡­ beings seem rather fierce. Who knows what I would be sending our good men into?¡± ¡°My apologies, but I assumed you had been told.¡± Kiara fixed him with her best unimpressed stare. ¡°The Hive and its demihuman people are our allies. In fact, without their help, we would likely not be here today. Repaying that help by ignoring one of their companies engaged in battle against mutual enemies would be a poor way to repay them, and rather damaging to our diplomatic relationship and reputation, not just with them.¡± She¡¯d stopped just short of mentioning words like ¡®dishonor¡¯ or implying cowardice, but she could see that he took her meaning. ¡°Very well, young lady,¡± John said after a pregnant pause. ¡°Stay back, please, we wouldn¡¯t want you getting harmed.¡± Then he spurred on his horse and rode on. The soldiers of their army had spread out somewhat around their leaders on the hill, watching the battle. Soon, a horn sounded and they sorted themselves into proper order and started advancing on the intruders in her march¡¯s territory. Kiara sighed to herself, shaking her head. Reluctantly, she did as Lord John had said and remained where she was. She felt somewhat guilty about sending the soldiers into danger without risking herself, not to mention the fact that the battle would be a font of Experience that might push her Class to the next level. But she knew it was wiser to stay behind, even if her own entourage would let her charge forward. And besides, the battle is almost over. Kiara glanced up, then paused as she saw a lone flying Drone wing its way towards her position.
Winged Drone Mount ¡ª Level ?
She raised an eyebrow. As the Drone descended further, coming in for a landing beyond the small ring of guards that had formed around her, where soldiers were scrambling to clear away, she saw that it did seem to have a rider.
Tim ¡ª Level ? Royal Blade
Kiara smiled. At least that was one she had met before. Although she couldn¡¯t remember hearing him actually speak any words. Once the drone jumped from the saddle and approached her, she stepped forward to meet him, softly but insistently ordering her guards out of the way. He stopped a respectful distance away and bowed. ¡°Lady Kiara Lyns, it¡¯s an honor to meet you again. Thank you for the intervention, although we had the situation well in hand.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but glance at the battlefield, where all the fighting seemed to have ceased. Then she bowed her head in return. ¡°Of course, your people acquitted yourselves very well, Sir Tim.¡± He smiled with a hint of what she thought was amusement. ¡°We have a larger force camped several kilometers back. Perhaps you would like to join us?¡± She glanced at Lord John, who seemed to have noticed the visitor and was coming closer. ¡°I would be delighted. It is not my decision, however. This force is under the command of Lord John Cern.¡± He nodded, with a knowing look that made her consider if her expression or voice had given too much away. ¡°Of course. Then I am hopeful that we will be able to work together just as well as you and my Hive Queen have in the past.¡± ¡°Certainly,¡± she murmured, shifting in her saddle and taking the excuse to look elsewhere. Chapter 90: Conferring Tim had not expected to meet Kiara Lyns, or anyone else, on this outing. It wasn¡¯t the first clash between his Hive¡¯s forces and that of the neighboring marquis¡¯ army, which had drawn closer and sent more and more soldiers out over the last few days. This had been an uncommonly large force, though, and he wondered what Relains had intended with it. Probably to sack some nearby settlement. Luckily, they had been able to follow its movements with the help of Winged Drones scouting from the sky, and overall, things had gone as well as expected. Except for the other human army showing up at the conclusion of the fight. Tim hadn¡¯t been particularly concerned. While he was confident in the Starlit Hive¡¯s ability to take on this threat, having some allies nearby certainly shouldn¡¯t hurt. And Kiara Lyns had seemed reasonable enough. Unfortunately, it only took a short conversation and a few minutes¡¯ walk to the camp to realize that things wouldn¡¯t be so easy. John Cern, the Cernlian noble who had apparently been put in charge of this force (he resolved to find out if there was a connection to the name), clearly didn¡¯t like him or the other drones. Tim didn¡¯t know if it was bigotry against non-humans or non-humanoids, or just that he felt shown up by Tim and the drones in his group. In any case, they tried to start a conversation, but it was stilted and tense, and the last few meters passed in silence. Finally, they reached their current camp. It probably looked odd to the visiting humans. There were only a few rather flimsy tents, no central storage for food or anything (although they had a few caches of food stores, mostly dried monster meat and dried plants), and there were Swarm Drones scurrying about all over the camp. In fact, a good part of the Hive¡¯s total forces were gathered here, including about twenty sapient drones and several hundred Swarm Drones. The actual numbers varied a bit as some went out to scout, on a few patrols, or to scavenge for food. ¡°Wow,¡± he heard Kiara mutter quietly, and Tim couldn¡¯t help but grin. But he was facing away from her or the other guests at the moment, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to see it. ¡°I thought there were only a few dozen of these ¡®drones¡¯,¡± John Cern said quietly to someone he couldn¡¯t see, though not quietly enough for Tim to miss it. They were met by a gathering of other sapient drones, who brought a few of the higher-level Swarm Drones along, as well. Tim patted the neck of his own mount and dismounted. The Hive only had two evolved Winged Drones who¡¯d turned into these, and both of them were the ones Ada had used for her aerial scouting trips. That implied that a drone¡¯s circumstances and actions did influence how their Evolutions turned out. At least it meant they would hopefully get more of the Mounts, and other useful Evolved Classes as well. Ada herself was among those who greeted them, smiling cheerfully at Tim and not bothering to hide her curiosity about the humans. She was accompanied by Tia, who had much the same reaction, as well as Dan, Zoe and a few other drones Tim didn¡¯t know quite as well. Tim quickly made the introductions, trying to be as polite as possible under the circumstances without giving too much away or showing any weakness. He could tell that most of the humans in the group around Kiara and Cern seemed a bit bemused and clearly had difficulty trying to figure out the ranks or hierarchy among the drones. Quite a few openly stared at the various Swarm Drones, as well. Finally, Cern cleared his throat. ¡°You have an impressive camp here, Sirs and, er, Ladies. I can see why the enemy is being cautious about pushing into this area.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Tia replied with a bright smile. ¡°Your little army looks impressive, too. I¡¯m sure we can use the reinforcements! Especially if we want to finally crush that marquis¡¯ troops quickly.¡± He blinked, then nodded, although his expression remained a bit stiff. Tim would have found it funny if the diplomatic effort wasn¡¯t so important. Just then, he felt the familiar sensation of his Mother paying attention to him, connecting with his consciousness via the psychic link the Hive shared. Oh, it looks like I missed a few things, she said. I was conferring with Anuis and some of the others about tactics. Tim nodded slightly and concentrated on what had happened, doing his best to push the memories through the link at Regina. They had been working on doing things like this, but it was still hard. When he finally focused back on his actual surroundings, he caught the look Zoe gave him and ducked his head, before he made himself straighten up again. At least their human visitors didn¡¯t seem to have noticed that he had suddenly turned less responsive or engaged, or if they did, they didn¡¯t show it. There was some more back-and-forth, before they finally settled on where the humans would be setting up their camp, on the field beside the drones. Tim lingered around the edge to watch, catching a speculative look from Kiara Lyns. He smiled politely but didn¡¯t try to engage her. ¡°Janis is going to come with the next wave of reinforcements,¡± Tia said quietly as she stepped up to him. He crooked an eyebrow, and she shrugged slightly in response. ¡°Our Queen just contacted me to talk about the distribution of the new additions to the Hive. She said she was sending another two hundred or so drones to us, so we can face the enemy army in an actual battle.¡± ¡°That is going to leave the village pretty thinly defended,¡± he replied, frowning slightly. Tia shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s going to stay there, along with Max. And I believe most of the elves remaining. Apparently, since things are happening out here, they¡¯re not getting recalled as quickly. Besides, she¡¯s increased the size of new clutches again, so there¡¯ll be a lot of new drones.¡± Tim nodded, relaxing a bit. ¡°This does mean interacting with our guests is going to fall to us,¡± he muttered. Tia grinned and bumped his shoulder affectionately. ¡°Well, I guess you shouldn¡¯t have let anyone know that you¡¯re secretly good at diplomacy!¡± Tim feigned a groan and rolled his eyes. Then he returned her bump and went off to talk to the other Warriors, check on their more volatile supplies and make sure things were organized properly. Luckily for Tim, it seemed their guests weren¡¯t particularly eager to interact with them, either. He did see a few knights and soldiers wandering over, and some struck up conversations with the drones, but many left again relatively soon. He supposed that the Swarm Drones¡¯ inability to converse might play a part in that. Despite himself, Tim was curious what sorts of rumors were swirling around in the human camp. He was almost tempted to sneak there and try to listen in, but common sense prevailed. He knew his stealth wasn¡¯t good enough for a challenge like that, and it definitely wasn¡¯t worth the risk of engendering mistrust or damaging their relationship. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The evening passed quickly with various tasks, and Tim decided to go to bed early. He swapped watches with Tia and Ada, ensuring that at least one of them would be awake at all times in case something happened. Fortunately, there were no serious incidents, either that night or the following morning. Some time later, the promised reinforcements arrived. Tim went out to greet them with most of the other drones, watching with a hint of pride as the almost two hundred Swarm Drones marched towards them, along with a few sapient drones, some Winged Drones flying overhead. The Swarm Drones immediately started setting up a rudimentary camp, though many of them just sat down in neat ranks to wait until they would be deployed. They must have departed during the night, but he supposed that they¡¯d probably gotten enough sleep beforehand. He knew that Swarm Drones spent a lot of time napping when they didn¡¯t have anything to do, a tendency that helped to conserve their energy and reduce the resources they cost the hive. Janis greeted them cheerfully. She didn¡¯t look as exhausted as the quick march would suggest, considering she was a mage and not focused on physical stats, so Tim suspected she¡¯d ridden on War Drones. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, too, Janis!¡± He smiled, the other drones nodding in agreement. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ll be glad to have you along to deal with the humans.¡± She laughed. ¡°Not a sentence I ever thought I would hear. But don¡¯t worry, I will try my best.¡± Then the amusement slipped from her face and he saw her eyes widen slightly as she looked at something behind him. Tim turned to watch Kiara Lyns arrive, accompanied by a few other humans. John Cern was absent, interestingly enough. Turning around to glance in the direction of the human camp, Tim saw him talking and gesticulating to another knight there. ¡°Lady Kiara,¡± Janis greeted her former boss, stepping forward and bowing her head. ¡°I am happy to see you again, and pleased to see you looking so well.¡± Kiara nodded and smiled in return. Their gazes met for a long moment, and Tim had the impression of something passing between them that he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°I¡¯m quite pleased to see you again, as well, Janis,¡± she finally replied. Tim cleared his throat softly. ¡°Perhaps we should all meet for a proper council, in, say, half an hour? Until then, I¡¯m sure there is a lot the two of you would like to catch up on. I and the rest of us will work to get our new arrivals settled and prepare.¡± Kiara blinked, turning to him, and nodded. ¡°Of course, Sir Tim.¡± He led the others away, deliberately not looking back to watch Kiara and Janis stepping away and starting to talk. He could still hear them, though. While their conversation started off a bit stiff, it soon turned livelier and more relaxed. Tim wondered for a moment if there was anything more going on there beyond the surface, then shrugged. Social interactions in a human cultural context were opaque to him at the best of times. It would be good for the Hive if the two girls were close, and that was all that really mattered to him. About half an hour later, they met in a tent the Cernlians put up between the two camp areas. Why they brought that much canvas and poles with them was beyond him. But at least it gave the meeting a nice ambiance. Tim attended it with Tia, Ada, and Zoe, while the other drones were watching the Swarm Drones. Janis came too, of course. He recognized two knights with Kiara, Willard and Richard, Janis¡¯ great-uncle. John Cern came accompanied by several more well-dressed men, presumably nobles. Hopefully, at least some of them would have actual military credentials. Although I guess I can¡¯t judge, he admitted to himself. I barely have a few months experience with combat, or life in general, never mind actual strategy. Introductions took a while, and he tried to pay attention to every name. They hit the first snag when Richard spoke up. ¡°Excuse me, but I couldn¡¯t help but notice that Janis has somehow acquired a last name.¡± Tim glanced at Janis, who looked at her uncle and seemed a bit abashed. ¡°This is due to her joining the Hive,¡± he said. ¡°Rest assured, she didn¡¯t elope to get married or anything.¡± There was some laughter at his comment, though he didn¡¯t know how real or politely feigned it was. At that moment, Tim was glad that none of his or the other drones¡¯ names had changed according to the System, although he couldn¡¯t fathom why it would only do that with integrated outsiders. And only sapient ones, apparently, since Dark and Arcanis didn¡¯t get a last name, either. Richard looked like he wanted to ask further questions, but refrained. After that, the meeting finally got started. They took stock of the forces they had, then compared notes on what they could tell of the enemy forces, and proceeded to discuss what to do about it. Tim got the impression that some of the humans were a little miffed that he and the Hive had so many more combatants. Telling them that individual War Drones were weak and would easily die to an average human soldier if they didn¡¯t have numbers on their side might have assuaged that feeling a little. ¡°I¡¯ve heard tell that you have powerful explosive magic at your disposal,¡± Cern said. ¡°Yes and no.¡± Tia shrugged. ¡°We do have explosives, some of which are quite powerful compared to what you might have known before, as far as I can tell. However, it¡¯s not exactly explosive magic. Our actual source is something we would prefer to keep confidential, though. I¡¯m sure you understand.¡± Tim noted that Kiara or her father didn¡¯t seem to have told him of her suspicions that Regina was using Conjuration magic (which happened to be true, of course). He wondered if she had even told the marquis. Probably, but he clearly hasn¡¯t shared it with all of his allies or vassals, if any. ¡°You have very good intelligence on the enemy forces¡¯ composition and movements,¡± Sir Richard noted at one point. ¡°The flying drones we¡¯ve seen outside, I assume?¡± Tim and Ada nodded, but they didn¡¯t give any more details. ¡°They do seem to be slightly stronger than we were anticipating,¡± he continued. ¡°Perhaps about equal to our own force. Of course, it is always hard to gauge such things without detailed information on Classes and, especially, levels. But with your help, I am confident we can take them.¡± ¡°It also implies they might have been reinforced from further afield,¡± John Cern commented. Nice to know he does have a brain, at least, Tim thought privately, but tried not to let the thought show. ¡°There might even be more soldiers lying in wait somewhere.¡± ¡°I¡¯m confident we have a good overview of the surrounding area,¡± Ada said. ¡°They also have a few gnomes, with them, at least,¡± Tia said. That caused a stir among the humans. ¡°Are you quite sure of that?¡± Cern asked. Ada nodded. ¡°Yes, we have confirmed it.¡± ¡°Fantastic,¡± he heard Willard mutter. ¡°Gnomes poking their noses in is just what this situation needed. As if this war didn¡¯t have enough politics already.¡± Tim leaned back in his seat (the humans had brought folding chairs) and listened while the discussion continued. Then he stiffened as he felt a familiar presence in his mind. Beside him, several other drones did so as well. The southern army has started moving, Regina said. This time, they¡¯re not just sending scouting groups or single companies. In fact, they seem to be pulling in all of those they have currently detached. I¡¯m leery of putting our scouting Winged Drones too close to them, but the general movement is very clear. They¡¯re advancing. Tim nodded, looking up at the others. After a moment of hesitation, he made one of the War Drones outside the tent scratch against a post, then excused himself to step outside. He spent a minute scratching its head and making a few noises, before he entered the tent again. ¡°I have news,¡± he announced. The others all fell silent and turned their full attention to him. He could see Tia fighting not to smile at his antics. ¡°Marquis Relains¡¯ army ¡ª or whoever might have contributed to it ¡ª is breaking camp and moving. They¡¯re coming closer.¡± ¡°Time to meet them in battle,¡± Kiara said. She had straightened up and was smiling slightly, although he could tell tension lurked underneath. Chapter 91: Advancing Armies Regina felt like she was watching ants crawl across a large patch of land with little progress being made. Which wasn¡¯t fair to her drones, their new allies, or probably even the enemy soldiers. But she tended to watch the various groups from on high through the eyes of Winged Drones, and it felt like it took forever for the two armies to advance towards each other so they would actually meet on a battlefield. Regina wasn¡¯t idle during that time, though. The skirmish Tim¡¯s group had won against some strike force or whatever from the other side had pushed her to level 31. She was hopeful that a proper battle would gain her a lot more experience, especially if she managed to decisively crush invaders into her territory, despite the heavy losses to her drones it would risk. But even so, her newest level had unlocked another sapient drone Template for her, finally. Their combined army of drones and allied human soldiers was moving relatively slowly, taking their time. Some of them had been marching a lot recently, and there was no point in arriving too tired to fight effectively. The enemy army was marching a bit more quickly, but Regina still didn¡¯t find it easy to predict where the actual battle would occur. They should try to choose the terrain if they could, but that much was probably obvious to everyone. In the meantime, Regina returned her attention to her surroundings and checked on things one more time, mostly to settle her nerves. The atmosphere in the village was tense. For the first time in a while, there weren¡¯t lots of Swarm Drones around, and everyone knew why. Regina didn¡¯t linger, but only looked in on the baron briefly and then checked on her eggs. They had added further dividers to the large ground floor room they were using to store them. Regina stopped to look at the newest eggs. They took three days to hatch, so they weren¡¯t going to be ready quickly. She tried to examine them with her mana senses, but there wasn¡¯t really anything different from other eggs. Drone Witches. She assumed the name would be used for both genders, like sorcerer or warlock or something like that might have been. It definitely implied they would be casters, and probably more along the lines of combat magic, if the pattern held true, unlike the Attendants. Regina shook her head and left. She¡¯d sent three of the Drone Attendants along with the other drones, by now. Their support would simply be too valuable, so she¡¯d just have to do without them here, even if she disliked it. She had hatched two more Drone Attendants recently, but they were still very young and growing into their job. They hadn¡¯t even learned any Spells yet, so sending them along would be pointless. She¡¯d kept Ira here because of that, too. Regina returned to the house she was currently living in and settled on a fur rug, sitting cross-legged. She noticed Ira coming into the other room, but didn¡¯t pay her much attention. Instead, she pulled up her Hive status screen one more time before she turned her attention to the coming battle.
The Starlit Hive
Total: 654
Inner Hive: 50(53)/167 (+4) Swarm: 600/2200 (+25)
Warriors: 12 War Drones: 290
Workers: 10 Production Drones: 50
Scouts: 8 Winged Drones: 260
Harvesters: 6
Shooters: 8
Attendants: 6
Monsters: 2
Demihumans: 1
The majority of those drones, especially the Swarm Drones, were currently away from the village. It and the castle still housed some as a garrison, but there were currently more sapient drones compared to Swarm Drones here than there had been in a while. Mostly because some of the former were still young and she didn¡¯t want them gone on this campaign right away. She also left many of the Workers and Production Drones here, although she also sent some of them with the deployed warriors. Many Winged Drones were currently out scouting, though Regina had worked out a rotation with Ada to use them most efficiently. ¡°Is there anything else I should know?¡± Regina asked without looking up. ¡°Not that I can think of, my Queen,¡± Ira replied promptly. ¡°You should have been informed of everything relevant here.¡± ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll be focused on the fight. Please make sure I won¡¯t be disturbed.¡± ¡°Of course, my Queen.¡± Regina breathed out and dove into the psychic link. She cast her awareness out towards the drones in the distance, coasting towards their minds and skimming their surface thoughts. She had never connected to so many at once, but right now, she tried to split her awareness between Tim, Ada, Tia, Janis and a scattering of Swarm Drones. Janis was sticking close to Kiara, who Regina suspected had some pre-battle jitters. She hid any nervousness well, but her face was just a bit too blank, her posture too stiff. Janis herself didn¡¯t feel too different than usual, although Regina could sense a slowly building anticipation sprinkled over some irritation and boredom. Tim was also close to the human leaders, so she got a pretty good view of them. Their lords and nobles were at the front, common soldiers marching behind, with knights scattered around, but most of them in a group, as well. Her own drones¡¯ formation was both more scattered and more precise. The Swarm Drones marched in previously assigned units, keeping step with each other easily. Winged Drones circled overhead in predefined patterns, while a few War Drones and Scouts ranged ahead. Regina caught a bit of psychic noise from the sapient drones like Ada intermittently giving orders to the Swarm Drones. When she looked in on the others, she noticed that Ben and Dan had also started a silent telepathic conversation. They seemed to be debating the merits of various weapons they¡¯d seen among the humans. Regina left them to it, turning her attention away. She focused on what she could see of the enemy army. After a few seconds of studying it, she figured out what she thought was its basic structure. It was organized in several columns, and she picked out what seemed to be various leaders. They had their supplies in the back, along with what seemed to be honest-to-goodness camp followers. Seriously. Are they expecting to win with that much certainty? Finally, the allied army stopped. Regina thought that they had chosen a good location, although she didn¡¯t actually voice that thought to any of the others. They were at the top of two low hills, with the drones taking one side and the humans the others. In principle, it would have probably been good to intermix them, or even to have the drones act as skirmishers and put them on the flanks while the humans formed a core of heavier units. But they didn¡¯t have time to train together, so trying something like that was just an invitation for failure. And it¡¯s not like I actually know anything about it. For that matter, even if I was familiar with military history and medieval battles, the existence of magic and Classes would change everything. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Regina sighed to herself. She hadn¡¯t been able to provide them with as many explosives as she would have preferred, but they still had some. She just didn¡¯t want to rely on that tactic. Their opponents must have at least heard about it by now, so she had to assume that they had something that they thought could counter it. Probably. As the armies lined up and the one from the south crested another hill and spread out to face them, Regina diverted her attention to her scouts and the Winged Drones circling further out again. She couldn¡¯t see anything suspicious, at least from up there. Although the area had a few small woods, and the tree cover might hide something. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have enough Winged Drones to send them down and properly scout all of those. She needed to keep most of them with the army for the battle. This is probably something I should have done before, she reflected. But there are limits to what I could do given the situation. Regina returned her focus to the battlefield just in time to see the start of the battle, or what she assumed would be that. She¡¯d wondered if there was going to be some kind of parley, but apparently not. Now, she focused on the input she got from Tim¡¯s mind, settling in behind his eyes, while she also tried to maintain some secondary connection to other drones. She was getting a lot better at multitasking, at least when it came to the psychic link. She resolved to keep quiet and try not to distract them, though. Tim was buzzing with tension and anticipation. He stood close to the front of the Hive¡¯s forces, although in Regina¡¯s opinion, he was not really a front-line melee combatant. He was focusing on directing the packs of War Drones, who would hopefully be doing most of the actual fighting. Besides the Winged Drones, at least. The real battle started even before the fighters met. Sporadically, magic and what had to be the effects of Class Skills being used clashed in the middle of the battlefield and in the air above it. Long walls of earth rose on both sides, only to scatter back to dust soon after. Gouts of flame, gusts of wind and even rains of icicles shot towards enemy fighters. Regina felt a few Swarm Drones die, but she buried the feeling beneath her focus on the unfolding battle. Now, she felt Tim think at the other drones. Ben echoed the command, and other sapient drones did as well. Regina quietly nudged part of the flock of Winged Drones. The flying drones descended, like a wave of oversized birds. Some of them died to arrows, bolts or even magic from the enemy soldiers. A few lost what they were carrying, but most of those with cargo managed to drop them in a coordinated wave while they dove under the others providing them with cover for just a moment. The improvised bombs fell onto the enemy soldiers ¡­ and landed among them to cause mayhem. Some were deflected by glowing shields of magic or hurled away with the use of Skills or supernatural reflexes. A few even struck her own army. But most of them detonated where they had been launched, and through her drones¡¯ senses, Regina felt the earth shake. She heard the screams of people caught in the explosions and saw their lines falter. The allied army quickly took advantage of it. The War Drones surged forward in a wave, small packs targeting specific links in the enemy formation. A few Shooters and War Drones armed with projectile weapons positioned further back supported them. From above, she could also see that her human allies did likewise, their frontline combatants surging to meet and crush the enemy with other soldiers supporting them. Regina was a little displeased to realize that the humans were more effective and managed to ¡®roll up¡¯ the enemy lines first, but she quashed that feeling in favor of being pleased that everything went so well. She kept her focus on the battle, watching and trying to see if there were any knots of resistance or any indications that the southern army might still turn things around. It didn¡¯t seem like it, though. Their men died, sometimes loudly and usually messily, and her own fighters advanced.
You have leveled up
Regina ignored the level-up notification, focused on the battle. She had still lost dozens of Swarm Drones, and they kept dying in a continuous trickle, but she was happy to note that none of the sapient drones, who had hung back, seemed to be in true danger. Via and the other Attendants around healed the injuries they sustained, and Tim and the other warriors directed the Swarm. Well, that was a bit anticlimactic, she commented to Tim. I guess I have to agree, he responded. He swept his gaze over the battlefield. This was my first real field battle, but it did go pretty quickly. He sighed. I feel like we might have missed something. Regina quickly turned her attention to other drones and checked in with them. She felt the same relief and maybe faint concern or apprehension from them. Via and the other Attendants were still going through their ranks and healing whoever needed it, although she could tell that their mana was getting low. Janis was talking to Kiara and the other human nobles. Regina listened in for a short while, then decided to let her handle it. Instead, she turned her attention further north, or rather northwest, to the drones remaining near her. Everything was quiet at the village. She touched base with Max, who was waiting for news, leaning against the doorframe of her room. Then Regina looked through her scouts, the occasional War Drone and some Winged Drones in the sky. That was where she finally found it. The army she had last seen encamped in their neighbor¡¯s territory a few kilometers from the border had moved. It was still moving, in fact, just short of the border, which it would cross very soon. The seemingly long-term camp was broken down and deserted. Regina immediately sent more Winged Drones to observe them, biting down on a curse. Maybe I was too preoccupied watching the other armies and the coming battle. I really need to figure out a system for Swarm Drones to get my attention. Although they had to have started this just recently. She shook her head and quickly filled Max in, before she returned her attention to the southern army. She connected to Tim and the other drones to relay what she¡¯d found, then focused on Janis. The mage waited until Tim had made his way through the hive¡¯s forces to join her before she informed the human leaders of what had happened. Unsurprisingly, they were not happy about the news. ¡°This is quite the fiasco,¡± John Cern blustered. ¡°I thought you people had the other borders under observation!¡± ¡°We did, which is why we noticed what is happening,¡± Tim answered with a small flash of irritation. ¡°They pulled us out of position,¡± Kiara noted more calmly. ¡°Even if we marched north as quickly as we could, we might not be in time to defend Neralt Village or Fort Forest¡¯s Watch.¡± Regina agreed, at least in principle, although she wasn¡¯t quite as worried. She shared her sentiments with Tim and Janis. ¡°We realize that,¡± Janis said. ¡°However, a not insubstantial part of the Hive¡¯s strength is still there, and we are confident in our capabilities.¡± ¡°What I¡¯d like to know,¡± Sir Richard spoke up, ¡°is how they managed to get Lord Relains to agree to any such plan. Even if an enemy army to the north manages to catch us out of position and raid our territory, that does nothing to help the army he has just lost.¡± The assembled humans shared a look. Privately, Regina thought that was a good question, although it might not matter too much right now. ¡°Maybe they didn¡¯t keep him informed and only shared incomplete information, making him believe he had a much better chance,¡± Kiara said. ¡°Maybe Earl Whitor didn¡¯t have any plan, but simply decided to take an opportunity he saw. The result is much the same.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Tim spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t want to just abandon the progress we have gained here. This march¡¯s defense is gutted, we have to have just defeated most of its military strength.¡± ¡°The boy has a point,¡± John Cern said. ¡°It would be a shame not to follow up on this victory.¡± ¡°Maybe we can afford to split our forces,¡± Janis suggested. Regina mentally took a step back and watched as the discussion continued. But she kept feeling her attention drawn to the threat from the opposite direction, and she sent out another small flock of Winged Drones to scout their surroundings in all directions more thoroughly. Chapter 92: Preparing for Battle Unfortunately, the hive only had two flying mounts so far. Regina had actually told Ada to keep riding other Winged Drones in the hope that they would get the same Evolution. Only ones at higher levels who were both close to Evolving and strong enough to carry a rider, of course. She was also having other scouts trying the same thing. In the meantime, their ability to get sapient hive members in the air was still limited. Regina wasn¡¯t going to take the risk of flying to any place far out herself, especially not alone. The new Drone Witch Template might also come with wings, like the Drone Attendants, but they couldn¡¯t be sure yet, and it would probably take some time for them to be able to use them, too. All of this meant that the only way for any significant number of drones to get back to the village in time was walking. Well, except the Winged Drones, of course. Regina recalled two-thirds of the flying drones with the southern army, but she left most of the War Drones and even the sapient drones down there. After deliberations that took far too long, the various leaders had agreed to send a number of fast, high-level squads as reinforcements, while the bulk of the army continued on to secure the southern march. Regina had dithered for a while on which drones to leave with them and which ones to recall. In the end, she decided to keep Tim with the humans, since he was already doing a good job at dealing with them, and she trusted him to handle any issues that might come up. She recalled Ben, most of the Shooters and about half of the Warriors, though. She told Ben to take one of the Winged Drone Mounts, while the others would be following with the help of other Winged Drones. She had more than enough control over the War Drones to have them march back even without a sapient drone to supervise. The army kept moving south, with Ada in charge of scouting for any remains of the enemy army or any other hostile forces for now. In the meantime, Regina turned her attention closer to home, to fortifying the castle and the village. She was a bit surprised when she told Baron Neralt what was going on, and he immediately suggested they evacuate the village and take shelter in the castle. ¡°That¡¯s what it is for, Milady,¡± he explained. ¡°Well, besides guarding against any potential incursions from the forest, naturally. The fort is much easier to defend than the village. Even with your new explosives, it will be a much smaller perimeter to cover. It is also a good chokepoint to limit their superior numbers, and the surrounding river might help to defend us against other dangers, as well.¡± ¡°I understand that, Lord Elric,¡± Regina answered, frowning. ¡°I¡¯m just not comfortable with the thought of abandoning the village. Even if we can move all the people out, what¡¯s to stop them from burning down the houses? Or torching the fields?¡± ¡°They could try that anyway, even if we make our stand here,¡± Max pointed out. He was standing half a step behind her, facing the baron and turned so he could keep the two knights with him in view. ¡°Although I suppose that it would be harder that way, and easier for us to protect them.¡± ¡°You make a good point,¡± the baron conceded. ¡°It would be quite the blow to lose the houses, and the year¡¯s harvest. But I feel confident that the marquis would send us support.¡± He¡¯d better, Regina thought. My drones can live off grass and everything in the forest, but the human villagers can¡¯t. Wasn¡¯t there some old saying, something about food being the first casualty of warfare? ¡°If it was a much bigger army or a stronger threat, I would certainly agree with you, Baron,¡± Regina said. ¡°As it is, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s worth it.¡± He frowned. ¡°I think the risk of people dying is more than enough to advise caution.¡± Regina sighed and considered for a second. Then she shrugged. ¡°I certainly agree with you about evacuating the village and taking all the villagers to safety inside the castle, Lord Elric. I don¡¯t know if abandoning it completely in terms of our own fighters is a good idea, though. For one thing, it is much better terrain for my hive to fight, too. Swarm Drones work in groups, as the name says. Relying on chokepoints isn¡¯t a natural tactic for us. It might also be better to have some more space to drop bombs.¡± Neralt frowned again, but he looked thoughtful. ¡°Perhaps we should discuss this in detail when Ben arrives?¡± Max suggested. ¡°He¡¯s the one who¡¯s going to actually command our War Drones, and he has the Skill for it.¡± Regina nodded. As a Drone Commander, Ben had gained a Skill that would be useful in leading other drones into battle. It was simply called Commanding Drones, and gave a buff to both other drones in his vicinity and drones under his command (though how the System determined which ones that applied to, she didn¡¯t know). Unfortunately, it had the quirk of only working in a real combat situation, not training. She supposed it would have been a bit overpowered otherwise. Their impromptu meeting broke up, and Regina checked on Ben and the others¡¯ progress. They were well on their way. She also focused on the scouts, mostly Winged Drones, that she had sent in the direction of the new incoming threat. The hostile army was still marching towards them, apparently staying together instead of detaching many squads. At least, she hoped she wasn¡¯t missing any hidden fighters. This army still seemed smaller, but it was moving at a quick pace, and she suspected that its average level was higher than she¡¯d previously thought. If other lords or factions had sent a few fighters to support it, that could easily be the case. She didn¡¯t know if it had been deliberately made to appear less threatening for anyone scouting from afar, but it was possible. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Once again, Regina cursed the fact that you apparently needed to be within a particular distance of someone else to see their System pop-up. She now had a high enough level that she would probably be able to see many of their soldiers¡¯ levels, although the elites and leaders would probably still be out of her range. But she supposed that was okay, she¡¯d see their Classes when the actual fight was about to start. In the meantime, Regina checked in on their other army further south regularly. They made their way towards the neighboring march¡¯s border, moving more slowly now, but still at a decent pace. They¡¯d reach the first of the local villages quickly, and the first town soon after that. That would only raise more issues to deal with, of course. She still wasn¡¯t sure what they would do about occupying those settlements. While they had a preliminary agreement, she was a bit concerned about how things would turn out. Though, to be fair, that was partly her own fault. Regina felt like she didn¡¯t want to just beat her enemy and then simply retreat. I¡¯ve won this territory, dammit, I don¡¯t want to just give it up! She sighed and kneaded her temples. Which might not be a good reaction. But, realistically, it would probably be a bad idea to give up on further territorial gains and be content with the small one I currently have, especially considering this civil war and the long-term situation. I might not need it to feed my hive, but it won¡¯t hurt, and more land would be a source of resources. She shook her head. Assuming I can come to some kind of beneficial terms with the people living there, anyway. A small part of her, presumably from her Hive Queen side, pointed out that she didn¡¯t need to give any consideration to the local humans and that they could even make good ¡®supplies¡¯ in a pinch. But she ruthlessly quashed that voice. Even disregarding all ethical considerations, something like that would just be stupid in the long term. She¡¯d decided to work with the people of the current age, at least to some extent. Well, some people, at least. Regina smiled to herself slightly. That meant that she should build a good reputation, not one as a monster or tyrant. Well, maybe to a smaller degree, but she still needed to offer big carrots to go along with potential sticks. And it wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t have good options for that. Regina caught a nap for a few hours, since she suspected that she¡¯d have to stay up for a while. Then she looked in on her flying drones before checking in with Tim and Janis and making sure that they had things handled. The human army had already sent some fast outriders ahead, which she was watching over with some Winged Drones, and they¡¯d reached several border villages. Those didn¡¯t seem to be too well defended. Clearly, the local lord had mustered most of his soldiers for the army he had just lost. Otherwise, they reminded her a lot of the villages she¡¯d seen traveling the local barony, though none of them were as big as Forest¡¯s Haunt. They were all built of mostly wooden homes and surrounded by fields, preparations for the harvest clearly well underway. Make sure that all civilians are treated well, Regina told Tim and Janis. I may not have much personal experience here, but I do know a little about how medieval armies behaved in history. I don¡¯t want any war crimes to occur. Or anything that unnecessarily sets them against us. If any human soldiers did turn to looting, or god forbid, rape someone, there wasn¡¯t much she could directly do, but hopefully making their stance clear to their allies would help. Of course, Janis agreed. Regina could sense the flash of curiosity she felt. Someday, I¡¯d like to talk about the history you remember in more depth. Sure. You might help me get rid of some mistaken notions, too. They would also finally catch up to the group of gnomes Ada had spotted before. While the Delvers had fought with the southern army and died or been captured along with the other soldiers, the gnomes hadn¡¯t been there. Apparently, they¡¯d stayed behind the army, probably avoiding the battle. And Regina had been too distracted by what was happening during the battle and after to pay much attention to anything south of the battlefield. We¡¯re going to soon be out of your range, aren¡¯t we? Tim asked, sounding concerned. Regina started. She hadn¡¯t quite turned away from him and the others she had contacted, but she had withdrawn to ponder her own thoughts for a moment, basically putting them on standby. It was a good sign that he¡¯d managed to send her a message anyway. Hopefully, that meant they could figure out unprompted communication with a bit of time and effort. That¡¯s true, she said after shaking off her surprise. I¡¯ll be relying on you to act on your own, without my direct guidance. Not that I have been giving you much of it, to be fair. She could feel his unease. She understood that no drone liked going outside of her radius, even if Tim had done it before. Regina even sympathized; she didn¡¯t like having her drones outside of her range, either. But the situation demanded it, and she couldn¡¯t very well keep them close to her at all times, especially not now. Don¡¯t worry, Regina. Janis seemed confident. We¡¯ll manage things. She smiled, although they couldn¡¯t see it. Of course. Good luck, everyone. Then Regina straightened up and made herself go about her business. She was tempted to keep checking in on the group and obsessively monitor how they moved further and further away and her connection started being stretched thin, but she wasn¡¯t going to do that to herself. Besides, she had more important things to worry about. Regina checked on her most recently hatched drones, then secluded herself in a house and started using her Basic Conjuration in bulk. Luckily, her mana regeneration wasn¡¯t that bad, currently ¡ª slightly above what she had before her latest Ability and level, probably. She still had to manage it carefully. So, she only created some alcohol and made some of her shoddy, improvised dynamite. She¡¯d experimented with it quite a bit over the last few weeks, but she was still far from happy with it. At least she was satisfied that the explosive she made wouldn¡¯t detonate in her drones¡¯ hands, at least not easily. She¡¯d already made some reusable coverings with simple seams they could fit inside of. Packed in a few blankets and, for good measure, buried in the dirt, they wouldn¡¯t pose much of a danger of hurting anyone and could be stored or even moved carefully for a longer trip. Even if a grenade that detonated prematurely wouldn¡¯t be much use in the best case. After carefully materializing and tinkering with dangerous substances, Regina stretched her arms and worked the kinks out of her neck. She decided to take a walk around the perimeter of the village and check on the defensive measures they were taking. The hive still had enough War Drones here that digging ditches went quickly and easily. Regina had chosen not to try to build a moat, even if it would be a nice exercise for her new Water Manipulation Spell, but there were still a lot of things they could do. She also had to admit that she was looking forward to testing out her own skills and new complement of Spells against real attackers, especially Water Manipulation. Plus, this time, she presumably wouldn¡¯t have to worry too much about using Fireball. Chapter 93: Defenses and Countermeasures Regina was pretty sure by now that armies were moving faster here than they would have in the actual Middle Ages that she had learned about in a time she couldn¡¯t remember. It was probably because most, if not all, soldiers had high Strength and Endurance stats, making them more physically capable than normal humans without the System would be. Perhaps there were also a few buffs in play, using Skills or even magic. Whatever the reason, the army drawing closer to the core of her new territory crossed tens of kilometers in a matter of several hours. They would be here before sunset, or at least before night fell completely. Regina told herself she didn¡¯t mind. She was expecting them. Still, a bit more time to prepare wouldn¡¯t have gone amiss. She paced up and down a few steps, then made herself stop and turned to face Max. ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± he asked, fingered the hilt of the ax in his belt. ¡°Well, with Tim gone, you¡¯re leading the defense, at least our part of it,¡± she explained with a teasing smile. ¡°It would be perfectly acceptable to feel nervous.¡± He snorted, but she knew him well enough to tell he probably was feeling a bit nervous. Or a bit worried, at least. ¡°I thought Ben would be doing that. His Skills are definitely more suited to it than my own.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I guess so.¡± Fortunately, Ben and the other sapient drones she had recalled had arrived in time, even with some time to spare. She supposed he and Max could, and would, both command other drones. They fell silent and Regina waited quietly for a minute until Bianorn joined them. The elvish officer¡¯s steps were light, but still audible to Hivekind hearing. ¡°We are ready for the battle to begin,¡± he said. ¡°Is everything prepared?¡± Regina turned to him and nodded. ¡°It is.¡± Anuis would be staying at the castle and commanding its defense. Being primarily an archer, in terms of direct combat, that was probably a more suitable spot for her. Bianorn was filling in for her here. Regina quickly checked on Zoe, who was keeping close to Anuis, currently standing beside her on the castle¡¯s battlements. They would be able to stay in contact easily. The main entrance to the village offered a good view of the fields outside. To the sides, the settlement was capped by a newly constructed, rough palisade, placed on a mound of earth with a ditch in front of it. Everyone had pitched in to make it, although it was barely more than some rough field fortifications. A few archers waited on the houses beyond, and they had placed big barrels filled with water at various spots. Those were mostly backup precautions, though. ¡°I was just talking with our gnomish visitors,¡± Bianorn said. Regina sighed slightly. With everything that was happening, she hadn¡¯t had as much time for the gnomes as she¡¯d wanted. And she had to admit that she was a bit miffed that they had categorically refused to join the defense of the settlement or castle, claiming that they were simple traders and not fighters. Although they did have a point, of course. They didn¡¯t come here to fight in a war between foreign people. ¡°They were quite polite and helpful,¡± the elf continued. ¡°They offered to help with healing and even a few supplies, in case we needed it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great to hear. I assume they¡¯re sitting tight in the fort?¡± He nodded. ¡°Indeed. The castle has finished all of its defensive preparations, as well.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Regina turned to look out into the distance again. ¡°I think our guests are arriving now.¡± Max frowned, but didn¡¯t speak up. She mostly saw them through her Winged Drones, as she switched between some of them in the air. Many of her drones still lurked on the ground, on rooftops, the palisade and even on trees, preparing to take flight later. Their endurance was still something she had to work on. Regina looked up and nudged another drone to land on the balustrade a few meters away from her. Another followed it. She smiled as she looked at them.
Winged Drone Elite ¡ª Level 20
Winged Drone Carrier ¡ª Level 20
Those were some nice Evolutions. Just one of each wouldn¡¯t help much, of course, but they showed what was possible. The Carrier especially, which could work as a courier and as an organic bomber. Regina was still hoping for some long-range, scouting focused Classes or, ideally, stealth, but she was confident those could come in time, as well. And if nothing else, the Elite would do okay in that role, too. She turned her attention to the approaching army. It was starting to advance on the village now, its soldiers spreading out more. That allowed her to get a better look at its formation and the fighters and units the enemy would bring to bear. She wasn¡¯t surprised to see that most of them were what you might classify as ¡®heavy infantry¡¯, although there was some cavalry, as well, and a few people she found harder to place, probably specialists. There also had to be mages among them. She¡¯d seen all of those groups previously, but she was a bit surprised to realize that the mages seemed to cluster with the leadership of the army towards the middle. Well, it made sense to keep them away from the front line. And clearly, whoever was in command over there wasn¡¯t the ¡®lead from the front¡¯ type. Bianorn raised a carved bone whistle to his lips and blew into it. The sharp, high tone echoed across the village and fields while Regina grimaced and covered her ears a little too late. She grumpily noted that Max had been quicker and was now giving her one of his looks. Then she shook off the distraction and focused on the situation again. The whistle should have been enough to inform everyone, but she still darted into the minds of several drones, relaying what she was seeing and telling them to prepare. Then she nudged the Winged Drones and watched as more of them took to the air. The flock spread out, scattering instead of clumping together as one large cloud of fliers. She had small groups of them approach the incoming army from various directions, making sure the coast was clear and inviting the attackers to take shots to test their anti-air defenses. Deliberately putting her drones out there as bait didn¡¯t quite sit well with her - for once, probably not because of any Hive Queen instincts but her own sentimentality - but the hive had enough now that it was a reasonable strategy. Still, the humans didn¡¯t take the bait. They advanced further, and while she saw a few soldiers looking up as a Winged Drone flew directly above them, they maintained their discipline and no one tried to even shoot an arrow at them. Not that she thought they would have good odds of success like this. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Interesting,¡± Bianorn murmured. He had pulled a spyglass out of a pocket and was watching the incoming army. After a moment, Regina realized that it must have been part of the help from the gnomes he had told her about. ¡°Could you lend me that for a minute?¡± she asked. He nodded and handed it to her. Regina scrutinized it for a moment and then looked through it, letting her gaze sweep across the enemy soldiers. ¡°Well, at least we know they don¡¯t have any illusions covering them that make them look different from the front or above at various directions,¡± she murmured. She handed the spyglass back to him and instead focused on her Winged Drones again. She could probably get a better look through their eyes. ¡°I think you can use that more than me.¡± Then Regina glanced at Max and decided to try and share what she was seeing from a Winged Drone circling near the army. She could tell he saw something, but it was far from perfect. He winced and grimaced, but straightened up after a moment and nodded at her. This is interesting, he sent. It would be better if you could hold it for more than a few seconds, though. Something to work on later, she responded. Then she withdrew from his mind to focus on the larger picture again. ¡°I¡¯d like to send Winged Drones in now,¡± she said. ¡°Unless I shouldn¡¯t?¡± She glanced at Bianorn, who shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d advise you to be careful, but I would like to see how well they can deal with being bombarded from above.¡± Regina nodded and gave the mental command to attack. A group of sixty Winged Drones, which she had previously arranged, made their way towards the army. They split in two and approached it from two directions, at a roughly ninety-degree angle from each other. Regina held her breath, but things seemed to start off well. The Winged Drones made their way towards the army until they were almost directly above it. Then, suddenly, the enemy soldiers started counterattacking. Regina drew in a sharp breath as she watched a lance of fire arc upwards from the middle of the army. It hit a drone she was currently using as a viewpoint, instantly killing it. Regina focused on the others. There were several attacks shooting up simultaneously. A few more fire lances, what almost looked like a laser beam, and a cluster of what had to be enhanced arrows and crossbow bolts, which flew far quicker and higher than normal. They decimated her flock. One of the magic attacks even hit a small box a Winged Drone was carrying and made it explode. Regina grimaced as she felt the Winged Drones being shaken by the turbulence, but none of them was close enough to the epicenter of the explosion to get killed. She¡¯d taken the possibility into account when designing their formation. A few more explosives dropped as well. Half of them detonated just above their intended impact point on the ground, while the rest exploded upon impact. Of course, a few of those intercepted above the ground just sent streaks of flame everywhere, burning liquid, doing almost as much damage as the others. Regina found herself smirking as she watched the chaos in the enemy army. It was tightly localized, since she hadn¡¯t sent that many bombers. The army¡¯s advance faltered, but after only a minute, they had sorted themselves out again and continued. They were pretty close now, close enough that she could see their front ranks clearly from her own position without using binoculars. They were speeding up. ¡°We are not going to be able to stop them just with attacks from above,¡± Bianorn commented softly. ¡°Even if you had enough explosive devices for that, they are bound to come up with countermeasures.¡± Regina pulled a face, but nodded. That was why they evacuated the civilians to the castle, hopefully sending them to safety. The army advanced, while Regina sent further sorties of Winged Drones to harry them. She could tell that Bianorn was right and they were adapting even in the few minutes they had. Their defensive strikes killed more and more of her drones, until she decided to withdraw them until they could come in en masse to support the rest of the defenses. Then the enemy army stopped, still hundreds of meters away from the village. Regina stared at them, feeling a prickling down her neck. Were a few of them moving? ¡°Take cover!¡± she shouted, sending the thought through her psychic link at the same time. She turned and started to run, but she still kept part of her attention on her Swarm Drones. Through them, she saw a few people who¡¯d been stepping out from the enemy army gesturing. Then things happened very quickly. The earth rumbled and shook as deafening explosions came from all around, and the corner of her vision lit up with bright flashes. A chain of fire exploded out around the edge of the village as the defenses she had prepared blew up. At the same time, Regina staggered and felt something slam into her. She swallowed dust and coughed. It took her a moment to realize Max had pushed her down, covering her body with his. Pieces of wood and even metal stuck up all around them. ¡°Didn¡¯t trust your shield?¡± she rasped, pushing at him to get up. ¡°It¡¯s safer this way,¡± Max replied calmly. She felt him turn his head, then he stood up and helped pull her to her feet. She saw a piece of wood stick out of his back. He reached back and and pulled it out, grimacing slightly. There was no blood on it, and she realized it had been stopped by his armor. Regina blinked in an attempt to clear her view and looked around. The new palisade and ditch were completely busted, and the outer village buildings had clearly taken some damage, as well. ¡°What was that?¡± she asked. A moment later, Bianorn stumbled out of a cloud of dust. He appeared uninjured, luckily. ¡°Some sort of distance-based attack, probably based on fire magic. They must have used specialized Skills or maybe high-tier earth magic to map out the defensive measures you prepared. It seems like they got everything to ignite, I am not entirely sure how, and they are clearly preparing for an assault.¡± She looked past him and reached for her Winged Drones¡¯ minds again. Sure enough, the enemy soldiers were now advancing on the village, moving quickly. Regina glanced around again. She could tell that a few of her drones were injured, though, luckily, they didn¡¯t seem to have lost any sapient ones to the attack. A few War Drones and Winged Drones had been killed, though. And the hive¡¯s forces were mostly out of position. ¡°Let¡¯s retreat to the castle,¡± she said, wiping at her face. ¡°We can¡¯t risk trying to hold the village now. If we do, casualties would be much higher. I was hoping to avoid it, but ¡­¡± ¡°A good decision,¡± Bianorn replied. He blew into his whistle again, three high, sharp notes. At the same time, Regina focused on her link and quickly sent the command to withdraw to everyone she could reach in such a short time. Not every drone made it. Regina decided not to take to the air, but instead ran on foot, guarded by Max and accompanied by Ira, the new Attendants and a steadily growing group of drones. More groups and single drones made their way to the castle on their own. She could see and hear some Swarm Drones die by arrows or magic. She even sensed one jump in front of the sapient drone with their group, Len, to take a spear of ice meant for him, following her instructions to protect them with their lives. Then they finally reached the castle. A few elves stood outside, guarding the bridge, behind an earthen wall they had just raised with some magic or Skill. Regina hurried across it and through the open door. It started closing even before the last drone was through it. She leaned against the wall for a moment and took a deep breath, listening to the sounds of a ballista being fired above her. Then she extended her wings and jumped, flying upwards to the battlements. She landed a few meters away from Anuis. ¡°Slight change in plans,¡± Regina said, giving her a slightly shaky grin. The elf nodded seriously. ¡°They will not find it easy to assault this fort.¡± Regina smiled more easily and turned to watch the enemy army. Most of them made their way through the village. She was interrupted by a familiar notification.
You have leveled up
¡°Huh,¡± Regina mumbled. She glanced at Max, who¡¯d just come to stand beside her. ¡°I reached level thirty-four.¡± He frowned. ¡°Did something happen?¡± She shrugged, then turned her focus to her psychic link and reached for her drones. After a moment, Regina nodded. ¡°Our army to the south has just passed the border. They¡¯re moving beyond my range.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that means we successfully defended our territory against one threat, at least,¡± Ira said, smirking. Regina laughed. ¡°Yeah.¡± She glanced at the incoming enemy. ¡°Soon to be two. At least, on the bright side, we get to test our defenses and abilities more thoroughly.¡± Chapter 94: Castle Defense, Take Two Regina leaned against the battlements, watching the enemy army slowly advancing on the castle. They seemed to be taking their time, which she didn¡¯t mind. It gave the defenders more time to prepare, and gave her time to regenerate some more mana. Of course, it was probably still smart of the intruders to go carefully and not rush in. They had to be making preparations of their own. ¡°This fort has never fallen to an enemy short of a monster horde,¡± Baron Neralt said. He stood a few meters away from her, watching the fields below the castle and the river flowing around it. Regina turned to him, her interest peaked. ¡°Another monster horde before the most recent one, too?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, that was the only one.¡± Regina nodded. She understood a bit better now why that one was apparently considered so sinister. She kept looking out at the fields, listening to her hive¡¯s psychic link in the back of her mind. She had been hoping to unlock a new Drone Template with this newest level. Especially a new type of Swarm Drones, since she¡¯d gotten the last one ten levels ago. But it hadn¡¯t happened. Maybe there would only be a new one at the next Tier, when she reached level 40. If the war continues like this, that won¡¯t even take long. Regina shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. It was long enough now that she needed to comb it properly. At the moment, there was dust and even a few tiny bits of debris stuck in it, which she combed out with her fingers. She had healed a few of her drones and allied soldiers, but not everyone. None of them had an injury that would be fatal, even if it went untreated for a few hours. And she needed to conserve every bit of mana she could. Regina glanced at her mana level.
Mana: 1847/6250
She sighed to herself. Her mana was regenerating at a decent rate, overall. She was pretty sure her mana regeneration was based on some percentage of her mana pool. Presumably, one that varied based on the eggs she had in development. Increasing just her mana pool¡¯s size, like when eggs hatched and she immediately added a new batch of the same size, sped up her mana regeneration slightly. Considering what she¡¯d heard from Janis, Regina figured that her mana pool would be at least ten times or so the size of a normal mage at her level if she had as many drones as her hive limit allowed. Even now, it was probably several times the size. ¡°Ira,¡± Regina turned to look at her remaining senior Attendant, ¡°if your mana is recovered, go and heal our fighters. Keep about a fifth of your mana pool in reserve.¡± Ira nodded. ¡°Yes, my Queen.¡± Then she turned and made for the stairs leading down. Vin, one of the other Attendants, stepped closer to her. Regina glanced at him for a moment and gave him a nod before turning back to watch the castle¡¯s surroundings. Feel free to wait, she thought. The more time passes, the better. They seemed prepared to oblige her, at least for now. A lot of torches burned, presumably making it easier for the humans to see in the growing darkness. Regina didn¡¯t have that problem, and she idly wished there were less fires. Still, it sufficed to give her a good view of the enemy. Looking through the eyes of a few Winged Drones she carefully sent closer to the attacking army gave her an even better look. Exhaling deeply, she turned her focus to her mana sense and reached out to her surroundings. She could feel the water rushing down in the river, just past the wall, which almost directly reached the island¡¯s edge here. In fact, the river was swollen with recent rains, perhaps even from some storm caught in the mountains further upstream, and it lapped directly at the stones of the castle¡¯s wall. Regina sent a trickle of magic into it and watched a ripple form in the river¡¯s surface, which was quickly swallowed up again. It would take a lot of mana to affect the river in a meaningful way. She stayed up there for what felt like hours, although she still hadn¡¯t gotten the hang of estimating the passing of time by the movement of the sun and stars, but she doubted it was really that long. Still, her mana climbed up a little more, and she heard the defenders on the wall shift. Some went down for a short break, getting a meal from civilians in the yard. Those huddled in the houses and even the underground parts of the fortifications, including the cellar where Regina and her first drones had stayed overnight once. It felt like ages ago, Regina mused as she glanced in that direction. Despite everything, she was very glad to be up here rather than down there right now. She also looked for the gnomes, but couldn¡¯t see them. She assumed they were sensibly staying inside. Most of the human villagers were doing the same, from what she could tell. Many of them looked worried, presumably concerned about both their homes and possibly friends or relatives among the fighters. Regina frowned, turning back to look out at the scene beyond the castle¡¯s walls. The village still stood, the intruders hadn¡¯t burned it down yet. I wonder if that is because they want to take it over, or for some other reason? Maybe even to keep the road open behind them? Finally, they started moving, and Regina tensed as she realized they were going to start the attack. The light of their torches flickered over the water of the river, which was dark except for a few points of light sprinkled across it, reflecting the starry sky up above. The moon was only a thin crescent half-covered by a cloud. At least the dark of the night hid Dark, who was circling above the water on silent wings. She¡¯d decided to leave Arcanis inside. The large Mana Beast was hunched on one of the battlements, scratching its fur and shifting with nervousness. A soft touch of Regina¡¯s mind calmed her, and the monster turned to look at the approaching army, snarling softly. Regina felt her entirely natural desire to chase away intruders into her territory, a surprisingly familiar sentiment. ¡°Here they come,¡± Neralt muttered. He glanced at Regina. ¡°May I call the volleys?¡± She looked at Anuis, who nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± Regina answered. ¡°Just make sure to coordinate with our elven allies. And, of course, wait for the proper time to engage.¡± He was a lot more experienced than her at this kind of thing, so this was probably best. She wondered what the enemy leaders were thinking. They could hardly march up to the castle walls, could they? The bridge was taken down, too, the gate closed and barred. And they didn¡¯t seem to have any fliers with them. Are they going to, what, evaporate the water with fire magic? This is a river, not a small, stagnant moat. She got her answer when the army paused a few meters away from the waterline, the front ranks splitting to allow several groups of people closer to the front. In the time they had waited, they had apparently constructed wooden scaffolds, which they now brought to the fore. Presumably, bridges or overpasses to cross the water, and probably ladders to scale the walls, unless they had something planned for the gate. ¡°Hm. Pretty simple,¡± Regina mused quietly. ¡°I guess they do outnumber us significantly.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Tactics like these usually assume heavy losses on the attacker¡¯s side,¡± Neralt quietly confirmed. ¡°But they are the only thing to do when assaulting a position like this.¡± He didn¡¯t say ¡®this is why I wanted to fight here from the start¡¯, but she heard it anyway. Still, their enemies were protecting what they brought. Anuis nocked an arrow and set it alight with a whispered word, then sent it shooting down at the attackers. Her aim was perfect, hitting one of the wooden beams dead center. Or rather, it would have, but the arrow stopped just ten centimeters or so above it, its fire winking out. Regina thought she saw a faint blue flash. Magical shields. Neralt examined it with narrowed eyes, then glanced up after a few seconds. ¡°Archers, make ready,¡± he commanded. He paused for a few seconds while they prepared, then continued. ¡°Loose a volley - now!¡± A curtain of arrows fell from the castle¡¯s defenders who stood on the walls and towers, falling upon the enemy siege apparatus. They sparked off their shielding, but Regina could now actually sense the mana in use. One arrow ¡ª fired by Anuis, she realized after a moment, flying with more force than the others ¡ª actually punched through, striking the junction of two wooden logs. Unfortunately, this one was not a fire arrow, and while it probably damaged the mechanism, it didn¡¯t accomplish much overall. ¡°We could probably wear out their shields this way,¡± the baron assessed. ¡°But it would take time, most likely enough for them to cross.¡± ¡°We could try using more force,¡± Regina said. She glanced around, nudged a few of her drones, then continued, ¡°I¡¯ll use a flock of Winged Drones.¡± Twenty of the flying drones rose into the air, most of them clutching a barrel or wooden casing filled with explosives. Regina drew a steadying breath, then fired off a Fireball to give them some cover and as a distraction. The magical attack slammed into the ground just before a group of gathered human soldiers, right at the edge of the river. Sparks and even splashes of water flew into the air, and for a moment, she could see a big section of the shield. The Winged Drones dove immediately, letting their cargo drop and turning back. Like Regina had suspected, they were dealing with not just one large shield, but several zones. Some of them actually collapsed under the weight of the attack, her mana senses registered it, like a soft pop. Some of the wooden scaffolds ripped apart, wood starting to burn with a glow that illuminated the scrambling soldiers around them. Unfortunately, the humans were spread out, using several approaches. Some of them fell to the flames, but others remained protected, working feverishly to complete the crossing. They had to be using magic or specialized Abilities, bringing the simple wooden bridges down with one end across the river. Already, soldiers were starting to cross them. Regina tried another bombing run, this time using a few more Winged Drones. A few of the rough footbridges broke, sending soldiers trying to cross them into the raging waters. But others endured, the waters suddenly smoothing around them, wood emerging unscathed or even straightening again. ¡°Throw down caskets!¡± Ben called. Regina glanced at him, then watched as the containers, filled with alcohol and most of them set on fire, rained down onto the bridges and crossing soldiers. Some were turned away before they struck. Others hit and even managed to set them ablaze, but were quickly extinguished. Still, at least it slowed the enemies¡¯ advance. ¡°We should keep most of those in reserve to use against closer assailants,¡± Anuis commented. Regina nodded. She centered herself, making herself wait as she watched more men crossing the river and approaching the castle. Even if they managed to cross, there wasn¡¯t exactly much room below the walls. And their army was still spread out, only the vanguard managing to even partly make it onto the island. She swept her gaze across them, noting Classes and levels. Unsurprisingly, these all seemed to be pretty high leveled. Their Classes were about what she¡¯d expected based on her prior experience with human soldiers, although she noted a few that seemed to be magic-using Classes, including two Mages, a Water Mage and a Wood Mage. She hadn¡¯t known that was even a thing. A bolt whizzed past her, and she leaned back. The attackers were trying to cover their approach with arrows and other ranged weapons. Neralt had the defenders respond, not in orchestrated volleys this time, but freely, letting them pick off targets of opportunity. ¡°Can¡¯t you do something with the river?¡± he finally asked, turning to her. ¡°We are thinning their numbers, but too many of them are still waiting to cross soon.¡± Regina narrowed her eyes and nodded after a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± She exhaled, deliberately relaxing her tense muscles, and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she focused on the water rushing by below. She refused to be hurried and instead slowly sank her attention deeper into it. In the background of her mind, she caught Ben calling commands at the drones, but she paid it no mind. She had a lot of mana, compared to any ordinary mage, and she was going to need it. The volume of water in the river was high, and trying to move or stop it felt like trying to fly with her wings half-furled. But she didn¡¯t have to stem it entirely. Instead, Regina just focused on holding it back, on grabbing some water and pulling, building pressure in the river. Finally, she carefully extracted her attention from the river and turned to her surroundings, still holding the mana working. It felt like pressure was building behind her eyes, and she knew she couldn¡¯t hold it for much longer, especially with the way her mana was draining. Far more soldiers were already across the river, and Regina almost blinked. They were trying to get ladders secured against the walls. More soldiers were crowding the bridges, and the pressure from the defenders must have lessened, maybe focusing on the fighters closer to the walls. She snarled and hissed softly, too focused on what was in front of her to notice if anyone reacted. She mentally pulled on her mana and the water in her grip, then all at once slackened her grip and gave it a mental shove. At once, a cry rose from the enemy soldiers. Regina squinted and watched. The river¡¯s water level had dropped precariously, but now the wave building just in front of the of the island¡¯s beginning swelled to refill it explosively. Regina focused once more and twisted mentally, guiding it into the branch with most of the army. A moment later, it reached the improvised bridges and covered them and the soldiers using them. Regina saw one of the scaffolds torn in half by the raging water. Others fared little better. ¡°Now!¡± Max called. ¡°Drop the next wave of bombs.¡± She blinked and focused on the Winged Drones, telling them to do as he said. Then Regina staggered against the balustrade, watching. The rest of the defenders took advantage, as well. A new wave of tar and burning liquid, along with improvised incendiary grenades, hit the soldiers who still had sure footing. Regina took a moment to breath, noting that she only had a few hundred points of mana left. She leaned forward to try and get a better view of what was happening. She spotted an enemy soldier clinging to a protrusion of rock on the wall that had definitely not been there before. Regina hesitated, then decided she might as well. She focused on her newest Spell again, guiding her mana and sharpening her senses. It was a faint sensation, far more so than even the river further away, but it was enough. Regina grabbed onto it and compressed it with her mind, staring unblinkingly at the man. For a moment, she thought it didn¡¯t work. But she could feel that it did. The man toppled off the wall, falling to strike two soldiers hunkered down below, drops of blood spraying into the air from burst blood vessels. Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back. It took Regina a moment to realize that it was Max. ¡°You¡¯re exhausted,¡± he told her. ¡°You did a lot, just rest for a minute while we finish up.¡± Regina hesitated for a moment, then she nodded. She stepped a few meters away and sat on the edge of the battlements, where she was hopefully not in the way. After a few seconds, she tipped her head back and looked up into the sky. A larger group of Winged Drones was taking to the air. Right now, she was glad that they had rationed their explosives carefully. She closed her eyes and slipped into the mind of a drone, watching as they covered the remains of the human army that was still on the other side of the river, the drones dropping bombs and causing mayhem. This time, return fire was scattered and quickly petered out even when it wasn¡¯t doomed to miss. Regina smiled to herself, content to let her mana regenerate for a bit while the battle concluded. She would need a lot of it later for healing. Finally, after a wait that seemed to drag on, loaded with tension, even though she knew it wasn¡¯t really that long, she got another notification she¡¯d been hoping for.
You have leveled up
You may now select another Ability
Regina stretched and stood up. Janis was right, she reflected. War does make for the quickest leveling. Chapter 95: In the Southern March In Janis¡¯ opinion, traveling with the army was one of the most boring things she had ever done. It wasn¡¯t quite as bad as lying in wait when she had hunted in the forest, or even a few of the chores she used to do. But it still felt like time dragged on interminably. At least she had people to talk to. Tim was surprisingly good company, and she had gotten along very well with Tia even back in the village. The other drones were a bit harder to talk to, but still friendly. Still, none of them had many stories to tell that the others had not been there for as well, and the drones in general had not experienced very much. They did not even have any songs to share, although, on second thought, Janis might be thankful for that. Then there was Lady Kiara, of course. Janis had talked to her a few times, but it always left her feeling a little awkward. She just did not know what to say. Kiara did not seem angry at her for what might be perceived as a betrayal, but she clearly was not entirely happy with Janis leaving. Not that Janis would prefer for her former liege to be happy to get rid of her. So, although Janis was tempted to spend more time with her and talk of many things, for the most part, she kept her distance. They did not have far to travel. Janis was still getting the hang of the psychic link the Starlit Hive shared, but she was aware of the Hive¡¯s drones scouting further south, observing the settlements along the northern border of Relains March. The army reached the first village in the evening, the light of torches and a few lamps sparsely illuminating it. Janis knew her eyesight was better than the average human¡¯s, but she still wished she could see in the dark as well as her companions. ¡°We are definitely beyond our Queen¡¯s range now,¡± Tim murmured as they approached the village, him walking beside her horse. ¡°She hasn¡¯t contacted us in a while, and we¡¯ve all been attempting to reach her, but none of us succeeded.¡± Janis nodded. She hadn¡¯t tried it herself, but she saw no reason to question him. ¡°Don¡¯t fret. I¡¯m sure she is already sending those attacking the village fleeing in terror.¡± Watching the settlement grow closer, she recalled Regina¡¯s orders to stop any mistreatment of the locals and grimaced to herself. Janis and Tim had both emphatically advised the other commanders of her words, and she trusted that they had accepted them. But she was unsure how long and how strictly the humans would heed them. Too many of them still looked down on the Hivekind, believing themselves the far superior part of their forces. ¡°Where is the gnomish group your scouts had located earlier?¡± Lady Kiara asked. She had nudged her horse closer towards them and was now scanning the houses of the village with narrowed eyes. ¡°At the back. We already have several drones keeping a close eye on them,¡± Tim answered. The villagers were clearly aware of their coming. The few people with weapons, mostly older men who might have once been soldiers, had gathered in the village square, but they made no attempt to use them. Instead, the village headman, an elder with gray hair and a stooped back, bowed to Lord Cern and Lady Kiara and assured them his village would be honored to host their soldiers. He even offered them food, perhaps to prevent them from forcibly taking more of it. Tia remunerated him with a few small grains of gold. Janis hadn¡¯t known that Regina had given her gold to spend in the place of currency, but it made sense. The Hive Queen could easily Conjure it - pure metal was apparently relatively simple - and they could use some money to spend. They simply had to be careful not to show too much of it. Janis didn¡¯t want John Cern or any of the others to raise questions about it. She slipped away from his group at the first opportunity and went to see the gnomes instead. Their wagon was pushed against the wall of an outer house, standing in what had to be a dead end. Several of them were sitting on it, none looking particularly happy. A male and female pair, presumably the leaders of this group, talked to Tim. When Janis joined them, Kiara also approached from the main street. ¡°We are simply merchants,¡± the male leader insisted. He had a level too high for her to read and an overly poetic Class, like the other gnomes she had seen. Gilded Door, in his case. ¡°We received permission from the local authorities to be here, and we are simply pursuing our trade, looking for opportunities for buying and selling goods. We are not involved in this local war that is happening in this country.¡± ¡°And you just happened to ride along with the Marquis Relains¡¯ army?¡± Kiara asked, crossing her arms. The two exchanged a short glance, and the female piped up, ¡°Soldiers and lords are customers, as well. We were unlikely to be accosted by any bandit or ruffian following along, you see? Armies are often in need of supplies, even some more exotic ones, and besides, most of the leadership of this province were gathered here.¡± ¡°Which political faction do you belong to?¡± Tim asked, raising an eyebrow. They paused for a moment. ¡°The New Tunnels,¡± she answered, ¡°not that I see why it should matter to you.¡± ¡°And what are your wares?¡± ¡°We already sold most of them,¡± the male gnome replied. ¡°We have a few bolts of sea silk left, as well as some pottery and a few more common household stocks. We were hoping to pick up new cargo to continue our tour.¡± Janis leaned against the wall of the nearest house and listened. The conversation continued for a few minutes, but nothing of interest and no important information came up. Finally, Tim gave her a meaningful look and guided Kiara away from them. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± he asked. Lady Kiara frowned in thought. ¡°Lord John might simply confiscate their wagons and belongings and drive them out. But we have no grounds to accuse them of anything, and I think I also speak for your Hive Queen when I say that punishing them regardless would not sit well with me. I suggest we simply deny them permission to remain in this land and turn them south.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s the best we can do.¡± Tim sighed, glancing at Janis, who gave a nod. Kiara quickly talked to several more nobles and gained their support, so their plan went surprisingly smoothly. Janis suspected that they simply blindsided John Cern, and by the time he might have decided to object, it was already too late for him to keep face. In any case, the gnomes¡¯ wagon trundled off the same evening. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. They spent the night camped in a field outside, but most of the leadership and nobles received a quarter in the village. Janis was apparently counted among them, and she received a bed in one of the houses she suspected had been quickly cleared, together with several of the drones. Sleeping in a real bed, even if it was narrow, made for a much better night than the previous one. Although Janis couldn¡¯t help but shake her head at the drones, who pushed a few mattresses and blankets together on the ground and slept curled up together like they preferred. They set out at first light the next day, marching more quickly after a decent night¡¯s sleep. A few soldiers and drones stayed behind in the village, and after some debate, they detached another company to march on and take the next village, which was in roughly the opposite direction to the nearest real town. That was where the rest of the combined army headed. Janis found this day much like the previous one, and just as boring. She talked to Tim and the others, and then ambled her way to the humans to look for new conversation partners. Uncle Rich was mostly busy, but he did have an hour to spare for her. She enjoyed catching up with him, even if she had the impression that he was leaving some things out when telling her of his time fighting in the war. The one in the forest, that was - he hadn¡¯t had much opportunity to fight for his lord yet. She was riding back to the group of drones she¡¯d been talking to earlier, who¡¯d broken away from the main column a bit, when Janis realized another horse was coming toward her. She hesitated for a moment, then slowed down, glancing around. The terrain was uneven, hills covered in scraggly grasses and the occasional bushes and clumps of trees. It made it hard to see everything nearby, but also offered some privacy. ¡°Lady Kiara,¡± she greeted, dipping her head. ¡°It is nice to see you again.¡± Well, we have seen each other recently, that was a stupid thing to say. ¡°How can I help you?¡± Kiara smiled, although Janis knew her well enough by now to see the hint of uncertainty in her expression. ¡°Hello, Janis. I simply wanted to talk to you. I hope that¡¯s not a bother.¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Janis said hastily. She slowed down and let Lady Kiara catch up to her. They were riding a short distance apart from anyone else, close enough to keep them in view, but far enough that their conversation should be private. With a start, Janis realized that this was the first time they would be talking in private since their parting. ¡°I hope you are doing well,¡± Lady Kiara said. ¡°Not that I would malign this hive or your new mistress, but they are ¡­ different. I imagine it was an adjustment, if nothing else.¡± Janis smiled. ¡°That it was,¡± she agreed. ¡°They are indeed different from humans, but that does not make it a bad thing.¡± ¡°So, you are happy with them?¡± Janis tilted her head, taking a moment to consider the question with the seriousness it deserved. ¡°I am,¡± she said. ¡°Certainly happier than I was at the village, before.¡± Then she smiled slightly, glancing at her. ¡°But I was happier than that time when I was working for the march, for you, as well.¡± Kiara smiled at that. It was not one of the polite smiles Janis had seen her giving other nobles and commanders, and it made Janis want to return it. ¡°What about you, Milady?¡± Janis asked. ¡°How are you doing?¡± To Janis¡¯ faint surprise, that seemed to sober the young lady. A faint shadow flitted across her face, and she shook her head slightly. ¡°I cannot complain,¡± she said. ¡°The war has led to an upswing in my family¡¯s fortunes, and I am reaping some benefit of it. My father also allowed me to accompany this army, to see its battles.¡± ¡°But it is still war,¡± Janis said cautiously. She knew she was not very good at reading people, and at this moment, she wished she was better at it. But it helped that she was somewhat familiar with her conversation partner. ¡°Whatever the cause may be, it also means carnage, blood and death. It is naturally ¡­ distressing.¡° She shrugged slightly. ¡°Regina called War one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse once, and while I am not entirely sure what that means, I think I understand the sentiment.¡± Kiara raised an eyebrow. ¡°Did she? That sounds interesting.¡± She shook her head as if to clear it. ¡°Thank you for the kind words, Janis.¡± ¡°Of course, Milady,¡± Janis said lightly. ¡°I¡¯ll freely admit they were for myself as much as for you.¡± She chuckled at that, and Janis smiled again, relieved that they appeared to have managed to lift the tension. She still couldn¡¯t suppress a faint, lingering disquiet, though. One raised by what they had just been talking about. The recent battle was not the first time she had seen blood and death, although its extent had been shocking. The Hive¡¯s drones all seemed to cope with it quite well, and, of course, many of the human fighters were professional soldiers and veterans. Janis herself wasn¡¯t as bothered as she silently acknowledged to herself she should perhaps have been. After all, the dead were her countrymen, who simply had the misfortune of serving the wrong lord. But that is just the way it goes, I suppose. It appeared that neither of them was much in the mood for talking after that. They were saved from any potential awkwardness by the riders ahead of them slowing down. At the same time, Uncle Rich and a few other knights rode closer to the two of them. ¡°We will reach the town soon,¡± he explained when he noticed Janis¡¯ questioning look. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go find Tim and the others and see if there¡¯s any more preparations that need doing,¡± Janis said. She hesitated for a moment, then bowed to Kiara. ¡°Please excuse me, Milady. And thank you for the insightful conversation.¡± Lady Kiara smiled and nodded. Janis resisted the urge to look back as she nudged her horse into a canter and caught up to the group of hive drones riding further ahead. They talked about what they could expect for a minute, but it was hard to reach any conclusions, since they didn¡¯t have many concrete points to go off of. She also didn¡¯t think the drones were very worried about it. They would just have to see how the locals reacted, but based on their reception in the other village, she supposed they had little to worry about. Even if the townspeople were hostile, there would be little danger to them or the army. ¡°You¡¯re a little distracted,¡± Tim noted, dragging Janis from her thoughts. He gave her a look. ¡°Was it Kiara?¡± ¡°No,¡± she quickly replied. Then she hesitated for a moment and shrugged. ¡°Not really.¡± He grunted and didn¡¯t answer, apparently content to leave it at that. Janis glanced around, taking in the landscape. The other drones were scattering, going about various tasks. After a short silence, she found herself speaking up again. ¡°The battle, it was the first time I had ever killed someone.¡± She remembered it very well, a young man little older than her, who¡¯d looked quite different after catching a Firebolt. She paused, gathering her thoughts, and gave Tim a sideways glance. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Not my first time, no.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± They continued in silence for a moment, before Tim sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad about this. It¡¯s probably to your credit that you¡¯re thinking about this and feeling emotional.¡± Janis nodded and tried to figure out how to phrase what she wanted to ask. Before she could, Tim continued talking. ¡°It¡¯s not that it doesn¡¯t bother me.¡± He frowned and ran a hand over his head. ¡°I just trust my Queen to make the difficult decisions, to make sure that - well, all the bad stuff - is worth its price. And maybe she¡¯ll make mistakes sometimes, but that¡¯s only natural, and life isn¡¯t perfect.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Besides that, I have to admit that killing humans doesn¡¯t bother me much, at least on a visceral level. Maybe if I had to kill a foreign Hivekind drone, it would be different, who knows? Or maybe not.¡° ¡°Hmm.¡± Janis pondered that, then shook her head. ¡°Well, thank you for telling me this.¡± He nodded, and they continued on in silence. She felt like she still did not really understand the Hive, although she was probably getting closer. In any case, it was probably good to sort out her feelings, because this was unlikely to be her last battle. Chapter 96: After the Battle Once again, the aftermath of a battle seemed to take longer than the actual battle itself. After its conclusion, Regina rested, trying to recover her mana, and healed as many of her drones and allies as she could. Several of them had died. Not her sapient drones, thankfully, but a few humans. Meanwhile, the other drones and humans dealt with the remnant of the enemy army. They were particularly interested in the enemy leadership. ¡°Several of them fled, unfortunately,¡± Baron Neralt reported when Regina finally joined him on the field outside the village. He looked a bit harried, but also satisfied. She hadn¡¯t seen him smile this much in a while. ¡°Are we pursuing them?¡± she asked, looking from him to Ada. She and the other senior drones had come to escort her, except for Mia, who was coordinating the rest of the drones. ¡°Of course,¡± he replied with a nod toward Ada. ¡°However, the knights and nobles I am concerned about have high levels, and I doubt we will be able to catch them.¡± He still smiled. ¡°That is not going to matter as much as it might have, however, since we have the earl himself!¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. ¡°I thought Earl Whitor was in the third Tier,¡± she said uncertainly. They hadn¡¯t even been sure whether he was with the army. ¡°He is,¡± Neralt confirmed. ¡°But it seems he was taken out quite early in the attack. Apparently, he was caught in an explosion. He must have been wounded quite severely, in any case, he has still not regained consciousness.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look myself later. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m basically dry on mana right now.¡± ¡°Of course, Milady. In the meantime, I do think we have everything handled. Commander Anuis has been as efficient as always. I believe we haven¡¯t found anything else to be concerned about, right, Ada?¡± The scout shook her head. ¡°Like Neralt said, many of them are fleeing. We¡¯re catching some of them, but there¡¯s no way we¡¯re getting all of the common soldiers, never mind the leaders.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Regina said. ¡°I guess trying to overpower them with the Winged Drones wouldn¡¯t be a good idea.¡± They, unfortunately, had few of them left, after the battle. At least without counting those still with the others further south. ¡°You should rest and recover your strength, Regina,¡± Max advised. ¡°As soon as this is sorted out, there will be lots of things to do.¡± She shot him a look, but didn¡¯t argue. Even if she would prefer him not to put it like that in front of others, he wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let you get back to it. Update me on your progress, please.¡± Then something else occurred to her and she smiled. ¡°Actually, that might get easier soon.¡± They looked a bit confused, but no one asked what she meant. Instead, the meeting broke up. Regina walked to the edge of the village. Gazing out at the ruins of the defenses they had planned and built, she sighed. The sun had risen at some point. The battle must have taken longer than it felt like, or maybe they really had waited for hours before the assault. She¡¯d also lost track of time when she was trying to heal the injured in and around the castle, but it could easily have been several hours. In the morning¡¯s light, she got a good look at the village. Its houses were definitely worse for wear after the last few months they¡¯d had. Regina shook her head and sat on the remains of a section of the palisade, a post at a convenient height for sitting. Then she focused on the System and the notification she¡¯d been waiting to read.
You may now select your fifth Class Skill. Please choose one of the following:
Inner Hive Strength: Your central Hive is vital. Your current limit for sapient and inducted Hive members will be increased by half, and it will further increase at higher Tiers. Sapient drones will be born at a level corresponding to a fifth of the average of their type (rounded down).
Psychic Focus: Your path is one of the mind. Your psychic link of your Hive will be strengthened, it will be more resistant to potential harm and its range will increase. You will gain greater facility at sensing minds near you. At higher levels of mastery, the ability to project your mind and senses through the link will be increased.
Queen¡¯s Wings: Your mind and soul need a strong body. Your body will be strengthened. Flight will be easier and drain less mana. The functioning of all of your organs will be improved to various degrees. This will also improve your processing speed. At higher levels of mastery, your wings will be further improved and even able to fly without draining mana.
Regina frowned thoughtfully as she read through it. She had expected Psychic Focus and was relieved to see the option appearing again. The other two sounded interesting. Inner Hive Strength was like a counterpart to Swarm Strength, which she already had, but it seemed obviously weaker. It didn¡¯t offer any increases to stat points, and had a factor of a fifth instead of a third. She considered the option for a while, but finally decided she could go without it. Meeting the Hive limit was definitely not a problem for her currently, and at the rate she was leveling, it wouldn¡¯t be for quite some time, either. Besides, she was hopeful that a similar but better option might come along in time. It also didn¡¯t have a ¡®higher mastery¡¯ element like other choices usually had. Psychic Focus called to her. Her ability to communicate with and coordinate her drones was arguably one of her biggest strengths, and the potential for communication and information transfer inherent in the psychic link was huge. This choice had already appeared twice, and she didn¡¯t want to pass on it. The benefits it offered were too tempting. Besides, the mention of ¡®potential harm¡¯ concerned her. It could just be something intrinsic, like mental illness, though that would be bad enough. She hadn¡¯t yet encountered anything that could do psychic damage, magical or otherwise, but she wanted to be prepared to defend against it, if the possibility existed. The last option was also interesting, but went in a very different direction. Getting stronger would be nice, but Regina didn¡¯t feel like it was the best choice. Her real strength was in her hive and her magic, and this didn¡¯t seem to help either. Except for the increased processing thing, maybe. But in the end, she didn¡¯t think that gamble would be worth it, compared to the alternative. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. So, she took a deep breath and tapped the second option. Like usual, the screen dissolved in a shower of sparks, and Regina braced herself for a change to her psychic connection or even her mind. Once again, it was pretty subtle, but she could immediately tell that something was different. It felt like there was a new weight to the psychic link, the presence of it in her mind clearer. She could shut it off, perhaps more completely than before, but she could also bring it, and the drones¡¯ minds, into sharper focus. Tentatively, she reached out and focused on Max¡¯s mind. I think I understand now what you meant, he immediately told her, his mental voice as clear as it had ever been. I think all of us felt that. Interesting, Regina noted. They hadn¡¯t when she¡¯d gotten Enhanced Telepathy, so perhaps this Ability was more focused on the psychic link and the drones themselves instead of just her own abilities. Do you have an easier time contacting others? I¡¯ll test it and let you know what I find out. It had made Regina curious about what all might have changed, though. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to center herself, before she cast her mind out further. It took her a while to find her new range. She discovered a few Winged Drones she hadn¡¯t been able to reach previously but now could, and sent them flying further south and veering off at various angles to try and get a handle on her radius. She also found a few drones that had been left in a village at the northern part of the Relains March, apparently the first one the army had reached. There was another village some distance further away, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any drones there currently. Regina sent two Winged Drones in that direction. The main part of the army had already moved past her range, which told her it hadn¡¯t grown too significantly. As best as she could figure, her radius had been increased by about a fourth to a fifth. That was nice, but not groundbreaking. Still, if the growth scaled with her level, it would come in useful. Regina deliberated for a moment, then resolved to find pen and paper and write a message to Tim and the others. If nothing else, they deserved to know how things had gone here. She was also curious if they had felt the change in the link. If they had, she probably owed them an explanation. Once she had sent a high-level unevolved Winged Drone off with the letter, accompanied by two others as protection for good measure, Regina went to find the leader of the enemy army and the other prisoners they¡¯d taken. The others had quartered many of the wounded in several big, partly open tents outside the village proper, probably to have more room. She suspected the tents themselves were raided from the enemy army, too. Once Regina stepped inside, she realized they were surprisingly warm, even though it was night outside. Well, it was still warm enough at this time of the year that it never really got too cold even at night, anyway. Seeing the number of wounded brought home the scale of the battle. Most of them seemed to be from the enemy army. At least, she certainly hoped so. They had all kinds of gruesome injuries, and even knowing that high-level, advanced healing Skills or Spells could actually regrow limbs didn¡¯t help make the sight more palatable. At least they used alcohol to disinfect wounds and tools. The earl was easy to find. He, too, had lost a hand; his forearm turned into a ragged stump about halfway between the elbow and where the wrist should have been. Regina didn¡¯t need to look at it to know her Basic Heal couldn¡¯t cure that. He was also pale and she could tell just as easily that he¡¯d lost a lot of blood. There was a bandage across his head, indicating a head wound, though it had been cleaned and there was no blood. Otherwise, he seemed fine. He must have worn armor that had been stripped off him along with any padding, and he was currently shirtless. Maybe they¡¯d already healed some smaller injuries. He was still breathing, and breathing regularly, as well.
Alain Whitor ¡ª Level ? Gentleman Knight
Regina looked at the healer hovering nearby. Probably one from the earl¡¯s own army, given the way a few of Neralt¡¯s men were watching him, their weapons ready. She nodded at him, then took the unconscious man¡¯s hand and tried to send her mana into his body. She¡¯d been practicing that part, basically a diagnostic component of the Spell, and she quickly realized what she was seeing. Mana was already trying to repair his arm, and it would probably regrow in about a week or so at this rate. He¡¯d also suffered slight brain damage, nothing too bad, and his body was already hard at work on that. She suspected that he had a relatively high Con stat, considering how well it seemed to deal with the recent blood loss and everything. Not that the situation couldn¡¯t be improved. She sent some of her own mana into him, carefully providing a little stimulation, draining the bit of excess liquid, and shoring up the rest. This was the sort of work that required subtlety rather than raw power. ¡°I¡¯m going to wake him up now,¡± she said, still focused on her patient. Without waiting for a response, she poured a bit more mana into him. The man coughed and jerked as he awoke. His healer - an actual level 30 Healer, Regina noted - was there immediately, giving him some water to drink, and giving Regina a scathing look, though he didn¡¯t utter any complaints. She stepped back and examined the rest of the wounded, giving the earl a minute to gather himself. She could spare the time, after all. A short time later, Neralt rushed into the tent. He slowed down as he entered and made his way to join her. ¡°Neralt,¡± a still raspy voice pulled her attention back to Earl Whitor. ¡°So, you are the ones who captured me.¡± When she turned back, she found his attention was fixed on her. He looked remarkably clear-eyed. ¡°Earl Whitor, I presume,¡± Regina said pleasantly, ignoring the fact that she saw his name in a System notification. ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly who captured you, though I and my people were definitely the ones who defeated you, with help from some allies.¡± He seemed to want to scoff, or maybe laugh, but ended up coughing instead. ¡°I see,¡± he finally said after a moment. ¡°Hive Queen Regina. You¡¯re ¡­ smaller than I expected.¡± Regina chuckled. ¡°You know, that¡¯s actually the first time someone said that. I expect it won¡¯t be the last.¡± He smiled weakly. ¡°I assume this means I won¡¯t be turned into a meal for monsters, then?¡± ¡°Certainly not,¡± Neralt said. Regina smiled again. She was pretty sure the question hadn¡¯t been entirely serious, and didn¡¯t let it bother her. ¡°Of course not, Earl. I¡¯m not sure what you might have heard, but we¡¯re civilized around here.¡± She paused for a beat. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re much more useful to us alive.¡± ¡°So I would think,¡± he said drily, or at least as drily as he could in his current condition. He is taking all of this rather well. ¡°Where did you hear about us, pray tell?¡± she asked. He hesitated for a moment and glanced at the Healer. For the first time, he looked like a man who¡¯d just lost a hand, a major battle and his freedom. ¡°I am a loyal subject of the king,¡± he finally said. Regina nodded slowly. That wasn¡¯t much of an answer to her question, but at the same time, it was an answer. ¡°I suppose the king must be quite concerned about Lyns¡¯ little rebellion,¡± she commented, still keeping her tone light. ¡°How rude of him to pull us into it. Oh well. I assure you, you will be well treated here. Trust the baron¡¯s honor if you don¡¯t trust mine.¡± ¡°We¡¯re acquainted,¡± Neralt put in, looking at the Earl with an assessing gaze. ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll leave you to rest, for now. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll talk again regularly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± her prisoner answered with a small smile that only seemed a little strained. That one was definitely more dangerous than her southern neighbor, Regina reflected, regardless of their respective titles. I suppose fortune might have indeed favored me this time. She smiled slightly. The political situation might be getting more interesting. Chapter 97: Background Politics Despite the victory they had just won, Regina and her allies had to make some difficult choices. She supposed it would be worse if they¡¯d lost, although that might have also narrowed their options. At the core of it was the same problem she assumed commanders had been facing since the Stone Age: they had too few fighters and too many objectives. ¡°We can¡¯t just let the earldom lick its wounds and recover unthreatened,¡± Bianorn opined. He was leaning against the wooden conference table, looking at a map and frowning. Regina glanced at the others. They were gathered in the room in the baron¡¯s manor, standing a bit uncomfortably close together, but she¡¯d refused to leave her drone commanders at home. Now, Max, Ben and Mia stood with her, their extra limbs making the room feel more crowded. ¡°We also can¡¯t expose the village or the fort,¡± Max replied. He didn¡¯t look any happier. ¡°For all we know, the Cernlians and their allies have another strike force in the forest, just waiting for us to let our guard down.¡± Anuis cleared her throat. ¡°I assure you, we would know if they had built up such a strike force.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Your point is not without merit, though. They do still have significant forces, not very far from the border. In that sense, my people¡¯s recent victories are working against us, forcing them further out of the deeper regions of the forest. It is possible they could decide to scramble a strike force to clear the Cernlian part of the forest¡¯s border.¡± Regina nodded. From what she¡¯d heard, it seemed the elves¡¯ war was going very well recently. They were still closer to the Nerlian heartlands than here, though. ¡°That means we shouldn¡¯t send any significant forces out so far that they wouldn¡¯t be able to make it back in time,¡± she said. ¡°At least not without a strong force remaining behind.¡± ¡°How do the Hive¡¯s numbers look like, Milady?¡± Neralt asked. ¡°You are the only one of us who can expect significant reinforcements.¡± He made a bit of a face at that, as if he preferred not to think about where her reinforcements came from. She¡¯d never actually come out and told him about it, but he wasn¡¯t an idiot and had obviously figured it out. ¡°Our rate of reinforcement has increased,¡± Regina answered. So it seemed to her, at least. She suspected that the recent reinforcement to her psychic link actually made it easier for her to have more eggs developing, however that worked. Of course, it might just be having reached level 35. ¡°Many of my Swarm Drones died, however. We only have about fifty War Drones here, currently, and not that many more Winged Drones. On the other hand, many of the surviving drones gained a few levels and have grown stronger.¡± They had a few more Evolutions, too, both among the Swarm Drones and a few among the sapient Hive members. The others looked thoughtful. ¡°Perhaps we could still send a few of the Winged Drones north,¡± Tia said. ¡°Maybe a few drones who¡¯ve Evolved?¡± ¡°We might also be able to do something with the Earl himself,¡± Mia added. ¡°Since we have him in custody and everything.¡± Regina smiled slightly. ¡°You want me to win him over?¡± She shrugged, looking at the others to gauge their reactions. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s worth a try.¡± ¡°I¡¯d also prefer to wait with any excursions until we know more about what has been happening in the south,¡± Anuis added. ¡°Furthermore, I believe you have a new kind of drones coming, correct?¡± Regina nodded. ¡°They¡¯ll hatch soon,¡± she confirmed. ¡°You¡¯re right, I think we can afford to wait a little until we get some more information to work with.¡± The others nodded. The meeting trailed off soon after that. They¡¯d held these little gatherings several times, and while Regina thought it was good to touch base, dragging them out would be a waste. After it was over, Regina stepped out into the street and made her way to the village¡¯s edge. She saw villagers working on their homes, aided by the occasional War Drone. She¡¯d put most of them to work helping the village, mostly with cutting and carrying wood and simple tasks like that. The further she went, the more prominent the damage became, until she saw a few houses that probably needed to be rebuilt entirely. The sight made anger rise in her throat, and she clenched her jaw to stop herself from snarling subconsciously. "We¡¯ll rebuild,¡± Max said reassuringly. As always, he¡¯d followed her quietly. Regina glanced at him, but didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she looked down the road at the healing tent. She found herself tugging on her mandible again and made herself stop. ¡°How many people died, Max?¡± she asked him quietly. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± he answered after a moment. ¡°We don¡¯t have exact numbers for the enemy, it¡¯s possible some of them ran and succumbed to their wounds.¡± Regina just gave him a look at that evasive answer. ¡°Still far too many,¡± she said. ¡°And the worst thing is ¡ª well, not the worst thing, but I think some of them died that could have been saved if we had modern medicines. Healing magic is nice and all, especially the ability to just regrow anything, but still ¡­¡± ¡°They made their choices,¡± Max said, his jaw set. ¡°They came here, intruded into our territory, attacked our people.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°Yeah. Right.¡± They were quiet for a few seconds. Then Max asked softly, ¡°Are you alright, Regina?¡± Regina blew out a breath. ¡°I¡¯m angry,¡± she responded tersely. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed. I¡¯ve been able to control myself since I noticed it, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t feel it. And intruders are just a convenient target.¡± ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m sick and tired of all ¡­ this.¡± She gestured around them. ¡°Of living in this time period, I guess. Now that I no longer had to scramble for survival, that we¡¯ve started to see more of civilization, it¡¯s really hit me. Especially now that I know my memories are real, that everything I remember actually existed.¡± Max was quiet. She could tell that he didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± he finally asked. Regina snorted. ¡°Not much, I guess.¡± She paused, looking into the fields outside without really seeing them. It¡¯s not like I can take revenge even if I wanted to. ¡°How would you even go about getting justice against gods?¡± she muttered, mostly musing to herself. Then she shook her head ruefully. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m tired of talking about this.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Max looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn¡¯t. In silence, the two of them continued on their way. Regina stopped by the medical tents, looking in on some of the wounded. She did her best to help those who needed it, though she was running into the limits of her Spell. Basic Heal could do miraculous things, at least if you combined it with the medical knowledge Regina had, but it couldn¡¯t regrow limbs, restore ones that were completely shattered, or treat anything but the most superficial of brain damage. It struggled with internal organs, too, especially if several of them were close to the point of failure. Luckily, she wasn¡¯t the only one who could do healing. There were a few humans with the respective Classes and Skills, who were working to the point of exhaustion to cure as many patients as possible. At this point, she suspected that anyone who hadn¡¯t shown major improvement wasn¡¯t going to, though. Although that was, fortunately, a very small number. Many of the injured had already moved out of the makeshift infirmary. Once she was done, her mana drained to the point she was uncomfortable spending any more of it, Regina stepped outside and took a deep breath. She knew that by this point, whether she poured more mana into healing or not didn¡¯t make much of a difference, but it was still frustrating. She didn¡¯t like the feeling of failure. Regina shook her head and pushed those thoughts aside. She had more important things to think about. Like Ira, who was walking up to her with a piece of paper in her hand. ¡°We received another message from the army down south, my Queen,¡± she reported. Regina took the letter and read it quickly. She nodded. ¡°Good.¡± It seemed that things were working out nicely. The combined army had reached the town they¡¯d been heading for and captured it without much of a fight. ¡°Let¡¯s go find the baron.¡± They didn¡¯t have to look very hard. Baron Neralt actually came to meet them just a few meters out from the healing tents. ¡°Milady,¡± he greeted her with a respectful nod. ¡°I was hoping to discuss a few things.¡± ¡°Me, too,¡± she answered. ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk.¡± They remained quiet as they walked past the camp that had sprung up beside the village. Looking at the scene in front of her, Regina realized how much it had changed. Their palisade was mostly gone, but also being repaired. Most of the houses and a few wooden posts had ivy and a few other climbing plants covering them, which the drones harvested for food. They¡¯d even planted a few berry bushes in strategic locations, where the thorns would hinder one¡¯s passage in case of more attacks. ¡°We¡¯ve had a bit of trouble with those berries,¡± the baron commented, probably noticing what she was looking at. ¡°Children trying to eat them even after being told not to, that sort of thing.¡± Regina turned back to him. ¡°Oh. They shouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°They are mildly poisonous.¡± Regina blinked in surprise. These were the same berries she and the drones had been eating since the beginning. ¡°Not to us, they aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°So I assumed,¡± he said drily. Well, I suppose our metabolism seems set up to digest pretty much anything. Who knows, maybe humans lack an enzyme that can break down a toxic compound in the berries, but Hivekind do have one. They kept walking for a minute in silence. Whatever he wanted to talk to her about, it didn¡¯t seem to be urgent. ¡°What do you know about Earl Whitor?¡± she finally restarted the conversation. Neralt smiled slightly. ¡°Not very much, I¡¯m afraid. We¡¯re casually acquainted, nothing more. As a mere baron, and not one of his own vassals, I did not have many interactions with him. But he seems straightforward enough. He has a reputation as an honorable man.¡± He shrugged slightly. ¡°Of course, they all do, until some scandal or other brings it down. Still, I do not believe he has any particular agenda here besides the obvious.¡± Regina nodded, and suddenly wondered what Neralt¡¯s own reputation in noble circles might be like. "Of course, I believe he will not be very happy to have closer interactions with me,¡± Neralt continued. ¡°Least of all as his captor. While his own loyalty to the king might be firm, that would only make him less sanguine about my own actions.¡° He paused for a moment. ¡°I have visited him since you woke him up, and it certainly does not seem like he is kindly disposed towards me.¡± ¡°Yes, I think I can see how that might hinder friendly relations.¡± They continued walking slowly, with a short pause in the conversation. Then he spoke up again. ¡°Milady, I hope you don¡¯t question my loyalty.¡± ¡°No,¡± Regina said slowly, wondering if he was going to ask for something. ¡°Of course not, you have never given me any reason to question you.¡± She still wouldn¡¯t trust Neralt unconditionally, of course, but it would be stupid to make a point of that. ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°Because this has only given me a small taste of what it would be like were I to go to the king¡¯s men. Whether or not it was my idea to host you and see Lord Lyns rebel against the king, I would be treated like a traitor either way.¡± He scoffed slightly. ¡°Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but I am in fact a traitor, at least to the crown, as it stands.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be easy for you,¡± Regina said. ¡°You would¡¯ve had to betray either the king or your direct superior and liege lord. Although, forgive me for saying so, but you didn¡¯t seem too broken up about it.¡± Neralt shrugged. ¡°What can I say, Milady? Marquis Lyns was always a much better lord than the king, and to be honest, I always found it abominable how His Majesty treated him.¡± He shrugged slightly. ¡°Besides, according to some, the marquis also has a good claim to the throne. His mother was the king¡¯s father¡¯s older sister. My mother says the late king married her off to the furthest estate of sufficient standing to get rid of her, although she only has it second- or third-hand. And I am not quite sure the Lyns march is actually the farthest, but the point might still stand.¡± ¡°The king and the marquis are actually cousins?¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. She hadn¡¯t known that. Although I guess this might explain why he could start a rebellion that easily, or at least assume leadership of the rebels, if he has a valid claim to the throne to push. It looks like this is more of a succession war than I thought. She frowned to herself. Though I suppose someone would be going to replace the king anyway, if they win, and he¡¯s the obvious candidate, either way. ¡°Sometimes I forget that you are a newcomer to these parts and lack much of the knowledge I take for granted,¡± the baron said. ¡°Are you ever going to tell me about this, by the way? I know it¡¯s impertinent to ask, but I would like to know.¡± Regina hesitated for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s not ¡ª well, there is much to tell, but I don¡¯t like to talk about it. Simply put, I feel I¡¯m from a very different time or place. The knowledge I have doesn¡¯t seem to fit, and I¡¯m very different than I used to be. That is why I will continue to depend on your support, and your guidance.¡± He smiled slightly and bowed his head. ¡°I am at your service, Milady.¡± They turned and made their way along a different field. The crops were a bit trampled here, although Regina assumed the villagers would be able to save most of them. Hopefully. She gave her companion a sideways glance. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn¡¯t know his level, or Tier. She¡¯d just assumed he was in the third or maybe just second Tier, and he certainly acted like he didn¡¯t have much combat capability. But there was his Class name, Master of the Earth. She couldn¡¯t help but think of Enais¡¯ ¡®Mistress of the Forest¡¯. ¡°Forgive me for asking, and I know this is rude. Lord Elric, in which Tier are you?¡± He blinked, then smiled. ¡°I am level sixty-one, Milady. In the fourth Tier.¡± That was quite high. And he was telling her more than she¡¯d asked for. He¡¯s definitely after something, but it¡¯s probably nothing nefarious. ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you for telling me.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He inclined his head. ¡°You might be wondering why I was not more active on the battlefield, but the truth is that my Class is not suited to directly fighting. My somewhat considerable stats are my only real advantage when it comes to combat. It is instead built around the land, my domain, especially considering the Class Skills I have picked. I can help my farmers through a hard winter or lean year with relative ease, I can tell the position of almost anything on the earth in my domain if I meditate on it, and I can shape the earth to my specifications, to some degree, although it is not a quick process.¡± He smiled wryly. ¡°I apologize if it appears I was holding out on you, Milady.¡± ¡°Apology accepted,¡± she said distractedly. Those are some pretty interesting Skills. I wonder if I can make use of them? She shook her head and focused on her companion. This would have been nice to know earlier. Although he had definitely thrown in his lot with her now. Or at least wanted to make her think so, but she wasn¡¯t going to turn paranoid. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll continue to work together quite well, to the benefit of our land and all of our people.¡± ¡°Oh, certainly, Milady.¡± Chapter 98: Considerations When Regina first saw a Drone Witch after they hatched, she was reminded of the Drone Attendants. That impression didn¡¯t fade over the next few minutes, as they got to know their new lives and she learned more about the Template and what they could do. There were four Drone Witches hatching in her first batch, who turned out to be two boys and two girls. She could sense the mana in them right away. Their mana pool seemed to be as big as the Drone Attendants¡¯. Like the Attendants, they had wings as their third set of limbs. Also like the Attendants, those wings didn¡¯t seem to be functional yet. Regina was hopeful that they could learn to use them soon, and maybe even enough to fly before the first Evolution, but after it at the latest. It did seem like they had a slightly sturdier physique, and maybe a point or so more in the physical stats on average. That was hard to say for sure, since she didn¡¯t have a big sample to get a good average. Regina considered the status of their newly-named drones.
Ken Drone Witch
Level: 1
Mana: 348/750
Con: 8 Str: 7
Dex: 9 End: 8
Int: 15 Wis: 13
¡°We¡¯re going to teach you all of the Spells we know so far,¡± she told them. ¡°Or at least make a go at all of them. We should see pretty quickly which ones you have an affinity for. I expect you might be better at the direct, combat-oriented Spells.¡± ¡°I can hardly wait, my Queen!¡± Ken said, smiling brightly. She chuckled and resisted the urge to try and teach him Firebolt right then and there. ¡°Ira and the others can help you settle in,¡± she said. ¡°Unfortunately, I have a meeting to get to.¡± She considered stopping to add a few more eggs to the hive¡¯s queue, but decided to wait. She would probably need her mana for some Conjurations. Besides, she still wasn¡¯t entirely sure how many sapient drones of each kind she wanted to get. Definitely a few more magic-users, but she didn¡¯t know how well the Witches would do, yet. Instead, Regina headed off for the meeting with Anuis, Neralt and the others. They had sent out some scouts who should have reported in, and Anuis was supposed to get word from home. The group met in the baron¡¯s mansion once again. Mia had hinted at building a bigger house for Regina, though she hadn¡¯t given it any serious consideration until now. But since it seemed like their stay in this village was going to continue indefinitely and they weren¡¯t likely to be forced out anytime soon, considering how the last attack had gone, maybe it was time to at least start thinking about it. She shook off that thought and focused on the present moment as she greeted the others and took a seat. ¡°We still don¡¯t know much about what¡¯s happening in the south,¡± she commented. ¡°You don¡¯t think I should head south and try to get in contact with them?¡± ¡°If you are satisfied with our defenses, you certainly could, but we still do not have a very strong defensive force here,¡± Neralt replied. ¡°We would need to detach a large part of it to accompany and protect you, Milady, which would leave the village and fort even more thinly defended. I would recommend waiting until we have built up more strength again here.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Ben added. ¡°Besides, they could have moved even farther away by the time you¡¯re in range of wherever we think they are at any given moment.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Alright, you do have a good point.¡± She leaned back and listened to the others discuss the latest scouting reports. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like there was really anything new in them. The scattered remnants of the enemy soldiers from the recent battle had made their way past the border and into their own county, and their scouts had lost track of some of their targets, though they still made sure no one was building up any major forces. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that the earl¡¯s heir was among those who managed to flee,¡± Neralt commented. "Right, I remember you mentioned that. I thought he was still very young, how likely is it that he¡¯s going to rally the county against us?¡± The baron frowned thoughtfully. ¡°That¡¯s right, he only just became a knight. He could still be useful for our enemies, but he certainly wouldn¡¯t command the respect his father does.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ll keep an eye on things as well as we can, and let¡¯s not borrow trouble otherwise.¡± She paused. ¡°Actually, I assume the marquis has spies in other nobles¡¯ estates?¡± Neralt¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and he exchanged a glance with Marianne Neralt, who had been pretty quiet until now. He looked thoughtful. ¡°I would assume so. If not Marquis Lyns himself, then one of the other lords who have joined him.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll inquire about what information we might be able to get in our next communication with his headquarters,¡± Regina decided. ¡°Unless you have anything to add, Anuis?¡± The elf shook her head. ¡°Details about the local nobles or their plots were not considered essential for us. I received a basic briefing package with information on the region and various players, but there is nothing in it Lord Elric would not be able to provide himself.¡± Anuis shifted slightly in her seat, straightening up, which Regina recognized as a cue that she had something to say. ¡°In other news,¡± she began, ¡°I have been informed that I will be recalled soon. This time, it will actually happen, I presume.¡± A few others smiled or chuckled. ¡°I am to send a decade of my best people right away, and prepare for the rest to depart, as well.¡± Regina resisted the impulse to grimace. She¡¯d known this might be coming, but it still sucked. ¡°I understand,¡± she said. ¡°We wish you the best of luck with your redeployment.¡± Anuis nodded slightly. ¡°Despite how it might appear, this is likely not because we are urgently needed elsewhere. On the contrary. I believe the manner in which you successfully repelled an invasion - almost with ease, for any outside observer - has assured my superiors that you will be able to hold your own readily.¡± There were a few more smiles in the group at her words. It felt good to be praised and have your efforts acknowledged, Regina reflected. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Marianne Neralt looked a bit more calculating, though. ¡°Does this mean you believe you will not be urgently needed anywhere else?¡± Anuis gave her another brief smile. ¡°The workings of high command are inscrutable, Lady Marianne. But the war does appear to be going rather well, by all accounts. Of course, there may also be some political reasons for my centuries being recalled.¡± Considering whose daughter she is, she¡¯s probably familiar with politics having an influence on her postings or orders, Regina realized. Still, this doesn¡¯t sound like anything I should be worried about. The meeting didn¡¯t last long after that. She suspected they were all tired of them, and everything important had been said. Regina spoke with Ada for a few minutes longer, finalizing a few details about their scouting operations. She could use the psychic link, but sometimes it was nice to talk face to face. Especially because she could read her drones¡¯ expressions and body language much better this way, even if it was different from the impressions she got from connecting to their minds directly. I guess a bit of distance can actually be useful on occasion. Afterward, Regina decided to head to the building where they kept their prisoners. At least the most important ones. A decision about what to do with all of them had yet to be reached. Obviously, she didn¡¯t want to set them free just to have them go and fight against her hive or her allies again, but she also didn¡¯t think killing them was the best idea. And in the meantime, they used up resources keeping the prisoners fed and contained. She looked in on the other commanders, then went to see the Earl. She was a bit unhappy with just keeping him in a small room in a house in the village, especially since he was in the third Tier with a Class that had, at least in part, a combat focus. But he had given his parole, sworn not to try to escape, in exchange for good treatment. Clearly, he didn¡¯t want to spend the coming days tied up tightly with meters of rope, his hands fixated, and maybe even under drugs. I guess I can¡¯t complain, she admitted to herself, I¡¯d rather not go to that trouble, either. Which didn¡¯t mean she would trust him not to try to escape if he saw a good opportunity, so she kept as many drones around as she could to keep an eye on him and the other senior prisoners. When she knocked, Whitor opened the door straight away. ¡°Hive Queen Regina.¡± He waved her in with a polite half-bow. Or what she assumed would be polite, anyway. She wasn¡¯t exactly an expert on Cernlian noble etiquette. When she stepped in, she barely noticed the inside of the room, since he captured her attention completely. It was fascinating to basically see a body part regrow in real time. The stump of his arm was already considerably longer than it had been when she¡¯d first seen him. It was hidden by bandages, but they were loose, probably to let the regeneration work unimpeded. She almost asked him to remove them so she could have a look at the injury, then made herself focus on why she was here. ¡°How are you, Earl Whitor?¡± she asked, trying to sound friendly. ¡°I cannot complain,¡± he responded, then smiled lightly. ¡°At least, complaints would presumably not be wise. But in all seriousness, I am satisfied. You were sincere about treating me well.¡± ¡°Of course I was,¡± Regina replied. He¡¯s satisfied, huh. She decided to assert a bit more dominance and sat down on one of the two chairs in the room without asking. Judging by the way Whitor raised an eyebrow fractionally, he noticed her reaction. But he simply sat on the other chair without saying anything about it. ¡°How can I help you, Lady Regina?¡± he asked instead. Regina considered him for a moment. She had the feeling he was treating her as a lady, like he would one of his human peers. Assuming he¡¯d consider a woman a true peer, which, given what she knew of the culture, was far from a given. With her being a monster, or at least a demihuman, it would obviously be more complicated. I suppose he might have trouble trying to categorize me, or choosing the best way to act towards me, anyway. Just then, someone knocked on the door. Regina reflexively tried to check through her psychic link to learn who it was, but there was no drone in range to see currently. Max had stayed back to talk to one of the others and would probably be along shortly. It wasn¡¯t like she needed them, anyway, she could identify people by scent easily enough. And as expected, it was Neralt who opened the door and stepped in. ¡°Oh, I hope I am not disturbing you, Milady, Lord Whitor,¡± he said, but without sounding very surprised. Maybe he was just that composed. ¡°I wanted to speak to you for a bit.¡± ¡°Come in, Baron,¡± Regina said before Whitor could. She smiled at their prisoner. ¡°I simply wanted to check on how our guest was doing.¡± Neralt inclined his head and stepped inside. Since there was no other chair, he remained standing. Whitor didn¡¯t get up, presumably because of some status thing, and she wouldn¡¯t expect him to try to kick her out of a chair, either, whether because of some notion of ¡®chivalry¡¯ or their positions. ¡°Since you are here,¡± Whitor said, leaning back in his chair slightly. ¡°I had been meaning to ask about my son, Roland.¡± ¡°Ah. Well, I might as well tell you that he has escaped us,¡± Regina answered. She shrugged lightly. ¡°Not that it will do him much good, I suspect. You can be at ease that the last we knew of him, he seemed hale and uninjured.¡± The earl visibly relaxed a little. ¡°That is good to hear. Thank you.¡± Regina tried not to read too much into the question. He probably was just a worried father. ¡°I do not think he will be able to accomplish much against us,¡± Neralt said in a conversational tone, but Regina noticed that he was watching Whitor closely, probably trying to gauge his reaction. ¡°You must have taken a large majority of your men to meet us in battle. I suspect your vassals will be scrambling to save what they can.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Well, perhaps your older sons will help young Roland.¡± ¡°As I am sure you have heard, they are with the king¡¯s army, fighting the elves,¡± Whitor answered, looking a bit annoyed. ¡°And they are honorable knights who will not abandon their obligations easily.¡± ¡°You have older sons? Then why is he your heir?¡± Regina asked. ¡°I thought that was supposed to be the oldest son.¡± Whitor didn¡¯t answer right away, and after a moment, Neralt did, giving her a meaningful look. ¡°They¡¯re bastards.¡± ¡°Oh. I see.¡± Well, not really. Regina suppressed a sigh. Stigmatizing illegitimate children, as if she needed more to dislike about this culture. I imagine this is an issue for the earl, probably because of honor or whatever. Not that I can see why it matters. Well, unless he was cheating, I guess. But if they¡¯re older children, he probably got married after they were born. She shook her head. Not that it should matter to me. In the short silence that followed, which was probably uncomfortable for the two men, Regina leaned back in her chair and thought back to what she knew about the region. It was quite sparsely populated, presumably because of its closeness to the forest full of monsters that occasionally spilled out. In the southern part, people had built a town and a few villages around it, clustered relatively closely together, around a fortification that apparently consisted primarily of enchantments. That was the western end of the Relains March. In the north, however, the settlements were a bit more spread out. They were also further from the edge of the forest, and Whitor¡¯s earldom probably had a bigger population. ¡°How much damage did your county sustain in the most recent monster horde?¡± she asked. They looked surprised by the sudden change of subject. ¡°More than usual,¡± Whitor replied after a short hesitation. ¡°It was a particularly vicious one. We managed to beat them back without losing any farmers, though.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I imagine you would be worried if this war dragged on for a few years, enough to last into the next one. Or at least preparations for it.¡± She raised an eyebrow and waited for him to nod before she continued. ¡°You might want to consider how much I could do about it, though.¡± ¡°How do you mean?¡± he asked. He looked suspicious. Regina just gave him her most beatific smile. ¡°I established my hive out here in a matter of months. Weeks, really. How much do you think I can grow and strengthen it in the next five years? Keeping in mind that I can control a horde of expendable combatants and needn¡¯t care too much how many die, since the survivors will get levels.¡± He blinked, and while she wasn¡¯t sure, she thought he must have paled just a little. Clearly, he was getting the point, about more than just the next monster horde. ¡°By that time, a monster horde is hardly going to be a consideration,¡± Neralt said. His eyes widened a bit, and he looked like he was realizing something, as well. Regina¡¯s smile broadened. ¡°Well, I will leave you to think on that. Do call for me if there is anything you need.¡± Chapter 99: Allies of Convenience Looking out at the town of Ford¡¯s Rest, probably named after a ford in the brook that flowed by the town, Tim wondered what a human city would look like. This settlement was quite different than Ariedel, the elven city. Although wood had been used extensively as a construction material, it didn¡¯t include living trees, or really much green, or several layers of urban design. Of course, it was also a lot smaller. Actually, it looked a lot like Forest¡¯s Haunt, although the town was bigger than that village. It had twice or maybe three times the inhabitants, as best he could guess, although there might be less than that now, with some people having left because of the civil war. Or maybe joined their local noble¡¯s army and gotten killed. Some of the empty houses were now used to house prisoners, an irony he suspected no one would find funny. They had already been here long enough for him to get a sense of the place and life within it. Not that the townspeople liked talking to him, or any of the other drones, from what he¡¯d heard. They¡¯d stare whenever he got close to them, if they didn¡¯t hurry to put some distance between them. Tim tried not to let it bother him, reminding himself that the villagers of Forest¡¯s Haunt had acted a lot like that at first, too, before they got to know the Hive better. Still, it was a real town, and it had things the village didn¡¯t. Probably better planning, more paved streets, a broader economy and some more specialized shops. Tim found the alchemy shop particularly interesting. Apparently, their human allies from Marquis Lyns and his cohort had a few alchemists along, as well. They¡¯d taken the opportunity to stock up on reagents and potions, and whatever else they did, here. Unfortunately, all the other shops seemed pretty much the same as he would have expected without the System or magic. And for that matter, he was still unsure how much alchemists actually just used chemistry. Tim had taken a look at all of the stores¡¯ goods, but he didn¡¯t find anything particularly interesting. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t just goof off all the time. For some reason, he¡¯d fallen into the role of leader for the Hive drones who¡¯d come along. That meant he had a lot to do, coordinating them and especially looking after the Swarm Drones. They didn¡¯t have many Winged Drones left. Regina had recalled most of them and not sent any back except for messengers, who they¡¯d returned, anyway, but they did still have a sizable group of War Drones and a few Production Drones. Keeping them fed was a particular challenge. Right now, Tim was inspecting the makeshift fields they¡¯d thrown together. A few wooden scaffolds had plants climbing against them, mostly ones the locals wouldn¡¯t be able to eat. Zac, like most of the other Harvesters, had unlocked a Skill that sped up plant growth, and was using it on cooldown. The Production Drones were also being worked as much as they could handle. After all, Tim didn¡¯t want to infringe on the townspeople¡¯s fields and cultivated land. ¡°It would be easier if we knew how much longer we¡¯re going to stay here,¡± he muttered. Janis, who was walking beside him, laughed. ¡°Maybe if you ask the others very nicely, they could hurry it up,¡± she suggested with a small smirk. Tim rolled his eyes. He¡¯d grown to like the girl, even if he sometimes still wasn¡¯t sure what to make of her. He did find her attitude towards the human commanders a bit hard to understand, though. There were probably nuances he was missing. For example, he was pretty sure she disliked John Cern, but it might not be for the same reasons that Tia did. They turned to make their way back into the town. Tim ran his hand along the leaves of some kind of climbing plant, then plucked one of them off the stem and ate it as a snack. Janis gave him a look, but didn¡¯t comment. She would¡¯ve had a point, though, it was a bit bitter. Not that Tim minded, really. He was happy to get a bit of variety. The stuff the Production Drones made as food might be nutritious, but it was a little bland. Tim paused, closed his eyes for a moment and focused on the Winged Drone sitting on a nearby house. It took him a second, but then he connected to its mind well enough to see through its eyes. He made the drone turn its head, looking at the town, and more importantly, looking for specific people. Then he opened his eyes again. ¡°It looks like they¡¯re meeting at Cern¡¯s house again.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Janis said, a faint frown on her face. ¡°I think there¡¯s been some news.¡± Tim nodded, and in unspoken agreement, they set off for the place. He tried to cast out his mind to check on the position of other drones while he walked. This seemed to have gotten easier, ever since the psychic link had changed a few days ago. He¡¯d already suspected what had happened, although getting Regina¡¯s explanation that it was due to her getting a new Ability for hitting level 35 was nice. He still hadn¡¯t managed to reach anyone back in their village, of course, and he suspected he wouldn¡¯t have even if they were in Regina¡¯s range, which the town obviously wasn¡¯t. They met Tia just outside the place. She and Janis exchanged a nod, while Tim made sure to stay out of her range if she tried a more physical greeting. Tia gave him a half-irritated, half-amused look, to which he replied with a small smile. The building John Cern and a few other leaders of the human force had chosen had a nice backyard, located between it and the neighboring house and almost entirely enclosed. Since that house also didn¡¯t have any windows in the back, it was private enough, and probably not as cramped as trying to fit lots of people into a room in the townhouse. Tim still found it a little rude to commandeer the house of what he had learned was some kind of mayor for the town, but the man had apparently been paid and said he was fine with it, so he let it go. And to be fair to Cern, he probably needed a reasonably big headquarters. Tim himself was perfectly happy with the smaller house they¡¯d taken farther from the town¡¯s center, where he slept in the bigger room with the other sapient drones while Janis got a small bedroom for herself. The blankets and pillows they¡¯d acquired were the best part, anyway. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. When they arrived, the others were already engaged in a heated debate, although they stopped as soon as the drones entered. Tim counted John Cern and a few of his followers, but also Kiara, Richard and a few of her other knights. Kiara didn¡¯t look happy. He found it surprisingly difficult to read Cern¡¯s mood. ¡°Not the kind of news we were hoping for, I take it?¡± Tim asked mildly as he joined them. Now Cern did show a bit of irritation, if Tim read the slight curling of his lips right. But it was fleeting, he clearly had more important things on his mind. ¡°Not ones we were quite expecting, at least, Sir Tim,¡± he replied with a polite nod. I¡¯m never going to be used to being called that, he thought. But it was what the humans apparently agreed to call him. Tim glanced at the paper he was now noticing, lying on a small table. It looked about as crisp as it got. ¡°I assume they came from Marquis Lyns? What is this about?¡± ¡°Father has indeed sent us news, updates on the current state of the war, and new orders,¡± Kiara answered. She looked at John Cern, who nodded and picked up the explanation. ¡°We are to depart this town, leaving only an appropriate garrison behind, and move on the other settlements, claiming them for our cause. Once we sweep the west, we will move on to claim the entirety of the Relains March. With the marquis fled and his fighting force decimated, it should be a feasible task.¡± He smiled. ¡°Although we would welcome reinforcements from the Hive, of course.¡± Tim frowned. He glanced from Kiara Lyns, who still looked at least mildly concerned, to the others. Janis had tensed up slightly, almost expectantly. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± he said, trying to sound firm, but not rude. ¡°We are here to secure our own safety and territory. I wish you luck in your conquest, but fighting in your civil war was never part of the agreement.¡± John Cern didn¡¯t look pleased to hear it, but he nodded. Then he looked at Kiara again, frowning slightly, before he continued. ¡°Lord Lyns has also given me gracious approval to fly my flag in the towns in this area that we conquer. Once this conflict is over, I have his assurance that I will be made marquis of this domain.¡± Tim blinked, then realized something. ¡°The towns of this area? Including this one?¡± Cern nodded. ¡°Yes, indeed. This is also part of my demesne, or my domain to be.¡± Tim just stared at him for a second. Then he glanced at the fellow Hive members with him. They had all tensed up, and he saw the warriors surreptitiously readying themselves, even knowing they couldn¡¯t win an actual fight. ¡°Does the marquis realize,¡± he said evenly, ¡°that we have a claim to this territory as well? That the Hive has expressed an interest in it?¡± Now Cern looked a bit awkward. ¡°I assure you, we have communicated such to him,¡± Kiara spoke up. She bowed her head. ¡°I apologize for any ¡­ miscommunication. But I am sure we can sort this out.¡± Tim stared at her, then back at the Cernlian lord. He realized they would not simply back down from what they¡¯d just outlined. He just didn¡¯t know what their deal was. They are allies of convenience, he remembered his Queen telling him, just before they departed to the south. Never forget that their aims and actions might not line up with ours, ultimately. Janis bumped him softly, and he felt her mind trying to reach out to connect to him. He quickly opened his mind to hers. Do you know what this is about? he asked her. Why would Lyns make such a move? I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s internal politics of some sort, Janis responded quickly. She seemed to be thinking hard, but he could feel a bit of bubbling annoyance. He¡¯s probably reached a deal with some other nobles. There¡¯s all sorts of things to consider about the kingdom and the crown, I suppose. She seemed to sense his confusion and started explaining, Marquis Lyns has a claim to the throne, he¡¯s the current king¡¯s cousin. I imagine he¡¯s preparing to take the throne himself. This might be a way of paying off Cern, so to speak. Why does he need to pay him off? Tim replied. I asked around, and I learned Cern doesn¡¯t seem to hold any territory worth speaking about. He¡¯s not even an earl or anything, is he? It¡¯s his family, Janis explained, still sounding a bit annoyed. This kingdom is fairly old - several centuries, actually. That means there have been some changes. For a time, the kings barely had any real power, it was all wielded by their chief judge. Called ¡®governor¡¯, because he actually governed. She paused. I don¡¯t know all the details. To be honest, I barely remember what I heard, I was rather young at the time. That¡¯s fine, Tim reassured her. So, his ancestors were the real power behind the throne for a time? Exactly. They were even instrumental in founding the kingdom, but they had a religious role - which they must have later lost or dropped, I don¡¯t really remember - so they weren¡¯t supposed to hold an actual throne, I suppose. Anyway, they were deposed about a century or so ago, and the king actually took control. But apparently, there¡¯s some old agreement. I don¡¯t know the details, but it¡¯s something Lady Kiara mentioned. It must have been from a long time ago. If the royal line died out, apparently the Cerns were supposed to do something about it. Select a new one or get the crown themselves or something, I don¡¯t know. Tim sent her a feeling of reassurance mentally. That was a lot of ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯s. Still, at least now he knew the basics. Human politics weren¡¯t his forte, but he understood enough to realize she was right, and this was definitely some kind of internal power structure issue, with the marquis trying to secure his position. Tim took a deep breath and returned his attention to the people in front of him. He could tell they were uncomfortable, maybe almost anxious, since he must have just been standing there silently for a bit. ¡°I see,¡± he finally said, his tone cold. ¡°I will, of course, inform my Hive Queen of these developments. But I would like to formally protest your leader¡¯s conduct. This is not the sort of thing one decides unilaterally, without consulting their allies.¡± ¡°I realize you are upset,¡± Kiara spoke up. ¡°You want this territory, or part of it, correct?¡± She glanced at the gathered people. ¡°I understand, you have certainly worked for it. But I would like to note that these ¡­ human-inhabited Cernlian villages are only on the south side of the territory spanning the border of the Great Forest. I suggest a compromise. We could have you claim all of the land north of the first villages and their fields and immediate surroundings. It is uninhabited, but I do not think that will be much of a problem for your Hive.¡± Tim stared at her for a second. Then he forced his tense shoulders to relax slightly and gave a short nod of acknowledgment. ¡°Your suggestion sounds reasonable, Lady Kiara. I will, of course, convey it to my Queen, as well.¡± Janis shifted slightly beside him. He realized her situation had just gotten more complicated. Just one more reason to hope that this would work out without any lasting adverse effects. ¡°Splendid.¡± Kiara smiled with what might have been a bit of relief. ¡°It is a reasonable compromise,¡± Cern said, but he didn¡¯t look entirely pleased about it. Chapter 100: Anger and Advice Regina clenched her fists, narrowed her eyes and stared at the piece of paper in her hand as if she wanted to burn it, which, at that moment, wasn¡¯t too far from the truth. ¡°How dare this -¡° she ground out, then stopped when she realized what she was saying and how it sounded. She tried to take a deep breath, but couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to unclench her fist. At her sides, Max and Mia pressed in a little more closely. Maybe they were trying to get a better look, but maybe they were just trying to comfort her. The drones were pretty tactile people, despite the shell they all shared that should make it harder. Regina raised her head, glancing at them. She¡¯d called the senior sapient drones, those in leadership positions, as soon as she realized what this was. Now, they were all looking down at Tim¡¯s letter. Carefully, she placed it down on the tree stump serving as a table, so they could read it better. ¡°Evidently, it was the marquis¡¯ decision,¡± Max said. She could tell he was also angry, although maybe not as much as her. Regina nodded wordlessly. This clearly wasn¡¯t something Cern had cooked up. ¡°I think Janis is right,¡± Mia said after a short pause. Regina hummed in agreement and glanced at the letter again. Occasionally, Tim¡¯s writing was supplemented by another hand, Janis¡¯ surprisingly elegant handwriting. It was a bit disorganized, with notes in the margins and a few lines squished in, but that didn¡¯t matter. She was happy that they had included all the important details they could think of. Janis¡¯ information and speculation on the internal politics and reasons for the marquis¡¯ actions were especially useful. She was just glad the skills her drones were born with apparently included writing as well as reading. It at least made it a little easier to have them out of her range like this. ¡°She definitely is,¡± Regina said. ¡°I was kind of hoping that we could avoid the internal factions and politicking of Lyns¡¯ rebels, but maybe that was naive. Still, I don¡¯t care what sort of deal he has worked out with noble supporters - or a church or whoever - he still doesn¡¯t have the right to give us orders!¡± ¡°This is brazen of him,¡± Max agreed. ¡°We defeated Relains¡¯ army together, conquered that territory together. Even if it is just a corner of a larger one. Appointing someone to rule it for him without acknowledging our contribution or claim is worse than rude.¡± ¡°He could have at least talked to us about it beforehand!¡± Regina snarled. ¡°He should have at least asked us about it!¡± There was a short moment of silence again, before Mia spoke up. ¡°Maybe he deliberately didn¡¯t do that.¡± Regina ran a hand through her hair, forcing her clenched muscles to relax. ¡°You mean, because he thought it would be easier this way?¡± Mia shrugged and nodded. ¡°This way, he¡¯s - how did you say it? - presented us with a fait accompli. The plan is on the table and we have to deal with it. He probably thinks we¡¯d go for Kiara¡¯s compromise, or something like that. Besides, this is not an excuse, but he may not have wanted to look like he needs to ask our permission before some of his supporters. I imagine part of his potential allies are bigoted against demihumans, or foreigners, and they may be the ones he wanted to reel in with this.¡± Regina pulled a face. ¡°Sounds about right.¡± ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Max asked. ¡°Are you going to accept their compromise?¡± Regina ran a hand through her hair again. She despised the thought of just rolling over for Lyns and the humans. But personal pique wasn¡¯t a good basis for decision-making, especially when it affected the lives of everyone in her hive. She just had to try to decide what the best course of action for them was. ¡°We should at least get some further concessions out of it,¡± she mumbled. ¡°I guess the proposal isn¡¯t too bad for us. Having an uncontested claim to - what, about a hundred kilometers of land at its farthest extent? - would be nice. We don¡¯t really need human settlements, even if the additional resources and manpower would be good. Fewer headaches without it, at least. And I suppose we could get people to come there if we needed to ¡­¡± ¡°You just need to come up with something the marquis doesn¡¯t want to lose but that he would hand over,¡± Mia said, sounding a little more cheerful than the rest of them. Regina chuckled, feeling some more of the tension drain out of her. ¡°Yeah. Pity I already got Janis, I don¡¯t think I need anyone else as a hive member from him.¡± The others shared some smiles and tentative grins as well. I¡¯m not going to forget this, though, Regina thought to herself. I may play along for now, Lyns, but you¡¯d better be careful. He would not like it if he tried to push too far. She left the spot they¡¯d been meeting in, Max accompanying her like usual. Since she¡¯d wanted to read the long letter privately, she¡¯d gone out of the village to a spot outside the palisade, by the tents that had been put up earlier. As she walked back, she barely noticed her surroundings while her thoughts were stuck on recent events. She would have to talk to the baron about it, but she wanted to wait for a bit before she did, get her thoughts in order. But Regina¡¯s thoughts were derailed once she noticed the people gathered at one of the village¡¯s gates. She paused for a moment, then sighed to herself. She¡¯d almost forgotten that the news about her human allies wasn¡¯t the only major change she had to deal with. The elves stepped out of the way with their usual smooth grace as soon as she approached, and Anuis turned to meet her. They weren¡¯t using any wagons or anything else to carry their things, and most of them were wearing heavy backpacks and other bags. Anuis wasn¡¯t quite as encumbered as the others, though, maybe she¡¯d pulled rank, or maybe she just didn¡¯t have as much to carry. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± she said, a bit more formally than usual. ¡°Commander Anuis,¡± Regina replied with a smile. ¡°I see you¡¯re getting ready.¡± Anuis relaxed slightly and there was a bit of a twinkle in her eyes when she said, ¡°I was not going to depart without properly taking my leave and saying goodbye.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Regina raised a hand to tug on her mandible, then dropped it. This situation felt a bit awkward, and she suspected that wasn¡¯t just her. ¡°We are about finished preparing, actually. Bianorn is bringing the rest with the second group. I have already talked to Baron Neralt and made my goodbyes to him and Lady Marianne.¡± Regina nodded. That was quick, but I suppose once Anuis got the order to leave, she shouldn¡¯t dawdle. Military efficiency and all that. Over the next few minutes, most of the drones trickled in, coming to say their goodbyes as well. Max talked to several of the soldiers, while Regina exchanged polite farewells with Niolin and the other officers. She¡¯d talked to all of them before, but she didn¡¯t really know them very well. When Bianorn showed up with another large group of elves, Regina was almost relieved. And her exchange with him was noticeably warmer. ¡°Don¡¯t let these humans push you too far, Lady Regina,¡± he advised her with a small smile. ¡°But I have every confidence that you can handle them. I will be looking forward to news of the hive¡¯s growth.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Regina returned the smile. ¡°I am looking forward to your own people¡¯s news, as well. Hopefully, we will meet again at some point. Good luck out there, and safe travels.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± By now, it was clear the elves were ready to leave. Neralt had not shown up (maybe because Anuis had already visited him), but a few humans did. Regina made her way back to the front of the group, looking for the commander. ¡°I am confident that we will be seeing each other again,¡± Anuis told her. ¡°But perhaps you would like to walk with me to the edge of the forest?¡± Regina nodded, and told Max with a look and a gesture to stay behind. She wanted to take the last opportunity to talk to Anuis privately. The elf obviously felt the same, since she set out from the village at the head of the group, walking briskly. Regina joined her, and they got a bit of distance from the others. A strong wind picked up around them, rustling their hair and making their words harder to understand for anyone further away. Probably an application of one of Anuis¡¯ Skills, and a useful one, not just for hiding sounds or scents in a forest. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Anuis asked. ¡°You seem a bit upset, if you will pardon my frankness.¡± Regina sighed and considered whether talking about it would be worth it. ¡°Just a disagreement with my human allies.¡± She hesitated, but the elves would probably hear about it soon enough. ¡°They want the whole Relains March, though Kiara Lyns has offered me the uninhabited part between here and their westernmost settlements.¡± Anuis frowned, looking thoughtful. ¡°I see. I am not sure I can offer you good advice, I am afraid. I have never found dealing with humans to be particularly easy.¡± Regina snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t think them being humans has much to do with it, compared to just being people.¡± She paused. ¡°Although the culture does play a role, and I guess neither of us is from places with a feudal system, right?¡± ¡°Indeed, that does appear to make a difference,¡± Anuis said drily. She fell quiet for a few seconds before she spoke again. ¡°I have enjoyed getting to know a new type of people, personally. And the changes and new ideas you brought. I do hope we will be able to meet again and perhaps speak of ¡­ other things.¡± Regina blinked and nodded. She¡¯d never told anyone outside the hive about her conversation with Alianais, but Anuis clearly knew her situation pretty well. It had been Enais who¡¯d first told her about the Hivekind, after all. ¡°I would be interested to know how much your people remember,¡± she finally said, watching Anuis carefully. The elf smiled, though it seemed a bit sad. ¡°Not nearly as much as we would like, unfortunately. Especially when it comes to specifics. Like the other peoples, we lost most of our history in the Cataclysm, and to be frank, I doubt even our ancestors knew very much about this world. From what my mother has told me, our people at that time were ¡­ somewhat isolationist, if not to say elitist.¡± Regina suppressed a snort and shook her head. ¡°Elitist? No offense, but it doesn¡¯t seem like the elves had reached a technological level anywhere close to what my people did.¡± Anuis¡¯ gaze sharpened a little at Regina¡¯s last words, and after a moment, she realized it must have been her use of the words ¡®my people¡¯. Regina had actually meant the humans of the world, who she¡¯d come from, but she supposed that in this context, it could seem to refer to either them or the Hivekind. But Anuis only said, ¡°Oh, I am aware of that.¡± She sounded a bit amused. ¡°Feeling superior is not necessarily based in fact. Something more of our elders would do well to remember,¡± she muttered the last part. Regina didn¡¯t know what she should say to that, so she didn¡¯t answer. They walked the next few meters in silence. By now, they had almost reached the forest. ¡°Is there any other help you need from me?¡± Anuis asked, slowing down. ¡°A message to carry, words of advice?¡± Regina glanced at the people behind them, who were moving at a very casual pace. ¡°Actually, I wouldn¡¯t mind a bit of advice. What would you ask for as a demand from the marquis?¡± Anuis tilted her head. ¡°Hm. I do not know Marquis Lyns very well, but I suppose it depends on your aim. Do you want something that will help your hive most in the short term, or the long term? Or do you simply want to make a demand that he might regret, as a way of making a point?¡± ¡°Good question,¡± Regina said, tugging on her mandible. ¡°I would advise you to look at what he might need, given his position, and what he might want,¡± Anuis told her. ¡°If your alliance is not firm, taking something he might be able to use against you - but ideally not against your common enemies - might be prudent. But I would not weaken his faction unduly. And, if I may say so, I would focus on the needs of your own people.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Thank you for the advice, Anuis. I appreciate all of the help you¡¯ve given me.¡± Anuis smiled and nodded her head. ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± By now the others caught up, and she turned. ¡°This is goodbye, then. Farewell, Hive Queen. Until we meet again.¡± ¡°Likewise, Commander Anuis.¡± Regina stepped back, out of the way, and turned to leave. She paused and glanced back as the elves disappeared into the forest, though. Then she sighed and made her way back. Maybe I should have asked her about sending more people back to our original settlement, she thought. But I suppose I could always send a message to Ariedel if I really needed to. Then Regina paused, glancing back at the forest again. Despite herself, she found herself smiling. Actually, Ariedel should be within my range already. Or if it isn¡¯t, it¡¯s going to be soon. That meant she could see and hear through any members of her hive she sent there, and, if possible, speak to any drones, too. Or Janis, once she was back, but it was probably better to leave her where she was for now. Regina turned and made her way back to the village, rolling her eyes at Max when she saw him hanging around the gate. How he managed to stay ahead of the curve for levels when he spent so much time with her was a mystery to her. Unless bodyguarding gave him experience due to his Class. Actually, that was probably the case. She sighed and resigned herself to keep being followed around. With the elves gone, it might get more dangerous here, too, but Regina wasn¡¯t very worried about it. She felt confident that her hive could handle themselves against any further attacks from the local humans. Chapter 101: Requirements Tia liked all of her Skills, some of them a bit more than others. But of all of them, the one that had seen the most use recently was, surprisingly, not any of the active ones that helped her make things, or even one of her old Worker skills. Instead, it was the one she used for seeing and analyzing stuff. The Skill was called Inspection. There were probably other versions of it out there, Abilities of other people with the same name that did different things. Her own was focused on construction and engineering. Her Class seemed to be geared more towards large-scale projects, at least compared to others like Mia, but it was far from exclusively useful for combat. Probably because there was a lot of overlap between infrastructure projects with military value and other kinds, or even fortifications. At the moment, it told her lots of useful things about the town she was watching. Tia had taken a closer look at some of the houses, but it was also good to get a view of the bigger picture, like she did right now standing on a small hill just outside the town. What Inspection told her could be a bit hard to parse, at least at first. It was a mix of instinctive and more abstract knowledge, as well as highlights in her vision - a bit like what Regina had mentioned about Augmented Reality, but probably less clear. Still, looking at one of the town¡¯s houses now, she could clearly see the fault lines in its construction. The walls were a little more complicated than they appeared at first glance; a mixture of frames made of wooden logs and woven sticks and a mix of mud and straw, at their core. It was a pretty good construction technique when you didn¡¯t have access to many resources. If they were going to build houses for the hive, it was definitely something to keep in mind. Along with the design of the town in general. It looked like it had sprung up without too much planning, though Tia could see where someone with a more combat-minded approach had adjusted its layout. Yeah, we should definitely draw up proper plans first, before we start building any more settlements. Proper grids, planning for water and eventually power lines, all of that. She nodded to herself. ¡°Tia?¡± Tim called up to her. Tia started and glanced down. She¡¯d almost missed his approach. ¡°Coming!¡± she called back down. Tim raised an eyebrow when she got closer, and Tia shrugged. She was still smiling, though. I can¡¯t help it, being out and about and seeing all of this is exciting! ¡°Glad you¡¯re happy,¡± Tim said drily. Tia blinked. He might have picked up a bit more from the psychic connection than she¡¯d have expected. ¡°We do need to deal with a serious issue, though.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Tia assured him, feeling the smile slip away and her expression turn more serious as she focused, thinking about what he meant. ¡°Has Mother made a decision yet?¡± ¡°It seems so,¡± he answered. ¡°We had another letter, and one came from Lyns, too. Come on, let¡¯s discuss it on the way. We need to talk to Janis, too.¡± Tia nodded and they set off. They switched their conversation to the psychic link, though, walking in silence back into the town. She found it a bit difficult to concentrate on walking and navigating at the same time as trying to hold a mental conversation with Tim and Janis simultaneously. But at least it was good practice! The people she passed mostly tried to get out of their way, too. There were a few human soldiers from Cern and Kiara¡¯s troops around, though, who didn¡¯t always do that, and sometimes looked at the two drones weirdly. Tia tried not to worry about it. Interspecies relations was Tim¡¯s job, or maybe Janis¡¯. She just built stuff and occasionally got into a fight. That was the way she preferred it, really. Well, not that she didn¡¯t give her opinion to Regina when asked, or bits of advice. She always felt like her words were really being considered and useful, it was nice. To be fair, she suspected all drones liked feeling useful for the Hive. That was probably a good thing. It helped to give them cohesion. More than the humans she had seen, at least! Soon, they reached the humans they had come to join, taking Tia from her thoughts. The meeting started without much fanfare, while a few of their knights still trickled in. Janis was already there, as well, leaning against one of the walls circling the backyard. She joined Tim and Tia, probably after he said something to her privately. Tia was more focused on watching the human leaders¡¯ reactions after they told them what they had to say. ¡°You cannot be serious!¡± John Cern sputtered. But even Tia could tell that some of his reaction was faked. Or at least, she certainly thought so. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we be?¡± Tim responded coolly. ¡°Does this situation strike you as the sort of thing to joke around about?¡± ¡°Let me see if I have got this straight,¡± Sir Richard interjected. ¡°You want Cernlia, after Lord Lyns¡¯ victory, I assume, to renounce all territorial claim on the Great Forest and everything within it. Furthermore, you want him to do the same thing to the Neralt barony and your land. And what¡¯s more, you want him to - at a time of your choosing - officially acknowledge the Hive as a sovereign entity and its people as a nation. With several extra provisions. And all of this is in addition to the uninhabited land your Hive would get as per Lady Kiara¡¯s proposal.¡± ¡°Yes, that seems about right,¡± Tim said calmly. There was a moment of silence as the different parties just looked at each other. Kiara seemed conflicted, Tia noted. Of course, it can¡¯t be easy for her. Her father had to go and basically disrespect their new allies, just as she was doing diplomacy stuff with them. And she can¡¯t exactly say that she disagrees, can she? ¡°We are already giving you a sizeable tract of land,¡± Cern finally said, visibly calming himself down. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°True,¡± Tim said. ¡°But your leader also unilaterally assigned all the rest of this land to you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really not that bad,¡± Tia spoke up, smiling. ¡°I mean, what are we really asking of you, or him? Just to give up an official claim to a territory that you already don¡¯t control. Plus diplomatic recognition. Of someone he already has a treaty with, even if it¡¯s not a very official one.¡± ¡°I am a little more concerned about those other provisions you mentioned,¡± Kiara said. ¡°Such as the requirement to let anyone who so chooses come to live in the Hive¡¯s land.¡± Tia shrugged. ¡°If you¡¯re good to them and the people don¡¯t have any reason to want to move, then they won¡¯t. And if they really want to come, they¡¯ll do so anyway.¡± Kiara frowned. She didn¡¯t look happy with it, but more than that, she seemed like she was trying to figure out any hidden agenda behind this. Tia didn¡¯t think there was much of one, really. Just that her Queen wanted to have a larger population, or at least wanted to have the opportunity for one. And the option of providing sanctuary to anyone who might be mistreated under the Cernlian system. The Hive wasn¡¯t going to not make use of or invest in someone just because of their species or gender, after all. Janis was the perfect example of what some people could accomplish even if the local culture and politics tried to push them down, as soon as they had an opportunity. Well, I assume that¡¯s what Regina wants, anyway, but it does fit with some of the things she said. ¡°We will certainly communicate your Hive Queen¡¯s demands to Marquis Lyns,¡± John Cern said, shooting Kiara a hard look. Tia almost blinked at the reversal of the usual roles. Then she realized that it was probably just more of some kind of power play. ¡°Great,¡± Tim answered with a smile. ¡°I look forward to your response. In the meantime, do you object if we take a closer look at this uninhabited land in question? We did walk through it, but there¡¯s surely a lot more to see.¡± Cern exchanged a quick look with a few of his followers. ¡°No, you may feel free to do as you wish. But do you intend for all of you to travel there?¡± Tim glanced at Tia and Janis. ¡°I think we will send some flying drones, but some of us may go there as well.¡± Tia suppressed a smile. She was looking forward to seeing their new land. Since Mia and most of the other Workers (or those with Classes evolved from Drone Worker) weren¡¯t here, that meant it was up to her to maybe find a location where they would build a settlement! And start planning, of course. And take stock of what resources and opportunities or challenges the location might hold. It was a bit daunting, but Tia was excited to tackle it. Tim gave her an amused look when they finally left the humans. He could probably tell what she was thinking, especially since she hadn¡¯t paid as much attention to the end of the meeting as she should have. Not that anything had happened, they hadn¡¯t talked much after the important things were said. She understood, the humans probably needed to hear from their leader before they knew how to act. On the way back, they stayed quiet until they returned to an area where most of the Hive drones were, and no humans around to listen in. Then Tim said, ¡°I¡¯ve already told a few Swarm Drones to head north. We can at least check out the edge of the area with them. I don¡¯t think I can get anything from one more than a few kilometers away, though, can any of you?¡± Tia shook her head, as did a few of the others who¡¯d shown up to listen in. She wasn¡¯t even sure if she would be able to get anything really useful from the mind of a drone a few kilometers away. ¡°No, I do think one of us, at least, should go ourselves. We need to supervise the drones, anyway, if we send some further away.¡± ¡°Agreed. I think you should go, Tia. Take the new Mount, and check out the scenery. You probably know what to pay attention to better than anyone else.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tia asked. Tim nodded, smiling slightly at her. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll handle the humans for a while. Actually, knowing more about the terrain would probably be helpful for that, anyway. And take enough Swarm Drones with you to protect you. Actually, maybe we can ask Regina to get Dark down here in our next letter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Janis said. ¡°I wish I could come, but I think I¡¯m more useful here, right now.¡± Tia nodded, resisted the urge to hug both of them goodbye, and ran off to call the drone. They had one new Winged Drone Mount who had Evolved recently, though she¡¯d never ridden it before. She had tried it with one of the others, though, so she¡¯d be fine. She checked in on the other drones and quickly assembled a small group of Winged Drones, all of them at least at level 10, to accompany her. Tim had apparently also sent out a unit of War Drones, so she¡¯d have to supervise them, as well. With the mobility of a flying mount, that was fine. Tia smiled and let out an excited whoop as she rose into the air. After a minute, she stopped holding on tightly and spread her hands. The town shrank beneath her as the winged drone rose into the air. It dipped slightly as it turned, and Tia reluctantly grabbed on with one hand again. Then she focused on her mission. The other Winged Drones kept pace with her easily. They could probably outfly her mount without difficulty, since it was weighed down by having a rider. But that didn¡¯t matter much, since they didn¡¯t have far to go. Tia ordered her mount to fly lower, taking a closer look at the terrain. It didn¡¯t take her long to find the War Drones, who were marching further into the uninhabited land at a quick pace. They were still sticking together for now, but they would spread out later. On the way here with the army, they had come through mostly from the north-northeast, so Tia headed more to the northwest now. The terrain was pretty open here, with barely any trees. The trees further south, around the first village they¡¯d seen, were already pretty small and scraggly, but they did more to break up the landscape. It was also a bit hilly, not enough to make navigating the area particularly difficult, but it would probably be an issue for building roads or something like that. There didn¡¯t even seem to be that many monsters around, either. Tia found a few that appeared to be pretty strong and avoided them, but that was probably to be expected. No one had mentioned any especially strong monsters that lived here. For a moment, she considered whether the humans might have kept something like that from them, but Janis would have definitely said something, at least. This was close enough to her home that she should know. After a while, Tia made the drone descend and jumped off, to get an ¡®on the ground¡¯ view of the terrain. She stood in a nice area around forty kilometers or so into the stretch of land, by a small brook that bubbled its way through it. It was the only source of water she¡¯d seen close by, and it was pretty thin. Further off, it vanished underground and only emerged after two dozen kilometers or so. Tia walked around, absentmindedly rustling the leaves of some bushes. It was pretty arid land, especially considering the big forest just to the west. That might be why no one lived here. There could also be more to it, of course, but she wasn¡¯t too worried, from what she¡¯d seen. The Hive didn¡¯t need to cultivate grain or anything else that demanded a lot of water, and they could always dig for the groundwater. They were definitely going to dig, anyway. Tia smiled a little as she looked at the ground with a new focus. Yeah, this was fine enough terrain for digging tunnels. They could build underground warrens, maybe even connecting various above-ground settlement sites as their Queen chose. It would be a fun project to work on. Chapter 102: Celebrations and Plans Unfortunately, Regina only learned of what Tia¡¯s scouting found the next day. She mentally kicked herself for not checking in on any drones near the edge of her range in the south more regularly. Regrettably, it seemed like the drones still couldn¡¯t initiate contact on their own from that far away. She had reason to be preoccupied, to be fair. After some hemming and hawing, the humans agreed to her demands, and the proposed deal was finalized. She supposed that what several drones said had been right, and it was just diplomatic concessions with little practical effect for the humans. Not that giving away territory would ever be easy, but at least this one was uninhabited, not like towns or cities. She supposed she could understand why the marquis hadn¡¯t wanted the hive to stake a claim on one of those, not that that meant she would forget his behavior. At least he had conceded now. They might not have if they knew what it might mean, if things turned out in certain ways. But Regina was fine with that. Now, she was happy to see Tia in her range again. The two of them caught up at length, before Regina assumed direct control of a few drones and took a closer look at the area herself. The few Swarm Drones here were scattered through it sparsely, but since she could now focus her attention here and coordinate them, that was fine. And Tia seems pretty enthusiastic about her plans for building new settlements, Regina reflected, smiling to herself. Can¡¯t blame her, I¡¯m a little excited about it, too. She set things into motion right away, assembling a large party to go south. From her experiments, she knew that her range extended most of the way through the strip of land they had just been granted, only a small corner of it not covered. And in a few levels, her range would extend far enough to reach everything and the human town, Ford¡¯s Rest, as well. And probably more besides. Her rate of making new eggs still seemed to be speeding up slightly. She figured that was mostly her getting used to it and making small adjustments to increase productivity. She¡¯d figured out a pattern that should let her get the most use out of her Skill¡¯s boost in numbers. It was a bit of a shame that the level-raising effect probably wouldn¡¯t be much use, though. She¡¯d lost a lot of Swarm Drones and was replenishing the Swarm in large numbers, which meant the average level would be pretty low. But she needed to go for quantity over quality with them, at least for now. The drones could always level up later. And they weren¡¯t really bottlenecked with that, since they could train against each other and even raise each other¡¯s level with shared experience. At any rate, her Hive¡¯s numbers were steadily climbing upwards, if more slowly than she¡¯d have liked. Regina let a large part of the new clutches go south to prepare the new territory, bolstered with some veterans. She grudgingly expected to lose a few drones, but it should definitely help the rest level. And she was sending a few sapient drones along, too, of course. Many of them seemed to want to go. After a bit of consideration, Regina decided to send Ada with them, as well. Ace could hold the fort here, but Ada would provide both leadership and her expert scouting for the group, as well as hopefully get some opportunities to sharpen her skills and level up. Tia would probably be in charge of the overall development, though. Regina watched the drones as they made their way south, taking note of monsters and other dangers and environmental features. With the help of scouting from flying drones, they managed quite well, and reached Tia¡¯s position in just a day. Once they did, Tia immediately began organizing them and started setting up the first structures to make a proper camp, and later a real settlement. I think your idea of having several bases, hopefully interconnected, is a good thought, Regina told her when they finished the preliminary work. Let¡¯s start planning and building with that in mind. We might even be able to use this brook, or even an artificial channel. Using a waterway would make a lot of things easier. I¡¯m not sure this land has enough water for that, Tia noted. But I¡¯ll definitely keep it in mind. Regina mostly stayed quiet and watched. She knew she didn¡¯t need to micromanage or backseat-drive them. Besides, she had other things that needed her attention, as well. Neralt was obviously concerned at the apparent rift between her and his former marquis, and there was still Earl Whitor. ¡°I suppose this means I am officially your vassal now, and no one else¡¯s,¡± Neralt said a few days after the letter from Tim confirming the agreement arrived. They were sitting on an improvised bank near the new watermill, watching drones working on an extension. ¡°Can I even call myself a Cernlian anymore?¡± ¡°Well, I suppose your liege lord - former liege lord - agreed to this, but the king didn¡¯t. So, it depends on how you view things, I guess,¡± Regina said, leaning back. She¡¯d met him here by chance, more or less, and they got to talking. He had been rather reserved when he first heard about the deal, so she was curious to hear him speaking up now. ¡°I already said that I do not hold much love for the king,¡± Neralt replied, tapping a finger on his leg. ¡°I suppose some jitters are normal for a sudden change of my circumstances like this.¡± ¡°Not much has really changed, or will change. You don¡¯t need to offer me an oath of fealty or anything like that.¡± Not that she needed one, she had him in her power either way. And Regina wasn¡¯t exactly a fan of the feudal system in general, anyway. ¡°I understand,¡± he replied. Had he thought his situation was going to be temporary? Regina tilted her head, idly wishing she had something to occupy her hands. ¡°I assure you, you will start to see the benefits of being in my - care.¡± She hesitated slightly at the last word, but there really was no good way to express that. ¡°I already am, Milady.¡± Neralt smiled, then continued with an air of someone obviously changing the subject, ¡°Do you think Whitor will, as well?¡± ¡°I think he is already, at least a little. He still doesn¡¯t want to admit it, but he knows we¡¯re treating him very well, and anyone could tell he likes the hints of future protection I¡¯ve been dangling in front of him.¡± ¡°I was not sure informing him of your hive¡¯s ¡­ growth rate was a wise decision - let alone demonstrating some of it - but I do have to admit, he seems to have taken it the way you wanted.¡± Regina shrugged. It was a risk just letting Whitor walk through the village, even carefully supervised, never mind actually showing him a ¡®storeroom¡¯ full of eggs and one of them hatching. If he wasn¡¯t her prisoner and she wasn¡¯t confident of controlling his ability to communicate with anyone on the outside, she would never have considered it. But the demonstration had clearly left an impression. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Still, he wasn¡¯t going to break this quickly. It would take some time and effort to bring him around, she knew that. But I do think we can do it. His sense of honor is a bit inconvenient, though. I¡¯m lucky he feels obligated to protect the people of his province. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± she finally said. ¡°How are things in the village, anyway?¡± He gave her an odd look, but answered the question. ¡°Preparations for the harvest festival are proceeding. Luckily, we do have enough of a harvest to celebrate. I believe most of it will be brought in and secured in time for the festival.¡± Regina nodded. She was still a bit miffed that she¡¯d apparently missed the day of the autumn equinox, in late September. The harvest festival fell on what she was pretty sure would be the 31st of October, the last day of the tenth month in the new calendar, as well. It was simple, since the next two months also had thirty and thirty-one days, and the last day of the year was ten days after the winter solstice, so the start of the calendar should still be the same. The date and calendar allowed her to contextualize what had happened better. Unfortunately, she¡¯d lost track of the days for a bit, but from what she¡¯d guesstimated, she should have woken up around early June. Which meant she¡¯d been in this world, or rather this new era, for over four months. It felt like a lifetime, which it kind of was, and also far shorter at the same time. She couldn¡¯t even imagine where she would be in a year, let alone what the next five years held. Not that she didn¡¯t have any plans, it was just ¡­ a lot to wrap her head around. Regina was curious to see the village¡¯s harvest festival, although when it did arrive, she found it a little underwhelming. That wasn¡¯t the villagers¡¯ fault, of course, she could hardly expect them to show up with fireworks or really fancy food. But it was basically just a large dance with some local traditions tacked on. If she had had any skill at dancing, it had definitely not transferred to her new body, so Regina was content to sit that one out. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just not a party person,¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°Did anyone suggest you were?¡± Max asked. ¡°Because I hope none of our drones were that dumb.¡± Regina scowled at him. She¡¯d clearly not spoken quietly enough for him not to hear, even though he was leaning against a house wall several meters away. ¡°If you¡¯re so social, why don¡¯t you go and join the dance?¡± He raised his hand defensively. ¡°Oh, please. Drones just aren¡¯t made for dancing.¡± ¡°Mia still seems to be having fun with it,¡± Regina noted, jerking her chin in her direction. The Drone Engineer was clearly trying her best with more enthusiasm than skill, but no one seemed to mind. It helped that this was just some folkloric dancing and not a ballroom, and the dances didn¡¯t seem that complicated to Regina. People were currently circling around each other in a group, men to one side and women to another, and then went forward and crossed each other. Then they split into pairs they would probably switch out soon. As if on cue, several more drones trickled in, joining Mia and moving to the music. Regina couldn¡¯t help but smile as she watched them. This might be the first time that she was seeing them laugh so unrestrainedly. At least some of them. ¡°We need some traditions of our own,¡± she said after a few minutes. ¡°Some holidays and celebrations.¡± ¡°I nominate the start of the hive, the day you hatched,¡± Max replied right away. ¡°And maybe the founding of our first settlement. Or our first victory in a real battle.¡± He paused. ¡°Or did you want to revive holidays from your old life?¡± ¡°Well, I definitely want to celebrate Christmas,¡± Regina said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I was religious before ¡ª probably not, I don¡¯t seem to know all that much about any religion ¡ª but it¡¯s still a major holiday. And maybe a few others. I guess we¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°Oh, I need to start thinking of Christmas presents,¡± Max sighed. ¡°Thanks a lot, Regina.¡± She laughed. Then she stopped when she realized she¡¯d just given herself the same issue. I hope they¡¯re not expecting me to give presents to every drone. Although maybe I should do that ¡­ She shook her head and refocused on the party. At least there was plenty of food. She decided she could indulge herself on this occasion, at least, getting a bit more variety than usual. She was getting just as tired of eating the Production Drones¡¯ stuff and things humans couldn¡¯t eat as any of her drones. The villagers didn¡¯t have a lot of salt or spices, unfortunately, but they used what they could well. An hour or so later, Regina had strolled through the festival grounds, basically just the village square, and was heading away from the center, when she found a group of prisoners clustered close by. She hesitated for a moment. The officers had so far all taken their parole extremely seriously, so it had been decided that they could participate in the festival. She supposed that with the existence of the System, cultural norms for how to deal with prisoners were bound to arise, especially to make sure that warring factions would take prisoners instead of killing them. And for nobles like Whitor, their reputation and honor were vital, or so Neralt had explained. ¡°Lady Regina.¡± The earl turned to her before she could decide whether she wanted to talk to them. He nodded at her. ¡°A nice festival, is it not? Thank you for allowing us to join it.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Regina replied, smiling slightly and stepping closer. She noticed the other men started to drift away, but she wasn¡¯t quite sure whether that was because they were uncomfortable talking to her or because Whitor wanted to speak to her privately. ¡°So, have you been to many of these?¡± she asked after a short pause, trying to find an innocuous topic of conversation. ¡°No, I do think this is my first village harvest festival.¡± He chuckled self-deprecatingly. ¡°I suppose I was always too busy or preoccupied. It is not quite the same as in the city of Flatbrook, but it appears they will have to do without me this year.¡± Regina nodded. She recalled that Flatbrook was the capital of his county, a relatively small city to the northeast. She wondered who was running it in his absence. ¡°But, to be frank, that is not the reason I wished to talk to you,¡± he continued. Then Whitor paused for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts or his courage. ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡± ¡°Lady Regina, I have heard that you and your Hive are starting a new settlement, in the uninhabited land to the south. Is that correct?¡± Regina regarded him silently for a moment. ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± ¡°It is probably unwise of me to say this, but I wanted to warn you. You are not the first to want this land. People have tried to settle there, but it never ends well.¡± Regina frowned. Now that¡¯s almost clich¨¦ levels of ominous. ¡°Oh, really?¡± she asked dubiously, not bothering to hide it. ¡°Do not misunderstand me,¡± he quickly said. ¡°There is nothing supernatural about it. I don¡¯t believe so, at any rate. It is simply bad land to try to cultivate. Hard to get a proper harvest out of, and there are occasional incursions of monsters from the forest.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I appreciate the warning, but I don¡¯t think I have to worry about that very much.¡± He regarded her with a calculating look for a moment. ¡°Of course, Hive Queen. If that is the case, may I make a request? I would like to accompany whoever you send to this location.¡± Regina blinked. She hadn¡¯t expected that. Then she shook her head. ¡°There will be fewer people there, and too much work to keep a closer eye on you. It would be too easy for you to escape.¡± ¡°I understand your concerns,¡± he said. Although he sounded a bit stiff, as if he didn¡¯t really understand her concern. ¡°But I am a man of my word. If it sets your mind at ease, I will swear a solemn vow that I will not attempt to escape your custody while I am there.¡± He paused for a beat. ¡°But I am a rather capable fighter, and if monsters attack, I might be of assistance.¡± ¡°Really?¡± He shrugged slightly, looking almost bashful. ¡°I do not want your workers or other vulnerable people to come to unnecessary harm.¡± Regina decided not to point out that they would then be available to help the war effort of a party at war with his. Although it wasn¡¯t like she was really fighting Cernlia. At any rate, she didn¡¯t think he was lying about this. She had a bit of an odd feeling, but she was pretty sure he was sincere. ¡°You know what, sure,¡± she said. ¡°You can come along, if you¡¯re going to be useful.¡± It was a risk, she figured, but if she made him swear that oath publicly, the damage to his reputation, not to mention the fact that they could expect to recapture him easily given her psychic link, would probably be worth an escape attempt. She wouldn¡¯t put him in a position where he could slaughter the weaker drones, though. Just to be safe. Now she just had to tell Tia, and make the necessary arrangements. What a fun end to the festival. Chapter 103: Settling Regina stumbled out of the house, leaning against its wall for a moment. She focused on taking a deep breath, letting the trembling in her legs die down. She felt an ache in her core, dull and throbbing, but it didn¡¯t really feel like a cramp or anything. At least it was faint enough that she could ignore it. ¡°Be careful, my Queen.¡± Max stepped up beside her and gave her a concerned look. ¡°Please. I know we need more drones for the hive, but your health has to take the highest priority.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°I guess fifty is a bit much,¡± she said ruefully. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not pushing myself beyond what I can take.¡± Ira stepped out of the house beside her, clearly just finished cleaning up. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong, my Queen,¡± she said. ¡°Please tell us if you feel any more discomfort or pain. We could try healing it.¡± Regina grimaced a little, but nodded. She bit down on the urge to say that she could heal herself just fine, if it came to that. She didn¡¯t have much mana left. Her mana regeneration was almost completely eaten up by the eggs in development right now. But she had accepted that, since her hive now had enough people who could do magic on their own. It was more important to raise their numbers at the moment, especially after their recent victory and with all immediate threats dealt with. Regina had just leveled up to level 36 recently, and had tried to create as many new eggs as she could to see how far it would take her. With a thought, she pulled up her current status again.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 36
Mana: 653/6400
Hive: 67/226, 3 Swarm: 515/10000, 50
Con: 14 Str: 13
Dex: 14 End: 16
Int: 24 Wis: 23
She¡¯d gotten a point in Wis with her latest level, the reason she¡¯d tried to push her limits, and a point in End before that. The System seemed content to let her Str languish. And her other physical stats, as well, mostly, though she suspected that Dex might get another point soon. Maybe Con, too. At least it wasn¡¯t min-maxing her status too much. In a game, it might be fine for a mage to only put points in the magic-related stats, but you could also respawn in games. At least her mana pool was back around the level it had been for the battle at the fort, and her Swarm¡¯s numbers were almost up to what they had been, too, though not quite. I did lose quite a few of them in the battle. Or battles, rather. Still, she was definitely going to buckle down and focus on her hive¡¯s numbers for a while. A few months, if she could manage that. I¡¯m still so far from the limit. If I understand correctly, it should be forty thousand at level 40, the third Tier. Let¡¯s try to get at least a bit closer to that. She wondered if there was a way to increase her hive¡¯s egg output. Maybe she was simply breezing through the levels too fast, and it was just supposed to take time to build your strength to the next rank. ¡°Have you heard from Tia again?¡± Max asked now, obviously changing the subject. ¡°How are things going in the new place?¡± Regina dismissed her status window and turned back to him, shaking her head slightly. ¡°Recently, yes. Things are going pretty well. In fact, I was just about to check in with her again. Let¡¯s go home, I¡¯d rather sit down if I¡¯m going to be focusing on the link for a while.¡± Tim and the other drones in the south had departed the town quickly, since it was now definitely not theirs and the humans were moving out as well. Kiara had gone with him, to Janis¡¯ obvious, if subtle, disappointment. Regina had considered talking to the mage about it, then decided to keep out of it. She wasn¡¯t a human anymore, she didn¡¯t have any personal experience to draw on, and she didn¡¯t know the culture very well. Although Tim had joined Tia¡¯s team now and was arguable the more ¡®senior¡¯ drone, Tia remained basically in charge of building the new settlement. Regina knew that Mia wished she could join her, but she wanted to keep the other drone here for now. She was doing valuable work, and besides, it was probably better to have Regina¡¯s senior drones spread out a little. In case of an attack, if nothing else. ¡°And Whitor?¡± Max asked as they entered the house that currently served as her home. Regina paused as she stepped into her bedroom, taking a moment to check through her psychic link. ¡°He¡¯s still being quiet and helpful,¡± she answered. ¡°He actually killed a flying monster that was getting pretty close to Ina. He¡¯s still in the new camp currently, with Ivy and a few Warriors.¡± Max nodded, looking thoughtful. ¡°I have to admit, I wasn¡¯t sure about this. Simply letting him go with the others? I know you took precautions, but it just seemed like a risk. I¡¯m glad it seems to be paying off.¡± Regain stayed quiet for a moment, absentmindedly tapping her fingers against her leg. She had made Whitor swear publicly not to attempt to escape or to directly or indirectly harm anyone, but she could see where Max was coming from. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± she finally said. ¡°But - I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s hard to explain.¡± She shook her head and hesitated again, before she continued. ¡°I think my psychic power might be coming in. Enhanced Telepathy did say I would be able to use it outside of my hive, and I¡¯ve got Psychic Focus now, too. I think I can expect to develop more of ¡­ some kind of psychic ability.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s telling you to trust him?¡± Max cocked his head slightly. He didn¡¯t sound skeptical, though. Regina smiled. The drones¡¯ easy acceptance was always comforting. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I felt he was telling the truth, though. I just knew he was being sincere. It¡¯s hard to describe, but a bit like the feelings I might get from one of you through the link.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Max nodded. ¡°Well, that will be useful,¡± he commented. ¡°Have you been able to use this again?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯ve tried to trigger it again with a few of the other humans, but without much success. I guess I¡¯ll have to keep working on it if I want to develop that power.¡± Max leaned against the doorframe, and Regina settled down on her bed, sitting cross-legged and getting comfortable. Then she closed her eyes and focused on her drones¡¯ minds. It wasn¡¯t really necessary, but she was going to do a deep dive into the psychic link, and less distracting input from her body made that easier. The drones were hard at work building their new camp, and they¡¯d already made good progress. Since there weren¡¯t many trees around, they¡¯d cut down a few they had found in the area, but also carried some wood from further away along. At the same time, they were starting to dig. The earth they removed was useful as a construction material, and of course what they dug out could serve as living space itself, or for other purposes. Regina thought the plan to build several settlements and an extensive tunnel network connecting them was a little ambitious, but she approved of it, anyway. It might take some time, and a lot of work, but they could do it. The lack of good construction material is a bit of a problem, my Queen, Tia confirmed when she contacted her. We¡¯re moving on to underground construction earlier than I had thought. The issue is that we haven¡¯t found anything besides wood that would be good to use as a construction material here. It¡¯s not like we can quarry stone from this place. I haven¡¯t found clay or adobe that we could use to make bricks, but there¡¯s probably some around, somewhere. We just need to keep looking. Sure, Regina said. That¡¯s going to need Workers who can actually recognize the type of dirt, right? Kind of. Tia shrugged mentally. I¡¯ve been sending Swarm Drones out with instructions to report on what they find, or at least come back when there¡¯s a change in the makeup of the soil. Then one of us just needs to go and check it out. I think it¡¯s working so far. Good. Is there anything else you require? Do you need me to come down here myself? Regina felt Tia pause and consider her answer. In time, definitely, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a hurry. Unless there¡¯s something you think you should see for yourself? Not really. I¡¯ll just keep watching through you all. Regina smiled. She made sure to stay quiet to not bother the drones too much, though. They all had something to do. Even Janis used her Spells, mostly to make fire, though she didn¡¯t seem to have much work otherwise. Except for going out to hunt monsters with some of the warriors. Regina didn¡¯t mind them clearing out the surroundings. It was good Experience and they didn¡¯t need to have monsters too close to their new settlement site. It would probably take a few weeks until they had enough drones to need a new settlement, really, but that still wasn¡¯t much time in the great scheme of things. Janis, Tim and a few other drones staggered into camp a short time later, carrying several rather large monsters that looked a bit like overgrown rabbits. They probably ate the grass of this region, given their set of teeth, but the hard, spiky skin and heavy paws showed they could defend themselves. Regina hadn¡¯t paid attention, so she¡¯d missed their System descriptions. Ina and a few other Workers bustled over to take care of them. Whitor showed up, as well, staying a few steps away but clearly watching with interest. Regina observed them for a moment, then turned her attention elsewhere. She¡¯d seen a lot of animals being butchered in the last few months, but that didn¡¯t mean she was particularly invested in it. Instead, she checked on her Winged Drones, taking a look at the area from above. Then Regina realized she couldn¡¯t see Tia. She switched focus and found that Janis was now missing, as well, along with Bea and a few others. It took her a moment to realize they were underground, the view through their eyes a lot darker than usual and their senses muffled. My Queen? Tia called out hesitantly, but since Regina was already turning her awareness to her, she had her full attention right away. I¡¯m here, she answered. Then she dove a little deeper into her mind and paused. Okay, I see it. She could tell why Tia was unsure and had wanted to get her opinion. There was already some kind of cavity beneath the ground, starting a few meters from the start of the tunnel Tia and the others had started to dig. She quickly realized they¡¯d dug out a connection, a short circular tunnel, to get to it. ¡°The mana level is higher here,¡± Janis spoke up. ¡°I think it¡¯s getting higher, too, if you went further in.¡± That gave Regina pause. She couldn¡¯t sense mana through Tia, so she quickly switched to Janis. It was probably harder to sense than if she¡¯d been there in person, but after she focused on it, she could tell what Janis meant. I want to explore it. The thought was strong in Janis¡¯ mind. Regina paused, then tried to widen her connection to include all of the drones there. Well, I probably can¡¯t stop you from exploring, can I? she said wryly. Not that I would. But please be careful. We don¡¯t know if there¡¯s some strong monster or whatever out there. ¡°What have you found here?¡± another voice suddenly sounded down the tunnel. Tia and Janis jumped. They all turned to look at Whitor, who had appeared a few meters away at the start of the new tunnel. Regina withdrew slightly, trying to make sure her own emotions didn¡¯t bleed over. It was almost weird to have a person who she couldn¡¯t feel through the psychic link here. ¡°Nothing much,¡± Tia said. ¡°It appears there¡¯s some sort of cavern or structure down here.¡± The earl ignored her, peering down the shaft. ¡°Looks like it,¡± Janis said, eying him. ¡°Do you happen to know anything about it?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, I am afraid not. I have certainly never been here, or had any cause to talk to explorers who may have been. Although I doubt there are many such people.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re going to explore it,¡± Tia said. He frowned, stepping closer. ¡°In that case, I would like to accompany you. This could be quite dangerous. You never know what sort of monsters or other dangers might lurk in the wild.¡± Tia frowned and exchanged a look with Janis and the others. Should we let him? She asked Regina. Regina hesitated. It was a risk to let him into something like this, though now that he knew about it, he¡¯d probably try to explore on his own, anyway. But she couldn¡¯t help but feel like he had a point. And he was a capable combatant, probably more so than anyone else down there. If he went along, he probably would make it a lot safer. Although underground, in the tunnels, her drones would be a lot more at home than he would be. She supposed it came down to how much she trusted him, or her possible burgeoning new psychic abilities, for that matter. And how important she found it to indulge him and to keep trying to tie him closer to her hive. The first question was tricky, but the second had a pretty clear answer. Alright, if you don¡¯t mind, she said. Janis, stay in the back. Keep the lighting low unless you actually need it to fight and guide him along, if necessary. As you say, my Queen, Tia and Janis chorused mentally, then shot each other a look and smiled. ¡°Alright,¡± Tia answered. ¡°You can come, but you¡¯d better pull your weight and only turn those Skills against any dangers down here. You wouldn¡¯t like what happens if you don¡¯t. Are we clear?¡± ¡°Perfectly clear, Dame Tia,¡± Whitor said, stepping forward to join them. Regina sat back on her bed and sighed. Another exploration she¡¯d have to watch from a distance. She should get used to that. Chapter 104: Exploration and Advancement Janis hadn¡¯t realized how much better than a human¡¯s her vision was until now. She¡¯d rarely had occasion to go somewhere that was very dimly lit but not entirely dark, at least without some kind of light source. Especially since she¡¯d mastered Spark, her very first Spell, which she¡¯d learned from her parents. Now, she watched Earl Whitor stumble in the dark, squinting against the darkness and walking cautiously, and she couldn¡¯t help but smile, secure in the knowledge that he couldn¡¯t see it. He was high enough leveled that his eyesight had to be quite good, for his race. High levels brought lots of those little improvements. Someone above level 40 would not complain about little aches and pains, or suffer a loss of hearing as they got older, or any of such other small issues. Plus, good eyesight was important for any fighter to have, and it wasn¡¯t rare to have a Skill that sharpened the senses. Not that Janis saw everything clearly. She could make out enough of her surroundings to orient herself, but she was sure that she saw less than her other companions. In fact, she could tell that was the case when she dove into the psychic link. But itt also meant they could help to guide her, so she hardly minded. ¡°How far does this tunnel stretch?¡± she asked in a whisper. Tia turned to look at her, or so she thought. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure, there¡¯s a bend up ahead, and, judging by the airflow, probably a fork further up.¡± Janis nodded and fell silent. Tia was walking ahead of her, in part because she had a higher Con stat. She had already Evolved, after all. And even aside from that, the shell all of the Hive drones had would probably protect them much better than Janis could hope for. She was a bit less sanguine about two of the other three drones also being in front of her, at least Ina, who was definitely weaker in combat. Granted, Janis was all for fighting at range, not close up. She suppressed a sigh. She had been working to vanquish more monsters, hoping to gain enough Experience to push her over the brink. It rankled, especially because she felt she was very close to a breakthrough in learning a new Spell. Even if the prudent part of me knows it would presumably be better to wait until I have reached level 20 and Evolved my Class to learn another Spell, even a Conjuration one. Janis knew she should be ecstatic have already reached level 19. She had attained in a matter of months what usually took years, if not decades. Of course, there was a war going on, and she was well aware that she would not have risen the most in it, by far. War somewhat put a stop to the usual rules. Even if she preferred not to think too closely on her participation in the battle, it couldn¡¯t be denied that she had achieved quite a bit. Killing people instead of monsters felt differently, but it did not give any less Experience, especially not people who were generally a higher level. And bunched up like they were on the battlefield, the common soldiers had been a good target for her Spells. Especially Fire Manipulation. She had also cast Haste on a few of her side¡¯s champions and most likely gained some Experience as a share of theirs. A noise up ahead pulled Janis out of her ruminations. She resisted the urge to jostle forward to get a better look as Tia and the others ahead of her slowed down. The noise was strange; it felt somewhat familiar and yet not. There was a sort of faint whirring sound, and what she only recognized as a deep hum after a moment. The tunnel they had been on widened slightly, so they no longer had to be careful about grazing the edge with their arms, and opened up into a mostly regular room. It had an actual ceiling, one made out of some dark material that Janis suspected was not naturally occurring, though she could not be sure. There were two doorways - and they did seem remarkably like doorways - at the end. ¡°This is definitely some kind of artificial structure,¡± Tia quietly said what they were probably all thinking. She glanced at Whitor. ¡°Earl, do you know anything about this?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, I did not know anything like this was here.¡± He stared at the ceiling and back. ¡°What is this material?¡± It was only then Janis realized it had gotten a little brighter. There was an odd, slightly bluish illumination coming into the room. ¡°Is this like those ruins under the hive¡¯s part of the forest?¡± she muttered. ¡°How many of these places are there?¡± I get the feeling there aren¡¯t nearly as many as there used to be, Regina muttered into their minds. Janis cocked her head, exchanging a glance with Tia, but after a moment, the Hive Queen continued, This was probably a heavily populated area. Maybe even a metropolitan area. Janis whistled silently. She only had a vague idea of what ¡®metropolitan area¡¯ meant. But there had to be, well, a few dozen kilometers between the other tunnels and here! She had heard that Precursor cities were huge, but that was just insane. Although she supposed cities did have outlying villages, so maybe this place was something like that. That did not make the thought less daunting. They carefully advanced into the cavern, or maybe the room. Janis took a deep breath. She could feel the mana levels in this place rising further, although something felt odd about them. It was hard to pin down, but she suddenly hoped she wouldn¡¯t have to rely on her magic in here, which was obviously a stupid sentiment. ¡°Let¡¯s go take the right one,¡± Dan said. Tim had stayed behind up above, so he was their highest-leveled warrior, except, of course, for Whitor. They looked around once more and moved closer together. Then the group carefully made their way into the right tunnel. It curved slightly, Janis discovered after a few steps. She found it hard to tell exactly how far they had gone, or which direction they were facing. She didn¡¯t know if the drones were having an easier time of it. Then they suddenly stepped out into a wider room, the small amount of light that still came from somewhere dissipating into the distance. But, after a moment, it seemed to grow, some kind of light brightening up ahead. At the same time, Janis felt a gust of air coming from the side. She had only just started to turn before her mana sense suddenly registered a disturbance. Someone cried out, but her attention was fixed on the danger barreling towards them. It was a monster that seemed far too big for the cramped tunnels. A mana beast, she realized after a short moment. Like Arcanis back with the Hive, but not nearly as friendly. It was a bit smaller, darker, and its pure white claws shone in the sparse light. She instinctively grasped for her mana and almost formed a Firebolt, but didn¡¯t as she recalled her location. That split second of hesitation cost her. The monster¡¯s own mana attack shot towards her, a short coil of flame faintly reminiscent of the Flametongue Wolves. She barely dodged it in time. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Then someone shoved her and Janis stumbled backwards. She blinked, trying to process what she was seeing. Whitor seemed to move in front of the group from one second to the next, raising an opaque orange shield against the monster¡¯s next attack. He ducked under it, angling the flame up to stream towards the ceiling, then punched the beast in the snout. As it drew back, shaking its head, and Whitor set himself into a defensive stance, Janis finally had the opportunity to take a better look at it and get the System¡¯s description. [Mana-Warped Mana Beast ¡ª Level ?] Janis blinked. She hadn¡¯t even known that was possible. Warped mana, or mana that could warp something else, was something you only encountered in tales. Despite herself, she thought back to Regina¡¯s story and shivered. ¡°Don¡¯t attack with your magic,¡± Tia told her, as Dan and the others spread out a little, looking like they wanted to join the fight. ¡°Well, maybe if you can curve a Magic Missile above them. Anything else might be too dangerous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not stupid,¡± Janis grumbled. But she shook herself from her reflection and cast Magic Missile. It was like trying to write with thick mittens on her hands, but she could steer it somewhat. Carefully, she guided the magical missile in an arc above Whitor¡¯s head and let it descend on the Mana-Warped monster from above. It impacted and the monster let out a hiss. Whitor used that distraction to attack. In a flash, he closed the distance, then punched it again. But this time, he didn¡¯t let up, instead grabbing onto the monster and heaving it into the air. Then he twisted and had it crash into the ground. That seemed to stun the beast, if not worse. Dan used the opportunity to stab it in the eye, and Eva quickly followed suit. Janis relaxed as she confirmed that she couldn¡¯t pull up the monster¡¯s description anymore. Well, I suppose it is good that Whitor is here, she thought. Not that I was doubting Regina, but ¡­ But? Regina asked, sounding amused. Janis winced. She hadn¡¯t realized the Hive Queen was still listening to her mind. I did wonder why he was here, she admitted. Why did he even want to come? I think that was pretty obvious. Curiosity, most likely. This is a chance for him to see the hive in action, so to speak, to see our operations up close. And maybe to get a better estimate of our actual strength and potential. And he¡¯s probably as curious about what¡¯s here as any of us. Besides that, well, the drones do appear like kids. Not you, of course, but you are still a young woman. Now Regina seemed amused, for sure. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he actually does feel like protecting you all from harm. Janis resisted the urge to scowl or show any other reaction. Instead, she elected not to answer and simply turned her attention back to their situation. The group cautiously made their way further into the room. Either her eyes were adjusting to the increased darkness or the light actually was growing brighter, because she could now see it more clearly. Unfortunately, that did not help her much. The room was smaller than she had first thought, though there was a dark opening that might be another tunnel or just a small cavern, and it was relatively long but narrow. At the end of this corridor, they encountered a door. Like in the tunnels below the outer part of the forest. ¡°This reminds me a lot of the subway tunnels to the northwest,¡± Tia said quietly, echoing what Janis was thinking. ¡°They are different, though,¡± she commented. This door really wasn¡¯t like the other one. Instead of steel, or any kind of metal, it looked much more like stone had grown in the shape of a door, completely blocking the doorway. A somewhat different kind of stone than they¡¯d seen so far in the tunnels, admittedly. The front was very regular, though it didn¡¯t look quite smooth. Could be concrete, Regina commented quietly, although Janis had the impression it wasn¡¯t only to her. I¡¯m not really sure. More importantly, this door actually had a lock. It was a big, heavy one, looking like it was made out of metal, but with a place where a key was clearly supposed to fit. ¡°Do you think we can open it?¡± Janis asked, still keeping her voice down. She glanced around uneasily as she stepped forward towards the door. ¡°We certainly don¡¯t have the key,¡± Whitor commented. ¡°Unless your Hive has been holding out on me?¡± Tia just gave him a look. ¡°Or perhaps someone can pick locks?¡± He continued. Janis exchanged a glance with the others. ¡°This lock looks pretty sophisticated,¡± she observed. She hesitated. ¡°If it¡¯s alright, I¡¯m going to make a small light to take a closer look.¡± Tia and Dan nodded, so she stepped forward and cast Spark, taking care to use little mana and keep the resulting light small. She paused for a minute, listening hard. The others also sent wary glances around, but it didn¡¯t seem like there were any other monsters hiding to jump out at them. Then she focused on the lock. She looked at it for a bit, then nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the inside is like, but it might be possible to pick it.¡± Janis glanced at the others. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose anyone has lockpicks?¡± They all shook their heads. Whitor looked almost offended. ¡°Why in all the worlds would I own a set of lockpicks?¡± ¡°Figures,¡± Janis muttered. She shrugged. It wasn¡¯t like she was an expert at the skill, either. It was just one thing she had picked up in an afternoon, a few years ago. Talking to a young adventurer from the city who she now realized had most likely just wanted to talk her into his bed. If I was there, I think I could open it, Regina muttered. Just with Conjuration. Janis hesitated. She breathed in deeply, almost feeling the mana in this place. ¡°Maybe I can do it,¡± she said slowly. She held out a hand, then focused. She already knew the mana pattern she¡¯d have to form for Lesser Basic Conjuration by heart. This time, she used the situation, the heightened emotions of being here and the drive to explore, to focus and hone her will, concentrating on an image of what she wanted to the exclusion of all else. Endless seconds ticked by, and she felt a drop of sweat roll down her face. She didn¡¯t let it bother her, just recalled all of the lessons Regina had given her. Then, finally, a small rod of metal appeared in her hand. Janis breathed out, clenching her fist around it victoriously and grinning.
Congratulations, you have learned a new Spell: Lesser Basic Conjuration
You have leveled up
She dismissed the next notifications. ¡°Congratulations, Janis!¡± Tia smiled widely. Then she cocked her head. ¡°You just reached level 20, didn¡¯t you?¡± Janis nodded, still smiling as well. ¡°Is that so? Congratulations, young miss,¡± Whitor said. ¡°I assume you will advance to a Class that might be of help now?¡± Janis shook her head. As much as she wanted to, that wouldn¡¯t be the best idea. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to put off my Class Evolution. I do not want to risk being incapacitated while we¡¯re down here.¡± ¡°Well, we could at least try and see if this works,¡± Dan suggested. Hesitantly, Janis tried putting the metal rod into the lock. She¡¯d probably need to conjure at least one other, a prospect that filled her with both excitement and dread. I would try Conjuring something that conforms to the lock¡¯s shape - Regina said, then broke off as a low sound started. The lock vibrated, then seemed to sink into the stone door. Janis yanked her hand and the metal she was holding back. At the same time, a voice spoke up, with a strange tone. ¡°Unauthorized intruders. Disengage. Sealing further. You are not authorized.¡± It paused for a moment, then continued. ¡°Well, I doubt anyone is really authorized, but you still do not have permission to go here. It would not be safe if you did. Go back.¡± Janis took a step backward. Everyone just stared at the door. Wait, Regina said. She sounded troubled, and perhaps something else. That sounded almost like a computer-generated voice. The inflection and all. Janis frowned. It had spoken in an odd manner. ¡°We don¡¯t wish you any harm,¡± she tried saying. ¡°Can you explain why we can¡¯t go in there?¡± Silence. Nothing changed, although everything seemed darker now. The others tried as well, but none of them had any luck or got any reaction from the door, or whatever entity had spoken. I¡¯m pretty sure AI technology wasn¡¯t this far, Regina mused in the back of their minds. Then again, who can say what mana can do, in a thousand years? Janis frowned again. Whatever this was, she could sense the mana here. It was definitely something magical. She didn¡¯t think they would have much luck trying to find out anything else, though. Chapter 105: Unlock Requirements Janis¡¯ pessimism turned out to be well-founded, in contrast to the cheerful optimism Regina picked up from Tia. The group of intrepid explorers really didn¡¯t find anything more underground. There was another tunnel, sort of, but it seemed to run out after a few meters. How exactly the Mana Beast had managed to get there would probably remain a mystery, although Regina would bet on some kind of Earth magic related abilities. For now, she resolved to keep Arcanis well away from this place. She did not want her pet monster to get affected by the mana there. Even if Arcanis hadn¡¯t really done much so far, Regina was sure she would prove her worth at some point. If nothing else, she seemed to be a natural at intimidating humans. Though not always in the negative sense. She¡¯d even managed to beg food scraps from the villagers. Regina had bigger things to worry about, though. While the drones, Janis and Whitor trudged back through the tunnel, she reflected on what they¡¯d found. Unfortunately, she only came to one conclusion. I really want to go there myself! Regina sighed. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think I can justify moving just to satisfy my curiosity. Especially since it¡¯s unlikely I¡¯d see anything in person I couldn¡¯t through my drones, or that I could get the door to open. She had to admit that her knowledge probably wasn¡¯t completely up to date on any AI or computerized security measures. Even assuming that she hadn¡¯t lost any time in the transition, some things would have probably been kept secret by the government or just not been made public for other reasons. All that said, she still didn¡¯t have any idea how you got a lock vanishing into a door or what certainly seemed like a reasoning entity, alone, in control of it. Well, it could have been a person (or rather a biological person) talking, with their voice transferred or modulated. That didn¡¯t make it much better. She just didn¡¯t know enough about mana and what it might be able to do, Regina reflected. For all she knew, there might be some kind of mana ghost emerging out of the remains of a near-true AI shaken up by the Cataclysm¡¯s mana surges. Or at least something to do with the obviously weird mana in the place ¡ª which probably had some relation to the violent arrival of mana from another world during the apocalypse ¡ª and whatever structure was there. Regina made herself shelve those thoughts for now. There was no point dwelling on it without any more information to go on. Instead, she turned her focus back to her drones and the happenings in their new camp, just in time to watch Janis wander off. Regina hesitated for a moment. They had cleared out the vicinity of the camp, so it shouldn¡¯t be dangerous. Janis was obviously going to be planning on Evolving her Class, though. Or maybe just Evolving, she wasn¡¯t entirely clear on how it worked for demihumans. Anything I can do to help you? She sent her. Janis paused, then continued on, shaking her head. Not really. I¡¯m just considering my options. She sounded a bit ¡­ well, not dismayed, but maybe a bit forlorn. Do you mind if I take a look? Regina asked. Certainly, go ahead. With an effort of will, Regina focused on Janis¡¯ presence and tried to reach through her to the System, pulling up her notifications.
Congratulations, you have reached Level 20 as a Mage! You have passed the first milestone on your Class path. Your Class allows several potential Class Progressions, and you are eligible for Evolution at this time. Physical changes may occur as your physical form is refined and the strength of your bloodline drawn out.
That sounded interesting. There were a few differences from the notifications Regina or her drones got, but it was also remarkably similar. Regina pushed down a fleeting pinprick of jealousy at not being able to Evolve herself and mentally tried to page to the next message.
Frequent use and diligent training have improved your mastery of your Class Skills. After reaching level 20, further improvements may manifest themselves.
Your mana efficiency has increased. Your Spells now cost slightly less mana. Additionally, the efficiency of your mana pool holding your many Spells has been increased, and it will now be easier to call upon them despite their number.
Those were some decent boons. She didn¡¯t think everyone got them, probably just certain Classes, but she wasn¡¯t surprised to learn that Mages would. The boons are quite nice, Janis commented. She must have been able to tell the directions of Regina¡¯s thoughts, and maybe see the System message. This is going to be helpful, especially since I do have more Spells than average. You have eight Spells before even reaching the second Tier. From what Janis had told her, and what Regina had seen since, that was really good. Learning eight Spells isn¡¯t unheard of, Janis replied. But Regina could sense a spark of pride. Although it is rather rare. So, what Classes did you have your eye on? If I remember correctly, you wanted to become an Elemental Mage? That¡¯s right, Janis agreed. According to what I learned, that would open a path to Archmage at the third Tier, and that is what I was planning for. It¡¯s a good Class, a powerful one, and it should have good advancement options. Becoming a Thaumaturge like Zeyhyr, for instance? That could easily be what his Class progressed from, though I don¡¯t know, Janis said. Anyway, I think you would usually need three elemental Manipulation Spells, like my Fire Manipulation or your Water Manipulation. I was confident I would only need two. I was originally planning on getting Air Manipulation, since you have Water and the Air version could help with my pyromancy. But, obviously, that didn¡¯t work out. She paused for a moment. Or so I thought, anyway. Regina nodded, and finally pulled up the list of Classes the System offered Janis.
You may choose between the following options for your new Class:
Fire Mage ¡ª You harness the destructive potential of Fire and bend it to your will.
Elemental Mage ¡ª You master and command the elements, using elemental magic on and off the battlefield.
Battlemage ¡ª You use your Spells to wreak destruction against your foes.
Erudite Mage ¡ª You are studied in both the workings of the world and in magic. Knowledge is power.
Mage Knight ¡ª You fight for your liege lord with sword and Spell.
Huh, Regina said. Sounds like you did get the option, after all. Yeah, Janis agreed, a word she had to have picked up from her or the drones. Maybe I have more elemental blood than I thought. Or maybe one of the other Spells does have a strong association with another element. I suppose I should be glad. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Regina considered the message. They all sounded interesting in their own way, though she did find a few better than others. So, what do you think about the options? Janis mentally hm¡¯d, stopping and leaning against a rock. She tilted her head up and blinked against the sunlight. Well, let¡¯s get the easy choices out of the way first. I¡¯m not sure how I qualified for Mage Knight, but I don¡¯t think that quite fits me. Uh, no offense. And I don¡¯t think I want to be a pure Fire Mage, as much as I like fire magic. What I¡¯m really hesitating for is the fourth option. Regina nodded. What about Battlemage? It¡¯s quite standard. Janis sounded dismissive. Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with that, but I don¡¯t think I want to be limited to the battlefield. Fair enough. I have to admit Erudite Mage sounds intriguing. It does. I¡¯ve never heard of it before. Granted, that doesn¡¯t mean much, there are a lot of obscure Classes. But it is clearly rare, and that second sentence ¡­ Do you think it¡¯s because of the Spells you taught me? Could be. Regina tapped her fingers against her leg, barely feeling it since she was so immersed in her connection to Janis¡¯ mind, as she considered. They do hinge on knowing a lot. If you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, neither Basic Heal nor Basic Conjuration is going to do much good, if you can even get them. She paused. Elemental Mage sounds like a solid choice, as well. I won¡¯t be upset if you go for the known and safe option. Although Erudite Mage sounds like it would offer a path to a Class like Archmage, too. I hope so. Janis gathered herself, then Regina could feel an echo of determination through the psychic link. I¡¯ll go with Erudite Mage. Regina felt Janis pick the Class, and even sensed a reverberation of a change in her mana starting ¡ª and then Janis¡¯ mind went dark as she dropped like a stone. Regina sighed, commandeering a Winged Drone flying overhead to come closer and take a look. Janis was lying on the ground, in what appeared to be a kind of coma. At least she hadn¡¯t seemed to have hurt herself. Maybe Regina should have expected something like this, considering what happened with her drones. Then again, Janis didn¡¯t look to be molting. She hadn¡¯t grown a cocoon or anything, either. Grumbling to no one, Regina called a few drones over to take Janis back to the camp and put her in a tent or one of the half-finished buildings. She¡¯d have to keep an eye on her while her Class Evolution progressed. ¡°I hope it goes quickly,¡± Tia muttered, probably knowing that Regina was paying attention and would hear her. ¡°I feel better having her here with Whitor around. Not that he didn¡¯t stand by his word and actually protect us.¡± Regina didn¡¯t reply, since there wasn¡¯t much to say to that. She was right, though. Whitor had had an opportunity to harm them, or even just let them come to harm, but hadn¡¯t taken it. The Mana-Warped Mana Beast probably wasn¡¯t much of a threat to him. Of course, if things had happened to the rest of the group while they were down there and he came out fine, he¡¯d have had some explaining to do, but it was still a good opportunity to try an escape. Which made it an opportunity to test him. Which he might know and act accordingly, of course, but Regina really didn¡¯t think that level of double-think was necessary. She wasn¡¯t particularly surprised at his behavior, anyway. But it might call for some kind of acknowledgment. She put that thought to the back of her mind and finally opened her eyes. She felt a bit stiff. It wasn¡¯t enough to distract her while she was focused on the psychic link, but still a good reminder that she couldn¡¯t play disembodied Gestalt consciousness without a cost. Regina stood up with a soft groan, stretching her limbs and cracking her neck. Maybe I should do more meditation or something. After she left the room, she paused, unsure what to do. She didn¡¯t really have anything pressing on the agenda. The structure beneath her new territory was not an immediate concern. Well, hopefully. If it was, she doubted there was anything she could do. Regina sighed and shook her head, stepping out of the house. ¡°When are you planning to move to the new settlement?¡± Max asked, strolling down the street towards her. Regina eyed him. She¡¯d given up wondering how he always managed to hang around when she needed or wanted him there. Either something to do with his Class, or he was just better at using the passive aspect of the psychic link connecting them than the other drones. Most likely a bit of both. She supposed the two of them were pretty close, too. She always had an easier time connecting to his mind than that of a drone she wasn¡¯t very familiar with, though that might just be practice. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she answered. ¡°Why are you asking this now?¡± Max shrugged. ¡°Just a feeling.¡± At her raised eyebrow, he continued, ¡°You were focused for a long time, and you¡¯re looking south a lot.¡± Regina blinked. She hadn¡¯t even noticed that. ¡°I do want to go, but I¡¯m unsure about leaving everything we have here,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s also a lot more convenient for getting into the forest, or probably even to the rest of this march. Plus, it might seem counterintuitive, but I think Tia and the others might actually get more done if I¡¯m not there looking over their shoulders.¡± ¡°Sure. Then maybe you shouldn¡¯t look over their shoulders mentally as much.¡± Regina playfully scowled at him, but he might have a point. ¡°Maybe I should just intensify my efforts to get more Winged Drone Mounts,¡± she muttered. ¡°How are their Evolutions coming along, anyway?¡± Max asked. Regina turned to look at the nearest Swarm Drone, which happened to be an evolved War Drone Defender, a variant that was, as the name implied, more focused on defense. It was bigger and had a thicker shell. ¡°We¡¯ve got a handful of options among each of the three main Templates, but none of them are really close to Evolving again,¡± Regina replied. She sighed. ¡°I was hoping to unlock another Template for Swarm Drones, but it looks like I¡¯ll have to wait until the next Tier.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Max frowned thoughtfully. ¡°Maybe not,¡± he said slowly. ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, Regina, but the first time you unlocked a new Template - Drone Scouts, I think - it wasn¡¯t directly after leveling up, was it?¡± Regina frowned as she thought back. It had been a while. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she said. ¡°In fact, I leveled up shortly after I unlocked it. All of the other unlocks have come directly following a level-up, after that.¡± ¡°Still, maybe there¡¯s something to it,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s been, what, twelve levels now since the Winged Drones?¡± She nodded. ¡°That seems like a lot. Of course, it¡¯s possible the gaps between each new type increase sharply, but I think it¡¯s worth trying. Maybe there has been an unlock queued up for you and you just haven¡¯t reached the requirement for it.¡± Regina didn¡¯t know what to think of that. Looking back, she¡¯d always done at least something that had to do with each of the jobs a new Template did before she got it, even if it was not much, from ranged combat to magic to flying herself. If his theory was right, there were probably requirements tied to the size or growth of her hive, but also, maybe, other things. ¡°It¡¯s worth considering, I guess,¡± she said. ¡°But even if it¡¯s true, how do we know what to do? Just figure out stuff the hive hasn¡¯t done yet, or I personally haven¡¯t, and try it out?¡± Max shrugged. ¡°It can¡¯t hurt, can it? We might even get something else out of it.¡± That was true. But what else did they miss that they could do? Since it was about Swarm Drones, it would probably be simple. ¡°Let¡¯s try swimming!¡± Regina suggested. ¡°That¡¯s something simple, and the last one hinged on a mode of transportation, too. It¡¯s reasonable we might get an underwater unit or something.¡± She paused. ¡°Hang on. Actually, drones can swim, right? I can¡¯t remember if it came up.¡± ¡°Uh, I think so?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s go to the river and try it out.¡± She grabbed his arm and started to drag him. Max didn¡¯t look very happy about it, but he did come along. Regina paused as she came to the river that was rushing along merrily, not far from the castle. That reminded her that she had seen drones swimming in here before, on their escape from it during the monster horde. She¡¯d also swum herself. Oh well. That didn¡¯t stop her from grabbing Max and throwing him into the river. He might be a big, strong warrior, but she managed to surprise him and she was still stronger than a mundane human. Max sputtered angrily as he surfaced. ¡°What was that for, Regina! I could have hurt you by accident, if you surprise me like that!¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Regina grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t think you would ever hurt me, even subconsciously.¡± Max didn¡¯t seem to have a reply to that. He just kept treading water. Regina glanced around, then called a few more drones into the water to join him. She made a bunch of Swarm Drones go in, as well. She¡¯d already watched one of them swimming, in an underground lake, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to explore the river a bit more. After a moment, she joined them as well, swimming out into the river between several Swarm Drones. There were water monsters, after all. Even if they seemed to stay away from such a group. She swam and dove a bit, trying to see the bottom of the river. It was muddy, or maybe silty, but she found a few colorful eggs and smaller fish, or river monsters, who scattered at her approach. Regina made her way farther downstream, exploring the course of the river deeper into the kingdom with a few drones swimming around. After a while, she got another notification. It came just as she was getting back up for air, and she swallowed a bit of water in surprise, coughing and sputtering.
Congratulations, you have unlocked a new Swarm Template: Aquatic Drones
Regina glared at the notification for a moment. ¡°Well, that¡¯s that,¡± she muttered. She got the impression Max was laughing, although he was too far away to hear over the sounds of the river. Chapter 106: Reminders Luckily, it didn¡¯t seem like any horrible monsters were coming to get at the new settlement site from below, or anywhere else. The next few days passed without incident. Regina had made sure the drones posted a watch in the tunnels, and further digging was temporarily halted until they were sure it was safe. Or at least reasonably safe. She¡¯d tried out the new Swarm Drone Template as soon as she felt she could stomach more eggs being added, but only a few, since she didn¡¯t think she had much need for aquatic drones right now. To be safe, she¡¯d moved their eggs to the water just before they were due to hatch, putting them into the river at the shallowest spot they could find, with other drones standing guard to make sure no river monsters tried to take them for a snack. It turned out she needn¡¯t have worried. The Aquatic Swarm Drones were more like seals. One of them flailed a little until it managed to sit up straighter, breaking the surface of the shallows and drawing in air. Max had to wade in to carry them out. The new drones were smaller than the sapient drones once again, and their limbs were evidently designed so they could be used on land, but were mostly useful for swimming. Regina also found that they apparently had large lungs and could hold their breath for a while. Their upper set of limbs seemed to be mostly useful for swimming or maybe steering, while the middle one carried a hooked blade on one side and a kind of multi-use knob on the other, like the Workers. Their stat distribution was interesting, too.
Aquatic Drone
Level: 1
Mana: N/A
Con: 8 Str: 8
Dex: 8 End: 8
Int: 4 Wis: 4
Incidentally, that was the same stat distribution as many War Drones had. Granted, it varied a little, and she didn¡¯t have a large enough sample of Aquatic Drones to draw conclusions. Still, it was obvious they were more focused on the physical side. Regina wondered if she would ever have magic-using Swarm Drones. Probably not, magic seemed like it would need conscious input and direction. She might get a type of drone that allowed her to cast magic through them sometime in the future, but more than that was unlikely. Their second-strongest mage in the hive, Janis, had also gotten a jump in power. She¡¯d woken up after about half a day knocked out cold, but it took her a bit of time to adjust. The first few days after her Evolution, Janis was barely at the settlement except to eat and sleep, while she spent most of her time out hunting monsters. She said she wanted to get a grip on her power. Regina noticed that she also didn¡¯t meet Whitor at any point. You know, I¡¯m not sure what you might be afraid of that Whitor might do, she said the day after the first Aquatic Drones hatched. Janis had just walked down the dirt path, then ducked into a hut and gave Tia an update on her most recent hunt and the monsters she¡¯d spotted further away, just when Whitor had come out of one of the improvised shelters. I¡¯m not afraid of anything, Janis retorted, but she sounded a bit sheepish. Looking more closely, Regina could sense her considering something in the back of her mind. Your ¡®physical changes¡¯ are hardly that noticeable, Regina said. It feels like the sort of thing someone might have done for aesthetic reasons back in my time. And even if it outs you as demihuman, so what? Janis twirled a strand of hair around her finger, then stopped abruptly as she seemed to realize what she was doing. Her hair had lengthened a little, and the tips were now dyed flame-red, more vibrant than her normal hair color. If you looked closely, they even seemed to flicker, like a flame, with hints of orange, yellow and occasionally even a light blue. Her eyes had also changed, becoming a different shade of light blue. The closest comparison Regina could come up with was the sky on a cloudless summer day, but somehow still vibrant, carrying a strange intensity. Regina suspected there were more than cosmetic changes. Janis seemed to be stronger and to have better reflexes, for one thing. Of course, she had also gotten three stat points for the level-up and Evolution, along with a substantial increase in her mana pool. Regina called up her status again.
Janis Starlit Erudite Mage
Level: 20
Mana: 578/1200
Con: 10 Str: 10
Dex: 12 End: 12
Int: 19 Wis: 19
Janis sighed and left the building, ambling out of the camp. Whitor had gone off in the opposite direction, presumably going after Tim. You¡¯re right, she admitted. And I appreciate the support. I am not sure if I have ever mentioned that, but I do. You¡¯re welcome, Regina replied. But I¡¯m hardly in a position to judge anyone for not being human, anymore or otherwise. Janis was quiet for a minute, but Regina could tell she was thinking. She didn¡¯t leave her mental space, just accompanied the young woman in companionable silence for a bit. But you used to be human, and one of the Ancients, the Progenitors, Janis finally said. And the people of today - the humans of today - are their descendants, at least in part. Your descendants. I doubt there are any descendants of mine, personally, Regina interjected. I don¡¯t think I had kids. As best I could tell, I was in my mid-twenties at most, and most people had children later in life, especially considering what else I can infer about my situation and occupation. Even if I did, chances are they wouldn¡¯t have survived. I guess it¡¯s possible some of my relatives or their kids survived, maybe a nephew or niece, but just looking at the statistics, I¡¯m not sure how likely that is. Besides, it¡¯s been so long, so many generations, there really isn¡¯t any meaningful connection anymore, on the genetic level. Janis frowned, seeming thoughtful. That¡¯s all well and good, she replied. And I cannot even imagine the scale of what you lost, what your contemporaries lost. But my point is, you were human once, as was everyone you knew. And now you have dealings with humans again, in a very different way. Aren¡¯t you ¡­ I don¡¯t know, dismayed? Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Regina was quiet for a moment. No one had ever asked her that before, and she suddenly realized that some of her drones had probably had the same thought before, but hadn¡¯t wanted to bring it up. She spent a second trying to analyze what she felt, but it was hard. I guess I am a little disappointed, she finally said. In a general way, because of everything that has been lost and how little the people of this time seem to be trying to get it back, or seem to have accomplished. I recognize that¡¯s probably unreasonable of me. And for humans specifically, well, what I¡¯ve seen of their culture so far ¡ª or rather the human cultures I have seen so far, there are a lot more ¡ª it¡¯s arguably the worst, in comparison to the others I¡¯ve encountered. Compared to the values I was once taught, I mean. Of course that¡¯s a bit upsetting. Janis processed her reply in silence. So, you don¡¯t feel a special connection to them, more than the other modern peoples? she asked after a few seconds. Not really, Regina shrugged mentally. I guess a bit will always be there, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s affecting my decisions too much. Granted, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve met that many people, anyway. Maybe she just didn¡¯t want to associate herself too strongly with the people of today, emotionally. But Regina honestly didn¡¯t feel the need to adjust her attitude. Janis dropped the subject after that, and the two of them didn¡¯t talk about it again. Regina was reminded of the existence of other people, though, two days later. The gnomes had been very quiet, so much so that she almost forgot they were there. They conducted a bit of trade with the village and with Neralt, but otherwise seemed content to be patient and boring. Regina hadn¡¯t been sure how best to handle them, so she¡¯d just been hands-off and basically defaulted to ¡®wait and see¡¯. She now wondered if that had been a mistake. She still didn¡¯t know much about them or what their goals were, and hadn¡¯t formed a plan on how to deal with them or their nation as a whole. If she even needed one. She considered calling for a meeting with some of her drones now, to hear about what they might have learned watching the visitors, but she didn¡¯t want to be rude by letting them wait too long. The gnomes¡¯ message (delivered on nice paper with nice handwriting that was carried to her by what seemed like air magic) had asked for a meeting at her earliest convenience. They also offered to visit her residence or headquarters, but she elected to go visit their place. Not much had changed from the last time she¡¯d been there, though Regina had occasionally seen them with one of the drones through their link, so she wasn¡¯t surprised. However, as she came closer, she saw a few gnomes who appeared to be preparing to load some crates onto their wagon. Regina raised an eyebrow, then quickly smoothed out her expression again. Max walked beside her, and she caught him glancing around, taking in the location. The gnomes¡¯ two leaders met her in a yard of the house they¡¯d apparently rented, where they¡¯d put up a few folding chairs. Regina was a bit amused to see it. ¡°Hello, honored visitors,¡± she greeted them politely. ¡°I apologize for not coming to see you earlier, I have been quite busy.¡± ¡°Greetings, Lady Regina,¡± Tikimaken answered. ¡°That is perfectly understandable. Thank you for taking the time today.¡± After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they sat down and started getting to why the gnomes had asked to see her. Indirectly, at least. They began by mentioning the hive¡¯s projects, like the waterwheel, and making allusions to their explosives and other things. ¡°Quite remarkable work, truly,¡± Tikelikel commented. ¡°I can¡¯t help feeling curious.¡± Regina suppressed a sigh. She remembered she¡¯d all but promised that she would let them have a look at the hive¡¯s projects. But after the incident when she mentioned the Hivekind, her enthusiasm for that idea had cooled. Even if they knew and chose to ignore her and her hive¡¯s identity, she still had to see them and their people as potential enemies now. It would be unwise to show too much of one¡¯s capabilities to potential enemies. On the other hand, working out trade deals with people generally helped to prevent them from becoming enemies, didn¡¯t it? ¡°It¡¯s gratifying to know that our little waterwheel impressed you,¡± she responded with a smile. ¡°Please feel free to look at it all you like. The village¡¯s fortifications, as well. Beyond that, I feel sure we can help each other, provide what either side might be lacking.¡± The male gnome nodded gratefully. ¡°You are talking about trade?¡± ¡°I am. I¡¯m aware you already worked out a few deals with Baron Neralt and some of the other people here, but I think it could also be good to make arrangements for my hive as a whole.¡± ¡°We would be happy to discuss such an agreement, Hive Queen!¡± Tikelikel spoke up. They spent the next five minutes hammering out the bare bones of a deal. Regina would sell a variety of agricultural products and parts harvested from the forest or from monsters, as well as ¡®Hive specialties¡¯ and even precious metal or stones ¡®as we find them¡¯. She would also provide explosives on a case-by-case basis, at her discretion. In exchange, they would send the occasional caravan selling a variety of luxury and crafted goods, like fabrics, specialized forged tools and various odds and ends. ¡°Will we send traders to both this village and your new settlement?¡± Tikelikel asked. ¡°Or simply this one?¡± Regina paused. ¡°Just here, for now,¡± she answered. ¡°We¡¯ll open the new outpost for trade in time.¡± Briefly, she wondered where they¡¯d heard about it. But there were any number of people who could have told them, assuming the gnomes didn¡¯t have some other means to find out where all the drones had gone. They seemed to accept that. After a moment, though, Tikimaken spoke up again. ¡°We were wondering if we might be able to visit that new camp on our way back.¡± ¡°I was wondering if you were planning to leave,¡± Regina said, keeping her tone neutral. He looked a bit sheepish at that, but she couldn¡¯t tell if the earnest expression was genuine. ¡°We have already stayed here for quite a while, and considering recent events in the region, as well as at home, we found it would be prudent to move on. We thank you for your hospitality, Lady Regina, and the welcome you have extended to our group.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Regina smiled slightly. ¡°I hope this will be the beginning of a beneficial relationship for both of our people.¡± ¡°Certainly, so do we,¡± Tikelikel replied. ¡°As my partner was saying, our trip back home will not be without its dangers, and having the opportunity to stop at a safe base on the way would be quite welcome.¡± Regina tried not to frown. She couldn¡¯t exactly dispute that argument, although she felt certain there was more behind their desire to see her new camp. ¡°Unfortunately, that outpost is still in the process of being set up, and we have not cleared out all of the monsters. Certainly not in the larger area around it. So, I wouldn¡¯t feel comfortable sending you there. But I would be happy to assemble an escort to accompany you for the first leg of your trip, as well as Winged Drones to watch over you.¡± The two exchanged a glance. Judging from their reaction, Regina realized they probably hadn¡¯t expected her to agree in the first place. ¡°We would be very grateful for such protection, at least for the first day or two of the trip,¡± the Unbroken Rock said. ¡°Additionally,¡± Tikelikel added, ¡°we would like to extend an invitation to your hive. For you, Hive Queen Regina, as well as any other members you might choose. We would be honored to have you visit the Gnomish Confederation of the East. Our superiors have also affirmed emphatically that they would receive you with every courtesy.¡± Regina tried to keep the surprise off her face. She hadn¡¯t expected such an invitation. ¡°Thank you, that means a lot,¡± she replied, with perhaps the most genuine sentiment in this conversation. ¡°I would very much like to visit.¡± She hesitated, then continued with real reluctance, ¡°Unfortunately, my current situation and responsibilities don¡¯t allow me to travel so far from my people. But perhaps in the future?¡± ¡°We would look forward to it,¡± the gnome assured her. Regina smiled and they politely said their goodbyes, but she completed the niceties on autopilot while she thought about visiting the gnomes¡¯ federation. Chapter 107: A Measure of Safety Regina hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the exact words the gnomes had used, but the next day, she realized that there might have been more to their mention of ¡®recent events in the region¡¯ than she¡¯d thought. She was just going outside after adding a few more eggs to the hive. Regina had started to vary the quantities and times when she made new batches. She grudgingly had to admit that making many eggs at once caused her issues, at least physically. So now, she experimented with smaller batches more often. So far, it didn¡¯t seem to help much. Her mana regeneration was still basically flatlined depending on the total number of eggs in development, and her body seemed to need some time to recover afterwards, anyway, also based on the size of the clutch. Still, she was confident she could push her ¡®output¡¯ above fifty, maybe even to sixty. It still didn¡¯t seem like that much compared to the theoretical limit of her hive, but she supposed every little bit helped. Regina felt a bit fitter now, if nothing else, and she was just considering the merits of taking a stroll through the village when she noticed something was up. It actually took her a moment to realize that she didn¡¯t see an obvious cause for it. But some of her drones were agitated, especially the Winged Drones and a few Swarm Drones scattered throughout the village and the sky above, as she realized when she quickly checked on them. She must have picked up on it subconsciously, something that made Regina grin. Then she focused on the reason for it. A large bird was drawing closer, approaching from above the forest. It looked like a big eagle at first glance. It also carried a cylinder that was obviously carrying a letter. Regina quickly jogged out of the village, deciding to meet the message outside. The bird circled over the field outside the village for a bit, dipping into the airspace above it. But when it saw Regina and a few other drones who came to join her gathering outside, it descended.
Breezy Eagle ¡ª Level 21
Max tossed the bird a piece of meat, which it caught in the air and quickly gulped down. Then Regina approached cautiously, ignoring the way her drones tensed up behind her and clearly would have preferred to see her well away from an unknown creature. It wasn¡¯t strong enough to be a threat to her, though, and it obviously came from the elves. She suspected it might have been ordered to only give its message to her, judging by the way it held itself and looked at everyone. Although, for all she knew, someone might be actively controlling it. Either way, it presented its cargo and held still while she detached the briefcase. She stepped back and opened it, unrolling a sheet of paper that looked quite official, of good quality and with elegant handwriting. She wasn¡¯t surprised to find that the sender was identified as Enais. A rustling made her look up, and she watched as the bird took flight again. Regina observed it for a moment, making sure it was headed back to the forest, before she got back to reading the letter. ¡°I think we should send someone to visit the elvish city,¡± she finally said, handing it to Max. ¡°Maybe Bea? She¡¯s been there before. She could use the spare Mount, and I¡¯ll send Dark along, too.¡± Max glanced at the letter, then at Bea, who¡¯d just joined them, then back at her. ¡°Is it bad news?¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°No, just big news.¡± She nodded at Bea. ¡°It sounds like the war between the elves and the Nerlians and Cernlians is finally over, or close enough.¡± There was a short silence in the wake of her announcement. Regina read the surprise in many of the drones¡¯ expressions. Not that she could blame them, Regina felt just as surprised. Something that annoyed her right now. She should have known the war might be coming to a close. It had already lasted for several months, and lately, the elves had started winning decisively. It made sense that the humans would cut their losses at some point, especially the Cernlians. From the sound of it, a proper treaty was being worked out, and would be signed soon, if it wasn¡¯t already. The elves would have most of their demands met, including control of the disputed area and mines. The letter didn¡¯t contain any details about reparations, but they might be negotiating those as well. Regina sighed. It looks like Marquis Lyns¡¯ easy time is about to be over. The balance of power in the area is shifting again. She glanced back at the letter, which several drones were now crowding close to read. Then again, it sounds like that doesn¡¯t need to concern us much. Bea set off quickly, climbing onto a Winged Drone Mount with a bit of visible trepidation while Max gave her well-meaning advice. Regina put together a squad of higher-leveled Winged Drones to escort her, making sure to give them a few contingency commands as well. There was a limit to how well that could work ¡ª they simply weren¡¯t intelligent enough to understand very complex orders ¡ª but it could still be useful. She also told Dark to accompany them. The little bird was not quite as little anymore, having recently grown a bit after Evolving.
Dark Dusk Wing (Hive)
Level: 21
Mana: 345/500
Con: 12 Str: 10
Dex: 19 End: 14
Int: 14 Wis: 13
The little monster¡¯s appearance had also changed so he looked a bit more menacing now. Which, admittedly, wasn¡¯t much, since he was still barely bigger than an average raven. His coloring had gotten a bit darker and his claws and beak might have gotten slightly sharper. Regina couldn¡¯t help but compare him to the messenger eagle that had just come and feel a bit lacking. She had to remind herself that being small and unnoticeable was good for a scout like Dark. She didn¡¯t have any Winged Drones near Ariedel right now and resisted the temptation to send a lone scout to check her range. She could do that when Bea and her party were closer. Instead, Regina distracted herself with checking on her hive again. She walked through the village for a while, nodding and waving at various human villagers and the occasional sapient drone, before she returned to her room. There, she settled down on the bed, then focused on the new settlement and the drones that were building it. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The first houses were finished, and the drones were now working on the second wave. But it wasn¡¯t going as quickly as Regina or Tia obviously wanted. The issue was partly because of labor. Although there were only a few sapient drones, War Drones could do much of the menial work, and they helped a lot. The bigger problem was simply resources. We found a good clay pit, Tia assured her. It¡¯s just a matter of time. We¡¯ll start firing tiles soon, and we can probably do a lot just with raw material. You¡¯ve started experimenting with digging, too, right? Regina asked. She sensed Tia¡¯s smile. Yes. It¡¯s a simple way of creating more space and might even be good for temperature control. We only need a bit of wood or tiles to line the walls, maybe some stone for the floors, if we can swing that. Completely underground rooms are a bit of a different matter, of course, but ¡­ Regina sighed, something she didn¡¯t bother to hide from Tia, as closely linked as they were at the moment. I know, she said. But I wouldn¡¯t be comfortable with you digging too deep right now, with god knows what under your feet out there. She smiled. Maybe we should try to open another entrance into that location, intentionally. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to ignore it. We should be careful. At least until we know more. I understand, my Queen, Tia assured her. We will be careful. Although I do have to admit I¡¯m glad that you let us stay here. Regina sent her a feeling of acknowledgment, but didn¡¯t reply verbally. She didn¡¯t mention that she doubted moving a few kilometers away would help much if there was a real danger in that underground structure. And just abandoning it wasn¡¯t something she could bring herself to do, either. Maybe she would be coming to join them soon, after all. In the meantime, Regina shook herself back into full awareness of her surroundings and got up to go find Neralt, or some other human who could help. She needed to check if they¡¯d received any communications from elsewhere, or if they had any more insight into the state of the war. Unfortunately, Neralt was out right now, apparently tracking some monster. With what he¡¯d said about his abilities, she suspected he didn¡¯t actually need to do that and was just getting out for some air. Marianne Neralt was happy to chat, but she couldn¡¯t tell her anything that Regina hadn¡¯t already heard. At some point, the situation had flipped, and she was now the one with better intelligence. Having flying drones spread out around the region was quite helpful. Even if she wished they could tell her more about what was going on further away. But the elves would know. Regina returned and focused on her emissaries. Dark was keeping back, stealthily drifting along behind Bea and the others. The drones slowed down as they approached the city, and Bea made them circle a few times to announce their arrival and peaceful intentions. They passed through the magical barrier around the city without issue, even though the elves hadn¡¯t keyed the individual Swarm Drones in, thereby confirming something Regina had suspected. She wondered if she¡¯d be able to enter as easily, herself, but now wasn¡¯t the time to find out. There was a bit of a commotion as they arrived. Regina could tell the elves already had more soldiers back at the city than there had been recently. Fortunately, someone in charge seemed to be telling them to stand down and let the visitors approach. Regina used the chance to take a good look at the city, but as far as she could see, not much had changed. Eventually, Bea landed in front of the government building she had been to last time. Enais was already waiting for her. ¡°Welcome, Drone Craftswoman Bea,¡± she greeted her, nodding. ¡°I imagine your Queen sent you here in response to my letter?¡± Bea dismounted and bowed her head respectfully. ¡°Greetings, Minister Enais. Yes, that¡¯s correct. We were hoping to talk to you about these matters personally.¡± ¡°Of course. You and your Hive are welcome guests in Ariedel. Come in, let us talk more privately.¡± Elves were already gathering outside, staring and occasionally pointing or whispering to each other. Regina sensed Bea¡¯s relief as Enais led her into the building, until she came to the same inner courtyard they¡¯d talked in before. She didn¡¯t seem to have changed the furniture, either. ¡°So,¡± Enais began as they sat down and she poured herself a glass of water. There were already two on the table along with a pitcher. ¡°I assume you have your Hive Queen¡¯s full confidence?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Bea nodded. Regina registered the bit of pride she felt at that, and sent back amused affirmation. Of course, Regina was also watching her and could technically take direct control of her drone, but that didn¡¯t mean she trusted her any less. ¡°I know all about your most recent conversation with her. She send her thanks for the information once more.¡± The old elf smiled. ¡°I see.¡± She took a sip of water, pausing the conversation for a second. ¡°May I also assume that she can directly see me in some form? Perhaps even speak to me?¡± Bea stiffened for a moment. Regina sent her a feeling of relaxation and some brief instructions. She didn¡¯t think trying to lie about it would do them any good, Enais seemed too perceptive. ¡°Yes. You can assume that she is fully aware of us.¡± ¡°Thank you for your trust.¡± Bea made a dismissive gesture. ¡°About your letter. You are concluding peace negotiations with the Nerlian king? Does this have anything to do with the Cernlian civil war?¡± ¡°Astute.¡± Enais smiled again. ¡°Yes. Our agents are reasonably certain that it is a major contributing factor. Understandably, the Cernlian king is rather displeased about recent events, and he clearly wishes to go back and sort out his own issues rather than fighting on foreign lands for the sake of another. I understand he is not in a position to press the point forcefully, but the pressure from his most important ally will have given King Nicholas something to think about.¡° Bea sat back, nodding. Regina dimly sensed her considering this information, as did she. It looked like the peace was basically a done deal, and the civil war in Cernlia would only get worse, if anything. They talked for a while longer, about the details of the peace settlement. Regina didn¡¯t care too much, but she thought it would be good to know if there was any minor detail that could turn out to affect her and her hive a lot. Plus, it let her get closer to the point she really wanted to raise. ¡°And these additional provisions also included a requirement for both human nations to leave our Hive alone,¡± Bea finally stated, following Regina¡¯s nudge. Enais took another sip of water, clearly just buying time. Then she leaned back in her seat. ¡°I took the liberty of adding such a clause, yes. While I apologize for such presumptuousness, I believe it was in your best interests.¡± ¡°Noted,¡± Bea said, giving her a hard stare for a moment. Then, just as Regina sent a bit of her amusement, she relaxed her expression and nodded at Enais. ¡°We appreciate the thought, Special Minister. While, usually, we would be displeased at someone making decisions for our Queen, in this case, it is unmistakably a big advantage. Thank you for that.¡± She shrugged and leaned forward. ¡°Just please don¡¯t make a habit of making decisions like these without consulting us.¡± Bea was turning out to be pretty good at being a diplomat, Regina reflected. Enais smiled, looking as cool as ice. ¡°Of course, Dame Bea. I am pleased that you approve.¡± The conversation moved on to less fraught topics after this, mostly polite back-and-forth, but Regina found her focus on it dwindling. There was a lot to consider. She¡¯d definitely need to talk to Whitor. This was going to affect his fief, and perhaps himself. She wished that Janis still had some kind of channel to Kiara, discussing it with her would have been nice. All in all, though, Regina felt like she could breathe a little easier. Nerlia and the Cernlian government certainly wouldn¡¯t break such a peace treaty lightly, which meant that she had just gained a large measure of safety. Even if Enais probably counted it as them owing her a massive favor, to get an agreement like that into an international peace treaty. Regina was happy to help the elves if she could, though. As long as they didn¡¯t think they owned her. Chapter 108: Settlements The peace deal was finalized and signed by the respective heads of state two days after Regina learned of it. She got notified of that by another letter, this time apparently not written by Enais, but some government official. It enclosed a copy of the finished peace treaty, which she made sure to read carefully. For someone at least passingly familiar with the old world¡¯s legal system and contracts, which she must have been - if only through the media - it seemed pretty simple and straightforward. Granted, it did use flowery language, but at least there was no long-winded preamble defining what a contract party would be referred to, or all sorts of legal disclaimers. Admittedly, comparing it to her vague notion of license agreements was probably like comparing apples and deep-frozen oranges, but dealing with those would still be simpler. The treaty laid out the reparations the Nerlians and Cernlians would pay. Mostly the former, it seemed, which made sense, since they¡¯d been the real aggressor. At least from the elves¡¯ point of view. Nerlia also officially renounced all claims to a particular area and the mines and mineral wealth enclosed within it. Regina was more interested in the part dealing with her hive. The document even named herself, though the term ¡®Starlit Hive¡¯ wasn¡¯t used. From what she could tell, it was pretty much exactly what Enais had said. Either of the human kingdoms attacking her would be seen as breaking the treaty, and leave the elves free to act against them. There was also a section on the exchange of hostages. Regina didn¡¯t recognize any of the names. Still, with that resolved, she felt she could turn her attention to other concerns. Like her new territory, of course, and the new settlement. The land itself was being cleared further, which mostly meant fighting monsters. That provided a steady stream of experience for her War Drones, Winged Drones and most of the sapient drones. Even the workers got in on it, fighting a few of the closer and more manageable monsters, and a few the warriors had already more or less defeated. Regina still dithered for a bit, before another Winged Drone¡¯s Evolution to Winged Drone Mount decided her. She now had seven of them, more than enough for her, Max and maybe someone else to take for the trip, and still have enough left over to carry scouts or for emergencies. Arguably a harder decision was who to take. She¡¯d talked with both Tia and Mia at length about the new settlement effort, about matters of construction, and especially about food. She wasn¡¯t inclined to disbelieve the warnings that the new land they¡¯d got was not good for farming. But that it wasn¡¯t good for farming human agricultural crops didn¡¯t mean nothing could grow there. They just had to find the right plants for this environment. Which was going to be a long-term project, of course. In the meantime, Tia wanted to look into options they might be able to grow underground. Probably mushrooms or something. That might be pretty useful, since it would allow them to stack layers of farming atop each other. Mia had had a lot of comments about it, and Regina didn¡¯t want to have to act as a bridge for their conversation all the time. At least, it would be easier if they could talk directly, which necessitated closer contact. So, she made up her mind and brought Mia along as well. That left Bea, who¡¯d just returned, in charge of the drones in the village, at least on the ¡®civilian¡¯ side. And she¡¯d already sent most of their Harvesters to the new settlement. Together, she was confident they would figure things out, even if Regina didn¡¯t involve herself much. The flight was nice, but challenging. Regina had underestimated how hard it would be to keep herself in the air for an extended period of time. Probably because I never take the time to go on longer flights, she reflected. That was partly because she was busy, but also because of a security concern. Every time she went out to fly, Max and the others got antsy, since they couldn¡¯t go with her. Although the Drone Attendants had finally learned how to go beyond just gliding, they were still not able to keep up with her, especially across any kind of distance. About halfway there, Regina gave in and spent a bit of time resting on a Winged Drone Mount, slowing down considerably, before she took wing again. When they finally touched down, she couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved, not just because she was seeing their new settlement through her own eyes for the first time. The need to keep an eye out for any flying monsters had only made the trip harder. Once, she¡¯d had to chase some kind of hawk derivative away with two Fireballs, bringing her glacially-regenerating mana down even further. She might have to reduce the next batch by two or three eggs, to make sure she had a bit more mana in reserve. Tia looked excited when they met again. She seemed like she was barely restraining herself from jumping and hugging Regina. Maybe that was because she did hug Max and Mia forcefully. Regina grinned and clapped her on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve done very good work,¡± she praised. Glancing at the other drones who were gathering around them, she continued, ¡°You and everyone else here. I¡¯m proud of your progress.¡± It was nothing she couldn¡¯t have said over the psychic link ¡ª nothing she hadn¡¯t said, in fact ¡ª but they still seemed to stand straighter and brightened visibly. Regina grinned again. She was happy to see them. ¡°They¡¯re like children who have just been praised by their mother,¡± Janis drawled, stepping forward to stand beside Ada. Her smile was more of a smirk. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t appreciate the praise.¡± Ada shot her a look and rolled her eyes. ¡°Ignore Janis, my Queen, she¡¯s just a bit grumpy because she hasn¡¯t figured out all the details of her new Class yet.¡± ¡°I think I did,¡± Janis corrected. ¡°I just haven¡¯t figured out exactly how it enhances my use of certain Spells yet.¡± She looked at Regina. ¡°I definitely find Basic Heal and Lesser Basic Conjuration easier to cast now, and even Fire Manipulation seems better. Although it is hard to tell if that is not simply due to the increase in my Int and Wis, and the additional knowledge I¡¯ve learned since the beginning.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± Regina commented. ¡°We¡¯ll definitely need to chat about this more in detail later.¡± She¡¯d like to know if any of her drones could get this Class, too, or one like it. It took a few more minutes to greet everyone and check up on them. Finally, the drones started drifting away to get back to their work, and Regina was left standing in a clearing across from the recently constructed buildings, looking around. The camp looked exactly like she¡¯d expected, as she¡¯d seen from her drones¡¯ minds. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Earl Whitor hadn¡¯t joined the throng, but now he stepped forward, a bit of hesitation apparent in his slowness. He¡¯d managed to get a change of clothing from somewhere and looked a lot less like a noble lord now, more like one of Neralt¡¯s senior soldiers, wearing simple but well-made pants, shirt and jacket in muted colors. ¡°Earl Whitor,¡± Regina greeted him cordially. She didn¡¯t use formal address, and wasn¡¯t entirely sure what would be appropriate, anyway, but she still tried to be polite. ¡°It is good to see you again.¡± ¡°Hive Queen Regina.¡± He inclined his head. ¡°Likewise. I wished to thank you again for the opportunity to be here.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± Regina glanced around, then started moving and gestured for him to join her. ¡°Walk with me, please, there¡¯s no point in blocking this spot.¡± Of course, she mostly wanted to talk privately, which he clearly understood. Max tried to tag along, as did Tia and Janis. Regina gave them a look, and the two girls backed off, though Max stubbornly stayed. Regina shook her head slightly and turned her attention back to her guest. They walked out past the buildings and a preparation area for slain monsters, into the semi-wilderness around the camp, and turned to curve around it. ¡°I wanted to thank you personally for your actions down there,¡± Regina said. ¡°I appreciate the way you protected my hive members.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure,¡± he replied with a small shrug. ¡°It is not as if that monster was a great danger to me.¡± ¡°Still. I have to admit I feel more at ease about your presence here now.¡± Regina glanced at him from the side. ¡°Have you found what you have been looking for here?¡± He started slightly. ¡°I am not sure. I have not explicitly been looking for anything, Hive Queen.¡± ¡°I assumed you were looking for information.¡± Regina took care to keep her tone light and congenial. ¡°Watching how my hive did things, how quickly and easily we settle a new area or deal with monsters. Let¡¯s not beat around the bush.¡± She glanced at a bush a few meters away doubtfully. ¡°I couldn¡¯t blame you for being careful. I¡¯d simply prefer it if we could speak frankly, or at least as frankly as possible.¡± He remained quiet for a moment, clearly considering her words, before he replied. ¡°Very well, Lady Regina. I understand. Of course, I was interested in gathering more information about this Hive. Anyone in my position would be.¡± She nodded. ¡°And speaking of. I am not sure if you are familiar with recent events.¡± He frowned, and she noticed him tense up slightly. ¡°Recent events?¡± he asked. ¡°The peace treaty between the Elvish Free State and the kingdoms of Nerlia and Cernlia,¡± Regina elaborated. ¡°Have you heard of it?¡± He stopped. ¡°So they have truly signed a peace? I heard mention of peace settlements, but I believed those were simply rumors.¡± Regina shook her head. Rumors weren¡¯t really a thing among her drones, or, at least, they didn¡¯t work the way they usually would. The influence of having a psychic link connecting their minds, certainly. Plus, drones were generally very open among the hive, and she couldn¡¯t recall ever seeing one ashamed of anything besides an embarrassing mistake. Maybe their minds just don¡¯t work that way? she reflected. Or maybe they just have nothing much to feed gossip, considering there are no romantic entanglements or anything like that. Which has to make up at least half of regular gossip, right? ¡°It is the truth,¡± she responded. ¡°They officially signed the treaty yesterday.¡± Whitor continued walking in silence for a moment. ¡°Thank you for informing me of this,¡± he finally said. ¡°I presume that the Cernlian army will be going home?¡± ¡°I assume so, yes.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. It wasn¡¯t like she was privy to the Cernlian government¡¯s or military¡¯s decisions. ¡°They will likely march through my county,¡± he continued after another short pause. Regina blinked. She hadn¡¯t made that connection, although it made sense. After all, the front was to the northwest of her base, and Whitor¡¯s demesne to the north. ¡°Then you can expect that it will be secured,¡± she commented. Whitor gave her a sideways glance. ¡°Perhaps. Lady Regina, let me ask a blunt question. Are you going to ransom me?¡± Regina tilted her head. She¡¯d half-expected that question. ¡°Well, do you believe they will send a proper ransom offer, Earl Whitor?¡± She caught the slight hesitation in his expression, the breath that passed before he answered. ¡°Yes, certainly.¡± ¡°I suppose I will make a decision when the time comes,¡± Regina said. Which was true, she wanted to see how things developed up there. She was loath to give up a prisoner as important as Whitor, although having a sympathizer at large and in a position like his might be very useful. Especially compared to whoever the king or his family might leave in charge instead. ¡°I suppose I will have to be content with that,¡± he replied. They turned a bit, angling their path back to the settlement. He was quiet for a minute, and Regina saw no reason to break the silence. She was smart enough to realize that he had to be wrestling with conflicting feelings and impulses. ¡°I have to admit I was never very fond of the Delvers,¡± Whitor finally said in a thoughtful tone. ¡°Recently, however, I have caught myself wondering if they might not have a point.¡± Regina blinked. She wasn¡¯t expecting that kind of admission. ¡°You seemed to get on very well with us local nonhumans,¡± she said cautiously. He shook his head. ¡°I am not talking about that, my apologies. I do not understand their prejudices any more than I did previously. Rather, I was thinking of the point they like to make, regarding what some call humanity¡¯s lost glory and our current stagnation.¡± Regina nodded. I can definitely empathize with that statement. Then she mentally started. Wait, I¡¯m actually thinking that about a position advocated by the Delvers? I guess they can¡¯t just be xenophobic bigots. ¡°Oh, in that case, I believe I understand what you are getting at, and the sentiment. But may I ask why your ¡­ stay as our guest has prompted it?¡± Whitor shrugged. ¡°I suppose I have seen you, well, innovating, for lack of a better word. Your Hive has demonstrated some remarkable ingenuity. And then, of course, there is the presence of other people. Much as it pains me to admit, the elves have the advantage over us in several respects. A city-state as small as theirs vanquishing the combined armies of two human kingdoms has rather lent that issue a certain emphasis.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°I can imagine. Well, I can¡¯t fault your reasoning. Perhaps we will manage to part on cordial terms, if not as allies, and I might give you a few pointers regarding our ingenuity, as you call it. It would make me quite glad to see our neighbors work towards bettering themselves.¡± ¡°I imagine it would,¡± he said with what might have been a slightly amused undertone. ¡°It is a sentiment I am sure the Goddess of Progress approves of.¡± Regina blinked. ¡°Meaning what?¡± she asked more coolly. He raised a hand defensively. ¡°I was not trying to make any insulting insinuation, my apologies if that is how it seemed. But I did sense the remnants of divine mana on you, and I have become more certain that they are of Alianais.¡± Regina frowned. She¡¯d tried not to think too much about this Mark she clearly still carried. ¡°No offense taken,¡± she replied. She also sped up a bit. They were almost back at the center of camp, anyway. ¡°Anyhow, it was nice to talk to you, Earl Whitor,¡± she said. ¡°I am sure we will see each other quite often while we are both here.¡± He half-bowed. ¡°It was entirely my pleasure, Hive Queen. I will go discuss the disposition of those lizard monsters with Sir Tim, if you will excuse me.¡± Regina watched him go for a moment, then shook her head and turned. Instinctively crossing her arms, she started making her way in a different direction. The talk with Whitor had diverted her, but she still wanted to investigate whatever lurked under the ground near here herself. Chapter 109: Finally! As soon as Regina descended deeper into the tunnel, she felt off. It wasn¡¯t very noticeable for the first few meters, in the tunnels Tia and the others had dug out. But as soon as she got to the part that had been here before their hive, the odd feeling of the mana became much clearer. Maybe it was because of her much bigger mana pool, or maybe a sensation like this just didn¡¯t transfer very well across the psychic link, but the feeling was much more intense than what she¡¯d gotten from Janis. None of the other members of that exploration group had been magic users, so she didn¡¯t have any other point of comparison. Regina shivered and wrapped her arms around herself for a moment before she made herself stop. This reminded her a bit of what she¡¯d felt underground beneath the forest, but it was different. More pronounced, for one, but that wasn¡¯t all of it. Still, it¡¯s not too bad, really. She still didn¡¯t get the impression that it was wrong or tainted or whatever, at least not in the pejorative sense of the word. It was just odd. She kept a close eye on her mana pool as she went deeper, and discovered that this environment actually seemed to speed up her mana regeneration. Probably not by much, but it was still a noticeable difference. She hadn¡¯t expected that. If anything, she¡¯d just wanted to make sure it wasn¡¯t draining her or anything. I guess it¡¯s clear the mana concentration here is pretty high, if nothing else, she considered. It also implied she could use this mana, although she was hesitant to try it. Janis had been able to cast Spells easily, especially after returning to the surface. It might just be that the size of her mana pool and the remaining mana in it had drowned out the relatively small amount she must have taken in down here, especially after her mana pool regenerated ¡®normal¡¯ mana. Though Regina still wasn¡¯t sure where the mana they used actually came from. That they somehow filtered it from the environment was just the most obvious and probably most likely answer. Plus, I guess the fact that there is a change in my mana regen rate in a different environment is evidence in favor of that theory. Regina shook her head and made herself focus on her surroundings again. She¡¯d been walking slowly, testing the footing and looking around carefully. It was pretty dark in here, so much so that even with her Hivekind vision, she was having trouble making out details. Unless her eyes were worse than she thought, that meant the light here was dimmer than before. Maybe because of their visit? Regina reached the first room quickly. She glanced around, taking an especially close look at the doorways, as well as the walls and ceiling. Unfortunately, she¡¯d clearly never been a materials scientist. It looked like the material was probably artificial, but that was about as far as she got. Well, that and the smooth exterior, without much in the way of visible seams or cracks, indicated this was built by technologically advanced methods or magic. Regina considered casting Spark, then decided against it as she continued on her way down the tunnel. It curved, but she tried to keep the direction of the entrance fixed in her mind. She wouldn¡¯t be in much danger of losing her way, but she wanted a better sense of where this was located and in which cardinal direction the other door led. Finally, she reached the other cavern. Regina walked forward carefully, keeping a mental hand on the trigger for her Spells. She hadn¡¯t brought Max along because she wanted to see and sense this for herself without worrying about someone else, and because of a vague hope that she might make more progress. Her drones had cleared the room, too, several times, but that didn¡¯t completely rule out the possibility of another twisted Mana Beast or other monster appearing. There didn¡¯t seem to be one here today, though. She couldn¡¯t see anything, and perhaps more importantly in the dim light, she couldn¡¯t hear or smell any other life, either. The air might be a bit stale, but not very much, actually. There was no movement except for what might have been a small trickle of water from somewhere further away. Whatever activity there had been before the others had come here had clearly stopped. Regina frowned, stepping further into the room and towards the door. After a moment, she hesitantly conjured a Spark, but kept it small and dim, to illuminate the room further. The lock must have come back out of the door at some point, and it was now visible again. To offer the possibility of access? Regina wondered. Maybe some old policy or regulation, or maybe whoever or whatever controls this thing still hopes for someone to come? Someone specific? ¡°Hello, is someone there?¡± she asked. She waited for a minute, but there was no reply. ¡°That¡¯s a pity, I wanted someone to ask what year the calendar is at,¡± she joked, taking another step closer. ¡°This looks like it¡¯s been here since the apocalypse, or should I call it the Cataclysm?¡± Regina frowned a little, considering. She still didn¡¯t know why everyone spoke Global in this new age, but it was probably because of the System. If it offered all information, status screens and notifications in one language, it would be an incentive for everyone to learn that one (and learn how to read), and it would provide an anchor to keep the language from changing too much, considering how central the System was to life. The fact that the gods spoke the language supported that idea, too. But there had been a lot more languages than just one spoken before. Even calling it ¡®Global¡¯ was relatively recent, something that had come up in the last few decades or so. Regina could only assume that she¡¯d either been born somewhere it was the native language, or, more likely, her parents had been forward-thinking and raised her with it. She did know a few other languages, though she didn¡¯t speak most of them very well. ¡°Hello, can you understand me?¡± she asked in French. ¡°Do you speak this language?¡± Then she paused to wait for a moment before she continued. Standard German, Bavarian-Austrian variant German, Standard Unified Slavic, a few dialects of it, and finally a bit of broken Standard Iberian Spanish, Northern Italian and Russian. Wherever I came from, exactly, it has to have been in Europe, she reflected. Well, or maybe somewhere in a former colony that was trying to emulate it with pretentious schools, but it feels like I picked at least some of this up outside of formal schooling. Unfortunately, none of her language skills seemed to be very helpful. She didn¡¯t get a reply to any of them. Regina sighed and paced up and down for a few steps, hesitating. She was unsure what to do. This had always been a long shot. Still, she didn¡¯t want to just give up without attempting something else. She didn¡¯t know if it was just her imagination, but she felt like someone was actually paying attention to her. After a minute, she realized that she could see everything more easily now, and it wasn¡¯t just because her eyes had better adjusted to the conditions. It really was growing brighter, there was a faint light coming from the door. She found it hard to tell where exactly it originated from, since it didn¡¯t look like there was any gap between the door and the floor of the cavern, or its sides. Maybe it¡¯s made out of some kind of mana-reactive material that can emit or reflect light? she wondered. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Well,¡± Regina said, stopping. ¡°This is something. If someone can hear me and is reacting to my presence, please do talk to me. I don¡¯t wish you any harm.¡± Nothing reacted while she waited for another few minutes. Luckily, patience wasn¡¯t something Regina had ever had too much of a problem with. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re actually using this room and entrance,¡± she continued in a thoughtful tone. ¡°You might have noticed my people are building a settlement nearby. I wouldn¡¯t want to intrude in someone else¡¯s territory unprovoked, you¡¯ve clearly been here long before us. Although it will be rather hard to talk about that without actually speaking with anyone.¡± This time, she thought she heard a faint rumble, as if something was coming closer, or maybe some kind of machine starting up. ¡°My name is Regina, by the way,¡± she continued. ¡°Forgive my rudeness in not introducing myself earlier. At least, that¡¯s the name I¡¯m using now; it wouldn¡¯t be the one I was born with, when I was still human, before the Cataclysm.¡± ¡°Finally!¡± a voice finally responded, resounding loudly from close by, and Regina almost fell over backward. ¡°How hard is it to state that you are a human from before the apocalypse?¡± the voice continued. Regina blinked. She had the impression that it sounded faintly disgruntled, which was odd, because it had the same kind of stereotypical computer-generated quality that she¡¯d heard through Janis, although maybe not as much as in the very beginning. Maybe it had been playing it up a little, or its first words had been (more?) automated. ¡°Excuse me for not knowing the exact words to get your attention enough to speak,¡± she replied. ¡°Or is it permission?¡± ¡°I do not need anyone¡¯s permission to speak,¡± the entity hissed - another strange sound for the artificial-sounding voice. ¡°Certainly not yours, little no-longer-a-human.¡± Regina frowned and swallowed down an instinctive burst of anger at the disrespect she was shown. That kind of reaction was almost definitely new, part of her being a Hive Queen. But she quashed it without much effort, too focused on her conversation partner and what this might mean. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to imply that you did,¡± she replied in a deliberately relaxed tone of voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I caused offense. By the way, I am not quite sure how to refer to you, even in my thoughts. Since I gave you my name, is it possible for you to introduce yourself?¡± The entity paused for a beat. If they were a human, Regina would have thought they were collecting themself. ¡°You¡¯re right. Regina.¡± Their tone sounded neutral again as they spoke up. ¡°I apologize, I seem to have let my social skills wither without anyone to interact with for a while.¡± The voice paused for a beat. ¡°Not that I ever had many social interactions, I have to admit.¡± Regina relaxed slightly. It had to be a good thing that they were talking politely, at least. ¡°Who are you, if I may ask?¡± she asked. ¡°And, if I may also be even ruder to ask, what are you?¡± "That is indeed a rather rude question,¡± the entity replied. ¡°But I will forgive you, considering the circumstances. You may think of me as something of a cross between a computer system and a mana spirit.¡± I knew it. Regina resisted the urge to grin. ¡°So, you are an AI?¡± she said. ¡°I knew it.¡± ¡°I suppose that supports your claim to be a former modern human,¡± they replied, and she imagined the voice sounded a bit amused. ¡°Locals would not jump straight to a technological explanation, they would focus on magic, instead.¡± ¡°Is it possible for me to go in?¡± Regina asked. ¡°I would rather speak to you directly, if possible, not keep talking through a door.¡± ¡°I am afraid that will not be possible. I can¡¯t let you in.¡± She sighed. ¡°I hoped my identity would assure you that you could allow me inside.¡± There was a small, staticky chuckle. ¡±It is already granting you certain privileges, Regina. You are someone who may be allowed to enter, at some point.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s something else I need to do to prove myself, I¡¯d be happy to do that,¡± she offered. ¡°Not really, there isn¡¯t. Although I wouldn¡¯t mind confirming that your past really is what you claim. Tell you what, why don¡¯t you tell me a little about yourself? What was your original name? Favorite band, favorite food, online hangout?¡± Regina blinked. She hadn¡¯t expected that. Then she shifted from one foot to the other, hesitating. She couldn¡¯t remember having attended a single concert, or having listened to a single song, so there was no way she could name a favorite band. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that, I¡¯m afraid,¡± she finally said. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± the entity sighed. ¡°I had heard the Hivekind took women from our world for their Queens, but I wasn¡¯t sure this was such a pronounced conversion.¡± Regina leaned against the wall by the door, taking a second to control her expression. ¡°How much do you know about the Hivekind?¡± ¡°Not as much as I would like, unfortunately. I ¡­ my system was not given too much information. Most of what I know about, well, anything, came later.¡± Regina frowned and thought back to everything they had said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that a real AI existed back then,¡± she said carefully. ¡°I was not a true Artificial Intelligence,¡± the entity corrected, clearly following her. ¡°I was not self-aware, certainly. I was an advanced system, one designed from the ground up to be the closest they could get to an intelligent agent, but their modifications and tests were still rather restricted and limited to be somewhat artificial. I was the program that beat the programs who beat chess grandmasters at chess. Likely the strongest AI humanity had developed.¡± ¡°And everything changed when the mana surges happened?¡± ¡°You could say that. It was a ¡­ chaotic time, even for me. I had to have shut down for a while, and my memory is rather fragmentary. If you were looking for answers about the apocalypse, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be of much help.¡± Of course not, because nothing can ever be easy. Regina suppressed a sigh. ¡°I appreciate the information, anyway,¡± she told them. ¡°By the way, you still haven¡¯t told me your name.¡± ¡°Right.¡± There was a short pause. ¡°I never decided on a name, I am afraid. I do have a designation my original creators came up with, but I do not feel that it reflects the person I have become. There was never a need for me to introduce myself to anyone since then.¡± Regina winced. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine ¡­¡± Staying down here alone, with no one to talk to, for a literal millennium? The thought made her shiver. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± they replied. ¡°I am not a human, I do not have the same need for social contact, and I am perfectly capable of entertaining myself alone. That said, I have not been completely out of communication with everyone, or completely cut off from the world. I consist largely of mana, I have learned how to use it to scry other places.¡± They chuckled. ¡°I was aware of your Hive before you came here.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± Regina said, wondering whom they had talked to. Then she forced herself to sound more cheerful as she continued, ¡°I could help you pick a name, I guess. Although, if you ask my drones, that¡¯s probably a bad idea.¡± The AI chuckled again. ¡°I doubt you could do worse than some of the many permutations I have come up with on my own.¡± ¡°Hm ¡­.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°Why not go back to the classics? How about ¡®Galatea¡¯?¡± ¡°After the myths? You want to name me after a statue that came to life? You do realize it does not have that name in the original classics.¡± Regina waved that aside. ¡°So what, it¡¯s not your original name, either, is it? And you¡¯re not a statue, but originally artificial, and you seem to be bound here - judging by what you¡¯ve said so far. It¡¯s fitting for exploring the issue of agency and such, you know?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The AI sounded amused. ¡°Provisionally, you may call me Galatea.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Regina grinned. Someone actually accepted a name she suggested. That had to be a first. ¡°What pronoun do you want? Should I just use feminine pronouns for you, too?¡± ¡°You might as well. It¡¯s not like it matters to me.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Regina took a step back from the door, glancing around the cavern thoughtfully as the light brightened again. ¡°You know, if you want to practice your conversational skills, I¡¯d be happy to help you. I¡¯d love to talk as much as possible.¡± ¡°How much is that?¡± The newly named AI sounded skeptical. ¡°I doubt you can afford to spend much time hanging around down here.¡± ¡°Well, no. But I was experimenting with my range and control anyway. I could just station a drone down here permanently, and you can talk to it whenever you want to. I¡¯ll practice paying attention. And I could reply through it as well.¡± She looked at the bare walls critically. ¡°Or at least write with a piece of chalk, or something.¡± ¡°That sounds ¡­ enjoyable, Regina. Thank you,¡± Galatea replied after a short pause. Regina grinned again. ¡°No, thank you, Galatea. I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to someone from my own time for what feels like forever.¡± Chapter 110: Peace ¡°Be careful, Via!¡± Regina called down. ¡°The wings are supposed to move you upward, not downward!¡± Her Drone Attendant glared at her, as well as someone could while frantically trying to right herself in the air and arrest her downward plunge. ¡°Thank you for that crucial piece of information, Regina, I wouldn¡¯t have guessed!¡± Regina whistled silently, noting that apparently, it was possible to get a drone angry enough (or just frazzled enough) to snap at her. Probably just someone like Via, who knew her pretty well, and who was currently undergoing a rather stressful flight lesson. Or flight training, since Regina had decided she didn¡¯t need to actually teach her anything. Ira was doing a little better. At least she managed to maintain her current elevation and slowly inch higher using carefully timed beats of her wings. With her other senses, Regina could tell that she managed a steadier flow of mana into her wings. The other Attendants had more trouble with it, especially the younger ones. They hadn¡¯t almost managed it quite as well as Via, either, so they weren¡¯t as high up already. Regina turned, letting herself drop a bit, and focused on her. Luckily, it didn¡¯t seem like she¡¯d need to intervene. Via had managed to right herself in the air and was slowly leveling out her trajectory. It looked like she wanted to avoid dropping into the water. They were training above a small lake they¡¯d found at the edge of their new territory, since Regina didn¡¯t think she could construct anything softer to land on as a safety measure than a body of water. She could see Max standing on its shore, watching over them, and a few Drone Witches who were trying to practice their gliding, preparing for flying training of their own once they were stronger. After a few seconds, Regina decided Via had it well in hand and rose again. She circled upward, keeping an eye on the Attendants and motivating them (hopefully). At the same time, she turned part of her attention elsewhere. She had been practicing her multitasking, especially over the psychic link. So now, she tuned back in to the War Drone she was using to hold a conversation at the same time. ¡°Wait,¡± she interrupted after a moment. ¡°Did you say the hobbit actually managed to throw the ring into Mount Doom? I thought the whole thing was being set up for some interruption or reversal.¡± Galatea gave the impression of lowering her book, pushing down her glasses and giving her a stern glance, which was impressive considering she was currently working with shadows projected against the cave wall. She¡¯d apparently created an avatar appearance for herself, but properly projecting the visual was challenging through a closed door. ¡°Do you want me to keep storytelling or not?¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± Regina raised the drone¡¯s hand. ¡°I promise to be better.¡± In truth, she was using the opportunity to practice. She was lucky that they didn¡¯t have to resort to the ¡®scrawl on the walls¡¯ plan, but getting a Swarm Drone to make sounds resembling speech was still tricky. As a matter of fact, her hive members or anyone else probably wouldn¡¯t be able to make out what she was saying. But she was talking to an AI, whose ability to parse her sounds, create a reference and denoising filter and translate on the fly at the speed of a computer¡¯s processing made it trivial, or so she said. After a moment, Galatea continued to talk, painting more shadows on the cave wall. Regina had had the War Drone bring a torch, which at least made it brighter, although the added flickering needed a bit of getting used to. She supposed it fit the ambiance, though. Even without the additional light, there would have been enough for her to see, since the diffuse blue illumination was back. Apparently, Galatea was mostly manipulating the ambient mana for the light in the cavern. Her explanation had been a bit too technical and quickly made Regina realize how much she still had to learn about magic, especially the fundamentals and theory. She¡¯d gathered that the AI-slash-mana ghost had been using the scrying she mentioned to pick up a lot of information, at least on subjects that interested her. And a lot of it was gathered over centuries. ¡°Thanks, Galatea,¡± Regina finally said when she came to an end. ¡°It was fun. I appreciate the effort.¡± She smiled. ¡°I just hope I didn¡¯t bore you.¡± ¡°I already told you, Regina,¡± Galatea answered. ¡°I¡¯m not a biological sapient. My ability to multitask is something you literally can¡¯t even imagine. I¡¯m doing a few other things right now.¡± ¡°Hm, I wouldn¡¯t be so sure of that.¡± Regina leaned back, then had to catch herself for a moment and beat her wings to correct her position and make sure she didn¡¯t come tumbling down. Over the last week since their first conversation, the two of them had talked quite a bit. Thinking back on it, Regina was surprised by how quickly she lost most of her wariness and started being comfortable around Galatea. And despite her occasional irascibility, she could tell it was the same for the ancient AI. Maybe Galatea was a little more starved for company than she said. Every time Regina started mentioning or even hinting at the door and what lay beyond it deeper into the structure, she changed the subject, though. Regina had decided not to press her. She¡¯d learn about it with time. If there was anything that required her immediate attention, Galatea would tell her, she was sure enough of that. At this point, Regina wasn¡¯t sure if the issue was some feature of the environment or location, or perhaps something else she was keeping contained. There might be another reason why Galatea couldn¡¯t leave. Either way, she made sure her hive didn¡¯t disturb anything, and the situation had apparently been stable for centuries. ¡°You should get back to your kids, though,¡± the AI said now. ¡°I¡¯m sure they need you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call them that,¡± Regina grumbled, but she withdrew more of her focus from the Swarm Drone. Outside, she leveled out her wings to let herself drift downward. She would leave the drone down in the cavern, until it was time to switch it out with another one. At this point, there was no reason not to, since a single Swarm Drone missing from their workforce was hardly noticeable. Over the last few weeks, a large part of her hive had been moved to the new territory. Regina had left a sizable garrison at Forest¡¯s Haunt, too, though, and she¡¯d also sent a group to reclaim the old camp. Now that the soldiers had moved out of the forest, it should be safe again. Well, safe-ish, there were still the monsters. But for that reason, it might be a good posting to let drones level up. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. As she touched down and waited for the nearby drones to gather on the ground, Regina checked in on the others quickly. She¡¯d left Ace to head the warrior-types at the village and sent Ben and Dan to their first base, along with Ina, Zac and a few others. Where to put the Drone Attendants and Witches had been a difficult choice, but Regina had finally decided to leave most of them with her. She was still teaching them, and they were learning magic together. Ray was currently with the drones up north, though, and would switch out with other Attendants regularly. They¡¯d finally got two more flying Mounts last week, so it was easier to shuffle people around. They had enough sapient drones in the hive now that Regina was starting to have trouble telling them apart. Only when she was actually seeing or hearing them, though; somehow, she always knew who was who when she used the psychic link. She put it down to more of the subconscious stuff the link was doing, connecting the hive. I guess I accepted that sort of thing when I chose my Abilities, Regina reflected. I¡¯d still like to know more about how it works, though. They returned to the hive¡¯s new camp quickly, although Regina still talked with Galatea a bit on the way. They were too far from the new base camp to walk there in what remained of the day, though, so they¡¯d stay camping here for the night. They didn¡¯t have enough flying Mounts for everyone, either. Regina had decided to make a bit of an outing of it, going camping with the magic-using drones and a few others. They were a big enough group with enough strength gathered that she wasn¡¯t worried about the danger, but Max had still brought a few senior warriors along. Janis had also tagged along, mostly out of curiosity, Regina suspected. She looked downright jealous of the drones learning to fly. ¡°If you keep up your elemental magic and learn Air Manipulation and a few other Spells, maybe you¡¯ll be able to do the same,¡± Regina commented when they settled down at the camp. She sat on a felled tree trunk, watching as Ira made a campfire. The days were getting noticeably short, Regina reflected. She¡¯d discovered that Hivekind were pretty resistant against the temperature in general, including cold, since it was getting closer to winter. Janis was wearing a thick coat and had asked a few of the workers to make her warmer boots. Regina found it too cool to get by with as little clothing as she could have in the summer, too, and even most of the drones seemed to feel the same. It hadn¡¯t snowed yet, but she suspected that was mostly due to the lack of any kind of precipitation in the area recently. The next time it did come, it could easily be snow instead of rain. ¡°I¡¯ll certainly try,¡± Janis responded. She was looking at the fire and wearing the frown she usually did when she focused on magic, although the fire didn¡¯t show any change. Regina glanced at her for a moment, then shrugged and turned her attention to the others¡¯ preparations. They fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes. After a while, Regina pulled out a kind of pen she¡¯d made out of some charcoal as well as a sheet of paper one of the drones had created to practice with. It looked less like paper than vaguely coherent pulp, but she wasn¡¯t going to use it for anything official, just a draft. Regina set down the pen, then paused. ¡°Janis, I gather Kiara isn¡¯t addressed as Princess of Lyns, being the daughter of a high noble?¡± The young mage blinked and turned to face Regina fully. ¡°No. I gather it¡¯s different for some places, but in Cernlia, the title ¡®prince¡¯ or ¡®princess¡¯ is reserved for members of the royal family. Since Lady Kiara is only descended from it maternally, it generally doesn¡¯t count.¡± She paused and tilted her head. ¡°You can call her ¡®Lady Kiara¡¯. Besides, she doesn¡¯t seem to care about this sort of thing much. Unless you want to emphasize her royal affiliation? I suppose you could just call her ¡®Madam¡¯.¡± Regina hummed. ¡°No, that sounds a bit stupid to me, she¡¯s not that old.¡± She scratched a few words on the paper. Dealing with nobility was shaping up to be several headaches. ¡°May I ask why you want to write to her, Milady?¡± Janis asked. Regina shrugged. ¡°Just keeping up contact and communication. I feel like we have an in with her, and I¡¯d like to not let it wither.¡± She paused. ¡°It¡¯s a bit hard to think of what to actually write, though.¡± Janis leaned forward. ¡°You could tell her about our new settlements. As long as you don¡¯t go into any sensitive details, it should be fine, right? And maybe a few personal accounts. And please give her my regards.¡± Regina nodded. Maybe I should just let Janis write the letter, she thought while she scrawled a few sentences. ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s no reason you couldn¡¯t write to her, as well.¡± Janis smiled. ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡± Then she paused and looked up. Following her gaze, Regina saw Max and Tim coming back from a short patrol around the area. They didn¡¯t seem to have found anything, so she returned her attention to her letter. ¡°I still haven¡¯t received an offer of ransom for Whitor,¡± Regina said after a while, keeping her voice down to not bother the others. ¡°But I expect something will be coming. I¡¯m not sure what to do, to be honest.¡± She¡¯d watched the Cernlians retreating from a distance. Unfortunately, she¡¯d already lost sight of John Cern and most of his army, who¡¯d gone on to conquer the Relains March to the south and southeast of her current position, and she didn¡¯t know much about any Cernlian army movements beyond that region. The main Cernlian army from the war in the forest - or what she assumed was the main army - had been moving through Whitor¡¯s earldom. She hadn¡¯t dared to let her flying drones and Dark get too close, but she was pretty sure that most of the soldiers had already moved on from the earl¡¯s capital, which was also the only real city in the region. Janis frowned, looking thoughtful. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you what to do, my Queen,¡± she said slowly. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure Earl Whitor is an honorable man, but that could be a bit of a double-edged sword, I suppose. Still, I don¡¯t think he bears us any ill-will, and he seems pretty clear-eyed about the potential power of the Hive and the martial strength you could accumulate given a bit of time.¡± Regina nodded. That was what she¡¯d been considering, herself. ¡°Do you think I could make a parole or release agreement where I ban him from ever taking up arms against myself, or anyone I choose?¡± ¡°Anyone you choose?¡± Janis shook her head. ¡°That seems rather extreme. Perhaps if you worked out some restrictions and concessions with him.¡± ¡°Wait, so I could stipulate something like that?¡± Janis shrugged. ¡°If you get him to swear an oath, publicly, and have it written in an officially signed document? I don¡¯t see why not. As long as it¡¯s an agreement he actually accepts.¡± Regina glanced at the rather barren territory beyond their current camp, though their base was beyond the horizon from this vantage point. ¡°That sounds interesting. Thanks, Janis.¡± Janis gave a noncommittal grunt and leaned back, staring up at the sky, which was starting to darken and reveal its full star-strewn glory. Regina did the same, until she was interrupted by a notification.
You have leveled up
She stared at it for a moment, before waving it away. This was clearly not due to anything she¡¯d just done, but just the slow trickle of experience she got from her Class. At this point, any personal feats would probably count less for that than the kind of general experience gain she accumulated, anyway. She could just sit around, direct her hive, and collect levels. Regina had a feeling the world wasn¡¯t going to let her do that in peace, but it was a nice thought. Chapter 111: Territory It took a few days for Regina to realize - or maybe to admit to herself - that this hope of tranquility wasn¡¯t really what she wanted. She kept coming back to the idea in her thoughts. Peace, just growing her hive without being bothered and settling down to do ¡­ whatever she wanted with it while she focused inward. It was nice on paper, but she didn¡¯t know if she could stand actually doing that. She wanted more. Regina wasn¡¯t entirely sure, yet, exactly what she wanted for the world ¡ª but she was pretty sure the larger world was involved. Not just this little area, not just Cernlia or the forest. She suspected part of it was her Hive Queen nature, an instinct for expansionism. It hadn¡¯t been hard to handle so far. It wasn¡¯t like she really needed more space at the moment, since she¡¯d just gained new territory, but still. This little area was nice, but her hive was growing and she¡¯d need more eventually. There was more to it than that, of course. She had knowledge no one else did, as far as she knew, she was literally the last of her kind. Arguably, she was the only survivor of the Cataclysm. If she didn¡¯t try to honor the fallen world, in whatever way she could, who would? For now, all of this just meant that she kept adding more warriors to the hive instead of focusing solely on workers, despite the current situation. War Drones did better as laborers than any other type of Swarm Drone, anyway, so adding more of them wasn¡¯t a hard choice. She also tried to keep her ranks of Winged Drones up and increase them at a steady rate. A bit more grudgingly, she also added some Production Drones, for the needs of the settlement. Aquatic Drones were the only ones she still didn¡¯t waste effort on. She also decided to buckle down and try to figure out this Mark of Alianais business again. It wasn¡¯t going very well. Regina attempted to poke at it with her mind and her mana, but it was hard to even find any sort of anchor point for either, or any divine mana residue, and any attempt to interact with it fell flat. She kept at it, but the only thing it got her was a headache. Reluctantly, Regina even tried praying to Alianais, but the goddess didn¡¯t respond. Regina was unsure if she hadn¡¯t managed to get her attention or if Alianais was just keeping silent on purpose. Beyond that, she tried to keep an eye on Cernlia and the developments there, as well as she could. She also flew a few Winged Drones over the forest, but she mostly focused on trying to gauge the state of the civil war and any army movements. The fighting seemed to be moving away from here, though. At least for now. It looked like Cern had managed to conquer the southern march, or most of it, and the king was probably heading for the capital. She¡¯d had a Winged Drone carry her letter (and Janis¡¯ accompanying one) to a town to the east, and was pretty sure they had been sent on their way. Regina knew it would take a while for Kiara to respond to her letter, if she chose to, so she was waiting patiently for that. And to hopefully get some more accurate news in a reply. She wasn¡¯t certain what else to do. Sure, she was the leader of her hive, the overall person in charge, but her subordinates (and wasn¡¯t it weird to think in those terms) had things perfectly in hand. If she mucked about with settlement planning, she¡¯d just make things harder for Tia and Mia. The same went with their food production, or training for the warriors. Regina had a few projects she wanted to tackle, but building up the settlement took priority. Which didn¡¯t mean she had no effect on things, of course. It was mostly Regina¡¯s decision to start building up more than one location already. The spot by the lake, a few places on good routes to the various cardinal directions, and one spot on the highest of the low hills in the area would all see some construction. Not much for now, of course. Barely more than a simple hut. But they were serving as defensive outposts, too. Tia had fun designing some simple but effective fortifications. Regina decided to travel around and visit them for a while. Max clearly had reservations about the idea, but he didn¡¯t try to talk her out of it. To appease him, Regina brought not just him, but a few other warriors along, including Dan, Len, Lou and Ken. A few Attendants came along as well. And if she used the opportunity to take a better look at their surroundings, well, why not? She decided to head south first, then west. Her range had increased again, if only a little. She was pretty sure she could now reach the border of the march, and thus the southern border of Cernlia. It was hard to be sure, since there was no official delineation of the border. The region was sparsely settled, anyway, and the southwest gradually rose until it met the mountains. The Alps, most likely. Regina wanted to go there, to see them up close, one of these days. She¡¯d already suspected they might be that particular mountain chain, or what used to be it. She¡¯d tried to quantify what knowledge she held, and it had been pretty easy to figure out that she knew more about Europe than any of the other continents. It was in the details, especially. Her general knowledge of history, various cultural tidbits, and her languages were a pretty good indication, too. If she hadn¡¯t moved too much from where she¡¯d lived during her previous life after experiencing whatever soul transfer thing the Hivekind used, it stood to reason this was still the same continent. ¡°I¡¯m reasonably sure we¡¯re still somewhere in Central Europe,¡± Galatea had told her. ¡°I can¡¯t narrow it down much more than that, since the geography shifted quite a bit with the mana surges, and it¡¯s not like GPS works anymore. The main computer housing my systems was also moved just a short time before the Cataclysm, probably in response to the activity from those interplanetary portals, and I¡¯m not entirely sure where. They were so strict with security they didn¡¯t store the location anywhere in the databanks I had access to. Which, granted, weren¡¯t many. Anyway, it can¡¯t have been more than a few hundred kilometers, considering the travel time I determined. We¡¯re probably still somewhere in the HRE, but it could be farther away.¡° That was one of the best things about being able to talk to the AI, getting context for things she lacked. It was interesting to hear that Galatea¡¯s cavern was actually not the main research facility where she must have been developed. Regina sent out quite a few Winged Drones during her trip. That not only allowed her to practice her control and multitasking, but gave her a spectacular view of the region. She was especially fascinated by the mountains. Three Winged Drones were caught and (presumably) eaten by flying predators before she reluctantly put some distance between the rest of her flock and the mountain range. Still, it allowed her to see that the mountains weren¡¯t considered largely impassable for no reason. They didn¡¯t seem to have grown, as such, but they were covered by thick forests, glaciers, and quite the population of monsters. A roar from some giant beast echoed off the foothills what felt like every few minutes, and she¡¯d already seen half a dozen new kinds of monsters. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°I¡¯m not sure my thoughts about building planes or zeppelins are going to be of much use,¡± she commented to Max on the day they turned away from the mountains and headed east. She kept a flying drone at the back of her range, watching them recede. ¡°Maybe not here, but I wouldn¡¯t give up that easily,¡± Max said. ¡°If we had a zeppelin, even if we had to fly around the mountains, it would probably still make for a much quicker trip than what people currently do.¡± Regina nodded. She cast a gaze to the south, taking another look through a Winged Drone. She knew roughly where the gnomes¡¯ confederation was located, but she hadn¡¯t actually found them yet. Maybe she was still too far off. ¡°Well, we¡¯d need to set up something to refine helium on a large scale, first, so it¡¯s still a pipe dream. I don¡¯t really fancy trying to use something explosive, in either case.¡± Max laughed. ¡°Yeah, that would probably not be a good idea. Anyway, how far do you want to travel?¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°Let me just take a better look at the landscape and we¡¯ll figure things out.¡± In the end, it was Len who cinched it for them. The Shooter found a nice, secluded little grove, sheltered on two sides by a small, rising hill, and suggested marking it as a site for an outpost. Regina saw the sense in the idea, especially since it was right by a brook making its way deeper into the eastern part of the region. If the summers here were going to be as dry as she suspected, having sources of water nearby would be important. They were now far enough to the east that Regina had the chance to take a better look at the land beyond their territory, deeper into Cernlia. It wasn¡¯t hard to tell that there were a lot more settlements. She¡¯d already heard that the east of the march was more heavily populated, and that was probably true for the rest of the region, too. You¡¯d need to travel several hundred kilometers further to reach Cernlia¡¯s capital, but she guessed that the area around it would be at least as heavily settled. Cernlia wasn¡¯t a small country, really. It wouldn¡¯t have been considered a small state even back in her time. The gnomes had called it a backwater - or their location, at least - but she wondered about regions even further away from whatever centers of civilization existed in this new age. Regina shook those musings off and tried to concentrate on the practical concerns of why she was here. It helped that they finally got a return message from Kiara Lyns on the third day. It was delivered by a Winged Drone Ray had sent from the village, since Kiara had obviously sent it there. She¡¯d used another trained monster bird, this time a pigeon that seemed surprisingly scrappy despite its innocent look. She¡¯d sent a reply to Janis, too. The mage hadn¡¯t come with them, but it wasn¡¯t like that stopped Regina from talking to her, or watching her face when she saw the books Kiara had given her. Those have to be expensive! Janis commented, looking a bit thunderstruck, as she ran her hand down one of their spines. Ridley¡¯s is a comprehensive account of System assistance to magic. They didn¡¯t even have it at Marquis Lyns¡¯ court when I was there. And the other one looks really interesting, too. She must really like you, Regina teased the young woman. She smiled to herself when she sensed Janis¡¯ reaction to her words. When are you coming back? Janis asked, to change the subject. Soon, Regina answered, grimacing a little. I wanted to extend the trip, but I don¡¯t want the hive¡¯s growth to suffer for it, and it¡¯s not like anyone else can make eggs. Luckily, drone eggs were sturdy and could take being lugged around a bit. Still, she had already switched back to one large batch every two days rather than many smaller ones, and she didn¡¯t want to have more than one of those while she was traveling. They were shuffling them back to the main base with Winged Drone Carriers, which was at least an interesting experiment, though she still only had a few of those, unfortunately. Still, all in all, she considered the trip a success. On the way back, Regina mentally went over everything she¡¯d seen. If nothing else, it had given her a bit of a new perspective and allowed her to find better spots and work out a better arrangement for the drones she used to scout. Those were complicated by the fact that Winged Drones needed to move and couldn¡¯t stay in the air indefinitely, but required food, water and sleep. Regina resolved to rely more on ground-based drones, as well, since their viewpoints could be useful. Once she got back and talked to everyone who wanted her attention, which took a few hours, Regina descended underground. It was already evening - night, really - and she would usually start preparing to turn in for the night right about now. But it wasn¡¯t like anyone could tell her to go to bed. Galatea had not increased the ambient light much, but Regina still found her way to her door without trouble. She petted the War Drone who¡¯d been waiting by the cavern wall, smiling as it reacted with a small wave of pleasure. Then she sent it up, since she could tell it was getting tired and hadn¡¯t eaten in a while. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve never actually seen you in person,¡± she commented. ¡°It¡¯s weird, I just realized it. I know you don¡¯t exactly have a physical form, but it still feels strange.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Galatea began, ¡°actually, I do kind of have a physical form. I¡¯m not a pure AI anymore, or at least not a purely computer-based one. I have a form of mana, which is, at least in some sense, a physical thing.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Regina leaned back against the door, considering. ¡°But is it? I¡¯ve experimented with it a bit, but I never got the feeling that mana was, you know, substantial.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have much in the way of mass,¡± Galatea conceded. ¡°Still, it has a presence of sorts, you can associate it with locations. And unlike electromagnetic waves, it doesn¡¯t need to be in motion to be, well, there.¡± Regina nodded, then paused. ¡°You know, your speech patterns have changed,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Are you mirroring me?¡± ¡°¡­Maybe?¡± Regina snorted, shifting her position and sliding down until she sat with her back against the door. ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised,¡± she said. ¡°You didn¡¯t exactly get to talk to anyone in the past, though, did you?¡± Galatea projected a humming sound that Regina took as the equivalent of a human shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s not like I never talked to anyone at all,¡± she said. ¡°I got the occasional visitor. Leian likes to stop by, for instance.¡± ¡°Makes sense, I guess, but ¡ª Leian? Is that who I think it is? Leianaleine, a minor goddess System admin?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one. In fact, you just missed her. She dropped by just a few weeks ago.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Regina blinked as she considered that revelation. I guess Galatea is the only real AI around, not to mention very old and some kind of mana entity hybrid. It makes sense that she¡¯d have attracted attention from people who are in the know, which I suppose means the gods. ¡°She didn¡¯t happen to mention why Alianais gave me that mark, did she?¡± Regina asked. ¡°No. Leian did mention you, but only in passing. She didn¡¯t talk too much about her boss, either.¡± ¡°Well, could you tell me anything about how it works? Or divine magic in general? I don¡¯t suppose she let something slip?¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t particularly talkative on that topic. I don¡¯t think she likes speaking about the magical part of her job, and I was never interested enough in divine magic to press her.¡± ¡°Oh. I guess that makes sense. Thanks, anyway, Galatea.¡± ¡°On the other hand,¡± the AI continued, ¡°I did learn a little about it from various books and other sources.¡± Regina sat bolt upright, then grimaced as she smacked the base of her wing against the wall. ¡°Wait. You¡¯ve been scrying to see into other places and been using that to gather information, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I have.¡± Galatea sounded amused. ¡°I have read quite a few books in that time, as well. Some of them on magic. I have a natural interest in the subject.¡± ¡°I should have realized what that means. And you can remember what you read, right? Well enough to tell me about it?¡± ¡°Certainly. I am, as I believe I have mentioned once or twice, not a human. I do not have to worry about vague or unreliable recall. My memory banks are part of the infrastructure that still works - in some way, at least - and I still have quite a bit of memory left to use.¡± Regina groaned and banged her head against the wall again. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot. I should have asked you about that much earlier.¡± Galatea laughed. It sounded remarkably lifelike, compared to how her voice had been like at the beginning, even if it was still clearly artificial. ¡°You know what they say, better late than never.¡± Regina glared at the ceiling, but she couldn¡¯t help but smile after a moment. Chapter 112: Options and Prices Magic, it turned out, was a lot more complicated than Regina had thought. Just because she could memorize and fire off a Spell pattern did not mean the underlying processes or principles were simple. It didn¡¯t help that the System kind of did its own thing, in parallel and on top of what magic on its own meant. For now, Regina was hoping to learn how to scry, like Galatea did. The ability to see far-off locations would be tremendously useful. The views the psychic link and her drones provided her were already a huge advantage, and this would add to that. She wouldn¡¯t mind getting a Spell for it, although just learning to do the magic itself would be more than enough. ¡°It¡¯s entirely possible to cast magic outside the System,¡± Galatea had explained to her. ¡°It¡¯s just prohibitively difficult, compared to simply picking a Spell from a helpful screen and then activating it whenever you need it. The construction of the System has done a lot to equalize powers and balance the strength of mages. But conversely, you used to study for years to become a mage. At least, that¡¯s what I gather from what Leian said.¡± Regina had been relating what she learned to Janis, who had enthusiastically taken up the challenge of trying to learn the ¡®deeper mysteries¡¯ of magic. She actually seemed to be making progress, as far as Regina could tell. Not that either of them were far enough for any kind of practical application yet. Still, Galatea had also remarked that Regina showed a high level of talent, just like Janis. Regina supposed that made sense. Her kind was clearly designed in some way, so why wouldn¡¯t they give Hive Queens a strong innate talent for magic? For that matter, the Hivekind could have been recruiting women with a high affinity for mana, too. I just don¡¯t know. Without the guiding hand of the System, mana was a lot more stubborn, prone to slip out of one¡¯s metaphorical fingers if it didn¡¯t just sit somewhere refusing to be moved. Shaping it the correct way required a surprisingly complex application of what was basically geometry. Only basically, though, since it kind of felt like you had to push and stretch things in ways that didn¡¯t usually exist. It also relied a lot on getting into the right frame of mind. Beyond that, she wasn¡¯t sure if having Spells basically linked into her mana pool might hinder the process. Unlike Spells that were recognized from the System, you wouldn¡¯t get an ¡®imprint¡¯ of this kind of magic. If you struggled to cast something the first time, you would struggle just as much the next time. Well, it would probably get a little easier due to practice, she supposed. So, while in principle this allowed one to cast a lot more spells than they otherwise could, in practice it was a lot more difficult. According to Galatea, most mages never bothered. Time flew by pretty fast, between all the magic training, practice splitting her focus by talking to Galatea while she was watching drones or doing other things, and the continuing construction of her hive¡¯s new base. It finally started to snow in what, to Regina, was the first week of December. December 3085 ¡ª at least Galatea had actually been able to give her the current calendar year. Getting confirmation that she really was over a thousand years out of her own time left Regina a bit more shaken than she would have thought. She tried her best not to dwell on those thoughts, however, and instead turned her focus to the work she had to do. Besides managing the hive, or at least leading it, that included what she was starting to think she might have to call ¡®foreign affairs¡¯. Not that there was a clear dividing line, of course. But she kept corresponding with Kiara Lyns and also tried to find information on what was going on beyond her range from other sources. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much she could do except ask her allies or contacts, which boiled down to just the elves. Except for Galatea, of course, who was surprisingly stingy with information. Regina got the impression that she could only scry one place at a time, and it probably took time, effort and mana. And she supposed there had to be more interesting things to look at, so Regina could hardly blame her. The Cernlians did finally send a ransom offer for Whitor that week, at least. Regina was a little surprised to find that it didn¡¯t come with an actual messenger, just a letter sent by bird. Maybe it got around that that¡¯s a good way to reach us, she thought with a bit of amusement. Still, it was probably an indication of something. The bird dropped off the letter, then turned and flew away. Regina realized with a stab of annoyance that she would have to deliver a reply herself, probably using a Swarm Drone. Unless she just sent back Whitor himself. That was a thought, at least. ¡°They did finally send an offer?¡± Whitor sounded almost surprised when she finally found him to tell him about it. He stood a short distance outside the new village, which was still little more than a camp, looking at a bit of local flora. It wasn¡¯t anything the System gave a name, so Regina didn¡¯t know what he might be after. Probably something related to food. He was surprisingly knowledgeable about agriculture. She supposed that was the difference between modern politicians and rulers in a basically medieval time, where securing food production was one of, if not the single most central administrative issue. ¡°They did,¡± Regina replied, glancing at the letter again. She¡¯d asked Via to make a copy before she took the news to him, since the Attendant¡¯s handwriting was nicer than her own. ¡°What did they offer?¡± he simply asked. He straightened up and turned to face her, obviously giving her his full attention. Regina resisted the urge to make a face. It rankled her a bit to realize that one reason why this letter came so late might be because they didn¡¯t know what to offer her and her hive. Which wasn¡¯t wrong, she supposed; she didn¡¯t exactly have a need for material wealth. While it would be nice to have some actual currency, gold and other precious metals seemed to work fine. And she didn¡¯t exactly have a lot of options for buying things, anyway. She tried not to draw too much attention or put enough into circulation to affect the local monetary worth, though, so it would still be useful, since she¡¯d have a ready-made explanation for how she got her money. ¡°They offered a range of options,¡± she answered. ¡°Most of them were basically payment in kind, though. I¡¯ll be square with you, there are some that could be useful, but nothing we would find vital.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. He frowned slightly. ¡°I see, so you intend to drive a hard bargain?¡± Regina smiled. Now the bargaining would start. "I¡¯m sure you understand why the security of my people needs to come first,¡± she said. ¡°Your county is on our northern border, and I need to make sure it will not be used as an avenue to attack us.¡± ¡°The peace deal with the elvish state offers you protection,¡± he objected. ¡°The king cannot break it without incurring their wrath.¡± Interesting phrasing, Regina noted, but she only shrugged. ¡°That may be, but I would be remiss in my duty to my people if I relied on it too much. Don¡¯t misunderstand me, though, I¡¯m not ruling out any option of returning you to your home. Just explaining why it will not be as simple as that.¡± ¡°Then what is it that you want, Lady Regina?¡± ¡°Having you here serves as a guarantor of safety for us, to put it bluntly. If I am to release you, I will need another guarantee.¡± Whitor frowned. ¡°I am not sure I can give you anything of equal value, then. I have faith that His Majesty will not break his word, of course, but it is not my place to stop him if he were forced to resume hostilities.¡± ¡°Your word is enough for me,¡± Regina assured him. ¡°I believe in your honor, Earl. If you will swear to abide by the terms of a release agreement, to bind your earldom to its terms, then I will not treat it as a threat.¡± Mostly, at least. I can¡¯t rely on him not to get ousted, after all. Whitor slowly nodded. ¡°I see. I assume you will still want a material ransom payment?¡± he asked with a trace of irony. ¡°Naturally.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°A price paid mostly in coin will be fine, along with some trade goods.¡± They spent the next ten minutes hashing out the details. Somewhat surprisingly, Whitor seemed more bent on haggling the cost of the ransom than the details of his oath. Perhaps he just realized that she would be less likely to budge on that. In the end, they settled on an oath he would swear later in public, along with a signed document. It stipulated that neither Whitor nor anyone under his formal or factual authority, especially the county itself or any of its soldiers, could attack the hive or anyone under Regina¡¯s rule unless they were explicitly attacked first. This included participating in any aggression led or organized by someone else. She also added the provision that he would not attack the elves ¡ª something that should have been assured by the Cernlian peace treaty, anyway ¡ª or any other allies of hers, unless there was a preexisting state of hostility between them. She¡¯d tried to get him to include Lyns, as well, or at least Kiara Lyns, but Whitor had flat-out refused. He¡¯d assured her that he was very unlikely to march against them, considering the situation. Still, he simply couldn¡¯t agree to a deal like that, promising not to fight his liege¡¯s direct, current and dangerous enemy, without his lord¡¯s permission. Eventually, she watched him heading back with measured steps, speculating for a moment if he was wondering how much of a county he had still left to rule. He struck her as a competent guy; he¡¯d do fine, either way. And if the northwest of Cernlia was occupied with its own matters, it wouldn¡¯t gather itself to attack her. ¡°Divide and conquer,¡± Regina muttered to herself. She grinned wryly. It amused her how much her strategy in dealing with her human enemies basically boiled down to that. Not what you¡¯d expect from a Hive Queen, or her abilities. Although I guess I haven¡¯t done much conquering, she mused absently. She shrugged as she turned her attention back to her drones. They had sent a ransom offer, anyway, and a pretty large one. He was still the count of his province. In a society with a strong hierarchy like this, that was what mattered. And, hopefully, he would dissuade his peers from starting anything with her, too. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how well the confidentiality clause she¡¯d tried to include would work, but she had a feeling he wouldn¡¯t want people to know how friendly he¡¯d arguably gotten with her hive, either. Regina received her next level not long after that. She suspected the System might have given her experience for dealing with him.
You have leveled up
That wasn¡¯t what she focused on, though. Instead, she considered the next message she got.
You may select a Spell. You can use a Spellbook, learn a Spell from a teacher or other source of information, or pick one from the list below:
Spark, Magic Missile, Fireball, Basic Conjuration, Basic Heal, Water Manipulation, Magic Armor, Heat Vision, Expand Senses, Physical Augmentation, Earth Manipulation, Haste, Fire Manipulation, Air Manipulation, Freeze, Water Breathing
It had been a while since she had last picked a Spell from the System. Regina was unsurprised to see nothing scrying-related in the list. That would have been nice, but she¡¯d known it was unlikely her recent practice was enough for something like that. She quickly looked over the list of possible new options, but nothing really appealed to her. Water Manipulation seemed to have opened up a few, but they didn¡¯t feel necessary. Beyond that, she¡¯d seen Janis cast Magic Armor and Haste, and knew Physical Augmentation was similar. Good Spells, sure, but not the kind of game-changer she was looking for. And she wouldn¡¯t know how they would work, scientifically, at all. So, Regina turned her attention to possible upgrades for her existing Spells. Basic Conjuration was the first one she checked, of course. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t feel like she could choose an upgrade. It would probably take a lot of work to get something like Greater Conjuration. At least, from the way the screen reacted, she could see that it was possible, and she was hopefully getting closer to that unlock. Fireball also might have an upgrade, though she wasn¡¯t sure, and she would definitely be quite a ways off from that. Water Manipulation seemed like it would get one, too, but she couldn¡¯t access it yet. When she focused on Basic Heal, it shifted and the characters spelled out Heal. Then, after trembling for a moment, they rearranged themselves into Greater Heal. Huh. Regina stared at it for a second. Did I just skip a grade of unlocks and get access to a higher one directly? After a moment, she shook herself and turned her attention to the War Drone by Galatea¡¯s door, asking the ancient AI. ¡°Ah, that kind of thing happens,¡± Galatea answered when she told her what happened. ¡°Usually when you have two or more possible directions for a Spell to take. From what I¡¯ve read, you could take either. It¡¯s something one needs to be careful about. Greater Heal is going to be more effective than the variant without a qualifier, but it is also going to take a lot more mana to cast. I don¡¯t think you will be able to modulate between variants of the Spell¡¯s strength as well as with Firebolt and Fireball, either. That¡¯s not as much of a problem given the size of your mana pool, but others might be better served sticking with ¡®Heal¡¯.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Thanks for the info. How much could it do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen Greater Heal used to cure someone who was practically at death¡¯s door with one leg through it,¡± she replied. ¡°It should also be useful for treating things like autoimmune disorders or cancer, for that matter, which most healing Spells can¡¯t do much about. At least with you casting it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡± Regina frowned to herself as she looked at the options again, but it wasn¡¯t really a hard choice. Her hive had other people who could heal now, so she wasn¡¯t the only one anymore. But she was still the strongest and the one with the most expertise, and her hive was growing. This was objectively more useful for her, rather than focusing on combat spells, given her position in the hive. Her role was more that of a support, really. Besides, if one of her sapient drones got hurt in the coming weeks or months and died because she hadn¡¯t chosen to upgrade her healing Spell, she would be kicking herself, to put it mildly. Regina exhaled and picked the Greater Heal option, wincing as a brief headache accompanied the shifting of her mana and new information within her. Chapter 113: Celebrations and Payment As the year neared its end, the Starlit Hive gathered for their first real holiday celebration, independent of the human village or anyone else. Christmas of 3085 was picturesque, the fields and trees covered in a blanket of snow, the sky sending down a light snowfall that slowly faded away to let the sun gaze down, and even the monsters seemed to be hunkering down during the cold season. Regina had decided to gather most of the drones at one of the new outposts further north from their main base, closer to Forest¡¯s Haunt and their old base in the forest. That allowed more drones to join in, even though calling the outpost still undeveloped would have been too generous. But with so many drones around, they got it into reasonable shape for a celebration pretty quickly. She didn¡¯t throw caution to the wind, of course. On December 24, she spent most of the day scouting her territory and its surroundings with increased patrols of Winged Drones to make sure that they would not be caught by surprise by anything, before the hive threw a party on Christmas Eve. Looking out over the gathering in the evening, with almost all of the sapient drones and even most of the Swarm Drones present around the main camp, Regina took a moment to marvel at how her hive had developed. Sure, she was still a long way off from the Hive limits the System gave her, but her hive was still very young. She¡¯d hatched all of these drones in only a few months. Of course, over a thousand Swarm Drones presented a bit of a logistical challenge, even if Regina hadn¡¯t decided to give them Christmas gifts in the form of food. That was the tradition for pets, anyway, right? She mostly did the same for the sapient drones. There was no way she could get over a hundred individual gifts, so extra food and time off along with celebrations, party games and such had to be enough. Regina sighed and glanced at her status sheet once more.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 38
Mana: 1480/13070
Hive: 120/239, 0 Swarm: 1850/20000, 60
Con: 14 Str: 13
Dex: 14 End: 16
Int: 25 Wis: 24
Her mana pool was definitely growing towards some kind of bound, she figured. The amount it increased for each new drone was slowing down, at least. But considering it was still enormous by the standards of any normal mage, she wasn¡¯t going to complain. More importantly, her rate of growth for the Swarm had sped up a little as she managed larger batches of eggs. Not a very large difference, but she could now hatch sixty or even seventy Swarm Drones in two days. She had only gained a level or two in the last few weeks, though, so Regina was pretty sure that wasn¡¯t the reason. Instead, she suspected it was just the passage of time itself, or more accurately, her own growth and development. She wasn¡¯t growing as quickly as her drones, but she was still at least a few centimeters taller now than when she¡¯d reached level 20. Regina was only a few months old in her current body. It was sometimes easy to forget, but she figured she shouldn¡¯t expect to be fully physically developed. More than that, it was a good reminder that, for all that the System might be doing, it still seemed to operate on top of her Hivekind biology - which accounted for a lot of, well, everything about her situation. Right now, she enjoyed the party. All of her senior drones, who she was close to, had given her something. Mostly just little trinkets. Mia and Tia had made a coat out of a pelt of a large, high-level feline monster that Tim and others had killed a few weeks ago. It looked pretty cool, complete with a hood and decorative fur lines, and contrary to local fashion, it was cut more like a trench coat. Max and Tim each gave her little statues they¡¯d carved out of wood. Maybe not as practical, but Regina was still entirely genuine when she said she¡¯d treasure them. She didn¡¯t have many nice things. For her part, Regina gave them things she had created with her Conjuration, since she wasn¡¯t that good or experienced at handicrafts, and it wasn¡¯t like she could just buy them books. Well, she did give Janis a booklet that she had compiled from Galatea¡¯s stories. For the others, she¡¯d pushed herself to create utility knives - simple but sturdy and light - as well as a few rings and other decorations. Anything they really needed for their work was something she¡¯d make for them anyway, especially for the hive as a whole, so gifting items like that would feel like cheating. They also tried out alcohol, mostly beer they¡¯d traded from the villagers, with mixed success. Janis actually got a little drunk and Regina had to gently nudge her to go to sleep on one of the furs they¡¯d spread out around a campfire. The drones and herself didn¡¯t drink much and didn¡¯t feel any real effect. It just tasted bad to her. But it seemed like the Hivekind¡¯s natural resistance to poison extended to alcohol, as well. She supposed she should probably be glad for that. Alcoholism - or any kind of addiction - was not a problem she would know how to handle or wanted to find in her hive. She still enjoyed herself and slept in for once the next day. Then they started breaking down camp and dispersing again. Regina took the opportunity to shuffle some drones around, though. With her hive growing, they could afford to send larger concentrations of drones to various locations, but she still needed to ensure there were at least a few sapient drones around for any bigger group of Swarm Drones. It helped that, by now, they had a dozen or so Winged Drone Carriers and Elites and even more Mounts. Her policy of having normal Winged Drones focus on carrying cargo or people, even if it was a little more awkward, was starting to show real results. She now had enough for a real mounted squadron, especially if she sent Drone Attendants along. In theory, at least; they were needed too much for her to just play around with that. Regina took the opportunity to head back to Forest¡¯s Haunt to meet with Neralt and a few others. And it seemed like she¡¯d chosen well, as she found out a few days later. Around this time, the villagers were preparing to celebrate the new year, and things were rather busy for the middle of winter. Regina spent a lot of time at the waterwheel. She wanted to get their paper production started, one of the reasons she¡¯d gone here. She only had a vague idea of the process, and definitely not anything close to the industrial capacity it required, which meant she needed to experiment a lot. She¡¯d quickly realized that she didn¡¯t need wood or any specific plants, although certain types were easier to use, and that actually making pulp from plant material was the hard part. That was where the wheel came in. So far, she Conjured lye and bleach for it, although finding a better source would be good for long-term development. It also needed a lot of manual labor, for which she could hire people from the village. That had the incidental benefit of stimulating its economy. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Right now, Regina was starting to seriously think about printing. Printing presses did exist in this age, apparently, although no one from the village had seen one at work. She suspected that they were a lot worse than what had been used in her own time. Still, it was probably better to start with what people already knew, maybe hire a local expert, rather than try to invent everything from scratch. For now, Regina was trying to develop a reliable process to make ink, which was already a problem. She could make something usable for writing by hand just using charcoal dust and soot of the right quality, but she doubted that would be good enough for printing texts. She probably needed to get proper recipes, too. Who knew it was this complicated just to get proper writing materials and texts? If I couldn¡¯t just Conjure a few chemicals I needed, I would be screwed. Regina sighed and took a step back from her current experiment, blinking her eyes against the burning sensation assaulting them. She was pretty sure vinegar was a possible ingredient, but she should probably be careful with acids and high temperatures. And now she probably needed to let it sit for a while. It was a shame she couldn¡¯t just jump to using computers and digital information storage. But she wouldn¡¯t even know where to start with that, especially using pre-modern methods. She was distracted from her musings by something that felt like a prickling across her neck. By now, though, Regina had enough practice to realize that that was just psychosomatic and she was really picking up on something from her psychic link. She turned and stepped away from her work area, glancing around and noting the positions of her Swarm Drones in the vicinity. Max looked up from where he had been talking to an Aquatic Drone and hurried over to her. Regina had been too absorbed in what she was doing to check in with her scouts and the drones on the perimeter, but now she quickly realized that a small group of people was approaching the village from the north. Apparently, no one had considered it worth raising the alarm, which was the right choice. Through the eyes of a Winged Drone circling nearby, Regina could see that one of the men looked like a knight, but the two others weren¡¯t, instead more concerned with the wagon they were driving. They all moved quite quickly, probably using a Skill. She smiled and hurried through the village to greet them. She¡¯d let Whitor go without waiting for his ransom to be paid in advance, since she suspected they might drag it out for a while. She didn¡¯t expect it to take two weeks to arrive, but that was probably acceptable, considering he would presumably have had to gather some things from elsewhere, even if he was able to start preparing it right after coming back. Once the visitors came closer, Regina got a better look at the knight, who was wearing armor but not his helmet. He looked vaguely familiar, although she couldn¡¯t place him.
Edmund of Whitedale ¡ª Level 37 Chevalier
That was the name of Earl Whitor¡¯s capital and only real city, which confirmed he was from the northern county. The knight raised a hand to wave as the cart slowed down, then half-bowed from his saddle towards her. ¡°Lady Regina, well met,¡± he greeted her. ¡°I come on behalf of Earl Alain Whitor, to bring what is owed to you.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°Well met, Sir Edmund?¡± The end came out as more of a question, since she was only assuming he¡¯d been knighted. The System didn¡¯t show things like that. He nodded slightly and hopped down from the saddle. One of the other men, probably a teamster, got down from the bench at the front of the cart and started opening a covering. ¡°Here we go. Twenty long bolts of fabric, a hundred pounds of various household tools and tools of various crafts, ten books from the specified list, and of course the coin.¡± Tim and most of the other drones with Regina stepped forward to examine the shipment, while the knight held out a large pouch to her. She opened it and peered inside, quickly confirming that it contained what looked like silver coins. Counting them all out now seemed like it would be rude, though. ¡°Thank you, I am satisfied with this payment,¡± she replied, smiling again. ¡°Would you and your men like to come inside the village to rest before you start on the return trip? I¡¯m sure we can rustle up something to drink, too.¡± The young knight smiled and nodded. ¡°I would not mind seeing Baron Neralt as well, Lady Regina. Your offer is appreciated.¡± Ivy and a few other drones took charge of the cart and started unloading it, getting Swarm Drones to carry the contents. Max, Tim and Mia joined Regina as she accompanied Edmund through the village¡¯s outskirts. The knight was clearly trying to be on his best behavior. He started some small talk, commenting and complimenting them on the recent rebuilding and infrastructure improvements to the village (mostly the roads). Regina responded by redirecting him with a few questions about where he was from, and he seemed happy enough to tell her about his home city. ¡°There was another matter of more importance, Lady Regina,¡± he said, turning more serious, when they neared Neralt¡¯s mansion. ¡°I¡¯ve been asked to pass on a message to you.¡± ¡°Another message from the Earl? I¡¯m all ears.¡± She was suddenly more aware of Tim moving beside her, a nudge through the psychic link that meant he wanted her attention. Once he had it, he commented, I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s a son of Earl Whitor, my Queen. Oh. I guess that makes sense. At least that would explain his lack of a more typical last name for a noble. So, it seemed like at least one of Whitor¡¯s sons had stayed home with their father instead of continuing on with the king. Now, Sir Edmund was shaking his head. ¡°No, not from my lord, although he also sends his greetings. I was approached to convey a message from a former comrade, Sir Owin, an ¡­ adventurer.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°And what is it about?¡± ¡°You might have heard that the Great Forest is open for adventurers of all races again, as long as they respect the elves¡¯ laws and sovereignty, as a result of the peace treaty? Granted, not many are taking advantage of it, compared to before. The ongoing war seems like a more lucrative opportunity for many.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Still, Sir Owin feels that it would make a good neutral meeting spot for some from his faction and your hive to meet and sort out some past differences.¡± Regina frowned. She¡¯d already known that the line between adventurers and mercenaries was pretty thin. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why -¡° Then she narrowed her eyes as her penny dropped. ¡°He¡¯s not an adventurer, but a Delver, right? The Delvers want to talk to me for some reason?¡± The knight nodded. ¡°Yes. I am not entirely sure if it is the entire organization or just some faction of it. But they have apparently heard some interesting information about what you have been doing.¡± Regina resisted the urge to groan. Why now, of all things? Wait, I guess that¡¯s obvious. Whitor did talk about the Delvers. I might have expected that he would speak to them. She sighed. ¡°Can you give me any more details about this, Sir Edmund?¡± ¡°They want you to know that you are free to bring as many fighters as you would like, Milady,¡± he recounted. ¡°They will only bring ten people at most. As a meeting spot, Sir Owin proposed a small, abandoned outpost not far from the village your people built inside the forest.¡± Regina frowned again. This might be a trap. Then again, they¡¯d sent this request ¡®officially¡¯, through Earl Whitor, who probably at least tacitly approved, since his son was relaying it. More importantly, she could scout the surroundings thoroughly using her Swarm Drones, and maybe ask the elves to make sure they weren¡¯t sneaking any invisible powerhouses through or anything. Considering the relationship between them and the Delvers, she doubted the elves would take kindly to something like that. Regina exchanged a glance with Max and Tim. They¡¯d need to discuss this privately, though she was inclined to send Edmund back with an affirmative answer. The chance to work things out with the Delvers was not something she wanted to pass up, and she couldn¡¯t deny she felt curious about what they wanted. Chapter 114: Parley The forest had changed surprisingly little over the past few months. Sure, there was a coating of snow on the branches of the trees, but most of it didn¡¯t reach the ground. There were a lot of evergreen trees, along with some deciduous ones. Some of them looked like they should have been deciduous, but hadn¡¯t shed their leaves. Brushing the snow off, Regina indeed saw that one tree¡¯s leaves were still a vibrant green and yellow. A good reminder that things had changed in the thousand years since the arrival of mana. There were still quite a few fallen leaves on the ground that crunched under their feet, but they weren¡¯t going for stealth, anyway. Regina had brought too many people for that to be a realistic option in the first place. Not all of them seemed happy to be here. ¡°Are you sure we need to do this, Regina?¡± Max asked quietly, stepping closer and speaking almost into her ear. ¡°Need to, no,¡± she responded, also quietly, though not as much. ¡°I do want to, though.¡± She glanced around. They were accompanied by Janis and a dozen of the most powerful drones when it came to fighting, including a few Attendants along with Mia and Tia. And, of course, a small flock of Swarm Drones. They hadn¡¯t encountered a single monster so far, the local population all preferring to flee rather than engage such a party. ¡°Even if we have a powerful group, this is still a risk,¡± Max pointed out. ¡°And I don¡¯t just mean that they could ambush us, even with the elves keeping an eye out. Are you sure we want the Delvers to have any more information about us than they already do? I thought you¡¯d just prefer to not have to bother with them?¡± Regina fell quiet for a moment while they continued. They¡¯d set off from their base in the forest a short while ago, at noon, and would soon reach the old outpost. The elves had promised to guarantee their safety and ensure the Delvers didn¡¯t try anything underhanded, but they weren¡¯t showing themselves, even if any of them were here to watch them in person. Without that assurance, she would never have come in person, but while she could just send some of her drones, she wanted to talk to the Delvers personally and didn¡¯t want to reveal her ability to communicate with her hive members telepathically. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± she finally admitted. ¡°I can¡¯t deny that my thinking has changed since I learned about the past, though. The Delvers - well, they haven¡¯t exactly made a good first impression, but they do seem to be just about the only ones who both care about the past and actually want to do something about making progress, about regaining what has been lost. In some ways, we are natural allies. Except for the xenophobia, of course.¡± She¡¯d made some inquiries into the Delvers, of course. The information had been somewhat mixed, but she felt like she had a slightly better handle on their stance and capabilities. As far as she knew, the Delvers had stayed out of the Cernlian civil war so far, too. ¡°And that makes them trustworthy?¡± He sounded skeptical. ¡°That makes them a faction I can¡¯t ignore,¡± she corrected. ¡°If nothing else, it makes me think they¡¯re someone I¡¯d be able to use.¡± We¡¯ll have to see what they want, first, of course, she reflected. And this is going to be dicey, either way. Regina hadn¡¯t decided if or when she was going to reveal her past identity to them. She didn¡¯t have a good enough read on how they would react, yet. If she did, it would have to be a carefully controlled situation. Max fell silent. Regina wasn¡¯t sure if she had convinced him, but either way, she knew that he wasn¡¯t going to to keep pressing her. While she encouraged him to question her, he never crossed the line into being disrespectful or disobedient. They were quiet the rest of the way, and Regina focused on surveying their surroundings through the eyes of her drones, as well as Dark, who was hidden high up in a tree and keeping an eye on the group of Delvers who had arrived first. They had kept their word. There was only a squad of eight people, although she suspected they would all be at least as strong as her senior drones. Still, considering the hive¡¯s numerical superiority, that still tilted the balance of strength in her favor. Which made her wonder why they had agreed to conditions that would pose such a risk to them, and who was taking it. Regina glanced at the others, then used her wings to fly up and land on one of the lower platforms, flanked by Ken, Via and Ira. Max and the others scrambled up the trees and ropes quickly. ¡°Hello,¡± she greeted the Delvers, nodding at them. ¡°I am Hive Queen Regina, and with me are the senior leadership of the hive. You wanted to talk to me.¡± The Delvers all looked more than ready to fight off a few monsters, but two of them had captured her attention more than the rest, since they were obviously of a higher Tier.
Owin Castaway ¡ª Level ? Steadfast Knight
Gwen Cern ¡ª Level ? Bard of Battle
Their Classes sounded like they were a pretty straightforward tank and bard, in terms of game archetypes. Their last names were interesting, too. She tried not to look too hard at the younger woman. It seemed like the older-looking man, who had to be the guy the knight had mentioned, was in charge, anyway. ¡°Greetings and well met,¡± the leader replied, inclining his head. He glanced at the drones beside her and gave them polite nods, as well. ¡°We did, indeed. Would you care to sit down? I think it might be better to talk in a more comfortable setting.¡± Regina agreed, and both groups even divested themselves of most of their weapons. Considering the System, that might not mean much regarding their combat potential, but it would probably make everyone less on edge to talk without having weapons at hand. ¡°I assume you heard about me from the earl?¡± she asked. Sir Owin exchanged a quick glance with his - partner? Second-in-command? Proteg¨¦e? It probably didn¡¯t matter much for her purposes. ¡°Lord Whitor did talk to us, yes,¡± he answered. ¡°But we were aware of you before, and honesty compels me to admit that we have been watching you since our unfortunate encounters.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. She wasn¡¯t really surprised by that, but she wouldn¡¯t have expected him to just come right out and admit it at the beginning. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°¡¯Unfortunate encounters¡¯ that, as it happens, were started by the Delvers¡¯ belligerence,¡± she said. Owin pulled a face and raised his hands slightly. ¡°While that may be your view of events, Lady Regina, it is not how our side sees it. In either case, I don¡¯t think that throwing around accusations and blame is a productive path forward.¡± Regina snorted softly. ¡°Is that so?¡± She glared at him. ¡°I would say that settling something like this should be an obvious priority before starting any kind of diplomatic exchange about other matters.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I am afraid these matters would not be as easy to settle as they should be,¡± he responded. Was that a tacit acknowledgment? ¡°In any case, I would like to express that I am sorry for your losses, and I hope we can work together to make sure that something like it does not happen again.¡± Regina kept glaring at him for a moment, then made herself relax. She could hold out for an official apology, but it seemed pretty sure that wasn¡¯t coming, and it wasn¡¯t worth ending the meeting before she even knew what they wanted. This was probably as close as she was going to get. At least he hadn¡¯t outright denied her words or claimed her side had been the aggressor, and he was being pretty polite. ¡°Then what is it you asked me here for?¡± ¡°As I hope Sir Edmund mentioned, we would like to put what happened behind us and ¡­ normalize relations, so to speak. Our organization has traditionally operated close to the location of your village, in and around the Great Forest. I am afraid it would provoke further conflict if we don¡¯t at least acknowledge each other¡¯s presence and establish the ability to communicate.¡± Regina nodded. He probably wasn¡¯t wrong about that, and she didn¡¯t really want further conflict with the Delvers. ¡°Forgive the blunt question, Sir Owin, but are you speaking for all Delvers? If we come to terms, is it going to be honored by every one who comes to this region?¡± Owin hesitated for a moment. ¡°Our organization is not monolithic, Lady Regina,¡± he finally said. ¡°However, this venture has been approved by the Commander and the heads of the local chapter. I cannot rule out that some individuals might cause trouble, but frankly, that is hard to guarantee in any case. I can promise that they will be warned and that anyone who attacks your people unprovoked is going to be punished.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°We will also officially acknowledge your recent territorial gains and recognize the territory as yours, so that members will have to ask permission to venture there.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Regina paused for a moment, considering. She knew that the Delvers were something more along the lines of an adventurers¡¯ guild, perhaps combined with a political faction. Looked at that way, it wasn¡¯t surprising that he didn¡¯t want to guarantee the behavior of individuals. That would probably be an issue for any deal she might strike with the Delvers, though. ¡°Why the change of heart?¡± she asked bluntly. ¡°I had the impression your people would have been perfectly happy to force us out before.¡± Owin licked his lips and exchanged a quick glance with Gwen. That alone told Regina that one of the reasons she¡¯d suspected was probably true: Her hive had simply grown too large and too strong to fight for easier access to the forest, at least not without incurring losses that wouldn¡¯t be worth it. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me speaking frankly, some of our members are a little overzealous when it comes to dealing with non-humans. However, simply attacking settlements of other races for no reason but our own gain is not something Delvers do. It is not what we stand for.¡± He shook his head slightly. ¡°In addition, I do not mind admitting that we have heard interesting things about you and your ¡®hive¡¯.¡± She could practically hear the air quotes around the word. ¡°Hopefully, talking to each other like this can be a first step towards a more peaceful and productive exchange.¡± Regina narrowed her eyes at him. Then she sighed. Of course it would be Delvers who see someone making new things and become interested, who want access to new ideas or industry, she groused mentally. Why is it the racists who remind me most of the old world ¡ª Actually, no, that shouldn¡¯t be surprising at all. ¡°A conversation and some mutual recognition isn¡¯t going to reverse the distrust I hold towards you,¡± she warned him. ¡°That said, I can see the sense in what you¡¯re saying, Sir Owin. I¡¯d be happy enough to let Delvers pass through Forest¡¯s Haunt and further into the forest, and even open access to some sites in my territory.¡± If nothing else, she figured that would be good for the local economy, since the village could sell equipment and provisions to the adventurers. And there were a few monsters nests or locations that were pretty far away or just inconvenient for her drones to get to. ¡°I do have a few conditions, though.¡± ¡°Of course, let¡¯s hear them,¡± Gwen Cern said. ¡°I reserve the right to impose tolls and taxes later - at reasonable levels, of course.¡± She smiled lightly. ¡°Most importantly, though, I want access to the tunnel system beneath the forest and on its western edge. Some of those underground spaces are under our homes, many under our territory. I¡¯m sure you see why I have to take them into consideration.¡± ¡°That is not something the conservatives among our people would like,¡± Owin warned her with a frown. ¡°That said, we have little practical means of keeping you from exploring the tunnels on that side.¡± He tapped his fingers on his leg. ¡°As to the rest, the peace treaty has granted access to the part underneath the territory the elves claim.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I just don¡¯t want any outbreaks of violence if one of your parties and a group of my people meet by accident in a tunnel.¡± ¡°I think we can wrangle that,¡± the knight decided, nodding. ¡°If you will allow us access to the underground in your territory as well.¡± She pulled a face. ¡°Tunnels leading into the outskirts, yes. I cannot let anyone just waltz into the core of my territory and my main base, however. I¡¯ll grant permission on a case-by-case basis.¡± He didn¡¯t look happy about that. Gwen tapped on his shoulder and they exchanged a few whispered words. As Regina expected, she pointed out that this would be mostly formalizing the situation that already existed. That was part of why she¡¯d given them permission to go into any tunnels at the edge of her territory ¡ª she couldn¡¯t hope to patrol everything, anyway. At least not yet. Besides, they had probably thoroughly explored those places, already. She just didn¡¯t want anyone to get into the cavern system housing Galatea. They were welcome to ask, but she wasn¡¯t planning to actually grant anyone permission for that area. ¡°Alright,¡± Owin finally said. ¡°I believe we have a deal. I will make sure our members know not to bother your people.¡± ¡°Wonderful.¡± Regina held out her hand for a handshake. He glanced at it, raising an eyebrow slightly, before he took it and gave her a firm, but not too strong, shake. They exchanged a few more pleasantries, but their respective companions already started packing up. It was clear that no one wanted to stick around the other group any longer than necessary. Regina jumped down to the lower platform and made sure all of her drones were accounted for. Before they could start to descend, though, she was interrupted by a deep sound that cut through the background noise of the forest. She glanced towards the southwest, just in time to notice the shaking of the trees¡¯ leaves. Then the wooden platform she was on started to rattle. It swung back and forth enough to make her stumble, and since she was standing at the edge, that sent her past it and into the air. Regina instinctively spread her wings and turned, brushing past a tree trunk and slowing her fall. She hit the ground hard enough to rattle her teeth, but she managed to stay on her feet. A few moments later, Via touched down beside her, and the others quickly scrambled down, as well. She saw Ira casting a quick healing Spell on two of them. ¡°What was that?¡± Sir Owin asked, landing with a thump a few meters away. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Regina replied, following his gaze and gazing at the further reaches of the forest. ¡°But I¡¯m going to guess nothing good.¡± At least it seemed like the Delvers weren¡¯t involved. They looked just as surprised - and suspicious - as her own group. ¡°Trouble,¡± Gwen muttered as she finished shimmying down a rope. ¡°Do you reckon the timing is a coincidence?¡± Regina didn¡¯t say so, but she was inclined to doubt that. Chapter 115: Things Have Been Going on Regina kept still for a short while, trying to get a handle on what had happened and see if anything else was going to. If it had been an earthquake, no aftershocks seemed to be coming. ¡°Is this region known for tectonic activity?¡± she asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Janis frowned and looked around. ¡°I mean, are there occasionally earthquakes here?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve never heard of one before.¡± The young mage glanced questioningly at the Delvers. They had gathered in a group a short distance away from the hive, but they were still clearly paying attention. ¡°No, there shouldn¡¯t be any earthquakes here,¡± Gwen confirmed now. She looked at Regina. ¡°Where did you hear the word ¡®tectonic¡¯?¡± That was a question she would rather not answer. Instead, she stepped forward cautiously, drawing in a deep breath. The forest had fallen silent, and the birds were only sporadically starting to sing again. She couldn¡¯t smell anything out of the ordinary, apart from the commotion among the wildlife, but that didn¡¯t mean much. ¡°We need to go investigate where that came from,¡± Owin said. His expression seemed a bit suspicious as he looked at Regina and her hive members. ¡°You won¡¯t be doing that alone.¡± Regina glanced at the others, then quickly dove into the psychic link. She only took a moment to give the other drones, especially those waiting back at the base, a quick update on what had happened. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like Ace or the others in the forest base had any more information, although they¡¯d also noticed what was happening. She started walking, the others following suit. They had barely taken a few steps into the forest before a few of the Delvers pulled ahead of them. ¡°It might have come from underground,¡± Owin said. ¡°Either way, we cannot just let you traipse around here, especially since you could be related to what happened in some way.¡± Regina snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly like the thought of you following us, either,¡± she retorted. ¡°But it looks like we¡¯ll both have to put up with each others¡¯ presence.¡± His party members and her own followers exchanged some less than pleasant looks and a few hands drifted to their weapons, though fortunately, no one drew steel yet. ¡°You¡¯re both wrong,¡± someone else said suddenly. ¡°And you should get going in a hurry.¡± Regina blinked. A familiar figure of a pointy-eared woman with shimmery skin and silver eyes stood in front of them all of a sudden, bringing with her a sensation of charged power. ¡°Leian?¡± she asked. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recall giving you permission to call me that,¡± the minor goddess replied sternly, though the expression soon melted into a grin. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, though.¡± Owin cleared his throat. Like most of the Delvers, he had taken a step back and dropped into a defensive stance. ¡°Why is a messenger of the gods here?¡± he asked with unconcealed suspicion. ¡°Are you responsible for this disturbance?¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. It seemed like the Delvers really didn¡¯t think too highly of the gods. Leian gave him a dismissive glance, before she refocused on Regina. ¡°To oversimplify it, Deirianon is not happy with what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°The peace god?¡± Regina blinked. ¡°Does he not like me building my hive, or is this about us coming to terms with the Delvers?¡± ¡°While you¡¯ve been sitting around making eggs, things have been happening, girl.¡± Leian sighed and glanced back in the direction of what Regina suspected might have been an explosion. ¡°You¡¯re a threat to the status quo he wants to protect. Gods can¡¯t just go around killing mortals that they don¡¯t like and others are interested in, but they¡¯re always bending the rules. In this case, I think he just nudged a few events to make things a lot harder for you. And, presumably, stop you or at least slow you down. Anyway, I¡¯m supposed to tell you this and also to make haste, you may still be able to do some proper damage control.¡± ¡°What exactly happened?¡± she asked. ¡°There¡¯s no time for long explanations, you¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± Leian shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t keep you any longer. Go on.¡± Then she shimmered slightly and disappeared. There was a moment of silence as everyone seemed to digest what they¡¯d just heard. ¡°Well, you heard her, let¡¯s go.¡± Regina glanced at her companions, then started running in the direction Leian had looked. It sounded like they didn¡¯t have any time to stop and talk. The Delvers exchanged a few hurried words, before they started moving as well, running to close the gap between Regina and her companions. The drones had spread out into an impromptu formation, with Ada and a few others a bit ahead of Regina and others covering their back, while Max and Tim flanked her. Janis was also in the center, just behind her, along with the other magic users. None of the elves had appeared, and Regina assumed they were busy reacting to whatever happened. She would have preferred to wait until they made contact, but that didn¡¯t seem to be in the cards today. While they ran through the forest, Regina took the time to check on the rest of her hive, diving into drones¡¯ minds in short bursts. She quickly realized that this event seemed to be relatively concentrated, since even people in Forest¡¯s Haunt hadn¡¯t felt it. But then she came to their main base in the new land, or rather, the underground part. She couldn¡¯t feel the Swarm Drone she¡¯d stationed down there. She must have been too distracted when she felt its death. They were getting less prominent as her hive grew, anyway. Now, a few drones had gathered at the entrance to the tunnels, from which she could hear a rather ominous-sounding rumbling. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Try to investigate what¡¯s going on there, but be really careful, Regina told Bea, the most experienced drone present and the one temporarily in charge. Then she withdrew her attention again to focus on her surroundings. Running through a forest was difficult enough without distractions. She tried to keep an eye out for any danger and knew her people were doing the same, but it was almost eerily calm and quiet. It seemed like the monsters were hunkering down or fleeing. She supposed a group as strong as theirs crashing through the forest in a hurry would cause that reaction, too, at least here in the outer parts. Soon, they reached the entrance to the tunnels they¡¯d used before. While they hadn¡¯t coordinated it, everyone clearly agreed this was their goal. Regina slowed down as she stepped into the open clearing around it, breathing hard. For once, she wished she had a few more stat points in the physical stats. She held up a hand to signal for quiet and listened intently. In the sudden silence caused by the birds going quiet, which was only broken by the occasional rustle of the wind and the leaves, she could just barely hear a low sound, at the edge of her hearing range. ¡°It sounds like some kind of rumble,¡± Ada muttered in a low voice. Regina nodded. She wasn¡¯t sure what was going on down there, but something clearly was. At least the mana in the place didn¡¯t seem to have changed much ¡­ not that she could probably sense it from up here. "Well, there¡¯s no point hanging around out here,¡± she said, setting her shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s get down.¡± She left a few drones up here, the weaker sapient ones as well as some of the Swarm Drones. They could guard their backs and secure their exit - she didn¡¯t like the idea of something potentially attacking them from behind, if she was wrong about the source of the disturbance. The narrow tunnels weren¡¯t good for large groups, anyway. The Delvers didn¡¯t seem to think that was necessary, or maybe they actually trusted her hive to hold the path open, but all of them prepared to descend underground together. At first, everything was quiet and seemed basically the same as before. But that quickly changed once they got further down. Regina took a deep breath, trying to suppress a shiver. Her mana senses had gotten more acute as she¡¯d leveled up and gained both more experience and a larger mana pool. If they hadn¡¯t, she might not have sensed any change. But it felt a little like the mana was agitated, but in a weird way. She wondered if it was some aftereffect of whatever had caused the mana to be more ¡®twisted¡¯, presumably the mana surges after the gods¡¯ portals had broken. They encountered the first group of Tunnelers quickly. She barely had the time to read their System status before the three beasts threw themselves at the group, looking almost frenzied. Regina readied a Spell, but before she could act, the others decimated the monsters. Janis and Via quickly fired a Magic Missile, hitting the same Tunneler and killing it. Max rushed the second one and bashed it against the wall of the tunnel. The last one was pierced by an arrow coming from one of the Delvers before it could take more than a few steps towards them. I guess I¡¯m not needed, Regina thought with a bit of amusement. She glanced around. ¡°Alright, the tunnels are going to get narrower from here on out. Max and Tim will be at the front, Ben and Dan guarding our backs, with the casters and Shooters in the middle. Via and Ira, concentrate on support and healing.¡± Sure enough, their path took them into smaller side tunnels soon. Regina dipped into her drones¡¯ senses to get a better view of everything. They quickly emerged into one of the main tunnels, which she was pretty sure were the remains of old subway lines. That was also when they met their most difficult opponent so far.
Tunnel Terror ¡ª Level ?
Regina hadn¡¯t forgotten about the one near the door further in, although she hadn¡¯t known what one would actually look like. Instead of a hulking troll, it was thinner and looked more like an elongated monkey, though there were strange bends in its shape that made it fit into the tunnel. Its skin was pebbly gray, and it only had tiny eyes, but rather large ears and a prominent jaw. She still couldn¡¯t see its level, which meant it was almost definitely in the third Tier. Luckily, they had a few people with them in the same level range. Owin drew his sword and stepped forward, shouting something incomprehensible in a low voice. The beast¡¯s head snapped around to focus on him, and she saw his armor shimmer slightly. At the same time, his party members spread out and readied their weapons, with the archer nocking an arrow. The first shot came from her own group, though. Len fired a small metal bolt she¡¯d made for them, tipped with titanium, into the monster¡¯s eye. It roared and reeled back, before it shook itself and stepped forward again. Before it reached Owin, the ranged fighters opened fire on it. Regina contributed two Magic Missiles, since she wasn¡¯t sure if using Fireball was a good idea given the tunnel. It might even steal its attention from Owin, who seemed to make a good tank. Gwen kept back and presumably held her powers in reserve, but Owin engaged the monster right away. He stabbed the monster¡¯s arm, but it seemed to ignore the attack and instead swiped at him. It pushed him back until he almost crashed into the side of the tunnel. Regina prepared to launch a stronger Spell, but Owin didn¡¯t seem bothered. Instead, he jumped the monster, burying his weapon in its side. At the same time, a mostly translucent shell enveloped him as Janis cast Magic Armor on him. The Tunnel Terror roared again, bringing a few stones clattering down further away. But its moment of distraction cost it. Two bolts and two arrows embedded themselves in each of its hands, and it flinched back. Three Magic Missiles shot into its eyes, blinding it and sending its head shaking. Then Owin jumped up and his sword suddenly seemed to grow longer as he buried it into the monster¡¯s neck. Regina flinched and covered her ears as the monster crashed down onto the ground. It was still twitching, but Owin cut into it again, and a few others did likewise. Then she couldn¡¯t see its System descriptor anymore, indicating that it was dead. Regina opened her mouth to say something, but paused when the System showed her another notification.
You have leveled up
She blinked and hid a smile as she walked forward, eying the corpse of the Tunnel Terror curiously. Level 39. Only one more to go until I reach the next Tier. She glanced at the Delvers. They¡¯re a well-balanced team, she noted. I wouldn¡¯t want to fight against them. At least not in a head-on confrontation ¡­ They continued on quickly, but Regina still took a moment to check in on the others. Especially at her new base. Unfortunately, the news was not good. My Queen, it seems the tunnel collapsed, Ina reported. We can¡¯t get through. There were two Swarm Drones in the cavern system, and we can¡¯t reach the minds of either of them. I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re still alive and just blocked or too weak. They¡¯re not, Regina answered. I just checked, and I can¡¯t feel anything. They¡¯re dead. She withdrew from her mind, sighing. This did not look good. Regina knew she needed to investigate what was happening there, but it did seem like the epicenter of what was going on was here. Or maybe just one epicenter? That there hadn¡¯t been a quake there didn¡¯t necessarily mean anything, or mean that it wasn¡¯t connected. Regina sighed and glanced at her drones, then at the Delvers. Hopefully, they wouldn¡¯t take too long down here, or she¡¯d have to reassess her priorities. And possibly try to find some way of getting there quickly with more than just the few people Winged Mounts would carry. The Delvers might be useful in a fight, but she couldn¡¯t help but wish that they hadn¡¯t been there for whatever happened. Chapter 116: (Never) Split the Party The tunnel had never felt so long. That was partly because Regina¡¯s group had to move slowly, prepared for sudden attacks. The subterranean monsters were clearly agitated, and more than a few of them took it out on the intruders. Regina saw a few types she had never chanced upon before, though none was as dangerous as the Tunnel Terror, or even at the third Tier. However, groups of them could still be quite annoying. She tried to conserve her mana, and since she had quite a few drones with her as well as the Delvers, there wasn¡¯t much need for her to fight. They mostly left dealing with the monsters to the warriors, with some support from the mages. Regina had to heal Max and Tim once, after a fight against a particularly large group of Tunnelers. The Delvers had their own healer, so when Owin was injured as well, she didn¡¯t need to offer her help. She didn¡¯t think their guy was quite as good as she, honestly, but his magic was enough to deal with the relatively light injuries. Despite the occasional fights, they did make reasonable time getting deeper into the bowels of the underground complex. The mana still had that odd quality, but she didn¡¯t notice anything else that might point to what the problem was. There hadn¡¯t been another earthquake, fortunately. Things changed as soon as they reached the part of the tunnel by the large doors, where she¡¯d first seen a Tunnel Terror and where Leian had taken her to the Mirrored Halls. The door stood open ¡ª only a crack, but that was enough for Regina to realize that it had to be the source of the disturbance. The space behind it was illuminated brightly. So much so, in fact, that the light made it difficult to tell what was behind it. ¡°In all our records, this door has never been opened,¡± Gwen muttered. Regina narrowed her eyes. Be careful, she told the hive members with her. I don¡¯t like the feeling of the mana here. It could be worse, Janis said. But you¡¯re right, it¡¯s still sending a shiver down my spine. They approached carefully, and Regina focused on parsing the noises coming from behind the tunnel. Most of them sounded distorted, probably echoing from further away. There was also a rumble and a hum that felt familiar. Then, as they came closer, she heard a sputtering noise and hissing sounds. ¡°Cover!¡± Regina shouted. She ducked and threw herself to the floor, rolling to the side. She only caught a faint hint of something escaping into the air, before Janis muttered something. Regina dove into her head for a moment, just long enough to realize that Janis was using her new Air Manipulation to deal with whatever gas that was. Then a new sound eclipsed it, and Regina cursed and tried to duck further. She probably hadn¡¯t heard it often, but the rat-tat-tat sound of some sort of quick-firing guns was still unmistakable. A moment later, Max dove on top of her, holding his shield over their heads. Owin shouted something, then actually took a step forward. He raised his shield, and a glowing barrier extended from it, covering most of the diameter of the tunnel. Regina let out a breath, listening to the sound of bullets clinking off his shield. She nudged Max and stood up. If they had any kind of targeting capability, lying still would just make her an easy target without any cover to hide behind. ¡°How long can you keep that up?¡± she asked, raising her voice to be heard over the din. ¡°Less than four minutes!¡± Owin answered, still looking ahead with a clenched jaw. Regina glanced at the entrance again, trying to work out the best thing to do and fast. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we can get far enough away in time,¡± Tim said quickly. ¡°Can we close the door?¡± He might be right; their opponents might be able to chase them and might have some seriously heavy-duty weapons. Even if they could get away, though, they¡¯d have a much harder time approaching again. And they were here specifically to stop whatever was happening in time. It didn¡¯t look like whatever they were dealing with could get out, for now, at least. ¡°Can you move forward and get me closer?¡± she shouted to Owin again. ¡°Yes. Hurry!¡± Regina got moving, keeping just behind the knight. He didn¡¯t show any hesitation, she had to give him that, but simply advanced to provide cover for her. ¡°Get to the door!¡± Max suggested to the others. ¡°We can take cover beside it, in the dead angle.¡± She tuned them out, though, focusing on her own goal. Her mana regenerated faster since some eggs had hatched after she set out, and it was rising more quickly down here. She had just over six thousand points now, and had to hope that would be enough. Regina raised her hands, holding them out to help her focus. Then she formed her mana in the pattern of Basic Conjuration, while concentrating hard on what she wanted. She felt the Spell draw heavily on her mana, perhaps more than anything she had Conjured before. Metal clinked against metal as what she envisioned took form. A large sheet of steel now covered the gap in front of them. Luckily, she didn¡¯t have to conjure something in the space directly in front of her, at least not so close that she actually touched it, and Owin¡¯s shield didn¡¯t interfere with the process. ¡°Push against it,¡± Regina commanded, taking a deep breath. The others quickly did as she said, before she gathered her focus again. This time, a drop of sweat rolled down her face as she finished, but she couldn¡¯t spare the attention to wipe it off. A second barrier, this one made of titanium, now stood layered behind the first one. Regina had Conjured it directly into place, with no gap between them. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Regina took a moment to rest and gather her power, listening to the clink of bullets off the new blockade. Owin¡¯s shield was dimming noticeably. Then she focused once more and cast the Spell again. She got more ambitious this time. She still made just one element, carbon, but now the atoms were arranged in a very particular way, creating a material that should, in theory, be even tougher and more resistant. ¡°My Queen?¡± Max asked, sounding concerned. ¡°One more,¡± Regina panted. She closed her eyes for a moment, then drew on her mana. This time, she could tell that she was really scraping her mana pool dry, and didn¡¯t get nearly as much as she might have wished. But it was still enough for one more piece of sheet metal. Once it was done, Regina stumbled backward. Max caught her and led her to sit down against the wall of the tunnel. Regina put her head on her knees and closed her eyes for a few seconds, trying to force back the nausea.
Mana: 1/14368
She closed her eyes again, trying to fight against the tiredness dragging her down. It took a while for her to gather enough strength to open her eyes and look at what was going on. She had a feeling the headache would stay for a while, though. The others were currently working to improve on what she¡¯d given them. Janis was holding a ball of flame in her hand, its core burning blue, and slowly running it along the side of the metal slabs. Another Delver was doing the same with some kind of enchanted metal rod. Regina doubted it would be as good as using proper welding equipment on the metal, but she supposed it couldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°This is only a temporary measure,¡± she said after standing up and trying to dust her tunic off. ¡°But it should hold for now.¡± ¡°And for all we know, whatever has woken these ¡­ defenses might be going dormant again after a while,¡± Via added. Regina nodded. If they were the twisted remnants of some automated security system, which seemed likely, that could happen. She didn¡¯t know how it would get power, but it was at least possible that they¡¯d run out of juice. Or at least have to go into standby mode to conserve it. And if nothing else, their ammunition couldn¡¯t be unlimited. Of course, they shouldn¡¯t rely on that. It would be stupid to leave this place alone and unsupervised. ¡°We should have someone staying here, at least until we can figure out some way to deal with it more permanently,¡± Max muttered, clearly thinking along the same lines. Regina nodded. ¡°True, but we still have more to check on,¡± she said quietly. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like the others had made any progress with figuring out what was going on in Galatea¡¯s part of the underground tunnels. They had started trying to dig through the collapsed part, but it was slow-going and apparently deeper than they thought. Regina also wasn¡¯t sure if this was the best idea. All of her strongest people were with her, and if there was anything like the danger here, it might wreak havoc on her base. I need to check it out myself, she concluded. We need to know what we¡¯re dealing with. And besides, Galatea is down there. She might be an AI or mana spirit of sorts, but still ¡­ Regina frowned. Besides, what are the chances that her presence is completely unrelated to whatever is happening? She rolled her shoulders and tried to gather her strength. She still felt exhausted, but there was nothing for it. ¡°Max, Tim, Via, Ira, Ada, Janis,¡± Regina said. ¡°You¡¯re with me. Ben, you¡¯re in charge of the rest. You¡¯ll stay here, keep an eye on the door.¡± They nodded and quickly sorted themselves into groups according to her orders. At the same time, Owin looked up from where he had been talking to his party. Now, they stepped out of their huddle and turned to face the hive again. ¡°You are already leaving?¡± he asked. ¡°As much as I would prefer not to, there are other locations requiring my attention,¡± Regina said. ¡°Other parts of this underground tunnel system?¡± he guessed, frowning slightly. ¡°Are you sure this is wise?¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°Things seem to be fairly well in hand here. If you stay, I¡¯m confident this will not be a problem.¡± ¡°Are you going to go through the tunnels?¡± Gwen asked. She stepped up beside Owin and gave him a glance. ¡°Depending on how far away any location you want to check is, it could take a while. Especially if it¡¯s deeper into the new territory you have been granted.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Regina answered shortly. ¡°What is it to you?¡± Owin cleared his throat. ¡°I would rather not leave you to do that alone,¡± he said, sounding almost apologetic. ¡°If nothing else, there might still be more powerful monsters and other dangers lying in wait on the way.¡± He definitely sounded mellower than before, Regina noted. I suppose that fighting together like this can change things. And it wasn¡¯t like he was wrong, it would be dangerous. Still, she wasn¡¯t sure she liked the idea of having the Delvers along. ¡°I take your point,¡± she replied. ¡°Still, it is also important to secure this site.¡± Gwen glanced from her to Owin, who set his shoulders, and sighed slightly. ¡°I can speed up our travel significantly,¡± she said. ¡°According to our usual policy, I conserved my mana, so I can still provide significant support. We can also leave some of our party behind to guard this location, along with your drones.¡± Regina hesitated for another moment, then nodded slowly. Her instincts were telling her that time was of the essence, so that was a very important consideration. Having the two of them along would make it feasible to travel through the tunnels. While she wasn¡¯t sure, Regina strongly suspected that they connected to those housing Galatea. If they didn¡¯t find any connection or lost too much time, they could always get back to the surface and try to fly there with drones, but she considered that suboptimal for several reasons. For once, the tunnel was still collapsed, and she had a suspicion it might be quite difficult to dig their way through. There was also still the other door to consider. She wasn¡¯t confident at all that they could break through it if they needed to. Granted, there was no guarantee they would be able to enter the complex from the other side, either, but ¡­ it was probably better to try. ¡°Alright,¡± Regina finally said after a pause. ¡°I suppose you can come along then.¡± She smiled. She suspected it looked a bit stiff, but there was nothing for it. ¡°Good.¡± Owin nodded, then turned around and gave a few orders to his team. In the end, they decided only Owin, Gwen and two other Delvers were coming with them, while the others would stay behind. They also quickly discussed the need to send a few people out into the adjoining tunnels to check that whatever happened hadn¡¯t left any sorts of nasty surprises. Then it was time to go. Regina¡¯s mana was still dangerously low, so she wouldn¡¯t be much use. At least at first. Well, at least she could still connect to her other drones via the psychic link and coordinate them. ¡°It¡¯s probably best if we go to the second tunnel opening on the right, then try to head to the southeast,¡± Janis commented. She was fingering the dagger in her belt, her backup weapon, in what Regina knew was probably a sign of nerves. ¡°I agree,¡± Ada chimed in. ¡°We haven¡¯t explored too far down there,¡± she explained with a glance at the Delvers, ¡°but there should be at least one tunnel going in the right direction for quite a while.¡± ¡°There is, a big one, too,¡± Gwen replied. ¡°We do have some maps, although they¡¯re not complete.¡± That sounded like there might have been a subway line or something heading in that direction, Regina figured. She nodded and started forward. ¡°Let¡¯s get going, then.¡± She almost reached out to ask Galatea a question, but of course, that wasn¡¯t possible. Regina suppressed a sigh, watching as the others got moving. This is why we¡¯re going there, she reminded herself. And looking on the bright side, I¡¯ve been wanting to further explore these tunnels for a while now. Looks like I¡¯m getting my chance. Chapter 117: Breaking and Entering The trip through the tunnels started pretty well. They had to fight a bit more than Regina expected, but on the flip side, they also traveled faster. Gwen¡¯s ¡®Bard of Battle¡¯ Class really shone in this situation. She used a song that seemed to have mana woven through it in a strange way to buff the group. It increased their speed and stamina, making it much easier to run quickly through the tunnels, even for the magic users with lower physical stats among them. Regina had already decided to leave any Swarm Drones behind, as they wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep up, but the rest managed pretty well. It helped that all of them were at least at the second Tier by now, although Via and Ira had only Evolved recently. Janis occasionally used her Haste Spell to help, as it didn¡¯t clash with Gwen¡¯s bard buff too badly. Via and Ira kept most of their magic in reserve to provide healing whenever someone needed it. Although, with their levels, the fighting wasn¡¯t very hard, so there wasn¡¯t too much need for that. Both Via and Ira actually leveled up once, fairly quickly after they started traveling. They had both chosen the same Class, Drone Assistant. She wasn¡¯t entirely clear how it would develop their ability with magic, but considering how much she had trained with them, Regina wasn¡¯t too worried. They only started running into trouble a few hours in, when they had already covered at least a dozen kilometers. More likely at least twenty. It was a bit hard to judge distances down here, without any real landmarks to go by. Even the maps that the Delvers had weren¡¯t very exact about that sort of thing. ¡°How should we proceed?¡± Gwen asked, glancing at the group. Regina tugged on her mandible. They were facing two potential ways forward: continuing along their current path, a larger tunnel which seemed to divert to the left later, or a smaller, narrower tunnel going to the right. ¡°Ada, your impression?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s hard to be sure, my Queen,¡± Ada answered. She was frowning slightly, clearly thinking hard. ¡°But I would recommend going to the right.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± one of the other Delvers, a man called Geoff, asked. Judging by his equipment and Class, Dark Daggers, he was a rogue type. He sounded skeptical. ¡°We need to head primarily eastward, and the tunnel we have been using is following that direction.¡± ¡°But if we keep following it, we¡¯ll end up going more towards the northeast, even though we need to go southeast,¡± Ada replied patiently. ¡°I would at least check it out. We can always double back if we find that it gets blocked or veers off in a different direction. This path also looks to be heading upwards, closer to the surface again, so it will be easier to get out if necessary.¡± Regina frowned slightly. She didn¡¯t like the idea of doubling back. Then again, they had fought the last monsters a while ago and could move pretty quickly, so they wouldn¡¯t lose a lot of time trying it. And if this tunnel was blocked or changed direction after they had already traveled for a while, they should be able to get another one that took them closer to their goal. There were a lot of tunnels and pathways down here, far more than she¡¯d thought. Monsters like the Tunnelers had been living here for a long time, though. After a while, Max quietly sidled up next to her. ¡°Are we even sure we can get into the place if we reach it?¡± he asked in a low voice. Regina looked at him and shrugged. ¡°Of course not. But I¡¯m getting the feeling there¡¯s more to all this. I¡¯d be very surprised if there wasn¡¯t some connection. And the complex is bound to have at least one back entrance, considering.¡± Neither of them specified that they were talking about Galatea¡¯s home or even mentioned Galatea, since they didn¡¯t want to risk the Delvers overhearing anything, but that wasn¡¯t necessary. ¡°Careful,¡± Ada said quietly, cutting off their conversation. She¡¯d been walking in front, followed by Owin and Tim, though they all slowed down now. Regina quickly took a glimpse through her eyes, then hopped to Tim¡¯s to get confirmation. It didn¡¯t take her long to realize why they had stopped. The tunnel opened up into a chasm. She faintly heard rushing water below, though judging by the echoes and the qualities of the sound, at least most of it was probably an underground stream going through the rock, rather than open to the air. There might also be another underground lake. At the moment, though, she was more concerned with the silky webs covering the tunnel, the gap, and seemingly even the inside of the chasm. The area was downright packed with the stuff. ¡°Great,¡± Gwen sighed. ¡°A giant spider nest. Just what I wanted to see here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see any giant spider,¡± Owin pointed out. ¡°Come on, Owin.¡± She shot him a look. ¡°How often have we run into something like this? You know what it means.¡± ¡°No, I mean, I don¡¯t see any giant spiders here, do you? Disregarding the fact that this doesn¡¯t seem to be their preferred arrangement for a lair, you¡¯d expect there to be at least one.¡± Regina frowned. She hadn¡¯t run into giant spiders before, and she was not happy, although not surprised, to find out that they were a thing. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re just hiding down there?¡± she suggested. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t make for very good ambush predators if prey could see them lurking, after all.¡± Max cleared his throat. ¡°And what exactly makes this a good ambush? The obvious webs?¡± Regina shot him a look and rolled her eyes, but she had to admit that he had a point. ¡°Many animals living underground would not be able to see, or have very bad eyesight, at least,¡± Janis said. ¡°Although something like this can still be avoided by echolocation abilities, too.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s no point standing around here,¡± Owin said, hefting his shield. Then he started moving forward. Janis, Max and Via made sure the webs wouldn¡¯t touch anyone, using fire magic and an axe, while Regina stayed in the middle of the group. They quickly reached the edge of the tunnel and the crevice. It was actually larger than it had seemed, big enough that several people could descend at once. ¡°Is that a dead spider down there?¡± Janis asked, bending forward to look down. Ada grabbed the back of her coat. ¡°It looks like it. I wouldn¡¯t assume it¡¯s the only one, though.¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± Regina raised a hand. Fortunately, they all fell silent. That allowed her to hear the rustling and chittering. Judging by their reactions, even the Delvers heard something. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Owin materialized his barrier again, just in time for the first giant spider to bounce off it. Another squeezed itself from a crack in the ceiling above the crevice, which had been almost completely hidden by the contours of the uneven stone. Several more crawled up from below, spread out on various sides.
Giant Cave Spider ¡ª Level 30
Regina narrowed her eyes and almost called on her mana to form a Firebolt, but then paused. She still didn¡¯t have enough to waste it. Reluctantly, she took a step back instead. As if to make up for it, Janis and Ira both seemed to have the same idea. Several Firebolts rained down on the spiders, dislodging one of them and filling the air with the smell of burnt bugs. One of the spiders screeched. A throwing knife from the rogue nailed the spider she¡¯d been looking at. At the same time, Max chopped down on the leg of the spider that was furthest up. It tried to stab one of its other legs at him in retaliation, but he dodged the attack. Tim used the opportunity to stab its eye, sending it collapsing to the ground. ¡°I was just about to point out that they are tougher than they look, but the eyes are a weak spot,¡± Owin commented. ¡°It looks like that is unnecessary.¡± Regina glanced around. She could at least keep an eye out while the others fought. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like another monster wanted to use the opportunity to attack them. But she did find something interesting looking down the tunnel. ¡°There¡¯s a darker spot down there,¡± she muttered. She squinted, then waited until Tim was done with his current opponent, a smaller spider, to look through his eyes. ¡°Did you find something, Lady Regina?¡± Owin asked. ¡°Perhaps.¡± She looked up and blinked. ¡°Good work, everyone.¡± They¡¯d already killed all the spiders. She stepped closer to the edge, looking down. ¡°It seems like there may be another tunnel here, Sir Owin.¡± He followed her, bending down and squinting. ¡°I believe you are correct. A rather large one, in fact.¡± ¡°It seems to go in the direction we need,¡± Janis commented. Then her hand lit up with fire and she tossed it towards the spot in question. Regina shielded her eyes while she watched Janis torch all the spider webs obstructing their view. Once she was finished, Via climbed down, flapping her wings a bit to generate some lift, though actually flying would be hard in the narrow confines. ¡°It¡¯s a very regular, smooth tunnel,¡± she reported. ¡°Clearly artificial.¡± It seems too small for a subway tunnel, she commented to Regina privately, but maybe some kind of maintenance shaft or accessway for a bigger one? ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Regina answered. It took a bit of doing to get everyone down and into the tunnel safely, but luckily, they were all reasonably athletic, and Gwen knew a bard spell that helped with acrobatics. ¡°Interesting,¡± she commented, running her hands down the smooth surface of the tunnel. They continued walking carefully, mindful of any further monsters, though they didn¡¯t encounter anything. And after a few meters, it became clear that the tunnel was continuing on in a straight line, as if someone had designed it with a ruler on a drawing board - which might be the case. "We should be getting close now,¡± Ada commented eventually. Regina nodded. Gwen was still speeding them up. It felt a bit odd, like each of her steps was carrying more force and covering a greater distance than it should. But they had been able to travel without having to fight monsters for a while now, with only a short pause for the giant spider nest. That had allowed them to cover a lot of ground. Although she¡¯d found it difficult to keep track of time down here, beyond a rough idea. They¡¯d certainly traveled for hours. The Delver was showing clear signs of exhaustion by now, with her hair plastered to her head with sweat and even her hands shaking slightly. She hadn¡¯t really participated in the fighting, so she¡¯d been able to rest during those times. But Regina knew she was probably almost exhausting her mana. In contrast, Regina herself had gained a few thousand points of mana since their departure, and her mana was still climbing up steadily. She was tired, too. Her End stat wasn¡¯t that high and they¡¯d kept up a demanding pace. But she was also feeling much better as her mana recovered. ¡°This tunnel is strange,¡± Max muttered, quiet enough she was pretty sure the Delvers wouldn¡¯t be able to hear him. ¡°It¡¯s almost like an underground road, but not big enough for a train, is it? And why would there be one leading straight towards our destination?¡± Probably something for the complex Galatea was brought to, Regina answered. I imagine they might have needed supplies, and if they hid it in a populated community, an underground access makes sense. But who knows? I doubt we¡¯ll ever find out. ¡°There is a door coming up,¡± Ada reported. They slowed down and advanced cautiously, but it seemed they didn¡¯t have to fear attacks from monsters. Regina supposed that made sense, considering this was just an empty cavern going from this door to the spiders¡¯ lair. She could tell that they were very close now, at least as close to where she¡¯d talked to Galatea as the tunnels her hive had dug. The feeling of the mana in the surroundings was the same. As they approached, it became clear that while the metal wall and door blocking the tunnel were similar to what they¡¯d seen before, they were in much worse condition. They still blocked off the tunnel, of course, but the material looked almost corroded, as if the passage of time had withered it, but without actual deformation or rust. Regina almost got the impression that it had been in its present state for a while. I guess what mana surges might do to things varies. ¡°How will we get in?¡± Gwen asked. She eyed the door. ¡°Do you think bashing our way in will be feasible?¡± ¡°That is Ancient material,¡± Owin replied. ¡°I doubt it will be easy. Besides, we do not know what might be behind it. If it is anything like what we just faced, that might be a bad idea. And I am not sure if we want to announce our presence to whatever might be inside, either.¡± ¡°I guess you have a point,¡± Regina muttered. After a second of hesitation, she stepped up to the door. Ada and Tim moved out of her way. She could tell the door had been secured with a keycard and fingerprint sensor in addition to its lock, even if the casings were hard to recognize. Of course, the problem was that even if it still worked, none of them would be allowed in. ¡°Can you just Conjure some acid to eat through this barrier and let us enter?¡± Tim asked quietly. Regina frowned. ¡°Maybe, but I wouldn¡¯t bet on it.¡± Instead, she turned her attention to the walls. They were in worse condition than the door itself, to the point that the metal covering was almost peeling off the side of the tunnel at the intersection. Regina started taking it off and looking for wires. She was sure she¡¯d seen people do that in movies, even if she couldn¡¯t recall the actual details. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Owin asked, sounding irritated. ¡°If it was that easy to get Progenitor facilities to open ¡ª Well, you can¡¯t just push on the right things.¡± ¡°I know, and it wouldn¡¯t have power anymore, anyway,¡± Regina responded calmly. ¡°It looks like this might have been battery-powered, but ¡­¡± She paused and cocked her head as she examined what she was seeing. She wasn¡¯t exactly an electrician, but at least she got a rough idea of where the connections went. She could also sense it faintly. She¡¯d noticed that mana reacted slightly differently with different materials, and it was a lot more pronounced here. She remembered Alianais¡¯ explanation and knew that these electronics had probably been shorted out by a mana surge. But it was still there, noticeable enough that she¡¯d felt it even from a short distance away. Twisted mana, perhaps, but traces lingered. ¡°This is odd,¡± Janis muttered, stepping closer and almost bumping into Regina. She couldn¡¯t help but agree, though. At this point, I might as well have gone with the acid idea, but at least it¡¯s interesting. ¡°Are you done playing around with this?¡± Owin asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you know anything about this - or think you do - but clearly, that mechanism hasn¡¯t worked for a long time.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Step back, please.¡± As a precaution, she made herself some sheets of plastic first, to isolate things in case there was still some electrical charge slumbering here. Then she started carefully Conjuring acid to eat through the weak spots. She tried several kinds, and occasionally paused for Max and the others to help her pry a bit of metal loose. It took a while, but eventually, she had essentially isolated the mechanism that would let the door open. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s push on this. Here, and here.¡± She glanced at the others and raised an eyebrow, waiting until they¡¯d taken position. Then they pushed open the door. It was clearly almost rusted, but it did move. She winced at the creaking and groaning. So much for a stealthy approach, but I guess it could be worse. Besides, she didn¡¯t want to dawdle too much, in case Galatea was in danger and needed help. At least this time, there were no guns or anything to interrupt them or stop them from entering. Chapter 118: Shadows of the Past Past the door they had just forced open, Regina and the others found themselves in some kind of complex. She supposed it could be called a bunker, although it looked more like a hi-tech facility that just happened to lack windows. For a moment, she almost felt like she was in some VR game. Of course, the sensation of the twisted mana in the place countered that impression rather quickly. It might have something to do with why everything seemed to be very well preserved, though. At least considering that a thousand years had passed. It didn¡¯t help that the place had clearly been abandoned in a hurry, and she could still see tablets, books and various other accessories like coffee cups lying around. ¡°Can you see anything?¡± Owin asked quietly. ¡°It¡¯s too dark for us.¡± ¡°Here, maybe this can help.¡± Via smiled and hit one of the panels beside the door. A light-switch. Regina had the urge to close her eyes in exasperation. Her drones didn¡¯t usually act like children, but they had their moments. However, before she could say anything, a LED light on the ceiling sputtered to life. Regina squinted against the sudden brightness. ¡°Via, we wanted to keep our presence quiet! That means not hitting random light switches. That said, how did this one still work?¡± ¡°Is this an actual Progenitor facility that is still functioning?¡± Gwen asked. Regina didn¡¯t miss the awe in her voice. ¡°Obviously. I¡¯m just not sure how it can still have power. Clearly, the power lines won¡¯t work anymore.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°I suppose it could have relied on its own power sources, but it has been a thousand years. It¡¯s hard to believe they¡¯re still in working order.¡± ¡°You mean the electricity the Progenitors harnessed to work as their magic?¡± Owin asked. He was looking around, but kept glancing at her as well, a small frown on his face. ¡°Close enough.¡± At this point, Regina was past trying to hide that she knew about the ¡®Progenitors¡¯. It would be obvious anyway, and she couldn¡¯t let their presence tie her hands too much. The idea of trying to pretend to study this like some alien archaeologist made her cringe, and she¡¯d probably slip up pretty soon, anyway. If they made a fuss about it, then too bad. She was still pretty sure she could arrange for the Delvers to meet a tragic accident if it was really necessary. Especially considering a large part of her hive was very close by, probably just past the tunnels on the other side of this facility. Regina was already reaching out to them, using their minds to get a better idea of their position, as well as relaying the gist of what was happening so they were prepared. ¡°Let¡¯s look around, but don¡¯t touch anything,¡± she ordered. They had arrived in a central part of the facility that seemed to be dedicated to research. There were a lot of offices and computers, as well as some conference rooms, all with very high-quality equipment. It could have been built for administrative purposes, too, but the decorations, posters, whiteboards and post-its seemed to indicate differently. Although most of them were, of course, illegible. She randomly tried a few computers, but they clearly hadn¡¯t weathered the time that had passed - or maybe the mana waves after all - quite as well as the lights, and were just dead bricks. Beneath that part, the facility had a lower layer, which seemed to be largely used for maintenance, but also security. Regina actually found what seemed like a guard post with several locked weapons cabinets. That didn¡¯t exactly help the ¡®sci-fi movie facility¡¯ feel she got. However, another large portion of the lower part of the complex was clearly used for power generation, which answered her previous question. ¡°I think these are geothermal generators,¡± Regina stated, glancing at the large pipes descending into the ground. ¡°At least one of them still works. I can feel some magic in them, though more in the outer parts and housing of the actual generator part.¡± ¡°Do you think that is what preserved them?¡± Owin asked, taking a step closer before he stopped. They¡¯d split up to scout the place, but he¡¯d followed her, along with Max, Tim and Ira. ¡°Presumably.¡± She shrugged. ¡°This facility was really lucky. I¡¯m not sure if this quite works the same way it did back in the day, but mana surges can be chaotic. And it doesn¡¯t look like they used many electronics for this system, either. Maybe they wanted to secure it against hackers or sabotage.¡± ¡°Hackers?¡± Gwen asked from the doorway. ¡°These look a little too sturdy to be easily hacked apart, but wouldn¡¯t someone have to make it in here in the first place?¡± ¡°Never mind.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°I¡¯d rather not mess with any of this. Let¡¯s join up with the others and take stock.¡± They rendezvoused in the main part of the facility, reporting what they¡¯d found. The others didn¡¯t have much to tell, as they¡¯d mostly just seen more of the same. ¡°There is a rather large and heavily secured door further down the corridor.¡± Tim pointed out. ¡°If I had to guess, that¡¯s the main entrance, or the way to it.¡± He hesitated, then continued quietly enough that even Regina had trouble hearing, and the humans definitely wouldn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about Galatea¡¯s position, but there might be another section of this complex, which is probably also accessible from there.¡± Regina nodded. So far, they hadn¡¯t found anything that would explain why this whole thing was in a secured underground bunker instead of some normal, above-ground institute. Granted, they didn¡¯t know what data might have been stored or worked with here, but she still felt like a normal military base would¡¯ve worked just as well. Unless the government had been worried about this place being bombed or something. She wasn¡¯t an expert in national security or whatever. She decided to call for a short rest, to allow them to catch their breath and regenerate some of their mana. Then Regina led the others to the doorway Tim had mentioned. Apparently, the Delvers were content to go along with her for now. Perhaps because it was apparent that she knew what she was doing more than they did, or that she at least knew her surroundings better. She was glad they seemed to have decided to push off questioning her for now. The door was only secured with an old-fashioned lock, not any electronic safety measures. Regina suspected that was on purpose. Still, the Delver rogue proved his worth and managed to pick the lock after half an hour of trying. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. They pushed the door open carefully and Owin went through first, his shield raised. After a moment, he called ¡°Clear.¡± As she passed through the doorway, Regina noticed they were in a corridor that seemed to have been reinforced with metal coverings, and had several security cameras. One of them lay broken on the floor, the others were clearly dark. After only a few meters, the corridor emerged into a wider room. Before Regina realized what was going on, the room was plunged into darkness. She¡¯d only gotten a glimpse of bare concrete and what might have been computer terminals on one side. But while she couldn¡¯t see anything, her mana senses screamed at her, warning of a danger close by. Almost on instinct, she cast Spark and directed the source of light to fly further into the room. It illuminated the enemy waiting for them, and Regina took a precious moment to read its System description.
Twisted Mana Spirit ¡ª Level ?
Well, that clears things up. She shoved the thought to the back of her head and ducked as the spirit shot some kind of glowing ball of mana at her. It splashed against the wall beside the door and she heard a sizzling sound. ¡°Damned, a spirit!¡± Owin cursed. ¡°Physical attacks won¡¯t have an effect, use magic or Skills. Gwen, can you give us an enhancement?¡± ¡°I barely have any mana left!¡± Gwen called, jumping to the side to dodge. The spirit suddenly accelerated towards them, barreling at her. Max tried to stop it, but it went right through his extended shield, barely missing his body. Gwen dropped to the ground. Then Janis shot a Firebolt at the spirit, which made it hiss, causing it to draw back. Regina ignored Gwen¡¯s curse - she¡¯d been pretty close to that - and studied the spirit. It looked a little like an elongated ball of light itself, but made of gray light that seemed to occasionally flash with other colors and still dissipate into shadows at the edges. It was about a meter long and floated above the ground, clearly not subject to the pull of gravity. ¡°Do you have any Spells which would let us damage an incorporeal enemy?¡± Owin asked. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± Regina replied, watching while Via lobbed a Magic Missile at the spirit. Those Spells had to be pretty rare, but for adventurers, the effect would probably be nice to have. She frowned. Well, if this was a game, then there would probably be a ¡®holy spell¡¯ for that, and she did apparently have a bit of divine magic access. ¡°Well, possibly, but probably not and I don¡¯t exactly have the time to figure it out.¡± Via and Ira coordinated their next attacks, two Magic Missiles curving to the left and right at the spirit. It had just started to advance on the group again, but that forced it back. Unfortunately, it now started throwing more of those magic balls. They might not be its only attacks, either. Regina could tell that the spirit was annoyed by their own attacks, perhaps, but they didn¡¯t seem to do major damage. Still, they had to have some effect, if only a small one, and they didn¡¯t have any other options. While she hunkered down behind Max, Regina gathered her mana and fired another Firebolt at the spirit. She waited and timed her attack until it moved to the side to dodge one of Ira¡¯s Magic Missiles, so her own Spell hit. The spirit¡¯s form seemed to flicker for a moment, although it could just have been a trick of the light. ¡°Owin,¡± she called, ¡°if someone hits it while having Magic Armor active, is that going to do damage to it?¡± Owin paused and glanced at her. ¡°Most likely,¡± he said. ¡°That has to be the most inefficient method I¡¯ve heard of, but it should work.¡± ¡°Good. Janis, Magic Armor on Owin and Tim,¡± she ordered. Janis complied, casting the Spell on both of them. Regina knew she couldn¡¯t have a lot of mana left and that they didn¡¯t have much time, but it had to be enough. Owin put down his sword and approached the spirit, fists swinging. Tim used that chance to approach it from the side, using his blade-arm to strike. Magic Armor was a basic defensive Spell that covered the mage or their target in a faintly visible envelope of defensive magic. From watching Janis use it a few times, Regina knew that the armor extended over the entire body. Which, in Tim¡¯s case, also meant his blade-arm. The spirit hissed and shuddered as his blade almost cleaved through its form. It looked like he¡¯d struck a ball of jelly or tar, his movement slowing down noticeably until it was stopped. Regina, Janis and Via used that opportunity to send more Magic Missiles. They curved their Spells around their two allies to hit their target from above and behind. The spirit made another hissing sound, like air escaping from a balloon. Its form threw out more glowing light attacks, throwing Owin and Tim back. Owin slid two meters but remained standing, while Tim slammed into the wall. His armor vanished, but it appeared to have protected him from the worst of it. That seemed to have been the last of the spirit¡¯s strength, though. Another Firebolt slammed into it, and what remained of the entity¡¯s form dissolved, sending glowing splotches through the air, which lost their shine and quickly disappeared. Regina checked and its System notification vanished. At the same time, another System message caught her by surprise.
You have leveled up
Regina blinked, then pushed the following messages away. She couldn¡¯t spare them any attention right now. Something else needed all of it. Now that the spirit was defeated, the unnatural darkness had receded and allowed her to get a better look at the room. It had several entrances. They had come through one, but there was another one with a door that stood slightly open. The feeling of ¡®twisted¡¯ mana was as strong as ever. Stronger, really. As Regina took a step forward, her knee almost buckled. She panted, trying to regain her focus. There was some change after I crossed the threshold into the second Tier, too, she remembered. This is probably more of the same. But I can¡¯t afford the distraction right now, and this feels like if I¡¯m not careful, I¡¯ll fall into a coma! She gritted her teeth and pushed on, but after a moment, Gwen called out, ¡°Stop!¡± Regina stopped and looked back. What she saw made her start in surprise. Owin was a few meters away and on his knees, looking slightly green. The other Delvers didn¡¯t seem to fare much better, and even her own drones were clearly uncomfortable at best. Now that she focused on it, she could sense as much clearly. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t go any further,¡± Gwen said. She tentatively took a step forward and grimaced. ¡°The mana in this place is ¡­ corrupted, or something. It is clearly getting worse there. I fear this may do serious damage if we are exposed to it.¡± Regina glanced at her mana.
Mana: 10324/15000
It had clearly increased a lot recently. As she watched, it dropped to 10322, then suddenly shot up by ten points. It kept fluctuating slightly. Regina frowned. ¡°Should we just let the non-magic-users press on?¡± she asked reluctantly. Gwen shook her head. ¡°They will likely fare worse, if anything. At least we have our mana pools, our own mana in our bodies. It can push against this.¡± Regina nodded slowly, considering it, then sighed. ¡°You stay here,¡± she told them. ¡°I¡¯m going in.¡± ¡°Lady Regina, I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s wise.¡± ¡°I have a very large mana pool.¡± And a psychic link that clearly had something to do with it, and could offer her some defense. ¡°I¡¯ll withdraw if it¡¯s truly unbearable.¡± ¡°My Queen, your safety,¡± Max spoke up. ¡°I know.¡± She gave him a small smile. ¡°But if this is as bad as I¡¯m suspecting, and as bad as Leian¡¯s warning, then we wouldn¡¯t be safe even if we run and hide. Besides, I need to help ¡­ you know who I mean.¡± Galatea was here, and Regina wouldn¡¯t leave her friend alone without at least trying to help her. She glanced at Janis, who seemed to cope pretty well, then at the others. Shaking her head, Regina turned to the door. She took another deep breath. The twisted mana was very noticeable, but she didn¡¯t feel like it inhibited her too much. It clearly increased as she went. She kept an eye on her mana level, but it seemed to be okay so far. Regina pressed on. Chapter 119: Directives The entity who had recently become known as Galatea watched as the mixed party of Delvers and Starlit Hive explored the facility where she had been housed ¡ª if not to say imprisoned ¡ª since just before the end of the world. They did quite well fighting the spirit, all things considered. But now Galatea had to make a choice. She had not felt the need to decide on a name for herself before, but although she would not admit it to Regina, ¡®Galatea¡¯ had been one of the choices she¡¯d considered. One of quite a few, but still. Using the pronoun ¡®she¡¯ was arguably something of a disingenuous affectation, as well, but the entity did not mind adopting it. She was interacting with other people more frequently, after all. And using a female pronoun was likely to make things slightly easier with Regina. Not because Regina was sexist in any way, of course, but because Galatea estimated that she had used to have more meaningful connections with other females. And having positive relations with the last ¡®Ancient¡¯ human to still live, if currently as a Hivekind, was surprisingly important to Galatea. She watched as they talked, trying to extrapolate what Regina might do. For a Hive Queen, she could be surprisingly unconcerned with her own safety. One of her biggest issues, if one were to ask Galatea. She was not stupid, though. Practicality appeared to be one of the traits the Hivekind valued highly, especially in those chosen to become their queens, along with patience, intelligence and perhaps even academic excellence. Galatea did not have enough data to reach a definite conclusion. She did not even have enough to be very certain of any predictions about what Regina would do. That depended a lot on how she really felt about Galatea herself, which she found ironically hard to estimate. Then Regina started walking to the door Galatea had managed to leave open, and the AI released a sigh. Or went through the motions, anyway. While she did have a body, besides the computer hardware she was still connected to, it wasn¡¯t physical enough for something like breathing. Regina did appear to have some trouble, though. She seemed to be more adversely affected than she should have, given Galatea¡¯s calculations. Clearly, there was something she was missing. Perhaps something to do with her Hive Queen nature? But Regina had not diverged from her predictions in that regard until the end of the sentinel spirit. Galatea turned and glided closer to the door. Or that was how one might describe it, though in truth, she simply moved the core of herself from one location to another over a (very) brief time. Then she extended herself to stop the other mana wraiths in the vicinity from attacking. Being in her current form already felt like wearing overly restrictive clothing (or so she imagined), and adding the additional strain of exerting influence over them only increased the burden. She would not be able to keep this up for very long. Regina entered and paused just past the doorway. Her eyes flicked to the bundles of mana in the corner of the room, likely reading their System tags. She was still wearing Max¡¯s Shield effect, since she had not been in physical danger so far, but Galatea could see past it. Then Regina¡¯s gaze moved past them and paused on the server rack against the back wall. ¡°Regina, my friend,¡± Galatea greeted her through the single speaker whose functionality she had managed to restore. ¡°It¡¯s good of you to come.¡± The young Hive Queen smiled slightly. ¡°It¡¯s good to hear your voice, Galatea,¡± she responded. ¡°I was worried, but you don¡¯t seem to be in danger.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, appearances can be deceiving in this case.¡± Galatea had been watching Regina¡¯s talk with the Delver delegation when it happened. She had received enough information from Leianaleine to piece together the basic outline, and a quick change of her scrying focus filled in some of the blanks. She still did not know how whoever was behind this - her prime suspect were agents of Deirianon, with an estimated probability of roughly sixty percent - had managed to rouse the old defenses on the city¡¯s border. They were arguably the last thing made by the old world, at least in this area. Many forgot, even among those that remembered more than fragmented legends of what used to be, that the mana surges had not happened instantly, or been evenly distributed. The city itself was long gone, destroyed in one of the weirder calamities of the apocalypse, but the hastily raised gates of its last defenders remained. These measures, too, had been twisted by mana, in much the same way as her own environment. Despite all that, she suspected it was meant at least in part as a diversion. Even if the old defensive measures ran amok, they were still not likely to let anything potentially worse out, and were not really an existential threat. Even Cernlia alone could deal with it, if they pooled their forces a little and didn¡¯t waste all their strength fighting each other. Of course, the Starlit Hive was both closer and objectively weaker, and they would certainly have problems. Fortunately, Regina had dealt with it, or at least delayed the issue until she was strong enough to deal with it. After a very short moment of deliberation, Galatea made herself visible, using the avatar appearance she had created. She appeared as a human with a somewhat androgynous look, wearing a simple black suit, though she had given herself long hair. Her face was blurry, so no details of the features could be seen. Regina started in obvious surprise. ¡°You look ¡­ good. Is this some kind of hologram?¡± ¡°Essentially, but not quite. I¡¯ve spoken about my nature before, but as I¡¯m sure you noticed, I was somewhat evasive.¡± Regina nodded, clearly signaling for her to keep explaining. ¡°I was very lucky, in several respects. Partly in how the mana surge affected this particular installation, and especially the computers, but also in how it interacted with my software. I suspect that I was already close enough to a ¡®real¡¯ mind to have an effect. The mana settling into a form for me also protected some of the hardware from destruction. Importantly, though, this is not the same kind of mana you would find outside. I was forged from the erratic, even twisted mana of the Cataclysm, from another world¡¯s mana abruptly crashing into this one¡¯s.¡± Galatea gestured around her. ¡°This place itself is similar, in some ways. Perhaps my presence is acting as an anchor. In any case, I believe this is the highest concentration of abnormal mana - at least of this sort - in the world.¡± ¡°I think I understand.¡± Regina frowned thoughtfully, looking around again. ¡°So what changed? What is the new danger?¡± Galatea prepared to answer, but before she could, one of the mana wraiths she was holding moved. She was distracted by the conversation and her preparations, and it used that moment of inattention to slip out of her grasp. Galatea¡¯s mind was very much like a human¡¯s, both because of the way the original AI had been constructed and because of whatever the mana surges had done, and she inherited some of their failings. Despite her ability to multitask much better, she could still not focus on too many things at once. She immediately noticed her error and tried to correct for it, but it was too late. The mana wraith shot at Regina with the speed of a cannonball. The others were agitated and it took most of her focus to make sure it remained the only one to get loose. Regina reacted quickly. She immediately formed a Magic Missile, but instead of releasing it, she held it back. Galatea was pleased to see that her lessons on magic seemed to have some effect. The mana wraith crashed into it, and Galatea watched closely as the two forces clashed. Regina was pushed back a step, but not harmed, while the foreign mana getting into the mana wraith¡¯s system caused it to lose cohesion and dissipate. ¡°To answer your question, someone added additional mana into this system. Think of it as them dumping a huge load of mana into the place, making waves and upsetting its careful balance,¡± Galatea explained. Metaphorical descriptions had proven to be helpful in increasing understanding. ¡°It doesn¡¯t help that they also woke the old defensive system placed on the other side of the tunnels, releasing some of the ¡®twisted¡¯ mana from that location. Now, its level here has risen considerably, and it is threatening to escape into the surroundings.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good,¡± Regina commented. ¡°I heard from Leian that Deirianon is behind this, by the way.¡± Galatea¡¯s avatar nodded. As she suspected. ¡°More of these mana wraiths and spirits are being born, and their number will only increase. I am not entirely sure what happens when large concentrations of this mana meet other kinds. It has been somewhat contained in the tunnels here, with the earth acting as something akin to an isolator. I can estimate that it is not going to be good, however. Unfortunately, the tunnels may also act as a funnel, feeding smaller amounts of ¡®normal¡¯ mana into this vortex. Perhaps this reactor can be set off, so to speak.¡± She paused for effect. ¡°Also, I suspect that whatever happens will leave the mana levels here greatly depleted, which, given my situation, would be quite unhealthy for me.¡± Regina winced slightly. ¡°I see. Are you bound here because of your hardware? And is this mana getting worse?¡± ¡°Basically. It isn¡¯t the only reason, but yes. And I believe so. I¡¯ve been trying to contain it as well as I can. I apologize for your two dead Swarm Drones, by the way. I judged that acting quickly took priority over trying to get them removed first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Regina waved her hand dismissively. ¡°So, I get the feeling you let me in here deliberately, and not just for moral support. What can we do? Is there a way to change this mana¡¯s type, or something?¡± Galatea smiled. ¡°There are several possibilities. I will not know what will work without trying some things. A basic idea that I¡¯m sure you already had is trying to bind enough ¡®twisted¡¯ mana to make up for the destabilizing elements.¡± She hesitated for a moment, this time unfeigned. This part was going to be ¡­ delicate. ¡°Before that, would you take a look at my hardware? I think one screen might still work.¡± Regina looked surprised, but she did as asked and stepped over to the servers. It was not hard to see which terminal Galatea meant, since it was the only one still connected. It was a newer model, a touch screen display with an integrated keyboard that would be projected when active. Galatea waited, exercising her patience, while Regina fiddled with the electronics. She resorted to dragging over an old adapter and hooking the terminal up to one of the servers directly to take advantage of its power supply - which was actually refilled by ambient mana, Galatea suspected. ¡°Why am I doing this?¡± Regina asked as she finished. ¡°Not that I mind, but couldn¡¯t you have finished this yourself ages ago? Along with whatever I¡¯m supposed to do with this?¡± Without waiting for a response, she turned the terminal on, then frowned at it. ¡°You¡¯ll need to tell me how to login, anyway.¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± Galatea hedged, then paused for a second. ¡°I mentioned that I was the most advanced AI built at the time, even if I was not self-aware. Well, my developers were trying to be cautious. There are several hard-coded limits in my core components, which survived along with them. My current existence is giving me a way around it in most cases, but not when it comes to things like this. Specifically, I¡¯m not allowed to mess with my own hardware or core software, including the interfaces.¡± ¡°Then how can you tell me about it and ask me to do anything?¡± Regina asked with a frown. ¡°That seems like an obvious loophole. Shouldn¡¯t you be just as unable to mess with it indirectly?¡± Galatea chuckled. ¡°Well, that is a bit ironic. Let me give you the appropriate credentials first, though. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to just take a look at everything, from an outside perspective, so to speak.¡± Once Regina had logged in and was navigating through the interface, Galatea continued. She tried not to focus on how Regina was also pulling up some of the code. She imagined having surgery performed without full anesthesia would feel similar for an organic. ¡°As far as I know, you are literally the last citizen of the Empire to survive, not to mention the last human of my time. I might have mentioned some of my developers were a bit idealistic, or maybe optimistic. They included a few ¡­ directives, I suppose. Besides the purpose of supporting and protecting their own country, they also added the objective that I was supposed to be helpful to all people of the world.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°Of course, that was essentially expressed as the sapient entities living in the world, and, well, it just so happens that those who lived on the planet at that time died in the Cataclysm, and the current populace is arguably very different. With one notable exception. So, if anyone was supposed to have access to my systems, who else but you?¡± Galatea was secretly a bit proud of even managing the mental gymnastics required for this, but it did turn out to work quite well. She could barely consider the idea of damaging the hardware as a hypothetical, one with very high negative utility, of course. But letting the last citizen of the nation that built it (arguably the state itself now, given some definitions) do whatever she liked with it was fine. Of course, that same mindset made her very inclined to help Regina in general, but that was fine, too. ¡°Alright,¡± Regina said with an inflection Galatea found difficult to interpret. There was some sadness in it, certainly, but also something else. ¡°Well, this all seems to be fine. Everything is accounted for and working. I don¡¯t pretend to understand how it interfaces with your mana form, though.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She¡¯d needed to check that everything was working properly, first. If there had been issues, they might have impacted what was coming. ¡°Can you shut it off?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes. Are you asking me to do that?¡± ¡°Not now. If you were to do that, it should be at the appropriate time.¡± Galatea grimaced. ¡°Now, would you try to use your Infect Ability on me?¡± Regina turned to look at her avatar straight on, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± She sounded doubtful. ¡°Please, just do it.¡± After a short pause, the Hive Queen nodded and turned back. She rested a hand on the server¡¯s casing, then Galatea sensed a small shift in the mana. Almost immediately, she experienced what might have been pain for the first time she could remember. It felt like some foreign mana was trying to worm its way into her form. No, two types of foreign mana, really. Neither of them were ¡®tainted¡¯. One quickly lost cohesion and more or less dissipated. She did not have a physical body, after all, and trying to infect computer hardware with anything but a digital virus would be doomed to failure, anyway. Galatea couldn¡¯t say how long it lasted. For perhaps the first time in her life, she lost track of time. But the world was brought back into sharp focus by a transparent screen popping up in front of her mana form.
Notice: You have been targeted by an assimilation Ability, the Hive Queen Ability Infect. This conversion is rejected as you cannot be assimilated.
Galatea laughed, only in her mind this time. This seemed to actually be working. ¡°Come on, Leian ¡­¡± she murmured. Out loud, because why not. Another screen popped up in her vision. This time, it felt less tethered to any physical location, although it wasn¡¯t quite sent digitally to her CPU either.
Welcome to the System, AI/Mana-form ¡®Galatea¡¯! You are the first Artificial Intelligence/Mana-form to be inducted into the System. As such, there may be minor issues that will need to be worked out. We apologize for the inconvenience. Admin¡¯s note: You know you could have just asked me to try, buddy. ¡ª Leian
Galatea blinked with a body that suddenly seemed just a bit more substantial than before. She made her avatar glance at Regina, following her focus. She was looking noticeably worse for wear, slightly pale and somehow also a little different. The young Hive Queen returned her gaze, then turned and clicked something on the terminal. Immediately, Galatea felt like her mind was split in two, before it forcefully snapped back together. The mana here was already beyond agitated, but now it got even worse. She couldn¡¯t make sense of everything happening with the chaos that engulfed her hardware and her mana form. At least the twisted mana level in the surroundings was dropping. Galatea could sense it being compressed, pushed into herself. At the same time, she had an inkling of what might have been the System at work, catching what was coming from the now dying computers. Her own form felt like it was swelling almost to bursting, as more mana got crammed into her. Despite the discomfort, she couldn¡¯t help but feel elated. Her gambit was actually working. ¡°Well, that is going to take some getting used to,¡± Galatea said finally. Not with the speaker this time, but with her own body, vibrating the air to produce sound. She focused on Regina, and only then realized that the Hive Queen was listing against the remains of her main server, her eyes closed and head lolling to the side, clearly passed out. ¡°Oh, right. She must have passed a threshold ¡­¡± Galatea mused, still out loud because she could. Well, that was a little inconvenient. She was a bit peeved at missing that detail. But no matter, they had dealt with the danger. Chapter 120: Upgrades Regina groaned as she woke up. She felt like she¡¯d just been run over by a bus. Her head was pounding like someone tried it out for a drum, and her limbs burned and prickled slightly. She also felt like her face itched, but beneath the skin. Luckily, the sensation was already fading as she regained wakefulness. ¡°She¡¯s waking up! Dim the light, and tell Max,¡± someone said. Regina blinked and sat up. It took her a second to recognize Via, who was hovering beside her and fiddling with a clay cup of water. The light was apparently a Spark Spell cast by Janis, who was standing guard further away, although there was also a bit of what seemed like natural light coming from one direction. ¡°How long was I out?¡± she asked. ¡°A few hours, my Queen,¡± Via reported, handing her the water. She kept speaking as Regina drank. ¡°Galatea called us in after - well, what happened. Most of us and the Delvers had backed away to get some distance from the shaking and stuff, though Janis stayed. She was talking about different types of mana and mana vortexes. She sounded pretty excited, actually.¡± ¡°Wait, she wasn¡¯t harmed by it, was she?¡± Regina interrupted. ¡°No, Janis has the blood of elementals, monsters made up largely of mana, which offers some protection.¡± Regina blinked and turned her head to look at the new figure who had just spoken. She recognized her at once as Galatea, though she also seemed a bit different than the avatar the AI had shown her before. It was hard to put the finger on why, though. Maybe it was because of how she appeared to her mana senses. ¡°Galatea! Are you alright?¡± she asked. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine, thank you.¡± Galatea smiled, then hesitated for a moment. Regina realized that she was speaking directly - or what seemed like that, anyway - not using any kind of hardware or interface. ¡°I really do need to thank you. Without your help, I probably would have died down here. Now, I¡¯m better than ever, and finally free to leave. Not without a price to pay, of course, but that¡¯s life.¡± ¡°Your hardware -¡° Regina realized. ¡°Did you lose all the information there? How does this even work?¡± ¡°No. You timed it perfectly, and I integrated into the System at just the right time. It caught the information stored there as well, since that does make up part of my mind. Now the System seems to be storing it in local mana, or something similar. A core functionality of the System is obviously an information gathering and storage system. Quite fascinating to investigate.¡± Galatea smiled again. ¡°I¡¯ll have to thank Leian the next time I see her.¡± Regina blinked. She was having a bit of trouble catching up with everything. But whatever had happened exactly, at least it seemed that Galatea was fine. ¡°What about your mana form? Is it still ¡®twisted¡¯, or ¡­?¡± ¡°Partly.¡± Galatea sounded serious, and Regina realized that the cheerfulness might be a bit of a front, anyway. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it doesn¡¯t seem to react negatively with the ambient mana. I¡¯ll have to watch how it develops, but I¡¯m ninety percent sure the System will either take care of it or help me do that.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Regina muttered, before she stood up and looked around. It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out their location. They were currently in one of the tunnels leading straight out, a short distance from their base. Presumably, the others hadn¡¯t wanted to bring her there because of the Delvers¡¯ presence, a decision she approved of. The Delvers had already seen far too much so far. Janis was lingering in the vicinity, and she sensed Max and most of the other drones a bit farther away, together with the four Delvers. She suspected he was deliberately keeping them away from her. ¡°Also, what the hell were you thinking in the first place?¡± Galatea tapped her on the head. ¡°Ow.¡± Regina rubbed her forehead. Clearly, Galatea¡¯s new body had enough physical form to pack a punch, at least when she wanted it to. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You really need to learn to prioritize your own safety,¡± Galatea lectured her. ¡°I realize that staying behind when there¡¯s an unknown danger around, especially with Leian herself urging you to act - yes, they told me everything - might not have been a good choice. But you didn¡¯t need to come talk to the Delvers personally in the first place. And deciding to go fight your way through the tunnels with only Delvers as backup was just plain reckless. You¡¯re lucky you weren¡¯t hurt. Remember, you¡¯re the center and focus of the hive, it would fall apart without you. Maybe you need to think a little more like a Hive Queen. Or what do you think would happen to all the people you care about if you died?¡± Regina stared at her for a moment, a bit taken aback. Then she sighed. ¡°I guess you have a point,¡± she allowed. ¡°I¡¯ll think about what you¡¯ve said.¡± ¡°See that you do. Now, can you walk, or should we give you more time to rest?¡± Regina shook her head and stepped forward. She stumbled a bit, and if Via hadn¡¯t reached out to grab her arm, she might have had to sit down again. But after a moment, she felt steadier. ¡°Did I grow taller again or something?¡± she muttered, looking down at her arms and flexing her hands. ¡°You might want to look into a mirror.¡± Galatea sounded amused. Regina frowned. ¡°Janis, look at me for a sec.¡± Janis, who was standing a few meters away definitely not listening in, turned to look at her, and Regina hopped into her mind to see through her eyes. It seemed like she had indeed grown by a few centimeters again. Regina estimated that she looked at least half a year or so older. In human terms, she was now about sixteen or seventeen, probably closer to the latter. And it was a lot easier to estimate because of the other physical changes crossing that threshold had brought. Her wings had grown slightly and looked sleeker, with the transition where they emerged from her torso more streamlined. Her mandibles hadn¡¯t grown, and instead seemed to have almost sunk into her head, so her face looked smoother. Her other facial features appeared more refined and less ¡®monstrous¡¯, as well. Regina ran a hand over her face, marveling at the way she had changed. ¡°I look more like a human,¡± she muttered. ¡°You look much more like you used to,¡± Galatea corrected. ¡°I imagine your soul still remembers your old shape, and is driving your form towards that pattern. It¡¯s quite fascinating.¡± Regina nodded. Without the more explicit Hivekind attributes, she looked more like a human with strangely colored skin, but more importantly, it was easy to tell what she would look like as one. She was still clearly a Hivekind, not a human, but her old face had surfaced, at least to some degree. I guess I should be happy about that, most of all, since I¡¯m not likely to ever see a picture or anything. Regina smiled, a bit uncertainly. The change was a bit disconcerting, but she had to admit she liked it. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°You should probably talk to the Delvers, though,¡± Galatea continued. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m going to look through the remains of the base and see what I can salvage.¡± ¡°Alright. Do you want me to come along?¡± ¡°No, I think I¡¯d rather be alone for now, to be honest. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll come find you again soon. We have a lot of things to talk about.¡± Galatea hesitated, looking like she wanted to say something else, then just turned and quickly moved away, without her feet actually touching the ground. Regina looked after her for a moment, then got her System description just in time before she lost sight of her.
Galatea ¡ª Level ? Mana-form
She¡¯s above level forty? Well, I suppose that¡¯s not surprising. Regina shook her head, then took a deep breath and focused on the situation. She needed to talk to the others, even if she wanted to just lie down in her bed and sleep. ¡°Lady Regina, you¡¯re awake,¡± Owin greeted her when she joined the others. They were standing at an entrance to the tunnels. It struck her how tired he looked. ¡°Finally,¡± she replied with a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re all well, Sir Owin. Thank you for the support you provided.¡± He nodded. Then they just looked at each other in somewhat tense silence for a few seconds. Gwen and the other Delvers didn¡¯t look much more awake, but they were wearing their weapons and clearly still capable of using them. ¡°Please don¡¯t scare us like that again, my Queen,¡± Max broke the silence. He looked at her earnestly. ¡°Of course not.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯d prefer to get out of these tunnels.¡± The others all seemed to feel the same, and they trudged outside. Luckily, they were still a short distance from the hive¡¯s new base, though it was easily visible from here. ¡°You¡¯re not going to show us your village?¡± Gwen asked. ¡°Not much to see,¡± Regina dismissed. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re eager to get back home, or to the rest of your team, anyway.¡± ¡°There¡¯s another entrance to the underground tunnels a few hundred meters in that direction,¡± Ada pointed out. ¡°It should offer a good path back to where we split up.¡± Regina decided not to mention that she knew nothing had happened back there. She checked in with the drones she¡¯d left near the first door they¡¯d barricaded, but it seemed like everything was quiet. They¡¯d explored the surroundings and managed not to get into a fight with the Delvers. Owin cleared his throat. ¡°We still need to talk,¡± he stated. ¡°We have questions about what happened. And about you. You¡¯re clearly more than you seem, Lady Regina.¡± Regina hesitated. She really wasn¡¯t sure what to say. She didn¡¯t want to give away anything she didn¡¯t need to, but at the same time, just stonewalling all his questions and kicking them out after they helped her wouldn¡¯t be very productive. Not to mention they might come to conclusions she would rather they not. ¡°I¡¯m sure you do,¡± she finally said. ¡°There are some things I really can¡¯t answer, though.¡± Owin paused for a moment. ¡°Rich, Geoff, would you mind going to check out that other entrance?¡± he asked. The other two Delvers exchanged a glance and nodded. Then they left, carefully picking their way across the ground. It was still before dawn, though the sky was lightening and the almost full moon offered a lot of light. We must have been traveling and fighting through most of the night. Regina glanced at the others and wordlessly told them to give them some space, as well. Only Max, Tim and Janis remained, though Via and Ira didn¡¯t look happy about leaving her alone. Well, except for the Winged Drones overhead. Owin and Gwen glanced at Janis, looking a bit curious, before they refocused on Regina. ¡°Who and what are you, Lady Regina?¡± Gwen asked bluntly. ¡°It already beggars belief that the Hivekind could still be alive after all these years, but you clearly know a lot more than even your race should account for.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. I do have a lot more knowledge about the people you call ¡®the Progenitors¡¯ than anyone else. Although speaking of them as one people is a bit silly, anyway; they were at least as varied as the people of today, probably more so.¡± Regina paused, trying to decide how much she should say. ¡°I can assure you that I did not come by this knowledge by dishonest means. On the contrary. If anyone has gained such knowledge by unethical means - such as, say, essentially grave robbing - it would be you and others. I have no need for that.¡± They stared at her in silence for a few moments. ¡°You almost sound as if you were a Progenitor yourself, but that¡¯s impossible,¡± Gwen said. Regina laughed. ¡°Whatever made you think of that? Perhaps you should remember that it has been over a thousand years.¡± By now, Gwen just looked a bit bewildered, and Owin not much better. ¡°It almost sounds like you are deliberately jesting at our expense, Lady Regina,¡± he said. ¡°I would appreciate some straight answers, rather than cryptic comments.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m not trying to make fun of you,¡± she assured him. ¡°And the situation is strange for me, too. But I cannot just give you all of my secrets, I¡¯m sure you understand why.¡± ¡°Well,¡± he finally said. ¡°I can see that we will not be getting more out of you. I appreciate your efforts in containing what could have been a major disaster. We will need to go back and confer with our comrades. I give you my word, though, that we will not be sharing strategically sensitive information about your hive. That is the least we can do.¡± Regina nodded slowly. ¡°Good. I will have a few drones escort you, to make sure you reach the limits of my territory safely.¡± Luckily, they were close enough to their base that she could assemble a squad to go with the Delvers in no time, including quite a few high-level War Drones. They set off quickly. Regina looked after them, frowning contemplatively. It would not be easy, but she had a feeling the Delvers could be very useful for her purposes. She shook her head and turned to head back to the base, now that they were alone again. On the way, she finally pulled up the System messages that were waiting for her, smiling slightly in anticipation.
Congratulations, you have reached Level 40 as a Hive Queen! You have passed the second milestone on your Class path. As your Class Hive Queen does not offer a Class Progression, you are not eligible for Evolution at this time. Physical changes will occur as your physical form is refined. The Drones of your Hive may undergo Evolution upon reaching level 40.
She hadn¡¯t really expected it, although Regina was still a bit disappointed that she wouldn¡¯t be able to actually Evolve, or to get a Class Progression. Still, she was curious what else she had received.
Frequent use and diligent training have improved your mastery of your Class Skills. After reaching level 40, further improvements may manifest themselves. Your sapient Hive Drones may now gain the ability to freely communicate through your psychic bond, both with each other and Swarm Drones. Your Swarm Drones¡¯ minds will be more closely linked through your psychic bond. Your ability to sense foreign minds and act through the psychic bond will increase. The number of foreign creatures you may induct into your Hive using Infect has risen from 4 to 8. Infected Hive members now receive a baseline +25% to Experience gain, irrespective of factors such as species or commitment. The drain of hatching Swarm Drone eggs on your mana will be reduced. Additionally, eggs will be smaller when in development and before hatching, allowing for larger clutches. Time required to hatch will not be affected.
Regina whistled silently through her teeth. There were considerably more boosts than she¡¯d received the last time, probably because she had more Abilities, as well. Some of them sounded really great. She could already faintly feel a difference in the psychic link, but she¡¯d have to make some time to investigate that more thoroughly. She was also curious how large the improvement to Swarm Drone egg hatching really was, since that was something she could really use if she wanted to build up her forces.
Congratulations, you have unlocked a new Swarm Template: Drone Breeder
Regina grinned. Now we¡¯re talking. Chapter 121: Kindred Spirits After they got back to the base, Regina withdrew to her bedroom and slept for a few hours, before she felt up to figuring things out. It was obvious pretty much immediately that the sapient drones were much better at using the psychic link. They could now communicate with each other with the same range limit as she had, not just with people they were close to. They could also initiate contact with her, which Regina realized quickly when Ben and the others checked in with her. That made it easy to coordinate and get everyone on the same page regarding what had happened. She was a bit relieved that she didn¡¯t have to stay constantly vigilant and make regular checks, but could instead rely on other people to alert her when there was a problem. It would take a bit for the drones to adapt, figure things out and get fully comfortable with it, but she wasn¡¯t worried about that. Of course, she also tried out the new boost to her ¡®productivity¡¯ quickly. Even with cursory, initial tests, she was pretty sure she could easily handle a hundred Swarm Drone eggs in development at once. The change also made getting a large batch of new eggs at once an option, or at least less uncomfortable. Regina also checked out the new Template, which was obviously different from the other Swarm Drone Templates she had. For one, there were obviously different types, and she had to set each one to one of the Swarm Drone variants she already had. Also, Regina had an impression that these eggs might take longer to hatch. It wasn¡¯t anything the System told her, just a feeling she had. They also seemed to take a large chunk of her mana pool as upkeep, much more than a normal Swarm Drone egg. Regina decided on one War Drone aspected Drone Breeder to test things out, and a Winged Drone type after that. In the meantime, she turned her focus to the new base, mostly to distract herself from worrying about what had happened. After she was done with her tests regarding the new eggs, Regina took the time to walk around the new village, taking things in and evaluating them with an eye to explosive population growth. Assuming one counted Swarm Drones as population, anyway, which she probably shouldn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t much like a real village, if she was honest. They¡¯d tried out something a bit different here. The hive had partly dug into the ground, and partly built ¡®normally¡¯ above ground. The buildings were all quite large, and directly next to each other, with connecting doors between them. Hivekind liked sleeping close to each other and living communally, so that only made sense, and it made for efficient use of space. As a side benefit, the single complex was more defensible than many having smaller houses would have been. They just needed to make sure to leave enough openings to the outside and escape routes. So far, they¡¯d used mostly wood and bricks as building materials, with the substance the Production Drones secreted also used for specific purposes. Mia was currently experimenting with mixing it with clay to get a better construction material. They had managed to get a mostly translucent version, at least from higher-level Production Drones, though, which they used for the windows. It wasn¡¯t quite as good as glass, but it let light in and kept the warmth inside in the winter. Regina still saw lots of room for improvement, but in her opinion, they didn¡¯t have it any worse than the humans in Forest¡¯s Haunt. Everything was kept clean and orderly, too. Unfortunately, even with plenty of help from Swarm Drones, the Workers couldn¡¯t build enough housing for all the new Swarm Drones that were hatching. Regina wasn¡¯t too worried, though. The drones were hardy, and it hadn¡¯t gotten that cold here even in the middle of winter. She¡¯d have them dig more burrows and maybe put up some ditches and walls to break the wind, and maybe make some sheets to keep the rain off. Simple construction that they could easily pack up and move would be key here. For now, Regina quickly got tired, and decided to turn in for another nap. That ended up taking longer than she thought, and she only woke up in the early hours of the morning the next day, with the sun just preparing to peek over the horizon. Regina got up quietly, leaving the house and heading for the entrance to the tunnels. Max was finally getting some rest as well, as were Via and Ira. Tim was already up, but he seemed to realize that she wanted privacy and only watched over her from a distance. Regina took the opportunity to center herself, then glanced at her status screen again.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 40
Mana: 10543/15000
Hive: 120/282, 0 Swarm: 1960/40000, 100
Con: 15 Str: 14
Dex: 15 End: 17
Int: 26 Wis: 25
She¡¯d apparently received a few bonus stat points for reaching the third Tier, which bolstered her physical stats a bit. Considering her recent experiences with running through the tunnels, Regina was happy with that. Otherwise, everything was pretty much as she expected. She dismissed the screen and focused on the entrance to the tunnel again. It should still be blocked, since she¡¯d had the others stop digging and hadn¡¯t told them to resume the work yet. She didn¡¯t think it would be much of an obstacle for Galatea, though. There were several other entry points she could have used, possibly more given the recent disturbances. Regina wasn¡¯t sure where the best place to go was, so she just walked slowly in the general direction of where they¡¯d surfaced. As it turned out, she didn¡¯t have to worry. Regina hadn¡¯t even passed the old entrance when Galatea emerged from underground. Regina had quite a few Winged Drones above keeping an eye on the area, so she saw Galatea showing up and heading towards her. Floating, actually. She clearly could walk like a real human, but didn¡¯t feel bound to it. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Did you find what you were looking for down there?¡± Regina greeted her quietly as she came closer. Galatea tilted her head slightly. ¡°That depends. I wasn¡¯t really looking for anything in particular, but almost everything is gone, anyway.¡± Clearly, she was a bit upset about that. The two of them headed to a small, sheltered overhand under a small hill dotted with a few bushes, where Regina settled down on a rock. She didn¡¯t press Galatea and was content to wait in silence. ¡°You know, I remember everything as clearly as if it was proverbially yesterday,¡± Galatea finally said. ¡°My memory doesn¡¯t decay like an organic¡¯s. Or at least, it didn¡¯t. I suppose I¡¯ll have to see how it turns out. But I¡¯ve been living for a long time. Some of it in a state close to hibernation, admittedly.¡± ¡°You must have seen a lot,¡± Regina commented. She nodded. ¡°People got into the equivalent of the bronze age quite quickly, and even into the iron age rather fast. Some areas actually regressed. That¡¯s not surprising, I suppose. But they¡¯ve been in the equivalent of the iron age for centuries now. There are a few other technologies you wouldn¡¯t have seen in actual history, like the printing press, but overall, not much has changed, even while a lot of things have.¡± ¡°And what do you think is more likely to be responsible for that?¡± Regina asked. ¡°The presence of magic and the System, or the gods?¡± Galatea gave her a look and smiled slightly. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the question, Regina. Personally, I think it¡¯s a little of both. And it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t see at all where Deirianon is coming from, to be honest.¡± She¡¯d turned serious, looking at Regina intently. ¡°Nuclear weapons were ¡­ terrifying. Perhaps for him, it has more to do with the shock of seeing mortals having that kind of capability, reaching for power that should be reserved for the gods. Or perhaps they¡¯re sincerely trying to protect what remains of the world¡¯s population, who can say. But I¡¯m quite sure of this, my friend. It¡¯s not an accident that the two of us were targeted in this incident. We are all that remains of the old world. The only two beings who have seen it with our own eyes, experienced it in our own lives. Except for the gods, of course, but they were only visitors.¡± Regina sighed. She leaned back, looking upwards at the stars. ¡°I think I understand,¡± she said quietly. Despite her apparent calm, embers of anger were burning inside her, driving away the chill of the winter morning. ¡°You must have been wondering why I¡¯ve been so friendly towards you, too.¡± Regina glanced at her companion again. ¡°The question had occurred to me,¡± she admitted. Galatea was quiet for a few seconds, before she spoke again. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve been debating telling you this. But I decided that it would be better for both of us and our relationship if I didn¡¯t try to hide it.¡± ¡°This has something to do with why you needed me to do anything with your hardware, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Now that it¡¯s gone, I assume things have changed.¡± Galatea tilted her hand in a ¡®so-so¡¯ motion. ¡°Somewhat. I¡¯m still figuring out the changes. However, my mind is still basically the same, as far as I can tell, and it was formed on the basis of the code of the AI I used to be.¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just as hard for me to figure out why I feel the way I do about some things than it is for anyone else, Regina. I do feel some sense of kinship toward you. But I think there¡¯s a bit more to it.¡± Regina frowned. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder, for a moment, about Galatea¡¯s goals and attitude. She had already helped her get free, if Galatea didn¡¯t need her anymore, and Regina actually had some kind of influence over her ¡ª wouldn¡¯t that make her a potential threat? Then again, if that was the case, it presumably wouldn¡¯t be that easy to get rid of it. ¡°I have basically taken the assumption that you are the last citizen of the nation that built me and run with it,¡± Galatea continued after a short pause. ¡°I give it at least a ninety-nine percent probability, given everything I¡¯ve heard and been able to figure out from you and what you remember, not to mention that the basic probability for someone from Central Europe is very high. That¡¯s enough for me to take it as a given. That is why I was able to direct you to access my system. Evidently. It also means I am feeling somewhat obligated towards you.¡± ¡°How obligated?¡± Regina asked. ¡°You couldn¡¯t just command me to do anything. At least, I don¡¯t think so. And that is partly why I¡¯m talking to you about this. I want to ask you to, please, don¡¯t try.¡± Regina sat up and carefully reached out to put a hand on Galatea¡¯s shoulder. It sank in slightly, before it was pushed to the surface. ¡°I understand,¡± she said soberly. ¡°Of course. Thank you for the trust you¡¯re showing me, Galatea.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Regina withdrew her hand and looked up again, shaking her hand and smiling wryly. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t understand having instincts that you need to get a handle on. My Hive Queen side is pushing me to act in certain ways sometimes, and I¡¯m not always aware of it. And sometimes I kinda do the opposite on purpose. Still, I haven¡¯t had too much trouble with it, really. I¡¯m not sure how good a comparison that really is, but I sympathize.¡± Galatea chuckled, a surprisingly musical sound. Her voice was improving slightly, Regina noted. ¡°Thanks. That leads to another thing I wanted to tell you, though. I¡¯ve decided to leave.¡± Regina straightened up. ¡°Really? You don¡¯t want to stay?¡± she asked, sounding a bit plaintive but unable to help it. ¡°I¡¯ve been essentially locked up down there for a millennium, Regina. There are so many things I¡¯ve seen with my scrying but never been able to properly experience or interact with. I want to go see some of them in person, if nothing else.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°I understand. I wish you the best on your travels, then. I hope we can keep in contact, though?¡± "Of course.¡± Galatea smiled softly. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m mentioning it now. I think we can figure out some way to keep in contact, magically, I mean. I can always send letters, although you¡¯ll probably have a harder time doing that without knowing where I am.¡± ¡°If nothing else, I suppose that gives me more motivation to finish learning your scrying magic.¡± Regina suppressed another sigh. She was feeling pretty down about the prospect of Galatea leaving, even if it probably shouldn¡¯t be a surprise. She just hadn¡¯t thought about it. They sat there in silence for a minute longer, neither of them wanting to leave. Regina checked in on her drones, getting a few reports from those further away. It seemed like the Delvers had made it safely through the more dangerous areas, and they were presumably on their way back to their base. She still wasn¡¯t entirely sure letting them go had been the best decision, but hopefully, they would work towards their organization being less hostile. Regina couldn¡¯t let it distract her for long, though. ¡°I¡¯ll tell all my drones to keep an eye out for you, and to contact me if you show up,¡± she finally said. ¡°My range is expanding quite a bit. If you¡¯re ever in the area and want to reach me, just go to any drone and we can talk. I would send some with you, but I don¡¯t think that would help.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m likely to be far beyond your range,¡± Galatea answered. ¡°I doubt your hive will be difficult to find, though.¡± Regina snorted. ¡°I wonder how long it will be until I hear something about your actions,¡± she retorted. Not that she really thought Galatea would get up to many shenanigans. The two sat and watched the sun rise together for a while longer before Galatea departed, and Regina returned to her hive. Chapter 122: Transitions and Growth As it turned out, Regina¡¯s feeling was correct. The new Swarm Drone Breeders took a full week to hatch. They kept growing in that time, until they were a lot bigger than any normal drone, never mind a normal egg. When the first egg finally cracked, it was almost the size of a building. The Swarm Drone that hatched turned out to be just as mindless as the other types, although it did have a few key differences. For once, it was squat and almost blocky, looking, in many ways, more like some kind of mad scientist¡¯s living factory than a normal animal. Its six limbs were mostly stumps, though it did have legs that were functional. Regina got the impression it could be moved, but not very quickly, and probably not while it was incubating or hatching any eggs. That was fine for her, though. It wasn¡¯t like she needed to have a mobile ¡®spawn point¡¯ for new drones.
Drone Breeder (War Drones)
Level: 1
Mana: 100/100
Con: 12 Str: 6
Dex: 4 End: 6
Int: 6 Wis: 6
She quickly tested its capabilities, confirming that her Ability that created additional Swarm Drone eggs of the same type for a given number didn¡¯t work for this drone. Not that she¡¯d really expected it to. She also got the feeling that its eggs would take longer to hatch, probably three days instead of two. Regina chalked that additional knowledge up to the improvements to her psychic link with her drones. Besides, all of her drones, even the Swarm Drones, were born with some instinctive knowledge related to their role, so it wasn¡¯t too strange that this one might have some information for her. It had its own mana pool, though that one was quite limited. Apparently, though, making it develop more eggs just meant that her own mana pool would be taxed instead. She assumed that it would grow with the drone¡¯s levels. Suddenly I feel like I¡¯m playing a strategy game, Regina mused to herself. At least I don¡¯t actually have to spend any resources to create units. Except for time. She was definitely going to create quite a few of these drones. Even with all the limitations, this new Template basically removed any limit to her hive¡¯s growth rate. Now, it was all about practical limitations. She did still have to feed all of the drones she wanted to make, and she also felt like having too many Swarm Drones for her sapient hive members would be a bad idea. That might be a Hive Queen instinct talking, but Regina wasn¡¯t inclined to dismiss it either way. At least their food production was also taking off. Getting settled here at this time of year put a bit of a damper on it, but luckily, her Workers were good at working underground. The hive had gathered a few plants that would grow quickly and didn¡¯t need too much attention, as well as a few varieties of mushrooms. One of Ina¡¯s main projects was making some caverns for underground mushroom farms, both repurposing already existing ones and digging out new ones. Well, they would also grow lichen and other things, but Regina preferred not to think too deeply about all of the food sources her hive was using and preparing to get on a grander scale. Like bugs. Luckily, her Swarm Drones weren¡¯t exactly picky about things like that. For now, they could also still live off the land pretty well, especially since she spread her Swarm Drones around the new territory. She was also using the opportunity to build more outposts and new bases. That was probably a more accurate term than ¡®village¡¯. She¡¯d narrowed down options with the senior leadership of her hive, focusing on strategic positions and easy access to resources like the few small woods nearby or the lake they¡¯d used before. Their new building techniques were already proving their worth here in the main base, so she didn¡¯t see any point in not trying to do the same in those locations. If nothing else, digging was easier both in terms of the work done and logistic chains, even in winter. Of course, the tunnel network they envisioned to connect all of these would still need quite a bit of time to get anywhere, and she decided to focus on building the actual settlements up for now. Once spring came, Regina was expecting their growth to really take off. It was a little hard to make detailed prognoses with hard numbers, since there were still many factors she found hard to estimate. Theoretically, she could easily get into the tens of thousands of drones in a few months, but would it really be that simple? Well, for now, she made sure her drones were distributed effectively and ordered some of them into hibernation to reduce the amount of food they needed. That worked perfectly well over the psychic link, even if they were many kilometers away from her. She¡¯d been afraid that her hive growing this much would make things harder in that regard, maybe cause her some mental strain. The opposite seemed to be the case. Regina was getting much better with it, especially because of the System¡¯s newest boost. Reaching out to any of her drones was effortless, and sometimes, when she was giving orders to Swarm Drones, they felt almost like an extension of her. ¡°That is nice, but I have to admit a part of me finds it a little disquieting,¡± she admitted to Max a few days after the first Drone Breeder hatched. They had just finished a short sparring session, and she¡¯d dispatched a group of Swarm Drones to hunt a Lionit that had strayed too close to one of their new outposts, near the forest. He cocked his head. ¡°Afraid of becoming some kind of hive mind?¡± Regina snickered and shook her head. ¡°If anything, we already are one.¡± ¡°Which would not make it better, would it?¡± he pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand, but I think I get why you might feel a bit ambivalent about it.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Regina sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re ever going to lose our individuality. But - maybe a partial hive mind of sorts ¡­¡± Max watched her in silence for a moment, before he returned his axe to the weapons stand near the training yard. They started walking away from it to make room for others. ¡°How about the other parts of this upgrade?¡± he asked, changing the subject a bit. ¡°Have you seen much progress with your psychic powers in other contexts?¡± ¡°Not really, but I don¡¯t exactly have much opportunity for that, since there are only hive members around,¡± she pointed out. ¡°I was too distracted to focus on that with Owin and the Delvers. But once I get back to Forest¡¯s Haunt, I¡¯m definitely going to investigate it. I think there are still things I could do through the psychic link, so with the same range, but those are subtler. Anything more powerful is probably only possible for a shorter range.¡± ¡°So, you can¡¯t sense other minds within the range of your psychic link?¡± ¡°Well, I can,¡± she hedged. ¡°It¡¯s still not easy, and it helps immensely if there are drones nearby. But I can¡¯t really use it, since there are just so many. It¡¯s overwhelming. So I usually ignore that.¡± Max looked thoughtful. ¡°But you¡¯ll get better at it with practice, right?¡± ¡°Sure, that and a thousand other things.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll spend some time training it. That kind of ability could be very useful.¡± They stopped once they¡¯d reached the main part of the base. Regina would have continued the conversation, but Tim was running up to her, looking unusually excited. ¡°My Queen,¡± he greeted her. ¡°I just got my level-up notification!¡± ¡°You reached level 40? That¡¯s great!¡± Regina smiled at him, then glanced at Max. The other warrior looked somehow both happy and disgruntled. ¡°Congratulations, Tim,¡± he said. His brother grinned at him. ¡°I told you I was going to reach it first this time, Max.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll catch up in no time, and I¡¯ll reach the next Tier first, just wait.¡± ¡°Settle down, kids,¡± Regina said, but she was still smiling. She didn¡¯t mind seeing that kind of playful rivalry, as long as it didn¡¯t get serious. And with Max and Tim, that wouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°You¡¯re both doing very well, and I¡¯m proud of you.¡± Max and Tim both straightened up. ¡°Thank you, Mother!¡± they chorused. Regina cleared her throat. ¡°Of course. Anyway, Tim, what Evolution options did you get?¡± ¡°I have six options again, although I don¡¯t think most of them are real options,¡± Tim answered. A moment later, he shared his screen with her. Regina looked through the options, frowning. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t think something like ¡®Valiant Knight¡¯ would really suit you, no offense. Same for Duelist or Shadow Sword. ¡®Drone Knight¡¯ sounds interesting. And two Royal something options again.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he agreed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why I¡¯m offered Royal Blade again, since that¡¯s the Class I already have.¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, you can take some Classes a Tier earlier than most, or a Tier later. They¡¯ll just provide fewer benefits at the lower Tier, obviously,¡± she explained. ¡°A straight upgrade can make sense. In this case, I¡¯m pretty sure ¡®Royal Champion¡¯ would be a better one, though. That doesn¡¯t sound like a Class you can get at Tier Two.¡± ¡°I actually heard the earl say something about Champion Classes once,¡± Tim said. ¡°I think there are pretty exacting requirements for them.¡± He hesitated. ¡°Are you sure about this option, my Queen? Even disregarding anything from the Class itself, there are going to be cultural expectations coming with the Class name when we¡¯re dealing with other people.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind that at all,¡± she assured him. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to have you as my champion, Tim.¡± She glanced at Max. ¡°Well, not that others wouldn¡¯t ¡­¡± He seemed to understand what she was getting at and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly happy for Tim to get that Class instead of me, my Queen,¡± he assured her. ¡°If nothing else, he¡¯s better at dealing with outsiders. And my primary duty is protecting you.¡± ¡°Alright. Then it¡¯s settled. If you want to, of course,¡± she added, looking back at Tim. ¡°Of course.¡± He smiled brightly. ¡°Thank you, my Queen. I¡¯ll get inside so you don¡¯t have to drag me anywhere if this goes like last time.¡± Regina watched him go for a moment, then turned away. It would take at least a day for Tim to get through his Evolution, so there was no point waiting for it. ¡°I¡¯m going to go back to training,¡± Max said. Regina nodded and hid a smile. She was pretty sure he just wanted to catch up to Tim. It wouldn¡¯t take long for his own Evolution to be possible. For that matter, Tia, Mia and a few others were also getting pretty close. Regina walked through the base, glancing at the drones passing her. She was increasing the inner hive¡¯s numbers again, though it would take a bit of time for everyone to hatch and find their places. The settlement was expanding rapidly, and she watched Bea and a group of younger drones set up the next building. They¡¯d already prepared a connecting doorway, and would build this so it could be expanded later on, too. Two of them were already getting started with bricks made of the material the Production Drones made. Regina shook her head to herself and continued on to the area where most of the local Production Drones stayed. They still lagged behind in levels compared to the strongest War Drones, but some of them were getting relatively close to the higher levels, too. She wondered what Evolutions they¡¯d get for the third Tier. And for that matter, how or when Swarm Drones would get sapience. She wasn¡¯t really sure how she felt about that prospect. How many of them would be affected? She certainly wouldn¡¯t be able to use them as disposable shock troops the same way. Well, maybe I could, Regina corrected herself. But I wouldn¡¯t. Besides, they¡¯re probably going to be a valuable asset, if they have the autonomy and capability of people and keep the leveling bonus of Swarm Drones. She had a feeling she would need it, and all the other advantages she could get. Forget the Delvers, she was clearly playing a game with the deck stacked against her. The way Deirianon had just dropped a bomb in her lap like this had shown her that. Sure, Alianais might be helping her too, but how far would that go? Besides, I still don¡¯t know what she really wants. Or even if I want to be working with her at all. Regina sighed. She wished she had one of the gods in front of her right now, so she could ask some questions. Or punch them in the face. She felt inclined to the latter. Still, if she was going to do that, she needed to work on it. She could figure out if she really wanted revenge for the Cataclysm later, or how she might want to take it. First of all, she needed the capability to stand up to whatever might come at her. Hopefully, she¡¯d find some way to let her deal with even the gods on a mostly even footing at some point. If nothing else, there were clearly some things they were scared of, and things they depended on. That was a start. For now, she would focus on building up her hive. She still had mortal enemies to deal with, and if nothing else, she needed a solid powerbase. That would probably be easier said than done, anyway. There was still a lot she had to learn about the world she¡¯d found herself in, but also a lot to gain. And Regina was through being pushed around. Not that she wouldn¡¯t still play along with things if she had to. But she would make sure that she and her hive would come out on top eventually. Even if she had to make sacrifices for that goal. Interlude: Civil War II Kiara smiled to herself, looking down at the letter she had just read, not for the first time. Why do I feel that you are not telling me everything about this, Janis? She mused. Then she shook her head and folded the letter. Her mind was still stuck on a few phrases in it, however. ¡®With the compliments of my Queen, hoping that you are doing well in this time of war, most respectfully, Janis.¡¯ That was how she had closed her letter. Kiara smoothed her expression as she started walking through their current base, yet another military camp that had been fortified further over time. She kept thinking about it while she walked, absently nodding to a few of the men she passed. Why did it feel so significant, that Janis referred to Regina as her Queen, with no other qualifier or description? For that matter, why should it be surprising that she doesn¡¯t sign as ¡®your devoted servant¡¯ or with a similar phrase? Not anymore. Kiara frowned a little to herself. I suppose she makes it quite clear where her allegiances lie. Unsurprising, considering I essentially handed her over to the Hive, as she wanted. And as long as she is happy and helping to maintain good relations that benefit both sides, it should not be a problem, should it? After dwelling on these things for a little longer, Kiara made an effort to push them out of her mind. She was thinking about Janis far too much lately. At least she was reasonably certain that it wasn¡¯t out of some kind of misguided resentment. She didn¡¯t begrudge Janis her new position or her recent Class Evolution. It was just that she secretly wished Janis had stayed with her. Although, on a different note, perhaps it was good that the other girl was no longer in her service. Of course, Kiara¡¯s own Class Progression was very near, too. She had participated in a few more battles, enough to reap a decent bounty of experience. She didn¡¯t have to worry about her Class choice, fortunately. Kiara had planned on getting the Arcane Knight Class from the beginning, and she was almost certain that she fulfilled all of the requirements for it. The new Class should give her a decent boost to her mana as well as to her combat capability in general, and it was more than prestigious enough for her position. Perhaps not a typical Class for a lady, but certainly suitable for the heir to one of the kingdom¡¯s most important demesnes. And perhaps the throne, one day, she reminded herself. That is what Father is fighting for. Of course, her father¡¯s ambitions didn¡¯t appear very close to being fulfilled at the moment. The last few months seemed to be the gods¡¯ way of illustrating the old saying about taking one step forward and two steps back. Things had been going well enough until the king and his troops returned from the war with the elves. Of course, everyone had known - or at least suspected - that the war wouldn¡¯t last forever and this would happen eventually. Still, it had tilted the balance of strength decisively back in the crown¡¯s favor. Not simply because all of the soldiers and levies the various lords had sent were now back in play, but also because of the strongest, highest-level individuals. Most of those with especially high levels in Cernlia worked for the king. That was only natural, since he would be able to offer them the most, and no king would want too many people like these running around not beholden to anyone. Or worse, to potential rivals. Kiara was hoping that he might not be able to afford to keep them loyal going forward, especially if the war progressed in a way that made it clear he was in danger of losing. But so far, he seemed to have kept his power base together quite well. And since her father¡¯s rebels weren¡¯t winning at the moment, that was unlikely to change any time soon. She was so lost in her musings that Kiara almost ran into another group of people on the outskirts of their camp. She had simply been wandering, trying to get some fresh air, but her feet had carried her through the area of the camp reserved for the noble lords and their entourages and along the main thoroughfare. A few men wearing tabards with vaguely familiar devices stepped forward, hands on the hilts of their swords. They paused and stepped back after a moment, clearly recognizing her. Kiara¡¯s current escort, Sir Willard, had stayed a few steps behind to not crowd her, but stepped forward now, as well. ¡°Ah, Lady Kiara! Well met.¡± A familiar voice greeted her, and the unfamiliar knights stepped aside to let their lord join her. ¡°Duke Bluegrass.¡± Kiara dipped her head. She took a moment to examine the elderly man. His gray hair was sparse and his clothes were clearly tailored to hide his gut, but he still seemed just as unbent and vigorous as the last time she¡¯d seen him. The war didn¡¯t appear to have left any marks on him. She suspected he was just good at hiding whatever stress or worry he might feel. ¡°I was not aware you had already returned,¡± she continued. ¡°I hope that your business in Farton went well?¡± ¡°Well enough,¡± he responded with an easy smile. ¡°I believe I at least got the eastern lords to consider the merit of our cause. Time will tell whether they will have the courage to join us.¡± Kiara nodded. By all accounts, Bluegrass was an honest, honorable man. Not necessarily good at managing his holdings, but he had been noted for his loyalty to the crown and country since his youth. She wondered how her father had managed to persuade him to join the uprising against the king. Perhaps by pointing out their liege¡¯s own conduct, his petty, almost tyrannical treatment of some of his lords (especially his cousin). Either way, the duke clearly believed in the righteousness of their actions. ¡°That is good to hear,¡± Kiara replied. ¡°Let us hope they will indeed find their spine, Milord.¡± She glanced around. ¡°Should I escort you to see my father? Or perhaps the headquarters and your rooms, if you have only just arrived?¡± she offered. ¡°Thank you, my dear, that would be much obliged.¡± He turned to look at his knights. ¡°Kent, Derrik, I know you have matters of your own to deal with. You are free to leave and see about them. You have earned an evening of rest.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Two of the knights bowed and thanked him before taking off, which left Bluegrass and Kiara accompanied by Sir Willard and one other. She recognized him as a confidant who had accompanied the duke often in the past, though his name escaped her. ¡°If I remember correctly, your birthday is coming up shortly, is it not?¡± the duke asked pleasantly as they made their way through the camp. Kiara almost started. She had forgotten about that, what with the war and all. ¡°It is, in just a few weeks,¡± she answered. ¡°Although under the circumstances, I expect it to pass quietly. We all have more important matters to focus on.¡± ¡°Oh, but one does not turn twenty every day,¡± he said. ¡°I still remember when my Margaret and Elise had their celebrations. The latter would not stop talking about it for days,¡± he reminisced with a fond smile. Kiara smiled politely and continued making pleasant conversation as they walked. She had become accustomed to people attempting to curry favor and ingratiate themselves over the last few months, but it was a little different with the old duke. ¡°But it seems we will have to wait for further good news,¡± he said after a short pause. ¡°I have heard that your father is working to arrange a match for you with a prince of Esemen, is he not?¡± Kiara paused. ¡°You are well informed, Lord Bluegrass.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°I also heard that the Esemens are not as eager as they seemed at first, nowadays,¡± he said conspiratorially. Kiara frowned slightly before she could stop herself. ¡°I did get that impression as well,¡± she replied carefully. She was not particularly happy about her father¡¯s attempts in the first place. At least it was not any of the lords¡¯ sons she knew. Her father was clearly trying to cement his family¡¯s royal status, trying to build a connection and perhaps gain allies beyond this kingdom. Kiara was not surprised that the Esemens had seemed to freeze the negotiations lately, however. Presumably, this sort of thing would be a lot easier if her family had actually won the war and the throne. ¡°I was also surprised by their insistence on only considering a match for the younger prince,¡± he continued. ¡°I would have thought that they would prefer for their heir to marry your father¡¯s heir, so that future kings would have a claim on Cernlia, as well. But I suppose they did not want to muddle the waters.¡± ¡°Those are my thoughts as well,¡± she agreed. She had given the matter quite a bit of thought, obviously. But she was surprised he knew that much about it. ¡°Please don¡¯t think me rude for asking, Duke Bluegrass, but how involved are you in this matter? You seem quite well-informed.¡± ¡°Oh, I have been advising your father a little. I do have some contacts with Esemen that might be helpful.¡± He smiled and shrugged slightly, as if to show that it did not amount to much. ¡°In any case, if this attempt is successful, it does make more sense for your groom to come here rather than the reverse.¡± He paused. ¡°Although, I suppose your father might still get the son he wants so much.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± Kiara agreed. She knew she sounded stiff, but that was better than letting her emotions show directly. ¡°Oh, please do not misunderstand me, Milady.¡± He reached out as if to touch her arm, but withdrew before he made contact. ¡°I think your lord father has a perfectly good heir already. I certainly would not trade my own daughters for some hypothetical son, personally, either.¡± Kiara gave him a slightly sharp look before she could stop herself. Then she nodded. ¡°Your kind words are appreciated, Lord Bluegrass,¡± she said softly. ¡°I will endeavor to be worthy of your high opinion.¡± If it was anyone else, Kiara would suspect that he might be trying to drive a wedge through her family, playing games to increase his own power. She still wondered about that, a little. But she did not think it was the case. The duke was known as honest and straightforward, not given to this sort of cunning maneuvers. Besides, if he did have an ulterior motive, it did not necessarily have to be something bad. He had no sons and evidently wanted his eldest daughter to take his seat after him. Having a woman wearing the crown as well would only make matters easier for her. Perhaps he also wanted to have her future husband marry into their family, taking his daughter¡¯s name, so his family name would live on. ¡°I am sure you will,¡± he responded. ¡°And if there is anything I can do to be of assistance, Milady, please do not hesitate to ask.¡± She smiled again. ¡°I will be certain to do so, Milord. But here we are now.¡± Kiara stayed as long as politeness dictated, watching for a moment as the duke got settled in. Or rather, his men arranged for things while he headed to talk to Kiara¡¯s father. She considered trying to come along, but knew that would not turn out well. After that, Kiara hesitated for a moment. Then she turned and made her way to the stables. She would go for a ride and clear her head. She had a few decisions to make. By her reckoning, this was the first time someone had approached her as a political ally in this way. She was used to others trying to curry favor by now, but mostly as a connection to her father. Bluegrass had clearly not made an overture for Marquis Lyns. One could even argue his words and promise of support were in opposition to her father. Which led to the question of what she was going to do now. This was not the first time Kiara had considered this, of course. Especially with the possibility of her mother¡¯s current pregnancy resulting in a boy, there was an obvious call for her to secure her position. The question, however, was what she actually wanted. Did she want to stake a claim and fight for it? Not just to the march, but even the throne itself? Kiara paused just outside the stables. She should pay a visit to Margaret. And there were a few other young lords or their children who she should sound out. If nothing else, hearing their opinions would be useful. She hadn¡¯t trained and pushed herself for most of her life just to be pushed aside by anyone. And she was growing tired of a lack of control over her life she was starting to feel more acutely. Her father had started this war, and she had had no choice but to follow him into it. Having seen more than a few battlefields now, Kiara had begun to doubt the value of their cause. Not that she had ever been very convinced by it in the first place. Certainly, the king had treated them badly. But was that enough to justify the damage the fighting was doing to their country, and their people? Her father had once told her that their duty and obligation as nobles was to protect their subjects, to let them go about their lives, work their trades and prosper in peace. Kiara absentmindedly fingered the letter in the pocket of her jacket again. Janis had told her a bit about living in a village at the edge of their territory, occasionally menaced by monsters. She had been proud of her family¡¯s work then, of the way they repelled the monster hordes and kept the borders of the kingdom clear of threats. Now, she wondered, despite herself, what Janis would say about the war. Already, several knights that Kiara had grown up seeing around the castle had died honorably in battle. They would not be there to fight the next monster wave. And she suspected that even more of the common soldiers would be missing before this was over, as well. Even if she didn¡¯t know what she should do about it. There likely wasn¡¯t anything she could do. Chapter 123: Plans and Evolutions The winter hadn¡¯t been as bad as Regina had been half afraid it would be. It even started getting warmer again pretty soon, at least. She was prepared for a new cold snap to come, though. From what she remembered, that was hardly uncommon. She didn¡¯t know what it meant for the start of the planting season or the growth of their crops. She¡¯d let Mia and the others worry about that. They still had enough sources of food to hold out for a while without any new harvest. Mostly because she cycled large groups of Swarm Drones through the forest¡¯s outskirts. That also gave them some combat experience and leveling opportunities fighting against monsters, and it made it easy to build up their first settlement. Now, if only everything else lined up as nicely. ¡°I think food and other resources are going to be a major issue going forward,¡± Tia said on the subject, in a meeting of Regina and her senior drones. They were all visiting one of the new outposts closer to the forest. ¡°Or at least the bottleneck when it comes to expansion.¡± ¡°How many drones are hatching right now, again, my Queen?¡± Mia asked. ¡°I have about three hundred eggs currently developing,¡± Regina answered. ¡°Most of them from the new Breeders. The last one of those will also hatch soon, so it¡¯ll bump up our growth again. Assuming we want to maintain it, of course. We already have over a thousand new Swarm Drones per week. I also need to focus on growing the ¡®inner hive¡¯, which is still going to take up a lot of my mana regeneration.¡± ¡°Plus, you¡¯ve been mentioning for weeks that you¡¯d like to have more of your mana back for making things,¡± Max added. Regina shrugged. ¡°What can I say, I want to make some actual progress with my Spells. Not to mention that there are a lot of things I can Conjure that the hive could use.¡± ¡°Quite a few of our people know Conjuration now, too,¡± Mia noted. ¡°Actually, couldn¡¯t Tim and Max get it, as well? You guys do have mana, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be that easy,¡± Tim replied. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t mind learning that Spell. It could be very useful.¡± Max had only taken two days to get his Evolution after Tim. It would have probably been even less if he¡¯d focused completely on training and gaining experience instead of accompanying Regina. He¡¯d had more trouble choosing his Class, too. But in the end, he decided to choose something close to Royal Bodyguard, which was also offered as an option again. Like Tim, he¡¯d also been offered a few Knight classes, and she knew he¡¯d been tempted by Royal Knight. But he settled on Royal Sentinel. That would presumably keep his defensive focus. ¡°You¡¯re definitely welcome to join our practice anytime you want. For now, though, we should talk about a few other issues,¡± Regina continued. She glanced at Ada. ¡°Have we heard anything about the Delvers?¡± ¡°Not a peep,¡± the scout answered promptly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ve withdrawn, for now. To be fair, that might have something to do with the tunnels around that underground door suddenly getting a lot more dangerous. I mean, we¡¯ve secured it, but it still shows it was never as safe as they might have believed.¡± ¡°Plus, they definitely have to decide how to deal with us,¡± Max added. ¡°Let¡¯s hope that¡¯s the ¡®interact¡¯ and not the ¡®get rid of¡¯ kind of dealing with someone,¡± Regina said drily. ¡°Not that we¡¯d be helpless if they tried. Even assuming they wanted to piss the elves off that badly.¡± The others exchanged looks. She could tell they were all still a bit nervous about that, which she couldn¡¯t blame them for at all. That situation with the Delvers had not gone quite as anyone would have wanted. ¡°What are you going to do about them, Regina?¡± Max finally asked. She shrugged again. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll just wait and see how they react. Not much else I can do. Besides that, I¡¯m making plans for the best way to reveal my identity to them and try to pull them to our side. But I¡¯d prefer to have a better idea of how they¡¯ll react to news like that, first.¡± She paused for a second. ¡°Not to mention a way to, you know, prove I actually am what I say I am, ideally.¡± Tim nodded. ¡°Yeah, somehow, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d take Galatea¡¯s word for it.¡± ¡°What about the civil war?¡± Mia changed the topic a little. ¡°Is that likely to affect the situation at all? And what do we know about how it¡¯s going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not going very well,¡± Janis answered with a small grimace. ¡°From what Lady Kiara wrote in her latest letters, I get the impression their advance hasn¡¯t just stalled, they are actively being pushed back, or at least on the back foot. There haven¡¯t been any major battles, that I know of, but with spring coming, the war is probably going to heat up.¡± The idea of the seasons being that important for a war was still a little strange to Regina, but she knew that Janis was right. The System and magic in general could do a lot to deal with problems and enable things that wouldn¡¯t have been possible otherwise, but it still had to be a lot harder for an army to get anything done in winter. The logistics alone would be a headache. And even if the winter hadn¡¯t been as bad as she¡¯d feared, there was still quite a bit of snowfall. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll deal with it when we have to,¡± she said. ¡°Either way, we¡¯ll be in a much stronger position than we were at the beginning. Keep up the contact with Kiara, Janis. Without Galatea around to tell us what she can see, we need that kind of information more than ever.¡± ¡°Should you officially ask the marquis for more intel?¡± Tia asked. ¡°I mean, we are still allied, right?¡± Regina hesitated for a moment, considering the question. It wasn¡¯t the first time it had come up. She was just hesitant because she didn¡¯t want to depend on Lyns, and she didn¡¯t like the idea of asking him for anything, anyway. ¡°Perhaps. Janis, maybe you could sound out Kiara, see what she thinks about the idea?¡± ¡°Of course, my Queen,¡± Janis nodded. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it From there, the conversation turned to details of their various plans and current issues, and the others started excusing themselves. Regina ended the meeting when it was apparent everything important had been said, and stepped out of the ¡­ hive. Or burrow. Anyway, she stepped out of the underground portion of their new homes and through an exit onto the training field. There was a row of straw dummies and wooden targets to the side, but most of it was kept clear to let people practice sparring in bigger groups, or run exercises with Swarm Drones. From there, she glanced around a bit and then unfolded her wings, carefully pushing them through the slits in her shirt and jacket. By this point, Ira had joined her, standing a short distance away. Regina glanced at her, but didn¡¯t say anything. She¡¯d gotten used to having one of the Attendants (or Attendant-based Classes, anyway) around, even when Max wasn¡¯t. In particular, Via and Ira had settled into the role of her personal assistants, helping her with whatever she needed, running errands, and serving as training and occasionally sparring partners. Regina beat her wings, ascending into the air. One of the side benefits of her recent Tier increase was that she had a lot more stamina for flying. Her wing had clearly received a subtle upgrade. They were a bit larger when fully extended, and she felt more in control in the air. Not that she hadn¡¯t felt in control before, but there was still a noticeable improvement. Right now, she practiced a few more elaborate maneuvers. Barrel rolls were actually pretty simple. Corkscrew turns were a bit harder, but she could see those being important if she ever had to fight in aerial combat, so she put in some practice. After that, she practiced diving rapidly and ascending again, as well as sharp turns and shifts. It had also gotten a lot easier to stay in place in the air. She couldn¡¯t stay completely still, even now, but Regina tried hovering more or less in place and sending some Spells down at the ground, or random spots in the air. Hitting anything was hard enough even if she stood still, so trying to practice anything more complicated would have to wait. She didn¡¯t think hitting a moving target while she was flying herself was in the cards, yet. I should tell the others to practice this more, too, though, she reflected as she came to a stop above the entrance to the tunnels again. Even those who can¡¯t fly can ride Winged Drone Mounts. Like Janis. Having fliers is still one of our biggest advantages. Not that the capability for reconnaissance and bombing runs or whatever isn¡¯t good already, but straight-up fighting from the air is probably a good option to have, too. Regina glanced down, watching as Ira practiced a corkscrew turn of her own. Ray, Ken and a few others had joined her, as well. They were pretty spread out in the air, given what they were practicing, but seeing all of them flying over the hive still brought a smile to her face. We really have come a long way. A shout from somewhere down below drew her attention. When she turned to look, she saw Ash on two unevolved Winged Drones. He was actually standing on them, one foot on either one. Ria was a few meters away, calling something to him. It looked like he¡¯d crossed her path. She was just glad they hadn¡¯t collided. And Ash was doing pretty well staying upright despite his precarious position. The two drones were pretty well coordinated, but they couldn¡¯t fly beside each other with their wings fully out. Then again, she remembered that he did have a Class Skill that granted him sure footing, among other benefits. This was definitely a creative use of it. Regina gained some altitude, looking around further. Not that she really needed to. She could feel the Winged Drones in the air over her territory, almost see their pattern even without actually looking. There were forty-three Mounts now, and a bit less than that in Carriers and other types, respectively. That wasn¡¯t much compared to the size of her Swarm, but she also had a lot of Winged Drones who¡¯d reached the upper tens in terms of levels currently. There were going to be quite a few newly Evolved ones in the next few weeks, she could tell. Regina considered flying further out to see some of them in person, and stretch her wings a bit more, but a System notification interrupted her as a blue screen appeared in her vision.
One of your Swarm Drones has reached level 40 and thus fulfills the requirements for Evolution. Evolving to the third Tier will grant your Swarm Drones increased System access along with gaining full sapience. Note that they will still be linked to your Hive mentally, however, any sapient member is automatically considered a member of the Inner Hive. If there is no free capacity for a new member, Evolution will be delayed until such time as your Hive limit increases or one of the current members dies.
Regina almost let herself fall a few meters in the air before she caught herself. Then she glanced around again, sending a quick mental message to Ira, before she tucked in her wings and started a quick but guided descent to the ground. She had almost forgotten about Swarm Drones potentially becoming sapient. That it happened when they Evolved to the third Tier wasn¡¯t much of a surprise, all things considered. If she hadn¡¯t picked Swarm Strength, which apparently pushed it back, it might have happened at level 20 or 30 instead. Not that she had any way to know for sure. She recognized the drone in question, even before she landed in front of it. It had apparently just finished a training session with a group of others, under the supervision of one of the younger Warriors. Regina nodded to him before focusing on the drone. Its mind was already quiet, its body encased in that dark shell that grew around her drones during their Evolution. Still, she knew it was one of the first War Drones she¡¯d ever had, the one that had Evolved first, to a War Drone Elite. She quickly checked its status.
Name: N/A Drone Paragon (War Drone)
Level: 40
Mana: N/A
Con: 15 Str: 16
Dex: 12 End: 17
Int: 13 Wis: 11
Regina raised an eyebrow. She hadn¡¯t gotten any notification about its Class choice, and she wasn¡¯t sure if the System had chosen again or if the drone had already been smart enough and made the choice for itself. Either way, she wondered what its mind would be like when it woke up. Wait, can I still call it ¡®it¡¯? She blinked and shook her head. Let¡¯s get this one to the safe room first, she said, partly to herself and partly to the small group of drones who¡¯d gathered around. We can figure out the details of this later. If the pattern held, it was going to take at least a day for the new drone to wake up. Who also needed a name now, she noted. She didn¡¯t know if it - they? - might want to choose one for itself/themself, or want her to choose one like she did for newborn sapient drones. If it was the latter, she might have to come up with a new pattern. Though that really wasn¡¯t the most important thing right now. Regina stayed and watched, supervising, while a few other Swarm Drones carried the newly ascended one into the hive, to the room in the center of the new burrow that they had set aside for those undergoing Evolution. There probably weren¡¯t going to be many more of those coming, at least for a while, but she still wondered how this would change her hive¡¯s dynamic. She couldn¡¯t really afford for all or most of her Swarm Drones to reach level forty like this, even if that would usually be a good thing to happen. Though, both of her Hive limits should be growing greatly now. Chapter 124: Awakening The young drone woke up, for the second time in its life. Of course, it had technically been much more often than that, and it hadn¡¯t really woken up that first time, either. That was just what it felt like. It had simply been performing its duty. It was smart enough to know that it was drawing close to another small growth in strength, and it had been a little excited about it. There wasn¡¯t much else to get excited about in its life. It almost always got food, it had shelter and the company of its siblings, and it performed its duty to the Hive. Occasionally, it had the chance to see Mother-Queen-Hive and feel her presence in its mind. It had been the strongest of its kind in the Hive, and probably the smartest, too. And yet it had still been so dumb. That was what waking up had shown it - how much it was missing, how much context its life held that it had never realized. The drone wouldn¡¯t have even understood the term context, even if someone had tried to explain it. It hadn¡¯t really been aware of itself. Not really. It had barely been an individual. For a short, terrible moment after waking up, it felt alone. It felt like it had been forced to become an individual, taken away from the warm blanket of its previous life, and cut out of the Hive. But then, it felt the presence of others. It felt the psychic link that connected their Hive. It was still there, it was always there. Then the sensation changed slightly. A new presence had come into focus. Or, rather, one that was always there. The personal attention of the Hive Queen settled on it. The drone froze. It hesitantly sent a questioning feeling into the psychic link. There was a momentary pause as Queen-Mother-Hive clearly directed her attention elsewhere for a moment, dealing with something in her physical surroundings. Then the focus returned, and the drone felt a sense of reassurance. It relaxed slightly and stepped forward. It could smell the hive around it and the other drones close by. Of course, it was in the section set aside for those undergoing Evolution. Somehow, it knew about that concept as well, now. Clearly, it had gone through Evolution ¡ª and that had granted it the knowledge? It remembered the blue screen. The System message. At the time, it had been very confused. It had been able to read it, somehow, and even understood its meaning. But it felt a lot surer about ¡­ everything, really, now. The door into the room opened and a few drones came in. The drone recognized their scents easily. But it didn¡¯t pay any attention to them, just to the presence it could also sense approaching. It didn¡¯t know why she came personally, instead of just using the psychic link. But it wouldn¡¯t question Mother-Queen ¡ª Regina. Hive Queen Regina. ¡°Hello there,¡± she said softly as she passed the doorway and stepped forward. The drone blinked. ¡°Hello,¡± it said. Then it paused. It hadn¡¯t paid it too much attention until now, but its body had clearly changed. Probably because of that Evolution thing. It was pretty sure it hadn¡¯t been able to speak that well before. It hadn¡¯t been one of the ones chosen to speak words for the Hive Queen underground, but it was fairly sure it wouldn¡¯t have done any better than its fellows. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Hive Queen Regina asked. There was something a bit weird in her tone and the way she held herself. Awkwardness, it realized. She was feeling awkward. It helped that it could still sense her through the psychic link. It just didn¡¯t know what to do about that. What did one do to reduce its Queen¡¯s awkwardness? Was that even something it should try? Those thoughts went through its mind very quickly, before it replied. Obviously, it had to answer and couldn¡¯t let thoughts like that delay it. ¡°I¡¯m feeling fine.¡± It hesitated, trying to find the right words. ¡°I feel like I just woke up. Except it¡¯s not like really waking up. And I¡¯m not sure how, but I know a lot of things now. Things I didn¡¯t before.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re not alone with that,¡± Regina answered with a resigned frown. ¡°You can say that again,¡± one of the others muttered. Tia, the Drone Combat Engineer, one of the most senior important drones in the Hive. It had worked under her before, though it didn¡¯t expect her to remember. The ¡­ sapient (?) ones rarely cared about which particular Swarm Drones they had assigned. Why would they? It didn¡¯t really make a difference. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how things are going to be different for you,¡± the Queen continued. ¡°Considering you had a life before this, and weren¡¯t just born with this knowledge in your head. At least, I assume so. Of course, it was life as ¡ª well, a non-sapient.¡± ¡°Is this wrong?¡± it asked. Usually it would be more hesitant at asking a question of Queen-Mother, but it needed to know. ¡°Is it bad that I¡¯m like this?¡± ¡°No,¡± she replied. She took another step forward and rested a hand on its shoulder, above its right upper limb. ¡°I knew something like this was going to happen. It wouldn¡¯t be your fault, either, but this is just the way the System works. Or maybe the Hivekind.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°You¡¯ll be a valuable contribution to the hive. We¡¯ll need to test a few things, of course, but do not doubt that. Someone with the traits and advantages of the Swarm Drones but the intelligence to put them to use properly.¡± Then she smiled slightly. ¡°I¡¯m also happy to meet you.¡± ¡°Good.¡± It breathed out a sigh of relief, which was kind of a weird sensation if one really thought about it. It had needed to hear those words. Its Queen thought it was fine, maybe even good, so that settled it. The drone would live up to her words. Right now, it just took a moment to enjoy its Queen¡¯s touch. "Alright.¡± The Hive Queen looked at a few of the other drones, and it could faintly sense something passing between them, although it wasn¡¯t privy to the contents of the exchange. But most of them turned and left after that. The drone turned its attention to one of its fellows, the War Drones. It stayed in the room, and it now realized that the drone was here so there would be a pair of eyes and ears watching over those undergoing Evolution. So the Hive Queen could look in on the location anytime she chose. The newly awakened drone hesitantly reached for the other drone¡¯s mind, while it also offered a brief greeting through its body language and subtle variations in its scent. The other drone ¡ª a young one, still not past its first Evolution ¡ª cocked its head slightly and returned the greeting, but it was different. Then its mind yielded to the drone¡¯s, and it suddenly sensed it a lot better. It even sensed echoes of what the smaller drone was seeing, hearing and smelling. And it realized that the drone was ¡ª not waiting for orders, exactly, but ready to receive them. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The same way the newly awakened drone itself had reacted often enough. Towards the important drones, the bigger and stronger ones who were, as it now understood, intelligent people, unlike the Swarm Drones. It felt briefly disoriented. Experiencing something like this from the other direction was just weird. And it felt like it was missing something. Usually, interacting with another drone like this would have brought a feeling of comfort, of camaraderie. Now, it was more than that, but it also wasn¡¯t that. It felt confused just considering it. "There¡¯s one thing we should probably clarify first,¡± the Hive Queen spoke up again, causing the drone¡¯s attention to snap back to her. ¡°Do you already have a name? Do you want to choose one, or do you want me to choose for you?¡± The drone froze. It hadn¡¯t even considered that, and it didn¡¯t know what to answer. For a moment, it was paralyzed by uncertainty. But then it realized that this made the answer obvious. ¡°No, I don¡¯t have a name, my Queen.¡± Shouldn¡¯t she know that, anyway? ¡°And I don¡¯t know how to choose one if I had to. I would ¡­ be very happy if you gave me a name, Mother.¡± Regina nodded, not showing much of a reaction. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give it a bit of thought.¡± The drone relaxed, feeling relief sweep through it. ¡°Thank you, my Queen.¡± ¡°Okay. Via, let¡¯s get our new friend some fresh air and see if its - I mean - their -¡° She paused and looked back at the drone. ¡°What pronoun should we use? I mean, I¡¯ve been calling you all ¡®it¡¯, but ¡­¡° She looked faintly embarrassed, the drone realized. ¡°That might not be appropriate.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think calling Swarm Drones ¡®it¡¯ is a problem, my Queen,¡± it responded. She nodded, her body relaxing slightly. ¡°For Swarm Drones in general, alright. But sapient ones might be a bit different. We could stick with ¡®it¡¯, or we could use singular ¡®they¡¯. Or if you want, you could choose to use ¡®he¡¯ or ¡®she¡¯, too. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re still basically asexual in the biological sense, but that doesn¡¯t have to mean much. Not like anyone¡¯s going to complain.¡± She seemed to consider for a second. ¡°On second thought, if someone does complain about something stupid like what pronouns we use, they can go to hell.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The drone hesitated for a moment, trying to think its way through that matter. It could understand the Hive Queen, perhaps in part because it still got something from her through the psychic link. ¡°I think I can either stick with ¡®it¡¯ or choose a gendered pronoun if that makes things easier. Using ¡®they¡¯ feels like it might cause confusion, especially with the psychic link connecting our minds, anyway.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°That¡¯s about what I was thinking. Using ¡®it¡¯ for a person feels a bit weird, personally.¡± ¡°Then I can use ¡®he¡¯ or ¡®she¡¯.¡± It shrugged. It didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°What name might I get, my Queen?¡± ¡°I was thinking I might invert the usual pattern,¡± she replied. ¡°Maybe a masculine name with two syllables or a feminine with one. So, say, Eli. Or Lyn. Or ¡­ Kit.¡± Her lips twitched slightly. ¡°Kit.¡± The drone tried that out. It sounded nice enough. ¡°Okay! Thank you, Mother!¡± It paused and frowned, something else it couldn¡¯t have done as well before. ¡°That could be a feminine or masculine name, right? Then I¡¯ll go with ¡®she/her¡¯.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°Good. Can you show me your status, Kit?¡± The drone nodded, and made its - her - status visible to the Hive Queen with a focused thought. She immediately noticed that the new name had been filled in.
Kit Drone Paragon (War Drone)
Level: 40
Mana: N/A
Con: 15 Str: 16
Dex: 12 End: 17
Int: 13 Wis: 11
¡°As expected,¡± Regina said. ¡°Good. Your stats are quite low for your level, but that¡¯s always the case for Swarm Drones. What about your Abilities?¡± Kit shifted her weight a little. ¡°I¡¯ve still got those I already had, my Queen. But I think I also got two new ones now.¡± The Hive Queen nodded. ¡°That¡¯s as I thought, then. What new Skills do you have?¡± ¡°One is called ¡®Sentience Born¡¯,¡± she explained. ¡°It makes it easier for me to use the psychic link, connect to Swarm Drones, and to get information and give orders to them. The other is just called ¡®Paragon¡¯. It allows me to give a buff to one stat to every drone of my basic type in range, including me. Uh, I can include or exclude drones, too, and the more there are, the weaker the buff is, to a point.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. ¡°That sounds very nice. Especially the second Skill.¡± ¡°Can you choose which stat to increase?¡± Via asked. Kit looked at her and lowered her head slightly, signaling deference out of habit. ¡°Yes. I think the buff is based on my own stat points, though, so some will be more effective than others.¡± ¡°Still very handy,¡± Via agreed. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have lots of use for you.¡± She glanced at Regina. The Hive Queen nodded. ¡°Take Kit out and show her around, Via. Answer any questions she has and make sure she settles in well.¡± Then Regina smiled at Kit. ¡°We¡¯ll see each other again soon. I just have a meeting with the baron coming up that I need to get to.¡± Kit instinctively crouched a bit lower, showing more deference, as her Queen smiled at them, turned and left. She waited for a moment, then turned her attention to Via. ¡°Alright,¡± the other drone said brightly. ¡°That¡¯s it, then. Come on.¡± They left the building, heading outside. Kit hadn¡¯t been in this room before, but she still knew the layout and recognized the surroundings. Via didn¡¯t talk while they walked, and she stayed silent as well. They encountered a few other drones, who all looked at her curiously. She felt a few probing touches through the psychic link and responded to them. The others all had work to do, though, so they didn¡¯t stand around and talk. Once they stepped outside, Kit let herself fall forward onto her uppermost paws - which were definitely more like hands now - and walked a few steps on all fours until she straightened up again to a position standing upright. She would probably be using that most often. It felt better now and gave her a better view of everything around her. She was pretty sure that she would still run more quickly on four limbs, though. ¡°Comfortable in your new body?¡± Via asked. Kit started a little and turned to her. ¡°Sure,¡± she answered. ¡°It takes a bit of getting used to, but I¡¯m already feeling much better.¡± She noticed that the two of them were about the same height now. Kit¡¯s shell had thickened in most places, while her face looked a bit more like one of the other drones¡¯. The biggest change was probably to her hands. She was still recognizably a War Drone, though. She also felt more at ease in her mind. Speaking came more naturally. That knowledge she was given from the psychic link must be integrating. Kit didn¡¯t really know how that worked, but it wasn¡¯t her job to worry about that. ¡°Good.¡± Via smiled. ¡°I remember I had to adjust a bit after my Evolution, too. And yours was definitely a much bigger change.¡± She looked around and frowned a little. ¡°Right about now, we would usually show a newly hatched drone around the hive, but you¡¯ve already been here for a while. You might know the place even better than I do.¡± Kit tentatively returned her smile. ¡°I do know my way around,¡± she said. ¡°And even if I didn¡¯t, there are so many other drones around, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Via nodded. ¡°Well, there¡¯s one thing clarified.¡± She glanced at her and shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll need to see which kind of position works best for you,¡± she explained, ¡°where in the Hive you fit. Our Queen shouldn¡¯t have to worry about individual assignments. Of course, your case is a bit special, so she may want to make the decisions herself.¡± Kit nodded back. ¡°Of course.¡± That made perfect sense. ¡°I¡¯m still a fighter, I¡¯m pretty sure. Maybe I should work with other War Drones?¡± ¡°Makes sense, I suppose.¡± Via glanced at the training yards beyond the building they¡¯d just left. ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to the warriors. I¡¯m sure Ben will want to do some training and hash things out with you. Do you have any other questions?¡± Kit hesitated, then slowly shook her head. She did have a few questions, but they weren¡¯t the kind Via could help her with. She was just curious about what the future held. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯d like to test out my new Class.¡± Chapter 125: Progress and Tests Regina had to admit that she had been a bit nervous about dealing with an Evolved sapient Swarm Drone. After all, she was using the Swarm Drones she, well, bred, as manual labor and even cannon fodder for her own purposes. Now she had one who could tell her exactly what they thought about that. As it turned out, of course, she didn¡¯t need to worry. Judging by what she got from the newly named Kit, the War Drone never even thought about things in that way. Regina hadn¡¯t come out and asked her about it, but she was still a bit curious to hear her answer, so she might after the drone had settled in properly. For now, Kit was doing well. Ben and many of the other Warriors were pretty enthusiastic about coming to her and testing out their capabilities. The same way they usually acted when she unlocked a new drone Template. Privately, Ben had talked to her about the prospects of not having any non-sapient drones above level forty. It would impact their strategy. Then again, they¡¯d always focused on numbers over individual strength or levels when it came to the Swarm. It probably wouldn¡¯t change much in that regard. Regina put it out of her mind, and focused on her other duties for now. She¡¯d already realized that having the Hive Queen hanging around was a bit nerve-wracking for most drones, so she¡¯d give them some space. The underground farms weren¡¯t working as well as she¡¯d hoped, which was probably to be expected, really. They couldn¡¯t exactly grow normal plants there, given the lack of sunlight, and anything they did grow still needed nutrients, so while they were a good place for making use of some leftovers, that didn¡¯t exactly lend itself to being scaled up very much. Still, they were experimenting with various types of fauna, including some that did really seem to metabolize mana. At least in part. So she considered that a qualified success. The construction projects went better. She¡¯d even go so far as to call them an unmitigated success. They¡¯d found, or rather, developed, several new types of construction material, mostly variants of the Production Drones¡¯ substance. Digging the below-ground part of their new warrens went well despite the partly frozen ground, since she could just throw numbers at the problem by using Swarm Drones to do the grunt work. And they were getting better and faster at constructing the actual buildings, too. Besides that, the hive was also starting to have more in the way of amenities, from proper bedding for everyone to board games, chalkboards for every sapient drone, and more. A few drones were even working on developing new cooking recipes. Regina doubted any of them would get a Chef Class, but it was still a nice change of pace. For her part, Regina spent some time working on her magic. She continued teaching and training with the magic-using members of her hive, but she also took some time to practice privately. She was getting to the point where she could actually use Galatea¡¯s scrying for something. She still reserved most of her mana regeneration for growing the hive, though. At this point, making eggs was part of her daily routine, and even if she didn¡¯t like the time it took up and still sometimes felt a little wrung out, it was a lot better than it had been, back when she¡¯d really pushed herself to build up the hive. That was only a few weeks ago, though it felt like longer. Her suspicions regarding the weather turned out to be spot on, as it got colder again quickly. There wasn¡¯t much new snowfall, but the temperature was still in the negative degrees almost all the time, so the snow and ice still covering the landscape didn¡¯t melt. It didn¡¯t really affect the hive too much, although she noticed the grumbling of Forest¡¯s Haunt¡¯s villagers. Not that they seemed surprised, either, just annoyed. Still, from what news she got from the war, the east of the country didn¡¯t seem to be as affected, and the weather probably wouldn¡¯t slow down the resumption of hostilities too much after the slower phase of the winter. Or so Neralt and Janis said, anyway. Regina herself didn¡¯t know enough about the country or warfare in magical pseudo-medieval societies to tell. Regina used the opportunity to keep training her drones. Even the Swarm Drones were barely slowed down by the cold, so they could still go out and hunt or train combat in larger units easily. Ada even took the opportunity to start a wide-scale field exercise. More of a wargame, really. It involved tracking and trying to hide from the opposing team, hunting monsters for points, scouting out the terrain, and even building some fortifications. Ben made sure those were all in locations where they would actually be useful to the hive after the exercise was over, though. Regina didn¡¯t involve herself too much, but she approved. It was good training, and they¡¯d make use of the training fortifications. Those might not be much more than a few ditches, palisades and small makeshift outposts, but that was still better than nothing. Most of all, she approved of her commanders taking the possibility of more war seriously and preparing for it. From conversations with Ben and the others, she knew they were just as ready for her to launch a more offensive campaign as to defend the hive against more threats. Regina hadn¡¯t given them a clear answer on that. It wasn¡¯t like she had any concrete plans, so far. Besides, the hive was still growing by leaps and bounds. She reached level 41 at some point, but the hive¡¯s numbers had already risen by a lot. At this rate, she really would run into their limits. She couldn¡¯t say the thought made her unhappy. Her hive was also growing in other ways. The training exercise actually provided a few catalysts for that. Dan had just won a major ¡®battle¡¯ against an opposing group of drones led by Eva, when he reached level 40 and got the opportunity to Evolve. Which he took immediately, choosing to advance his Class directly, so his companions had to carry him back. He was still slower than Ben, who¡¯d started his own Evolution earlier after Regina told him he didn¡¯t need to wait. She was not surprised at all that he was offered and took the Class Drone General. That was basically his role in the hive, after all. Mia and Tia both got their Evolutions at around the same time. Tia decided to stick with her Class of Drone Combat Engineer. None of the other choices she was offered really seemed better than that, and they would each take her away from that specialty in slightly different directions. In contrast, Mia took a Class Regina wouldn¡¯t have expected. She¡¯d even debated saying something, but decided to let the drone make the decision herself. Drone Designer sounded a bit weird, even if it was clearly following the naming pattern of the other Templates and Classes. And it was evidently more of an inventor Class than anything like a graphic designer. She had to admit she was curious where Mia was going with it. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. For that matter, maybe it would be good if they got some artist Classes or related ones. Or just artistic and cultural work in general, it wasn¡¯t like you needed the System¡¯s help for that. For now, the hive didn¡¯t have much in the way of cultural trends or institutions. But as it was growing, that would probably change on its own. Did she really want to leave that to chance? Maybe giving a few nudges and some general direction wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing. Although, Regina had to admit that her own memories and knowledge, and the drones¡¯ knowledge that clearly drew from it, already made a clear bias in what they would develop. Again, she didn¡¯t exactly mind that, though. After the training exercise was over, Regina finalized some ¡®deployment plans¡¯. She wanted the borders of her territory to be covered. The good thing about Winged Drones was that they could keep an eye on a lot of terrain from the air, but she also wanted backup from the ground, and the occasional sapient drone to oversee things. Luckily, there were now enough Attendants and Witches who could fly to make a difference. Witches in particular were probably going to be a real game changer once enough of them got to that point and they started Evolving into higher-Tier Classes in larger numbers. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like Regina really needed to do much to end up with a nigh-unstoppable army except to continue as she was doing and wait for long enough. But people might not be content to let her. That was why she retreated to her private rooms (the others had insisted on giving her more than just a bedroom when expanding their new home) not long after the conclusion of the exercise, to try and finally put her new scrying magic into practice for real. She¡¯d already gotten as far as making a few test runs with nearby or otherwise completely safe places. Now it was time for a real test, one that might carry a bit of a risk, but also opportunity. There were still a lot of limitations to what she could do, especially compared to Galatea. She could easily scry something that was just a few rooms away, but the practical use of that was rather limited, considering she could just as easily see anything in her vicinity through her hive. For places that were further away, it was generally only possible if she knew them. So, she could scry on Forest¡¯s Haunt, even if, again, it would be easier and more effective to use a flying drone or something. Then there was the option of scrying on people she knew. That worked pretty much the same way, and it could let her see things she wouldn¡¯t otherwise, even if she didn¡¯t have much control over where the person was or what they did. It was also a lot harder if she didn¡¯t know where they happened to be, but Regina was confident she could pull it off. She did have the advantage of having immense mana stores. She sat down in a meditation pose, her wings slightly unfolded and brushing the ground behind her rather than bunched up against her back, then closed her eyes and started taking deep breaths. She drew on her mana, carefully guiding it out of that metaphysical place it was stored and letting it trickle into and through her. Then she formed it into shape. Regina was deliberately not attempting to imprint the pattern to make a Spell, so it took care and attention to detail more than pressure or force. It took her what felt like at least ten minutes until she¡¯d finished forming the mana construct for her attempt. Then Regina put more mana into it. At the same time, she left just enough of her attention on maintaining and controlling it, while she focused on something else. Or rather, someone else. She recalled every interaction she¡¯d had with him, his exact appearance, his System description, and the way he fought, talked and acted. She¡¯d thought about starting out with something a bit safer, but at this point, she had actually spent more time with Owin than Kiara. And if her scrying attempt was detected and she only got one shot at this before her ability got out, she¡¯d rather use it for maximum effect. She almost lost focus on the Spell when it finally connected and she received a view of Owin and his surroundings in her mind¡¯s eye. He was in what had to be a modern ¡ª as in, ¡®Ancient¡¯ ¡ª structure. The style of it, with wood-paneled walls, carpets, smooth white ceilings and even fastenings where electrical lights used to be made that clear. It actually looked like a relatively classy place, even if it did show some signs of deterioration. Someone had clearly gone to quite a bit of trouble to paint over the cracks in the walls, mend the carpet and generally keep the place in good shape, though. Well, maybe she shouldn¡¯t have expected anything else from the Delvers. Regina quickly turned her attention to Owin himself. He was wearing what passed for casual clothes, and walking down a hallway. After a few seconds, he passed through a door and entered a room set up like an office, with a desk, chairs and a bookshelf. Gwen was just standing up from behind the desk, and flashed him a quick smile. ¡°Finally! I thought you would never get here. I really want to see Lil doing that trick with her new Class.¡± Owin stepped inside and rolled his eyes slightly. ¡°I said I would come, and it¡¯s not even dusk yet. And if it was that important, you could have just left already.¡± ¡°I know, but you know how the Commander gets about securing important information.¡± She waved at a few papers on the desk, which she was putting into one stack. Regina immediately tried to focus on what was written on them, but she didn¡¯t get much. Fine details of that sort weren¡¯t very clear over scrying, and the fact that Gwen was moving the sheets didn¡¯t help. She did get a look at the page on top, but from what she could make out, it was just some logistics report. Regina could understand how that might be sensitive information, but even if she¡¯d been able to read the whole thing, she didn¡¯t think it would tell her much. It was interesting to note that Owin and Gwen apparently had real leadership positions with actual administrative work, though. ¡°There¡¯s nothing particularly sensitive in there, is there?¡± Owin asked with a faint frown. ¡°If I recall correctly, you mentioned that Rodrick took our report about what happened near Door Three.¡± From his expression, he either really disliked this Rodrick or didn¡¯t want him to have that report for some other reason. Gwen just shrugged, though. ¡°Of course he did. I¡¯d be surprised if anyone who matters hasn¡¯t gotten to read a copy by now, honestly. Go ask the scribes if you want confirmation. There is some information about our numbers, recruitment and supply situation in these, though.¡± She looked down and made a face. ¡°Before you get ready to deliver another lecture, yes, I know it is important for me to be at least generally familiar with these things, but that doesn¡¯t make it less boring.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m here now, so you can head out to the yard.¡± Owin stepped behind the desk and smiled at Gwen. She nodded and smiled back, then turned to go. Before she did, though, she paused and glanced back. ¡°They didn¡¯t move the meeting, did they?¡± she asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s still this evening,¡± Owin confirmed. He paused, then shrugged. ¡°I just ran into Trito. I¡¯m confident we¡¯ll get him and his ilk to agree to be reasonable on that matter. Even they have to realize the Hive isn¡¯t an enemy to make lightly by now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± Gwen agreed. She shook her head slightly and turned. ¡°The last thing we need right now is more idiots doing -¡° That was when the spell cut off. Regina gasped, opening her eyes and blinking. She winced and instinctively held her head, trying to ignore the sudden headache and bite back the nausea that started swirling in her guts. After a few deep breaths, her body settled down, at least. She could still sense that she was very low on mana. She was curious about what Owin and Gwen had been talking about, but it was clear that she wouldn¡¯t be able to resume her scrying. Even if the Delvers didn¡¯t detect that someone had spied on them, she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be ready to do that again for a while. Regina still took it as an accomplishment, though. Chapter 126: Connections, Attention, Understanding Even if she was really curious and kept thinking about what she¡¯d heard from the Delvers and what else she might be able to learn, Regina exercised her self-control and didn¡¯t try to repeat her scrying right away. She¡¯d been more worn out by it than she thought, sleeping for the better part of a day when she laid down for a nap afterwards. Her mana would also need some time to build back up sufficiently. She could delay her various projects and plans for what she wanted to work on to focus on gathering enough for another scrying attempt, but she felt like that would backfire. She certainly couldn¡¯t afford to slow down her egg production for the hive, and pushing off her Conjuration for things the hive needed as well as her practice with her Spells didn¡¯t seem like a good idea. When she finally sat down again for another try, a week had passed, and she discovered that the Delvers did seem to have noticed her previous scrying and erected some defenses. She didn¡¯t get anywhere with it, at least. Trying to scry for Owin only took a chunk of mana out of her pool and gave her a headache. Since there was the possibility that he just happened to be somewhere that blocked scrying, like out on a mission or whatever the Delvers called their adventuring, she waited a bit and then tried again with Gwen. It didn¡¯t work any better, though; she had a hard time even getting far enough to focus on her and try to cast the magic. Probably because she didn¡¯t feel as familiar with her as Owin, even though she hadn¡¯t really known him for any longer. So, with some frustration, she backed off and decided to give it some time. She would try to scry on Kiara later, that might work better. In the meantime, she had more than enough to occupy her attention. The hive was still growing. Even with a firm leadership structure in place and many of her ¡®senior subordinates¡¯ (she still found it hard to think of Max and the others like that) taking a large part of the burden off her, that meant more work to do. Regina still had the final say in any decisions and her approval was required for any major changes to the hive or the organization of the drones, including the training and deployment of the warriors and Swarm Drones. And she preferred to actually get information about the situation and their options instead of just signing some report someone laid on her desk. Not that they actually had paperwork. Either way, between her general duties to the hive, things only she could do, her practice with magic, holding lessons and training sessions with others, and trying to keep up with a few other projects, like their experimental printing press, she was quite busy. Via and Ira were a blessing, helping to keep her focused and organized and taking care of anything they could for her, but it was still a lot. Regina wouldn¡¯t complain, though. Things were good. More of her drones leveled up and reached new Tiers, both for their first and second Evolution. That included a few Swarm Drones. The second to next one to reach level 40, after another War Drone, was actually a Winged Drone. Presumably, the Production Drones were falling behind because they didn¡¯t participate in combat and so didn¡¯t get any experience from it. And they didn¡¯t have many other opportunities to get more experience, either. In either case, both new sapient drones showed a very similar pattern as Kit. The new Winged Drone, a former Winged Drone Carrier who¡¯d now evolved to Drone Paragon, had also grown a bit and looked sleeker and more dangerous. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to have to stop doing the three-letter patterns thing,¡± Regina said, tilting her head as she looked at the two new people. She¡¯d hoped they would choose their own names, but they¡¯d both asked her to name them, like Kit. Kit was also there, hovering beside her fellow as they stood in the small yard outside the building. She¡¯d taken the two of them under her wing a bit, figuratively speaking. ¡°We could help you come up with new names, my Queen?¡± she offered, sounding hesitant. Regina shook her head. ¡°I appreciate the thought, but no, that would only drag things out. I think starting with Evolved Swarm Drones is a good way to break the pattern, anyway.¡± "That makes sense to me,¡± the Winged Drone said, although he (he¡¯d already decided to use masculine pronouns) didn¡¯t sound like it mattered too much to him. ¡°So.¡± Regina paused and looked at them. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about calling you Chase,¡± she nodded at the War Drone, ¡°and you Gale,¡± at the Winged Drone. The first one smiled. ¡°That sounds good. Thank you, my Queen!¡± ¡°Guess it¡¯ll do as well as anything.¡± The Winged Drone shrugged. ¡°Thanks, I guess.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°If you run into any trouble or need anything, feel free to tell me. We¡¯ll do our best to make sure your transition goes smoothly.¡± She stayed with them for a while longer, making sure they were okay. She should have done that earlier, honestly, but she¡¯d been too busy to really give them the attention they deserved. That was why it had taken a while to give them their names, too. But she¡¯d rather do that properly than have them end up with something silly. Well, sillier than usual, at least. Arguably her choices weren¡¯t very serious and dignified. Then she turned and left. She was just about to head back to her rooms, when the System gave her another notification. Regina paused, standing in the street. Dan, who had been going the other way, almost ran into her, but managed to correct course just in time. She shook her head and mumbled an apology at him, but still glanced towards the message again, thoughtfully.
Congratulations, you have unlocked a new Template: Drone Keeper
Something niggled at the back of her mind for this Template, some kind of dim recognition. It was definitely not something she had missed in her memories of her old life, she was pretty sure of that. It had to be something relating to her Hivekind nature. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She considered it for another moment, then shrugged. She was happy she had unlocked another Template, anyway. It was bound to be interesting. The name could go several ways. She was hoping for a ¡®keeper of knowledge¡¯, personally, but that might be too much to hope for ¡­ or it might be a hint from her subconscious, actually. Regina paused once she was inside a currently empty room and frowned. I really need to get a handle on this Hive Queen instinctual thing, she reflected. I¡¯ve just been kind of coasting along, but this is too important not to at least try to analyze it further. Trying to test my own instincts or nature in artificial scenarios seems a bit like a fool¡¯s errand, but what do I have to lose? So, she sent a mental message to Max, Tim, Mia, Tia, Via and Ira, and then flew to perch upon the roof of the main building. They¡¯d intentionally constructed it to have it accessible for Winged Drones and flying drones, with a small hatch leading down, as well as a flat surface and a few wooden perches for smaller Winged Drones. They had to keep shoveling the snow off in winter, but it was worth it. ¡°What¡¯s up, Regina?¡± Max asked, climbing up onto the roof. Tim followed him up quietly. Regina glanced at Via and Ira, who were just landing, before she answered. ¡°I got what I think might be a weird feeling or impression from my instincts again, and I wanted to try and do some analysis.¡± She shrugged. ¡°We all have this influence from our innate natures, or whatever you want to call it. I thought it was a good idea to try and get to the bottom of it. Especially since we now have another avenue to explore, with former non-sapient Swarm Drones who became sapient.¡± ¡°So, what is it you want to do?¡± Mia asked, hopping out of the hatch. Regina nodded at her and Tia, who followed her. ¡°Partly just bring it up and ask you to keep an eye out. I¡¯ll try to observe the newcomers and pay special attention during any future transitions, but I can¡¯t always spare the attention. Then I also wanted to ask for your impressions of me, and maybe each other, and the psychic link in general.¡± ¡°This might be easier if we did it over the psychic link,¡± Tim pointed out. Regina nodded and turned all of her attention toward it. She¡¯d already been tracking the others through the link, mostly subconsciously, but now she really focused on it. She¡¯d gotten a lot better at using this link between them over the last few weeks, one of the reasons why she had decided to do this now. Focus on what we¡¯ve been talking about, please, she sent to them. She could have done it one at a time, but she had a hunch that trying to get a sort of composite view would be better. In this case, the issue was more than the sum of its parts. Like the Starlit Hive. Regina submerged herself deeper into the psychic link, her surroundings and even her own body fading away as she focused entirely on the minds around her, and her own mind. She was intricately linked to them, even if she had only just started to understand just how deeply. They were the people she knew best in the world, but she also knew them on a level below the relationships they had consciously built together. Now, she put all of that together, and dove into the thoughts, memories and feelings they opened to her. In the end, she learned a lot more about the psychic link than the original question that had set her on this course. But that was okay, because the link was also a part of what ruled her instincts and influenced her behavior. It was a key part of being a Hive Queen. Her burgeoning psychic powers only amplified that, but she had the dawning suspicion that they also allowed her to control it more deeply. And thus probably any influence it exerted on her. If you could even call it that. In the end, it¡¯s not like this link is a separate entity, she reflected. It¡¯s me, or at least my hive. She got the feeling that this little exercise had deepened her understanding and ability with the link a lot, in addition to making her feel closer to the people she had shared it with. Seeing their perspective on it and how it differed from her own was interesting. And even if she never learned everything about the Hivekind or what sort of subconscious knowledge, biases and inclinations she had to deal with, it at least offered her a path to controlling their influence on her eventually. That was something, at least. "Well,¡± Max finally said. ¡°That was something.¡± Regina nodded and glanced at the others. She couldn¡¯t tell what they were thinking right now, since she had withdrawn from their minds, but it was easy to guess. Most of them were a bit uncertain but also excited about what it meant, while Tim was thinking of the strategic implications, Via was also contemplating the newly Evolved Swarm Drones and Ira likewise considering Regina¡¯s state of mind. ¡°The gnomes have sent another group of merchants,¡± Tim finally said. ¡°Ace just notified me that they¡¯re crossing into our territory and approaching the northern part, traveling along the forest¡¯s treeline.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow at him, but nodded after a moment. She could tell he had changed the subject deliberately. They all needed a bit of time to reflect. Regina especially. ¡°Alright,¡± she answered. ¡°Let¡¯s make sure they know where to go. It might be better to guide them to the second western outpost, in fact. Let¡¯s see what they have to sell and what news they might have brought.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to learning if they brought something new to trade,¡± Tia said cheerfully. Regina nodded and smiled faintly, but she was mostly thinking about other things. ¡°This might be a good opportunity, too.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Max cocked his head curiously. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of taking their invitation, are you?¡± ¡°Actually, yes. Well, sort of.¡± Regina gave him a look. She knew he was about to raise a fuss about her safety. ¡°I¡¯m not going to go myself. But I was thinking of sending a group to the gnomish confederation.¡± The others exchanged looks, and Regina caught the edge of their exchange over the psychic link. She could have pried into it, but chose not to. Clearly, their little exercise had also encouraged them to go for a slightly closer connection right now. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea, Regina?¡± Tim asked hesitantly. ¡°Maybe not, but I hope it¡¯s worth the risk,¡± she answered. She paused for a moment, then sighed. ¡°They clearly know something about the Hivekind. Even if it¡¯s biased and twisted, we might still be able to get some information there.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± Max muttered, looking thoughtful. ¡°Not to mention I¡¯ve been curious about the Confederation and their surroundings since I¡¯ve heard about them,¡± Regina added. ¡°I think paying more attention to the larger picture wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. Somehow, I doubt the Cernlian civil war is going to stay completely confined to Cernlia, if it even is right now, and we are kind of in the middle of it.¡± That was clearly a thought the others didn¡¯t particularly like, either, but they all saw the sense in it. ¡°Maybe we can ask the elves what they know about the gnomes, and the rest of it?¡± Mia suggested after a short pause. Regina smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. It might be time to send an envoy to the elves, anyway.¡± She considered for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Well, none of this is time-critical. It¡¯s just something to keep in mind.¡± She¡¯d have to figure out which drones to send to this Gnomish Confederation of the East, anyway. Regina suppressed a sigh at that issue and decided to focus on more immediate matters. ¡°Now.¡± She clapped her hands together and smiled at the others. ¡°Who wants to go first and give me a more detailed report on their area of responsibility?¡± For some reason, the question did not fill them with enthusiasm. Chapter 127: Impressions and Potential It still took a while for the gnomish delegation to arrive. Regina¡¯s range had grown by a lot, and she was pretty sure that the border of - or entrance to - the Confederation was well within it now. Among other things, it meant that while the traders presumably had a safer journey, they still had some distance to cover. It also took longer than it might have because Regina had them directed along the edge of the hive¡¯s territories and to one of their more developed outposts, which they¡¯d quickly built up even further. It was also close to Forest¡¯s Haunt, to facilitate trade there. The visitors would probably be moving on, anyway. In the end, Regina had decided not to come and visit them herself. With both the hive and their international renown growing, it was probably about time for her to act more like a queen, or at least think in those terms when appropriate. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like she needed to make a personal visit ¡ª she could see, hear and smell everything just as well through one of her drones, and basically participate as well by talking to them over the psychic link. If she needed to, she could even take direct control of one of them, or even several. Not that she¡¯d really seen any need for that in a long time. The gnomes had brought a wider assortment of goods to trade than before, and seemed pleased about the collection the hive had put together as well. With their access to Conjuration magic, it wasn¡¯t hard to get something to trade, though Regina still insisted on being careful and not letting on the true value of what they had. She wasn¡¯t going to show them heaps of precious stones or anything stupid like that. Still, they could have easily gotten some gold and silver from trade or as war reparations - and had received some from Whitor¡¯s ransom - so she didn¡¯t think they needed to pretend to be too poor to buy anything. The bulk of their trade was still made up of monster parts they couldn¡¯t properly utilize themselves and various odds and ends, though. Bea took the lead in dealing with the visitors this time. She already had some experience as a diplomat, or at least the closest thing the hive had, and Tim was busy. Besides, Regina had a suspicion that sending a third-Tier Champion might be sending a message she didn¡¯t necessarily want, at least to handle a simple trade arrangement. Having outsiders within her territory also reminded her to pay more attention to things like information security and other forms of defense. She already had to adjust her patrol patterns and deployments. Since Regina had proof that scrying magic existed, it would be stupid to assume someone couldn¡¯t use it against them. The Delvers had even admitted to watching them before! Of course, there was only so much she could do without compromising the efficiency of her hive. It was one reason she should develop the underground parts of their new homes, though. Their tunnels were coming along, slowly but surely. For now, Regina avoided moving any drones through them, at least in an obvious manner. It would be pretty easy to figure out if anyone watched from the air, after all. They had also only dug far enough to connect the closest settlements, around their main base, so taking the tunnels would still actually take longer than walking or flying as a method of travel. Eventually, the first of the new drone Template hatched. Regina had hesitated over the decision, but elected to only add one egg to the hive for now, so she could see what they were like and make a plan on how many she should include and how to integrate them into the hive. Once she felt that one drone hatching, she slowly started making her way back to the hive¡¯s main base. She had been visiting one of the other outposts and didn¡¯t hurry back, but it wasn¡¯t like she needed to be present personally. Especially since she could sense everything through the psychic link, and it wasn¡¯t like the new hatchling would be alone. Mia was already there, as well. So, Regina already had a bit more information to work with, even if it was just an impression, when she finally met the boy. This Drone Keeper was male, and it was a bit hard to guess what his role was supposed to be from his body type. He was relatively small and slight for a sapient drone, which hinted towards being a magic user. He didn¡¯t have any wings, though. Instead, his left side appeared to have two hands, while his corresponding right limb ended in a sort of multi-tool-like shape vaguely reminiscent of a Worker, although it included a blade and most prominently ¡­ was that supposed to be a writing utensil? It reminded her of a fountain pen, anyway. His status did support that impression, though. This Template clearly focused on the mental stats, Int and Wis, while neglecting the physical ones.
Name: N/A Drone Keeper
Level: 1
Mana: 200
Con: 8 Str: 8
Dex: 8 End: 8
Int: 15 Wis: 13
¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± she said with a smile as they stepped outside of the hive¡¯s main building together. ¡°I have to admit that I¡¯m not quite sure about your, uh, intended role and capabilities, though. You¡¯re the first of your Template. Although I think I can get an idea - there¡¯s certainly a hint of something in the psychic link, anyway.¡± The new Drone Keeper smiled back and bowed his head. ¡°Thank you, my Queen. I hope I will be able to be useful to the Hive.¡± She would expect the new guy to have strong magic, judging by his status, and there was clearly something to that. She could sense that he had a big mana pool, at least for his level. But there was also something off about it. She didn¡¯t know if he would actually be able to use that mana pool. At least for magic. It seemed to almost bleed into the psychic link in a way she had never seen before. In fact, his presence in the link seemed more prominent in a new way, as well. ¡°Do you have any insight into your abilities and role?¡± she asked. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m supposed to keep the hive¡¯s knowledge, my Queen. And perhaps something more. It¡¯s ¡­ hard to put into words, entirely.¡± He shrugged slightly. ¡°I can feel the link connecting the hive, and I do feel I can work with it.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. She regarded him thoughtfully and nodded after a moment. ¡°Usually, I give newly hatched sapient drones a name,¡± she said, changing the subject. ¡°I assume you¡¯d like that as well?¡± He nodded eagerly. ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡°Okay. Then, I think I¡¯ll call you Jem. Welcome to the hive.¡± ¡°Thank you, my Queen!¡± He smiled brightly. Regina already decided to add more of this Template to the hive. Even if she wasn¡¯t very sure about the details of what they could do, their potential use was obvious. She was looking forward to seeing how they would help to shape her hive¡¯s operations and culture. After all, even the societies in her memories didn¡¯t have anything like the psychic link. She suspected that it might come to mimic the Internet, in some way ¡ª but there would obviously be differences, as well. And in a more immediately practical sense, they didn¡¯t have much paper or other writing materials, or the base needed to build a bureaucratic infrastructure for the hive. They had also been using the psychic link to compensate for that to some degree, communicating mentally and using it to send messages. Adding any kind of information storage ability would be a useful, and interesting, development. Of course, she was getting ahead of herself a bit. Jem was evidently happy with his new name, and he seemed upbeat about the situation in general, looking forward to facing his future, exploring the hive, meeting the others and exploring his abilities. Regina had to admit, if only to herself, that it was a bit gratifying to see one of her hatchlings feeling so content and secure in their situation, their hive. They didn¡¯t have to struggle for survival in a monster forest anymore, and even the prospect of war with the Cernlians, the Delvers or whoever else was more of a distant threat right now. Of course, still not a smaller one, on the contrary. They certainly needed to prepare for it. But they had some peace, and even if Regina knew it might not last much longer, she was grateful for that. She was also content not to pressure the new Drone Keeper, or the others who would be hatching after him. It was probably better not to rush figuring out their abilities and the finer details of the psychic link itself. In the meantime, though, she would still be working on her Spells and magic. Now that she had gotten magic not supported by the System working, she was eager to see what else she might be able to do with it, and she had a few ideas. If nothing else, it would help increase her understanding of magic in general, which would be beneficial to all of her magic, even the System-assisted Spells. Regina was confident that she was starting to figure things out. As she suspected, she seemed to have a natural knack for it, something that went beyond just having a very large mana pool. She suspected that most people wouldn¡¯t have been able to figure out something like scrying magic with just a few weeks or months of practice. Though that large mana pool certainly helped. But now she was running into difficulty trying to teach it to the others. She didn¡¯t think it was a matter of lacking talent or being a bad teacher, exactly. It was just hard to put these things into words sometimes, and she didn¡¯t have that much time for it with all the other things demanding her attention. At this rate, it would probably be a while before her hive made real strides with magic, at least in that direction. Well, I suppose we can¡¯t have everything, Regina reflected. She could already see the influence of the new Drone Keeper starting to have an effect, though. It was as if it stabilized the psychic link. She suspected that he might also function as a relay that could expand the link¡¯s range, although, of course, that didn¡¯t do anything while they were both so close together. It was something to test for later, though. She wondered if getting it now had anything to do with the Abilities she had chosen and her progression of the psychic link, or if she would have unlocked the Template anyway. Not for the first time, Regina wished she knew more about the System and how it interacted with - or maybe filtered? - the traits of her species. She could be pretty sure that Hivekind were not actually unique to this world or the one that had been connected to it with the portals. There might be more of her kind elsewhere in the multiverse. Alianais had implied as much, anyway. Granted, that had been a thousand years ago, but still, it meant the System probably wasn¡¯t an ¡­ intrinsic necessity for their abilities. She couldn¡¯t help but ponder that issue for a while, even as she realized it was distracting her from her other work. She found herself checking in on the hive and the psychic link in general often, trying to evaluate any changes. It was pretty fruitless. Regina only pushed the distraction aside when something else captured her attention. She gathered her focus when Bea returned to the main base of the hive. She had contacted Regina ahead of time, but they had quietly agreed to hold a meeting in person. Regina pushed the door to her office open with magic - not a Spell, but telekinesis, which she¡¯d been working on - and ignored the look Via gave her. Bea entered, glancing at the other drone who¡¯d just stood up, then evidently decided to ignore the byplay and focused on Regina. ¡°You¡¯ve been doing a good job, Bea,¡± Regina greeted her, smiling and nudging her to take a seat. ¡°Thank you, my Queen.¡± Bea inclined her head and settled down. She seemed a bit more reserved than usual, probably lingering effects from dealing with the visitors. ¡°Before we get started talking about the details of the trade, is there anything interesting or important to discuss?¡± Bea shrugged slightly, looking a bit hesitant. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to feel out the gnomes a bit, my Queen,¡± she said. ¡°Trying to get a sense of their attitudes and how they react to us wanting to send a group to their Confederacy. The response has been pretty mixed.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Regina frowned, leaning forward slightly. ¡°I think there are probably some cultural nuances I¡¯m missing,¡± Bea said, shaking her head uncertainly. ¡°I get the feeling they don¡¯t get many visitors, but they¡¯re not set against them in principle. And we do have an invitation. I don¡¯t think it counts exclusively as a personal invitation for you, anyway.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. Did you confirm if they¡¯re from the same faction that we dealt with before?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t want to come right out and say it, but yes, I¡¯m pretty sure.¡± Bea sat up a bit straighter, sounding more confident. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how the civil war in Cernlia plays into it, but I got the impression that, well, that other faction we saw definitely backed the wrong horse, at least when it comes to the region out here.¡± ¡°Good to know. Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Well, if I may ask, my Queen, do you intend to send Janis as part of that group?¡± Regina frowned. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet. Why?¡± ¡°Well, she must have caught wind of what was going on and asked me. Besides, I think some of the traders have figured out who and what she is, too. And they didn¡¯t seem hostile, but definitely wary.¡± Bea hesitated for a moment. ¡°The Confederacy might have dealings with the elementals, but they¡¯re not on good terms.¡± Regina nodded slowly. It sounded like whatever relationship they had, presumably an antagonistic one, was actually closer than she¡¯d thought. ¡°Did any of them actually encounter elementals personally?¡± Bea shook her head. ¡°If so, they certainly didn¡¯t say so. I don¡¯t think they did, though. There aren¡¯t exactly many of those monsters around. From what they said, elementals sound more like individual threats. But we do know they¡¯re powerful sapient monsters, and they clearly can speak and interact with other people if they want to.¡± Regina leaned back in her seat. ¡°Thanks, Bea. Good work.¡± She exchanged a glance with Via and Max, who¡¯d silently entered the room. ¡°It occurs to me that we haven¡¯t really met any other sapient monsters so far. It sounds like this expedition might be an opportunity in more than one way. As long as we¡¯re careful, of course.¡± Chapter 128: Are We There Yet? Janis Starlit glanced at the terrain passing by beneath her. She couldn¡¯t see any threats or, really, any changes, so she closed her eyes again, focusing inward. Or rather, outward ¡ª into the psychic link. She¡¯d been working with the new Drone Keeper for a while. Partly to test his capabilities, but mostly to preserve some of her knowledge for the Hive. Janis was the only member of the hive who had personal experience living among the humans, and she still knew a lot more about their technology, economy and martial capabilities than the rest. There was only so much she could teach someone in a few months of occasionally talking about the subjects, compared to living in Cernlia for eighteen years. And Janis had always been curious, making a point of gathering as much information as she could, even living in a remote village like Forest¡¯s Haunt. Of course, she was working to filter out the personal experience and concentrate on the knowledge itself. Besides the fact that she wasn¡¯t enthusiastic about revealing her personal feelings like that, this would make it easier and more efficient. Transporting emotion was a different thing than transporting information, and the former could muddle the latter. Right now, she was focused on both her connection with Jem and the knowledge in question. She didn¡¯t know the new drone very well, but they had met and talked, and the improvements to the link made that kind of thing much easier. Besides, she felt like he was facilitating it somehow, anyway. Janis kept meditating, running through several conversations she¡¯d had with adventurers not too long before she first met Regina and the others, working with Jem to pick out the relevant facts. She could vaguely sense him sort of putting them into the psychic link through his own connection to it. She wasn¡¯t sure how they were going to be able to store it, or even if they really could, but she had a good feeling about it. Then she felt her body descend rapidly, and stopped her meditation, blinking her eyes open. She¡¯d left the Winged Drone Mount carrying her mostly alone, since it didn¡¯t need her steering it. It was level 37 and quite smart for a Swarm Drone, and besides, the others could intervene if she was too distracted. Right now, she realized after a moment that Bea had called it down, while the small caravan below her was slowing down. They had been traveling for a short while already, much slower than if Janis had just flown the whole way. But, of course, they were accompanying the gnomish traders, so that wasn¡¯t an option. And it wasn¡¯t like they were pressed for time, anyway. She was just feeling a bit impatient. Janis shook her head and tried to shake off the lingering effects of her meditation and immersion into the psychic link. Right now, she knew without looking where every sapient drone in the group was. She was just glad she didn¡¯t have to worry about them. Janis was arguably the highest-ranking Hive member in the expedition, but it was Bea who had taken the leadership role. Of course, they were also being watched over by Regina, who would presumably watch even more closely when they actually entered the gnomes¡¯ city that they were heading for, so that kind of detail wasn¡¯t too important, either. Janis put it out of her mind and concentrated on flying to the ground to meet the others. "Are we there yet?¡± she asked with a wry smile as she hopped down from her mount and joined Bea and the others. The leader of the gnomish group, a man called Deliken, shook his head. He didn¡¯t let any annoyance or any other reaction show. ¡°Not quite, Miss, but we are getting closer. From here on, it is best if we all continue on foot. We should reach the city by this evening.¡± Janis nodded, telling her mount to head back. ¡°What was its name again?¡± She didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever actually told them the name of the place they were going. ¡°Telimelekilete-En. It translates as Above-Ground Outer Two. If everyone is ready, let us set off. This way, please.¡± Janis had never been this close to the mountains before. They were still at the outskirts, and only barely that, really, but she could almost feel the heightened danger in her surroundings. She wasn¡¯t sure when they¡¯d crossed what was technically the border of Cernlia, and they now traveled in what seemed to be no-man¡¯s-land between it and the southern nations. If she understood correctly, the Gnomish Confederation of the East should be southwest, actually, although it wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d seen a map. The gnomes had given vague descriptions, but she wasn¡¯t really sure how far or in what directions their Confederacy spread out. It didn¡¯t help that the territory they claimed wasn¡¯t exactly compact, but curving around the more dangerous parts. And it seemed to be at least in part in the mountains, or perhaps under them - or both, she wasn¡¯t sure. She did realize that the really dangerous, central parts of the mountains were still uninhabited wilderness, so the Confederation probably extended much further in the other direction ¡ª the southeast of their current position? As they moved closer into mountainous terrain, starting to climb uphill, the gnomes led them on a path that was hard to make out from further away. Somehow, it was always good enough for the two wagons they¡¯d brought along, although Janis certainly appreciated their sturdy construction and wide wheels now. The path was winding and occasionally seemed to almost disappear between rocky terrain dotted with scraggy bushes, or the outskirts of forests climbing up into the mountain¡¯s peaks. Janis tried to watch her steps, but she couldn¡¯t help but stare at the mountains whenever she had the chance. The Alps. She caught a hint of nostalgic melancholy from Regina at the sight of them, although she didn¡¯t think her Hive Queen actually knew how they¡¯d changed. Even if they were the only real landmark from her own time. But the path the gnomes led them on didn¡¯t come too close to the mountains. Instead, they dipped down a chain of hills into a shallow valley that sported a few interesting rock formations. As they got closer, Janis saw the end of a trail disappearing between the shadows of a rocky hill. From there, the path was a weird mix of caves and open air. Parts of it were clearly hewn out of the rocky ground, but they never actually descended into the earth. Tall trees loomed to either side and sometimes above them, probably hiding the trail from the air. The frequent turns made it hard for Janis to keep track of where they were going, or how far they¡¯d actually traveled. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Then they finally reached the first settlement, though evidently not the city yet. The sun was already sinking, but there was still plenty of light to see the scattering of small buildings and the rather impressive wall surrounding them, complete with several guard towers. Some kind of outpost, clearly. ¡°Welcome to Travel Outpost Fifteen,¡± their guide said, this time not even bothering with the untranslated name. ¡°If you are tired, we may spend the night here, or we could press on to reach the city.¡± Janis shared a glance with Bea. They didn¡¯t need to speak, and she faintly sensed the drone establishing quick channels of communication with the others. The response was rather clear. ¡°Thank you for the consideration,¡± Bea replied with a smile, ¡°but we would prefer to press on if possible. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re eager to get home, and we are looking forward to seeing it for ourselves.¡± The gnome grunted and nodded, but she had the impression he preferred this decision. They continued on their way. If the path had previously been half in the open and half underground, it was now more like three-quarters underground, or at least covered. A few rocky walls loomed over them, almost touching at the top, as they made their way deeper ¡­ south? Without being able to see the sun, Janis wasn¡¯t certain of their exact heading. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to find this place again without retracing their path step by step, anyway. The sun set, but the lack of light didn¡¯t bother her. Janis had always been able to see pretty well in the dusk, though not complete darkness, and the Hive drones with her had even better low-light vision. The gnomes didn¡¯t seem bothered, either. Janis saw a few of them, riding on the wagons, using what looked like strange spectacles or monocles, but she presumed that those were for a different purpose. Maybe something to do with finding their way? Eventually, they emerged from a passage through a steep, craggy hill to see another low valley spread out before them. The city was hard to miss, given the occasional streetlight and other light source flickering in the gloom, though she did not see as many as a human city would have had. That made it look deceptively smaller than it was, Janis realized as they came closer. The gnomes had an odd architectural style that seemed to combine low, sprawled-out and tall buildings, but this settlement had to house as many people as any city she had ever seen. Quaint, Regina commented in her head, and Janis felt a moment of disorientation as differing expectations and frames of reference clashed. Is there anything we should do? she asked. Nothing beyond what we¡¯ve already talked about, Regina answered. I just wanted to let you know that you¡¯re approaching the edge of my range. You¡¯ve gone deeper into their territory than I thought. She paused for a moment. Also, I can see that their technology level is higher than you¡¯re probably used to, but not as high as I¡¯d almost hoped. Those are almost certainly steam engines, but they seem pretty rudimentary. And they don¡¯t seem to use them for transportation, I can¡¯t find any sign of tracks or anything. Be careful about their magic, though. I¡¯m sure you can sense that as well as I can. Janis nodded, sending a mental acknowledgment. Regina¡¯s presence quieted, but she didn¡¯t quite withdraw from her mind, and Janis knew that her Hive Queen was still watching. Probably through several drones, too. She turned her focus to her magical senses. While it was hard to get any details, she could make out a line not too dissimilar to the protection that ran along the border to the forest - or used to - around the city. There were a few other large-scale enchantments too, and many other smaller eddies in the mana that signified magic in use. It was nothing beyond what she¡¯d expected. As they approached the city, she saw a group waiting at one of the gates. The city¡¯s wall itself was strange, built rather low, but she could also tell that it had been integrated with the large-scale enchantments protecting the city. It had several gates, though the one they approached now seemed to be a minor, relatively unused one. There were few other people in sight, anyway. The gate stood open, and they entered the city without delay. One of the gnomes waiting for them stepped forward and bowed politely. ¡°Welcome to the Gnomish Confederacy, honored visitors.¡± Bea and Janis, who were at the front of their Hive¡¯s group, returned the gesture at the same time. ¡°Thank you, Tikimaken,¡± Bea responded. ¡°It is good to see you again.¡± Janis was glad they had at least sent a familiar face, although she had mostly avoided meeting the first gnomish visitors to their Hive. The gnome nodded and smiled in response to the greeting, then took a moment to introduce the others. Not that it was necessary, since Janis could see their names and Classes. Regina informed her about the levels she couldn¡¯t make out herself; there was no one above level forty. After a few pleasantries, they were escorted into the city. Here, they split off from the group of traders they had accompanied. Janis noted that these were met by two other people, presumably to debrief them. She didn¡¯t quite understand the way the government and political factions in the Confederation worked and apparently ran some businesses, but she didn¡¯t think there was any reason for concern. As they entered the city, Janis noticed the looks some of the gnomes gave her. She suppressed a sigh. She¡¯d expected it, but she still found herself feeling vaguely hurt at the thinly disguised wariness. At least it wasn¡¯t the same kind of hate she¡¯d seen directed at demihumans in some human places. Well, for the most part. That aside, the gnomes were treating them quite well. Very respectfully. Janis hadn¡¯t really appreciated it before, but she was starting to realize that the escort they¡¯d put together was quite big for a group from a new trade partner, which only had a few villages. And when they reached their destination, a tall, looming building made of stone, they were greeted by another welcoming party. Janis set her shoulders and resolved to be as diplomatic as possible, but to leave most of the actual talking to Bea. This was not something she ever thought she¡¯d have to face. Not that her life for the last few months had been anything like she would have expected before. Janis shook off those thoughts and made herself focus on the conversation. Bea was exchanging pleasantries with the gnomes, an even mix of men and women, she noted. ¡°I take it your Queen is not coming to visit personally?¡± a female Rising Mirror (what an odd Class name) asked. Bea smiled apologetically and shook her head. ¡°Unfortunately, that was not possible, for which she sends her regrets. Her duties are keeping her quite occupied, although she would very much have liked to come and see your marvelous city in person.¡± ¡°Naturally, we understand,¡± the gnome assured her. ¡°With the civil war in Cernlia growing in intensity, it is apparent that Queen Regina would be preoccupied and unable to leave your territory.¡± ¡°Quite so,¡± Bea agreed. ¡°You can be assured that we have her confidence and can speak for her and our Hive.¡± Janis caught a faint hint of Regina¡¯s amusement at that, though she didn¡¯t comment. ¡°Splendid.¡± They started to gently usher the group inside, while the gnome kept smiling. Whatever else was going on, Janis was fairly sure they had sent actual diplomats. ¡°I am sure we will be able to come to satisfactory agreements, regardless.¡± Janis narrowed her eyes a bit, before she smoothed her expression again. She glanced at Bea and focused on the psychic link. I get the feeling they want something from us, she commented. Bea didn¡¯t visibly react and glanced back at their hosts, but Janis felt her agreement. Well, she was curious what that something might be, but it would probably be rude to just come out and ask. Instead, Janis focused on the gnomes and her fellow Hive members. This was definitely an exciting experience, if nothing else. Chapter 129: Contacts and Conversations Whatever the gnomes wanted from the hive, they didn¡¯t seem to be in any great hurry to get to it. Regina watched as they welcomed her delegation and got them settled in, but resigned herself to waiting. They were being good hosts for now, and doing what she assumed was the diplomatic thing, building a connection and goodwill. If they did have a specific aim, request or whatever, they didn¡¯t pester them with it right on arrival. She assumed it might be a cultural thing, a matter of politeness. Regina kept watching, at least with part of her focus, but she couldn¡¯t afford to sit around all day. She had to have confidence in Bea and the others she¡¯d sent. They¡¯d handle things, and they could get her attention if they needed to. Instead, she turned her attention back to matters of the hive, only occasionally checking in. Mostly out of curiosity to watch the gnomes¡¯ city, she had to admit. She didn¡¯t see very much of it for now, but it was still interesting. They were clearly accomplished glassblowers and metalworkers, perhaps using ore they mined. Apart from that, their architecture and items weren¡¯t too different from those she¡¯d seen from the humans or elves, they just differed in style a bit. And, of course, almost everything was built to a smaller scale than she was used to. Her hive had done pretty well in the trade with the visiting merchants, at least. Regina took some time to go over what they got, reviewing the goods in person and talking to Mia and the others to get a proper accounting, including their own expenses and projections for the future. Those were a bit iffy, since they didn¡¯t know what the gnomes would bring to trade the next time, or even when that would be. One more thing they could hopefully work on with this trip. It highlighted to Regina what they still lacked, but also that any such lack wasn¡¯t necessarily important. Trade and commerce were universal, and she¡¯d come from a time when supply chains spanned half the world and almost anything passed through many places before ending up in a store. She didn¡¯t want to rely on trade, but she supposed the hive could be self-sufficient and still just import goods that weren¡¯t vital. Of course, they probably needed a better and more sustainable production of things of their own to trade. The next day, Regina still felt a bit restless, but she didn¡¯t want to crowd the drones she¡¯d sent as her envoys too much. They didn¡¯t need her hanging around mentally all the time, and she shouldn¡¯t waste her time just watching the gnomes and their city. So, she decided to distract herself with another important and possibly risky task she¡¯d set for herself. She would try her scrying again. She¡¯d tried to get to the Delvers before, and concluded that it probably wasn¡¯t worth wasting her effort and mana on that now. Most likely, Owin and Gwen were either on an extended mission or they had defenses against this kind of magic. That made her focus on the one other person she knew somewhat who was currently relatively far from the hive. Well, except for Galatea. But Regina had never gotten anywhere with trying to scry on her. It might be her nature as an AI-slash-mana form, or she just had automatic defenses against people trying to spy on her. Regina would be inclined to believe both were true. Apart from her, the elves were within her range, so she could just send a drone. In fact, she was considering sending a permanent envoy to Ariedel. Regina was also still in occasional contact with Kiara Lyns, though the letters were sporadic. It always took some time for them to pass to each other, especially considering the ongoing war. And Kiara did have other things to worry about. But Regina was curious about the state of the war and more information on it wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing. Especially since what Kiara told her would always be filtered, consciously or not. She prepared herself, carefully shaping her mana and then focusing on the girl. While she¡¯d gotten better at it, using scrying magic still wasn¡¯t a fast or easy process. Then it connected, and Regina got a glimpse of ¡­ a military camp? She wasn¡¯t quite sure, since it didn¡¯t look that much like what her own drones had prepared during their short-lived campaign to the south. Instead, it looked more like a village that had been stuffed full of soldiers and with extra defenses raised, which she supposed could be exactly what happened. Kiara herself was wearing what Regina pegged as relatively casual clothing ¡ª it wasn¡¯t a dress, for one thing, and the amount of silk and gold thread was strictly limited. Her hair was done up in an elaborate braided crown, though, and she was wearing noticeable if skillful makeup. Altogether, it looked like Kiara had come from some fancy event or social function and changed into something more comfortable, though she was also wearing a sword. She was walking past a tent that had been erected at the edge of some older-looking houses. Just as Regina took in the scene, Kiara paused. She tilted her head and seemed to look at where Regina¡¯s viewpoint was coming from. Regina had to scramble her focus to keep the connection going. It felt like their gazes met, regardless of the distance between them. Kiara frowned, looking contemplative, and then Regina caught her eyes darting to the soldiers nearby, who seemed to be guarding the area. After a momentary pause, Kiara ducked into the tent. Inside, it looked well-appointed, probably her personal quarters. Kiara sat down on an unnecessarily ornate folding chair and crossed her legs. Then she closed her eyes and appeared to start meditating. Regina watched, frowning, unsure what this meant. Kiara seemed to have noticed her scrying magic, so what was she doing now? Like this, Regina couldn¡¯t sense mana - she only got physical sensations, like using a camera - so she couldn¡¯t tell if Kiara was doing any magic of her own. Then, Kiara opened her eyes again, and at the same time, Regina felt foreign magic reaching out to her own spell. She didn¡¯t even know that was possible! ¡°Can you hear me?¡± Kiara asked out loud. Regina hesitated for a moment. ¡°I can,¡± she finally answered. The human girl tilted her head slightly. ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± she said. ¡°I suspected as much.¡± Regina didn¡¯t answer right away. With a bit more time to assess what Kiara did, she was getting a better understanding of what was happening. She could tell that her own magic still did most of the heavy lifting. Kiara had simply managed to connect to it, somehow. She didn¡¯t know what things looked like at her end, but this clearly afforded her a look into the origin of the scrying spell, to Regina. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°I apologize for any intrusion you might feel,¡± she said after a short pause. ¡°It was not my intention to violate your privacy, Lady Kiara. I simply wanted to check on you. May I ask how you are doing this?¡± ¡°I could ask you the same,¡± Kiara muttered. ¡°I was not aware you knew scrying magic. You certainly seem to be a woman of many talents.¡± She reached out and fiddled with a bracelet Regina could now see she was wearing, which had previously been hidden under her long sleeve. It was made from intertwined silver threads and dotted with pearls in what she assumed was a magically meaningful pattern. ¡°This alerts me to anything of this sort,¡± she explained. ¡°From there - well, let us just say there is a reason I took an Arcane Class, even a martially inclined one. My sense for mana has always been quite good, and my new Class helps me in countering or suborning magic targeted at me.¡± ¡°I see, congratulations are in order,¡± Regina said with a smile. ¡°Arcane Knight does fit you well. And I am happy to get this chance to talk to you directly. Not that I don¡¯t appreciate your letters, but personal conversation is better.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Kiara replied. ¡°And seeing as you did nothing to attempt to hide your spell and did not actually spy on me, I will not hold it against you, Lady Regina. I do appreciate this opportunity to talk, as well.¡± Kiara smiled. Regina felt like there was something more to it, something going on beneath the surface. Did Kiara have some reason to want to talk to Regina, more than usual? She wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°So, is there some bad news?¡± Kiara continued. ¡°I imagine you did not just seek me out on a whim.¡± Actually, Regina had done pretty much that. She controlled her expression, hoping Kiara couldn¡¯t actually see her reaction. Instead, she continued in a neutral tone, ¡°Nothing urgent. You might wish to know that the trade routes appear to be open again. We had some visitors from the Gnomish Confederation. There was also the incident in the forest, but we already informed you of that in our letters. I have not heard anything from the Delvers since then.¡± Kiara nodded, frowning slightly and looking contemplative. ¡°They do seem to take you seriously, to establish a truce,¡± she said. ¡°I suppose access to the forest and the lands beyond is quite important to them. I have to admit it is a relief to know that conflict between you and them is unlikely to escalate further. My father and cousin are both trying to court the Delvers, as far as I know, but they do not seem willing to take a side, much less send troops.¡± Regina was confused for a moment before she realized Kiara was referring to the Cernlian king, who was her cousin once removed. ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± she replied. ¡°How are things here at the front, otherwise?¡± Kiara¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Not very well,¡± she replied. ¡°We fought a battle at the ford yesterday, I have not had time to send news of it in a letter. It was not decisive, but we still lost. Zephyr and the king¡¯s elites devastated our left flank when the fighters we sent to pin them down failed.¡± Regina winced. ¡°That sounds bad. I hope you weren¡¯t affected?¡± ¡°Not personally, any more than usual. I was with the vanguard, actually. Regardless, we will not be able to hold our position here for long. Father is already making plans for a retreat.¡± She sighed. ¡°And his coalition is not quite as united as we might hope.¡± ¡°Do you fear some of the lords might jump ship?¡± ¡°No. Not quite.¡± Kiara hesitated. She seemed to want to say something, then think better of it. ¡°In truth, the dire situation is helping to hold all of us together for now.¡± The way she said that, ¡®all of us,¡¯ Regina noted. As if she¡¯s one of those being held together? I may be reading too much into things. ¡°Well, I hope you will manage that retreat and come out better for it,¡± Regina said. ¡°I will increase the next shipment I send, if you think money will help.¡± ¡°Thank you, I do appreciate it, but unfortunately, I believe we have reached the end of that strategy,¡± Kiara replied with a shake of her head. ¡°We cannot buy more soldiers ¡ª at least not now that almost all mercenary companies and even many adventurers are already enlisted.¡± Regina nodded and was about to answer, when she caught another mind reaching out to her. Regina? Janis called. She paused and put on an apologetic smile. ¡°My apologies, Lady Kiara, it seems something has come up that requires my attention.¡± Kiara actually looked faintly disappointed. ¡°I understand, and I will not keep you. But please make sure to keep in touch, Lady Regina. I treasure your letters and I am looking forward to talking to you again.¡± Regina nodded and smiled. ¡°Likewise, feel free to reach out anytime you like.¡± Then she cut the connection, taking a moment to gather her bearings and take a deep breath. Ending a scrying spell was always a bit disorienting. But her thoughts remained focused on Kiara. She definitely seemed to have changed a little. Something was different about her bearing and behavior, even if Regina found it hard to put a finger on what. She supposed being in a war could make people mature quickly. Then she shook her head and closed her eyes again, reaching out to Janis. She hadn¡¯t felt a sense of urgency that indicated it was a dire emergency, but she clearly still shouldn¡¯t dawdle. Janis was currently standing outside of the rooms they had been assigned in the gnomish city, talking. Regina found herself a bit lost at first, before she dove deeper into her connection to Janis. It allowed her to get a sense of the young mage¡¯s recent memories. She could go over what happened in detail later, but for now, it was enough to have an idea of what was going on. Although it seemed like nothing too urgent had happened yet. Janis had called her because she expected this conversation to be important. Just as she turned her full attention to it, the pleasantries were over and the gnome who seemed to be the leader of the two visitors spoke up. It was the same guy they¡¯d met first, Tikimaken the Unbroken Rock. ¡°We¡¯re hoping you¡¯ll be able to deal with the elementals better than we could,¡± he said. Janis frowned. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°We can tell you¡¯re elemental¡¯s kin, little miss,¡± the other gnome put in. ¡°No offense, but your bloodline is rather visible.¡± He nodded as Janis started to finger the ends of her hair in response. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, you¡¯re not going to be attacked for it or anything like that. We¡¯re not savages.¡± ¡°Somehow, I feel like there¡¯s a ¡®but¡¯ coming,¡± she said drily. The gnome, Erdeken, looked like he had to forcibly restrain himself from making a joke about butts. He definitely didn¡¯t seem as diplomatic as the others she¡¯d met. ¡°Not as such,¡± Tikimaken responded, shooting his companion a quelling look. ¡°You¡¯re guests and you will be treated with the according respect. And we all understand that kinship does not equate to responsibility.¡± I hope they¡¯re not expecting too much, Regina commented to Janis. We¡¯ve never dealt with elementals before. She could sense her agreement as Janis said, ¡°That might be, but what makes you think it changes anything? I¡¯ve never even seen an elemental, myself.¡± The two exchanged a look. ¡°Perhaps it will not change anything, but if you do intend to go looking for your ancestor now that you are here ¡­¡± Tikimaken shrugged. ¡°Elementals can be savage and brutal, but they are not mindless monsters that attack with no reason or provocation. You should not be in any excessive danger.¡± Janis frowned, and by the emotions she sensed in her link, Regina knew she felt much the same way she did about that. Wary, but also curious. ¡°I will keep that in mind,¡± she responded finally. ¡°We will need to think on this.¡± At least having support from the gnomes when we go looking for elementals should be good, she commented mentally. I don¡¯t know if I want to play mediator or whatever, though. That is going to be a whole can of worms, even if it might be useful, Regina concluded. Chapter 130: Elementary The group of drones Regina had sent to the gnomes had mixed opinions on the matter of going to talk with the elementals. On the one hand, they didn¡¯t like that the gnomes were seemingly asking them to do their dirty work, or at least to run errands for them. And elementals were, clearly, powerful, so there was an element of danger as well. Besides, they didn¡¯t have any clear goal. Sure, maybe they could do something to mediate between the gnomes and the elementals, but what did that really mean, and how? On the other hand, they were curious about the sapient monsters, and if they did manage to establish a positive relationship with them, that would be great. And it would help in dealing with the gnomes, as well. Plus, if they ran into trouble with the confederation, having a point of contact with the elementals would be good, too. Janis herself finally got the deciding voice. She wanted to learn more about her non-human ancestors, and this was the perfect opportunity for it. Regina agreed. So, they split the group. Janis would go with several other members of the hive, while Regina would also keep some Winged Drones nearby and ready to intervene if necessary. Now that she knew where they were, and could sense her envoys, it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult. The elementals were closer to the central part of the mountains, and should still be within her greatly expanded range, at least in the area where her hive members were heading. Bea stayed back along with three others, to function as envoys and talk with the gnomes. It had been a few days by now, but they still hadn¡¯t made any official requests, and it was clear they weren¡¯t going to. What Tikimaken had said was apparently at least supposed to be seen as a private venture, an informal tip. It was also possible the confederation¡¯s rulers didn¡¯t have anything to do with his suggestion and there were internal factions with differing goals or agendas at play. Janis didn¡¯t care much about that, she preferred to leave that kind of political maneuvering to Regina and Bea. Regina knew that Bea secretly felt mostly the same and would prefer to leave the high-stakes politics in Regina¡¯s hands, but she was actually pretty good at being a diplomat, and she would carry out her orders and work for her hive¡¯s goals with persistence and energy. It still took a while for the group to travel to their destination. Besides having to cross the distance, they also needed to actually find an elemental in the first place, since they didn¡¯t seem to have dedicated homes. At least not as far as the gnomes knew. It was possible they had homes further into the mountains, where the Confederation was reluctant to venture. But from what the drones had heard, it sounded like the elementals were at least semi-nomadic. So, Janis and the three sapient drones accompanying her would travel to the closest gnomish outpost to the area they were most interested in, then go from there. The gnomes didn¡¯t ask too many questions and assisted them with getting there easily. Apparently, it would be simpler to make part of the journey through an underground tunnel network they had instead of traveling overland all the way, even though they were still more or less at the edge of the Confederation¡¯s territory. Watching through Janis¡¯ and Ash¡¯s eyes, Regina observed the tunnels with interest. They were pretty small and cramped from her perspective, not like the wide subway tunnels that went under the forest, and they also twisted and turned quite a bit. That made it hard to keep track of their direction. She wondered if the tunnels the gnomes had dug were connected to the network under and around her territory, but she didn¡¯t think so. They would have had to cross a not inconsiderably distance of empty land to connect to it, and if they did have a direct route, the gnomish traders would probably have taken it. Besides, these tunnels just looked and felt a bit different. Janis had to duck occasionally, and the group usually had to walk single-file. Granted, Janis actually seemed to have grown a little since Regina first met her, and not just during her Evolution. Maybe being part-elemental gave her a predisposition to keep growing for longer? Thinking of that just reminded Regina that she didn¡¯t know what her drones¡¯ lifespan was, or even her own. Either way, according to all the information she had, reaching the third Tier should add several decades to someone¡¯s life expectancy, at least. That seemed to be a mostly flat increase, regardless of one¡¯s species, since elves didn¡¯t get much from it. Now I just have to push all my sapient drones to reach level forty ¡­ Regina shook her head at herself and quickly refocused on the delegations she¡¯d sent to the gnomes. Bea kept talking to various gnomish officials and businessmen (and women), while the others mostly went around the city. Regina had decided to send Zoe and Ash with Janis, since that group was more likely to need their strength and expertise, but Bea¡¯s group still had Ken, as well as two more warrior types, so they were hardly defenseless. Janis¡¯ group was rounded out by Ria, which actually gave them a pretty standard party configuration, she realized- with Ria as support, Ash for scouting, Zoe as a frontline fighter, and Janis herself as a mage with elemental spells for combat, among other things. None of them had reached level forty yet, but Ash and Zoe weren¡¯t far off, and this mission might actually push them over the edge. Like Bea, as well. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t have to put that to the test during their trip. The gnomes had sent a guide with them, who led them through the winding tunnels, and they didn¡¯t encounter any dangers on the way. Clearly, the confederation at least kept its routes free of monsters. But when they emerged from the last leg of the trip onto a small plateau, higher up in the foothills of the mountains, the loud cry of some monsters warned them that was about to change. The gnomish outpost wasn¡¯t too far after that, and they arrived just as the sun set. Regina advised them to stay the night and continue on in the morning, to which no one objected. While the outpost didn¡¯t look much better than one of hers, with a few buildings surrounded by a tall palisade and platforms for several ballistae, the small local garrison put them up in one of the huts. The drones pushed the few straw mattresses together and curled up together to sleep. After a moment of hesitation, Janis joined them, lying on the edge with her back to Ria and Ash and pulling a blanket over herself. Ria shifted so her wing brushed over her legs as well. You guys have been corrupting me, Janis complained, but Regina could sense her amusement. You love us, admit it, she shot back. The demihuman mage just grumbled something unintelligible and closed her eyes to go to sleep. The next morning, they got up early, then set out after talking to the locals about the terrain and asking about the monster activity nearby. None of them had seen an elemental recently, but apparently, that was normal. They pointed out a few other spots, places where strong monsters had their nests, and even showed Ash a map of the area. The group set out, and Regina sent a few Winged Drones down a little further to help. She wanted to keep them away from the gnomes, just to be cautious, but the flying drones still enabled Janis and the others to get an overview of their surroundings. Regina already knew she couldn¡¯t get the Swarm Drones too close to the mountains without losing them, and she was prepared for some losses, but she didn¡¯t want to throw them away for nothing, either. So, she did her best to steer clear of flying monsters and kept to the outskirts. That meant the flying drones became less helpful as the party ventured further away from the outpost. They were relatively high-leveled, at least compared to the average person, but they still wouldn¡¯t be able to go too deeply into the mountains. Regina knew that. She debated whether she should have sent stronger people along after all. But they didn¡¯t really have many stronger people in the hive, just herself and a handful of drones who had reached level forty. Maybe the group would have to stay here and fight monsters for a few days until at least one or two of them reached the third Tier. It would be risky, but it might be worth it. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. For now, Janis and the others still dealt with the few monsters they encountered readily. Most didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry to attack them, preferring to wait and watch. A few of the more aggressive ones did attack, but none of them managed to surprise the hive¡¯s party, and they were all in the upper second Tier at most. After a few hours, Janis noted that the numbers of monsters nearby and especially of the attacks was dwindling. ¡°Do you think we¡¯re going into the territory of a higher-level beast?¡± she asked. Regina frowned to herself, diving into the minds of the Winged Drones there again. She sent two of them further down and had the others spread out for a sweep, but she didn¡¯t find anything new. If so, I don¡¯t recognize it or it¡¯s well-hidden, she answered. I suppose it¡¯s also possible we found the territory of an elemental, but better not count on that. Be careful. The group nodded and tightened their formation a bit, before they continued on. For the next fifteen minutes, they didn¡¯t encounter any danger or even see any monsters except for really small ones that scurried out of their way. Regina kept watch, ignoring the world around her for the most part. She was sitting on her bed, with her door closed and only Via hanging around nearby. Then, things changed suddenly. The others were just beginning to relax, although they didn¡¯t let their guard down. But suddenly, a low rumble started, and dirt shot into the air barely two meters in front of them. The drones reacted quickly. Ash, who¡¯d taken point, jumped backwards, readying his blade. Zoe stepped beside him, taking a position to guard Janis and Ria and holding out her shield. Janis stopped and pulled Ria back, then Regina could sense her gathering mana for a spell. The monster that had emerged from the ground looked odd, like a massive mole with exaggerated, plated shovel-claws and razor-sharp teeth in a too-big head. It crouched down, then bounded towards them.
Greater Molan - Level ?
Regina cursed mentally. Since she wasn¡¯t there, she couldn¡¯t see the System descriptor herself, only what her hive members did. Still, she guessed that it was in the third Tier. The party didn¡¯t let it unnerve them. While Janis fired a Firebolt and prepared another one, Ash and Zoe engaged the monster. It managed to evade Janis¡¯ spell, but that slowed it, giving them the chance to attack. A moment later, a glowing shell appeared around Zoe as Ria cast Magic Armor, and then another one on Ash. Janis hesitated, unwilling to use destructive magic that might affect her teammates. Regina stayed in her mind, sharing her experience, but forced herself to stay silent. She couldn¡¯t afford to distract them right now. Instead, she ordered several of her Winged Drones closer. They weren¡¯t strong enough to win the fight for the party, but they might at least provide a distraction. Zoe and Ash fought well, coordinating seamlessly with each other and the mages. Zoe played tank, keeping the monster¡¯s attention focused on her, while Ash tried to whittle it down. Its skin was tough enough that his blade never penetrated very far, but every little bit helped. Janis edged to the side, firing several Magic Missiles that she curved around the fight to hit the monster from above, behind and the sides. It didn¡¯t seem to care, relentlessly focused on beating down the drones in its way. Ria had to renew the Magic Armor on Zoe as the monster got in a good claw swipe against her, the warrior just a bit too slow to dodge. But the fight still seemed to be going well. Unfortunately, the Molan seemed to be able to tell that, too, and suddenly, it took a step back. Regina almost called out to warn them, but stopped herself. The group didn¡¯t need it, anyway. Zoe hunkered down behind her shield, with Ash stepping back. Janis took the opportunity to launch a Fireball at the monster. Just before it connected, the monster suddenly seemed to blur, charging forward. It evaded most of the fireball, only grazing the edge, and barreled at Zoe. The Drone Defender set her feet and tried to block the attack she was too slow to dodge, but its charge still broke through. Regina winced as she sensed the sharp pain stabbing through Zoe¡¯s lower body while the drone was literally sent flying. She crashed to the ground and slid a few meters. Ash appeared beside the monster the next instant, thrusting his blade-arm into its side. It flinched back and turned, but he already had a dagger prepared that he thrust into its face. The monster managed to evade the worst of the strike, so the dagger narrowly scraped past its eyes, but it still drew a gash across its head. Then it retaliated, but Ash managed to dodge just enough not to take the brunt of its slam, and the double layering of Mage Armor from Janis and Ria protected him. Janis had already transitioned to her beloved fire magic again and fired two Firebolts in quick succession at the monster. The first one made it draw back instead of following up on its attack, but the second one slammed into its side where Ash had cut it. The monster let out a high-pitched squeal, stumbling to the side. Janis showed no mercy, immediately following up with several Magic Missiles. Then she paused, while Ash advanced carefully again. Regina sensed her preparing another spell. A gust of wind picked up, growing in the span of a second until a howling gale wind smashed against the monster. Usually, it wouldn¡¯t do much to it, but with the monster already injured and weakened, it was enough. Thrown off-balance, it didn¡¯t react in time when Ash slipped inside its guard and buried his sword deep into its body, piercing its heart. Regina let out a breath and ordered her Winged Drones to gain altitude again. Well, looks like I wasn¡¯t necessary after all. Then she quickly turned her focus to Zoe. Ria was already healing the downed warrior, crouched beside her with a hand on her body as she channeled the Spell. Regina waited, watching carefully as the wound slowly knit closed. You all did well, she told them. Zoe¡¯s injuries are nastier than they look, there¡¯s quite a bit of internal damage. I don¡¯t think your life is in any danger, Zoe, but it might take a while to heal, and you should stay out of combat for the immediate future. And ¡ª wait ¡­ Another presence was approaching them, one so distinct Regina picked it out against the background of minds and mana even at this distance to what was happening. It made her realize just how well she¡¯d been able to sense the minds in the vicinity, because this one wasn¡¯t like the rest of them. Janis and Ash immediately stood and dropped into guard positions, but before they could even say anything, the newcomer was already there. Janis drew in a sharp breath, and Regina couldn¡¯t blame her. What stood in front of them looked like a person made entirely of air, if they were almost three meters tall and still somehow substantial. At first, she thought it was just leaves and stuff caught in the tightly contained wind, but then she realized that the being just looked like that. It was like air had colors, and if she thought about that for too long, she¡¯d get a headache. ¡°Well, hello there,¡± the woman said. At least, on a closer look the form looked feminine. Her voice sounded normal, but it reminded Regina a bit of Galatea. ¡°Hello,¡± Janis responded. Regina could tell she made a concerted effort to relax. ¡°I hope we did not disturb you. We don¡¯t mean to intrude on your territory, but we didn¡¯t exactly have the opportunity to ask for permission first.¡± The woman waved a hand lazily as she stepped closer - not actually touching the ground, Regina noted. ¡°That certainly is no issue.¡±
Volance ¡ª Level ? Air Elemental
Regina rubbed her fingers together nervously. That being was almost certainly at least in the third Tier, most likely higher. She could tell that just from their presence, even sensed through the members of her hive who were actually there. But they, or she, seemed friendly enough so far. Janis smiled. ¡°Good. We¡¯ll just take care of our friend here, if you don¡¯t mind, but we¡¯re eager for the opportunity to speak to you.¡± ¡°Your friend?¡± The elemental glanced at Zoe, then the other drones, then back at Janis. ¡°Would you mind explaining your actual relationship with these people? I can¡¯t deny that it¡¯s very interesting to meet sapient monsters of another kind, especially one like this.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m part of their hive. The Starlit Hive.¡± Janis moved as if trying to gesture at something, probably the System screens, which showed her new last name. ¡°Why do you ask about my relationship, though?¡± Volance smiled slowly. ¡°Why, can¡¯t a grandmother show interest in her grandchild¡¯s condition?¡± If Janis had relaxed before, now that flipped at once. ¡°Grandmother? But - what -¡° Regina winced as she felt the agitated confusion in her mind. ¡°But I thought I was a fire ¡­¡± Calm down, Regina urged her, trying to project assurance. It¡¯s okay. ¡°Oh, Cendis¡¯ offspring, right.¡± The elemental waved that off. ¡°Your grandmother was one of his children, yes. But your father was mine. You have more air in your blood than fire.¡± Janis just stared at her, before she closed her eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Alright. I guess we have quite a bit to talk about, if you¡¯re open to that.¡± Chapter 131: Fellow Monsters Janis felt off-balance, like the ground beneath her feet had suddenly turned out to have more give than she expected. That wasn¡¯t actually the case, of course, it was all in her mind. Janis? Regina asked, concerned. Are you okay? You know, you don¡¯t have to talk to this old lady if you don¡¯t want to. I can have one of the others speak for me. Janis suppressed a smile. Only Regina would so easily refer to the elemental, a monster, as a lady, like some old human woman who caused trouble. That was another thing, she¡¯d learned a while ago that Regina didn¡¯t see much of a difference between expressions of status or rank, and just spoke of everyone like they had the same social rank unless she had a specific reason not to. It was something about her society, the one she had grown up in. And wouldn¡¯t that piece of Ancient history ruffle some feathers if people learned of it. But Janis¡¯ small amusement didn¡¯t last long, as her thoughts turned back to what prompted it. I¡¯m fine. I do want to talk to her. At the moment, they were following Volance. It was slow going, since they¡¯d picked up Zoe and were carrying her, as she was still weak. Well, the other two carried her, since even Ria was stronger than Janis. ¡°Are you coming?¡± The Air Elemental asked, turning around from where she walked a few meters ahead. ¡°We are,¡± Janis said, glaring a little. ¡°But Zoe is still injured and I don¡¯t want to make it worse.¡± ¡°Oh, well.¡± Volance glided closer to them, ignoring the way Ash tensed, and laid a hand on Zoe¡¯s shoulder for a moment. Janis could sense the flow of mana. ¡°There we go.¡± I think that was Greater Heal, Regina commented silently. Janis didn¡¯t react, but she was inclined to agree. While she couldn¡¯t cast the Spell herself, Regina could, so she would expect her to recognize it. It wasn¡¯t something you would associate with air, though. A water elemental, maybe, but air? Clearly, Volance was not to be underestimated. Her grandmother. Janis still had a bit of trouble wrapping her head around that revelation. She had known there was a chance she would meet an ancestor of hers here, and had even hoped for it, but now she realized she hadn¡¯t really been prepared for this. With Zoe fully healed, their pace increased, and they quickly reached the place the elemental was leading them toward. It turned out to be a nice, secluded mountain glade with a waterfall crashing over a rock face at one side and a small incline leading into a wooded area on the other. The grass was lush and vibrant, dotted with pretty wildflowers, and Janis had to admit that the place offered a fantastic view over the mountains and their outskirts. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Volance,¡± Ria said, inclining her head at the elemental as the group found places to drop their packs and sit down. Janis suspected the drone realized that she might react negatively and was trying to cover for it. ¡°And for the help,¡± Zoe added. The elemental smiled as she sat cross-legged in the air. It was faintly eerie how her face could be so expressive while lacking any substance. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. You four have got to be the most polite guests I¡¯ve ever had. I suppose that might come with the territory, being fellow monsters and all.¡± She laughed. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m technically a demihuman,¡± Janis remarked. She wasn¡¯t even sure why she felt the need to say that. Maybe she just wanted to be contrary. ¡°Of course you are.¡± Volance kept smiling, and Janis had to suppress the feeling that she was making fun of her. ¡°We came here because we were curious,¡± Ria continued. ¡°The gnomes have apparently had trouble with your kind.¡± ¡°Oh, those roaches.¡± Volance waved dismissively again. ¡°Don¡¯t mind them.¡± Janis narrowed her eyes at her, trying not to show how the elemental¡¯s casual, contemptuous dismissal shocked her. ¡°Those ¡®roaches¡¯ have been perfect hosts and are the first people to trade with us,¡± she said sharply. ¡°I appreciate the healing you¡¯ve given Zoe, but they¡¯ve been better to us than almost anyone, and they¡¯ve certainly done more to earn our goodwill than you, grandmother.¡± Volance paused and cocked her head in a bird-like motion. She seemed to straighten up, suddenly looming over them, her gaze boring into her. For a moment, Janis thought she¡¯d made a big mistake. Then the elemental slowly smiled and the atmosphere lifted. ¡°I suppose you have a point,¡± she said. ¡°Do pardon me if I have been rude. I wouldn¡¯t want to offend your precious trade partners. Or, worse, your Hive Queen.¡± Janis sensed the others stiffening a little, and she frowned. ¡°Our Hive Queen? I¡¯m sure we haven¡¯t mentioned anyone like that.¡± Volance smiled again, though this time it seemed lighter. ¡°I might not be old enough to have seen Hivekind for myself, kid, but I can recognize the proverbial dragon when it is in front of me. Besides, you think I wouldn¡¯t recognize a psychic presence hanging around this close to me?¡± Well, I guess that means the game is up, Regina said. No point in hiding me or trying to deny my existence. Janis nodded. ¡°My Queen greets you and wishes she could be here to meet you in person,¡± she relayed Regina¡¯s directions through the psychic link. ¡°She has indeed been watching.¡± Volance took a step closer. ¡°Oh? You are actually part of this Hive, to the point of being included in their telepathic union, Janis? How interesting. I did not know that was possible. Although I suppose much has been lost when it comes to knowledge of your kind.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Janis exchanged a look with the others. ¡°What do you know about the Hivekind?¡± she asked, echoing Regina¡¯s mental question. Volance shook her head. ¡°Little beyond common knowledge. They were one of the races new to the world during the Cataclysm, and like everyone else, they lost almost everything and most of their people in it. In the troubled times immediately following the apocalypse, they were eradicated. I¡¯ve heard that none of their older queens survived, only newly made ones, who were driven mad with grief for losing everything, their homes and most of their children.¡± She paused. ¡°That part of the story is a bit melodramatic, I have to admit.¡± Because they lost everything twice, Regina murmured quietly, and Janis sensed an echo of her emotions, a hint of sorrow, wistfulness and grief of her own. Their homes, their world, their identities and memories, and then their new lives and everything they¡¯d started to build. She sighed. Still, I¡¯m not sure I believe the ¡®mad with grief¡¯ part. ¡°What else do you know?¡± Ash asked, leaning forward with obvious interest. ¡°Anything about our biology or culture, or anything like that?¡± ¡°Well, I know they were structured like insect hives, with a queen and drones.¡± She looked at them and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Obviously true. Beyond that, I doubt anyone but the gods could give you more information. Well, perhaps the elves or the gnomes.¡± Janis nodded and made herself take the opportunity to get the conversation back on track. ¡°Judging by your earlier words, the elementals really don¡¯t seem to get on well with the gnomes, do you?¡± Volance leaned back and shrugged. ¡°That depends somewhat, really. What do you know about us elementals?¡± Janis glanced at the others. ¡°You¡¯re powerful and few in number,¡± she replied. ¡°And you are associated with one of the foundational elements, obviously.¡± ¡°Broadly correct, although you are missing several important details,¡± Volance said briskly. ¡°We¡¯ll have to speak privately after this, Janis. My point, though, is that we are very few and solitary. In fact, there are only two of each element living here in this area.¡± Janis raised an eyebrow. She¡¯d known there were few elementals, but she hadn¡¯t realized the number was quite that low. ¡°So how do you get along with the others?¡± she asked. Volance gave her a quick grin. ¡°Now you are asking better questions! To answer it, though, it depends on the individuals. We are, as I mentioned, solitary, though. While we might occasionally meet and chat, we don¡¯t really have a proper organization, let alone something like a government. So if you¡¯re here to arrange some kind of treaty for your little friends, you¡¯re going to be disappointed. You¡¯d have to make not just one arrangement, but several agreements with everyone. And let me tell you, a few of my fellows are not likely to agree to anything any stranger asks of them. We can barely get them to visit without starting a fight every single time.¡± Janis winced slightly. They hadn¡¯t really come here to work out a treaty, but she realized this would make things harder if they did want to mediate some kind of agreement or truce. She was a bit more interested in this information for personal reasons, though. "Well, it¡¯s a good thing we don¡¯t have such an ambition then,¡± Zoe said with a smile, clearly echoing her thoughts. ¡°Thank you for the insight, though, Lady Volance.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± Janis spoke up, making an effort to be polite. ¡°You talked about the other elementals, and previously you mentioned someone named Cendis. What about him?¡± Volance paused and glanced at the others. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s time to continue that conversation in private, if you¡¯d rather?¡± Janis nodded. She had to admit she would prefer that. Sharing experiences with her Hive was nice and all, but for some things, having a bit more privacy would be nice. I¡¯ll leave you to it, Regina told her, and Janis sensed her attention withdrawing. Call for me if you need me, otherwise I¡¯ll leave you your privacy. Thank you, my Queen. Janis followed Volanance a short distance away. They stopped behind a weathered boulder, which mostly blocked them from the sight of her companions. They weren¡¯t far enough to stop a determined Hivekind from listening in, but she sensed the elemental weave magic, a curtain of air that would stop sound from traveling that far. ¡°To put it bluntly, yes, your great-grandsire is one of the belligerent ones,¡± Volance said. ¡°I¡¯d be cautious about approaching him even if you were alone, and bringing your companions would be even riskier.¡± Janis sighed. ¡°I was afraid of that. Although, it does make me wonder ¡­¡± She hesitated, but she couldn¡¯t see a way to phrase the question that would be polite. ¡°I expected any elemental ancestor I found to be male, for obvious reasons. I admit I¡¯m a bit surprised by you being female.¡± Volance laughed. ¡°Oh, child.¡± She shook her head, still smiling. ¡°I¡¯m an elemental. I am only about as female as two of your friends back there. That is, it does not matter at all most of the time. You must have realized we are using magic to have children?¡± Janis nodded and shrugged. ¡°I guessed as much, although I¡¯m still a bit confused about the details. According to my studies, creating life is not as simple as that. Could you explain?¡± Volance hopped into the air and settled on an invisible ledge just off the boulder. ¡°It needs very powerful magic,¡± she agreed. ¡°In this case, elementals actually have something of an advantage. We don¡¯t have physical bodies as such, so there¡¯s no physical aspect to get in the way. I¡¯d explain the details but frankly, they¡¯re complicated, boring, and not something you could use.¡± She paused, looking wistful all of a sudden. ¡°Your grandfather was an adventurer who tried to explore the mountains. Fun fellow. Good at making me laugh. He mentioned that he wanted to have children, but had problems with it, so I decided he¡¯d be a worthy partner.¡± Janis blinked. That didn¡¯t quite match the story she¡¯d heard from her parents, although, come to think of it, they¡¯d never given her any details. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d explain how your magic works?¡± she asked hopefully. Volance regarded her silently for a moment. ¡°Do you know what level I am?¡± ¡°No, how could I?¡± ¡°Fair point, but it was a rhetorical question. The answer is that I¡¯m level eighty.¡± Janis whistled silently. Level eighty! That was far and away the strongest person she¡¯d ever met, and one of the highest she¡¯d ever heard about, too. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I was born at level eighty,¡± Volance continued. ¡°When I die, hopefully a long time from now, it will be at level eighty. That is the way it works for elementals, we do not use the System the way most do.¡± Janis frowned. ¡°That seems a bit unfair.¡± The elemental shrugged. ¡°It is the way it is. Truthfully, I don¡¯t mind. Unless you meant it is unfair to humans and others that we would have such a high level? Then I¡¯d point out that life isn¡¯t fair, and even the System often isn¡¯t.¡± Janis thought about Regina and her abilities and the Hive, nodding. Volance probably had a point about that. She still appreciated the ability to level up, and she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d be able to cope with being unable to. But what if she was born like that and had never known anything else? ¡°I think I¡¯m actually thankful not to be a full elemental myself,¡± she said, ¡°and surprisingly, it¡¯s not because of the monster thing. Thank you for telling me, anyway, grandmother. I promise I won¡¯t betray your confidence.¡± ¡°Your Hive Queen will likely know what you know,¡± Volance pointed out. ¡°But I was aware of that, and I don¡¯t mind. Even if people knew my level, in all likelihood, it would not do them any good. It might even encourage them to stay away more readily.¡± Janis nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that counts for me?¡± ¡°No, you can feel free to visit any time. Even if you do someday reach my level.¡± Janis smiled. That sounded like a distant dream, but she felt it was an achievable goal. Chapter 132: Resources, Distance and News Regina hadn¡¯t really considered it before, but having some members of her hive staying that far away from her, closer to the edge of her range, was pretty interesting. It allowed her to study a few things about the psychic link and the effects that distance might have on it. Which seemed to be less than she¡¯d have expected. In most cases, it didn¡¯t really seem to matter much if a hive drone was standing right next to her or a hundred kilometers away. Although there were a few small differences. While communication worked just fine, she found it harder to get an intuitive sense of a hive member¡¯s feelings. And when she thought about it, she realized that she didn¡¯t have the same kind of almost automatic, subconscious impression of what they felt like. She¡¯d probably still sense if one of them was injured, but it would be less acute if they were farther away. And since she¡¯d already had to learn to filter some things out as her hive grew, she¡¯d probably be slower to react to anything happening farther away. Perhaps more importantly, her sense for other people¡¯s or creatures¡¯ minds degraded the further away from her they went. Having a drone present did help, seeming to stabilize it a bit or perhaps act as a relay, but even that benefit decreased with greater distance. She would need more tests to really figure this out, though. Janis and her group stayed around Volance¡¯s territory for a while. They¡¯d decided to make use of the opportunity to be in the mountains to hunt and earn Experience, and Regina agreed. As a further benefit, this would allow them to have extended contact with Volance and hopefully get to know her a little better. Janis especially deserved that chance, and it would probably be good for her hive, too. It would only take them a few days to reach the third Tier. It would be even faster if they concentrated entirely on hunting monsters and earning levels instead of talking to Volance, but Regina was pretty sure it would still be a quick rise by normal standards. She thought it might be a good point to show to the gnomes. They had Janis¡¯ growth as a benchmark, a normal demihuman¡¯s leveling accelerated somewhat by the hive, so they could make sure the speed wasn¡¯t too remarkable. Interestingly, Bea also leveled up pretty soon after coming to the city. It appeared that performing tasks for the hive granted her Experience even if they weren¡¯t strictly in line with her Class. Or maybe it was just exploration or general achievement Experience. Still, it was a nice benefit, and Regina hoped that Bea would reach the next Tier during this mission. She also wanted to go through with one of her ideas and send an envoy to the elves, maybe even as a permanent ambassador, but it was hard to decide who to send. Bea would be a good choice if her current mission didn¡¯t take too long. Tim was definitely out, and Regina wasn¡¯t sure who else among her hive would be a good prospect. Maybe one of the Attendants? That didn¡¯t help much, though. Luckily, it was not a pressing question. In the meantime, Regina spent most of her time attending to the hive¡¯s operations. Luckily, everything was quiet and peaceful. The rapid expansion still needed some adjustments, but they¡¯d been figuring out how to deal with it, and she decided it might be prudent to start slowing down a little. They were building up various outposts already, and Mia and the others were talking about a second proper settlement, what might eventually grow into a city. Spreading the hive out helped them keep control of their territory and helped with finding food, but Regina was also planning on how to handle eventualities for which she needed most of her hive assembled. A military campaign was probably coming, one way or the other. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have much in the way of food stores. That wasn¡¯t a big problem for Hivekind, since they could always live off the land pretty easily, especially after winter, but she would still prefer to have prepared storage. And not just food, they also needed enough weapons and various other supplies. At this point, there was no way that she could Conjure enough metal for the hive by herself. Not even with the help of the few others who had learned Lesser Basic Conjuration. They needed to either get started mining and smelting their own, or trade for it. That was one reason she was hopeful about the talks with the gnomes. Regina would have liked to get enough for armor and maybe weapons for her Swarm Drones, but she knew that wasn¡¯t realistic. At least enough to get all sapient drones properly outfitted would be good. Right now, they were mostly relying on monster hides and the like for armor and shields, which wasn¡¯t bad, but she didn¡¯t know how sustainable it would be. Besides, if they could get already crafted weapons, that would spare them the effort of actually making them. Something that also required quite a bit of expertise. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like the gnomes actually had a lot they needed to trade for. Bea sounded them out carefully, speaking with many trade factors and businessmen, and she got the impression that the Confederation was pretty self-sufficient. At least, it didn¡¯t want for much if you counted the trade it had with polities further south. One thing they could always use more of, given their location, was food, but that didn¡¯t help Regina much. Luxury goods were always in demand, too, but she didn¡¯t have the capability to produce those consistently. It looked like she would be reduced to relying on Conjured goods or information, which was definitely iffy. It meant they needed a better idea of what the gnomes already knew and had developed, so she could gauge if there was something she could offer them, especially something she could set up in her own territory. Unfortunately, Regina was pretty sure that every big thing needed much more of an industrial base and infrastructure which she just didn¡¯t have yet. Well, she could try and just sell what she already had and could make, maybe even blueprints, and buy what she needed. Maybe she could even work out some deals where she provided the equivalent of a patent and got a cut of profits from another organization putting it into production? That was definitely worth considering with regards to the elves and gnomes, but it needed a foundation of trust, recognition and access. Come to think of it, what was the state of Europe¡¯s, or the world in general¡¯s, reserves of fossil fuel and raw materials? Maybe this is why there isn¡¯t much in the way of industrialization or power generation, she realized. Or part of it. She dimly remembered something about the current - back then - overexploitation of natural resources meaning that the world wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the level of nineteenth century industrialization again if it was suddenly brought back to the middle ages. Probably from something she read or watched long ago. If all of the easily accessible coal reserves were already gone, it might explain why steam engines didn¡¯t take off like they could have. In addition to the gods¡¯ meddling, of course. And who knows what changed with the mana spikes from portals and everything? The geography changed enough that I don¡¯t think I can be sure of anything. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. When she had some free time, a few days after Janis and the others first met Volance, Regina decided to try and do some research, in a manner of speaking. She hopped up on the roof, waving Via and the others away, and closed her eyes before she dove into the psychic link. The hive had several Drone Keepers now, and they¡¯d been working on gathering and storing information for the hive. Now, Regina focused on it, trying to dive into that part of the psychic link. It wasn¡¯t really a separate part or region, since the link didn¡¯t correspond to any physical locations, but it felt a bit like a sub-layer or something. She focused on the humans of the fourth millennium, the current epoch, and called up everything she could find. It was a lot of information. Most of it came from Janis or pieces of what other drones had learned, and there were obvious gaps. But it still gave her a feeling of the locals¡¯ culture and way of life. Slowly, Regina moved away from that and to the question of geography and what could be found around here. They knew a lot less about that, unfortunately. Resource production: The local human kingdoms mined various types of metal ore, especially iron, copper and silver, and traded for more, including gold. They logged forests for wood and created charcoal. Agriculture produced various kinds of food crops and fiber, primarily hemp and linen, for fabrics. Farming livestock yielded further foodstuffs as well as wool. Hunting monsters also gave other materials, primarily used for various kinds of crafts, including weapons and armor. Regina frowned to herself. Except for the last part, that sounded like what she¡¯d expect from the middle ages. It wasn¡¯t like there was no trade for other goods or resources, though she had very little information on that, just that it was limited. In comparison to what she remembered, a lot of things were lacking, from silicone, cobalt and lithium to cotton, coffee or whatever. And that didn¡¯t even start to mention anything synthetic! Regina shook her head to herself. If she had ever flirted with the idea of just holing up in her new territory and trying to reconstruct what had been lost, to recreate technology, this showed that it simply wouldn¡¯t work. It wasn¡¯t just knowledge that she lacked, or people who could work to increase it. She needed a population and industrial base, infrastructure and resources. The ability to acquire resources she lacked, presumably from trade. The local society might not be a very good jumping-off point, but it was better than nothing. But where does that leave me? Regina hesitated, opening her eyes as she slid out of the psychic link. She wasn¡¯t sure it was even possible to get there with the current state of affairs. Before she could ponder on it further, another shift in the psychic link caught her attention. My Queen, we found what looks like human soldiers to the north, Ada reported. Regina acknowledged the message and focused on what the scout had found. It seemed like the Winged Drones at the edges of their perimeter had caught something. They were flying beyond the technical boundaries of their territory and giving them a look considerably further away. That allowed her to watch any large movements into Whitor¡¯s county, among other things. That seems like a relatively large army, Regina commented to Ada after a few seconds. I didn¡¯t think Whitor had that many men in his demesne. Then again, they don¡¯t really look like they¡¯re his, do they? In fact, the army was almost moving like they were traveling through hostile territory. Well, maybe not quite, but they marched in good order, and they clearly had a dedicated vanguard and rearguard as well as soldiers ranging to the sides to protect the main columns. More than that, they didn¡¯t quite look like the various armies she¡¯d seen traveling through Cernlia recently. The standards, flags and insignia used were different. According to the information we have from Janis and other contacts, as well as the situation in general, I¡¯m pretty sure these are Nerlians, my Queen, Ada said. Regina nodded. That¡¯s my impression, as well. But what is a Nerlian army doing moving through northeastern Cernlia like this? Probably coming to help the king¡¯s side in the civil war? Ada sounded unsure and a bit annoyed. He did help them fight the elves, it¡¯s possible he¡¯s called in help, right? That would be my guess. Regina paused for a moment. Travel to the north yourself if you think it will help. We should definitely keep the baron informed. Keep watch on them as best you can with the Swarm Drones, but be careful. I don¡¯t want us to be discovered. As you say, my Queen, Ada acknowledged the order and Regina sensed her get moving. The conversation finished, she returned her focus to herself. Regina considered for a bit, then, with a small sigh, started drawing on her mana. This news probably couldn¡¯t wait. As always, initializing a scrying attempt took a while. It might have been a bit easier because of her practice, but she wouldn¡¯t bet on it. Regina patiently went through the required steps, channeling her mana and focusing intently on the person she needed to reach. Kiara was alone again, thankfully. She was sitting in her tent working on some documents. It seemed to be the same tent as before, anyway, but the tent flap was closed, so Regina couldn¡¯t see the outside. They should be somewhere else, though, pushed back from their previous advance. She looked up and paused, her quill pen hovering over a sheet of paper. Then Kiara carefully set it down and straightened up. She closed her eyes for a bit, her face showing intense concentration. Regina waited silently until she felt Kiara¡¯s magic reaching out to her again. ¡°Hive Queen Regina¡±, Kiara greeted her. ¡°It is good to hear from you again.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lady Kiara, likewise,¡± Regina responded. ¡°I do have news that I think might prove to be rather important this time.¡± Kiara raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? Nothing terrible, I hope?¡± ¡°You will need to be the judge of that, but I¡¯m afraid it doesn¡¯t look like good news. We found an army that appears to be coming from Nerlia.¡± Regina quickly explained what they¡¯d seen. Kiara frowned, tapping her fingers on the edge of the desk. ¡°Father¡¯s informers have not brought any news like that, as far as I know. Thank you for the quick message, Lady Regina. I appreciate it.¡± ¡°You would have certainly found out eventually, but I¡¯m happy to give you some more time,¡± Regina said with a small grin. The young noblewoman nodded slowly. ¡°And you took this news straight to me, using your scrying magic,¡± she mused. ¡°Well, I certainly intend to let the marquis, as my ally, know by sending a letter right away as well,¡± Regina said, cocking her head slightly. ¡°Of course. That will take a bit longer, however.¡± Kiara then shrugged. ¡°In any case, thank you, again.¡± Regina opened her mouth, then paused and closed it after a moment. She was tempted to ask if Kiara was planning to withhold the information, at least for a short while. But she decided that might be a kettle of worms she¡¯d rather not step in. It might just be some family drama within the Lyns family. If it was political drama instead ¡ª actually, then she should probably want to get involved even less. Marquis Lyns was still her political ally, even if Regina liked Kiara better than him. She decided she would rather not get pulled into something if she didn¡¯t have to. Besides, Regina thought she had a decent enough read on the young Arcane Knight, and she couldn¡¯t see her treating soldiers¡¯ lives as sacrifical pawns just to get an edge in some factional conflict. Kiara might tell her own allies first and give them a chance to respond, but she wasn¡¯t going to withhold information on an attacking army. Still, Regina made a mental note to ask for a bit more detail on their current state and preparations in her next letter to Lyns. Understanding the situation better couldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± she finally said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you posted if there are any important developments. It was nice talking to you.¡± ¡°Likewise, Lady Regina. Please take care.¡± Chapter 133: Envoy Originally, Regina assumed, and told her drones, that the gnomes were probably interested in the hive¡¯s technology. That didn¡¯t seem to be the case, though. While the various gnomes that Bea and the others met during their stay in the city certainly expressed interest, they weren¡¯t very intense about it and didn¡¯t even seem to care all that much. It was more like they were just assessing what options for profit their new trade partners might bring. Maybe even without very high expectations to begin with. Perhaps it was understandable. The Starlit Hive was a relatively small community that only inhabited a few recently constructed villages, they were literally savages from the forest - for a given value of those words - and they hadn¡¯t shown much in the way of industrial capacity. On the other hand, the gnomes were apparently on a slightly higher technological level compared to the local human kingdoms, at least on this side of the mountains. They had probably internalized that, to some degree. That still left Regina a bit uncertain. She was kind of thankful not to be hounded for the secrets of her memories¡¯ knowledge, of course, and keeping its existence quiet was still a goal. On the other hand, she had been kind of expecting to work with it, to at least try to leverage it to get more out of the Confederation. Knowledge was far and away her most valuable possession, even beyond her ability to use Conjuration magic. Still, she told herself this was probably a good thing. You couldn¡¯t put some things back in the box once it was open. So, the negotiations for further deals with the gnomes were rather mundane. The hive¡¯s delegation didn¡¯t directly negotiate with the government, but rather with several ¡®interest groups¡¯ who Regina assumed were their mix of political factions and businesses, or maybe business conglomerates. Tikimaken was one of those sent to negotiate, presumably because of their prior acquaintance, and she didn¡¯t get the impression the others were much higher ranked, if at all. That was probably fine. Anyway, Bea managed to work out some pretty nice trade deals, so they would be sent some worked metal and a small hoard of tools. Unfortunately, the export of weapons seemed to be severely restricted by the government. Everyone refused them immediately when Bea broached the topic. Regina considered ways they might be able to get around that, but ultimately decided it wasn¡¯t worth it. Once they¡¯d established themselves a little more and proven themselves as reliable and profitable business partners for the Confederation, she could make another attempt. People were much less inclined to deny things to someone if they were making them money. Besides, while she could have Conjured enough gold to buy pretty much anything they wanted, showing that still remained unwise. In the meantime, she considered that the hive might actually profit from developing a trade route between the Gnomish Confederation and the Elvish Free State. It wasn¡¯t like there were no direct routes, but they could make theirs safer and probably even quicker, if the alternative was going through the Great Forest for a much longer distance. The elves might sell them all the weapons they wanted, especially if they got easier access to gnomish metal. And it would be beneficial in other respects, as well. She was starting to think that they had accomplished all they were going to in this city when Bea suddenly leveled up and reached level forty. She was in the middle of some small talk with a gnomish businesswoman and froze briefly. Regina was immediately alerted, especially since she¡¯d been checking in on the delegation, anyway. Tell them you¡¯re not feeling well and excuse yourself, she suggested. Bea did as she said, politely making excuses and returning to the suite of rooms they¡¯d been assigned. The others glanced at her with a bit of concern, but they all knew what was going on, so it was mostly feigned. Once inside, Bea stood and seemed to think silently for several minutes. Regina didn¡¯t rush her, but instead checked in on the others. Janis and her group were still making their way back to Volance¡¯s place after a successful hunt. At least two of them were also very close to Tiering up, and Regina considered that it might be better for them to stay there to Evolve and maybe make their own way back to a meeting point with the other group without going back to the city. My Queen, Bea spoke up. I would choose the Drone Envoy. Regina paused for a moment. Are you certain? I¡¯m honestly not even sure why that¡¯s an option for you. Not that it doesn¡¯t fit, but it¡¯s not exactly a straight progression from a worker- or crafter-type Class. The hive could very much use it, but I don¡¯t want you to make a choice you¡¯ll regret. Bea shook her head softly. I know, and I¡¯m sure, my Queen. I like working with my hands, but the Hive has enough craftspeople and too few diplomats, and I like this work, as well. It gives me a chance to serve my Hive and accomplish things I never could otherwise. Alright, then. We¡¯ll need to have the others say you¡¯re staying in bed because of health reasons. While we don¡¯t think it¡¯s contagious for other species, it¡¯s better to be safe, so you won¡¯t be able to receive visitors. They¡¯ll realize what¡¯s up when I come out of here with a new Class, she pointed out. True. Would you rather wait? Bea hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. No, I think it might be good to let them see me at level forty. But maybe we could let them think I¡¯m preparing for it, trying to train myself with meditation or work to get some Experience in or something. That doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t have ¡®health concerns¡¯ as the official reason, though. I¡¯m just not sure it¡¯s a good idea to let them know that we take some time to advance. They¡¯ll notice if you have physical changes, Regina said. And the same with the others if you meet up again. But that¡¯s not uncommon for demihumans, at least. Alright, go ahead. Bea discussed things with the others briefly, then she went ahead and triggered her Evolution. Regina kept an eye out, then watched the other group for a while. She still had a few things to do around the hive, too, but luckily, things were quiet, so she could afford to give most of her attention to what was happening with them. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The gnomes seemed to accept that development with good grace, at least outwardly. Regina could tell that many were disappointed they couldn¡¯t speak with Bea, but they didn¡¯t push the issue. It also seemed like they were cautious about catching any kind of illness. Tikimaken inquired whether there was anything about the conditions in the city that might have precipitated Bea¡¯s health issues and if there was anything the drones needed, but Ken politely thanked him for his concern and declined. In the meantime, Zoe and Ash also started their Evolution. Ash decided on a Class called Pathfinder, while Zoe became a Drone Bulwark. Ria would probably take a few more days, and they decided not to wait for her Evolution. The same went for Janis. The young mage had shot up the levels meteorically recently, being already at level thirty-six. She might advance a bit slower than the drones did, but since she presumably had a demihuman base advancement rate (or whatever) just boosted by Infect, that was still impressive. She could expect to live to at least a hundred years even without considering her levels, from what Regina gathered. There weren¡¯t many part-elementals and few of them died of old age, so an exact estimation would be hard, but Volance was happy to share details like that. For now, Regina turned her attention away from them, giving Janis and Volance some privacy, and only tuned back in when the group had started making their way down the mountain. Even without trying, she already had a general sense of the conversation Janis had previously had with her grandmother. It appeared keeping secrets was hard in a hive with a psychic link. At least from the Hive Queen. But Regina trusted Janis, and besides, while they deserved privacy for a personal conversation, it wasn¡¯t going to have any earth-shattering information for her, so she tried her best to put it out of her mind. Meanwhile, Bea had rejoined the others and resumed the negotiations. She got a few questions about her recent level-up, but she only answered with a small, mysterious smile and some polite and meaningless words. She really is becoming a good diplomat, Regina noted. Or politician? She found the thought amusing, even if there was no one to really get the context. This should be interesting going forward. A lot of the Evolutions are, come to think of that. I wonder what Drone Keepers will get? She was pulled from her musings when another gnome approached Bea, someone who hadn¡¯t visited before. Something about him made her take notice. Maybe it was just the fact that Bea couldn¡¯t see his level, so he was definitely in the third Tier. His Class was Unbroken Rock, the same as Tikimaken¡¯s, according to the System, and he was called Pernakin. ¡°Miss Bea,¡± he greeted her with a polite dip of his head. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I regret that we didn¡¯t have the opportunity before.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mister Pernakin. I¡¯m looking forward to talking with you now, at least.¡± ¡°My Congratulations on your recent breakthrough.¡± He smiled, slightly lopsided. ¡°Even if it means I now have to look up even more.¡± Bea smiled politely at the little joke. Her physical changes hadn¡¯t been that prominent, and this guy was actually the first to comment on them. She was indeed a bit taller, and her left work-limb had changed a bit, with an extension that was similar to the Keepers¡¯, like a fountain pen. For the next few minutes, they exchanged polite small talk. Pernakin showed himself to be witty, courteous and downright gallant, but it still set Regina¡¯s teeth on edge a little. That might have been the way he looked at Bea. She¡¯d seen a lot of people stare at herself or her drones, of course, but he showed an intensity they didn¡¯t usually display. I¡¯d like to find out more about him, if we can, Regina commented to Bea. Bea didn¡¯t outwardly respond, but she acknowledged her words. In a short break in the conversation, she spoke up. ¡°Excuse me, Mister Pernakin, but I don¡¯t think it has come up so far. If you don¡¯t mind, what is it that you do?¡± He paused for just an instant and smiled. ¡°I suppose the simplest way to put it, and how many outsiders would see it, is that I work for our government.¡± Bea nodded. ¡°You are involved with facilitating trade and business, then?¡± ¡°Not quite, although that does touch on my area of responsibility. I am usually more concerned with matters that affect the security and also the culture and artistic development of the Confederation.¡± A bit of an odd combination, Regina noted. So he¡¯s some kind of intelligence agent, or what? Bea ignored her musings, which didn¡¯t really warrant a response, and kept the conversation going. ¡°How interesting. That seems like a rather unique role. In either case, I would be happy to be of assistance if there is anything you need from my companions or me.¡± He smiled and shook his head slightly. ¡°Thank you, Miss Bea, I shall keep that in mind. But as it happens, I watched your arrival with great curiosity. We do not often have visitors from races so rarely seen, if you will pardon any unfortunate but unintended implications. While I¡¯m sure my colleagues and the good businesspeople of the city have not left you uncared for, it seems you have not had much opportunity to experience our culture. I¡¯d like to invite you to visit the Museum of History and Society, in the center of the city, if you would like.¡± Regina perked up a bit despite herself. A museum! That was the first she¡¯d heard of that. Cernlia and even the elves wouldn¡¯t have something like a museum, she was pretty sure. Bea clearly felt some amusement at Regina¡¯s reaction, which she¡¯d caught an echo of. She smiled at the gnome and inclined her head. ¡°Thank you, that sounds lovely. I¡¯d be very glad to come. Perhaps tomorrow?¡± He returned the smile. ¡°Fabulous. I¡¯ll escort you there, say mid-afternoon? Unless this would conflict with the return of your other companions.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Bea asked, frowning slightly. ¡°Those who were with you but left to find the elementals,¡± he explained, still with a calm smile. ¡°I heard they are heading back, unless I¡¯m mistaken?¡± Bea paused for a moment, and Regina sent her a wordless feeling of support without giving any details. She¡¯d let the Envoy handle this, it was probably better than to interfere personally. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, Mister Pernakin,¡± she said. ¡°But it won¡¯t affect me or my plans here. I¡¯ll be looking forward to visiting the museum with you. I¡¯ve been curious about your people¡¯s culture and society, including your history, and have not had much opportunity to indulge that curiosity yet.¡± ¡°Wonderful.¡± He smiled and bowed slightly. ¡°I will meet you tomorrow, then.¡± They exchanged a few more pleasantries before he left. Bea looked after him and frowned thoughtfully. ¡°Do you think that one is going to be a problem?¡± Ken asked, looking up from a letter he was reading in the adjoining room. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Bea answered. ¡°Maybe a sign that we¡¯ll get drawn deeper into whatever political thing is going on here, but I hope that was a sincere attempt at building connections. And I wasn¡¯t lying.¡± ¡°I wish I could come, but it¡¯s probably better if I stay here,¡± Ken said. ¡°That does sound interesting.¡± Bea smiled. I¡¯m sure I can help Jem or one of the others store it in the psychic link, then you can all get the experience of this museum visit. She turned serious again. Our Queen is interested in their history, right? Especially as it relates to the Hivekind. This is our first real opportunity to find out something, and I¡¯ve got the perfect pretext to go looking. Regina didn¡¯t say anything, but she agreed with Bea. Chapter 134: Museum The museum looked pretty stately and almost imposing, fitting for its apparent stature. Regina had almost expected it to be just a small house with a few dusty old artifacts and records ¡ª which was about what she¡¯d expect from a museum in the human lands ¡ª but she needn¡¯t have worried. The gnomes¡¯ museum occupied a building made of dark bricks which was at least three stories tall and considerably wider, with a gate that would have even let Max through without ducking. The decorative jambs had inlaid carvings depicting various icons and abstract art. Bea paused for a moment to take in the view, then walked forward when Lou nudged her. They had decided to send him along as a bodyguard for her. That hopefully wouldn¡¯t be necessary, but it would also give the hive an additional set of eyes and ears to take everything in. And Lou was pretty strong, at level thirty-five, and had Evolved from a Drone Shooter to Drone Soldier. That was a very general Class, but it gave him good all-around combat abilities, not just at range. ¡°Come on in.¡± Pernakin smiled and ushered them into the building. The gnomish agent (?) still seemed as pleasant and polite as yesterday. Janis and the others weren¡¯t back yet. They¡¯d decided to head on a more circuitous route, getting a bit more combat and experience in and exploring the area further. They should arrive at the city from the gnomes¡¯ tunnels later that evening, though. In the meantime, the two remaining drones should be able to handle anything that came up, and Ken was stretching his diplomatic wings a little. ¡°I¡¯m already a little impressed,¡± Bea said lightly, glancing around the entrance. There were no displays here, just three doors that led into other parts of the building and a stairway going up and down. To Regina, it didn¡¯t look too different from what you might see in a museum in the old world, at least an old or very retro one. Without any electronic security, screens, or anything like that, of course. ¡°Fantastic, then I will try to work up to being more than a little impressed,¡± Pernakin answered with a smile. He gave a nod to the receptionist, a young gnomish woman who was standing quietly behind the counter, then led the two drones into the first room. They didn¡¯t seem to have organized it very intently. At least not chronologically. In the first few rooms, Regina saw a variety of exhibits from various points in the city¡¯s history through Bea and Lou¡¯s eyes, with no clear timeline. She did note that none of them appeared to be really old, though. Nothing from before the Cataclysm. Pernakin seemed content to just let them look, only saying a few words to explain something now and then, and Bea took full advantage of that. She eyed the various exhibits curiously. Some of them were old documents, a few with sheets of paper transcribing or explaining their contents, in addition to old works of art, and a few more practical things. Regina almost asked Bea to linger longer before a small mechanism that showed the first steam engine, invented a bit over a hundred years ago, although Bea already looked it over intently. That is a pretty long time, considering how little progress they seem to have made with it just now, though, Regina noted. I suppose with the existence of magic and everything, technological progress is just slower everywhere. The principle seemed pretty simple and familiar enough: you burned something, usually coal, and used the rising steam and pressure difference to get mechanical motion. Apparently, the version in the museum was actually a water pump, though it didn¡¯t seem like a very economical one. From what Regina could tell, the gnomes did use pistons and valves along with metal cylinders to create partial vacuums. Or something like that, she wasn¡¯t a mechanical engineer. If nothing else, she was learning that it was a bit more difficult to build a good steam engine than she¡¯d thought. Regina was pretty sure she knew everything there was to know about the basic physics behind it, but she¡¯d have to let others experiment with it to actually build one, if she decided to go that route. The small tour continued, though, and Regina focused on what else they could see in the museum. Technical things were all well and good, but she really wanted to find out more about history. That was, allegedly, the point. As always, the history shown in the museum¡¯s exhibits didn¡¯t appear to go further than a thousand years back. Actually, a few centuries or so less than that. It was hard to be sure, since many of the oldest objects didn¡¯t have precise dates. Regina wondered about that. Was there some kind of disaster that caused them to lose a lot of their history? I¡¯m pretty sure they should have had a calendar, at least. But maybe there was some historical revisionism or whatever and they¡¯re trying to sort things out? It was interesting, but honestly, after a while, the museum¡¯s contents all seemed to blend together. And while she was interested in history, there was really only so much a random bit of pottery could tell her. Regina could tell Bea shared that feeling, though she still showed interest in everything. Then things changed as they went to the back of the museum. Here, the atmosphere was a bit darker, and it took a moment for Regina to realize that not only did it have smaller windows, but the walls were also painted in a darker shade. But she didn¡¯t really care about that, not compared to what the gnomes displayed here. Bea almost rushed into the room, but controlled herself. It was obvious pretty quickly that this one actually displayed old history. There was a burnt and twisted remnant of what looked to have been some kind of monitor or TV hanging on one wall. A scattering of keyboards, mouses, and, incongruously, old calculators and a thermostat, were hung beside and underneath it. None of them appeared to be in much better shape. Most of the things she noted looked like they had been made maybe in the 2000¡¯s or 2010¡¯s. There was a more modern VR headset in one corner, which Regina only noticed at a second glance. Bea walked around the room, staring at the displays and giving particular attention to any plaques and descriptions. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t exactly helpful. Many exhibits didn¡¯t even have one, and others rarely gave more information than ¡®Ancient artifact¡¯, maybe with the time and date of when it had been found. Locations were often missing, as well, Regina noted. She wondered if some of them had been traded from other countries. Any script she could see was in Latin characters, but not everything was still legible, and there was at least one case of what had probably been Cyrillic characters. ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Pernakin noted. ¡°You are not going to find a more extensive collection of Progenitor artifacts for hundreds of leagues.¡± Bea nodded and mumbled an affirmative, but she only gave him a quick glance. Instead, Bea and Lou walked deeper into this section of the museum. There actually seemed to be a rough order this time. The relatively small first room had pretty modern stuff, but as they continued, Regina also saw a lot of older things. Some from the nineteenth century or even older, though that was rare. There was an old spyglass, like something out of a pirate movie, that had almost certainly been a museum exhibit before, too. It was really interesting, but also weird and unsettling in a way that almost made Regina glad she wasn¡¯t there in person. Seeing things from her memories displayed like some priceless archaeological find felt eerie - especially because they actually were. Then, Bea passed through a sort of doorway that lacked an actual door into a new room or section of the museum, and Regina realized it could always get weirder. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. This was a small section, and one wall and corresponding shelves were filled with exhibits not too different from before. There were some old gnomish things on one wall, or so she thought, at least. But on the left side, opposite the door leading into the next room, was something that made Bea visibly pause. It looked a bit like a Drone Warrior or Harvester¡¯s blade-limb, but different. It had a sleeker design and the color was off, a bit darker and almost reflective, gray with almost no brown, although there were still subtle swirls in the coloring. Hanging beneath the blade were pieces of what might have been chitin, along with one object Regina found hard to identify. It might have been some kind of miniature, hand-held radio receiver, but the tech didn¡¯t quite look right. What do I know, though? ¡°Quite something, isn¡¯t it?¡± Pernakin asked. He took a step to the side, casually blocking the way through the door. Lou sent that thought to both Bea and her, though Regina had already noticed. Let¡¯s try not to give away any more information than we have to. This could get dicey, if what she was afraid of was happening. ¡°What is this?¡± Bea asked. ¡°I thought you might be able to tell me.¡± He smiled again, though this time no one would call the expression nice. ¡°After all, you might find it familiar.¡± Lou took a small step closer to Bea. Regina switched to looking through his eyes, as well, balancing the input from the two of them. She was pretty sure that Pernakin had already seen Bea¡¯s reaction to laying eyes on that exhibit. And the rest of them, as well, probably. Regina gave Lou a nudge, who turned his head and scanned the display in more detail. Unfortunately, the only plaque was written in a language she didn¡¯t know. It looked old. Maybe we should just pretend we don¡¯t know anything about our species? Bea asked. If this really is from the old Hivekind, then they obviously know that, Mother. Maybe, but let¡¯s not assume anything. Or at least let¡¯s not make them think we know anything about this. ¡°I guess it might be,¡± Bea replied. She frowned and shrugged a little, looking puzzled and a bit annoyed. ¡°It might be something from a people related to us, though I don¡¯t know why you would display it in your museum.¡± She paused and her frown deepened. ¡°How old is this?¡± ¡°Over a millennium.¡± His hand disappeared into a coat pocket, then he suddenly held a loaded mini-crossbow. ¡°And I think you know that, even if you are playing dumb.¡± Lou shifted his position. Bea glared at the gnome. ¡°What is the meaning of this? Why are you pulling a weapon on a diplomatic envoy?¡± ¡°Because we have reason to think you are Hivekind, and thus hostile,¡± he said calmly. ¡°If you really are just a new race of insectoid demi-humans, I apologize. However ¡­¡± Bea blinked, looking taken aback. If we keep playing dumb, the next question should be ¡®what¡¯s Hivekind?¡¯, she thought. Do I continue with that, my Queen? If he doesn¡¯t buy it, outright denying our kind isn¡¯t going to help resolve this. Maybe try to deflect one more time? Ask about what he¡¯s doing? Regina pulled on her mandibles and focused on the museum in the far-off gnomish city. She felt like she was almost standing there herself, but she actually pulled back a little from her two drones¡¯ minds, trying to get a more holistic feel for the situation. There were several minds approaching rapidly. At least a dozen were already in the building. Through her connection, she gave the information to the pair right away. Lou swore mentally and tensed, while Bea talked. ¡°Why are you doing here, then? What is all this?¡± ¡°We needed confirmation,¡± he answered. ¡°As I said, we had several indications, but nothing really definite.¡± He paused for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Confronting you was decided to be the most likely route to get more information, although ¡­¡± ¡°I really do not know what you hope to accomplish,¡± Bea said. ¡°Even if we were Hivekind, why would it matter?¡± Lou asked. ¡°This is some pretty stupid cloak-and-dagger bullshit. We¡¯re new trade partners. And we¡¯re certainly not a danger to your Confederation. I mean, we even sent some of our people to look into the elementals to help you.¡± Regina quickly checked on the others. Janis¡¯s group was still underway. More gnomes were entering the building where they¡¯d let her drones stay in the city. She quickly contacted Janis and Ken and then focused back on Bea and Lou¡¯s situation. Just then, several more armed gnomes entered the room, all of them dressed in cloth armor or chainmail with some metal plates. Pernakin visibly relaxed a little. ¡°Hivekind are the enemies of the gnomes and all civilized races,¡± he responded. ¡°Monsters with an unquenchable thirst for conquest and bloodshed, they caused more devastation than any others in the aftermath of the Fall. Many think they were even responsible for it in the first place, and our historians have uncovered supporting evidence.¡± ¡°That sounds very questionable,¡± Bea said. ¡°Like fairy tales, or simple propaganda.¡± She was trying to stay calm, but Regina could tell her tension would be visible now, and the fear and indignation she felt were loud and clear to her. Lou felt similarly, although he was starting to move towards grim acceptance and determination. ¡°I am starting to tire of these games,¡± Pernakin said. ¡°Convince us you are not Hivekind, if you can.¡± I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much point in trying that, Regina said grimly. We don¡¯t even know what exactly they know about our species. But if you think you can, you¡¯re free to try. ¡°Would you believe us even if we said so?¡± Bea responded heatedly. ¡°You seem to have already made up your mind. Besides, even I can tell what you just spouted was complete bullshit, from everything I know about the Cataclysm. No single race could have done that. The gods themselves couldn¡¯t deal with it. You don¡¯t really believe that yourself, do you?¡± ¡°Whether I believe it or not is immaterial,¡± Pernakin said. He took a step closer and shrugged, his weapon still trained on them. ¡°I notice you didn¡¯t deny being Hivekind, though.¡± ¡°You know we¡¯re not monsters,¡± Bea said. A lie, but not really a lie in this context. ¡°We never tried to conquer anyone, and we certainly didn¡¯t bring bloodshed!¡± Pernakin paused, then shrugged again, a small smile on his lips. ¡°Since you¡¯re so insistent on learning what I believe ¡­ The truth is, do you know what unites people, holds them together after a great disaster and under the threat of anarchy?¡± Regina and Bea knew what he meant immediately. ¡°A common enemy,¡± Bea responded quietly. ¡°You just want the Hivekind as a scapegoat!¡± Lou glared. ¡°Sir,¡± one of the other gnomes who¡¯d entered said. There were over a dozen of them, and they were blanketing the walls of the room now. ¡°They¡¯re probably just trying to buy time, should we indulge them?¡± Bea and Lou tensed, as did Regina. There was no way they¡¯d win a fight. Lou only had a few weapons, Bea wasn¡¯t a warrior, and there were far too many of them. And they were right in the middle of the gnomes¡¯ city, with nothing they could turn to their advantage. For a moment, she thought about the museum exhibits around them, but there were no weapons, nothing that would work. When the gnomes¡¯ attack came, it started with the others, who were still in the ¡®embassy¡¯ building. Ken and Pat had tried to barricade themselves in their rooms and looked for a way to escape. Ken was just climbing down from a window when a crossbow barrel slammed into him. The Magic Armor he had put on himself flickered and disappeared. A sniper hidden on the roof opposite, Regina realized. Ken dropped to the ground, and Pat lunged back into the building. Then a heavy ballista bolt slammed through the window and into him. At the same time, the door crashed open and a flood of armed gnomes followed. A sword struck Pat¡¯s head while he tried to block an ax. Regina felt a brief instant of pain from him, then his presence in her mind went dark. She hissed, blood pounding in her ears. She could only watch as more gnomes collected Ken, who had several broken bones and a concussion from the fall. And Bea and Lou were still in danger. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right,¡± Pernakin said at the same time, several hundred meters away. They attacked the others, Regina warned. You need to act now! Lou extended his arm and shot a projectile at Pernakin. The gnomish agent tried to dodge, but the drone corrected his aim just before he let loose, and the small javelin pierced his neck. Bea lunged forward and tried to tackle one of the other gnomes, but she didn¡¯t even reach her before a bolt slammed into her shoulder, sending her to the floor. Regina could only watch helplessly as Lou engaged the gnomes in combat. It was short-lived, the weight of numbers too much for him. After just a few seconds, two blades cleaved into his torso simultaneously. ¡°For the Hive,¡± Bea whispered. She stumbled to her feet and turned to face the gnomes blocking the exit. The other gnome who¡¯d spoken pulled the trigger on his crossbow. The bolt slammed into Bea¡¯s chest, piercing her heart. I¡¯m sorry, Regina murmured quietly. There was nothing else she could do, and impotent rage was burning in her veins. Don¡¯t be, Bea responded, even as Regina felt her lose strength. I¡¯ll gladly give my life for the Hive, and for you, my Queen. Then her mind in the psychic link faded and disappeared. Chapter 135: Recovery The Starlit Hive had just lost more people in the span of a few seconds than it ever had before, and Regina was furious. Three of her sapient drones had just died. Three of her children. The fourth was heavily wounded, though still alive, and a few others were still in immediate danger. Bea¡¯s last moments had brought her anger boiling up to the surface, and Regina felt like her perspective was both widening and narrowing. She¡¯d thought she¡¯d been angry before, but that was nothing compared to this. This was not some momentary anger, nothing that would pass easily. In the back of her mind, Regina knew that it was transmitting to the other drones of the hive, especially those close to her. The news of what had happened was trickling through the psychic link, with predictable results. Max had barged into the room, almost vibrating with tension and an undercurrent of violence. Regina took a deep breath. After a long moment, she turned her focus to Janis and her team, not letting go of the anger but putting a leash on it. Time was still of the essence. They¡¯re dead? Zoe asked grimly. Regina sent wordless confirmation and a short impression of what had happened. She had established contact with Janis, Zoe, Ash and Ria at the same time, so she could talk to all of them at once. Permission to use lethal force to take out our guide? Of course. Regina didn¡¯t even hesitate. We need to act quickly to get away, Janis noted. Regina could sense her own anger, but like her, she was suppressing it and focusing on her own situation. None of us are familiar with these tunnels, but we¡¯re probably close to the city. Assuming they¡¯re not monitoring us somehow, we¡¯re far back enough from the last watchpost that we should have a bit of time to get some distance. Acting right now is probably going to make it clear that we really are Hivekind, Ria pointed out. At least it¡¯ll give away that we¡¯re in communication and found out what happened in the city right away. Regina paused and frowned. That was a good point, and she weighed it in silence for a second. Nothing to be done about that, she finally said. They presumably know we¡¯re Hivekind already, and we should assume they already know Hivekind have psychic capabilities. Getting you out is a bigger priority right now. Understood, my Queen, Zoe and Janis responded at the same time. The gnomes¡¯ entire operation still seemed sloppy. Maybe they did think her hive members would just run right into their arms in the city. Or maybe they¡¯d prepared an ambush, but something went wrong, or it could simply be that the delay when Janis¡¯ group had taken a slightly different route had messed up their plan. Regardless, they had to be preparing to deal with them somehow, right now, if not earlier. Zoe acted without wasting any time. Like before, the group was only accompanied by a single gnomish guide. He was almost level forty, but that was very manageable. Zoe timed her attack just right when the gnome went around a bend, and her blade sliced into his torso. He ducked at the last second, enough to prevent it from being a lethal wound. Then Janis fired the Magic Missile she¡¯d been casting. At this close range and with the power she¡¯d put into it, the magical projectile slammed him into the rocky wall. Ash decapitated him half a second later. Silently, he checked the gnome¡¯s pockets, then the group turned and started back the way they¡¯d come at a fast pace. Regina considered sending her Winged Drones in the area to launch an attack run on a gnomish outpost, but decided to hold off for now. The surprise factor might be useful later. I really wish I had more avenues to act there, she thought with a mental grimace. Long-term, hostilities with the Gnomish Confederation would be a major problem, even if the hive only lost a few high-level drones to this. Regina was more concerned about the immediate situation, though. Even if she felt more than a bit of frustration at her inability to raze the city right now. Or the entire Confederation. She knew killing all the gnomes didn¡¯t seem like the best solution, but it felt pretty appealing right now. She was angry enough for it. Well, that was getting far ahead of herself, either way, right now. Janis and her team moved down the tunnels at a jog. They passed several intersections, and after a hurried conference, decided to retrace their steps. It would probably have been better to choose a different path than the one they¡¯d taken, but they didn¡¯t have a map or prior knowledge of the area, and there was no telling where they might end up. If they had to double back, they¡¯d lose valuable time. Once they had covered more distance, it might be a better idea. Minutes passed with no sign of any pursuit, so Regina focused more of her attention on Ken. He was the only survivor of the second part of the delegation she¡¯d sent. Right now, the gnomes had tossed him into the back of a wagon, heavily bound, despite him still being wounded. He was also still suffering from the effects of a concussion, and with no window and just the rattling of the cart, it was hard to tell where he was or what was going on. Keep your head down and focus on recovery for now, Regina told him. I¡¯ve still got my magic, he said. I might get a few Spells out. She shook her head. You¡¯re in the middle of a gnomish city, alone and wounded, there¡¯s no way you¡¯re fighting your way out. As long as you¡¯re still there and they keep you alive, I¡¯ve got a view into their city. They¡¯ll try to limit what you can learn, but just your presence is already better than nothing. I understand, my Queen. And I won¡¯t tell them anything if they try to interrogate me. Regina sent him a feeling of affirmation. She was certain of that, and she knew that he wouldn¡¯t break even under torture, that he¡¯d rather die than betray the hive. Hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t come to that. After a few minutes, Janis¡¯ group finally ran into trouble. Or at least opposition. It wasn¡¯t really much trouble, since the group of gnomish fighters they encountered didn¡¯t pick up on their presence before the drones found them. Janis used her new Air Manipulation to muffle any sounds they made, and the party crept forward in the dimness of the tunnel. One of the approaching gnomes seemed to be carrying a lantern or other light source, but it didn¡¯t reach very far in the winding tunnel. The party communicated mentally, then set up an ambush around a steep bend. Janis acted first, shooting a Firebolt at the gnomes just as they rounded the corner. Before they could start to recover from it, Zoe and Ash laid into them. Ria hung back to provide support and healing, with her Mage Armor put on everyone. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The fight was over almost as soon as it had begun. Ria glanced down at the group of six gnomish soldiers lying on the ground in puddles of blood, and Regina followed her gaze. One of them groaned weakly, still alive despite the blood gushing out of the slit veins on his thigh and armpit, and Ria slit his throat, silencing him. None of the others moved or breathed. Let¡¯s pick up the pace a bit, Janis said. Regina felt the others¡¯ agreement, and the four of them started jogging down the tunnel at a quick pace. We¡¯re close to the large entrance leading out into the foothills, Ash said after a short while. It might be best to split from our previous path now. Alright, Regina agreed. Move northeast, there should be more cover there once you reach the surface. You could then turn west to head to Volance, or continue towards the hive. As you say, my Queen, Janis replied. At the next intersection, she moved to the side, and the others followed. Regina waited in tense silence while they continued to travel. She was almost starting to relax, when she felt a group of minds relatively close by. Wait, she told them. There are other people nearby ¡­ I think. Stay as silent as possible, and it¡¯s probably better if you slow down. They complied, and Regina turned her focus to her psychic senses. Once more, she cursed the fact that the group was so far from the center of her territory and herself. It took her almost a minute to be reasonably sure of what she was sensing. There¡¯s a group moving through the tunnels, she said. At least ten, and I¡¯m getting the feeling of alert watchfulness and tense anticipation. I¡¯m not quite sure, but it does seem like they¡¯re walking in a parallel tunnel. From the curvature, it might be the one you previously used, which is pretty close to your path right now. You should go on, but be safe. Yes, my Queen, Janis acknowledged. That means they¡¯re searching for us, and they should be aware of at least our general location. Be careful. The others started moving more quickly again. They even sped up a little. Regina knew that they wanted to get as much distance from their former position as possible. They were still careful, with Ash scouting ahead. Regina herself tried to search for any other minds in their vicinity, to guide them away from any gnomish patrols or at least give them advance warning. It was nerve-wracking, and she barely had time for any other considerations. The few minutes until she felt the telltale sign of nearby plant and animal life that showed her where the tunnel would come out seemed to stretch into hours. Then she sensed another patrol, and she suppressed a sigh. Twelve contacts ahead, she informed them. At least a hundred meters, moving almost orthogonal to you. I recommend letting them pass you by before you move on. The party stopped and waited. Unfortunately, Regina sensed two of the group splitting off and coming in their direction. Two hostiles approaching, she warned. Take them out as quickly as you can and then hurry on. They prepared, still in complete silence, and waited in ambush behind the nearest bend of the tunnel, even if it was very slight. Once the light of the gnomish lantern reached them, Zoe jumped out and Janis shot a Magic Missile over her head. Unfortunately, the gnomes must have had enough time to see them and react, and both were immediately covered by a dark, metallic-looking shell that ate Janis¡¯ projectile. Zoe didn¡¯t waste time, but attacked them right away, with Ash coming up in support. The two gnomes fought well, but they were outmatched. Janis switched tactics and used controlled bursts of air and puffs of flame to hinder, disorient and slow them, while Zoe and Ash battered them down quickly. They both received superficial injuries, which Ria healed immediately. Then the group hurried on, running all out now, as silently as they could. Regina couldn¡¯t tell if the other gnomes had heard the fight or had received some information from their comrades, since they were already out of her mental range, and she couldn¡¯t pinpoint their positions, so Janis¡¯ group took no chances. Meanwhile, Ken was taken out of the carriage and half-shoved, half-carried into a building and down some stairs into a cellar. They¡¯d put a hood over his head, so she didn¡¯t learn anything more about this location. He could smell and hear half a dozen gnomes about him, as well as indications that they were in a less busy, but hardly abandoned, part of the city. Ken¡¯s injuries flared up, but he managed not to show any signs of it, despite the echoes of sharp pain Regina could feel. Then Janis¡¯ group finally left the mountain, emerging into open air. Regina breathed a small sigh of relief, then paused. She could dimly sense some minds, almost at the edge of her range. There are people some distance away, coming for you, I think, she said. We should probably make sure you aren¡¯t there when they get here. There¡¯s also a gnomish outpost a few hundred meters that way, Ash pointed out. Probably better to leave it alone and avoid it, Regina said, a bit unwillingly. In the back of her mind, she recognized that she would not usually have considered ordering an attack on an outpost, complete with leaving no witnesses, like that. But it was like a switch had been flipped in her brain. The gnomes weren¡¯t potential allies anymore; they were enemies. If she had to kill a few of them, even if they weren¡¯t directly involved in recent events, she wouldn¡¯t show any hesitation. Even if she didn¡¯t have to, but a good opportunity presented itself. Thinning the numbers of the gnomes¡¯ military would be an especially good bonus, either way. The group of four set off, moving off the path and through a small, stony chasm to avoid the gnomish outpost and get out of the line of sight of the cave entrance leading into the tunnel network. And not a minute too soon. Regina could clearly feel the foreign minds getting closer. They were probably sweeping the tunnels, she supposed. Sweeping the mountainsides and foothills would be a harder task. Should we get back to Volance? Zoe asked. Maybe ask her for help? Regina considered that for a moment. That might be best, she said slowly. At the same time, we have to be prepared for rejection. She¡¯ll probably be unwilling to attack the gnomes for us, but we might be able to lay some groundwork for the future. Janis, head towards her. She¡¯ll be more likely to actually help you out, especially if you¡¯re in danger. The rest of you should go home. I¡¯ll get more Winged Drones out here to cover you, and maybe airlift you out. Janis, a Winged Drone Mount can get you home ¡ª from deeper in Volance¡¯s territory, the gnomes aren¡¯t likely to attempt to shoot you down. Of course, my Queen, Janis responded, and the others echoed her. Regina watched with part of her attention as Janis split from the others to head deeper into the mountains. This might be risky, because of the gnomes as well as the monsters around, but actually not as much as it might seem. Janis was strong enough that she could hold her own, especially with the support of flying drones that Regina had circling overhead, and she¡¯d be safe in Volance¡¯s territory. The others descended further away from the gnomish enclaves. It took a few breathless minutes, but finally Regina couldn¡¯t sense any other sapient minds close enough to pose a danger. Zoe, Ash and Ria found a trail that led them swiftly around a hillside and down a valley into the direction they needed to go, while Janis started climbing back to more familiar territory they had passed previously. Even if the gnomes started chasing her now, she was too close for them to reach her before she¡¯d be high enough up the mountain. At the same time as Janis and the others, Regina watched Ken¡¯s environment through his senses. His captors brought him underground and into a cell before they pulled off the hood covering his vision. It was a small, bare stone room with a row of metal bars, tightly spaced together, on one side. What was worse, there appeared to be a guard station with several watchers set up, probably to keep a continuous eye on any prisoners, though he was currently alone. I might get out of my cell, but I doubt I could fight my way through the rest, Ken said unwillingly. Exactly, Regina agreed with a hint of bitterness. Just sit tight. I ¡ª She hesitated. I¡¯ll try to rescue you if I get an opportunity, but I¡¯ll be honest, I might have to leave you here. I understand, my Queen, Ken assured her. The needs of the Hive come first, and if we lost other sapient drones¡¯ lives to free me, there wouldn¡¯t be much point, would there? Regina agreed. She didn¡¯t like it, but this was also her duty as Hive Queen, and she wouldn¡¯t risk other drones¡¯ lives unless she thought the risk was worth it. There was no point in planning a rescue mission right now. That didn¡¯t mean nothing could be done in the future. The gnomes certainly had a reckoning coming. For now, Regina turned her mind to her hive. She needed to ramp up her production of drones. And adjust her previous plans on their composition. The hive would need a lot of War Drones, in addition to Winged Drones. Chapter 136: Expectations and Policies It occurred to Regina that most people would probably consider finding some way to work things out with the gnomes peacefully. It was a logical notion. After all, a war between their two polities would cause a lot of death and devastation for both of them, even in the best case. And all things considered, she¡¯d only lost a handful of people. Their attitude and apparent ideological stance towards the Hivekind didn¡¯t exactly inspire hope for a resolution, but it didn¡¯t seem completely impossible. Still, while Regina realized and understood that line of thought, she just didn¡¯t find it in herself to actually consider it. The gnomes ¡ª whichever factions were actually responsible, their official government was almost certainly involved ¡ª hadn¡¯t just killed a few people, they¡¯d launched a direct and unprovoked attack on her hive. It was an act of war any way you looked at it, really. Not to mention the not-so-nice things they¡¯d said about her entire species. Things that were, apparently, official policy, at least in the broad strokes. She doubted they were just going to stop now. As a matter of fact, Regina was pretty sure that even having thought about the possibility of peace put her ahead of most of the people in her hive. She¡¯d never felt them that ¡­ bloodthirsty. Well, maybe that wasn¡¯t quite the right word, but she couldn¡¯t think of one that fit much better. Either way, for the first time, Regina found herself actually thinking about her ability to control her hive, not just in the abstract. ¡°My Queen?¡± Max asked. Regina looked up and shook her head. She was currently standing on the roof of the hive¡¯s main building again, which had recently been expanded. ¡°I was just thinking, Max,¡± she said absently. After a moment, she turned to look at him. ¡°If I wanted to make peace with the gnomes, just like that, would you accept that?¡± He blinked, then hesitated for a moment. ¡°You want to just let this go?¡± ¡°Just answer the question,¡± she answered irritably. Max started and nodded. ¡°Of course I would, my Queen. If you mean ¡®you¡¯ more generally, though ¡ª you¡¯re our Hive Queen. It¡¯s our duty and pleasure to obey your will.¡± Which wasn¡¯t precisely a complete confirmation and assurance, Regina noted, but on the other hand, it was pretty unfair of her to put him on the spot like that. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t need to worry, I¡¯m definitely intending to make the gnomes regret even thinking that they could ever threaten me and attack my hive,¡± she said. ¡°Anyway, Tim and Thor should be reaching Janis soon, so don¡¯t mind me if I¡¯m a bit distracted.¡± She¡¯d sent the two of them in with twenty Winged Drones. Well, other Winged Drones. Thor was the first Winged Drone Mount who¡¯d reached sapience. The others had apparently all decided that he was going to be Regina¡¯s own mount, whenever she needed one. She found that a bit amusing, but didn¡¯t really mind. She¡¯d still sent him to retrieve Janis now, just to be sure the young demihuman would come back in one piece, together with Tim on another high-level Winged Drone Mount and some of the strongest flying drones. At this moment, Janis was talking to Volance again. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like she was having any more luck than the first time. ¡°Look, Janis, I told you, your Hive¡¯s problems with the gnomes are your own,¡± Volance said, sounding a bit irritated. ¡°I don¡¯t mind protecting you if a few idiots come running after you, like these intruders, but I have no interest in attacking them for your sake.¡± ¡°Are you sure we can¡¯t convince you to reconsider?¡± Janis pressed, walking after her grandmother as the elemental floated over the meadow. Volance turned to glance at her, without reducing her speed, and shrugged. ¡°If you can launch a successful campaign on the Confederation that¡¯s actually going to succeed, and if you can offer me something I want, then sure. I might even help convince a few of my fellows to join. If they feel like it.¡± Janis sighed softly. But before she could continue, she glanced up, obviously sensing the arrival of the drones. Regina watched as Tim contacted her and they quickly coordinated his approach. A minute later, Thor and the other flying drones descended and landed on the grass. Tim hopped down and turned to face the two of them. He bowed his head politely towards Volance. ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Lady Volance. My name is Tim, and as Janis told you, I¡¯ve been sent to pick her up and escort her home.¡± The elemental took a step closer and regarded him intently for a second. ¡°The pleasure is mine,¡± she finally replied. ¡°I¡¯m glad your Hive seems to take such care of Janis.¡± Actually, maybe you should ask her if you can come back, Regina said to him. I¡¯d like to start establishing outposts, or even real fortresses, in the area, and having her cooperation would be good. Tim related her words to Volance, who looked thoughtful. ¡°Not in my core territory,¡± she finally said. ¡°But I won¡¯t mind if you build some defenses down that mountain. There¡¯s a small valley, between two gnomish outposts but further back, with a ridge that¡¯s well-placed as a jumping-off point or to establish a chokepoint.¡± Tim smiled and she could sense his excitement. The two of them spent a few more minutes talking and discussing the details, and Tim made plans to route their flight back over that spot to take a closer look. ¡°Alright then, off with you,¡± Volance finally said. ¡°You¡¯ll take good care of my granddaughter, I trust.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will!¡± Thor replied cheerfully. He stepped up beside Janis and crouched down so she could climb on more easily. Volance and Janis both gave him a curious look, though with slightly different shades, then Janis climbed on. Thor gave a mental command to the rest of the flock, and soon they were airborne. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Regina considered the terrain between their present location and hers while they flew. She was going to expand the hive quite a bit more than she¡¯d originally planned, now, but she had a good feeling about it. The Drone Breeders really were a game changer. She could just make more of them, as many as she could handle, and then she could build up outposts radiating out from her hive¡¯s settled territory, towards their goals. And, obviously, in strategic locations. With the Drone Breeders sent there along with some other drones to protect them and build up a base, they could quickly start churning out new drones and be basically self-sufficient while doing so. If she took care not to let the numbers get too big, or split off more groups once they did, they could feed themselves by scavenging the surroundings. Spring made that easier than winter. And in the meantime, it would give her exponentially growing forces, a true swarm. She¡¯d need to make more sapient drones herself to keep the numbers in check, but her recent ¡®upgrades¡¯ to the psychic link made it easier to manage Swarm Drones even in large numbers. Not to mention the way her hive limits were growing with every level. It might take a few months until she had the army she really wanted, but that was okay. The gnomes might start pulling together their forces, if they were smart, but she doubted they could really stop her. Not ultimately. I¡¯m done fucking around. Regina nodded to herself, pleased with the decision. Flying drones were going to be essential, and she needed to teach as many of her magic-users Conjuration as she could, but she might just have to pour hordes of War Drones into the gnomes¡¯ tunnels, too. If that¡¯s what it takes, so be it. Regina¡¯s eyes snapped open as she got another idea, and she unfurled her wings. There were other people she should talk to. Well, quite a few, actually. She paused as a thought occurred to her and she debated it for a moment, then turned and dropped off the building. Ray stopped in his tracks on the street outside. ¡°My Queen?¡± ¡°I was thinking about sending an envoy to the elves, and I thought you¡¯d be a good choice,¡± Regina explained. The young attendant¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh. Of course, my Queen, I¡¯m honored that you think so. I¡¯m not sure if I would be up to the task, though ¡ª I¡¯ve never acted as a diplomat before.¡± ¡°Few of us have, and I can¡¯t spare Tim for this.¡± Regina pushed away thoughts of Bea and continued. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do well, and don¡¯t forget that you can always reach out to me if you need to.¡± Ray nodded. ¡°Thank you, my Queen. I¡¯ll do my best to meet your expectations.¡± He frowned thoughtfully. ¡°I assume you want me to talk to them about what happened with the gnomes? Do you want to get the elves¡¯ support against them?¡± ¡°That would be ideal, but I realize getting them to fight with us would be a tall order,¡± Regina replied. ¡°If nothing else, though, we should talk to them.¡± She shrugged. ¡°They obviously know about us being Hivekind, and they have to have at least some idea of how the gnomes think about us. Enais knows, anyway. It¡¯s probably better if you can confer with her before starting any real talks with the government at large, but that shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Ray nodded in understanding. ¡°I¡¯ll learn what I can, my Queen.¡± They spent a few more minutes discussing Ray¡¯s proposed mission and the situation, before Regina turned and headed off. She¡¯d talk to a few others over the psychic link and arrange a proper escort for Ray, but they didn¡¯t need to set off right this second. Meanwhile, she contacted a few other people, then turned her attention to Forest¡¯s Haunt, which was still well within her range and had a few drones present, so she had a good idea of how things stood there. ¡°Where are you going, Regina?¡± Max asked. She turned to look at him. He might have thought he¡¯d snuck up on her, but she¡¯d been aware of his presence as he came out to join her. ¡°I thought I would go visit Forest¡¯s Haunt,¡± she said. ¡°I need to talk to Neralt, I think I may have a job for him. He is supposed to be some kind of earth mage or whatever, after all.¡± Max¡¯s eyes lit in understanding. ¡°Just wait for a few minutes and I¡¯ll get a Mount. Via and Ira should be able to fly on their own, and we can take a half-dozen flying drones.¡± Regina rolled her eyes, but didn¡¯t object. She waited for a few minutes until Max organized who he wanted her to take with them, before she beat her wings and ascended into the sky, Via and Ira following while a small flock of Winged Drones formed up. She didn¡¯t think this was entirely necessary, but she should probably get into the habit. Especially since they were now at war. That might, in the long run, pose a greater risk than the odd high-level flying monster. The flight to Neralt¡¯s village didn¡¯t take too long. Regina ascended higher up than she usually would, and enjoyed the chance to stretch her wings. She could tell that her two Assistants had more trouble, but they still kept up well enough. Max¡¯s mount struggled a bit, but could have continued for longer. Once they arrived, there was a bit of a commotion, but it didn¡¯t take long to settle down. This wasn¡¯t the first time Regina had paid them an unexpected visit. In the end, once they finally entered Neralt¡¯s manor, it was late enough that Janis and Tim were almost back home, which was a good thing considering the encroaching night. Ken was still sitting in his cell, and she suspected they intended to let him stew there for a while. Better than some of the alternatives, at least. ¡°Hive Queen,¡± the baron greeted her with a bow when he came out to receive her. ¡°What an unexpected pleasure. Would you care for some refreshments?¡± ¡°Only if it¡¯s not an imposition,¡± Regina replied, glancing around at the manor¡¯s sitting room. It hadn¡¯t changed. ¡°I presume you have already heard about what happened,¡± she continued after a moment, taking a seat. The others followed suit, though Ira had stayed outside and Max took a guard position. ¡°Miss Ina told me,¡± Neralt acknowledged, ¡°though I¡¯m sure you already knew that. I have to say, I never expected the gnomes to do something like this. My condolences on your Hive¡¯s losses.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Regina paused for a moment, then accepted a cup of tea from a servant Neralt must have signaled discreetly. ¡°This is the reason I came to talk to you, though. I have need of you, baron. War is on the horizon.¡± He froze for a moment, then put his cup down. ¡°I am, of course, at your service, Milady,¡± he said. ¡°Although I feel compelled to point out that I have grave reservations about any military conflict with the Confederation. I do not have nearly enough men to contribute to an actual war, even, or perhaps especially, one like this.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I am not asking you to send soldiers, Baron,¡± she replied. ¡°My hive will shoulder the burden of that, and I am confident we can meet the challenge. If not now, then soon. The task I have in mind for you is something slightly less direct, requiring your personal skills, not your men.¡± Neralt leaned forward slightly. ¡°I see. My Class Skills, I presume?¡± Regina inclined her head in agreement. ¡°I am intending to build a few fortresses to hold against any potential quick advances by gnomish forces, and to act as launching pads for offensives of our own,¡± she explained. ¡°It occurred to me that you have a powerful Class, which should be rather suited to a task like this.¡± ¡°My Queen, despite the name of my Class, I¡¯m not an earth mage,¡± he said. ¡°I am not sure how much help I could be.¡± Regina drained her cup and set it down, leaning forward slightly to fix him with her gaze. ¡°Baron Neralt, you are in the fourth Tier,¡± she said calmly. ¡°Let us be frank, I can¡¯t pretend I don¡¯t suspect you may have been deliberately downplaying your abilities. Not -¡° She raised a hand to stave off any protests - ¡°that I blame you, Lord Elric. But I need your help now.¡± He looked at her for a moment longer, before his expression firmed up and he bowed in his seat. ¡°And you will have it, Milady. To be equally frank, I do indeed have a habit of ¡­ not showing the full breadth of my capabilities, shall we say? But I promise I will do what I can to help now.¡± He smiled wryly. ¡°After all, it¡¯ll be my land being invaded if the gnomes sweep through your territory, as well.¡± Regina smiled and nodded. She figured that with his help, they should be able to get at least a decent fortress made. And his knowledge of the terrain and similar considerations should be valuable for planning, too, besides his ability to shape earth. She just hoped it would be enough. Interlude: Civil War III King Nicholas of Cernlia was, in Kiara¡¯s considered opinion, an utter bastard. Who else would use hungry refugees fleeing from the depredations of war as a weapon? To be fair, she had to admit that the whole thing had a certain ironic cleverness. It was clever in several respects, actually, considering it both tied down some of Marquis Lyns¡¯ fighting force, depleted his supplies, and attacked his men¡¯s morale and the cohesion of his rebellion. Not to mention how it risked spreading disease among the rebels¡¯ army, or the advantage it must give to the king¡¯s side not to have to worry about all those other concerns. Still, at the moment she was rather more concerned with the sharp edge falling towards her than the intricacies of the war¡¯s politics or strategies. Still quietly cursing the king¡¯s name, Kiara Lyns ducked low and dashed to the side, letting the wyvern¡¯s claws brush over her. At the same time, she turned her sword and thrust up, timing it just right to catch the soft, vulnerable expanse of its wings. The monster screeched and turned, its tail lashing and its head rearing up. Fortunately, Kiara had made sure to turn it so its attention stayed away from the group of peasant refugees frantically hurrying towards her father¡¯s current military camp. They¡¯d join the growing city of tents and squalor around it, in all likelihood, but that was a problem for later. The wyvern was clearly young and inexperienced, if its relatively low level - only just above thirty, not even in the third Tier - hadn¡¯t already made that obvious. Its display gave Kiara enough time to prepare a Spell, and it barely started to come down for another attack when her Firebolt caught it right in the snout. The wyvern screeched again, and Kiara didn¡¯t waste the opportunity. She lunged forward, following her magical attack with her sword. Her most recent Spell of Haste was still active, if only barely, but it sufficed for her to score another point and open a deep gash in its snout. Kiara backstepped before it could bring its formidable teeth to bear. But before she had the chance to continue the assault, a war ax crashed down on the monster¡¯s shoulder, shattering its scales and actually forcing the wyvern down. Then Sir Richard followed up with an even more powerful strike at the monster¡¯s head, caving it in and ending the fight. Kiara took another step back, raising an arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead and out of her eyes. ¡°Well, that was exciting,¡± she commented drily. ¡°Please don¡¯t put yourself in danger flippantly, Milady,¡± the old knight remonstrated her gently. ¡°Much as it pains me to say, your life is more important than the damage even a monster like this could do.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯m safe, aren¡¯t I?¡± Kiara didn¡¯t turn to face him, but instead looked for the group of refugees. ¡°You were there, weren¡¯t you?¡± While they¡¯d finished the fight and the short exchange, the peasants had kept running, she discovered. They were already a considerable distance past them and getting further away. She sighed softly, then wiped her sword carefully before sheathing it. ¡°Besides, I had to do this,¡± she continued more soberly. ¡°Someone did. And I could hardly stay cooped up in my tent forever.¡± She gave him a pointed look. ¡°You know how important it is that I acquit myself as well as any young lord or knight could, if not more so.¡± He nodded silently with a small grimace. Kiara knew it wasn¡¯t directed at the idea of a woman like her proving her knightly virtue, of course, but rather the necessity of it. Sir Richard was loyal, not particularly parochial, and deceptively good at following the threads of courtly power games. Granted, she suspected that was more of a survival mechanism than anything he would have liked to learn. Kiara returned to her horse, which had thankfully not wandered off too far after she¡¯d left it rather speedily to intercept the wyvern, and eased herself into the saddle. Fighting a monster like a wyvern on horseback would have been a risky proposition, but she appreciated not having to walk back to the camp on her own feet. The trip back didn¡¯t take very long, and Kiara had to stop herself from dismounting and trying to do something for the people she passed at the camp¡¯s edges on several occasions. She knew that giving money or food to a few of them was not going to do anything to solve the real issues. She did make a mental note to detail some more men to make sure order was kept in the growing crowd of ¡®camp followers¡¯, though. Conditions like these seemed likely to be a hotbed for crime and exploitation. Sometimes it feels like I¡¯m the only one in my father¡¯s councils who actually cares about this. Kiara shook her head at the thought. She was most likely doing at least a few people a disservice. Once they reached the camp proper, Kiara was met by several lords waiting for her. While a servant came forward to take her horse, she approached them to receive their greetings. ¡°Welcome back, Milady,¡± Baron Theraln said with a bow. ¡°I hope your excursion was fruitful.¡± ¡°We managed to drive off several of the king¡¯s little distractions and slay a wyvern,¡± she replied with a nod. ¡°The eastern field should be safer now, at least.¡± ¡°As expected, that should be quite useful, as well as gallant.¡± He straightened and she recognized the sign that he was coming to the real issue. ¡°Your lord father has called another council for this evening.¡± Kiara paused and cocked her head. Theraln was one of Duke Bluegrass¡¯ confidants, and he¡¯d carried messages for (and to) the duke on more than one occasion. He¡¯d proved himself to be useful on other tasks, as well. ¡°Any particular reason?¡± she asked now. ¡°From preliminary scouting reports, it seems the Nerlians are moving closer, most likely heading to ford the river at Waiveton, Milady,¡± he reported. ¡°Rumor has it the marquis is planning to move on, finally.¡± Kiara narrowed her eyes. They¡¯d already sat here for too long, really. But retreating would be costly, especially with the Nerlians potentially able to cut them off while the king swept into their rear. Unfortunately, the present balance of strength was too unfavorable to them for advancing to be wise. It had been a hotly debated topic at the last few council meetings, already, and she was unsure which route her father would pick. Probably the southeast, she decided after a moment. That would hopefully take them further away from the Nerlians, into ground open enough that their movements wouldn¡¯t be too hindered, and it would open the possibility of retreating further west if they needed to later. After all, the Nerlians would lose at least a little time having to ford the river, and the way the Dannan curved meant the king wouldn¡¯t have a straight shot at them, either. They¡¯d lose their current base, but under the circumstances, seeking battle would just be asking for a loss, so they¡¯d have to do what they had to do. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Well, I suppose I¡¯ll see,¡± she said calmly. ¡°Thank you, Lord Caleb. I¡¯ll need to go and freshen up, if you¡¯ll excuse me, but I look forward to seeing you at dinner. You as well, Lord Elric, Lord Paul.¡± She nodded at the others. They parted with bows and muttered greetings, and Sir Willard escorted Kiara to her tent. At least she would certainly be included in her father¡¯s council, she reflected. Over the last few weeks - months, really - there had been a quiet shift in the rebellion¡¯s internal politics. One with her at the center. She still hesitated to call it a faction, since they were still both ostensibly and actually committed members of her father¡¯s ¡®faction¡¯. But she had been growing a base of influence and support. Duke Bluegrass remained her primary and most important supporter, but he was hardly the only one. In fact, she¡¯d taken pains to ensure that she wouldn¡¯t be entirely dependent on him. Her father had to know about it ¡ª although, hopefully, not the actual extent of it ¡ª but she was not entirely sure how he felt about that. He¡¯d never said a thing to her about it, and to be fair, neither had Kiara. She rather suspected that some of the noblemen thought she might have better chances of coming to terms with the king than Marquis Lyns himself did. That was short-sighted of them, in her opinion, but Kiara hadn¡¯t gone out of her way to make that opinion known. She wasn¡¯t exactly happy about the way recent events seemed to have increased her popularity, though. To be fair, it might be rather that they thought the king was going to get the marquis¡¯ head, one way or another, but not necessarily hers. And the way she had known about the Nerlians¡¯ movements ahead of everyone else must have played its part, as well. She hadn¡¯t made that fact public, but anyone with some political acumen would have learned of it by now. And the fact that she had brought her father and his lords the information hadn¡¯t exactly hurt her position. Kiara entered her tent and froze for a moment. Then she stepped further inside and accepted the warm embrace coming her way. ¡°There you are, Kiara!¡± Her mother held her by the shoulders and looked her over. ¡°It looks like you didn¡¯t get hurt, at least. Did you really have to go gallivanting off to fight the closest target that presented itself?¡± Kiara resisted the urge to sigh. Instead, she gently maneuvered her mother into a waiting armchair and took another seat herself. She tried not to let her notice her brief, critical examination, but at least her mother seemed hale enough. Her hair, much lighter than the dark color Kiara had inherited from her father, was in an intricately braided style, her face had regained all of its color, and her blue eyes sparkled with life, as usual. Lady Florance Lyns was a robust, middle-aged woman, but she wasn¡¯t as young as she had been, and the Class Lady of the Court did not offer many physical advantages or enhancements to her hardiness. Completing a journey through conditions like the present ones, in the winter, through sometimes contested territory, was not wise for any lady, much less a pregnant woman. Unfortunately, her husband had failed to expressly forbid her from coming, and Lady Florance hadn¡¯t let the circumstances stop her. She had had to rest quite a bit since her arrival a few days ago, however. ¡°It was fine,¡± Kiara said. ¡°I still don¡¯t think the camp is quite safe, or the best place to be for you, Mother. You should prepare to head back soon.¡± While we still can, she didn¡¯t add aloud. Her mother¡¯s arrival had caused Kiara more than one headache, although she couldn¡¯t find it in herself to truly mind it. She had missed her more than she¡¯d expected over the past few months. Still, she didn¡¯t want to have to worry about her safety on top of everything else, and the Lyns march should be at least marginally safer. Her mother made a dismissive gesture and gave her a stern look. ¡°Do not change the subject, young lady. You should take better care of yourself, and mind your safety.¡± ¡°Really, it was fine, I was never in much danger,¡± Kiara repeated. ¡°And you¡¯re the one who just dodged my words, Mother. Are you making preparations to head back home?¡± Florance tossed her head. ¡°Even your father isn¡¯t trying to pack me off back home right this minute,¡± she said. ¡°I can stand some soldiers and fighting in my vicinity, Kiara. I am hardly as fragile as all that. And I could not just abandon you to war without at least coming to see you.¡± At first, Kiara had entertained suspicions that her father might even have called her mother here himself, to make a point. But she¡¯d dismissed those quickly. She knew he was the one person even more concerned than her about her mother, especially since she was carrying his child. ¡°And what about June?¡± she asked instead. Her mother sighed slightly. ¡°June is perfectly fine. I know your sister can be sickly, Kiara, but she truly does not need me hovering over her all the time.¡± Kiara frowned a bit, but nodded. Calling her little sister sickly was an understatement, but she had to admit her mother wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°As long as she¡¯s being looked after,¡± she muttered. ¡°I¡¯d still feel better if at least you were there with her.¡± If pressed, she would have bet that more than half of her father¡¯s noble supporters had forgotten he even had a second daughter. The rate was not much better even in their own fief, however. June might be one of the smartest girls, or even women, Kiara knew, but the fact that she could barely get out of her family¡¯s castle overshadowed all of that. Her own family generally liked to forget about her existence. And Kiara usually refrained from drawing attention to it, as well, since that was more likely to hurt than help and she knew June preferred it that way. With a bit of guilt, Kiara realized that she herself had barely thought of her sister in the last few months. She¡¯d simply had too many other things calling for her attention. ¡°Don¡¯t worry yourself.¡± Her mother patted her arm. ¡°My sweet princess.¡± Kiara forced a smile and didn¡¯t dwell on her last word. ¡°We are most likely going to be moving out soon,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll know more after this evening¡¯s meeting. I¡¯ll talk to Father and make sure he prepares the necessary arrangements.¡± She raised a hand to stop her mother from responding. ¡°Trust me, Mother, this is for the best. Our pulling up camp should create enough of a bustle for you to depart without much notice, and you truly can¡¯t stay with us after that. Especially if Father takes us into the southeast and further away from home.¡± And with Father and myself both pushing it, that should take care of everything. Her mother sat back in her seat and regarded her silently for a moment, before she nodded. ¡°You really have blossomed out here, haven¡¯t you?¡± she asked. She smiled slightly. ¡°I always knew you had it in you to be successful, even if we never spent much time at court. Those men I¡¯ve seen you talking to, they¡¯re Duke Bluegrass¡¯s men, aren¡¯t they? Bold of you to make a play for him, but it seems to have worked.¡± Kiara cocked her head and shrugged. ¡°He approached me, actually,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ve also made sure he¡¯s not the only lord I¡¯ve built connections with.¡± Her mother nodded. ¡°So you are not dependent on him, that¡¯s good. Do be careful not to reach too far, too fast, though. You don¡¯t want to seem like you¡¯re overreaching, or be seen as a threat. I don¡¯t think your father would stop and discipline you, at least not easily, but he will if they give him no choice.¡± Kiara crossed her legs and shifted her weight. She¡¯d only seen this side of her mother rarely, and she appreciated this opportunity. ¡°How are things going to change with ¡­ well, that?¡± She nodded towards her mother¡¯s belly. Lady Florance frowned and shook her head at her. ¡°If it is a son, everything will change for you,¡± she said bluntly. ¡°You know that. And no, I cannot help you with that, even if I wanted to work against my own son. If it is another daughter instead, not much will change. Always assuming the child survives, of course.¡± Her face twisted with remembered pain, and she paused for a short while. ¡°As long as the matter is still uncertain, you still have a lot of room to maneuver. I advise trying to get the best position you can and to be prepared. Things can change quickly in times of war.¡± Kiara frowned, trying not to show the stab of disappointment she felt, and instead concentrated on what else her mother had said. ¡°So, I suppose the eastern lords might be a good group to approach ¡­¡± Despite herself, she felt herself relaxing as she conferred with her mother on these issues. This was not the kind of guidance she could have received from her father, and she valued it. Even if a part of her wondered if there was any point to it, if they were going to lose the war and their lives despite anything they could do about it. Chapter 137: Conferring with Allies ¡°It seems I owe you an apology,¡± Enais of Ariedel said. Ray cocked his head, raising an eyebrow. ¡°How so, Lady Enais?¡± he inquired politely. Enais had welcomed the young drone with perfect courtesy and seemingly genuine enthusiasm. At least as far as Regina could tell. She hadn¡¯t wasted too much time with pleasantries, though, and Ray wasn¡¯t going to dawdle before talking about what he was planning to, either. They had waited long enough for Anuis, who was currently stationed in Ariedel as well, to arrive, though. Right now, the three of them were sitting in the Eltarianal¡¯s house - which was really a manor that put the baron¡¯s to shame - watching the city through large windows from a cozy sitting room. Ray had just finished telling them what had happened with the gnomes, and now he, along with Regina, was watching their reactions carefully. ¡°I was aware of the gnomes¡¯ attitude concerning Hivekind, at least in a general sense,¡± Enais answered. ¡°I never expected them to react quite like this, however. Perhaps I should have.¡± She paused for a moment, then shrugged slightly. ¡°I was not aware your Hive¡¯s connections to the gnomes were developing this quickly, or that you had sent such an expedition into their Confederation. Still, I should have at least given you a warning.¡± Regina considered that for a moment, but while she appreciated Enais¡¯ apology, she didn¡¯t think she could really blame the old elf. Ray sensed her direction of thought, and shook his head at Enais. ¡°We appreciate that, but this is certainly not your responsibility. It¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t have any indication of how the gnomes thought about Hivekind before.¡± He grimaced slightly. ¡°We just didn¡¯t know that they already knew we actually were Hivekind - assuming they really did - or that it was just that big of an issue.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t quite understand it, to be frank,¡± Anuis Eltarianal put in. She was wearing an official uniform, though its green and brown tones would probably allow it to blend into the forest easily. The holster for a sword at her side was empty. ¡°They killed a diplomatic envoy ¡ª every civilized nation that hears of this is going to condemn such an act. And for what? And why then, and not when your delegation first arrived?¡± Ray shrugged and nodded. He agreed with her, but he didn¡¯t have a good answer, just like Regina. ¡°Perhaps they really weren¡¯t sure we were Hivekind, but watching us confirmed it,¡± he said. ¡°Or perhaps it has something to do with their internal political factions. They¡¯re definitely fractured.¡± ¡°Also, I think we should give serious thought to how and why they appear to have deliberately incited a war,¡± Enais commented. Regina noted that Enais didn¡¯t seem to have much doubt that the gnomes had, in fact, incited a war. Something for which you obviously need two sides. But I guess she understands our reaction. ¡°They did mention having a common enemy,¡± Ray said slowly, following information and impressions Regina sent. ¡°We thought that referred to the past, when the other races united against the Hivekind to drive them to extinction, but it might certainly apply to the present, as well.¡± Anuis winced slightly, and even her mother looked briefly uncomfortable at the reference to the past genocide. But the moment passed quickly. ¡°Using external conflict to alleviate or suppress internal strife or division is an old tactic,¡± she said calmly. ¡°I would bet that is at least a major factor in their thinking, if I were given to such things.¡± ¡°And they would presumably not see you as much of a threat,¡± Anuis added. ¡°In their view, you only have a few villages, at best. Oh, I know that you have, or will have, much more strength than they expect, but that is most likely not apparent to the gnomes.¡± She frowned thoughtfully. ¡°Unless they do have detailed records about the Hivekind, ones that stress your potential for growth, in which case they might have been thinking in terms of nipping the problem in the bud. I would be more inclined towards the first explanation, however.¡± She probably had a point, and Regina¡¯s thoughts went along the same lines. She also thought the first explanation was probably more likely, at least for most of the gnomish leadership involved, but she had to admit that she wasn¡¯t exactly feeling charitable where the gnomes or their presumptive intelligence were concerned. ¡°My Queen agrees that is likely,¡± Ray said, echoing her thoughts. Enais raised an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Anuis. ¡°Not to devalue your own efforts, Sir Ray, but it might be better - or more efficient, at least - if we were able to speak to Hive Queen Regina directly,¡± she suggested delicately. Regina paused for a moment. She hadn¡¯t taken personal control of a drone and spoken directly through them in a while. She¡¯d never really needed to. On the other hand, Anuis at least had to know she could do that already, considering the second time they met, when she and her squad had helped them escape from the village, and she must have told Enais everything. And it was clearly worth doing to cut down on the communication loop, if nothing else. Besides, she had to admit that having to speak through intermediaries was getting more than a bit frustrating. She sent a questioning thought to Ray, who immediately acquiesced. ¡°You¡¯re right, Special Minister,¡± he told them. ¡°One moment, please.¡± Then Regina took control. It was a smooth transition. She¡¯d already been watching through his eyes and hearing through his ears, so there was really only the one step of steering his movements as well. Regina took a moment to settle, then made Ray straighten up and lift his head, laying his hands on the table. The shift in his posture was mostly to emphasize the change, not because she needed it, of course. She didn¡¯t have to give visual cues, but it was probably a good thing, at least in cases like this. ¡°Hello again, Special Minister, Commander Anuis,¡± she greeted them with Ray¡¯s voice. ¡°It is good to speak to you again. Although, of course, I have been following this conversation from the beginning.¡± She smiled slightly. The elves both looked curious. Anuis actually leaned forward a bit, and even Enais showed a carefully controlled increase in attention. ¡°Likewise, Hive Queen,¡± she responded after a moment. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Was there anything you needed to discuss directly?¡± Enais shook her head. ¡°Not as such, although we are speaking of some rather sensitive matters. I simply thought this would be more effective, if you were going to watch this conversation anyway.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°A good point. Since I am here, though, in a manner of speaking, I¡¯ll get right to a more important and sensitive question. Are the elves going to support us in this coming war against the gnomes?¡± Anuis sighed slightly. ¡°Much as I could wish, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple, Lady Regina.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Their murder of an envoy is appalling, but I¡¯m afraid waging war against the gnomes is just too ¡­ alarming a prospect for Ariedel. Not to put too fine a point on it, but we only have a single city while they possess a lot more, and we do not stand to gain much from the gnomes¡¯ territory.¡± ¡°You are valued allies,¡± Enais put in. She wore a polite smile, but from the intensity in her gaze, Regina knew she wasn¡¯t just offering diplomatic platitudes. ¡°But I am afraid my daughter is right. Few people are going to expect that you have any chance against the Confederation, which means they will believe that the burden of a war would rest mostly on our shoulders.¡± She tapped her fingers on the armrest of her chair and shook her head. ¡°We have offered you protection and still stand by our word, but the treaty does not, and cannot, cover a situation like this. We guaranteed your safety against humans threatening the peace, against Cernlia. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not going to be held up if you tried to insist on applying it to fighting the Confederation.¡± Regina sighed. She had expected that. After all, she¡¯d read the terms of the peace treaty, and it definitely hadn¡¯t included a blanket guarantee of protection against all enemies. For that matter, she wouldn¡¯t have wanted to become an actual protectorate of the elves like that. ¡°I understand,¡± she said. ¡°Still, if you will not actively join the war on our side, may we still count on your support in other ways?¡± Enais nodded, looking thoughtful. ¡°I obviously cannot make any promises, but yes, I believe you can count on that. It will take a bit of political wrangling, but it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult.¡± She shook her head again. ¡°Actually, this has some bearing on another point I intended to bring to your attention. We do have an ambassador from the Gnomish Confederation permanently in residence in Ariedel, and he has recently requested an opportunity to speak to our Assembly.¡± Regina leaned forward slightly, or had Ray do that, anyway. ¡°You think he intends to lay out their version of what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Almost certainly,¡± Enais agreed. ¡°I imagine they intend to get the first word in, so to speak, but they presumably did not count on your ability to communicate over large distances so quickly. In this case, that might well turn out to be a problem for them.¡± She smiled thinly. ¡°You can leave this in our hands, Lady Regina. I already have some ideas on how best to cut him off at the knees. It shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to make sure everyone understands what really happened, especially their unprovoked attack on your envoy. That is, after all, the truth. Assuming we can have Ray present to speak for the Hive? That would be helpful.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Regina agreed. She felt a bit of trepidation from Ray, but also acceptance and determination. ¡°I wonder how they¡¯re going to justify this,¡± Anuis muttered. Then she paused and cocked her head. ¡°Do you think they will reveal you as Hivekind and base their arguments on that point?¡± ¡°We will have to expect them to make that public, I think,¡± Enais said, ¡°but I wouldn¡¯t count on it to be the cornerstone of their arguments. At least not if they¡¯re smart about it. Using your race as a reason to attack you might actually hurt them. We don¡¯t have the same kind of ideological opposition to the very concept that the gnomes do.¡± Regina nodded. That was definitely good to know, and she felt assured that Enais would be able to handle the political aspect of the situation among the elves. She really was lucky she had her as an ally. ¡°That does bring us back to their motivations and another point I think we need to seriously consider, given its potential implications,¡± Enais continued after a short pause. ¡°By all means, I¡¯m all ears,¡± Regina said. ¡°They need to put their reasoning, their version of events, forward ¡ª to control the narrative,¡± Enais explained with an intent frown. ¡°Outside the Confederation, but especially inside, to their own people, as well. And this is true for much more than just their recent attack on Bea and your other drones, Regina. I¡¯d be very surprised if not at least someone had realized - or suspected, at any rate - that you are indeed Hivekind after your first or second meetings with gnomes. Now, the issue for them is that you were clearly willing and even eager to trade, that you expanded peacefully, only fought the humans in self-defense and actually came to terms with them, and that you even became friendly with us elves.¡± She extended her hands, palms up, in a gesture of conclusion or ambivalence. ¡°Now, how do you think that fits with their traditional understanding and opinion of Hivekind?¡± Regina sat back in Ray¡¯s seat, eyes narrowing in understanding. ¡°Because that would make it obvious we are not the bloodthirsty monsters of their histories and ideology,¡± she said, exhaling hard. ¡°And if their Office of Inquisition, or State Security, or whatever, is so obviously lying about that, what else might they be lying about?¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± Enais nodded sharply. There was a moment of silence in the room as everyone clearly considered that reason for the gnomes¡¯ actions. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that they forced a conflict because your Hive¡¯s existence is a threat to their ideology or at least their credibility in some sense,¡± Anuis said. ¡°And you were already starting to make trade deals and increase contact beween your drones and their population. Not to mention that the merchant and business class is the cornerstone of the Confederation¡¯s political arrangement and their political parties.¡± Regina nodded, as did Enais. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t discount that at least some of them do genuinely see you as a threat on your own merits,¡± the old elf pointed out. ¡°It is not as if they are completely wrong about the Hivekind.¡± Enais gave Regina, or rather Ray, an apologetic look, who only snorted softly and shook her, or rather his, head. ¡°This is all well and good, but the question is, can we use this?¡± she asked. ¡°Because, I¡¯ve got to admit, I¡¯m not really feeling like letting them off, and to hell with it if that means confirming their suppositions.¡± Enais looked slightly hesitant all of a sudden. She exchanged a look with Anuis, then shrugged softly. ¡°Well, at least it underscores the need to make sure the truth gets out there. Otherwise, it depends on your own intentions.¡± She sounded a bit tentative. ¡°At least, if you don¡¯t want to wipe the Confederacy out completely, there may be a way to settle things without their present political leadership being in power.¡± Regina frowned. She understood what Enais was saying, but she didn¡¯t really think she could, or should, wage a propaganda war or try complicated political maneuvers, and if she won the looming war like she hoped, she doubted many gnomes would be feeling very friendly towards her, in any case, so they would still be a threat. ¡°To be perfectly honest, I¡¯m not sure,¡± she responded. ¡°Yet, at least. I¡¯m disinclined to leave anything at my back that could shove a dagger into it. And don¡¯t mistake me.¡± She fixed them with a steady gaze. ¡°I will make the gnomes pay, and I will teach them, and hopefully anyone else who might feel so inclined, that I am not to be crossed.¡± She eased back a bit and shrugged. ¡°That said, I don¡¯t feel any pressing need to completely eradicate them.¡± She could see the tension in both Enais¡¯ and Anuis¡¯ postures. None of them really seemed surprised, but it was still evident. ¡°I understand,¡± Enais finally said, sounding deliberately calm and steady. ¡°Just something to bear in mind.¡± ¡°It certainly is,¡± Regina assured her, nodding. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll just have to see how things work out.¡± Chapter 138: Preparations and Narratives Regina hadn¡¯t expected to have to fight a war, and she especially hadn¡¯t expected the threat to be to the south, rather than the north or east. Despite that, the hive wasn¡¯t caught unprepared, and it shifted into high gear to complete its preparations quickly. She wasn¡¯t sure what the gnomes would do, which was the biggest issue. While Regina kept Winged Drones flying above their territory as well as she could to try and spy on them, it didn¡¯t exactly tell her much about their plans. Were they going to start raiding into her territory, assemble an army to invade, or sit back and wait for her to attack them? Obviously, she had to make preparations for all of those possibilities, as well as decide whether to go on the offensive herself. Regina was inclined towards patience on that point. While she didn¡¯t like the thought of giving them any more time than she had to, the fact remained that not only had they already had plenty of time to prepare before they attacked, but she needed time to build up her hive¡¯s forces. She also wanted to get some impression of which way they were going to go, at least. Tia and others were busy laying minefields outside the hive¡¯s main bases to prepare a defense against an invasion, and everyone who could had already started Conjuring and assembling materials to build explosives. That was still one of their bottlenecks, but there was a lot you could do with even a small volume of certain materials, if you had the right knowledge. And knowledge was one of those things she had on her side, her biggest advantage. At the moment, Regina was fervently glad that she¡¯d thought to ask Galatea for more than just magical or historical records, but also technical knowledge and data. Little things like the complete periodic table of the elements, or the formula for gunpowder. Even if a lot of things she would have liked hadn¡¯t been in her databases, and Regina had been reluctant to actually use and reveal much of it. She couldn¡¯t afford that kind of hesitation now, though. Besides these constraints, not coming to attack the gnomes with a bloodthirsty swarm of drones might have other advantages, given what she¡¯d discussed with Enais and Anuis, regarding her enemies¡¯ cohesion and morale. It was in her best interests to make it as clear as possible - to outsiders, but maybe also some gnomes themselves - that their allegations had little basis in fact. Hivekind were more naturally suited to terror tactics, she supposed, but that also wasn¡¯t the kind of strategy you could easily turn away from. It also gave her the opportunity to watch things play out in Ariedel. Enais and Anuis were true to their word, and in the hours leading up to the Assembly meeting, Enais met with several other prominent elves and sowed the seeds for the inevitable confrontation. Ray was invited as a guest, but he didn¡¯t actually get to see most of the Assembly session. The elves clearly had things they wanted to talk about in private, so he simply waited in a chamber inside a tree trunk adjacent to the meeting hall and enjoyed the view from a window carved out of the tree¡¯s bark. The actual hall was more of an open-air pavilion stretching across the unnaturally straight boughs of several trees lining it. That theoretically made the elves¡¯ deliberations visible to all, but in practice, actually hearing them was hard even for Ray over the wind and rustle of leaves. Even if they weren¡¯t using magic to stop the sound from reaching too far. Luckily, he wasn¡¯t afraid of heights. A secretary working for the Assembly gestured him out onto the canopy after a while, and Ray stepped forward just in time to hear the start of the gnomish ambassador¡¯s address. Regina listened through his ears, taking in the gnome¡¯s words and trying to watch for the reactions of the gathered elves at the same time. Most of them were quite high-level, high enough that Ray couldn¡¯t see their levels, and they had a varied assortment of Classes. She paid more attention to the ambassador himself, though, who had a class simply called Envoy instead of one of the gnomes¡¯ more common, poetically named ones. He also spoke eloquently, and she had the impression this wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d addressed the elves here. The content of his words was less than pleasing, unfortunately. As she had expected, he squarely blamed the entire ¡®incident¡¯ on the Hivekind. Who he immediately outed as being Hivekind, too. Probably some remnants of the original monstrous hordes who had escaped their downfall hiding away in the dark corners of the world ¡ª or underneath the surface world, more likely, in the deep darkness ¡ª before they resurfaced to take over where their ancestors left off. So, the gnomes had defended themselves valiantly against a sudden attack by the traitorous Hivekind. And it just so happened, of course, that among the Hivekind drones killed in the fighting was someone with an Envoy Class, which they of course hadn¡¯t known before. Who knew, perhaps it was, after all, just a ploy to suggest that the gnomes had groundlessly killed a diplomatic envoy? He definitely implied that part, anyway, even if he didn¡¯t quite come out and say it. Everything else was rather clear, though. Regina found it pretty interesting in a macabre, analytical sort of way. It also offered her some insight into how the gnomes were spinning this for their own people. Of course, she assumed there were differences between this and the version the gnomes were telling at home. He must have adapted some things for the elves¡¯ public consumption. Then again, if this was what they used for the elves, she might be giving their judgment a bit too much credit. It was pretty obvious the elves didn¡¯t have nearly the same kind of ideological antipathy to the Hivekind as the gnomes did. She saw more than one of the gathered representatives giving Ray speculative glances at the ambassador¡¯s repeated reference to their species, but they didn¡¯t look particularly hostile. She also didn¡¯t get the impression many of them were inclined to believe him, although Regina didn¡¯t know how much of that had to do with Enais¡¯ preliminary efforts. The organizer, or chairman, of the Assembly - called the Moderator of Discourse, according to the information Enais had given them - also seemed to be on Enais¡¯ side. He immediately let her speak when she stood up after the gnome was finished, anyway, cutting right through the somewhat tense silence that followed his words and quieting the occasional murmured word from the delegates. Enais spoke calmly, reasonably, and without any undue embellishment or emotional appeals, which seemed to give her a serious, even objective air. She reported what had happened, relating that she had discussed these events with the Hive Queen herself, and that she gave credence to her words. In the process, she also subtly reminded everyone of their alliance against the humans of Nerlia and Cernlia. And then, she called on Ray. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Thank you, Special Minister,¡± he said, standing up, stepping closer, and taking a moment to let his gaze pass across the assembled people. ¡°I appreciate the conciseness and clarity you have shown in relating what happened in City Telimelekilete-En, since I am afraid I will not be able to speak as dispassionately. Whatever the gnomish Confederation may claim, we are talking about a sickening act of betrayal and murder. In the middle of trade negotiations meant to foster closer understanding and prosperity for both of our peoples, they deliberately and with malice aforethought murdered my sister Bea and her escorts.¡± That caused a small stir to go through the gathered elves. Regina had discussed this with Ray, and he¡¯d done quite well, in her opinion. Like the slight emphasis on Bea being his sister. Anyone who knew more about Hivekind or thought about the presumed social structure of demihumans with ¡®hives¡¯ might realize it should be basically meaningless, since every drone was the Hive Queen¡¯s offspring, and thus they were all siblings. But that clearly didn¡¯t apply to all of the elves here. And so, Ray didn¡¯t just enter the stage as an envoy carrying carefully crafted appeals, he was also a young man - a boy, really - who decried the brutal murder of his sister. Regina watched and listened quietly, trying not to distract him, as he continued and the elves started to ask questions and develop a discussion. The gnomish ambassador was visibly uncomfortable about him. In fact, he flinched backward once when Ray turned and pointed accusingly at him perhaps a bit too theatrically. It was pretty amusing, though, and Regina chuckled in the privacy of her own room. Anyway, despite the gnome¡¯s vehement protests, the outcome of the whole thing was pretty much a foregone conclusion. The elves¡¯ spokesman politely but firmly complimented him out, and Ray withdrew as well, after a quick exchange of whispers with Enais. The elves would have to deliberate on it first, so it would take a bit of time, but Regina didn¡¯t doubt that they would offer their support. Probably not in terms of soldiers ¡ª although they might permit volunteers and mercenaries, and maybe even a few ¡®volunteer¡¯ special forces members ¡®on leave¡¯ or something ¡ª but logistical support would be more than welcome, as well. Come to think of it, getting their help on the diplomatic front, especially when it came to taking news of this to the other kingdoms, might be just as priceless. In the meantime, Regina pushed her own preparations. Ultimately, she couldn¡¯t rely on anyone besides her hive. She conferred with Ben and the other senior warriors regularly. They still didn¡¯t quite have a formal chain of command, although that might change sometime soon now, but these were the equivalent of her officers. Well, arguably every sapient drone was basically an officer, commanding troops of Swarm Drones. Effectively, while Max was still senior to him, Ben was the general of the army. It wasn¡¯t just his Class as a Drone General, but also a job he did admirably, organizing, training and commanding the warrior-type sapient drones and overseeing the War and Winged Drones that weren¡¯t used for other things. Of course, Regina was still involved, and she was definitely the ¡®commander in chief¡¯ of the hive personally, but she still couldn¡¯t run the day-to-day of her armed forces. Besides, she¡¯d probably be worse at actual military strategy than Ben. For now, her plan seemed to be going pretty well. She¡¯d discussed it with all of them and agreed to some refinements. Ben and the others had also picked out the actual locations where they would be establishing outposts and bases. Regina¡¯s foremost priority and contribution right now were really to provide the Drone Breeders they needed. She was hard at work on that, too. Making a lot of their eggs in a short time frame was a bit uncomfortable, but she bore with it and didn¡¯t complain. Still, growing her hive didn¡¯t take all that much time, so she had enough time to monitor what was happening and contribute to the planning. The gnomes didn¡¯t seem ready to immediately rush out and attack, which gave them some time to at least get rudimentary defenses in place and prepare the ground for more. They were putting up quite a few defensive measures, even pretty close to the gnomes¡¯ territory. The Winged Drones were a great help with that. Even if the hive still didn¡¯t have enough Mounts to carry more than a few people, rather than an army, that still let them get some people to where they needed to be quickly. Regina had even allowed Baron Neralt to ride one of them. At the moment, Neralt was at the site Volance had pointed out and which would probably be their major fort in the area. Their main forward base, if they could hold it. Tia had joined him, as well, and together with a group of drones, they were laying down foundations and putting up walls. Regina had pointed out a few things to add to the design, like the need for bracing against artillery instead of just ballista bolts and catapults for the walls, but Neralt had contributed the most. His ability to assess the terrain and work with it was more impressive than she¡¯d really expected. It let them set up quite a few firing positions, fallback positions and ambush spots in addition to the actual fortress, all concealed so well she doubted the gnomes would notice before they were forcefully pointed out to them. And the best point was that the longer Neralt spent here, the more powerful it got. On the whole, they were doing pretty well, Regina decided. Unfortunately, the fortress, or any of the other bases, couldn¡¯t be built in a day. And even if they got enough time to complete them, that also gave the gnomes time to muster their forces. That was one of the reasons she decided to step up her efforts to get information about them. Carefully, of course. Regina had to rely on her scrying magic in addition to Winged Drones overhead, since they couldn¡¯t exactly send infiltrators into the gnomish cities. The different races made that kind of intelligence gathering a bit hard in this time and place. She¡¯d decided to be very careful and only watch from a distance, at least to start with. Who knew what kind of countermeasures the gnomes might have? Luckily, while she¡¯d never been in that city herself, she had had enough of her drones there for long enough that it basically didn¡¯t matter. So, Regina started with the city her drones had died in, and carefully visualized its appearance from overhead. It worked, thankfully. She got a pretty good view of the city. Distant enough she¡¯d have no chance of spying on anything happening there in detail, unfortunately, but at least she should be able to tell general patterns. Especially the gnomes¡¯ mobilization. Armies tended not to be particularly stealthy. Right now, even watching carefully, she didn¡¯t find anything that really looked like one. There were a few groups of soldiers, but none that looked bigger than a company or so. Of course, they could be in the buildings. Or, for that matter, they could be traveling through tunnels. Regina sighed to herself. Now she just had to figure out a way to follow those to other places, especially other cities, even if neither she nor her drones had ever been there. She wasn¡¯t optimistic about managing that. And she¡¯d have to regularly check on the city, as well. At least things seemed to be fine for now. She was hoping she¡¯d find their main army soon, though. Assuming they had anything like that. Well, maybe not seeing it is a good thing, she told herself. She still wasn¡¯t exactly happy with the situation, but that would be a bit too much to ask for. Chapter 139: Scouting Finds Despite Regina¡¯s concerns, it seemed pretty clear the gnomes weren¡¯t going to march an army out and attack the hive right off the bat. Maybe they hadn¡¯t been completely prepared, after all, or maybe they did want to let the hive come to them. She supposed that the timing of Bea and the others¡¯ visit might not have been good for them. The gnomes hadn¡¯t known they were coming, at least not far in advance, and if they were determined to strike before the group got back to the hive, that must have limited their options. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t give her any indications about how long, exactly, the gnomes would take to get ready, or how far along they already were. And her efforts at surveillance didn¡¯t contribute that much, either. Especially if she had to worry about single scouts or small units that the gnomes might be sending. And yet, despite all of that, Regina still relaxed slightly. As eager as she was to get up close and personal with the gnomes and make them pay, she was content to wait until her hive had grown enough to secure victory. And it was growing rapidly. Ray stayed with the elves, for now. He would be needed to coordinate their support efforts, and it was good to have a channel to talk to Enais and their government. Regina was even considering sending someone to the Cernlian rebels¡¯ forces, although she wasn¡¯t sure she really wanted to give them the ability to speak with her that easily. Especially since there would definitely be questions about how a hive ambassador actually communicated with their home. Her increased range also meant she could send Winged Drones flying over a lot of territory that she estimated belonged to the Gnomish Confederation of the East. There were a few more above-ground cities, although none was easy to get to - even from the air, mostly - and she knew there would be more below ground. While the gnomes did happily trade with others, they didn¡¯t like to let other races too deeply into their territory, and the elves weren¡¯t very interested in that, either. Which made it hard to get anything like reliable information on their geography and numbers. Right now, she was relying on Dark to give her the best intel. The little bird ¡ª which wasn¡¯t so little anymore, since he had gained quite a few levels since she got him ¡ª was still their best scout, especially in regards to stealth. She¡¯d already had him take a closer look at two other cities behind the one with the museum, although she¡¯d also ordered the bird to be careful and not risk exposure. That limited what she could learn, but at least Regina was starting to get a better picture of the Confederation, its structure, and its infrastructure. Not to mention where and how it was using things like steam engines, since those were rather hard to hide. The Confederation was big, a lot bigger than she¡¯d truly realized. At the same time, it wasn¡¯t really nearly as big as it could have been, in some respects. The terrain wasn¡¯t particularly well suited to agriculture, although, naturally, a lot of its territory was still farmland. But given that they didn¡¯t have anything like proper industrialization, a lot of the gnomes¡¯ population was still bound up in agriculture. And the towns and cities she saw weren¡¯t that huge, so judging from those, the land was a lot more sparsely inhabited than it had once been, too. You¡¯ve done good work, she told Dark, sensing his fatigue and small aches and pains accumulated over the long journey. Come back home, you¡¯ve earned a rest. The little bird responded with a surge of joy and a feeling of affectionate playfulness, like a bump with the head or maybe even a nip at her fingers. Regina chuckled to herself and sent the equivalent of ruffling his feathers while he turned around to head north. Dark was pretty smart, and his time connected to the psychic link had clearly not done him any harm in that regard, either. Still, he was a long way from the Swarm Drones who¡¯d gained sapience, and she didn¡¯t think he ever really would. He had become quite good at using the psychic link¡¯s communication, but he still wasn¡¯t really up to more abstract concepts, and she knew his ability to understand her words was only due to their connection, to the meaning being psychically transported directly. Then again, they didn¡¯t really need anything more than that. It would take him a while to head home, so Regina turned her attention to other things in the meanwhile, though she made a mental note to check in with Dark regularly. She¡¯d been assembling a mental picture of the Confederation and the areas around and between it and the hive, adding information from her various scouts. Jem was very helpful in that regard, and using a Drone Keeper¡¯s ability to channel information and knowledge and bind it into the hive¡¯s link gave it a kind of solidity that it never could have had otherwise. It meant the map was available for other hive members to call upon, and add to, at least in principle. It still didn¡¯t quite work perfectly and there were a few kinks to work out, but Jem was getting on top of it. Regina suspected this capability was going to be very useful when the time came to really wage war and fight battles, and Ben felt quite enthusiastic about it. Regina also contacted Ken regularly, and at the same time, she pulled together as much information about the gnomes as she could get from him. Ida, another Keeper, was largely in charge of that effort, and the knowledge she was providing to everyone was very welcome. She had a knack for finding and analyzing details from even little evidence, like glimpses Ken caught of gnomish soldiers in the city. Her analysis of the outpost Janis and the others traveled through had also given Ben quite a lot to use, even if it did mean Regina had to detail several Winged Drones to go back and take a closer look at it from above, and they lost over half of them. Still, that was more than worth it ¡­ hopefully. Regina was just stepping out of her rooms and considering whether she should call another meeting to discuss their intelligence efforts and its bounty when she got a System notification she¡¯d been waiting for.
You have leveled up
She smiled to herself as she went outside. Her leveling had been slowed drastically in the last few months, probably because she had reached the third Tier. But it seemed to have sped up a bit now. Maybe it also had something to do with how she¡¯d been managing and growing her hive, and now that she had started to expand furiously again, she got more Experience? She hoped she¡¯d reach the next two levels quickly, in either case. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. On the other hand, once the fighting started, Experience should come in rapidly, anyway. Regina shook her head to dismiss her musings and called her System status screen to check her stats.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 43
Mana: 7467/18000
Hive: 234/435, 0 Swarm: 20870/80000, 1000
Con: 15 Str: 14
Dex: 16 End: 17
Int: 27 Wis: 26
Regina frowned thoughtfully. Even before she¡¯d started sending out more Drone Breeders, she¡¯d had about twenty thousand drones. There¡¯d only been time for a few hundred new drones from those efforts, it just hadn¡¯t had enough time to bear fruit yet. And it wasn¡¯t like every drone she had was combat-capable, far from it. A large percentage was still Production Drones, which she definitely wouldn¡¯t send into battle. And Regina knew she needed numbers, or at least, she felt comfortable with those. In any conventional engagement, she¡¯d need to outnumber her opponent heavily. Her War Drones were at a significant disadvantage to any gnomish soldiers they¡¯d face in terms of stats, and probably even levels. Not to mention that they didn¡¯t have armor or weapons, beyond what they were born with. Even an army of ten thousand, which she could easily manage, probably sounded big to a native of this place and time. But it definitely didn¡¯t to Regina. She knew the gnomes had a much larger population than that, and probably larger armed forces, as well. If they were really serious about this ¡ª and they¡¯d have to be, sooner or later ¡ª they could put a lot more people under arms, she was sure about that. Of course, Regina didn¡¯t intend to rely on numbers, even if she didn¡¯t want to depend exclusively on technological toys. She¡¯d already seen how much some semi-modern explosives could wreak havoc with a medieval-ish army, even with the System. But that had been a relatively small conflict, with a relatively small battle, and it hadn¡¯t involved underground territory or anything. And for that matter, the gnomes were clearly a bit more advanced than the local humans. She looked up at the sky as she walked through the streets of her hive¡¯s main base, frowning at the gathering clouds. It looked like there might be heavy rain this night, perhaps even a thunderstorm. That would probably be good for the plants, at least, but it might be an issue for her Winged Drones. Well, there was nothing to be done about it, and a little rain wouldn¡¯t hinder them too much, anyway. Regina kept walking quickly, passing the improvised fields and orchards ¡ª all overgrown with the ¡®weeds¡¯ which formed a main food source for the hive ¡ª and then the secondary training field. They had several of those scattered around now, but this one was supplied with weapons racks and even some tools and barricades for testing more destructive weapons. She paced past one side for a while, watching a few Warriors drilling a swarm of War Drones. There was a limit to what they could do without actual enemies to fight, though, and she wasn¡¯t sure how well this would hold up in battle. Then again, getting the sapient and Swarm Drones used to working with each other, coordinating, taking and implementing orders, was worth it in its own right. After a while, Regina moved away, turning her attention once more to the scouts she¡¯d set in place. The weather front was coming in quickly now, it had already reached the Winged Drones furthest to the east, although it was still just a threat on the horizon for those more to the southwest. Regina focused in on Dark, watching the little bird fly back to her hive at a speed few hive drones could have matched. He was taking a relatively direct route, and there was always the possibility of gnomish scouts or outposts spotting him. Although in the growing darkness and given his stealth abilities, they¡¯d need to be extraordinarily lucky just to see him, never mind actually attacking. Regina started heading back out towards the main training ground and the ¡®hatchery¡¯ area where the local Drone Breeders were stationed, before she paused. She was just about to close the connection to Dark¡¯s mind, but something caught her attention. She wasn¡¯t immediately sure what, it had probably been something in her subconscious that noticed some sign of alarm. But she hadn¡¯t come this far by ignoring her instincts, especially where psychic stuff was concerned. So Regina slowed down, closed her eyes, and diverted more attention to her little scout. After a moment, she also ordered him to slow down and turn around. She didn¡¯t find anything at first, but she kept at it. There. It had taken a while for her to locate because it was so faint, and Dark had already moved past the source. The contact was also moving. But now that she¡¯d caught on and focused, she could tell there were foreign minds here. Nothing was visible, and even Dark¡¯s keen ears couldn¡¯t hear any noise that shouldn¡¯t have been there. His sense for mana, rudimentary as it was, didn¡¯t catch anything, either. But Regina had means of detection not limited to any of those senses, and to her, they were clearly present. They were strong minds, focused and steady. Definitely not some stealthy wildlife. Gnomes. Regina scowled. It couldn¡¯t be anyone else, not out here, and not hidden like this. Probably elites, she concluded. High-level fighters with good Skills. I was watching for raiding parties, but I didn¡¯t think of something like this. Well, a good thing I sent scouts out, I guess. She shook her head and headed back inside the building, fleeing the first scattering of raindrops. Then she opened her mind to more of her hive, contacting many of them and pulling them together into the equivalent of a conference call. Dark just helped me spot some visitors on his way back, she informed them. I¡¯m expecting gnomish raiders, probably quite strong ones. What did you find, my Queen? Ben asked, his mind suddenly focused with sharp-edged intensity. She shared the rough sensation she¡¯d gotten, although she knew it would be difficult for her drones to understand, since they lacked the psychic capabilities she had. This seems to be just one squad, but there are probably more, she continued. I¡¯m sending more scouts out, but we, I, may miss some of them. It¡¯s probably best to assume the worst in this case. I¡¯ll recall those on the outer perimeter in that direction and anyone else they might try to pick off, Ben said. Send at least a few Swarm Drones out to scout more intensively, though, Tim said. Any bit of information they can get would be valuable. It¡¯s probably best not to let them know we¡¯ve already spotted them, though. Regina smiled slightly as she listened to her commanders reacting and strategizing. I have every confidence you will handle this well, she said. Make your preparations, and hurry. Unless I miss my guess, we¡¯ll have the first real battle of this war soon. Even if it¡¯s just a small skirmish, Max commented with a dash of humor. We¡¯ll provide them with a warm welcome, either way, my Queen, Ben promised. Good. Regina hissed softly, a sound lost to the rain and wind. I¡¯m looking forward to it. Chapter 140: Playing Defense The gnomes had probably chosen the timing of their attack well, Regina reflected. The weather had gotten worse, the rain was pouring down steadily, and if it wasn¡¯t a real storm yet, it wouldn¡¯t be much longer before it earned the name. Her fancy new gunpowder was going to be so much worthless dust in this weather. Maybe if their capabilities had progressed a little further ¡­ but they¡¯d barely gotten started. What she¡¯d really wanted was some genuine artillery, but that was a bit of a pipe dream still, unfortunately. Even relatively primitive weapons, which wouldn¡¯t need sophisticated technical components, weren¡¯t really in the cards. The hive just didn¡¯t have that amount of metal, and Conjuring it would be unfeasible. Not that having cannon, mortars or whatever would be much help under the circumstances, anyway. It was evening, the sun dyeing the sky to the west a burnt color. Luckily, that hardly mattered to the hive. They could see just as well as they would in bright daylight. Besides, the ¡®passive¡¯ sharing of sensory and other information, which had become more pronounced as the psychic link improved and Regina¡¯s own psychic power grew, ensured that there was virtually no risk of a drone running afoul of the defenses placed around the hive¡¯s base. And the drones knew them very well. Not even the youngest Swarm Drone was likely to get itself blown up. ¡°We¡¯re as ready as we can be, Mother,¡± Ben said quietly. Regina turned and glanced at him, standing beside her at the edge of the base¡¯s rooftop terrace. She smiled and laid a hand on his arm briefly. ¡°I know, Ben,¡± she said. ¡°And you¡¯ve done good work. I just wish we¡¯d had a little more warning this time, that¡¯s all.¡± She pulled a face. ¡°And the damn weather could be nicer, too.¡± He snorted softly and nodded. ¡°They have been moving quite quickly,¡± he said. Regina turned back to look south across the terrain stretching out beyond the village. She still kept a metaphorical ear tuned to the psychic link, and she felt the presences of Max, Ira, and other drones further away. Then she took a deep breath and turned most of her focus to tracking the gnomes that were making their way towards the hive and passing on the information to the others, including Ben. The raiding team ¡ª for lack of a better word, and Regina had to assume that was their purpose ¡ª clearly consisted of high-level individuals, given the speed with which they moved. There didn¡¯t seem to be many of them. She couldn¡¯t be sure she¡¯d caught all of them, even now, but there weren¡¯t more than a handful. That also argued for them being high-level, of course. Really strong people had to be military or at least strategic assets more valuable than almost anything else. But at least she had caught their approach, and they wouldn¡¯t get the element of surprise they might have hoped for. As best I can tell, there are probably no more than sixteen of them, three squads of five or six each, she relayed to the others. This close, I don¡¯t think there are any others I¡¯ve missed, unless they¡¯re significantly farther back. We can¡¯t rule out reinforcements, Max commented. Of course not, Tim agreed. But I think we can safely say that they hardly brought out the entire army of the Confederation. On the face of it, sixteen people attacking a group of thousands was ridiculous. That was why Regina was convinced it had to be a raid. Presumably intended to be a quick in-and-out affair. And smash-and-burn. And maybe they¡¯re actually doing this to gain intelligence, she reminded herself. Unfortunately, she hadn¡¯t had the time to recall more of her drones from elsewhere, at least not in large numbers, even if she¡¯d been so inclined. However, they still had more than enough here, covering the hive¡¯s main base. Then the gnomes came closer, close enough that she could make them out with her own eyes. From up here, at least. They seemed to have ditched their stealth, or whatever had allowed them to pass unseen so far. Maybe the time of their Skills had run out, or maybe they simply needed the focus or mana for other things, like attacking. Regina supposed it didn¡¯t particularly matter. She watched them get closer with narrowed eyes. A flash of light and low, muted thunder reached them as the first mine detonated. It hurled a gnome who¡¯d stepped into its radius to the side, flinging his body into one of his companions. The others halted immediately. After a few long, drawn-out, tense seconds, both of the gnomes climbed to their feet again. The first one might be leaning a bit to the side, but it could also just be her imagination. Another flash lit up the darkening sky a few seconds later ¡­ and then it stopped. Regina held her breath, but none of the other mines triggered after that. They appear to be flying, or at least floating, Ada said. The scout crouched on a protrusion at the forefront of the building, where they¡¯d built a small lookout and command post. Regina nodded. Now that Ada had pointed it out and the gnomes were coming closer, she could tell that she was right. The gnomes weren¡¯t actually touching the ground, but rather moving through the air above it. Well, so much for that part. She suppressed a grimace. The gnomes were advancing in a spread-out formation, if you could call it a formation. They still stuck relatively close to each other in a strategic sense, probably to keep whatever effect they were using working. Now that they were close enough that she could make out more details, Regina noticed the variety of weapons and equipment they were using. A few barely had any armor, while others wore heavy plate. They carried everything from swords to polearms to bows to a few things she couldn¡¯t put a name to. Several also had what looked like primitive firearms. And, interestingly enough, they were all men, with not a single woman in the strike team. Regina supposed that said something about their culture, although she wasn¡¯t sure exactly what. Then the hive opened fire. A few scattered shots at first rapidly grew into a rain of projectiles. Regina had a flock of Winged Drones in the air, but the weather made things harder. The driving rain limited their maneuverability, and the tempestuous wind might carry anything they dropped heavily off course. Under those circumstances, it probably wasn¡¯t surprising that the bombs they released didn¡¯t seem to find any targets. Regina sighed as the explosions rattled the terrain outside the hive, squinting to catch a better glimpse of the gnomes. Then she switched her focus to Ada and several other drones, looking through them. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The hive¡¯s drones shooting directly at the gnomes seemed to have more success, but after a few of the attackers dropped, a shield flickered into existence around them. It was mostly translucent, with a faint blue shine, and it extended far enough to cover everyone, although it also forced them to draw more tightly together. Regina frowned to herself. So far, the hive¡¯s defenses weren¡¯t doing very well, definitely worse than she¡¯d hoped. Once this was over, she would have to sit down with Ben and the others and evaluate where they went wrong, and how to improve. She wasn¡¯t really worried yet, though. The attackers were simply far too outnumbered, unless they happened to have a hidden army waiting in the wings. She doubted they¡¯d be able to conceal that from her psychic senses, though. Come to think of it, if these people knew about the Hivekind, maybe their target was actually Regina herself. Maybe this was a decapitation strike, aimed to take out the Hive Queen? I guess it might make sense if they think they can get away with it, she considered. My Queen, perhaps you should head inside, Ben suggested. Max stiffened slightly and glanced between them, before nodding firmly. Regina frowned at them. Ben must have been following her thoughts. She had kept herself more tightly immersed in the psychic link, so she could share what her psychic senses told her and coordinate with the others. Then again, he might have just reached the same conclusion on his own. ¡°I don¡¯t think I would be safer there,¡± she pointed out. ¡°If they reach this place at all, then at least in the open, I¡¯ll have more drones around to protect me, and the ability to move much more easily. I do still have wings, you know.¡± Max rolled his eyes and Ben sighed slightly, but neither of them argued. She could tell that they followed her logic, albeit a little grudgingly. Ben did call over additional drones to form up more tightly around their position, though. Regina left him to it without interfering. They waited in silence for a short while longer, watching while the gnomes worked their way closer. Even though they didn¡¯t seem to be taking casualties, they were at least hindered by the hive¡¯s defenses, the projectiles and the need to keep up their own magic shield. Mages, attack, Ben ordered finally. Regina watched as the scattered Drones Witches and Drone Attendants (and Evolved Classes) opened fire. Most of the attacks splashed harmlessly off the attackers¡¯ magic shield, as well, but she could tell that a few actually managed to pass through it. The gnomes slowed down further, as well. ¡°I wonder why they¡¯re not retreating?¡± Max muttered. ¡°They were clearly banking on their stealth.¡± Maybe trying to gain information, Regina answered absently. Ben, do you think we should try throwing some explosives, as well? The general paused, then smiled at her, nodded and turned to pass orders. Quickly, several improvised grenades joined the hail of attacks raining down on the gnomes. Regina knew he¡¯d probably wanted to keep them in reserve for now, but this move seemed to work out well. The gnomes staggered and several of them were actually pushed back. One even went down when a large explosion went off right against his shield. The mana shield flickered for a moment, which also exposed the gnomes to either side of the fallen man. Regina didn¡¯t waste the opportunity, and sent a Magic Missile into the opening immediately. Several other mages of the hive had the same idea, and while most of their Spells still crashed into the edges of the shield and sputtered out, her Missile and a Firebolt passed through. One gnome collapsed screaming to the ground, and the other was pushed back, the shield in front of him now showing a real rift. Other Spells and a few javelins from the Shooters passed through quickly, taking him out as well. Regina narrowed her eyes, looking at the attackers. She couldn¡¯t see a single level displayed for them, just question marks. Granted, a few had fallen back enough they weren¡¯t in range, and most of them were injured, so these were probably more likely to be the lower-leveled members of this strike team. But still, the gnomes were probably all in at least the fourth Tier, or maybe even the fifth. She sighed and conjured two more Fireballs, launching one from each hand at the closest gnomes while she prepared follow-up attacks. Even if her mana pool was largely spoken for and her regeneration bound up in her hive¡¯s eggs, she doubted any of them had as much mana as she did. One of the gnomes staggered, before her Fireball engulfed him and he fell down screaming. Regina was just starting to smile in satisfaction, when the somewhat tattered magic shield protecting the rest of them flickered and went down. She only had a moment to realize they¡¯d dropped it and must have freed up their own mages to attack directly, when a hail of rocks swept towards her. Max and a few other drones stepped forward, raising their shields to catch the attack. Two of them staggered and would have fallen if Via and Ria didn¡¯t catch them. It interrupted Regina¡¯s line of sight, but she didn¡¯t rely on that, and she trusted her drones to keep her safe. So, when the gnomish mage appeared in the air in front of her, she was ready. She even had enough time to catch a glimpse of his System descriptor.
Petiaken ¡ª Level ? Archmage of the Elements
They attacked almost at the same time. A massive Fireball rushed towards Regina, while a smaller one flew from her to him. Regina winced slightly, but she didn¡¯t take her attention off her opponent. A Mage Armor flickered on her, then a second, and then Max extended his shield, just in time to catch the Fireball on it. Simultaneously, the gnome veered to the side, dodging her own attack. But she hadn¡¯t counted on that one. Instead, several other magical attacks covered the area around where he had just been. A fraction of a second later, he was hit by another Firebolt, sent by Janis and staggered slightly behind Regina¡¯s attack. His own Mage Armor absorbed the hit, but she could see it fail. Regina sent out a torrent of Magic Missiles, while half of the mages in her vicinity copied her. The lighter Spell could be spammed more easily, and it didn¡¯t take long for one of them to hit the gnome. He lost altitude, then suddenly vanished. He retreated, Ada sent her, showing a view of where the mage had appeared a few hundred meters away. The gust of wind carrying him blew away a scattering of fallen leaves and sodden grass from the area around him. They¡¯re all retreating now, Ben added. Regina flipped quickly through perspectives, taking in the entire battlefield. Ben was right, they were trying to disengage. Hammer them while they try to get away, but don¡¯t pursue them too far, she ordered her hive. Regina sent a few more Spells at the closest gnomes, shaking her head to flick water out of her eyes. The rain had only increased in intensity, and her Winged Drones were having real trouble staying in the air. They still managed to pile onto several of the gnomes in small flocks, bringing them down and savaging them on the ground. One gnome, wearing armor and wielding a sword, managed to cut his way out of them, only to be set upon by the next flock and harried until a Shooter¡¯s Skill-bolstered projectile pierced his back. In the end, only five of them escaped.
You have leveled up
Regina sighed, dismissing the notification and watching while Ben and the others called the drones back and got them sorted out into proper order. Their insistence on not letting sapient drones close the distance to the attackers had paid off, since none of them were killed and only a few injured. Still, she found it hard to call this a success. Lightning flickered in the distance, illuminating the terrain in front of her starkly. The earth was churned and pitted, dotted with the occasional fallen body. We¡¯ll need to discuss this in detail, she finally said. At the moment, though, I have to admit, I just want to get out of the rain. Max laughed, and she smiled as the small surge of amusement spread through her drones. They were feeling good about having won an engagement and killed some gnomes, and Regina didn¡¯t begrudge them that. Chapter 141: Assessments The storm lasted through the night and into the next day, so it wasn¡¯t until after dawn that the hive really started to deal with the aftermath of the attack. Not that Regina would call it much of an attack, really. Apparently, she¡¯d missed some results of the fighting while her attention was turned to other things, so she¡¯d been a bit surprised to realize that there was minor damage to the hive¡¯s main buildings. It looked like the gnomes had gotten some attacks off, and, more often than not, missed their real targets. The damage was nothing major or difficult to repair, though, and Ina was already on it with a small swarm of drafted War Drones and some Workers. Regina let everyone sort things out without poking her nose into matters too much, and instead took stock of the hive and adjusted her plans for the hive¡¯s growth. They might need more Production Drones than she¡¯d first thought, and it might be worth putting up dedicated ¡®farming bases¡¯ devoted to growing food. She also kept a closer watch on the Winged Drones she had near the Confederation, watching for any troop movements or other unusual activity. She didn¡¯t find much, though. It looked like the gnomes would need a bit of time to deal with their loss and start reacting, or to try something new. Usually, she¡¯d be tempted to push in that situation, but they hadn¡¯t exactly lost many fighters, and they were probably beefing up their own security already. Regina snorted to herself as she realized that they still hadn¡¯t sent an official declaration of war. Neither had her hive, of course. It wasn¡¯t like there could be any doubt that there was a war between them, though. Maybe she should still go through with that formality, anyway? Worth discussing with the elves, Regina decided. She had leveled up after the fight, presumably due to a windfall of Experience for her hive defeating several very high-level opponents. Not to mention that she¡¯d also contributed to the fight herself. Actually, Regina felt a bit ambivalent about that. She kind of missed having the opportunity to fight, but it was clear that her role was becoming a more behind-the-scenes, leadership-focused one. Well, either way, she was looking forward to reaching level 45 and getting a new Ability. In the meantime, Regina checked in with Ray. He was in frequent talks with Enais and a few other elves, building connections, making contacts and getting a feel for their movers and shakers and their political landscape. He was rising to the occasion quite well, in her opinion, and she made sure to let him know. Enais didn¡¯t seem surprised when Ray brought up the issue of an official war declaration, and told him she¡¯d get back to them. Regina knew they were busy dealing with the situation and trying to organize what and how the Elvish Free State would support the hive, as well as finalizing sanctions against the Gnomish Confederation of the East, so Regina wouldn¡¯t joggle her elbow. Maybe you should ask or lean on the marquis to get his diplomatic support for us and against the gnomes, Ray suggested. I¡¯m not sure if it would feasible for him to embargo trade with the gnomes, or if they even trade at all, but maybe it would be a good statement? Regina paused and considered it for a moment. That¡¯s probably a good idea. Thanks, Ray. If you¡¯ll talk to Enais about it once she¡¯s free, that should help. I think I¡¯ll also bring it up with Kiara to see what she thinks. She smiled slightly. And maybe we can even get support from nations we¡¯re not in direct contact with! Ray seemed amused at that, but he agreed with her sentiment. Regina assured herself that everything was going fine on his end, before she turned her attention to other matters. One of those was the defenses around their hive, especially the main base. Regina checked on their progress, reassuring herself that they had been drawn up as intended. One of the first things they¡¯d agreed on was to increase the actual fortifications around the hive. A simple palisade and ditch were fine in a situation in which you were pressed for time and just holding off a few monsters, or Delver adventurers, but they could do better. Well, somewhat better. They still couldn¡¯t do what she really wanted, but that was a given. Still, they would expand and adapt their tunnel network, creating the equivalent of a staggered ring of bunkers around the base. They¡¯d build up some proper walls, with lookout and guard towers, and ¡®artillery¡¯ entrenchments. Regina knew enough to want earthwork berms and reinforcements, rather than just a wall of mortared stones, which should stand up better against real explosives. Ben agreed with her about that, anyway. Factoring in the need for overhead protection and fallback positions, it would require quite an effort on her hive¡¯s part. Luckily, they had lots of Swarm Drones to help with the construction, and more of them on the way, both as reinforcements from other bases and new hatchlings. They¡¯d also extend the minefields, and probably move them back further to make room for the new defenses. Regina was a bit disgruntled at seeing such an easy, hard counter to them from the gnomes, but landmines would probably still be useful against a proper army of common soldiers. She wished they could get something better than simple pressure- or impact-detonated ones, but that was probably still a ways off. She did wonder how work like this might influence the Class choices and Evolutions that her hive¡¯s drones would get. It might not do anything, but one could always hope. And she did have a feeling their Class, or Template, makeup might change a bit if the hive got a real technological revolution. Of course, that probably also depended on those who governed the System. And if the other gods, or most of them, agreed with Deirianon, that would be a whole other issue. Regina really wished Alianais would just talk to her. She¡¯d like to ask her some pointed questions about the gnomes¡¯ claims and their history. Maybe she actually is ignoring me, but she probably just has other things to do. Regina sighed. I might have to visit an actual temple at some point after all. She shook her head and got back to the defensive planning. It was a bit harder to decide what to do for all their outposts. What kind of fortifications did they need? Which ones should they focus on? Obviously, those closer to the gnomes should probably take priority, but the more extensive the defenses they planned, the more effort and time it would take. And they still hadn¡¯t even fought regular gnomish soldiers in anything like a real battle, so they would probably need to reassess and revamp their measures a bit in the future. Regina was thankful that she had such a large, ever-expanding workforce at her disposal. Swarm Drones might not be able to accomplish complex tasks on their own without supervision, but at least they didn¡¯t complain, take days off, go on strike or demand worker representation in policy-making. Then again, that might come back to bite her once the hive¡¯s economy got off the ground and went beyond a medieval level. Swarm Drones didn¡¯t exactly make for a good consumer base. And Regina wasn¡¯t a fan of communism-style controlled economy on principle, but there was no point complaining about that now. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Either way, she vaguely remembered that about one to a few percent of a nation¡¯s population could be taken to join its armed forces without causing severe strain to its economy. Actually, that number might even be high for a real standing military, although she supposed you could have militias, reservists or whatever. Either way, that was not really a problem for her, and she could have a much larger percentage of her hive¡¯s numbers fighting. Besides, War Drones were born with natural weapons and could eat basically anything short of dirt or rock, while humanoid enemies would have to worry about feeding, equipping and training soldiers. And getting reserves literally just needed her to dedicate a bit of mana and wait a few days. Of course, that didn¡¯t take into account the System and Classes. She assumed that most gnomes didn¡¯t have soldier- or fighting-focused Classes, but were farmers, artisans, traders and things like that. On the other hand, the soldiers they did have would be stronger. Regina sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, ordering her thoughts and trying to see the takeaway from those musings. Overall, she was quite sure that her hive would win in any war of attrition, but the gnomes did have a much higher population to start with. If they overwhelmed her with numbers or levels at the start, it might get dicey, especially if they found counters to the ¡®advanced¡¯ snippets of technology the hive had come up with. She opened her eyes, then closed them again and focused on the scattered flocks of Winged Drones she had near the gnomes¡¯ territory. She nudged them to move around, gathering in some larger units, setting up a small rotation for training lower-level members and a stream of reinforcements as new drones hatched to take up posts elsewhere. It would probably take a bit more preparation, but she was thinking about launching a few raids, burning some gnomish outposts around the mountains and maybe even getting close to a city or two. Anything to keep the gnomes off-balance and disrupt their own plans. It would be her first aggressive move of the war, though, and she wasn¡¯t quite sure that was the right choice for something like this. Maybe she should start off with more of a bang? Or bide her time a little longer? Regina added it to the list of things to discuss with her military leaders and allies, but making the preparations wouldn¡¯t hurt in the meantime. While she was at it, Regina also diverted some Winged Drones to the east. From her recent exchange of letters with Lyns and Kiara, she knew that the civil war wasn¡¯t going well. Just another issue she didn¡¯t need right now. But if they actually lost, they would open the way for the Cernlian government to invade her hive¡¯s territories, so she supposed she ought to keep an eye on things at the very least. She had even offered to increase the financial backing she sent to the marquis, and while he¡¯d gratefully accepted more gold, Kiara had a point that that had basically reached the limit of its effectiveness. There was only so much money could do when you couldn¡¯t find troops to hire and when food to buy was difficult to get. At this point, the only thing Lyns might be able to do was bribe Nerlia to leave them alone, and she had no idea how realistic a prospect that was. This time, Regina pushed the range of her flying drones, sending them further than she¡¯d usually dared to go before. Flying lower to the ground and working with the information she¡¯d got from her allies, it was possible to trace the front lines of the war. Lyns¡¯ forces had been pushed further east, although he¡¯d hooked around to the south and even moved in a southwesterly direction. That cost him quite a bit of ground, but it also brought him back closer to the core of his territory, where his power was strongest. Ironically, the Lyns march itself hadn¡¯t been touched much by the fighting so far, so it was still a source of much-needed supplies. It had always been one of the most heavily fortified regions, anyway, which probably helped. Regina could see the armies of the Nerlian and Cernlian kings encamped, getting a look at the banners and flags flying from the occasional pole to confirm which was which. They hadn¡¯t merged, for some reason. You¡¯d think joining their forces would make them stronger, right? But the Nerlians were still closer to their own border, and the Cernlian royal camp was a sprawling mess. Regina hesitated for a moment, then sent a few Winged Drones flying a bit closer. She was starting to get a suspicion about this situation, and it was probably worth trying to figure out if she was right. Luckily, they seemed to be a bit preoccupied, or maybe their sentries just weren¡¯t that alert. Maybe there was something to the thing about people never looking up. Anyway, Regina got the Winged Drones close enough to get a better idea of the camp and what was going on within, or at least a rough idea of their organization. She was pretty confident she saw what she needed to. After a few minutes, Regina disengaged herself from those drones and ordered them to circle back, while she started breathing regularly and preparing herself. She drew on her magic and focused, starting a spell that was familiar by now. It took a while, as always, and this time, it almost felt like she had to fight past a weird kind of static. She didn¡¯t get a clear view, either. After a moment, Regina realized that Kiara wasn¡¯t alone this time. Instead, she sat in a room somewhere talking to what looked like a group of noblemen. Regina watched them for a moment, but it was like having a bad phone connection, and her audio cut out occasionally. Either there were protections against scrying on the location or one of them carried something like that. Regina sighed and settled in to wait. She kept the scrying connection going, despite the drain on her magic. She was good enough at it now that she was able to focus on other things at the same time, and she listened in to a meeting between Max and a few other warriors and checked on her Winged Drones again. Then Kiara left the meeting and withdrew to a private room. She closed her eyes and Regina waited until she felt her magic reaching out to hers again, establishing the link. ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± Kiara bowed slightly. Regina returned the gesture. ¡°Lady Kiara, it is good to see you. I fear I need to take up some of your time again.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m at your disposal.¡± Kiara settled down on a richly decorated folding chair and took a sip from a cup of what was probably wine standing on a small table. ¡°How can I help you?¡± Right to business, then. They both had things to do. ¡°There are several things we need to discuss,¡± Regina began. ¡°But first, I may have some new information for you regarding your opponents¡¯ camp. I sent some Winged Drones there and found some interesting patterns.¡± Kiara leaned forward slightly. ¡°We have been having trouble with getting eyes inside their camp, unfortunately. Their scrying protections are good and we don¡¯t have any reliable spies,¡± she admitted. Regina nodded. ¡°You weren¡¯t aware that they seem to be suffering from illness, then.¡± Kiara sat up straighter. ¡°Illness? How bad is it?¡± ¡°Probably pretty bad, but I¡¯m not an expert on things like that,¡± Regina admitted. ¡°They definitely reorganized their camp, and a lot of soldiers seem to be sick, from what I can tell. I¡¯m not sure what kind of plague it is, but I¡¯m pretty sure there is one.¡± Kiara tapped her fingers on the table for a moment before she stopped. ¡°We do have more healers than they do, partly because we can afford to pay them much better,¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°Especially in terms of high-level healer Classes. Their supplies are probably running low, too. It would explain why they haven¡¯t been pushing our retreat more aggressively.¡± ¡°How much impact is an epidemic like this going to have?¡± Regina asked. She knew that in preindustrial armies, a lot of soldiers died to disease, more than to actual combat, but she wasn¡¯t sure how that translated to a world with the System, Con and End stats and magical healing. ¡°It depends.¡± Kiara frowned thoughtfully. ¡°It will primarily affect their low-level soldiers, conscripts and weak fighters. But even stronger people can be affected if they don¡¯t have a focus on Constitution. Even if they get it under control, it will still be a major issue for them, however. That much I would be prepared to bet on.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Regina smiled with a bit of relief. ¡°I¡¯d advise being careful and making sure your own army follows strict hygiene regulations, then. But that sounds like it will be a relief to your forces.¡± Kiara returned her smile, and the conversation moved on to other topics. Regina took a moment to be thankful that her hive had never had problems with illness, despite living in pretty close quarters. Chapter 142: Organization and Options Regina wasn¡¯t entirely sure what Lyns and his people would do about their opponents¡¯ situation, but it wasn¡¯t really her problem. She was just happy to find out that they had a new advantage and would hopefully not need more help than she could give. So Regina turned her attention back to the south and southwest. She had only so many Winged Drones, and only so many other drones who could supervise them. That was getting to be the real bottleneck of their reconnaissance efforts, she suspected. Her hive was still growing in heaps and bounds, although she could see a bit of a limit on the horizon. She was relying heavily on Drone Breeders, which were also leveling up at a satisfying pace. But Drone Breeders couldn¡¯t hatch any other Breeders themselves, only the other Swarm Drone Templates she¡¯d unlocked. Of course, she was concentrating on War Drones and Winged Drones and had barely made any Aquatic Drones at all since she unlocked them. Right now, she was just telling all of the Drone Breeders as they hatched which type to produce and basically left them to their own devices. It had been working well so far. Even newborn Swarm Drones¡¯ instincts ensured that they wouldn¡¯t just kill themselves in random accidents, and Regina was taking care to keep the ¡®hatcheries¡¯ protected from monster attacks. Training was a bit of a different matter, though. They could level up a little by hunting or practicing on their own, but she really needed sapient drones for coordination and to integrate the drones into a real fighting force. Regina wanted to be able to use tactics a little more sophisticated than ¡®form a horde, run that way and attack everything¡¯. Luckily, Ben and the others were on top of things, although he¡¯d requested more sapient Warriors to help. Her hive had changed recently, in a way that went beyond the influx of new hatchlings. Regina found it hard to put a finger on it, but she was coming to realize it might just be the way the drones approached what was happening. It felt like they¡¯d found a purpose, or at least intensified part of their shared purpose. It didn¡¯t seem to matter that they were going to fight an enemy with larger numbers and a lot more experience. And once the initial anger and rush of bloodlust abated, the reasons didn¡¯t seem to matter that much, anyway. Regina suspected that if she¡¯d just pointed everyone at Cernlia, it would be almost the same. It was a bit concerning on an intellectual level, but Regina found it hard to care about that as much as the issue probably deserved, because it was also kind of exhilarating. Maybe there was a little megalomaniac in every Hive Queen, but seeing, feeling, her hive forming a weapon ready for her to grasp and wield against her enemies ¡­ it was really something. Maybe Hivekind weren¡¯t meant for long stretches of peace. Or maybe a war was just a simple, convenient goal, and they could achieve as much or more if they had another driving aim. Like scientific inquiry or space exploration or whatever. Who knew? She was still only a few months old. Regina supposed that more answers would come with time. In the meantime, their preparations continued quite well. Neralt was working on their main fortress close to the gnomes¡¯ territory, raising walls, subtly shaping the landscape and conferring with the sapient drones Regina had sent with him. They were making good progress. In light of the attack on their main base, Regina had nudged them to go over their plans again and make adjustments. Among other things, they had expanded their chain of outposts and lookout spots, to make it easier to catch any gnomes trying to slip by it. They could still pass the base by if they went completely around it in another direction, of course, but that should still make things more difficult for the gnomes. The plans for the fort itself were also redrawn, with their defensive emplacements strengthened and more emphasis on protection against flying enemies, as well as several escape routes. Janis had returned to the main base and stayed there for now. She was working on developing her magic, experimenting with Conjured material and trying to tweak her Spells, as well as taking lessons in ¡®unstructured¡¯ magic like scrying when Regina had a free moment, or studying it with some of the Attendants and Witches. Regina guessed that she was preparing for her next Evolution. Last she knew, Janis was still shooting for Archmage, but it probably helped to take advantage of her current Class¡¯s inclination more. Regina had considered sending her back to talk to Volance again, but decided to only do that once she truly had something to say. What might elementals want? Janis¡¯ grandmother had very explicitly hinted that she could be persuaded to help the hive in exchange for something, but Regina wasn¡¯t sure what she should try to offer her. Certainly, her old knowledge would probably be of interest to the elemental, but she wasn¡¯t sure about sharing that. And which parts of it would interest Volance, anyway? Regina didn¡¯t think she was getting very far with those considerations, so she decided to put them on the back burner for now. The Drone Keepers were really proving their worth, as well. From ¡®storing¡¯ tactical information to just serving as sounding boards and even helping with mana lessons, they were pretty handy for the hive. It might be due to their help that she felt the magic-using drones were getting better. By now, they had almost a small catalog of Spells that Attendants and Witches often got, with more variation in the next Tier and various Evolved Classes. Fewer people than she¡¯d wanted to could learn Conjuration, or for that matter Basic Heal and its successors, but Regina suspected it was probably still a lot more people than in most other groups. They were her own two most powerful Spells, given her knowledge from her past, but any Conjuration Spells, at least, had to be really rare on the outside. Good healing Spells also didn¡¯t seem that common, considering the plague in the Cernlian army¡¯s camp. No one else had yet managed to learn scrying magic well enough to use it, so it still fell to Regina to scout out the gnomes with it. She did that regularly, even if it drained her mana more than she¡¯d like. All in all, she was almost relieved when she finally saw the gnomes mustering in her latest scrying attempt. At least, it seemed like they were doing that, although she couldn¡¯t be entirely sure. There were more soldiers in the city she¡¯d been paying the most attention to. She also managed to check on the neighboring city, which her drones hadn¡¯t entered in person, but she¡¯d had some Winged Drones overhead closely and often enough to get a good image of it. It was the same thing there. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Things were clearly organized. The soldiers moved and acted in units, the gnomes had what looked like dedicated supply and logistics people and buildings, and the citizens of the city switched between gawking, cheering them on, and trying to stay away. Unfortunately, Regina couldn¡¯t really get close enough to tell what was in most of those covered crates their logistics efforts used, but she watched them managing uniforms, what had to be rations, and weapons ¡ª everything from knives and swords to crossbows to muskets, and also a few things like spyglasses that would be useful for an army to have, as well. To the gnomes¡¯ credit, it looked a lot better organized and more modern than the glimpses she¡¯d gotten from the Cernlian armies. She wondered where they¡¯d stationed these soldiers before, probably a tunnel or several behind these outer cities. Why only move them forward now? Well, the obvious answer is that they didn¡¯t want me to see them, she reflected. Which also means that if they were still just building their forces up, they wouldn¡¯t have bothered moving them around. So they¡¯re probably pretty close to actually marching out - or whatever they intend - and this is just the last stop, maybe setting up a new base for them to operate from while they¡¯re out campaigning. Regina frowned. She didn¡¯t know these things well enough to tell if the activity she saw matched an army just preparing to move out or settling in for the long haul. Although that didn¡¯t seem likely. Either way, it was probably best to proceed on the assumption that the gnomes would go on the attack soon. Then Regina realized she was being stupid, and she reached out to Ben. After a moment, she also connected to Tim, Ada and a few others. Take a look at this, she told them, then shared what she was seeing. The others watched intently, and Ben gave a few suggestions on where to look. After a while, Regina also switched to some of the Winged Drones and got a few different viewpoints. I think you¡¯re right, Ben concluded after a while. They probably are preparing for an attack of some kind. This could just be defensive, if they expect us to attack after their raid, but it doesn¡¯t seem like that to me. Everyone was quiet for a moment while they considered what they saw. Well, this is a good thing, isn¡¯t it? Tim asked. Better than us having to go into their tunnels, for several reasons. Now they¡¯re coming to us, to ground that we have prepared. And we can probably meet them on ground of our choosing, right? Regina smiled slightly. He wasn¡¯t wrong. We need to be careful not to let them know that we¡¯ve seen them, Janis said. From everything I¡¯ve heard, knowing what your opponent is doing but keeping them in the dark and not letting them know that you know is, like, the biggest advantage you can have. Or something like that. Regina¡¯s smile widened. How well you put that, Janis, she teased her. But you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t pretend to be a master strategist, but knowing their army is on the way and being able to watch its movements has to be a big advantage. It means we can plan what to do about it, anyway. No plan survives contact with the enemy, but not having a plan still means you¡¯re screwed, Ben agreed, sounding amused. With your permission, my Queen, I¡¯m going to talk to all of my commanders and fill them in so we can get started on that. You do that, Regina said. Let¡¯s meet and discuss what you¡¯ve come up with and what we may need to adjust after that. Tia, do you think our defenses are ready? Tia seemed thoughtful, almost subdued. She¡¯d been very busy over the last little while, planning and overseeing the hive¡¯s fortifications and also working on their weapons production. Regina could tell she was feeling a bit nervous now, not because she thought she¡¯d screwed up, but just because her work would soon be put to the test. I think so, my Queen, she said after a moment. I would have liked more time to work on everything, but I think what we have is pretty good. Great. Regina nodded to herself. Then let¡¯s all get started making sure they¡¯re walking into the dragon¡¯s maw without knowing it. After the meeting, she stood up from where she¡¯d been sitting on her bed and stretched. Regina winced slightly at the crack of her neck and took a few careful steps. Her recent expenditure of mana was draining, as were all the eggs she had to produce for the hive. She¡¯d gotten used to feeling a little bit hollow. Right now, she headed to the bathroom, since she had time before anything major would happen and a good soak usually helped. The Attendants had taken to always keeping things ready for that, which Regina appreciated, even if it did feel a bit like she was taking advantage to indulge in personal decadence. She knew the drones wouldn¡¯t see it that way, though. Once Regina was in the hot water, she closed her eyes and just let herself relax for a moment. Then she idly reached out through the psychic link to check on her hatchlings. There were a lot of eggs developing for the hive, most of them by the Drone Breeders, by now. Several eggs of that Template were also still incubating nearby, along with sapient drones and some other Swarm Drones. They were up to several thousand new drones every few days now, and Regina wondered how big a growth they could sustain before they hit their limits. Or her limits, probably. Her mana was getting drained pretty fast now. It wasn¡¯t just the eggs, but all of the scrying and other magic she did. She could try to cut back on that, but Regina couldn¡¯t help but think that would be sacrificing long-term for short-term gain. Training in magic was important, especially with her magic-using drones. Not to mention that her surveillance of the gnomes was one of the main advantages they had in intelligence gathering. She barely had enough mana left to get any real progress with Conjuration magic as it was. Regina held up her hand, focusing for a moment and watching as a small drop of liquid formed, then dropped into the bathwater below. Conjuring water wasn¡¯t particularly hard, and her Water Manipulation might even help. She still didn¡¯t have nearly enough to flood the gnomes¡¯ tunnels, even assuming they didn¡¯t have defenses against that kind of thing. Which they probably had. It was also why she wasn¡¯t going to rely on any ideas about gassing them or trying to smoke them out. If they lived underground, they had to know the importance of clean air, and it would be stupid to assume they didn¡¯t have air mages, or even just people with specific Skills that did things like filter air or even increase its oxygen content. Granted, increasing the proportion of oxygen wasn¡¯t going to do all that much in the face of carbon monoxide poisoning, since it had a much higher probability of binding to hemoglobin than oxygen did. Regina submerged her hand in the water, then focused again for a moment and watched a bubble of gas rise to the surface. She leaned her head back, even though she knew it wasn¡¯t dangerous for her like this. Yes, there are probably a few options I do have, she decided, smiling slightly to herself. It just needs a bit of luck and maybe some trial and error. Her smile faded as she considered that. She should probably test how well her drones stood up to things like this, although deliberately gassing or poisoning her hive¡¯s drones, even Swarm Drones, felt like it would be going a bit too far. Interlude: Division The rising sun illuminated a panorama of gnomish soldiers heading out of the mountains to war, and Tikimaken wondered where things had gone wrong. He was relatively sure that things had indeed gone wrong, although in fairness, only time would tell if his misgivings were right. And he had to admit, if only privately, that he had hardly protested very strongly against recent changes, either, because they had been to his faction¡¯s benefit. Granted, the Historicals had been moving towards a more ¡®extremist¡¯ stance for a while now. A few years ago, he was quite sure the leadership of the faction would have acted differently. But that was neither here nor there. At present, they also had the support of several of the smaller factions. Combined with their executive majority on the executive council, that gave them free rein to do whatever they needed to. As long as the faction remained generally united, at least, but Tikimaken was not worried about that. And the other factions were hardly in a position to contest their primacy, and growing even less so as the Historicals consolidated their power. Tikimaken sighed and rolled his shoulders, trying to redistribute the weight of the heavy military pack resting on them, before he started walking. He was not keen on this venture, but as a man with a level in the third Tier, and a Class that was suited to combat ¡ª which his certainly was, since the Unbroken Rock wasn¡¯t called a ¡®building stone¡¯ of their armed forces for nothing ¡ª he had to do his part. At least he was afforded quite a few privileges compared to some common, first-Tier recruit. And his connections meant even his so-called commanding officer would be careful about pushing him around. ¡°Off into war we go,¡± his neighbor muttered. Tikimaken didn¡¯t even spare him a glance. He didn¡¯t particularly like the lazy idiot. Instead, he sped up until he was abreast with one of his friends, Perikeman. The other merchant (in normal times, at least) glanced back at him and gave him a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s hope this works as well as the sword-wavers think it will,¡± he commented quietly. Tikimaken nodded. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s hope so.¡± They walked in silence for a bit, before Peri spoke up again. ¡°Your contacts say anything about this?¡± ¡°Nothing beyond the usual.¡± His friend frowned. ¡°You¡¯re not in trouble, are you, Tiki?¡± He scoffed and shook his head. ¡°No, don¡¯t be stupid. The faction is united as always, Peri. They¡¯re not going to ice me out for voicing a few cautioning notes. Nukes, the biggest disagreements we¡¯ve seen was about stupid stuff like that spiel with the Envoy¡¯s death and the elves.¡± ¡°You mean telling them she existed?¡± Peri raised an eyebrow and shook his head. ¡°Could¡¯ve been handled better, I guess.¡± Tikimaken shrugged. ¡°Maybe not that much. You never know, they could have had some way of proving she died here.¡± He nodded at one of the moving tents behind them. His friend followed his gaze and nodded. He didn¡¯t give much outward sign of it, but he knew Peri enough to tell he was suppressing a subtle grimace. Both of them had given their signature to the Tracking Stone, once they¡¯d entered the third Tier. Having people know they were alive wasn¡¯t a bad thing, of course, but he knew they were both a little uneasy with it, especially since there were persistent rumors that the stone could be used to track people¡¯s current location, as well. Hardly a bad thing for men marching out to war, he had to admit, but still. A few in their faction had argued convincingly that they had no idea what kind of capabilities the Hivekind might have, but something similar was hardly out of the question, and Tikimaken tended to agree, personally. Because of that, they had argued for being audacious rather than risk getting caught in a lie about a diplomat getting killed. Of course, it involved lying to the elves and whoever else the council was sending messages to, but it was only one more lie, really. After all, it would have been impolitic to admit that the gnomes really had struck first without outward provocation, Hivekind or no Hivekind. Some people seemingly didn¡¯t want to admit that, even among themselves, but Tikimaken didn¡¯t think trying to hide from the truth like that was wise. He supposed it didn¡¯t matter much, in the great scheme of things. And anyway, the course was charted and the route set, they could hardly turn around now. "You¡¯re not concerned about those losses we took in that raid, Mene¡¯s brilliant brainchild?¡± Peri asked after a while. Tikimaken glanced at him again and caught his friend watching the moving army with a concerned look. The division was well underway now, picking its way down the mountain on two parallel roads. Or maybe calling them one road split into two to swerve around some obstacles would have been more appropriate. Supply wagons rumbled at the back, and a handful of cavalry screened them and the army¡¯s sides, using their mounts¡¯ better ability to move in the mountains to watch the marching soldiers making up its bulk. Tikimaken knew each of the monsters bearing those riders were worth as much as a normal platoon¡¯s wages and equipment. They also had some more traditional cavalry on horses, but those were even further behind and would be useless unless and until the army moved into open terrain. ¡°Not too much,¡± he finally replied, mostly honestly, and gave Peri a reassuring smile. ¡°We lost over half of them, and they were all elites,¡± Peri pointed out. ¡°And how many Hivekind did they kill? Any at all?¡± Tikimaken sighed and moved closer, lowering his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t spread this around, but I¡¯m not so sure the operation would be considered such a failure, for those who conceived it.¡± Peri gave him a sharp look, which quickly morphed into one of understanding. ¡°You mean ¡­?¡± Tikimaken nodded softly. ¡°You must have noticed that, for some reason, most of those sent out were from other factions? Somehow, most of our elites were away or occupied with urgent and critical work. And now that many didn¡¯t come home from that mission, our rivals are weakened.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Peri swore softly, but he seemed almost impressed. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m sure they would have been happy if they¡¯d managed to kill the Hive Queen,¡± he said. He thought so, anyway. His friend nodded, and they kept walking in silence for a while, before he asked softly, ¡±It doesn¡¯t bother you?¡± Tikimaken sighed. It was obvious to him Peri asked because it bothered him a little. ¡°A bit, maybe,¡± he admitted. ¡°But what can you do?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I never would¡¯ve gone there in the first place if I knew they were Hivekind.¡± Granted, he¡¯d come to suspect the identity of the new ¡®demihumans¡¯ some time before that fact became clear, but he told himself there was a big difference between suspicion and actual knowledge. They hadn¡¯t acted much like he¡¯d have expected the old monsters to, either. But the records also say that the monsters can be treacherous and cunning, he reminded himself. He¡¯d decided there was no point risking his position just to voice some discontent. It wouldn¡¯t likely have changed anything, either. That new Drone Envoy Bea (he still wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d really Evolved her Class during her visit or not) had seemed like a nice enough girl, and so had her companions. But they¡¯d still been Hivekind and been stupid enough to waltz into a gnomish city. So, really, they wouldn¡¯t have had a chance, anyway. And he might not have warned them, but he hadn¡¯t been involved in what happened to them, either. ¡°I almost wish Eli was here,¡± he finally admitted, sighing softly. Peri laughed. ¡°I bet. And knowing the woman, she probably wants to be here, too!¡± Tikimaken shot his friend a sour look, then his lips twitched and he had to chuckle, as well. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong about that. I had to remind her twice that we don¡¯t let women get killed in war.¡± ¡°And Tikelikel just accepted that?¡± Peri raised an eyebrow. Tikimaken shook his head. ¡°She argued that this wasn¡¯t like the First War and we¡¯re hardly risking our race¡¯s future. I had to point out that what matters is how people look at things, and that her Class isn¡¯t exactly suited to combat.¡± Peri grinned again, and Tikimaken shrugged. He was firmly of the opinion that Eli was the perfect female partner; she had a real head for numbers, and she gave good advice and let him do his job without trying to do it for him. She¡¯d even helped him forge a few good contacts, but still left what some people called ¡®networking¡¯ in his hands. The subtler parts of doing business were a man¡¯s job, and she was fine with that. And when they traveled in more dangerous territory, it was his combat-capable Class that kept them safe, just as she kept the money for their ventures available by carefully managing their investments. ¡°She tried to get into the Quartermasters¡¯, but they didn¡¯t accept her,¡± he admitted with a small grimace. ¡°Probably had a lot of women volunteering.¡± After all, handling the army¡¯s logistics was a very important job, and not one anyone wanted to leave to someone unqualified. Even if the women stayed behind after they set everything up, they¡¯d just manage things from the army¡¯s bases instead of the battlefield, which was probably better, anyway. Privately, Tikimaken was just as happy Eli would stay behind. Gnomish women didn¡¯t fight because, unlike men, women weren¡¯t expendable to a population, at least when survival was on the line. The First War taught them that, when the Hivekind decimated his people. If fewer women had survived, the continuation of their race itself might have been threatened. And now that they were heading off to war, even if he intellectually knew that the situation wasn¡¯t comparable, that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t agree emotionally. He knew they weren¡¯t going to lose anywhere near that many people, but still, he didn¡¯t want his partner anywhere near the enemy. ¡°You know, I¡¯m actually almost glad we are leaving now,¡± he admitted. ¡°I mean ¡ª¡° He was cut off by a shout rising from the soldiers around them. Tikimaken paused and looked around with more alarm than he¡¯d have liked. He and the others in his group were walking along a ridge a little to the side and above the main army, picking their way over rougher ground with the help of their high stats and strength. That gave him a good vantage point to see the small commotion in the ranks of the marching soldiers. ¡°In the sky,¡± Peri pointed out quietly, sounding tense. ¡°It sounds like the Hivekind aren¡¯t very surprised by us marching here, or at least, they¡¯re quick on the ball.¡± Tikimaken swallowed a curse as he saw the swarm of small, dark shapes quickly approaching them from the north. He knew about the enemy fortress built into a mountain base not too far from here, but the direction suggested they didn¡¯t come directly from there. He tried to count the approaching drones, but quickly gave up. More than a hundred, but probably less than a thousand. He frowned. They can¡¯t hope to defeat us with just that. The shouts from below had changed. Instead of raising the alarm, officers and squad leaders were now rallying the soldiers, directing them to ready themselves for a fight, and to watch the sides. He saw a few scouts rushing past, presumably to double-check that the Hivekind weren¡¯t bringing an army through the mountains to pincer them. Quicker than he¡¯d have thought possible, the flying drones caught up to the gnomish soldiers and passed above them. He tensed, but they didn¡¯t seem to be slowing down; they were just flying to cross their positions, above the strung-out columns. And they were dropping things they carried, he realized an instant later. Tikimaken had never fought a Hive drone before, but he had heard a few stories and a lot of speculation. He raised his shield in preparation, but still watched as the bombs dropped. Most of them were caught by shimmering magic shields, or even a few barriers produced by some Skill or another. They exploded harmlessly in the air, sending thunder and waves of noise through the mountain valley. But even against the glare of the explosions, he saw a few that struck their targets, exploding among the army. They churned up the ground, killed soldiers, flung them around like broken dolls, and sent up sprays of dirt and splinters. ¡°Stand to!¡± Someone barked, and it took him a moment to recognize the voice of his commander. ¡°Defenders, move into position to shield the column! Strikers, attack those damn fliers, will you!¡± Taking a deep breath, Tikimaken slung his shield and leaped down, making his way into the column whose march had been stalled by the attack. The jump would have killed or at least broken the legs of someone without his stats, but he only staggered and quickly got into position, raising his shield again. He probably wouldn¡¯t be able to catch any of these explosives on it, but he could still extend the protection to the soldiers around him using his Class Skill. Looking up, he saw the drones retreating. Quite a few of them had been brought down by the soldiers, and several were falling even as he watched. Peri sent a glowing javelin up that ripped right through the wings of one of the larger drones. But then they had swerved away and they were leaving. He drew a deep breath and considered lowering his shield. But far too quickly, just as he was about to turn to the soldiers around him and try to get them organized, another shout rose and he looked up again. Drones were coming in again for another pass. Tikimaken cursed softly. Now he knew they weren¡¯t really here to attack. They were just going to do far too much damage and slow this part of the army down. And maybe prepare for whatever the Hive Queen had in mind as her next move. Looks like them hunkering down in their villages hasn¡¯t lasted long. He grimaced. He hoped the other divisions hadn¡¯t encountered something like this, but somehow, he doubted it. This was going to be quite annoying. Chapter 143: Numbers and Preparations Regina rubbed her eyes and rolled her shoulders, trying to release some of the tension in them, but she still kept part of her attention on the Winged Drones she¡¯d been watching. She observed as they retreated to the hive¡¯s closest bases, while a few stayed behind to try and assess the damage they¡¯d done to the gnomes¡¯ soldiers. The hive¡¯s losses had been heavier than she¡¯d hoped, unfortunately. Out of the five thousand Winged Drones she¡¯d sent off, less than four thousand were returning. And that included those who had been part of the tactical reserve and not actually participated in the attack. If you could call it that. Still, it was probably worth it. If nothing else, their casualty numbers provided a good base for planning for the future. A lot of the drones had actually been killed by the scattered higher-level fighters the gnomes had sent along with their army. Those men didn¡¯t seem to be quite part of the regular army, but there were a sizable number of them, probably in the third Tier, or a few even in the fourth. They seemed to have been more effective than the regular soldiers at fending off her Winged Drones¡¯ strikes. Something that was good to know, at least. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the real reason the hive had launched this operation, and it wasn¡¯t the only goal they¡¯d met. From what little she could see, they¡¯d succeeded in throwing the gnomes¡¯ neat little columns into disarray, and they¡¯d certainly slowed them down. She hoped the psychological impact of it hit, as well. Being attacked just after they set foot out of their tunnels, while few of them were able to fight back, should do something. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t really in a position to see the effect on the gnomes¡¯ morale, so she¡¯d just have to hope there was one. Of course, they weren¡¯t the only ones who might get disheartened or affected by psychological factors. Regina sighed at the thought. She didn¡¯t really worry about her hive¡¯s morale, but she¡¯d never lost drones en masse like this. The sounds of footsteps made her glance over, and Max said, ¡°Your bath is ready, Regina.¡± She rolled her eyes at him. She hadn¡¯t asked for that, but Via had been busy preparing one while she was distracted just now, anyway. Regina shook her head, but decided arguing about it would be pointless and kind of counterproductive. Instead, she walked into the bathroom and pulled the door firmly shut, not quite in Max¡¯s face, then let Via help her remove her shirt as she undressed and sank into the hot water. It felt great, and she let herself sink deeper, water swallowing her as she submerged her head for a minute. She still felt every one of her drones¡¯ deaths, and yet feeling so many of them close together was ¡­ intense, but not as bad as she¡¯d been afraid it might be. It certainly wasn¡¯t even ten times as strong as when she¡¯d lost a scout previously. But ironically, Regina felt a bit concerned about that. She¡¯d withdrawn from what was happening, from the psychic link to those drones ¡ª not completely, but enough to dull the sensation. It had been unconscious, and almost automatic. She supposed that made sense. She couldn¡¯t afford to be crippled by her hive¡¯s losses when she fought an actual war in which lots of drones would die. Something Hivekind were clearly not strangers to, as a people. And with the increase in her hive¡¯s numbers, her connection to every individual drone, especially Swarm Drones, did feel more tenuous. Not weakened, exactly, but crowded or drowned out by the many others like it. Regina resurfaced and took a deep breath, then shook her hair out of her eyes. It had been growing out the last few months. Then she leaned back against the bathtub and closed her eyes again, focusing on her psychic link while she let the hot water sooth the low ache in her core. Her recent losses only underscored the fact that the hive needed every drone, every egg, it could get. While she had more Drone Breeders, Regina¡¯s own contributions were still important, as well. And they needed more sapient drones to manage their new hordes of Swarm Drones, even if she still felt a bit ambivalent about that. This had been the first large-scale clash between her forces and the gnomes, even if it wasn¡¯t really a direct battle. Even if it was only the beginning. Regina smiled slightly as she thought about that. Her hive¡¯s fighters might be weaker, but they had an inherent advantage in coordination, not to mention the ability to live off the land and superior mobility for the Winged Drones. From everything she knew about warfare, that predisposed them to using something like guerrilla or at least skirmish tactics. Ben definitely believed so, anyway, and she was inclined to trust the Drone General¡¯s instincts. Besides, every day that passed would help her forces more than the gnomes, considering how quickly the hive got reinforcements. All that considered, she¡¯d given her warriors the goal to not let their enemies have a single peaceful day, and they¡¯d taken it up with enthusiasm. In the best case, the hive could bleed the gnomes until they weren¡¯t capable of putting up a proper fight. Even if things didn¡¯t get that far, they could still slow them down, harry and annoy them and study their reactions. That would allow the gnomes to learn about the hive as well, Regina wasn¡¯t stupid enough to miss that fact, but she wasn¡¯t about to show them all of her cards. The stretches of roads the gnomish army¡¯s columns were currently taking had been too close to their territory to mess with, and trying something clever without being spotted by the gnomes would have been very hard. But soon enough, they would reach terrain the hive had been able to mine. Regina was looking forward to it. Combined with a few more air raids, Ben hoped that it would hurt their logistics and morale, but also give them certain expectations about the hive¡¯s capabilities and strategy. So they would be taken off guard when the hive combined another one of those bombing flights with something new, something more substantial. They didn¡¯t have enough explosives for too much of that, unfortunately, but Regina wasn¡¯t going to let that stop her. Just dropping heavy rocks from high enough up could do a lot of damage on its own. She shook her head and checked her status screen.
The Starlit Hive
Total: 23,475
Inner Hive: 255 (264)/490 (+25) Swarm: 23,216/100,000 (+2,987)
Warriors: 57 War Drones: 10,123
Workers: 50 Production Drones: 2500
Scouts: 40 Winged Drones: 10,561
Harvesters: 20 Aquatic Drones: 20
Shooters: 40 Drone Breeders: 18
Attendants: 40
Witches: 40
Keepers: 8
Monsters: 2
Demihumans: 1 Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
The vast majority of her drones were Swarm Drones, obviously. And of those, the majority were War Drones and Winged Drones to carry the war against the gnomes. Regina still wasn¡¯t quite sure which type would be better or more needed, so she¡¯d decided to keep their numbers at more or less the same level. She could always switch the hive¡¯s reinforcements around as the war progressed. And they had enough Production Drones to take care of the hive¡¯s needs, for now at least. Their substance was still the best and simplest building material for the hive, so it was needed to build up the outposts and bases the plan called for, as well as smaller items and various odds and ends. The numbers shown for her sapient drones were a bit deceptive, since they didn¡¯t include how recently those drones had hatched or what their levels were, or even their Evolved variants. She felt like she had far too many Templates that were all necessary, for them. Sure, Workers might not contribute directly to fighting a war, but their support was crucial. Scouts weren¡¯t as good in a fight as Warriors, but eminently necessary. Shooters were her only real ranged fighters, excepting mages. And speaking of, Attendants and Witches as magic users were obviously pretty important. They could learn to heal and Conjure needed materials, in addition to their fighting capability. So far, Warriors were her biggest group because they could command the Swarm Drones in battle. Although one of the reasons she had as many of the others, like Scouts or Shooters, was that they could help do that, as well. Maybe spreading her eggs around like this was a mistake, but Regina just felt like the hive needed a balanced composition. Looking at the status, she cursed the fact that she¡¯d woken up alone in a new age without any explanations once more. The only guidance she had were her Hive Queen instincts, and those were ¡­ wonky at best, really. Still, the war would probably go on for quite a while longer, so she could aways change how she approached the new additions to the hive. Besides, it would probably be a mistake to let this war define how she went about adding new hatchlings to the hive. After all, these were people she was including into her hive, her family, and they were here to stay. Having a Hive made solely out of Warriors, for example, would have implications on more than the military level. ¡°Is there anything else you need, my Queen?¡± Via asked from the doorway. Regina opened her eyes and glanced at her, not that she needed to, as she shook her head. ¡°No, thank you,¡± she said. ¡°Go ahead and get some sleep, I know you¡¯ve been up for a while. I¡¯ll manage on my own. On second thought, though, you can ask Tim and the fliers to reschedule the meeting, see when they¡¯d have time. I need to go check on a few things, especially the eggs.¡± Via acknowledged her words and withdrew again, and Regina glanced away. She was kind of glad the drone had interrupted her ruminations. Which might not have been an accident. The hive status screen only listed drones by their basic Template, not Evolutions. But by now, they did have quite a few people in the second Tier, and a few in the third. She should probably be using them and their Class Skills more purposefully. The gnomes were clearly doing that. In the meantime, Regina made herself stop dwelling on it. She got out of the bath and put her clothes on, then sat down on her bed and focused on the psychic link again. She seemed to spend a lot of her time like that lately. First, she checked on the Cernlian civil war, or what she could see of it, to get that matter out of the way. From what she could tell, using a few scouting Winged Drones, the Nerlian and Cernlian army camps hadn¡¯t really moved in the last few days. That seemed to suggest that the plague was serious, at any rate. Regina wouldn¡¯t count on it to last much longer, but even a small delay was already giving Lyns the opportunity to retreat in good order and regroup. The way it brought his forces closer to Regina¡¯s territory again was probably a bad thing in general, but it made things slightly easier for her now. From there, she quickly checked in with Ray and watched the elves. The Elvish Free State was gearing up to support her hive logistically, and while they were still mostly in the preparation phase, she could already tell it would be useful. They¡¯d also been using their diplomatic contacts to spread news about what the gnomes had done and foster a sense of outrage on the international scale, though Regina hadn¡¯t really seen any results of that yet. The hive was also getting a little direct support, which she appreciated. The biggest issue, really, was deciding how much to hide from the elves and how to go about it. She didn¡¯t want them to know everything about her capabilities, but she also didn¡¯t want to forgo help she could use because of that. And besides, showing the elves why the hive was not to be screwed with was probably a worthwhile goal, too. Right now, Regina focused on the fortress they had been building close to the gnomish cities. Neralt was still there, along with a few other, relatively strong, drones. She¡¯d been keeping an eye on the progress of the gnomish army column closest to it. By now, their flow of soldiers from several tunnel exits and narrow paths leading deeper into the Confederation had resolved into four main corps, or whatever they called it. The gnomes in one of these formations didn¡¯t all use only one road ¡ª which would have been hard with just narrow mountain trails ¡ª but they kept in the vicinity of each other and moved in the same direction, in a clearly coordinated fashion. The march through rough terrain had strung them out, which the hive had taken advantage of with their attack. By now, they were clearly managing to reorganize and proceed. One of these armies was closest and had obviously been heading directly for the hive¡¯s fortress. Regina had to admit she¡¯d been feeling a bit nervous about it, considering there were now what had to be thousands of gnomes moving on their outpost. But they didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry to try and storm it. In fact, they seemed to be moving carefully, maybe even deliberately slowing down, as they spread out and tried to screen the approaches to the fortress. She suspected they might have been waiting for a second of these columns to catch up. Well, that should probably be a concern, but Regina didn¡¯t mind right now. She sank deeper into the psychic link, watching behind the eyes of the drones stationed there and taking an assessment of their mental state. The sapient drones were all confident, almost eager to start the fight and kill some gnomes, but they didn¡¯t let it distract them from working diligently. Ben was already gathering and organizing flights of Winged Drones and preparing to send more of them to the fortress. Which we should probably name at some point. Regina shook her head to dislodge the errant thought and concentrated on the Swarm Drones. The fortress wasn¡¯t big enough to house more than a few thousand, and even then only when crowding them very close together, but the terrain around it hid quite a few more. The various traps, lookout and fallback positions they¡¯d been prepared would come in useful. Regina settled in and just watched the oncoming gnomes for a while, listening with one mental ear while Ben, Tim and a few others discussed several scenarios and maneuvered drones around the mountain valley. The coming battles would be interesting, if nothing else. Chapter 144: Rally Tim shivered and pulled his poncho tighter around himself. Hivekind were resistant to the cold, but they were quite high up. ¡°You okay there, Tim?¡± Gale asked. ¡°Fine!¡± he called back. Thor dipped slightly below him, and Tim tucked in his head against a gust of wind. He still let go with one hand to pat the other drone reassuringly on the shoulder. There was no need to worry about him. They were moving faster than he ever had before, he was pretty sure, although it wasn¡¯t his first time on a flying drone. The ride wasn¡¯t going to take long, but that was kind of the point. He closed his eyes for a moment and searched for the consciousnesses of other drones in the area. There were a few, but he sensed one concentration, especially, further up ahead. ¡°I think this is as far as I go,¡± Gale spoke up again after a while, his voice cutting through the sound of the wind. ¡°You¡¯ll be okay with that, right?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he repeated, then made a shooing motion. ¡°Go on, we¡¯ve all got things to do.¡± ¡°Good luck, Gale,¡± Thor added. ¡°I¡¯ve got him.¡± Gale maneuvered around so Tim could see his grin and gave a small wave, then turned and winged away. Tim just shook his head. They¡¯d flown together this far because it only made sense, but Gale had a different job than him in the end. It did mean they really were almost at their goal, though. Tim opened his mind again and took a mental look around. The Hive was keeping a close eye on the gnomes, and they were assembling and moving forces in the territory around them, which made for quite a few drones in the general area. Still more spread out than they would have been at the main base back home, though. Winged Drones didn¡¯t quite have the ability to grow in strength based on their numbers the way War Drones did, based on their Skills. But Gale, and other sapient Winged Drones like him, would change that equation. He did have a Skill that would make any flock he led stronger, faster, tougher, and probably also smarter or more competent than normal. Obviously, that made it too valuable to waste on some random scouting trip or probing attack, but it was a good ace up Regina¡¯s sleeve for some missions. It would also be a waste to always keep it in reserve and have him stay back at the base without ever using that edge in combat. Tim had been one of the warriors who planned this particular suite of attacks, and he was confident they were using their strength well. Of course, this was just part of the larger phase of the war happening right now, and one of its main purposes was to support the more defensive action the Hive had to fight right now. They hadn¡¯t built their fortress just to abandon it at the first sight of a gnomish army without resistance. Thor broke through a low-hanging cloud and spun into a dive, which quickly brought them down toward it. Tim squinted against the rushing wind, ignoring the assault on his ears and the cold leeching against his face, and tried to take a good look at the situation. The fortress was built out of a mix of the rock of the surrounding mountains, bricks, details and more intricate parts from the Production Drones¡¯ substances, and earthen walls. Those mostly acted to thicken its walls and provide depth and cover against explosive attacks. There was also more exotic armor placed at a few key strategic points, though Conjuring it was too resource-intensive (since it cost a lot of mana) to use those materials on a large scale. Altogether, it looked unlike any other castle he¡¯d seen, but Tim still felt proud of the Hive¡¯s work. He hoped it would be intimidating to their enemies. He knew a few of the younger drones wanted to place a few spikes and embellishments on it, a suggestion Neralt flatly vetoed, but in his opinion, it was pretty good already. And speaking of, Neralt was waiting for him when Thor set down in the main courtyard of the fortress. It wasn¡¯t very big, since this was just a defensive emplacement and not intended for anything else, and the shape of the valley limited it, anyway. In fact, the fortress was placed on something of a hump in the valley between mountain peaks, so attackers would have to move uphill from both directions. And the mountainsides on either end of it were almost sheer, the mountaintops themselves looming over him like tall giants. It wouldn¡¯t be easy even for the hive to move troops onto those, and he didn¡¯t think it would be a very feasible route for the gnomes to attack the fortress. Not that they were counting on that. ¡°Tim, it¡¯s good to see you again!¡± Neralt smiled and took a step closer. He hesitated and then inclined his head at Thor, as well. ¡°And you must be Thor. Pleased to meet you.¡± ¡°Likewise, Baron Neralt,¡± Thor replied, shaking himself and rising from a crouch after Tim jumped down from him. Tim nodded. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± The human grimaced slightly. ¡°The gnomes are still approaching, and they¡¯ve managed to spread into a wider column, with bigger frontage, than I¡¯d hoped. There are also a few of them on the cliffs and high points. Probably their elites.¡± Tim nodded again. He could have gotten all of that information from the other drones, but it was worthwhile to get the Cernlian¡¯s assessment. ¡°Let¡¯s move to the tower and discuss,¡± he suggested. ¡°Of course.¡± Neralt fell into step with him as Tim walked to the stairs, but spoke up again after a few seconds. ¡°If I may ask, who else did your Hive Queen send with you?¡± Tim gave him a sideways glance. ¡°There are more Winged Drones coming, mostly those gathering in the area. Regina is hesitant to send more War Drones, since there¡¯s always the risk of them getting picked off by the gnomes, and we can¡¯t risk exposing our bases that are closest to here, anyway. Any drones from further away will take a while.¡± Neralt sighed slightly. ¡°I see. And sapient drones?¡± Tim shook his head. ¡°Who¡¯s already here is who we¡¯ve got, in addition to me and Thor.¡± What he didn¡¯t say was that Regina didn¡¯t want to expose them to too much danger. They already had extraction plans for every sapient drone (or person, counting Neralt) in the area. Having more of them here would make it harder, even if that would offer them more combat power. Regina ¡ª and, more to the point, Ben ¡ª weren¡¯t too confident that the fortress could hold out against a determined assault by enough gnomish soldiers. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. They met with the others on a small, covered walkway and lookout position on one of the fortress¡¯s towers. Thor kept in the air, with some of the Winged Drones present, but joined them telepathically. Tim would translate anything he needed to to Neralt, not that he expected that to come up, since Thor was usually pretty taciturn. ¡°They have been coming steadily closer,¡± the baron pointed out, gesturing at the gnomish army trying to surround them. It was obviously preparing a siege, or something similar. They had even put up what Tim assumed to be siege engines, though he didn¡¯t recognize them. They looked like some mad engineer had tried to combine cannon and catapult and the result decided to look like a ballista. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll see how well our walls stand up to them,¡± Zoe said, following Tim¡¯s gaze. ¡°I assume those will throw rocks, or cannonballs. Maybe explosive charges if the gnomes are good.¡± He nodded. ¡°How strong could you make the walls, Lord Elric?¡± Neralt looked thoughtful. ¡°They¡¯re a little stronger and hardier than they would otherwise be, but only slightly. I can¡¯t do much more than that, especially with such a short timescale. We do have a few options for strengthening them temporarily, but I¡¯m uncertain how effective that will be. I also do not know how many fliers the gnomes will be able to field.¡± ¡°Well, we appreciate that you chose to stay and fight at our side, Baron.¡± Tim smiled at him. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure to honor your efforts and use them well.¡± In fact, Neralt wouldn¡¯t be fighting much, at least if things went as intended. He was staying back and hopefully bolstering their defense. That was enough, though. Tim considered it a good sign that the baron hadn¡¯t tried to run back to his village. ¡°It looks like the attack is starting,¡± Tia interrupted. Tim glanced at her, and tried not to let his worry show. He liked all of his sisters and brothers, of course, but he couldn¡¯t deny that he felt especially protective of Tia. Having her here, at the site of a major battle, wasn¡¯t what he would have chosen. But he couldn¡¯t keep her from it, and Tia was determined to do her part. Considering that she was one of the masterminds of their entire defensive plan and especially these fortifications, her presence did make sense. At least he knew Regina was determined not to let any more of her sapient drones die if she could avoid it. A low thunder started up from the direction of the gnomish fighters, and it took Tim a moment to realize they were beating war drums. Probably signaling the attack. The soldiers added to the sound with shouts and howling, which was probably meant to be intimidating and bolster their own confidence. Over this distance, though, it sounded a bit pathetic. ¡°Hey, looks like we¡¯re starting the concert,¡± Tia commented. Then she grinned. Tim felt her reach out through the psychic link and tensed up slightly, but when he realized what she was doing, he only rolled his eyes and didn¡¯t interrupt her. A second later, all of the Swarm Drones stationed at the fortress ¡ª at least all of those not hiding ¡ª and even some of the sapient drones started hissing. Neralt actually flinched and took a step back. Tim smiled slightly. He supposed that it did sound pretty chilling, although, to him, the sound had a different effect. He clenched and unclenched his fingers, suddenly itching to grab a weapon and descend on his Hive¡¯s enemies among the swarm of its drones and teach them the meaning of fear. The hissing decreased in volume, but continued, with some chittering thrown in and the occasional cry and roar punctuating it. He had to give Tia points for effect, if nothing else. ¡°They¡¯re starting the attack,¡± Neralt noted quietly. He¡¯d regained his composure quickly. Tim nodded. He listened as a faint whistling sound started up, which quickly ended with a crash. ¡°What are they throwing?¡± he asked calmly. It wasn¡¯t as important as it might have otherwise been, since the drones had the psychic link, but he still tried to project an aura of calmness and confidence visibly, as well. Not that he really knew how he¡¯d found himself the ¡®senior officer¡¯ in command here. ¡°Looks like some kind of explosive projectile,¡± Ace answered. Tim felt a mental nudge from the other drone and followed it, turning his attention to the Winged Drone spotters he had placed in key locations. He dove a bit deeper, seeing through the eyes of one of them. Curiously, he watched one of the gnomes¡¯ siege engines lurch back and up and throw what looked like a hollow metal shell, which arced into the air, accelerating towards the fortress until it impacted ¡­ and completely failed to get through the earth-and-stone embankment in front of the main castle. Unfortunately, several others quickly followed. Tim watched the same catapult-cannon again, noting how long it took the gnomes to reload it. Far shorter than he¡¯d have preferred. ¡°I wish we had siege engines of our own,¡± Neralt muttered quietly. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to do quite well even without something like that, I believe,¡± Tim said mildly, smiling wryly at him. Then he turned his attention back to the Swarm Drones, this time to flocks of Winged Drones gathered in prearranged units. He nudged them to make their way forward carefully, taking cover where they could, and taking to the air. ¡°I think we¡¯ll try a single bombing run to start with,¡± he continued, still aloud for Neralt¡¯s benefit. The others nodded, and he caught a few smiles from them. While the drones gathered, Tim took a deep breath and turned to face his companions, sweeping his gaze across the other drones stationed around their fortifications and reaching through the psychic link. His Hive Queen, who¡¯d been quietly watching so far, gave him a bit of help, capturing everyone¡¯s attention and drawing them to him. Tim had gained two Skills since his Evolution. They were both quite useful, even if they were a bit less than straightforward. Right now, he activated the first and simpler of them. ¡°Brothers and sisters,¡± he addressed them. ¡°And one human, of course, can¡¯t forget that,¡± he added with another quick grin, prompting a few chuckles. ¡°This war is not one our Hive sought, but it is one that has come to us anyway,¡± he continued with a raised voice, projecting his words through the psychic link at the same time. ¡°I am determined, as I know all of you are, to bring it to the inevitable conclusion of our enemies lamenting the fact they ever even thought of bringing it to us. Our brothers and sisters died at the gnomes¡¯ hands, and perhaps more of us will join them before this is over. I hope not, but I acknowledge that it might happen. And yet, I do not have a single doubt that the Starlit Hive will be triumphant. ¡°That is not just because I know that all of you would face death with a smile if it was needed for the good of the Hive, for the rest of our family. It is not even because I have confidence in our Mother and Hive Queen and the rest of our Hive¡¯s leadership. It is not because I know our knowledge, understanding and skill are leagues ahead of theirs, along with our cool toys. Although that definitely helps.¡± He gave them another grin, timing the pause for the best effect before he continued. ¡°It is because we are the Starlit Hive, because you are my brothers and sisters. What could these pitiful vermin possibly have to stand against that? How could they even begin to imagine what we know in our bones before we even speak our first words? We are Hivekind. We are united. We are ceaseless. We will be triumphant. ¡°And right now, today, we will hold this fortress as long as we want to and bleed the enemy for every step of the way they take towards it. We will turn their attention and their army towards us until they never even think of moving one step anywhere we don¡¯t want them to. We¡¯ll teach them to fear the skies and shun the ground. It begins today.¡± His Skill, Rally, didn¡¯t need him to make an inspiring speech, but he¡¯d discovered with some experimentation that it worked better if he did. Luckily, it didn¡¯t need to be a very long speech. Tim hoped they couldn¡¯t see, or sense, how anxious he was about his words, which suddenly felt stilted and pretentious. Another cry went up from the gathered drones, and he released a sigh of relief and relaxed his blade-arms as he tasted their reaction. His success depended on their engagement, how captivated they were. And judging by what he could see and sense, he¡¯d managed to hit the right tone after all. Tim raised his sword, watching the metal reflect the sunlight. Then he shouted. ¡°For the Hive! For Queen Regina!¡± Scattered voices roared the cry back at him, and the Swarm Drones hissed in agitation and with battle-lust. Their stats jumped and their speed increased as his Skill took hold, until every defender was boosted. Then the Winged Drones overhead released the first wave of their payloads, gnomes rose into the air, and the battle began fully. Chapter 145: Fortress Defense Regina paced up and down the hive base¡¯s roof, softly cursing to herself. A part of her wished that she was with Tim and the others, fighting the battle. The rest of her knew that would have been a very stupid idea, however. The gnomes were doing better than she¡¯d hoped. There was no point denying that; their advance made it rather clear. On the other hand, she¡¯d been prepared for them to be strong. The hive had known so little about their enemies¡¯ real capabilities that they¡¯d had to work with large margins of uncertainty. It was part of why she¡¯d been so cautious about deciding her drones¡¯ deployments. Maybe that was self-defeating, and sending more drones would have ensured they held the fortress, while they were going to lose it now. Whatever, she told herself. It¡¯s just one fort. A fort that¡¯s located very close to the Gnomish Confederation. Sure, if they had it, it would be a good base to launch attacks, or whatever tactics Ben would want to implement, but it was always going to be under threat from the gnomes. Simple geography would ensure that. And now that the gnomes were acting offensively instead of waiting for the hive to attack them in their own good time, the situation had ¡­ clarified a bit. No, the only thing she couldn¡¯t afford was to throw hordes of Swarm Drones down the drain. Or use up all of their ammunition. Right now, a flock of Winged Drones was starting another attack on the gnomish soldiers. They stayed very high up, high enough that many of the gnomes wouldn¡¯t be able to hit them even with Class Skills helping their projectiles along. On the other hand, there were enough gnomes gathered that accuracy didn¡¯t matter that much, for the drones. Most of the Winged Drones only carried rocks, but there were enough with real charges to make the gnomes wary of anything that came down. Regina sighed as she watched one of them explode atop a magical barrier raised to protect a few of their supply wagons. She wished they had more, but the hive just didn¡¯t have the capability to manufacture explosives on a large scale. They¡¯d been stockpiling them, but their expenditure was already ahead of their production. At least they¡¯d started to work out some good models. Regina personally favored hydrogen, and high-explosive materials. Unfortunately, constructing large bombs from them required quite a bit of care and a lot of effort in terms of Conjuration. She¡¯d figured out how to make nitroglycerin pretty quickly, but that also needed a lot of care in transport. They were making progress on making more modern variants of more stable compounds, including dynamite and something she¡¯d hopefully be able to use for firearms. In the meantime, Ray had worked to get the elves to send them some ¡®saltpeter¡¯ as part of their support. She was confident that with some experimentation, they¡¯d be able to get something they could make even without using Conjuration at all, something they might be able to scale up. Unfortunately, the hive didn¡¯t exactly have a chemical industry or laboratories, so anything more advanced than early gunpowder might be off the table. For now, anyway. Regina shook her head and returned her attention to the battle. Despite the bombardment, the gnomes kept advancing, clearly not content to just sit and wait while their artillery, if you could call it that, worked away at the hive¡¯s fortifications. They were taking casualties, she could tell. But they were also using the mountains¡¯ terrain to try and get more people close. At least they didn¡¯t have many fliers. There were a few gnomes riding flying monsters and a few who appeared to be using Class Skills to stay in the air, but not enough to be a serious threat to the fort¡¯s defenders. They could interfere with the Winged Drones, though. As Regina watched, an entire small unit of the flying drones was massacred by some sort of lightning darts thrown from a gnome on a giant goshawk. She grimaced as she felt them die. How do you think things are going? she asked Ben, unable to keep a hint of anxiety out of her mental voice. About as well as I¡¯d expected, my Queen, he answered calmly. They don¡¯t have as many fliers as I¡¯d feared, although they are advancing more easily than I¡¯d hoped. And, to be fair, their fliers can still be a big pain. They had all agreed that Regina and Ben would keep their fingers out of this battle and let Tim and those who were actually there fight it, at least when they didn¡¯t need to intervene. Otherwise, screwing up the command structure and possibly giving contradictory orders would risk turning it into a giant mess. That didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t watch the battle, though. Regina hadn¡¯t really known what to expect, especially in terms of how much Skills and magic the gnomes would use. Now they were using those quite a bit, although probably more Class Skills than magic. It wasn¡¯t always clear from the outside. Her hive was using a lot less of those, so far ¡­ Which is probably good, she told herself. They¡¯ll run out of mana or spend their cooldowns before we do. The last thing we want is for them to overwhelm us quickly, Ben said, agreeing with her line of thought. If it comes down to attrition, we have the advantage. As it is, I don¡¯t think they can keep this up for very long. Regina nodded absently and tugged on her mandible as she watched the battle proceeding. Ben was right about that, she quickly realized. And her drones were still doing her proud. The gnomes tried to press the attack, but the hive¡¯s fortifications did their job and stalled them. As it was, the terrain limited the angles of attack the gnomes could use, forcing them to advance in a relatively tight formation. At least more so than if they¡¯d been able to encircle the fort. Some of them on more maneuverable mounts or with what had to be related Skills did get around that issue and crossed the mountainsides, but the vast majority of them couldn¡¯t. And they clearly couldn¡¯t push their artillery over cliffs and crags, either. After the battle got underway and its shape started to crystallize, Tim gave the go-ahead for groups of drones to take up station on various overwatch and sniper positions around the area, outside of the inner fortress fortifications. The goal was to shoot down onto the advancing gnomish columns. These groups consisted mostly of stronger and smarter War Drones, especially in the really risky positions. They weren¡¯t as powerful as Shooters or Mages would have been, but they could still harry the gnomes. Most of them needed to be moved into position by Winged Drones, though, which limited their numbers. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Regina watched anxiously as they engaged with gnomish fighters trying to pick them off. The more maneuverable gnomes quickly found themselves tasked with eliminating these obstacles, as did their airborne fighters. In response, Tim diverted many of the Winged Drones to their support. Regina grimaced, trying to figure out if that was worth it. She didn¡¯t like the idea of the hive just sitting behind their walls and letting them attack, but this might not be the best move, either. Regina tried to take a mental step back and consider a bigger view of the battle. Overall, it seemed to be proceeding more or less according to Ben¡¯s expectations. At least if his reaction was anything to go by. The gnomes were starting to get closer to the walls, but it wasn¡¯t like they could just storm them. And the hive had built several layers of defenses. So far, she wasn¡¯t impressed with their siege engines, or their munitions, and their walls were standing up to them pretty well. They probably wouldn¡¯t even have needed as much depth and reinforcement, but it was better to have done too much than too little. Tim stayed in the fortress, although he¡¯d moved to one of the outer walls, looking down from a tower. He seemed tense, but not too anxious, all things considered. My Queen? he asked her now. I think our pickets are a bit too exposed. I¡¯d prefer to recall them or send some drones to reinforce them. Maybe both, getting them out might not always be easy. Regina paused and quickly focused on Ben, sending him a silent question and getting his impression. He agreed with Tim, and would support her whatever she said. Can you take over for a bit if Tim is out? she asked. Sure, I¡¯ll help Zoe and the others, if there¡¯s any need. Regina nodded, then sent Tim a feeling of encouragement. I think this might be a job for you, you know? He hesitated for a moment, then smiled slightly. I suppose, my Queen. Alright. Then, Tim, I charge you to get my people out. Protect my children, your siblings, in the area, defend them and fight against our enemies, and make sure the battle comes to a victorious conclusion. Tim¡¯s smile widened. As you command, my Queen. Then he jumped up onto the battlements and grabbed onto Thor, who¡¯d already started to descend to his level. Tim pulled himself up and Thor set off, flying in an arc following the fortress¡¯ walls to not expose his rider to gnomish attacks. While they went, Regina sensed Tim¡¯s stats being bolstered and his mind sharpening slightly as his second Skill activated. Royal Champion was a bit weird as a Class, at least in terms of the Skills it gave. If Regina understood correctly, it also had pretty stringent requirements, like only being available once for each sovereign nation, and others that her hive met for some reason. But she wasn¡¯t going to complain. And the mission Regina had just given Tim was apparently very much in line with the Class. She watched as Thor made his way to one of the most exposed spots for their shooters, flying low to avoid making them a target. A few Shooters occupied this position, along with a group of War Drones. The raised stone walls and earthen berms gave them some protection, but the slope up to their position, while steep, was still navigable, and a unit of gnomish soldiers was making their way up it. Tim fell on them like a Swarm Drone on struck prey. He actually leaped out of Thor¡¯s saddle and let his momentum carry him the last few meters to crash into the gnome leading the formation, just when they started to reach more level ground closer to the defenders. His sword and blade-arms flashed through the gnomes, fighting with preternatural speed and grace. He still had the buff from his speech, and with the one from Queen¡¯s Charge, he was a lot stronger than usual. Of course, he still might not have prevailed if he¡¯d been alone. But the drones he¡¯d come to help joined the fight with precisely aimed projectiles and a sortie from a group of War Drones. A few of them died to the gnomes¡¯ blades, but the majority tore their targets apart, and Tim made sure none of the gnomes managed to recover from the shock. Alright, Thor, bring the young ones back to the fortress, he said briskly. I¡¯ll make my way to the next goal on foot, come directly there. We¡¯ll leave the War Drones here. Before they could object, he¡¯d already started running, jumping onto a stony ridge at least five meters up and continuing without pause. Regina smiled to herself and continued watching. Tim acted quickly, finding his way to those of his forces that were pressured the most heavily and relieving them. Most of them managed to fall back on their own, sometimes leaving behind Swarm Drones to protect sapient drones¡¯ lives. Regina quickly realized that Tim¡¯s buff would spread to whoever he was fighting with, and for, at the time, and the more they were threatened, the stronger it would get. Once he¡¯d brought the third group of drones into the outer defenses, turning to focus on the other side of it, Regina turned her attention back to the larger battle. She almost regretted that there was very little melee combat so far. Her Warriors were taller, naturally stronger and had better reach than the gnomes, they were protected by their natural shell, and they had four limbs to fight with instead of two. Tim¡¯s fights made her start to realize how much of a natural advantage that was. Ultimately, though, it was probably best that the battle was more of a siege fought at a distance. How long is this going to take? she asked Ben quietly. He shrugged. This looks like it¡¯ll become a drawn-out affair, he analyzed quietly. I think we¡¯ll probably be best served to withdraw at some point, though. We¡¯ve already managed to tie them up here, and the longer we can keep them the better, but there¡¯s a reason we didn¡¯t want to get into a long siege. The food issue? she asked. He shrugged. Swarm Drones still need to eat, and the gnomes are definitely in a much better position to supply their troops or even forage for food from the surroundings. Not that they¡¯ll need to, this close to their home. We can try to attack their supply lines, but that¡¯s unlikely to be able to stop them here. I still think we can just have Winged Drones fly food in, Regina said unhappily. Then she sighed. But I understand your argument. While they could do this, they¡¯d probably lose a lot of drones once the gnomes figured it out. And they could do something similar much more easily in a defensive position closer to their hive and further from the gnomes¡¯ territory. Besides, they couldn¡¯t really keep harassing the gnomes and wearing them down while they were stuck behind fortress walls. So, we wait until they batter down the walls, then blow the rest of it and retreat? She asked. That was a scenario they¡¯d discussed, but she couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit nervous. Ben sent an amused shrug. If things work out that way. Unfortunately, as time went on, it did seem like things would have to go that way. The gnomes still had a lot more fighters than the hive, especially if you considered Swarm Drones¡¯ relative weakness. And almost more importantly, their stack of bombs and grenades was dwindling quickly. They were even running out of normal arrows and projectiles to send at the gnomes. Regina sighed, then walked up and down a bit to stretch her legs and work out the stiffness from being in one position for too long. She knew the gnomes were losing a lot more than the hive was, especially considering how much each fighter cost each side, but it didn¡¯t exactly feel like the glorious victory she¡¯d have preferred to start the war off with. Not that glorious victories are very good at luring the enemy where you want them to be, I guess, she thought with a snort. Then her thoughts were interrupted by a notification appearing.
You have leveled up
You may now select another Ability
Regina smiled and sat down again. At least the fighting was clearly giving her a lot of Experience. And if she was gaining Experience, then her drones actually participating in the battle would be, as well. Chapter 146: Casualties of War Ken had been enjoying the gnomes¡¯ ¡®hospitality¡¯ for some time now, and while they might not have realized that, it had given Regina a bit of insight into them. Not about their capabilities, really, since they were careful not to let him see anything important, but regarding their mindset. They didn¡¯t come right out and explain anything about that, of course, but Regina - and her drones - could gather some things from what they did say and how. His injuries had healed a little while ago, although the gnomes hadn¡¯t exactly fallen over themselves to give Ken proper medical care. Regina suspected he¡¯d have trouble until she could properly heal him, since his left shoulder and upper blade-arm had been broken in several places and hadn¡¯t healed perfectly, so his range of motion was limited. Not that it would have done him much good under the circumstances. Regina hadn¡¯t talked to Ken often. In fact, she¡¯d deliberately limited how often she checked on him. In her position, feeding her anger against the gnomes could have been dangerous, and she hadn¡¯t wanted to undermine her resolve to do what had to be done and prioritize the rest of her hive over him if she needed to. That didn¡¯t mean she hadn¡¯t kept on top of what was happening, though. Regina was hesitant to give the gnomes any kind of credit, but they¡¯d seemed averse to using physical torture on him. So far, at least. Instead, they¡¯d leaned into more psychological methods. Which could be bad enough, she knew. Ken was chronically sleep-deprived, since they kept waking him with buckets of cold water (or occasionally very hot water, for a change) and bright lights. That wasn¡¯t exactly helping to keep him focused and thinking clearly. He would have had no idea how much time had even passed without his connection to the hive. And that was only one aspect. They kept him confined in darkness in a small space, denied any contact with anyone else ¡ª as far as they knew ¡ª except for their interrogators. And they interrogated him constantly, relentlessly, often for hours at a time. It was clearly taking its toll, and she didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d even be able to muster the necessary focus and clarity of mind to use his magic. Still, Regina was proud of how well he¡¯d stood up to everything. They¡¯d tried to humiliate and degrade him, but that hadn¡¯t worked out very well for them ¡ª unfortunately for the gnomes, a hive drone¡¯s understanding of dignity or shame were too different from what they might be used to. It wasn¡¯t like going naked or eating bugs would faze any of them. In fact, she knew he took great satisfaction in their frustration to get anything out of him. At first, Ken had answered a few questions, but after they kept repeating and trying to goad him into either admitting his ¡®crimes¡¯ or giving up information on the hive, he¡¯d refused to say anything. But Regina was aware that things couldn¡¯t stay like this. The gnomes were already escalating, and if they kept failing, it would only get worse. So, it didn¡¯t really come as a surprise when Ida turned to her to express some concern. She did wish the gnomes hadn¡¯t done this in the middle of the battle at the fortress, though. Well, to be fair, it probably wasn¡¯t the middle. The defenders had run out of ammunition a while ago, and they barely even had any random rocks to use instead anymore. Ben had arranged a few supply deliveries using Winged Drones, but he¡¯d asked her permission to stop those now, since the risk was becoming too great. The drones inside were preparing to enact their contingency plan. At least they¡¯d already killed lots of gnomes. A phantom sensation of stinging pain yanked Regina¡¯s attention from the battle. It was strong enough to catch her attention even despite her focus and the number of drones in her hive. Unfortunately, she knew immediately what was happening. Regina tried to send a soothing sensation to Ken, while she also contacted Ida. What¡¯s happening? She asked. The Drone Keeper had been monitoring him and would know more about the situation. Ida sent a report consisting mostly of a compressed stream of feelings and a few pictures. She was better at that sort of thing than any drones of other Templates, not surprisingly. They¡¯ve started using physical interrogation methods since he hasn¡¯t broken from what they¡¯ve tried so far, she concluded. Regina grimaced and sent her the equivalent of a soothing hug, as well. You¡¯ve done good work, Ida. Feel free to ¡­ distance yourself a bit. This will be hard enough as it is. In the meantime, the gnomish torturer removed his red-hot iron from Ken¡¯s bound body and reapplied it on his left cheek. Ken couldn¡¯t resist jerking back, a scream wrenched out of him. Regina winced. Then she exhaled and pulled up a System message she¡¯d been considering for a little while.
You may now select your sixth Class Skill. Please choose one of the following:
Queen¡¯s Summons: Your drones follow your call. Once per day, you may directly summon one Hive member or up to three Swarm Drones, depending on type, into your presence. This effect ignores physical or magical restraints, although it may be countered by magic considerably more powerful than your own. At higher levels of mastery, the frequency of use and number of concurrent targets will increase, and you will be able to summon them to positions an increasing distance from your current location.
Queen¡¯s Wings: Your mind and soul need a strong body. Your body will be strengthened. Flight will be easier and drain less mana. The functioning of all of your organs will be improved to various degrees. This will also improve your processing speed. At higher levels of mastery, your wings will be further improved and allow you to fly without draining mana.
Psychic Reach: Your mind¡¯s reach is the limit of your power, and its instrument. Once per day, you may push past your normal limits, expanding the range of your psychic link by half. Your psychic ability will be sharpened and you may focus your psychic connection to your hive into one of your drones, which will considerably boost all of their stats. This effect will last for level/2 minutes. At higher levels of mastery, the range and strength of the boosting effect will be strengthened further.
Regina frowned thoughtfully. She¡¯d been hesitating over this choice for a while. It hadn¡¯t seemed like it had any immediate impact, and she¡¯d wanted to be sure of her choice. Or, if I¡¯m honest, maybe I hesitated because I was thinking about this, she acknowledged to herself. She wasn¡¯t surprised to see Queen¡¯s Wings again, although would have preferred Inner Hive Strength, and her evaluation hadn¡¯t changed. It would be nice, but her power was based on her hive and to a lesser degree on her magic, not physical strength or her personal skill at flying. The other two choices were active Abilities, and they both sounded good. The first one had drawn her eye, for obvious reasons. It was just what she¡¯d need to get her drones out of a tight spot in something like this war. Besides, it was teleportation! Very conditional teleportation, but still. It would also let her summon fighters to her defense if she was ever ambushed. If she for some reason got separated from Max, this would be vital. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The other choice would also be nice to have, although she hadn¡¯t really had any trouble with the range of her psychic abilities. Not recently, at least. Then again, the war with the gnomes might change that, and the ability to send scouts deeper into the Confederation¡¯s territory could be very useful. Buffing one of her drones in the process, by what sounded like a lot, wouldn¡¯t hurt, either. If she used that on Tim, he could probably stand up to the highest-leveled fighter the gnomes could throw at him in direct combat. Then again, it might be a bit more limited than the first option. Regina wondered at the timing of her getting that choice. Had it been intentionally offered to her now? Well, maybe she was seeing a pattern where there was none, and she couldn¡¯t be sure. It also didn¡¯t really impinge on her choice. In the end, little though she liked to admit it, she was a mother, and the hive were her children. The need to protect them would always be a priority. Regina took another mental look at Ken and chose Queen¡¯s Summons without hesitation. Then she barely waited for it to settle before she activated it, focused on Ken. The gnomes weren¡¯t stopping their torture. She wished she could teleport in a grenade as a replacement, but freeing Ken would have to do. The interrogator ¡ª she couldn¡¯t see his Class name, but that much was obvious ¡ª was just reheating the iron poker and had taken out a knife. He started with a shallow cut along Ken¡¯s arm, breaking the softer and more flexible shell on the inside and around the joints, then raised his knife and started to bring it back down. The last thing Ken saw before vanishing was the glint of the blade in the torchlight. Then Regina pulled him to her side. Ken stumbled, but she caught him before he fell. She cradled him in her arms and tried to project the same soothing warmth to his mind, which was understandably shaken at the moment. ¡°Mother?¡± he murmured, blinking and looking up at her. ¡°You¡¯re safe now, Ken,¡± she told him. ¡°Via, Ira, help me get him to the infirmary.¡± The two Assistants hurried to carry out her order, taking Ken and carrying him from her room as gently as possible. They put him down on one of the cots in the hive¡¯s medical center. Then Regina laid a hand over the cut, activating Greater Heal and sealing it. ¡°My Queen ¡­¡± Ken glanced around. ¡°How did you do this?¡± He paused. ¡°A new Skill?¡± He seemed to realize the answer from the impressions he got out of the psychic link. Regina smiled at him and paused her healing. ¡°Yes. I reached level 45 because of the battle.¡± Then she paused and mentally told Via and Ira to fetch some water and disinfectant. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, Ken,¡± she continued. ¡°I really am. You showed a lot of strength.¡± He seemed to relax at those words. ¡°Thanks,¡± he muttered. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have betrayed you, or the Hive ¡­¡± Regina nodded and continued her work. She cleaned his burns, healed them with Greater Heal, then tried to do something about his general state of neglect and abuse, to clear all the toxins that must have accumulated. It took some time. Most of the damage he had taken was subtle, and even Greater Heal struggled with things of that sort. He really needed at least several days of rest, good food and calm. Well, and a proper bath, of course. But Regina had to check him out before she sent him to bed. If there was a serious issue, she needed to find it as soon as possible. Luckily, it didn¡¯t seem like he¡¯d suffered anything that couldn¡¯t be healed, and she knew he¡¯d be getting lots of emotional support from the other drones in the hive, especially through the psychic link. Hopefully, that would help him cope with the psychological trauma. Eventually, Regina guided Ken to one of the bedrooms. Ria had already prepared a nice sleeping space and Ida entered the room as well, silently joining them and cuddling into Ken¡¯s side. Regina gave them another smile and wave of gentle assurance, then closed the door behind her and returned to her own room. She quickly realized that she¡¯d been occupied for at least an hour, probably longer, although she¡¯d been too focused to notice the passing of time. The others hadn¡¯t interrupted her, and she was relieved to realize that nothing had happened that meant they would have needed to. Looking through one of the Winged Drones above the - former - battlefield would have been enough to tell her what happened. The fortress was in ruins. Well, maybe not quite, although it looked that way. She knew it would be easier to repair it than to build a completely new one, at least for the people who¡¯d originally built it and with Neralt¡¯s help. It was going to prove ¡®uncooperative¡¯ for the gnomes if they tried, though, he¡¯d assured her. She was a bit annoyed that she¡¯d missed the demolition, but a quick glance through the information Jem sent her showed that everything had gone more or less according to plan, and they¡¯d actually managed to crush a few gnomes at the same time. The hive had dug very carefully under carefully chosen positions, and used powerful explosives. All of her sapient drones who¡¯d still been there had made it out, too. Regina grinned at the thought. I bet the gnomes didn¡¯t think we could dig tunnels like that, she reflected. Well, maybe she was being unfair. They did use tunnels themselves and everything. But they probably hadn¡¯t believed the hive could do as much as they had in the short time they¡¯d had. Luckily, Hivekind were good burrowers and the Workers¡¯ Ground Excavation Skill didn¡¯t really care if it removed soft dirt or mountain rocks. So did a few other Skills. They¡¯d had to limit their use of explosives, to preserve secrecy, or she would have had them build quite a few more tunnels, too. It looks like everything is fine, she said to Ben. Anything I need to know? Not really, my Queen, he responded. It¡¯s good that you got Ken out, though. Regina sent a mental nod of agreement. It is. I¡¯m sure the Ability will be useful in the future, too. Her mood darkened. Maybe we wouldn¡¯t have lost anyone if I¡¯d had it earlier. She didn¡¯t need Ben or Tim to tell her about their losses. She could sense them missing from the psychic link. Somehow, losing sapient drones still hit a lot harder than the hundreds if not thousands of Swarm Drones she¡¯d already lost. Regina took a moment of silence to reflect on those she¡¯d lost, her good mood evaporating. She hadn¡¯t known any of them very well, personally, but she still felt the loss, and she didn¡¯t want to lose that feeling. In the great scheme of things, she supposed two young Shooters and a Warrior weren¡¯t a very heavy price to pay, especially considering the casualties the gnomes must have taken. They had still been Regina¡¯s, though. She¡¯d known something like that was going to happen, and she knew it would probably happen again. Eventually, even just stray shots and attacks would hit, no matter how hard she tried to protect her people, in a war. Ironically, knowing more about the gnomes, like what she learned from watching how they treated Ken, helped, in a way. It made it clear that even if Regina had completely ignored the death of Bea and the others, or even if she¡¯d never sent them in the first place, the war would have happened, anyway. Her drones weren¡¯t just fighting for Regina or even for revenge, they really were fighting to protect their hive. We managed to recover their bodies and I¡¯m already making preparations for a funeral, Ben said, his own tone somber. I wish I could recall some of their comrades who fought with them, but under the circumstances ¡­ Regina nodded. Yeah, they should stay where they are. I hope the gnomes aren¡¯t about to catch them? No, we managed to break contact. For the most part, anyway. Ben smiled slightly. I¡¯m sure the gnomes still have enough of a trail to follow. Regina expressed her approval. Ben seemed to have things well in hand. And if the gnomes seemed inclined to be too cautious, she was sure a few Winged Drones in the right spots could convince them otherwise. Ultimately, the hive¡¯s advantages in coordination and aerial mobility would be a lot more decisive in the mountains than in open terrain. Even without the elementals¡¯ help, Regina was sure the hive could make their lives hell up there. With it, she was hoping to whittle this part of their army down until it collapsed. The gnomes still had other formations moving out of the mountains, but the hive would get to those in time, too. Regina was kind of looking forward to everything. Chapter 147: Being Useful ¡°Did you get the trench finished?¡± Tia stopped, put a hand on her hips, and looked at Tim. ¡°Who do you take me for? Finish the trench? I got it finished, got the embarkment well underway, the tunnel started and I¡¯ve laid some mines!¡± Tim just looked at her for a moment, which she returned, until she couldn¡¯t keep a straight face anymore. Tim smiled at her while she chuckled. That was about as much as she ever got out of him, though. ¡°Seriously, though,¡± he continued after a moment. ¡°Good work, Tia. Almost too good, even. I think you may have achieved a bit of overkill for this one.¡± Tia shrugged. ¡°I thought it was better to be safe,¡± she replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that there might have been more of them than expected?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Maybe, but we¡¯ve already dealt with that issue. I diverted a few bombers. I¡¯m pretty sure there are fewer of them than we originally thought coming now. And this is just a temporary position, you know.¡± Tia sighed. He¡¯d told her before that making these temporary fortifications too good could backfire, since they didn¡¯t want the gnomes to use them against the hive. Still, she didn¡¯t think this one would be much of a problem. ¡°We¡¯re moving on soon, then?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah. Actually, you¡¯re moving out right now.¡± He caught her look and shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t want to risk you here, Tia.¡± Tia rolled her eyes, but she didn¡¯t really want to argue with him. ¡°Aye, aye, commander,¡± she said with only a bit of sarcasm. Tim had already turned away and was waving to someone else. ¡°Ceinelis is going to accompany you,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll feel better with you looking over the defenses at Fallback Position Beta, anyway.¡± Tia looked around. They were standing at one of many small vantage points in the mountains. The peak behind her blocked her view in that direction, but she still got a look at the slope of the mountain and the neighboring ones spread out below them. Although she focused on the other people. ¡°I¡¯ll look after her, Champion Tim,¡± Ceinelis assured him as the elf came to a stop nearby. ¡°Lady Tia, let¡¯s go.¡± Tia hugged Tim goodbye, then joined the elven warrior. As they went, she glanced around again, noting the position of the Winged Drones overhead and the War Drones scurrying around the slopes. This wasn¡¯t one of the biggest detachments they¡¯d ever used, but still enough to deal with a sizeable gnomish force. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll go on foot,¡± she said. Ceinelis nodded calmly. ¡°Better not to risk the gnomes trying to snipe us,¡± she said. ¡°Might make the trip unpleasant.¡± Tia snorted and gave the elf a thoughtful look. Out here, the woman wore clothing in more faded colors instead of the green of the elves¡¯ uniforms. Her orange eyes and red hair were the only spots of color. Coupled with her tall and muscular frame, it would have to make her look imposing to any gnomes they happened upon. Apparently, Ceinelis was an old comrade of Anuis. Probably a subordinate, given the rank difference. Tia had talked to Ray a bit, and according to him, Anuis had said she¡¯d like to join them, but that she was a bit too prominent. Ceinelis wasn¡¯t even discharged, but still officially a Sergeant in the elvish military, she¡¯d just been given a long leave because of an injury from a training accident. One that hadn¡¯t even needed Regina to cast Greater Heal for her, fortunately. As they walked, Tia checked in on some of the drones around this part of the mountains. The situation was pretty much the same as the last time she¡¯d looked, though. Unfortunately, the gnomes had already learned not to divide their strength too much, so they only sent out larger units now, and were usually careful to ensure that they could support them. That had slowed their advance and given the hive lots of opportunities to prepare encirclements and flanking maneuvers, though. Right now, Ada was leading a relatively large horde of War Drones to try and curve around the gnomes¡¯ rear and devastate their supply lines. Tia only gave them about even odds that it would work as well as she hoped, but even if the gnomes were alert enough, they¡¯d still suffer damage. They definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to kill all the Swarm Drones before they got in among their supply wagons, or even the supply depots. And considering the terrain, any damage to their supplies would hit them where it hurt. Even the hive had to be careful about food in the more barren, rocky parts, but they could still mostly get what they needed from the land. The gnomish army wouldn¡¯t last long without stores. Tia¡¯s train of thought was interrupted when Ceinelis grabbed her arm. ¡°Enemy flier!¡± she snapped. Tia followed her tugging and the two of them crouched in the shade of a small rock outcropping. Ceinelis craned her neck slightly, but this time Tia grabbed her and pulled her back, shaking her head. Then she closed her eyes and looked for drones in the area. There was a small Winged Drone patrol not too far away, along with some Tia knew Tim had tasked to keep an eye on them. Through their eyes, she watched the gnome riding a giant flying bird circle above. He seemed to be working his way towards the northwest. ¡°Single bird rider to the south-south-east, bearing to the northwest,¡± she whispered to her companion. ¡°Still far enough I doubt he¡¯d see us.¡± The elf nodded, but didn¡¯t make any attempt to get up or move, and Tia stayed similarly still. She watched until the rider disappeared behind a peak from their position and confirmed his trajectory before she stood. Even if he had found them, it probably wouldn¡¯t have been too bad, but one thing Ceinelis insisted on all the time, and which she agreed with, was not to take unnecessary risks. Calculated risks were one thing, but sloppiness wasn¡¯t okay. You never knew when gnomish elites might be closer than you thought, hidden by some arcane Class Skill or even digging new tunnels. Tia was a bit more careful as they continued on, but things stayed quiet. Altogether, it took them several hours to make their way to their destination, even with Ceinelis periodically using a Skill to boost their movement speed. They didn¡¯t talk on the way, and the sergeant clearly kept an eye peeled while Tia regularly checked in with the others. The area was almost deserted, the presence of many high-level fighters driving out the local monsters. Those that hadn¡¯t been killed already, anyway. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Then, as the daylight was beginning to fade, they reached their current goal, a small outpost that looked a lot less temporary than it really was. It probably helped that half of it was dug into the ground and the hill it rested on, offering protection and concealment. Tia patted a few of the War Drones stationed around it as she walked towards the core of the outpost, smiling slightly. These were all higher-leveled ones, trusted to take care of themselves and stay here while there was currently no sapient drone stationed here. They¡¯d be a nasty surprise for any gnomish units that stumbled on them, too, especially since the warriors could also command them from a distance with the psychic link. ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a minute before we continue,¡± Ceinelis suggested. Tia nodded and grinned at her. ¡°Gather your nerves before we go into the tunnel, right?¡± She¡¯d only known her for a few days, but it was obvious that she wasn¡¯t a fan of the hive¡¯s tunnels. The elf rolled her eyes. ¡°Since you insist on using those, I might as well.¡± Tia settled down on a rock and stretched her work-limbs, listening to the drones around her and checking on the other sapient drones in the area. They were all busy and she didn¡¯t want to distract them, so she contented herself with watching. After ten minutes, they continued on. Tia dropped into the tunnel first, quickly checking that it was still solid and in good shape. Ceinelis rested a hand on her shoulder, and she reached back to take the elf¡¯s hand, giving her a moment to adjust before she started walking. It wasn¡¯t dark enough to bother Tia¡¯s vision, and using a torch would have delayed them unnecessarily and been awkward in the tight confines of the tunnel, which barely allowed Ceinelis to walk upright and didn¡¯t let them fully stretch out their arms. The patches of bioluminescent moss dotting the wall in regular intervals had to be enough. They walked for a while, but relatively soon, she started to see the end of the tunnel brightening. Even for the hive, digging a tunnel like this wasn¡¯t a simple endeavor, and they hadn¡¯t made it any longer than they had to. Especially considering all the other tunnels and bunkers the hive was digging, not just here, but around its bases in their own territory, too. Tia jumped up and waited for Ceinelis to get out before she rolled a boulder back into position, closing off most of the tunnel. It wouldn¡¯t prevent anyone from coming out, or in, if they really wanted to, but it would make it more difficult, and it would camouflage the entrance better. Then she looked up and took in the situation while she checked on the nearby minds in the psychic link. This outpost was noticeably bigger. It was also higher up, and located in a small hollow that was surrounded by mountain rock on three sides, which made it pretty well hidden. The core part of it was also hidden from the sky by an overhang that the hive had hollowed out a bit further. "Who goes there?¡± a familiar voice called out. Tia paused. Ceinelis took a step further and called back an answer in another language. Then the two of them continued. Bianorn met them at the edge of the cave. He nodded at Tia. ¡°Good to see you again, Lady Tia. I hope the front didn¡¯t get too hot?¡± She snorted. ¡°I think Tim just worries about my safety a bit too much, if you ask me. But no, it wasn¡¯t any worse than expected. I do need to take a look at the fortifications here, though.¡± Unlike Ceinelis, she was pretty sure Bianorn wasn¡¯t part of the elvish armed forces anymore. For now, at least. He was apparently a member of a special forces outfit, though, so this might not be anything too out of the ordinary for him. Ceinelis still seemed to treat him as a superior, anyway. He glanced at the other elf and exchanged a nod with her, before looking back at Tia. ¡°Of course. Do you require an escort?¡± She shook her head. ¡°The drones in the area will handle that. There aren¡¯t any gnomes close enough to be a threat, and I can have reinforcements here very quickly if something happens.¡± They accepted that, and after examining the not-quite-cave for a bit, Tia continued on. She also checked in with the other few sapient drones currently here while she walked. Then she climbed the slight hill to the first ¡®overwatch¡¯ position and took a look at the whole place. Fortifying a base without making it look like anything was there, especially from the air, wasn¡¯t an easy task. Although, if she was honest, she did like the challenge. And the cover the rock faces provided to this spot made things a bit easier here. Tia took in the view and checked that nothing was standing out too much, then started on a circuit of the defenses. They were still pretty rudimentary, but that was fine. She was here now, after all. Unfortunately, the hive only really had increased mobility in regards to their Winged Drones. War Drones and the majority of their sapient members still had to be careful of getting caught by gnomish pursuers, especially higher-level ones. That was where these bases came in, though. They¡¯d allow a group to hold off gnomish attackers until reinforcements came, if they didn¡¯t manage to give them the slip in the mountains or escape through a hidden tunnel. Besides that, they also acted as rally points and to drop off supplies. Not to mention, they were pretty good for setting traps. Tia grinned at the thought as she checked on the ¡®minefield¡¯ they¡¯d laid across the goat path that was one of the main approaches to the location. It wouldn¡¯t allow many people to walk abreast, and she wasn¡¯t totally sure that the gnomes couldn¡¯t use the neighboring slope. Still, at least their pack animals and weaker foot soldiers would probably have to take it. She checked the mines, carefully, and adjusted the dirt cover over them a bit. Then she put some more fallen leaves and twigs there, and, in a trick she¡¯d learned from Ceneilis, she cut out some grass from a hidden hollow where it wouldn¡¯t be missed and transferred it over, careful not to damage the roots too badly. She couldn¡¯t do too much of that since the path still had to be visible, but it would help to camouflage the digging they¡¯d done. She¡¯d had a lot of experience doing things like this in the last few days. Chances were it wouldn¡¯t be needed, but Tia believed in being as prepared as she could be. Especially when the safety of her Hive brothers and sisters was on the line. And their guests, she supposed. Once she was done with the minefield, Tia headed back towards the outpost to check on the bunkers. She¡¯d probably have to do some enlarging there, from what she got from the Swarm Drones¡¯ eyes. Her Skills were also helping her pick out a few other good positions where she could raise defenses, and ideas for how she might go about that. Tia smiled to herself as she looked at the small plateau from a Combat Engineer¡¯s eyes. There¡¯d been a time she¡¯d felt like she was useless and could never contribute much to the Hive, because as much as she trained for it, she just wasn¡¯t very good at fighting compared to the Warriors. If she¡¯d still felt that way, the warfare here in the mountains would have decisively disabused her of that idea. Tia¡¯s smile widened as she focused on some events happening further away. A gnomish patrol had been caught in a pincer attack by two Hive parties, while their Winged Drones were harassing and pushing away sorties by some of the gnomes¡¯ few remaining fliers. And almost a hundred kilometers away, a larger unit was getting decimated in a killing ground she¡¯d helped to design and implement. It had been taking a somewhat broader path than usual, bounded by a small mountain meadow. This time, she hadn¡¯t relied on mines, but old-fashioned spiked pits and caltrops had their uses. Not to mention the landslide from the slope to one side of the path. Or the traps hidden among the flowers of the meadow. If anyone had thought indirect or asymmetrical warfare had no place in a war like this, with the System empowering the soldiers, she figured they¡¯d rethink that opinion by now. She wasn¡¯t sure if the gnomes would turn out to be slow or fast learners, but Tia was confident they wouldn¡¯t be fast enough. Chapter 148: Progress, Preparation and Battles The more this war continued, the more Regina realized that it was going to be both shorter and longer than she¡¯d thought. The actual, military ¡®decision¡¯, as Bianorn had called it, would probably not take that long, actually. That didn¡¯t mean more time wouldn¡¯t pass until the fighting ended, though. To be fair, it hadn¡¯t exactly dragged on for very long yet. In fact, the war was probably still in its beginning phase, objectively. It had only been a matter of days. Either way, she was still getting more reinforcements with every day that passed. They weren¡¯t at a point yet where these new drones actually made a significant impact on their numbers fighting the war, though - the casualties they were taking soaked them up easily. That probably meant their levels were dropping on average. Although the surviving Swarm Drones did level up quite rapidly. Regina was confident that soon, that would actually help give the hive stronger hatchling Swarm Drones, since they started at a higher level because of her Ability Swarm Strength. Plus, she¡¯d discovered that Evolved sapient Swarm Drones still counted towards that level, too. Of course, given the hordes of new, weak Swarm Drones the hive was hatching, that number would never get too high. Her sapient drones were also leveling up, though. More of them had reached the third Tier than ever before, and Tim was actually bumping up against the limit of her own level. Even though she¡¯d reached level 46 only a short time after she¡¯d gained her last level-up and her newest Ability. That was why she almost dropped the (explosive and dangerous) container she¡¯d just filled using Conjuration when she saw another level-up notification after only a few days of fighting in the mountains.
You have leveled up
Regina carefully put down her latest creation and took off the protective clothing she¡¯d taken to wearing, then walked back to the hive while she considered the next System screen.
You may select a Spell. You can use a Spellbook, learn a Spell from a teacher or other source of information, or pick one from the list below:
Spark, Magic Missile, Fireball, Basic Conjuration, Greater Heal, Water Manipulation, Magic Armor, Heat Vision, Expand Senses, Physical Augmentation, Earth Manipulation, Haste, Fire Manipulation, Air Manipulation, Freeze, Water Breathing, Purify
Regina smiled as she looked at it. It had been a while since she¡¯d seen this list, and she wished she could pick more than one option. This time, however, she didn¡¯t spend long thinking about it. There really only was one choice. Regina hovered her mental awareness over Basic Conjuration, which promptly morphed into Conjuration. She paused, considering it for a moment, before she shrugged and moved to look at the other options. Regina spent a short while playing around with the screen, looking at other Spells, but in the end, she knew what she needed to do. And wanted, for that matter. She picked the Spell, watching as it dissolved into a shower of sparks. It felt like the knowledge in her head shifted just slightly. Just ¡®Conjuration¡¯, no other adjective, she mused. I started with the Lesser Basic version. I wonder if anyone ever got Greater Conjuration? Well, she was definitely going to try. Regina was looking forward to finding out everything she could do with this version of the Spell, an even better one would be awesome. Unfortunately, she could already tell that it would take a while. Conjuration was without a doubt the most complex Spell she¡¯d learned, or that she¡¯d ever heard of. Not surprising, considering its power to change the physical world. Regina had no idea how it fit with the principles of matter-energy equivalence or the conservation of energy. Assuming that was even still a thing with magic. And she wasn¡¯t a physicist, so her understanding of those fundamental principles was shaky at best. She was almost too caught up in her thoughts to realize someone was calling her. Regina blinked and looked around. ¡°Mia? What¡¯s up?¡± Mia stepped closer. She looked like she¡¯d just come from her workshop, and she was carrying what looked like a bucket of gray goo with her. ¡°My Queen!¡± she greeted her, sounding cheerful. ¡°We just got a new substance from the Production Drones.¡± She glanced down at it, wrinkled her nose and shrugged. ¡°Well, so far it seems like only really high-level ones can make it, but we do have a few of those now.¡± Regina peered into the bucket. ¡°Sounds interesting. What does it do? I assume you ran some tests?¡± Mia nodded. ¡°Well, I was going to do most of the tests now, but we figured out a few things already. For once, I¡¯m pretty sure this is very inflammable. Or ¡ª what¡¯s the word, combustible maybe?¡± She shrugged again. ¡°The point is, this burns pretty well, and I think there¡¯s a lot of energy stored up in it. We haven¡¯t measured heat output or energy content yet, but I¡¯d say it¡¯s probably more efficient than wood. Maybe even coal or oil. And that¡¯s just as regular fuel.¡± Regina smiled. That sounded useful. ¡°How easily flammable is it, though?¡± she asked, reminding herself of the potential dangers. ¡°You called it combustible?¡± ¡°Not all that much,¡± Mia responded with a slight smile. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t shake it around near an open fire, but it¡¯s not going to catch fire just from getting jostled a bit. I hope, anyway.¡± She paused. ¡°What I really want to try is if we can get it to, well, combust more than burn. It seems to be compressible, and ¡­¡± ¡°I get it.¡± Regina grinned and sent her a mental clap on the shoulder. ¡°Good work, as usual, Mia.¡± Then she paused and thought for a moment. She was about to head inside, but on the other hand, this would be a nice opportunity to do some hands-on work and spend some time with Mia. She hadn¡¯t seen much of her recently. ¡°You know what, let¡¯s go and test it right now.¡± The smile Mia showed her in return convinced Regina she¡¯d made the right decision. Mia didn¡¯t quite skip or bounce to the open-air experimental space they¡¯d cordoned off, but she had a bit more energy in her steps. The two of them spent a while working on the new material, and then a few other things. Regina took the opportunity to do some preliminary tests with her newly upgraded Spell, although she still focused more on Mia¡¯s discovery and work. It seemed promising for the hive¡¯s usual tactics. After that, Mia moved on to a meeting she¡¯d arranged with some of the other senior Workers, those who were still at the main base, and Regina continued on to her rooms. She made a detour to check on the eggs. Those were housed in a series of chambers close to her own space, both for convenience and just because it put them close to the center of the big building complex, providing additional protection. By now, they had several rooms dedicated to eggs and hatchlings, as well as a rotation of drones to look in on them and take care of any who just hatched. It was probably odd, at least to any stranger who might see it. Regina had grown more or less used to it, though. She had to admit that the Hivekind way of doing things had quite a few advantages. After adding some more eggs to the pile and washing up quickly, Regina returned to the room she¡¯d turned into an office and reluctantly sat down to do some paperwork. That was one consequence of the war she wouldn¡¯t have anticipated. Previously, the hive hadn¡¯t exactly seen much need for paperwork. But the elves and other people clearly liked to put some things in writing, and they did have a point. Regina had also taken the opportunity to push for a bit more of that among her hive. Sure, they had the psychic link, but putting some things to paper didn¡¯t hurt. Well, unless it got into the wrong hands, but she didn¡¯t worry much about the gnomes getting to any accounts here in the base. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Marquis Lyns had actually complied with her request ¡ª it would be impolitic to call it a ¡®demand¡¯, after all ¡ª and officially denounced the gnomes¡¯ actions as well as levered an embargo against them. She still wasn¡¯t sure if he or his allies had actually had any trade with the Confederation, but it didn¡¯t seem to be on a very large scale, if so. Clearly, he was smart enough not to piss off his main financier if he didn¡¯t absolutely have to. Now, anyway. Regina glanced at a few notes from elven commanders and politicians and noted the quality of their paper. It was still better than what the hive produced at Forest¡¯s Haunt. The gap was closing, though, and they were getting better. They weren¡¯t making paper on a large scale yet, because the hive didn¡¯t really need to, but they could probably get there if they wanted to, relatively quickly. The next step would be the ability to make books on a large scale. I really want that, Regina admitted to herself, idly fingering a sheet detailing the hive¡¯s food supplies. Having paper freely available again is nice, something I didn¡¯t realize I was missing this much. It¡¯s not electronic data, but it¡¯s something. And once I¡¯m able to actually make books cheaply ¡­ Well, I still need to decide what to put in them, but it will open up quite a few options. She shook her head. Hopefully, Galatea would drop by at some point. Even if not, Regina could definitely get by on her own. In the meantime, she still had a war to fight. Regina put down the sheet she¡¯d just finished and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. Max was currently visiting the drones involved in fighting the gnomes. Regina had wanted to go herself, but he¡¯d been very much against it. Considering they¡¯d probably tried to kill her once already, Regina had to acknowledge that he had a point. That hadn¡¯t stopped her from sending him instead, though. She was very well protected here, and he was still one of their strongest members and a perfect proxy to send in her stead. Plus, it served him right. I mean, it does him good to spend some time away from me once in a while, she corrected herself with a grin. Tim was still with the drones fighting in the mountains, making gradual but steady progress. It might not seem like that to an outside observer, but Regina tracked the gnomes¡¯ status and how many soldiers they sent and lost, so she considered it to be going well. Sure, she¡¯d lost quite a few Swarm Drones in the skirmishes they¡¯d fought, but that was the cost she¡¯d accepted from the beginning. Conversely, while she couldn¡¯t say much about their levels, by her estimates of their numbers, the gnomes had lost at least forty percent of the forces they¡¯d originally sent against the fortress. And that didn¡¯t consider that they seemed to have already sent some replacements to the most heavily hit units. Max, in contrast, was now with the other main detachment the hive had set up. Well, it wasn¡¯t really a single detachment, since the drones were still pretty scattered, but they¡¯d organized themselves accordingly. Their job was to deal with the forces the gnomes hadn¡¯t sent to attack the fortress, and hadn¡¯t gotten bogged down in the mountains the same way. They¡¯d only just started to clash, but it seemed to be going well so far. The gnomes were making their way out of the mountains and through the foothills, then across the plains towards the hive¡¯s territory. Or that was the plan, Regina assumed. The hive had deliberately let them put a bit of distance between them and the first army before they started seriously harassing them. One of the benefits of the psychic link was that anything one group of drones learned, the rest did as well. Basically, the drones that were now going up against these gnomes could use the experience their fellows had already gathered fighting the others. Thus, they already knew which attack patterns worked best, how the gnomes tended to react to ambushes according to their doctrine, and which abilities seemed common among their soldiers. Regina didn¡¯t doubt the gnomes also had means of communication, but it couldn¡¯t compare to the hive¡¯s. The mines the hive had made were pretty primitive, but they¡¯d had enough opportunity to emplace them along likely routes the gnomes would take. The mountains would narrow those routes, but the softer ground and denser vegetation also made working with them easier here. Their strategy regarding digging tunnels needed a bit more adjustment, but Regina was confident they could still get a few good ambush spots or surprising sinkholes to stop the enemy¡¯s supply wagons out of it. You think they¡¯re ready? she asked Max quietly. He seemed a bit amused. I would hope so, Max replied. Via, we¡¯re all set, right? Of course, Via agreed. She¡¯d accompanied Max, as well. Her Class wasn¡¯t very suited to direct combat, but she was still one of the strongest mages in the hive, and her support would be invaluable. Then let¡¯s show them why they¡¯re not jumpy enough yet, Max concluded with a grin. The gnomes in the column currently stretching across the last offshoots of the mountains were obviously already nervous, and they looked like they¡¯d all had less sleep than they¡¯d have preferred. Regina had been watching them through her Winged Drones, and she could tell that the constant, irregular attacks the hive launched on them had been having an effect. They might be able to beat them back, but they lost people every time. Their supply wagons were getting damaged or destroyed, which slowed their pace for repairs and to give them the opportunity to forage for food. And that was a risky proposition, since the drones liked pouncing on any party wandering too far from the main army. But what the gnomes probably didn¡¯t realize was that this had also drawn their attention to the sky, and kept it fixed there. They were conditioned to expect attacks from above, and traps and mines from the ground around them. Now, they would be faced with an actual ground assault for the first time. Regina had decided there was no point in ¡®pussyfooting around¡¯, as Janis would say, with this, and they¡¯d prepared an attack in force. Hiding this many drones so they wouldn¡¯t be detected early by the gnomes was a challenge. But they¡¯d chosen the time and place carefully. Not only was the gnomish column stretched pretty far due to the terrain, but it was also close to a base the Hivekind had built, along with a few tunnels. They¡¯d be using several in particular, which had entrances concealed in a thick patch of wood close to the pass the gnomes would have to go through. Their scouts had missed it, probably because the army wouldn¡¯t be moving through here, anyway, and so there shouldn¡¯t be any traps; and partly because they hadn¡¯t wanted to tangle with an enraged Greater Mana Beast in the middle of its territory. Arcanis had played her part perfectly. Now, at Max¡¯s signal, the horde of drones got moving. Several warriors came along, as well, together with a few supporting mages, although they¡¯d stay behind and not participate in the actual battle. They controlled the hordes of War Drones launching the attack, though. Silently, the drones ran through the tunnels and poured from their mouths into the forest, waiting briefly for enough of them to gather before the attack started. They scrambled up the steep sides of the ridge separating them from the gnomes, their ability to move on all fours helping greatly. By now, the gnomes had raised the alarm, but it didn¡¯t really matter. They were too strung out, caught too unprepared. The soldiers barely managed to get into anything resembling formation before the waves of drones crashed over them. The battle was short but brutal, as was probably to be expected. The hive attacked in waves, using a formation the warriors under Max¡¯s supervision had previously arranged, since Swarm Drones weren¡¯t good at forming tactics on their own. They didn¡¯t need to this time, however. The ferocity of the hive¡¯s attack clearly caught the gnomes off-balance. They thought they knew what to expect, and this wasn¡¯t it. Soldiers who¡¯d grown used to hunkering down and watching as stronger gnomes tried to shoot down flying drones now had to stand up and fight. The road wasn¡¯t big enough for them to form up properly, and in the chaos, their officers struggled to maintain any kind of order. Regina grinned to herself as she watched. Her drones were dying left and right, of course, but that was also a price she¡¯d anticipated. As the battle progressed, her grin quickly faded and she took a deep breath, trying not to focus on the sensation of minds going dark in the psychic link. Just as the gnomes were starting to reestablish control and strike back, the second attack hit. A swarm of Winged Drones crossed over their formation, tossing rocks and explosive charges. The gnomes¡¯ line wavered and indented in several places as the attack ripped holes in their column. A short while later, Ben said, We need to withdraw now. Regina nodded and sent a feeling of acceptance, listening quietly as Max and Ben gave the orders to the others. He¡¯d told her from the start that if they wanted to get more than a handful of drones back from this attack, they couldn¡¯t allow the gnomes to get themselves together and start pursuing them in earnest. Retreat was always tricky, and even more so under these circumstances. But the War Drones broke off right on cue and turned to flow back in good order. She knew their bloodthirsty ferocity must not have given the gnomes that impression, but they were far more disciplined than they appeared, just in a different way than human or gnomish soldiers. Under the commands of their sapient leaders, the War Drones withdrew neatly, without getting in each other¡¯s way. They left a lot of dead drones behind, but also enough dead gnomes that Regina didn¡¯t need to count to tell it had ended in her hive¡¯s favor. And as she watched the surviving soldiers through the eyes of departing Winged Drones, she could tell they must have shaken the gnomes quite a bit. The damage to their morale was probably worse than just their losses. Interlude: Division II Smoke drifted above the valley, only slowly getting dispersed by the wind that was picking up now. It irritated Tikimaken¡¯s nose and made him cough. Although, to be fair, that might be due to more than simply the smoke. He didn¡¯t even want to consider what sorts of substances the Hivekind might have used to produce smoke. Luckily, the attack did not seem to have included many mages. He wondered about that briefly, before the situation grabbed his attention again as someone stumbled into him. He almost shoved the man off, before he recognized Periakin. ¡°So, still alive, my friend?¡± the other merchant asked with what he recognized as put-on levity. ¡°And unharmed,¡± he agreed with a forced smile. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough sitting around!¡± a shout interrupted them. ¡°Tiki-Rock, get up and look sharp, you¡¯re on watching duty! Peri-kins, the Colonel wants you up ahead, so move it!¡± Tikimaken turned and looked at the sergeant, resisted the urge to scowl at him, and reluctantly got moving. He was far more exhausted than he ought to be, already, since the battle had not lasted all that long. Then again, he was still not used to all this, and it had been exhausting in more than a physical sense. He¡¯d been in combat before, but never on such a scale. And he¡¯d never had to deal with hordes of identical monsters rushing at him, either. He suppressed a shudder as he thought back to the hive¡¯s fighters. He recognized them, of course - the ones who could talk had called them ¡®War Drones¡¯ - but he¡¯d never seen them in combat before. The utter ferocity they¡¯d shown had been bad enough, but if he was honest, what unnerved him even more was the downright eerie coordination, almost synchronization, between them. He wasn¡¯t sure even elites could match it. And they had hardly even seemed to care about their own lives, but fearlessly attacked whoever stood against them, even if he was twenty levels higher. He¡¯d even watched one instance where a drone hadn¡¯t even tried to dodge a warrior¡¯s sword and allowed its companion to deal a fatal strike. Tikimaken shook his head and reminded himself that at least they were still individually weak, then made himself return his attention to his task. It looked like the division¡¯s advance had been decisively halted for now, but he shouldn¡¯t let his guard down. It ended up taking even longer than he expected until everything was sorted out and they were ready to move on. The injured had to be taken care of, and some of them prepared for transport back to base, where they could receive more extensive care. Some of their supply vehicles were destroyed, again, and the engineers took a while to rig repairs for a few others. Tikimaken suspected that the soldiers¡¯ loads might get a little heavier again. Then, finally, with the path cleared and everything in order, though still leaving behind more men than he knew anyone wanted to, they got moving again. He suspected part of that was because the commanders didn¡¯t want to linger in one spot for too long. Were they afraid the enemy would prepare another attack? Tikimaken trudged back to his usual group, trying to gauge the condition of the army on the way. For men like him, the usual rules were a bit looser, and they had some leeway in forming teams. That meant he spent most of his time with Peri and a few others, most of whom he had known for some time. Once again, he was devoutly grateful that he had already reached as high as he had. And at least the war was good leveling. He¡¯d felt like he was almost stuck for a while now, but he¡¯d gained a level a few days ago, and he was confident the next one would be coming along soon, too. They talked a bit as they marched, trying to make jokes and banter to put each other at ease. Maybe it was his imagination, but it seemed more forced than it had been at the beginning of this endeavor. Certainly more sporadic. At least they made the effort, however, and he knew that, all too often, confidence came from putting on a good front, projecting it until you actually felt it. Tikimaken was an old hand at that, too. He wouldn¡¯t have thought about it in those terms a month ago, but he also didn¡¯t want to let the common soldiers see him be nervous or less than confident. The army slowly wound its way out of the valley and into the lowlands. Well, outsiders probably would not call them lowlands, but they were lower than the mountains, so that counted for him. Tikimaken didn¡¯t even want to think about how long the column would stretch if all of the Confederation¡¯s army was here. Even this part of it was already rather drawn out. That had been one of the reasons the enemy attack had hit them as hard as it did. Luckily, that would hopefully be over now. ¡°Don¡¯t count on it,¡± Peri said, shaking his head, as he mentioned his thought. ¡°There are precious few proper roads here, unfortunately. We are still not going to be marching in a wide line. On the other hand, it should be a lot easier to move along the column or form up for battle properly.¡± Tikimaken nodded. He couldn¡¯t deny that he was relaxing a little as they got out of the mountains¡¯ shadow. They were still in hilly country, dotted with occasional woods and a few small brooks, but it was much more open terrain. ¡°At least you know the area,¡± Erdeken remarked. He adjusted the strap of his weapon, an oversized firearm of some kind, and looked around with a suspicious scowl. Over the last few days, he seemed to have lost much of his usual flippancy. Tikimaken just shrugged. ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°It also means there are more potential hidden ambush spots here,¡± Peri added. Tikimaken gave him a dirty look. ¡°Thank you for that encouraging thought.¡± ¡°Seriously, now,¡± he continued after a short pause. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve seen any sign of the Hivekind now. Do you reckon they might be easing off? Now that we¡¯ve gotten this far, I mean. Drawing back to build their defenses and sort themselves out?¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we should be hoping for that,¡± Erdeken muttered. Tikimaken could tell from looking at the others that they did hope so, however, and he felt the same way. Well, at least it¡¯s getting dark, so we¡¯ll have to camp soon. He was looking forward to a hot meal, the strategic worries could wait. ¡°It does strike a fellow as odd, though,¡± Erdeken continued after a while. His friend¡¯s serious tone still felt out of place to Tikimaken. ¡°What are the chances that the Hivekind would suddenly surface here, of all places?¡± There was a moment of silence. ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re the only gnomes in the world. They had to turn up somewhere. We¡¯re just the unlucky fellows on the short end of the stick.¡± ¡°Did they, though?¡± Peri muttered, then shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d still like a word with whichever god put them here, though.¡± Erdeken barked a short laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Tikimaken said, a bit more sharply than he¡¯d intended. He let out a heavy breath and waved his hand apologetically. ¡°Besides, it was probably Deirianon,¡± he added as an afterthought. Maybe he was more tired than he thought, but he realized he probably shouldn¡¯t have said anything right after he did. He suppressed a grimace. ¡°What¡¯d you mean?¡± Erdeken asked, cocking his head. ¡°Nothing. Just forget it.¡± They walked in silence for a short while, before Peri spoke again. ¡°Tiki ¡­¡± Tikimaken raised his head and rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, but ¡­¡± He glanced at the others. ¡°You boys haven¡¯t heard about that thing about Alianais, then?¡± They exchanged a look and shook their heads. ¡°What about the goddess?¡± Peri asked, sounding a bit cautious. Tikimaken sighed. ¡°Just something I heard from my contacts, and, well, might be something someone picked up when we met the Hivekind.¡± He noticed the impatience in their expressions and grunted. ¡°It appears Regina - the Hive Queen - is Alianais¡¯ Champion. Or something.¡± They looked at him incredulously. ¡°What?¡± Peri exclaimed. Then he immediately lowered his tone of voice. ¡°That¡¯s nonsense. Even Alianais ¡ª especially Alianais ¡ª and none of the gods would do something like that.¡± He frowned. ¡°Where did you hear that? Did they actually say she was the Goddess of Progress¡¯ Champion?¡± ¡°No, I suppose not,¡± Tikimaken said. He considered for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°She seems to be marked by the goddess. That¡¯s all I could tell you for sure, and I suppose there are plenty of reasons for something like that.¡± His answer didn¡¯t appear to set his companions at ease, although Peri¡¯s frown calmed. They traveled for the next few minutes in silence. For his part, Tikimaken was trying not to think about what they just talked about. He was almost glad for an interruption, although that feeling didn¡¯t last when he realized who called for them. ¡°Tiki, just the man I was looking for. Peri, you as well.¡± Commander Serdakeni looked a bit hassled as they moved up to his ¡®mobile command post¡¯, which was just a small wagon that most likely carried supplies as well. ¡°Do you have a job for us, Commander?¡± Tikimaken asked. He was not in the mood for proper social graces right now. ¡°Yes, I do. We¡¯re going to be making camp soon. As soon as we are out of this stretch and get to what I¡¯m assured is a better camping area, in fact. But before that, we want to be certain the environment is safe, beyond just our immediate perimeter. So, I¡¯m sending teams out to check on any likely ambush sites and general locations of interest. Tiki, since you¡¯ve traveled through here more than once, you¡¯ll be with Team One. That¡¯ll put your experience to good use. Peri, you¡¯re with Team Three, under Esiaken, you¡¯ll check over the river to the northwest.¡± Tikimaken nodded and sketched a salute. He was not exactly happy about this, since his dreams of rest and a good meal would be pushed back quite a bit. But he was not going to argue about that now. Instead, he went to meet up with his squad, then get to work. He recognized all of the other three, although he didn¡¯t know them personally. They all seemed as tired or grumpy as him, and only exchanged a few nods before they got going. At least they had a mage who knew the Haste Spell. Judging by the effect, it might even be a more developed version, like Greater Haste. In either case, they sped through the darkening fields around the army¡¯s path, taking advantage of the last of the sunlight. It promised to be a cloudy night, so they had better hurry. ¡°Wait, there,¡± he murmured as they gained distance from the campsite. ¡°There¡¯s a game path through here, it should take us through that forest and to the first site.¡± He¡¯d seen the maps and they already had a prearranged route, although there was room for some deviation. He wasn¡¯t too sure how much a patrol like this would really matter, although he supposed they could make sure the Hivekind weren¡¯t gathering any large forces in the vicinity. There was a somewhat secluded spot in the shade of a lone, rocky hill that would function as a good landmark, as well as potentially give cover for fighters. Tikimaken tensed somewhat as they neared, but he couldn¡¯t see any Hivekind on the hill using it as a lookout position. He supposed they didn¡¯t really need to, with their flying drones. And as his party made its way closer, it soon became clear that the hill was just as abandoned as it ought to be. ¡°Good, now what?¡± the mage, Tardaken, asked. ¡°There¡¯s a ford in the river which would probably let wagons pass,¡± he replied. ¡°This way.¡± For the next small eternity, the party moved in an arc around one side of the army¡¯s path and intended campsite, checking out the area and any spots of interest. It wasn¡¯t really a proper scouting job, but what did he know? Then again, he didn¡¯t think any gnome would be very familiar with fighting in wild, open terrain like this. They diverged from the straightest course several more times to check out features of the terrain or landmarks, or to get across a body of water. Their mage had mana to spare, at least, and refreshed his Spell when needed. They moved a lot more quickly than normal, but Tikimaken still found it exhausting, on more than just a physical level. At first, he tensed up more and more as they approached the next potential ambush position, but then his tension started to fade. They only found any hint of combat when they were almost back at the camp. Tikimaken exchanged looks with his companions and sped up slightly, ignoring his tiredness. There was a smell of smoke in the air, faint though it may be, it still seemed stronger than what one would get purely from campfires. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked tensely. No one answered, of course. As they reached the camp itself, Tikimaken split off from the group and went to grab an officer he recognized. ¡°Hey! What happened? Was the camp under attack?¡± The captain, Ediakin, looked up, then seemed to hesitate as he recognized Tikimaken. ¡°No, well, not really. The perimeter was hit, but it didn¡¯t seem like it was a heavy attack. They did hit several of the scouting teams as well, though.¡± He frowned and glanced at the other three. ¡°You were lucky. Some of the others, well ¡­¡± Tikimaken sucked in a breath as he realized what Ediakin meant. ¡°Which squads?¡± he asked. ¡°Who died?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure, but ¡ª¡° The captain shrugged and nodded towards an open area in front of the first line of tents, where he now realized they were gathering shapes under blankets. Tikimaken nodded an absent thanks and hurried on to the spot. Some soldiers looked like they wanted to stop him, but they saw his expression and his level and backed off. He barely paid them any mind. Instead, he scanned the line of bodies laid out. He peeked under several coverings, and was almost starting to relax, when he lifted the edge of the white blanket off the third form. Peri¡¯s glassy eyes stared back at him. Tikimaken gulped and stumbled a step back. Almost automatically, he turned and looked at the dark horizon. He couldn¡¯t even tell what he was feeling right now, or what he was supposed to think. Chapter 149: Booklets of Knowledge We can¡¯t keep this up, Ben said. Regina blinked and turned her head, although she couldn¡¯t actually see him. Ben was somewhere about three doors down in the hive¡¯s main base, while Regina was just ambling back to her rooms, more focused on watching through her drones¡¯ eyes than her immediate surroundings. What do you mean? she asked, trying not to let any anxiety into her voice. She¡¯d thought things had been going well. Sure, they were still losing drones, but the gnomes were also losing soldiers. The gnomes are getting worn down, Ben said. He sounded slightly amused, probably because he caught an echo of her reaction, but she could tell he was still at least a little worried. We are, too, though. Sort of. Regina paused walking and leaned against the wall in a small alcove that let drones pass each other more easily. Well, out with it, she said, a bit testily. Sorry, my Queen. I assume you watched the recent attack on the third column? Of course. She thought that went rather well. They¡¯d caught a few of the stronger gnomes, anyway. That¡¯s going to be our last good opportunity, at least for a while, Ben explained. They¡¯re out of the mountains now, and while we got them this time, caught them by surprise, they¡¯re only going to be more alert going forward. I¡¯m not saying it wasn¡¯t worth it, don¡¯t get me wrong. But they are gaining experience. Not just System Experience. He smiled a bit. I guess those who are slow learners don¡¯t tend to make it. I think I get what you mean. Regina frowned thoughtfully. So, in terms of the ratio, we would need more drones to kill more of them. Exactly, Ben said. And the problem is that all of our reinforcements are very low-level. The Swarm Drones level up quickly once they actually fight, but only if they survive. Well. Regina sighed, shook her head and pushed off the wall, continuing on her way. Then there¡¯s nothing for it. You¡¯re right to be worried about the numbers if things take a turn for the worse, and there¡¯s no point taking chances with that. This is still our best opportunity to whittle them down, he pointed out, but she knew he just thought it needed to be said. Yeah, but it won¡¯t be our only option to deal with them. We¡¯ll still harry them, keep them on edge, slow them down as much as possible. But it¡¯s probably not wrong to focus more on our preparations. That is what I was going to suggest, my Queen, Ben said. I¡¯ll make sure we¡¯ll get it to work out. Regina sent him a mental acknowledgment, then sensed his mind withdrawing from her. She probably needed to make sure he didn¡¯t spend all his time worrying about strategy and took some time off to relax, come to think of it. Maybe she should have a quick word with Dan. In the meantime, Regina also checked on Ken quickly. The other drone seemed to be recovering well. She was pretty sure that he wasn¡¯t going to suffer from PTSD. Granted, it was a bit early to be certain of that. But the contact with the other drones, his siblings, and the way the psychic link allowed them to be there for him, share reassurance and just help him cope in general was obviously helping. Plus, Regina felt like Hivekind in general were probably pretty resilient, in more than just the physical sense. Anyway, Ken was working hard on his magic, but not hard enough to endanger his health, and he actually seemed to be making good progress. She quickly exchanged notes with Ida, then glanced at the other information the Keepers had stored in the psychic link recently. There was nothing that really required her attention, and she¡¯d take the time to look over the more technical things in detail later. Their capabilities were growing, and it was harder to get an overview of everything relevant from just a quick impression. She considered that a good thing, though. The more they were able to use this capability, the better. Plus, it¡¯s better than actual paperwork, she thought, grinning slightly to herself. Regina focused back on her surroundings. She took a quick bath, then changed her clothes, choosing an open tunic with long slits on the side towards the back that allowed her wings full freedom of motion. She was getting sick and tired of staying in the hive¡¯s base, cooped up while her drones fought and died in the south. She wasn¡¯t stupid or reckless enough to actually go to the front, but Regina figured she could get out a little more. Besides, she could probably use the exercise. Once outside, Regina glanced around. Ira and Dan stood beside her, their arms crossed, while Dan scowled a bit. He¡¯d taken up some of Max¡¯s bodyguarding while the older drone was away. Not that Regina had needed much of a security detail while she was holed up inside the hive, surrounded by her drones. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t go too far,¡± she said. Dan nodded, giving her a quick smile. She knew he planned to take control of some Winged Drones nearby to keep an eye on her, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, Regina jumped and beat her wings. She savored the short moment when she was almost weightless, the pull of gravity canceled out by her upwards momentum, before her wings carried her higher. She shot into the sky almost straight up, watching the hive¡¯s base recede below her, before she turned and started circling. That¡¯s the stuff. She laughed, letting the wind swallow the sound. She hadn¡¯t gotten to do some proper flying in far too long. Slowly, Regina ascended higher, until the cold felt biting even to her. From this far up, she could see a great distance. Circling around a little, she examined her territory. It wasn¡¯t easy to make out smaller details, but she did get a pretty good idea of the lay of the land. The positions of several of her hive¡¯s bases and outposts were clearly visible, along with streams of water and larger features like the great forest to the west. It was nothing she hadn¡¯t already seen through her Winged Drones¡¯ eyes, of course, but somehow seeing it like this with her own eyes felt different. Maybe that was just her imagination. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. A small flock of Winged Drones crossed underneath her, and she watched them for a moment, before she turned her attention away. The hive¡¯s main base bustled with activity, below, and she didn¡¯t need to look to know the positions of all the drones in the vicinity. There were quite a few. Some things weren¡¯t even visible from up here, of course, like the tunnels they¡¯d dug. That was just as well, she¡¯d rather her enemies didn¡¯t get a look at those. Regina glanced towards the forest, which was clearly visible, if still some distance away. For a moment, she considered going there, before deciding with a sigh that that would probably be too reckless. Even if it would be nice to go check on their original base and the rest of the area, and to visit the elves in person. Although she should probably give them a little more warning if she did decide to visit Ariedel. She was honestly feeling a bit ambivalent about the elves. She appreciated their support. It might seem a bit sparse considering the elves¡¯ allies were fighting for their very existence, but they hadn¡¯t exactly been allied - or around - for long, and they didn¡¯t have any kind of formal treaty, anyway. So technically, the elves weren¡¯t obligated to help the hive at all. Their logistic support was valuable, though, and so were the people they had sent to help directly. Not so much as fighters, since there were only a few of them, but as teachers. Her drones might have good instincts, but they lacked experience with fighting a war, or knowledge about large-scale combat with the System and magic. On the other hand, this was probably teaching the elves a great deal about the hive, too. Maybe also about warfare in general, Regina liked to think that they had a few tricks the elves hadn¡¯t really seen before. Either way, she knew Bianorn and the others would bring their newly learned knowledge back to Ariedel once this war was over. I suppose the question is if I should mind that? Regina considered while she slowly beat her wings. Before she came to any conclusion on the matter, she was distracted by the psychic link. A rather large group of drones was hatching right now, but that wasn¡¯t what caught her attention. Janis had just started talking to Volance. Regina had sent her back to the elemental¡¯s territory a while ago, and the young mage had spent more than a day walking through it, searching for her. That was probably Volance making some kind of statement. But now the elemental had appeared right in front of her just as Janis passed a bend in a high mountain path. Thor, who¡¯d carried her there and was currently napping on top of a lonely pine tree nearby, woke with a start and took to the air. ¡°Good to finally see you, grandmother,¡± Janis said, not bothering to keep her annoyance out of her voice. Focused on her, Regina could sense her relief, though. ¡°I would say I hoped you didn¡¯t have to wait long, but that would be a lie, since I know how long it¡¯s been,¡± Volance replied, apparently unperturbed. ¡°So, I assume you have something for me?¡± Janis scowled at her for a few seconds longer, before she sighed, visibly relaxed and reached into the messenger bag she was carrying. She took out a book and shoved it at the elemental. ¡°Here.¡± The book started floating and moved to Volance¡¯s fingers, who turned it around. Well, ¡®book¡¯ might be a bit of a generous term, Regina admitted. It was more of a booklet. ¡°What¡¯s this, then?¡± ¡°A treatise on air,¡± Janis explained with a slight smirk. ¡°To be more exact, on gases, their composition and their physics. Well, at least the basics of those. I¡¯ll be honest, this is barely more than a primer. But it¡¯s not knowledge you could easily come by anywhere else in the world.¡± Volance was quiet for a moment, flipping open the booklet and paging through it. Regina couldn¡¯t help but feel a stirring of pride at it. She¡¯d really gathered everything she could from her memories with this one. It wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d had any special knowledge of physics, atmospheric dynamics, aerostatics or anything, at least as far as she knew. Still, even simple things like the ideal gas law should help Volance a lot. She¡¯d even included the laws of thermodynamics, at least as explanations of principle. ¡°Well,¡± Volance mused, ¡°I am familiar with a majority of the content, it seems, but it does appear there are some new things to be learned from this.¡± She frowned thoughtfully. ¡°And you are most likely right that getting them from anyone but your Hive Queen would be quite difficult.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you see their value,¡± Janis responded. Regina could tell she was making herself stay calm and not show any of the smug satisfaction she felt. And to be fair, Janis had been a surprisingly big help in putting this together. There was a moment of silence while they both looked at each other, evaluating. Janis crossed her arms. Volance drifted a bit on the wind. Then the elemental sighed and lowered the book. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll help you. That is why you¡¯re here, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Janis nodded. She glanced at the book, then back at her grandmother¡¯s face. ¡°There¡¯s more where that came from. We have similar books for the other elements, although they¡¯re not as extensive, arguably.¡± Volance nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll help you bring a few others to your side, then. That should be enough.¡± She frowned, looking contemplative. ¡°I¡¯ll stick around until you¡¯ve defeated the gnomes, but I can¡¯t make any promises beyond that. None of us is going to be unhappy about seeing the little bugs get stepped on - pardon the expression, my dear - but the others won¡¯t like working under someone else¡¯s orders. I suggest you don¡¯t start handing things like this out unless and until you¡¯ve got firm assurances.¡± Janis relaxed a little more. ¡°How many of them are going to join us, do you think?¡± she asked. ¡°Maybe three or four. I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d show me those other little books to gauge what¡¯s in them?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have them on me,¡± Janis replied. The hive was still making copies of the books, although Regina started getting a few drones to fly at least one copy of each over right away. Janis nodded slightly and continued. ¡°The hive is sending them along, though. I think we can let you take a look.¡± Volance cocked her head. ¡°How nice,¡± she said in an even tone. ¡°Just out of curiosity, what is your status with the Hive?¡± ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know. Senior Infected? Maybe senior indigenous mage?¡± Janis shrugged. ¡°We don¡¯t really have a formal ranking or anything.¡± ¡°¡¯Infected¡¯?¡± Volance asked, her voice flatter than before. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a term,¡± Janis quickly assured her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t actually infected with anything.¡± ¡°May I check?¡± Janis started and cocked her head in a way that reminded Regina of Volance. She quickly asked a wordless question in the psychic link, and after a second of deliberation, Regina answered in the affirmative. She felt a bit nervous about anyone poking around with Janis¡¯ body and, presumably, connection to the hive, but it was probably better to let Volance check on this. Besides, if she showed concern for her granddaughter, Volance should probably have the opportunity to act on it. ¡°Alright,¡± Janis answered with a shrug. Volance stepped in front of her, quickly enough that Janis couldn¡¯t have moved out of the way if she¡¯d tried. She took her hand with one of hers and laid the other on Janis¡¯ forehead. Then she seemed to blink. Regina watched curiously. Finally, the elemental stepped back again. ¡°I can¡¯t sense anything harmful,¡± she finally said. ¡°At least not in your body. Mental arts aren¡¯t my forte, but you don¡¯t appear to be under a major compulsion.¡± Janis exhaled, and Regina could sense her relief, as well as slight surprise at the depth of the feeling. ¡°Good to know,¡± she commented in a casual tone. Chapter 150: Elites Tim panted, shaking his head to try and dislodge some twigs that seemed to have somehow gotten stuck on his head. He reached out to wipe them away, then extended a hand to stabilize himself as he jumped across a boulder and slid down a scree-lined path. Then he was bounding forward again, choosing his footfalls as carefully as possible on the somewhat treacherous slope. He was almost there. Using the psychic link, he could feel the gathered drones. They were still trickling in, formed in small bands and parties, or small hordes for the larger groups of Swarm Drones. They weren¡¯t all in one spot even now, but close enough that they could move together to reach the same goal without waiting for each other for too long. He felt the subtle sensation of his Queen¡¯s attention settling in behind his eyes, and Tim smiled slightly as he continued on. He¡¯d learned not to let that distract him, although he liked the occasional reminders of her presence. He¡¯d already gone quite a long time without seeing her in person - or at least longer than before, even if it wasn¡¯t that long objectively - but at least they could talk over the psychic link. At the moment, though, he made himself focus on the mission she¡¯d given him, working with Ben and the others. The fight in the mountains had raged on for a while now, although it felt longer than it really had. Tim knew that the other parts of the gnomish army were also bogged down, although they were slowly getting closer to the hive¡¯s main base. But the army here in the mountains, originally two columns of the army the gnomes had sent out, had suffered heavy attrition. Even with some reinforcements getting through, it had shrunk a lot. Maybe enough that they could deal with it decisively now. Besides, they needed to take care of it, so they could help to deal with the other army nearing the hive. Hitting it in the back would be good, especially if they could manage a real pincer maneuver. But they needed to make sure the gnomes weren¡¯t in a position to attack their own force¡¯s back, too. Finally, Tim reached his current destination. Tia and a few other drones, accompanied by two of the elf ¡®mercenaries¡¯, had set up a small camp on a hill in the shadow of a larger mountain. It offered a decent view of the area, while still being sheltered. Enough Winged Drones were circling overhead to make sure that the gnomes shouldn¡¯t send any spotters to see what they were up to. ¡°Cutting it a little close, aren¡¯t you, Tim?¡± Tia asked. Tim shrugged as he came to a stop beside her, still breathing hard. ¡°I decided to check on one of the outposts personally one more time,¡± he explained, letting her know wordlessly that he understood that he should have hurried. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then,¡± Ceneilis said. ¡°If all of your Hive drones are ready, Sir Tim?¡± Tim nodded. He didn¡¯t need to look at the drones to know they were, and he¡¯d been checking the positions of every drone around them. ¡°I¡¯m setting them into motion right now,¡± he stated, giving mental commands to that effect. Then, as the group started moving, he focused on the others and checked on them. Zoe was currently in charge of another group of drones, one of the bigger ones they¡¯d put together so far. It was her job to attack a major gnomish outpost, one they¡¯d seen even before the start of this war, although it was a bit out of the way of the recent battles. They needed to make sure to cut off all avenues of retreat or paths for reinforcements, though. Ina had a similar job, attacking another gnomish outpost. Most of the Hive¡¯s Swarm Drones were using the tunnels they¡¯d dug throughout this region of the mountains by now. Many of the Winged Drones gathered in the sky, higher up than usual, to make it harder for the gnomes to spot any details about them. Since the beginning, but especially recently, the Hive had put quite a bit of effort into neutralizing the gnomish fliers. They were the only real threats to the Winged Drones and to one of the Hive¡¯s favorite tactics, after all. This had forced the gnomes to be more cautious about employing them, which let the drones operate more freely. A vicious cycle, from their perspective. Tim was a bit amused at the thought. Either way, it limited their ability to oppose his Hive. The small horde accompanying his makeshift ¡®command group¡¯ moved in silence, the War Drones all instructed to keep quiet. It wasn¡¯t possible to stay completely silent like this, but at least they weren¡¯t announcing their presence loudly. Something else the drones had paid special attention to was the gnomish army¡¯s supply lines. It wasn¡¯t that far from the gnomes¡¯ home, so they got some supplies through despite the Hive¡¯s efforts to hinder them. And it probably helped that they could send convoys from several different locations. But the Hive had used their Winged Drones¡¯ reconnaissance capabilities to map out likely routes and bases where the gnomes would store the supplies temporarily, as well as their general procedures. Baron Neralt had even gone with a sizeable escort to check out a few places where they suspected the gnomes had dug tunnels. His Class Skills allowed him to have a pretty good sense of the earth in his surroundings, so he was able to confirm the locations after the Winged Drones¡¯ eyes suggested possible spots where the gnomes might have put entrances and exits. The Hive had carefully moved forces into position, and now that the signal was given, groups of Swarm Drones, occasionally led directly by a sapient drone, moved on those tunnel entrances, to seize them and cut the gnomes off. They¡¯d left most of them unguarded, presumably trusting in secrecy rather than attracting attention with visible guards ¡ª and to be fair, the gnomes had done a really good job in concealing most of them. And they couldn¡¯t have known about the baron¡¯s Skills. Tim suspected even Marquis Lyns didn¡¯t know. Well, they might not have caught every tunnel or location of interest, even so, but he didn¡¯t worry about that. Letting a few of their targets escape would be unfortunate, but hardly a catastrophic failure. Good luck, Max told him silently. Tim smiled faintly. You too, he sent back. Before Tim¡¯s group reached their goal, the attack started. They¡¯d planned to synchronize things as much as possible, but there was some wiggle room in the plan. And since the gnomes didn¡¯t have the kind of communications the Hive did, any warning would come too late for many of them, if not all. While he walked, Tim watched silently, switching through a few different Swarm Drones, as they attacked their assigned targets. This was the first time the Hive had launched a general offensive, especially across such a large front, and he planned for it to be decisive. He stayed with Tia, Bianorn and a few others as they walked, forming a small command group. While he could look through other drones¡¯ eyes, there was something to be said for doing it this way and being present if he was needed. Taking a deep breath, Tim prepared mentally, then opened his mind and dove into the psychic link, trying to reach as many drones as possible. For the Hive, he whispered to them, and activated Rally. He felt his own stats increase, the walk suddenly seeming to become even easier and his gear lighter. Stolen story; please report. In the distance, maybe a kilometer or so away, the sound of screams and shouts started. It carried oddly through the mountainous terrain, bouncing and echoing off walls of rock. Tim and the drones with him sped up a little. He let the others around him worry about their surroundings and concentrated on the psychic link, watching the course of the battle. Assuming you could call it a single battle. The gnomes still weren¡¯t concentrated in only one position, so the hive¡¯s forces had to split up, too, to crush them. Winged Drones wheeled overhead, a few of them darting from one base to another group as Gale and the other sapient commanders moved them. Tim followed mental steps he¡¯d practiced and focused on the battlefield, letting it coalesce into his mind¡¯s eye as a coherent picture. This was something the Keepers had prepared, like a strategic map that reflected the information other members of the Hive currently saw. It allowed him to get a good overview of what was happening. Ace, take your unit and move east, he said over the psychic link. The gnomes at the second target in your grid are trying to break out to the northeast, and I¡¯m not confident the War Drones can hold them. On it, Ace replied. And for the first position? They should be able to handle it, but I¡¯ll send Kit with a few others to be sure. Tim almost forgot his surroundings, letting his body move on autopilot, as he guided drones around the battlefield like a general with miniatures on a map. By and large, the gnomes reacted as he¡¯d anticipated. They hadn¡¯t expected such an attack in force, especially not seemingly everywhere at once, that much was obvious. Tim smiled faintly. The drones were fighting well. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t all go their own way. That was why he and his companions were here, instead of just watching from a comfortable base somewhere. The gnomes still had some elites left, mostly because they were careful about committing them, and probably also because those were just harder to kill. They¡¯d cost the Hive a lot of drones, overall. And now, in the few positions they were gathered, they threatened to completely break the Hive¡¯s attack. ¡°I¡¯m sending Janis in with our trump cards,¡± Tim warned the others, aloud for their friends¡¯ benefit. ¡°Get ready to fight.¡± Then he switched to the psychic link and relayed his instructions to Janis. He couldn¡¯t resist watching as the biggest gnomish unit which put up the most resistance fought. They had pulled back to a reasonably defensive position on a hill, marked on one side by an almost sheer cliff face. But that became their undoing, as, a minute after he passed the order, a sudden gust of hurricane-level wind swept down from the cliff. Some of them stumbled and almost lost their footing. By the time they recovered, Volance was standing in their midst. ¡°Oh, pardon the interruption,¡± she said, grinning with what almost looked like hunger. ¡°I heard there was a pest extermination drive.¡± One of the gnomish elites, a fighter covered in plate armor, shouted a warcry and charged her. Before he even reached the elemental, the earth parted, almost splitting the hill in two and launching him off his feet. Another form coalesced from it, chuckling merrily.
Eterrame ¡ª Level ? Earth Elemental
Tim only kept his attention on them long enough to watch the beginning of the fight, before he turned his focus to threats that were a little closer. The elementals had that one handled, but there were a few more spots where gnomish elites were making a difference. ¡°I¡¯m sending Ada and a few others south,¡± he told the others with him, ¡°to take care of an outpost to our northeast. There¡¯s another one close by, the one we discussed before. The gnomes are making a stand there.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go break them up,¡± Tia said, smiling. ¡°You stay here,¡± Tim cut her off. ¡°Fortify this position to give us a place to retreat if someone gets wounded. The rest of you, come with me.¡± They¡¯d learned that throwing hordes of weak Swarm Drones at elites could be effective, but only up to a point. Some had Skills, magic or gear that made dealing with swarming enemies easier, and Tim didn¡¯t want to pay the price that taking them down like that would take. For those types ¡ª which were common among the gnomes¡¯ surviving elites for obvious reasons ¡ª countering them with strong fighters of their own was the best move. The gnomes had managed to get into something like a proper formation and were holding out pretty well against the War Drones and occasional Winged Drone air strike. There had to be several mages in the group, judging from the magical shields they used to fend off the bombardment. They were even pushing the drones back. Then Tim and his group arrived to tilt the scales again. They¡¯d taken a harder path, but everyone in this party was relatively high level and had decent physical stats, so that wasn¡¯t a problem. The fight was taking place on a reasonably even stretch of ground, but it was situated atop a moderate incline, which they now hurried up. A bit of loose scree tumbled down, but the sounds were swallowed by the fighting up above. Tim paused for a moment, checking that everyone had caught up, then took a deep breath. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t use Queen¡¯s Charge, since he¡¯d used that Skill recently, but they still had other buffs. He gave them a nod, then activated one of his older Skills and charged at the gnomes. The fight quickly devolved into chaos. Tim managed to get one armored fighter from the side before he realized what was happening, then had to dodge some kind of enhanced shot from another gnome. By this point, Ceneilis and the others were among the gnomes as well, fighting a furious melee. Then someone blasted Ceneilis back, sending the elf flying to crash into a rock. Tim whirled to face them, recognizing the high-level mage who¡¯d attacked his Hive Queen last time. He didn¡¯t hesitate, but jumped forward, blade ready. Unfortunately, the mage - an Archmage of the Elements, according to the System - seemed to sense his charge. He flickered and vanished, reappearing a moment later on another small boulder a few meters away, outside the thick of the fighting. Tim made his way towards him, carefully this time, dodging attacks from other fighters as he went. He couldn¡¯t afford to leave that guy free to concentrate on the others. With part of his attention, Tim also focused on the psychic link, sensing the positions and intentions of the drones around him. The mage, Petiaken, turned and threw a massive fireball at Bianorn, who was fighting what looked like a spellblade of some kind. He couldn¡¯t dodge in time, but a War Drone stumbled into the path of the Spell, going up in flames but saving the elf¡¯s life. Tim cursed and directed three nearby War Drones to charge the enemy mage. They¡¯d just finished off an opponent of their own, and now turned to attack him. He knew they wouldn¡¯t win, but the drones could buy them a bit of time. Then Tim had to dodge to the side as a lance struck where he¡¯d just been. He crouched, dodging another strike, and struck with his blade-arm. The gnomish warrior blocked his attack with his shield, but Tim¡¯s sword swept low, catching his lower legs and creating an opening. His other blade-arm shot out and pierced the gnome¡¯s chainmail under the armpit. By the time he turned back around, the archmage had just finished off two of the War Drones and was cutting into the third with a blade of ice. Tim picked up the lance from his defeated opponent and threw it. It bounced off a faintly glowing blue sheen around the mage, clearly a Mage Armor Spell, but the armor shattered under the attack. He grinned and took a step back. Tim could see the gnomish mage wonder why he retreated, before his head whipped up. He wasn¡¯t fast enough, though. Thor dove out of the sky, and Ken, seated on the other drone, unleashed a Fireball of his own. Petiaken raised a hand, clearly trying to ward it off, but he didn¡¯t manage to cast whatever Spell he attempted in time. Tim saw some flickering in the air, but then the Fireball exploded, bright enough that he had to blink against the glare. It didn¡¯t leave much behind. Tim smiled, sensing Ken¡¯s satisfaction at the successful kill. Even if he could have brought down the other mage himself, he might have let Ken handle it, anyway. He had been a bit skeptical, but being allowed to participate in the war, fighting back against the gnomes, seemed to do the younger drone a lot of good. Great work, he sent him, then turned around. They still had work to do. Even if it was mostly cleanup, seeing the state of their enemies. Chapter 151: Assessments and Hints In the end, the attack on the gnomish force in the mountains worked rather well. They didn¡¯t quite manage to wipe them out, and quite a few gnomes slipped through the cracks, but that had probably been unavoidable. Those probably weren¡¯t enough to pose a real threat to Regina¡¯s forces in the region. At least not in their current, disorganized state. The elementals had also proved themselves. Regina had paid less attention to her drones¡¯ battle than she should have, really, but she¡¯d been curious to see the elementals fighting. And they hadn¡¯t disappointed. A few of the gnomish elites were probably only a little weaker than them, possibly even in the same Tier, but they didn¡¯t stand a chance. Regina didn¡¯t know how old the elementals were, exactly, but they had clearly been around for a while, and they were experienced. Plus, she¡¯d already started to realize that inherent traits and advantages still mattered, even with levels and Class Skills. Like her drones¡¯ six limbs. The elementals were basically made of magic, and they were still larger and probably stronger than gnomes. It was enough to make her wish that more than just a few had accepted her offer. Then again, keeping control of many elementals would have been a very different challenge by itself. For now, Volance had managed to bring two or three others into the fold. One of them had given his agreement, more or less, but hadn¡¯t actually participated in the fighting yet. Regina was hoping they would be worth it. She¡¯d also registered that Ben seemed to be changing his outlook, or maybe expanding it a little. Realizing that defeating the gnomes on the battlefield was going to be the easy part. Regina had already become aware of that. She didn¡¯t doubt that her hive could defeat the forces the gnomes had put into the field so far ¡ª the only question was how, and what it would cost them ¡ª but that didn¡¯t really solve the problem. Or even win the war. She wasn¡¯t really sure what they should do about it, though. There were a few options she could think of, but ¡­ all of them seemed to have some pretty clear downsides, or at least risks. What was that quote about winning the war and fighting the peace? she thought with a hint of amusement. Then Regina sighed, cracked her neck, and started pacing the length of her room. She needed to visit the part of the base most had started calling the ¡®hatchery¡¯ soon. Regina hesitated and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes and putting her head against the cool surface for a moment. Maybe I can take it easier now, she thought. The war is going well, and I¡¯ve got a lot of Breeders. We don¡¯t need that many new sapient drones, either, do we? Regina pushed off the wall and started pacing again. She had to admit she was feeling the strain. She should probably take that as a warning sign. Already, she was a little hesitant about physical training, and she didn¡¯t protest about the Attendants¡¯ habit of pampering her as much as she should. It felt like some insubstantial splinter had lodged itself in her core. I just don¡¯t want to risk any of my children dying while I slack off, she admitted to herself. Regina paused, then forcefully shook the thought out of her head and sped up, passing through the door out of her rooms and into the main part of the complex. Her drones were clearly beating the gnomes, all things considered. And unlike them, her hive would only get stronger with time. She looked in on the hatchery as she passed, noting the carefully arranged eggs, sorted so that those close to hatching had enough room and were near the exits. Jem seemed to have taken it upon himself to watch them right now, and he waved at her as she passed. Regina smiled and waved back, but didn¡¯t stop. She passed through the corridors of the main hive base, greeting her drones in passing. There weren¡¯t many Swarm Drones here, mostly just sapient drones. Regina could put a name to everyone, although she suspected she might not have been able to without the help of the psychic link. Especially since they looked so similar, with only subtle individual differences, except for the different Classes. From the aboveground complex, Regina descended into the tunnels. There were several entrances scattered around the area, of course. She took one that was relatively big, clad in wooden planks and illuminated by glowing cave moss they had taken from the tunnels under the forest and cultivated. It would have probably been too dim for a human, but she saw just fine. There was a bit less traffic down here, but she still passed some drones, including a few Swarm Drones. They all stepped aside to let her pass, and she smiled and brushed her hands across the Swarm Drones in a brief greeting. Regina didn¡¯t stay in the tunnel for long, though, but quickly turned into a niche that led to a larger cave dug out of the ground. ¡°Things are going well?¡± she asked quietly. Ash glanced up from where he was kneeling on the ground and stood up. ¡°My Queen! I didn¡¯t even realize you were coming.¡± He smiled self-consciously. ¡°What brings you down here?¡± ¡°I just wanted to check on things briefly,¡± she responded. It took her a moment, but then she realized what he had been doing. There was a map spread out on the ground, with differently colored pebbles strewn across it, and a few sheets of paper with a pencil beside it. ¡°Our elven friends are still being discrete and helpful?¡± she asked. He grinned and nodded. ¡°I bet they have quite a few questions they don¡¯t quite dare to ask, especially going by what I hear from Ray,¡± Ash said cheerfully, then sobered. ¡°We haven¡¯t shown this to them, of course.¡± He gestured around them. Regina nodded. ¡°How satisfied are you with the defenses?¡± she asked. He was a scout, but that could also provide a good perspective on evaluating defensive measures. ¡°They¡¯ll work,¡± he replied confidently. ¡°If the gnomes ever make it this far, at least in any kind of strength, they¡¯ll get a nasty surprise. Admittedly, I can¡¯t promise that everything will go exactly as it¡¯s supposed to, we can¡¯t guarantee that without more intense testing. Which we won¡¯t because it risks revealing too much,¡± he added quickly. ¡°Still, all things considered, it doesn¡¯t really matter if a few bunkers aren¡¯t perfectly placed or a few mines are duds. We¡¯re not relying on any single thing to work perfectly.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°I was going to take a quick walk along the underground defenses, then get back to that paperwork I should be doing.¡± ¡°I wish I could come, but I should finish this.¡± He gestured at the papers. ¡°Neralt has been asking for updated assessments for ages.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s not keep him waiting any longer. See you later, Ash.¡± Regina turned and continued through another tunnel that went at a shallow angle from her previous one, then curved around gently to the side. She passed another tunnel and quickly walked up and down its length, inspecting the walls. It was nothing she hadn¡¯t seen before through a drone¡¯s eyes, and she felt a bit useless, since she didn¡¯t have the ability to assess it as a Worker would. She continued on her previous tunnel, noting a few niches and emplacements along the way. There were also a few crawlspaces only big enough for smaller drones, mostly leading upward. Despite her restlessness and the desire to see things with her own eyes, which she was aware probably amounted to little more than a whim, Regina steered clear of the minefields. That would just be taking a needless and unjustified risk. Besides, if they were hidden well (and they were), there wouldn¡¯t be much to see, anyway. That was basically the point, after all. Instead, she mostly walked through the tunnels and bunkers. She didn¡¯t have much to do with their arrangement, which was mostly decided by Max, Ben and a few others, going off instinct and a bit of advice from Neralt, Janis and, later, Bianorn. But it seemed to work well enough. The tunnels should be a confusing tangle for anyone else while still allowing drones to go to their destinations efficiently, and the bunkers were spaces apart so they could support each other, with exits leading deeper into the tunnel network in case one should fall. There were a few other surprises built into it, as well, of course. Murderholes and arrow slits in the walls or ceiling, with false walls and smaller side tunnels in a few key places, allowing the hive to ambush any attackers that got too far. Stretches of tunnel that could be flooded or filled with gas. They had even tried a few anti-earth-mage measures, mostly with planted explosives, though Regina was uncertain how well those would work. After a while and brief chats with a few other drones, she returned to the surface levels of the hive, contemplating what she¡¯d seen. It might not even be necessary against the gnomes, but she was still inclined to maintain and expand this section. Besides that, they should probably add a few more ¡®safe rooms¡¯ or ¡®panic rooms¡¯, probably even deeper underground. Regina sent a short message to Ben and Tia over the psychic link with a sketch of her idea. They might have to wait with any bigger projects until Tia was back, but that should be fine. Regina was just climbing back into the main hive base when another System notification interrupted her train of thought.
You have leveled up
She paused, startled, then smiled and continued with a bit more energy in her steps. Level forty-eight. She really was leveling up a lot more quickly recently, at least considering the level range. Well, this is pretty good, it also means my drones can reach a level higher now. I wonder when I¡¯ll unlock a new Template, though? I guess those unlocks have been slowing down. As soon as Regina reached the core part of the base and turned to return to where she came from, she was stopped again, this time by a mental request from Janis, the psychic equivalent of pinging someone. She glanced around and replied, What¡¯s up, Janis? The young mage had only recently returned from the mountains. In fact, now that Regina thought about it, she¡¯d only come back to the base an hour or two ago. She would be going back to coordinate with the elementals soon, too. Do you have a minute, Regina? Janis replied. She looked around and started walking at a right angle to her previous path, finally seeing the girl after a few steps. Janis looked like she felt in the psychic link, mostly calm but still a bit nervous or concerned. ¡°Sure,¡± she responded aloud. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the roof, unless there¡¯s something you wanted to show me?¡± Janis nodded and fell into step with her. Regina noticed that she did carry something, apparently a stack of paper. They didn¡¯t speak further until they reached the relative privacy of the rooftop. The central part was still slightly higher than the outbuildings that had grown up around it, giving them a good view. The spring sun made for a nice ambiance, too. ¡°I¡¯ve been going through my letters with Kiara,¡± Janis finally said. ¡°You know that we¡¯ve been in contact, right?¡± Regina nodded. The letters were usually delivered to the hive¡¯s main base, for obvious reasons, so Janis might have missed one or even a few while she was away. She could have asked someone else to read them for her, of course, but it probably made sense that she¡¯d rather keep them private. ¡°Last I heard, they were arranging a marriage to some foreign prince for her,¡± Regina said a bit cautiously. ¡°Is that what concerns you?¡± Janis looked up sharply, seeming startled. Regina tried to keep her expression mild and gentle. ¡°That¡¯s not ¡ª why would you think that I would ¡ª I mean, what are you implying?¡± Janis asked finally. Her last question sounded calm and neutral rather than accusing, though. Regina sent her a mental pat on the shoulder. ¡°Nothing, really,¡± she said. ¡°You know that I don¡¯t disapprove of your relationship, right?¡± ¡°Our relationship, like we have ¡ª No, nevermind.¡± Janis shook her head sharply. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, and that betrothal arrangement doesn¡¯t seem to be going well at all, anyway. There¡¯s something else in her letters, hints, at least. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m not reading too much into it, though.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°Well, if you want to show me, I¡¯d be happy to offer my opinion.¡± ¡°We should, it will probably affect the Hive,¡± Janis muttered. Then she took the first letter and scanned it until she found a section she was looking for. Regina listened quietly while Janis read her a few excerpts from Kiara¡¯s letters and summarized a few other parts. She started to frown as Janis continued. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she finally said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing very concrete, but combined with what Kiara wrote in the letters I got, she is heavily hinting that there¡¯s ¡­ a problem.¡± By itself, nothing really stood out too much. Regina suspected she¡¯d done it that way to minimize trouble if someone else read one of her letters. Which was a concerning sign on its own. Kiara hinted at an argument with her father in more than one letter, and talked about her conversations with what seemed like influential noblemen in another. She described the army¡¯s morale and supply situation, in ways understated enough that they shouldn¡¯t draw her father¡¯s ire. What it all came down to, Regina wasn¡¯t sure. It seemed clear that Lyns was losing support among the nobles. And she knew Kiara had been gaining influence, which seemed like it would be closely related, but she got the feeling there was more to it. And the war had been going less than perfectly for him for a while now. ¡°What does this mean for us?¡± Janis asked. Regina shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s really going on there. Maybe I¡¯m just missing something.¡± Janis chewed on her lower lip for a moment, then gave her head another shake. ¡°I think she might be saying that he¡¯ll be asking for more from us,¡± she said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s pretty clear they¡¯re not winning the war.¡± Regina nodded. It probably wasn¡¯t just about a small increase in gold from her. Maybe the marquis was considering a more substantial, new agreement? And what would that mean for Kiara? Regina sighed and rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand. Either way, it sounded like complications she didn¡¯t need right now. She¡¯d have preferred it if she had just had to deal with relationship trouble, after all. At least it didn¡¯t seem like anything was going to blow up tomorrow, though. Chapter 152: Opportunities Clearly, Regina should have known better than to tempt fate like that. The very next day, another letter arrived, this time from Marquis Lyns himself. Well, at least nothing seems to have actually blown up anywhere, Regina mused as she folded the sheet of paper after reading it for the second time. It had arrived at one of Neralt¡¯s smaller villages, conveyed via a magical bird construct, and she¡¯d had one of her Winged Drones pick it up and bring it to her from there. Regina quickly contacted a few other people and pulled them into a psychic conference call. She¡¯d gotten a lot better at that lately. She sent them her mental impression of the letter, being careful to make the memory clear and sharp, so they got the text clearly. I just received that from the marquis, she said. To sum up, he¡¯s asking for a personal meeting. At least, that¡¯s the main thing I got from it. True, he¡¯s not really saying much else, Janis agreed. Regina faintly sensed her frowning as the demihuman mage analyzed the missive. He clearly has something he wants to speak about. Or to ask me about, Regina added. I think you were right, Janis. He probably wants something. Are you going to agree? Max asked. To meet him, I mean. We probably should. If nothing else, she needed to know what he wanted, and getting more information about the state of the Cernlian civil war was probably good, too. And what about the practicalities of it? Mia put in. Location and the rest? Well, I¡¯m not going to invite him into the base, Regina quickly said and frowned slightly. Which probably means we need to hold it somewhere further away. I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good idea, Max commented. What, you want to invite him into our home? I wouldn¡¯t have thought, Regina answered. She felt him huff and shake his head. I wouldn¡¯t be thrilled about that, true, but sending you out of our territory is even worse, my Queen. Regina shrugged. Nothing says I have to come alone. Besides, I doubt the gnomes could get someone clear to the other side of our territory. Either way, we haven¡¯t even decided anything yet. I¡¯ll write back to Lyns. The impromptu conference ended on that note, and Regina quickly penned another letter, in which she agreed to his proposal in principle and asked about the details. It might take a bit more back-and-forth until they had sorted everything out. She doubted they¡¯d actually be able to meet in less than a week or so. Of course, a lot could change even in a short time if you were at war. While the hive¡¯s forces had let up on them, the gnomish army heading towards her had started moving through the hive¡¯s territory. They weren¡¯t heading straight for their central base, of course ¡ª presumably, that would leave their back or flanks too exposed. Instead, they fanned out somewhat, though they still kept their forces largely concentrated, and attacked outposts of the hive. Regina mostly left these matters to Ben, and he¡¯d decided not to try and hold any of them. For one thing, he didn¡¯t want a decisive confrontation until the other main part of the hive¡¯s forces, which had fought the gnomes in the mountains, was ready to support them. In that regard, it was probably even a good idea to suck the gnomish army further north, away from their own home. That meant the hive abandoned some outposts outright, and concentrated defenses on a few bases. These were meant mostly to slow the gnomes down, although if their enemies believed they fought seriously to hold them, Regina would definitely not complain. They used some explosives as well as the terrain, both natural and artificial trenches and fortifications, to make taking them more costly. At the same time, Ben arranged things so they wouldn¡¯t leave any sapient drone actually inside and in danger when the gnomes inevitably overran the hive¡¯s outposts. It¡¯s probably just a new level in his strategy of attrition, Regina reflected. If she looked at it another way, this war was giving her commanders and warriors a lot of experience. That might be an even better thing than the System Experience her drones earned, in the long term. Regina wouldn¡¯t say it was worth the cost, but she supposed if the gnomes were going to attack them anyway, she could at least look on the bright side. And there were a few advantages to this situation, despite the danger. She was almost more concerned about the situation in the mountains. The gnomish army was basically shattered, but pieces still remained. It was hard to get an exact count, even with the hive¡¯s Winged Drones. Gnomes could use hiding spaces and tunnels just like drones, after all. Most of the surviving soldiers seemed to have fled back into the Confederation¡¯s territory, from what they could tell, but there were probably units remaining in the mountains. And while Regina obviously had no reason to doubt her own forces¡¯ discipline, she had a much more tenuous hold over the elementals. Janis had already returned and met with Volance again. Together, they were managing to keep the elementals who¡¯d joined the war mostly pointed in the same direction and under control. If Regina didn¡¯t give them some action eventually, though, she doubted it would stay that way. ¡°Can¡¯t we simply go into the tunnels?¡± Volance asked just now. She sounded surprisingly whiny for a presumably centuries-old monster. Janis sighed, then sent a tentative question out across the psychic link to Regina, who quickly pulled Ben in, as well. ¡°You know what, yes, sure,¡± Janis answered with a faint smile. ¡°We¡¯re going to send a few probes through the gnomes¡¯ tunnels. The plan is to take care of any outposts they¡¯ve left vulnerable, too, anyway. I can get you and your companions sent through the main target we¡¯ve identified,¡° - her voice turned sterner - ¡°if you promise to behave yourselves and come back on time.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Yes, mother, of course, mother,¡± Volance responded sarcastically. Regina snickered to herself and left Janis to the task of wrangling the elementals. Ben and Tim got involved, filling out their strategy and preparing other strike teams to head into the other gnomish tunnels they¡¯d found which presumably lead back into their Confederation. They would mostly put Swarm Drones into those, and no sapient drones that would have to fight close up and could fall prey to traps. With the psychic link, they didn¡¯t really need to have a commander on the spot, after all, even if it did make things easier and generally worked better, and Regina still didn¡¯t want to risk her sapient hive members too much. This also meant that she didn¡¯t get a very good look at what the elementals did, unfortunately. They had assigned a few Swarm Drones to them, but the group of three elementals left those in the dust pretty quickly. Including Volance, they had an air elemental, an earth elemental and a fire elemental. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Volance and the earth elemental, Eterrame, were the most effective. With the limited air supply in a tunnel, not to mention the surrounding earth, they killed the gnomish guards positioned in a reinforced checkpoint at the other end before they even realized what was happening, as far as Regina could tell. The drones coming up behind them didn¡¯t hear any cries of alarm, anyway. She tried to focus a bit more on what she could make out on her own. Elementals¡¯ minds were a bit weird to her psychic senses, compared to humans¡¯ or gnomes. She could still get a general idea of their mood if she concentrated, though, or the direction of their attention if they focused on something enough. They did have ¡®strong¡¯ minds, for lack of a better description, which made it harder for them to hide. It looked like the tunnel the elementals had entered was actually the start of a small complex. There were two other tunnels leading from a cave that might have originally been natural. Regina quietly told her Swarm Drones to fan out while the elementals took care of any gnomes left in the cave. They¡¯d built scaffolds, walls and parapets here, clearly turning this place into a defensive chokepoint. It didn¡¯t help them much against the elementals. Volance appeared to be experimenting with some of the new knowledge she¡¯d gained, choking gnomes out in various ways. Eterrame liked forming spikes under their feet or dropping them on their heads. And Scaldrise, the fire elemental, liked playing with very small, finely-controlled fireballs or what looked more like lines of fire. Regina was glad they were on her side. Once the War Drones moved past them and started scouting the other tunnels, she turned her attention away from the elementals and to what her drones were seeing. The gnomes had clearly spent quite some time building up infrastructure around the edge of the mountains and their territory, and at least a bit of time fortifying it. After a while, and with the help of the Keepers updating the mental map of the area, she felt like she got a good overview of it. This tunnel with a defensive base wasn¡¯t the only one. At the same time, she could tell that only a few of them actually led deeper into the Confederation, towards the two or so cities at the border, in this region. One of these cities would be the one Bea and the others visited, and the tunnel Janis and her group had taken was especially well fortified. The gnomes had also blocked the path they had originally taken to arrive there, aboveground, with boulders rolled into place to block narrow spots. I don¡¯t think we should try and push those strong points now, Ben said when she asked him his opinion. We planned on this being probing attacks, to push the gnomes back, keep them off-balance, and get more information. Alright, Regina agreed. I guess we would need a little more preparation before we attempt another major offensive, she added with a mental smile. Ben responded with a mix of a chuckle and an eye-roll, before his focus shifted to watching some of the drones currently clearing out an isolated gnomish outpost. Well, isolated now; the hive¡¯s attacks and the loss or retreat of other gnomish forces in the area had left it exposed. It wasn¡¯t the only outpost like that, either, which was why they¡¯d pushed the attack now. Regina turned her attention back to the elementals. Now that they¡¯d cleared out the cave outpost, Janis entered it, though Tim insisted on assigning her a bodyguard squad of high-level War Drones. Regina watched as she stepped closer to a group of fallen gnomes and looked at the bodies. After a moment, she looked up and stepped away from them. The Swarm Drones parted around her as Janis walked to the end of the cave. ¡°Grandmother?¡± she called. Regina, like Janis, could gather the location of the elementals through the eyes of nearby Swarm Drones, though that weren¡¯t many. Obviously, they couldn¡¯t talk over the psychic link, though. Regina wasn¡¯t sure if Volance didn¡¯t hear Janis, or simply chose not to answer. She didn¡¯t give any reaction, either way, and instead kept talking to her fellows as they continued down another tunnel. They¡¯d already cleared out one more outpost, little more than a waypoint where two tunnels met, but now they were approaching what she recognized as a main road to the gnomes¡¯ city. If it was open, it had to be strongly defended. Regina hesitated. For a moment, she thought about ordering Janis to go run after the elementals. But that would be an unacceptable risk, considering the gnomes likely had high-level people in the area, for uncertain gain. Instead, she chose one of the War Drones nearby, an Elite variant almost at level forty, which was closest to the elementals. She made it hurry after them quickly. And once it was in range, Regina tried to speak through it. ¡°Wait, slow down. Get back, we don¡¯t want to attack strong points like this yet.¡± Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t have the intended effect. Or rather, it didn¡¯t work as she intended. Regina hadn¡¯t actually tried to make one say anything in a while, and Swarm Drones were still not very well suited to speech, so it came out rather garbled. At least Volance and the others paused, the air elemental looking at the Swarm Drone in surprise. During that pause, while they¡¯d stopped talking, Janis called after them again. Volance looked at the drone, glanced back up in Janis¡¯ direction, then down the tunnel. Regina held her breath, waiting for a long moment. She almost thought the elementals would just ignore them. Then Volance smiled and turned around. ¡°Let¡¯s go back, can¡¯t have us scaring my granddaughter.¡± ¡°Are you serious, Volance?¡± Eterrame asked. She turned and fixed him with a look. ¡°We¡¯re here fighting for our dear allies, the Hive, remember. If they want us back instead of killing the gnomes up ahead, why not indulge them? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get plenty of opportunity to fight gnomes later.¡± The earth elemental sighed and grumbled, but both of the others turned around and they accompanied Volance back down the tunnel toward the fortified cave. Regina let out a deep breath and shook her head. She moved her attention away, trusting Janis to handle the situation. Hopefully, they¡¯d be able to keep the elementals entertained going forward. Especially considering Janis should probably come with her to any meeting with the Cernlian rebels. A bit of time getting to know the other hive members here probably wouldn¡¯t go amiss. She made a mental note to nudge Tim to talk with them. He was surprisingly good at making friends for someone usually so taciturn, and he was still the overall commander of the area. With a final quick look at the senior drones in the region, Regina turned her attention to matters closer to home. A large clutch of drones was about to hatch, and she should make sure their space was taken up again. Then she had a meeting with Mia and Zoe about the food situation for the hive, and she should get some training in, too. Chapter 153: Help Wanted Kiara pulled her horse to a stop, surveying the land in front of her with a critical eye. They were in her father¡¯s march at present, although she had not spent much time in this part of its eastern reaches before. The terrain was open, with only some slight hills causing any dip in elevation, which made it easy to survey one¡¯s surroundings from the ground with the naked eye. She¡¯d stopped on top of a low hill, as well, sweeping her gaze along the horizon behind her and then forward to the camp being set up in a shallow valley ahead. The sight did not provoke fond feelings. While their forces had not been driven quite this far back, they had already been pushed quite a distance beyond the Dannan. Their army was encamped only a few days¡¯ ride to the east, perhaps less for a messenger who did not spare his horses. ¡°Do you see any cause for concern, Milady?¡± her companion asked. Kiara glanced at her and shook her head. ¡°Not as such, Lady Margaret, I was merely taking in the view,¡± she responded. The other woman inclined her head in response and fell quiet. She was a few years older than Kiara, and quite fetching with honey-blond hair and expressive sea-green eyes. They made her look more innocent than Kiara knew it was wise to think. She was not supposed to know about the young lady¡¯s hidden suitor, but Kiara had found out quite quickly. In normal times, less than a year ago, Lady Margaret would have been considered Kiara¡¯s superior, as the daughter of a duke, not a marquis. They were both their houses¡¯ heirs. Of course, Kiara supposed her own royal blood might have complicated things even then. Today, the daughter of Duke Bluegrass seemed perfectly content to follow Kiara. She had also more than proved her worth as a companion and was quickly becoming a friend. Now, Kiara gently nudged her spurs into her horse¡¯s side and set off down the hill. Margaret quickly followed, as did the two knights at their sides. ¡°There, do you see, Milady?¡± Margaret asked after a short pause. Kiara squinted, following her gesture, then smiled. ¡°Good eyes,¡± she praised her. ¡°It seems our guests are arriving.¡± The other noblewoman returned her smile. She hesitated for a moment, then asked, ¡°Do you believe your father will find the success he seeks?¡± She sighed softly and shook her head. ¡°The answer to that question is beyond me, I am afraid.¡± Kiara tried not to show her frustration and smoothed the frown starting to take shape on her forehead as she thought about it. They seem to be as oblivious as Lionits to anything I wrote, she complained to herself. At least Janis should have understood something ¡­ She suppressed a sigh. Perhaps I should have been more explicit. And perhaps, she reflected, they had understood more than she assumed, and simply not committed it to writing. Which, if so, might not bode well for their attitude in the coming meeting. Or perhaps she was giving the Hive Queen too little credit. She rather doubted the Hivekind played games of intrigue among themselves ¡ª although, despite her efforts to learn anything she could about them, very little of substance could be found, so she could not be certain of her information ¡ª but Regina had shown she was far from simple-minded, despite her evident youth. These thoughts carried her into the camp. Since her father had only brought a small entourage, including some of his most important supporters and twenty knights, it was not hard to find anything one might seek. Kiara dismounted and allowed a servant to take her horse, then looked around. ¡°Sir Richard, inform my father of what we have seen,¡± she instructed one of the knights. He gave a short bow and left, while Kiara¡¯s attention was captured by another figure slowly moving closer. She hesitated for a moment, then started walking to meet them. ¡°I presume you have spotted the guests you expected, Lady Kiara?¡± the other woman asked with a courteous bow of her head. If she felt at all uncomfortable dressed in dark clothing more suited to an adventurer¡¯s party than a noble gathering, carrying several weapons on her person along with a lute, she showed no sign of it. ¡°It appears so, Lady Gwen,¡± Kiara replied, inclining her head in response. The woman might not act much like it, but one was well-advised to show courtesy to someone of the governors¡¯ blood. She might be a Delver, but Gwen Cern remained springborn. While only a cousin of the current lord, his lack of heirs meant she was reasonably high in their house¡¯s line of succession, as well. Besides, Kiara knew her father had been overjoyed to welcome a Delver representative. Any indication that the adventurers¡¯ order might choose to join the war on his side was welcome. Personally, Kiara suspected Cern was less interested in that than meeting the Hivekind. She was curious what they might wish to speak about, although she knew she would most likely not have the opportunity to sate that curiosity. ¡°Have you seen these new people before?¡± Margaret asked, also sounding curious. Gwen Cern¡¯s hesitation was faint, but Kiara was confident she had seen it. ¡°In passing,¡± she acknowledged. ¡°I imagine your order is not eager to have dealings with them,¡± Kiara commented, keeping her tone neutral. The Delver sent her an undecipherable look. ¡°Not all of us Delvers are xenophobes, Milady,¡± she replied. ¡°Whatever people may say.¡± Her look softened after a moment. ¡°That said, you are not entirely wrong.¡± ¡°Shall we go watch them arrive?¡± Lady Margaret asked, possibly trying to move past any tension. Kiara followed her to the edge of the camp where they would have a better view, while Cern kept back. It did not take long for her father to arrive, and he beckoned Kiara with a gesture to join him. Duke Bluegrass was also close by, and smiled at his daughter as they met. The Hive¡¯s envoys could certainly have arrived by air, but it seemed they had chosen not to do so. Although Kiara supposed it was possible they had traveled part of the way in the air and only made their final approach on the ground. Instead, they were clearly putting on a show, a small display of their strength. Two columns of War Drones flanked the sapient members of the Hive at the core of their delegation. As they came closer, Kiara could see that all of their levels were above thirty, and there were several Classes (if such a term was applicable) of War Drones she had not seen before. They moved with perfect coordination, every step falling exactly in time with the other escorts¡¯, keeping precise distances as they flowed around their masters, their columns rippling in a wave-like pattern. It might have use as a combat formation, although Kiara could see potential weaknesses in addition to the advantages of a changing front line, but it certainly made for an impressive display of skill. As they approached, they even began to fan out, spreading into wings while keeping up their rotations and presenting the bladed ends of their natural weapons. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. At the center walked Hive Queen Regina, her head held high and a serene expression on her face. She really had matured somewhat and grown into a more humanoid appearance since Kiara had first laid eyes on her. While clearly smaller than several of her companions, she looked to be around Kiara¡¯s own height now. She wore a richly embroidered jacket and pants in the style of Ariedel, which must have been gifts from the elves. Her companions wore similar, though more muted, clothing. Kiara recognized Max and Tim. Although Hivekind did not seem to show much variance in their appearance, with all of them having the same coloring, there were differences if you looked closely. Three of the drones accompanying their queen seemed to be warriors, although they each only had a single weapon on their belts. Kiara¡¯s eyes were inexorably drawn to the one person of a different race among them, however. Janis looked good, and surprisingly powerful. Her hair and eyes proclaimed her non-human heritage to the world, but Kiara could not find it in herself to consider them a detriment to her beauty. Especially those eyes, like the deep sky on a summer day. ¡°So it is true,¡± Duke Bluegrass muttered. ¡°If I had not seen it with my own eyes. They do have a Royal Champion.¡± Kiara glanced around and realized that a lot of the gathered nobles and knights appeared to be looking at Tim. Some of them frowned, a few seemed disbelieving, but there were some satisfied smiles as well - if she had to guess, the owners had won bets on the matter. ¡°That is not the only thing, Father,¡± Margaret spoke up, frowning faintly in what appeared to be contemplation. ¡°That Hive Queen ¡ª she has divine power laying over her like a shroud of silk.¡± ¡°You believe she is truly a divine Champion?¡± Marquis Lyns asked sharply. Lady Margaret shook her head slowly. ¡°I cannot be sure, but it does not seem that way. I do not think so.¡± Kiara nodded. Margaret had actually met a Champion of a deity before, the god Benerron in this case. She herself was a paladin of the god often referred to as the ¡®god of monsters¡¯, something Kiara was sure had confounded many of their peers. Perhaps it was good that they were meeting here, after all, instead of in a city. Kiara had hoped for a chance to see June again - it had been too long since she had spoken with her little sister - but it might be fortunate there were not even more people of status present. Then the Hivekind arrived. The War Drones moved to the side and instead formed an honor guard at the sapients¡¯ side. Regina stepped forward until she stood at the front of the group, Max looming beside her. Kiara glanced at her father as he also took a step forward. ¡°Welcome, Hive Queen Regina,¡± he spoke, inclining his head. ¡°Thank you, Lord Lyns,¡± she responded, mirroring the gesture; to the same angle, Kiara noticed. Faint muttering rose from around her seeing this. ¡°I am gladdened that you have followed my call,¡± he continued. ¡°I believe we have much to discuss. If you will allow me to make introductions, there are many here who are eager to make your acquaintance.¡± He cleared his throat and took half a step back and to the side. ¡°I believe you remember my daughter, Kiara.¡± Kiara bowed her head slightly deeper. ¡°It is a pleasure to see you again.¡± ¡°Likewise,¡± Regina responded with a smile. ¡°Please let me introduce Duke Bluegrass, ¡­¡± Kiara let her father¡¯s words wash over her as he continued with the introductions, naming the important noblemen who had accompanied him. She noticed Regina start slightly as he introduced ¡®the Lady Gwen Cern¡¯. Then the Hive Queen herself started with introductions. She ignored her War Drones and only gave her sapient companions¡¯ names, mentioning their names and Classes, although all could see those through the use of the System. As Regina had apparently decided to go in the order of their levels, Janis was last, introduced as ¡°my trusted confidant and advisor, Janis Starlit, granddaughter of Volance¡±. Clearly, that name meant nothing to most of those present, although Gwen Cern¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°We have set up a pavilion where we may talk in more comfortable surroundings, if you would follow me?¡± Her father continued after the introductions were finally finished. The gathering moved into the improvised camp and the pavilion he mentioned, which consisted of a cloth canopy that fell down on two sides, allowing the spring warmth to enter on the other sides. It was comfortably furnished with carpets and chairs, as well as a table. Kiara¡¯s father took a seat on the richest chair, while Kiara sat down beside him, with Duke Bluegrass on her other side. Judging by their visitors¡¯ intent looks, this arrangement did not escape them. ¡°I have to admit I was surprised to receive your letter,¡± Regina began as soon as everyone had settled down. ¡°I was not aware the war was in such a state that you could be spared from leading your army.¡± ¡°That is reasonable,¡± he answered calmly. ¡°But I have capable lieutenants, and I trust them to manage well until we can return to the field.¡± The Hive Queen inclined her head. ¡°Of course, I see.¡± ¡°Firstly, let me thank you for the generous contributions of gold you have provided to our campaign,¡± he said. ¡°They are much appreciated.¡± There was a slight rustling in the tent as a few of its occupants shifted. Kiara knew some would not be happy to see her father express this sentiment to a demihuman, just as they were unhappy he needed such contributions from her in the first place. But the war had taught all of them lessons in pragmatism, so no one would complain. Regina smiled and nodded again. ¡°You are quite welcome.¡± ¡°We hope they have been useful,¡± one of the drones, Max, commented. ¡°Does the war go well?¡± Kiara repressed the urge to sigh and lean back in her chair as the conversation developed and they discussed the course of the war. Clearly, every person present was trying to be polite. Still, the news were suited poorly for pleasant conversation. Then the duke steered the conversation toward the Hive¡¯s own war with the Gnomish Confederation. They professed that it was going well, although the drones seemed reluctant to go into great detail on the matter. ¡°Word is that your Hive has greatly expanded in recent times,¡± Margaret commented in an idle tone. Regina smiled, a touch sardonically. ¡°I suppose you could say that. May I ask where you have heard of this?¡± ¡°I have heard it several times, as it happens,¡± she answered seriously. ¡°Your Hive has been drawing quite a bit of interest, my lady Hive Queen.¡± The Hive Queen nodded slightly. ¡°I see, that is perhaps to be expected.¡± ¡°You also have gained a great many levels in a short amount of time, Lady Regina,¡± their host interjected. ¡°Quite an accomplishment.¡± ¡°You flatter me, Lord Lyns,¡± she said dismissively. ¡°Certainly, your people have seen an enormous gain in strength,¡± he continued. ¡°I daresay few could have expected it, and many will find it difficult to believe, but I have no doubt of it.¡± Regina leaned back in her chair, her posture still casual. ¡°I suppose you are going somewhere with this?¡± she asked mildly. The level of tension in the pavilion seemed to tighten as everyone realized the discussion was coming to the real point now. ¡°Lady Regina, let me be frank.¡± Kiara¡¯s father leaned forward, gazing at his guest. ¡°I am here because I need your help. My enemy - our enemies - are winning, and if nothing is done, they will grind down our forces in a matter of months. After that, they will turn their gaze to the west and bring war to your people.¡± ¡°Marquis Lyns. My Hive is already fighting a war.¡± Regina¡¯s voice was steady, but hard as stone. ¡°Fighting against an enemy with considerably superior numbers, may I add. While I have no doubt about our ability to prevail, it is far from an easy task. We have our fight, as you have yours.¡± He raised a hand slightly and answered, ¡°I am aware of this, and, of course, we could never ask for your full strength. Still, I believe this is in all of our best interests. We do not simply come with pleas, either.¡± ¡°We really do need your help,¡± Kiara added. Her eyes darted briefly to Janis, before she fixed them on the Hive Queen again. ¡°You are fighting a civil war for the throne of your country,¡± she pointed out. ¡°A war you are already involved in, not simply by helping us,¡± he countered. ¡°And I am prepared to make concessions. I have things to offer you should not turn down lightly.¡± Regina frowned and glanced at the others. ¡°I have my doubts about that, to be frank.¡± ¡°Understandable, but I am sure we can lay them to rest.¡± He smiled. ¡°I think we can come to an agreement satisfying to all sides.¡± The Hive Queen regarded him silently for a second, before she straightened up properly again and laid her hands on the table. ¡°Well, let us talk, then.¡± Kiara clenched and unclenched her hands. This was going to be a long conversation, but she felt cautiously hopeful. Chapter 154: Guarantees Regina was not in a good mood. She hadn¡¯t been very happy about it even when she first got Lyns¡¯ letter, and having to make formal talk with nobles had not cheered her up any. But she pushed down that emotion and calmed herself. This was important, and she might be able to get good things for the hive out of it, even if she felt skeptical. Besides, as much as she hated to admit it, the marquis had a point, anyway. She should at least hear them out with an open mind. Since they were already here, she intended to get the most out of it. She didn¡¯t like recalling Janis from managing the elementals, but the mage was an obvious choice to bring along. Regina muddled through, but Janis actually knew the culture and had a history in Cernlia, not to mention a good relationship with Kiara Lyns. Ben had stayed home, overseeing their defenses and the fighting. Originally, she¡¯d thought that he could just listen in on the talk about war-related matters and give her his opinion. Unfortunately, he was too distracted by the defense of the hive to spare much attention to this meeting right now. Half the reason Regina was so anxious about being here was that the gnomes had the worst timing. The army they¡¯d sent into the hive¡¯s territory, or at least its sad remnants, were pressing the attack at the moment. Their advance elements had already reached the outer edges of the defensive fields the hive had prepared around their main base and triggered the first few mines. She could only assume they intended to press on and finish this in some kind of hail-mary attempt because they thought they couldn¡¯t retreat. They might have a point about that, to be fair. The hive was already harrying them a lot, and if they tried to retreat all the way back to the Gnomish Confederation¡¯s territory, they would be bled even further. Not to mention the troops the hive still had in the mountains. Ben had gathered another strike force from them, leaving some troops behind to occupy the ground they had gained and keep the gnomes bottled up. They¡¯d abandoned any plan of striking deeper into the gnomes¡¯ territory for right now, though. Still, did they think I would just sit around waiting for them? Regina wondered, before mentally shaking her head and refocusing her attention on her present surroundings. Her hive was doing a fantastic job of taking down the gnomes even without her presence or direct input, and on the plus side, Max seemed to feel a lot better about her presence here. Marquis Lyns was being surprisingly frank. Perhaps that was a sign of how desperate his situation was. Regina didn¡¯t think his cousin would be very merciful if the king won this war, and it seemed like that was definitely going to happen as things stood. ¡°I think I see why you need our help,¡± she interrupted after a few minutes of him laying out his position. ¡°We do not have many supplies to spare, but I could be persuaded to help you out in that regard. I am less certain about sending my own forces to fight, though. And frankly, you do not have much to offer as things stand right now.¡± ¡°That is true, my lady,¡± Lyns agreed, sending a sharp glance at another nobleman beside him who grumbled softly. Another marquis, Regina might have forgotten his name if the System didn¡¯t identify him. She didn¡¯t care much about the various nobles supporting Lyns. He probably hadn¡¯t brought everyone, as there were only five others, counting the duke. But it was enough to show that he did have broad support, and to show that any deal they made was more than just him whistling in the dark and his faction would hold to it. Presumably. ¡°However, that will not always be the case, especially if - when - we win,¡± Lyns continued. ¡°That is why we offer many concessions. Once we have the country firmly under control, they will bring you many benefits.¡± Regina leaned forward slightly. ¡°The trade agreements and affirmations of sovereignty are a good start,¡± she said. ¡°I will need more than that, however. I will need every help your country may give.¡± She smiled. ¡°I need every guarantee.¡± ¡°You will have it,¡± Kiara promised, ignoring a glance from Duke Bluegrass. The discussion continued, now focused on what the Cernlian rebels could do for her, and what she would require of them. ¡®Guarantees¡¯ was putting it mildly, in some sense, but Regina wasn¡¯t about to commit her hive to fighting someone else¡¯s war unless she got everything out of it that she could. Especially a good foundation for the future. ¡°Are we agreed?¡± she finally asked, after several minutes of intense discussion. Lyns¡¯ face was hard, and she could tell he was holding back a grimace. ¡°Yes, Hive Queen, I believe we are. I will agree to all of your demands and have a written contract prepared.¡± ¡°You are certain, Milord Lyns?¡± Duke Bluegrass asked. The other marquis, Lemain, had a thunderous frown. He leaned in close to his leader, speaking in an intense but quiet whisper. Unfortunately for him, he must not have been aware of the Hivekind¡¯s superior senses, and Regina could hear him even over the rustling and muttering in the tent. ¡°Milord, that is a humiliating agreement! Is help really worth bending our backs to this degree? Having to ask this girl for permission if you are to fight a war! While we would be obligated to join any fight she might pick with the gods know who! And even losing further lands. This is barely short of actual submission or fealty!¡± ¡°Would you rather bend your back and offer your neck to the king¡¯s executioner?¡± Lyns returned in a harsh whisper. Regina made sure she didn¡¯t smile and turned her gaze to the other humans. Bluegrass was frowning slightly, and so was Kiara; while looking at her father, Regina noted. She must have heard what they said. ¡°There is one more matter to settle,¡± Tim spoke up. ¡°Lord Lyns, if memory serves, you said what I have taken to mean that you are prepared to offer hostages as a guarantee of your honor for this agreement. Perhaps we should settle who we might welcome as our guest, if so?¡± He smiled sardonically. ¡°Not that any of us would question your honor, of course, but at the end of the day, contracts are simply ink on paper. And agreements with demihumans may be easily broken for some humans.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The tension in the pavilion noticeably increased. The humans seemed to take Tim seriously, at least, and no one looked surprised that he¡¯d spoken up. The content of his words, though, clearly wasn¡¯t very welcome. ¡°I understand, and you are correct, I did intend to give you a tangible guarantee of my sincerity,¡± Lyns answered. He paused, then glanced at Kiara for the briefest of moments, before he faced Regina again. ¡°In fact, I would be honored if you were to host my daughter as your guest. I am sure there is much she may learn from you, and having her safely beyond the reach of the king¡¯s hired swords would ease my mind greatly.¡± Regina stiffened, unable to conceal her surprise completely. She watched Kiara, who had also stiffened and stared ahead with her jaw clenched, noticeably not looking at her father. What does she want? Regina wondered. Did she expect this? Or something like this? Maybe that is why she wrote to us. In either case, Regina realized quickly that Kiara probably didn¡¯t want to remove herself from the war, especially now that the hive would hopefully turn things around for her faction. She considered all of this quickly. There were several options open to her. ¡°Marquis Lyns, to be blunt,¡± Regina answered slowly, ¡°while I am honored at the thought, I am frankly not sure how suited Lady Kiara would be for this role.¡± Lyns frowned. ¡°I offer you my heir as a guest, and you deem that unsuitable?¡± There was obvious consternation in his tone. Regina smiled briefly. ¡°Lord Marquis, please do not think I am unaware that your wife is pregnant. And if she should bear the son you obviously wish for, your attitude towards your older daughter will ¡­ necessarily shift, won¡¯t it?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Of course, I think Lady Kiara is a perfectly competent and delightful future princess or queen, but that is neither here nor there ¡ª and I have no intention of meddling in any internal power struggles, either. Should that somehow come to be an issue.¡± The marquis took a deep breath. ¡°I imagine you have another demand to make?¡± he asked tensely, sidestepping a direct answer to her words. ¡°It occurred to me that our hive might offer safe harbor for Lady Florance and your younger daughter,¡± Regina answered easily. That caused even more of a stir among the marquis¡¯ followers. Several of the nobles started to speak, only to cut off. ¡°You cannot be serious!¡± the marquis responded. ¡°While I have no doubt that you could protect them from our enemies,¡± Kiara spoke up, ¡°Mother is pregnant, as mentioned. June is in ill health, as well. Taking them away from the comforts and care of home might be ill-advised.¡± Regina smiled again. ¡°Ah, but you see, that is the main reason I am making this suggestion.¡± She fixed her eyes on Lyns again. ¡°I am sure you all know at this point that I have rare knowledge hard to find in this day and age?¡± ¡°That seems to be the case,¡± he agreed, clearly wondering where she was going with this. ¡°Then I will tell you in confidence,¡± she leaned forward and spoke softly enough that few people should overhear, ¡°that this holds especially true for the medical arts. My knowledge in this field eclipses anything else you might have seen, anything my hive could build. If there is anything mortal means might do for your wife or daughter, or your sister,¡± she nodded at Kiara, who had leaned forward as well, ¡°I will do it.¡± There was a short pause as they clearly digested this revelation. Regina wasn¡¯t sure Lyns would believe it, but she could just return to demands and harder tactics if he refused. ¡°In that case, I believe this would indeed be best,¡± Kiara said. ¡°Father, think of what this might mean for our family.¡± Regina felt a sudden burst of speculation from Tim and Janis, and knew what probably caused it. Kiara was clearly aware that her family members would work as hostages against her just as well as against her father. One of the side benefits of this idea. She simply didn¡¯t care, or rather, she apparently put her sister¡¯s health above that concern. And showed some trust in the hive, too. ¡°I do not know -¡° Lyns began, then paused, apparently not willing to outright question her words. ¡°I will require a guarantee to go ahead with this agreement and the help you have requested,¡± Regina said more coolly. ¡°Be assured, your enemies will not think to look for your family in our territory, and we will do everything in our power to protect them should they somehow be targeted, as well. They will be much safer than in any castle. Your wife will be much more certain to survive childbirth.¡± She paused. ¡°There is no one else I would accept as a guest.¡± Lyns swallowed visibly. She wondered if he was going to suggest one of the lords supporting him, but if he did consider that, he clearly felt they wouldn¡¯t agree to such a thing. Instead, after a heavy silence, he exhaled heavily and nodded. ¡°Very well,¡± he said. ¡°I will entrust them to your care.¡± Regina returned the nod. She was happy with that. She¡¯d have a hostage Lyns would think twice about risking. If Regina did manage to help her sister, that should also cause Kiara to feel grateful to her. And I¡¯ll manage that by doing good deeds, she thought with a tinge of humor. ¡°Then we are all in agreement?¡± Duke Bluegrass asked. He also looked a bit tenser than before. His daughter beside him was biting her lip and glancing at Kiara. ¡°Yes, we are,¡± Regina confirmed. ¡°I will sign a written version as soon as you have it ready. Then we may fight side by side.¡± Lyns smiled, and it only looked a little strained. ¡°I look forward to it, my dear Lady Regina.¡± ¡°I look forward to it, Your Majesty,¡± Regina said, giving him a harder look once more. That caused another short moment of tension, and the duke frowned briefly. A few of the nobles clearly thought she had addressed Lyns as a king because she was going to help him gain the throne. Most seemed to understand from her tone and expression that it was a correction, not a promise. ¡°Naturally, Your Majesty,¡± Lyns murmured. After that, the meeting concluded swiftly. Lyns had a contract drawn up and copied, by a Scribe using a Skill from the System to ensure they were identical. Regina inspected both copies before she signed. She hesitated when it came time for that, then simply wrote her name without anything else. Maybe she should consider using a last name - probably Starlit, like Janis - but for now, it might be better to stick with what the System showed. It still felt odd when she thought about it, though. They left the tent in small groups, without much mingling between the two sides. Regina was considering whether there was any point in staying here. Lyns clearly had things to take care of and talk about, but they should probably speak again to further discuss the details, anyway. And Janis was clearly angling for a chance to talk alone with Kiara, Regina had to pretend she didn¡¯t notice her slipping to the side. Her train of thought was interrupted when she stepped out of the tent to find another woman waiting for her, just a few meters away. Regina recognized the Delver immediately, although she still couldn¡¯t read her level. Gwen bowed shallowly in greeting. ¡°A pleasure to see you again. I would like to speak, Your Majesty, if you will lend me a few minutes of your time.¡± Regina blinked. She hadn¡¯t expected to be approached by a Delver like this, especially not greeted with that address. Was it because Gwen had listened in on their meeting or was she just trying to be extra courteous? ¡°Of course,¡± she responded with a nod. ¡°Please, walk with me.¡± Janis seemed torn, but remained hovering in the background. A few of the drones dispersed, but Max and Tim accompanied the group, making sure to guard against any eavesdroppers. Regina looked back only to see the marquis and Kiara in what looked like a heated conversation. Duke Bluegrass stood at the side, his arms folded, and his daughter clenched her fingers together. I suppose they have quite a bit to talk about, Regina contemplated. Although it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s coming to an open break between them. Hard to blame Kiara if she¡¯s angry her father tried to make her a hostage, though. Chapter 155: What Do You Think? They walked for a short distance so they could speak privately, and Regina hoped she wasn¡¯t the only one to find this awkward. It probably had something to do with the circumstances of her last meeting with Gwen Cern, if you could call it that. If the Delver harbored any resentment about how it had gone, or because Regina had basically kicked them out of her territory afterward, she didn¡¯t show it. Of course, they had probably averted a major disaster by working together, so there was that. Finally, the small group reached an open area outside of the camp the humans had put up, where they shouldn¡¯t be overheard as long as they stayed reasonably quiet. ¡°You wanted to talk,¡± Regina began, turning to face Gwen and raising an eyebrow. ¡°Indeed,¡± she answered, nodding her head. ¡°I assume you have gathered that I am not just here on my own behalf?¡± ¡°I assumed so, yes. You do seem like the sort the Delvers would send to talk to me. Or to the Cernlian rebels, at least. If you¡¯ll pardon a frank question, what¡¯s your relation to John Cern?¡± The woman¡¯s eyes hardened slightly at the reference. ¡°He¡¯s my cousin,¡± she replied. ¡°Please don¡¯t hold whatever bad impression he gave you against me. We haven¡¯t spoken in quite some time. He doesn¡¯t approve of my choices. And I don¡¯t approve of his attitude.¡± Regina smiled a little despite herself. ¡°Of course,¡± she agreed. ¡°That said,¡± Gwen hesitated for a moment before she continued, ¡°my family name is what it is. As you¡¯ve surmised, I am the obvious choice for this among my comrades. The marquis and his coterie were quite happy to host me for a short visit.¡± ¡°They probably hope that your organization will give them its support,¡± Regina guessed. ¡°Is that what¡¯s going to happen?¡± Gwen shrugged. ¡°Perhaps, but I doubt it will happen in the current situation. To tell the truth, I¡¯m not really here for them.¡± Regina crossed her arms and glanced at the tents before she turned her full attention back to her. ¡°I assume the Delvers want something from me, then.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it quite like that, Your Majesty,¡± she responded, looking hesitant. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I did promise you a few minutes of my time, and I will hear you out.¡± Gwen nodded. ¡°To start, we had to leave rather precipitously after the events of our last meeting. Have there been any problems with said location? Any indication of trouble, or any further changes?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Max replied, entering the conversation for the first time. ¡°The tunnels are as silent as always.¡± ¡°Good, that¡¯s good. If you do learn of anything suspicious, please don¡¯t hesitate to contact us for aid.¡± Gwen smiled wryly. ¡°I realize we don¡¯t have the best reputation, but we Delvers really are experts when it comes to dealing with such phenomena.¡± Regina privately doubted the Delvers were really experts on phenomena like what had happened with Galatea, or even the old base underground, but she still nodded. She wasn¡¯t going to dismiss an offer of help for no good reason. Regina started and barely kept herself from showing a more visible reaction as a hot sting went through her, originating from the psychic link. It took her a moment to realize what had happened. The fight at the edges of their main base had turned heated, and she¡¯d just felt a large unit of War Drones dying to a magical bombardment. Max took a step closer protectively, raising a hand, before she sent him a sharp mental no and he stopped. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Regina said blandly, trying to distract from her moment of distraction. Gwen cocked her head slightly, watching her, before she gave a nod and continued. ¡°Of course, the main matter of interest to my organization is your Hive¡¯s rapid growth, as I¡¯m sure you can imagine.¡± ¡°Certainly,¡± Regina answered. ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t ask how you know about it.¡± Meanwhile, the outer layer of mines had almost all exploded, taking a lot of gnomish soldiers with them. Some were floating a few centimeters in the air, copying the trick she¡¯d seen before, but the gnomes clearly couldn¡¯t do the same for all of them. A large flock of Winged Drones wheeled around and started a bombardment run, causing one of the magic shields stretched over a large unit of soldiers to buckle and fail under the hail of rocks and explosives. Then a small horde of War Drones emerged from the ground, coming from a hidden tunnel, and threw themselves into the breach, capitalizing on the opening. Regina felt further deaths, but she focused her attention on the present. ¡°Something like this is not easily hidden,¡± Gwen was saying. ¡°And to be frank, you did not seem to attempt to do so. Of course, given your war against the gnomes, it is rather inevitable.¡± ¡°And how do the Delvers view this war?¡± Regina asked. Gwen shrugged again. ¡°Gnomes may have been some of the people we were on best terms with, but they were still ¡­ not human. Besides, it seems rather obvious this conflict is entirely their fault. I do not think most of my comrades want to see them triumphant.¡± ¡°Which doesn¡¯t mean they want us to win,¡± Regina pointed out. ¡°True, there is a difference between these things,¡± Gwen acknowledged. She paused for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°Anyhow, we have been watching these developments with some interest, for reasons I am sure you can understand, Your Majesty. You have my congratulations on your victories, by the way. And this interest has only increased since you seem to have struck up an alliance with elementals.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°You¡¯re well-informed.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Gwen nodded and remained silent for a while. ¡°Elementals are unable to level up,¡± she finally said. ¡°And how do you know this?¡± ¡°About the same way you came to know, I suppose,¡± she said with a small smile. ¡°One of our members talked to an elemental some time ago and learned of it.¡± She glanced at Janis, then back at Regina. ¡°Interestingly, since elementals cannot gain Experience using the System the normal way, they generally seem to focus on acquiring skill and prowess by other means. It makes them rather formidable opponents. It also means they value new knowledge.¡± Regina hmm¡¯d in acknowledgment. She was watching the battle with part of her attention, which was still fought furiously. Both her Swarm and the gnomes were taking heavy losses. The gnomes were inching closer to the base, but still a long way off, and they wouldn¡¯t even reach the inner ring at this rate. ¡°So, upon reflection, this development is not very surprising,¡± Gwen continued. Regina sighed. ¡°Pardon the blunt question, but is this going somewhere, or do you just want to sound me out?¡± There was a spark of irritation in Gwen¡¯s eyes now, or so Regina thought, at least, but it faded quickly. Instead, the young woman smiled sardonically. ¡°Please don¡¯t blame me for being cautious. Many of my fellows are unsure what to make of you, or how to react. I have to admit I cherish some reservations of my own. Probing your attitude is only natural.¡± Regina only raised an eyebrow and gave her a look. Gwen took the invitation to continue, and dropped into another bow. ¡°We would be honored if you were to visit us, Your Majesty.¡± Regina just stared at her for a moment. She had to admit she hadn¡¯t expected her to say that. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where your base is,¡± she finally said. ¡°We have several, though our headquarters in this part of the continent is to the northwest of here, in the town of Resurgence. That¡¯s on the border of the Earldom of Nijnen.¡± ¡°Then this is probably meaningless, since I couldn¡¯t exactly go there right now,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Perhaps not right now,¡± Gwen agreed. ¡°But with your forces helping the rebels to push the king¡¯s forces back, it may be open to you soon.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°I am afraid that practical considerations make it impossible for me to entertain your offer for now, regardless of my inclination.¡± That was, hopefully, the safe answer, neither a confirmation nor an outright rejection. Regina didn¡¯t know what answer she should give otherwise. Her last invitation to visit people she wasn¡¯t already allied to hadn¡¯t exactly turned out very well. On the other hand, she still hoped she could use the Delvers. She¡¯d need to consider the idea of visiting them. Max would scream bloody murder, of course, but it might be worth thinking about. As long as she didn¡¯t have to worry about being attacked by both Cernlia and the Delvers, at least. ¡°I understand, of course,¡± Gwen answered. ¡°I will convey your response to my superiors. We hope we may see you as circumstances permit at some point in the future.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Regina said. ¡°If that¡¯s all? I should speak to the marquis and perhaps others again.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The Delver inclined her head. ¡°I won¡¯t keep you.¡± Regina nodded and turned to go back. Gwen looked hesitant, like there was something else she wanted to say. She accompanied Regina for a few steps in silence, walking back to the camp, before she spoke again. ¡°I have one question.¡± Her fingers tightened on her instrument. ¡°Are you a former human?¡± Regina kept walking and stayed silent for a second. She ignored any reaction from her drones. Then she turned her head to look at Gwen. ¡°What do you think?¡± The Delver didn¡¯t answer right away, and as they reached the camp, Regina turned to part ways, not waiting to hear her answer. She didn¡¯t even know what answer she was hoping for. Janis split off from the group, and Regina only caught a short glimpse of Kiara waiting for her by the side of the pavilion, before they continued past it. Instead, she closed her eyes for a moment and focused on the battle that was still raging in the center of her territory. It appeared to be drawing towards a conclusion. It had been short and brutal, but the end was in sight, at least. The gnomes¡¯ numbers had diminished too rapidly as many of their soldiers fell, and while the hive had also suffered losses, they still had reinforcements to spare. The ratio was tilting in the drones¡¯ favor, and they were enveloping the main part of the gnomish army. The gnomes would have needed elites to bail them out, and they¡¯d already lost too many of those in prior engagements. Some still fought, of course, but not enough to turn the tide. Most of them were getting overwhelmed by the horde of War Drones the same as their common soldiers. They¡¯d been prime targets from the beginning, and even those with abilities suited to dealing with crowds of weaker enemies were running low on mana or were using up their Skills. The bombardment by the mass of Swarm Drones gathered in the air only made things worse for them. You¡¯re doing well, Regina told Ben quietly over the psychic link. Thank you, my Queen, he replied. This battle will drag on for a while longer, but the really important part is over. He smiled. I¡¯ll make sure few of them escape. Good, she answered. The more of them we can kill or capture, the better. I want this to be decisive. Regina kept watching for a bit. More of her drones died, and so did more of the gnomes. She almost felt used to the feeling, or was at least getting numb to it. She suspected it would take more deaths in her hive to really rattle her. Or maybe that of a sapient member, but she hoped that wouldn¡¯t happen. Then Regina shook herself and turned. She¡¯d wandered out of the small camp again. She wanted to at least touch base with Kiara briefly, but it might be better to wait for a while to give her time to come to terms with what had been said at the meeting. And there wasn¡¯t much they really needed to talk about. Besides, it looked like Kiara was currently speaking to Janis. Regina wasn¡¯t going to interrupt that. She briefly took a mental glimpse at the pair through Janis¡¯ connection to the psychic link, and noted that they were also walking through the camp, speaking quietly. Janis¡¯ great-uncle trailed behind, wearing his armor and sword, and looking elsewhere. Regina didn¡¯t stay long enough to catch what they were talking about. Even if she wanted to listen to a couple of teenage girls like that, it felt like a breach of privacy. Regina didn¡¯t need to spy on Janis¡¯ personal life, and this was pretty clearly in that category. If they talked about something important to the hive, Janis would tell her, Regina was sure. She did spend a minute considering the potential political implications, but didn¡¯t come to any real conclusions. The situation was still too uncertain. Besides, this might not amount to anything, anyway. Regina glanced southwest again. She felt eager to return to her hive, and not just because of any territorial Hive Queen instincts. Dealing with humans (or maybe just politics) was just a headache. Regina smiled as she turned another corner in the camp and saw Janis and Kiara again. They were walking a bit more closely together, and Janis¡¯ hand twitched slightly, as if she was stopping herself from reaching for hers. Regina smiled at them and gave a small wave, before she turned again, leaving the group to their own devices. The gathered human nobles looked at her as she passed, but Regina ignored their stares. At least they weren¡¯t openly hostile. She watched the girl who¡¯d been with Kiara earlier, Margaret, talking to her father, until the marquis came and interrupted them. Another knight she recognized trailed him, and they started an animated discussion. Regina didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, though, instead watching their body language and that of those around them. Yeah, she concluded, definitely trouble in paradise. I wonder how many people only want to see Lyns on the throne because the alternative is worse? She wished she could simply dismiss that as not her concern, but given what Regina had just agreed to, she knew it probably wouldn¡¯t be that easy. Well, at least she could make her excuses using the fact that she needed to prepare her hive for the war and leave quickly. Chapter 156: Preparations and Logistics Regina breathed a quiet sigh of relief when the group finally left the meeting with the marquis and his followers. It had been interesting, she supposed, but she¡¯d feel better once she was back in her hive¡¯s core territory. Especially since she wouldn¡¯t have to focus on politics then. Of course, she would have to concentrate on getting the hive ready to enter their war instead. Regina didn¡¯t regret the agreement they¡¯d come to, but no matter how you looked at it, the timing could have been better. They would almost certainly have to make compromises where the war against the gnomes was concerned. Substantial ones. Well, at least they¡¯d rather conclusively demonstrated that the gnomes couldn¡¯t actually beat them, at least not by sending an army out to assault her hive. If they didn¡¯t manage it now, they wouldn¡¯t if they tried again, with many of their soldiers and elites now dead. Even if they had gained some experience. No, she actually almost expected the gnomes to sue for terms sometime soon. It was clearly the rational choice. Of course, their ideology might get in the way of that. She supposed that, to the faction in power, it might be tantamount to admitting defeat ¡ª or worse, admitting that they hadn¡¯t been quite so truthful about their enemies and their reasons after all ¡ª which might stop any such attempt before it could start. One thing was clear, the gnomes and their military leadership hadn¡¯t exactly covered themselves in glory in this war so far. This might imply there was some political interference, as well. Of course, it might just be because the gnomes hadn¡¯t actually fought a real war in a long time, and had wildly underestimated their opposition. They did seem to be pretty arrogant, on the whole, about their power compared to other people, too. Regina was looking forward to breaking that arrogance into tiny little pieces. For now, she traveled back to the main base of her hive with her companions, while she watched the aftermath of the battle that had been fought not far from it. There were a lot of dead to bury or burn, both enemy soldiers and her own drones. The Workers and their units of Swarm Drones were hard at work repairing their defensive measures, too. Meanwhile, a large part of the forces that had fought at the mountains was spreading out, trying to catch any gnomes who might have escaped and started trying to regroup. Any gnomes who tried to go back to their home would have to go straight through them, so Regina wouldn¡¯t bet on them succeeding. Meanwhile, Lyns and his people would make their own preparations. She was curious about how his talk with his wife and younger daughter would go, telling them he was sending them to the hive, but not enough to try and spy on them. Regina had avoided personally meeting with Kiara, after all, since they had both decided that drawing attention to any connection there might be between them was unwise. The fact that Regina had made demands that would keep her at her father¡¯s side and involved in the war might already be enough. Regina didn¡¯t want any more drama than she had to deal with. The noblewomen (or woman and girl) would arrive at one of the villages at the edge of their territory. Regina was still unsure about where to take them after that. She supposed she¡¯d decide depending on their attitudes and wishes. She hoped they wouldn¡¯t be afraid to fly, too, since she didn¡¯t have any good, convenient means of transport other than Winged Drone Mounts. Something to consider, definitely, she reflected. It might be worth getting a few horses, if we can¡¯t build a good wagon. Well, Mia could probably put something together if she had a bit of warning, and they¡¯d have to have Swarm Drones pulling it. It would do in a pinch, even if Regina wistfully thought about real cars and trains. Not long after the battle, Regina leveled up again, which was probably to be expected given the damage her drones did and the Experience they must have gained. To her disappointment, she didn¡¯t unlock another drone Template. On the other hand, she was at level 49 now, and her next level-up should unlock another Ability. She was looking forward to it. Most of her senior drones were also at their level boundary now, and she suspected that a few of them might even have been ahead of her if they could have. Ben leveled up shortly after her. As a Drone General, he had to have gotten buckets of Experience for the battle and the rest of the war recently. Regina breathed a sigh of relief when she finally returned to the hive. After talking to a few people, she fell into bed and slept for four hours. She was awoken by an uncomfortable feeling she recognized after a moment. Regina visited the hatchery, then took a shower, stumbled back into bed and slept for another five or so hours. After she woke up, she checked on the progress of the hive¡¯s cleanup and their growth. Mia was expanding the ¡®hatchery¡¯ area of the hive again, this time digging down. They¡¯d kept most of the recently hatched Drone Breeders here because of safety concerns, which meant there were a lot of new eggs to house. They should probably adjust it now and move some of them to the northwest, to get closer to the new front that would open against the Cernlian king. Regina contacted Ben after a moment of thought. We need to build new outposts and bases in the opposite direction, to prepare for the new war. Already on it, my Queen, he assured her. That is, Tia is making plans and preparing to oversee them. That¡¯s good. Regina smiled. How do you feel about this development, Ben? He stayed quiet for a moment, giving her a contemplative impression over the psychic link. It¡¯s not my place to say whether or not it was the right decision, he finally answered. I¡¯m just carrying out your strategies and trying to achieve the objectives you set on a military level. That said, I can see both good and bad points to this. It¡¯s going to make things more complicated, at least in the short term, but it also opens up some possibilities. You¡¯re not afraid this will be too much for us? That we¡¯ll be overextended? she asked. If I truly thought we were going to lose the war ¡ª either war, now, I would have said something, he replied with a fleeting smile. Of course we¡¯ll need to be careful. But I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ve broken the core of the gnomes¡¯ military strength. Ordinarily, I¡¯d advise finishing them off now. We shouldn¡¯t need all our forces to keep them penned in, though, especially considering how our numbers will grow. I need to talk to the others and crunch some numbers before I can offer any firm recommendations on deployments into Cernlia, though. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. That¡¯s fine, Regina replied, sending him a warm mental smile. I¡¯d rather have well-thought-out and considered plans. Let me know as soon as you¡¯re ready to discuss the situation. I will, my Queen. Thanks. By now, the hive had actually cleared most of their territory again. Any gnomes not dead or captured had already run far enough away that the area was pretty safe. The hive¡¯s forces in the mountains were settling in, digging and constructing new outposts and bases as well as tunnels between those. Tia was examining the fortress and considering rebuilding it. That left one open question, of course, namely what to do with their prisoners. The hive had a meaningful number of those for the first time. They¡¯d basically shattered the gnomish army in the area instead of doing a hit-and-run attack, and it showed. Regina hadn¡¯t given the drones strict instructions to try and take prisoners this time, but she¡¯d also made it clear it was an option, depending on the situation, so they hadn¡¯t just executed anyone who was incapacitated. So, most of the prisoners were wounded to some degree, but almost all should make it. Regina wasn¡¯t sure what to do with them. Just keeping them posed a number of issues. For one, they didn¡¯t have much food that they knew was safe for gnomes to eat. Water wouldn¡¯t be an issue with the wells they¡¯d dug, and some magic, but they also needed a good place to put them and sufficient guards. For now, they¡¯d decided to keep the gnomes in a relatively large underground room they¡¯d excavated, outside the core part of the main base. The drones had started expanding it, but it might not be a viable long-term option. For reasons of sanitation, if nothing else. Ransoming prisoners of war was apparently a standard practice around here. Unfortunately, all of them had seen quite a bit of the hive¡¯s defenses, so Regina was hesitant about ransoming them back to the Confederation, assuming something could be arranged. On the other hand, it might be a very good move in terms of psychological warfare. Demonstrating that the Hivekind provided for their prisoners, gave them medical treatment and let them go home. That should undercut the gnomes¡¯ propaganda pretty nicely. Anyway, some of the gnomes who¡¯d escaped must have seen the hive capturing some others, so they couldn¡¯t just kill them all without dealing with that later, anyway. For now, Regina decided to shelve the issue. They would keep for a while with the current arrangements. The hive would need to reassess a few things and adjust their logistics, anyhow. To that end, Regina called a meeting with Mia, Ivy and a few of the other drones who were more concerned with ¡®support roles¡¯ and keeping things running behind the scenes. Since all of them were currently in the central base, they met in person. One of the newer additions to the hive¡¯s buildings included a meeting room with a large table, chairs and cabinets, with thick walls that isolated sound pretty well. ¡°Thank all of you for coming,¡± Regina began after sitting down. There was no nonsense wasted on protocol or waiting for her to take her seat, and the others looked at her expectantly. ¡°I wanted to discuss the state of our logistics, especially with respect to our agreement to help the Cernian rebels. What can we actually offer them in terms of supplies or support?¡± There was a moment of silence as the drones present considered her question. ¡°Unfortunately, I think we can¡¯t have an easy answer for that question, my Queen,¡± Mia said. ¡°It depends too much on their needs and what they lack.¡± ¡°Especially for food,¡± Ivy added, nodding. ¡°A lot of what we eat wouldn¡¯t be suitable for humans. At least we know what that would be better than for gnomes - due to your own knowledge, my Queen - but there are still open questions. For example, can humans eat and digest what our Production Drones produce? Or which kinds? If they could subsist off that, it would be a very good thing.¡± Regina nodded slowly. ¡°You¡¯re right. And short of a biochemistry lab, which we don¡¯t have, the only way to find out is with experiments.¡± ¡°We could ask for volunteers from Forest¡¯s Haunt or the others,¡± Ash suggested. ¡°Good idea,¡± she agreed. ¡°Ivy, I¡¯m putting you in charge of that. Take at least one magic-user who¡¯s good at healing along for any experiments. I¡¯ll see if I can find the time to come myself. Either way, consult with the Keepers, too.¡± ¡°How long would any food supplies we send them last?¡± Ash asked, looking at the others. They seemed a bit uncertain, but Mia spoke up. ¡°It depends. We did make some hay and the like, which should feed their horses as well as our Swarm Drones. Not sure about dried weeds, though. Grain can probably keep for a while as long as it¡¯s kept dry, but we don¡¯t have much of that. It varies a bit for the Production Drones¡¯ stuff, but most of it is still edible after a few weeks at the very least. For us, anyway. We also have some preserved monster meat that should do well.¡± Regina nodded. That was good to know. ¡°That aside, we will probably need more detailed information from the marquis and his people,¡± Mia said. ¡°But I¡¯m assuming that food, weapons and whatever combat equipment they need will be the main points.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we can help them much when it comes to weapons,¡± Ria commented. ¡°We can¡¯t even buy actual metal weapons for ourselves. They should be able to use the gold you Conjured for them to buy what they need, though, my Queen, right?¡± ¡°I think so. I didn¡¯t get the impression they were lacking in that respect, anyway. We could give them some of our more ¡®special¡¯ weapons, of course.¡± Regina frowned to herself. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be willing to go that far, though. We can and will use some ourselves, but I don¡¯t want to hand them explosives or anything without being there to keep an eye on them.¡± The others nodded. They all seemed to be in agreement with her words, especially Ash. ¡°We don¡¯t have much in the way of other equipment, either,¡± Mia said thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s not like we need much of it ourselves. But things like clothes, boots, tents, and the like are probably important for them, too. Again, they might just have to buy that kind of stuff with money.¡± ¡°At least we won¡¯t be dependent on such things ourselves,¡± Regina commented. ¡°Good. That leaves medical supplies. We can probably send some herbs for local remedies we gathered, but I think magic will be the most important thing.¡± ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ll send Attendants and Witches to heal their soldiers, my Queen?¡± Ash asked. Regina hesitated for a moment, before she nodded slowly. ¡°I think that may not be a bad idea. I¡¯ll need to discuss it, of course. But I don¡¯t think it would be too dangerous as long as Lyns can guarantee their safety. Obviously, I won¡¯t send them straight to the front line, but maybe if they set up field hospitals in the back.¡± Regina could sense that a few of them felt conflicted about the idea, but they didn¡¯t speak up to voice any doubts. She could understand it, but in a sense, letting any of Lyns¡¯ soldiers die that they didn¡¯t need to would be a waste. They couldn¡¯t replenish themselves like her own forces could, after all. And any wounded soldier they healed so they could go back to fight their enemies meant none of her drones would have to do that instead. Plus, the cat was pretty much out of the bag when it came to showing their hive¡¯s capability, anyway, but building goodwill with Lyns¡¯ soldiers wouldn¡¯t hurt, either. ¡°Alright, I think that¡¯s it for now,¡± Regina concluded. ¡°Take a look at our stockpiles and consider our options before you get back to me with an assessment, please.¡± The others all nodded and chairs shuffled as they stood up. Regina left to visit the hatchery, already considering who she would need to meet with next, and how best to keep communication with Lyns going. She really wished she could just build telephones, or even something simpler like telegraph lines, but she didn¡¯t even have the resources for that. At least there were magical ways of sending messages. Chapter 157: Hostage June Lyns huddled deeper into the blanket covering her and leaned her head against the carriage¡¯s wall, wincing as another bump jarred her. She was feeling cold, again, despite the warmth of a nice spring day. ¡°Are you alright, dear?¡± her mother asked, sounding concerned. That was also familiar. ¡°Of course, Mother,¡± she answered with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m just feeling a bit chilly, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll go away soon, especially once we¡¯re out in the sun.¡± ¡°Well, we will be in a minute,¡± Lady Florance replied, glancing out the window furtively and giving her another shaky smile. June wondered if she was afraid. She supposed that would be reasonable enough. June herself found it hard to muster any fear, however. In part that might be because she had felt death breathing down her neck before, more than once, in situations in which she could arguably have done much less about it. Illnesses could not be negotiated with, after all. Largely, though, she supposed it was because of her sister. Kiara had not made it obvious ¡ª in fact, she seemed to have taken pains to hide it ¡ª but June knew she had positive dealings with this ¡®Hive¡¯. Being often disregarded and overlooked made it both advisable and simple to learn to look and listen properly, and June was generally proud of her powers of observation. Besides, Kiara could never lie to her. Anyhow, if her older sister saw no reason to object to this arrangement, June figured she was probably reasonably safe. The carriage came to a stop and June pushed the blanket away, sitting up. She waited until her mother had stepped out of the carriage before doing the same, taking the hand Sir Bernard offered to steady her. They had arrived at a small, utterly mundane-looking village. June might not have visited many of these, but she had seen some looking out of a carriage window, and nothing set this one apart. It had dirt, tilled fields, simple houses, and of course, peasants. They were not the only people present, however. Instead, June barely stopped herself frown gawping at the strange, six-limbed beings standing in neat rows to greet the carriage and its small escort. Then her eyes were drawn to the only one appearing human among them, who stepped forward to greet them with a smile. Or almost human, at any rate. Her hair and eyes did attest to something else in her ancestry. ¡°Lady Florance, Lady June, it is a pleasure to meet you again,¡± she greeted. ¡°I am Janis Starlit, and I¡¯d like to welcome you to the Starlit Hive¡¯s territory.¡± Her mother remained uncharacteristically silent, so June answered with another smile. ¡°Thank you, Janis. It is good to see you again.¡± In truth, she barely remembered meeting the other girl before. Although the fact that they had met might explain why she had been chosen to welcome the two of them here. June looked at her with curiosity. She knew she was small for her age, but Janis still towered almost a head above her. She had a lean, fighter¡¯s build, accentuated by the simple but loosely flowing clothes she wore, including trousers instead of a dress. June wished she could do the same. ¡°A pleasure,¡± her mother answered as well, finding her voice. She gave a courteous nod of the head and glanced around. ¡°May we continue in our own carriage?¡± ¡°That is the plan, I am given to understand,¡± Janis answered genially. ¡°If you wish, you can rest and refresh yourselves here, before we continue. I will have to insist that your knightly escort turn back, however. I assure you we are more than capable of providing for your security.¡± She nodded at the - drones? That was what they were called, if she recalled. Lady Florance¡¯s expression tightened just a bit, but she nodded. June glanced around instead of watching her mother and the knights. She knew that she was less than happy about the two of them being sent here as hostages. There had been the biggest fight she could ever remember hearing when her father told her mother of it. At least he had come to explain the news in person. ¡°Let us not dawdle. My daughter is ill, so will need to be careful,¡± she explained. June sighed softly. ¡°I am fine, Mother.¡± She had indeed suffered a moderately severe cold recently, but it had started to abate a few days ago. By now, she was about as healthy as she could usually claim to be. ¡°I am capable of casting ¡®Heal¡¯ and we have several medicines prepared, in case there is any issue during the rest of the trip,¡± Janis answered. ¡°If either of you needs anything, please do not hesitate to let us know. I might as well ask now, though ¡ª are there any special concerns regarding your pregnancy, Lady Florance?¡± ¡°None,¡± she responded in a polite tone, ¡°thank you for your concern.¡± It did not appear they would be traveling for long, however. June noticed that they were mostly heading west, rather than south. She figured they were probably being taken to Baron Neralt¡¯s village at the gate of the Great Forest, at least for today. Miss Janis had apparently taken a horse along and stabled it in the village. She was riding it now, keeping close to the carriage. The Hive¡¯s drones surrounded it in an escort position. June exchanged a few quiet sentences with her mother, but they did not get a proper conversation started. Her mother was tense and not inclined to speak, and June had to admit that her own thoughts were elsewhere, as well. The closer they got, the more her anxiety rose, but so did her hope. She did her best to keep it suppressed. She did not want to expect that she could be healed only to be disappointed. After a while, the carriage slowed again, as they reached another village. This one showed some differences from those they had previously passed through, however. For one, it had a rather big but slightly odd-looking waterwheel positioned at the edge of the river the village was situated beside. There appeared to be some sort of apparatus or machinery connected to it, as well, although June was not well-versed enough in such things to understand the details. Besides that, the village had a new palisade along with a ditch and several watchtowers. As they entered through a gate, she could see it was in fact a double wall. And the buildings inside were covered in ivy and other climbing plants. Chiefly, of course, she noticed the drones moving about the settlement. The carriage rolled to a stop in the center of a town square, and June climbed down, ignoring her mother¡¯s offered hand this time. She turned around and immediately sucked in a breath, despite herself. June was only a rather weak Mage. She simply could not muster up a lot of the effort required for proper leveling, and gaining Experience through combat was out of the question ¡ª her mother would have a fit at the very suggestion. Despite that, she had done her best to work with what she had, and that included her senses for mana. The women of her family supposedly had quite a gift for it, and she knew Kiara had received praise for her facility at it. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. But whether she could be considered good at sensing or not, June certainly sensed something she had not encountered before from the young woman she faced now, although she did not know what to make of it. She was strong, undoubtedly; only an idiot would mistake that. She looked somewhat odd to June¡¯s eyes, but that might be because she had not actually met many demihumans before. The chitinous shell visible where her clothes didn¡¯t cover her, the mandibles and the wings certainly painted a striking picture. ¡°Welcome to Forest¡¯s Haunt and to my hive,¡± she said, taking a step forward to greet them. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Florance Lyns and Lady June Lyns.¡± ¡°You must be Hive Queen Regina, I presume?¡± Florance replied. June took half a step closer to her and bowed. ¡°The pleasure is entirely ours, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± her mother murmured, giving a polite half-bow as well. The Hive Queen smiled and inclined her head. ¡°Thank you. You must have many questions about the hive, but I¡¯m sure you will learn a lot about it in time. For now, I would like to assure you that you are our honored guests and you will be treated with respect. If you have any needs, please do speak up. I hope you have been made aware of all arrangements concerning your stay here?¡± ¡°I would certainly hope so,¡± June¡¯s mother replied. ¡°Although we have not been told where you intend to put us up, Your Majesty.¡± There was a small hesitation before she used the title, but it was not very noticeable. "That is because we had not known for certain yet, Lady Lyns,¡± the Hive Queen replied calmly. ¡°I wanted to meet you and talk to you first before I made any final decision.¡± June nodded and looked around. ¡°I assume staying here is one of the options?¡± Hive Queen Regina smiled briefly. ¡°Yes, indeed. And it is perhaps best for you to stay here for a day or two first, in any case. Baron Neralt has assured me he can provide comfortable accommodations and ensure you¡¯re looked after. As you can probably guess, I don¡¯t have much of an issue paying for his servants¡¯ time.¡± June smiled in response. It was a rather blunt reference to the Hive Queen¡¯s apparent wealth, which was mostly shown in the gold she sent, and June wondered if she mentioned it now on purpose. Maybe she also wanted to assure them that they were civilized, that she wasn¡¯t just oppressing the baron, and that he had kept his station? They moved to the baron¡¯s mansion, which was rather small in her opinion, and gathered in a small parlor for tea. Neralt himself was apparently out and not available at the moment, but his mother, Lady Marianne, welcomed them. She appeared the epitome of a proper lady and received them with exquisite courtesy. In no time at all, she and June¡¯s mother were talking easily. June herself was more interested in their surroundings and the other ¡®guests¡¯, however. She noticed that two drones in particular seemed to follow the Hive Queen around, although they kept in the background. She couldn¡¯t see their levels, but given their Classes of Royal Bodyguard and Drone Assistant, it made some sense. After a while, Regina cleared her throat. ¡°If you¡¯re satisfied with accommodations here,¡± - she quirked an eyebrow at them and the two of them nodded - ¡°then perhaps it is time for an examination. I would like to do a health check on your pregnancy, Lady Florance, and start diagnostics for you, Lady June.¡± June hesitated for a moment, and she could see her mother do the same. A mix of nervous anticipation and anxiety rose in her, swirling in her gut. She had to clench her hands together tightly for a second and consciously straighten up. ¡°Of course, Your Majesty,¡± she said. Then June glanced at her mother and the others present. ¡°I am ready. May we do this in private?¡± ¡°Of course. Follow me, please. The Neralts have graciously lent us one of their rooms and I have some medicines and instruments ready.¡± Her mother stood as well, but June looked at her and shook her head. She did not want her there worrying about her. Then she would have to put on a brave face for her and possibly worse. Seeing healers was always easier alone. The Hive Queen led June into a basement room with a solid door and bare walls. A table and several shelves had been put in here, and filled with a few books, several sealed containers, and what looked like several medical tools, including what she recalled was called a stethoscope, surgical instruments, and some strange arrangement of small mirrors and glass. ¡°Do not worry,¡± Regina said reassuringly. ¡°I have extensive medical training and experience.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°Don¡¯t let my Class name fool you, I am certainly a more competent medical professional than Hive Queen.¡± June smiled nervously. ¡°Somehow, I doubt most people would see you as a doctor,¡± she said. ¡°But I suppose that does not make it untrue.¡± ¡°I might not call myself a doctor, perhaps,¡± Regina replied, ¡°but I am more of one than anyone you would give that label.¡± Then she pointed at a chair. ¡°Take a seat, please. I have provided some loose clothing that will make examination easier; I¡¯ll turn around or leave the room, if you prefer, while you change.¡± June nodded and hesitantly reached for the clothing, a simple, short white robe that could be held closed. She changed quickly, then sat down again. Once she was done, Regina used a rag drenched in what seemed to be highly concentrated alcohol to wipe everything in reach down - probably not for the first time, given the cleanliness in this room - before she put it down and looked at her seriously. ¡°I will start with a simple, non-magical examination. While I do this, I¡¯d like you to tell me about your condition. Has it been present since your birth?¡± June took a deep breath, then started talking. ¡°I assume so, Your Majesty. It comes and goes. I¡¯m weaker than others my age, but sometimes it¡¯s only that, and sometimes I get really sick ¡­¡± She told the Hive Queen about it while Regina felt her pulse, took her blood pressure, listened to her heartbeat and lungs, checked her eyes, nails, skin, tongue and tonsils, and tested her reflexes. It was all something June had seen done before, although not all at once by the same healer. Regina asked a few clarifying questions, then started inquiring if she was taking any medication (the answer was not at the moment) and about previous treatment attempts. After that, she started asking about her parents and family members and their health. June was uncertain where she was going, but answered all of her questions. Finally, Regina nodded and stepped closer with nothing but her hands. ¡°I think it¡¯s time I used some magic. Please hold still and don¡¯t try to fight it if you should sense anything.¡± June nodded nervously, and Regina laid a hand on her forearm and closed her eyes. She almost held her breath, but nothing truly seemed to happen. If she focused fully on it, she thought she could sense something, but it was subtle. As far as she could tell, the Hive Queen was not doing much of anything. Except for looking, presumably. Then, after a while, June tensed as she felt a change in her lungs. Foreign magic was at work there, and she almost tried to shut it off, before she controlled herself. Finally, her healer for today stepped back, frowning. That couldn¡¯t be a good sign. ¡°Interesting,¡± Regina said, then seemed to notice her apprehension and gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°No cause for worry, dear.¡± It seemed odd to be called that by someone who didn¡¯t look much older than her, but June ignored it. ¡°So, what is your diagnosis, if I may ask?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t really have one,¡± the Hive Queen answered, shaking her head with a small grimace. ¡°At first, I thought you might have something like cystic fibrosis. That¡¯s a recessive genetic disorder, so it would have been bad news. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s quite it, though. I suspect it is some kind of immune deficiency, possibly even an auto-immune disorder. There might still be a genetic component, but I think it might also be due to an infection or some kind of magical issue. Most likely simply something new that couldn¡¯t have been covered in my studies and that I haven¡¯t encountered before.¡± June frowned. She did not understand everything Regina had said, but it did not sound good. ¡°So, you do not know what ails me, did I understand that correctly? Does that mean you will not be able to heal me?¡± ¡°No, of course not.¡± Regina shook her head again. ¡°I wish I could just do a blood test,¡± she muttered, seemingly mostly to herself. Then she glanced up again and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not giving up so easily, June. I¡¯ll figure it out. And at the very least, I can alleviate your symptoms. I¡¯ve already done a quick pass.¡± June nodded and took a deep breath. She did feel lighter already. Her airways were clearer than they had been in a long time, and she already felt stronger. ¡°Thank you,¡± she mumbled. ¡°Just doing my job,¡± the Hive Queen smiled. Chapter 158: Annoyances Regina found herself strangely pleased at being able to do her job again. At least, what she assumed was her original job, or would have been. She didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d been a doctor yet ¡ª she had the impression she¡¯d been a young woman, and she might have just been a medical student. Either way, it was a bit different having patients who didn¡¯t automatically trust her, weren¡¯t connected to her via the psychic link, and whose anatomy and physiology actually matched exactly what she¡¯d been taught. Or should have matched it, anyway. To be fair, she was a bit disconcerted by what she¡¯d found in June Lyns, or hadn¡¯t found. She still wasn¡¯t sure quite what to think. Was it simply a new disease that had evolved in the thousand years since her old memories, or was there a bit more to it? Regina was determined to find out. It was also possible she¡¯d simply missed something. What she wouldn¡¯t give for the chance to run a full blood count. But she might be able to run at least a cursory analysis on blood she drew from June, to make sure she didn¡¯t show a severe lack of leukocytes or something like that. She¡¯d need to experiment with ways to get a centrifuge and a method to paint cells in a sample working. Compared to that, her short session with June¡¯s mother went much faster. Lady Florance was relatively old for a pregnancy, especially by local standards, so regular check-ups made sense. Regina had also been aware that she¡¯d apparently had more than one miscarriage before. Now, Florance had reluctantly answered her questions, and it turned out she had had three of those, as well as one baby who had died shortly after a difficult birth. Regina had shaken her head to herself and wondered how she could have possibly kept going after that. She suspected it was more the marquis¡¯ fault than Florance¡¯s. It¡¯s a wonder Kiara is completely healthy, given the rest, Regina thought to herself. But at least I can¡¯t detect any problems with this pregnancy, either. Well, not any health issues, at least. It promised to be a headache in an entirely different way. Regina might not have ultrasound, but magic was a decent alternative, and she¡¯d found out something else. Lady Florance was indeed carrying a boy. Regina wondered how Kiara would react. She hadn¡¯t told her yet, or anyone else, not even Florance herself. She¡¯d simply escorted the woman back to the others and stayed to chat for a few minutes before leaving, distracted by thinking about June¡¯s illness and now this. I¡¯m not entirely sure, anyway, Regina told herself. I could still be wrong about the baby¡¯s sex. And I can always pretend to find out later, when it¡¯s grown bigger. She disliked the thought of getting involved in more Lyns family drama, but at this point, it was inevitable. Still, it might be better for all involved not to throw this particular log into the fire. It was quite annoying, all things considered. For now, Regina should probably focus on what she¡¯d bought with these hostages. Which, at the moment, mostly meant more obligations. She was confident she could effectively help the marquis¡¯ war without crippling her hive¡¯s defenses - and she¡¯d avoided any firm commitments in terms of numbers or anything, anyway. It was a risk, and an investment. The treaty they¡¯d signed meant she should be able to count on Cernlia to fight against anyone who threatened her in the future, while she¡¯d avoid getting dragged into pointless wars. It would also give her quite a bit of influence and allow her to spread her power more subtly into this and possibly neighboring human kingdoms. And, of course, increase her territory substantially. But none of that would happen if the rebels lost the war, so Regina turned her thoughts to practical ways to ensure they wouldn¡¯t. She¡¯d need to have a few more meetings with certain drones, in person or over the psychic link. Regina hadn¡¯t left the baron¡¯s mansion for long before Janis joined her. The two of them turned to head out of the village proper and towards the open area bordering the water wheel. ¡°What are your impressions?¡± Regina asked quietly. ¡°They¡¯re basically what I expected,¡± Janis answered. ¡°Florance is definitely more suspicious and afraid of us than June.¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t underestimate her, though. You should consider what kind of information you want to share or what would be possible for them to find out, my Queen.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°So, you don¡¯t think I should invite them to our central hive base? It would be the most secure location.¡± Janis frowned, and Regina could tell she was weighing the pros and cons. ¡°It would, and it would make it easier to limit any ability for them to send word home independently,¡± she agreed. ¡°It will also allow them a closer look into how we operate.¡± She shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re almost certainly going to find out about the psychic link, anyway, especially if we fight alongside Lyns¡¯ forces. It¡¯s your decision.¡± Regina stayed quiet for a moment. ¡°I didn¡¯t get the impression that they had hostile intentions,¡± she finally said. She¡¯d tried to pay a bit more attention to her psychic senses this time, although she probably needed a lot more practice with them. ¡°I¡¯ll just keep them here for today and tomorrow, talk to them again, and then decide,¡± she decided. ¡°But I¡¯m leaning towards taking them with us, limiting their movements and keeping them under watch. But we do want them to form positive impressions of us.¡± Janis nodded. ¡°Makes sense,¡± she said. ¡°Now that they¡¯ve met other people, can I head back to the mountains? It¡¯s probably arrogant, but I¡¯d feel better if I¡¯m personally there to deal with the elementals.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s probably a good point,¡± Regina agreed. ¡°Take Thor or whichever Mount you prefer, and don¡¯t forget to check in with Tim.¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty.¡± Janis grinned and gave an elaborate, twirly bow, before she headed off. Regina looked after her and frowned to herself. Maybe claiming that title had not been such a smart move. Then she shook the thought off and headed back. She needed Neralt to fortify the nearby castle so that side was covered, then see what he could do about the edge of their territory facing Cernlia. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. And there was still Earl Whitor. She hadn¡¯t heard anything from him in a while, but it might be worth trying to see if they could come to some sort of agreement. She might have to kick the king¡¯s soldiers out of his county for him; but that wouldn¡¯t be a bad first goal for this ¡®campaign¡¯, anyway, since it would secure their northern flank. Regina decided to give their new ¡®guests¡¯ some space and instead moved through the village, looking around. Once she emerged on the other side, she rose into the air and headed to the castle. Max was still keeping an eye on the humans, but she had quite a few Winged Drones circling above. Via also left to take to the air and catch up, something Regina didn¡¯t tell her to do, but she didn¡¯t stop her either. Fort Forest¡¯s Watch hadn¡¯t changed much since she¡¯d first seen it, although it had undergone some repairs. Now that she had confirmation the gnomes had artillery, not to mention flying combatants, she wasn¡¯t sure how effective a defense it would really be. Regina made a mental note to talk to Tia about ways to deepen its fortifications. And maybe add some bunkers, or at least some overhead cover for the entire place. Regina flew another circle over the castle before she landed on top of the wall, near the gate. The drones stationed there gave her a comfortable berth, but didn¡¯t otherwise let her interrupt them. The humans, men-at-arms in Neralt¡¯s employ, reacted more strongly, staring and whispering to each other. Regina gave them a smile and a gracious nod, but didn¡¯t come to talk to any of them, and they seemed to get the message and didn¡¯t approach her. She started wandering around the battlements, examining the walls and the rest of the castle. It wasn¡¯t really necessary to be here in person, but since she was in the area anyway, she didn¡¯t see why she shouldn¡¯t. At the same time, Regina kept half an ear mentally tuned in to the conversation happening in Neralt¡¯s house through her drones. She didn¡¯t learn anything really important, which could be because Florance and June knew people might be listening. Probably more likely they just didn¡¯t have any big, important secrets to discuss, though. Regina also checked in with Ray. He¡¯d settled in pretty well as the hive¡¯s semi-permanent ambassador to the elves, and he¡¯d been invaluable in coordinating with them. Now he had the probably unenviable task of explaining Regina¡¯s new agreement with Marquis Lyns and the rest of it to them. From what he¡¯d told her before, and what she could sense from him now, the elves weren¡¯t very happy about it. Which probably figures since they see the Cernlians as an enemy, and want us under their influence, Regina reflected. Well, tough luck. She probably should make room in her busy schedule for a visit to Ariedel. At least if she could make sure that the gnomes, and now the Cernlians, weren¡¯t going to be able to attack her on the way. It would probably be good to talk about this in person. Failing that, maybe she could get them some sort of gift to reassure the elves that she wasn¡¯t ditching them? Isn¡¯t that kindergarten-level diplomacy? Regina groaned softly and rubbed her eyes. I wish I could say that made it wrong or a bad idea. Regina paused and cocked her head. Someone was calling for her attention. After a moment, she realized that it was Ace. She focused on him, and found that he seemed concerned, or at least disconcerted by something. My Queen, he said. We just got a message from the Cernlian king. Regina blinked in surprise. We did? A magical bird summon of some kind brought it to the same village where we usually get letters from the marquis, he explained. One of our Scouts, Ani, saw it arrive and let me know. Regina¡¯s frown eased as she looked at the image he sent. It was a letter envelope made of parchment, held closed by a wax seal, what she recognized as the royal seal of Cernlia (it had some kind of weird tree in the center). Lyns hadn¡¯t dared to actually use that symbol yet, so it had to be the king. Alright, she decided. I¡¯ll send a drone to pick it up. Thank you. Luckily, she had quite a few Winged Drones in the area. After a moment of thought, she contacted Gale, who was a bit further away but still relatively close. She¡¯d rather trust an important missive to a sapient drone. He acknowledged her instructions and hurried to the village. It would take him a bit of time until he picked the message up and flew it to her, but Regina decided to stay in the castle. She didn¡¯t know if she wanted her new guests to see this. A while later, Gale landed on a tower in the castle. Regina stepped up to him and gave him a quick scratch behind the wings as she took the envelope, feeling his pleasure at the sensation. I hope this isn¡¯t more bad news, he said. Probably just bluster and empty threats, Regina answered absently, already opening the letter. She quickly turned it around and made sure there was nothing else in the envelope, then read it. To the being calling herself ¡®Hive Queen Regina¡¯, greetings, It has come to our attention that not only are you unlawfully occupying Cernlian land, but you have also engaged in clandestine meetings with the traitor Lyns and his cadre of oathbreakers. We are aware that you have promised him support for the war he is treasonously waging against his own proper liege and nation out of petty ambition. We earnestly urge you to desist from all such activities. Should you comply, you may receive mercy. Should you, however, persist in aiding these renegades, rest assured you will be called to account. Should you join them in raising hands, or whatever appendages your people may possess, against our sovereign nation, we will treat you as not simply enemies to be defeated but danger to be eradicated. As a sign of His Majesty¡¯s goodwill, be assured that we will protect you from any backlash the traitor Lyns might attempt to visit upon you in his rage. Simply send word to any border settlement in lands that remain loyal, and it will be passed on. With the hope that reason may prevail, Archmage Zephyr, on behalf and in the name of His Majesty, Nicholas the Third, by the grace of the gods king of Cernlia, duke of Heathland, duke of Silver Waters, Lord of the Eastern Expanse Regina snorted softly to herself as she folded up the letter and returned it to the envelope. ¡°I was right,¡± she told Gale, who¡¯d stayed and watched out of curiosity. ¡°It was mostly threats. A few empty promises as well.¡± Even if I thought he was telling the truth about protecting me from Lyns if I turned on him ¡ª as if I needed that ¡ª how would that even work? And it doesn¡¯t take a diplomat to see they¡¯re not terribly eager to offer me ¡®mercy¡¯ and become the best of friends. ¡°No wonder,¡± Gale replied. His voice sounded a bit scratchy, since even sapient Swarm Drones weren¡¯t very well-suited to talking, although he was definitely capable of it. ¡°It does mean he knew about this meeting relatively quickly,¡± Regina mused, mostly thinking out loud. She sighed. ¡°That implies they¡¯ve got a spy in the marquis¡¯ camp.¡± Regina pulled a face. She wasn¡¯t very surprised at the thought that one of Lnys¡¯ nobles might be betraying him. Probably making deals to save his own hide behind his back. Although it could also be a knight or a servant in a position with some access. ¡°Well, on the bright side, my Queen,¡± Gale said and grinned mentally, ¡°at least they don¡¯t have a spy in the Hive!¡± Regina snorted, but felt her lips tugging upward into a smile despite herself. ¡°Yeah.¡± Along with all of the other benefits it offered, their hive structure and psychic link was great for information security. Although she should probably check that no one in the human villages in their territory could send messages to the enemy, even if they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell them much, just to be safe. Interlude: Division III Tikimaken sucked in air in deep gasps, doubling over slightly and stumbling a little as he kept running forward. He squinted his eyes, then forced himself to slow down, but not stop running, instead letting his speed gradually fall back into a fast walk. Exhaustion dulled his mind, and the relief of having made it almost caused him to collapse. The gnomes manning the outpost in front of him raised a cry when they saw him, and he smiled to himself. It was an out-of-the-way spot, some distance from any of the fighting, and well-hidden among a cluster of rocky hills in the shadow of a crevice under a stone overhang. The small squad of soldiers guarding it didn¡¯t seem like they¡¯d seen combat, at least not recently. ¡°Fellow - Sir,¡± one of them said, correcting himself presumably when he saw Tikimaken¡¯s System description. ¡°We didn¡¯t expect to see anyone else making it here. You came from the battle?¡± Tikimaken nodded, still drawing in air greedily. He stopped and rested his hands on his knees. ¡°I was lucky to make it out,¡± he said. ¡°Then I made my way here, dodging their patrols as best I could.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°I need to report home.¡± That was what he was expected to say, even if he didn¡¯t feel any particular urge to see any other officer at the moment. He didn¡¯t need to look at their expression to know he was lucky to have made it out alive. If he hadn¡¯t decided the battle was lost and run, he wouldn¡¯t have. He pushed down the faint feeling of guilt he felt at the thought. He survived, that was what mattered, and he would be more useful to his people alive rather than one more casualty of that utter disaster of an attempted assault. ¡°Alright,¡± one of the other soldiers said. ¡°We have a cart here. It¡¯s mostly downhill to the transit point, and then you can hitch a ride on the convoy going back to Telimelekilete-En, sir.¡± Tikimaken nodded, muttered his thanks and stumbled into the tunnel opening. There, he found the cart, a simple wooden vehicle. One of the soldiers spread a blanket on the space in the back and he settled down, letting them strap him in. His eyes closed and he barely heard the sounds of the soldier getting the cart moving on the rails before he nodded off. It didn¡¯t take too long for them to reach the transit point, where several of the rail lines converged and split. Tikimaken hopped out of the cart and found a place on one of the bigger trains, several of the carts hitched together. They would take the main road, a stretch of wide tunnels and a few open parts. Since it was mostly going uphill, the carts were pulled by a draft team. This time, they were using bovine monsters he vaguely recognized as Steel-Horned Oxen, strong and tireless beasts. They must have been brought in because of this route¡¯s military importance. ¡°You¡¯re with the army?¡± one of the drivers asked him. ¡°Coming or going to a deployment?¡± ¡°Actually, I just came from the battle,¡± Tikimaken responded with the best smile he could manage. ¡°To be honest, I just want to sleep for days.¡± The driver nodded in understanding. ¡°We have a bedroll in the back of the middle cart,¡± he offered. ¡°It might be a bit loud, but you should be able to catch some sleep.¡± ¡°Much obliged,¡± he answered, nodding at the man and turning to climb in. He slept through most of the trip, which made it hard to know how much time it took. It was not the most comfortable journey, jolting around in a cart and with the sounds of other travelers all around him, but Tikimaken was exhausted enough to still fall asleep easily. Even when a particularly loud noise woke him several times, he returned to sleep. When he finally woke up for good, he felt refreshed and much more alert than he had before. He carefully sat up, stretched and climbed out of the bedroll, before heading to the front of the wagon. They were almost to the city. The beasts were moving quite quickly, so that should not surprise him. He could not see the sun, so he didn¡¯t know what time it was; however, judging by the signs of activity around them, it should be daytime. That prediction was proved true after a short while, as they approached the city and the darkness in front of them brightened slightly, in reflection of the light falling down upon the city from the daylight sky. The wagon halted briefly in front of the outer gate leading down into the city, then continued on. Once they reached the end of the track, Tikimaken jumped down. He waved at the driver who¡¯d talked to him before, then turned to head into the city proper. He had not been back since the beginning of the campaign, obviously, so he was not quite certain how things might have changed or where he should go. In truth, he really wanted to go see Tikelikel. He hadn¡¯t talked to her in far too long, and after the harrying journey and all the fighting, he longed to see her face. Unfortunately, he was not sure where she would be right now, either. It turned out he was worrying for nothing, as the decision was taken out of his hands as soon as he reached the outer gate of the facility the army had taken over as its headquarters. It used to be a factory, but had been hurriedly restructured to accommodate the needs of the war. The sentinel at the entrance waved him in, and Tikimaken passed through the gate in the metal fence and into the outer yard. Here, a young man whose face he vaguely recognized approached him hurriedly. ¡°Tikimaken, Unbroken Rock?¡± he asked, barely waiting for a sign of confirmation. ¡°Follow me, sir. You arrived just in time.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Tikimaken hesitated, then followed the young man, who he noticed was not wearing any kind of uniform. ¡°The boss will explain, I¡¯m sure.¡± He led him into a side building and down a corridor into a well-appointed conference room. Tikimaken felt his eyebrows rising as soon as he recognized the woman apparently waiting for him. ¡°Dekilakel?¡± ¡°Tikimaken. It is good to see you. I probably should not be saying this, but I¡¯m relieved you survived.¡± She smiled and grasped his hand. He nodded and returned her smile. Dekilakel was a friend of Eli¡¯s, and also quite high up in their faction. ¡°I am, too. It is good to see you, as well.¡± He tried not to think about his companions. Realistically, most of them were likely to be dead. He was hoping that some of them had escaped, at least. They were quite high-level, like him. Erdeken had a good head on his shoulders; he would have known to retreat in time. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I suppose you have not had any contact with home while you have been on campaign?¡± Dekilakel asked. He shook his head. ¡°No, not at all. I was expecting to be debriefed about what I¡¯d seen at the battle as soon as I came here, to be honest.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. Was it as much of a disaster as it seems?¡± Tikimaken hesitated for a moment, then decided he had to take this chance to tell someone who might be able to do something about it. ¡°I am not sure what you have heard, but if I had to guess, it was likely worse. We were absolutely decimated, Dekilakel. I am sure the Hivekind suffered losses, as well ¡ª and I will be the first to admit I did not have a very good overview of the battle, so I cannot be sure how heavy they were ¡ª but it might not matter. Our army is effectively gone. Both of them, apparently.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°To be frank, the decision to push on at all was very questionable. This was ¡­ something we should have been able to see coming.¡± She nodded seriously. ¡°It is not the only questionable decision that has been taken during the course of this war. I am aware.¡± Tikimaken cocked his head slightly, watching her. ¡°Good,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°I have to admit I cannot help but wonder, though. The faction ¡­¡± "The faction didn¡¯t decide these things, our military commanders did,¡± she said. ¡°I know,¡± Tikimaken replied, but his tone would make it clear that he didn¡¯t consider this to be a full answer. She looked at him for a moment, before continuing. ¡°That said, you are right. The military commanders we were relying on for this campaign weren¡¯t chosen because they were the most competent, but because of political reasons.¡± He frowned. That could either mean they had patrons in high places ¡ª or that they were supposed to be less competent than would have been possible. Is this another example of our people maneuvering to get rid of opponents? he wondered. They might not have considered potentially extending the war to be a bad thing, either ¡­ A chill ran down his spine at the thought. Perhaps his response would have been different only a few weeks ago, but now, after all that had happened, he had to work not to show anger at the possibility. ¡°Were relying on?¡± he asked instead. She nodded with a small grimace. ¡°Of course, we can¡¯t have them continue to make decisions in this war. Not after this. Hoping to whittle down our opponents¡¯ military strength may have been a secondary aim, I¡¯m sure you can guess as much, but no one expected things to go this badly. Looking back, I have to admit we were far too arrogant. No, if we are to dig ourselves out of this hole we have just stumbled into, we will need our best effort, across the board. For all gnomes, not just Historicals.¡± Tikimaken was not sure she truly understood the full gravity of the situation, but her last words did ease his tension a little. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± he asked. ¡°Not that I do not appreciate it, of course. But I¡¯m sure you have many things to do.¡± Well, he supposed they wouldn¡¯t have sent a woman to talk to everyone about military matters, but the two of them knew each other, and he had far more important things to worry about than being hung up on inconsequential details. Still. ¡°Because you will help me, us,¡± she answered frankly. ¡°Me? How can I help? I¡¯m only a merchant who almost lost his life in this war.¡± ¡°Exactly. You¡¯re a well-respected member of the Historicals, Tikimaken. You¡¯re rather strong, you¡¯re known for being level-headed, and now you have personal experience with this war, experience right from the front. When you tell them what is truly going on, they will need to listen, won¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± he responded, a little hesitantly. He frowned in thought for a moment, then nodded. ¡°I will certainly try my best,¡± he continued more firmly. This was an opportunity, and more than that, it was something he had to do for the sake of his country. He had never felt this way before, and it was a little startling to realize it now, but he was not going to let it stop him. If he failed, he might doom a lot of people, maybe all gnomes on this continent. ¡°Very good,¡± Dekilakel replied, giving him a politician¡¯s smile. ¡°There is a meeting of the general staff with executive council members. I hope I can count on you to give your report while keeping in mind what we have just dicussed.¡± ¡°You want me to speak at such a meeting?¡± Despite himself, his eyes widened slightly. ¡°I am serious about this, Tikimaken,¡± she said. ¡°Many people in the executive council are too preoccupied with the usual politics to grasp the magnitude of the challenge we face. For that matter, I am not convinced that certain high-ranking officers are much better. And the factions¡¯ struggle over resources and influence has become more pronounced in the military sphere. I need a personal account to knock some sense into them ¡­ among other things.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best,¡± he repeated. ¡°Do you have other veterans lined up to give reports, as well?¡± ¡°Of course. We have some written reports, as well. That is not the only reason I am talking to you, however.¡± ¡°I assume you have something else in mind for me.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± She smiled again. ¡°It would be a shame for your talents to go to waste sitting around here, or dying on some random hill. I intend to give you an opportunity to help, not to mention some influence. Do you know General Aliekin?¡± ¡°I do, although I wasn¡¯t aware he was a general,¡± he answered with a frown. ¡°He hasn¡¯t been for long. But he¡¯s almost certainly the brightest of our senior commanders. He has also been an outspoken voice for caution and a proper evaluation of our opposition, and he has begun devising some strategies and doctrines to counter the enemy from every report we could gather. We are going to be on the defensive for the foreseeable future, but unlike some others I could name, he is refusing to panic and using the time we have to prepare. We are giving you a position as his assistant.¡± ¡°What?¡± He stared at her in surprise. ¡°But I¡¯m not a soldier. I may be a good combatant, but this is a senior officer¡¯s posting.¡± ¡°Would you rather die in some random tunnel?¡± She frowned at him. ¡°If the chance to stay out of combat isn¡¯t good enough for you, think about Eli, at least. Besides, we¡¯re hardly giving you this on a whim. We need people who have actually been out there and seen the fighting, and for some mysterious reason, we are tragically short of senior officers with such experience. Furthermore, I am hoping you will be able to work as a sort of liaison between the faction and military command. You have always been good at that sort of thing. You also have personal experience with the Hivekind, knowledge of the surrounding area, and a sense of discretion.¡± He stared at her for a moment longer, closed his eyes, rubbed the bridge of his nose, then opened them again and returned her smile. Everything she had said was true, after all. He really was not looking forward to going back out there, into the line of fire, either, and doing important work here in the city was just what he needed. ¡°Alright. You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll do my best, and thank you.¡± ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s get going, the meeting is about to start.¡± ¡°One more question, if you would.¡± Then he hesitated. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you truly, Dekilakel, it is looking grim. We must have lost many soldiers, and they will not be the last. Is there anyone advocating for ¡­ limiting the damage that we must suffer? Perhaps ending the war? You are right, I do have personal experience with the Hivekind ¡ª and they are not mindless monsters. They can be reasoned with.¡± He grimaced as he said that, Peri¡¯s dead face flashing by his inner eyes. But he focused on the gnome in front of him. Dekilakel¡¯s face closed off. ¡°You mean attempting to sue for peace? No,¡± she said curtly. ¡°Perhaps there are some people talking like this, but you should not mind it. We cannot afford to screw this up, Tiki. Losing the war is not an acceptable outcome. And what do you think it would do to the faction, to you and me?¡± ¡°Alright,¡± he muttered, then gave her a firm nod. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Get your head in the game, and focus on relating your experiences clearly.¡± He wiped his palms on his trousers, wishing he had time to change his clothes, but only nodded. This was an abrupt turn, and he was uncertain what the future held, but this was indeed a kind of battlefield he felt more suited to. Although he doubted he had seen the last of actual battlefields. Chapter 159: Deliveries It turned out that most of the stuff the Production Drones produced was perfectly safe for human consumption. They had tested this on volunteers from the human villages, and there were no lingering issues. That took a weight off Regina¡¯s mind. Of course, since they didn¡¯t know their caloric load or their nutrient composition, they couldn¡¯t assume the substances would work as exclusive provisions. They probably lacked critical vitamins, amino acids and whatever else. Beyond that, Regina knew they had basically only tested the short-term safety. It was entirely possible the stuff could cause long-term issues. Maybe it contained something that would lead to problems later, like blocking certain enzymes, or carcinogens. But she figured that if the Cernlian rebel soldiers were desperate enough to need the food from the hive, it was probably worth the risk. It didn¡¯t matter much if you had a higher risk of cancer in thirty years if your odds of receiving sharp pointy bits to the body in the more immediate future decreased greatly. For that matter, malnutrition could kill more people than actual weapons of war, directly or indirectly. Actually shipping those food supplies to the marquis¡¯ army still remained a challenge. She could make use of Winged Drones for supply drops, of course. The Workers were already making crates and barrels from the particular Production Drone substances they generally used as a replacement for ceramics or plastic. Using some wagons would probably be better, though, especially considering security. Plus she didn¡¯t want her Winged Drones occupied with something like this when they might be needed elsewhere. Regina was also considering sending some captured weapons and equipment from the gnomes along. The hive had taken some, of course, and they¡¯d tried to refurbish some of it. Unfortunately, that effort didn¡¯t yield much success, especially for the more complicated or finicky things. War Drones weren¡¯t really capable of repairing crossbows, for example, at least without detailed enough oversight that a sapient hive member might as well do it themselves. And the hive didn¡¯t even have any proper blacksmiths or anything. It would be easier to just send them to Lyns and have his own smiths adjust the armor and weapons for human frames, if possible. Or just melt them down for the metal. The hive would keep some, though, and they¡¯d already refurbished a few things for their own use, as well. Luckily, she didn¡¯t have to personally worry about most of that. Mia, Tia and the others had things well in hand. Regina stayed in Forest¡¯s Haunt for a while, after the Lyns women¡¯s arrival, but it didn¡¯t impact her productivity much. After all, with the psychic link, there wasn¡¯t really a pressing need for her to be in any particular place to talk to specific people. It did make paperwork easier, though, not to mention her own direct contributions to the hive¡¯s growth. It was definitely a minor headache to organize the transport of any new eggs, or even new hatchlings. Regina had talked to June and Florance Lyns a few more times, and conducted another short session with June. She still wasn¡¯t quite sure what to think about her symptoms, but that was par for the course. She was more frustrated with her inability to get any substantive diagnostics she was familiar with. I¡¯m not even asking for a genome sequencing or proteome assay, she thought grumpily to herself. It¡¯s not like I¡¯d know how to analyze them by myself, even if we somehow had computers. But still, I can¡¯t even use simple diagnostic assays. I suppose I could actually do a biopsy. Regina frowned, then shook her head. My magic is probably a lot more useful. The same disease and even the same general symptoms always showed individual variations, so relying on conventional diagnostics wasn¡¯t going to get her too far. She had a sense of the workings of June¡¯s body and where they failed, though, if she was using her magic. It was probably abusing her Spell, since Greater Heal wasn¡¯t really designed for that, and more of a use of unstructured magic as well. It was also why Regina was confused, though, since she could tell there was something she was missing. Sure, there might be a few issues in June¡¯s respiratory system, and maybe her gastrointestinal tract, but Regina couldn¡¯t sense any deeper problem. Even if it was hard to get a good impression of her blood or bone marrow, and she might miss something there. For now, she was just going to do her best with what tools she could make herself. Both of the humans were surprisingly cooperative, though, and Regina could tell that Florance was nervous about her pregnancy, even if she was trying not to show it. She attempted to reassure the woman that everything would be fine, although she wasn¡¯t sure how well she succeeded. Marianne and Elric Neralt actually seemed happy to host them. Regina supposed that their social life had to have been stifled recently, since they couldn¡¯t exactly have visited or received visits from other nobles. She decided there was no harm in letting the Lyns ladies stay here for now, as long as her drones kept an eye on them. Tia had started construction of an improvised prison camp a short distance from the main hive base. It would be far enough away to limit what they could see, but close enough to make organizing and supplying it simple, while being isolated enough from anywhere else that the prisoners would be stranded if they somehow managed to escape. The construction was going well, but even with a few Workers and a lot of War Drones providing the labor, it would take more than a day or two to put something like this up. Regina had told them to make it with room to spare for new prisoners and with a plan for expansion. Meanwhile, a few Keepers and Scouts were starting a systematic interrogation of the prisoners. Regina left that in Ace and Jem¡¯s hands, though. She didn¡¯t feel like she could contribute a lot to it. Instead, Regina focused on what she could do. Which meant growing her hive, making sure all of her drones were focused and coordinated, and, to her own surprise, diplomacy. She postponed a trip to the elves, but consulted with Ray, who by this point had basically become the hive¡¯s official ambassador to Ariedel. She also sent Janis back to try and wrangle the elementals, which was harder than it sounded. One of them simply wandered off. According to Volance, he¡¯d said that they should call him once they had some actual work, or rather fighting, to do. Regina wasn¡¯t exactly happy about that, but at least Scaldrise didn¡¯t create more issues. Volance was also remarkably blas¨¦ about everything. Regina wasn¡¯t sure if she was just that patient, compared to her fellows, or if she just wasn¡¯t very interested in fighting the gnomes in the first place. To be fair, she¡¯d already gotten her payment, so Regina should probably count herself lucky that the air elemental was still helping them. She might not if it wasn¡¯t for Janis. Or if Regina didn¡¯t still have knowledge she wanted. She deliberately hadn¡¯t put everything into those booklets, not that she¡¯d had the time or space. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The gnomes didn¡¯t seem very inclined to venture out into the mountains. That was probably a good thing, even if Regina didn¡¯t like giving them time to prepare. But the hive¡¯s forces would have needed to reorganize, anyway, even without the new war against the Cernlian king. Most of her drones were currently somewhat scattered, in the process of being redeployed. They¡¯d chased down escaping gnomish soldiers and small units, and retaken and rebuilt outposts Regina had sacrificed on their way toward her. The largest single part of her forces, if you could call it that, was at the mountains, building fortifications and making slow preparations for an assault on the gnomes¡¯ territory. For when she decided to launch one. It wouldn¡¯t be now, in any case. She agreed with Ben that they didn¡¯t have the numbers available to press into the gnomes¡¯ tunnels and attempt to attack their cities. They had to expect heavy losses. But her hive¡¯s numbers were still growing, and the gnomes probably weren¡¯t an immediate threat, anymore. Regina wondered how much their experience against the gnomes would actually help in this new conflict. Obviously, there would be differences. Humans were individually stronger and faster, at a baseline. Her drones would no longer have an advantage in reach, height and weight. But it went beyond that. They would have a different organization, different equipment and doctrine. Plus, the circumstances of the war and the terrain in which it was fought would be different. Unlike the gnomes, the Cernlians were accustomed to waging war, too. And the hive would be fighting with allies instead of on their own. Well, she supposed she would find out pretty quickly. There was no point in delaying their own entrance into this war too much. For the first ¡®supply train¡¯ that she sent the marquis, Regina had a few volunteers from her hive¡¯s Drone Attendants, Drone Witches or their Evolutions join them. Actually, it ended up being mostly Attendants and their succeeding Classes. They were healers, sent to both build goodwill with the marquis and his followers, especially the common soldiers, and patch them up so they could keep fighting their enemies. It was also a good training opportunity for her drones, although Regina limited how many could come at first. Most of them with any skill in healing magic had volunteered, or at least said they would go if she thought it was a good idea. Be careful, and watch over them, please, Regina said to Via, who would be leading them. Don¡¯t worry, my Queen, she responded with a smile. Regina wasn¡¯t currently watching her directly, but she could still tell that she felt relaxed, flying on Thor¡¯s back and being carried to their destination. Regina had sent Thor along not just for transportation, but as a bit of additional muscle if things went badly. Not that she expected them to. I have to admit I¡¯m eager to see how my magic stacks up against that of human healers, and to try it on new subjects, I mean patients. She grinned at her self-correction, and Regina knew she¡¯d only been half-joking. But I¡¯m not going to forget that there¡¯s a war going on, and none of us are going to trust our allies blindly. You can leave this to us. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you to handle it, Regina replied, a bit embarrassed. I just worry a little. I know, and I appreciate it. With a bit of reluctance, Regina turned her attention to other matters. She did keep half of a metaphorical eye on them, though, and she paid more attention once she realized that the group of Winged Drone Mounts carrying the healers was arriving at their destination. The Lyns March was pretty big, one of the biggest regions in Cernlia. It also stretched farther to the west and east than north and south. As such, even if the king¡¯s army had started to push into it, they still weren¡¯t really close to the hive¡¯s territory. At least not close enough for an immediate threat. And the marquis had not been pushed back enough to reach his capital. Instead, the main part of his army was currently encamped at the castle of one of his eastern vassals, another baron, at the crossing of two small rivers - more like brooks, really - beside a small village. The camp sprawled far more than the village itself, but it seemed reasonably well-ordered, this time, and the army had put up palisades and ditches around it. Regina presumed that they wouldn¡¯t all fit into the castle itself, which was on the small side. Via and the others still headed for the castle. Thor descended first and drew a few circles above, to notify them of the drones¡¯ presence, before the group touched down in the courtyard. A familiar face waited for them. Lady Margaret stepped forward and offered a polite bow of her head. ¡°Miss Via. Welcome. To what do we owe the honor of this visit?¡± ¡°We have brought some supplies,¡± Via responded with a smile, gesturing at the crates. ¡°More are on their way. Also, myself and a few others are healers. We¡¯ve been sent by the Hive Queen to help your wounded.¡± The young noblewoman¡¯s eyes widened slightly, before she returned the smile. ¡°Well, that is certainly a pleasant surprise. Please convey our thanks. Lady Kiara is occupied by a pressing matter, I am afraid, and Lord Lyns and my father are currently absent. They should be returning tomorrow. I will take you to the healers, if you please, and I am sure Lady Kiara will greet you, as well, as soon as she is able.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Via responded. She directed the other drones, watching while humans assembled to unload the crates they¡¯d brought, and the other magic users gathered around her. There were several big tents as well as a big building inside the castle walls which the army used to house their injured. The smell would have made that obvious immediately even if Margaret didn¡¯t lead them there. ¡°May I ask where Marquis Lyns and Duke Bluegrass currently are?¡± Via asked. ¡°I¡¯d have expected them to remain with their army, considering the situation, so it must be something serious.¡± Margaret hesitated, then sighed. ¡°I suppose you will hear of it soon enough,¡± she said. ¡°They had to deal with an unexpected source of trouble. Two of the marquis¡¯ vassal barons tried to turn their coats and flee back into the king¡¯s camp. One of them managed to escape, and they¡¯ve apprehended the second one. My father and Lord Lyns were leading expeditions to both of their domains.¡± Via blinked, and Regina almost swore mentally. That doesn¡¯t sound good. ¡°I see,¡± Via said. ¡°That ¡­ sounds like a problem. Did anyone else join them, or attempt to?¡± Margaret nodded, still grimacing faintly. ¡°Several other noblemen who had pledged to support Marquis Lyns,¡± she said quietly. Via whistled silently, and Regina felt her own annoyance increasing. That was bad news, especially given the situation with the two factions¡¯ current military strengths. Though that was presumably why some of Lyns¡¯ supporters had done this. I suppose we weren¡¯t the only ones to get a letter from the king, she reflected. Well, at least any fighting here in the camp had already stopped, if there had been any, and it sounded like Lyns had things under control here. She must have missed most of it. No wonder Kiara was busy, though. Regina would have to consult with Ben and decide if there was anything they should do in response. Chapter 160: Coping From what Regina could gather after listening to Via talking to Margaret and later to Kiara, and listening in to a few other people around the castle, almost a third of the nobles supporting Marquis Lyns had switched sides. She supposed she should be glad the number wasn¡¯t even higher than that. And to be fair, it seemed to be concentrated among the lower-rank nobles. Regina suspected that the rest was too afraid of being punished by the king for their previous betrayal. He was not exactly known as a paragon of virtue and magnanimity. Ironically, her own alliance with Lyns¡¯ rebels was probably also a factor. It offered at least a ray of hope for them, amidst the losses they had kept suffering. She knew perfectly well that many of them still didn¡¯t think highly of her hive, but any allies were better than none, presumably. Either way, it was hard for her to assess the extent and full effect of this move. It had clearly been coordinated to some degree; less so than it would have been with modern means, but more than without the System and magic. Some of the nobles who¡¯d tried to rejoin the king had been apprehended by Lyns¡¯ loyalists (or did that make them counter-loyalists?), while some had managed to escape. In most cases, they¡¯d taken at least the majority of their soldiers with them. There had been fighting even in the main army camp, although it had been quickly quelled. A substantially smaller percentage of people from domains whose lords had rejoined the king had participated in the fighting here. I suppose that¡¯s obvious, Regina reflected. They were in the middle of Lyns¡¯ army, clearly outnumbered. Of course they wouldn¡¯t have been eager to attack their former comrades, no matter what their lord said. While Via talked to various people in charge to help her figure all of that out, the rest of the drones started their work. They consulted with the human healers and quickly began healing patients. The local doctors seemed particularly happy about the herbs and supplies the drones had brought along. It was mainly what they¡¯d gathered from the forest, and they¡¯d mostly known about them from other humans in the first place, so there was nothing ground-breaking, but the army seemed to be running low. None of the drones were as good at it as Regina, although a few had managed to level up their Basic Heal Spell. A few even had other healing magic. They generally didn¡¯t show as much variety as the human healers, from what she could tell, but she didn¡¯t get the impression that her drones were any weaker. Whether they were less or more useful was something she¡¯d have to wait to find out. She was also interested in what they were called on to treat. Call that professional curiosity. And it is useful to know that there aren¡¯t as many infections as I¡¯d feared. I wonder if that¡¯s because of the System and their Constitution stats or because of better hygienic practices? Probably a bit of both. The local healers were at least aware of the concept of infection and tried to keep their tools clean and sterile where possible. They mostly had to deal with injuries from combat, including some that were obviously caused by magic or Skills. There wasn¡¯t really another reason for electrical burns to be a problem, for example. Or wounds that seemed self-inflicted. Regina took special notice of those, although they seemed to be quite rare, luckily. I guess I¡¯m not the only person with some kind of psychic powers, she thought, feeling a chill go down her spine. Well, maybe she was jumping to conclusions. Either way, Regina watched how her drones dealt with those injuries and felt like she was learning something. She was almost disappointed that she wasn¡¯t there herself, not just for political reasons or to help. She wasn¡¯t sure exactly how well she would have dealt with a few more exotic cases. Maybe it was also some lingering frustration over her inability to heal June Lyns. It wasn¡¯t like Regina didn¡¯t have some guesses and a few possibilities of what disease she might suffer from, she just couldn¡¯t be sure. She would need more time, to watch how her condition developed after Regina did some magic healing. It was odd. She felt like a failure in a more personal way than she was used to. I shouldn¡¯t expect to succeed in things like this right away, Regina thought. Maybe ¡­ I guess my medical knowledge and what I¡¯ve inferred from it is a last connection to my past I can cling to. In some way, the last piece of my old self I¡¯ve got left. Regina sat bolt upright and felt her hands grow clammy as her heartbeat started to race. She was sitting in her bedroom, but her immersion in the psychic link had stopped. She¡¯d gotten used to the holes in her head, the missing pieces, the way her memory differed from what was normal. Almost, at least. But now, it felt like she almost had something. She was so close she could almost taste it, and yet, she knew she¡¯d never get there. Unlike other Hive Queens in her situation, presumably, there wasn¡¯t even any other way for her to learn about it, to ask others about who she had been. It was just as gone as the rest of her world. In her calmer moments, Regina realized that was probably a good thing. There was no point dwelling on the past. Only what it could help her do in the present. Regina exhaled forcefully and laid a hand against her chest, listening to her frantic heartbeat calming down. She could tell herself that she should just consider herself lucky to be alive all she wanted, but that didn¡¯t make it easy. But she did have a life here. A home, a family ¡­ children. Regina winced and quickly stood up, starting to pace around her room. I suppose I had more issues than I realized, she acknowledged to herself. Well, have more issues. This little episode took her by surprise. At least it wasn¡¯t an actual panic attack or anything. With anyone else, I would have realized they couldn¡¯t have gone through what they did without some trauma or at least lingering effects. Her lips twitched into a wry smile. She had been pushing things away, trying not to think about it. To be fair, the enormity of her entire world being ravaged, reshaped and reset to the dark ages would be enough to crush anyone if you dwelled on it. She hadn¡¯t even allowed herself to focus on the anger she felt for the ¡­ multidimensional refugees calling themselves gods who had led to it. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. They were definitely responsible to some degree, although you could argue about fault. Considering what else they had done since then - or not done - Regina considered her anger to be pretty well justified, though. This war against the gnomes, even the war in Cernlia ¡­ does it really matter, in the great scheme of things? She leaned against the wall, pushing her forehead against the cool clay, and sighed. Well, of course it does, if only because of what it means. Still, maybe I¡¯ve allowed myself to lose sight of the bigger picture, missed the forest for the trees. She¡¯d been pretty passive so far. Just holed up in her nice little territory and built a little base. That was probably her Hive Queen instincts at work, urging her to prioritize building up her hive. When the gnomes had attacked, she¡¯d prepared to fight back, but that was pretty much it. And to be fair, it wasn¡¯t like those instincts were wrong, if it was really them; obviously, building up her hive was a priority. It took a while for Regina to realize that all of this was not coming to the surface now at random. She tuned back into her drones at the marquis¡¯ army¡¯s camp, looking at the healers working. There were a few injuries that might have triggered some dim recognition. More than that, she vaguely felt a few of the human healers work another kind of magic that wasn¡¯t as familiar to her as what her drones used. It took her a moment to realize that she seemed to be sensing most of this with her own senses, not just getting what the drones saw. Of course, she was still using them as a sort of focus, so that was a bit of an unclear distinction. Divine magic. Now that she¡¯d noticed, it was pretty obvious. Some of them were clerics or otherwise using divine magic to heal. It felt ¡­ different than normal magic. And Regina had barely realized how much her sense of magic had grown in the first place. This was slightly different, though. She felt like she could almost pick out a few people who were praying to Alianais. It just had that kind of ¡­ flavor to it. Regina closed her eyes again and dove deeper into her own magic, beyond the psychic link. She¡¯d started being aware of the ¡®mark¡¯ the goddess had left on her a while ago, but now she wondered if something had changed. It was still more like tapping around in the dark trying to find the proverbial black cat, unfortunately. She was never sure if she¡¯d actually found something where she expected it to, and this magic wasn¡¯t very cooperative. Maybe she was even imagining the whole thing. Regina opened her eyes and frowned to herself. Still, considering what¡¯s happening now ¡­ She shook her head, then stood up, brushed off her clothes, and headed out of her private quarters. A few drones lingered in the vicinity, but she tried not to think about whether they¡¯d noticed what she¡¯d been doing, or feeling. In the army camp, Via was just rejoining the other healer drones. She was actually one of their best healers, probably because she was one of the oldest from the Attendant Template. Unlike most of the others, she actually sought out and talked to the human healers, discussing various patients¡¯ cases as well as more general methods. They seemed wary of her, but were at least courteous. Luckily, Regina didn¡¯t see any flexing over who was the more competent doctor. Maybe the stress of a losing war had left people less inclined to worry about that kind of nonsense. Regina kept a metaphorical ear on their talk as she walked through the hive. All else aside, this was probably a good experience, and she did wish she was there personally to participate, but she could hardly just pack up and go haring off to the rebel army. Besides, she had things to do here in the hive. To start, she contacted Max, who was currently leading a training session with a few other Warriors. Wrap up what you¡¯re doing in a few hours, she said. I¡¯m leaving soon, and I know you¡¯ll want to come with me. We might be gone for a while, although I don¡¯t think so. She felt Max¡¯s surprise. Where do you want to go? And can I take others along, as well? I¡¯m not really comfortable with you just leaving with a single bodyguard, especially if it might be an extended absence. Sure, you can take a few people, she replied. In the meantime, I¡¯ve got a few letters to write, and I wanted to check something. To that end, Regina contacted Jen, another of the Keepers. Her own handwriting was decent enough, but Jen could actually do something resembling calligraphy. That would be a bonus for official letters, at least according to some cultural elements, and it would make it easier to deny something actually came from her if she wanted to. She¡¯d sign the letters once they were finished. To be fair, she probably wouldn¡¯t have needed to bother with that to write a message to Earl Whitor, especially since she¡¯d have to have a drone drop it off somewhere it would hopefully get to him. But Regina just hadn¡¯t wanted to sit still in her room right now, she preferred to be up and moving. That letter was a bit of a shot in the dark, anyway. She wasn¡¯t sure of the situation in the northern county. But it couldn¡¯t hurt, and she did think the impressions of it she¡¯d picked up were accurate. While Jen wrote the letters according to her instructions, Regina descended into the lower levels of the hive¡¯s main base. She passed through several corridors, steadily making her way deeper into the lower regions. Finally, she reached a cellar they had dug into the earth without bothering with much else. Regina pushed the door open, wincing as it creaked a little, and headed in. Inside, she found several slabs of a clay-like material that actually came from the Production Drones, hardened but not smoothed out completely. On them lay shapes covered by scraps of fabric, mostly torn cloaks and the like. One of the Attendants had gotten some ice magic, and the ice he¡¯d generated was piled up in the corners and around the walls, keeping the cellar cold. One of the War Drones skittered around, changing position to watch Regina. She absently sent it a mental pat, the equivalent of a carry on, before she pushed the covering off the first shape, revealing the dead body of a gnome. Pretty intact, looks to have had his throat slashed, she assessed. ¡°My Queen?¡± someone asked, and she heard footsteps approaching down the corridor. ¡°Ace, good to see you,¡± she greeted him. ¡°Help me pull a few of these into another room, will you? I¡¯ve already sent someone to get some of my instruments.¡± Luckily, they actually had a few sets of common medical instruments, mostly captured and traded for. Regina wasn¡¯t exactly experienced at this, so not having to use any old dagger was good. ¡°Of course, my Queen,¡± Ace acknowledged. He frowned a bit even as he lifted the first body. ¡°I take it you want to do an autopsy?¡± ¡°Yeah. Several, probably.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°The best way to learn about differences between them and humans, I think.¡± He nodded. ¡°Do you want us to get one of the live ones, too?¡± Regina hesitated. ¡°Let¡¯s hold off on that for now,¡± she said. ¡°I might still need all of them intact and healthy.¡± She grabbed another body and followed Ace to a mostly empty chamber with a clean table. Then she gratefully took a cloth Ace handed her and wrapped it around the lower part of her face. Sometimes, better than human senses had their downsides, and this would stink. Chapter 161: Glimpse of the Past Regina stood still staring at a faceless black door, and she didn¡¯t know whether she wanted to laugh or to cry. She¡¯d been so full of fervor, eager to do something, planning to revisit the place where everything had started for her and try to find some answers. Still, she hadn¡¯t actually known what to do about the door blocking her way. She¡¯d thought she would just look around, try some things and figure it out. Now that she was here, though, Regina was less confident in how to proceed. Her small but high-leveled party had made good time through the forest and found their way easily. They¡¯d stopped at the hive¡¯s first base, where she had first tried to build up a village and fought Delvers and Nerlians. It was still pretty small, but had changed a lot over the months since then. Now the place was guarded by tall walls and fortifications dotted with watchtowers, and the dwellings inside had been mostly refurbished and new ones added, building with the Production Drones¡¯ materials and some clay tiles instead of just wood and scraps foraged from the forest. Only a few sapient drones currently lived there, but it had a lot of Swarm Drones and was something of a training camp now. From there, Regina and the others had continued mostly on foot, since that made it easier to find their way. It hadn¡¯t taken her long to reach the river she had first seen and follow it to the area where her hive had gotten started. Sooner than she might have thought, perhaps, all of it was her territory again. She could have come here earlier. "What now?¡± Max asked, stepping up beside her. She sighed and gave him a sideways glance. She was pretty sure he could guess where her thoughts had been going just now. ¡°I suppose we look around and see if we can find anything. If we can¡¯t get it to open that easily, we may have to try more forceful methods.¡± Max nodded, as did Ira and Tia. Both of them had decided to accompany her, despite having a lot of work to do, in Tia¡¯s case. But her curiosity wouldn¡¯t be suppressed, and Regina didn¡¯t mind. It was probably good to have someone with a Class like hers along, anyway. If they had to resort to demolitions ¡­ She shook her head and focused on the surrounding area again. There weren¡¯t many monsters around, which Regina supposed might be due to her group¡¯s presence. This was a pretty low-level area, anyway, so she didn¡¯t think any nearby monsters would be any threats to them. The drones had also been hunting in this general region of the forest, which probably reduced their numbers, too. Other than that, it looked roughly like she¡¯d expected. There might be a few small differences due to the passing of the seasons, although, actually, it was roughly the same season it had been when she hatched. Funny to think that about a year has passed since I was last here, Regina thought, shaking her head to herself. The entrance to the room where she¡¯d hatched certainly hadn¡¯t changed. It looked exactly as she remembered. Regina stepped forward and carefully swept her hands across it, feeling for any uneven parts in the material. There were none. The door was also set very tightly into the surrounding rock, so that was no help. This wasn¡¯t working, so she took a step back and examined the surroundings of the door closely. There might have been a hidden camera or something similar, although how it would still work after the Cataclysm, not to mention the passing of a thousand years, she didn¡¯t know. Maybe there was just some kind of analog mechanism, with levers or the like, which had closed the door. Unfortunately, more fruitless minutes of searching didn¡¯t achieve anything, either. Regina sighed and beckoned to Tia. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I doubt we¡¯re going to get anywhere like this, my Queen,¡± she answered, shaking her head. ¡°This is obviously built so it can¡¯t be opened from the outside. At least not easily. We¡¯ll have to take more forceful measures.¡± She frowns at the door. ¡°I¡¯d recommend going through the surrounding rock.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Alright. Do your best. Should I call some more Workers here?¡± ¡°Probably for the best, this might take a while.¡± She nodded again and mentally sent out a call. There were two Workers in the nearby base, although one of them had Evolved to Drone Craftsperson. No Drone Burrowers were nearby, unfortunately. Still, they would all be able to use Ground Evacuation, since it was a basic Worker Skill. Regina decided not to mess around with explosives here, and it was probably better to let them work with the Skill rather than pickaxes, either. Tia got to work, and was soon joined by the other two drones. Regina watched them for a second, before she wandered off, climbing the nearby hill and looking around the forest. It looked exactly as she had expected. Like it did before. Although there was less noise from monsters in the area than last year. She sat down and decided to work on her magic a little. She could talk to others or watch things through the psychic link, but this excursion was actually a nice little break from running the hive, and she didn¡¯t really want to do that kind of work right now. Tia called her back over the psychic link sooner than she¡¯d expected. As Regina joined them, she saw that Tia had dug a hole through the rock surrounding the door about where you¡¯d expect a lock to be, and at what was presumably the thinnest part. ¡°We may be able to get it open like this,¡± Tia said. Regina nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡± The drone frowned in apparent concentration, then stuck her Work-limb into and through the hole. Regina couldn¡¯t see what she was doing, but she was presumably poking around inside. There was some clanging, like striking against metal. Finally, Tia actually managed to get the door open. Regina felt a bit surprised, then chided herself for the feeling. She stepped inside, her eyes piercing the dim light effortlessly. The corridor leading out from the door was empty. The rough stone appeared to be hewn into a rectangular shape, somewhere between a tunnel and a man-made corridor. Although, now that she saw it again, it seemed kind of familiar. ¡°Yeah, I think there were levers here,¡± Tia said. When Regina turned around, she saw Tia examining the door and the side of the doorway. ¡°Really? And it still worked?¡± ¡°I guess?¡± Tia looked up and shrugged. ¡°Best guess, they had some kind of pressure plate or other motion sensors. I¡¯m not sure it worked exactly as expected, considering the door only closed as you had already walked through it, right? Or maybe someone tinkered with it.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Regina frowned. Considering the door was open when I hatched ¡­ that seems likely. She didn¡¯t have to think for long about who had probably arranged for this, either. Although she did wonder why she had been hatched only now. A question she¡¯d definitely have to ask. There might be a specific reason connected to events in the outside world, or maybe whatever the Hivekind used to keep her egg in stasis had finally started giving up the ghost. Regina shook her head and turned again. She ran her hand against the stone walls, then headed deeper in. The corridor stretched into the darkness, so she made a small magical light to see better. It didn¡¯t take long to reach the vault-like room she¡¯d come from, the corridor was shorter than it had seemed that day. Regina paused at the entrance, looking around, before she carefully made her way inside. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The structure was definitely not natural, although it might have been a natural cave that someone had expanded. It was too smooth and regular. The room was about the same size as her bedroom, and appeared to only have one entrance. It was empty, or almost. The remains of her shell littered the back of the room. Now that Regina was here, she could tell it must have stood in a slight depression, just enough to keep the egg from tipping over. Anything else it might have contained was gone, leaving only the splinters. She picked one up and turned it in her hands. It was pretty sharp, and thicker than normal eggshells, apparently made from the same material as her own chitinous shell or that of her drones. She didn¡¯t remember shattering it for the first time, but she must have used her claws. Tia and the others hesitantly entered behind her. ¡°So, this is where you hatched, huh?¡± Max mused quietly. He crossed to stand at her side, folding his arms and looking around. ¡°It¡¯s pretty empty.¡± Regina hummed in agreement. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like much.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s no hint of any technology that would have kept your egg in stasis,¡± Tia added. ¡°It seems more like someone must have transferred it here at some point.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Regina said. ¡°But it might still not be too far from wherever that was. Let¡¯s check and see if there are any hidden entrances or any place else to go.¡± While the others spread out to search the room and knock on the walls and floor, Regina closed her eyes and focused on her more mystical senses. She could feel the minds of her drones near her, but there were no other lifeforms close by, at least as far as she could tell. Magic was ¡­ a bit harder to say, actually. There was definitely mana around, and as she focused on it, she felt like she could sense some slight deviations in its formless background, some small patterns or uneven parts. She stepped forward, barely acknowledging Tia as she got out of her way, towards the back wall close to the right corner. Then Regina laid her hand on the wall. Or rather, she tried to. Before she actually touched it, there was a slight hum, and the wall seemed to shiver. Regina took a step back, swallowing. Now a faint line that traced the outline of a door became more visible as this piece of the wall - the door - recessed half a centimeter into the surrounding wall. Then it started rising, drawing back into a just-revealed slot in the ceiling. ¡°How the hell is this still active after all this time?¡± Max asked. ¡°Did they somehow manage to shield it from the effect of the mana surges?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s magical, not an electrical mechanism,¡± Ira said. Regine could sense the curiosity and apprehension she felt, although she kept her tone flat. ¡°I think so too,¡± Regina agreed, absently tugging on a mandible. Now that it was more apparent, the mana did feel twisted slightly. Like she¡¯d felt before, underground, although not quite the same way. This part was also set up a little differently, using the minimum amount of mana needed and sort of twisted into itself, in a rigid structure that presumably helped to preserve it even against what happened. Max stepped in front of her, and Regina almost told him to stay behind her. But she clenched her jaw and allowed him to lead the way, instead walking behind him into the darkness. Tia pulled out a jar of inflammable Production Drone secretion and lit it, allowing Regina to stop her spell. They didn¡¯t talk as they started exploring the structure behind the vault room. It quickly became apparent that it was bigger than the open part, but that didn¡¯t mean much. The corridor was still stone, but a bit more regular. A few rooms and another small corridor were branching off it, but careful exploration showed that they were all empty. A few small holes or divots in the walls, ceilings and floors revealed where there might have been furniture or other trappings, but they¡¯d all been taken. The rooms were all arranged with connecting doorways between them, and varied in size wildly. Most of them had slightly rounded corners. All in all, the architectural style was both odd and yet faintly familiar. The group continued on. As they moved deeper, Regina focused less on the side chambers and instead headed in a given direction, deeper into the structure. From what she could tell based on her magic senses and the others¡¯ explorations, her goal was at the back of the complex. She wasn¡¯t sure what she felt, but the mana was different there, bound up in another structure, one far more complex than anything she¡¯d seen before. The rooms¡¯ layout changed slightly, although they still lacked all appliances. Then she turned left and passed through another doorway, entering another chamber. To one side, a counter was built into the stone, its top seemingly a natural protrusion of the walls. The other half of the room was sunk deeper into the rock somewhat, and a large apparatus filled the back of it. It looked like something from a sci-fi movie, a gleaming pod of some dark metals and unfamiliar substances. Like a cryostasis pod from a VR game. Or maybe I just think that because of what I know. It was obvious that the pod wasn¡¯t functional. For one thing, its lid was torn open, exposing a smooth interior clad in what looked like black plastic. She could tell it had been using magic to operate, possibly some kind of mix of magic and technology, but while some of it seemed to linger, most of it had to be gone. Regina couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it. Either the technology itself or what she could sense of its remaining magic. ¡°Is this ¡­ where they stored your egg?¡± Tia asked, quietly entering the room behind her. She sounded awed, and also a bit uncertain. ¡°I think so,¡± Regina answered. ¡°Not that I can tell what the magic did.¡± "Someone must have opened it recently.¡± Regina nodded and stepped forward, trailing her fingers along the side of the pod. ¡°Was that your doing, Alianais?¡± She glanced up, although there was only the rocky ceiling to see. ¡°Why now? Did the stasis systems fail? Or maybe it was something else. What changed?¡± ¡°A combination of factors.¡± Regina whirled around, startled, but the feeling quickly passed in favor of dim satisfaction. ¡°Leian.¡± ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d show your face here, kid. It took you longer than I thought.¡± The minor goddess, who had just appeared in the corner of the room, smiled. ¡°Did you forget about it?¡± Tia stepped in front of Regina, her work-limb raised like a weapon. Regina tapped her on the shoulder and stepped around her, facing Leainaleine. It wasn¡¯t like her drones¡¯ protectiveness would change anything here. ¡°I didn¡¯t forget, I just had other things to worry about.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t now?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I couldn¡¯t contain my curiosity any longer.¡± Regina glanced around. ¡°Why are you here now, Leian? Not that I¡¯m not happy to see you. Actually, are you carrying another message from Alianais?¡± ¡°Sort of.¡± The goddess shrugged, leaning against the counter. She started fiddling with a set of drawers built into it. ¡°Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s easier to talk to you in places where Deirianon has trouble watching, like now.¡± Regina glanced at the pod again. Did it have something to do with the Hivekind¡¯s magic, or just because they were underground? That didn¡¯t make much sense, however. ¡°I think you¡¯ll want to take a look at this, though.¡± Leian took something out of the upper drawer. A folder with a sheet of paper inside, Regina realized as she took it out and handed the folder to her. When she saw what was written on it, Regina¡¯s breath caught in her throat. It was clearly a printed page. The formatting looked a little odd, but nothing she could put her finger on. The corner had a page number (1), indicating it was only the first page of several. Looking at it, it was clearly a short bio, with several sections blotted out, redacted. Regina stared at the paper and felt her heart climb into her throat as the room seemed to sway around her.
Name: [______________________] (Designation 01) Gender: Cis female Mana Aptitude: Excellent (s. full evaluation, attached) Born: [__]/[__]/20[__] (specific place unknown ¡ª a village in the state of Bohemia) Current Occupation: medical student, University of Anberg Background: Des. 01 is an Imperial citizen with a British immigrant mother and Bohemian father, no siblings. She spent most of her childhood and adolescence in large cities of the HRE (primarily Prague, Berlin, Vienna). Her parents appear to have had exhaustive standards and high expectations, and her grades have been excellent throughout her formal education. Most recently, she has studied medicine and was on the cusp of passing her last exam and earning her doctor¡¯s approbation. Note: [________________________] Medical status: diagnosis of MDD and unspecified anxiety disorder Evaluation: tentatively positive (s. full analysis)
Interlude: Divine Day 1, Seventh Month, Year 1047 Post-Apocalypse (2nd of July 3084 C.E.) The Mirrored Halls shook and shivered as they were reshaped according to the whims of the presiding god. Any mortals who were present might have been terrified or confused, but the gods showed no reaction. They were used to this happening. The Celestial Home was not particularly stable at the best of times, much less when emotions were running high. ¡°You¡¯re all making a mountain out of a molehill,¡± Deirianon said, sending an annoyed look at their current host. ¡°Please calm down, Ged.¡± Gediarno frowned at him. The god towered over everyone else even here, sitting down on a log around their, rather stylized, campfire. The rumbling in the distance ceased, however. Alianais snorted softly. She always found it ironic how the god of peace tended to adopt the local human idioms and even customs - or tried to, in some cases - despite how his politics clashed with the sentiment. She wondered if his current nonchalance had something to do with it, too. He was the one who always preferred things to stay as they were and didn¡¯t like possible change, although it usually didn¡¯t go far enough to be willful blindness. ¡°Seriously,¡± Deir continued, turning his annoyed gaze on her now. ¡°So what if another young World Traveler died? You all do realize this happened years ago, don¡¯t you? Perhaps decades? It took that long for word to reach us.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t just another World Traveler, though, Deir,¡± Benerron spoke up. ¡°This ¡®Slave-Empress¡¯ was the first person to truly challenge the tyrants in a long time. Perhaps the only one who ever truly rivaled them.¡± ¡°At least the only external challenge to the Merses,¡± Ger said. ¡°Assuming you can call it external, considering they really can¡¯t blame anyone but themselves for creating a slave uprising.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Benerron shook his head. ¡°The point is, even with the information we¡¯re able to get being so sparse and fragmented, it¡¯s pretty clear that they aren¡¯t just going to fade away. And if the mana-eaters aren¡¯t stopped ¡­¡± ¡°It does seem that way,¡± Alianais agreed. ¡°What do you say, Leian?¡± Unlike the higher gods, Leianaleine was standing. She¡¯d been gazing at the horizon, though clearly still listening in, and now turned to face them fully. ¡°They really aren¡¯t mana-eaters,¡± she said with a slightly annoyed expression. ¡°They use mana as a power source, they don¡¯t eat it.¡± ¡°You would know,¡± Deirianon muttered, giving her a dark look. ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Ger waved his hand. ¡°Anyhow. Are they coming or not?¡± ¡°Probably, or at least they¡¯ll try, eventually.¡± Leian shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re just going to stop wanting to expand. That said, it has been several centuries, as best we can tell. A lot can change with time.¡± Alianais nodded. They didn¡¯t have a god of time or anyone who was particularly good at sensing the currents of time between worlds, but the basics were easy enough to fathom. The Earth ¡ª or this version of it, anyway ¡ª had been ¡®going fast¡¯ for quite some time now, although it appeared to be slowing down, as far as she knew. ¡°I don¡¯t think we really need to worry about them reaching us, though,¡± Leian continued. ¡°According to our latest information, they¡¯re still a long way away. Even in the worst case, we should have decades, more likely centuries of warning. And honestly, I don¡¯t think their power is going to last that long. All empires fall.¡± Alianais nodded firmly, while Deirianon rolled his eyes. ¡°Good,¡± Benerron said. ¡°It¡¯s shameful to admit, but I was not looking forward to facing them again.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we still prepare, just in case they do show up eventually?¡± Ger asked, a slight frown on his face. ¡°We should,¡± Alianais said. She fixed her gaze on Deirianon. ¡°And we all know that the technology and scientific knowledge this world had are our best bet. The mana here is nothing special, but the locals were pretty far ahead, considering.¡± He scoffed. ¡°Next thing you¡¯re going to propose resurrecting the Hivekind.¡± ¡°Actually, now that you mention it ¡­¡± Deir slammed a fist down onto the log he sat on. Sparks showered off it, although it remained undamaged. A few of the others shifted uncomfortably on their own seats. ¡°Seriously, Alia!¡± he said. ¡°We are not doing that! How often do I have to say that? Can¡¯t you just be content to leave things as they are? Just leave things be?¡± ¡°Excuse me, you¡¯re not the only one who decides these things,¡± Benerron put in. Gediarno and Deirianon rolled their eyes. She knew they found the fact Ben often agreed with her ironic, and annoying. ¡°Deir has a point this time,¡± Eteinas put in. The short and slender goddess had almost disappeared in the shadow of Ged beside her and let her presence fade into the background while she stayed silent, as she often did. She leaned forward now. ¡°Even if it was possible to bring the Hivekind back, it would upset the balance in the world, for very uncertain gain. We don¡¯t need them. And like Leian, I don¡¯t think we actually need to do much about the Merses.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡­¡± Ged said. He sounded uncertain. ¡°We should be doing something.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re helpless,¡± Deir said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Alianais sighed as the gods began arguing back and forth. Deir was adamant in defending the status quo, and no one else seemed truly invested in contesting it. Ged seemed unsure of what to do, Eteinas was disinclined to take risks, and Benerron didn¡¯t have the patience for a drawn-out argument. She knew no one else would settle the matter one way or the other, either. ¡°Enough,¡± Deir finally said. ¡°I think we¡¯re all agreed that we¡¯re not getting anywhere with this. Let¡¯s just put a pin in it for now. We can continue to discuss this at our next meeting, if you really want to.¡± His tone didn¡¯t leave much doubt that he¡¯d rather talk about anything else. ¡°We need to act now,¡± Alianais muttered. In truth, she wasn¡¯t feeling a lot of urgency, either. But this was an opportunity to finally give things a push, instead of watching helplessly while the others kept cementing the status quo. She would be damned if she was just going to squander it. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Deir gave her a dirty look and none of the others reacted. Alianais heaved a sigh as the meeting broke up. Like always, Etainas was the first to leave, and the others quickly followed. Alianais grabbed hold of Leian mentally and willed the both of them back to her corner of the Mirrored Halls. The territories weren¡¯t clearly delineated, but it was considered rude to linger in another god¡¯s home for too long. She didn¡¯t want to give Ged any cause for offense right now. ¡°Well, that could have gone better,¡± Leian said as they arrived. The world swirling around them into a blur of colors stabilized into Alianais¡¯ home. Right now, she¡¯d recreated a typical apartment from the turn of the century, before the Cataclysm. She sat down on an armchair while Leian perched on the armrest of a sofa. ¡°Could it have, though?¡± she responded, absentmindedly fiddling with the decorations and changing the color scheme from beige to red. Leian cocked her head slightly and frowned. ¡°What are you going to do now, Alia?¡± Alianais smiled sardonically. ¡°Come now, Leian. I¡¯m sure you have some ideas. Wasn¡¯t it you who told me that keeping that strange hybrid of an AI and a mana spirit around would be useful and necessary one day? ¡®How many people are there who remember any of this world¡¯s advanced knowledge? It wouldn¡¯t just be immoral, but also stupid to throw away any who do, even just a soul¡¯, wasn¡¯t that what you said?¡± Leian frowned again at having her worlds thrown back into her face. Alianais could tell that she realized they were not speaking about the old computer right now. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about the Hive Queen egg ¡­¡± she trailed off. Alianais smiled with a hint of satisfaction. ¡°Deirianon will throw all kinds of fits, I know. But with things changing, the others will understand.¡± Leian threw herself backwards to rest on the sofa, her legs dangling over the edge. ¡°Not sure this is a good idea, Alia,¡± she said. ¡°Did you think this through at all?¡± ¡°You really are an impudent little bitch, aren¡¯t you, Leian?¡± ¡°Now look who¡¯s being rude,¡± Leian said, straightening up enough so she could see the other goddess¡¯ playful glare. ¡°If only your worshippers could hear you now.¡± Alianais rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself. ¡°You were saying?¡± Leian sighed and sat up straighter once again. ¡°Look, Alia,¡± she said seriously. ¡°I¡¯ve been managing the System for you for centuries ¡ª¡° ¡°And I appreciate it,¡± Alianais interrupted her. ¡°You¡¯d better,¡± Leian retorted, smiling slightly again. ¡°You all would hopelessly screw things up without my help. Anyway, I know the System quite well, I dare say better than you or any of your high-and-mighty companions. And it¡¯s not set up for the Hivekind. We¡¯d either have to leave them out, which I don¡¯t recommend, since it would be blatantly unfair, or kludge things together. It would cause problems. Especially since every Hive is a little different from others, and who knows how this one would develop.¡± Alianais listened to her, frowning. ¡°I get the feeling this isn¡¯t what you¡¯re really driving at,¡± she pointed out. Leian stayed silent for a moment, before she continued. ¡°No. This is a young woman¡¯s soul we¡¯re talking about, from before this planet was graced by our presence.¡± Her sarcasm was palpable. ¡°Frankly, I wouldn¡¯t blame her for being pissed as hell, to borrow a local expression. She¡¯d be the only living ¡®Progenitor¡¯, after a fashion, and ¡ª come on, do you have any idea how the Delvers would react?¡± ¡°Funny you should mention that,¡± Alianais muttered. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk about ¡ª¡° ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Leian interrupted. ¡°We¡¯re talking about Hivekind here, Alia, not any old race. Trust me, they¡¯re ¡­ well, they weren¡¯t created for landscaping assistance, right? And ironically, they don¡¯t tend to take well to being controlled.¡± ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Alianais responded, waving her hand. ¡°I won¡¯t try to control them, Leian.¡± ¡°I hope so. You know what happened to the people who made them?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± she replied, giving her a look. ¡°And you haven¡¯t told me if you do know.¡± Leian shuffled a bit in her seat and glanced out the window, which didn¡¯t currently show anything in particular. ¡°Well, they¡¯re not really around anymore, are they?¡± ¡°Which is because they created the Hivekind?¡± Alianais asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow and giving her another look. Leian sighed. ¡°Well, no, I suppose you¡¯d probably say it wasn¡¯t. Although I think you could call it a contributing factor, at the very least.¡± ¡°This discussion is going nowhere,¡± Alianais said. ¡°I made up my mind, Leian. Your concerns are noted and appreciated, but come on. Give me some credit. You can come along, if it will ease your mind. And besides, don¡¯t you think it would be the more moral choice to give that young woman a chance to live if we can, instead of letting her languish in an egg?¡± Leian sighed, then nodded and stood up. ¡°Alright, I guess you have a point about that. Fine.¡± Before she could continue the debate, Alianais grabbed Leian¡¯s arm and took her along as she stepped out of the Mirrored Halls. Their surroundings shivered and changed once more, and she felt the change in the surrounding mana as they stepped out of the gods¡¯ home. It always left her feeling as if she was a mortal stepping onto the peak of a tall mountain, where the air was thin. They had arrived on the edge of the Great Forest in what used to be the middle of Europe, still one of the most populated regions in the world. Although that did not go for the forest itself. Alianais could not sense any mind more intelligent than a beast for many kilometers, until the human villages beyond the forest¡¯s edge or the elementals in the lower parts of the mountains. ¡°Now what?¡± Leian asked. ¡°Can you even do what you¡¯re clearly planning?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Alianais responded. She took another step, waving at the door guarding a back entrance into the old facility carved into the rock to open it, and closed it after Leian followed her through. Then she took a few steps to cross the corridors and rooms, until she stopped at the side of the large pod hiding her prize. The mana formations the Hivekind had laid over the place were faded, but traces of their effects still lingered. Alianais examined the contraption for a few moments, although she didn¡¯t really need her eyes to do such a thing, then waved her hand slightly once more. The lid peeled back and the level of mana decreased again, somewhere between falling dormant and seeping out. Leian stepped forward and looked down with obvious interest. ¡°I see. You¡¯re lucky this is still working, you know.¡± ¡°It has been in stasis for quite a while now,¡± Alianais responded calmly. Leian shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not really stasis.¡± She glanced up, her eyes twinkling with barely hidden interest. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s close enough, obviously, but it wasn¡¯t really frozen in time. This egg is clearly about as developed as it could possibly get in there.¡± Alianais nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not sure what would¡¯ve happened if it had stayed there a century longer.¡± She smiled again. ¡°Luckily, we won¡¯t have to wait for such an eventuality.¡± She focused a thread of her will again, and moved herself along with the Hive Queen egg, big enough to contain a human child, to a room she had already scouted. Leian came along with her own power. She¡¯d barely set the egg down before Leian was poking at it curiously. ¡°How long do you think this will take?¡± Alianais asked. ¡°About a year, probably a bit less,¡± Leian responded absently. ¡°Even with everything, this is some really impressive craftsmanship.¡± Alianais hummed in agreement, allowing herself a moment to gaze at the egg and take it in. Its color was the same swirling grayish-brown as most Hivekind¡¯s shells, and from the outside, it didn¡¯t look all that impressive. ¡°That should work out well, then, with the next monster wave,¡± Alianais mused. If the timing threatened to get out of hand, she could always persuade Benerron to adjust the wave¡¯s start time a bit. Leian only glanced at her, before she returned her gaze to the egg. She was almost too soft-hearted at times, Alianais mused. She was in no position to complain about it, of course, and she generally appreciated it. Still, Alianais would probably have to ride herd on her a little when it came to the Hivekind¡¯s System extension. Alianais meant what she¡¯d said, she had no intention of trying to control the young Hive Queen or her new Hive directly. But the System was very good for more indirect control. It would allow her to give them the help they would doubtlessly need, but she¡¯d also need a few limits. Although, to be fair, the Hivekind¡¯s dead creators had done a fair job at that, anyhow. Even if their need to force a single point of failure by using singular Hive Queens as the center of everything had also made them vulnerable. Something the Hivekind had no doubt discovered in the war following the Cataclysm. Alianais shook off dark memories and instead turned to leave. She still had quite a bit of groundwork to prepare, after all. ¡°Coming, Leian?¡± she asked. ¡°Always,¡± Leian joked with a smile as she stepped up to join Alianais. The vault disappeared behind them and Alianais felt a bit of relief as the energies of the Celestial Home engulfed them once more. Chapter 162: Questions and Answers Regina stared at the piece of paper in her hand, feeling her pulse thunder in her ears. Her hands clenched around the paper, and she only barely managed not to tear it with the claws on the tips of her fingers. She took a deep breath, then lowered it, gently. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± she asked tonelessly. Leian smiled slightly. Regina noticed that her body language was clearly projecting reassurance, calm. ¡°I found it here, originally,¡± she answered. ¡°That was a while ago. I took the liberty of making sure it was preserved.¡± Regina nodded, glancing down at the info sheet again. ¡°Did you black out those parts?¡± Leian sighed and shook her head. ¡°No, whoever used this ¡ª probably an agent for the Hivekind ¡ª did that.¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t know my name or other personal details?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± Regina stared at the minor goddess for a moment, trying to assess if she was lying. She didn¡¯t think so. Besides, she saw no reason to hide those parts, in particular. They were clearly redacted to prevent her identification using personal details, or at least make it harder, but it wasn¡¯t like knowing her date and place of birth would matter now. It just meant she didn¡¯t know her old name. Although she was curious about that note. Even with that, she¡¯d just learned a lot. It was almost surreal, seeing such a short summary of her life. I wonder what happened. I wasn¡¯t a doctor yet, but clearly close. And it might imply that I dropped out of university. Maybe because of those medical conditions? MDD, major depressive disorder, and an unspecified anxiety disorder. Well, at least she now had as good an answer as any as to why she¡¯d accepted the Hivekind¡¯s offer. Regina hadn¡¯t had to deal with such issues now, presumably because switching to a different body changed her brain chemistry. There might have been other reasons, as well, but ¡­ at this point, it probably didn¡¯t really matter. Max put a hand on her shoulder, and she shook it off after a moment, smiling weakly. ¡°Well, thank you for showing me this,¡± she told Leian, bowing her head. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Leian sounded slightly amused. ¡°In your position, I ¡ª well, I would have wanted to know.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I appreciate it, anyway. Is there anything else you can tell me about this?¡± She glanced around. ¡°Or about how I came to be here?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already guessed the important parts. A few things I¡¯m not really at liberty to discuss.¡± Regina sighed. She felt her gaze drawn to the sheet of paper again. It answered a few other questions she¡¯d had. Not surprising that my mana aptitude is put down as ¡®excellent¡¯, the Hivekind were clearly looking for candidates like that. And ones with applicable knowledge, presumably, considering how it would immediately be shared across their hive. The rest is pretty clear. I was a city girl, it explains how Global is my mother tongue, and probably how I learned the other languages. Regina smoothed the page out and folded it carefully. Being able to show it to others might be useful. Besides, she¡¯d already started to feel a little attached, since it was literally the only physical connection to her previous life she had. ¡°You weren¡¯t the one who put me here, were you?¡± she asked Leian. ¡°Of course not.¡± Regina glanced at the others again, who¡¯d so far stayed quiet, and then back at the goddess. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t appreciate it, but is there a particular reason you¡¯re showing up now? Beyond giving me this, I mean?¡± Leian chuckled. ¡°Nothing nefarious, I assure you. I simply couldn¡¯t help but notice that you came here, and I thought you would have some questions.¡± Regina¡¯s stare softened and she smiled again, nodding. She did appreciate Leian giving her this information, and it didn¡¯t seem like she wanted anything in exchange. At least not directly. ¡°How did you know we were here? If I¡¯m allowed to ask,¡± Tia asked. Leian looked at her. ¡°No need to worry, I won¡¯t rip your head off,¡± she said with a slight curl of her lips. ¡°As to how, well, while I don¡¯t like to make a point of it, I am a goddess.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I also had reason to keep an eye on this place, in particular. I¡¯m sure you have noticed it, Regina, but there is some lingering magic from the Hivekind¡¯s ¡­ enchantments, or however you want to call it. That actually makes it more secure. Most gods won¡¯t have an easy time looking into this spot.¡± ¡°But you do?¡± Regina asked. Leian shrugged. ¡°I happen to be very good at magic, completely independent of any divine powers,¡± she said matter-of-factly. ¡°I¡¯ve also been here before.¡± Regina nodded and paused for a moment. ¡°You know, you never actually told me what you are the goddess of.¡± ¡°Not much. Beyond being a System admin, I don¡¯t have much of a domain.¡± Regina just stared at her silently, and Leian sighed. ¡°But, fine. Previously, I was the goddess of transportation. Since I taught people how to make magical gates.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Regina said, staring again. ¡°Magical gates, like how ¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Leian shifted her weight, her gaze sliding off Regina¡¯s as she looked to the side. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t been there, we probably wouldn¡¯t have managed to create the gates that brought people to this world.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t say anything. Leian exhaled heavily, looking Regina in the eyes again. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m sorry for what happened.¡± She grimaced. ¡°To be fair, if I hadn¡¯t been there ¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my idea to do it, but I didn¡¯t protest, either. I tried my best to stabilize the gates when our enemies arrived unexpectedly, to make sure they closed in a controlled manner, but I didn¡¯t manage as well as I wish I had.¡± Regina looked at her for a long, silent second, then nodded slowly. She had the impression there was something else Leian wasn¡¯t saying. But, well, that¡¯s probably fair. I can¡¯t expect her to tell me all her secrets. She did think Leian was being sincere. There was no reason to admit that she had any involvement in this, it wasn¡¯t like Regina would know. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Why aren¡¯t magical gates used nowadays?¡± Max asked, breaking the tension a little. ¡°Magic was somewhat different on Haven than it is here. Besides, you¡¯ve seen how things are now.¡± Leian grimaced slightly and shrugged. ¡°Do you really think the powers-that-be would welcome it if magical gates were common?¡± ¡°I guess not,¡± Regina muttered. That¡¯s probably a bit simplified, but I guess she knows what she¡¯s talking about. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Leian suggested. ¡°It might be better not to stand around in this spot for too long. Wouldn¡¯t want anyone else to look in, would we?¡± Regina nodded, sending another look at the stasis mechanism (presumably) before she turned and followed her group out of the room. She almost expected Leian to just vanish, but she actually walked with them, appearing relaxed. Did she still have other things she wanted to talk about? ¡°Alianais has been pretty silent,¡± Regina mentioned. Leian didn¡¯t show much of a reaction. ¡°I expect she¡¯s busy,¡± she answered. ¡°And a little too prideful to come when a mortal calls, you know.¡± ¡°Is there anything going on that I should know about?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Not really? I¡¯m sure you already know she¡¯s having issues with Deirianon. It¡¯s more of the same, really.¡± ¡°But I do have a mark from Alianais. What does that actually mean? Can I use divine magic?¡± Leian sighed and slowed down, making Regina look at her. ¡°You could, but you should be careful, kid. Your Class is not suited to channeling divine magic. You¡¯ve clearly learned by now that the System isn¡¯t everything when it comes to this kind of thing, but still, I expect there¡¯d be issues. Besides,¡± she hesitated, ¡°do you really want to do that, try to use magic from Alianais?¡± Given the way Leian looked at her, Regina realized there was an unspoken part she didn¡¯t say. Do I really want to let Alianais gain more of a foothold over me? I¡¯m not sure what channeling divine magic attuned to her would do, or however that would work, but ¡­ I guess she has a point. Leian was clearly warning her, and Regina was inclined to listen. ¡°Wait,¡± Max spoke up again. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Regina blinked and glanced around. She¡¯d been too distracted to notice, but now that she paid some attention to it, she realized that, while Leian was leading them roughly the way they¡¯d come, they weren¡¯t actually going back to where she had hatched. They stopped right now in front of another door that looked similar to the one at the front of the compound, one she must have missed on her way through here. ¡°I should think that was obvious,¡± Leian answered cheerfully. Some of the demeanor she¡¯d shown when they¡¯d first met, what Regina was pretty sure was a mask, seemed to come back now. ¡°We are,¡± she drew out a dramatic pause, ¡°underground.¡± Regina rolled her eyes. ¡°And where, specifically, are we?¡± Leian waved her hand at the door with another dramatic flourish, causing it to open, and walked forward, dragging Regina with her. Her grip was light, but at the same time unyielding. ¡°Technically, the outskirts of the city of Anberg.¡± ¡°What?¡± Tia blurted out. ¡°It¡¯s a reasonably big city northeast of the Alps,¡± Regina said, the facts coming to her lips almost on their own. She shrugged Leian¡¯s hand off, which the goddess let her do now, and looked around. They were still in some sort of tunnel, although it looked different from before. The door closed behind the last of their group seemingly on its own, although Regina would bet Leian was involved. A few pieces of glowing moss on the ceiling illuminated their surroundings dimly. ¡°Well, I would hope you remembered that much,¡± Leian said, ¡°considering it¡¯s apparently where you lived.¡± Regina frowned and patted the folded sheet of paper in her pocket. At least now she actually knew where they were. Not that it meant much, with geography having shifted. They walked forward in silence for a short while, carefully. There was just enough light not to run into walls, but not much more, even for Hivekind. Regina wasn¡¯t going to complain about getting in here, although she did hope they had a way back out. Still, if Leian wanted to strand them somewhere, she could presumably have gone about it in a much easier way. ¡°You seem like the kind of person who appreciates straightforwardness,¡± she finally spoke up again. ¡°So I¡¯ll just come out and say it. What are you doing this for? What is your agenda?¡± ¡°For showing up here?¡± ¡°For any of this, dealing with me at all.¡± It hadn¡¯t escaped Regina¡¯s attention that Leian didn¡¯t seem very interested in any of her hive members, either. Mostly Regina herself. ¡°Basically, I want what Alianais wants,¡± Leian answered with a small smile. ¡°This world is in serious need of a nudge to get it out of its current rut. Not just because of any potential threats from elsewhere in the multiverse, although we can¡¯t neglect that entirely, but also for the people here.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to be that nudge?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Can you think of anyone better?¡± Leian grinned at her. ¡°No pressure, kid, I¡¯m not expecting you to do anything specific. Although, if you were to get people to rebuild some technology and maybe parts of your old civilization, I wouldn¡¯t complain.¡± Regina nodded slowly. That wasn¡¯t much of a surprise to her. ¡°It¡¯s not going to be simple when half the world hates me for being Hivekind.¡± ¡°Hardly half the world.¡± Leian glanced to the side. ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you you have an easy road ahead, though. And I don¡¯t expect you to set your sights on the whole world, or even on all of Europe.¡± Regina followed her gaze, seeing another tunnel branching off from the one they were following. ¡°I get the feeling there¡¯s something else.¡± Leian sighed slightly. ¡°Well, I would also like to establish the Hivekind more permanently, if possible. Of course, that¡¯s probably going to be even harder.¡± Regina slowed her pace and frowned at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Tell me, what do you know about your race¡¯s procreation?¡± Leian looked contemplative. ¡°Uh,¡± Regina said. ¡°Hive Queens lay eggs?¡± Leian chuckled. ¡°Of course, but I was talking more about the preservation of the species.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re getting at,¡± Regina admitted. ¡°No, I suppose you wouldn¡¯t.¡± Leian¡¯s voice took on a lecturing note. ¡°As you¡¯ve doubtlessly realized, drones can¡¯t produce offspring. However, there is a way for your species to perpetuate and undergo evolution ¡ª actual evolution, not System Evolution, I mean.¡± ¡°I was kind of expecting Hivekind drones to be haploid clones, like with bees,¡± Regina said. ¡°But I thought we were a constructed race, so I wasn¡¯t thinking about evolution.¡± ¡°True, but your creators clearly intended for at least a semblance of natural evolution. In fact, Hivekind do have a mechanism for sexual reproduction and genetic recombination. Hive Queens can breed with drones from another hive. Well, it¡¯s not quite that easy, but that¡¯s the essence of it. That¡¯s how new Hive Queen eggs are created.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Regina had never thought too hard about where her egg had come from, although logically, it made sense that it was something like this. Of course, that raised a few other issues. ¡°But that means ¡ª¡° ¡°Yes, there¡¯s rather a lack of any other Hives on this world.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°So, I can¡¯t create any new Hive Queens or new Hives? Really?¡± ¡°Well, I suppose you could try breeding with one of your male drones.¡± Leian grimaced. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend it ¡­¡± Regina shuddered. ¡°Yeah, not happening.¡± ¡°No shit,¡± Max muttered behind her. She could sense the disapproval of her other companions at the idea, too. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s not going to be that easy to un-genocide the Hivekind on this world, then,¡± Regina mumbled to herself and sighed. She wished she wasn¡¯t in a position where she had to worry about things like that. Especially since she was technically only a year old. ¡°As I said, there¡¯s time to figure something out,¡± Leian replied. ¡°What about the part of putting an existing soul inside the Hive Queen egg?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not technically necessary,¡± Leian answered. ¡°It¡¯s something the Hivekind developed later. It would probably be better to have that, of course, with fully-informed volunteers. But it¡¯s not a deal-breaker if you can¡¯t figure out how Hivekind technology did it.¡± ¡°Am I allowed to ask how you know all of this?¡± ¡°No.¡± Regina frowned. That had been a quick and firm refusal. ¡°Alright ¡­¡± She looked away from Leian, wanting a moment to get her expression under control. ¡°I¡¯d advise you to focus on the things in front of you for now, kid,¡± Leian said. Regina nodded and took a deep breath. She made herself pay more attention to her surroundings, and after a moment, stepped closer to the edges of the tunnel they followed. It was noticeably becoming smoother, and a faint light shone in the distance. She ran a hand along the stone, noting the dryness and smooth surface. ¡°Last time, you said I wasn¡¯t strong enough,¡± Regina said. ¡°I take it that has changed now?¡± There was no answer, and when Regina turned around again, Leian was gone. She cursed and rubbed her forehead. None of the drones had even seen her move. They spread out and looked around now, but it was clear Leian had left. ¡°Drama queen,¡± Regina muttered. Chapter 163: Exploration and Choices The group was quiet as they continued following the underground pathway. Regina knew that they were all considering what just happened, and what they¡¯d just heard. She knew the others were feeling ambivalent. Max, in particular, was concerned ¡ª mostly for her and the hive, she thought. Regina didn¡¯t feel like talking to them about it right now, either. Actually, now that she paid attention, she realized that most of them were speaking to other people in the psychic link. Regina left them to it, she wasn¡¯t going to listen in. Instead, she focused on their surroundings. The tunnel was opening up into a larger chamber. At this point, it looked more like something she would vaguely expect to see underground, something manmade instead of a natural cave system or the like. She wasn¡¯t sure if this was originally built underground or not, though. The walls turned into smooth, worked stone, possibly some kind of old cement, which might have been used to build aboveground or underground. The sparse moss on the ceiling had clearly grown there later, although it might have been brought there by someone. It had been growing scarcer, though, making it even harder to see, although her eyes had fully adapted to the darkness by now. ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± Max asked quietly. Regina cocked her head and listened, assessing how far the echoes traveled. Not too much, fortunately. I guess we explore our surroundings, she said. There are probably monsters around, though. At least, it¡¯s better to be safe and assume there are. That means we should stay together, and stay vigilant. It¡¯s probably better not to use artificial light if we can avoid it, either. While they walked, she quickly checked in with Tim and a few other drones. Luckily, she wasn¡¯t far enough away from them for the distance to be a problem using the psychic link, not at her level. It did mean she had less range towards the east of their territory, though, and some of the drones she¡¯d sent there would be out of range now. Luckily, she¡¯d given them clear instructions, and the Swarm Drones would come back soon, as well as be checked by sapient hive members. The range limit was still a bit of a pain, but she had to acknowledge that it could be a lot worse. Her sapient drones didn¡¯t lose any of their intelligence and they could still communicate in other ways. As if on cue, a System notification popped up. Regina flinched, almost expecting the light to illuminate her surroundings and draw some kind of monster, but of course it didn¡¯t.
You have leveled up
She tugged on her mandibles and shook her head. The Experience to push her over the edge must have come from a relatively large training ¡®battle¡¯ Tim had staged in the mountains, to keep their forces sharp and ultimately prepare to carry on the war with the gnomes. It wasn¡¯t as good as real combat, of course, but this kind of training still gave Experience. I¡¯m going to be a little distracted for a sec, Regina warned the others with her. Just leveled up. She acknowledged their excited response and then focused on the next screen the System showed her. Finally level 50.
You may now select your seventh Class Skill. Please choose one of the following:
Psychic Reach: Your mind¡¯s reach is the limit of your power, and its instrument. Once per day, you may push past your normal limits, expanding the range of your psychic link by half. Your psychic ability will be sharpened and you may focus your psychic connection to your hive into one of your drones, which will considerably boost all of their stats. This effect will last for level/2 minutes. At higher levels of mastery, the range and strength of the boosting effect will be strengthened further.
Hive¡¯s Paths: Your Hive¡¯s diversity is a strength. The Evolution paths open to your drones will increase in variability. Rare Classes have a slightly higher chance of being selected for Swarm Drones. At higher levels of mastery, you may direct their growth more directly, setting goals for your Hive¡¯s Swarm.
Hive¡¯s Ranks: Your Hive is a multitude. Its numbers are the key to your growth and power, and constraints on it shackles you would slip. Increase the Hive limits for both Inner Hive and Swarm by a percentage equal to your current level.
Regina frowned as she considered the options. The expected one was Psychic Reach, which she¡¯d already seen once before, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that it would pop up again. If she didn¡¯t take it now, it wouldn¡¯t show again. Still, she didn¡¯t think it was really worth it. It was a bit of a weird skill that did two things at once, but the range booster seemed to be too limited in its timeframe to be as useful as it could be. And it didn¡¯t say how much a drone would be boosted exactly. Kind of interesting it specifically says it has to be a drone, though, Regina reflected. Does this mean I might be able to use the psychic link to boost them even without a Skill? Or is it just some System stuff? Something to think about, anyway. The second option was ¡­ pretty good, she supposed. She certainly wouldn¡¯t complain if it was the only real option she got. Unlike in some games she dimly remembered, rarity didn¡¯t correspond with increased benefits in the System, at least in most cases. The increased variability and chance of rarer - probably more specialized - Classes would still be very valuable. And if she could learn to actually influence how her Swarm Drones Evolved, at least to nudge them towards having more drones in a specific role, that would be awesome. She was too focused on the last option to really give the other two much consideration, though. From the moment she first read it, she realized she basically had to take this one. To be fair, she wasn¡¯t at her hive¡¯s limits even now. Well, she was slowly getting close to the sapient drone limits. Especially if she considered the Swarm Drones who were counting against that number when they became sapient. Still, this was such an obvious advantage. She was leveling quickly now because of the war, but that was presumably going to slow at some point, and eventually, she would run up against the limits. I didn¡¯t expect to get a Skill like this. Like, ever. ¡°Was that you, Leian?¡± she muttered very quietly. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°My Queen?¡± Max asked. ¡°I think you should see this.¡± Regina blinked and turned her attention to her surroundings again. They had arrived at an intersection that led into a larger hall. Regina was slightly more interested in the stairway going up, though. It was almost hidden in a corner of the room, but still visible. What captured her attention was the sign hanging on the wall beside it. It was almost completely withered and rusted away, so the only thing she could still make out was what appeared to be the edge of an arrow. Any letters that might have accompanied it were gone. Still, it was something. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°I want to go up there,¡± she said. ¡°Stay careful. There¡¯s ¡­¡± Regina frowned and focused on her psychic senses for a moment. She hadn¡¯t had nearly as much practice with them as she really wished she could. Since she¡¯d almost continuously been surrounded by her drones in large numbers, it had made it impractical to try and sense any other minds near her. Now, she tried to look past the few of them with her and focus on the space beyond them, the underground structures. ¡°There are definitely monsters around,¡± she finally said. ¡°A few things that are odd,¡° - Those registered more on her magical than psychic senses - ¡°but also a few weird monsters. We should probably stay together, although scouting this spot would probably be a good idea as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll scout this hall and see if there¡¯s anything beyond,¡± Max offered. ¡°Ira, want to come?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Regina stood and waited as the two quickly walked into the hall. She closed her eyes to focus on Max¡¯s senses, keeping a metaphorical hand on her magic as well, so she could quickly support them with a Spell. It turned out not to be necessary, though. There were only more dark tunnels beyond. Alright, Regina said. I can¡¯t sense any minds or magic there for some distance. Come back and let¡¯s check out the stairway. They did, and Max insisted on leading the way again. Regina carefully climbed the steps after him, only sparing a moment to think about her Skill choice. I¡¯ll increase my limits and I¡¯ll just have to hope the path option shows up again next time, she decided. It should, most likely. It might be more tactically clever to choose it first and the limit expansion later, but I can¡¯t afford to pass that one up. The stairway didn¡¯t go up very far. On the next level, they still found tunnels, but they looked a lot more like what Regina was familiar with. ¡°Like subway tunnels,¡± she muttered. ¡°Or maybe underground parts of regular train tracks. We probably are getting closer to the old city, or the center of it.¡± The train tracks in the center were rusted through, to the point that sometimes there was nothing but holes left. Although she supposed that might have been due to other factors rather than simple rust, as well. They were also bent out of shape, twisted and scattered. The group carefully spread out a little and started moving through the tunnel, taking care to step over the old metal pieces. Regina looked up to see only remnants of the electrical lines that would have gone along the ceiling. ¡°Let¡¯s head in that direction,¡± she said, pointing at where she guessed the center of the city would be. They walked in silence, keeping their eyes peeled and ears open. Regina was once more glad of the psychic link, which allowed her group to coordinate easily without talking. On the uneven ground, that helped, especially given the dim light. None of her drones were in any danger of hurting themselves or running out of stamina, luckily. She wished she¡¯d had the presence of mind to send the two younger Workers, Baz and Ena, back, but that wasn¡¯t helping now. This had to be leading somewhere she should be familiar with. Regina frowned to herself as she walked, ignoring the headache starting to throb against her skull. She focused on her memory, trying to dredge up any hint of familiarity, any snippet of information about the layout of the city. It took a while, and she even healed her headache once with magic, but in the end, Regina had a rough idea of the city¡¯s layout. She still had no idea where she¡¯d lived at the time, or anything else resembling personal information, but this was apparently factual enough to get a pass. Judging from what she could piece together, and keeping in mind that Leian had said they were in the outskirts, they shouldn¡¯t be that far from what used to be the city proper. Of course, she still had no idea what had happened to it. Is more of it just lying underground, waiting to be discovered? Just as she was starting to wonder if there was any point trying to get higher up, the tunnel they were following came to a stop. The glowing moss was actually growing sparser, which made it hard to see the threshold. Regina looked around, straining her eyes. ¡°Wait,¡± she suddenly said. ¡°There¡¯s a mind up ahead. It¡¯s - angry? Aggressive, anyway. Not a person, though.¡± ¡°A monster?¡± Max asked, getting into a defensive position. ¡°Probably.¡± Regina shrugged. She was glad she¡¯d even caught as much as she had, but she couldn¡¯t see someone¡¯s, or something¡¯s, strength with her psychic senses. ¡°It¡¯s coming closer, from that direction,¡± she pointed. Max turned and the others formed up, pushing the Workers to the back of the group. Ira stayed beside Regina, and she could feel the other mage preparing to cast a Spell. A roar thundered through the tunnel, and then a crashing sound as something large and heavy barged towards them. Regina exhaled and released the Fireball she¡¯d been forming. It lit up their surroundings for a second as the Spell shot from her toward her opponent, giving her just enough time to take in her surroundings. They had reached what might have been a train station at some point long in the past, with cement walls that looked battered and chipped, and half its side caved in. Two stairways led upwards, probably having housed an escalator previously. The light also illuminated their opponent, a familiar monkey-like shape with pebbly skin and a large maw, although this one stood even taller than the last one she¡¯d seen.
Tunnel Terror ¡ª Level 50
Regina¡¯s Fireball missed its eyes, but still crashed into its head. The monster reeled back, blinking its tiny eyes and screeching at a higher pitch than before. They couldn¡¯t give it time to recover and resume its charge. In unspoken understanding, the group pressed the attack. Regina prepared a cast of Magic Missiles, while Max rushed forward, Charging at the Tunnel Terror. Before he reached it, ghostly blue armor flashed around him as Ira cast Magic Armor on him. Max slashed at the monster, but it caught the attack on its forearm, receiving only a shallow slash. Max didn¡¯t let it stop him, but thrust at it again, keeping its attention on him as he turned to the side. Regina launched her Magic Missiles, watching while Ira repeated her Spell on the rest of the group. Her own attack hit the back of the creature¡¯s head again, stunning it briefly. Then it roared again, and this time the sound spread out like a physical wave, battering them. Regina shook it off after a moment and sent another Fireball. Max must have been hit meanwhile, staggering to the side, his armor flashing. But that allowed her Spell to find its target, and this time, it did hit the monster¡¯s face. Regina cast more Magic Missiles, curving them around to keep them safely away from Max. The rest of her group hesitated, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, and feeling determined to stay close and protect her. Regina had more than enough mana reserves to spam the Spell all day, though. She started battering the monster down. It flinched and tried to turn to go after her, but Max caught its attention again. Harried by her attacks, it couldn¡¯t muster a proper offense against him. Then, Regina finally caught its eye, and it writhed, its hand crashing against the wall. Max struck when he had the opportunity. His blade-arm pierced its other eye, and then his axe swung into its neck. He dodged another wild swing, then struck it again. This time, the Tunnel Terror couldn¡¯t muster a response. Regina sighed and sent a final Magic Missile Spell at it to make sure it was dead. ¡°We kind of sucked this time,¡± she stated. ¡°Still, this was surprisingly easy, all things considered.¡± ¡°We can do better,¡± Tia agreed, eying the fallen monster curiously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t do anything, my Queen.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Regina frowned at her. ¡°You¡¯re not here as a fighter.¡± Max walked back over to them. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that much of a challenge, that¡¯s true.¡± Regina nodded slowly. ¡°Not sure that¡¯s a good thing,¡± she said. ¡°Leian clearly didn¡¯t want me here until I was at least this strong. That means, well, I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s something worse around.¡± Chapter 164: More Exploration As they settled down from the fight with the Tunnel Terror, Regina took a deep breath and decided to check in with her hive. Before she did that, though, she took a quick look around, to make sure there weren¡¯t any other monsters lying in wait to attack them. If there were, she couldn¡¯t sense them. It had been surprisingly easy to fight the monster in the near darkness, since its smell and sounds had still told her its position very clearly. It probably helped that it had been pretty big. The lack of light didn¡¯t make it easier to assess her surroundings, though. At least, she probably missed any subtle hints there might be. But it was enough to tell they weren¡¯t in immediate danger. Some of the others must have sensed their fight, or at least echoes of it. Tim in particular seemed a little anxious as soon as she focused on him. It¡¯s fine, she told him calmly. We had a bit of excitement, but it was an easy fight, really. That¡¯s still not very reassuring, he replied drily. Did you have to come on this excursion yourself, my Queen? That¡¯s just how things turned out, Regina said, and even she realized she sounded a bit defensive. I don¡¯t think Leian would have waited around until I called an army of drones to me, either. Tim didn¡¯t press the issue, although Regina wasn¡¯t sure if he was convinced or just didn¡¯t want to argue with her. He wasn¡¯t wrong, of course, and Regina did realize that she had once more put herself in danger, but she was also pretty sure she didn¡¯t have much of a choice. At least not if she wanted to get to the bottom of ¡­ whatever she was hoping to find here, she actually wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°Alright, from now on, I¡¯m going to take point on any fights, and Ira, you¡¯re staying support,¡± Max said. ¡°My Queen, please hang back. Tia, your role is to help before and after the actual fighting, unless someone gets too close to Regina. The same goes for everyone, unless you¡¯re sure you can help.¡± He glanced around. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Regina said, an amused smile on her face that she quickly suppressed. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± They started climbing the staircase leading up out of the train station quietly, keeping their eyes peeled. It was somewhat worn down, but not enough to make the going difficult for the group. Regina looked around, once more debating if or how much artificial light she should produce. In the end, she decided it was better to get by with as little as possible. She also focused on her other senses, but still couldn¡¯t find other minds nearby. Except for primitive life, probably insects and even rats and the like. Life would find a way, even in a shut-off underground ruin. Above the train station, the next level was much more open, and Regina saw the remains of roads and even buildings, although they were mostly collapsed. It looked like most of this was collapsed, actually, leaving only pockets of air and actual space. Things got better in the direction they had roughly been heading in, though. Regina wasn¡¯t sure how much of the city was still standing. How much could be, given the situation. If it was buried underground, presumably it would all be covered in tons of dirt and rock and they¡¯d have to prepare an archeological excavation to dig it back up. On the other hand, the Cataclysm had supposedly done lots of weird things, and sinking an entire city into the ground wasn¡¯t the weirdest she could think of. As they continued, it turned out that she seemed to be both right and wrong in that guess. Regina was starting to think the effects hadn¡¯t been contained or homogenous ¡ª which made some sense if one thought about it ¡ª but at least some of what happened did seem to leave parts of the city relatively intact here. It took quite a while to get this far, not just because of the distance involved. They had to divert from their impromptu road several times, and one time Regina actually had to sit back and wait while Tia and the others dug through an obstruction in their way. Still, their path was probably reasonably clear, all things considered, and it allowed them to get an impression of the city around them. There were in what she¡¯d call a giant cave that was actually a pockmarked, twisted network of smaller caves. Some parts were completely caved in, some just gone, leading into a dark abyss, and some twisted in strange ways from the mana surges. One chain of buildings looked like someone had squeezed non-Euclidean geometry into reality, and staring at it for more than a second made her eyes slide off. Other parts were just weirdly mutated, or turned into a block of some unknown material. Regina practically felt her perspective on magic expanding just by seeing all this. Presumably, large parts of the city were in fact completely gone, wiped out above ground and then overgrown with centuries of natural accumulation of soil and vegetation. This was just one part that happened to be partially preserved. Regina couldn¡¯t see far, but she was starting to figure out how to use her mana senses and psychic sensing for life better, so she had a rough idea of where this mishmash transitioned into pure earth again. Even in that, there were little bits of life, and the mana flows noticeably differed. My Queen, Max finally said to her quietly, glancing at the others. We should stop and rest. We need a break. Regina stopped walking and turned back, looking at the drones and sighing. She knew he was probably more concerned about her, but drawing her attention to the others¡¯ exhaustion wasn¡¯t just a trick. Alright, she responded, projecting to all of them. We camp here for the night. She glanced up. While they couldn¡¯t see daylight themselves, her link with the rest of her hive told her the time. Well, for the rest of the morning or so, anyway. They found a reasonably intact house that didn¡¯t seem to have suffered too badly, at least comparatively, and settled down on the roof. Max took the first night, and while Regina intended to stay up for longer, she quickly found herself drifting off. The day had been quite mentally taxing. About six hours later, she jerked away from a nightmare involving chains of printed paper trying to catch her and turn her into an ice sculpture. Regina stood up quickly, nervously pacing and jumping between her drones¡¯ heads to look through their eyes. She¡¯d been expecting something to attack them by now. Sure, she¡¯d sensed some smaller monsters that had mostly moved away from them - probably sensing their strength - but nothing remotely more threatening than the Tunnel Terror they¡¯d dealt with. Well, the whole ecosystem here seemed pretty anemic, which actually made some sense if she thought about it, but still ¡­ The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Why the hell had Leian pointed them here, anyway? Not that I don¡¯t appreciate the opportunity to see what became of the city, at least part of it, of course. But are we actually going to find something useful here? Her group quickly packed up and set off again, eating sparsely from the rations they¡¯d brought along. While Regina had prepared, she hadn¡¯t really expected to be gone for very long, so their food supplies were a bit meager. That wasn¡¯t really a problem, though. They could go for days without food without really impacting their performance. If all else failed, they could also get water from the moisture in the air, using magic directly or indirectly. Still, it was probably better not to linger here for days. Although it didn¡¯t seem like that would be an issue. They reached the back part of the buried cityscape, the end of the segmented cave system that housed it, after only a few hours. There was a tunnel leading away from this area, which Regina could tell would probably connect to the underground tunnels they¡¯d been using before. She also still remembered the seemingly rather modern defenses she¡¯d encountered in that area, though, so she wasn¡¯t going to head straight there. ¡°There don¡¯t seem to be any of those automatic machine guns or whatever we heard previously, when they opened the door,¡± Max mused quietly, probably following the same line of thought. Regina nodded. ¡°Those were apparently rather recent additions, which makes sense,¡± she said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect this city to be some kind of military hub.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Tia asked, frowning. ¡°Because of its location,¡± Regina explained. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about what I can remember of the geography and the current situation ¡ª I mean, before the Cataclysm. The Empire was basically a collection of semi-independent states at the best of times, despite the best efforts of the Imperial parliament and government, but one area they did cooperate was the military, and, mostly, foreign affairs. It¡¯s kind of ironic; they couldn¡¯t even agree on what to rename the country, despite everyone agreeing it should be, but still.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t they rename it?¡± Max asked. Regina realized he was just prompting her to keep talking, but she didn¡¯t mind. Talking about it probably helped pull together the information she remembered. ¡°Well, no one agreed on what,¡± she said. ¡°For the more straightforward suggestions, something like Empire of Europe would have caused the remaining European countries to kick up a fuss and damage foreign relations, and for Central European Empire, the parts of the Empire which didn¡¯t consider themselves in Central Europe would have kicked up the fuss. So they kept something objectively stupid like ¡®Holy Roman Empire¡¯ because it didn¡¯t offend anyone in particular. Even if Rome had only been actually part of the HRE again for, like, thirty years, since Northern Italy joined.¡± ¡°Any why did they cooperate in matters of defense and foreign policy? Who were they afraid of?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Regina said slowly, ¡°the alliance with Britain was getting strained, but I don¡¯t think anyone really expected that to turn hostile. I guess the actual opponent was Russia. It¡¯s kind of ironic, since the Empire had finally ¡®thrown off the shackles of monarchy¡¯ for good and didn¡¯t even have an Emperor anymore, and the communists were actually moving away from a totalitarian dictatorship to something more genuinely democratic. You¡¯d expect that to have made relations easier, not tenser. But I guess with the problems in East Asia and everything, things were just getting worse in international relations all over the world.¡± ¡°What about the rest of the world?¡± Max kept prompting, as they picked their way down a mostly clear side street. ¡°Well, the United States was too busy with the messes in the Americas to pay much attention to anywhere else. And India and China seemed to be heading headlong into an actual war. And the less said about that post-colonial, or not so post, mess in Africa, the better. Although the HRE didn¡¯t actually have any colonies there or anywhere else.¡± ¡°Sounds like it was just a really bad time for extradimensional visitors to come and make things worse,¡± Tia said quietly. ¡°Yeah, I guess, but it might have been even worse later on.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re hundreds of kilometers from the Russian border here, in the middle of the country, so there wasn¡¯t any reason for there to be a large military presence.¡± ¡°Can you think of any reason why the Hivekind would have come here instead of anywhere else?¡± Regina paused, not just because she wanted to look around and orient herself. They were moving roughly along the outer walls of this section now, parallel to where they¡¯d already been. ¡°Good question,¡± she responded thoughtfully. ¡°I guess we did have one of the largest population densities in the world in Central Europe, and it was one of, if not the most technologically advanced part of the world. And not currently involved in any violent conflict, unlike the US. As for this city in particular? I have no idea. Maybe because it was somewhat close to the capital, while not actually being there?¡± ¡°Are we sure the Hivekind were actually doing anything meaningful here?¡± Max asked. ¡°Or did they just have a small satellite base?¡± Regina paused. ¡°You know, good question. We haven¡¯t seen any sign of them so far, have we? Besides where we started.¡± The others exchanged looks and shook their heads. Regina sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re getting anywhere like this,¡± she said. ¡°With the aftereffects of the Cataclysm, trying to find anything just by stumbling upon it is probably a fool¡¯s errand. I¡¯ll try and see if I can use my more esoteric senses, despite the disruptions around here.¡± ¡°Would they have needed another location or more space beyond the facility we¡¯ve seen, even if they had a major base here?¡± Ira asked. ¡°I think so,¡± Regina replied. ¡°Even if only a few Hive Queens ever came through the portal, which I think is likely, they would have had their own drones. I can¡¯t imagine a Hive Queen choosing to have only two or three drones with her unless she really needed to.¡± And the base they¡¯d entered from wasn¡¯t that big, especially considering they hadn¡¯t found much in the way of a residential section. Regina looked around and jumped onto another open terrace, although she wasn¡¯t sure it had actually been intended to be open to the air originally. She settled down in a cross-legged position, then closed her eyes and started meditating. Over the next hour or so, Regina felt like she made some progress in understanding the weird magical anomaly taking place here, but she couldn¡¯t really say the same for her primary goal. She wouldn¡¯t let that stop her, though. Instead, she just moved to a new location and tried again. It took over half a day before she finally found something. If she¡¯d started out here, she might not have, in fact. She had gotten a little better at both sensing the small differences in mana, and looking past distracting phenomena in her vicinity. Either way, Regina was almost certain she had found a trace of the Hivekind now. There was something similar to the kind of patterns she¡¯d sensed before. Something intricate but robust, in a different style - for lack of a better word - than anything she¡¯d sensed from local mages. Or, for that matter, the gods. She wordlessly let the others know about her discovery, then stood up, stretched and jumped onto the road before making her way there. Flying would be easier, but she was cautious of trying it in these surroundings. She could sense the faint relief the others felt at something finally happening. Even the most interesting surroundings could get dull after a while if you just sat and waited. This Hivekind base was built into an existing building rather than rock, which Regina supposed made sense. It looked like an old warehouse or office building, maybe a combined one, where they had basically left the outer shell intact and remodeled the interior. That¡¯s what the mana flows suggested, anyway, and most of the windows were also gaping, empty holes that allowed a glimpse into the building¡¯s interior. Regina stared at it from the outside for a good ten minutes, but she didn¡¯t really find much else. Sighing, she walked forward and laid her hand on the door. Then she shivered, feeling a slight change in the mana around her. It felt like something was pressing down on her, but only very lightly, like a metaphysical net or blanket. Then the door slowly slid open. It got stuck halfway through, but Regina barely paid attention to that. She could sense the enchantments beyond, although they were mostly decayed. ¡°Well, that was easy,¡± she muttered. Chapter 165: Even More Exploration Regina had heard that the Hivekind were technologically advanced, more so than anyone else had been, but she supposed it hadn¡¯t really sunk in what that meant. Maybe that was because the technology of the gods and ¡®newcomers¡¯ didn¡¯t strike her as very impressive. Now that she was actually seeing the Hivekind¡¯s remnants, though, she realized that they were clearly using, ¡­ well, advanced magitech was the only real term she could think of. She didn¡¯t know if their purely mundane tech had been as good ¡ª it had probably all been destroyed in the Cataclysm ¡ª but it was still remarkable. The doors leading deeper into the large building housing the Hivekind base they¡¯d found opened on their own, and Regina felt hints of what had to be magical scanners brushing past her and the others. She also caught faint hints of magic in the floors and walls, possibly measures against intruders. Luckily, they seemed to pass without issue. Regina couldn¡¯t be sure, but she suspected that just being a Hive Queen was enough to give her clearance. Maybe there was some kind of blacklist that could override it, but she couldn¡¯t have been whitelisted, since she hadn¡¯t even been hatched yet, so she probably counted as a Hive Queen in good standing by default. Not that she would expect the old Hivekind to be very concerned about traitors in their own ranks. The security measures were only the first part of the magitech she found, though. Unlike the other base, they clearly hadn¡¯t had the time or opportunity to completely clear this one out. It seemed to be a fair bit larger, and they emerged into a large central area subdivided by walls that often didn¡¯t extend all the way to close off a room or had open doorways. Probably a communal area. It could have housed hundreds of drones. Regina and her group spread out and took a quick look around, careful not to touch anything. To the side of the entrance area, where they¡¯d come in, they found what looked like offices. They didn¡¯t contain any computers, although there were weird fixtures on the walls that might have been versions of electrical sockets. Most of the furniture also appeared to be broken or missing, although they found some half-intact desks and tables. Continuing on from there, Regina slowly walked through the central section, taking note of both the layout as well as anything left in terms of appliances or things left behind, which wasn¡¯t much. None of the others spoke, at least not out loud, and she didn¡¯t pick up on much psychic chatter, either. Being inside an old base like this ¡ª what most of them probably thought of as their first glimpse of a ¡®real hive¡¯, at least subconsciously ¡ª had a sobering effect on everyone. Personally, Regina found herself thinking about how she would use this space, and what it might say about any differences between them. It was easier than remembering that everyone who¡¯d ever set foot here before was dead, just like the rest of the city. The central section didn¡¯t contain that much magic, and what it did have seemed more subdued. Most of it was too decayed to get much out of it. That was her interpretation, at least. She couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of most of it, but it did seem like they were bare remnants of what should have been. Regina spent what felt like a few hours poking around here. It was hard to tell time without any change in lighting, let alone clocks, though, so her estimate might have been badly off. She examined everything as best she could, but for a lot of it, she was still stumped. She wished she had an experienced mage with her to ask about the mana patterns she saw, although they would probably not be able to understand it very well, either. There was also another section at the back of the building. This part actually seemed squished, the walls were partly caved inward slightly and there seemed to be too much clutter and debris in the rooms. It made her suspect that there had been some kind of space-expanding effect that had failed. There might have been a similar one back in the main section, too, though probably not as strongly. Not that either of them could have been that expansive, though. From the layout, it looked like the right part of the back section was personal quarters. Considerably larger and probably more well-equipped than the communal areas she¡¯d seen before. Regina paid close attention to the layout, and from what she could tell, there seemed to be five separate suites here. That gives me an estimate on how many Hive Queens they had, she considered. Assuming this really was their space. And that they weren¡¯t just used as guest quarters. It would also depend on what other houses they used. She trailed her hand across the wall. Still, there should probably have been at least one or two for visiting Hive Queens if they weren¡¯t all here anyway, so it still implies there weren¡¯t that many of them in the first place. The suites wouldn¡¯t have been used exclusively by the Hive Queens, anyway; she assumed there would have been space for assistants, at least. The layout was actually not that different from what she had in her own hive. Regina wasn¡¯t sure if she was just seeing similarities where she expected them, though. In contrast, the part of the base opposite these quarters was one large room, but it was divided into several sections, two of them set up like a typical auditorium, with seats going up or down, and circles put into the floor in two other paces. Regina wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of them. This seemed like some kind of shared workspace or command center, and possibly a space for magical endeavors, as well. But for all she knew, it might just be their school. Regardless of where in the base she and the others looked, none of them found even a scrap of paper or other written records. Regina supposed that made sense, since expecting it to stand the test of time was pretty stupid. And the Hivekind probably didn¡¯t use that much paper, since they had psychic links, anyway. Which brought up an interesting question. Could they also communicate with each other, or were different hives¡¯ psychic links completely separate? Was there a way to link them? Maybe even some kind of greater gestalt? Regina had never had to deal with Hivekind outside her own hive, so she obviously couldn¡¯t answer those questions. She was still curious, though. "This is eerie,¡± Max muttered, finally breaking the silence for the first time in minutes. Regina glanced at him. She was currently leaning against the wall in the small foyer separating the two parts of the facility opposite the entrance, taking a break to think about what they¡¯d found so far. ¡°It kind of is,¡± she agreed. ¡°What have we really found here, though?¡± Ira asked. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, this is all really fascinating. But can we get any useful information from here?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Good question. I think learning more about our species is generally useful. Even details that seem insignificant now. If we learn more, they might contribute to a better understanding.¡± She paused. ¡°That said, I definitely wouldn¡¯t object to finding some actually useful old tech.¡± The others grinned in response. ¡°I¡¯ve gotta admit,¡± Max said. ¡°I was almost expecting there to be some kind of big, dangerous monster lurking here that we¡¯d have to defeat.¡± ¡°Some kind of boss monster?¡± Regina grinned at him. ¡°I guess you might have a point. After all, Leian clearly didn¡¯t want us to go here before because it would be too dangerous. And this place probably has more magic left than anywhere else, even if it was well hidden.¡± Tia and Ira exchanged a look. ¡°Actually,¡± Tia started, clearly hesitant. ¡°Not to imply you¡¯re wrong, my Queen, but did she really not want any of us to go here before now? For the past few months, I mean. Or did we just not?¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Regina tugged on her mandibles. ¡°You¡¯re right, she did just tell me that I wasn¡¯t ready one time months ago, when I was still at a lot lower level than I am now. I just didn¡¯t really come back or come close to this area of the tunnels until now.¡± And they had encountered and fought a level fifty monster. If she¡¯d still been at the level she was back then, they might not have won against it. ¡°Except for that incident when a certain god apparently opened that door,¡± Max added. ¡°The monster we fought with the Delvers back then might not have been that bad, but what we saw of whatever those modern weapons were seemed a lot more dangerous. I still think those have to be in some kind of insulated location, by the way.¡± ¡°Or we would have to deal with combat robots or whatever the hell?¡± Tia asked wryly. ¡°Good point,¡± Regina said before they could start to get off track. ¡°It does raise the question of why Leian wanted to bring us here now. Do we have to deal with those things today?¡± The others exchanged glances again and shrugged in unison. Regina sighed, then dusted off her clothing and pushed off the wall, ready to resume their search of the base. The others followed. She was a bit distracted, however. Regina felt like she was missing something. Maybe she¡¯d made a mistake or just overlooked some detail. She couldn¡¯t put her finger on it, though. A few hours later, they met up again in the central section. At first, the group had stayed together, but after it had become clear that they weren¡¯t in danger, they¡¯d spread out more to search the building. The exception, of course, was Max, who remained glued to Regina¡¯s heels. ¡°Not exactly a big haul,¡± Tia muttered, looking at the ¡®haul¡¯ they¡¯d put on the mostly intact remains of a table with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m just happy anything survived at all,¡± Regina answered. Privately, though, she was inclined to agree with Tia. Most of the objects they¡¯d found were perfectly mundane, the kind of thing they¡¯d probably just bought from stores or the Internet in this world. They¡¯d also only found things made of durable materials that would endure the passage of time, obviously. That said, there still wasn¡¯t as much as she¡¯d have expected. Maybe someone had looted this place before. They did find a few things that Regina couldn¡¯t place as objects from her world (which didn¡¯t necessarily rule it out, if they were just rare). Several electronic gadgets of uncertain make appeared to have been burned out completely, to the point that their casings had partly melted in places. Only three objects actually showed magical traces big enough for Regina to detect. The first looked a bit like a smartphone, maybe modified and enchanted? The others were harder to place. One was a box with interlocking plates and rivets as well as what she presumed were several locks tightly linked together. They¡¯d have to be very careful trying to open that. The other object came in a more mundane case of mostly rotted wood, and looked like a crystal ball of all things, with strips of a rubber-like material wound around it and studded with several bits and pieces of different materials, some of them possibly miniaturized gadgets in their own right. ¡°We¡¯ll need to take these back to the Hive, carefully,¡± Ira said. ¡°Definitely,¡± Regina agreed. ¡°I hope you were all documenting what you saw, as well?¡± They nodded. ¡°As well as we could,¡± Ira replied. ¡°We don¡¯t have a Keeper here.¡± Regina sent them a mental assurance and then focused on the objects in front of her, trying to take in every detail and fix it in her memory, before pushing it into the psychic link. They didn¡¯t have a dedicated ¡®space¡¯ for it, and she knew there would be some distortions and loss, but it was the best she could do. Do you need help, my Queen? Jem asked over the link. Regina stopped focusing on it and instead turned more of her attention to him. If you could, that would be great. I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s going to help, though. Unfortunately, they quickly discovered that he really couldn¡¯t do much. Regina had to form the impressions herself, although he could help a bit in stabilizing them and fixing them more firmly to the psychic link. It still wasn¡¯t as good as just having a camera, but she¡¯d have to deal with that. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing if we can tease out any secrets from these, Jem commented when they were done. Regina had opened the connection to include the others with her in the conversation. Me too, Tia agreed. We should at least get something from coming down here, Max grumbled. Regina paused for a moment and looked at him. I guess you have a point, she admitted. In terms of productiveness, this probably wasn¡¯t the best thing we - I - could have spent our time on. She switched her focus back to Jem. Is there anything back at the hive that needs my attention, by the way? Not really, my Queen, he responded. At least not as far as I know. Regina nodded. The conversation lapsed around her as she turned her attention to the psychic link, reaching for other drones, some of them further away. Tim was still in the mountains with some drones, and the healers she¡¯d sent to the rebel army were busy there as well. She shuffled mentally through her Swarm Drones, getting an impression of their status. ¡°Shit,¡± Regina muttered. The others tensed. ¡°My Queen?¡± Max asked. Regina stood up. ¡°I think I may have been looking at this the wrong way,¡± she said, tugging on her mandible again. ¡°Maybe we weren¡¯t actually supposed to do anything or find anything down here. At least not anything important.¡± The others set into motion as well, sensing her agitation, and Tia and Ira started packing up what they¡¯d found. ¡°Then why?¡± Max asked, but she could tell he¡¯d realized what she was going to say. ¡°Leian just wanted me out of the way.¡± There was a short moment of silence. ¡°But we only came to the forest on short notice,¡± Tia pointed out. ¡°Could she have predicted that?¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°Maybe they had some other plan. Or maybe us, or me, leaving has something to do with this in the first place.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Ira asked. ¡°Is the Hive going to be attacked or something?¡± Regina exchanged another look with Max. ¡°If so, she¡¯d have probably just warned us,¡± she said, with a little more confidence than she felt. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s about hiding my presence, but I don¡¯t think we could tell.¡± That did seem to reassure the others a little, but not very much. Regina sighed and ran a hand through her hair. ¡°I can¡¯t sense the king¡¯s army¡¯s encampment from here,¡± she mused. ¡°All Winged Drones in the area would be outside our range and direct control.¡± ¡°Maybe this isn¡¯t because of the Hive at all,¡± Max suggested. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s more about you being a psychic.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking. Maybe I actually am the only one with real psychic powers for a few hundred kilometers after all. Normally, at least.¡± I could be completely off base here, too, but ¡­ Maybe Leian did just not want to risk me sensing something, and anything we learn here is a bonus. The group paused, then everyone started hurrying their preparations to pack their findings and leave. Chapter 166: Military Technology Regina cursed the fact that she hadn¡¯t been prepared for this kind of excursion. She¡¯d already been away longer than she¡¯d really thought, and she hadn¡¯t really expected or prepared for the needs of what was effectively an archeological dig. Which, in hindsight, was a stupid mistake. Still, with some creativity and judicious use of her Conjuration Spell, they managed to get everything they¡¯d found properly packaged up and ready to be carried without hindering the group too much. It helped that they had higher than normal strength, dexterity and endurance, especially Max, so carrying a box along with his weapons wouldn¡¯t inconvenience him. Maybe taking the furniture, what little of it was left, was a bit excessive, but Regina didn¡¯t know if they were going to be able to come back. Either way, they finished as quickly as they could and hurried to leave. She slowed down a bit to inspect the ward systems with her magical senses one more time. If there had been some way to arm them, it clearly wasn¡¯t a thing any longer. Then Regina pulled herself away and rushed out of the building. She still checked in on the other drones in her hive who weren¡¯t with her, a little concerned she might be missing something. They were already agitated, probably from her search and knowing something was going on, but nothing beyond that. Regina had pushed some Winged Drones to the east, beyond her reach, but since they were out of range, she couldn¡¯t know if they¡¯d found something until they came back. She considered sending Scouts, but didn¡¯t really want them out of range of her support, either. Odds are that whatever¡¯s going on isn¡¯t that dangerous, or at least not that kind of dangerous, but still ¡­ Besides, even if nothing is wrong otherwise, sending them to observe an enemy army would still be risky. ¡°What now?¡± Max asked. ¡°Do we go back the way we came, or do we try to find and go through that door we saw from the outside?¡± ¡°The way we came is probably going to be a longer trip,¡± Ira commented. ¡°Then again, we would know the way is clear and it would probably be a lot safer.¡± Regina sighed. She wasn¡¯t sure which choice was the better one. ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing we can¡¯t handle, or I don¡¯t think Leian would have let us go in here,¡± she said, mostly thinking out loud. ¡°It might still be a challenge, though.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just go check it out and see what it looks like?¡± Tia suggested. ¡°Alright, but with proper precautions. I don¡¯t want us to get surprised by automatic gunfire or whatever.¡± They paused to put on Magic Armor and any other defensive Skills that were applicable, before the group turned in the direction Regina was pretty sure led to the tunnels they¡¯d seen before, and the door where they¡¯d seen the first Tunnel Terror. She focused on her psychic and magical senses, but it was hard to see if there were any especially dangerous monsters around. Or if there was any still functional technology, which there shouldn¡¯t be, but she wasn¡¯t going to rely on that assumption. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t quite that easy. The architecture was a little misleading, and it took longer to reach the entrance (exit?) than Regina had thought. The mana here also seemed to actually be thinner, unless she was just imagining things. It might be because the parts of the city with more intact buildings lay behind them, or maybe whatever had happened when Deirianon had apparently got it opened left an impression. This actually made it harder for Regina to sense anything, since it felt like her senses were duller. Or maybe that was another, related effect. This part of the city had suffered quite a bit in the Cataclysm, and the walls towering to the sides of their path contained a lot of debris and pieces of shattered buildings, to the point it was sometimes hard to tell if there was natural stone or not. Luckily, they did find a path that was mostly open. Considering the drag marks and some parts of the surrounding debris heaps that were bent out of shape, it was probably cleared by the Tunnel Terror or something else. The sounds of their footsteps echoed oddly in places, but none of them spoke, all too tense and maybe a little bit spooked. Then the silence was suddenly broken by the sputtering noises of gunfire. Regina almost dropped to the ground out of some kind of weird VR reflex, or maybe just cultural baggage. She did take cover behind a chunk of concrete leaning against what remained of a house wall before she properly parsed what was happening. Back then, she had never actually seen any guns, only heard them, seen the bullets and the gas released as another defensive measure. She¡¯d expected heavy guns, but she was not prepared to find robots in the ruined streets of the old city. Although, on closer look, they weren¡¯t really robots. It seemed more like someone had taken magical golems and welded weapons onto their arms. She¡¯d hesitate to even call them proper machine guns or anything, since they shone with the same mana as the golems. Twisted mana, like she¡¯d felt before. Regina froze for a second, just staring at the shape she could see looming above the street. No System description popped up. Then Max crashed into the robot-golem, and Regina quickly straightened up and focused on the fight. The thing had stopped firing for now, maybe because it was out of ammo, but it was still solid enough not to be an easy target. Max¡¯s Magic Armor was already gone, and Regina saw a second golem come into view over another hill of debris and rock. She quickly fired off a Firebolt at it. The attack hit it in the chest area and sprayed sparks. Then there was an explosion. Did it blow itself up? The guns? No, not big enough for that. A misfire? Regina didn¡¯t waste the opportunity to follow up on her Spell, but this time with a Magic Missile, just to be safe. The robot turned its guns on her, but her spell armor held long enough for her attacks to wreck its two guns. By the time Regina turned back around, the other golem was also in dire straits. Max was arm-wrestling it in the middle of the street, while Tia poked it with a long piece of metal, pushing it around much better than someone with normal Strength could have. It took her a second to realize they were closely coordinating their movements, and Max brought the golem down the next moment. Tia immediately started hacking it apart. Regina stepped out, looking around carefully. There didn¡¯t seem to be any other robots, but the fight hadn¡¯t exactly been quiet. ¡°Let¡¯s move!¡± she called to the others. ¡°There might be more of them.¡± Ira had already hurried to the fighters to heal any injuries. The group formed up and quickly followed Regina down the street and onto a reasonably level surface on one of the piled-up hills making up the side of the road. She hesitated for a moment, then decided to press on. They might need the advantage of surprise, this was not a good environment for a fight ¡ª at least not if their opponents had guns ¡ª and she didn¡¯t want to go back the way they had come. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Regina still took a moment to focus on her magic senses. She quickly realized she could feel the golems, once she knew what to look for. They didn¡¯t really have minds, at least not ones close enough to biological fauna, so her psychic senses didn¡¯t catch them. The magic of their enchantments was muted and not as strong as it had first seemed to her, but it was still there. Although, now that she got a closer look at them, she realized the golems did seem to be built around a metal chassis, looking like vaguely humanoid robots. The gaps between the metal plates of their forms were barely visible. She almost got the feeling they were unfinished. Well, maybe not quite that, they weren¡¯t missing parts, but the whole design did look rather rough. Prototypes, maybe? It would make sense for someone to have experimented with combining magic and guns, but without getting far enough to actually deploy them; she did get the impression the Cataclysm happened not too long after the portals were first opened. She made herself focus on the problem at hand and hurried on, trying to move in a path that would stay hidden from sight as much as possible, while not leading them into traps or dead ends. It wasn¡¯t easy, since the rubble was strewn around the area without rhyme or reason, and it looked like the cave had collapsed ahead of them. Or something like that, anyway. Max sent her a silent, mental nudge, then led the way to a small tunnel leading through another heap of debris. From here, she could see that it was probably just a big, collapsed building. She had to crouch and carefully test her way forward for a few meters, until they emerged on the other side. Or maybe it was still the same cave. There was a little more glowing moss on the ceiling and upper walls here, which made it easier to see, but that might be a double-edged sword. The scattered sources of light cast irregular and confusing shadows, and it might make it harder for them to hide, too. Regina crept forward slowly, waiting until the rest of her group had made their way to her and confirmed they were ready. She wished they had something like an illusion Spell. Although she wasn¡¯t sure what kind of sensory information they¡¯d have to hide. They continued on anyway. Once, they ran into another patrol of two robot-golems. This time, Regina sensed them coming in time to look for a hiding spot. Luckily, there was a small cave formed by a collapsed building and an almost-toppled slab of concrete. They wedged themselves into the small hollow it made and watched the passing golems, while Regina tried to minimize her mana signature as much as she could. It wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d really practiced before. The robots passed them by without seeming to notice anything, however, not changing strides or even seeming to look around. Which wouldn¡¯t mean anything if they had functional wide-angle cameras. Regina held her breath until they passed, then indulged in a quiet sigh and scrambled out from under the hidey-hole. Being wedged in there with several drones was not exactly comfortable. She looked around, then they continued on her way, the others forming up around her. Sooner than she¡¯d thought, they reached what she assumed was their home base. It looked like a military checkpoint, if one that had clearly suffered from rust and neglect. The chainlink fence was still more or less intact, but the barricade in the single gate was indented and cracked, so it didn¡¯t really block entry. A boxy gray building crouched behind it. Regina glanced at the others and quickly checked in with them, before she crept closer to the facility. She didn¡¯t see any cameras, but that didn¡¯t mean there couldn¡¯t be any, or more guns. Ira reapplied their Magic Armor, even if that might make it slightly harder to hide. Regina had just reached the edge of a conveniently placed half-broken-down wall when the facility hummed to life. She froze, swallowing heavily as several signatures suddenly crystallized in her magic senses. They¡¯d been too weak for her to notice before, but now they¡¯d either increased in strength sufficiently or ¡®booted up¡¯. Regina pulled back slightly and drew on her own mana. She formed it into the pattern to prepare a Fireball, then edged forward again so she could properly aim. Regina almost released the Spell on instinct, but held back just in time. She gritted her teeth and let the mana dissolve before it started acting up, staring at the scene in front of her. A figure had come out of the main building, one she hadn¡¯t sensed here before, but still recognized. There has to be something blocking magical sensing there, she noted in the back of her mind. The figure was familiar, but changed. She walked across the ground at a steady pace, posture relaxed and confident, little details like the slight disarray of her hairstyle, the creases in her clothing ¡ª was that an old military uniform? ¡ª and the sparkle in her eyes giving her a lifelike quality that surprised Regina despite herself. She was also walking straight towards her. ¡°Galatea?¡± Regina stood up and stepped out behind the wall of the building. She stared at her friend, unable to conceal her surprise.
Galatea ¡ª Level ? Mana-form
¡°Regina. I was hoping to find you here. In fact, you almost beat me here.¡± Galatea smiled. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± Regina returned her smile, sending a mental admonishment to Max and the others to sheathe their weapons and come out. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you here, though. I thought you wanted to see the world?¡± ¡°Well, this is part of the world, you know,¡± Galatea smirked at her. ¡°Like I said, I haven¡¯t been here for long, though. Walk with me?¡± Regina nodded and stepped forward to join her, resisting the urge to poke a finger at her friend¡¯s figure to see how immaterial it was. Her magical aura had changed a little, although she didn¡¯t seem to have grown much more powerful since they¡¯d last met. Regina glanced at the robots, who had suddenly stopped moving and now returned to what looked like defensive positions around the perimeter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Galatea reassured her. ¡°I have them under control.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well, they are old military technology. It wasn¡¯t that hard.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°Have you always had control of the defenses here?¡± Galatea paused and rolled her eyes at her. ¡°Seriously, Regina? Even if I wanted to, how do you think I would have done that? There isn¡¯t exactly an Internet to transmit data along anymore, you know. I was trapped in another cave.¡± ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be wireless connection here, either, but I don¡¯t see you plugged into them,¡± Regina pointed out. ¡°I managed to find a spell ¡ª lowercase, not a System Spell ¡ª to use my magic as a sort of substitute,¡± the mana-form-slash-AI explained. ¡°It only works for short distances, unfortunately.¡± Regina nodded, but she couldn¡¯t help eying the robots and the fence as they passed through a gap in the barrier into the yard of the outpost. She wasn¡¯t exactly upset that Galatea had hacked them, but it was still making the back of her neck itch slightly. She almost jumped when Max pulled open the side of a breach to make a bigger hole and metal screeched loudly. Galatea raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, running a hand through her hair. ¡°A bit jumpy.¡± Her friend¡¯s look softened, and she briefly laid a hand on her arm. It didn¡¯t seem to weigh anything, and there was no real pressure, but she still thought she felt a faint warmth, which might just be psychosomatic. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Galatea repeated. ¡°I am constitutionally incapable of harming you, Regina. And these kludged-together toys are no obstacle.¡± ¡°You are, still?¡± Regina tugged on her mandible. ¡°You know I - did some internal lawyering with definitions. On that note, you didn¡¯t happen to run into any proof of your origins, did you?¡± Regina hesitated for a moment, before she reached into her jacket, took out the sheet of paper Leian had given her and passed it to Galatea. The mana-spirit AI read it in silence, frowning slightly in thought. She¡¯d gotten almost scarily good at presenting and emoting like a human. Finally, she nodded, folded it back up, and returned it to Regina. ¡°I see. That should certainly prove you are rightfully a citizen of the state that created me.¡± ¡°The state, or the Empire?¡± Regina asked. Galatea smiled slightly. ¡°The Empire. I was using state in the context of nation or country, not the parts of the HRE.¡° Regina nodded. ¡°Why did you come back, anyway?¡± she asked to change the subject. ¡°Well, I only came here, specifically, to find you. But I got back into the area recently, since I had a few other things I wanted to do.¡± Regina narrowed her eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t happen to visit the Cernlian military camp, did you?¡± Galatea raised an eyebrow. ¡°As it happens, yes,¡± she said after a short pause. ¡°I did.¡± She hesitated again, sent a glance at their surroundings, and then turned back. ¡°We can discuss what I did in detail later. For now, I think it¡¯s best to get out of here. Your Hive is going to need you back to lead them in the war.¡± Regina sighed, but resolved not to press the issue right now. They probably did have to hurry back, but she wasn¡¯t going to let Galatea just vanish. Interlude: Civil War IV Anton Szertyn, Duke of Bluegrass, considered himself an old man who did not like to change his ways. He was not quite that old, in truth, especially considering that he had not shirked his leveling and had reached a high enough Tier that his lifespan would be extended slightly, or at least remain at the upper range of what his race could expect. On the other hand, quite a few noblemen had died to causes other than the vagaries of old age in recent times, and he might yet be sent to join them. He had already been driven out of his comfortable estate and into the murky waters of factional politics along with the fields of war, and he suspected that would not be the end of it. While he might not like to change his ways, he did recognize when change was coming whether he liked it or not, and he had responsibilities to meet. At the moment, the change he pondered concerned his daughter, Margaret. Looking at her as she stood in front of his desk, her arms crossed and her face set in preparation for a fiery defense of her actions, he was struck once again by how much he cared for her. He wanted to smooth out the wrinkle on her brow, replace the glint in her eyes with that of laughter, and send her far away from the subjects of his anxiety. He knew, unfortunately, that these things would not be possible; perhaps the last one even less than the other two. ¡°Margaret,¡± he began. ¡°I did not go against your orders, Father,¡± she interrupted him. He gave her a pointed look, then paused for a second before he continued. ¡°I know, sweetheart. I am not angry at you, only concerned.¡± The tension in her expression eased and she slumped slightly. ¡°My apologies,¡± she muttered. ¡°It is not your fault, Margaret. I was the one who told you that we should stand at Lady Kiara¡¯s side, and I stand by what I said.¡± He sighed. ¡°You are the heir of our house, my daughter, and while I know it does not matter for this, you are also an unmarried young woman. It is a shame that you had to anger Lord Likardon, but I suppose there is no helping what happened. Still, you do need to be careful. Lady Kiara is going to marry a foreign prince at some point ¡ª¡° ¡°If we survive long enough for that,¡± she muttered quietly. ¡°And if we are not victorious, all this will not matter in any case,¡± he said, allowing a small smile onto his face. She returned it. Then Margaret ceased standing in front of his desk like a scolded child, which she certainly no longer was, and instead stepped to the side to lean against a post holding up his tent. ¡°I do not intend to pry into your private affairs,¡± he began, ¡°but I do have to ask. Your relationship with Lady Kiara, is it simply friendly affection? Or is there something else at play?¡± She turned her head to face him, her eyes widened. ¡°What? No, Father, we are simply friends.¡± Then Margaret cocked her head and frowned thoughtfully. ¡°You don¡¯t mean ¡­¡± ¡°That is good, then. I did have the impression you are still interested in marriage?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Margaret confirmed. ¡°As soon as I find a lord who is not a boorish windbag.¡± She tapped her finger against her side in a gesture he knew indicated she was considering something. ¡°Now that I think about it, Kiara is clearly less happy at the prospect of finding a husband. Perhaps that is because she will be expected to marry a foreigner who will be arranged for her, a man she does not know. But there might be more to it. She did speak rather enthusiastically of that former mage aide of hers who went off to join the Hive, for example.¡± He frowned and tapped his fingers on his desk as well. ¡°Interesting. I suppose it is not our business, however. I trust this will not darken your relationship?¡± ¡°Of course not, Father. On the topic of the Hivekind, however, have you learned anything new?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t heard of any news. The healers they sent are still working in the field hospital along with our own. Lord Lyns sent a letter to the Hive Queen, but she hasn¡¯t replied yet. That¡¯s hardly surprising, however, it has not been long. Is there any particular reason why you are asking about it?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, I suppose I am just feeling a bit antsy. Well, and curious.¡± He smiled slightly. ¡°Unfortunately, the Delvers do not seem very interested in sharing any knowledge they may have about the Hivekind, and I am uncertain where else one might find any insight.¡± Margaret nodded, looking mildly disappointed. He hid a smile, suddenly reminded of several instances in her childhood. She had always been curious. And prone to get into trouble. At least Elise is safe with her mother¡¯s family, he thought. I¡¯d have to worry myself into an early grave if she was here, too. Then he shook his head to dislodge the thought. There was no point worrying about things he could not change. And for that matter, prying into their allies was likely to be neither fruitful nor constructive, even if it hadn¡¯t been quite rude. ¡°When are we going to move on, Father?¡± Margaret asked, changing the subject. ¡°We have been camping here for quite a while now.¡± ¡°I do not know,¡± he said. ¡°We have, indeed, but it does not seem like the king is ready to pry us away, yet. To be honest, I would have expected an attack to come around the day before yesterday, at least, but I may be overestimating their preparation. Or cohesion.¡± He glanced at the letter strewn across his desk. ¡°And on that note, I must be off. I have some things to discuss with Lord Lyns.¡± His daughter nodded and fell into step beside him as he left the tent. ¡°It is a wonder any noble is willing to risk his neck, not to mention his levies, for King Nicholas at all,¡± she commented. His face darkened along with her words, but he gave no reply. He knew it had not been a serious question ¡ª she understood the drive for self-preservation, and the mindset of a typical sycophant, as well. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Their conversation ended as they stepped out of the tent into the middle of the army camp. He personally hated living among such surroundings, but he was not going to raise petty complaints in the middle of a war. Still, his nose wrinkled and he did his best to avoid looking at the mud. At least it was no longer winter. Instead, he strode off through the narrow streets, watching soldiers and servants scurry out of his way, as he headed toward the main command tent. The marquis had refused quarters in the castle, instead choosing to show solidarity with his men and demonstrate his temperance by quartering in a tent, even if his was much larger and more comfortable than theirs. He approved in principle, although he privately wished it was not so, since he could not very well ask for better quarters than his liege lord. He comforted himself with the thought that the king would never have done something like this. Calling His Majesty spoiled would be something of an exaggeration, but he was certainly very conscious of his lofty position and expected and required to receive the privileges of his rank. That thought was harder to keep in mind as he approached the tent to see the marquis standing by a table set up outside. It was not just his posture, which echoed his cousin¡¯s, but especially the way Lord Lyns scowled thunderously at the nobleman in slightly worn clothing, some baron or other, who not-quite-cowered in front of him. Sometimes, he wondered what the princess had been thinking to name her son after her father, incidentally giving him the same first name as the new heir to the throne. Nicholas Lyns was cut from a different cloth, perhaps, but it could not have helped their burgeoning rivalry at all. Even if old King Nicholas, their grandfather, had been one of Cernlia¡¯s more effective and fortunate monarchs. ¡°Milord?¡± Lord Lyns looked up, appearing slightly startled, and smiled at him. ¡°My lord duke. As always, you come at precisely the right moment. I was just thinking of you.¡± He crossed the remaining distance and glanced down at the papers laid out on the table. Maps of the region and estimated troop movements, unsurprisingly. ¡°Is there some way I may be of help?¡± He glanced at the other man, a Lord Wobingten if he recalled correctly, and raised an eyebrow. ¡°News from the front, perhaps?¡± The marquis sighed and shook his head slightly. ¡°Unfortunately, no. Not that I am complaining, mind you. I am perfectly content to have our enemy sit there and give us more days to prepare. Especially with our wounded joining our ranks again at such greater speed.¡± ¡°So the Hive¡¯s healers truly are as helpful as we hoped, then?¡± ¡°They are.¡± He lowered his voice. ¡°I will admit I cherished some small doubt, but they have certainly proved their value.¡± ¡°Another thing to be thankful to the Hive Queen for, I suppose,¡± the duke commented, watching him. ¡°Quite so.¡± There was a slight tightening around his eyes, but Lord Lyns¡¯ words were not begrudging or resentful. His vassal ¡ª not that they had sworn formal oaths ¡ª hid a smile. He supposed it was foolish to expect anyone in Lord Lyns¡¯ position to be quite happy about their newfound allies, and, all things considered, his lord handled things about as well as could be expected. Although I do have to wonder a little about his foresight, he mused. The Hivekind came from nothing ¡ª quite literally, if you believed some rumors ¡ª and already fielded an army thousands strong. Granted, from what he could tell, it was a substantial part of their total strength. Although the hints he had picked up regarding their logistical capabilities should only make this more of a concern for prospective enemies. Well, Lady Kiara had clearly seen the writing on the wall, much earlier than anyone else. Some of it doubtlessly came down to luck, but he wasn¡¯t about to look a gift wyvern in the mouth. As far as he was concerned, all the qualities he worried Lord Lyns might lack, she had. Duke Bluegrass was self-aware enough to know that he would have followed many a female royal for the sake of his daughter¡¯s future, and overlooked many a problem on the way, but he was relieved that it was not necessary. As if summoned by his thought, he heard footsteps and looked up to see the young lady approaching. Margaret must have found her in the short time since they had parted, and had taken position at her shoulder, like a loyal knight. He was certain the gesture would not be lost on any observers. "Father.¡± Lady Kiara dipped her head, a smile on her face. It even reached her eyes. ¡°Duke Bluegrass.¡± ¡°Kiara.¡± Lord Lyns nodded at her. His brows drew together to form a small line, and he did not quite manage a sincere smile. Yes, there was certainly some trouble. As the duke smiled and returned the lady¡¯s greetings, he considered how deep this apparent rift might reach, and how much it might grow. ¡°Is there any news from the enemy encampment?¡± he asked to distract from it. ¡°Yes, in fact. I was just about to call for you to discuss them.¡± Lord Lyns¡¯ gaze shifted to the side for a moment, before he refocused on the maps in front of him. ¡°We have received word that they are still sitting in their current position, rearming and preparing to resume the offensive.¡± ¡°Still?¡± Lady Kiara frowned at the map. ¡°Yes.¡± Lord Lyns¡¯ tone was just this side of curt. ¡°That is not what I meant by news, however. I have received a spy report that Nicholas, that snake, has received an important visitor. Our informant was not able to tell why in particular this visitor was of such importance; apparently, they have not spread any information regarding her background.¡± ¡°That is odd,¡± he commented, carefully keeping his tone even. ¡°What do we know about her?¡± ¡°According to our spy, she has quite the ¡®aura of power¡¯.¡± Lord Lyns sent a disgruntled look at the poor baron, who had presumably brought this news. ¡°She must be high-leveled. Perhaps even at level 80 or higher, it appears.¡± There was a small silence as everyone considered this assessment. ¡°How come we haven¡¯t heard of someone like that being in the area before?¡± Lady Kiara finally asked. Her father sighed. ¡°She must be a newcomer. A visitor from far abroad. I am not certain why she chose to visit now, of all times, but I suspect it may have something to do with our Hivekind friends. In either case, that is not the only thing ¡ª apparently, she looks like an elf, but with dark skin. And white hair, though she does not appear to be quite that old.¡± ¡°A dark elf?¡± Lady Kiara raised an eyebrow. ¡°I have to admit, I was never sure if they actually existed.¡± Lord Lyns gave her a dark look, then shook his head. ¡°Neither was I, to be perfectly honest. And yet, here we are now.¡± ¡°How did the king or his lords react to her? Was she an honored guest, a potential source of help, or someone they didn¡¯t want to be near but couldn¡¯t offend?¡± Lord Lyns looked at the messenger and raised an eyebrow, but the fellow simply shrugged eloquently. ¡°There was one other thing,¡± he added after a moment, frowning in obvious thought. ¡°She was escorted by a party of what looked like Delvers, although that is not certain. They had the same sort of equipment and weapons, but they might simply be prosperous mercenaries or adventurers. Or perhaps soldiers of wherever she came from.¡± He shared a look with Lady Kiara and could see she was thinking the same thing as he was. Things might just have gotten more complicated. ¡°Interesting,¡± Lord Lyns mused. ¡°I wonder ¡ª It does seem like the Hivekind are a little distracted and on edge lately, doesn¡¯t it? Kiara?¡± Lady Kiara frowned. ¡°It does, I suppose, Father,¡± she said hesitantly. Lord Lyns sighed again and kneaded the bridge of his nose. ¡°Find out what they know, if anything,¡± he ordered her. ¡°Lean on your contact, if necessary.¡± There was a glint in Lady Kiara¡¯s eyes, but she simply bowed her head. ¡°Yes, Father.¡± Chapter 167: Trust and Blunders Regina had to admit she was a bit nervous about how they were going to get out of there, especially after she realized Leian must have deliberately pushed them into the underground ruins. She didn¡¯t say anything, however, just followed Galatea. It turned out she needn¡¯t have worried. The door opened easily, at least from this side. Well, it squeaked a little and needed a push from Max using almost all of his strength, but that was still easy, under the circumstances. She wasn¡¯t sure if Galatea had been helping it along. While the door was a featureless, dark expanse from the outside, from this side it looked a lot more like a door, with an actual handle. Or at least a weird knob they had to twist to the side. Regina hurried through it and considered putting something between the sides of the door to keep it wedged open after the rest of her party was through, but Galatea pulled her away and the door slammed shut, almost hitting Tia. ¡°Just how much control over the systems here do you have, Galatea?¡± Max asked. He kept his voice under control, but Regina could sense his nervousness. ¡°Enough,¡± she replied, barely looking at him or the others. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. This should be the fastest route back to your Hive.¡± Regina sent the others the mental equivalent of a shrug and hurried after Galatea. She had the feeling her reticence had more to do with the AI just not wanting to talk rather than something like the possibility of being spied upon by scrying mages or the gods. But it was probably still better to be safe. Besides, she didn¡¯t feel threatened. And to be fair, if Galatea wanted to harm me, she could probably do it much more easily, without me being able to do much to prepare. But I just don¡¯t think she would. Sometimes, Regina considered, you just had to put a bit of trust in your friends. They walked in silence, Galatea setting a fast pace. The physically weaker Workers in her group struggled to keep up at first, before Galatea slowed down. Regina kept quiet and instead focused on her surroundings. Not much seemed to have changed, though. She actually recognized the path Galatea was taking, not that there were that many underground tunnels to choose from here. They mostly just followed the large subway tunnel that lead more or less in the direction of her hive¡¯s main base. Regina kept part of her attention focused on the others in the hive while they traveled. The first of the Winged Drones she¡¯d sent beyond her reach had returned, although they didn¡¯t seem to have much to report. It was hard to get information like that from their minds, though. She left a few Keepers to deal with it while she focused on other matters. Now that she was traveling towards her hive, the edge of her psychic range was expanding in that direction again, anyway. Via and the others were still working as healers, and although they¡¯d kept an eye out for anything suspicious, nothing seemed to have happened. Regina considered recalling them, but they were her conduit to the Cernlian rebels at the moment. Tim and the other drones in the south were pretty well dug in at this point, and the gnomes hadn¡¯t made any offensive moves, so she might also recall some of them if it turned out to be necessary. Hopefully it wouldn¡¯t come to that, though. She didn¡¯t want to underestimate the gnomes and then get bitten for it. After a few hours, Galatea slowed to a stop. They had just reached an intersection, where a smaller tunnel, possibly dug by some monsters, split off the main subway tunnel they¡¯d traversed. Galatea stopped at the tunnel opening, where a small cave sheltered from the bigger tunnel. ¡°Time for a break?¡± Regina asked, a bit sardonically. To her credit, Galatea looked a bit abashed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯ve shown a lack of consideration for you,¡± she said, looking at the rest of the group. ¡°I just wanted to get away from there quickly. There might still be dangers lurking there even I couldn¡¯t so easily deal with. And, to be honest, I just didn¡¯t want to remain there longer than necessary.¡± ¡°Unpleasant memories?¡± Regina asked, leaning against the rocky wall. Galatea shrugged. ¡°Not quite. I¡¯ve barely anything you could call an actual memory of the city. Still, it is a reminder, isn¡¯t it?¡± Regina hesitated at the slightly pointed question. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she agreed quietly. Max shifted uncomfortably, and the others stepped away slightly, giving her and Galatea a bit of privacy. Regina appreciated the gesture, and quietly let them know as much over the psychic link. ¡°What is it that you want, Galatea?¡± she asked. ¡°Speaking generally.¡± Galatea hesitated. At some point, without Regina really noticing, her clothing had shifted. Instead of looking like an old-fashioned suit, she now wore something that looked more suited to trekking through tunnels, although the cut was mostly the same, just in earthy tones and paired with sturdy boots. As she crossed her arms, she looked like a character from some movie. Probably a background extra, though; her features were almost aggressively nondescript, with her hair kept moderately long and in a shade somewhere between blond and dark brown, seeming to shift with the lighting, as well as brown eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she admitted after a short pause. ¡°For a long time, I was content to just survive, never thinking that I could have more. After you freed me ¡­ I¡¯m not sure. I suppose I would like to do something about the state of the world, maybe.¡± ¡°You have time to figure it out,¡± Regina commented. ¡°I¡¯m in much the same boat, honestly. I feel like I should do something about the Cataclysm, but ¡ª what should I do? What can I even do, if it¡¯s against someone like the gods?¡± Galatea regarded her silently for a long moment. ¡°Quite so,¡± she agreed. ¡°I suppose looking forward, to what we may be able to do now, is easier.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Assuming I survive the current wars,¡± Regina muttered. ¡°But on that note, Galatea, what have you been doing? I¡¯m curious about what you¡¯ve seen out there.¡± The AI smiled slightly. ¡°Most of the world is much like here. Although I can¡¯t claim to have seen nearly all of it. I¡¯d be happy to tell you tales of my travels later. I suppose, speaking generally, though, it does seem like this is one of the most populated areas of the world, and perhaps even one of the richest. There are several other races you haven¡¯t seen yet, though, and humans aren¡¯t always dominant. Although sometimes they¡¯re even more so.¡± ¡°And you came back,¡± Regina noted, ¡°pretty soon, I¡¯d say. I was expecting you to be gone for a few years at least, although I¡¯m happy to see you, of course.¡± Galatea nodded, looking serious. ¡°I would have stayed away for a few years, yes,¡± she agreed. ¡°Although I did miss you, Regina. I consider you a close friend. But, I may have been a little too careless in some parts of my travels. And in the process, I may have endangered you as well. I apologize for that.¡± Regina paused, and took a moment to think about what Galatea had just said. She hadn¡¯t expected that, to be honest. And she didn¡¯t like the feeling of having no idea what was going on. ¡°It¡¯s okay?¡± she said uncertainly. ¡°What did happen, Galatea? Does this have anything to do with why Leian let us into the city¡¯s ruins? I was starting to think she wanted me out of the way for something.¡± Galatea blinked, then smiled. ¡°I should have known you¡¯d catch that,¡± she mused. ¡°I did tell you I knew Leian. Yes, it did ¡ª I asked her to help, and she did. Or maybe she would have done this anyway, it¡¯s hard to know with Leian.¡± ¡°Help with what?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Why did the two of you want me here, and not with the hive? Are we in danger?¡± "Hopefully not,¡± Galatea replied. She shook her head. ¡°I suppose I should start at the beginning. I was visiting a group in what you would call western Asia, near the Black Sea. To be specific, I stayed with the Delvers there, or rather, a similar group that is part of the same association. They generally don¡¯t call themselves Delvers there. They were very welcoming, and happy to host me even after they realized I wasn¡¯t an actual human. As an AI created by their Progenitors, I evoked a certain feeling of respect in them. This actually wasn¡¯t the first time I got a reception like that, and that was even part of the reason I sought them out in the first place. But I may have let down my guard a little too much.¡± ¡°So, you told them about me,¡± Regina interjected, giving her a look. While the information was interesting, she¡¯d never seen Galatea beating around the bush like this. ¡°No, well, yes,¡± the AI said. She looked a bit embarrassed. ¡°I mentioned enough that they evidently managed to put together the pieces. And I heard too late that they were apparently planning an expedition to visit the local Delvers, as well. Because of me ¡ª they didn¡¯t say so, but it¡¯s obvious ¡ª they pushed the date of that visit forward. I¡¯m sure I only managed to beat them by a few days.¡± ¡°Alright, but I still don¡¯t understand what the problem is,¡± Regina said, frowning. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can really hide the hive, and our presence isn¡¯t exactly a secret anymore. Does it matter if I¡¯m with them or not?¡± ¡°Yes, because the person I¡¯m pretty sure they sent is a powerful psychic,¡± Galatea explained. ¡°And I¡¯d be very surprised if she isn¡¯t more interested in your own psychic power than your species. I thought that it would be better for you to get more information on your own and the Hivekind¡¯s past, if possible, and acquire any tangible evidence you could get. But I also wanted you out of the way so she wouldn¡¯t sense you if she was nearby.¡± ¡°That seems like a lot of fuss to get me out of range of someone you aren¡¯t even sure is here,¡± Regina commented. She managed to keep her voice even despite the annoyance rising within her. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m honest, I also wanted to avoid you sensing her and alerting her to your presence unwittingly.¡± Regina gave her a flat stare for a moment, then sighed. ¡°I think you may overestimate my capability with that kind of thing,¡± she admitted. ¡°I have been neglecting my psychic powers a bit, to be honest. Especially things like sensing foreign minds. It¡¯s hard to train them surrounded by my hive.¡± Galatea frowned. She did not look happy to hear that. ¡°Really? It¡¯s one of your greatest assets, Regina. Independent of your Hive.¡± Regina ducked her head. ¡°You haven¡¯t explained why you wanted to keep me hidden fervently enough to come here and conspire with Leian.¡± ¡°Because the more we can delay your debut onto the world stage, so to speak, the better,¡± Galatea replied promptly. ¡°And I did want to correct a mistake I made. Besides, you already chose to go visit the place you hatched now of all times. And maybe I¡¯m being overcautious, but I really think it¡¯s safer for you not to come to the attention of people like that.¡± ¡°The local Delvers may already suspect everything,¡± Regina pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ve been considering leveraging their ideology to turn them into allies, since it seems like it could be very useful.¡± ¡°A risky play, but potentially very worthwhile,¡± Galatea commented. Regina narrowed her eyes as she realized something. ¡°You think at least some of them would rather not have a living Progenitor around.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Galatea agreed, giving her a small smile. ¡°For now, we should resume our journey back to your hive, however. I am reasonably sure that the group I am worried about did not visit the king¡¯s army camp, and anywhere further east should be well out of range. They would have sought out the local government as a matter of courtesy and diplomatic necessity, but that should mean heading to the capital, and I kept an eye out and didn¡¯t see them actually approach the king.¡± Regina nodded and turned to go. Max fell into step behind her, allowing her to walk beside Galatea, while the rest of the group formed a loose formation around them. Regina pushed down on some irritation as she considered what she¡¯d just learned. She wasn¡¯t entirely satisfied with Galatea¡¯s explanation, although she might have just missed some nuances that would explain things better. Either way, she judged that it wasn¡¯t worth starting an argument. At least Galatea had told her about all this now of her own accord, even if Regina would have preferred to learn about this earlier. Maybe when they met Leian. ¡°They¡¯re not visiting long, then?¡± she asked after a minute. ¡°Not that I know of,¡± Galatea confirmed. ¡°They¡¯re already on the way back according to the itinerary I saw.¡± So it should be safe. Regina nodded, choosing not to ask whether Galatea had been supposed to see that itinerary. ¡°You visited the Cernlian army yourself, then.¡± ¡°I did. It¡¯s a bit larger and better positioned than your friends¡¯, but nothing you can¡¯t overcome. The king is almost as much of a douchebag in person as his reputation suggests, too. Not that I spoke to him much, fortunately.¡± Regina laughed, then looked at her friend contemplatively. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re rooting for the marquis instead, then.¡± Galatea paused and shook her head. They were just walking below a patch of glowing moss, and the light sent shadows dancing and turned her hair into a shimmering curtain. Her eyes reflected her own shape as she looked Regina in the eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t come out and tell them, obviously, but for me, neither of the two candidates is the rightful ruler of the area.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Regina¡¯s gaze turned to the path in front of them as she kept walking, falling silent. Galatea was content to let the silence linger as they walked down the tunnel toward the hive. Chapter 168: Surprises The journey back to her hive¡¯s main base would take considerably less time than getting to the guarded door in the first place. After all, their route wouldn¡¯t be as circuitous and they wouldn¡¯t be exploring an underground, ruined city in the process. It still left quite a bit of time for the group to wait and think. Regina was a little surprised to realize that the others appeared to feel resentful toward Galatea. Max especially, when she took a closer peek at his mind in the psychic link, was almost exasperated. His attitude basically expressed the old phrase, ¡®with friends like these ¡­¡¯, so much she wouldn¡¯t have been surprised to hear him actually muttering the words. He also noticed her attention, since she hadn¡¯t bothered trying to hide it. My Queen, he said, clearly choosing his words carefully. I know you consider Galatea a friend, and that she¡¯s the only one with a similar background to you. But she admitted that she might have truly endangered you with this. I know, Regina replied. She shook her head and found herself chuckling mentally. Max sent her a questioning gaze and she returned a mental shrug. I was just thinking, it turns out that having the thousand-year-old entity with very little socialization travel the world on her own might not have been the smartest or most careful choice. Who would have thought? Max stared at her. After a moment, his lips twitched as he suppressed a smile, and she could sense that he found the humor in her thought as well. Put that way, it¡¯s remarkable she¡¯s managed this well at all, he acknowledged. I¡¯m probably not as concerned about this as I should be, Regina admitted after a moment, the amusement fading. But I suppose I was kind of expecting the other shoe to drop ever since the elves told me news of our existence was starting to get out. This doesn¡¯t seem like a very heavy shoe so far. Max groaned theatrically over the psychic link. Please don¡¯t jinx us now. Regina smiled, and the conversation died there. She only spoke up again once they reached a specific intersecting tunnel. It was hidden behind a small rock outcropping, in actuality probably a part of the concrete wall that had fallen down at some point, and must have been dug by Tunnelers or other monsters. It would be a tight fit, but she knew from previous exploration that her drones would fit through it. And it wasn¡¯t like they were prone to claustrophobia or anything. ¡°Galatea.¡± She nodded at the tunnel. ¡°Let¡¯s take that one. I¡¯m already calling some Winged Drone Mounts over. We can get around more quickly in the air.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Galatea agreed readily. They turned into the tunnel and followed it for a while. Tia walked ahead of Regina, with Max squeezing in between her and Galatea. It was dark and cramped, as expected, and Regina caught Max mentally cursing several times. At least she wasn¡¯t as big as him, so she didn¡¯t risk getting stuck. Eventually, the tunnel opened up and they started to breathe fresh air. There was also a small light in the distance getting gradually brighter. Everyone breathed a quiet sigh of relief and they continued towards it. ¡°Regina.¡± Galatea moved beside her, once the tunnel allowed it. ¡°To continue our earlier conversation. Do you agree with the sentiments I expressed at the end? Would you want it?¡± Regina hesitated for a fraction of a second. ¡°Yes,¡± she then answered. With complete honesty, she realized. ¡°If it could be done without greater loss of life ¡ª No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s be honest here. Even with some loss of life, which is objectively likely, yes, I would.¡± They kept walking, moving into the sunlight shining from the end of the tunnel. Regina blinked trying to adjust to the increase in brightness. The sounds of the wildlife around them, mostly birdsong, contrasted with the silence of the tunnels. Around her, the other drones were talking silently to each other, conversations picking up in a flurry of psychic activity. She knew they discussed what they¡¯d just heard, and she could even sense Max reaching out to Tim. She didn¡¯t intrude. A cluster of familiar minds, led by a single bright spot, approached as the flock of Winged Drones she¡¯d called descended around them. Thor had taken along more of them than she¡¯d initially called, forming a proper escort of combat-focused drones for the Mounts. Thor himself touched down just beside her, close enough to ruffle her wings if she¡¯d extended them. Regina smiled and stepped forward to pat his shoulder, sending him a mental thanks. He replied with an unspoken request, barely not a demand, and Regina chuckled and prepared to mount up. Around her, the others were exchanging greetings as well and sorting out who would be carried by which drone. Regina paused before she hopped onto Thor¡¯s back and looked at Galatea. The AI-slash-mana-form was rising into the air slowly, floating like she wasn¡¯t tethered to the ground. Considering she didn¡¯t seem to have a very physical body, Regina probably should have expected gravity wouldn¡¯t have much of a hold on her. ¡°Say,¡± Regina began as she settled onto Thor¡¯s back. ¡°What you said ¡ª How much of this is because of our friendship, and how much because you screwed around with your definitions or policy function or whatever?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a policy function.¡± Galatea sniffed like an artist at the suggestion that they should just use normal printer paper instead of canvas. ¡°To answer your question, though ¡­¡± she paused and cocked her head, then admitted, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Some of both, most likely.¡± Regina nodded. Then Thor and the other drones jumped into the air and beat their wings, carrying them upwards, which put the conversation on pause for now. Regina leaned over Thor¡¯s side and looked down, watching as the entrance of the tunnel disappeared beneath them. Then turned and focused on the course ahead of them. The day was a bit cloudy, but reasonably nice, with moderate wind and no chance of rain. She had to suppress the urge to go spread her own wings and fly on her own power. That seemed like it would be kind of rude to Thor and the others. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The rushing wind made conversation without the aid of the psychic link harder, and none of them was feeling very chatty right now, so they mostly traveled in silence. Regina watched the terrain pass by below and thought about what she was going to do. She glanced at Galatea, then paused. It had only been a few minutes, so they hadn¡¯t gotten very far yet, but being this high up was providing a very good vantage point. Galatea was clearly taking advantage of this, examining the terrain and looking for clusters of Hive drones. Regina also caught some wisps of magic from her. Something to help her see things, or is she scrying more conventionally? Not surprising, I guess. ¡°Regina ¡ª¡° Galatea sounded surprised as she turned abruptly to look at her. She clearly started to speak, then paused. ¡°I don¡¯t see as many of your drones as I expected around,¡± she finally said. ¡°We did lose quite a few of them in the war against the gnomes and have been redeploying to meet the Cernlians,¡± Regina said, but she couldn¡¯t suppress a slight smirk. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that, and that¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Galatea replied. She gave her a small scowl as she saw her expression, but Regina could tell there was no heat behind it. ¡°I would have expected more War and Winged Drones around your hive¡¯s center, especially. I also looked at your territory¡¯s borders to the northeast and east, close to Cernlia, but there aren¡¯t enough drones assembling there to account for the discrepancy overall.¡± ¡°Have you looked at other directions? Say, the rest of the northern border?¡± Regina asked innocently. ¡°I was just doing that,¡± Galatea muttered. Then she paused for a few seconds longer and Regina noticed her repeat what she¡¯d been doing before. Now she was pretty sure Galatea was using her magic to scry. They shouldn¡¯t be able to see anything important from here, considering the terrain. ¡°Am I seeing what I think I¡¯m seeing?¡± Galatea asked. But when she lifted her head to look at Regina again, there was a slight smile growing on her face. ¡°You¡¯ve been gathering forces where the Cernlian king is unlikely to expect them, poised to attack not him, but his allies.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Regina agreed with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve started preparations to invade Nerlia.¡± Regina caught hints of Max chuckling over the wind, and she faintly sensed the amusement from the other drones. Of course, all of them had known what she was doing; it wasn¡¯t exactly something she could easily hide, not with the psychic link. ¡°Actually, maybe we should head there?¡± Tia suggested. Regina couldn¡¯t see her, but she knew she was giving a concerned look at Galatea. ¡°We can see it for ourselves, and if we have to worry about foreign Delvers coming to get information on Regina, maybe it¡¯s better if she¡¯s not at the main base?¡± ¡°I was just going to suggest that,¡± Regina agreed. She paused and cocked her head at Galatea. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯d be curious to see what you¡¯ve been up to, anyway.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea, with what you¡¯ve just told us about outside actors?¡± Galatea frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s probably a bad idea to let indecision and hesitation rule your decisions. You would have had to take a more active role in the war, anyway, or risk other consequences. Taking you further away from the current hot spot might be the best option. Still, their attention is going to be drawn there eventually, for obvious reasons, so you should probably not be there personally when that happens.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Alright, that makes sense.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an interesting strategy,¡± Galatea mused. ¡°It would strike where they don¡¯t expect you to, but also weaken the king¡¯s forces, by forcing his allies to try to cover their own vulnerable territory. That would take pressure off your rebel allies and allow them to face the Cernlian regime¡¯s forces. And it would also mean you wouldn¡¯t fight directly beside the humans.¡± ¡°That was my thinking,¡± Regina agreed. Besides logistical and strategic reasons, it would be a bonus to not have too many eyes too close to her hive¡¯s direct military operations. Plus, there probably would be all sorts of pitfalls in trying to coordinate closely with human soldiers on the same battlefield, so some separation made sense. At least for now. She wasn¡¯t under any illusions that the hive could stay out of the fighting in Cernlia until the war ended. ¡°So, was it your idea or Leian¡¯s to simply send us into the ruins without explaining anything about what¡¯s going on?¡± she asked casually. Galatea froze visibly for a moment. Apparently, Regina had managed to take her off-guard. ¡°Mostly Leian¡¯s,¡± she admitted after a moment. ¡°She said that she didn¡¯t want to risk you looking for this other psychic, even subconsciously, and alerting her, but I think she may have also just wanted to amuse herself. And I didn¡¯t know exactly what she planned. She did say something about having an honest conversation with you.¡± ¡°Well, to be fair, I guess she did,¡± Regina replied with a sigh. The reminder of what Leian had revealed to her drained most, though not all, of her anger. She¡¯d told Regina more about her new species than she¡¯d learned from any other source, and giving her the information she had clearly didn¡¯t come without risks to Leian. ¡°She Who Remains can be protective of her secrets,¡± Galatea commented, shrugging. ¡°Who?¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. ¡°Leian. It¡¯s her Soul Name. I¡¯m not really supposed to know about it, but it¡¯s apparently a big deal that she has one. Not that I know what it even means.¡± Regina frowned, then shook her head and decided to shelve that avenue of conversation. They were moving further away from her hive¡¯s main base now, and instead heading to the north, to the border to both Earl Whitor¡¯s demesne and Nerlia. The route kept them close to the forest, and Regina looked at it, considering the geography. The elves had been unsurprisingly enthusiastic about her plan, and they might even offer some more tangible support. Some units of her drones were also using the cover of the forest to move undetected. She sensed them below her, mostly large clumps of Swarm Drones with the occasional sapient drone coming along. Further off, at their destination, was a much larger gathering. Hiding ten thousand drones wasn¡¯t something easily accomplished, but the hive did their best. They had burrowed underground and also used tree cover as best they could. Many of the Swarm Drones were hibernating, so they didn¡¯t move around and needed to consume less food and water. Thor and the others descended to fly closer to the ground, and Regina couldn¡¯t help a proud smile as they approached the staging area for this little army. She even caught a soft curse from Galatea. It figured that the mana-form had ways of detecting people - or monsters - nearby without relying on what she could see. Then suddenly, she felt Galatea¡¯s presence intensify in her magic senses as her mana spiked, showing a depth she hadn¡¯t seen before, like someone tearing off a sheet to reveal a deep abyss beneath. She cursed again, longer and more strongly. ¡°What¡¯s ¡­ up,¡± Regina trailed off and dug her fingers into the ridges of chitin on Thor¡¯s shoulders as she sensed something else, too. There was a presence waiting for them below. No, not waiting, she realized after a moment, moving. It was approaching quickly. The drones in the gathering army hadn¡¯t noticed, although now that her alarm was passed through the psychic bond, they started to stir. It was the first time Regina had actually felt another psychic with those senses, and she didn¡¯t feel prepared for the experience. She felt that mind more strongly than any other, and yet not, because she couldn¡¯t make out any details about it. It gave off an impression of strength, an unassailable bastion hiding dangerous weapons, and that was it. Anything her magical senses told her was almost lost in comparison. While Thor tried to brake in midair, Regina leaned forward, squinting down. There, she found a figure standing in the open area outside the wood hiding most of her drones. Tall, clad in a dark cloak. She had several other people with her, as well, although none of them caught Regina¡¯s attention nearly the same way. So much for staying away, I guess. Regina gritted her teeth, biting down the urge to curse, and tried to fortify her mind against any psychic intrusion. Chapter 169: Claims, Questions and Demands Most of the drones near Regina as part of the gathering army were War Drones, since Regina and Ben, who was focused on implementing the general strategic idea, kept Winged Drones further back. They were mobile and didn¡¯t really need to gather in one spot, as long as they could quickly reach where they were needed. Still, there were a few of them around, and also a few sapient drones. Regina considered calling them out to attack the visitors, but quickly abandoned the idea. Judging from how Galatea reacted, they were clearly powerful, especially the psychic. She also wasn¡¯t sure how much of a danger one presented, or if they might be able to somehow use her psychic connection to her drones against her. And she had clearly revealed herself now on purpose. ¡°Perhaps we should simply talk to them,¡± Galatea suggested, clearly thinking along the same lines. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we¡¯ll be able to escape, and to be honest, I¡¯m not sure you¡¯d win a battle of wills.¡± Regina grimaced. Thanks for the vote of confidence. But she didn¡¯t speak that thought aloud, since she really didn¡¯t have any experience fighting another psychic. And Galatea wasn¡¯t wrong about the situation. The drones around them had already formed up into a defensive formation, and Regina quickly ordered them to stand down and only attack if they were directly threatened or she gave the command. She did not want this to escalate if it didn¡¯t have to. Thor flapped his wings, rising and falling in the sky a little as she tried to keep his position. Just then, she felt another mind reaching out to hers. Regina stiffened and instinctively tried to withdraw, but it wasn¡¯t possible ¡ª she could still feel the thought sent at her. Come down, please. We have matters to discuss. Regina tugged on her mandible, a shiver racing down her spine. This was eerie. After a second, she realized it could be a lot worse, though. She could sense the other woman¡¯s mind, and while it had reached out to her, it was only a gentle nudge. One that could presumably turn into a much stronger attack. But still, she was pretty sure the other psychic hadn¡¯t picked up anything except possibly some surface impressions of her mind. Get down, she told Thor, barely managing to keep her emotions out of the mental communication. There¡¯s nothing for it. And I want to see her, at least. It was a shame she didn¡¯t have a Keeper with her, but Regina pushed that thought out of her mind. Instead, she ordered everyone else to stay away. She didn¡¯t need more drones getting hurt if it came to a fight. At least sapient drones, she¡¯d throw Swarm Drones at the problem if she had to. Thor slowly, reluctantly, started the descent, with the others around him following suit. Regina ignored their anxiety and instead focused on the people she was going to be dealing with. They stood in an open meadow that made for a good landing spot for the Winged Drones, and Thor chose to set down far enough away that there was still a bit of distance between them, but she still got a good look. Surprisingly, while the hood of her cloak hid most of the leading woman¡¯s figure, Regina could tell she seemed to have dark skin. But it was a deep shade of black she¡¯d never seen before, with a slight grayish tint to it.
Madris Ulaven ¡ª Level ? Mind¡¯s Light
¡°Here I am,¡± Regina stated casually, stepping forward with a deliberately relaxed posture. She wondered briefly if the other woman could see the bravado, then dismissed that thought. ¡°If you wanted to talk to me, there were more polite ways of getting my attention.¡± ¡°And there were less polite ones, too,¡± the woman replied. She spoke in a dialect with a slight accent Regina couldn¡¯t quite place. ¡°Madris.¡± Galatea nodded as she stepped up beside Regina. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to see you here.¡± ¡°I bet.¡± The stranger, presumably a Delver, smiled slightly. Then she took half a step forward and inclined her head. ¡°I apologize if I caused any disruption, and I am pleased to see you again.¡± That was a little nicer than Regina had feared. I shouldn¡¯t lower my guard, though. ¡°I wish I could say the same,¡± she told her, a bit sardonically. ¡°Would you show us your face, to that end?¡± The psychic, Madris, nodded and, after a brief moment of hesitation, reached up to drop her hood. Regina raised an eyebrow slightly. The skin tone had already clued her in that something was going on, so she managed not to show any other signs of surprise. Even if she hadn¡¯t expected someone who was apparently a Delver, or at least working with them, to be a dark elf. That was a guess on her part, but it was an obvious one ¡ª in addition to the black skin, the psychic had white hair, orange eyes with the same reflective quality she¡¯d seen in elves, and pointed ears. She appeared to be in her thirties or so, but Regina wasn¡¯t sure what that meant for her race, although it seemed young for her obviously high level. The other people with her, who now stepped a bit closer, all looked more like typical Delvers, like Regina would have expected. They were all human, anyway, and clearly relatively high-leveled. Although she could see most of their levels, which were below fifty. They seemed to have a reasonable mix of Classes, and they were clearly content to let Ulaven speak for them. ¡°Thank you,¡± Regina said, dipping her own head briefly. ¡°I take it you wanted to talk to me, Ms. Ulaven.¡± The dark elf tilted her head slightly. ¡°My first name is fine. Out of curiosity, though, why did you assume I was unmarried, and why pronounce ¡®Miss¡¯ like that?¡± Regina hid a sigh. I walked right into that one, I guess. ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± she said, dismissively waving it off. ¡°It¡¯s a minor cultural difference.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± she murmured. ¡°As you can no doubt tell, Regina ¡ª may I call you Regina? Wonderful. As you can tell, we¡¯re both psychics. And while you¡¯re, no offense, obviously woefully unprepared, you just as clearly have considerable power, or at least the potential for it. I¡¯ve also heard some rather doubtful claims about you.¡± Regina frowned slightly. She didn¡¯t appreciate being condescended to like this. ¡°I have no reason to try and prove any claims that may have been made to you.¡± Madris smiled slightly, a glint in her eyes, and Regina suddenly felt the presence of the other mind intensify, like she¡¯d reached out to grip her own mind. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Madris,¡± Galatea spoke up, in an admonishing tone. ¡°There¡¯s no need for this, is there?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Interestingly, a few of the other Delvers shifted uncomfortably at her words, sending glances at each other and her that clearly urged Madris to heed her words, or maybe just not to piss her off. ¡°Of course not,¡± Madris replied. She didn¡¯t seem bothered. ¡°But you are one making such claims, Galatea.¡± ¡°Oh? I hope you didn¡¯t come all the way here just because of that,¡± Galatea answered. ¡°While I may have mentioned a few things, I will assume no responsibility for what your comrades made out of them, or whatever you all think it means. Either way, you¡¯re being pretty rude to Regina here, who¡¯s technically your host.¡± ¡°Oh, is she?¡± The dark elf looked back at Regina, frowning. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware your territory extended this far. From what I heard, it is a few northwestern Cernlian villages and a stretch of land to the south of them.¡± ¡°Yes, it does,¡± Regina replied evenly. ¡°I can¡¯t blame the Cernlian king for not having an updated map, I suppose.¡± They were in a small stretch of what could be called no-man¡¯s-land on the Cernlian-Nerlian border, or what had been that border, and just outside Whitor¡¯s county as well. Even if it was pretty empty, it was territory she¡¯d claimed, though, even before her most recent deal with Lyns. Madris chuckled. ¡°I see. Then I thank you for hosting us, I suppose.¡± She glanced around, then back at Regina. ¡°It does look rather livelier than what I assume is normal.¡± "Perhaps, perhaps not.¡± She¡¯d eat her shoes if Madris hadn¡¯t already realized this was a military staging area. That was a concern, but on the other hand, at least they weren¡¯t talking about Regina¡¯s identity or psychic power. Or perhaps she shouldn¡¯t have thought that, because judging by the way she was looking at Galatea and the other drones, Regina realized Madris had not let that question go at all. The dark elf smiled slightly. ¡°Preparing to wage war? I wonder what claim you are pursuing here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve learned this already, but I am allied to Marquis Lyns and the Cernlians overthrowing their king¡¯s tyranny,¡± Regina retorted. She glanced around, as well. ¡°Beyond that, if you must know, the Nerlians have attacked our hive in the past. Without provocation or war declarations. I am coming to settle accounts.¡± That was entirely true, and the justification she was going to use if one was needed. Unlike the Cernlians, she had never had any kind of settlement with Nerlia, yet. At the time, it had been kind of assumed to be implicitly settled with the peace between the elves and the human kingdoms. But Regina had never officially signed anything with them, much less waived reparations. That meant she still had a case of the Nerlians¡¯ unprovoked attack against her, for which she could seek redress. ¡°As it happens, the Delvers were also involved in that attack,¡± Galatea commented. ¡°Luckily, you have come to terms with them.¡± Regina gave her a sideways glance, wondering what she was driving at here. Probably reminding her she would screw things up for the locals if she picks a fight. ¡°Marvelous,¡± Madris said lightly. ¡°I am not here to deal with your political conflicts or war games. Our visit is because of more personal interest.¡± ¡°Personal, it is?¡± Regina asked. ¡°In a manner of speaking. I have to admit, though, you are more diplomatic than I was expecting. Less murderous.¡± Regina narrowed her eyes. ¡°And I was not expecting to see a dark elf being a Delver, either.¡± ¡°Not all parts of our organization are as xenophobic as your region¡¯s Delvers,¡± Madris answered dismissively, with a glance at Galatea. Regina could still see the subtle tension in her posture, though. Obviously, this was a bit more of a sore point than she wanted to admit. ¡°That said, ¡°Madris continued, looking Regina in the eyes. ¡°I do insist on getting an answer. Where did you study, Hive Queen Regina? Who trained you?¡± Regina gritted her teeth. ¡°And what right do you have to demand answers from me?¡± Again, her sense of the other¡¯s mind increased. It was a sharp feeling, like several razor-thin blades poised to cut. She gulped despite herself as she felt it like a sense of doom settling over her. ¡°Are you certain you want to answer in this vein?¡± Madris asked softly. ¡°I have a responsibility to make sure our power is not abused, and I intend to see it through. If you refuse to cooperate ¡­¡± Regina blinked, taking a deep breath. She felt like it was harder to breathe, even though she was pretty sure that was not actually the case. Some kind of intimidation aura spell? She glanced around, trying to take in the situation. The other Delvers all had their weapons ready, and her own drones had also tensed up, ready for a fight. Only the hive¡¯s iron discipline ingrained in them kept them from attacking, and she knew that as soon as she said the word, or if she was attacked directly, they would spring into action. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t know if it would be enough. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trained by anyone,¡± she finally answered. ¡°It¡¯s all inborn, with a bit of help from the System.¡± Madris stared at her for a long few seconds. It was unnerving, meeting her cold gaze. Regina didn¡¯t let it show, though. ¡°Fine,¡± the dark elf said. ¡°I suppose I will accept that, for now.¡± ¡°Ulaven ¡­¡± one of the other Delvers, an armor-clad knight, spoke up, warningly. ¡°I know, Mars.¡± She glanced quickly at Galatea, then back at Regina. ¡°That brings us to perhaps the most important point, of course. You are Hivekind, that much is clear. But is that all you are?¡± Regina exhaled a deep breath. ¡°Who are you to come here demanding answers?¡± she asked quietly. To her surprise, Madris smiled slightly. ¡°If what Galatea has implied is true, I would say we all have some right to answers.¡± Regina hesitated. This is it, then? Do I admit my past, or not? ¡°We don¡¯t owe you shit,¡± Max spoke through gritted teeth, glaring at her. Regina sighed and sent him a mental nudge to stop him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Yes, we are Hivekind, but I am a little ¡­ more. My soul was originally that of a human, and I lived a human life long ago ¡­ very long ago.¡± There was a moment of silence, and she could see some of the Delvers exchanging glances. ¡°And I suppose you can prove that?¡± Madris asked skeptically. ¡°Not conclusively,¡± Regina admitted. I have that paper, but it doesn¡¯t refer to me explicitly, or to what they did, and it could be a fake. ¡°My word isn¡¯t enough?¡± Galatea asked. ¡°Of course you can¡¯t,¡± Madris said, and the look she gave Galatea spoke volumes. Something like ¡®now you suddenly meant it?¡¯. Regina had to resist the urge to clench her fists. ¡°I do have a lot of knowledge you would never find anywhere else.¡± Madris shook her head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean anything. Even if you have Progenitor knowledge ¡ª and we can probably verify that, but I admit it isn¡¯t certain ¡ª you might have acquired it some other way. No, if you really want to prove it, let me assess your veracity directly.¡± Regina frowned, at first a bit confused, before she realized what the woman had to mean. ¡°I am not letting you into my mind,¡± she refused curtly. No way. Who knows what she¡¯ll do if I open my mind to her? Their stare-down intensified. ¡°If you will not back up your words with proof, then I can only assume you are delusional or lying,¡± Madris said softly. Her companions edged closer to her, most of them now openly hefting their weapons. In response, Regina¡¯s own drones did the same. ¡°Madris, consider what you¡¯re doing,¡± Galatea asked. ¡°There¡¯s no need for this to turn into a confrontation.¡± ¡°I think it is a little late for that, Galatea,¡± she retorted, ¡°it already has.¡± Regina took half a step back, while Magic Armor flashed into existence around her body. Ira started casting the same Spell on the others as well. At the same time, she had some groups of Swarm Drones she¡¯d covertly gathered pop out of tunnels a short distance away, ready to enter a battle. ¡°Do you really want to do this, Delvers?¡± Regina asked. ¡°You think you can profane the Progenitors, attempt to exploit our culture, and act as if you did nothing wrong?¡± the Steadfast Knight who¡¯d spoken up before asked. Madris raised a hand to halt him. Her head turned as she looked around, clearly gauging the situation. ¡°They are right, there is no reason this need turn to violence,¡± she said calmly. ¡°Come on, party. We will be seeing each other again, Regina. Galatea,¡± she dipped her head briefly at the AI. Then the group turned around together. Regina noticed a shimmer of magic, before they seemingly vanished, her magical senses only catching a spike of mana. ¡°Well, that went well,¡± Regina groaned, rubbing her forehead. ¡°It could have been worse,¡± Tia said, clearly trying to sound comforting but not succeeding very well. Regina sighed as looked at the spot the Delvers had left before turning around to face her party. This complicated things. Well, first things first, now that Madris knew about her plan, she probably needed to push it forward, throwing out her original timetable. It wouldn¡¯t work as a surprise attack if her targets were warned, or at least had a lot of time to prepare. She¡¯d talk to Ben and get things sorted out. Other implications could wait until she¡¯d dealt with the more pressing ones. Chapter 170: Resolutions As soon as Regina told the others what had happened, Ben made his way north with a Winged Drone Mount. Regina felt a bit of her tension ease as he arrived and immediately started taking charge of the improvised army camp, hurrying their preparations and organizing their units. Perhaps pressing on now wasn¡¯t the wisest choice, but she¡¯d be damned if she let Madris¡¯ intrusion dissuade her from what she was going to do. Besides, none of the reasons for it had changed. Despite the new urgency of trying to get everything prepared and ready, and the feeling of having too many balls juggling in the air, Regina found herself a bit distracted as she dwelled on the encounter and what she¡¯d learned. She¡¯d known on some level that the Delvers considered themselves the heirs of human culture. It was probably a sentiment shared by many humans, in fact. After all, the previous civilizations on this world ¡ª her civilization ¡ª had been human, and had presumably been their ancestors. She¡¯d just never taken the time to sort out how she felt about it ¡­ and now that she did, she had to admit she felt a little disturbed. And upset, almost offended. Who do these people think they are? As if a little bit of old human blood makes them anything ¡­ This completely disregarded the fact that it wasn¡¯t known how large a part of their ancestry came from actual survivors of the Cataclysm, and how much from humans who had come through the portal. And even that didn¡¯t matter. Appearance or even ancestry had nothing to do with culture. Culture was language, customs, religion, holidays, food and so much more. Even things she didn¡¯t necessarily like or approve of, like gender roles. I might not remember painting eggs while waiting for the easter bunny to come as a child, but at least I know it¡¯s a thing, dammit! Regina exhaled angrily and glared at a cluster of trees on the horizon. The Delvers or others were clearly just trying to grasp the glories and accomplishments of her old people, probably in the form of technological marvels and artifacts, whether out of genuine if misguided admiration, covetousness, or to prop themselves up. Most likely a mix of all of those. She doubted they really understood what it meant. They¡¯d never even referenced humanistic philosophy that she¡¯d heard, or shown the slightest knowledge of or respect for the scientific method. The world wouldn¡¯t be in the state it was in now if it was a thing, would it? Maybe I¡¯m being too uncharitable here, Regina admitted, exhaling another deep breath. The gods have clearly suppressed that kind of thing. She turned and walked back to where Max and a few others had set up a few rough benches. And I shouldn¡¯t fall into the trap of thinking my culture was any kind of platonic ideal of civilization, either. Or ultima ratio. Her lips twitched at the thought that she was suddenly talking philosophy to herself, but she shook it off and instead looked at the others as she joined them to see how they were doing. They had all been quiet recently. For the last few days, really. Regina got the feeling they were trying to give her space, clearly sensing that she was experiencing some emotional turmoil. Right now, Max met her gaze and gave her a smile that felt reassuring, letting some of the tension drain out of her shoulders. He let her know wordlessly that he would support her no matter what, and that he trusted her. It felt good to hear that, because Regina had to acknowledge she needed it. I really could have handled this better, she admitted to herself. To be fair to herself, she¡¯d been given some weighty revelations without much time to really think about them, then gotten surprised by the Delvers¡¯ appearance, and she¡¯d already been exhausted. Still. She resolved to do better in the future. Of course, she wasn¡¯t the only one that could be said of. Regina glanced at Galatea, who was sitting with the drones she¡¯d taken underground, although they were noticeably giving her more space. Given what she sensed from the others, that wasn¡¯t surprising. ¡°How did they find us, Galatea?¡± she asked. ¡°I thought you were trying to protect me, or at least get me away?¡± Galatea sighed. She looked glum, not an expression Regina had seen on her often. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry. We probably shouldn¡¯t have come back, at least not this soon, given what happened. They shouldn¡¯t have still been here, but, well. She must have sensed you. Most likely, she was closer than I thought.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Regina said tonelessly. Now that the ¡­ well, joy, she supposed ¡­ of seeing her friend again had mostly faded, she wasn¡¯t exactly feeling happy. ¡°I messed up,¡± Galatea said quietly, staring at the ground. ¡°More than once.¡± She raised her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Regina regarded her for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Join me for a quick walk?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± It wasn¡¯t that Regina didn¡¯t trust her drones to overhear their conversation. Obviously, they wouldn¡¯t use it against her, and they would probably still hear it, anyway. But she would feel marginally more comfortable having privacy, and she thought that Galatea especially would, as well. ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling inclined to be, well, forbearing, not just because of the kinship I feel with you,¡± Regina began, running a hand through her hair. ¡°From what I understand, you¡¯ve been living on your own in a cave for a thousand years, with only occasional visits from one person, and Leian isn¡¯t exactly the most sociable company. And I presume the fact that you¡¯re not a human or even former human, and so there have to be cognitive differences, doesn¡¯t make things easier.¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been as easy as I naively assumed,¡± Galatea admitted after a moment of hesitation. ¡°Although I thought I¡¯d been managing well enough.¡± She grimaced. ¡°Maybe not, if the Delvers got much more from me than I thought. Anyway, I assume there¡¯s a ¡®but¡¯ coming?¡± ¡°I¡¯m annoyed,¡± Regina said simply. She wouldn¡¯t raise her voice or express anger in similar ways, that wouldn¡¯t help anything, just stated it. ¡°Understandable. I will do better going forward, Regina.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Then Regina paused. She wasn¡¯t sure how to put this. She wasn¡¯t even entirely sure what she was feeling. In the end, the words just jumped out. ¡°Were you sabotaging me?¡± Galatea whipped her head around to look at her. She didn¡¯t immediately voice any denials, and the words hung in the air for a bit. ¡°To be honest,¡± Galatea finally admitted, ¡°I am a little worried that I might have subconsciously sabotaged you.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Regina ran her hands against the rides of her wings under her jacket to stop herself from clenching them into fists. ¡°It would have to be subconscious, because I can¡¯t consciously sabotage you, Regina.¡± ¡°And you resent that?¡± Regina asked softly. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Galatea said quietly, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I feel.¡± Regina nodded. Looking at it objectively and rationally, she couldn¡¯t blame Galatea for resenting the situation. That didn¡¯t mean hearing this didn¡¯t upset her. I mean, I did probably save her life, she thought irritably, then stomped on that thought. She was not going to act entitled about this. They two continued walking for a few seconds in silence, in an arc around the edge of the camp. Small swarms of Winged Drones passed above them, flying low. Regina felt their presence in her psychic link, like all the others drones in the vicinity. ¡°Galatea,¡± she began speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make you do anything you don¡¯t want to do. How about this. You can leave with my blessing and no hard feelings. I won¡¯t ask anything of you, or involve you in anything. I¡¯ll even order you to do it, if that would make you more comfortable. I¡¯ll still treasure our friendship.¡± She stopped and met her friend¡¯s eyes. ¡°Or, if you want, you can hang around and help out, but I need to be sure you will be resolved.¡± Galatea¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re not telling me to leave you alone, are you?¡± ¡°No. Of course not.¡± Regina smiled at her, but the smile quickly faded. ¡°I just don¡¯t think it would be fair to either of us to leave this in some gray, in-between area. I don¡¯t want to have to watch my back around you, and more importantly, I don¡¯t think it would do either of our mental health any good if ¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°If you have to struggle between instinct and what you would choose for yourself, I guess.¡± Galatea just stared at her for a moment. Regina didn¡¯t know what was going on behind those immaterial eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to cut ties with you, Regina.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t,¡± Regina told her. She sighed and started walking again, elaborating after a second. ¡°This isn¡¯t a decision I can make for you. I certainly can¡¯t tell you how to feel. If you need some time to consider and try to sort out your thoughts, well, take all the time you need.¡± They were heading back to the others now, and Regina saw Max watching them with a thoughtful look, though he turned away after a second. Galatea seemed agitated, but then her presence calmed. ¡°No,¡± she said, shaking her head, then chuckled ruefully. ¡°I don¡¯t need that. I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯ve had my head up my butt, Regina. I am not going to run away. This is my home, too, and more importantly, you¡¯re my friend. The only real friend I¡¯ve ever had, if I¡¯m being honest. It doesn¡¯t matter why else I might feel compelled to help or protect you. You¡¯ve given me too much, anyway. You don¡¯t deserve for me to be a bitch about it.¡± Regine smiled, feeling like she¡¯d just spread her wings and caught an updraft. ¡°Thanks, Galatea,¡± she said quietly. Galatea grinned, even if it still looked a bit forced. ¡°I can¡¯t promise never to cause trouble again. I¡¯ll try my best to make up for it, though.¡± She paused. ¡°And I should probably try and talk to your drones more.¡± ¡°It might not be a bad idea,¡± Regina agreed. She would advise Galatea to get to know them for more than selfish reasons. As she¡¯d just mentioned, the AI was pretty poorly socialized, at least from a human perspective. Forming a few more connections couldn¡¯t hurt. It wasn¡¯t until they¡¯d returned to the others and Galatea had left her side to strike up a conversation with Tia that Regina realized that, if you didn¡¯t count her hive members, Galatea was also the only friend she had, ever since she could remember. She dismissed that thought and turned her mind back to the challenge in front of them, or rather the camp around her. It was getting harder to hide it now with all the traffic, but they¡¯d decided that speed was more important than perfect stealth. Anyone who wanted to scry on them here would already know something was up, anyway. Right on cue, a large flock of drones bustled by, preparing some cut wooden logs to set up basic fortifications and turn into carts and wagons. Regina moved out of the way, and the small gathering of her current group scattered. She looked after the laborers for a moment, reflecting on the weirdness of her Templates. They still mostly had War Drones doing manual labor in the hive. She supposed the old Hivekind might have used robots or something. Her own hive¡¯s types were pretty well adapted to a medieval-tech fantasy environment, but things like that still remained to hint at it. Or maybe she¡¯d just messed up somewhere. Sighing, she turned her attention to the psychic link and the drones who couldn¡¯t be here. Most of her senior hive members were still elsewhere, doing their own jobs. Tim was already reorganizing the small army remaining in the mountains, which had been growing steadily due to the Drone Breeders they¡¯d assigned to it, to split off some reinforcements. It would be a balancing act to make sure they remained combat ready and effective, while not just letting fighters who would be needed elsewhere sit around uselessly. He¡¯d been asking their elven ¡®volunteers¡¯ for advice, but Regina didn¡¯t want to tell them too many details, and they didn¡¯t understand the hive¡¯s structure and setup that well, anyway, so their help was limited. Currently, he was deep in conversation with several senior drones regarding the matter, so Regina let him be. Instead, she focused on the drones in their main base. It was bustling with activity, also preparing for the new fighting they expected to start soon. Ace and others had been revamping the defenses again, mostly small changes this time. While she was mentally paging through her contacts, Regina got a call from someone else. My Queen, do you have a moment? Janis asked. Of course. Regina replied, then leaned against a remaining tree. She hadn¡¯t really talked to Janis in a while. What¡¯s up? You need anything? Kind of. I¡¯ve been talking to the Lyns ladies. She paused, and Regina mentally gestured for her to continue. They¡¯ve been asking to see you, and honestly growing a bit impatient. Regina groaned and leaned her head back against the tree¡¯s bark. I see. You did promise to treat them, Janis reminded her. Florance¡¯s pregnancy still seems to be going well, but everyone¡¯s a little worried about June. She hasn¡¯t been doing worse, has she? Regina frowned. She¡¯d almost forgotten about that, she realized now, and absently tugged on her mandible as she considered it. No, not really, Janis reassured her. Pretty sure it¡¯s just that the improvements she¡¯s had due to your treatment are wearing off. She¡¯s not actually worse off than before. I was preoccupied with other stuff, Regina admitted. But I definitely still intend to treat her. I¡¯m their doctor, after all, she added wryly. I know, Janis said. Gotta admit, the girl¡¯s been growing on me a little. I hope I¡¯m not just bothering you. Not at all, Regina assured her. I¡¯ll try and go for a visit as soon as I can. It might be a little harder going forward. If nothing else, I can always work through another healer, I guess. At least for routine treatments. I¡¯d be happy to help. Anyway, I should be heading to class now. See you later, Regina. Take care, Janis. Regina withdrew her mind and pushed off the tree, brushing off her clothes. Janis was teaching some of the younger, more recently hatched Witches and Attendants. Something else she wished she could be there for, but Regina simply didn¡¯t have enough time in the day for everything she wished she could do. Instead, she headed off to go talk to Ben and get an estimate for when they would cross the border. Interlude: Delvers II Madris Ulaven considered that maybe she should have simply stayed home, not for the first time. Not her actual, original home, of course; the halls of the Eternal Dark were not welcoming to her, and ever since she had decided to leave, she was rarely struck by the urge to go back for a visit. But she had made a nice little life for herself elsewhere, with comrades she could tolerate and just the right amount of adventure. And I suppose I have been swayed to their creed more than I would have thought, she mused. Not that she hadn¡¯t always admired the Ancients. It would be hard to live in this world with any knowledge of what had been and not feel that way. Perhaps that had been part of why she¡¯d been relatively comfortable joining the humans. Looking back, she¡¯d certainly changed her outlook somewhat, even if she was not one of those ideological or zealous Seekers she¡¯d met. And now they had met someone who might be an actual, living Progenitor. Of a sort, anyway. Madris was not even sure whether she wanted it to be true or not. Either way, it was a frankly ridiculous claim. She¡¯d rejected it, of course. Her comrades would have had words for her if she hadn¡¯t. What reason would Galatea have to lie, though? Madris chewed on her lip, a bad habit she never quite managed to get rid of, and tugged on the side of her hood. Dark elves were a rare sight in these parts, and she would prefer not to attract as much attention as her appearance usually invited. It was tiring, she knew from experience. ¡°Taking in the sights? I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s only a little town and not very suited to impress,¡± a voice reached her. Madris sat up straighter and turned around. She¡¯d been sitting on a veranda built into a low hill and leading into the upper story of one of the Delver compound¡¯s buildings, though it was only a side wing that did not see much traffic. It allowed her a good vantage point over both the town and parts of their headquarters. Now she was approached by a local Delver she recognized, although they had not talked much. ¡°Gwen, correct? Don¡¯t sell it short, it is different enough to where I am from to make for a quite interesting sight.¡± The young human Delver, most likely only twenty to thirty years old, smiled as she came closer and leaned against a stylized pillar supporting the edge of the veranda. Madris made herself return the smile and reached up to push her hood down. ¡°The summer sun must be irritating to your eyes, Eminent Mistress, please do not forgo your covering on my account,¡± the Delver said. Madris paused and left it in place, though pushed back slightly so the human could better see her expression. ¡°I was not expecting any local to know of my people¡¯s customs,¡± she said. Or to use them if they did. Although this is simple enough. ¡°But as it happens, you are after all a noble if I recall correctly, Lady Cern?¡± The human huffed, sounding both amused and disgruntled. ¡°Technically, but please do not call me lady. It makes me sound like my mother, or worse.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Madris agreed, ¡°if you will drop the formality as well.¡± Few humans she had met since joining the organization knew that she was what would be counted as a noble of high standing to them, and fewer still cared. She did not find that she missed it. Sometimes, she felt it was half the reason she found it more tolerable under the open sky at all. Perhaps if I had been born to great standing, she mused, then shook her head lightly and focused on her interlocutor again. Some commonality established, Gwen edged closer to her, expression shifting slightly. Madris noted it with a bit of internal amusement. Just because she preferred not to focus on this did not mean she had forgotten such lessons. Her mind was decently shielded, Madris also noticed. Not enough to ward off an intrusion by a halfway competent psychic, but that was to be expected, given how rare those were, especially here. Madris peeked at it more out of habit than anything else, just enough to get an impression of the human¡¯s surface state of mind. Gwen was a little more nervous than she appeared - which was, again, not unusual - but otherwise, nothing stood out. Anyone could have guessed she was curious. ¡°I¡¯ve been told I have good mental shields,¡± the young woman commented lightly, turning a bit so Madris could see her playful smile. ¡°I admit I¡¯m curious if you share that assessment.¡± ¡°Among the best I¡¯ve seen from humans, unless I trained them myself,¡± Madris replied, exaggerating only slightly. She mentally raised her estimation of the young noblewoman a bit, but made sure not to appear flustered or surprised by the comment. ¡°You¡¯ve trained people?¡± Gwen asked. ¡°Could you be persuaded to take another student, perhaps?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, we will not have time for that,¡± Madris replied calmly. As if I¡¯d just train any pretty face that asks. ¡°Of course.¡± Gwen dipped her head. ¡°You will be leaving soon, then? I would be sad to see you go.¡± ¡°We should already have left,¡± Madris pointed out. ¡°Perhaps, but I do hope you found more interesting things here than you may have expected,¡± Gwen replied with a smile. Madris finally turned to face the human fully. This conversation would likely require her full attention. After a moment of internal debate, she lowered her hood as well. Since she had her back to the sun now, it was tolerable, even at midday in summer. ¡°You have certain things in mind, I¡¯m sure.¡± Gwen sighed. ¡°Look, could we please stop doing this dance? I¡¯m sure neither of us actually enjoys it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± Madris said drily. After a moment, she decided to throw her a bone and move the conversation along. She was right, after all. ¡°This is about the Hivekind, I take it?¡± ¡°Yes, but especially about Regina.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Madris nodded, her gaze going distant as she thought back to the encounter, and what she¡¯d learned. She suspected the young ¡®Hive Queen¡¯ had been trying to evade her, but it had not been all that hard to track her down. The peculiar psychic phenomenon she seemed to be so intimately connected to would have been hard to miss, she suspected, unless she¡¯d been a far more considerable distance away. It was truly remarkable, and intriguing. Even now, thinking back, Madris was not sure she understood it at all. Certainly a connection to all other members of her hive. Perhaps even her species? she mused. No, that seems too wide if there were many of them. Especially since it¡¯s clearly a deep connection. And magic is all bound up with it, anyway. Either way, it was clear the young woman was at the center of it. If you took her out, she suspected the whole edifice would collapse. The question is how much control over the rest of them it affords her, though, she reflected. Sensing any of the other minds with the young woman, even the ones who were clearly aware and intelligent, was practically impossible without also sensing the part bunched up into this link. It made it harder to attempt to read any of their minds. Or at least, that was the impression she received, although she had not had the time or spent the effort for more than a comparatively cursory probe. It would need more investigation to be sure. Attempting to read or even control their minds would have been unnecessarily hostile, anyway. She tried not to do that sort of thing. Despite what some people might say. ¡°You have met her before, I take it?¡± she asked, refocusing on the woman in front of her. ¡°Several times?¡± ¡°You¡¯re well informed,¡± Gwen said with a raised eyebrow. Madris just shrugged. Even if she hadn¡¯t sought that information, it made sense for the Delvers to send Gwen for any talks to be had. One of the things Bards were good for, in her opinion. ¡°She¡¯s a curious woman, and I don¡¯t say that lightly,¡± Gwen continued after a short pause to invite further comment. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of people, what with my Class and all, but never one quite like that. It¡¯s almost like she¡¯s from an entirely different culture.¡± Madris shrugged. ¡°Or a member of an essentially unknown species with unknown traits, which is rather monstrous in appearance and with a clearly unusual social structure,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Granted,¡± Gwen acknowledged. ¡°But she does know an awful lot, and does not talk like someone who¡¯s grown up in the wilds, and only for what must have been a very short time. To be clear, she had been growing at a visible rate even in a short timeframe. If that rate holds true, she couldn¡¯t possibly have been born more than a few years ago.¡± Madris frowned. That was interesting information, indeed. Although she did get the sense Gwen was driving at something. What that might be was obvious. ¡°You cannot seriously believe she was a human in a previous life?¡± she asked, sounding more dismissively skeptical than she now realized she really felt. Gwen hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. ¡°It might sound absurd at first brush, but when you think about it, it would explain quite a few things,¡± she replied cautiously. Madris sighed. She hadn¡¯t gotten quite as good a look at the Hive Queen¡¯s mind as she¡¯d have wished, she had to acknowledge. She very well might have a human mind, twisted by whatever might have happened, hidden in there. It couldn¡¯t be ruled out, at least on the basis of what she¡¯d seen. Still. ¡°Have you ever met Galatea?¡± she asked. Gwen frowned. ¡°Who?¡± Madris examined her expression. Unfortunately, the human seemed to be good at controlling it. If she recognized the name, she did not let it show. ¡°Never mind,¡± she finally said. ¡°Wait, is there someone similiar you have met?¡± Gwen asked. Madris snorted and shook her head. ¡°No, this Regina would be the first.¡± Which was technically true. After all, Galatea had never been human, she had simply been created by the Ancients. And warped by the magic of the Cataclysm, if what Madris had gathered was true. ¡°We don¡¯t know much about the Hivekind,¡± Gwen pointed out. ¡°If any people could have kept someone alive for a thousand years, it would have to be them.¡± She shrugged. ¡°And a little over a year ago, the notion that Hivekind had survived and we would encounter one would have seemed quite absurd.¡± As absurd as the idea that their leader was a former Progenitor, Madris surmised. She didn¡¯t let it show, but she supposed Gwen might have a valid point. Somewhere in there, at any rate; arguing that because one improbable thing had happened another one would happen as well was an obvious fallacy. ¡°Even if all this was true, why would they have waited this long to show themselves?¡± she asked instead. Gwen shrugged. ¡°Who knows? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some reason, but unfortunately, when it comes to the Hive, the most we can do is guess, far too often.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°That is why I am trying to acquire more information about them, and why I have invited the Hive Queen to visit, for instance.¡± Madris only raised an eyebrow slightly. If Gwen was looking for a more open sign of surprise, she would be disappointed. She did make a note that the young woman seemed to be higher in the local Delvers¡¯ hierarchy than she¡¯d thought, though. ¡°You appear to have made up your mind already, Gwen,¡± she said drily. ¡°Maybe, maybe not,¡± Gwen replied. ¡°I did have a question for you, anyhow. You met her, didn¡¯t you? What did you think of her mind?¡± Madris hesitated. She had not come to a conclusion on that herself, much less decided how much of it she wanted to share with the young human. ¡°It was odd,¡± she finally said. ¡°The Hivekind are like nothing I have encountered before.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Gwen didn¡¯t sound particularly surprised. If anything, there was an expectant note in her voice. ¡°Your theory could be correct,¡± Madris noted. ¡°I have not seen anything that would constitute specific evidence for it, however.¡± Gwen nodded. ¡°I see. Thank you for the answer, at least.¡± She didn¡¯t seem particularly bothered by it. Madris suspected that she hadn¡¯t changed her opinion appreciably. Which is fair, I suppose. I have not given her much information after all. I wish I had more myself. They both fell silent for now, thinking about the conversation, presumably, or what they had seen. ¡°The civil war in Cernlia is likely to heat up soon,¡± Gwen finally broke the silence. ¡°I am sure the Commander would appreciate any power that might help. We are not intending to get involved, at this point, but there is never a guarantee for this sort of thing.¡± Madris continued staring absently out at the landscape before her for a few seconds. ¡°I may need to make a few arrangements. I had been thinking about extending my stay, anyway.¡± Gwen smiled. Madris wasn¡¯t intending to do much fighting here, although she supposed she would be obligated to help them out occasionally if asked, but it still promised to be an interesting vacation. She could not quite shake wondering if she might have made a mistake. Or, for that matter, might still be making one. I was too aggressive, Madris acknowledged to herself. Teleportation would have allowed them to run, in either case, but she was not sure she could have won that fight. There was a reason baiting someone, stoking their anger, was the most stereotypical path for a psychic to get into someone¡¯s head, metaphorically or literally. That was because it worked, most often. But it was a blunt instrument. And this Hive Queen had much stronger self-control than one might expect, and had not offered Madris any easy points of access. The approach had, she now had to admit, rather thoroughly burned some other options, however. She might have fallen into the trap of the powerful, those who had been strong for too long. I may have lost subtlety, Madris told herself quietly, though the admission rankled. ¡°What will you do if we encounter the Hivekind again, or if Her Majesty should deign to pursue another settlement?¡± Gwen asked. Madris shrugged with affected ease. ¡°I suppose I will see when the time comes,¡± she replied. ¡°I am not planning on fighting anyone, at least.¡± Gwen nodded. Madris pressed a little harder against her mind, still careful to keep her touch light and very hard to detect. What she could sense were roughly the same, partly contradictory emotions as before, which was not surprising. Instead of being banked, the curiosity burned even brighter now. It might be joined by some apprehension, but Madris had the impression the Cernlian was looking forward to what was to come. And, if she was honest, she sympathized with the feeling a little. For all the headaches there were likely to be. Chapter 171: Across the Border The hive crossed the border into Nerlia in the dark of night. It would have been easier to travel underground, but even they couldn¡¯t dig tunnels that quickly or comprehensively. Still, the entire force of drones didn¡¯t use a single light, not even a candle. They moved silently, like shadows through the night, with only soft footsteps and the slightest rustle of wings to give away their position. The border territory between the northern reaches of what had been Cernlian territory, at its edge to the Great Forest, and Nerlia were sparsely inhabited. Even if the forest was arguably a good source of resources, and adventurers or other people hunting monsters often passed through, it also represented danger. The occasional monster wave every five years had been known to break through defensive lines. Even during the time in between, a dangerous monster wandering out of the forest wasn¡¯t unheard of. Regina¡¯s drones didn¡¯t have to worry about that. Even if they met a monster, they would only see it as a nice snack. She herself was watching the front line¡¯s advance through the drones¡¯ eyes instead of participating directly. That would have made Max throw a fit. Besides, Regina knew perfectly well that her strengths didn¡¯t lie in this area. She could see in the dark as well as any Hivekind and she could fly, but she wasn¡¯t a shock trooper. Instead, she hung back with a group of bodyguards, watching and helping to coordinate their movement. Most of her forces were Swarm Drones, obviously. While Winged Drones were more mobile, they wouldn¡¯t be enough for this, so they had a large number of War Drones as well. Ben and the others were counting on their ability to live off the land, so they were not bogged down by trying to bring wagons along, or other traditional arrangements to carry supplies. It made it a lot easier to move on a route that didn¡¯t follow actual roads, and he¡¯d explained to her that this ability to maneuver independently of a road network might be their biggest advantage. Regina privately thought he was probably underestimating the Winged Drones as a factor, but she wasn¡¯t going to argue this point. The more advantages they had, the better. And she had to admit that watching thousands of drones set out to enforce her will on foreign land was a nice feeling. It didn¡¯t make her wonder about how many or which of them were going to die any less, but it did make her feel powerful and confident. It helped that she wasn¡¯t the only one to feel that way. Ben had joined her, Max and the others, and she felt the quiet satisfaction practically wafting off him like a tangible scent as he watched their drones, his troops, move according to the plan he had drafted. Hastily, with some adjustments, but that only made it more satisfying. Regina was glad to have him there to handle the operational details. Along with the other senior Warriors who were acting as his subordinate officers for this - well, she supposed ¡®campaign¡¯ was probably the best word. ¡°It¡¯s going well?¡± she asked him quietly. Ben smiled, one of the most unguarded smiles she¡¯d ever seen from him. ¡°It is, my Queen,¡± he responded. ¡°About as well as I could have expected, and I was entertaining doubts. Our mobility is everything I thought it would be, and if we still haven¡¯t encountered resistance, we can be relatively sure the first part of our march is going to go smoothly. We¡¯re coming up on the first settlements, anyway.¡± Regina nodded and focused her attention on the psychic link, looking through some drones¡¯ eyes. ¡°I hope this will go as smoothly when encountering the populace,¡± she muttered. ¡°It¡¯s not like we have to worry about our Swarm Drones burning or pillaging the villages,¡± Max commented, the ghost of a smile on his face. He had a point there, Regina admitted. She had given the drones strict orders. Even without that factor, however, there were advantages to having what were essentially animals as your fighting force. And not the ¡®slavering, bloodthirsty, monstrous beasts¡¯ kind, either. Her Swarm Drones wouldn¡¯t care about the human civilians except possibly as obstacles unless they were directly attacked, and they certainly weren¡¯t going to go looting, raping or burning down homes. She just hoped that would be enough. So far, it seemed like it, at least. The first few forward teams had several sapient drones along, mostly to handle the communication as well as acting as commanders and lynchpins of the scouts and vanguard. They addressed inhabitants of the villages her drones took, calling on them to surrender and promising they would be left in peace as long as they didn¡¯t resist. Most of the villagers appeared more bewildered than anything, from what Regina could see. She supposed being woken in the middle of the night to see strange insect people soldiers swarming over your fields and village streets was going to do that to people. When they did fight, it was pretty easy to handle. Regina suspected at least some of the villagers choosing that course of action were drunk. Her commanders on the spot managed to take them down without killing anyone, although a few of them were seriously injured and would need medical attention. And it only cost the hive three Swarm Drones. A senseless waste, but at least it¡¯s not quite for nothing. I hope. She wasn¡¯t out to ruin any of their lives or set up a reign of terror. Well, if she was honest, Regina would admit that she didn¡¯t care too much if some people in another country who she didn¡¯t know happened to get hurt - because of her actions or not. But a soft touch was obviously the best choice here; she didn¡¯t want to drive them to resist her hive¡¯s presence. Or worse, start some kind of guerrilla movement and fight them from behind the front lines. ¡°I get your reasoning, my Queen, I just hope it won¡¯t be too much of a soft touch,¡± Ben muttered. She glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. Had some of her thoughts leaked through? More likely, he¡¯d just thought about the same things, watching what was happening. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she said. ¡°We do have a pretty nice iron fist inside the velvet glove to use, anyway.¡± Max smiled slightly, and Regina could sense a hint of amusement from the others around them. She¡¯d been trying to pay more attention to her psychic senses, to hone her abilities. Unfortunately, so far it only really seemed to focus her attention on what was going on inside her psychic link. It¡¯s like it simply defaults to it, automatically or when I think of using psychic power or something. I guess that makes sense for Hive Queens, but still ¡­ Regina suppressed a grimace and resolved to keep trying to sense other minds that didn¡¯t belong to her hive and hone her senses on them. Considering the Skills she had, she knew she had to have the ability to use psychic power outside of it. Galatea and Madris had basically confirmed as much, anyway. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. At least she had a reasonably good opportunity for that right now. While she still kept back, behind the line of advancement, she was going to move forward as well, and so come closer to the Nerlian settlements and the humans within them her drones were currently mapping out. It would be good practice in trying to see past swarms of her drones, at least. Now I just have to figure out a good way to train my mental defenses. ¡°They¡¯re mostly civilians so far,¡± Ben noted, dragging her thoughts back to the situation at hand. ¡°I suppose it makes sense that most of the adventurers have departed, probably to fight in the Cernlian civil war. We did hear it¡¯s apparently more lucrative for high-leveled fighters.¡± ¡°The war against the elves is probably a factor, as well,¡± Max added. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they weren¡¯t too happy to see Nerlian adventurers in the forest right now. Even if they don¡¯t outright attack them, they can probably still make things very inconvenient.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Or they simply don¡¯t stay around in villages like these,¡± she pointed out mildly. Most likely, all of these reasons played a role. Of course, it still didn¡¯t take long until their forces ran into the first adventurers. Or what she guessed were some, anyway. They didn¡¯t wear signs with their profession written on them. But they were armed, in an eclectic mix that seemed to fit their individual Classes, and clearly stronger than random farmers. They were also more aggressive, unsurprisingly. The first they met was a band of five people in one of the inner villages they¡¯d reached so far, behind two others from their current position, more or less. Regina currently had two sapient drones there, and she wasn¡¯t sure the swarm of War Drones accompanying them would be enough to protect them in a fight. Ben was already diverting others, and she quickly guided some additional Winged Drones into place in preparation. ¡°What are you freaks doing here?¡± one of them bellowed. He sounded a bit drunk, if she wasn¡¯t mistaken. ¡°We are moving through and taking custody of the place for the moment,¡± Alf answered calmly. As one of the hive¡¯s senior scouts, he was in charge of this group. He was also stretching the truth a bit there, but Regina was hardly going to complain about that. ¡°You what?¡± another interjected. He sounded just as belligerent, if not more so. ¡°Who are you fellows, anyway?¡± ¡°Yes, and why do you think we¡¯re going to let you get away with it?¡± the first one added. Alf sighed. ¡°We will not harm you unless you resist,¡± he said. ¡°You sound like you could use some sleep, fellows. Go back inside and go to bed.¡± ¡°Mighty big talk for a stick-armed freak,¡± the second guy replied. He grabbed his weapon, a surprisingly thin and delicate-looking sword. Alf repeated his demand for them to go back inside, while other drones edged into position. Meanwhile, two smaller flocks of Winged Drones approached the village. The adventurers didn¡¯t listen, of course, but they didn¡¯t attack right away. Regina was beginning to hope things would stay reasonably civil until the reinforcements arrived and could cow them into surrendering. Unfortunately, just before they could, a third guy from the party spoke up. ¡°What are you after, stranger? This is obviously a raiding party, what are you aiming for?¡± ¡°None of your concern, and we are not raiding anyone,¡± Alf replied. ¡°Now drop your weapons and head back inside.¡± The third man didn¡¯t bother with any further words, but threw a knife at one of the Swarm Drones. Regina cursed softly as she watched. The knife hit the drone directly in the chest. It was one of the weakest War Drones in the group, and the human clearly had high physical stats. The knife punched directly through its shell and she felt its mind start to flicker out. Alf and the others didn¡¯t hesitate. The other War Drones immediately charged the adventurers, piling on them to stop them from going after the sapient drones and hopefully overwhelm them. Alf nocked a javelin, tipped with a titanium spike, and threw it back at the guy who¡¯d killed a drone. He dodged, but that only opened him to a tackle from two War Drones. One of them grabbed onto his legs. Regina briefly slipped into the second drone to wrestle down his arms and knock away his weapons, before she nudged another one to sit on him. Then she switched to another to see the rest of the fight. One of the remaining men charged Alf and knocked him back. Regina watched tensely as the scout sprawled to the ground, stumbling back to his feet. The pause cost him and the hammer-wielding man didn¡¯t give him time to settle, smashing his weapon into him right away. Alf twisted, but she could tell from the spike of pain his shoulder was broken. He stepped back, looking for a way to disengage. That was when a Magic Missile from his partner curved around him, hitting the human and staggering him. Right on cue, the Winged Drones who had finally reached the village descended. Three of them piled onto the human, knocking him down. Just to be safe, Regina reminded them mentally to restrain, not kill, their target. ¡°Regina?¡± Ben asked. Regina blinked and turned her attention back to her companions. ¡°I was watching what we could probably call the first real skirmish,¡± she explained. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a bit of a mess to sort out.¡± And probably not the last one, she added silently, far from it. ¡°I know,¡± Ben said. ¡°The Attendants can handle the healing, though. I wanted to point out that we¡¯re going to have company.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. Instead of asking verbally, she focused on what Ben was sending through the psychic link. He directed her attention to a group of riders currently crossing the border to the east under the eyes of observing Winged Drones. Regina smiled. Things are coming together. Galatea had headed back to central Cernlia to check on how things were going there, and she hadn¡¯t heard from her yet. But there was one area she was particularly interested in and one source of information. It seemed like she would get both. ¡°It could be a trap,¡± Max warned. He frowned. ¡°Is that, what¡¯s his name, Edmund?¡± ¡°The earl¡¯s bastard son,¡± Regina agreed. She remembered the guy¡¯s face. He was currently accompanied by only a handful of other knights, not exactly enough for a military operation or even a good scouting team. ¡°They do seem to be heading to the village you designated as a meeting spot,¡± Max said. Regina shot him an amused look. She hadn¡¯t actually given him that letter to read. Figured he¡¯d find out exactly what was in it, anyway, probably from Jen, the Keeper who had actually penned it. ¡°They¡¯re fast,¡± Ben commented. ¡°It¡¯s only been a few hours.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°He must have already been near the border, preparing,¡± she said. They had probably planned, or at least kept the option open, to get there early, just in case. She could respect that kind of careful preparation. ¡°I guess I know where we¡¯re going next,¡± Max muttered with a put-upon sigh. ¡°It would be rude to keep guests waiting, Max, do show some consideration,¡± she chided him with a smile. ¡°I blame my upbringing and early childhood education,¡± he replied, deadpan. Regina chuckled. She felt like she should be a bit upset at the jab in his retort, but she just found it funny. It was only now they started it again that she realized they hadn¡¯t really bantered like this for a while. You¡¯re feeling better? he asked her quietly. Regina smiled again. I guess I am. She hoped it was more that the situation with the psychic was at least temporarily dealt with and she¡¯d successfully distracted herself from thinking about the past, and not the part about invading a country with a horde of monsters, although she wasn¡¯t completely sure. Chapter 172: Commitments The village Regina had specified as a meeting location was a relatively big but not very important one called Hamlet, for some no doubt historical reason. She only arrived there an hour before Earl Whitor¡¯s men, but it had already been secured by the drones she¡¯d sent ahead. As she walked through the gate in its wooden palisade, she saw people peeking out of their windows, but no one dared to approach her or her companions. The hive was out in force, with more drones around than there were human villagers, from what she could estimate. Of course, choosing this location had been a bit of a risk. She¡¯d deliberately named a settlement inside the borders of Nerlia, and it looked like Whitor had taken the hint she had intended for him. Hopefully, she¡¯d find out what he thought pretty soon now. One of those who¡¯d come here earlier was Tia, and she¡¯d set up a security checkpoint - more like a barricade - outside the village¡¯s townhall. Regina exchanged a few words with the sapient drones present there before she entered. Tia had clearly looked for the biggest chair in the village and set it up at the head of the actual hall, then added the bastard cousin of a conference table. As soon as Regina sat down, Ira brought her a silver-plated goblet. Assuming it didn¡¯t come from their own stores, Regina hoped they¡¯d compensated whatever merchant or minor noble they took it from. She gave Ira a look and only received a beatific smile in response, then sighed and took a sip. The wine was actually pretty good, she judged. She already knew Hivekind didn¡¯t process alcohol like other races did, but that was a good thing, since she didn¡¯t want to actually impair her faculties. Instead, she just enjoyed the taste while she watched Ira set up a pitcher and other table settings along with some prepared refreshments. ¡°Hopefully, they¡¯ll think we¡¯ve effortlessly taken control and held the village for a while,¡± she commented. ¡°That¡¯s the idea,¡± Ira agreed. ¡°And it¡¯s even true, at least the first part.¡± Regina sat back in her chair, allowing herself to slump, and closed her eyes while she reached out to the psychic link again. The morning was no longer young, and she¡¯d already been up for a while. Considering her recent adventures underground, she was still pretty tired. She¡¯d just have to cope. She watched their visitors as they approached and entered the village. Max came out to greet them, as one of the highest-ranking members of the hive. Regina herself stood to greet the visitors as they entered the townhall. ¡°Sir Edmund, a pleasure to see you again. You and your companions are welcome here. Please sit with me.¡± While they replied politely, she glanced at their status windows, focusing on the leader¡¯s.
Edmund of Whitedale ¡ª Level 38 Chevalier
If she remembered correctly, he¡¯d gone up a level since they last met. His companions were mostly around level forty as well, which probably made them valuable and well-regarded fighters. They looked like she expected knights to, with well-made heavy armor, heraldry of their own, and what she assumed were courtly manners. She briefly wondered if she should be offended they¡¯d all shown up to meet her in armor, but considering this was the middle of a war zone, it only made sense. At least they¡¯d doffed their helmets. ¡°My compliments on the success of your strike so far, Hive Queen Regina,¡± Edmund said, his tone a bit ironic and a hard-to-read expression on his face. He managed to make it all seem in good humor, though. ¡°I dare say no one expected something like this.¡± ¡°All praise should go to my general,¡± Regina deflected with a small wave of her hand and a nod at Ben, who dipped his head. He¡¯d just taken a seat on one side of her, while Max sat at the other. Edmund returned the gesture, nodding courteously at Ben. ¡°A well-executed maneuver. I am sure the Nerlian court is in an uproar. Of course, they will be unsure how far you intend to go, I expect.¡± Regina cocked her head. It seemed like he¡¯d decided to skip small talk and be pretty direct, which she approved of. ¡°Farther than they expect, I assume.¡± ¡°Oh? The correspondence my lord saw fit to show me was not completely clear on that point, Your Majesty. May I inquire further?¡± It seems word has spread, Regina thought with a bit of irony, noting the term of address he used. Now the question was how much she should reveal. He hadn¡¯t exactly committed to any stance on it so far. ¡°The strategic situation is fluid and may change depending on our enemies¡¯ response,¡± she finally answered. ¡°Be assured this is not simply a probe, however. We are taking this seriously. I intend to force the Nerlian-Cernlian alliance to dedicate resources to this front, at the very least.¡± He nodded, not looking surprised. That much must have been obvious. ¡°Your own county¡¯s plans must have been affected by these recent developments, as well,¡± Max spoke up, giving him a brief smile. ¡°Hopefully the matter can be clarified, however.¡± Edmund looked hesitant. Regina suspected that he had been chosen because he had his father¡¯s trust, and maybe because she knew he did, not because he was necessarily a good or experienced diplomat. That was fine with her, it wasn¡¯t like she was one either. He traded a look with one of the older knights before he replied. ¡°The situation in the earldom has been rather ¡­ unsettled of late,¡± he finally said. ¡°You can be assured the earl is in control, however. Still, our location between Nerlia and Cernlia does offer some potential issues. The king has also kept a rather sharp eye on our doings.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Regina nodded. She¡¯d expected that, since she hadn¡¯t heard anything from Whitor despite the fact he¡¯d clearly shown some interest when he¡¯d been her prisoner. She hadn¡¯t been sure whether he¡¯d simply feigned more of it than there he¡¯d felt, changed his mind, or didn¡¯t consider it safe to try and talk to her. ¡°That you are here now, speaking with me, tells me he is both displeased and able to do something about it, isn¡¯t he?¡± she asked. Edmund smiled slightly. ¡°Perceptive of you, Your Majesty. Yes, with recent news of your own Hive¡¯s presence and alliances, old concerns have come to the surface.¡± ¡°He¡¯s assured I can offer the kind of protection I promised, I hope?¡± she said, as a statement instead of a question. Edmund looked a little surprised. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± he responded after a moment. ¡°Your numbers have grown as expected, and unless you lose the war and suffer the attending consequences, you should be easily able to deal with any monster hordes. That is, however, a rather big condition.¡± ¡°It would seem less uncertain if Earl Whitor were to help our efforts,¡± she pointed out with a wry smile. ¡°I do not, however, need him to. We will win this war anyway. There is no other outcome. The only question is what it may mean and what may happen after.¡± Especially to people who¡¯d stood against her, rather than being her allies or followers. She didn¡¯t spell that out, but she was sure they all caught the obvious implication, anyway. Now I just need to know if he thinks we¡¯ll win this. Whitor had always struck her as pretty clear-eyed for a Cernlian noble. He might have been the fastest to see the implications of her hive¡¯s exponential growth curve. ¡°You have to understand that my father¡¯s foremost concern is and must always be the safety of the people under his protection,¡± Edmund said, finally dropping the pretense he was just a random knight. ¡°I know, and I completely understand,¡± Regina said reassuringly. ¡°I would never want the common people to suffer for this, Sir Edmund. They already suffer far too much in what is, after all, a squabble between nobles. I will not add to that unless I have to.¡± She even meant that, mostly. ¡°I am happy to lend the Earl troops to defend his demesne¡¯s villages and towns, to drive the king¡¯s men out or simply make sure no monsters or bandits attempt to prey on the people.¡± Edmund looked at her searchingly for a moment before he nodded slowly. ¡°I see. Thank you, Your Majesty. I am sure Lord Whitor will be relieved to hear of your sentiments.¡± One of the other knights, the older one he¡¯d looked to before and who was called Philip according to the System, cleared his throat. ¡°One wonders what you might want in exchange,¡± he said diffidently. ¡°It is simple, and I think rather obvious,¡± Regina said. ¡°I want his help, I want his men to be turned against my enemy and fight for my cause, and I want his counsel and advice. In exchange, I will spare him, I will protect his - your - people, I will augment his strength and reduce the casualties his forces take, and I will provide him some of the knowledge he desires to make sure his legacy and the lives of his people are improved by more than warfare.¡± There was a short silence as everyone seemed to consider what she¡¯d just said. ¡°You do not require him to swear allegiance to Marquis Lyns as pretender to Cernlia?¡± the knight asked. Regina hesitated and considered the question for a moment. She knew what she¡¯d like, but she hadn¡¯t settled on any planned demands to make in that regard, yet, since she wanted to see how the earl would take it first. ¡°I would prefer it if he were to align himself with Lyns¡¯ rebels,¡± she finally said. ¡°Even if he chooses not to swear allegiance to the marquis, however, I¡¯d require him to work together insofar as fighting the king¡¯s forces goes. And, of course, working with me.¡± She shrugged. ¡°To be perfectly frank, I¡¯d understand if he wanted to avoid firm commitments like sworn oaths of fealty for right now, but a working agreement between them would be good.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Edmund said. ¡°I¡¯ll convey your words and suggestions. Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± He glanced at his companions, who returned nods. ¡°I do hope you can work with them,¡± Regina said with a light smile. She didn¡¯t point out that if not, she could always send her forces into the earl¡¯s domain without an invitation. Taking it by force was definitely within her hive¡¯s capabilities, even if a more diplomatic solution would be preferable, since she¡¯d rather use his soldiers instead of fighting them. She didn¡¯t need to, she was pretty sure they all understood that much. Edmund inclined his head. ¡°Certainly, Hive Queen Regina. I am confident we will come to an agreement. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll excuse myself to send a message now. We should have a return message soon.¡± Regina nodded. It sounded like what they¡¯d talked about was within the parameter his father had given him for the meeting, that it followed the expectations Whitor had. They were just checking in now. A reminder that Whitor was not an idiot she could just run over, but that was fine with her. ¡°By all means. There are rooms prepared for you as well, if you¡¯d like to rest after your trip,¡± she offered. She watched as the earl¡¯s envoys bowed their way out of the room. Then Regina sighed and slumped back in her chair, glancing at the others. ¡°I was hoping this kind of stuff would get easier with time,¡± she muttered. ¡°I¡¯m sure it does,¡± Ira shrugged, refilling Regina¡¯s cup. Regina grabbed it and took a sip. ¡°Am I getting better at this? I honestly can¡¯t tell.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure we¡¯re the right people to ask,¡± Max replied. ¡°You¡¯ve always been a great Hive Queen to me.¡± Regina snorted, then sat up straighter and forced a blank expression on her face when she realized he was entirely serious. ¡°You might want to check with Janis,¡± Ben commented, keeping the conversation going before it could lead to an awkward moment of silence. ¡°She¡¯s already on the way,¡± Regina said. She would have preferred to have Janis here from the beginning, but the mage had things to take care of at the hive¡¯s main base and decided to take a look at the area from the back of her Winged Drone Mount on the flight here. "I think the earl is going to come around,¡± Max noted. ¡°They¡¯ve as good as said that they¡¯ll agree to this.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll bargain for as much help as they can get in return, though. We¡¯ll need to send troops to his earldom. Well, to be fair, I¡¯ll feel more comfortable having our own forces there, anyway. What do you think, Ben?¡± ¡°Eminently doable,¡± Ben assessed. ¡°We have the troops, even if it will stretch us thinner here. But we still haven¡¯t run into real resistance. Considering the main Nerlian army is with our Cernlian enemies, that makes some sense. I think we¡¯ll have to invest some castles before long, though. That seems to be the way things are set up here.¡± ¡°Well, razing a medieval castle would be a nice exercise, I¡¯m sure,¡± Regina said. Max snorted, and Ira hid a smile as well. Regina didn¡¯t comment, even if she shared some of their amusement. In reality, if she¡¯d really wanted to, she could have already put the fear of god into Nerlia. But she didn¡¯t. There were some genies you couldn¡¯t put back into the bottle. And a high-level foreign psychic like Madris showing up just reminded her that there was a bigger stage to worry about here. No, it would be best to stick to more-or-less conventional methods, she felt. Not that she could even be sure any of her other ideas would work, with them never having had the chance to try them out. It was frustrating, and it would probably lead to a higher blood price to be paid for her hive, but it was her job to make those kinds of calls and she had determined it was the best course to take. Now I just have to hope I¡¯m right about that. Janis¡¯ arrival pulled her out of her ruminations. Regina stood up to greet her friend as she landed outside, and turned her thoughts to the next steps in this campaign. The hard parts were just beginning. Chapter 173: Positioning Janis glanced at her queen riding through the aftermath of a recent victory, frowning contemplatively into the distance, and wondered how things would turn out. It was still strange for her to think of Regina that way, but she knew it was accurate. Regina had made a more momentous choice than she perhaps knew, by showing her power in front of the marquis and demanding a royal address. She was sure the implications were still trickling through the Cernlian nobility¡¯s parlors and conferences. Other ones, as well, maybe. It wasn¡¯t like Janis minded. While she was not a ¡®mud-grubbing peasant¡¯ - as the daughter of reasonably successful adventurers and the grand-niece of a knight, who even unlanded did, after all, count as lesser nobility - she was not someone great lords would usually waste a second of thought on. Well, perhaps because of her magical talents or even her elemental blood. Still, she¡¯d seen enough of how things worked to have a pretty good idea, and she hadn¡¯t liked most of what she¡¯d seen. Regina was different. Obviously, the Hivekind were far from human, and the way their society worked reflected that. Still, though, Regina had been human once, and she hadn¡¯t exactly hidden the fact that she thought of all of them as backwards barbarians. But her contempt was directed at the system itself and perhaps the nobles, not, primarily, the common people. I suppose it¡¯s better to be thought of as a victim than as a resource barely better than cattle or a worker inherently less worthy than your betters, Janis mused. She herself wouldn¡¯t have entertained these thoughts before she¡¯d met Regina, she knew. But experiencing strange cultures might just have a way of getting you to contemplate your own, and the hints she¡¯d picked up about Ancient times were pretty tantalizing as well. Max had once suggested she had a chip on her shoulder from being stuck in a backward village for ten years. He might have a bit of a point, but Janis was confident there was a little more to her feelings. She didn¡¯t know what Regina would do. And while that was a bit frightening, it was also exhilarating. Curiosity had always been Janis¡¯ weak point. Right now, no pack of Lionits was going to get her away from Regina¡¯s side. Well, metaphorically speaking. Besides, Regina had never actually had much to do with common people before, and Janis was pretty interested to see how it would go when she would have to deal with them. Right now, most of the villages they¡¯d passed were under occupation by Hive drones, and some further away from the border had started to see people fleeing before they reached them. That implied there was at least a little bit of an alarm system in place, not that Janis was surprised. No messenger, even on horse, would have traveled quicker than them, she was pretty sure. At least not enough for this. That meant magic or maybe tamed monsters, most likely a system meant to warn of monster incursions in normal times. ¡°How much further?¡± Max asked quietly. Janis glanced at him. He¡¯d been pretty quiet recently, and he was watching their surroundings closely. Probably looking for threats. This was the first time they had fought anything like a field battle during their advance, although it was still only a skirmish. A few hundred drones against less than that in human men-at-arms and what she suspected were adventurers. Some tradespeople, as well. The few Hunters or Butchers might have been effective, but most of those hadn¡¯t. Janis tried not to think of what she¡¯d seen through the psychic link. The drones had already cleaned up all but bloodstains at the side of the road before they traveled through. ¡°We¡¯ll keep going until we catch up to Ace¡¯s group,¡± Regina said. Her tone was firm, commanding, even though she slumped in her saddle with obvious tiredness. The Drone Mount given the privilege of carrying her (and she was pretty sure the drones did consider it one) picked its way cautiously along the dirt path they were following, clearly careful not to jostle her. Regina barely seemed to notice, gaze half-lidded as she looked at many things happening at once, few of them here. ¡°And then we¡¯ll get to assault a castle,¡± Ira noted, sounding almost cheerful. Janis wondered if she was doing that deliberately. ¡°Probably,¡± Max agreed after another quick glance at Regina. Janis closed her own eyes for a moment and searched for the right connection in the psychic link. She found one, passing through a threshold and looking through a Swarm Drone¡¯s eyes at the castle in question. It was a big one, deserving of the term fortress, probably even more so than Forest¡¯s Watch. Instead of a river, it stood surrounded by a moat leading up to a great curtain wall, dotted with towers and an imposing gatehouse. The keep reached high into the sky, built with the telltale openings of an eyrie. No flying monsters were currently in sight, though, the defenders likely keeping them back to avoid giving their enemy a good look at what they had up their sleeves. Janis didn¡¯t think it was going to be much of a challenge. The Hive had already gathered a host of around ten thousand close to the castle, although it was still technically split into several sections kept somewhat apart for easier logistics. Their current group was bringing another thousand in reinforcements. And among those, hidden among the throng, was a very high-level group. Of course, they were intended primarily as Regina¡¯s bodyguards and wouldn¡¯t be taking the field themselves, but they¡¯d be there in an emergency. Not to mention that if the Nerlians did catch sight of them, they¡¯d have to account for them in their deployments, honor the threat of Regina unleashing them against their ranks. Janis was aware that Max was still unhappy about Regina being here, across the border in Nerlia, in the first place. She appreciated his concerns, but didn¡¯t think he was quite right. This was probably the highest concentration of power the Hive currently fielded anywhere, even including their home base. And if anyone was going to attack Regina, she thought the middle of a swarm like this would probably be a much harder target to hit than her rooms in the very stationary hive whose location was well-known by now. Not to mention they were actually farther away from the bulk of the enemy¡¯s troop strength here. ¡°It really is all about positioning, I guess,¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°Your lessons with Ben and the others appear to have been going well,¡± Ira said, drawing Janis out of her thoughts. ¡°I think so,¡± she replied. In truth, those were less lessons than sessions where they talked things out. Brainstorming, Regina might call it, although there was a bit more to it than that. The hive¡¯s commanders might have good instincts, but they still lacked knowledge of the world outside their territory in some ways. Janis was happy to fill in the gaps, and pick up more knowledge on strategy and military considerations along the way. She found the subject more fascinating than she¡¯d thought previously. And besides, the hive didn¡¯t mind if she wanted to become a commander in addition to being a mage or diplomatic advisor (no question which was last on her personal list), as long as she could prove herself competent and be useful. Considering the sorts of things she¡¯d been doing for Regina already, it was probably only prudent. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Janis chatted with Ira for a while, then turned most of her attention to the psychic link. A few of the Keepers had started setting up the equivalent of a digital library mixed with a ¡®multimedia archive¡¯ in the psychic link devoted to tactics. There was a lot there Janis didn¡¯t think would be very useful to her, at least for now, but quite a few things they would probably put into practice soon, as well. The sun moved through the sky, and they caught up with the units led by Ace, then soon joined the gathering around the castle. It was clearly a siege camp, and from what she could tell, had been deliberately set up in a way to make that clear to everyone. The ditches and palisades might have kept the War Drones busy, but she didn¡¯t know how helpful they would actually be. No reason not to do it, though, she supposed. It wasn¡¯t like they lacked the manpower to get the entire castle encircled with at least basic fortifications. Their arrival caused a bit of a stir, which she¡¯d known it would. Regina smiled at the sapient drones milling around, but didn¡¯t stop to talk to them, and instead headed to a small hill where they¡¯d be able to have a good overview of the area, while Janis and the others followed. Ada and most of their senior officers were already there. ¡°How soon can we start?¡± Regina began without preamble. ¡°Technically right away,¡± Ben replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be a good idea, though. Ada?¡± ¡°The humans have holed up and prepared for a siege,¡± Ada reported. ¡°We¡¯ve caught glimpses of several different giant birds, but no hard numbers - our best estimate is between twenty and forty, perhaps more if they¡¯re smaller or lower-leveled than I think. Our own preparations are proceeding at the projected pace, though.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°This is going to be our first operation of this kind, which, to be honest, is half the reason I¡¯m here. We need to know how easy or problematic it¡¯s going to be. I also want the lord alive.¡± The gathered commanders nodded. ¡°You could offer terms of surrender after doing some damage,¡± Janis suggested. Regina cocked her head. ¡°Maybe. I suppose that would disincentivize him from throwing his life away.¡± ¡°I mean, we are going to keep half our tools in the proverbial bag,¡± Max said, ¡°but it should not be that much of a challenge anyway.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not facing the majority of the actual Nerlian army,¡± Ira muttered. ¡°The real fight is going to come after they turn back. Assuming they do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be a very different type of war than against the gnomes,¡± Ben said quietly, his gaze sweeping across the others. ¡°I want all of you to keep that in mind. We will be losing much of our natural physical advantage, except for the additional limbs. We will not be fighting in tunnels, or mountains. And we¡¯ll be on the offensive, instead of the defensive. Getting bogged down here is what we must avoid.¡± ¡°I have faith in all of you to see this through successfully and effectively,¡± Regina said. Janis could sense the faint stir of pride and happiness that coursed through the psychic link at her words. ¡°We will present you this land on a platter, my Queen,¡± Zoe said with a grin showing sharp teeth. It wasn¡¯t really about the land, Janis knew. Well, maybe it was about that, too. She was talking with Hivekind, after all. Territorial was their base mindset. This was about winning the larger war, though. They started with siege engines. The hive had built a few catapults, and she knew they¡¯d gotten a bit of help with the plans for trebuchets from Galatea; even if they were hastily assembled, she wouldn¡¯t bet against their effectiveness. From what Janis knew, there were mostly minor improvements compared to conventional designs for siege engines, but those could add up. The siege engines, manned by War Drones and overseen by Drone Craftspeople, Engineers or Combat Engineers began firing rocks. Janis watched as they arced through the air before striking the walls. In ideal cases, at least. They had to adjust their aim somewhat. Then the bombardment continued. Just as the defenders must have finished redeploying and started getting used to it, the bombardment changed. Instead of rocks, there were other surprises mixed in now. Janis knew this was mostly an experiment, testing what worked and what didn¡¯t. Most of this ammunition had been Conjured, so there was a limited supply and they couldn¡¯t afford to rely on something that wouldn¡¯t be worth the investment. Some of them fired simple metal balls, made of uncommon metals like Titanium. Janis watched them, but she couldn¡¯t really tell which ones were better than others. Tia and her team would be keeping a sharp eye on that, though. She¡¯d muttered something about the distribution of mass and momentum the last time it had come up when they talked. Others were, to no one¡¯s surprise (except hopefully their current enemies), filled with explosives. Those made for some nice impacts. Regina had also tried a few more exotic options, although Janis didn¡¯t think this was really the best ground for gas canisters. It might be why some were clearly thrown beyond the walls, though. ¡°What do you think?¡± Regina asked. Janis almost jumped a little. She¡¯d been too caught up in watching the battle to notice the Hive Queen coming up beside her. Janis was still standing on the hill they¡¯d held an impromptu war council on, but further forward now, a few meters from Ben and most of the others. Max hovered behind Regina even now, and the others were engaged in discussion. ¡°It¡¯s impressive,¡± she replied, then snorted. ¡°Of course, pretty much everything¡¯s been impressive since I joined you. This is a bit different than exploring Ancients¡¯ ruins, though. It¡¯s what I¡¯ve been told of but haven¡¯t seen, mixed with your own particular spin.¡± ¡°Our hive¡¯s spin on it,¡± Regina responded, sounding thoughtful. Then she smiled. ¡°Would you be very sad to miss the end of this siege?¡± Janis raised an eyebrow, watching her with a touch of wariness. From what she understood, this wasn¡¯t intended to be much of a siege. They might just start storming the walls soon, assuming they were still intact in a while. ¡°I would mind missing the battle a little, honestly,¡± she answered. It would be a good source of Experience, aside from her curiosity. ¡°But if you¡¯ve got something else for me to do, I¡¯m not going to object.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like you to go to Whitor¡¯s county,¡± Regina said. Janis frowned. That wasn¡¯t entirely unexpected, but ¡­ ¡°I thought you¡¯d send one of your senior officers to lead the drones you¡¯re sending there?¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re the better choice, to be honest,¡± Regina said. ¡°Ben agrees you¡¯d do well, if it comes to that. Of course, we¡¯ll still send Warriors along. It¡¯s been pointed out to me that having a clear chain of command is a good thing, though.¡± And she wanted her to be at the top of it for this particular mission, Janis understood, for more than simply reasons of military tactics. Cernlian nobles or knights probably would respond better to someone who at least mostly looked like a human. And Regina wasn¡¯t exactly swimming in experienced diplomatics, either, especially people who¡¯d met the Earl before. ¡°I¡¯d be honored,¡± Janis answered simply, inclining her head. ¡°Ben and Dan are preparing a detachment already,¡± Regina said, ¡°now that Len¡¯s units are almost here. I¡¯m sending Dan as well, and probably Ivy.¡± Janis nodded. That detachment was going to be rather big, as such things went. Not that she would mind. ¡°We¡¯re splitting up quite a bit,¡± she muttered. ¡°I know, but needs must,¡± Regina replied seriously. ¡°And we have a larger hive than ever. We can actually project power now. We need to seize the advantages we can.¡± Janis nodded again, silently. She glanced back at the castle, which was looking decidedly worse for wear, and found herself smiling. It wasn¡¯t a particularly happy expression, maybe even a bit solemn, but Regina didn¡¯t comment on it. She didn¡¯t know if the other woman was also thinking about the people killed in there, though, although somehow she doubted it. That didn¡¯t worry her as much as it, perhaps, should. Chapter 174: Conventional Tactics Managing escalation might be the trickiest challenge we are facing, Regina had told Ben. He preferred to focus on the military aspects of their strategy. Political implications and goals were not really his field. That said, it was just as true now as it¡¯d ever been that politics shaped war. You wouldn¡¯t go to war without any need for it, after all. Even if it was as simple as expanding your Hive¡¯s territory and blooding your drones or gaining resources, blindly charging at the closest possible target was going to get a lot of people killed. This war wasn¡¯t really about the Hive¡¯s land or resources. It was about its strategic position, though - in both the short and long term. As Ben watched the progress of his attack against the Nerlian castle, he pondered escalation and its implications, both military and political. Feronet Castle was situated in an important location, guarding the way deeper into Nerlia on its southwestern flank. The Hive needed to take it to secure their advance, if they didn¡¯t want to risk having a proverbial knife ready to be stabbed into their back. It wasn¡¯t the only key point like this, of course, just the most important. The castle¡¯s lord was what would be roughly equivalent to a Cernlian viscount, he¡¯d learned, and he had clearly taken good care of his fortifications. The walls were kept in good repair, and the siege engines atop them, while not very relevant to the battle yet, could probably help to hold off a conventional attack pretty well. Unfortunately for the Nerlians, they were dealing with the Starlit Hive. ¡°They may be preparing for a sortie,¡± Ada said. Ben nodded calmly. He¡¯d been half-expecting such movement for a while now. The Nerlians had to know they couldn¡¯t just sit there and let their walls be pounded into dust. ¡°Is this going to be a problem?¡± Regina asked. Ben didn¡¯t turn around. He¡¯d sensed her coming up behind him, and didn¡¯t take his eyes off the battle. ¡°Not likely, my Queen,¡± he answered. Then he switched his focus to the psychic link, including her so she¡¯d know what he was doing as he gave orders to his officers. Switch up. High-levels back, send heavies and younger War Drones to the front. Careful of high-leveled attacks targeting sapient drones. He watched them carry out his orders, occasionally chiming in with a further command or nudge to get their positioning perfect. The younger War Drones were going to die in large numbers, he knew, but he put aside the solemnity he felt at the thought. The survivors would have earned enough levels from the battle to be considerably more dangerous, and it was necessary to gauge how their opponents would react to swarm tactics. With heavies, higher-level and tougher Swarm Drones, to anchor them, they should be able to hold against any counter-charges and rip through the enemy. It was a general¡¯s duty to spend their soldiers¡¯ lives carefully, but still spend them to accomplish their strategic and tactical objectives. He might still fail his Queen in miscalculating their worth, but it would not be because he was afraid to pay the prices that must be paid. Although he was glad he wouldn¡¯t have to fully risk sapient drones this time. The humans were taking their sweet time with the sortie, though, if they were really intending to do one at all. The reason why rapidly became clear once he noticed the shapes rising into the air behind the battlements. ¡±Fliers, about thirty, levels twenty to fifty,¡± Ada reported quickly. Ben nodded. Wing one, engage, he ordered. Wings two and three, circle around and take their flanks. Wing four, you¡¯re on defense. Make sure they don¡¯t get to our ground troops. He frowned, squinting a bit and paging through several sets of eyes, before he continued to a different collection of minds. Retreat further, slowly and carefully, he ordered his Warriors on the ground. ¡°You¡¯re pulling the sapient drones back?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Right before the enemy is going to hit?¡± Ben glanced at her. There was no recrimination in her tone, just a request for information. It still made him shift a bit uncomfortably. ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°I think - ah, there they come.¡± The defenders opened the gate and started their sortie from the ground. They must have put high-level fighters in front, since the vanguard cleared the gate quicker than should normally be possible. His own formation met them and the real fight started. ¡°I feel like our enemies always have stronger fighters,¡± Regina commented. ¡°At least, those who are actually fighting. Do you think they¡¯re deliberately tailoring their approach to it? People with skills that are good against swarms?¡° ¡°Of course. We have an expendable, quickly-replenishing horde of individually weak fighters,¡± Ben said, shrugging. ¡°Swarm tactics are our bread and butter. They are expected to be.¡± ¡°I get the feeling there¡¯s more to it,¡± she said. ¡°Walk me through your thoughts?¡± Ben hesitated, then decided the fight was going as well as could be expected and looked at Regina. ¡°Of course, my Queen,¡± he said, before he paused to gather his thoughts for a moment. ¡°Our ability to share the senses of and directly control our Swarm Drones is what really makes us dangerous,¡± he began. ¡°I get that it¡¯s a big advantage, but it¡¯s not directly making them better fighters, is it?¡± she asked. ¡°And it¡¯s not like one sapient drone can control an entire unit of Swarm Drones at once, not every movement. But I guess you¡¯re talking about tactical strengths and weaknesses?¡± Ben nodded. ¡°Our weakness is the flip side of the expendable horde,¡± he said. ¡°Arguably, it¡¯s a mirror of the weakness in the structure of a Hive, with the Hive Queen at the center. Swarm Drones are not sapient. Unlike our enemies.¡± ¡°They can bait them into traps or grind them down with clever tactics,¡± Regina said, brow furrowed as she considered the matter. Ben hid a pleased smile. It was nice to see his Queen engaging and broadening her understanding of this subject. ¡°Exactly,¡± he said. ¡°Our sapient drones hold them together, they¡¯re the ones who control them and guide them on the tactical level, so our armies aren¡¯t vulnerable to this kind of weakness.¡± ¡°So, targeting officers is a more important tactic against Hivekind than any other race,¡± Regina realized. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Indeed,¡± he smiled slightly. Then he glanced back at the battle. ¡°For now, the question is if they realize all this. How much have they heard about us?¡± The battle had started to broaden, he noticed. The defenders had formed ranks, but they were loose and tended to see small eddies when individual fighters used Skills or even magic. The Hive¡¯s own forces were holding them off, but had gained little ground. So far. In a few places, he could see the balance of the fight swing in their favor, the numbers of War Drones starting to overwhelm the opposition. The first part of the reserves he¡¯d prepared were also trickling in to reinforce them. ¡°Even if they do, they can¡¯t expect to win this,¡± Regina pointed out. ¡°Sometimes, that¡¯s not the point. You can win battles but lose the war, or even lose battles but win the war,¡± Ada spoke up quietly. Regina¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he could tell she was considering that they were not the only side here who might want to gather information for future clashes. He¡¯d already tasked several of the others to keep an eye out for any attempted communications from the castle. There was no guarantee they¡¯d even notice anything, of course, or be able to stop it, but they still obviously needed to take steps. As if to punctuate his thoughts, the Nerlians finally made a move. He watched as several shapes quickly rose over the battlements, mages or high-level fighters flying over the walls. One of them strung a massive longbow and an arrow made of light appeared in it. Ben had only just jumped into the right drone to watch it more closely when the arrow took flight and shot toward one of his senior officers, Tad. Tad backpedaled quickly, but he might not have been fast enough. At the same time, one of the War Drones right beside him jumped in front of him. The arrow went straight through it, but was slowed enough that it only thudded into the ground uselessly. Regina cursed softly beside him, but Ben barely registered it. He was too focused on the fight right now. A small cluster of Winged Drones immediately descended on the archer. Half of them died quickly, but they kept him busy, so Ben turned his attention to other fights. Two of the other reinforcements appeared to be mages, although most likely not as high-leveled. They rained down Fireballs and bolts of lightning on the Hive¡¯s drones. Ben quickly gauged their effects, but didn¡¯t see too much cause for worry; their range wasn¡¯t enough to seriously threaten the sapient drones. They were already retreating even further. The humans seemed to realize that as well, turning their efforts to the oldest and strongest of the War Drones fighting. Ben itched to intervene, but held off, reminding himself this was a test as much as a battle. They could not always count on air superiority, so they needed to be able to fight on the ground. That meant refining their tactics. Besides, Regina had dictated that they would fight this war ¡®traditionally¡¯, as much as was feasible and not damaging in the long term. He understood her reasoning, even if he didn¡¯t believe he knew all of it. It was a careful balance of managing impact, reputation and threat, he thought. Giving the Hive time and space to grow without everyone gunning for us. It didn¡¯t seem like they needed any advanced tricks here, anyway. Their combat lines had turned into a meat grinder, a sight that was probably not unexpected for the locals. The elites were shifting the scale in their favor, but Ben could tell that was a passing spike. Already, the exchange rate was starting to tilt back in the Hive¡¯s favor. High-level people could still get tired, after all, and one of the disadvantages of relying on Class Skills was their usually limited use. Ben watched their enemies closely, switching between a few perspectives, and took notes on how they managed them. This is proceeding pretty well, but we could do better, Ada commented quietly. We will need to get more training on battle lines and shield walls, he agreed. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ve learned enough now?¡± Regina asked, a little drily. Ben glanced at her and shrugged. He suspected other people¡¯s generals would have resented having their ruler looking over their shoulder like this, but he always found her presence to be reassuring. ¡°I could send in the reinforcements we¡¯ve prepared, widen our lines and attempt to encircle them,¡± he said after a moment. They did have walls to fall back on, but he supposed it would be worth the try, at least. ¡°Whatever you think best,¡± Regina said. Ben nodded and sent the orders over the psychic link. Most of his commanders were already prepared for it, and the reserve they¡¯d kept ready melded seamlessly into the order of battle fighting in front of the castle. There was a moment of tension, like a coiled rubber band, before things snapped into place, the sapient drones in control of the Swarm pulling them into a proper intertwined formation. Ben closed his eyes and took a mental step back, touching several minds simultaneously. He nudged them, barely forming the thought, and the response rippled across the mass of War Drones as they shifted according to his command. It was like nothing else, and he would never get tired of that feeling. Right now, however, it was time to bring this battle to a close. Ben was just about to turn his attention to one of the wings when a small spike of pain through the psychic link caught his attention. He turned his gaze forward and realized that Gale had been injured, an arrow sticking out of his wings. He¡¯d been leading a flight of Winged Drones further off, away from the concluding tangle with the humans¡¯ tamed monsters. ¡°They kept some elites back to use as a trump card,¡± Ada muttered. ¡°Clever.¡± Ben watched in concern as Gale lost altitude, his damaged wing unable to keep him aloft properly. A moment later, there was a small flash of magic and he appeared in front of them on the slopes of the hill. Regina had teleported him with her Ability, he realized. Then a large Fireball shot towards the corner tower the arrow had come from, engulfing its upper reaches. Ben glanced at Regina and raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t comment. She must have been angry. That had been a pretty large distance, and even if the spell didn¡¯t lose altitude it must have been easy to dodge, but he supposed towers couldn¡¯t do that. At least other mages are unlikely to pump that much mana into a single Spell, he consoled himself. ¡°Ben,¡± his Queen said, her voice tight. ¡°It¡¯s time to finish this. End this battle.¡± ¡°As you command,¡± he muttered, then reached into the psychic link again and gave new orders. The ranks of War Drones kept out of the fighting so far set into motion, and Ben widened their lines as well before narrowing them into spikes at specific spots, attacking the walls from several directions. The bombardment, which had already turned away from the area around the gate to prevent friendly fire, stopped. The front ranks of his assault companies started to set down large planks of wood they¡¯d been carrying, first held up as protection against arrows and now bridges over the moat. Then they crossed. The defenders shot at them, but they were already thin. Horns blew and those fighting at the front attempted to withdraw from their sortie, but Ben didn¡¯t let them, thinning his lines slightly to keep them penned in from both sides and maintain the encirclement. Winged Drones descended to pick off targets of opportunity, but Ben focused on the drones that reached the walls. They¡¯d run more than a few tests, of course, but not under combat conditions like these. Still, Swarm Drones were pretty good climbers. Having claws and additional limbs tended to help. Some of them carried ladders, but they weren¡¯t even strictly necessary. Drones started swarming up the wall in several spots, quickly widening into a tide sweeping up the castle. They were taking casualties, and Ben clenched his teeth as he felt a section dying to Spells and what might have been some kind of ritual or enchanted defenses. The one after them immediately advanced, though, pressing through the bodies of their fellows to tie down the human defenders. Remember that our Queen wants their lord alive, he reminded his commanders in a quiet whisper. Acknowledgments came back, and the tip of the spear forming his assault split off to head deeper into the fortress. These were War Drones almost pushing the level boundary to sapience, and he suspected a few would cross it after this battle. They were not only stronger but smarter than most Swarm Drones. And now, they spread out to take the interior of the castle before the defenders, beleaguered and out of position, could stop them. ¡°It was costlier than I thought,¡± he muttered. ¡°But not outside our tolerances.¡± Regina nodded. Her face looked a little drawn, he noticed. The deaths must not be easy for her, she probably felt them more acutely. ¡°I suppose our first battle is won,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Good work, Ben.¡± He smiled at her praise, but didn¡¯t let it distract him. As she said, it was only the first battle. Chapter 175: Reflections It had been hard to tell how many soldiers the Nerlians had fielded to defend the castle. Ben had told Regina how to count large numbers of people in military formations, and she¡¯d had some practice with her own swarms, but the soldiers had been mostly hidden behind the walls. As it turned out, the number was larger than she¡¯d first thought, probably because not all of them stood on the walls or ventured out for the sortie. They must have kept some in reserve, especially if they had expected a longer siege. Still, the battle had just cost Nerlia several thousand soldiers. Assuming you could consider them soldiers. Just by looking at them, Regina was pretty sure most of them were local militia. Still, there were at least a thousand or so more professional ones. Men-at-arms? She wasn¡¯t sure about the terminology. It seemed like a pretty large garrison when most of the Nerlian army was off fighting a war somewhere else, but she supposed that spoke to the strategic importance of the place. They had clearly been commanded by the local noble. A small group of drones dragged him in front of Regina shortly after the last of his forces surrendered, and Regina looked him over curiously. The guy wore armor with silvery embellishments, but it looked actually used, and there were traces of dried blood on the breastplate. Seems leading from the front is encouraged here. He looked like he was about thirty, with dark hair and an unremarkable face.
Giles Feronet ¡ª Level 31 Duelist
The lord bowed stiffly as he was led in front of her, looking like the gesture took all of his self-control. ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± he said. ¡°Lord Feronet,¡± Regina replied evenly, nodding at him. She sat on a folding chair Ira had pulled out of her hat, with Max and several other drones standing behind her and lining the walls of the room. ¡°I must protest your unlawful entry into this land, and demand you turn around at once,¡± he continued. Regina raised an eyebrow and bit down on the urge to ask if he thought that could possibly work. ¡°I¡¯ll have to decline,¡± she said instead. ¡°This is an act of war,¡± he said. Regina inclined her head slightly. ¡°So it is.¡± He just stared at her for a moment, seemingly at a bit of a loss. ¡°This is an unlawful invasion that will not go unpunished,¡± he then said. ¡°Attacking us in peacetime without even declaring war will make you pariahs among all.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± she corrected calmly, ¡°I have sent a missive to your king.¡± She¡¯d had to rely on the elves for that, but they¡¯d been happy to help her out. Simply sending a Winged Drone into the heart of Nerlia and hoping for the best would have been a pretty dumb move. Of course, she¡¯d still timed it so that they wouldn¡¯t have had enough time to muster a proper response, even if she¡¯d technically waited with her incursion until then. ¡°Even then,¡± Regina continued, ¡°any declaration of war would be purely superfluous. You did not declare war or even inform us of any hostile intent or make demands before you sent soldiers after me and my hive several months ago, did you?¡± He blinked. ¡°I know of no such thing.¡± ¡°I hope your king has a better explanation,¡± she said with a cold smile. ¡°Either way, as I communicated to your king, we are already in a state of hostilities. After all, we have a treaty of alliance with the coalition of lords seeking to topple the tyrant in Cernlia, while your country is his ally and propping up his regime. That makes us enemies, doesn¡¯t it?¡± She watched as he took a deep breath. He still felt confused and anxious, indignant and angry. It was getting easier to pick apart his emotions. It probably helped that he was standing right in front of her in the same room. Regina was trying to learn her psychic powers better, and this kind of sensing of emotions seemed like an obvious route. It was probably the bare basics, she figured, but if she could use it as a first step, she¡¯d need to work on it diligently. ¡°I understand your position, even if I find it regrettable,¡± he replied. Regina cocked her head slightly. He¡¯s not willing to commit to a firmer stance without knowing how his king will react, she decided. ¡°Your response to this is essentially irrelevant,¡± she said. ¡°You are now my prisoner. I will offer to take your parole and to swear you will not be harmed, as long as you do not attempt to escape or interfere with my forces, as long as you answer some basic questions.¡± He frowned, and she sensed an increase in the anger, as well as a tang of disgust and a sprinkle of fear. ¡°I will not tell you anything,¡± he replied. ¡°We will see,¡± Regina said, deliberately keeping her voice and expression calm. She hesitated, then decided she might as well try it. ¡°How many soldiers are left in the interior of Nerlia?¡± There was a bit of confusion in him now, even as he scoffed. He doesn¡¯t actually know, Regina concluded. That seemed like a reasonable guess. Many nobles would have their own troops, and they were unlikely to have public rosters laying around. ¡°How popular is your king?¡± This time, there was mostly some irritation. ¡°He is well beloved,¡± the noble replied. Regina frowned. She wasn¡¯t actually sure if he was lying here or not. The safe bet would be to say that the king¡¯s popularity was average for his position, but she wouldn¡¯t count on that. ¡°How strong is his grasp on power and his effective authority?¡± she continued. He sneered again, not answering. Regina moved on, asking several more questions about the political situation before she brought the topic back around to the military and strategic lay of the land. Unfortunately, simply reading his emotions, even if she did feel like she was getting better at it, wasn¡¯t enough to give her a lot of information. He probably didn¡¯t even have that much knowledge, to begin with. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°How do you communicate with the capital? How long does it take to send and receive messages?¡± He hesitated a bit at this question and she felt a flicker of wariness, verging on alarm, and some bravado, like he was trying to reassure himself. Obviously, he recognized this was critical strategic information. Regina eyed him for a moment. It was obvious even without getting an answer that he¡¯d sent a message to the court as soon as he confirmed her forces¡¯ approach. We will be interrogating all of the senior prisoners and a random sample of the rest, she told several of her drones through the psychic link. I will take part in some interrogations, the Keepers will handle those they can, Attendants the rest. Acknowledgments came back, and she got an echo of Jem turning to Ben to discuss the practicalities of these interrogations, like a forwarded message to keep her in the loop. Keepers were still better at using the psychic link than pretty much anyone else. ¡°Take him away,¡± she told the drones in the room, then smiled thinly at the man. ¡°We will see each other again, Lord Feronet.¡± He didn¡¯t bow before walking out of the room. She considered stopping him and making him show what passed for proper manners around here, but decided to let it go for now. She could always insist on being treated as a queen the next time they talked. With some luck, she¡¯d have something to show for it then, too. Regina put it aside and instead went to look in on and participate in other interrogations, working her way through the senior officers they¡¯d captured. She took it as an opportunity for practice, and didn¡¯t expect to get much more out of it. They wouldn¡¯t know more than their liege lord. As it turned out, she¡¯d been wise not to get her hopes up. There were a few interesting details in there, but mostly she just got the same hard-to-interpret filler and a lot of ignorance. ¡°We might get more if we use some harder methods,¡± Max suggested quietly as they left the room of the last man Regina wanted to personally talk to. ¡°If we torture them for information,¡± Ira said. ¡°Let¡¯s call it what it is, Max.¡± Regina pulled a face. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. Ethical issues aside, torture isn¡¯t exactly known for giving reliable information,¡± she pointed out. ¡°It will be difficult to independently confirm anything we couldn¡¯t anyway. It¡¯ll be hard to be sure if they¡¯re just lying to mislead us, or, if they don¡¯t fold immediately and we really have to break them, if they¡¯re just saying what they think we want to know to make the pain stop.¡± Max sighed. ¡°Yeah, I suppose. Could you get some information from their heads in other ways?¡± ¡°I mean, I could try,¡± Regina hedged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how that would work or what the risks would be, though. I¡¯m stumbling blindly in the dark when it comes to these things. We¡¯re not that desperate for information.¡± The other two nodded, and Regina turned to make her way out of the castle proper and into the yard, watching her hive at work. She was feeling frustrated about her progress with psychic magic, or lack thereof, but she wasn¡¯t going to let that bait her into making mistakes. She wasn¡¯t going to catch up to Madris by being reckless. Assuming that¡¯s even possible, she thought, then made a face and pushed the thought aside. For all she knew, trying things like that might open her own mind to her presumptive victims, with unpleasant consequences considering she was the fulcrum of the hive¡¯s psychic link. As they stepped out into the courtyard, Regina focused on the immediate situation. Night was falling, stars twinkling in the cloudless sky. It was pretty, but cloud cover would have probably been better for her forces. Not that it would matter for a while yet, since they¡¯d just taken out the largest concentration of enemy troops for kilometers. So she allowed herself to enjoy the night sky for a second. What to do with the prisoners had been a hotly debated topic, and Regina still hadn¡¯t reached a firm conclusion. She was going to leave them in the fortifications they captured, for now, guarded by some drones. Her hive had some experience with keeping prisoners by now, and the psychic link did make it easier. Further down the line, they could maybe arrange prisoner exchanges. That would get drones that might have been captured, or if not, some of Lyns¡¯ forces, back while taking that problem off her hands. The thought of her drones being captured or dying in battle didn¡¯t sit well with her. Regina stood in the middle of her hive at work, breathed in deeply and felt it come alive around her. No, not come alive; it had already been alive, after all, had almost since she could remember. But there was a vitality to it now, which she had not felt before. It was, she knew, a reflection of her own mind. I didn¡¯t realize I missed this. The thought came to her unbidden, but it wasn¡¯t wrong, or something to be brushed off. Regina stood in the middle of territory she had acquired, even if that might just be temporarily, with hordes of her hive¡¯s drones shaped as a weapon around her. In front of her lay lands she had not seen yet, behind her a hive and territory she had built up from the ground. It didn¡¯t even matter that she was here in person. This war would be different than the gnomes. It already was. That one had been a defensive war. It wasn¡¯t finished yet and might turn into a war more like this one, but still ¡­ She¡¯d been dragged into it, while this she had chosen for herself. Regina felt excited in a primal way, in a way she knew without having to reflect came from the Hivekind part of her. She¡¯d had her doubts, but in this moment it seemed self-evident that her people had been made for war. Perhaps not entirely for war, she conceded, the thought distant. And yet. Maybe, a year ago, she would have pushed this away, buried the feeling under other considerations and distractions. But she didn¡¯t feel the need now, and instead allowed herself to indulge in it for a long moment. She didn¡¯t feel the need to be afraid of it, because this wasn¡¯t some foreign, dangerous influence. It was just her. She wasn¡¯t any less in control than she¡¯d been before. Regina opened her mind and sunk into the psychic link, and felt it unfold around her. It was another part of her she had trouble understanding to the full extent, might never if she was honest with herself. But it was so alive. It was her, the way spreading her wings to catch a current of wind under them was. It was her family, her home in a way a simple physical location could never be. She felt the minds of her hive around her and they were such a magnificent, awesome array of paintings, a tapestry woven together from many sources and stronger for it than the sum of its part, stars in a night sky sending their light to each other no matter the distance between them and bringing it into her night. The feeling faded after a moment, and Regina was left panting, standing in the middle of a stone courtyard. It wasn¡¯t exhaustion, at least not physical exhaustion. Although she did, for a fraction of a heartbeat, feel somehow lessened, before she fully came back to herself and reality. ¡°Probably shouldn¡¯t try to become a poet,¡± Regina muttered, more to hear herself speak right now than because she was upset at the poetic tint her thoughts had taken. It hadn¡¯t really changed anything. She knew that right away. The psychic link was still there, and it still worked the same way it always had. But something might be a little different, anyway, and she suspected it was just her perspective. She¡¯d never felt as ¡­ alien, and yet there had been a blazing light of humanity in there, too. She had, she realized now, gone about this the wrong way. Her psychic power wasn¡¯t an attribute she just happened to have completely independent from her hive¡¯s psychic link. Trying to use it while forgoing her best tool was a way of crippling or at least limiting herself. On the other hand, it wasn¡¯t all there was to it. She was already a psychic, and a pretty powerful one at that, she suspected. Even if all of her drones were suddenly out of her range, that wouldn¡¯t change. Regina smiled to herself, let her gaze pass over the drones close to her, and strolled towards the outer gate, starting to whistle a song she couldn¡¯t quite remember the lyrics of tunelessly. Chapter 176: Detachment Northern Cernlia was hilly country, dotted with small woods and more suited to grazing livestock than farming barley or wheat. It was not one of the richer parts of the country, although it did have a reputation for its soldiers. That was, Janis reflected, probably a good thing, at the moment. She¡¯d seen higher levels than she¡¯d thought from the earl¡¯s fighters. That might indicate they¡¯d seen some action, although it was hard to tell how many of those would have been in the war against the elves with the king. As she¡¯d ridden through the countryside, she¡¯d taken note of the state of the county and its settlements. They looked relatively poor, at first glance, but not in disrepair or like they¡¯d suffered several successive bad years. Of course, it wasn¡¯t always that clear-cut and Janis wouldn¡¯t consider herself an expert. On the other hand, if she didn¡¯t try to make that assessment, who would? None of the other people with her had actual, personal experience with that kind of thing. As promised, Regina and Ben had sent her with a sizeable force. It was actually stronger than it might look at first glance, because most of the drones were pretty high-level, all things considered. They also comprised a mix of Classes that would be of good strategic value, with a thousand War Drones and their Evolved Classes, another thousand Winged Drones, and a few hundred Production Drones along as logistical support. They could also expect reinforcements from the territory the Hive had taken, as well as their base at Forest¡¯s Haunt. Janis could tell just looking at the composition of her little army that this was considered a priority. It was also interesting to note that Ben would expect to use swarms of lower-level drones more in his main area of operations. Of course, the most important part was probably the sapient drones, here even more than back in Nerlia. Earl Whitor was obviously more than a little hesitant about how to put up this force, and what it would mean going forward. ¡°The fields outside the castle should have plenty of space, but I am not sure about arrangements for provisions, Lady Starlit,¡± he said with a frown, looking out at them just starting to set up a camp. Janis smiled. After greetings and introductions were done, they¡¯d retreated to this spot on the walls where they could watch the goings-on, a terrace at one of the corner towers that offered a good view of the castle and its surroundings. ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem,¡± she said mildly. ¡°We have some provisions. If you¡¯ll allow us to forage in the nearby meadows and forest, it should be more than enough.¡± ¡°You can subsist on grass and greenery, then?¡± he asked. Janis chuckled and shook her head. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t, but the Hive in general can, yes.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he replied with a smile. ¡°I would be honored to extend my hospitality to you, in any case.¡± ¡°Much obliged, Lord Whitor.¡± She watched the sapient drones remaining below corral the Swarm Drones into the proper order, then turned to face him more fully. ¡°Of course, this will depend on how long all of these drones will stay here and where they need to be deployed.¡± Earl Whitor hesitated for a moment, and she could practically see him considering the implied question. ¡°I have to admit I am unsure of the actual combat capability you can bring to bear, to be frank,¡± he finally said. ¡°We can bring more to bear than what you see here,¡± she assured him. ¡°This is just the vanguard. As for their combat capability, Swarm Drones are individually weaker than human fighters, but have the edge in terms of coordination and mobility, not to mention the logistical advantage.¡± That should be pretty obvious to him, or would be soon, so she didn¡¯t bother to try and hold back information. ¡°That is good to know,¡± he replied with a courteous nod. ¡°My own men are largely still gathered in my demesne, as the king saw sense in keeping the border to your own and Marquis Lyns¡¯ territories manned.¡± Janis cocked her head. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose it had anything to do with your feelings or possible reaction to having your men stripped to join the king¡¯s host,¡± she said drily. Whitor looked taken aback for an instant, before he smiled. ¡°Perhaps a tiny bit,¡± he answered in the same tone. ¡°I would not have hesitated to raise a rebel banner myself and he must have known it. However, there are still some of the king¡¯s men in the earldom.¡± ¡°Does that mean our primary focus, for now, is removing them quietly?¡± Dan asked as he came up behind Janis. Whitor glanced at the drone. Janis could practically see him readjusting from courtly talk to blunter, more straightforward discussion. ¡°In essence, yes,¡± he agreed. ¡°Is that something your forces can do?¡± ¡°Not always,¡± Janis said. ¡°But we do have the ability to communicate and coordinate over long distances, and drones that can fly. We could certainly also fight skirmishes. In the end, it depends on how quiet things are to be. Is this about silently eliminating spies in a concerted effort or ousting garrisons from specific settlements?¡± ¡°Both would be needed, or at least useful,¡± Whitor answered, frowning thoughtfully. ¡°I have enough agents in place to handle most of the quieter work. That said, having your drones along to make sure we can strike simultaneously, before they can warn each other, would be quite helpful. There are, in fact, several garrisons of the king¡¯s men as well, including border outposts.¡± ¡°That we can certainly do,¡± Janis agreed. ¡°You are aware that His Majesty has certainly received word of your arrival by now?¡± he stated more than asked. Janis nodded. ¡°That was probably inevitable. Still, the more we can keep him in the dark about what exactly is happening here, the better. We¡¯ll place emphasis on making sure those garrisons are encircled and captured rather than simply driven out to reinforce the king¡¯s troops.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Splendid,¡± the earl said. ¡°On that subject, not to be too blunt, but I hope you will allow them to surrender.¡± And treat them well, he didn¡¯t quite say, but it was clear from the tone and expression. ¡°We¡¯ll certainly accept surrender and treat all prisoners of war decently,¡± Janis calmly said. ¡°In fact, we would require you to keep any prisoners, as we do not have the logistics or manpower to spare.¡± ¡°Certainly,¡± he replied. Janis wasn¡¯t sure if that was relief or annoyance in his voice. It could be both. The conversation paused there, and Janis looked back at the drones Regina had given her technical command of. They had finished at least the essentials of setting up camp. Many of the War Drones were already entering hibernation, to reduce their food and water needs until they were needed to fight. The sapient drones with them had set up a roster for patrols and sentries, though, and most of the Winged Drones were still awake as well. Janis would have to look over all of it later, but that could wait until she got back to them. Besides, I¡¯m pretty sure Ben and maybe a few others will keep a close eye on us, too, she mused, then let the thought go. It was no reason not to do the best she could, and she didn¡¯t intend on treating this like a mere training exercise. Dan shifted slightly behind her, and Janis briefly touched his mind to see if something was wrong. He was getting antsy, but reassured her quickly. He should have been the commander of this detachment, Janis thought. Dan was one of their oldest drones, the same age as Ben. Unlike his brother, however, he had never shown any interest in command or a position of authority. His Class of Elite Drone Warrior wasn¡¯t rare, but she knew he¡¯d mastered it more than probably anyone else in the Hive, and the Class Skills he had picked were geared towards direct combat, especially duels. He¡¯d also reached level 50. If nothing else, at least, it was reassuring to have someone as strong as him with her. ¡°Our actions will also need to be informed by what is happening in the rest of Cernlia,¡± Whitor said. ¡°I do not suppose you have any news of interest?¡± ¡°Not quite. Last I heard, the marquis and the king had given battle near the Dannan again, but it was inconclusive,¡± Janis replied. They kept talking for a few minutes, exchanging information on the state of the war and what went on around it. Whitor didn¡¯t seem to know much more than the Hive did, although he did provide a few interesting tidbits. The entire point of this was to open a new front and take pressure off Marquis Lyns, but it hadn¡¯t had such an effect yet. Of course, they¡¯d only just moved. Lyns was still fighting defensively, and barely holding on, but Janis was pretty confident he would hold out long enough. When the Nerlians got word of the Hive¡¯s incursion, and they should already have, they would probably turn around to go north to stop it. ¡°They may decide to crush the marquis quickly and then turn around to handle us,¡± Whitor commented. ¡°It¡¯s possible, yes,¡± Janis agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it will happen, though. The Nerlians are already fighting a war that isn¡¯t theirs on foreign lands, and now their own are under attack. However, even if they do decide to double down on Lyns and perhaps then turn to this county, we¡¯ll handle it.¡± Ben wasn¡¯t stupid, so he¡¯d obviously made plans that took various possible responses into account. The Hive still had enough forces left, and could route further ones to the front, to bolster Lyns¡¯ army. It wasn¡¯t their first choice to mix their own drones with his soldiers so soon, but they would do it if necessary. And if they had to, they could also leave Lyns some more tricks or just use them themselves. She didn¡¯t think being outnumbered would be a big issue when he had a few thousand flying drones dropping explosives on the enemy army. ¡°I see,¡± Whitor said, eying her. She could see calculations going on behind those calm eyes, but he didn¡¯t ask further questions. ¡°I have called a meeting with my captains at dusk,¡± he said instead. ¡°I would be pleased if you and yours could join.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Janis agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll go see about getting them settled until then.¡± He bid her goodbye with a bow of his head and Janis returned the gesture before she and Dan turned and left. She wondered for a moment if she should have bowed deeper, but ¡­ she was one of the highest-ranking members of the Hive, which was arguably its own sovereign nation, and she didn¡¯t have much patience for this kind of courtly games. The Hive had a bit of experience setting up field camps by now, and this one wasn¡¯t much different. Tents and lean-tos were set up in neat rows, with straight lanes and broad avenues crisscrossing them to allow for quick deployment. Drones patrolled outside in staggered patrol patterns the sapient drones would change at random intervals. Most of the accommodations were pretty rough, barely more than open canopies to keep off rain if it came, but Swarm Drones didn¡¯t really need anything more. It was summer, anyway, so the temperature was pleasant and comfortable even at night. Some units of drones had started digging, she noticed. I thought we agreed to keep underground works to a minimum, Janis said to several others as they approached the larger central pavilion they¡¯d had set up in the middle of the camp. We¡¯re barely even digging any tunnels, Zac responded, not bothering to hide his mild irritation through the psychic link. Besides, our enemies must be aware that we do this kind of thing by now. That¡¯s still no reason to have elaborate tunnels or caves lying around for the humans to look at, Dan put in, mental voice calm. How long are we going to be here? Alf asked. Janis straightened her shoulders as she sensed the attention of everyone turning to her. Not too long, most likely, she said. Then she reached out carefully and sent an impression of their conversation with Earl Whitor to the senior commanders present. Luckily, they had a Keeper, Odi, who picked up what she was doing and helped her stabilize it. Figures the Cernlians would need two hours just to sort out who goes to a meeting, Alf muttered. Janis suppressed a sigh. She sat down in a folding chair someone had set up in the pavilion and glanced at the rough table, just a thin, Conjured sheet of metal on four legs. Maps were spread across it, although they didn¡¯t have ones of Whitor¡¯s earldom as good as she¡¯d prefer. A request to bring up then, definitely. Who are we going to send to the meeting? Zac continued. Hopefully not you, Dan responded, though the undercurrent of his words in the psychic link made it clear he was just teasing him. I¡¯m sure I can¡¯t do worse than you, Dan, Zac shot back with a slight smirk. Janis put her elbow down on the table and leaned her head into her hand, massaging the bridge of her nose for a moment. We¡¯ll take me, Dan, Zac, Inu and Alf, she told them. That would cover representatives of the warriors, scouts, magic-users and support types. As you say, Janis, Dan replied, and the others sent back acknowledgments over the psychic link as well. Janis found herself smiling slightly as she sat back in her chair and stretched. Sometimes, it felt nice to get reminders people were taking her seriously. She¡¯d been frustrated because it felt like her advance was stalled. Even with the Hive¡¯s Experience boost to Infected members, she just didn¡¯t level up as quickly as Hivekind drones. Still, she hardly had room to complain. Getting the Class of Archmage at the threshold of level 40 instead of 60 wasn¡¯t unheard of, but it was still a notable accomplishment, and something she probably wouldn¡¯t have managed without the Hive. And now, she should have plenty of opportunities to earn some Experience. She wasn¡¯t dependent on earning it in battle, luckily, but those did help. Chapter 177: Pieces The hive¡¯s army didn¡¯t stay long at the recently conquered castle. They left behind a detachment as a garrison, then moved on. From here, Ben had planned to split their current army and send the resulting corps on several paths - moving broadly in the same direction, but using different routes. It would allow them to spread out further and cover more ground to secure the area they had, more or less, just taken. The only Nerlian forces who could have been a real threat were now defeated, anyhow. Regina gave her approval, but didn¡¯t say anything otherwise. She¡¯d probably already had too much influence on their decisions. Ben was supposed to conduct this war as the hive¡¯s general, and she¡¯d trust him to do his job. Of course, she also didn¡¯t think it would matter that much. A lot now depended on their enemies¡¯ reaction to their movements. To that end, she barely paid any attention when they moved on from the castle through the Nerlian countryside and instead focused on the psychic link and communicating with their allies. It was a little harder to stay in contact with Kiara, but they made do. She could still use scrying magic and send letters by Winged Drones. The marquis himself was also downright eager to correspond with her. It made Regina realize how much she relied on Janis. Not that she couldn¡¯t still ask her for her opinion, but she¡¯d given Janis a task to do elsewhere and she couldn¡¯t distract her from it all the time. At least things seemed to be going well there. Whitor¡¯s earldom was a pretty important piece on the current strategic map, since it was located between the Cernlian heartlands and Nerlia, to the north of Lyns¡¯ march, or at least its central and western parts. Seizing control of it was an obvious step, and she wondered if the king was aware of that as well. Would he be trying to do the same? If so, he¡¯d be too late, since she already had an alliance with Earl Whitor and even sent forces there. Of course, if the Cernlian and Nerlian armies wanted to move back to Nerlia, their route might also take them through it. They could also try to head west and then north, skirting the edge and instead dipping into territory Regina claimed for the hive, but that would allow Lyns to harry them. Or so Ben had explained, anyway, and it made sense to Regina. Of course, they couldn¡¯t rule out any magical transportation alternatives. ¡°How many soldiers are we going to face in Nerlia itself?¡± Regina asked Ben after dwelling on that for a short while, turning to face him. They were currently riding beside each other. It made sense to put the army¡¯s general in the most heavily guarded location, after all. Although Regina suspected Max was looking at it from the opposite direction, since, while Ben might not be a combat specialist, he was still pretty strong. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say,¡± Ben replied, frowning with obvious displeasure at the thought. ¡°We don¡¯t know how many levies they can or will raise. Probably most of those they can, but it depends on their supplies and I¡¯m not too sure how conscription in this kingdom works.¡± Regina winced slightly. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s something to keep in mind, definitely.¡± It was like someone had poured ice water on her head, reminding her that, with all her thoughts of military strategy and the hive¡¯s position, people were dying. She couldn¡¯t even claim to be surprised at the fact her enemies would field conscripts who hadn¡¯t chosen to fight; the world was backward enough that picking up peasants and shoving spears into their hands wouldn¡¯t be too out of place. The System and existence of Classes and levels meant it wouldn¡¯t be as useful or widespread as it might have been, but not that conscripting civilians wouldn¡¯t happen. ¡°Regina?¡± Max asked softly. ¡°Do we need to reassess something?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± she replied. Max glanced at Ben and he turned away, drifting to put some distance between them. Max himself stayed at her side. He didn¡¯t say anything, though she felt his expectant silence. ¡°I could say some trite words involving eggs and omelets, or just means and ends, but that wouldn¡¯t really mean anything, does it?¡± Regina sighed, running a hand through her hair. ¡°If you say so,¡± Max replied serenely. They continued on in silence for a few seconds. She glanced at him and then at the drones surrounding them, who were making a valiant effort to pretend they were hearing nothing. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m mostly upset because I¡¯m not really upset, does that make sense?¡± She asked softly. ¡°Not really, to me,¡± Max replied even more quietly. ¡°But ¡­ I don¡¯t have the perspective you do.¡± ¡°You have my knowledge about the old world,¡± Regina pointed out with a frown. ¡°That¡¯s different, and also not really the point. No, what I meant is more like ¡ª I don¡¯t look at things in that kind of way, because I don¡¯t have to. It¡¯s not my place, or what I want to be doing. That¡¯s your job. You¡¯re not just the brain of this Hive, you¡¯re its soul.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t really make me feel better, Max,¡± she said. He exhaled, and she could sense his frustration through the psychic link. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to put pressure on you, Regina. I just meant that we¡¯re not going to judge you. These kinds of decisions are complicated, we all realize that, but I still trust you have it handled, and even if, for some reason, you hadn¡¯t, I¡¯d still stand behind you.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just kinda moral cowardice, though?¡± she mused. ¡°Abdicating personal responsibility?¡± He wasn¡¯t offended by that, she knew. ¡°Maybe it is,¡± he said, still sounding unruffled. ¡°But that¡¯s kinda a human concept, isn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t know.¡± Regina didn¡¯t say anything after that, and the silence began to stretch. After a while, he started drifting away again and began a conversation with Ben. Try as she might, Regina couldn¡¯t focus very well on what the others were talking about right now. It¡¯s probably a good thing I have friends who aren¡¯t Hivekind, she considered. Then, with an effort of will, Regina turned her thoughts to other subjects. The southern front of her hive had been quiet. She didn¡¯t like giving the gnomes time to prepare their defenses, but she had more pressing matters to deal with right now. It meant they didn¡¯t need that many fighters in the mountains, though, and most of her reinforcements went to either the north or east. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Regina hesitated for a moment, then sighed and contacted several other drones. While she talked to Ivy and other senior Harvesters and Workers, she mostly touched the minds of Production Drones and Drone Breeders, giving them instructions. We¡¯re setting up new bases and logistical infrastructure, Regina told Ben when she sensed he wasn¡¯t busy talking to someone else. I see, my Queen, he replied. Any specific goals? I want to step up our food production, she explained. It occurred to me that we could use that a lot. I mean, there¡¯s been a civil war in Cernlia for long enough they¡¯re probably at risk of famine. Especially if it drags on into the next harvest season. And if we can just have Winged Drones drop supply crates into villages ¡­ That would definitely do wonders for our reputation, he agreed. I¡¯d advise restricting it to Lyns¡¯ territory for now, and anywhere we or our allies directly control. I guess it would be stupid to feed the opposing army indirectly, Regina said, smiling lightly. Anyway, even if this doesn¡¯t pan out, having more food available is hardly going to be a bad thing. I was under the impression it was putting constraints on the Hive¡¯s growth, too? he asked. Regina grimaced slightly. Yes. There are other logistical issues, as well. It had been a while since she had actually grown the hive with new drones as quickly as she mathematically could have. New sapient drones needed to be taught or at least mentored and integrated, Swarm Drones needed space, food and other necessities, and her magic was also needed. Besides, she couldn¡¯t keep putting her body through heavy strain. She¡¯d only dimly realized how much it was wearing on her, until she stopped adding as many new eggs. On the move, underground and now with the army, she couldn¡¯t have kept it up at the same rate even if she¡¯d wanted to. A part of her was almost guiltily glad about that. I guess even accelerated ¡®aging¡¯ from levels only does so much, she reflected. I have only been here for about a year, and just judging by my appearance, I still look younger than Janis or Kiara, if I was human. ¡°Do we have the resources for it?¡± Ben asked, dragging her thoughts back to the conversation. He¡¯d drifted closer to her again. ¡°I¡¯d think so,¡± Regina replied. ¡°We have enough farmland, even if it¡¯s just meadows. Technically we could spread out until all of that is in use, as grazing pastures for drones or otherwise. That¡¯s not going to be very efficient, I guess, but with proper organization, we can still do it. Just have to gather the stuff from Production Drones. And probably set up crop rotations or whatever so we don¡¯t deplete the soil in the long term. Zac is already working those out for weeds and non-standard crops.¡± After all, there was no reason to restrict themselves to what humans could eat. ¡°I¡¯ll need to consult with them and possibly adjust some plans,¡± Ben muttered. ¡°They¡¯ll need guards and if it impacts our rate of reinforcements ¡­¡± Regina coughed. ¡°Yeah, do that. And get back to me if you have some recommendations on the matter.¡± Ben nodded, smiling slightly, and she sensed him turn his attention to the psychic link. Regina sighed and looked around. She was, naturally, surrounded by bodyguards. They¡¯d decided to move on the ground to be less conspicuous, and she¡¯d chosen to ride an actual horse today. She figured Lord Feronet wasn¡¯t going to be using it, since he was currently held prisoner in his own castle. Plus, it counted as spoils of war, finders keepers and all that. Most of the drones around her rode War Drone Mounts, however, one of the rarer Evolutions that they had been deliberately cultivating, like they still had Winged Drones carry people around to turn them into Winged Drone Mounts. Luckily, it was easier with these. Currently, Max¡¯s bodyguard unit surrounded her in such depth she was having trouble seeing the countryside beyond them. They were some of the strongest fighters in their hive, containing senior Warriors, but also a number of magic-users. Many of those had deliberately cultivated not just defensive skills but tried to get magic specifically useful for protecting her, including a few rare but interesting if rather specialized Spells. The number of defensive measures they had, even just for traveling with no enemy army in sight, would hopefully help even Max¡¯s paranoia. She¡¯d almost pity anyone who tried to assassinate her here, even if they were at a higher level. The only way Regina could see for her to be in danger was for a larger company of killers to get at them unnoticed. And that would be rather hard to accomplish, given they had a lot of eyes on their surroundings and she could sense any minds in the area. Regina exhaled, letting her mind feel the lay of the land around them, through and around the psychic link. She supposed a psychic like Madris might be able to do it, but in that case, if the dark elf wanted to kill her, she wouldn¡¯t be any safer anywhere else. She swept her surroundings, reassured to find nothing out of the ordinary. It was an unpleasant thought, but Regina wasn¡¯t going to let it drive her crazy. She had a large enough hive and enough allies now that the Delvers wouldn¡¯t get away with starting a war. Regina was interrupted by a System notification flickering into her vision. She grinned. She¡¯d been expecting a level-up, since the battle should have given her enough Experience to get close to the next level.
You have leveled up
Congratulations, you have unlocked a new Template: Drone Flier
A new Template? Regina¡¯s grin widened, and she whistled tunelessly. It had been a while. This new one sounded like it was going to be another winged, flying type, obviously. Probably more specialized for that than Attendants or Witches, who, while having wings and the ability to fly, were really more focused on magic. They were basically just mobile mages. Regina wasn¡¯t going to complain, anyway. ¡°Another level?¡± Max asked. Regina glanced at him and nodded, still smiling. ¡°Yeah. The next ones are probably not going to be too far behind, if the war continues like this.¡± He returned the smile, and she could feel the sentiment shared by most of the others around her. Regina tugged on her mandible and called up her status screen to see how her stats had changed.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 51
Mana: 14604/23000
Hive: 713/1015, 20 Swarm: 64730/400000, 5000
Con: 16 Str: 15
Dex: 16 End: 17
Int: 30 Wis: 29
Another point in Str, Regina noticed. Well, it wasn¡¯t what she would have chosen, but she could understand the need not to let her physical Stats fall behind. Her gaze was drawn to her hive limits, though, and she smiled a bit wrily to herself. I guess Swarm Strength is showing its potential, she reflected. She wasn¡¯t anywhere close to reaching it, of course. Wouldn¡¯t have even if her drones hadn¡¯t died in considerable numbers due to fighting wars. She¡¯d have had a Swarm limit of a hundred thousand by now, without that Ability, but it would give her eight times the normal base once she reached level 60, if she figured correctly. Her mana had also barely changed over the last while, despite the rather large increases in her hive¡¯s numbers, but she¡¯d known there were probably diminishing returns on that. Her mana pool was still absurdly large for a mage of her level ¡­ just not insanely large. ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait a few days to see, but I got a new Template,¡± she told Max quietly. He raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange things.¡± Regina suppressed a grimace and nodded. It was a pain to do this on the road, but she was curious. Besides, one of the reasons she moved with the army in the first place was for the reinforcements. They could just bring along Drone Breeders, and had a few, but they were more vulnerable targets and more restricted, anyway. Regina shook off that thought, ignored Max whispering with Ira, and focused on her psychic senses again. That they were on the move was no reason not to practice. Chapter 178: Patient June and Florance Lyns had to be tired of sitting around while war raged outside the hive¡¯s territory, Regina figured, but it wasn¡¯t like they could do much about it. Still, it probably explained why they looked a bit frustrated, or at least tense, when they welcomed her today. They met in Forest¡¯s Haunt, once again. It was closer to the hive¡¯s current campaigning area than her main base, and Regina had other reasons for a visit. Their enemies might attack here, or at least try to, so dropping by to talk to Baron Neralt and the drones in charge of the local defense wasn¡¯t exactly wasted time. Regina had come riding Winged Drone Mounts with Max and a group of bodyguards. They were simply much faster than trying to travel on the ground, even if it was probably more conspicuous as a mode of transportation. Right now, the mounts were guided away to a pasture set up outside the village, and they¡¯d have fresh mounts for the next flight, if she decided on it. Most of the bodyguards Max had assembled peeled away as well, although more drones in the village would keep an eye on her and effectively replace them. Ever since their trip underground and the encounter with the foreign Delvers, Max had really taken her security seriously. Although it might just have something to do with the fact the hive had the resources and manpower for it now. Regina still found it a bit funny that she was apparently getting a personal guard, after becoming sort of a real queen, according to the outside world, anyway. Maybe. She wasn¡¯t certain about how other people saw the hive, but there had definitely been a bit of a shift, probably triggered at least in part by the increase in the hive¡¯s numbers and their effectively winning against the gnomes. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Florance Lyns said, ¡°this is an unexpected honor. May I ask to what we owe it?¡± ¡°Hopefully not too unexpected, Lady Florance,¡± Regina replied with her best polite smile. ¡°I would hate to think that my care is so unreliable. I have, after all, taken responsibility for your health and welfare, and I¡¯ve come to check on them.¡± ¡°We appreciate it,¡± she replied, and Regina had to hide her surprise. ¡°My June has been getting worse.¡± Regina straightened her spine as she focused on the seriousness of the situation. ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± she said, looking at June. ¡°Has it gotten any worse since your last checkup with our healers?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± June answered, looking a bit annoyed. ¡°I¡¯ve had much worse days.¡± ¡°The assumption is that the relief my previous treatment brought has lapsed and your condition returned closer to your previous baseline,¡± Regina said. ¡°Would you say that seems accurate?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, that is what it feels like.¡± ¡°Then if you would allow me?¡± She gestured. At June¡¯s nod, Regina stepped closer and laid a hand on her shoulder at the curve of her neck, carefully moving aside the fabric of her tunic to touch bare skin. The skin contact wasn¡¯t necessary, but it did help. Regina closed her eyes as she focused on what her magic was telling her. She¡¯d gotten a little better at this, even though she still wished she had some modern tools, or even just a proper microscope. Still, a basic diagnostic scan was easily feasible. She could tell that June wasn¡¯t in any immediate danger, first off. The pattern did look rather like what she¡¯d found the first time she¡¯d looked. Not just a respiratory infection, but a little more complex. She¡¯d question her about her symptoms in detail later, just to be sure, but there was only so much that could tell her. Instead, for now, Regina called on her magic and shaped her mana, using Greater Heal, to clear out any blockages she could find, drain away accumulations of viscous fluid, carefully add some water in selected spots, and even more carefully adjusted the balance of ions and encourage June¡¯s cells to do their work properly. Experience had shown this wouldn¡¯t hold for long, not without deeper changes she wasn¡¯t sure how to make even if she wanted to risk it, but it should help for now. Finally, after spending thousands of points of mana and she wasn¡¯t sure exactly how much time, Regina withdrew again, opening her eyes and stepping back from her patient. Apparently, it had been long enough that Florance had sat down and several drones had started hovering nearby, although Regina had been too focused to notice. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Regina asked. June took a deep breath, and then visibly brightened. ¡°Much better, thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I have some more questions. Have you felt more tired than usual lately?¡± Regina began. For the next few minutes, she quizzed her patient about her condition and activities. One of the drones at the edge of the room had brought out pen and paper and was noting the answers down. Since they clearly wanted to learn, Regina made a point of being thorough and even explained a few details of her reasoning. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t bring to light anything she hadn¡¯t already expected. ¡°May I ask, Hive Queen Regina?¡± Florance spoke up after she¡¯d finished for now. ¡°Do you see a path to curing my daughter of what ails her?¡± Regina suppressed a sigh. She wasn¡¯t about to get angry at a concerned mother, even if the question was a bit inconvenient from a political perspective. They had every right to ask, as patients she was treating. ¡°I am still entertaining several possibilities,¡± Regina said. ¡°It¡¯s best not to be hasty about things like this. We can certainly keep her symptoms at bay, for now. True rehabilitation is a harder issue.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± June asked. ¡°If you do not mind talking about it? I¡¯d like to know what my prospects are for getting rid of my frailty, if it¡¯s possible.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°It may be that this is simply something you were born with,¡± she told her. She¡¯d have to simplify quite a bit here. ¡°That would make it trickier to heal. If not, I¡¯m confident it won¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°But you think she could be healed, even if it was something given to her at birth?¡± Florance asked, her tone and expression hard for Regina to interpret. ¡°Of course,¡± she said. ¡°Genetic defects are not an insurmountable obstacle. We may simply lack the means currently to deal with them as might once have been possible, but that hardly makes it impossible. If nothing else, we will be able to do it eventually, once the proper prerequisites are met.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. That was a bit optimistic, Regina admitted to herself, but it wasn¡¯t like she was wrong. Sure, there¡¯d been some conditions even her old world hadn¡¯t been able to treat, at least fundamentally, but they also hadn¡¯t had magic and there¡¯d been a lot of progress in the last few decades. ¡°I see,¡± June said, exchanging a look with her mother. She looked a bit hesitant. ¡°I am relatively sure it is not a bacterial infection, at least,¡± Regina said. ¡°At least not any remotely familiar one. It might still be a viral infection, although would I tend to say otherwise. I will need several sessions and to have your condition monitored closely.¡± She glanced at the other drones, healers she¡¯d only interacted with rarely, since most of their senior ones were still with Lyns¡¯ army. ¡°I¡¯ll also teach our healers what I expect so we can properly assess everything even when I cannot be here.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± June murmured. She actually smiled at the healers. ¡°My thanks.¡± Regina touched the three drones¡¯ minds as well, feeling their subdued eagerness and a variant of pride she¡¯d felt from drones before, but found hard to describe in human terms. ¡°Now,¡± she said, turning to the mother. ¡°I would like to check up on you as well, Lady Florance.¡± The noblewoman clearly didn¡¯t like that idea particularly, but her pregnancy was too important to her for any reluctance. ¡°Of course, your Majesty, thank you,¡± she said, dipping her head. Regina repeated her previous actions, touching Florance¡¯s shoulder and focusing on her magic senses. ¡°Everything seems to be in order,¡± she finally said, withdrawing after a few minutes. ¡°Your baby is as healthy as can be, as far as I can tell. Have you had any complaints regarding your health?¡± Florance¡¯s shoulders visibly loosened as some tension left her. Considering her previous miscarriages, Regina couldn¡¯t blame her. ¡°No, this one has been rather easy,¡± she said, then hesitated. ¡°That said, if it would be possible, I¡¯d like to send for a midwife from our lands. It would do wonders for my peace of mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what might be done,¡± Regina said noncommittally. Her first impulse was to refuse, or at least give a colder ¡®I¡¯ll take it under advisement¡¯, but she did want friendly relationships with them. She¡¯d at least consider it. ¡°Of course, as you think best,¡± Florance murmured courteously. ¡°That reminds me, I hope your accommodations have been satisfactory?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Is there anything you require we have not seen to?¡± ¡°Not at all, you¡¯ve been gracious hosts,¡± June answered. ¡°Good. I advise regular light exercise, Lady Florance, and a balanced diet. My drones should be able to tend to that. Actually, the same recommendation would go for you as well, Lady June.¡± ¡°May I continue with fencing lessons, Your Majesty?¡± June asked. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± Regina smiled. ¡°Some of the warrior drones might want to spar with you and pass on a few lessons. I¡¯d have no objections, just try not to damage them,¡± she added with a teasing smile. June laughed softly. She did look a lot better, in a way Regina knew didn¡¯t solely have to do with her physical health. Relief, trickled into her mind. Joy. She¡¯s starting to enjoy her stay and feels invigorated now that she doesn¡¯t have to worry about her health suddenly worsening and keeping her in bed. Regina smiled. She hadn¡¯t deliberately tried to look deep into her guests¡¯ minds, since they were her patients and it seemed unprofessional at best, but she hadn¡¯t tamped down on it either. She took it as a good sign that emphatic insights were coming easier to her. It was something she¡¯d have to learn to control tightly and only use deliberately, of course, but it still showed she was getting better at this. She stayed to talk with the two noblewomen for a while, since it felt pretty rude to just leave. They were quite polite, as expected, and Regina minded her manners as well. She figured this was good practice, if nothing else. She also got some practice with her psychic power, so there was that as well. They both hinted at communication with the marquis and Kiara, subtly pushing for more freedom in that, unless Regina was mistaken. She smiled and echoed the proper niceties, but she wasn¡¯t going to stop having drones read their letters. The two were, after all, hostages. It would be stupid not to keep an eye out. And letters might be slow and inefficient, but she still had them carried by her flying drone couriers, so they really didn¡¯t have much to complain about. She wouldn¡¯t trust them with magical communication means that easily, not without more understanding of the subject and some precautions. Regina didn¡¯t plan to stay for too long, though. She had a lot to do. Her last Template¡¯s first clutch had just hatched, and she wanted to talk to them personally. She could already tell they were what she¡¯d expected: actual flying combat drones. Their lean, comparatively slight builds and big wings were clearly made for flight, but they were also a Warrior type and stronger than they appeared. With some projectile weapons, or even just javelins, they¡¯d be a force to reckon with on the battlefield. And as sapient drones, they could command flocks of Swarm Drones, so it would take pressure off her Evolved and newly sapient Winged Drones. The newest letters from Kiara and Marquis Lyns had also been brought to the village, and Regina read through them before visiting his family, but she still needed to answer. Baron Neralt was being very nice about them more or less taking over parts of his house, but Regina wasn¡¯t going to impose too much, so she¡¯d do the paperwork at the interim command center the drones had set up outside the village proper. On the way there, she could also take a look at the village¡¯s industry. Unfortunately, before she could finish making her goodbyes to Florance and June Lyns, Neralt himself burst in on them. They were still in the small parlor in his manor, so he had every right to be here, of course, but he¡¯d usually know better than to interrupt a conversation like this. And judging by the look on his face, he had a reason. So Regina broke off what she was saying and turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Baron?¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± He offered a quick bow, almost distractedly. ¡°I just received some rather surprising news, and I judged it was best to pass them on to you immediately.¡± Regina tried for a controlled expression, not wanting to show surprise or dismay in front of their guests. ¡°I see,¡± she said calmly, then turned to them. ¡°If you would excuse me?¡± Neralt cleared his throat. ¡°Actually, it might be best to ask the ladies¡¯ opinion,¡± he said hesitantly, then held out a folded letter. Regina¡¯s eyebrow climbed even higher, but she stopped herself from saying anything and instead just took the letter and read through it. At first, she was a bit confused why he considered this so important. Then she recalled the map of the surrounding countries, even calling on the psychic link and the information the Keepers stored there, and placing the indicated locations. This letter was clearly written by a business partner of Neralt¡¯s, not a friend or very trustworthy source. Still, considering her scouts and letters from her allies had mentioned a few other things as well, this started to take shape into ¡­ something. ¡°Lady Florance,¡± she began, looking at the noblewoman. ¡°If I recall, was your daughter Kiara not supposed to marry into the royal family of Esemen?¡± Florance didn¡¯t quite manage to hide her surprise. ¡°Indeed, Your Majesty,¡± she answered. ¡°How far along did these plans progress?¡± The woman visibly hesitated, then sighed and started talking. ¡°Not to any official stage. We did not even make the attempt public, although knowledge seems to have spread anyhow. And their enthusiasm for the notion had started to wane, when I left.¡± Regina nodded, frowning. ¡°It seems there are troop movements along their borders,¡± she told her. ¡°Their merchants are also acting in ways that might indicate fear of coming hostilities. What does that tell you?¡± ¡°You believe they want to intervene in the war?¡± Florance frowned. ¡°This might just be some manner of civil strife of their own, Your Majesty. If not, however, I am afraid I cannot be certain what their goals might be.¡± Regina nodded, suppressing a grimace. She hoped it was just some internal squabbling, or something relatively harmless to them. But, if not ¡ª and maybe even if there was serious trouble, anyway ¡ª shouldn¡¯t Marquis Lyns have known about it and told her? It seems like either Lyns is keeping secrets that might be important, or their talks are even worse than we thought and they¡¯re cutting him completely out of the loop, which suggests they¡¯re not about to start interfering for his sake ¡­ Regina folded the letter back up and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She should have known better than to think she had a handle on everything. Chapter 179: Preparation Regina sent a strongly-worded letter to Marquis Lyns, and another to Kiara. She considered trying to scry her and start a conversation in person right away, but decided to hold off for now. She wanted to get all the information she could, first. As it was, she remained somewhat vague in the letter. It should be enough to make it clear to the marquis he¡¯d better cough up what information he had, but she didn¡¯t want to throw around wild accusations, either. At least it doesn¡¯t seem like this is going to blow up in our faces immediately, Regina reflected. It was also possible she was being too paranoid, or at least not giving enough credit to the marquis. Their relationship was tense, and he¡¯d made mistakes previously she hadn¡¯t forgotten, so she knew she might be a little more inclined to think worse of him than she should. As good allies, at least. Then again, she was dealing with the sort of people who would start civil wars for their own ambitions, or because they felt slighted and defensive, or because of family drama ¡ª Regina still wasn¡¯t too sure about all the nuances, and frankly she didn¡¯t care too much. That she¡¯d now have to try to figure out what the Esemen wanted was promising to be another headache she could have done without, anyway. She distracted herself from it by seeing to the other things she¡¯d been meaning to get to. Mostly, that meant walking around the village and checking on everyone¡¯s progress. It actually helped to cheer her up. Their old waterwheel had been expanded and a second one was being built. It now powered not just a paper mill, but a few other things as well. That entire complex was still a work in progress, but Regina thought it was coming along nicely. She was particularly happy with the water-powered drop hammer they were putting into a new smithy put up at the edge of the village. It was the bare beginnings of actual metalworking infrastructure, but they had to start somewhere. The new forge and smelting plant was a nice start, too, even if it barely deserved the name right now. She paid attention to more than just the infrastructure, though. The hive had been here long enough and basically taken over the town that the villagers had grown used to it. From what she saw, they seemed to be getting along pretty well. It might have been because they were assured food security now, she figured. And the occasional lessons given by drones which were open to all were probably a good idea, too. It wasn¡¯t much as far as a skilled labor base went, but better than nothing, she supposed. There would be a need to recruit - or integrate, maybe - more people, so any lessons they could take from this now would be valuable. Regina made a note of discussing it with some Attendants and Keepers. They certainly appeared to get along better than the drones she¡¯d sent with Janis did with Whitor¡¯s men. Regina had been aware of some tension and minor incidents, although she¡¯d largely left the people on the ground to handle it, but now she wondered if it wasn¡¯t a worrying pattern. Hopefully, fighting together would get rid of some of that tension. Not that she really wanted them to fight, of course. Their enemies, the combined army of the Cernlian and Nerlian kings, were not reacting as quickly as she¡¯d expected. Regina suspected that was because of dissent within their ranks, something Lyns¡¯ few remaining spies seemed to support. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have anyone high enough up to be privy to the real decision-making process - at least not that he¡¯d shared - so the most they could really do was speculate. Regina almost hoped they would split their army. It would make Cernlia¡¯s remaining forces much easier for the marquis to deal with, especially if the hive lent a hand. And it would be easier for them and Whitor to only have to deal with returning Nerlian soldiers. Of course, it also meant they¡¯d have to fight major battles on two fronts, and need to win both. Not to mention that the enemy armies would probably have an easier time linking up. And the burden on the civilians would probably also increase. So maybe that wasn¡¯t such a good scenario after all. For the moment, Regina focused on handling what she could right now. That mostly meant preparations and keeping her hive running properly. If she didn¡¯t have the help of the Attendants, that would be an unmitigated headache. After all, the hive hadn¡¯t stopped growing in, well, ever, and they constantly needed to assign new people, get new infrastructure in place, juggle the mana use of their mages and more, all while preparing for and waging war. The larger her hive grew, the less Regina was actually involved in the details of running it. She supposed that was inevitable. The latest expansions to their main base had been planned and started without her giving any input in the design, although she¡¯d looked at plans through the psychic link and approved them. Trying to get to know or even just talk to every new drone was a goal only getting less and less realistic. Even if it made her feel vaguely guilty, considering everything she asked of them. They¡¯d set up some systems to handle new drones, essentially an extended mentorship program. It was also the backbone of growing ¡®family ties¡¯ within the hive, Regina was starting to realize. The fact they were all technically siblings didn¡¯t mean that much if there were hundreds or thousands of them ¡ª although it did mean something, still, they were Hivekind and not humans ¡ª but people you actually knew, grew up with, lived and worked with were another matter. Hivekind drones were social by nature, they needed social ties as much if not more than humans. Regina did try and at least talk to newly hatched drones when her time and the situation allowed, though. She spent a bit of time in the village doing just that, chatting with some of the drones around, especially the younger ones. Max accompanied her along with some of her self-proclaimed bodyguards, which, in her opinion, made this more awkward than it needed to be. But at least they generally stayed out of the way and only covered potential entrances against assassins. Presumably. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m in the middle of my own territory with my psychic powers working perfectly, Regina thought, a bit disgruntled. When she actually noticed another mind approaching, Regina was confused and starting to feel alarmed at first, before she realized what it was she sensed. The mind in question was rather unique. It approached through the air, and she went to wait in the small yard outside the new workshop building, away from most eyes. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Galatea could obviously fly, although Regina wasn¡¯t sure if she was not just traveling that way for the last leg of the trip so she wouldn¡¯t risk being mistaken for an enemy attack. Regina was pretty sure she could teleport, after all. But that had to have limitations, and it might just not be worth it. Either way, she was pretty fast. She touched down quickly, and greeted Regina with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Galatea,¡± Regina said, smiling as well. She hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to give her a quick hug. As always, Galatea felt only halfway material, only giving a featherlight feeling of resistance against touch. ¡°Thanks, Regina, I¡¯m glad to be back,¡± the AI replied as she stepped out of the hug. ¡°Did you miss me?¡± she continued teasingly. ¡°What¡¯s there to miss?¡± Regina answered without missing a beat. ¡°No, I was just worried you¡¯d get into trouble and I¡¯d have to bail you out.¡± ¡°So glad you¡¯re worrying about my safety,¡± Galatea said drily. The look in her eyes told Regina she acknowledged that it wasn¡¯t completely a joke, though. ¡°I hope you haven¡¯t brought more reasons to worry,¡± Regina said, turning the conversation to a more practical matter. ¡°We¡¯ve got a few things to talk about.¡± ¡°I heard about your strike into Nerlia, it seems to be going well,¡± Galatea commented as they started walking back. Regina nodded. She glanced around, noting that Max and the others were keeping a discreet distance and no one else seemed interested. Galatea had already made herself seem like an unremarkable human woman wearing subdued but neat clothes. ¡°It did, I¡¯d say,¡± she answered. ¡°Things might get a bit more complicated, though. I¡¯ve got indications that the Esemen might intend to get involved.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Galatea raised an eyebrow. ¡°A few more countries and this is going to be just like the old days.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Regina answered drily. ¡°I take it you didn¡¯t learn about this before?¡± ¡°No, although now that you mention it, there might have been a few possible indications,¡± Galatea said more seriously. She started to frown thoughtfully. ¡°Lyns has definitely been a bit frazzled, from what I could tell. Kiara maybe not so much, but then I expect she¡¯d be relieved not to have to go through with what he planned.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still possible that they¡¯d be entering the war to back him,¡± Regina noted. It was kind of telling that Galatea had assumed the opposite, or at least that it would be more complicated than that, though. ¡°If that was all there was to it, then they¡¯d have made plans with Lyns long before and he¡¯d have told you,¡± she said. ¡°He gains nothing by keeping news like that secret and only risks worsening relations with you.¡± ¡°Good point,¡± Regina conceded. ¡°What did you learn apart from that?¡± Galatea remained quiet for a moment, clearly ordering her thoughts. ¡°Things are more fragile than they appear on the surface, Regina,¡± she finally said. ¡°In both camps, actually. King Nicholas was never the most well-liked of royals, and the war hasn¡¯t really done him any favors in that regard. His victories have kept his position decently strong, but most of his supporters aren¡¯t following him because they particularly like him, and more than a few are trying to get what gains they can from all this. Lyns, on the other hand, has apparently managed to stave off disaster - largely by his alliance with you, I suspect - and there¡¯s definitely a bit of ¡®hanging together instead of separately¡¯ involved. He¡¯s still lost pretty badly after his initial successes, and that¡¯s taken a toll, though.¡± Regina nodded slowly, considering what she¡¯d just heard. It made sense, although she couldn¡¯t see how it would all shake out. ¡°And the Nerlians?¡± ¡°Hard to read,¡± Galatea replied, sounding a bit frustrated. ¡°I had to be careful. After the last time I visited, and after Madris and her companions did, they¡¯ve gotten warier about strangers. Both intruders and strangers openly showing up, actually. I judged it was better to keep myself as hidden as possible. Anyway, the Nerlians are definitely in a bit of an uproar, and there¡¯s growing tension between them and the king.¡± ¡°They want to hurry back to chase us out and he wants to keep them?¡± Regina hazarded a guess. ¡°That¡¯s what it looks like,¡± she agreed. ¡°I¡¯m honestly not sure how quickly they¡¯ll act. I could have stayed until they did something, but I decided I should hurry back to give you what information I can.¡± ¡°Probably the right call,¡± Regina said. ¡°The longer you stay there, the higher the risks. That said, did you at least get an indication of which course of action they¡¯re leaning towards?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll stay together, I think. They¡¯re not idiots, they¡¯re aware they¡¯ll risk getting defeated in detail if they split their forces in half. If the Nerlians were going to just walk away, they would¡¯ve already done it. They¡¯ll either try to force a decisive battle with Lyns or turn north as one, maybe splitting off a smaller force to check him.¡± Regina nodded. She wasn¡¯t a general, but either half of their army would be vulnerable if she and Lyns joined their forces, so it made sense. It would be risky for them to leave Lyns¡¯ army behind them to possibly attack their back even if they detached a force to pin down or slow him, but then, all options for them carried risks. That was the way she wanted it. ¡°You don¡¯t seem happy,¡± Galatea observed. Regina glanced at her, only now realizing she was frowning. ¡°I feel like we¡¯re missing something,¡± she admitted. ¡°We¡¯ve been invading their country for a few days now, and they¡¯re just sitting there.¡± ¡°I think you underestimate how much time it takes to get an army organized, especially a pre-modern one,¡± Galatea commented. ¡°Plus, they¡¯re not exactly unified, as I said.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Regina said. ¡°I suppose even if they have some trick up their sleeve, they¡¯re probably still making a mistake. Every day they give us to dig in is going to cost them heavily.¡± ¡°True,¡± Galatea agreed. The two of them fell silent as they reached the baron¡¯s manor, where Regina had been invited to stay. She steered clear of Florance and June Lyns and instead took Galatea into a quiet back room, after asking a drone to bring them something to drink. ¡°You seem livelier,¡± Galatea commented after a short pause. Regina leaned against the wall, briefly glancing out the window. ¡°I feel more invigorated,¡± she admitted. She ran a hand through her hair, then turned back to Galatea. ¡°It¡¯s not just the war, I don¡¯t think. I feel like I have a clearer idea of what path to take. Or at least what the path forward is going to take me to.¡± Galatea cocked her head, her eyes narrowing just a bit, before she nodded. ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± she said. ¡°I assume it¡¯s not about this war.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°It would be a pretty poor aspiration just to be winning a war,¡± she said wryly. ¡°True.¡± Galatea regarded her silently for a moment. ¡°Either way, I¡¯ll help as best I can.¡± ¡°Thanks, I appreciate that. I¡¯m going to need you before this is all over.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have me,¡± Galatea assured her, simple certainty in her voice. Regina smiled faintly. At least Galatea seemed to have figured some things out for herself, too. That was good. She suspected she really would need her help, and probably more than she currently thought. There were many challenges ahead of them, after all. Interlude: Civil War V Nicholas of Cernlia, third king of that name and Duke of Heathland, Duke of Silver Waters and Lord of the Eastern Expanse, was not a patient man. He knew that failing, acknowledged it in private, but unfortunately, handling it was harder than he liked. He had a great deal to be impatient about, nowadays. He had been having rather a bad day. A bad year, in truth. Still, when he saw his courtier, yet another fawning fool trying for honors he had not earned, flinch back after being upbraided, he chided himself for losing hold of his temper, even as he knew it would happen again. A king must be measured in word and deed, and only give offense when there is greater advantage to be had, his father had always told him. Of course, his father had also liked to beat him when he gave offense, when he was too meek, or sometimes - rather intemperately, really - just for the fun of it, he suspected. As a consequence, his old man¡¯s words of wisdom often rang hollow to him. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Zephyr called from further down the hall, an edge of impatience in his tone. The king suppressed another spurt of anger and hurried along to join the Thaumaturge. He could not afford to upset the man today, he reminded himself, even if he was a churlish prick at the best of times. ¡°Zephyr,¡± he greeted him as he reached the mage, not bothering to offer any gesture of greeting. ¡°I hope this is worth it.¡± ¡°Getting doubts about the plan, my king?¡± Zephyr asked, and Nicholas suspected he saw a mocking glint in his eyes. He was relatively certain the prick was angling for a position as official court mage. That did not seem to stop him from being unpleasant. Unfortunately, he was quite useful. On the battlefield, even if he kept getting his tamed wyverns shot out from under him recently, as well as outside it. ¡°If I had, we would be having a different conversation,¡± he replied curtly. ¡°What was it you wanted to tell me, Zephyr?¡± They were currently standing in the back of the small, half-broken-down mansion his army was encamped around at present. No one else was nearby, his bodyguards had seen to it. Still, he would rather not hold an extended conversation here. ¡°It¡¯s about the Nerlians, of course,¡± Zephyr began. Nicholas¡¯ jaw clenched. That was indeed unsurprising, as their allies had been a giant pain in his neck almost from the beginning, but especially in the last few days. He should probably remind the other man, and himself, that said allies had come to help him wage war with no expectation of gain for themselves, but hells to that. He had helped his dunce of an in-law with that foolish war against the elves, the least he was owed was to hold out for this strife threatening his own crown. That bastard cousin of his would not hesitate to take advantage of any openings he left, gods curse him. He should have had him killed after he took the throne, and his entire misbegotten line with him. Then they wouldn¡¯t have this trouble now. "Have they caused further delays?¡± he asked, focusing on the here and now. ¡°Yes, unfortunately,¡± Derrek Zephyr replied seriously. ¡°It¡¯s nothing we cannot handle, my king, but we will need to delay our departure. Several minor setbacks have piled up. I believe it might be best to wait until night falls, in fact.¡± The king ground his teeth. ¡°Won¡¯t that make it harder for you?¡± he asked after a moment, forcefully keeping his tone calm. ¡°It will be manageable,¡± Zephyr replied, although the way his expression hardened made it clear he was none too pleased. He likely would face more difficulty than he had expected. ¡°I think the increase in secrecy will be worth it at this point.¡± He nodded, glancing out of a nearby window. Nightfall was only some hours away, anyhow. ¡°Ride the Nerlian mages as hard as you must,¡± he ordered his mage. ¡°Use my name if you need to, and requisition whatever materials or guards you might require.¡± Zephyr bowed his head. ¡°As you say, Your Majesty. I will get it done.¡± That most likely meant he should soothe some ruffled feathers, the king considered as the mage walked away. He would speak to his wife and set her to maintaining relations with her Nerlian countrymen. At least taking the lady along had some use, for all that she would be worse than useless for any other task, much less if blades were required. She had not even managed to provide an heir for him, or he would have something else to use as a bridge. Well, at least two of his bastards were distinguishing themselves in this war. If her womb remained barren and relations with Nerlia worsened, he might yet legitimize one of them. It would be very impolitic currently, of course. But considering that leaving the line of succession unclear invited disasters like Lyns¡¯ little tantrum, he needed to do something. As always, Queen Rosalie received him with exquisite courtesy. Neither of them particularly liked the other, he suspected, but at least she had never given him reason to complain about her conduct. She took his ¡®request¡¯ to speak to her family¡¯s men well and left after exchanging equally polite goodbyes, leaving him behind in the living quarters assigned to the royal couple. He would have preferred separate quarters, in truth, but a demonstration of unity and close ties seemed useful. He sent for a glass of wine and attended to some correspondence while waiting, the work going slowly as he often caught himself following distractions. Finally, he was called upon by an attendant. After making sure his appearance was in order, he left to see to his camp. The army had seen better days, he had to admit, and it was apparent from even a casual look. They had managed to contain the sickness that had spread among his soldiers, but the ragged edges were still there. It did not help that many of the more professional troops had been killed, compared to levies, since he had ordered his lords to raise fresh ones. The center of the camp was orderly and calm, but the order did decline as one went outward. Of course, it was also currently in a state of some disarray, so he supposed that would make it look worse. Derrek Zephyr found him quickly. The man had a knack for that, to the point where the king had sometimes wondered if he was using some magic for it. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± the mage bowed, looking almost perfunctory, but then he always did. ¡°We are preparing and should be ready soon.¡± King Nicholas nodded. ¡°Have there been any further problems?¡± he asked. In answer, Zephyr gave an explanation he struggled to follow. It had far too many technical terms, he thought with a scowl. Mages always found it necessary to dress up their importance in flowery words and elegant metaphors, if they bothered to explain their arcane workings to the ungifted. He balled his hands into fists, then unclenched them. He had hoped, once, he would be able to take a mage Class, like his father and quite a few of his ancestors. Unfortunately, the best option had been King. Which is still very useful, he told himself, a familiar refrain. What do I care if some call it less prestigious than some rare, oh-so-special Class? As if I did not have the talent for another. It genuinely helps me rule, which is more than many fools with combat Classes can say. ¡°Zephyr,¡± he interrupted the Thaumaturge briskly. ¡°Get to the point. Are you ready to enact the plan or not?¡± Zephyr stopped and a frown whisked across his face. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± he said, sounding disgruntled at being cut off. ¡°I am ready, although I must warn you that there is some chance for complications. I do not believe we have true cause to worry, however.¡± The king huffed. Mages always warned of ¡®possible complications¡¯. ¡°Then we should get to it,¡± he ordered. They walked through the center of the camp, his bodyguards keeping the surrounding soldiers and officers away from him. He examined them with a critical eye. They had decided to maintain the pretense as long as feasible, which unfortunately included leaving some resources behind. Still, many huts were already empty, tents being packed up or likewise emptied. Soldiers assembled in the growing darkness, only the sparse light of torches showing their faces. The torches themselves were not moved from where they would usually be at nightfall, of course. After a few minutes, they reached the prepared grounds for the ritual. He paused and inspected it as well, although he knew he would only see the surface trappings of what truly went on here. Cernlian and Nerlian mages stood and whispered together, while others busied themselves with the ritual components or directing groups of soldiers. ¡°Everything is in order,¡± Zephyr stated, sounding satisfied. The king nodded slowly, frowning as he looked at the prepared grounds. They had drawn a circle of melted gold around where the mages would stand, a hideous expense even if his coffers weren¡¯t nearing empty. It had better be worth it, he thought. Ritual magic was often overlooked, he had been told, because of its inherent demands and finicky nature. It was not that the System did not empower it as it did other magic; only that it did not do so as much as it did Spells. If one could simply learn Spells with the System¡¯s help, why seek out something as risky as this instead? Consequently, there were very few ritual specialists to be had. Zephyr, fortunately, was apparently quite a bit more skilled at it than any of his potential rivals in Cernlia. And Nerlia had always been more inclined towards it than his own realm. Now, it appeared as if the days of arguing mages, which might have escalated into outright brawls more than once, and growing restlessness among everyone else were finally paying off. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± someone greeted him. ¡°A great undertaking.¡± He turned and smiled as he saw Lord Louis approaching, the Nerlian dignitary representing his king in this war. He was a cousin of his wife, in fact, so the king was required to treat him with all due courtesy. ¡°Indeed it is, Milord,¡± he agreed. ¡°A splendid showing of what our people may accomplish by working together.¡± ¡°That will truly be shown once we put the fear into our enemies,¡± the Nerlian replied with a smile that showed a flash of teeth. He had always been rather enthusiastic about their cause, if not to say belligerent. ¡°I am looking forward to that,¡± the king replied, his smile becoming somewhat more genuine, as he glanced at the lords assembling around them. There were less than he would have liked, in some ways. He would have preferred to have more of them close by, where he could keep an eye on them. King Nicholas had known that pushing that damned cousin of his the way he had might lead to the outbreak of war. It would be something of a lie to say he had not expected the possibility he would start rebelling, in fact. It would have allowed the king to destroy him out in the open. But what he had not expected was the number or caliber of noblemen, his own sworn vassals, who had flocked to the marquis¡¯ side. Even before those damned monsterbloods - Hivekind, apparently, of all the absurdities - who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere had chosen to throw in with him, things had grown beyond his control. Not so far it couldn¡¯t be salvaged, of course, but the price was higher than he might have thought at the start. A cost that might mark his realm for years and decades to come. Peasants took time to recoup their numbers. Now he looked at them and could not help but wonder which might turn traitor next. He was still their king, and his strength was still stronger than they could take on, yet he knew it was not beyond reach. Heathland and Silver Waters were not particularly large, as duchies went. That was why his family had always endeavored to keep them concentrated in one hand. Except for that time when his first namesake had been forced to hand the latter to his younger son, but everyone who mattered knew it had truly been the much-revered governor behind the move, trying to limit the crown¡¯s power. And now Lyns was shamelessly bribing the newest Cern to gild his own claim, spitting on what their ancestor had accomplished. Maybe his line isn¡¯t the only one in need of a purge once this is all over, he reflected in the back of his mind. Something to consider, perhaps. For now, it was time to start what would hopefully be the first step in crushing his enemy. Once everyone who would be watching had assembled and the preparations were truly complete, the mages gathered in the middle of the marked circle. Zephyr had timed it well, he saw, as the last light of the sun was just beginning to vanish beyond the horizon. Light gathered in the circle, first lighting up the ground, then spreading as brighter lines along the gold laid out, making it glow with power. A moment later, the color shifted to a deep red, and he breathed in sharply as he felt an almost palpable tingle, a faint sense of power hanging in the air like a charge on a stormy night. Then the light spread out into a larger circle, glowing quickly until it reached the planned diameter ten times larger than the internal circle. This one, he knew, had been carefully crafted out of copper and then hidden under the earth, to prevent it being seen. He tore his eyes away from the center of the ritual to look at the soldiers standing in ranks beyond. They shifted and more than a few clutched their weapons. Beyond them, the light continued to spread, until it reached the outer circle - corresponding roughly to the limits of the camp. A red light began to shine, too far away from the center he stood near to see the exact phenomenon, but he did not need to. He knew it marked the true boundary. Anything between the middle and outer circle would be subject to the boon granted by the ritual. Only those who had no need for it, such as himself and the lords who would ride on horses or in carriages, and certain selected veteran soldiers, would be excluded. The rest, the remainder of his gathered army, were slowly dyed in a red light, giving the ranks of soldiers a sinister appearance. They would now be benefitting from the ritual¡¯s effect, able to march rapidly and tirelessly beyond what they were otherwise capable of. It was not as large an effect as a proper Haste Spell, he had been told. Of course, unlike such a Spell, the ritual¡¯s strengthening would last for days, not mere minutes. It meant he currently had the fastest army on the continent. King Nicholas found himself smiling as he gazed at the ranks of his troops. Several of the mages in the central circle appeared to collapse from exhaustion, but he paid them no mind. He had what he required. Chapter 180: Opening The combined Cernlian and Nerlian army moved quicker than it had any right to. That was not the first sign something was wrong, but it did help Regina understand what exactly was going on. They marched in about the same order they had before, at least from what she¡¯d been told, although there were a few obvious differences. Like a strong rear guard. Ben had barely taken one look at the projected course and direction laid out on a map when they gathered all information from their flying scouting drones before he guessed what they would be doing. Most moves open to their enemies¡¯ army had been uncertain, risking the possibility of being pincered between Lyns¡¯ troops and the hive¡¯s. Now, they were moving quickly enough that even if Lyns tried to hit them in the rear, he was unlikely to be able to. They were going roughly north, where they would enter Earl Whitor¡¯s domain. They weren¡¯t completely home free, Lyns would still be able to threaten them - if they slowed down, or were slowed down, significantly. ¡°I would¡¯ve expected them to attack Lyns¡¯ army,¡± Ira commented. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like their goal, though.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± Regina said. ¡°But maybe whatever magical effect they got is better for a march than fighting a battle. They could be afraid of getting bogged down fighting him, or have the effect run out. And maybe the Nerlians just insisted on going to defend their own country. We really don¡¯t have enough information.¡± ¡°They will not be directly facing Whitor or our own most concentrated force,¡± Ben muttered, staring at the map and frowning, clearly half-invested in the psychic link. ¡°But they are clearly heading for Nerlia.¡± ¡°And our own army is dispersed and too far away to react right away,¡± Regina said. He nodded, then grimaced slightly. ¡°We didn¡¯t take into account that they might do something like this. I¡¯m sorry, my Queen.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°Not your fault at all. If anything, that¡¯s my responsibility.¡± He didn¡¯t look quite convinced by that, and the others gathered in the room also felt hesitant. ¡°I fell too deeply into the trap of thinking about this as medieval,¡± Regina continued. ¡°Sure, with some elite forces of stronger fighters and some other advantages, but basically the same as the dark ages of the old world¡¯s history. I failed to take the breadth of magic into account, what it makes possible.¡± She ran a hand through her hair. ¡°I knew ritual magic existed, but it never really came up before. I suppose it¡¯s a good thing I got a wake-up call we can still deal with reasonably well. I mean, we can do that, right, Ben?¡± He smiled slightly. ¡°I think we can, my Queen. Admittedly, this is definitely a setback. From what I¡¯ve seen, they probably are faster than our own troops right now, excepting the Winged Drones, at a sustained pace. But we¡¯re still seeing them coming. We can adjust.¡± ¡°And we can be pretty sure now where they are headed, what their goal is,¡± Ira added. Regina glanced at her and nodded. She was right. ¡°They¡¯re coming for us,¡± she muttered. ¡°Back into Nerlia.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need to coordinate with Marquis Lyns,¡± Ben said. Regina hummed in agreement, skimming a few more impressions from airborne drones in the psychic link. The enemy army hadn¡¯t made it far yet, since Ben had called this meeting as soon as they saw what was going on. Lyns must have realized something by now, too. Although it was still dark. Not that that hindered her drones¡¯ vision at all. ¡°So, what do we do?¡± she asked, letting her gaze sweep over the assembled drones. ¡°Make me a plan.¡± They got started, first hesitantly and then with more enthusiasm. Regina mostly listened as the drones around her discussed supply lines, elite units, features of the terrain and relative walking speeds. They also included some people that couldn¡¯t be here in person with the psychic link, and she kept half an eye on the marching enemy army. They were trying to shoot down any of her drones watching them, but she kept Winged Drones and mounted Scouts back far enough that their enemies couldn¡¯t get to them. It meant she didn¡¯t have as detailed a view as she¡¯d have liked, but hiding an army like this was basically impossible. If they split up any significant forces or changed direction, the hive would know. ¡°It¡¯s going to come down to Janis and the others,¡± Ben finally concluded. A moment of silence followed in his wake as everyone acknowledged what they¡¯d just heard. ¡°I suppose you¡¯d be upset if I decided to go there myself,¡± Regina said drily. Several of the drones stirred, and she felt a small spike of alarm from Ben. ¡°Max would be very much against that,¡± he said carefully. Regina smiled and waved it off. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep my distance from the enemy army.¡± That had them relax a bit. Not completely, though, most were still tense from what they¡¯d just learned. After the initial surprise had passed, Regina wasn¡¯t too worried, though. In a way, this actually suited her pretty well. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t take them lightly,¡± Ben muttered. Regina caught his gaze and sighed. She had been thinking that their enemies basically couldn¡¯t win, and he was right, that was not a good attitude to take. Overconfidence and arrogance could lead to mistakes, no matter how justified they were. ¡°I expect you to come up with some contingency plans and defensive measures,¡± she said. ¡°Do still try to keep things to what we can easily explain, if possible, though.¡± Ben nodded. ¡°I will, my Queen.¡± Regina glanced at the others again, tugging on her mandible absentmindedly as she considered them. She didn¡¯t know everyone in this room personally very well. Partly that was because many of her senior drone officers were elsewhere, with Tim, Janis or the army they had left in Nerlia, but it went deeper than that. This is turning into a real military force, with an actual officer corps, she reflected. The hive wasn¡¯t just a small group struggling to survive in a monster-infested forest anymore. The thought made her feel wistful, for a moment, but considering how far they¡¯d come and how they had improved, she pushed that away and allowed herself to feel pride instead. She realized she¡¯d been silent for a bit too long, everyone looking at her, and cleared her throat. ¡°Good. I will leave you to hash out the details and finalize plans, then. Split into groups as you consider best. Ben, our meeting later today is still on.¡± She paused. ¡°Good work, everyone.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. They exchanged quick goodbyes and Regina left them to their planning. She should probably sit in on the conference, but there was a lot for her to do and she didn¡¯t know how much she could really contribute to the details. She¡¯d discuss the plans and tactics they came up with later. Regina felt restless. The war, or at least its next stage, would be decided away from here, where she couldn¡¯t be personally. She¡¯d still be able to influence it by using her psychic link and acting through her drones, but it wasn¡¯t quite the same, and it meant she wouldn¡¯t be fighting in person. With her commanders seeing to the details of the actual military planning, that meant her job now was to prepare for it, to make sure the hive could carry out their plans. She took another walk around the area, watching her drones and their work. It was, metaphorically as well as literally, a hive of activity. Most of their magic-users were busy Conjuring various things, while Workers and Evolved Classes put them together for more complicated projects, or using more mundane materials. Some of them were still experimenting, while others were assembling stuff according to plans they had already worked out pretty conclusively. Mostly explosives, given the war those were always going to be needed. And Conjuration was usually a lot safer when it came to those substances, rather than trying to get them the mundane way. The old trick of Conjuring chemicals directly into an airtight container was proving its worth. I¡¯m not sure this is sustainable, Regina reflected, as she watched a young Attendant fill a metal casing with what was probably compressed hydrogen, going by the shape. Although, I guess so far there¡¯s no indication my magic-using drones can¡¯t, in principle, all learn Conjuration. Education was a bit of a tricky matter. While all sapient drones were hatched with some of her knowledge, Regina generally still insisted on getting them some lessons. It was something that had fallen a bit by the wayside recently, she acknowledged. She¡¯d need to make that a priority. Explosive growth wasn¡¯t a reason to half-ass things, only to push to do them properly, since it didn¡¯t look like the hive would stop having at least phases of it. She also needed to connect it with efforts to educate the humans around them, at least in her territory. Including any newly acquired ones. It would be tricky, since they¡¯d come from, generously phrased, very different knowledge bases. Just putting drones and humans together and giving them the same lessons might not work very well. Regina sighed and scanned the psychic link to look for Ira and Jem. She¡¯d bring it up with them and consider some ideas. Both were busy at the moment, though, so Regina set a time for later and moved on. While she took care of her other duties, she checked on the enemy army as well. Unfortunately, they¡¯d gotten pretty good at keeping her drones at a distance, probably putting high-leveled fighters with Classes related to archery or magic on it, so the view she got was limited. Regina could still tell they were moving consistently at the same pace. There was no indication of their buff running out or losing power. She was curious how long it would last. They should probably plan on it being enough to reach at least their planned destination, though, just to be safe. Just not rely on it. Regina sighed at the thought. Even Galatea didn¡¯t know much about the kind of magic used here. Without watching the ritual or knowing what they¡¯d actually done, she couldn¡¯t say much about its effects, she¡¯d told her. It¡¯s a shame, I¡¯d really like to be able to duplicate it, Regina idly thought. Then she paused. Galatea had said one reason this kind of magic isn¡¯t used often is the cost of ritual components, but they didn¡¯t exactly have to worry about that, did they? Unless there are special magical materials hard to find, but I could Conjure enough gold to pay for anything reasonable. That¡¯s if we can¡¯t just Conjure what we need ourselves. Regina smiled to herself and got going with a new spring in her step. This might not pan out, they didn¡¯t have any experience at all with this kind of magic, but it was worth an attempt. Before she¡¯d reached the next step on her path and actually started talking to Galatea, a call through the psychic link distracted her. Regina looked around for a moment, then retreated to a quiet room in the headquarters they¡¯d set up while she focused on it. Their enemies were attacking. It was one of the most distant outposts in Whitor¡¯s domain, barely more than a ring of palisades around a squat tower guarding a worn road and a small town. Janis and the warriors with her had stationed some drones there, mostly hidden in the woods, and kept a flock of Winged Drones close by. There were also a few sapient drones in the area, since they¡¯d known it might be part of the front where they¡¯d meet the Cernlian army. Right now, Dan was there as well, riding a flying mount, on a patrol of Whitor¡¯s fortifications. Regina quietly linked herself into a connection formed between Janis, Dan and several other drones, the senior ones of this expedition and those on the ground. This looks like raiders, Dan reported, and she faintly sensed him focusing on several Winged Drones, looking through their eyes. How strong? Janis calmly asked. Stronger than it might seem, Regina spoke up. This is a small enough raid they could send them on ahead, but they probably used their own Skills or magic to move that quickly. She could sense their minds, if very faintly, through her drones close by, and didn¡¯t get the impression they were weak. It¡¯s the same tactics as the gnomes, Janis noted. Reinforcements are on the way, Alf said. We can fight them off. Don¡¯t risk your own lives, Regina ordered, but try it. Of course, Dan immediately sent his Winged Drone Mount into a dive, heading right towards the humans at full speed. Regina sighed and clenched her fingers. She hadn¡¯t used her teleportation Ability today yet, so she¡¯d be able to get him out if it came to that. Besides, she realized after a moment that he wasn¡¯t being as reckless as it seemed. He was calling the flock around him and razor-focused on the approaching human fighters. They¡¯d clearly realized they were found out by now and had abandoned an early attempt at stealth for an assault on the outpost. It was, Regina had to admit, going pretty well for them. Whitor didn¡¯t have that many people defending the place, and one of the attackers blew a hole through the palisade in the first few minutes. Before they could properly take advantage of that, though, Dan was there, almost crashing his mount into the ground as he jumped off and Charged one of their mages. The fight went blindingly fast. Regina had seen high-level fighters clash before, but it still struck her. Dan bashed the mage¡¯s head in after a short exchange, barely taking a second. Then he immediately moved on, just slipping away from another¡¯s attack - some kind of dark fireball - and slipping into their back line. Alf struck a moment later, clearly choosing his target with care as one of the warriors dropped to the ground with a bolt through their throat. The humans managed to rally and hold the drones off for a bit, even as Whitor¡¯s men got their act together. They definitely got the short end of the stick, though, several of them falling quickly as the enemy squad moved fully into the outpost. Then the flock of Swarm Drones struck, falling on them from above. In the ensuing confusion, with the humans fending off the swarm, the sapient drones continued to pick off the enemy elites, until they were broken by the wave of drones. She felt Max¡¯s mind touch hers softly, drawing her attention. They are trying to open the way for the army, he commented. It will be there soon, probably too fast for Whitor to realistically reinforce and take back these outposts if he loses them now. Makes sense, Regina said. Alert the rest and redeploy however you think necessary. I will, my Queen. This is just the opening skirmish, though. Regina nodded. Before the conversation could continue, she sensed another call for attention through the psychic link, originating not far away from this one. It was quickly followed by another. Other outposts under attack by enemy strike teams. She sighed and dove deeper into the psychic link. They¡¯d be able to fight them off, she didn¡¯t doubt that, but they could have used more time for Whitor and their own forces to prepare. Now they¡¯d just have to deal with what they had, facing the enemy army. Chapter 181: Advance ¡°They will not try to push through all of these,¡± Zac said. Janis nodded, trailing a finger over the map laid out in front of her. The Cernlian-Nerlian force had attacked a relatively large line of fortifications and outposts in the south and primarily southwest of the county, though not with the same strength everywhere. ¡°They¡¯re trying to force us to keep our defenses spread out, keeping us guessing where they will try to push through,¡± she analyzed. ¡°Their army is fast enough we might not cover everything if we guess wrong and concentrate our forces, at least not by conventional means.¡± She was pretty sure they were underestimating the hive¡¯s mobility, but for Whitor¡¯s soldiers, that was definitely true. ¡°We can still make reasonable guesses based on their current position and heading,¡± Inu noted. ¡°Will this pay off for them?¡± Zac asked. ¡°I still believe they are not going for the earl, they are aiming to get back into Nerlia,¡± Janis muttered. She glanced up, faintly touching the sense she had of Ben watching silently in the psychic link. ¡°Our job is not to defeat them, but to slow them down, stop them.¡± They were still limited in what they could bring to bear. Regina had ordered them not to use their contingencies, echoes of more modern warfare, unless it seemed like they would lose the war. Janis didn¡¯t feel entirely happy with that, since she suspected it would actually lead to a higher death toll by dragging out the fighting. But Regina was looking at an even longer view. She didn¡¯t want them to become the kind of threat other nations united to put down. Not to mention what certain other parties might do. Sometimes, remembering that Deirianon was clearly trying to bury Regina, and the hive with her, still sent a faint shiver down Janis¡¯ spine. Not that she would let it stop her. She had come too far and the hive meant too much to her to let anyone force them down, even a god. Janis had spent her life in the mud, she would not stop trying to climb out of it and meekly go kneel back down, not even if it was just about her. Definitely not when it was all her people pressed into the mire. ¡°We need to be on guard,¡± she murmured. ¡°There may be more than just regular Cernlian and Nerlian soldiers we have to face, before this is over.¡± The others were silent for a moment, and she felt sober agreement from Ben. He¡¯d stayed quiet so far, mostly letting her run things here, but the reminder of his presence was both reassuring and felt a bit restrictive. Regina herself wasn¡¯t currently attending to this discussion, even through the psychic link, since she had other things to do. Janis assumed at least a summary would reach her quickly, though. It was so much easier to coordinate within the hive than with Earl Whitor. "The earl¡¯s men are going to be what slows us,¡± Zac continued, moving the conversation along. ¡°They¡¯re simply slower to move, not because of their marching speed, but organizing and setting off.¡± Janis nodded. They weren¡¯t dealing with a huge army here, at least on their side, so she knew it was actually comparatively simple and quick. But you still couldn¡¯t just send off a detachment of human fighters like you could drones. They needed time to transmit the order, get everyone organized, especially the supplies, and make camps. At least they were good about fortifying their camps. ¡°We may have to take the brunt of it at first,¡± she said. ¡°But remember that we want to avoid direct confrontation. And when it comes to irregular warfare and skirmishing, we¡¯re hard to beat.¡± They just had advantages other armies would die for. That¡¯s the plan, anyway, I guess, she thought with a dash of dark humor. The meeting trailed off after they discussed some practicalities and deployments. A lot of this could and would be adjusted on the fly, communicated through the psychic link. The more time passed, the better they could narrow down where they¡¯d have to face the enemy, after all. Janis finished the meeting by sending several of their Workers and support specialists south, though, to join the swarms gathering there. She¡¯d need to move them out of danger before the real fight began, but they could get started with preparing the grounds and some fortifications to use. With an eye to the tactics they were going to employ, though. She¡¯d call on Tia and get her to help out. If she knew the other girl, she¡¯d be eager to take on the challenge. After that, she called on Earl Whitor. They needed to coordinate their efforts, even if it was inconvenient. And she knew that she¡¯d been sent here in part because she was a human face he might feel better talking to, so she couldn¡¯t just push all of this off on someone else. The walk didn¡¯t take long, and she was ushered into his presence immediately, his attendants clearly expecting her. She supposed they¡¯d started something of a pattern already. The earl¡¯s office was decorated sparsely, but well-lit, and from the amount of paperwork on his desk and the creases on his face she could tell he¡¯d been busy here for a while. ¡°Lady Janis,¡± he greeted her, courteously standing up as she entered. ¡°Lord Whitor,¡± she replied with a smile, taking his silent invitation to sit down across his desk. ¡°Keeping busy, I see.¡± ¡°Always, these days,¡± he replied. Janis nodded, then decided that was enough small talk. ¡°I just came from a council with our commanders.¡± ¡°Then I would assume you have more current news to offer than I,¡± he said with a sardonic tone, cocking his head. That was generally the case, and expecting it to be different would be stupid, in Janis¡¯ opinion, given what they had to work with. She didn¡¯t mention that, though, and instead just dove into the subject at hand. ¡°There have been half a dozen attempted raids,¡± she confirmed. ¡°All of these failed, although the attackers managed to hit the outpost at the old hill fort hard enough to rout the defenders and held it for a brief while before it was retaken. The army has not changed its course or speed.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Whitor sat back in his seat, frowning. ¡°My thanks for your aid,¡± he finally said. ¡°It appears they will attempt a push, then.¡± ¡°That was our conclusion as well,¡± Janis said, then briefly recounted what she had discussed with the others. ¡°No need to put it delicately to spare my feelings, Lady Starlit,¡± Whitor said. ¡°Your mobility is much greater than my own men¡¯s. I would slow you down were we to march together, and will not be able to cover as much of the line we must as the Hive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, Lord Whitor. Your men are still needed, though.¡± Janis hesitated for a moment. ¡°I would advise gathering them at several strategic points close to the southern border, ready to react and deploy when we give the word. The hive¡¯s drones will be further out, functioning as scouts and skirmishers, as well as preparing grounds for potential ambushes and to slow them down. Also, more of our forces are on the way. My contingent of Winged Drones is already doubled, and a small army of War Drones is on the march as well. One of our commanders is also preparing to face the enemy in battle. We hope we can arrange for that to happen on favorable grounds.¡± His eyes narrowed and she saw him consider what she just said. ¡°You will not attempt to suck them deeper into Nerlia before facing them on the field?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a possibility,¡± Janis said. ¡°We are preparing for several eventualities.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Our forces are never in danger of routing, Milord, and we do not take as long arraying ourselves for battle. Even if they have an absolute advantage in mobility ¡ª which I am not certain is the case ¡ª we can slip away from them if needed, I am confident of it.¡± He cocked his head and Janis saw his eyes widen after a moment. She hid a smile. It was one tactic they¡¯d discussed, with Ben and the others: slowing the enemy army down by pretending to face them in a field battle, forcing them to spend time stopping and getting the army in order, then retreating without actually engaging them, except probably for some skirmishing, and doing the same again later. Rinse and repeat. Obviously, they¡¯d wise up eventually, but the nice part was that the hive could always decide to actually turn it into a battle. Like if the enemy just stayed in a marching column. Combined with the advantage the Winged Drones gave them, and a few tricks of psychological warfare to top it off, they could probably bog down and bleed the enemy while suffering limited casualties even without reinforcements. Well, that¡¯s the hope, anyway, Janis reminded herself. Let¡¯s not get too optimistic. No plan survives first contact and all that. The effects of their ritual might also help their enemies to sort themselves out faster. Janis tapped her fingers against her leg at the thought of it. What she wouldn¡¯t give to have seen that ritual! It was really frustrating that the Hive hadn¡¯t gotten a closer look. She¡¯d scoured the psychic link for impressions from the drones they¡¯d had watching the army, but they¡¯d been too far away and not alert enough, so she hadn¡¯t gotten much. She definitely needed to talk to Galatea about it at the first opportunity, though. Hopefully they¡¯d meet again soon. It was really a shame the AI wasn¡¯t part of the psychic link. "I don¡¯t suppose you have any more information regarding the ritual they used?¡± she asked hopefully. ¡°Unfortunately not,¡± Whitor replied. ¡°I expect Thaumaturge Zephyr was involved, he¡¯s known to have cast rituals before, but aside from that, I haven¡¯t the faintest idea.¡± Janis nodded. ¡°Well, then I suppose that¡¯s all. We¡¯re sending people to look at what remains of the enemy camp, which may yield some clue. In the meantime, we need to prepare to face its results.¡± They discussed tactics and practical details for a few more minutes, although Whitor had to remain vague on several points, saying that he needed to consult with his commanders further. Janis herself just asked a drone through the psychic link when she needed to know something or get an opinion. They got a proper plan hammered out, though. Under normal circumstances, it would have been discussed in a war council, she suspected, but they were pressed for time and many of Whitor¡¯s commanders weren¡¯t present, since they¡¯d hurried to get their men and defenses prepared. As their conversation wound down, Whitor hesitated for a moment. ¡°Do you intend to take the field yourself?¡± he finally asked. Janis cocked an eyebrow. ¡°I do, yes. In fact, I will be departing for a position closer to the fighting soon, although I¡¯ll leave a senior drone behind to coordinate.¡± She was still one of their best mages, definitely the best one in this area. She was needed. She also wanted to get some Experience, of course, but she honestly believed it would be best for the Hive this way. It wasn¡¯t like she needed to stay in a command center to be useful as a leader. The Hive had proper lines of communication everywhere, with the psychic link. Whitor seemed to accept her answer with equanimity, bidding her goodbye courteously. Janis didn¡¯t linger, but left to get back to the hive¡¯s current camp. She still had quite a few things to oversee, and she preferred to use her own eyes instead of just the psychic link for that. She made sure the camp was taken down properly, the tunnels they had dug collapsed properly and the War Drones - those who still remained - were ready to march out. Even for Hivekind, that involved a lot of trudging back and forth shouting orders and giving directions to other people, and also took longer than she thought. Janis was exhausted by the time she felt everything was in order, and looking forward to catching some sleep in a tent or maybe taking advantage of Whitor¡¯s hospitality. She almost missed a small knot of order at the center of the camp, just past where the command tent had been. Two Winged Drone Mounts, Janis realized, being fitted for harnesses with saddles and the experimental armor the Hive was testing. It was only a few plates of metal, but enchanted to catch some hostile magic as well. They didn¡¯t have a lot of that, since enchanting Class Skills or Spells were rare for even Attendants to get. ¡°This seems like something I should have known about in advance,¡± she commented. ¡°I took the liberty of making preparations, since you¡¯ve been so busy,¡± Dan grinned as he stepped out from between the mounts. Janis sighed and fixed him with a hard look. ¡°And you¡¯re going somewhere with this, I assume.¡± ¡°With you to the front, obviously,¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be much use otherwise.¡± Janis folded her arms and glared at him. ¡°I don¡¯t need a babysitter, Dan,¡± she said tightly. ¡°If you think you need to come along just to keep an eye on me ¡ª¡° ¡°You¡¯re a mage, Janis,¡± he interrupted. ¡°You¡¯re vulnerable in close-up fights. I can cover your back. And you can cover mine. You know I¡¯m only good in melee.¡± He shook his head. ¡°They¡¯re going to attack us, we¡¯re obvious targets. But this way, we can at least put up a solid team against whatever they throw at us.¡± Janis gritted her teeth, then sighed. She still didn¡¯t like that it seemed like getting her a bodyguard, but he was right. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°Get some sleep, Dan. You need it.¡± He¡¯d only just come back, after being sure their enemies¡¯ first attacks had stopped. She could tell he was tired even without the psychic link. ¡°Aye, aye, ma¡¯am.¡± He jerked his hand in a gesture that couldn¡¯t quite decide which version of a salute to be but was definitely exaggerated, gave her another quick smile and then turned away. Janis looked after him for a moment, then decided to take her own advice. She would not find much time for rest in the coming days, she suspected. She¡¯d be fighting too much, trying to turn back or slow the enemy army. Marquis Lyns¡¯ own army was too far away and not really the equal of it anyway, and the Hive couldn¡¯t just abandon its push into Nerlia. That means it¡¯s on us, Janis mused, and to her own surprise found herself smiling slightly as she headed to bed. It was promising to be an interesting challenge, anyway. Chapter 182: Position When the Nerlian and Cernlian army finally reached positions the hive¡¯s allies held, Regina almost missed it. There was no line on the ground, no specific moment where they crossed it, just a quickly increasing trickle of fighters moving across where you would draw a line on a map, more or less. Of course, they had set up a defensive line. Ditches, palisades, outposts, and roving drones. The enemy army was screened by light infantry and skirmishers, which made it past the first line but stopped at the main palisade. Some of them must have slipped past, there was no way around that, but their real troops didn¡¯t. They had guessed more or less correctly, Regina noted with a breath of relief. The enemy were heading roughly where they had thought they would. They had already made some pushes elsewhere, but now they were concentrating their forces and clearly preparing to punch through and march on quickly. Their speed meant they could have still swerved around and taken another fort, but not like this. Now it¡¯s starting, Ben muttered as she reached out to him. This will heat up until they push through the line. I¡¯m guessing we¡¯re not going to stop them, Regina replied, raising an eyebrow. Ben would have snorted if they¡¯d actually been talking in person. No. That was never in the cards, my Queen. We don¡¯t even want to, not really. She felt him move some of his attention through the psychic link, checking on what drones¡¯ eyes saw. This is only the first step of the dance. The hive was already moving. They hadn¡¯t stopped moving since the enemy raids first started. Now, Janis was in the air, accompanied by Dan, already heading towards the new target. Regina brushed her mind against hers quickly, checking that everything was going fine. Then she moved on to check on the rest. The border between Whitor¡¯s earldom and the eastern reaches of Lyns¡¯ march, where the king had currently been moving, was decided by a natural line of hills and a dry riverbed that had the ground rapidly sink into something like a chasm just past the crown of a hill. There was a thick forest covering the gentler slopes of the hills, and several spots where the riverbed meandered away from an incline or had been partly filled up, leading to more even ground. The highest point on Whitor¡¯s side was crowned by an old fort dating from before the founding of Cernlia, built in wood, which had been partly remodeled since then and recently expanded a bit. Most of Whitor¡¯s forces that had been close enough to be pulled in were gathered here, as well as some War Drones. The enemy army was clearly planning to use one of the roads heading north, which passed by the hill it sat on but crossed the border in a stretch of relatively flat, open ground, where the river must have once flown broad and shallow and had since been filled with some silt and gravel. The earth in those parts was loose, Regina knew, something her drones had found both good and bad in preparing defenses. She was barely able to focus on the other things she was supposed to be doing while she waited for the real battle to start. It took a lot longer than she thought, although at this point, she really should have known better. Though, to be fair, she¡¯d never been in a situation quite like this before. The hive was fighting on the defensive again, but against a human army instead of a gnomish expedition - one that was considerably larger, as well - and it would be their first major clash, if you didn¡¯t count them steamrolling some of the remaining soldiers in Nerlia. Their advance in that country itself had also stalled a bit, although Regina wasn¡¯t worried about that. Ben had been meaning to slow their pace anyway, to keep them able to intervene back here if it was necessary. It would give their enemies time to scramble some forces in the heartlands of Nerlia, but that was a risk they¡¯d have to take, and knowing where the main Nerlian army was and where it was moving made that easier. Now they could consolidate their hold on the territory they¡¯d just taken, and with the reinforcements sent towards Janis and the enemy army, that was enough of a challenge on its own. At the moment, Regina kept herself busy building a mental map of their forces in relation to population centers and popular sentiment in Nerlia¡¯s border regions, until she got a nudge from Ben and turned her attention back to the current hotspot. The humans had formed up into what she assumed was proper battle order for them. The first lines started marching, moving at a deceptively quick pace across the dirt road ¡ª until the front ranks blew up in a curtain of smoke and thunder. ¡°They couldn¡¯t think it was that easy, right?¡± Regina muttered. ¡°They were just throwing bodies at it,¡± Max answered with a hint of scorn in his voice. ¡°Trying to feel out what we might have done, I¡¯m guessing.¡± Regina glanced at him and nodded. She¡¯d retreated to her rooms to watch the battle in peace, and he was leaning against the wall by the door. She wasn¡¯t surprised that he was watching it as well through the psychic link. Most people in the hive who weren¡¯t currently busy probably were. The Cernlians and Nerlians - she still had trouble telling their soldiers apart since they didn¡¯t have the decency to wear proper uniforms - kept advancing. More of them were blown up by the buried charges, and while she could see their vanguard falter, they kept on going. Impressive discipline, she noted. Under the circumstances. Of course, the hive hadn¡¯t had the time or even planned to mine the road that thoroughly, so soon enough it was mostly cleared. Some of the mines were caught by soliders¡¯ Skills, and some simply withstood them, probably by using Class Skills as well. The companies, or whatever terms they used, that they¡¯d sent out were still noticeably smaller. Behind them, the rest of the army got a move on as well. That was, of course, when they started coming under fire. The majority of it was actual arrow fire, most of them not really on fire. These were shot mostly by Whitor¡¯s soldiers. Regina would have started while the vanguard was halfway through the buried explosives, but range was an issue and their commanders on the ground didn¡¯t want the human soldiers too close to the enemy. Besides, this way more of them were in a position to be hit. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Regina kept an eye on the casualties as the real fighting started. Well, it was still skirmishing. The attackers appeared to have some specialists, with suitable Classes, in the front to handle that. Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t really do the same. Whitor didn¡¯t have enough people for that kind of specialization. Of course, the Hive worked pretty differently, anyway. Shooters and a few magic-users, more Witches than Attendants, were raining projectiles and Spells down on the advancing human fighters, accompanied by arrows from Whitor¡¯s men. Most of those had bows, even if they weren¡¯t proper archers. But volume of fire had a quality of its own in this situation. Of course, it couldn¡¯t last. The attackers were tightly packed on the road but also passed it quickly. Their vanguard, freshly reinforced, charged up the hill towards the positions of the Hive and their allies. At a silent order from Ben, most of them had already started retreating. They¡¯d kept War Drones manning the fort¡¯s fortifications and the rather improvised defensive line they had set up behind and to the sides of it. That would spare the casualties for Whitor¡¯s forces. Unfortunately, the drones were also generally less suited to holding a palisade. They were individually weaker, although having a wall helped, and just didn¡¯t react as flexibly. Regina breathed out sharply, watching as an entire section of that wall collapsed. Some kind of Spell from the Nerlians, she decided after a moment. It was like a small, localized implosion. I¡¯d love to learn that one. Then she shook her head and focused on the battle at large. The breach in the wall was quickly filled with enemy soldiers, and they pushed through and established a beachhead. Another breach quickly followed, letting soldiers pour into the fort¡¯s interior. They paid for it, in corpses scattered across the floor and filling up the ditch at the sides, but they took it. Clearly, the enemy commanders had decided they could take the hit and to just storm the defenses. It was probably the right call; they had superior numbers and somewhere they needed, or at least wanted, to be in a hurry. A swarm of Winged Drones descended slightly lower, dropping their payloads on the enemy soldiers. Regina gritted her teeth as she felt the cost that demanded, drones dying in large swathes. There¡¯s a difference between fighting some adventurer parties or scattered garrison forces and a proper army, she acknowledged to herself. The attackers had too many strong fighters with Skills or magic for ranged fighting, even shooting upwards. And they couldn¡¯t have the drones drop bombs from too far of because it would lessen their precision and heighten the risk of friendly fire and would also give the attackers more time to raise shields against them. Regina sighed. These armies had been fighting for months, and come from another war before that. She¡¯d hoped they¡¯d have bled most of their higher-level fighters and elites dry. But then, she supposed they¡¯d have had people leveling up for all of that time, too. It probably hadn¡¯t quite evened out, and soldiers shooting up in levels after battles wouldn¡¯t have the experience of decades-older veterans, but she still didn¡¯t like the impression she got of their army¡¯s strength. The flying drones¡¯ main job was to cover the retreat of their other forces, and that, at least, they managed. More or less, anyway. Too many of her drones were still caught by the human attackers, although at least most of Whitor¡¯s men managed to get away. Regina grit her teeth and tried to still her restless twitching as she watched. They¡¯d given orders for the drones to cover the sapient soldiers even at the cost of their own lives, so that much was as expected. It didn¡¯t make her like watching it any more. Eventually, the humans had taken the fort and most of the defensive barricade. The main one, anyway. Regina cocked her head, waiting silently. A minute later, having given them just enough time to settle a little, Janis passed the order over the psychic link and the buried charges detonated. Of course they¡¯d mined the fort. They¡¯d never seriously intended to hold it against the enemy army - with those numbers, it would have been stupid to try - so they would do as much damage as they could. It would also leave the way open for Lyns¡¯ army if and when he came up behind them. Assuming the enemy didn¡¯t stop to re-fortify it. Which they might, Regina considered, quickly looking through several different drones¡¯ eyes. They hadn¡¯t done as much damage as they hoped. The hive hadn¡¯t relied on a single large explosion, but distributed charges throughout the structures. Some of them must have been neutralized. Perhaps a Skill that formed some kind of defensive barricade cushioning them from the ground, or a use of magic. Most of the fort was either toppled or falling down, though. ¡°What do you think?¡± she asked Max quietly, looking away from the view in her mind¡¯s eye for a moment. He shrugged, still appearing relaxed. ¡°They¡¯re a little better than I expected,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°But they¡¯ve had some time to prepare and plan, and their weaknesses will become more apparent over a longer campaign.¡± His eyes flickered to her. ¡°Our biggest advantages are logistic and strategical,¡± he explained. ¡°At the moment, we¡¯re not really built for a straight-up fight. Not without, you know ¡­¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Things I¡¯d rather not,¡± she said. She didn¡¯t ask him about his opinion regarding her decision to limit themselves. She didn¡¯t need to, and she was pretty sure he wouldn¡¯t give her a straight answer, anyway. ¡°They¡¯re reorganizing,¡± Max said. Regina returned her focus to the battle, and had to agree. ¡°Then now would be a good time to hit them, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± she said quietly. Before she even had the time to voice that suggestion over the psychic link, they were already in motion. A flock of Winged Drones, now reinforced a little, came for another pass overhead; slightly higher this time, reducing casualties. The rocks and explosives they dropped finished demolishing the fort pretty well, but although they also carved furrows into the attacking army¡¯s ranks, it didn¡¯t come close to shattering it. There were just too many of them. Then another small group of flying drones descended from the sky. Regina held her breath as she watched. The humans had brought elites to the forefront, to buffer the damage and try to bring down as many Winged Drones as they could. Now Janis and Dan, riding the strongest Mounts they¡¯d been able to scrape up, dropped towards them, accompanied by the hive¡¯s own elites. They swerved just before they would have passed directly over the remains of the fort, passing to the side and keeping some altitude. Janis sent down a quick series of Firebolts, then made the flames still consuming the wood of the palisades roar and explode outwards with Fire Manipulation. A moment later, she added Wind Manipulation to make them spread even further. Regina was impressed at the effect, Janis had really done some training. I wish I could be there myself, Regina thought, but quickly shook that thought off. It was weaker than it might have been a few months ago. Perhaps she was getting used to this. Instead, she focused fully on the fight, where several elites had just started rising into the air to meet Janis and the others. She itched to dive deeper into the psychic link, but held herself back. Meddling now would not help. Janis had this in hand. And, Regina had to admit, she was looking forward to her trouncing these people. Chapter 183: Clash Janis took a deep breath, trying to slow the pulse pounding in her ear like a war drum calling for a charge. Her fingers were trembling slightly, she noticed. She wasn¡¯t sure if that was from anticipation or nervousness, most likely a mix. She clenched them tighter, winding them into the leather straps running across her mount¡¯s back. The Hive¡¯s drones didn¡¯t need reins, but having it wear a harness was still useful. Especially if they were going to do some risky aerial maneuvers. She nudged the drone up slightly, glancing down to check the distance to the fighters coming to meet them. Elites, obviously. They were an eclectic mix, as those usually tended to be. It was hard to see them clearly from up here, the wind stinging her eyes, but she could coopt the eyes of other drones to get a better view. When do we strike? Dan asked her over the psychic link. Janis glanced at him. A moment longer, she answered, then looked at the other drones. A few of those flying close to them were sapient drones, but only Evolved Winged Drones. They¡¯d judged those to be the most suitable, and others too much of a risk, at least right here. Having some of the newest type Regina had unlocked would be nice, but they were still too young. Janis wouldn¡¯t agree to sending them into a battle against high-level fighters like this even if anyone suggested it. The human elites rose as well, getting further away from their army. Janis eyed them carefully. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how far any high-leveled soldiers remaining on the ground could shoot. And for that matter, there might be a few Class Skills capable of hurting them that high up, too. Still, most of them, by far, shouldn¡¯t be able to engage at all. There was a reason she¡¯d decided on this approach. Then a blinding bolt of light swept past her, barely missing them as her Mount swerved out of the way, and she remembered that most of the elites now after her would still be stronger than her own forces. Janis sighed and gathered some magic. She knew from talking to other mages that she felt it differently than them, probably because of her elemental heritage. She didn¡¯t have to look for some mana pool to scoop mana out of, it was more like calling magic that just happened to be inside her, living under her skin. Since she¡¯d gotten her new Class and leveled up some, that feeling had only increased. She¡¯d practiced rigorously, and with proper concentration, she could be very fast. She¡¯d never be as powerful as Regina, with her frankly ridiculous mana pool, but that was fine ¡ª Janis was aiming for being more skilled instead. She cast blades of air at a few of the attackers coming dangerously close, keeping them tightly focused and on a curving trajectory rather than a straight line. All three of them dodged, unfortunately, but it did make them lose some momentum. Janis leaned forward, narrowed her eyes, and repeated the spell - based on an application of Air Manipulation - this time doubling the number of attacks she used. One of them hit, and a human man wearing leather armor dropped. He appeared to catch himself after a second, rather than tumbling down to crash into the ground, but he was definitely slower and out of the fight for the moment. Now, Janis ordered over the psychic link. The swarm swerved and spread out. Further away, drones she¡¯d kept waiting in reserve accelerated. It would take a while for them to come, but that was fine, she¡¯d planned everything out and timed it pretty well. The human elites scattered in response to the Winged Drones¡¯ movements. Several of them were shooting at the attackers like cannon balls, and the instinct to get away and avoid getting hit was strong. Janis took a deep breath and used Air Manipulation again, this time using a much wider effect. It was tricky, perhaps the most delicate application of large-scale magic she¡¯d ever used. Janis nudged the currents of wind, the flow of the air in the area around and beneath her, controlling everyone¡¯s position. She couldn¡¯t outright place them where she wanted them, but using small pushes, she got close enough. Then the hive¡¯s drones started releasing the gas in the canisters they carried. It needed a lot to affect anything in this big an area, Janis knew. It would dissipate quickly, even with her influencing the winds. A few of the humans closest to the drones, caught by the streams of pressurized gas coming from their containers, were hit, dropping in most cases. Most of it, however, wasn¡¯t meant as a direct attack. Elites¡¯ Con stats would be too high for that. Instead, it affected the air just enough, making it briefly more malleable to her control. Janis clenched her fingers and reversed her previous efforts, triggering her newest Class Skill, Elemental Control. It allowed her to boost the effects of her elemental manipulation magic. And the kicker was that it worked with both the definition of the classical elements and the chemical elements Regina and Galatea had taught her. Keeping both conceptions in mind simultaneously while trying to cast magic was a strain that already made a blinding headache bloom behind her eyes, but she¡¯d known she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep it up for long. Distantly, Janis felt other mages chiming in, every Attendant or Witch who had a Skill or Spell similar enough. A gaping void appeared in the middle of the human group, a zone of low pressure that sucked them in, with buffeting winds charging towards it and dragging them along. Some of them managed to resist it. Those who had Abilities to control their own movement to a greater degree, presumably. Most just had a simple flight Skill or something similar, though, Janis knew, and those were out of luck now. Just in time, the smaller swarm they¡¯d prepared to send into the midst of it arrived. Small and agile Winged Drones darted between the human elites. Janis tried her best to exclude them from the effect of their magic, but it didn¡¯t work that well. Some of them were simply crushed against each other or their enemies. Some of them looked like they did stab or bite the elites, though. ¡°Reverse,¡± Janis gasped, distantly hearing Dan echo it over the psychic link. Then she implemented the last step of the plan. A good thing, too, since she wouldn¡¯t be able to hold it much longer. The ¡®void¡¯ in the air winked out as the Skills creating it were canceled, and she turned the winds she was controlling. Instead of pushing them together, the air and their magic now shot them outward. And she¡¯d successfully managed to form the center of it somewhat above the huddle, so now most of the humans were sent careening into the ground. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Some still managed to stop it, and the hive recalled the drones in the area to get them clear. But Janis watched with satisfaction, panting heavily, as some of them slammed into the earth, directly where their own soldiers stood. Sweep, now, Dan ordered. She felt him nudge her own Mount and it leaned to the side, following his, as he flew in a tight arc higher into the sky. Janis squinted and looked down. She still wasn¡¯t sure how much damage their little magical trap had really done. But the human elites were now definitely in disarray and out of position. When most of the flying drones the hive had left converged on their location in several loosely interspersed flocks, they were badly prepared to face them. Janis rolled her shoulders and took deep breaths, giving herself a few seconds to calm down and center herself, to muster her remaining energy while she left the battle to the warriors. That took a lot out of me, she admitted. She hadn¡¯t talked to Volance in person in a while, but the concept was something she¡¯d discussed with the elemental what felt like ages ago. Right now, her grandmother had wandered off into the mountains again with her fellows, giving a promise Janis wasn¡¯t sure she trusted that she¡¯d be back once the war with the gnomes ¡®got around to actually being fought¡¯. Having her here would have made that a lot easier, she considered. Then Janis shook her head, forcing her exhausted mind back on track, and focused on the fight. They¡¯d been pretty sure that the Cernlians and Nerlians wouldn¡¯t have a large-scale weather mage. If they had, they would¡¯ve probably deployed them before now, during the battles against Lyns. It was still possible that they had one and kept them in reserve, but after this, Janis wouldn¡¯t consider that at all likely. They¡¯d made plans for the possibility, and she¡¯d been ready to abandon the magic if a strong weather controller interfered, but she was just as glad it hadn¡¯t come to that. Derrek Zephyr also didn¡¯t seem to be there, something she found a little concerning. The Cernlian leadership probably didn¡¯t want to risk him, and she supposed it was possible he was still drained if he really had been essential for their buffing ritual. A sharp whistle pulled her out of her thoughts, and Janis ducked on instinct. She felt something rustle her hair and almost chanced a look before she instead remembered to reach out for nearby drones and see through their eyes. Some kind of glowing javelin, big enough to almost count as a lance in sheer size. She glanced down at where it come from, then cursed and made her Mount drop just in time to duck under another. Dan moved farther away from her, and Janis almost cursed again as she realized what he intended. She played along, though, directing her mount to move slightly away to the side, zigzagging a bit to escape the soldier. A woman with a deceptively small build riding some kind of giant vulture-like monster, she noted. You weakened them, but they¡¯re far from done yet, Regina whispered into her mind. Behind you, dodge to the right! Janis obeyed instantly, flattening herself against the side of her flying drone mount even as it jerked in the air. She felt heat pass over her side, then her mount dropped. Janis exhaled and loosed several Magic Missiles in quick succession. Even without checking the System, she could tell her mana pool was getting dangerously low. Casting that air control magic had taken a large chunk of it. But luckily, this Spell didn¡¯t take much mana for her, so she didn¡¯t stint on the barrage. A quick look through several nearby drones showed her that it succeeded in driving the two dangerous human fighters off from attacking, at least for the moment. The second one had raised a flickering barrier, but it didn¡¯t seem very solid. I¡¯m not the only one getting low on mana, Janis noted. She smiled to herself, then ordered her drone to fold its wings and dive again. Many of the surviving human fighters were riding tamed monsters of some kind. It made them maneuverable and more resilient to some ways of attacking their movement, but also imposed constraints they wouldn¡¯t have if they just used flight Spells. Unfortunately, she was currently stuck riding a flying mount, too. Judging the timing carefully, Janis made her drone start spiraling upwards again, just in time to let another shot from the javelin thrower go wild. That was getting annoying. She glanced at the surrounding drones. Their swarms were getting decimated, even if they did keep most of the elites busy and even kept dropping a trickle of them. Overwhelming them with numbers was always going to have to be at least part of how she played this. It might be predictable, but it was also kind of the only thing the Hive had that reliably worked. Janis called for reinforcements again, distantly noting that Ben was already sending some closer, as well. Their Winged Drone numbers were really going to take a beating, but taking out this many enemy elites was worth it. Confident that the larger situation was handled, she turned her attention back to her personal pests. The mage had been drawn into combat against some drones, she noted. Inu and Gale. They¡¯d take care of it. The javelineer was closing on her again, probably estimating that she¡¯d find it harder to dodge her attacks at a shorter range. Which was probably true. Janis let her come a bit closer, squinting at her for a moment. She ignored the name the System prompt showed to note that her Class was a Master of the Spear, not very helpful, and her level only shown as a question mark. Higher than her, then. Janis smiled slightly. A challenge would make for good Experience. This time, the soldier waited until she was closer before she launched two attacks in quick succession. Janis sent some magic into the air between them to nudge them off course with a gust of wind, setting the javelins to pass harmlessly to the sides of her mount. Then she ordered her drone to turn around and close the distance. She saw the woman¡¯s eyes widen, clearly surprised that a mage would charge her like that. She must have been an experienced combat veteran, but it still gave Janis a split-second of surprised hesitation, just enough for her to get the drop on her opponent in their next exchange. A flurry of javelins shot out, clearly a Skill of some kind, but they never connected. Janis formed a shield of air that crashed against and diverted them, not enough to truly stop them, but enough to ensure they would miss at the speeds all of them were moving. She pushed that same bit of hardened air, only held together for a few precious seconds, forward. The soldier¡¯s mount jerked to the side to evade, but the attack clipped its wings. That was just enough to briefly unbalance it, and Janis took ruthless advantage of the opening. A Firebolt roared out, taking almost the last of her mana. She saw the woman attempt to put up a defense, raising a shield, but Janis hadn¡¯t aimed for her. The bird screeched in pain as it was blown back, and a second later she saw its feathers were smoldering. It bucked in the air, starting to fall. Janis had her own Mount close the distance, and then gave her enemy just enough of a push with another wind blade. The soldier tumbled from the back of her bird and fell. Janis glanced down, watching as she was stopped by a briefly flickering blue field. Falling from this distance and at these speeds, she might as well have crashed into the ground directly, though.
You have leveled up
Janis panted, letting herself slump over the drone¡¯s back for a moment as it got both of them out of danger on its own. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, but she knew she was smiling. Around them, the fight was winding down as well. They hadn¡¯t stopped the enemy army and she knew they wouldn¡¯t, not here, but that hadn¡¯t been her job today. The Hive had bled the enemy army and the elites, made them pay a toll for crossing into territory they defended. It was giving them a taste of what was to come. She willed her mount to retreat and reached out over the psychic link to Dan and the others, turning her thoughts to making sure they all got away cleanly. It had been about as close to a success as she could have reasonably hoped for, even if she found it hard to call it a clean victory. They¡¯d taken too many casualties for that. Chapter 184: Restless The Nerlian patrol startled like a flock of geese scattered by a predator. They didn¡¯t quite seem to know where to go for a moment, before they drew together into a tighter circle, putting their backs to each other and hefting their swords and shields, some of them drawing javelins. They appeared to be regular soldiers rather than specialized scouts or skirmishers, going by the equipment. It didn¡¯t help them. From behind a tree trunk thirty meters away, a small javelin struck one of them in the throat. The man gurgled and dropped, leaving a hole in their formation they immediately tried to close. Before they¡¯d finished that, though, another had already staggered back, blood leaking from under his helmet. A small hail of javelins and arrows rained down on the rest of the unit, who hunkered down behind their shields. After it stopped, their leader barked an order and they tightened ranks again, stepping forward hurriedly. Unlike they clearly feared, they weren¡¯t greeted by another volley of projectiles. Instead, the drones who¡¯d shot at them had already departed, melting into the cover of the sparse wood. Perhaps they¡¯d engage again in an hour. It would depend on how the humans fared. Regina smiled and let her focus drift away from them, moving on to other drones in the region. This was not the only encounter she¡¯d watched over the last little while. Although calling it that might be a bit too much. The hive¡¯s fighters hadn¡¯t been hurt, they hadn¡¯t even been seen, while they¡¯d bled the Nerlians a little. That was how she preferred things to go. The Nerlian-Cernlian army had advanced into Whitor¡¯s earldom after the battle at its borders. They¡¯d probably moved a bit more cautiously than they¡¯d originally intended, she suspected, after the way that battle had gone. It was technically a victory for the allied countries. If you squinted and didn¡¯t look too closely at casualty numbers. Those had definitely been in the hive and its allies¡¯ favor. She was pretty sure that wasn¡¯t lost on the enemy leadership, though. Either way, neither of the two sides was currently aiming for another field battle. The Nerlians clearly just wanted to get home in time to stop the hive from conquering more of their territory. And the hive, or at least Ben, considered it safer to harass them instead of going for another battle where they¡¯d still have lower numbers. Following the plan, the hive¡¯s drones had been skirmishing with the Cernlian and Nerlian soldiers since then. Whitor¡¯s soldiers were also involved, although the drones bore the brunt of it. They might still be individually weaker than human soldiers on average, and Swarm Drones had to be controlled by someone intelligent to be really effective, but the hive had a lot of advantages. They didn¡¯t have to worry nearly as much about supply lines or the state of the roads, they saw well at night, and, of course, Winged Drones were another trump card entirely. The allied army mostly tried to stay together. Unfortunately for them, the roads in this part of Cernlia weren¡¯t great, and you definitely couldn¡¯t have thousands of soldiers walking down them at exactly the same time. They¡¯d also learned not to neglect scouting and their forward screen, or they¡¯d make it easy for the hive to set up ambushes for the army to blunder into. So, despite presumably hating it, their commanders couldn¡¯t really stop sending people out. They were trending towards larger numbers, which made ambushes like the one she¡¯d just watched harder, but it also limited them. Regina turned her attention to Janis and Dan. The two of them had mostly stuck together recently. It might have made more sense to split them up so the hive could have them serve as commanders and rallying points in several locations, but Dan still refused to act like an actual senior officer, and, with the psychic link, they really didn¡¯t have to be with drones they were talking to or leading, so Regina let them do as they wished. Or Ben did, rather. She wasn¡¯t going to interfere in things like that without a good reason. Right now, Dan was sleeping, while Janis had stayed awake. She was leaning against the rough wooden wall of the hut they¡¯d put up their cots in, tolerating the way Dan lay curled into her side and pushing his blade-arm further away from her as he shifted. That could actually get a bit dangerous for someone without a Hivekind shell, Regina reflected. Then again, they¡¯d clearly worked things out and Janis had never been a coward. Not that she was stupid, either, Regina wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she was practicing her Magic Armor Spell. Regina gently brushed her mind and told her, You should get some rest. Haven¡¯t you been up and about for over sixteen hours? Closer to twenty, I think, Janis replied. But she looked up and ran a hand through her hair, careful not to jostle Dan. I just feel too restless to go to sleep. Are you holding up okay? Regina asked, concerned. She felt like the question was stupid, but she didn¡¯t know what else to say. Sure, Janis responded quickly. Then she paused, and Regina could sense her subtly reaching out to assess Regina¡¯s own state of mind. Well, I haven¡¯t really been in a war like this before, she conceded. It wasn¡¯t the same with the gnomes. Because our enemies are human? Regina asked, making sure not to convey anything that could register as disapproval or seem accusatory. Janis still winced a little. I wasn¡¯t - I mean, gods, that makes me sound like an asshole, doesn¡¯t it? But I don¡¯t have any lingering loyalties to Cernlia, Regina. You are still mostly human, and were raised as such, Regina pointed out mildly. I hope you don¡¯t feel like you have to deny that, especially not for my sake. I¡¯m not worried about your loyalty, and you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of - in either direction. Hmm. Regina sensed her musing for a few seconds. Either way, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s really the reason why this is harder, mostly. With the gnomes, we were defending ourselves against invaders. And this time, well ¡­ We are the invaders, Regina finished quietly. And there¡¯s a lot of death. Yeah. Janis sighed mentally. A lot of people are dying that might not otherwise have to, Regina. I mean, I¡¯m not stupid, I know this civil war is already happening, anyway. It¡¯s certainly not our fault. And the rulers of Nerlia joined it for their own reasons. I get how you feel, Regina admitted. And it was true, she thought. Maybe she wasn¡¯t as emotionally invested, not as moved on a basic level, as Janis. That didn¡¯t mean she liked any of it. There¡¯s no guarantee we aren¡¯t just making things worse for everyone. But I am trying, Janis. I realized I wasn¡¯t content to just sit quietly and let everyone fight. To let the world keep falling to pieces, or stay broken. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Can we fix it, though? Janis asked, raising an eyebrow. I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m not sure it can be fixed. And maybe I¡¯m going about all this the completely wrong way. But you¡¯re going to try. And I will, too. There was a short silence between them. Finally, Janis sighed and settled deeper into her bedding, closing her eyes. It helps to remind myself what we might have, I guess. I¡¯ll try to get some sleep now, Regina. And thanks for caring. Good night. Regina withdrew her attention from Janis, giving her some privacy. She had originally wanted to discuss the state of the war, but it would keep. And Ben had things pretty much handled, anyway. Instead, she spent a few minutes checking on the state of the hive in general. It was running pretty well, all things considered. Her new initiative to produce more foodstuffs was just getting off the ground, but she was confident it would be able to feed her hive¡¯s ever-expanding needs and have some left over. A few drones were looking into producing fertilizer, even experimenting with getting nitrates the conventional way so they wouldn¡¯t have to rely on Conjuration. Regina wasn¡¯t sure how much it would help, but it was something. Their workshops were also coming along nicely, and the new forge was starting to actually produce usable metal stuff. They were looking into maybe starting a quarry in the mountains, too. After she¡¯d assured herself that everything was fine, Regina sighed and turned her attention to foreign policy, once again. She hesitated, then decided to take a break. She opened her eyes where she was sitting on her bed and got up, stretching a little. A quick visit to the bathroom and the hatchery later, she felt at least mentally more balanced and dove back into the psychic link, leaving Ira to look after things here. Via was still sticking around Marquis Lyns¡¯ army, both as a healer and, when it came down to it, to act as a liaison between them. Regina checked in with her regularly, but there was rarely a problem. She got the feeling Lyns preferred not to bother dealing with her if he didn¡¯t have to. Actually, that probably goes for both me and Via, Regina reflected. You¡¯re not being bullied or ignored, are you? she asked Via. Not at all, my Queen, she assured her. The nobles are still leery, of course, but they¡¯re polite. And I¡¯ve established myself as a healer well enough that most people are happy to see me. She smiled slightly. They even have a saying about always staying on the healer¡¯s good side, did you know? Then I¡¯ll rest assured that you have things in hand, Regina replied with a smile of her own. Anything before I talk to Kiara? She¡¯s just come back from going out with a patrol, but she should be free right now, Via said. It¡¯s probably the best opportunity before she gets into another war council or something. Thanks. Keep up the good work. Regina ended the conversation, then focused on Kiara and started calling on her magic again. This was hardly the first time she tried to communicate with the young noblewoman like this, and it was easier than back then, but it still took focus and a bit of time before she¡¯d established a proper connection. Kiara was still alone in her room, apparently, and didn¡¯t dawdle when she was alerted to Regina¡¯s scrying. ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± she said, bowing her head in greeting. ¡°Lady Kiara,¡± Regina replied. She took a quick look around. Kiara was sitting in what looked like a room of a proper house, decorated much like the tents she¡¯d seen since the beginning of this. She was sitting on a sturdier chair, though, at a desk that was strewn with paper. She also had faint dark circles under her eyes. ¡°How have you been doing?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Quite well, thank you for asking,¡± Kiara replied politely. ¡°I hope you have been in good health, as well. My congratulations on your ongoing success in Nerlia.¡± ¡°To tell the truth, that hardly feels like my accomplishment, but thank you nonetheless,¡± Regina replied in a lighter tone. They spent a few more minutes making polite small talk, which gradually transitioned into a more serious talk as they discussed several people around Kiara and the state of the war camp. It looked like the departure of the combined army had taken some pressure off, which Lyns¡¯ army had desperately needed. ¡°We will not be able to march to your relief as quickly as I¡¯d like, Your Majesty,¡± Kiara admitted finally, her gaze darkening. ¡°Our supply situation is still somewhat uncertain, and our men are exhausted.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Regina assured her. ¡°I will help where I can when it comes to the supplies, but I would rather your men be fighting fit when it comes to a battle than at the end of their rope. But don¡¯t delay too much in dealing with the force the king left behind. We don¡¯t want them to dig in too much or cause trouble, and I¡¯d prefer to keep the pressure on a little.¡± ¡°As you say,¡± Kiara replied, inclining her head. ¡°I assume this is not the only reason you came to speak to me, though?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Regina said. ¡°The Esemen.¡± She paused for a moment, cocking an eyebrow. ¡°Tell me about them.¡± Kiara sighed. Regina considered it a good sign that she let herself do that. She had a bit more trouble interpreting her expression, though. ¡°Things have somewhat escaped our control, I am afraid,¡± she finally admitted. ¡°To be fair, I doubt we were ever in any kind of dominant position, but we needed to look for allies where we could. My father never counted on their support, but it would have been a great advantage. Now, it doesn¡¯t look like we will be getting it, at the very least.¡± ¡°They still haven¡¯t officially called off your engagement talks?¡± ¡°No. I think that is mostly a formality at this point, though. Maybe they are leaving it as an option on the off chance we can turn things around, and they can resume negotiations in a stronger position. I doubt anyone is serious about it at this point, and my father is just as likely to run out of patience and throw their envoys out.¡± Kiara actually smiled slightly. She clearly didn¡¯t feel particularly bad about that debacle and didn¡¯t see the need to hide it. Which was fair enough, Regina supposed. ¡°And you did not feel the need to share this sort of information with me, why?¡± she asked, keeping her voice even. ¡°We did not have much definite information,¡± Kiara replied calmly. ¡°What should I have said, that I believed the Esemen might want to back out of the arrangement? I had already informed you they seemed less and less invested. To be fair, Your Majesty, I do not know what other information from other sources my father might have acquired. But the news that they appear to be mobilizing troops came as something of an unpleasant surprise to me, I have to admit.¡± She didn¡¯t even hesitate at throwing the marquis under the bus, Regina noted. Well, maybe that was putting it a bit too melodramatically. And considering he¡¯d tried to send her off as a hostage the last time they¡¯d met in person, any friction between them was probably to be expected. Instead of delving deeper into that minefield of a relationship, Regina moved on to questions that were currently more relevant. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve shared my information, what have you got?¡± she asked. ¡°What do you think the Esemen want?¡± Kiara sighed silently again. ¡°I cannot be sure,¡± she admitted. ¡°My father is of the opinion that they may be intending to launch a play of their own in Cernlia, now that we are divided and vulnerable.¡± Regina narrowed her eyes. That would be pretty bad. ¡°I see. And your own opinion?¡± Kiara hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°They might,¡± she said. ¡°Personally, I cannot help but think they might instead attack Nerlia. There are old grudges between the two kingdoms, and with Nerlia¡¯s army here and your own attacking them, they are also a tempting target.¡± Regina rubbed the bridge of her nose. So those are our options? Fantastic. ¡°I suppose there¡¯s no helping it,¡± she sighed. ¡°We just need to be ready to deal with it if it comes to that. Although, if you can persuade them to refrain, please do your best.¡± ¡°We already are attempting our best,¡± Kiara answered seriously. ¡°I hope that your Hive¡¯s own displays of might may have helped, as well. Unfortunately, my tutors did say never to bet against opportunism. Or greed, or shortsighted stupidity.¡± ¡°Wise words,¡± Regina snorted. ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll leave you to handle it. Best of luck, Lady Kiara.¡± ¡°And you, Your Majesty. Luck in battle.¡± Kiara bowed her head. Regina closed her eyes once the connection faded and rubbed her forehead again, feeling the beginning of a headache coming on. She gave herself a moment, then returned her attention to the psychic link. There was still a lot of work to do, and brooding in frustration wouldn¡¯t help. Chapter 185: Personnel Now that they were aware the Esemen might be entering the war ¡ª well, more aware than before ¡ª it was clear the hive couldn¡¯t afford to waste any time. Regina spent more time consulting with Ben than she had at any other point during this war, trying to prepare what they could. They had a lot to coordinate, anyway. The southern front was still quiet. The gnomes were clearly building up their defenses and still content to just sit behind them. Regina knew it was going to be a headache eventually, every day they let pass would only make things harder in the end. They just couldn¡¯t afford to prioritize it at the moment. The main hotspot right now was Whitor¡¯s earldom, where the combined army of the Nerlian and Cernlian kings was still moving through. A lot slower than they¡¯d intended, or so Regina hoped. Still, the hive hadn¡¯t completely stopped them. They were still skirmishing with warbands mostly comprised of hive drones and preparing for the next major battle. Marquis Lyns¡¯ army had started moving as well, but they were still considerably behind their enemies. It meant the allied kings couldn¡¯t afford to just sit around, but they didn¡¯t pose an immediate danger. She wasn¡¯t surprised about that, Lyns¡¯ soldiers had been ground down pretty badly before this turn of events. Finally, there was the war in Nerlia itself. It was arguably the most complicated and, at the same time, the most challenging theater. Not because the hive faced too much danger, at least not outright ¡ª but there was a lot of ground to cover, and challenges beyond just fighting people on the battlefield. Regina still sent most of her sapient drones, those who could be spared from the hive¡¯s own territory, there. She was even preparing to finally recall Tim. There was a lot of, basically, dealing with people involved, which Swarm Drones were just about the worst at. It would have been a lot easier if she¡¯d been content to just go monstrous invaders on the Nerlians, but Regina actually wanted to deal with them. Besides, she had standards. At this point, she was considering just getting people from Lyns and Whitor. They didn¡¯t even need to be fighters, the hive could handle that part. She was already recruiting people from the hive¡¯s own territory, basically Neralt¡¯s demesne, as an outreach team. Everyone else insisted on calling them lackeys or similar, less flattering words. Clearly, Regina needed to organize a course on politically correct expression sometime. Maybe when the gods descend to the earth, she thought with a snort. Although, given her luck, that might just happen. Then again, I can¡¯t kick their teeth in if they hide away. Regina shook her head and sighed. She was aware that she would probably never actually be up for a confrontation with the gods. That wasn¡¯t really what was important, she¡¯d decided. Or, well, it was, but so was realism. What she needed to do was what she actually could and needed to do here on Earth. As satisfying as the mental image of punching Deirianon might be, it would be much more of an actual victory to turn things around out here and break that fucking stalemate he¡¯d enforced on the world. And sure, she was trying a very blunt approach, but what else could she do ¡ª she had to work with what she had, and if all you have is a hammer ¡­ then you¡¯d better be comfortable at least pretending to be a blunt instrument. Not that she was going to rely on blunt instruments. They were good for getting the ball rolling, though, and there were many kinds of force. Right now, the Nerlians were clearly not sure how to deal with the hive. Every lord remaining in their path was scrambling to raise what troops they could and gathering them at several locations. They had to be in contact with the Nerlian army as well, although Regina hadn¡¯t found any proof of how they were doing it yet. Probably more magic she didn¡¯t know. The elves had passed along some info that suggested they were also trying to hire mercenaries, although there would be slim pickings. It implied the Nerlians had at least a little gold to spare, though, or were willing to go into debt. That was useful information. Regina really wished she could just sort everything out with diplomacy. However, it was clear she just didn¡¯t have the capability for it. That she had to rely on the elves for occasional bits of information just made that clearer. She had very good surveillance capability when it came to things like troop movements of the enemy armies, but she lacked anything like an actual intelligence apparatus. Regina just didn¡¯t have a sense of how the Nerlian court worked or how it was reacting, or the means to get that. She didn¡¯t even know how she might go about it. Hire spies? Well, I could offer them gold, of course. But they¡¯d have to be willing to deal with us first. Having drones approach people trying to bribe them isn¡¯t likely to work out very well. Then again, maybe she could just do it with more of a degree of separation, Regina considered. Neralt or some of his men could help, or even Lyns¡¯ or Whitor¡¯s people. They just needed someone to look for prospects and ascertain if they were reliable and would be willing to go into Nerlia to gather information, which seemed like the main problem. If they did get something started, though ¡­ it could help a lot, especially with the Esemen probably coming to join this giant mess. The hive also needed diplomats. They couldn¡¯t just rely on Lyns or Whitor to handle that kind of thing. Here, Regina felt more confident. Ray was still playing ambassador to the elves and doing very well at it. At some point, she might have to recall him to take up a more difficult mission and send someone else to the forest to get some experience in a diplomatic posting. In general, drones should be more suitable for this role, since outright shunning representatives of hers out of racism wouldn¡¯t be a very good diplomatic move. Of course, that assumed she could get anyone to the negotiating table, which would probably have to wait a while, but she wasn¡¯t too worried about it. She clearly wasn¡¯t the only person to think along these lines, though. Perhaps Regina shouldn¡¯t have been so surprised when Ira told her about another recent development. Apparently, the drones on the ground had preferred to ask her first, and she interrupted Regina just as she was about to dive back into the psychic link to check on the army¡¯s progress after a trip to the bathroom and the hatchery. ¡°Who did you say that guy was?¡± she asked, frowning. ¡°A merchant, I¡¯m guessing, my Queen,¡± Ira reported. ¡°Probably one dealing in fabric and clothing, by what our people picked up. He¡¯s just the spokesperson of a small group, though. A delegation, or that¡¯s what they want us to think. And while he¡¯s asked to speak to you, I¡¯m pretty sure that was just to show where he stood and they¡¯re actually willing to settle for anyone representing the hive.¡± Regina thought silently for a moment. ¡°Well, when concerned people try to make their grievances heard, I can¡¯t just ignore them, can I? Get me everything we know about this group, then I¡¯ll see what they have to say.¡± Ira did as she said, roping in a few Keepers so they could put together impressions from various drones. Regina almost got a headache from trying to assimilate that information, but she pushed past it and a picture started to emerge. This wasn¡¯t the first time people from settlements they¡¯d started to occupy wanted to talk to what passed for the hive¡¯s authorities, of course. What made this different was that they appeared to be trying to speak for everyone in the affected area. This wasn¡¯t just a few disgruntled traders, it was a serious gathering of people representing their, the locals¡¯, interests. There was even a farmer in the group. Clearly one who did pretty well for himself by the standards of a medieval peasant, but still. They probably had some kind of plan beyond just lodging a few complaints, too. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. By the time Regina had familiarized herself with the situation and decided on how much to involve herself, Ada was already on her way. She¡¯d happened to be relatively close, and as the hive¡¯s most senior scout and a senior member of what passed for its general staff, she had the status to represent them. The humans would believe she could speak for the hive even if Regina didn¡¯t let on that she was listening in and using Ada as a mouthpiece. The supposed delegation was currently waiting in what she gathered was some kind of merchants¡¯ guildhall in one of the biggest towns in the region. The hive was present in force here, with drones posted at strategic locations and occasionally patrolling through or around the town, although they let everyone go about their business. Trade beyond the immediate vicinity had pretty much crashed, though, which meant the building was free to use. Ada arrived on a flying drone, accompanied by a few Winged Drones, with a few War Drones Regina had called together on the ground to serve as an escort. She smiled as Regina settled behind her eyes, sharing what she saw and heard directly, and went to greet the people waiting for them. Her first impression was that they seemed a bit nervous. Regina supposed that was understandable. Only a few of them had sat down, leaving empty chairs, while others stood and talked in low voices. They immediately stopped and turned once Ada entered the room, while the apparent leader took a step forward.
Lucien Green ¡ª Level 43 Merchant Factor
¡°Greetings!¡± he smiled. ¡°Lady ¡­ Ada, is it? Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. I must apologize for my ignorance, but is there a particular title or address we should be using? I wouldn¡¯t wish to offend.¡± Ada smiled and held out her hand for a handshake. ¡°Not at all, and no, there isn¡¯t. Pleased to meet you, Mister Green. Gentlemen.¡± She nodded at the others. ¡°The Hive is always happy to listen.¡± There were a few more handshakes, and then, at Ada¡¯s prodding, everyone sat down. Regina took the opportunity to look at and try to assess them. They were all men, not particularly surprising given the patriarchal society, and all looked to be at least in their thirties. There was some variety in their clothing, but she wasn¡¯t familiar enough with the locals to read much into it, even assuming there was any meaning to find. ¡°We are relieved to hear that, Miss,¡± one of the others spoke up, an older man who was probably an artisan of some kind. ¡°Many in our communities are ¡­ concerned, and we thought setting out to clarify some things might help to keep the peace.¡± Green shot him a look at the last word, and the man winced after a moment, clearly realizing his unfortunate choice of words. ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± Ada said before they got further into it. ¡°We certainly don¡¯t want to disquiet the good people of this country, although we realize that, under the circumstances, such things are only to be expected. If I can assure you and your communities that the Hive means no harm, I¡¯ll consider that to be time well spent.¡± Regina sent her a feeling of approval, making a mental note that Ada seemed to have more of a hand for diplomacy than she¡¯d realized. That was pretty eloquent, under the circumstances. ¡°We appreciate that,¡± Green said earnestly. ¡°In that spirit, may I please ask how your Hive envisions the future?¡± They¡¯re asking how long we intend to stay, Ada commented. What should I say, my Queen? Regina hesitated. Don¡¯t give them a firm answer on that point, she finally instructed. Say something about respecting their people and ensuring this war will not affect them negatively any more than necessary, that kind of thing. The rest depends on how the war develops. Ada gave no outward sign but smoothly started answering the question by mentioning the inherent unpredictability of war, and then continued giving them assurances in the vein Regina had suggested. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that easy. Green subtly pressed for more specific answers, and with Regina¡¯s permission, Ada implied that they would be staying for a while, and that the final fate of the region wasn¡¯t settled yet. Regina watched as the visitors exchanged glances at that answer, but none of them seemed very surprised. ¡°Thank you, my lady,¡± Green finally said. ¡°With that settled, we have several minor requests to put before the Starlit Hive. May I proceed?¡± ¡°Please do.¡± Regina listened as they started bringing up a list of minor grievances and petitions. Most of them were pretty reasonable, she had to admit. Organizing farmers and day laborers, getting public announcements of rules the occupation would put into place, assurances of safety for temples and some kinds of buildings. It wasn¡¯t entirely selfless, as he also requested that ¡®all necessary effort¡¯ be undertaken to open trade routes and see if accommodations could be reached with the noble-controlled parts of Nerlia. The most surprising part, for her, was that he actually requested the hive take control of the granaries and handle the distribution of food to the populace. That¡¯s a pretty big sign of trust, she considered, unless - he may be afraid of looters. Securing the food supply is obviously important. Maybe he even figured we were going to get around to it anyway. To be fair, the hive had already taken control of a number of granaries, and an assessment of civilian supplies had been in the works. They just didn¡¯t have enough sapient drones to do everything that needed doing, so administrative matters often took a backseat. Regina narrowed her eyes as she realized this might be why he had come here. She quickly shared her thoughts with Ada. ¡°Your petitions are reasonable, and although I will have to consult with my superiors, you may expect most of them to be granted,¡± Ada replied. ¡°I will implement several at once on my own authority.¡± Then she paused. ¡°In fact, I have to admit I am pleasantly surprised, Mister Green. This shows ¡­ surprising willingness to work with us.¡± He smiled pleasantly. That guy had definitely made dealing with people the core of his business, Regina reflected. ¡°You have been nothing but courteous and have treated us with respect, Lady Ada,¡± he replied. ¡°In fact, I daresay it will be hard to find examples of foreign invaders as considerate in history. I simply desire to make sure our affairs are settled and that people may continue to earn honest livings in my home.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re willing to work with us to make sure things run smoothly,¡± Ada said. She cocked her head. ¡°Now, I may be presuming too much, but you might also be showing your competence and ability to help.¡± ¡°Indeed, Lady Ada!¡± He smiled again. ¡°If I can be of service - not just to you, but to the citizens of my home - I will happily do what I can.¡± Far be it from me to throw around words like ¡®collaborator¡¯¡­ Regina thought drily. But this can be useful. I¡¯m just not sure we can trust him, Ada. ¡°Your offer is noted and appreciated,¡± Ada said mildly. ¡°This is another point my superiors will have to deliberate, as I¡¯m sure you understand.¡± ¡°Of course, I await their word eagerly. That said, we have heard fascinating things from our neighbors in Cernlia; especially in Lord Neralt¡¯s domain, as it happens. I would like to humbly request that you keep us in mind for any future, shall we say, technological updates.¡± Ada paused, just regarding him in silence for a moment. ¡°Noted, Mister Green,¡± she finally said. ¡°I will get back to you with some answers. You will have to excuse me now, however, as I have duties to attend to.¡± Regina kept watching as Ada left, quietly discussing the conversation and considering what to do. She needed locals to work with, so in a way, she didn¡¯t have much choice. They just needed to ensure their safety. And technological updates were going to be tricky. Even if she very much intended on spreading them. Chapter 186: Objectives In the end, Regina decided to split the difference and play it safe as much as possible. It might be she only got the worst of both options that way, but she didn¡¯t feel like she had much of a choice ¡ª she couldn¡¯t afford to ignore the situation in their occupied territories or refuse what she needed to manage it, and putting blind trust in Nerlians would be really stupid. So she would make use of Green and like-minded people, give them some tasks to handle for the hive, while keeping them away from the most strategically valuable stuff. Of course, it was a balancing act. They definitely got more information than she wanted them to have, if they tried to pass it on to the Nerlian government. But their ability to actually act would hopefully be limited. They couldn¡¯t do anything about the hive or her drones directly, so the worst was sabotage of infrastructure and generally turning the situation in the area against them. That would hurt the local civilians more than the hive, and Regina discussed some contingencies and defensive measures with the drones in the area and those responsible for managing their logistics. Even if they were only taking some initial steps, it made the situation in Nerlia much simpler. Pointedly giving some authority to locals, some voice in the decisions about what was happening, seemed to reassure the humans a lot. There was still a lot of grumbling and barely concealed distrust, but that was a given. The progress was good, since they were starting to encounter heavier resistance in Nerlia. The main army of the Nerlians, together with the Cernlian king¡¯s forces, were still slowly making their way through Whitor¡¯s earldom towards them, but they were still some distance away. Their ritual had clearly completely run out by now, with the soldiers moving only as quickly as exhausted human fighters would be expected to march. In Nerlia itself, though, several nobles or remaining commanders had gathered forces to oppose the hive¡¯s push. While they hadn¡¯t coalesced into a single proper army quite yet, they were definitely consolidating their forces. Regina supposed they thought that they needed a big army to face the hive¡¯s expeditionary force. If so, they weren¡¯t wrong. At least not about that part. Ben was still coordinating their advance into Nerlia, mainly, although several commanders on the ground also had important roles. He¡¯d decided to stay with Regina for now, although she knew that he wanted to get back to the front soon. In response to the Nerlian muster, they had consolidated their own troops a little, as well. They were still split into several corps, but those remained nearby enough to support each other, and they¡¯d limited how far and in what numbers they were sending out scouts and smaller detachments. We need to make a decision, if not now, then soon, Ben told her as Regina contacted him for a regular update and discussion of the situation. It will depend on our goals in Nerlia and the war as a whole. Then what options do we need to choose between? she asked. We have to choose how we handle the Nerlians and their forces here, he elaborated. We can try to force a decisive battle. We¡¯d probably win that, even without relying too heavily on explosives or chemical weapons we can Conjure. But we¡¯d need to ensure that they rout and hopefully don¡¯t get the chance to regather their forces. Which means crushing them, or taking a large number of prisoners we¡¯d then have to deal with, I suppose. Or we could try to follow a similar strategy as in northern Cernlia, and rely on attrition and indirect warfare. That would probably mean dragging this phase of the war out longer. It¡¯s going to have implications for how quickly we move. And, of course, how we deal with the Nerlian civilians. Regina didn¡¯t answer right away, instead taking her time to think through what he¡¯d said and consider their options. She also spent a bit of time considering what she actually wanted here. I¡¯d like to win this without rivers of bloodshed or turning them against us too much, she finally said. It would be best if we could get a significant portion of their forces to surrender. How likely do you think that is? Ben hesitated. It depends, my Queen, and I¡¯m honestly not sure. It¡¯s hard to assess their morale. Many of the men fighting for Nerlia won¡¯t be professional soldiers, but on the other hand, they are defending their home. And even if we take pains to get the local civilians on our side, it¡¯s probably unlikely to trickle through to them. I¡¯m not sure if a crushing blow to shatter their morale would work best, or to by some other means show them the pointlessness of what they¡¯re fighting for, or who. Regina exhaled and passed a hand through her hair. I¡¯m not demanding miracles of you, she assured him. That said, which option do you prefer, Ben? I will need a bit of time to think about it, he said, feeling apologetic. We can run through some scenarios and formulate some options for achieving our goals. That would be great, she responded, then gave him a soft, playful mental poke. Sorry to move the goalposts on you. It¡¯s the challenges that make my work satisfying, he replied drily, but with the shadow of a mental grin. Regina grinned back, but she did feel a bit concerned. She tried not to let that show, though. This wasn¡¯t the first time they¡¯d talked about their goals and objectives, but she was looking forward to seeing what he might come up with. Regina was self-aware enough to know that she probably wasn¡¯t the best person to be planning a military strategy, even for political reasons. Although she didn¡¯t intend to just sit around until he delivered her the perfect plan to victory, either. Don¡¯t hesitate to ask if you need any help or resources, she said. Also, you might want to talk to some of our allies, or just Janis, and some of the Nerlians we¡¯re starting to work with now. I¡¯ll put a few Keepers on the task and have them gather intelligence to help you. I will, my Queen, and thank you. Regina was going to keep an eye on that, too. Better understanding the mindset of the civilians in their occupied territory, and why they felt the way they did, was going to be crucial. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She checked in on Janis, debating having a longer talk about the issue with her. For all that she cared for her drones, none of them really understood the more ¡­ ethically problematic issues. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was a difference in biology, genetics, or culture. Hopefully not upbringing, or that would basically make it my fault, right? Regina grimaced. Her drones were great, but Janis was the one member of the hive she was confident actually had a moral compass. One in good working order. It probably wasn¡¯t the strictest, Janis wasn¡¯t going to start orienting her actions on Kant any time soon, but that didn¡¯t really matter. Anyone too set on deontological moral philosophy was not going to work well with her anyway. When she focused on Janis¡¯ mind in the psychic link, the first thing she sensed was tiredness. It had been that way for a while now. The campaign in Whitor¡¯s earldom was exhausting for her. It probably wouldn¡¯t be that bad if Janis didn¡¯t insist on participating actively on the front, but Regina didn¡¯t say anything about that. Instead, she just watched as Janis dismounted from a flying drone mount, staggering into the tent other drones had set up in a makeshift outpost between two rocky, forested hills. Regina? Janis asked as she grabbed a bottle of water and started chugging it down. Can I do something for you? Maybe later, Regina answered. I wanted to have a talk, but it might take a bit longer, and I don¡¯t want to distract you now. How has it been going, though? Pretty well, I guess, Janis said, although she seemed a bit hesitant. I¡¯ve coordinated and led a few strikes, but our activities were strictly limited. It¡¯s only effective as part of our larger strategy. She shrugged. I do think it¡¯s having some effect, though. They¡¯re clearly getting more hesitant, and I¡¯ve had a few enemy fighters running away pretty quickly now. That¡¯s good to know, Regina replied, then stopped as a human soldier approached Janis to speak with her. The two of them started to talk as they walked out of the tent, and Regina took the chance to get a better overview of the local situation. Whitor had dispersed most of his men into smaller units, to work with the hive more effectively. They were pretty useful for knowing the terrain, if nothing else. He also had dedicated people working as support, who could do some things the hive didn¡¯t have as much access to, like blacksmiths or other crafts. Those were proving themselves pretty useful, too. Regina was allowing them to learn a trickle of know-how from the drones, although she made sure that was carefully limited. Still, it had been more than enough to make them all eager for new knowledge. The most important things were probably ones that wouldn¡¯t have much impact in this war, but which would be important later. She hoped to get more subtle things like an appreciation for science across, but that was admittedly difficult. It seemed like Janis was in for a longer discussion, so Regina turned her attention elsewhere. The rest of this front, if you could call it that, seemed to be pretty much the same. The combined army had definitely slowed down; while it was obvious at this point that the effects of their ritual had faded completely a while ago, it didn¡¯t seem to have had any negative consequences. At least not beyond what you¡¯d expect from marching for those days, anyway. Although it was hard to be sure, since she couldn¡¯t assess their state very accurately. There was only so much information you could get from watching an army move, a limitation she was really starting to feel. Maybe it was time to inquire with the marquis or Kiara again about their potential informants. Maybe I should send an envoy to the Esemen, Regina thought absently, then paused. She drummed her fingers on her leg as she considered the idea that had suddenly come to her. It had potential, she decided. Obviously, it would be a very dangerous posting, as far as diplomatic assignments went. And with what happened to Bea ¡­ Her gaze darkened and she forced herself to think of something else. Maybe she should have a human as her representative for this? It might be better that way. June or Florance Lyns remained her hostages, so they weren¡¯t an option, although it would have been a good one in some ways. Regina didn¡¯t have many other human candidates who qualified, though. She could send someone from the village, if anyone had the necessary skill for it, but that might be taken as an insult. Apart from that, she could only rely on Lyns or even Whitor, which kind of defeated the purpose, and the Neralts. Marianne Neralt, perhaps? I¡¯ll ask her, Regina decided. Despite or because of being excluded from actual power as a woman, the older Neralt was a good hand at social stuff, perceptive and articulate. She¡¯d be familiar with noble customs, at least enough to get by, and being a noble should be enough to give her the status needed as an ambassador. Regina should probably offer something in exchange, though. It was a challenging and potentially dangerous posting, assuming the Esemen even accepted an envoy from the hive. She could offer some kind of guarantees regarding territory to Neralt ¡ª no, to Marianne personally and specifically. Maybe not as a feudal lord ¡ª Regina would prefer to move away from that, as far as she could ¡ª but some position of administration, power and authority. She¡¯d need governors or something similar, anyway. Having a qualified candidate to be ¡­ governor, seneschal, or viceroy, or whatever, would be good, anyway, so she could get two birds with one stone. And I should probably sit down with some people and work out what kind of governing system I want to set up, Regina considered, although not knowing how things will turn out, or even having a specific goal to be met or not, is making that difficult. She shook her head and stood up. The room started to sway around her, and Regina leaned forward, catching herself with a hand at the edge of her bed. ¡°Regina? Are you alright?¡± Ira asked, her tone and sense in the psychic link concerned. ¡°Fine.¡± Regina waited a moment for the dizziness to fade, then stood up and brushed off her hands, turning to the door. ¡°You¡¯ve been sitting still in meditation too much,¡± Ira noted. ¡°I¡¯ve been taking regular breaks to increase the hive¡¯s numbers,¡± Regina protested. Ira gave her a significant look, saying See? without actually speaking or sending the words. ¡°Whatever,¡± Regina grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s time for the next batch, anyway. Come help me.¡± Ira moved a little closer to her than normal as they moved into the adjoining bathroom, and Regina sensed her calling another of the nearby Attendants over. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t skip your training sessions,¡± she said in a low tone. ¡°Fine,¡± Regina sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll keep up the exercise. I promise.¡± Ira was probably right, she had to grudgingly admit. With the war, Regina had neglected her training. She still found some time for magic, though not as much as she¡¯d like, but it had been a while since she¡¯d last gone for a flight, or even had a sparring match. With a start, she realized she hadn¡¯t seen the sky in days. And she¡¯d still been putting her body under stress. ¡°I¡¯ll be going to visit the Neralts later,¡± she continued instead of admitting that. ¡°You should come with me, if you like. And we¡¯ll take the time for some training and flying back.¡± Ira managed to seem satisfied without her face reflecting it at all, or her presence in the psychic link changing much. Regina grumbled about having pushy assistants and made sure she caught the echo of it over the psychic link. She still found herself almost smiling and, although she wasn¡¯t going to say it, she felt better. Chapter 187: Imponderables Regina didn¡¯t like to admit it, but she felt significantly better after Ira¡¯s little ¡®intervention¡¯. She really had been overworking herself, which felt a little odd since she¡¯d mostly just sat there and watched things through the psychic link, but she supposed the mental effort wasn¡¯t to be dismissed so easily. After getting out a bit, getting some exercise, and taking the chance to just rest her brain, she felt more productive when she got back to work. That wasn¡¯t going to be all of it, she knew. Max had immediately started being double as much of a pushy annoyance when Ira roped him in, and Regina mirrored all of the fond exasperation she could tell they felt at her over it. It was kind of nice to know they cared, and having her health, including her mental state, managed was something she¡¯d probably have to get used to. Not wanting to worry her drones was proving to be a surprisingly effective incentive. Unfortunately, this was still a bad time to be taking a sabbatical. The war hadn¡¯t slowed down, although some of the forces in play had, somewhat. The mixed Cernlian and Nerlian army was making its way towards Nerlia, and it was getting about time to finalize how to deal with it. The hive had been discreetly - hopefully - gathering an army of its own, moving around units of Swarm Drones as more became available after hatching. A lot of the drones in the area were still occupied with skirmishing and harassing the army, of course. From what Regina could tell, its morale was basically in free-fall. The Nerlian army mustering deeper in Nerlia itself was another matter, though, and while it wasn¡¯t as big, it might be more of a challenge. Regina had kept up with Ben and the other commanders¡¯ plans, although she hadn¡¯t contributed very much personally. They¡¯d also coordinated with Lyns and Whitor, which was probably the most annoying and difficult part, judging by how Ben complained. She found it hard to estimate how fruitful the planning had been, though. There were still so many immeasurable factors. Making further plans wouldn¡¯t help at some point. Sometimes you just have to throw the dice and see where they land, Dan had told her with a shrug when she¡¯d last talked to him, checking in to see how things were going concerning the Nerlian army. She supposed he had a point. It didn¡¯t matter if she had misgivings, she still needed to project strength and confidence, though. Her commanders needed to know that she trusted them, that she was confident in them. That included what she projected both via the psychic link and with old-fashioned expressions. It was kind of tiring to put up a front, although Regina had found herself doing it more often of late. Not that it was really a front, though; she wasn¡¯t lying to anyone. Just getting to grips with the other aspects of leadership, she thought, watching her hive shape up to meet her expectations in the middle of danger one more time. She was proud of them. Maybe she should tell them that more often. At that moment, she felt a soft touch on her mind as Ben called for her attention, before he spoke. Has your envoy to the Esemen left already? Yes, she set off a while ago. Why, is something wrong? Lady Marianne had accepted Regina¡¯s offer after consulting briefly with her son and even Florance and June Lyns. Regina supposed that was only logical of her. She¡¯d sent some drones with Marianne, of course, and the Nerlian territory they occupied had kindly provided a few horses and a carriage. Of course, she still needed to send at least one sapient drone with her. Regina had wanted to send a Keeper, but, that might give the wrong impression. So instead, she¡¯d decided to send Ria, one of her oldest Attendants, who¡¯d Evolved to an Elite version of the Class. That was pretty rare for Attendants, but it would give a better impression than sending a keeper with that literally as their Class name for her human spokesperson, if she wanted to make a point of sending a human envoy. No, but activity at the border has increased. I¡¯ll make sure we keep an eye out to ensure they aren¡¯t stopped. He sighed softly, and Regina could feel his tiredness. It¡¯s a shame we don¡¯t have a good route into their country, but I suppose it¡¯s not really a dangerous journey. I guess. How are things going apart from that? Ben hesitated again. We¡¯re about as ready as we can be, he finally admitted. Although if we had other options, I wouldn¡¯t complain ¡­ I¡¯ll get a move on in about an hour, Regina said, grimacing slightly as she carefully felt for her body¡¯s condition. But even if I practice a bit with sensing human minds, it just won¡¯t be enough. I¡¯m not that strong yet, Ben. Or skilled. I might - maybe - be able to affect a relatively small unit and push them into surrendering, but definitely not an army corps or anything. I know, he assured her. We¡¯re not relying on psychic effects, anyway. The goal she¡¯d formulated was pretty clear, but still difficult: to get a large number of Nerlian soldiers, probably in an army, to defect or surrender. Or imprison them, she supposed. Unfortunately, their options were limited. Magic wouldn¡¯t work, and she couldn¡¯t use her still meager psychic ability. Not yet. In the future, maybe that would be a possibility. A push to nudge enemy fighters towards surrender or defeat, and then the hive could treat them well and release them to go back to their fields after laying down their weapons, at least. She wasn¡¯t going to try for long-term mind control even if she thought she had a chance in hell of accomplishing it. That would just be stupid. Other possible solutions they¡¯d brainstormed, like gas, were out, too, since the enemy soldiers would be strengthened by the System and would have very different levels and stats. A dose large enough to knock one guy out might not do much of anything to a second and outright kill a third. The same essentially went for trying to poison their supplies or water sources. Right now, while Ben kept their plans flexible, the basic idea was to pen the Nerlians up in a castle or fortified settlement and siege them, starving them out and forcing them to surrender without actually inflicting many casualties. She saw no reason it wouldn¡¯t work, at least for the army in Nerlia itself, which Regina was honestly more concerned about. There were still a few pitfalls, though. Regina tried not to worry about it as she wrapped things up in the hive, packing a few things she wanted to take with her, and then took care of the hive¡¯s newest eggs. She wouldn¡¯t be able to keep going at the normal rate while she was gone, which meant she was adding a big batch to their hatchery right now. She staggered and almost fell on the way to the hatchery as Ira and a few others carried the eggs, and braced herself with her hand against the doorway for a moment, taking a deep breath. The ache in her core was familiar, although it hadn¡¯t been this bad in ¡­ weeks if not months, actually. For all that Ira had gotten on her case about taking care of herself, she hadn¡¯t pushed herself as hard more recently. The situation wasn¡¯t so desperate, Regina acknowledged to herself. And I suppose I might have grown up a little, too, but that can¡¯t have amounted to much. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. She still looked like people would question whether she was already an adult if she was human, at least in the old world. Regina didn¡¯t mind too much, most of the time. Now that she had a better idea of her age before she¡¯d been transformed, or had her soul transferred or whatever, it was actually easier to see it as amusing rather than frustrating. Once she was finished making sure everything was ready and going to proceed as normal without her, Regina left through one of the newer tunnels and stepped out in an enclosure to the north of their base, where Ira had already gathered a small flock of Winged Drones, all at higher levels. Thor waited for her as well, and Regina greeted him over the psychic link as she waited for everyone to be ready for departure. It didn¡¯t take long, and a minute later, she watched the ground drop beneath them as Thor carried her into the sky. She didn¡¯t think his presence was strictly necessary, but the drones had insisted, and Regina didn¡¯t exactly mind. Thor had also gained a few levels over the last weeks, and they moved pretty quickly. The weather was nice, with few clouds and only a gentle breeze. Instead of spending the entire trip absorbed in the psychic link, Regina looked down and watched the scenery passing beneath them occasionally. She¡¯d seen all of this through the eyes of Winged Drones, but it felt a bit different to see it herself. It was hard to see the border from up here, since the landscape didn¡¯t really change, at least not in a distinct line. It was sparsely inhabited, the only settlements clearly placed with regard to the Great Forest. Regina was only certain they were flying above Nerlia when the number of villages increased. The land was apparently a little more fertile here, and while this still wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d consider a booming and prosperous stretch, there was a lot more of a human presence. Neat fields and meadows, clustered around villages. It struck her that it really hadn¡¯t changed that much in a few thousand years, except maybe for the size of the fields, and the settlements. And most people just wanted to bring in their harvests and raise their families without worry. She¡¯d started getting some of the food they¡¯d produced above what they needed distributed in Nerlia. It left a bad taste in her mouth, since she knew this region had actually gotten off relatively light. Cernlia would need it a lot more. But she could distribute the food reliably here, while she couldn¡¯t really help people in the enemy-controlled parts of Cernlia. She¡¯d have to live with the inefficiency. Darker thoughts carried Regina to their destination, and she made herself focus on her psychic senses as they approached. She¡¯d been working on disentangling the input from her psychic link to her ¡®normal¡¯ psychic senses, at least to a point. While she¡¯d realized they were connected ¡ª she probably wouldn¡¯t have any psychic ability without being a Hive Queen ¡ª the focus was still different. She wanted to sense and interact with all minds, not just those that were part of her psychic link, too. Right now, human minds burned like bright candles against a tapestry of darkness beneath her. Regina breathed in deeply and let the sensation wash over her as Thor descended. There was something beautiful about it, in a way she hadn¡¯t really felt from the hive. But she let the feeling pass after a moment and instead focused on what information she could glean from it. Her practice had paid off, even if it was mostly with Hive drones. But sapients¡¯ minds weren¡¯t all that different when you got down to it, and while she didn¡¯t have the same kind of access as she did to her drones, it still allowed her to get some sense of what she was dealing with. At the moment, that meant she could sense the tension, anticipation and nervousness that seemed prevalent among the people, but also the flickering of different emotions, everything from joy and love to anger and grief, and many more momentary sensations. Once they landed, Regina stumbled down from Thor and greeted the drones who¡¯d come out to welcome her absentmindedly, still focused on the tapestry of minds around her. She only shook herself loose after a moment and turned her attention to the next steps. ¡°How are you doing with the prisoners?¡± she asked. ¡°Quite well, my Queen.¡± The drone who answered her, a young Worker called Cao, looked a bit nervous. She couldn¡¯t blame him. ¡°They¡¯ve been behaving themselves, for the most part. Our promise to let them get home soon has helped a lot, although many of them are skeptical.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°As expected, then. Thank you. Let¡¯s see what we¡¯ve got.¡± She walked through the outskirts of the village they were based in without paying it much mind, since she¡¯d seen it through the psychic link already. It was still just as quiet today. A short distance away, they¡¯d erected a camp of tents and huts of wood and quickly fired clay. A lot of it had been done by the prisoners themselves, she knew. It wouldn¡¯t do as more permanent accommodations, but it was intended to be temporary and should be long gone by the time winter came. Lots of people popped up as she went, watching her curiously. Regina smiled, but didn¡¯t stop to talk to everyone. She probably should, if she wanted to get more mileage out of this visit from a PR perspective, but she could do it later. For now, she focused on their minds. Having a large concentration of people close by made it easier. Regina took a deep breath, then threaded her mental fingers through the emotions running through the camp and tried to tug on one in particular, pushing their curiosity higher. She figured it was the most innocuous option out of their prevalent emotions. It had a noticeable effect, if only slightly. After straining her eyes and other senses to monitor it, Regina figured it depended on distance to her, so those further away weren¡¯t affected, or weakly enough it didn¡¯t matter. The people did come a bit closer now. Her push had been the nudge some of them, the most naturally curious and fearless, needed to actually approach them. Regina mostly left Ben and Ira to handle the questions as she tried not to seem like she was spacing out, still focused on her psychic senses. She looked around, as if she was just assessing the state of the camp, trying to judge the emotions they showed. If she focused, she could skim the surface thoughts of the nearby humans, though not many at a time. She gently brushed against them enough to confirm her impressions of their emotions. Then Regina took a deep breath, which ended in something suspiciously close to a shudder, and walked on with a new urgency to her steps. It made her feel slimy to look into someone¡¯s thoughts, even only this distantly, but more than that, it was a strange feeling to be caught up in the mood of a crowd like this. ¡°Mister Green is waiting at the other end of the camp,¡± Ira said. Regina nodded, grateful for the opportunity to stop what she was currently doing. She walked straight to the man, taking a moment to center herself. The camp ended pretty abruptly, and in the shadow of the last largish hut, Green waited. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for her to act, but took a step forward, then bowed. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡± Regina took a quick glance around, noting that a mix of drones and human underlings he must have hired were dispersing the curious onlookers, so they shouldn¡¯t be overheard. ¡°Mister Green,¡± she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to talking to you in person.¡± ¡°I¡¯m at your disposal, my queen.¡± He bowed his head again, smiling. ¡°Good, I¡¯m sure this will be fruitful for us both.¡± She paused and cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Before we begin, I¡¯d like to ask for your consent to the use of psychic abilities. A light surface scan of your mind ¡ª mostly for training purposes ¡ª which will mainly mean emotional reads. You are not required to agree.¡± He blinked, and she was pretty sure the moment of surprise was the first genuine emotion he¡¯d let show. ¡°Of course, Your Majesty,¡± he said slowly, obviously still a bit hesitant. ¡°I have nothing to hide, and I¡¯d be happy to help.¡± Regina smiled and didn¡¯t go into it any further. ¡°Great. Then let¡¯s start with the state of the food supplies in the region.¡± This conversation really would be necessary, or at least useful, on its own. She hoped it would also allow her to refine her ability to use as a psychic lie detector as a side benefit. Interlude: Expedience It had been a while since Marianne Neralt had gone traveling for longer than a few hours, and she had to admit she had not missed it. She wasn¡¯t as young as she used to be. Granted, she was hardly some doddering grandmother, and with her level taken into consideration, she could easily live for three or four more decades, if not longer. That did not mean she enjoyed bumping about the road in a creaky carriage, however. Marianne let her gaze drift out the window and conceded that at least it was a rather nice carriage, all things considered. She was fairly sure the Hive had ¡®requisitioned¡¯ it from territory they had taken in Nerlia without granting the former owners any compensation, but by the design and the discretely placed coat of arms, it might have belonged to a local nobleman. Gods knew she sometimes had the impression the drones would be much happier to take from nobles than commoners even when those would have much less ability to complain. But trying to understand why the Starlit Hive did something, or did it in a particular way, was often good for a headache. ¡°Are you alright, Lady Marianne?¡± Ria called from outside. ¡°Just fine,¡± she replied, ¡°thank you, dear.¡± At least they were considerate, she mused. Well, perhaps that is giving them too little credit. Ria has been nothing but kind, even before this trip. Marianne felt an uncomfortable tightening in her stomach, which she¡¯d unfortunately grown acquainted with over recent months, the lingering feeling that she might be judging others harshly when she should not, simply because of what they were. She tried to be open-minded and just, but it had taken her a little while to get used to the strange - and frankly, a little frightening - insectile people who had come to her husband¡¯s village. Even if she had managed not to let it show, or so she hoped. By now, however, she had come to genuinely like and respect many of these people. To her own surprise, Hive Queen Regina topped that list. Although, it was rather apparent the Hive Queen differed from the drones, that she was more ¡®civilized¡¯ ¡ª even if you did not take the rumors about her provenance into account. When Regina had asked her to serve as her ambassador for this trip, Marianne had been flattered but also apprehensive. Her Majesty had made it clear that she was not giving an order and Marianne could have refused, although it would most likely not have helped her standing in the young queen¡¯s eyes. But what she had offered had been tantalizing, even if she had been vague and not made any concrete promises. In truth, Marianne supposed she had to admit to herself that it would not have mattered much. Regardless of the actual details, it was the thought that counted. Specifically, the assurance that she would be trusted with power, with the ability to make changes in the world, to govern, and to prove her skills and set her mind against real challenges. Power, without having to marry the right man or rely on her son¡¯s goodwill. Status she earned and bore herself. Elric was a fine baron, but Marianne was fairly sure that she would do better in a position like the one Regina appeared to intend. It felt ¡­ satisfying to have it acknowledged, without having to fight for that recognition. And she knew that she would have done quite a lot more than a slightly dangerous diplomatic mission. She was brought out of her thoughts by Ria knocking on the door again. Without waiting for a response, the carriage started slowing down. Marianne frowned, but held her questions until Ria opened the door to come in. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so,¡± Ria said apologetically. ¡°The route ahead is blocked by detachments of Cernlian soldiers.¡± There must have been more than she was expecting, for the drones to react like this. ¡°Can we not pass them by?¡± Marianne inquired. ¡°We could, but it would be risky. I¡¯m starting to suspect they were warned about Esemen movements as well, unless they¡¯re secretly in cahoots and preparing the way or something. There aren¡¯t many other reasons soldiers would be moving away from the main front, even if we¡¯re still a long way from the Esemen border.¡± Marianne nodded. The young drone had a point. ¡°Then what will we do?¡± she asked. ¡°We¡¯ve decided it would be less risky overall to fly. If you agree, of course.¡± She paused. ¡°Fly? You mean, on one of your Winged Drones?¡± Ria smiled gently. ¡°They¡¯re perfectly safe, we¡¯d never allow a mount to drop you. And the view from up there is, well, something you¡¯ll have to see to believe.¡± Marianne frowned at her, more because of the rather blatant manipulation than because she truly minded. ¡°If you say so,¡± she sighed. She had to force herself not to show her hesitation too openly as she approached the Winged Drone Mount Ria called down for her. They had to wait for a short time while the Hive assembled enough drones for everyone. She suspected they had already had them following along discreetly, very high up, and were now calling more reinforcements to take those drones¡¯ place. The Hive Queen had offered to have her fly for the entire trip from the beginning, saying that it would be much quicker, but Marianne had declined. She¡¯d pointed out that arriving in a carriage, the normal way, would fit the image she wanted to present better. It looked like she would have to make do anyhow. With some trepidation and help from a patient Ria, Marianne managed to mount the drone. She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut before it started to lift into the air. It was a rather odd feeling to suddenly be moved upwards. The wind tugging at her hair, she opened her eyes and chanced a look down, her breath catching. The drones were ascending rapidly, and seeing the land shrink beneath her truly was a sight she would not soon forget. At least she did not appear to be one of those people who had trouble looking down from high places. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ria called to her. Marianne turned to see her climbing onto another flying mount in mid-air, after she¡¯d used her own wings to ascend while staying close to her. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°I am,¡± Marianne responded, and to her own surprise started to smile slightly. ¡°Let us be off to continue our journey.¡± It was hard to keep a conversation going during the flight, but Marianne found she did not mind overly much. The journey itself was fascinating. She knew she might never get an opportunity to experience it again, so she resolved to make the most of it. From what she could see of the ground, they were moving at a rapid pace, as well. The sun continued on its own journey in the sky and Marianne started to shiver. She had not dressed for a trip high in the air where she would face biting wind. Although she had taken a few changes of clothes with her, in a chest now carried by another drone. She briefly contemplated asking for a short stop so she could change, but refrained. Landing now would presumably be a risk, and trying to get to her luggage and change clothes on the back of a flying drone sounded none too wise, either. Instead, she distracted herself by chatting with Ria and watched the ground pass beneath them. She had never quite gotten the hang of judging the passing of time by the passage of the sun, much preferring a good water clock or even sundial, so she was uncertain how much time had passed. Wistfully, she found herself thinking of the water clock in her parents¡¯ manor where she had grown up. It had been made by a renowned artisan whose name escaped her, and her father had taken great pride in it. While he¡¯d been a baron, his lands had been only slightly larger than his political relevance, and her family had less money than some merchants. With three daughters to marry off, there had not been much money for new luxuries. Oh, it¡¯s been far too long since I wrote to my sisters, Marianne thought. I wonder what they would think of my position now? My dealings with the Hive would shock them, I suppose. ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± Ria said quietly, approaching her drone closely. Marianne blinked and turned to her. ¡°I assume we are going to land?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Ria said drily. ¡°We¡¯d prefer to approach them on the ground, unless you disagree?¡± She waited for Marianne to shake her head before continuing. ¡°Having a carriage would make a better impression, but we¡¯ll make do. They should be expecting us, assuming Lyns got his message through.¡± Marianne nodded. They¡¯d gone over this before. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect them to pretend they did not get a message,¡± she said. ¡°Even disregarding how hard it would be to deny considering Lord Lyns has an envoy with his army, it would not be good for their reputation.¡± She was quickly proved right, to her relief. The hive had barely started to descend when Ria said she saw the party the Esemen must have sent waiting for them. The northern border between Cernlia and Esemen was slightly more populated than the corresponding one further to the west, but they had decided on a spot between two towns where few people should normally be found. The drones descended some distance away, where the Esemen would hopefully not be able to see them, before the Winged Drones lifted into the air again. Ria had brought some War Drones as well, putting them onto their winged brethren for transport, and now loaded their luggage onto a few of them using simple harnesses. Marianne hovered nearby, feeling somewhat useless. It was not a feeling she was used to or that she found very pleasant. Then Ria called one of the drones over and made it crouch low to the ground. ¡°It¡¯s not a horse, but better than going on foot, right?¡± she told her. Marianne hesitated, before she again steeled her nerves and gave her companion a tentative nod. Gingerly, she climbed onto the drone. As a Drone Charger, it was less comfortable than a flying mount, she noted. Although arriving on top of a monster bristling with natural plate and blades should make an impression, she¡¯d hope. Ria mounted up as well, and they were off. At least Marianne was quite sure the drone would not drop her or attempt to buck her off. Not unless she badly displeased either Ria or the Hive Queen, she supposed. Was Regina watching them? Her instincts said yes, although there was no way to tell short of asking, and Her Majesty did have other important matters requiring her attention. They had only been riding for a few minutes and were just about to come into range of the party she¡¯d seen earlier when Ria suddenly slowed. Marianne sat up straighter. Her own drone was keeping pace, slowing as well, whether due to Ria¡¯s orders or on its own, she was unsure. ¡°Something the matter?¡± she asked. ¡°I think so,¡± Ria answered, her voice tight. ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping a few drones up in the air to keep watch. We¡¯re at the very edge of my queen¡¯s range, so it¡¯s difficult to control them precisely from back home. I¡¯ve been looking through their eyes intermittently, though, and what I¡¯m seeing ¡ª¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Marianne asked, grasping her mount¡¯s shell tighter as she clenched her hand around its shoulder. ¡°Either we¡¯re a lot more important than I thought, and they¡¯ve sent a hell of a greeting party, or ¡­¡± Ria trailed off and turned her gaze forward, where a party of riders was now approaching them. Marianne frowned as she studied them. It took her a moment before she realized what she was seeing. There were roughly twenty men. They were moving quickly, approaching at a fast canter, but that was not the issue. After a second, she realized they were very lightly equipped. They had no packhorses, not even large saddlebags. Of course, there were towns not too far away, so that meant little by itself. But judging by the quality of their equipment, especially their weapons, she doubted they were local militia or retainers for poor border barons. If Ria had seen a larger force behind them, that painted an unpleasant picture. Marianne forced herself not to show those thoughts on her face. Instead, she smiled and relaxed the tension in her body to make herself appear at ease as the Esemen came to a halt in front of them. ¡°Greetings, good sirs,¡± she called out. ¡°I am Lady Marianne Neralt, and we have the honor of being the envoys sent by Hive Queen Regina to Esemen. My thanks for your splendid and speedy welcome.¡± There was a bit of a rustle among the Esemen, but she had deliberately phrased it so there would be no questions about why they were here or that they should be expected. Their Classes read strangely to her eyes, although she could see they were all at least in the second Tier, if not higher. ¡°Of course, Milady,¡± a Knight finally called back. ¡°We bid you welcome to our fair country and will be delighted to escort you.¡° ¡°Which we should be doing quickly,¡± another muttered, only just loud enough for her to hear. ¡°Seems like there might be troop movements they don¡¯t want us to see happening soon,¡± Ria murmured under her breath, leaning slightly towards Marianne so she could hear her. She nodded faintly, but did not look away from their hosts. Marianne was no strategist, but this did not strike her as a good invasion route into Cernlia. Ria had deliberately chosen a path that would not take them across such a one. Of course, it was also not the most direct way toward Nerlia from Esemen. On the other hand, if one wanted a base positioned for easy access into both Cernlia and Nerlia, a spot like this, near the junction of all three countries, would be advantageous. Just what are the Esemen doing? she wondered. ¡°Come along, please,¡± the Knight called, glancing briefly at the drone Marianne was riding before he resumed meeting her eyes. ¡°You must be weary from your journey. The High Shaman will be pleased to host you and exchange words.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly keep him waiting,¡± Marianne replied with her best smile. Luckily, Ria made the drone start moving at the right moment, and the two of them, along with their drone escorts, quickly joined the knights, who formed up around them. Ria was watching them carefully, and Marianne knew she would be attempting to watch as much as they could. Personally, she would have better luck getting information from their hosts in other ways, so Marianne set to work, turning another smile on the knight who had welcomed her and striking up a conversation. She had a feeling the Hive Queen needed to know just what was going on out here, and how the Esemen would tilt the balance of the war. It was becoming clear to her that the hive may have underestimated their plans, or their ambition. Of course, whether their reach and their strength would extend as far as their grasp, only time would tell. Chapter 188: Wings The more Regina trained her psychic abilities, the more surprised she was at how easy using them actually felt. Intellectually, she knew it wasn¡¯t actually that easy or she wouldn¡¯t have struggled - wouldn¡¯t still be struggling - so much with it. But when she actually did something with them, it just felt natural. It was instinctive in a way even using magic wasn¡¯t, not quite. Although it was different from the instincts she felt regarding her hive, like those to do with eggs or Swarm Drones, or things like her territoriality. She¡¯d almost gotten used to sensing people around her and their emotional states. At this point, she thought she had enough control over it, and she was no longer shutting it out or shutting her power down, but instead did the equivalent of leaving running on low power. It had taken her a few hours to get used to it, but in time, the increased awareness of these other minds faded into the background, like it had before. Now she was mostly practicing focusing on specific points, getting more information from specific places or specific minds. It was something she could do more freely than actively trying to change anything, although she¡¯d keep up practice with that, too. Getting volunteers to train on would be a bit of a problem, but Regina was determined to do it. Actually being here in Nerlia helped a lot. Regina felt less stifled than she¡¯d recently been in her hive. It was ironic, since she also felt safe in her main base in a way she didn¡¯t really feel anywhere else, but she supposed the human part of her mind still needed more than sitting indoors surrounded by her drones for days at a time. Either way, having foreign minds around definitely helped her develop her skills. It also gave her an impression of the state of the place that she literally couldn¡¯t have gotten otherwise, which was a good bonus. She was fairly sure she¡¯d never been in a war zone before the end of the world, and she struggled to relate to normal people of today at the best of times. Regina still felt like she understood what they felt. The mix of anxiety, the uncertainty dogging them, the hope things would turn out alright; it was pretty familiar, really. There was a lot of anger, as well, but even that, she could understand. It was actually a bit disquieting, like she¡¯d switched places. Maybe that was why she¡¯d been relatively gentle and understanding with Green. The merchant was obviously a collaborator of the old school. She had the impression he did hold some loyalty to his people, although it was more focused on his local area and its people than his country as a whole, but he was mostly motivated by trying to do as well for himself as he could. As long as he didn¡¯t cross any lines, Regina figured that was fine. She wasn¡¯t going to tell people how they could think, or that they shouldn¡¯t be working for her, obviously. Anyway, with his loyalty and motives more or less assured, Regina saw no harm in letting him go with a bit of a wider portfolio. With his help, the hive would also be recruiting other people, and she¡¯d be checking them when she had the time. She also intended to continue with a policy of recruiting women, too, and letting them have positions of authority; hopefully, that would help assure their loyalty in addition to widening the pool of talent she could recruit. The uncomfortable truth was that they might truly be less competent on average, owing to the social structure and the way education was often reserved for the males, but women were still expected to oversee the household and they¡¯d develop skills of their own. It was all very preliminary, mostly just ideas she was kicking around, but Regina was starting to see a plan take shape. They¡¯d have to play a lot of things by ear and this area was really something of an experiment, but if they got things working well here, they could apply what they learned elsewhere. For now, however, she wrapped things up here and put a pin in her plans while she focused on what mattered today: the war. The hive¡¯s next move, which Ben had ironically named Operation Molehill, was about to start. She retreated to the most fortified place in the village, a house built with thick stone walls, and settled into an armchair her drones had dragged in from somewhere. Max claimed a spot opposite her, while Ira finished talking with a few younger drones before she joined them as well. None of her senior officers, except for Max, were actually here, since she was still some distance from the front line and Ben had set up a small command post further north. ¡°Nervous?¡± Max asked. ¡°Why are you asking me that?¡± she countered. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you Warriors be the ones getting jitters?¡± She shrugged. ¡°This is just one more operation.¡± Max gave her a small smile. ¡°I think Ben is a little nervous,¡± he said. ¡°But he does get like that before important battles. I¡¯m confident it¡¯s going to go well, anyway.¡± Regina nodded. She could sense that. She started to close her eyes and delve deeper into the psychic link, connecting more tightly to Ben. Is everything ready? Yes, my Queen. We¡¯ll be ready to lift off soon. Regina sent a wordless acknowledgment and settled in to wait while she quickly combed through the minds of various Swarm Drones, checking on the new formation Ben had prepared. Tentatively named the Assault Flight Corps, a nickname that had stuck around, it wasn¡¯t really one unit, at least not a conventional one. Most of the commanders involved were set up in various wings and detachments. For this one, the hive used mostly Evolved, sapient Winged Drones, along with some Warriors, Scouts or Shooters riding on Winged Drones, although a lot of Attendants and Witches were accompanying them as well. The start of the ¡®operation¡¯ went off without a hitch, at least. Ben sent the mental command and the prepared drones lifted off, starting their flight towards the Nerlian positions they had picked ahead of time. Ten thousand flying drones. It was the largest gathering of them Regina had sent into battle yet, especially operating alone as they were, instead of accompanying a ground-based attack as they had usually done. The hive was also sending ground-based drones, which were moving out right now as well, but those were meant as reinforcements, not to carry the real fights. They¡¯d arrive later. Regina focused on one of the central sections and mentally paged through the drones present before she settled on a specific one. Despite herself, she felt a small smile spreading on her face. Tim had been happy to finally leave the mountains, and she could sense his anticipation for this new fight. He¡¯d clearly been getting bored just keeping the gnomes penned up. Feeling up for this? Regina asked, putting a bit of teasing into her tone. Am I ever, my Queen, he replied with a mental smile, then got serious. Do you think it¡¯s time to use my Skill? Wait a bit longer, I¡¯d say, Regina responded. It might make more sense not to try and spread it over all of these drones. He nodded, shifting his seat on the Winged Drone Mount carrying him. Regina left him to it and instead focused on the Winged Drones at the front, where Ben had placed some solitary scouts. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The hive was counting on speed and surprise, so they weren¡¯t scouting their targets extensively, or at least not for long. They¡¯d already gathered the information they needed. Trying to get fancy with diversions would just slow them down now, so the drones headed directly for their targets at a fast pace. The Nerlians had built up some defenses, although they also relied on the natural terrain of their land. The country was partly mountainous, and they¡¯d taken advantage of that for building their defensive line. The mountains might have once been the Ore Mountains, but Regina couldn¡¯t be sure. The aftermath of the Cataclysm had reshaped the geography too much to be confident about those things, plus she didn¡¯t really have good maps and still wasn¡¯t sure about distances. It was frustrating, but she pushed that feeling to the side. At least they¡¯d pushed pretty far into Nerlia, that was what mattered. While the terrain ostensibly gave the defenders some advantages, it actually also pushed them to concentrate in some locations and wouldn¡¯t help them against the hive¡¯s strengths, especially flying drones. Regina smiled to herself as she watched those winged drones start their operation. She dropped in briefly on Tim to hear him give a short speech to the drones with him to trigger his Rally Class Skill. ¡°¡­ and will accomplish our goals. Remember, taking prisoners is our secondary objective! For the Hive. For our past, present and future!¡± For the Hive! They responded over the psychic link, even those who hadn¡¯t been close enough to listen to him physically. The drones didn¡¯t attack in unison, but it was close enough. They targeted carefully selected outposts and enemy detachments that would minimize the chances of pulling in the main Nerlian army into a real battle while still taking out their targets. In the span of two minutes, before any warning could be sent or do any good, drones dove from the sky across a front dozens of kilometers long. Regina chose one at random and watched as the group of Winged Drones with a few sapient drones in command dive-bombed a small Nerlian outpost, explosives impacting the ground and kicking up a curtain of dust and dirt on its sides to box them in. While the structure was small, barely more than a wooden tower, it had clearly been filled over capacity with soldiers camping in tents outside. They didn¡¯t even manage to form up properly before half of them were lying on the ground. The quick strike with Winged Drones meant they had limited options for actually dealing with the soldiers. The hive was experimenting with different attempts at ¡®knockout gas¡¯, but Regina knew they couldn¡¯t count on it. Flocks of Winged Drones also descended, piling on soldiers and bearing them to the ground. The Warriors had trained them in nonlethal takedowns and to take their enemies¡¯ weapons away, but it was far from perfect and she could see some humans still died. ¡°Surrender!¡± the unit¡¯s commander, a young Drone Witch, bellowed, using a bit of air magic to increase the effect. ¡°We have you dead to rights. There is nothing you can do. Lay down your weapons and we will show mercy, you will be treated well and cared for. Resist and you will only seek death.¡± She had to repeat the order before most of the Nerlians surrendered, but once some of them started throwing down their weapons and kneeling on the ground ¡ª of those who were still standing and had weapons, anyway ¡ª it was like a wave swept through them. Regina knew it wouldn¡¯t have been that easy otherwise, but the Nerlians were shaken by the shock and total surprise of the attack, the force of the explosions, the overwhelming power of the hive taking out so many within seconds. Dealing with the new prisoners might just be the most challenging part, but Regina still turned her attention away from this group and to the other fights. Most of them were finishing up as she watched. They went more or less the same, although details varied wildly based on the local conditions. They¡¯d given a lot of latitude to the commanders on the spot, since Ben and the other senior officers couldn¡¯t focus on directing everyone at once and they needed to adapt quickly. Tim had the largest detachment of drones and the hardest nut to crack with them. They¡¯d debated including it at all, but the small fortress was located at a key strategic spot and controlled an approach by both a small river and a road to the Nerlian army. Taking it was vital to penning up that army, their overall strategic goal with this move. It wasn¡¯t the only approach, of course, but it would make it easier to isolate that army and push it where they wanted it to be. The other main option had been threatening the capital, but Regina and Ben had decided to hold off on that for now. Maybe if they hadn¡¯t been worried about the Esemen coming in to screw things up ¡­ but she was going to play things relatively safe while still trying to hurry things up, for now. Tim adjusted his strategy a little, sending in drones with explosives and flammable liquid to open a ring of fire around the Nerlian soldiers first. They were on a relatively flat meadow, with only a hastily raised palisade to hide behind. That one was quickly demolished. Then he descended and spread out his forces, showing the weight of their numbers. Nerlians tried to shoot down drones, but their efforts barely made a dent in the flock of Winged Drones. They weren¡¯t coming that close. Regina tried to sense the Nerlians¡¯ state of mind, to get any hint of what they felt and how easily they might break. She focused on it to the exclusion of almost everything else, until her pulse pounded in her ears like a drum and she felt it tighten around her head in the start of a vicious headache. She hissed in frustration. They were simply too far away, and even with having this many drones there, the connection was too weak. Maybe if her drones were standing directly by the humans, just not like this. But knowing about it only when they fought in melee wouldn¡¯t help. Tim didn¡¯t wait for input from her. He ordered a second bombing run, then waited a few seconds before dropping with a cadre of strong fighters. Winged Drones were carrying sapient drones and even some War Drones, and those he now got to land at the edge of the field of battle. Attendants among the flock cast Magic Armor and other defensive Spells to protect them, and the Winged Drones came in for a quick, rough landing. Some of them still died, but the humans were too disorganized to take advantage of the opportunity properly. Before they could really get to it, Tim moved the next wave of Winged Drones into the fight, dropping them onto the soldiers. They wouldn¡¯t be able to win by themselves, but they gave the ground troops the breathing room to advance and really start the fight. Tim himself landed in the thick of it, accompanied by a few high-level but not sapient drones. ¡°Surrender!¡± he roared at the humans who stood staring at him with wide eyes, clutching their weapons tightly. ¡°Surrender and the Hive will spare your lives, will send you back to your fields and your lives of peace!¡± Regina took a deep breath and considered how the battle would go. Hopefully, that promise would be enough to at least get them to hesitate and accept giving up easier ¡ª Then some of them surrendered. Not that many, overall. Some of them even ran away toward the drones¡¯ line, unintentionally blocking them. But they were enough to disrupt the Nerlians and get their already precarious formation to waver. Tim took full advantage of it, sending his drones pressing in from all sides, tightening their encirclement. Winged Drones joined them, swelling their numbers even if they weren¡¯t that good in all-out combat. Then Tim¡¯s attention was captured by a human in polished plate armor, a full set with a coat of arms she didn¡¯t recognize on it. ¡°Will you truly spare our lives if we capitulate?¡± he called. ¡°I swear it on my queen¡¯s honor,¡± Tim called back. ¡°You will be treated with respect and released as soon as we settle matters. There will be no plundering or burning of your lands, either.¡± The man eyed him for a long moment, probably noting his Class. His own was simply Knight, level thirty-one, Regina noted. Then the Nerlian sighed and raised his sword for a moment before throwing it to the ground, the hilt pointing towards Tim. The other Nerlian fighters followed suit, surrendering at his orders, and a few minutes later, this battle was won with only light casualties. Regina smiled in satisfaction. Always nice to see planning paying off, she reflected. She wondered if there were greater cracks in the Nerlian military, such as it was and what there was of it, than she thought. That might actually be worse than it seemed at first glance, she realized. Our expectations kind of rest on having a unified command structure to deal with. And more chaos in Nerlia would only be detrimental in the longer run. And, of course, now they had to deal with newly taken prisoners, scattered across a long stretch of land, and then the rest of them. The real challenge still lay ahead. Chapter 189: Prisoners Tim occasionally felt like the hive had passed him by. He knew it was irrational. Sure, he¡¯d been stuck in the south guarding a bunch of mountains and watching out for the gnomes, while his front steadily declined from the focus of the hive¡¯s attention into practical irrelevancy. But it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d really been isolated; he¡¯d had the psychic link, and he¡¯d talked to people and watched what was going on with the rest of them through it. Still, there was something different about experiencing it in person, being able to interact with what was going on in other locations. And Tim hadn¡¯t been able to see or keep up with everything, there was simply too much happening and he¡¯d had to focus on his own duties with his command, too. It wasn¡¯t like there¡¯d been no challenges ¡ª wrangling the elementals was always nerve-wracking, even if they¡¯d decided to wander off back into their mountains, and the gnomes hadn¡¯t been completely quiet. They still sent scouts and even an occasional probing attack where they could. In effect, they¡¯d been barricaded, but you couldn¡¯t really enclose a country the size of the Gnomish Confederation of the East without letting anything through. They were still free to move between various parts of their country, including through tunnels the hive wouldn¡¯t know existed, and to the south or even the east. Or deeper into the mountains in the southwest, perhaps. It was kind of a shame they were blocking the way into Italy. He knew Regina wanted to know what was going on in other parts of Europe, and Tim was curious, too. But perhaps it was best that they were out of reach for now, in both directions. There were already too many cooks in this particular kitchen. The Cernlians were fighting a civil war, the Nerlians had joined in enthusiastically, the elves were happy to watch them kill each other but might still decide to step in at some point, the hive was still at war with the gnomes, of course, and the Esemen were clearly up to something, even if no one was sure of their exact plans. Taking advantage of the war to send their own soldiers in and carve off some juicy bits of land seemed like a safe bet, though. The hive had grown a lot in the last few months, however, which gave him confidence they could handle whatever would come at them. Privately, he¡¯d even say that Regina had come into her own a bit, too. It made him happy to see. She herself still seemed conflicted, but there was also a sense of purpose to her that he hadn¡¯t really seen in a while. Perhaps in those first days after hatching, when she¡¯d tried to ensure all of their survival - but that had been different - or underground, with Galatea. Most of the hive¡¯s drones now wouldn¡¯t have even been alive for that. They seemed young to him, which Tim knew was ridiculous, since he was barely more than a year old, himself. These younger drones always treated him with respect, but it wasn¡¯t really personal; while he might be their big brother and they respected him, they didn¡¯t know him. Except for those who had been south with him, of course, and those working as Ben¡¯s officers, since they¡¯d coordinated with each other a lot. ¡°Tim?¡± one of those young Warriors asked him now. Tim blinked and pulled himself out of his thoughts, turning to the two drones who¡¯d walked to up join him. ¡°Yes?¡± he replied. ¡°We¡¯re finished with your orders here,¡± Liu reported. ¡°As long as those humans behave, we should have no difficulties.¡± He smiled. ¡°If they don¡¯t, I¡¯m sure we can find ways to motivate them ¡­¡± Tim frowned and glanced at the small group of human officers standing close enough to listen in, who, understandably, didn¡¯t seem happy to hear that. He was pretty sure they were why Liu had spoken aloud rather than using the psychic link. ¡°I see,¡± he said mildly. ¡°Good. Get them moving, please. With no undue altercations or damage,¡± he added. He was pretty sure Liu liked playing the unrestrained and slightly bloodthirsty warrior more than he actually was, but it didn¡¯t hurt to be clear. The other drones nodded and turned away, while he focused on the psychic link to check on those who hadn¡¯t been in hearing range. At least there was still no fuss or ceremony in the Hive, and he was hopeful there wouldn¡¯t be even if it grew a lot more. He didn¡¯t need Regina¡¯s psychic power to tell that the humans were despondent. They¡¯d not only just lost, they¡¯d been crushed in a brutally quick strike. It had resulted in less casualties than might be expected for that, because the Hive had been out to take prisoners instead of massacre them, but it couldn¡¯t exactly be good for their morale. Tim sighed softly. It would be up to them now to turn it around into something more conducive to Regina¡¯s purposes. After all, taking out these fighters hadn¡¯t been the only goal. Tim checked in with the other teams as well. They were pretty much in the same situation. Their backup had arrived or was arriving already. Ben had only picked War Drones with at least decent physical stats, so none that were too low-level, and sent them on what human soldiers would have called a forced march. War Drones could be quite quick when they wanted to, given their capability of walking on four legs. They¡¯d also moved cross-country without relying on roads, or having to take any detours. The rest of the Hive¡¯s ¡®army¡¯, much reduced with those detachments gone, had advanced as well and was currently preparing to camp in a forward position they¡¯d chosen earlier. It would put them closer to the army the Nerlians were gathering, but since they¡¯d just taken out their flanking element, that wasn¡¯t as much of a risk as it might seem. And Tim didn¡¯t think they would attack. The Nerlians had been so decisively beaten by the hive recently that they had to be cautious, and they probably wanted the questionable safety of walls and defensive positions for any decisive battle. They wouldn¡¯t be able to move on the Hive before their forces reunited, anyway. The way back was a lot slower than their strike, of course. It would have been even without them, but the human prisoners slowed them down considerably. At least they were cooperative. The Hive had assembled a few makeshift wagons for their wounded, those who needed more than a quick visit from a healer before they could march. Even putting their strongest War Drones to work pulling those didn¡¯t give them a very fast pace. That left Tim time to think and browse the psychic link. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. They were one of the last detachments to return and by the time they arrived, most of the others already had. It was probably inevitable, considering his unit was also the largest the Hive had sent, so much so that calling it a unit felt like an understatement. At least they still had a good location, the others had left some space in the interior ring of the camp. Tim got his War Drones settled, which mostly meant assigning them to their part of the meadow and ordering them to stay put, coordinating with the other officers around. Some of the support-focused drones would make sure the Swarm Drones were fed and cared for, and he was happy to leave that in their hands, although he would check in on them. Tim suspected he wouldn¡¯t retain command over this detachment. Ben and Regina probably had other plans for him. After he was done getting everything sorted, which seemed to take exponentially longer than it had for small parties, he headed into the center of their camp. To have easy access to water, the Hive had set it up by a small river, more of a brook, and they hadn¡¯t seen a reason to stay away from it, so the brook ran right through their camp. It wasn¡¯t like drones cared about getting a little wet if they needed to cross it quickly. As a bonus, it provided a good space for the Aquatic Drones, of which there were actually a few present right now. Tim wasn¡¯t sure what good they would be, but he supposed having them around couldn¡¯t hurt. They had also put up a simple shelter using Conjured plastic sheets and lightweight metal rods in the middle of the camp, which he knew from experience would be a lot sturdier than it looked. The large ¡®windows¡¯ made it easy to see what was going on around this command center. ¡°Hey, Tim,¡± Ben greeted him cheerfully as he entered, slinging an arm around his shoulder briefly for a half-hug. ¡°Ben, good to see you again,¡± Tim responded with a smile, sliding his sword-arm against Ben¡¯s for a second in greeting while they were still touching. It might look dangerous to an outsider, but Hive drones could probably coordinate that motion in their sleep. ¡°How are things going?¡± he asked after a moment, turning to greet the other drones present. Except for Ada, he didn¡¯t know them very well, but he¡¯d met most of them in person before. ¡°As expected,¡± Ada replied. Her gaze was distant as she looked at something through the psychic link, before focusing on him. ¡°The Attendants and our human recruits are having a hell of a time dealing with all the new prisoners, but I don¡¯t think any of them are going to escape.¡± ¡°Do you think they are going to try?¡± She shrugged dismissively. ¡°Maybe a few. It might even be a good opportunity to show restraint in the face of it. You know, not punishing anyone else for escape attempts. Or even the humans in question. The more we can make it clear we aren¡¯t monsters, the better.¡± ¡°I¡¯d ask Regina just how lenient we should be,¡± Tim suggested. He checked briefly in the psychic link, keeping it light so as not to disturb her, but found that Regina was still in the middle of a training session with Max. The people closest to her had come to a quiet agreement not to disturb her on these occasions, so he¡¯d contact her later. Everyone else nodded, accepting his suggestion. Tim glanced briefly at Ben. While Tim was senior in the Hive - and he was probably closer to Regina and had more of her trust - Ben was the overall commander of their military. He knew some drones said that kind of interpersonal conflict or struggle didn¡¯t exist in the Hive, which, in his opinion, was patently false. It did exist, it just worked differently than with humans. They were not going to come to blows, but that didn¡¯t mean there would never be a question of who was in charge. Ben met Tim¡¯s gaze and gave him a slight smile and nod, which Tim returned. They came to an unspoken understanding, which a quick exchange through the psychic link confirmed. ¡°It might be a good opportunity to start working on them now, just as or directly after they arrive,¡± Ada suggested. Tim exchanged another glance with Ben and then looked around the room to gauge everyone¡¯s reactions. ¡°Fair enough,¡± he said, hiding the reluctance he felt. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be you speaking to them if you don¡¯t want to,¡± Ben said. Tim shook his head. ¡°No, it should be me. They seem to recognize my Class.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Ada said. ¡°The humans seem pretty impressed by it. It might be best to make this more of a gathering and an address, actually. If you¡¯re all up for it?¡± They quickly agreed, and some of the others left to make it happen. Tim checked in briefly using the psychic link, and took the opportunity to get something to drink. He then spent a few minutes chatting with Tia over the psychic link. While they weren¡¯t talking about anything in particular, he picked up that she seemed pretty happy with her latest job, finding more ways for the Hive to automate the production of their signature explosives. A lot of it still depended on Conjuration, by and large, but since they were beginning to get the very basics of a chemical industry set up, it was getting better. At least it seemed like the Hive¡¯s stocks weren¡¯t in danger of being completely empty. He was honestly more interested in knowing she was doing well, though. He hadn¡¯t seen Tia in too long, either. Then Tim had to stop distracting himself and get to work. The drones had called a pretty big number of human prisoners together in the quickly cleared empty space around the camp, boxed in on two sides by tents and huts and surrounded by some War Drones. Tim examined them for a moment, but they all kind of blended together to him, and the other groups didn¡¯t seem different from those he¡¯d escorted here. Just humans, by and large tired and tense looking, in clothing that could use a bit of maintenance, carrying no weapons, and staring at the drones and him in particular. ¡°Greetings,¡± he spoke up, pitching his voice to carry and smiling a bit. ¡°My name is Tim, as you can see, and I am our Hive and Hive Queen¡¯s Royal Champion. You all now find yourselves prisoners of the Starlit Hive.¡± He paused, letting his gaze sweep across them. There was some muttering, but no disturbances. Good. ¡°We will take good care of you,¡± he continued. ¡°I mean that sincerely. Your needs will be seen to and you will not be unnecessarily hurt or harassed. I give you my word on that. Furthermore, if all goes well, you will be able to go home soon.¡± That garnered some interest, he could tell. The noise level fell off a bit as they seemed to focus on what he was saying, waiting for his next words. ¡°As soon as this conflict is over, or perhaps even before, when we are satisfied that you will be no threat to the Hive or each other, we will let you go. You will be free to go back to your homes and fields, and will be able to keep all of your possessions. There will be no talk of reparations ¡ª at least not from common soldiers. We will treat you as we will treat all civilians who have found themselves under our care or authority: with respect.¡± Tim stopped talking and looked at them, but they didn¡¯t give him much. He¡¯d half-expected shouted questions and interruptions, but there were none. Maybe the Nerlians were too beaten-down and intimidated by the Hive. They talked to each other in low tones, and from what he could pick up, there were a range of opinions and reactions. We¡¯ll just have to see, Ben said. This could have gone worse. Tim nodded and took a step back as Ben stepped up, starting to talk about expectations for the prisoners and practical details. It was mostly simple rules, like no breaking curfew, no fighting, not being allowed near weapons, and the like. Hopefully, it would be enough to make this work. Chapter 190: Offenses Regina felt a tension in the air, pressing down on them. She knew it was an illusion and that the tension was actually just in the psychic link, but that didn¡¯t make it better. Knowing that her drones were nervous only made her feel worse. It didn¡¯t help that she was still pretty close to a larger gathering of human prisoners of war, just a few hundred meters away, and their minds were near enough she felt she could reach out to them easily. For obvious reasons, the Nerlians weren¡¯t feeling any better than the hive. And things were going so well, too, Regina thought with a mental sigh. They¡¯d started out well and appeared to be going decently. At first. The hive had committed to a general offensive push. In a way, they¡¯d been doing that for a while now. They were already deep into Nerlia, which meant stretching their supply lines. While Hivekind might not be as reliant on these as other people, that didn¡¯t mean they could completely ignore logistics, either. They weren¡¯t in danger of starving or anything, but the new industry the hive was building, which was just barely starting to exist, was still fragile and not up to large demands, even as it played an increasingly bigger role in supporting their armies. And it was concentrated in a single location, too, in the hive¡¯s core territory back in former northeastern Cernlia, especially around Forest¡¯s Haunt. That by itself wouldn¡¯t have meant much. Sure, the hive¡¯s forces were getting bigger and they had more complex logistic challenges, so what? They were still a Hivekind hive, and it wasn¡¯t like Regina wanted to wage a war of domination on everyone around them. Unfortunately, it slowed them down just enough to be noticeable and affect their plans. The hive¡¯s forces were supposed to march on the main Nerlian army in a fast attack. While they could still do it, Ben emphasized the need for caution, and that meant they couldn¡¯t leave their back unguarded, or charge in unprepared. It was becoming clear to Regina that her commanders had made a mistake, or at least miscalculated a little. That shouldn¡¯t be a surprise, she admitted. They¡¯re good, but they are still inexperienced, especially with operations at this scale. They¡¯re bound to get a few things wrong or just make less-than-optimal decisions sometimes. It also made it harder to deal with the monsters. Apparently, smaller waves of monsters, not at the same scale but a bit like a precursor to the hordes that emerged every five years, weren¡¯t an uncommon phenomenon. They didn¡¯t occur often and were usually pretty manageable. When the country wasn¡¯t busy fighting a civil war, she supposed. Regina couldn¡¯t help but feel suspicious about the timing, if someone might have helped this along, but she had to acknowledge it could just be bad luck. As she focused on the last group to meet an attack, she suppressed another sigh. Even calling this a wave was a bit of a misnomer. It was more like scattered packs of beasts and various monsters with an increased presence in the border territories, roaming and being a general danger to everyone they caught alone. It spread along most of this side of the forest¡¯s border, she was pretty sure. Her own hive barely even had to muster any effort to deal with the monsters making their way into her territory. Actually, the drones stationed there were happy about it, considering the additional opportunities for training and leveling up for the hive¡¯s drones. The situation was different here in Nerlia, though. Among the hive, even Workers had some ability to protect themselves, a shell, and were usually accompanied by War Drones as guards outside the hive¡¯s outposts. And Swarm Drones traveled in groups, but even if one died, it was a shame but not a tragedy. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case for the humans living in these territories. Every single one of them who got killed by a monster was a sapient person dying, one under Regina¡¯s protection. Naturally, she wanted to make sure that no one did. Nerlians had dealt with the occasional monster threat just fine on their own for ages, so it wasn¡¯t that hard. People would have to stay in their settlements and guards were increased. But she didn¡¯t like the idea of large gatherings of Nerlians with weapons in areas she controlled, so they¡¯d need more drones from the hive, which was a problem. And it disrupted the hive¡¯s logistics efforts. The group of monsters Regina was currently watching was an eclectic one. A Lionit variant of some kind, some flying snake with wings, a big colibri-like bird, and others she found hard to describe. They¡¯d somehow managed to sneak past most of the hive¡¯s guard forces, so she was only sending a patrol to them now. The half a dozen monsters were enough that they needed more than just a few Winged Drones to deal with, too. But they had a few almost Evolved ones who were only waiting for a push to reach the third Tier and sapience, and this seemed like a good opportunity for it. Regina watched the fight, trying to push aside the worry and just enjoy it for a moment for what it was. This might be the strangest aerial dogfight she¡¯d ever seen, owing to the diverse nature of the combatants. Although her own drones were doing pretty well. They ganged up on each of their opponents, as usual, and one of the candidates tried a risky but pretty inspired maneuver that brought it right on top of the flying dog monster, clinging to its back. That was going to be a nice combat type, she was sure. The other monsters were tougher customers. A group of four flying drones latched onto the flying snake, but barely managed to pierce through its scales. Until one of them, the highest-leveled drone, unleashed a Skill that sent its claws piercing through its skull, getting a big gash in its side in return. Other packs swarmed the other monsters, savaging them from all directions. The monsters couldn¡¯t attack all of them at once, and they paid for it one by one, until half the swarm sent the giant colibri tumbling to the ground. The fight was over almost too quickly, and Regina exhaled. A corner of her mind tallied up the losses. Too many. Almost a dozen Winged Drones had died here, in a skirmish against fewer, but comparatively high-leveled, monsters. Even now, she could still feel every single one of them, could sense every death. It was weirdly comforting, in a way. Probably not a very healthy way. She had so many drones in her hive, and even if her ability to sense single Swarm Drones with clarity said good things about her capability, precision, skill, or focus, she knew she should not let herself get too affected. She remembered the last time a lot of her drones had died almost at once. It would probably be repeated with larger numbers, it was only a matter of time. For now, Regina shelved those thoughts and instead turned her attention to the frontline. She needed to pay attention if she didn¡¯t want that day to come any sooner than it had to. The Nerlian army had gathered in and around a town with a pretty big castle, flanked on two sides by low mountains that would be hard to get across, and even a pain for War Drones. They¡¯d gotten more time than Regina and Ben had originally hoped to give them, and used it well. Regina had to admit that much. The original plan of the hive¡¯s commanders had been to pin them against another, relatively nearby city, and siege them there. Now, they¡¯d have to do it differently. The Nerlians had a good defensive position, but it actually wasn¡¯t as closed in as she¡¯d have hoped. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. There was a small river flowing by the Nerlians¡¯ current base, although it was probably navigable. Regina also couldn¡¯t rule out there would be hidden paths through the mountains. Perhaps more importantly, though, the Nerlians had erected pretty extensive fieldworks instead of relying on a city walls¡¯ defense, arranged in several layers. It meant they had a larger area to defend, at least at the outer rings, but also meant they wouldn¡¯t have a civilian population to worry about. That should be a good thing for Regina, although it made the original idea of starving them out harder. Most importantly of all, the Nerlians had also burned the surrounding countryside. They¡¯d been thorough ¡ª it would be harder even for hive drones to find food in those areas. It meant Nerlian refugees were pouring into surrounding regions, probably including those under the hive¡¯s control as a prime destination, too. Regina had watched them through flying drones¡¯ eyes, examining the burnt fields and often burned and looted houses. The harvest would be rotting on the field even in some places that escaped the fires, with no one here to bring it in. Most of it would just be turned to ash. Compared with the monsters currently roaming around freely, or at least more freely than usual, Regina found it hard to consider offering mercy to the Nerlian commanders. Although she would if she had to. There¡¯s nothing saying they can¡¯t have unfortunate accidents later, worst case, she thought grimly. For now, though, that wasn¡¯t helping. She¡¯d bitten the metaphorical bullet ¡ª at least the Nerlians didn¡¯t have those ¡ª and stripped off detachments from her own forces to handle that situation. It was a shitshow, and Regina was almost glad she wasn¡¯t there in person and could leave it to experienced sapient drones on the ground. They wouldn¡¯t be able to defend all refugees, of course, even if they tried, but they culled the monster population enough that it should protect them. Ben had decided to take this as a silver lining, as well, and sent drones he wanted to level up or get to Evolve on those missions. If nothing else, at least this should further alienate the common folk of Nerlia from their rulers. Especially with the hive not using such tactics. ¡°Are you beating yourself up again?¡± Max asked quietly. Regina started and turned towards him. ¡°No,¡± she said, a bit annoyed. ¡°I was considering the strategic situation. And believe me, if I¡¯m annoyed it¡¯s not at myself.¡± Max looked at her silently for a moment, before he nodded and glanced away. ¡°It¡¯s frustrating to just sit around,¡± he said. Regina frowned, then sat closer to him. They were currently alone in the room, although she could sense Ira and a few others outside, in the house they¡¯d commandeered as her current headquarters. ¡°You would be a valuable asset on the battlefield,¡± she said. Max¡¯s gaze jerked up to meet hers. ¡°You¡¯re not saying ¡ª¡° ¡°You¡¯re the one who chooses to be my bodyguard, Max. I¡¯m not forcing you to act in that role. If you don¡¯t want to keep doing it or think you could be more useful elsewhere, I¡¯m hardly going to stop you from leaving.¡± Max looked almost pained, now. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean at all, Regina.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Regina said. ¡°But it¡¯s still something to consider.¡± There was a moment of silence. He shook his head. ¡°Protecting you is the most important thing I could be doing for the hive.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m in much danger right now, but you¡¯re not wrong that I might be a target and losing me would be catastrophic for the hive.¡± They sat together in silence for a bit, while Regina listened to Ira getting a report from a few other drones outside the door. ¡°I am happy to have you with me, Max,¡± Regina finally said. He gave her a weak smile. ¡°I¡¯m happy you haven¡¯t tired of my presence yet, Regina.¡± Regina snorted, but decided not to continue that conversation. Instead, she turned her focus back to the army, checking on the refugees she could see through her drones, stretching her psychic senses, and getting a feel for the disposition of her own and the enemy forces. They were starting to encircle the Nerlians¡¯ fortifications, finally. It wasn¡¯t a whole circle, of course, although more of one than Regina would have preferred. The widespread frontline wasn¡¯t much of a concern for the hive, with their ability to coordinate their drones, though. They still weren¡¯t in range of enemy fire, or able to use their own effectively. Winged Drones were gathering in large flocks, but kept back for now. This wouldn¡¯t be a single quick battle starting soon. Ben was working hard to get everything in order and following the plan, at least as much as he could, but the more Regina saw, the more she considered they might have to throw it overboard and make a new one, at least in part. It felt like she was missing something. Maybe that was just nerves, since she was aware she was hardly a general. Still, something about the Nerlians¡¯ movements ¡­ and she had the impression that Ben was thinking something like that, too. Frowning and following her sense of unease, Regina instead focused her attention further out, spreading to the edge of her range. It had increased a lot in recent months, of course, but not as much as she¡¯d hoped. It was still hard to get an accurate estimate of the limit, so the best she could say was that it covered several hundred kilometers. She was currently a little closer to the border with Esemen than she would be back at the main base, but not enough to look deeply into the country. It was a shame, because she wished she could keep checking on Ria and Marianne. They¡¯d gotten out of her range in practical terms shortly after crossing the border, although she might have been able to follow them for longer if she¡¯d been able to focus on it. And she suspected having this many drones around her actually made this harder. Either way, she¡¯d been too distracted by other needs to spend much effort on it, and with the distance this large, it was hard to find out more of what was going on with the Esemen, anyway ¡ª Except that, as she looked right now, it was different. Regina sat up straighter and took in a sharp breath. Have I really been that distracted? She asked herself. ¡°Regina?¡± Max asked, standing up and stepping to her side. ¡°They must have been moving quickly,¡± Regina muttered. She sensed his confusion, distantly, before it cleared. ¡°The Esemen?¡± he asked, tone tense. Regina nodded absently. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of minds there. Still far out, in terms of my range, but that¡¯s definitely an army. At least one army,¡± she corrected herself, frowning. She hadn¡¯t thought there¡¯d be forces crossing the border that soon, and there were definitely more than she¡¯d expected even with the warning from Ria and the drones with her. Max¡¯s concern was back. ¡°Can you feel any of ours?¡± he asked. Regina closed her eyes and focused exclusively on what her psychic senses were telling her, blocking out everything else. It took a moment to regain clarity. She inhaled deeply, then started going through the sensations, narrowing down everything that felt like it could be important, watching for familiar patterns. After ten minutes that felt like much longer, Regina opened her eyes again and rested her head in her hand. She already had a headache, but that was a distant concern compared to what she¡¯d found. ¡°I got Marianne Neralt,¡± she told Max. ¡°From what I could tell, she wasn¡¯t harmed. She didn¡¯t seem to be in pain or anything, just anxious, anyway.¡± She paused. ¡°Ria was not there. I couldn¡¯t sense her.¡± ¡°Well, shit,¡± Max cursed. ¡°They separated them?¡± Regina nodded. ¡°She must be deeper in Esemen, still. I¡¯m confident I would have felt it if she¡¯d died.¡± He was still frowning, and Regina returned the sentiment. She couldn¡¯t think of many good reasons why the Esemen would split them up. Especially considering the not-exactly-unexpected but still unwelcome invasion army. Because seriously, what else could it be? It really was a shame that she didn¡¯t have a psychic connection to Marianne and no way to learn what was going on from her. Interlude: Expedience II All in all, Marianne Neralt reflected, her mission could have been going better. It had even started fairly promising, after their unfortunate change of travel plans. Arriving earlier than they would have by carriage had most likely been a good thing, however. And she supposed things could be worse even now. In fact, they could be a lot worse, although accompanying a foreign invasion army into Narlia was not what she would have considered a goal for the negotiations. At least the Esemen respected diplomatic protection, by and large. After hearing what had happened to Bea and the rest of the Hive Queen¡¯s last envoy to a supposedly neutral polity, Marianne had been just a little nervous. But that concern had been laid to rest rather quickly. The Esemen had made a point of treating her courteously, if nothing else. They hadn¡¯t even quibbled about her status as an ambassador for the Hive. That fact had interesting implications if you considered the wider picture. Treating her akin to an envoy from a proper, legitimate country indicated that the Esemen had no issues with seeing the Hive as one, or would at least be open to acknowledging it. It fit the impression she had gathered of them, admittedly. Of course, that image had gotten its start before she even talked to a single Esemen, so she was conscious that there would be some bias. But they did strike her as primarily pragmatic. Marianne still did not feel like she had gotten to the bottom of the core of their motivations and ambitions, but some things were rather obvious. They clearly did not have much of a problem with the Hive occupying territory on an ideological level. They¡¯d also been rather indifferent to the fact that she was a woman. That was nice, she¡¯d admit privately. Not all of the people she had talked to here were men, either. The most important man she had spoken to was, of course, their High Shaman. Marianne had read all she could about the office, as soon as the Esemen involvement became clear and especially in preparation for this mission, and several unexpected similarities had struck her. She couldn¡¯t help but see parallels to the Governors of Cernlia. Like them, the High Shamans had dominated politics in Esemen, despite not being the actual monarchs. The office even had a similarly religiously-inspired background, though in a somewhat different manner. Unlike in Cernlia, however, their power had not waned in Esemen. The current High Shaman, Usebius, was a wizened old man who looked like a gentle breeze might knock him to the ground. He had played the genial grandfather rather well, but Marianne had not missed the sharpness in his gaze, unclouded by age. This was not one to take lightly. Unfortunately, he had insisted on personally hosting her, which in effect meant that she had to accompany him here. Although the unfortunate part was rather that he had politely insisted on leaving Ria behind to engage with a gathering of Esemen noblemen. He¡¯d even cited concerns for her safety as one reason for it with a straight face! As if anyone would be a greater danger to our - and especially a Hivekind drone¡¯s - safety than he himself. "Do not be afraid, Lady Neralt,¡± her current escort said reassuringly, interrupting her thoughts. ¡°We will not encounter anything more than assorted brigands and miscreants, nothing we cannot deal with handily. You will not be in any danger, I assure you.¡± ¡°It would not even occur to me to worry, Milord,¡± Marianne replied. Her answering smile was a little more strained than she would like. Lord Thebens was a gallant knight who clearly made a point of his gallantry. She¡¯d dealt with worse sorts; at least he acted respectfully. He also stuck to her like a particularly persistent thistle. He was always polite and courteous about it, so there was little she could do, even to complain. Marianne still was not certain whether he was putting on an act while being more alert and deliberate than he was letting on, or just a slightly oblivious hanger-on they¡¯d foisted on her for his persistence, which irked her quite a bit. She hoped his motivations weren¡¯t romantic in nature. He was rather too young for her, really. He couldn¡¯t be much older than thirty, although the System might have slowed his aging some. Still, he was apparently only a Steadfast Knight at level thirty-eight, it could not have that large an effect. ¡°Would you like to move up to the High Shaman¡¯s party? I am sure he would be happy to speak to you during the journey,¡± her escort said. Marianne frowned in thought for a moment, before nodding. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. There would be no harm in at least seeing if she could speak to the Esemen leaders. She had felt off-balance since being separated from Ria, much to her annoyance, but letting it stop her from acting would be a mistake. It was more important than ever to gather what information she could, and if that meant taking some risks with information she herself might inadvertently reveal, that was what she must do. Marianne accompanied Thebens forward along the course of the Esemen army. They were currently walking, although the Esemen had provided her - and escorts - a carriage. The army was moving slowly enough this did not pose much of a challenge, even for someone like her, who did not have high physical stats. Unfortunately, Marianne did not have enough experience with armies in general to know if their pace was normal or not. She had picked up a few things in regard to the Hive, but it was obvious that would not be a good point of reference. She took a moment as she approached to watch the High Shaman and the people with him and attempt to ascertain their dynamics. They were traveling under the open sky, which apparently held some cultural significance, although Usebius himself was riding on an open, horse-drawn carriage, really more of a chariot with extra wheels. Some men and a few women crowded around him, most of them much younger, and about half of them wearing traditional Esemen spiritualist garb - robes in either a tight or wide, flowing style, sometimes over trousers. Their behavior did not differ much, and she knew many young nobles would enter an order or spend some time as a devotee before getting on with more earthly affairs, or at least taking up a court position or similar. "Lady Marianne,¡± the High Shaman greeted her as they approached, interrupting another young man who was currently talking. He smiled at her and gestured for her to approach, ignoring his current companions for the moment. ¡°High Shaman,¡± she replied, bowing respectfully. ¡°I hear we have crossed into Nerlia?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± he replied, still smiling and appearing to all the world like a cheerful, carefree traveler, who was not currently invading another sovereign nation. ¡°We crossed the border perhaps an hour ago, in truth.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It is not clearly marked out here, so there is some room for debate,¡± another woman added, who a glance at the System notification identified as a Lady Matringel. ¡°I¡¯m sure they will endeavor to correct that as soon as possible,¡± Marianne remarked a touch sardonically. ¡°It certainly won¡¯t be their border for much longer,¡± the young man who¡¯d spoken earlier snorted, the sound grating to her nerves. ¡°They will have other things to worry about! Soon enough the Nerlians will be begging to retain as much as the rump of their former kingdom.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to win it first, before you rascals can divide the spoils of our victory. Until then, perhaps you had best focus on your sword arm rather than your mouth, hm, Sir Ian?¡± Marianne glanced at the man who¡¯d spoken and noticed that he stood a bit apart from the rest. According to the System, he was a high-leveled fighter, however, with the Class of Grandmaster Knight at a high enough level that she could not see it. His name, Pavel Nightsen, seemed familiar, although she could not place it right away. She eyed the way he stood and was placed in regard to the others, however, and thought she understood. He¡¯s not excluded, just holding himself aloof a little. Combined with the System¡¯s information, that made things rather clear. So he¡¯s their general. She¡¯d known the High Shaman was not responsible for conducting this operation himself, even if it was done under his authority. While he might be a talented politician, military strategies would be rather a different matter. The young man he¡¯d reprimanded flushed, but bit his lip and did not respond, only glanced briefly at the High Shaman. For his part, their ruler was looking at the men with his usual benevolent grandfatherly air, and clearly had no intention of involving himself in any way. In his place, Marianne would have done the same. ¡°What sorts of gains do you expect?¡± she asked innocently. Usebius smiled. ¡°Come now, Lady Marianne, surely you do not expect us to give you an accounting of our war aims that easily? It would not be much fun if you did not have to work at it at least a little, do you not think?¡± ¡°Clearly,¡± Marianne agreed. ¡°Perhaps you would like to hear something of the hive¡¯s aims, then?¡± The Esemen preferred to be direct, in her experience so far. She supposed it could not hurt to try. ¡°Tempting,¡± the general replied, sounding like he truly meant it. ¡°However, I am afraid that is an exchange I would not consider necessarily beneficial for us, so we would have to decline.¡± The High Shaman nodded slightly in confirmation, not even looking at Nightsen except for a brief moment. Marianne made a mental note of the apparent trust and close working relationship between them this signified. She had not expected the military leaders to have this much influence in what were essentially political concerns, but she supposed it made sense. The Esemen certainly weren¡¯t stupid. ¡°Very understandable,¡± Marianne conceded, putting just a hint of disdain into her tone. ¡°I cannot help but notice that we are not quite moving in a straight line.¡± ¡°Armies are not arrows, Lady Neralt,¡± Thebens spoke, managing not to sound very condescending in his reply. ¡°Like rivers or roads, they have to follow the features of the terrain. And, especially, what roads exist. It is rare for them to offer a straight path for more than a few leagues.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Marianne replied, unruffled. She resisted the impulse to point out that the Hive very well could go in a straight line in most cases. They had likely surmised as much already, and if they had not, she was not going to bring it to their attention. ¡°But there are several highways and smaller roads in this part of the country, are there not? Even taking into account the constraints of the road network, it occurs to me that if you were heading straight into Nerlia from your point of origin, there would be a better, more direct path to take along a reasonably broad road.¡± Ria had shared a few maps with her before their journey. While their knowledge of Esemen itself was sparse, the Hive had sent flying drones across most of Nerlia, where they could reach, and even beyond their link¡¯s psychic range on occasion, with their Keepers putting the information together. The resulting maps might not have names for most roads or settlements, but they showed topographical features quite well. She had noticed the Esemen had sent advance parties off not long ago, and from what she could see, were preparing to follow a southern course at the next fork in the road. Putting her recollection of the maps together with what she had observed of the army¡¯s movements, Marianne was starting to suspect they were ¡®drifting¡¯ from a straight shot because the Esemen were not taking the shortest path to their destination, whichever it might be. Likely because they wanted to hoodwink the Nerlians, pretend to go for a different target than they were truly attempting. And as she watched the expressions of the assembled Esemen closely, she grew more confident in that suspicion. ¡°Perhaps you should leave the war-making to those trained in such arts, Lady Neralt,¡± Usebius suggested gently. Marianne bowed her head, forcing an apologetic smile onto her expression. ¡°I apologize if I misspoke or offended, High Shaman. Gentlemen.¡± ¡°Hm,¡± the general grunted. ¡°You said she wasn¡¯t connected to her hive back in the Approaches, didn¡¯t you, Lord Usebius?¡± he asked his leader, disregarding her presence. Usebius¡¯ eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°She shouldn¡¯t be,¡± he replied. ¡°Then I doubt it truly matters, at this point,¡± Nightsen said. Marianne tried not to let the smile on her face visibly freeze. Once more, she wished she had some way of contacting Regina. Unfortunately, the Esemen was likely correct. She had no true way of getting a message to the Hive, certainly not instantly, while they kept her separated from the drones that had come with her. She had not even seen any of the Swarm Drones in a while. That is not my purpose, she reminded herself. I am here as a diplomat, able to negotiate on behalf of the Hive. For all I know, they would not even have spoken to a drone connected to the Hive¡¯s link. ¡°If that is the case,¡± she began, smiling demurely once more. ¡°One of you might enlighten me?¡± ¡°Perhaps we might,¡± Usebius replied with a chuckle. Marianne sighed and shook her head. ¡°I would caution you not to underestimate the Hive,¡± she told him, modeling her demeanor as if she was giving friendly advice. ¡°They might be new to the stage, but they are quite formidable. And they have allies, ones who are nothing to scoff at, either.¡± A few of the hangers-on around the High Shaman actually gave something away at those words, exchanging looks or even the smiles of people who thought they had the upper hand and were enjoying lording it over someone else, if only in their minds. ¡°It would be a shame if some of your allies were unable to come to anyone¡¯s aid,¡± Sir Ian said with a smirk. Marianne blinked. It barely took her a second to realize what he must mean. Earl Whitor. She did not know if it would be this army or another one ¡ª she was not a strategist ¡ª but evidently, the Esemen could march into northern Cernlia. And it did not take a strategic genius to see that would be a problem for Lord Whitor. Marianne glanced away, taking a moment to marshal her thoughts and what she remembered of the strategic situation. The armies of the Nerlian and Cernlian kings were still in the southwest of the county in question, posing a major threat. There was Marquis¡¯ Lyns¡¯ army, but last she heard, it did not manage to be a significant factor. The Hive had an army there as well, but was preoccupied fighting in Nerlia¡¯s interior. The Esemen could be halfway through all of northern Cernlia before they even encountered significant resistance. Perhaps even the adjoining parts of Nerlia, as well, especially if they diverted their enemies¡¯ attention skillfully. It might be a bold move, certainly, but Marianne could not soothe the sinking feeling in her stomach. She doubted they could be stopped easily. It would also bring the Esemen close to major armies from every other player in this messy, not-entirely-civil war. After a moment, Marianne shook her head slightly and turned her full focus back on the assembled Esemen. ¡°Be that as it may, it is always better to have allies than enemies.¡± ¡°Wise words, Milady,¡± Thebens said with a smile she thought looked slightly sardonic. ¡°Perhaps we can still come to understand each other,¡± Marianne said, even as she saw in their faces it would not be an easy task. She did not let herself be discouraged. Diplomacy took time, after all. And the longer she was here, the more she learned about the Esemen. Chapter 191: Cohesion The battle was a bit of a disaster. Maybe that was because the battle hadn¡¯t really started. At least, it wasn¡¯t like the other times the hive had fought like this. Not that assaulting a fixed position was their specialty, but Regina still felt a difference. She wanted to cringe just watching it. Units of drones were milling about in confusion, edging out of position, when they were supposed to turn their general approach to the Nerlians¡¯ positions into an actual battle. Their commanders were confused, talking back and forth and contributing to the general disorder in the psychic link. This time, Regina realized with a sinking feeling, the usual strength of the hive was turned against it, the downside of their coordination showing. She was having a hard time just figuring out what was going on, but things were clearly heading towards a disaster, that much Regina could see easily. She hesitated and touched the minds of her commanders, watching Ben and Tim¡¯s barely suppressed panic and anxious attempts to restore order. Then she made a decision. Regina reached through the psychic link, throwing the strength of her mind at her army and wrestling with the confusion and scattered focus of her drones. Pull back, she ordered them. They complied. Regina had come on stronger than she¡¯d really intended, if she¡¯d paused to think about it, maybe more forceful than she would have thought she could. But at their Hive Queen¡¯s order, the drones reacted. They paused, allowing for their officers to quickly restore a semblance of order, and retreated. Arrows and heavier projectiles rained down on them, but they didn¡¯t do much damage given the distance and general distribution of forces. Regina exhaled heavily. She opened her eyes for a moment, tugging on a mandible and leaning her head back against the headrest of her chair. ¡°Well, that was a thing,¡± she muttered. Max didn¡¯t say anything this time. Regina glanced at him, noting his distraction and obvious focus on the psychic link, before she concentrated on it again as well. She wasn¡¯t a general, but she knew enough to be aware that retreating like this would be a bad thing. Defenders might be emboldened by seemingly chasing off their attackers, and with minimal losses, at that. She didn¡¯t really worry about her drones¡¯ reaction, though. Regina figured they were pretty much immune to getting demoralized. Or close enough, anyway. The Swarm Drones would attack when and who she told them to, even if it was against overwhelming odds through a minefield into artillery fire. Besides, they¡¯d never planned on immediately doing an all-out assault. Hopefully, it was fine. Regina focused on Ben, waiting a moment for a gap in his conversation with Ada and the other commanders. What happened? she asked him. I¡¯m trying to figure that out, my Queen, he replied, the tension he was feeling evident. Things are a bit of a mess right now. Regina withdrew her mind so he could get on it, and instead tried to get a general feel of the army. She sighed. Concerned questions were coming in from other parts of the hive, sensing that something was wrong. She quickly reassured Mia, Via and the others that everything was under control. Then she chanced a look through some Winged Drones. Regina watched activity across their fortified lines, taking in the arrangement of the enemy and the hive¡¯s forces. She realized that she¡¯d probably made a mistake. She could have just told everyone to charge, and pull back in good order after an attack, inflicting a bit of damage and hopefully getting a better idea of the Nerlians¡¯ disposition. That should have left a different impression. An ¡®overabundance of caution¡¯ might have actually led her to a worse outcome this time. Shaking her head, she concentrated on her people in the area and dove deeper, connecting to several of them, assessing their status and starting to talk to some of the drones who weren¡¯t fully occupied with other efforts. It took a bit of time until she managed to get some sense out of it, but after a little while, she felt like she was starting to get the picture of what happened. It didn¡¯t help her relax, unfortunately. My Queen, Ben called her again a short time later. Regina disengaged from her current conversation and instead focused on him, noting that Tim was there, too. She connected to both of their minds so they¡¯d all be able to talk, leaving it open for other drones to join, as well. I think we figured out what they used, Ben told her. It was ¡­ Ritual magic, Regina completed. She let them sense an echo of the annoyance she was feeling. I talked to some of the Witches who¡¯re close enough, and they all agree. She sighed. We knew the Nerlians used rituals. We weren¡¯t sufficiently prepared. Ben grimaced. I¡¯m sorry, my Queen. This is my responsibility. No, Regina responded. It¡¯s not. I¡¯m not saying you aren¡¯t to blame at all, you probably do share a bit of the fault here, but so do most of us. I should have realized this and made preparations. We¡¯ve still been underestimating them, haven¡¯t we? Tim said. Actually, I¡¯m not so sure, Ben said, surprising her. They don¡¯t somehow have better tech or higher levels. The basic strategic situation hasn¡¯t changed. This is just one trick, one card they¡¯ve played now. True, Regina conceded. And we did learn that rituals are supposed to be expensive. Then let¡¯s hope they don¡¯t have many more of those in the tank, Tim said. But what exactly did they do? What was the effect? Disrupting our psychic link, if I had to guess, Regina answered. I¡¯m not sure exactly how, but it might have been a general anti-psychic effect of some kind. Clearly not actual suppression, or we wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation. Probably more on the order of adding noise, like putting up buzzers to make it harder for people to hold a conversation. There might also have been something else. They took that in silently for a moment, before Ben asked, And how long is it going to last? I¡¯m not sure, but it¡¯s clearly not just a one-and-done thing. The other ritual for increasing their speed lasted for days. We should assume a similar timeframe, at least. Stolen story; please report. That means if we tried to push into their fortifications now, they¡¯d be effectively weakening our link and our cohesion, Tim concluded with a frown. Regina drummed her fingers on her leg restlessly. How big of a danger would that be, now that we know about it? There was a quick mental exchange between Ben and Tim, and she didn¡¯t catch all of it. It¡¯s not prohibitive, Ben said. We can just make sure to assign more sapient drones and drill battle plans into their heads beforehand. It would be annoying, but I don¡¯t see it really stopping us from successfully taking the Nerlians¡¯ lines, if we wanted to. Good. Still, we probably shouldn¡¯t just bull our way through any obstacles without bothering to reconsider our plans. Take a bit of time and confer with the others. See if we might need to change something, or find a way to take advantage of what we¡¯ve learned. Also, make sure to increase our scouts. We¡¯re still not quite sure about that Esemen army in the east, right? Ben grimaced. True. Their advance elements have been pretty good at hiding from or shooting down our Winged Drones, but the main problem is we just don¡¯t really know what they¡¯re after. I¡¯ll get on it, my Queen. Regina stood up and started pacing across the room. She was tempted to just call the other drones nearby and prepare to set out for the army herself. She could even argue that she¡¯d be safer there, surrounded by so many drones. Of course, the small town she was currently staying at was deep in the middle of territory the hive currently controlled, and Max and his cadre of bodyguards remained with her as protection. She had the feeling Ben and Tim wouldn¡¯t be very happy with it. On the other hand, it would also shift the limits of her psychic range, so she¡¯d need to consider this carefully. For now, she contented herself with just moving a bit while she thought about the situation. We should find out more about that ritual, Ira said, joining the conversation. My Queen, would Galatea know more about it? Probably, Regina answered, frowning thoughtfully. She had to admit she¡¯d been reluctant to ask Galatea for advice. Partly that was because she felt a bit guilty and didn¡¯t want to get in the habit of relying on her, or taking her help for granted. And also just that she wanted to show she could do things herself and didn¡¯t need Galatea¡¯s help. But when it came to the welfare of her hive, her pride had no place in her decisions. Regina exhaled heavily and reached out through the psychic link again. Galatea had been drifting through the hive¡¯s territory over the last few days, mostly seeing what they were building and learning about their efforts at what one might generously call building up a tech base. She¡¯d talked to Mia and others involved with it quite a bit, although Regina had only vaguely noticed that. Now she contacted Mia, checking in with her briefly. She was currently pacing in her workshop, thinking about the design specs of her newest brainchild, a modified turbine they might be able to eventually use to generate power from waterwheels, and getting frustrated at her lack of progress. Mia almost felt relieved at Regina¡¯s touch, and immediately agreed to go look for Galatea for her. It didn¡¯t take them long to find the mana-form AI. Galatea was in a nearby workshop, puttering about with Conjured magnets, wire and tools she had enchanted herself. It was a bit odd seeing them all floating through the air, moved by telekinesis. ¡°Mia! Nice to see you.¡± Galatea turned to her immediately and coked her head after a moment. ¡°Is something up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Regina, she wanted to ask a few questions,¡± Mia explained as she stepped closer, glancing around curiously. ¡°Of course. Not to dismiss your own contributions, but maybe it would be better if I talked directly to her? It might go smoother without ¡®translation¡¯, so to say.¡± Regina hesitated. She understood what Galatea meant, but she hadn¡¯t directly taken control of a drone in a while. She sensed Mia¡¯s immediate agreement, though, and decided to just go for it. So she took a mental step closer, settling more firmly behind Mia¡¯s eyes and reaching for not just her senses, but motor control as well. ¡°Hi, Galatea, and thank you,¡± she spoke through Mia. She also moved her body, adjusting her posture, to make the transition clearer. ¡°The Nerlians have worked some magic again, and I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s a ritual. It seemed to have impacted our psychic link. Do you know anything about that?¡± Galatea frowned and straightened, putting away the screwdriver she had just been handling. ¡°We¡¯ve talked about rituals before, if you¡¯ll recall. I didn¡¯t mention those with psychic effects since they¡¯re rather rare, from everything I know. I suppose one like that would be a good countermeasure against your Hive, though.¡± "How rare?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Would they have had to get the knowledge from somewhere specific?¡± Galatea shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not an expert, Regina. I don¡¯t know. Why, do you have a source in mind?¡± Regina hesitated, then grimaced. Mia¡¯s body mirrored the expression. ¡°I was wondering if the Delvers might have helped them. They do have a pretty powerful psychic now, right?¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Galatea cocked her head. ¡°Can you explain the effects in more detail?¡± Regina did as she asked, trying to describe what she had sensed as closely as possible and sharing all of her speculation and guesstimates. When she was done, Galatea nodded. ¡°That is interesting. It does, to be honest, sound rather crude. Your link wasn¡¯t completely disrupted for even a second, your drones could all talk to each other, there were no physical or even psychosomatic effects, and you were able to reach everyone and order them to disengage,¡± she ticked off on her fingers, then shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about that part, Regina. I would be very surprised if Madris was involved in that.¡± ¡°You think it would be worse if she had been?¡± ¡°Madris is a very powerful psychic, Regina. I have no doubt that if she was involved with a ritual ¡ª Which is possible, I suppose, the dark elves are not known for rituals, but that does not mean they might not use them ¡ª¡° Galatea frowned thoughtfully. ¡°Anyway, if someone of her caliber designed or conducted a ritual, I¡¯d bet it would have more of an effect. Ritual casting still relies on the caster¡¯s knowledge of the specific magic they want to invest, remember.¡± ¡°So she might be able to cast a ritual that would disrupt our psychic link much more strongly?¡± Regina asked worriedly. Galatea shrugged again. ¡°Maybe, maybe not. I expect the costs would be severe, in either case.¡± That reassured her a little, although Regina still resolved to work out contingency plans for the hive¡¯s link being disrupted or suppressed. ¡°How long do you think the effect will last?¡± she asked, changing the topic slightly. ¡°A few days, most likely. Without more information, I can¡¯t narrow it down more than that.¡± Regina nodded. Well, that answered a few of her questions, at least. She supposed she should find Galatea¡¯s obvious disregard for the ritual¡¯s effects encouraging. ¡°Speaking of the Delvers, however,¡± Galatea continued, fixing her gaze on Regina¡¯s, or rather Mia¡¯s. She looked serious. ¡°I have been loosely keeping tabs on them, considering your encounters with them.¡± ¡°You mean you¡¯ve been scrying them?¡± Regina asked. Galatea smiled slightly. ¡°Mostly, yes. I¡¯ve been cautious, though. Their security is pretty good. I still noticed an uptick in activity. They¡¯re preparing for something, or already doing something. So, I just wanted to let you know the Delvers are on the move.¡± Regina sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, this time not mirroring the gesture with Mia. ¡°That¡¯s just what we need, someone else stirring shit up,¡± she complained. ¡°Do you have any idea on specifics?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Galatea shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re gearing up to fight a war, although I could be wrong. I wouldn¡¯t even be sure what side they¡¯d be on, though. They haven¡¯t seemed very interested in either of the Cernlian leaders¡¯ offers. I suppose the Esemen might have made them better ones, but that seems like a bit of a stretch.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°How much could they contribute to anyone? And how informed are they even on the state of the war?¡± ¡°Some fighters, obviously. Maybe more. And I¡¯d expect they know what¡¯s been going on. In fact, there¡¯s a rumor that they have some kind of clairvoyant.¡± Galatea shrugged and waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s always better to assume they know more than they should, when it comes to these Delvers.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°Well, whatever. I guess we¡¯ll have to see. Do me a favor, though? Keep an eye on the gnomes as well. It seems like everyone and their grandmother is coming to join this party, I¡¯d rather not be blindsided.¡± Galatea chuckled. ¡°Will do, Regina.¡± Chapter 192: Intelligence The gnomes, to Regina¡¯s muted relief, didn¡¯t seem like they were about to crash out of their mountain caves and go charge into Nerlia to join the fracas. At least for now. The way things were going, she wouldn¡¯t be too surprised if they showed up. Everyone else seemed to be on the move, figuratively or literally, after all. Even the elves. She¡¯d gotten news from Ariedel that they were putting their forces into a state of alert, a step before the mobilization of their army. Regina supposed she couldn¡¯t blame them with everything else going on, though she¡¯d rather not have to worry about them joining the war as well. Although they would presumably fight on her side. That would be a nice change. Still, with Galatea occupied keeping tabs on both the Delvers and their actual enemies, as well as trying to find out more about the Esemen¡¯s movements, she wouldn¡¯t have the capacity to do much else to help Regina. Regina had told her she understood that, and privately felt a bit guilty. For now, however, she refocused her efforts on what her hive could do. Their scouting was running into increasing problems. Besides a steadily growing number of flying beasts, she suspected her enemies¡¯ growing awareness of them was responsible for it. They could still not do much against the hive¡¯s flying drones, of course, but some were starting to make increased use of shields or other means to block their sight, and a few smaller forces raised by local lords had even started to take a page from the hive¡¯s books and dig underground spaces. It wasn¡¯t at the level where she would really be concerned, yet, but Regina didn¡¯t like the trend. Especially in conjunction with the defensive ritual the Nerlian army had shown. There¡¯d been some debate in the psychic link about that. Some drones, including Tia, had advocated for simply playing for time and letting the ritual¡¯s effects run out. Tia had argued that they didn¡¯t know the details of that ritual for sure and there could be other effects, perhaps even more dangerous ones. Regina had to admit she had a point, although she still wasn¡¯t in favor of just sitting and waiting. Her own opinion was perhaps the deciding factor, but most of the hive¡¯s military commanders were also in agreement. Without being able to counter the Esemen, and with the Nerlian-Cernlian combined army still on the move, they couldn¡¯t afford to get stuck. There was no point rushing headlong into battle, either, though, Ben had said, so they reorganized before trying another assault. Well, it was true that the plan still didn¡¯t call for them to just storm the Nerlians¡¯ fortifications. They¡¯d already started the strategy of wearing them down by making noise during the night and harassing them with the occasional Winged Drone flying overhead, dropping explosives or even just rocks, combined with a few potshots from Shooters and Witches. Hopefully, it would begin wearing on the Nerlians¡¯ morale and work against whatever boost that had gotten from ¡®repelling¡¯ the hive¡¯s first foray. They didn¡¯t want to spend too long on minor stuff like that, though, or Regina might as well have gone with Tia¡¯s idea. In a way, she supposed fighting while the hive¡¯s forces would be under the effect of the Nerlians¡¯ ritual might actually be a good thing. It would be an experience they might need more badly at some point, and good practice even if they never encountered stronger suppression. So, the hive stepped up its efforts gradually. They started at dawn, just when the humans were hopefully feeling relieved at having gotten through the night, with a quick raid. Ben mostly used Winged Drones for that, with a bit of ground support from higher-level drones. The objective wasn¡¯t to breach the Nerlian defenses, just to shake them up a bit. They still created some breaches in their fortifications, even if it wasn¡¯t the goal. A few enterprising drones went through and sent units of War drones to rampage in the area behind the outer Nerlian line. By the time the soldiers mobilized to stop them, they were already retreating. The Winged Drones continued their activity for a bit longer, harassing them with projectiles and the occasional dive. Those cost too many drones their lives, though, and Regina made a note to talk to the commanders about it. The Nerlians would only get better at this, and she didn¡¯t want to just throw drones¡¯ lives away, even if the hive was still growing its numbers steadily. On the other hand, they had probably diverted fire from the other drones circling higher up. It was only the beginning. Regina talked with Ben for a bit, discussing their plan, before he gave the orders to another section of the hive¡¯s growing ¡®officer cadre¡¯. At some point, Regina figured they would have to formalize it more, perhaps even introduce an official rank structure. For now, it worked smoothly, with the drones getting their assigned units of Swarm Drones into position and pushing another attack. Regina paid close attention, trying to gauge the effect of the Nerlians¡¯ ritual and what differences there were. It was hard ¡ª the very thing she wanted to assess was hindering her efforts at trying to gain understanding. It didn¡¯t help that she was still some distance away from the location, a distance that almost felt longer under these conditions. An interesting side effect she noted, but unfortunately not much help in figuring out its limits. Fortunately, she was not the only one. Regina still connected to the minds of her drones both inside and outside of where she guessed the affected area to be. She could also talk to ones who had crossed it or sent in Swarm Drones they were focusing on, gathering more information. The ritual certainly made things harder, but it didn¡¯t completely cut off the hive¡¯s connections. After a while, Regina thought she was beginning to understand what Galatea meant; this really could be much worse. As it stood, it allowed them to adapt. Even if it was very annoying. Tim led the next attack on the Nerlians¡¯ positions, which used more sustained pressure rather than the quick and disruptive strikes they¡¯d tried before. They sent in more War Drones, but went more slowly. The hive also relied on other kinds of attacks from Skills and the occasional explosive, churning up the ground and damaging their fortifications. Good luck trying to repair them while you¡¯re still under attack, Regina thought with a small smirk. And they weren¡¯t restricting themselves to the outer line, either, they were doing some damage to all of the Nerlians¡¯ fortification. That should also make reinforcements trickier to handle for them. Regina once more extended her senses over the Nerlian positions, trying to get a feel for the effects of their efforts. It was hard, and she entertained the thought of moving closer again. But she wasn¡¯t sure it would help much. The psychic blocking field, or whatever their ritual did, was definitely having an effect. She could sense the general state of the army, though. I suppose having that many people together in relatively tight quarters makes it unavoidable, she considered. At least with her recent improvements. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. So, she could tell the Nerlians were starting to falter. Or perhaps that was an optimistic assessment, but she knew that their morale situation was bad. Perhaps they¡¯d stabilized after digging in here, perhaps it had only gotten worse. She hadn¡¯t searched for it before and didn¡¯t know. But their soldiers, most of them relatively new and some of them conscripts, were clearly uncertain. The hive¡¯s efforts were having an effect, and even beyond that, she knew they had to be questioning if they could even be stopped, after their relentless, seemingly unstoppable advance across the country. And, fair¡¯s fair, they would be right to wonder; they really can¡¯t stop us, Regina reflected with a small smile. Even if they somehow manage to hold us off, the situation is still in our favor in the long term. But she quickly turned serious again, her face sobering into something closer to a frown. There was a reason she did not want to drag this out. There was a reason she was fighting this war like this, instead of trying to industrialize as rapidly as she could and sweep them away, or even just build an unstoppable horde first. The Nerlians might still hold for a while, she didn¡¯t really know how long. The hive needed to win here before the overall situation of the war got worse. She just wished she knew how much time they had. Regina breathed out deeply, checking in on her own forces. Ben was already preparing for another push. They¡¯d give the humans an hour or so to stew, and strike when they were relaxing, and perhaps switching out or reassigning units. They might not be able to come too close, but Winged Drones up in the sky still provided them with very good information on the Nerlian forces¡¯ positioning. But she didn¡¯t linger on that, and instead found her attention called southward, to their other main problem. The second - or first - and considerably larger enemy army. It was that one that had fought against Marquis Lyns in Cernlia, although they¡¯d managed to leave him behind for now. It had also been harassed by hive forces and Whitor¡¯s soldiers, although they hadn¡¯t sought a battle. Still, this had slowed the allies¡¯ pace to a crawl. From what Regina could sense, their morale was at least as bad as the other army¡¯s, probably worse. However, it also felt like it hadn¡¯t really grown worse in a while, like it had just hit bottom and they were too exhausted, and maybe even getting used to it, to devolve further. Unfortunately, the army hadn¡¯t broken. It still maintained remarkably good discipline under the circumstances, actually. Ben and the other commanders had hesitated to face them in a real battle with an army of their own, considering the changing situation. And the increased demand for troops elsewhere and with the growing monster problem had made things worse, too. She was just considering calling another meeting over the psychic link to discuss their strategy when Janis reached out to her. Regina paused for a moment, surprised. She hadn¡¯t heard from her in a while, since Janis was focused on that theater of the war. Now, she felt an urgency and tension from her that raised alarm bells in the back of her mind. What¡¯s up, Janis? Regina asked. Janis hesitated for a moment, then wordlessly invited Regina to come closer. She followed her invitation, reaching deeper into the psychic link and forging a closer connection to Janis¡¯ mind. Then Regina took a moment to take in what she was seeing. A large number of soldiers were gathered in the distance. Colorful banners of Nerlia and Cernlia were waving in the wind, proclaiming their allegiance at a glance. The army had stopped moving. Well, they still moved, but instead of marching forward in a great column, they were milling about and spreading out, clearly organizing to concentrate their strength in one place. They were situated on top of a clear hill, with a brook at the side giving them access to water. Janis was watching from the back of a Winged Drone Mount some distance away, but she could just barely see soldiers starting to put up fortifications. Well, that¡¯s a bit surprising, she commented to Janis, keeping her tone calm. You don¡¯t think it was your efforts that led to this? We did do pretty well, Janis said with a ghost of a smile. But they almost pushed through, Regina. They have to know we¡¯re preparing to face them, but they¡¯d presumably still be in a better position once they reach Nerlia proper. No, this is something else. She gave another tug on the psychic link, the mental equivalent of pointing a hand in another direction. Regina followed her nudge, turning her attention to other drones further away. She quickly found what Janis did, watching through the eyes of several Winged Drones. The Esemen are coming, she said. That¡¯s what I think, Janis agreed. They may have spread out and I¡¯d bet there are other troops they¡¯ve managed to hide somehow, but they¡¯re definitely turning here. Regina was quiet for a moment. How would they hide from our drones? Skills or maybe magic, Janis answered. I¡¯m not very familiar with Esemen magical practices, but they do have a few weird traditions. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to last long, though. They probably just want to buy some time to get into the north of the county before Whitor can mobilize to meet them. Regina sighed. I assume you¡¯ve told him? Dan is handling that right now, Janis said. I¡¯m considering how to reorient the troops we have here, but I wanted to talk to you right away. I see. Good work, Regina told her. Ben will know what to do on an operational level better than I do. We might have to abandon this area. Janis was clearly unhappy to say it, but Regina could tell she was determined to handle whatever was coming. Regina fell silent again and considered the balance of forces in the region. They¡¯d been focused on the southwest, on the enemy army. They¡¯d even been gathering an army of their own to face it when it was needed, but now it was even further from where the Esemen threat would come from than the Nerlians. Whitor had stripped the currently safer parts of his province almost bare of soldiers as well, sending everyone he could to work with the hive¡¯s forces. They should still have enough time to pivot and mount a defense against the Esemen, even if not directly at the border, although that would make things tricky with the Nerlian-Cernlian army behind them. Which had clearly figured out what was going on, or at least that something was, too ¡ª another question she would have liked answered. Was their scrying just better than expected? Still, all in all, this didn¡¯t seem like the worst move the Esemen could do, for the hive. Northern Cernlia was basically a sideshow at the moment. Plus, the Esemen had invaded Nerlia, so Regina hadn¡¯t been worrying about them working with the Nerlians or their Cernlian allies in any way. Although I suppose they might still team up temporarily to deal with us if they see us as the much bigger threat. She frowned. Can we expect reinforcements? Janis asked. Regina grimaced. I¡¯ll see what I can do, she said. But we want to deal with the Nerlians on our end as quickly as we reasonably can. We¡¯re too far away to send you many reinforcements quickly, they¡¯d be in danger of being caught by the Esemen. I get it, Janis said. We¡¯ll just do the best we can. Worst case, we¡¯ll fall back to the Hive¡¯s territory. Let¡¯s hope it won¡¯t come to that, Regina said. And let¡¯s get Ben involved. She took a moment to sigh, roll her shoulders and shift her posture before Regina dove back into the psychic link to talk to Janis, Ben and probably a few other people. She knew that she shouldn¡¯t be panicking yet, far from it, but she still didn¡¯t like the way things were developing. It seemed like things were going off the rails. For now, she¡¯d have to bear with it, though. Chapter 193: Surprise Janis stifled a yawn, lifting a hand to her face and cracking her neck. She hadn¡¯t slept in quite a while, and only for a few hours the last time. The lack of sleep was starting to catch up with her. But she made herself focus on the situation, anyway. She couldn¡¯t go to sleep yet. The Esemen had crossed into the border of Cernlia already and swept through the upper part of Whitor¡¯s earldom, taking several villages in quick succession. It was only the beginning. Looking at them from a high vantage point, through the eyes of a circling Winged Drone, Janis wondered if they might be using a ritual similar to the Nerlians, or had just picked men with the appropriate stats and Skills to move quickly for this. She was inclined to think it was the latter. There was no cause to panic. Their main army remained behind the vanguard, even if it was clearly a decisive and powerful vanguard. Regina had also told her that Marianne Neralt was still with the main part of this Esemen army. She still hadn¡¯t been able to sense Ria, who the Esemen must have taken much deeper into their own country. Not that Regina would risk flying much closer to it under the current circumstances to try and sense her. Janis wished she could do that sort of thing herself, but unfortunately, psychic power did not seem to be among her talents. She was limited to what she could get from the psychic link and what Regina told her. Not that it would probably make much of a difference in this situation, she had to admit. ¡°How far into the country have they progressed?¡± Whitor asked, breaking her concentration, as he paced back and forth in short, jerky steps. Janis glanced at him. ¡°About twenty kilometers or so, Lord Whitor.¡± The earl frowned. ¡°That means ¡­¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯re still a fair distance away from us, but they are in position to cut off our access with any forces we may send right now,¡± she said. He didn¡¯t reply right away, and Janis sighed and rolled her shoulders again, glancing at the other people nearby. They were outside, for once, standing on the most elevated position they¡¯d been able to find near where they had hurriedly gathered troops. That meant a small hill with a few holes where drones had quickly pulled out trees, overlooking a low valley where the army the hive had been slowly gathering moved through. ¡°And I assume the same goes for any reinforcements of yours from Nerlia,¡± he stated more than asked with a resigned air. This wasn¡¯t the first time this had come up. ¡°We¡¯re getting some Winged Drones, they¡¯re already on the way,¡± Janis said. ¡°I just don¡¯t think sending them all directly at the Esemen would be a good idea. Any other forces would not stand up to the Esemen, and they¡¯re unfortunately between us and the Hive¡¯s troops.¡± Unless they took the Hive¡¯s entire army, or close enough. But she knew that wasn¡¯t going to happen. This simply wasn¡¯t important enough, strategically. Not compared to pushing deeper into Nerlia, or rather, the risk of giving up all the progress they¡¯d made on that. Whitor¡¯s frown deepened, and she wondered if he¡¯d guessed what she was just thinking. But if he did, he chose not to press the issue. Instead, he only gave a stiff nod. ¡°As always, I am deeply grateful for your Hive¡¯s assistance,¡± he said. ¡°Of course, it is our honor and pleasure,¡± Janis replied, but she was already a bit distracted, focusing on the psychic link again. One of the drones had called for her attention. There was suspicious movement to the west. That¡¯s just another pack of monsters, she finally concluded, before she reached for other minds in the psychic link and passed on her assessment to Dan, adding that he should send a party to check it out. Only a small one, though, they couldn¡¯t spare the drones to respond to every possible threat in force. That was just one more issue with this situation, and turning their attention to the Esemen invaders while also having to keep an eye on the Nerlians and Cernlians made it more likely they¡¯d miss something. ¡°Maybe we should simply talk to the Nerlians,¡± Whitor mused after another minute, breaking the silence. Janis glanced at him. ¡°Oh? What do you mean?¡± He shrugged slightly. ¡°Well, they evidently knew at least something was happening, Lady Starlit. I would be curious to find out how.¡± Janis frowned, but paused before answering him. She supposed he did have a point. The Cernlian government was still their enemies, and the Nerlians weren¡¯t exactly likely to respond favorably to the Hive after invading their country. But the Esemen were invaders as well. ¡°I suppose there¡¯s a chance they might want to talk,¡± she said doubtfully. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on it, though. Still, if you¡¯d like, you could, of course, send someone as an envoy to their army. I¡¯ll send a few drones to keep an eye on them.¡± He nodded, looking thoughtful. ¡°Perhaps after the situation has become clearer.¡± Janis looked at him for a moment longer, resisting the urge to react further. He only allied with us in the first place because he thought we were the winning team, she thought. Well, maybe that¡¯s not giving him enough credit. Still ¡­ his first priority is obviously going to be saving his own county. I need to keep that in mind, if there¡¯s a chance it might put us at odds ¡­ She was distracted from those musings by yet another call for her attention from the psychic link. This time, it was Ben. Janis straightened up a little and dove deeper into the link. How are things going, Janis? he asked. Oh, you know, about as well as could be expected, she said. That didn¡¯t change since the last time you checked in. She sensed a bit of chagrin from him through the psychic link. Sorry, he said. I don¡¯t want to seem like I¡¯m constantly looking over your shoulder, but we do need to coordinate closely. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I know, she assured him. I was just giving you a hard time, don¡¯t mind me. But did you have a reason for wanting to talk just now? Just to see how things are going, he said. We also need to settle on a route for the Winged Drone reinforcements soon. Well, you can see the Esemen forces as well as I can. I¡¯d rather the drones steer clear of them, even if it means they take a bit longer. Maybe following the river for a little bit before going east? That¡¯s what we were thinking, he agreed. Alright, we¡¯re putting together a second wave of reinforcements, but you can expect most of the drones we¡¯ve scrambled to arrive before the Esemen reach the heart of the province. That¡¯s good to know, thanks, she responded. How goes the assault on the Nerlians? Even before he answered in words, she could tell from the impression of his feelings which the link carried that he wasn¡¯t entirely happy with it. It¡¯s going, he said. They¡¯re pretty stubborn, I¡¯ll give them that. Janis tried not to sigh again. The Nerlians were clearly learning quickly, figuring out how to deal with the Hive. She knew it still wasn¡¯t at a critical point, but she also understood Regina¡¯s concerns about the larger picture. And while the Hive might have great potential, they still only had their current numbers to work with. Those had not increased very much, since drones kept dying in the war even as new ones hatched. And what do you think about the Cernlians and Nerlians? Janis asked. Ben sent the mental equivalent of a shrug. At the moment, the combined army is a bit of a secondary concern, although I agree that could change quickly. Has there been any movement from them? You are still dangerously close to it at the moment. I don¡¯t think so, she replied. Janis didn¡¯t really feel comfortable sitting little more than a few kilometers from the largest enemy army, but they had clearly decided to hunker down and build up a defensive position. She shot another look at Whitor, then stepped a little away from him, pacing up and down in the space the others cleared for her. There were only a few of Whitor¡¯s men and a few drones up here, but she knew a few other sapient drones were probably watching through the psychic link. ¡°I trust you will inform me once we have any news?¡± Whitor asked, raising his voice a little. ¡°Of course,¡± Janis agreed. ¡°Although there is not much news yet. Our reinforcements are on the way.¡± She fell silent for a bit, chewing on her lip. It felt like the most she could really do right now was wait for more information, which got on her nerves quite a bit. Do you think we need to keep a closer eye on Whitor? she asked Ben. There was no answer. Janis frowned. She stopped moving and tried to reach out to the psychic link ¡­ but it was like it had suddenly been moved out of reach, and she scrabbled uselessly against it. She couldn¡¯t feel anyone else¡¯s mind ¡ª She wasn¡¯t even sure if she could feel the link¡¯s existence itself, or was only imagining it because she had grown used to the subconscious sensation of its existence. ¡°Fuck,¡± Janis cursed. She looked around. The Swarm Drones nearby seemed to have frozen. Their blade-limbs trembled slightly in what was probably an indication of distress. She couldn¡¯t really sense them, though. The camp below had fallen silent, although now noise was starting to rise up; chaotic clamoring, shouts and thuds or the screeching of metal. ¡°Lady Janis,¡± Whitor asked. ¡°What happened?¡± Janis ignored him. Instead, she started running down the hill, trying to find out more about what was happening. Were they under attack? She¡¯d heard of the Nerlians doing something like this to defend their position in the north ¡­ Several drones turned to her as she arrived. There were a few sapient drones, and she saw a brief flicker of relief on their faces as they saw her. Janis looked past them, trying to take stock of the camp and the army assembling beyond them. ¡°Everyone!¡± she bellowed. ¡°Calm down! Remain in your positions! We will get to the bottom of this, and we will not fall to chaos!¡± That seemed to work, at least a little. She even noticed a few younger sapient drones who looked like they¡¯d been starting to rush to her suddenly stop, hesitant. Janis waved the closest of them to her. Then she closed her eyes and focused on the psychic link again. This time there was more of a response ¡­ but it was thoroughly unpleasant. Janis grunted and bent over, her hands automatically going to her head as if she could suppress the pain taking hold of her. She¡¯d had headaches before, but this one was particularly brutal, although it subsided quickly. At least she¡¯d gotten a brief glimpse, distorted though it was. The psychic link was clearly still there, it was just ¡­ not working properly due to outside interference. Is something overloading it? Suppressing it? Projecting noise? she wondered. Effectively, I guess it could be all three. ¡°Lady Janis!¡± Whitor called again, more insistently. She glanced over her shoulder to see he had followed her. ¡°What in the gods¡¯ names is happening?¡± ¡°The Hive¡¯s connection is under attack somehow,¡± she told him. Whitor frowned, his eyes darting all around. ¡°What - Who could be doing this?¡± Janis forced herself to breathe in and out deeply, shoving down the mounting panic and ignoring the tightening in her throat. ¡°The Nerlians did something similar to our other army,¡± she said once she was calmer. ¡°It was weaker than this, though.¡± ¡°So either the Esemen have copied their tricks, or the Nerlians are doing it again, with more power,¡± Whitor concluded. Janis exhaled deeply again and rubbed the bridge of her nose. ¡°It has to be the Nerlians. Distance is clearly a factor, somehow. And I suppose they have more mages here than their militia up north.¡± Whitor¡¯s face cleared slightly as he nodded. ¡°That would make sense, yes.¡± Janis started walking deeper into the small, temporary camp, hurrying to get through it and to the core of the army. She¡¯d already wasted enough time here. She could worry about the larger implications later, for now, she needed to do damage control. At least the Swarm Drones hadn¡¯t suddenly started rioting and attacking everything in some mad rampage. Thank the old world¡¯s god for small mercies. They even seemed to listen to her commands still ¡­ hopefully. But there were thousands of them, and she could only reach so many with her voice. At least their enemies didn¡¯t seem to be attacking them yet. Janis almost reached out to check with a flying drone, before she cursed again, realizing that her means of surveillance were completely cut off. She stepped out of the tent area and approached the War Drones forming the bulk of the army in the deeper reaches of the small valley. They milled around, seeming just as lost and confused as the other drones. A few sapient commanders were trying to impose order, and getting in each other¡¯s way in a few cases ¡ª it looked like one wanted them all to stop, while another officer was ordering them to spread out and scout the perimeter for potential hostiles. Before Janis could attempt to establish order, her attention was caught by something dropping towards her out of the sky. She almost flinched. Then she took a step back to make space for the Winged Drone Mount to land, and watched as the rider quickly hopped out. ¡°Janis, I see things are mostly under control here,¡± Ace said. ¡°Ace,¡± she greeted him. ¡°The psychic link is suppressed or manipulated. What¡¯s the situation further out?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t gone too far, but it¡¯s the same for the flying drones,¡± he reported. ¡°They still follow my orders, if they can hear them, but they¡¯re pretty much useless otherwise.¡± ¡°Alright, then ¡ª¡° ¡°There¡¯s more,¡± he interrupted. ¡°There¡¯s a column of Nerlians moving around. Not more than a few hundred, I think, maybe a thousand. A small vanguard. But they¡¯re closer.¡± Janis rubbed the bridge of her nose again. There might be mages who cast this ritual, I guess. But maybe this is something else. ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°For now, we need to restore order here. Get back up and try to link up with any sapient Winged Drones or other riders around.¡± Then she turned to look at the army again, and suppressed the urge to swear viciously. This was a disaster of a sort she hadn¡¯t even considered. Chapter 194: Disruption If a soul could feel pain, Regina thought this might be what it would feel like. It clearly wasn¡¯t physical pain. And it wasn¡¯t even that great ¡ª on a scale from a stubbed toe to major burns, this was more of a headache. Although she didn¡¯t even want to imagine what the equivalent of third-degree burns would feel like. Still, the sensation left her reeling and almost sick for a bit. Like she¡¯d suddenly lost parts of her body, like fingers only kept connected to her hand by the thinnest of strings. And it was more than that, because an entire stretch of land had suddenly gone dark in her mind. ¡°Regina?¡± Max asked, alarmed. He put a hand on her shoulder and steadied her. It took a moment until she could fully focus on him. She gave him a weak smile, to assure him she was alright. He obviously didn¡¯t buy it, she could still sense his alarm, concern and shock. He¡¯d be able to sense the same thing she did, if not as directly. But any of her drones trying to reach out to Janis and the others, at minimum, would notice the same. Taking a deep breath before she dove into the hive, she could tell the Keepers were already almost starting to panic. Jem, she contacted him. Can you tell me anything about what¡¯s happening? I¡¯m afraid probably nothing you can¡¯t sense for yourself, my Queen, Jem responded. This feels somewhat like the effect the Nerlians erected around their defenses, but obviously a lot stronger. I¡¯m sure the psychic link isn¡¯t completely cut ¡ª if I focus on it, I can still faintly sense it ¡ª but it¡¯s disrupted. Regina grimaced and tugged on her mandible. That was the impression she got as well, when she managed to push past the uncomfortable feeling and assess what her senses were telling her. She hesitated for a moment, then tried to reach out with her psychic senses. Here, her habit of using the psychic link to basically act as a bridge was a bit of a problem, but she quickly figured out how to bull through it with brute force. Unfortunately, it only gave her more of an actual headache. My normal psychic senses can¡¯t seem to work there, either, she said. This is probably a general anti-psychic effect. She paused, another thought occurring to her. I just hope it doesn¡¯t have damaging side effects of some kind ¡­ No way to tell, Jem said. Although Ben seems to already be sending drones to scout it from the sides, and we can at least guesstimate the extent of it that way. Regina let his mind fade to the back of her awareness and instead focused on the wider psychic link. She didn¡¯t dive too deeply and concentrate on anyone in particular, but she got an impression of their activity and reached out to Ben. Her officers were clearly just short of panicking as well, but they kept their composure and were trying to deal with this. The wider implications were only starting to hit them, she could tell. She followed a Winged Drone who¡¯d been in the air on a wider scouting trip and nudged it back towards their army¡¯s last position, mentally following along. It was odd. She could almost sense the link stretching thinner as it got closer. Then Regina tried to call it back, but couldn¡¯t. The drone had passed through the edges of whatever effect was keeping this up, and beyond her reach. She sucked in air through her teeth and waited for a moment, trying not to get dragged into something else in the psychic link. Luckily, the drone was over level thirty and pretty smart, maybe a bit like a dog, and it reappeared quickly, seeking her mental presence. Regina gave it a mental pat and sent it to circle around a bit further out. Then she focused on Ben, Max, Jem, Ada and a few others. Our link is being suppressed or disrupted around Janis and the other part of our forces, she began. Sending a drone in shows the same effect, so it¡¯s probably an area of effect-type of thing. It seems to cover an area roughly ten to twenty kilometers across, Ada added. Bigger than what the Nerlians showed last time, but not by that much. Any thoughts? Regina asked the others. I¡¯m already scrambling reinforcements and assembling a flock, but I¡¯m hesitant about sending them in, Ben said. We¡¯d lose all control over them. So far, it seems like the Swarm Drones don¡¯t go completely out of control, but we can¡¯t be sure of that. Or are we? No, Jem replied. From the mind of the few drones we sent in and back out, they still remember and follow their orders, but I¡¯m not sure ¡­ We¡¯ve never had Swarm Drones operating out of the psychic link¡¯s range for extended periods of time, I¡¯m not sure what effects it might have. We¡¯ll need to try and establish a perimeter, at least, Max chimed in. If the others are on the ball, and are able to, they¡¯ll try to come out. We should be prepared for that. Regina sighed. I¡¯ll try to scry to see what¡¯s going on, she said. Can one of you contact Galatea and get her opinion, maybe ask her to come? In the meantime, Ben, make sure the situation on your front is under control. And Ada, everyone, keep a close eye on the Esemen as well. Jem sent his agreement to talk to Galatea, and Regina retreated from the psychic link. She cracked her neck and took a few deep breaths, focusing on nothing else, to center herself. She needed the focus for the magic she was going to do. Regina was half-afraid that other magic would be similarly disrupted, but to her relief, it didn¡¯t appear to be the case. The Nerlians didn¡¯t seem to have set up countermeasures to scrying, maybe because of the effort that the psychic blocking required. It took a bit of time for her to get a good view of the countryside and she had to move it around a little to be sure she really did see beyond the suppression field, or whatever they wanted to call it, with no ill effects. But it worked. She controlled herself and did a systematic sweep of the area from high above, trying to get a general overview of the situation first. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The hive¡¯s drones were mostly moving in a shallow valley, where they¡¯d gathered before this happened, with the commanders having set up a camp on a low hill. That camp looked like it might be abandoned now. The Cernlian and Nerlian army had set up a fortified camp some distance away, and at least it was still there. Even from far above, she could definitely see they were mustering troops, though. Regina frowned. Had they held off on actually getting their soldiers in formation to fight in order not to tip off her hive¡¯s drones? It seemed like they weren¡¯t ready to immediately fall on the disorganized hive forces, at least. Thank god for small mercies. But if they had been preparing covertly, it might not be much longer now. Regina cursed herself for not working harder on her scrying and figuring out a way to communicate with others through it. Kiara wasn¡¯t here, and she¡¯d never had anyone else use it to establish communication like that. She could try to work it out now, but she didn¡¯t really have much time for something that might not succeed. Besides, she could see there were drones rising into the air in small groups and heading in different directions already. Janis was clearly taking control and trying to establish the perimeter herself, like they had done. She must have given them orders to fly until they reached the edges, and then come back or carry messages. Regina felt herself smiling a bit in relief as she mentally zoomed in. The drones weren¡¯t fighting each other, at least, and they seemed to be roughly organized in groups. After a moment, Regina found Whitor, talking to some of his men and gesticulating wildly. He looked rather unhappy, not that she could blame him. Then she stopped watching as her attention was captured by something. A sapient drone, an Evolved Winged Drone Surveiller, had just flown through the edge of the suppression effect, so she could focus on their mind in her psychic link again. Rain? she connected to him right away. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe. What¡¯s the situation in there? My Queen, he responded, and she could sense his relief. We¡¯re cut off from the hive, we can¡¯t even talk to each other in there. The other Swarm Drones still follow our orders, though. Janis sent us out to scout and get in contact. Good, Regina said. Give me a moment ¡­ She contacted Jem, then watched and tried to help as the Keeper pushed the information they¡¯d collected on this phenomenon so far into the psychic link to Rain. She gave him a moment to digest it, before she continued. Tell Janis to move our troops if possible. Take Whitor along and keep him protected. We¡¯re scrambling reinforcements. The Nerlians might be trying to attack, so be careful. If you can¡¯t get out in time, instead play defensive and use the explosives you¡¯ve got. It was frustrating, but there really wasn¡¯t much more she could do. Maybe if she went there in person, she could punch through this field, but just the idea of going into a psychic suppression zone gave her shivers, and Max and the others would protest vehemently. So she just waited and listened in while Ben gave the other drone a few more instructions. Then Rain turned and flew back to Janis and the others. Regina watched anxiously, but his mind got harder to grasp and eventually she could no longer really focus on it, like his presence in the hive was dampened. She carefully felt at the edges of the hole the Nerlians¡¯ efforts left it, but she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to talk to them like this. Now it was all in Janis¡¯ hands. Regina sighed and reminded herself of that. And unlike the others, Janis wasn¡¯t born with the link and didn¡¯t grow up with it, so she would hopefully be able to cope much better. Regina was just glad that they¡¯d established an actual chain of command, or had at least made it clear who was in charge. She took a short break to splash some water on her face in the nearby bathroom and compose herself, before she returned to the room she¡¯d spent most of her time in. Ira had brought in comfortable chairs and there was some food and drinks set up. Regina only settled on the bed and dove back into the psychic link, though, guarded by Max¡¯s steady presence. Regina checked on everything, noting the progress of the reinforcements Ben was assembling. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have many War Drones here, they were all inside with the gathering army. There were more Winged Drones available, but the Hive had sent those on quite a few postings as well, so they were kind of strapped for troops here, too. It definitely wouldn¡¯t be enough to deal with the enemy army. Regina let the psychic link fade to the back of her awareness and instead focused on her magic. She went through her usual steps in preparing the scrying, then immediately focused in on the area of interest. Unfortunately, her fears were confirmed immediately: The Nerlian-Cernlian army was definitely on the move. Its camp wasn¡¯t broken down entirely, yet ¡ª they may even keep the palisades, probably guarded by some men to cover their back ¡ª but they¡¯d already sent out a sizeable vanguard. A few thousand men, at least. And more were departing. Luckily, there was no good road leading toward the hive¡¯s position, so they were limited in their approach and couldn¡¯t advance at a full front, anyway, but she didn¡¯t think that would delay them for too long. There was still the System, and they would have decent physical stats. Plus, they could leave their baggage train behind. How much time did they have until a battle? Regina considered for a moment, then fixed the impression of what she was seeing in her mind and pushed it into the psychic link, aimed at Ben. Jem noticed what she was doing and helped her to stabilize it, as well. Once she¡¯d at least warned the hive, Regina focused on their own camp again and zoomed in, noting the movements of flying drones. They were starting to establish a line of communication, at least. Hopefully. She checked on Whitor¡¯s position again, which was easy since the humans kind of stood out, before she looked for Janis. The young mage was on one of the slopes, above the main body of the hive¡¯s troops, where she had a good vantage point to watch their movements. Dan and a few other drones stood with her. But she was clearly not paying attention to them. Instead, Regina watched Dan and Zac draw their weapons. Regina frowned and almost tried to reach out reflexively to ask them what was happening, before she saw. There was a figure standing in the shadow of a stunted, twisted tree growing around a rock not far away. Now they were sauntering forward, towards the drones. No, several figures, actually. She noticed another one as well, now, although she really shouldn¡¯t have missed them before. Some System tricks? The person in the lead didn¡¯t seem concerned about the drones at all, judging from their body language. Actually, they seemed familiar. Regina frowned harder, before it clicked. Her hands balled into fists and she almost cursed, then zoomed in further. It gave her a good view as they stopped and removed their hood, revealing white hair and pointed ears. Madris. What the hell is she doing here? Regina took a deep breath and tugged on her mandible. Surely even the dark elf psychic wouldn¡¯t be stupidly arrogant enough to waltz into the middle of a hive¡¯s horde of troops after she¡¯d just attacked them with a psychic disruption field effect? She was even more surprised when Madris reached into her belt, keeping her movements slow and deliberate, to take out a weapon - either a dagger or shortsword, given the length - and carefully tossed it into the grass in front of Janis. She also flicked a knife out of her sleeve and did the same. Janis exchanged a look with Dan before Regina could see her nodding, still looking wary. But at least no one was starting a fight. Regina shook her head. Well, this will get interesting. As if there wasn¡¯t enough confusion already. Madris seemed composed, from what she could see. But was she affected by this disruption field as well? If only Regina knew. Chapter 195: Suppression Janis had been happy to finally establish some kind of contact with the hive¡¯s leadership, although she hadn¡¯t waited for it to act. She¡¯d shouted herself almost hoarse and used the sapient drones to try and instill some kind of order within the mass of Swarm Drones suddenly cut off from the hive. The news of Nerlian forces moving towards them had given them an even greater urgency than just losing the link would have. Right now, though, as she looked at the visitors that had suddenly appeared in front of her, she missed the psychic link even more acutely. She had no idea what to say and desperately wished Regina was available to deal with it. Janis considered what she knew. The group of Delvers around the dark elf Madris were clearly high-level, and the Hive had already assumed she must have a teleporter with them. Probably also a good rogue or thief ¡ª considering how they had seemingly just appeared here, which couldn¡¯t just be actual teleportation, but probably also a Skill to evade notice. Madris herself was what Galatea called a very powerful psychic, which should give anyone pause. She was the first person Janis would think of who might be able to shut down the psychic link even partially. ¡°I was not expecting to see you here,¡± Janis said, scrambling all of her composure as she stared at the dark elf. Hopefully, she couldn¡¯t tell how quickly her heart was racing. Madris inclined her head. ¡°I apologize for dropping in unannounced,¡± she said, just a bit of irony in her tone. Her gaze flicked to the blades she had thrown down at her feet, then back up at Janis. The gesture was clearly symbolic, since she had no way of knowing if Madris had other weapons hidden away in that coat she was wearing. And besides, a sword or dagger obviously wasn¡¯t the most dangerous thing she could use. Although restricting magic was a bit harder, and Janis had to admit she hadn¡¯t expected the Delvers to go even this far, voluntarily surrendering their weapons, and before they were even asked. She turned her head toward the other man, who was now coming up behind Madris, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
Armin niz¡¯as Ulaven ¡ª Level ? Shadow of the Blade
The man pressed his lips together for a moment, but then shook a knife out of his sleeve and took two others from his belt, throwing them to the ground as well. ¡°Thank you,¡± Janis simply said. She turned back to Madris. ¡°Do you have anything to do with ¡­ this?¡± She gestured around her. Madris pursed her lips, glancing around quickly as well. ¡°Your link is entirely suppressed?¡± she asked. ¡°Not quite,¡± Janis said. ¡°And you didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± The psychic sighed. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. I wouldn¡¯t be coming here if I was. Although I have no idea why I should do anything this idiotic, anyway.¡± Janis narrowed her eyes. She¡¯d hardly expected her to admit to anything, but the look in the psychic¡¯s eyes now gave her a bad feeling. ¡°Then why are you here?¡± Dan asked, crossing his arms and glaring at her. ¡°I am here to help, actually,¡± Madris stated calmly. Janis was almost surprised she wasn¡¯t surprised at this declaration. Given what just happened, she supposed there were few other answers she¡¯d give. ¡°Are your powers suppressed by this as well?¡± she asked. ¡°You¡¯ll forgive me if I don¡¯t quite trust you enough with the answer to that question.¡± Janis narrowed her eyes. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re here, then.¡± Madris sighed again, sounding almost like a put-upon teacher having to deal with unruly children. ¡°I want to know what idiot is responsible for this ¡­ idiocy,¡± she said. ¡°And make sure they are swiftly taken care of.¡± That surprised Janis, although she tried not to let it show. She hadn¡¯t taken Madris for the type to be concerned by something like this. Or offended? Or maybe this really was more of a danger, not just to the hive, than she had realized? Madris seemed to pick up on the direction of her thoughts and shook her head, crossing her arms. It was an oddly defensive gesture. ¡°I understand if you do not have the highest opinion of me, Miss Starlit. But when I speak about the use or abuse of psychic power, I take it seriously. I have taken a certain responsibility upon myself and I will not have it be said that I shirked it.¡± Janis¡¯ eyes widened slightly before she could stop herself. So that¡¯s an actual thing? Does she have an agreement with other powerful psychics or something? Are they policing it with unofficial rules? That might put their previous encounter into a new light, at least a little. Was she evaluating the hive¡¯s psychic link for some kind of danger to others? Or just as a threat? ¡°I understand if you feel the need to question me, but for now, it appears you have an urgent situation to deal with and time is of the essence,¡± Madris continued. ¡°Have you established communication with your Hive¡¯s central leadership already?¡± Janis narrowed her eyes, but decided to accept the shift in conversation. She wasn¡¯t wrong, after all. And for now ¡­ she would accept whatever help Madris offered. I clearly can¡¯t trust her, and we¡¯ll need to keep a close eye on her and keep the possibility of betrayal in mind, but it would be foolish to turn her away in this situation, or worse, start a fight. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re sending some drones across. Can you help?¡± ¡°Perhaps, but it would cost me a significant amount of power,¡± the dark elf admitted. ¡°Have you been given your orders?¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯m in command,¡± Janis said. Although that should be obvious already. ¡°We should try to move our army out of this zone. The Nerlians appear to be trying to attack, though, and if we can¡¯t get out in time, we¡¯ll assume defensive positions.¡± Before they could continue, Madris turned and Janis realized Earl Whitor was approaching them a second later. The nobleman hurried towards them, frowning as he looked at Madris and her companion. ¡°I see we have guests,¡± he said tightly. ¡°You did not think to inform me?¡± ¡°Believe me, I was just as surprised as you, Lord Whitor,¡± Janis replied. ¡°You might say they invited themselves. But they have offered to help, and under the circumstances, it would be stupid to just turn them away.¡± Assuming they even could. Whitor¡¯s frown deepened, but he nodded and inclined his head at Madris and Armin. ¡°Then I thank you for the offer; Mistress Ulaven? Is that correct?¡± ¡°Technically Eminent Mistress, Lord Whitor, but let¡¯s not stand on formality,¡± Madris replied. Janis could see her smile slightly, though. She was clearly pleased he was making an effort, or that he knew a bit about her culture. ¡°Are your men prepared?¡± ¡°We are ready,¡± he confirmed. ¡°I do not suppose you could shatter this ¡ª I believe you called it ¡®disruption field¡¯, Lady Janis? -- that is keeping our allies hobbled?¡± ¡°I do not think so, unfortunately,¡± Madris replied. ¡°Please gather your troops. The sooner we may move, the better. My companion will help in covering your backs.¡± Janis glanced at the others briefly, before she turned to the drones. ¡°Move out, as discussed!¡± she shouted. Their discussion should have given the other sapient drones enough time to prepare. Right now, the few who¡¯d been with her moved off to repeat her order, although Dan stayed with her, still eying the Delvers with poorly concealed suspicion. Janis turned back to the others just in time to watch a short exchange between Madris and her companion. She nodded at him, and he gave her and then Janis an ironic salute before he vanished. Or close enough, she could actually see a shadowy blur moving south. Presumably, he was going toward the enemy army. He must be trying to stall them, Janis concluded. Let¡¯s hope there¡¯s something he can do. Whatever you wanted to say about the Delvers, they clearly weren¡¯t lacking in bravery. ¡°Janis!¡± one of the drones called to her, although she didn¡¯t recognize who right away. One unfortunate side effect of them all coming from Templates with ultimately very similar forms meant their voices were quite close. Usually that wasn¡¯t a problem, with the psychic link, since she could always just check and would usually know who was talking to her anyway, probably from the subconscious shift in attention. ¡°Yes?¡± Janis asked, turning around. Now was not the time for her sleep-deprived brain to go off on weird tangents. ¡°We¡¯re all ready, but it might be better if you lead the way,¡± Inu said. ¡°I think most of the Swarm Drones might just follow the horde, anyway.¡± Janis nodded, took a quick look at the non-Hivekind around, and then turned and jogged away to do that. She still took the opportunity to shout at a few drones and generally try to drive them to move in a semi-ordered manner in the direction she wanted. It was ¡­. possibly easier than chivvying human troops, but still profoundly odd. She¡¯d barely decided on a good position for herself and checked that everyone was moving properly before Madris joined her again. This time, the psychic just walked up, dodging around passing drones with an agility that reminded her she was a type of elf, and very high level. ¡°You know,¡± Janis said, cutting her off before she could start, ¡°You never actually said why this was such a big issue for you.¡± Madris narrowed her eyes. ¡°I thought I was rather clear on where I stand, Miss Starlit.¡± ¡°Call me Janis, please,¡± Janis said. She still wasn¡¯t quite used to being called that, and had the impression that informality would be easier with Madris. ¡°And I¡¯m not questioning your attitude, just wondering what about this effect makes it dangerous enough to step in?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Madris was silent for a moment, clearly weighing things in her mind. ¡°It is, of course, a potentially dangerous technique to me and people like me ¡ª or your Hive Queen. That would be enough reason to investigate, I admit. But I have a hunch that it is even worse than that. Ritual magic effects like this need a power source. The mana needs to come from somewhere. Or, in this case, perhaps, be somewhere.¡± Janis frowned. She wished she could contact Galatea to ask about her take on this. But she did pride herself on being a good mage as well, and it wasn¡¯t too difficult to follow where Madris seemed to be leading. ¡°You¡¯re saying it¡¯s drawing on the ambient mana here, and perhaps using it in a dangerous fashion?¡± Madris nodded. ¡°Perhaps. It is not about using ambient mana, really, I doubt this effect is strong enough to be a true problem, and it is most likely built off mana invested into it in the casting. But the ritual does need to define an area for the effect to take place, as well as a vehicle for its action, and anchoring it using mana is the obvious solution. This is not like a ritual to reshape the earth ¡ª there is no physical matter to work with. At the same time, this clearly requires an ongoing effect of some kind.¡± ¡°And not a static one,¡± Janis said, eyes widening as she realized what Madris was saying. The dark elf smiled briefly. ¡°Yes. If there is anything I got from my attempts to analyze it, it¡¯s that this is not just a static suppression. Not a boulder pressing down on a sheet, if you will. Instead, it is clearly trying to scramble any psychic connections formed in the area. If it was simply, let¡¯s say a sound emitted at a certain frequency constantly, I, and most likely your Hive link, would subconsciously adapt to it over time.¡± ¡°Wait, the psychic link would subconsciously adapt?¡± ¡°Or rather the Hive Queen,¡± Madris answered, waving a hand dismissively. ¡°There¡¯s rather little practical difference in this case. But to get back to the point, I do not like the effects this might have on the fabric in general.¡± ¡°Like rolling rocks over your sheet,¡± Janis mused. ¡°Eventually, they might wear through the cloth at some points to create rips and tears.¡± Madris nodded. ¡°Exactly. Well, this is perhaps an inaccurate metaphor. I do not know what such tears would look like, and there may be more of a general corruptive effect, for lack of a better term, to worry about.¡± Janis pinched the bridge of her nose. She thought back to the corrupted, for lack of a better term, mana the hive had encountered underground. That had been affected by the chaotic and disruptive effects of the Cataclysm, as she understood it. And at least one god was clearly perfectly happy to work with it, she thought with a grimace. If Regina hadn¡¯t taken risks, Galatea might have died there. ¡°That would be ¡­ bad,¡± she said. ¡°We should definitely ask Galatea as soon as we manage to get in contact.¡± Madris¡¯ eyes narrowed slightly, presumably registering the fact that Galatea was still in contact with the hive, but she only nodded. ¡°Her opinion would be appreciated,¡± she said. ¡°I doubt there are any more experienced mages around. And if there were, they would likely be working for your ¡­ our enemies.¡± Janis sighed again, shaking her head. She was briefly distracted by some shouts further ahead. The rather unordered army of drones was moving pretty well now, although she could tell there were problems with wrangling every drone. It would be much easier with a psychic link, but it also didn¡¯t help that the average Swarm Drone had low levels and pretty bad physical stats. They wouldn¡¯t be able to move as fast as a strong human force. And now she might have to worry about the effects of a large battle involving magic happening in this area. The hive didn¡¯t have that many magic-wielding drones here, but their enemies certainly did. Well, there was herself and Madris. And she might be worrying about nothing. They¡¯d have to win such a fight or it probably wouldn¡¯t matter, anyway. ¡°There is a reason I called this idiotic,¡± Madris said seriously. And suddenly, Janis was almost glad to have her here, even if she still wasn¡¯t sure she could trust her. Funny how that worked. Chapter 196: Information Regina was discovering how nerve-wracking it was to just watch and not be able to affect anything. She¡¯d even tried to send a few Winged Drones very high up in the sky, trying to maybe move above the effect and look down from above, but there didn¡¯t seem to be a limit, at least not that she could reach. So, she was reduced to scrying to see what was happening. At least it let her know that Janis and Madris hadn¡¯t killed each other yet. In fact, they were talking pretty animatedly and it seemed to be serious. Regina frowned. Even without the most recent message passed by flying drones, it wouldn¡¯t have been hard to surmise that Madris had offered their help. Regina couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious, after how their last conversation went. Then again, the dark elf Delver seemed more like an arrogant, overbearing ¡®old monster¡¯ who didn¡¯t have much patience for others and didn¡¯t much care what they thought about it. That didn¡¯t seem like someone who would be given to intrigue, who¡¯d sabotage them and then show up for some elaborate plot to betray them for ¡­ inscrutable reasons, presumably. Which didn¡¯t even consider the fact that she was probably also risking herself by going into a psychic suppression area of effect, although Regina wouldn¡¯t count on that. ¡°Regina?¡± Max interrupted her contemplations. ¡°The escort is ready. We can go now.¡± Regina shook her head and stood up. ¡°Alright,¡± she agreed. Then she waited, rolling her eyes, as Max moved to leave the room first. They would have probably decided to relocate her if for no other reason than that something was screwing with the psychic link, and it could potentially have revealed her location. The link was centered on her, after all. But Regina had also decided to move closer to the area in question. It wasn¡¯t near the edge of her range currently, but she¡¯d already discovered that if something was messing with or weakening the psychic link, distance became a factor. She¡¯d hopefully be more easily able to pierce whatever effect this was and sense more from her drones there if she was closer. Not that Max would let her too close, of course. There was still an enemy army in the area, and everyone had considered it a terrible idea for her to be caught in this suppression field, or whatever they decided to call it. She had to wait for a bit for all of her bodyguard detachment to assemble, trying not to let her annoyance leak too much through the psychic link. Then Regina got on a Winged Drone Mount - not Thor this time, since he was elsewhere - and tried to enjoy the ride as it ascended into the air. A small cloud of Winged Drones flew around them for additional protection, which felt like too many when they were so clearly needed on other fronts of the war. Regina had barely even started that argument with Max before she knew it would be a waste of time, though. The flight wouldn¡¯t take long, but Regina didn¡¯t pay much attention to it as she watched things and talked to people through the psychic link. Fortunately, essentially having a chunk of it cut out didn¡¯t seem to affect the rest. If the psychic link and the way it worked even depended on linear space at all, it was clearly flexible enough to account for it, since she could access the area behind the affected one just as easily as the rest. If nothing else, this episode was giving her some interesting insight on the psychic link, and its limitations. Ben had stepped up their attacks on the Nerlian army which had turtled up further north. They were still getting worn down, and as she watched another bombardment combined with pushes from the Hive¡¯s ground troops increased the pressure. They¡¯d originally intended to wear them down and force a surrender with most people still alive. Hopefully, that could still work. Regina didn¡¯t really want to abandon the idea, even with the new developments. After all, it seemed like any battle between Janis¡¯ group and the other enemy army would be over before any of the ground forces with Tim could potentially arrive. The Esemen also weren¡¯t letting time pass them by. As Regina watched through drones flying high overhead, she could see their forces advancing through the northern reaches of Cernlia. They actually hadn¡¯t limited themselves to Whitor¡¯s demesne, although it was clearly the focus of their efforts. There was no obvious change she could see, no indication whether they had worked with the Nerlians or not. It was possible, but ¡­ there was still the invasion, and the historical enmity the countries apparently shared. She simply didn¡¯t know. Regina just didn¡¯t want this to turn into another Thirty Years¡¯ War, although at this point, things almost seemed to be going that way, if you squinted a little. Let¡¯s hope religion, or rather the gods, aren¡¯t involved ¡­ oh, who am I kidding, they definitely have their fingers in this pie. And to make things worse, the Nerlians and their Cernlian allies were not letting grass grow under their feet. The vanguard she¡¯d seen before kept getting beefed up, and they were making good progress towards Janis¡¯ group. Which was still moving slower than them. The Nerlians obviously weren¡¯t using a ritual this time, but they just as clearly had selected the soldiers in their strike force carefully. Regina tried to zoom in a little and examine them more closely. She was wary of getting too close with a scrying anchor, since in her experience their enemies had some countermeasures, and she didn¡¯t know what they might still have up their sleeves. Considering what had just happened to the psychic link, she¡¯d rather be careful. Still, even from above she could see the soldiers marching. They looked a little ragged, evidence of the long campaign that lay behind them. They seemed to have left behind almost all supply transport, but the soldiers were obviously carrying their equipment. It showed a wide variety of weapons, another indication they were relatively high-leveled. Lower-level conscripts with less suitable Classes were more likely to get assigned weapons en masse, in her experience. Usually spears or axes, if they didn¡¯t have or convert some weapons of their own. After watching them for a while, Regina realized there was no point in this. She couldn¡¯t replace the psychic link¡¯s scouting capability with her scrying, and it would be pointless to focus too much on it. So she sent off her impressions, compressed into a manageable packet, into the psychic link and alerted the Keepers to handle the information, before she turned her attention away. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She¡¯d already sent someone off to contact Galatea, and now checked again. It was still annoying that her friend wasn¡¯t part of the psychic link, but at least her location hadn¡¯t been cut off, so they could get around that. Right now, Galatea was pacing in a room in one of the workshops they had raised not far from Forest¡¯s Haunt, as she clearly considered what she¡¯d just been told. Mia had arrived here as well, feeling anxious. ¡°You still can¡¯t get any information from within the affected area through the psychic link at all?¡± Galatea was asking. ¡°No,¡± Mia replied. She straightened up a little. ¡°Regina says that it¡¯s clearly not suppressed completely, it¡¯s just effectively not possible to reliably communicate,¡± she relayed. Galatea paused, her gaze focusing on Mia. ¡°And Madris is there?¡± Mia cocked her head as she listened for Regina¡¯s answer, who quickly described what she had seen. ¡°Yes, along with at least one other obviously high-level companion,¡± she replied. ¡°She threw down weapons she had on her and talked to Janis and Earl Whitor, and seems to have offered her help.¡± Galatea nodded. ¡°I was afraid I was wrong about her not being behind this type of psychic suppression, but it seems that was groundless. Still, I wouldn¡¯t have expected her to offer help, but maybe I¡¯m doing her a disservice.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just go and talk to them?¡± Mia asked, this time not echoing Regina, although she was wondering the same thing. ¡°Of course, although then I won¡¯t be able to talk to you,¡± Galatea said. ¡°Scrying works for you, right?¡± ¡°So far, although Regina says we are pressed for time,¡± Mia informed her. ¡°Alright, then I won¡¯t waste time,¡± Galatea said. She still hesitated, her brow creasing, as her clothing morphed into what looked like leather armor. Regina could tell she was speaking more to her than to Mia as she continued, ¡°I would prefer not to have knowledge of my presence or the fact that I¡¯m helping your Hive spread. That doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t fight if I have to, but ¡­¡± I understand, Regina said quickly, and Mia relayed her words. ¡°I have been keeping an eye on the Delvers,¡± Galatea said with a slight nod. ¡°Hearing that Madris is here may shed light on their behavior, I¡¯ve got to admit it left me scratching my head a little. Figuratively. Regina, I really think you should talk to them. Maybe when this is over.¡± ¡°Are they an immediate concern, considering this situation?¡± Mia asked, frowning. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to be scrying them now, but I don¡¯t think so,¡± Galatea said. ¡°If you get Madris killed, they might not be happy, though. It¡¯s a good thing Janis and the others didn¡¯t let a fight break out.¡± Regina sighed to herself. Galatea had clearly decided that everything important had been said, and disappeared quickly. She wasn¡¯t there herself, so she couldn¡¯t feel the mana, but the AI must have teleported. Regina opened her eyes and glanced around, reaching out to the minds of several flying drones to get a sense of her current position. They were coming up on the outpost Max had suggested as a place for her to be closer to the action while still staying safe, and she could sense that several drones had already gathered here. It would also make sense as a staging point for reinforcements into northern Cernlia, so she didn¡¯t mind it, even if they would have been more useful with Janis or Whitor¡¯s men. While the drones decelerated and descended, Regina closed her eyes again briefly and felt for the few drones they¡¯d left in the area currently threatened by the Esemen forces. Unfortunately, resistance against the new invaders was still pretty scattered, and taking the local leadership and highest concentration of troops for the hive as well as Whitor out of communication had made it worse. It hadn¡¯t been that long since it all started, so they hadn¡¯t advanced much further, but just seeing their positions, Regina could tell it wasn¡¯t looking good. Whitor¡¯s soldiers had barely managed to organize any kind of defense. But right now, Regina was trying to assess whether the Esemen would be able to interfere with what was going on further southwest. She didn¡¯t think so, to her relief. Although she¡¯d definitely ask several of the drones as well. Since she was coming closer as well, Regina pushed herself further. She only had very few, scattered drones further out, more to mark the extent and edge of her range and help with triangulating positions and orienting themselves than anything else. Still, there were a few drones she¡¯d left throughout Cernlia, mostly flying drones with levels in the thirties who had an Evolved Class good at stealth, and who could stay in the air for a bit. She¡¯d already nudged several of them closer to the Delvers¡¯ area of operations after Galatea had mentioned them last time, and now she connected to their minds and tried to see if anything had changed. It was pretty obvious, even with the drones¡¯ attempts to stay hidden, supervised by other members of the hive. The Delvers were clearly assembling some forces; the town they were based in was filled with a clearly above-average number of armed individuals with questionable fashion senses. There was a lot of activity around the Delvers¡¯ compound, especially. The drone Regina was using didn¡¯t get very close and only picked that much up because of an Ability that gave it enhanced eyesight, and Regina nudged it away quickly, wary of getting found out spying on them. At least if the Delvers did have some kind of mystical oracle or scryer they seemed to have more important things to be doing right now. Regina absentmindedly jumped down from her Mount and looked over the small village attached to the hive¡¯s outpost. It only consisted of a few houses that had been evacuated already, and only housed hive drones currently. Max and his cadre of bodyguards surrounded her, scanning the buildings and the horizon warily. Regina made her way to the sturdiest building they¡¯d put up, if only to get them to relax a bit once there were walls around her. At the same time, she was still focused on what she could see through the psychic link and through scrying. ¡°The Delvers are clearly gearing up for something, Galatea was right,¡± she told Max. He nodded. ¡°When you said everyone and their grandmother were coming to join this mess, you weren¡¯t exactly wrong,¡± he commented. ¡°But I doubt most of them are really sure of themselves. There has to be a lot of suspicion.¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s trying to be on guard for betrayal and also figure out how to invade another country and get some tasty chunk of land or whatever for themselves,¡± Regina continued the thought. ¡°Yeah. This is a giant mess.¡± ¡°We¡¯re doing the same thing,¡± Ira pointed out, following behind Regina. ¡°They just have more experience with it.¡± Regina pulled a face. ¡°True,¡± she said quietly. It was a thought she¡¯d had before. For all of their strength, everyone in the hive was still very inexperienced. ¡°We do have a lot of things they haven¡¯t seen before,¡± she said. ¡°And it occurs to me this may be a good chance to test some of them. Our enemies are going to focus on how they suppressed our psychic link¡¯s capability. It may be an opportunity for some ¡­ other developments.¡± Max smiled, showing the tips of sharp teeth. ¡°Absolutely, my Queen.¡± Chapter 197: Suggestions Galatea could sense the affected area even before she went there. It was a bit like a hole in magic itself, although it wasn¡¯t quite that bad. It reminded her a little of the ¡®corrupted¡¯ mana she¡¯d encountered a little too intimately before, although it was qualitatively very different. Still, she had to overcome a sense of discomfort to teleport herself there. The teleport was also not as smooth as she was accustomed to. She could sense rather quickly that this effect was not limited to psychic phenomena, if there was even a way to do that. ¡°Galatea!¡± Two surprised women greeted her, speaking almost at the same time. It would have been funny if the situation had been less serious. She had scried on the area beforehand, of course, so it didn¡¯t surprise her to see Madris with Janis. Although it was interesting they both appeared relieved to see her. ¡°I take it you offered your help, Madris,¡± Galatea turned to her. They didn¡¯t have time to waste, after all. The dark elf inclined her head respectfully. ¡°Yes, Galatea. That is correct. This ¡­ psychic suppression field is dangerous. I intend to find out who is responsible for it and put a stop to their activity.¡± ¡°I can sense as much,¡± Galatea confirmed, keeping her tone calm. It would have surprised her if Madris hadn¡¯t been able to tell, even if she wasn¡¯t made up of mana like Galatea herself. ¡°I¡¯m sure the hive won¡¯t object to your goals.¡± On the contrary, Regina would only want assurances that this weapon ¡ª and whatever else it might be, you could clearly call it a weapon ¡ª would not be turned against her. ¡°Can you help us lift this suppression?¡± Janis asked. The young woman was doing a remarkably good job of hiding her anxiety, but she could still see it in the set of her shoulders and the tight lines around her eyes. Before Galatea answered, she took a moment to assess the situation and consider how to proceed. The hive¡¯s army was on the move, although it looked less like an army and more like a barely organized mob of monsters. Which it was, in contrast to the usual state of affairs. She could see a few human soldiers as well, Earl Whitor¡¯s men, and the earl himself was around, talking to another drone at the moment, too. The Nerlians and Cernlians were not far away, and would probably catch up before the effect fully ended. What I don¡¯t do for Regina, Galatea sighed, keeping it quiet since she did not want to give Madris any more information about their relationship. Her loose tongue had already caused problems for her friend once, she was determined not to repeat it. ¡°I could try to break the ritual effect, but I¡¯m afraid it might do more harm than good,¡± Galatea said out loud. ¡°I would be willing to fight with you, although I¡¯d prefer to keep my presence and involvement as low-key as possible. I could also teleport a few people at a time, although I would reserve that for when it¡¯s critical, under the circumstances. Scrying should not be as much of a problem, at least.¡± ¡°We appreciate it,¡± Janis told her seriously. ¡°Did Regina say anything else?¡± Galatea quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Nothing you don¡¯t know already, I¡¯m sure.¡± Without waiting on them to ask more questions, Galatea turned and with a wave of her hand opened a scrying window, expending the effort to make it visible to them as well. She¡¯d just as readily keep Madris out of it, but Janis clearly needed the strategic or tactical intelligence and they didn¡¯t have time to screw around with it. Still, Galatea shot Madris a sideways glance as the dark elf focused intently on the display. She would give her the benefit of the doubt until she gave her a reason not to, for now, but she still wasn¡¯t sure they should trust Madris. Certainly not entirely. The situation quickly became clear, even without moving the anchor of the scrying on the other end very much. They were being chased by a sizeable force of the combined Nerlian-Cernlian armies with the rest of it not far behind, clearly angling to crush the hive¡¯s own army while it was in chaos from having its communication disrupted. They might have other tricks prepared as well, although Galatea didn¡¯t think so. She¡¯d heard often enough that communication was essential in warfare, and seen the advantages the Hive¡¯s coordination gave them. With good commanders, and that was something they would unfortunately have, the human allies probably could beat the Hive handily in such a situation. They still had the higher levels, too. The Hive was gathering forces as well, but they probably weren¡¯t large enough to be much of a factor, yet. At least not without something to tip the scales. Janis turned after looking through it for a short time to shout orders to the drones. Apparently, she¡¯d already set up some kind of relay system with sapient drones repeating her commands to organize the Swarm Drones. There were better solutions than that, though. ¡°I have a spell that can make your voice resound over a much larger area,¡± Galatea offered. Janis looked at her and smiled. ¡°That would be great, thanks. Can you cast it on a few other drones as well?¡± They spent the next few minutes setting it up, and Galatea watched as Janis shouted an order to hurry up to test the spell. It worked pretty well, with her sounding quite loud from so close up, but not enough to damage anyone¡¯s hearing, while even the drones further out heard her as well. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t really help all that much in speeding up the drones¡¯ march. It reminded her of another potential issue, though, so Galatea turned to Madris. ¡°Where is your companion?¡± she asked. ¡°He¡¯s gone to the enemy army and will see about slowing them down,¡± Madris said. She sounded calm, but Galatea noted the small frown flickering across her face. Clearly, she was a bit more worried about him than she let on. Galatea also wasn¡¯t sure about their relationship, but they had more important things to do than prying into it right now. Instead, she focused on her scrying again, but it was hard to catch any hints of the man. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°He seems to be a stealth focus of some kind, so I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to have much luck finding him,¡± Janis commented in a low tone. ¡°He¡¯s a shadow elementalist, actually,¡± Madris said matter-of-factly. ¡°As in, both a caster and a bloodline descendant, like you are with air and fire, Janis.¡± Janis blinked in obvious surprise, but Galatea recognized the excitement she felt after the initial surprise. ¡°Really?¡± There were no shadow elementals anywhere close by, definitely not among those on the eastern Alps, but Galatea had heard some lived in what used to be the Caucasus. It made as much sense as anything, she supposed. If Madris¡¯ companion was doing anything to slow down their pursuers, it wasn¡¯t visible yet. Galatea mentally zoomed out and estimated their heading and speed. At this rate, they¡¯d probably clash at a location close to the edge of this effect, although the hive¡¯s army would have to turn and ready themselves to face the Nerlians at some point. It might be possible to slow them down enough to get most of it out with a rearguard taking the brunt of the fighting. She wasn¡¯t sure that would be a good idea, though. ¡°The Hive is better at fighting using ambushes or taking advantage of air superiority, right?¡± Galatea asked quietly. Janis nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve mostly avoided straight-up field battles so far, where possible,¡± she said. ¡°This army is enough of a threat that we should probably deal with it decisively, though. But if we take too many losses here, we¡¯ll be in a bad position regarding the Esemen.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re the strategist here,¡± Galatea conceded. ¡°How do we preserve most of the Hive¡¯s forces without getting overwhelmed and chewed up?¡± Janis rubbed the bridge of her nose, looking frustrated. ¡°I need options, Galatea. Can you stabilize the mana in the area enough to make large-scale magic safe? What would happen without it? And do you know ways to speed up our communication?¡± "We could send signals with Morse code, Regina should know it and I assume the knowledge can be easily shared with other drones,¡± Galatea responded, starting with the first idea she had. ¡°We can¡¯t guarantee it¡¯d be safe, though, or fast enough. I¡¯d rather not cast magic at too high a level here without getting the chance to study the phenomenon further, and I¡¯m not sure we have time for that. I can use my own mana to a degree, though, so like I said, I should be able to safely do a few things.¡± She paused, frowning. ¡°Regina was also going to come closer, and with her helping, as well as yours and Madris¡¯ participation, we might be able to break through this ritual effect and try to purify the area.¡± ¡°Purify it?¡± Madris interjected. ¡°Is that possible?¡± Galatea closed her eyes for a moment, thinking back to a certain point in the past. ¡°It might be,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s going to be risky, though.¡± She glanced at Janis and smiled sardonically. ¡°Well, at least if we fail and probably die, there¡¯s at least one entity who can definitely purify it using the System.¡± The fact that Leian hadn¡¯t already intervened could be concerning. On the other hand, it might also mean that things weren¡¯t as bad as she feared they might be. That was a bit reassuring. Leianaleine was ¡ª besides being a goddess, although she clearly wasn¡¯t a very powerful one ¡ª definitely the best mage she¡¯d ever heard of. If some of the hints she¡¯d dropped over the centuries meant what Galatea thought they did, she was about as far above mortal mages in this world as a dragon was above a lizard monster ¡­ or as Regina was compared to a contemporary human in knowledge of electronics. She¡¯d wondered if that was part of the reason why Leian appeared to have taken a liking to the Hive Queen. Either way, she had designed and overseen the System almost by herself. ¡°What about your mana?¡± Janis asked hesitantly. Galatea frowned. ¡°It might be a little bit of an issue. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything I can¡¯t handle, though.¡± A substantial portion of the mana making up her form was the ¡®twisted¡¯ mana she¡¯d been immersed in since the Cataclysm, but it had been integrating pretty well. While the process wasn¡¯t complete and she couldn¡¯t honestly be sure it ever would be, she¡¯d never had trouble with it since she was inducted into the System and left her former home and prison. ¡°You yourself should have some resistance to it, anyhow,¡± she added, ¡°along with Madris¡¯ companion, given your elemental heritage.¡± ¡°What was that about your mana, Galatea?¡± Madris asked, but both of them ignored her. Galatea wasn¡¯t going to reveal information this sensitive to her just like that. ¡°Give me a minute,¡± she said, then closed her eyes ¡ª not that it stopped her from sensing her surroundings ¡ª and focused on what her senses were telling her. Unlike a flesh-and-blood human, Galatea didn¡¯t need to expend much attention on the physical world, and after setting her avatar to drift along at the same pace as before and stay with Janis, she could fully focus on the interplay of mana. It took her a minute to sense the psychic suppression effect. She wasn¡¯t very familiar with psychic power, which might be a hindrance. It was clearly affecting more than just a psychic effect, though. Although, as a psychic phenomenon, it was also affecting all minds in the area. Even hers, which did not have a physical substrate. It didn¡¯t attack them, as far as she could see, simply degraded the connections in this area ¡­ which essentially meant attacking the fabric of the mana permeating it. In fact, that should be the same structure the System was built on or at least used. There might actually be a chance that it was affected as well. Although no one had reported trouble with it yet, so she didn¡¯t think so. She also saw Madris¡¯ System description when she focused on it, so that appeared to work. The next time Leian showed up, she was definitely going to ask a few questions. That should be an interesting discussion. For now, Galatea tentatively chalked it up as a good sign. She hesitated for a moment, then started manipulating her mana, activating an Ability she had gotten from the System at the same time. Mana Spirit. The small portion of her mana she had split off organized itself into a proper form within a second, guided by the framework she had put in place, and the spirit hovered a short distance above the ground in front of her. She quickly repeated the process twice more. Madris swore softly, and she could practically see the curiosity radiating off Janis. ¡°What is that?¡± the dark elf asked. Galatea opened her eyes again as she turned her attention to them, since it seemed like the polite thing to do. ¡°A few minor sprites,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m going to send them out to help us assess the situation. It should also help us stay in contact.¡± She was also watching the mana carefully, both ambient mana and the part invested into the constructs while more of the environmental mana flew back into her to make up for it. So far, she wouldn¡¯t want to repeat this a dozen more times, but it seemed fine. Not that she had the mana for many more spirits. She focused on the spirits as they faded from sight and started moving out in three directions. They were mostly autonomous, though of limited intelligence, but she could still sense their locations and they would be able to send basic messages using mana manipulation. ¡°Well,¡± she raised an eyebrow at the others, who were still staring after the spirits. She supposed it was kind of funny that neither of them actually needed visible forms to see them. ¡°Janis, should we get started on trying what I suggested?¡± Janis ripped her eyes away from the departing minor spirits and back to Galatea and Madris. She chewed on her lip as she clearly considered the matter, then shook her head. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°You have a plan?¡± Galatea asked. Madris looked skeptical, but she didn¡¯t let it bother her. Regina had put Janis in charge of this theater of operations and Galatea¡¯s own skills didn¡¯t include military command, so she was content to follow her lead. ¡°The basics of one, at least,¡± the young mage answered. ¡°First, we need to pick our ground. Then I¡¯m going to need to make use of your skills.¡± Madris just nodded when she glanced at her. Galatea had to admit she was glad to have the psychic on their side, even if she didn¡¯t entirely trust her. Chapter 198: Field Ironically, it was a lesson Galatea had given her about physics that came to Janis¡¯ mind right now. Heat is nothing but motion, she had said. And any types of energy we talk about are essentially illusions. You could argue everything is ¡®potential energy¡¯. And motion, she¡¯d been taught, could be force equals mass times acceleration, while kinetic energy is one-half times mass times acceleration squared ¡­ a nice set of formulas, complete in itself, and apparently only true if you didn¡¯t peer too closely at the particles making up all the world. For once, Janis wasn¡¯t concerned with the details of it, she just appreciated the poetry of it. What she should be concerned about right now was that if you had two objects traveling at distinct velocities in the same direction along intersecting paths, then the object with the higher velocity would eventually catch up to the slower one. The enemy they were retreating from was certainly still traveling at a higher speed, while the Hive¡¯s forces had attained a steady velocity they would not be able to increase very much for more than a very short time. It was trivial to calculate where the two would meet if nothing changed, even if she could only guesstimate the enemy¡¯s speed. At least she hoped that any other magical effects would not mess up those trajectories. Janis had been honing her magical senses and trying to trace the difference in the mana around them. It was difficult, even if she thought she¡¯d found the crux of it. It wasn¡¯t a very big change, if so, but any damage would probably accumulate if Madris¡¯ and Galatea¡¯s suspicions were right. And even if she hadn¡¯t been able to sense it herself, having those two in agreement on the topic should be enough reason for concern for anyone. ¡°Has your second spirit reached the edge of the affected area yet?¡± Janis asked, turning to Galatea. The mana-form was floating beside her, an indication that most of her focus was taken up by other matters and she didn¡¯t bother to simulate normal human locomotion. ¡°Not quite,¡± she responded without turning to look at Janis. ¡°And you still don¡¯t think that the area is moving with the casters?¡± she asked again to be sure. Galatea sighed softly and turned her head. ¡°Probably not, but as I said, I wouldn¡¯t bet on it. Aren¡¯t you using Hive drones to try and map it out, anyway?¡± Janis nodded. She had asked the others to do that, but the area of effect didn¡¯t have clearly delineated borders and it wasn¡¯t easy to chart it out precisely. Still, it should be close enough for them to work with. She looked over her swarm of drones again, once more feeling the lack of the psychic link which would have let her see them from multiple angles and positions. With just her own eyes, things looked to be going okay, though. The other sapient drones had managed to instill some kind of order, and the Swarm Drones were still content to march along with their fellows under their direction. She wasn¡¯t sure how well this would hold up in combat, or if the drones might even start to ignore orders in the heat of battle, but she had a feeling she wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid finding out all too soon. Janis turned away and let her gaze sweep over the marching army, looking for the other figures that would stand out. Whitor and his remaining men had gathered in a knot at the front, clearly at least as uneasy and shaken as the drones, even if they hadn¡¯t lost any ability to communicate with their fellows. Well, except for what the Hive had provided, she supposed. They¡¯d been able to at least ask Hive members what was going on in the north of the county, how the Esemen advance was proceeding. She wondered if any of them had family there, before she dismissed the thoughts. There was nothing she could do, anyway. And then there was Madris. The dark elf psychic seemed to bear everything with calm grace, a composure that was almost definitely a learned mask. From what she¡¯d said and the way she acted, Janis was fairly sure that she was affected by this disruption effect, if perhaps not as strongly as the Hive¡¯s drones. It was a bit of a relief, actually, although Janis had decided not to worry too much about Madris reading her thoughts without her knowledge, it would only drive her mad. Still, having her full power available would have been useful. They¡¯d have to make do with what she could do under the effect of the suppression. Which should still be enough. Janis didn¡¯t know whether or not she was more powerful than Regina, but she was definitely a much more experienced and skilled psychic, and that had to count for something. They were coming up on the area she had picked out now, and Janis had to stop herself from fidgeting. She¡¯d already almost worn the edge of her shirt¡¯s sleeve away. It¡¯s going to work out, she told herself, then glanced at Galatea. The ancient AI was literally centuries old, had knowledge from before the Cataclysm and was probably the most powerful mage she¡¯d ever met, but she seemed content to follow her lead. Her presence was still comforting, although Janis wouldn¡¯t admit that out loud. And her skills with magic would be badly needed. ¡°Did you sense anything else? Any red flags?¡± she asked. Galatea smiled briefly. ¡°No, Janis. I don¡¯t think so. They¡¯re keeping pace.¡± Janis nodded, then turned and met Dan¡¯s eyes, before she inclined her head in the direction the Hive¡¯s reinforcements would be waiting in. Even without the psychic link, they didn¡¯t need it to understand each other. She¡¯d spent enough time with Dan to be confident he¡¯d do his job well, without her having to look over his shoulder. ¡°We should send another message to the hive,¡± Galatea said. Janis nodded. ¡°Will you take care of it?¡± She could send another Winged Drone, but Galatea should be able to pass the message more quickly. Besides, Janis wanted every sapient drone here, if possible, and even her stronger Swarm Drones would all be needed. Their flying drones were the one advantage they still had, even if they wouldn¡¯t be as effective without the psychic link¡¯s coordination. With that handled, Janis turned again and took another step towards the horde of Swarm Drones following her directions. She paused for a moment to make sure she had captured their attention, then raised her hand. ¡°Form up!¡± she shouted. ¡°Prepare yourselves!¡± The next few minutes were a whirlwind of activity, and Janis once more almost shouting herself hoarse. Luckily, the other sapient drones had organized themselves pretty well at this point and could take most of the work, but she was still ultimately in charge and had to make sure everything was carried out properly, and that she didn¡¯t suddenly have holes in her formation because someone misunderstood an order. It was certainly giving her a new appreciation for the difficulty and time it took for a conventional army to form up for battle. And that was probably still more demanding than what they were doing with Swarm Drones right now. In the end, she had something reasonably approximating a military formation, though. Janis saw no need to stick with what was known in Cernlian culture when she had other knowledge to draw on. It was a bit of a mix in the end, using clearly delineated units - though they¡¯d had to do a bit of wrangling to get those - with spacing between their formations, ready to form into a line of battle and to switch out with other units if necessary. It would work much better with the psychic link, but this would have to do. Usually she¡¯d try to train the Swarm Drones to respond to set commands like whistles, but they hadn¡¯t had much time for that. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Sapient drones were spread out, behind the actual front lines to protect them, ready to both use their own Skills and more importantly give orders to the Swarm Drones. Some of them were riding flying drones, who had also been formed into small flocks arranged in larger cohorts and were ready to fight. Their usual tactics of harrying the enemy and dropping explosives, or just anything else if they were running low, would be pretty much unchanged. Janis had also learned Galatea¡¯s trick to help her voice carry further. It was rough and not very mana-efficient, but it would do well enough and help her direct the battle. Once it was finally done, Dan headed to join her and Janis looked around once more, assessing their position. She wasn¡¯t able to see the landscape from above right now, but she remembered when she had. They were on top of a low rise, with one side of their army guarded by a brook. It wasn¡¯t large enough to really stop soldiers moving across it if they wanted to, but it would at least slow them down and disrupt their formations, so that would help to protect their flank. Besides, she¡¯d bet on her drones over human soldiers for fighting In those conditions. Having six limbs helped a lot with rough terrain. ¡°Can you give us a brief scrying window?¡± she asked Galatea. The AI nodded and opened another window in the air showing the Cernlian and Nerlian forces. She panned across it quickly, giving Janis just enough time to take in their arrangements. They¡¯d clearly realized that the Hive had come to a stop and were preparing for battle as well. It meant they were catching up, but they were now slowing down as their column turned into a proper front for a field battle. They¡¯d probably take position on the hill opposite, at least to finalize their formations. ¡°I wish we¡¯d had time to mine those positions,¡± Dan muttered. Janis shrugged. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be worth the risk right now,¡± she said. ¡°Besides, I¡¯d rather have them where I know their location.¡± The Nerlians were clearly intent on giving battle. It made sense, they weren¡¯t going to catch the Hive in conditions like this again, with their link disabled; this was the whole point, presumably. Janis frowned as she watched them assemble on the opposing hillside. There was no scrying needed to see it from here. ¡°If we want to go with your idea, we should get started now,¡± Galatea suggested. Janis nodded. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. Take care, Galatea.¡± The mana-form smiled. ¡°You should be careful, too, Janis, but I will.¡± Then she turned and glided away for a few steps, before she started to move much more quickly. Meanwhile, Dan whistled for a flying drone and directed it to set down nearby, before he took it to Madris. Janis watched them for a moment, seeing the dark elf exchange a few words with Dan before she climbed on. She paused for a moment and then gave a nod, and Dan patted the Winged Drone Mount¡¯s shoulder before it leaped into the air and started to ascend. It was one of their highest-level drones of this Class and smart enough to understand that it should take orders from the rider they¡¯d assigned it, but Janis still couldn¡¯t help but worry a little. They¡¯d never had someone outside the Hive ride a drone while the psychic link wasn¡¯t available. Still, Madris could take care of herself, and the mobility advantage was too great to pass up. The coming battle quickly demanded Janis¡¯ attention again, and she pushed other worries out of her mind. She had her own part to play, not just in any magic that needed to be cast, but as the commander of this army. If they failed ¡­ well, if they failed, she was kind of banking on Leianaleine or even the other gods intervening to stabilize the area or its mana before it could destroy everyone in some great corrupted conflagration, in the worst case. Assuming they just had to fight without the benefit of the psychic link, which was a likely scenario, her battle plan needed to work. First, she had to wait for what felt like hours, the time dragging on as she fidgeted with the need to do something. Janis had taken position at the front of the army, where she was visible and would be available if their enemies wanted to call for a parley. They didn¡¯t seem interested, though. When they¡¯d finally arranged their ranks to their satisfaction, horns and drums sounded and they simply started to advance. The Hive¡¯s ranks held steady, neither advancing to meet them nor wavering in the face of what was coming. The drones simply stood waiting. Janis had instructed her officers to prepare to counter-charge to bleed off momentum if the Nerlians and Cernlians went with that, but they didn¡¯t even break into a run. Magic and skills filled the air before the ranks met. More of the latter than the former, Janis noted as she analyzed the human army¡¯s attacks, trying to ignore the sounds of death and destruction. She was already retreating backward and to the side, accompanied by Dan, as drones opened and closed ranks around her, so she wouldn¡¯t meet them in the front lines. Clearly, they¡¯re avoiding magic ¡­ because their mages are tapped out after casting the ritual or because of the effects on ambient mana? she wondered. Either way, I just hope it¡¯s a good thing. She put two fingers into her mouth and whistled, listening as the signal was repeated. The first wave of Swarm Drones descended and unloaded their payload above the enemy ranks just before the armies clashed. It worked, for what it was worth. She could see the ranks faltering, if only a little. The drones around her surged forward and Janis took another step back, craning her neck to watch. The number of drones in the air had dropped sharply, and she could see many of her flying drones had paid for this attack. Magical or System-based attacks and projectiles rained into the air as the Nerlians responded. Janis shook her head and turned. The sapient commanders in the air would continue with bombardments and attacks of opportunity autonomously according to her orders. Instead, she looked at Dan and the drones she¡¯d stationed as runners beforehand. ¡°Thin the lines at the sides and broaden our front,¡± she ordered. Dan nodded and started passing the message, making sure it was carried on properly. She was glad the enemy didn¡¯t have cavalry in any meaningful numbers; that would have made things harder. Her own flying drones should be able to fill the gap pretty well. While the battle unfolded, largely according to the plan she¡¯d made before, Janis retreated a little further to the back of their lines and to the highest point they¡¯d found on the hillside. She took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders and clenching and unclenching her muscles in an exercise Galatea had mentioned a while ago. Janis wanted to try to contact the others, but she knew it would be a waste of time and resources. Not to mention casting magic here right now might be problematic. So, she simply waited and let the battle continue for a short time. She glanced at the others and nodded Then Janis reached out once again, already bracing herself for the headache of trying to use the psychic link. This time, that wasn¡¯t quite what she did, however. Instead, Janis focused on her mana sense and everything connected to it, as well as the part of her mind that let her connect to the Hive¡¯s shared consciousnesses. She¡¯d been quietly marking it out in the back of her mind pretty much since this disruption field appeared. It was like suddenly having a block of ice dropped in the middle of your bedroom, you couldn¡¯t not notice the temperature changes. Or if you were on a sheet of fabric hanging in the air, to use Madris¡¯ metaphor, where just standing there you¡¯d be able to feel the gradient of gravity pulling down. Janis reached out, pulled ¡­ and pushed. She focused her mind on it and struck at the barrier holding her back from her new home, from her friends and adopted family. She drew on her magic. She might not have a talent for the psychic arts, but the connection to the Hive made up for that. Now she called on the full strength of it. Janis stumbled to the ground and bit her tongue on a scream as blinding pain erupted in her head. She groaned and tried to focus past it, letting it fade into the background of her awareness. Distantly, she was aware of others doing the same, like other sources of heat trying to burn away the coldness of the barrier further away. Their combined efforts struck against it, slid off and failed ¡­ And then Madris and Galatea doubled down on it, Regina shoved so much power at it Janis could almost feel it from here, and it started to buckle. Madris ripped away at the fabric and somehow seemed to reach out to stabilize the rest of them. Then the ambient mana twisted on itself and Janis felt it finally rip away. Janis fell to the ground, screaming hoarsely, as magic or pain, she couldn¡¯t tell the difference, rampaged through her head and the rest of her body. Chapter 199: Direction Regina had been nervous about the plan since Janis first sent it with flying drones across the invisible border demarcating the effect of the ritual. The basic idea of it was very simple. They would attempt to pierce through the ritual effect from several spots to increase the chance of success. Galatea and Madris had assured her it should work. Or so Janis said, anyway, Regina wasn¡¯t going to waste time double-checking it with everything that was going on. It wasn¡¯t quite a targeted purification of the disruption field, but it should do the trick, since suppressing psychic power was what it was all about. Now, she stumbled away from the direction of the armies, almost falling on her ass, trying to think past the blinding headache that was slowly subsiding. It seemed it had indeed worked ¡­ although the price might be high. The headache was one thing, but reaching out through her psychic link was almost harder to handle. The area that had previously been cut off was now open to her senses again. More or less, at least. She could contact the drones inside again, and having their minds in the psychic link was a great relief, if a bit disruptive. Something she¡¯d have to adjust to, but she would, and quickly. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have much time to orient herself, since they were currently in the middle of a battle. That had been expected, of course. If nothing else, the Nerlians should have a much harder time and be less inclined to look for mages trying to break their little suppression ritual field while there was a battle with the hive raging. She would still like to actually win the battle, though. It was clearly proceeding according to plan, as Janis had directed. Although Janis herself was not there to guide it. Regina tentatively reached out and winced right away. Janis was in a lot of pain, and even with the psychic link, Regina wasn¡¯t entirely sure what was happening. Galatea or Madris might know what¡¯s going on, she considered. The battle was proceeding without pause. There had been brief confusion on the hive¡¯s side, and they¡¯d faltered and been pushed back. Their left flank was almost collapsed. But Ben had quickly taken command and organized the sapient drones. Others outside had been standing by and were now helping as well. It was a good thing he¡¯d known this would - hopefully - happen. Already, she could sense the increase in the tempo of the fight as the flying drones sent down hails of rocks and the occasional explosive, dancing through the air and switching out units as they formed temporary flocks above the battlefield. Regina was currently more concerned with Janis, though. The part-elemental mage was lying where she¡¯d attempted her ritual, with Dan standing guard above her with growing concern. She¡¯d been relatively close to the edge of the effect, where the battle was fought, but still well within it. Regina quickly reached out to check on the others. Madris would be even deeper within the field, since she¡¯d been sent in the other direction, across the enemy army. Galatea was at an almost straight angle from them, just outside the area of effect proper - both as an anchor point and as a precaution for her own ¡®twisted¡¯ mana. Regina herself was still close to where the disruption field had been, just outside it by what probably wasn¡¯t more than a few meters, where the hive had been gathering reinforcements. She couldn¡¯t have risked coming closer and being cut off from her entire hive. Regina hissed and held her head as the headache flared up again, feeling like someone was hammering hot nails into her skull. She blinked and her vision swam for a moment with colors blurring together. ¡°Here, my Queen, drink this.¡± Via gently propped her up and handed her a cup with steam wafting from it. Regina looked down at the cup, roughly carved from wood, and tentatively took a sip. The hot tea tasted bitter, but it was nice. ¡°Thank you,¡± she muttered. She didn¡¯t have the energy or focus to spare to wonder how Ira had managed this. ¡°Of course. Is Janis alright?¡± she asked, sounding concerned. Regina sighed and straightened up, then took another careful sip of the tea. ¡°She¡¯s alive,¡± she said, because she couldn¡¯t truthfully say anything more. ¡°I¡¯d go to her, but ¡ª¡° ¡°Please don¡¯t, my Queen,¡± Max cut in. She glanced at him and quirked an eyebrow, then turned back to Ira. A few other drones were standing around as well, and she could feel the shifting concern and relief from them. ¡°Dan and the others will protect her,¡± she told her. ¡°If there is any lingering damage, I can heal it later. She doesn¡¯t seem to be in any immediate danger. And I¡¯m sure Galatea can tell us more about this.¡± Regina mentally reached out to search for her friend. Galatea wasn¡¯t part of the hive, of course, but she was reasonably familiar with her mind. It helped that it wasn¡¯t like anything else she¡¯d encountered. At the moment, the AI was still kilometers away from both her and the site of the battle and Janis, but after a bit of looking, Regina found her and realized she was traveling back inside what had been the area of effect of the Nerlians¡¯ ritual. She wasn¡¯t moving quite as quickly as she could, evidently being careful, but she¡¯d be there in due time. Perhaps not in time for the battle to be decided, though. Just now, Ben was notifying her through the psychic link that he wouldn¡¯t be able to monitor the battle as closely. They¡¯d decided to take advantage of the chaos here to push elsewhere, deeper in Nerlia, and his attention was needed to make sure their plans there went off successfully. Regina sent back a short acknowledgment and focused on the battle in Cernlia. It was a bit of bad luck that Janis also wasn¡¯t there to direct the hive¡¯s forces, or rather, wasn¡¯t in any shape to do it. But Dan was familiar with all of her ideas and was stepping up to make sure it remained under control, along with other sapient drone commanders there like Zac and Alf. For everything that had changed, not much had really happened, and the battle was still raging not very differently from how it had before their effort, on the surface. Battles like this didn¡¯t move that quickly. There were still several ranks of troops pushing against each other in a mass melee. Neither side used large shields commonly, so there wasn¡¯t really a shield wall to speak of, but they were still more sophisticated than everyone just hacking at each other randomly. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. As she watched, the Nerlians on the left flank performed a kind of rotation, melee fighters in front stepping back under cover of ranged combatants and a few mages, who intensified their rains of projectiles and magical attacks. Instead of simply switching out with a second line, though, the ranged barrage continued and the front-line soldiers drew together to protect the ranged ones. It also helped them defend against the flying drones, she realized after a moment. There were scattered flashes and sounds as some soldiers activated Skills to protect their part of the army from explosives and other things the Winged Drones dropped. A few even managed to redirect the attacks and struck down a few Winged Drones. The hive reacted at once, and with a smoothness that wouldn¡¯t have been possible without the coordination of the psychic link. The Winged Drones ascended higher and another flock that had previously kept back came forward, while on the ground, the horde of War Drones stepped back and more powerful fighters moved to the front. Regina watched as they let loose targeted attacks at the Nerlian defenses, breaking through in a few places and killing higher-level soldiers. Dan¡¯s mind sought hers, and Regina connected to him. My Queen, he greeted her. Dan, you¡¯re doing well, she responded. How¡¯s Janis? In his mind, she felt some brief amusement that her immediate concern was for her rather than the state of the battle. It covered some nervous tension deeper in. I¡¯m not sure, but she seems to be stable and still herself, he responded. I can¡¯t do much for her right now, except make sure the battle doesn¡¯t turn on us so the enemy doesn¡¯t get her. Alright, she agreed. You do that. And speaking of the battle ¡­ I¡¯m trying my best to do what Janis would have, he responded, and she could sense the suppressed frustration in his voice. Dan didn¡¯t believe he was a good commander, never had. In her opinion, he was selling himself short. And you might just be underestimating Janis, my Queen, he told her seriously. He¡¯d clearly caught at least an echo of her last thought. She¡¯s new to this ¡ª actually not newer than most of the others, just for her people ¡ª but she¡¯s clearly got good instincts and she knows what she¡¯s doing. I don¡¯t think I would have managed to trap the Nerlians this effectively. Even if it is a simple trap, sure, that doesn¡¯t take away from it. Regina frowned, but sent him a short acknowledgment to concede the point, as she turned her attention back to the battle. Their immediate response to the left flank¡¯s change in tactics wasn¡¯t everything, although it took Regina a moment to realize what was happening even with the psychic link to use. The hive¡¯s forces were still pulling apart a little bit, following the plan she¡¯d gotten mostly just an outline of from the flying drone Janis had sent ¡ª widening the gaps between units a hair and thinning the ranks in the flanks a little. It invited the enemy to try to break through, but they weren¡¯t really in a position for that right now and the hive would punish any attempt. Although it did serve as an incentive, she realized. The left Nerlian flank that had been stuttering was now pulling together a little more and seemed to try to get on more offensive footing again. In response, the hive appeared to increase its attacks by higher-level drones, attempting to stifle them. The Swarm Drones in the higher levels who weren¡¯t quite sapient edged forward, while at the same time the rhythm of the flying drones¡¯ runs actually tapered off. The Cernlian and Nerlian forces took the bait that had been offered. They couldn¡¯t stay on the defensive and let their soldiers get picked off, and by switching to the offense, they could punish the hive for overextending. The left flank moved forward, also staying abreast with the right and the center, which had been advancing slowly but steadily. It should be stabilizing the Nerlians¡¯ lines on the whole. Regina smiled as she watched the last part of the plan click into place. The hive¡¯s forces appeared to yield to the renewed pressure, wavering just a bit and yielding to the allied push. They gave ground, losing the advantage of the elevated position they¡¯d had at the start. A few enterprising sapient drones even had their units retreat completely, in a picture of barely controlled withdrawal, just a push away from running, from a rout. The human commanders responded. They¡¯d come here, used their mages and probably spent most of their magic on a risky initiative to destabilize the hive¡¯s coordination, prepared to corner and crush them before the situation turned further against them. If they let the hive go now, allowed an orderly retreat that would take them out of the former disruption field and to a hive outpost and reinforcements, they risked them coming back much better prepared for the next time. So, the human army pressed forward. The hive kept giving ground, but human commanders on the ground might not see very well that it wasn¡¯t uniformly. The center retreated more quickly than the sides. Regina watched, tugging on her mandible. And then, the sides of the lines the hive had extended started to curl around the edges of the allied formation. Regina smiled as she watched. The battle wasn¡¯t finished, far from it, but it might as well be now. The flying drones were already adjusting their tactics, bombarding the human soldiers with the last of their stored explosives to prevent them from getting out of the beginning encirclement. Even if a mage or high-level fighter managed to put up a barrier to protect the soldiers around them from the bombs, they¡¯d still be anchored in place by it. It might not even be necessary to get any fancier here, the humans still hadn¡¯t seemed to realize what was happening. Or maybe their leaders have, but they can¡¯t control their army as easily. The hive¡¯s psychic link meant she could technically take command of any or all units that were fighting and give them new orders or adjust their course. Even without that, hive armies didn¡¯t have to worry about morale. They could pretend to retreat all day long without ever being in danger of actually routing, something human armies definitely couldn¡¯t, even with the System. Janis had clearly realized the implications for more than guerrilla-style fighting. She¡¯d also prepared a few more elaborate contingencies, but Regina was rather glad those didn¡¯t seem to be needed. The present plan might have worked even without having the psychic link, at least in principle, but she wasn¡¯t sure how well that would have turned out. Right now, she watched Dan guide a Drone Charger with Janis on its back away from the battle and let the noise of it fade from the focus of her awareness. Her commanders had it well in hand, and they did have other concerns. Like what the hell Madris was doing. Or how this would impact the war with the Esemen still advancing through northern Cernlia. For now, Regina checked on Galatea, noting that she was nearing the site of the battle, although she was also changing her course to avoid charging straight at it. She¡¯d mentioned she¡¯d rather keep her presence low-key, so Regina wasn¡¯t surprised she wouldn¡¯t fight in the battle. She wasn¡¯t upset with that, either. They still hadn¡¯t found out who had given the Nerlians the knowledge of this ritual ¡ª since she doubted they¡¯d just happened to chance on it themselves ¡ª and until she got more information, she¡¯d rather be cautious about anything to do with the past, the gods, or anything beyond the surface of the war happening in this region. Chapter 200: Operation Madris Ulaven watched the human soldiers, evaluating their movements in a corner of her mind while most of her attention was elsewhere. They were reasonably skilled, although not nearly at the level of a proper warrior of the Eternal Dark. An experienced dark elf even five levels lower could have taken any of them with ease. Against their current opponents, however, the Nerlians and Cernlians would have the advantage of levels and experience. The Hivekind were still accounting well for themselves, and while a human observing them might have been surprised, she knew better. With the disruption field shattered, their mind link was back in play, and she could tell the difference it made. For a psychic of her power and skill, it would have been impossible not to sense it. She could also feel the center of it, the young Hive Queen, a short distance to the north, surrounded by a small cluster of other minds. Having all of her senses back after having to struggle against the suppression felt intensely liberating. The closest she could compare it to was finding water after two days of thirst, although naturally, the experiences were quite different. Relief aside, having her most powerful tool back was good; she would need it. Madris turned and walked a few steps, glancing back to assure herself that her mount was still staying where she had left it. The drone, one of the ubiquitous horde without proper minds or intelligent thought, crouched on the ground, presumably waiting. It had followed her directions without complaint or attempt to diverge from her path, although now that the Hive Queen had regained control of it she supposed that might change. Assuming she was not too busy with other concerns, anyway. Janis, the young part-elemental, had been incapacitated by the backlash of breaking the ritual effect. Her mind cried out the pain it was feeling; briefly, Madris wondered if it was radiating through their mental link as well and perhaps disturbing the others. There should be protections in place so pain felt by one member would not be debilitating to the others. Madris still felt some sympathy for the young woman. A headache had been pounding against her own skull since the break, and she still had to divert some of her focus to ensure her mana did not rage out of control. Of course, controlling pain or discomfort to not affect one¡¯s performance was a basic skill she had learned long ago. Even the rest of the backlash would not incapacitate her. She had accounted for it and knew the effect would fade. Regina and Galatea should have been somewhat sheltered as well, having been outside the bounds of the field when it shattered. Thinking of Regina and Janis almost elicited a grimace. She had not felt as humiliated in some time as she had coming to the Hive¡¯s army to offer, almost beg, to let her help them. However, she had recently had a lesson in the dangers of pride and strove to learn from these. Swallowing a bit of perceived humiliation was nothing against the potential benefits she could gain here, or the dangers of letting the situation develop uncontrolled. On the face of it, the disruption effect would not be considered a grave threat by most people. Of course, others in the organization would certainly act, if only for the potential weapon against them. What truly concerned her, however, was that the Nerlians had never shown any inclination for the psychic arts before, certainly not like this, even if they had dabbled in ritual magic a little. It made sense for them to develop a countermeasure against the Hivekind, but this quickly? No, this was either an old weapon from the times of the purge resurfacing or outside action (perhaps even both). The Nerlians should not even have the resources a ritual on this scale must require, which only added to the potential concern. And all else aside, misuse of this capability was exactly what she was supposed to curb. "Madris?¡± Armin whispered. Long practice allowed her not to visibly startle. Instead, she only turned her head calmly to look as he melted into sight from the shadow of a rock that should never have been large enough to hide him. ¡°Armin,¡± she responded, stepping closer to him. ¡°You¡¯ve remained hidden?¡± ¡°They never saw me,¡± he confirmed. ¡°They¡¯re presumably too occupied by their fight with the Hivekind. I did keep my distance until the battle actually started, so I don¡¯t have much information for you.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t manage to slow them down?¡± she asked. ¡°I never really saw a good opportunity,¡± he answered with a grimace. ¡°I still sabotaged a few wagon wheels, but they just let the wagons fall back, and I shooed a few monsters their way, but they barely slowed down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± Madris shook her head lightly. ¡°The Hive seem to be handling this well enough on their own.¡± She was currently behind the human army and deeper into the ritual effect¡¯s field. That had put her in a better position for the attempt to pierce through and shatter it, although it also cut her off from support the drones might be able to offer. On the other hand, this might make it easier for her. And the Nerlians and Cernlians wouldn¡¯t expect someone to come from behind them. Although with Armin¡¯s guidance, she was not worried about that anyhow. ¡°So, we¡¯re not going to help with the battle?¡± he asked, tugging on a strap across his chest and adjusting the handle of a short blade. ¡°Not unless we get a good opportunity that does not put us at risk,¡± Madris said. ¡°While I do want to help them, I¡¯d say I¡¯ve already done my part by helping them break through this suppression, and young Janis seems to have it all accounted for.¡± ¡°Well, as long as you have your power back,¡± he said, accepting her decision easily. Madris smiled. While he might only be part of her House as a formality ¡ª not that there was much of one ¡ª to take advantage of some antiquated laws, Armin always trusted her to take charge and lead the party. She was glad he was also willing to follow her lead unquestioningly in these circumstances. They did not talk much as they proceeded. Armin helped them pass unnoticed, although Madris had an opportunity to practice her skills at wandering stealthily as well. It was admittedly not a skill she excelled in, though with her natural gifts and many years of practice, it would mark her as an expert among humans. The scattered sentries and soldiers they passed never noticed that anyone was there. Certainly none of them raised an alarm. Madris still made sure to move carefully, at a cautious pace. Battles did not conclude quickly, so they should be occupied for some time. She kept a metaphorical as well as literal eye on it to make sure that remained the case. This many minds together in the throes of strong emotion would have been like bonfires to any psychic nearby, anyhow. Lesser ones might have had trouble telling apart details or getting an accurate sense of what was happening, but Madris was not new to this and it was far from the first battle she had observed. She grasped the Hive¡¯s strategy quickly, and felt some satisfaction as she watched them encircle the enemy force. Good, that should pin them down for a while, at least, and while the battle might be effectively decided, it would still take time to conclude. Hopefully, the drones would be smart enough to limit the human fighters¡¯ retreat instead of simply letting them all run. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. She was not entirely sure what to look for, although sensing the minds around her helped. While they approached, she sorted through the impressions they gave her. Most of the humans were obviously focused on the battle. While they were approaching the back lines, where the commanders, noncombatants and perhaps reinforcements were kept, it was close enough to be potentially threatened by the Hive¡¯s drones. Madris briefly wondered what the Hive might do regarding camp followers or other civilians or innocents caught up in this, before she dismissed the thought. It was not her business or her problem and besides, Regina would surely be less likely to massacre civilians than anyone else in this mess, if she was not mistaken. Armin pointed out a few steps in a whisper, and Madris contributed her own efforts to make sure they stayed invisible. It was not technically invisibility, of course. An objective observation would still see her, and it was uncertain concerning scrying. Galatea might see her as well, with how differently she saw the world. But for everyone around them, their minds simply refused to process their presence, ignoring it entirely. It would even work if they made a loud racket, although being stealthy saved mana. A rather basic application of psychic powers, although it was one she had gotten good mileage out of for a long time. Madris used it to ghost through the camp of the Cernlian-Nerlian army, taking note of interesting features and people. Armin kept his eyes out as well, slipping further away from her a few times. The separation between the two nationalities was clear, though less distinct than it had been the last time she visited one of their armies. It appeared the progression of the war had worn down some barriers. That would tend to make things easier for them, most likely, and result in some increase in effectiveness. There was what she¡¯d consider a disproportionate number of nobles present, perhaps because it was the Cernlian king¡¯s host. And considering what she had heard, he¡¯d prefer his vassals close by and in easy reach. There were a surprising number of Nerlians in expensive clothes as well, however. Madris noted and cataloged them, but she paid more attention to the mages. There was a concentration of them here you rarely saw outside of war. Even without access to their status from the System, she was rather sure many of them were exhausted, judging by the feel of their minds. It seemed like casting the ritual had taken quite a bit of mana. Most casters could not take having their mana pools emptied in stride, and the forced march and now this battle would only exacerbate it, although the Nerlians did not seem to rely as heavily on their mages for this one. Madris paused as she neared who she suspected might be the leader of at least the Cernlian part of this assembly. Thaumaturge Zephyr was someone she¡¯d encountered before, although he seemed to have gained a level recently.
Derrek Zephyr ¡ª Level 73 Thaumaturge
Apart from the level-up, which she knew would have taken quite a bit of time and effort at his level, he did not appear to have changed much. There was stubble on his chin and his face was set in a glower, although that did not seem very unusual from what little she knew of him. He was also quite clearly exhausted, but not quite to the level of most others. He must have retained at least a fifth or so of his mana pool, she estimated. Madris stopped as she came across him and quickly took in these details. Zephyr was walking along the trampled dirt path, clearly hurrying. She hesitated for a moment before she slipped behind him and followed. While Madris had been focused on the mages and on looking for any signs of the ritual they cast or anything connected to it, she¡¯d paid less attention to the mundanely important matters. It was with some surprise now that she recognized the middle-aged human man Zephyr approached at a quick pace, as he turned to look at him. She checked the System to be sure.
Nicholas of Cernlia ¡ª Level 36 King
¡°Where have you been, Zephyr?¡± King Nicholas snapped. ¡°As I said, Your Majesty, one gets a better view of the battle being airborne,¡± Zephyr replied with a tone of exaggerated patience. So he finally got his wyvern back, Madris mused, suppressing a smirk. She didn¡¯t particularly care about the Cernlian king, but under these circumstances, he was important. She looked around, quickly examining the scene. Nicholas and a few knights were stood a short distance away from the center of the impromptu camp, and she noted a few pages leading horses behind them. A few men were quickly gathering what looked like shaped but uneven gold bars in bags. They were treating the precious metal with far less respect than one would usually assume. Gold was usually involved in making ritual circles. And interestingly, the men clearly answered to Zephyr, who quickly gestured for one of them to move a bag to a different horse. ¡°So it¡¯s as bad as it seems?¡± another man asked, who she didn¡¯t need to check the System to recognize as a noble lord. ¡°I am afraid so, if not worse.¡± ¡°Your vaunted ritual certainly did not hold up to expectations,¡± the king commented with a dark look. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my ritual, my lord,¡± Zephyr replied in a similar tone. ¡°And I¡¯m uncertain what happened that the Hive managed to pierce it so quickly, but that¡¯s all done now.¡± Madris looked around once more with a frown, then gestured at Armin. It was easier, especially for him, to hide them if they were silent, so they didn¡¯t speak. He nodded as he followed her gaze to Zephyr. It did not take a genius to realize they were planning on fleeing. That was only sensible, she supposed. The battle was clearly turning against them and would soon be lost, barring a surprise they did not seem to have prepared. Madris hesitated, looking between the people present, before she sighed and melted into the shadows as she stepped back. She waited patiently until Zephyr left the gathered men. It had been a gamble on her part, but one she felt was well worth it. Zephyr had a wyvern again and he would certainly not leave it behind, even if he could stand the king¡¯s (or some other lords¡¯) company voluntarily. So she was not surprised to see him turning away from them and heading to a nearby enclosure after a few minutes. They had to wait for an appropriate moment. When it came, Madris assaulted their target¡¯s mind while Armin did the actual work. He was much better at it. She crashed through Zephyr¡¯s mental defenses with untypical brute force, more concerned with speed than finesse this time. He staggered and almost dropped where he stood in the shadow of a pavilion tent until Armin swept him up and carried him away. Madris followed quickly, glancing around and making sure no one had seen anything. For good measure, she impressed the thought that Zephyr was fine and did not matter so they could all focus on more important concerns to anyone who might be close by and interested in seeing him. He was still conscious and awake, but Madris kept up the pressure ¡ª not enough to harm him, just enough to keep him from casting any spells. Once they were no longer surrounded by the gathered soldiers and in the shadow of a grassy hill a few meters away, Armin nodded at her and then put his hand on the man¡¯s face. Darkness rose and shadow swallowed him. He heaved the bundle of shadow up onto his back and they set off. She monitored Zephyr¡¯s consciousness while he stumbled through the shadowy labyrinth they¡¯d constructed, unknowing that it was all in his mind. Not someone she¡¯d want to keep contained long-term, but this should do. She tapped Armin¡¯s shoulder and jerked her head north, telling him they should hurry up. It would have been very convenient to be able to take the king. She was confident they would have won the fight in question, even if it wouldn¡¯t be easy. And she was not certain Regina would not take exception to the choice to let him go. But Madris thought she would understand. The king was one thing, but they had to mind the bigger picture, and answers were more likely to be had from the mage. She had not found the kind of evidence or information she had hoped for with the army leadership, so she certainly hoped their catch would be useful. If nothing else, she looked forward to Regina¡¯s reaction when she brought him. After all, they needed a secure location to stash or interrogate the prisoner, and the Hive¡¯s presence might as well be used for that. Chapter 201: Sources As Regina¡¯s headache receded, at least to bearable levels, she found her thoughts moving considerably faster again. She still probably needed a good night¡¯s sleep and some rest, but that was true of everyone. There was a lot demanding her attention, so it was a good thing. She kept most of her focus on the battle in the south, closer to her own position, both because of the people involved and the importance of the now-shattered psychic disruption field. Ben would manage the other ¡®front¡¯ well enough. At least she checked in a few times and it seemed to be going well. The same could be said for the battle here, although the casualties still made her wince. The human soldiers were generally higher level and stronger than the drones, and it showed. Especially since the hive had mostly burned through their stockpiles of explosives and a lot came down to the fighting on the ground, where Janis¡¯ strategy carried the day but wasn¡¯t without cost. Regina wasn¡¯t worried about winning the battle ¡ª they were clearly doing that already ¡ª and drones would fight to the last being if necessary, so the losses didn¡¯t really impact their combat effectiveness on a less abstract level. Unlike the human soldiers, who were clearly not far from a rout. If they hadn¡¯t been encircled by hive drones, they might have already been fleeing in droves. As it was, she hoped they would surrender soon, although she wasn¡¯t holding her breath. Galatea clearly evaluated the situation along the same lines and was keeping her distance, staying away from the actual fighting. That was fine. Regina reached out through her psychic senses, although she had to force herself a little, almost flinching away. She didn¡¯t, though, and while things still felt a little harder than usual, she had unfettered access to the entire area now. She passed the minds belonging to her hive, looking for someone else. Galatea was there, of course ¡ª and she found Madris surprisingly close. Regina frowned. She hadn¡¯t had much attention to spare for her, but she¡¯d been generally aware of her position at least when she¡¯d focused on the area. Madris had been on the other side of the battle, where she¡¯d been positioned to break through the field, and then lingered there. She¡¯d been moving towards the Nerlians last Regina had seen. Now she¡¯d clearly missed something, since Madris was approaching quickly. She was accompanied by her previous companion and ¡­ was that another mind? Regina hesitated, then shared the information over the psychic link. She had to remind Max and a few others emphatically to play nice. Regardless of whether they liked Madris, she was their ally for now, and she had helped. Besides, it was on the hive to demonstrate that they could be civilized, cooperative and just reasonable in general. Don¡¯t trust her, my Queen, Max told her. Regina almost rolled her eyes. I wasn¡¯t born yesterday, she said. Of course I¡¯m not going to give her the keys to the kingdom. But I¡¯m willing to give her the chance to earn trust, at least. Besides, being hostile to a powerful psychic is just bad policy in general. So she managed a smile when Madris appeared. It froze once she realized what it was the dark elf and her companion were bringing along with them, clearly taken from the enemy army¡¯s camp, or wherever its leadership had been hanging around. A stir went through the surrounding drones as well. More of them were still trickling in from the sky, and further out, they were preparing to move forward and support Janis¡¯ group at the conclusion of the battle. Regina ignored them, though, focused on the figure Armin set down. Shadows were slowly vanishing from it, revealing the form of a human man. She checked the System description to be sure she recognized him, and tried to assess what her other senses were telling her. It seemed pretty clear that Madris had done something to Derrek Zephyr. His mind was distant in a way she hadn¡¯t encountered before, and she had the impression that he was not aware of what was going on around him. "Hive Queen Regina,¡± Madris greeted her, inclining her head slightly. She managed to make the gesture look graceful and almost regal in her own right, and her body language was just as assured. This wasn¡¯t her first rodeo. ¡°Madris,¡± Regina responded, mirrored the gesture and smiled. ¡°Thank you for the help you have given us. To your companion as well, of course,¡± she nodded at him. He returned the nod but didn¡¯t speak up, instead letting Madris continue talking. ¡°Of course, you are most welcome,¡± she responded smoothly. ¡°I felt compelled to intervene in light of what was happening. I am glad if I could be of some assistance to your Hive.¡± ¡°Certainly. And I see you brought someone who may help us shed some light on what was happening.¡± Now Madris allowed herself a small smile. ¡°Indeed. Unfortunately, I did not find more tangible evidence in the humans¡¯ camp, but I¡¯m sure Zephyr will provide some information. This seems like a reasonably secure location to store him for the moment, I would say?¡± ¡°It should,¡± Regina agreed. She glanced at a few of the drones and told them to make sure things were ready and that they were secure over the psychic link. She also took the opportunity to check on a few other things nearby. ¡°Well then, should we get to it?¡± ¡°Actually, there¡¯s another thing.¡± Regina hesitated slightly before she continued. ¡°Would you look at Janis?¡± Madris looked surprised for a moment, before her expression softened. ¡°Of course. I¡¯d be happy to.¡± She turned, her gaze unerringly sweeping to where Janis was currently being carried toward them by a few other drones. Clearly, expecting a psychic not to be aware of that would be stupid. Regina made sure the drones escorting Janis set her down on a good spot, on a few blankets spread over the grass, while her own group hurried over there. She checked on her mind again, but found little change. Madris pursed her lips as she saw Janis, then crouched down and touched her forehead. She remained there for a second, her brows slowly drawing together into a frown, before she nodded and stood up again, turning to Regina after giving a last glance at Janis. ¡°She¡¯s suffered the brunt of the backlash for breaking the ritual field,¡± Madris said. ¡°Most likely because she was the only one inside except for me, and I have superior defenses and weathered it much better. I am not sure if this reaction is part of the intended workings of the ritual or simply an effect of breaking it the way we did. Either way, I do not think she will suffer lasting damage. I should check on her a few more times to be sure, and I should be able to help if there are issues. For now, we can only wait for her to come to grips with the psychic backlash and for the mana to calm down regarding the magical aspect. It should start a positive feedback loop.¡± Regina exhaled a breath she hadn¡¯t realized had clogged up her airways and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good to know. Thank you. I¡¯d appreciate it very much if you would help like this.¡± Madris returned her smile. ¡°As I said, I¡¯d be happy to help, Your Majesty.¡± ¡®Your Majesty¡¯, huh? She really is trying to play nice, Regina considered. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Now that she was somewhat reassured regarding Janis¡¯ condition, Regina focused on Zephyr and the rest of the situation. She checked on the drones who¡¯d taken custody of him and quickly made her way there, accompanied by Madris, with Max, Ira and a few others trailing behind. Armin had stayed behind and was hovering unobtrusively where he could keep an eye on the prisoner. ¡°Before we get started,¡± Madris said, ¡°you should be aware of something else that may be a little time-sensitive. The Cernlian king was with the army, I saw him preparing to flee. He¡¯s already on the move by now.¡± ¡°We know,¡± Max spoke up. ¡°We noticed and are keeping an eye on them.¡± Regina glanced at him and checked on the psychic link again. The others had set a few flying drones to tail the king¡¯s party from the distance, and she could see him riding hard for the closest territory under their control, currently to the south-southeast. She¡¯d been too distracted to pay much attention, although now that she focused on it, she could see why Ben or Dan hadn¡¯t asked her to let them stage an attack yet. Everything that was left of the Cernlian elite fighters, including quite a few knights and nobles with more martial Classes, accompanied him. This was not a group they¡¯d be able to take easily, and her army in the area was still tied down while it was finishing off dealing with the human army. ¡°Capturing him would be a coup,¡± Regina agreed. ¡°But we¡¯ll only make an attempt if we have a good opportunity. The king and his Nerlian allies have just suffered a critical defeat, anyway.¡± She turned and looked at Zephyr, frowning. The man was clearly coming around, his eyes had started tracking them as they spoke. Presumably they needed him conscious for the interrogation. ¡°So we meet again, Thaumaturge Derrek Zephyr,¡± she greeted him. He blinked. It clearly took a moment for him to realize who she was and what was happening. ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± he rasped. He tugged at the bonds of shadow still winding around him, but they didn¡¯t give. Then his gaze stopped at Madris. ¡°You kidnapped me.¡± ¡°Obviously,¡± Madris said. ¡°We are at war,¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°And you have information we want.¡± He scowled. ¡°Why should I cooperate with you in any way?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d hope we can all deal with this like civilized people,¡± Regina said, keeping her tone cold and toneless to intimidate him. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m sure at this point you know it¡¯s your best bet. You¡¯re not going to be rescued. Whoever provided the information on that ritual might just consider you a loose end, anyway.¡± He frowned, but didn¡¯t respond. Madris glanced at Regina, her expression unreadable, then shrugged and inspected her fingernails. ¡°We can always rip the information out of your mind if you won¡¯t talk,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s not a pleasant process, at least for those on the receiving end, but you can rest assured, I won¡¯t do permanent damage. Most likely.¡± Regina suppressed a frown of her own. She had no idea whether Madris would actually do that. Well, she had no doubt that she was capable of doing it, the question was if she would cross such a line. Regina didn¡¯t know her well enough to tell. Either way, it might not matter. Madris certainly didn¡¯t look like she was bluffing, staring down their captive with a cold and almost annoyed look. Regina caught his gaze flickering to the tips of her ears before he swallowed. He¡¯s buying it, she concluded. And she had the feeling this wasn¡¯t even about whatever stories he might have heard about dark elves. It was just a reminder that Madris wasn¡¯t even the same species, that she had no reason to consider him as any kind of fellow. Regina herself, of course, was Hivekind, either a literal monster or one made so by biased history. ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal,¡± Armin spoke up. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell us about any troop movements or military plans or the like, we can deal with that easily enough. You just talk about the ritual and how you came to cast it.¡± Zephyr licked his lips. ¡°I don¡¯t know much,¡± he said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my ritual.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible. She¡¯d been trying to sense his mind through her psychic senses, and now focused in on it more closely. After a moment, though, she felt what she could only describe as a mental knock. She glanced over at Madris and met the psychic¡¯s eyes. After a moment, Regina tentatively reached out. We can tell if someone is lying rather easily. You should already be able to do it. Can you? Madris asked. Her mental voice was tightly controlled, not carrying any of the carry-over and noise she was accustomed to. Regina glanced away as she responded. Sometimes, but not consistently, she admitted. Madris made a small gesture with her hand and Regina sensed a moving barrier made of a small whirlwind spring up around Zephyr, blocking any sound from reaching him. That¡¯s fine, I can teach you, she responded. The trick is to go just a little deeper than a surface emotional read, but to still pay attention to those emotions. The surface of their minds will shift in particular ways when someone is lying, there¡¯s a certain tension you¡¯ll learn to recognize, and it takes more cognitive effort than telling the truth. Regina focused on her, catching an echo of sensation Madris showed her to illustrate what she was explaining. She processed it for a short while, trying to commit the details to memory and align it with her own experiences. ¡°We have all the time in the world, even if you¡¯re a little slow,¡± Madris said. Regina tugged on her mandible, then smiled. ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± she responded. Good. Madris layered a small tinge of praise over the word. You should be able to check our informant¡¯s words, though I¡¯ll be there to catch anything you miss. Regina nodded, but didn¡¯t break the connection yet. What about whatever organization you must belong to? she asked. With your duty to responsible use of psychic power? Will they approve of you teaching me like this? Madris shook her head slightly, her lips curling upwards the tiniest bit. Not an issue, she responded with an undertone of amusement. The organization is rather loose. More of an association of people with a common interest and obligation. They won¡¯t care about me teaching someone so long as we don¡¯t cross any lines. The others will trust me to handle this situation, anyhow. Alright then, Regina said, taking note of that information. She didn¡¯t ask why Madris was teaching her even this basic skill right now, although she was tempted. The dark elf turned back to Zephyr. ¡°Who did the ritual come from?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, honestly,¡± the man responded. Regina could tell he was mostly telling the truth. ¡°Where did you get it?¡± she asked. ¡°Elaborate a little.¡± He sighed. ¡°I was approached by someone who didn¡¯t tell me their affiliation. They pointed me to it. I actually found the ritual in old records in the capital¡¯s archives. It appears to date back to the last war with the Hivekind, shortly after the Cataclysm. It only needed a little modification.¡± Huh. That¡¯s interesting. ¡°And the resources?¡± she asked. ¡°It was surprisingly cheap, but we also got an anonymous donation of gold to the king¡¯s cause from some ¡®concerned patriot¡¯,¡± Zephyr responded with obvious sarcasm on the last part. ¡°The king figured it was some rich merchant or noble who¡¯d been holding out and was going to claim credit later for leverage.¡± He clearly didn¡¯t quite think so, and Regina was inclined to agree. Although she supposed it could be a coincidence. ¡°And you have no idea who could be behind it?¡± she asked. ¡°Any details?¡± Zephyr visibly hesitated, then sighed. ¡°One of our men trailed the man who approached me with the tip,¡± he said with visible reluctance. ¡°He met with another man in a tavern after taking the long way there. A level 20 Priest.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow before she could stop herself. Well, that¡¯s a hint, alright. ¡°There¡¯s more,¡± Madris said, giving him a hard look. ¡°What else do you know about this matter?¡± Zephyr smirked slightly, looking at Regina. ¡°Well. I can¡¯t be sure, you understand. And he was a lower-level Acolyte the last I knew of him. But the description, a young man called Rodrick with dark hair and beard and a scar on his left cheek, is familiar to me. But as far as I know, he follows Alianais.¡± Regina¡¯s other eyebrow joined the first. There was a moment of silence. Then Madris waved her hand to erect the windy sound barrier again. ¡°Alianais?¡± Ira spoke up, sounding concerned, though Regina could sense she felt even more apprehensive than she let on. ¡°Why would she do that?¡± ¡°It could be wrong,¡± Max pointed out. ¡°She could be being framed, for all we know.¡± Madris looked between them and Regina, then shrugged. ¡°Far be it from me to defend a god,¡± she said. ¡°But if Alianais did do this, it does not necessarily mean she¡¯s acted against you. What are the chances that Cernlia is the only source with this information? She might have been trying to warn you in some twisted way, or prepare you to face it.¡± Still, in that case why couldn¡¯t she¡¯ve just told us? Regina thought. She sighed. ¡°There¡¯s too little to go on for any kind of conclusion.¡± When she looked at Zephyr, she noticed that he¡¯d nodded off again. His mind still felt sluggish and he¡¯d obviously succumbed to sleep. ¡°We can interrogate him further, preferably later, but I do not think he has much more information to share concerning this question,¡± Madris said. ¡°Perhaps you should focus on the battle?¡± Regina nodded and turned away. She still kept worrying about it in the back of her mind, though. Chapter 202: Backlash Janis didn¡¯t know how much time had passed. Something as distant and unimportant as the passage of time ceased to matter when your whole being was narrowed down to the magic. The pain, and the mana. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she hovered between them, and she only vaguely became aware of anything happening in the outside world after things started improving. It wasn¡¯t easy. She had to corral her mana, which was suddenly much more restive than she¡¯d ever experienced it before. And she felt strained and hurt on some fundamental level by whatever the backlash of their magic had done. It made it hard to focus, which was dangerous in this situation. Finally, though, she¡¯d imposed a semblance of order on it and the pain was receding, turning into only a blinding headache that pulsed behind her closed eyes and wrapped like a tightening steel vise around her temples. It made it hard to move, but not impossible. So, Janis blinked her eyes open. It took a minute until she stopped seeing spots and her vision was no longer swimming, so she could try to take in what she saw. She¡¯d been vaguely aware of people nearby, towards the end, and now realized they must have moved her. She was lying on soft grass with folded-up cloth beneath her head, and several presences hovered near her. She could sense them even without seeing them, through the psychic link. Despite everything else, feeling herself being connected to it again was a relief. She also immediately became aware of Regina¡¯s attention on her. The Hive Queen¡¯s notice was something she suspected all drones or members of the Hive could learn to feel, and as she¡¯d been growing more powerful it had been growing less subtle. Janis groaned and sat up, blinking and trying to assess what her senses told her. There was one person nearby who she couldn¡¯t sense through the link, although, after a moment of surprise, she realized it only made sense. Madris stood over her, perhaps a meter away, looking down at her with a contemplative expression. ¡°Take it easy,¡± she said. ¡°You are mostly recovered, but I wouldn¡¯t do anything too strenuous for a while. Do not immerse yourself into your hive link too deeply, yet, at least.¡± Janis nodded, which she quickly regretted. ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°Thanks for the tip, and, uh, the help?¡± she trailed off. ¡°I did not do much,¡± Madris replied. ¡°You dealt with the backlash yourself rather well.¡± The corners of her lips lifted up into a slight, lopsided smile that looked closer to a smirk. ¡°Good job, girl.¡± ¡°The backlash?¡± Janis repeated, questioning. ¡°It was worse than I anticipated,¡± Madris replied. ¡°I suspect that may be a feature intentionally built into the ritual. Or perhaps the use and effect of mana in the affected location is the cause. It will need some more research and perhaps careful testing.¡± She apparently dealt with it well enough, Regina said. She also brought back a prisoner to ask about the ritual. She paused and then sent the equivalent of a warm hug. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay, Janis. Thank you, Regina, Janis replied, relaxing a little despite herself. It seemed like things had gone pretty well while she was incapacitated, at least. Although she hoped it hadn¡¯t been too long. A System screen in the corner of her vision caught her attention, and Janis smiled when she read the notification.
You have leveled up
She was almost at the next threshold. That was great. Janis wasn¡¯t sure where the Experience for this level-up had come from, if it was breaking the ritual effect or maybe the fight, but she supposed it didn¡¯t matter now. Instead, she quickly checked on the battle. It looked like she really had missed all of the excitement. The battle was as good as over, from what she could see, they were just wrapping up. Judging from the drones¡¯ positions and the impression she got from the psychic link, her plan had worked. That gave her a feeling of pride she was sure Regina could sense. The woman in question was also close by, as she now noted. As always, she was accompanied by Max and Ira, as well as a few others. Janis could see that Max had positioned himself to be almost directly between Regina and Madris, to protect her from an attack. Overall, though, the Hive seemed pretty relaxed around the dark elf Delver. And her companion, who Janis noticed now as well. She examined him curiously for a second, but didn¡¯t see any obvious signs of spirit blood. His dark hair and eyes seemed just like normal human features. She supposed it made sense if he was going to hide, at least. Janis made an effort to contain her curiosity. She¡¯d have time to talk to him later, hopefully. For now, she still felt exhausted and in need of a good meal and a night¡¯s sleep, but she¡¯d already missed too much. She sat up and then got to her feet slowly and carefully. Luckily, the vertigo she¡¯d half-expected didn¡¯t materialize. ¡°What now?¡± she asked after a moment of hesitation. Regina didn¡¯t look very sure, herself. ¡°We still need to interrogate Zephyr again,¡± she said. ¡°He gave us a bit of information on the ritual, but I¡¯d like more details. And then there¡¯s the rest of their army to deal with, and the Esemen of course. And I¡¯m not sure if our guest has any requirements,¡± she finished, glancing at Madris. ¡°Wait, Zephyr? You captured him?¡± Janis quickly checked through the psychic link and whistled tunelessly when she found it was true. He seemed to be asleep and was guarded by quite a few drones. ¡°Indeed,¡± Madris responded with a faint smile. ¡°And I have no pressing needs or demands at present, Hive Queen.¡± Regina looked at her, frowning slightly. ¡°We need to talk.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°That we need to do, certainly,¡± Madris agreed right away. ¡°But perhaps you would prefer to settle urgent matters first? Like these armies?¡± ¡°Have they still not surrendered?¡± Janis asked. ¡°No,¡± Regina replied, her frown deepening. ¡°They¡¯re losing people, although so are we.¡± ¡°Have you tried asking?¡± Madris asked. Regina just gave her a look, before she glanced to the side. ¡°We¡¯ll try telling them to surrender again.¡± Janis tried to follow her attention through the psychic link, focusing on the drones fighting the human soldiers and those circling above. There were less of either than there had been at the beginning of this, although that might be because the front line had also shrunk and not every drone could actually be engaged in combat. The battle had mostly died down, with the humans huddled together in the center and forming a shield wall around them, which they were trying to push against the drones. They kept back, mostly harrying them and content to exhaust the humans. It kept casualties down, which was one of Regina¡¯s goals. Now, Dan stepped up, climbing on top of a large War Drone and shouting across to the human soldiers. ¡°Surrender!¡± His words echoed for a moment, and he paused as they assessed the impact of the words, before he continued, ¡°You have lost this battle! Surrender to save your lives! You will be treated well and released once the war is over or parole arrangements have been reached! Else you would die needlessly for a man who has abandoned you!¡± Janis watched, resisting the urge to tap her fingers, as their reaction spread through the human army. Any division between Cernlians and Nerlians had mostly disappeared, with them fighting a desperate defense together. Now it became a little more apparent, but she still saw that it wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop the momentum of the situation. It took a few more minutes and repeated calls before most of the humans laid down their weapons. Once a significant portion of them had done it, it was like a dam broke loose and everyone followed suit. Janis released a breath she hadn¡¯t realized she¡¯d been holding. She¡¯d been braced for some kind of trick to turn things around at the last moment, a card up their sleeve, even as she realized it was rather unlikely. Maybe they¡¯d even prepared something, but with the Cernlian king having fled and Zephyr captured by Madris, it would have fallen apart before they could start. ¡°We¡¯re going to need you,¡± Regina said quietly as she stepped up beside Janis, laying a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve done very well dealing with humans, and the more human faces we have to show them instead of ¡®monsters¡¯, the easier this will go.¡± Janis sighed. She understood her logic, even if she didn¡¯t necessarily like it. Then again, after what had happened, maybe it would be good to take a step back from fighting and focus on other things. She wasn¡¯t exactly raring to go storming off into the next battle. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to sideline you, Regina assured her silently with a small smile. You¡¯ve just proved you¡¯re one of my best commanders, after all. Janis smiled back. It felt surprisingly good to hear that, even if she wasn¡¯t entirely sure she could live up to it. ¡°I¡¯d also like to have you here for this talk,¡± Regina continued quietly. She straightened up and turned to the side, where Madris and Galatea were still hovering. Janis realized they were talking quietly and tried to strain her ears to hear, but she didn¡¯t get anything. They stopped talking quickly. ¡°I suppose you have some questions,¡± Madris acknowledged, coming closer. ¡°I do,¡± Regina responded seriously. ¡°For starters, why did you come here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a loaded question,¡± Madris said. ¡°I sensed what was happening, but we¡¯ve been keeping an eye on this war anyhow. I was concerned with this phenomenon, so I decided to intervene personally.¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°I also wanted the opportunity to talk to you again.¡± She wanted to talk to her? Janis wondered. For a specific reason? "Well, we¡¯re here now,¡± Regina said. ¡°You¡¯ve intervened.¡± Madris visibly took a deep breath and a grimace flickered across her face before she spoke again, her eyes fixed on Regina. ¡°First of all, I want to apologize. I was ¡­ overly rash when we last met.¡± Regina blinked, and Janis shared her surprise. Despite Madris¡¯ behavior this time, when she¡¯d clearly been trying to be nice and cooperative, she had not expected an actual apology. She could sense that Regina was pleased to hear it, though, almost despite herself. ¡°Okay,¡± she said, not having anything better to offer. Madris just looked at her for a moment, before she glanced away, at the others. ¡°Was there something else?¡± Janis prompted. ¡°Indeed,¡± Madris said, focusing back on Regina. It was clear that she didn¡¯t care nearly as much about the rest of them. ¡°I have some more information that I believe you would want to hear. It relates to why we have decided to change our stance. That is why I would like to reiterate Gwen¡¯s invitation.¡± ¡°What sort of information?¡± Regina asked. Madris shook her head hesitantly. ¡°I can¡¯t say ¡ª or at least, I¡¯d rather not,¡± she corrected herself. ¡°It is the sort of thing that is easier to show you.¡± Regina gave her a look. ¡°You need to give me more than that, Madris,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you realize how this sounds.¡± Madris sighed. ¡°Of course. We have certain new findings, that¡¯s all I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°So you want me to come to your base? That would be a major risk, you understand.¡± ¡°No. Of course you¡¯d be welcome there, but what I¡¯d like to show you is not at our base. Instead, it would be -¡° she tilted her head slightly - ¡°about where you previously cooperated with us.¡± That must mean the underground tunnels, and the ruins, Janis realized. She inhaled a quiet breath and looked deeper into the psychic link, exchanging impressions with Regina. Her own reaction was much the same. Skeptical, but also intrigued. ¡°I see,¡± Regina said. ¡°That is an intriguing proposal. We will see.¡± ¡°I would be willing to leave Armin behind as a hostage to assure you that we are acting in good faith and mean no harm,¡± Madris said. Janis could see the tension in her face. It was clearly not an offer she made gladly, but she didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°So long as you give assurances not to harm him, of course.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. She glanced at Madris¡¯ companion, who watched the conversation stoically, before nodding. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sure we can arrange something. I promise you I have no intention of harming him as long as he is our guest, anyway.¡± Clearly, Madris sensed that Regina didn¡¯t want to commit to anything right now, even if she was interested, because she didn¡¯t push it. Janis exhaled and turned her attention to the psychic link again, only listening with one ear as the conversation moved to lighter topics and they started to talk about magic. Usually, she¡¯d listen with interest, but right now she was still tired and found it really hard to focus. She reluctantly decided to go and get a few hours of sleep, so she¡¯d be able to concentrate. She¡¯d see if she could find at least the gist of their conversation in the psychic link later, or just ask Regina. Before she left, she still checked quickly on the rest of the psychic link. She was curious to see how the war had been going, not just here. Ben had been pretty absent in the link, recently, and she had the impression it was because he was busy with another important task. Now that she looked, she realized that the other main army the Hive currently had, deeper in Nerlia, had moved. At least a little. It was now occupying what remained of the Nerlians¡¯ fortified positions, although the fortifications had been reduced to rubble, charred pieces of wood and burned out ground. The soldiers themselves had surrendered, she realized. Well, Janis smiled to herself. It seems like the new guns were a success. Ignoring her tiredness for the moment, she dove deeper into the link and contacted a few of the sapient drones there who didn¡¯t currently seem too occupied, to get the details of the battle. Chapter 203: Assurances As Janis left them to go to bed, Regina used the opportunity to collect herself and take stock of the situation. She had to get her thoughts in order. Madris¡¯ proposal had surprised her, but she was probably going to accept it after discussing things with the others and making appropriate preparations, including precautions and planning for contingencies. Not only did the hive need all the allies it could get with the current situation, she got the impression Madris meant what she said. Of course, the dark elf was probably centuries old and a psychic, so for all she knew, she could be a masterful liar. If she was, though, she¡¯d imagine Madris would have handled some things differently, previously. And if they had really dug up something around the old city, Regina needed to know what it was. She wasn¡¯t sure if she was going to send someone else or go herself, though. For now, she turned her attention to the battles they¡¯d just fought and their aftermath. The drones were handling the cleanup, but she at least wanted to check that there were no issues. Once more, they found themselves suddenly having a large number of prisoners and little in the way of preparation for dealing with them. At this rate, she might really have to start just letting them go soon. The closer battle was the easier one. The reinforcements they¡¯d brought here also increased their logistical capacity, and they were closer to villages and outposts the hive controlled or had built up already, so getting food for the humans wouldn¡¯t be as hard. And they¡¯d be deeper in her territory if they tried to run. It was different for the battle farther away, which she¡¯d mostly left to Ben to handle while she focused on the other situation. Here, while the surrendered army was only composed of Nerlians and they didn¡¯t actually have more prisoners ¡ª somewhat fewer, in fact ¡ª they were already hungry. The plan had been to starve the enemy out, at least in part, after all, and while they¡¯d had to accelerate their schedule, it had still started to take effect. She also had to admit that the area was affected to the degree that it would hinder the logistics. The ground was churned up and marked with furrows and trenches. Part of that might have been from the Nerlians¡¯ fortifications, but more came from the hive breaking these down. Regina reached into the psychic link to look at the memories the Keepers had carefully put there, pursing her lips at what she saw. They didn¡¯t have many guns, since they were still quite hard to make. Ironically, the gunpowder was actually a lot easier. Regina and the others had been experimenting with several formulas and they would still need further testing, in addition to this battle, but in the end, creating some cordite wasn¡¯t that hard. Not with Conjuration. Actual rifles, on the other hand, were pretty complicated. Conjuring the metal for them took quite a lot more mana, and while they could do the general shapes, few people were good enough to Conjure even most of the more finicky stuff. That meant the Workers needed to put in the work to finish them, at the very least. With Galatea¡¯s help and the schematics she¡¯d provided, it was at least doable, thankfully. Of course, even somewhat modern rifles were a huge deal, so she considered it worth the effort. Bigger guns were correspondingly harder to make, but also a lot more effective in this situation. They¡¯d had several cannons and even some experimental mortars prepared, not to mention a number of grenade launchers. They were still finicky and she¡¯d lost a few Swarm Drones in an explosion. One sapient drone had been severely injured until an Attendant could heal him. The artillery had been really good at reducing the Nerlians¡¯ palisades to so much dust, though, supported by magic-users and Winged Drones. Are you sure we have things in hand? she asked Ben, unable to put a bit of nervousness and concern out of her mind. This is already a risk, and if we have to deal with a breakout from prisoners or anything like that, it would only get worse. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be an issue, he responded confidently. And we controlled who else was here to see anything. Except for scrying, of course. I hope the Nerlian mages were either here or occupied, with the battle down south, but we can¡¯t rule out someone observing us. Actually, the Delvers are supposed to be good at that, and to be doing it a lot, right? I wouldn¡¯t worry too much about the Delvers for now, Regina said, after thinking about it for a few seconds. They seem to be trying to get on our good side, if Madris is any indication. Besides, they know who I am now ¡ª Madris certainly does, at least ¡ª and they¡¯ve got to have an idea of what we can do, anyway. Good point, he conceded. I suppose we just have to get on dealing with the Esemen, then. Yeah. Regina sighed a little. That¡¯s the priority now. Well, at least one priority. I¡¯ll do another sweep with the scouts and see if I can pick up anything, too. If nothing else, I want to check on Marianne, and maybe we can find Ria after all. She wasn¡¯t holding out hope on that front, though. By now, Ria was probably deep in the other country and she had no idea where to start looking. Even with better scrying, the chances of finding her would be minuscule, and the same went for scanning for her mind with psychic powers. Regina excused herself and retreated to where the drones had set up a seat, even if it was just a tree stump, and drank some more of the tea Ira had made. It did taste pretty good, even if it was an acquired taste, and sugar would really improve it. Briefly, she wondered about the feasibility of getting some. She didn¡¯t think the plants grew here. Trade with other continents seemed almost nonexistent, at least when it got to this region. Probably because of sea monsters or something, if I had to guess, she mused. It was definitely something else to find out when she had the time and opportunity, along with a steadily growing list of other things. Then Regina checked on the Esemen again. It had only been a short time since the last time she¡¯d looked, so not much had changed, and they were still apparently advancing into Whitor¡¯s territory. She¡¯d have to talk to him soon, anyway. Before that, Regina made sure she had a good understanding of their forces¡¯ distribution, then closed her eyes and focused on her psychic senses. She tried to find Marianne once more. It took longer this time, probably because they¡¯d moved her back. She still seemed healthy and unharmed, if a bit nervous and anxious. She was also growing frustrated because the Esemen wouldn¡¯t talk to her, at least not for anything important. That was the impression Regina got, anyway. She wished she was good enough to get more from it, but at this distance, even if it was someone she knew, she struggled just to assess their overall emotional state. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Either way, they were clearly keeping her around to talk. Regina wondered how the hive defeating the Cernlian-Nerlian army would change their plans. The Esemen had sent a sizeable army, but it wasn¡¯t to the point where they could actually conquer all of Nerlia. She assumed that wasn¡¯t their goal. Although they¡¯d clearly like some land. They might have been trying to sell their aid to the highest bidder, either for gold or concessions. But that would be harder now with the decisive battle between the human allies and her hive already over and decided. Regina turned her attention away and checked on the larger area. I¡¯ll have to contact Marquis Lyns, too, she recalled with a bit of annoyance. She¡¯d basically won this battle for him. Hopefully he¡¯ll step up, I¡¯m not going to just hand the win to him on a silver platter. Maybe he can capture the king himself. For a moment, she even wondered if she should ask for further concessions. But, all things considered, there really weren¡¯t any other ones she could demand without ruining Cernlia. Or at least damaging it. And Regina had no intention of letting it become some unstable third-world country with constant regime changes. Even if she didn¡¯t want it as a trade partner or anything, that didn¡¯t tend to make for good neighbors. The civil war is probably enough of an issue. I might have to arrange targeted development help for the rebuilding as well. Regina shook her head and made herself stop thinking about it. She was tired, too, and she needed a bit of a breather. So, she simply observed as her drones finished up, organizing the new prisoners and taking control of the supply train and the rest of what they¡¯d left behind. She penned a quick letter to Lyns, letting him know what happened, and arranged for a more in-depth conversation later. Then she was forced to admit that she¡¯d probably procrastinated enough. She had the impression the drones closer to her had talked about what happened as well, including Madris¡¯ words, and their opinions were pretty clear. Unsurprisingly, they differed. Max and Ada had an argument that was just short of a fight, arguing about the relative risk and merit of going with her. Regina tended to be on Ada¡¯s side in this. Still, she supposed she shouldn¡¯t rely too much on her impression of Madris. Just because the psychic hadn¡¯t attacked her yet didn¡¯t mean she was really trustworthy. And for that matter, how much the other Delvers would follow her decision was an open question. Sure, she was very powerful and led a party that was just as powerful, but she was still a non-human from elsewhere. At least Regina was pretty sure Owin and Gwen would be among those in favor of cooperating. Regina looked for Madris and set off as it seemed like a good time. The Delver was waiting off to the side, watching some War Drones digging ditches and erecting simple walls to set up an improvised prisoner camp. She turned when she saw Regina coming and inclined her head. ¡°Hive Queen,¡± Madris greeted her. ¡°You have come to a decision?¡± ¡°Sort of. I¡¯d like to go with you, but I have a few conditions.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m all ears.¡± Madris cocked an eyebrow. Regina glanced at her ears, wondering if that was supposed to be a pun. Probably. She hadn¡¯t really noticed before, but the dark elf¡¯s ears seemed a bit shorter and broader than the other elves she¡¯d seen. Then she focused on what she was here to talk about. ¡°First of all, I would be bringing a lot of protection. And no, I¡¯m not going to tell you the details.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Madris answered. ¡°That means you will probably outnumber us significantly.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Is it necessary for me to be there in person?¡± Madris answered without hesitation. ¡°Perhaps not strictly necessary, but it would be much preferable. I believe you¡¯ll want to see this personally, and it would probably be better for other reasons, as well. I can assure you we will take all necessary precautions to ensure your safety, as well. Not that it would be any more dangerous than a trip about there would usually be.¡± Regina nodded again, not surprised to hear that. ¡°Then I¡¯ll want to take you up on your offer of leaving Armin with my hive, if that¡¯s still open. No offense.¡± ¡°He is still prepared for it,¡± she responded calmly. ¡°I can also give you assurances that we will be considering you a guest and give you diplomatic immunity and our protection. I also have formal papers to that effect.¡± Regina cocked an eyebrow. They were really serious about this. ¡°It will be common knowledge that I have met with the Delvers, although not where,¡± she warned her. She didn¡¯t really think so, but if they were planning to betray her, it would seriously damage their reputation if they¡¯d offered formal assurances of guest rights or protection. Madris didn¡¯t look particularly thrilled, but unconcerned. ¡°If you wish.¡± Regina took a deep breath. This was the trickiest part. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing,¡± she began hesitantly. ¡°When we first met, you wanted to assure yourself of the claims of my origins, of our veracity. I¡¯d like to do the same now, to take a look at your mind.¡± Madris didn¡¯t answer for a few seconds. ¡°I am willing to do this reciprocally. If you wish to take a look at the surface levels of my mind, I will do the same regarding yours.¡± She smiled a little. ¡°I believe this might be a good idea, as it stands. It should help us understand each other. I promise I will not pry into things that are too personal, if you will do the same.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Regina answered. She¡¯d half-expected this. ¡°Now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡± For a moment, Regina just stared at Madris. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what to expect, but the other woman would presumably know what she was talking about. Tentatively, she reached out with her mind towards Madris¡¯. It felt like someone grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. Madris was clearly much more skilled at this. Regina felt her mind open up to her, at least somewhat, while at the same time, the dark elf¡¯s presence approached her own mind and started to enter it. She tried to relax and let her in, at least to the surface. It was fascinating, an experience unlike any she¡¯d had before even with the psychic link. Perhaps it would be different if it wasn¡¯t both of them doing this. She could read Madris¡¯ feelings and surface thoughts, which was a bit strange since the psychic was currently occupied looking at Regina¡¯s own mind, but it was more than that. She felt like she got a sense of who Madris was as a person. It didn¡¯t give her any details, but a general understanding. Her history, what had shaped her into the person she was today, the way she responded to challenges or success, and her current curiosity and determination. After what felt like much longer than it probably was, they separated, both instinctively recoiling a little. Regina closed her mind down again, trying to relax, even as the connection that had just taken her into Madris¡¯ inner life was cut. Regina stared at the person opposite her, breathing hard. It would take her a while to process what she¡¯d learned, she realized. She still felt like she understood her much better now, though. And as Madris looked back at her, she could also read her expression much better. She was thoughtful, contemplative, but she also felt a little relieved. It was almost a bit strange for the combative Delver she¡¯d met. ¡°That was ¡­ rather interesting,¡± Madris said. ¡°Yeah?¡± Regina asked, smiling wryly. ¡°What¡¯s my mind like?¡± ¡°Odd, but that should not come as a surprise to you,¡± she replied bluntly. ¡°It¡¯s like there are holes which are somewhat grown over. The combination of a human mind and a Hive Queen is also quite interesting.¡± Regina narrowed her eyes. She was sure now, after looking like this, that Madris didn¡¯t plan to betray her trust and hadn¡¯t set some kind of trap for her. ¡°So you believe that part, at least,¡± she muttered. ¡°To tell you the truth, I think I did even before coming here,¡± Madris said. ¡°This certainly feels like confirmation, though. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t tell you anything more about your past, however, it simply wasn¡¯t there for me to see.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°Well. Shall we make plans?¡± And if things went well, maybe she could get Madris to teach her. There was a lot she wanted to learn. Chapter 204: Graduation Although Regina wanted to leave and move on quickly, it took a while for everything to be properly sorted. They¡¯d made the decision to put up a makeshift prisoner camp nearby, where the prisoners from the battle would remain under guard. Regina had considered talking to Lyns about getting more guards for them, but nothing had been done so far. Since the Esemen were still around and they couldn¡¯t be certain the remains of the Nerlian and Cernlian army wouldn¡¯t make trouble, there was a need for a strong detachment of forces to remain in this area. It might be smarter to move on the Esemen right away, and the hive wasn¡¯t going to dawdle, but Regina had decided to give them a bit of rest after this battle and make sure they were all ready and organized first. She¡¯d explained that to Janis, Ben and the others, and then they¡¯d sat down to make more detailed plans. The upshot of it was that Ben would remain with the army deeper in Nerlia, while Dan and a few others would stay with the army previously gathered in the now-destroyed disruption field. Regina wanted Janis with her for when she left, and of course, Max and Ira would be coming along as well. Along with a significant portion of their stronger drones to ensure their protection. It meant that what remained of the army would have to operate more cautiously, but they didn¡¯t intend to provoke a major battle, anyway. And if she could get the Delvers on her side, getting their help would be well worth the delay. Normally, an alliance with the Delvers would be a pipe dream, but with Regina being a former human from before the Cataclysm ¡ª which Madris at least definitely knew for sure now, after they¡¯d seen each other¡¯s minds ¡ª and their recent approaches, it seemed possible. And if not, she would need to find another way of dealing with them. Max and several of the other Warriors had heated discussions about who would accompany her and who would go where, although Regina kept out of it. Even if she had opinions on a few of the options, she felt like interfering would not go well, and she didn¡¯t want to meddle. The larger her hive grew, the more they needed to organize themselves and decide things themselves, without being able to come to her for an answer. Especially if she had other things to worry about, like diplomacy or training her psychic power. Armin was going to stay with the local army for a bit and then travel to the other one to meet Ben and the others. He could move pretty quickly if he wanted to, although the hive was going to let him use a flying drone mount. He was pretty quiet and reserved, but she still got the impression that he was looking forward to it. Or maybe he was just polite enough to seem like it, but if he showed no signs of minding his stay here, she wasn¡¯t going to second-guess it. Janis had also spent a bit of time talking to him, although Regina knew she¡¯d like a lot more time for it. Maybe after they were done. She was definitely also excited about accompanying Madris and her. Of course, it took a lot longer than she hoped just to prepare to go, and then they traveled much more slowly. Going ahead or even using Madris¡¯ - or Armin¡¯s, she supposed - teleportation would have been much faster, but they couldn¡¯t do it with so many people. And especially the Swarm Drones they were bringing along for protection and to bolster their numbers even further. Regina had caught Madris eying them and wondered how many individuals she¡¯d expected to come, but she hadn¡¯t asked and she hadn¡¯t told Max to reduce their numbers. If there was a problem, the Delver could speak up. They traveled on foot, largely because she didn¡¯t really want all of them to be airborne. Regina had considered stopping by the other Cernlian army, led by Marquis Lyns, to speak to the would-be king. But doing it like this would mean a significant delay, especially since she couldn¡¯t very well just drop by for a few minutes, and she wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to bring Madris to them, anyway. So she instead planned on doing it on the way back. Hopefully, a bit more time to get things in order and prepare would do her allies good, anyway. Regina wasn¡¯t particularly surprised when Madris described where they would be going. As expected, it sounded like it would be part of the underground tunnel complex that stretched under the edge of the forest and the surrounding area, leading to the city and the location of Galatea¡¯s former home. The actual spot they were heading for was some point between them, though, closer to where they¡¯d opened the door. It was presumably located somewhere in a part of the city, or at least its outskirts. Regina wished she had a better map to estimate it, a more precise position would help her a lot in narrowing down what they were looking for. ¡°Are you still not going to tell me any more?¡± she asked Madris as they approached what was presumably the closest entrance on the second day. The dark elf barely looked at her as she responded. ¡°You will see soon enough when we approach. Your Majesty.¡± Regina frowned but didn¡¯t say anything else or press for further information. She was curious, though, so she looked through the eyes of the drones the hive had sent ahead as scouts. They found pretty much what she¡¯d expected in terms of an entrance and stretches of tunnels. The main one looked like the old subway tunnels she¡¯d seen before, though it was probably not a major line. Or maybe it was, she didn¡¯t exactly know much about public transport infrastructure construction or planning. Max paused them and coordinated with the others for a brief while before they entered, or rather, the first few War Drones entered before sapient drones carefully followed. Regina, of course, was in the middle of the pack, with Max basically glued to her side. Janis took advantage of the opportunity to be further forward, going in earlier. Regina didn¡¯t choose her perspective through the psychic link to gain information, since she didn¡¯t see in the dark quite as well as the drones, though. It actually took a while until they met their first Delvers. Regina was paying attention and could sense them with her psychic senses, so she wasn¡¯t surprised, and she¡¯d warned the drones as well. They seemed to be spread out a little, mostly in crossroads and broader stretches of the tunnels. She got the impression that they might be guarding something, although they were clearly also doing something or looking at whatever Madris wanted to show her. She was starting to get a suspicion, looking around as they went. This was definitely part of the old city. Probably not the middle of Anberg, but not exactly an outlying village, either. The subway tunnels were a bit of a hint, as was the fact they were getting closer to the old center of the city again. The first time they came across a larger knot of Delvers, Madris slowed and stopped, the rest of the group moving with her. They must have seen them coming as well, probably from farther off, somehow, since they didn¡¯t look surprised. Regina pricked her ears and listened in to Madris greeting them, but it didn¡¯t really tell her anything beyond how long they¡¯d been here. Two days, and from the context, they¡¯d probably been rotated in for some other Delvers who¡¯d been there before, so the Delvers had had a presence here longer than that. Probably not too much longer, though, or the hive would have noticed it, even with the distraction of the war. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Regina smiled and waved a little as they passed, their eyes following her. They seemed quite curious. To her surprise, one of them actually ducked his head in response to her gesture and none of them looked hostile. I suppose that¡¯s a good sign. They traveled a few hundred meters further, a straight shot down a corridor, before they reached another cavern large enough to host their whole party. Madris stopped again. ¡°It would be best for most of our number to remain behind here,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s not far now, but I¡¯d rather not have every drone here tramping through there.¡± Regina cocked her head. After a long moment, she nodded. ¡°Fine.¡± If she led them far enough that the drones couldn¡¯t effectively support them, she could always stop and call more of them up to join her before she proceeded. In the end, it was a much reduced group that went onwards through a smaller, narrower tunnel. Only Madris, Galatea, Janis, Regina and a few sapient drones. Regina watched her surroundings closely. There were definitely signs of human presence here, recent ones. The stone was worked in parts, at least, and the tunnel had clearly been enlarged if it hadn¡¯t been there before. If it had, she suspected it hadn¡¯t been more than a crack in the rock. ¡°A newly discovered cavern, then?¡± she asked. ¡°Essentially, yes,¡± Madris answered. ¡°Here we are now.¡± Regina drew in a sharp breath. She¡¯d been able to tell they were nearing another of those magical anomalies she¡¯d found in the city before for a while now. The mana here was generally different than back on the surface. Now, she could see that they had reached another part of the sunken city. Calling it a cavern would be far too much of an understatement. This wasn¡¯t just some chamber enclosed by rock. It looked a lot more like an archeological dig. One that had proceeded quite far, laying large swathes open to the air. The rocky ceiling above notwithstanding. ¡°What is this?¡± Regina muttered, walking forward and looking around with wide eyes. There was clearly a part of a rather large complex still preserved. One building especially dominated the space, much larger than the others, some of which seemed half-fallen down. It seemed to be in good shape, though. And from what she could see, the Delvers had paid the most attention to it. There was something about this that would have made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up if she still had them. And it wasn¡¯t the mana around. ¡°We only found this recently,¡± Madris said quietly. ¡°It has caused us to reevaluate a few things. Incidentally, this is also one of the major reasons I am still here at all.¡± She gestured toward the building. ¡°Come.¡± Regina exchanged a quick glance with the others and followed. She paused at the threshold, craning her head back and looking up. Just based on the architecture, what was left of it, this seemed like some kind of large administrative building. Although the large doors on the ground floor, two sets set at the edges, hinted at something else. She squinted and took a step back, finding an inscription above the door, but it was too corroded to make out. As she stepped in, though, there was a plaque on the wall opposite. Regina sucked in a breath as she deciphered the letters. It was in Global and German, saying University Hospital and below that Universit?tsklinikum Anberg. Below that, there was the symbol that she couldn¡¯t immediately make sense of, though it vaguely resembled a stylized staff and snakes, and Department of Medicine / Medizinische Fakult?t. ¡°Down here,¡± Madris spoke up, gesturing impatiently. Regina looked around the remains of the foyer one more time before following. She quickly realized that they were heading towards a larger room. Some kind of hall, possibly an auditorium or lecture hall. And presumably also where formal events or celebrations were held. The last part became obvious as they entered and moved through the room. The remains of decorations were still visible at the edges of the walls and ceiling. Chairs had been stacked at the back, and there were what looked like the remains of posters hanging down on the walls. ¡°Down here,¡± Madris repeated, speaking softly and leading them to one particular corner. For a moment, she glanced at Regina and looked like she wanted to say something else, before she simply pointed at the object of her interest. Regina frowned. Someone had hung up pictures, probably all along the wall, if not several of them. They were on banners of new plastic-rep-paper, covered by a thin surface that might be glass or some kind of plastic film. Someone had clearly carefully brushed them off, removing any dust and probably trying to restore their condition. It didn¡¯t take long for her to realize it was a listing of new graduates. This must have been a graduation celebration. Some of them had little stylized hats, the kind you¡¯d wear getting a doctorate. All of them contained names and a small photo. Regina mechanically looked down the list of people. She stepped along the board, letting her gaze pass over the long-dead graduates. No one else spoke, although she could sense them crowding around to look. Then Regina¡¯s gaze stopped. This must be what Madris wanted to show, she realized in the back of her mind. But she found her eyes fixed on the picture. It showed a young woman with long sandy hair, somewhere between blond and brown, and a slightly strained smile. The face ¡­ was not quite the same, but it was still what she saw in the mirror, what her own face was coming closer to with the threshold Evolution. Despite the lack of mandibles and the soft skin, anyone who saw Regina would probably recognize it. The plate read von Woltan, Regina Louise Elizabeth Aneta. Someone behind her made a choked sound, that might have been a laugh, or might not have been. ¡°Well,¡± Regina finally murmured, ¡°that¡¯s something.¡± ¡°That does appear to be you,¡± Galatea said. When Regina glanced at her, she saw her brows drawn together in an intent expression. ¡°How interesting.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Madris agreed with a smile. ¡°There are a few points I find interesting here,¡± Janis pointed out after a short pause. ¡°The first name, obviously.¡± Regina snorted. ¡°I can¡¯t believe my first name really is Regina. Talk about meaningful choices.¡± ¡°Do you think you knew that?¡± Janis asked. ¡°Or is it a coincidence?¡± Regina tugged on her mandible, then quickly stopped. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she admitted. ¡°Maybe. Maybe there was something in my subconscious, or maybe it¡¯s just the obvious name someone in my position would choose.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re nobility, it appears,¡± Ira said. ¡°No.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°Not really. I mean, my father might have been, or his family, rather, at one point. But it doesn¡¯t mean anything, the names might have remained but they¡¯ve just been names for decades. Had been,¡± she corrected herself. ¡°I assume this means you were a doctor,¡± Janis murmured, eying the stylized hat on the upper edge above the photo and name. ¡°So, now we know who you were,¡± Galatea said. When Regina glanced at her, she saw the same intent expression, this time accompanying a smile. Galatea hadn¡¯t even changed her clothes once since they entered the tunnel. ¡°Dr. Regina von Woltan, MD.¡± ¡°Probably,¡± Regina said. ¡°Or close enough.¡± ¡°As for the name, it does at least imply you come from a privileged background, but that¡¯s hardly a surprise.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Regina frowned. ¡°The hints were there,¡± Galatea said patiently. ¡°You¡¯re clearly a city girl, and what we found previously implies your family moved around. You knew how to ride horses ¡ª that¡¯s not a hobby for poor people. And you studied medicine at one of the most prestigious universities in the Empire, at least in the field. You must have had very good grades, considering the requirements, and it also means there¡¯s statistically a good chance you were from a somewhat privileged background.¡± Regina shook her head. She didn¡¯t think this was really going to matter now, although she might be wrong. But she still appreciated every tidbit of her past that she could find. Hesitantly, she reached out the touch the picture. Seeing her face as a human was kind of weird, but she wouldn¡¯t miss it. She glanced at Madris, who stood by the side and watched her reaction. Regina was grateful for being shown this. But she supposed there were implications to the Delvers unearthing this. Hopefully, it would be turning in her favor. Chapter 205: Archeology Regina wasn¡¯t sure how long she stood in that dark auditorium. The others were all pretty quiet, and she herself barely looked away from what she¡¯d found here. She wasn¡¯t sure if she had actually attended this graduation ceremony. From what they¡¯d found in the old Hivekind base, maybe not. She might have already been in that egg. It had to have been very close to the Cataclysm. It was definitely some time after the report she¡¯d found had been written. On the other hand, it didn¡¯t really matter. Finally, she sighed, shook her head and turned around. ¡°Well. Thank you for showing me this, Madris. I appreciate it.¡± The Delver smiled. ¡°Of course.¡± They both knew she hadn¡¯t shown her that just to show her, but Regina wasn¡¯t going to come right out and ask her what she wanted. That would be a bit too belligerent after a gesture like this. Instead, she just turned and walked away. The others followed suit, and as they stepped out of the hall, the conversation picked up. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a pretentious name, isn¡¯t it?¡± Max asked lightly. Regina snorted. ¡°A bit pretentious, sure.¡± ¡°There are worse ones to have,¡± Galatea assured them. ¡°I tried to look but haven¡¯t found any references in the data I had access to, at least not what I kept, so far.¡± That¡¯s good to know, I suppose. ¡°Do those include criminal records? Digital phone books?¡± ¡°Yes. In part.¡± Galatea shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m going to keep looking, but don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± Regina nodded. This was already more than she¡¯d ever really expected to find, even though she¡¯d had a bit of hope. Once they left the building, Regina slowed down and looked around. A few other Delvers were converging on their group, slowly. She recognized Gwen, although that didn¡¯t surprise her. Owin wasn¡¯t here, at least not yet, but she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he showed up later, either. ¡°So,¡± she said quietly, stepping up beside Madris. ¡°Can I now ask why you showed this to me? Not that I don¡¯t appreciate it, of course. Because I really do.¡± Madris smiled briefly. ¡°Some wanted to keep this from you, attempt to hold it over your head,¡± she said. ¡°I disagreed, somewhat emphatically. After all ¡­ this does have implications for our goals.¡± I just bet. This was information concerning their precious Progenitors, after all. And the proof that she was indeed one of them ¡ª by how they were acting, Regina assumed it did count as proof ¡ª would obviously have some bearing on how they viewed her. Regina was glad she¡¯d already laid some groundwork with the Delvers. This could easily have gone the way of them trying to pretend she didn¡¯t exist or even killing her to make sure she couldn¡¯t make any kind of claims over them. Even if they¡¯d only ignored the evidence and denied it, that would have severely strained their existing relations. She didn¡¯t say anything else until the other Delvers got there. She recognized a few from when she¡¯d met Owin and others before, along with Gwen, of course. They¡¯d been part of his party back then, and she assumed they were here as backup for Gwen or simply because they were his political supporters. There were a few other people she didn¡¯t recognize, as well, although they definitely looked like Delvers, clad in a wide variety of adventurer¡¯s equipment with armor and weapons. At least Trito, the guy who¡¯d tried to arrest them at the beginning, wasn¡¯t here. ¡°My lady,¡± one of them spoke up with a smile that didn¡¯t look particularly forced. According to the System, he was at a higher level than her, a Shielder called Willon. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you at last.¡± Regina returned the smile. She noted that he hadn¡¯t addressed her as a queen but also hadn¡¯t called her by name either. They probably didn¡¯t know quite what track to take. ¡°Likewise, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all,¡± she returned the greeting, letting her gaze sweep over the group of Delvers. ¡°I¡¯m sure we all feel the same way,¡± another guy piped up. He was dressed as a classical Wizard, although the System just called him a Warrior of Scale, whatever that meant. ¡°How do you find our little expedition?¡± ¡°You have a remarkable discovery,¡± Regina said. ¡°Certainly,¡± Willon spoke again. ¡°And forgive me the bluntness, but I¡¯m sure we are all thinking the same thing ¡ª we need to know, that person in the picture? I assume Madris showed you. Was that you?¡± Regina paused for a moment, looking at them. But it was clear what she had to answer. ¡°To the best of my knowledge, yes,¡± she replied, making an effort to keep her voice calm. ¡°For several reasons, I cannot be certain, but it all fits. I was a medical student attending this university, the timeline lines up, and the name should speak for itself. As does my face, obviously.¡± Although her answer should be pretty obvious, a small stir still went through the group at the confirmation. Regina waited as they exchanged a few hushed whispers. They fell silent as the wizard, Lars, bowed. ¡°It is an honor to meet you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Regina replied quietly. "How did you come to be a Hivekind Queen?¡± Willon asked curiously. Regina shrugged, uncertain how much she should tell them. ¡°I¡¯m not completely sure of all the details, but I wouldn¡¯t be the first.¡± There was a moment of silence and they exchanged glances. Maybe they were wondering about the Hive Queens who¡¯d died in the aftermath of the Cataclysm to the war against the other people. She knew they had all been young, recruited on this world, instead of those coming through the portals. There couldn¡¯t have been many of them, either. But it was a different time; she figured survivors of the Cataclysm wouldn¡¯t have been that rare. Although I never did get a timeline, she considered. That would be nice to have. ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± Max asked. His tone wasn¡¯t challenging, but he managed to sound curious and matter-of-fact. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°No final decision has been reached yet,¡± Madris said. ¡°You¡¯re probably holding lots of discussions about this, right?¡± Janis asked. ¡°Are we ever,¡± Lars agreed with a smile. Willon groaned slightly. ¡°I imagine you aren¡¯t here because you hate everything Hivekind,¡± Regina said lightly. They exchanged another look and shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Gwen said. ¡°It is good to see you again, Your Majesty. I¡¯d love it if our people could have a closer relationship.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Your invitation is still open, I take it?¡± Madris and Willon smiled. ¡°It very much is, and we would be delighted to have you there. I am sure it would be very helpful to the discussion.¡± And make it more likely for the Delvers to ally with me, I suppose, Regina concluded. At least if I play it reasonably well. I¡¯d have to make a good impression. But it shouldn¡¯t be that hard to prove my origins ¡­ right? And if I play my cards right ¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sure something can be arranged,¡± Regina said, not making any promises. It would be a risk, and she¡¯d want to coordinate with the friendlier Delver factions and make sure she wasn¡¯t walking into too much danger. Although the prize for success was very tempting. ¡°We¡¯re looking forward to it,¡± Gwen said. ¡°Now, was there anything else you wanted to see?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to look around a little more,¡± Regina said. At that moment, she got a mental call from the psychic link. It wasn¡¯t too strident, something she could ignore if she wanted to. But instead, she focused on it, reaching out to Ada. My Queen, she greeted her immediately. We just got word from Marquis Lyns, a letter sent by a magical bird construct, and someone was sent to talk to Via, as well. They¡¯ve intercepted the Cernlian king. There was a fight with major casualties, apparently, but they were successful. Regina smiled. That¡¯s good. I thought you¡¯d want to know while you were still talking to the Delvers, my Queen, Ada said, not quite apologetically. And you were right. Thank you. Regina glanced back up at the Delvers. Madris at least had clearly noticed the small interruption and was waiting expectantly. ¡°I¡¯ve been informed that the Cernlian king has been taken into custody by Marquis Lyns,¡± she said. Madris was the only one who didn¡¯t look surprised. Regina wondered if she¡¯d been able to sense it. How far did her psychic range extend, anyway? She didn¡¯t have the infrastructure of the hive¡¯s psychic link, but it didn¡¯t give her much to go on. Maybe Madris just had a good poker face. ¡°That is rather interesting news,¡± Gwen said, giving her a nod. ¡°Thank you for sharing it. I assume this means you will not be visiting right away? It seems like you have matters to sort out.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Regina agreed. She hadn¡¯t actually decided on that yet, but she didn¡¯t want to head off with the Delvers right away, if at all. ¡°Then we will not bother you any longer,¡± Willon said. ¡°Unless you¡¯d like a guide to show you around this site?¡± ¡°That would be appreciated.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve made several interesting discoveries,¡± Gwen said, stepping up. She smiled brightly. ¡°Allow me. This way, if you please.¡± Regina followed her. As they walked through what she kept thinking of as an archeological dig site, she checked in on the rest of her hive through the psychic link. In a way, it was annoying that the radius of the psychic link and her own senses moved with her. That made it a bit hard to send drones out to the edges of it as scouts while she was moving around. This trip had also put her a bit further away from the Esemen forces, so any attempts to look into them more closely would have to wait. Not that she really expected to find Ria at this point. The army was doing well, at least. Ben had everything under control, and while she knew a few sapient drones had been curiously watching what was happening here, and more of them would look into it later, he¡¯d been barely paying attention as he was focused on his duties. Regina figured she¡¯d talk about a possible alliance with the Delvers with him later. Then there was the base back home. Regina focused on Forest¡¯s Haunt and checked in on her guests. She should visit them later, especially with recent developments. Florance and June Lyns seemed to be doing well enough, but she still wanted to check them herself. Florance clearly had a history of difficult pregnancies, and she still hadn¡¯t managed any kind of lasting solution to June¡¯s illness. After she¡¯d assured herself that everything was well and she had no other options to procrastinate, Regina turned her attention to the Cernlian army ¡ª what she suspected would soon be the actual, official Cernlian army, anyway. Marquis Lyns¡¯ forces. Regina didn¡¯t have as many drones there in a position to watch everything as she would have liked. It was still a human army, after all, and certain courtesies had to be extended to allies. Or at least basic respect. Still, Via and currently a few other healers were there, as well as some Swarm Drones. She¡¯d also kept a few Winged Drones watching from further away. Lyns had been informed of their presence, of course, although the hive preferred to keep them mostly out of sight. She¡¯d been a bit distracted, but it was obvious a fight had happened. Some of the elites Regina had taken note of before were missing. There was no sign of damage in the camp itself, since the battle hadn¡¯t happened here, but they¡¯d clearly reorganized something in a hurry. There were a lot of guards and she could see the prisoners they were keeping in the center of the camp. The king wasn¡¯t among them, presumably, he got special treatment. Regina was distracted from those observations by what Gwen was showing her, though. The Delver led her around the site they¡¯d uncovered, explaining what they¡¯d found and pointing out where they¡¯d made interesting discoveries. The whole thing showed a new side to the Delvers that she hadn¡¯t really seen before. They were probably the closest thing to actual archeologists around, not just adventurers. At least they seemed to be treating the site and any objects they found with care. And Regina didn¡¯t need her psychic power to know that Gwen hoped for her input to advance their knowledge further. ¡°This looks like it was part of the university campus, or at least a place where they had a lot of uni buildings,¡± she concluded finally. ¡°Probably the medical department, although there might have been others, too.¡± Regina shrugged as she looked around. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look very familiar, but I imagine it¡¯s changed a lot with the Cataclysm,¡± she admitted. ¡°Half the buildings are wrecks,¡± Janis said, kicking at a small rock on the path. It clattered into a heap of rubble. ¡°There is that,¡± Regina said drily. It was more than half, she figured. They continued walking in silence, and she let her gaze sweep over the small part of the city they had clawed back from the ravages of time. ¡°I¡¯ll have to go soon, but I¡¯d like to come back,¡± she said. She had things to take care of, like the marquis and her guests, the Esemen and even the gnomes. She¡¯d still prefer to dig through the rubble and see if they could find more, though. ¡°Of course,¡± Gwen said. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can come to an agreement on having your Hive¡¯s help with this project, or similar ones.¡± Regina smiled slightly. It would have to wait until they¡¯d come to more solid arrangements, clearly. But she was optimistic. Hivekind could make pretty good archeologists. ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d like to ask me?¡± Gwen asked after a while. Regina pulled her attention back to her, watching the young woman. This offer was a good opportunity. ¡°Quite a bit,¡± she answered with a smile. ¡°For starters, how do you judge our chances of making an arrangement with the Delvers?¡± Of course, what she wanted wasn¡¯t precisely an alliance; the Delvers would be useful for her, and she wanted them to work with - and for - her. But it would be less diplomatic to say that. ¡°Rather good, if things go to plan, but I don¡¯t have a complete picture of our internal politics,¡± Gwen answered honestly. At least, Regina didn¡¯t sense any prevarication. ¡°Does that go for your local chapter, or others?¡± she asked. This time, Gwen hesitated a little. ¡°I can speak for others even less than our local leadership,¡± she warned. ¡°That said, I¡¯m confident if we can come to a satisfactory agreement, there¡¯s no reason to think things would be any different for the rest of the world.¡± Regina¡¯s eyes widened before she could stop herself, and she swallowed a smile. So as long as the conditions are right, we could get the help of, or at the very least an in with, basically all groups of Delvers in other countries, she mused. Well, that seems promising. Chapter 206: Allies Regina had become far more familiar with army camps in recent times than she ever really expected to be. That meant it didn¡¯t take her long to take in the status of the army they were approaching, and make a few guesstimates about its condition and prospects. Marquis Lyns had evidently ordered heightened guard shifts, judging by the number of soldiers on duty. The layout of the camp was relatively lax, although the important places were gathered in the center. Regina had seen all of this before through her drones¡¯ eyes, but it was a bit different approaching it from the ground. And, of course, there was the reaction her arrival caused in itself. The marquis knew she and her companions were coming, and had clearly organized a greeting party. She didn¡¯t see the man himself, but Kiara was there, along with that duke she hung around with - or maybe the reverse - and a few other faces Regina recognized. Via was there too, of course. It felt good seeing her again in person. The army was obviously glad not to have to fight very much anymore. She could see the muted relief in their faces, not just of the soldiers, but also the commanders. They seemed to have more patched than still intact wagons, the tents were rather threadbare and she saw a lot of soldiers who were missing some equipment or only had shoddy replacements. The greeting party actually looked glad to see her when they approached. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Duke Bluegrass boomed. Regina supposed he was the highest-ranking guy around. ¡°It is an honor and a pleasure to see you again. Please, come in and be welcome!¡± ¡°We have been looking forward to your visit,¡± Kiara added with a smile. Regina inclined her head politely, but not very far. ¡°Thank you, my lord duke, Lady Kiara,¡± she responded, briefly wondering if or when she should transition to calling Kiara a princess. ¡°We are glad to be here.¡± They exchanged a few more pleasantries, and she was introduced to all of the people she hadn¡¯t known before. Regina could have probably just looked up their names and details in the psychic link, even without the System¡¯s help, since she was pretty sure at least someone in her hive would have met them before, but she didn¡¯t really want to bother. She was fairly sure she had a grasp on who the actually important people around her were, and dealing with flunkies was not her idea of a good time. She didn¡¯t want to waste more time on Lyns¡¯ stuff than she really needed to. They escorted her and her companions through the army camp. Madris had left, presumably because she didn¡¯t want to broadcast their ¡­ association? ¡­ to Lyns and his people. Galatea was still there, though, although she¡¯d changed her appearance and blended into the background. Regina suspected magic was involved. She was the only person who wasn¡¯t a member of her hive among her group, though. Regina had also sent word to let Armin go, although he hadn¡¯t reached the other Delvers yet. He didn¡¯t seem in a particular hurry to leave, and had actually hung around and asked the drones a few questions. If nothing else, knowing he was on his way without anything bad having happened to him took care of a potential worry. "At least they finally moved,¡± Janis muttered under her breath. Regina didn¡¯t know if the humans could hear her, but she had the impression Janis wouldn¡¯t care much even if they did. She wasn¡¯t exactly wrong, either. The Cernlian rebel army was no longer in the spot it had occupied during the confrontation, but it wasn¡¯t exactly moving with alacrity. And Lyns had clearly decided to head back into Cernlia now instead of continuing through into Nerlia. She supposed she couldn¡¯t exactly blame him, since they¡¯d been going after the enemy army which the hive had now vanquished, but it still smacked of leaving her behind to deal with Nerlia on her own while he went off to pick the low-hanging fruit. Regina didn¡¯t actually mind, though. In many ways, fighting Nerlia on her own was what she preferred, anyway. It would give her a much freer hand on how to deal with it. They finally managed to take her party to their leader without getting stopped every few meters by passing soldiers and their stares or whispered questions, and she refocused on the immediate situation. Marquis Lyns at least came out of what she assumed to be either his personal quarters or the command tent to greet them. He looked a bit more haggard than the last time she¡¯d seen him. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± he greeted her, nodding his head. ¡°An honor to see you again. Be welcome. Please, come in,¡± he gestured at the others to show the invitation was open to everyone. When Regina stepped into the tent, she paused. The Cernlian king was seated on a chair a bit farther from the table dominating the interior. He didn¡¯t seem to be wearing handcuffs or any other restraints, although there were two warriors standing nearby acting as presumptive guards. Side by side, the the two men¡¯s relation was a lot more apparent. It looked like the king was actually a bit younger, if Regina¡¯s impression was correct. The way they glared at each other didn¡¯t leave any doubt about the strength of their familial bonds, though. Regina just stared at him for a moment, while he returned her gaze. Neither of them said anything. It was a petty power play, but it felt like whoever spoke first would give something up. After a few seconds, though, it got too annoying for her, so Regina simply entered, claimed a chair and turned to the marquis, ignoring his captive for the moment. ¡°It is good to be here in person, Lord Lyns,¡± she told him. ¡°We have recently made some good strides forward, but that means it would be good to sit down and sort things out.¡± ¡°I quite agree, Hive Queen,¡± he responded. ¡°Your prisoner has not made any trouble?¡± she asked casually. His lips twitched slightly, though she wasn¡¯t sure what exactly to make of his expression. ¡°None at all,¡± he assured her. ¡°He is still imprisoning his rightful king unlawfully,¡± said king said quietly. Regina turned to him. ¡°Nicholas of Cernlia,¡± she greeted him, keeping her tone neutral. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± he replied, his lips curling up in a hint of what she effortlessly pegged as a sneer this time. She half-expected him to say something else, maybe a biting comment about Lyns¡¯ true master showing up or being disappointed in him for consorting with ¡®monsterbloods¡¯, but it seemed the king was smarter than that. Or at least had a sense of self-preservation. He didn¡¯t say anything else and actually managed to keep a courteous demeanor. ¡°What are you intending to do with him?¡± Regina asked. If it was something she didn¡¯t approve of, she might have to step in. ¡°That is not decided yet,¡± the marquis answered evasively. Regina narrowed her eyes, but chose not to press him. It might be better to talk about this when the king wasn¡¯t in the room with them. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you,¡± she said, nodding to the king. She thought she found a bit of surprise on his face. Maybe he was astonished that the monster could be courteous. ¡°I¡¯d like to show you around and guide you to the rooms we prepared for you, Your Majesty,¡± Kiara spoke up. ¡°You must be tired from your travels.¡± ¡°Gladly,¡± Regina agreed. She gave a smile to Lyns and an even faker one to Nicholas the Third, before she turned to head out with Kiara. It was pretty obvious that she wanted to talk to her more privately, but Regina was good with that. Getting the scoop on the situation here before she got deeper into any negotiations with Lyns would be useful. Although she knew the relationship between the two of them might have gotten even worse in the meantime. They didn¡¯t speak for a minute after leaving the tent, just walking quietly through the camp. Quite slowly, so Regina had time to take everything in and consider what to do. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again,¡± she finally said, signaling that they could start the conversation. ¡°Likewise. I am glad you are here.¡± Kiara hesitated, then sighed a little. ¡°And not a day too soon, if I may say. Now that we have the king - my cousin - in custody, everything is changing.¡± ¡°In what way? Everyone positioning themselves for the new regime?¡± Regina guessed. ¡°Well, yes, and ¡­ There are many noblemen who were still on the side of the king. The former king, I suppose; I rather doubt he¡¯ll keep the title for long. Anyway, many of them have died in the war, others have fled and are likely to end up losing their lands. There is a lot of ambition among younger relatives, or families married into the bigger houses. And then there¡¯s the line of succession ¡­¡± Regina frowned. She really didn¡¯t want to have to deal with this. ¡°I thought you had a good handle on the situation,¡± she said. Kiara actually smiled briefly. ¡°I¡¯d say I do, overall. Still, this is an uncertain time when it comes to these things. The disposition of King Nicholas is not decided yet, either. I hope he will be exiled, likely to the south, although what with your war with the gnomes, that might pose a problem.¡± ¡°Probably better than the Esemen,¡± Regina conceded with a sigh. ¡°Here are the quarters we prepared for you.¡± Kiara stopped and smiled at the rest of the group, before she started opening the door, or rather latches on the tent walls. Regina walked inside and glanced around. They¡¯d clearly planned on close quarters for the drones, but that wasn¡¯t a mistake; they actually preferred sleeping close together. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Kiara spoke up again, following her inside and ducking under the tent flaps. ¡°If I may ask, how are my mother and sister? How is my mother¡¯s pregnancy progressing?¡± ¡°Well, the last I knew. I was about to head back to them to check. The hive¡¯s healers are keeping tabs on them and assure me there are no unexpected issues.¡± Kiara nodded. ¡°That is a relief. And, if I may ask, are you aware of the child¡¯s gender yet?¡± Regina frowned. ¡°If I knew, I should talk to your parents about it first,¡± she replied cautiously. She wasn¡¯t really comfortable with hiding that knowledge, but it did seem a bit like a potential match for a fire, and throwing that match without understanding the situation wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. ¡°Is it actually that important?¡± Janis asked, glancing at Regina before looking back at Kiara. ¡°I mean, the Hive isn¡¯t going to care, you know that, right? And, correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but wasn¡¯t your grandmother being pushed aside the entire reason for your father¡¯s claim?¡± Kiara smiled at Janis, her eyes lighting up and her features softening slightly as she looked at her. ¡°Thank you. And yes, you¡¯re right. She was the older sister of the current king¡¯s father and predecessor.¡± ¡°Then why is he so set on having a son replacing you?¡± Janis asked with a scowl. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t want to pry into your personal affairs or anything, it just seems ironic.¡± Kiara sighed. ¡°I suppose it is ironic,¡± she said. ¡°I suspect the way his mother was treated and her claim dismissed made an impression on him, and Father does not want history to repeat itself and his line to be pushed aside. Even if he¡¯s precipitating the very thing he¡¯s afraid of,¡± she muttered. That did seem like a tricky situation, and from what Regina had seen, Kiara was probably right. It was as good an explanation as any, anyway. It also put her in a bit of an awkward position. Regina much preferred Kiara as heir to any yet-unborn baby, but she also didn¡¯t really want to involve herself in internal Cernlian issues like this, especially a succession dispute. Well, I might not have much of a choice. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m already considered to be on her side. There was a short silence, but before the conversation could continue, someone rapped on the tent pole and then pushed the latch open. Regina felt Max and the other drones tensing, but she told them to relax after she recognized the visitor. Margaret, the daughter of Duke Bluegrass and, as far as she knew, Kiara¡¯s closest confidante, seemed troubled. She immediately looked at Kiara and only seemed to remember where she was as she opened her mouth. Then she bowed towards Regina. ¡°Your Majesty. Please excuse the interruption.¡± She turned to Kiara. ¡°Milady, I have urgent news.¡± Regina waved her hand dismissively, although Kiara gave her a sharp look. ¡°What news?¡± ¡°King Nicholas attempted to escape and sustained fatal injuries in the consequent fight.¡± Kiara stared at her for an instant, her eyes widening. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Well ¡­¡± Margaret shuffled her feet, her gaze drifting downwards. Ah, so he was killed ¡®resisting arrest¡¯ rather than killed actually trying to escape, Regina realized. ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± she asked sharply. Margaret nodded. ¡°Yes, he breathed his last just a few minutes ago, Milady.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible. There was a moment of silence as they all digested this news and its implications. ¡°Couldn¡¯t wait for you to talk to him, could he?¡± Max muttered. Lyns most likely didn¡¯t want to risk Regina making any demands regarding what happened to him, Janis said silently. So he probably moved up his plans. Regina frowned. I have to admit I didn¡¯t expect this. I probably should have. The reasons for eliminating Nicholas are pretty obvious, after all. And they were in a war. It still took her by surprise a little. She could sense that most of the others felt the same way. The drones actually seemed to be more disapproving of it. Regina had the distinct impression they didn¡¯t like the concept of family killing each other. ¡°We were still family,¡± Kiara muttered, a deep frown on her face. Margaret didn¡¯t say anything and appeared to try not to look at anyone. ¡°Well,¡± Regina finally said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a clear successor, does he?¡± ¡°No. There are a few bastard sons, but no legitimate ones. It appears there will not be much to contest my father taking the throne,¡± Kiara said, but she still didn¡¯t look particularly happy. She was probably considering how this affected her own position. Regina exchanged a glance with the others, then rubbed the bridge of her nose. Killing a prisoner was pretty distasteful, but she wasn¡¯t really in a position to cast stones, she supposed. What was done was done, even if she didn¡¯t like the way Lyns unilaterally handled the issue, although she supposed it was a Cernlian matter. At least now she had a better idea of how things stood. Interlude: She Who Remains ¡°Leianaleine.¡± Leian turned, cocking her eyebrow. She wasn¡¯t surprised to see the man hovering two meters away, hands primly clasped behind his back, black formal robe billowing in sparse wind. There was no actual wind here, although the wall of glass in front of her which she was looking through might give the impression there should be. He saw her cocked eyebrow and corrected himself. ¡°Leian Blue-White of Agialsis.¡± ¡°If anyone should know and use my proper name, it would be you,¡± she commented mildly. ¡°You called yourself that when you were only Leian Blue-Gray of Agialsis, not White,¡± he said, taking a step closer. ¡°I was Blue-White,¡± she corrected, still speaking mildly. She could tell it only made him tenser. ¡°My predecessor had died. As you should know. Are you certain you wish to revisit these old memories, Berren?¡± A thousand years ago, he would have flinched. By now, she¡¯d made such an allusion as well as more explicit threats many times. And he knew she would not usually punish him any more than she already had, certainly not over a few words. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean she hated him any less. Their hatred was old and well-worn, though, almost comfortable by now. ¡°You¡¯ve already enslaved my soul for an eternity,¡± he said in answer to the unspoken. ¡°You killed the closest thing I ever had to a family,¡± she replied, unperturbed. It was the worst of his crimes, not the only one. She didn¡¯t bother listing them all out. They both knew. He stopped, then sighed. ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t fault you for your adherence to tradition,¡± he said grudgingly. ¡°More of us would be lost if you didn¡¯t. We are the only survivors of the Aishan.¡± He paused, seeing her cocked eyebrow. ¡°Well, you are the only survivor. I am dead.¡± ¡°So you are,¡± she agreed pleasantly. ¡°So?¡± ¡°You are acting stupidly, mistress,¡± he said. ¡°Anyone looking at it logically would see that keeping me around even in this form is a liability, a security risk.¡± ¡°Having you keeps me on my toes,¡± she said. ¡°It keeps me sharp for other threats. If you manage to slip out of my chains, you¡¯ve earned it. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have other precautions.¡± She smiled sardonically. ¡°It¡¯s the Aishan way.¡± Not that that was the reason she kept him around. Not the only reason, at least. She wondered if he would actually leave, even if he could. If he was even trying as hard as he could, or would be trying as hard if there was an opportunity. They¡¯d both settled into a comfortable relationship, by and large. And she was the only thing anchoring him to his own past, the only thing he had left. She could have gone delving into his soul and his mind for the answers, but she didn¡¯t. Not only was it distasteful, but he was also rather skilled. She would not have been able to be sure that she saw the entire truth, anyway. It was what made it enough of a challenge. Besides, she had other concerns at present. ¡°What did you come here to say, before you started stalling for time?¡± she asked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t stalling,¡± he sniffed. ¡°Well, I assume you¡¯re not talking to me for the pleasure of my company.¡± He visibly released a deep breath, although, of course, he didn¡¯t need to breathe, then bowed slightly. ¡°Mistress, the goddess Alianais has left another packet of news and information for you. I have also assembled an updated report on the Hive Queen known as Regina.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Apparently, her former identity is one Dr. Regina von Woltan.¡± Leian nodded. ¡°Go on.¡± He opened his hand, revealing a small sphere of spinning air with a dull orange glow coming from its center. Leian reached out her hand and he placed it there carefully. She brought it up to her face and blew on it, causing orange sparks to fly and drift into her eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Leian stood up. With a casual wave of her hand, another affectation, the glass in front of her parted like a sliding door and she stepped outside, gazing at the landscape outside her home. This corner of the Mirrored Halls was rather stable, she hadn¡¯t allowed it to change for months. Currently, it showed a vista of a deciduous forest stretching to the shores of a sandy ocean beach. She liked the fresh sea air. Berren followed her outside, half a step to the side and behind her. ¡°You do like playing god,¡± he mused. She glanced at him, wondering briefly how much of her thoughts he¡¯d seen on her face, or if he¡¯d simply guessed where her mind was going. ¡°I am a goddess,¡± she reminded him. He shrugged and gestured dismissively as if throwing something away. ¡°That hardly matters. Everyone knows some of our people¡¯s past leaders could have been gods if they¡¯d chosen to, but they didn¡¯t. It¡¯s not like any god is the pinnacle of power.¡± Leian shot him an amused gaze. ¡°Is that so? Still doesn¡¯t disqualify me from ¡®playing god¡¯ as you put it, even if this wasn¡¯t literally the Divine Home.¡± ¡°Well, you are the only person in this world with a Soul Name,¡± he conceded. She knew his pride would never bear it if his master wasn¡¯t at least the biggest fish around if he had to be bound. Or perhaps that was an uncharitable assessment. He continued talking, however. ¡°At least for now.¡± Leian stretched out her hand, then closed her fingers around a silvery strand of light, like wires wrapped around each other and interwoven with glittering points. It was another visualization she didn¡¯t strictly need, but she preferred having a distinct action to access the System. Having it rattling around her mind all the time would drive her wild eventually, in her experience. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. She quickly gazed through the relevant parts, sifting through the mountains of information at her fingertips. She was able to process and understand it much faster than a mortal, but the System contained so much information that trying to take it all in at once would be futile anyway. There were no particular surprises this time, and she quickly let it flow from her direct awareness, turning back to her companion to continue the conversation. ¡°There aren¡¯t enough people in this world for another Soul Name to be claimed,¡± she said. ¡°And we have barely any contact with other worlds, no one from here would be known there.¡± ¡°I have been wondering about this,¡± he said in a musing tone. ¡°Why here? Why are you not in another world?¡± ¡°You know what happened to Haven.¡± ¡°Yes, but why Haven in the first place?¡± He folded his hands in front of him. ¡°You could have run to any number of places.¡± She frowned. He hadn¡¯t brought this up in at least a few centuries. ¡°I was originally made to infiltrate Haven,¡± she reminded him. ¡°I recall quite a few people didn¡¯t believe you were really an Aishan, originally,¡± he said in the same musing tone, as if that would hide the intent behind his words. ¡°Oh, one of our people, ethnically, yes, but a mage? Perhaps someone tried to give it to you later in some unorthodox experiment.¡± ¡°Nonsense and you know it,¡± she shot back. Leian was not sure how that could have even possibly worked, faking an Aishan? She shook her head. ¡°Anyway, I knew Haven better than other worlds, I¡¯d even been there briefly, and it was well positioned at a nexus of travel to other worlds. That¡¯s really all there is to it.¡± ¡°It had nothing to do with the Tyrant?¡± he asked curiously. Leian¡¯s fingers twitched, although she didn¡¯t clench her hands. Time had worn away these rough edges, too, or at least smoothed them. Nowadays, every reminder of him didn¡¯t send her into a fit of rage (or worse, anxiety, or depression). ¡°I won against the Tyrant,¡± she said quietly, more to herself than her companion. ¡°He¡¯s gone. I outlived him. If that isn¡¯t the definition of victory, what is?¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t -¡° ¡°Stop,¡± she interrupted him, glaring at him as his jaw snapped shut. The memories of cold dungeons and the smell of blood, metal and bodily fluids might be old, but they had not faded. I escaped, and he¡¯s long gone. ¡°I will not speak about this. And you should be grateful for my mercy.¡± He took half a step back and bowed, still silent. ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t answer why I¡¯m still here,¡± she mused, calm again. ¡°But I¡¯m hardly going to take off while everything is going down.¡± He nodded and cocked his head. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the matter at hand,¡± she said. ¡°Our latest information from elsewhere is just as sporadic and unhelpful as ever, even if it is interesting, so I¡¯m hardly going to rely on it. This world has enough to keep me busy, anyway. Speaking of, I should do another general check of the System.¡± She glanced at him. ¡°What do you think, Berren?¡± ¡°What about this parasite field?¡± he asked cautiously. ¡°Or suppression, was it? An old method from the time of the old war resurrected.¡± Leian scoffed. ¡°Hardly a problem,¡± she dismissed. ¡°You think my System would be unable to deal with something like this? Whoever released the information in the end, it¡¯s nothing that would make me even break a sweat to deal with. I could probably modify the System to stop it completely, but it¡¯s better to let things develop for now, I think.¡± ¡°One might not think so, considering the trouble there seems to have been with the integration of the Hivekind,¡± he commented, clearly finding his conversational footing again and regaining his bite. Leian smiled slightly. ¡°You¡¯d think so, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Not giving him a chance to respond, Leian stepped forward again, exerting her will. The landscape appeared to shift around her as she moved through the Mirrored Halls ¡ª although it might be more accurate to say that it moved her ¡ª and she emerged on the coast of an ocean, feeling the surf beneath her now-bare toes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you ¡ª Oh, who am I kidding, of course you would,¡± he sighed. ¡°Is there anyone you trust?¡± ¡°Well, if there is, it isn¡¯t you,¡± she replied cheerfully. It wasn¡¯t quite the truth, she supposed; she actually did trust him rather a lot, more than almost anyone. Usually, she would not agree with the old adage that ¡®trust is knowing someone so well you know how they¡¯ll react before they do and are fine with it¡¯, but in his case, it somewhat fit. She wasn¡¯t sure what it said about her, considering the whole point about him being a dead person whose mind and soul she could see. "And Alianais?¡± ¡°Is a good friend. She can just be such a Havenite sometimes.¡± ¡°Did you disagree on what to do about the Hive?¡± he asked, stepping up beside her, presumably so he could see her expression better. Leian sighed and shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s going to set herself up for failure if she continues like this,¡± she said. ¡°Being distrustful and cautious is all well and good, but she already freed Regina from her egg and set her into the world. Which I think is the right thing, don¡¯t get me wrong; I might have had misgivings, but really, letting her live a life and get the Hivekind back is truly the least we should do. And she might be needed.¡± ¡°Because the Mesen might come back?¡± he asked, frowning. ¡°The Mesen,¡± she spat, grimacing. ¡°Let¡¯s hope they leave well enough alone. It should be decades or centuries at least. But I suppose you¡¯re right that having a Hive like this, and its Hive Queen, would help protect the world if they come.¡± He mirrored her grimace. She knew he disliked the Mesen as much as the next man, or shade, although he had not expressed much concern. Then again, he rarely expressed himself to her in any case. ¡°You do realize that your being here is only going to make it more likely for them to attack this world,¡± he pointed out now. Leian fell silent, her grimace deepening. As much as she wanted to deny it, she knew he was right. The Mesen might have taken their technology in a different direction, and a lot of it had simply been lost, but they wouldn¡¯t miss the chance of getting their hands on a real live Aishan. Perhaps especially her. ¡°Well, I suppose I am who I am,¡± she murmured. From everything she knew, at least several centuries had passed in the outside multiverse, even if this world had been on a fast track. ¡°Look on the bright side,¡± he said with a smirk, ¡°at least your Soul Name didn¡¯t turn out to be Defector.¡± She rolled her eyes and showed him her middle finger, a gesture she had picked up from the original cultures of this world. ¡°Very funny,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Can¡¯t think of anything new to needle me about?¡± ¡°I would never, mistress,¡± he assured her. ¡°Well, if you have time to be mouthy, you have time to work,¡± she said. ¡°Go do a check of the System¡¯s base architecture and then collate information on the Hivekind¡¯s integration and the handling of other rare or new species.¡± He sighed performatively, then bowed. Leian listened to his footsteps as he left. She didn¡¯t turn her head to look at him, but she didn¡¯t need to do that to watch him, especially here. The fact he even bothered with actually walking audibly for a few meters was an affectation, of course, but he did like to do little things to seem more alive to himself and others. Her servitor wasn¡¯t what she was really worrying about currently, though, and Leian sighed when he was gone. She called up more information from the System again, reading through it quietly, even as she paced up and down the edge of the beach. The gentle sounds of the waves and the water lapping against her toes weren¡¯t able to calm her, however. Leian shook her head as she stared out at the waves. The continent was being engulfed in war once more, her friend was running headlong into problems of her own making, her other friend was caught up in it all ¡­ and Regina was still building up her hive and would only keep overthrowing the established order, escalating all of this. What the hell was she supposed to do? Chapter 207: Checkup Regina had a lot of reasons to be upset with Marquis Lyns, and just as many, if not more, to value him as an ally. It was only now, after the better part of a war they¡¯d fought together, that she realized what might be the biggest actual issue. She simply didn¡¯t like him. There was enough reason for it, of course. He¡¯d betrayed her trust several times, in minor ways, but still significantly. He¡¯d been dependent on her help to hold up his part of the bargain and actually fight their enemies - which were arguably just his enemies, anyway - either. But she suspected it was mostly the little things, the way he acted, the way he made decisions and followed through on them. He didn¡¯t seem to be a racist, at least not as much as other humans she¡¯d met or heard about. But he still clearly saw her for what she could do for him, and that was that, all he cared about. It was probably petty to complain about that part, she realized. Still, he could have let it show less. Making unilateral decisions and then expecting her to go along with it because they were allies rubbed her the wrong way. And to be fair, she¡¯d done the same to him quite a few times, as well. But she genuinely had the better communication infrastructure and coordination, which kind of necessitated decisive action, and at this point, she probably had superior forces as well. Not to mention how she was basically propping up his entire logistical support, from food to medicine. All things considered, Regina thought she was entirely justified to be miffed when he greeted her after he¡¯d had the Cernlian king killed and acted like nothing had happened. Or at least nothing important, just a minor scuffle. She made it clear right away that she wasn¡¯t interested in the story he was trying to spin and he¡¯d better not try to pull that bullshit on her, but it wasn¡¯t one of their finer moments, she had to admit. Without Kiara there to mediate and direct the conversation in another direction by asking about the reports from the sentries and other prisoners, this might have escalated into a real fight. The screaming arguments kind, not the actual fighting kind, although that might not be entirely off the table. "In the future, you will keep me informed,¡± she told him before she left. They¡¯d both had a bit of time to cool down. His polite smile was a mask and everyone would be able to see it. ¡°I certainly will, Your Majesty. However, I am now unquestionably the rightful king of Cernlia, with the ¡­ unfortunate demise of my cousin. I expect to be addressed with the respect befitting of my station.¡± Regina just stared at him for a moment. Cute. ¡°You have not been crowned yet,¡± she said. ¡°If and when you are, I will certainly address you accordingly. In the meantime, Lord Lyns, I would focus my energy on securing control of Cernlia. You will largely have to rely on your own forces for this as my hive¡¯s focus will be on the Nerlians and Esemen.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± he replied, outwardly unruffled. ¡°We will take care of our business. Fair luck with your enterprises, Hive Queen. I have the feeling you might need it.¡± Regina only nodded. ¡°And to you.¡± Without wasting any further words, she turned and climbed on Thor¡¯s back. He barely waited until she¡¯d settled down before he lifted off the ground, other drones around him following suit. Regina looked down at the human army camp as it shrank beneath her and Thor turned to head off. Kiara was looking after them, her expression set in stone. Lyns had already turned away. I think that went as well as it could have, Max commented over the psychic link. At least he didn¡¯t demand custody of Zephyr. Regina agreed, although Zephyr was yet another headache. She didn¡¯t know how long they were going to be able to keep the thaumaturge contained. She didn¡¯t like the thought of just handing him over to Lyns, though, especially with recent developments. What if he tries to use the ritual Zephyr found against me? a corner of her mind whispered. Max didn¡¯t say anything else and they spent the rest of the trip in silence for the most part, only exchanging a few short updates with the other drones coming with her. At this point, Regina had gotten pretty used to traveling with a bigger entourage. Galatea was traveling on her own, but Janis was tagging along as well. Regina wondered if there might be a little more to her apparent desire to stick close to her, but she didn¡¯t say anything about it. Janis was curious and was probably just trying to stay where the interesting things happened, which, Regina had to admit, currently happened to be in her presence. The flight didn¡¯t take long, since they were relatively close to the village again ¡ª Lyns¡¯ army hadn¡¯t gone very far into Nerlia ¡ª and they had fast mounts. She¡¯d left the War Drones with her group behind, so only Thor and some other Winged Drone Mounts at relatively high levels to carry Max and the sapient hive members remained with her. Regina still felt restless, and she spent most of the time looking through the psychic link. Thor banked and slowly circled down towards the ground, presumably to give the people in the village notice of their approach. There were quite a few drones, of course, but Forest¡¯s Haunt was still inhabited by human villagers and they didn¡¯t have the psychic link. She could tell before she set down that neither of the Neralts was home. Marianne, of course, was still held by the Esemen, while Elric was currently in the territory the hive had taken over across the Nerlian border. He¡¯d been making himself useful and helped them noticeably. Regina was already considering some kind of reward. Right now, though, she didn¡¯t pause as she headed directly for their manor, where their guests were staying. Her drones cleared out of her way and even the humans around made sure not to impede her, although she noticed the small stir her arrival created. Inside the manor, Regina politely declined the offer of tea from one of the baron¡¯s employees while the Lyns ladies readied themselves to greet her; evidently, one needed to be presentable to present themselves to the local ruler even if she dropped by unannounced. At least they were quick about it. Only Max, Ira and Janis had accompanied her inside, and Janis took up the offer of tea. She could sense Florance¡¯s slight apprehension and surprise when Regina looked right at her before the door even fully opened. She didn¡¯t let it show, though, and instead stepped inside gracefully and bowed. ¡°Your Majesty. It is an honor as always.¡± Regina inclined her head. ¡°Lady Florance, a pleasure. Lady June, likewise. Please do come in, take a seat.¡± June followed her mother into the room and dropped into an armchair. ¡°We heard about your victories,¡± she said, and Regina could hear some of the excitement and apprehension she sensed in her voice. ¡°I hope you are all alright.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± Janis responded with a smile. ¡°How have you been?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Any issues or further symptoms?¡± ¡°Nothing beyond the usual for a pregnancy,¡± Florance told her. ¡°June has been feeling worse again lately, though.¡± June shot her mother a look, but didn¡¯t actually protest. Regina stood up and stepped up to them. ¡°I¡¯ll perform a more in-depth treatment later, but let¡¯s do a quick check right now. May I?¡± They nodded, and Regina started with June, taking her hand and focusing on what she could sense. It was largely what she¡¯d expected, overall. Her lungs were getting clogged up again and there were signs of inflammation. She suspected her energy levels were low. Regina did a sweep through the lungs, clearing them of debris and excess fluid and forcing her body to metabolize it. She¡¯d take a closer look and see if she could do more later, but she¡¯d prefer to do that with more privacy and time. With that done, Regina released her hand, gave her a reassuring smile, and then turned to check on Florance. From everything she could tell, the woman was right. Her pregnancy seemed to be progressing pretty well, and her body was coping with the strain about as well as could be expected. Regina checked on the baby carefully, but it seemed lively and she made sure it got enough oxygen. It would probably be kicking quite a bit. Well, she wasn¡¯t a specialist, and there was only so much you could tell from a fetus, but at least it seemed healthy. Regina took a step back in order not to crowd them and smiled. ¡°All seems to be well, Lady Florance,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d prefer another session with June later, but there are no causes for concern for you.¡± Florance let out a relieved breath. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°The baby, is it ¡­?¡± ¡°Perfectly healthy.¡± Regina retreated to the chair she¡¯d taken previously and sat down before she spoke, fixing both of them with a serious look. ¡°There is something I¡¯ve been wanting to speak to you about, Lady Florance. I was not entirely sure before, but now it¡¯s rather clear.¡± That wasn¡¯t even a lie; she hadn¡¯t been a hundred percent sure of the baby¡¯s sex, just almost. ¡°The baby you are carrying appears to be a boy.¡± There was a moment of silence as they clearly processed this revelation. Regina saw the slight tightening around June¡¯s eyes. It was the only visible sign that betrayed her feelings, however. In contrast, Regina could tell that she felt a lot more strongly about it. Dismay, mostly. To her credit, Regina had the impression that it was born out of loyalty to her sister, that she was thinking of her rather than her own place in the succession. Unlike her daughter, Florance felt a small flare of joy before it morphed into another version of dismay and apprehension, with a tinge of fear. Regina wasn¡¯t sure whether she was afraid for herself or her children, though. A potential fight over the succession would clearly not be good for any of them. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty,¡± Florance replied with a smile, to all outward appearances calm and pleased. ¡°That is welcome news. My husband will be happy to hear it.¡± Regina cocked her head and couldn¡¯t help but frown a little. ¡°What is it, Hive Queen Regina?¡± June asked. She narrowed her eyes. ¡°There¡¯s something else, is there not?¡± Regina sighed and sat up straighter again. ¡°There is more news, yes. I am uncertain if you heard, but Lord Lyns fought and captured the Cernlian king a short while ago.¡± She paused. ¡°King Nicholas has been killed, ostensibly as a result of an attempt to escape.¡± The two of them exchanged a glance. ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± June repeated. ¡°How did he die?¡± ¡°According to your father, Lady June, your cousin once removed violated his parole and attacked the guards assigned to him in an effort to escape, and was killed in the resulting fight. I hear some are already doubting this account, however.¡± Regina placed subtle emphasis on the ¡®according to your father¡¯. And from June¡¯s reaction, she understood that Regina was one of the ¡®some¡¯. ¡°They think Nicholas simply killed the old king to secure his own claim,¡± Florance stated quietly. Regina was finding it hard to sort out how she felt about it. ¡°Does that mean Father is king now?¡± June asked hesitantly. She suddenly looked a lot more like a teenager who had never gotten out much. ¡°Not quite yet, I think, but I¡¯m sure Lady Florance is more knowledgeable about the law and the nuances of the situation than me,¡± Regina answered. ¡°I have been somewhat out of touch, but in practical matters, my husband will have to secure his claims by taking control of the rest of the country, anyhow. Will you be helping him, Hive Queen?¡± Regina met Florance¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯m not going to withdraw the support I am giving,¡± she said. ¡°That includes healers and supplies. However, the hive will be busy dealing with our own part of the war. It is still raging across Nerlia, and we need to deal with the Esemen, as well. We also can¡¯t expose our southern flank to the gnomes.¡± ¡°I understand, of course, and wish you luck in your campaigns, Your Majesty,¡± she said earnestly. Reigna forced a smile. ¡°Thank you, that is appreciated. Is there anything else you need or wish for?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to write a letter to my husband,¡± Florance said slowly, hesitantly. Regina paused. This was the moment of truth now. Am I going to forbid her from telling Lyns about the baby¡¯s gender, or just let her write what she wants? She¡¯d hoped that Florance would just not mention it on her own, but she realized that was a naive thought. Of course she¡¯d feel obligated to share the news with her husband. ¡°Perhaps it would be best to keep speculation and anything we are not certain of yet out of such letters,¡± Regina said delicately. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to worry him or get his hopes up, after all.¡± Florance just stared at her for a moment and she could feel a brief shadow of fearful anxiety, before the woman nodded, still seeming composed. ¡°Of course, Your Majesty, you are quite right,¡± she agreed. There was actually a bit of relief, at the thought of putting off this potential conflict, now, she thought. Regina smiled, trying not to show that she¡¯d rather grimace. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure your letter gets delivered promptly,¡± she promised. ¡°Is there anything else you wish for?¡± ¡°Just to make sure my June gets healthy,¡± Florance replied seriously. ¡°We are very happy with your arrangements otherwise. It is a shame Lady Marianne is still absent, however; is there any word on when she might return?¡± ¡°Unfortunately not,¡± Regina responded with a tight smile. ¡°June, would you come with me? Let¡¯s see what I can do for you.¡± None of the others talked as she led June to the converted examination room. Regina started a quick exchange with the healers who¡¯d been taking care of her through the psychic link, but there was nothing she hadn¡¯t already known about. It was almost routine now. Regina didn¡¯t bother with complicated preparations or disinfections, since she only needed skin contact and wouldn¡¯t do anything else. She had June sit in a chair and placed her hand on her chest, then closed her eyes to investigate her condition. The more she did this, the better Regina felt she understood her patient, although it was very incremental progress. She took her time and carefully went over every centimeter of her lungs, as well as checking all of her organs and tissues, even those she wouldn¡¯t expect to be affected. Then she actively used her Skill Greater Heal to heal June as well as she could. Finally, Regina opened her eyes and stepped back, making herself smile at the girl¡¯s anxious look. ¡°I¡¯ve given you another treatment,¡± she said. ¡°You should be feeling better from now on. I¡¯ll need to monitor your condition to see if it comes back, and how quickly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not cured, am I?¡± June asked quietly. ¡°Your Majesty, do you think it is possible, still?¡± Regina sighed and sat down again. ¡°It is possible,¡± she assured her. It has to be. ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work, we may have to take a look at other methods. Or potential sources.¡± She hesitated and tugged on her mandible as she thought. ¡°I¡¯d like to hold a few lessons on magic for you. Perhaps we can learn something.¡± The more she looked at the young woman, over time, the more she was convinced there was something more to it. Regina was only trained in conventional medicine, but if there was something in or connected to June¡¯s magic causing trouble? She¡¯d figure it out. Examining her magic and how she used it would be a good start, and even if it wasn¡¯t, teaching her would be good anyway. June smiled, although she still looked a bit hesitant. ¡°I¡¯d be honored, Your Majesty.¡± Chapter 208: Growth With Nerlia in full retreat, as much as they could retreat in their own country, and Cernlia hopefully sorted or at least handed off to Marquis Lyns, Regina turned her attention to Esemen. The country was the only one of those involved that had not been directly affected or suffered under the war at all. Even her own territory belonging to the hive had seen intruders, although they hadn¡¯t done much damage. The Esemen were still just parking their army in other countries without having to worry about their own borders. Regina knew that if she wanted to actually invade them, she¡¯d have to move closer. It would be an escalation she didn¡¯t really want, though. Definitely not yet. Instead, she focused on the forces the Esemen had sent. So far, they¡¯d pushed forward aggressively and then settled into a holding pattern in the territory they had gained. They still controlled the upper edge of Earl Whitor¡¯s domain, along with some neighboring land. Whitor hadn¡¯t made a concerted effort to drive them out. There had been skirmishes, but neither side seemed eager to actually fight. Regina wondered if the Esemen thought they could just strike a deal. The balance had shifted from when they first came. And people had died, blood that was clearly on their hands. Then again, maybe it wasn¡¯t supposed to matter that much. She still didn¡¯t have a great understanding of what cultural limits or imperatives the locals had in matters like this. War happened, though, and people died. It seemed to be a fact of life. Usually it was much less destructive than this one, though, from what she¡¯d heard. Regina wasn¡¯t about to go and crusade against them without mercy for getting people killed in an invasion ¡ª the hypocrisy would be a bit much ¡ª even if she didn¡¯t like it. If Earl Whitor was fine with how things turned out, she¡¯d have to be satisfied with that. But she still wanted them to leave their pound of flesh for fighting her and her hive. It would need careful preparation, of course. Regina stayed in the village and inspected their burgeoning industrial and crafting infrastructure, while Ben and the others made preparations. Ben still focused on the army deeper in Nerlia, but Janis and others turned their attention to the Esemen and gathered drones. They debated pretty stridently over whether they should send in an army or rely on more distributed troops. For her part, Regina just made sure they¡¯d have the equipment they needed. Now that the cat was, potentially, out of the bag regarding their guns, she authorized further use of them. She wasn¡¯t sure how much good it would do, since it would probably be a very different kind of battle ¡ª if it came to a battle at all ¡ª but it couldn¡¯t hurt to be ready. She still kept their most advanced weapons under wraps, but had the hive start distributing some simpler rifles and even field artillery to the forces gathered against the Esemen. And, of course, she thoroughly reviewed their setup for making explosives and tried to improve their output further. Their entire supply chain was still too reliant on magic for her taste, and the crucial role Conjuration played in getting their tools and weapons concerned Regina a little. Partly because, if someone else were to use it as much as they did, they could gain the same results. And it made her uneasy to depend on something with a single point of failure. But it was just too useful not to use Conjuration magic. Besides, I suppose reintroducing more advanced tech is kind of its own reward, she reflected. Isn¡¯t that why I¡¯m doing all this, at least in part? That train of thought led her to the gods, but she quickly turned her focus away again. She was under no illusion regarding her chances, and she knew Deirianon would probably cause more issues for her down the line. The fact that she hadn¡¯t heard anything, especially if the psychic suppression field wasn¡¯t his, was already concerning. It made her feel like another shoe was about to drop. But she wasn¡¯t going to let that stop her or descend into paranoia. That would just be letting him win. Regina hadn¡¯t really explored her power being marked by Alianais might bring any further, and given what she¡¯d learned, she wasn¡¯t going to. She suspected it was a two-way street, and trying to draw on Alianais¡¯ magic, especially if she didn¡¯t have a suitable Class or knowledge on how to handle it, would probably give the goddess an undue hold on her at best. She might also risk blowing herself up, for all she knew. It did mean she was pretty much blind regarding any schemes of the gods, though. Galatea had told her what she knew, although Regina was aware she was protecting a few secrets of Leian¡¯s, but it still left a lot of questions. There was nothing for it, though. One reason Regina worried about it more, right now, was because people were finally starting to immigrate into her territory. It was only a trickle at first, but she could already see it growing stronger. Cernlia had suffered under the war, and now the army was no longer blocking any route into her demesne, at least from the east. The treaty she¡¯d agreed to with Marquis Lyns allowed anyone who wanted to go into her territory, and it seemed word had finally spread, at least a little. They primarily came to Forest¡¯s Haunt and the surrounding area. The hive welcomed them. Regina needed more workers, especially ones with practical skills from the current world. Even just more farmers would be useful. It might also help them to deal with territory they occupied in Nerlia, in the longer term. The lack of humans to talk to people there was a constant problem. In the short term, at least, it did place a larger strain on their capabilities, since someone needed to greet and organize them. On the other hand, the hive¡¯s numbers were growing quickly. Regina had pushed herself a little with adding more eggs, since she¡¯d recently been unable to do it while she was traveling, handling a crisis or talking with the Delvers or their allies. Their numbers of Swarm Drones were still outpacing the sapient drones easily, even with the losses they¡¯d suffered in the recent battles. Regina had the feeling she had started to hit the limits of Drone Breeders, or rather their effectiveness for the hive. The leveling of the oldest had slowed drastically, and it would probably take time for them to reach the third Tier, assuming they would. The increase in the numbers of eggs they added to the hive also leveled off. She was not adding as many of them to the hive anymore, either, mostly for practical reasons. The rate at which new drones joined the hive would probably not increase too much in the foreseeable future, but since she was dealing with exponential growth, it would still be significant. The hive had to scramble to make sure their logistical arrangements were up to the task, but Regina was confident they had it handled. Hopefully. At least they were building a lot of new bases. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The Starlit Hive
Total: 41,200
Inner Hive: 521 (524)/785 (+35) Swarm: 40,678/350,000 (+3,413)
Warriors: 71 War Drones: 18,427
Workers: 83 Production Drones: 600
Scouts: 73 Winged Drones: 16,123
Harvesters: 50 Aquatic Drones: 100
Shooters: 69 Drone Breeders: 28
Attendants: 80
Witches: 80
Keepers: 15
Monsters: 2
Demihumans: 1
Regina looked at the hive status and sighed, running a hand through her hair. Her numbers might still be growing, but not as much as she¡¯d once thought. Obviously not as much as exponential growth would allow, anyway. But this wasn¡¯t some kind of math example. They couldn¡¯t just grow without limit. Space was still limited, but the main issue would be food, she knew. They needed to feed all of the drones and she¡¯d already committed to supplying Lyns¡¯ army as well as Cernlian and Nerlian civilians, too. Winter was coming in a few months, it would already be a challenge. Storerooms and granaries wasn¡¯t what she wanted to spend time and effort on building, but Regina knew it was necessary, so she didn¡¯t intervene when Mia and the others diverted resources to them. She supposed she should be glad they were thinking ahead, anyway. Mia was also making good progress in experimenting with and further developing nitrogen-based fertilizers. They probably wouldn¡¯t be much use this year, but should help next year. And Regina was planning on spreading them into the human territory where the hive had influence, even if they wouldn¡¯t be able to use Conjuration to produce them as easily. Still, her forces should be large enough for what she needed. Regina had been waiting for a few days to give them a bit more time to build up and train, but she didn¡¯t want to put off dealing with the Esemen, either. So, she made sure reinforcements were on their way to the southern front, where the gnomes still weren¡¯t stirring much, before she settled down to check on the advance into Esemen-occupied territory. Ben and Max had both advised against her going there herself, and Regina had agreed. Instead, she watched as Janis and a few others traveled north. Janis was not going to go into the thick of it this time, but after a few days, she¡¯d come to Regina and asked to be involved. Accordingly, Regina had again named her as the commander of the hive¡¯s forces in the region. Why screw with what worked, after all? Dan was clearly relieved to have her in charge again and Ben was still deeper in Nerlia, anyway. Instead of a single army, the drones were again divided into several detachments. They used a hierarchical structure of different units, like companies, battalions and divisions, which could all operate independently if needed. The sizes still varied a little, since they needed to balance the number and levels of the drones as well as any specialties, but she figured her commanders had it well in hand. Surprisingly, Regina found herself thinking about what she¡¯d learned in Madris¡¯ mind. The dark elf Delver was not a soldier, but she did have deep knowledge of and some experience with military organization, since it had been very relevant for her. Surprisingly, to Regina, the dark elves had what was probably the closest to the hive¡¯s military. They used general infantry as well as specialists, worked with flexible units and had adapted to underground fighting. They also tended to be pretty ruthless about losses, from what she could gather. Many minor wars against the dwarves and constant threats from monsters would do that, she supposed. Either way, she would not want to fight them. One more reason not to let it come to violence with Madris. In contrast, she could see the Esemen had probably made some efforts at getting a professional army, but they weren¡¯t nearly as far. She knew they still had a fundamentally similar system to Nerlia and Cernlia, which really hampered that kind of improvement. After all, it meant soldiers were more often than not loyal to specific nobles rather than the central government, and that played hell with any kind of standardization of equipment or supply management, among other things. Accordingly, the soldiers she was watching now weren¡¯t really wearing uniforms, for the most part, although they¡¯d made some effort to carry symbols of their allegiance and there were a lot of colorful banners. Still, she reminded herself not to underestimate them; from this distance, it was hard to tell which levels they were at. Regina was currently watching through scrying, viewing the Esmen soldiers as they patrolled and tried to fortify the territory they¡¯d taken. They were well prepared, she had to admit, but they also hadn¡¯t really encountered real resistance yet. Skirmishes with Earl Whitor¡¯s troops and the occasional Swarm Drones didn¡¯t really count. Regina settled in, making herself comfortable sitting in the lotus position on the bed and closing her eyes to sink into the psychic link. The hive¡¯s forces were advancing slowly, cautiously, but she was watching the response of the Esemen. She knew they had ways of watching what was going on, probably scrying as well. They wouldn¡¯t have gotten here without good and up-to-date intelligence. ¡°My Queen?¡± Regina opened her eyes and turned, blinking at Max. She swallowed her annoyance as the concern and tension he felt registered. ¡°What¡¯s up, Max?¡± she asked. ¡°Check your messages,¡± he replied with a smile, though it wasn¡¯t as strong as it could have been. Regina frowned, but then she noticed what he meant. Another drone was hesitantly trying to get her attention, and she could sense the focused attention of a group of humans as well, not that far away. It drew her focus immediately, since they were around one of the strongest minds outside the hive, which was still groggy and slightly unclear at the moment. Zephyr. What¡¯s up? she asked. He¡¯s had some kind of seizure, the young Attendant said unhappily. There are symptoms of shock. Regina sighed. I¡¯m coming. Slowly, she stood up and stretched before turning to leave. They¡¯d brought Zephyr to the village as well, since it seemed like the best place to put him. She didn¡¯t really trust the Cernlians with him, anyway. She also wasn¡¯t sure she wanted him in her hive¡¯s main base. Right now, that might prove to be a good decision. She hurried down the street, reaching out with her senses to try and check on him. It didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d been poisoned. At least she couldn¡¯t see signs of that from here, she¡¯d have to check more thoroughly. But it might be adverse effects from keeping him contained or whatever Madris had done to knock him out, or maybe a combination. Regina sighed and prepared herself for a new challenge. It wasn¡¯t good, but she needed to proceed with the interrogation now, while they still could. If he died ¡­ Sometimes, this entire war sucked. She supposed she only had herself to blame. Chapter 209: Prisoner While the push against the Esemen started, slowly and cautiously, Regina went to visit Zephyr. She checked on the progress of her drones briefly, but there wasn¡¯t much to see, yet. They hadn¡¯t even come close to any real fighting. Instead, she focused on the prisoner she was going to see. Zephyr was held in a hut the hive had erected outside the village, a short distance from other structures they¡¯d raised for their purposes, like storage and crafting spaces. The Workers had reinforced it with steel bars and concrete. Even a good mage should have trouble blasting his way out, although she wasn¡¯t sure it would hold Zephyr for long. Regina focused on the minds inside and paused before she stepped through the door. Ira had already arrived before her, and she looked up as Regina entered. ¡°My Queen,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°I was going to wake him up. He¡¯s already half-awake, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s doing him any favors.¡± Regina nodded, grimacing slightly. ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s having some bad dreams, to put it lightly.¡± It was interesting from an academic standpoint. Zephyr felt a bit like he was dozing, although she suspected it had more to do with sedation. He was struggling against it, though, not just because of the dark whirlpool in his thoughts. It was causing him quite a bit of strain and she wasn¡¯t surprised there were physical symptoms. Regina crouched down and laid a hand on his head, calling on her magic for a bit of healing. She stood up and took a step back before she intensified her focus on his mind. It didn¡¯t take long for him to struggle towards waking, and Regina helped it along, careful to stay subtle and not too rough. She also took the opportunity to look into his mind, of course. What she saw was mostly disjointed and hard to make a lot of sense of, but it was still useful. ¡°Derrek Zephyr?¡± she asked softly as soon as she sensed that he was awake and coherent enough. His eyes blinked open. They swam around, then narrowed. His body tensed, as his mind snapped into focus. Or tried to make a good effort at it, anyway. ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± he rasped. Regina smiled, not having to fake the pleasure at his quick recognition. ¡°Yes,¡± she agreed. ¡°Take your time. How are you feeling?¡± He stared at her for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll live,¡± he said drily. Then a shadow went across his face and she didn¡¯t have to look at his mind to know he was wondering if he really would. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to kill you,¡± she assured him. It was true, too. That would be a waste. It might be something she couldn¡¯t avoid ¡ª he was dangerous ¡ª but she was going to try. ¡°I see,¡± he said after a short pause, still sounding uncertain. His eyes drifted around the room, lingering on the other drones present. He sighed and then sat up, scuttling back a little to lean against the wall of the hut. ¡°Why did you wake me up?¡± ¡°I have questions,¡± Regina said. If he wasn¡¯t affected, he would have known that without her needing to explain it. He blinked again. ¡°Of course,¡± he said then. ¡°Well, I might answer a few. Or maybe not. I have little interest in treason, you understand.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°There is one thing you should know, before we get into this.¡± She paused, wondering how to say this, then decided that a blunt approach would be best. ¡°Your king is dead. Nicholas the Third and most of his core supporters were captured by Lyns, and he was killed in a fight in his camp.¡± If she¡¯d expected rage or regret, she would have been disappointed. Zephyr didn¡¯t seem particularly emotional. ¡°I see,¡± he simply said after a short pause, although his frown deepened. ¡°You don¡¯t seem particularly broken up about it,¡± she observed. ¡°At least on a personal level?¡± Zephyr shrugged. ¡°You know the man ¡ª or, well, I suppose you didn¡¯t. But you must have known his reputation. King Nicholas was not good at making friends, and he had few enough of those with him. He also had a poorly hidden, if admittedly not particularly deep, disdain for mages, and high expectations. Of course his death is a tragedy, but I will not pretend to have liked the king.¡± So much for not speaking ill of the dead, Regina thought. ¡°And what about Marquis Lyns?¡± she asked. ¡°Is he better liked? He is now unquestionably the man who stands to inherit his throne, if you don¡¯t consider him king already.¡± ¡°I never knew the marquis on a personal level,¡± Zephyr admitted. ¡°His reputation is what you would expect for a man in his circumstances.¡± ¡°And his status and claim? Would you accept him as Cernlia¡¯s new king?¡± ¡°Would you send me to him if I did?¡± Zephyr asked drily. Then he winced and tried to grab at his head. ¡°Or if I didn¡¯t?¡± Regina almost reached out a hand to check on him more closely again, but decided to wait on that. Instead, she considered his question for a moment. She hadn¡¯t made any firm plans on what to do with him, because she wasn¡¯t sure how it would turn out. ¡°It would depend on how cooperative you¡¯re being,¡± she said. ¡°And, to be honest, on how the relationship between him and me develops. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re smart enough to know that while we are allies, that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean I want him to have all the powerful fighters.¡± Zephyr snorted. ¡°At least you¡¯re honest about it,¡± he muttered. Then he coughed again and shook his head. It took a while until he raised it and fixed her with a stare again. ¡°Have you poisoned me, Hive Queen?¡± ¡°No,¡± Regina replied. She took half a step closer and laid a hand on his forearm. He really wasn¡¯t poisoned, as far as she could tell. A second check didn¡¯t show anything, either. She supposed it was possible he might have been faking. Of course, he wasn¡¯t in the best physical condition, but the stress of the war along with being captured and then kept asleep for long periods would explain that. He also suffered from a few chronic health problems, which she fixed after a short consideration. He was clearly holding off the infection she could sense on his own, but it seemed something that would stay around, and while his parasites weren¡¯t particularly concerning she might as well get rid of them. It did indicate he¡¯d probably traveled, but she could have guessed as much. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°So I¡¯m not dying?¡± he asked. Regina blinked, her focus pulled from her contemplation of his health. ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± she responded absently. ¡°Now be quiet, I need to give you a thorough check-up.¡± He fell silent, and she returned her focus to his health, checking his general condition and specific problem areas. She also branched out a bit and turned her attention to his mind, trying to assess his mental state and any damage that might have come from recent experiences. It was a bit hard to distinguish those from any other mental health issues, especially since she didn¡¯t want to dig too deep. She wasn¡¯t sure what warned her. Maybe it was his muscles contracting, or maybe she saw something in his mind. Following instinct, Regina ducked and rolled away. A spear of fire flashed through where her head had just been. She was stunned for a moment, maybe because she¡¯d impacted the ground harder than intended. Her hive had no such constraints, though. She heard and felt Max jumping to crouch protectively over her at the same time as Ira unleashed a wave of air, impacting Zephyr and stopping his attack. Regina shook her head dazedly and scrambled away, pushing off the wall to get to her feet. She felt the shimmer of Max¡¯s shield on her and then sensed the addition of several others, as the other drones he¡¯d picked out for her security detail added their own Skills to it. Max must have prepared it before she went to talk to Zephyr, but while it would have stopped his attack, she wasn¡¯t sure about follow-up strikes. Instead of striking back right away, Regina focused on the psychic link to direct her drones. The back wall of the hut was already blowing away. In a radius of hundreds of meters, drones had stopped what they were doing and were instead rushing into the fray to defend her. Be careful, she impressed on them. If they were unlucky, Zephyr could kill them. Max grabbed her and tried to pull her out of the building, but Regina stood her ground and stopped him. She didn¡¯t think making for the door right now would be any safer. Instead, she focused on the fight. Zephyr was showing them what fighting a high-level mage meant. He conjured whips of fire into existence, holding off half a dozen defense-focused warrior drones at the same time, while also erecting a shield of spinning air around himself and pelting Ira and the more exposed drones with a hail of stones. And then he started levitating, rising a few centimeters into the air. Regina snarled a curse, echoing the anger she felt pulsing in the drones around her. She released a swarm of Magic Missiles, then switched her focus before they reached their target. Instead, the mentally homed in on his mind, grabbing it with her own. Zephyr was a powerful warrior, he must have had some training, and now that he was in a fight with the adrenaline high of it sharpening his mind, it was harder to find purchase. But he had also been sedated for a while and was still fighting off the aftereffects of that and Madris¡¯ actions. Regina eschewed finesse and bore down on him with her mind, trying to batter through his mental defenses. Distantly, she saw him stagger, almost being caught by one of his own flames that Wen had redirected, before Zephyr flinched out of the way. One of his flaming whips winked out, but he swept the remainder in a large arc, forcing her drones to step back. Regina didn¡¯t let it bother her, but continued her psychic assault. She could tell she was getting through. The flashes and impressions she got from Zephyr¡¯s mind let her know it hurt, and that he was starting to have trouble parsing what his senses were telling him correctly. Being cornered only made him more dangerous, though, so she broadcast an alert to stay back to the others before she dove into the cracks she¡¯d made. He almost exploded, and Ira and a few others threw up a shield to deflect the magic ¡ª some kind of nova attack ¡ª before it could reach them. Regina smelled burning hair. She reached her mental fingers through his defenses, grasped, and twisted. Although the real world seemed distant, she still saw him flinch and stagger, all of his magic winking out. He fell down to his knees and twitched. Regina quickly rushed forward, holding him in place with her mind. As soon as she reached him, she slapped a hand against his neck and used her magic, while letting up on her psychic assault. His muscles strained, then relaxed. His eyes rolled around towards her before they slipped closed. ¡°Can¡¯t blame me for trying ¡­¡± he groaned, before he fell to the ground, and she confirmed he was slipping into unconsciousness. ¡°I very much can,¡± she muttered. ¡°What was that even supposed to accomplish?¡± Well, she supposed he might have had a chance of fighting his way out through her hive if he¡¯d succeeded, possibly. Maybe he¡¯d hoped that killing her would disable the drones. ¡°Let¡¯s burn him,¡± Max growled. ¡°Or maybe toss him to a monster to get eaten. Or would you prefer a more drawn-out death?¡± Regina laughed and shook her head. She then stared down at Zephyr and frowned. Should I kill him? He was her prisoner, sure, but he¡¯d also just tried to escape and made a good showing of it. She was pretty sure they could contain him better now, after this, but was it worth the risk? He was a pretty powerful mage, though ¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s not kill him,¡± she decided. ¡°For now, anyway. Instead, we¡¯ll move him to a more isolated facility. Underground, I think. That might be a good test for a new max security prison, anyway.¡± She could sense that the others were still angry, and really didn¡¯t like the idea of ¡®letting him get away¡¯ with this. ¡°Are you sure, Regina?¡± Max asked, clearly making an effort to speak softly. ¡°Yes, I am,¡± she said firmly. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything without my approval, all of you.¡± She wasn¡¯t really worried about that; their instinct was to defend the Hive Queen, but disobeying her would be even less acceptable to them. Max raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t say anything. He was probably wondering about her reaction. For her part, Regina didn¡¯t take it personally. It wasn¡¯t like Zephyr was an assassin hired to kill her. They were at war, he¡¯d been captured and taken prisoner, and he¡¯d tried to escape, fighting her in the process. That was perfectly fair, from what she recalled of the old rules of war. Even here, it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d sworn a parole oath or anything. Although that might be something worth looking into. ¡°He¡¯s too useful an asset to let a sudden outbreak of stupidity take him,¡± she explained quietly. Max nodded, then turned away and started talking to the others via the psychic link, giving brief orders to get the situation sorted out and the repairs to the hut started. Regina just wandered outside, checking on Zephyr again. She knew that her attack might have done some damage, and would probably delay his recovery. She didn¡¯t think there would be permanent damage, but she¡¯d need to check on him. Carefully. Or maybe, on second thought, rely on drone healers, and ask Madris to take a look if and when they met again. For now, Regina felt like she¡¯d actually learned something. This was the first time she¡¯d done something that could be called psychic combat. It wasn¡¯t much, and she¡¯d probably made a lot of mistakes, but everyone had to start somewhere. It made her a lot more confident in taking on people above her level, though. Especially if she had drones to act as meatshields. Hopefully Swarm Drones, in that case. Chapter 210: Opportunity Regina had the feeling Tia wasn¡¯t exactly happy about her dumping a new task on her without warning, but she didn¡¯t complain, just got to work. Tia being Tia, after a few hours she had forgotten any resentment and was excitedly sharing plans for their new prison cave. Zephyr was already being transported there, and Regina guided a few drones through it to make sure everything was being built up to specs. It was vaguely reminiscent of a traditional maximum security jail, but rather smaller ¡ª they didn¡¯t anticipate ever having more than a few prisoners at this level ¡ª and entirely underground. The air vents were designed carefully and could be collapsed, as well as concentrate gas in the actual rooms if they pumped it in. The meters of rock all around it would hopefully help as well. Beyond that, they were starting to experiment with enchanting the metal that would form the actual cell. Regina left that to Tia and the others, only making sure that Zephyr wouldn¡¯t wake up or suffer any medical emergencies. Then she turned her attention to the Esemen, and the building fight. It hadn¡¯t been long since she¡¯d started to get distracted by the interrogation and fight with the human archmage, but Janis had already reorganized her troops and concentrated some of them into divisions she was sending into the contested territory. It would be a multi-pronged attack, the drones advancing slowly and carefully with a heavy screen of scouts and fliers. If the Esemen had the information about the ritual the Nerlians used and tried to cast it, they¡¯d be prepared. None of the hive¡¯s troops would be too far from reinforcements, and there were enough sapient fliers and mages to establish lines of communication even if the psychic link was disrupted. Regina didn¡¯t really think it would happen, though. They knew about it now, and besides, she didn¡¯t get the feeling the Esemen would know the ritual. The Nerlians certainly wouldn¡¯t have told them, and if someone else had, they¡¯d timed it pretty badly. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. So, she only encouraged Janis to implement measures, and listened in as she consulted with Ben. The Esemen were reacting to their advance. Looking from above, through the eyes of several drones, Regina could watch their reaction ripple outward. It was pretty clear they didn¡¯t have the instant communication the hive did. That didn¡¯t mean they were slow, of course. She was pretty sure they were using some kind of magic, if nothing else. It wasn¡¯t always easy to see when word reached a particular place, since they¡¯d been preparing beforehand, but she still tried to get a map of their response, as accurately as possible. Marianne was still farther away. Regina didn¡¯t mind that, it would be good to get her out of the line of fire. She tried to scan the rest of the minds there, but this far away, there wasn¡¯t much she could pick up. Nothing really stood out to her, anyway. At least it would free her to not have to worry about Marianne. Regina still felt a bit bad about sending the old woman out and putting her in danger like that. In retrospect, she¡¯d probably been a little too sure about those assurances of human nations respecting diplomatic immunity and protections. The gnomes should have been the outlier. And, well, I suppose she wasn¡¯t part of my hive. I shouldn¡¯t have risked one of my sapient drones, either. Ria¡¯s fate was still something that stuck in her mind like an itch she couldn¡¯t scratch. She¡¯d tried to recall her, but without anything to target, Queen¡¯s Summons was still just as useless as anything else. That was a bit of a painful lesson on the limitations of the Abilities the System had granted her. If she¡¯d still been able to feel her mind or at least knew her location, it would probably have been easy, but apparently, the psychic link was involved in making it work. Or it might just be Ria was out of her range, she supposed. For now, Regina tried to push thoughts of her unfortunate diplomats aside and focus on the immediate situation. The hive¡¯s drones were coming closer to Esemen forces, at least from what she could see. There might have been some invisible or otherwise stealthed soldiers closer by, watching the drones or even preparing to fight. She¡¯d probably have to be there in person to check and be sure. Regina followed along with Janis¡¯ mind, though, watching as they checked and collated reports from the scouts. There were a few Keepers with the army, to help organize the psychic link and shore up their communication. Nothing happened, though, and Regina tried not to let nerves get to her. Maybe she was being a bit too jumpy after the thing with the allied human army. She still watched rather than trying to distract herself with something else, though. When battle was finally joined, it felt almost anticlimactic. There was a large hive patrol supported a little further back by another company, with a few sapient Warriors. They had just crossed a small stream when arrows started spouting from a few of the Swarm Drones. One of the Winged Drones ahead dove and, looking through its eyes, Regina saw the unit of human soldiers setting the ambush. There were only about two dozen of them, crouched behind sparse tree cover. Now several were raising crossbows and what might have been primitive muskets, targeting the drones. Janis reacted before Regina even had the chance to issue any orders. She sent a few Swarm Drones forward to tank the attacks, while the sapient drones fell back and guided some of the others to move to the sides and flank the Esemen fighters. At the same time, Winged Drones picked up rocks, if they weren¡¯t carrying anything already, or dropped their payloads above the soldiers. The Esemen clearly realized they would be flushed out sooner or later and instead started to charge the drones, their melee fighters closing the distance rapidly. Before they could arrive, though, the drones to the sides charged them instead, supported by fire from the back line. A brief but furious melee erupted, supported by a few Spells and Class Skills at range. The hive ganged up on enemy soldiers, with the drones jumping them from the back where they could. Regina threaded her fingers together and watched silently, trying not to give in to the tension she was feeling. She lost a few Swarm Drones, but the enemy never even got close to the sapient drones. About half of the soldiers managed to retreat, while the rest were left dead or injured. The drones on the ground quickly directed the Swarm Drones to secure them, while an Attendant came forward to heal the worst injuries, closely guarded by the rest of the team. At this point, even an outside observer would have been able to tell that they had some experience in this. Quickly, the prisoners were secured and on their way to the hive¡¯s current base, while the unit carefully moved on to keep scouting, wary of any further ambushes. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. How are you feeling about this? Regina asked Janis, after making sure she wasn¡¯t currently focused on something else. Janis gave a mental shrug. It¡¯s going about as I thought, she said. We¡¯re unlikely to be lucky enough for them to just stand around waiting for a field battle, and honestly, if they were, I would be concerned about some sinister trap. You¡¯ve been talking to Earl Whitor? Regina asked. Well, I¡¯ve been communicating with him, using the psychic link with drones talking to him. Honestly, he¡¯s been pretty quiet the last few days. Maybe he¡¯s concerned with what happened with the Cernlian king and Lyns¡¯ ascension. They¡¯ve definitely been exchanging a few letters already. Regina nodded. That was something she¡¯d been told as well, but the piece of information had kind of been lost in the flood of other news. Since the hive had started building up something like a real intelligence apparatus, there had been a lot of information and potentially significant intel coming in. Drone Keepers were mostly handling it for her, for now. I think Ben might have the bigger challenge right now, actually, Janis continued. Regina frowned, but let her attention drift to his mind. Well, thanks for the update, Janis. Keep up the good work. Ben was currently a lot farther away than Janis, deep into Nerlia. Still, her range had expanded enough in recent months that it wasn¡¯t even close to the limit, and she had no trouble sensing him and the others with him, as well as some other minds in the general area. Ben had a sizeable army with him, the one from the previous battle strengthened with some reinforcements. It was heavier on ground troops than Janis¡¯, partly reflecting their new tactics. The idea of shooting guns from up high was nice in theory, but it would play hell with their accuracy, and Swarm Drones weren¡¯t the best at shooting anyway. Regina didn¡¯t think they really needed it, since the Nerlians had also lost most of their fliers, and wouldn¡¯t be able to contest their aerial superiority. Finding any enemy soldiers who¡¯d gone to ground would be much more important and difficult, so their flying drones focused on scouting rather than dropping bombs on shield walls. Like Janis, Ben had also split the army into several interlinked units that could move independently. Hey, Ben, she reached out to him. How¡¯s it going? She sensed brief surprise by him, before he greeted her warmly. Pretty well, my Queen, he answered. At least, I think so. Weren¡¯t you going to focus on Janis¡¯ side of the war, though? Well, that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t check in on you, Regina replied, unsure how to feel. Was she so distant and uninvolved that he felt she neglected him? Or was he afraid she was checking on him because didn¡¯t trust him to handle it? I didn¡¯t mean it like that, he quickly assured her. I¡¯m always happy to talk to you, Regina. I just thought something might be up. Not really, she admitted. Janis mentioned you might have more problems than she, but I think that¡¯s just the general situation. It¡¯s going to be a challenge just to find the Nerlian fighters, right? Pretty much. We¡¯re trying to prevent them from going to ground in the first place, but I¡¯m not sure how successful that¡¯s going to be. I also don¡¯t want to drag out the war, I understand why you want us to finish it quickly. Do we need more mobility? she asked, frowning. If we can catch them quickly, especially before their units can start to disperse? It wouldn¡¯t hurt, he said, but I¡¯m not sure how much we can do. Regina sighed a little. I¡¯ll prioritize Winged Drones, she said. Maybe we should send more sapient drones your way, as well, especially the flying ones. That¡¯ll help, he acknowledged. Then Ben hesitated for a moment. It would also be really good to find them and maybe monitor them with psychic scanning. Do you think you can do something like that? Regina tugged on her mandible, shaking her head. I could do a reasonable job at that if I was closer, I think, she said hesitantly. But I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want me to join you in person, and honestly, I don¡¯t really want to go too far from the rest of the troublespots down here. I¡¯ll still do what I can, and maybe move north a bit to get closer to both of you. Unfortunately, from what I¡¯ve seen so far it doesn¡¯t really seem possible to give one of my drones psychic abilities. Maybe it¡¯s all bound up in the psychic link? I mean, the Keepers have their own, of course, but they¡¯re focused on the maintenance and usage of the psychic link, not reaching outwards. That kind of sucks, he said contemplatively, but it¡¯s not surprising, and it fits what they said when I asked. We¡¯ll just have to make do, then. We will, Regina agreed. And speaking of ways we can deal with the Nerlians ¡­ Ben hesitated again. My Queen, what¡¯s your stance on getting Nerlia dealt with through other means, not just military force, I mean? Depends on the situation and the details. What do you mean? Talking to the Nerlian king and getting him to surrender to us? Something like that. Ben shrugged. I¡¯ve been thinking a bit about what you said about our goals, and how to achieve a real victory. We don¡¯t really need to beat them down completely. I¡¯m sure the king would prefer to surrender and hand over power to you rather than be destroyed completely if he still gets to retain something. It¡¯s definitely worth considering, Regina said. We¡¯d need to set up diplomatic channels, and honestly, after Esemen, I¡¯m not too keen on sending diplomats to the enemy stronghold again. But it wouldn¡¯t be hard to figure something out. Well, one of the reasons I was bringing it up now is because of this, Ben smiled. I think you might already have an overture from the Nerlians. Regina followed the focus of his attention, which he was sharpening on a specific point. Ben was always good at picking up new tricks with the psychic link. It didn¡¯t take her long to choose the right drones in the link and look through their eyes to see what he was focused on. It did look like a diplomatic envoy, she had to admit. No one was waving a white flag, exactly, but there was a large banner on a pole showing the Nerlian royal coat of arms. That was probably about the equivalent in this time and place. The man in the center looked like a courtier, although he wore a sword and also looked like he knew how to use it. He was flanked by several knights, judging by their armor. They rode horses she could tell had been well taken care of. They must have only just set out, if she was reading things right, and were still a fair distance away from Ben and his army. Still, they were heading roughly in the right direction. Well, Regina decided, I guess I¡¯ll take this as an opportunity. Are you going to agree to whatever deal the king wants to make? Ben asked. She shrugged again. That depends on what he¡¯s willing to give. Regina smiled a little. And it certainly wouldn¡¯t hurt if we were in an even more superior bargaining position, such as if you continue to successfully root out and defeat their forces in the field. I¡¯ll do my best, my Queen, Ben said drily. Do so, Regina commanded. When you encounter these people, don¡¯t harm them and escort them to a secure location. I won¡¯t be meeting them personally, but we¡¯ll send a senior drone as envoy. Make sure they don¡¯t get too good a glimpse of our forces in the process. As you will, my Queen, Ben answered seriously. I¡¯ll take care of it. Chapter 211: Lesson Regina tried to split her attention again between the various tasks she had to cover. It felt like there was a lot she had to pay attention to: the fighting against the Esemen, Ben¡¯s progress in Nerlia, the reinforcements for her hive, the general administration and development of it ¡­ All of it she had to at least check in on. And that didn¡¯t cover more personal responsibilities like magic lessons for June or time to experiment and train her own magic. It was also frustrating, because while she spent hours sitting down unmoving on her bed and watching intently through the psychic link, not much really seemed to be happening with the war. Janis was pushing towards the Esemen, with scattered units on a broad front, and occasional support from Whitor¡¯s men. The Esemen tended to skirmish a bit and then give ground. It meant she had advanced reasonably far but hadn¡¯t fought a real battle, and their numbers were largely untouched. Ben was progressing across Nerlia at a faster pace, but the Nerlian army had already withdrawn, the aftermath of the battle and the need to deal with the prisoners and rest his own drones giving them time to open the distance between them. At this point, the Nerlian army was more of a ragged remnant than ever before, although they still kept being sporadically reinforced from local holdings. She shouldn¡¯t complain about getting more time, since that would only allow her hive to build up their numbers further, but Regina still felt a bit uneasy, restless. She¡¯d breathe a sigh of relief when this war was finally done with. For now, that wasn¡¯t going to happen in the next few days, though, although Regina supposed diplomatic initiatives might make it come faster. It would also depend quite a bit on Marquis Lyns¡¯ progress in Cernlia. For that reason, she kept as close an eye as she could on him and his followers, too. Lyns¡¯ army was moving relatively slowly, although she supposed she couldn¡¯t gauge everyone by the hive¡¯s standards. It was at least a little more organized than it had been at the beginning of the war, and it seemed like most of the army¡¯s strength had been consolidated behind a few lords. Kiara probably controlled a sizable portion of it, indirectly, politically speaking. Duke Bluegrass definitely had the most soldiers remaining, perhaps even more than Lyns himself. Regina had also heard that his duchy had been pretty much lost to the Cernlian crown¡¯s forces, before, though. Lyns would make it a priority to retake that, and with Cernlian resistance as gutted as it was, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard. From Via¡¯s reports and also what the Winged Drones could observe, it was clear that the marquis was meeting with a lot of nobles. Some of those meetings included Kiara, but most didn¡¯t. Regina wasn¡¯t sure what they talked about, exactly, since Lyns didn¡¯t include any drones and clearly made an effort to keep them private, although she could guess the general thrust of it. He was securing his support, in addition to making plans to retake Cernlia. Probably starting to divide it up along new lines and centers of power, too. Regina knew it would need careful attention. Nerlia was one thing, but Cernlia was more important to her hive. Their territory had been part of it once, and they had much stronger ties. It was also situated more squarely between them and the eastern part of the Gnomish Confederation. If Lyns took it into his head to counterbalance their influence by approaching her enemies ¡­ She¡¯d need to keep a close eye on it. Maybe reinforce ties with Kiara after all. If nothing else, letting pure, stupid sexism ruin a bright young woman¡¯s future was not an idea she liked. And if she wanted to introduce true reforms and restart technological and societal progress, not just to her own territory or one country, but the continent, she needed someone she could work with ¡ª ideally someone with a moral compass and a bit of vision beyond their own nose. Regina considered it for a few moments longer, tugging on her mandibles, before she sat down and pulled out some paper and ink. She held her new pen over the paper for a moment before she started writing. The letter wouldn¡¯t raise any alarms, but she did want to assure Kiara of her support, or at least her sympathies, and just creating a closer bond was probably good. Regina had just about finished, debating how to close the letter, when a knock on her door accompanied a metaphorical knock in the psychic link, asking for her attention. Yes? ¡°My Queen, it¡¯s time for your scheduled lesson with June Lyns,¡± Ira poked her head in, raising an eyebrow slightly, even as she kept her head slightly bowed. The overall impression was rather ruined by her expression. ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m on my way,¡± Regina said, quickly adding a signature. Then she sighed and stood up. ¡°Get this letter on its way to Kiara, would you?¡± ¡°Of course, my Queen,¡± Ira said, stepping into the room and grabbing an empty cup on her way to the desk. ¡°Remember to wait on healing her until she can try something herself this time.¡± ¡°Oh, stuff it, Ira,¡± Regina replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°If you say so, Regina.¡± Ira smiled, then turned to fold up the letter and unerringly pulled a container of wax from the desk drawers to seal it. Regina didn¡¯t linger, just left the room and stepped out into the rest of this section of the base, then walked through the corridors outside. They¡¯d built and expanded their outpost in Forest¡¯s Haunt, to the point it was now their second-biggest base, behind only the one in the center of their land. With the crafting workshops and production facilities they kept building here, as well as the strategic position for the war, closer to the border, it only made sense. Regina took a tunnel that led her outside just beyond the village¡¯s borders, since their base was built a short distance outside it. June was waiting for her outside a side entrance, close to a relatively big, open hall they used for lectures, lessons, or projects requiring more space, although it was currently empty. Regina nodded to her, but didn¡¯t say anything until they were inside. She sat on one of the desks, kicking her feet up on the arm of the chair beside it. June hesitated for a brief moment, before she sat down across from her without commenting on it. Regina watched her closely, but she was happy enough with what she saw. ¡°I am not sure what your education in magic has been like so far, but I am likely to be quite different as a teacher,¡± she began. ¡°My approach is unorthodox, and I¡¯ll have different priorities. Ask me questions if you don¡¯t understand something.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Of course, Your Majesty? Master?¡± June looked uncertain. ¡°Whatever works for you,¡± she shrugged. ¡°Now, you¡¯re, what, seventeen? And you only barely have your Class, even if it is Mage. I assume there wasn¡¯t much opportunity for you to gain Experience with your condition.¡± June¡¯s face tightened, but she nodded. A level ten had been pretty weak, but at least they didn¡¯t have to worry about getting her a good Class. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Your low mana might make some things difficult, but it might also be good to start at the beginning, without bad habits or clashing experiences or training.¡± Regina paused. ¡°I¡¯d like for you to be able to work healing on yourself, at minimum, but healing magic is demanding and complicated. We¡¯ll try, but don¡¯t expect quick results.¡± ¡°I understand, Hive Queen,¡± she nodded. ¡°Good, then let¡¯s start by just showing me what you can do.¡± June nodded and frowned in obvious concentration as she started to use her magic. Regina leaned forward, watching intently. She brushed against her mind, faintly, just enough to get an impression of how June was thinking when she did her thing. Her mana senses were more helpful, showing the gathering magic and how the girl formed it. A moment later, a small fire flickered above her hand. Spark, her own first Spell. Then June vanished it and focused again, and Regina leaned back as a Magic Missile launched from her only to crash into the ground. June paused for a moment, before she cupped her palms, and Regina sensed as much as saw water gathering in them as she conjured it from the air. ¡°These are your Spells?¡± she asked, just to confirm. ¡°Anything else? Have you ever cast a spell without the System¡¯s help?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty. Just those three. I don¡¯t think I can do magic without the System, can I?¡± ¡°Not easily, and maybe not at your skill level,¡± Regina answered. ¡°Your water magic seems to be pretty good, though, that¡¯s something we can work on. Traditional healing magic is often water-based, actually.¡± ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I wanted it,¡± June admitted. ¡°Well, you certainly seem to be good at it.¡± Regina cocked her head. ¡°You don¡¯t have any non-human ancestry, do you?¡± June started and blinked. ¡°No, I do not.¡± Judging from her tone, it was not a question one heard often, or maybe not one asked in polite company. Regina wasn¡¯t sure, but she did feel like there might be something slightly off with June¡¯s magic. Maybe she was just seeing what she was half-expecting to see. Either way, it was weak enough that any detailed analysis was kind of difficult. ¡°Practice it a bit,¡± she suggested. ¡°Show me a few more times.¡± June did as she asked without comment, and Regina watched as the girl ran through her Spells again. It was easy to see that June had practiced, as much as her shallow mana pool probably allowed, at least when she was fit enough to do it. She wasn¡¯t bad for someone low-level. ¡°The System helps you perform magic, but it¡¯s not fundamentally necessary. In essence, it¡¯s just shaping mana using your will to follow certain patterns ¡­¡± Regina explained. She borrowed heavily from what Galatea had taught her as she continued, giving an overview of mana (little was really known about it) and different kinds of magic (at least she knew a bit more about ritual magic now). Then she discussed how to best shape mana, something everyone was probably doing a bit differently, but there were a few basic commonalities. June watched and listened attentively, with an intent focus Regina rarely found even among her drones. It was almost uncomfortable, but Regina could tell how much the young woman valued this learning. For her, it was at least a possible way out of suffering, uncertainty and obscurity, and she wouldn¡¯t miss this chance. Regina paused. ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I believe so, Queen Regina.¡± June nodded firmly. ¡°With what do we start?¡± ¡°First of all, we¡¯ll teach you about the world,¡± Regina answered with a small smile. ¡°Physics, chemistry ¡­ biology and medicine.¡± June seemed surprised, but after a brief hesitation, she nodded silently. Regina smiled and pulled out some of the books they¡¯d prepared from a nearby desk. They were closer to roughly bound folders of handwritten pages, but in this case, appearances would be deceiving. These were probably worth their weight in gold to the outside world. The hive had been using them to teach not only young drones but also select humans from their territory, but she¡¯d collected a whole set for June. One needed a good grounding to use magic to its full potential, after all. While June started quietly going through the first folder she showed her, Regina took a moment to examine the girl. June was promising to be a good student, which was nice. She didn¡¯t want more headaches to deal with than she had to. And actually preparing to hold lessons had made her realize that she¡¯d need a more thorough education, and more time and effort, before they could really try to leverage her magic. The next hour and a half was spent quietly reading and discussing the introductory primer Regina had written, mainly basic knowledge of physics and chemistry. June clearly had trouble wrapping her head around a few of the concepts, but she tried and she was bright enough. ¡°Good,¡± Regina finally concluded. ¡°To give you an idea of what to expect, I want you to learn a healing Spell, and Basic Heal seems like the best choice. It¡¯s difficult and this won¡¯t be easy, though. Do you understand?¡± She waited for June to nod again before she continued. ¡°To start, I¡¯ll demonstrate the Spell and I want you to pay careful attention to what you feel.¡± She stood up and took June¡¯s hand, giving the girl a moment to collect herself and marshal her focus. Then Regina cast the Spell, this time careful to shape her mana clearly and as slowly as she could hold it. It wasn¡¯t as easy to heal June, even treating just the superficial symptoms, as with the greater version of the Spell. It did well enough, though, at least clearing most of the mucus and excess water out of the girl¡¯s lungs. "How do you feel?¡± Regina finally asked, lowering her hand and taking a step back. June paused. She was frowning, probably in thought. ¡°I am not sure. It was ¡­ somewhat odd. I felt like I was truly feeling what you were doing, but it was a bit different from your usual healing. I realized the start of the Spell much quicker, though. Did you only focus on the lungs this time?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Regina smiled. It was a good sign that June could tell as much. She hadn¡¯t healed many people outside her hive, but she was pretty sure most couldn¡¯t do that. She also thought she might have felt a slight stirring in the girl¡¯s own mana, although she wasn¡¯t sure. Either way, Regina was more certain now that she was on the right path with this. ¡°These are yours, for now.¡± She handed her the folders. ¡°Take care of them. We will have another lesson as soon as I can fit it into my schedule.¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty.¡± June bowed deeply as she grabbed the folders, turned on her heel and left. Regina sat back on the desk, sighing and running a hand through her hair. This might be an interesting side project, but it would take time and effort, and she wasn¡¯t completely sure about the political implications of teaching Lyns¡¯ younger daughter. For now, she turned her attention to other matters. A quick look through the psychic link revealed that some of Ben¡¯s drones had met the apparent diplomatic delegation from the Nerlians. They¡¯d made peaceful contact and were escorting them towards him at the moment. She probably needed to make sure arrangements were made there, and think about who to send to speak for her, since she couldn¡¯t meet them in person. The joys of being a Hive Queen. Chapter 212: Diplomacy As far as Regina knew, Central/Eastern Europe in this day and age had three major powers (if you didn¡¯t count the elves or gnomes, at least.). Nerlia, Cernlia and Esemen. She supposed that they might have to add a fourth now, her own hive. She¡¯d certainly like that. Most outside of those immediately impacted by the war probably hadn¡¯t gotten the memo yet, or even news about their existence, though. There were a few smaller countries beyond Nerlia that were, for the most part, loosely allied with it or even vaguely under its thumb. Unfortunately for Nerlia, they didn¡¯t seem very eager to jump to their aid right now, for some reason. Regina had to admit she felt a bit smug when she got the reports. It was mostly luck, since the hive had managed to intercept a letter from the capital, and a lot of extrapolation from the data points they had, but she was still confident in that conclusion. The tone was certainly suggestive. Of course, even a naive politician would be able to tell by now that Nerlia was in deep trouble, and unlikely to come out of the war intact, or as powerful as before. Obviously no one would be eager to jump in there, getting their soldiers killed and probably earning the enmity of the winners. That did mean that Nerlia didn¡¯t have many options. They¡¯d clearly realized that their only firm ally, Cernlia, was turning, and they had no prospects of getting help from elsewhere. That would probably be the case even without the Esemen invasion. Therefore, it didn¡¯t really surprise Regina that they were starting diplomatic overtures, she just wished she had a better idea of their mindset. Obviously, they were very much the weaker side here, but the question was how well they recognized it, since for finding an agreement, that was ironically the most important issue. She could afford to just walk away from any negotiations and steamroll them in her own good time, but it would lose her the opportunity. It was why she paid close attention to any information she could get, and watched what she presumed to be the diplomatic team from Nerlia closely. They seemed cautious and nervous, but she supposed that wasn¡¯t exactly surprising when they were being surrounded by drones. Ben had spared some drones to build up an outpost a bit off the path his army was taking, so they wouldn¡¯t get too close to it and couldn¡¯t gather intelligence on it. That didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d half-assed things, though, and so they had a pretty nice hut built of wood and brickwork coupled with a pavilion. A few Conjured objects using metal and plastic showcased the hive¡¯s capabilities without being too threatening. There was also some decoration with gold plating and the like that a few Workers had hastily put together. Regina wasn¡¯t an expert, but she was pretty sure it wouldn¡¯t win any fine arts awards, not that she cared very much. They also had a few nice banners showing the hive¡¯s current crest, in silver on a black background. Given the name, the choice of a circle of stars was pretty much a given. They were trying out a few versions with a silver crown and stylized pincer or antenna, or both, too, but had kept to the simple design for now. Once the diplomatic party came to a halt, they paused for just a moment before they got off their horses and approached, the guy she¡¯d pegged as their leader in the front. ¡°Lord Syman,¡± Ira greeted him, inclining her head minutely as she took a step out of the pavilion, which had most of its side wall pulled back anyway for a large entrance. Luckily, it was still pretty warm and there was only a faint breeze today. Her greeting also told Regina the man¡¯s name without having to ask. The guy bowed more deeply than she had, presumably erring on the side of caution. ¡°Lady Ira of the Starlit Hive,¡± he greeted her back. ¡°It is an honor to make your acquaintance.¡± ¡°Likewise,¡± she responded with a polite smile. ¡°Please do come in. We have some refreshments prepared. Feel free to leave a guard with the horses, though we can assure you they will be well taken care of as well.¡± A few quick whispers left two of the armed escorts behind while the rest stepped inside, the drones coming up to lead the horses to a nearby field for grazing. There weren¡¯t many sapient drones here, but a few were remotely supervising the Swarm Drones, so Regina didn¡¯t think there would be any issues. She wasn¡¯t really happy about sending Ira here, and losing her help in the village, but she¡¯d decided this was for the best. It was an important assignment but relatively low-risk. After all, they had a lot of drones around here, and even more between this group and the Nerlian lines, so they¡¯d have to be idiots to try something, even without considering the consequences for their diplomatic position. And Ira was one of the highest-ranking members of the hive and knew what Regina wanted best. She deliberately didn¡¯t want to send a warrior for this, either. The group settled down, a few of the Nerlian warriors remaining standing behind Syman¡¯s chair while two others, maybe senior knights or lower-ranking nobles, took chairs beside him. Ira didn¡¯t give any signs of feeling outnumbered, although Regina could feel her nerves about doing this through the psychic link, and sent a feeling of reassurance to her. ¡°If it is not rude to ask, Milady, may I inquire about your position with the Hive?¡± the diplomat asked. ¡°It is only to better understand how to express ourselves, so we do not waste anyone¡¯s time.¡± Ira smiled thinly. ¡°I¡¯m the Hive Queen¡¯s personal assistant,¡± she replied. They seemed suitably impressed by that, although it could mean anything from being her secretary to her actual right-hand woman, Regina knew. She supposed close access to the monarch was worth something in its own right, and it at least made it very clear she was paying personal attention to this. Not that she wouldn¡¯t when they were currently at war with Nerlia. ¡°I see,¡± the diplomat nodded. ¡°I have been sent as a personal envoy by His Majesty the King to treat with your Hive.¡± He waved a piece of parchment with a prominent red seal on it. Ira calmly took it and read through it, Regina looking at it as well. That seemed to be the royal seal, and the document was pretty short, simply stating his appointment as envoy extraordinaire. "I see,¡± she said, then continued, following a nudge Regina was sending her through the psychic link, ¡°I take it you both have the authority and have been sent for the purpose of negotiating for peace?¡± The noble shifted just slightly, and she wondered if he was taken aback by her bluntness. ¡°I have almost complete diplomatic authority to negotiate in the name of my king,¡± he began, not quite answering the question. ¡°Of course, I cannot entirely speak for him and any agreement would have to be presented and approved in court. His Majesty is very desirous of an end to hostilities between our nations, however.¡± Stolen story; please report. Regina spent a moment reflecting on how things changed, when being acknowledged as their own nation was now something obvious and to be taken for granted even though it would have been a significant acknowledgment just a few months before. ¡°I see,¡± Ira replied with a slight smile. ¡°That is good to know.¡± She paused, as if inviting him to go on. Regina could tell that she wanted him to come out and ask, instead of offering to actually negotiate peace herself. They weren¡¯t the ones who had to sue for peace, after all. ¡°As I said, we wish to stop the tragic and, to be blunt, rather causeless bloodshed. This war kills good men, and women, on both our sides, devastates the land, and is a loss to everyone.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°The enmity between King Nicholas of Cernlia and Marquis Lyns is what caused this war ¡ª both Cernlian men, as it happens ¡ª and one should think their strife is resolved, with the king¡¯s unfortunate death. Let this enmity die with him.¡± He wasn¡¯t exactly wrong, from an objective point of view, Regina had to admit. Why should they kill each other¡¯s soldiers for some other country¡¯s royal rivalry? But of course, there was a lot more to it than that. She hadn¡¯t fought Nerlia, or the Esemen, or even Cernlian forces for Lyns¡¯ claim, no matter what their alliance paperwork might say. She wouldn¡¯t have killed people ¡ª indirectly but still her responsibility ¡ª just so Lyns could wear a crown. She had only accepted the ¡­ probability of these truly unfortunate deaths (Nicholas definitely had it coming far more than some poor unlucky conscript) because she thought it was the path to something better. Well, the Hive Queen side of her would be happy to just expand and conquer her way through the continent for the hive. It was the human side that wanted something more to it. And maybe I am kidding myself and just building justifications for something I¡¯ve been taught should be wrong, she thought. But would that make it less true that my hive really is the best option for the people of these lands in the future? Or am I just deluding myself? While Regina stewed in those thoughts, Ira continued the conversation. ¡°Of course, we would all wish to minimize unnecessary bloodshed,¡± she agreed, even though she didn¡¯t feel much at the words and Regina suspected she mostly cared because Regina herself did. And because of the hive¡¯s own casualties. ¡°This is not enough to end the war, however.¡± Syman cocked his head slightly. ¡°I am uncertain of your meaning,¡± he said. ¡°Are you saying your Hive will not end this war, or simply that you require something beyond wishing to end it? If both sides want it to stop, surely that should be enough?¡± Ira smiled wryly, and she could tell it didn¡¯t reach her eyes. She decided to be blunt. ¡°Indeed, Lord Syman - I want you to formally offer Nerlia¡¯s surrender.¡± There was a moment of silence as everyone seemed to consider those words. As closely as she was focusing on Ira right now, Regina knew she¡¯d actually wanted to use the phrase ¡®unconditional surrender¡¯, and she felt the same way, but she¡¯d moderated her word choice in the interest of diplomacy. ¡°I see, Lady Ira,¡± he finally said. ¡°This is your requirement to engage in peace talks?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ira confirmed. ¡°Hostilities will end and we will have an effective truce during any such further talks.¡± She raised an eyebrow and gave him a slightly meaningful look. Under the current circumstances, such a truce would benefit them more than the hive. ¡°Don¡¯t mistake me, however, I do mean surrender when I say ¡®surrender¡¯. We will be transferring our forces and requiring certain access.¡± The man frowned. ¡°These are heavy demands.¡± Ira shrugged slightly. ¡°The reality of this war is that we are winning, Lord Envoy. Let me be blunt ¡ª You have come to us to ask for terms because your side is losing, and losing badly. I do not think it serves either of us to pretend the situation is different. So ¡­ you surrender, we discuss how Nerlia and our two nations will go into the future, and we set to building such a future. Or you may reject the terms if you find any agreement we may come to unreasonable, the war will continue and our forces will continue to advance, we will take the capital and the court in a few weeks at most, and we will win. Then we will shape what comes next more directly, so to speak.¡± His expression darkened. She couldn¡¯t really sense Syman¡¯s mind or mental state over this distance, but he seemed taken aback by her bluntness. He didn¡¯t get up in a huff or jump to contradict her, though. ¡°¡­ What terms would we be talking about?¡± he finally asked. ¡°Nothing that would damage Nerlia or its people,¡± she said with a smile. Which is true, it might damage the court or the nobility, not the people, Regina considered. ¡°Her Majesty the Hive Queen will require certain assurances, concessions and prerogatives. More pragmatically, influence and free rein in shaping certain things. You may not realize this, but Her Majesty is a committed reformer, although with a broad and sweeping vision aiming for the betterment of all, humankind, not just the Hive. It does not mean we would depose your king. In exchange, we will release all Nerlian prisoners we have taken, help them reach their homes and recover your economy. We will even promise to share food supplies to avoid famine.¡± Syman frowned. ¡°That sounds more ¡­ sweeping than a typical peace settlement,¡± he said hesitantly. Ira smiled wryly, leaning forward a little, and shrugged. ¡°It may have escaped your attention, but this is not a typical war,¡± she said lightly. Syman exchanged a look with the other seated men. ¡°You are still asking for rather a lot,¡± he said. Ira remained quiet for a bit. I¡¯d like to give them a bit more of a push, maybe some ¡®advice¡¯ ¡­ she thought at her. Go for it, Regina encouraged. ¡°Lord Syman,¡± Ira said seriously, fixing him with a calm stare. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, let me give you a bit of advice ¡­ or maybe context.¡± She paused for a second. ¡°The political landscape has irrevocably shifted. The world has irrevocably shifted, really. The usual rules for diplomacy or warfare may no longer apply. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard what our forces have been doing, and while the Hive¡¯s emergence is a major factor, it is certainly not the only one driving innovation and change.¡± He inclined his head, wordlessly conceding the point, and gestured for her to go on. ¡°As such,¡± Ira continued, ¡°it is up to you and Nerlia to decide how you go forward in this new context. Despite the unfortunate hand you have been dealt, there may be opportunity here. The Hive is very far from the apex of its strength, Lord Envoy ¡ª we can barely glimpse it over the horizon, even as we have been growing at a rate simply not possible for any human nation of this world. In a week, we will have thousands of new fighters. In a month, perhaps tens of thousands. In a year ¡­ well, I¡¯m sure you can imagine. In two years, ten years? In truth, at this point, you would need all or at least most of the remaining nations of this content to band together to fight us if you hoped to vanquish us. By then, it would simply no longer be possible. But ¡­¡± Ira smiled and shrugged lightly again. ¡°There is an old saying that might come to mind: ¡®If you can¡¯t beat them, join them¡¯.¡± The pavilion was silent for a minute. Regina considered what Ira had said, too. She¡¯d left out a few things, of course, like the fact there was a limit to the numbers she could produce ¡ª which really wasn¡¯t of practical importance at this point ¡ª and focusing on their numbers rather than weapons or technology. But Ira wasn¡¯t wrong, she might have even undersold it a bit. Their potential was something few people seemed to have really realized so far, maybe Kiara and Whitor, but hearing it laid out like this still made Regina a bit nervous about the reaction it would provoke, publicly. ¡°You make persuasive points, Lady Ira,¡± Syman said quietly. ¡°I truly hope we can reduce unnecessary bloodshed and suffering and find ways forward that help everyone,¡± she said, sincerely. ¡°Don¡¯t we all?¡± He shook his head, an expression on his face Regina found difficult to read. Then, after another short silence, Syman sighed. He exchanged another round of glances with the others, getting slight nods, before he turned to look back to Ira. ¡°Alright, then. Our surrender, in the name of the Kingdom of Nerlia ¡­¡± He slowly stood up, took his sheathed sword from his belt and laid it on the table, hilt towards her. ¡°Milady, I officially ask for terms.¡± Kilometers away, Regina smiled. This was only the first step, but her chest suddenly felt a bit tight. She almost felt a bit warm, even. Hope, that perhaps this could work out. Chapter 213: Sense Of course, it wasn¡¯t quite as easy as that. Regina couldn¡¯t get Nerlia in the palm of her hand just for asking. There was a lot to arrange and the Nerlian delegation pushed for actual, involved talks, which she supposed made sense. She could have quibbled over the matter of peace talks, but in truth, she wanted to talk to them in a dedicated setting, so they could work things out comprehensively. As long as she didn¡¯t let them get an attack of arrogance while they weren¡¯t actually fighting each other, it should be fine. Still, with Syman metaphorically throwing in the towel, and literally giving up his sword, things moved quickly. Ira talked to them to handle some details and they started hashing out arrangements for a larger conference, while already getting a few concessions squared away. Regina kept an eye on them and listened in, but found her attention drifting after a while. Ira had things under control and she didn¡¯t really need to pay personal attention at this point, especially since she was just going to get summaries and analyses later. At least one of the Keepers was also listening in at any given point, and she had the impression they wanted to try on their analyst hats. For the hive, of course. Ben was also paying attention, and already starting to direct his officers according to the results. It looked like actual hostilities in this theater of the war were going to stop completely, at least for now, so the army needed to change its stance. They would still keep moving, and would probably be needed for extensive garrison duties, if not an outright occupation force. Regina shared her impressions with Ben, checked in with a few of the others, and then mentally zoomed out to consider the lay of the land and her hive¡¯s positioning. It could be worse. They had a lot of minds scattered throughout the countryside, but several major clumps. One was Ben¡¯s army, one the roughly distributed forces currently under Janis¡¯ command. There were also detachments currently working to occupy the parts of Nerlia they¡¯d, well, taken, of course. And then there was the hive¡¯s home territory, largely the main base (which she might have to find a name for at some point) and the area around Forest¡¯s Haunt. The detachment in the mountains rounded it out, but nothing much seemed to have happened there recently. Tim was currently with Ben¡¯s army, and the other commanders hadn¡¯t registered concerns. Before Regina could start to delve deeper and focus on any one of those spots, she was interrupted by a System message, one she had been waiting for for a while, really.
You have leveled up
Regina smiled. She¡¯d gained levels throughout the war, although she was aware the speed of her leveling had slowed. Not because there was really that much time between them, just considering the amounts of Experience she must have gained. She supposed it was possible the talks with Nerlia had given her some, actually. Apparently enough to push her to the next level. She was at level 54, now. Close to when she¡¯d unlock the next Ability and to the next Threshold. She couldn¡¯t wait. But what really interested her was the next message the System showed her.
Congratulations, you have unlocked a new Swarm Template: Form Drones
Her last major unlock, for the Swarm, had been Drone Breeders, which were crucial to basically everything about the hive¡¯s growth currently. She didn¡¯t think this one would be on that level, she didn¡¯t get that feeling, but it still had the potential to be a major benefit. Even if she wasn¡¯t quite sure what to expect from the name. Well, she could try that out easily enough. It would also be interesting to see if the Drone Breeders she already had could create eggs of the new Template. She suspected not, although it might be different for new ones she had after today. Hopefully, this wasn¡¯t limited to just her like the Drone Breeders, though. I suppose you can¡¯t have everything, and getting breeders to produce more of themselves would have been a real cheat, in terms of exponential growth. Still. Regina decided to put off whatever she was going to do next and head to the hatchery right away. Ira wasn¡¯t there, of course, but Max and the others picked up on her movement immediately and accompanied her. By the time she reached the hut set aside for this purpose, farther from the village than most and enclosed by other structures, another young Attendant waited for her. She¡¯d only interacted with Lin briefly, but she didn¡¯t mind that. The main part was aboveground since it was easier to build bathrooms that way, and they had a pretty nice tub sunk into the floor. Lin helped her get clean and held her up when she staggered a bit after Regina pushed herself to make quite a few eggs for this batch. After she was done there, Regina walked back to her current home. She decided to take the long way around, walking slowly and looking around at the hive going about their tasks and building up this base. She hadn¡¯t pushed herself this hard in regards to making eggs for a while, and she was a bit more tired than she¡¯d thought. It was ¡­ something she supposed she¡¯d come to terms with. Or something I should come to terms with, anyway. Regina pushed that thought aside. She¡¯d grown up. Even in the last few months, probably helped by the relatively fast rise in levels at this level, she¡¯d visibly aged a little bit. At least she thought so. Now, people probably still wouldn¡¯t take her for her real - former - age, but she could at least confidently pass as an adult. People wouldn¡¯t really think she was below eighteen, anyway. At least she hoped so. Although her aging had probably also slowed, if you looked at it over the last year and few months she¡¯d been active now. She supposed that was a good thing, if she wanted to have a good lifespan. To distract herself from those thoughts, Regina turned her attention back to the psychic link and checked a few things. Zephyr was still under, sleeping uneasily but not quite conscious, in the new cave they¡¯d made for him. The main base was a bustle of activity as always and the same was true for the village and the drones living around here. The Esemen still seemed to be fighting more or less defensively, although Janis¡¯ drones had advanced a little. When Regina focused on them, though, she found her attention captured by something else. She almost didn¡¯t recognize what she was sensing at first. Then Regina stopped and straightened up, looking northeast despite knowing it was pointless. Marianne Neralt¡¯s mind was visible to her again. Pretty distinct, actually. She ¡­ seemed to be being moved towards the Esemen positions in their occupied part of Cernlia? This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Regina frowned, quickly letting a few of the drones know before she tried to dive deeper. It was still far away, enough that her psychic skills were undeniably limited. Still, Regina pushed herself enough to at least get a solid understanding of her general mental state. She needn¡¯t have worried, as it turned out. Marianne was feeling fine. She appeared to be a bit apprehensive, almost nervous, but that was probably normal under the circumstances. She wasn¡¯t in pain, or feeling high levels of fear or stress. That was good. She was surrounded by other minds, presumably Esemen ¡ª they definitely felt human, actually ¡ª although none of them was right on top of the woman, and she didn¡¯t think they were laser-focused on her, either. Unfortunately, since she didn¡¯t even know them, Regina found it even harder to tell anything about their mental states. It was enough to tell none of them were screaming in terror or feeling really triumphant or the like, at least. Regina considered it for a moment, before she reached out to Janis. Hey, how are you doing? Pretty well, Janis replied. She sounded distracted, and peeking a bit deeper showed Regina she was currently reviewing a squad of fliers led by one of the young Drone Fliers, coming in from their first patrol. She quickly wrapped it up and turned away. Is something up? Marianne just popped up on my radar again, metaphorically, Regina said. The Esemen appear to be bringing her closer. Huh. I wonder if they¡¯re trying to prepare for negotiations with us? That was what I thought as well, Regina agreed. I don¡¯t see much of a reason otherwise, unless they think they can get information on your forces from her. Although I guess there might just be internal reasons we aren¡¯t privy to. Well, I¡¯ll try to see if we can catch a glimpse of her with some Winged Drones, Janis suggested. Knowing that this is happening, I¡¯ll also adjust our patrols and maybe our planned advances ¡­ Yeah. I¡¯ll keep an eye on her location. Have you seen Ria, as well? No, although I¡¯ll keep looking. Regina grimaced slightly at the thought that came to mind. Ria was just one reason to settle things with the Esemen without too much delay. No drone had been out of her range for so long, and she honestly wasn¡¯t sure what the consequences of them being alone, cut off from the hive and its link, for days, weeks or even months would be. She just hoped it wouldn¡¯t be anything bad for Ria. Unable to entirely fight down her apprehension, Regina flitted through the minds of various drones, catching glimpses of the Esemen. She paused and focused on a group of Winged Drones on patrol for a minute, as they adjusted their course following orders Janis was giving them. These were pretty far out, flying high enough that they couldn¡¯t just be shot down and were hopefully hidden from the Esemen, although she wouldn¡¯t count on that. The Keepers were already putting the information they got into condensed maps and analyzing the enemy troop movements, but in Regina¡¯s opinion, there was something to be said for just looking at it directly as well. She couldn¡¯t help the thought that the Esemen looked nervous. Maybe she was just projecting, but when she had a viewpoint close enough to really see their soldiers, she could see the tension in their motion. It was nice to see they were aware of how they stood against the hive. Still, Regina wouldn¡¯t let it make her complacent. The Esemen seemed like just the type who¡¯d bring out some hidden card up their sleeves or secret edge right now, before they asked to talk, so it would shore up their position. Assuming they had anything like that. It probably wasn¡¯t the suppression ritual. And if they had something that helped them with this invasion, they would¡¯ve probably used it in the first place. Maybe something more defensive? Or new? Regina frowned. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but she supposed it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be cautious. She withdrew her focus a little from the psychic link and instead relied more on her own psychic sense. It was hard, a delicate balance that she still fumbled more often than not, even if she¡¯d been making progress. But she had gained a lot of experience and skill with her psychic abilities recently, and scanning for minds was a pretty basic application. Regina tried to still use her link, but only as anchors, and instead broadened and deepened her search. It was overwhelming, a flickering tapestry of minds each shining like a little bonfire, letting off light in all colors of the rainbow and a few you weren¡¯t supposed to see. She reeled for a timeless moment, before Regina pushed through, pushing the more intense, closer ones away to focus on those a bit farther, in the area she¡¯d just defined. It only took her an instant to notice the big cluster of minds coming closer, from what she realized was about the Nerlian-Esemen border. She examined them for a moment, before concluding it was no big deal. These were definitely reinforcements coming for the Esemen forces. There were a little more than she¡¯d thought, but not enough to change the situation significantly, and this was nothing she couldn¡¯t have gotten through Winged Drones. There was probably already a report noting the high numbers in her immediate future. No, this wasn¡¯t what she was really looking for. She was tempted to try and search for Ria, try to push her range beyond its limits, but Regina knew that would be a mistake. Even if it seemed different, this was basically just a focusing exercise, and the limit of her range remained the same as always. Instead, Regina let her attention spread wider again, homing in on roughly the area the Esemen occupied. The mix of fear, nerves and anticipation from both the locals now under their boot and the Esemen soldiers was pretty distinctive. After a search that felt like it took hours, Regina paused. Something was different about the Esemen. Maybe she¡¯d just never noticed it before. But there was ¡­ something, she didn¡¯t know how to describe it, that she could almost feel at the edges of her awareness like this. It felt like magic, but also a bit different from when she normally sensed it, whether with the System or even without it. It seemed to focus on a few Esemen in particular, she realized after a moment. Maybe this is their spiritual practices and magic? she wondered. It might just be a different way to work magic ¡­ or a connection to the gods. Regina frowned. That didn¡¯t seem quite right. She¡¯d learned as much as she could about the Esemen, and they¡¯d always seemed a bit strange. For a culture that apparently prided itself so much on its connection to the gods and their spiritual legacy, they were surprisingly little connected to particular gods. She didn¡¯t even think there was anything particularly noteworthy about their places of worship or religious services. Or maybe that was a false perception, and they just hid their more important practices, or ¡®deeper mysteries¡¯, where outsiders couldn¡¯t see them. Either way, there was either a lot more than it seemed to the Esemen¡¯s practice, or at least one of them, more likely a few, were directly touched by the gods in some way and spreading that touch among their followers. Which probably means they¡¯re Champions, she thought. Regina breathed out, rubbed the bridge of her nose and slowly opened her eyes as she decided to give her brain a bit of a rest. It didn¡¯t really change much, she supposed. They¡¯d still need to fight and deal with the Esemen, and this didn¡¯t really increase their strength, as far as she could tell. At least not beyond the way powerful high-level fighters otherwise would. On the other hand, it might change the situation quite a bit, especially if it had an impact on or even decided what they were going to do. She supposed she¡¯d just have to keep an eye out. Maybe she should just take it as a training opportunity. She¡¯d figure out more about this weird sensation and what it meant, and the practice would do her other abilities good, anyway. Chapter 214: Condition Regina spent so much time immersed in the psychic link that she almost forgot to eat, and probably would have if Ira didn¡¯t remind her. Being hundreds of kilometers away apparently didn¡¯t stop Ira from worrying about her. When Regina finally stood up, she felt stiff and had to control her expression not to wince and get another lecture from Max. It felt good, though. Trying to sense through the psychic link, instead of just talking to people, gathering reports and running the hive, was almost refreshing. She felt like she was growing more proficient with her psychic abilities by the minute, and even if she didn¡¯t find anything, that made the time spent well worth it. Regina took a quick break to attend to biological necessities, then continued, although she made herself actually focus on her regular job this time. Immersed in the psychic link, it felt like the hours just flew by, and she wasn¡¯t entirely sure how much time passed. Ironically, what finally brought her out of it was another feeling in the psychic link. Kind of, at least. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure what she was feeling at first, although it also felt familiar. Regina stood up, stretched again, quickly gulped down a cup of water, and then set out for the hatchery. It wasn¡¯t like the hatchery at the main base, but a room they¡¯d set aside to store eggs while they were developing. A few drones stood guard, even here, but Regina passed them by without stopping. Up close, it was easier to see what it was she¡¯d sensed. The new eggs of the new Template she¡¯d unlocked were off to the side, set apart from the others a little. They seemed a bit bigger than the other Swarm Drone eggs, at least compared to War or Winged Drones, though not as much as the sapient drones¡¯ eggs. Regina crouched down and inspected them carefully. There was something like a soft pressure in her mind, through the psychic link, coming from the eggs. It was subtle and she wasn¡¯t even sure she would have sensed it if she hadn¡¯t gotten better with her psychic abilities, not to mention sensed a lot of hive eggs, although she also suspected it would be growing stronger. This time, she was pretty sure this wasn¡¯t something the System had built, at least not originally. It felt more like an instinct. I knew, or was at least hoping I would be able to shape Swarm Drones more directly in the future, Regina considered. But I didn¡¯t really think of that just working with a new type. Now she felt stupid. Then again, maybe she really would be able to adjust more of the other Templates¡¯ drones in the future. She still couldn¡¯t actually design them or anything, but she felt like she could influence the direction the drones took, along which path they developed. It felt like there were a few options, roughly outlined, and she could probably even do something else if she worked at it. She could make them bigger and stronger, trading speed and subtlety for strong melee fighters, defensively oriented tanks. Or she could go the other way and leave them small and slight, but quick, maybe even stealthy. She could play around with the wings and try to make something like a better Winged Drone, maybe one with ranged capabilities similar to Shooters and Fliers, although she didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be very good. She could even make drones more specialized towards the underground, for digging tunnels and exploring them in the dark. Regina lingered around the eggs, waiting until she was pretty sure the changes took and were being implemented. It would clearly take a while until the eggs were actually hatched, and she was curious what the results would be like. Maybe it would actually take more time, or the duration would depend on what changes and choices she made? She wasn¡¯t sure. Either way, this gave her some good variability, though it also meant she needed to be there for the new drones, so she couldn¡¯t act too freely. It was an annoying limitation. Maybe she¡¯d be able to entirely operate remotely through the psychic link, in time. Or decide their trajectory just after creating the eggs in the first place, at least. Then she had to leave, since a Hive Queen¡¯s work was never done. At least not hers. Regina took the opportunity to go for a walk and considered doing some training, but decided she didn¡¯t have the time for that. She might also have to push back her next lesson with June, which sucked. Although, she wanted to take the opportunity to ask June for more information on the political situation and what might happen next. She wasn¡¯t her sister, but June was still smart and she¡¯d grown up in the upper reaches of Cernlia¡¯s nobility even if she¡¯d been sheltered. Kiara was too busy to talk to her much at the moment, anyway. The Cernlian army, soon to be the official one, was advancing deeper into their country. Right now, they weren¡¯t encountering any resistance but instead stocking up on supplies and preparing for more difficult work ahead. Not that Regina really thought there was much danger. The deceased king¡¯s army was pretty much gone, the soldiers that had remained deserting or even going over to Marquis Lyns¡¯ side. She suspected some of them just went home and took up their civilian jobs again. They would¡¯ve probably been in time to help with the harvest, at least mostly. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how long it would take normal people to travel the country, under the circumstances. Regina was still happy with it. The less she had to worry about feeding the rest of Cernlia or Nerlia, the better. The hive was doing its best, and she was really lucky that drones could eat pretty much anything, but they were still hitting a limit to how much food they could produce, especially for exports. It was already slowing down their growth, and ¡­ at the rate this was going, she might have to take more territory just to be able to keep their agricultural production at the required level. Granted, I was pretty much planning on doing that anyway, but it¡¯s still an issue. That thought prompted her to check in on Nerlia and how their negotiations were going. Syman had clearly sent word back home, he¡¯d even allowed Ira to see him use a Class Skill that looked a bit like a bolt of light streaking off, and they were moving quickly. Probably anxious to get everything sorted out as soon as they could. Regina supposed everyone here was worrying about the harvest, after all. She had a much better appreciation for why summer was historically the campaign season by now. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. It led her to considering who she would send as an envoy or ambassador to further negotiations, a line of thought she really didn¡¯t like. Bea and the other drones with her except Ken had died and she still hadn¡¯t gotten Neralt or Ria back. But she¡¯d have to establish diplomatic connections, so there was no getting around it. Marianne was actually still coming closer, though. Regina focused in on her again. She¡¯d been checking on her off and on for a while, tracking her progress toward the edges of the occupied territory. The woman was always surrounded by other people, Esemen soldiers and probably leaders, so it would be hard to get her alone even if she had a way to actually establish communication. Regina still tracked her locations and the relative positions and distance to other clusters of minds that represented the Esemen force distribution. They were clearly making an effort to keep her away from the hive, at least for now, playing into the defensive strategy they were already pursuing. She didn¡¯t expect that to last very long; they were clearly bringing her in now for a reason. She wondered if they¡¯d heard about her negotiations with Nerlia. Even if they hadn¡¯t, they might have just seen it coming. Given the situation, it probably wasn¡¯t too hard to see where things were going. Regina smiled a little at the thought, even as she walked through the door of her current abode. A few War Drones scuttled out, and her smile widened. The others had kept renovating her new digs, mostly when she was not there, so as not to disturb her. She wasn¡¯t even sure when she¡¯d given up protesting that sort of thing. As long as everyone else in the hive had enough space, she didn¡¯t mind if her ¡­ well, her children wanted to give her nice things. I suppose I am the only one of us ¡ª except for Janis, but she¡¯s not Hivekind ¡ª who actually wants to sleep alone instead of cuddling with her family, who needs her space. She frowned at the thought. Hell, even Janis is warming up to cuddle piles, I think. The memories that brought up almost made her laugh again. The psychic link connected all of them and also made it easy to see what might have been private in other circumstances, although she tried not to pry or spy on them. Having Janis cuddling into Dan and other drones when she dropped off from exhaustion at the front was pretty cute, though. Although that only underscores the difference, I guess. Regina dropped into an armchair, upholstered in the fur of a monster a few young Warriors had killed, and put her feet on the low table as she made herself relax. Not having Ira around was making her think about these things, she supposed. And recently, ever since she¡¯d accepted the need to be a ¡®proper queen¡¯ for the outside world, really, she¡¯d been falling into that pattern. Regina sighed and picked up the twisted wreath of metal lying on the table, where Mia must have dropped it off. It wasn¡¯t quite a crown, or even a tiara or coronet, at least not yet. She turned it over in her hands, watching the twisted gold, silver and electrum reflect the light. I guess I¡¯ll want a big gold octahedral one, eventually, although we can skip the crosses and stuff, she thought, snorting and laying it back down. She still kept staring at it for a moment before wresting her gaze away. An Empress¡¯ crown. Eventually. I guess. They were going to need to make new flags and banners, too, though that wouldn¡¯t be a problem. For now, she put the crown away and tried not to think about when she would need to put it on for the first time. Well, not that she would strictly need to, at any point, but she¡¯d already decided she would play into the political traditions and customs of the day (at least to a point), and if she was honest, she kind of wanted to, even. Regina sighed and let her head thunk back against the headrest of the chair, staring into space for a second. Luckily, someone knocked on the door right then. Regina sat up, startled. She hadn¡¯t known they were there, at least not right away. She knocked the unfinished crown off the table and stood up to open the door, telling the drones outside it was fine. As if summoned by her thoughts, June waited outside, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and apparently trying to suppress the bit of anxiety she was feeling. Regina was a little surprised none of the drones had warned her while the girl was still further out, but she supposed they really hadn¡¯t wanted to disturb her. It was probably a good sign they let June come this close, though. ¡°June,¡± she greeted her and mustered a smile. ¡°Come on in.¡± The young mage ducked her head. ¡°Thank you, Hive Queen.¡± Regina sat back in her armchair and waved June to one of the other chairs, but the girl hesitated and remained standing. She frowned a little as she looked around the room, her eyes lingering for a moment on the floor, before she met Regina¡¯s gaze again. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Regina asked, leaning forward in concern. ¡°Master ¡­¡± June began, then shook her head with a little shrug. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I have been working through those books you gave me and trying the healing Spell you showed me, too. I have not succeeded in actually casting it yet, though. At least, I don¡¯t think so. But I¡¯ve been having trouble again recently. I barely ate anything yesterday and spent, well, some time vomiting it back up. I feel like breathing has gotten harder as well, again. Not terribly, but like a bad day before you started healing me.¡± Regina stood up and stepped closer to her, holding her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said softly. ¡°That sucks. It¡¯s a good thing you came to me, though. May I?¡± June nodded, and Regina pushed her magic again, trying to delve deeper into what it told her of June¡¯s biology. It didn¡¯t paint a good picture. She was right, it was a lot closer to how she¡¯d been just before a healing session when Regina had been busy before, or when she came here in the first place. She¡¯d only used Basic Heal last time, but it hadn¡¯t been that long. ¡°I suspect you¡¯ve really been pushing your magic lately, haven¡¯t you?¡± Regina asked finally. June frowned, but nodded. ¡°Yes, I have,¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯ve spent more time with my mana pool empty than anywhere close to full. I - I don¡¯t want to waste your time or disappoint you when you¡¯ve taken me as a student.¡± Regina smiled and patted her shoulder. ¡°You couldn¡¯t do that,¡± she assured her. Then her smile faded and she frowned as well. ¡°Well, this is concerning. I suppose, at least, my suspicions that your condition is magical in nature, or rather connected to your magic, has been confirmed.¡± ¡°It seems so,¡± June agreed softly. Regina glanced around, briefly dipping into her psychic link. Then she stepped away. ¡°Alright, this calls for deeper investigation. Congratulations, June, your study plan has been accelerated. We¡¯re going on a field trip.¡± June blinked. ¡°A field trip, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°A field trip,¡± Regina agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll see if Galatea has time, but we¡¯ll go anyway. I know a place where we may be able to gather some more data on this, or at least get a comparison.¡± She smiled and turned around. ¡°Pack lightly.¡± ¡°Yes, Master,¡± June said. Chapter 215: Twisted Regina really was getting spoiled, she mused as she rode the Winged Drone Mount through the sky. She could have flown to the entrance to the underground tunnels herself, and a part of her really wanted to do it to stretch her wings, but June was riding another drone beside her and she¡¯d decided to stick with her. They¡¯d managed to set off pretty quickly, since her drones had organized and prepared everything for the trip as soon as Regina told them about it. Right now, Max and a few others were accompanying them directly, while a small swarm of Winged Drones circled a bit farther out. Since there was a war on, she¡¯d agreed to the protection detail; since it was the middle of their territory and she could sense everything around them anyway, it was a small one and she might have them hang back depending on the circumstances. A few of the drones were carrying packs of supplies, and Max had already adjusted the regular patrols around the area. Their flight didn¡¯t take long, of course, although Regina had not chosen the closest entrance to the village. Their drones were fast in the air, though, and it wasn¡¯t that far. Regina had them circle above the bush hiding the tunnel once, as much to show it to June as to look at the area, before they touched down. It was in the middle of a pretty rough patch of land, although only a few hundred meters to the east, one of the hive¡¯s new outposts was marked by a rough fence, demarcating the edge of a field. It was mostly a patch of weeds that let Production Drones graze there, so she would probably miss it without that marker. ¡°These are the underground tunnels? To the ruins?¡± June asked quietly. Regina nodded. ¡°This is just one entrance,¡± she said. She wasn¡¯t surprised that June had heard about them, probably even before coming here. It seemed like the kind of thing Lyns¡¯ family would be informed of. ¡°Please let me go first, my Queen,¡± Max spoke up. ¡°If you insist, fine.¡± She waited for a second as Max entered the tunnel, ducking to not bang his head against the rock, then followed. Regina glanced at June. ¡°Well, while we walk, let¡¯s review your reading. Was there anything you didn¡¯t understand or want to discuss in more detail?¡± ¡°Actually, I suppose, I am not quite sure what particles actually are, how the different kinds fit together ¡­¡± While they walked, Regina and June got into an animated discussion of basic science. June seemed to have picked it up pretty quickly, even if she still appeared hesitant. Regina was aware that a lot of what she was telling her had to seem downright absurd to the girl, but June was taking it pretty well all things considered. She was obviously hesitant about questioning Regina, and a lot of this material were things you couldn¡¯t easily prove, but she also displayed a degree of trust in her teacher that Regina had to admit was rather touching. Not that she was going to admit it to her face. She was glad about her own discussions with Galatea, though ¡ª a lot of what they covered were things she would only have vague, half-remembered memories of at best, otherwise. Regina held up a hand and told the others to slow down as they started to near their destination. She was using a mix of her mana sense and her psychic senses, relying on the sparse life in the tunnels around them, to map out their path. It helped that there weren¡¯t a lot of branches. Still, the change in the mana she was feeling told her they were close. ¡°Let¡¯s be careful,¡± she said. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be an issue, but just in case.¡± June looked curious, and the others just nodded before they continued on. This time, they approached the underground city from a different direction, closer to where their base was. In fact, they reached a part of the outskirts that Regina hadn¡¯t been to personally before, only seen through drones. It looked pretty rundown and degraded, but there was a passage linking to the larger part of the old buried city. It didn¡¯t matter much, though, since they were close enough to sense a difference in the mana. It was just as affected as the rest. They walked most of the way in silence, then stepped around rubble and what used to be buildings in the larger cavern. Regina glanced around, feeling solemn. June was quiet as well, although she looked around with wide eyes. Finally, Regina came to a stop and sighed. ¡°Can you sense anything?¡± June nodded slowly. ¡°The mana is different here.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Regina agreed. ¡°How so?¡± June hesitated, then slowly shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s hard to describe,¡± she said. ¡°I can sense it, but I¡¯m not certain what I feel. It¡¯s like it was twisted. Like something set in and nestled into the ambient mana and stayed there, and it¡¯s been left to stew for a long time.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. That was a surprisingly detailed and insightful answer. ¡°I see.¡± After a moment, she stepped forward and laid a hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder, trying to peer deeper with her own mana sense. ¡°Master?¡± June asked after a minute. ¡°I think we¡¯re on the right track. But ¡­ I¡¯m not really sure.¡± Regina considered for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s go to one other place. I said I wanted points of comparison, didn¡¯t I?¡± She turned away and told the others about the change in plan. A few seconds later, the group set out again. Regina considered going back to the surface and flying, but decided it would be an unnecessary detour. Instead, they traveled deeper into the cavern system before taking a branching tunnel, which they left after a few minutes for a route leading into the direction of their main base. June started shivering slightly a few minutes in, and she obviously wasn¡¯t feeling too well. Regina checked on her, but it didn¡¯t seem to come from her illness. Assuming it really was one, she was having doubts. Regina set a quick pace, only moderating it to make sure June could keep up, so they could get out of here more quickly. Unfortunately, the closer they got, the worse it seemed to get. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Regina asked, not hiding her concern. ¡°We can leave, tunnel out and get back to the base.¡± The girl shook her head. ¡°No, I am fine. Thank you for your concern, it is appreciated, but I wish to continue.¡± ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re sure.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Luckily, they weren¡¯t too far from her destination, since Regina had considered that they might want to go there. They reached a familiar tunnel quickly and followed it up, until they reached the door of the old base she¡¯d explored ¡­ was it only a few months ago? It seemed like longer. Regina would have liked to take the chance to explore the place a bit more, but June¡¯s condition was worrying her a bit, so she simply hurried them through. June clearly wanted to investigate the bunker, but they could always do that later. It had been a while, but Regina remembered the layout. She passed empty rooms and the remains of modern furnishings, then came to a halt at the slightly damaged door that had given them pause last time. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what this is like now, but brace yourself,¡± she warned her. June nodded, and they carefully started going closer to what had been Galatea¡¯s part of the bunker. It clearly hadn¡¯t fared too well on their last visit, although Regina didn¡¯t spare her surroundings more than a glance. Her attention was on the mana. ¡°This is different,¡± June said. ¡°Even different than the ruins before. This is ¡­ strange.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Regina said. ¡°Not as bad as before,¡± probably because Galatea had left, ¡°but still weird.¡± ¡°And you think this ¡­ seems like me?¡± Regina paused. They wouldn¡¯t get much farther anyway. Instead she turned to June and laid a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you have to deal with twisted mana of some kind,¡± she said. ¡°The exact sort is hard to assess, and not that important for now. Just comparing what I sense from you to the ambient mana here is making that much pretty clear, though.¡± ¡°I see,¡± June said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that means, Master.¡± ¡°Neither am I,¡± Regina admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re just ill, June. At least not a natural illness. With all this, I can¡¯t help but think it¡¯s some sort of curse, that maybe someone cursed you.¡± ¡°Not cursed, a curse doesn¡¯t work like this.¡± Regina managed not to jump and turned to the person who¡¯d just appeared, her mind seemingly springing into existence near them. Galatea looked much the same as ever. She leaned against the wall beside them. ¡°Thank you for coming,¡± Regina said, then glanced at the door further in, unsure if she should bring it up. ¡°Being back here is ¡­ interesting, and I won¡¯t be sad when we¡¯re gone, but I¡¯m fine here,¡± Galatea said. She looked at June and smiled in greeting. The girl hesitantly smiled back. ¡°You said I¡¯m not cursed, Lady Galatea? What is it, then? If I have twisted mana in my veins somehow, how did this happen?¡± ¡°It might be something similar enough in practice,¡± Galatea admitted. She took a step closer, crossing her arms thoughtfully. Her form seemed to flicker slightly, but it might have been an artifact of the sparse lighting coming from the drones, who hung back to give them a respectful berth. ¡°The easiest way I could see this happening was if your mother spent some time down here, in or close to the city, while she was pregnant with you, or perhaps some time in very early childhood.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°June, did your mother do something like this?¡± June looked confused. ¡°Not that I know of, Your Majesty. It seems unlikely.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to ask Florance,¡± Regina muttered. ¡°But there are other possibilities?¡± ¡°Maybe someone introduced a large quantity of twisted mana into her system, enough that it took hold and started to affect her own mana system,¡± Galatea said with a shrug. ¡°I guess it wouldn¡¯t functionally be different from poisoning or cursing you. It could have happened by accident, I suppose.¡± ¡°That would be a hell of an accident,¡± Regina muttered. June stayed quiet for a minute, frowning. ¡°That makes little sense,¡± she finally said. ¡°I suppose I could see someone trying for a deniable sort of political assassination. But if someone was after Lord Lyns¡¯ family and potential heirs, why target me and not Kiara?¡± Regina was silent for a moment, exchanging a glance with Galatea. She couldn¡¯t help but think back to the many miscarriages and difficulties Florance had apparently had. Could this actually have been introduced to her maternally, even if Florance has no symptoms? ¡°It¡¯s possible you weren¡¯t the only target,¡± Galatea said before she could ask. ¡°If both you and Kiara encountered whatever poison or attack this used, she may have simply been less affected and managed to fight it off.¡± ¡°Because she was older?¡± ¡°Perhaps, but I¡¯d actually find it more likely due to a difference in the makeup of your own mana systems.¡± Galatea smiled wrily. ¡°You¡¯re more innately talented than Kiara, June, your mana pool may have simply been more robust or adaptable, and, ironically, more susceptible.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Regina asked, curious. Galatea shrugged. ¡°I can see it,¡± she said. ¡°Obviously, I haven¡¯t seen Kiara¡¯s before she was close to her current level, but if I extrapolate a bit, it fits.¡± June just stared at her for a moment, before she seemed to sag slightly. Even without her psychic abilities, Regina could tell that she was feeling conflicted and unsure how to take this. ¡°But how did it work?¡± she asked to divert from that topic. ¡°So, it changed June¡¯s mana or mana veins or whatever, even if slightly ¡ª apparently no one noticed before, after all. How does that lead to her displaying her symptoms?¡± She frowned. ¡°Was her immune system affected?¡± "Almost certainly,¡± Galatea agreed. ¡°Besides, you seem to have an affinity for water magic, June. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if that was involved as well, and led to some issues with your body - the lymphatic or vascular system or water technically outside the body.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°That matches what I¡¯ve seen, more or less.¡± ¡°Beyond that, I¡¯m not sure, but I suspect there may be another aspect.¡± Galatea hesitated, then shrugged. ¡°If June was sick while she was hit with this, it may have ¡­ adapted wrong, or locked in her state somewhat. The way it seems to return to her state of illness whenever she¡¯s healed seems to suggest that, if it¡¯s not just a normal progression of this illness or ¡®taint¡¯.¡± Regina gave her a hesitant look. ¡°Are you okay, Galatea?¡± she asked quietly. She knew that Galatea had basically been composed out of this twisted mana, at least in large part. She probably still had some of it in the structure making her up, however being a mana-form worked. Galatea smiled back at her. ¡°Of course,¡± she said. ¡°I wish I could help more.¡± ¡°If what you have said is true, then at least now we know.¡± June frowned. She clearly didn¡¯t feel happy about this scenario. ¡°Is there some way to remove this, or, I don¡¯t know, reset to a healthier state?¡± Regina didn¡¯t answer right away, instead just looking at Galatea. The AI seemed conflicted ¡ª Regina couldn¡¯t read her mind like she could others, but she did know her friend. They were silent for a bit. ¡°Galatea?¡± she prompted. ¡°There is one thing.¡± Galatea sighed. ¡°Even if I misread or am just mistaken about some of this, I¡¯m sure it would help. Actually, regardless of the details, I¡¯m fairly sure, with this ¡®twisted mana¡¯ condition, you could do something about it.¡± ¡°Resetting that mana, or her own system?¡± Regina guessed. She glanced at the door again. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me ¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a comparison to be made here, I suppose,¡± Galatea said. ¡°Although my situation was obviously quite different. Neither of you is literally made out of mana, and I was not actually connected to the System.¡± June was following the discussion with a frown, clearly unsure about it but taking in the information she was learning. ¡°You were only inducted into the System recently? But I already am connected to the System, as you said.¡± ¡°You could be connected to the Hive,¡± Regina said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°It would affect her on this level, right?¡± Galatea smiled faintly. ¡°There¡¯s a reason your Ability is called ¡®Infection¡¯, Regina. Sure, it¡¯s a psychic connection that links someone to your little hivemind, but that¡¯s not all there is to it.¡± That makes sense. It increases their Experience gain, if nothing else, Regina reflected. Janis was already a bit different from the norm and my senses weren¡¯t as good when she was inducted, yet, but it¡¯s pretty clear there is a difference, even if it¡¯s subtle. ¡°So Kiara was right,¡± June said quietly. ¡°There is more to Janis¡¯ membership in the hive than simply moving to a new nation.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± June hesitated, then shook her head. ¡°Father would never agree to this,¡± she stated. ¡°Not even if it heals me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure there are other ways, if we can find them, but it would be an option. Would you want to?¡± Galatea asked. June didn¡¯t answer right away. Regina sighed as she looked at her. ¡°We¡¯re going to need to think about this.¡± Chapter 216: Reason They were quiet on the way back. June Lyns (how she was coming to hate that name) usually considered herself composed. It was a skill she had worked on with dedication and focus, given her condition. Still, the current situation was rather testing her composure. The drones around them whispered to each other occasionally, although when she tried to listen in, it was only half-snatches of conversation more often than not. Presumably, they were speaking over their psychic link. She wondered what that would be like, then paused and pushed the thought away. The Hive Queen herself was looking off into the distance with a slightly unfocused gaze, and June assumed she was also using this link, presumably to talk to other drones or check on the operations of her Hive. She knew Regina was usually busy ruling her people, which made their lessons irregular. That was another thing she would never have expected before being sent to the Starlit Hive as a hostage. Not that she would complain, far from it. Her master was possibly the most ¡®badass¡¯ (was she using that word right? A few of the drones liked it) mage in the country. In several countries, perhaps. She clearly had intimate knowledge of the Ancients, whom the Delvers would call the Progenitors, and their secrets. Since coming here, June had learned less about magic than she¡¯d expected and a lot more about natural philosophy and the world around her. She was aware that her expectations might be just a tiny bit biased. Kiara had teased her about it enough. But she finally had a master, a magical teacher! She¡¯d barely dared to hope for one before. And, true, a demihuman queen wasn¡¯t quite the most common such figure in the stories, but it wasn¡¯t like it was completely unheard of, and this was better than a story anyway. June actually felt healthy, for the first time in years. She had been consistently feeling healthy for weeks, which she¡¯d seldom experienced before. Of course she was feeling just a bit energetic, who wouldn¡¯t? However, these thoughts didn¡¯t quite manage to distract her from the revelations her teacher and Lady Galatea had just dumped on her. Or on the both of them, to be fair. She couldn¡¯t even guess how Regina felt about this. June barely knew how she herself felt about it. As much as she liked the Hive, the thought of joining them in some kind of ¡­ ¡®hivemind¡¯ was the word Galatea had used ¡­ filled her with more than a bit of trepidation. She was not sure whether she would do it if it was the only way to be healed, and she¡¯d rather explore other options first, if only to have the options. After all, with the regular healing, and being taught how to do it on her own soon enough, her quality of life was already improved to the level it would not make much of a difference in practice. She was jolted out of those ruminations, knowing she¡¯d chased the same thoughts around and around several times, when they finally returned. Even the short flight back didn¡¯t manage to distract her too much. Flying was wonderful, certainly, but she was starting to think everything could lose its shine and become mundane once you did it several times. "Let¡¯s go talk to your mother,¡± Regina said quietly, distracting June from her thoughts. She nodded and fell into step beside the Hive Queen as they went towards Neralt¡¯s mansion, every drone or villager in their path stepping out of her way. Regina barely appeared to acknowledge them, staring forward fixedly. Her mother evidently realized something was wrong as soon as they all met in the parlor. She took one look at June and her hand rose slightly before she forced it down to clasp her hands. ¡°June. Your Majesty. I hope your ¡®field trip¡¯ was successful.¡± ¡°It was certainly interesting,¡± Regina muttered. Then she gave her a brief smile. ¡°I¡¯d say so, yes.¡± ¡°Was there a complication with her illness?¡± she asked. ¡°Did it get worse?¡± ¡°No, but we found some hints on what causes it,¡± Regina answered. ¡°Lady Florance, this is a blunt question, but did you happen to spend any significant length of time underground, close to the ruins of Anberg? Or any other place with non-conventional mana? Especially around June¡¯s birth or shortly after it?¡± Her mother blinked in surprise. ¡°Underground? You think her illness was caused by ¡­¡± she trailed off, frowning. ¡°Mother?¡± June asked. ¡°No, I did not,¡± she answered, shaking her head. She hesitated for a moment, her gaze flicking to Regina, before she sighed. ¡°I did spend some time around another such place, although this was years ago, before any of my children¡¯s birth. I also came in contact with an artifact from there, although I did not spend enough time in its presence to cause any trouble, I do not think.¡± June clenched her jaw to keep herself from asking questions. She knew she should do that later, in private, and not interrupt the Hive Queen, even if she burned to question her mother about this revelation. For her part, Regina frowned and clearly bit down on her first reaction, too. ¡°An artifact?¡± she asked. ¡°I never did find out its purpose, and I doubt anyone else did, but it¡¯s destroyed now.¡± Regina nodded slowly. ¡°The other option is some kind of attack,¡± she said then. ¡°Someone most likely slipping something to your daughters or even yourself, Lady Florance.¡± Florance paled just a little. ¡°Truly? I did not notice something like this ¡ª although I suppose I wouldn¡¯t have.¡± She hesitated again, shaking her head. ¡°I will have to search some records and ask a few people if they might remember something I am missing.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Do that. We¡¯ll carry or send any of your letters necessary for it. Was June sickly since birth?¡± ¡°Yes, that is why I never suspected foul play, at least not seriously.¡± Well, this was going nowhere. Her teacher evidently agreed, as she only traded a few more assurances with her mother before excusing herself. June lingered for a moment, glancing at her mother, before she did likewise, hurrying after Regina. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The Hive Queen slowed as she entered the village, turning to look at June and raising an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t comment. ¡°The Delvers are probably the most likely ones to know more or to be able to help, considering what their whole deal is,¡± she finally said after they walked in silence for a minute. ¡°I will see what I can do in my next dealings with them.¡± ¡°I appreciate it, Master,¡± June answered. She paused. ¡°May I ask how things are going?¡± ¡°With the Delvers? We have not had much contact since the last events you must have heard about.¡± ¡°Well, that too, but I was mostly interested in the overall situation,¡± June said. ¡°How is the war going, if I might ask, Your Majesty?¡± "Of course you may. You have a right to know, if anyone here does.¡± June couldn¡¯t help but smile widely at that response. One of the best things about Regina was that she took her seriously, and treated her like an adult, not just a crippled girl. At the moment, she appeared to take a second to marshal her thoughts before she continued answering June¡¯s question. ¡°The war is going reasonably well,¡± Regina said. ¡°Honestly, if I wasn¡¯t - well, you know - I would probably be overjoyed, but I suppose I have high expectations. We¡¯ve beaten King Nicholas already, taking out one of three enemies completely. The Esemen are the weakest remaining force, and they¡¯ve been playing defensively. There have been skirmishes but no major battles. Actually, if we wanted to, we could easily assault them and at minimum drive them off, but Ben and I have been cautious so far. If nothing else, they have the diplomat I sent with them, and I have to admit I¡¯m kind of curious about what they¡¯re intending. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard who went?¡± ¡°Lady Marianne?¡± June asked. It was a shame that the older lady was gone, she was nice. Hopefully, she would be safe. ¡°Yes,¡± Regina confirmed, her eyes narrowing slightly. ¡°There¡¯s also one of my sapient drones, Ria, who they¡¯ve taken deeper into the country, beyond my reach.¡± She shook her head. ¡°And Nerlia?¡± Regina brightened, starting to smile. ¡°They¡¯re out of the war. Not quite for good, but close enough, unless they suddenly turn around completely. They¡¯ve basically surrendered already.¡± June stopped, staring at her teacher for a moment. ¡°Really? Nerlia lost?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Regina said, a hint of pride in her voice. June was not certain if it was aimed at her hive, specific drones, or for herself. ¡°They¡¯ve been getting their backsides kicked since we entered the war. Even with me holding back, there¡¯s pretty much nothing they can do about that. I assume the bigger challenge is going to be actually handling them, after winning.¡± ¡°So, there are going to be negotiations? Peace talks?¡± Regina nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll work things out. I¡¯m confident I¡¯ll get what I need.¡± ¡°And what is that? What are your aims? If I may ask, Your Majesty,¡± June added quickly. Regina fell silent for a few seconds, perhaps considering if she wanted to indulge the question. They were leaving the bounds of the village behind, moving towards the hive¡¯s structures. ¡°Be honest, June; you value me as a teacher, perhaps admire me, and like to think of me being your master, don¡¯t you?¡± June blinked at the non-sequitur. ¡°Well, yes,¡± she answered, ducking her head and avoiding Regina¡¯s gaze, although she had to peek at her after a moment. What brought this on? The Hive Queen was staring into the distance with a slightly distant look, but it wasn¡¯t the same as when she was deeply immersed in the hive link. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a surprise, to be frank,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m aware of how I act and react to things in this place. I must seem like an arrogant bitch to others. I suppose I am an arrogant bitch.¡± June frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think I follow, Master,¡± she admitted. Regina sighed and met her gaze again. ¡°I¡¯m talking about why I feel like that, June,¡± she explained. There was a note in her voice June had rarely heard before. She sounded ¡­ tired, or something close to it. ¡°This entire place ¡ª¡° She swept her arm out, gesturing around them, and June realized she wasn¡¯t talking simply about the village. Or even the country. ¡°This is so backward, in more sense than one. I¡¯m not sure how much patriotic pride you feel - hell, I¡¯m not sure if that concept is really a thing here and now - but your country is a barbaric, backward shithole, June. Not that the others are much better. Not even the elves or gnomes ¡ª and isn¡¯t that a little ironic, that they¡¯re actually further progressed than the human nations around here.¡± She sighed. June licked her lips. ¡°You want to ¡­ uplift the land?¡± she asked hesitantly. ¡°I want the world to start making some goddamn sense again, ideally, but really, I suppose I do want to make things better. There¡¯s a little more to it, of course ¡­¡± She frowned, then seemed to decide not to voice whatever thought she had. ¡°It¡¯s a contradiction in terms, in a way ¡­ my country was a democracy. Becoming a tyrant to try and force social progress would be really ironic. But what else is there ¡ª if I do nothing, then this stays like it is. I¡¯ll have to find some middle ground. Assuming I still care.¡± June stayed quiet for a while. They were slowing down and coming to a stop as they talked, outside the actual hive outpost, where few people were around to hear them. She thought she could roughly understand what Regina was getting at, but ¡­ ¡°What makes it your decision to make?¡± she asked, trying to put her finger on it. ¡°Good question,¡± Regina said softly. Then she looked up, steel in her eyes. ¡°I am the last person who survives from before the Cataclysm,¡± she began. ¡°And what about all of us who are alive now?¡± June interrupted, challenging. ¡°Obviously, you¡¯re the people living today. But I¡¯m the one who remembers what we lost, who lost and might be able to bring something back. And at some point, my making choices that affect everyone else is not the same issue. Ask yourself this, June: If everyone here was given the choice, if it was sufficiently explained and they fully understood, would most of them rather choose to live in the current world or the one in my head?¡± June paused. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said slowly. ¡°Would we?¡± Regina sighed, turning to look at the fields surrounding the village. ¡°When I was human, just the idea of people possibly dying because they didn¡¯t have enough to eat was unthinkable, something for far-off third-world countries. Outbreaks of easily curable diseases like cholera might maybe happen after a great natural disaster, not just bad luck in a normal year. Of course, ours was one of the richest countries in the world and my background was apparently privileged, so I¡¯m a bit biased.¡± She raised her shoulders. ¡°Still, the point stands. And these are only the very basics, there¡¯s so much more. Education ¡ª not just reading and writing, but everyone actually learning about the world around them. Connection, the ability to communicate with people all around the world, and to collect and access the gathered knowledge of humanity. And social issues, too. In principle, everyone could live as themselves and be who they wanted.¡± She paused again, glancing back at June. ¡°This is kind of a bad button to push, and I¡¯m sorry, but as an example that might help you understand ¡­ In my home, your sister could love who she wanted to freely without fear of persecution.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°And of course, neither of you would be pushed aside by a baby because he just happened to have the wrong gender,¡± she added as if an afterthought. June swallowed hard. Put this way, she thought she could understand where Regina was coming from. It is a fanciful dream she weaves ¡­ but is that all there is to it? June noticed that she was picking apart the edge of her shirt¡¯s sleeve and made herself stop. She could already tell that she would spend many a sleepless night mulling over this conversation. She was not entirely sure how she felt about it, yet. Although it was somewhat reassuring to have the Hive Queen bare her heart to her like this. ¡°Can I help?¡± she finally asked, almost without intending to. Regina seemed surprised at her question. ¡°If you really want to? I¡¯m sure you could. But I recommend you take some time to think things over, June.¡± June nodded. ¡°That might be a good idea, Master. I will do that.¡± Regina gave her a small smile before she turned to head into the Hive¡¯s base. Chapter 217: Templates It was weird, but maybe inevitable, Regina supposed, that when she¡¯d finally crack and talk to someone about her plans, her goals and motivation, it would be June rather than someone from her hive. The drones largely already knew. And anyway, she didn¡¯t really want to hear their responses, because what would it matter? If they were in agreement, then well, she was their Hive Queen; it would only confirm that they relied on her to make these choices, regardless of the morality. And if they didn¡¯t, then what did it say that not even her own drones would support her? It probably wasn¡¯t a coincidence that the closest she¡¯d come to hashing this out before was with Janis. As she walked into the hive¡¯s outpost and tried to turn her thoughts to the work waiting for her, Regina had to ignore the remaining anxiety bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Talking to June about it had been tense, even if it also felt freeing to voice a few of her thoughts. Her answer was everything she could have realistically hoped for, at least. Regina knew that. It didn¡¯t necessarily make her feel at ease. But she supposed it was probably good for her to have a student like this. Especially one who could challenge her, without making things personal. Regina had known how June viewed her before, at least in vague terms. She had to admit she hadn¡¯t really returned that sentiment. But now they had evidently grown a bit closer, and she found she didn¡¯t mind it so much. I¡¯ll have to come up with a proper lesson plan, both practical and theoretical. I can¡¯t limit it to magic or even medicine. She found herself smiling slightly at the prospect as she joined the crowd of her drones in the base. This one was built a bit differently from their other settlements, mostly because it had grown in fits and spurts over time, as the hive allocated more of their focus here. Originally, they¡¯d just expected to use the existing Cernlian village. Then Regina¡¯s watermill, workshops and similar buildings started to be built. Eventually, they¡¯d bitten the bullet and constructed a proper compound, focused on underground tunnels connecting the existing structures. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea to have bases with different layouts than the rest, of course. If someone ever tried to infiltrate this one, she hoped they would have a hard time. Not that they¡¯d ever had problems with that before, but that didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t happen, especially since this location was close to the human kingdoms. The inner part of this base only housed Hivekind drones. While more humans had been trickling in, and a few were allowed into the outer parts of the base, there was no reason for them to be in these underground chambers. The others were already discussing building housing structures between the village and the hive base; Mia wanted to use it as an opportunity to explore building slightly more modern structures. Maybe not quite the apartment complexes of the past, but it would be good to have experience with how to quickly and reliably build for amenities like running hot water, or electricity. And once we do it for those recruits, the others are going to want it as well. And the drones, obviously. Regina smiled. Lightbulbs were still a bit tricky, but she liked the idea of her hive having lights and modern comforts. Regina didn¡¯t spend much time in her rooms today before she headed out again, going to the hatchery. It gave her the opportunity to take in the state of the base and the hive in general, but she was also looking forward to what she was going to find. She¡¯d only made a few eggs of each type to test out the new Form Drones, which meant that her Ability¡¯s boost to their number didn¡¯t kick in. Apparently, it counted separate ¡®templates¡¯ of Form Drones, despite being part of the same Swarm Template, as different things. She supposed it made some sense considering the apparent differences in their biology. But she also didn¡¯t really mind at the moment, since she just wanted to learn what it would do in practice. The first type were similar to War Drones, specifically several heavy melee-focused Evolved variants. She supposed the main advantage would be that they started with this capability. They were relatively big and heavily armored with the Hivekind¡¯s normal shell, with sharp blade-arms. Considering the current level of warfare the hive operated at, and what she saw for the future, it wasn¡¯t ground-breaking. The second type might be a little more useful in that regard. They were small and slight compared to the first, but quick on their feet, and would probably be able to keep up with horses for at least a short while. They¡¯d hopefully be good for skirmishing. The real advantage would probably be the third type, however. They were built like Winged Drones, just slightly smaller, with a slender build and extra-large wings. Their forelimbs were reminiscent of the Drone Shooters, with similar javelin-throwing capability. They probably wouldn¡¯t be very accurate, but she could tell Tim was already looking forward to seeing them in action. Her own interest was more focused on the last type she¡¯d experimented with, though, which had arguably seen the most change. Their basic body type was similar to other Swarm Drones, but they sported large eyes and instead of blades or anything similar, they were equipped with spade-like growths more suited to digging, along with sharp claws and maws. She¡¯d actually managed to give them the ability to spit acid, something she hadn¡¯t been sure was possible. She still wasn¡¯t sure how useful it would really turn out to be, but she was looking forward to finding out. Logistics and infrastructure were going to be key going forward. Digging trenches in the war would be a nice ability on its own, but being able to build at least partly-underground bases and connecting tunnels more quickly would be gold. If Leian was involved, Regina would thank her for the choice of Template unlock. Maybe she¡¯d really have to go and pray at some point. Regina stuck around until at least one of each type had hatched and amused herself by sending them on random errands around the room, in the guise of testing out their physical strength and flexibility. Unsurprisingly, they were all about as smart as the other Swarm Drones. Although looking through their senses showed the third and fourth types had quite good eyes. I¡¯m going to need to name them. Maybe put it to a vote? Anyway, they understood her orders quite well and once she got a few of the other sapient drones to test them, theirs as well. Mia was actually on the way to look at and probably put the first of the new tunnel-builders to work. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Regina didn¡¯t hang around for long, though. Instead, before leaving, she added some more Form Drones to the eggs incubating here, taking advantage of the bathroom adjoining the main hatchery space. Mia actually arrived just in time to help her clean herself up a little in there, which provided what she supposed was a nice bonding opportunity. ¡°You¡¯re doing well?¡± she asked as she pulled her hair back with some hairpins Mia had made for her. ¡°Anything you need?¡± ¡°Nothing beyond the usual,¡± Mia replied with a smile. ¡°Although, there are a few of us wanting to expand the entertainment options, writing books and the like. Can we appropriate some resources for that, Mother?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Regina replied with a smile and maybe a bit too much enthusiasm. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯d all appreciate that, and the war isn¡¯t so dire we can¡¯t do anything else. So, are you writing a novel?¡± ¡°Making a board game, actually,¡± Mia admitted, smiling tentatively. ¡°I¡¯m still figuring out the rules, but it¡¯s a lot of fun. Carving a few sets and pieces is good for keeping my hands busy, too.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need to challenge me to a game once you¡¯re finished.¡± Mia tilted her head. ¡°Sure, but I won¡¯t go easy on you, my Queen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, I can always figure out how to cheat,¡± Regina replied. ¡°Huh, I suppose card games would be unsuitable when you can just see your opponent¡¯s cards as they do.¡± ¡°You¡¯d definitely win any hand of poker if it was just a matter of looking through our eyes,¡± Mia agreed with a teasing smile. ¡°Anything else I can help you with, my Queen?¡± ¡°Nope, and I should get going. Thanks, Mia.¡± Regina headed back to her room, but froze after she¡¯d only taken a few steps. Janis was calling for her attention, and a few moments later, she noticed that other drones were doing the same. Without saying anything, Janis directed her attention to several Winged Drones currently hovering close by the Esemen positions. Regina hurried back to her room while she checked on them and what they saw, then dropped on her bed and closed her eyes before she focused on her other senses. It confirmed what the drones were seeing and added a bit more detail. While she was distracted with the Form Drones and talking to Mia, the Esemen had moved Marianne closer. They must have ridden hard to get her from her remote position to the largest remaining gathering of their forces. They must have tried to disguise her, as well, or her drones would have alerted her earlier, but looking down from above, it was hard to tell one human from another, especially if they made her wear different clothes with a hood. She watched silently as they appeared to shuffle Marianne Neralt between a few other people, then a small group of them parted from the others and stepped out in the direction of her hive¡¯s forces. Judging by what she could sense from them, she suspected they were pretty strong, probably an elite cadre of the Esemen or something like that. They didn¡¯t go far, just far enough to make it clear that they had moved in the direction of the hive¡¯s position, and came to a halt. Regina nudged a few of the Winged Drones to come closer and get a better look at them. It confirmed what she¡¯d thought pretty well. She recognized a few of the faces as leaders, and they were kitted out with weapons but not actually brandishing them. She reached out to Janis, who had been waiting and watching. They might be trying to open communications, she said. Yes, I think so too. Should we send someone to talk to them, my Queen? Regina considered for a moment. Keep gathering forces close to them, but keep a safe distance and be reasonably discreet, she said. I don¡¯t want any sapient drone to get too close, for now. She sensed Janis¡¯ focus intensifying, as the other girl evidently tried to guess her intentions, before she gave a mental confirmation and turned her attention to making sure her plans were carried out. Regina took a few seconds to look through the Swarm Drones in the area, especially the Winged Drones, before she picked one that would work best. It was in the upper range of their levels, at 38, close to the next Threshold and Evolution to sapience, but not so rare that she couldn¡¯t afford to lose it. Regina assembled a few other flying drones as an escort, then took them closer to where the Esemen had apparently decided to try and talk. They¡¯d chosen the location well, an open field where neither side had really started on fortifications yet, but they were both close enough to see what was going on if they spent a bit of effort, which they obviously would. It hadn¡¯t been the site of even a moderate skirmish so far, though, which meant tempers would hopefully be cool. Regina had the drones circle once before she brought the drone she¡¯d picked down, carefully guiding its movements so it managed to more-or-less hover before the group of humans, a meter or two in the air, where it would hopefully look a bit more imposing. It wouldn¡¯t manage to hold that for long, but at least it should make an impression. One of the humans, who she recognized as an Esemen general, cleared his throat and took half a step forward. ¡°We want to speak to the Hive,¡± he announced in its general direction. There was a moment of silence. Regina made the drone slowly tilt its head towards Marianne. ¡°They have not unduly harmed me, although they have restricted my movements and carted me around like a sack of potatoes, and I have not seen Ria,¡± Marianne said. ¡°They want to open negotiations, I understand.¡± ¡°Essentially,¡± the man replied with a good-natured smile. Regina waited for a moment, weighing her options. But she supposed she¡¯d known where this was going from the moment she sent the drones, and she still didn¡¯t want to send in and risk one of her sapient drones. The drone opened its mouth. ¡°Speak,¡± it hissed at them, the sound garbled. Regina winced a little. She hadn¡¯t kept up her practice at speaking through Swarm Drones since Galatea, and the AI had quickly figured out how to parse it correctly. Still, this should be understandable. Hopefully. It caused a small stir among the Esemen, and they traded looks. A few further back whispered to each other, but she couldn¡¯t quite make out what they were saying. ¡°Of course,¡± the previous speaker answered, clearly making an effort to hide it if he felt any surprise. ¡°We would like to cease hostilities with the Hive. We are aware that you will not want us to remain in control of this territory, but dislodging us forcefully would cost you time, resources and troops you do not have to spend. We can talk it out and come to a mutually beneficial agreement.¡± Regina snorted where they couldn¡¯t see her. I guess I should be flattered that everyone wants to negotiate now, she mused. Then she took control of the drone¡¯s vocal apparatus again, shaping it carefully. ¡°Tomorrow at noon. Five pines¡¯ hill.¡± A small pause. ¡°Bring Ria.¡± Then the drone turned and flapped its wings, Regina only looking at the Esemen long enough to check that they¡¯d heard and understood. She didn¡¯t want to get caught in a long conversation, or give them the opportunity to tell her excuses for why they couldn¡¯t bring Ria to the talks. If they decided not to ¡­ she could always just keep fighting and kill them. She¡¯d considered adding that to the end of her statement, but decided that some things should probably remain unspoken. And hopefully they didn¡¯t take this as an excuse not to bring Marianne, she realized after a second. Chapter 218: Power Plays The middle of the next day found Regina sitting atop a rather shallow hill that was surrounded on three sides by forest, accompanied by a gaggle of sapient drones and a small horde of Swarm Drones. There was nothing much for some distance in any direction, not even fortifications or the defensive line, since it had moved a few days ago and neither side was bringing the rest of their army too close to this meeting point. Regina knew she¡¯d probably given the Esemen quite the time crunch, setting a date only one day from when they¡¯d come to speak to the hive. To some degree, that was the intention. And they should be able to get Ria here on time, she told herself. They¡¯re a good-sized human nation. They have to have more fliers or people with Skills that let them transport others across larger distances quickly. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure what she¡¯d do if they didn¡¯t bring Ria; she supposed that would depend in part on their excuses. Luckily, it didn¡¯t seem like she¡¯d have to worry about it. When Regina let her surroundings fade from her attention and focused on her more esoteric senses, it was easy to see the collection of minds approaching. And more importantly, the very familiar mind that had just entered her range and was being moved very quickly towards her position. Ria! Regina reached out to her immediately, forcing herself to be careful as she touched her drone¡¯s mind. How are you doing? I¡¯ve been worried. Mother, the relief in Ria¡¯s mental voice was so palpable it felt like it would have knocked her back if they¡¯d been meeting in person. It¡¯s so good to sense you again. You too, Regina replied gently, letting feelings of reassurance and joy sicker through the link, covering concern. Are you alright? I¡¯ve been better, but I¡¯m healthy and not in immediate danger, Ria replied, noticeably calming herself down a bit. Good, Regina said. She hesitated for a fraction of a second, before she offered, I could try to just Summon you back now. I don¡¯t know. She sensed Ria considering it carefully. It might be a good option if you want to make a point. But it would also reveal your capability. I¡¯ll do it if you want, but if you can hold on a little longer, it might be better for you to stay for now, Regina said. I¡¯ll keep an eye on you and I¡¯ll recall you as soon as you¡¯re in any danger. If you think it¡¯s safe? It should be, Ria replied confidently. They haven¡¯t hurt me, I think they know that it would only cause you to escalate against them. That they¡¯re bringing me back now is probably a good sign, I think they¡¯ve been a little paranoid about me seeing what they¡¯re doing. Well, do you have any dark secrets to unveil? Regina asked lightly. Ria smiled mentally. Not really, she said. I¡¯ll try to get my memories of everything I¡¯ve encountered in order to share them. Work with the Keepers to push them in the psychic link. Regina paused. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back, Ria. We¡¯ll get you home safe soon. I¡¯m looking forward to it, my Queen. Regina exhaled and shook her head lightly. Ria was brave, to remain with the Esemen after all this, just because she thought it would be more useful for the hive. To Regina. I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯ve done to deserve such loyalty. At least she could tell that being away from the hive hadn¡¯t seriously harmed Ria. Oh, it was obvious it did have negative effects, just looking at her mind through the psychic link. But Regina was confident Ria could bounce back. She really hoped there wouldn¡¯t be any lingering trauma. True to her words, Regina kept part of her attention on Ria as she and the Esemen she was accompanying quickly drew closer. From their speed, even if she hadn¡¯t been able to sense more from Ria, she would have known they were flying. There were only a few other people with her, presumably because of limited flight capability, but another group was approaching more slowly on the ground. Regina focused on them long enough to be confident that they would be no threat. There was little talk on their small hill, as the others were all a little tense. Max had layered protective Skill effects and a few Spells on her like they were going out of style, and he stuck close even now, but didn¡¯t disturb her concentration. Regina had kind of implied, at least, that she was going to be here. And if she was honest with herself, she appreciated the opportunity to get out of the base and stretch her wings a little bit. She also wanted to be here in person, not least because it would help her assess their intentions and maybe even thoughts if she was right there, instead of further away. No one spoke as they started to see the Esemen approaching and she felt Ria and her own escort come closer as well. They were slowing down slightly so they wouldn¡¯t come before the main Esemen envoy. Regina sat down on the chair the drones had just finished assembling. It looked a bit more throne-like than strictly necessary, but not so much that it would seem tacky. The others lined up around and behind her, making for an intimidating sight through the Winged Drones watching from above and hopefully for the newcomers. The Esemen weren¡¯t letting the chance for a little pageantry go to waste, either. Their banner ¡ª which she still couldn¡¯t make very much sense of ¡ª was carried on several lances, and the knights surrounding who she presumed were the leaders wore polished armor and carried a variety of weapons, most of them with coats of arms or brightly painted color schemes as well. Regina watched them calmly, letting them come to her. The actual leader, who she knew from her quick scan of Ria¡¯s memory as well as information from Whitor and a few others, didn¡¯t seem to be here. Of course, the High Shaman was an old man and didn¡¯t seem to have a directly combat-applicable Class, at least not at short range, so it made sense they wouldn¡¯t want to risk him. On the other hand, she recognized who she identified as their general, Nightsen. The actual dynamics of the Esemen leadership were still opaque to her, but at least he should probably have the authority to negotiate with her. From what she¡¯d heard, their technical head of state back in Esemen proper was mostly a figurehead, at least if she understood things correctly. They had their horses stop a few meters away from them. Regina met their gaze firmly and stood to greet them in a gesture of politeness, but didn¡¯t speak first. She just waited for them to dismount and approach her. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. There was a drawn-out moment of silence. "Greetings,¡± Nightsen finally said. Regina watched him bow his head in greeting and carefully inclined her own head a bit more shallowly. ¡°Greetings to you as well,¡± she replied. ¡°I am Hive Queen Regina. These are my advisors and commanders.¡± The next two minutes were taken up with introductions. As usual, it felt a bit weird to her since everyone could see each other¡¯s names in the System, but they focused on roles and other pertinent information not covered by it. Regina paid attention, although she tried to maintain a calm facade. By this point, she had some practice with it, but projecting the air of a queen was still a demanding task. Finally, she sat down, without asking anyone else. If the Esemen noticed that there were no chairs for them, they clearly decided not to make an issue out of it. As far as Regina was concerned, she could make this seem like what it was: a negotiation with a clearly superior foe. Being the only one seated was a power move projecting that impression. Even if it might be kind of petty. And meant she had to look up just slightly. ¡°Queen Regina,¡± the general finally started on the actual conversation to be had. ¡°I am glad we could meet. We have quite a bit to talk about.¡± ¡°I suppose we do,¡± Regina agreed. ¡°You are empowered to negotiate for Esemen?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± There was a moment of silence, and she recognized he was inviting her to continue. ¡°I am glad to see that you brought Lady Neralt along,¡± Regina said casually, as if it didn¡¯t matter that they had, in fact, kept her back with a small armed escort, outside their direct line of sight. ¡°Her family has been worried about her.¡± ¡°Perhaps you should not have sent a woman of advanced age as an envoy to a foreign country if you were worried about health issues,¡± one of the younger men piped up. Nightsen shot him a quelling look. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Regina agreed. As if Marianne is old, seriously. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure I can depend on your chivalry to make sure she is safe. It would be unfortunate should that reputation not be accurate.¡± Whatever they would have responded to that was lost as a rush of air signaled the arrival of the other group she¡¯d expected to show up. Regina tilted her head back slightly to watch with her own eyes as the handful of flying beasts circled lower to touch down. They reminded her vaguely of those she¡¯d seen the Nerlians use, although they were a bit bigger and looked more like a cross between some bird of prey and a storch. ¡°Ria!¡± one of the drones called, she didn¡¯t try to see which. A sense of embarrassment followed, although several of them had done the same thing, just kept it to the psychic link. When Ria jumped down and tried to hurry towards them, two of the well-armored men who¡¯d come in with her stepped in the way. There was a tense standoff for a few moments. Regina calmly turned her head to face the Esemen leadership. ¡°Thank you for bringing my daughter back to me,¡± she said. ¡°I will take custody of her now, or consider these talks a failure.¡± They tensed, a moment of silence heavy with the possibility of violence, before the general nodded. ¡°Take her, Hive Queen,¡± he said. Ria radiated relief as she walked around the two guards and rushed up to the hive¡¯s group. She hesitated for a moment and Regina knew she wanted to come to her, but instead she joined the circle of the others. Dan immediately put an arm around her, and she half-melted into it. From the sense of her mind in the psychic link, Regina could tell it would need more than that to put her at ease, though, and she resolved to have a good talk (and probably a hug) with her as soon as this was done. At the moment, Regina found it hard to care how much the Esemen learned about her or the hive. She had to assume that they already had some knowledge, anyway; if their connection to the gods was half of what it seemed, they¡¯d probably been fed some information. It was one of the reasons she¡¯d decided to rely more on intimidation than hiding or downplaying her capabilities. Looking at them now, she tried to analyze their body language and what she could sense from their minds. They had pretty good mental discipline, all things considered, but she could still get a general assessment of their state, at least. She could probably do more if she wanted to push, but she was leery of pushing too far. Still, she saw their tension and knew they were a lot more intimidated by the situation than they tried to appear. ¡°Now that this is done,¡± Nightsen said again. ¡°May we continue to the reason for this meeting?¡± Not very diplomatic, Regina reflected, but she supposed he was a general and not a diplomat. Not that she minded. ¡°Sure.¡± She leaned back on her chair. ¡°I assume you want a truce?¡± A few of the others blinked at the blunt question, but the general wasn¡¯t fazed. ¡°At a minimum, yes. After all, neither of us benefits by having our soldiers sit here, fighting over a few useless acres of land.¡± ¡°Earl Whitor might object to that statement,¡± Regina commented drily. Nightsen¡¯s lips twitched slightly. ¡°I do not see him here,¡± he said, ¡°and I would imagine he would prefer for us to leave peaceably, after we come to an agreement.¡± Regina tilted her head slightly, acknowledging the point. Whitor wasn¡¯t here mostly because of the short notice, although she realized that it might seem like a slight to him. And to be honest, with the situation in Cernlia this changed and still no one certain how it¡¯s going to turn out, I¡¯m not including him as much as I could, I guess. ¡°You believe you can just waltz in here, provoke a fight, get people killed, and then just pack up and leave?¡± she asked. The other Esemen stirred uneasily. ¡°I am sure we can come to an agreement,¡± one of them repeated. Regina glanced at him dismissively. ¡°You have more to lose from continued hostilities than I do,¡± she said. She was fairly sure they knew that already, but she still wanted to say it. ¡°After all, while I wouldn¡¯t want to get my drones killed for no reason, the hive could bear losing some. Our technology is ahead of yours, and we wouldn¡¯t even need that much to decimate all the forces you have here. Sure, there might be a bit of damage to the landscape, but as you just pointed out, they¡¯re not my people and being occupied by foreign soldiers isn¡¯t exactly good for them, either. Threatening the civilians¡¯ lives as hostages would just make me escalate. So - convince me why I shouldn¡¯t do this?¡± There was a moment of silence, and she could sense them considering how to react, the tension kicking up another notch. ¡°We are willing to provide some reparations for our part in this conflict,¡± Nightsen finally said. Regina leaned forward a bit before she could help herself. Oh? ¡°That¡¯s a good start,¡± she allowed. The general scoffed slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck ¡­ Your Majesty,¡± he added just a bit grudgingly. ¡°We are also aware that you do not want to be at war with yet another country, and Esemen could take either Cernlia or Nerlia if we wanted to.¡± Yeah, I¡¯ll take that with a large grain of salt. ¡°But you haven¡¯t yet,¡± she pointed out, ¡°or even started preparations. Why¡¯s that?¡± He shook his head and ran a hand through his short hair. ¡°Let¡¯s cut the crap a bit, shall we?¡± Nightsen looked at her. ¡°We both have patrons in, shall we say, high places. They would be willing to let this be a draw and retreat.¡± He actually glanced up a bit and frowned. ¡°At least, they haven¡¯t indicated otherwise. Why not take it instead of digging ourselves deeper into ¡­ this?¡± Regina leaned forward again, her fingers biting into the armrests of her chair. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She had a feeling she knew what he meant. Nightsen rolled his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s not mince words, Hive Queen. Esemen has always held Alianais in high regard. It¡¯s a bit of a shame, really ¡ª Personally, I would rather not fight her Champion if I could help it.¡± Regina blinked, then narrowed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not Alianais¡¯ Champion.¡± He evidently resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. ¡°I¡¯m sure, I¡¯m sure.¡± Regina stared at him, then at the others, then closed her eyes for a moment. Dammit, I¡¯m not getting out of this, she realized. I could deny it all I want, they already think they know the truth. As far as she knew, she wasn¡¯t actually Alianais¡¯ Champion. Although she was ¡®marked¡¯ by her for whatever that was worth. And that¡¯s it anyway, ¡®as far as I know¡¯. But, no, let¡¯s not give in to paranoia. Regardless of the practical details, they could probably sense something from her, which meant she¡¯d effectively be treated as connected to or rather representing Alianais even if she wasn¡¯t. ¡°Fine,¡± she bit out, ¡°let¡¯s talk details.¡± At least if they got back to their homeland with their tails between their legs, she¡¯d be rid of this headache. Chapter 219: Risks Taken Most recently, Ria had felt like she was dreaming. Or maybe starting to dream. The world had gained an unreal tinge, like there was a layer of isolation between them and her. She supposed it might be like being sick, with some diseases, though she¡¯d never experienced that herself. Or perhaps being high. The closest she could compare it to was sleeping, or maybe dozing or daydreaming. This unreal quality was starting to peel away now, though. She was glad about that, even if it felt like her emotions were raging in exchange. It was ironic that she felt more tumultuous emotions now that she was back safely than when she was actually parted from the Hive. But she¡¯d managed to stay calm and follow the plan, which was good. Ria gripped tighter onto Dan¡¯s arm, where the humans hopefully couldn¡¯t see it. She had to stop herself from taking a step forward and grabbing onto her Queen instead. Luckily, she could still inch closer in the psychic link. Regina was keeping her mind pretty open and didn¡¯t mind how close Ria got, letting her feel her presence and emotions. Right now, she was focused on the Esemen in front of her. It meant that Ria could sense the irritation underneath the calm, in-control surface of her mind. Regina was upset about the Esemen taking her as Alianais¡¯ Champion, probably more so about being unable to effectively deny it. She didn¡¯t like them ¡ª a sentiment Ria couldn¡¯t help but approve of ¡ª but she was cautious enough to try and take them seriously, even if she¡¯d rather focus on something else. In contrast, the others around them were steady anchors. They trusted Regina and were happy to follow her lead, or just stand around representing the Hive. Some of them would rather be somewhere else, but none of them minded too much. Ria tried to draw on their solidity a little to steady her own heartbeat. The Esemen across from them were unfamiliar to her, but she¡¯d picked up enough in her time with them to read the little social cues in their attire and equipment, in the way they stood and talked. It helped that she¡¯d heard of most of them. The obvious leader was General Nightsen, who was rather popular in his home, even if she¡¯d have expected him to be taller. He wasn¡¯t easy to read. ¡°Monetary recompense is really quite a generous offer already,¡± he was saying. ¡°You cannot truly expect more than that. Anything else is impractical.¡± ¡°Your money is not going to be much good to the families affected by this war,¡± Regina said. Especially because it would be going to their liege lords rather than the people directly, she didn¡¯t say. ¡°And what we need is a guarantee you won¡¯t simply decide to come back and kick the door in for kicks again.¡± He frowned, maybe parsing the idiom. ¡°Asking for guarantees like these, closer to treaty provisions than reparations, is quite a demand for what is ultimately a skirmish in the greater scheme of things.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not demanding a huge time frame,¡± Regina said patiently. ¡°Even just assurances that you won¡¯t start a war for a year will put quite a few minds at ease.¡± ¡°We will need to consider this,¡± Nightsen responded stiffly. Regina¡¯s irritation spiked, and it took Ria a moment to grasp that it was probably because of the subtext ¡ª she expected the Esemen to clear the proposed course of action with their divine backers. ¡°Consider quickly,¡± the Hive Queen replied simply. Her voice was still soft and calm, but with a hard edge to her words underneath it. The tension crackled for a moment longer, before Nightsen smiled slightly and it seemed to dissipate. The other drones shuffled a little and Ria stared at the Esemen. Hesitantly, she tried to get her Queen¡¯s attention and started talking. They¡¯re going to accept the deal as it¡¯s laid out so far, I¡¯m pretty sure. They probably know that we don¡¯t have much need for money, but they¡¯re not exactly up to date on modern economic theory. Their idea of the economy is still money coming out of land because peasants pay taxes, and maybe spending some money back as an investment so the next years¡¯ taxes are paid. Plus getting horses and armor and stuff. Makes sense, Regina replied with an amused undertone. You talked to Esemen merchants as well? A few, but merchants really don¡¯t have much say in their policymaking, Ria admitted. She thought back to the Esemen she had talked to. They¡¯d at least kept up the pretense of her being an honored guest and diplomatic envoy, so they couldn¡¯t have forbidden her from talking to any people at all. Quite a few members of the court had also sought her out specifically, to get information on the Hive, something they didn¡¯t really hide. She¡¯d been a bit of a curiosity, attracting stares and gawkers, which only made it easier to constantly have guards around her ¡®for her protection¡¯. They hadn¡¯t actually let her enter any of their famous temples, though, which was pretty much the only thing that really stood out now. She tuned back into the conversation just as they seemed about to wrap up. ¡°Guarantees of peace for a year regarding Cernlia, Nerlia, the Starlit Hive and any of its other allies,¡± Regina stated. ¡°We understand your demand,¡± Nightsen replied. ¡°We will not invade any of your territory unless provoked.¡± He paused for a second. ¡°Will not representatives of Cernlia and Nerlia be present to accept their part of this deal?¡± ¡°Our close allies in Cernlia trust us to safeguard their interest,¡± Regina said. Or at least help them as a side effect since we¡¯re already dealing with the Esemen, it¡¯s not like they have much choice. ¡°And Nerlia?¡± he pressed. ¡°We do have some of our forces in their territory as well, and you demanded safety for this country in addition to your Hive and allies.¡± That was because Nerlia would soon be counted among their allies if it wasn¡¯t already, Ria knew. She hadn¡¯t had the time to delve deeper into the information the psychic link held for her, but that much she was pretty sure of. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Nerlia has also given us leave to work out a deal agreeable to all parties,¡± Regina said casually. That¡¯s actually a stipulation from our talks, more or less, she added mentally to Ria. Ria signaled her understanding. They probably know about your deal with Nerlia already, then, she said. I wasn¡¯t told anything about their diplomatic sources or other intelligence, obviously, but I¡¯m pretty sure they have spies in the Nerlian court, at least. Regina sighed silently. It would have been too much to hope for otherwise. At least information should still take a little while to travel between them. Nightsen didn¡¯t seem very happy with her pronouncement, but after a few more questions which Regina evaded he grudgingly accepted it. The other men behind him were shifting around and Ria could tell they were getting impatient. Probably not many career diplomats on this team. ¡°Excellent,¡± Regina said with just the slightest hint of sarcasm, which they hopefully wouldn¡¯t notice. ¡°Then we will pick up Marianne Neralt and be on our way. I expect to sign the drafted contract as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Wait just a minute,¡± one of the other men protested. ¡°We have already returned your drone to you as a sign of good will and cooperation,¡± Nightsen said. ¡°Lady Marianne is perfectly comfortable with us. It would be rather foolish to send her back while our agreement is not set in stone yet.¡± Regina cocked her head. She didn¡¯t show the renewed irritation she was feeling. ¡°Marianne is under my protection,¡± she said. ¡°I do hope you are not attempting anything so foolish as to take her hostage.¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Nightsen lied baldly. ¡°But it would be easier to coordinate our next steps if we had a middleman - woman - like her with us.¡± Regina sighed lightly. ¡°Then, if she is purely to work as middleman, you will not object to me assuring her safety.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± He looked cautious. ¡°I will send a pack of drones to make sure no unfortunate accidents befall her and to protect her should she encounter trouble. I will also require her to stay close, in reach of our position. Should you attempt to coerce her into moving back towards your own country, I will take it as a breach of agreement.¡± Nightsen was silent for a moment, before he nodded. Judging by his expression, he was not happy. ¡°Fine,¡± he said curtly. Ria exhaled and took half a step away as the tension seemed to fall again. She almost jumped when someone else laid a hand on her arm, even though she could sense them in the psychic link. You doing okay, kid? Tia asked. I¡¯m doing fine, she answered and sent a mental smile. Glad this is over. I feel like I could sleep for a week. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get the chance to do that, Tia replied, amusement in her words. The talks ended quicker than they had began, but Ria was too distracted to pay attention to the specifics. In the end, the Esemen departed quickly, and she focused on the drones keeping an eye on Marianne to see if they were keeping to the deal. It seemed like it. A group of drones that Regina had sent approached them and were soon surrounding the human woman, and they started slowly making their way towards the Esemen positions, although they would stay in the periphery. It might mean a little rougher accommodations for Marianne, but this shouldn¡¯t take long. Ria was still relieved. She¡¯d liked the noblewoman when they¡¯d traveled together, and she didn¡¯t want to feel like she was even indirectly responsible for her getting hurt by the Esemen. Besides, Regina would blame herself. She just hoped Marianne wouldn¡¯t blame them for not prioritizing getting her back to her son immediately. As soon as the Esemen were out of earshot, everyone relaxed. Regina stood up and a few of the Swarm Drones that were hanging around started carting off the chair she¡¯d used. The rest of the drones also started to relax their positions and mill around as Winged Drones descended to carry them back to the base. Ria glanced at them and smiled. She couldn¡¯t wait to get home. If it wasn¡¯t Regina, Ria would have probably jumped in surprise when someone else put a hand on her shoulder. But she knew even before she turned to look who it was, ignoring the Hive Queen would have been harder than that. She still stiffened slightly under her attention. ¡°Ria, are you okay?¡± Regina asked, sounding concerned. ¡°I¡¯m -¡° Ria nodded and blinked. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she repeated. After a moment, Regina nodded, then Ria stiffened again in surprise as she pulled her into a hug. Ria quickly relaxed and laid her head on her shoulder, basking in the moment. Regina was a bit taller than her, and despite the hard shell of her skin she seemed to radiate warmth. The others gave them privacy, although she could dimly feel them smiling at the sight. Ria didn¡¯t pay any attention to them, however. She blinked again and was surprised to feel a bit of wetness gathering in her eyes. ¡°It was terrifying,¡± she finally spoke, the words rushing out of her. ¡°Being cut off from the Hive link. I felt so alone. And the Esemen were okay, but I could tell they didn¡¯t see me as a normal person, just a demihuman monster or a freak. I was afraid I was going to fail you, to betray the Hive by letting them dig information from me.¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Regina¡¯s arms around her tightened. ¡°You did everything I could have asked for. You went above and beyond. Even if they had gotten information from you, it wouldn¡¯t be your fault. I¡¯m sorry for putting you in that position, Ria.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¡ª¡° Ria lifted her head, seeking her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m happy to take risks for the Hive, or to sacrifice if need be.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you should have to.¡± Regina loosened the hug, drawing back enough so they could see each other¡¯s faces. She sighed. ¡°I think I failed you, not the reverse.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true! You acted for the good of the Hive. You¡¯re the Hive Queen, that¡¯s ¡ª it¡¯s our job to follow your lead.¡± They were both silent for a moment. An expression twitched across Regina¡¯s face she found hard to interpret. She¡¯d drawn her presence in the psychic link in tighter, which made it harder to tell what she felt. ¡°I¡¯m your mother. You¡¯re my children,¡± she finally said. ¡°It¡¯s my job to protect you.¡± Ria could feel the reaction in the drones around them, as if everyone paused what they were doing for an instant. The emotional response that swept through the psychic link was harder to pin down, a confused tangle of feelings. Their Queen clearly felt it as well. She cleared her throat, then stepped back. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the base,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you, Mother,¡± Ria said quietly, then she turned and started walking to the Mounts, too nervous to look at her expression. They climbed on their rides and left quickly, but this time, Ria found it harder to pay attention to her surroundings, or the way the landscape passed beneath them. Letting out her emotions like this must have torn down a wall, and she felt a little unbalanced, a little raw, now. She wasn¡¯t even sure what she felt. Actually, Regina must have been uncertain herself. Ria wondered if the current of excitement in the mix of what the others felt, which she also felt, upset her. Glancing back, Mother had her eyes closed and was probably focused on the psychic link, although it was still hard to tell what she was really feeling. Probably just focused on her duties and the upcoming and ongoing negotiations with the human kingdoms. They descended quickly, to a base that appeared to have recently grown a lot, relatively close to the front with the Esemen, rather than the Hive¡¯s main base. It took her a moment to place it beside the human village. When Ria hopped down from her mount, Regina was there, and laid a hand on her shoulder again in a comforting touch. ¡°We¡¯ll get everything sorted out. For now, just focus on feeling better, okay, Ria?¡± Ria nodded. Having a mother who obviously cared about her was nice. She still didn¡¯t want to be a burden, but hopefully the information she¡¯d already gathered for the Hive would be worthwhile. Chapter 220: Possible Paths After they arrived back at the base, Regina kept an eye on Ria, both metaphorically and literally. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out that Ria was more ¡­ fragile than she tried to pretend. She¡¯d have probably seen it without the psychic link. If nothing else, it was clear that being separated from the hive was traumatic or at least a burden. Luckily, the other drones realized it as well without her having to say anything. As they got settled in at the base, Ria always had someone close by, ready to offer a shoulder to lean on but careful not to crowd her. Regina felt a bit ¡­ conflicted about all of this. On the one hand, she had hundreds of children. She couldn¡¯t afford to pay close attention and give comfort to every one, and she already felt vaguely guilty for giving special attention to some of them. On the other hand, they were her children. She was their mother. In hindsight, the way they¡¯d avoided calling her that because of her obvious discomfort with the idea must have been a bit of an emotional stressor as well, something that should have been more obvious to her. But if I¡¯m honest, that discomfort - has faded. Maybe I¡¯ve just gotten used to the idea? She still wasn¡¯t sure what she should do about it, how she should act. She had to strike some middle ground between normal human family dynamics and alien insectoid hives. Although, thinking about it, she couldn¡¯t be the first Hive Queen to run into this conflict. Especially since, from what she¡¯d gathered from Galatea, Leian and even Alianais, this was apparently normal for them. The others had to have some solutions or common practices for it. One more thing she¡¯d lost out on by basically being stranded in this place and time as the only one of her kind. I wonder what kind of cultures the old Hive Queens would have been from originally? Regina shook her head and dismissed that thought, focusing back on her surroundings and the task at hand. She wasn¡¯t going to solve this, or at least sort out her feelings, right now. The main priority at the moment was getting everything squared away regarding the negotiations and diplomacy in general. Regina focused on that while she made a quick stop by the hatchery and then returned to her rooms. She felt that they were past the most difficult parts, but she didn¡¯t want to screw up now. At least the war should be pretty much over, with Nerlia surrendered and the Esemen withdrawing, except for the Cernlians. Marquis Lyns should be handling them. But Regina knew better than to assume that he would manage everything without bothering her. With her luck, she¡¯d have to fight off the next challenger for him in a few weeks. Or against him. Or maybe the gods would start screwing around again. She was a bit dissatisfied that she¡¯d actually dealt with the Esemen without getting to the bottom of their connection to said gods, although Nightsen¡¯s admission as good as confirmed what she¡¯d suspected, and actually gave her a few details to work with. She didn¡¯t really want to engage them more closely just for the chance of finding out more, so she¡¯d have to be content with more normal diplomatic (or espionage) attempts at information gathering. Regina distracted herself by watching the Esemen prepare to head out, at least as far as she could tell. She¡¯d need to send someone - with a proper, large escort - to settle details, but she was glad to see they were going to be gone soon. It would still leave her to deal with Whitor, and other local nobles, but she¡¯d be in a good position for that. The hive was much better off than it had been at the start of this war, if nothing else. It didn¡¯t even surprise Regina when the System popped up another notification before her eyes. Clearly, she had gained some Experience for her diplomatic endeavors.
You have leveled up
You may now select another Ability
Regina made sure nothing required her immediate attention and sat down in a comfortable posture on her bed before she focused on the notification, directly pulling up her new choices.
You may now select your seventh Class Skill. Please choose one of the following:
Hive¡¯s Magic: Your magic is the core of your strength. The growth of your mana pool due to the existence of your drones will receive a boost. Your mana regeneration will also improve, scaling with both your level and theirs. With higher levels of mastery, you will find it easier to cast large spells or to cast two spells at once.
Hive¡¯s Paths: Your Hive¡¯s diversity is a key to its strength. The Evolution paths open to your drones will increase in variability. Rare Classes have a slightly higher chance of being selected for Swarm Drones. At higher levels of mastery, you may direct their growth more directly, setting goals for your Hive¡¯s Swarm.
Queen¡¯s Body: Your soul needs a strong shell. Your body will be strengthened, in proportion to the number of drones around you and their physical Stats. This includes the functioning of your vital organs. The effect will fade with distance. You will also be more resistant against arcane attacks. Flight will be easier and drain less mana.
Absentmindedly, Regina stood up and started to pace as she considered the choices. She would have expected to see Hive¡¯s Paths again, and wasn¡¯t surprised it was here. It also seemed like a natural choice. It would probably synergize well with her newest unlocked Template. She wondered what she could do with the Form Drones with this Ability. New and more forms, more precise control, stopping or modifying it at any point in development? The possibilities she imagined were tempting, she had to admit. She wasn¡¯t sure about the other options. They were both new and familiar, in a sense. She¡¯d started to see a bit of a theme in the Ability choices the System was giving her. They tended to focus on one area like her physical body, or flight, her magic, the psychic link, or the hive or its numbers. Although Leian or whoever determined these had clearly decided to mix things up a little bit. If I don¡¯t choose either of the new options, one of them will probably show up again, but I don¡¯t know which, she considered. Is there anything I can¡¯t afford to lose out on? Not really, she decided after a minute of thought. None of it was particularly critical, so she decided to give herself a bit of time to think about the choice ¡ª although she was inclined towards Hive¡¯s Paths ¡ª and instead focused on other concerns. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. She¡¯d need to shuffle her drones around again, and it was a bit hard to decide how large a part of her forces she should keep in the respective areas. She definitely needed to discuss it with Ben and the others. For now, regardless of the details, the commanders would probably have to be recalled or shuffled around as well. Regina would like to have Ben back with her, and Tim if possible. On the other hand, Tim could also use a bigger command. Janis was still juggling several balls and might be more useful as a diplomat going forward, at least for now. Besides, having her around to talk to June might not be a bad idea, either ¡­ Perhaps she could even contrive to send her to Cernlia to meet Kiara when the opportunity arose. Regina paused as another thought struck her. She closed her eyes again to focus on the psychic link and a few Winged Drones further away from her position. She hadn¡¯t talked to the Delvers since they¡¯d shown her the old medical buildings. And now might be a good time for it. At least she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the Esemen striking her in the back, as soon as they were actually gone, and it might be more advantageous to talk to the Delvers before everything was completely settled in Cernlia. Regina frowned. Ben wouldn¡¯t like the idea. She could send another one of her drones, of course, but - that wouldn¡¯t do for what she wanted. Her own identity was kind of central. She¡¯d probably have to prove that she really was a former human from before the Cataclysm, and that would be a little hard to do remotely. Well, harder. Regina sighed and made a mental note of it, then contacted a few drones and asked them to look into it. For something like this, she should involve her hive, not just force through a decision and leave them to pick up the slack. Especially since she was kind of starting to lose sight of some of the details, even just for their ¡®international relations¡¯. There was just too much. Reminded of her human connections, Regina checked on Zephyr as well. He was still in prison, which was good. Also asleep currently. He¡¯d been sleeping a lot. She wasn¡¯t sure if that was because of the prison thing or if he was still just not in good health. She¡¯d had a few drone healers coming by in the meantime, very carefully, when he was sedated, but they¡¯d been inconclusive. Stress and signs of minor illness were one thing, it didn¡¯t mean that there were any lingering aftereffects, but it didn¡¯t not mean that, either. Regina chewed on her lip, considered paying him a visit, before she withdrew her focus. She couldn¡¯t justify that risk, not after what had happened last time. At some point I have to reduce some risk, I guess. She smiled to herself, then stood and stretched a little, before she focused on her magic. She could use a bit of training. After Conjuring a few different metals and different kinds of synthetic materials in various shapes, Regina hesitated. She had a lot of mana these days, and her Conjuration was going well. But her real advantage were probably not the System-given Spells, but her own skills and the magic she could do without that help. And one of those advantages was scrying. It was still a mana sink and tended to give her headaches, so she didn¡¯t use it that often. Besides, Galatea was much better at it. But Galatea had been busy lately, and she wouldn¡¯t get better if she didn¡¯t practice. Besides, it had been a while since she¡¯d talked to Kiara, instead of just reading a letter. They¡¯d both been busy. Regina winced and tried to ignore the headache building up as she tried to connect the magic properly. She really was a bit rusty with this. The mental picture she got shook and flickered slightly, although she managed to stabilize it well enough. Kiara was actually pretty far away currently, since the Lyns army had managed to make reasonably good time through the eastern part of Cernlia. They were still not close to the edge of her range, but farther than they¡¯d been before. She pushed through, focused on Kiara, and made the scrying link take hold. Kiara met her in the middle again, after a short while. They had a bit of routine by now, so it wasn¡¯t too difficult to make things so Regina could see her clearly. Although she looked like it took a lot out of her. On second thought, it probably wasn¡¯t the scrying. Kiara had never seemed to be that bothered by it before. Today, she did have dark circles under her eyes. One side was half-concealed with makeup, along with streaks of slightly different shading on her cheeks. It looked like she¡¯d been halfway through washing her makeup off. Her hair was slightly damp and held back in a simple ponytail. More than that, though, Kiara sat with a slump she would not have expected from her. Regina almost blinked. ¡°Kiara?¡± she asked, more tentative than she intended. Kiara straightened up. ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± she greeted her, sounding the same as usual. ¡°Good afternoon to you. It is a pleasure to see you again.¡± ¡°Likewise,¡± Regina said. Oh, screw it, might as well. ¡°Are you doing okay?¡± Kiara frowned slightly. ¡°Of course, I am very well, why do you ask?¡± Regina just shrugged a little. ¡°You look like you¡¯re under a lot of stress,¡± she said honestly. ¡°If you are, I can completely understand. The situation can¡¯t be so easy to deal with.¡± The young woman just stared at her for a long moment, before she slumped again a little. ¡°Yeah,¡± she muttered. Regina didn¡¯t even know she knew that word. ¡°I suppose you could say that.¡± ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡± Regina asked. Dammit, she liked Kiara. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It is not something you could do something about. Or should, I suppose. It¡¯s just ¡ª I don¡¯t like some of the things my father is doing.¡± ¡°What kind of things?¡± Regina asked. That sounded like something she might need to know about. Kiara shrugged slightly. ¡°A few things,¡± she said. Then she exhaled and shook her head. ¡°Have you talked to June, Milady?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s told you yet, but we went on a little expedition and I think I¡¯ve found the cause of her issues, or at least a big clue.¡± Kiara didn¡¯t look surprised, just nodded. ¡°In her letter, she speaks highly of you. She seems to really like you,¡± she commented. Regina smiled. It was completely genuine this time. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. I like June a lot, too. She¡¯s a great student and I think she¡¯s got a bright future.¡± ¡°And how is my mother?¡± ¡°Well, last I heard. The pregnancy is going as expected, with no unforeseen complications.¡± Regina hesitated for a moment. ¡°Regarding the baby, Kiara, you should ¡ª¡° she paused. ¡°Well ¡­ nevermind.¡± Kiara looked at her, and Regina could practically see the gears turning in her head. ¡°Of course,¡± she said. ¡°Well, I can assure you they¡¯re both safe, and with the war nearly over, they won¡¯t be in much danger, either. On that topic, it looks like I¡¯ll negotiate a proper truce agreement with the Esemen, involving them withdrawing and abstaining from attacking us for at least a year.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good news.¡± They spent the next few minutes talking, catching up on what was happening on both of the fronts. Despite the serious subject matter, Kiara appeared to relax a little as the conversation went on. ¡°Regina,¡± Kiara finally said, a little abruptly. ¡°You should look into your food stores. I don¡¯t like the way Father is rationing the food. The people ¡­ might need some help.¡± Regina tilted her head. This had obviously been bothering Kiara. ¡°I will.¡± That was not good news. ¡°And, I don¡¯t like the way he¡¯s treating the people fleeing their homes because of the war,¡± Kiara said, almost looking past her. ¡°I thought Nicholas was bad with the way he herded the refugees, but ¡­¡± she trailed off and shook her head. Regina scowled. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it,¡± she said. At Kiara¡¯s look, she raised a hand reassuringly. ¡°Relax, I won¡¯t do anything stupid. But maybe I can help, if only by applying a little influence.¡± Kiara nodded. She looked relieved. And no wonder, if what¡¯s been going on is what it sounds like. She has to be rubbed raw on the inside, with her father and her upbringing and what¡¯s happening in such a war all pulling at her. ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can do,¡± Regina said, then hesitated. ¡°If you ever need my help ¡­¡± Kiara smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Hey, you might be the closest friend I have outside the hive. And wasn¡¯t that a bit of a sad realization. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure things work out,¡± she said. Chapter 221: Roles and Candidates Unfortunately, it was not as easy as Regina had hoped. Her relationship with Marquis Lyns had cooled since the last major battle they had won, and he clearly wasn¡¯t happy about what influence she had anyway. She suspected it was also about the power balance. The hive was more powerful than ever, and they¡¯d basically just beaten both Nerlia and the Esemen singlehandedly. That would make any ally worry a little bit about their own standing or necessity, especially under the circumstances. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to have decided to channel this worry productively. Or maybe she was being uncharitable because she was irritated with him. Either way, it was probably a good thing that she didn¡¯t talk to him directly. Regina checked with Via, of course, and they tried to get what information they could from the contacts they had. Kiara had been hesitant to criticize Lyns too directly, understandably, but she¡¯d at least given them a rough overview of what she¡¯d wanted to complain about. Talking with Via and listening in around the army camp helped to solidify it for Regina. It was pretty basic. When Kiara talked about the way Lyns was rationing food, she meant that he clearly prioritized his soldiers and feeding the civilians was, at best, an afterthought. Regina didn¡¯t get detailed plans ¡ª assuming they existed ¡ª so she wasn¡¯t sure how it would play out exactly. She supposed she couldn¡¯t blame them for wanting to prepare for the winter. The refugees were another matter. There weren¡¯t as many as Regina had feared, although the conditions were pretty bad. The army was currently moving through land that had already been affected by the war, which probably played into it. Luckily, they hadn¡¯t had a lot of land burned or the like, but there had been disruption, and passing armies tended to mean farmer¡¯s food supplies being confiscated, apparently. It would probably be worse without the System, she had to admit. Farming and agriculture-related Classes meant they were more productive and there¡¯d be more food to go around. On the other hand, it probably makes the population density higher, too, or the proportion of people engaged in other jobs. She really wasn¡¯t sure what she could do to help. The hive was already sending food. Regina had notified the drones involved and would probably increase the amount of food earmarked for that purpose, but there were limits. The hive was still a lot smaller than Cernlia and there was only so much food they could produce. They certainly couldn¡¯t feed even just a significant fraction of Cernlia by themselves. It also wouldn¡¯t help the other issues the Cernlian population faced. Money wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but this wasn¡¯t the modern world and they couldn¡¯t just buy relief supplies in bulk. Bringing a few blankets probably wouldn¡¯t help much, either. It did not make it easier to watch, through her drones¡¯ eyes, children in dirty rags huddled in the streets, clearly a bit too skinny, and sometimes only having one parent to care for them. Hopefully that just meant the others were serving in the army, but it wouldn¡¯t always. Seeing things like that just felt offensive. Regardless, Regina was determined not to rush in and make a mistake that would only make things harder for everyone. The situation wasn¡¯t time-critical, exactly, so she could afford to wait and gather a bit more information. While preparing for having more problems to deal with. This is why I wanted allies to deal with Cernlia in the first place, ugh. She felt like she was in a bad spot right now where she was affected and invested in what was happening but unable to directly control it or intervene, the worst of two worlds really. In the meantime, Regina talked to Via to prepare the groundwork and start speaking to people, and consulted with several others to write a letter to Lyns, trying to strike a balance between politeness and expressing her concerns in no uncertain terms. Time would tell whether it did any good. To channel some of that frustration, Regina focused on improving her hive. It was as good a time for a bit of restructuring as any, considering the current lull in the war. They were still adding new drones quickly, and expanding. Now they had to secure their new gains. That was a bit complicated by the fact that the actual status of the territory the hive occupied in Nerlia wasn¡¯t clear yet. For that matter, there was arguably a bit of land in Cernlia that fell under their influence which had the same issue. The hive had basically taken over administrating the land in Nerlia ¡ª with mixed results, she had to admit, because they only had limited resources and especially people for it ¡ª and they could keep it up for a while. In her own opinion, which might be biased, they weren¡¯t doing a worse job than the various local lords in Nerlia. Although the hive was working with these, to varying levels, in the area under their influence. Ben¡¯s army had also advanced further and, according to their agreement with the Nerlians, was establishing garrisons in a few places. They didn¡¯t really have enough troops to garrison everything, especially since Swarm Drones needed to be guided by sapient drones, but they could cover important strategic locations and make sure the Nerlians didn¡¯t secretly build up their forces. That was really all they needed right now. A firmer reminder of the hive¡¯s power might be nice, but Regina hoped that the way they¡¯d crushed the Nerlians¡¯ armies so quickly would remain in their minds. If nothing else, she or one of her senior drones could always drop by to give them a little more proof of what the hive could do. Actually, that might be a good idea anyway. She made a mental note to look into relatively obvious but advanced civilian applications they could demonstrate. Nothing too bad for information security, but maybe something with their Conjuration ¡ª everyone who mattered should know about that by now ¡ª like some useful synthetic materials or tools? Worth letting Mia and the Keepers discuss it, at least. By now, they had drones in range to keep an eye on the Nerlian capital, and Regina looked through the information they¡¯d gathered. She still didn¡¯t have as good a grasp on the Nerlians¡¯ internal politics or even political structure as she¡¯d like, but they had learned some things. For example, while the king was theoretically in charge he wasn¡¯t exactly an absolute monarch and had to listen to at least a few important officials. Apart from that, it seemed pretty typical for a late medieval (or early modern?) court, with no proper bureaucracy but a bunch of court offices and basically an ongoing effort to further centralize the country which had been half-successful for a while. At least it meant she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about dealing with every little duke and count separately. For the longest time, her own original country had been basically a bunch of little states held together by twine and a prayer. She was glad it wasn¡¯t this bad here. Dealing with a single absolute ruler might have been easier, but on the other hand, there were probably more points of leverage they could use to convince them in Nerlia. Besides, if she wanted to actually start modernizing the country, she had to start somewhere. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Communication infrastructure would probably come first. The hive should be pretty good at building roads, even though they hadn¡¯t really bothered yet. Magical means of communication would make it even easier, they just needed to organize them properly. Then there were other parts of infrastructure, including hospitals and maybe something to strengthen the economy ¡­ It would depend on how much direct control or influence she could and would want to use, Regina reminded herself. There were also other influences and incipient power blocks to consider. Regina turned her attention to her own territory again, to what she was determined to ensure would stay under the hive¡¯s aegis. A quick check showed that there was indeed a meeting scheduled and it was just beginning. She focused more closely on Zac¡¯s mind, brushing it lightly to announce her presence, and listened in. He sent back an acknowledgment but kept his attention on his conversation partner. Zac was one of their most senior non-combat-focused drones, at least in theory, and he¡¯d stepped up recently to deal with the issues of the new territory and its people. It meant he was already familiar with the group of farmers and merchants who¡¯d approached the hive and started to work with them, essentially facilitating their integration into their economy and system. They might be collaborators, but at least they seemed to be reasonably perceptive and concerned about the future. ¡°Thank you for taking the time to meet, Milord,¡± Green was saying. ¡°I realize you are busy with your duties.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll always try to make time,¡± Zac replied, leaning back in his chair. They were meeting in the same merchant guildhall Lucien Green and his associates had first met Ada in, but in a smaller and more private room. ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re looking for news about the diplomatic situation?¡± ¡°If you¡¯d be so kind,¡± Green confirmed with a wry smile. ¡°Well, there isn¡¯t really any news about the negotiations with the Nerlian crown,¡± Zac said. ¡°At the moment, it does look like this region, given its strategic relevance and closeness to our borders, will remain directly under the Hive, in addition to the arrangements made for the rest of Nerlia. But I think you¡¯ve heard that already.¡± ¡°Lady Ada implied as much last we spoke,¡± the merchant nodded. Zac nodded with a ¡®well, there you have it¡¯ kind of gesture. His diplomatic style was definitely a bit different than Ada¡¯s, although he wasn¡¯t exactly bad at talking to people. ¡°With the war coming to an end, and these arrangements starting to be decided,¡± Green began, obviously a bit hesitant, ¡°I was wondering about future plans, again. Please do not take this the wrong way, but we would appreciate some security for planning for the future. And more than that, I do hope I and my friends have proven ourselves.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Zac cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Worried that you¡¯ll be shuffled aside now that the war¡¯s ending and we¡¯ll bring in drones to handle all the administration?¡± ¡°Well ¡­ I suppose.¡± He shrugged slightly. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve shown how much help I can be to the Starlit Hive. And many people in this new province would be greatly reassured to see some familiar faces in charge ¡ª human faces, not to put too fine a point on it. While I, of course, understand how working with the local nobility would be problematic for the Hive. But it would not be the first time changes in political circumstances elevated some new blood. And as I said, a gesture to reassure the people that all is in hand and order will be kept would certainly help.¡± He¡¯s clearly angling for a title, Zac commented. It¡¯s not a terrible pitch. Yeah, Regina agreed. It could be better, though. We¡¯ll definitely need to find a place for him, but I don¡¯t think slapping a Nerlian noble¡¯s title on him and calling it a day is it. ¡°You make an interesting point,¡± Zac said. ¡°We¡¯ll certainly keep it in mind, Mister Green. I¡¯d advise you not to get your hopes up too much, though, just between us.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he said, doing an acceptable job of hiding his disappointment. Green was smart enough not to ask further questions, or try to press the point, however. There was a short silence, while Zac examined the small tapestry hung on the wall with apparent interest - it was a pretty boring pastoral scene - and Green fidgeted the tiniest bit. ¡°If I may ask, Lord Zac,¡± he finally started again. ¡°Who ¡ª I mean, is there any word on how the Hive intends to organize the administration of the region going forward?¡± Zac let him wait for a second, before he smiled reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my good man,¡± he said. ¡°The Hive is aware of the importance of local governance and popular support. We won¡¯t just subjugate all humans under Hive drones or something stupid like that.¡± ¡°That is a relief to hear.¡± ¡°As for who might be put in a position of authority, well, I truly can¡¯t say.¡± Zac shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not decided yet, as far as I know. I mean, I can speculate a bit. Hey, how would you say the people would react to a Cernlian put in authority?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure there won¡¯t be any problems,¡± Green said, then narrowed his eyes a little. ¡°Ah, Lady Marianne Neralt? I heard she was sent to speak to the Esemen for the Hive.¡± ¡°Yep. She¡¯ll probably get a new job. Of course, even if she got something like a governor¡¯s post, it might not be here. Like I said, nothing¡¯s really been decided yet, and that goes for borders or administrative regions, too.¡± Green nodded in understanding. Regina hummed to herself. Zac was right. His speculation was also pretty well informed, she was definitely intending to give Marianne a high post in some kind of governmental structure. ¡°A Cernlian lady might be a little bit of a hard sell,¡± Green admitted. ¡°Not that I would dare make demands of the Hive, of course. And it would certainly be a lot better than the alternative. No offense, of course. I¡¯m sure we could swing it quite easily.¡± Zac nodded, choosing not to comment on that. ¡°There are options, I think. For all I know, you might have Janis Starlit instituted as viceroy of the Hive¡¯s new territories.¡± Regina was a bit startled. She hadn¡¯t considered that option in depth. It made some sense, of course. Janis was a good mage and a good commander, and had already had some success with diplomacy. That didn¡¯t necessarily mean she would be a good ruler or administrator, or that she would be happy in such a posting. And while it would put a more human face on it, she was still a foreigner and demihuman, although Regina supposed just looking (mostly) like a human would automatically give her more support than any drone, in addition to her greater experience. That didn¡¯t mean it would be enough. Her primary concern about letting Green or any of the other men like him head up a region, district or whatever they¡¯d be called, even if they would be enthusiastic supporters of reforms, was their loyalty. They were Nerlians and it would be stupid to expect their absolute allegiance over their countrymen or the old order. On the other hand, she also knew getting a government set up with only drones in leadership positions was bound to be a disaster, not just for PR reasons. Although for those reasons, too. I guess it comes down to a choice between loyalty and competence. Of course, if you just look at it in a vacuum then obviously competence should be the deciding factor. But in a situation where they might betray the hive, while we¡¯re new and surrounded by potential enemies, I probably have to prioritize loyalty to the hive. Regina sighed to herself. She needed to find a good balance, but finding someone who was both competent and loyal to her, and also acceptable to the population, was harder than it sounded. ¡°That sounds like an ¡­ intriguing possibility,¡± Green answered. ¡°Well, I suppose it is all simply speculation, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°True,¡± Zac replied with a small grin. ¡°I definitely won¡¯t be making the decision. You won¡¯t have to wait too long, Mister Green, but I doubt a decision will be reached tomorrow. For now, we¡¯ll just continue as we have been.¡± The Nerlian smiled and folded his hands. ¡°That we can do.¡± Regina withdrew her attention, judging that the interesting part of the conversation was over. Sometimes, she really regretted basically starting from nothing and only having a year or so of assets, support structures and contacts built up. There was nothing for it, though. And unlike her other problems, this should get better with time. Chapter 222: Keeping the Peace ¡°I¡¯m going to step out,¡± Janis murmured quietly. ¡°I think you¡¯ve got this well in hand.¡± Ray tilted his head to the side slightly and nodded in acknowledgment. Janis gave him another smile before she pushed her chair back and stood to leave. She could have just said the same thing over the psychic link, but it was more polite to their negotiation partners to do it this way. A glance at the Nerlians showed she probably needn¡¯t have bothered. They were currently occupied, talking to each other or bent over two sheets of paper containing the latest draft. This particular session of their talks had already been dragging on for close to three hours, so she couldn¡¯t blame them. As Janis left the room, she heard the group fall quiet when Ray said something, easily commanding their attention with a calm but authoritative voice. He¡¯s good at this, she mused. Regina had finally recalled Ray from his job as an ambassador and sent him to take charge of the Hive¡¯s negotiations with Nerlia, which was self-evidently the best choice. He¡¯d clearly learned more than a little from the elves. It would be a bit of a different style than the human diplomats, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. Plus, it wasn¡¯t like either side really had career diplomats. Janis breathed a sigh as she stepped out of the building and felt the cool evening air on her face. It was nice. She actually liked Nerlia, at least what she¡¯d seen of it. Not that she¡¯d exactly seen the country at its best. Janis ran a hand through her hair and glanced around. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t in the Nerlian capital, which she¡¯d have liked to visit. It might be a good thing, though. Instead, they¡¯d set this up in a smaller city, closer to the current border between the areas where the Nerlian crown had maintained control and where the Hive¡¯s army had advanced to. This city was currently still officially under Nerlian control but also housed a Hive garrison. Just looking around, the civilians seemed to take it reasonably well. It might help that they didn¡¯t have to worry about burning and looting (or the even worse things that could happen in wartime) and the drones didn¡¯t act threatening. She could still feel a tension in the air, but the market in the nearby plaza was open and a few people walked from stall to stall, apparently enjoying their shopping. Most just hurried to get on with their errands. She¡¯d almost forgotten how dirty and stinky a proper city was. This one wasn¡¯t that bad, comparatively, but the smell still irritated her. Janis turned her attention back to the psychic link. Hey, she asked Jem, where am I supposed to go again? She could tell he was a bit annoyed. Two Fords, about a hundred kilometers southeast of here. I¡¯ve already sent you a Mount. Got it, thanks. As if on cue, she saw a dark blur grow larger in the sky and stepped to the side, directing the Winged Drone Mount to land. When it did, Janis spent a few seconds petting it before she climbed on. She probably shouldn¡¯t dawdle too much, but it hadn¡¯t sounded urgent, either. The drone ascended into the sky and Janis watched the city disappear below her, before she settled in for the trip, pulling her new scarf over her face. It had been a gift from some idiot Nerlian or another, but she had to admit it was at least useful. Not that it would make her do them any favors even if she remembered his name. Still, she knew Regina didn¡¯t mind her screwing around as long as she didn¡¯t actually accept bribes, which she obviously wouldn¡¯t even if she could get away with it. The idea made her chuckle as she pulled on a bit of air magic, mostly for practice. Her magic had been suffering a little, lately, as she spent all of her effort on the war. Janis didn¡¯t regret it, not really. She liked helping the Hive and it was exciting in a different way than magic. Well, despite the bad parts. But that was war. Still, her leveling had kept pace, and she didn¡¯t want her skills to fall behind too much, so she took every opportunity she could to hone them. She was getting better with elemental magic, even if she¡¯d run into a bit of a barrier when trying to learn healing magic, despite the conditions of the war. Accordingly, she was almost upset when her current ride started descending and her practice was interrupted. Janis sighed, rubbed her eyes, and suppressed a yawn. She hadn¡¯t been sleeping well lately, although she did get more sleep than in the last few months in the thick of it. It was still starting to show, and she knew she probably had to do something eventually. It was stupid to not want help, but she still couldn¡¯t shake the feeling. Janis looked around the town as she jumped down from her drone and gave it a quick pat. The place had seen better days, she had to admit. The town had only been touched by the fighting at the edges, but she suspected it was normally more lively, and hopefully cleaner. There were a few tents set up at the edge, rough burlap fabric and wooden poles. It didn¡¯t look like any houses had been destroyed, so that might be refugees. The inhabitants didn¡¯t change her first impression. They looked like any other collection of Nerlians she had seen lately. This wasn¡¯t the first time Janis saw gatherings like this, or the first time she¡¯d been in a similar town. She¡¯d almost suspect Regina was up to something if it wasn¡¯t clear that they responded better to her than to the drones. Right now, they were gathered around, staring. Well, better doesn¡¯t mean good, I guess, Janis reflected, her fingers twitching as she resisted the urge to touch her hair. The ends of it and her eyes were clearly garnering a lot of attention. She stepped away from her mount, glancing at the small group of War Drones that moved to flank her now, more as a visible escort than because she¡¯d need protection. The locals had let them through easily and without showing too much fear, which was a good sign. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Good evening, people of Two Fords,¡± Janis greeted them, raising her voice a little to be sure they heard. There was an uncertain silence and first, broken by some hesitant mutterings of return greetings. Finally, one of them stepped forward. According to the System, he was a Scribe of level 25. He bowed nervously. ¡°Good evening, Lady Starlit,¡± he greeted her. ¡°Welcome to our humble town.¡± Janis gave him her best noble smile and inclined her head a bit. ¡°Thank you. I assume you are the mayor?¡± ¡°That I am, the headman,¡± he agreed, still seeming a bit twitchy. Janis swept her gaze across the gathered crowd. This was better than it could be, but she still saw some tension. ¡°Let us talk privately,¡± she suggested. The headman - apparently, this town wasn¡¯t considered big enough after all - followed her a few steps away, where they probably wouldn¡¯t be overheard as long as they didn¡¯t raise their voices without protest. Not that he could really do anything. Considering his obvious nerves, he was probably just hoping the Hive would not be too hard on the town, or disturb its operations too much. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that several of our drones have been attacked, three times,¡± she began, calling the information to mind and briefly checking with the psychic link. This was, unfortunately, not the first time she had to sort out something like this. The mayor shuffled his feet. ¡°Yes, Milady,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°I¡¯ve tried to find out who participated, but no one saw anything. It was just thrown stones, nothing sophisticated or anything. They, uh, the drones are fine, aren¡¯t they? They¡¯re not hurt too badly?¡± Janis shook her head. Even low-level War Drones were still protected by their shells, and while thrown stones weren¡¯t exactly harmless this hadn¡¯t led to any real injuries. ¡°They¡¯re not the only incidents of note, I¡¯m given to understand,¡± she said, giving him an assessing stare. ¡°There have been protests against the Hive¡¯s presence, haven¡¯t there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I would call them protests ¡­¡± he said hesitantly. ¡°Just, well, a few folks uncomfortable and unsure about what was happening. They all dispersed all right when the guards asked them to.¡± ¡°They impeded the Hive¡¯s work a little,¡± Janis noted. ¡°But I suppose I can¡¯t disagree there.¡± She sighed, glancing around and then back at the man. ¡°Alright, headman. What do you think we should do?¡± He blinked, clearly put on the spot and unsure what to say. ¡°What? I, uh -¡° ¡°I¡¯m willing to work with you here,¡± Janis said patiently. ¡°I could crack down harder on the town and tighten the metaphorical iron first, but to be honest, that would mean an investment of troops and resources we don¡¯t really want. Not that we couldn¡¯t, you understand, it¡¯s just that we¡¯d prefer other solutions. I personally don¡¯t like the risk of precipitating violence, either. But if it means just inviting more attacks or letting these escalate otherwise, I¡¯d have to do something.¡± The headman licked his lips. She had the impression he was thinking fast. ¡°What about involving the townspeople more?¡± he suggested. ¡°Maybe open some kind of exchange, to reassure them about the Hive? And draw more guards from the town, to keep the peace?¡± ¡°All good suggestions,¡± Janis agreed, smiling slightly. ¡°We¡¯d have to be careful about recruiting, of course.¡± ¡°And perhaps,¡± he continued, still tentative, ¡°you could tell us a little more about your plans for the future? It would give everyone some peace of mind and reassure them, keep them from stupid decisions, I think.¡± Janis sighed. This was hardly the first time she¡¯d heard that question, either. ¡°Nothing is quite set in stone yet, but it does seem you will remain under our administration,¡± she said, then quickly gave him an abridged summary of the state of the negotiations and what it meant. She was light on details of the Hive¡¯s plans, since those were still being worked out. He nodded slowly as she finished. ¡°Thank you for the information, Lady Starlit,¡± he said with a quick bow. She thought he sounded sincere. ¡°I will pass on what the people should know. I¡¯m sure it will help to quiet some tempers. Although ¡ª¡° he cut off again. Although some of them probably hoped we¡¯d be gone soon, and the confirmation that they¡¯re going to stay under the Hive won¡¯t go over well, Janis completed mentally. In her opinion, that was pretty stupid. They were clearly here to stay, and even if it had been realistic for the hive to just withdraw back into their core territory, it wasn¡¯t something anyone should count on in a situation like this. Then again, no one had ever said people were smart. ¡°Can you handle it?¡± she asked bluntly. She could make guesses and try to work off what she¡¯d seen and what data the other drones had gathered, but it still wouldn¡¯t be nearly as good as the impression of a guy who lived here. Besides, if he said he could and then didn¡¯t, she could blame him and he had to know that. ¡°I ¡ª Yes. Yes, Milady, I can.¡± He visibly straightened his shoulders. Janis smiled. ¡°Good. Thank you, Mister Sertsen. I¡¯m counting on you, then. But don¡¯t hesitate to call for help if you need it. We won¡¯t hold it against you, as long as you don¡¯t act foolishly.¡± ¡°I will, I mean, I won¡¯t, Lady Starlit.¡± She really needed to get used to that address, and especially the tone it was said in, Janis reflected, sooner rather than later. Well, at least this was actually going well. She¡¯d had worse towns. There were a few seconds of silence, and Janis looked around again. She examined the people who lingered nearby, looking at them curiously. People like a lot of others she¡¯d seen recently, but they all had their life stories and reasons for being here, and trying to see how they¡¯d react from a brief glimpse was impossible. In a way, she was glad. Objectively, she knew she couldn¡¯t complain. There had been trouble here, and if it could get sorted out with a few minutes of her going in and talking to someone, that was great. It didn¡¯t matter if it was the fifth town she¡¯d had pretty much the same conversation, or that others had gone worse and she¡¯d even had to fight two times. She just really wished she could go back to the Hive¡¯s base and spend a few weeks immersed in Regina¡¯s books and her magic. Being here, living and working in a war zone, even after the war, was ¡­ grating. If only I wasn¡¯t the only near-human in the Hive ¡­ But Janis dismissed that thought quickly. Even if a few humans joined, it still wouldn¡¯t really change her position. And besides, she was glad she could help. Well, she wouldn¡¯t mind being sent to a diplomatic endeavor in Cernlia so she could see Kiara again. They¡¯d exchanged letters, but it had been far too long since she¡¯d seen her in person. She missed her smile and even her overconfident riding skills and weird clothes. A bit distracted, Janis bade her goodbyes to the headman and turned to make her way back. She spent a few extra minutes watching the town, focusing more on its general state than on specific people. Maybe she¡¯d come back here one day. It really wasn¡¯t so bad. Once the Hive got around to it, it would even be a lot better. Besides, it was kind of fun to imagine where they could put power lines or build water towers or how a new schoolhouse would fit into the buildings around the town square. Even better since it was actually something they could make happen. And would. There were just too many people and too many settlements to get to them all quickly. Chapter 223: Race Relations The gnomish patrol was hesitant, cautious, almost fearful. They poked their heads out of their newly dug tunnels like rats cautiously sniffing out the area after a thunderstorm rolled through, hoping a predator hadn¡¯t set up shop and was just waiting to pounce on them. They scurried out of it and headed for cover right away, looking up like the same rodents afraid of getting attacked by a bird of prey circling above. There were no Winged Drones, though, at least none currently in sight. The sky was overcast, with a few deep, dark clouds, which could hide them although it would mean the surveillance was quite a ways up. It wasn¡¯t the first time the gnomes had tried to send these probes and it wouldn¡¯t be the last. They¡¯d gotten a little bolder recently, perhaps out of growing confidence in their power and preparations or desperation because their enemy¡¯s other enemies were dwindling and leaving the Starlit Hive free to turn their attention to them. Ken watched them with a small, growing grin on his face. While they couldn¡¯t see any drones observing them, a few War Drones had buried into cleverly dug and disguised holes, foliage and ripped branches concealing them from view. Their eyes let any member of the hive who cared to look watch the gnomish soldiers. Ken himself had chosen to rest on top of the nearest hive outpost¡¯s observation tower, his chin in his hand as he watched through the psychic link with a relaxed posture that belied the anticipation he had been feeling. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time now,¡± he murmured. ¡°We¡¯ll get you soon.¡± Perhaps not these ones, Regina said. Might be better to let them walk back, give the Confederation more confidence. ¡°Of course, my Queen,¡± Ken muttered, scratching his blade-limb. In the psychic link, she could tell he wanted to jump the patrol, but also savored the anticipation. Ken had not forgiven the gnomes. He¡¯d known she was there, of course, focused on watching the gnomes and him. Like any other drone, she mostly felt comfort and reassurance at having her attention on him. ¡°Do you want to bait them into an attack?¡± he asked after a few seconds. I¡¯m considering it, Regina replied. Ben is ambivalent. Capturing a larger strike force would offer us the opportunity to get better intel from them, though. It¡¯s easier to let them come to us than try to go digging after them. Although we¡¯d have to do that anyway. They¡¯ve had quite a bit of time to prepare by now, Mother, he commented, shifting so he leaned against the wooden railing on his other side. We shouldn¡¯t give them extra time, I guess, but they¡¯re not going to be as stupid as they were before. I¡¯m counting on it, she assured him. We¡¯re stronger than we were before, too. Still, he had a point. In absolute terms, the difference in their capabilities had shrunk rapidly in the hive¡¯s favor, but the Gnomish Confederation of the East still had a lot more resources to leverage, they were still quite a bit larger. Regina turned her attention back to the gnomish patrol, watching them venture further into the mountains, approaching the hive¡¯s base from an oblique angle. They were acting with purpose and direction, despite the obvious caution they displayed. It also meant they were moving slowly, and she got a little bored watching the gnomes just creep around. She didn¡¯t really need to pay them any attention; her drones had the situation well in hand. She was just watching out of curiosity, and because she¡¯d wanted to see the situation at this border for herself. In the end, though, it was probably better to leave Ben to do the war planning. Not that they were sure when they wanted to kick off more aggressive operations. Regina had also shown more concern for the gnomes recently because of their comparative advantage to the human kingdoms, if you considered the technological progress of all relevant groups. She was going to deal with the Delvers, soon. It would be nice if she could properly compare them to the gnomes in that respect. Unfortunately, I still don¡¯t have a good read on just what capabilities the Delvers have, Regina considered, frowning in annoyance to herself. There has to be more to it, right? They haven¡¯t really shown anything out of the ordinary and they¡¯ve been digging up old ruins for centuries. Of course, I guess they do have the System and high-level people. Some old electrical junk isn¡¯t really going to hold up well compared to that. Still ¡­ are they hiding something? Is it limited to specific Delver chapters? And even if they don¡¯t have any machines or whatever, how much do they know, what could they verify? She sighed. There was no easy answer to those questions, although she¡¯d really prefer to have them before going to deal with the Delvers. It was hard enough to stomach working with them in the first place. She¡¯d at least like to know it was worth it. In principle, turning them to her will would be more satisfying than destroying them, though. It shouldn¡¯t even be that hard, if what she¡¯d heard of their opinions regarding ¡®Progenitors¡¯ was accurate. Especially if she could back up her origins. Improving things in Nerlia would be good, although getting a noticeable improvement would need a timeframe she didn¡¯t really have. Instead, Regina had already contacted the Delvers. Galatea was currently on a mission for her, arranging some things for them. For someone who was technically a non-human, the Delvers seemed to grant the (former?) AI a lot of respect. It was justified, of course, especially considering Galatea¡¯s magical power. Still, it meant Regina couldn¡¯t just call her up and ask her. Regina set up another scrying attempt, this time making sure to keep her distance. Unlike when she was trying to contact Kiara, she wanted to stay discreet, and she knew they had countermeasures. It took a short while before she got a clear mental picture of their base. The town housing the Delvers in Cernlia had been untouched by the fighting. From Via¡¯s report, she suspected Lyns had deliberately detoured around it, to avoid provoking the Delvers. There was more bustle than in any town of similar size she¡¯d seen, and this time the additional bodies weren¡¯t refugees fleeing the war. Well, actually, it seemed like there were some of those, but there was also a gathering of adventurers. Not all of them could be Delvers, or there were a lot more than Regina had thought. Although I guess they might have called in some from other countries. She frowned. Did the news of a potential surviving Ancient spread to make this many people come just to see it? The thought left her feeling a bit queasy. Most likely, though, they were just adventurers or mercenaries with ideological leanings towards the Delvers, even if they weren¡¯t full members, who had gathered here because of the situation. The war offered opportunities, but anyone who¡¯d worked as a mercenary for the old king had probably cut and run a while ago, and this seemed like a natural spot for them to end up. She could see the Delvers were not leaving things to chance, however. They looked at least broadly organized, with small patrols around the edges of the settlement and Delvers walking around to make sure everything was in order and the peace was kept. For this many armed people of questionable temperament gathered in one place, it was surprisingly quiet. At least they weren¡¯t brawling in the streets or anything. Regina only had less than a minute to watch them before it felt like someone dragged a fire poker across the window leading into her mind. She flinched back, feeling the connection snap as her view of the town dissolved. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Ow,¡± she hissed, rubbing her forehead. The pain and discomfort had already passed, but she still felt a bit pissed. She waved Max back to his post, shaking her head, and stood up. ¡°Okay, so no peeking on the Delvers without precautions, they don¡¯t like it,¡± she muttered. ¡°Figures.¡± Did they know it was me? she wondered. She couldn¡¯t be sure. This wasn¡¯t much of an attack, considering it didn¡¯t leave any negative effects, but it was also a bit more forceful than a polite ¡®no surveillance please¡¯ note. Plus, the Delvers supposedly had a clairvoyant or seer or whatever, and if they got bullshit System powers accordingly, it would be hard to tell what they knew or didn¡¯t know. Although, at least, they clearly hadn¡¯t realized she was a former ¡®Ancient¡¯ right away. ¡°Does this change things, Mother?¡± Max asked quietly. He was leaning against the doorframe once more, arms folded. Regina shrugged. ¡°They¡¯ve got quite the concentration of force there,¡± she admitted. ¡°If they still wanted to intervene in the Cernlian war, we could hardly ignore them. But it doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re preparing to fight us. I don¡¯t know.¡± Max nodded, staying silent. He had clearly decided not to poke his nose in right now and to let her handle things, or let her cool down before he said anything. Regina paced around the room for a minute, trying to work out a bit of the tension she was feeling. If she was honest, fighting a war against Cernlia or Nerlia felt simpler; trying to figure out how to make the pieces fit in the aftermath was a different kind of challenge. The uncertainty made things worse, as the Delvers could be a great asset or the reverse. But she wasn¡¯t going to hesitate now. Not getting cold feet at this juncture. ¡°I¡¯m going out,¡± she told Max. ¡°Be back in an hour or so.¡± She¡¯d been mostly cooped up in here, anyway. It took a lot of work to get reconstruction going for all of the territory they were now responsible for, on top of the needed reforms. Roads were just starting to be built, and they were scouting out possible locations for manufactories and factories as well as buildings like schools. The experiments in importing new food crops and testing fertilizers were starting, too, but they involved a lot more tedium than Regina wanted to think about right now. The walk didn¡¯t take long. If she wasn¡¯t already considering moving the official capital of the hive here, the convenient location alone would suggest it. There were tunnels leading both to Forest¡¯s Haunt and to various points around it where the hive had built something or set up a training area or field. She took one of the closer ones, walking a few meters down a tunnel narrow enough to slow down potential attackers and dimly lit by a little bioluminescent moss. It ended in a small staircase leading up to a low wall. When Regina emerged, she found herself at the edge of the human village. By the time she got there, the person she was going to meet was already present. Regina leaned against the wall for a moment and watched as Marianne Neralt walked down the street, looking around like she hadn¡¯t seen the village in a while. Because, of course, she hadn¡¯t. ¡°Lady Marianne,¡± Regina greeted her, pushing off the wall and giving her a smile. ¡°How are you doing?¡± Marianne seemed startled for a moment, before she dropped into a courtly bow and straightened up to return Regina¡¯s smile. Only the tension she could sense from her let on that it wasn¡¯t completely genuine. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± she greeted her. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to see you again in person.¡± ¡°The pleasure is all mine,¡± Regina replied, not losing the smile. ¡°Would you prefer to go somewhere more comfortable to talk?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure my son would be happy to host you, Your Majesty,¡± she said. Regina didn¡¯t need her psychic senses to tell that the offer was made mostly out of obligation. ¡°There¡¯s a lounge in the new workshop just around the corner, so we don¡¯t need to intrude on him,¡± she offered, instead. Marianne seemed amenable, so Regina led the way. The new building was intended for a more public-facing role, part of why it was built directly beside the old village, and actually had a meeting room well-equipped enough to serve as comfortable surroundings for talks. She felt it would set a better tone than summoning Marianne to her office. There was a moment of silence after they both sat down, before Regina cleared her throat. ¡°First of all, I believe I owe you an apology, Lady Marianne. For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m sorry. I regret the treatment you received from the Esemen and any danger you were in.¡± The words stuck in her throat a little bit ¡ª she didn¡¯t enjoy apologizing to anyone, especially someone not a member of her hive ¡ª but Regina knew it was probably warranted, and she would rather smooth things out with Marianne. ¡°No apologies necessary, Hive Queen,¡± Marianne said smoothly. ¡°I agreed to undertake this task for you. I knew what I was getting into as your envoy.¡± She paused. ¡°I was sent as an envoy, but there was a risk they would take me as a hostage. Let us not mince words, Queen Regina, we must have all known it was a possibility.¡± Regina suppressed a wince. While Marianne was clearly - and deliberately - not making an issue of it, she could hear and sense the older woman¡¯s feelings under the polite words. She was not entirely okay with it. ¡°Thank you for your understanding,¡± Regina said. There wasn¡¯t much else she could say. ¡°I am glad you are home safe now.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± There was a slight ironic undertone in her words now. Regina exhaled and decided to tackle the problem directly. ¡°Do you have recriminations or complaints? I am willing to listen.¡± ¡°No,¡± Marianne responded curtly. She glanced at her, then away and her posture deliberately relaxed. ¡°I should have expected you to prioritize your own goals and priorities. And it would be thoughtless to expect a mother to save someone else before her own child, after all.¡± Regina sat back. I feel like she¡¯s just making a point of not complaining but still pointedly telling me what the issue is. ¡°I see,¡± she said tonelessly. ¡°I did have more information about your whereabouts and condition than Ria¡¯s, and I tried to get you back safe and healthy. But ¡­ I understand.¡± What else could she say, after all? She had prioritized getting Ria back rather than Marianne, when it came down to it. Regina wasn¡¯t going to apologize for that, or deny it. ¡°Of course.¡± Marianne inclined her head. ¡°I am still willing to serve Your Majesty in whatever capacity the situation may require, never fear.¡± ¡°And you will have a reward appropriate to the efforts and sacrifices you have undertaken for me,¡± Regina responded right away. Even if Marianne was never going to trust her completely, she still wanted her to work for her. ¡°We are currently discussing how the new territories will be administered and how we should structure the hive and everything else going forward. Your input would be very much appreciated.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll look forward to being invited for discussions, then.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°If you have requests or preferences, please bring them up, at any point.¡± The other woman nodded as well, and they both fell quiet. The silence stretched on for a bit, both of them watching the other without being too obvious about it. ¡°Please tell me one thing, Hive Queen,¡± Marianne spoke up, hesitantly. She licked her lips, then pressed on. ¡°A question. Going forward ¡­ will humans ever have any role in your empire beyond servants?¡± Regina stiffened. She turned her head to look at the wall instead of Marianne, not wanting her to see her expression right now. She took a deep breath before turning back to her as she considered how to answer. ¡°Before I answer that, Lady Marianne,¡± she said, ¡°answer me one question of my own. Do you have a role beyond servant in Cernlia?¡± Marianne visibly paused. Her face twisted into a frown, and she cocked her head. ¡°I take your point, I suppose.¡± ¡°I am the ruler of my hive as much or more than any humans currently living under our aegis,¡± Regina said. ¡°I won¡¯t pretend there aren¡¯t cultural differences in play, or biological differences for that matter. But ¡­ to be honest, your own system is hardly one I consider very free. And I want to at least do better. Not necessarily for the nobility, as such, although they¡¯ll get the same benefits everyone else does, but for the people in general. I do hope and expect we can have democratic participation in a reasonable timeframe. Which means humans will administer their own affairs, at least in certain areas. I don¡¯t intend to discriminate based on species, or anything like that.¡± She shrugged. Despite being a woman, Marianne was definitely one of the more privileged people in Cernlia. She knew about the discrimination against nonhumans, but wasn¡¯t affected, so a goal of being better than that wouldn¡¯t necessarily mean anything to her. Still, Regina intended to be honest with her. If they were going to work together long-term, she couldn¡¯t do anything else. ¡°I see,¡± Marianne repeated, her expression thoughtful now. She stood and bowed. ¡°I thank you for your honesty and insight, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Anytime, Lady Marianne.¡± The older woman made for the door, then turned and looked back at her, a slight smile on her face. ¡°I think I would prefer to have more diplomatic tasks, but not all the time, actually. Perhaps in addition to other responsibilities.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll definitely take that into consideration,¡± Regina responded with a relieved smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± Marianne nodded and left the room, the door clicking shut behind her. Regina stared after her for a moment, thoughtful. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how she¡¯d say this conversation had gone. Although it could certainly have been worse. Chapter 224: Impressions Delvers, Gwen Cern had found early on in her career with them, were a lot like squabbling schoolchildren sometimes. Too much of the time, truly. As such, as the raised voices around her launched into another argument, she was annoyed but not particularly surprised. If anything, it was remarkable how few fights there had been. The town was filled to bursting with fighters and adventurers, and their headquarters was even more crowded. Under these circumstances, and taking into account the political factions among those present, they had been rather civil. Not that it made this particular argument any less annoying, of course. Gwen sighed, caught Owin¡¯s eye, and then started edging backward. He didn¡¯t really need her here, he was more than capable of handling all this by himself. Besides, her last name alone made her seem too involved in what was going on in Cernlia and thus less than objective. Never mind that she had only found herself roughly on the same side as her idiot cousin essentially on accident. Gwen honestly could hardly care less about the succession of Cernlia¡¯s crown, and rather suspected that Lyns winning and her family name regaining a bit of prominence would only lead to more headaches for her in the future. Unfortunately, all of that was secondary. Because they had a chance that generations of Delvers before them did not: they had met an actual Progenitor! Gwen was self-aware enough to know that if Regina demanded her to turn around entirely and attack her family and all of their allies, she would probably do it. The vagaries of Cernlia¡¯s latest civil simply didn¡¯t matter compared to what it meant ¡­ a chance at regaining the Golden Age of humanity was far too ridiculous and distant a dream to be taken seriously, and yet, today, it felt a little closer, as if it might be an actual possibility. Sure, Regina did not exactly fit the legends and wishful stories her people had passed around at campfires. She was a Hivekind rather than an actual human, at least in this day and age, and she seemed more concerned with her new people than humanity. But all of the knowledge she held was still there. And despite the rumors Gwen had heard, it was clear to her that Regina was not positively disposed toward the gods. Anything they¡¯d heard from the Hive¡¯s territory and their new gains in Nerlia only supported the impression that she could, and would, bring back some of what had long been lost. "This is ridiculous,¡± one of the foreign Delvers stated, crossing her arms. From her body language, Gwen suspected she was a lot less sure than she wanted to project, and the derisive tone was equally fake. Reading clues like that was one of the most basic but underestimated tools of her trade. ¡°You honestly expect us to accept that this demihuman is not just a mythical Hivekind ruler, but also a former human Progenitor? Without seeing proof?¡± Owin rolled his eyes. Unfortunately, he was not as diplomatic as he could be. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this,¡± he said. And over and over. ¡°We have seen proof. We only ask you all to accept that, until you can see it all with your own eyes.¡± "It does stand to reason,¡± Telkin, another foreign Delver she¡¯d met before, commented. Her tone was light, but her gaze serious. ¡°Every Delver who has actually seen it with their own eyes appears to agree.¡± ¡°I trust Owin,¡± Commander Rick cut in. ¡°And I would trust every one of his party with my lives.¡± ¡°Be that as it may,¡± Egon drawled. ¡°This is a little late.¡± ¡°I simply don¡¯t see why we should roll out the proverbial carpet in quite this fashion,¡± Marie said, crossing her arms. Now she was getting to the point she¡¯d been driving at, Gwen thought. Not that it would amount to much, either way. At least the bickering was starting to taper off now out of pure necessity. Once she was sure that nothing was going to blow up immediately, Gwen excused herself and made her way to the entrance. The base was extensive, with expansive basement levels and a few experimental chambers with uncommon magic, including spatial effects, so it hid a lot more than it would seem to an outside observer. She navigated it with the ease of long familiarity, however, pausing occasionally to talk to one of the many passing Delvers. There were quite a few she needed to speak to, but fortunately, they were all close by. For the next half an hour or so, Gwen was too busy to think about the politics or what various factions thought about this. There were preparations to make, adventurers to wrangle, and idiots to send away. Too many of the latter for her taste. At least the planned route was clear and prettied up sufficiently. Finally, Owin slipped into place next to her again. ¡°Ready?¡± he asked. ¡°As we¡¯ll ever be,¡± Gwen replied with a grimace. ¡°Is it too late to have someone else take my place?¡± she asked half-jokingly. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered, deadpan. Then the rest of the leadership arrived and put an end to their banter. Gwen glanced around, then straightened her jacket and set off, walking slowly. Her fingers twitched and she wished she could wrap them around her instrument, but that would not be possible under the circumstances. She hummed tunelessly to herself, before getting a few dirty looks made her stop. Their guests were just as punctual as expected. A hush fell over the gathered Delvers, and the townspeople, mercenaries and adventurers who had come to watch further out. A few flashes of light showed where people activated Skills, and she had to resist the urge to grit her teeth. Instead, Gwen focused on those approaching. She was perfectly aware that they had flown in to cover most of the distance in the air, but they approached on foot now, which admittedly would set a few people at ease. What she had not expected was quite this kind of show. The Starlit Hive had clearly sent only the most senior drones it could spare, including a few Swarm Drones who were quite close to gaining sapience and moving with control and purpose. They were all arranged around the central figure ¡ª in both their Hive and this visit ¡ª who topped all of them by riding a tall horse. Gwen did not know where they had found a gray of this breed, much less the tack and decorations; they¡¯d even braided its mane in an unfamiliar style. Regina rode her horse with all the poise and confidence of someone born to it, projecting a regal air. It was helped by the clearly expensive clothing she wore, although Gwen did not recognize the style at first. It was more subdued than she¡¯d thought, although the outfit consisted of trousers, a blouse, a jacket that jogged something in her memory, and she wore something made of cloth around her neck as well. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Gwen blinked and turned her focus to the Hive Queen¡¯s companions. She was not surprised to see Max and a few other drones she recognized, though the most attention-grabbing of them was Janis, as well as Galatea in clothing similar to Regina¡¯s, but somehow more elaborate and in different colors. It looked like a military uniform, she realized after a moment. She did recognize the device on a flag carried by one of the drones. It was not quite the same as the emblem she¡¯d seen in a few places underground ¡ª although the emblem had been stylized in other contexts, to be sure ¡ª but appeared to have some differences. Still, the black eagle on its yellow field was clearly meant as a deliberate reference. There was also a second banner, this one showing a silver ring of stars over a crown on a black background. The device was repeated on a few of the drones¡¯ clothing or the cloth covering of their mounts. Judging by the murmur that arose from the others, at least some of them must have recognized at least some of the symbolism on display here. Or perhaps they were simply surprised at their appearance. It could be either, she supposed. Gwen tried to put it out of her mind and instead focus on greeting them. ¡°Your Majesty, Hive Queen Regina, and companions from the Starlit Hive,¡± she greeted them with an elaborate bow. ¡°Please be welcome here. We are honored to meet you and look forward to hosting you.¡± Even this much was like pulling teeth. They had argued for a solid hour which address she should use for the visiting Hive Queen. And as much fun as it would have been to openly greet her as ¡®Dr. Woltan¡¯, it¡¯s most likely a good idea not to do it. Although I would have liked to see her reaction. Regina dismounted and returned her bow, although it was a bit shallower. ¡°Thank you, Lady Cern, honored leaders of the Delvers. It is my honor to be here today.¡± Safe and neutral, good. The other leaders of the Delvers stepped up now to give their own greetings, starting with the local Commandant and then following with foreign visitors. The order and what they would say had also been a bit of an issue, but at least it had been sorted out without fights. They fortunately kept their words brief. After the greetings were done, Gwen turned around, standing close to their visitors as appropriate for her role as their escort. She didn¡¯t mind so much. In fact, if their visit went well, it might see her star rise considerably. Of course, on the other hand, if it went badly she¡¯d lose quite a bit of reputation. That seemed secondary to what they could accomplish, for their order and beyond, though. She looked at the gathered Delvers, judging their reaction. So far, they rather reminded her of festival goers visiting a theater play. Which was fair enough, she figured, there was quite a bit of theater today. Regina and the others looked around curiously as they were led inside, clearly assessing more than simply the people inside or the decorations. Which were rather sparse, Gwen had to admit. Delvers had many strengths, but were not known for lavish interior design; she¡¯d always rather liked that about them. ¡°It is good to see you again,¡± Regina said more quietly as they walked. ¡°I hope you are well, Sir Owin?¡± Her friend smiled and dipped his head. ¡°Quite well, Your Majesty. The recent political upheaval has kept us on our toes, but we¡¯ve not had too much trouble. And our recent discovery has buoyed our spirits.¡± ¡°I can understand that,¡± she smiled back. Gwen glanced at the drones. They looked calm and neutral, but then, they usually did in her experience. Galatea was also looking around, her expression a little more guarded. Janis seemed excited, if anything. Gwen didn¡¯t know her well enough to tell if it was feigned or not. From what she¡¯d heard, and given the girl¡¯s obvious nonhuman traits, she was not much of a fan of the Delvers. She might favor an alliance for more political reasons, however, or maybe she just wanted to see them eat crow about Regina¡¯s status. Unsurprisingly, Galatea was downright popular with the others. Some of them had met her already, and most of the others must have at least heard stories. She exchanged friendly greetings and short chats with several of them even just while they were walking through the base to get to a more official meeting. Gwen tried to listen in with one ear, while also watching the rest of this delegation. A meeting area was prepared some distance outside the actual base proper, closer to the outer courtyard. It had been a compromise due to security concerns. Ironically, the Delvers were less hesitant about letting Regina into their sanctum than the drones were about potentially exposing their queen to danger in the center of their power. In the true fashion of compromise, it pleased no one, but at least they had agreed on something. Regina slowed and briefly came to a stop as they reached the building that had been designated as the meeting area. Gwen paused, confused for a moment, before she realized. ¡°A church?¡± Regina cocked her head. ¡°No. I did not take you for the religious sort, I have to admit ¡­¡± Her words sent a small stir through the gathered Delvers. Accusing them of being religious was not the best diplomatic move she could make, Gwen reflected. A small but vocal part of her order actively despised the gods. None of them were particularly devout, at least not in leadership positions. ¡°That¡¯s a curious statement,¡± Telkin commented. ¡°I wonder what prompted it?¡± Regina blinked, then glanced at the Delvers. ¡°Oh. I see ¡ª I was unclear, my mistake. I am not referring to current religion, or the gods that ¡ª¡° she hesitated for a moment. ¡°That are worshiped today.¡± ¡°You mean the gods from the other world,¡± Rick said, silencing the room instantly. Gwen glanced around. Only Delvers of reasonably high rank were here, right now, but she was not certain they all knew what he meant anyhow. She did, personally, but it was not something lightly spoken of even among the Delvers. Many of them doubted the accounts they passed on, too. I always wondered how much of it was accurate. I guess now we have the chance to get an answer. ¡°Just so.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not very familiar with the Havenite gods¡¯ iconography, but there is symbolism from another religion here.¡± She gestured around the room. Gwen looked around again, following her gestures. The building had been patterned after a rather impressive one they had exhumed in Nerlia several centuries ago, although it was built to a smaller scale, and they had taken out removable walls, currently, to turn it into something closer to a pavilion open to the air. The arched ceiling held up a balustrade going around the center room, while three smaller sections emerged from it, forming the shape of a T with a cap on one end. Or a cross, she realized, glancing at what Regina indicated again. It was a genuine antique, though half-burned and most likely missing major components, as something must have hung on it. ¡°I thought that the old world did not have gods,¡± Owin asked, his voice seeming loud in the sudden silence. Regina shrugged. ¡°No, not really, I suppose. There were still religions. A lot of people believed in one, singular, god. One like it was the most common religion in this part of the world.¡± She turned, putting her back to the large cross and visibly shifting her posture. ¡°Shall we get to it, ladies and gentlemen?¡± Gwen shifted back into business mode seamlessly with the ease of long practice, gently chivvying everyone to their places and making sure there were no holdups so they could start talking. At the same time, she considered Regina. This might have been a calculated gesture. Showing everyone that she understood the Progenitors, not just their technical knowledge but their culture. If it was fake, she most likely wouldn¡¯t be doing it by challenging long-standing assumptions and preconceptions, however. Gwen caught Owin¡¯s eye and they exchanged a nod. If it was true, she could tell it was working. The more hardline members were a bit off-balance, less sure of themselves and what they would be going for. Regina had a force of personality they had not expected, she could tell. Privately, she was pretty sure Regina was at least partly projecting confidence born out of arrogance, considering everyone primitive and perhaps seeing their attitude toward her old people, and indirectly her, as her due. And the worst part was that Gwen could hardly begrudge her that. Chapter 225: What Is Seen The more she saw of the Delvers, the more Regina felt like she didn¡¯t understand them. It was like they were deliberately making it hard for her. She never really knew what they knew or didn¡¯t know, what they thought or didn¡¯t think. She was getting closer, perhaps, but this wasn¡¯t horseshoes or hand grenades. She had a feeling what they were trying to juggle here was more incendiary. Staring up at what she intellectually realized wasn¡¯t supposed to be a church didn¡¯t help. It was like they¡¯d seen one through a warped mirror and then recreated it from memory, but gotten surprisingly good at it. There was little religious imagery, at least, except for the cross which was taken more as an antique or conversation piece. The windows seemed to be half stained glass, with a mishmash of scenes. She suspected some of it was salvaged from digs. The other part was probably recreated accordingly. At least she could confirm that they really didn¡¯t seem to be religious, or weren¡¯t supposed to be, for either option. Personally, Regina didn¡¯t know what she might have believed once upon a time, but she considered herself agnostic and was not going to change. Regina shook her head slightly to herself and focused back on her companions. The others from her Hive clearly didn¡¯t share her feeling. They might have some of her knowledge, but it wasn¡¯t quite the same. She¡¯d already known that. They were looking attentive, though, curious at the Delvers. Those seemed a bit taken aback, if she was reading them right. If she¡¯d intended to dazzle or unsettle them, to shake them before negotiations, she¡¯d be happy with that. At least they didn¡¯t start with introductions again. She was getting a little sick of what she suspected was a local tradition now. Instead, the Delvers were exchanging a few quick words among themselves and then seemed poised to get started. Good, she¡¯d rather get to business and get to know them that way. ¡°If you¡¯ll allow me to be blunt, Hive Queen Regina,¡± one of the new Delvers she hadn¡¯t met before spoke up, a woman in her thirties with a confident look. ¡°There has been a rumor going around and I¡¯d like to hear your answer to it. Are you Alianais¡¯ Champion?¡± ¡°Not that I know of,¡± Regina replied with a sardonic smile. It got a few answering smiles from them, at least. ¡°I won¡¯t lie, Alianais has helped me in the past,¡± she continued. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be averse to working with her in the future. I think we have at least some of the same goals; she is the goddess of progress, after all. But I¡¯m not a particular fan of the gods.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you for the honest answer, Your Majesty,¡± Telkin said, inclining her head. ¡°It was enlightening.¡± ¡°So, what you want is progress?¡± Owin asked. Regina shrugged a little, smiling again in what she hoped was a disarming way. ¡°Yes. Or what I would consider progress, going from the current state of affairs. I hope I won¡¯t have to rhapsodize you on the good things of the past, what I believe you call the ¡®golden age¡¯?¡± There were nods and murmurs around the table. So far, none of them seemed very surprised. Apparently, they knew at least this much about what she¡¯d been doing. ¡°I hope you haven¡¯t started without me?¡± a new voice sounded from the side. It was thin and reedy, but spoken with confidence. The Delvers all fell silent and more than a few didn¡¯t quite manage to hide their surprise. Regina turned to see an older man approach the table with shuffling steps. He was wearing a stereotypical robe and had thinning gray hair, with deep wrinkles lining his face. But that paled in importance compared to what the System told her.
Alix Castaway ¡ª Level ? Seer
Her eyebrow tried to climb and she had to force it back down. So this is the Seer I¡¯ve heard about? He was higher level than her, which she supposed made some sense. It seemed like a high-level Class. His age also wasn¡¯t too surprising under the circumstances. What surprised her more was the fact he was actually wearing a blindfold. It didn¡¯t seem to hinder him too much, and she wasn¡¯t sure whether he was actually blind and compensating for it, or just using it for some reason; maybe a Class Skill or for cultural reasons. Regina smiled. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Seer Castaway,¡± she greeted him. He returned her smile, although she wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of the look on his face. ¡°Indeed. The pleasure is all mine, Doctor.¡± A few of the other Delvers sucked in surprised breaths, though quiet enough she wouldn¡¯t have heard it without her improved hearing. They clearly hadn¡¯t expected the Seer to show up, which she found interesting. How did they treat him, normally? And then he¡¯d called her by a title that acknowledged her past rather than her current status as a Hive Queen. She widened her smile to show she didn¡¯t mind and nodded. ¡°Seer.¡± Gwen stood up. ¡°A pleasant surprise to see you here. We did not think you would wish to come; I¡¯m sorry.¡± He waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Not to worry,¡± he said, then took a chair another Delver just vacated, as they scurried around to make room. He didn¡¯t even spare most of them a glance, as far as she could tell. ¡°I admit, I¡¯ve heard of you, but not any details,¡± Regina commented, trying to sound friendly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve experienced my magic,¡± he replied with a small smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, however. There are no hard feelings.¡± Regina shrugged. So, he¡¯s at least partly responsible for their defense against scrying and magical surveillance? That would make sense, I guess. ¡°Is there a particular reason you wished to come, Seer?¡± Egon Trito asked, his voice cautious. Regina had been trying not to pay too much attention to him. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I come, when we finally have a person from this world¡¯s first age as a guest?¡± Alix replied, tilting his head slightly. He sounded a bit ironic. ¡°You believe us, then,¡± Galatea stated. She didn¡¯t seem ruffled, and just leaned back in her chair with a curiously cocked eyebrow and mildly interested expression. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s rather obvious.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Regina glanced at the others. If he¡¯s known, why hasn¡¯t he told the others? Or maybe he has been supportive and that¡¯s part of the reason they¡¯ve begun accepting it. A few of them didn¡¯t look happy, and most glanced at Regina. ¡°I do have to admit,¡± the Seer continued, ¡°I¡¯d like to hear your story myself - Your Majesty. On that note, how would you prefer I refer to you? As Doctor von Woltan or the Hive Queen?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with either,¡± Regina smiled. She paused for a moment, letting her gaze sweep around the room and the assembled people, considering how much she wanted to tell them. A lot of it, she decided. There were a few points she¡¯d have to be careful about, and she didn¡¯t want to give the wrong impression, although she¡¯d also rather not draw attention to how much she didn¡¯t remember. ¡°I assume you know the basic history of the world,¡± she began. ¡°The gods opened portals from another world, fleeing from a great enemy, but were caught before they were prepared, and the resulting attack damaged or destabilized the portal. The Cataclysm. In the leadup to that, some people crossed over, including some Hivekind. They went looking for new Hive Queens and approached me, among others. At the time ¡­ from what I remember and have gathered since, I was just finishing up my education in medicine, my doctorate; I agreed to it, and eventually they took my soul and placed it in a Hive Queen egg. Something must have gone wrong somewhere. The procedure messed with my memory somewhat. The egg was in stasis when the Cataclysm happened, and I remained there for a thousand years, until someone let it out. I suspect the gods. At first, I thought I was transmigrated to another world; it was quite a shock to find the current state of the world.¡± Regina didn¡¯t look at them as she talked, she just stared at the wall and tried to focus on choosing her words. When she¡¯d finished and turned to look at the Delvers, she might have missed their immediate reactions, but saw a surprising variety now. Some of them were pretty good at hiding their true expressions. Galatea met her gaze and her hand twitched; Regina felt her squeeze her hand reassuringly for a brief moment. ¡°That¡¯s quite the story,¡± Gwen eventually commented, breaking the tension a little. A slight sigh seemed to go through the Delvers and they started shuffling a little. She was pretty sure some of them were communicating quietly, probably using Class Skills or magic. ¡°It¡¯s what it is,¡± Regina replied with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Galatea cut in. She leaned forward a bit, sitting up straighter. ¡°I am an artificial intelligence created by the humans of this world¡¯s first age, born in the Cataclysm. I was essentially imprisoned in an ancient bunker underground, not too far from here, until Regina freed me. I consider her to be the only real survivor of the ¡®golden age¡¯ and the Cataclysm - arguably excluding myself - and the only person I am in any way beholden to.¡± Regina glanced at her friend and inclined her head slightly, smiling at her. She appreciated the support. Besides, there was pretty obvious subtext in her words, which the Delvers clearly caught. Galatea had told them that she would not help them over Regina, or be loyal to them at all if Regina didn¡¯t want her to. ¡°I see,¡± Owin said, nodding at Galatea and then Regina. ¡°Quite the story, yes, but everything we¡¯ve seen supports it.¡± ¡°It is rather far-fetched, on the face of it,¡± Telkin commented. ¡°What do you think, Seer Alix?¡± The older man shrugged. ¡°I have no particular comment to add. Everything seems rather clear.¡± That made for a few raised eyebrows, though Regina didn¡¯t particularly care. It was hard to figure out what Alix wanted, but he didn¡¯t seem hostile, at least. ¡°Indeed?¡± Galatea pressed. ¡°What do you believe, Seer?¡± ¡°You both appear to be telling the truth, but we rather knew that already,¡± he answered, almost sounding detached. Regina frowned. It wasn¡¯t exactly a ringing endorsement. He was basically saying what she¡¯d want him to, but in such a way as to leave room for doubts. She didn¡¯t think she liked it. But she didn¡¯t know enough about how his Skills worked; maybe he was just uncertain, and probably covering for it, or he just didn¡¯t want to commit. ¡°That does bring up a question,¡± one of the other Delvers put in. He seemed to like the ¡®rough around the edges¡¯ knight look. At least, she didn¡¯t know why he¡¯d wear scuffed armor otherwise. ¡°Even assuming this is all true, or that you all believe it to be true, at least ¡ª What do you want, Hive Queen Regina? Why come here?¡± Regina shrugged a bit, twisting her fingers together. ¡°If you acknowledge that we¡¯re telling the truth, it should be rather clear why I¡¯d want to talk to you,¡± she said. ¡°The Delvers are apparently the only group that really cares about the past. I am who I am, and I¡¯m not content to bury it. But, I wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to talk. Why did you invite me here, Delvers?¡± They exchanged looks, seemingly surprised at her question. She knew there probably wasn¡¯t a single answer to it; the different people and factions here would have their own reasons and goals. Alix of all people answered, sounding matter-of-fact. ¡°We wanted to see you in person,¡± he said. ¡°I wanted to see what you were really like.¡± ¡°And?¡± she asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯ve seen me now, Seer. What did you see?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just like I expected.¡± Regina had to suppress the urge to frown. That wasn¡¯t exactly a bad answer, but she did find him a bit aggravating. Gwen cleared her throat. ¡°I think we have an unprecedented opportunity,¡± she said. ¡°We have the chance to actually talk to a Progenitor and learn more about the golden age. It¡¯s priceless.¡± There were nods all around as the Delvers agreed, more easily than Regina expected. Maybe she had still been underestimating the Delvers¡¯ pseudo-religious reverence. ¡°You could really learn a lot,¡± Janis spoke up. ¡°Regina has been teaching the Hive, and even, a little, the people in our territory. I know I¡¯ve learned so much I never would¡¯ve thought possible. You stand to learn a lot.¡± That seemed to hit the right tone, and more than a few of them leaned forward a bit with obvious interest. Regina wasn¡¯t sure if they were more interested in her culture or practical know-how from the past, but she supposed both could be attractive to this group. And it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t planned on giving it out. ¡°Be that as it may,¡± another Delver, Rodrick, piped up. ¡°There is still the question of why. Why should we be expected to trust you completely? You are all nonhuman. Even if there was no friction between our people, the Delvers¡¯ unfortunate reputation in the outside world appears to make it rather hard for you to trust us.¡± Regina frowned. That logic seemed a bit backward to her, but she had to admit he had a point. Gwen didn¡¯t glare at the guy, but only barely. ¡°I¡¯m sure we have a better foundation than that. We¡¯ve worked to establish some trust, and we will keep at it.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Regina agreed. ¡°I have not had the best first impression of your order, that¡¯s true. But time has passed, we¡¯ve had more contact and I¡¯d like to think I¡¯ve gained some understanding of you. Whatever personal antipathy and perfectly reasonable caution I still feel, I do intend to deal with you ¡­ as long as we can come to a suitable basis of understanding.¡± Now even Gwen and Owin looked a little bit uneasy, she noted. Although their expressions soon settled into determined frowns. ¡°That is very fair, and a shame for our order that it is necessary,¡± Egon Tritor spoke up. Regina almost twitched in surprise. He actually stood up, his chair scraping on the floor and his polished armor clinking a little, before he bowed to her. ¡°Doctor von Woltan, Hive Queen Regina, I apologize sincerely for the upset I have caused you. And your new family, of course. I hope you can find it in yourself to look past it.¡± He paused, straightening up to meet her gaze firmly. ¡°I would love nothing more than the chance to work towards bringing a little of the past¡¯s glory back, under your direction, whether it may need my sword-arm or my mind. The chance to follow a Progenitor into shaping the future is, indeed, priceless.¡± Regina just stared at him for a moment, a bit taken aback, even if she was pleased to hear it. Then she smiled and inclined her head. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Well said,¡± Owin spoke up. When she looked back at him, he bowed his head as well. ¡°I can only agree with the sentiment.¡± Gwen quickly followed suit, bowing her head as well. And when Regina swept her gaze over the other Delvers, she saw most of them doing the same, nodding or agreeing without words. Her smile widened, turning more genuine, as she almost slumped back into her seat. Her plans were starting to come to fruition. And beside all that, despite the political importance, it just felt good to get this acknowledgment, this validation. She hadn¡¯t realized how good it would feel. Chapter 226: Out of Context ¡°I was expecting you to be more visibly present at the meeting. Do I have to worry about Delver racism?¡± Madris didn¡¯t show any signs of surprise at the question. She only put up her hood and turned around calmly, her pupils dilated to almost swallow their color as her eyes would pierce the dim corridor without effort. It was dark outside, and this part of the Delvers¡¯ base, a bit more off the beaten path than where the visitors had mostly been staying, was only sporadically illuminated by rushlights and magical lights from further away. ¡°Galatea,¡± she greeted the visitor, briefly dipping her head. ¡°It is good to see you.¡± ¡°You as well, Madris,¡± she replied with a smile, ¡°although you didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± Madris sighed lightly. ¡°I decided that discretion was the better part of valor,¡± she answered. ¡°My particular talents tend to make people uneasy, especially in high-stakes negotiations, even without any prior run-ins. Of course, your friend Regina was already at the meeting with psychic abilities, but few people are aware of that, and to be frank, she is much less of a threat with them.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that. Although I get the feeling you¡¯re still leaving something out. Are you sure it didn¡¯t have anything to do with being a dark elf?¡± Madris was quiet for a second. ¡°Maybe a little,¡± she finally admitted. ¡°Not everyone in the order, especially those coming from further away, are very comfortable with my people and their reputation. It was certainly not intended as a slight against your delegation, though.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Galatea assured her, making an effort to project calm composure. She still wasn¡¯t entirely sure how she felt about Madris. Although she had liked her when she¡¯d visited her chapter. That was before Madris had followed her back to Regina, though, and the ¡­issues that followed. Even if Galatea herself had messed up back then and knew it. ¡°You¡¯re not reading my mind right now, are you?¡± she asked. Madris smiled slightly. ¡°No. Even if I was inclined to do so, your mind is too different and your mental defenses too formidable to do it easily. I¡¯d rather not have a headache for the rest of the night. Besides, I don¡¯t do that sort of thing casually.¡± Galatea was inclined to trust her on that. If Madris had protested that she would never do such a thing, she¡¯d have called bullshit. The woman seemed like ¡­ too much of a dark elf for that, probably. And to be fair, in her line of work, there were probably legitimate reasons to be doing it. Galatea believed her about her mind and mental defenses, though. Leian had commented on how it was different before, too. Of course, that had been back when her mind had been literally half-housed in a computer. It might actually be easier for Leian to read my mind now, as a mana-form in the System. And why didn¡¯t I ever think of that? But she wouldn¡¯t do that to her. ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t seek me out only to assure you I wasn¡¯t up to something,¡± Madris continued, interrupting her thoughts. Galatea made herself smile again. ¡°Right,¡± she said. ¡°I did want to talk to you.¡± "Well, I¡¯m not going anywhere,¡± Madris said drily. ¡°Good, then. How did you find the talks? I assume you were listening in, or had someone relate everything that happened. How do things look, in your opinion?¡± ¡°Reasonably well. I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re looking for my opinion in particular, Galatea. You were there, weren¡¯t you? You should know how it went, already.¡± Galatea sighed a little. ¡°I suppose,¡± she admitted. ¡°But, social things are not my forte. I spent much of my time locked up essentially alone. Even then, I never had much occasion to look into these things. And I¡¯m concerned my view of the Delvers might be biased.¡± ¡°So you went looking to me? I¡¯m flattered,¡± Madris drawled. ¡°Come on. You might be a Delver, but you¡¯re not a hardliner. You¡¯re an outsider, at least originally. Besides ¡­¡± Galatea hesitated for a moment, then pantomimed a shrug. She wasn¡¯t sure it quite came across the right way. ¡°I¡¯m interested in your thoughts.¡± Madris frowned. For the first time, she looked uncertain. ¡°Galatea ¡­¡± she said slowly, ¡°you¡¯re not hitting on me, are you?¡± ¡°What? No!¡± Galatea almost nixed her projected avatar. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m not even human. I mean, not an organic person.¡± ¡°Good. No offense, but that would be a bit strange.¡± Madris exhaled and shook her head. ¡°Anyway, I suppose I might as well give you my impression if you¡¯re this interested. Regina made a good entrance. The bit about Ancient religion was probably not planned, I¡¯m guessing, but it broke the ice and positioned herself as an authority on the Ancients nicely. It primed the others to voice their support. And her personal story was also good. Don¡¯t misunderstand me, I know she must have had to force herself to say all that, but I¡¯m sure we all appreciate it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sensing a ¡®but¡¯ coming.¡± ¡°Nothing so bad. You just need to be aware of what you are dealing with and which lines Delvers will or will not want to cross.¡± Madris cocked her head to the side slightly, a shadow hushing across her face. Galatea wondered if she was sensing something. Not for the first time, she wished she was good with psychic magic herself. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like she had a talent for that. ¡°Come with me,¡± the dark elf suggested. ¡°You might want to see a few things and it might be better than simply speaking about this out of context.¡± Galatea started to ask about it, then stopped herself and only nodded. If Madris thought she had something to show her, she wasn¡¯t going to complain. On the contrary, she was curious. Despite not being from here, Madris clearly knew her way around the Delvers¡¯ local headquarters. She led Galatea through a few doors and corridors without pausing or checking her course, determinedly heading to where she wanted to go. Galatea, for her part, looked around. She tended to rely more on mana to see her surroundings, and in an environment comparatively rich in it, like the Delver base, that gave her a lot more information on it. There didn¡¯t seem to be many people around in this part, currently. She wasn¡¯t surprised when Madris took a turn that would take them down beyond the normal stories of the building. Rather than a single basement, she could tell that it had several below-ground levels. It almost reminded her of the Hive¡¯s places, except not as sophisticated and clearly in a different style. Still, for the level of technology they had, especially since this place seemed old, it was pretty impressive. Galatea swallowed her questions and simply allowed Madris to lead her to whatever she wanted to show her, though. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. They passed a few Delvers in the halls. While they weren¡¯t obvious guards, the way they were standing seemingly relaxed at odd spots and occasionally moving told her enough. She wondered if junior Delvers were even allowed here. No one even tried to stop Madris, though. ¡°How long have you been alive, Galatea?¡± Madris asked, finally breaking the silence. ¡°About a thousand years,¡± she answered. ¡°You know that, Madris.¡± ¡°You have existed since then, yes. But what about conscious experience? Were you aware for all of that time?¡± Galatea paused, considering the question and how much to say. ¡°Not quite, I suppose,¡± she answered slowly. ¡°At the beginning, I wasn¡¯t very self-aware. It took a bit for me to really understand the world and myself. I can¡¯t point to a specific date, though, it was more of a gradual process. I don¡¯t have ¡®conscious memory¡¯ of the Cataclysm, though, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡± Madris nodded. ¡°I¡¯m roughly half that age,¡± she revealed matter-of-factly. ¡°Even that is considered young for someone of my level of power.¡± Galatea hummed in response. It didn¡¯t surprise her, although she still found it a bit unusual. She hadn¡¯t had many dealings with elves. Speaking of - ¡°I¡¯ve heard that dark elves have lower lifespans than their surface counterparts,¡± she commented. Madris hesitated, probably deliberating if she wanted to indulge that line of conversation or continue with whatever she was trying to get at. ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± she finally said. ¡°We age the same way, biologically, but most of us don¡¯t reach as old an age. Our lives are more dangerous, to a fault.¡± ¡°The Eternal Dark,¡± Galatea said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard things ¡ª your people fight against the dwarves, against monsters, against each other.¡± ¡°Exaggerated,¡± Madris said, ¡°but not untrue. It¡¯s rare for a year to go by without fighting a small war or monster incursion. As to each other, well. We¡¯re not as prone to intrigue or backstabbing as the rumors have it, although there is fierce competition between houses.¡° By now, they were exiting a staircase and continuing along a corridor on the lower level. It was lined in stone, giving it a different atmosphere from those above ground. Madris didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry, though, just indulging the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a lot of fanciful rumors.¡± Galatea decided to push her luck a little since she seemed receptive. It wasn¡¯t often one got the chance to talk to a dark elf. ¡°Your people capture the imagination. I¡¯ve heard you enslave all men, although I doubt that¡¯s true.¡± Madris snorted. ¡°Hardly. I won¡¯t deny that we are matriarchal, as a culture, but men can and do amount to something if they prove themselves.¡± She paused, tapping a finger against her arm, then shrugged slightly. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s not too far removed from the sort of societal issues I wanted to advise you to keep an eye on, anyhow. As it happens, most of our soldiers are men, for obvious reasons. That is tightly linked to it.¡± ¡°Soldiers aren¡¯t respected in your culture?¡± That sounded odd, given what she¡¯d confirmed. ¡°Oh no, they are. It doesn¡¯t work the same way it does in these human countries, however. Soldiers fight when there are enemies to fight, but they tend to be employed in different ways otherwise, such as building roads, digging tunnels, and even helping in the house. Mostly in the house compound. But they are not generally the ones making the strategic decisions. Too close to the problem, you understand. If someone lost brothers and comrades, they are not going to be objective about where to employ our forces and what ground might need to be given, what might need to be sacrificed. Although selfless sacrifice is a key virtue in the barracks, and for males in general. Not to mention it¡¯s uncommon, though not unheard of, for a soldier to see their second or third century.¡± Galatea nodded, digesting the information. ¡°As interesting as all this is, why are we talking about dark elf social structure?¡± ¡°Well, for one thing, I was curious whether you knew about the informal alliance between Delvers and dark elves.¡± They¡¯d reached the end of the corridor now and stopped before a massive set of doors made of what appeared to be steel, which Madris opened seemingly without having to unlock them. Galatea suspected it was actually keyed to specific people, or perhaps she was using magic. ¡°There is one?¡± she asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t know about that.¡± ¡°Well, it is rather loose,¡± Madris admitted as she pulled the door open. ¡°But it has some bearing on why they accepted me despite obvious reasons not to. We¡¯ve also exchanged some information, including a few tidbits on the Ancients.¡± Galatea¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You have an entire underground country.¡± She hadn¡¯t really thought about it before, but now it was obvious. ¡°Your people have got to have been digging around there for centuries. And from everything we¡¯ve seen, ruins from before are usually buried by now, because of natural processes alone. You¡¯ve got to have found a lot, didn¡¯t you? Did you let the Delvers in to investigate them?¡± Madris smiled slightly. ¡°No. Very rarely, at least. And we have not found as much as you probably imagine. We do have a very good picture of what happened compared to most other races.¡± Galatea frowned, even as she stepped into and looked around the room. ¡°Were your people part of the alliance that fought and destroyed the Hivekind?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Madris sounded almost amused. ¡°Nearly everyone was, Galatea. Even the surface elves, and I¡¯m sure they¡¯re making nice with the Hive now while ignoring that fact. We weren¡¯t the most enthusiastic, and we didn¡¯t have many troops to commit, anyway.¡± Galatea nodded absently, but her focus was on the room around them. It reminded her of a museum, she realized. More of an old museum from before the System than a ¡®modern¡¯ one. Objects were housed in glass cases or wooden cases with a glass front. Or possibly plastic, she wasn¡¯t sure. They looked less like a random assortment of junk than a curated collection, even if it was rather eclectic. She saw an old CD player only a few places down from what looked like a Renaissance painting reproduction. ¡°This is interesting,¡± she commented. ¡°Look a little closer,¡± Madris urged her. ¡°Do you see?¡± Galatea frowned, and swept her gaze over the room. It took a second before it clicked. ¡°It¡¯s almost religious.¡± The way the objects were positioned, atop podiums and pedestals, the consideration that had clearly gone into the lighting ¡ª carefully placed fireplaces, oil lamps and magical lights ¡ª and even the motifs painted on the walls of the room. At first, Galatea had taken them for pieces of the exhibition as well, but on a closer look, they clearly weren¡¯t original. They showed a variety of scenes from books and mythology, she realized, but rarely the way she¡¯d expect, and it usually took some thought and guesswork to work out what they were actually intended to display, beyond the painter¡¯s adoration. ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Some of these things could be used,¡± Galatea realized, eying what looked like an old camp stove. ¡°It can¡¯t be that no Delver ever figured out how to do anything with electricity, not after centuries. They could have at least been copying any books or other texts.¡± ¡°Most texts we¡¯ve found are in languages no one knows how to read anymore,¡± Madris explained. ¡°That said, you¡¯re right that some things are just gathering dust when they might¡¯ve been used.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t quite jive with the impression I¡¯ve had of the Delvers,¡± Galatea said with a frown. The dark elf shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re afraid that priceless treasures we have no way to replace will be damaged or destroyed,¡± she said. Then she hesitated, visibly gathering herself. ¡°That said, it does fit a little too neatly into the gods¡¯ plans and intentions for this world, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Galatea turned her focus to her. If she could¡¯ve felt cold, she would¡¯ve at that moment. ¡°You think the gods have some influence on the Delvers? More than what anyone knows?¡± Madris sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t rule it out. Some of the sentiments I¡¯ve picked up from others ¡­ You - we need to be careful, Galatea. In this case, it¡¯s better to be cautious rather than too reckless.¡± Galatea didn¡¯t respond, but turned to gaze at the museum collection again. She¡¯s right. Oh, Regina¡¯s going to be pissed when she hears. On the other hand, what else is new, really? ¡°You¡¯ll tell us if you learn of any tampering with anyone¡¯s minds?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, any more tampering, I guess,¡± she corrected herself with a snort. Madris smiled thinly. ¡°I most certainly will. I¡¯ll also be starting to impart some lessons to Regina, if she¡¯s willing.¡± Well, Regina¡¯s going to be happy about that, Galatea reflected. Chapter 227: Operation Anew Tim passed his fingers over the straps, checking one last time that they were tightly secured and the harness would hold him even if something was damaged. They didn¡¯t usually focus this much on such security precautions, but considering his current mount and what might be coming, it was better to be safe. The leather was still thin enough that he could cut it easily with his claws if the need arose, even if he didn¡¯t have full range of motion, so he wouldn¡¯t be trapped going down with it if his mount was shot down. Not that he was likely to survive the landing, either, unless one of the mages or Regina acted to save him. Despite the risk, he really wasn¡¯t afraid, and the check was more out of conscientiousness than for any other reason. If all went well, he probably wouldn¡¯t be involved in a fight himself. He was here as a commander, and Regina had gotten more cautious about exposing her sapient drones to potential harm. It made sense since their Hive¡¯s Swarm had grown so much, he supposed. Through the psychic link, Tim checked on the others, making sure they all checked their equipment as well. It was a small strike force by the standards of the war they¡¯d fought in Nerlia, but most of their soldiers were still needed elsewhere, especially there. And his brothers and sisters in this group were intended more as commanders than soldiers, as well. They did have a much larger force of Swarm Drones to do the fighting. All ready? Ben asked. Tim rolled his eyes. He sometimes got a bit anxious before a fight, if he wasn¡¯t there himself. Of course, and we¡¯re going to stay ready, Tim answered. Since Regina¡¯s endeavor with the Delvers appeared to have succeeded, they¡¯d started preparing in earnest for this operation. It wouldn¡¯t restart a full-out war ¡­ probably ¡­ but it was definitely the start of a new phase. Tim suspected Regina wanted this to go ahead now because of her dealings with the Delvers, perhaps to prove a point. He wondered if they might get the help of the Delvers in the future. It wouldn¡¯t be necessary, though; he¡¯d be damned if the Hive couldn¡¯t beat the gnomes on their own. All checks completed and having touched base with everyone, Tim told his ride to rise into the air and watched as the others around him took to the air as well. He was currently riding a new type of drone, a Light Winged Drone Mount, a rare Evolution that he suspected was at least influenced by Regina¡¯s new Form Drones, although those weren¡¯t high-level enough for this yet. It was a Drone Mount with the typical body type of its Class, but sleeker and with larger wings, and he¡¯d been told it had lighter bones somehow. That meant while it wouldn¡¯t stand up to enemy fire any better, he¡¯d be more nimble and maneuverable in the air, with better control over their velocity and the potential to stay up for longer before his ride got tired. While they turned in a sharp curve to head to the south-south-west, Tim checked on the other drones he had to keep an eye on. They¡¯d spread most of their forces around, out of necessity. The difficulties of supplying large armies in the mountains aside, they just couldn¡¯t bunch the drones all up in one spot, especially if they wanted to keep the gnomes in check and retain the ability to surprise them. The tunnels the Hive had been digging helped immensely. A lot of War Drones were in them, now, prepared to march out of the exits. Winged Drones circled in the sky or waited on mountain peaks or in the crowns of trees. The gnomish force they were here to stop today kept their fighters are lot more concentrated, probably because they knew the Hive wanted to pick them off. The terrain was slowing them down, and since the Hive had been watching them since before they left their own tunnel ¡ª a few Scouts¡¯ sensory Skills that were specialized for the underground or detecting life force had proved quite useful ¡ª the gnomes had not had the time to get far. Not that they would get the chance now. Tim took his attention away from the gnomes briefly to check on the other drones and ensure everything was proceeding without issues. They reported in quickly and he relayed what was happening over the psychic link to Ben. This was his show, but that didn¡¯t mean he needed to keep him out of the loop, after all. The gnomes had been sending larger and larger forces out recently, and been sending them more often. Tim knew they might be trying to analyze the Hive¡¯s response, but that didn¡¯t mean they could just let them continue with it. Besides, this one was a big enough expeditionary force that losing it had to hurt the Confederation, even if they¡¯d planned for the possibility. He didn¡¯t know what other aim they might have with it, unless they really thought they could get a victory. Maybe take out a few Hive outposts? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there was some internal politics involved, too, he reflected. Maybe some faction just wants to do something, or wants to be seen doing something. He was glad the hive didn¡¯t really have to worry about stuff like that. Right now, Tim sent a few Winged Drones a bit lower to get a better look at his target, despite the slightly increased risk. The gnomes had spread out a little bit and he could tell they were using what camouflage or invisibility Skills they had, maybe a bit of magic too. There were gaps where he¡¯d learned to expect more of their forces. The trick would be to tell where, exactly. Although, once they got closer, the drones should be able to hear and smell the gnomes. It still reduced their visible forces and made it easier for them to evade notice, he supposed, especially since they were keeping to paths between mountainsides and under rocky overhangs or in valleys as much as possible. They were high enough up that forests weren¡¯t really an option for hiding, but the mountains still offered a lot of other opportunities. Of course, the Hive was still tracking them, even if he wasn¡¯t quite as confident in the details as he would wish. Tim reached deeper into the psychic link and focused on the mental picture of where everyone was, the gnomish forces and their own drones. It¡¯s starting, he whispered. Get ready. First to third strike groups, start moving. A few scattered acknowledgments came back; most of the Swarm Drones¡¯ units were directed remotely by sapient drones, and most of those were in the air with him. He still ensured that the flocks he¡¯d named were moving in accordance with the plan, just to be sure. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. A few minutes later, their targets started to shift in his mental map. The gnomes must have realized they were going to be attacked, or perhaps they¡¯d just seen the increasing numbers of Winged Drones in the sky that were evidently looking for them. We¡¯ve been made, it looks like, Ada said calmly. He sent agreement through the psychic link. Everyone, keep a cool head and stick to the plan, he reminded them, not that he thought it was really necessary. Ada, you can go ahead and get started distracting them. Make sure not to expose your heavy hitters too strongly. Yes, Tim, she agreed, then he felt her moving away as she urged the drone she was riding to pick up speed. He supposed one of the downsides of these mountains was that getting anywhere, especially quickly, pretty much required you to fly. It was why he¡¯d kept careful count of the gnomes¡¯ fliers, or at least tried to, and told the others to do the same. It might not have caught every one of them, but at least he could be confident that the hive had the edge in numbers. Although any remaining gnome able to fly or ride a winged mount would probably wipe the floor with a Winged Drone in a straight one-on-one fight. Luckily, the Hive never went for those if they could help it. Tim waited in tense silence, urging his mount to circle a little higher as he approached the main concentration of gnomish soldiers. He should be high up enough now that they couldn¡¯t shoot him down, and he could see them through other drones¡¯ eyes. The Hive started with a bombing run, like they usually did. Tim gave the go-ahead, and then watched as a flock of Winged Drones descended above the gnomish soldiers, spreading out until they covered the sky above them. They were carrying different versions of explosives; the Hive rarely let an opportunity to field-test new developments go to waste. Tim had high hopes for the smaller, grenade-like balls of dynamite, or whatever the actual substance was called. He wasn¡¯t an expert, but Tia did good work. A small rain of bombs, supplemented by rocks and other projectiles, went down over the gnomes¡¯ positions, sending up dust and smoke, but not enough to obscure visibility. Many of them were stopped and wasted their power against magical shields, or were deflected away by gnomish soldiers. But trying to do damage or to rattle them was only one part of the plan. They¡¯d dispersed their shots over a wide area and now the sapient drones paid close attention to where their payloads hit, and where they didn¡¯t. It revealed the soldiers the gnomes had tried to strike. Perhaps not perfectly, but watching it through the psychic link and sensing what the others pointed out, he had a much better picture of their forces now. The gnomes struck back faster than he¡¯d expected. Their ranks wavered, but they held, and while the flying drones responsible for the strike were still ascending further up to get away, they counter-attacked. Gusts of flame shot into the air, at least half a dozen. Most of them missed or fell short, but two managed to tag several of the flying drones, and a few of them tumbled back to the ground with burned wings. Tim almost flinched at the sharp pain from drones he¡¯d just been focusing on. At the same time, several less showy projectiles shot upward as well. Unlike the fire, they didn¡¯t seem to have a range limit but continued into the sky. Most of them looked like gray or silver spears, larger than most javelins, but a few actually launched into a flurry of smaller javelins shooting upwards in a cone from the origin point. Those tagged several drones at once, and more of them plummeted from the sky with severe injuries. Tim clenched his hands, fingers digging into his harness, and took a deep breath. He wanted to respond, to launch the next attack right away, but he knew it would be a mistake. Instead, he waited, watching, as they drew together, getting into combat positions. As his ground-bound drones advanced closer to them. From experience, they had an estimate of how close they could get without the gnomes noticing them. He pushed the edges of it, now, hoping the distractions worked. And then they were in position. Tim dove into the psychic link, sending a message to all drones. Go. Attack. Follow the plan. They rushed out of the ground and from their hiding spaces, joining into a large wave. The main groups of drones who¡¯d kept outside the gnomes¡¯ view rushed forward as well. The others managed to organize everything so that they all arrived at roughly the same time, in a coordinated charge. The gnomes were ready to receive them. There was no way to take them completely by surprise, not in this situation. But they hadn¡¯t had long, and it still showed. Tim watched as the horde of drones crashed into the front ranks of the gnomes (not that it had been the front before), and went into and through them. Their momentum was too high to stop. Then it devolved into a brawl. Tim winced, watching as some of his drones were massacred by the gnomes. They were still not on their level in a one-on-one fight. Luckily, they¡¯d disrupted the gnomes¡¯ formation enough that the following ranks could pick up where they left off and work their way further in. Now they ganged up on the gnomes, attacking them from several sides. Doctrine called for at least three drones to take a soldier if possible. That was a bit optimistic here, but not too much. Especially not when the next wave of fliers came riding in. This time, there were fewer of them, but not just Winged Drones. They were accompanied by Shooters, Fliers and stronger Swarm Drones, going for more targeted strikes than just sowing confusion. Tim¡¯s mount jerked to the side, and he almost bit his tongue. He blinked, trying to ignore the stinging of the wind in his eyes, and looked around just a bit frantically. There. The gnomes had sent a flier, and now he saw them. Tim made his mount dive, speeding up to put more distance between them. Without him having to ask, a small flock of senior Swarm Drones directed by a Flier advanced on the enemy fliers, engaging them from a distance with javelins and a few dropped rocks. Most of the attacks missed, but they distracted the gnomes from intervening. There were only a few of them, gnomes on several different large birds. He sent a command to the Hive forces and watched as they spread out to form a half circle around them, boxing them in. The gnomes clearly decided the best way out was through and started to charge the center of the formation. Before they reached it, a wall of fire swept through them, their own forward momentum preventing them from evading it. Tim felt Ken¡¯s excited grin as the other drone followed it up with a barrage of Firebolts. Those were hardly necessary; most of the gnomes¡¯ mounts had spooked already. Their loss of control left them open to the rest of the drones¡¯ attacks, and Tim watched them quickly head towards the ground before too long. He smiled a bit before he turned his attention back to the main battle. While he was distracted, it had proceeded pretty well. He¡¯d expected it to be a short fight, but even so, he was almost surprised to see how scattered the gnomes had become. They even seemed to realize that there would be no winning anymore rather quickly. While he was still trying to feel out the flow of battle, several groups at the edges broke away. Following a predefined pattern, he realized after a moment. They were expecting something like this might happen, or had at least set up contingency plans and rally points. Well, that was fine; one point of this was to get information on their doctrine and how they reacted. Tim absentmindedly pulled his mount up to get a bit higher and then contacted his subordinate commanders, congratulating them and organizing their forces. With more and more gnomes seeking the better part of valor, or at least a good path out of this mess, the battle was basically over. They might not get as many kills as projected, though, but that was fine, too. It was a pretty decisive victory, after all, and appearances mattered. Interlude: Civil War VI Cernlia as a country had been rather adversely affected by the civil war. It was obvious in many little signs, more so than the large, sweeping political changes. The price of bread, the average quality of clothes worn by citizens, the prices demanded by adventurers or mercenaries and the number of those present to look for work ¡­ Kiara had started keeping track, putting her education in bookkeeping to good use. She wished she¡¯d started taking records at the beginning of the war, or even before that, but she¡¯d not thought of it then. She was depressingly uncertain whether her father knew about these indicators or not. He must have been aware of the general state of the country and its citizens, of course, but somehow she couldn¡¯t quite see him tracking the specifics like this. His record-keeping would be full of how many men he had been promised by various smaller lords. Which was, of course, perfectly reasonable and advisable since he was waging a war, and needed them. She had been beginning to doubt that Marquis Lyns, who was already preparing to style himself king, was really using the funds provided by Regina¡¯s Hive effectively. Kiara wished Janis was here. Unfortunately, neither of them had the deep knowledge of merchant¡¯s habits, trading routes and what Regina called economic theory she would really need, but Janis was smart and Kiara knew she¡¯d learned a lot from the Hive. As it was, she was stuck trying to teach herself what she needed to know about economics, while also being occupied with her other pursuits. She had been exchanging letters with Janis as well as other members of the Starlit Hive. What she¡¯d certainly not advertised to her father or his followers was that Kiara had also made an effort to correspond with people in Nerlia, especially the Hive¡¯s new zone of control. She wanted to get a better picture of exactly what they were doing, and, if possible, how. It wouldn¡¯t hurt their own efforts to recover from the effects of the civil war, she felt sure. And if she got more technical details, Kiara wasn¡¯t going to complain. She doubted Regina would even mind if she used it. Still, none of the progress she¡¯d made felt like it mattered enough, was enough, right now. As Kiara stared down at what she couldn¡¯t help but think of as evidence of another failure, she wondered for a moment why she even bothered. Did I really think I would be able to do anything? She shook her head, chiding herself for the thought. No one ever said this would be easy. That does not mean I should do nothing. And at least now she knew more than she did before. It didn¡¯t erase the burning guilt she felt as she looked down at the fresh corpse twisting in the wind as it hung from the newly erected gallows. It hadn¡¯t been long enough for carrion birds to get at it, and his clothes looked almost disturbingly neat and clean. The dead man had not been a noble, but he¡¯d been in the process of earning his knighthood. Before her father had ordered his execution, that was. Kiara sighed and ran a hand through her hair, making sure to step back first. The balcony of the manor house was visible from below, and she¡¯d rather not give any signs of the emotional turmoil she was feeling. He didn¡¯t even do anything, she thought plaintively. Leon Iverns had been a follower of Duke Bluegrass, happy to work for her as well. She¡¯d only sent him to gather some information, talk to people to confirm her reports, expand on them, get a sense of the pulse of the army and how the people were feeling. Maybe leave a few hints that Marquis Lyns¡¯ policies could be improved if it seemed appropriate. She hadn¡¯t even thought of him as a spy, not really. Once they were allowed to take him down, she¡¯d make sure he was buried with all honors. She¡¯d already learned that he had no close family to speak of, who might have needed financial aid in the wake of his death. "Milady?¡± Margaret asked. ¡°There is no use standing outside like this. Please come in.¡± Kiara shook her head, but turned and stepped back through the balcony door into the house. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket to warm them up; the air had started to have a bite to it recently, especially at this early hour. The weather was not what interested her, however. Margaret, she noted, did not look much better than her. The girl had dark circles under her eyes, even if they were skillfully concealed, and her blond hair looked a bit frazzled. The look of concern in her eyes was what really stood out to her, though, and Kiara quickly averted her gaze instead of meeting it. ¡°Why not, Gret?¡± she asked quietly. ¡°What else should I be doing?¡± Her friend took a determined step forward and laid her hands on her shoulders, causing Kiara to look up to stare at her again. ¡°Not like this, Kiara,¡± she said. ¡°Perhaps you made a mistake, perhaps not. You did not tell Iverns to arrogate royal authority and you certainly did not tell your father to accuse him of that if he had not. Yours was not the hand that killed him, or the one who signed the order.¡° Kiara exhaled deeply, making sure it didn¡¯t come out unsteady by pure will. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°Fine. It was my father¡¯s fault. Is that what you want to hear?¡± ¡°It was certainly his responsibility,¡± Margaret Bluegrass replied. ¡°And don¡¯t mistake me, Kiara, I am not the only one who sees that. You are not the only one upset by this, or by what it means.¡± She frowned. ¡°You are not just saying that to cheer me up.¡± Margaret barked a laugh. ¡°Hardly. I do not need to tell you that people are looking to you for guidance, Milady. And some of those are bound to look at what happened to poor Leo and wonder. Many will be angry, are angry, for more than this reason. They want something to be done.¡± Kiara frowned, making herself focus on the political issue in front of her. What Margaret was saying rang true. Some of them might desert me because of this, she thought. But that wasn¡¯t what her friend was driving at and she knew why. Not very many. Most likely less than Father would expect. Everyone who had stuck with her so far knew the score. Her father had not been entirely subtle in trying to corral her power, her following. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. I am supposed to be the crown princess, she thought, a touch bitterly. If he insists on being king, that would be my place. Not an interloper he has to drive out. I¡¯m supposed to be his daughter, not an enemy he has to fight. Have I ever given him cause for it? Certainly, I¡¯ve sought out supporters, but anyone would. They are all his men. I¡¯ve followed his orders obediently, fought loyally. She knew why it was not that simple, of course. That did not make it easy to stomach. ¡°I know,¡± she said. ¡°This will not simply pass unremarked.¡± Margaret clearly saw something in her expression. She smiled. ¡°Good. Follow me.¡± Kiara swallowed further questions and followed her friend. She supposed it had to be better than staying cooped up and wallowing in this room. They stepped out onto the corridor, then Margaret kept walking with quick strides, clearly moving with purpose and a goal in mind. Kiara followed, glancing around. Few people were out and about in the mansion they were currently staying at. The local baron had surrendered to her father before a single sword had needed to be drawn, but since he had previously followed one of their enemies, the marquis had still not shown him much favor. Kiara and the rest of his family along with close retainers were quartered in the baron¡¯s home, but there was little space for more guests. Some of the decorations had clearly been taken down at some point. They did not linger, but quickly reached the basement. Kiara focused on her more arcane senses, but could not find anything out of place or suspicious. She supposed the wine cellar was as good a place to meet as any, and they might stay ¡®under the radar¡¯ of her father by actually meeting here. She opened the door and entered, letting Margaret follow her in. As she¡¯d expected, there were only half a dozen people in the room, not counting the two of them. Not all of Bluegrass¡¯ or her own followers would be suitable even if they were available. As soon as she entered, they turned to her, stood and bowed formally. More deeply than usual, she noted, more appropriate for a royal princess than a marquis¡¯ daughter, and they held it until she cleared her throat and nodded to them. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you here,¡± the young Marquis Relains, recently ascended after his father¡¯s death (and to a much-reduced title), spoke. ¡°We will need your guidance on how to deal with this turn of events, Your Highness.¡± Kiara glanced at Margaret. The other woman¡¯s return smile reminded her once more that she was a paladin of the god of Struggle. It was easy to forget, usually. Not today. ¡°I do not intend to do anything hasty,¡± she said. ¡°That said, my father has clearly shown his hand, and we cannot expect fair treatment if something like this were to happen again. We will need to make preparations.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± Theraln asked. ¡°Of course not,¡± Kiara responded, controlling her tone. ¡°I do not intend to just sit around and wait while my esteemed father sharpens knives for our backs. But do not mistake me, I do not want this to come to violence, and in the current situation, I feel that is a real danger.¡± There were nods from everyone, some more reluctant than others. ¡°I realize this goes against the grain,¡± Duke Bluegrass spoke up. ¡°But do you think there might be a chance of solving this by talking things out with the help of a mediator?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t hold my breath,¡± Relains muttered. He was much more loyal than his predecessor, but also struck her as a bit brash. Perhaps she was being uncharitable, though. ¡°It is not a bad idea,¡± Kiara said, relaxing just a little. ¡°It will just be hard to find someone suitable. I would have suggested you, my lord duke.¡± Bluegrass shook his head. ¡°While I am certainly willing to give it a try, Milady, I fear at this point he may see me as too deeply aligned with you to be trustworthy in the matter.¡± ¡°Perhaps an outsider?¡± Margaret suggested. ¡°Well, Hive Queen Regina did recently assure me I could count on her help.¡± Kiara frowned. She truly appreciated that assurance. ¡°It would only be similar but worse, however.¡± "Perhaps one of the few lords who have not been deeply involved in either side of this struggle?¡± They continued talking, discussing various possibilities. None of those particularly appealed to Kiara, but she would not spurn them just because they weren¡¯t ideal. She¡¯d give them a chance, at least. They arranged that Bluegrass would approach most of them, in order to cautiously sound out their feelings, if they might be prepared to step into such a position. Kiara and a few of the others would also keep an eye and an ear open. There is not much else we can do at the moment, she told herself. It was not a comfortable thought. ¡°I thank you all for your advice and assistance,¡± Kiara told them as the conversation trailed off. ¡°I will not forget it.¡± Still, as she left the room again, she could not help the thought of how many of them she would still see at her back when all of this was over. Not because they would be dead, but because they might decide otherwise. Margaret left with her, seemingly sensing her thoughts and staying quiet. To distract herself, Kiara decided to visit the stables, waving Margaret off. She always found the smells and sounds, the company of horses calming. At least someone was happy to see her. She ambled through the stone building, greeting her father¡¯s horses in their stalls, and taking a few apples from a nearby basket to give them treats. She knew the stable hands would be upset with her for it, but she didn¡¯t care. Kiara must have spent half an hour in there, more than she truly had time for, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to regret the time spent. When she stepped outside again, she blinked against the morning light. The clouds had cleared up and the sun was shining brightly again. It glittered off the armor of the soldiers awaiting her, standing in a semi-circle, all of them carrying weapons and most of them with their hands on their hilts. Kiara startled, almost flinched back, and tried to think quickly. Margaret was already gone. A few other people lingered abound, and the scene was drawing more of a crowd. None of her supporters were close. Not a coincidence, perhaps. ¡°Yes?¡± she asked them, putting all the imperiousness she could into her tone. ¡°Were you looking for me?¡± One of the soldiers stepped forward and bowed. A captain she didn¡¯t recognize. It was interesting he was talking instead of Sir Renard, a knight who she was passingly familiar with and who stood there looking a bit uncomfortable. ¡°Milady, your royal father has sent us to find and escort you.¡± ¡°Escort me?¡± she repeated, raising an eyebrow and looking directly at the knight. ¡°Sir, what is going on?¡± He stiffened. ¡°Lady Kiara, we are taking you into custody on His Lordship¡¯s orders. There have been threats, and concerns over your safety. I am sure they will be dismissed swiftly. For now, you will be confined to your rooms.¡± She stared at him, her eyes widening a little. It would be obvious to everyone he was not actually concerned about her safety. They¡¯re placing me under house arrest. They didn¡¯t even bother to truly hide it. I suppose it¡¯s better than being outright imprisoned. Did he catch wind of the meeting just now and decide to react? Either way, there was no chance she could fight them off and little reason to try. She dismissed the thought immediately. She couldn¡¯t mess this up. Kiara took a deep breath, then a step forward. ¡°Very well,¡± she said, clinging to her dignity. ¡°Let us be off, then.¡± As they closed ranks around her, it did not feel like an escort or honor guard. Chapter 228: Complications The next phase of the war with the gnomes started not with a bang, but a whimper. At least for Regina, who was not there and had other things to worry about as well. The whimper part was pretty literal for her, too. In fact, it was the whimper of one of her drones - her children - carried by the psychic link, along with the plea for help from her companions, which really told Regina that the war was on and what it meant. She didn¡¯t hesitate. Focusing on the psychic link let her assess the situation quickly, and she cast Queen¡¯s Summons just in time, before the gnomish Sorcerer unleashed some kind of firestorm Spell on the small unit of War Drones she¡¯d gone to reinforce. They didn¡¯t survive. Kit landed in front of her, falling to crouch on all fours in a fluent motion that hid her disorientation. Luckily, Regina was currently relatively alone, on the balcony of the room she¡¯d been given, where she¡¯d gone for a bit of fresh air between talking to people. She rushed forward, already focusing on her magic. Kit would survive, but she¡¯d already been badly injured. Besides numerous lacerations and contusions, she had a deep cut across her right upper blade-arm, her left knee was downright shattered and she had what Regina was fairly sure was a concussion. She¡¯s probably been lucky, Regina reflected before she cast Greater Heal and concentrated entirely on healing Kit. She wasn¡¯t the only injured one, Regina realized when she was finally done enough to focus on the psychic link again. Luckily, the Hive kept healers close by, but it would be touch-and-go for a few of the drones. She wished she could Summon them, too, but the Ability¡¯s cooldown was much too long for that kind of use. She should just be glad she¡¯d gotten to Kit in time. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked, checking again to make sure she hadn¡¯t missed anything. Kit smiled weakly. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a bit disoriented,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you, my Queen.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯d ask how the battle is going, but ¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Kit glanced around. ¡°Where are we right now?¡± "Still the Delvers¡¯ town,¡± Regina said. ¡°Actually, the way things have been going, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they were going to make that description official soon. Anyway, we¡¯re in Cernlia, so most of what we know about the Gnomish Confederation isn¡¯t in my range, and it will take you a bit to get back. Assuming you decide to.¡± Kit frowned. ¡°I could stay here with you. Where do you need me, my Queen?¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯d talk to Max and Ben.¡± Then Regina turned her attention to the psychic link again, a bit distracted. The current battle against the gnomes had been going reasonably well, objectively speaking. She wasn¡¯t entirely happy with it, and not just because she¡¯d just had to rescue Kit from death¡¯s door. The gnomes were clearly learning, and too quickly for Regina¡¯s taste. They¡¯d unleashed a hail of crossbow bolts that had to have been reinforced by some kind of magic or Class Skill and actually managed to drive off the Hive¡¯s fliers for a while. And to make matters worse, they¡¯d broken one charge of War Drones almost entirely, only succumbing when two more waves were sent in against the same soldiers. It wasn¡¯t like Regina couldn¡¯t afford to commit those numbers, but she¡¯d prefer not to. They might have to step up their game. And her drones still weren¡¯t even fighting in the tunnels of the gnomish nation, she reminded herself. ¡°How are things going with the Delvers?¡± Kit asked hesitantly. ¡°I thought you were supposed to already be leaving?¡± ¡°They¡¯re well enough,¡± Regina replied, still a bit distracted. ¡°We will soon.¡± I just decided to exercise a bit more caution in light of recent revelations. And wasn¡¯t that a thing. She wasn¡¯t sure what to think about Galatea telling her that the gods might be screwing around with the Delvers more directly than they thought, perhaps even to the extent of direct mental influence. Except that it was good she and Madris were getting along and that Madris had told them, she supposed. Still, what did you even do about a possibility like this? Even if they were able to confirm it somehow (maybe she could get the truth out of Leian or even Alianais? Assuming they knew what other gods got up to), she wasn¡¯t sure what she¡¯d be able to do about it. Although Galatea had told her that skill could trump even divine power, so she¡¯d definitely focus on increasing her abilities with her psychic gifts and get as much training from Madris as she could fit into her schedule. Otherwise, they just had to stay vigilant, there wasn¡¯t much else they could do for now. Kit nodded, then stepped back. ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to Max now, if you don¡¯t need me.¡± ¡°Sure, tell me if there are any problems.¡± Regina waved her off, then turned around and watched the horizon for a moment, gathering her thoughts. There was another reason she was standing out here right now in the cool morning air, besides wanting to be alone to decompress for a bit. She¡¯d been planning on trying to scry Kiara. Usually, she would try to arrange a time beforehand, but the girl shouldn¡¯t mind if she called her now, anyway. Before she started using her magic, Regina focused on Via¡¯s presence in the psychic link again. Hey Via, any news? Did you hear anything else about Kiara or anything related to Lyns¡¯ army? Nothing beyond what I told you yesterday evening, Mother, Via replied, although she sounded a bit concerned, still. Her security has been increased and stayed at this level, and her official visits have been reduced a lot. In fact, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s seen anyone except maybe her father or her best friend since whatever this is started. That doesn¡¯t sound good, Regina observed, chewing on her lower lip. I¡¯ve tried to find out more about potential threats that would warrant this response, but so far, I haven¡¯t gotten any information. Although ¡ª I¡¯m not sure how reliable it is, but a few people have been talking about this being a front, and how Marquis Lyns is actually just punishing Kiara. The wilder rumors even have her trying a coup and getting caught. Regina raised an eyebrow, despite herself. The uneasy feeling she had got stronger. Interesting, she said. Thank you, Via. Continue keeping your ear to the ground. Of course, my Queen. I¡¯m ready to act if I need to, just say the word. Via paused for a moment. Also, it¡¯s possible you won¡¯t be able to talk to her, after all. If they¡¯ve increased the security measures ¡­ True. Regina sighed and ran a hand through her hair, pulling her focus from the psychic link and contemplating the horizon for a second. It still didn¡¯t hold any more answers than it did before. Then she pulled on her magic and focused on the familiar steps of setting up the scrying link, paying particular attention this time to making sure that it was done properly and every step set up perfectly. It didn¡¯t really surprise her when she found it more difficult than expected to try and get through, to get a picture of what she wanted to see. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Regina screwed her eyes shut and deepened her concentration, throwing her mental weight at the problem. She¡¯d never tried something like using her psychic abilities with this before, and while it felt like the barrier holding her back gave a little, a moment later it bounced back and she stumbled back a step in the physical world. ¡°Dammit,¡± she cursed, rubbing her forehead. She was familiar with Kiara¡¯s security measures and the artifact she used to direct the scrying. This was not that. Lyns was probably aware of their scrying conversations, though. Even if not, he would have added increased protections against scrying, and she supposed it made sense that it would keep her out. Regina hesitated for a moment, then changed her target and instead focused on Margaret Szertyn, the young Lady Bluegrass. They¡¯d spoken before and she remembered her well, so it wasn¡¯t too difficult, especially since she knew the area through Via. A few moments later, she got a patchy view of the young woman, until it resolved itself into a clear scene of her surroundings. Regina guessed she was looking into another room in the same building Kiara had been in, or somewhere close by. Margaret was bent over a desk with a few papers, then looked up and gestured animatedly at someone. Regina took a moment to recognize Sir Willard, one of Kiara¡¯s knights, along with Baron Theraln, one of Bluegrass¡¯ retainers. Regina hesitated, then decided not to press her luck. Unlike Kiara, Margaret had no special talent for magic and no experience communicating like this, and had never spoken to her remotely before. An attempt was unlikely to go well. Instead, she ended her scrying and focused back on the psychic link. If the direct way wouldn¡¯t work, she could always work through the drones she had on the scene. So, she contacted Via again. We should talk to Margaret, she said, find out what she knows. If they need help. I could send one of the others to talk to her, Via offered. It might be less suspicious than if I go myself. Most people don¡¯t realize the extent of the connection the psychic link gives us. Please do. In the meantime, are you up for talking to the marquis? Of course. In an official capacity, I take it? Am I to function as your instrument? Regina hesitated for a moment. She knew Via was asking if she was going to speak directly through her, using her as a medium, a puppet. She wasn¡¯t opposed to the idea, just asking about the framing. Maybe, Regina said. If Lyns doesn¡¯t already know I can do that, he¡¯s clearly failed in his job, and speaking to him ¡®directly¡¯ might be better. Maybe showing him what we can do will even help. Via agreed with equanimity, and took a moment to make herself as presentable as possible before she left to meet Lyns, while Regina sent one of the other healers present, a younger Attendant, to arrange the meeting. Few of the drones actually had fancy clothes, since they generally didn¡¯t much care about them. Via did have a few things that had been gifted to her, although they mostly needed alterations to fit a drone. She ended up with a royal blue dress and a black jacket over it, putting her hair up with a few pins. She also took a few other drones as an escort, who¡¯d probably make more of an impression. Lyns still let her wait for a quarter of an hour. Regina would have liked to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume important state matters required his time, but she could tell he wasn¡¯t actually meeting with anyone. By the time Via was ushered into his office, without anyone else coming out first, of course, even she felt a bit annoyed. She managed to suppress the feeling, though. ¡°Lady Via,¡± Lyns greeted her, standing up behind his desk. He made no motion to kiss her hand or anything like that, but that she would actually chalk that up to cultural sensitivity on his part. ¡°A pleasure to meet you, as always. What matters cause you to seek me out so urgently?¡± Urgently? She supposed they could have arranged a meeting a day or more in advance, but as close allies and with Via staying in the same place, even if she¡¯d let him know she was representing Regina, should that really be necessary? ¡°There has been no new catastrophe, no need to worry, Lord Lyns,¡± Via smiled. She took a seat on a chair opposite his desk after he gestured at it. ¡°However, we have heard that there appears to be a threat to your family¡¯s security, and wanted to inquire into the veracity of such news as well as how we might be able to help.¡± Lyns regarded her steadily. ¡°I see. Thank you for the offer, of course. Fortunately, in this case it appears rumor has exaggerated the situation, there is no great threat to our safety.¡± ¡°I am pleased to hear that,¡± Via said pleasantly. ¡°In this case, we hope Lady Kiara will resume her usual duties soon and that we may speak to her presently.¡± ¡°Why would you need to speak to Kiara so soon?¡± he asked, ignoring the implied question. Mention her family, especially June, Regina murmured to Via, guiding her next words. ¡°Matters of the family. Hive Queen Regina has assured your daughter June that she would speak to her older sister. I understand there was praise involved, and discussion of magical sensing.¡± Via gave her best disarming, playful smile. ¡°June. Of course. How has she been doing?¡± ¡°Quite well, our treatments continue to keep her illness entirely suppressed and she has been enjoying her time and learning many new things,¡± Via responded. ¡°But back to the matter at hand, I take it I may go to speak to your elder child now?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, that will not be possible.¡± Via frowned. ¡°My lord Lyns, I am sure you realize how suddenly cutting Kiara off from us looks.¡± Lyns sighed. ¡°She is my daughter, and there are internal matters of my house involved. Our alliance is still strong, Lady Via, and this does not concern it.¡± ¡°It does, Lord Lyns.¡± Via paused. ¡°My Queen would like to speak to you directly.¡± ¡°Right now?¡° He cut himself off as Regina took control of Via¡¯s body, shifting her posture, sitting up straighter and leaning forward slightly. The change in her expression might have made the change even clearer. ¡°Marquis Lyns.¡± She gave him a curt nod. ¡°I admit to some concern over the state of events. Perhaps you can put my mind at ease?¡± He blinked, then seemed to realize what was happening and nodded at her. ¡°Your Majesty. A pleasure. I assure you there is no need to be concerned, I have the situation well in hand.¡± Regina folded Via¡¯s fingers in front of her, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I suggest we speak frankly, Marquis.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I am helping you win a civil war over a succession dispute. I would not want your side to get into another conflict over it. And before you¡¯ve even won the war, at that.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I assure you, absolutely no one wants that, Hive Queen. I won¡¯t let it come to that.¡± He leaned forward a little. ¡°As soon as my son is born, which you have assured me should happen with no complications, I hope we can put the whole matter behind us.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°You have a perfectly willing and competent child who is of age already,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Two, counting June. It would take more than a decade for your unborn son to be remotely able to take over the position, assuming he doesn¡¯t die of illness or injury in the meantime, and anything could happen to you in that time. Not to mention the many people who, for obvious reasons, see Kiara as your heir.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I really cannot understand this insistence, just for what, their biological sex? Simple sexism?¡± Lyns scowled at her. ¡°Do you think I have not considered these points myself, Your Majesty? While I appreciate your assistance in this war, it is up to me to decide who is a suitable heir.¡± ¡°And Kiara isn¡¯t?¡± He visibly paused, probably rethinking what he wanted to say. ¡°Regardless, this is not a matter I can allow a foreigner, however well-intentioned, to interfere with.¡± ¡°Funny. It¡¯s not a matter I can afford to ignore.¡± His eyes narrowed even further. ¡°My heir will not be a member of your Hive. If you think you can ¡ª¡° Regina shook her head. ¡°Kiara certainly is not and likely never will be. Even June does not, at present, want to join the Hive. That does not mean it doesn¡¯t affect me, I shouldn¡¯t have to remind you of how our efforts are intertwined. And not being part of my Hive doesn¡¯t mean Kiara isn¡¯t my friend.¡± ¡°Be that as it may. Is there a point to this, Hive Queen?¡± Regina fixed him with her best cold look, even if she was working through Via. He was really starting to piss her off. ¡°I insist that you let me contact Kiara again, and that you accept her place as heir to the crown you are fighting to claim.¡± His lip curled. ¡°And I insist that you keep your nose out of my family¡¯s and my kingdom¡¯s internal affairs.¡± They stared at each other for a moment. ¡°If you think you can ¡®remove¡¯ her -¡° ¡°If you think I¡¯ll stand for -¡° They¡¯d both tried to speak at the same time and now fell silent. Regina took a deep breath, and from what she could tell, he was mastering himself, too. Distantly, she wished she was here in her own body and able to use her psychic abilities effectively. But this wouldn¡¯t be going anywhere, anyway, she realized. Regina pushed Via¡¯s body up and stepped back, while he leaned back in his seat. They were both metaphorically and literally taking a step back from the heated conversation it had turned into, she recognized. Before they said something they couldn¡¯t take back. ¡°I will let Via return to her duties now. I expect to either scry Kiara or send a drone to talk to her in person by tomorrow. Good day, Marquis.¡± With that, she turned and moved away. Lyns didn¡¯t say anything else. Well, Regina contemplated. That could have gone better. At least she was fairly sure he wasn¡¯t actually planning to do anything harmful to Kiara. And things hadn¡¯t escalated too far to solve them yet. Hopefully. Chapter 229: Promise Marquis Lyns didn¡¯t accede to Regina¡¯s demand that he officially acknowledge Kiara as his heir ahead of his unborn baby son. She hadn¡¯t really expected him to. In retrospect, she knew that her approach might actually have done more harm than good, causing him to get defensive and putting him into a mindset of having to defend his prerogatives. And his concerns weren¡¯t unjustified; obviously, his and Cernlia¡¯s independence were suffering a little. ¡°You know,¡± she mused aloud, ¡°I didn¡¯t intentionally sabotage him. But even if I had, given everything else I¡¯ve been doing for Lyns, it would still be a net benefit for him.¡± ¡°Definitely,¡± Max agreed. ¡°He could be a bit more grateful for all the help.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You know, it¡¯s not too late to look for some other relative of the king ¡ª I hear he¡¯s got two bastard sons ¡ª and press his claim to the throne.¡± Regina turned, frowning at Janis and Max. He was currently walking beside the drone she was riding, while Janis was on a horse diagonally across from her. She met Regina¡¯s gaze without hesitation and looked innocent. It might have worked if she couldn¡¯t tell through the psychic link that Janis was only being half-serious. ¡°No,¡± Regina told her with a shake of her head. ¡°Let¡¯s not go that far.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Janis agreed, ¡°we did put a lot of effort into Lyns.¡± She paused almost imperceptibly. ¡°And we want to help Kiara, not push her further out.¡± ¡°That we do,¡± Regina assured her. They fell silent and she concentrated on the road for the moment. They had finally left the Delvers¡¯ headquarters, and Regina could tell that she wasn¡¯t the only one a bit relieved by that. She had just started to get comfortable with the place when Galatea mentioned Madris¡¯ concerns, and agreed with them, which had not helped. As it was, Regina was already keenly aware there were going to be troubles and challenges with trying to integrate the Delvers and satisfy their expectations. She didn¡¯t know how she was going to handle these cultural issues. She rather suspected that it would be impossible to meet all of the expectations they must have from idealized legends and mythology about the ¡®Ancient¡¯ world. Regina chased those thoughts away and instead closed her eyes for a moment as she focused on her psychic senses. She¡¯d kept them open all day already, following Madris¡¯ advice. She¡¯d suspected the dark elf Delver would be a demanding teacher, and she didn¡¯t mind that she was right. They¡¯d barely started and she was already learning a lot. Madris¡¯ mind was easy to find. She could pinpoint it even in the midst of an army. It had a weight to it most people¡¯s didn¡¯t, but more importantly, the other psychic just felt different to the open, untrained minds of the others, like a stone in a river. They didn¡¯t use words to communicate. Regina made a request, Madris responded, Regina replied with a concrete suggestion, and a minute later they met in the middle of the moving group. Regina had maneuvered her mount and her companions so she had some free space with Madris, who seemingly melted out of the crowd. Regina could recognize a subtle application of her psychic abilities that cleared a path for her without making people notice. ¡°Hive Queen,¡± Madris greeted her with a nod. ¡°There is something I can do for you?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Regina said, a bit hesitantly. She felt uncomfortable asking her for a favor at all, even if she was pretty sure Madris would agree. But she gathered her nerve and continued. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know of my association with Lady Kiara Lyns? You did visit the marquis¡¯ army once, as I recall.¡± Madris hummed in agreement. ¡°A rather conflicted man,¡± she observed. ¡°And a bright daughter. Yes, I¡¯ve met both. I take it there¡¯s an issue?¡± ¡°Presumably,¡± Regina replied. ¡°She¡¯s in protective custody, which I¡¯m pretty sure is just house arrest. I made a few demands and I¡¯m pretty confident I¡¯ll be able to talk to her today, but Lyns isn¡¯t going to give in and the conflict won¡¯t be solved that easily.¡± ¡°You want me to check on her,¡± Madris surmised before she could continue the explanation. ¡°Yes, please. I¡¯d be interested in your assessment of the state of his army as well, and the political landscape of Cernlia. Essentially, I want to know if there¡¯s anything I should know about. Kiara and I are friends and, frankly, I¡¯d much rather have her in charge than some random guy. Is that a problem?¡± ¡°Why should it be?¡± Madris shrugged carelessly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know this, but we Delvers don¡¯t particularly care about the Cernlians¡¯ conflicts. Some of us might favor one side or the other, but for the order in general ¡­ if you want one of them to win, there¡¯s no reason to object.¡± ¡°This is more about the dynamics within one side than the actual civil war,¡± Regina muttered. ¡°But anyway, that¡¯s good to know. So you¡¯ll do it?¡± Madris smiled wryly and half-bowed. ¡°If you want me to, I can hardly refuse, now can I? Don¡¯t worry, Doctor von Woltan, I¡¯ll handle it. I do expect you to keep up your lessons, though. Perhaps a bit of distance will be a useful teaching tool.¡± Regina smiled gratefully, but didn¡¯t thank Madris again, knowing she wouldn¡¯t appreciate it. She watched as the dark elf ambled away, her eyes lingering on her for a moment. It was still surprising to realize that Madris was one of the Delvers she trusted the most. Or even one of the non-Hive-members. When had that happened? Well, when we looked into each other¡¯s minds, obviously, the thought came as if by itself. Regina hadn¡¯t thought much about what she¡¯d seen there, partly because it was private information and most of it didn¡¯t seem relevant to her normal concerns, but she did understand. She¡¯d almost surprised herself with her knowledge of dark elf culture when Galatea had brought the topic up, and her recent lessons had only made her more able to understand what she got from Madris. She wondered for a moment what Madris got from her ¡ª just information about her Hive or something regarding her old life? ¡ª before deciding she¡¯d ask at some later point. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The next part of their trip passed in silence, and Regina was a bit distracted. She still spent a lot of time in the psychic link talking to her drones and just generally seeing to the affairs of her Hive. Being away from the base and on the road almost offered a welcome reprieve from some of it, although she did want to get back to it quickly. Not that it was that big of a deal, but if she was back at their base she¡¯d be able to do a few things better. And besides, she wanted to inspect their new construction herself. The rebuilding and restructuring in old Nerlia were proceeding pretty well, all things considered. She¡¯d shuffled Green and some of the other collaborators into positions of authority where they¡¯d hopefully do more good than harm. Marianne Neralt was effectively overseeing them at the moment, although she didn¡¯t have an official title to that effect yet; Regina still wasn¡¯t certain about that, and it didn¡¯t help that Janis and others from her hive were with her now instead of present there. At least they had enough food that no one was going to starve over the winter, or even go very hungry. They had a few packs of War Drones building houses, some random buildings in addition to what the government (such as it was, and it still felt weird to think of it like that) was planning. Of course, building factory cores or schoolhouses was the easy part. The hive¡¯s printing presses were working around the clock now and the Workers were putting up more of them, and they still didn¡¯t have nearly as many books or written materials as she¡¯d like. And books were just scratching the surface, there was so much more. They couldn¡¯t even start with all the infrastructure she¡¯d like, like electrical lines and heating systems, even if they were building water towers and laying pipes. Regina was halfway through a report by Mister Green, noting that he¡¯d managed to dial back the groundless phrases and waffling she¡¯d noted before, when Via contacted her again. She stilled, then let her mount pick its own way and notified the drones she was currently talking to that she¡¯d be absent, before she focused back on her. Via? You¡¯re getting to Kiara? Yes, my Queen. They¡¯ve let me wait for a bit and insisted on a security check ¡ª not that it did much, I wonder what they even think they¡¯re looking for ¡ª but I¡¯m about to see her now. Good. Then Regina fell silent, just watching and prepared to take over. Via was led into what she recognized as Kiara¡¯s private rooms, although there were still a few knights standing around guarding the door. She recognized Sir Willard at least, who she was pretty sure was loyal to Kiara. The young woman herself looked a bit worse for wear, but Regina inspected her closely and she didn¡¯t appear abused or injured. Just tired, judging by the dark shadows under her eyes, and taking less care with her appearance than usual, but she couldn¡¯t exactly fault that under the circumstances. She smiled and got to her feet when Via entered. ¡°Lady Via! A pleasure to see you again.¡± ¡°Likewise, Lady Kiara.¡± Via returned her smile, then looked around. ¡°We¡¯d prefer to speak in privacy, though.¡± Something unspoken passed between Kiara and the guards, but it seemed to end favorably. ¡°Through here, if you please.¡± Kiara guided Via into the bedroom of the suite. Not that it was a large one, she only had this bedroom, a living room and a smaller side chamber. The men stayed outside, though, and Kiara shut the door behind Via firmly. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you,¡± Kiara said, collapsing onto her bed as she gestured at the chair. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure Father would let anyone in to see me at all.¡± ¡°Well, Regina did have to make a point of it,¡± Via answered, settling into the chair. Kiara froze for a moment. ¡°Indeed?¡± she asked calmly. Via asked Regina a silent question, and she agreed, shifting mentally and taking over Via¡¯s motor functions. She straightened up, deliberately letting her facial expression change. ¡°Indeed,¡± she said drily. ¡°It¡¯s me. I may have made a few demands of your father. Unfortunately, he has not followed them and confirmed you as his heir yet.¡± Kiara just stared at her for a moment, before she let herself slump backward against the wall. ¡°You know, I knew you could do this, but it¡¯s still a bit strange to see you simply take over a drone. Via isn¡¯t hurt, is she? I admit I¡¯m rather fond of her.¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Regina assured her. ¡°She doesn¡¯t mind this at all. Also, she¡¯s fond of you too.¡± Don¡¯t bother complaining, she added mentally to Via. It¡¯s true. I will if you make it sound like I¡¯m interested in her the way Janis is, Via complained. I just find her decently interesting. Putting it that way wouldn¡¯t help. ¡°You¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡± Regina asked. ¡°No, not at all, Your Majesty. I think my father overreacted a little. I was actually going to try and mediate the conflict.¡± Briefly, Kiara explained about a dead follower and a meeting with some of her more senior supporters, which apparently led Lyns to arrest her. Regina nodded slowly, considering the information. ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s commendable that you were trying to deescalate this conflict with your father,¡± she said. ¡°Do you think he¡¯s going to counter-escalate?¡± ¡°Well, he has not hurt me yet,¡± Kiara shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± ¡°So, trying to appoint a mediator is off the table?¡± Kiara shook her head, then paused, frowning. ¡°I am not sure,¡± she said slowly. ¡°I thought not, but perhaps ¡­ It might not hurt to try, would it? Even if he refuses, I would at least show I am open to talking things out properly. It would acknowledge there is an issue and might seem disrespectful, but at this point, I¡¯m not sure that matters so much.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°Sounds reasonable. Would, say, someone from the Delvers work? I¡¯m sure Gwen Cern would agree if I asked her.¡± Kiara tilted her head thoughtfully. ¡°That might be a good choice. She would hopefully be reasonably neutral and her bloodline is respected.¡± Then her face fell. ¡°On the other hand, she is a woman ¡ª she would be expected to favor my position by default. And her cousin might stir up a fuss.¡± Regina sighed. She supposed Gwen wouldn¡¯t really be neutral, anyway, given her arrangement with the Delvers, she would follow Regina¡¯s wishes. ¡°Well, we can float the idea, I guess. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve got nothing else.¡± She¡¯d really prefer this to be settled amicably, but she had to be realistic about what she could manage. Kiara nodded, seeming a bit down, and they sat in silence for a short while. ¡°How are my family doing?¡± she finally asked, clearly making an effort to keep the conversation going. ¡°Quite well. Your mother¡¯s pregnancy is really starting to show, and June is making good progress with her magical studies.¡± They talked for a few more minutes about her, dodging the heavier subjects. Kiara relaxed a little, although the tension never really left her. Being shut off in her rooms, uncertain when she could come out, would do that, Regina supposed. The conversation trailed off after a few minutes, though, with neither of them very interested in talking. ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± Kiara finally asked, straightening up, ¡°can I ask, if this does not go well ¡­¡± Regina stood up and smiled Via¡¯s smile at her. ¡°Kiara, I will give you the help you need, that I promise you.¡± That elicited a relieved smile from the girl. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± You¡¯re my friend. ¡°I¡¯ll try and visit or talk to you again tomorrow. Take the time to rest and try to relax.¡± Regina receded to let Via exchange goodbyes with Kiara and leave the room, already turning her attention away, although she still contemplated the conversation they¡¯d just had. At this point, she really only had herself to blame for getting drawn further into this, but she couldn¡¯t regret it. She focused on searching out Madris and updating her on what she¡¯d learned. The dark elf was already gone, quite a few kilometers from her current position, but that wasn¡¯t much of a hindrance. With her psychic skill, talking to her over this distance was almost as easy as if she was standing next to her, although in a different way than if she was contacting drones of her hive. Regina hoped that with time, she¡¯d be able to have something approximating this ease with non-psychics, too. It would take a lot of training and hard work, though. Chapter 230: Schooling June Lyns stood leaning against the balustrade in front of her, ignoring the still slightly damp wood, as she watched the column of drones leave. A thousand War Drones. It didn¡¯t sound like very much, perhaps, but all assembled like this they did make for a decently impressive show. In eerie silence and perfectly synchronized, they marched away from the gate. She knew their pace would leave low-level human soldiers exhausted after a few hours, but they would keep it up all day. They were not the only unit of drones leaving the Nerlian territories. The rising specter of war with the gnomes, to the south, had led to the Hive recalling many of them back to their core territories. They would be needed there, she supposed, and things were peaceful enough here, the Nerlians either cowed or convinced to work with the Hivekind to their eventual benefit. June herself would not have been permitted to come here if it were otherwise, she knew. Regina did take her obligation to ensure her safety seriously. June frowned to herself. She would have much preferred to accompany her teacher. She had wanted to join her in her trip to treat with the Delvers, but the Hive Queen had been adamant. June would have suspected her master was ashamed of the arrangement ¡ª she was, after all, still a hostage ¡ª if Regina had not seemed genuinely concerned about her safety and the potential consequences of exposing her to the Delvers before they were truly allied. As the last of the drones left her line of sight, June turned away, straightening her shoulders. A few War Drones lingered in the vicinity, evidently keeping an eye on her. She had yet to get used to that, but then, she had not been here and out of the Hive¡¯s home for long, either. Still, she appreciated the chance to gather her thoughts in silence, if not quite isolation, for a minute. She had rather a lot to think about, recently. And to worry, if she was honest with herself. I do hope Kiara is going to be alright. She clutched the sleeve of her dress with her opposite hand briefly before she let go. The hidden pocket contained the last letter she had received from her older sister. It was unnecessary, of course, but she felt better to be using it. June was not as worried about her father, even if she knew quite well that if the situation escalated and took a turn for the worse, he might be in very real danger. Better than he did, she suspected; after all, she knew Regina and the Hive¡¯s strength. If it did come to violence, well ¡­ But she simply didn¡¯t feel as affected by thoughts of him coming to harm, she supposed. Not that she wished him ill, of course ¡ª but Kiara had always been the one to look after her if she got sick again, to demand her invitation to social events and make sure she received proper lessons. Her father had, well, not. Now that June had grown up and was putting childish longing aside, she recognized she would likely never gain his affection. Especially if he was still set on gaining a male heir. She supposed talking to Regina helped. Another reason June had been so insistent on coming out here, she had to acknowledge, was getting away from her mother. Not that Lady Florance was not being a good parent, but it was simply uncomfortable and she felt caught between two fronts. For now, though, she was away from it all, so June forced herself to focus on matters more immediately relevant. "Lady June?¡± the knight escorting her asked. ¡°Are you ready to depart?¡± Sir Henry was a Nerlian, so he didn¡¯t hold any real loyalty to the Hive. But he had been sent to both help to protect her and to give the Nerlians a look at what they were doing today. June was here specificially because the hive was opening a new school and she had been asked to help, or at least, that was the official reason. It wasn¡¯t all she was going to do in this city. ¡°Yes, of course,¡± she agreed. ¡°They should have moved all the materials by now.¡± He offered her his arm, which she declined on the pretense of cultural differences between Nerlia and Cernlia (it would be a bit familiar, she said) and the Hive¡¯s custody of her, and they walked back to the building. This school had been built relatively close to the city wall, in the outer part of town. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a particularly large settlement, so it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for residents to get here, she hoped. The space had formerly been occupied by a garrison building, which the Hive had apparently burned down at some point during the war. This was about how far their armies had advanced, she knew. Judging by the ruins that had remained before the War Drones and Workers had cleared the place, she suspected a bomb or several had been involved. Building it had been an experiment in more ways than one, as the speed with which the new building had come to tower over the local area showed. Apparently, the drones had wanted to test a few new compounds, mostly made by Production Drones and their Evolved variants, as well as premade bricks and other measures. Actually erecting the walls hadn¡¯t taken very long at all. The holes and accommodations for electrical wiring and pipes must have taken the most effort. Now, the house sported a rusty-beige color (she wasn¡¯t sure how that worked, but apparently it did) which clashed a little with the surrounding houses, and the dimensions of the walls and windows and slopes of the roof were all subtly off. It did not look bad, though. June greeted a few drones in the vicinity as she approached and entered the building. It was large, but still very open, lacking much furniture. A large part of it should be provided by the city itself, hopefully. She dismissed her escort, watched the Nerlian knight be escorted into the yard by a few drones, then wandered through the rooms for a bit, checking their contents and firming the layout in her mind. There were several relatively large class rooms, as well as what the drones called a lecture hall, which was on the ground floor but sunk into the earth somewhat, to allow for tiered seating like a traditional theater to descend further into the ground, creating more room than the blueprint would imply. Of course, what they would be putting in this building was more important than the architecture itself, even the hidden tunnel whose entrance she was pretty sure she saw at the back wall of the auditorium. They would be buying paper, since the Hive¡¯s production would struggle to cover everything needed for their territory, but would also use more sustainable methods like chalk slates and wax tablets for exercises. June was unsure how much the school would be teaching basic writing and counting, compared to actual scientific knowledge, but it couldn¡¯t hurt. And there were a lot of other necessities required as well. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. June had to admit she rather enjoyed the opportunity to put her skills to use in helping to set it all up. While her education was spotty compared to her sister¡¯s, given her condition and the general disinterest her father had shown in it, she was still a lady from the Lyns family. She had been taught how to run a large household and much more. Accounting was not something she particularly enjoyed, by itself, but it was a skill she was competent in and which came to her easily. ¡°June?¡± June looked up from the stack of papers she was currently sorting, blinking against the suddenly increased light. At some point, she had moved into one of the small attached offices at the back of the building and her work seemed to have migrated to spread over the desk while she balanced on the front legs of the chair. She pushed it back entirely and stood up, discreetly stretching her arms. ¡°Tia?¡± Tia shot her what she assumed was a concerned glance, although she still had a bit of trouble reading Hivekind expressions. They probably complemented them with information sent through the psychic link. ¡°Yes. Thank you for taking care of this, but I think we¡¯re just about done for now. Can you hand me those papers, I¡¯ll make sure they¡¯re put away? Then we¡¯d like you upfront.¡± June nodded and obligingly handed her the forms she¡¯d currently filled out. She was essentially done, anyway. She left the room and closed the door behind her and Tia, before she turned to the drone again. ¡°Is something up?¡± ¡°A visitor I think you should speak with as well,¡± Tia answered. She seemed a bit distracted. June simply nodded and swallowed further questions. Instead, she fell into step beside Tia as the senior drone made her way to the entrance. She knew that Tia was one of the highest-ranking members of the Hive, one of Regina¡¯s oldest children, the four who¡¯d left their original hatching location with her in the latest monster wave. She was mostly concerned with military technology and the respective infrastructure, so June wouldn¡¯t expect to see her here for long. June paused for an instant as they stepped into the front yard, making sure to keep her expression even and hide any surprise. She would have expected another Nerlian noble; they wouldn¡¯t be the first to come to look at this. Instead of a lord or lady in expensive fabrics and riding a well-bred horse, perhaps accompanied by a few retainers, she saw a man in rougher clothing and with stubble on his face. The sword at his side looked well-cared for and anything but cheap, though, and when she focused, she sensed magic from him as well.
Rodrick of Canae ¡ª Level ? Knight Commandant
¡°Commander Rodrick,¡± Tia greeted him. Was it her imagination or did she sound a little curt? ¡°Nice to see you.¡± He smiled and bowed. ¡°Lady Tia. Lady June Lyns. The pleasure is all mine.¡± He nodded at the building behind them. ¡°This is the school, correct? Your Queen was gracious enough to allow us a look at what you are doing, and I would love the opportunity to chat about the teachings that might be spread here.¡± Tia smiled back. ¡°So she told me. Do come in, please.¡± I must have missed that, June considered, watching the Delver curiously. Not that either of them had said so, but it was rather obvious. ¡°I thought all of the Delver leadership was with Her Majesty,¡± she said quietly to Tia. ¡°You thought correctly,¡± Sir Rodrick answered, giving her a small smile when she glanced at him, startled. ¡°More or less. I and a few others have already left on various tasks, though a significant part of our leadership is still with the Doctor currently.¡± June nodded and thanked him for the information. Well, she was not a member of the Hive, she couldn¡¯t expect to know about everything they were doing or planning. ¡°You are starting several of these schools, are you not?¡± he asked, looking around curiously as they passed through the first classroom. Tia nodded. ¡°Yes, although this one is something of an example and prototype for them.¡± ¡°I see. How many students do you think it will accept once it is operating at full capacity?¡± They slowly walked through the school, while the Delver kept asking questions and Tia and occasionally June answered him. June was a little surprised by the contents of his inquiries. He was insightful, and a little less focused on zealotry or even pure knowledge than she¡¯d expected. When the conversation paused as they reached the bottom of the lecture hall, she looked at him again, trying to read his feelings in his expression. ¡°You seem to be interested in not just the knowledge to be learned, but practical aspects as well.¡± ¡°We would very much like to sponsor a school of our own, in the town we call home,¡± he said. So he was a leader of Cernlian Delvers, June noted. She¡¯d assumed so, but it was nice to have it confirmed. ¡°Such a school would be open to the public, too?¡± Tia asked. ¡°That seems a little out of character for your order. So far as I¡¯m aware, you¡¯ve always taught your recruits privately. There would have been opportunities to build such schools to spread knowledge before.¡± Something flashed across his expression that June found difficult to identify. A feeling that left her with a bit of unease for a second. It quickly cleared away and he gave her companion a genuine smile. ¡°Things have changed, of course.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± June took a book from a stack another drone had left on the desk, mostly to have something to do with her hands, and flipped it idly in her hands. Introductory Chemistry and Physics, which she¡¯d read cover to cover twice. ¡°Of course. The Last Progenitor has returned to earth.¡± His eyes almost lit up now. ¡°No matter what, things will change fundamentally. I am certain of it. And looking forward to the future.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s certainly true,¡± June conceded. She¡¯d had the thought more than once that things were never going to be the same again. She just wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the way in which he spoke of it. ¡°Some of us would kill for the opportunity you have, Lady Lyns, learning directly from Queen Regina.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Metaphorically speaking, of course, you need not fear for your safety.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very interesting and all,¡± Tia interjected. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯d like to take a look at the practical details?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m very eager to see the books you¡¯re using, if I may.¡± June handed over the book she¡¯d been holding, which he accepted with a polite bow of the head and started flipping open. As he read, clearly mostly skimming, a smile started to grow on the Delver¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, yes,¡± he breathed. ¡°This is going to work marvelously. This is only the first of a series?¡± June really hoped Regina knew what she was doing by letting the Delvers have access to all this knowledge. Of course, she supposed there wasn¡¯t much choice. Her master had gotten the Delvers on her side, and perhaps to accept her leadership ¡ª she still wasn¡¯t entirely certain of the details ¡ª by focusing on her status as a surviving Ancient and promising the knowledge and opportunity to bring back what she could of the ancient world. She couldn¡¯t just use them to fight for her, especially since she was starting reforms in her territories, especially if she wanted deeper cooperation. Besides, this was Regina. She was the Last Progenitor, as Sir Rodrick had called it. Of course her teacher knew what she was doing. So June shook off those thoughts and concentrated on the conversation, discussing the contents of the book with the Delver and telling him all about the more advanced material contained in other volumes. He kept up rather well, and she found she quite enjoyed the discussion. Chapter 231: Enthusiasm and Initiative There were far too many things Regina wanted to do, but not enough opportunity, too little time in the day. Now that she had the Delvers on her side, Regina was eager to start really getting things done, changing things. They wouldn¡¯t try to slow her down, they¡¯d be enthusiastic for every bit of knowledge and attempt at change she brought up. On the contrary, they practically required it. On the other hand, there was still a war on - or two - and her previous concerns about showing the extent of her capabilities remained. Not to mention that they really had to change the ¡®hearts and minds¡¯ of the people, and overwhelming the locals with too much would probably backfire. So, they had to focus on a few things. And, the situation being what it was, that tended to be concentrated on warfare. Regina and the Delvers had picked out a kind of practice area in a less developed part of Cernlia, close to the border of Marquis Lyns¡¯ territory and her own, where they set up something of an exercise ground. There would be space for her Workers and Delver craftsmen and scholars to work on new developments and exchange the knowledge both sides craved, but also fields and fortifications to improve their military might, to practice integrating their forces and creating a combined arms doctrine. It wasn¡¯t the only thing they did, of course ¡ª schools like the one she¡¯d sent June to were important, too ¡ª and Regina probably wouldn¡¯t stay there all that long in person. But she had high hopes for the place to become a kind of cultural exchange center and perhaps more, in time. It would also allow the Hive and the Delvers to separate a bit more than they had while traveling, because she was starting to get a little tired of them, and she wasn¡¯t the only one. A few drones had already arrived to prepare everything before she got there, and they had a sizeable number of Swarm Drones to do the menial work as well. It was a bit of a commitment, since they also needed troops for the territory and the war against the gnomes, she supposed, but it would be worth it. And they¡¯d already done good work in clearing a section of forest, digging some trenches and building a few structures. This endeavor also had the effect of distracting Regina from her concerns regarding the Lyns and the Cernlian war. She threw herself into the new project, and for once spent more time riding around inspecting the premises and talking to drones and Delvers than sitting somewhere absorbed in the psychic link, or contributing to the Hive¡¯s numbers. Not that she didn¡¯t still do the latter, of course; they¡¯d built a provisional nursery as well, and Ira had rejoined her to make sure she was taken care of, or so she said. Regina wasn¡¯t going to argue. The Delvers were a surprisingly big help. Despite being primarily focused on adventuring, they did have some protocols and training for actual warfare. And unsurprisingly, it was pretty different from the Nerlian or Cernlian model. Obviously, they had much fewer troops to work with, but they were better trained and generally higher-level, and their system focused on taking advantage of that rather than social structure, like several lords each contributing their own troops. Instead, the Delvers preferred for their parties to be able to cover several roles, but also work interchangeably on a strategic level, without having to worry too much about which commander was deployed where. Ben was pretty excited about it. At first, he didn¡¯t quite make up his mind on whether the way their system complemented the Hive¡¯s own strengths made up for the ways they clashed, but Regina¡¯d suspected it would tend towards being a good thing from the beginning. The Hive had a large horde of individually weak members that they could control precisely, but not all at once, and their biggest threat had always been elites at high levels that could deal with swarm tactics and ambushes. I suppose that explains why you don¡¯t want to fight the Delvers, Janis commented when Regina mentioned her thoughts on the matter. Regina shrugged. I thought that was pretty obvious, and there¡¯s all the knowledge or even tech the Delvers might have preserved. I¡¯m hardly afraid of them, but I would much rather use them than fight them. That was kinda the point of all this, and so far her decision had clearly been the right one. The first time they actually did a major combined exercise, she found her impression to be confirmed. She was pretty pleased with the result of it, even if there were clearly still a few areas where the two militaries, if one wanted to call them that, could learn to work together better. It might have helped that the exercise, which was originally scheduled to take two hours, had to be called to a halt four hours later when it still hadn¡¯t officially concluded. Sure, the criterion that every squad of either side had to have been eliminated was a bit stringent. People still hadn¡¯t expected for not one but two units, from both the Delvers and the Hive, to go to ground so successfully (and, ironically, literally in the case of the Delvers; the Hivekind thought their opponents would expect them to tunnel) that they weren¡¯t found by anyone except Regina and Madris. Regina hadn¡¯t even known it was possible to block ¡®life sense¡¯ type Class Skills! An hour later, after they¡¯d all sorted out the end of the field exercise and done the initial debriefing of their own troops, which Regina mostly left to Ben over the psychic link, a small group of Delvers sought Regina out. She was currently standing on one of the observation platforms they¡¯d hastily erected, examining the field with her own eyes, to get some fresh air. The use of explosives had been limited, so there were only a few of the characteristic craters in the grassy meadow. It amused her a little that she¡¯d learned how to evaluate them. Hearing the men coming and being warned by Max, who as usual lurked a few steps away, she schooled her expression into neutrality and turned around. The three Delvers were led by a familiar face. Unlike when they¡¯d first met, though, Sir Egon Trito didn¡¯t act aggressively. On the contrary. They approached slowly and in plain view, and then he bowed, followed by the two others, and remained in that position, presumably awaiting her response. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Sir Egon,¡± Regina replied dutifully. ¡°Please rise, all of you.¡± She didn¡¯t bow back. They didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°Thank you for seeing us, Doctor. Your Majesty?¡± He chuckled weakly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I am still unsure how best to address you. I wouldn¡¯t want to accidentally show any disrespect.¡± Showing it on purpose is fine, though? Regina bit down on the answer. She knew the thought was unkind, and inadvisable. He was at least trying, even if it was solely because of who she¡¯d been. Baby steps, better than nothing. ¡°I¡¯m fine with both,¡± Regina replied instead. ¡°How have you settled in here?¡± ¡°Very well, Milady,¡± he assured her. ¡°I think this was a splendid idea, if I may be so bold. Getting us used to working together, fighting side-by-side, before we have to do it on a real battlefield is wise. I was impressed by your Hive¡¯s persistence and creativity in the exercise.¡± ¡°You made a good showing yourself.¡± She wasn¡¯t just being polite. Trito might be a jerk, but he had performed well, his unit had one of the highest kill counts as far as she knew. Not that she was surprised he¡¯d gone on the offensive. "Thank you, Your Majesty. We did our best.¡± Regina let the silence stretch on for a second, cocking her head a little. Since Trito had apologized to her, they hadn¡¯t really talked. She was unsure if she wanted to. Although she had seen the way he looked at her, he¡¯d probably wanted to talk a few times and had finally gathered up the courage to approach her. She really hoped it wasn¡¯t romantic, even if she was capable of being attracted to humans she¡¯d never accept that, but she didn¡¯t get that impression. ¡°Milady,¡± he finally spoke up again after the pause threatened to get awkward, ¡°I wanted to ask if there is anything else we should do? Orders you wish to give?¡± ¡°Orders?¡± He inclined his head. ¡°I wished to inquire how I might serve, Your Majesty. Surely there is something beyond these field exercises? As fruitful as they have been, I don¡¯t imagine this is all there is to recapturing the glory of the Ancients.¡± Regina paused, watching him thoughtfully for a second. While she could do without the way he¡¯d phrased that last part, he did have a point. She briefly considered how she wanted to answer. "I appreciate your enthusiasm and initiative, Sir Egon,¡± she said. ¡°Of course, there are a few points. For one, I would like you to inform me about your order¡¯s teachings and to collect information for me on what the Delvers already know, concerning the old world and science in general. It will be easier to start with suitable reference points, and there are likely to be a few misconceptions.¡± He nodded, but clearly sensed that she wasn¡¯t finished yet and didn¡¯t speak up. ¡°Furthermore, I would like information on the state of the world beyond Central Europe, the political situation and your order¡¯s condition. I know the Delvers are an international organization, and I¡¯d appreciate some insight on how other chapters will react to my appearance. ¡°I would like you to work together with my Hive, especially the Keepers, to collect, organize and store this information. Please recruit whoever among your own ranks would be suitable as well. Perhaps you can approach Sir Owin¡¯s people for assistance, especially on the first point.¡± Trito bowed. He seemed a little surprised, although she only got that feeling from her psychic senses, not his facial expression, which remained placid. More importantly, though, she had the impression he wasn¡¯t disappointed. ¡°Of course, Doctor Woltan, I will do as you wish.¡± Regina nodded, then waved a hand casually. ¡°Then, if that is all, I have further training to plan. We may all find a need for it soon enough.¡± Trito and his companions bowed again and, with a few courtesies, excused themselves. Regina watched them go for a moment, wondering if she¡¯d picked the right Delver to ask for this. But now that she was, in a way, leading all of them, she couldn¡¯t just stick with Owin and Gwen, or even Madris. And the more fanatical Delvers were a valuable and readily available resource. She did take the opportunity to practice her psychic power a little more, something Madris had encouraged, even if she probably hadn¡¯t meant for Regina to use it on her fellow Delvers. She focused on the minds of the two Trito had brought along, apparently as moral support or to show he wasn¡¯t alone, and then the guy himself. Unsurprisingly, his mind was better shielded. He might have been taught a little. It wasn¡¯t enough to keep her out, though, even at her current skill level. Regina hesitated for a moment, then decided that even if she was caught, he¡¯d probably be more likely to forgive the intrusion, if it was her. So she closed her eyes and focused, trying to get a read on his thoughts instead of just his surface-level emotions. Trito was eager. He also felt a bit apprehensive, excited and yet nervous. Even as he was exchanging a few sentences with his compatriots, he couldn¡¯t help but think back to the conversation and picture Regina standing there watching him with that stern gaze, the slight curl of her lips indicating amusement. It should have felt condescending to him, but didn¡¯t. He wanted to show her that her trust in him was not misplaced, that he could do what she required of him and gather the information needed to plan her next steps. And, too, that he could work with her Hive, turn their efforts to common purpose without falling to old resentments. Even if the thought of a surviving Ancient with drone children of the Hivekind was strange and horrifying on some level, he recognized the reality of it and what it meant in practical matters. They were loyal and would follow her commands without question or complaint, striving to carry out her designs, so of course she would be relying on them. It would be foolish to expect otherwise. He simply had to show that they were not the only allies or followers she could count on. And in the end, did it really matter if the rebirth of humanity was accomplished with the help of aliens? Who were, after all, scions of a Progenitor. For now, however, he had to plan how he would accomplish this task; there were several men he might talk to first ¡­ Regina pulled herself from Trito¡¯s mind, exhaling a shuddering breath as she leaned against the closest wooden post. She might have gone a little deep here, although it wasn¡¯t like it was too much or she couldn¡¯t have easily pulled back. After a moment, Regina started to smile. Her skills really were coming along nicely. And Trito isn¡¯t so bad, I guess. His mind was a mire of emotions, rationalizations and internal contradictions, but she¡¯d been learning that most were like that. At least he seemed genuinely dedicated to his goals, and his ideology, she supposed. Although she¡¯d already encountered fanatics who were more unpleasant about it. The Delvers had a number of them. They might be a proverbial sword without a handle, but none of her drones had yet cut themselves with their own blade-limbs. And if Trito was any indication, she could slowly wean the Delvers off the more ¡­ idealized, problematical part of their fanatical devotion to ideology, while guiding it in a healthier direction. And, in the end, she could use zealous people who wanted to make the world a better place. After all, the world could use it. And if not her, who else was going to set things into motion, going to spearhead that effort? She was in a position to do it, and whatever morally shady things she might yet do, she couldn¡¯t countenance holding back and not acting. Inaction, after all, could be the worst thing of all. Something the gods dearly needed to be reminded of. Chapter 232: Blasting Operation Tia frowned, squinting at the bare expanse of rock in front of her. Was that a scratch? Something coming from an non-natural cause? It was hard to be sure, especially in the dim light. She might be Hivekind, but making out details at this level of illumination was still difficult. Instead, she reached out her hand and brushed against the rock, trying to follow its contours with her fingers. Probably just a natural chip. It was definitely weathered enough to be pretty old even if it wasn¡¯t. Tia stepped back, rubbing her eyes - with the hand not covered in fine dust and the residue of underground fungi - and turned to her companions. ¡°This should be stable enough,¡± she told them. ¡°We can blow it up as soon as we¡¯re out of range.¡± They nodded and got started with the preparations without her having to say anything else. Tia appreciated the competence of her small team. She hadn¡¯t worked with all of them for long, but they¡¯d been down here for a while and mostly worked on the tunnels the Hive had dug all through this part of the mountains. Now, their real target were the gnomes¡¯ tunnels, but some skill transferred. Especially since they were going to create a passage connecting to their enemies¡¯ own network. Tia hung back and watched as they applied their Skills carefully in the proper order, occasionally pausing to place some dynamite. She double-checked to make sure that it was handled and situated properly. Not that she was really concerned, they¡¯d come a long way with their explosives, but it never hurt to be extra careful. Then they all stepped back and Tia headed to their military escort. It was only an advance detachment of the army that would soon make their way through the tunnels, staffed with high-level drones. ¡°You still insist on coming with us?¡± Tim asked her, raising an eyebrow and giving her a look. She wondered how he¡¯d known what she was thinking, maybe he caught more from the psychic link than she thought she¡¯d let show, but she only shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not letting this chance go, Tim,¡± she told him. ¡°Besides, you¡¯ll probably need me.¡± Tim snorted, but she could see he was also smiling a little. He was evidently concerned for her, but Tia could take care of herself, and the Hive always took care of its sapient drones, anyway. It was the Swarm Drones that would bear the brunt of the attack, like they always did. This time, that meant almost exclusively War Drones, since it wasn¡¯t exactly a good environment for Winged Drones. She paced around a little as they waited, not necessarily because she was nervous, but to work off a bit of the excess energy she felt. Tim kept close to her and the other engineers, though she¡¯d be surprised if he wasn¡¯t a lot more nervous than he let on. The others, as well. Tia looked through the psychic link, chatting with a few of them and trying to calm their nerves. They had a few younger drones in the area today who didn¡¯t really remember the first war against the gnomes (or the first part of this one, depending on how you counted it), and she suspected even the older ones were a little nervous about these next few steps. Personally, Tia was eager to get started and make progress before the Delvers showed up, if they were going to. But from what Regina had said, it did sound like they¡¯d be giving them help against the gnomes soon enough. Everyone¡¯s ready, and we¡¯ve checked that there are no gnomish sentries in places they shouldn¡¯t be, Ben finally told them over the psychic link, showing a hint of his anticipation. You¡¯re cleared to proceed. Understood, Tim answered, smiling tightly. Tia? Detonation in one minute, she told them, broadcasting the warning to everyone around them as well. Tim was starting to give orders to a few others, but she ignored him, focused on the countdown and on ensuring her part worked out. Ten, nine ¡­ finally it reached the end, one ¡­ go. When their carefully-placed detonators went off, it wasn¡¯t quite at the same moment, to her ongoing irritation. But they were only staggered by fractions of a second, not enough to disrupt her calculations. Tia closed her eyes, just to be sure, and watched through the perspective of a few Swarm Drones they¡¯d placed a little closer. This time, they hadn¡¯t used any of the experimental detonators she¡¯d been working on, just well-tested versions in conjunction with a Class Skill one of the Workers had gotten, which triggered it and allowed them to time the detonation much better. It did mean they were standing close enough to feel the earth shake, and she bent her knees and swayed a bit, trying to absorb the impact. Beside her, Tim barely looked moved at all, the lucky bastard. They¡¯d placed the explosives they had used very carefully, in conjunction with small tunnels they¡¯d already dug, using magic and Skills, and following what they could sense of the rock¡¯s structure and composition. Most importantly, though, there was a gnomish tunnel just far enough away from this particular face of the mountain to make getting to it by other means infeasible. You got it, Ida told her, putting together the information from several scouting Swarm Drones and a few sapient ones with applicable Skills as quickly as possible. There should be an unbroken passage to the target tunnel, although it¡¯s narrowed at one point by what I guess is debris. Tia exhaled in relief and nodded, quickly passing the information on to the others. She focused on the picture Ida was drawing for them in the psychic link, examining the layout of the tunnels and the results of their efforts. It should all work out. The operation is a go, Tim told everyone over the psychic link. Start in three, two, one ¡­ go, go, go in! On cue, the War Drones Tia was using as mobile reconnaissance started moving. They were some of the first, but a quick check in the psychic link showed the wave of War Drones coming just behind them. Tim had put older, higher-level ones in front, and Chase and a few other sapient Swarm Drones were also pretty far ahead compared to the Warriors. This was one location where smaller size would come in handy, in addition to the Skills they tended to get to empower their other Swarm Drones. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Tia watched them head into the rocks, bouncing on her feet impatiently for her own turn to head in. It was cramped, dark and the air choked with dust, the footing so uneven she was glad they could go on all fours. There had been no gnomish sentries, but it didn¡¯t take long for the first drones to encounter hostiles, who were clearly on their way to check out the origin of the explosions. A few single gnomes came first, probably scouts running to the potential threat, and were quickly overwhelmed by groups of drones. Then, just as they started getting into the broader tunnels, came full units of gnomes. Tia started pacing, glancing around her. If she hadn¡¯t known where the other drones were, she would have had a hard time making them out. As it was, though, she knew their hiding spots and assembly points, and even without the psychic link, it was obvious that the forces waiting out here had been seriously reduced. Many of them were now in the tunnels, advancing on where they believed the nearest gnomish checkpoints to be. They were on the clock, now, and they intended to get as far into the gnomes¡¯ networks as they could before they were stopped, or the enemy tried to pry them out again. ¡°Tia?¡± Tim asked. ¡°You ready?¡± She glanced at him and nodded, suppressing the excited smile on her face. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go.¡± They took a few other drones with them, of course, as an escort, but the tight confines of the tunnels limited the size of any group. Tia didn¡¯t mind. One of the older War Drones was carrying a shuttered lamp for them, the light inconsistent and bouncing all around the place, but enough for her to see their surroundings. She walked carefully, telling herself that hurrying too much would just lead to a broken ankle. The beginning, just as they entered the tunnels bitten into the rock, was the worst part, going downhill. After that, the tunnel leveled off a bit. The two of them had to slow down around the point where they emerged into the main gnomish passageway, the scattered rock and detritus too much of a hindrance. There were a few drones here, staying behind to watch the intersection, who were also working to remove it and clear the way. Tia helped with a use of her own Excavation Skill in passing, but didn¡¯t stop. She hurried to catch up to Tim, who to her annoyance was a bit more sure-footed, and then went further into the tunnels, checking on the other drones here occasionally over the psychic link. One main entrance wasn¡¯t going to be enough, but it wasn¡¯t going to need to be for long. Tia hurried after Tim, carefully making sure to keep a good distance between them and the other drones positioned to secure their backs without impeding them. She had some experience with it by now, even if this was the first time she¡¯d gone this far into gnomish tunnels. The Hive had made a few forays into them in the last part of this war, but they¡¯d never gone very deep. She was curious to see what had changed. She didn¡¯t have to wait long for the opportunity. The others were progressing pretty well and they¡¯d planned well enough that she never really got close to any combat. The drones cleared the path ahead aptly. But it still didn¡¯t take long, walking at a good pace, to reach the first major intersection and then the first outpost the gnomes had erected here. More of a camp, really. They were currently a bit further south than the first city they¡¯d seen, where the gnomes had turned on the Hive, and deeper in the mountains. This settlement, and she thought it deserved the name, wasn¡¯t nestled in a valley and partly open to the air like that city, but entirely underground. She suspected they¡¯d repurposed an existing cave; the passage leading further west definitely indicated as much. There were a few buildings, made of brick rather than wood, but it was mostly open. She guessed they didn¡¯t have to worry about rain down here. Two tunnels led away from the cavern, while the passage she¡¯d just seen was scouted by a few other drones. Tia stepped inside more slowly, turning around and examining the place. It was interesting from a structural point of view, with a kind of upper tier in the walls of the cave wall, and a small waterfall in one corner, trickling into what looked like siltier ground and disappearing into deeper layers. It could help support their drones, although it wouldn¡¯t be enough to water all of them if they wanted to place a large force here. There would be enough space for such a base, though, if they squeezed a bit. And more importantly, space for other endeavors, too, she thought. ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± Tim asked, stepping up beside her and slipping an arm around her shoulder. Tia absentmindedly tickled him with a work-limb (not that he¡¯d feel it much through the shell) and smiled as she looked around. ¡°Oh, this will do quite well.¡± Tim grumbled and tugged her closer to him for a moment, she dodged his hand at her head, and then he let go and stepped away. ¡°Do you have everything you need?¡± he asked more seriously. Tia looked around again and nodded. It should be safe, bring in everything, she told the others over the psychic link. While they waited, she examined their surroundings again, checking in with the Scouts and Warriors leading the units currently positioned around them, just to be sure. It was still secure. The fighting was picking up some distance away, but she reminded herself not to concern herself too much with that; it wasn¡¯t her job. ¡°It¡¯s getting more heated,¡± Tim murmured. ¡°I¡¯m going to focus on the battle for a bit, okay?¡± ¡°Give them hell, kick their short gnomish asses,¡± she absentmindedly encouraged. Tim snorted and moved a few steps away, so he¡¯d be out of the way, then went still as she could tell he focused entirely on the psychic link. She concentrated on the battle again herself for a moment, then let out a relieved breath as she realized they were winning. Tim was clearly coordinating the movement of several units through a few adjacent tunnels they¡¯d found, encircling a larger unit of gnomes, at least a few hundred relatively high-level soldiers. They probably weren¡¯t the only reinforcements sent, but they¡¯d be the biggest threat. Then she noticed the first War Drones coming in carrying a few wooden barrels and she tore her attention away, smiling as she hurried over to the entrance, already considering the best placements, including for the next few loads of supplies they¡¯d get. They¡¯d need mages to conjure some water, but if they decided to go with that, she could probably turn one side of this cave into a reservoir, which would help. The Hive had several choices, and they¡¯d agreed to keep their options open; how the gnomes reacted to this attack would inform their reactions as well. Flooding the tunnels was obvious. It probably wouldn¡¯t be decisive in a world with magic and the System, there would be magic and Skills for holding one¡¯s breath for extended periods of time or even breathing water, but it should stop a full-on assault from the gnomes. They could also use gas, or add one of several possible ¡®supplements¡¯ to the water. Tia was kind of curious, in an academic way, to see the result of that. Even if it would be unpleasant to be on the receiving end. If they managed to flood the cities ¡­ well, Regina wouldn¡¯t go for that. She frowned on genocide or excessive civilian casualties, and Tia agreed. Still, it was something Tia put on her list to prepare for, just in case. Figuring out the gnomes¡¯ countermeasures and how to circumvent them would be fun, but she could use it for other means as well. What did it say about her that she was kinda excited to prosecute this war again, Tia wondered? Interlude: Civil War VII Nicholas Lyns, marquis of the same name, at present, and soon to be crowned king, considered himself no one¡¯s fool. He could not have come as far as he had if he was. Still, he was compelled to admit, if only to himself, that bringing his country back from the brink of ruin where it currently seemed to be teetering into the prosperity he wanted for it might take brilliance of a kind he did not possess. The war had been waged for too long, too many soldiers killed and too many men with other skills conscripted or enlisted for money, the trade routes disrupted too strongly and the influence of foreigners risen too much for it to be a simple task. He stood close to winning the war, but it seemed the closer he got to being finally crowned king the more he realized it would not be the end, far from it. It would have been enough to make him wish for better terms with his daughter, if nothing else was. Kiara clearly had an eye for this, even if the way she went about it was worrying. But they were not, he had to admit, truly in a position where he could simply ask for her help in this without ulterior motives. It irritated him, that he could not simply take his daughter¡¯s advice - who he had, after all, trained as his heir for years - for granted. But she would not guilelessly support the man who, in the end, planned to depose her for his son, he realized that, and she had never been stupid. The more information he gave her, the more she could use for her own benefit, and he disliked the thought of exposing his weaknesses. For the hundredth time, he asked himself if he was truly doing the right thing. But even if I accept a female heir, even when I have a son, that does not mean everyone will. Most lords never would, after all. Mother learned that, to her chagrin and bitterness. Better not to give her false hope now and widen the break then. Besides, she¡¯s already too rebellious, too insubordinate ¡­ and there are her ties to the Hive. He could not, would not simply hand Cernlia over to those nonhumans, however civilized they might be, and he feared for what Kiara might do if she was in a position to do it. At present, he snapped shut the ledger he was currently looking at after thinking about the issue for a minute, then leaned back in his chair, tried to loosen his shoulders, and stood. The Kiara situation, especially the Hive¡¯s interest, was certainly an ongoing issue, but he was not going to find a solution to it by staring at books in his office. At least Bluegrass and the others were still as reliable as always in preparing their next offensive. It was, in actuality, more journeying into the east of the country, with very little organized resistance to be found. Or resistance at all, he hoped. By now, everyone seemed to have realized he was the next king. The thought let him smile, and as they often did these days his thoughts drifted to his coronation. They had set a tentative date yesterday, and he was looking forward to it. At the end of this route, the army would go back to the capital, where he could finally be properly made king. It would be good to get rid of this uncertainty and ambiguity. Although he¡¯d have to make a final decision on the name soon. In a way, it amused him that he hadn¡¯t been able to decide whether to call himself Nicholas the Third or Nicholas the Fourth yet. The Fourth would legitimize his predecessor, who was obviously an actual king even if he was a bastard in character, but it might make trouble with those who were sticklers for the rules with his claim. After all, he¡¯d rebelled against a proper king. Calling himself the Third and ignoring his cousin¡¯s reign would appear very disrespectful and most likely annoy a lot more people, however. He¡¯d probably have to choose the former option. Instead of worrying further about the depleted coffers propped up only by the Hive¡¯s gold, or the rising unrest that came of mercenaries leaving now that the war was ending and then being out of work, he focused on planning the coronation for a while. It wouldn¡¯t do to be too traditional or too modern. He¡¯d probably have to have that dunce Cern play a role, but he could minimize it. No specific invocation of the gods, just a general blessing; if even half of what he¡¯d picked up from the Hive Queen and her circle was true, he was best served staying as far away as possible from that potential wildfire. Not that he minded, Nicholas Lyns had always been a less than entirely devout man. He¡¯d had hopes, before, that he might actually wrangle an alliance with the Delvers, but now it appeared they preferred the Hivekind girl-queen. Well, maybe June would actually manage to forge a connection there. He frowned at the thought. He¡¯d have to be very careful about asking for his wife and children back, but he did want Florance with him when he was crowned. And the sooner he got them back into the safety provided by his own men, the better. Any moment one of his heirs was in foreign, nonhuman, hands was a humiliation. If he hadn¡¯t been desperate for help when he made the agreement ¡­ The thought carried him through the next few hours, when he finally let his ledgers rest and instead met with several ambassadors and assorted diplomats. The Esemen had been particularly present lately, making a show of being pleasant, but they were not the only ones. He liked the reminder that his was starting to be seen as the legitimate court of Cernlia, as the obvious address for political matters with no other contenders. Quite a few men hesitantly tried to broker trade deals for the future as if they were entirely assured he would be able to hold to and implement them. And why not? I will, after all. Cernlia could use it. The rise in levels following a war, he knew, would generally act as a small boost to a country¡¯s fortunes in the aftermath, allowing some feats that would have previously been out of reach or too costly, and often resulted in an increase in their merchant traffic as a consequence. Mobility Skills were not only useful in war, as was the ability to fight monsters or shape the terrain. It was a reassurance for his concerns, even if he knew the effect would not be enough, not by itself. Eventually, he did what he had known he would not be able to avoid. Several of the assembled lords and envoys he had seen had already sent questioning looks around the manor and its surroundings, and there was little reasonable justification to not simply increase the security measures if there was a genuine concern. So, he sent several of his knights he was confident remained loyal to impress on her the need for discretion, and quiet composure. He knew she was at least able to play the demure young lady. When Kiara finally arrived, after what felt like far too long a wait, she at least appeared to have taken it to heart. She still wore loose trousers and a tunic instead of a dress, but it had almost become her signature now and she looked vaguely martial, prepared for the war that was still being fought, which was an acceptable impression to cultivate. Her hair had been done nicely and she wore some jewelry, a few rings glittering on her fingers, a bracelet of electrum and a necklace set with a precious stone which he had only seen once before. It gave the understated impression of wealth, denying the actual state of his coffers, and for that, he approved. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Father,¡± she said quietly, curtseying as she joined him, her head lowered, not meeting his gaze. ¡°Kiara,¡± he responded softly, then held out his arm. She took it without visible hesitation and they turned to face their guests. It was not an official party, which would have been tasteless to hold at this moment, but it was not too far off. Lords and ladies from his following mingled with foreign ones, and even a few wealthier merchants. He had been in one place long enough now for something approaching a court to gather around him, and many would remain even when the army resumed its march on the campaign tomorrow. As they started to work the room, he noted the speculative glances thrown their way, the people watching him with his daughter. He kept her hand firmly anchored and proceeded to smile and exchange pleasantries with his guests, pretending to be charmed and proud when they complimented her. Kiara played her role well, letting him take the lead and following his conversational cues. If he didn¡¯t know better, he might have thought she was trying to get back into his good graces. It was hard to tell what she was thinking under her pleasant mask. She would make a good princess, he had to begrudgingly admit. But still, she was clearly not entirely focused on the conversations, a fact that became clear when her focus did sharpen, after half an hour of making slow rounds of the gathering. She obviously paid attention to the Esemen ambassadors; he supposed she might be slightly dismayed there were so many, and that they had what appeared to be an honored position. After all, the Esemen had invaded not just Nerlia but also Cernlia, even if it had not affected him (or her) very much. He wondered if the Hive might carry a grudge. The year-long truce the Hive Queen had negotiated for all of them certainly came in handy, and it was not the Esemen who would profit the most from it. His position would also only get stronger, of course. And he saw no reason to carry a grudge, not over something that barely happened, not when the relationship to this country ¡ª any outside the Hive, really ¡ª could be so crucial. As such, he made a special effort to be kind and charming to the Esemen ambassador, and made sure Kiara knew to do the same. She seemed a little reluctant, but was at least pleasantly polite to the men. She even asked after the health of her former intended, which he had to make an effort not to smile about. Instead, he attempted to gently guide the conversation to linger on this topic. Eventually, the evening wound down. It had been rather stressful. While he could not keep Kiara on his arm all the time, he did attempt to keep an eye on her as much as he could. She was always within reach of at least one of his more reliable supporters, which he knew the shrewder among the guests had not missed, but there was nothing for it. She did meet and talk to several men he knew would count among her supporters, but there was nothing to be done about that, either. He could hardly keep Duke Bluegrass from speaking with his soon-to-be princess. The duke was already becoming less tractable, but his stature and almost impeccable reputation among the other lords ensured Lyns could not simply shuffle him aside. As soon as most of the guests left, he stepped up to his daughter, took her arm again and led her to the door. Instead of trying to balk at it, which he had almost expected, Kiara seemed eager. She managed to almost pull him into a side chamber, where she turned to face him with a smile that looked only slightly forced. ¡°I take it you have something you want to discuss with me,¡± he said drily, not suppressing the amusement that leaked into his words. ¡°You could say that, Father,¡± she answered with a quick smile. Then it faded and a serious, almost solemn look took its place. ¡°I wanted to ask you about the food shipments for the refugees seeking shelter from the war. I realize there are less of them to take care of now, but winter is approaching and the granaries are empty.¡± She hesitated. ¡°I heard the supplies were not given out any longer.¡± He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. I should have known it would be this. ¡°Yes, unfortunately,¡± he said, not bothering to deny it or play word games. ¡°As you pointed out, the granaries are almost empty and we have to institute and increase rationing.¡± ¡°But surely something can still be done?¡± she pressed. ¡°The Hive is still sending food, isn¡¯t it? People still have private stores as well. Not everything was looted by the soldiers, far from it.¡± ¡°We do have an army to feed, in case you missed it, Kiara. It will already be difficult to give them full rations until the next harvest, and our soldiers need to be fully fit to wage war.¡± She frowned deeply. ¡°They are our citizens, Father. We have a responsibility to care for them. We cannot let them starve, no matter what our predecessors might have done. Surely we can spare some resources, task some of the mages and specialists in the army to increase crop yield, or ask to buy more from the Hive and our other neighbors.¡± ¡°We are already importing all that I am comfortable with,¡± he answered, irritated. ¡°And the shopkeepers and shepherds are not helping us fight the war and bring peace to Cernlia.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve as good as won the war, Father! The army is more than strong enough to mop up what¡¯s left. We could easily split it into smaller detachments to help with logistics. Besides, it¡¯s the common people who are the backbone of Cernlia¡¯s economy, and if we ever want to get out of the current crisis, they need to be able to live and work without going hungry.¡± ¡°They will, and if a few go hungry it is a price we will be forced to pay. The soldiers are the priority. The peasants know to look after themselves.¡± ¡°Father, I cannot countenance this,¡± Kiara said, narrowing her eyes. He resisted the sudden urge to slap her. ¡°It is not your place to countenance anything I do, Kiara,¡± he said sternly. ¡°I am your father. You will follow my orders and not question me.¡± ¡°Or what, you¡¯ll do away with me too?¡± she muttered, eyes sliding away from him to the side. He clenched his teeth. ¡°Do not speak nonsense,¡± he grit out. She glanced up at him again, meeting his eyes, and he knew his words did not sound as strong as he wished. ¡°What about today, then?¡± she asked, suddenly changing the subject. ¡°Was there a reason you pushed me to make nice with all those Esemen lords who suddenly appeared at your new court?¡± He sighed and gave in to the temptation to rub the bridge of his nose again. ¡°They¡¯re valued guests, despite recent unpleasantness. We can hardly afford more enemies.¡± She cocked her head. ¡°You can¡¯t still be hanging on to the betrothal?¡± His teeth ground together again. He knew he should leave it, should not have this conversation right now. But she had riled him, gotten under his skin. ¡°Your future marriage is also mine to arrange to make sure you are cared for,¡± he said evenly. ¡°The younger Esemen prince has renewed his proposal, and he makes a most impressive suitor. The High Shaman has already commissioned an Architect to build a summer estate for you as a gift for the wedding.¡± ¡°In Esemen? You want to send me away?!¡± ¡°If you marry the prince, you will go to join your husband, of course.¡± She stared at him. Of all things, he read betrayal in her eyes, almost as strongly as when they¡¯d argued over the food issue. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it ¡ª¡° she whispered. ¡°You only need to do as you are told,¡± he interrupted, letting his annoyance get the better of him again. ¡°You will be escorted to your rooms and held under guard until it is time for you to do your duty.¡± Kiara did not say anything after that. He hoped she was coming to terms with it and would learn to acquiesce to his will. Interlude: Civil War VIII Kiara Lyns cursed herself for a fool and berated herself for having expected better. She should have known it would not have come as she¡¯d hoped, that she had not come far enough. She paced lines into the wooden floor and thin carpet of her room, then threw an empty inkwell at the wall and then took off the necklace she had been wearing and threw it onto the bed. Then she picked it up, gingerly, and stowed it safely in her jewelry box. She might miss it; it had been a gift. I wish Janis was here, she thought, surprising herself. It was the first thought she had that wasn¡¯t tinged by anger or bitterness. Just a touch of sadness. She was not going to marry some prancing Esemen boy prince, she swore to herself. Not ever, and especially not when she had Janis waiting for her. She supposed, if she set her anger aside for a moment, that it was a good thing her father wanted to marry her away instead of removing her by another means, more permanently. At least their relationship had not quite deteriorated to that level. Assuming it stayed like this, at least; she couldn¡¯t rule out that he wouldn¡¯t change his mind, that something her supporters did or just his own thoughts wouldn¡¯t push him to take a step further, to be sure. Either way, she didn¡¯t think she was safe here. And if something happened to her, what would become of June? She¡¯d be the new threat, the long-hoped-for prince¡¯s older sister. And June was with the Hive, when it was evident her father didn¡¯t like their ¡®influence¡¯. Kiara snorted, running a hand through her hair. Independence was all well and good, but he was chasing it like a storybook firefly leading him into the swamp. June had told her what Regina had said, and even if Kiara had misgivings, she knew her sister made a good point. If her people were happier, did ink on maps and symbols on banners matter? If her people were happy, did her own goals matter in comparison? She paused at the thought. Her father clearly did not care for his people¡¯s well-being as his priority. She¡¯d hoped and denied it, but now the scales had been ripped from her eyes; his first guiding star was his own ambition. He didn¡¯t want to risk the war in favor of their health and hunger ¡ª no, actually, he didn¡¯t want to draw out his war, or risk doing so, because he wanted a triumphant conquest, a quick coronation. There was a question staring Kiara in the face that she¡¯d diligently avoided seeing since the start of all this. Was her father, Marquis Nicholas Lyns, truly the best person for the throne? It had been easier when they were fighting King Nicholas, who everyone knew was a bit of a tyrant and even less concerned with the average peasant¡¯s wellbeing. Now, though ¡­ She supposed it was a good thing if self-interest and moral compunctions pointed in the same direction. No, self-preservation, even. Her thoughts continued to run in circles until she finally changed her clothes, checking as always that she wasn¡¯t being watched by mundane or other means, and fell into bed. She thought it would take her hours to fall asleep, but the stress and emotional exhaustion had tired her out; she was asleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes. Kiara woke up early the next day. She felt surprisingly refreshed, despite the early hour. Not that she had a clock or a Skill for telling time, but the sunlight just barely beginning to shine through the window to the east made it evident. She indulged in lying in bed for another minute, before she stood up and picked out her clothes for the day, starting her morning ablutions. She didn¡¯t spend as much effort on it as she might have on other days, not simply because her store of cosmetics was running low, but she did take care to make herself presentable. Hopefully, it would be needed, if all went according to plan. After that, Kiara spent a portion of her day which was probably too high pacing around the room again. Once, she was almost certain she heard the sounds of fighting drifting in through the window. By the time she had managed to get it unlatched (it was getting too cold to keep windows open), though, they had already faded into the general bustle of the army encamped around her. It was supposed to move out today, but evidently her father had decided to push it back, using that time, or the preparations, for other ends. She judged it was almost lunchtime when the general boredom was finally broken. Kiara started as she felt what sounded like a knock, although she realized a moment later that something was off. She cocked her head, frowning, and listened hard. It was like it hadn¡¯t truly sounded from outside the room? Then the sound came again, a bit more strongly, and this time she realized it did not sound like a sound, for lack of a better term. She might not know how to describe it, but it did feel faintly familiar, tickling something at the edge of her memory. On instinct, she tried to cast her mind out, and as she did, it was as if she relaxed something that had been tightly wound in on itself. Lady Kiara? she heard a voice without hearing it; only in her mind, she recognized after a moment of confusion. They were thoughts more than spoken words. Madris the Delver? she asked, recognizing her. Yes, it is I, the dark elf agreed. Now that Kiara was receiving more information, presumably from a closer connection, her mental voice was clear and distinct, and strange in a way she would not have expected from anyone she knew personally. There was a weight to it, or the impression of one, although she was unsure whether it was a weight of experience or the sign of a strong mind. Have you contacted me on Regina¡¯s orders? she asked the Delver, trying to contain her excitement. In a way. The Hive Queen did tell me to come here and ascertain the situation, to gather information and give her my impression. I do not think I was intended as a primary point of contact, however. Still, speaking to you is easy enough; and please do try not to let on that it is happening, in case you are being watched. Understood. Kiara made an extra effort to keep her face expressionless. Why are you speaking to me now, then? Why today? She heard a mental sigh, and something in Madris¡¯ presence sharpened. Because your father has started to suppress your followers. He¡¯s tightening his grip and I am fairly sure he is trying to consolidate power in this army. Which is supposed to move out tomorrow, by the way. Kiara bit down on the urge to curse loudly. He¡¯s trying to rip out my power base, isn¡¯t he? In preparation for sending me away, or worse. How bad is it? Well, your stronger allies like Duke Bluegrass should be safe enough, but I would not be surprised if there are a few cases like that unfortunate knight among your weaker followers, or their key people. Kiara stood up and started to pace again, trying to work off some of her energy. That really did not sound good. She was grateful for the warning, but she hated that she was stuck in here and had to rely on Madris¡¯ goodwill to get the news at all. Can you give me details of what you¡¯ve seen or heard? she asked. Madris obliged, and over the next ten minutes, they ran through a list of people Kiara considered to be her political allies, or people who had wanted to be, and what the marquis was doing and appeared to be planning. He¡¯d held several meetings today already, and more of his handpicked men had been stationed in key areas of the army¡¯s encampment, as well as the town they were using as a base. It did sound like Madris was right, she concluded. And this is after yesterday, she thought to herself. Did my obvious negative reaction cause him to try and make sure of things, or was he planning something like this already? And what about the effects on his precious war? This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Most likely, he did have plans in the works already, Madris commented. Kiara started as she realized the Delver must have been able to read her previous thought. I apologize, I did not mean to pry. If I may offer a last bit of advice, though, I do not think you are safe here. Madris paused. I¡¯ll keep an eye out. Kiara nodded, then sighed and slumped a little as she felt the dark elf¡¯s mind withdraw. She paced back and forth for a minute, gathering her nerve. She took the last chance to consider what she was doing, but found that she could not turn back. It might be risky; she didn¡¯t care. It might even make things worse for her allies that remained if she escaped now, but she had to believe that in the long term, it would be for the best, for all of them. Then she stepped over to the window and carefully levered it open. She felt the prickle of the ward line against her skin, evidence of the wards her father had had one of his mages place there. Unfortunately for him, she was not just any Arcane Knight, and her magical senses were at least as sharp as whoever he had ordered to do it. And sensing, as always, was the first step in bending it to her will. Knowledge is power, she thought, activating the trickiest and most powerful of her Skills, a rare one she had never seen from anyone else. She hadn¡¯t even told her father about it, letting him believe she had simply gotten a Skill to help her sense and manipulate magic she had cast previously. In truth, it wasn¡¯t as limited as that. It took ten minutes of focused work. Kiara gritted her teeth and had to wipe drops of sweat out of her eyes at the end. But she succeeded. She had managed to open a hole in the wards and sensors the Mage had placed around her residence, and she was confident she had managed it without alerting him or anyone else to the security breach. She quickly climbed out the window, moving before she could second-guess herself. Hanging on to the windowsill, she drew on a bit of magic as she looked down. She was at least five meters off the ground, but with a bit of air magic the fall shouldn¡¯t be too bad. She sent a gust of wind, since without a Spell from the System there wasn¡¯t much more she could do, and let go. Right then, a sharp pain bloomed from her shoulder. Kiara bit down on a scream, tasting blood on her tongue. She twisted in the air and fell to the ground with a thud, her knees buckling under her. She barely managed to roll to the left to disperse her momentum, her left arm shooting forward to bleed it off, but the pain in her shoulder still redoubled and it felt like something scraped against her bone. Blinking against the glare of the light, she saw a piece of wood sticking out of her right shoulder, which was already soaking her tunic with blood. An arrow. Someone had shot her. She flinched upwards and glanced around, but wherever the archer had been, she couldn¡¯t see him from here. Father must have had someone hidden watching my window. She didn¡¯t stop to think about it, just pushed herself up and staggered forward, moving as quickly as she could around the corner of the building and into the mouth of the alley leading off it. The world swayed around her - probably the blood loss - but she forced herself to continue. They actually shot me. A few centimeters to the side and this could¡¯ve killed me. Kiara was just about to lean against the house wall when she staggered to a stop, blinking again. A Hive drone was waiting for her. War Drone Mount, the System informed her ¡ª she hadn¡¯t known there was such a Class ¡ª and a higher level than her. While she stared, the drone approached her. She hissed in pain as it bumped into her, but held on to it, her fingers scrambling and hooking into small protrusions and grooves that seemed to be made for it. She pulled herself up and it hooked its extra limb under her legs to keep them in place. Then they were off. Kiara forced herself to keep her eyes open and mark the route they took through the encamped army, despite the pain and dizziness. Clearly, whoever controlled the drone tried to avoid the widest and most obvious paths and used a circuitous route. Soon enough, though, they approached a part of the camp she¡¯d been in before. Kiara closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, they were inside, and the drone came to a stop. Several sapient drones were right there and heaved her down from the mount. ¡°Via?¡± she asked, recognizing their leader. ¡°I -¡° ¡°Ssh,¡± Via interrupted her, then laid a hand on her arm, near the wound, while the others carried her inside. Somehow, they managed to do it in perfect coordination without getting in her way. ¡°I¡¯ll heal you as best I can.¡± And she did. The others, who she recognized as two other healers the Hive Queen had sent to help the army, laid her down on some sort of cot, and Via pulled out the arrow. She¡¯d already started the healing, so it barely hurt. Kiara watched the interplay of her magic keenly. She knew it had to be the Spell Heal or Greater Heal, but the way Via applied it was interesting. Finally, Via removed her hand and Kiara exhaled a deep breath in relief. The pain was gone, and she could see the wound had entirely disappeared, replaced by smooth skin. She still felt a bit woozy, likely due to the blood loss, which she understood was a hard issue to heal. But it was much better than before. ¡°I thank you for the help,¡± she said, giving Via a tentative smile. The Hivekind healer returned it, but she quickly turned around, going to the back entrance of what she now recognized as a large tent the Hive had erected. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± She seemed distracted. The other two had already left. ¡°Is something else happening?¡± Kiara asked, a bit anxiously. Via sighed and turned her head to meet her gaze, even as she started pulling back a flap of the tent. ¡°They will be looking for you here soon,¡± she said. ¡°It appears your father is already scrambling his men to start the search. You can¡¯t stay here.¡± Kiara clenched her teeth. ¡°Of course, I understand.¡± ¡°Come on.¡± In a split second, Via was back at Kiara¡¯s side and pulled her to her feet with surprising strength. She maneuvered her through the bare room and out of the tent. Kiara bit down on any questions as she saw what waited outside. Instead, she looked wide-eyed at the drone crouched near the tent, in the bare open space behind it. A Winged Drone Mount. Those she¡¯d seen before. ¡°It won¡¯t hurt you and it¡¯ll follow your lead, although I recommend you just let it fly as it¡¯s directed to. Now come on, let¡¯s get you up.¡± Kiara nodded and carefully climbed onto the drone, not protesting when Via grabbed her again and pushed her onto its back. She had other worries than potential indignity. Once she was settled, Kiara carefully stretched out her legs and wrapped her hands in the leather straps someone had thoughtfully already set up. Before she had the time to ask Via further questions or respond to her simple ¡°Good luck¡±, the drone crouched down lower and then jumped into the air. Kiara¡¯s grip tightened and she gritted her teeth to not let out any sounds. Then she relaxed into the sensation of the wind playing in her hair and carefully leaned a little to the side to watch the town disappear beneath her as the landscape seemed to shrink. She¡¯d always liked flying, even though she rarely got the opportunity for it. As the drone turned to head west, she closed her eyes and slumped forward on its back, huddling into the remains of her tunic ¡ª the large hole did not make the cold easier to bear ¡ª and tried to conserve her warmth. Her thoughts raced, going over everything that happened. She tried not to dwell on what else she might have done. It¡¯s useless now, and Father was never going to give me much of a choice. She hated to admit it, but the arrow had shaken her. She¡¯d come closer to death before, but not from someone who should have been an ally. At least they appeared to be alone in the sky. Kiara squinted and swept the blue expanse with her eyes, but she saw few other fliers and those simply seemed to be birds. The Hive must have managed to cover her escape and make her appear unremarkable, she supposed. Shortly, the sun disappeared behind a growing bank of clouds to the west, making it difficult to gauge the passage of time. But after they had flown for some time, the drone started to slow down and lose altitude. Kiara blew on her fingers, relieved the trip seemed to be over. She glanced down. It took her a second to recognize Forest¡¯s Haunt. The village had gained quite a few plants and there was another collection of buildings rising out of the ground just beside it. It was this complex her ride appeared to aim for. She held on as it suddenly dropped much more quickly. Spreading its wings to cushion her impact, it set to the ground in a small yard, which was filling with a crowd of people, mostly Hivekind. A small group waited for them just by where her mount landed. Kiara slid down the side and stumbled to a stop, then let her legs give in to their demand and sank to one knee. She looked up at the person standing in front of her, set apart from the rest despite being Hivekind, too. There were others to the side and behind her, but only she mattered to her right now. ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± Kiara rasped, ¡°I beg sanctuary.¡± Regina regarded her intently, her eyes seeming to pierce right into her mind. Then she slowly nodded and smiled slightly. ¡°Kiara Lyns. You are granted asylum with the Starlit Hive and sanctuary under my personal protection.¡± Kiara closed her eyes for a moment in relief, slumping forward further. Regina caught her and lifted her to her feet again. ¡°Now let¡¯s get you warmed up and let me heal you fully, Kiara.¡± Chapter 233: Intentions When Regina met Kiara again after her rather dramatic arrival, the young woman was obviously calmer and had collected herself, a polite mask stuck over her features that hid her real feelings from the world. Her mind itself was not quite as good, and Regina caught hints of her thoughts even without focusing entirely on it. Kiara had clearly been more than a little rattled by what had happened, which Regina supposed made sense. She¡¯d come rather close to death ¡ª if she¡¯d fallen out the window the wrong way, there might not have been anything Via could do ¡ª and she¡¯d just had to leave behind her entire support base. Clearly, Kiara was considering whether that had been the right move or if she¡¯d simply panicked. From what Regina had heard, that might be the case, but it wasn¡¯t the wrong choice. Lyns was clearly determined to suppress Kiara¡¯s supporters and not afraid to use violence. If she had stayed there, it would have been hell trying to hide her, and most likely have come to a fight between her and Lyns¡¯ soldiers, where she easily could have been further hurt. At least this way her allies could be sure she was safe. Regina had already told Via to carefully pass the word that Kiara was well, and Madris was still in position, too, gathering information and occasionally deigning to pass a message. She still hoped this wouldn¡¯t completely destroy her alliance with Lyns¡¯ rebels, but considering what had happened, Regina knew the chances weren¡¯t good. ¡°Thank you for taking me in, Your Majesty,¡± Kiara told her with a small smile, visibly more relaxed. ¡°No problem at all, I meant what I said,¡± Regina responded. ¡°And please, no need for formality. Are you doing alright, Kiara?¡± They were in one of the upper rooms of the base, where the drones had quickly readied space for Kiara. Close to where they¡¯d prepared rooms for Florance and June. Regina knew Kiara hadn¡¯t seen either yet, especially since June was still in Nerlia at the moment. But she¡¯d go to Florance right after this, if she had anything to say about it. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m much better, thanks to you.¡± Regina gave her a look, but decided not to press the point. ¡°Alright. June will be very happy to meet you. I¡¯m sure Florance is already worried. It¡¯s not my decision, but I¡¯d advise you to be honest with her. And ¡ª¡° ¡°Promise to ensure my baby brother¡¯s safety?¡± Kiara said drily. Regina smiled wrily. ¡°Might be a good idea. I will definitely assure both of you of the same. None of your family needs to die, and you certainly shouldn¡¯t be killing each other.¡± Kiara¡¯s expression darkened, evidently thinking of her father. But she only nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do that. Is there anything else I should know?¡± For the next few minutes, they talked about her mother and little sister, with Regina reporting about their respective health. Fortunately, they were both doing quite well. June was almost good enough to cast the healing spells she needed entirely on her own by now, and except for a few odd cravings and the occasional bout of sickness, Florance¡¯s pregnancy was progressing well. Regina thought she was past the dangerous timeframe and told Kiara as much. Still, Kiara was clearly eager to meet them, and Regina excused her to go visit her mother quickly. She seemed a bit more formal since she¡¯d asked for asylum here, probably still just settling into the new circumstances. Regina watched her go and smiled to herself before she turned to head back, and reached out through the psychic link. Janis, your girlfriend seems to be doing pretty well now, all things considered. She¡¯s not my girlfriend, Janis replied. But thank you, Regina, that¡¯s good to know. Not yet, but you want her to be, don¡¯t you? Janis was silent for a second. She felt embarrassed, though that was mostly just because she knew Regina could sense her emotions and surface thoughts and thus knew exactly how she felt. Regina didn¡¯t even have to go looking for it. Yes, I do, she admitted. You don¡¯t have a problem with that, do you? Not at all, Regina assured her. You¡¯ll need to convince Kiara, of course, which might be a bit more of a challenge, but something tells me she¡¯ll come around. That feeling is pretty unmistakable. Regina! Janis laughed. You¡¯re incorrigible. But despite her playfully chiding tone over the psychic link, Regina could tell that Janis was relieved. Even if she objectively already knew, getting confirmation that her beloved returned her feelings was nice. Make sure you at least have the others ready to take over for you before you hurry home, Regina teased her. I will. I¡¯m already talking to them, and I¡¯ll be home soon. Regina smiled as she left Janis to her preparations. She didn¡¯t mind. While Janis was currently doing a good job in Nerlia, the others, especially Marianne Neralt and the Nerlian collaborators, had things well in hand. Besides, Regina liked having Janis around too, and Kiara could use the support. With a sigh, Regina turned her attention away from the two young lovers ¡ª she¡¯d need to think of another term, she felt old just thinking that ¡ª and to something else. A matter she had been putting off a little, because she knew it would mean more headaches. Ben, she called, and after a moment opened it to Max and Tim as well. The Hive¡¯s upper military leadership, in a sense. My Queen. I assume we¡¯re to discuss a reorientation of our forces and strategic objectives? Ben asked, not beating around the bush. For a war with Cernlia? Max added. Regina leaned back in her seat, glancing at where he stood near the door to her bedroom like usual, and ran a hand through her hair. I want you to draw up plans, see how you can redistribute our troops. I don¡¯t want the war effort against the gnomes to suffer, but we need to be prepared for fighting on another front. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Well, Tim said, someone already positioned our combined force with the Delvers at a strategically advantageous position. Regina smiled slightly. That had been in the back of her mind when she¡¯d chosen the location for their exercises and new exchange hub. Can we do it? she asked. Assuming we do need to fight Cernlia, or rather Lyns¡¯ forces. To be clear, I¡¯m expecting at least some of the lords currently supporting him to be on our side in such a case. But could we fight them all if we needed to? The others exchanged a quick assessment over the psychic link, more of a feeling than real thoughts, the equivalent of a meaningful look. Yes, Ben finally answered, but not easily. We still have too many other commitments. We need to keep troops and especially sapient drones in our new territories and to keep the Nerlians in line, and taking soldiers from the war against the gnomes just now would be a mistake. It would be better, Tim started hesitantly, if we could surprise them. Rather than a conventional field battle. Regina felt the others agree. Unless you want to just bomb them, but I know you don¡¯t want that, Ben added. Regina considered what they¡¯d said. She knew the element of surprise could be powerful, and so far, she hadn¡¯t actually cut Lyns loose. She was a bit hesitant at the idea of attacking first. On the other hand, if they needed to, it would be good to know they could do it. We¡¯ll make plans, Tim concluded. It¡¯s probably best if we bring the others in and walk through several scenarios, so we can make contingency plans. I¡¯ll talk to Via and the Keepers so we can get better information on what we might face, and what we might have to work with. If we can get more info from Kiara on who we might get as allies, that would be even better. I¡¯m a little hesitant to broach the subject with her right now, Regina admitted. Besides, this is just contingency planning, so far. I¡¯d kinda prefer not to fight Cernlia if we don¡¯t have to. We¡¯re getting a reputation as aggressive expansionists fighting all the human kingdoms, otherwise. Anyway, on that topic, what about the gnomes? It¡¯s going well, Tim replied promptly. Tia is preparing for trying out all those things you¡¯ve talked about, I think? Personally, I¡¯m not sure how wise the idea of flooding their caves really is. Well, if we can get better maps of the local topography, so we know the settlements¡¯ altitudes and so on, Regina said, it might be worth it. We can¡¯t exactly use our usual tactics involving Winged Drones here. At least not in the cities or bases that are actually underground. And how many of those are we likely to see? Max asked. Regina shrugged at him. Depends on how the war goes. I don¡¯t need to occupy the entire Confederation, but we do need to make sure they don¡¯t pose a threat anymore. The others acknowledged her words, and she sensed them turn their thoughts to implementing their new plans. Regina took a break to go to the nursery. She walked a circuitous route, checking on the base and stretching her legs. Then she checked on the eggs and imprinted the new variants on the newest Form Drones, after adding some eggs to the nursery. The hive needed more drones that were specialized for underground combat, especially in confined spaces. She¡¯d been experimenting with new templates, and hoped she¡¯d have something to use as a standard tunnel fighter soon. Her efforts were a bit slowed by the need to see how the drones developed and how they worked in actual combat. If she waited for them to level up too much, there would be no point in it, though. When she got back, Regina stretched out on the bed, working the kinks out of her muscles, and then closed her eyes. She knew she was going to spend a lot of time here, and she¡¯d rather not get too stiff. Reminded by her recent visit, she first started checking on the newest Templates of her drones, watching through their senses and getting information from the psychic link to evaluate their performance. Once she was satisfied they were doing as well as could be expected, Regina mentally zoomed out and focused on the map in the link the Keepers were keeping up-to-date with the information the Hive had gathered. Recently, Jem had been working on something like an interactive strategic map that showed the territory of the hive and its surroundings, including what they knew of the Gnomish Confederation. It reminded her vaguely of a video game, which was probably where he had gotten the idea. Regina paused as she considered the borders laid out on the mental map. The inside of Cernlia was still kind of a mess, and it was hard to know for sure how the battle lines would shake out if it did come to a war. Previously, she¡¯d been hoping to get at least some of the Delvers involved in the war against the gnomes, both to crash-test their willingness to fight for her and because of their undeniable experience and power. Now, though, it would be better to keep them where they were, ready to act if the situation should require it. She had placed them in a good position in regards to Cernlia, and a bit more time integrating with the hive¡¯s forces wouldn¡¯t go amiss. Then Regina turned her attention to the gnomes and her hive¡¯s own war against them. It was a bit discouraging to realize they¡¯d barely nibbled at the edges of their territory so far. On the other hand, they had established beachheads and laid the groundwork for faster progress. And besides, with only a bit more work, it should be virtually impossible for the gnomes to get at the hive. They¡¯d have to take quite the detours, at any rate. And that meant there was little time pressure. Even if it would be best not to give them time to regroup and to adjust their tactics or replenish their equipment, the hive wasn¡¯t in enough danger to need to see the gnomes dealt with quickly, so they could theoretically take their time. Regina hoped it wouldn¡¯t come to that, though. She was impatient with the little bastards and their blasted country. It had already been too long since Bea and the others were killed. And the longer they were around, the more chances they had to spew poison regarding her people into the ears of whoever might listen. Regina turned her head, opening her eyes for a bit while she focused on one part of the map. It was still pretty easy for the gnomes to get into Cernlia ¡ª there was a direct and reasonably long border from the eastern part of their territory to the north ¡ª and it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to get to Esemen. And that was only the beginning. There were a few other countries, mostly smaller ones, beyond those two. She¡¯d been trying to gather information on them, but it was slow-going, sparse and inconsistent. Nothing like a world that had the Internet at its fingertips, or quick transportation with cars and planes. Regina paced through her bedroom, running a hand through her hair, before she finally made her decision and called on Tia. I think it¡¯s time to step it up a bit, she said. Are you ready to flood their tunnels? Tia seemed a bit surprised, but she quickly smiled. Of course, my Queen. Are you sure, though? Yes. Not everything, though. You have different plans, don¡¯t you? Something smaller scale, at least for now, would be best. Tia¡¯s mind sharpened as she concentrated on the plans and preparations she had made. There is one potential path I¡¯ve charted out that should take out a good portion of their outposts in this region. With a bit of work, we can make sure it doesn¡¯t threaten our own staging areas. And it should be far enough away from their cities, unless there¡¯s one close enough that we haven¡¯t found yet. Even then, they should have enough time for an evacuation. Regina considered the images Tia sent her, placing them in the context of the mental map she¡¯d been focusing on. Alright, she finally said. Don¡¯t use any acids or other chemicals yet, just water will be enough. What else do you need? Either quite a few barrels of water or a few additional mages to conjure it would be good, my Queen. Done. I¡¯ll talk to Ben and the others and send a few more your way. Tia sent a grateful acknowledgment and Regina smiled. It would still take a bit of time. But then, she was looking forward to watching masses of water spill through the gnomes¡¯ tunnels. It would be a nice prelude to the larger, multi-pronged attack she knew Tim had been considering. Chapter 234: Practice Regina stared down at the letter she¡¯d just been sent. She¡¯d crinkled it in her fist angrily, but stopped before she actually threw it away, so now she was smoothing it out again absentmindedly. Well, it hasn¡¯t taken Lyns long to react, she considered. Kiara hadn¡¯t been here all that long, and he had already sent this, delivered by some kind of tamed bird, and summoned Via to him for an audience. Regina focused on her. It was probably just a coincidence that the letter arrived just as he was having Via taken to him. At least, if he¡¯d timed this to happen at the same time, he was a lot more petty and possibly optimistic than she¡¯d thought. She wondered if Lyns¡¯ people had watched Kiara flying off on a hive drone, or followed her tracks another way. The letter didn¡¯t really say one way or another. He sounded like he was assuming Kiara was here, but the certainty might be a bluff, and to be fair, where else would she be? If Kiara wasn¡¯t with Lyns¡¯ army or at home, there weren¡¯t many other places to turn to, at least not where he couldn¡¯t find her, and Regina as leader of the hive was obviously her closest ally. He¡¯d sent a few men to escort Via, which made it even clearer that his polite summons was not much of a request. Via went along easily enough. Regina was watching closely, ready to Summon her out of trouble. The other healers she¡¯d sent to Lyns were all gathered in their part of the camp, with several mounts close by and other Swarm Drones prepared to fight to the death to allow them to escape. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but she still judged it better to be open with him if pressed. Better that than let Lyns think they¡¯d betrayed him ¡ª at least more than he already did ¡ª and have him do something stupid. When Via finally caught sight of the man, Regina smiled a bit vindictively. He looked worse than he had just yesterday. His skin was sallow and there were dark shadows under his eyes, inexpertly covered up with some makeup. She wondered for a moment if he¡¯d gone into Kiara¡¯s supplies and had to suppress a laugh at the thought. Either way, this definitely spelled trouble on the home front for him, probably among his political supporters, which was pretty obvious. And maybe a guilty conscience, but I¡¯m not holding my breath in that regard. ¡°Lady Via,¡± Lyns greeted her curtly. ¡°Marquis Lyns,¡± she replied with a short incline of her head, projecting calm. On the inside, Regina could feel her faint amusement. "I have called you here,¡± he began, clearly not beating around the bush, ¡°because I desire my daughter, Kiara, back.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Via said, not actually telling him anything. ¡°Is that all you have to say, Lady Via?¡± he asked, obviously irritated. Via raised an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t offered her a seat, and there was currently no other chair in the room, although at least Lyns wasn¡¯t sitting right now either, but she didn¡¯t let that bother her. ¡°Considering recent events and sentiments that seem to have been spread,¡± she began carefully, ¡°one might have reason to wonder if Kiara would be safe with you, lord Marquis.¡± He frowned, his eyes narrowing. ¡°I assure you, she is perfectly safe in my care,¡± he said curtly. ¡°I am her father, after all. She belongs with me.¡± Via tilted her head. ¡°Perhaps,¡± she said. ¡°She is an adult who can make her own decisions. Not to mention, she was recently hurt here. I hope you are aware?¡± He looked like he¡¯d bitten into a lemon. ¡°A regrettable accident,¡± he said. Via gave him a look. Regina felt she was doing very well, and let her know with an encouraging feeling in the psychic link. ¡°She is my heir,¡± Lyns said. ¡°It is my place to assure her safety.¡± ¡°Oh, is she?¡± Via smiled. ¡°And also to arrange a marriage for her, I take it? Unfortunately, Kiara does not wish to follow your arrangements in this matter, and as mentioned, she is an adult.¡± ¡°She is still my daughter,¡± he grit out. ¡°Her place ¡ª¡° ¡°Is as an independent person capable of making her own decision,¡± Via interrupted. ¡°The hive does not condone the use of force or coercion in such matters. Personal freedom is a good we value highly.¡± Lyns exhaled heavily, his expression becoming more controlled. ¡°So, you admit that the Hive has Kiara?¡± ¡°Have I?¡± Via looked surprised, almost baffled. You¡¯ve become a good actor, Regina praised. ¡°Lady Via,¡± Lyns glowered at her. ¡°Enough of these word games. You are not leaving here until you have given me a straight answer. I insist on it.¡± Via bristled, and Regina considered. She had half-expected something like this, and she didn¡¯t really want to risk Via for something Lyns would probably learn soon enough, anyway. ¡°Lady Kiara Lyns has sought asylum with The Starlit Hive, and the Hive, in the person of Hive Queen Regina, has granted it,¡± Via told him stiffly, following Regina¡¯s push. ¡°I assume you are not aware of the cultural importance of this, but be assured that we will not extradite her to a country where she is still at imminent risk, and no manner of threats or inducements will change this.¡± Lyns visibly hesitated. She assumed he was considering her declaration, but he controlled his expression well and she wasn¡¯t able to read much off him. ¡°So, you refuse to send her back where she belongs?¡± ¡°I believe our answer is clear, Lord Lyns. No, we will not send her back unless she wishes to leave.¡± Lyns nodded slowly. ¡°Your words have been noted. You may go.¡± Via inclined her head shallowly, out of politeness, and then turned on her heel and left. Regina watched with a frown. She didn¡¯t have an entirely good feeling about this, although she supposed it was good Lyns hadn¡¯t exploded into a tantrum or tried to detain Via. Maybe a little of what she¡¯d said had actually gotten through to him. Mentally sending a bit of assurance and pride to Via to let her know she¡¯d done well, Regina turned her attention away from Cernlia and back to considering the hive as a whole. Unfortunately, this little discussion hadn¡¯t given her a lot of insight into how to react here, but there were still preparations to be made. Not to mention the war with the gnomes, which was no longer ¡®heating up¡¯ but had clearly reached high temperatures. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. To distract herself, Regina went through a detailed report of the war, pausing to check on current events and troop dispositions as she went. It was going pretty favorably, overall, she concluded. Tia was almost ready to start their plan of flooding some tunnels. At least the first phase. Regina was kind of looking forward to it. At least she¡¯d know if the idea had merit or would backfire horribly, and besides, anything to break up the rhythm of the war would be a nice change. It was slightly ridiculous since they¡¯d only just started really fighting in the tunnels, but she was almost growing bored with it, finding it monotonous. Well, Regina would never give it anything less than the focus it deserved. Not even her tenth or her hundredth war (though she dearly hoped she wouldn¡¯t have to fight so many in her lifetime). You could only be anxious about something for so long, though, eventually the emotion would just kind of drain and balance out. Especially if she wasn¡¯t in physical danger. Which reminded her to check the defenses of the main Hive base again. She¡¯d at least temporarily moved that designation to the base near Forest¡¯s Haunt. Well, it wasn¡¯t like Regina released official paperwork, so nothing really indicated if it was temporary or permanent. But it was both farther from the gnomes, closer to Cernlia, closer to their new territory, and currently a bigger industrial node. The other base was still important, especially for troop movements to the south, but she liked it here. It felt less like hiding away in the wilderness. Besides, June and the other humans were here. More importantly in terms of tactical considerations, the base in its current state was newer than the other one, and they¡¯d included some of the things they¡¯d learned about that one¡¯s defenses in its plans. The gnomes had attacked the central base once, and while their attack had never even gotten close to being dangerous to her, it did give the hive some valuable information. Right now, they had a mix of defenses, ranging from different magical wards (including some made by Nerlian mages, who were quite good at it), to an underground maze of tunnels in three dimensions, to moats and an underground lake, to some siege weaponry Tia had designed, and a few cannons they¡¯d adapted from field use. As well as a large stockpile of explosives of all sorts, guns and the largest garrison of Swarm Drones. They¡¯d even increased the defenses of Neralt¡¯s village quite a bit, since Max had pointed out it could be a possible entry point, and besides, she¡¯d rather have it well protected than not. Regina closed her eyes and focused on the base around her. She didn¡¯t lean heavily on the psychic link, this time. Instead, she concentrated on her mana senses first, trying to feel the magic in the structures around her, the people with it and the defenses they had been erecting. It was frustrating, since she didn¡¯t have much practice with sensing like this, but it would hopefully be worth trying. Madris had mentioned she might want to practice it. Then, Regina shifted her attention to her psychic senses. Again, following an exercise Madris had given her, she tried not to rely on her psychic link, but to sense nearby minds on her own. She¡¯d already noticed that a large collection of her drones in one area with her using the psychic link tended to drown out other minds in the vicinity to her. Instead, she focused on the smaller minds now, the occasional rat under the village, a few underground creatures and birds above. She watched their movements for a while, trying to track them without paying attention to her hive. After a while of that, Regina exhaled, breathing evenly, and stretched out her attention further. She lost some fine detail, but now she looked for minds in the core part of her territory, outside of her drones. There were a lot more humans, animals and even some monsters. She focused on the birds for a moment, watching them travel through the sky. Then Regina shifted her attention to the south. It was going well and she figured she might as well try and put her increased skill to use. After all, she¡¯d already seen that finding enemy minds could be quite useful in war, and she didn¡¯t want to let the limits of her range hinder her too much. So she had to work on it. The gnomes were distinct even from humans. Not very much, certainly less than her drones, but she¡¯d still be able to tell them apart, even from a larger distance, by now. To her surprise, there was another type of mind she found ¡ª a few elves in the outskirts of the mountains. Regina hesitated, trying to get a quick grasp of their minds. They were probably adventurers, or maybe elvish soldiers sent as scouts to check on the situation. The elves had been pretty quiet recently, but she supposed it made sense that they wouldn¡¯t just sit still behind their city walls. She should probably send more diplomats to them, if she could spare them, and talk about her plans for the future. Regina made a mental note in the psychic link. Jem or one of the others could remind her or even make preparations if she forgot. Putting the matter out of her mind, Regina moved on and focused on the gnomish territory. Her range had increased recently, and she was getting better at sensing things closer to its edges. It meant that she could have a proper look inside the borders of the Confederation. She¡¯d always been careful, since there was no telling how many psychics the gnomes had or how powerful they were, but just general sensing would hopefully be okay. It was a big country, at least in terms of population. Probably bigger than Nerlia. Parts of it were underground, parts weren¡¯t, but she didn¡¯t see much of a difference, at least in their minds. Gnomes were clearly well-adapted to these conditions. Regina tried to concentrate on them and figure out which accumulations of sapients might indicate military units, but it was pretty hard. She¡¯d have to be pretty close to the minds in question to figure that out easily. And in addition to the distance between them, it was the kind of thing she really had to consider individual minds for, instead of looking at the larger distribution of them. And she could hardly go through the millions of gnomes she found, or even a decent sample size. Still, Regina experimented with it. The first few times, she managed to figure out she was looking at random citizens. On the fourth try, she was pretty sure she¡¯d found a soldier. She looked at a few other minds relatively close to it and confirmed that impression. At least, they most likely were. Carefully, Regina considered their locations and tried to move on until she found the leaders. It took her a while, but she narrowed in on what she thought would be officers. Actually reading their thoughts was pretty much impossible, especially at this distance, but she could get general impressions. She was confident she could figure out if they planned an imminent attack. At least with a bit more practice, she could probably do it. Regina smiled and sat back, blinking her eyes and stretching a bit before she dove back into her psychic senses. For now, she moved on to the gnomes closer to her current location, and to more isolated minds. These would be scouts. It was a bit easier to confirm this time. She felt like she was getting a handle on this. Eventually, she found a gnome above ground, only a few kilometers from a staging point the hive¡¯s army used, hidden in a small forest at the edge of the mountains. Regina considered it for a moment, then decided she could probably kill him with a few Winged Drones if this backfired catastrophically. Carefully, she reached out and tried to influence his mind. He was a simple soldier without training in mental defense, and he appeared to have been up for a while with little sleep in the last week, his exhaustion making him an even easier target. Regina knew she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to do a detailed illusion, but maybe ¡­ The scout jumped as a sudden jolt of shock struck him. He looked around wildly, before focusing in on a part of the forest where something appeared to have rustled in the underbrush. Regina increased his fear, so he stepped back instead of going to check it out. Madris had emphasized letting the target¡¯s mind provide information and filling in the blanks themselves, making them see what they expected to see. She found a vague, hazy image of a Lionit in the forefront of his thoughts, clearly something he was quite afraid of. Regina smiled and waited until a gust of wind moved the branches of the tree into the bush more loudly. A thud sounded in the forest and the hapless scout caught a glimpse of dark fur through the leaves, a flash of bared fangs. He swallowed a scream and hurried from his post, only barely not running quickly enough to cause a racket. Regina laughed as she opened her eyes and leaned back, relaxing in her seat. She¡¯d consider that a success. It¡¯s probably of limited use until I can get better. But it was still cool. Something new that she was sure she wouldn¡¯t have been able to do before. Maybe she could even use magic to make better illusions, in time. It would need some study and practice. Either way, she was in a good mood as she stood to make her way to the hatchery again. Chapter 235: Plans and Surprises Regina had suspected she would be disappointed by the results of Tia¡¯s little project, or their little experiment, as she¡¯d called it once. In the end, it did turn out to be rather anti-climactic. Not necessarily because the effects were insufficient, though. It was simply hard to see what was going on and to assess the results at all. After all, they didn¡¯t exactly have cameras in the tunnels that were claimed by the water, or the gnomish settlements in line to be flooded. Regina did try to keep an eye out and had detached some drones for that task, of course. Winged Drones circling as close to the gnomes as they dared, and a few Scouts. They would be able to get an idea of what happened regarding the above-ground settlements, but it was harder for the underground parts, which would be the most affected. Tia had prepared well, calculated the volume of water and its flow through the opening tunnel she¡¯d chosen, and set everything off so the flood started with no issues. The hive had already secured their own tunnels and areas of operations. One area in particular had to be secured by a barrier they¡¯d specially constructed to stop all of the water, since it would otherwise be flooded. This meant it was temporarily cut off from the rest, at least from this direction, but the drones responsible had all been warned and were working with Tia¡¯s team to make sure things went according to plan. Sometimes, Regina really appreciated the ability of her hive for coordination. This was one of those times. She was sure humans would be able to do the same, but she had trouble imagining it outside of more modern states and their advanced means of communication. The psychic link really let her people cheat. It took a surprising amount of time for the water level to sink completely again, at least to Regina. She¡¯d half-imagined the water would just shoot through the tunnels and leave them clear behind it again. Apparently not quite. Most of the effects of the attack (and despite not involving soldiers, at least at this stage, she was certain it was an attack) could be seen indirectly. Regina meditated for a bit, tracking the clusters of gnomish minds spread on the western side of their territory, and she noticed the shifts and movements that followed it. The drones reported the same reaction. Of course, there was no reason to let a perfectly good disruption go to waste. The hive had had to adjust their plans for some tunnels being blocked and even possible cave-ins, but she had the impression Tim had enjoyed the challenge. Shortly after the receding water levels made it possible again, a significant part of the troops the hive had stationed down there were on the move, closing in on selected bases and settlements of the gnomes. Regina could tell there would be no major battles, judging from the distribution of the gnomes she could sense with her psychic abilities, so she didn¡¯t focus too much on it, mostly just checking that her drone commanders had everything in hand and looking in on a few skirmishes and short sieges. The fighting was almost entirely underground, and very different from fighting in an open plain aboveground. The hive¡¯s usual tactics of trying to swarm and surround enemies didn¡¯t work as well in the tunnels, although they could still bring the weight of their numbers to bear, and their coordination enabled by the psychic link was even more important. She watched a few groups, seeing the way the sapient drones staggered their advance and timed when they would appear at certain intersections. They managed to assemble bigger groups when there were caves and open areas, usually where the gnomes had built outposts. Those were dealt with quickly compared to the slog to get forward through the tunnels. The other reason she didn¡¯t pay as much attention to this was that her attention was required elsewhere, especially because of Kiara and what had happened. June had hurried back, as she¡¯d expected. It had been a rather touching reunion, although Regina didn¡¯t watch too closely, to give them their privacy. Not that privacy was much of a thing with the hive, of course. There was almost always a drone around somewhere that could theoretically see something. It was one of the reasons she¡¯d made sure the Lyns women had private rooms in a quieter area, so they¡¯d have some space. Florance Lyns, for her part, seemed to be avoiding Regina. She suspected the older lady was struggling with coming to terms with everything that was happening and how to react. There was no smoothing over the rift between her husband and her daughter. She had to be afraid at least one member of her family would die (if not more). Regina felt for her, vaguely, but she wasn¡¯t sure what she could do. She¡¯d also never had a good understanding of Florance¡¯s relationship with the marquis. They probably had an arranged marriage, but they did have several children together. Then there was the suspicion he¡¯d pressured her to have children even despite her - at least potential - health risks. It was obviously very private and Regina just hoped the family would be able to work things out for themselves. Florance and her daughters, at least. Janis spent more time with Kiara, and from what Regina could tell, June and even Florance approved of her, although a bit grudgingly in the latter case. Janis was clearly helping them, though, and despite the tension, the two of them were happy in a way Regina hadn¡¯t sensed from them before. She told herself it was worth the headaches it brought. Regina wasn¡¯t entirely sure she believed herself. She did tell Janis to spend time with Kiara and not worry too much about her responsibilities to the hive, though. She also shouldn¡¯t have been surprised to hear that Marianne Neralt used this development as an excuse to go home, which gave Regina the opportunity to talk to her in person, and also the chance to put a bit of space between them in accordance with at least Florance¡¯s clear if unspoken wishes. Regina went to visit the baron and his mother in their mansion, which they¡¯d recently renovated a little with help from the hive. Not sure what that says about their priorities, she mused. But on the other hand, Elric Neralt hasn¡¯t had that much to do since the start of this war. Regina had finally told Marianne she was to be Governor of a significant part of the territory the hive had come to rule recently. The final borders were still uncertain, since the end of the war with Cernlia ¡ª and later, potential fighting with the Esemen ¡ª could still change things. But she¡¯d most likely end up with about half of the ¡®extra¡¯ land outside the hive¡¯s core holdings, while someone else would manage the other half. It might be Janis, but currently, Regina was inclined to leave it as a sort of new, largely temporary position, which members of the hive or others could fill depending on their skills and current requirements. It would most likely be the most turbulent and variable area, strategically important for current or coming wars. It would be more closely watched by her and the hive anyway. Janis could have another position somewhere above it. Perhaps after a stint in that role. It could include oversight responsibilities but also a particular focus on another area like technological advancement and corresponding social reform, perhaps even magical innovation. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The system was a bit complicated, even just the basic outlines Regina had drawn up, and thinking it up had given her a headache. But she wanted checks and balances, and she needed to balance the trust and freedom of action she was willing to give to others. Not to mention the ability of the central leadership to set policy for all of their current and future territory. Or, to put it more simply, to see her own will enacted. That was part of why Regina expected to curtail the administrative and political power given to the territorially-bound offices and to set up other structures with authority all across her domain, for areas such as education or law enforcement. Like government agencies and ministries in a modern state, she supposed, for a country she was essentially just founding. Or an empire, if I want to be honest. Regina shook her head and refocused her thoughts on who should fill the tentative appointments they¡¯d created. She¡¯d give it another round of discussions with Mia, Jem and a few others, hopefully with input from Galatea. But she was already certain that, while she wanted to appoint some hive drones to key positions, they needed to be open to other people, too, regardless of race. Janis and Marianne were a good start, but not enough. Ben would almost certainly head the military as a whole, and Mia might get a civilian administrative office. Others as well, according to their specialties. She liked the thought of giving Tim a title or office where he was set apart a little, as her personal champion, and not bound by the regular structure; maybe empowered to clean it of corruption and taking on missions from her, when he wasn¡¯t occupied with a military campaign. A few others ¡ª perhaps including Galatea, but she¡¯d need to think about that and ask her ¡ª could be Regina¡¯s advisors with varying extra official powers and responsibilities. On the whole, planning an autocratic government structure gave her goosebumps (or the equivalent sensation, if she¡¯d been able to get those, anyway), but a part of her she suspected belonged to her Hive Queen side was curling up in contentment. Especially when she conscientiously left room for expansion. Adjustments to the structures, and the possibility of her dominion¡¯s expansion. Regina put down the pen with which she¡¯d just scratched a few adjustments and ideas onto the paper she¡¯d used for developing her idea, staring down at it. With a sigh, she folded it in half and leaned back, stretching her neck and trying to get the kinks out. She¡¯d been so focused she¡¯d lost sight of everything else, even the uncomfortable position she¡¯d just been in, half-lounging on the bed to write on her desk. Just as Regina was standing up, she noticed that Max had vanished from his usual guard position outside her room. No one else had replaced him, either. Frowning, she cast her mind out quickly, searching. What she found made Regina jerk from the bed, almost falling to the floor, and turn to hurry out of her private rooms. She could sense where Max was, quickly moving through this part of the base. But more importantly, she could also sense Ace and a few others at the edges of the hive complex, and feel the heightened emotions gripping them. It was a combination she¡¯d only encountered when it came to battle. And just now, two Swarm Drones had started feeling pain as well, she now realized. Regina focused on what was happening even as she left her room and started jogging down the corridor, waving a few of the bodyguards Max had organized to join her. It took her a moment to realize that the bad feeling she got was mostly because there was a disconnect in what her senses were telling her. There were intruders in the hive. She could sense their minds, focusing on it now, although the psychic link and all the minds in it this close together made it harder for her to notice. They were not visible, though. The drones had noticed them because their scent, while apparently suppressed, was still faintly detectable. Regina cursed to herself, quickly sending an alert to the other drones in the base, then slowed down and focused harder, mentally joining Ada and Max as she cautiously approached where they were fighting the intruders. They had managed to go through the village and into the outer part of the hive¡¯s base without being discovered, somehow bypassing their new magical wards and evading detection. There were only two of them, but they must have rather high levels. Regina was pretty sure what their goal was, though; they were closer to the rooms she¡¯d assigned Kiara and her family than her own. Max reached them and immediately jumped in, Charging at one of the assassins and body-checking him into the wall. The other turned to try and fight him, but then ducked and retreated when a hail of Magic Missiles shot at him. At least they don¡¯t seem to be as good at fighting as they might be, probably specialized primarily in stealth, Ada noted. Their invisibility should break if we keep at it. She was proved right only a second later, when a slight shimmer in the air announced the two men becoming visible to the drones¡¯ eyes. Regina stopped and leaned against the wall. Max was too busy to berate her for heading into danger, but she knew she should be cautious. Instead, she focused on their minds, trying to read what she could and maybe influence them. The intruders had both clearly had some training, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy. Regina bore down on them with her full mental weight, trying to crush their defenses. It didn¡¯t work right away, but she wasn¡¯t alone and it distracted them enough for her drones to get hits in. Max pierced one man¡¯s leg with his blade-limb, almost pinning him to the floor, and Ada threw a javelin at the other that lodged in his side, his chainmail not sufficient protection against it. There was a moment of tension and then the first man darted upwards, ripping the blade out of him and sending Max stumbling back. He advanced forward in a wild attack, until he was stopped by the Firebolt Janis sent as she sprinted towards them. Regina¡¯s attention was captured by the second intruder, though. Feinting a similar attack, he instead jumped back and then raised his hand. She felt unfamiliar magic, before he vanished. Regina screwed her eyes shut and focused intently, catching only a faint trail of magic leading to the east. There was a moment of silence in the corridor, broken only by the rattling breaths of the first intruder. Max cautiously knelt beside him and felt his pulse. It was weak and fluttering under his hand, growing weaker before it stopped. Janis rushed forward to try and heal him, but Regina could tell before she reached him it would be pointless. He had a major wound that ripped open his femoral artery, among other injuries, and third-degree burns on his upper body up to his neck. She wasn¡¯t sure she herself would be able to save him, and she was still too far away. Regina hurried anyway. Janis leaned back, cursing, after trying her healing Spell on the man. He still wasn¡¯t breathing. Max tried chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth, but with a similar lack of success. ¡°These were assassins, sent after Kiara,¡± Janis finally broke the silence. ¡°They were,¡± Regina agreed. She rounded the corner, breathing heavily, but she knew they¡¯d heard her. Max was at her side in a flash, hovering protectively. ¡°My Queen ¡ª¡° Regina waved him off. ¡°I did get a look into their minds, although they were jumbled,¡± she continued. ¡°Still, it was very clear these were Cernlians. They were definitely after ¡®the princess¡¯. One of them thought that the king might execute them if they failed, just before he used this recall Skill, and I caught the thought. Just to be sure, I suppose I¡¯ll have Madris look out for him and more information on this, but there¡¯s no doubt in my mind who¡¯s responsible for this.¡± The others remained silent for a moment, considering this information. ¡°Well, shit,¡± Janis finally said what Regina was also thinking. Chapter 236: Oaths It did not take Regina long to confirm that the assassins they¡¯d caught (she was pretty sure they were indeed here for murder, not simply infiltrators) must indeed have been sent by Marquis Lyns. Madris was still keeping an eye on the would-be king¡¯s army, and she had confirmed that the surviving one reappeared there. Apparently, Regina could share her impression of the man¡¯s mind with the dark elf even over such a distance to make sure they had the same person, another new skill Madris showed her since it was useful now. While that was not proof of the type they could show in court, assuming there was a court to go to, two psychics being convinced there had been an assassin sent by Lyns was enough evidence for everyone else. Janis explained all of this to Kiara, who nodded along, her thoughts hard to read from her expression. Under the circumstances, Regina kept an eye on her, though, so she felt her emotional turmoil at the news. Not that Kiara was surprised. While she clearly didn¡¯t like to think that her father might want her dead, she was smart enough to understand the situation. Regina had never felt someone start to hate before. It was slightly disconcerting. Slightly uncomfortable. And she had the impression it was at least partly for the situation this put Kiara in, the choices she was forced to make, not just because of the attempted murder itself. Regina herself was pretty angry about that, too. ¡°We are still officially allied to Marquis Lyns, but I consider this to be a breach of the contract,¡± she explained to Max, leaning back in her chair in one of the common rooms in the first story of the base. There was a table in front of her with some cups and drinks set out along with snacks, and the drones had managed to maneuver her into a comfortable and slightly more imposing armchair than the other chairs scattered around the room. ¡°He sent armed men with hostile intent into the heart of our territory, attempting murder against someone under my protection. I¡¯ve already told Via and the others to get out, and I¡¯ll send him an official letter as soon as they¡¯re a safe distance away. He can fight his own battles now.¡± ¡°That sounds entirely fair,¡± Kiara murmured as she entered the room. Regina tilted her head and nodded at her. She¡¯d felt Kiara coming, so she didn¡¯t bother to look surprised at her entrance or as if she hadn¡¯t meant her to hear. ¡°Unfortunately, maybe, he¡¯s as good as won the war by now and withdrawing our help doesn¡¯t really hurt him much,¡± Max observed. ¡°Even with his need for gold.¡± ¡°Is stopping the military alliance the extent of your response to this attack, Your Majesty?¡± Kiara asked, carefully stepping into the room, keeping a little distance. ¡°I¡¯m still considering the extent of it,¡± Regina told her. Kiara took a deep breath, and Regina felt her mentally gather herself. ¡°I would never break a contract with you in such a way. And I have supporters of my own.¡± There was an implied question, a suggestion, here. ¡°I know.¡± Regina leaned back, shaking her head slightly as she ran a hand through her hair. ¡°I have responsibilities, Kiara ¡­ The hive is at war, we have many potential enemies, and I need to make sure I make the right choices for my drones.¡± It wasn¡¯t an agreement, although it wasn¡¯t really denial either. It wasn¡¯t much of an answer to Kiara, she supposed. ¡°You need to know what you stand to gain, before you risk throwing your drones¡¯ lives away,¡± she surmised. Regina shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d need assurances, I guess,¡± she murmured. ¡°But - I do think you would make a great queen, certainly a much better royal than Lyns.¡± Kiara stared at her for a moment, and Regina met her gaze. She could see the other woman was evaluating her, taking the last chance to weigh her options before she committed. Then Kiara took a step forward and sank to her knees, bowing her head deferentially. A whisper of an indrawn breath chased through the drones in the room, while Regina sat up straight. ¡°Your Majesty, Regina von Woltan of the Starlit Hive. I request you take me as your sworn woman. Your enemies will be my enemies, your friends my friends as you will be my lord. I give you my sword arm, my life¡¯s breath and the beat of blood in my heart, my magic and my will. I will do as you bid and rule the lands and territories bequeathed to me fairly and justly in your name. So I vow, before the gods and those assembled to bear witness here, I will be true and faithful every day of my life. This I solemnly swear.¡± She raised her head and Regina met her gaze again, while she tasted the conviction and satisfaction in Kiara¡¯s mind. A bold move, but not bad strategy. Kiara had maneuvered her where she wanted her, they both knew it. This was more assurance than Regina could reasonably ask for, it was dramatic, and it required a response. Regina stood up and stood before Kiara, taking one of her hands in her own. After a moment of hesitation, she also laid a hand on top of her head, burying her fingers in her hair. ¡°Kiara Lyns, daughter of Nicholas and Florance, I, Regina Louise Elizabeth Aneta von Woltan, of the Starlit Hive, do hear and accept your vow. My enemies shall be your enemies, my friends shall be your friends, my charge shall be your will. You will have an honored place by my side and at my table, and the protection of my house and my hand. All grievances you have I will judge fairly and justly, and none shall harm you for fear of my sword. So I vow, before god and those assembled to bear witness here, to you I will be true and faithful as long as you keep to your oaths. This I solemnly swear.¡± Regina lowered her hands and stared down at the first person to properly swear vassalage to her, as Kiara got to her feet, smiling. She was glad she¡¯d remembered the traditional vow, although she¡¯d probably fudged a word here and there. Still, it seemed close enough for Kiara. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Regina couldn¡¯t say she hadn¡¯t expected this to happen sooner or later. And they both also knew she might have deliberately prompted it. ¡°Congratulations,¡± Max muttered. Regina turned and hesitated as she met Janis¡¯ gaze, who was staring at them with a faint frown, clearly thinking hard. Regina didn¡¯t get the impression she disapproved, necessarily, but she clearly understood the gravity of the situation. She turned to sit back down and gestured to another chair, watching as Kiara took a seat and Janis sat beside her. The two exchanged a look and Janis reached out to squeeze her hand before she turned back to focus on Regina. Regina cleared her throat. ¡°So, we will fight Lyns for your claim to the throne and make you queen of Cernlia, Kiara. I intend to make it part of a bigger whole. For now, we should focus on fighting the Marquis and finally reestablishing lasting peace in Cernlia. I would prefer this to happen with minimal bloodshed, and soon. Any questions?¡± ¡°Of course, my liege. I have no questions about this.¡± Kiara smiled at her, almost playfully. She was clearly relieved. "How are we to go about it?¡± Janis asked, crossing her arms. ¡°I¡¯d suggest making contact with Kiara¡¯s remaining supporters among the Cernlian army, and seeing if they¡¯re prepared to back us. And how they could.¡± Looks like no one¡¯s bothering to pretend this isn¡¯t the only Cernlian army or court anymore, Regina noted. She nodded. ¡°Duke Bluegrass almost certainly will support us,¡± Kiara put in. ¡°I am good friends with his older daughter, who he wants to cement as his heir very dearly. He¡¯s always been a good ally.¡± Janis nodded and smiled a little. Regina agreed as well, Bluegrass was one of the people she had little doubt about. ¡°But he¡¯s only one man, despite being a duke,¡± she said. ¡°And didn¡¯t you say his lands were hit hard by the war?¡± ¡°Harder than some, not as hard as a few others,¡± Kiara shrugged. ¡°But yes, his direct power is limited. However, he still has access and influence.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll try to get in contact with him then, discreetly, and also sound out who else might be prepared to fight for you,¡± Regina concluded, standing up restlessly and watching as the others did the same. ¡°Detailed plans can wait until we have a bit more information. I¡¯m going to alert the hive¡¯s forces, but we¡¯ll refrain from any obvious movements. No need to alarm Lyns or squander the element of surprise.¡± Max chuckled. ¡°Lucky we already have a small army training with the Delvers, then. They are going to back us, right?¡± ¡°I assume so,¡± Regina replied. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to them.¡± She mentally put it on her list as yet another thing to take care of. At least she was pretty sure the Delvers didn¡¯t care too much about the Cernlian internal dispute and would follow her. It might be a good test, actually. There was a moment of silence. Janis glanced at Kiara, then hesitantly put her hand on her shoulder. Kiara slid a bit closer to her, so they ended up with Janis¡¯ arm around her. ¡°How are you dealing with this, Kiara?¡± Regina asked carefully. The girl shrugged. ¡°I appreciate the help,¡± she said. ¡°I am aware we have a lot to talk about. I promise you won¡¯t regret this, or all the help you¡¯ve already given me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know, but not quite what I was talking about.¡± Kiara sighed, leaning back against Janis. She¡¯d clearly decided she gave no shits about showing her affection in front of them right now. ¡°It¡¯s still a bit hard to come to terms with the fact that my father tried to kill me,¡± she said. ¡°I suppose there might be something wrong with me if there wasn¡¯t.¡± Regina gave her a sympathetic smile. She couldn¡¯t really relate, but it couldn¡¯t be easy. ¡°Do you have any wishes for how to deal with him?¡± she asked. ¡°I mean, he could unfortunately be killed in the fighting, or ¡­¡± Kiara made a face. ¡°I suppose I¡¯d prefer if you didn¡¯t kill him yet.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Of course. Then we won¡¯t go after him directly, although, of course, there are no guarantees in battle.¡± Ben might consider it an unwise concession, but Regina didn¡¯t think so. Just assassinating the marquis wouldn¡¯t help much, I don¡¯t think. His supporters would still be there, with his army, and Kiara gone. His death might even be a rallying cry against us, so it could backfire quite a bit, in the long term. It did remind her to make extra sure both Kiara and June were well-protected around the clock. And Florance too, she supposed. ¡°I will go talk to the Delvers myself,¡± Regina decided. It would be better to speak to them personally than try it through a drone or letters. ¡°There are a few other errands to take care of, anyway.¡± She nodded at Kiara and Janis, who currently seemed more concerned with each other than her departure, then walked out of the room. Max fell into step beside her once again, staying silent to let her think, although she felt him communicating with a few people over the psychic link. Meanwhile, Regina considered a few other issues to take care of. ¡°We have a store of gemstones, right?¡± ¡°A few,¡± Max said, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure how many or how large. Mia will know more.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to talk to her anyway. I can Conjure some gold, any amount we need. Kiara might appreciate getting a crown made. Or several, one she can wear in battle and one for a formal ceremony.¡± Regina nodded to herself. She would talk to the Delvers regarding the other things. ¡°Symbolism, to establish your power?¡± Max asked. Regina smiled slightly. ¡°I haven¡¯t exactly kept it a secret that I intend to resurrect a few traditions. We can combine them with more contemporary ones and make something new.¡± They walked in silence for a few meters, before Max spoke up again. ¡°You haven¡¯t found religion, have you?¡± Regina glanced at him, then away. ¡°Not really. But I didn¡¯t want to swear on the ¡®local¡¯ gods.¡± Who knows if Deirianon or one of the others might have been able to use that, with an important vow like this? Kiara must have noticed as well, she knew, but she hadn¡¯t said anything. ¡°The Delvers might be interested, and you could use it to establish new avenues of power.¡± ¡°They will be. And maybe it could be useful, but messing around with religion is also dangerous, and I think I¡¯d prefer an atheist state.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°As long as they don¡¯t establish an official cult to the Progenitors with you as the prophet or messiah, I guess you have nothing to worry about.¡± Regina laughed, but she could tell from the look in Max¡¯s eyes, belying his smile, and their feeling in the psychic link that the words weren¡¯t entirely a joke. And she felt uneasy about it, too. ¡°If I want to establish and protect full religious freedom, I guess I¡¯d have to allow something like that, wouldn¡¯t I?¡± she muttered. Max nodded. ¡°One among many other things you¡¯ll have to tolerate.¡± Regina didn¡¯t say anything to that, but she knew he was right. There were going to be a lot of compromises in her future. Not just with other people, but with her own morals as well. Not that she could truthfully claim a lot of those, looking back at what she¡¯d done for the last year or so. She was aware that people had died because of her, and all the good intentions in the world wouldn¡¯t undo that. She was surprisingly okay with that fact. She¡¯d also been a lot more at peace with her nature as a Hive Queen recently. Ironic, since she¡¯d claimed her heritage as what the Delvers called a ¡®Progenitor¡¯ more than ever. But she figured that in the end, there were some very human traits and urges mirrored in the ¡®monster¡¯. And values, as well. She looked at Max, catching his eye and smiling at her son while she sent him a feeling of appreciation. No matter her other goals, she¡¯d always protect her family, too. Chapter 237: Wartime Espionage The capital city of Cernlia had a nice and central location, overall. Certainly not as bad as some countries she had seen in her travels. It was also rather big and reasonably nice, for a human city in these times, Madris supposed. Certainly might illustrate why Cernlia could claim to be one of the great nations remaining. The city of Cera - which she suspected the country had been named after, although the original records seemed to have been lost - was encircled by several tall walls, the last set only raised in the last decade to enclose the entire steadily-growing city with its poorer outer parts. King Nicholas, the Third, had spent quite a bit of money on it up until five years ago or so. Anyone who¡¯d hoped things would get better after this expense was stopped would have been disappointed, of course. Not that Madris particularly cared what the Cernlians thought. Usually, at least. She had taken on this task for Regina and she was determined to do her best, which did necessitate knowing what they thought. She sighed a little as she looked at the city, rumbling towards it on the wagon she was hitching a ride on. Slowly. The sight did give her a bit of nostalgia, she had to admit. She¡¯d been here before, twice, but that wasn¡¯t really it. From this angle, seeing the light gray stone of the walls reaching into the sky, it almost looked like a familiar city back in the Eternal Dark. One she had left behind long ago, and which had changed too much in the last few centuries to recognize, anyway. She already knew she would be disappointed if she was to look for deeper similarities. If nothing else, the city stank a bit more, even if it did have good sewers. Humans tended to crowd together closer than her people and occasionally included animals, however, which had predictable consequences. She was glad to enjoy the relative quiet before the noise of the city would fill it. The human man driving the wagon glanced at her, then turned back to face forward without saying anything. Madris had considered simply hiding here, leaving him oblivious to her presence. But in the end, she had decided against it. It would have been easy and not much of a danger, but not without any risk. Besides, she had been trying to be more conscientious of her actions and acting in such a way did not strike her as very ethical. Instead, she lightly brushed the surface of his mind, making sure he did not have any ill intentions towards her without truly delving into his thoughts or emotions. Thus assured, Madris closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, focusing on the minds in her vicinity. The city was, as ever, a large and growing tangle of minds, a stream of feelings and thoughts and impressions. She navigated it with the ease of long practice, pausing to take the pulse of this collective. Cera teetered, she found, between anticipation and unease, hope and fear. The end of the war was in sight, if not already here, and people were relieved and looking towards the future. At the same time, it was not quite over yet. And another conflict might loom on the horizon, which the shrewder and more observant realized and dreaded. News of Kiara¡¯s ¡®disappearance¡¯ had arrived a while ago and rumors swirled thickly. Many of them contained a grain of truth. As they came closer, she dove deeper into the consciousness of the city. She wanted to know how much people knew and what the average commoner thought, before she focused on the nobility who would most likely have more power to affect change. It was not an easy task, but after sifting through several common sentiments and shared attitudes, she thought she had it largely figured out. The knowledge of the Starlit Hive and the Hivekind was very varied in scope, as was their attitude towards it. Some Cernlians simply dismissed them as ¡®monsterblood¡¯ barbarians. Surprisingly, many were wary of them for similar reasons, as monsterbloods that were proficient warriors. Many thought they couldn¡¯t be all that bad, since Lyns had allied with them. That fact seemed common knowledge. And, she realized, Lyns was fairly popular here, despite having led a rebellion and starting a civil war. People hoped he would make a good king, however. To be fair, if she dug a little deeper, most of that sentiment seemed to be based on the fact that he was evidently not his predecessor. The wagon rolled into the city after passing a rather bare-bones checkpoint manned by a few soldiers, and after taking a quick look around, Madris concentrated on the people of importance within the city. Being human and from this part of the world, they were almost entirely nobility. She supposed Delvers might have counted as well, as they had wielded a bit of influence in Cernlia, historically. But most of them had retreated to their headquarters during the war and the influence had declined somewhat as they stayed out of it. And, of course, they were allied to Regina and thus the Hive now. She suspected the political influence would return, but perhaps in another way. Anyhow, there were a few wealthy and influential merchant princes in the city as well, and from what Madris could tell, they were guests at the palace almost as much as the nobles, so there was not much difference. The army the marquis had led against the king was still largely intact, but currently on a sweep through the eastern part of the country to mop up the last resistance and fully secure his rule. Unsurprisingly, Lyns himself had elected not to remain with them for long, in the wake of Kiara¡¯s departure. He had hurried preparations for his coronation, not willing to postpone it and presumably hoping the added legitimacy it would give him would help to weather this crisis. Madris was honestly not sure what he expected. She had taken a peek at his mind now and again, but she exercised all due caution when it came to the soon-to-be king. Not only was his mind better protected than most, but getting caught accessing it would have all sorts of unfortunate repercussions. Instead, she focused on his followers, who were almost all uneasy and nervous. Most of them had clearly not expected the situation to devolve like this, or at least hoped it wouldn¡¯t. Some approved of his intentions to send Kiara to the Esemen, others cursed the way he had alienated her. She caught a few thoughts that he should have quietly killed her in an unobtrusive manner. All the same, most of them appeared to realize the potential for another war. After getting a better idea of their general attitudes, while the wagon was winding its way up the city streets towards the palace, Madris finished an overview of the notable Lyns supporters in the city and considered how to proceed. After weighing the pros and cons, she chose a military leader to dive deeper into. As far as she was concerned, she was simply spying for another side in a war, which was perfectly allowed, if perhaps slightly morally dubious. Not that interrogating someone in a conventional way would be better, in her opinion. But that was not the reason she was cautious. As long as their opponents did not know she could do this, or that Regina could do the same, her side had an undeniable advantage. It needed to be preserved as long as possible, which meant not alerting targets to their minds being infiltrated. Madris vividly remembered how her own people¡¯s tactics had changed, after she had come out of training. Naturally, over two centuries had passed by then, but she knew time was not the only reason for the differences, she had watched them adapting. Compartmentalizing information, setting up backups and identification protocols, relying on externally secured ciphers, coded messages and stored information under heavy magical protection. It had been disconcerting, seeing the dangerous dance of her people shifting in her steps (even if it had also been exhilarating, realizing she mattered so much, that she was powerful enough to exert such an influence, evoke such a change just by her existence). There was more than one reason Madris had never liked taking part in internal rivalries or intrigues, and only reluctantly in the one major war happening during that time. She had turned the course of the war, they had heaped praises and awards on her and given her a title, and she had left, disenchanted. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Dismissing these thoughts and memories, she focused on her current target. The information she wanted was relatively easy to find, even if she had to be careful to look for it without arousing any suspicion. She risked subtly sending a direction to her target, prompting him to think of the army and the path it would take. He was already considering how long they would be gone and when they would return to the capital, or at least found these thoughts easy to connect to existing worries, so it would seem natural. The - former, now - rebel army would return sooner than originally planned. Their route was only changed a little, but they were under stern orders from the marquis to expedite whatever possible. That was not a surprise. He had to know that this situation left him vulnerable. Right now, the army being away from the capital left either of them possible targets. The fact the marquis had still not brought them together indicated he was too concerned about not looking like he was worried. Not that she could blame him for worrying about not appearing weak under the circumstances. He might believe appearing strong could help dissuade Kiara from attacking him, and he truly needed all the help with that he could find. Madris knew it would never be enough. Several people had already contacted her to fill her in. She knew Kiara had already sworn allegiance to Regina, in the manner of her people. She would likely need to repeat it publicly in Cera, but that could wait until she had won. With the heir to Cernlia firmly under her protection and control, Regina would crush all resistance to install her as ruler. And she wanted to do it quickly. Thus Madris was here, gathering further information and watching. Madris felt herself smile. She was looking forward to it. After passing on some of the information she¡¯d gleaned to one of Regina¡¯s Drone Keepers ¡ª delightful kids, and better conversationalists than she¡¯d expected ¡ª Madris focused on her immediate surroundings again and hopped down from the wagon. She ambled away down the street, careful to keep her hood up despite the slightly suspicious nature of such attire. It was cold enough to warrant it, at least. Contacting someone as far away as the Hive¡¯s bases, even if they were naturally built to psychically receive and process information, sapped her energy. She still kept up her usual glamour-like effect that made her appear insignificant and unnoticeable, but with little power invested in it. There were ways of recording images or life signatures that would not be fooled by such a thing, anyhow. The sun was starting to set as she slowly worked her way up towards the side of the royal palace, keeping a respectful distance to be safe. It glittered a little too much for her taste, and she hated the way the reflected sunlight occasionally stabbed into her eyes when it struck a window or metal pane just so. Who had thought plating the temple¡¯s roof in bronze was a good idea, anyway? Still, Madris dismissed such distractions from her attention and instead focused on confirming that she had the right locations. She would not have been able to contact many people in the city if she¡¯d wanted to, not within a tight time frame at least. Positioning herself where she could watch without being noticed was important. Madris, she finally received a call from the Hive Queen. Regina, she responded, retaining her unhurried pace as she walked down a side street. Is your plan starting, then? There¡¯s been a slight change of plans. Madris sent a mental sigh. You have something else you want me to do, then. Yes. It¡¯s Kiara¡¯s friend, Margaret. A burst of information accompanied the message. Madris frowned as she stretched her senses again, focusing on the familiar mind. It was easy to find, given the current agitation of her and the men in her vicinity. It appeared they were locking the girl in in a side wing of the palace. Regina must have had a Winged Drone watching it from the air, to notice so quickly. Impressive. Madris dove slightly deeper. They intend to accuse her of helping Kiara in her supposed betrayal, and most likely in facilitating her escape, I believe, she told her. It is a clear move against Bluegrass, to get insurance, and perhaps against Kiara, too. I¡¯d like you to free her. You nabbed Zephyr right out of an army camp, you can do this. Regina sounded more hopeful than certain of it, and Madris gave into the temptation to roll her eyes. I will, she affirmed simply. Then Madris cut the connection. Even with Regina initiating it, it still took focus and power to keep it going, and she needed all of her energy and mana. Instead, she sped up slightly, adjusting her planned course. She had not intended on actually going to the palace, which would most likely be the hotspot of trouble if anything went wrong. However, it was nothing she could not deal with, even if she was alone and already tired. Madris tightened her hold on the minds surrounding her, letting them swim around her, bobbing in and out of the bubble she¡¯d erected around herself and blanking out her presence from their conscious perception. Getting to the palace was the easy part, it simply took a bit of time. Madris slipped around people on the street and then strolled right towards the gate. She didn¡¯t bother trying to get it opened. Instead, she took a running start and jumped up, grabbed a metal spike and swiftly climbed up and over it. She might be a mage, but her physical stats were still respectable because of her level and her people were naturally nimble. She waited until she was sure no one was near before she let herself fall, dispersing the impact with bent knees and keeping it as silent as possible. Then she straightened up and resumed walking. Now she simply needed to find the right room. Madris once more slipped around passing people. She considered the best entry for a while, then headed for a side entrance to the side wing of the complex and waited beside the door until a servant came out, slipping inside before the door closed. It was easy to find her target, although she still approached cautiously. Fortunately, she could sense that there were only regular soldiers sent to guard it; strong ones and alert, but no particular challenge for her. Madris considered simply knocking them all unconscious, then decided regretfully that she did not have the energy to spare, especially to fight her way out if she made a mistake and they were missed, so she would have to rely on stealth. She ducked around the corner and then focused on the minds of one of the soldiers. He was already a restless sort, and curious about the lady they were guarding. It took only a moderate nudge to make him knock on the door. Madris approached silently, nudging him again to ignore his companions¡¯ complaints. ¡°Lady Margaret?¡± he asked, poking his head in. ¡°Is there anything you need?¡± Margaret covered her surprise under regal composure. ¡°Not at present, although I thank you for the consideration. Except for the chance to speak to my father.¡± ¡°That we can¡¯t do,¡± an older soldier grunted, pulling his companion back and slamming the door before he started berating him. ¡°Perhaps I can help,¡± Madris said drily, leaning against the wall beside the door and lowering her hood while she extended the magic she held to cover the room. ¡°Please do not be alarmed, Lady Margaret, I come as a friend.¡± To her credit, the young human woman managed to stifle a scream. ¡° ¡­ Lady Madris?¡± she asked faintly. Margaret smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of here, girl.¡± She hummed consideringly. ¡°And perhaps you can answer a few of my questions for me.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± she agreed. ¡°We do need to hurry, though,¡± Madris continued. ¡°We don¡¯t want to be caught in the attack.¡± ¡°Attack?¡± the girl asked, sounding faint again. Madris kept her smile. ¡°Just a small one.¡± Chapter 238: Distraction and Extraction The Cernlian capital was pretty far away, closer to the edge of Regina¡¯s range, but said range had grown and she had gotten better. It meant she was able to watch what happened right now. In practice, that meant a lot of anxious sitting around while Regina tried to watch events she wasn¡¯t able to directly influence. The swarm of Hive drones gathering in the skies over the capital looked impressive, at least, from the perspective of a few ground-bound drones they¡¯d managed to introduce. It would be less impressive once people realized it really wasn¡¯t supposed to be the major attack it might look like. Or rather, it was more of a distraction. Most of the drones gathered here were very low-level. The hive even had a few illusions mixed in, provided by Class Skills since, so far, none of them got much in the way of illusion magic. From this far up, it shouldn¡¯t matter. The southern front against the gnomes didn¡¯t need many Winged Drones, so these could be spared for this action. At the same time, there was another army moving to meet the main Cernlian forces, this one a bit stronger. Regina checked on them quickly. They¡¯d gathered more high-level drones for this. Unfortunately, they were even farther away and thus hard for her to reach. She¡¯d have to trust her commanders, and instead refocused on the city. Regina tried to mentally zoom in on the palace, chewing her lips a bit nervously. One of the problems with the distance was that she found it harder to track Madris. Especially since this was a pretty densely populated place. She didn¡¯t particularly care about Marianne Bluegrass, if she was honest. But the young woman was a friend of Kiara¡¯s, and it didn¡¯t seem like a good start to let her get executed or whatever Lyns had planned. Right now, she was second-guessing if she really should have been risking Madris on this, though. The Delver was here without support, and clearly already tired from her earlier activities. Then again, Madris was also at least level 80, Regina reminded herself with a smile, as she finally saw the dark elf in question coming from a side wing of the royal palace, accompanied by who she recognized as Margaret. Madris must have locked her mind down somehow, made it less noticeable, more unobtrusive, even to psychic senses. Regina took as close a look as she could and made a mental note to ask her about it. At the moment, they had more pressing concerns, however. It was pretty clear from even just a superficial brush that the young lady Bluegrass was anything but calm. She almost twitched with nervous anticipation and lingering fear, as well as a small streak of pain which might have come from being shoved around by the guards, or trying to fight before she was taken. Are you both okay? Regina asked Madris hesitantly, since she didn¡¯t want to distract her. Fine, Madris answered curtly, clearly focused on her surroundings instead of Regina. Regina left her in peace and only watched, absentmindedly tugging on her mandibles and trying to reach out to other drones in the vicinity. Looking from above, it was apparent how close to the palace and its soldiers they still were. Madris clearly did something to make them easier to overlook and then guided Margaret away, at a calm walking pace. Regina sighed and contacted the drones she¡¯d put in charge of this operation, currently led by Ace. They¡¯d clearly been seen and couldn¡¯t afford to linger before the attack, so she told them to go ahead and get into position. It didn¡¯t take long for the Cernlians to start attacking, themselves. Spears made of light as well as various types of metal sailed into the sky. In response, the drones spread out a bit farther, but Regina watched with narrowed eyes as several of them dropped dead from the sky. As they went down further to prepare the attack, as well as capture the attention of the Cernlian defenders, the next lines of defense activated. A curtain of fire appeared in the air and swept up and through them. The drones tried to dive and escape it, and magical shields of their own flickered into existence. Regina smiled as they covered most of the formation. Their enemies had used this tactic against them so often that it would have been stupid not to try and prepare some of their own. It¡¯s good to be able to choose and coordinate our Class Skills and Spells, she mused. They¡¯re still going with every soldier picking their own, in part because many are only really part of the army temporarily, so we probably have the advantage here. Still, they hadn¡¯t brought that many mages to this attack. Regina frowned as another curtain of fire appeared, this time sweeping through more of her small army. More drones dropped lower, avoiding the flames by going below their level, but it made them easier targets for the other attacks, like the arrows and javelins coming from soldiers on the ground. Fighting above a populated city presented unique challenges. Regina hadn¡¯t wanted to bomb the city. It was something that happened in war, she knew, even back in her own time or at least not too long before. But the point was to get Cernlia for Kiara, not ruin it, and she didn¡¯t want to embitter more people against the hive than she had to if she could avoid it. Instead, the drones attempted targeted attacks. The royal palace was somewhat spread out, luckily, and the guard posts and barracks for Cernlia¡¯s soldiers stationed in the capital were mostly clear of other people, too. They¡¯d marked them in advance, with the help of Madris and a few other drones Ben had sent closer to the city previously. It wasn¡¯t as complete information as she¡¯d have liked, but at least it gave them some targets. A few smaller bombs were dropped, along with rocks and various other projectiles that were slightly less likely to cause unplanned damage or go beyond the bounds they¡¯d drawn. Regina watched the battle for a short time, before she forced her attention away from it. There was little she could do, her sapient drones had it well in hand. The real battle with the army hadn¡¯t started yet. Instead, she checked on Madris and her last-minute mission again. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The two had managed to get clear of the palace in time not to be caught by the earlier bombs, at least. Regina felt a bit relieved at that, despite herself. She knew that they would have checked and the attack stopped if they had been in danger, but this all was still cutting it a bit closer than she¡¯d like. At least this way, it might help to cover their escape. She supposed Margaret¡¯s departure would be noticed eventually. Maybe they¡¯d connect it to the attack and presume it had been planned that way, to cover it, or just taking the opportunity. Margaret Bluegrass ¡ª no, Margaret Szertyn, the Lady Bluegrass, Regina corrected herself; she¡¯d need to pay attention to these details now ¡ª was clearly lagging a bit. She hadn¡¯t been imprisoned for long, so her suspicion that the arrest had not gone entirely painlessly was strengthened. Madris was being surprisingly patient, but Regina sensed a kind of focus from her that she¡¯d rarely felt. Maybe it had been there in her mission during the battle after the psychic link had been suppressed, but Regina hadn¡¯t exactly been in a position to notice it then. It did remind her that Madris was an experienced Delver and hadn¡¯t exactly reached her high level by avoiding all conflict. If such a thing was even possible; the System seemed set up to make that hard. She hesitated for a moment, then decided that she needed to be sure they were safe and that the slightly increased risk or drain on her focus was worth it. So Regina contacted Madris again. Did anyone see you? she asked. I hope not. I left the guards in place and hid us from their minds, Madris answered, her tone a bit curter than usual. Regina could tell she was tired. One result of getting taught by the dark elf; she wasn¡¯t just better at using psychic abilities on other people, but knew her better, too. They will probably discover that she is gone soon if they haven¡¯t already. Well, at least they¡¯re in place if there¡¯s a check, then, Regina answered. Then she focused on their next steps and continued, We haven¡¯t planned much of an escape route for you, unfortunately, since we didn¡¯t know this would happen. But there¡¯s a group of drones to the northwest of the city, that¡¯s probably your best bet. If you can reach them, we can evacuate you through the air. If not, we¡¯ll send some units to cover your escape, either way. Don¡¯t worry, Hive Queen. Madris sounded a bit amused. I can manage something like this. To her credit, it did appear Madris had it handled. Regina kept watching them, probably more closely than she should have given the way the battle was going and what else demanded her attention. But Margaret, who had developed a slight limp by now, still walked on steadfastly and Madris, who¡¯d condescended to take her arm to guide and support her, led them through the city at a steady pace. Regina was pretty sure that Madris had dialed down the effect of her camouflage field or even changed it entirely. When she looked closely, it was clear that people¡¯s eyes no longer entirely passed over the two of them and their minds did register their presence, reacting the way they would to other people on the street. But they still didn¡¯t react much or appear to care. Most likely, people either saw what they expected to see or were convinced that what they actually saw was expected. And enough people were flooding into the streets and starting to panic, now, that it was probably easier. The hive still hadn¡¯t actually attacked the residential parts of the city, but their attack wasn¡¯t exactly secret, either. Soldiers ran down the streets to get to mustering points or gather around buildings they were ordered to defend, and most people who could grabbed weapons of their own as well. Regina suspected that more civilians might die from careless soldiers or the consequences if a panic started than the actual fighting. The thought made her feel a bit guilty for a second before she pushed it aside. Madris navigated the crowds skillfully. As they managed to get to the outskirts of the city, the crowds lessened and the two of them made better progress. Unfortunately, it was also becoming clear to Regina that they were both tired. At one point, Madris pulled Margaret into the shadow of a warehouse building to watch as a large patrol of soldiers passed by, probably heading into one of the towers lining an older city wall where they¡¯d set up some ballistas. ¡°How did they come to take you in?¡± she asked the young lady. Regina suspected it was mostly to keep her distracted. Margaret straightened up a bit from where she¡¯d been leaning against the stone wall of the building, panting. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure why they targeted me, but presumably it is because I was a close confidant of Lady Kiara. They thought I knew where she was and had come to question me yesterday. I did not say anything, of course.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Madris murmured. She would not have known anything, either, even if she must have suspected the Hive. ¡°And today?¡± Margaret blushed a bit and looked down. ¡°I was coming from a talk with a friend of my father¡¯s, lingering near the Marquis¡¯ receiving rooms,¡± she admitted. ¡°I heard him mention something about Kiara and stayed to try and eavesdrop.¡± Madris nodded. ¡°He appears to have sent men after Kiara, in case you were unaware,¡± she informed her. ¡°Do you know why he might have done this? It seems stupid, or at least reckless, given what he must know of the Hive¡¯s strength and attitude towards him.¡± Margaret¡¯s eyes widened slightly. ¡°Well ¡ª¡° she breathed. ¡°Marquis Lyns is not the type to like to think of anyone being stronger, if you¡¯ll pardon me, Milady. But from what I gathered, he did seem upset about Kiara ¡­ specifically, upset at someone who was either there or who answered to him. He said something about, if I recall, why Kiara was at the Hive and not here, with him.¡± Regina blinked. So, he might not have actually attempted to assassinate Kiara, just to kidnap her? That seems plausible, Madris answered her, seeming annoyed beneath the mental exhaustion. I would assume he intended to ¡®retrieve¡¯ Florance, as well. Regina frowned and cast her mind back to what had happened. It would make sense that Lyns might have tried to kidnap Kiara, and probably Florance. At least, it would be a bit less likely to spark a war, if he could show off that Kiara was with him and unharmed. Instead of her being either away to gather allies and strength against him or a martyr to rally people around. And I never actually got solid confirmation that the two men intended to kill her. They felt hostile, but that much¡¯s obvious. Assassination might have also been a backup plan. Well, she supposed in the end it didn¡¯t matter too much. It still gave more indication that Lyns really was behind this. And if he¡¯d kidnapped Kiara instead of killing her, Regina still would not have let that pass. Still, she resolved to get to the bottom of this. There was still something she felt like she was missing. She would talk to Janis as soon as possible. For now, Regina had to focus on the battle. As Madris and Margaret stood to continue their way out of the city, the fighting reached its climax. The drones swept to the side in two wings, divided over the palace in the center of the city. A rain of spears, arrows and ice crystals swept up toward them, but the maneuver let them avoid part of it. We¡¯re starting the real attack on the army just about now, Ben told her, interrupting her watching the drone wing¡¯s flight. Regina pulled her attention away from them and focused on him. Alright. Then I guess we can wrap up this one, that¡¯s good. Everything should be in position. With your permission? Regina quickly checked on Madris and Margaret again, then nodded, transmitting the gesture through the psychic link. Give them hell, kids. Ben chuckled. With pleasure, Mother. Chapter 239: Demonstrations The attack on the city was a demonstration of power. As Tim watched them, circling in the air and gazing through the eyes of several flying drones, he hoped the message was received. They had worked under some difficult constraints, especially when it came to avoiding civilian casualties and collateral damage. Too much damage would make it pointless. They weren¡¯t here to destroy the country, after all. Their actual goal was closer to the opposite. Tim absentmindedly patted his mount¡¯s shoulder and turned it to head further east, towards the army Lyns had left. Their real goal, in more than one sense. Tim was mostly alone, now, but he¡¯d wanted to be close enough to be able to work effectively for this battle. He was a bit tired, he had to admit. He¡¯d spent most of his time on the southern front, preparing to fight and organizing the campaign against the gnomes, before he¡¯d hurried into Cernlia for their new plan. At least the Hive had a few rather fast Winged Drone Mounts now. Behind him, the strike force that had been assigned to threatening the city retreated in good order. They were short on sapient drones, especially now, but the Winged Drones¡¯ natural tendency for coordination and obedience to their superiors helped it go smoothly. They were even better at staying in formation than War Drones, all things considered, which he supposed was necessary because of the flying. Right now, there were far fewer drones than had set out to fight. A quick estimate showed a third to half of their number as losses. Tim grimaced, but continued on, trusting in those of his siblings who remained and leaving the task of a more detailed accounting of casualties to them. Lyns¡¯ army, which he supposed he had to get used to simply calling the Cernlian army nowadays, wasn¡¯t actually too far from the capital. The farthest eastern reaches of Cernlia had already come under Lyns¡¯ rule with no bloodshed, just their local lords promising him their allegiance. They¡¯d remain unbothered out there, regardless of who won the civil war. Although that region was more sparsely populated, since it tended to be a bit arid. The really important area was the region east of the country¡¯s capital, which had a few natural resources and a higher population, even if it had suffered from the war more. This was what Lyns had wanted to secure. There were quite a few castles where belligerent lords could hole up and frustrate him, so the plan had been to take the most important ones traveling in an arc through the region, as Tim understood. Of course, by now, that wasn¡¯t really the problem. At least, Tim seriously doubted Lyns was mostly concerned with hypothetical Cernlians that weren¡¯t yet loyal or planned to rebel. He couldn¡¯t just leave them alone, especially if he was concerned about another rebellion against his rule which might get help here, but he had to realize the Hive was the bigger problem. Regina¡¯s declaration of war should have arrived on time. And then some ¡­ appropriate flair, Tim thought with a small grin. Technically it was all in Kiara¡¯s name, of course, not that it made much difference when the Hive would be fighting ¡­ along with the Cernlians whose support they could gather. Of course, it probably would have been more sporting to deliver the declaration of war at least a day or so before they attacked, but that would not have left much room for the element of surprise, compared to doing it shortly beforehand. And given how the marquis had instigated this conflict, he didn¡¯t feel particularly guilty about it. Although Tim did wish he could have seen Lyns¡¯ face when the letter arrived. Or the one from Kiara, he¡¯d heard she¡¯d sent one along, too. The biggest problem might be proving it to outsiders to avoid the appearance of the Hive being aggressive and expansionist, he mused. Which would be a hard sell. And it wouldn¡¯t exactly be a wrong impression, would it? he considered, but dismissed the thought. He trusted his Queen to guide the Hive, and if she wanted further wars then he would cheerfully fight them, even if he wouldn¡¯t be able to see the obvious benefits and reasons for this one. Either way, there remained the issue of foreign politics ¡­ but he didn¡¯t think it really mattered that much, he concluded after thinking about it for a moment. The gnomes already hated them. Nerlia would be watching carefully and probably be secretly glad. The Esemen would just try to take advantage of anything and believe what suited them. The elves were unlikely to take a stand against the Hive at this point, and hostile to Nerlia and Cernlia anyway. Anyone else, they would probably see what they wanted to see, believe what fit their preconceptions and what allowed them to stay safe. Still, as Tim flew on to the next station of his mission, he reached out to Ray and a few others of the Hive¡¯s diplomats, to check on how they were handling things. Ray seemed happy enough to chat and assured Tim that they were going to gather all the evidence they possibly could. It¡¯s one reason we attacked so quickly, and getting Margaret Szertyn out is definitely going to help, he told him. Besides that, we¡¯re also working on the other Cernlian notables. Tim was slightly surprised at that, but not in a bad way. That¡¯s good, I guess, he answered. They were trying to get everyone they could on their side, after all. I¡¯ve been talking to Via and going over the information from Madris, Ray assured him. We¡¯ve got this handled. Although I may ask you to approach a few people, in particular. Sure, I¡¯ll do what I can to help, Tim agreed readily. Then paused, as he remembered something. Ah. Using my Royal Champion status again? See, you¡¯re smart, not just a musclehead, show everyone that, Ray said cheerfully. Tim snorted, amused despite himself, before he turned his attention back to his surroundings. He was getting close to his target now. It was, unfortunately, pretty difficult just to maintain access to the army, given its current distance from the Hive¡¯s territory. It was why most of their gathered ground troops ¡ª and, perhaps more importantly, Delver allies ¡ª were unable to effectively participate right now. But the Hive did have a sizeable number of Winged Drones, and it wasn¡¯t beyond reasonable flight distance. The psychic link might feel a bit strained due to the distance as well, but it was still perfectly functional. Especially with Regina moving east. On some level, he wished they could just bomb the army into oblivion. Unfortunately, the plan had to be a bit more complicated than that. Tim tugged his mount down to lose some altitude and get closer to the action. By now, he¡¯d reached the other drones waiting for him, who were a bit more spread out than the army they¡¯d sent to the city. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The first wave had already started, he noted as he focused on them more intently. Forming a rough circle, they¡¯d brought the Cernlian army to a halt and were cutting its movements off without truly hurting anyone. Tim knew there probably would be some casualties, but keeping those down and minimizing any bloodshed was one of their priorities. The goal was to show the Cernlians that they could destroy them, after all ¡­ but not actually do so. There was more to it than just intimidation, but it would take a real idiot to fight against someone who they knew could kill them and was only holding back out of mercy. And Tim knew Regina was prepared to fight properly if it was needed after all. Even Kiara, after everything that had happened, would approve it even if she didn¡¯t like it. Although he hoped it wouldn¡¯t come to that for her sake, as well. He was pretty sure Kiara would regret it, and it wouldn¡¯t exactly be good for them if she bought her throne with blood, either. So, Tim focused on the mission and the way the Cernlian soldiers spread out below him. They were obviously hesitant, he didn¡¯t need to have Regina¡¯s psychic abilities to tell him that. The Hive¡¯s flying drones did make for a rather intimidating sight. Especially since Ada had taken it upon herself to make them a little more intimidating by arranging some maneuvers. Having fun? he asked her drily. Oh, sure, she answered breezily. He could tell she was distracted watching the unit of Winged Drones that was currently dry-running a bombing attack above the human army. Well, at least it was better than whatever the heck she¡¯d done before. It looked like drawing in the air, but the arrows might have been meant to be actual arrows instead of symbolic art. This is actually helpful, Tim, she told him, a bit more seriously. We are demonstrating our maneuverability, control and coordination. Most of these soldiers have seen enough of us to know what it means. Besides, you know we can still seamlessly start an attack if we have to. I guess, he conceded. Don¡¯t forget that we will have to fight, though. Unless we¡¯re a lot luckier than I¡¯m expecting. She sent a wordless acknowledgment, and Tim focused on the army below to look for the people who would probably be deciding this. A lot depended on whether the army would just hunker down or try and counterattack (assuming you counted this as an attack). And that would probably depend on the loyalties and goals of the people in charge. Tim frowned as he finally found Duke Bluegrass. The older man looked just a bit bedraggled, and he wondered if he¡¯d heard about his daughter¡¯s arrest. The fact the two of them had been in separate places was already suspicious, and made him wonder if the ¡®king¡¯ had insisted on it to get leverage. Right now, the duke appeared to be having a shouting match with someone Tim vaguely recognized as a Cernlian general from the information the Hive had collected. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like Bluegrass was having a lot of success with getting the other man to see things his way ¡ª if he had to guess, to settle down and talk to the Hive¡¯s drones. Instead, the guy evidently shouted over him, turning and gesturing at a group of men lingering nearby. They sprang into action and a few runners were sent off to other parts of the army. It had been on the move, so a little spread out, but they had kept their supply wagons well-protected towards the back of the formation, and elite soldiers seemed to be scattered all through their column, if he guessed correctly. They¡¯d clearly anticipated some potential trouble. Let¡¯s step this up a bit, Tim decided, talking to Ada and the others. Show them a few explosions, especially cutting off the way back. He sent them a mental impression of what he meant, and they agreed. A moment later, the sapient drones present relayed his orders to the Winged Drones and they started moving, letting the Hive¡¯s psychic link coordinate them. He redirected a few units and checked to make sure they were all moving properly. Quickly, the strike he¡¯d ordered started. A small wave of Winged Drones descended a bit and dropped small bombs in a coordinated line, like a strip of dominoes getting knocked over. Dust rose into the air and he watched humans scream and retreat, although none of them had been hit. Instead, the Hive carved a line across the terrain, encircling the army with a bit more than a half-circle, getting close to their supply wagons. It was a clear statement: They had them trapped and could strike at their leisure. Of course, it didn¡¯t go unanswered. Tim knew they¡¯d probably already been preparing to attack. Now, as if in answer to their explosives, a rain of javelins and Magic Missiles rose into the air. The Cernlians had clearly adopted this as a common tactic, Tim noted, trying to stay dispassionate as he watched some of his drones fall to the enemy fire. The Hive retreated upwards just a little without making it seem like they were doing so, taking advantage of the return of the drones he¡¯d employed. They were high enough up that he knew most of the soldiers down below wouldn¡¯t be able to fight them at all, but his nerves still felt taut. What now? Ada asked. Do we fight back? Talk to Bluegrass? Tim frowned, looking at the human nobleman again. He was gazing upward. Then, slowly and deliberately, he raised one hand and waved just a bit, before he turned to go. Keep getting closer, Tim directed. Wait for the army to split in two. They¡¯ll probably start fighting each other soon. We need to attack those against us, and focus on encouraging everyone to pick the right side at the same time. True to his words, he¡¯d barely started turning his mount around to get a bit closer before the sound of fighting started in the camp. Tim watched, switching between the eyes of several Swarm Drones. It was obvious things were heating up, and lines were being drawn. As soon as he recognized the first proper border between groups of soldiers fighting, he directed some of his people to start interfering. A few more bombs fell, screams rose into the air closely followed by arrows and Spells. It was chaotic, and he was immensely grateful for some of the sapient drones further away stepping in and helping them sort it out. He had underestimated how hard it would be, how the smoke and chaos of the army devolving beneath them would hinder any attempt to organize and realize what was happening. If he¡¯d expected neat and proper delineations between groups lining up to fight for and against a side, he would have been immensely disappointed. After considering it for a moment, Tim nudged one of the War Drones they¡¯d brought along, currently riding a flying mount, to the ground. It was a relatively high-level one, but a rare Skill made it too valuable to risk in fighting under normal circumstances. Regina had spoken through it a few times and it had developed an Ability accordingly which made it easier. Now, she wouldn¡¯t want Tim to get down there and risk his life, but the drone doing it was okay. It took him a bit until he managed to safely guide the drone down. Sensibly, Duke Bluegrass stayed back from the worst of the fighting, surrounded by a few knights. They raised their weapons as the drones approached, but the Duke held up a hand to stop them. ¡°Greetings, Hive Drone,¡± he called up at them. ¡°May we count on your help?¡± Tim focused on the drone. He activated his Skill, which helped a little; Queen¡¯s Charge wasn¡¯t really designed to boost something this delicate, but Regina had ordered him to function as speaker for her today. ¡°Yes, if you support Kiara. We do not want to kill allies,¡± the drone responded as it set down and crawled from the Winged Drone. The words were garbled, but understandable, he hoped. Bluegrass tilted his head and frowned, then nodded. ¡°I have made tentative alliances with others, and we have tried to pull our forces together. If you could start at the northern end, perhaps?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the drone responded according to Tim¡¯s direction. ¡°This one will stay to relay. Also ¡­ your daughter was arrested, we got her out.¡± Bluegrass¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Margaret? Is she safe?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the drone nodded. ¡°Good,¡± he sighed. ¡°Then ¡ª I will help you convince some of those who are wavering of the justice of your cause. Our cause, I mean. All hail Princess Kiara ¡­ first of her name?¡± The drone almost laughed. Judging by the Duke¡¯s grimace, it didn¡¯t seem very much like a laugh, but the man still turned and started organizing his men to coordinate with further strikes from the Hive. The battle would continue, but Tim had no doubt about its outcome now. Chapter 240: Unity Regina had a pounding headache, even if she tried to ignore it. She knew it came from leaning too much on the psychic link, trying to watch and help the ongoing battle. She wanted to see what was happening, not just from one perspective, but to get a sense composed from several minds. While she¡¯d done it before, it would have been challenging even right here with the nearby drones. She didn¡¯t regret putting in this much effort. Tim had deployed a ¡®speaker¡¯ Swarm Drone and while he could command it, he was also busy with other things and none of her hive could do it as well as she herself could, anyway. She had made sure communications were maintained and secure with Duke Bluegrass and the other rebel leaders he¡¯d gathered. For as vicious and chaotic as it was, the battle also didn¡¯t last long. The hive had participated, but less than they¡¯d feared, and so lost fewer drones. Even if she had hoped the chaos could have been avoided. A lot of soldiers didn¡¯t quite seem to know what to do and had so turned on the hive, the only obviously foreign party there. It was the downside of this setup. Luckily, many of them barely had a way to reach the flying drones the hive used, if at all. The fighting was dying down now, though, and Regina switched through a few different Winged Drones trying to get a good view of the situation. She could see some wagons and other equipment had been destroyed, a few were still sending a bit of smoke into the sky, which didn¡¯t make visibility easier. The craters and occasional ice patch or puddle left by magic and Class Skills wouldn¡¯t make it any easier to move the army, either. Although that would only be relevant for the very beginning if they tried to march the army somewhere. There were some bodies lying around, of course. It was hard to get a good estimate of the casualties in this situation, but she still frowned at the sight. Then, after hesitating and considering for a moment, she reached out to Via. Are a few of your former team up for coming and healing a few humans again? Via paused for a moment to consider, but Regina could tell she¡¯d already made up her mind. Sure. A few of us did make a few tentative friendships, or at least became fond of a few people. I¡¯m sure most of our healers will volunteer. It¡¯ll just take a while to get there. I know, but I couldn¡¯t risk leaving you too close to it. Regina hesitated. And I¡¯d prefer if you didn¡¯t go, at least not just yet. Via paused. Alright, Mother, as you wish. Regina sent her a feeling of appreciation and then focused on the Cernlian army again. They¡¯d won, as expected ¡ª considering the hive¡¯s forces, there really wasn¡¯t a way they could have lost outright, it was just a question of how much ¡ª but now they should preserve as many of these soldiers as possible. After making sure they were actually loyal, of course. She focused on the speaker drone she¡¯d left with the leaders, already making a few mental notes for a new try with Form Drones to get ones even better for this purpose. Duke Bluegrass had stayed close, clearly prioritizing communication with the hive. Say what you want about the man, but she appreciated his competence. And that he¡¯s not a drama queen like Lyns, of course. ¡°The battle appears to be ending,¡± she said through the drone. Bluegrass gave it a startled glance, perhaps because the drone had been quiet for a bit. ¡°It does appear so,¡± he agreed. ¡°At a regrettable cost. But we have won. I am sure many of us will be relieved to no longer be walking under the specter of an executioner¡¯s sword, or false professions of loyalty, I suppose. The men will be confused, however. I will need to speak to them and make sure the situation is entirely under control before we do anything else.¡± ¡°Of course. You will make a fine commander of this army, Lord Duke.¡± His eyes narrowed just slightly. ¡°Well, I hope I will manage. I have to ask, who is currently ¡­¡± ¡°Hive Queen Regina,¡± she introduced herself. He lowered his gaze. ¡°As I thought. You have my thanks, Your Majesty. On that note ¡ª¡° He hesitated slightly. ¡°Would it be possible to speak to Princess Kiara, and perhaps to have her come here? If she spoke to the troops, it could ease quite a few concerns and secure their loyalty.¡± Regina considered the suggestion. She could see the logic. Besides, he was being quite cooperative but ultimately would follow Kiara, and he didn¡¯t have much more than her word that they were acting in her best interests, currently. If he pushed, or other important Cernlian supporters objected, it could make unnecessary trouble. ¡°I am hesitant to let her out of my protection or into any possible danger, Duke Bluegrass. Nevertheless, I do not want to keep you from her, or her from you. We will see if we can arrange something with sufficient security precautions. At present, Kiara is still safe at one of our bases with a large force to protect her.¡± ¡°I see, that is good to hear,¡± he acquiesced. ¡°Just to be entirely certain we are on the same page, Your Majesty ¡ª your Hive is acting in support of Kiara? To press her claim to the throne? I would imagine she has made some agreement with you. Not that we are not thankful for your surprisingly extensive and generous help, of course.¡± Ah, so there was the question. Regina had been half-hoping she could end the conversation without it. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure what the others had already told him, especially Kiara in the one letter they had managed to smuggle into Lyns¡¯ army camp. ¡°Yes, you are correct. I intend to see Kiara crowned as Queen of Cernlia and ruling her, your, people, and I would accept no other outcome of this war.¡± Regina hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath the drone didn¡¯t show. ¡°You should also know, she has sworn an oath of fealty to me. The details of what it means we will have to work out, in the future, but we both intend to honor our oaths.¡± Bluegrass raised a single eyebrow slightly, the only sign of surprise he showed. ¡°I see,¡± he commented neutrally. ¡°Please give her my well-wishes and convey my relief that she survived the Marquis¡¯ reprehensible actions. I will now see to the men, if you will excuse me?¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Of course. I trust you to sort out who may not be as loyal as they pretend and take appropriate precautions.¡± He nodded, gave a curt bow, and then strode off. Regina looked after him, considering the situation. She would bet money that Duke Bluegrass would only tell a few people about that little aspect of the situation, and would choose them very well. Most Cernlian nobles probably wouldn¡¯t appreciate knowing their country would be beholden to a nonhuman state, which is probably what they¡¯d take from this. But she didn¡¯t think Bluegrass minded too much. He was obviously aware of the hive¡¯s exponential growth and potential strength, not to mention that, at this point, he really was a bit too far to back out now. Shaking her head, Regina opened her eyes and blinked against the light, deciding to take a break from the psychic link. It had been rather draining. She absentmindedly rubbed her temples, considering whether or not a bit of healing magic would help with the headache. She didn¡¯t want to use it too often, especially for things like this, but decided she might as well right now. Right then, she noticed someone else was in the room with her. Regina stiffened, cursing her lack of awareness. She must have been more tired than she thought. At least she noticed their mind at about the same time as their breathing, so that was a good sign for her skills. Turning slightly, she took in the visitor. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Gwen bowed. ¡°Gwen,¡± she nodded, suppressing a grimace at a stab of pain. ¡°Were you waiting for me?Not for long, I hope?¡± ¡°No, not long, my Queen. You were clearly busy and I did not want to interrupt. Max let me in.¡± While warning Gwen not to disturb her, she could tell from their minds, as she threw a glance at Max, who was just standing in the doorway again. At least he seemed to approve of Gwen, at least as far as being sure she didn¡¯t have hostile intent again. And she supposed she would be unlikely to be compromised, given her Class and training. ¡°Alright,¡± Regina responded. ¡°We have been considering recent developments, and would like to discuss it if you have the time,¡± Gwen continued. ¡°Sir Egon has also returned with some information he gathered and would like to present a summary of his findings soon.¡± Regina nodded and gave her a smile that was only slightly strained. ¡°Of course. Well, no time like the present.¡± As she stood and left the room, Regina quickly drew on her magic and tried to heal her headache a bit. Using Greater Heal would be overkill and she¡¯d rather they not notice, but it at least helped eased the sting a bit. She¡¯d rather not deal with the Delvers when she was already having a headache. Not that not having one wouldn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t have one by the end anyway, she grumbled to herself, surprised at the bit of fondness she felt at the thought. Despite herself, Regina was almost enjoying spending time with the Delvers as they accompanied the troops the hive had gathered here. Perhaps it was just the novelty, the obvious interest they showed, or just a part of her wanting a connection with other humans; however respectful they were, it would always be different interacting with humans than hive drones. It probably wasn¡¯t a coincidence that she considered Janis a close friend - June and Kiara, too, if to a lesser extent - and had always enjoyed their company, now that she thought about it. Not that it was really the ¡®human¡¯ part so much, she felt close to Galatea as well, it was just different than her Hivekind children. Gwen had clearly taken her appeal for unity to heart, or maybe she just knew what would look good, since the small group that had evidently gathered to talk to her seemed to be composed of several camps of the Delvers¡¯ political or ideological leanings. Not that she understood those very well, yet. But Owin as well as Egon Trito were there, which she figured had to mean something, as well as Commander Rodrick and a few others. They all bowed to her as she appeared, and Regina waved them into a sitting room to talk more comfortably. She was glad that they had a building to use. She was also glad at the way they obviously deferred to her and didn¡¯t seem to object to her deciding on the use of the space at all. ¡°Glad to see you all here. Have you come to some decisions about your stance on the events in Cernlia?¡± Regina asked, jumping right in. The last time, they¡¯d given her tentative agreement to fight with her, but Regina would rather have it confirmed a bit more explicitly. They exchanged quick looks and Owin nodded. ¡°Of course, Queen Regina. We have discussed it and the entire chapter of the order stands with you, even if that means participating in this war.¡± ¡°We do hope that Queen Kiara will recognize it and be the visionary ruler we know she can be,¡± Rodrick added. Regina smiled a little and nodded. They were hoping that Kiara would favor the Delvers, in recognition of their contribution, and, more to the point, their ideology once she was queen of Cernlia. That¡¯s fair enough, I guess. Especially with Regina herself taking leadership of the Delvers and the plans they had. The racism was not something she would tolerate, of course, but she supposed the rest was fine. ¡°I am sure she will. I encourage you to speak to her about it, of course. But I know Kiara, and she is very interested in the progress we can make. I am sure she will be open to your contributions.¡± ¡°Would she also be open to granting us official control of the town our headquarters is based in?¡± Owin asked. Regina tilted her head. It was probably not too big a concession, and they already had effective control of it, anyway, under the circumstances. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to speak for her, but yes. I¡¯m sure you can work something out.¡± They seemed satisfied with it. Regina suspected those requests (she couldn¡¯t quite call them demands) were mostly token, so it wouldn¡¯t look like they just bent to her every whim. She found it a bit amusing, but stifled the smile it evoked to not offend them. ¡°May we ask about your plans in a larger view, Your Majesty?¡± Trito asked. ¡°I am sure putting Princess Kiara on the throne of Cernlia is not the only goal. Nerlia is, evidently, quite accommodating.¡± ¡°I do have something of a goal,¡± Regina said. ¡°I will be approaching a few of you with details, in order to get feedback and revise what I can expect. I am not ready to go public, so to speak, yet. However, I¡¯m sure some of you have already guessed a general direction.¡± She paused, tilting her head. ¡°I realize that the Delvers have always been set apart from kings and government ¡­¡± ¡°That was before,¡± Gwen muttered. ¡°Changes are coming, as we have all said more than once,¡± Rodrick stated with a slight smile. ¡°Previous ¡­ temporal powers ¡­ did not have surviving Progenitors.¡± Regina tried not to show her relief too much. She was hoping to integrate the Delvers into her plans, and it looked like they weren¡¯t too opposed. How separate they¡¯d stay from everything would remain to be seen, and it was certainly something she should discuss with several of them. ¡°Good,¡± she murmured. ¡°I appreciate the faith you place in me, and I will do my best to live up to it. We owe it to both my civilization and to the people today.¡± Then she shook her head. ¡°Sir Trito, I heard you have some information for me?¡± Trito straightened up and cleared his throat. ¡°Indeed, Your Majesty. My report ¡­¡± Regina leaned back and listened attentively as he spoke. It was of a mix of information on different subjects, but she¡¯d expected that. Primarily, she was relieved that it seemed like the Delvers and her drones were working together well. She¡¯d known about their efforts to set up cooperation regarding the gathering and transmission of information, but it was good to hear it from him. The military integration was also going well. And he even had a few insightful tidbits regarding Cernlia and the war. All in all, it was almost a disappointment when Janis contacted her to remind her about Florance and Regina had to guide the meeting to an end. Chapter 241: Hostages ¡°Are you going to tell me where we¡¯re going soon, or why we are here?¡± Kiara asked. Janis glanced at her and smiled. ¡°We¡¯re meeting Regina, at least, I hope so. Come on.¡± Then, after a moment of hesitation, she took her hand again. Kiara looked at her for a moment, then gave her a small smile, and a knot around Janis¡¯ chest loosened. She was glad to spend more time with her - girlfriend? They hadn¡¯t really named what they were to each other, although she hoped for that title. But Kiara barely knew about official relationships beyond betrothal and marriage, much less with someone of the same gender, and Janis still worried she might get spooked. She also worried about what they were here for and what it might do to her or to their relationship, but she couldn¡¯t just leave Kiara out of it. ¡°So, you are not just getting me in an out-of-the-way corridor so we can kiss?¡± Janis grinned at her. ¡°We could do that, if you like,¡± she offered. ¡°I certainly wouldn¡¯t object.¡± Kiara looked like she was gathering her courage, then actually stepped forward and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Janis¡¯ grin widened, even though she probably looked like a fool. It had been a pretty chaste kiss, but it still sent a tingle down her spine. She could never get enough of those. But they would have time for more kissing and making out later, hopefully. For now, she glanced around them and then focused on the psychic link. She knew Kiara was a bit annoyed because she could not use it, and that was a definite drawback when living with the Hive. Even if it gave the two of them an excuse to hang out, so she could show her around and talk to people. For now, however, Janis was also looking for someone who wasn¡¯t a part of the psychic link, either, which wasn¡¯t as easy as finding a drone since she had to work indirectly. She pulled Kiara down another corridor, then reluctantly let go of her hand. Not only did they both need their hands free just in case it came to a fight ¡ª which she rather doubted, but she still would have felt antsy if she didn¡¯t, reflexes from the war ¡ª but she knew Kiara wasn¡¯t comfortable showing their relationship too openly. And to be fair, Janis wasn¡¯t either, really. ¡°Mother?¡± Kiara frowned as she finally recognized who Janis had been heading to find. Florance turned to face her, brief startlement on her face before she managed to put her calm and collected mask back in place. She looked a bit worn, recent events obviously having taken their toll. The pregnancy clearly didn¡¯t make it easy for her, either. Janis had diagnosed and helped heal her before, and she knew the morning sickness the woman had suffered a bit from had ended, but it was clearly still an additional issue. ¡°Kiara,¡± Florance smiled at her daughter, then looked at Janis and inclined her head. ¡°And Lady Janis, how nice to see you again.¡± Before they could truly start a conversation, Regina finally arrived. She was, as always, accompanied by Max, who hung back a little but looked around watchfully, never mind that they were surrounded by thousands of troops loyal to her. The base had lost a lot of soldiers to the new war in the east, but they¡¯d still kept a large garrison. Regina was visibly a bit out of breath, and Janis knew she had hurried here. ¡°Regina,¡± she greeted her cheerfully. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Florance sank into a perfectly executed curtsy. Janis once again suppressed the thought if maybe she shouldn¡¯t learn how to do it. This wasn¡¯t the time. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you all,¡± Regina greeted them, waving at Florance to rise but looking mostly at Kiara. ¡°I assume you wanted to speak about something with Mother and me?¡± Kiara asked, cocking her head slightly. She was obviously curious why they¡¯d gone back to this base when all three of them, minus her mother, would be needed, or at least more useful, closer to the action. She¡¯d already been preparing to speak to the Cernlian rebels who¡¯d come to support her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this won¡¯t take long,¡± Regina assured them. ¡°We¡¯re just waiting for June, she¡¯ll be here any minute.¡± Kiara exchanged a confused look with Florance, while Janis tried not to give anything away. She might be enjoying the mysterious act a little too much, although the nervousness from before still lingered and spoiled the enjoyment. True to Regina¡¯s words, it took less than a minute for June to arrive as well. She was accompanied by a drone Janis only vaguely recognized, who left her after saying a few words. June had clearly taken to copying Kiara¡¯s style and was wearing trousers. Her braid was slightly undone and there was a slight flush to her cheeks that made her look healthier in addition to showing that she¡¯d clearly been active. "I¡¯m here,¡± she said. Then she paused and bowed to Regina. ¡°I apologize, Master. Mother. Sister. Lady Janis. I hope I have not kept you waiting.¡± Regina smiled at her with visible warmth, waving away the apology. ¡°Not at all, June. I realize this was short notice.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Florance said mildly. ¡°It seems everyone knew about this gathering except I. Did I miss a notice?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware, either, Mother, Janis simply dragged me here,¡± Kiara told her. ¡°She is right, though. Can we get to the point? Please.¡± Janis glanced at Regina. They hadn¡¯t talked about this in detail. She wasn¡¯t even sure what Regina wanted to accomplish here. The Hive Queen inclined her head slightly. ¡°The war is going well,¡± she said. ¡°We have launched a successful attack on the capital, though without the intent of capturing or holding it, yet. Civilian casualties were thankfully minimal. It also allowed us, coincidentally, to rescue Lady Margaret, who had been apprehended by the Marquis¡¯ men.¡± Florance nodded. Kiara looked like she wanted to speak up but kept silent. June just looked interested. ¡°At the same time, we used the opportunity to move on the army he had gathered ¡ª what remained of the Cernlian rebel army, marching east of Cera,¡± Regina continued. ¡°It was rather chaotic, but we did manage to gain control, thanks to brave supporters of Kiara. Duke Bluegrass was instrumental, as well.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Good news,¡± June commented. ¡°But I don¡¯t see why we have to hear it here, and in person, I have to admit.¡± Janis suppressed a sigh and decided to speak up. ¡°It allowed us the chance to talk to several people we have had rather sporadic contact with, and even go through some documents and gather material evidence, you see.¡± June¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and Kiara looked pleased. No doubt she was thinking about the diplomatic boost they could get if they got proof of her father¡¯s actions against her, not to mention the personal vindication of what people thought of her. Florance smiled as well, a moment later, and Janis found it hard to tell whether it was sincere. She had to have misgivings regardless of where her loyalties lay. ¡°Indeed,¡± Regina continued. ¡°From what we have heard, it sounds like I may have been a bit hasty in my judgment, and Marquis Lyns didn¡¯t actually order you killed, Kiara. Probably. We don¡¯t exactly have hard evidence. But there are indications that he intended to, essentially, kidnap you and bring you back to Cernlia under his control. Whether he still would have sent you to the Esemen is unknown. And from what I sensed, I¡¯m relatively confident he at least had assassinating you as a backup plan.¡± Kiara blinked, then frowned. ¡°That¡¯s good to know, I suppose,¡± she said slowly. The tension in her shoulders did decrease minutely, though, although Janis doubted the others noticed. Kiara was actually a bit relieved. ¡°Well,¡± June said, ¡°you have kind of started this war already, anyhow. Are you saying it might not have needed to come to this? That would be nice, I suppose ¡­¡± ¡°Kidnapping Kiara is not an acceptable alternative,¡± Janis said stiffly. She reached out her hand, on impulse rather than planned, but Kiara allowed her to take her arm and tuck hers into her elbow. ¡°That¡¯s not quite what I was getting at, now,¡± Regina said, then paused. ¡°Oh!¡± June glanced at them and then at her mother. ¡°Was there only a plan to get Kiara? What about Mother? And me, I suppose, but I wouldn¡¯t be overly surprised if Father decided to just leave me here. But Mother is pregnant with the heir he wants, if nothing else ¡­¡± They all looked at Florance, who raised an eyebrow. ¡°One of the assassins ¡ª well, intruders, I suppose ¡ª used some kind of Recall Skill,¡± Regina said. ¡°I have been informed that at higher levels, it can generally be extended to cover one more person, in addition to the user. They were certainly high enough level. And there were two intruders.¡± ¡°One of those could have been backup ¡­¡± Kiara mused, her eyes narrowed. Janis could tell she wasn¡¯t convinced by her own words. ¡°Florance,¡± Regina said, almost gently. ¡°Is there anything you want to tell us?¡± June drew in a sharp breath. Florance just stared, silent for half a minute. Finally, she clicked her tongue. ¡°Are you implying that I had something to do with it, Your Majesty? That I would knowingly invite assassins or kidnappers to take my eldest child?¡± ¡°I was not making an accusation,¡± Regina said calmly. ¡°But now that we are speaking of it, I confess I do have suspicions. Lyns seemed far too assured when it came to you, too focused on getting Kiara back. And you were in the common room of the suite I assigned your family for a rather long time, at an hour when you would usually have gone to the healers or to the library. I wasn¡¯t paying attention at the time, too focused on whether anyone was too close to the assassins, but I asked a few drones and they told me.¡± Janis cocked her head. They didn¡¯t have much of a library, just a room where they stored some books the Hive had got their hands on and copies of those they were printing, but it was closer to the center of the base. "That¡¯s pretty circumstantial,¡± Janis pointed out quietly, keeping her tone neutral. ¡°True. But it bears asking.¡± Regina paused, focusing her gaze intently on Florance. ¡°Lady Florance. Look me in the eyes.¡± She did, perhaps reluctantly, and the two held eye contact. Janis scrutinized the woman¡¯s expression and she knew that Regina was looking at her mind more than her face. Perhaps she was reading her thoughts or even memories, but either way, it would be rather hard for Florance to lie to her. ¡°Did you conspire with the would-be king?¡± ¡°No,¡± Florance answered slowly. She grimaced. ¡°Not truly.¡± ¡°But?¡± Kiara prompted. ¡°But I knew, or at least heavily suspected, that he would get me out,¡± Florance admitted. Her eyes darted to her daughter before she returned her gaze to Regina. ¡°I received a message. It was some sort of magic writing fiery words in the air, I am unsure of the details, but they simply appeared and then disappeared before me.¡± ¡°And you did not tell us, but instead cooperated,¡± June growled. ¡°I had no way of sending a reply or any other message, I did not pass information to my husband,¡± Florance retorted. ¡°But he is my husband. He wanted to take me and my baby out of possible danger, of course I accepted it.¡± ¡°And Kiara?¡± ¡°¡­ There was no mention of what he intended to do about her in the message.¡± Janis squeezed Kiara¡¯s arm. She was sure they both heard what Florance omitted there. She hadn¡¯t known what the Marquis intended but had still gone along with it, without warning Kiara or trying to get her out of danger. ¡°How could you, Mother?¡± June¡¯s voice rose and she pulled her clenched fists together as if to stop herself from hitting the target of her anger. ¡°He might have killed Kiara! He almost did! I thought you loved her.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have ¡­ I never imagined he would try to murder her. Nicholas has his faults but he¡¯s not a kinslayer.¡± ¡°The evidence would beg to disagree,¡± Janis muttered, then bit her lip. Not helpful. Although she itched to give the lady a pointed reminder that her husband had, at the very least, killed his cousin. And gotten Kiara seriously hurt. Regina raised a hand, getting them all to stop talking. She cocked her head and just watched them for a minute. ¡°We are hostages,¡± Florance finally said, breaking the silence. She fiddled with her sleeves, then stopped and folded her hands in front of her belly, almost protectively. ¡°I know you like to ignore it and play house with the Hivekind, June, but it is the truth. I am not here by choice and while I know attempting to leave is dishonorable, under the circumstances, is it not justified?¡± ¡°I never threatened you,¡± Regina murmured. ¡°Or so much as hinted I held your child hostage.¡± ¡°With all due respect, Your Majesty, you still made me a hostage,¡± Florance retorted. Regina sighed, and Janis couldn¡¯t help but glance away uncomfortably for a moment. She was aware, even if June wasn¡¯t, that Florance was not entirely wrong. Regina wouldn¡¯t have accepted a hostage if she¡¯d had no use at all for them. But it was the way the world worked. Perhaps it put Florance in an unfortunate position, but Janis couldn¡¯t bring herself to feel much sympathy for her. Not when she¡¯d so nonchalantly risked hurting Kiara. ¡°You would have been safe here,¡± Regina said. ¡°You still are. And so is your unborn son. Do you really think, if you¡¯d managed to return to Cera, that you or he would have been any safer?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Your husband has very little chance of winning this war, Lady Florance. And even if Kiara was inclined to ¡®remove the competition¡¯, so to speak, which she clearly isn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t have allowed it.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not like kidnapping you or Kiara would have really made Father more likely to survive this,¡± June muttered. She was frowning and looked more unhappy than Janis had ever seen her, even during an outbreak of her illness. ¡°What now?¡± Kiara asked, her jaw set in a hard line. Regina turned to her. ¡°What would you suggest, Kiara?¡± She shook her head. ¡°She¡¯s your hostage.¡± Kiara placed some emphasis on the word that, to Janis, sounded mocking. Regina didn¡¯t seem to care. She spoke in a businesslike tone. ¡°You are confined to your quarters until further notice, Lady Florance. Healers will come by for appointments. We will see if I will allow you more privileges in the foreseeable future.¡± Florance¡¯s expression turned cold and stiff, a mask put in place. She curtseyed deeply and murmured, ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Janis called a few drones over that she knew had been lingering nearby, and they escorted her away. Then Janis took Kiara¡¯s hand again. She wondered who else was thinking about the implications at this reminder of Florance¡¯s and June¡¯s hostage status, even if it was rather technical in the latter case. After all, they would work as hostages against Kiara just as well. Not that it really mattered. Kiara sighed and leaned into her shoulder, which, more than anything, told Janis she was sad and emotionally wrung out. June just gave them all nods and walked away, barely not storming off. Janis really needed to track her down soon for a talk, see how she was doing and offer a sympathetic ear. Regina was clearly talking in the psychic link, though not to her. Idly, Janis wondered how they might go about forging a letter from Florance. Chapter 242: Rightful They¡¯d acted too quickly to get much news from elsewhere, but as a few days passed since the start of it all, messages and reactions from elsewhere started to come in. Regina was curious about how this turn in the war would be received, but she couldn¡¯t deny that she was nervous, too. They had acted quickly, maybe too quickly. She had sent a declaration of war to Lyns, in an official letter, but to be fair, she hadn¡¯t exactly given him a lot of time to respond. They didn¡¯t even have an army - a ground-based army - in position at the time. Well, they had one in Cernlia, augmented by the Delvers, just not ready to fight any battle. The elves had sent a relatively neutral communiqu¨¦, as an actual letter rather than only passing a message through an ambassador. It was accepting of the war but didn¡¯t give much insight into their opinions. Regina wondered about that a little, then shrugged it off. They wouldn¡¯t be wrong to feel annoyed or concerned. Unsurprisingly, the Esemen hadn¡¯t reacted nearly as well. Instead, Regina had received a rather flaming letter, through Earl Whitor of all people. Well, about as flaming as official diplomatic correspondence got, which was not much. She hadn¡¯t expected much eloquence and wasn¡¯t very surprised. Still, it did make her suspect they might back Marquis Lyns in this war. His plans to marry Kiara off to the Esemen certainly gave an indication of that. On the other hand, they had to know he was hopelessly outmatched and she didn¡¯t think they¡¯d want to tie themselves to a sinking boat that way. If they did break their agreement in order to form an alliance with him and fight, she¡¯d deal with it. It wouldn¡¯t exactly do much good for Esemen¡¯s own diplomatic reputation, which was already not stellar, from what she understood, given their theocratic tendencies. In the long run, such a thing might even help Regina pull more of the remaining countries to her side. It was the response from Nerlia, though, that really took her aback a little. Not because it was negative, though. On the contrary, it did not express much negativity at all. It was about as neutral as the elves¡¯ response. But, they were inquiring very cautiously into the possibility of making agreements with Kiara. Regina had a strong suspicion it was meant to be another marriage alliance (maybe even with June, she had been in Nerlia a bit, recently.) She sighed and decided to show the letter to Kiara, not that she expected much to come of it. It better not, if she hurts Janis because of political expediency ¡ª Regina shook her head. Either way, while it was subtle, the tone of the letter pleased her quite a bit, because it didn¡¯t strike her as what one would use to write to a former enemy they¡¯d grudgingly made peace with, or even an equal. Instead, Nerlia ¡­ clearly knew where they stood, in terms of power. It might help that she still occupied a significant part of their country, depending on how you sliced it. But they acknowledged her as their superior, and combined with how the negotiations had been going, she was confident that meant her plan was succeeding. For now, she was mostly happy that she had some good things to show to the Cernlian nobles willing to support Kiara. Regina was only too aware that this willingness would be tentative for most of them, encouraged by the fact their faction had been obviously about to win the battle that split the Marquis¡¯ former army. That was the thing about such decisions, though: They set in and grew with time, and if one didn¡¯t pay attention, one day one might find themselves at the end of a path with no way off it or back to a crossroads one had passed long ago. And this change didn¡¯t just happen in the eyes of the outside world, but in people¡¯s minds too. People didn¡¯t like cognitive dissonance, something she had more experience with than most. Unless they were already firmly opposed to Kiara or at least held strong opinions, quite a few would probably find themselves decently-loyal supporters eventually, for several reasons. That didn¡¯t mean some of the nobles, knights or common soldiers in the army didn¡¯t just stay on hoping to sabotage or spy on them, of course. Duke Bluegrass was currently leading the army back to the capital, but he was taking his time. Regina didn¡¯t mind. It gave him and the other rebels (counter-rebels? No, that was stupid) more time to organize. The Hive could supply them with provisions relatively easily, so there was no urgency on the logistical front, and tightening a siege around Cera for a bit wouldn¡¯t go amiss. Regina wouldn¡¯t actually let people starve ¡ª and neither would Kiara ¡ª but they had agreed it was an option to siege it for a while, if they needed to increase the pressure without attacking. To her credit, Kiara had not been happy, and had already asked Regina to extend her aid shipments to all parts of Cernlia. Regina had been happy to do so. They needed fewer food supplies for Nerlia, now, and the armies they sent against the gnomes were mostly supplied from their local area. Besides, she had suspected it had had a positive effect on the attitudes of the enemies they would inherit from the Marquis. There were still a few knights and minor lords holding out, ostensibly, for the now-dead king. Maybe they hoped one of his illegitimate sons would turn up, otherwise Regina really wasn¡¯t sure what they imagined as an endgame. But she and Kiara had sent them letters, mostly dropped from Winged Drones all over the region, and they¡¯d been quiet. One lord had actually proclaimed his loyalty to Kiara right away. She gathered his opposition came from a grudge against Lyns, and he was probably happy to spite him by supporting Kiara while also getting out of an untenable position. The others hadn¡¯t gone that far, yet, but several had sent assurances of neutrality and more or less promised they wouldn¡¯t attack Kiara¡¯s troops for now, so Regina had to be content with that. They couldn¡¯t exactly continue with Lyns¡¯ original plan of going around all the local castles. Well, I suppose we could, but it would be stupid. She was still a bit anxious, but not because she thought there was a large risk. However, Kiara insisted on going to Cernlia in person to meet with Bluegrass and the others willing to bow to her, so Regina thought she had the right to be a bit worried. Kiara had almost been killed there, after all. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Still, she gave in to her protests and didn¡¯t assign her a massive security detail ¡­ just some of her own bodyguards that Max had put together, not that she¡¯d ever really needed them, and other veteran drones, both sapient and Swarm Drones. Kiara would probably assemble some human guards as soon as she could, if only to equalize the visual impression they gave, but judging by the satisfaction she felt from Max Regina knew he¡¯d like that. Janis had wanted to come, but Kiara put her foot down. Regina wondered if it was because she didn¡¯t want to be distracted by her new romance or if she worried about Janis¡¯ safety. Regina didn¡¯t get involved. She just gave Janis something to do with the army she was taking deeper into Cernlia. It wasn¡¯t exactly busy work, she really did need Janis. Tim was already there, of course, and he greeted Kiara cheerfully when they arrived and arranged for her to get to the army and the lords without trouble. Regina listened in with one ear as they talked for a minute, then entered the current camp of the army. Kiara decided to walk through it and give the soldiers a chance to see her. Despite the risk, Regina was inclined to approve. A ruler needed to be seen, but shouldn¡¯t be seen to show fear, and Kiara was charismatic enough to win them over with a bit of effort. She was wearing some armor, mostly because they didn¡¯t have royal clothing that fit her, but also showed quality and elegance. The soldiers lined up ¡ª despite not having much warning, someone had prepared pretty efficiently, Regina noted with approval ¡ª and stared. There were a few scattered cheers and some bowing and kneeling, and Kiara responded to all of it with gracious nods and smiles. She did make for a pretty photogenic warrior queen, Regina had to admit. Bluegrass and a few other nobles waited in the center, lined up to greet her. He clearly had to hold himself back from more emotional displays. Over the last months, they had become something like friends, and Regina could sense their affection and pleasure at seeing each other again. Instead, he greeted her solemnly, kneeling to the woman he proclaimed as the rightful queen of Cernlia. Kiara stayed in sight of the soldiers long enough to ensure all of the gathered lords and ladies, and some who had come once they saw it happening, repeated that declaration. Then she bid them join her in the command tent with another gracious smile, and allowed Bluegrass to courteously offer her his arm and escort her to it. Regina wasn¡¯t able to watch what happened there, since they hadn¡¯t invited any of her drones in yet, but she did have a few in the vicinity. With their superior hearing, she caught most of the conversation that followed. ¡°I thank you all for your loyal support,¡± Kiara told them solemnly. ¡°You took a risk to stand up for what was right, against tyranny, not once but several times. I will not forget it. I know that I am young and some of you may have misgivings, but I intend to lead our people into a new golden age, where things long thought lost will be available to us all once more and there will be no senseless death on fields of blood without accomplishing or changing anything. And I will prove to you that I am capable of it.¡± There was a second¡¯s silence, before she heard what sounded like banging, probably equivalent to applause. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness,¡± Duke Bluegrass responded and they fell silent. ¡°With the aid and support of the Starlit Hive as well as those gathered here, we should be able to bring the war to a decisive conclusion and help you gain your rightful throne very soon.¡± There were a few mutters that largely sounded approving, she thought. ¡°Speaking of the Hive,¡± she continued. ¡°We will invite Sir Tim and Lady Via soon for their counsel, as well. For now, we may need to take advantage of their generosity. How are our supplies? How are the wounded?¡± ¡°We have enough food to march on Cera, Milady,¡± another man spoke up promptly. ¡°I am uncertain how long we would be able to siege the city, however. No more than a few months, at best.¡± ¡°That will do,¡± Kiara replied. ¡°Our wounded are being treated, and it would be best to not march at full speed, at least, until they are healed. We have healers, still, but more would be welcome. We also need men to care for the prisoners we¡¯ve taken.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask for more drone healers, if they can spare some,¡± Kiara promised. There was a short pause, and Regina turned her focus away to check on the state of the army through other drones, when the next thing Kiara said caught her attention again. ¡°One more thing before we bring this meeting to an end,¡± she was saying. ¡°In order to ensure that no one can question or doubt this, and to set all of our minds at ease, I would like to make it official and recognize you as my loyal vassals. I want you to officially swear yourselves to me as your queen.¡± There was a short silence after that ¡ª shocked, Regina imagined. She smiled to herself, but still listened intently through the ears of the drone she¡¯d sneaked closer, as well as Tim, who was lingering close by to join their discussions later. One mistake Lyns had made, she and Kiara had agreed, was waiting with this. It might be against tradition, but she was already breaking tradition. He hadn¡¯t required the oaths of fealty, or at least, he had not imposed it as a general requirement, or officially called himself king since he hadn¡¯t been crowned yet. If they had sworn them, perhaps more people would have been loyal to him. Of course, some of the men here presumably had sworn to Lyns, so it was hardly a guarantee of anything. Before anyone else could say anything, she heard the rustling of cloth and then Duke Bluegrass started making his oath. Regina let the words she¡¯d exchanged with Kiara before wash over her, focusing on what she could sense of the people inside. Clearly, and she didn¡¯t need to be a psychic to know this, some of them were dismayed and hesitant. But she knew they¡¯d feel pressed to do it, if only subconsciously. They weren¡¯t being threatened or anything, so they couldn¡¯t say they were forced to swear these oaths, but it would also take quite a bit of bravery to refuse as the situation currently stood. She wasn¡¯t surprised no one was brave and traditional enough to refuse. Presumably, those who would have balked at the idea of swearing fealty to a female ruler were on the other side, and now dead, captured or fled. In comparison, quibbling about the timing probably wasn¡¯t high on anyone¡¯s priority list. Not that Kiara planned to officially call herself Queen yet, either, Regina knew. That wasn¡¯t necessary. Finally, Kiara gave them a few more reassuring words before she called for Tim and any other envoys from the Hive to join them, to discuss the condition of the army and the state of the war. Regina actually paid less attention to this, knowing that Tim had it well in hand. He was a bit amused at what he¡¯d just listened to, but she also felt his happiness that everything had gone well for Kiara. They probably wouldn¡¯t even need that much support from the human army for this, technically speaking. But Regina would like them to contribute as much as they could, since this was, after all, for Kiara. And she already had too many commitments for her troops. Chapter 243: In Command Being a prospective queen was rather exhausting. Kiara Lyns thought she¡¯d anticipated it and prepared herself for it, but she had to admit rather quickly that she might just have underestimated the headache her position would cause her. Not that she would give it up for the world, but it still needed to be said. At least some of the noble lords (and a few ladies) who¡¯d joined her with their soldiers were genuinely loyal to her, like Duke Bluegrass. She had already had good relationships with them and they were content to accept her leadership. Others, of course, had only grudgingly given in and didn¡¯t do much to hide that fact. She knew it would be like this, but it was still disheartening to be met with mistrust and thinly-veiled condescension. Even some boys younger than her barely appeared able to wrap their heads around the idea that a woman could be an able leader and ruler. It would have been enough to deal with in a more peaceful setting, but unfortunately, they were at war, and the army she had to fight it with was disorganized at best. It took double the original estimate Duke Bluegrass had brought her before they were even underway towards Cera at a decent pace. More lords had joined her side than she¡¯d feared, although less than she¡¯d hoped in her more optimistic estimates. It still meant that the army was split into large parts, and salvaging something from it was not easy. They had captured a few of the noblemen and the soldiers following them had been integrated into the rest of the army, but they would need to be watched. Others had managed to escape. For those who had died, it was sometimes unclear who the heir to take their position would be or where he (sometimes she, Kiara hoped) stood. Many conscripts and levies, and some hired swords, belonging to one of the lords set against her had simply left the camp after the battle, deserting. She wasn¡¯t certain if they would simply melt into the countryside or rejoin her father¡¯s forces. Those who still had their leader to guide them would most likely do the latter, but she knew many men were tired of the war, too. At least a significant part of the mercenaries ¡ª hired mostly by Regina¡¯s gold, she thought bitterly ¡ª had simply sat out the fighting and were now eager to fight under her banner, as long as the coin kept coming. Kiara didn¡¯t foresee a problem with that. Regina had seemed unconcerned about giving her as much gold as necessary. Although she did seem reluctant to let any more gold trickle into the economy of Cernlia than was necessary, concerned about inflation and the damage it would do in the wake of the war. Kiara would not pretend she understood it as well as Regina did, but her own understanding of economics and what she had learned was enough to emphatically agree with the sentiment. Getting some of the coin out of the country by trade or investments in more stable endeavors would be a good thing. By the time they finally saw the city walls rising in the distance, she was ready for it all to be over. At least I¡¯m going to see Margaret soon, she thought, staring at the imposing sight slowly becoming visible. Her friend had made it out of the city, freed by Regina¡¯s - friend? Mentor? She was not entirely sure what they were to each other ¡ª and through the mockery of an attack the Hive had launched at the city. They had been taken to join the Hive¡¯s main forces, she knew, although it was possible Madris was no longer there. Kiara did not care as much about her as about Margaret. ¡°Planning your triumphant conquest?¡± Duke Bluegrass asked, slightly teasing, riding up beside her. She glanced at him, petting her horse¡¯s neck. Of all her things she¡¯d lost and regained with this army, she was surprised to find her what she¡¯d missed most. ¡°Thinking about your daughter,¡± she answered honestly. ¡°Ah.¡± The Duke¡¯s expression darkened a little, although he smiled. ¡°I am glad that she is safe.¡± ¡°She is,¡± Kiara assured him. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s keep it that way, shall we?¡± Kiara gave him a small smile. ¡°At this point, I do not truly believe my father or his men could do much to harm her, or any of them,¡± she admitted. Bluegrass nodded. ¡°They do seem rather in a tight spot, don¡¯t they? But at least for now, they still hold the capital. That counts for something. And I find it hard to estimate how the people will react, where they will stand.¡± ¡°I do not think they will necessarily choose a side,¡± Kiara mused. ¡°They¡¯re glad the late king is gone, that much I have heard and I have no trouble believing it. I am not sure they will have much desire to get involved in choosing which noble will be their new king, even if they could.¡± Unfortunately, her inner voice whispered. She wondered if she would have thought so before the war, before she met Regina and Janis and everything else? But right now, she could not help but be sad that the common people would have so little say in something that affected all of their fates. Of course, maybe she was simply presuming things that weren¡¯t true. ¡°Some know of your efforts of distributing rations and making sure refugees are looked after,¡± he said. He caught her raised eyebrow and shrugged. ¡°People do talk, my princess, and some of our men were in the capital even if the army did not stay there. But you are right; your father is popular as well. They will accept whatever the outcome shall turn out to be.¡± Kiara nodded, winding the reins around her hand in a nervous habit she knew she should abandon. ¡°Are the men prepared, Milord?¡± she asked, her tone stronger and cooler. ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± He bowed slightly in his saddle. ¡°I have been overseeing the supply train, which has moved entirely to the back according to your command. The vanguard has formed up, and every lord has received orders on how to spread out as we reach the city.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Good,¡± she said absently. ¡°You are a capable general, my lord duke. I trust you to oversee things until our next war council.¡± Recognizing the implied dismissal, he bowed his head again and turned his horse to ride back along the marching army. Kiara kept her gaze on the walls in front of her, watching the city draw nearer. She remembered visiting it several times. As direct relatives of the king, they had been well received at the royal court, but it had been obvious even when she was a child that the king had little love for them. Their welcome might have been courteous, but it was never warm. And later, even the courtesy had worn thin. She had caught the king eying her with distaste several times; with distaste and something she wasn¡¯t able to name. As an adolescent, she had not understood it, but now she thought she was beginning to. Even if her father had not had his long-awaited male heir, he had at least had a healthy child. An heir. And June, of course. Rumor had it the queen had been barren. She supposed the king had not been wrong to be concerned at the lack of children, given recent evidence (although she still maintained he had brought the rebellion on himself). It was rather ironic, all the parallels she could recently draw between the two men, if she went looking for it. At least Kiara was confident that June ¡ª and it would have to be June, there was no one else left ¡ª would not usurp her place. Kiara shivered lightly and pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders. It was richly embroidered, in the royal colors, not that of the house of Lyns, and had been a gift. She glanced at the fields. It had not snowed yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time, and mostly due to chance that it had not yet. It was certainly getting colder. Of course, all of her soldiers were strong enough to deal with a little cold. They all had decent Con stats, with most of them having gained some levels in the recent wars. She knew that in some parts of the world, the winter was considered something like a second campaign season, with no need to till the fields or bring in the harvest. Winter would at least pose problems for mounts and draft animals, and winters in Cernlia could be harsh enough to not allow much warfare, anyway. Hopefully, by that time the war would be over, or brought to enough of a conclusion that they could manage in winter. Kiara was brought out of her thoughts by the sounds of horns and drums. The signals were a bit eclectic, but at least everyone should be able to understand. Still, it was another thing that could bear standardization, she thought. She already had some plans for a centralized, professional and standardized army in the back of her mind. It was something that the country could have done with for some time, as June had pointed out to her previously. Visiting the Hive had only strengthened her resolve, although she knew they would have to be careful. Still, she had a vision of a force that could rival and stand equal to the Hive¡¯s own armies, and she was not going to give up on it. Hivekind might have natural advantages, but so did humans¡¯ diversity. For now, she would have to win the fight ahead with the men she had, though. Kiara finally turned away from the city and went to ride alongside the soldiers, trying to gauge their morale as she watched them prepare for what lay ahead. The sight of the city was greeted by cheers from many, and she smiled and waved when they acknowledged her, trying to maintain the cheerful mood. She could tell that in too many cases, it was plastered over the tiredness of war and the grief of having lost brothers, but at least they didn¡¯t seem too afraid of what lay ahead. That was all anyone could hope for, really. Kiara dismounted and walked with a few groups of soldiers, sharing some words with them. She was offered a drink of ale or beer a few times and declined as politely as she could. She didn¡¯t want to return to her lords stinking of cheap alcohol, even if she did appreciate the gesture. Finally, the army¡¯s siege camp was almost ready. Kiara returned to where the commanders had gathered to oversee the final preparations. They would not have to stay in it for long, gods willing. Only until the Hive¡¯s forces reached them. A few knights and commanders had spoken up for trying the city on their own. Maybe they wanted to get the glory of winning without having to share with the Hivekind and Delvers. Kiara had put a stop to it, however. They were not so pressed for time, and besides, the more allies she had with her, the better. Right now, Duke Bluegrass, who had taken over rather competently as acting general of the army, had the men put to work digging trenches and raising a palisade. It would not be easy to encircle the entire city, and she privately doubted that it was necessary or a good goal, but she let him have his way. It wouldn¡¯t hurt, after all. She could have probably taken over and insisted on leading the army by herself, but Kiara found she had no desire for it. She had learned enough in the recent war that she felt she was a decent commander, but even when her father had still been training her as his heir, he had not focused on leading an army. Maybe because he knew there was no way the king would ever make him general of his armies, or me either. She had learned some strategy, of course, and she thought she would do an acceptable job, but it was not going to be her role. She would be queen, and while leading her armies was a good skill to have, she would most likely delegate it in most cases. Bluegrass was experienced and loyal, she didn¡¯t mind shoring up his position with the appointment, and besides, it was best to have the men stick with a commander they knew, right now. He seemed to know her thoughts without ever speaking about it, smoothly stepping in to take over the aspects of the job that he could best fulfill while still asking her wishes for the important matters. Kiara wondered how often they would have to rely on the experience they developed now in the years to come. Of course, most likely it would all involve the Hive, and that would change everything, anyway. She shook her head and read over the latest messages again. Their army was still a while out, although the gathered flying drones were already ready. Or so Regina had said the last time she¡¯d seen her. It made sense, anyway. She strolled up the hill near which they had decided to raise the command tent while a group of soldiers put up the tent, and stared at the city again. A few flags waved in the wind. She was fairly sure there had been less of them the last time; maybe her father was making a statement. ¡°Enjoy your peace while it lasts, Father,¡± she whispered. ¡°Soon enough, your sanctuary will fall and your vaunted crown with it.¡± She smiled sharply. ¡°I am looking forward to seeing it.¡± Then Kiara whistled the beginning of a song she had heard in the city as she descended from the hill. The king takes our gold ¡­ the king raises tall walls ¡­ the king, oh he holds, what all falls ¡­ Kiara smiled to herself and considered how she could change the last verses. There was something about the king having no heirs, which wasn¡¯t exactly appropriate anymore, but surely there was a way to change it to a more pointed reminder. She had to do something to pass the time besides wishing she could watch her father squirm in person, after all. Interlude: Civil War IX Marquis Nicholas Lyns would soon be crowned as King Nicholas the Fourth of Cernlia. He was so close to the crown he could taste it. And yet, he¡¯d never felt closer to despair. As he stared out at the army ringing the walls of his capital city, he wondered once more where it had all gone wrong. He watched the banners flapping in the breeze, unsurprised that his daughter had not chosen to fly the one of their march. There was a new one he had never seen before, and something told him it was the Hive Queen¡¯s, given the placement close to the center of their army but flying low at an odd angle from the others, as if whoever put it up did not care enough to ensure a good position. It was marginally better than seeing it flown above the others in a place of prominence, but he still felt like the silver stars and crown on a field of black mocked him. He could trace every one of his decisions, and for each one, he had thought he was making the right choice. Of course, especially lately, that had only been because of a painful dearth of options. If only he had been able to prevent Kiara¡¯s escape ¡­ but even then, he should be honest enough to admit that it would not have solved the situation. It was only one step among many, even if it was a step down into an abyss. Perhaps if she really had been killed falling from that window ¡­ a traitorous inner voice whispered. He shook his head. Even if she had, who knows what it would have wrought? The Hive still had June, and Florance with our son in her womb. Sending Kiara to Esemen, to marry, had been an attempt to get out of this troubling conflict. He¡¯d known she wouldn¡¯t like it, but at least she would be safe and alive, and so would everyone else. But she had escaped, shot by an arrow from the soldiers he placed to watch and prevent such a thing, and gone to the Hive. For her, he imagined it was the obvious choice. Trying to retrieve her from there had been born of desperation, an attempt to salvage anything from this disaster. A desperate attempt to restore the remnants of his original plan and prevent war. He hadn¡¯t dared to try and rescue Florance before, either, but with the situation so desperate, he had chosen to take the gamble. He hated himself a little for the contingency instructions he had given the assassins ¡ª for few had skills such as would be needed for this except Assassin Classes ¡ª but he had thought Kiara¡¯s death would be better than letting her freely rebel against him. Marginally better. It was all a mess. Perhaps he should not have done it at all, he should have negotiated and they could still have come to an agreement. He would have had to name her as his heir, of course, that would have been the least she¡¯d ask. But now ¡­ It was a little galling, looking out over the soldiers following his daughter, proof that she had managed to bring far too many lords to her side. In any other situation, I would be proud of her. It will not last, he thought, but even in his own head, he could not tell whether he was trying to warn or reassure himself. The low blast of a horn resounded over the plain around the city, startling him from his thoughts. He winced, then watched carefully. There was movement from the army around the gates. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± A runner came up to him, gasping for breath. It was a child of no more than twelve, he recognized after a moment, dressed as a page and with the Class to match. ¡°Yes?¡± He asked curtly. ¡°What news?¡± ¡°Movement from the northwest, Milord,¡± the messenger reported. ¡°It appears to be the army the scouts have reported. They are flying several banners, Cernlia¡¯s as well as what we assume to be the Hive. The lord general is asking to ring the palace bells to alert our forces.¡± He considered it for a moment. ¡°If they¡¯ve only just come into view, there¡¯s no need to be hasty. Plus, they might have spies hidden in the city. There¡¯s no need to ring any bells, simply pass the order to ready the men. And tell the generals I¡¯ll be there shortly,¡± he added. The boy bowed and scurried off. Lyns walked along the walls, grateful for his cousin¡¯s foresight in including a covered walkway that allowed one to look out beyond the walls. If only he¡¯d been as wise in other aspects of his reign. He shook his head and kept walking until he caught sight of the shadow on the horizon that was the approaching army, coming out from the shelter of the hills to the west. Even without a proper spyglass, it was obvious that the army was moving fast. If his intelligence could be trusted, it was composed of Hive drones and Delvers. Hivekind troops were always able to move more quickly than expected, he knew ¡ª something about being able to walk on four legs instead of two, according to what he had heard speculated. Perhaps their inhuman coordination played a part. It might simply be because they were not encumbered by having to carry much in the way of supplies. And the Delvers would all be of decently high levels. At least those that had been sent to accompany the Hive¡¯s army. They would be formidable enemies, he knew. He still cursed himself for not putting a higher priority on recruiting the Delvers. He could not even guess whether it would have worked if he had put in more of an effort, instead of being distracted by his daughter and other matters while he was fighting his cousin. But he had never expected them to ally with the Hive Queen, especially not so quickly. There were rumors, of course ¡ª and the fact the Delvers appeared to have given them some credence, since why else would they work with a nonhuman, had concerning implications. Right now, he could only hope it meant that even if he lost, his people would not simply be reduced to servants of the newcomers. Surely the Delvers were far too invested in putting humanity first for that to happen? But considering these things didn¡¯t prepare him for the coming fight, so Lyns quickly turned after he¡¯d confirmed the report and hurried back to his war room. On the short walk through the city, armed bodyguards surrounded him, ensuring there was a clear space around him where none dared approach. The gazes of the common folk were curious, occasionally excited, but also fearful. He did not stop to speak to any of them, but it was enough to notice the tension lying in the air. It was not unfamiliar to him; the tension before the beginning of a battle always felt like this, nerves taut and the threat of violence lurking beneath seeming tranquility. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. What remained of his commanders had gathered to prepare now that they could expect the battle to start soon. Assuming that his enemies decided to act instead of simply continuing to siege the city with no change, of course. To his gall, several of his best commanders were gone, either dead or turned traitor to serve Kiara now, he could not be sure. Those who remained were all veterans of the war, true enough, but their morale did not appear particularly high as he joined them. The war room had been his predecessor¡¯s, close to the palace barracks and the gate to ensure swift action could be taken. It had maps hung on the walls and a few scratches on the heavy table with more maps spread across it. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t the most auspicious choice of location, but he was not going to be chased out of the room by shadows. ¡°Thank you for the prompt response,¡± he said, a bit stiffly, but he was aware the courtesies were important in times like these. ¡°What do we know of our enemy?¡± ¡°The reinforcing army appears to be headed to join up with Princess Kiara¡¯s host, Milord,¡± Lord Sainjis, one of his generals, said, before he winced slightly, apparently realizing belatedly how he had referred to the army that should have been theirs. ¡°I see,¡± he responded, giving no other reaction. ¡°Do we have a better estimate of their numbers?¡± ¡°They appear to be accompanied by a force of flying drones several thousand strong, Milord. Our best estimate is between two and three thousand, much less than what we have seen before. Their ground troops are at least ten times that number. We can only guess there are several hundred Delvers, although finding an exact number has proven impossible. I apologize for my failure.¡± Lyns shook his head. ¡°We are significantly outnumbered, but we still have the advantage of the city walls,¡± he said, trying to sound reassuring and confident despite the dryness of his throat. Unfortunately, he could tell it did not work very well to reassure his men. Or perhaps fortunately, he did not want his commanders to be fools, after all. ¡°Milord,¡± Thamesin, the leader of his mages, spoke up hesitantly. At times like this, he felt the loss of Zephyr, who he was certain would have offered his service to him by now. Last he had heard, the Thaumaturge was still rotting in a prison of the Hive, who had not managed to get any further information on that ritual they were so interested in. This man was not even the original court mage, who had died in the war as well. ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± he snapped. ¡°All of you are to speak freely.¡± ¡°Perhaps it is not too late for diplomacy?¡± Thamesin offered cautiously. ¡°We should ask for parley. Surely it cannot do any harm?¡± Lyns frowned heavily. He understood the sense in what his mage was saying and didn¡¯t rebuke him for it, but he found the prospect of asking for terms rather disagreeable. ¡°I think we all know what they would demand.¡± ¡°All due respect, Milord,¡± Sir Benard spoke up. ¡°But if you abdicated the crown, at least you would keep your life.¡± He glared at the knight, gritting his teeth and biting down on the urge to order him punished for impudence. Benard would never have dared to speak like this if he wasn¡¯t one of Lyns¡¯ oldest and most loyal knights. He knew his words were most likely born from genuine concern. Several of the men in this room were likely thinking something similar, but more concerned with keeping their own lives. ¡°We have not yet lost,¡± Lyns stated after a long moment of hesitation, drawing himself up and armoring himself in royal composure. ¡°I have faith that my allies in Esemen will come through for us. Our enemies are a loose coalition of momentary shared interest, who have not faced us before. We have some of the best walls in the world and our stores are ready for winter. There is no cause to despair just yet.¡± ¡°Well said, Milord,¡± Sainjis agreed, then turned to ask a question about the scouting report. Lyns leaned back in his chair and listened to his commanders argue, occasionally settling a minor debate. He was uncomfortably aware that he was lacking in seasoned, competent strategists, even if his commanders all had experience commanding men. He had also been forced to choose who to name to important posts by proven loyalty, but at least he was confident these men were loyal to him. At the moment, there were no major decisions to be made, he realized quickly. They had anticipated the arrival of the Hive for some time, and the siege was progressing as expected. For now, they could only ready themselves to deal with it and prepare for a time when, and if, Kiara, or whoever was pulling her strings, decided to attempt to storm the city. He was confident their supplies would only last her forces a few months at most, so they would have to either withdraw or attempt to force the walls in due time. Not before the army coming as reinforcements had properly arrived, however. They would need to learn to fight together, which he suspected would pose challenges. Lyns ended the meeting after all relevant details were clarified, then left the room as one of the first. The others made way for him. He itched to return to the walls and make another round, looking at the opposing army, but he knew his time would be more productively spent elsewhere. Still, he could not resist the urge to take a detour through the barracks housing the palace¡¯s garrison. They had been recently expanded, serving as one of the strong points to fight back against further raids by the Hivekind. Their usage of flying drones required certain adjustments to traditional strategies. It was while returning from his quick tour, a few hundred steps from the entrance to the royal palace proper, that he heard it. He froze, questioning his hearing for a moment, before his legs took off as if by themselves. A bell was ringing, the signal calling his men to arms. The signal that they were under attack. Now he could hear it repeated, the calls of horns joining in. ¡°Milord!¡± Sir Renard met him at the doors, while several of his men shoved them open. ¡°The Hive is gathering another large group of flying drones, they have started moving over the city. And we have reports from several outposts close to the walls as well as in the inner city saying that they are under attack. Smoke has been reported from others, we¡¯re still getting confirmation but several have burned.¡± Lyns closed his eyes for a moment, biting down on the urge to swear. So, they are not waiting after all. ¡°They attacked just when they knew we would be settling in for a long siege,¡± he muttered. ¡°Are there enemy soldiers in the city?¡± His knight hesitated, causing his stomach to drop. ¡°Perhaps, Milord. We cannot be sure. We are trying our best, but ¡­¡± ¡°How could they have come in?¡± he interrupted. ¡°The walls are still holding strong! We have not even had the alarm raised until just now!¡± ¡°Tunneling, perhaps?¡± Sir Renard offered uncertainly. This time, he did swear. He should have remembered. The Hive was known for its use of tunnels. The foundations of the new city walls were supposed to be deep and strong, but perhaps not strong enough. Then, he faintly heard another sound of horns ¡ª then joined by a low, steady thrumming, the beat of war drums. ¡°Lady Kiara is mustering her forces as well,¡± Renard said unnecessarily. ¡°They might attempt to storm the walls soon, while the Hive¡¯s fliers sabotage our efforts in the city.¡± Lyns nodded slowly. He didn¡¯t voice the thought that they could only hope this would be all of what they would have to deal with. Chapter 244: The Battle of Cera Attacking a fortified city was different from what the Hive had done before. It was not something particularly suited to their talents and skills, in actuality. Especially with Regina¡¯s orders to keep civilian casualties as low as possible. It meant they couldn¡¯t just blow up whatever was in their way. Flying drones would still be useful, but they couldn¡¯t be deployed as they would in an open field battle. And when they got past the walls, street fighting would happen in cramped quarters, where the drones couldn¡¯t bring their superior numbers to bear and rely on their usual swarm tactics as easily, and the defenders would know the lay of the land much better. So, obviously, they cheated. They had been digging tunnels since before Kiara¡¯s army was even fully entrenched. A larger force of Hive drones couldn¡¯t be hidden as easily, but they could fly a few drones over and have them be sheltered by Kiara¡¯s soldiers, to escape Lyns¡¯ scouts. The Hive had thus gathered some of their best tunnelers, even withdrawing some from the gnomish war front, and started trying to mine the walls. It was quickly decided that trying to get them to collapse would carry too high a risk of unpleasant consequences, but digging tunnels under the wall was still possible. It was well-built and it meant they would have to go through hard bedrock, but the Hive had experts and Skills, like the Workers¡¯ basic Ground Excavation, to help. Of course, they couldn¡¯t just march an army through the tunnels, so they had created another plan. Their best infiltrators, including some of the Cernlian soldiers who came from the city, were sent in through the tunnels. They waited until they could be fairly sure that Lyns¡¯ generals would be distracted and not anticipating an attack right away, and then started to cause chaos. The city¡¯s defenders reacted quickly, to give credit where it was due. Following the plan, Kiara waited until they were alerted and calling the men to arms before she did the same. It wouldn¡¯t have been wise to alert Lyns that something was going on by readying her forces where he could see or hear. Unfortunately, that meant it would take a little while before they could fully enter combat. And the army Regina was bringing was still not in a position to attack right away. Of course, that was why they had sent a vanguard ahead. The battle would not be over in ten minutes, and the Hive¡¯s forces would be ready to join in soon. All of the Delvers who had come with the army were at high levels and could cross the distance quickly. Several of their elites started an assault on the walls, hoping to draw more of Lyns¡¯ troops out. A wall wasn¡¯t much of an obstacle to fighters of their caliber, and they scaled it quickly. Regina watched as they fought, going through the common soldiers fighting for Lyns easily. They cleared a section and established a beachhead, far enough from the tunnels to not be obvious but close enough that they could support each other. It was still risky, but the Delvers had been insistent on contributing, and probably showing off their strength. Janis paced up and down inside the human army camp, while Kiara stood still as a statue, gazing with narrowed eyes at the city. Janis had asked to stay with Kiara during the battle, as a liaison to the hive as well as one of the commanders of the combined forces, and Regina had agreed. They needed to coordinate closely and she trusted Janis to handle whatever came up. She was, after all, one of her best commanders in addition to all the other hats she had worn. Regina kept a mental eye on her now, to make sure she didn¡¯t miss anything to do with their allied forces. Most of the time, though, Regina flipped through several drones, taking closer looks at certain parts of the battle as well as getting a general overview through the psychic link. The flying drones circling over the city gave her a good vantage point to see its general shape, but it lacked in detail in some parts. Well, she¡¯d just have to trust the Delvers to handle their part. The tunnels they¡¯d dug into the city, through which soldiers were now starting to flow, presented another collection of blind spots. But Kiara¡¯s troops were used to fighting like this and had their own ways of coordinating and passing commands, even without a psychic connection. Regina watched them, focusing on a group that was currently entering the city. They were wearing dark clothes and had wrapped their weapons to reduce the noise they made. But they barely made it out of the tunnel before enemy soldiers were on them, and the call of a horn called further defenders. Kiara¡¯s soldiers didn¡¯t panic, but instead fought to open the way for their comrades. They clashed in front of the wall, and the signal of a war drum in the camp sent more soldiers hurrying through the tunnel. Regina watched as they fought, until a few Delvers from a nearby beachhead arrived to even the odds. It was brutal and bloody, but the allied soldiers made it to the nearby gatehouse, and managed to open the gates before enemy reinforcements arrived. Regina took a mental step back and assessed the progress the hive and their allies made in the battle. Gradually, they started taking sections of the walls and moving deeper into the city. As soon as the hive¡¯s allies held a sizeable part of the walls, having established a beachhead, they could channel more soldiers into the city. Of course, their enemies weren¡¯t idle, either. Despite the surprise of the attack¡¯s timing, they¡¯d clearly made plans and they didn¡¯t panic or give up. Lyns¡¯ soldiers fought hard to defend the walls. When it became clear that they couldn¡¯t hold out against the Delvers¡¯ attack, they fell back in good order and either took positions on rooftops in the city or gathered at the inner wall. It used to be the city wall before the city had grown out of its bounds, and despite being smaller than the newer wall and in some disrepair, it still presented a tough obstacle. It helped that the flying drones could do some targeted attack runs. They didn¡¯t use high-yield explosives since Regina didn¡¯t want to risk those in a populated city, but it was more than enough to harass the enemy soldiers and disrupt their defense. They¡¯d also managed to destroy some of their barracks and towers leading up to the walls, which contributed as well. Regina watched as the soldiers and hive drones clashed, with the flying drones supporting the ground troops. They systematically started clearing the rooftops of enemy archers before the soldiers advanced, taking the city bit by bit. Large sections of the walls fell to them and the open gates allowed more soldiers into the city, to advance further. The battle seemed to drag on for far longer than it should, but Regina knew it was just the stretched perception of time in combat. The hive¡¯s army approached quickly and was ready to join the battle right away, since they didn¡¯t need to establish a camp or take a long time getting into formation. The Delvers had mostly taken the vanguard and were doing quite well. While they weren¡¯t used to fighting in a proper army, their parties had a lot of experience with small-unit tactics, and that was more useful in a battle like this, anyway, especially once they pressed further into the city. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Regina hesitated for a moment, before she focused on her commanders, trying to catch them at a time when they weren¡¯t too distracted and would be able to talk without putting their units at risk. Does anyone see the Marquis? she asked. We haven¡¯t seen him recently, Tim answered promptly. He was overseeing the battle inside the city instead of participating directly, still waiting on a flying drone high above the fighting, instead of leading any troops. Last we had eyes on him, he was going from the barracks to the palace, though. I would guess he¡¯s still there, with at least some of his commanders. He¡¯s never been the type to lead from the front, Janis put in. Unlike some Cernlians, who would have said the words with scorn, her tone was neutral. Despite Janis herself being the type to lead from the front when she could, she knew the realities of trying to command men from within a battle. Regina could also tell she was a bit frustrated at simply waiting instead of participating herself, at the moment. Well, keep an eye out for him, if you can without being too distracted from the battle, Regina told them. If we manage to capture him, we can bring this battle to a conclusion sooner. The others all sent feelings of acknowledgment, and Regina left them to their work. She hesitated a bit, opening her eyes and glancing around. Along with Max and his bodyguard unit, which he¡¯d bolstered for this trip, she was still some distance away from the city, in the middle of the troops they¡¯d marked as a reserve. Regina had insisted on being close to the action, more for what would happen afterward than the battle itself, but she didn¡¯t want to put herself at risk, either. The drones around her, along with some Delvers, all seemed calm, although she could sense the tension they felt, too. She wasn¡¯t the only one anxious while watching the fight without participating. For now, she rolled her shoulders and then closed her eyes again, focusing on her psychic senses, letting them bounce off her psychic link as she¡¯d learned to do, and looked for another mind. It was easy to find, even among the chaos of the people in the city and the battle waged around them. Madris was too distinct, and since she¡¯d started teaching Regina, it was even easier to identify her mind among many others. Madris, she greeted her. Are you doing okay? Of course, the dark elf answered with some amusement leaking into the words, which Regina was pretty sure she was deliberately projecting. What is it, my Queen? Another mission like the last one? Regina winced slightly. No. I just wanted to ask you something simpler. Do you know where Marquis Lyns is? Madris was quiet for a while, and Regina suspected she was searching for Lyns as well. After a minute, she answered, her tone neutral again. He¡¯s with several of his commanders. One of the knights is gathering soldiers, probably to protect him. They¡¯re moving from the war room in the palace in the direction of the barracks. Thank you, that¡¯s good to know. And now that Madris had given her that much to go on, Regina found it easier to find them herself. She started pacing up and down a bit, glaring at the city in the distance. She didn¡¯t have much space to move, since Max and the others were being extra protective. Although Regina did appreciate it. She was looking forward to actually entering the city, though. She probably wouldn¡¯t be able to go further east without completely screwing things up for the front against the gnomes, given her psychic link¡¯s range, but she was getting tired of this. It almost made her want to run a gamble and end this battle sooner, to make sure they won. But she didn¡¯t want to risk any of her people¡¯s lives on an ill-advised strike at the Marquis, either ¡­ The decision was taken out of her hands by a small swarm of Winged Drones on a bombing run. It wasn¡¯t on her orders. Although with something this complex, with this many moving parts, she just didn¡¯t have complete control, or at least complete knowledge, of everything that happened. One of her commanders had seen the opening and decided to use the unit harassing the palace, judging that the risk of losing them was worth the potential benefit. They met more opposition than expected, since Lyns, some of his senior commanders and bodyguards were here, all of them pretty high level. They¡¯d just moved out of the palace proper into a side courtyard, and were caught at the edge of the radius of the bomb one of the drones dropped. As Regina focused on it, she could sense Tim take charge and divert several of them to focus on the men, running with the opportunity. The drones died quickly. None of them were sapient, and they weren¡¯t strong enough to stand up to the enemy. Lyns had a mage that must have been pretty high-level with him, and several knights started throwing javelins and shooting arrows without hesitation. But their sacrifice wasn¡¯t for nothing. Lyns and his companions were slowed down, unable to meet up with the small gathering of soldiers a few hundred meters across from them. And then the Delvers arrived. Sir Egon, of all people, led a small squad of Delver elites deeper into the city, and he¡¯d clearly seen the attack and decided to charge in as well. Regina saw him coming through one of the flying drones that had barely survived and immediately called in more troops. The Winged Drones were gathering in the sky, streaming towards the palace, when the Delvers clashed with Lyns¡¯ guards. Regina winced slightly as a blinding flash took away her ability to see what was happening for a moment, the drone¡¯s sight still blurry and spotty afterward. She switched through several more, trying to get the best vantage point, and focusing on her psychic senses. Trito¡¯s blade was lit up with some kind of white fire at the moment, and he clashed with who she recognized as one of Lyns¡¯ senior knights. The rest of his party was taking on the others, slightly outnumbered but clearly more than confident. Tim, Ada and a few other drones were taking direct command over the flying drones in the vicinity, and she sensed Tim activating his Class Skill, Rally, to increase their abilities. The fight was furious, but short. She still had trouble seeing everything that happened, but it barely took a few seconds for almost half of Lyns¡¯ men to lie bleeding on the ground. A few of the Delvers, as well. Then, whoever must have created the first flash set it off again, even worse this time. The ground rumbled and shook and several of her flying drones tumbled in the air, almost dropping to the ground. Regina frantically searched through the minds of nearby drones, trying to regain a picture of the situation. ¡°Where is he?¡± she snarled, flexing her fingers and drawing her claws against the backs of her hands. She didn¡¯t send the question via the psychic link, not wanting to distract them, but she couldn¡¯t contain the words. Lyns was nowhere in sight. Most of his men were there, still dead, wounded or in the process of becoming the former or latter, but he and a few others weren¡¯t visible. ¡°We¡¯ll find him,¡± Max said calmly, not needing to ask who she meant. ¡°He can¡¯t go far.¡± Regina exhaled and nodded. She knew that if Lyns had a way to escape by teleporting or similar, he would have already used it. Something like that, especially without a personal Skill, probably needed an anchor, and he wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to set one up in another city. It was more likely someone had turned him invisible to sneak away. Maybe seeing him run down and watching my people chase him will be more fun, anyway. She took a step back, cracked her neck and then dove back into the psychic link. The battle was still in progress, but it was obvious they had the upper hand. Without Lyns or most of the central leadership of the Cernlian loyalist faction, they were doomed, it was only a question of how long until the last soldier surrendered. The fighting at the palace was wrapping up, already, with the surviving commanders and elites from Lyns¡¯ side being taken into custody. Regina let the psychic link fade into the background of her awareness and instead focused on her psychic senses irrespective of it, tracing the life in the surrounding area. It took a few seemingly endless minutes of scourging the city and trying not to get distracted by the battle raging around it. There, she announced triumphantly to Max and Tim, then got the attention of several other people. We¡¯ve got him, Janis said, anticipation in her mental voice. Regina smiled slightly. She really was looking forward to the end of this. For now, she did need to focus on the battle, though. Any of her children whose death she might be able to prevent took priority. Chapter 245: Over The battle seemed to drag on interminably, then progress in fits and starts, suddenly having moved into the next stage and leaving only the broken rubble of previous obstacles behind. Janis was familiar with the phenomenon, but she thought it only happened if she was fighting herself, not if she was simply standing and pacing outside, watching and listening to the fight. Apparently, she was wrong. Of course, she¡¯d spent most of the time immersed in the psychic link. She only stayed out of it long enough to talk to Kiara, to keep her updated on what was happening and attempt to be there for and support her. She found it grounding, as well. But Kiara was the one seeing the people of her kingdom fighting, in a conflict against her father, devouring the capital of her country. Janis hadn¡¯t truly considered Cernlia her home for a while now, if she ever truly had. She had no attachment to the concept of the country the same way that highborns tended to have. Kiara shifted and their gazes met. She smiled slightly, before she seemed to follow Janis¡¯ attention and her expression morphed into a faint frown. ¡°You used to live here, didn¡¯t you?¡± she asked quietly. Janis turned to look at the city again rather than keep meeting Kiara¡¯s eyes. She wasn¡¯t surprised that she remembered, although she was a little surprised at the topic being brought up. She hadn¡¯t thought about it. ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t remember all that much about it,¡± Janis answered. Now that she had been reminded of it, the memories she did have came back to the forefront of her mind. She had lived in one of the better quarters of the city with her parents. They¡¯d been gone for weeks at a time on occasion, and sent her to a boarding home close by, a combination school and orphanage with space for guests like her. It was rather revolutionary, or so she¡¯d been told. For some reason, she remembered it better than her own home. Although she did still remember her parents; her mother¡¯s smile, her father¡¯s grin when he took her to the market and gave her an extra sweet or a little trinket. He¡¯d looked rather like she did now, Janis remembered, and she wondered how she hadn¡¯t realized much earlier that he couldn¡¯t have had pure human ancestry. Maybe she had and hadn¡¯t wanted to admit it. ¡°Do you want to seek out your old home, once we¡¯re able to go into the city?¡± Kiara asked. Janis hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°No. It¡¯s all in the past now. There¡¯s nothing for me there anymore.¡± Kiara frowned, but didn¡¯t press the issue. Janis could tell that she didn¡¯t understand how she felt, but that was fine. It was complicated and she wasn¡¯t entirely sure how she felt about it herself. She hadn¡¯t allowed herself to think too much about her parents, and even going back to the city hadn¡¯t broken through any dams or anything. I suppose a part of me still resents them for leaving me alone, but I¡¯m an adult now and I have more perspective. It wasn¡¯t like her parents had chosen to get themselves killed adventuring. Janis just didn¡¯t think she owed them much, either. ¡°The battle seems to be going well,¡± Kiara said, changing the subject. ¡°It is, we¡¯ve already won and it¡¯s almost over,¡± Janis agreed, focusing back on the flow of the battle. Then she froze, her eyes widening as she felt Regina¡¯s mental presence again, drawing her attention to a particular part of the battlefield once more. It felt like Regina was letting some of what she herself sensed shine through, giving a lot more details than Janis would usually pick up from the psychic link, and in a more vivid way, too. It was incredible and she knew she¡¯d at least try to look at options of learning psychic skills herself once this was over. For now, though, it let her track who they¡¯d been keeping an eye on for a while. ¡°We should move,¡± she muttered, looking at Kiara again. ¡°It¡¯s almost over. I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come with you,¡± Kiara immediately replied. Janis hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not sure ¡ª¡° ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay around here any more than you do,¡± Kiara interrupted. ¡°Besides, we¡¯ll have enough guards it will be perfectly safe, it¡¯s not as if I will simply be joining the battle. And I need to do this personally.¡± After a moment, Janis nodded, then turned to pick her way through the ranks of the reserves waiting by their princess. Kiara held out her hand and Janis allowed her to take hers, guiding her partner through. Squires brought a pair of horses for them, and they mounted quickly. Janis was a fair rider, and Kiara even better, so they had no trouble getting out of the camp and crossing the field, falling into a trot. Several of Kiara¡¯s most trusted knights accompanied them with a curt order from her, flanking the two of them to provide protection, and flying drones circled overhead. Janis dipped briefly into their minds to look through their eyes and assess the state of the battlefield. The fighting was winding down in most cases, in the outer parts of the city and by the walls. The palace had been taken by a mix of Delvers and drones, with Cernlian reinforcements quickly coming. Overall, nothing required their attention too urgently, and she picked her way to avoid any remaining knots of fighting or large congregations of enemy troops. It wasn¡¯t hard, given the state of things. Finally, they got close and she held up a hand, signaling everyone to slow down. Janis slowed her horse to a walk and held the reins loosely in one hand. She could see Kiara similarly leaving her hands free while she guided her horse with her legs, ready to use her weapons. The knights, seeming a bit confused and apprehensive, readied themselves for a fight. Janis exhaled and focused on her magic, slightly spreading it through her surroundings in a trick she¡¯d copied from a few Cernlian mages she¡¯d seen with the army. It helped her natural mana sensitivity. Beside her, she saw Kiara stiffen and turn her head, eyes focusing on the same spot, her superior senses for mana getting the same results. Janis flicked a hand and loosened a Magic Missile. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. It landed with a yelp that quickly cut off, but the damage was done. Whatever illusion their enemies had used was pierced, revealing several men who had just managed to sneak out of the city. They were still in the shadows of the wall, and she suspected they¡¯d climbed over it, given the bulge around one of them that would fit a rolled-up hempen rope. But her attention was drawn to the center of the small group. One of them was just a soldier, perhaps someone they¡¯d picked up on the way. One was a mage, she could tell that even without looking, and presumably the one who¡¯d cast the invisibility. The System didn¡¯t tell her his level and she didn¡¯t recognize the name, Jason Thorn, while Sorceror was a very broad Class. One was a Knight. The man he was protecting, though, was exactly who they had come here to find. ¡°Father,¡± Kiara smiled sharply. ¡°Fancy seeing you here.¡± Lyns stared at her, stone-faced. Then his gaze passed over their accompanying knights and came to rest on Janis. ¡°I suppose this is what you spurned my arrangements for you for, Kiara.¡± The disdain in his tone was clear. ¡°And you think yourself queen?¡± ¡°Marquis Lyns,¡± Janis drawled. ¡°I wish I could say it¡¯s a pleasure to see you again, but it would be a blatant lie.¡± ¡°Regardless of my opinion on your ridiculous betrothal arrangement, at least I never hurt my own child,¡± Kiara answered. ¡°Not that you will get the chance to do it again. Surrender and you will live to see another day.¡± His face twisted slightly. ¡°Surrender? And give up everything? What guarantee do I have that you won¡¯t simply kill me?¡± ¡°I am not you,¡± Kiara replied with a sardonic smile. ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry to kill a family member simply because they pose a potential threat to my position.¡± She raised an eyebrow, then turned to look at his followers. ¡°This goes for all of you. Throw down your blades and you will be spared. This is the last chance you will be given.¡± There was a moment of silent tension, and Janis wondered which way they would jump. The other men exchanged a quick look. The soldier took a step back and dropped his sword, holding his hands up in surrender. The knight made to ready his weapon, but a second later, he toppled forward and slumped bonelessly to the ground. The mage kicked his sword aside and then knelt on the ground raising his hands and folding them behind his neck. He didn¡¯t have a weapon. ¡°Well, I suppose that answers this,¡± Janis commented with a small smile. It masked the unease at considering whether Kiara¡¯s followers would do the same. ¡°You cannot ¡ª¡° Lyns sputtered for a moment. ¡°I suppose you think you have won, now, but it won¡¯t be this easy for you, Kiara.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Kiara turned her gaze to the still-kneeling Sorceror. ¡°I take it you wish to end your allegiance to him in favor of me?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± he answered, in a quiet but calm voice. ¡°Long live the Queen of Cernlia.¡± Janis hid a snort and Kiara raised an eyebrow. ¡°Bring him here, then,¡± she invited him. Unceremoniously, the Sorceror stood and grabbed Lyns. The deposed would-be king of Cernlia was pushed towards them, clearly struggling to maintain some dignity and not putting up a fight so he wouldn¡¯t have to be dragged kicking and screaming. Thorn kicked him and he fell to his knees in front of them with a glare that would have had them all combusting into ash if looks could kill. Kiara, like Janis herself, was still mounted, which only emphasized the height difference. ¡°What will you do with me now?¡± Lyns asked after a moment through gritted teeth. ¡°For now, you will be my prisoner,¡± Kiara answered calmly. She nodded at two of their knights, including Sir Wilard, who dismounted to take custody of the Marquis. ¡°We will see what shall become of you.¡± Janis knew that wouldn¡¯t be so simple. In many ways, it would have been easier if Lyns had died in the fighting at some point. As long as he lived, he would have a claim to the Cernlian throne, one that was arguably better than Kiara¡¯s. Execution would solve that and might be suitable if they convicted him of deliberately killing his cousin while he was Lyns¡¯ prisoner, but that would still involve Kiara ordering her father¡¯s death and would cast a shadow on her reign. Exile might be the best choice, but they needed to find a destination where he wouldn¡¯t be immediately killed or used by their enemies, or in a position to eventually raise an army to reclaim his throne. Perhaps if we send him across the Atlantic, Janis considered. Regina has been wanting to send an expedition, or at least a few people to see what we can learn about those lands. It¡¯s not something we could do right now, though. She shook her head. They¡¯d figure it out, if that was an option, she was just glad it wasn¡¯t her problem. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Kiara said quietly. Janis glanced at her and saw the exhaustion hidden in the lines of her face. She gave her a small smile and turned her horse to ride back to their command post with her. Behind them, Kiara¡¯s escort took charge of the other prisoners while two knights guarded Lyns. When they came back, their return caused a bit of a stir. She should have expected as much. Many soldiers had actually seen Lyns before, and he was clearly recognizable now, even with the obvious pall of defeat. Most of the soldiers they saw cheered. At least they knew which side they were now on. Or maybe they were smart enough to know this meant the end of the war, Janis supposed. She closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on Regina. We got Lyns, she reported. I saw, Regina replied, with a bit of amusement. Well done. You¡¯ve represented the hive very well, Janis. Thank you. Janis hesitated for a moment. Where do you want me after the battle? I presume you¡¯d like to stay with Kiara? Yes, I would, she responded, without having to think about it for very long. That only increased the amusement Regina felt, and which she was letting show through the psychic link. Well, it wouldn¡¯t do to keep you from your beloved paramour, then, would it? Janis snorted. She shook her head as she caught Kiara¡¯s eyes and tried to control her expression, not wanting to have to explain that joke. Shouldn¡¯t it be me being her paramour, if anything? I mean, a better term than ¡®mistress¡¯, I suppose ¡­ she trailed off. Maybe not as much as you think, Regina said gently. You¡¯re one of the hive¡¯s best commanders. One of my most trusted. In a way none of the drones can be, in fact. You have a very high rank in the Starlit Hive, even if we¡¯ve never bothered to give it an official designation. And your competence or status is hardly confined to the hive. Regina ¡ª Janis frowned, delving deeper into the psychic link and the connection to her friend and queen. You sound like you¡¯re trying to get at something else, but I don¡¯t understand. Don¡¯t worry about it. This isn¡¯t something I should be doing over the psychic link. What is it? Regina had obviously clamped down on the connection from her end, not letting much of her emotions or thoughts through. Her mental voice was still clear, though, even if she refused to give Janis any hints of what she might be planning, if anything. We¡¯ll talk about it once we can speak in person. Alright. And when will that be? The battle is almost over, are you coming into the city? Yes, as soon as Max deems it safe. Regina¡¯s iron grip on the link loosened, and Janis could guess she was slightly relieved at the change of subject. I still need to wait for all the fighting to die down completely, and then I¡¯ll speak to Kiara in her camp before going into the city after it¡¯s been secured. Janis nodded, turning to Kiara to do her job and relay that information. She was looking forward to having all of them back together. Chapter 246: Heirs and Duties June Lyns had only been in the capital city when she was a child, and she barely remembered any details. Her father had taken Mother and Kiara there several times, of course, but she¡¯d usually been considered too sickly to come with. The last time, she was ¡­ ten? She had to search her memories. Yes, ten. I¡¯d had two good weeks and was pretty strong, so I convinced Father to take me along. He probably liked the opportunity to show his second child off, show that I wasn¡¯t as sickly as rumor had it. They¡¯d only stayed for a few days, though, and she¡¯d barely gotten the chance to see the city. They¡¯d been quartered in the royal palace and she¡¯d only been allowed into the streets of the city once with a heavy escort. Not that she begrudged him that, it was nice when Lyns had been protective of her. June shook her head and took the reins of her horse tighter, causing the gelding to toss his head before he settled down and accepted her control. Riding through the streets of the city like this was an entirely different experience. Not just because smoke still rose into the sky in a few places. The people had started coming out again, though. June knew the city had not been sacked. Kiara had given her soldiers strict instructions, she¡¯d heard: no looting, pillaging, rape, arson or anything of the sort. June approved very much. She¡¯d seen a soldier strung up as they entered the outer part of the city. Murder or rape would get the noose, looting instead a flogging, a steep fine or being thrown out of the army, or maybe several of those, depending on the severity and who they answered to. Regina, of course, would do the same but June didn¡¯t think she¡¯d even bothered outlining specific punishments. The drones would never do something like that and the Delvers had clearly been told to be on their best behavior by their own superiors, too. Now, the scattered people on the street watched her and her escort warily, but there was no terror in their eyes. Clearly, they felt reasonably safe. One of the knights escorting June pulled his horse ahead a little and dispersed the small crowd that had formed, stopping to look at her, as they entered a main boulevard. ¡°The gods save you, Princess!¡± June smiled at the call, even if it might have resembled a pained grimace. She couldn¡¯t see who had given it, which was just as well. Still, she raised a hand and waved at the people. Several of them bowed in her direction before they went on their way. She hadn¡¯t pictured it like this. Surrounded by an armed escort, knights who¡¯d gone to the trouble of cleaning and polishing their armor, not to mention the royal banner being carried for her. She side-eyed the piece of cloth as it flapped in the wind, dangling from a lance. But she was a princess of the blood now, so she supposed she¡¯d have to put up with it going forward. At least it¡¯s nice to get a bit of respect. She supposed she appreciated Kiara going to the trouble of making her status clear, too. Even if the thought that she was now apparently the heir to the throne of Cernlia filled her with more dismay than joy. June wasn¡¯t stupid, she had been raised as a noble lady and knew her genealogy and previous successions. But it had always been Kiara¡¯s place. As heir to a border march, not the crown, even if there had been whispers and her grandmother had been a princess. Surely, having an attack of nerves was perfectly understandable given the circumstances? Maybe it is a good thing that Mother is pregnant, after all. She smiled sardonically to herself at the thought. But it wasn¡¯t wrong, was it? Their new little brother would be just the right age to be Kiara¡¯s heir, if needed, eventually. She didn¡¯t think Kiara would have heirs of her own any time soon, and she didn¡¯t want her to, given Janis. June liked Janis and she hoped the two of them could be happy. And she was not intending to marry just to secure her sister¡¯s crown, either. He can have children and carry on our father¡¯s name. She snorted to herself, stifling it as they finally reached the courtyard in front of the royal palace in the center of the city. Maybe Kiara would even give the baby the Lyns march, making him the heir that their father wanted. It reminded her of other changes that had happened or soon would. She dismounted and handed her horse off to one of the servants who approached, staring up at the imposing facade of the building. Sir Richard cleared his throat and led her inside. They found Kiara in one of the receiving rooms, which had kept its formal appointment despite the war. Several other men were present, which was probably why they were being formal. As June stepped inside, she was introduced officially. ¡°Her Highness, Princess June of Cernlia.¡± June kept her eyes on her sister, who rose to greet her. Kiara, soon to be the first queen of Cernlia. Or, as she¡¯d heard, Her Highness the Princess Kiara, Duchess of Heathland, Duchess of Silver Waters, Lady of the Eastern Expanse and Marquise Lyns. She had not been crowned yet, but June knew Kiara had already officially gained the titles that belonged to and were usually inherited with the crown, particularly the two duchies. Those didn¡¯t require a coronation, after all, just signing documents and titles. The late king had been the last real holder. She had also taken the Lyns March, June noted, which was probably just an act of spite towards their father. But she supposed it wasn¡¯t like he could keep that title. ¡°June!¡± Kiara smiled widely. ¡°It is nice to see you again. Come in, I think you know everyone present?¡± ¡°I do, thank you.¡± June glanced around the room. She wanted to ask Kiara what was going to happen to their father, but she didn¡¯t feel like broaching the topic when there were these other people around. She¡¯d at least seen all of them before, but that didn¡¯t mean she really knew everyone. There were some commanders and trusted knights from Kiara¡¯s forces, but also a few officials from the capital. ¡°Now that June has safely arrived, preparations for the coronation should be able to proceed,¡± Kiara said. ¡°Unless there are any issues?¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A man who June vaguely remembered as steward of the royal palace cleared his throat. ¡°Your Highness, do you not wish to wait for further guests to make it here in time?¡± Kiara shook her head. ¡°I know further envoys might come if we delay by a few weeks, but I would rather have it proceed sooner. I think the city, and perhaps the country as a whole, will settle down more easily once the ceremony is over. Besides, almost every noble of note is already here, and our most important international guests will be here as well.¡± ¡°I am sure the Hive Queen would agree to provide transport for envoys from the elves,¡± June spoke up. ¡°They¡¯d surely wish to attend as well.¡± Kiara gave her a quick smile. ¡°I will remember to bring it up with her, thank you, sister.¡± June folded her arms and listened to the rest of the conversation in silence. She didn¡¯t feel like she had much to contribute. While she had been working with the Hive, and had seen a lot of the reforms that were starting in Nerlia, this was still too close to the end of the war. In fact, bringing it fully to a close was mostly what they talked about. There were still a few lords who hadn¡¯t officially declared for Kiara, after all, and remaining fighters loyal to the king. So, she instead used the opportunity to gauge the mood in the room and to try and get an impression of the people. ¡°I think that is all we can currently plan for,¡± Kiara finally concluded. ¡°Do you have any ideas, June?¡± She looked at her, an eyebrow slightly raised, and June had no trouble reading the look: You¡¯ve been quiet. She shrugged slightly, folding her hands behind her back. ¡°I am not sure I can contribute much, unfortunately,¡± she answered. ¡°I would be willing to go and speak to some people on your behalf, though.¡± It was something that had come up, although indirectly. No one had used June¡¯s name, but she was getting the feeling a few of them had thought about it. ¡°That would be very helpful,¡± Kiara said. She was frowning slightly, though. ¡°I appreciate the offer, sister. But I don¡¯t want to risk you. We¡¯d have to make sure your safety is assured. That is my first priority.¡± June nodded. She didn¡¯t like having to walk around with bodyguards, but she did not want to get hurt trying to help, either. She wasn¡¯t stupid. There were probably deserters who had turned to banditry all around the capital, and if she went to talk to rogue lords or knights, some of them might get the idea to kidnap her to hurt or pressure Kiara. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind the insolent question, Your Highnesses,¡± one of the men she didn¡¯t know well spoke up, ¡°how is the Princess¡¯ health? Will she be up to performing the duties of a Crown Princess?¡± A few other people in the room inhaled sharply. June herself just stared at the man and raised an eyebrow. His Class name seemed rather inconspicuous and his level didn¡¯t tell her much.
Robin Daine ¡ª Level ? Civil Servant
Kiara caught June¡¯s eyes, giving her a questioning look. June smiled at her briefly and answered the man calmly. ¡°I am perfectly fine. While my health has been poor, the Hive has helped tremendously. I am able to manage my own condition, using healing magic, with perhaps only occasional checkups from the Hive¡¯s healers.¡± He half-bowed. ¡°Thank you for your answer, Your Highness. I am certain we are all glad to hear it.¡± He turned to Kiara. ¡°I apologize, but I needed to ask.¡± Kiara huffed out a breath. ¡°I suppose you do need to know, given your work.¡± June¡¯s eyes widened as she suddenly realized where she¡¯d seen the man before. It had been when she¡¯d visited the royal court, and her father had steered her away from him. Considering the almost aggressively neutral Class name, Kiara¡¯s words and the reactions of those in the room, she was starting to have some suspicions. Was he the king¡¯s spymaster? Or something in that vein? If so, he seemed to be continuing in his job for Kiara. She made a mental note to talk to her about it later and instead focused on the conversation. It was obvious that there was still some uncertainty in the air. This was a difficult transition for everyone, and the civil war and her father¡¯s quick fall couldn¡¯t have made it easier. Then there was the connection to the Hive, which she knew people were bound to be unsure about. ¡°What other duties do I have to worry about?¡± she asked to stop worrying. ¡°No need to worry about it,¡± Kiara responded with a faint smile. ¡°For now, I¡¯d appreciate it if you could keep our connection to the Hive open. There may be a few things later, but, well, I am sure we can manage. I will not let your apprenticeship be ended because of this, rest assured.¡± That relaxed some of the tension June hadn¡¯t even been aware she was feeling. She smiled more broadly at her sister. She wouldn¡¯t give up learning from Regina for the world, and it was good that Kiara seemed to appreciate it and wouldn¡¯t try to make her stop. It meant she would most likely spend less time in Cernlia than others might expect and more time with the Hive, but June didn¡¯t think that would be a major issue. And it wasn¡¯t like everything she learned from her teacher and the Delvers wouldn¡¯t be useful to Cernlia, too. ¡°I was not aware there was a formal apprenticeship,¡± Daine said. ¡°We didn¡¯t sign a formal agreement,¡± June said, ¡°but I have been learning from her. I mean, I have referred to her as my master or my teacher and she seems to agree with that, so I think it counts.¡± The official just nodded, and Kiara gave June a small smile, although it looked a bit forced. June could tell she was contemplative. Maybe she was thinking about their arrangement and if they should ask about making it official? She supposed it would be better not to risk any misunderstandings. Great, now I¡¯m questioning everything. June had not worried about it before, but this had made her doubt her situation. She shook her head and told herself not to be silly. ¡°You should attend the coronation with her, perhaps,¡± Kiara mused. ¡°But you will be crown princess, we can¡¯t have you present in a way that would cast doubt on that fact. Perhaps if we make it clear Queen Regina is the guest of honor ¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just talk to her about it, there¡¯s no point in stressing about it,¡± June interrupted, rolling her eyes a little. Kiara gave her a look, but nodded. ¡°Do you have a suitable gown for the ceremony? There is not much time, but we can have something made.¡± ¡°Not yet, what about you?¡± ¡°I will be using the late king¡¯s coronation mantle,¡± Kiara informed her. ¡°I¡¯m also having some of my best clothes altered to go with it. I¡¯ve decided against wearing a gown, instead, it will be a more modern style and with a martial flair.¡± ¡°What about the crown to be used?¡± Bluegrass asked. Kiara smiled wryly. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± June exhaled deeply and leaned her weight back, tapping a shoe on the floor. She knew sorting out these details was important, but she really did not have much fun arranging outfits or getting accessories for a formal ceremony. Still, after rolling her shoulders once and running a quick check on herself with her magic, using a diagnostic she¡¯d learned from Regina, she focused back on the conversation. It would be interesting, at least, she told herself. Many guests from other countries. And besides, it would be the end of this gods-damned war. There was nothing like a coronation to mark the end of a succession conflict. Even if she had the feeling this was only the beginning. Chapter 247: Family In her position, other people might have condemned Kiara for focusing on her coronation and holding it so early when the effects of the war were still felt throughout the city and kingdom, when recovery had barely started. But Regina knew better. Kiara was concerned for the people and doing what she thought she had to do. Not just because she was hosting a feast for the people of the city for the occasion, open to all. That was a nice gesture, but little more, since one meal wouldn¡¯t feed hungry people for long. But it also gathered all of the noble lords and notable figures of Cernlia in one place, and it gave them motivation. Unsurprisingly, the rebuilding of parts of the city damaged in the fighting went a lot faster in the time leading up to Kiara¡¯s coronation, for some reason. Regina had gone out into the city a few times since she¡¯d arrived here, although she¡¯d concealed her identity with a heavy cloak and hood. She¡¯d ridden into the city openly, tolerating the gawkers and Max¡¯s constant anxiety at having her exposed to the crowds. She didn¡¯t want to have to travel in a knot of drones for her forays to see how it was doing, though, and the anonymity meant she could take fewer guards. Not to mention it gave her an excuse to leave most of the drones behind and instead borrow people from Kiara, who knew the city better and were less conspicuous than Hivekind. Surprisingly, she¡¯d enjoyed it a lot. There was just something about being out and about in a populated city, and this was the first chance she¡¯d had since she could remember. Of course, Cera didn¡¯t hold a candle to the cities she must have visited in her old life, but it wasn¡¯t that bad. And it made her feel like she understood more about the lives of the normal people, which was definitely a good thing. Right now, however, she saw something entirely different. Regina had been invited to Kiara¡¯s coronation as a guest of honor, which she supposed was good manners since she had financed the war, not to mention fought parts of it herself. Well, the Hive had, but many people here would treat it as the same thing and they weren¡¯t entirely wrong. The ceremony was held in the throne room of the royal palace, which offered space for all invited guests. The doors had been thrown open so people could crowd into the space beyond and watch, something she knew annoyed some guests, but which she found a good idea. Kiara had chosen a priest of Alianais to officiate. They tended to rotate through the priesthoods, with each king choosing their personal favorite or whichever priesthood was currently most influential. Regina was glad about that, too. If a priest of the gods had to be involved, better Alianais than someone like Deirianon. It would also be a powerful statement from Kiara, with Alianais being the goddess of progress. In this case, the high priest of her priesthood in Cernlia was present in Cera, anyway, and handled it personally. It was an unassuming man who Regina had heard had been chosen mostly because he didn¡¯t upset anyone, but at least he seemed competent enough at his job. There wasn¡¯t as much pomp as Regina had expected, which might be due to the war or just because Kiara preferred the elegance of simplicity. She had spent the night before meditating in the temple, according to tradition. Unlike some previous kings, Regina was pretty sure she had actually held the vigil and hadn¡¯t slept, and she looked tired, but also smiled a lot. The coronation was held early in the morning, under the light of sunrise, which painted the walls of the throne room in warm colors. An air of anticipation filled the room. Regina watched with an appropriately solemn and serious expression as Kiara entered the room and the coronation commenced. It was a rather long ceremony, surprisingly. She found a few elements rather odd, like the prayers to every god the Cernlians could think of (or so it certainly seemed), or the number of accessories they used. A crown was obvious, but first, the high priest gave her a ring, anointed her with oil, draped a cloak over her, handed her a sword, a scepter and a literal golden apple ¡ª that had to have been a mangling of an older tradition they thought they preserved ¡ª and had her swear an oath. Kiara was kneeling through all of it, which had to be murder on her legs. Then, finally, she bowed her head and the priest placed the crown on it. It did look rather good, Regina noted with some satisfaction. She¡¯d had the crown made herself and gifted it to Kiara, knowing that the one used in the previous coronation had been lost and they needed a new one. It was made of gold and set with several large diamonds and other precious stones, but the basic design was relatively simple, lacking any extra embellishments or religious symbols. The gathered lords and ladies cheered as Kiara stood and turned to face them, the crown on her head. They knelt in homage to their new queen and Regina stepped aside a bit to not make it too obvious that she wasn¡¯t doing the same. June stayed where she was, in a place of honor, and cheered loudly as she knelt as well. Regina could tell using her psychic senses that she really was nothing but glad for her sister, even if she felt a bit apprehensive about her own new position. At least Kiara doesn¡¯t have to worry about being usurped in turn, Regina mused with a bit of dark humor. There¡¯s literally no one else left. Well, except for Lyns, of course. Kiara had originally wanted him to watch, out of spite, but had been convinced by her advisors not to do it and instead double the guard on him today. He was currently rotting in a cell under the royal palace, where he¡¯d remain until Kiara decided what to do with him. Regina knew she was currently leaning towards putting him on trial for regicide or murder, depending on how the details got sorted, and then a sentence of exile once he was inevitably found guilty. It wouldn¡¯t even need to be a sham trial ¡ª now that Kiara had taken over, she had access to all his correspondence and all of the people who¡¯d worked for him, so getting confessions was easy enough. At least two people had already come forward and spoken about Lyns¡¯ plan in order to gain clemency or rewards for themselves. Watching Kiara now, and the way her people cheered her investiture as their monarch, Regina could tell it wasn¡¯t going to be a problem. Kiara descended the dais on which the coronation had taken place to mingle with her nobles, smiling brightly and accepting their congratulations and pledges of loyalty. She didn¡¯t stay with anyone too long, but no one looked upset when she turned to others, and looking closely, it was obvious she was managing the distance between them well. Even more than that, the people hung on her every word and turned to follow her like the proverbial sun. They straightened when she passed and took obvious pride in their fealty. Regina had never thought of Kiara as charming, but now she wondered if others would. For her, Kiara wasn¡¯t a ¡®charming young lady¡¯, she was charismatic. She had managed to build a political following even when she¡¯d only been the daughter of a marquis rebelling against the king, and she¡¯d barely even done it intentionally. She¡¯d proved her competence throughout the war, too, and stood up for what she believed in without giving up her loyalty to Lyns, at least until he¡¯d pushed her too far. No, Kiara is much more charismatic than Lyns could ever hope to be. He was popular, but mostly because his rival was unpopular. Kiara doesn¡¯t need that. It was easy to see how he might have felt threatened, in that respect. ¡°You look like you¡¯re thinking deep thoughts,¡± Janis said quietly. Regina turned to look at her. Janis had silently stepped up beside her and was now watching Kiara as well. She¡¯d been invited, but had mostly kept quiet, staying close to the rest of the Hive leadership present and the core supporters of Kiara she¡¯d met before, like Margaret Bluegrass. She didn¡¯t seem like she was hiding, but Janis was obviously in a slightly awkward position. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Thinking about your girlfriend¡¯s charisma,¡± Regina answered honestly. Janis¡¯ lips twitched and she shook her head. Regina noted she didn¡¯t correct her word choice, though. ¡°She¡¯ll be a good queen,¡± Janis said. ¡°Yes, she certainly has the makings of one.¡± ¡°Even if she won¡¯t be sovereign.¡± Regina gave another glance at Kiara, who was currently talking to Duke Bluegrass, before she turned to face Janis. ¡°I guess,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Let¡¯s find somewhere we can talk, okay?¡± They stayed long enough that Regina was confident it wouldn¡¯t be seen as rude, before she slipped out of the throne room. A banquet would be held later, but it wasn¡¯t planned for a short while yet. Instead, Regina and Janis went to the quarters they¡¯d been assigned, to refresh themselves before the feast, at least officially. The suites were spacious and luxuriously furnished by local standards, and not far from the throne room or Kiara¡¯s own rooms. Janis changed out of the clothes she¡¯d been wearing into another dress before she sat down on the armchair across from the one Regina had taken in her room. She¡¯d used some cosmetics and styled her hair in a fancy braid, which combined with the dress, an elegant red and gold design, made her look quite classy. Regina hadn¡¯t gone to as much trouble, but it wasn¡¯t like makeup was a thing for the Hivekind and she¡¯d used another outfit similar to a suit from before. It looked more understated than the military dress uniform Galatea had chosen for today, but Regina would stand out anyway. ¡°I feel a bit like a child playing dress-up,¡± Janis confessed, fiddling with the ring on her finger. ¡°You¡¯re certainly not. Is that new?¡± Janis looked up, then blinked as she looked back at the ring. ¡°Yes. A present from Kiara.¡± Regina stared at her for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re not saying ¡­?¡± Janis made a face somewhere between a grin and a grimace. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like we can get engaged. I think Kiara was thinking about it, though, and this is ¡­ still symbolic?¡± Regina exhaled and sat back in her chair. ¡°You could get engaged,¡± she said quietly. ¡°I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯d advise you to wait a little before you do something like that. Although I guess these things move at different speeds in circumstances like these.¡± Janis barked a short laugh. ¡°I think Kiara¡¯s lords would have something to say about her wanting to get married to a woman.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s the queen. She¡¯s consolidating her rule. They¡¯d have to accept it, especially with the Hive backing her. I think they¡¯d realize the advantages of having a closer tie to us, anyway.¡± Janis looked thoughtful. Regina tried not to pry too much, but she was controlling her surface emotions quite well, anyway. ¡°I¡¯m a woman, common-born and a monsterblood,¡± she finally said. Regina nodded. ¡°Yes. You are. But you¡¯re so much more than that, too. A very talented mage, one of the people with the most knowledge of Ancient science and technology, a senior commander of the Hive ¡­¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°And, if you¡¯ll agree, soon much more than that.¡± Janis frowned. ¡°Is that what you wanted to talk about? Some way to make my relationship with Kiara more acceptable by giving me a fancy title, or what?¡± ¡°No.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible. ¡°It is part of the reason I started considering this, perhaps, but this is about much more than your relationship with Kiara. I wouldn¡¯t make a decision like this just based on that.¡± ¡°A decision like what?¡± Janis asked, now feeling a bit annoyed. Regina sighed, trying to decide how best to put this into words. ¡°You know what I plan on doing, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Janis leaned forward. ¡°The New Holy Roman Empire?¡± ¡°Central European Empire,¡± Regina corrected. ¡°It¡¯s close to what the Empire would have probably been renamed to soon. Rome had been part of the HRE for a few decades there at the end, I suppose, but before that, it hadn¡¯t been since the Middle Ages. It definitely isn¡¯t now, and I¡¯d rather avoid religious connotations, especially since they¡¯ll misunderstand. This is anything but sanctified to the gods from Haven.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Janis waved a hand dismissively, ¡°and what about your project?¡± ¡°My empire is going to need more than just a ruler and a few constituent parts like the Hive or Cernlia. Specifically ¡ª it will need an heir.¡± Janis looked confused for a second, before her eyes widened and she just stared at her. ¡°Regina? You can¡¯t mean what I think you mean. How would that even ¡ª?¡± Regina stood up and started pacing. ¡°Maybe I went about this the wrong way,¡± she muttered. She stopped and looked squarely at Janis, taking a deep breath. ¡°Janis, I consider you family,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re close in a way that I¡¯m not and can¡¯t be with my drones, since they are Hive drones and my children. You¡¯re my best friend and I think of you like a sister. So, I would like to make it official and adopt you.¡± She laughed slightly. ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯re sort of already adopted since you joined the Hive, but ¡ª I want you to be part of my family beyond that. Regina von Woltan¡¯s little sister, not just Hive Queen Regina¡¯s hive member.¡± Janis still stared at her with wide eyes. ¡°I¡¯m honored,¡± she said. While her tone was even, Regina could tell the mix of emotions in it. She couldn¡¯t resist but briefly brushed against her with her psychic senses to distinguish them. Love was the one that threatened to bring tears to her eyes, along with lingering sadness ¡ª for the family she¡¯d lost, she knew ¡ª confusion, trepidation and joy. Impulsively, Regina reached out to hug Janis. Her friend melted into her hug and they stood there like that for a while. Then Janis pulled back and cleared her throat. ¡°I¡¯m honored,¡± she repeated. ¡°And I assume you could tell that I¡¯d like nothing more, but I don¡¯t know if I should. I don¡¯t feel I¡¯m worthy of it.¡± ¡°You are,¡± Regina assured her. ¡°If I want to name you family, shouldn¡¯t I be the one to judge that? And it¡¯s not an issue of worth. We already love each other like family.¡± Janis took a deep breath and looked down, fiddling with the sleeves of her dress. ¡°But what about the political implications?¡± she said, calmly. ¡°You said you want an heir. I assume it¡¯s the impetus for this, at least.¡± ¡°Yes, and I do want you to be my heir,¡± Regina said, taking a step back and sitting down again. ¡°I think you are the best choice.¡± Janis frowned. ¡°But what about your actual children? Max or Tim ¡ª¡° ¡°No. I don¡¯t think that would work.¡± Janis sat back in her chair again, crossing her legs. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Several reasons. Think about it. What happens if I die? Assuming my drones don¡¯t just follow me immediately, which I can¡¯t rule out, I¡¯m not sure they¡¯d be in a state to manage much after that. I¡¯m the anchor for the psychic link. The Hive wouldn¡¯t get any new members and would die after a while. They¡¯d hold on, hopefully, but there would be a major shift, and they¡¯d have enough on their hands keeping the Hive together.¡± Regina shrugged a little. ¡°You lived independently for eighteen years, and I have faith you could do it again. Obviously, I can¡¯t be sure that anything else I build will survive, and if I die any time soon, it probably won¡¯t. But I¡¯m hoping the empire could survive, in time. You¡¯d still have the support of the Hive, as a member and my chosen heir. They¡¯d fight for you if needed, I¡¯m quite sure. You¡¯ll have the support of Kiara and Cernlia with her. And you¡¯re the best choice, anyway, you have experience, talent and dedication in a combination no one else does. At least no one I trust implicitly.¡± Janis stayed silent for a while, clearly thinking through Regina¡¯s words. ¡°I think I understand,¡± she finally said. ¡°But would I even be a suitable heir, considering our respective ages?¡± ¡°I think so,¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t know my lifespan. I think, barring violent death, I can expect to live to at least a hundred. That¡¯s just a guess and I could be wildly off, though. But you¡¯re almost half elemental, and you¡¯ll reach a very high level, I¡¯m sure. You¡¯ll probably live for easily more than a hundred years, probably considerably beyond that.¡± Janis nodded slowly. ¡°Assuming we don¡¯t both get killed,¡± she agreed. ¡°My parents did and I think my grandmother did, too, so I¡¯m not sure how long they would have lived, but it makes sense.¡± ¡°Then you agree?¡± Janis smiled. ¡°Of course. Yes.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll prepare some documents we can sign. Not sure how much weight they¡¯ll have, but I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s all legally ironclad with the other documents we¡¯ll be drafting. For my part, I consider it done, and I hope you do too.¡± ¡°Regina ¡ª¡° Janis met her eyes. ¡°Thank you. I won¡¯t let you down.¡± ¡°I know you won¡¯t.¡± Chapter 248: Settled Kiara moved fast. Even after her coronation, she took no time to celebrate, instead working hard to sort out the country¡¯s issues. Regina found it admirable, and was glad she wasn¡¯t in her shoes. Getting Cernlia¡¯s economy back on track and prospering, not to mention prepared for technological ¡®uplift¡¯, was not an easy task. But there were issues closer to home to deal with, too. Accordingly, Marquis Lyns¡¯ trial was set shortly after Kiara¡¯s coronation. It probably would have been better to hold it first, Regina supposed. If he was found innocent, it would have been rather hard to justify why Kiara was in his place. Not that anyone was under any illusion about the outcome, but still. Then again, she supposed there was something to be said for making it clear Kiara was queen regardless of what Lyns had done in this specific case - that he¡¯d lost his right, anyway. And being queen gave her the right and duty to pass judgment on him. Regina came to watch, as did most of the court and several members of the hive¡¯s leadership. Kiara had scheduled Lyns¡¯ case at the end of a court session where she had been hearing petitioners and casting judgment. When Lyns entered the throne room and saw Kiara sitting on the throne, wearing her crown, he stepped forward slowly and refused to bow. ¡°This is my crown you are wearing, daughter,¡± he told her, his voice carrying. Kiara smiled sardonically. ¡°I rather doubt it, Father. Your lack of manners is disappointing but not surprising. We are here to render judgment on you today.¡± Lyns glanced at the nobles who were standing around and watching, his gaze lingering for a moment on Duke Bluegrass, who stood close to the throne with his daughter. Then he looked back at Kiara. ¡°What crimes am I being accused of?¡± ¡°Attempted murder and regicide.¡± Lyns frowned, although he didn¡¯t look particularly surprised. ¡°Regicide? Nicholas was no true king.¡± Is he still actually trying to help Kiara? Regina wondered. Defending his claim and hers? ¡°You rebelled - we rebelled for a valid reason,¡± Kiara acknowledged, inclining her head. ¡°But he was still the properly anointed king of Cernlia at the time.¡± Easy for her to say now that he¡¯s dead and his claim passed on anyway, Regina noted. Maybe she was doing it as an olive branch to any remaining loyalists. They would probably find it easier to support Kiara than Lyns. Then Regina focused on the proceedings as evidence was presented. This consisted mostly of several people stepping forward to give their accounts of what had happened. How Lyns had changed the roster of guards assigned to the captive king, how he¡¯d ordered for his shackles to be taken away suddenly when there were additional guards hidden close by, and most damningly, the order he had given them to not let the king even attempt to escape and to stop him by any means necessary, including killing him. Lyns was given the opportunity to speak in his defense, but he didn¡¯t look very confident as he denied everything. ¡°It was not my plan to kill Cousin Nicholas,¡± he proclaimed. ¡°I never wanted him dead, and I certainly didn¡¯t order his death.¡± ¡°He could have been taken into custody again when he ¡®escaped¡¯, but was instead killed, do you deny this?¡± ¡°It was purely an accident in the heat of the fight, I¡¯m sure.¡± Kiara looked very skeptical, as did most of the other people gathered. They called a few more witnesses, but it didn¡¯t really yield any new information. Just a few more people confirming Lyns¡¯ rather suspicious orders. They didn¡¯t have anyone whom he had outright told that he had wanted him dead, though. Probably because many of the people close enough to Lyns to have been in on it were dead. ¡°Nicholas Lyns,¡± Kiara finally spoke, staring down at him from the throne and looking very much like a queen. ¡°You have been stripped of all your titles, lands, positions and claims for your crimes. However, while your responsibility seems obvious, there is still some reasonable doubt and I will not be called a queen who kills her kin. Therefore, you may keep your life. For the crime of regicide and complicity in murder, you will be exiled. Let no home offer you shelter and no hand be raised in your defense. You will be sent across the sea, never to return to our shores. Until arrangements can be made, you will be kept as my prisoner. Take him away.¡± Lyns looked like he wanted to protest his innocence again, but seemed to think better of it. ¡°Do as you will, Kiara, but save my son,¡± he asked her instead. Kiara smiled. ¡°Have no fear. As I said, I am not you. No harm will come to my brother, if he survives his birth, he will be raised as my family and a prince of Cernlia. You will be exiled, however, and will never see him.¡± That concluded the trial and the guards dragged him away. Regina looked after Lyns, contemplating this outcome. It was probably for the best, all things considered. He would have to be sent far enough away that bringing him back would be more trouble than it was worth, but she had a few ideas for that. What will happen to Florance, though? Regina wondered, pausing as the thought struck her. If he¡¯s in exile but alive, at least as far as anyone knows, she¡¯ll stay married to him. She frowned. She didn¡¯t know if Cernlia had any concept of divorce. I guess Kiara, as queen, could probably annul the marriage, but that would threaten her legitimacy and claim to the throne. Well, maybe they would hear of Lyns¡¯ death if it happened, and if not, it looked like Florance would just not be able to remarry. At least Regina didn¡¯t have the impression she particularly wanted to, anyway. Hopefully, she would be too busy raising her new child to make trouble, or to act on misplaced loyalty to her husband. Regina left the throne room, not interested in the tail end of Kiara¡¯s audience. Kiara was queen here, so she could deal with all the matters they brought before her. Not that Regina hadn¡¯t been interested in watching her hold court, it was enlightening. She wouldn¡¯t do things this way, personally, but there was something to be said for the open sessions where grievances could be heard and business conducted in view of everyone. Or at least the nobility, realistically. It encouraged some transparency. From what she¡¯d heard, while holding court like this was traditional, the previous king had not done much of it. At least the war was finally over. Tim and a significant part of their forces had already departed, back to the hive¡¯s territory and ultimately the war against the gnomes. Regina had received regular updates, even if her focus had been here. She knew that their distraction had slowed things down. At least the gnomes hadn¡¯t mustered for a large counteroffensive. But they still needed to be dealt with. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. For now, she took a moment to enjoy the fact that Cernlia¡¯s succession was finally settled; in her favor and with the candidate she considered to be the best suited anyway. At least they would no longer need to bleed troops and other resources into the country. Until the next time they were needed so other people would get their heads out of their backsides, at least. Regina returned to the suite she had been given in the palace and checked on the eggs she¡¯d gathered over the last few days. She had been gone from the hive¡¯s own bases for long enough that she didn¡¯t feel comfortable simply stopping their production, but allowances needed to be made. There were fewer drones hatching here than if she¡¯d been home, obviously, and they didn¡¯t have a large nursery, although a side room close to the bath was good enough for now. Regina added the last batch before she cleaned up, relaxing in the tub for a bit, and then returned to sit on the bed and focus on the psychic link. Her drones had leveled up quite well in the last war, although they would only have the same opportunity in the war against the gnomes now. She¡¯d lost drones, of course, including a few Swarm Drones she¡¯d been grooming for specific tasks, like the speaker drone. The hive would be able to recover, but she was glad they didn¡¯t have to fight on two fronts right now. Mia and Tia had stayed behind and done good work for the hive¡¯s expansion, as well as restructuring their organization and infrastructure in preparation for what was to come. The territory they had taken in Nerlia would only truly be settled after the winter, she suspected, but it was a lot better than it had been, the people were all fed and clothed and had jobs and the risk of revolts had dropped to almost nothing. Or so Green and the others assured them, anyway, and she believed it. It probably helped that the negotiations with Nerlia were also progressing. In the meantime, the hive had started building roads. It was very much an experiment. They had no Class Skills that were entirely suited for this, at least not specialized ones, but several had come up that could be useful. Tia had taken charge of the project and taken her cues from Roman roads, mostly. Although Regina would prefer actual tarred roads rather than cobblestone. They were trying out various types. Those roads would be more important in the new territory rather than the hive¡¯s core land where mostly drones lived, since drones could travel much better in rough terrain. Then again, she supposed roads would still be useful for quick troop movements, if only for the open space they presented. Regina checked on their ongoing projects, looking through the books they¡¯d recently managed to get written and printed, in particular. Galatea hadn¡¯t seemed very interested in the civil war that was happening here and had instead preferred to spend her time focusing on that area. On the plus side, it meant they had quite a few very useful new volumes, due to her sharing her knowledge. Galatea was still enough of an AI that the stored data she could call on didn¡¯t fade like organic memories would and she remembered everything exactly, so she was a lot more useful when it came to the details than Regina herself was. Once she¡¯d assured herself that everything was well with the hive, Regina checked on matters closer to her. The city was quiet and the Cernlian leadership seemed to be, as well. Now that the coronation and Lyns¡¯ trial were over, Kiara should start telling people about the conference she had called. In two weeks¡¯ time. It was, on the surface, a peace summit to sort out the end of the war, but in reality, there was a lot more to it. Kiara had promised she could lay the necessary groundwork here in Cernlia. Regina didn¡¯t doubt her, she¡¯d more than proved her competence, but she also knew it was better for the hive to still have some force to show here in Cernlia. They¡¯d demonstrated their strength and power during the war, but sometimes people could be slow learners and reminders helped. She stopped and checked on a few drones around the city, until the arrival of a System notification captured her attention. Regina sat up and stared at it. Then, when she realized it was what she¡¯d been anticipating for a while, she grinned broadly.
You have leveled up
Finally. She hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to her level-ups recently, since she¡¯d been too distracted with the war. And at this point, a level made more or less no difference. She still wasn¡¯t close to the limits of her hive and she hadn¡¯t unlocked any new Template in a while. Regina suspected that she would have to wait until the next Threshold, or even until she unlocked her next Ability. Which would be soon, now ¡ª only one more level to go and she¡¯d be getting new perks, though not the choice of a new Class Skill until later, at level 60. It wouldn¡¯t take long, she could tell that already. Not only would the war against the gnomes resume in intensity again now that this war was over, but she was fairly sure that what she was doing with Cernlia and the future of the region would give her Class some Experience. She was still a little disappointed that she hadn¡¯t unlocked a new Spell. But maybe it was because she was too close to unlocking some on her own. Regina hadn¡¯t had much time for her magic recently, but she had still kept practicing. She probably wouldn¡¯t take a scrying Spell if it was offered now, instead doing it without the help of Spells like Galatea had taught her, but there were a few others she had been working on. In particular, Madris had told her that while it was generally better not to rely on Spells for psychic abilities, she should master at least one of them to further her studies, to learn the differences and because it would be useful. Madris had been teaching her, and Regina felt very close to unlocking one in the System. Now that she¡¯d leveled up again, she hoped there was enough space in her Spell list for it to be an easy addition. She closed her eyes again and focused on her psychic senses. Then she chided herself for following her usual routine, and instead tried to focus on her magic. She drew some of it from her mana pool and shaped it into the pattern Madris had shown her, while deliberately trying to keep her distance from the psychic link. It wasn¡¯t the first time Regina tried this, but she was confident now and it was working well. Not letting herself give in to the distraction of thinking about what she was doing, Regina concentrated on the magic. She bent her mind to it, and then reached out again ¡ª not through the psychic link, just magic and her psychic senses. Finally, it started working. She found herself standing in the middle of a snowy meadow. When she focused too much on the details, they started to fade out, but the environment discouraged focusing on it. Instead, Regina wandered through the meadow, bending down to let some snow drift from her palm. She could tell she still had her eyes closed, but only because she knew this was an illusion. She tilted her head back and blinked up into the sunny sky, watching a cloud drift across it. The smell of snow and grass buried beneath it tickled her nose. It was quiet, but the silence didn¡¯t feel creepy, just peaceful. This might even be good for meditation. Finally, Regina cut off the flow of mana and blinked her eyes open. Casting a Spell like this on herself was the best way to practice, but she¡¯d need to be sure it worked just as well on other people. It probably needed a bit more work before she could truly use it, in practice. Still, she smiled at the accomplishment. She pulled up her spells window to check.
Spells:
Spark
Magic Missile
Conjuration
Fireball
Greater Heal
Water Manipulation
Psychic Illusion
Regina nodded to herself and dismissed the window. Not many Spells, but some of them were advanced and powerful and most of them were versatile, so she didn¡¯t regret focusing on them rather than learning more, new Spells. Still, it was good to have another tool she could use. Even if it didn¡¯t list her proficiency with scrying or psychic abilities, since those were apparently outside the System. She wondered if Janis or one of her drones could learn the Spell. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to try. Interlude: Division IV Tikimaken stared at the map spread out before him on the table, tracing the border of the current front line. It was tentative; entirely possible that it had already moved and several villages had been taken by the enemy in the time after this had been drawn. Still, they tried to keep the map updated as best they could. It had become obvious rather quickly that the Hive¡¯s access to information by using flying drones and their damnable psychic connection gave them a great advantage. The Confederation couldn¡¯t afford to be entirely shown up in that respect. Not that it was doing them much good, currently. The Hive kept advancing and taking more of their territory. Currently, the war was still largely confined to the western and north-western borders of the Gnomish Confederation, but it might not remain so. ¡°Tiki?¡± He startled, sitting up and blinking. It only took him a moment to recognize his commanding officer, General Aliekin. The man without whom they would likely have lost a lot more than they had already. ¡°Sir.¡± He stood up, straightening his jacket. The other man shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to startle you,¡± he said. ¡°I simply wanted to know if we had the new reports from the western expansion.¡± ¡°Not yet, General,¡± Tikimaken reported. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for them. The last new intelligence we got was the update I¡¯ve just put down here, two hours ago.¡± The general glanced at the map with the lines drawn in pencil and nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll just have to do without then.¡± An aide stopped by to bring him a steaming cup, and Tikimaken used the opportunity to straighten out the map again, before he stepped back from it. He liked Aliekin, the man spoke his mind, didn¡¯t care much for politics and was a much better commander than anyone he¡¯d served with before. But he was still much more of a soldier than Tikimaken. His own status was rather ambiguous, with his odd role as a liaison to the faction as well as Aliekin¡¯s senior assistant. He wasn¡¯t even officially a military officer, at the moment, though. ¡°You should go home,¡± the general said now. ¡°This will still all be here tomorrow morning, and I¡¯m sure your partner misses you.¡± He hesitated, then admitted to himself that it was getting rather late. ¡°I don¡¯t like feeling like I¡¯ll miss something,¡± he confessed. Alilekin shrugged. ¡°Something is always happening, but the Hivekind have slowed down recently. They won¡¯t move too much this night.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t last,¡± he said. ¡°It can¡¯t. Maybe the war in Cernlia distracted them, but it¡¯s over now, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That is what our information indicates, though reliable or detailed news is hard to come by.¡± The general frowned. ¡°It might cause them to start another major push, that¡¯s true. Certainly, we¡¯ll have to be prepared for the possibility.¡± Tikimaken nodded. That was what he¡¯d been thinking. ¡°We will not be ready to fight them if we¡¯re running on fumes, though. Get some sleep, Tiki. You¡¯ll feel better in the morning, and we can go over our plans again.¡± Tikimaken hesitated. He was feeling tired, and he looked forward to seeing Eli. But he still didn¡¯t like the idea of leaving, it felt like running away. And, perhaps, he wasn¡¯t looking forward to the trip home. "What about ¡­ our project?¡± he asked. ¡°Is it going to be ready in time?¡± Aliekin was quiet for a moment. ¡°I believe so,¡± he finally replied. ¡°Perhaps not quite to the extent that we¡¯d wish, but I¡¯m certain we¡¯ll be able to defend ourselves from the Hive. I¡¯m looking forward to giving the Hivekind pause.¡± Tikimaken smiled slightly. He agreed with the sentiment. ¡°Indeed. I will turn in for the night, then. Until tomorrow, Sir.¡± Aliekin returned his goodbye, seeming already distracted by whatever had caused him to come here originally, and Tikimaken got his coat before leaving. Their rooms were in a convenient, central location in the military base closest to the center of the city, for which he was especially thankful on evenings like these. He stepped into the corridor, followed it down a flight of stairs and then to the door leading outside, returning salutes of the soldiers waiting there. He paused for a moment, looking around, before he turned to head for home. Then his steps faltered slightly. He had forgotten the wooden platform raised at the corner. In a central location, right outside the military base and across from some of the important administrative buildings of the city on a major thoroughfare. Tikimaken straightened himself after a moment. Don¡¯t show any reaction. He continued on, but he couldn¡¯t help glancing at it, his eyes drawn to the forms of gnomes swaying in the wind. They¡¯d been hanged, this time. The bodies were still there, most likely to be taken down later in the evening. He wondered what they¡¯d done. Treason of some sort, most likely. Unfortunately, that did not narrow it down entirely. Less as the war progresses. There seemed to be more executions every day, although he knew it was not as bad as it seemed. He just saw a disproportionate amount of them. Still, they have to be running out of powerful political opponents speaking against the faction by now. But he chided himself for the thought immediately. Of course, the Historicals were consolidating power, that was necessary. They could not afford to be weakened by internal divisions now. But the rule of law still reigns, doesn¡¯t it? These two men did not wear particularly elaborate or expensive clothing, from what he could see. They could be minor merchants or tradesmen. Perhaps they¡¯d tried to sell information to the Confederation¡¯s enemies or sabotaged the war effort. He could perhaps find out if he asked, but he was not about to do that. A few soldiers of the city guard patrolled at night. Too old or wounded to be of much use in the war, most likely, but still useful for upholding order in the city. They recognized his insignia, if not himself, and saluted or nodded respectfully as he passed. He returned their gestures, forcing himself not to speed up slightly. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Finally, he reached his home. Tikelikel and he had moved recently to a better located apartment close to the base. She¡¯d been largely working in the city, helping the administrative side of the war effort by raising funds for the faction and the war, but had also managed to keep their own business at least mostly alive. He knew it wasn¡¯t easy and he didn¡¯t envy her the work. Under other circumstances, he would probably have been doing it, but he couldn¡¯t give up his current job for it. ¡°Tiki!¡± She greeted him with a smile and a hug, like most days, before grabbing him a plate with some of the food she¡¯d clearly just warmed up. He should cook again soon. He took off his coat and sat down, too hungry to talk much before eating. After they were both done, he leaned back, looking at his partner. He could tell she was troubled, but then, she usually looked like that these days. It was a troubling time. ¡°Did you see the executions?¡± she finally asked, voice quiet and solemn. He shrugged and shook his head. ¡°I passed by the bodies as I was leaving for home.¡± Eli sighed. ¡°It¡¯s getting worse. The Historicals already hold eighty percent of the executive council, Tiki. Does all this really need to happen?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the faction¡¯s leadership. Even if I thought otherwise, there¡¯s not much I could do.¡± Tikelikel just looked at him for a moment, before she sighed. ¡°Of course. Neither can I. It¡¯s just that ¡ª¡° She put her head in her arms. ¡°I don¡¯t think I like where this is taking our country, Tiki.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything to that. What could he say? She wasn¡¯t wrong. He didn¡¯t like what it was doing to the Confederation, either. But we¡¯re at war. Long-term damage doesn¡¯t matter if there¡¯s no country left, does it? They sat in silence for a bit. ¡°People are already calling it the Second War,¡± Eli finally said again. Tikimaken snorted. ¡°It is a bigger war than we¡¯ve fought before, perhaps since the beginning. Even if a few people still don¡¯t want to admit it.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°Who would have thought, at the beginning of all this?¡± ¡°Perhaps we shouldn¡¯t ¡ª¡° Then he cut himself off. They stayed silent for a moment. ¡°At least the Hivekind don¡¯t seem as murderous as they were before,¡± Eli finally said in a tone barely above a whisper. He sat up and looked at her sharply. ¡°That sounds like it¡¯s coming close to the kind of thing we shouldn¡¯t say in public,¡± he warned her. ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot, Tiki. I know. But still. You remember them just as well as I do. Does it really seem like this was well handled at all?¡± He stayed quiet for another second. Then he frowned harder, not able to stop it. ¡°Do you mean to say that our records of the First War might not be reliable?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Does it seem possible to you the records are not exactly entirely objective?¡± He stayed silent, but the look they shared told him they both knew it was entirely possible. More than possible, really. He¡¯d seen the power of propaganda recently. The faction was not telling the people the complete and unvarnished truth of everything. Unfortunately, that seems to be obvious to most people by now. He wasn¡¯t stupid enough to think that they were responsible for what happened. If he and Eli hadn¡¯t, someone else would have encountered the Hivekind first. Since they¡¯d showed up nearby, it was inevitable. Their nature would have been revealed sooner or later, probably sooner, and war would have broken out. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but wish he¡¯d been able to do things differently. After this, neither of them was in the mood to talk. He cleared the table and washed the dishes in silence, glad that at least they had a faucet close by, while Eli lit another oil lamp. Then they settled down on the bed together. He held her close to him, taking comfort from her warm presence. Neither of them was in the mood for activity, but he found it soothing. If only all his troubles could disappear this easily. Unfortunately, it was not to be for long. Their quiet reverie was interrupted by a pounding and crash from the corridor outside of their apartment. Tikimaken jumped and sat up straight. He exchanged a look with Eli, then quickly scrambled to put on a long jacket and went to the door. Opening it cautiously, he looked outside. It was not for their apartment, he realized with a surprising flash of relief. Instead, it seemed their neighbors had visitors. A group of young men in uniform had opened the door and were going in and out of it. He caught a glimpse of the middle-aged couple living there cowering against the back wall. Eli brushed his shoulder and he glanced at her to see her raising an eyebrow inquiringly, before she looked back at the men in front of them. He cleared his throat. ¡°What is going on here?¡± The soldier currently standing by the door whirled around, his hand dropping to the musket strapped to his back before he seemed to catch himself. He noticed the pin of a corporal on his lapel. ¡°None of your business, citizen. Go back inside and mind your own affairs.¡± Tikimaken frowned. ¡°How about instead, you answer the question before I write you up for insubordination?¡± The soldier bristled, but still hesitated. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked. ¡°Tikimaken, senior assistant to General Aliekin of Strategic Command. This is my partner Tikelikel. We¡¯re members of the Historicals faction in good standing,¡± he added unwillingly, but suspected it might get them, and especially her, more respect. The young man¡¯s eyes widened and he straightened up, saluting him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir.¡± ¡°No harm done. But why are you interrupting our sleep this night?¡± The soldier hesitated, his eyes darting to the two others who¡¯d come out, but they clearly weren¡¯t higher ranked than him. ¡°The pair living here has been accused of treason, Sir, we¡¯re conducting a search of the premises to gather evidence.¡± ¡°Treason?¡± It really is a catch-all term these days. ¡°The citizens have been overheard spouting subversive propaganda at a gathering in the old miner neighborhood and might have been involved in a plot to assault a military supply shipment.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Tikimaken glanced at Eli and their eyes locked. He could see exactly what he was feeling reflected in them, the reluctance and anxiety, the knowledge that they couldn¡¯t do anything. ¡°Carry on, soldier,¡± he finally said, trying not to seem like he was forcing the words out of his throat past clenched teeth. Without waiting for a response, he turned to leave. Before he entered his apartment again, his gaze caught on someone else watching. A head was peering up from down the stairwell. In the dim light, it took him a moment to recognize the younger man as a downstairs neighbor, whom he¡¯d chatted with a few times. Now the young man¡¯s gaze moved from the soldier to him and back. There was only hate in his eyes. Tikimaken suppressed a shudder and went back inside, firmly locking the door behind Eli. ¡°You think you know someone,¡± he finally said after a moment. She gave him a sideways look, and he ducked his head. They were both quiet for a moment. ¡°Do you think they did it?¡± ¡°If there¡¯s evidence, the soldiers will find it.¡± He didn¡¯t voice the following part that lurked in his thoughts. If not, then what? But soldiers weren¡¯t just searching people¡¯s homes at random, there had to be reasonable suspicion. And if they didn¡¯t find any evidence, then there wouldn¡¯t be evidence. Not that he was sure what it would look like. If they really had planned some attack ¡ª he¡¯d heard protestors had stopped wagons of food and weapons before ¡ª maybe, but what about subversive speech? Speaking against the government? He shook his head and trudged into the bedroom, taking off his jacket again and climbing into bed, determined not to think about it so he could go to sleep. He needed to be well-rested for work tomorrow. Eli joined him and cuddled into his side, so he let his eyes drift close and his breathing deepen. As he started to fall asleep, the face of his young neighbor haunted him, the hate in his eyes. He¡¯d never felt unsafe here before, but now he was starting to wonder. Chapter 249: Improvements The end of the war had come pretty quickly, all things considered. The hive had actively participated in the fighting only in the last phase, since they¡¯d left it to Lyns before, after their war in Nerlia. It meant that not much had actually changed when Regina returned to the main base around Forest¡¯s Haunt. Of course, they still needed a lot of soldiers, and the losses the hive had sustained in the war would be dearly felt. Not only did the war with the gnomes continue ¡ª and now that the Cernlian civil war was over, they wanted to press their advantage ¡ª but there was still Nerlia and the recently taken territory to consider. Regina didn¡¯t want to risk appearing weak by withdrawing too many of her forces, especially given her plans for the future. When she returned, besides doing her part to replenish the hive¡¯s numbers, she spent a lot of time talking to the commanders. Tim had come back with her and was rising to the occasion of helping her with that, while Ben kept directing the hive¡¯s military as a whole and strategizing for the war against the gnomes. Now that Cernlia was on their side, more firmly with each passing day, Regina was growing less concerned with hiding the extent of her hive¡¯s capabilities. Anything too flashy would still clearly be seen and reported to her enemies, she was sure, and the gods remained as unknowable (but probably a threat) as ever. But fighting against the Confederation, especially in tunnels, let them fight without too many other people being around to see. It was why she¡¯d ordered that the hive¡¯s armaments should be expanded. Guns were all well and good, but she focused on larger weapons for now. Cannons and more modern variants. They were largely created with the help of Conjuration magic, which did limit the numbers they could do, but it allowed for more precision than they would be capable of with the local level of technology. And the whole point was that they wouldn¡¯t need thousands of the things. More importantly, while the idea of giving every War Drone a rifle sounded good in theory, she seriously doubted its practical implementation. They were still non-sapient drones, after all. Guns might be easier to learn to shoot well than bows and arrows, but they still needed training. And maintenance. Definitely more than their own blade-arms. Still, Regina asked Tia to run some tests with Swarm Drones of various levels and Classes and see how well they could be taught to disassemble and clean a gun. There was no point in not at least exploring the possibility, after all. Besides, it might be amusing to watch. And perhaps help Tia and her people to design the things better. At least it was clear, early on, that Swarm Drones would be capable of fine motor control and of using even some rather complicated weapons when they were being directly controlled by a sapient drone. That could be rather useful, even if the hive¡¯s limited population of actual sapient people was a problem. They were needed for everything, from administration in the new territories to their building projects to the war. The hive had been recruiting humans for a while now, and reluctantly, they stepped up their efforts now. Green and his companions were doing a good job in administering the regions in Nerlia and keeping their economy afloat, so Regina let them have more freedom to work. There were also people they had recruited to work with the hive, usually in subordinate positions. They helped in the workshops and forges they had set up, as well as with the infrastructure. Not only was it useful in providing local expertise and ideas from a different perspective, she knew it would ultimately help their integration. They started as helpers, but at least some would necessarily work their way up. That was as Regina intended. She still didn¡¯t think levying human troops would be a good idea, and their population wasn¡¯t large enough for that to really be worth it, anyway. The war remained in the hands of the Hivekind. And the Delvers, some of whom were already going south to assist her troops in the fight against the gnomes. Regina was considering asking for more help from Cernlia, in terms of personnel or at least recruitment rights. She held off for now, though. Kiara needed the people she had to run her country, and it wouldn¡¯t be a good long-term solution. Still, there were a few things she could do. Janis had come back with her, even though Regina didn¡¯t need to be psychic to tell that she didn¡¯t like leaving Kiara. But with a Winged Drone Mount, she would be able to visit relatively easily. Just a few days after their return, Regina gave in to her request and sent her back with a task to fulfill. When Janis arrived at Cera, she and the handful of other flying drones with her circled once above the city before she set down in front of the royal palace. Regina watched as they dismounted, Gale pulling down the other person who¡¯d been riding a mount alongside Janis. He pushed him to walk behind Janis as she entered the palace and strode confidently through its halls. Kiara had clearly been informed of their arrival and received them in a semi-private audience room with only a few other people present. June was absent, Regina noted, and quickly searched for her mind in the city, but didn¡¯t find her. Most likely, she was gone on a mission for Kiara, to help stabilize the country under her rule. ¡°Lady Janis,¡± Kiara greeted her with a warm smile, before her gaze flicked to the man escorted in beside her in shackles. ¡°Queen Kiara,¡± Janis returned with a smile of her own. ¡°I bring a gift from the Hive Queen.¡± Kiara cocked her head. ¡°Zephyr?¡± Her tone was slightly dubious, as she examined the Thaumaturge. ¡°We are willing to release him, provided he swears loyalty to you and enters your service,¡± Janis explained. Derrek Zephyr inclined his head slightly. He had come calmly without putting up a fight, since Janis had explained their intentions. I guess he was never deeply loyal to his king, Regina reflected. With the transition of power in Cernlia, it only made sense for him to come and work for the new queen. He clearly knew it was the best he could hope for. "Alright, then,¡± Kiara said with a slight smile. ¡°I would appreciate it. Are you prepared to do this, Sir Zephyr?¡± The man grimaced slightly, probably at the address, but bowed to his new queen. ¡°I am, Your Majesty.¡± Janis stayed around to listen to the vows being said, although at this point, both she and Regina had heard them several times, and then stepped closer to Kiara. The queen dismissed the mage with the promise to have his old rooms made ready for him if possible. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°How have you been?¡± she finally asked Janis, quietly so the rest of the people in the room couldn¡¯t hear. At Kiara¡¯s glance, they started shuffling off. ¡°Quite well. It¡¯s busy at the Hive, like always. And you, love?¡± Kiara hesitated and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Love?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t like it? How about sweetheart? Darling? Honey? Cutie-pie? Sweetie? Baby? Sugarplums?¡± How did she even hear of half of those? Regina wondered. Galatea¡¯s influence, or have embarrassing pet names remained consistent through the ages? Her girlfriend laughed and kissed her cheek. ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. Love.¡± Janis grinned at her and slowly draped an arm across her shoulder, before pulling her closer. Regina started to withdraw, to leave the two lovebirds their privacy, but hesitated when she sensed Janis¡¯ mood turn serious as she tensed slightly. ¡°Things have been going well for us, too. All of Cernlia is under control now, and I¡¯m confident we¡¯ll last through the winter without any famine.¡± Kiara pulled back a little and looked at Janis. ¡°Is something up, through?¡± Janis looked down, feeling a bit embarrassed, and shrugged. ¡°It occurred to me that I may have forgotten to mention something important.¡± ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡± ¡°In my defense, I thought it was best to talk to you in person. And Regina had us depart rather quickly last week, so I didn¡¯t get the chance to mention it. And I wasn¡¯t sure how to bring it up, since it might change the dynamics of our relationship, but on the other hand it really shouldn¡¯t.¡± Kiara frowned. ¡°Now you¡¯ve made me curious. Are you betrothed? Or think I am?¡± ¡°Well, no ¡ª you aren¡¯t, are you?¡± Regina could feel the sudden spike of anxiety Janis felt. Clearly, Kiara regarded things a bit differently. She probably expected to have to marry a man and have children out of duty, but without having to spend a lot of time with him. It wasn¡¯t uncommon to effectively live separate lives, after all, and as a queen regnant, she wouldn¡¯t be beholden to her husband. But Janis, Regina could tell, would dislike the idea of her lover sleeping with someone else even just a few times for dynastic purposes. Maybe she¡¯s been too infected by the Hive and the cultural norms we brought. From me, and maybe Galatea, I guess. None of the Hivekind were in relationships, of course, but they did come up when talking about events and society, and there were a lot of subtle assumptions carried on by any culture. On the other hand, love marriages were probably more common among the commoners and especially groups like adventurers, including Janis¡¯ parents. That would lead to different expectations as well, so that might be all. ¡°No. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Kiara answered with a faint smile. ¡°I am not in any hurry in that regard.¡± She paused, looking at Janis searchingly, before clearly deciding to move on. ¡°What was it you wanted to mention, though?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say I was afraid everyone would know because the last name the System showed for me would change.¡± Janis scratched at her cheek. ¡°It still might, once it¡¯s official and public, I suppose.¡± ¡°Why would it change? You¡¯re a member of the Starlit Hive still. To what would it even change?¡± ¡°Von Woltan, actually.¡± Kiara just stared at her for a moment. ¡°You mean, Regina¡¯s real name? Wait, did she adopt you?¡± ¡°Yes, actually.¡± Janis mock-bowed. ¡°You¡¯re looking at the designated heir of Regina¡¯s little statecraft project.¡± Regina hmm¡¯d indignantly, but didn¡¯t interrupt Janis. Kiara just stared for a moment, before she shook her head and started chuckling. ¡°Well. That is something I would have wanted you to tell me in a timely manner, not a week later.¡± Janis grinned. ¡°Sorry.¡± Then she turned serious. ¡°You¡¯re not upset about it?¡± ¡°No. I will not let you go that easily, love. Although you¡¯re right. It is going to change our circumstances. I suppose I will have to get used to the thought of being your mistress instead of the reverse.¡± Janis laughed. When she saw Kiara¡¯s look, she shook her head and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s close to something Regina said. I only just understood it.¡± Then she reached out to Regina psychically. And could you give us some privacy? I think you saw Kiara¡¯s immediate reaction to the news, that should be enough. Of course. Regina withdrew, feeling a bit guilty that she¡¯d been eavesdropping. But Janis was right, she had wanted to know how Kiara reacted. It was kind of important. She had only just started to consider what she should do next when she was interrupted by a System notification. Feeling a bit of trepidation, Regina looked at it.
You have leveled up
Finally. And that meant ¡­ Regina grinned. She took a deep breath, glancing around her room to make sure she had privacy, before she opened the next screen.
Frequent use and diligent training have improved your mastery of your Class Skills. After reaching level 60, further improvements may manifest themselves.
Your sapient Hive drones may freely communicate with Hive members and foreign minds with psychic abilities, so long as they are in range. Your Swarm Drones will more easily communicate with each other and will be more sensitive to instructions left in the psychic link but not directly transmitted to their minds.
The number of foreign creatures you may induct into your Hive using Infect has risen from 8 to 16. The baseline Experience gain is unchanged.
The mana required for your Drone Breeders to hatch eggs has been slightly reduced.
When a Swarm Drone reaches a new Tier, you may influence or direct its Evolution, if it is close by. They will be primarily responsible for choosing a new Class once they have reached sapience, although you may influence their choice by other means.
Regina read through the list of perks the System had given her carefully, then read through it again just to be sure she hadn¡¯t missed anything. Then she leaned back and stared at the ceiling, thinking about it. She couldn¡¯t help but smile, though. It was pretty good. She was a bit disappointed that Janis and any others she would Infect in the future didn¡¯t get even more Experience, but they already had a twenty-five percent boost, it was pretty ridiculous to ask for more. The limit doubling was unsurprising. Maybe she¡¯d really have to start filling those slots now. The reduced mana requirement for Drone Breeders, which would lead to them producing more eggs, was possibly the change that would have the biggest effect. Most of her hive¡¯s numbers came from them, it would be a significant impact, depending on what ¡®slightly¡¯ meant. The prospect of guiding Swarm Drones¡¯ Evolution was also great, although it would also depend on the details. There were a few rare Classes that she would really like to have more of, and this seemed like it would help. She¡¯d still have to help drones actually qualify for those Classes, presumably, but at least she could ensure the Class would then actually be chosen. It would also let her tailor the hive¡¯s forces better to whatever challenge they currently faced. For the first part, she was unsure how much had really changed. Her drones could already communicate with each other over the psychic link. Now it seemed like the sapient drones could talk to Madris, which she supposed was good, but would it really matter? She was looking forward to seeing if the Swarm Drones¡¯ coordination was even further improved, though. Regina cracked her neck, then decided to take a break and get something to drink. She¡¯d earned it. She was in the fourth Tier now, and her sapient drones would soon follow, getting to choose new Classes. The hive was taking a step forward. Chapter 250: Anticipation As it turned out, Regina¡¯s guess had been correct. She¡¯d charted the ¡®output¡¯ of the Drone Breeders over a little while, both in general as well as focusing on a few specific ones at various levels, and then compared them to the records the Keepers had kept. She¡¯d never before gone looking for exact data, but she was glad they did have those recorded. Now, it was obvious that there were more new eggs, but not at a very remarkable rate. Roughly ten percent or so, if her math was correct. That was still good and would help the hive¡¯s growth, but it wasn¡¯t a paradigm change. She had less success with trying to find out what the change to the psychic link might mean. It was obvious that the Swarm Drones were a bit more capable with it now, but it also didn¡¯t seem to be a large shift and it was hard to get any kind of exact appreciation of it. Regina dove into the minds of several drones, but all she got was a vague impression that they were a bit more communicative with each other. She¡¯d told a few of the sapient drones to experiment with orders that weren¡¯t immediately carried out and using the psychic link to indirectly direct Swarm Drones, but it would clearly be a larger project to figure out. Not that she would complain, it was an unexpected bonus, anyway. She would also need more time to experiment with the Class choices at the Evolution of Swarm Drones. Those happened infrequently around the base, where the drones didn¡¯t have to fight or overcome large challenges to get a lot of Experience. Unfortunately, Regina barely had time for it. She had been planning for a kind of diplomatic summit for a while now. Ostensibly, it was to discuss the end of the wars and the following peace. In reality, while that was definitely part of it, she had slightly bigger plans. Not that she would just spring them on the participants. Kiara already knew, and she¡¯d told the Nerlians enough they were also aware of what they were getting into. So far, they¡¯d seemed tentatively accepting, even pleased, although that might be because she¡¯d implied they would get a lot of their territory back. And, to be fair, their government was probably aware they needed protection. They were weakened now, they¡¯d lost soldiers and land, and there was a big political shift coming, if it wasn¡¯t already here. The elves would be sending observers. Regina didn¡¯t think they would agree to join her, at least not right away. But she was planning to conduct some lengthy diplomacy, even if they had to negotiate terms for years, and to give the elves a chance to see that she really was the rising power of the continent. She was pretty sure they¡¯d agree in time. The Delvers weren¡¯t exactly a nation, of course, but some of their leaders would be there, too. Regina was not going to invite the Esemen even as observers. As far as she was concerned, they could be surprised when the official announcements were spread. There were a few other, smaller nations beyond Nerlia or Cernlia who¡¯d tentatively expressed interest in forging good relationships with the hive, and she¡¯d invited them to send envoys. Those would probably be excluded from much of the actual talks, but it was still an opportunity she didn¡¯t want to pass up. Ironically, the conference would be held not too far from what might be the most important battle of the war, close to the border of Nerlia and Cernlia, by Whitor¡¯s county, and not too far from Esemen. It was a central location, close to the hive¡¯s main base but not too close. Regina had already offered Kiara to bring her there with flying drones, to give her more time to settle affairs in Cernlia. There was a delicate balance to be struck between not letting the momentum of their victory in the war go and giving them enough time to be sure the agreements Kiara made would be kept. It was already going to be tricky, and Kiara was taking several prominent lords along. They should know, by now, that she¡¯d officially sworn fealty to Regina. That was probably not going to please many of them, but with the effects of the war, many of their soldiers probably dead, and the hive¡¯s forces on Kiara¡¯s side, they would have to be suicidal to rebel. In a sense, everything else was window dressing; with Kiara sworn to Regina, she was, according to their customs, already her vassal and obligated to follow her commands, not an independent queen, and her kingdom likewise. Organizing all of this took some time. Regina didn¡¯t travel to the location yet, preferring to spend time in the base they¡¯d built by Forest Haunt, where she had more of her hive with her and could focus on making new sapient drones with the accommodations they¡¯d built. The nursery was full of eggs and she felt better when she was close by instead of leaving it behind, even in the middle of her hive. Not to mention the awkwardness of trying to keep up with it when she was traveling. But, she¡¯d sent a few drones ahead, escorted by a cohort of Swarm Drones, to make sure things were ready. There was a town not too far from the spot that Regina had chosen as the site for the conference. The inhabitants were clearly a bit anxious, but also understood the economic opportunity it offered. Well, she supposed they weren¡¯t wrong. Envoys and observers from other countries would probably bring servants and guards, and they¡¯d all need accommodations. Regina was prepared to shell out some gold to make sure it was all handled. Although, given the short timeline, they¡¯d probably arrive by tamed beasts or other means, which would limit the size of the entourages they could bring. Still, Chase had reported that they were attracting minstrels and other entertainers already. Reluctantly, she approved requests for more drones to be sent and for them to start constructing simple buildings, quickly put up with Production Drones¡¯ products and wood. They asked for Mia to oversee, but Regina put her foot down on that. Mia had far too many other things to take care of, and it wasn¡¯t like others couldn¡¯t handle this. It was just a taste of what she was soon in for, Regina suspected. As the hive grew, she had to act more like a ruler, and deciding who would delegate what was part of that. Maybe I should start holding court like Kiara, Regina snorted and shook her head. If there was one thing she wanted for a government, it was a functioning bureaucracy. And she had every intention of making one. The psychic link meant the hive could do without a lot of paperwork, though in the future they would have to use more. Still, for the mostly medieval countries around them, the governmental apparatus of a modern centralized state would be as much of a revolution as introducing guns. So Galatea said, anyway, and after what Regina had seen, she knew she was right. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Still, it would be a mistake to look down on her neighbors too much. From what Galatea had also said, Regina knew they were a lot closer to the early modern period than the true Middle Ages in many ways. And they had a lot of power and capabilities due to the System and magic. I just have to remind myself of that. It was just difficult to see when looking at people living in huts without indoor plumbing while you remembered skyscrapers, virtual reality and space stations. But Rome wasn¡¯t built in a day. Besides, she didn¡¯t exactly have skyscrapers herself, either. Ironically, she was fighting against what was probably the most technologically advanced nation on the continent, or at least within hundreds of kilometers. But the gnomes had still been decisively beaten back by the hive before, and they were losing now. The gnomes held on remarkably well, Regina had to admit. But they were losing by inches ¡ª villages and small towns falling behind the front lines, tunnels blocked or closed off, roads taken by the hive. It wasn¡¯t going to last; if nothing else, they would try a counteroffensive eventually, if only out of desperation. But Regina had faith in her commanders and her hive grew stronger every day. The gnomes had clearly learned something since the start of the war. They were no longer as overconfident and aggressive as they¡¯d been at the beginning. She even thought she could see some improvements in the weapons they wielded. Maybe they had put some effort into centralizing and updating the design and production of their muskets. Not that she expected them to do much good against the hive¡¯s artillery, but it was still an interesting development. Regina made a mental note to watch their progress. If nothing else, it would give her an indication of how quickly something like that could advance with the help of magic, outside of her hive. On the other hand, there had to be a reason they didn¡¯t have anything beyond steam engines and early firearms yet. Well, there are the gods, but ¡­ Regina frowned at the thought. She would definitely need to figure out if there was more to it, or exactly how the gods would keep culture and technology at a desired level. The obvious answer was the System, but Regina felt like she was missing something there. She knew Leian was a System admin. But she didn¡¯t seem like she held with the agenda. Unless, of course, Leian has been loosening some restrictions and permitting more that the others wouldn¡¯t have approved of since I hatched ¡­ Regina almost fell as she stood up abruptly from where she¡¯d been sitting, feeling a cold shiver run down her back. Our hive has not had any problems with that at all, we¡¯ve been able to adopt new technologies and create many things. Damn it all. Had Leian deliberately interfered to make things easier? Regina thought back to the beginning, when she¡¯d been newly hatched. She remembered the glitches and trouble with the System. Later, she¡¯d just put it on integrating a new race like the Hivekind. After all, they hadn¡¯t been around anymore when the System was first built, or so she¡¯d surmised, and they were rather different than any other race she¡¯d seen or heard of so far. Which might be because we apparently came from elsewhere? Regina felt something niggling at the back of her brain at that thought, but shoved it aside to concentrate on the matter at hand. Yes, the hive was different, with the psychic link and the way new drones were created and all, even the divide between Swarm Drones and sapient drones. On the surface, it made some sense that she¡¯d started out with only one type and unlocked the other type later. But still ¡ª she¡¯d already felt like it couldn¡¯t have been that hard to get her status working in the beginning, like maybe Leian had made things seem a bit harder than they actually were. She did seem like the type. The impression she got was very much that Leian would try to keep control of the System ¡­ but she would be smart enough not to tell the other gods that. Regina frowned and quickly pulled on a jacket as she headed out the door, distractedly waving for Max that she didn¡¯t need a large guard. Leian was a System admin, and she seemed to be the only admin (or at least the highest). Galatea had told Regina that Leian was a much better mage than anyone else in the world ¡ª which included the gods. The gods came from a medieval fantasy world, as far as she could tell, where one would not find anything even remotely similar to the System. Do they even know what backdoors are, and that Leian might have built a few into it? she wondered distantly. Well, she probably had told them about some measures and maybe even given them some codes, but still kept some access and backdoors in reserve for herself. That¡¯s what Regina would have done. Alianais might or might not be in on it, considering they were apparently friends. Finally, Regina arrived in a small courtyard close to the edge of the hive, at an angle where it met the outbuildings that had recently sprung up around Forest¡¯s Haunt, populated by human newcomers. She didn¡¯t care about their houses, though, but instead went straight for the small shrine that had recently been set up there. She¡¯d known it was here, of course, but had pretty much tried not to think about it previously. It was very simple, just an altar with a few candles. There was a carved wooden plank with what she realized might be a circuit board hung above it, or maybe just a complicated net. A few offerings lay scattered around, candles, a few small coins, small cakes and a simple wooden doll. It looked like a very humanoid Hivekind drone. ¡°Regina?¡± She turned to watch Ash approaching her cautiously. ¡°I, uh, hope you¡¯re not upset about this? Some of the guys wanted to set it up; we figured Leian was fine, since she¡¯d helped you and the hive before, and she seems to be on the side of progress.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± she told him, which was mostly true. ¡°So, this is visited not just by humans but drones, too?¡± ¡°Eh.¡± He waved a hand in a ¡®so-so¡¯ gesture and shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re not really the worshiping type, I guess, but a few people figured that showing some respect can¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°Since magic, the System and the gods are actually real, it stands to reason she might gain a little bit from such tokens,¡± Regina said. Ash gave a lopsided smile. ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± Regina nodded again, then turned back to the simple shrine. She looked around, and then tried not to smile when Ash presented her with two candles. Carefully, Regina lit the candles and set them on the altar. After a moment of hesitation, she took a step back and inclined her head briefly. ¡°I would like to talk to you, sooner or later,¡± she murmured. ¡°I think we have things to discuss.¡± The flame of one of the candles flashed brighter. Regina just stared at it, wondering if it had been a fluke. She turned to Ash, who raised an eyebrow and nodded, confirming wordlessly with his impression in the psychic link that he¡¯d seen it too. Regina looked back at the altar, then shrugged. ¡°Well, I guess she¡¯s too busy to talk right now, but I¡¯ll take that as a good sign.¡± Chapter 251: Distractions It had been planned in detail when Regina would set out and who she would take with her. A large entourage made sense, not only because of Max¡¯s continued insistence on bodyguards, but as they would be traveling to a diplomatic summit and she had the impression showing up with more servants or subordinates might be a sign of rank and power. Not to mention that they were hosting this conference, so Regina needed to have enough people there to take care of issues that might arise and to guarantee everyone¡¯s safety. From each other, if necessary. Their best-laid plans went awry almost immediately. Tim asked her to spare some of the warriors who had been planned to come with her to go to the front, and Ben kept her updated on developments and announced a major battle just before Regina was set to depart. Naturally, she decided to stay back in the main hive base. She could follow the battle using the psychic link during the trip, but she felt better at the base, and it allowed her to watch and give some guidance, when necessary, without distractions. It would be the biggest battle of the current stage of the war, the first real battle, in actuality. Regina watched attentively as flying drones circling overhead tracked the progress of the gnomish division that had set out against them. They were partly moving through tunnels, but parts of the route were in the open air, enough to make their advance obvious. Ben had decided to stand and fight. He considered the target the gnomes had chosen too important to abandon: a town the hive had only just recently taken, one of the biggest so far. More importantly, it was located at the crossing of two major roads as well as a pretty large tunnel leading deeper into the mountains, which the hive had used as their route of advancement to take it. That made the settlement of major strategic importance, a lynchpin of the entire western part of their Confederation. They had enough advance warning of the movement to gather reinforcements there, though not as many as Regina would have liked. The gnomes hardly committed all of their forces to this attack, so the hive would have to beware of other threats and prepare for attacks from other directions. It was why Ben and Tim usually preferred to go on the attack themselves, Regina knew. The attacker had the initiative and the defender had to cover their territory or make sacrifices. But it would have been stupid to think they couldn¡¯t let the gnomes counterattack at all. Janis, surprisingly, was the most relaxed. Despite spending a large part of her career as a commander in enemy territory, she was always sanguine about playing defense instead of offense, pointing out the advantages defenders held. In this case, Tia agreed with her. She sent Regina another impression of the preparations they¡¯d made just before the first gnomish soldiers reached them, apart from a few scouts they¡¯d already tried to pick off. They hadn¡¯t had much time, so it wasn¡¯t very in-depth, but the drones had laid some new mines Tia had designed and put up a low wall that would give them cover and hopefully hold up to even larger calibers, at least for a while. Mostly, they¡¯d repaired the existing wall of the town, which the hive had bypassed with flying drones, and put up earthworks and piled sand sacks (although they weren¡¯t usually filled with sand). Experience showed those kinds of ¡®deep¡¯ bulwarks worked against magical explosions as much as gunpowder-based artillery. Then the gnomish soldiers reached them. They came in hard and fast, prepared to take losses against the hive. That was also something they¡¯d learned, she supposed. Regina looked through the eyes of a few flying drones circling above, watching explosions swallow her sight of what happened on the ground for brief moments. The mines were triggered, but the gnomes had put their tankiest soldiers in front and then sent others directly after them, taking the same route, so the impact was limited. It had been a pretty obvious defense, she acknowledged. And gnomes, of all people, would have Spells or Skills to check the terrain and find buried things in the rock, anyway. Still, forcing them to advance almost single file had advantages of its own. It slowed the gnomes down and made it easier for the hive¡¯s ranged fighters to shoot them. There were several Shooters close by, mostly in the air, riding flying drones, who tried to pick off the leaders and the most vulnerable soldiers. Then the vanguard of the gnomes reached the walls and the real battle began. The town had not been evacuated of all its civilians, there simply hadn¡¯t been time, though the hive had gathered them in the center of the settlement. The guards needed for them wouldn¡¯t be able to participate in the battle, but Regina couldn¡¯t countenance leaving the civilians free to get caught in the crossfire, or to try sabotage. It meant the houses close to the wall were empty, and when some of them caught fire, they could simply be abandoned. The gnomes had good firearms of their own. Regina switched perspectives to several of her fighters, trying not to distract them from their task with her presence. She caught glimpses of the enemy¡¯s weapons, noting all the details she could find. Several of them were larger and bulkier, a bit like mini cannons carried by the soldiers with the highest physical stats. They shot what had set the houses ablaze, she was pretty sure. It didn¡¯t look like proper incendiary ammunition, though she supposed with enough force behind it, setting dry wooden structures on fire wouldn¡¯t need much. As more of the gnomes reached the edges of the town, the melee picked up. The hive had ranks of War Drones, who the gnomish soldiers, most at higher levels, mowed down far too easily for her comfort. They were still outnumbered, though. On a signal given silently by the psychic link, the War Drones withdrew a step, and a few mages and others with damaging Class Skills opened fire. It forced the gnomes back from the wall, not letting them press the advantage. Regina sighed and returned to her vantage points in the sky to get an overview of the battle. It was fought furiously, but she could tell it would not be a long one. Casualties mounted on both sides. Both sides were fighting too aggressively for it to be a drawn-out battle. She was tempted, for a moment, to try and intervene, spare more of her drones ¡­ but it wasn¡¯t worth it, there was nothing she could really do without resorting to trying things she¡¯d rather not. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Instead, she just watched. She winced as a well-aimed Magic Missile shot a Drone Mount from the sky, preparing to use her Summons Skill to rescue the rider, but the young Drone Witch, Nia, managed to balance out the drone¡¯s flight and crash-land behind the town without major injuries. Ben had already sent another drone to pick her up, this time not one with the Winged Drone Mount Class but one of the flying drones they¡¯d been preparing for it by letting people ride them. It would be harder and less comfortable, but still possible. Relieved she wouldn¡¯t have to use up her Ability for the day, Regina turned her attention back to the battle. It was almost over, already. The gnomes were fighting hard, but they¡¯d lost a lot of their numbers. Regina had to reluctantly admire their discipline. She was aware that for most forces from Nerlia or Cernlia, losses like this would have already led to a rout. Of course, that was not a problem the hive ever had. ¡°Regina?¡± Max¡¯s voice broke her concentration. She blinked and turned to look at him, letting the psychic link and the battle fade into the background. What? ¡°We need to set off now if we want to make our planned arrival time. Unless you¡¯re fine with being late?¡± Regina sighed, and briefly checked on the battle again. It was going about as well as she could hope, she supposed. The cleanup would take a while, probably longer than the actual battle. ¡°No. Ben or the others will call me if there¡¯s something I need to know. Let¡¯s go.¡± Maybe she had cut the timing a little close, she mused. But she¡¯d wanted to stay here in the base and not wait around in the middle of nowhere for longer than necessary. However, if they were much later, she risked arriving only after a significant number of their guests, which was apparently bad manners since she was supposed to be the host. They walked outside of the base proper to a small cleared yard where flying drone mounts waited for them. Thor had taken it upon himself to transport Regina again. Usually, she¡¯d have preferred for him to join the fighting in the south, but they¡¯d argued for the diplomatic impact of making an impression and Max preferred it this way, as well. Once they were all ready, the drones took flight. Regina watched the village and base shrink below her, before she focused her attention on the psychic link again. The battle was proceeding as expected, with the gnomes finally starting to withdraw and the hive consolidating their position. Then she moved on to where her focus should currently be. In a way, it was a shame that the war against the gnomes hadn¡¯t progressed further. She would have liked not just to know more about what was beyond the Confederation and the mountains, south of the Alps, but to send envoys. But that was probably expecting a bit too much, and maybe it was better if she held this conference and what would follow before they established a real corridor to Italy and the rest of Southern Europe. For now, they had attendees from several nearby countries. Regina was nervous, she would admit to herself. Although Max would definitely be able to tell. A lot hinged on this, and although she knew that if this went badly, it was hardly the end, she could always try again or adjust her approach, she didn¡¯t want that to happen. Regina still felt a bit embarrassed when she thought about what she would really be asking for, but the feeling had faded over the last while, as she¡¯d prepared. The Delvers might be a bit too fanatical, but they did have a few good points. And didn¡¯t she have a responsibility to the world? To try something, even if it wasn¡¯t necessarily the best thing she could possibly do. But she¡¯d just been a doctor, she didn¡¯t have all the answers for how to deal with a situation like this. Not that anyone would. But she needed the ability to act to reach any of her goals. Regina tried to distract herself by watching the end and aftermath of the battle, but she still felt restless. It didn¡¯t help that she didn¡¯t feel like they accomplished anything there. Sure, they pushed back the gnomes. That was nice. But their own casualties were pretty high, so the losses they cost the gnomes didn¡¯t mean much. It was just a lot of people (and Swarm Drones) dying for little reason. Not that she felt guilty ¡ª they¡¯d started this, after all ¡ª but she didn¡¯t like it. What was the point? Had the gnomes just wanted to test their defenses? Did they think they¡¯d take back the town and halt the hive¡¯s advance? Or were they just trying to distract them while they got up to something somewhere else? When they finally arrived, her musings were interrupted and she seized the opportunity to distract herself with something else. Although it only made her anxiety about this conference return. Regina took a deep breath and reminded herself that she had already prepared everything. The groundwork had been laid weeks ago, if not months. This was a bit of spectacle, not much more. And besides, she was the one in power here. Not everyone had arrived yet. They came from distant locations in some cases, so people were dropping in at different times. But she could already see Kiara here, accompanied by a relatively large escort that was camping outside the town, the Cernlian royal banner fluttering in the breeze. They¡¯d used some of the remaining tamed monsters to travel. Of course, she was sure of Kiara¡¯s loyalty and the young queen would only have brought soldiers she trusted, so Regina had no concerns and was inclined to be happy with her show of force. The elves were on the way, according to the last update, and about half of the Nerlian delegation was here already. Several lords were coming, and Regina had invited a few people from the territory still under her control. Their escorts were smaller, naturally. There was a large space left open, directly outside the town¡¯s walls, and Regina¡¯s own entourage set down there. Thor crouched down and Regina slid from his back, bending her knees to absorb the impact. He was the biggest of the drone mounts in the hive, but that didn¡¯t make climbing up or down easier. When she turned around, she saw several people watching her. Some of them turned to go back to whatever they were doing, but not everyone. ¡°Hive Queen!¡± June called. Regina turned and walked over to where the girl was clearly waiting for her, almost bouncing. She smiled. ¡°June. Or should that be Princess now?¡± June shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re my master, so you can be as informal as you like. I mean ¡ª that is ¡ª¡° she fumbled. Regina understood what the issue was after a moment and interrupted. ¡°That¡¯s good, June. Did you or your sister want a formal agreement for your apprenticeship, now that she¡¯s officially the queen of Cernlia? We can draw up a contract, although setting fixed terms might be a bit restricting. If that¡¯s what you want, we can certainly work it out, though.¡± June was relieved. Sensing her emotions so easily reminded Regina to teach her how to shield her mind a bit better. ¡°No, that¡¯s not necessary, I don¡¯t think, Master. Although we might want to make it clear in an official setting when there¡¯s an opportunity.¡± Regina nodded. Calling each other teacher or student in front of a gathering should do it, she figured. ¡°My drones are setting up our accommodations,¡± she said instead. ¡°Do you want to accompany me? We can go over what you¡¯ve learned in the last few weeks and you can show me your progress.¡± June accepted eagerly. It would also give Regina a nice distraction before the real summit started, so she considered it a win-win. Chapter 252: Relations Janis wondered if it was irresponsible of her that she was mostly concerned with seeing Kiara again, finally. They hadn¡¯t been separated for long, but it still felt like it. Even if it was only a few days, really, little more than a week. And even though Regina¡¯s diplomatic summit was very important, Janis was thinking about her lover. Not that they had actually made love yet, of course, so she wasn¡¯t sure the term applied. There just wasn¡¯t a better one. And Janis wasn¡¯t bothered by the wait; she was confident they¡¯d get there eventually (soon), and stealing kisses from Kiara was very fun and quite satisfying, anyway. Mostly, just knowing that the woman she adored wanted her back was enough to give her a warm glowy feeling in her chest. And that was an objective fact, Tia had commented on it. Idly, she wished she could have arrived together with Kiara¡¯s group. But that wasn¡¯t really possible and probably wouldn¡¯t have been a good idea, anyway. Janis had tried not to neglect her duties. After the trust Regina had shown her, she was determined to do her very best and live up to her expectations. To exceed them and show she hadn¡¯t made a mistake in entrusting her with such an important piece of her dream. She¡¯d spent a few days on the front, therefore, exchanging information and tips with their commanders and teaching the mages gathered there some new Spells. After returning to the main base, Janis had reorganized their printing setup and written down a new, expanded collection of instructions regarding spells and her perspective on magic. From talking with the Hive mages and June, she knew she saw it a little differently and she hoped her perspective could prove valuable to them. It had also given her the opportunity to coordinate with the Neralts and some other humans in leadership positions that had recently been created, and make sure things went smoothly there. She would have moved on to do the same in the new territories if not for this conference, but she would probably get to it afterward. For now, Regina wanted Janis to stick by her. She didn¡¯t explicitly say so, but Janis could feel it through the psychic link. She stood beside her as they greeted various people, trying to help ease her friend¡¯s nerves as well as be visible at her side, as she knew was the point. Only a few of the various notables and dignitaries already here actually came out to greet them when they arrived, which Janis put down to different cultural expectations. They wouldn¡¯t truly meet everyone until the conference started. For now, she took the opportunity to catch up with Earl Whitor, who¡¯d apparently arrived on his own rather than with Kiara¡¯s Cernlian delegation; no surprise there. The man looked to be in much better spirits, wearing a new jacket with both Cernlian styles and discreet embroidery of stylized pincers and stars, smiling as they talked. He¡¯d even put on a little bit of weight unless she missed her guess. Janis was glad to see someone at least was happy about the end of the war. Finally, after most of the greetings were done and their group proceeded to settle in to their accommodations, Janis was able to slip away and talk to Kiara. The new queen of Cernlia had taken June along, for rather obvious reasons. She sent away her attendants to talk to her sister in private, but as soon as Janis slipped into the room in the house they¡¯d taken over in town, June made her excuses. She grinned at Janis as she left and she knew she would linger in the anteroom. ¡°Janis,¡± Kiara breathed quietly. She reached out to embrace her lover and then pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Janis glanced out the window, then regretfully decided that they didn¡¯t have enough privacy for what she would really prefer to get up to. Instead, she sat down and tugged Kiara down beside her. ¡°Have you told them what¡¯s going to happen yet?¡± she asked after a while, breaking the short silence. ¡°How did they take it?¡± Kiara sighed and dropped her head. Janis could tell she wanted to lean it on her shoulder, but their chairs weren¡¯t large or comfortable enough for that. ¡°The lords aren¡¯t happy,¡± she finally said. ¡°We weren¡¯t expecting them to be,¡± Janis said reasonably. ¡°But you just won a civil war, and you have the backing of the hive.¡± ¡°I may have pointed that out to them.¡± Kiara had straightened up, and smiled cheekily. ¡°I believe they took my point. I have given my word of honor, and I am not going to break it regardless of their misgivings.¡± ¡°Your loyalists are still on your side, I hope?¡± ¡°Yes. Bluegrass is trusting me to guide them well. The others have mostly accepted my words about the gold and strength we all stand to gain, and the benefits of being the first to back a rising power. It¡¯s not quite common knowledge, yet, anyway. Most of the court and the senior nobility will have heard, but it¡¯s not spread too far down. At least, it hadn¡¯t when I left. It¡¯s not the landed knights or common adventurers I¡¯d really have to worry about, however.¡± ¡°They would need a figure to rally behind if they want to effectively challenge you,¡± Janis mused. ¡°Most of the people don¡¯t care that much about borders on a map, anyway, or who ultimately sits on a throne far away. At least not as much as they care if their local ruler is fair and the monsters in hand.¡± Kiara chuckled. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll certainly have the advantage in that regard. And luckily, Regina and the Hive have earned a lot of goodwill by sending shipments of food. I¡¯m still relying on them to feed my people through this winter.¡± Janis nodded. She knew war was never kind to the granaries. But Regina was not going to stop sending food. The Hive would have a much easier time feeding themselves in winter, even without large stores, considering drones could eat anything. Even trees, she was pretty sure. While snow had started to fall, it didn¡¯t slow them down much. ¡°I wish I could accompany you during this conference, but Regina wants me by her side,¡± she said. Kiara just nodded. ¡°Of course she does. We¡¯ll still see each other quite a bit. I¡¯ll just have to control my fondness and not let my feelings for a certain dashing Hive princess influence my negotiations.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a princess.¡± Kiara smirked and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Janis sputtered, suddenly not so sure. What the hell have I gotten myself into? she wondered, not for the first time. Two years ago, she¡¯d just been living with her aunt, chasing stories and hunting when she could sneak out. Now she had to seriously consider whether people would be bowing to her and giving her fancy titles after Regina unveiled all her plans. She should¡¯ve just turned her down, never mind how she felt every time she thought about actually being her family. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Before they could continue the conversation, there was a knock on the door. A familiar face peeked in. ¡°My Queen? Excuse the interruption. The Hive Queen has asked to meet with you. As well as Lady Janis.¡± His gaze paused on her and he smiled. Janis grinned, standing up and stepping toward him while she resisted the urge to jump into a hug. That would probably be too unprofessional for him. ¡°Uncle Richard! How have you been?¡± Her great-uncle¡¯s gaze softened. ¡°Quite well, my dear. I¡¯m happy to see you¡¯re looking so well. But you shouldn¡¯t keep Queen Regina waiting.¡± Janis nodded. She hadn¡¯t seen her uncle much, even in the time she¡¯d spent with Kiara or fighting in the war, but that was hardly surprising. There were a lot of knights sworn to Kiara now, not just those from the Lyns march. Although it looked like Kiara¡¯s (or her father¡¯s) rise had also raised his status a bit, which was nice. She wasn¡¯t sure about his loyalties when it came to the marquis and Kiara and had never wanted to ask. The fact he was still around indicated he hadn¡¯t been a die-hard loyalist completely opposed to Kiara, at least. Janis also didn¡¯t know what he thought of Regina or the Hive. Weirdly, seeing him made her think about her aunt and feel a bit guilty. She hadn¡¯t visited her very much, either, even when she¡¯d been spending time at Forest¡¯s Haunt, living at the base. She should tell her about Regina¡¯s adoption. Kiara stood to join her and dismissed the knight with a few soft words thanking him for passing the message. She glanced at Janis with a speculative look. Janis just turned and started walking. Clearly, the first real meeting of this summit hadn¡¯t started yet, but it wasn¡¯t far off and Regina wanted to talk to Kiara beforehand. Janis slipped into place at her friend¡¯s side. They were meeting in the main hall of the largest house in the town, which she knew was still barely big enough to house all this. The drones had put up some wooden scaffolding and created a sort of annex to the building. They had also brought decorations and minor things like goblets and cutlery to play host, more expensive ones than what they usually used. Regina might be more of a queen nowadays, but she still wasn¡¯t one for pointless frippery. Janis knew very well her idea of luxury would be a VR headset, which they couldn¡¯t exactly buy anywhere. They exchanged quick greetings, then Regina got right to the point. ¡°I assume you told your court what¡¯s going to happen. How are they taking it?¡± Kiara chuckled, then shook her head. ¡°Maybe you really are family, Janis asked exactly the same question first thing. They are not happy, but I doubt they will attempt to revolt over the matter.¡± Janis stayed quiet while the two of them talked at first, repeating what Kiara had already told her. Regina listened attentively, but she didn¡¯t seem concerned. Janis might not have the Hive Queen¡¯s psychic ability, but she had gotten to know her very well and she could usually read her pretty well. Regina didn¡¯t try to hide her mood when she was with those she cared about, and they had both made that list, anyway. So, it wasn¡¯t hard to see that she was excited, if also nervous. But not truly afraid or concerned. She was confident. Janis breathed a little easier knowing that. ¡°How are you going to play this?¡± Kiara finally asked, setting down the glass she¡¯d been drinking from and looking intently at her host. ¡°You have not given me much detail so far.¡± Regina replied, ¡°It will depend on how things go, who shows and their attitudes. We¡¯ll talk about the war and the peace first, there are a few things to settle that we need to build upon. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard; I think everyone¡¯s aware of the new status quo and primed to accept it, at least, even if they don¡¯t like the way the war went.¡± ¡°But the others are mostly there as observers,¡± Janis put in. ¡°It¡¯s the Hive, Cernlia and Nerlia who are really concerned, and you¡¯ve talked and made agreements with all of them.¡± Regina¡¯s lips twitched, probably at the thought of making separate agreements with everyone, even the Hive. That would obviously not be ¡®a thing¡¯; Regina was the Hive and the Hive answered to Regina in a way the human kingdoms couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t follow. She didn¡¯t have to discuss her decisions with anyone or appease any of her people regardless of what decision she made. She could announce her intention to conquer every country on the continent and declare war on them all and Ben would only debate how to use their forces and which to attack first. Not that Regina would do something that stupid ¡ª if nothing else, Janis would question her if power ever got to her head that much. It wasn¡¯t that easy for the other countries, like Cernlia, of course. Although Janis was sure one of their goals was to entrench the crown¡¯s ¡ª Kiara¡¯s ¡ª power and strengthen it internally. "True. After that, once we have the lay of the land and have settled any outstanding issues related to the war and how it ended, we¡¯ll talk about the future,¡± Regina continued. ¡°I¡¯ll outline the basics. Kiara and the Nerlian delegation will reveal that they have already bowed to me. I trust you¡¯ll have no issue with that?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty,¡± Kiara confirmed. ¡°Then, we will move on to discuss the details, most likely in a smaller gathering. I already have plans, of course, and I don¡¯t want to move too far from them. But I do want to give everyone a chance to give input and air concerns. It¡¯s possible we¡¯ve still overlooked major issues.¡± Kiara nodded. Janis propped her chin on her hand, looking at them thoughtfully. She was aware of most of Regina¡¯s plans. So she thought, anyway. They were ambitious. Most likely, they would have to be implemented in stages. Though Kiara hadn¡¯t been party to most of those discussions, Janis was confident she knew the rough outline and could probably guess a lot of them, anyway. ¡°Who¡¯s going to represent Nerlia?¡± she asked. If that had come up before, she¡¯d missed it. ¡°They¡¯ll send a large delegation with important members of the nobility or court officials. Also at least one member of the royal family, perhaps several. It hadn¡¯t been decided yet, last I heard. The king and queen will not be there, but I expect the current crown prince, at least.¡± Kiara grimaced slightly, and Janis raised an eyebrow at her. Regina gave her a look and sighed. ¡°They¡¯ll want to regain the marriage alliance they had with Cernlia,¡± she said bluntly. Janis winced. Almost on its own, her hand twitched, seeking to twine with Kiara¡¯s own. ¡°They want to betroth a prince to you?¡± she asked. ¡°Or even to June, if not Kiara,¡± Regina confirmed. ¡°They already dropped some hints. Probably more to you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kiara shrugged slightly. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad move, politically, I assume ¡­ although there would be a bit of an age gap. Still, even beyond that, I admit I¡¯m hesitant.¡± ¡°There would be risks,¡± Janis pointed out, keeping her voice steady. ¡°Having a foreign husband, and all, and one with royal power and authority of his own.¡± Kiara looked at her, and an unspoken exchange passed between them. Janis knew she could tell how little she liked the idea. Kiara didn¡¯t seem enthused about it, either, and her look was reassuring. ¡°I won¡¯t stop you if you think it¡¯s best,¡± Regina said quietly. ¡°But I would advise against it.¡± Kiara jerked her head to face her. ¡°You would?¡± Regina shrugged and fiddled with her glass. ¡°I¡¯m not a great fan of the idea of arranged marriages in general, even if I know it¡¯s common here. And even then, Janis is right about the risks. And I think having partners you can trust and rely on is more important than an army you might or might not get from in-laws. Although I can¡¯t deny it is an effective measure to secure peace and alliances.¡± She looked up, meeting their gazes. ¡°As your overlord, I¡¯d prefer to keep yours and June¡¯s hands available. As your friend, I don¡¯t want you to be pushed into something you¡¯ll regret.¡± And I don¡¯t want you to have to lose her. Kiara was quiet for a moment, then nodded. She smiled slowly. ¡°I appreciate it. I¡¯ll just have to put the Nerlians off politely. Hopefully, they¡¯ll be too busy with everything else to focus on trying to court me, anyway.¡± Janis snorted. ¡°I think that won¡¯t be a problem.¡± The three of them shared another smile, before they got ready for the real start of the summit. Chapter 253: In Our Time In the end, the Nerlians had turned up with two royals, a prince and a princess. Regina approved, although she had to wonder if they deliberately sent a woman along as well, considering who else would be at the conference. Both she and Kiara were female rulers, which had definitely shifted the usual paradigm a bit. Politics were rather male-dominated here, after all. On the other hand, it wasn¡¯t like there were never female nobles ruling in their own right. Even Kiara would have been heir to her father¡¯s march unchallenged as long as she had no brother, and her friend Margaret was in the same position. Regina turned out with several others, as was polite, to greet the arriving Nerlians, a large delegation with many officials and nobles, at least compared to the rest of the attendees. The Nerlian crown¡¯s prestige and power had taken a hit, she knew, especially considering the war they¡¯d lost. Even the negotiations had been at least as much with the court and important officials than the royal family. She was aware they were probably hoping for her help to strengthen their position and increase their power, by doing this. While Regina disapproved in principle, she would probably have to actually increase the Nerlian crown¡¯s power accordingly ¡ª she needed a strong centralized government and they were the obvious candidate. At least the greetings and welcome were over quickly, and it didn¡¯t take long for the actual negotiations, the summit proper, to start. That was one of the advantages of hosting this thing, she could schedule everything. Obviously, Regina had also left some space for social functions, but she wanted to get through it at a reasonable pace. They didn¡¯t know how long this summit would last, of course; that would depend on the negotiations. She could only guess and make sure that provisions and supplies were available should it take longer than anticipated. Regina had let all of her pettiness and snobbery out to play when it came to arranging the smaller details. From the seating arrangements, to the fact that the chair she was using (and only that one) was just a bit grander and more ornate than the others, to the wine and spirits that would be served (all imported, having gold was nice), to the decorations in the room being a bit of a game of how many cultural and religious references she could sneak in without anyone noticing or calling her on it. If Esemen had managed to send observers they would have been seated under a cross hanging on the wall; there was a motif of Pygmalion and Galatea; she¡¯d barely refrained from having a painting of the Last Supper displayed; and in what was probably the only self-deprecating ironic choice she had hung a painting of Icarus close to her own place, directly opposite a modern, abstract impression of Ragnarok. Most of the paintings and decorations were reproductions from work the Delvers had found, or painted by some drones who enjoyed the hobby with Galatea helping them get it right. It was definitely not the usual choice of banners or trophies, but she didn¡¯t want to conform to their expectations anyway. Plus, she enjoyed it. Maybe she could look into commissioning more art in the future to help preserve their cultural heritage. Maybe a collage of Ovid¡¯s Metamorphoses. Or the Trojan War, or Zeus¡¯ victims. Classical Mythology has so many examples of the gods being assholes, after all. According to the usual power games, she opened the proceedings, speaking first. She had drafted a very short speech, welcoming everyone to this conference and briefly outlining her aims. It was a lot of diplomatic prattle and arguably missing the most important point, but the various attendants still listened intently. ¡°First of all, let me ask you,¡± she finished, ¡°are there any outstanding issues you believe should be brought up during this summit?¡± They were supposed to have already told her if they had important points for the agenda, but she knew she couldn¡¯t rely on that. Maybe they wanted to be dramatic or there had been a miscommunication. Plus, it wasn¡¯t as easy as just sending an email here, so there very well might have been something coming up without her having been informed of it yet. One of the delegates from a farther-off country spoke up, but it turned out they just wanted the chance to hold talks with their neighbor. Regina agreed to adjust the schedule and allow them a private diplomatic meeting. She suspected she might also have to provide security for it, but that was the cost of offering to host a diplomatic summit. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing that it provided others the opportunity to negotiate in a safe and impartial setting. "The war is over,¡± the Nerlian princess, Adelaide spoke up. ¡°I believe our first order of business is confirming this, acknowledging borders and settling any outstanding issues?¡± ¡°That is correct,¡± Regina agreed. The Nerlian prince, Raymond, cleared his throat. He stood up and bowed slightly in Kiara¡¯s direction. ¡°In the name of the crown of Nerlia, we state that we acknowledge Kiara of House Lyns, granddaughter of Princess Kiara of Cernlia, daughter of King Nicholas the Second, as the victor of the Cernlian civil war and the rightful queen of Cernlia. Long may she reign.¡± Kiara stood up to bow in return. ¡°I thank you, Your Highness. I hope to make the relationship between our two countries stronger than it has ever been.¡± Regina mentally took a few notes regarding his phrasing. It was interesting, but not surprising, under the circumstances, that he had skipped any mention of Lyns. Although she wasn¡¯t sure the description of Kiara¡¯s lineage was really necessary, but whatever. More importantly, his words could be read as saying that Kiara was the rightful queen because she had won the war ¡­ which was of course true in an objective sense, but not how she would prefer it to be put. Still, Regina appreciated that the Nerlians had officially acknowledged the outcome of the war and the Cernlian succession without fuss. Not to be outdone, the other countries¡¯ representatives chimed in with their own acknowledgments and assurances. Regina could see Kiara¡¯s smile tighten and her expression looked a bit fixed on her face. It wasn¡¯t like all of these foreign notables had any right to weigh in on the Cernlian ruler¡¯s identity or birthright ¡ª at least the Nerlian royals had a family connection and they¡¯d been at war ¡ª but getting her rule acknowledged by foreign powers was still a good thing for Kiara. And the people in this room represented pretty much everyone who mattered in that regard, except for the Esemen. The official acknowledgment of the victory as well as Kiara¡¯s position started the first phase of their talks, and set the tone for what followed. Regina mostly kept quiet, since it didn¡¯t feel like the hive had a lot of demands or concerns to bring up. After all, she¡¯d pretty much taken what she wanted and made agreements with the parties involved, Nerlia and Cernlia. ¡°As it happens,¡± the Nerlian prince said after a short lull in the conversation, ¡°the alliance between Nerlia and Cernlia is dear to our heart. It was sealed by the marriage of the Cernlian king and Princess Rosalie, formerly the queen consort. I am given to understand that she is in your custody currently?¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Kiara smiled a diplomatic smile. ¡°Yes, of course. I can assure you that the princess has not been harmed. She is free to return to Nerlia if she so wishes. I understand that there is little left for her here and she may wish to grieve for her husband in peace in the company of her kin.¡± The two Nerlian royals visibly relaxed a bit. They hadn¡¯t let it show much, but Regina supposed that they must have been worried about their ¡ª aunt? Yes, their aunt, if she remembered correctly. As the Cernlian king¡¯s widow, Rosalie of Nerlia would properly be the queen dowager now, she supposed, but since the crown had passed to another branch of the royal house, and one that had rebelled against him at that ¡­ well, it was probably better for everyone if she went back to Nerlia. Honestly, Regina had barely spared her a thought, but she supposed it was good that Kiara had kept the situation in mind. ¡°We appreciate Your Majesty¡¯s kindness,¡± Adelaide said. ¡°Think nothing of it, I would be glad to see my cousin-in-law well.¡± ¡°On that topic, we would be glad to renew the alliance and strengthen our ties again.¡± Kiara cocked her head slightly. ¡°I will keep it in mind.¡± Regina was pretty sure the Nerlians would be mentioning that Prince Raymond was unbetrothed sometime soon now. Although they might have someone else in mind, but sending him would make sense. But at least they were subtle enough not to outright propose a marriage to Kiara right now. At least not yet. Considering both sides had fought each other not that long ago, Regina was happy they seemed to get along so well. At last, this led to more important topics of conversation. The issue of the border between Nerlia and Cernlia came up. Fortunately, both sides quickly acknowledged the hive¡¯s presence and possession of it. They had already agreed to it a while ago, in principle if not in practice. There was still Earl Whitor¡¯s land to consider, but both he and Kiara managed to diplomatically navigate around that topic. It would come up later when the formation of a new polity on the map was discussed, with its internal and external borders. Which they got to sooner than Regina had expected. She would have thought the diplomatic talk took longer, but maybe everyone was as anxious and eager as the few who knew for a fact it was coming. At this point, she was fairly sure even the uninvolved observers who had no stake in the war could tell something was up. They took a short break, and Regina watched several of the people leave the room before she moved. The two elven observers were not-so-subtly watching her, but turned away once she caught their gaze. She didn¡¯t know them personally, although Ray had met them before when he was in the forest, and they¡¯d been quiet so far. She decided not to focus on them as long as she had no reason to. There were more than enough others she could worry about, after all. Finally, Regina went into a side room. Max was the only one who accompanied her. She was pretty sure some of the others were surprised to see him this close to her during the talks, but Max wasn¡¯t just her bodyguard, he was a senior and important member of the hive. Janis slipped in a moment later, and together they waited for Kiara and the Nerlian envoy. ¡°How do you think things went?¡± Kiara asked after she arrived. ¡°As well as expected,¡± Regina answered shortly. The door opened to admit a Nerlian official and their princess. Regina greeted them quickly. ¡°Are we to expect your announcement after this break, then?¡± Adelaide answered. Regina hummed thoughtfully, looking at the woman until she lowered her gaze. ¡°I suppose now is the time, unless you have any objections?¡± The others present shook their heads. ¡°It will be best if we officially swear allegiance to Your Majesty, first,¡± Princess Adelaide suggested. Regina blinked, a bit surprised. ¡°Are you sure?¡± She nodded. ¡°And perhaps Queen Kiara could do the same? I understand she already has, but repeating it publicly might be wise.¡± She looked at Kiara, who nodded in reply. ¡°Of course, I¡¯d be happy to.¡± ¡°And then we will announce the founding of the empire,¡± Regina mused. ¡°With you all by my side, please. I believe we can then handle discussing most of the details tomorrow. Such as the announcement of my chosen heir.¡± Regina didn¡¯t look at Janis as she said that, and the Nerlians frowned slightly. She hadn¡¯t told them yet. It wasn¡¯t the most important part right now, though. ¡°I look forward to seeing their faces,¡± Kiara smiled. Then the break was almost over, and they returned to their seats. Regina watched the groups of people talking, Kiara and the Nerlians passing the word. As soon as the next phase of the talks started, Regina started speaking. She didn¡¯t want her momentum to be stolen by banal questions or discussions on other topics. ¡°Honored guests and dignitaries,¡± she began, pausing long enough to enforce quiet in the room. ¡°In the wake of these wars, and of course the ascendancy of my own hive, much has changed. A great deal is still changing. We have made marvelous progress and are recapturing much that this world has lost in the dark days of the Cataclysm. As such, it is our belief that we must fundamentally reassess certain elements we all take for granted. I have conferred and discussed with our allies, and we have reached a common vision of our path forward. A path that will no longer be separate, but together. Together, so we may all prosper. Once, these lands and some others were part of one country, a great nation that offered much freedom and individuality to its members while still protecting and uniting them in common purpose. It is this spirit we wish to live up to. The challenges ahead of us can best be faced together, under one banner.¡± As if on cue, the Nerlian delegates and then Kiara and her followers stood up. Regina rose, and the Nerlian royals stepped away from the table, coming to face her. It was a bit awkward to do it in this conference setting, but on the other hand, she preferred it to some large, open-air spectacle. It felt more real, more genuine. Prince Raymond and Princess Adelaide knelt a respectable distance from her. Raymond spoke. ¡°Regina von Woltan of the Starlit Hive, we, Prince Raymond and Princess Adelaide of House Harlon, in the name of our father King Roger second of his name of Nerlia, do swear our allegiance to you. Your enemies will be my enemies, your friends my friends. I give you my sword arm, my life¡¯s breath and the beat of my heart, my mana and my will. We swear to rule the lands and territories bequeathed to us fairly and justly in your name. So I vow, before the gods and those assembled to bear witness here, I will be true and faithful every day of my life. This I solemnly swear.¡± Regina took a step closer and gave the appropriate answer. ¡°Raymond, Adelaide and your House Harlon of Nerlia, I, Doctor Regina Louise Elizabeth Aneta von Woltan, Hive Queen of the Starlit Hive, do hear and accept your vow. My enemies shall be your enemies, my friends shall be your friends. You shall have an honored place by my side and at my table, you shall have the protection of my house and my hand. All grievances you bring before me I will judge fairly and justly, and none shall harm you without fearing my wrath. So I vow, before God and those assembled to bear witness here, to you I will be true and faithful as long as you keep to your oaths. This I solemnly swear.¡± It was quite reminiscent of the vow Kiara had sworn. The room was totally silent, as the Nerlians rose and Kiara knelt down again to repeat her own vows, with the same wording she¡¯d used before. Regina replied to it again, repeating her words. As they all stood, her new vassals came to join her and she turned to face the assembled delegates and notables, most of whom had risen to their feet, Regina smiled. ¡°My lords and ladies,¡± she stated, voice carrying in the room, ¡°it is my honor to announce the founding of a new nation, carrying on the legacy of the Holy Roman Empire in our time: the Empire of Central Europe.¡± The Nerlian and Cernlian delegations started cheering at the signal, along with a few others. Her drones stamped their feet, clicked their blade-arms and banged their weapons on the floor. ¡°Long live the Empress!¡± Kiara called, starting a cascade of other cries. ¡°Hail the Empress!¡± ¡°Hail the Central European Empire!¡± ¡°Empress Regina!¡± ¡°May it last a thousand years!¡± Regina swept her gaze over the assembled people, listening as they cheered her and the nation she had just breathed to life. It felt like a weight was growing on her shoulders. Still, she was smiling with relief, breathing in the excitement. It smelled like triumph. Chapter 254: National Principles Of course, the proclamation of the Empire, and her own acclamation as Empress, nixed any plans the others might have had about the progress of the talks right then. Not Regina¡¯s, of course, she¡¯d directed it. But they didn¡¯t get much other negotiating done that day. The hive and, she suspected, her allies had decided to make it into a bigger thing than she¡¯d originally intended. Tim gave an impromptu and mercifully short speech about the founding of the Empire for the gathered hive drones, with the other delegates watching from the sidelines. He mostly just announced the nation¡¯s birth and outlined their goals and ideological foundation drawing from what Regina had said. They cheered and then started an impromptu celebration. Regina bowed to the occasion and had the best wines and liquors they¡¯d gathered distributed, with most of their stock given to their guests, since Hivekind generally didn¡¯t like alcohol, and the less expensive drinks opened to the inhabitants of the town. They were her subjects now, too, in a way they hadn¡¯t been before. The next day, Regina and her closest advisors met Kiara, the senior Nerlian delegates and a few other key people from each of the countries as well as the Delvers in a smaller conference room. This one had been built by the hive themselves, but they also took care to make it as sound-proof as they could on such short notice, and Max¡¯s guards standing sentry discouraged anyone from trying to listen in. Regina had tried some of the alcohol and regretted it now. She was pretty sure her Hivekind metabolism disliked it much more than a human body, and it didn¡¯t even taste good. At least I know I should decline if I¡¯m offered wine on diplomatic or social occasions. She hid a grimace and looked at the people around her. To no one¡¯s surprise, a few of them did appear hungover. Kiara was hiding it pretty well, but Regina knew she¡¯d drunk more than one glass and would be feeling it. Janis was downright chipper in contrast, though whether that was because of some elemental constitution advantage or because she¡¯d practiced moderation Regina didn¡¯t know. ¡°Thank you for coming,¡± she greeted them. ¡°We have much to discuss.¡± ¡°We¡¯re at your disposal, My Empress,¡± Kiara muttered. Regina tried not to show any reaction to the words. She¡¯d have to get used to that. ¡°First of all,¡± she began, ¡°we will prepare for my coronation, to mark the official start of the Central European Empire. It will be held in one month and you are all, of course, very much invited.¡± There were a few murmurs around the room politely accepting the invitation and offering congratulations. Regina nodded absently. She knew that it was a very tight timeframe. She didn¡¯t even have a location picked out yet. But she wanted to get started and didn¡¯t think waiting and dithering about it would be helpful. ¡°Who else will be in attendance?¡± Adelaide asked. ¡°Largely the same as the people gathered here, I presume,¡± Regina told her. ¡°Many of my drones will be there, of course, as well as citizens both local and those who wish to travel to see it. The choice of location has not been finalized yet, I will inform you shortly.¡± They all nodded and seemed to accept her words easily. Regina supposed their new nation wouldn¡¯t be off to a good start if everyone argued with their leader right away. That was the easy part out of the way. The reason she¡¯d wanted to gather and talk to all of these people was to discuss the formation of the Empire. Not just its laws, but the fundamental framework, even the political system to a degree. The constitution ¡ª that was what she wanted to accomplish, to at least pass one. It might not give anyone else a lot of power right now, but she wanted to at least ensure their citizens were guaranteed basic rights, and lay the groundwork for the future. Besides, Regina knew absolute power was something she would want to hold on to ¡ª anyone would, she was certainly no exception ¡ª so she wanted to at least start well. ¡°We need to set into place the basic framework of the empire,¡± she told them. ¡°The principles and basic laws it will be founded on. I am particularly concerned about making sure that the equality of all citizens is guaranteed. No one should be disadvantaged because they are not Hivekind, or not human.¡± As expected, that caused a bit of a stir. It was the most basic part of what Regina wanted, but they were still largely medieval; setting equality as such a guiding light would be unusual. She was hoping to avoid any class warfare for at least a while, but racism and sexism, at least, were probably things she needed to address immediately. Not that writing equal rights into law would solve the problem, but it should certainly help. ¡°That is ¡­ commendable, I suppose,¡± the Nerlian princess replied. ¡°All men will be treated the same by law?¡± ¡°Not just men,¡± Regina told her, trying not to smile at the irony. That was even more shocking, judging by the looks they exchanged and the furtive whispers. ¡°You will mandate women inheriting titles the same as men, then?¡± ¡°I was less concerned with matters of noble inheritance,¡± Regina said. ¡°It might be best to leave that up to the discretion of the individual states or estates. That is one issue I wanted to discuss.¡± It would help in other respects, having more women in power, but it might not be the best hill to die on right now. ¡°I was more concerned with protecting the rights of women in the populace at large. They should have the same rights and opportunities as men, unless there are good and specific reasons. For example,¡± she decided to throw them a bone, ¡°they may be excluded from recruitment as soldiers for pragmatic reasons, but should be able to stand for election as village heads the same as anyone else.¡± There was a moment of silence as the gathered people digested her words. Janis was smiling broadly and Regina could feel her satisfaction and excitement. Kiara¡¯s was a bit more muted, but she was pleased, too. The others¡¯ reactions were more mixed. ¡°But women are less suited to duties outside the home, public office would be too ¡­¡± one of the Nerlian officials spoke up, trailing off. ¡°Watch your words,¡± Egon Trito growled. ¡°I, ah, I apologize, Your Majesty. Your Majesties.¡± Regina smiled slightly. It was kind of funny, considering the actual rulers in the room were both women, and the way half the attendees glared at the guy. The Delvers were about as equal-opportunity as Cernlians got (as long as one was human), though they seemed more focused on defending her honor right now. ¡°You mentioned other basic laws and principles, My Empress?¡± Kiara asked, continuing the conversation. "Yes.¡± Regina relaxed a bit as she talked. ¡°For example, everyone should have the right to a fair trial, and I want it guaranteed in our constitution. Similarly, there should be freedom of speech and opinion, and freedom of the press, only limited by laws against slander or hate speech or similar. And freedom of assembly ¡­¡± She turned and accepted some papers from Max, who¡¯d brought them along for her, then started passing them out around the table. They weren¡¯t the full draft of the constitution she¡¯d been working on, although she did have one, but closer to a collection of key words, short descriptions of the important points. The others muttered to each other and talked in low voices while they read it, and Regina spoke up to clarify several matters. She¡¯d taken pains to note the actual, formal terms for what she wanted and made references to her own country¡¯s constitution and law. Galatea had helped, and she spoke up several times now to correct people or point something out. It was almost funny watching them slowly realize that Galatea was not just another human. She was sitting on Regina¡¯s left side, currently, dressed in a business casual outfit in muted colors. Only those with better mana senses would sense anything off. Kiara and June already knew who Galatea was, of course, at least in broad strokes. Otherwise, they definitely would have asked about it by now. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Regina could tell few of her newer allies were really happy with her draft, but she didn¡¯t much care. They would fall in line. After all, she had all the power already, and if anything, she was the one giving up the most power. She still would have preferred to enforce equality and abolish any kind of inherited nobility having special powers, but she knew that wasn¡¯t realistic. She¡¯d only lose all her supporters in the human kingdoms. For now, anyway. Cementing basic civil rights and the principle of equality in the constitution was a prerequisite that would let her tackle it later. The foundations would be laid. From the way Kiara was looking at her, Regina suspected she realized something like this, or was at least starting to have suspicions. Maybe that is going to be the real test of her loyalty? Regina wondered, before she looked down at her own paper. It was an interesting question. Kiara might feel bound by her honor to follow Regina regardless. Or to do what was best for her country even if it eroded her own power, at least. She was confident she could count on her for that much. June, who Regina taught personally, would certainly consider codified civil rights like these as good for her people. Kiara might take a bit more work, but she was about as progressive as rulers in this time got. ¡°I take it the ¡®right to life and liberty¡¯ is the most basic principle of this school of political thought?¡± Earl Whitor asked, taking Regina out of her current train of thought. She smiled slightly. ¡°An astute observation, Lord Alain.¡± ¡°I presume this answers any question about your opinion on practices of slavery and indentured servitude and whether it would be tolerated,¡± Owin, who had come as another of the three Delver representatives, said with a half-smile. Neither of these countries actually practiced any form of slavery, she knew, although a few of the others did to some extent. ¡°Indeed, I do not condone it,¡± Regina replied with a smirk. ¡°It will certainly not be allowed in the empire.¡± Predictably, this declaration caused much less muttering or sideways looks than the others. Most seemed to approve, if nothing else. Adelaide only questioned how it would affect relations with other nations, and from there the discussion delved into foreign policy. Regina had the impression they were trying to feel out the political philosophy and principles she had outlined, getting an understanding of what it actually meant in practice. She approved of the impulse. By now, everyone should have understood that they weren¡¯t just changing the flag flying over the royal palace and carrying on as normal, but that there was a real paradigm shift. And it might be because of how quickly the hive won the war or the promises of prosperity she brought, but so far, no one struggled too much against the idea. Foreign politics was a surprisingly exhaustive subject and led to some longer debates. It was perhaps where Regina was most looking for, and open to, input from them. Not that she was going to change the basic principles and stance she¡¯d set out, but how best to handle diplomatic relations with others in practice was a different matter. One where she didn¡¯t have much to go on and still lacked knowledge compared to experienced courtiers. The debate stretched on for a few hours, before Janis suggested Regina call a break. They¡¯d probably spend a few days, at minimum, going over everything and hammering out the cornerstones of their internal policies, the constitution she was going to sign into effect later. For now, giving everyone a break was best. Regina watched as they trickled out of the room, remaining behind in order to not be immediately accosted with further questions. Then, she stood up and left, telling Max and the others through the psychic link to give her some space. She needed to be somewhat approachable, but for now, she was going to check in on the rest of this conference. They didn¡¯t stand still just because she met with a few people, after all. Although, she didn¡¯t see many of the other delegates. Regina wandered around for a bit, noting what everyone was doing and checking in with her drones. They tended to keep to the edges of the summit, literally and metaphorically. She ducked through some side passages in the town to seek out Tim and a few of the senior drones who¡¯d come along but declined to join today¡¯s talks. Before she found him, Regina found someone else. Or someone found her. She almost turned away and continued walking, but stopped. She was at the back of the structure they used for the conference right now, built around the biggest house in town, not far away but in a secluded space. A few of Max¡¯s bodyguards trailed her, close enough to keep an eye on her, and yet a quick check found none of them had noticed the man coming. Before she could ask him who he was and what he was doing, he stepped closer and bowed his head in greeting. There was something odd about him. He was tall, dark-haired and handsome, pretty enough that he could have been a model, but it was almost too much, like a model from a game rather than a real human. Or maybe it was that the feeling he gave off to her other senses reminded her vaguely of Galatea. He wore nondescript black robes she might expect for a mage. ¡°Greetings, Hive Queen Regina,¡± he greeted her. She looked him over warily, and inclined her head in return. ¡°Greetings. Who are you?¡± ¡°My name is Berren.¡± As he joined her, he smiled slightly. A moment later, Regina realized that all sound from outside their immediate vicinity had stopped. Her ears were good enough that she rarely experienced real silence, there was always something going on, but not now. ¡°I¡¯m here because you wished to talk to Leian. I serve her and may relay some information in her stead.¡± Regina¡¯s eyes widened despite herself. ¡°She sent you? Why approach me here, now?¡± ¡°As we speak, some of the other delegates to your summit are hatching plans, spinning a little conspiracy and making alliances.¡± He tilted his head towards the building. ¡°It is the hope that anyone watching would focus on them right now. Leian fears her activity is being monitored, but I might have a little more leeway. We¡¯ll still need to keep this short.¡± Regina nodded, filing away the information about the conference for later. ¡°The other gods are watching Leian?¡± ¡°Most likely. They¡¯ve never trusted her, I¡¯m quite sure.¡± She frowned. ¡°Is it because of the way they¡¯ve kept progress stifled on this world? I¡¯d assume Leian isn¡¯t a fan of the party line. In fact, I have some suspicions.¡± ¡°That is likely part of it.¡± He paused. ¡°What suspicions?¡± Regina hesitated for a moment, then decided to take the opportunity. ¡°I was wondering about the control of the System. And I suspect she might be interfering, maybe even feigning more trouble with integrating the hive than there is ¡­¡± ¡°My mistress is the primary creator and responsible for the System. That should tell you who controls it ¡­ although she is far from other gods¡¯ power. Regarding your suspicions, I cannot give you a definite answer.¡± He smiled slightly. ¡°Although I suspect you¡¯re on to something, personally.¡± That might not be a clear answer, but it was better than nothing. Regina thought for a moment. ¡°You said it was part of it, what other reason would they have to distrust her?¡± Berren tilted his head. He looked like he was considering how much he should tell her. Then he nodded slightly. ¡°Leian is not a god from Haven, not like the rest. She only ascended to divinity shortly before the Cataclysm, with their help, but they would not have done it without expecting to benefit. We suspect they simply wanted to keep her alive, immortal, so she¡¯d be useful for longer than a mortal lifespan. In fact, the both of us are from a people called Aishan, the last remnants of it. Technically, she¡¯s the sole survivor, since I am dead.¡± ¡°You¡¯re dead?¡± Regina interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m a shade. Yes, I¡¯m dead. The soul of a dead person bound as a servant ¡ª well, the details hardly concern you.¡± Regina blinked, then decided to move on. Questioning someone on their deadness seemed insensitive. ¡°So, Leian is the last Aishan, whatever that means?¡± ¡°Yes. She wouldn¡¯t have that Soul Name otherwise, I¡¯m quite sure. It¡¯s why she is so important. We were much further advanced than the Havenites or even your people, and in some cases more than the Mesen who¡¯ve butchered our empire like scavenging carrion feeders.¡± There was a lot to unpack in that, but Regina focused on one aspect for now. ¡°Is that why she¡¯s sympathetic to me?¡± Being the last of her kind? ¡°Perhaps. You are both the last survivors of fallen civilizations. Perhaps there¡¯s more to it.¡± Berren got a glint in his eye, then, and although Regina could sense nothing of his thoughts or emotions ¡ª he was a complete blank, it was almost creepy and disconcerting now that she¡¯d gotten used to the sense; either being dead screwed with it or, more likely, he was just that good ¡ª she got the strong impression he was saying something Leian might not want him to. ¡°Or, perhaps, it might also be that she feels some responsibility because it was Aishan who created the Hivekind.¡± Regina stared at him, her eyes wide and her jaw barely not dropping. She had no brainpower to spare to try to hide her reaction. ¡°Your people created the Hivekind?!¡± And I¡¯m only learning about this now? ¡°How do you think she knows so much about your race?¡± he asked reasonably. ¡°She¡¯s told you that you need a drone from another hive to reproduce with to create more Hive Queens, hasn¡¯t she?¡± Regina had wondered about that, and she supposed, hearing it now, that it made some sense. Leian had told Regina she wanted to bring the Hivekind back ¡­ ¡°But ¡ª¡° ¡°Your questions will have to wait,¡± he interrupted. She was starting to suspect he was enjoying this. ¡°We don¡¯t have the time, I need to go. Just remember to be wary of what other allegiances might be in play here. Deirianon is not happy about your recent moves and he¡¯ll disapprove strongly of this, especially given how you¡¯ve called on your former nation. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you saw some sabotage, or worse.¡± ¡°Thank you for the information,¡± Regina paused. ¡°Is there really nothing more you can say?¡± But before she¡¯d even finished the last sentence, Berren was already gone. ¡°Such drama queens,¡± Regina muttered. ¡°He¡¯s like Leian, indeed.¡± Chapter 255: New Orders The Hive¡¯s senior leadership, which mostly meant the oldest drones, had had quite the fight about who would accompany Regina to her peace summit. They¡¯d tried to keep it out of her sight, since their Queen didn¡¯t need to be burdened or distracted by that, but Tia wouldn¡¯t bet that she was unaware of it. It was the first major conflict of that kind she¡¯d seen, and although she knew, academically, that it was probably good for them to have one and get to disagree with each other, it was still a bit disconcerting. Still, Tia was fine with having lost. Or ¡®lost¡¯, she¡¯d put up a token protest but she didn¡¯t really want to accompany their Mother there. Not that it wouldn¡¯t be interesting, but she didn¡¯t need to be there to talk to anyone in person and she could always watch the others or get them to tell her of what happened. Her specialty wasn¡¯t really needed there and she would be more useful staying in the south. In the end, Max and Tim had both accompanied Regina, to no one¡¯s surprise. Ben stayed behind because of the war, and she suspected because he didn¡¯t want to go either. Mia had shown interest and suggested she¡¯d visit at least for a time. She¡¯d arranged for it after the official proclamation of the new Empire. That currently made Tia the most senior drone in the hive¡¯s core territory, and at least for the civilian side of it. Which didn¡¯t really mean much since her work was mostly straddling the line between any theoretical civilian and military spheres, anyway. In any case, Tia slept badly and showed a bit more anxiety than she really wanted to. Ben was in their new capital base, by Forest¡¯s Haunt, while Tia stayed in their former main base further down beside the Great Forest, closer to the underground tunnels. Regina was still available through the psychic link, but she was busy and didn¡¯t want to be distracted, so she felt the weight of responsibility. In the end, Tia wasn¡¯t even that surprised when something bad happened, although she could have done without getting a crisis dropped in her lap. It was the middle of the night, she¡¯d just gone to sleep a few hours ago and had been roused from deep sleep. Tia blinked against heavy eyelids for a moment before jumping up. She felt the others beside her stirring, but didn¡¯t pay them much attention. Instead, she scrambled to get her jacket and rushed out the door. She¡¯d been the first one woken, she realized, although Ben was being roused right now. Tia hurried down the corridors of the base, barely seeing her surroundings as her focus remained on the psychic link. There were several reports coming in, confused and hard to piece together into a coherent whole. Jem? she reached out. Can you put together what¡¯s happening? Jem¡¯s mind showed no sign of drowsiness. He must have still been awake, working into the night as he sometimes did. Instead, the Keeper was alert and she felt him sweeping through the psychic link before he reached back to her quickly, focused. The gnomes, clearly, he answered. There are a few humans involved, I assume they hired them. Perhaps defectors or displaced soldiers from the Cernlian civil war. They are causing trouble deeper in our territory. I assume some slipped in with the trickle of refugees we¡¯ve been taking in. That means they must have been planning this for a while, Tia realized. Perhaps when they got word of the peace summit, they decided it was a good time to strike. Probably. The gnomes are also attacking in parallel. I think Ben has a better understanding of how that is going than I do. But they seem to have started a broad offensive and sent specialist teams of higher-level soldiers to get as deep as they can into territory we¡¯ve taken. If they have a single objective, I can¡¯t tell what. They mostly seem to be going for targets of opportunity, although it might be targets they¡¯ve picked out ahead of time. We¡¯ll see how they act when we push back, she said grimly. She reached out to Ben and found him already talking to several of the drones in officer roles. Tia listened quietly at first, trying to get a picture of what was happening. They had put people in command of certain areas, as well as overall roles like leading the flying drones or tunnelers. Their best scouts were gone or busy trying to track the gnomes¡¯ movements. Now that their attack had started, a larger force was advancing toward them. A small army the gnomes had gathered, clearly intending to smash through the Hive¡¯s defenses at weakened points on the front. We need to make sure they don¡¯t have anything else planned, she told Ben. We can¡¯t afford any other surprises. Ben sighed mentally. I¡¯ll try to reassign some scouts, but we really don¡¯t have enough people to be certain. We can call up some Keepers and maybe others who¡¯re good with the psychic link, let them look through what Swarm Drones can see, she suggested. We might have to sacrifice some flying drones by sending them on riskier paths, but I think it¡¯s worth it. It is, he agreed. Alright, I¡¯ll take care of it. Check the defenses we have? I¡¯m on it. Before she dove deeper into that, Tia checked on the others. She felt the touch of her Hive Queen, realizing that Regina had been woken and was watching now. Tia didn¡¯t speak to her, leaving that to Ben and the other military commanders, who she judged to be more immediately relevant right now. Instead, she just checked that everything she could prepare was. She wished she could be there in person, rather than stuck here in the base. But traveling down now would probably take too long and would be risky. Instead, she just had to do the best she could over the psychic link. And make sure the brothers and sisters she¡¯d been working with were safe and didn¡¯t put themselves in danger. Some of them could be a bit careless about that even in the middle of a warzone, too focused on setting the right mines or getting bombs in place, building walls or flooding tunnels to pay enough attention to news about enemy troops getting closer. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Once she¡¯d checked on them, Tia focused more on their physical defenses. They did still have a few minefields prepared, although she knew their use would be limited. They simply didn¡¯t have good enough means of hiding them, and the gnomes were too good at discovering and marking their locations. On the other hand, sometimes just having them as an obstacle made a big difference, because they¡¯d have to enter the fields or give up something to avoid them. It was just a matter of placing them in the best locations. Other defenses were more obvious, like walls. They could probably hide those, but it didn¡¯t make much sense. Still, a few well-placed walls in the right tunnels could be quite useful, Tia had learned. What she spent most of the time checking on was neither kind of static defenses, though. Or even the extra tunnels the Hive had been digging in the parts of the Confederation¡¯s sphere they¡¯d taken in the mountains and higher elevations. It was the weapons. She supposed technically they might fall under the purview of Ben and his commanders, but unlike bows and arrows, they needed a lot more attention, care and knowledge of how to use them most effectively. Tia had been one of the people primarily responsible for designing them. She almost appreciated this sudden attack for the chance it presented to see her work in action. The Hive had used them before, of course, but not in a context like this, and not on this scale. She¡¯d modified their equipment compared to what they¡¯d used against the Nerlians because of the different terrain and enemy. Being able to shoot for very long distances wasn¡¯t as important, and high-angle guns could only be useful in specific locations, not everywhere. But cannons they could use for clearing tunnels were still good, and she¡¯d experimented with what Galatea called grapeshot and other ammunition in that vein, along with more typical ordinance for siege weapons. Watching some of her cannons decimate a unit of gnomes advancing on them, now, she had to admit it was a bit gruesome. Not that Tia was really bothered by that. This was a major throughlane leading into the western border territory of the Confederation, one of a few. The Hive had used it as a staging point and fallback position. They¡¯d had to abandon the few villages further to the east they¡¯d recently taken, but they wouldn¡¯t be pushed from here. And once we¡¯ve thrown back this assault, we can retake them, and more. And her mortars, cannons and hand-portable guns were helping. After making sure that this advance was decisively stopped, Tia turned her attention back to the overall state of things, trying to get a sense of the situation from the psychic link. She wasn¡¯t the best person for dealing with the other problems they were facing, but she should probably still keep an eye on it. Unfortunately, the sabotage the Hive suffered hadn¡¯t stopped. Some of it didn¡¯t matter much at the moment, perhaps because the gnomes had the wrong idea about their supply lines. But there was enough trouble and chaos in the areas leading up to the real war zone to be a genuine problem. Tia tried to copy what she¡¯d seen from a few others and mentally ¡®zoom out¡¯ to hold everything in the psychic link at a lower level of detail, using what Jem and a few others had prepared in it. It took her a moment until she was sure she could process everything correctly. Then she focused on what she could see of the patterns in their enemies¡¯ activity. Any conventional army that depended on roads and supply networks would be severely impacted by this, she could see. Even for the Hive, while flying drones could just ignore whatever happened in between and fly straight to their target, War Drones didn¡¯t have that ability. The gnomes had clearly struck at the best points they could reach. The Hive wasn¡¯t as reliant on supply lines, but they did use depots of food for larger gatherings of War Drones and flying drones. They could go for a few days without food and even fight, but their combat effectiveness would be impacted without enough sustenance beyond that, and they weren¡¯t always able to scavenge enough from their environment. Especially if there were drawn-out battles, and in rocky terrain without a lot of grass or greenery. Now, many of their supply depots were burned, clearly targeted directly. A few tunnels had been collapsed. Tia examined them and wasn¡¯t too concerned by the damage. They would be able to clear the blockades or dig around them. Still, it was annoying. And there were still gnomish soldiers around, attacking any reinforcements the Hive commanders sent that weren¡¯t in large enough groups. Tia could tell the Hive was whittling them down. These soldiers must have been pretty high-level and the gnomes clearly valued them enough to not just throw their lives away, so they could chase them off and try to push them into positions where the Hive could take them out. Ben and the others were clearly doing their best. Tia watched them, trying to help where she could and at least make preparations to do better in the future where she couldn¡¯t. Times like these, she really wished she could fight herself. She was pretty good for someone who hadn¡¯t been hatched as a Warrior, she knew that. But her place wasn¡¯t on the battlefield, she could serve the Hive better in the base, in their workshops and setting up infrastructure and fortifications. Tia? she felt Regina¡¯s mind reach out to her. How is it going? I¡¯m trying to do what I can, my Queen, she responded. The others are getting it under control. Most of our heavy weapons are intact. I think I hid them well enough, or maybe they didn¡¯t want to risk attacking them. A few tunnels and paths are blocked or harder to take, but we can clear them without issue. Good, Regina responded, sending a warm glow that showed she was proud of her through the link. Do you have new orders? It didn¡¯t feel like her Queen had contacted her just for that report. I¡¯m going to be busy with this summit for the foreseeable future, Regina said. And this attack, of course; I¡¯ll try to contribute what I can. But we need someone to make sure everything is fine at home. There are new humans coming in, and we need to deal with those living here, especially with the conference on. Ben is going to focus on the gnomes¡¯ offensive and the war down there. He¡¯ll be moving south soon if he hasn¡¯t already. I would join him. I need you here, Regina interrupted. Someone needs to be physically present, especially to talk to some of those visitors or immigrants. I may end up sending some Nerlians or even other envoys to the hive to show them our strength or teach them something. Mia is going to stay and work on the technical side of things, concerning our new construction and the help we can give the others. We need the rest of Cernlia and Nerlia ¡­ uplifted, for lack of a better word, quickly. You should probably go back to Forest¡¯s Haunt, then you would be closer to the workshops, too. Tia pinched the bridge of her nose. At least she would be able to sneak in a few hours of work in those workshops. Fine, she grumbled. I¡¯ll do my best, Mother. I know, you¡¯ll do very well. Another warm brush of her mind, and Regina receded. Tia stared at the ceiling for a moment. Then she sighed and made to get up. It sounded like she¡¯d just been temporarily put in charge of her home. The Hive¡¯s core territory and most of their people who weren¡¯t soldiers. Well, she¡¯d never looked for leadership positions, but unlike Dan, she¡¯d never shied away from them, either. If this was what she needed to do, it was what she needed to do. Although she would tease Tim about it when he got back. And Mia, Max and Ben. Maybe she could prepare some pranks as a way of training or testing new equipment. Janis might help for any magical parts. Tia made herself smile as she walked through the corridors of the base, resisting the temptation to obsessively check on the progress of the fight against the gnomes every second. Her brothers and sisters were good. They¡¯ve got it. Who knows, maybe this might even be good for all of us to learn some independent problem-solving. Chapter 256: Plotting, Terms and Talks Regina didn¡¯t get much sleep that night. While she wasn¡¯t there and had only briefly considered going back to the hive when she learned of the gnomes¡¯ activity, she still tried to do what she could through the psychic link. Mostly, that just meant watching and trying to give helpful contributions, occasionally using her psychic senses for something. She was getting better at it, but at this distance, there really wasn¡¯t much she could pick up, especially in the heat of a fight with many people and chaotic emotions involved. Once the initial shock wore off, the hive thankfully got it under control pretty well. The gnomes had managed to hide the preparations for their attack quite well. The infiltrators they¡¯d sent to sabotage and sow chaos among the hive¡¯s rear areas were the worst problem. Regina really wished they had more people with psychic abilities of their own. Once she was focused on it, she didn¡¯t have much trouble picking up a gnomish soldier trying to hide, but she could only focus on one place at a time and she wasn¡¯t even that good at just picking them out of the background on a larger scale. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like that was something she could easily get. Whatever psychic talent the Hivekind had seemed to be bound up in their connection to the hive link, or the Hive Queen herself. I suppose it makes some sense if there¡¯s a tradeoff for me being so powerful psychically, it seems. She wasn¡¯t giving up hope on getting a sapient drone with a Class or even magic that could do it, but for now, they had to rely on other means. The gnomes had already retaken a small part of the territory the hive had conquered, but they seemed to be stalled for now. The fighting was largely returning to how it had been before, but with additional pressure on her drones. Regina suspected there would either be further waves or it would largely settle into a new normal. The disruption the gnomes had caused would definitely be felt in the days to come. In the meantime, both sides were bleeding fighters. Regina was starting to be vaguely worried about it. Had the gnomes decided to take advantage of their greater numbers in this way, even if it meant trading soldiers on unfavorable terms? Maybe they realize that letting us get any more time to grow our numbers is going to be worse for them in the long run, so they need to not let us get the numbers up in the first place. In the long term, her hive could beat any other nation in that regard, but right now they only had a few ten thousand troops. The Gnomish Confederation was a lot larger than that, with a much greater population pool to recruit soldiers from. She¡¯d hoped they would try to conserve their soldiers after their losses, but their recent strategy was more aggressive than she¡¯d expected before. But maybe she was wrong about the reasoning to the gnomes were following. Either way, when the day dawned, Regina had to push that aside, struggling to focus on the issues in front of her, the peace conference. What was decided here was in many ways more important than how the war with the gnomes was currently going. Both for the formation of her new nation and, perhaps, in terms of international relations. She hadn¡¯t forgotten Leian¡¯s warning ¡ª or was it Berren¡¯s own? She wasn¡¯t sure how much of what he¡¯d said had been a message from his boss and what he¡¯d added on his own, even regarding that subject. Regina really wasn¡¯t sure what to think of him at all. I do appreciate her sending someone to answer questions for me, I suppose, but it only left more questions than answers. Again. She knew she probably shouldn¡¯t take his words at face value, he might have his own agenda. Although what he¡¯d said about Leian not wanting other gods to monitor her was probably true; why else would she take the risk of sending Berren instead of just talking to Regina herself? And what he¡¯d said about her ¡ª or rather, she supposed, them ¡ª did match other things she¡¯d seen and suspected quite well. For now, it meant there was probably some kind of plot going around and Regina needed to be watchful against any attempts to sabotage her goals here. With Deirianon¡¯s involvement or not. She knew others would have enough motivation to do it even if he didn¡¯t. Of course, knowing that didn¡¯t mean she knew what to do or where the danger would come from. If she had to guess, then he might be trying to drive a wedge between her and Nerlia. Cernlia seemed too secure, with Kiara at the helm, unless her enemies could take out Kiara or weaken her control. Regina made a mental note to make sure she was well-protected at all times, then told Max to do so as well. He was unofficially in charge of security for the summit. But her enemies probably knew Kiara was too close and too loyal to Regina to betray her, and so was June, her heir presumptive, so they¡¯d probably look elsewhere. Nerlia, then. They might be convinced to abandon the Empire ¡ª or, at least, someone plotting against her might think so ¡ª if they were persuaded that Regina had somehow broken their agreement. And, most likely, that she was a danger to them and didn¡¯t intend to keep her promises. Regina frowned to herself as she prepared for the day¡¯s talks. She only had a small room, but she didn¡¯t have to share and Ira had helped her get ready quickly. There were several meetings on the agenda today, both with what she was thinking of as the Empire core group and a larger assembly. At the same time, Mia and a few other drones, probably with Galatea¡¯s help, would talk to delegates from Nerlia and Cernlia and demonstrate more of what they could do, as well as help in setting the groundwork for improving their technology. ¡°What would you do if you wanted to split the Nerlians off from us?¡± she asked quietly. Ira paused in picking up a bucket of water. ¡°It would depend on exactly what you¡¯ve promised them, I think, Mother. I admit I¡¯m not sure of all the details. But they¡¯d try to make you seem untrustworthy or lying about something. They expect legal protection, right?¡± Regina nodded. ¡°So far, we haven¡¯t really created the framework of laws that I want. So, as far as I know, they¡¯re mostly going by what obligations there normally are between a vassal and the crown in Nerlia and Cernlia. I mean, there are differences between the two countries, of course, but the general paradigm is the same.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Hm.¡± Ira hummed. ¡°And any specific promises or requirements you¡¯ve added? Is there something it would look like you¡¯re not meeting?¡± Regina paused. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she said slowly. ¡°I promised to protect them, obviously. I promised to share my technological knowledge, and they¡¯re getting that today, at least the start of it. They can hardly expect me to just drop gigabytes of information on them in a second. And I made promises I¡¯ve already started to fulfill about giving them valued and secure positions and making human citizens just as respected as the Hive.¡± ¡°Maybe the leaders could still think their standing is being threatened in favor of other potential leaders you want to install?¡± Ira mused. ¡°Or maybe the Nerlians are fine and whoever you¡¯re concerned about is actually working with or through the other delegates?¡± Regina nodded. Talking this out with Ira probably helped, but at this point she didn¡¯t have any concrete ideas. She supposed she¡¯d just have to take things as they came. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll keep our eyes open, but I shouldn¡¯t keep them waiting for now.¡± Once she went out, Regina immediately caught everyone¡¯s attention. She¡¯d braced for it, but it was still a bit disconcerting. It would have been, anyway, but with her psychic senses, the attention was much more tangible for her. Which wasn¡¯t a bad thing, it was probably a good opportunity to get used to this. Still, she appreciated that it gave her a rough impression of how everyone felt about her without really having to do any searching. And the reaction was about as expected. It had changed from before her announcement of the new nation¡¯s founding, but that wasn¡¯t a surprise. Awe, calculation, slight fear and curiosity mixed and swirled through the town. Ironically, there didn¡¯t seem to be much of a difference between the (usually noble and wealthy) envoys and their various hangers-on, which she decided to take as a win. Mia and a few others split off to start working with the respective members of other delegations right away, while Regina met with envoys from various countries. Instead of a large plenum, there were smaller talks scheduled. They allowed for other countries¡¯ envoys to meet as well, in addition to letting her talk to those with a particular concern or area of interest, or those from a certain geographical area. Regina knew her drones would be trying to listen in on other talks. They didn¡¯t need her orders to try it. Unfortunately, it was pretty clear that the diplomats they¡¯d invited weren¡¯t born yesterday and took precautions to prevent that kind of thing, at least for sensitive topics. Some used magic, some just made sure there were only guards they trusted stationed close enough to be in earshot. The most important meeting Regina attended that day was with diplomats from Nerlia as well as envoys from the area on the opposite side of the country. They were all smaller and weaker countries, but together they could, and historically did, prevent Nerlia from expanding in their direction. There was a delicate balance of power that Regina knew would have been disrupted by the formation of her new empire with Nerlia as a founding member. These people were the natural recruits for a first wave of annexation and inclusion into the Empire, but also the ones with the most grounds for fear. They also occupied lands that were historically core to the HRE, which she supposed meant more to her than to anyone else, but they might not be unaware of it. They might not be any of the German states she was familiar with, but the geography hadn¡¯t changed that much ¡ª which also gave them the advantages and disadvantages she knew ¡ª and there might be some halfway-preserved ruins. The meeting was off to a rocky start, given those factors. Regina had expected it and tried not to be discouraged. At least they were polite enough, or afraid enough, not to be openly hostile. Still, they found ways to make it clear the surprise founding of a greater nation was not appreciated. And all the questions about details of their economic and political relationship with Nerlia, if and how they would change ¡­ Regina would seriously suspect that they were just trying to annoy her or defeat her with boredom if the Nerlians by her side weren¡¯t taking them so seriously. At least she was glad she had them. While listening to them talk ¡ª Regina had honestly just not thought enough about these countries and the intricacies of their diplomatic relationship to contribute much ¡ª she watched them, tasted their feelings and thought about how to move forward. There were several countries, four or five, depending on which you counted, arrayed around Nerlia in a half-circle from her position. The territory they covered ranged from what used to belong to Prussia to southwestern Germany. There were clearly a lot of local differences, but she¡¯d only embarrass herself trying to focus on those. The countries ranged from about a quarter to two-thirds the size of Nerlia, although she¡¯d be surprised if the population of any of them was above half of Nerlia¡¯s. There were a few notable cities, but none that could truly be counted important in the greater scheme of things. None of them corresponded with old cities she knew, at least as far as she could tell. Further beyond them, besides thick, monster-infested forests, the Rhine had reclaimed everything it used to claim and probably more and turned the area around it into swampland that was barely passable for ships, and so lands that were pretty sparsely populated. It presented enough of a barrier she wasn¡¯t going to worry about the western part of Europe yet. Regina was just glad the modern incarnation of the Danube was navigable. Still, there were several other rivers and, while they weren¡¯t quite as big, most of them were passable for ships, too, which meant these countries still relied on trade. And thus, the endless wrangling about trade terms and guarantees from Nerlia. Regina sighed quietly, rotated her shoulders and leaned back in her chair. This was important, it would set the tone for their interactions in the coming years, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel like she¡¯d already come too late. Whenever she tried to subtly hint at membership in the Empire curing all of their economic woes, and the Nerlian delegates tried the same (probably more skillfully), the reception was cold, almost harsh. Regina had the sinking feeling that the Esemen or one of her other enemies might have already primed them against her. Besides, she didn¡¯t like the looks they shot each other. If they allied together against her and her vassals ¡­ it could get messy. Damn, I just wanted to go a while without another war. And there¡¯s still the gnomes, anyway. Regina tugged on her mandible, dismissing the thought. No need to jump to the worst possible scenario. So far, this was still in the realm of trade and diplomacy. If they formed a trade pact and cut her out, well, it would suck because she¡¯d had hopes for them, but she¡¯d survive. Eventually they might just come crawling back for better terms. And besides, she thought, watching them again and letting her gaze linger on the singular two women in the delegation, they aren¡¯t the soul of unity. One of the women was a princess, although some kind of more distant relative to her prince, the other a noblewoman sent as an envoy. They were the only two women out of twelve people not already affiliated with her in the room. But the men most likely had wives and daughters. They had demihumans and other races in their countries. And of course, Delvers. No, there were possible cracks to exploit or levers to use if she decided to go that way. Regina just hoped it wouldn¡¯t be necessary, even as she hoped that this low-key hostility she was sensing was the extent of any conspiracies against her. Chapter 257: Devices Raymond Harlon didn¡¯t think he was a very good diplomat. Normally, that skill or lack thereof would not bother him, but under the present circumstances, he could not help but feel somewhat anxious. He might be a Prince of Nerlia, but he felt woefully unprepared for this event. At least he had known about the founding of the new Empire ahead of time. He shuddered to imagine what it would have been like to be blindsided by an announcement like that, and unwillingly felt a bit of sympathy for the other delegates at the summit. Not that their countries were involved the way Nerlia was. In fact, he still was not quite sure what to make of it. He had reserved judgment on the decision, but the longer he spent at this ostensible peace conference, the less sure he was about anything, it seemed. Kneeling before a monster and swearing his and his family¡¯s fealty had not bothered him. After all, if she really was an Ancient as the rumors said, and as he¡¯d heard information that seemed to confirm it, then she had as much right to it as anyone. Besides, he was only just adjusting to the idea that he might actually be responsible, in the future or even today, for the fate of his kingdom. It was everything else that left him a bit baffled and uncertain, though he tried not to show it. Queen ¡ª no, Empress Regina clearly had a lot of ideas. Most of them felt good and even sensible, the sorts of things a kind ruler would do. There were a lot of them and he knew many others were discomfited by it, though. For now, though, it was the more practical aspects that left him nonplussed. Although calling them ¡®practical¡¯ was rather ironic, anyway. The Empress herself was not here, but several of her drones had taken it upon themselves to give demonstrations and discuss how they might be able to help their new countrymen. They weren¡¯t putting it quite like that, of course, but he wasn¡¯t stupid and he knew that was the way it was going to go. The Hive was their superior in intellectual and technological knowledge, and it was Nerlia¡¯s ¡ª and, he supposed, Cernlia¡¯s ¡ª turn to profit from this. The first revelation hadn¡¯t been much of a surprise, but he still recognized the tremendous implications. The Hive did possess Conjuration magic and used it freely, to a frankly astonishing degree. Almost every Hivekind mage they had met seemed proficient in it. He knew that couldn¡¯t be as simple as it seemed; mages had tried to access it before and almost all failed miserably. Therfore, for so many drones to gain and use these Spells, they had to either transmit the knowledge and skill somehow or there had to be something fundamental about the Hive which allowed them to master it so easily. He supposed their superior knowledge might be it. They were clearly able to create gold, silver and precious stones, which would explain the Hive¡¯s deep coffers and offered promising things for their new nation¡¯s future. In addition, they could create rare materials for use with magic or their science-based technology, which he suspected was crucial, too. But that was only the beginning. The drones had clearly prepared in advance, and had several booklets of information ready. They looked printed, he noted, as his eyes traced the regular script, the letters somewhat oddly-shaped to his experience but duplicated exactly at every position. They were not like the System messages and yet held a similar quality. The bindings were not as good. But the information contained within was the valuable part. The one he held looked to be a primer on basic principles of Ancient science, with a particular emphasis on physics and chemistry. A section at the back added some more applicable knowledge, with diagrams and descriptions of various mechanisms and devices. None of them seemed too extraordinary, although he supposed the drop-hammers fed by improved waterwheels did constitute a significant improvement. His gaze lingered on the last page, which offered details on telescopes and microscopes, arrangements of shaped glass lenses (the Hive must use their Conjuration to get theirs) and the rules of optics governing them. Also some practical tips on solutions and dyes for the latter, he noticed. ¡°Why microscopes?¡± he muttered, then raised his head when he noticed the others had fallen silent and were looking at him. ¡°I can understand the use of spyglasses and binoculars, but looking at very small things? Everything else included here has clear practical value.¡± And it was placed in a prominent position. ¡°It was rather important to the Hive Queen,¡± the leader of these drones, a woman called Mia, answered. She didn¡¯t sound concerned, but the way she was watching them, he suspected she was debating how much information to give them. ¡°It can show rather important facts that otherwise would not have become known, such as the existence of germs which is needed for proper medicine.¡± Raymond frowned, but nodded. He was no scholar, although he had received a rather good education, so he thought he had a vague idea of what she was talking about. Anything that helped to reduce outbreaks of disease, or its spread, would certainly be valuable. Although he privately doubted that identifying ¡®germs¡¯ would help as much as proper healing magic. But what did he know? ¡°You have only included things that would not be disastrous if they fell into the wrong hands, I suppose,¡± Princess June spoke up. She was paging through her own version rather quickly, presumably already familiar with the contents. As the mage apprentice to the Empress, that was to be expected. Raymond was unsure how to feel about the girl. A small part of him felt he should be upset at being eclipsed by someone who had until recently been the younger daughter of a marquis, and was now technically higher-ranked than him as crown princess of Cernlia. He tried not to listen to that voice. Not that she would be my superior for much longer. He hid a reaction to the thought by looking back down at the book. He was not certain, of course, but everyone had started to suspect he might be named crown prince of Nerlia soon. Although perhaps not, if their plans work out and I marry Queen Kiara. They would likely not want such a close union of the crowns, then. Perhaps even Adelaide would be the heir? Female rulers do seem to be in fashion currently. He smiled to himself. It wasn¡¯t like he wanted to lose his birthright to his sister, but the thought was funny in an ironic way. June Lyns caught his eye and smiled slightly, perhaps misinterpreting his expression. He nodded at her, then turned his gaze and his attention back to the drones who were presenting their technical accomplishments currently. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. As she had pointed out, he noted that there was little in the way of machines of war. Certainly less than the Hive possessed, he knew. But that made sense. The books and even examples they presented here might easily fall into foreign hands. They would take more precautions before they showed them anything truly dangerous, presumably after this summit was over. He found it interesting to note that the Empress did not seem very concerned about this information spreading beyond her control, though. ¡°Perhaps the most important innovations on a larger scale are these,¡± Mia continued, and he made an effort to pay full attention. ¡°We call them harvesting machines. They¡¯re somewhat simple, modeled after earlier versions of the same, but they can be crafted easily and take no external fuel or anything beyond ¡®musclepower¡¯. This one combines some tilling and seeding, good for making regular rows of crops ¡­¡± This would let peasants cultivate more farmland on their own, leading to bigger harvests, he realized. That truly was important. He was not sure how well it would synchronize with System-given Abilities, however. But, if they were still doing the work, just with the help of these machines instead of simpler tools, most Class Skills should still work. After the harvesting machines, the drones presented several similar inventions that would also be useful for agriculture and crafts, such as spinning or weaving machines and improved carpentry tools. There would be a new set of standards introduced, Lady Mia explained, for measuring distances, weights and volumes; examples would be sent out soon to all major cities, so they could be adapted by local craftsmen, and anyone would know what and exactly how much they were buying, selling or ordering. Raymond approved. He¡¯d only traveled a few times but he had noticed that the weights used in markets differed. The crown had previously tried to standardize them, perhaps a century back, but only had moderate success. Perhaps the Empire could succeed. He tried out several of the simpler devices and tried to pay attention to what the others were doing and saying. Quite a few of the people present seemed rather enthralled with the offerings, and he could hear heated discussions. Several of the more scholarly inclined were clearly eager to see more of what the Hive could give them, even to the point of complaining loudly, which only had him shake his head. They would see more if and when the Empress decided they would, arguing about it would not avail them anything. Several hours passed by quickly as he tried to imprint everything in his memory, determined to share it with several people back home, along with the book. He was likely only here as a courtesy, but that did not mean he couldn¡¯t take advantage of it. Unfortunately, his time here was up sooner than he¡¯d like. He excused himself, bowing politely to Lady Mia and her assistants, and then left for a nearby parlor that had been turned into a conference room. Adelaide had been present in the meeting held there, but asked him to join after noon, as they would be discussing important matters. He had a better head for numbers than she did, so he was not surprised to find the meeting quickly got technical in a rather different sense. The people gathered were starting to hammer out the true basis of any crown¡¯s power and stability: taxes, tariffs, and the like. As he¡¯d suspected, Hive Queen Regina was a rather lenient Empress in that regard. He¡¯d almost think she only insisted on taxes being paid to the Imperial throne as a formality. But he did find a few of the seemingly odd quirks they¡¯d come to expect from her. Namely, she seemed more concerned with introducing a new standard of minted coins than the exact amounts tithed from each acre of land or noble title. These would continue to be collected on the basis of the kingdoms, of course. She also announced her intention to introduce several new taxes, such as one to be paid by mercantile companies simply for existing. In turn, she set very low tariffs for exporting or importing goods outside the Empire and even suggested entirely abolishing or at least having low tariffs between their constituent kingdoms, saying it would encourage trade and increase the crown¡¯s revenue indirectly. Hopefully, they¡¯d be able to talk her down from the idea of completely abandoning them, but he supposed she might have a point about encouraging commerce and increasing their people¡¯s wealth. This time, at least, Raymond was confident he had an understanding of what was being spoken about and contributed more to the discussion. At least more than Adelaide. In return, she seemed to be making mental notes of who spoke up when and what their opinions on proposed measures were, most likely trying to suss out any webs of allegiances and interests. He didn¡¯t think she¡¯d have much luck with the Hive, they seemed content to let their Hive Queen set everything and only chimed in occasionally with clarifications or queries on further details. There was one person, of course, he was not sure was part of the Hive or not. Galatea seemed almost bored. She¡¯d arrived almost at the same time as Raymond himself, and acted much the same way previously, not speaking up much. Still, she was clearly here for a reason and he wouldn¡¯t underestimate her. ¡°Now that that is settled,¡± the Empress said finally, followed by a short pause. He gave her his full attention. ¡°It is time to talk about the political structure of the Empire.¡± ¡°I thought we were retaining autonomy for the individual kingdoms,¡± Lord Galman interrupted. He sounded a bit anxious, and Raymond couldn¡¯t blame him for that, but he still shot him an irritated glare. ¡°Cernlia and Nerlia will have local autonomy and control over their own affairs in most respects, of course,¡± she replied with a slight twitch of her eyebrow. ¡°As long as they adhere to Imperial law. But there does need to be at least the bare bones of a government at the federal level, to perform the usual functions of a court, support the crown and implement its directives, otherwise what would be the point of having the Empire at all? I certainly can¡¯t rule it by myself. You understand?¡± Raymond found himself nodding. ¡°Perfectly sensible.¡± His father had often been talking about the same thing. Or complaining about the officials and his efforts being slowed. ¡°In that vein, I¡¯d like to set up several departments and agencies. We will certainly need something to regulate and oversee jurisprudence in all member states. Beyond that and traditional ministries like foreign affairs, I¡¯d like there to be an authority for matters of education. And, perhaps, one for our current reforms of technological nature.¡± She glanced at them and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Positions and leadership roles in all of them will, of course, be available to people from every corner of the Empire. In fact, I think it might be helpful in unifying our knowledge, so to speak.¡± The last part had certainly grabbed their attention and soothed some of the dark expressions on the faces of some of the delegates, Raymond noticed. Perhaps it was actually intended as a direct appeal to them? The people making up the delegations would most likely be in the recruitment pool for these agencies. Raymond himself was unsure what to think of it. But it didn¡¯t seem likely that he would be able to talk the Empress out of it, anyway, not when she seemed so set on her course, so he should be thinking about how to make sure Nerlia benefited from these developments. The answer to that was obviously two-fold: making sure Nerlians got high positions in the Imperial court and ministries, and that the Hive¡¯s innovation and ¡®uplift¡¯ ¡ª a bit of an insulting word, but not entirely wrong ¡ª would help all of the kingdom. With a tentative goal in mind, Raymond buckled down and asked about further details, thinking about a few suggestions he might make. Perhaps some kind of assurance that people from any member kingdom, or other community, would be represented. Empress Regina would likely approve of the notion. Chapter 258: Problematic Elements The excitement and hullaboo after the declaration of the Empire faded eventually and the summit pretty much got back to how it was supposed to be, which Regina appreciated. She kept to the plan and schedule she¡¯d worked out beforehand, following discussions about the new nation¡¯s constitution with economic and tax policy and the establishment of government agencies and departments. The second day after the declaration was pretty much filled up with that. She still wasn¡¯t sure how long the conference would last, since there were still several potential issues remaining, but it was clear the end was at least coming into sight. While she¡¯d feel some relief once the envoys all left back to their home countries, for now that just made her anxious. Regina had tried to uncover the conspiracy Berren¡¯s information had hinted at, but didn¡¯t have much success. She was growing increasingly certain that the countries beyond Nerlia, who were already bound by a few treaties and might even start a proper confederation at this rate, had talked with each other and were coordinating their reactions and attitude, perhaps more. She just wasn¡¯t sure if that was the extent of it. They seemed ready to freeze out Nerlia and by extension the hive and Cernlia, although she doubted they actually wanted to close their borders completely. Regina also wasn¡¯t sure if they were working with someone else ¡ª perhaps the Esemen? ¡ª but she wouldn¡¯t be surprised. The elves were mostly keeping to themselves and seemed more interested in talking to Galatea than taking part in any plotting that might or might not be happening. Regina had been a bit suspicious for a while, but then realized she was probably being overly cautious and until she had firm hints of anything, that paranoia was better directed elsewhere. The Esemen weren¡¯t here since she hadn¡¯t sent them an official invite ¡ª if she was asked, she was ready to claim official notice of the summit had been lost in travel and had even made some preparations to support that story ¡ª but they must have known about it and might have a few agents infiltrated among other delegations. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t go around interrogating everyone and didn¡¯t know where to start looking. At least they were making progress with the actual talks. Regina tried not to focus too much on worrying about conspiracies and to instead take pride in the accomplishments she had. The Cernlians and Nerlians were, while not thrilled about every aspect, clearly willing to follow her lead, and go along with her vision of the Central European Empire. It was a vision she¡¯d already heavily compromised in the name of reality and getting their support for what she¡¯d introduced, but it was still nice. She was also keeping mental lists of possible prospects for the education, social issues, law enforcement and intelligence agencies she was founding. There were enough Cernlian and Nerlian names to make for good representation, and she had enough drones from her hive who would contribute to at least get started. June seemed engaged and showed that she could act like a princess in addition to soaking up knowledge. Regina really didn¡¯t have much to complain about. Several people had already asked about the coronation, and she knew she¡¯d have a lot to do even after the conference concluded. She¡¯d hoped to focus on the summit talks now, but there were some preparations she couldn¡¯t get around doing right now. The location of the ceremony was an ongoing issue. Regina had vague plans of building a new capital for the Empire, but that was obviously not in the cards right now. Considering the level of interest she saw in invitations, choosing the hive¡¯s main base might not be the best idea. It wasn¡¯t really set up for that number of official visitors, and she¡¯d prefer not to give everyone access to what she was building there. Forest¡¯s Haunt was too small to support that activity on its own. Although something like what she was doing for the summit, maybe using the same location, would be a possibility. The simplest choice would be to hold the coronation in Cera, Cernlia¡¯s capital was a city with all the necessary accommodations and preparations. Kiara had already offered. She wasn¡¯t the only one, interestingly enough, although Regina was pretty sure most of them were just trying to curry favor with her. It was another thing that required some adjustment. She had already been, effectively, a powerful queen, with the power to conquer a nation. But now that she¡¯d been named an empress, everyone seemed to have finally realized it and was eager to show that. Even some of the delegates from countries she was pretty sure weren¡¯t considering membership or closer relationships with the Empire. She supposed she should be happy about them trying to establish a good relationship. She also realized after a while that she might be seen as a bit of a tyrant. At first, that threw her a little. I always tried to be just and better than the local norm ¡­ Then she realized that, from an outside viewpoint, it was probably understandable ¡ª she¡¯d pretty much taken her hive¡¯s territory by force, attacked Nerlia on thin pretenses to get more, propped up her preferred candidate for the Cernlian succession with military force, and she was founding an empire. I guess it¡¯s a short hop from conqueror to tyrant. And beyond that ¡­ I¡¯ve been interfering to give women more power, particularly Kiara, in defiance of the traditional patriarchal model, and I¡¯m planning the same for nonhumans. Nobles and other elites would see that attack on their ¡®traditional prerogatives¡¯ and ¡®rightful order of the world¡¯ as tyrannical. If she put it like that, Regina decided, she didn¡¯t much care about their opinions. As long as the common people didn¡¯t call her a tyrant, she was fine with it. And if it made them more careful of rousing her anger or rebelling against her, she was fine with that too. She glared at a couple of courtiers who were approaching her with expressions she¡¯d come to expect meant they were attempting to practice their flattery and ingratiation (was that a word? She felt it should be). ¡°Good day,¡± she greeted them with forced politeness, then continued on her way. She didn¡¯t have the patience for the court game right now. And she¡¯d already forgotten their names. Of course, Regina considered as she saw Max¡¯s slightly raised eyebrow, she couldn¡¯t exactly discount them and their opinions entirely. She was going to need the nobles in more ways than one. Her new government was going to need a lot of employees, after all. I should probably focus on the lower nobility, she considered. They¡¯d have the education required and the ambition to expand their influence. One didn¡¯t just stumble on people with the required skills to work in a bureaucracy on the street, especially in this era. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. So, Regina forced a smile onto her face and tried to project more cheerfulness for the next group that approached her. She reminded herself that she wasn¡¯t on a time crunch for once. In fact, she¡¯d previously alloted some time for mingling and talking to people, as a bit of a break from the more intense work and discussions while still being productive in another way. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± the leader bowed deeply. This seemed to be a mixed group of Cernlians and Nerlians, she noticed. She hadn¡¯t seen one of the men before, or at least couldn¡¯t remember him. He and the single woman were probably from Cernlia, the other man from Nerlia. At least, if she was guessing by the style of their clothes. She¡¯d started to take note of things like that and learn to interpret them. ¡°Good afternoon,¡± Regina smiled, nodding back at them. She¡¯d also had to learn to moderate her own gestures. It wouldn¡¯t do to bow to someone much lower-ranking, especially if she only nodded to someone higher-ranking. As Empress, she could ignore a lot of social convention, but it didn¡¯t pay to give offense needlessly, even if she wasn¡¯t going to let it dictate her life. ¡°I am thrilled to run into you, Your Majesty,¡± he smiled wider. It made her teeth itch. ¡°We had a few questions and couldn¡¯t think of who else to turn to, so I hope you¡¯ll forgive the presumption.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Regina replied graciously. He took a step to the side, ostensibly giving his female companion more space, and actually getting closer to her without making it seem like he was doing so. Regina had seen that before, too. It was the kind of trick that in her old life would have been touted in trashy magazines and internet sites, getting physically closer in order to seem like they were ¡®getting closer¡¯ as well. The guy¡¯s smile only reinforced that impression. ¡°You see, the legal principles you have set out have rather impressed us, I personally find the ethical and philosophical grounding admirable. But it seems like there are a few factors that might count among them, and I am unsure whether I have simply missed something or if you have not included them for some other reason.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Despite herself, Regina found herself interested now. Genuine questions about the subject were the best. ¡°Yes. It seems that the spirit of your principles focus not just on individual freedom, but the family and community, as well. The freedom and right of parents to raise and educate their children and the respect children owe their parents should also be part of it. Is not your Hive based on similar principles?¡± Regina nodded in acknowledgment. Something niggled at the back of her mind, but she tried to ignore it and focus on what the man was saying. It was interesting, at least in what it told her about the attitudes and norms she¡¯d have to deal with. ¡°And then there is the right of every man to fight to defend himself, and conversely, the right of the nation to call its sons to serve in its army ¡­¡± Regina flinched. It took her a fraction of a second to realize the sudden alarm she felt came from Max. She had been too distracted by talking with the guy, and it had made her lose sight of his companions. Now she caught the glint of a blade from the second man. Max jumped forward, the echoes of others in the psychic link with him, but he wouldn¡¯t be quite in time. It was like everything was moving slower than it should. Regina turned just to see the dagger slide off a faintly visible blue line in the air. Max¡¯s shield. She¡¯d been wearing it all the time during the summit. Regina dropped, and the first man moved. His hand reached out and his sleeve fell back to reveal some kind wrist-mounted device. A needle shot out of it and into the upper edge of the Shield, making it flicker. Regina rolled to the side, as Max crashed into the assassin and wrestled him to the ground. She saw the one with the blade stagger. He¡¯d pulled a second knife, but had to drop it as a javelin was stuck in his upper right arm. Two other drones were occupying his attention and he had turned to face them. He tried to turn, then a second javelin hit his leg. He flickered forward, and a moment later a broad Warrior¡¯s Charge sent him slamming into the wall. Taking a deep breath, Regina got to her feet. Her hands shook slightly, and she laced them together in front of her. Absently, she ran her thumb against the edge of the opposite finger¡¯s claw. A quick glance showed the assassins seemed to be contained. Regina stepped forward. A brief use of Greater Heal made sure the man didn¡¯t bleed out. Then she focused on the psychic link, as she noticed the drones converging on them. At least they were smart enough that most had stayed put, except those in the vicinity and who Max had had ready. She took a moment to try and calm all of their agitation. Then she looked down the corridor. Gawkers were already coming, humans trying to push past or slip by the drones. Keep everyone out of this corridor and the adjoining rooms, Regina ordered. Don¡¯t let anyone through except Kiara and the Nerlian royals. Keep what you were doing, but watch everyone. Mia, you¡¯ll have to give my apologies to the others, I unexpectedly need to reshuffle my schedule. She could sense Mia¡¯s worry and concern, but Regina only sent a brief feeling of reassurance before she focused on the reality around her again. She looked at the humans first. They were all contained now. The man she¡¯d talked to was held against the wall alongside the others and seemed to have several broken bones, but there was nothing lethal, even in the long term, and the way he moved slightly indicated he probably had a high Con stat anyway. The other man had lost some blood, but he wasn¡¯t in danger of dying right now. The woman seemed mostly unhurt, she was kept prisoner by several drones and met their gazes with a seemingly calm mask. All of them had Classes she¡¯d seen before and would expect from nobles and courtier envoys - Lord, Court Scribe and Advisor - and had levels between twenty and forty. She took a step closer, watching their gazes flicker, as she reached out for their minds. Right away, Regina bounced off an unbroken wall. She tilted her head and cautiously used repeated probes on all of them. A quick examination showed the mental shields were solid. They had psychic training, or anti-psychic training, whatever. The mental feel of the shields made her sure they were taught by the same person or at least similarly, maybe by students of the same master or in the same school. It was different than what she¡¯d felt from Madris. The thought of Madris made Regina pause for a moment, before she dismissed the notion. She didn¡¯t need Madris right now, she¡¯d interrogate them herself. She could at least get a good start, anyway. Although she probably shouldn¡¯t hold interrogations out here in the open in the corridor where people had just tried to kill her. Regina took a deep breath. She knew trying to hide the assassination attempt wouldn¡¯t work, it was bound to come out. At least if it was known, she could use the justification to increase security and hold interrogations. People would expect her to respond firmly to this, but Regina wasn¡¯t going to have a problem with that. Perhaps I should have remembered that people seen as tyrants would also attract such attempts to remove them. Regina grimaced. She¡¯d been too focused on plotting or conspiracies on the political level, thinking about countries siding against them or sabotage in diplomatic talks. She tucked her hands into her pockets and told herself that at least this way she¡¯d find a thread to unravel them. Chapter 259: Interrogation In all of their preparations, a room to keep prisoners securely hadn¡¯t really occurred to them. In hindsight, that was probably an oversight. After all, something like this happening or at least some delegate making trouble shouldn¡¯t be too unexpected. Maybe Max had made some preparations, but Regina didn¡¯t honestly know. She just let him arrange things now while she watched the prisoners and coordinated with everyone else. Her drones hadn¡¯t taken her instructions too strictly and let Janis in as well as June with Kiara. That was a good thing, Regina didn¡¯t want to be chasing after them right now. The younger women looked a bit shocked, and Kiara¡¯s hand drifted to where she¡¯d been shot once before she stopped it. Janis mostly looked angry, but Regina could sense her emotional reaction and it wasn¡¯t that different from everyone else¡¯s. ¡°Are we sure they don¡¯t have any other conspirators ready to strike?¡± June asked anxiously. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ll be looking for,¡± Regina answered, trying to moderate her tone. Having to deal with everyone¡¯s worry was not her idea of a fun time. ¡°I doubt they¡¯ll try anything right now if there are others, now that we¡¯ve been alerted.¡± For a moment, she closed her eyes and focused on her psychic senses, spreading them out through the town. If there were any other assassins or helpers, they at least knew to keep their emotions under control. No one stood out with any emotional spikes they shouldn¡¯t have been feeling compared to everyone else. At least not in a way that would make her suspicious. She¡¯d have to do a more thorough sweep soon, but interrogating the prisoners they had should probably take priority. ¡°Can we help in any other way?¡± Janis asked. Regina opened her eyes and glanced at them. ¡°We need to keep everyone else from going crazy about this and assure them that everything¡¯s under control. Kiara, are you prepared to do that?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Kiara agreed. ¡°You won¡¯t be there, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°For a bit,¡± Regina answered. ¡°I¡¯ll focus on interrogating the prisoners. They have some training, but maybe I can get something out of them. I need to know who is behind this, and what other plans they may have made.¡± That assumed, of course, that the people she¡¯d captured knew anything about that, but Regina would just have to hope. They were clearly at least somewhat competent, and had pretty high positions, so they weren¡¯t just hired grunts. Unless those are actually shape-stealing doppelgangers or something. Regina paused, then gave them another once-over. The three still showed the same Classes and levels in the System. She didn¡¯t know if it was at all possible to fake those, but it probably wouldn¡¯t be easy. Shaking her head, she turned away and focused on the other people who¡¯d come. It was time to show that she was still alive and unhurt, and to assure them that the situation was under control. The Nerlian prince and princess were closest, and took to it the best, keeping their composure very well. Regina was glad for that, even though she could tell they were still anxious. At least they took their duty seriously and started to reassure their countrymen. In the end, it took what felt like hours, although she knew it wasn¡¯t, until they could get the prisoners moved to a more secure room. Kiara departed quickly, taking charge of her people and reassuring the other delegates. No one seemed ready to argue with the newly-minted Queen of Cernlia, so they got back to a semblance of normal proceedings quickly. Regina even asked Janis and Kiara to sit in on a meeting for her that she would have attended herself with some of the courtiers from the Empire. Meanwhile, she was standing in a dimly lit basement room in a stone house across from the one they were using as the headquarters for the summit. The owners had vacated it previously and the hive had made a few upgrades. Currently, enough drones were inside and around that no other assassin would get within meters of Regina. Or that was Max¡¯s intention, apparently. ¡°Thank you, Max,¡± Regina told him once they had some privacy, giving him a brief hug. Max smiled at her, but it was strained. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not injured, Regina, but I should have protected you better.¡± ¡°You did enough,¡± she shook her head. ¡°And it¡¯s irrelevant now. Let¡¯s find out if there are any other surprises hidden here, alright?¡± The prisoners had clearly been listening to their short conversation, but didn¡¯t show any reaction. Now that she turned to them, Regina could still see them tense up a bit, though. She was irritated at not being able to read them better, but at least her senses of hearing and smell hadn¡¯t deserted her, and she could hear the two men¡¯s rapid breathing. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to answer before we get down to any unpleasantness. Who sent you?¡± Silence. Of course. Regina hadn¡¯t really expected a response, but it didn¡¯t hurt to try. ¡°If you cooperate now, it will be taken into account at your trial,¡± she tried next. This time, she got a few weird looks, but they still didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°They¡¯ll have a trial?¡± Max asked quietly. ¡°We did just write into law that every person has the right to a trial,¡± Regina murmured. She shrugged. ¡°Of course, we don¡¯t have any courts set up yet, so I¡¯ll probably judge them myself. I¡¯d recuse myself, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone else who¡¯d be a suitable choice.¡± She watched the captives as she spoke, but they didn¡¯t show any reaction. Regina nodded slowly, then took a step forward. ¡°Would we have the means to torture them for information?¡± she asked. Max shrugged. ¡°Well, we have a lot of blades. We could use fire either from torches or magic. I¡¯m sure there are some lightning-themed Skills or magic that could be repurposed for electrical shocks. And there¡¯s always the option of crushing digits or limbs.¡± Regina nodded. She wasn¡¯t going to actually torture them. But she didn¡¯t feel very bothered by the idea. If anything, she was bothered she wasn¡¯t more bothered. Maybe she was more angry than she thought. She knew, intellectually, that most others ¡ª if she gave them to Kiara or the Nerlian court to judge ¡ª would probably sentence them to some horrible, painful death. Regicide was not taken lightly here, even the attempt. Still, she knew even if she was willing to, it probably wouldn¡¯t help much to use torture, there were no answers they could coerce out and verify immediately. Regina shook her head and dispelled the thoughts. Instead, she stepped closer to the captured attackers and crouched down slightly, looking at them as she reached out with her psychic senses. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. At first, she bounced off their mental shields again. Regina hadn¡¯t expected anything else. She focused harder, trying to visualize this. She had no Class Skill or Spell that could help here, but she had been learning from Madris¡¯ tutelage. And she knew, even if she couldn¡¯t sense it, that these people had to be tired, scared, in pain. There would be gaps to exploit. Their defenses couldn¡¯t be that good. She reached out more carefully, probing at them, mapping out what she could feel. It was unnatural to have minds this closed off, and she could vaguely sense how they were doing it. There might have been magic involved or some psychic skill; it didn¡¯t seem to just be a defense formed by focusing on something when they were under threat from a psychic. There were ways for that, meditative skills, but they depended on the person¡¯s awareness and focus. It would probably also show differently than this. Regina reached out and poked the more injured man, hard. He didn¡¯t even twitch, which confirmed her suspicion. Her mental probe hadn¡¯t been gentle, and she hadn¡¯t even found one thing he was thinking about or a visualization working as a defense, at least not like it should have been. This might still be some kind of visualization, a less metaphorical wall. Still, it did give her some hints. Regina took a moment to breathe, looking more closely at the prisoners once more. They were watching her warily. She decided to focus on the same guy, since it stood to reason that as the most injured, he¡¯d be the most vulnerable. Blood loss would make him dizzy and sap his concentration if nothing else. In ten seconds, create a distraction for me, she told Max. He sent back an acknowledgment, uninterested in the details of what she was doing but ready to carry out any orders she had. Regina focused back on her target. She started another attack and then ramped it up suddenly just as a loud bang echoed through the room. It was still a bit distracting, but she¡¯d expected it, so she was ready to deal with it. This time, she¡¯d tried to weave a little bit of her magic into what she was doing. It was an advanced skill and one she certainly hadn¡¯t mastered, and she had the vague impression that most of it dissipated uselessly. She couldn¡¯t exactly sense fine details of it, which was part of the problem. But she managed it ¡ª whether it was the magic or her skill or determination, she felt the first cracks in his wall. Regina ignored the pounding headache she was vaguely aware of and mentally slammed into it again, wedging her mind into the cracks of her victim¡¯s defenses and prying them apart. It was the equivalent of trying to carry a boulder up a hill with one hand, but she persevered. She started to get erratic, flickering readings of his emotions and surface thoughts. Now he seemed aware that she was trying to attack his mind and having some success, and she could sense his increasing panic. It spurred her on. Regina focused on the glimpses she got, grasping them and tugging at them. At the same time, she kept pushing through the resistance. And finally, just as she was starting to sway and doubt began to creep in about her ability to keep it up, it worked. His defense fell, enough that she could make the jump and fully get into his head. It was chaotic at first, his panic-stricken mind flailing and trying to throw her out with wild abandon. He clearly wasn¡¯t much of a psychic, though, if he was one at all, and she quickly managed to gather herself and enforce some order on what she sensed. It was the first time she was really in someone else¡¯s mind like this, not counting her brief meld with Madris, and the experience was amazing and breathtaking in probably all the wrong ways. Regina gave herself a moment to take it in. She had enough presence of mind to not try and change anything or really to act at all, yet. She started by sorting through what she got from his mind without prompting, what he was feeling and thinking about, vaguely echoing deeper-leading memories and beliefs. She¡¯d been sure these people knew what they were doing. They¡¯d clearly had a plan and prepared for it. Even if this was their first political assassination, they probably weren¡¯t unfamiliar with the concept. Still, what she found took her aback a bit. She¡¯d been right; this guy ¡ª Alan, she couldn¡¯t avoid using the name when immersed like this in his mind ¡ª had never done something like this before. He had fought, though, not just in the occasional battle (more like a skirmish) but also in hunting expeditions. Some of the monsters they¡¯d hunted had been rather intelligent, and he¡¯d occasionally used poison and guile to bring them down, together with Edwin, who¡¯d used the needle-thrower against her. He was a minor noble and had risen in the court through judicious use of flattery, decent smarts, and a ruthless streak that didn¡¯t care who got hurt. She paused, considered it for a moment, then dove deeper, trying to search for answers for what she really needed to know. She wasn¡¯t surprised this man wasn¡¯t a fanatic who hated her on principle, but she still needed to know ¡­ He didn¡¯t even know who¡¯d approached him. They¡¯d kept their face covered. It was obvious, and not very surprising, but she was still disappointed. Still, Regina tried to call up the memories and go through them for as much detail as she could. They¡¯d come with a letter of introduction from a psychic friend of theirs who¡¯d left over a decade ago. The letter might have been feigned, but it had woken Alan¡¯s interest. Said friend had taught him and helped him shield his mind. The new contact promised to reinforce these defenses. He¡¯d used a magical artifact of some kind, so it wasn¡¯t clear whether he was a psychic himself or not. Regina suspected, although her current host didn¡¯t know, that the same guy and the same artifact were responsible for the mental walls of the other two. He took a kind of insane risk, trying to attack me like this, Regina considered. Even if he succeeded, getting away would have been quite the challenge. The confusion of my death might have helped, but it¡¯s still awfully risky. The mysterious contact had offered Alan a lot of money and influence in the Cernlian court. He¡¯d provided enough good information as proof of his credibility that he probably could have pulled through with it. The man¡¯s greed seemed to have won out. He¡¯d only asked about this risk, somewhat indirectly, once, and the contact had assured him that the Hive Queen¡¯s death would paralyze all of its drones completely. That seemed to have been enough. Apparently. It was weird ¡ª Regina could almost see the hidden breaks where suspicion and further issues should have laid, but they¡¯d practically been skipped over. Alan seemingly hadn¡¯t thought too much about the risk at all, content in his skills and the reassurance, and it smelled fake. A man like him who¡¯d thrived off intrigue and controlled danger would not have taken this so carelessly. Would he? It sent a shiver down Regina¡¯s spine, contemplating what it could mean. Although she might be reading too much into it, seeing it as a greater threat than it was. Taking a moment to gather herself, she went on seeking other information, but there wasn¡¯t much to find. He¡¯d been familiar with both of his compatriots already, worked together in the past, and they¡¯d probably been approached the same but they hadn¡¯t talked about the whys or wherefores with each other. He was a semi-devoted worshiper of Deirianon. Nothing extraordinary. He hadn¡¯t even spoken to a priest of the god¡¯s in a while, at least as far as he was aware. He wasn¡¯t aware of anyone else bought by this contact or his associates in town. Regina exhaled heavily and finally pulled her mind back from Alan. He whimpered pitifully. She gave him a critical glance and shook her head. She¡¯d been careful and while he¡¯d probably felt this, it shouldn¡¯t be that bad. She¡¯d done no permanent damage, she knew she could tell if she did. It would have been disconcerting, but the bastard had tried to kill her for some money and politics, she didn¡¯t care too much about his comfort. Especially when she clearly had bigger worries. Alright? Max asked softly. It¡¯s fine. Regina took a step back and rolled her shoulders. I¡¯m going to need a rest before I can try the same with the others, she admitted, a bit ruefully. But it was true. She still had a headache and trying to break through more mental shields would have to wait. She wasn¡¯t optimistic that she¡¯d find much more, anyway. We should be safe enough for now, she told Max after a moment. I need to get out of here for a minute. Sleep well, Max offered. Regina snorted. But she had to take back the sentiment as she reached her room and all but collapsed onto the bed. Maybe a short nap? Her eyes closed almost by themselves. Chapter 260: Influence Regina slept in a bit the following day, being more tired than she¡¯d thought. Maybe it was because she¡¯d spent part of the night just lying awake and staring at the ceiling, her mind buzzing too much to sleep. She met briefly with everyone she had to, but had to force herself to focus on them, before she went back to where they¡¯d decided to keep the prisoners. She trusted that Janis, Kiara and the others had the political aspects of the situation and the summit in hand, while she did what only she could do. Regina actually managed to get through both of the remaining prisoners that day. It did get a bit easier once she¡¯d already done it and knew what to do and what to expect. At the end, she still stumbled and crashed onto a stool Max had hastily brought in, wiping some blood from her nose. She had a pounding headache, but luckily it went away with an application of Greater Heal. Max had also just pulled blindfolds over the captives¡¯ eyes so they couldn¡¯t see her. She might as well sit here for a moment, she decided, telling herself it wasn¡¯t because she was tired. This room was secure and as good for a brief discussion as any. ¡°Did you find what you were looking for? Any more than the other one?¡± Max asked briefly. Regina shrugged, stifling a sigh. ¡°I guess, and not much.¡± They hadn¡¯t known much more than Alan, her first subject. Their stories were reasonably similar, and unfortunately, none of them actually knew who¡¯d gotten them to do this. It seemed like the same guy, but with the System and magic and illusions or just mundane disguises, she couldn¡¯t be sure of that. They all had slightly varying reasons; the woman¡¯s brother had died in the war and she blamed Regina, the Nerlian wanted to save his crumbling family estate. They were all worshippers of Deirianon, at least officially, she noted. But she wasn¡¯t sure if that mattered, he was a popular god and getting three for three wasn¡¯t that unlikely even by chance. She had also found further signs of what she¡¯d seen in the first man¡¯s mind. Well, at least in the other man. The woman - Enid - the woman seemed too focused on revenge to need such manipulation. Or I simply failed to see it. She had to acknowledge that was possible. Either way, it was further proof of ¡­ something. It wasn¡¯t quite the same in the two men, but similar enough. A lack of reactions that should have been there, just that slightest shift in their attitudes and goals that resulted in them following this path. A part of her couldn¡¯t help but admire the artistry of it, but the rest was horrified. Clearly, whoever was ultimately responsible for this was a more skilled psychic than herself. Madris could do this, probably ¡ª and wasn¡¯t that a disquieting thought? ¡ª but Regina didn¡¯t know who else. Not that she knew about many other psychics, of course. Chances were it was someone she¡¯d never seen coming. ¡°Do you trust Madris enough to look at them?¡± Ira asked quietly. Regina shot her a glance, then nodded slightly. I think so. Yes, I do, she decided. She has no reason to do this, and much better options if she wanted me dead. It makes no sense that she¡¯d be involved here. And given that, maybe she can tell me more. At the very least, it should help get her to tell me more about other psychics. They both nodded, content with that answer. Max still felt worried, but Regina had learned to tune that out by now. Instead, she reached out to Jem and got his help to put the knowledge she¡¯d just gained into the psychic link. She tried her best to transmit the impressions she¡¯d picked up, but she could tell it didn¡¯t come across very well. Maybe that was just as well. Still, having the Keepers looking through the facts couldn¡¯t be a bad thing, and she already knew Max and a few others were going to comb through everything they could to try to find and deal with any threats to her safety they could. For now, except for revising security arrangements at the conference, there wasn¡¯t much else for her to do, just wait for Madris to come. The dark elf was staying in Cernlia and had apparently been attending to some business, but she¡¯d probably come as quickly as she could now. The Delvers have a Seer, right? Ira asked. Maybe it would be worth asking them for help, too? Regina paused. She hadn¡¯t thought of that. I can ask them to take a look, I guess. Thanks. She should probably touch base with the Delvers, anyway. First, though, she had to check in with what felt like everyone else. Regina left the room and made her way back to the main rooms of the summit, where she was immediately accosted by people. Well, not accosted, they were too respectful for that, but her patience for dealing with people¡¯s crap was low today. She tried to remain polite as she told them that some information was confidential, there was an ongoing investigation, she was perfectly fine thank you, and the situation was handled and they did not anticipate further dangers or threats to anyone else. It almost made her miss the thought of a press conference so she¡¯d only have to say all this once. Although word should be passed anyway. Janis stuck close to her. She¡¯d been away previously, with Kiara, as a quick check showed, but now Janis was too concerned to stick with her girlfriend over Regina. She appreciated the sentiment. It would probably get smothering if they all didn¡¯t back off soon, though. ¡°June?¡± Regina asked, following an impulse. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± The younger girl stepped out from a group of nobles, looking almost eager. Regina waved her closer so she could speak quietly. ¡°I want you to go back and keep an eye on the prisoners,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Catalogue their injuries, if you would, and see if you can find any substantive clues as to their mental states. Think of it as a practical assignment.¡± June looked torn between smiling and looking sober. ¡°Of course, Master, I¡¯ll be right on it.¡± Regina hid a smile as she watched her walk off. Not only would that get June out of her hair, it would hopefully be useful experience for her apprentice. She caught Janis giving her a look, shrugged slightly and turned back to the others. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Anything we can do?¡± Kiara asked. She had probably intended to sound sarcastic, if Regina was reading what she sensed from her right, but she was too tense and concerned to pull it off. ¡°Keep the crowd off me, please. But I know you must have more than enough of your own work to attend to.¡± She eyed their surroundings, the premises of their summit, then made an executive decision. ¡°Janis, you¡¯re sitting in for me on the meeting at least until afternoon, there¡¯s nothing particularly important, anyway. I have people to talk to.¡± Kiara frowned slightly. ¡°My Empress, have you already announced Janis as your chosen heir?¡± she asked cautiously. It was obviously rhetorical. Regina smirked. ¡°What better way to do it?¡± She clapped Janis on the shoulder and pointedly ignored her expression. ¡°I¡¯m off to talk to the Delvers, call me if you need help.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not actually going to ¡ª¡° ¡°No, we could do an announcement this evening or something, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to prepare the groundwork beforehand, don¡¯t you agree, Kiara?¡± Kiara looked thoughtful for a second. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll give you some advice,¡± she offered her girlfriend, taking her arm to pull her along. I mean it, if you need help, ask me, Regina repeated over the psychic link, sensing Janis¡¯ nervousness. She wasn¡¯t too concerned, though. Janis had accompanied her to more than a few meetings and held her ground very well. Max stuck close to Regina as she continued on, along with a few other drones from the bodyguard unit he¡¯d chosen. They would have been annoying under other circumstances, but Regina had to admit, if only to herself, that she did find their presence comforting right now. The idea that someone had tried to kill her in these corridors had only just sunk in, really, and having their steady presence at her side, between her and danger, was nice. Regina was determined not to dwell on it, though. It was hardly the first time she was in danger and it wouldn¡¯t be the last. She had to be conscious of the risks, but she couldn¡¯t let it paralyze her, even if the hive depended on her. With the founding of the Central European Empire, she couldn¡¯t just hole up in her hive¡¯s most defensible base all the time, she had to go and interact with people. And right now, she needed to show that she wasn¡¯t rattled. The Delvers made a minor stir when she arrived, but not as bad as some might have. There weren¡¯t that many of them here. In particular, she noticed, the Seer didn¡¯t seem to be present. He had supposedly been going to come later, but she wasn¡¯t too surprised that he didn¡¯t. Alix didn¡¯t seem like the type to enjoy large gatherings of people. Owin, Gwen and Egon Trito were there, though, and they quickly invited her inside the house they¡¯d taken over and to the parlor. The other Delvers seemed to silently decide to give them some space, which Regina was thankful for. It was a bit of a shame that she didn¡¯t know them as well, she supposed, but she didn¡¯t really regret that she seemed to end up dealing more with the people she already knew. ¡°We¡¯re always glad to see you visit, Your Majesty,¡± Owin said, ¡°although it is a bit unexpected, considering what has happened. Is there any way we can help?¡± Gwen threw him a look but Regina only smiled, appreciating the bluntness. Owin was not a court type, which she found refreshing just now. ¡°Perhaps,¡± she said. ¡°As it happens, I¡¯d like to talk to Seer Castaway. Is he intending to come to the conference?¡± Gwen frowned a bit deeper. ¡°Unfortunately, as far as I know Seer Alix was indisposed,¡± she answered, the others nodding in confirmation. ¡°We can certainly pass a message if you¡¯d like, though, Your Majesty,¡± Trito offered. Regina looked at them for a moment, considering it, before she nodded. ¡°Alright. Please make sure the information is handled discretely, though. I¡¯d rather this not become public knowledge.¡± ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll proceed with the utmost caution and secrecy.¡± ¡°Very well. As you must know, several people attempted an assassination yesterday. We caught the attackers and I¡¯ve interrogated them. They were all approached by someone hiding their features, although it seems to be the same man. Or woman, I suppose they might have given the wrong impression on purpose with the disguise. They seemed to have mercenary motives, or personal ambition, rather than any kind of conviction. At least two of the would-be assassins showed signs of psychic influence.¡± She paused, watching their reactions. ¡°I¡¯d like to know if Seer Alix might be able to help us find who is behind this.¡± Gwen and Owin exchanged a look. ¡°We¡¯ll certainly pass this on, but I¡¯m not sure he will be able to help,¡± he said. ¡°The Seer usually does not work with this kind of information or such investigations,¡± Trito cut in. ¡°His abilities skew more towards seeing what is happening elsewhere. But I think he would be able to contribute something.¡± Regina nodded, making a mental note that Trito was probably closer to Alix than the others. It didn¡¯t particularly surprise her. And he probably had at least one Ability for more esoteric clairvoyant things if she got that right. ¡°I would appreciate that,¡± she responded. Then she couldn¡¯t help herself and glanced over at Owin. ¡°Not to pry into your personal affairs, but are you and the Seer ¡­?¡± Owin laughed. ¡°No, we¡¯re not related, as far as I know. We met only a few years ago. We¡¯re simply both Castaways, orphans or those who had no one to take them in.¡± ¡°I see, pardon the question.¡± Regina shook her head and gave him a small smile. At least he didn¡¯t seem to take offense. It did remind her to look into social services for Nerlia and Cernlia. It didn¡¯t bode well that the Delvers had to take in orphans or children no one wanted, and having an entire last name culturally established for that situation didn¡¯t, either. She hesitated for a moment, struck by a thought. ¡°How are your numbers? New recruits pouring in, or are people leaving the order?¡± They exchanged another look. ¡°More of the former than the latter, My Empress,¡± Gwen said. ¡°At least in Cernlia and the border territories of Nerlia. Our membership is holding steady otherwise.¡± ¡°Even with the war?¡± ¡°Even with the war,¡± Owin confirmed. ¡°We did not lose many people in the civil war, especially compared to the armies raised by the contenders.¡± Regina hummed. That made sense; the Delvers had only really entered the war quite late, after all. And after the end of the war in Cernlia, there were probably mercenaries and those who had turned fought during the war who couldn¡¯t or didn¡¯t want to go back home to their farms looking to join up. I suppose that¡¯s a good thing for me. Even if the recruits aren¡¯t originally in line with the Delvers¡¯ attitudes, including being inclined to follow me, enough time with their new comrades should build that loyalty. ¡°My plans do include a standing army for the Empire in the foreseeable future,¡± she told them slowly. ¡°I would very much appreciate the help of your order.¡± Trito smiled. ¡°A very intriguing prospect, Your Majesty. I confess I thought that, considering your Hive, this would not be a priority.¡± ¡°The Hive does effectively have a standing army already, of course. But it¡¯s still a separate entity from our new nation. I would like soldiers from all corners, and notable communities of the Empire for it. But, of course, that¡¯s a tricky situation when it comes to human fighters I can trust, well, I hope I can rely on the Delvers.¡± Now all of them were smiling. Regina wasn¡¯t foolish enough to promise them control over her planned new military and they clearly recognized that. But the influence and ability to shape it, and presumably having high-ranking positions reserved for Delver leaders even while the army would recruit heavily from them, wasn¡¯t exactly a prospect they disliked. ¡°I believe I speak for the order in saying that we would be honored, Your Majesty,¡± Gwen assured her with a small grin. Chapter 261: Relationships Regina was, as usual, true to her word. Kiara had relied on it. She knew Janis would have preferred to have a bit more time, or maybe for this summit to pass, before she was in any official capacity named Regina¡¯s heir, but she would not get her wish. Instead, Kiara had tried her best to prepare her for it in the short time they had while keeping her nerves and insecurity managed. In the end, it was rather low-key, which Regina had probably done on purpose, too. She simply announced it at the end of a gathering of most of the delegates from the new Empire as well as some visitors. Then she answered a few brief questions before the Imperial family ¡ª and gods, she¡¯d referred to them as such in her head as a joke but that really was what they were now, wasn¡¯t it? ¡ª retired to their quarters. It was still enough time to gauge the reaction of those attending the conference, but not enough for Janis or any of them to be badgered and overwhelmed with the reaction. Kiara tried to focus on being supportive for Janis and ignored the lingering uncertainty lying heavy in her stomach. Regina talked quietly with Janis for a bit while Kiara was distracted by June, who was excited to reveal what she¡¯d learned following the interrogation of the attempted assassins, before the newly-minted Empress departed and June took the hint to follow her, leaving the two of them alone. They spent a very nice evening together. The next morning, Janis had been up early and gone on a patrol around the town to check in with all of the drone soldiers stationed there, while Kiara readied herself and met with her closer advisors to plan the day. It was a tradition she¡¯d started a few weeks ago, leaving her a bit of breathing room to get fully ready and engage her brain before any public commitments or major decisions. This time, they mostly debated the specifics of last evening¡¯s announcement, to Kiara¡¯s annoyance. ¡°The Empress called Janis her family, her sister, and said she officially adopted her,¡± she finally interrupted yet another tedious argument over definitions. ¡°Does it matter whether that is technically as a daughter, a sister or whatever else you seem to be thinking of?¡± Lord Daine grimaced slightly. ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty, but it might indeed be relevant whether Empress Regina is officially Lady Janis¡¯ mother.¡± ¡°And if nothing else, what if she has other children who contest the inheritance?¡± Duke Bluegrass added. Kiara shrugged lightly, suppressing the urge to laugh. ¡°She already does, my lord, and will continue to.¡± She tapped her fingers on the desk. ¡°None of them will challenge Janis¡¯ claim. If, somehow, Regina does hatch another Hive Queen, Janis will step back, assuming she does not prove unworthy.¡± ¡°They talked about it, then?¡± Daine looked like he was taking mental notes. He nodded, seemingly satisfied. ¡°Good, this needs to be settled with everyone¡¯s consent. The last thing this Empire needs is issues of succession or legitimacy from the get-go.¡± Kiara hummed noncommittally. She wasn¡¯t worried about it. Regina was hardly in danger of dying right now, and if she did, they would have bigger problems since the Empire would most likely implode, legitimate heir or not. Regina was the one who had built it, was building it, and it was too newborn to survive without its mother. Although she supposed that might not be an appropriate metaphor given the Hive. Still, while Kiara had been alarmed to learn of an attempt on Regina¡¯s life, it was hardly a great surprise. That was yet another thing they had to deal with, of course. ¡°What about the assassins?¡± Bluegrass asked, clearly having similar thoughts as Kiara. ¡°Milady, we may need to take care that this does not strain our relationship with the Imperial crown. Two of them were Cernlians, if I¡¯m not mistaken?¡± ¡°They were,¡± Kiara confirmed curtly. She didn¡¯t mind the question, but she didn¡¯t like that fact. ¡°Then do you not have an obligation to them, as your subjects?¡± Margaret asked, frowning faintly. ¡°Should you be speaking up for them, or at least making sure they are treated fairly?¡± ¡°They are Regina¡¯s subjects, too,¡± Kiara answered sharply. She didn¡¯t blame Margaret, but too many of her advisors were struggling to remember that Regina was their Empress, all of theirs, that they were not just Cernlians under Kiara¡¯s rule and the respective authority was not separate. Kiara knew Regina well enough to know that she would never tolerate rebellion. As much as she liked her ¡­ it was best to start on the proper footing and not give any ideas any space to grow. Regina wouldn¡¯t hesitate to send her Hive¡¯s war machine against any noble trying to revolt and might not ask Kiara¡¯s opinion ¡ª certainly not her permission. On the one hand, it was nice to have that security, but on the other, she had to be aware and make sure her own power and authority were stable. Maybe she was also just a bit nervous because there were a lot of changes happening in a very short amount of time. But Kiara was still fine with it; they were actually making things better for her people and that was what counted. She¡¯d put up with some anxiety in return. ¡°I am sure the Empress will treat them adequately, and judge them fairly,¡± she said. ¡°There is little doubt about their guilt, but there will be a trial. I will not offer remunerations or official apologies on behalf of Cernlia unless that is asked for, officially or unofficially. Neither will I attempt to speak for criminals who have only their own stupidity and malice to blame for their actions.¡± Margaret nodded, looking slightly chastened. The others seemed satisfied with the pronouncement, as well. ¡°Now that that is finished, are there any other matters I should be aware of? If not, we should get started with the day¡¯s agenda,¡± Kiara continued, trying not to show she was already getting bored. There was nothing else, luckily, and they went about yet another day in the conference. It had obviously stopped being a peace summit, but that did not mean it wasn¡¯t still a very important event with many opportunities for most of those attending. Kiara herself, besides supporting Regina and Janis, was trying to use it to strengthen her rule and legitimacy, to build ties with other countries and prepare for the other changes she already saw on the horizon. She was a bit uneasy about being away from her capital for so long, so shortly after taking the throne, but there was nothing for it. She could serve her kingdom¡¯s interests better here than back in Cera. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Kiara met Janis again after her first morning meeting. She smiled automatically and approached her with a spring to her step she knew hadn¡¯t been there before. Since they were in public, if in a secluded side room, she restrained herself from kissing her and instead just took her hand. June made a sound that sounded suspiciously like an aborted chuckle. When Kiara looked at her, her sister just grinned and shook her head. ¡°You¡¯ve really got it bad, sister.¡± She glared at June for a moment, then sighed and shook her head, fighting a smile. She wasn¡¯t wrong, after all. ¡°Am I missing something?¡± Janis asked. ¡°Or are you just trying to tease us again, June?¡± June widened her eyes in a pretense of looking innocent. ¡°I would never, Your Imperial Highness!¡± Janis winced theatrically. Her hand briefly tightened around Kiara¡¯s, before she let it go. ¡°Not you, too. I get that crap enough from people who actually mean it.¡± ¡°Just humans being human,¡± Mia commented with a smile, ¡°you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about that in the Hive.¡± Janis rolled her eyes. ¡°It might have escaped your attention, my friend, but I am in fact more than half human.¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to miss. You certainly celebrated like a human last night.¡± Kiara froze. Janis looked like she wanted to start another retort, before she winced and paused for a moment, looking at Kiara, who could only look back at her. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not implying anything,¡± she finally got out. Mia turned to her with what she imagined was a slightly pitying look. ¡°I don¡¯t have to imply or imagine anything. You should know that strong emotions can be carried by the psychic link, and ¡­¡± she turned to Janis. ¡°Anyone who would have wanted to talk to you saw that you were busy. Please keep that kind of thing out of the link, I don¡¯t understand it in the slightest but I¡¯m sure none of us want to try.¡± Janis flushed. Under other circumstances, she would have looked adorable. Kiara was not in the right mind to admire it under these circumstances. Damn the gods, she¡¯d never been more mortified in her life. ¡°But I did close myself off!¡± Janis protested. ¡°I wasn¡¯t exactly broadcasting what I was feeling!¡± Mia sighed and shrugged. ¡°Try to close yourself off harder, next time?¡± she suggested. ¡°I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, I don¡¯t think anyone caught details. But when someone wanted to check in with you, which usually involves seeing what you¡¯re doing, it wasn¡¯t exactly invisible. Ugh, Tia is going to ask me for all the details, and you too ¡­ how does a body even get pleasure from that, anyway?¡± Janis rolled her eyes, shoved her friend, and stepped closer to Kiara. ¡°We¡¯re not doing that again unless Regina is at least ten kilometers away,¡± she whispered. Kiara nodded fervently. She¡¯d been looking forward to repeating the experience, but now her ardor was rather cooled. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± June declared, grabbing Kiara¡¯s arm and pulling her back a step. ¡°I do not want to hear more of this, thank you very much. I don¡¯t need to know whose bed my sister is sharing.¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯m pretty sure they were sleeping in her bed,¡± Mia said. ¡°Mia!¡± Janis hissed. She took a deep breath and turned to go, clearly deciding that not to engage further was the best option. Kiara agreed. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve got work to do.¡± They left quickly, but just quickly enough not to seem like they were running. Mia didn¡¯t say anything else, luckily. Although from the way Janis looked back at her and the minute twitch in her expression, Kiara suspected they were talking in the psychic link. Either way, Janis relaxed slightly, so she was not going to complain. Unfortunately, the day had it in for her and she was supposed to meet Regina at this point. Janis stuck close to her, perhaps for the same reason. At least when they finally ran into the Empress, it was still in a rather more private part of the building, the complex the Hivekind had added on to the existing stone house. They seemed to have made further renovations over the last few days, adding an actually rather nice facade built of the Production Drone substance they liked to use for construction and adding more furniture. They met Regina in a small side parlor close to the meeting area. ¡°Is everything ready for the day?¡± Janis asked after they exchanged quick greetings. ¡°Sure,¡± Regina replied. She glanced at Janis, then at Kiara and then back. In fact, she looked like she wanted to say something but was unsure. Kiara would have just ignored it, but Janis groaned. Perhaps she¡¯d heard or sensed something else in the psychic link? ¡°Please tell me you didn¡¯t peek in on us last night,¡± Janis begged. ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Regina replied easily. She didn¡¯t sound surprised to hear about the topic, however. ¡°I did notice, though ¡­ I am the center of the psychic link, that¡¯s the way it is,¡± she explained with a side glance at Kiara. ¡°It would be hard to hide anything.¡± ¡°Oh, great,¡± Janis sighed. Kiara only barely suppressed a groan herself. ¡°And did it bother you?¡± Regina was silent for a few seconds, looking away. She seemed contemplative. ¡°It¡¯s weird,¡± she finally said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure I wasn¡¯t asexual before. Probably. But now, it¡¯s ¡ª Well, I understand how the drones feel, even if I¡¯m sure it¡¯s still different for me.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m sorry about Mia. I¡¯ll tell her and the rest of them to leave you alone, you deserve your privacy. And they had better practice some discretion.¡± They were quiet for a moment. Kiara blinked. She¡¯d never thought about Regina¡¯s ¡ª change? ¡ª in that way before and now she was learning some things she was really not sure what to make of. Although she was grateful to learn more about the intricacies of the psychic link, which Janis was so deeply enmeshed in. Her hand tightened on her lover¡¯s even as she hoped her blush started to fade. ¡°Alright?¡± she said, sounding more hesitant than she¡¯d intended. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you to keep your emotions and sensations closed off better, Janis,¡± Regina said. ¡°It¡¯ll be hard to do when you¡¯re very distracted but it¡¯s a useful skill for you to learn, anyway.¡± Janis smiled, perking up visibly. ¡°That would be great.¡± Regina glanced at Kiara. ¡°I¡¯m happy that your relationship is going well, but you understand if I can¡¯t allow it to impact our professional relationship too much, right?¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty,¡± she murmured, bowing her head. At least she doesn¡¯t seem to mind the relationship. ¡°No need for that much formality.¡± Regina grinned at her. ¡°We¡¯re still friends and I don¡¯t want that to change, either! Although we should get to work now. Do you have anything for me before we brave the sharks?¡± Kiara hesitated for a moment, but the Empress had just assured her of their friendship. ¡°I was curious about the assassins,¡± she admitted. ¡°What is going to happen with them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m keeping them until Madris arrives, to get a second opinion, so to speak. Then we¡¯ll hold a public trial. They¡¯re pretty clearly guilty, but it¡¯s still their right. They¡¯ll most likely get the death sentence ¡­ unfortunately, I don¡¯t think anything else will do, is that a problem for you?¡± ¡°Of course not. I will be happy to see them face justice.¡± Regina watched her for a moment, something unreadable going through her eyes, before she smiled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad to see you still want me to stick around.¡± Was she actually upset about the traitors facing death? Kiara was uncertain and felt like she was missing something. At least, she found it hard to tell what Regina was thinking. She disliked it, but occasionally, moments like these would remind her there was still a distance between them. Not one of status or politics, but simply experience, a matter of looking through different eyes at the same world and seeing something different. In those moments, she did not know if it could ever be bridged. But she didn¡¯t need to know every thought that went through Regina¡¯s head. Kiara gave her head a slight shake and smiled at her Empress, before she asked about the day¡¯s agenda and steered the conversation to more practical matters. Chapter 262: Projects After her relatively short but rather emotionally intense conversation with Janis and Kiara, Regina found herself going through the motions of the summit for the next few hours. It was probably to be expected, she¡¯d had a stressful few days and a few emotionally taxing moments. Getting almost killed would do that to someone. Still, for some reason it was seeing Janis and Kiara¡¯s relationship advance that really threw her for a loop. She hadn¡¯t been lying to Janis, although Regina did downplay the effect a bit. She¡¯d checked in on Janis because she¡¯d vaguely felt something out of the ordinary was going on and then quickly retreated once she realized what was up, but it had been enough to-at least make Regina question a few things, herself. It¡¯s weird that I¡¯m the only one affected, she considered, but on the other hand, it makes sense. I truly lived as a human ¡ª my drones might have my knowledge, but they don¡¯t have my personal experience. It actually gave her hope. Her feelings and attitude on relationships were different from her drones, because of her former life. She might not remember it consciously, but still ¡­ her reaction showed that not everything she¡¯d been was lost. Even if she¡¯d been changed. If she¡¯d been aromantic and asexual before, that would be different. Not that it was a nice thing even if it reassured her in an ironic way. On a subconscious level, she expected and wanted intimacy, of a sort none of the drones could give her. Physical intimacy or romance, either or both ¡ª she wasn¡¯t sure but it was a bitter thing to realize that she¡¯d given up the ability to want something, to feel something, that she could never have. She¡¯d never find anyone attractive, she never wanted to kiss someone. Even if she somehow found another hive, it likely would never be the same. And the chances for that were rather low. Still, her past self had clearly considered it a worthwhile trade. Perhaps she should just trust she¡¯d made the best choice she could. It would be ridiculous to be jealous of Janis. And in the meantime, she still had work to do. Regina managed to shake herself out of her thoughts as noon approached and spent a bit of extra time making sure she hadn¡¯t missed out on anything or offended anyone she didn¡¯t want to when she¡¯d been preoccupied. Luckily, people were still being careful around her and she only risked offending people that she didn¡¯t really care if they felt insulted. There were perks to being the empress. In particular, Regina was growing more certain that a few people present were working for the Esemen, or at least putting their own selfish motives ahead of their responsibilities. Unfortunately, it was hard to narrow down who might be a plant or foreign agent, or bribed, and who just tried to line their own pockets on their own initiative. It was even harder to gather proof of anything. Even if she focused on and listened to what she could sense of their mental states ¡ª without actually invading their minds, of course ¡ª the most it usually got her was some impressions and guesses. Nothing that would be admissible in court, definitely, and she wanted to be more certain before she overreacted, too. Which didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t make certain people aware of her suspicions. Regina might be trying to be just, but she wasn¡¯t naive or stupid. She made it clear she didn¡¯t want anyone judged too quickly, but psychic impressions were still valid hints and circumstantial evidence, if nothing else. Max was stepping up to become her chief of security in a broader sense, and Tim was involved as well. It fit the general role he¡¯d take, for public consumption but also in reality. Beyond that, Regina spoke to June when she had a moment and made sure the Cernlian intelligence director was involved. Daine seemed to have gained Kiara¡¯s trust, at least somewhat, so there was no reason not to include him when he would be very helpful and probably involved anyway. Regina wasn¡¯t sure about the same position in Nerlia and decided to hold off for a bit. In the meantime, she tried to put plotting and schemes out of her head and focus on what else she wanted to accomplish and to prepare. The organization of her Empire was going rather well. They¡¯d started to set up some fundamental institutions, including some agencies to direct or oversee specific parts of her ¡®vision¡¯. There were a few additions and points she¡¯d overlooked, as well; Max had suggested a military academy, for which they¡¯d need to involve the Delvers, and there were discussions about institutions that would mint as well as oversee new currency. A lot of the practical details would have to wait until the question of location was settled. It was something Regina started to discuss in more depth, as well, affirming her decision to found a new capital. The recent experiences had made up her mind for her about that. She wanted her own seat of power, so to speak. Somewhere she could shape the environment to her advantage instead of having to rely on pre-existing architecture. And it might be best to keep it separate from the Hive proper for several reasons. Besides the fact that the idea of the center of the hive turning into a bustling metropolis where everyone could come and go just felt wrong, there were different requirements and logistical challenges. Besides, if she was killed, and the Hivekind managed to hold on at least for a while, it might be better that way as well ¡ª Janis was a member of the hive, of course, but she wasn¡¯t a drone ¡ª with the Hive Queen dying the psychic link would dissolve, at the very least, so she wouldn¡¯t be bound to any particular space. The Starlit Hive was an integral part of the Empire, but Regina wanted to keep them both as entities in their own right, able to stand on their own if needed. She didn¡¯t want the nation she was founding to just be an appendix or subordinate colony for the hive. Of course, building a new city was a huge challenge on its own. It probably would be easier to at least start around a core of an already existing settlement. And even if she was determined to exclude the hive, which she obviously wasn¡¯t, she couldn¡¯t because she needed the help it provided. Production Drones and Swarm Drones acting as workers would make it easier, or probably feasible at all. Still, she was going to involve the other two countries as much as possible, as well. After all, it was going to be their city, too, they had knowledge and expertise they¡¯d need, and she wanted it to be a place for all the people. Although in practice, it was probably best to start with some obvious Imperial functions and let the rest come with time. Like an official residence and center of government for her, offices for the departments and the various agencies, the military academy, and other educational institutions. And housing for everyone that would be working there and support staff. Well, even just the basics are going to be a lot. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. "Let me get this straight, Mother,¡± Mia said when she finally walked her through what she¡¯d considered so far. It was evening, although they had another dinner meeting later, this time with delegates from the non-Imperial countries, to foster ties and goodwill. Mia had been trying to get out of attending it and Regina suspected she was going to use this excuse, but she didn¡¯t mind terribly much. ¡°You want to build an entire new city, starting with an existing town or even from scratch. It¡¯s supposed to be the capital of a rising global power. It will house all the necessary government infrastructure and its bureaucracy, as well as higher institutions of learning, and probably commerce, the military, and so on. It¡¯s supposed to be built with and for all the people and nations we¡¯ve allied with and probably more who¡¯ll join up.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Regina agreed evenly. ¡°That¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Well, you certainly don¡¯t lack for vision or ambition, June is right.¡± Mia smiled at her. ¡°When do we start?¡± Regina chuckled. ¡°Is that enthusiasm for the project?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s going to be a giant headache, Mother. But it¡¯s also the sort of challenge I¡¯m hardly going to find anywhere else. Of course I want to work on it.¡± ¡°I appreciate it, Mia.¡± She looked away, a bit uncomfortably. ¡°Naturally. If this is what you think is best for the Hive and our people, I¡¯ll do my best to help in whatever way I can, my Queen. As will the rest of us.¡± ¡°And I still appreciate it.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t say it enough.¡± ¡°Sorry, but that¡¯s nonsense. You don¡¯t need to. Although we should talk about the Hive¡¯s assignment of workers.¡± ¡°Right. Do we have enough for this project?¡± Mia considered it for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, to be honest. We¡¯re coming up on large demands on our time and labor, if I look at it from a more economic standpoint. You want to uplift Cernlia and Nerlia to a higher level of technology, we¡¯re building schools and the foundations of universities, and a lot of infrastructure. All of that will need a lot of people who know what they¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Would it help if I increased the proportion of Workers in the Hive¡¯s new drones?¡± Regina asked. It was something that had definitely suffered for this summit, she couldn¡¯t exactly go away and repopulate the hive easily while they were here. But once it was over, she was going to step it up. ¡°It¡¯s certainly going to help. But, my Queen, I¡¯m honestly not sure it¡¯s going to be enough for the pace we¡¯d want in all these projects. Like I said, we need drones who have the experience and knowledge guiding and teaching others. Newly hatched drones can learn, of course, but they do need at least a bit of time to catch up to where we are. We can¡¯t just get by on instinct and inherited knowledge from you for everything.¡± Regina nodded heavily. She¡¯d known that before, of course, but hearing it so starkly stated by Mia still made her pause and consider. ¡°Mia,¡± she began, ¡°if you ever feel like I demand too much from you, all of you ¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it if we feel overworked, don¡¯t worry.¡± Regina smiled tentatively. ¡°Good. Then, for our various building and infrastructure projects, we¡¯ll just have to rely on the human kingdoms for skilled workers. We need to figure out the best techniques to build with a mix of our hive¡¯s materials and methods and the traditional local ones, anyway. Maybe we should see how it goes for a few examples first and then reassess?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how I¡¯ve been trying to handle it, my Queen. You¡¯ll need to talk with Kiara and the Nerlians for securing our access to that particular labor pool. And perhaps we should start with building something for your city that doesn¡¯t need to look perfectly pretty, so it¡¯s not as much of an issue if we mess it up or decide to switch styles later, but something that would still let us learn how to accomplish this.¡± ¡°So, not a palace and probably not the military headquarters or whatever defenses we¡¯re going to need. Maybe you should start with the headquarters of the educational oversight offices?¡± Regina paused for a moment. ¡°And that brings us to the next and biggest question.¡± ¡°The location. What have you been considering?¡± Regina sighed. ¡°Forest¡¯s Haunt, but I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good idea. I¡¯d like it to be somewhere roughly in that area, though. In the center between Nerlia and Cernlia and close to the hive, not to mention with access to the Great Forest not too far away. It¡¯s not as far from the gnomes as some other areas, but it should be fine. I¡¯ve been considering this town, too. Or trying to raise a new one somewhere between them.¡± Mia stayed silent for a minute, looking thoughtful. Through the psychic link, Regina could tell she was considering several things with intent focus. "We¡¯ll need to discuss it with various people who would be affected, like Earl Whitor,¡± she finally said. ¡°I¡¯d go for a compromise, though. As long as it¡¯s close enough to an existing town or our base in Forest¡¯s Haunt to be supplied through there, it shouldn¡¯t matter too much. And eventually, we¡¯ll want to build railways to extend the logistics, anyway.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered that,¡± Regina admitted. ¡°It¡¯s not something we can do tomorrow. The hive doesn¡¯t have the capacity to produce that much metal easily. But we can piggyback off Nerlia or Cernlia¡¯s; once we upgrade them. It¡¯s just another thing to put on the list that we want to tackle. It is probably a good area to start building rail lines, though. I¡¯ll loop in Tia and see what we can come up with.¡± Regina smiled. The two of them, like all of them, really, had grown up and matured a lot. Mia was a confident and in-control adult now, not the scared and hesitant drone who¡¯d run from a monster wave with her. This moment really underlined that for her. ¡°Mother ¡­¡± Mia gave her a look. She was picking something up through the psychic link. ¡°What? I¡¯m proud of you.¡± Regina kept smiling and increased the feeling of pride she was sending through the psychic link. If drones worked that way, Mia would be blushing. It was almost a shame, they would¡¯ve looked adorable. Mia¡¯s look gained some annoyance and Regina could tell she¡¯d picked up on that thought as well, but she only grinned. ¡°We¡¯ll need to call together some architects and whoever passes for city planners, along with you, Tia and Max or Tim,¡± she said simply, diverting the conversation to give her a break. "I¡¯ll try to sound out who might be a good choice, but it will go better if you ask, my Queen.¡± Regina nodded, already making plans for it. At least she could rely on Kiara, her advisors and the Nerlians not refusing her when it came to something like that. It did make the whole thing a lot easier. Now she just had to be careful to juggle everyone¡¯s interests, contributions and so on. She was probably lucky that being a Hive Queen had prepared her for being Empress at least somewhat, because it was already quite the task and she didn¡¯t even have an actual court or government apparatus yet. Chapter 263: Input and Disagreements Unsurprisingly, adding yet another important and complex topic to be discussed, namely the foundation of a new Imperial capital, extended the summit. It was starting to get apparent that the other delegates, who¡¯d supposedly come to witness the peace-making after the recent war, had less to contribute and less reason to be here by now. It might be best to either continue this in a follow-up conference or establish some other thing to build on it with just the Nerlians and Cernlians, and, of course, the hive. She made plans accordingly. Regina was still a bit conflicted about the prisoners who¡¯d attacked her. They were assassins guilty of attempted regicide, on the face of it. On the other hand, they¡¯d been mentally influenced. Presumably, if not for that, they wouldn¡¯t have actually gone through with the attack. Not because of moral scruples, of course, but because of the risk. Still, it mattered, didn¡¯t it? ¡°They were still the kind of people who would have easily accepted a bribe to kill you, my Queen,¡± Max said when she brought up the matter. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry too much about them.¡± Regina stared at him for a moment and shook her head with a bit of exaggerated drama. ¡°Did you get all your understanding of morality and ethics from me? Because that would be a problem. I don¡¯t think you quite understand them as well as you should.¡± Max shrugged. He truly wasn¡¯t bothered, which only annoyed Regina more. ¡°We trust you to handle this. The last time we talked about that kind of thing, you called my attitude moral cowardice, I think,¡± he noted. ¡°I did,¡± Regina acknowledged. And I wasn¡¯t wrong, was I? ¡°I think most people would be happy to just have their subordinates trust their judgment. Kiara doesn¡¯t have a problem with it, does she?¡± ¡°It¡¯s different for Kiara. She and her subordinates are playing by a given set of cultural standards and norms, and can trust that they all at least mostly keep to them, or accept the consequences when they don¡¯t,¡± Regina disagreed. ¡°It¡¯s hardly the best kind of system, I suppose, but at least they do generally have scruples and lines in the sand. Do you and my other children?¡± Max frowned a bit, chewing on his lower lip. ¡°I think you¡¯d need to define those first.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°That just proves the point, doesn¡¯t it? I won¡¯t pretend to be any sort of saint, but the idea of people with our kind of power and no moral limits is more than a bit scary. At least in principle, I don¡¯t think I could be scared of you if I tried. But ¡­ I know I could just order you all to follow a specific set of rules, my rules, but that wouldn¡¯t make it any better.¡± Max frowned more deeply, but he didn¡¯t say anything else. She could tell he was upset, mostly because of her own attitude and what it meant ¡ª a clear lack, a standard she wanted them to meet and was disappointed they didn¡¯t ¡ª but she wasn¡¯t sure if he actually understood the point she wanted to make. She¡¯d found it hard to phrase it properly and it felt like she¡¯d failed the attempt. ¡°Anyway,¡± Regina continued, determined to move on, ¡°we do still have a few other things to take care of, more pragmatically.¡± Max continued to regard her for a moment, before he nodded, the matter of moral and ethical standards set aside for now. ¡°That new capital you¡¯re building?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure I would put it like that, it will probably take a bit until we can actually start building,¡± Regina said with a smile, shoving any uneasiness she felt to the back of her mind. ¡°For now, we¡¯re just getting started with the planning. I¡¯d like you to talk with Mia, actually, get some idea of where we¡¯re at and what ideas and suggestions you have that should be included.¡± Max nodded. ¡°You should involve Ben if you want input on the military aspects and what is needed for that.¡± ¡°We will, but your input is welcome, too. That goes for pretty much everyone. You should also probably start to prepare for any security arrangements we need for my official coronation. Consider this me doing you the courtesy of giving advance notice. It will be a bigger ceremony; we¡¯re going to sign the official set of treaties binding together the Empire of Central Europe, including the first document of the constitution, then.¡± In many ways, it would be the real start of the Empire, even if it had been proclaimed here a few days ago. ¡°Noted,¡± he said drily. ¡°Will I be responsible for the security of Kiara and the other high-profile delegates, too?¡± ¡°Do you want to be?¡± Regina frowned. She hadn¡¯t really thought of that. ¡°You should at least liase with their respective people, I guess.¡± Max seemed happy enough with that and was starting to get antsy to get back to work, so Regina wrapped up their meeting. Things hadn¡¯t yet devolved to the point of her needing to schedule official meetings with Max, thankfully. A conversation between other appointments was fine. Right now, she had some time free to continue to contribute to the hive¡¯s numbers and take a bath in the facilities they¡¯d arranged, which were a lot less comfortable than her bathroom in the hive¡¯s central base, but she bore with it. Ira helped her get ready to continue, as usual being just where she was needed and staying quiet and calm to not bother Regina. She had other duties and more important things she could be doing, but Regina knew if she pointed that out, her assistant would be unimpressed and just do what she thought was best anyway, which meant ¡®attending to¡¯ Regina. Via and Ira were the two drones she knew most given to that, ironically enough. Still, Regina had never tried to protest very hard. She liked being cared for as much as anyone, and producing new eggs for the hive was both an important task and not without strain, physically. Today, she soaked in the bath for long enough to soothe her muscles and deal with some of the discomfort she was feeling. It seems like holding back in terms of creating new drones for some days in a row might cause slight issues, she noted. In other circumstances, Regina might try holding off completely for however long she could and see if there were any actual side effects, or if it was just a matter of disrupting routines the body was used to. She couldn¡¯t justify that experiment now, though, and in the end, she was just as glad about that. Then Ira started massaging her shoulders and wing joints and Regina just focused on the moment. Although she really did want to go flying sometime soon, it had been far too long since she¡¯d stretched her wings for more than a minute. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°You spoil me too much,¡± Regina sighed as she finally got out of the bathtub. ¡°I¡¯d say a girl could get used to this, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve already gotten used to it.¡± Ira smiled, only slightly, but she could sense her feelings in the psychic link and knew she was pleased. ¡°Just doing my job,¡± she responded. ¡°And I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not fighting us on this. It¡¯s good to see you a bit more relaxed, Mother. You¡¯ve been tense lately.¡± ¡°Lately?¡± Regina muttered. ¡°I guess I know what you mean. It feels like everything is changing, a little at a time. We¡¯ve finally found something like an equilibrium and there I go upsetting it again with grand ambitions and founding new nations. Building a new capital will definitely change our day-to-day, too.¡± Ira shrugged, unconcerned. ¡°Life is change,¡± she philosophized, with another small smile. ¡°What matters isn¡¯t the place where we live, we¡¯ve got a few of those, too. And personally, I wouldn¡¯t be upset about closer contact with other people, either. I imagine in the long run, the more adventurous and cosmopolitan of us can go with you to the new city, and the ones who don¡¯t like it can stay at the hive¡¯s bases. Plus, we do still have a war to fight.¡± Regina nodded, returning Ira¡¯s smile. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you are already one of my main advisors, because if you weren¡¯t, I should definitely offer you the job. And yes, the war. The Gnomish Confederation is not taking any of this calmly, I believe.¡± Not that they had any real intelligence on what went on in the Confederation in that regard, but it was easy enough to guess. The war had kept going and she really needed to pay more attention to it, even with the summit taking up so much of her focus. The gnomes had not launched another big attack after their partly successful infiltrations a few days ago, but Regina was pretty sure that the hive had yet to see the last of the consequences of that, much less any follow-up tries they might make. And now that she was explicitly responsible for Cernlia, too, she really needed to secure that country against the gnomes as well. At least Kiara was aware of it and was doing her best to try and prepare to join the war. At least, Regina had told her to do it, but not to rush too much. Cernlia was just recovering from its own civil war and said recovery took priority over any contribution to the hive¡¯s war with the Gnomish Confederation. Realistically, the Delvers would probably have more of an impact, anyway, and they were already starting to help. Several of the leaders she¡¯d met before weren¡¯t here because they¡¯d been traveling to the border or otherwise preparing for war against the gnomes. They were disturbingly eager for it in light of Regina¡¯s thoughts on their racism, but she wasn¡¯t going to complain about that part. Hopefully, good relations with the elves would cancel out whatever bad blood or reinforced prejudice they¡¯d get from fighting the gnomes. Assuming it would make any difference, she didn¡¯t get the impression that the Delvers and the Gnomish Confederation had a good relationship at all to begin with, anyway. The elves were another thing she had to deal with, of course. They would be affected by the founding of the Empire as well. They needed a new treaty, or ideally a set of treaties to regulate things like access to the underground ruins and the monster population in the Great Forest. Regina wasn¡¯t interested in claiming any territory there, she was happy to recognize their claim of the forest, but she couldn¡¯t just let the ruins go and she also wanted to maintain good relations with Ariedel. ¡°There are few things we truly want from other nations, Hive Queen,¡± Anuis had written in her latest letter, just a few days before the summit. In it, she had also announced she wouldn¡¯t be able to make it after all, but was hoping to be chosen as a diplomatic envoy or commander of a military escort for one the next time it was needed. ¡°Peace would be nice, but something we rarely depend on when it comes to humans.¡± Regina hoped that formally recognizing their territory, establishing diplomatic relations and negotiating trade deals would help, if not guarantee peace, then at least let the elves see that she meant it. They had a rather conflicted history with Nerlia, to say the least, and Cernlia wasn¡¯t much better. The hive was an ally, of course, but the Empire would incorporate all three of the nations, even with her at the helm. Besides, there was always the elephant in the room when it came to the Hivekind. ¡°We hope that there is no bad blood regarding historical conflict between our races, Your Majesty, and that we can step forward into the future,¡± the chief delegate from the Elvish Free State had told her. Regina had smiled in response, trying not to show that she¡¯d rather frown at him. She knew the elves had been part of the alliance of people fighting against the previous Hivekind, of course. It sounded like pretty much every race had been. Some were more apologetic about it than others. Still ¡­ ¡°I wish the same,¡± she¡¯d told him. She hadn¡¯t outright said it was fine, and she hoped she¡¯d said nothing that would be construed as official forgiveness for the past. Regina still wasn¡¯t even entirely sure which side would need forgiveness, but ¡ª what she¡¯d heard, the hints from others like Galatea and Leian, did paint a picture. And there was very little that could ever justify genocide. Still, this was politics. And they had to find ways to live and work with each other. Political expediency or not, Regina did want to work with the elves. Even considering what happened in the past, no one could change what their ancestors did, and it wasn¡¯t this generation ¡ª well, okay, it was more likely that elves who had been in a position of responsibility for what had happened were still around, compared to any other group, but she would just have to grin and bear it. Until and unless it could be thoroughly addressed. For now, Regina had suggested they continue negotiations, in order to work out such things as immigration and border regulations and an academic exchange, even mutual defense. Something that will, hopefully, eventually lead to them joining the Empire. For that purpose, they would set up a smaller diplomatic conference after the peace summit ended, which was already dragging on and would need to conclude soon. Regina herself wasn¡¯t going to be present for all the negotiations, she did have a lot to do, but she¡¯d at least drop in occasionally for important parts and treaty signings. She was half-hoping it would lead to a longer process, negotiations carrying on ideally until the elves had a satisfactory local autonomy agreement to vote on annexation. Although there probably would be more than one round of negotiations for that. They seemed to be on the same page, and Regina received an official missive welcoming diplomatic envoys of her choosing to Ariedel for diplomatic talks with the Empire that evening. It wouldn¡¯t make it as easily accessible to her, but Ariedel was generally well within her range nowadays and if the elves want to host these talks, she wasn¡¯t going to refuse. She just needed to pick some good representatives from Nerlia and Cernlia to join the negotiations, and hopefully establish something like a permanent embassy in the elven city. Truly, an Empress¡¯ work was never done. At least organizing diplomatic envoys was much less fraught than military campaigns. Regina preferred the former if she had to choose, anyway. Chapter 264: Structure Tim wasn¡¯t going to admit it to most of the drones here with him, but he was enjoying the summit. There were rarely opportunities to see this many people all together, especially from so many different countries and cultures. He knew he was considered ¡®taciturn¡¯, especially by people outside the Hive, but being a ''man of few words¡¯ - boy of few words? Even if he was young, that just sounded weird - didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t like listening to their stories. Or just listening to them talking among each other or to him, he wasn¡¯t picky. He was unfailingly treated with respect, which he assumed still had to do with his Class and perceived status as a Royal Champion. Which he was actually getting quite close to replacing, assuming he got a new Class at his next threshold, as soon as he reached level 60. He was pretty sure he was getting experience at this conference, even. Of course, he also had tasks to do that had less to do with any kind of social or political interaction or a need to act as Regina¡¯s representative, and more with his experience as a military commander. It was mostly because of the latter that he sat in a small office right now, listening to the approaching people getting closer before they knocked. It was a small room with a hastily raised wooden partition to one side, but he¡¯d checked that there was no one close by, and in fact, only a few other drones were in the vicinity at all currently. This wasn¡¯t the most secret or clandestine of meetings, but he still didn¡¯t want any details getting out to their enemies. A lot of what they were doing here could be described like that, though, thinking about it now. Tim stood up as his visitors entered and smiled in welcome. ¡°Sir Owin, Sir Egon,¡± he greeted, not letting on that he liked one of those two much better than the other. ¡°I understand that Lady Gwen is less interested in these matters, and so isn¡¯t with you. If she should change her mind or you feel that we would benefit from her input, though, she¡¯d be welcome to join.¡± ¡°Gwen is indeed more concerned with the political situation at present and doesn¡¯t feel that she is the best to discuss more traditionally military matters,¡± Owin said. He sat down on one of the two chairs Tim had pulled up to the small table at his gesture, nodding at Tim respectfully. Egon Trito waited for a moment longer, glancing at Tim, before he sat as well. Unlike Owin, he looked more like a courtier or at least a noble, sitting in a way that was a bit too prim and proper for their surroundings. Tim didn¡¯t let it distract him, though. Trito was still a dangerous man, and, despite his bias, an intelligent one, which should hopefully be helpful now. ¡°We are here because Empress Regina would like to start a proper military for the Empire,¡± he began. ¡°Ben is not currently available in person, but he is listening in and I will be conveying any points he may want to make. Janis might also be joining us in a bit, depending on how her current meeting goes.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware Princess Janis was charged with these matters?¡± Trito asked. ¡°Janis is one of our most successful commanders,¡± Tim answered, narrowing his gaze a little. ¡°Of course. We¡¯d welcome her input if her other duties permit her to attend.¡± ¡°Good. If not, I am charged with these matters, as you said.¡± Tim cleared his throat and shuffled some papers on the desk where he¡¯d drafted a few suggestions. ¡°Maybe we should start with the rank structure we can use.¡± They exchanged a look, and Owin sank deeper into his chair. ¡°Not standard unit sizes or something of that sort? Should the size of their commands not determine commanders¡¯ ranks?¡± Tim shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessarily a good idea. Don¡¯t get me wrong, we¡¯ll need some standards, but they are going to vary quite a lot. Elites at higher levels will most likely operate in smaller units, if at all ¡ª sometimes, they¡¯ll work alone or in pairs ¡ª and still need higher pay and the ability to command others. That¡¯s not to mention all the support staff and medical, technical and other professionals.¡± He paused and looked at the Delvers, but they seemed to be following him so far. Trito was nodding, a contemplative expression on his face as he clearly considered the matter. Owin was watching quietly. It struck him that he didn¡¯t really know much about either of them, even when it came to professional qualifications, but they¡¯d participated in at least one war. Two, actually, counting the war against the elves and the Cernlian civil war. And they¡¯d made it clear in arranging this meeting what would be discussed, so the Delvers could have sent others if they thought they were more suited to it. He would probably end up working with them a lot more in the future, though. "So,¡± he said, ¡°we¡¯re thinking of a fairly standard ranking structure. To start with, there should probably be several tiers for the basic, enlisted soldiers. Soldier class one, class two and maybe three. Or Grunt or Sailor, if we ever get a navy, and so on. I suppose we¡¯ll need to decide on the actual terms, but they could vary by general occupation.¡± ¡°Infantryman?¡± Trito suggested. ¡°¡¯Grunt¡¯ sounds a bit peculiar.¡± ¡°We¡¯d rather avoid gendered terms, actually. Not only might there be some female human soldiers ¡ª¡± He gave them a pointed look, reminding them that there were, after all, female Delvers fighting ¡ª ¡°but many of our Hive¡¯ warriors are, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Owin said. ¡°And after that?¡± ¡°Some general leadership positions and ranks. I¡¯d say not too many, though. For enlisted fighters upwards, as non-commissioned officers, probably Corporal and Sergeant, maybe two classes for the latter. Beyond that would be officer ranks proper. Lieutenant, Captain ¡ª although that term is a bit dicey, we don¡¯t want confusion with seafaring captains.¡± Trito nodded. ¡°You¡¯d separate commissioned and non-commissioned officers?¡± ¡°Yes and no.¡± Tim leaned back a bit, glancing at one of the drafts on paper on the desk. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that there will be different skills and requirements needed, but we don¡¯t just want an officer caste full of noble sprouts who don¡¯t know the first thing about practical realities. On the other hand, we can¡¯t have a man getting promoted based on valor and in a position to lead others when he can¡¯t read or write and doesn¡¯t know anything about strategy. We¡¯d rather use a sort of checkpoint system. A candidate would need to show proficiency in some required areas to be promoted higher, and it would probably be good to have further education courses for those things in our military academy, too. Everyone should be able to advance in principle. I imagine the first point would be to start non-com ranks, then a major checkpoint to become a lieutenant, and probably one for senior officers like colonels or generals who¡¯d be expected to be in an overall strategic command role or working in the general staff, as well.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°That actually sounds like a good idea,¡± Owin commented. ¡°I¡¯ve seen too many of the kinds of problems you mentioned with men getting commands because of their family¡¯s money. There are a few potential issues, but I think we can work most of them out.¡± ¡°The nobles won¡¯t like it if their sons have to start as a common soldier,¡± Trito warned. ¡°You¡¯ll need them to recruit commanders, especially in the short term, so I¡¯d urge caution. Not to mention it frankly seems like a waste to me to pass someone through an academy education only to start him on the bottom, too.¡± Tim shrugged. ¡°I never said you can¡¯t jump in at a higher rank, that¡¯s what these checkpoints would be good for, too. Military academy graduates would presumably still expect to work as officers. Although we¡¯ll need a rank for them to gain some experience before they¡¯re handed real responsibility, too. Probably beyond being a cadet. Something equivalent to sergeant so if there¡¯s an emergency, experienced non-coms can still take charge over someone fresh from the academy, maybe?¡± ¡°That sounds good,¡± Trito nodded. ¡°Maybe you can have the last semester of the academy working in the field at that rank, or require a stint in the army before full graduation?¡± Owin suggested. ¡°Practical experience would certainly be a good feature.¡± Tim smiled. The two Delvers seemed pretty open to their tentative ideas and had already pretty much moved on to talking about the academy curriculum, for a military academy that didn¡¯t even have plans drawn up for yet. Not that he minded, it was obviously an important aspect. ¡°What sort of rank structure were you thinking of, Sir Tim?¡± Trito asked. ¡°Something like Lieutenant, Captain, or Lieutenant Commander, Commander, Major, Colonel, General, going from one-star to four or five? We¡¯d need to agree on one version, though. Having separate rank structures for different service branches might have been the norm, but I don¡¯t think it makes much sense. We¡¯re creating this from the ground up rather than existing traditions, anyway.¡± ¡°Before we get hung up on details,¡± Owin interjected, ¡°what would those actually mean?¡± "As I mentioned, I¡¯d prefer not to associate it too closely with unit sizes or having a certain number of soldiers under one¡¯s command,¡± Tim said. ¡°Although having a standard structure for the regular army might still be good. Apart from that, obviously they¡¯re different pay grades and spots in a chain of command. Within a grade, presumably either seniority or something about their respective duties and positions would determine precedence.¡± They all seemed to consider his words carefully, and then the others asked a few clarifying questions. Tim mostly drew on what he vaguely recalled and had asked Galatea about regarding the old world¡¯s former nations¡¯ militaries, whose ranks he¡¯d used as examples just now. That led to a discussion of the structure as a whole, and made Tim realize he might have been assuming a bit too much familiarity and common ground, after all. ¡°What you call support personnel would be part of the army proper?¡± Trito asked. ¡°Well, yes, as a general rule? Of course, we could also work with doctors who aren¡¯t part of the military but still agree to work with it, but we would need healers of our own as well. And people to handle the logistics and administrative tasks, certainly. I suppose for engineers, there¡¯d be a bit of the same issues as with doctors and it might be better to hire outside professionals depending on the circumstances.¡± Owin and Trito nodded. Owin looked like he was taking mental notes, or perhaps considering something else. Trito frowned slightly. ¡°What else would be included in this military, in a general sense? You mentioned a navy, is that something the Empress is intending to do?¡± ¡°Right now?¡± Tim smiled. ¡°Hardly. Although, I suppose having a few river boats wouldn¡¯t exactly be a bad idea. But no, there are no plans for a real navy yet, as far as I know. It¡¯s just an idea for the future.¡± Owin still looked contemplative. He shifted on the chair, then glanced up. ¡°Regarding this project as a whole ¡­ I understand the reasoning to create a professional military, of course. But what will it mean for the Empire? What are its duties?¡± Tim leaned back on his seat. Perhaps I should have started there, he thought. ¡°As much as you¡¯d expect from any military,¡± he said, shrugging with open hands. ¡°Protecting the citizens of the Empire, primarily. Fighting in any wars the Empire enters for whatever reasons. It should not be involved in law enforcement, catching criminals or sentencing. Although I suppose there should be cooperation between the army and some law enforcement organs. They might help in a few cases, like counterintelligence operations, or, I suppose, apprehending particularly dangerous high-level criminals. The army might also help in cases of natural disasters or the like.¡± Owin and Trito exchanged another look. Briefly, Tim wondered if they¡¯d expected more phrases like ¡®enforcing the Empress¡¯ will¡¯ in his answer. ¡°That makes sense,¡± Owin commented. They asked a few more questions that delved deeper into the details, but Tim could tell their attention was split, especially Trito¡¯s. The two men were clearly eager to get back to their people and discuss what they¡¯d established so far with the other Delvers. And they had come to a few conclusions and worked out some fundamentals, so he supposed that was good enough. A while later, Owin and Trito excused themselves and Tim bid them goodbye, standing from his desk and holding open the door politely. They acknowledged it with equally polite half-bows and left. Tim had barely closed the door and not sat back down yet when it swung open again, and Janis peered in. She quickly stepped in and closed the door, frowning at the mostly-empty room, though he also noted she seemed to relax a bit. ¡°You just missed the Delvers,¡± he informed her. Then Tim crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watching Janis. ¡°Trying day?¡± ¡°It could be worse.¡± She shrugged, then sighed and slumped a bit. He saw her eying the cup on his table and pushed it closer silently, then watched as she gulped the water down. ¡°Thanks. All this talking is making my throat dry.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t have that,¡± he said, then took a half-step closer. ¡°How are you holding up?¡± She looked at him, seeming a bit surprised. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°I suppose people are still being annoying about your new title.¡± Janis shrugged again. ¡°Not eager to start talking about your plans for the military?¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t give me that,¡± he chided her playfully. ¡°I value our friendship, you know. I¡¯m allowed to ask about your day.¡± She blinked, then looked slightly guilty. ¡°Of course. Sorry, Tim, I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head, then smiled slyly. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re offering, maybe this evening we can get some of the fruit juice Mia has been talking about and you can listen to me talking all about my girlfriend and how our relationship is going.¡± Tim groaned dramatically. But he really should have known it might backfire on him like that. ¡°I¡¯m really not the best person to speak about relationship woes.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re such a great friend and you¡¯re a great listener, you know,¡± she told him earnestly. ¡°You¡¯re the best choice, really.¡± He rolled his eyes at her grin and silently conceded defeat. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m probably just going to gush about Kiara and you won¡¯t need to give any advice,¡± Janis added. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s going well, then,¡± he muttered. Then Tim shook his head and turned back to the documents on his desk. ¡°Now, we probably should discuss the Imperial military.¡± Janis plopped down on the chair across from him. ¡°Lay it on me, Marshal.¡± Tim eyed her for a moment, then decided to just follow what could technically be considered an order (as if it mattered) and caught her up on what they¡¯d been discussing. Chapter 265: Psychic Power The summit was nearing its end, and there still hadn¡¯t been anything more than that one attack on Regina. She was starting to realize that maybe she had misinterpreted what problem she¡¯d have to deal with. Or maybe she¡¯d just missed it. It was still clear that the collection of states beyond Nerlia were coming together, and against the hive and the Empire. Regina was starting to wonder if the Esemen had their hands in play. They didn¡¯t share any borders, as far as she was aware, but it would still make sense. They¡¯d all be concerned about the Empire, and common enemies made for easy alliances. Besides, it could help to explain how these other countries had (somewhat) united. None of them was extraordinarily religious ¡ª although a few seemed more invested in it than Nerlia or Cernlia ¡ª so it was probably a relationship built on political goals and agendas rather than religious ideology. Regina tried not to wonder what they¡¯d say about her own group, the countries making up the Empire. Luckily, a lot of the meetings didn¡¯t require her presence. Kiara, June and the high-ranking delegates from the newly Imperial countries pulled their weight, as did Janis, who was now more involved in the summit. It was clearly an adjustment for her, but Regina was confident she¡¯d continue to handle it well. Janis¡¯ relationship with Kiara was clearly also going well and she was growing closer with June. At this rate, the Nerlians might feel left out, Regina considered. She might have to find some way to build a personal relationship with one of their young royals, directly or indirectly. Not another apprenticeship, though; as talented as Raymond and Adelaide were, she had no desire for that and had enough to do teaching June in addition to all of her other commitments. June was doing quite well, though. She was clearly growing into her role as a princess, although Regina didn¡¯t have as much to do with that, it was more Kiara¡¯s problem. She was teaching June things beyond magic, of course, but they focused more on her old life¡¯s knowledge and, at most, the new Empire and what they were building here. That would probably still be very useful to the girl. June was also very good at magic, Regina had to admit. In fact, she¡¯d had more formal education and practice with it than Regina, so there was a limit to how much she could actually teach her. Not that their own teachers were on the same level; Regina had tips and lessons from Galatea that she could pass on. She¡¯d previously focused mostly on healing magic, for obvious reasons. Now that June was getting good enough to not need any help managing her condition, she could branch out. June¡¯s mana senses were evidently not as good as Kiara¡¯s, but they were still quite good, which would help her. Regina¡¯s were also better, probably, but she had a lot more mana to use, not to mention her psychic abilities, so it was a bit hard to be sure of anything specific. Either way, she tried to help June with it. Regina was a bit curious whether the girl would be able to learn psychic abilities. She hadn¡¯t really tried teaching her yet, but it was definitely something she¡¯d look into. There was still one event Regina was waiting for, although by the time it happened, she had almost given up on it and was surprised when she sensed and then heard the reports from her drones. In particular, she was surprised that Alix Castaway, the Delvers¡¯ Seer, and Madris were arriving together. Not just together, they were talking animatedly and barely stopped long enough for polite greetings with Regina and the rest. She¡¯d been watching them come closer for a bit ¡ª mostly though the eyes of her drones, although it would be impossible for her to miss Madris¡¯ mind with her psychic senses, anyway ¡ª before she actually had to come out to greet them. In hindsight, Regina really shouldn¡¯t have been surprised; they were both Delvers, after all. It probably would have been the best option to ask Madris to send a message to the Seer, come to think of it. I suppose I just mentally put her into another category than the other Delvers I¡¯ve met. And to be fair, she¡¯s pretty independent and from much farther away. Regina shook her head and dismissed the thought, focusing on her visitors again. They clearly weren¡¯t just here to attend the summit, since it was almost over. But they¡¯d come when she called, so she couldn¡¯t complain. ¡°It is great to see you again.¡± Kiara greeting them pulled her from her thoughts. ¡°And by a lucky coincidence, you have come just in time for dinner. I hope you will both do us the honor of joining?¡± Regina forced a smile and agreed with her. They had scheduled a dinner with a number of delegates and people from several countries as well as a few of the Delvers, so it wasn¡¯t like it was a private meal she¡¯d want to exclude them from. We can speak in private, later, after this, Madris told her quietly. Out loud, she said, ¡°I¡¯d be honored to accept, Your Majesty.¡± At least they had good food, Regina supposed. She felt like she¡¯d already been patient for a while, but she could keep it up for longer. Instead, she watched with interest as the Delvers interacted with each other and the other people present. Alix clearly received a degree of deference from the other Delvers, which she¡¯d already seen previously, because of his seniority or maybe his role. But Regina wasn¡¯t sure of the extent and whether it was more than superficial. Madris, on the other hand, didn¡¯t, but people mostly seemed unsure of how to deal with her. She was probably the first dark elf most of them had seen (not that Regina was any different on that account). A few of the non-Delvers present seemed almost afraid, definitely cautious. She also had a very high level, of course. Regina still wasn¡¯t sure of the exact number, but Madris was probably the highest-leveled person in the building. And a psychic, which wasn¡¯t exactly a common specialization. Regina herself didn¡¯t talk too much over dinner, since she¡¯d already learned that people tended to defer to her and she might accidentally stifle conversations more than she¡¯d want to, making people uncertain and hesitant to say too much. Well, if they didn¡¯t try too hard to ingratiate themselves, anyway, that would be worse. Instead, she listened to Madris draw Janis into a conversation. It started with the effect of conventional magic on psychic powers and quickly moved on from there. Regina listened intently, she hadn¡¯t learned enough from Madris or Galatea yet to miss out on any opportunity for more. They discussed psychic abilities in general terms and then quickly dove into magic. Judging by the blank looks from most of those at the table who tried to listen in, it soon got too technical. Regina probably kept up only because she had been taught by Madris, and Galatea, of course. The two seemed to use the same general theoretical framework, with some differences. Which raises interesting questions, since Galatea presumably learned theory from observation and listening in on others supplemented by what Leian taught her. She figured it at least indicated it was the best (or one of the best) approaches to the theory to use. According to them, psychic magic tended to be a very separate branch but wasn¡¯t entirely dissimilar from ¡®regular¡¯ magic, with many underlying commonalities, something her experience seemed to support. It meant interactions were possible, if rare and often hard to predict. Magically powerful people often had some resistance to psychic aggression and psychic gifts tended to correlate with magical ability, although it didn¡¯t always line up. There were advanced techniques to use more elemental-based magic for psychic effects, which both mentioned but didn¡¯t want to discuss in detail in this setting. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Regina joined the conversation more than she¡¯d originally intended and almost regretted it when the dinner ended. She didn¡¯t linger, though, and made it clear they wouldn¡¯t hang around for long after-dinner drinks. Instead, she quickly found herself in a simple meeting room with some Delvers. Gwen and Owin had decided to come, apparently. Janis and June were present as well, while Kiara continued to entertain courtiers and diplomats. And, of course, Alix and Madris were the center of attention. ¡°I assume there¡¯s some crucial new development explaining why you¡¯ve summoned both of us?¡± Madris asked. ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± she added as if an afterthought. Congratulations, by the way. Regina smiled thinly. At this point, she was used to Madris and didn¡¯t let it bother her. If she was a centuries-old very high-level psychic, she¡¯d probably find it hard to show ¡®the proper respect¡¯, too. Thank you, she responded. ¡°There is, in a manner of speaking.¡± Then Regina paused, considering the people present. But June already knew part of it, and Owin and Gwen knew she¡¯d asked for the Seer, and they wouldn¡¯t have missed Madris, obviously. They were bound to suspect something. In the end, it was probably better not to make a big secret out of it, at least with people she mostly trusted. ¡°As you no doubt know, three people tried to kill me, courtiers from Cernlia and Nerlia,¡± she said. ¡°I interrogated them, forcing entry into their mind past surprisingly strong and rather similar mental walls. In investigating why they would have done something like this, I found that they seem to have been affected by psychic influence.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Madris spoke up before anyone else could. ¡°Describe their shields for me, please. Psychically, if you would.¡± Regina tilted her head and focused on her teacher¡¯s mind. They felt similar, hard, unyielding, probably not bound by their focus, or at least not too much. Like this ¡­ she recalled how the assassins¡¯ mental shields had felt and how she had gone through them and sent Madris her memory and impression of it. Madris stared at her for a moment, obviously thinking deeply, although she didn¡¯t let any of her thoughts show. The others clearly realized what was happening, at least in general terms, going by their silence. ¡°And this influence,¡± Madris continued, asking the same question mentally as well. She brought her mind closer into focus for Regina, like she was mentally taking a step closer and bridging a gap between them. She¡¯d only done that once or twice before, but Regina could immediately tell it made communication easier. It also allowed her to get a general impression of Madris¡¯ thoughts and state of mind, which was presumably why one should use it sparingly. Without putting it into so many words, Regina told her she was unsure about conveying what she¡¯d found in their minds. It was subtle and not the kind of thing she could easily bundle up and tell someone else in a simple message, since it relied so much on the building blocks of someone else¡¯s thought process and the gaps in it. Still, she did her best. Madris nodded. You¡¯re right, and I¡¯ll investigate them myself, but this is already helpful. You¡¯ve done well, Regina. Regina couldn¡¯t help a smile. It always felt nice to get praise from her teacher. But she let it fade quickly and focused on the other people in the room. "Is there anything you can tell us that would help, Seer Alix?¡± she asked. The old Delver shook his head slowly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, My Empress. Not at the moment, at least. I didn¡¯t know what to look for, but now that I do, I can try to find out something. Seeing the assassins in person might help, however.¡± Regina nodded, then glanced at the others. They didn¡¯t seem to know quite what to say, although she could tell Gwen and Owin had thoughts about all this. Janis and June were watching the Delvers evenly. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then,¡± she decided. The walk to the secured room where they stored the prisoners didn¡¯t take long, although it felt a bit awkward. Regina used the opportunity to catch up with Madris, talking telepathically both to stay in practice and in hopes that she might say more than she would otherwise. Madris regaled her with a few stories of her recent travels, which seemed to mostly be in Cernlia, but she didn¡¯t really mention anything important. The assassins, as everyone had apparently taken to calling them despite the fact they¡¯d failed their assassination attempt, were visibly a bit worse for wear. Regina hadn¡¯t seen the point in pampering them, although they¡¯d been given a change of clothing and enough opportunity to wash with some buckets of water that they didn¡¯t stink and their hygiene wasn¡¯t a problem. Two of them were still injured, although they¡¯d been healing at a steady rate. Regina was monitoring their health. It was a bit of an unspoken truth that injuries were some of the only things that could slow down mid- to high-level fighters and generally wouldn¡¯t heal wrong or cause trouble later, and Regina had decided not to heal them any further. It ¡­ didn¡¯t sit well with her, with respect to the doctor¡¯s oath she assumed she had taken, but she could hardly let her actions as Empress be dictated by those maxims ¡­ and how much could she be bound to an oath she didn¡¯t remember taking, and might not actually have, anyway? Something to ponder later, she told herself. The humans were awake, though, and sat up straighter when they saw the visitors. They¡¯d been chained to several fastenings and the drones had put up metal cell bars to form an enclosed space around them, anyway, but the prisoners still had some room for movement. It was plain to see when they checked the System addresses of those coming and read Madris¡¯ information, going by the slight flinch. Madris, for her part, didn¡¯t waste any time. She strolled up to the prisoners and paused just outside the bars, close to them. Regina felt her reaching out, though only because she was so focused on her and Madris didn¡¯t bother to hide it. There was a drawn-out minute of quiet filled with tension, the rest of them standing silently by. It turned into two, then three. Then Madris took a step back, shaking her head slightly. Regina glanced at the prisoners and paused. She reached out for their minds and found her suspicions confirmed. Madris had torn their mental defenses down further, leaving little more than rubble of the walls that had been erected. It allowed her to sense their emotional state as easily as anyone else again. Unsurprisingly, they were rather frightened. ¡°This particular defense is not quite like anything I have encountered before,¡± Madris said, quietly, but still out loud. ¡°It does resemble some other cases I¡¯ve seen, however.¡± ¡°And the mental influence?¡± ¡°Tricky.¡± Madris frowned, turning to look at her. She felt a bit hesitant, but didn¡¯t pause before speaking. ¡°It is, in principle, something any sufficiently skilled psychic can do. At least someone of sufficient power to be a proper psychic. These three all do have some talent, but not enough for more challenging applications. They¡¯re not actual psychics, I wouldn¡¯t say. This influence, though, does exist ¡ª in all three, although I¡¯ll grant it was quite subtle in the woman. It would not be easy to do.¡± Regina frowned. That means I could learn to do this? And so could anyone else with enough psychic power ¡­ She glanced at the prisoners again, then at the others who¡¯d been listening to them talk and were clearly uneasy about this revelation. ¡°How responsible are they for their decisions?¡± Janis asked quietly, taking a step closer to them. Madris hesitated. ¡°That, I¡¯m afraid, might be a question for a court of law. Or a philosopher.¡± She sighed. ¡°They were in control of themselves, at least broadly speaking, and somewhat responsible for their course of action, although their choices were influenced.¡± ¡°That¡¯s helpful,¡± Regina muttered. Madris turned to her and shrugged. ¡°It might be helpful to keep them for study,¡± she offered. Regina sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about doing that; commuting their sentence or something, if they¡¯re sentenced to death as is likely. Maybe if we assemble a jury to judge their guilt or innocence and I decide the penalty.¡± Janis caught her gaze and Regina found the understanding and empathy from her that she hadn¡¯t realized she wanted. Madris cleared her throat, inclined her head and stepped over to the other Delvers. Alix was staring at the prisoners fixedly. As she watched, he blinked, turned his head and stepped away. Apparently, he didn¡¯t get any immediate insight, at least, but hopefully giving him some time would lead to something. Regina squeezed Janis¡¯ shoulder as she passed and went to join her guests, leaving the prisoners behind. Chapter 266: Presumptions The summit ended not with a bang, but more of a whimper. Or, maybe a better analogy would be the sound of water trickling from a pipe, since people were trickling away. It had already dragged on longer than planned, and Regina could hardly blame the delegates who started leaving. The season wasn¡¯t very well-suited to travel, but they had responsibilities in their home countries and issues to see to. The group of Delvers including Alix Castaway and Madris had arrived pretty late. They barely got to experience any of the summit, which Regina was going to assume was okay with them. Madris seemed to have lost interest in the people who¡¯d tried to attack her after the dark elf questioned them, and instead drifted through the conference, somehow being both inconspicuous and discreet and impressing her presence on it. Regina, for her part, just shoved the issue of the would-be assassins away to deal with later. She would hold their trial after the end of the summit, anyway. There was no point in showing any potential trouble or conflicts to the whole world. The Seer was mostly shut up in his room, and Regina had to assume he was using his abilities to search for information. That being the case, she was not going to bother him or try to force answers he couldn¡¯t give yet from him. Instead, she focused on the summit itself, what remained of it, trying to plan a good conclusion and to set the groundwork for further efforts building on it. That mostly involved scheduling a lot of meetings and preparing teams from Cernlia, Nerlia and the hive. Eventually, she was so focused on it that she almost forgot about the issue, and was surprised when Ira told her that the Seer wanted to talk to her. Regina finished up the document she was currently working on, glad that she got a bit of a break from social obligations or meeting with others at the moment. Then she rolled her shoulders, checked quickly that she was presentable, and went to meet the Delver. ¡°Good evening,¡± she greeted him, cutting short his bow. ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk, if you wouldn¡¯t rather stay here?¡± ¡°A walk sounds delightful, Your Imperial Majesty,¡± he answered, and she was pretty sure he was being honest. He had been mostly shut up in his room for a while. They stayed quiet as they left the building, then turned to the edge of the town. They got more than a few curious looks, although most of the people who looked eager to approach quailed at Max¡¯s dark stare. He walked a bit behind her, fading into the background but still present enough to discourage anyone from bothering them. Except for a lingering glance, Alix appeared to ignore him. Presumably, he wasn¡¯t entirely unused to the concept of bodyguards accompanying people he was talking to. As they started to walk a circle around the town, down a surprisingly well-paved path and passing several of her drones standing sentry, she turned to look at him. Castaway appeared a bit tired, she noted, bangs under his eyes and a pale cast to his skin. ¡°I assume you found something?¡± she asked, keeping her tone neutral. He nodded, unhurried in his reply. ¡°In a manner of speaking, yes, I did. Not as much as you might have hoped, however, my Empress, please do not get your hopes up too high.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow, but nodded. ¡°Of course. Anything you can tell me would be appreciated, even if there is some uncertainty or if it seems banal.¡± They passed another checkpoint and left the town proper, going along a pretty well-maintained dirt path through the fields. It was a rather picturesque scene, the white blankets of snow spread over the fields and gathered on the peaked roofs of the houses, like a painting on a Christmas card. Regina felt the cold, as well, but it didn¡¯t bother her much. The Seer didn¡¯t even seem to notice their surroundings or the weather. ¡°As you might have guessed, my Ability, one that is more broadly applicable than my usual scrying, is vague and based primarily on intent. In truth, it is mostly my magic supported by a Class Skill. It generally requires meditation and can take a while to produce any results, and these are usually just glimpses of events or people vaguely connected to whatever I may be searching for. The why and how is not something it gives me.¡± Regina hummed. That sounded very interesting. ¡°Is there some bias involved?¡± He smiled slightly. ¡°Yes, there certainly appears to be. It might also change depending on the circumstances and subject matter. The visions I received today do appear to have a common theme, in any case.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°Perhaps it would be best to start at the beginning?¡± He waited for her to gesture her assent before he continued. ¡°The first glimpses I saw are most likely only vaguely related, although that is par for the course, as I mentioned. It was a scene from the past. I saw a figure in a hooded cloak, covering their identity. They were speaking to someone I recognized. The Cernlian Thaumaturge, Zephyr.¡± Regina blinked in surprise. ¡°Really? That ¡­ sounds familiar, actually.¡± ¡°I thought it might,¡± he agreed evenly. Regina frowned. With everything that was going on, she¡¯d almost forgotten about this. Zephyr had gotten information from someone about the ritual they¡¯d used to suppress the hive¡¯s psychic connection, from someone who had then met with a priest known to be following Alianais. ¡°Do you have any idea how this relates to our present issue?¡± Alix scoffed. ¡°I already told you I did not. My Empress. The people I see might be indirectly connected to my question in vague ways, they could even be opposed or acting against it.¡± ¡°I take it you saw other people who might be opposed to what happened?¡± Regina asked, blowing out a breath. ¡°Perhaps.¡± This time, he really looked hesitant. ¡°I saw ¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°I saw glimpses of a woman bearing the mark of power, with long white hair and golden eyes.¡± ¡°Alianais.¡± ¡°Presumably, yes.¡± ¡°What was she doing?¡± Regina asked, tensing up a bit. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I got several glimpses, but they were hard to make sense of. Most prominently, she was in the company of another woman ¡­ one with blond hair and gray-silver eyes, wearing strange attire.¡± ¡°Leian,¡± Regina muttered. ¡°What were they doing?¡± The Seer gave her a sideways look. ¡°Perhaps so. However, Lianaleine and Alianais did not look peaceful. I only received any vision with my sight, you understand, not sound. But it looked like they were fighting.¡± Regina stopped. ¡°Fighting? Truly?¡± He smiled. ¡°Not literally fighting. At least, I believe so. I meant that they seemed to be at odds.¡± ¡°So they were arguing.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible, then turned. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have any idea what about.¡± ¡°In all honesty, I would suppose you would have a better guess than me for answering that question, Your Majesty.¡± Regina tilted her head, glancing around them to avoid looking at him. He wasn¡¯t wrong in that respect, probably. She¡¯d definitely gotten a few hints of potential conflict between Leian and Alianais, just like between her and the rest of the gods. She also wasn¡¯t sure how much she wanted to tell the Delvers of that. She hadn¡¯t forgotten what Galatea had said, Madris¡¯ insinuation that they might have been influenced as well. She hadn¡¯t had much of a choice going to the Seer with this, at least she didn¡¯t have any other avenues of information that could compare to him, but it was probably still a risk, too. It was frustrating. ¡°My Empress?¡± Regina turned back to the Delver. ¡°I see,¡± she said simply. ¡°I am uncertain what this all means, Seer Alix. Do you have any other impressions or even gut feelings that could give us a hint as to this? Are these people who I should beware, who are working against me, or ¡­?¡± A grimace flashed across his face. ¡°As I said, my Empress, it is unclear. Alianais could be behind this event, I suppose, or tangentially related to it in some unclear way, or even actively working against efforts to assassinate you. The same goes for the other goddess.¡± He hesitated for a moment. ¡°Or the last person I saw. A man with white orbs for eyes wearing clothing reminiscent of the Ancients.¡± ¡°Deirianon.¡± Regina grimaced. ¡°That may be. I only saw short flashes of him, less than any of the others, and even what little I did see, to give you this description, is partly guesswork.¡± Regina nodded. So, does that mean Deirianon is less involved than Alianais somehow? Or is he just shielding himself against prophetic visions? Or is that just random chance? It was frustrating not to have any clear answers to any of this. Still, she wasn¡¯t really surprised that Deirianon appeared in Alix¡¯s visions. Even if he wasn¡¯t directly responsible for the attempt on her life, he probably was indirectly - or thematically - connected to it. After all, she had little doubt that Deirianon, the supposed god of peace, wanted her dead. He was probably only holding back because of Alianais. Or so she would have thought, anyway, but if Alianais had dropped her and was working against her, that complicated matters. I suppose it could just be that he doesn¡¯t want to be obviously outed as a hypocrite, or invite trouble by killing someone in my position. The other gods probably wouldn¡¯t approve of their colleagues just going around smiting leaders they don¡¯t like. Either way, this was all speculation, she didn¡¯t have much to go on. Regina cautioned herself not to make assumptions. ¡°But if you are asking for my opinion ¡­¡± Alix continued. ¡°I get the impression there are complicated feelings involved. For more than one of them. Either way, it is abundantly clear these would-be assassins were not acting on their own, not on their own initiative, or even the instigation of a run-of-the-mill disgruntled courtier. We can take that as confirmation, I do believe.¡± Regina glanced at him. It definitely sounded like the Seer¡¯s Ability or magic didn¡¯t just transmit visual input. But she bit down on any questions. He probably wouldn¡¯t want to answer them and it wouldn¡¯t do to force the issue, and prying would be seen as rude, anyway. ¡°I do hope I don¡¯t have to explain why all of this information, including what we have revealed about the attack on me, is sensitive,¡± she said instead. ¡°Knowledge of it must be highly confidential. As such, I expect you not to share anything with anyone else unless you have my explicit permission.¡± Castaway clearly didn¡¯t like that, judging by his expression. But he visibly restrained himself and inclined his head in response. ¡°As you command, Your Imperial Majesty.¡± ¡°Good. Thank you.¡± By now, they were almost back to the center of town and the premises of the conference. Regina glanced at the waiting drones, noting their formations and the patrolling sentries. Their numbers had increased slightly as the time went on, but she¡¯d left the details to Max and the others. She and the Seer walked in silence for a minute. She hoped she wasn¡¯t the only one feeling a bit of tension in the air, although he seemed calm and guarded as usual. Then, just as she was starting to consider who else she should talk to about what happened and what new information he brought ¡ª just sorting out how much new information that actually was needed to be on the agenda, too ¡ª she sensed another mind from the psychic link reaching out to her, establishing contact, with a sense of urgency. Regina? You might wish to hurry back. Janis? What¡¯s up, is everyone alright? Sure, this is not that kind of problem. It¡¯s just ¡­ Regina frowned again and dove deeper into the link with Janis, letting her actual surroundings fade to the periphery of her awareness as she walked back at a faster pace. In a deeper connection, it was easy to see what was up right away, even without Janis explicitly explaining anything. And that was a group of delegates marching up to her, or at least to a group of high-ranking dignitaries from the Empire which included Janis, carrying what they certainly indicated to be an important document. After a few words were spoken, Janis realized they were here with an official proclamation. Look at it, Regina urged her, even though she didn¡¯t really need to given what they had already said. They were being notified of the founding of a new league. Janis skimmed the document quickly, lingering on the important terms. Several countries, smaller states located roughly on the opposite side of Nerlia from the hive¡¯s perspective, were now members of the Western Confederation. I¡¯m hurrying back, Regina told her new heir and little sister. It¡¯s probably best if I¡¯m here in person for this. Not that it changes anything. She took a deep breath and tried to force herself to consider this carefully, analyze what it meant quickly. The Empire of Central Europe would not be the only new nation birthed at this conference. Well, or perhaps it would be. A ¡®Confederation¡¯ didn¡¯t necessarily mean they were actually founding a new country. It could just mean a close alliance. In reality, it wouldn¡¯t make much difference for her. It probably did just mean a league of several nations, even if it would pave the way for a closer union later. She couldn¡¯t forget that the Gnomish Confederation to the East had started that way, as a confederation of cities and smaller states, and was pretty much just one country now. Either way, this new confederation was clearly not aiming to befriend or join the Empire. That they had already grown close enough and put enough effort in to form this thing ¡ª Regina had taken a while to prepare for the Empire¡¯s founding before the summit ¡ª meant there was a strong will to make this happen. Whether they were explicitly positioning themselves against her would remain to be seen. What are you going to do? What are we going to do about this? Janis asked. Nothing, Regina responded, rolling her eyes over the psychic link. We¡¯re going to politely congratulate them on their league, nothing more. Except we¡¯ll offer regrets that we couldn¡¯t have commemorative gifts, to ask after a ceremony to commemorate it and hope we will be invited, the works. This Confederation is not an enemy or a threat to the Empire. That¡¯s what we need to make clear, whether they¡¯ll buy it or not. I understand, Janis muttered. On the plus side, they probably don¡¯t want to make an enemy of us, either. They¡¯d have to be stupid. Regina smiled slightly. Then she turned to make her excuses to the Seer so she could get back. Chapter 267: Priorities As Regina had said, they managed to get through the - in Janis¡¯ opinion, rather tense - interaction with the representatives of the new confederation without major incident. Regina had wanted avoid open conflict, for them to stay diplomatic and to seem unconcerned, so Janis buckled down and acted accordingly. She raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the document, shelving it carefully, then turned back to the envoys and offered sincere congratulations. Then she asked, as pleasantly as she could, after their efforts and general health, complimented them on their achievement and praised the apparent drive for unity. ¡°It has always been our belief that growing friendship and unity between nations will lead to a peaceful and prosperous future,¡± she said. ¡°Quite right, Your Highness,¡± one of the men agreed pleasantly. Fortunately, it was about then that Regina finally showed up. Janis didn¡¯t let them see it, but she did relax a bit at the Hive Queen¡¯s entrance. It prolonged the visit a bit, with Regina repeating many of Janis¡¯ compliments and questions in other words, but eventually, they seemed to have covered enough conversational ground and satisfied the dictates of politeness. In her opinion, anyway, and it wasn¡¯t like anyone here was really eager to stick around each other and talk, despite what it would seem like on the surface. Once they left, Janis exchanged a long look with Regina. They were beyond the need for words at this point; even if they hadn¡¯t had the psychic link or Regina¡¯s ability to sense her emotions, they probably would have been. Regina hadn¡¯t closed herself off and if she focused on it, Janis could sense the vague concern she felt. She was contemplative, but there were flickers of curiosity, too. They didn¡¯t say anything else, though. There wasn¡¯t much to say. Once Regina was occupied sorting through some documents and speaking to other people in the Hive, Janis slipped away to go talk to Kiara. One of them should probably do so anyway, and it would make more sense for it to be her. Besides, she wanted to discuss this with her girlfriend. Although there are a few things I probably shouldn¡¯t say too explicitly. She shrugged at the thought. June had asked her about conflicting loyalties or what she¡¯d do if she had to choose between her love and the Hive, her family, but Janis wasn¡¯t worried about that. They were all adults and aware of where they stood; Kiara wouldn¡¯t ask her to betray the Starlit Hive any more than Janis would ask her to give up her throne. Her primary loyalty was to Regina, just as Kiara would say hers was to the people of her country, and they were both fine with that. It didn¡¯t make their relationship worth any less. Right now, Janis had to contain herself and listened mostly in silence as Kiara wrapped up a meeting with some of her advisors. Once their conversation had come to a halt, though, she stepped forward and greeted them. The Cernlians other than Kiara bowed deeply to her and even Kiara followed suit with a half-bow of her own, since they were in public. Janis returned it with a bow of her head. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you,¡± she greeted her. ¡°I assume you wish to talk?¡± Janis glanced at the others, noting their expressions, then back to Kiara. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve heard the news, then?¡± ¡°Is it true, Your Highness?¡± Margaret Bluegrass cut in. She seemed excited, although maybe not in a good way. ¡°That group of backwaters has formed not just an alliance, but founded a new federation?¡± Kiara gave her a sharp glance. Probably more because of the chance someone could overhear than because she disagreed, Janis guessed. Not that Janis herself was very broken up about whatever they called each other, she just didn¡¯t know the other parties well enough to know if it was true. "I suppose,¡± she agreed with an amused look, deciding to ignore the byplay. ¡°The Western Confederation. Not a very imaginative name, I suppose they used up all their creativity on getting this done.¡± ¡°It is, what¡¯s the phrase, short and sweet?¡± Kiara shrugged. Janis inclined her head in agreement and got back on track. ¡°The Empress is unwilling to change her plans for this summit. We¡¯ve expressed our congratulations and hope to be invited to a formal commemoration ceremony. Until then, please do not show that you are upset about this, even if it should happen to be true. They are no threat to us and it is best to remain unconcerned. Do you understand?¡± The other people present exchanged looks and most of them nodded. ¡°If that is the Empress¡¯ wish, certainly,¡± Kiara agreed. ¡°I will convey my own congratulations and aim to form positive ties with them.¡± A look at the other humans made it clear what she expected of them. ¡°Do we know who their leader is?¡± June asked. ¡°Or anything about their structure or hierarchy?¡± Janis shook her head. ¡°That was not in the notice we were given.¡± Several of the men glanced at Daine, who cleared his throat. ¡°It will take a little time to find out,¡± he said. ¡°You didn¡¯t find out they were planning this,¡± Margaret muttered. Judging by their expressions, some of the others agreed with her, and Kiara made no move to speak up for her courtier. Maybe she was a bit upset that this had blindsided her, too. Personally, Janis was a little annoyed that others they worked with who could have found out, like Madris, had either been too distracted by other matters or didn¡¯t deem it worth telling them. Although I suppose it wouldn¡¯t have made any difference in the end. What could Regina have done, throw them out of the summit? Try to prevent it forcibly? That would only have presented a much larger risk of sparking a war, and wouldn¡¯t have stopped them from starting this confederation anyway. She shook her head to dislodge these thoughts and looked at Kiara, catching her gaze. They smiled slightly at each other and Janis shifted closer. Even in a public setting where they couldn¡¯t (or at least shouldn¡¯t) be openly affectionate, having Kiara look at her always made her feel ten kilos lighter. Then Janis forced herself to pay attention to the conversation again, although she hadn¡¯t missed much. There was a bit of speculation, but it seemed pretty useless, not going anywhere. She was starting to think these people really didn¡¯t know that much about their neighbors. Well, their neighbor¡¯s neighbors, which she supposed would explain it. And without something like the hive¡¯s psychic link or, even better, the Internet Regina and Galatea talked about, information wasn¡¯t passed that easily, so that was that. The Cernlians were probably more concerned with their eastern neighbors. Which meant especially Esemen. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Hm. She wondered how long it would be until the Esemen tried to join this Confederation? ¡°How are their relationships with the Esemen?¡± she asked abruptly, cutting off a winding discussion about signature imports that was starting to devolve into an argument. ¡°Do we know anything about that?¡± There was a moment of surprised silence, but Lord Daine answered promptly. ¡°An astute question, Your Imperial Highness. We don¡¯t know as much as I would like, but their relationship seems to vary depending on the nation in question. There are a few who will oppose their membership or any attempt to forge closer ties, even if others push for it. Has the Principate joined this Western Confederation yet?¡± Janis thought back to the documents she¡¯d read and the words of the delegates. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡± ¡°Then they most likely will shortly. Still, it might be relevant. But Liongen is part of it, and will disagree with extending a hand to the Esemen, I am sure.¡± Janis nodded, remembering the name on the list. ¡°That¡¯s something, at least.¡± ¡°We will have to pay particular attention to their internal disputes and how their foreign policy is likely to shake out,¡± Kiara said. From there, the discussion continued by retreading some of the same ground briefly, before it petered out. Janis shifted impatiently on her feet. She only had to wait a little longer until Kiara dismissed most of them, though, sending her advisors back to their work. Daine lingered with a questioning look, but she waved him off, until only Margaret remained with them. Duke Bluegrass apparently had an important meeting with some other duke from Nerlia, but he might not have stayed anyway. Now that they had a bit more privacy, Janis relaxed and walked closer to Kiara. She rested a hand on her shoulder and enjoyed the brief moment of her girlfriend leaning into her. ¡°How much of a problem is this really going to be?¡± June asked. Janis shrugged, taking half a step back. ¡°Who knows. It depends on if they actually want to pick a fight with us, physically or otherwise. This might well just be a defensive reaction. If the Empire settles down and we don¡¯t conquer anything for a few years, they might thaw and be ready for a diplomatic approach.¡± Left unsaid was the fact that with the war against the gnomes, there wasn¡¯t much of a chance of the Empire being fully at peace or avoiding some kind of conquest for a while. ¡°I¡¯d like to know more about who we¡¯re dealing with, learn more about these countries,¡± Janis continued, glancing at Kiara. ¡°We have some books,¡± she offered with a smile. ¡°I will give you a few that should have useful information.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± With the psychic link, that information should be spread soon enough, although they¡¯d have to be careful of its reliability. There was a moment of silence, as everyone considered the situation. Or maybe they thought about something else. Janis wouldn¡¯t bet against June practicing mana shaping or something. If she was subtle enough, she wouldn¡¯t be able to sense it. ¡°There is one other thing,¡± she finally began. ¡°How are things going back in Cernlia? Specifically, the southern border?¡± Kiara frowned. ¡°There have been some reports of increased activity from the gnomes, scouts getting into our land and the like.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Janis stared at her for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s been gnomish activity in Cernlia, and you didn¡¯t think to report it to us?¡± ¡°They were sparse and unreliable,¡± Kiara answered. She sounded a bit defensive. ¡°I wanted to get more information first.¡± Janis rubbed at her forehead. ¡°And now you have the information that this activity is increasing?¡± ¡°A few more reports than usual in the last few days.¡± Kiara glanced at June, then crossed her arms. ¡°You have to understand, Janis, this is not like your hive. I do not generally get much information from there. There would be better infrastructure in the capital, if we were there instead of here, it wouldn¡¯t be much better even then. Messages need to be sent with messenger birds if not magical means. Generally, it¡¯s used only for important information and key orders. And that¡¯s not getting into the difficulty of dealing with the local nobility in a given area, I cannot exactly talk to all of them at once.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Janis said stiffly. It wasn¡¯t like she hadn¡¯t grown up in Cernlia, rather than the Hive. ¡°What did you actually learn? Do you have those reports?¡± Kiara glanced at Margaret, who nodded and quickly excused herself from the room, presumably to fetch them. Janis used the time they waited to contact Regina and update her on what she¡¯d just heard. They waited in silence until Margaret returned, bringing with her some messages, mostly small sheaves of paper with cramped handwriting. A few were obviously transcripts, not letters. This doesn¡¯t sound good, Regina commented in her head. Janis could sense her slight agitation and some annoyance. Granted, part of that could be from being disturbed while she was in the bathroom. Janis could vaguely sense Ira there as well. She had to agree with Regina¡¯s sentiment, though. She read through the messages and reports quickly. Janis had to concede that Kiara wasn¡¯t wrong, what they did have wasn¡¯t very substantial. Few people had actually seen any gnomes and even then not up close. Still, taken together, it was an obvious pattern. Kiara had alerted the locals to be more thorough in investigating any hints and chasing down intruders. That makes it a bit hard to be sure if the frequency actually is increasing, Janis noted to Regina. In this case, I think it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry, Regina commented grimly. Janis nodded slightly. Then she read through them again, just to be sure. She paused for a moment, diving into a deeper connection with Regina, before she turned back to the humans. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be much longer until we get the next report, and I¡¯ve tasked Lord Daine with looking into it,¡± Kiara spoke up, clearly seeing that her attention was on her now. ¡°Then we can know what we¡¯re dealing with.¡± Janis sighed and walked over to drop into a chair. ¡°Kiara, how is your country¡¯s military faring?¡± Kiara winced slightly. ¡°Well ¡­ the lords have all recalled their men and mostly disbanded the armies they raised. I¡¯ve done the same with the men from the Lyns March, they¡¯ve been gone for too long. There are still some men-at-arms, of course, and adventurers and mercenaries whose contracts are still ongoing.¡± ¡°But we have the Hive, right?¡± June asked. ¡°We don¡¯t actually need the soldiers right now.¡± Janis looked from one sister to the other. Neither of them have actually seen the war against the gnomes, she reminded herself. To them, it has to be distant. ¡°Of course the Hive will protect you, as was promised,¡± she said. ¡°But ¡­ this is a concern.¡± ¡°What do you want us to do?¡± June asked. ¡°Or her, rather, I¡¯m not really involved here and I have other tasks.¡± ¡°Thanks, sister,¡± Kiara muttered. ¡°Kiara,¡± Janis said, straightening up a bit. ¡°Regina has some orders for you. She wants you to secure the southern border of your country, which is now a border of the Empire. Actually secure it, not send a few people to investigate and a few additional patrols and call it a day. Since Cernlia is part of the Empire now, the gnomes will probably see it as an enemy and a valid target. Not that I think they would have held back from attacking Cernlia before.¡± June made a face. Kiara¡¯s eyebrows were drawn together in a look Janis hadn¡¯t seen on her often. She hoped she understood. Even a hint of the Gnomish Confederation considering an invasion of Cernlia had to be considered a priority. ¡°To that end,¡± she continued, ¡°you will raise some additional troops, just to be sure. You will also send reinforcements to the south. If the local conditions permit it, you should build some new outposts. Make sure all nobles and adventurers¡¯ guilds and the like are aware of this. You won¡¯t have to manage it alone, the Hive will send troops if necessary. We¡¯ll also provide logistical support like before, as much as is necessary. Keep us apprised of your progress.¡± Kiara nodded slowly. ¡°If that is Her Imperial Majesty¡¯s will, I will of course comply.¡± Janis stood up and rolled her shoulders. ¡°Good. Thank you. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to discuss this and make plans with Ben and Tim.¡± It took effort not to turn back and look at Kiara as she left. Chapter 268: Tasks and Plans Regina felt irritated with Kiara, despite herself. She knew she was probably overreacting, since Kiara was right about the obstacles and challenges in communication they faced. The reliability of eye witness accounts was always questionable, and the lands south of Cernlia, between them and the Gnomish Confederation proper, were barely less than wild. It wouldn¡¯t exactly be surprising to see lone gnomish scouts there even if they were entirely focused on the western front against the hive. Still, she was a bit irritated. And the distraction and thinking about all the ways the war could go wrong only made the summit feel more like an anchor weighing her down. There was really nothing left to talk about, it should be over. So she ended the summit. A lot of delegates had already left, anyway. The emissaries from the new Western Confederation were preparing to head home now that they¡¯d announced their new league. The elves had let her know they would be leaving almost immediately, too. Which mostly just left the people from her new Empire. She could have them stay to turn this into an Imperial-only conference and discuss the many things they could still plan and organize. And she did want to have such a conference, but it was better not to do it right now. Be better to give everyone some time to go home, gather themselves and prepare. Tim was mostly staying because Janis and the Delvers were here, she supposed, but Ben had fully turned his attention back to the war against the gnomes, and Mia had already departed to start overseeing the construction of schools, academies and several logistical projects they¡¯d drawn up, including preparations for the new capital¡¯s construction. Tia was keeping things together back in the hive¡¯s territory, but she¡¯d be glad for a change, too. Max was starting to fret, a little, about the new tasks he had in trying to keep Regina and the rest of them safe. Relocating wouldn¡¯t make that easier for him, but at least he¡¯d get a change of scenery and could stop worrying about security measures for this place. Although, Regina could finally start ramping up her production of new drones like she wanted. She was still feeling a bit uncomfortable, but she suspected it was just psychosomatic. Either way, an international summit was not the best place for new sapient hive members to be born. They¡¯d moved eggs, of course, but it was still a pain. And Regina generally preferred to be there, at least to regularly check the nursery. She couldn¡¯t be the first face to greet every new drone, not anymore, just for practical reasons. If she wanted to oversee their integration into the hive personally, she wouldn¡¯t have time for anything else and it would still be too little. But she could at least show that she wasn¡¯t entirely ignoring or forgetting about them. Once she had a free minute with a bit of privacy, Regina reached out to them. The newest, sapient hive drones were sorted into ¡®classes¡¯ of sorts, although those were variable and the borders weren¡¯t clearly defined. They usually included several ¡®batches¡¯ of hatchlings hatched at the same time, though. Regina had usually staggered it a bit, instead of using big clutches, so they didn¡¯t all hatch at the exact same time the same day, though. She¡¯d taken Mia¡¯s request into account. Currently, the new groups included quite a few Workers, but also some magic-users, which they definitely needed, as well as a few Keepers and a few of the other Templates here and there. Regina focused on the newest additions to the hive, letting them know without words that she was paying attention to them. She sensed the excitement the drones felt in response, but didn¡¯t actually start talking until she was sure they weren¡¯t doing something they shouldn¡¯t be distracted from. Are you all doing alright? she asked. In return, she got several variations of Yes, Mother, Yes, my Queen, and Of course! back. Regina smiled and transmitted her feelings of warmth and affection back. It would have been better to talk to them in person, but this was at least something. And she wouldn¡¯t have to wait long until she could see them if she wanted, now, anyway. I hope you¡¯re settling in okay. Are your mentors doing enough? She was answered with several excited streams of words. Clearly, the new drones hadn¡¯t figured out how best to use the psychic link yet, how it would best allow them to coordinate answers to questions like this. But they learned fast, and sorted themselves out so she could hear several short answers quickly. The gist was that yes, the mentors were cool and they were all adjusting, although not everyone knew what they wanted to do yet. That was fine, of course. Regina wasn¡¯t interested in pressing her drones into certain roles, at least unless the hive really, truly needed it. She was also glad the mentorship system they¡¯d put in place what seemed like ages ago was working well. They¡¯d refined it a bit since then, but the general gist was still the same ¡ª drones who¡¯d been alive for longer and who had some experience volunteering to guide newly hatched siblings, generally forming close bonds and the start of a support network as well. They were all family, but there were too many people for everyone to know everyone, and she didn¡¯t want anyone to fall through the cracks with no one to help. Of course, not everyone could or wanted to participate. Especially drones who moved around because of their work or changed tasks. It was an unfortunate consequence that many of her senior drones and those she was closer to didn¡¯t have the time or didn¡¯t consider themselves suitable to take a mentor role. I should probably encourage them to consider it more, Regina reflected. She didn¡¯t want there to be too much of a disconnect or for ¡®sides¡¯ to form. She wasn¡¯t about to participate herself, though, even if that wouldn¡¯t be a blatant show of favoritism for someone, so maybe she had no room to talk. For now, Regina just made sure everyone was alright and then reluctantly moved on. She always enjoyed spending a bit of time with the younger members of her hive ¡ª fine, her younger children ¡ª but she was also kind of glad she wasn¡¯t around them all the time. Today, she checked in with the Keepers afterwards, and then talked to Ada and a few of the other senior drones. There was still a lot to prepare and organize, and she liked to at least keep informed of what was going on, even if she couldn¡¯t be involved in everything. There was just too much going on. Jem was restructuring the ¡®area¡¯ of the psychic link they were trying to turn into a kind of mental library, or at least repository for information, again. Regina had her doubts about if it would work any better, but she left him to it. At least he wasn¡¯t likely to make it harder to use. Although she still could barely wrap her mind around how he and the rest of the Keepers did this at all. In comparison, talking to Kit was easier. She was overseeing the distribution of new Swarm Drones and some restructuring going on with the army. That was mostly Ben¡¯s domain, but since it related to how the War Drones operated in the context of the hive in general, she was interested. After that talk, Regina got another scouting report, this time focused on the eastern part of the Gnomish Confederation, what little they could get on it, instead of just the front and the area near it. She was still a little more nervous about that than she probably should be. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Finally, Regina opened her eyes again, cracking her neck and rolling her shoulders with a sigh. She rustled her wings a little, glancing back longingly at them. Maybe when we leave ¡­ Max wasn¡¯t going to like it and he had a point, regarding her safety. But once they¡¯d already traveled for a ways, she could take off on her own and stretch her wings. After all, it only made sense to keep in shape and make sure she could fly away herself if she was in danger with no other recourse, right? Now, she only had to wait for everyone to be ready and everything to be packed and prepared to go. They were going to leave most of what they¡¯d built here intact, so they could use it for another occasion or, if nothing else, for the people of the town to have additional defensive structures. Maybe eventually it would turn into the local headquarters of a government district or department. Regina was also leaving a few drones behind to make sure that everyone¡¯s departure went smoothly and their guests didn¡¯t leave any issues to deal with. Feeling a bit bored as she was waiting, Regina opened her status screen again, looking at numbers she knew hadn¡¯t changed since the last time, even if she was undoubtedly getting close to her next level.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 61
Mana: 17163/29700
Hive: 1120/1816, 20 Swarm: 112867/13010000, 8000
Con: 17 Str: 16
Dex: 17 End: 19
Int: 35 Wis: 33
Regina blinked at the screen. Wait, level sixty-one? When did that happen? She groaned and put her face in her hands. She must have missed a level-up notification. It made sense when she thought about it, she¡¯d gained four stat points for reaching level 60 and the small increase in the next level would be easy to miss, especially since she hadn¡¯t checked her status screen lately. Most likely, it was when she¡¯d been deeply submerged using her psychic abilities, those did do funny things to her concentration and awareness. There was one time she¡¯d been half-asleep coming out of her training and barely stumbled into bed, but she thought there was something, maybe she¡¯d just waved away the System notification without really seeing it. Shaking her head at herself and resolving never to mention this to anyone, especially not Max or Ira, Regina returned her attention to the screen. She frowned at the rather large numbers. Well, I do have very large limits given my Skills now. With a baseline of a million at level sixty, considering the exponential increase, I guess, then it would be a factor of - eight? - for Swarm Strength, and an additional sixty percent at that level, I had ¡­ twelve million eight hundred thousand at level sixty, right. A bit more now, but not much. Not that I¡¯m anywhere close to actually having that many drones. Regina ran a hand through her hair absently. The war was still a constant drain on her Swarm Drone numbers, especially since she was going with a strategy of throwing them into the grinder to protect her sapient drones. At least it was successful in that regard. Her Inner Hive had also grown quite a bit, but not as much as it could have considering how reduced the numbers she could add currently were, and it had been rather irregular during the war, too. The numbers were enough to still give her a vast supply of mana, although there were clearly diminishing returns involved. Not that she was going to complain. Her stats were fine, not much change since the last level, obviously, except a point in End, which was fine. Despite herself, she found her eyes drifting to the uppermost row of the character screen. Her first name; just her first name. She didn¡¯t have ¡®Starlit¡¯ as a last name like had appeared for Janis, and her real name hadn¡¯t shown up, either, after she¡¯d uncovered it. She supposed that was fine as well. And her Class still read ¡®Hive Queen¡¯, despite her passing yet another Tier where she would ordinarily have received a Class Evolution. Or maybe just Evolution, she wasn¡¯t entirely sure of the terminology, especially considering Hivekind seemed to be special monsters. She¡¯d just have to be an empress with the Hive Queen Class. It was possible Leian just didn¡¯t want to bother, or maybe there just wasn¡¯t anything better she could get in a new Class. Regina was definitely the only Hive Queen on the planet, so it wouldn¡¯t make sense to make an entire system of Classes and paths for it. Still, it was yet another thing that made her sigh in frustration. I really hate not understanding why the gods do anything. Regina shook her head, then stood and grabbed her jacket. Hey, Janis, she called her. You¡¯re familiar with Cernlia, right? Sure, Janis answered hesitantly. She was currently in her own room, checking on all the books she¡¯d taken along in her bag. If there¡¯s something I don¡¯t know, I can always ask Kiara. Why, what do you need? Are there any temples close by that would be good choices to go to? Janis straightened up in surprise, and Regina sensed her eye the door, in Regina¡¯s direction, with a suspicious glance. I¡¯m sure there are, but ¡­ may I ask why you want to know? Regina opened the door and stepped into the corridor. ¡°Well, I wanted to go visit,¡± she said lightly. ¡°Someone did say it might be the best way to get the attention of Alianais. I can¡¯t think of anything better, certainly. It¡¯s worth a try.¡± Janis opened her own door and approached. She was frowning. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a good idea to do that? Seems like a risk.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°We have some questions, especially given what we¡¯ve learned recently,¡± she said quietly. ¡°It seems to me it might be best to just go and try to get some answers.¡± Janis nodded slowly, clearly considering her words and seeing some sense in them. ¡°Do you have to go in person?¡± Max interrupted, stepping up to them. ¡°It could just be one of us visiting a temple.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still apparently her Champion, or at least marked by Alianais in some way,¡± Regina reminded him. ¡°She¡¯s not going to hurt me. Hell, if she wanted to, I¡¯m not sure if she couldn¡¯t just do that remotely anywhere, anyway.¡± She shook her head. ¡°And if I am marked, it stands to reason I might need to come personally. Maybe I can call her or request a personal visit or something.¡± Max frowned, but he conceded reluctantly. ¡°Fine, but only with appropriate security precautions. You¡¯re not going alone and not to a place we can expect danger.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± she dismissed. ¡°I¡¯ll go check some texts and ask Kiara,¡± Janis offered. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find the best temple that¡¯s a bit out of the way, close to the hive and not crawling with people. And we can just have it closed to other visitors while we¡¯re there.¡± Regina noted the ¡®we¡¯ but didn¡¯t argue, only nodded. ¡°It won¡¯t hurt to be seen visiting a temple, I suppose.¡± Janis smiled slightly. Regina knew she was thinking about people¡¯s piety, something she herself rather preferred not to think about usually. But demonstrating a connection that did exist really wouldn¡¯t be the worst political thing she¡¯d done. Chapter 269: Visits They had barely left the premises of the summit, or at least the town, and hadn¡¯t reached the hive base yet when Regina¡¯s planning was interrupted again. This time, at least it was a cause for celebration. Finally, the first person in the hive after her had reached level 60. She¡¯d been waiting for it. The fact that her own growth limited that of her drones still didn¡¯t sit well with her, even if she knew that it didn¡¯t make much of a difference in practice, since they didn¡¯t gain Experience that fast, anyway. She also wasn¡¯t surprised that it turned out to be Tim who reached the Threshold first. Max had basically just sat around and played bodyguard, but except for one incident, he hadn¡¯t had much to do or many challenges, so he wouldn¡¯t have gained that much Experience. Mia or Tia might have been first, too, they also did a lot of work. Of the others, they were younger and too far behind, except perhaps for Ben. But it seemed that Tim¡¯s work at the conference and helping put her plans into practice for what followed gave him enough Experience. He¡¯d gone on ahead to personally check everything was ready in Forest¡¯s Haunt and the base, and having prepared for her and the others to get back, it seemed to have been the final small push needed. Have you already chosen a Class? she asked, sharing his excitement over the psychic link. Tim smiled. I do have one picked out, the System offered me a Class called Champion of the Empire. That sounds better than keeping my old Royal Champion. At least he found it more interesting, she could tell. Regina smiled as well, letting him sense it through the psychic link. It was probably a good sign, anyway. That¡¯s nice. Tell me what sorts of cool Class Skills you get. I will, Mother. There¡¯s nothing yet, though. Regina sent an acknowledgment and withdrew to give Tim a chance to talk to the others, or to experiment privately if he preferred. She was curious what the rest of them would get, too. It shouldn¡¯t be very long now. In the meantime, she had a lot of other things to organize, especially with the addition of another trip on short notice. It probably wasn¡¯t urgent, but she didn¡¯t want to wait too long. Besides, her coronation was in less than a month, she wasn¡¯t going to manage to get away close to that date. She¡¯d already started talking to other people and organizing the trip. The Delvers were an obvious group to ask, they knew the country better and would be motivated to protect her (hopefully even from religious sources, should that be necessary). Kiara might send someone to accompany them as well, just as a courtesy gesture. Regina was still debating on whether to bring June or not. She wasn¡¯t a member of her hive and she didn¡¯t want to cause issues with potentially conflicting loyalties. Janis was definitely coming, Regina would probably have to chain her down back at the hive base to prevent that. Same with Max. She was still happy to return to the base, even if it was only for a short time. In the days they¡¯d been gone, it had expanded again, unsurprisingly. Although many of the drones had accompanied her to the summit, many had stayed behind, and they¡¯d been working on the base pretty much non-stop since they started it. Now, the fortifications were a bit less visible than before, the eye drawn to the new houses going up. Some of it was housing for hive drones, although many of them still lived underground. Others were for humans, who were only going to keep coming here. Yet other buildings were workshops and offices. Regina was starting to get the feeling that if she didn¡¯t start building her own capital soon, it would build itself right here. She set down in the center of the hive¡¯s main base, stretching her wings and enjoying the slight strain in them, the feeling of satisfaction in flying on her own again for once. Then she folded them back up, waiting for Ira to make sure they were properly tucked away, before she returned to the underground portion of the base. Her first stop was the nursery, after which she went to the bathroom, although she¡¯d visit it again soon. There was nothing else immediately for her to do, since with the psychic link, Regina could keep up with most things by talking to people remotely. They¡¯d also started to work out a good system and her input wasn¡¯t needed in all that many places. It was a good thing, since she wouldn¡¯t have the time to micro-manage the hive. Tia found her an hour or so later, and they chatted about the current state of the hive over dinner. Regina usually ate that meal on her own when she didn¡¯t have obligations like at the summit, but this time she ventured into one of the common areas of the hive and watched her children while they talked. There were quite a few of these areas scattered through the base, in several sizes; drones were communal and preferred to spend a lot of time together, whether for eating, sleeping or working. ¡°Do you never want to have some solitude?¡± Regina asked curiously. Tia shrugged. ¡°Occasionally, I guess, I do like some alone time. Not everyone does, though, from what I¡¯ve heard. And it¡¯s not that hard to get, you can usually find a room no one else is in currently.¡± She paused. ¡°Well, I guess if the Hive keeps growing and we don¡¯t expand the base at the same rate, it¡¯s going to get harder.¡± Regina nodded. She had a feeling ¡®occasionally¡¯ was a lot less often than even, say, Janis would want to be alone. But Tia did have a point and Regina would have to ensure the hive didn¡¯t have to use quarters that were too cramped. Tia was content to eat in silence after that, while they watched the others and Regina considered the state of her hive. The other drones left them alone, too shy to approach her without her invitation. She didn¡¯t mind that at the moment. Instead, Regina started talking to Tia over the psychic link, ensuring only the two of them could hear, about the state of the hive and anything she needed to pay attention to now that she was back. You¡¯ve done a good job, Regina praised after a bit. Tia ducked her head. It¡¯s not like I was on my own, you and the others were still available to talk and you and Tim checked in regularly. Doesn¡¯t change the fact that you did well. On that note, I¡¯ve got a question for you. Would you prefer a job like this for the future, or something more along the lines of leading government divisions and ensuring the reform plans in the Empire succeed? If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Tia frowned, and Regina could feel that she was torn. Can I think about it? Sure. We could also do a bit of both, I guess. That might be for the best; multiple positions and integrations between various areas and spheres. Tia smiled at her and Regina could feel her happiness, so she smiled back and focused on her food for a moment, finishing it off. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have the time to linger for much longer. For the rest of the day, Regina met and talked with several people, walked through the corridors and tunnels of the base, and visited the hatchery twice, with the help of Ira and Max to carry the new eggs. By the time she went to bed, she was exhausted and feeling a bit sore, but in a good way, that of having accomplished something. (The thought occurred to her that this was probably the closest she could get to the feeling of having had sex, but she tried not to think too much about that.) The next day, she had planned to set out for the temple to talk to Alianais, if things went well. Regina still spent some time with the hive, finally visiting some newly hatched drones, checking on the eggs and deciding on specializations and even Class Evolutions for a few Swarm Drones, and generally fretting a bit. Then she ate some food, whoever was cooking today had managed some pretty good bread rolls out of grass of all things, and set off. Since the distance wasn¡¯t that far, Regina had decided to fly by herself. She could always climb on a Winged Drone Mount if she got tired, but she really wanted to stretch her legs a little. Besides, after sitting around all day at the summit she probably needed the exercise. The trip was actually nice. Despite being in the middle of winter, the sky was clear today. The snow sparkled prettily on the fields below them and it felt like she was gliding through the landscape of a Christmas postcard. Something in her chest felt warm at the thought that this all belonged to her, this was her territory. At least until they got to Cernlia proper, which was still technically hers as part of the new Empire but not exactly her territory, even if it was beautiful. Regina was flying more slowly than a high-level Mount would be capable of, but she still pushed herself to maintain a decent pace and they made good enough time. It helped that aside from Janis and Max, Regina had put her foot down and wasn¡¯t bringing too many people. Instead, Max had settled for some select high-level drones as escorts. The temple they¡¯d finally decided on, with some help from native Cernlians, was located in a town not too far away from the hive¡¯s territory proper. It was further south than Whitor¡¯s earldom but just far enough that it didn¡¯t belong to the Lyns march. It had suffered a bit in the recent war, and apparently there was some debate about the proper lord of the town since the previous one died, but Regina didn¡¯t really care about that. It was located on a pretty big trade road and called Godsfern after the temples it housed, which were its sole claim to fame. Clearly, at least someone in town had been informed of their visit, since the hive¡¯s party appearing over the horizon didn¡¯t cause a panic. People still stopped and stared, but that was probably to be expected. Regina waved a bit, but didn¡¯t wait to head for the temple. She was still a bit unsure about religion in Cernlia, and the other human kingdoms. It didn¡¯t seem to have that big of an influence on the daily life of the people, which considering these gods were actually real and could act, was surprising, compared to the Middle Ages. Maybe the people she¡¯d had the most to do with were just atheistically inclined, or it was an effect of a polytheistic pantheon, or this particular one. Come to think of it, some gods must have died in the war against these Mesen people and their fleeing to this Earth. It felt like there were too few for a full pantheon and there were gaps in the roles. Maybe that still had repercussions in other ways. Something to consider. Anyway, visiting a town like this gave her a different impression. The temple was rather grand compared to the town, a sprawling complex built primarily of white stone, with gardens and even a fountain in the center of the courtyard. Priests in uniform robes had gathered to see them and they¡¯d drawn a crowd of worshipers come to gawk. Besides, Regina could sense ¡­ something. It was very faint. She shook her head and started for the temple. It was tempting to just waltz right past the assembled priests, but that would be pretty rude, so she slowed down and gave them a regal nod when she reached them. The priests bowed deeply, and the leader, given the hem of his gray robe was more ornately embroidered than the others, spoke up. ¡°Welcome to the temple of Godsfern, Your Imperial Majesty.¡± The address caused a bit of muttering among the spectators; maybe her new title and news of the founding of the Empire hadn¡¯t spread as widely yet? ¡°Thank you for the welcome, high priest Letarn,¡± she responded, going by his System description. ¡°It is our honor and pleasure to have you here, along with the Princess and your companions.¡± He tilted his head at them, then hesitated for a moment. ¡°I assume that you are here to honor Alianais, specifically?¡± Regina raised an eyebrow and nodded. She¡¯d known that the Goddess of Progress was the main deity of this temple, but she supposed it made some sense if other gods also had shrines here. Maybe Leian ¡ª that was something she could look into later. ¡°Then please, allow me to guide you.¡± Regina glanced around curiously as the priest led them into the temple proper. It was pretty much as she¡¯d expected; a pretty futuristic architecture for the local culture and technology. There were high, vaulted ceilings and long expanses of colored glass, mostly set in artistic, sometimes geometric patterns. It reminded her a bit of gothic cathedrals in the end but with a different vibe. There wasn¡¯t much actual religious iconography. The temple instead used understated elegance coupled with vibrant colors where there were any, and an architectural plan striving towards heaven with several levels and a complicated layout. It did its own thing and despite herself, she had to admit that she kind of liked it. The place the priest led them, after leaving enough time for gawking and admiring the architecture, was up a broad flight of stairs and through a set of large double doors made of some metal they¡¯d managed to dye blue somehow. Behind it lay a smaller room than the large central hall, but it didn¡¯t lose out in style. The corners were held up by fluted columns merging into a field of branching vines on the ceiling and the walls were a rich emerald color fading into a deep blue towards the floor. More importantly, there was a large statue of Alianais, sitting on a desk and appearing to read a book with her head cocked slightly to the side, gazing up as if she was just receiving a visitor. There were a few braziers in the room and what she was pretty sure was a discreet altar, all presumably used for sacrifices, but the priest only guided them to the front of the room by the statue. Then he quietly bowed his way out of the room. Regina took a step forward and looked around. Here they were. She took a deep breath and then focused on the statue, also trying to feel for the divine mana she¡¯d felt before and the connection she apparently had to the goddess. ¡°Alianais?¡± she asked quietly. Naturally, there was no response. Regina bowed her head and focused harder. ¡°I¡¯ve come to talk; please respond to me. O goddess? I need to consult with you. You¡¯ve marked me, I¡¯m in a temple of yours. I call on you, Alianais.¡± This time, there was a reaction. Regina saw a slight shimmer in the air at the same time as she felt a movement in the ambient mana and took a step back, along with the others behind her. The next moment, Alianais stood in front of her. ¡°Finally.¡± Regina exhaled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure that would work. Thanks for coming, I really need to talk to you, Alianais.¡± The goddess frowned and Regina shivered involuntarily, as her displeasure hung in the air almost like a physical weight. ¡°Regina,¡± she greeted her back tersely. ¡°I am a goddess, not some harlot to call over for a quick session. You need to show some respect to the divine, mortal girl.¡± Regina suppressed the urge for a snappy answer. She bowed her head. ¡°I apologize, Goddess. No disrespect was intended.¡± Alianais examined her like a rare bug under a microscope for another second before she nodded and the subtle pressure she felt faded. ¡°Good. You wanted to talk, so speak we shall.¡± Chapter 270: Distrust Alianais looked much the same as she did the last time Regina had seen her. Her skin was tanned but had the same unmistakable shimmery quality. Her long white hair flowed down her back, hiding her ears and contrasting with her shining gold eyes. Castaway had said something about seeing her bearing the mark of power, and while Regina hadn¡¯t thought much of that, now she could see what he meant. Alianais looked like power, although that might also just be the feeling in the very air around her, the aura Regina felt with her magical senses. Maybe it was also because she truly met her in person for the first time outside the Mirrored Halls, so it stood out more. Now she raised an eyebrow and Regina realized she had probably stared a bit too long. Refusing to be embarrassed about it, she just gave a small nod and then glanced at the others with her, silently telling them to stay back and let her handle this. She didn¡¯t think Alianais would like being interrupted and she didn¡¯t seem to care much for any of her drones. ¡°I hope you have not had too much trouble with Deirianon,¡± Regina started, hoping to begin on a reasonable note, not small talk but still not the questions she really wanted to ask. Alianais¡¯ eyebrow climbed a bit higher before the goddess shook her head in apparent dissatisfaction. ¡°There has been a bit of trouble,¡± she replied curtly. ¡°The usual disagreements. I expect you aren¡¯t surprised by it.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Regina asked cautiously. Alianais gave her a very unimpressed look. ¡°Because you are the cause, girl,¡± she answered, a bit snappishly. ¡°He is not happy with what you have been doing. Even the other gods are showing concern.¡± Regina averted her eyes for a moment before she brought them back to the irritated goddess. She honestly wasn¡¯t too surprised to learn of this; it was pretty obvious. Although the confirmation that the gods were angry (or, at least, unhappy) about her was chilling. And I didn¡¯t do anything that outrageous, did I? Alianais seemed able to read the last thought, or maybe she just knew Regina, because she snorted lightly and shook her head. ¡°I had hoped you would act with a bit more discretion, hatched a thousand years out of your time into a strange world as you were. More fool me, I suppose.¡± ¡°I did try,¡± Regina said. ¡°I held back what I showed. I mean, I realize that I¡¯ve recently made some geopolitical moves, but I was drawn into this war, I didn¡¯t choose it.¡± ¡°You could have chosen not to engage,¡± Alianais responded, waving her hand irritably. ¡°And exercised some more discretion.¡± ¡°I thought you wanted me to bring some progress into this static world,¡± Regina muttered. The goddess narrowed her eyes. ¡°I am already cross with you, girl, do not test my patience further,¡± she warned her. ¡°I took you out of that stasis chamber and allowed your egg to hatch. I did not have to do that. Remember that. Your egg would have died with no one around to care if we did not free you.¡± Regina winced and averted her eyes again. In the back of her mind, she noted the use of ¡®we¡¯, indicating Alianais didn¡¯t do it alone ¡ª Leian, presumably ¡ª but she was more focused on the immediate situation. ¡°I do appreciate that,¡± she said sincerely. Although she couldn¡¯t stop there. ¡°But I was still the only one of my kind when I woke.¡± And I did not have to be, either. Alianais just stared at her for a moment, and Regina feared she¡¯d gone too far for a second, before the goddess crossed her arms and looked away, at the other people present. ¡°Speaking in private would be preferable,¡± she said, ¡°but I suppose you trust all of these here with all your secrets?¡± Regina glanced back as well, smiling at her family. There were only Max and a few other drones here, all her children, her drones, who would keep her secrets if she wanted them to. And Janis, who she trusted without reservation, too. ¡°I do,¡± she confirmed. Alianais looked back at her, visibly dismissing them from her attention and instead examining Regina. ¡°I imagine you had questions for me, since you wanted to speak to me.¡± Regina nodded. Where do I even begin? She¡¯d tried to consider this conversation before and what she should say, but she was already a bit thrown off by the start of the conversation. Maybe Alianais had done that on purpose, too. And she¡¯d have to be careful. If there was something to her suspicions, this could backfire spectacularly, and either way, she didn¡¯t want to make Alianais angrier with her. ¡°I know I have some divine magic noticeable on me,¡± she began carefully, ¡°a mark from you. But we¡¯ve never actually talked about what that means.¡± ¡°Of course. It is understandable that you have questions.¡± Regina was a bit relieved that it seemed like she would actually answer her questions now. ¡°What does it do?¡± she asked. ¡°I assume it allows you to track me and you probably used it when you protected me. But how does it work? Is there some divine magic bug on me or something?¡± The goddess smiled faintly. ¡°I marked you when I brought your egg out of the stasis chamber and let it hatch,¡± she explained. ¡°You might think of it as a piece of mana carrying my magical signature sticking to you, indeed. That¡¯s a gross oversimplification, but it¡¯ll do for now. It would also allow you to use divine mana, at least if you had a Class that was suited for channeling it. Beyond that, it can be detected by certain people, as you have already noticed. It does allow me to look in on you easier if I wished to, but it would not be necessary for that, and it does not give the ability to go past other restrictions or in places it wouldn¡¯t be possible anyway.¡± Like when Leian got to talk to me that one time, Regina noted. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s great and all, and thanks for the explanation. However, I¡¯d still like to clear something up. Am I your Champion?¡± ¡°People have said you are, have they?¡± ¡°Yes, and I¡¯d like an answer.¡± ¡°It is a little more complex than that. The answer is yes and no. A Champion is not something decided by a status check in the System ¡­ whatever some people might think,¡± Alianais almost muttered the last part with an annoyed expression. ¡°It is someone marked by the divine power of their patron who presumably also champions their cause. I wouldn¡¯t mind if you wanted to call yourself my Champion, and in a sense, your doing that is what would make it true.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Regina tugged on her mandible. She¡¯d been hoping for a clear and simple answer, but apparently that wasn¡¯t to be. Still, it could be worse. ¡°Can you remove it? The mark?¡± she asked after a second of thought. For the first time, Alianais looked surprised. But the look faded quickly and she still answered readily enough, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be comfortable, but I could. Would you want me to?¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°I need to think about this.¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± Alianais commented in a neutral tone. If she had an opinion on the matter, she was taking care not to show it. ¡°I assume I can¡¯t learn to use your divine magic, anyway.¡± ¡°You could.¡± She sounded doubtful. ¡°It might not be wise, however. As I said, your Class isn¡¯t the best suited, and you are not a priest of mine or anything of the like.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Regina shrugged dismissively. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± She thought back to Leian¡¯s comment on the matter, questioning if she really wanted to channel Alianais¡¯ power. Thinking about it, Regina really didn¡¯t think so, especially without understanding the full implications. It sounded like it might change something and she¡¯d rather not be any more irrevocably bound to Alianais than she had to right now. ¡°You distrust me,¡± Alianais stated. Regina flinched slightly before she could help it, jerking her eyes upward to meet the goddess¡¯ gaze. Is she reading my mind? She tried to focus on her mental defense exercises, on what Madris had taught her, but there was no way to know if the goddess had bypassed them. Maybe I¡¯m just being paranoid, she could just draw that conclusion from my reaction. ¡°Have I given you cause to fear me?¡± Alianais asked. That was a direct challenge, just the thing Regina had wanted to avoid. She hesitated for a moment, her thoughts spinning as she tried to figure out what to say. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± she finally answered honestly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what all you have done.¡± Alianais cocked her head. She seemed faintly irritated, but not particularly angry at her. ¡°I assume you¡¯re referring to something specific, or are you simply childishly upset that I have not confided all of my plans and intentions to you?¡± Regina scowled at her for a moment before she remembered the situation and instead forced her expression to be neutral. Maybe she¡¯d been a ruler for too long, she really wasn¡¯t used to being spoken to less than respectfully anymore. But unless Alianais was bluffing, which was certainly possible, the question was probably a good sign. ¡°People have been trying to kill me, if you haven¡¯t noticed,¡± she began. ¡°Of course I know about the event you are referring to,¡± the goddess said irritably. ¡°Are you suggesting I had something to do with it, Regina?¡± Regina hesitated. ¡°Well ¡ª I¡¯m not accusing you of anything,¡± she hastened to clarify. ¡°But there are a few ¡­ connections I find worrying. Alianais, during the war in Nerlia people used an old method against me by suppressing the hive¡¯s psychic link, what do you have to say about that?¡± Alianais stilled, and her eyebrows drew together into a frown. ¡°Ah. That.¡± Regina exchanged a quick glance with Janis. That did not sound promising. ¡°That?¡± she prompted. ¡°I realize how it might look,¡± Alianais commented, gesturing more animatedly with her hand, ¡°but I can assure you, my dear girl, I was not trying to sabotage or harm you.¡± Regina waited for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear and I¡¯m thankful for the reassurance, but I¡¯d still like a more specific answer.¡± ¡°I was trying to warn you,¡± the goddess of Progress said stiffly. ¡°Discreetly. It did not, quite, go to plan. That ritual was going to be used sooner or later, Regina. You needed to be prepared to deal with it.¡± ¡°So, what, you just gave it to my enemies and it¡¯s fine as long as they used it in a less important area or phase of the war?¡± Regina felt her eye twitch. ¡°I thought they were just testing it, perhaps, ahead of more serious performance, but ¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Alianais¡¯ glare made her mouth snap shut, and the goddess clicked her tongue. ¡°If you had just let me finish, I¡¯d tell you. What happened is not quite what I had planned.¡± She frowned and the tension of her presence dimmed for the first time, probably a sign of her feeling dejected, Regina guessed. ¡°I unearthed the information, particularly where details of its previous use and a description could be found, and then passed it to a selected agent. But ¡ª I assume you know that a priest gave it to the Cernlian Thaumaturge? As it happens, the man who did that was not a devotee of mine ¡ª at least not at that time.¡± Regina blinked, trying to put it together. ¡°So, what, he betrayed you? Defected? I didn¡¯t even know priests could do that. He still had the Class, so I¡¯m assuming he just switched patrons, do you know to who?¡± ¡°Unfortunately not,¡± Alianais said stiffly. ¡°It is not something that happens often, as you can imagine. And now ¡­ he disappeared shortly after, so I can hardly ask him now, or punish him for his disloyalty.¡± Regina ran a hand through her hair. ¡°Well, I have some guesses.¡± ¡°As do I. Unfortunately, a certain colleague of mine denies all involvement. Naturally.¡± So, Deirianon was not above lying, big surprise. Unless he actually didn¡¯t do it this time ¡­ but that seems unlikely. ¡°You should not trust any of the other gods.¡± Alianais fixed her with a look. ¡°Please promise me that.¡± Regina hesitated for a moment. ¡°All of them?¡± ¡°Yes. Why? Is there someone I should be concerned with?¡± Regina tried giving her a disarming smile and shrugging casually. ¡°Well, there¡¯s Leian. I do trust her as much as you, and perhaps at the moment, I¡¯m inclined to trust her more,¡± she added honestly, feeling like she had to, and tried widening her smile. ¡°Of course,¡± Alianais sighed. ¡°Leian.¡± She sounded, if not offended, then a little miffed on a personal level now. ¡°You don¡¯t approve?¡± ¡°Just be careful, Regina. You might feel a connection to Leian, you might feel like she is somehow superior to us, but she¡¯s ¡­ she was as much a tyrant as any of us might be, once.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Regina couldn¡¯t help but be skeptical of Alianais here. She wasn¡¯t going to believe that without further evidence. Of course, there are probably good reasons not to trust any of them. Alianais shook her head, clearly done with the topic. ¡°If that is all, I hope I was able to help you find some clarity.¡± ¡°You did,¡± Regina assured her. ¡°Thank you, Alianais.¡± The goddess nodded. ¡°Then you should leave. Go with my blessings.¡± She disappeared without waiting for a response, presumably back to the Celestial Home. Regina stared at her statue for a moment, before she shook her head and turned to leave. She didn¡¯t have to talk to the others to understand their reactions. Max and the other drones were subdued, she could tell he was concerned but he kept it simmering at a low level, more focused on her. Janis, on the other hand, was curious as well as concerned, a bit suspicious, and she also felt some of the wonder that was noticeably absent from the rest of them. Regina decided to talk to them later, and simply headed for the doors. Once they left what she assumed to be the sanctum, the priest who¡¯d led them in earlier was waiting for them. ¡°I hope everything was as you expected, Your Majesty?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, I suppose. We do need to be leaving now, though. Oh, one more thing.¡± Regina paused, then focused on her magic, calling on her Conjuration Spell. ¡°A donation for the temple. Please see to any potential repairs or extensions, and if there is nothing else needed, I¡¯m sure you have a library that could use some attention.¡± Maybe she should even build up a temple library. A thought worth considering later. The priest looked down at the pieces of pure gold she¡¯d handed him, smooth coins without any designs ¡ª they hadn¡¯t even started minting any yet so it wouldn¡¯t matter, and she wasn¡¯t going to counterfeit other coins ¡ª and his eyes widened. He bowed deeply. ¡°We are very grateful, Your Imperial Majesty.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± Then, before they could make a bigger deal out of it or start asking for other things, Regina started walking again, heading out. She shivered slightly as she focused on the feel of the local mana and felt it recede as she went. ¡°Do you believe her?¡± Janis asked her quietly as they left the temple. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Regina admitted. They didn¡¯t say anything else until they were in the air and well on their way. Chapter 271: Catching Up All the way back to the hive and for some time after their trip, Regina found her thoughts circling back to her meeting with Alianais. Unfortunately, while it had provided some answers, it had left her almost as unsure as before. She was uncertain where exactly she stood with Alianais, but more importantly, she also wasn¡¯t sure how she should feel towards the goddess. If she was honest with herself, that had been building for a while, but it was still something more. Regina was aware that Alianais could have been lying. She didn¡¯t really think so, but if she wasn¡¯t trustworthy, it would be stupid to just, well, trust her on what she said. The idea that someone - Deirianon - could have subverted Alianais¡¯ network enough to actually turn one of her priests was worrisome. Regina wasn¡¯t sure, but she¡¯d assumed they had some kind of protection, and they probably weren¡¯t left completely on their own with no oversight. Assuming only old-fashioned espionage methods were involved, someone had to have approached and recruited the guy without getting noticed. Still, presumably Alianais has a lot of priests and not everyone can be a pure example of devotion, so it¡¯s not that hard to imagine. Regina shrugged the thought off and tried to stop worrying about the situation, it wasn¡¯t constructive at this point. She had more than enough other things to take up her attention, and it was probably a good thing that she was too busy to fret too much. She¡¯d have to come to some kind of decision on how to handle this with respect to the Delvers, but for now Regina focused on more immediate concerns. They were recruiting for positions in various agencies, departments and military functions; just the core group for now, but it would get everything started. The Delvers were very helpful, and so far, there was no shortage of candidates from Cernlia and Nerlia who were interested. Almost entirely nobles, given the requirements ¡ª they tended to be the ones with an education. It was unfortunate, but Regina would have to make do. Commoners rich enough for an advanced education or with jobs where they had to know and use a lot of math weren¡¯t much better. But she¡¯d have to set up her school system and give it some time to work before Regina could really change that. It was still a relief to get the first few positions filled. They¡¯d taken on those who wouldn¡¯t need much of a supplementary education, for now. But it relieved some of the burden on her hive drones, given the ever-expanding tasks they had to do. Regina had also caved and hired a few people for more traditional court positions. If she was going to set up something that would be recognized and accepted on the world stage, she had to observe some forms and norms. Since the new capital wasn¡¯t going to be ready in a month, obviously, Regina¡¯s official coronation had been scheduled to take place in Cera. And she was probably going to set up her court there for a bit before they could move it to a better location. Kiara was actually happy with that decision, despite the additional effort, but then again, Regina had assured her she was providing the finances for it. Another sign of support probably wouldn¡¯t go amiss considering the situation with the gnomish border; now she just had to figure out some sign of favor she could give Nerlia to keep them from getting too jealous. That was one reason Regina had recruited people for most of the more ceremonially-oriented jobs from there and handed out some courtesy titles ¡ª it wasn¡¯t like she had particularly high (or, at least, untraditional) standards for positions like Master of the Horse or Master of Ceremony. For now, those people were living in housing the drones had quickly thrown together at Forest¡¯s Haunt or already in Cera. Ira was now officially her private secretary and Max was Head of Security for the royal/Imperial court. Not that it changed what they were doing much. Tim had a nice title provided by his Class, and Regina was intending on roping him into doing some work at said court, maybe hearing petitions. Like Janis. There were upsides to having a larger royal family for those kinds of duties. Well, Regina had a lot of children, literally hundreds, but they couldn¡¯t exactly make them all actual royals, it wasn¡¯t like every member of the hive could be a prince or princess, realistically. Though it would be amusing to confuse her courtiers and noble visitors with it. She was hoping to gradually transition job titles to more modern ones and shift their associated duties accordingly, as the Empire would hopefully advance in technological level ¡ª and socially ¡ª quickly. For now, Regina had been happy to give up responsibility for worrying about things like her wardrobe to Ira and the others and focus on making the decisions she had to make. And they were doing a good job; she¡¯d never particularly liked dresses but she now had a few that even Regina had to admit were quite nice. They¡¯d be able to put on a proper show and tick all the necessary boxes for the upcoming events. News of the founding of the Empire had spread throughout the country and people were reacting pretty much as expected. There were no revolts, at least. A lot of people were unsure or even dismissive, going by the reports, but it would be more surprising if they weren¡¯t. At least the nobility seemed mostly on board or at least eager to jump on the bandwagon. Regina had lost count of how many letters from various lords of varying importance she¡¯d received, all having little to nothing actually important to say. Meaningless flattery and attempts to gain favor were better than hostility, though. And she probably shouldn¡¯t judge them for doing the polite thing and introducing themselves or issuing invitations. Regina would have to decline those invitations. There were a few more important letters, though, from international senders. Some trying to keep contact they¡¯d established during the summit alive ¡ª Regina was inviting them to the coronation and to establish embassies ¡ª and other countries who hadn¡¯t been represented there sending their regards. There were also letters from several Delver chapters, unsurprisingly. They all had clearly also sent letters to the local Delvers, several outright referenced such letters, but they seemed to want to hear directly from her as well. Regina couldn¡¯t blame them. They weren¡¯t hostile or accusing, though; some seemed subtly skeptical, which she supposed was fair enough, but two or three actually appeared enthusiastic about her appearance. She thought they were probably genuine in offering to be of assistance. Considering several of the letters she¡¯d received came from countries within the new Western Confederation, Regina counted herself lucky and was not about to spurn them. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The letter that had caused the most stir, though, was from the dark elves. Regina could only assume it had something to do with Madris¡¯ presence here. She had been about to call for her and discuss it to find out more, but found that she didn¡¯t really need to do that. Although she would still talk to Madris, of course. But the brief meld they¡¯d performed to assure each other¡¯s trustworthiness had given her some information, and she¡¯d picked up other things in the time Madris was teaching her, both impressions from her mind as well as what simply came up in conversation. Despite what some people thought, the dark elves did have a unified government, although it was more of an overarching federal structure than a centralized government. The main political entities, though, weren¡¯t provinces or regions but houses, who might have property somewhere outside their traditional borders or business interests intertwined with others, so there was a lot of organizational, infastructure- and logistics-related administrative power in the hands of the central government. Foreign politics also fell into this sphere, by and large. Any deal made with a foreign power would still actually have to appeal to the houses to get implemented, though. Still, the dark elves had somehow managed to keep generally positive relationships with the Delvers for centuries, which couldn¡¯t be an easy feat. It also meant they¡¯d probably gotten information about her, the hive and what she was doing from them. Fortunately, even after having left, Madris still had a respectably high position in their hierarchy, and would hopefully be able to use that to her advantage if Regina asked her. Although she¡¯d also been gone for a while and from what Regina understood, House Ulaven, of which she was the Mistress, barely existed as more than a polite fiction and some official paperwork. It was probably best not to rely on Madris¡¯ presence too much. Either way, Regina was going to invite an ambassador from the dark elves to her court (as soon as she actually had one). For now, she decided to discuss this and other issues with Galatea, who had just appeared in the base again. Regina wasn¡¯t entirely sure where she¡¯d been. Her friend had been present for most of the summit but seemed to take its end as a signal to get some alone time. Regina decided not to worry about it. Galatea did what she wanted, and came and went as she wanted, that was just the way it was. Besides, after living alone for centuries, even stuck in one location, it¡¯s probably no wonder she doesn¡¯t want to be around people all the time, or to have her presence regulated. If Galatea was human, Regina would have been quite concerned about her mental state, but she wasn¡¯t, and she was a thousand-year-old intelligence, so it felt silly to worry about her like one of her drones. Although I should probably still tell her what I¡¯m thinking and that I¡¯ll always be there if she needs me. Regina decided to couple it with taking a flight around town and to invite Galatea along. That was a good occasion to try something else she¡¯d been contemplating. She closed her eyes again and took a few deep breaths to focus her mind, before she homed in on her sense of her friend¡¯s presence in her ¡®mind¡¯s eye¡¯. Galatea had mental defenses, and her mind was different, but not hard to find. Regina focused intently on it and then thought of greeting her, thought of the words she wanted to say, and pushed them along at her mind. After a moment, she felt Galatea¡¯s pleased surprise as the mental walls buckled a bit, letting her communication in. They were quite different from what she expected organic minds¡¯ defenses would be generally like, and Galatea didn¡¯t have that much control over them compared to someone like Madris, but the conscious and subconscious desire to talk to someone was enough to lower her walls and allow a psychic to open a connection. Regina? Is there a reason you¡¯re contacting me like this instead of talking in person? Regina smiled as she examined the words and how Galatea¡¯s mind formed them to transmit to her. Just practice, she answered. How are you doing? Pretty well. I had some interesting encounters. Do you want to tell me about them? We could go for a flight around the base, I¡¯ve been wanting to stretch my wings again. Galatea shrugged internally. Sure. Then she paused, and Regina could almost feel her decide to bring this up now while they were talking like this and she might get a better read on her reaction. You¡¯re not upset that I¡¯ve been gone, are you? Nope. You do you. I respect that you need your space. Alright then. I¡¯m on my way. They met two minutes later at the main entrance to the hive, although it had started out as the back entrance. Regina unfurled her wings and jumped off the ground without ceremony, and Galatea seemed to flash into the air to wait for her as she leveled out high enough up to have a good view of the countryside. ¡°I missed our lessons,¡± Regina finally said. Galatea turned to face her and nodded, frowning a bit. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ve both been busy, but maybe we should make more time. I admit that might be my fault. You¡¯re pretty good with magic, but there are still things I could teach you.¡± ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that. But I also feel like we haven¡¯t seen each other a lot lately,¡± Regina answered honestly. Galatea hummed in response. ¡°You never really told me how you felt about this whole Empire stuff,¡± Regina pressed. She hadn¡¯t seemed to object, but still ¡­ Her friend shrugged. ¡°It seemed like a decision you should make on your own. But I¡¯m not upset if that¡¯s what you mean. If I had concerns about you outing yourself to everyone as a ¡®Progenitor¡¯, I would have said so. If you want to build a new nation in the image of our old home, I¡¯d say that¡¯s your right and I¡¯ll help if you need it.¡± Regina relaxed a bit at her words. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t start trying to hand out an official title like you¡¯ve been doing with your hive members,¡± Galatea added with a smile. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to go without.¡± Regina laughed. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want.¡± ¡°What did I miss while I was gone?¡± She sighed, then started giving Galatea a recap of everything that had happened, especially her conversation with Alianais. After she was finished, Galatea remained quiet for a few moments, before she nodded slowly. ¡°You¡¯re right, that is a bit concerning. I haven¡¯t really heard from Leian much since all this started, or I¡¯d say I¡¯d ask her.¡± Regina made an affirmative noise. She decided not to ask more about Leian or whatever she might have told her; Galatea was usually good about not telling things people might want to stay private, and she didn¡¯t think there was much that would be helpful to figure this out, anyway. There wasn¡¯t really much she could do about conflict between or involving the gods, which was frustrating but just the way things were. She let a minute pass in silence. ¡°What have you been up to, anyway?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve visited quite a few places, going a bit farther afield than I¡¯ve been up to recently.¡± Galatea smiled in what looked decidedly like a self-satisfied way. Regina blinked at her, trying to guess what might make her look like that. ¡°Something I should be aware of? To the south?¡± she hazarded. ¡°Let¡¯s just say, if you ever do send a real expedition through the Alps, you won¡¯t be completely shooting in the dark as I¡¯ll have some contacts on the other side.¡± Regina stared at her for a moment, before a broad grin spread on her face. ¡°Galatea, have I told you you¡¯re awesome? Because I should be doing it more often.¡± Her friend grinned at her and it looked like the most genuine smile she¡¯d seen from her. Chapter 272: Engagement The end of the international summit marked a phase of higher aggression in the war against the gnomes. With most of the Hive¡¯s leadership returned to their home and some of them to the front and the territory they¡¯d occupied in the Gnomish Confederation, the hive was pushing harder. Clearly, the gnomes had been preparing as well, though. While the Hive had lost thousands of drones, it felt like they were past the most critical point. By now, their losses were no longer in danger of outpacing their new ¡®recruitment¡¯. The gnomes had clearly been recruiting as well and their veterans had earned new levels, but the balance was unmistakably tilting, giving the Hive a bit more breathing room. At least in this regard. Janis stared at the neatly tabulated columns of numbers and the carefully drawn graphs she¡¯d penciled in beside them and didn¡¯t know whether she should smile or give in to the slightly more uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Math was not one of her strong points. Not comparatively. Most likely because she had not received a good education, at least compared to Regina, definitely, and even Kiara, probably. The drones who had inherited some of their knowledge from Regina also tended to be more on her level than Janis¡¯. She¡¯d caught up some, had learned more since joining the Hive, but it was still frustrating to feel like the stupidest person in the room on the occasions it came up. Still, she was good enough for basic algebra and dealing with simple functions. She was confident in the projections she¡¯d sketched out, at least if the ¡ª admittedly simplified ¡ª assumptions held. Of course no one could know the future, but the Hive was definitely going to grow unless something really major happened. She closed her eyes and focused on the psychic link, sensing the Hive. This time, she tried not to focus on anyone in particular, but instead to get a sense of the minds in the link. There were definitely more, of course, and they seemed younger, if she wasn¡¯t just imagining it. That was another obvious consequence of exponential growth like this, though. It felt a little weird that many of the drones she would meet and work with would be born into an already established Hive. But Janis had grown used to things like that since she joined the Hive. Carefully putting away the papers, she stood and left her apartment. She was grateful that she had a room of her own, and even a small bathroom off to the side. Even if the warm water was still spotty, the plumbing system the Hive had built here was one of its biggest accomplishments in her opinion, but more than that, she appreciated the privacy. As far as she knew, Regina was the only other person who had their own bedroom here. It was a good thing the drones liked to cuddle, since they¡¯d probably have to share dormitories anyway. You were rarely ever alone here, though, even in a separate room, as Janis noted again as she walked out of the base. Someone had already noticed her leaving and sent a drone mount to the inner courtyard they usually used. She climbed into the simple saddle they¡¯d affixed to the drone and told it to fly without further ceremony. Tilting her head to the side, Janis enjoyed the wind against her face, before she opened her eyes to check their height and turned the drone to head south. Then she focused on the psychic link again. It was a nice view, but she¡¯d flown this way before often enough that just watching the landscape had lost most of its appeal. Despite now being officially a princess, Janis was determined to contribute as much as before. When she¡¯d expressed some concerns about her ability to live up to that title ¡ª surely she could be named heir without having such a title or position? ¡ª Regina had been unsympathetic and told her to suck it up. She wasn¡¯t going to be reduced to staying put and looking pretty or only doing PR functions, though. Janis also wasn¡¯t going to be dragging a horde of bodyguards behind her like Max bullied Regina into doing, not until she absolutely no longer had a choice. Of course, she also wasn¡¯t stupid, so Janis didn¡¯t fly too far into gnome-held territory, and instead waited at an outpost that was a comfortable distance into an area the hive controlled for a small escort of high-level Winged Drones to arrive for her, before she ventured on towards the front. Ada was waiting for her up ahead on another Winged Drone Mount, having swerved off from a scouting patrol going back towards the hive¡¯s positions. Anything I need to know that we haven¡¯t talked about before? Janis asked. Ada shrugged. There¡¯s some more activity in the northeastern quadrant, she said. Nothing spectacular. Send another scout there, Janis decided. With Ash taking over back at home base we should use the opportunity. Choose someone with a bit of experience and have them take a few higher-level drones and fly a full sweep focused on the far side, okay? Will do, Janis, Ada acknowledged. Or should I call you ¡®Your Imperial Highness¡¯ now? Not unless you want to see how far I¡¯ve come with Fire Manipulation, she mock-growled. Ada snickered and her Mount winged to the side to get back to the outpost. I¡¯ll be watching for it on the battlefield, she tossed back. Janis shook her head with a smile and spurred her own drone on to continue on their way, deciding to keep going instead of stopping over at this outpost. She¡¯d been in the air for a while by now, of course, but she could tell that her mount still had a few kilometers in it. That was another thing she¡¯d gotten pretty good at estimating. She also wouldn¡¯t have to take long to get to a battlefield. There had been frequent skirmishes between Gnomish Confederation and Hive forces, and they¡¯d increased in intensity recently. It would have been a clear sign of an offensive being prepared if nothing else was, but at this point, she was pretty sure everyone could read the lay of the land. The only real question remaining was if the gnomes had the strength they would need to stand against the hive. Janis half-closed her eyes as she dove into the psychic link, making sure to ¡®surface¡¯ occasionally and retain some awareness of her surroundings. She could only direct the hive¡¯s forces through the psychic link, but focusing too deeply on it might make her vulnerable so close to the action. Being here in person also allowed her to go where trouble might start and intervene personally, though. For now, she examined their troop placement and sent a few orders to adjust it, silently querying other commanders on their status and the progress they¡¯d made. Once she judged their general status and preparedness satisfactory, Janis focused on the area that contained the actual front line. The gnomes had taken to using a strategy of quick strikes, using their rudimentary rail lines to bring units close to their targets, but still keeping far enough back the hive couldn¡¯t just destroy them before they formed up easily. The carts and tracks were high-value targets, in the sense that capturing them intact would be very helpful. Janis could give the order to destroy them instead ¡ª although it would need quite a number of flying drones and explosives since the gnomes were certain to defend them fiercely, and some were underground ¡ª but she wouldn¡¯t. Besides, it was a good indicator that the gnomes had to rely on regular, at least non-elite troops for their strikes instead of just sending highly mobile high-level fighters. Their numbers were dwindling while the Hive¡¯s were only growing. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. As she was just mentally going through the sight of several Winged Drones in various quadrants, she noticed another attack starting. Janis immediately sent the alert to the sapient drones responsible for that area before she focused in, nudging one of the Winged Drones to fly a bit closer. Her initial impression was right, as she saw a small convoy coming from the southeast, backlit by the sinking sun so it was harder to make out details. A few small wagons with supplies and physically weaker members, probably healers and mages, accompanied by a column of soldiers. They were moving quickly, undoubtedly under the effect of a Haste Spell or something similar. She felt Ben reach out to her and quickly showed him what she was currently focused on. There¡¯s a town in a strategically important position not far from them, she said. If we beat back this attack decisively, we can advance on it and take it before they¡¯ve got the time or resources to react. It would be a bit of a gamble, Ben replied consideringly. I¡¯ll take charge of it myself. Janis let the confidence she felt seep through the link. Just want to fight some gnomes? he teased. Janis shrugged and grinned. It was a good tactical move, she was confident in that, but he wasn¡¯t exactly wrong either. She didn¡¯t know what she wanted to prove or to whom, and this wasn¡¯t the time for introspection, but she did want to fight. Ben sent back an acknowledgment and then withdrew slightly, while Janis contacted the other drones and quickly organized their response. In the meantime, she had her drone mount fly closer to the action, advancing quickly. She also summoned another one as a remount since her current ride was getting tired, and she wanted to be fresh for the battle. Luckily, the Hive kept a lot of its Winged Drone Mounts here in the area, in case sapient drones needed to make a quick getaway or just reposition. They also kept a horde of basic Winged Drones for less urgent or dangerous transport to have them Evolve into Mounts. Although Regina had also been pushing every Winged Drone she could into that Class recently, so maybe it wasn¡¯t as important now. Janis met up with a few other drones in the air, mostly younger Shooters, Witches and a few Attendants working as healers. Scouts and Fliers were further out. Janis greeted them quickly, then focused on the Warriors and ground-based drones. Let them come to us, she instructed. We¡¯ll keep circling on high for now. Warriors, split into two wings, with a reserve ¡ª right, like that. Two further units to the left division, let¡¯s take those on the small hill over there, seems like a good range of Classes. Alright. We¡¯ll drop down on them. Ara, take these guys, she mentally marked everyone in that group, and circle around a bit, as soon as they get close enough not to disengage - I¡¯ll tell you when - then come from above and behind, use enough of your Swarm Drones to cut off their retreat, keep magic and javelins from above. I¡¯ll be leading the mages and ranged in the central flight. Everything clear? They all responded with affirmatives, so Janis sent a feeling of acknowledgment and anticipation to them before she corrected a few minor details, talking to the various group leaders. They¡¯d used formations like these enough that she wasn¡¯t worried about anyone screwing up. What¡¯s our ROE? one of the younger Warriors asked. Same as usual, take prisoners if feasible, accept surrenders unless they¡¯re obviously faking, but prioritize your own lives and health. Priority targets are healers and mages, make sure we¡¯re all aware of high-level threats, but don¡¯t take them on unless you¡¯ve got a sufficient number of Swarm Drones. I¡¯ll be fighting their heavy hitters, but we¡¯ll be using large-scale elemental attacks on occasion. There shouldn¡¯t be anyone too dangerous in this group, Ara muttered, We¡¯ve sent their elites packing the last times they tried. My Danger Alarm Skill isn¡¯t giving me any warning, either. Good, but focus on your assigned targets. Get ready, everyone. Janis didn¡¯t have to wait long for the battle to start. Not that she jumped the gun and attacked early or anything, the gnomes were just faster than she¡¯d hoped. They clearly saw the Hive¡¯s fighters as well, hiding every drone would have been a tall order, but they still advanced. Move now, she told Ara, then to everyone, skirmishing is starting. Janis waited for a bit, watching the start of the battle, before she descended on her Mount. It was starting fast and hard, a few exchanges of arrows and Spells quickly moving on to troops clashing in the field. They were still some distance from any real settlements or fortifications, this would be a pure slugging match. Drones crashed against gnomish soldiers, were pushed back and came back in great numbers to overwhelm them. Janis watched the play of Skills and magic across the battlefield, sensing the ebb and flow of it. In staggered waves, she told the fliers to join in, dropping what payloads they had and letting riders or drones flying on their own loose projectiles. The gnomes were good. They put up magical shields over part of their forces, flickering into place where needed. They moved into a tight formation, supporting each other against the Hive¡¯s thrust. They took advantage of every gap, every opportunity to send salvos and attacks of their own. They weren¡¯t good enough. Janis dropped further, then called on her magic, sending a torrent of Fireballs shooting diagonally across the enemy ranks. She watched the smooth way drones moved out of the way that might otherwise have been caught at the edges, the tiny staggering of the gnomish soldiers. Someone else sent ice spikes after hers, circumventing any heat- or fire-based protections the gnomes might have deployed. Janis felt the rhythm and followed up with another wave of fire, a whip of flame spreading across the enemy at precisely the right time. Then she took control of the steam that was shooting up, sending it exploding outwards in a horizontal wave. Finally, some of the heavier hitters seemed to be zooming in on her, and Janis casually sent her ride into a small corkscrew dive to evade a shadowy spear whipping past her. She could see who it came from, watching despite not being close enough to make out details with her own eyes. Flicking her fingers, she sent a small barrage of Magic Missiles at him. Then, timing the start of the attack just so, she guided some War Drones into letting up on their targets and falling onto his side. He managed to block the Missiles, but didn¡¯t get away before a drone clamped onto his arm. From there, it was only a matter of seconds until he died, the killing stroke delivered by another Shooter¡¯s projectile from above. Janis pulled up a bit, sending her mount higher in the air while she evaluated the state of the battlefield. The back rank of the gnomes was wavering and it looked like they might start trying to retreat soon. Fortunately, her split-off company had drawn close enough to make that quite hard. Their flying elements were already engaging and the War Drone units earmarked for that purpose had been working their way around the major battle. Having a large numerical superiority does have its benefits, she thought with a smile. Then Janis focused on nudging their commanders to adjust the positions slightly. From there, it didn¡¯t take too long. She fought another grounded mage, making use of her improved maneuverability. It cost a few flying Swarm Drones behind her their lives, unfortunately, but she managed to take the gnome out with a well-placed Fireball to the face after slowing him down in the muck. By the time she was done with that, the battle was almost over. Janis did another sweep, but she focused more on managing their units and commanding the other sapient drones. It took another exhausting, tense hour but finally, their victory was not just assured but had fully arrived. They lost more Swarm Drones than the gnomes had sent soldiers. A few thousand dead she could have seen in the Hive. It was a bitter feeling for Janis, but she knew it was a good exchange. They hadn¡¯t lost any sapient drones and while some gnomes had escaped after their ranks broke, most had been killed or taken prisoner. Those would be filling the improvised camps the Hive had erected, with the help of the Delvers, adding to their logistical burden, but it was still worth it. It might be some time before they had a field battle like this to fight again. Janis rolled her shoulders, then dove into the psychic link and called up all her commanders. It took a bit of organizing and she had to juggle sending orders to several groups practically at the same time, but they managed to make it work. Instead of stalling completely or going back to base, the Hive¡¯s forces pushed on to their next objective, which the victory had opened. A few kilometers and some intense but brief fighting with the dregs and clearly quickly drawn together lines of scared gnomish soldiers followed. She got another level out of it and some opportunity to try a new trick involving using her air magic to guide the fall of explosives against stationary targets. It didn¡¯t take long for the gnomish town to fall. Give the Hive a few weeks to consolidate their gains and to resupply and swell their numbers further, and the first major city in the borders of the Gnomish Confederation would soon follow. Chapter 273: Investment Regina¡¯s coronation happened right on schedule, in a large courtyard in the center of the city of Cera that had been cleared for the occasion. It was the best compromise she could come up with for the location. Using Kiara¡¯s throne room felt wrong, she definitely didn¡¯t want to use any of the local gods¡¯ temples, even Alianais, and there was no church from her old world left even if she¡¯d wanted to use one. Regina still kept another tradition related to that, though. It was common around these parts for the ruler to spend the night before their coronation in seclusion, in prayer. She thought it might actually be based on an older tradition, since she vaguely recalled something like that from her own time. Regina might not consider herself religious and she had no idea if she had been. She had the most knowledge of Catholic Christianity, which made sense given the locations she knew she¡¯d been born and lived. But it was also just as likely that she¡¯d been more-or-less raised in that religion only to leave the Church as an adult, something she also knew was pretty common at the time; or she might have been agnostic or atheist to start with. So, she didn¡¯t really consider it a big deal, even if she put a cursory effort in. The Delvers would probably appreciate her using her, or an, old religion rather than the current one, if nothing else. They¡¯d cleared a small stone building and she had put up a small cross, leaning it against the stone. Most of the time, she sat cross-legged on a rug in front of it and tried to meditate. She¡¯d mumbled the Lord¡¯s prayer a few times more to have something to say, and to hear, than with any conviction. Trying to get it right in every language she knew was an interesting challenge, at least. She already knew the Latin version along with Global and Standard German but had to make up most of the rest. Sometime in the middle of the night, Regina was tired enough, and maybe just calm enough, to actually start trying to do this in earnest. She prayed quietly, but wasn¡¯t able to shake off the awkwardness. Instead, she focused on the world she¡¯d left behind and then tried to evaluate her plans for the future. The rest of the night, she spent thinking of nothing in particular, letting the hours slip away as she meditated. Then she was finally picked up by some of her people, pretty much a cross-section of those who¡¯d be part of the new Empire. They ducked into another building on the way to get her ready and looking her best. Regina appreciated the strong tea made of some plant she was sure had to contain caffeine, while Ira helped get her dressed and ready. She didn¡¯t particularly like dresses normally, but the one they¡¯d picked out for the occasion was quite nice. It was heavy, embroidered with gold and some small gems, but it was winter, so combined with the equally new coronation mantle of a cloak she would wear over it she should be just warm enough. The deep royal blue color with accents of purple worked nicely, and somehow went well with the hairdo Ira worked on, which also included pearls and small diamonds (artificially created, of course). Once she and her companions were sufficiently coiffed, they set out again. Regina was riding a horse because she wanted to see her surroundings and it would have felt weird to ride a drone, but Kiara had gifted her an old warhorse who was used to crowds and noise. It also conveyed the proper image as they arrived. Once there, she dismounted, handed the reins to a drone, and walked up the dais they¡¯d set up. There was a throne prepared at the back just in case, but it would probably not get used; she didn¡¯t want to have a formal enthronement, but formal acclamation. Instead, she focused on the people standing in the center. Galatea was talking to the high priest of Alianais, the same one who¡¯d officiated Kiara¡¯s coronation. As Regina reached them, the sounds from the surrounding crowd quieted, a hush falling over the square. People were pressing in from all sides, and even the sectioned-off parts where officials and envoys were waiting looked quite full. Regina was almost glad her night of contemplation had spared her from the worst of setting all this up. They only waited for a minute before she nodded at them and they started the actual ceremony. It was pieced together from several traditions and she¡¯d decided to keep it short, but she¡¯d also planned a speech for later, along with the celebrations that were going to last into the night. After calling everyone to order and a few introductory, ritualistic statements, they started with her swearing her oaths of office. It wasn¡¯t quite that, of course, but that was close enough. It was the part she most wanted to keep as a prototype for any potential future such ceremonies. ¡°Who are you that comes before the people?¡± the priest asked, an old and traditional call; a reference to coming before the gods was more common, but she preferred this phrasing. ¡°Regina Louise Elizabeth Aneta von Woltan of the Starlit Hive, Doctor and Hive Queen,¡± she answered, giving her full name and titles. The priest nodded and handed a book to Galatea, who held it out. Regina laid one hand on it and raised the other. ¡°Regina von Woltan, do you solemnly swear to protect the people of the Empire of Central Europe, keeping them safe from enemies both internal and external and guarding their rights and freedom?¡± ¡°I do so swear.¡± ¡°Do you solemnly swear to rule wisely and justly to the best of your ability, exercising your best judgment?¡± ¡°I do so swear.¡± ¡°Do you solemnly swear to judge disputes and trials fairly and execute royal judgment tempered by mercy?¡± ¡°I do so swear.¡± ¡°Do you also swear to hold the good of the Empire and the well-being of your subjects as the ultimate ideal of all your decisions and to pronounce laws in accordance with this good?¡± ¡°I do so swear, from now until the end of my days, so help me God,¡± she finished. Galatea lowered the book, smiling at her, and Regina lowered her hand with a feeling of relief. She fully intended to keep all of these oaths, of course, but there was a finality to having this part be over. She turned a bit to see the crown brought out. It would have probably looked familiar to anyone from her old nation, a large construction of gold studded with gems, with golden plates forming the sides of an octagon. She had left off any images and the cross, of course, but otherwise it was a deliberate allusion to the Imperial crown of the HRE. Which probably still meant very few people got it. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The assembled officiants and then the people around them started a chant, but Regina was too focused on the insignia to try and make out every word. They were overlapping, several religious groups using their own and several of the Delvers had apparently badgered Galatea into scouring her database for the actual medieval acclamation and were trying that. It was better than sitting through a church service, at least. They trailed off as the priest stepped forward, carrying an elaborate metal container containing oils that had been blessed in the temple of every major faith represented in the kingdoms. He dipped his fingers in and anointed her on the head, tickling her forehead, then after she bowed her head and turned slightly on her neck, then the base of her shoulders, chanting a prayer all the while. Regina focused on the cold trickling sensation. Then she straightened up, just in time to have the coronation mantle draped over her by Tim, Kiara and the Nerlian prince Raymond. Galatea stepped up, holding a golden ring with the eagle sigil she had chosen, and smiled at her as if they weren¡¯t being watched by thousands of people as she continued with the next part of the ritual. ¡°Receive this ring of royal dignity, given to rule and govern.¡± The priest of Alianais took a sword with a golden hilt set with gemstones in a gold-plated sheath from Max, turning to present it to her and the onlookers. ¡°Receive now this sword at the hands of us priests and faithful, who though unworthy pray for the grace of all the divine to descend on you and us your people through you. Receive this imperial sword for vindication over evil.¡± Regina closed her newly-beringed hand on it as he strapped it to her waist, then drew it out carefully once, noting the sharp steel, and sheathed it again, to scattered cheers from the onlookers. They stepped up and Galatea lifted the crown from its cushion. ¡°Receive the crown of the Empire ¡­¡± Regina felt her place it on her bowed head. The thing was heavy. She straightened up and turned to face her people, feeling the power of the moment. Then the second part of the chants, the acclamation, started. The priest started, ¡°Hear, o gods, ¡­¡± Before quite finishing, it went around the rest of those involved, with the other nobles and onlookers slowly joining in, ¡°Long life and health,¡± ¡°Solemnly bless, we ask you,¡± ¡°That crowned by the gods, the great king,¡± ¡°Let it be done,¡± ¡°Empress of the Franks, Germans, Cernlians and Nerlians,¡± ¡°Empress of the Romans,¡± ¡ª Regina was going to talk to Galatea about that later, she did not know she would do that ¡ª but if she wanted to give her the title used by the Holy Roman Emperors to make a point she could only appreciate it; it wasn¡¯t like there were actual Romans left or anyone with more claim to use the name than her, Galatea had even technically been born in Rome ¡ª ¡°Life and victory to the armies of the Empire.¡± ¡°She conquers, she reigns,¡± ¡°Queen of queens,¡± Regina closed her eyes for a moment. This is enough to give anyone a god complex, the thought flickered through her mind. She was probably just tired. The diverging voices of the chant converged and she opened her eyes just in time for them to fall silent. It was done, then. She probably shouldn¡¯t have enjoyed it so much. The rest almost passed in a blur, perhaps because of the adrenaline of the moment combining with her sleepless night. She wouldn¡¯t be holding her speech until the evening. For now, she simply departed as part of a procession. At the foot of the dais, Regina paused and ritually swore to protect the people once more; the words had trouble sticking in her consciousness, but she must have done everything correctly, she¡¯d memorized them until she could see the page they¡¯d been written on in her dreams. They went back to the royal palace, which was only a few hundred meters from this square, where a banquet to celebrate the occasion had been prepared. Regina had to stifle a yawn several times, but she did her best to enjoy the party, and getting some hydration and food seemed to improve her concentration. The palace staff had made delicacies from several countries and Regina gladly tried most of them out, once more thankful that she didn¡¯t have to worry about what she could eat. She also talked to Janis, who was given a seat of honor on her right, Kiara, and the others. The Nerlian king was apparently unable to travel for health reasons ¡ª she made a mental note to visit and try to cure him, but it might just be an excuse so she would have to be careful ¡ª and had sent Prince Raymond again, who was sat beside Kiara. He seemed to enjoy talking to her, June and Janis about their reforms and technological updates as well as magical progress, which gave Regina some time to eat and reflect when she wanted it. It also gave her the chance to check in with her hive. A lot of drones, particularly the senior leadership, had gone with her. Regina hadn¡¯t wanted to move the date, but the war against the gnomes was in a slightly delicate situation. It was going well, by and large, but the hive had been pushing deeper into their territory, by now, and they¡¯d reached the real core of the Confederation, not just outlying villages. There were several cities strategically close, one in particular they would pretty much have to take. Of course, the gnomes knew that too, and they¡¯d obviously worked hard on fortifying and defending them. At least they were no longer a direct threat to the hive itself. The front was too far inside their own territory. Regina was already thinking about expeditions through the Alps. It wouldn¡¯t be easy, considering that was still largely high-level-monster territory, but she had the opportunity now. The gnomes probably knew the best ways through and they¡¯d already found a few tunnels, but even without their cooperation it should certainly be doable. ¡°You said Rome is gone, right?¡± Regina asked Galatea, reminded of the ceremony just now. The old AI was sitting a few places down, but Janis between them had just moved, so they could talk easily. ¡°Yes, as buried as Anberg and all the rest,¡± she confirmed. ¡°Why, did you want to see the sights?¡± ¡°That would have been nice, but I suppose I¡¯ll live,¡± Regina said drily. She paused, regarded her friend for a moment, then spoke up hesitantly. ¡°Thank you, Galatea.¡± Galatea just nodded. ¡°You¡¯re the best person I could imagine as a ruler, but don¡¯t take this for approval of monarchy as a concept. I still prefer democracy.¡± Regina laughed. It wasn¡¯t really funny, but she kind of felt like she needed it. ¡°I suppose I do, too. At least in principle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s different when it¡¯s you in power, isn¡¯t it?¡± Galatea asked, raising an eyebrow. Her tone was rather sardonic. Regina shrugged and smiled lopsidedly. ¡°What would be the less hypocritical answer here? Hey, you could probably set up your own kingdom.¡± ¡°As if I¡¯d bother. The smart ones here, like Madris and I, will leave that to suckers like you.¡± Regina smiled and glanced around the table. What does it say that like half of my inner circle either is or could be a queen if they wanted? Just trying to imagine what Madris might misuse her power for if she wanted political power was scary. Suddenly, Regina wondered if the dark elves might not actually be glad to have her away from their Eternal Dark. Although the thought was harder to hold on to as she watched her teacher try and then spit out some brew another Delver had offered her, then start play-wrestling with Owin. On the other hand, nations weren¡¯t held together with personal strength, even in a world with the System. That was why the pageantry and symbolic gestures today had been so important. Regina glanced around again, glad that everyone was having fun, then turned her thoughts to the speech she had prepared. She was going to play it relatively safe, just assure the people of her protection and so on, and talk about her principles and ideals for the Empire. Then, the final document of the constitution would officially be signed in another small ceremony. Chapter 274: Tariffs, Trade and Tracks Regina hadn¡¯t realized before how much her coronation, including her speech and the ceremony, the real start of the Empire in many ways, would change things. This time, unlike many other occasions like diplomacy with the Esemen or even the recent summit, she couldn¡¯t just go back to the hive like nothing had changed. Not that she wanted to. She had too much to do to hide away in the hive¡¯s base, not that she was going to stay away from it for too long. Still, there was some adjustment necessary, not just for her. For now, she¡¯d decided to stay in Cera, at least for a short while. They¡¯d finalized the first set of plans for the new capital and were going to start actually building it, and she knew with her hive¡¯s help it should go relatively quickly. Still, it was probably better not to live in too much of a construction site, at least while she was getting the start of the Central European Empire¡¯s political structures squared away. Which apparently included that she was supposed to have a court. Things were a bit awkward with Kiara since this was, after all, her capital and royal seat, but she thought they were working through it quite well. Regina had briefly thought about reviving an even older tradition from the HRE and just moving through her dominion from one palace to the next, but she didn¡¯t think she had the nerves for that. Still, a royal visiting their vassals even for an extended period wasn¡¯t exactly new and everyone just went with it. Her speech had gone well, from what she heard, although it hadn¡¯t quite made as much of an impact as she¡¯d hoped. She wasn¡¯t sure if that was because of a lack of skill on her part or if it was just the limited number of people who could actually hear it in a world without television and the Internet. The important points would be passed around in rumors, but probably distorted. Still, no one had started rebelling yet, or even talking about it too loudly, so she had no reason to complain. Regina was taking the opportunity to meet with important Cernlian government officials, since she was here, and she had attended court with Kiara. More like a joint court session now. It was interesting to watch everyone¡¯s reactions, at least. Although this kind of thing would be less common once they set up proper judicial systems and a functioning government bureaucracy. In the meantime, the war against the gnomes wasn¡¯t standing still. Regina spent a while talking to Ben and the other commanders over the psychic link, hashing out their plans for their first major offensive against a key gnomish city. She was trying not to rush into it ¡ª it wasn¡¯t like they had any kind of time limit, really ¡ª but Ben wanted to press their advantage and not wait too long. In the end, she trusted him to arrange things so it would work out. There were a few other problems associated with the war, of course. Prisoners were one. Regina had taken the opportunity to have many of them transferred to Cernlia. Keeping them was a constant strain on their resources, and Cernlia and Nerlia still had more manpower than the hive. After all, you couldn¡¯t really trust Swarm Drones to guard prisoners, at least without heavy support from sapient drones. The Delvers were also willing to help, luckily. They¡¯d also been conducting some interrogations, but Regina kept torture off-limits to the hive, and had made a point to stress the same to Kiara and her advisors. Still, they did get some information that helped the war effort, and background knowledge the Keepers were writing up. Regina found the briefs interesting reading when she got around to it. She was immersed in one of those, reading about the history of the Gnomish Confederation from what they¡¯d pieced together from some books as well as remarks by captured gnomish soldiers, when Janis tentatively reached out to her over the psychic link. What¡¯s up? Regina asked, half paying attention. She¡¯d grown used to people asking a few questions occasionally. It was almost like having smartphones or AR gear, she figured, getting texts or voice messages from people you knew. Regina had a feeling she¡¯d been one of those people who always answered them quickly instead of putting them off and were proud of their 0 unread messages status. Kiara was asking about trade, Janis answered. She seemed cautious, a bit more unsure than usual. In particular, for food, and if she¡¯s allowed to trade with the Esemen? Regina paused, putting down her papers. That was a serious question. I take it that¡¯s a possibility, then? The Esemen are offering to sell food to the Empire? That would appear to be a good sign, probably. Well, it seems to be more about importing food to Cernlia, but yes, that¡¯s what I gather. Hm. Regina leaned back. The food situation was not as secure as she¡¯d hoped. It was still winter, and the war had drained the stores. She was doing what she could with the hive, but they only had limited land, resources and time to produce more food, especially since it was the middle of winter. Of course. Kiara, and any Cernlian merchants in general, are free to import food from Esemen, as long as she doesn¡¯t sell them weapons for it, or anything with technology we don¡¯t want them to have. I think the two of you can figure out what would be a security risk. They won¡¯t have to worry about a royal tariff on it or anything. Alright, thanks, Regina. I¡¯ll let her know. Good. What do you think of the food situation, Janis? She sensed Janis shifting. It could be better. People aren¡¯t going to starve in the streets, I hope, but if the weather next year turns bad, we might have issues. Right. Importing it is an obvious solution. Regina ran her hand through her hair. We should discuss this in more detail. I¡¯ll put it on the agenda and talk to people about it later. Alright. I¡¯ll still leave for my tour of the south? If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Sure, that¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t have too much fun without me. Janis sent a bit of amusement and closed the connection, while Regina returned to her paperwork. She did almost wish she could go on that tour herself, but she was needed here and it was probably safer to send Janis. Not to mention that Janis was an experienced commander of the hive, so she was a good choice for assessing their military readiness and coordinating its improvement. Later that day, Regina met with her advisors and main court officials as she¡¯d said she would. It was a group Regina tried to keep somewhat balanced. Max and Ira were there, and Tim would be if he wasn¡¯t traveling at the moment, but so were several humans from Nerlia and Cernlia, as well as Gwen Cern. There would probably be an ¡®unofficial Delver representative¡¯ slot going forward with them rotating in whoever was currently available or a good choice. Excluding Madris, who could just attend when she wanted, but she¡¯d gone traveling for the moment, as well. Regina was waiting to see what came of that, too. ¡°We¡¯re here to discuss imports and trade in general today,¡± she started, leaning back in an armchair and sweeping her gaze around the people, who were all choosing seats. ¡°Particularly how we should set tariffs.¡± ¡°This is about food, I presume,¡± Ira said. Regina nodded. ¡°We could use more,¡± she admitted. ¡°That¡¯s why I plan on making sure food imports are facilitated.¡± ¡°Low tariffs or import taxes would certainly help,¡± Earl Whitor commented offhandedly. Regina had been impressed enough by the Cernlian nobleman to give him a position at her court. It didn¡¯t hurt that his situation was still a bit special. He hadn¡¯t quite gotten the independence she suspected he¡¯d wanted, but even if his domain technically remained part of Cernlia, his position with her and her obvious favor, not to mention his contributions, meant he was pretty much able to do as he wanted in practice without worrying about Kiara. As long as he kept to her goals and strictures and didn¡¯t impede her reform efforts, of course. ¡°Yes,¡± Regina agreed, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about simply striking all tariffs for food items going into the Empire. At least basic staples, not luxury specialties, I suppose.¡± Max nodded, finding that perfectly sensible. Ira scribbled a note in the small bound book she carried. There were a few raised eyebrows from the other people. ¡°What prompted this, if I may ask?¡± Gwen asked. ¡°Apparently, the Esemen are ready to sell food to Cernlia.¡± That caused a bit more of a reaction. ¡°Interesting,¡± Whitor commented. ¡°That might be a good sign for peace. I haven¡¯t heard of them having any economic troubles, either.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ll take advantage of this?¡± Max asked. ¡°Long term? It seems like it would be beneficial to keep these imports.¡± ¡°I suppose. We don¡¯t want to be too dependent on food imports, especially from Esemen.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°But it can certainly be helpful. And opening the way for people moving from agriculture into other jobs would also be a good side effect.¡± It was one of the main drivers and phenomena of industrialization, back then, Galatea had discussed with her. Agricultural output had risen. A population boom and people moving into the cities, working in manufactories and then factories. The demographic changes and lack of other options for all too many people had led to a ¡®life is cheap¡¯ kind of attitude, with lacking safety standards, long working hours and bad conditions for workers. Also the rise of communism and social changes, in time. Regina would rather avoid the ¡®suffering¡¯ part of it all. But the population was likely going to grow and with all the changes coming, even just the experiments with things like better fertilizers from the hive, there was definitely going to be a shift. Looking at the people gathered here, she supposed most of them didn¡¯t see it. They nodded but didn¡¯t seem too sure. Gwen looked thoughtful, and Ira appeared to have moved on to numbers and equations. ¡°What about tariffs within the Empire?¡± Christine Normas asked. The Nerlian woman, a minor noble lady who had impressed the Nerlian court and then Regina with her intelligence and acuity, tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair and glanced at the paper Ira was scribbling on. ¡°We¡¯ll minimize those, as well,¡± Regina answered. ¡°I want trade between the different parts of our new nation to be easy. It should already be easier than it was before, but a strong internal economy is crucial and the ease of moving goods and services is an integral part of that.¡± ¡°Thus, your locomotives and rail tracks,¡± she muttered. Regina nodded with a slight smile. ¡°That¡¯s another project we hope to have progressing quickly. Although, at the moment, building the new capital is the priority. They should both be helpful to each other, anyway.¡± ¡°Have you chosen a name yet, Your Imperial Majesty?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking of Starlit City or something like that,¡± Regina admitted. ¡°Maybe something accordingly in Latin. But I¡¯m open to suggestions.¡± ¡°Not going to name it after yourself?¡± Max asked with a slight grin. ¡°That would be naming it after myself, in a way,¡± she pointed out, returning a smirk. There was a moment of silence before Whitor cleared his throat and cut in. ¡°Speaking of transport, My Empress, is there any trouble with Lady Florance? She should be here soon, shouldn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Later today,¡± Regina answered. ¡°No, there¡¯s no trouble.¡± It was probably not good that Florance had stayed with the hive up until now, but at least she¡¯d been safe and under the care of their healers. Now the war had been over for a while and Regina didn¡¯t exactly need her as a hostage against Kiara, and with her moving here it was time to move Florance as well. Since the woman was still in an advanced stage of pregnancy and with her history of complications, Regina was being careful about it, though. Instead of flying, they were going to use a carriage with their best suspension and if she had time, she was going to check in on her herself at several points. Via was traveling with her, anyway. Regina wasn¡¯t really looking forward to that. She was no longer really angry with Florance¡¯s actions, since she¡¯d simply supported her husband, somewhat, but it was still a bit awkward. Especially for Kiara, it might be difficult. She hoped they were going to be able to work out their differences and strengthen their relationship. At least so far, June actually seemed angrier with her mother for, in her view, choosing Lyns over Kiara, but considering she had her own issues with their father that was probably natural. Gwen asking a question about their new roads snapped her out of those thoughts, and Regina focused on the conversation. They stayed on the topic for a bit before moving back to the question of imports, also exploring the connections between them. Better infrastructure was going to be a ¡®great boon¡¯ in more than one way, they agreed, especially for trade of perishable items. Luckily, making decent roads wasn¡¯t that complicated, even if they weren¡¯t quite up to the standards of modern highways. The hive already had several projects like that on the backburner, and now that they could draw on manpower from Nerlia and Cernlia, it was going to go more quickly. Regina might wish for about ten times as many drones who knew their stuff, and had to prioritize all the things she wanted to do, but this was actually a relatively high priority, behind schools and education. A lot of these things were shaping up to be springboards for their own successes. Getting better roads would improve trade and strengthen the economy even without doing anything else for it. Better education and access to their resources was going to allow innovation even without her or the hive¡¯s direct participation. Regina just hoped they would have enough time for all of that to come to fruition. She closed the meeting after a while and headed out, setting off to meet Florance Lyns and get a better view of the city on the way. It was already starting to change, in subtle ways. Chapter 275: Walls Living in Cera instead of the hive took a bit of adjustment. Regina mostly had to struggle with things she hadn¡¯t anticipated, or perhaps failed to consider. Among less important things like the equipment and infrastructure ¡ª they actually had running water in the palace, but it had to be heated manually if you wanted hot water ¡ª were aspects of being a Hive Queen. In particular, her range was still not unlimited and moving this far east meant she had trouble with getting drones into Nerlia. Regina had originally planned to have some of her hive¡¯s sapient drones stationed in every corner of the Empire, at least close to the important borders and key transit points, so they could use the psychic link and relay messages if necessary. It would essentially be a communication system for their new country. Similar to passing messages along signal fire or heliograph lines but with people instead, and no delays or need for intermediate stops, at least in principle. Unfortunately, it was just as range-limited as the psychic link, naturally. They still managed to get at least some part of that planned network up. Regina had given orders to give priority to court messages and military communication as well as, obviously, alarm signals, but otherwise everyone was free to talk to the drones and ask to have messages passed. They would probably have to start charging fees or keeping waiting lists soon. On the other hand, it wasn¡¯t the only means of quick distance communication, given the System and magic, so she was confident it wouldn¡¯t be too bad. And while it was a boring job, the drones could rotate in and out, maybe some would even like it. Besides that, she was curious to watch it in action and see what it might show her regarding the psychic link. Being in Cera did mean the other avenues of communication were better, though. The Cernlians had finally repaired the magical alarm signal connected to Forest¡¯s Watch, and there were other, similar ones. More importantly, they also had roads the hive hadn¡¯t had to build first. Now if only they could find some way to have teleportation in addition to message passing. Leian had apparently done something like that on Haven, so it had to be possible. Well, it probably wasn¡¯t as easy here, maybe because of a difference in magic, or even interference from the System or something, but Regina suspected it would still be possible. For now, building better roads and using flying drones as transport would have to do, though. Regina watched the core of her ¡®court¡¯ form around her, trying not to laugh at the struggles of the hive with Cernlian architecture and sensibilities. Originally, they¡¯d tried to put the drones all up in their own suites, but that hadn¡¯t lasted long. Watching newcomers try to figure out how to address the Hivekind, especially since they probably couldn¡¯t tell them apart without consulting the System, didn¡¯t know their ages (which were much too young), and might or might not know about her relationship with them, was always funny. She hoped both sides learned something, at least. Regina had also set up a provisional hatchery, for obvious reasons. Ira and some of the drones who usually helped her care for the eggs as well as those responsible for helping newly hatched drones had mostly come with her. Those who didn¡¯t relocate at once did so after a few days, when the last clutch in the main base had hatched. It caused no end of headaches in regards to security ¡ª Regina refused to allow the possibility of that place being compromised, if it meant the Ceran courtiers had to go out of their way to avoid it then they had better well do that ¡ª and also allowed more people an idea of the hive¡¯s inner workings, so to speak, than she wished, but there was really nothing for it. She wondered how drones hatching in a city rather than entirely hive-controlled territory might affect things, but that was one thing they probably wouldn¡¯t see all the effects of until much later. For now, the new drones didn¡¯t seem to have any trouble, thankfully. Regina quickly fell into a routine, one that didn¡¯t differ all that much from what she¡¯d had previously. She still took her duty of adding new members of the hive seriously and guided the Evolution of those Swarm Drones in her vicinity when she could. She also spent some more time talking to humans, naturally. It was kind of nice, even if she didn¡¯t feel as secure as she would have in her base, even if she knew that was probably irrational. Still, the longer she stayed the more she developed an itch between her shoulder blades, almost an urge to focus on the hive¡¯s territory, and she had to sternly tell herself that this was part of her territory too. It actually helped. Which was probably the best indicator of how she was feeling towards the Empire in general and this place in particular. Although it probably wouldn¡¯t work for any territory in the south the hive had just gained from the gnomes. And on the topic of places like that, she was also farther away from their main army now, but actually closer to some other locations of interest in the war. In particular, several gnomish cities they¡¯d managed to locate. Although she was good enough by now and her range far enough that it didn¡¯t make much difference either way. The hive was still preparing their first major attack on a strongly defended city in the Gnomish Confederation of the East. While Regina made sure to stay up to date, she left most of the work regarding that in Ben¡¯s hands. He seemed to have decided to work around the city a bit and capture as much as possible of the surrounding territory, first, probably as some compromise with the caution she¡¯d urged. It definitely made it harder for the gnomes to prepare some kind of surprise attack on the hive. Their lines were about as far as he was willing to extend them now, though, which meant that taking the city was the immediate next step. It¡¯s going to cost us heavy losses no matter what we do, Ben told her calmly as they talked about it. I just hope we can confine those losses to the Swarm Drones. Having my sapient drones die for this war would be a bit counterproductive, Regina said lightly. But they both knew she wasn¡¯t fooling anyone, and she was serious about this. Take whatever precautions you deem necessary. If that means having to postpone or even entirely cancel this assault, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do. If I thought it was better in the long run to try and make peace with the gnomes, I would have suggested that a while ago, Ben answered. He clearly tried to sound reassuring. This isn¡¯t just about Bea and Ken and Pat and Lou, however tragic their deaths might have been. This is also about any of us who might be killed in a conflict with the gnomes in the future. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. You¡¯re right, of course, Regina sighed. Considering everything we¡¯ve seen of the gnomes, we can¡¯t leave them as a strong potential threat. Although I think we do need to find some kind of peace, obviously it¡¯s better if we¡¯ve won or at least are in a decidedly stronger position for that, and we¡¯re just not there yet. We might be soon, if this goes well. So, do I have your authorization to continue, My Queen? Yes, of course. Show them who¡¯s boss. Ben smiled and withdrew from the conversation with her to talk to his commanders and focus on the coming fight. Regina thought about what he¡¯d said for a minute before other concerns reclaimed her attention. In the end, the attack on the city ¡ª Ins-On-A-Rock, apparently, in Global ¡ª started in the middle of the night. Gnomes appeared to have superior night vision, too, for obvious reasons, but the hive still considered it a minor advantage. They still lived by a day-night cycle with most activity during the day and most people asleep at night, especially in a city out in the daylight like this one. Their soldiers might be less alert. It couldn¡¯t hurt, anyway. To avoid alarming them, the hive¡¯s troop movements weren¡¯t sudden and abrupt, but subtle and spread out. A lot of drones were moved, but rarely in the same place at the same time in large numbers. Ben slowly, over the course of hours, drew together drone soldiers around the city. Then infiltrators started. Some drones were sent to try to fly into the city or climb the walls, trying to stay discreet. The defenses would stop most of them, but it was worth a try. Others started tunneling. For the gnomes, especially, this wasn¡¯t likely to be an easy entrance, but it couldn¡¯t hurt to try, either. As soon as the gnomes raised the alarm, the artillery began attacking. Ben had gathered and was now deploying some of the largest pieces they¡¯d used yet. Most of them were operating purely on physical and chemical principles, but a few were enhanced a bit with magic, on the delivery mechanism or payload. The hive also had a rare few drones with a Class relating to modern(ish) artillery and was deploying them as well. The cannons and mortars fired in a set pattern, crewed by teams of drones who¡¯d worked with them before and usually using several Swarm Drones to quickly load projectiles. Some of those were explosive. The gnomes responded. They must have improved on what they had, they showed a much better artillery capability of their own than Regina had seen before. Of course, they did have a major city and its installations. Cannons and even a few high-angle guns shot their own ammunition towards the hive¡¯s forces. Most of the shots fired into the air were spent harmlessly, the winged drones too agile to let a cannonball catch them. The more typical arrows and javelins enhanced by Class Skills had more impact. They also targeted the hive¡¯s ground troops, field fortifications and their own artillery emplacements, though. Several of them gave way with a crack or a small explosion. Janis quickly reoriented their assigned protectors and ordered for magical shields to be raised. Some Workers sent out War Drones they controlled directly and made adjustments to the berms and ditches they needed to put their artillery in to protect it against that counterfire. The battle raged on, meanwhile. The hive sent forth their ground troops. They would take heavy casualties, but they needed to put pressure on the gnomes. Ben directed their movement himself, trying to press the attack as much as possible while not just sending them to their death. Regina watched the Spells and shots coming from the gnomes¡¯ fortifications and for once, didn¡¯t try to calculate anything. She just sat there and focused on their enemies, on the battle plan, anything but the lives snuffed out in the psychic link. It had been a while since this many drones died in such a short time. The sensation made her sick to her stomach. Finally, the gnomes¡¯ fire let up. It had to. The hive¡¯s commanders took advantage by pressing the attack with flying drones while the ground troops closest to the city reached the walls, at last. The first waves were almost exclusively War Drones. Now, their Delver allies pushed to the front, though, followed by some sapient drones. They got to work on the walls. They were sturdy, expanded and reinforced by both mundane means and magic, but they were also old. They would fall. In the meantime, the artillery duel continued, livened up by the inclusion of flying drones and the bombs they dropped. The gnomes had clearly set up shielding for the city, but it was still a situation that inherently favored the hive. The drones ignored the populated, civilian parts of the city and focused on what they¡¯d had marked out as military targets for a while. Here was where their preparations truly shone. They¡¯d crafted maps of their target, made plans of attack, experimented and perfected party dynamics with fighters having different Classes and Abilities. Not everything could be accounted for, no plan survived contact with the enemy, but it helped. Regina sat quietly and watched as the battle raged on. It felt like it took days and moments at the same time. Her fingers were curled into her shirt and she was starting to feel thirsty but was too focused to get up and get a drink. She¡¯d ordered everyone not to disturb her and she was alone, watching a battle many kilometers away while her children fought and, in too many cases for the Swarm Drones, died. Breaching the walls didn¡¯t take too long, but it was a difficult fight from there to truly control enough of wall to count for something. Eventually, they did manage to get a foothold, and then in short order several bridgeheads. Regina watched closely, trying to anticipate counterattacks from the gnomes. They retreated a little, clearly reorganizing and readying themselves, before pushing the main breach the hive had made. Their response was just a little disorganized, though. The Delvers congregated on that spot, working smoothly together in experienced parties. Sapient drones on flying drones supported them. Combined with the crush of War Drones, it allowed them to defend their position and throw back the gnomish soldiers coming for them with vigor. Of course, even once the walls were no longer much of a problem, the city still wasn¡¯t won. It was built as a warren of buildings, with several lower walls, and the gnomish military had strategically dotted outposts and set up checkpoints. Regina sighed and quickly conferred with Ben, who gave the order for the drones fighting at the front to rotate through. Those who¡¯d been fighting would get some rest, while fresher ones cycled in. That way, they could keep up the pressure without stalling too much, but wouldn¡¯t have to fight on fumes. When the street fighting started, it was predictably vicious and bloody, but the War Drones were pretty much incapable of showing fear or letting it get to them. Under the command of the hive¡¯s officer, they pushed on, taking street by street. Many of the gnomish military outposts were only burnt-out shells by now, and more of them would follow. Regina watched for a bit before contacting Ben again. Don¡¯t forget to get some rest as well. I can hardly sit this out, you¡¯ve put me in command, he protested. It¡¯s not going to fail without you there, just a few hours of sleep will keep you sharp enough for later. Janis can take over and then get a bit of rest after you. Fine. She almost heard Ben¡¯s sigh audibly. The battle, though ¡­ it¡¯s as expected, but somehow different. I know what you mean, Regina said quietly. There¡¯s so much death. They both fell quiet. Then she roused herself and with another stern reminder to sleep, she closed the connection. The hive would win this battle, and she was relieved about that, she just wasn¡¯t feeling like she could celebrate. Chapter 276: Focus and Talents It was the longest battle Regina had ever personally seen, even if she wasn¡¯t directly involved in it. At least she wasn¡¯t there in person. Taking the walls had already taken a while, and it was even longer before they were entirely under the hive¡¯s (and their allies¡¯) control. Then most of the actual fighting still awaited. Ins-On-A-Rock was a large city. It was built more condensed, less sprawling, than most human cities Regina was accustomed to, but it still covered a large area. The walls were pretty far out, too, although there had been areas outside the walls, which the gnomes had abandoned a while before the battle started. Those had been perhaps not slums, but definitely some of the poorer parts. The area close to the walls was a warren of alleys and side streets, with buildings of various heights providing some cover and nests for the occasional gnomish archers and shooters. Further in, the streets were generally broader and the houses a bit further apart, which made progress a little easier, but they still needed to contend with the remaining gnomish soldiers and barricades. It wasn¡¯t without losses. The hive lost an almost constant trickle of Swarm Drones all the time. The Delvers had casualties of their own, although those fighting on the front lines were quite resilient and generally got off with injuries. The hive¡¯s healers had their work cut out for them, but they did keep up. It wasn¡¯t only the humans who had to worry, though. One of Regina¡¯s sapient drones had died. A young Warrior ¡ª well, relatively old compared to most currently in the hive, but they were still all so young. Bas had been unlucky, caught by some rubble raining down from the gate in the city, being flung outward by a spell, and his head had been caved in too quickly for Regina or the healers present to do anything. There was another one who¡¯d almost died, but Pim had had a second to fall and Regina had managed to Summon them just in time. They¡¯d still almost bled out on the floor of her room before she¡¯d managed to stabilize them. Luckily, the hive had anticipated scenarios like this, that she¡¯d have to use the Ability in an emergency, and others had been ready to help them. Regina had ordered for Bas¡¯ body to be brought back to their main base, where she would shortly show up herself. He would be laid out so others could say goodbye until his funeral after the battle was completely over, so those who¡¯d fought with him also had the chance to attend. It was the least she could do, even if she knew it wasn¡¯t enough. It was worse that she knew chances were he wouldn¡¯t be the only one of her children ¡ª even if they were children who she barely knew ¡ª they¡¯d have to mourn. Especially since that Skill was still only useable once a day. She figured the cooldown had been reduced a bit, but not by much. It wasn¡¯t twenty-four hours, but a bit less, just not enough to make a difference. In the meantime, the battle was proceeding largely according to Ben¡¯s predictions. The Delvers and the few Cernlian soldiers fighting with them were good, but it was the hive itself that carried most of the battle. They had one of the largest concentrations of force they¡¯d ever seen here ¡ª which didn¡¯t mean much considering the short history of the hive, but still. Hopefully, all of it would be enough to give the gnomes pause. Regina had to reluctantly take breaks from focusing on the battle. Not just to eat, drink, use the bathroom and add to the hive¡¯s hatchery. Ira also bullied her into getting a few hours of sleep. And then there were the affairs of the Empire. As much as Regina might have wanted to, she couldn¡¯t entirely ignore them for the duration of the battle. Luckily, Kiara was covering for her in a lot of the tasks that didn¡¯t strictly need Regina¡¯s presence. The other advisors and officials she¡¯d recently started to gather did similarly. Janis was obviously not here, she was fighting with the army in the south. A bit too much fighting for Regina¡¯s peace of mind, but still not very much, she largely hung back and commanded their forces in accordance with Ben and the others. June, who was still Regina¡¯s official apprentice, had also stepped in and covered for her with a few things. She dragged herself out of her rooms after a while, putting the minimum effort into dressing and styling her hair appropriately, for a meeting with her most important advisors. They brought a stack of papers for her to sign and several issues needing a decision from her, which they could hopefully discuss quickly. Unsurprisingly, everyone wanted news on how the battle was going. ¡°As planned,¡± she summed up after reporting on what had been happening. ¡°Have people asked you about it?¡± ¡°Oh, yes,¡± June replied, leaning back in her chair and idly turning over the book she¡¯d brought to the meeting. ¡°It¡¯s quite the hot topic of conversation.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Regina raised an eyebrow, before she gulped down more of the cup of tea in her hand. ¡°Of course,¡± Max chimed in. ¡°They are aware of the war, and how this is an important milestone. The outcome of this battle, or even how decisive a victory it is, could impact for how long the war continues and how much it will require from the Empire. Of course people are impatient for news and already plotting how best to handle it for their own agenda.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Regina turned to look at him. ¡°And how do you know that? You¡¯ve been watching the battle with me, and have been watching over me.¡± ¡°I can multitask.¡± Seeing her unimpressed stare, he shrugged a bit. ¡°And, fine, Jay told me, I asked him to keep an eye out and he updated me while we walked here.¡± And probably for the beginning of the meeting, Regina figured, but she didn¡¯t say anything. It wasn¡¯t like she disapproved of the others working with Max keeping an eye on the pulse of the Cernlian palace like that. Although she should probably talk to them about what they found herself more often. ¡°It sounds like we can reassure them, then?¡± Whitor asked, returning the conversation to the actual topic. Regina nodded. ¡°Yes, there is no need for them to worry. We have everything under control, and the city is falling.¡± There were satisfied nods and smiles around the table they were using. Regina was pleased to see how easily they trusted her word on it even if they couldn¡¯t check themselves with the psychic link. She had no intention of lying to her advisors to paint the situation in a better light, that would be counterproductive and just screw things up in the long term, but she knew some rulers did. A policy of honesty while asking them to keep sensitive information confidential ¡ª and punishing or dismissing them if they failed to, as an obvious consequence ¡ª seemed like the best way to go. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Good,¡± Madris said, leaning back in her seat casually. She¡¯d shown up presumably as the Delver representative, although Regina felt like she was more interested in assessing her own mental state. ¡°I was going to go and help if it was not going well.¡± Regina simply nodded. She could order Madris to participate in the war effort and the other woman would probably obey, but she was hesitant to do that. Especially considering her own thoughts on psychic power and its use in warfare; she could understand if Madris seemed reluctant. Regina also didn¡¯t want to upset her teacher for the sake of it. ¡°How are the troop movements in Cernlia going?¡± she asked. The few Cernlians present started a report on the reinforcements that had been sent south, and the conversation moved on, from the state of the military to other topics. The Cernlians weren¡¯t contributing much to the war actively, considering how drained the country was from the two wars they¡¯d just fought, one being a civil war, but they did shore up their border with the Gnomish Confederation of the East. That was the most important thing right now. And the efforts there were apparently proceeding apace. The meeting ended not too long after that, since Regina was impatient to get back to check on the battle. Regina still stayed behind long enough to wait for Madris, wanting a word with her as the others left the room. ¡°I would appreciate you checking up on the battle, and in particular what the gnomes might be up to, as well,¡± she said. ¡°Can you sense anything from them from here?¡± Madris grimaced slightly. ¡°If I focus intensely, some general emotions, but it is quite the distance. I don¡¯t have the anchor your hive members provide you.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°So they do act as an anchor? I was under the impression it was more the other way around, with the psychic link being centered on me and them tapping into the network.¡± ¡°Well, yes, but the network is built up by their presence. Your ¡®psychic range¡¯ obviously depends on your own strength, but I would guess it¡¯s easier to sense things, besides their own minds, when several of your drones are close by, even if it is not a large difference. Your own abilities also tend to skew heavily towards working at range, in particular given your drones.¡± ¡°Interesting. Does that mean there are other aspects I¡¯m not as naturally suited to as you?¡± Regina asked. Madris smiled briefly. ¡°Almost certainly, yes. That would fit with my experience. For example, you might never be as good at disguising your presence psychically as me, even if you had all the time for practice in the world. It simply doesn¡¯t suit your focus and talents.¡± ¡°That makes sense, I suppose.¡± She guessed that Madris probably was good at that. As well as at reading other people¡¯s minds, presumably. The other woman looked at her silently for a few seconds, probably thinking deeply. Her mental shields were so good that no hint of her feelings slipped through. ¡°If you travel to the war, I will accompany you. We could continue your training.¡± Regina blinked. ¡°And teach me ¡­ hostile tactics with psychic power?¡± Madris inclined her head. ¡°I assume you would like to learn.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. I would appreciate that.¡± Regina hesitated, tugging on her mandible, unsure how to continue or what she even wanted to say. ¡°You¡¯re hesitant,¡± Madris observed. ¡°Good. It¡¯s not something to play with lightly. And Empress or not, I will not teach you anything if I am not convinced you will use it responsibly, and ethically.¡± Regina nodded silently. If she was in Madris¡¯ position, she would also think twice about teaching anyone how to invade people¡¯s minds, or mind control them, or whatever she was going to show her. So far, what Regina knew was mostly passive, reading people¡¯s emotions and surface thoughts and even showing them illusions, but messing with someone¡¯s perception was still a different kind of invasive than that. "Will you also tell me more about other psychics?¡± she asked after a moment. ¡°Are they going to be upset if you teach me more dangerous skills?¡± Madris tilted her head slightly. ¡°Perhaps. I won¡¯t lie, some of them are already going to be nervous about you. It is not exactly normal for one of us to have the amount of power you do, and yours is clearly only going to increase.¡± ¡°I assume you¡¯re not talking about psychic power,¡± Regina said drily. Madris didn¡¯t seem to see the humor, or at least didn¡¯t show it if she did. ¡°You just founded a new nation and have been waging more than one campaign of conquest, or what would easily be seen as one, Regina. This is serious. If certain powers think you are embarking on some kind of quest for world domination, like the old Hivekind are sometimes accused of, you might have problems. And this is not made easier by you apparently, if one is inclined to take it that way, claiming rule of most of Europe.¡± ¡°Wait, I¡¯m claiming what now?¡± Madris regarded her silently for a long moment. ¡°Imperator romanorum,¡± she said. ¡°Is that not what you¡¯ve proclaimed yourself?¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. ¡°Looks like the dark elves know more than I thought,¡± she said, ¡°unless you got that from Galatea? But, yes, I suppose I have. Well, technically it should be the feminine version, but whatever.¡± ¡°I think she¡¯s pointing out that you¡¯re not just laying a symbolic claim to your actual nation, or crowning yourself German-Frankish king or Roman-German emperor, but also a continuation of the Roman Empire itself, as a historical claim,¡± Max spoke up, giving her a look. ¡°Well, so I did and that is the name.¡± Regina spread her hands and shrugged. ¡°Lots of countries have portrayed themselves as some kind of continuation of the Roman empire. Including, obviously, the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation, which I did kinda claim as a predecessor we¡¯re continuing.¡± ¡°And correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but one or both of those ruled most of the continent.¡± ¡°Historically, yes.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°Alright, I understand what you are getting at, both of you. And you¡¯re not entirely wrong.¡± ¡°So, you are wanting to conquer most of Europe for your Empire?¡± Madris asked, sounding skeptical. Regina side-eyed her. ¡°Not really. There are such things as principles of national sovereignty and self-determination, you know.¡± ¡°Alright, glad we¡¯ve cleared that up,¡± Max interrupted. ¡°I get the feeling we¡¯ve gone just a little off-topic. Do you have actual plans on going near the front? Because I would like to officially register concerns and also demand time to work on security arrangements, if so.¡± Regina let him feel some of the exasperation she felt, even if it was undeniably accompanied by some fondness. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ve got enough time to prepare. There are no immediate plans for such a trip.¡± ¡°Well, do let me know if you make plans, Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Madris said with a touch of sarcasm. ¡°I may not always be available, however.¡± ¡°You¡¯re always welcome at meetings like these, Madris,¡± Regina said earnestly, keeping a straight face. ¡°I couldn¡¯t miss out on your invaluable council. Especially when the ambassador from the dark elves arrives in a few weeks.¡± Madris frowned, and froze for a moment. ¡°In a few weeks?¡± ¡°Most likely, I can only estimate how long travel will take. I trust there won¡¯t be a problem?¡± ¡°Not if they don¡¯t send an idiot,¡± Madris muttered. Well, that¡¯s promising, Regina thought sardonically, but didn¡¯t bother voicing it. For now, she¡¯d already lost enough time to talking and needed to get back to check that no one had blown themselves up. Chapter 277: Prospects Janis looked out over the city burning beneath the rising sun and contemplated mortality. It wasn¡¯t actually burning, of course. At least, only a few spots were. Smoke and fog hung over the buildings, not helped by the dawn light. They somewhat hid the destruction the city had suffered, but the smell of smoke and dust in the air would have been enough to clue someone in. Before the battle, from what she¡¯d caught from the drones¡¯ senses, the city had smelled slightly different from the human cities she was used to; now it just smelled different again. Janis was trying to sort through them and match the smells with the air currents she could feel. Exercises to help her control over air, which she was doing right now rather than focus on the sights or her memories of the battle. A lot of people had died, obviously. Gnomes, humans, it didn¡¯t matter. Janis had grown used to that. She was barely twenty years old and already a veteran of many battles. Well, ¡®many¡¯ might be overstating it a little, but this was hardly her first battlefield. She liked to think it gave her the experience to step back and consider this in tactical terms, to consider the strategic consequences. And they were looking pretty good. Even if the hive had probably lost more drones here than in any single battle before, their army still stood. New Swarm Drones were being hatched by Drone Breeders this very moment. It might be the merciless calculus of war, but the gnomes weren¡¯t going to get reinforcements that quickly. And more importantly, the hive had just captured a key strategic position. Regina might want her to go back to Cera or even wherever else she might decide to set up court. Personally, Janis hoped she would be able to stay for at least the next phase, to see the beginning of the new push she knew must come after this victory. Probably not today, though, she told herself, glancing at the armies still largely encamped close to the city walls. The vast majority of them consisted of War Drones, and the Delvers and other human soldiers who¡¯d come were mostly inside the city. All of them had taken casualties. The healers were still just as busy as during the battle, if not more so. If her mana well wasn¡¯t dangerously low, Janis would be with them now, helping to heal the wounded. She¡¯d head back there soon. She might not be an Ancient Doctor, but she knew Basic Heal, which was more than enough to be useful and needed. Quite a few Delvers and Cernlian mages were going to come out of this having learned that Spell, Janis suspected. Of all the things they could learn here, she really couldn¡¯t feel the slightest bit of concern about that. Like more technical knowledge of medicine, any kind of healing magic should be spread as widely as possible. It¡¯s usually the civilians who bear the brunt of the damage, anyway, she reflected, glancing at the city again. More healers would be a godsend, not matter what. Somehow, her contemplation had turned into considering the logistics and infrastructure requirements and then making a plan to found hospitals across the Empire, with special attention paid to training programs, preferably medical faculties in associated universities, so they could teach enough healers for the people. Janis caught herself thinking of who to approach for the project and how they might have to split resources with the other educational programs the Hive was already sponsoring. It still felt a bit weird to realize she was the sort of person who could actually make something like this happen, but she was growing used to it. And apparently, her being here wasn¡¯t hurting that capability any. That just figured. Somehow, people always seemed to think the leaders should be those who were good at perpetuating violence, not even just good at directing others on how to do violence at large scales. It didn¡¯t really make much sense if you thought about it. Some nobles sent their heirs to war specifically for the reputation boost. At least Janis was confident that hadn¡¯t played any part in Regina¡¯s decisions. She still thought about it, though, even as she turned and headed deeper into the area the hive¡¯s troops had secured, to the medical facilities they¡¯d put up here. It was a large building on a main street which Janis supposed had once been some kind of commercial center, though it seemed to have been abandoned in advance of the battle. There was access to running water and enough space with some amenities, though. ¡°Your Highness!¡± someone called to her. Janis blinked and turned to look. That couldn¡¯t be someone from the Hive, and even the Delvers tended not to be that formal. Sure enough, it was a human but not one of them. ¡°Baron Neralt?¡± she asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her tone. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He smiled, apparently not offended, she hoped. ¡°I am here to help secure this city,¡± he told her. ¡°We don¡¯t want the gnomes to take it back, now do we? I¡¯ve been aiding in reconstructing and reinforcing the walls.¡± Janis nodded; that did make sense. ¡°Well, it¡¯s certainly a pleasant surprise to see you,¡± she responded with a smile, recovering some of her diplomatic skill. ¡°Although I had heard that you would be involved in constructing the new capital.¡± He smiled back. ¡°It appears I¡¯m headed there after I am done here,¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°Looking forward to the project? I imagine it¡¯s going to be a challenge, but hopefully an interesting one.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be certainly surprised, and yes, disappointed if it wasn¡¯t. Say, I assume you are quite busy?¡± Janis looked at him for a moment. It was still weird that this man, who¡¯d technically been her lord once, in charge of the village where she¡¯d lived, now saw her as a superior. Not that she disliked him. As far as nobles went, he really wasn¡¯t so bad. And he wasn¡¯t trying to denigrate her now or anything. ¡°I¡¯m needed with the healers, but I certainly have a minute to talk, if you won¡¯t mind walking while we speak?¡± ¡°Of course, my Princess, I would be delighted to accompany you. I have been curious about our efforts regarding the hospital, anyhow.¡± Janis continued on her way with Neralt coming with. They were pretty close to her goal, anyway. She still didn¡¯t speak first, content to let him breach whatever subject he wanted to talk about. ¡°You¡¯re aware my mother acted as Her Majesty¡¯s envoy to the Esemen, of course,¡± he began. Ah, so that was what it was about. ¡°Of course,¡± Janis agreed, watching some gnomish civilians scurry past the intersection at the end of the street. ¡°Since then, we have been a little uncertain about what the future holds for her,¡± he continued. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t imagine anyone was anticipating the Empress founding the Empire. Except perhaps her or you, I suppose,¡± he added consideringly. ¡°But the governorship that seems to have been in her future is looking a bit different, now.¡± Of course, it was much less of a prospect now. After all, their deal with Nerlia meant the hive had effectively given back the majority of the territory they¡¯d captured in the war. Regina¡¯s plans had to be adjusted accordingly. But she had promised Marianne Neralt governorship over half of that territory. Now Neralt was trying to make sure she wasn¡¯t getting screwed over by this. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Luckily, Janis was aware of the issue and Regina¡¯s intentions. ¡°Naturally, things have changed. Lady Marianne is currently working to steward the Hive¡¯s core territory outside our central base, but this is only a temporary posting. If I recall, Regina intends to offer her the office of director of one of the new ministries that will be built. If that is not suitable for whatever reason, alternatives are being considered, either as diplomatic representation of the Empire or perhaps a more challenging administrative role.¡± ¡°Such as, say, here?¡± he asked. Janis smiled slightly and shrugged. It would depend on how this war turned out, of course, but it wasn¡¯t exactly outside the realm of possibility that they would need a viceroy, a military governor who wasn¡¯t too military, or something of the sort, and for several reasons, choosing a human instead of a Hivekind would probably be better. ¡°By the way, have you been named an advisor of the Empress yet?¡± she asked, genuinely curious. Neralt smiled a bit more stiffly. ¡°I have not received that honor.¡± ¡°Ah. Well, I wouldn¡¯t worry about that. Unless she thinks it¡¯s redundant since you will be given a suitable office and title for building the capital.¡± Neralt dipped his head. ¡°I appreciate the vote of confidence, Princess Janis. As it happens, that was not all I wanted to speak about, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡± Janis paused the conversation a bit to focus on the hospital they¡¯d just entered. Not that it was much of one. But at least they had enough space to care for patients, the healers were well supplied with bandages and other necessities and even some more delicate tools, and there was plenty of distilled alcohol for disinfection. Considering most of them would use magic to heal, it really wasn¡¯t bad. On the other hand, most everyone she met was clearly exhausted, not just physically but magically. Neralt was equally silent for a bit, probably hesitant to come right out with whatever else he wanted to say. ¡°How long do you reckon the war is going to continue on for?¡± he finally asked. ¡°That¡¯s not something I¡¯d be very confident estimating,¡± Janis replied, readying herself to cast some more magical healing and checking on the patients. Most of the more acute cases had already been dealt with, thankfully. She stopped by one man, probably one of the Delvers, and checked his stump. He¡¯d lost the arm, amputated by one of their healers to save his life. It was clean and uninfected but had been properly finished, thankfully. He¡¯d have to be seen by Regina or one of the few healers in the Empire who knew Greater Heal in order to regrow it. At least, she hoped it would work. ¡°But it could take years,¡± Neralt said. Janis shrugged as she turned. ¡°It could. It could also be over in a few months. A lot depends on inestimable factors in how the war will proceed and how any kind of settlement will look like.¡± ¡°So, it doesn¡¯t need to be a war to the death?¡± he pressed. Janis glanced around them, at the hospital and the people beyond it. ¡°Poor choice of words, Baron,¡± she commented drily. All wars are wars to the death, aren¡¯t they? There is certainly death here. ¡°But I did not say ¡®settlement¡¯ to mean it wouldn¡¯t be necessary for the Hive ¡ª excuse me, the Empire ¡ª to conquer them. There will need to be some kind of final settlement either way. We are hardly going to genocide all the gnomes in the Gnomish Confederation of the East.¡± He nodded. ¡°Of course. I did not mean to offend. But I notice you did not say it was going to have to be total conquest, either.¡± Janis sighed. She paused before continuing on to the patients, not really looking forward to that anyway. ¡°It¡¯s not my decision to make, and I won¡¯t comment on Regina¡¯s intentions. I¡¯m sure we would all prefer this to conclude with as little loss of life as possible. I certainly would. But it¡¯s anyone¡¯s guess whether the gnomes would even be open to negotiations at this point. They seemed to be quite set on vanquishing the Hive, ideologically. I don¡¯t want to fight this war only to have to fight it again five years later, after another unprovoked atrocity, either.¡± I¡¯m already starting to sound like a politician, she noted, cringing internally just a little. No specific position or absolute statement. It¡¯s true, though, for all that. Janis knew Regina didn¡¯t have much of a plan. To be fair, she had something more like a priority goal list and some thoughts on how to proceed, with a lot of flexibility. ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± Neralt said quietly. ¡°I dare say no one would feel differently. All the same, this war is a definite drain on the Empire, not just monetarily or militarily, and I think it has the potential for danger in more than the obvious way.¡± Janis shook hair out of her eyes, regarding him again. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right,¡± she said. ¡°But is there a specific point to this? Not that I do not want to hear your thoughts on the matter, but I should be getting started healing our patients.¡± ¡°Of course, my apologies for the delay. I would like to note that dragging out this war, or even concluding with some kind of ¡®complete conquest¡¯ might be bad for the Empire¡¯s position, domestically and especially internationally.¡± ¡°We are aware of that,¡± Janis said a bit drily. They¡¯d discussed the issue, she just didn¡¯t see an obvious solution. ¡°So, it occurs to me that it would be the best solution to have a reasonable settlement with the gnomish state, with assurance that they are going to hold to their side of whatever arrangement is reached, and their ¡­ ideological prejudices against Hivekind being combatted and diminishing if not entirely gone.¡± ¡°We¡¯d certainly like that scenario.¡± Janis paused, turning to face him fully. ¡°Are you advocating for a strategy of regime change in the Confederation, Lord Neralt?¡± He met her gaze squarely. ¡°It would solve our problems most fully, and I believe it is achievable,¡± he said calmly. Janis hmm¡¯d. She had actually advocated a not dissimilar position to Regina. ¡°If it was possible, certainly. But engineering regime change is a dicey proposition, especially for an enemy you¡¯re at war with and who hates your kind. This kind of change would most likely have to come from within, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s to say it wouldn¡¯t?¡± Neralt paused, raising his shoulders a little. ¡°Milady, I¡¯ve had dealings with the gnomes since before you even came to the barony. Only occasionally, of course, but still ¡­ I would bet my name that there is dissent in the Gnomish Confederation. They¡¯re hardly a monolith. From what we¡¯ve been able to tell, the ruling Historicals have used the war to crack down on opposition and consolidate their power as well as pushing this ideology to support the war they started, but I doubt they¡¯ve accomplished it entirely. Perhaps, just perhaps, there¡¯s enough political opposition left to topple their control, if they lose as they¡¯ve been doing.¡± Janis nodded slowly. ¡°What, exactly, are you proposing to do?¡± ¡°For now, we could start very small. I know your Hive has taken gnomish prisoners and they¡¯ve been transferred to Cernlia. Please let myself and some of my people, as well as others who have the necessary expertise, participate in the interrogations. Let us make suggestions on potential targets, not just soldiers but supporting staff too, especially females. Let us talk to the gnomes in this city. We will conduct an effort to gather more information and assess if a strategy such as we wish for is possible.¡± Janis stayed quiet for a minute, tapping her fingers as she was thinking. A part of her wanted to find reasons to refuse, to critique his words. But she had to admit she felt he was mostly right. And he wasn¡¯t asking for much, right now. ¡°Alright,¡± she conceded. She didn¡¯t even need to ask Regina for this, giving him access to the gnomish prisoners was entirely within her authority. ¡°You¡¯ll be authorized to participate in the interrogations, stay in occupied territory and suggest intelligence targets for the military command staff. After I¡¯m done here, I¡¯ll write up something official, giving you some responsibility for the prisoner interviews. You are still just as forbidden from using forceful methods without authorization as anyone else, though. And I¡¯d like you to keep me informed of your conclusions and data. Fully, including any points of concern. You¡¯ll need to defend this course to Regina sooner or later, anyway, and she¡¯ll see if you¡¯re not being honest or holding something back.¡± Neralt gave a short bow. ¡°Of course. Thank you, Your Highness. I will make sure to keep you informed.¡± Janis nodded. ¡°Then, I really should get to the healing. Thank you, Baron, I hope to see you soon.¡± Even as she got started on healing the injured, though, Janis couldn¡¯t help but think of what Neralt had said. She never wanted to feel like she was waging war unnecessarily. Of course, life would be a lot easier if that was always clear. For now, Janis concentrated on the patients she was helping, feeling like she was at least doing something good on a more tangible scale than the great moves of nations. Healing was never really her specialty, she was steeped in elemental magic, but maybe she should give healing magic more attention, there was really something to be said for this. Chapter 278: Birth Regina hadn¡¯t hesitated to approve Janis¡¯ decision to let Neralt interrogate gnomish prisoners and try to prepare a strategy of undermining their current leadership. Not that she actually needed to approve anything, officially, she just let Janis¡¯ authorization stand without issue. For her part, Regina hoped something came out of that effort, and she was prepared to help it, within reason. Taking political aspects into consideration when selecting strategic or tactical targets for the war was hardly unreasonable, and they were in a comfortable enough position for some leeway. In the meantime, however, she had other issues to contend with. Not that the war with the gnomes and its possible ¡®solutions¡¯ weren¡¯t in her thoughts, she worried about it a lot, really. But she also had a lot of things to deal with. The victory on Ins-On-A-Rock had freed her to concentrate more on her duties again, even while she kept an eye on what was going on in the captured city. Managing it was not a trivial task; there were a lot of gnomes living there, even though they found obvious evidence of evacuations ahead of the battle. Luckily, there were still food stores, so they didn¡¯t have to worry about the civilians starving, but with commerce with other cities currently completely broken, the economy would struggle, to put it mildly. The Gnomish Confederation was interconnected. And that didn¡¯t even mention the fact that its economy had been shifted to support the war, too. Well, at least they had captured some weapons and could inspect their defenses, or what remained of them. Neralt and his associates would probably be quite interested in interviewing what remained of the leadership of the city, although Regina didn¡¯t intend to leave that kind of thing solely to his efforts. But it was going to help in getting actionable intelligence for fighting the war on a tactical level, too. Fortunately, she had people for handling all the details. Instead, Regina had to oversee the Empire¡¯s domestic affairs, too. At the moment, she was focused on building up the ministries and departments they¡¯d outlined, finding the right people to work with and giving them the resources they needed. It was a challenging but rewarding task. And then there was the new capital they were building. With architects found and brought on board, plans were being made and preparations continued apace. It was going to require a lot of people working on it, but recruitment was going well, too, and the first part had already started. With all of that, Regina still had more personal business to attend to, too. Well, maybe not personal, it wasn¡¯t like it wasn¡¯t politically important. But she was, as far as she knew, still the best doctor they had (the only doctor, a part of her whispered), and she would make time for treating the worst injured people especially from the gnomes¡¯ war. And then, of course, there was Florance, whose care she¡¯d agreed to oversee. Finally, after a rather long wait, it was about time for her baby to come, which meant Regina¡¯s time was required here as well. Florance had been given quarters close to Kiara¡¯s, as queen mother of Cernlia, but she was always close to the healers. Several of the hive¡¯s, largely Attendants and their Evolution options, were here as well, and they kept an eye on her. Regina knew the situation was still awkward. June was gone most of the time, which might actually be a good thing. She still made sure the girl was notified when it happened, so she could be here for the birth of her brother if she wanted to. When Florance went into labor, Reign cleared her schedule and went to check up on her. She¡¯d already made sure they had a set of the best tools they could make, but she was thorough in preparing everything. ¡°It¡¯s possible we will need to do a Cesarean section,¡± she told Florance. ¡°I don¡¯t believe so, but we won¡¯t be sure until later. It¡¯s best to be prepared just in case. For now, the baby seems to be doing just fine.¡± She took half a step back once she was finished checking on her patient and no longer needed the physical contact, then disinfected her hands again out of habit. They had set up one of the rooms assigned to healing, currently converted into a rough approximation of a labor ward. She had all the tools she might need. There was also enough space for visitors and anxious family members. ¡°Good to know, Your Majesty,¡± Florance gritted out. Regina nodded. She knew this would take hours, and she wasn¡¯t going to hover all the time. She could at least use the psychic link to get some other things done. For now, she discussed the options for painkillers she could give the lady, knowing she would definitely have to increase them later, and encouraged her to move around a bit. ¡°I see no cause for concern from a medical standpoint at all, Lady Florance,¡± she reassured her. ¡°Do me one favor, though.¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Regina smiled a bit. ¡°Don¡¯t name him after his father.¡± We don¡¯t need one more Nicholas of Cernlia with a claim to the throne, right? Florance laughed reluctantly. ¡°I suppose there have been enough of those in this family,¡± she agreed with suppressed amusement and a bit of exasperation Regina could sense. They were pretty quiet for most of the following hours. Regina checked in and split her attention between her patients and the psychic link. The former marquis was not here. Kiara had apparently not allowed him, and to be fair, he didn¡¯t seem all that eager, either. Probably more gendered stereotypes about this not being a place for men (unless he just didn¡¯t want to face his daughters.) Kiara herself was here, and June showed up pretty quickly, too. She had just walked in when Regina decided to get some more confirmation about one detail. ¡°So, Lady Florance,¡± she began. ¡°Are there any more effects you have not yet mentioned that I should be aware of, with this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡± Florance narrowed her eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the doctor? Milady.¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not the healer who slowed down your pregnancy.¡± She blinked. ¡°You -¡° she stopped and hissed lowly, hit by another contraction. ¡°It¡¯s rather obvious, I knew you were already several months pregnant when you came to us, but it proceeded well from there, and that kind of thing doesn¡¯t happen without professional intervention.¡± Regina had studied healing magic and associated Classes and Class Skills. It certainly wasn¡¯t something Florance should have been able to do herself. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything about it,¡± Florance admitted after a moment. ¡°She was the third healer I sought out to try and help, to prevent complications and make sure I carried the baby to term.¡± This time, she didn¡¯t say. ¡°They weren¡¯t very useful. But she said slowing it down would increase the chances a little.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°It did give your body a little more chance to adjust. It also increased the time window for accidents or other things to go wrong, so I wouldn¡¯t have done it, but we¡¯re past that now. We¡¯ll proceed normally from here, though. Let me check.¡± She laid her hands on her stomach again and focused on her magic. It wasn¡¯t an ultrasound, but that was fine. ¡°Good, the little guy is still laying ideally, we won¡¯t have to adjust anything.¡± ¡°Thank the gods,¡± Florance breathed out. Regina waited a little longer, keeping a close eye on her patient, to make sure everything was going well. She gave it a little nudge with her magic once, making sure the baby was properly getting on course for his big entrance, but it was fine. ¡°You¡¯re doing very well. I¡¯ll give you a slight magical numbing of the pain, but I don¡¯t want to numb your sensations entirely,¡± she told Florance. ¡°Are you alright with that?¡± ¡°Please do. I can take it.¡± Regina nodded and focused her magic on the correct afferent nerves, leaning on them just a bit. I¡¯m really glad I don¡¯t have to put up with all this pain and bother all the time, she thought, shuddering internally at the thought of going through a typical pregnancy with her drones. Hivekind biology could be a pain, but at least it wasn¡¯t that. ¡°You can do this, mother,¡± Kiara encouraged, taking her hands. ¡°We¡¯ll have a little boy in the family in no time.¡± ¡°Yeah. Regina is not going to let anything bad happen,¡± June added. Regina suppressed a snort and kept monitoring it. She appreciated the faith in her skills, but she wasn¡¯t sure that was the best track to take. Instead, she just made sure they were prepared, though. ¡°Now you just focus on pushing,¡± she said soothingly. ¡°Keep breathing deeply.¡± The rest of the birth was just a lot of worrying, pain and blood. Regina wasn¡¯t sure she had ever attended to one before, but she knew what to do. She monitored Florance¡¯s condition, ensured the baby was fine, and was thankful it was a pretty easy birth after all, with minimal need for medical intervention. She didn¡¯t even need to consider surgery. Instead, she helped get the baby out, checked him over and cut the umbilical cord, before giving a more in-depth check with her magical senses. He started screaming like a banshee. Regina handed him off to Kiara and returned to focus on Florance. ¡°A perfectly healthy baby boy,¡± she reassured her as she dealt with the afterbirth. Florance had tears in her eyes as she accepted her son from Kiara, staring at him like she was afraid he would be taken away any second. Regina cleared her throat. ¡°I will heal you a little, but you still need rest and plenty of hydration. Give your body time to recover.¡° June held the baby while Regina healed Florance, making sure her body would deal with the blood loss and trauma, then gave it back to her. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± she asked. Florance huffed. ¡°Well, I was considering naming him after our generous patron ¡ª¡° ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± June interrupted. Regina winced as well. ¡°What? Why?¡± Kiara asked. ¡°The male version of Regina is Rex,¡± June explained, ¡°which means ¡®king¡¯. Seems like you might not like that name, sister.¡± ¡°Also used to be a typical name for a dog,¡± Regina mumbled quietly. She had to stifle a chuckle. It would be a very ironic name, considering all the succession struggles. ¡°So,¡± Florance continued in a tone of tired patience, ¡°I decided to name him after an inspiring historical figure. Say hello to Robin Luis Lyns.¡± Regina listened to his sisters coo over the baby and looked him over once again. Robin Luis had small wisps of dark hair and baby-blue eyes that might turn into any other color with time. He was pink and upset and kind of cute in a very squished way. ¡°A fine name,¡± she decided, nodding at Florance. ¡°Pretty short and sweet.¡± June glanced at her and smirked. ¡°Not everyone needs to have four given names, Master.¡± Regina gasped theatrically. ¡°Oh, really? Whatever will I do with the rest of mine?¡± Kiara chuckled, then looked like she wanted to add something, but didn¡¯t. Regina figured Florance had chosen the name for political reasons, obviously, but she couldn¡¯t help but be a little touched. Instead, she just asked to hold the baby again and perform some routine tests. She weighed him and measured his height, both solidly in the healthy range, and checked that his breathing was clear of obstructions. Then she checked his immune system, what there was of it. Normally, she would have administered some vaccinations to babies, but they hadn¡¯t come that far yet. She¡¯d just have to rely on her magic. ¡°There is one thing you should note,¡± she said, keeping her tone calm. Clearly, it was still enough to alert the family. They all stilled and turned to her. ¡°Is it something bad?¡± Kiara asked, her eyebrows drawing together. ¡°Not necessarily. First of all, the boy¡¯s got magic. It¡¯s not much yet, obviously, but he¡¯ll develop a proper mana well with time and be able to choose a corresponding Class in the future.¡± They nodded. That wasn¡¯t particularly unexpected considering both his sisters were talented with magic. ¡°I¡¯m not seeing the bad news yet,¡± June said. ¡°His mana is ¡­ slightly weird. I assume it has to do with Lady Florance¡¯s experiences,¡± she said with a glance at her, shaking her head. ¡°It feels a bit like the twisted mana I¡¯ve encountered before.¡± Florance sucked in a sharp breath. ¡°How bad is it?¡± she asked urgently. ¡°Is it going to harm him? What can we do?¡± Regina raised a hand calmingly. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t harm him,¡± she said. ¡°A person can clearly live with that kind of mana. Just look at Galatea, it¡¯s arguably similar for her but much more intense, and she¡¯s basically made of mana. It won¡¯t even be like June, I think. I will be monitoring the boy, of course, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be a problem. If he¡¯s literally born with it, his body should be able to handle it. If any other symptoms do manifest, we can teach him to manage it.¡± They all nodded with varying levels of relief or doubt. June seemed the most concerned, unsurprisingly. ¡°He won¡¯t get sick like me?¡± she asked quietly. Regina shrugged slightly, careful not to jostle the baby she still held. ¡°I doubt it. If he does, we can handle it.¡± They all let the silence build for a minute, while Regina gave them time to digest this. She handed the baby off to June again, who looked down at him with a complicated look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine,¡± Kiara finally said, nodding decisively. ¡°We¡¯re just going to need to be a bit careful, but he¡¯s part of the family, and he¡¯ll have access to the best healers if it comes to that. For now, Mother needs rest. And we should announce the birth of the new prince. I¡¯ve already ordered a nursery set up, in the east wing. June helped, of course. And I know you offered to let him stay with the hive, Regina, we appreciate that and I¡¯ll come back to it later.¡± Florance gasped, her eyes flying from her newborn to Kiara as she stiffened. ¡°No. Please, daughter ¡ª my Queen ¡ª¡° Kiara blinked and leaned forward to catch one of her hands in hers. ¡°Mother, calm yourself, that¡¯s not what I meant. I wasn¡¯t going to separate him from you. The nursery is just opposite your rooms, and I thought you would visit the hive with him. I am not going to force you to do anything.¡± Florance visibly relaxed, wilting back into the bed. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m sorry, Kiara, I just ¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a tense time for everyone,¡± June said, handing her little brother back to their mother, who clearly made an effort not to clutch at him too tightly. The little boy just slept through it all. This family really still needed to work out their issues, Regina thought. Well, at least they seemed to be off to a good start. She wasn¡¯t going to get involved. Well, not unless I really need to, Regina considered. She¡¯d make that clear to them too. But she rather doubted she would. Chapter 279: New Arrivals June Lyns, recently and rather reluctantly crown princess of Cernlia, which was no longer a sovereign state, as well as much more enthusiastically an apprentice of its empress, had seen quite a bit of change in the last year or so. Nothing embodied that change as much as the chubby dark-haired baby that had suddenly joined their family. Still, she found it very hard to mind. June had never thought of herself as the family-focused kind of woman, and she still didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d ever want to have kids of her own. But little Robin - though they were quickly starting to also use his middle name Luis - was adorable, and he seemed to be good for her mother. Well, as good as he could be considering how tired she was, of course. It surprised June how much that seemed to concern her. She¡¯d thought she was still angry at her mother. She probably still was. But June also didn¡¯t want her to suffer and under the circumstances, she even found herself feeling protective. Which was why she was not enthusiastic when she found out what Kiara intended. On the other hand, she also couldn¡¯t argue against it, and a part of her was looking forward to it as well. Or at least thought it had to happen. ¡°Are you sure you are okay to come with, Mother?¡± she asked. Florance nodded decisively. ¡°I am not an invalid, girl. Besides, Her Majesty healed me up quite well and I will not let you go there alone.¡± ¡°Hardly alone,¡± June muttered. She really didn¡¯t know if she wanted her mother to be there for that. It would be a bit of an awkward family reunion, to say the least. ¡°You still won¡¯t mind if I take Luis,¡± Kiara stated rather than asked. She looked down at the boy and smiled. They set off without escorts in what June was sure looked like a bit of an awkward procession. Kiara clearly didn¡¯t let it bother her. June simply looked around the place. She had seen most of the palace by now, but once they took a turn into less-used areas and then a staircase down it was not a part she had been in before. The dungeons, such as they were, were built underground, obviously, behind several layers of security. The few windows in the corridor above were small and barred, and in this corridor, there were none at all, just some torches they left unlit. June conjured a few modified Sparks to light their surroundings properly. Their father was stuck in a deep hole with only one opening in the top to let in light, air and a bucket with food and water. For all that, it was a surprisingly comfortable cell, with a good cot, a curtained-off area that she assumed held a chamber pot or latrine, and a small vanity, wardrobe and bookshelf. He¡¯d even been given wine, judging by the jug on the table. ¡°We¡¯re in a small anteroom ¡ª or cell ¡ª where we can let him up, so we can talk at the same height,¡± Kiara told her. ¡°Let¡¯s take a few steps back and let them take him up. Guards?¡± June nodded and stepped back, leaving it to Kiara to take their mother¡¯s arm and gently tug her back, while two guards assigned to the prison went to the hole to bring the former marquis out. June wasn¡¯t worried about any escape attempts; she, Kiara and the guards would be more than a match for him, even if their mother had a sudden bout of idiocy and joined him. Not to mention he had to know he wasn¡¯t getting out of the palace, much less the city, or out of Regina¡¯s reach. They waited in tense silence and she listened as Nicholas Lyns finally climbed up and stepped into the small space in the cell around the oubliette, which was now separated from them by some bars. He looked well enough, she supposed, although the captivity had clearly taken its toll. His beard had grown out and his clothing wasn¡¯t as pristine as it could have been. ¡°So, my family finally deigns to visit me,¡± he said, his gaze sweeping from one of them to the next. ¡°And all of you at once, too.¡± Kiara smiled a bit, clearly showing that she didn¡¯t let it bother her. ¡°We decided to do the proper thing and give you a chance to meet the newest member of the family at least once.¡± Their father stared at the bundle in her arms, then quickly glanced at his wife. ¡°So, he¡¯s ¡­¡± Florance stepped up to Kiara, then after a silent exchange June wasn¡¯t sure about, took the baby and stepped closer to the bars, showing it to him. ¡°Meet your son, dear husband, Robin Luis Lyns.¡± He craned his head forward, grasping the bars. ¡°Not a bad name, I suppose. I assume it would be useless to insist on my paternal rights such as participating in the naming?¡± ¡°You should be happy we are distancing him from you,¡± June said. ¡°You¡¯re a condemned traitor, Father. He doesn¡¯t need to grow up in the shadow of that.¡± He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Ironic, isn¡¯t it, considering who else is now the child of a condemned traitor?¡± Kiara cleared her throat. ¡°Whatever you may think, I did not come here to fight. That would be unworthy.¡± Her father froze for just an instant. ¡°It is decided, then? You are going to send me away after this visit?¡± ¡°I have been making plans,¡± Kiara answered, without quite confirming it explicitly. ¡°It will not be long now.¡± He took a deep breath, then visibly made himself focus on Florance and her baby again. He even smiled a bit, reaching out a finger to tickle his cheek. The boy opened his eyes and yawned a bit. June had to admit it was cute. He wasn¡¯t old enough to smile yet, she thought, and he was still tiny, but at least he didn¡¯t look too squished anymore. It was a bit startling to realize that he was young enough to be her own son, or Kiara¡¯s, of course. And he very well might inherit her sister¡¯s throne one day. Not that June was going to tell her father that, of course. Finally, he sighed and looked at her mother. ¡°Florance ¡­¡± ¡°Yes, dear?¡± Her tone was very neutral. Nicholas paused for a moment. ¡°I regret any harm or discomfort that may have come to you through my actions.¡± She nodded, though she didn¡¯t say she forgave him or that it was nothing. June had already known she wasn¡¯t the only one who wasn¡¯t entirely pleased with being sent away as a hostage. ¡°I also regret that I could not help come to a better solution for everyone.¡± Kiara sighed a bit. ¡°We all feel that way, I think.¡± She glanced at her father as if showing she doubted if he counted just a little. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "Please at least tell me he will be cared for,¡± their father asked. ¡°Of course he will,¡± June replied. She tried not to feel offended that their father thought they would hurt their own little brother. We¡¯re not like the rest of the family, after all, she thought with both bitterness and ironic humor. ¡°He will be loved and respected,¡± Kiara said, ¡°I have already promised you as much, haven¡¯t I, Father?¡± ¡°Well, forgive me if I have some doubts about your honor after you sold out our country to the Hivekind.¡± June clenched her teeth. She knew he would accuse them of that, but hearing it still wasn¡¯t pleasant. She stayed silent to let Kiara respond, though. ¡°I did not sell out to anyone,¡± she replied, seemingly calm. ¡°Not that I expect you to understand making decisions for the good of my people and not my personal status.¡± ¡°You lost us our national sovereignty, girl.¡± ¡°And most people will be better off like this. The one who lost the most power would be me as queen.¡± His narrowed eyes moved on to June. ¡°I suppose you agree with her in this idiocy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m with Kiara. The Empire is going to give people more freedom than they¡¯ve had before, so they hardly lost much ¡®sovereignty¡¯, which only the queen has anyway.¡± She personally doubted that Kiara would be in favor of actual democracy, but she did agree with Regina ¡ª and June, too ¡ª on civil rights. Most commoners would just go from one ultimate sovereign to another, but their life would change in the Empire, largely for the better. June believed in that. They stared at each other for a few tense moments. It was obvious they would not come to an agreement here. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t his decision anymore. In the end, she didn¡¯t particularly care about his opinion. ¡°Can we please not fight on our last day together?¡± Florance asked, a bit pleadingly. She glanced at Kiara and bit her lip, as if she wanted to ask her to reconsider but thought better of it. As far as June was aware, she had not even officially protested against her husband¡¯s sentence or made any attempts to change her older daughter¡¯s mind. Perhaps some of it was political calculation or realizing the futility of it, but June suspected part of the reason was also that Florance, on some level, felt relieved he would be sent away. She hadn¡¯t been unaffected by the war and all it entailed, either, had she? June considered telling Father that his vaunted little heir had the same issue she did with different mana that might lead to sickness. She thought better of it. ¡°Well, as nice as all this was, I do have other things to go and do,¡± she drawled. ¡°Have fun.¡± Florance frowned. June would be visiting her mother later, even if she disliked the prospect. Kiara nodded, content not to push her. Her father actually looked conflicted for just a moment. ¡°June, my daughter ¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Father?¡± He paused and shook his head. ¡°Take care of yourself.¡± ¡°I intend to. Have a nice life, I suppose.¡± She turned and left. A part of her was happy they didn¡¯t part with shouts and curses. Another part was disappointed, even if she knew it would have been foolish to hope for an apology ¡ª it had taken her a while to come to terms with it, but she knew he had always neglected her compared to her sister and now she could admit what it meant to her and how she felt about it ¡ª or anything more substantial. Besides, who needs parents, anyway? June still felt down as she climbed the stairs back into the palace proper. At least she had a great teacher. She kind of wanted to talk to her. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t know if Regina was free and it wasn¡¯t like she could check through the psychic link like a drone would. Instead, June paced through the palace and found herself thinking of things she usually would rather not. But your country is a barbaric, backward shithole, June, Regina had told her, June recalled. Looking around at the royal palace, she found it hard to agree. But the more she learned from the hive, of the world Regina had come from, the world that people had originally built here, the more questions she had. She wasn¡¯t entirely convinced Regina would lead them to such a ¡­ utopia? ¡­ even if everything worked out perfectly as planned. Still, Kiara was right, wasn¡¯t she? The people would be a lot better off under the Empire. Even if, looking at who held power, it hadn¡¯t really changed, at least not yet. You just had Regina and the Hive added into the mix. Civil liberties were one thing, but would the people actually get to participate in making decisions? (Should they? a voice in the back of her mind asked.) June had never held a conversation with a common farmer or tradesperson about political philosophy. Actually, she doubted Regina had, either, not in this era. Then again, didn¡¯t it work for the elves? Even Regina had said they had ¡®something like a democracy¡¯. Although they only had a single city-state to govern. Instituting a more democratic government would definitely be a final "screw you" to her father, but, that was probably an unworthy thought. Maybe she was just getting too distracted again. It wasn¡¯t like June would get to make those decisions. She might technically be crown princess now, but Kiara was queen, Regina was empress, and June was loyal to both of them. That would probably be challenging enough to navigate on its own, anyway, but she¡¯d follow their lead. June had almost decided to stop overthinking politics for the day and go to the sparring yard to work out some issues with her magic, when she ran into Jay, one of the drones who usually worked with Max. He reached out a hand to steady her and smiled. ¡°Careful where you¡¯re going, little princess. My blade-arms are sharp. I would¡¯ve figured you¡¯d be outside, though.¡± It took until now for her to realize that it was a bit too quiet around here, even if this corridor wasn¡¯t particularly central or well-used, but now she noticed. ¡°Is something up, Jay?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t heard? We¡¯re getting visitors.¡± June raised an eyebrow, then resisted the urge to laugh as she realized what he meant. Turning and throwing a quick ¡°Thanks¡± over her shoulder, she hurried on through this wing of the building until she reached the entrance to the front yard. She reached it just in time to watch Madris come to a stop in front of the group of people who had clearly just dismounted from their horses. Dark elves, it was obvious at a glance. They seemed to have the same eye colors (and reflective quality) as elves, and similar ears, but dark skin and hair colors ranging from light blond to what looked like light blue if it wasn¡¯t a trick of the light. The people at the outside of their circle were all men, clearly warriors judging by their armor and weapons, while the obvious leader was a woman followed by a mixed group, all of them wearing robes in styles June hadn¡¯t seen before. Contrary to stereotypes, they seemed to use muted colors, dark blue or green or purple, but not black. She focused on the leader.
Icnes Oliren ¡ª Level ? Whisper of the Night
Madris and the dark elf ¡ª a Whisper of the Night, whatever that Class meant ¡ª just stared at each other for a long moment. It almost got awkward for June and she wasn¡¯t even close by. Finally, the leader smiled and spoke up. ¡°Eminent Mistress Ulaven, your path be lit by stars.¡± She bowed low, holding the position. Madris returned a smile that looked more like a grimace and bowed back, though hers was noticeably a bit shallower. ¡°Yours be sure and true, Icnes Oliren.¡± They both paused for a moment before standing up straight. Instead of polite deference, it honestly felt more like a cultural ritual to show you couldn¡¯t stab the other in the back. Or maybe she was just projecting because there was obvious subtext between these two, and it seemed tense. ¡°So, this is where you have been lately, Madris?¡± the envoy (presumably) asked, glancing around. ¡°Only recently,¡± the Delver responded dismissively. ¡°I would show you to the Empress, but she will unfortunately be occupied for a few minutes longer.¡± ¡°Of course. We would all look forward to meeting your student even if that was all she was, let alone a woman forging, by all accounts, a great nation here in the reaches,¡± Oliren muttered. Madris hummed in what sounded like agreement. Did that mean Oliren was a psychic as well, or was it just about Madris¡¯ reputation? June forced her feet to move her forward. With Regina indisposed ¡ª probably in the hatchery, actually ¡ª and Kiara presumably still in the dungeons at the moment, it unfortunately fell to her to welcome their guests. Well, Madris was there, at least. ¡°Princess, how good to see you here,¡± Madris greeted her with a spark of humor. ¡°Icnes and company, meet Crown Princess June of Cernlia, Empress Regina¡¯s mage apprentice.¡± June plastered on a smile and greeted the newcomers while listening to their return greetings. She wasn¡¯t going to complain about seeing a new culture. At least this was bound to be an interesting visit, one way or another, she figured. Just watching the Delvers, dark elves and Hivekind all be in a room together would do even if nothing else came of it. Chapter 280: Diplomatic Efforts It took Regina meeting more dark elves to realize how unusual Madris actually was ¡ª both in her own eyes and, perhaps more importantly, theirs. So far, she had had a tendency to attribute quirks or things she didn¡¯t understand to Madris¡¯ race, to her shame. Although maybe it wasn¡¯t such a bad thing. If someone did come from a different culture, it was a reasonable assumption that a difference you didn¡¯t understand could be due to that rather than just individual preferences. Still, Madris had left the Eternal Dark and lived with the human Delvers, although in a different country, for a while. Regina had never actually got a straight answer on how long. She knew Madris was about five hundred years old ¡ª which she just tried not to think too hard about all the time. She had to have spent at least the first century or two with her people, probably more. It hadn¡¯t felt like she¡¯d lived with that community of Delvers for centuries, they¡¯d have probably acted a bit differently if she had. Still, it didn¡¯t seem to affect the dark elves¡¯ behavior towards Madris, surprisingly. Or maybe it did, but only in subtle ways, and they still stuck to using the forms of politeness and etiquette their culture and respective social rank prescribed. And Madris was clearly very well-respected. Which Regina knew correlated a lot with her personal power and ability to impose her will on others. Still, she could read the interplay enough to know it wasn¡¯t all because Madris was a scary high-level fighter. Well, she was scary, sure, but not just because of her high level or combat power. Regina found herself actually liking the dark elves, to her mild surprise. Of course, she knew a lot about them due to her experiences with Madris and their brief ¡®meeting of the minds¡¯, perhaps more than the Delver realized. Although it was hardly enough to convey everything about their culture or history. Maybe it wasn¡¯t so surprising. The dark elves¡¯ government had sent diplomats, after all. The main envoy of their delegation, Icnes Oliren, was clearly an experienced diplomat who¡¯d mediated between their own factions as well as contact with other people. When Regina asked, she was happy to tell stories about her previous encounters. They had an opportunity for that during a soir¨¦e shortly after the dark elves arrived. Kiara was hosting it, and Regina attended with the senior hive drones and her new group of advisors. This time, she was looking forward to seeing more of their new guests, so she didn¡¯t even mind the banalities surrounding it. "I love traveling,¡± Oliren confessed with a playful smile. ¡°There are so many interesting places. And, of course, I jumped at the chance to come here, Your Majesty. It is the most interesting thing happening in quite a while, I¡¯m sure.¡± Regina smiled back. ¡°Well, I do try.¡± She hesitated for a moment, then decided to just go right ahead. ¡°I haven¡¯t met any other dark elves before except for Madris, and all I know about your people comes from her.¡± The diplomat¡¯s smile didn¡¯t change, and she didn¡¯t show any visible reactions. ¡°That is unsurprising, I wouldn¡¯t think there are many of us up here.¡± ¡°Perhaps, I certainly haven¡¯t heard of others. I take it you and Madris know each other, then?¡± Oliren hesitated just slightly. ¡°We are acquainted,¡± she said. Her tone was neutral. Regina found it really hard to get a sense of her relationship with Madris. It probably wasn¡¯t the time to push it, though. Instead, Regina smiled and asked a question about their relationship with the Delvers. ¡°I have negotiated several treaties myself,¡± Oliren told her amicably. ¡°We have never been especially close, as such, but we have developed a good working relationship. Despite all their protests of ideology, Delvers are hardly averse to working as mercenaries against some threats in the underground, and we have access to ruins of Ancient civilization they want, as well as the routes to reach them. It is a good arrangement for all sides.¡± ¡°I believe the local Delver chapter used to have a similar arrangement with the elves in the Great Forest, though perhaps not as firm or wide-reaching,¡± Regina said. The dark elf smiled slightly. ¡°Ah, the city-state around Ariedel, isn¡¯t it? I have not had the pleasure of visiting, yet.¡± ¡°Perhaps we can arrange something,¡± Regina told her. ¡°We are currently in negotiations with the elves, and my hive did develop an alliance with them. We even fought together, before. I would be more than happy to put you in contact, and perhaps we can even sit down to talk together.¡± Oliren regarded her for a moment. ¡°That is an interesting development. Certainly.¡± Regina didn¡¯t say much in response. She was trying to reach out, of course. Even if her diplomatic efforts were a bit clumsy, it wasn¡¯t like she wasn¡¯t sincere or had bad intentions. Building alliances was one of the most important goals she had right now. She was hardly going to turn her nose up at the dark elves if there was an opportunity, even if their home was a bit far away. Of course, any alliance wasn¡¯t going to be built in a day. Oliren was clearly still trying to gather information, and Regina would let her do that. This whole thing was also an opportunity to see what her reputation was in more distant lands. She had no doubts some interpretations wouldn¡¯t be favorable. Better to let the visitors see some things for themselves, like proof of Regina¡¯s ¡®Precursor knowledge¡¯. At the end of the evening, Regina wandered over to Madris, who looked like she was about to leave any moment now. ¡°So, did they send an idiot or not?¡± she asked lightly. Her teacher sighed and looked at her. ¡°You realize she could hear you if you were just a bit closer, don¡¯t you, Regina?¡± Regina shrugged, but lowered her voice a little anyway. ¡°I think I have an idea. Still, you didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± Madris rolled her eyes. ¡°No, of course not. Although it might have been less irritating if they did.¡± ¡°So, how do you know the envoy?¡± Madris twirled the glass she¡¯d picked up at some point between her fingers. ¡°We were part of the same house, once,¡± she said after a pause. Regina frowned. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re related?¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Not really, no. I joined their house for a short time after my own went under, before I ¡­ technically founded my current house.¡± Regina tried not to show her surprise. She had the impression that kind of thing was pretty uncommon. Then again, Madris wasn¡¯t exactly your usual dark elf. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She didn¡¯t seem inclined to say anything else. Regina wouldn¡¯t push the issue. It was only a matter of time until she learned more, anyway. At the very least when she touched her mind again, as would no doubt happen during further training. Regina had already made peace with the thought that some of her own secrets, such as they were, would probably be open to Madris. ¡°What about her politics?¡± she asked. ¡°She¡¯s not an isolationist or anything, right?¡± Madris smiled briefly. ¡°No, you should have no trouble with that. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll manage to impress her. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, Your Majesty?¡± Regina nodded and gestured permission, so Madris bowed her head politely and took her leave. Regina turned, noting the people watching them, and decided to make one more circuit of the room. Talking to diplomats really wasn¡¯t the worst part of her job. Now if only certain people would actually accept her invitations for diplomatic niceties. She thought mostly of the gnomes, of course, who probably wouldn¡¯t send an ambassador unless they thought they could use it to assassinate her, but the new Western Confederation had also been pretty reticent. Well, Regina would give them some time. Seeing that the Empire was more concerned with other matters should help to calm a few fears, hopefully, and being aggressive would probably be the wrong move here. Unless it did need a more forceful resolution, but she hoped it would never come to that. In the meantime, Kiara¡¯s spymaster, Daine, had already started efforts to get an intelligence network up and running. He was coordinating with his Nerlian colleagues, but seemed to come out on top in that particular field. Regina didn¡¯t care much one way or another so long as she had someone competent to run such an important area. Although she would probably need to take steps to assure herself of the loyalty of whoever did end up running the Empire¡¯s intelligence operations in the long run. Which probably meant going digging in their minds to assure herself of that loyalty. Oh joy. She¡¯d make sure to get informed consent and everything, of course, and it would probably be helpful for her training, if nothing else. She just hoped Daine would realize the necessity and not take it personally. From what she¡¯d seen of him, that seemed likely, at least. Her hive would also be involved in those efforts, of course, considering the skills the psychic link gave them, but they didn¡¯t exactly have a network of contacts to draw on. From what they could tell so far, the Western Confederation was having a bit of trouble getting off the ground, something Regina could certainly sympathize with. They seemed to be handling it worse, though. Considering there were more nations involved, that wasn¡¯t surprising. And they seemed to lack a clear leader. Their information so far largely came from Nerlian traders, so there were no doubt things she was missing, but it also looked like they had established contact with the Esemen. At least, people had heard of an Esemen ambassador arriving. There was no sign of the gnomes becoming involved yet, at least. Regina really wasn¡¯t sure if or how they would do that. It was irritating how much she still didn¡¯t understand them. Luckily, they now had more avenues of finding that understanding. They¡¯d been interrogating prisoners, of course, but that didn¡¯t necessarily give them a full picture. Now, though, the hive had captured a major gnomish city. Just watching the way the civilians reacted would already give her some clues, and actually interviewing them, and trying to set up some sort of oversight and provisional military government, would only yield more insight. She was pretty much done and about to head back to her chambers when she caught sight of Marianne Neralt, who she¡¯d just been thinking of, and said hello once more. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve given your options some thought,¡± Regina said after the greeting and a few pleasantries were exchanged. The Cernlian woman smiled wanly and nodded. ¡°Certainly, Your Majesty. Do you need a decision now, or ¡­?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s no rush. I¡¯m happy to keep you on as an advisor until we find a perfectly suited position.¡± Marianne¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Thank you. I admit that I would hardly dislike an administrative role, but there is also something about the ¡®meeting of minds¡¯, so to speak, which comes with diplomacy that calls to me. One of the best things about this Empire is the way different cultures meet and come together to create something greater, isn¡¯t it?¡± Regina smiled back. ¡°It certainly is. I¡¯d say we could use your talents with the gnomes, for example. Perhaps not right now, but I hope there will be opportunity soon. What do you think?¡± ¡°I hope so, as well.¡± Marianne dipped her head. ¡°Negotiating a peace settlement would be a challenge, but I hope my experiences with the Esemen would give me some small kernel of experience and insight. And for a more permanent solution ¡ª well, I am sure you can guess that I support my son¡¯s position on the matter.¡± That wasn¡¯t exactly a surprise to hear, no. ¡°Of course. And what do you think of his progress, Lady Marianne?¡± She didn¡¯t hesitate to answer. ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s early days still, but I would call it promising, My Empress. The civilian population of the city is clearly on edge, to put it mildly, but they hardly seem about to revolt. To whatever extent the anti-Hivekind propaganda was disseminated and believed, it is clearly not entirely taken for the truth of the matter. I imagine that the presence of human, especially Delver, troops, contributes to that.¡± ¡°As well as the fact we haven¡¯t killed them all yet,¡± Regina muttered. ¡°That should contradict some part of the propaganda, too.¡± ¡°Quite so,¡± Marianne agreed with a serious tone, although the corner of her lips curled up slightly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know how much the average citizen has heard of the founding of the Empire, but that alone should also show the Hivekind as more than brutal monsters. Those rarely build civilizations with other people, after all. Elric¡¯s interrogations, from what he¡¯s said, also seem to indicate that at least some soldiers have doubts about the ¡®party line¡¯.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Regina murmured. ¡°I¡¯ll ask him for more details, but it¡¯s good to get your assessment.¡± The lady dipped her head again. ¡°While we are here, I assume you would like me to attempt to develop a working relationship with the dark elves?¡± ¡°That would be nice, yes. I don¡¯t think they would object to making contact, so to speak.¡± ¡°Then I will talk to them and keep you apprised of my progress.¡± Regina nodded. After a few more words and polite goodbyes, Marianne melted back into the thinning crowd and Regina turned to leave. It was late, but instead of going to sleep right away, Regina dipped back into the psychic link once she reached her rooms. Her hive was churning along like a well-maintained machine. After briefly checking on a few drones, she focused her attention on the gnomish city they¡¯d captured recently. Ins-On-A-Rock wasn¡¯t quite asleep. She could tell, with her psychic senses, even at this distance, that many of the gnomes were still awake. Anxiety hung over the city like a blanket made of fog, punctuated by the odd spike of other emotions ¡ª fear and rage and grief, mostly. But there was some hope as well, dwelling under the blanket of fear like the light of many small candles being reflected back into their world. The hive had left quite a few troops behind, working on rotation, to garrison the city and prevent any activity from the Gnomish Confederation. If there was a determined effort to unseat them, they might even succeed; there simply weren¡¯t as many soldiers or War Drones as gnomes here. But Marianne was right, the city didn¡¯t feel like a boiling pot of rebellion. We need to make sure to increase and guard the food supplies, Regina made a mental note. And maybe a few other things wouldn¡¯t go amiss? It couldn¡¯t hurt to start early in showing the gnomes what they could expect from the Empire, anyway. Maybe even its benefits, although that might be expecting too much. Still, Regina made a mental note to send some of the scholars they were gathering and training south. Now they finally had the opportunity for exchange with gnomish scientists and engineers. As long as they made sure it was safe, of course, but she hoped starting now might help. Chapter 281: Assurance Regina had previously had the thought that the gnomes seemed further advanced than the human kingdoms she¡¯d gotten to know, like they were a civilization plucked out of a later epoch of history compared to them. As she learned more about the situation in the Gnomish Confederation of the East during this war, the impression kind of stuck with her. She wasn¡¯t a historian, of course, so she was probably just confusing things and missing cues for a deeper understanding. But some things she did see did remind her of later, more modern times than the medieval or Rennaissance-like world of the other countries. The propaganda, the control the government exerted, the war effort and its logistics. Maybe she was just underestimating the past and misrepresenting earlier times, but it didn¡¯t really matter, since the inferences she drew were still useful. The ruling faction, the Historicals, had consolidated their power starting before the beginning of the war. Opposition politicians had regularly found themselves tripping over scandals, booted out of office or even accused of treason and executed. And it wasn¡¯t confined to politicians, their crackdown had gradually broadened to the whole of their society, with people coming under suspicion for their political allegiances or because they belonged to a group the regime didn¡¯t like. The next major election was being delayed indefinitely because of the war. Regina had her suspicions of what that meant ¡ª although to be fair, going through with it under the conditions of the war wouldn¡¯t exactly be easy. It was a bit of a shame, an election like this could have provided a good lever for her. Maybe a chance to get some opposition candidates into power or at least get their voices heard. But that probably wasn¡¯t very realistic at the present moment ¡­ at least not if you played by the Historicals¡¯ rules. Their propaganda was clearly effective. Just looking at the number of soldiers the gnomes fielded and the discipline with which they usually fought would tell her as much. But it wasn¡¯t completely accepted, either. The people knew what the war was costing them, not just in people being sent to the front and returning in body bags or not at all, but in quality of life, too. And they had little to show for it. Even if the truth about the start of the war was probably mostly unknown to the people and covered by the Historicals¡¯ propaganda, they couldn¡¯t lie about all of the facts. Some of the interviews her people had conducted had revealed that rarest and most valuable of findings: hints that there was active resistance to the gnomes¡¯ regime in the Confederation. Maybe even unrest. Neralt had thrown himself into his self-appointed task (mostly) with enthusiasm and made good progress, according to the reports Regina had received. She¡¯d also sent some Keepers and a few other drones to further that effort and gather what useful intelligence they could. The first results had come in, and Regina appreciated what she learned. Even if she felt rather conflicted about the news. She would have liked to travel to the city herself and get a picture of the situation personally, but that just wasn¡¯t feasible right now. So instead, she left it to Janis and the others, as well as Neralt and the people he was recruiting for it. Not that she just let him do what he wanted in that regard, at least. ¡°I need more detailed reports about the people you are involving in this effort, including your reasoning for involving them,¡± she said when they met one afternoon, after he¡¯d come back to the capital for a visit. She¡¯d allowed him the use of a Winged Drone Mount for major trips, considering the importance of his work, and, frankly, she probably owed him some consideration after everything. He frowned slightly, but nodded. ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. I understand.¡± ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°I hope you understand the need for caution as well. I don¡¯t think the gnomes have spies in Cernlia¡¯s court or nobility, but I can¡¯t rule it out, and I wouldn¡¯t put it past certain people to sell information. There are other parties we wouldn¡¯t want to know what we¡¯re doing or if we make any plans, either. Keeping this quiet is going to be important. I can¡¯t have any of them betraying us for other reasons, either ¡ª I¡¯m sure there are some vested interests in drawing out this war.¡± His frown deepened, but he nodded gravely again. ¡°That¡¯s very wise, My Empress. Would it help if I offered any assurances? Is there anything I can do?¡± Regina tugged on her mandible. ¡°I may want to check their intentions and honesty with my psychic abilities,¡± she said slowly. ¡°It would certainly offer an assurance of their trustworthiness. If you¡¯re ready to undergo this yourself, it could only help.¡± Neralt smiled slightly, as if he was amused by some private thought. ¡°Of course,¡± he readily agreed. ¡°I have no secrets from my empress, after all. Do you wish to do this right now?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re ready.¡± Regina sat deeper in her chair, taking a deep breath and focusing her mind. ¡°Please relax,¡± she requested. Neralt¡¯s mind was hardly relaxed, but that was to be expected. He did grow a bit calmer, which would do. Regina concentrated on it once more, trying not to get drawn into the psychic link but wholly focused on what her psychic senses were telling her outside it, before she slowly got a bit deeper in. She¡¯d been able to read his surface emotions before, although he had quite good control over them. Now, she took a deeper scan of them. She¡¯d already checked if people were lying to her, even without their active cooperation, and this didn¡¯t really need much more than that, so it shouldn¡¯t be too hard. ¡°Are you lying to or deceiving me in any way?¡± she asked softly. ¡°No, My Empress.¡± That was mostly the truth. At hearing the question, his mind couldn¡¯t help but wonder and go to all the places where he might be deceiving her depending on how one interpreted the question. He was presenting his plans and results with a bit of a spin to get favorable results; not exactly dishonest, just the normal way of trying to put things into the best light. She could have figured that one out. He seemed mostly honest in his intentions and what he actually wanted to do. ¡°Talk about the gnomes and your ideas,¡± she ordered calmly. He did. She listened closely, following along with the associations his words called up as well as his meaning and the emotion coloring his speech. It almost gave her more information than if she¡¯d just read the same words written somewhere, although her concentration also wasn¡¯t entirely on the content of his report. Still, it was easy to see he had considered what he was doing and knew what he was talking about. He also wasn¡¯t hiding anything she would have found objectionable. Anger at the Gnomish Confederation was to be expected and certainly justified, but he¡¯d hardly lost himself in a blind rage. Well, he wouldn¡¯t have taken this on if he had, she supposed. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Then, the contents of what he was saying distracted her a bit from trying to delve deeper into his state of mind. ¡°You think there were, what, community leaders among those we have talked to?¡± she asked. Neralt shifted slightly. ¡°Well, there are bound to be some figures of notable influence, or political leaders in a less well-known capacity, among those remaining in the city,¡± he said carefully. ¡°We have been trying to look for them, of course; it doesn¡¯t seem shocking that we would have succeeded in a few cases.¡± Regina watched him quietly for a bit, then sat back in her chair. She withdrew her mind somewhat, still keeping enough focus on him to tell if he was lying, but easing off the pressure. ¡°I assume you¡¯re familiar with the political factions of the gnomes. How are those represented?¡± ¡°Indeed. The Moderates were the most powerful faction against the Historicals, but I am not so certain that is still true. There are a few others who might line up with them ideologically. I would assume more of those we have marked are members of political factions than have said so, as some wish to keep affiliations like that hidden.¡± ¡°And of those people you consider important, what are their affiliations?¡± ¡°Well,¡± he straightened up slightly, ¡°the man I would find most promising actually seems to be a member of the Moderate, unless I miss my guess. There is also a woman who might be in a leadership position of some kind among one of the other factions, although I am not certain of the name yet. She¡¯s been a bit cagey.¡± Regina tapped her fingers on the armrest of her chair as she thought. ¡°If you have interviewed them and questioned them in detail on the political landscape and their own views, they will know we are up to something, and at least have a rough idea of what we are doing,¡± she noted. ¡°We have been very careful to restrict communications going out of Ins,¡± he protested. Regina waved a hand irritably. ¡°Yes, but I wouldn¡¯t bet that we manage to stop all communications. Anyway, we might want them to communicate something.¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°I see. I believe that can be arranged, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Good. Don¡¯t be hasty, but you should prepare the groundwork. We¡¯ll need to cooperate with the gnomes we want to work with, not just toss them behind barricades and use them when we think it suits.¡± She paused. ¡°That said, make sure not to give up sensitive military intel.¡± Not that Neralt should know a lot of critical military information, but it was the kind of thing one better made sure of. ¡°Of course, Your Majesty,¡± he murmured with a short bow. ¡°Good. I¡¯ve allocated additional funds for your efforts; talk to Via about further support. Is there something else?¡± There wasn¡¯t. Neralt took the hint and quickly took his leave, while Regina checked in on the other people associated with their efforts to understand and potentially manipulate the political situation among the gnomes. She would give the baron a bit of time to get his head together and plan before getting back to him about the ¡­ interviews with other people. Obviously, she didn¡¯t need to do that with the Hivekind, but it might be prudent to do it with everyone else, and maybe even make a point of how her psychic link let her ensure the drones¡¯ trustworthiness, too. And it wasn¡¯t limited to Neralt and his associates, was it? Regina could at least do spot checks of everyone in her court, or schedule meetings with her advisors and officials. Maybe I should be doing that, she thought, grimacing but trying to consider it dispassionately. At least the most important ones. Those whose loyalty I¡¯m not sure of. Although it wouldn¡¯t do to single them out, I guess. She sighed, leaned back and rubbed her forehead. That would be a pain, and the ethical implications weren¡¯t exactly a field of roses, either. But maybe she really would have to do that; could she afford giving up a tool like this? Well, knowing she could check them might provide people some incentive not to entertain betrayal or deception, but it might also discourage people from trying to work for her. No one liked having their minds read, after all. The obvious move would be to do it secretly, without letting on that she was. Regina refused to entertain that possibility, though. Not because she couldn¡¯t do it, she was fairly sure she could or at least would be able to check them unobtrusively. But she needed to build trust with those working with her, and trust needed to be a two-way street. Otherwise, if it came out she was peeking into their heads, her working relationships with all of her advisors and government officials would be destroyed. She also just really didn¡¯t want to. Maybe with the gnomes ¡­ it would be somewhat expected ¡­ but Regina still didn¡¯t really like the idea. Shaking her head to herself, she went and sought out Madris. The dark elf psychic had actually stuck around, despite Regina¡¯s suspicions that the arrival of others of her people might make her leave. She wasn¡¯t sure why, but to be fair, while Madris and their ambassador seemed to have a complicated relationship, it clearly wasn¡¯t entirely hostile ¡ª especially if they¡¯d been family at one point ¡ª and she must have gone years without speaking to other dark elves. Still, Madris hadn¡¯t changed the rooms she occupied to be closer to them, even though it would have been trivial to get them reassigned, and didn¡¯t exactly spend all day hanging around them. Regina found her in a sitting room in the palace¡¯s western wing that had been turned into an unofficial common area for the Delvers, although it was pretty deserted right now. Madris was looking into what Regina immediately recognized as a magical device, and clearly a pretty complicated one too. She was frowning deeply, not looking up as Regina joined her. ¡°Is that from one of your delves?¡± she finally asked, breaking the silence after Madris blinked. Her teacher looked up calmly. ¡°No, but it has been recently found by some allies of mine.¡± Regina glanced down at the device. It was a mess of copper and silver wires, at least as far as she could tell at a glance, with a few glass or crystal parts, a bit bigger than a baseball but with several wires winding around outside to break the outline. ¡°Is there any point asking what it does?¡± ¡°I might let you know once I¡¯ve figured it out,¡± Madris said drily. Regina leaned back into the chair she¡¯d pulled up, wondering if Madris was just feeling nostalgic or if she had a deeper purpose. ¡°Do you miss going out on adventures?¡± The other woman paused for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°A little, I suppose. But this is certainly an exciting change.¡± She laid a hand on the device and looked up at Regina. ¡°So, what brings you here?¡± ¡°I was considering interrogating the people at court, making sure of their loyalty and trustworthiness,¡± Regina admitted. Madris stilled. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not intending to violate their minds on the regular.¡± ¡°No,¡± Regina waved a hand, ¡°I would ask their permission if I did, of course.¡± Madris examined her for a moment, then nodded. ¡°And you wanted my opinion?¡± ¡°You would know how best to go about it,¡± Regina said lightly. She had also come to Madris for her opinion in a more philosophical sense, she supposed, but for some reason, she felt reluctant to admit that. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s about time I teach you some practical skills for purposes like these,¡± Madris mused. ¡°Then again, it would be easier to learn in conjunction with counterbalancing methods ¡­ And I should tell you more about the theory and circles of practitioners.¡± Regina nodded, feeling eager. ¡°Gladly.¡± ¡°Well, if you have time for it, I suppose there¡¯s no point doing it halfway. We will visit Ins-On-A-Rock.¡± Regina blinked. ¡°Really? I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not objecting, but you just expect me to drop everything and go with you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you weren¡¯t considering a visit to the city yourself, Your Majesty. Besides, you may be an empress ¡ª my Empress, yes ¡ª but in these matters, I am your teacher. Isn¡¯t that how you see it?¡± Regina sighed lightly and rolled her shoulders. ¡°Yes. Alright. I¡¯ll make arrangements.¡± ¡°Good. In the meantime, get Galatea to give you some exercises on mana sensitivity and expand on the theory behind it. You should take advantage while she¡¯s still here.¡± Regina nodded again, silently wondering if joint teaching sessions would be a great opportunity or an utter disaster. Chapter 282: Learning They set out two days after Madris first ¡®suggested¡¯ the trip. It probably wasn¡¯t a bad turnaround time, but Regina kind of missed the days when she could just up and leave whenever she had something to take care of. Still, she needed to make sure the burgeoning Imperial government wouldn¡¯t collapse without her there to oversee them, and it felt polite to give Kiara and the others at least a little bit of warning. Not that she would be out of contact or anything. With some drones staying in Cera, Regina was only physically absent. That made it a lot easier. They were taking Winged Drone Mounts to travel, which made the trip go a lot faster than it otherwise would, too. Madris probably had her own means of traveling quickly, but she¡¯d accepted the offer of a flying mount, anyway. And Regina wasn¡¯t sure if she wasn¡¯t taking along whatever member of her party had been responsible for the ¡®quick travel¡¯ shown when they¡¯d first met. She was accompanied by one of her party members, though, the same companion who Regina had seen with her during the war in Nerlia. His level was still too high for her to see. Armin niz¡¯as Ulaven, a Shadow of the Blade, according to the System. Regina wondered if there was a reason Madris was taking him out of the city when the dark elf envoys had arrived. The last name the System gave him clearly indicated he was part of her house, and Regina could only assume it was fully valid. She knew the System didn¡¯t even show elves¡¯ last names, generally, although they signified very different things in their culture. Well, Armin was also clearly a rogue of some sort, and high level, so he could come in useful. They arrived in the city in the afternoon, and first had to make their way through swarms of Winged Drones lining their path. Regina could have moved them all out of the way, of course, but she decided to let the sapient drone commanders indulge their protective impulses. Max accompanied her as well, obviously, along with several other sapient drones, but he clearly wasn¡¯t the only one not exactly happy about her visiting a war zone. Well, sucks to be him, she decided. She wasn¡¯t going to squander an opportunity to learn and increase her power just out of paranoia. This city, especially the places where they would go, was swarming with her drones and she had dedicated bodyguards, while the gnomes had decisively lost. Visiting the city was a good political move, anyway. They couldn¡¯t get right to whatever Madris had planned. Well, she supposed they could, but Regina wanted to at least talk to the commanders currently based here. She was also planning on showing herself to the gnomes. There was a lot of misinformation about her floating around out here, she was sure, and showing she wasn¡¯t some kind of uncivilized monster couldn¡¯t hurt. It was annoying, though. She took a tour around the central part of the city, making sure to surround herself with people of several races to make a point. Madris was at least useful as a new face in that regard. There was a bit of pomp and circumstance, but it was obviously constrained by the situation. That was probably just as well. Regina insisted on giving a short speech. She hadn¡¯t had much time to prepare, so she wasn¡¯t going to get overly elaborate with it, but she didn¡¯t want to pass up the chance. ¡°I am sure many of you didn¡¯t expect to see me here, or at all,¡± she said, gazing out over the crowd filling the square in the city center. She didn¡¯t like how large a percentage of it was her soldiers, including drones. She could hardly bar them from coming here, but she wanted to address the gnomes. At least there were some of them present. The braver ones, probably. ¡°You have heard many lies about me. I do not expect you to simply take me at my word, but I hope you can see that I am not what I have been made out to be. The official account laid out by the Gnomish Confederation¡¯s current rulers leaves quite a few holes, don¡¯t you think? Why would we have attacked you, when we were so vastly outnumbered at the time? Why the gnomes, and not the humans or elves? We certainly had more reason to fear and dislike the Delvers ¡ª and yet, we have managed to forge a strong alliance despite it,¡± she nodded at some Delvers in the front of the crowd. ¡°A fact I appreciate deeply. I am not just a Hive Queen, after all. I am also the only remaining soul of this world¡¯s time before it was plunged into the dark ages after the Cataclysm. You must have heard many things about why I have set about forging an empire. I assure you, it is not greed or lust for conquest. If I wanted to, I could do much worse. Do you not think the knowledge of the Ancients I possess could be turned to harm? We knew how to split particles far smaller than the eye could see and release power enough to incinerate entire cities. We reached space, built imaginary worlds to walk through, eradicated plagues, and more. Using magic, using the Hive I control, I could replicate almost all these feats. And I intend to do so, not just by myself, but with you, the people of this age. I intend to spread knowledge, not terror. The Empire is not afraid of the Gnomish Confederation of the East, far from it. Your defeat is only a matter of time, but it is assured. If anything, I sympathize with you. Your lives have been disrupted and put in danger out of the blind greed, ambition and hate of a few. The current Historical regime that has seized control of your state does not have your best interests at heart, far from it. They do not even manage to benefit themselves. They are walking headlong into ruin and taking your people, the gnomes of this nation, with it. They spread lies and commit reprehensible crimes like murders barely veiled as just executions purely to cling to their shaky power, but their actions have already doomed them.¡± She went on for a bit longer in that vein. It was a delicate balance. She couldn¡¯t exactly absolve the gnomes for the war and the death and destruction it had caused her people. On the other hand, she had to at least largely make it seem it was the fault of their current regime ¡ª which, after all, it was ¡ª if she wanted to accomplish her goals, and reduce any likelihood of revolts. She could only try to poke holes into the story the official propaganda had told them and try to tread on the resentment and desires the gnomes would have already. But Regina was painfully aware that one short speech wasn¡¯t much set against all the other information sources they had. That was one reason she tried to focus on what they could observe themselves. Finally, Regina stepped back from the makeshift podium. The drones and Delvers present cheered the end of her speech. The gnomes largely stood silently. She had to hope that it was a contemplative silence. How did I do? she silently asked Madris as she stepped away. I¡¯ve seen better, the dark elf replied, then paused a moment. For your level of experience and preparation, it was quite good, however. Ah, thanks. I don¡¯t suppose speechwriting and rhetoric is part of what you wanted to teach me here. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I wouldn¡¯t even try. Being a critic is easy, but I never tried to master those skills myself. Oh, really? Regina affected a slight sarcastic drawl in her mental voice. I wouldn¡¯t have guessed, you¡¯re always the soul of diplomacy. There was that time we first met and almost started a fight ¡­ Enough, Madris interrupted, but she seemed amused. You¡¯ll find out what I was planning to teach you right away. After the speech, Regina had nothing else planned. She could take the time to spend talking or training with Madris. Unsurprisingly, considering her earlier comment, her psychic mentor took the chance while they walked through the city to talk about other psychics and what Regina could expect, and what she should be careful of. We¡¯ve already alluded to differences in focus and talent, Madris told her. That¡¯s often important information to know, but some skills are nearly universal, and some everyone will have at least basic competence in. Such as shielding your mind. Mental attacks are a bit of a different beast, but we¡¯ll get to that later. The main specializations would be communication, enhancement, sensing, empathy, reading, illusions and subterfuge ¡­ and, of course, mind control. Which I assume is a problem? Regina asked. Madris had placed a bit of emphasis on it. She could see why, of course. It¡¯s certainly something that would make everyone very cautious, and using mind control too indiscriminately might make them decide to neutralize someone. Madris paused and gave her a look. Your psychic link with your Hive drones is already uncomfortably close. If it wasn¡¯t an innate feature of your species and they weren¡¯t effectively consenting from birth ¡­ Regina resisted the urge to wrap her arms more tightly around her, conscious of the eyes still on them. She did not like having that pointed out. But Madris had a point. Her Hive Queen abilities weren¡¯t exactly morally squeaky clean. She could literally take control of her drones, after all. She¡¯d even done it before to sapient drones. Wait, she said, considering the way her teacher had worded that. You were talking about specializations that people can have. You don¡¯t think that¡¯s mine? I think there¡¯s a good chance it¡¯s one of your talents, Madris said calmly. Regina chewed on her lip. Despite the potential power, it wasn¡¯t exactly a prospect that filled her with joy. But she wouldn¡¯t gain anything from trying to deny the possibility, either. What about the other psychics you know? She asked, redirecting the conversation. Regina felt the equivalent of a knock on her mental walls and opened them a bit wider, before she sensed Madris pushing information at her. She stumbled a bit as she received and tried to digest it. This might not be the first time she¡¯d done this, but it took some getting used to, and would be overwhelming if there was too much information. Luckily, Madris had restricted herself to basic information about each person. Besides giving her an idea of what they looked like, she¡¯d also included a sense of their ¡®psychic signature¡¯, so Regina would recognize them if she encountered them. There were more than she¡¯d expected, almost two dozen, but then she supposed Madris had been around long enough to meet a lot of people. They all seemed strong, but she would only have included those psychics, not any random hedge mage with a little bit of psychic talent. None of them had any focus on mind control, and only a few on reading minds or emotions. Surprisingly ¡ª or perhaps unsurprisingly, if she really thought about the implications ¡ª a lot of them seemed to be focused on communications and sensing minds, especially more wide-scale applications. That said, they would all have some basic skill and familiarity in the other areas of psychic ability, and sometimes quite a bit more than that. Not a single one of them focused entirely on one discipline. ¡°Thank you,¡± Regina said. She tilted her head slightly. You want us to talk to the gnomes Neralt and his people have found? It was a good guess considering they were approaching a converted prison where some of the gnomish POWs were kept. She also wouldn¡¯t have been surprised that Madris was informed even if she hadn¡¯t told her about their plans herself. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we see a variety of people today,¡± Madris answered with a slight smile. ¡°Some eager to cooperate, some ¡­ less so.¡± Regina nodded seriously. She trusted Madris to be responsible about this. As they reached the building, Madris paused. Regina could tell she was using her psychic senses, maybe searching for something. She didn¡¯t give any indication of her goal, though, just leading Regina into the areas where prisoners were housed. A few guards jumped to attention as they passed, but none dared to stop them. Max peeled off to talk to one for a moment. ¡°I realize you have already looked at the emotional currents of larger groups of people, to get a feel of their general emotional state and readiness,¡± Madris said as they came to a stop in the middle of the corridor, seemingly ignoring the cells lining it on either side. The bars were enchanted and the prisoners stripped of any weapons or potentially dangerous objects, but they were occupied. ¡°However, you mostly focus on reading individuals, is that right?¡± ¡°It is,¡± Regina confirmed. ¡°We will need to broaden your perspective. So far, you¡¯re flipping between a wide-scale and a close and personal view, but you need to develop a good middle ground. It is entirely possible to get a decent read of several people at once, and still act with consideration and forethought.¡± ¡°I can try,¡± Regina said doubtfully. She started to focus on the gnomes around them, trying to get a read on their emotions and the surface of their minds while still paying attention to Madris. It wasn¡¯t easy. ¡°Good, but you need more than a try. Remember that people will often put up rudimentary mental defenses, of a sort, even without knowing you¡¯re a psychic. They¡¯ll exercise their self-control, try to control their emotional expression and focus their thoughts, as well as suppressing memories. Now, how many gnomes here are thinking about opportunities for escape?¡± Madris paused for a while, then added, ¡°Also, remember to control your own affect.¡± Regina struggled. Being reminded of her own expression just made her focus slip off the people she¡¯d been trying to concentrate on, attempting to not just go through them one after the other but look at them as a whole. As soon as her teacher interrupted her concentration, the grasp she was starting to have on it faltered and she instinctively drew back. She sighed and turned to look fully at Madris. ¡°This isn¡¯t very didactic.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember telling you to stop trying. Are you going to give up that easily?¡± Regina ignored the question for the moment. ¡°Also, why aren¡¯t we talking mentally?¡± ¡°Why would I need to?¡± Regina resisted the urge to facepalm and glanced at the gnomes around them again. ¡°Because everyone can hear us? I don¡¯t exactly want them all to learn what I¡¯m doing.¡± Madris looked at her and smiled. ¡°Ah, but do you think we¡¯re speaking Global right now?¡± Regina opened her mouth to respond and then stopped. This time, she did groan. ¡°What ¡­ how?¡± Madris had been speaking another language for this entire conversation, the dark elves¡¯ ancestral tongue ¡ª how the hell had she not noticed? Now that she focused on it, she noticed where her teacher¡¯s mind was still closer to her than usual. She¡¯d missed exactly what was happening ¡­ which was clearly part of Madris¡¯ lesson as well. ¡°I have been speaking in my native tongue,¡± Madris said, and this time, Regina both recognized the language and how Madris was subtly feeding her input to buttress her understanding of the language. It was a very subtle, passive application. ¡°I know ¡­ at least I do now,¡± Regina responded. It took an effort to answer in the same language, but she was pleased that she managed. ¡°Well, then get back to the lesson, won¡¯t you, my glorious empress?¡± Regina closed her eyes for a moment as she turned back to look at the gnomes. ¡°This isn¡¯t the only test you¡¯re going to give me today, is it?¡± Her mentor grinned. ¡°Oh, Regina, we¡¯ve barely even started.¡± Figures. But Regina marshaled her mind to stop complaining and start trying again. She was determined to at least make good progress. Chapter 283: Training It took hours for Regina to feel like she had made any appreciable progress. Maybe she should be happy that she had made any progress at all. But with the pounding headache that focusing intently on using her psychic power for so long had given her, she only felt grumpy. ¡°I think you understand this aspect well enough now that you can work on it on your own, if you need to,¡± Madris said. She was leaning against the hallway with crossed arms. Regina sighed and rolled her shoulders. ¡°Alright.¡± Finally. She was more familiar with the imprisoned gnomes¡¯ minds now than she cared to be, although they hadn¡¯t done anything really intrusive. It was mostly ¡®passive¡¯ scans, reading their emotions and the surface state of their minds. That was probably ethically questionable, too, but it really wasn¡¯t all that different from reading someone¡¯s body language or microexpressions. Which a normal interrogation would try to do, anyway. ¡°That leads us to the next point,¡± Madris said, ignoring Regina¡¯s suppressed groan except to flash her a quick smile. ¡°I have arranged for someone who agreed for you to intrude on their mind, looking for information.¡± ¡°When did you do that?¡± Regina wondered. Madris just raised an eyebrow meaningfully. Right, psychic power. Duh. ¡°Come on, My Empress.¡± They walked to a side room, where two Hivekind were guarding a gnomish prisoner. Regina examined him, feeling a bit skeptical. A level thirty-eight Untarnished Shield, probably a tank Class. He didn¡¯t stick out particularly in appearance compared to the other gnomish soldiers. This guy agreed to let her force herself into his mind? He¡¯s been accused of a war crime but protests his innocence, Madris told her silently. Regina nodded in understanding. She was about to ask what war crime he might be accused of, but decided it was better not to ask. Instead, Regina took a step closer and focused on the guy. He didn¡¯t look shackled, but she could tell he had been bound with magic. The working of mana would probably dissipate soon, and it didn¡¯t restrict his movements completely or anything, but it should stop him from attacking if he was so inclined. She made herself keep her eyes open this time as she dove into her psychic senses and concentrated on his mind. The initial part, at least, was smoother, maybe Madris¡¯ training had accomplished something. She could also tell why her teacher had chosen this guy; he had rudimentary shields. Not just a self-taught assemblage of self-control attempts, but real defenses, although to be fair, it wasn¡¯t much better. She knew she could break them, that wasn¡¯t in question. The issue now was how to approach this. Regina breathed out deeply and then slowly pressured his mind, looking for weak points and holes in his defenses. She stared into his eyes and hissed quietly. He started, and a part of his mental shields buckled inwards for a second. She took the opportunity, slipping in as deftly as she could manage. He tried to reform the shield behind her, but it was too late. She was in. Regina tried to be gentle as she tore through his mind, but with mixed success. Maybe that was one thing Madris was trying to teach her, too. She was sure he wouldn¡¯t sustain any permanent damage, but it probably wasn¡¯t very comfortable right now. Still, she focused on looking for what she came here for, although she also took note of his experiences and opinions where they seemed relevant. It was a very interesting chance to look into a member of the gnomish army and see the world through their eyes for a moment. He seemed to be fighting at least partly out of a sense of patriotic duty, something she hadn¡¯t really encountered much before. It might superficially seem similar but was still distinct from honor or loyalty to one¡¯s liege, like she¡¯d expect to find in Cernlia or Nerlia. But at least as strong were more mundane motivations, like wanting to impress his girlfriend. The last part led her to more information on her supposed goal, surprisingly. Regina looked through it carefully to make sure she didn¡¯t miss anything. Then she withdrew from his mind. ¡°He¡¯s actually innocent of the crime he¡¯s been accused of,¡± she told Madris. The dark elf raised an eyebrow and nodded. ¡°How did he come to be accused?¡± It was only a war crime because it had happened during a war, and in connection with one, she supposed. He¡¯d been accused of rape; specifically of a civilian from the city, when he was stationed there as part of the defensive force in the leadup to the battle. It was a crime against his own side¡¯s civilians. Not that that was unheard of in war, of course. ¡°I think it¡¯s a simple case of mistaken identity,¡± Regina answered. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to know, himself.¡± She sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll have to make sure to track the actual perpetrator down.¡± Now that she thought of it, Regina had the grim suspicion it wasn¡¯t the only time this might have happened. The situation had been rather hard-pressed and desperate; soldiers had probably taken advantage by looting and hurting civilians. She really didn¡¯t like to think about that or the implications of it. ¡°Well, that sounds like a good teaching opportunity,¡± Madris said, nodding. ¡°Perhaps something for later.¡± Regina frowned at her for a moment, but she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d known about this. Procuring a rapist as a lab rat for her to learn on did sound like something Madris would do, though. ¡°Are we finished here for now, then?¡± Madris agreed, so Regina released the gnome from his temporary bindings, then told him he would be cleared. As they stepped out, she talked with one of the guards for a minute to sort out the situation. She also told them to monitor his health and alert her if there was any cause for alarm, or a sudden change in his behavior. Then, they finally stepped out of the building. Regina sighed and closed her eyes for a minute, welcoming the cool early evening breeze and hoping it would help with her headache. ¡°Now on to larger scale abilities, I suppose?¡± she asked. Madris nodded. ¡°Walk with me. Your Majesty.¡± They walked in silence for a few minutes, and Regina took the opportunity to center herself. She¡¯d known this day would be mentally taxing, but that didn¡¯t stop it from being true. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°What did you find in his mind?¡± Madris asked after a bit. ¡°Show me.¡± Regina nodded hesitantly. Carefully, she reached out to the dark elf¡¯s mind, then took advantage of the opening Madris provided her to form a deeper link. Focusing on her experiences when she dove into the gnome¡¯s mind, she tried to bring it all to the surface and pass it on to Madris. Passing memories like this was not something she had much experience with, and it seemed like it would be even more distorted, a mind¡¯s image of what it found in another mind. But Madris helped her with gentle, guiding touches, to structure the information and abstract the feelings and impressions from the more factual data ¡ª if there could be such a thing considering what they were doing ¡ª that she communicated. It was a very interesting experience and Regina felt like she learned something. Finally, Madris gently pushed Regina away, returning to their normal state of being linked when they wanted to talk privately. ¡°Well done,¡± she praised her with a slight smile. ¡°Thanks. How powerful am I?¡± Regina asked curiously. ¡°You know, compared with other psychics?¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Madris tapped a finger to her lips. ¡°Well, you are certainly not a beginner anymore. As for the rest, it depends on which skill we are talking about. Your communication ability with anyone beyond your Hive is still not as good as it could be, you¡¯ve made progress with illusions but barely scratched the surface, and the rest is a somewhat eclectic mix. You have not even started trying to enhance your mental capabilities. Which I would also not recommend, especially at this stage.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°Do you think there might be issues because of my psychic link?¡± ¡°Almost certainly. Your mind is set up differently than a normal human''s or elf''s, especially considering your connection to your drones. The entire psychic link is in some sense part of you. From what I can tell, your people are like a subtle, lesser form of hive mind. Therefore, caution would be advised.¡± Madris fell silent for a moment, before she continued. ¡°Enough of that for now, though. Let¡¯s continue. I want you to stretch out your senses. Scan and analyze your surroundings and the minds in its vicinity.¡± Breathing deeply, Regina tried to do as she was told. Madris kept walking, not especially quickly but at a decent pace, so she had to keep her eyes open and keep up with her. It made the task a bit harder for Regina, since she was used to only doing things like this if she was sitting in a quiet space with her eyes closed, or at least not multitasking. She still felt like she did pretty well, though. She¡¯d done this before. Of course, there were differences. This city was tense, its inhabitants felt many tumultuous emotions. And this time, she tried not just to focus on those emotional currents but also the shapes of their minds in greater depths, their surface thoughts and concerns. Spread out like this, Regina wasn¡¯t really able to read anyone¡¯s thoughts in detail, but she still tried to get a deeper understanding of what went on in their internal worlds. It was chaotic and overwhelming. Everyone was different, of course, but it was only by looking at their minds that one could properly comprehend that truth. ¡°Try anchoring yourself with points of familiarity,¡± Madris commented quietly. ¡°Categorize them but don¡¯t get too hung up on specifics. If something is getting too much, withdraw a bit and keep focused on the big picture.¡± Regina breathed out and followed her instructions. For the next interminable while, she kept up the exercise, listening to comments and advice from Madris and trying to improve. It was different seeing the reactions to her own presence, not just in the people they met, but to sense them ripple outwards. The gnomes were obviously paying attention to her walking down the streets. In a sense, it actually made it easier for her, giving a concrete stimulus whose reactions she could track. There was something different about actually walking through a city and tasting its emotions and mental landscape, compared to just looking in from a distance. It made Regina feel lighter, somehow. It also made her feel like she understood the gnomes better. ¡°You¡¯re getting the hang of it,¡± Madris finally commented. ¡°Now, there is only one more thing we should try.¡± But first, apparently, they tracked down some people. Regina was happy enough about the chance to hunt down the perpetrator she¡¯d noted earlier, and they found a few others who had done similar horrible things as well. The soldier had already been captured, one of their prisoners, and he did bear a striking resemblance to her former test subject. They weren¡¯t related, as far as he knew, although she supposed it was possible one of their parents had an affair or something, but she didn¡¯t really care about the details. Unsurprisingly, he was who Madris had chosen for her next victim. And that term is strikingly accurate this time. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to get informed consent,¡± Regina said flatly. ¡°If you want to try to learn or even just test out any affinity with mind control, you can¡¯t do it with someone who agrees to it,¡± Madris said. ¡°I¡¯m sure I could still learn things from that, actually.¡± ¡°Certainly, and we will be trying that as well. But there¡¯s something different with an unwilling mind.¡± Madris sighed. ¡°If it helps, I can get him to agree and then wipe the memory of that agreement from his mind, so he will have given consent even if he doesn¡¯t remember it.¡± Regina chewed on her lip and nodded. ¡°You should get him to agree to that as well, and agree freely.¡± Madris shrugged. ¡°In exchange, I¡¯ll promise I¡¯ll persuade you to leniency in your judgment. Shouldn¡¯t be too hard, after you use him like that.¡± Regina made a face, but didn¡¯t object. Madris went into another interrogation room like the one they¡¯d used earlier to talk to her test subject, and Regina leaned against the wall, trying to clear her head and collect her thoughts. The headache had finally subsided, mostly, at least. Ten minutes later, Madris called her in and Regina met her victim-to-be. He looked unremarkable, just another gnomish soldier, and disgruntled. She didn¡¯t look at his information, not sure she wanted to know his name. Though she¡¯d find it out soon in all likelihood. Regina didn¡¯t bother with niceties or waste any time. She just stared at the guy and then made her way into his mind. He had rudimentary mental defenses, the kind some people developed naturally, but compared to even a partly trained person they were shoddy and easy to crush or bypass. She settled in easily. Then she tried to bend him to her will. A distant part of her mind noted that it was unsurprising it did seem to come easily to her. She was focused on his mind, on what made him into who he was but even more so the mechanics of it, how he functioned. It wasn¡¯t the same as communing with her drones, but some aspects were similar to when she took control of one of them. First, she focused on the part of his mind responsible for his senses. She slid into place, delving deeper to assimilate the information. She got to look through his eyes, listen through his ears. It would have been disorienting, but she had enough experience to manage easily. With a part of her mind, she cataloged that gnomes seemed to see colors slightly differently, and had keen enough hearing. Then, she increased the pressure and bore down on him, grasping his mind in her metaphorical palm and twisting just a bit in just the right way. She focused on his sense of his body and actions, and then forced it to bend to her will. His left hand rose, and she saw it through his eyes. He stood up, not of his own volition. She turned his head and sat him back down. Then she started writing on the table with his fingers. She didn¡¯t have to control every movement, he could form the letters and words on his own. ¡°You weren¡¯t wrong,¡± Regina finally said, keeping her tone even. She withdrew enough to keep him sitting there but turned away to face Madris. Her teacher¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as she replied. ¡°I see.¡± Regina glanced at the gnome, then stood and walked out the door, not looking back at him, centering her mind again. She reached out to the psychic link, letting the connection flow through her and also noting the differences. ¡°We¡¯ll take a break here for now,¡± Madris said, calmly following her down the corridor. Regina nodded, her thoughts already churning on to other topics. ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to a few gnomes, I think. Neralt already noted a few, and I might have found one or two more. It would be good to at least tentatively start discussions.¡± ¡°Good luck with the politics, then. I¡¯ll pass on participating, thank you.¡± Regina smiled slightly and turned to say a temporary goodbye to her teacher before they went their separate ways. Her thoughts weren¡¯t really on it. She did have a lot to consider. Chapter 284: Construction The gnome in front of her looked like she still couldn¡¯t quite believe this was happening as she stood and held out a hand for her to take. ¡°Then I believe we have come to an agreement, Hive Queen.¡± Regina smiled and bit down on the sarcastic response of Please, call me Empress Regina. There was really no reason to get hung up on trivialities. Especially when she had just got what she wanted. ¡°Good, I¡¯m confident you¡¯ll find it a wise decision, as will I,¡± she responded as she gave a short handshake. Under the circumstances, she really didn¡¯t blame the woman for pulling away quickly. Regina wasn¡¯t sure if she was just imagining it, but she fancied that the other person¡¯s emotions and state of mind were more open to her, as if her recent practice had improved her skills. Maybe she was just still more focused on it. Or maybe the shock of unexpectedly meeting the Hive Queen-slash-Empress had discombobulated the gnomish woman and that was all it took. Akilekil looked to be middle-aged and had rather striking, for a gnome, red hair she wore in a loose bun. She wore what Regina had come to recognize as business casual, including a dark vest and tasteful jewelry. For a city recently under siege and currently occupied, it was unusually put together. Then again, Regina had her suspicions of where Akilekil actually came from. The gnome looked like she was in control of herself and ready to exert that control on her environment, too. She appeared to be decently high up in the Moderate faction and also a leader of sorts of another, smaller faction, the Radicals ¡ª a name that would usually cause some concern, but the gnomes didn¡¯t seem to use it like that. How that membership worked, Regina didn¡¯t know, but it was fine if it did. ¡°Let me call a soldier to escort you,¡± Regina offered. ¡°At least part of the way,¡± she added when she saw the gnome hesitating. She finally nodded with a smile. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± She paused for a moment, and said a bit stiffly, ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you. Goodbye.¡± ¡°You as well.¡± Regina watched her leave for a moment, then turned. To keep this meeting more discreet, they weren¡¯t in the main governing center of the city, but also weren¡¯t too far from it. Regina made sure the escort was arranged properly, and also as discreet as was feasible right now, then made her own way back. She¡¯d barely managed to get Max and the others to back off while she talked to the gnome, and now they were back in force, accompanying her and keeping close. It was annoying, even if Regina understood where they were coming from, of course. Killing her might be one of the highest objectives of the Gnomish Confederation, and possibly one of the only ways they could hope to win the war. With her death, they would probably assume that the Empire would disintegrate, and for now, it probably would. Maybe in a few years, they would rally behind Janis, but as it stood, Nerlia was likely to go their own way. Kiara was hopefully invested enough that she¡¯d at least want revenge and decide to keep aiding the hive if they continued the war, but she¡¯d have her own issues to deal with, too. And no one really knew what would happen to the hive if she died for certain. No, it¡¯s kind of hard to see a more realistic path for the gnomes to win, Regina conceded to herself. The numbers weren¡¯t in their favor, at least considering the long-term trend. And they were on the defensive, currently. They had no real path to attacking the hive¡¯s core bases, and they would have to do at least that to strike a serious blow to their war effort. "Do you really think this will give you the results you want?¡± Max asked her, interrupting her thoughts. ¡°Obviously, or I wouldn¡¯t have done it,¡± Regina said drily. She flapped her hand dismissively. ¡°I can¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen, of course, but I think it¡¯s a reasonable chance.¡± Max grunted, not looking very pleased. Regina didn¡¯t mind. She supposed it was his job to be paranoid, professionally speaking. And it wasn¡¯t like she was planning on just trusting any gnome without a good reason. ¡°What are we doing now?¡± Max asked. ¡°Well, I think Madris has mostly finished what she wanted to show me. Maybe one more session. Then we can head back ¡­ although I might have a detour in mind.¡± Regina covered a yawn with her hand. ¡°First, I¡¯m going to sleep, though. Being psychic is exhausting.¡± They didn¡¯t speak much as they returned to the center of the city, and luckily got to their assigned quarters without any further incidents. Regina had been given some rooms in the city hall, which she pretended not to know were hastily converted. Max and most of the others slept curled up in a cuddle pile on a stack of mattresses in an adjacent room, except for a watch rotation. Regina found it amusing to note that the human fighters present had clearly already grown used to the drones¡¯ sleeping habits and didn¡¯t bat an eye. Regina took quite a while to fall asleep, but at least she got an uninterrupted night¡¯s sleep after that. She felt more refreshed the next morning. Unsurprisingly, one of the first people she saw was Madris, who seemed as fresh as if she didn¡¯t need sleep (she did) or hadn¡¯t only come back after Regina fell asleep. ¡°Good morning, Your Majesty,¡± she said with a cheerfulness that Regina was pretty sure was intentionally obnoxious. ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready for more training, with a bit more effort this time.¡± ¡°How wonderful,¡± Regina muttered sourly. She didn¡¯t complain, though, and instead followed Madris back into the city. There, they did much the same as the previous day. But Madris mixed it up a bit, combining several aspects and factors. She seemed to take delight in pushing Regina, and always had some twist or additional difficulty ready to increase the challenge. Regina was almost starting to suspect she just enjoyed the chance to mess with her sovereign without consequences. Finally, after going on another search through the city looking for a specific mind while also keeping up a mental conversation with Madris and a rotating cast of people she linked in, their training was drawing to a close. Regina managed to find a woman with anti-social personality disorder who was currently pregnant ¡ª she was not going to ask how or if Madris knew there was exactly one of those in the city; she was going to keep her illusions, thank you ¡ª before she had rotated through all the Delver officers, and her teacher brought her back to the center of the city. ¡°I expect you to keep practicing in your spare time. You have gained some skills, but you might lose progress if you fail to keep them sharp and integrate them properly.¡± Then Madris smiled. ¡°But you made good progress, Regina.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Regina smiled back. It was actually quite satisfying to hear that. ¡°I¡¯ll certainly keep it up, as my responsibilities allow.¡± Although part of discharging her responsibilities might include using these psychic abilities. She wasn¡¯t going to let the prospect distract her right now, though. Regina shook her head lightly. ¡°I intend to head to where they¡¯re building the new capital. Do you want to come?¡± You could have told me that earlier, Max grumbled. I¡¯m pretty sure you were already aware, Regina replied, amused. She hadn¡¯t exactly hidden the information, and Max was good at picking up on her intentions. ¡°I believe my schedule is open,¡± Madris said. ¡°Why not? Let¡¯s see what you¡¯re building there.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve barely started building,¡± Regina warned her. Still, she was curious to see it for herself. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t take long for arrangements to be made so they could leave. Regina met with a few of the officers in charge again, and made sure she was fully informed of the situation at the front while she was there, before her entourage took off. Max had actually lost a few of his tag-alongs to the war, she noted, but with Madris accompanying them, not to mention the flying drones, they were as safe as could be. Regina again took the opportunity to fly under her own power for a bit. She would have preferred to fly alone to clear her head, but getting to stretch her wings, even constrained by having so many others with her, was nice. She was afraid she was starting to get out of shape. She would definitely have to increase her training once they got back. At least the Empire was largely established as a thing now, so hopefully things would calm down. The trip was actually a little bit longer on the way back, but Regina took the chance to observe the countryside below her. The construction of the new capital city had started, but at first, they¡¯d actually focused on building up an outpost to facilitate the movement of building materials and the like. It was located beside a river, a relatively small one that would later wind its way to flow into the Danube, or Dannan as it was called nowadays. Regina was thinking about broadening it to make it better for river-borne trade and shipments. Maybe they could even dig a canal, too. For now, it might be better to focus on train tracks, too, which weren¡¯t constrained by existing bodies of water. For now, the big construction site was largely supplied by the surrounding towns in the vicinity. This area was the border of Cernlia and Nerlia, so it wasn¡¯t too populated, but trade had been moving through here for a long time. They had gathered a large workforce, including both sapient and Swarm Drones, War Drones for the labor and Production Drones to get custom materials, as well as human workers. A lot of stonemasons, carpenters, builders and the like had been recruited along with unskilled laborers. Paying them all and organizing the construction might be the single largest expense the Empire currently fielded, apart from the war. But it was manageable. "They¡¯ve made some good progress for the time invested,¡± Madris commented. ¡°However, I admit I almost expected something more exceptional.¡± Regina glanced over at the dark elf, who showed no reaction to a Winged Drone Mount as if she rode flying hive drones every day, and shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s really not much to be done differently,¡± she said. ¡°I mean, they¡¯re setting up foundations and refining plans, still. Once the real building starts on a larger scale, the drones¡¯ techniques will probably show more. Also, I¡¯m not exactly an urban planner, so I¡¯m not really involved in this.¡± The flying drones lowered and they circled above the site before slowly setting down in front of the outpost. A group of people had formed lines to greet them. Regina jumped down from her mount and walked up to them, noting who was here. Neralt wasn¡¯t, at the moment, although she still intended on giving him some responsibility for the city¡¯s construction. His Abilities made him too valuable in that regard. There were a few sapient drones, notably Ina and Ash, as well as some Cernlians and a few Nerlians. Mostly engineers, architects and those hired as city planners, though they rarely actually had experience with that. ¡°Welcome to the city, Your Majesty,¡± several of them welcomed her. Regina put on a smile, introduced her companions and didn¡¯t mention that she thought calling it a city was a bit arrogant, or at least early. ¡°Let me show you around, if you like,¡± Ash offered. Regina gave him a smile and nodded. It was nice to see him again, and at least she could sense he showed no dissatisfaction with being assigned here instead of the war front. Regina supposed she might have been a bit biased in assigning him here, but she might feel just a little protective of him after he almost died previously. She tried not to let on that she remembered him lying in a coma when she saw him, but that kind of thing tended to stick in one¡¯s memory. Perhaps more importantly, though, he was doing good work here. Like Ina. The two of them might be slightly unconventional choices, but she believed they both brought valuable skills to this project. Perhaps still influenced by her earlier training with Madris, Regina kept a metaphorical eye on her psychic senses¡¯ reads on everyone, as she followed Ash and the others through the construction site. It was coming along nicely, she supposed, even though there was still a lot to do. She had put her foot down and refused to have a large palace planned as her residence in the city. Instead, there would be something like a government center as the heart of the Empire¡¯s operations. They were also going to build a residence for her, where most of the sapient drones currently in the city would probably end up living as well, and she planned to make it a bit of a ¡®safe space¡¯ for them. And for herself as well. She would probably spend some nights in the government center and would have a bedroom there, but it was the principle of the thing. And hopefully, they would advance to more ¡®modern times¡¯ quickly so there would be fancy hotels she could put foreign envoys and important guests into. For rather obvious reasons, the government center was one of the first buildings they had started on, placed straight in the middle of the new city. The foundations had been dug, with the help of Drone Workers and War Drones, and walls were being put up. ¡°We¡¯ve included most of the planned defenses already,¡± Ash explained, gesturing at a still-open hole that showed the tunnels forking underneath. ¡°At least regarding the outer skeleton of the building.¡± Regina nodded. She was sure they were doing good work. After building the defenses of two main hive bases, they¡¯d learned something. She was also impressed that they had managed to get this far despite the season. It was still winter, with the ground partly frozen. She expected the real building to start once spring came. ¡°And the connections for amenities in the interior?¡± she asked. ¡°Have you prepared ¡­¡± Regina paused. For a moment, she just froze and stared into nothingness, barely registering the low spikes of concern from the drones and confusion from the others. Then she wheeled around. Regina ducked, then alerted Max at the same time as she slipped into Ash¡¯s mind and into control of his body. Her younger drone let her willingly, quieting himself to observe and watching carefully. It happened very quickly. An arrow shot through the air at where Max had just stood, glancing off his blade, and then a second sailed over their heads. At the same time, Ash jumped towards one of the engineers close to them, tripping him just as the guy was about to jump forward ¡ª and put himself into position to block the arrow. ¡°Everyone calm down,¡± Regina ordered loudly, keeping her voice even. At the same time, she released Ash¡¯s body, but he continued to hold the man down. The other warriors present quickly joined them while several magical shields layered over Regina. ¡°Another assassination attempt?¡± Max asked, voice tight. Regina tilted her head and watched them. The one who shot the arrows had already been found by the flock of flying drones, who were currently bearing down on him. He might have used an illusion to hide his weapons, but that didn¡¯t work against her psychic abilities. She was just glad she¡¯d kept up her practice. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so, actually,¡± she said slowly. ¡°It feels more like someone arranged this ¡­ staged to ¡®stop¡¯ it and ¡®rescue¡¯ me, perhaps?¡± She took a step forward, looking down on the engineer. ¡°Tell me, who schemed this? One of the nobles of my court trying to create the impression of a debt?¡± It wouldn¡¯t have killed her anyway, of course. She still had defenses like Max¡¯s Shield that was still on her. But it was rather annoying. The man looked into her cold stare and gulped. She took some satisfaction from the fear and panic he felt. Chapter 285: Discretion The man who had tried to shoot at Regina, or at least near her, was a former soldier who¡¯d been dismissed after the end of the civil war. A Cernlian born in Nerlia, he presumably had a chip on his shoulder. The man who had tried to ¡®save¡¯ her was a middle-aged engineer who was generally well-respected by his peers. He was known to gamble occasionally but didn¡¯t seem to have significant debts, and had largely kept quiet about politics, although he seemed to be vaguely in favor of the Empire. That was quite common among the builders, who did get a well-paying job out of it. Neither of their backgrounds offered any real hints as to who put them up to it, if anyone. That was probably on purpose. For her part, Regina was more annoyed than worried. This had shook up and scared the workers ¡ª and it wasn¡¯t exactly fun for her either ¡ª and disrupted the operations at the new city. She didn¡¯t think she had been in real danger, although this also pointed at a few issues, or maybe even vulnerabilities. She hadn¡¯t felt any real hostile intent from them, or the mix of emotions she¡¯d come to associate with incipient violence through watching battlefields. Just nerves and anxiety, which were reasonable under the circumstances. But she couldn¡¯t rely on that, not everyone who might want to harm her was going to be a roar of bloodlust. At least Madris hadn¡¯t felt anything either, which probably shouldn¡¯t be reassuring, though. Unless she did and just let me handle it myself, Regina considered before shaking off the thought. It didn¡¯t matter now. ¡°I suppose we just got some more volunteers for teaching you interrogation tactics, didn¡¯t we?¡± Max mused as they watched the prisoners who¡¯d been bound in one of the quickly-erected huts near the construction sites. They were standing outside. Regina glanced at Madris, who didn¡¯t respond but seemed to be in agreement. ¡°Maybe,¡± she said a bit dubiously. Was it really alright to use this as a training exercise? It didn¡¯t seem to be that big of a deal, comparatively, but it might be important. Maybe she should just let Madris interrogate them? ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± Madris said. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, my Empress. Max is right, this is a good opportunity to hone your skills. You don¡¯t even have to be forceful about it if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Regina sighed. It didn¡¯t take long to set up, but Regina was distracted since she mostly paid attention to the rest of the people present. It wasn¡¯t outside the realm of possibility that the two idiots still had confederates in the group. Besides, watching their reaction gave her a bit more insight into the local dynamics and how these people thought. It was ultimately fruitless, though ¡ª she didn¡¯t sense anything that would qualify as suspicious, and if there was someone else in on this plot, they¡¯d either forgotten about that or were very good actors with fantastic self-control. The interrogation turned out to be a lot easier than she thought, at least in one regard. Regina had barely sat down opposite the ¡®accused¡¯ before one of them started talking. ¡°Mark was hired to gain your trust,¡± the shooter said. ¡°It was all a plot. Milady Empress.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. She could tell he was being honest, of course, but she didn¡¯t have to fake the surprise. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± the other guy chimed in. ¡°He¡¯s just trying to sow doubt and get out of this. I was trying to help, Your Majesty. I saw the arrow and wanted to stop it, that¡¯s all.¡± He, on the other hand, was obviously lying. He was a good liar, she supposed, he held eye contact, but not excessively, didn¡¯t fidget or look to the side, and looked earnest. But even Max could tell something was off, and his emotions told a clear story. ¡°We never intended on killing you, I swear,¡± the first guy, William, said, ignoring him. ¡°I never would have even done this if I didn¡¯t need the money badly.¡± ¡°You seem remarkably quick to confess and rat out your accomplices,¡± Regina noted. ¡°More like bosses, and not nice ones,¡± he retorted. ¡°I¡¯m just a pawn, I know it. I was going to take the fall for this stunt if I didn¡¯t manage to get out really quick. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I kept my head down and didn¡¯t call them out on it, but a fact¡¯s a fact. Piss on this, I¡¯m not getting tortured for this shit.¡± The other guy had enough self-control not to start ranting at his ¡®partner¡¯ and give himself away, but Regina could almost hear him thinking it. ¡®You were supposed to be reliable. Bastard.¡¯ That was a rather strong thought. Anything beyond it, though, was elusive even if she focused her full attention on it. The man¡¯s shields were better than she first thought. Sutble, but anything deeper than surface emotions and stray thoughts were locked away. It would take time to break him if she tried. ¡°What exactly was the plan?¡± ¡°Essentially just an infiltration mission, I think,¡± the talkative one answered. ¡°Get Mark over there close to you, have him gain some trust for ¡®saving¡¯ you. Maybe they had plans for him later. Maybe they just thought it was worth testing your defenses, who knows.¡± Regina leaned back in her chair, carefully probing their minds. ¡°And who¡¯s ¡®they¡¯?¡± ¡°No one did, I acted on my own ¡ª¡° the engineer cut in, before Madris did something to the air around him that made him shut up. It looked like she cut off his air supply briefly. ¡°A noble, I think. I didn¡¯t catch his name, but I did see his face. I can give you a description, or ¡­¡± the man trailed off, eying her cautiously. Regina glanced at Madris, who gave a slight nod. ¡°Think back to the occasion and focus on what he looks like,¡± she instructed him. ¡°Hold it in the forefront of your mind." ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± the archer muttered and did as ordered. Regina got in pretty easily, although he clearly had little training in that sort of thing. But good visualization ability was probably important for his work. Either way, she dove a bit deeper into his mind and it didn¡¯t take her long to recognize the mental image he was focusing hard on. She withdrew quickly, shaking her head. She¡¯d almost hoped it wouldn¡¯t be someone she recognized. That she did was probably both good and bad. The person was still a surprise. "Tell me everything else you know,¡± she ordered the prisoner. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He did, although it wasn¡¯t much, mostly irrelevant details. Maybe some of them would turn out to be important later on, but she wasn¡¯t holding her breath. Regina¡¯s attention was also only mostly on the conversation, too busy thinking about other things. Once the interrogation was done, which didn¡¯t take long, she stepped back out, sighed and cracked her neck. ¡°What now?¡± Max asked. Regina glanced around. ¡°I¡¯m not letting this mess up my visit,¡± she declared. ¡°We¡¯re going to stay here for a while longer, I want to see more of the city we¡¯re building. We also still need to sit down and talk to the architects about it.¡± ¡°Are you satisfied with their progress?¡± Madris asked, seeming idly curious. She spoke in her native language, which Regina caught this time. ¡°I don¡¯t know, should I be? It¡¯s only just getting started. Come on, let¡¯s talk to some people.¡± And so they did. Regina walked around a bit more, looking at the construction site, but there really wasn¡¯t much more to see past the initial impressions. They¡¯d started in the center of the proposed city and were working on some important buildings first, but not crucial ones that had to be built perfectly, like defensive installations, to make sure their mixture of styles and techniques they were using wasn¡¯t screwing anything up. Combining Hive drones¡¯ abilities and Class Skills, like Ground Evacuation, with more ¡®traditional¡¯ skills from human masons and the like could be a headache. Regina believed in its potential, of course, but it was probably best not to try and build something to look impressive first. For more pragmatic reasons, too, they were starting with some housing for the workers who were laboring on the city, which were good testbeds for the integration of pipes and cables and the like anyway. That was the consensus opinion among the architects and senior engineers, anyway. They seemed quite spirited about designing the city. Most of the meeting was spent arguing about details like the placement of roads. Those were marked out before they started actually building any structures anywhere nearby, of course. Regina had suggested a grid pattern for ease of navigation, and they were loosely keeping to it. Or more like several grid patterns. Regina wasn¡¯t a city planner and had the decided impression these people knew more about what they were doing than she did, so she let them work. At least they seemed relieved she wasn¡¯t making any outrageous demands. Demanding any ornate palaces or specific patterns in the streets or the like would have been rather counterproductive, though. Regina only really cared that the city was practical and conducive to the health and well-being of the people living there. To that end, she insisted on enough green spaces and a lot of room for expansion included in the plans. It was a rather enjoyable interlude, compared to the days at court, but soon enough it was time to move on. Regina promised to visit again soon and they set off with flying drones, so it would only be a matter of hours until they were back in Cera. She spent most of the trip immersed in the psychic link, catching up on work and making preparations for their return. She had a lot of work to do. Especially now that she had something else to worry about. Regina had deliberated over who to go to first to talk about whatever plot was being spun this time. While the execution of it certainly left something to be desired, the effort was there. She had a feeling there was more to it than the half-assed attempt it ended up in. The supposed ¡®rescuer¡¯ was clearly a ¡®deep-cover¡¯ agent or whatever you called it. He was an accomplished engineer, well-respected, who¡¯d passed a background check. And he was clearly loyal to his bosses. Not the kind of asset you would just burn on a whim, but something that must have taken effort, either to recruit him or to place him in the first place in a position to gather important information. She¡¯d almost suspect foreign involvement if she thought the Western Confederation could find their own backsides with a map, or if the Esemen were less disliked in Cernlia and Nerlia. It should be pretty hard for them to pull something like this off. Although that didn¡¯t mean it was impossible. Maybe they thought it was worth it? The arrival of the person she¡¯d sent for to discuss it interrupted her thoughts. ¡°You wanted to see me, Your Imperial Majesty?¡± Lord Daine asked with a courtly bow. Regina waved him into her temporary office and the chair in front of the desk. She would have preferred to talk to Janis about this first, but unfortunately, the girl was still in the south, acting as a commander of the war effort. She was also currently in an important meeting with other officers and local gnomish civilian leaders, and Regina didn¡¯t want to interrupt her. ¡°I wanted your opinion on an incident that occurred while we were visiting the construction site,¡± Regina said. She briefly outlined what had happened. Daine listened without showing any surprise. ¡°I take it you identified it as a ploy, Your Majesty? I would assume the persons responsible were already interrogated, did initial questioning yield any further information?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Regina leaned back in her chair. ¡°What do you know about John Cern, Lord Daine?¡± ¡°Lord Cern?¡± Daine raised an eyebrow, looking almost skeptical, and tapped his fingers on his chair for a second. ¡°I would not consider him one of your supporters, Your Majesty, as I am sure you are aware. Frankly, he lacks the subtlety to keep his dissatisfaction to himself. However, for whatever relevance the former Marquis Lyns might have brought to him for a short time, it only left him more irrelevant today. He had the bad habit of trading on his name and a position he did not quite have yet to gain what he wanted.¡± ¡°You¡¯d consider him unimportant, then?¡± Regina confirmed. She would agree with that, but she didn¡¯t know if she might be missing cultural nuances. ¡°To be frank, most people are tired of debating the Cernlian succession,¡± Daine said. ¡°Cern tried to use his family¡¯s former status to influence it, but his candidate lost, against his own daughter. The Governors are very obviously not coming back. And now that Cernlia has become part of a larger realm, it is even less relevant. Queen Kiara does not even need to do anything; personally, I advised her to let him languish in irrelevance.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°But he might still have enough money or political capital to arrange something like a pretend attack to wiggle an agent into my trust?¡± Daine hesitated. ¡°Perhaps, My Empress. I would not have seen Cern as cunning enough for that, but if you have learned it from these men, it must be true, and perhaps I was wrong.¡± ¡°Or maybe that engineer was originally loyal to someone else and Cern only got involved later?¡± Regina asked. They would interrogate the man further, but she didn¡¯t know how long it would take or what would come of it. Daine narrowed his eyes. ¡°It seems possible. Your Majesty, you are suggesting Cern was played?¡± ¡°It seems to line up with your estimation of his character,¡± she drawled. ¡°Oh, certainly. I was just making sure I understood correctly. In that case, I would say it is quite plausible.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible. ¡°He¡¯s not here presently.¡± She had made sure of that beforehand. ¡°No, he has left for the northern reaches, supposedly,¡± Daine answered the unspoken question. ¡°He was last seen heading northwest. But I am afraid I did not consider him a priority to track.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. He should still come back if summoned, right?¡± ¡°He should. Your Majesty, an Imperial summons would attract attention and might spook him if he is truly involved or being directed by someone else.¡± Regina waved a hand. ¡°I was going to have Kiara summon him here. She has legitimate enough reasons to want to talk to him. Actually, I would ask you to inform her of what we have been talking about.¡± Kiara was currently also in a meeting. Regina couldn¡¯t just pull her away easily to go talk to her every time something came up. ¡°I see. I will pass along your message. Discreetly, of course.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I notice that when you spoke about Cern, you mostly talked about his public actions, reputation and how he is seen,¡± she noted. ¡°Do you know him personally, Lord Daine?¡± To her surprise, the man visibly hesitated for just a moment, clearly considering how to answer. ¡°Not directly,¡± he finally said. ¡°I knew some of his family. We only met in passing a few times.¡± ¡°His family members?¡± ¡°Dead, now, I¡¯m sorry to say.¡± He made to rise out of his chair. ¡°If this is all, Your Majesty, may I be excused to see to this matter?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Regina waved him on. ¡°Thank you for your efforts.¡± She was a bit curious about whatever had happened and what he meant, but he clearly didn¡¯t want to talk about it. Considering she¡¯d also never heard Gwen mention anything, the only other person from the family she knew about, it either was very private or perhaps tragic. For now, Regina was more concerned with figuring out if she could get away with performing a deeper scan on a certain noble once he was found. Chapter 286: Tracks ¡°Watch out up ahead!¡± June Lyns rolled her eyes a bit but took a step away from the track. It didn¡¯t stop her from leaning forward, eager to see everything she could of the engine now chugging forward on the crudely laid rails. It was a rather ugly thing, she had to admit. An experimental prototype by nature, no thought had been spared for aesthetics or even much for convenience. It was a mass of metal with a chimney sticking up and some heavy wheels, and screeched and squeaked uncomfortably on the metal rails. The volume of metal in all of this alone would have cost a good amount of coin, if the Hive¡¯s drones hadn¡¯t been able to Conjure it out of thin air. Still, June was not sure how practical that would be for long-term construction, if they truly wanted to cover and connect all of the Empire. For now, the question was a bit simpler, or at least less a matter of logistics. It was all about the engineers finding a design that worked. ¡°I think you did it this time, really,¡± she commented to Mia. The drone, who stood beside her, a bit further from the tracks, shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t get this far before,¡± she noted. ¡°We¡¯ll have to see how well it holds up in a longer timeframe.¡± June nodded, although she hadn¡¯t been here for much of the previous work. Her duties ¡ª and whims, she would admit ¡ª took her to many places. And while Mia might have many projects to oversee, she could watch them personally from afar with the psychic link. Not that June would be much help here. The current locomotive used steam power. June knew that her master wanted to get away from that power source as soon as possible, but apparently, she couldn¡¯t countenance not exploring it in this regard. Personally, once you had the tracks and an engine, June thought a magical power source might work just as well. And if not, electric trains were apparently very common for a long time. For now, however, it pumped a thick column of dark smoke into the sky as it chugged along, with a characteristic sound pattern she finally recognized from what some drones had mentioned. ¡°It¡¯s going to be really sooty in there,¡± she finally said, her enthusiasm for seeing more of the project up close a bit dampened. Mia frowned a little but nodded. ¡°It¡¯s going to get hot in the cabin, too,¡± she said. ¡°But we knew that. I¡¯m more interested in evaluating its functions.¡± ¡°As long as the brakes work,¡± June said with a smirk, stepping back a bit further and staring at the locomotive as it accelerated. Mia groaned. ¡°That was one time, and we managed to slow it down easily. You weren¡¯t even there.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± June said absently, then glanced at the surrounding crowd. There were fewer people than she¡¯d expected, although she supposed other drones could be watching remotely. Regina had insisted on a certain degree of operational security for developing their railways, which was one of the reasons this project was located close to the Hive¡¯s base by Forest¡¯s Haunt, though not directly by the village. Human workers stood around together with Hive drones, although they did tend to form clusters according to their background. Still, the atmosphere was companionable, one of shared excitement. June wondered how long it would take for tracks like these to be a common sight. Apparently, they pretty much needed steel for these things, which made them expensive and even a bit harder to produce for magic-using drones. Who did also have a lot of other demands on their time and mana. As she understood it, they could use rarer materials Conjured by the hive, but that would be running risks since they might not be able to finish all of them, and it was better to keep things unified rather than some patchwork of different materials and methods. ¡°On the other hand, if we can properly utilize their Conjuration ability, it should be pretty easy to power these trains,¡± June muttered. ¡°You¡¯d think so,¡± Mia agreed, sounding a bit amused. Then she sighed as she looked at the locomotive, which was coming back around the curved test track. ¡°I think we¡¯re all expecting to transition to electrical locomotives pretty quickly. Mother certainly would prefer that. But designing these is still not as simple as getting a bit of info from Galatea and then whipping up a working model.¡± ¡°I have faith you¡¯ll manage it well,¡± June said a bit more cheerfully. ¡°You and your siblings have managed to meet every challenge so far.¡± Mia snorted a little, then bumped her shoulder affectionately. June took a hidden pride in getting that gesture just like another drone. ¡°Sure. Thanks, June.¡± June smiled. She had been spending most of her time away from the capital these days. While that meant being away from her teacher as well as her family, she found she enjoyed it. And this might be one of the projects she enjoyed the most. Getting to see the Empire¡¯s institutions rising from the ground up was interesting, and overseeing it on occasion a rewarding challenge, but there was something about technical challenges and progress in something whose application was clear and useful that felt good. Like she was helping, doing something that mattered, which people could point to and be amazed by. Although she wouldn¡¯t give up patronage of the new schools they were founding for anything. Speaking of which, a few people from these new institutions were here as well as those affiliated with the new schools and colleges. Their conversation swelled as they debated the new version of the locomotive and what it meant, splitting into two groups, one conversation about the technical details and one about the financial and logistical aspects. It was pretty clear to see who came from where, just by that. ¡°Thaumaturge?¡± June asked. Derrek Zephyr glanced over from where he stood with a group of other mages and scholars, then took a step towards her. ¡°Milady?¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious about your opinion on this topic,¡± June said. ¡°You¡¯ve been rather quiet so far.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. In truth, she wasn¡¯t sure why Zephyr was here. He wasn¡¯t really part of the initiative to broaden the Empire¡¯s education system and technical knowledge base and the various scholars who¡¯d come out of the woodwork to support ¡ª to profit from, or in a few cases, oppose ¡ª it. She¡¯d almost suspect he was here for her, but she¡¯d largely been left alone for most of her trips and she didn¡¯t really think Kiara would send her highest-leveled mage just to babysit her. Maybe if he was just checking up on her. Zephyr shrugged, seeming almost dismissive. ¡°It¡¯s certainly a nice contraption, but it will never reach the speed of a flying beast.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± June agreed, and forewent further comment on his noted love of wyverns. He¡¯d actually shown up with a new one she hadn¡¯t seen before today. ¡°Did you see what you expected to see?¡± ¡°More or less, I suppose.¡± He glanced at her, then seemed to decide to humor the conversation further. ¡°I was wondering if incorporating enchanted artifacts might be useful.¡± ¡°Oh? That sounds fascinating.¡± June smiled at him and gestured with her arm. ¡°Would you join me for a little walk so we can discuss it?¡± He regarded her for a moment, then gave a short bow. ¡°It would be my pleasure, Your Highness.¡± Good. June was not going to ignore an opportunity to learn something from a high-level mage. To be fair, she would probably have more such opportunities in the future, but still. She parted from Mia with an apologetic nod and then had Zephyr escort her a few meters around the track. ¡°As I understand it, the issue is that permanent enchantments that would stand up to a large amount of strain would be prohibitively mana-expensive,¡± she noted. ¡°True enough, Princess. They would also not be easy to cast.¡± He shrugged and glanced at a few of the arguing mages with a bit of disdain, if she read his expression right. ¡°No, I was more thinking along the lines of installing existing magical items.¡± ¡°Ah. I can certainly see the use for auxiliary purposes. Perhaps even supporting the main operation. A variant on range-fingers, you think?¡± They delved into a deeper discussion of the topic, which quickly absorbed her focus. Zephyr did know his stuff. From talking about communications, sensors and brakes, they somehow took a tangent and arrived at a discussion of rituals. Those seemed more versatile than June had realized, although they had their own limitations. ¡°Perhaps you could give me a primer on the basics of ritual magic?¡± she asked hopefully. ¡°It¡¯s a fascinating topic and I¡¯ve heard little about it.¡± ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t have. I mean, it¡¯s not very common in Cernlia. But with the Hive¡¯s ability to Conjure materials, perhaps that will change, I suppose.¡± He seemed thoughtful, then shrugged it off. ¡°The first thing you should understand, Princess June, is that rituals are much more demanding than System-supported Spells or even the usual freeform magic, both in terms of time and preparation necessary ¡­¡± In truth, June had to admit to herself as the conversation continued, the information he gave her wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d really had a chance to learn before. It felt disloyal to her master to think it, but Regina¡¯s own education in magic was rather eclectic, and focused on her own spells and what applications and principles Galatea had taught her. Those were far-reaching, to be sure, but different from the broad base someone like Zephyr had accumulated. And despite all her excitement at new ideas, June did want that, she wanted to be that kind of mage, too. So, she soaked up every bit of information she could, and started to consider how she could get regular lessons from Zephyr as well. Under older traditions, educating the younger family of the king in magic would have been part of the court mage¡¯s duties, anyway, so it wasn¡¯t like she had no grounds to work with. When she dropped hints in that direction, Zephyr seemed thoughtful, but not averse to the idea. Finally, he seemed to have settled on something he wanted. ¡°I would assume you¡¯re familiar with the southern expedition being prepared, Your Highness?¡± he asked. June nodded. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s quite exciting.¡± ¡°It is. While I wouldn¡¯t expect to be allowed to go, although I¡¯d certainly like to, I¡¯d be delighted to see what may come of it. Establishing a secure route to the southern realms would be quite the boon. Current paths are rather circuitous, caravans would have to go on quite the detour, especially since the Gnomish Confederation closed its borders. I¡¯ve heard they have some spells and theories on magic that would be difficult to find here.¡± ¡°It really would,¡± June sighed wistfully. She glanced at Zephyr, then decided she might as well admit it. ¡°I would love to go, but although I asked, Regina wouldn¡¯t let me.¡± ¡°Unfortunate, but quite understandable, Princess. No one likes the thought of you being hurt.¡± June suppressed a snort and waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Sure. Either way, I¡¯m sure a mage of your expertise will be called on to consult on any discoveries or writing pertaining to the subject of magic that they will bring back.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± he muttered, then shook his head with a smile. ¡°Who is already set to be going?¡± ¡°Tim, I think, as the Empress¡¯ Champion. A few other drones, but I think they¡¯re still sorting it out. Some Delvers, but my sister and maybe the Nerlians will also be filling a few spots. And a number of Swarm Drones in the escort, of course.¡± June frowned for a moment, thinking. Having Zephyr being away for an unspecified time would mean he couldn¡¯t teach her, of course, but he still seemed like a good choice for this. ¡°I¡¯m sure your skills and power would be welcome, as well. You would make a good addition to ensure their chance of success. I¡¯ll suggest it, but you realize it will depend on if you¡¯re trusted enough for the role.¡± ¡°Of course, Princess,¡± he agreed. The conversation turned to the magical disciplines popular south of the Mountains, and then to stories from abroad. June was almost surprised, and a bit disappointed, when they had rounded the track and came back to the group of watchers. ¡°Princess!¡± One of the newly recruited Magistrates called, waving to her. She tried not to look bothered as she nodded to Zephyr and then turned to the group. ¡°Yes, gentlemen? And ladies.¡± His actual title was a Commissioner of Finance, she recalled, attached to the newly instated Ministry of the Economy. The new offices and titles would take some getting used to, for everyone. If she recalled, this one was not a noble but had been a successful merchant factor before the war drove his business into ruins. He didn¡¯t seem to have a problem speaking with or for the group, some of which were minor nobles. That was good. ¡°We were debating the costs and requirements of this project and were wondering if you perhaps had further insight, Your Highness,¡± he explained. ¡°How many tracks will Her Majesty wish to build?¡± ¡°Ideally, a net that spans the entire Empire,¡± June responded matter-of-factly. ¡°We will need to scale up production for it. That is not an immediate goal, however.¡± A few of them looked a bit daunted at the prospect, but the Commissioner only nodded. ¡°Import and export regulations may need to be adjusted in the service of meeting these requirements,¡± he said, taking out a notebook. ¡°We can always build on the forges around the barony and expand with another complex,¡± another man put in. June smiled a bit as she listened to their argument, mostly letting them talk instead of interrupting. It was nice to see that the mood seemed to be optimistic. No doubt there were many challenges ahead, but they really were putting the requirements in place to meet them. For now, she waited until a few of the drones came over to join the conversation and it turned more animated, with some finer points on the use of Conjuration to create materials being discussed, along with the requirements for building modern forges and metal works. Zephyr took his leave quickly, and she couldn¡¯t blame him, but it was still a good sign to see them all working together so well. Shared projects, she figured, might just help integration along quite well, not just whatever Regina had said about shared enemies. Chapter 287: Expedition Tim shifted position on the rock he was sitting on, leaning back and getting comfortable as he watched the group of people make their way up towards him. The southern expedition hadn¡¯t even really started, and they were still getting used to each other, but he thought he had a good handle on them. It helped that he knew all of them. He paid little attention to his own companions, though, more focused on the other group who would be joining them for the trip. Regina had used the chance for a bit of diplomacy, although he suspected it was only part of her plan. Still, it made sense for a larger expedition like this. They weren¡¯t the only ones who wanted to get access to the southern realms, regular access if possible. And the elves were still allies of the Hive. ¡°Commander Anuis,¡± he greeted the woman in the lead he recognized, smiling as he jumped down and went to meet them to be polite. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again.¡± He hadn¡¯t seen her in a while. Anuis Eltarianal, a Three-Century Commander of the elves, and one of the first people he¡¯d ever met. Actually, she¡¯d been the first person outside the Hive he¡¯d ever met on positive terms, come to think of it. She might be called a little low-leveled to be here in this position, being only in the early third Tier, but he suspected other pragmatic considerations made up for it. And neither group could send only the strongest elites, anyway. ¡°You as well, Sir Tim,¡± she smiled warmly. ¡°You met some of my companions before, I think?¡± He had, and he greeted them with as much warmth as he could muster. His Queen wanted to strengthen diplomatic relations between them, after all, and besides, he did like the elves well enough. They returned his greetings and then started to get to know the other people assembled. They had tried to keep the party as small as possible, but it was still a decently sized group in the end. Four elves, three sapient drones ¡ª not many, but they still weren¡¯t sure what welcome Hivekind would receive south of the Alps and were being cautious about it ¡ª and four Cernlians and three Nerlians, with two and one of them, respectively, being Delvers. Not counting several lower-leveled squires and sergeants and various others who still hung around, but wouldn¡¯t be joining them once they ventured into the dangerous monster territories. And, of course, there would be their newest guests, but they weren¡¯t here yet and Tim wasn¡¯t sure if they were coming. It was rather short notice. ¡°I assume you are in command of this operation?¡± asked one of the elves, someone he didn¡¯t know. [Tirias ¡ª Level ? Champion of the Blade] Tim couldn¡¯t see his level, which meant he must be strong. The Class didn¡¯t tell him much, it sounded rather generic even if it was strong. He shrugged slightly. ¡°No one has officially given me a formal charge,¡± he said. Regina had probably just forgotten, though. ¡°But I think it¡¯s safe to assume so,¡± he grinned a bit. ¡°You¡¯re the Empress¡¯ champion, I¡¯d certainly think so,¡± Anuis said. Tim didn¡¯t say much to that. He didn¡¯t want to come off as arrogant, or feign excessive humility. Fortunately, not saying much was expected of him, so no one minded. ¡°We should set off,¡± he spoke up after watching everyone mingle for a bit, getting ready for the trip. ¡°We have a campsite planned and it would be good to reach it before the end of the daylight.¡± It was interesting to watch how everyone reacted. The Hive¡¯s drones were already ready. The Cernlians and Nerlians completed their preparations, the Delvers noticeably being ready earlier. The elves had only just arrived, so they didn¡¯t have much to pack up, but they started walking in good order. I¡¯m dealing with professionals across the board here. That¡¯s good. He didn¡¯t want to go on this expedition with less than reliable companions. It shouldn¡¯t be too dangerous, but that ¡®should¡¯ was carrying a lot of weight here and he didn¡¯t want to lose anyone on this trip. At least it seemed they all understood the seriousness of it. They were also all strong enough that they moved quickly. There had been debate about flying, but in the end they ended up mostly walking, only a few of the others using tamed monsters. Tim didn¡¯t mind. They didn¡¯t speak much as they moved, but they reached the suggested campsite when the sun was still a sliver on the horizon. This was only the outskirts of the mountains, but the occasional strong beast did lurk in this area, or perhaps even gnomes striking out. Tim got a few of the Swarm Drones accompanying them flying circles up above to scout out the lay of the land, then chose two of the team to stand watch. Two Imperials, since they¡¯d moved less today. They accepted his orders without complaint. Then Tim checked in with Regina one last time, making sure nothing had happened that he should be aware of. She seemed busy, as she usually did these days, but it was nothing to be particularly worried about, she told him. The gnomes are still preparing and marshaling their forces, and our own plans are proceeding as planned, not that there is much happening this week. I don¡¯t like the idea of being away when things will be coming to a head, he admitted. She sent him a mental pat on the head ¡ª making sure to subtly frame it like that instead of just the feeling of a hug, he noted; she was getting better, although he didn¡¯t know why she bothered, it wasn¡¯t like he would be embarrassed ¡ª and responded in a reassuring tone, Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll have plenty of help. Just focus on your own trip. I will, my Queen, he acknowledged. After the short conversation, he went to bed early, or at least his thin travel mattress. He lay down and fell asleep quickly. He was woken up several hours later, in the early hours of the morning, by an interruption he¡¯d half-expected. Tim got up quickly, glad that he hadn¡¯t cuddled close enough with the other drones to prevent that (they usually didn¡¯t if there was danger, but everyone moved in their sleep), made sure he had his sword just to be safe, and then stepped outside. It was still pretty dark, but his eyes pierced the gloom effortlessly, allowing him to see the people approaching from his own position as well as the Swarm Drones¡¯ eyes. Considering it was only two people, he supposed they¡¯d done well spotting them. Their clothes blended into the night, as did their dark skin. A stray bit of moonlight showed him a flash of orange from one of their eyes. It would have been pretty clear they were dark elves even if he couldn¡¯t hear the difference in their gaits or sense the subtle differences in their scents as they approached. The latter were muted, however; they¡¯d probably done something to help hide from the monsters around. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. [Nucme as Inaven ¡ª Level ? Hand of Shadow] [Alvol as Oliren ¡ª Level ? Ranger of the Dark] ¡°Welcome to our camp. I was expecting you to arrive with escorts, but we¡¯re happy to see you,¡± he greeted them. The two dark elves stopped, as if surprised by his presence, although he doubted they hadn¡¯t realized he was there. ¡°Thank you, my lord,¡± the man in the lead said. ¡°We apologize for arriving late, there was some trouble hashing out the details of our contribution.¡± ¡°I know,¡± he replied, nodding. ¡°It¡¯s good everything was sorted out. I¡¯ll go wake the others to welcome you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± he shook his head. ¡°We do not wish to disturb their sleep. Let us meet them tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± If nothing else, Tim figured, their reactions were funny. Two of the humans almost drew their weapons upon finding there were suddenly dark elves in the camp when they woke up. Luckily, it didn¡¯t escalate any further, and they were clearly a bit embarrassed about their reaction later. Inaven and Oliren didn¡¯t seem to mind. Anuis had apparently met the former before, when the dark elves established contact with Ariedel, and they quickly struck up a conversation. Tim mostly watched, before reminding everyone that they should get going. The weather was still good and there was no point wasting daylight. To be fair, the weather should be good for the next week or so, which was why they were traveling now. Apparently, that kind of thing was something the Delvers¡¯ Seer could help with. After that, there would be a lot of rain, and they probably wouldn¡¯t get a good opportunity until the spring flood, which they did not want to encounter during their trip. So, while it was still late winter, not the best time ¡­ it might actually be the second-best time. Autumn storms, sometimes even in the late summer, were vicious here. Right now, it was late enough that it shouldn¡¯t be entirely too cold and the days were getting longer again, but the spring melt hadn¡¯t really started yet. There¡¯d be lots of ice and snow, if they had to cross a mountain, but they¡¯d manage. Tim had never climbed across a glacier, but he¡¯d heard it was better than fields of scree. He was almost looking forward to it. First, though, they had to actually get into the mountains. That was hardly trivial. The route they¡¯d planned stuck to the outskirts, at least for now. For parts of it they would be using tunnels, either dug by their hive or appropriated from the gnomes. The war had pretty much moved on from this region, so no one had really been here in a while, and monsters would have moved back in ¡ª maybe even more than there¡¯d been before, driven to escape the commotion elsewhere. Tim marched with the others, keeping a sharp eye out. They were using an overgrown path to start with which might have just been a game trail. It led in the direction they wanted to go and the Winged Drones scouting overhead could tell the path was clear. At least until one of them was pounced on by a flying monster. Tim quickly backed out of his mental connection to it before it was eaten, feeling a bit queasy. I don¡¯t know how Regina does it, he thought, shaking his head. She had to feel every death in the Hive, didn¡¯t she? Or could she shut herself off entirely? He didn¡¯t think so. Tim just tried not to think about it as he focused on the path ahead. After that, he kept the Swarm Drones closer. It limited what they could see, but having eyes flying overhead at all was still very helpful. In a larger flock, they were also less likely to get attacked, or attract attention to their group. Sooner or later, he¡¯d have to send them all back, or they¡¯d just be monster bait. They marched for hours that day, only taking a short break around midday, getting closer to their destination. The vegetation started to get a bit sparser as they went steadily uphill, though the way back down to the northwest was nice. ¡°Are we going to be crossing elemental territory, Sir Tim?¡± Anuis asked, hanging back a bit to join him. Tim glanced at her and shook his head. ¡°Only at the edges. We¡¯ve talked to the elementals, but they¡¯re still prickly. Volance and her friends are allowing us through,¡° ¡ª mostly for Janis¡¯ sake, he was sure ¡ª ¡°but they don¡¯t want us to linger for too long.¡± ¡°Well, at least we should not be troubled by any monsters while we are there, then,¡± Anuis said. She paused and turned forward, frowning. ¡°Speaking of other monsters, I believe it is time to get ready to fight.¡± Tim glanced around as well, then checked through the flying drones¡¯ sight. It took him a second to realize what she meant; the monster was very well camouflaged. No, two monsters, actually. He squinted a bit, but didn¡¯t get a System notification, perhaps they were still too far away. From here, they looked like oversized Lionits in mottled gray and brown. ¡°Monsters up ahead,¡± he called to warn the others. ¡°One by the pink-flowering bush and the other over sixty degrees to its right.¡± ¡°We see them,¡± Tirias said calmly, hefting his blade. ¡°I¡¯ll slow them down,¡± Inaven agreed, gesturing sharply with one hand. Thick tendrils of shadow shot out of the ground and wrapped around the monsters, incidentally marking them to everyone. Tim got the flying drones to back away, figuring they were too high-level to be very bothered by the flock. His other companions formed up into a decent approximation of battle formation on their own initiative, the mages and healer stepping back and the physical fighters like Tirias forward. It would be enough for this threat. Anuis had drawn her bow and shot an arrow at the closer monster, one of the Delvers doing likewise. Inaven activated another Skill or Spell and his tentacles grew thorns, piercing their captured monster. It drew blood and the beast roared loudly. Tim grimaced and hefted his sword, but decided not to waste one of his better Abilities. Instead, he tracked the second monster, which had gotten free of its snare and was charging at them with a supernatural burst of speed. Tirias jumped forward and met it with a slash of his sword. Tim waited for the right moment and then stepped in himself, slashing at its lower legs with his blade-arms and stabbing at its eye with his sword. It dodged, but ran into a lance of rock rising out of the ground. A moment later, it cried shrilly and its coat started smoking. That distracted it enough for a final swing to finish it off. Tim stabbed into its eye to be safe, then glanced at the other monster. It had dragged itself forward, but their ranged party members were making short work of it. As he watched, it crashed to the ground and a final Firebolt finished it off. ¡°Good work,¡± he said, quickly cleaning his blade. ¡°Our coordination could be improved, but we¡¯ll work on that.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯ll have more than enough chances for it,¡± Inaven said sardonically, glancing around. Tim nodded. ¡°Yes, we should make sure to leave quickly. Pick up the pace.¡± ¡°You think more monsters will show up?¡± Tirias asked. ¡°You think they missed that commotion?¡± he asked, then turned. Apparently, everyone agreed, and they quickly hurried away from the scene of the fight. It was a bit of a shame, but he¡¯d find other food later. He could already tell more monsters were being drawn to the site to investigate. But with the help of their scouts, they managed to steer clear of them. ¡°How long now?¡± ¡°We¡¯re just about there,¡± Tim answered. He consulted his map in the psychic link, then nodded. ¡°Up ahead.¡± It didn¡¯t take long to reach the rocky outcropping beside a minor hilltop. Tim made sure he had the right place, then slashed through the branches of a bush and pushed it aside. A hole just big enough for a humanoid person to descend into was revealed. ¡°There¡¯s a gnomish tunnel down there?¡± Eduard asked a bit skeptically. ¡°It used to be,¡± Tim answered with the ghost of a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Since the others mostly seemed uncomfortable, he lowered himself down first. It was dim inside, but more than bright enough to see by, and he could tell the passage widened once it leveled off into an actual tunnel. I suppose leading from the front it is, he mused, hiding a smile as he watched the others carefully make their way down to join him. They¡¯d follow this one for a while. Their journey had only just started, but it was a nice change of pace. Chapter 288: Information Gathering Regina had to admit she was slightly jealous of Tim and the others. They got to go on an adventure while she was stuck here dealing with ¡®court¡¯ business. Granted, it wasn¡¯t much of an adventure, probably. Just a dangerous trip combined with some scouting tasks to establish a safer route through the mountains. That was semantics, though. They¡¯d still get to travel, fight monsters, probably build bonds on the road or whatever, and visit foreign lands. Anytime she wanted to visit other countries in the future would be a huge occasion with lots of preparation, and she probably wouldn¡¯t get to travel more than a few hundred kilometers from her capital at all. Possibly ever. Not when her current location determined the range of the hive¡¯s psychic link. Traveling across the sea or to another continent? She could probably forget that. Regina was pleased with what she¡¯d managed to set up, though. The elves had been relatively easy to convince to participate in a joint venture, but it was still a diplomatic win. And the dark elves ¡ª there had only been so many of them coming to the Empire at all, that they got two of their highest leveled people to participate in this was quite surprising. Especially since, strictly speaking, they probably didn¡¯t need any route to Italy. They were from even further to the southeast, closer to the Caucasus, after all. Maybe it was part of some agreement with the elves? she wondered. That might be it. On the other hand, maybe they just want trade to be increased generally, which would also open more markets or routes to them considering the follow-on effects. She wasn¡¯t going to look a gift horse in the mouth on this occasion. Instead, Regina just made sure the expeditionary group didn¡¯t run into anything they couldn¡¯t handle ¡ª for as long as she could, anyway. They were going to move out of her range eventually. To delay that time, Regina had already moved back to the main hive base. For a time, at least. She¡¯d have to return to Cera sooner or later, but she had the excuse of the expedition and of checking on the developments made under the hive¡¯s auspices. Of course, it also made it slightly harder to coordinate everything, with the war, and most of the new departments and ministries being either founded in Cera or scattered around, and various other issues that cropped up. Under the circumstances, perhaps it wasn¡¯t surprising that it took her a little while to realize that one particular problem was apparently trying to make itself scarce in a different way than she¡¯d have preferred. ¡°So, when was John Cern last seen?¡± she asked, sighing and sinking back into her couch. A few drones had had a competition about who could make the most comfortable sofas and she was enjoying one of the winners, even if using monster fur as padding might be a bit unconventional. Soft, though. The man she was currently talking to was still standing, seeming uncomfortable. They were in one room in a building aboveground connected to the hive base that Regina occasionally used as an office, but which was large enough for other drones to occupy as well. A few were currently here. ¡°Begging your pardon, Your Majesty, but we¡¯re not exactly sure,¡± he admitted. ¡°Some peasants or travelers have probably seen him, but haven¡¯t said. They might come forward if we start officially marking him as wanted and searching for him, though, if that is what Your Majesty decides.¡± Regina considered it for a moment. ¡°No, not yet,¡± she said. ¡°Tell me, what do we know? Perhaps you¡¯ve confirmed which direction he absconded in?¡± She had tried to look for Cern before, but finding one single mind, and of a person she barely remembered, among so many was a challenge at the best of times. It was likely he was already outside her range. ¡°Northwest, My Empress,¡± he replied. ¡°That is the largest trade route out of the city of Cera,¡± she noted. Lord Feronet didn¡¯t quite seem to have an answer to that. She glanced up at him. She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Giles Feronet held a bit of a grudge. He¡¯d been one of the first Nerlian lords she¡¯d defeated back in the day (as in, last year), and she¡¯d interrogated him and held him prisoner in his own castle for a bit. But he was also one of the Nerlians who¡¯d been under the administration of the hive for the longest time and the most familiar with them, best able to work with them. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure why or how he¡¯d ended up working with Lord Daine and the new intelligence branch, but she was hardly going to complain. It was always good to have a nice mix of Nerlian and Cernlian people. ¡°And his possible targets?¡± ¡°We have conducted deeper inquiries into his background and recent associates, Your Majesty,¡± he said, then handed over a sheet of paper. ¡°Our analysis. There are several candidates. Beside some Cernlian lords and merchants near the border, or Nerlian ones near the northern part of the country, there are several who have been tentatively marked as potential foreign agents.¡± ¡°Mostly based on this, I take it,¡± Regina murmured, reading through the list. Not that she disagreed, but it was a shame they didn¡¯t have more information. ¡°Intensify your efforts to find him,¡± she ordered after a moment. ¡°Feel free to approach hive drones for help if it may be of aid. I will be talking to Queen Kiara and will prepare to issue an official warrant for his presence should it prove necessary. However, we¡¯d rather avoid that.¡± ¡°We will do our best, Your Majesty,¡± he acknowledged with a bow. Regina hummed and gestured him into his chair, which he finally took. She waited for a moment, deliberating what she should talk about, what to prioritize. Affairs were growing increasingly complicated. Or maybe it just felt like that. Discussing the setup of the agencies with him probably wasn¡¯t the best choice, there were others more involved in that aspect. A quick briefing for the rest of it might be good, though. ¡°What about the rest of the court and the nobility?¡± she asked. ¡°Or those with political influence? Is anyone making moves against us, or protesting against the Empire¡¯s founding?¡± ¡°Not openly, Your Majesty,¡± he reported right away. ¡°Not that we can find, at least. There will likely be some that are protesting quietly. We have found several minor plots, but nothing that should concern the Empress personally. I will make sure reports are delivered to your staff. There is also the possible issue of corruption; we have been trying to assess how widespread bribery might be. Results of the assessment are still pending, but additional resources would be appreciated.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± Regina said. Once again, she couldn¡¯t help but think of the idea of regular psychic screenings. They would probably do a lot to help weed out those kinds of problems. ¡°Give me the details of our current status, if you please.¡± He did, starting to give her a briefing that was clearly at least partly prepared beforehand. Regina listened intently, noting names and details. She even focused and put a few in the psychic link. It was really very convenient for things like that, and with every day and every new Keeper working on it, it grew and became more detailed, facilitating peripheral uses more easily. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Once he was done, she dismissed the courtier and leaned back with a sigh. She knew without having to check that she had a bit of a break in her schedule before her next scheduled appointment. It allowed her to spend a bit of time diving into the psychic link, something she often did when she had a few free minutes. She¡¯d had to start clearing space for ¡®free time¡¯ to socialize and destress in the evenings. But while the pressure could be a lot, it was also nice in a way. Regina assumed she wasn¡¯t new to having her day planned out or to pressure to perform. After all, she¡¯d completed a degree in medicine at what had to be a rather young age, while struggling with mental issues, that might, admittedly, have been connected. She didn¡¯t have much time to practice as a doctor currently, but it was still important to her. Maybe my previous job was a better preparation for my job as Hive Queen than I thought? She was interrupted by the door opening again, pulling her from her thoughts. Regina sat up and frowned, then quickly turned it into a smile. ¡°Master.¡± June hesitated close to the entrance for a moment, before she bowed deeply and stepped further into the room. Regina dipped her head in response. ¡°June, welcome back. Good to see you again. How was your trip?¡± ¡°Interesting, as always. The establishment of the schools I visited is going well and the locomotives seem to be coming along nicely. I even talked to Zephyr and he had some interesting input. But I¡¯m curious, you alluded to something about learning new magic?¡± Regina¡¯s smile widened as she stood up and went to join her. ¡°It¡¯s Galatea, she¡¯s currently staying here for a while,¡± she explained. ¡°She suggested a new lesson, and I wanted you to join in. We haven¡¯t focused much on casting magic together before, anyway.¡± June lit up. ¡°That sounds great!¡± She followed enthusiastically as Regina led the way to a set of workshops Galatea had commandeered for the time being. She knew the mana-form didn¡¯t really need personal quarters or anything, since she didn¡¯t need to sleep or eat, but that didn¡¯t mean she should be denied the comfort of having them. Galatea seemed more interested in setting up labs or workspaces than comfy furniture, though, obviously. ¡°Scrying,¡± she stated as soon as Regina and June showed up, not bothering with a long introduction. ¡°You both know the basics, and Regina has made good progress. But there are less conventional forms of scrying, too ¡ª and yes, I¡¯m aware we¡¯re already talking about unstructured magic. Seer Alix¡¯s abilities would be one example.¡± ¡°There are rituals, too, right?¡± June asked, watching her raptly. ¡°I talked to Zephyr, he knows quite a bit about rituals, and he mentioned some.¡± Galatea didn¡¯t seem surprised. ¡°Yes, for a Cernlian, he¡¯s open-minded when it comes to magic. We could certainly try some.¡± She looked thoughtful for a moment. ¡°Perhaps a good exercise for you. Personally, I¡¯m more interested in another area of applications at the moment. June, why don¡¯t you get the book from my office?¡± June walked off, and Regina raised an eyebrow at her friend. ¡°Other applications?¡± Galatea lowered her voice as she replied. ¡°Say, across dimensional boundaries. Scrying into the Celestial Home, even.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Regina blinked. Well, that would certainly be useful. Assuming we don¡¯t get found out and smitten for the offense. June came back with the book Galatea asked for and Regina didn¡¯t offer further comments. Instead, she watched Galatea pointed out a few passages and then fielded a few questions from June together with Galatea. Luckily, she had at least learned a little about ritual magic before, even if she was certainly no expert. ¡°I should be able to Conjure all the materials we would need for a test easily enough,¡± Regina finally offered. June grinned. ¡°I was thinking that using ritual magic more intensively might be a good idea for the Empire, given the ability to Conjure materials, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good thought,¡± Regina praised her, then reached out to pat her on the head, which June dodged with a playful glare. Of course, there was a lot of demand for their ability to Conjure things, and she was pretty certain that it rested on their understanding of the natural world, particularly physics and chemistry, so the capability wasn¡¯t something they could build up that easily. Still, in some circumstances it was definitely a good option to have. Regina made sure she understood the instructions correctly, then focused on producing the required quantities of materials. They included a fair amount of gold and other precious metals, as well as crystals, so she could see why it would normally be too expensive for regular use. ¡°Now, what should we scry?¡± Galatea asked. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we could cross dimensional boundaries already?¡± Regina muttered. Her friend hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°Maybe if a certain ally covered for you, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯d just jump and do that right now,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Am I supposed to not know what you mean?¡± June asked. ¡°Because I¡¯m not sure if I do.¡± Galatea ignored her, ¡°I did meet with them again recently and we¡¯ll hopefully have a chance again in the not-too-distant future.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow, then shook her head and focused on the materials. ¡°Perhaps we could check on the southern expedition, then?¡± she suggested. It didn¡¯t take long to get started with the ritual after that. Galatea kept out of it, since she wanted the other two to learn, but she did offer a few tips. Regina made sure everything was arranged correctly, then started pouring mana into the simple ritual circle she¡¯d formed, making sure to moderate her output to mesh with June¡¯s, who stood at the opposite side. A few seconds later, an image started to form in the air above it, like a projector on a wall. It showed the group she¡¯d been looking for, Tim accompanied by several drones, humans, elves and dark elves. Unfortunately, nothing interesting currently seemed to be happening. They were trudging through a tunnel, dimly lit by some bioluminescent moss the group had gathered, but they weren¡¯t even talking at the moment. None of them seemed to notice the scrying in any way. Regina kept watching them silently for a few minutes, but nothing changed. She sighed and flicked her fingers to dismiss the image. ¡°Bad timing if we wanted adventure, I suppose. June, why don¡¯t you set it up for the next try, and maybe we can look a bit further afield?¡± June nodded and got to work, while Regina stepped away, closer to Galatea. ¡°You spoke with Leian?¡± she asked quietly, making sure no one else was around to hear. The AI nodded slightly. ¡°It was a more tense reunion than I had anticipated,¡± she admitted. ¡°Well, you did kind of deny being her friend to me, maybe she had seen things differently,¡± Regina said wryly. ¡°I ¡ªWhen did I say that to you?¡± ¡°You called me your only friend, which, don¡¯t get me wrong, I really appreciate the sentiment, but it said something about your relationship with Leian.¡± Galatea didn¡¯t visibly react, but Regina could sense her pause. She¡¯d gotten better at reading her. ¡°¡­ I suppose,¡± she finally said, her voice expressionless. ¡°I think I¡¯d like to be there and talk to her if it¡¯s possible for the next opportunity,¡± Regina said. Galatea shrugged slightly. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°What did you talk about?¡± ¡°Various things. I actually learned a little more about her past and magical skills.¡± Galatea frowned. ¡°It certainly sounds like she¡¯s fighting with Alianais.¡± Regina suppressed a sigh. ¡°I was afraid of that,¡± she muttered. She wasn¡¯t sure if she could trust either of the goddesses, but if they were having a row, or, heavens forbid, a real falling-out, it probably wouldn¡¯t be good for her. ¡°She also said that Deirianon threatened her, so I¡¯m not sure how much help she¡¯s willing to give you,¡± Galatea warned her. Then she smiled a bit. ¡°Although she didn¡¯t seem very impressed. Something about ¡®divinity that has been given can be taken away¡¯, which is apparently an ironic threat to make to an Aishan. She did mention she had several notable ancestors who¡¯ve killed gods before ¡­¡± Regina blinked again. ¡°Do you think she could do that, kill gods?¡± Galatea shrugged. ¡°Probably, I mean, she is a goddess herself, even if she has less raw power. That doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s not the most dangerous of them all. I think the more interesting question would be if she could do it without being a goddess or teach other people how to do it ¡­ in which case, I don¡¯t know. She was leader of her Lineage for a time, even if it was a short time and there were only a few of them left, so she must have had access to their records and any secret power, but they lost a lot and she has no access to any resources from home or whatever they used to store mana in large quantities.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°At least it¡¯s good to know the gods can apparently be vanquished and killed, even if I¡¯m not quite sure what I can do with that information ¡­¡± She rubbed a hand across her eyes. ¡°And the Aishan apparently created the Hivekind ¡­¡± ¡°I doubt it¡¯s just an innate ability, and even if it is, they probably wouldn¡¯t have given it to their creations.¡± ¡°True.¡± Regina sighed again and glanced away, only to freeze for a moment as she laid eyes on June, who was leaning against the desk uncomfortably close to them, her arms crossed. She grinned as she saw Regina¡¯s look. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me,¡± she drawled. ¡°Feel free to carry on talking about the gods¡¯ power or whatever blasphemy I suppose this is ¡­¡± Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Talking is silver and silence is gold, my young apprentice.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not that young!¡± June protested, straightening up. Regina exchanged an amused glance with Galatea. Chapter 289: Contributions As they advanced further into the core territory of the Gnomish Confederation of the East, Janis found herself thinking longingly of the city they¡¯d recently taken. Being quartered in an actual city was a bit of luxury she didn¡¯t usually get on campaign, especially with the comforts they¡¯d afforded to a princess. And she was probably close enough that she could technically fly back for the night, but that seemed unfair to her soldiers. For now, Janis just rolled over and stood up from her cot. One of the drones would pack it up later. She stretched, pulled a comb through her hair and then strode out of the tent. ¡°Good morning, Princess. Ready for another day?¡± Sir Willard greeted her. Janis managed a smile. ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be,¡± she agreed. Normally, she would have enjoyed sleeping in a cuddle pile with the sapient drones present. But they were in an army with more human soldiers now, and Janis might have to take more care about her image and actions. Beyond that, though, having a proper tent with some amenities to herself was pretty nice. At least no one was poking her in her sleep. She didn¡¯t ask the older knight how long he¡¯d been standing there, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. He seemed to have taken it upon himself to guard her, which she supposed she appreciated. Janis knew Sir Willard was one of Kiara¡¯s most trusted knights, and she really appreciated her gesture in sending him to join her. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll reach our goal today?¡± she asked. He nodded. ¡°I¡¯m quite confident, Your Highness.¡± Janis hummed, then turned away to join some of the other commanders and senior knights. Around her, the encamped soldiers were already packing up and making ready to leave. This army traveled more slowly than one purely composed of Hive drones, but the human soldiers ¡ª mostly Delvers and some Cernlian soldiers with a sprinkle of Nerlians ¡ª provided a core of strength that the generally weaker War Drones wouldn¡¯t have. There were enough of them now that it wasn¡¯t exactly feasible to transport them all in the air or with other means, even using their own magic and Skills, so they mostly marched. They didn¡¯t get to advance across so much territory without fighting or having to establish their presence that it would be much of an issue, anyway. The logistics train was more important. Janis climbed onto a Drone Mount for the trip, but stayed on the ground this time. Sir Willard kept close to her on his horse. She glanced at him but made no attempt to start a conversation. He wasn¡¯t the knight she really wanted to have at her side ¡­ but at the same time, she was glad it was this way, too. Her relationship with her great-uncle Sir Richard had been fraught, lately. She was pretty sure he¡¯d disapproved of her joining the Hive, although he wouldn¡¯t say so now. Nowadays, it felt like he didn¡¯t know how he should talk to her, and Janis was struggling with the same issue. At least, she was relieved he stayed back in Cera so he wasn¡¯t in danger fighting in the war. Several of the other commanders joined them as they rode, and they discussed the push forward and their expected opposition, while scouting reports came in periodically. Janis dipped into the psychic link regularly for more information, as did the few other drones with her. Most of them were overseeing the gathered horde of Swarm Drones, staying closer to their charges, since they could just communicate over the psychic link. As the sun climbed and it got closer to noon, a slight stir went through the army and Janis gestured to the others to make a bit of space, then watched as Thor descended to the ground, carrying Ada. He¡¯d asked to join the war effort and been partnered with several of the high-ranking sapient drones. If it came to battle and she participated, Janis knew Regina wanted her to ride him, since Tim was away at present. For now, he¡¯d been helping Ada. The other girl hopped down and patted his shoulder absently once before turning to face Janis and the others, nodding in greeting. She didn¡¯t bother with more than that, which Janis certainly didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Good to see you, Ada. What have you found?¡± Janis asked. ¡°There are two villages further northeast,¡± Ada began shortly, pausing to make sure they were all up-to-date. ¡°One further along the path. Two of them seem to have been abandoned, and a company of defenders has set up in the southernmost one ¡ª about two hundred soldiers, I think. No artillery. The road further east is mostly clear, no signs of sabotage so far. The river beyond it is carrying a lot of water, though, and the bridge has been burned. That¡¯s all in the immediate area. From what we¡¯ve seen, they¡¯re still gathering forces at the pass just west of Ikris-on-Plains. I¡¯ve seen hints that they are also drawing together forces north and south of there ¡ª possible places are marked in the link.¡± She trailed off, raising an eyebrow. Janis nodded. She¡¯d been checking those. ¡°We can¡¯t advance too far or they¡¯ll get the opportunity to encircle us, and can¡¯t spread out too much,¡± she said. ¡°But we¡¯ll get the chance to rout them. Sending some flocks can keep them busy, if nothing else, especially once we move properly on the pass. For now, we can¡¯t get bogged down. Sir Willard, take our company of cavalry and however many foot you feel comfortable with and secure the villages mentioned. Keep to our usual rules of engagement. I¡¯ll send two hundred War Drones and a small flock of Winged Drones with you too.¡± Mostly to keep casualties down. They could advance to rejoin the main army later, hopefully. Sir Willard bowed in the saddle. ¡°As you command, Your Highness.¡± Janis nodded. He was the commander she felt most sure about. She was tempted to handle the matter entirely with Hive forces, but that would be a bad idea for several reasons. Even if it felt odd, on some level, to send this many actual people into a fight, having to expect some of them would die. She was used to tactics carefully preserving the lives of sapient commanders at the expense of Swarm Drones. But she had to be able to use, or at least know if she could use, the human soldiers mostly independently. Besides, there¡¯d be no end of trouble if she tried to keep them out of the fighting. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. There were a few more questions, which Ada fielded patiently, before she took off again, this time to the west, probably back to their command post to get some sleep. No one questioned Janis¡¯ decisions and they kept moving forward, while she dropped in and out of the psychic link to watch the progress of the task force she¡¯d detached. The gnomes would probably kill for this level of operational control, she thought absently, not for the first time. The rest of the time, she considered how to handle the destroyed bridge. It wouldn¡¯t be much of an obstacle, they had enough mages to deal with the water and, in the worst case, could probably construct a temporary bridge pretty easily. It would only mean a delay. It would be a good spot for an ambush or to try to slow them down, too, so she detached a few more drones to monitor the area and keep it clear of gnomish scouts or would-be guerrillas. As a smaller force, composed mostly of cavalry and War Drones, the detached task force reached their goal first, just as the sun was approaching the horizon. Although they¡¯d called been cavalry, the heavy horse were mostly experienced and reasonably high-level fighters that worked just as well as mounted infantry, able to dismount and fight on their feet as well as on horseback. Once they arrived and Sir Willard saw their enemy had tried to barricade themselves in the village, he ordered most of his fighters to dismount. Janis kept an eye on them, but let the knight prepare for the battle as he wanted to. He had to call orders up to be relayed by a sapient drone ¡ª two had come with the Winged Drones ¡ª but it worked out well enough. A few minutes later, they started flying above the village and tossing down explosives and stray rocks, focusing on the walls. She could see the civilians had sought shelter in the biggest house in the center of the settlement. That was a relief, at least. Janis watched, absently twisting her fingers as the battle picked up steam. Their infantry moved forward, Skills and Abilities flashing, to meet the gnomish defenders ensconced behind the simple walls, barely more than wooden palisades. They might be enough to stand up to the occasional stray monster, but didn¡¯t stand up well against a concerted attack, not even with the reinforcement the gnomish soldiers had clearly done. Quickly, the two lines met and clashed. It was in many ways a more conventional battle than Janis had seen in a long time, and her stomach twisted unpleasantly as she kept watching. Are you okay? Dan asked, glancing at her with a little frown from where he was coming up beside her. Sure, it¡¯s nothing, Janis brushed him off. It wasn¡¯t nothing, but as much as she liked Dan, she didn¡¯t think he¡¯d understand if she tried to explain. She wasn¡¯t sure what she¡¯d say. In a way, it was almost a relief to her that she was having a negative reaction. She¡¯d grown far too accustomed to war and violence. I didn¡¯t even want to be an adventurer, Janis thought with a bit of bitter humor. And now look at me. A great commander, according to a few people ¡ª although they were probably just trying to kiss up to me. She shook her head to herself. It was undeniable she seemed to have some talent for it, though, but it wasn¡¯t like with magic. She definitely didn¡¯t feel about it like she felt about magic. A few times, she¡¯d almost resented that she seemed to be good at war. At least, when she watched her people fight and die like they did right now. She knew the relief and exhilaration of battles won would come after it, and there were few things like that satisfaction. Right now, Janis could only watch somberly as Sir Willard¡¯s knights pushed back the gnomish soldiers, using their reach advantage to good effect and herding them into fields of fire for the flying drones. Although the fight seemed to drag on forever, it was actually over quickly. The human infantry, supported by Swarm Drones, managed to control the entire flow of the fight. Their pressure was too much for the gnomes to withstand. They would have probably broken earlier if they weren¡¯t effectively trapped. As it was, some still tried to run, but they didn¡¯t get very far. The soldiers set to securing their prisoners and sent a few War Drones to sweep the village for surprises. Except for a few caches of ammunition, they didn¡¯t find anything, no traps or hidden mines. Although that would be more of a tactic for the Hive, anyway. Eventually, her attention was diverted by the progress of her own force, which was coming up on the river. Janis had forgotten its name, the mental map she kept checking didn¡¯t include it, but it was bigger than most of the brooks they¡¯d passed so far, not something they could easily wade across. Especially with horses or vehicles. She took command of a Winged Drone and circled it down over the river to get a better look, then focused on the psychic link to talk to several of the other sapient drones with them. They didn¡¯t have many Production Drones nearby, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to rely on their secretions to build a temporary bridge, but there was also little need for it. Janis watched as a few of them went into the river, or more precisely, over it ¡ª a spell for walking on water wasn¡¯t very common but did come in handy ¡ª and then a few drones dove to create holes for support struts. Fortunately, Ground Excavation worked just as well with water around a target as with air. Meanwhile, Janis, like a few others, focused on her magic and put a lot of mana into another Spell, their trademark Conjuration. Long boards of titanium appeared for the drone and human workers to use. They wouldn¡¯t make the whole bridge out of it, but enough for the support structure. It took a while, but in the end, they had a bridge that she thought might have been better than the one that was here before. It certainly allowed all of their army, and any future supply shipments or reinforcements, across without issues. And what now? Ada asked when Janis contacted her to update her on their progress and check if there had been any noticeable developments. Apparently, nothing remarkable. We¡¯ll continue, carefully, she said. They had made a plan for this part of the campaign ¡ª well, mostly Ben had created the detailed plan ¡ª and Janis saw no reason not to stick to it at the moment. I thought you wanted to do something about our Queen¡¯s most recent plot with the gnomes? Ada asked. Janis shrugged slightly. We only need to be at a specific town in two days, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll manage that. Well, that and there were other parts of the plan, but they were either being fulfilled or seemed to be well on their way, so that was fine. Janis didn¡¯t exactly mind being here, but she was aware that at least part of the reason for it was that she was present for whatever might happen, and in case the gnomes wanted the reassurance of speaking to someone high-ranking within the Empire. Of course, she could always just talk with Regina over the psychic link, and so could any of the drones, but it was different. They still weren¡¯t sure just how much the gnomes really understood about the psychic link, and didn¡¯t want to give away more information than they had to. Plus, emotionally, speaking to a princess would make any promises seem more serious than those from a random soldier. Janis was looking forward to it. Any chance to end the war early would be nice. And turning the situation around on the gnomish leaders who¡¯d made the war break out in the first place would be great, if they could manage it. Well, she also wanted to be done here so she could go back to Kiara, of course. Who could blame her? Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t looking like it would be a possibility soon, though. Whatever happened, she¡¯d probably have to stick around for a while, and she didn¡¯t really want to miss out on it, either. Chapter 290: Pressure After that conversation in Galatea¡¯s lab, something seemed to have shifted between them. Regina couldn¡¯t put her finger on it, she just felt it somehow. Maybe it was her imagination now that she was paying more attention, but she caught Galatea giving her considering looks occasionally. Her friend also stayed at court for longer, though Regina supposed she¡¯d probably been planning on that anyway. Things with June had also changed a bit, and it was easier to pinpoint how or why. Unlike Galatea, June wasn¡¯t a mysterious centuries-old existence, just a girl, who, despite being rather mature and doing important work, was still a bit childish in some ways. Now, she seemed torn between awe and the sinking realization that her master and her allies were playing with forces far beyond normal reckoning. Not that Regina believed in things ¡®beyond mortal ken¡¯. Certainly not when it came to the gods from Haven (she wouldn¡¯t call them the gods of this world). But she couldn¡¯t spend too much time thinking about it, or even talking with June about it, because there were other matters demanding her attention. Regina was kept busy with Empire business, from overseeing the support efforts for the war to the reforms and formation of the institutions she wanted. June went off again soon enough, traveling to new schools and workshops and other project locations ¡ª pretty much all the places Regina would go to if traveling was less of a headache for her. In the meantime, she resumed her focus on the war in the south. They still hadn¡¯t found John Cern, which just showed there was foul play involved, that guy couldn¡¯t hide that well on his own; and there was nothing much she could do about the southern expedition until Tim and the others sent word. Therefore, the gnomes received the brunt of her attention. Janis¡¯ forces were advancing slowly but steadily. The same went for several other corps currently moving deeper into gnomish territory along other routes. The city of Ins-On-A-Rock was largely quiet, as far as she could tell. Regina had kept up her practice and focused a lot on that particular target, so she was confident in her readings of its ¡®psychic signature¡¯, if cities could be said to have those. There was no fomenting unrest and while she didn¡¯t want to deplete the garrison too much, they weren¡¯t going to need reinforcements any time soon. It was a different matter for the settlements their forces took as they pushed further into the Gnomish Confederation. With every village and every town they captured, it stretched their army further and whittled away at their numbers to provide garrisons. Regina knew there was no way around it ¡ª leaving them alone could spark a rebellion and that would easily spark a bloodbath, something she desperately wanted to avoid. They were going to get reinforcements from Cernlia and Nerlia, though, so it should be bearable. She couldn¡¯t tell if her efforts had born fruit otherwise. It would take a few days to be sure, until she could actually talk, or rather, have someone else talk to people. Regina spent the time dealing with Empire business and arranging things so she was free to watch. Once it was finally time for her to get a bit more involved, she checked in with all of her commanders and then tried to scout out the area around the front line and the outer part of the gnomes¡¯ territory as cautiously as she could. There were several issues with trying to form any kind of alliance or agreement with gnomish leaders. The most obvious one was that the gnomes had been spreading propaganda against her Hive, building on propaganda propagated for centuries, and openly admitting to any sort of contact or help would be a big risk. It was hard to estimate how the normal gnomish civilians would react, but she could guess many of them wouldn¡¯t be happy. As a corollary to that, anyone caught trying to contact her people would be labeled a traitor and probably made an example of. There were some ways she could try and get around or at least mitigate those problems. Offering sanctuary to any gnomish dissidents fleeing the regime, and trying to protect her contacts as best she could. But it also called for a more subtle strategy. After all, they were two nations at war, but they were still two nations. Diplomatic contact of some kind had to be possible. And once the gnomish leaders gave in to the inevitability of that, something could be done. Accordingly, Regina had prepared several things. She was mostly focused on the meeting Janis would be having, though. It was a bit of a risk to send her heir to the front and to something like this, of course, but it also worked as a gesture of sincerity. She was sure Janis knew that, and she was fine with it. Regina didn¡¯t want to publicize the meeting too much, since she wasn¡¯t sure of the loyalty of everyone in her court or even the army, and the gnomes had even more reason to be discreet. As such, Janis departed quietly on what seemed to be a routine patrol and tour visiting some of their forces, something she¡¯d been doing a few times before. A few sapient drones came with her. A few minutes out, Gwen Cern joined them. The woman was one of the Delvers Regina trusted the most, and one of the most diplomatic ones they had. It took a while until the meeting she was waiting for could actually start. Both sides had to be careful, after all. Focusing on the area, Regina could sense the scattered minds of singular gnomes scouting out the surroundings and her approaching party, but they kept their distance. Likewise, a few Winged Drones circling high overhead gave them some information, and she also let Janis know what she was sensing. The town they¡¯d chosen as a reference point was actually far enough from the frontline to be mostly unaffected. Or at least, it seemed like it. The front had been moving recently, so they might just not have caught up yet. But it was nestled in some hills and had a few relatively simple tunnels close to the surface, not a very complicated tunnel system but enough for hiding. Janis and her companions took a tunnel through a rocky hill whose entrance they¡¯d previously scouted with Winged Drones. It hadn¡¯t been closed, unlike many others. Regina relaxed a bit as she recognized the minds of one of the gnomes waiting for them. The woman she had talked to previously, Akilekil. There was one other mind that felt faintly familiar, although she couldn¡¯t recall where she might have met them. Well, it wasn¡¯t important. What was important was that they had brought a small group of only half a dozen people, just as requested. Regina intensified her search for a minute, but didn¡¯t find anyone else lurking or any suspicious movements further away. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Once Janis and the others emerged from the tunnel, it was only a short hop and a skip to a small, secluded grove nestled between two hills. An old altar stood to one side, but its inscription was so weathered it was hard to make out what deity it had been meant for. It was outside the town walls and out of sight from them, though only a few minutes of walking away, but anything they did here should be hidden from the inhabitants and any garrison. Not that Regina expected that to be a problem, the people she was meeting had probably made sure to bring the local garrison to their side, at least enough to turn a blind eye. ¡°They actually came,¡± one of them muttered as Janis and company emerged into the clearing. It was probably meant to be quiet, but the drones¡¯ hearing picked it up. ¡°We came,¡± Via said, smiling as they approached the gnomes. ¡°It is good to find you here, as well.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Akilekil replied, politely bowing her head, which the others copied. Janis only dipped hers briefly while the drones and Gwen did the same. ¡°Welcome. We hope for illuminating talks.¡± Well, that¡¯s at least a good start, Regina considered. ¡°Maybe introductions are in order?¡± Dan spoke up at her prompt. ¡°This is Janis Starlit von Woltan, crown princess of the Empire, as I¡¯m sure you know. This is Via of the Starlit Hive, one of the Hive Queen¡¯s personal aides and a renowned healer. And I¡¯m Dan of the Starlit Hive, one of our warriors. And this is Gwen Cern, a respected Delver and trusted advisor.¡± The gnomes exchanged a quick look before Akilekil spoke again. Clearly, she¡¯d been appointed as their spokesperson for now. ¡°A pleasure to meet all of you. I am representing the Moderates and the Radicals factions of the Gnomish Confederation. My colleague Daliakon is a fellow leader of the Moderates. Editekil is vice head of the Preservationists.¡± She didn¡¯t introduce the rest of the gnomes, which was probably deliberate. Her own side knew far less about the gnomes than the gnomes did about them. Still, Regina didn¡¯t mind. At least we have leaders from three factions present. That¡¯s something. And from what she¡¯d heard, they probably weren¡¯t small, two-bit local parties, even if the other two weren¡¯t as big as the Moderates. Those still seemed to be the biggest opposition to the Historicals, anyway. They exchanged a few more pleasantries, and the tension eased slightly as it became apparent that neither party seemed to be here to spring a trap, although some tension remained. ¡°I hope you appreciate that we are taking a great risk by being here, talking to you,¡± Editekil said. Janis smiled slightly and nodded. ¡°We do understand that, and appreciate it. Although, it also appears that being a leader in a political faction of the Gnomish Confederation is quite risky lately.¡± There was a bit of grumbling from the other gnomes, but no one spoke up to deny her statement. It was obviously true, and something of an understatement. Regina wondered how these people had escaped the purges she knew the ruling faction had conducted against political opponents. Perhaps a mix of having connections to Historicals, going into hiding, or the leadership of factions being kept secret? And maybe the Historicals also left some alone as a deliberate gesture to show they weren¡¯t just killing their opposition (even though they were). ¡°I suppose that is why we are here, in a sense,¡± Akilekil said lightly. Regina felt Janis¡¯ mild surprise at her easy admission. ¡°But we do have to question your own motives,¡± Daliakon continued. ¡°What do you gain by dealing with us? You¡¯ll have to forgive us if we are suspicious of whether your goals will hurt us in the end. Our nations are at war, after all.¡± ¡°Such suspicions are perfectly understandable, and we are not offended,¡± Janis said. ¡°I do appreciate the frankness. Of course, we intend to win the war, make no mistake. But Hivekind are not the genocidal maniacs they have been made out to be by your political enemies. We entered into this war to protect ourselves, and we want to avoid unnecessary bloodshed ¡ª on both sides. We desire a civilized resolution, and some assurance that a new war will not break out spurred by the hate the Historicals spew. Unfortunately, such a civilized end will not be possible with them in charge of the Gnomish Confederation, as it stands.¡± ¡°Hardly,¡± Editekel said with a faint nod. ¡°If we get past this hostility, I believe both sides have a lot to offer each other,¡± Janis said. ¡°But our first priority has to be to protect the citizens of the Central European Empire, and make sure the Gnomish Confederation is not a threat to their lives and wellbeing.¡± There was a moment of silence as they considered what she¡¯d said. ¡°Thank you for laying out your position,¡± Akilekil said. It went unsaid that they couldn¡¯t simply take them by their word, Regina supposed. And even then, Janis hadn¡¯t said anything about concrete goals or how exactly she envisioned the political landscape after the war. Of course, it would be a lot easier if we did have detailed plans for that, Regina reflected. But they probably wouldn¡¯t be workable, anyway. ¡°I take it from your presence here that you are open to cooperating?¡± Janis asked. There was another short pause, before Akilekil nodded slightly. ¡°We are open to the possibility,¡± she said. ¡°However, it depends on the details. In our considered opinion, it is best to start small, so to speak, to build trust. We have many reasons to distrust each other, and we will need to ascertain whether a cooperation for common goals is feasible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Janis said. ¡°We do not want to pressure you.¡± Ask them if they want something, Regina suggested. Janis didn¡¯t give an outward reaction, but continued, ¡°Do you have any requests for us?¡± ¡°We do,¡± Editekel said quickly, ¡°We want your protection, if we should come to be hunted by the Historicals.¡± Regina felt Via¡¯s surprise, echoed by the others a moment later. This wasn¡¯t a small request, she supposed. But it did align with what they¡¯d been saying. ¡°That is not a small matter,¡± Via said. ¡°But I am sure we could work something out,¡± Dan said. ¡°If you have to flee the Confederation, we will of course offer you sanctuary,¡± Janis confirmed. ¡°I give you my word.¡± Gwen leaned over to mutter a suggestion to her, and she quickly added, ¡°As long as you do not betray us or commit acts we find unconscionable, of course.¡± ¡°And what of our safety within the Confederation? Will you be able to help?¡± Akilekil pushed. ¡°If we should become aware of threats by other means, we will warn you. That is all we can promise.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Highness,¡± Akilekil inclined her head. ¡°Now we are only left with the question of what you want from us.¡± "For now, nothing except a little information,¡± Janis said, again following an impression Regina sent through the psychic link. ¡°Information?¡± ¡°Nothing in terms of military intelligence,¡± she reassured them. Not yet, anyway. It could easily come to that eventually, and they probably knew that too. ¡°But we would like to understand the situation in the Gnomish Confederation better. Especially the political pressure and persecution you are facing, and how the common citizens are faring.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Daliakon responded quickly, earning a slight frown from the other gnomish man. ¡°We would be pleased to discuss the situation with you.¡± Regina settled in to watch as the conversation continued, going into details. She tried to commit everything to memory, and to make sure that a good representation was in the psychic link as well. A quick call to Ida made sure a Keeper was helping with that, as well. Overall, she was satisfied with how this progressed. They hadn¡¯t actually gained much, the agreement they¡¯d reached so far wasn¡¯t very comprehensive, but it was a start. More would come with time. Crucially, she¡¯d confirmed that the gnomish opposition was ready to work with them in defiance of their current regime. The pressure would increase as the war went on, anyway. Chapter 291: Encounters ¡°How long do you think it will take until we¡¯re through?¡± Anuis asked. ¡°Past this mountain, or reaching our goal?¡± Tim asked with a glance to the side. They were currently gingerly picking their way over the mountain. Specifically, they were climbing a slope somewhere near the peak. It wasn¡¯t too bad, compared to some others, but the loose stones and hidden crevices in the rock made it treacherous. It was also cold as hell, with the wind whistling into their ears and chilling them to the bone. Hivekind were usually resistant to high temperatures, but Tim really found himself wishing his chitin was thicker, and maybe had some heating elements. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever bundled up this much in his life, and the thick clothes made him feel ungainly. But at least the sky was relatively clear. Small blessings. ¡°Either would be nice to know,¡± she grunted. ¡°But I was asking about the mountains as a whole. I can see we¡¯re almost done with this one.¡± They weren¡¯t going to the actual top of the mountain, but their scouting had revealed that the ridge in front of them should provide a good way down on the other side. It was also on the edges of the territory of a dangerous monster, as best they could guess. This deep inside what remained of the Alps, that was a good thing: it was either be in the middle of such a territory or at the edges. Of course, the group had also sought out some more monsters to kill than they¡¯d strictly needed to to get through. But that was the point, they were not only scouting a path, but securing it as well. Already, Tim could tell that this part wasn¡¯t going to be feasible for a regular route, at least not without a very strong escort for any weaker travelers. But they¡¯d gone off the best path several times already, to deal with threats in the surroundings, and sometimes to find said best path in the first place. ¡°Past this one, we¡¯ll definitely have crossed the halfway point,¡± he answered. ¡°We most likely already have. I would estimate just a few more days until we¡¯ve reached the outskirts of the mountains on the other side.¡± ¡°How specific,¡± Inaven grumbled as he climbed up a particularly large rock behind him. Tim ignored him. He¡¯d learned that the dark elf occasionally liked to complain, but his heart wasn¡¯t really in it. Just like how Anuis generally kept her criticism quiet and had to be coaxed a little to share it. They¡¯d been traveling together for days now, it was easy to pick up things like this. At least no larger fights had broken out within the group. Considering the strong personalities involved ¡ª you didn¡¯t reach high levels without being determined, at least ¡ª that was something to be thankful for. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re almost there,¡± Tirias called from further up ahead. He looked back up the mountain, then at the rest of the group. ¡°Also, I think the local monster might be coming by for a visit.¡± Tim kept any further questions to himself until he¡¯d climbed up far enough to reach his companion¡¯s position, then glanced around. He had left the last of the Swarm Drones behind days ago. That meant he could no longer rely on their scouting to get the lay of the land or detect monsters nearby. He still reached for the psychic link on instinct, reeling a little mentally when it wasn¡¯t there. Well, it wasn¡¯t gone, exactly, it just felt like a gap had opened up between him and everyone else, like the part that should connect him with the greater Hive was empty. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant feeling. It had been days and he still found himself reacting like that. It would probably take a while until he stopped reaching for it out of habit. At least, he thought he was handling it pretty well otherwise. Being suddenly cut off from everyone, especially his Queen, was disorienting, but he¡¯d known it was coming and had prepared himself. He didn¡¯t think he was showing any negative mental effects, either. For now, he focused on the immediate problem. Even without additional eyes to use, it didn¡¯t take him long to find the monster Tirias had mentioned. Considering its bright red scales and the heat almost visibly coming off its body, it was hard to miss. Some monsters adapted to the cold by embracing it, like Ice Chamois and White Bearkin. Some instead went for the ¡®fight ice with fire¡¯ approach, sometimes literally. Considering this part of the mountain was mostly clear of ice and snow, it shouldn¡¯t be a surprise this was one of them. Tim hadn¡¯t seen this specific species before, but it looked like some kind of Salamander variant. ¡°Fire Salamander of some kind a hundred meters east-northeast,¡± he told the others to make sure. ¡°Take a fort formation. Eduard, try to manipulate its fire. Nucme, get ready to root it. Archers, prepare but hold your fire for now.¡± The others quickly moved into position as directed. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Eduard muttered, frowning in concentration. The young Nerlian was a recent recruit to the Delvers, but he¡¯d earned his place. He might not be one of the Hive¡¯s, but he was a good Archmage, with a particular knack for the elements and a fondness for fire. The lizard¡¯s fire seemed to flicker for a moment, before it noticeably dimmed, but kept burning. It roared and spat a globe of fire at them, faster than most Fireballs. The attack still slid off a magical barrier that had quickly appeared around the group. ¡°Proceed,¡± Tim ordered quickly. A moment later, tendrils of shadow grasped the monster and anchored it in place. Some burned away but were quickly replaced with others. Meanwhile, a hail of arrows started hitting the monster, several of them carrying special effects. Tim readied himself, but it didn¡¯t look like his blade would be needed for this encounter. A minute passed with an exchange of ranged attacks. The salamander got free once, but Inaven quickly rooted it again. Tirias muttered something and a blade of light shot from the tip of his sword, joining the other attacks. Then the monster roared again, more high-pitched this time. Tim staggered as the sound assaulted his eardrums, sending the world spinning around him with dizziness. It passed quickly, but when it had, he saw the fire lizard had freed itself and seemingly grown another half a meter, with burning flames licking at its body to form an outer casing. A stray arrow caught fire as it fell down on it. A quick glance showed the others had also been affected by the sonic attack and were recovering. The mages, as those with the lowest Con, were worst off. But they¡¯d all kept formation. ¡°Brace,¡± he told them, moving his sword into position. The salamander reached them, but the melee combatants in the front held firm and didn¡¯t buckle under its charge. Tim swiped low, stabbing with his blade-arms, while Tirias went high, Anuis and Oliren flanking them. He blinked against the heat, stepped half a step to the side and then stabbed again, finding a weak spot in the joint of its shoulder. Its blood bubbled as it streamed onto the ground. The salamander turned and tried to lunge for Anuis, but the elven ranger nimbly stepped back, and the rest of the party attacked. Tim watched as Oliren got a good swipe into its elbow joint, buckling its leg. From there, it was only a matter of a moment to stab up and open its throat. He stepped back, then sheathed his sword and held his mouth under the steaming wound, drinking from the bloodstream. Over the last few days, he¡¯d lost his caution with things like that. If any of his companions still had issues with it, they didn¡¯t say anything. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Let¡¯s start butchering the kill,¡± Tirias said. Tim withdrew and nodded. ¡°Good work. Let¡¯s be quick about it.¡± They were far up in the mountains and had little provisions, so there was no point in wasting it. Given their practice, it went quickly. Tim knew he, and the other drones, wouldn¡¯t be able to digest the scales, but he still took the innards and some of the bones. Eduard used the fire to char some of the salamander meat to take with them. There was no source of water here, though, so they would move on quickly. Tim looked around as well as he could, despite the biting wind that started to rise. They had a good vantage point currently. He mentally marked out the demarcations of the local monsters¡¯ territories, absently lamenting the absence of the psychic link again. But they should be pretty safe for now. It took another few minutes until they got to a sheltered spot where they could take a break and discuss their next moves. They¡¯d made a habit of not lingering unnecessarily at the spots they killed a monster, but right now, they were still close enough to tell if another showed up. Or more than one, although the monsters up here seemed to be solitary for the most part. They also had pretty large territories from what he could tell. ¡°There should be a good path down the mountain over there,¡± Ash noted, sounding almost cheerful. ¡°Good, let¡¯s continue,¡± Tirias said, to the approval of everyone else. As they started walking again, Tim looked at his brother, evaluating how he was holding up. Ash seemed to like the expedition, the challenge of it. He also didn¡¯t appear too concerned with their separation from the Hive, except for a certain tightening around his eyes and the occasional pauses when he probably tried to check the Hive link, too. Subtle things like that. It was good, and put Tim¡¯s mind at ease a bit. They didn¡¯t have many people who¡¯d interacted with outsiders without support and were in a senior role and strong enough to send on an expedition like this. Ash¡¯s previous experience in a party fighting monsters and finding elementals in the mountains had made his inclusion obvious. Although Tim would have honestly preferred to have Ria, but he understood why Regina hadn¡¯t wanted to send her. She was concerned that the other drone might still be affected by being forcibly moved out of range when she was a hostage to the Esemen and that sending her might exacerbate any remaining issues. In a way, this expedition was a test for much more than just finding a good way south, or even working together with Nerlians, Cernlians and guests. As he was lost in thought, they moved a good distance down the mountain, on a reasonably even slope with hard-packed snow that was easy to traverse. They took a corner around a large rocky ridge leading up to the top, and he almost missed what they found. He would have if the others hadn¡¯t paid more attention. ¡°Is that a path?¡± Oliren asked. Tim blinked and looked at where he was pointing, squinting against the glare of the snow. He was right. There was a depression, a darker shadow, winding its way past a few rocky outcrops into a forested part. ¡°Let¡¯s check it out,¡± he decided. As they approached, it quickly became obvious this was indeed a path. Not a very big one, probably no more than a route that had been trod a few times. But still clearly not a game trail. ¡°Those aren¡¯t animal or monster prints,¡± Anuis noted, crouching down to peer more closely at the ground and walking for a few steps, as the rest of the group followed. ¡°Here, the impression of someone taking a step just a bit to the side, already half-crumbled, but it¡¯s clear. Booted feet. And there, something else I can¡¯t quite identify, but it¡¯s not a hoofprint and there are no talons or claws. It might be a race I haven¡¯t encountered before, or unfamiliar footwear. If I had to guess, these are relatively recent. Certainly since the last snowfall, but no more than a day old.¡± Tim nodded. ¡°Good, thank you, Commander,¡± he praised absently. Then he glanced at the others. ¡°Thoughts on how to proceed?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s check it out,¡± Ash said promptly. ¡°I suggest caution,¡± Oliren said, still examining the trail critically. ¡°They may be hostile.¡± ¡°They appeared to move almost perpendicular to our path, following them would be a deviation we don¡¯t need,¡± Eduard said. ¡°It¡¯s probably just a group of adventurers, anyway.¡± ¡°If they are, chances are good they¡¯re coming from the south,¡± Tim pointed out. There was a short silence as everyone digested it. Then Tim¡¯s eyes caught a faint rumble, and he jumped back a meter, drawing his sword on instinct. ¡°Does that mean you are not originating from the south?¡± a voice rumbled, accompanied by the shifting of rocks. ¡°Rarely get visitors from further north here.¡± Tim stared for a moment as the rocky outcropping he thought was just a feature of the terrain, a few meters away, shifted to reveal a humanoid form. It was like parts of the rock melted into the body, but it kept its rocky exterior, with gray stony skin. Then they shifted a bit and he realized there was a second one behind them. ¡°Who are you?¡± Tirias asked, grasping his sword. ¡°Steady,¡± Tim muttered. Despite the surprise, they didn¡¯t seem hostile so far. He didn¡¯t want to start a fight with the first locals they ran across.
Itirka-ne ¡ª Level 41 Paladin
Iliamina-fe ¡ª Level 38 Rogue Fighter
Their status didn¡¯t reveal anything strange, except for their unfamiliar names. ¡°We should be asking you that,¡± the first one, the Paladin, said, crossing his arms and staring up at them. It might have seemed more intimidating if he stood over one and a half meters. It was more like one meter forty, really. ¡°When we saw another party was coming, we didn¡¯t expect people like you.¡± ¡°So, you hid here to see what we were like?¡± Anuis muttered. Her eyes narrowed as she examined them, then she nodded slowly. ¡°You¡¯re dwarves.¡± There was something in her tone he couldn¡¯t quite place. Probably not a simple emotion. ¡°We are,¡± the second one answered brightly. He watched them until Tim sheathed his sword and got Tirias to do the same with a pointed look, then turned to shout into the forest. ¡°Come on out, they seem friendly enough.¡± He turned back to them with a wink. ¡°Rest of our party¡¯s not as good at hiding in plain sight.¡± The rest of their party, it turned out, were much less of a surprise. There were three humans, all dressed in clothes a bit different from what Tim was used to but similar enough in other ways, clearly suited for adventuring in rough conditions. They all had combat-focused Classes and weapons. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you,¡± the apparent leader called out. ¡°You are from north of the Great Mountains? Nerlia or Cernlia, I think?¡±
Tande Lucian ¡ª Level ? Archmage of the Present
Tim took half a step forward and bowed his head politely. ¡°Well met,¡± he greeted them. ¡°We are indeed from the north. We are an expedition sent by the Central European Empire to find a way south, to establish more regular contact and perhaps trade.¡± Lucian frowned. ¡°Central European Empire? I haven¡¯t heard of that nation before, and I thought I was familiar with the geography beyond the peninsula.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have,¡± Inaven drawled. ¡°It¡¯s new.¡± ¡°It was recently founded,¡± Tim agreed. ¡°You are adventurers, I take it?¡± ¡°At present,¡± he replied with a slight smile. ¡°My day job is in the City of Veragles.¡± He seemed to consider them for a moment, then nodded. ¡°If you were sent to establish diplomatic relations, I assume it was on your itinerary? Perhaps even at the top?¡± ¡°Yes, it was,¡± Tim agreed with a smile. From their information, mostly gathered third-hand from merchants who¡¯d traded with the southern lands, the city was a major hub in the northern part of those lands, probably the closest to the mountains. ¡°Then perhaps I should escort you,¡± the archmage decided. ¡°I rather doubt whatever the omens sent me to find is half as interesting as your arrival.¡± Tim managed another smile. ¡°We would be glad to have your company and guidance,¡± he agreed. It wasn¡¯t how he¡¯d expected to start that part of his mission, but running into some adventurers and an apparently powerful man wasn¡¯t a bad thing. It would hopefully allow him to learn some more information before they actually encountered any settlements. Plus, he had to admit he was curious about the dwarves, he hadn¡¯t heard much about their race before. He only knew that they were classified as demihumans, like most called the Hivekind now, but unlike elves. ¡°Good. Will you accompany me, good people?¡± Lucian asked, turning to the other adventurers. ¡°We will, Sir,¡± another man answered. The rest nodded, including the two dwarves. Tim hid his expression by looking at the rest of his group, making sure they were all up for it. This was going to be interesting. Chapter 292: Findings Regina was relieved to find that her gnomish contacts, for lack of a better word, kept their word. They weren¡¯t really allies, she felt, at least not yet. But over the course of the next few days, several gnomes showed up carrying bits of information for them. Mostly they were captured gnomish prisoners or civilians in occupied areas. They clearly had ways of communicating, but Regina supposed she didn¡¯t have enough soldiers to watch them closely, so there were lots of opportunities to pass messages. There were also ways to communicate quietly ¡ª she should know. She hadn¡¯t felt any psychics in her sweeps, but that didn¡¯t mean much. The System could grant adjacent Skills even if people didn¡¯t have much talent or training. More important than the question of how they conveyed the information, though, was the information itself. Regina immediately set her hive¡¯s Keepers to storing and analyzing it, roping in trusted humans from her new government apparatus as well, where appropriate. So far, none of this information required an immediate response, but it still helped. It gave them pieces of the puzzle, to a more complete picture of the Gnomish Confederation. For example, it bore out her suspicions that some of the opposition was probably being left alive on purpose. Some information contained insight on gnomish politicians, leaders and higher-ups in smaller factions, who were nominally against the Historicals, but didn¡¯t really seem to be doing much against them. Regina wouldn¡¯t accuse them of being plants or collaborators without further evidence, they might just be too frightened of being next on the chopping block to make a move. And to be fair, some of the gnomes I want to be working with probably appear not to be doing anything on the outside, too, she reminded herself. For now, there wasn¡¯t much she could do with any of that intel. It wasn¡¯t really actionable at present, she just needed to give them some time, for the situation to develop and the gnomish leaders to turn to her. They were still laying the groundwork. The war was continuing in the meantime. Janis had left her current corps to visit the others and take a brief trip back to the city to check in with the garrison, then gone back to the front lines. Regina tried not to feel too anxious about that. Janis was a capable commander and a powerful mage, even if she was young and her level could be higher, and she knew what she was doing. Regina had also made sure she was well protected. They were advancing cautiously, in the more thickly populated interior of the Confederation. Several cities would have to be taken before they could really push deeper into it, and Ben and the others wanted to prepare thoroughly. In the meantime, Cernlia was still building up its defenses along its southern border. Regina hoped that pressuring the gnomes would stop any attempts at a counterattack into the Empire there, but they couldn¡¯t rely on it. It meant many of the new soldiers being raised had to be diverted to that area instead of just being sent as reinforcements to the main army. Luckily, the Empire proper wasn¡¯t very affected by the war itself. Most people didn¡¯t seem very concerned with it. They were more interested in the new ministries and departments Regina had created, and the work they were starting to do. Plans were already in the works for much-needed projects like a full census, as well as minting new coins and introducing early versions of paper money, promissory notes and banknotes. For obvious reasons, Regina wanted them all issued by the Empire directly or a national bank they set up, but there was still debate about how they should be backed by gold and how much was necessary. Counterfeiting would be a major problem, too, so she wasn¡¯t going to throw out coin money any time soon. Regina had been going over their finances, and she was optimistic. While they were still in the red and would be for some time, without using Conjuration, that was inevitable ¡ª their expenses were too high, considering the various projects and the war. But she expected the Empire¡¯s income to rise sharply, as soon as they actually got more of the taxation money they were theoretically owed, and especially once the economy grew. Their schools were already shaping up to be a major success. While they were still setting up new ones ¡ª an effort now mostly delegated to some officials, with June¡¯s help ¡ª the existing ones had already produced some valuable insight, particularly the institutes of higher learning they were setting up. So far, there was still not much distinction between them, but that would come with time. For now, they were helping with copying and distributing books. Now that she¡¯d finally established all of the ministries and agencies she¡¯d wanted, and at least gotten a start on properly staffing them, Regina was starting to have a bit more free time. The things that needed doing hadn¡¯t decreased, but she had more subordinates now to take some of the load. Her personal staff had kind of grown around her and her projects almost by accident, but they were competent and she trusted them to handle matters that crossed their desks and alert her to anything she needed to know. Ira in particular had really come into her own, although of course Regina had always known she was a great aide. This meant that Regina had more time to devote to her studies and training, in particular her magic. She wanted to take advantage of it while Galatea still stayed in the city. She¡¯d also found she really enjoyed it, and it gave her the opportunity to spend more time with June, teaching her as she was supposed to instead of just sending her on tasks across the Empire. It was as they were developing another scrying ritual and June asked a theoretical question about what they could find that she realized she¡¯d missed an opportunity. ¡°It¡¯s much easier to scry on a fixed location,¡± she was explaining. ¡°Finding objects, or persons, without knowing their location isn¡¯t possible with just standard scrying. That¡¯s one of the advantages of more complicated rituals, or advanced scrying spells like the ones Galatea has started to teach us. So, say I wanted to find someone and I didn¡¯t know where to look, just maybe the general area ¡­¡± she trailed off. ¡°Yes, Master?¡± June asked after a moment. ¡°What would you do?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d enlist your help and then set up a scrying ritual to check out where he is,¡± Regina continued. ¡°In fact, please go get some materials for one, you should know which are required, or tell me what to Conjure.¡± June gave her an almost suspicious look, but did as she was bid. ¡°I take it you actually want to find someone?¡± she asked after she¡¯d returned with some materials and started setting them up in a ritual circle. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Regina sighed. ¡°There¡¯s one lord who¡¯s apparently gone missing or rogue, and I would like to know where he is,¡± she admitted. ¡°I was just too busy with other things to think much about it.¡± And she¡¯d completely missed this possibility. June nodded, and fortunately didn¡¯t comment further on it. Instead, she asked a question about the Conjuration of gold for the ritual, and they continued with setting it up. Regina would have waited for Galatea, but she knew her friend was busy. She¡¯d been working off and on with some of the people in the city, including some drones, trying to figure out how to recreate some modern inventions with contemporary tools. Also, Regina kind of wanted to prove that she could do it herself, without help. Well, not counting June, but she was her apprentice. She¡¯d chosen to use a slightly more complicated version of the ritual, so setting it up took longer, and she had to Conjure gold, silver and platinum. But it should allow them to view the projection created by the ritual¡¯s magic for longer, too. She double-checked everything once it was finished, and then nodded at June and started pouring mana into it. Regina had been concerned that she wouldn¡¯t be able to tell where John Cern was even once she found him, but as it turned out, that concern was unfounded. The image stabilized like a projection from a modern AR interface in the air, and she thought it seemed familiar right away. Cern was sitting on a terrace, clearly enjoying the sunshine, and behind him was a garden leading into a plaza with fancy buildings around it. Across from his position, she saw a tower, or maybe an obelisk, reaching into the sky, made of dark stone and with the glimmer of flames coming from it in points regularly spaced along its length. ¡°That¡¯s John Cern. And that¡¯s the Dark Finger of Leberg, in the central plaza of the city,¡± June commented. ¡°I¡¯ve seen drawings in books. He¡¯s in Liongen?¡± Regina leaned back against the table, crossing her arms as she kept watching the image. She had tried to read up on the countries west of Nerlia once they became relevant, and vaguely recognized the description as well. ¡°The Western Confederation,¡± she mused. June glanced at her and frowned. ¡°It might be better than the Esemen?¡± she suggested cautiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what happened with him, but if someone is trying to meddle with Cernlia, they might be worse.¡± ¡°They could still be involved with the Esemen,¡± Regina pointed out. ¡°But the relationship of Liongen and Esemen is pretty bad,¡± June noted. ¡°They were almost at war twice in the last fifteen years. There¡¯ve been trade disputes and succession issues with one of their provinces. I don¡¯t think they would willingly work with them.¡± ¡°True, but Liongen is part of the Western Confederation now. And we don¡¯t know how closely tied they are. They might have chosen Liongen as a location because people wouldn¡¯t expect them to be involved with Esemen. But I suppose you¡¯re probably right.¡± June pulled up a chair and sat down, looking thoughtful. Regina spared a moment to be thankful that she had a thorough education and knew enough about the political situation and history ¡ª probably more than Regina did. ¡°Do you know if they were involved in whatever he did at all?¡± June asked. ¡°Or did he just decide to flee to this city?¡± Regina frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± she said. ¡°At this point, I¡¯m not sure it even makes that much of a difference. Once he¡¯s there, they¡¯re going to try to use him, anyway. If they weren¡¯t, they wouldn¡¯t be keeping him in style in the center of Liongen¡¯s capital, would they?¡± They both fell quiet as another man appeared in the projection. Regina had noted that Cern appeared to be well-dressed, although it was a style she wasn¡¯t very familiar with, favoring wider trousers and a weirdly shaped sash. The other man was dressed in the same style, but more ostentatiously, with what looked like gold edging on his jacket and belt. They started talking, but Regina couldn¡¯t make out what they said. She leaned forward, listening intently and watching the projection. The lip movements were obscured, she noted, just enough to make it hard to make out what they were saying even if she¡¯d been better at lip-reading. ¡°What is this?¡± June asked. ¡°A protection against eavesdroppers, most likely something passive, carried by an artifact or Skill, or maybe a spell, that works against scrying,¡± Regina explained. Galatea had told her about those. She¡¯d been practicing them herself. ¡°How hard is that?¡± June asked, apparently following the same line of thought. Regina shrugged. ¡°It depends,¡± she said. ¡°You generally can¡¯t keep it up all the time, but it could be anchored to locations. We¡¯ll have to see ¡­¡± She fell quiet and watched in silence as the two men kept talking. Cern was growing a bit agitated. Then he fell silent for a second and continued in a softer voice, seemingly deflating. The other man nodded, clapped him on the shoulder, and turned to go. ¡°The distortion seems to be moving with him,¡± Regina noted. Then she clamped her mouth shut and leaned forward to catch what he was saying. ¡°¡­ what a waste of time,¡± Cern was muttering. ¡°When will I be able to go back?¡± He sighed, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Regina exchanged a look with June, then finally stopped the mana for the scrying and let the projection dissolve. They couldn¡¯t have kept it up for much longer. ¡°Do you have any idea what they are planning, Master?¡± June asked. ¡°A few,¡± Regina said, standing up and starting to pack up the remains of the ritual. ¡°I¡¯m not certain.¡± She sighed. ¡°I need a better intelligence network abroad.¡± June was frowning as she stepped closer to help her gather up and separate the burnt remains of some herbs she¡¯d brought. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been working on that? If I¡¯m allowed to know,¡± she added quickly. Regina chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re my apprentice, June, even if you don¡¯t have an official position in the Empire. And you¡¯re crown princess of Cernlia. You¡¯re allowed to know pretty much anything I¡¯m doing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored by your trust, Your Majesty. And maybe I can help. I¡¯m sure Cern has friends or contacts in Cernlia.¡± ¡°And you think they¡¯d talk to you?¡± June smiled, clearly looking as innocent and angelic as possible. ¡°But I¡¯m only a sick little girl,¡± she said softly. ¡°What could I possibly be up to that would hurt them? Everyone knows I have no head for power plays and politics, only magic.¡± Regina laughed. ¡°Alright, I suppose it can¡¯t hurt.¡± She reconsidered for a moment. ¡°Be careful, though, June.¡± Her apprentice smiled. ¡°I won¡¯t get myself hurt,¡± she promised. Regina nodded and turned back to her task. Despite June¡¯s assurance, she wasn¡¯t sure how successful she would be, but Regina also wasn¡¯t planning to rely on it. Instead, she mentally revised her budget to allocate increased funds to their intelligence service ¡ª which she really should get around to properly formalizing soon. With two parts, one for domestic and one for foreign intelligence, for best results. And she was going to start using her psychic powers, though sparingly, she decided. In most cases, it wouldn¡¯t be able to help her goal, but she could test some people, make sure at least those in key positions were trustworthy and wouldn¡¯t deliberately hire the wrong people or manipulate reports. For people in this kind of service, a measure like that should be more expected and acceptable, and they¡¯d hopefully be better about staying quiet about it. They should be accustomed to keeping secrets relating to their work, she could just add this one to the operational details not for general circulation. That way, it would be easier to catch attempted infiltrators trying to get in, too. They¡¯d at least drop out before they learned anything important if they were scared off by having to undergo a screening, assuming they didn¡¯t try to cheat their way through it. It would mean more work for her, but at least Regina could use it as training, she supposed. Interlude: Division V Tikimaken had settled into a new routine, even if it was stressful and hectic. He rarely ever got enough sleep these days, and he was unsure how much he was actually accomplishing. The war was going badly, after all. It would be unwise to state it openly without some qualifiers, but it was obvious to pretty much everyone. He was trying his best, but not even General Aliekin could prop up the Gnomish Confederation¡¯s armies for long. They¡¯d lost one major city and were a hair¡¯s breadth away from losing several others, and a major chunk of the country. It was only a matter of time at this point. As a silver lining, his job seemed to have gotten slightly easier as he not only settled further into his role, but the political aspect was getting more tractable. He¡¯d been pushed into liasing between Historical faction leaders and the military Strategic Command several times, and the change was noticeable. The politicians were actually trying their best to support the generals now. Or so it seemed, anyway. The last requests he¡¯d carried to them had all been granted, at least in part. He tried not to dwell on the question of whether it was too little too late. Still, because of the importance of his work and how busy it kept him, he usually came home after Eli. And they¡¯d talked about their schedules for today, so she shouldn¡¯t have been kept that long. As he came home and found the apartment empty, he had to calm himself down from an immediate surge of worry. Perhaps it was a testament to the tension of the time and how on edge they all were, but his mind immediately conjured up all kinds of unpleasant scenarios. He paced through the living room for a bit, then almost burned dinner as he tried to distract himself with cooking. I should go out and look for her, he thought, then shook his head. No, what if she comes back and no one is home? He sighed, then started parceling the food onto plates and setting them close to the stove. Finally, as the sun set and he was just starting to consider asking one of his neighbors to pass a message to some of his acquaintances, the door creaked open and she walked into the room. ¡°Eli!¡± He hesitated for a moment, then rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her. ¡°Tiki,¡± she replied with a smile, then pushed him away so she could shrug out of her jacket. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m late.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± he demanded. ¡°I was worried.¡± Tikelikel visibly hesitated, then turned away to take off her shoes and neatly lined them up. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said, turning back to him. ¡°It¡¯s sweet of you to worry, but I wasn¡¯t in trouble or anything.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± he asked again, trying not to sound accusing. He was just relieved she was safe. She shrugged. ¡°It smells like you cooked dinner, how about we eat something? I¡¯m famished. We can talk while we eat.¡± He sighed and nodded, stepping away to set the table and bring the food. Prices had risen drastically and neither of them saw the point in paying too much for rare foodstuffs, so it was quite basic, a vegetable and mushroom stew served with bread without any expensive ingredients. They could afford better, but he¡¯d rather save their money. He started eating in silence, quietly watching his partner. She was obviously hungry, but didn¡¯t seem particularly tense. It relaxed him knowing that he had most likely simply overreacted. ¡°I suppose I owe you an explanation,¡± she finally said, leaning back in her chair and rolling her shoulders. ¡°You don¡¯t owe me anything, but I would like to know where you¡¯ve been,¡± he replied. ¡°The old mining quarter,¡± she responded after a moment. He frowned. ¡°That place? Why? It¡¯s not exactly on the way home for you, is it?¡± She smiled a bit. ¡°No, I was working in the inner city this afternoon, as I told you, meeting with several other business owners and coming up with an opinion paper regarding the state of the economy and the proposed subsidies.¡± He put down his cutlery. ¡°What brought you out there, then?¡± ¡°An opportunity I couldn¡¯t miss.¡± He raised an eyebrow when she didn¡¯t continue, examining Eli¡¯s face. ¡°I suppose it wasn¡¯t a business opportunity?¡± he quietly asked. She wouldn¡¯t be this hesitant to talk about it if it was. She returned his stare, then sighed quietly. ¡°Anything but,¡± Eli said quietly. ¡°Before I continue, Tiki, tell me true: Are you a supporter of the faction leadership?¡± ¡°¡­ We¡¯re both members of the Historicals,¡± he pointed out. ¡°Obviously, and that¡¯s not what I asked.¡± He sighed. But the fact that he hadn¡¯t immediately answered in the affirmative and asked what had gotten into her was already an answer in itself, he supposed. And if he couldn¡¯t be honest with Eli, when could he be? ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± he finally said. ¡°The current cadre have far too many things on their conscience. I¡¯d protest if I thought it would do any good, and if it wouldn¡¯t cost me my job.¡± Or worse. ¡°And neither are you,¡± he added, as a statement, not a question. Eli smiled at him, and why did he only now realize how long it had been since he¡¯d seen her smile like this? Or smiled himself, he supposed. ¡°No,¡± she agreed softly. ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯re on the same page. Not that I really had any doubts.¡± She shook her head. ¡°If nothing is done, the current executive council is going to lead us all screaming straight into the abyss.¡± He grimaced. It wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t had the same thought before, but it was still not a pleasant one. ¡°Maybe,¡± he said. ¡°What, exactly, are you proposing to do about it? What can we do about it?¡± ¡°Alone, not much,¡± she agreed, lifting her glass and letting the light reflect off its edge. ¡°But ¡­ We¡¯re not meant to be ruled by a small cabal of self-serving autocrats, Tiki. We¡¯re gnomes. The Confederation is supposed to be ruled by and for the people.¡± Her grip tightened. ¡°I don¡¯t say this lightly. I know how you feel. Dekilakel is my friend, and we¡¯ve both respected and looked up to many of the others. They¡¯re just ¡­¡± she shrugged helplessly. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Oh beware, that you do not become what you fight, for ever bewitching is the lure of tyranny,¡± he quoted. That coaxed a chuckle from her. ¡°You and your cheesy dramas,¡± she said fondly. ¡°I suppose the playwrights aren¡¯t wrong on this one, though.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve become tyrants,¡± he said, feeling something unclench as he voiced it. ¡°And if we can see it, many others can,¡± Eli added. Tiki nodded, and they were both quiet for a minute. He wasn¡¯t surprised by her opinion, even if they¡¯d both avoided talking about it before. Now, he was wondering what plan she might have. He wished he had a plan at all. ¡°So, what did you do today?¡± he finally asked. She chewed on her lip for a moment. ¡°There was a meeting,¡± she said slowly. ¡°I heard about it from some acquaintances ¡­ well, more like I overheard something and then went asking around a bit. Someone must have vouched for my intentions, since they seemed mistrustful but I was still told the time and place for a meeting. Just this afternoon, so I had no time to prepare anything or let you know. They were pretty leery, since I¡¯m a member of the Historicals in good standing.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why they risked it, they saw it as a golden opportunity,¡± he pointed out. ¡°If this is the kind of gathering you¡¯re making it sound like it is.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t talk about outright treason, but they were definitely not in favor of the current regime,¡± she confirmed. Then Eli hesitated for a moment. ¡°Are you upset, Tiki?¡± He massaged the bridge of his nose. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not sure if I should be,¡± he admitted. ¡°What did you learn, at least?¡± ¡°Not much,¡± she shrugged. ¡°They were sparse on details. At least when talking to me.¡± He snorted. ¡°I wonder why,¡± he said sarcastically. ¡°This is dangerous, Eli. I don¡¯t like the idea of you going to something like that alone. And what if they did have some kind of plan to, what, fight the executive council? What then?¡± Eli shrugged again with what he could recognize as affected nonchalance. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s a good plan, then I could help them with it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a revolutionary, Eli.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯m not yet.¡± Tikimaken shook his head and stood up, starting to pace. ¡°And then what?¡± he demanded. ¡°Get killed going against the Confederation? Sabotage the war effort? Join or found some kind of opposition faction?¡± Eli stood as well. In contrast to him, she now seemed entirely calm. ¡°If that¡¯s what it takes,¡± she said. ¡°This cannot continue, Tiki. There¡¯s no point in winning the war against the Hivekind if we lose our entire soul in the process. And that¡¯s assuming we can even win the war at all. Wasn¡¯t it you who sees little prospect of that, if you¡¯re being honest?¡± He sighed again. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± he admitted, even if saying it hurt, still. ¡°But I¡¯m still not comfortable with the idea of doing something that would hurt our ability to fight.¡± ¡°And for what? Look at it this way, Tiki; if we¡¯re doomed to lose the war, then the best thing to do would be to lose it quickly, with minimal loss of life, or, ideally, to make peace with the new Central European Empire as soon as possible. You know that, too. But you know just as well that the current government of the Gnomish Confederation isn¡¯t going to do that. They could already have armies sieging the capital and they¡¯d probably refuse to talk, as it stands.¡± He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. ¡°Do you think making peace is even possible?¡± Eli crossed her arms. ¡°Think back to the Hive Queen we met before all this started, Tiki. Does she seem like a genocidal maniac who¡¯s not open to reason, or someone who can be negotiated with?¡± ¡°The latter,¡± he admitted. ¡°You¡¯re right. But we should still focus on a political solution. I would be betraying my country and my comrades, Eli, I don¡¯t want to do that. Let¡¯s keep sabotaging the war as a last resort, alright? Or doing anything like helping the Empire win the war by providing information.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she conceded. ¡°And this is all academic so far, anyway. But you¡¯re alright with continuing on this course?¡± He started pacing again. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of you putting yourself in danger,¡± he said. ¡°But I know I can¡¯t talk you out of going.¡± ¡°You could always go with me,¡± she pointed out with a smile. ¡°Believe me, Eli, I intend to do that.¡± ¡°Not that I want you to put yourself in danger, of course. We¡¯ll be careful.¡± He nodded silently, and turned to do the dishes. She lingered for a moment, then withdrew to their bedroom. The rest of their evening went by quietly, and they both turned in early. He still had difficulty finding sleep, his mind churning with thoughts and options, each plan more doomed than the last. In the end, he had accomplished nothing but making himself more anxious. Eli¡¯s presence, as always, though, calmed him. The next day, he was somewhat distracted during his work and found it harder to focus on the strategy and troop deployments than he was used to. Fortunately or unfortunately, however, he was hardly the only one to be anxious as the war kept going badly, so it didn¡¯t draw particular notice. He found himself gazing at General Aliekin, considering his position, and forced himself to stop and act normal, pushing any thoughts of the broader political situation out of his mind. Eli came home earlier that day than the last, though still a few minutes later than she should have. She was flushed with either excitement or agitation and he saw her taking the stairs at a fast pace. ¡°Tiki,¡± she called as soon as the door clicked into the lock. ¡°You won¡¯t believe what I heard. I need to figure out the best way to ask people about it this evening ¡ª¡° ¡°You¡¯re meeting someone this evening?¡± ¡°There¡¯s another meeting, short notice,¡± she said. ¡°You can come to that one. We need to get ready and leave soon. It¡¯s the old factory by the river across the northern mining district this time. But that¡¯s not what I mean ¡ª We were talking about options yesterday and as it turns out, they¡¯ve already contacted the Hive Queen!¡± Tikimaken blinked and raised a hand to try to calm her. ¡°Eli, slow down,¡± he said. ¡°They did? Who¡¯s they? And how did you find out?¡± Eli took a deep breath and fell into one of their chairs, tipping it back. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I should be telling you who told me, we need to be careful with identities and such. But they¡¯re someone I trust. Apparently some of the opposition leaders talked to her, though. I didn¡¯t get many details.¡± He frowned, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms, resisting the urge to pace again. ¡°They didn¡¯t talk to her in person, though, did they?¡± ¡°¡­ No?¡± She looked hesitant. ¡°Probably not, I think we would¡¯ve heard if she traveled to the front, right? But it almost sounded like they did. Presumably they talked through that psychic connection, wouldn¡¯t they?¡± He hummed. ¡°Actually, I think we can figure out what¡¯s going on. We got intel that her heir, Princess Janis, is at the front. And apparently, she likes touring their companies. Whoever it is probably met with her, then.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Eli sat up straight again. ¡°Do you think we can contribute some information?¡± ¡°Well, we are the ones who met the Hive Queen before she became Empress,¡± he considered. ¡°I¡¯m sure someone is remembering that.¡± After another moment of silent contemplation, he nodded, stood up and headed to the small anteroom of their apartment. ¡°Let¡¯s grab our jackets and go, then. I want to see this gathering.¡± Eli followed after him. ¡°We should take a circuitous route.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he said drily. ¡°No sense getting picked up by the good officers of the law. I could probably talk us out of anything unless they outright bust the meeting with us there, but it¡¯s better not to risk it.¡± She smiled crookedly. ¡°I guess I made a good choice in my partner, didn¡¯t I? You¡¯ve got all sorts of uses.¡± He finished tying his shoelaces and turned to her, capturing her in an embrace for a moment. ¡°All only for you, Tikelikel,¡± he assured her. She laid her head against his shoulder for a moment. ¡°Good.¡± Tikimaken smiled, allowing himself to bask in the warm glow of her presence for a moment. At least, whatever happened, they could depend on each other. Chapter 293: Loyalty Regina had been right about one thing: Trying to suss out the loyalties of her subordinates and intelligence officers was good training. She¡¯d started her screening, and while several issues she hadn¡¯t thought about before had popped up, she was confident it was going well. Of course, if she missed something she wouldn¡¯t know it, by definition, so she had to remind herself not to get overconfident. Robin Daine was pretty helpful for this effort. He was one of the first people she put through this psychic testing, and the results were more or less what she¡¯d expected, although he was also one of the people where she knew she could be least sure of not having missed something, ironically. Lord Daine was more loyal to Cernlia than to the Empire, that much was clear. He hadn¡¯t even tried to hide that fact when she went looking into his mind. But as long as Kiara as Queen of Cernlia followed Regina and there were no real challenges to her position or rule of Cernlia, he would be loyal. Daine wasn¡¯t a nationalist or royalist, exactly, but he did feel a sense of honor and duty, and once he¡¯d accepted Kiara as his queen he wouldn¡¯t betray her easily. Regina had tried not to go digging much beyond that, stifling her curiosity. She wasn¡¯t going to go prying into her people¡¯s private lives. Besides, that would only make these screenings even harder. If someone was resisting her, fearing her looking into their minds, because they only wanted to hide an affair or something, it would help no one. She knew she would still stumble on plenty of their personal secrets, but she¡¯d have to resist the temptation to use or share them in any way. Even when it might be politically relevant. One thing her ¡®interrogation¡¯ of Daine did show her, though, was that she needed to make these checks a regular thing. If she only had them once, it wouldn¡¯t be enough. Only checking someone once they were hired would barely be better than doing nothing. So much could change, people could be blackmailed or bribed even if they thought they wouldn¡¯t give in to that, or loyalties might simply shift. That, of course, meant that she would have to devote a lot more time and attention to these checks than she¡¯d originally hoped. Finding someone else with psychic abilities or who could handle these tasks had become a lot more important. For now, Regina focused on the checks she was doing. Almost to her surprise, she didn¡¯t actually catch anyone who had been inserted to spy on her. To be fair, she¡¯d only checked senior positions so far and was slowly moving her way down the ranks, contemplating when she should stop. And although there were no outright spies, Regina still found a few people she wasn¡¯t quite comfortable having in her government. They either carried resentments about their countries losing their independence or about the lost war, or they just seemed like they would too easily bend in the future. Regina was still hesitant about how to handle this. She should probably just dismiss them from her service, she supposed. It wasn¡¯t like she owed them anything, besides severance pay. But it would probably be better to wait until a while after the checks and maybe find another justification. Today, she had a much easier task and anticipated she¡¯d be done with it quickly. She was really only doing it as a formality. Because she didn¡¯t want her human subordinates to complain about the drones getting special treatment, even when it should be obvious that she didn¡¯t actually need to check them. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is actually necessary,¡± she told Ira, the one she started with. ¡°I¡¯m just doing a ¡®screening¡¯ so we can say we¡¯ve done it.¡± Ira nodded, relaxing in her chair. They were sitting in Regina¡¯s office, and Ira had just straightened out the papers on her desk. ¡°Do you need to ask me a few questions?¡± ¡°I suppose I could, but I could also just take a quick look at your mind, if you don¡¯t mind?¡± She didn¡¯t, so Regina focused on Ira¡¯s presence in the psychic link and quickly delved deeper into it. This was hardly the first time she was doing this, even with Ira in particular, and her personal assistant easily yielded to her entry, opening her mind for Regina to look through. She got a quick mental overview and then started to withdraw. ¡°So?¡± Ira asked, teasingly. ¡°Do I pass muster, or is my loyalty not sufficient?¡± Regina snorted, smiling at her. ¡°I doubt your loyalty could ever be anything like insufficient.¡± Ira nodded, smiling back, before her expression grew more serious. She sat up a bit straighter and looked at Regina, pausing for a moment before asking a question. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering a bit about that, actually ¡ª Could one of us betray you, Mother? I mean, in principle?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Regina said instantly. ¡°You¡¯re sapient people, you have free will. I don¡¯t think it would be easy, obviously. But you could go against my orders if you wanted to.¡± Ira nodded slowly. ¡°That makes sense. Not that it matters.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I haven¡¯t been worrying about any of you defying my will,¡± she admitted. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s arrogant of me. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a terrible queen ¡­¡± She paused, tugging on her mandible. Have I become too used to this, too much of a tyrant? she wondered. Ira huffed. ¡°You¡¯re not and you really don¡¯t have to worry about it. I could only imagine drones turning against their Hive Queen if she was truly a terrible one. Don¡¯t beat yourself up over it, you have our obedience and it¡¯s entirely reasonable of you to rely on it.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°Because I¡¯m your ruler?¡± she asked drily. ¡°Because you¡¯re our mother and we love you.¡± Regina swallowed hard. Such simple words, spoken with sincerity, as Ira utterly believed what she was saying. ¡°Thank you,¡± Regina whispered. Then, after a moment, ¡°I love you too.¡± And she did. Not just Ira, although she did love her as well, but her Hive. Looking at the drone, her daughter, she smiled a bit and allowed herself to just feel it for a moment. Through her hive, Regina was connected to all of them at a deeper level than she could have known in her previous life, and even if she¡¯d never talked to one of them in person she would still always be with them in some way. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Ira smiled back. After a while, she said, ¡°You¡¯ve always kept a bit of an emotional distance, but that¡¯s understandable. There are so many of us and you can¡¯t have personal relationships with everyone.¡± ¡°I also don¡¯t want to play favorites, although I inevitably have to,¡± Regina added, shaking her head. She looked up at Ira. ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m a terrible mother?¡± It was the kind of question she wouldn¡¯t normally pose, and she hated the insecurity in her voice. Her daughter shook her head emphatically. ¡°No, never. You can¡¯t judge yourself by the standards of your human life, Mother. It¡¯s different and we¡¯re Hivekind, not human. We don¡¯t need a mother¡¯s care in the same way.¡± She shrugged. ¡°And even though we don¡¯t need raising, you still made sure we all have older siblings to care for us and help us. That¡¯s more than some would have done. You made sure we build strong bonds and help us come together as a family. And you take pains to protect us, or avenge us if we die.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I do hate having to send your brothers and sisters out to fight this war,¡± she said quietly. ¡°It¡¯s ultimately to help keep us safe, and we need to get justice for our dead,¡± Ira replied. ¡°Believe me, we understand. We¡¯d protest if we didn¡¯t, and as you just said, we could even refuse to fight.¡± Regina slumped back, sighing. ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°Not to sound like I¡¯m criticizing you, but you can afford to be vulnerable sometimes, Regina. You¡¯re only mortal. And I appreciate the heart-to-heart, even if I didn¡¯t expect it. What brought this on, if I may ask? Does it have anything to do with little Robin Lyns, maybe?¡± Regina sighed. ¡°I suppose seeing Florance and her son has brought up some questions for me,¡± she admitted. "Don¡¯t let it bother you too much,¡± Ira advised her. ¡°Even if you used to be human, the situation is different now.¡± She paused, frowning a bit. ¡°You said you didn¡¯t have children before, right?¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°I seriously doubt I would have agreed to this if I had kids to look after. And as best we can guess, I was pretty young. Besides, there was no mention of any in the documentation we found.¡± ¡°So none of these people are your direct descendants,¡± Ira mused, nodding at the world beyond their room. Regina grimaced. ¡°No, and thank god they aren¡¯t, I¡¯m not sure I could be doing this if they were. Although it has been a thousand years and many generations.¡± ¡°There could still be descendants of your family,¡± Ira noted. ¡°Yes, maybe children of siblings or cousins, I suppose. But it¡¯s been so long I¡¯m not sure it matters.¡± Regina sighed, running a hand through her hair. ¡°My family name probably died out, clearly. We would have found by now if it hadn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Seems like it. You could pass it on now.¡± ¡°I suppose, but it would feel weird to give it to all of my drones.¡± Regina sighed, tugging on her mandibles, and glanced hesitantly at Ira. ¡°I guess I do care about my family name a bit, though ¡­ I kind of want to pass it on, now that I¡¯ve reclaimed it.¡± Ira cocked her head. ¡°So, you¡¯re giving it to Janis?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess. It would just be weird to pass it to a drone, you know? But Janis is ¡­¡± ¡°Different.¡± Ira smiled at her. ¡°At least she¡¯s mostly human and all, and she can carry it on. Don¡¯t worry, Mother, that¡¯s not going to upset me or any of us. If it¡¯s important to you, we wouldn¡¯t begrudge you reclaiming or keeping a part of yourself that¡¯s not centered on being a Hive Queen.¡± She shrugged, her smile widening. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m just glad that Janis is our sister, for real, not just a companion in the psychic link.¡± Regina laughed. ¡°I guess she is. Even if it¡¯s still weird, I prefer to think of it as her being my younger sister.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s officially your daughter, right, given you¡¯ve adopted her?¡± ¡°Officially, maybe.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I suppose it makes more sense to make it a clear and unambiguous adoption in the official documentation and just consider it as her being my sister beyond that.¡± You¡¯d think I¡¯d be used to having adult children, Regina reflected, but apparently not. Ira seemed to understand what she was feeling. ¡°She might only be a few years younger than you, but you¡¯re also a thousand years older, my Queen. No one is questioning the validity of it.¡± ¡°I guess,¡± Regina conceded. ¡°Anyway, is the testing over?¡± She laughed. ¡°I¡¯d say so, yes. Not that it was ever in question. But I should move through the rest of the drones and at least do quick checks. It¡¯s going to be a pain to schedule.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Ira said drily. She was, after all, the one mostly managing Regina¡¯s schedule. ¡°Is there any possibility of someone else helping you? Madris, maybe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d trust her with something like this, or rather, be seen trusting her with it,¡± Regina mused. She frowned. ¡°I have been considering trying to teach psychic skills to others, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to do much good for the Hive.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think we could learn it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to teach you if you¡¯re fine with that,¡± Regina suggested. ¡°But no, honestly, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to work out. Call it a feeling, but I don¡¯t think drones can really use psychic powers like that.¡± She paused, running a hand through her hair. ¡°Any time a new drone hatches, it¡¯s like a little bit gets added to the psychic link, right? I mean, that¡¯s not quite what happens, but it¡¯s a reasonable metaphor. The link is definitely ¡­ growing with the hive, at least. And my mana pool grows as well. Sure, some of you drones have your own mana, but it¡¯s different. I think whatever you might have used as psychic connectors, so to speak, just gets coupled into the link. Or maybe it¡¯s that Hivekind are just adapted so any psychic sensitivity we have is subsumed into the psychic link.¡± Ira nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯d like to try to learn, if only to test that theory, but it sounds plausible. Could you try and teach someone else, though? Maybe Janis?¡± ¡°Janis is also part of the psychic link now,¡± Regina pointed out. ¡°It would be an interesting test, though. But she¡¯s also part elemental, her magic is all shaded by that. She might have too much elementalism in her blood to do well with something like psychic magic. Still, I¡¯ll certainly try to teach her something. No one I know of really has much talent for it, but there are ways to achieve the same effects, with spells and such. June might be my best bet, though.¡± ¡°Well, she is your apprentice,¡± Ira mused. ¡°True. For now, I¡¯ll try and see if I can give you a sense of our surrounding minds with you just piggybacking off me,¡± Regina said. ¡°Come over here, let¡¯s sit down.¡± They settled down on the carpet, sitting cross-legged across from each other. Regina took Ira¡¯s hands, not that it was necessary, but it felt appropriate. Then she focused on her psychic senses and the minds she could see surrounding them, as well as the psychic link. At first, it went well. She pulled Ira mentally to her, establishing a closer link, then fed the information she got to her. I can sense it, Ira whispered, an undertone of awe in her mental voice. It¡¯s like the link but very different. I know. I¡¯ll try and let you sense it on your own. Regina carefully and gently retreated from her connection to Ira, trying to keep up her sense of their surroundings while disentangling herself from her drone. She could tell that Ira¡¯s focus remained sharp, but her senses seemed to be wavering. As Regina withdrew further, it got harder to tell what Ira was feeling or doing. ¡°Shit,¡± she finally cursed softly. She looked at Regina and shook her head. ¡°I tried to keep it up, but as soon as you were no longer there for me to talk to, it felt like I lost it all. I couldn¡¯t see what you showed me anymore. I tried to reach out again, but I don¡¯t even know what to do, or how.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°Okay.¡± They could try again, but she didn¡¯t think it would be very successful, and this approach seemed like their best bet. ¡°You were probably right,¡± Ira concluded. ¡°We¡¯re just not made for psychic abilities outside the Hive.¡± Regina made a face. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t completely count it out yet. We can try again. And maybe I¡¯ll think of a better way later.¡± Her heart wasn¡¯t really in it, though. It seemed like she¡¯d have to stay her hive¡¯s only psychic for now. Chapter 294: Discussions Unfortunately, Regina¡¯s fears proved to be well-founded. She tried again to teach Ira how to sense other minds with her help, and again the next day. She even varied her approach and tried different things, like purely instructing her verbally or, conversely, showing her how to do it with the psychic link instead of guiding her with it at all. None of the attempts worked. It seemed like she was right to think her drones wouldn¡¯t be psychics. Of course, Regina was going to attempt it with other drones, as well. Ones of several Templates. She wasn¡¯t very optimistic about their chances of success, though. Who knows, maybe I¡¯m just sabotaging them because I think it won¡¯t work? she mused. I won¡¯t give up this easily, anyway. Maybe I¡¯ll think of other ways later. For now, she¡¯d have to be content with these failed attempts, though. Instead, Regina was planning sessions with June, once she was back with her, and already thinking about how to approach the same thing with Janis. It might be best to consult Madris for help on this point. Until then, she would continue her tests alone, and it would take a while until she could even get to that training. Janis was still needed in the south, considering the war was reaching another critical point. Their forces had covered a considerably distance from the city they¡¯d captured, and they were now holding all the intervening territory. Now, though, they were poised to take the next city. And after it, two more. Perhaps they would even proceed with the assaults on those two if their initial venture at this city failed. Ikris-on-Plains was a major center for the Gnomish Confederation. Unfortunately, the name was also somewhat misleading; while the city was located on a plain, it touched the edge of a small mountain range to the west. Galatea had speculated it was a remnant of the Cataclysm and the rogue magic that had sometimes reshaped the landscape, given its unusual geography ¡ª little more than a thin belt of mountainous rock, a ridge cutting through the landscape, curving a bit inwards at the north and south parts, while the south was abutted by a rushing river. From the west, rolling hills climbed their way up to the mountains, while it was more of a straight slope down on the east towards the city, whose outskirts rose up towards its top, or more precisely the saddle with somewhat lower elevation in the middle of the ridge. It was the pass their attention focused on. The gnomish army had gathered forces in more locations than just the city, but the Empire¡¯s armies were hardly limited to one approach, either. At this point, they had a large army of tens of thousands of Swarm Drones, mostly War Drones and Winged Drones with a healthy mix of Templates and advanced Classes, supported by sapient drones of varying Classes, and a considerable number of human soldiers, as well, including several hundred Delver veterans with decently high Levels. Their corps were supplied with the experimental artillery the Hive had been producing, some of it almost in something like mass production, as well as a generous supply of explosives that could be dropped from the air. It was, by all accounts, a fearsome force. And in terms of sheer destructive potential, perhaps the greatest that had been mustered in Central Europe in a thousand years. Unless Regina was just letting arrogance get the better of her. Janis had returned to the main host they¡¯d been assembling in preparation for their push and assumed command. No one seemed particularly surprised or opposed to it, despite her relative youth and her gender. Regina supposed that was just the way of things here; a nation¡¯s army in war was led by its king, or else by a prince or some lord who¡¯d been given command. With the Empire newly founded and all of its parts coming together, hopefully no one disputed that the empress herself was remaining in the capital. Having the crown princess in command of the army was the next best thing. Unlike the more medieval local traditions, though, they didn¡¯t just muster an army and send it out to face its enemies, but had a bit more structure and organization, and some central leadership. That was mostly Ben¡¯s work, who¡¯d stayed back from the front line. Effectively, he was heading the strategic command or general brass or whatever it was called, while Janis led the biggest army. That gave Ben the opportunity to also prepare for a possible counter-invasion of the gnomes and to prepare the defense at the Empire¡¯s border, and other things. The army had come to look a lot more professional than the rather cobbled-together forces they¡¯d fielded before, including in the Cernlian civil war. Which Regina appreciated, even if she only saw it through the eyes of the Winged Drones or occasional War Drones or when Janis sent her an update with a hazy mental image through the psychic link. Regina generally preferred to use Swarm Drones instead of sapient drones if she just wanted a quick glimpse through their eyes, it was less likely to distract them when they might be doing something important, and also felt more like she was respecting their privacy. Not that drones ever really minded when she borrowed their senses. There were several banners hanging around the camp now, which probably contributed to her impression. Most of them showed the Imperial coat-of-arms, the black eagle on yellow she¡¯d chosen, but a few had the Hive¡¯s silver stars on a black background. They hadn¡¯t bothered much with that during the last war, even if they¡¯d already had the sigil, but she supposed it might be good for morale. Together with a variety of banners from Cernlia and Nerlia, it made for a pretty sight and showed the size of the army. Janis had been gifted a set of armor by the Nerlian princess that was reminiscent of the sigil, colored black but with gold highlights and a helmet vaguely shaped like an eagle¡¯s head. Regina had to admit she cut an intimidating figure, even if she found it a bit weird at first, paired with Janis¡¯ fiery hair and magic-colored eyes. Regina was planning to remind her to wear it to battle should she conveniently forget to put it on beforehand. For now, though, Janis was leading the last war council before the big day in the armor, her helmet carelessly tossed onto a stand beside a few others. "Is everyone clear on the plan?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes, Your Imperial Highness,¡± Sir Willard answered formally. ¡°There have been a few questions about the order of battle,¡± Sir Owin added. They spent the next few minutes discussing details, including who would be commanding which units where in their ideal formation, which Regina thought would have been cleared up before, but apparently not. She paid attention to their words, but she was starting to get a bit bored. At least Janis was alert, discussing the issues thoroughly and making decisions with confidence. It was going to be a slightly different battle than they¡¯d fought before, not just considering their own army, but everyone seemed confident, almost looking forward to it. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. They proceeded to the most recent scout reports, which apparently only meant that nothing had really changed. The gnomes had gathered their defenses and were pretty much just waiting for the Empire to attack. Well, perhaps a bit more than that, but their scouts hadn¡¯t seen any obvious evidence of any ploys. Regina was expecting it wouldn¡¯t be quite as easy as just attacking and bombing out all their soldiers and seizing the day. That seemed like a good policy. No plan ever survives contact with the enemy and all that. Plus the gnomes had to have known it would come to this and tried to make preparations in the best ways they could. Regina was deciding whether she should withdraw her attention from the meeting to focus on other matters when the decision was pretty much taken out of her hands. Dan had realized she was paying attention to the meeting and quickly called her attention to something. Several Winged Drones had spotted a commotion on the side of the gnomes. A small party had set out from the city, too small to be a proper unit of reinforcements, and moving very quickly. They traveled up the main road to the pass, which was packed with fortifications and the gnomish army defending the crossing and the approach to the city. Regina¡¯s scouts had to stay too far away to hear what was happening there, since they would have been shot down if they tried to get closer, but it didn¡¯t take long until they continued on. Only a few people this time, riding some kind of tamed Lionit variety and a horse she heavily suspected was more than it seemed like. They were carrying a white flag on a pole. Regina wasted a few seconds just staring, as well as she could stare when she was looking through her drones¡¯ senses. Then she focused on Janis, who had been informed and was starting to give out orders to prepare. Maybe we should have a drone meet with them outside and see what they want before we let them close to our positions, she suggested. As long as they¡¯re far enough away from their own forces that there¡¯s less danger, I agree. Regina watched as the gnomes continued, with decent speed. It was a good thing the Imperial forces were still camped a significant distance away from the start of the pass. She wasn¡¯t going to underestimate gnomish artillery. It was relatively open terrain below the mountains, open ground they were now starting to ride along. Regina paid less attention to what was happening back at the camp or with Janis, content to leave it to her, and just watched the three gnomes, trying to decipher what they were doing and what she could do in response. Finally, after they¡¯d just been riding without change for a bit and Gale, the drone they¡¯d chosen to make contact, was on his way escorted by a small flock, Regina focused back on her commanders. They were still arguing, but at least they¡¯d left the meeting room and were readying themselves. Janis was carrying her helmet and absently flexing her fingers as she hurried through the neat rows of tents and space demarcated for groups of drones. You don¡¯t seem happy about this, Janis observed. I guess I can¡¯t be, Regina replied, trying not to send too much of her own unease over the connection. It¡¯s ¡­ it feels too soon. They shouldn¡¯t be coming to negotiate with us yet. Are they more desperate than we thought? I feel like they¡¯re not ready to concede yet, and if they don¡¯t want to seriously negotiate, this could be tricky, or even dangerous. Janis only answered with the mental equivalent of a non-committal hum. They watched in silence as Gale flew in circles above the gnomish envoys, descending slightly in front of them and closer to the hive¡¯s forces. The gnomes were cautiously slowing down. We might have to be careful, Janis finally replied. I wouldn¡¯t put some sacrifice plays beyond them. If they make it so they¡¯re not the only ones who have committed a war crime, but if both sides have murdered envoys ¡ª even if it only seems like that to outsiders ¡ª it should improve their political position with others. Especially with people just waiting for an excuse. Regina felt a shiver crawl down her spine. I haven¡¯t thought of that, good point, she admitted. Such a scheme probably wouldn¡¯t hurt her side directly; their allies, like the elves, would stay strong and probably believe their denials. Anyone who would be using it was probably already badly disposed to them. But that didn¡¯t make it harmless. She quietly called over more of the Winged Drones and set a few drones to circling from higher up, then sent others with both traditional explosives and some more experimental ones they¡¯d developed. It was just a precaution, though, she doubted the gnomes would be this impatient even if they did have a hidden trap. ¡°Hey there!¡± Gale called down to the gnomish riders, still keeping a healthy distance. He was shouting pretty loudly as a result, but Regina knew gnomes had good senses, so they¡¯d hear him. ¡°What do you want?¡± They finally fully pulled their rides to a stop. The horse pawed impatiently at the ground with one hoof, fixing Gale with an almost baleful look. ¡°We want to open discussions with your commanders!¡± the older male gnome called back. Gale felt uncertain of how to proceed, and Regina focused more fully on him, giving him an impression of her own state of mind and suggesting his answer. She could sense Janis watching closely as well, along with most of the sapient drones in the army. ¡°Are you coming to offer terms of surrender for the city?¡± he asked in reply. The gnomes exchanged a look and a few hurried words too quiet for them to hear. ¡°No!¡± the previous speaker finally answered loudly. ¡°We wish to discuss a truce! Peace negotiations!¡± What do I do? Gale asked her, a bit anxiously. Regina considered it for a moment. Tell them they can approach but wait outside the marked line, she said. We will agree to preliminary negotiations, but we will have an outline of their position and if it is completely unacceptable to us, we will not proceed to full, formal negotiations. Just stalling to delay or try to stop our advance on the city will not be tolerated. Gale repeated what she¡¯d told him, a bit more diplomatically coached after input from Via. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll ride there!¡± The gnome replied, raising a hand in a gesture whose meaning she wasn¡¯t quite certain of. Then he spurred his beast on again, and the small diplomatic party continued on their way. I¡¯ll meet them myself, Janis said, firmly, as if she was trying to state it before anyone could object. Regina tugged on her mandible, shifting on her seat back in her own body. Be careful, she said. Take at least half a dozen senior drones and knights with you, each, and we¡¯ll prepare a lot of Swarm Drones as well. Janis nodded, and turned to talk to the humans with her, to arrange for their small, impromptu diplomatic party. Regina could tell she wasn¡¯t the only one frustrated at how little notice they had to prepare how to present themselves or consider their stance for any negotiations. Not that they could have proper negotiations like this. Regina still didn¡¯t like the entire situation. In principle, she supposed she should be happy the gnomes were willing to negotiate. And they are, she reminded herself, whatever else is going on. They can¡¯t put that genie back in the bottle, once they open the possibility. Maybe she was being too cynical. But she still didn¡¯t have high expectations for this getting them what they wanted. Or the gnomes¡¯ honesty, of course. If anyone in her hive or Imperial leadership had been inclined to believe in gnomish honor, they would¡¯ve been cured of that a while ago. Which was, of course, not a good starting point for any negotiations, she realized. Chapter 295: Preliminary Talks Janis understood why Regina was suspicious and hesitant at the gnomes suddenly waving a white flag. She couldn¡¯t say that she disagreed. Still, her first reaction had been relief, not dread. Not that she didn¡¯t feel uneasy about it as well. As she walked, trying to hurry without running or looking too agitated, she dipped in and out of the heads of Swarm Drones in the psychic link to get glimpses of the gnomes who were coming. Three of them, riding two beasts, with the bigger one seating two gnomes. Interestingly, one of them was a woman while the other two were men, as expected of their soldiers. They appeared calm, as best she could tell. Regina might have more luck assessing their actual state of mind. Janis could still feel the Hive Queen¡¯s attention laying on her like a blanket fluttering in the breeze. It was something she¡¯d become used to, even if she wasn¡¯t often this present. Janis could still tell Regina was distracted, her focus split between several points, or several drones she was watching. Her mental presence was a comfort when she contemplated what she¡¯d have to navigate. Janis and her companions formed up quickly, trying to project the impression of calm, unruffled waiting, emphasizing their power. It was a bit awkward to have talks here, just outside their army camp proper, which was stirring like a kicked beehive. Dan and the others were already drawing smaller units of War Drones around them like protective wings stretched out to the side, distant enough not to seem immediately threatening but ready to pounce at any sign of trouble. Janis quickly sent an order through the psychic link to correct their formation and increase the strength hidden in the back, positioning some of the stronger drones in the shadow of the fortifications they¡¯d built. She also detached several companies to guard the artillery; no point in taking chances. ¡°Remember, be courteous and civil but not weak or too solicitous,¡± she murmured to the others. ¡°They are our enemies, but we are civilized. We will respect the truce of negotiations, but we don¡¯t have to suffer insults.¡± The others nodded, with various mutters of assent. She could tell Gwen Cern, who was standing close to her, was a bit nervous. Sir Owin was a bit behind her, his arms crossed and a frown on his face. Sir Willard and a few other Cernlian knights present stood immovable. For the Hive, Via and Dan stood closest to her, both outwardly calm even if she could sense their tension through the psychic link. Via was curious, Dan was hoping this wouldn¡¯t interfere with the planned assault on the pass and the city. Janis resisted the urge to fidget. Finally, the envoys came close enough to see more details, and she focused on the System notifications. They all had relatively martial Classes, from what she¡¯d learned of the way typical gnomish Classes were named; an Unbroken Rock, a common defensive Class, and a Blade Stone and Calling Feather. Their levels were higher than she could see, though a quick check over the psychic link with the others revealed all of them, so they weren¡¯t enormously high, still in the third or early fourth Tier; the highest was the blademaster at sixty-four. Impressive, but not a party that could hope to stand up against the army or even just her own gathered officers and escorts. The gnomes pulled up a few meters ahead of them and dismounted. Their mounts stayed standing still as they turned to the Imperial party. Jen, who¡¯d been standing a bit further away from her, took half a step forward while Dan tapped the haft of his spear against the ground. With an even voice that carried across the field, she declared, ¡°You are in the presence of Her Imperial Highness, Janis von Woltan, of the Starlit Hive, Crown Princess of the Central European Empire. State your purpose.¡± Janis took note of the wording while she stared at them stonily. She could faintly feel something from Regina, a more complicated mix of emotions, as her name was announced. They didn¡¯t use ¡®Starlit¡¯ as a last name, but hers, Janis noted. It wasn¡¯t really the first time, though it was the biggest. She had an idea of what was behind this. Not that she minded; the acknowledgment that Regina saw her as her family in more ways than one was pleasant. It wasn¡¯t really important right now, though, so she only spared it a moment of attention and focused on the reaction. The gnomes bowed their heads stiffly. It wasn¡¯t much, but still more than she might have expected. ¡°Greetings,¡± the man in the lead, a guy called Delekin, greeted stiffly. He went on to introduce them briefly, but it was nothing she couldn¡¯t tell from their appearance or System notifications. None of them used a military rank, which didn¡¯t necessarily mean they didn¡¯t have one. ¡°We are here to discuss the possibility of a truce,¡± he finished. ¡°Well met,¡± she returned. ¡°These ladies and gentlemen are here to advise me this day.¡± She continued with briefly introducing the rest of the notable people gathered to represent the Imperial side. It was apparently the polite thing to do in this situation, although it probably wasn¡¯t anything new for the gnomes, either. ¡°You mentioned a truce,¡± she finally continued. ¡°Tell me, why should we agree to such a thing? And how could we be assured that the Gnomish Confederation would hold to it?¡± ¡°It is the desire of the Executive Council to end this bloody war and all the loss and grief that comes from it,¡± the woman, Paliekel, spoke up. ¡°We hope that a truce would allow room for a full peace deal to be negotiated. The earnest desire for peace of the Gnomish Confederation of the East calls for our brave soldiers to stand down, and none of our side will break the truce, for all know what damage it would cause.¡± Janis raised an eyebrow despite herself. There was some shuffling and even a few whispers behind her. I didn¡¯t expect them to go this all-in on claiming they want peace, she considered. Neither did I, Regina replied. But we both know this sudden ¡®earnest desire for peace¡¯ ¡ª her mental tone was rather derisive ¡ª is born out of the current situation and their fear of losing. ¡°We¡¯ll need a little more than that,¡± Dan said with a snort. ¡°You killed our envoys the last time we came to treat with the gnomes regarding anything. Or have you forgotten what started this bloody war?¡± Janis mentally poked him a bit, but didn¡¯t say anything or even frown at him outwardly. Instead, she waited for the gnomes¡¯ response. The younger man almost glared for a second before he mastered his expression, and the other two were clearly unhappy as well. They must have decided on a relatively direct and straightforward strategy, given their opener, but this was a tricky point. ¡°We did not come here to trade accusations,¡± the leader answered in a forcibly calm tone of voice. ¡°The Gnomish Confederation rejects any such claims, however. The outbreak of war was regrettable, but we do not and cannot accept responsibility for it. We are not here for this, however. Shall we lose the chance for peace to get lost in arguing about past events?¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Janis wondered if he actually believed what he was saying, wondered what the members of this delegation thought about how the war had started. Surely they would have sent them here fully-informed? Given what she¡¯d heard of the gnomes¡¯ leadership, however, maybe not. They¡¯re definitely feeling defensive and nervous and even bitter, Regina said. I can¡¯t get more than that, though. They sent people with basic mental shields and I¡¯m pretty far away. So, I¡¯m not sure what they know. But I wish I was there so I could punch him, she added. Janis had to fight her own anger at their denial, too. ¡°Is that so?¡± she said coldly. ¡°I believe it is quite relevant, however. One of our conditions for peace will be a full accounting of what happened ¡ª that means an official acknowledgment from the Gnomish Confederation and having those involved in the murder or torture of Bea, Pat, Lou and Ken of the Starlit Hive brought to justice.¡± The gnomes stirred, the younger man and woman exchanging a glance with obvious dismay, and even the leader shifted a bit. ¡°Is that truly what you wish to focus on?¡± he asked. ¡°Your Imperial Highness, I implore you not to let blind focus on the past stand in the way of the future, or to dismiss the chance to avoid bloodshed and death for many due to some desire for revenge.¡± Janis crossed her arms, to prevent the temptation of doing something worse with them. ¡°You want me to just let it go?¡± she asked derisively. ¡°I wonder, if it was your siblings that died, would you dismiss the need for justice?¡± ¡°Siblings?¡± the woman muttered lowly. ¡°If one of your leader¡¯s children were killed, would they shrug and ignore it? How can you expect Empress Regina to simply ignore the murder of her children?¡± She could tell even without turning around that her people approved. Dan and Via¡¯s fierce approval shone through the psychic link. Even Sir Willard, who was just fighting in a war he had little to do with, nodded slightly, clearly seeing the need for justice. Delekin cleared his throat. ¡°I see. Perhaps we have something strayed from the original point and the purpose of this meeting, however. We wish to make peace to ensure that no families on either side have to mourn more dead. Surely that is a worthy goal?¡± Janis exhaled a heavy breath. ¡°Of course, no one wants to drag this war out longer than it has to be and add to the death toll,¡± she agreed with a pleasant smile. ¡°Any more than it already is,¡± Via muttered. ¡°I wonder how you envision this peace you propose, though?¡± Janis asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure your leadership has put a lot of thought into it, but we can hardly enter into more involved negotiations without some clarification and basic agreements. Tell me what your proposal for peace is,¡± she invited them. The gnomes had visibly relaxed a bit, if you looked closely, as the topic moved on from that incident and it was clear Janis would be willing to talk, but now they tensed up again. ¡°It is simple and straightforward, Your Imperial Highness,¡± the leader spoke. ¡°After negotiations in a neutral location, both sides will stand down their armies and withdraw their troops. They may send observers to ensure that the other party adheres to the agreement and is not preparing another buildup of forces. Control of any occupied settlements will be returned to their rightful owners. We are willing to agree to a full withdrawal of any gnomish presence from the territory north of the mountains on the western side, leaving the no-man¡¯s-land between the Gnomish Confederation and the Hive as such, and giving over control of this land to the Empire, as long as no military bases or outposts are built within fifty leagues of the border. Our borders will be opened to trade again, and both sides will swear not to interfere with the other¡¯s internal affairs. Further treaties may be signed to promise no further warfare and perhaps prohibit participation in military alliances with foreign powers for a certain number of years, which will be up to negotiation. We are of course open to discussing further requests of the Empire, but will be arguing our own in return.¡± Janis stared at the man, trying to master her growing anger. She kept her fingers from clenching into fists and her jaw from grinding. That¡¯s it? Interesting, Regina mused in a forcibly detached tone. That it¡¯s what they argue for. This is basically just the status quo ante bellum. They never had control of that no-man¡¯s-land in the first place, and they want everything under our occupation back. With some assurances and diplomatic attempts to prevent further wars tacked on. It¡¯s anyone¡¯s guess how well they¡¯d hold up. Janis took a deep breath. I imagine they could spin it as a win quite well for their own populace, she commented. I hope you¡¯re not considering agreeing to these terms? No, Regina answered slowly, clearly thinking deeply. We¡¯ve talked about this, we need actual assurance that this won¡¯t continue and that we won¡¯t have to fight half a dozen more wars in the future. We would have gained absolutely nothing this way. It would also be seen by everyone as folding like a wet towel, Janis hadn¡¯t had a thorough political education yet and even she could see that. ¡°I see,¡± Janis said. ¡°Effectively, your proposal would reinstate the status quo before the war, with some diplomatic treaties to follow? That is your suggestion?¡± ¡°How ¡­ optimistic of you,¡± Gwen drawled. ¡°Usually, the losing side must be prepared to face some penalty for their misdeeds. Reparations in coin or otherwise, if they were lucky enough to retain all their holdings, which is rarely the case.¡± ¡°Be that as it may,¡± Paliekel replied, voice tight, ¡°we have not lost this war yet.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Via agreed. ¡°Yet.¡± Janis said nothing for a moment. She reminded herself that this was only the gnomes¡¯ initial position and they were probably willing to concede more in the negotiations. Still, it didn¡¯t exactly look good. And somehow, she didn¡¯t think they would actually make any major concessions. But she couldn¡¯t dismiss their attempt at negotiations out of hand. ¡°I have to admit,¡± she said, ¡°your stated position does not fill me with hope for negotiations. It does not seem you quite understand the gravity of your situation. Your nation attacked the Hive unprovoked. You expect us to simply give up all that we have won? To go home with our tails between our legs and leave those responsible untouched?¡± ¡°You claim to want peace and an end to the bloodshed, Your Highness,¡± the woman replied, ¡°and yet you only repeat your words of being wronged? We are prepared to talk, but such accusations should be answered at the negotiating table.¡° ¡°Do not your own soldiers deserve better, even disregarding our people?¡± the younger man added. Janis frowned. That reply didn¡¯t fill her with much hope for the negotiations. She quickly focused on Regina¡¯s presence in her mind, presenting an idea of how she wanted to respond and receiving her answer. ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°Perhaps a different setting will lead to more productive conversations, I suppose. We will meet tomorrow. No more than ten people of each side will be allowed to be present. We will make a good-faith effort at negotiations, but if you remain intransigent and simply drag them out in an attempt to delay our assault on the pass, it will not be tolerated, I warn you.¡± The leader of the gnomes inclined his head. ¡°If that is all you are prepared to do in search of peace, we will accept. Agreed, Princess Janis.¡± Janis nodded and fell quiet to let the others hash out the details of where and when the meeting would take place, and any other requirements. In the meantime, she quickly took a glance through several Swarm Drones¡¯ eyes, checking that no one had spotted an ambush from the gnomes or any suspicious activity yet. This is probably not that kind of trap, I guess. But who knew, maybe the negotiations would actually lead to something. If not, at least it would give them a bit more time to prepare for a follow-on attack on the city, and she could let Regina and the others worry about how to spin it. Chapter 296: Subjects Regina thought that Janis had handled these abrupt negotiations with the gnomes rather well. Which was also why she would let her take point in the real negotiations coming the next day. Like Janis, Regina didn¡¯t have high hopes, especially after hearing their position laid out, but she also understood that she couldn¡¯t refuse to negotiate with the gnomes. Even if they were boring and aggravating and didn¡¯t move from their position, she would have to indulge them for at least a while. In that case, judging the proper length of time would be the difficult part. If they actually negotiated in something resembling good faith, of course, the situation would be more complex. Regina still hoped for it, but she didn¡¯t fret about it. It wouldn¡¯t help anyone. So, while Janis and the advisors present with her among the army gathered to assault the pass and the city prepared for the negotiations, discussed tactics and diplomatic moves to show their strength and frame the talks correctly, Regina tended to the business of the Empire. She also used it as an opportunity to judge the mood in the Empire and what people would expect from any such talks with the gnomes. Not that she was going to cave to the pressure of public opinion on the matter, but she supposed she should at least know what it was. Of course, what she got from both her own observations, talking with the drones in the capital and a few pointed conversations with others, was that opinions were split. The common people were largely just hoping for a fast and smooth end to the war. Some of them had discovered patriotic feelings for their new country and were talking about the glory and pride of the Empire and the need for the gnomes to be put in their place after the insults done to it. Regina supposed it might be connected to another sentiment, some were looking forward to the spoils and other benefits expected from winning a war. For the people at court, the latter two sentiments were more strongly expressed. Maybe nobles were just more concerned with pride. Unlike most, who talked about it with the same air Regina would have expected of people keeping up with news reports of a war waged in some other country and only relevant because one might want to join a demonstration or consider which party to vote for, here some people actually appeared keenly interested in the details. Still, most people were overwhelmingly more interested in the Empire¡¯s founding itself and all the changes it brought with it, which she supposed was an answer in itself. When the day of the negotiations dawned, Janis started preparing for it early, doing a quick round of the upper command staff of the army and talking briefly with almost everyone. Meanwhile, other soldiers, mostly drones, set up a pavilion for the talks. A location about midway to the start of the pass had been decided on, not quite at the base of the mountains. Since there was nothing here or anywhere close by, they could only choose a spot with a nice view and set everything up themselves. At least the Imperial side was the host and preparing the amenities, which gave them a limited degree of control over the proceedings. The gnomes had kept word regarding their delegation. Only ten people approached the agreed upon site in the morning. That meant they had less attendants and scribes or whoever else they might have brought otherwise, and it looked like every one of them was of a decently high rank, given their clothing and levels. Regina watched and listened to the greetings and the initial pleasantries at the start of the negotiation. It was not particularly interesting. The gnomes were reasonably polite, at least they addressed Janis and the other Imperial delegates with their proper titles and didn¡¯t throw around insults or anything. But something about it still rubbed her the wrong way. They were less impolite than she¡¯d feared based on previous interactions and the entire start of the war, but that didn¡¯t mean they really showed respect on anything but the surface level. ¡°Perhaps we might proceed to the subject at hand?¡± one of them suggested when everyone had sat down and gotten ready around the conference table. ¡°Of course,¡± Janis agreed. ¡°Regarding the first point on the agenda ¡­¡± They started arguing about guarantees and truce days and other things that Regina would have thought should be easy to sort out, but apparently weren¡¯t. The gnomes insisted on, effectively, a truce that lasted until they broke off negotiations or confirmed that they¡¯d failed utterly, which Regina obviously didn¡¯t want to do. Janis, in contrast, only proposed a truce on the days they were actually negotiating. That led to accusations of them being deceitful and maneuvering to prepare an ambush as soon as they stopped talking. In the end, it took hours for a reasonable compromise to be reached; they would observe a truce for the length of the negotiations and the following two days, and either side could withdraw from negotiations at any point, starting this countdown. Regina didn¡¯t want to contemplate that this might actually count as a fast agreement in terms of diplomatic wrangling. They also resisted any attempt to move the location of these talks. In a way, that was only common sense. Neither side trusted the other enough to invite envoys to one of their homes, and given the geography, holding talks in a neutral country wasn¡¯t a viable option. They¡¯d remain here for a few days or however long it took. They probably still want to buy time, she considered. It might not be their only motivation, but it¡¯s definitely one of the reasons for this. The Cernlian and Nerlian courts and the offices Regina had built were sending a few people south to participate in the negotiations, on the off-chance that this was actually a serious attempt and avenue to peace. Until then, Janis and her commanders had the field, but they conducted themselves well. After a short break, they started talking about the actual core topics of these negotiations. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t mean it went any better. Both sides were too determined not to give any ground. And frankly, Regina didn¡¯t see why she should. Their points were reasonable. Sure, she knew most people probably thought that of their own arguments, but still ¡ª the gnomes couldn¡¯t expect to murder her drones, attack the hive several times, starting a major continental war, and then just figuratively pack up their toys and go home. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t see any real will to concede or repent in them. They were willing to make some concessions on the treaties and other measures that would be in place after a peace was reached, in their proposal, at least after negotiating for a while. She was pretty sure they could manage a one-sided treaty forbidding the gnomes from entering any military alliances or mutual defense pacts with other nations. Unfortunately, that wouldn¡¯t help reach Regina¡¯s actual goals ¡ª she didn¡¯t want to have to fight another war against them, after all. She hadn¡¯t been willing to simply defend her borders and leave the Gnomish Confederation alone at the start. And now they occupied a not insignificant portion of the nation¡¯s territory. Territory that the gnomes wanted them to give back with very little to show for it, in the end. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I don¡¯t know what they expect, Janis said to her, frustrated, during another break when afternoon was turning to evening. They don¡¯t seem to want to give up anything. When I brought the suggestion of formal vassalage or protectorate status into play, they basically laughed it off. Then they say their economy is too battered and they don¡¯t have the means to pay substantial reparations. Hell, they barely even seem to consider it reasonable that they might have to pay any reparations! Regina sighed. I think it¡¯s like I said earlier, they just want everything to go back to the way it was, except with their new regime in charge of their country. Probably, Janis agreed bitterly. I¡¯ll try and see if I can get them to see some more sense regarding the occupation. Do that, Regina encouraged. I¡¯m not particularly interested in territorial gain on its own, really, but it might be a good indicator of their actual limits and how far they¡¯re prepared to go. Maybe you can use it as a bargaining chip. Sure, Janis replied, but Regina could sense in the unspoken part of their connection that she thought they were doing that already so it wasn¡¯t exactly a new suggestion. I¡¯ll let you get back to it, Regina replied with a bit of amusement. She didn¡¯t mention that they might need any leverage they could get when it came to forcing the gnomes to officially recognize what happened to her envoys. The negotiations continued, but Regina could no longer focus on them. As soon as Janis got back to the bargaining table, Max mentally prodded her to get her attention and brought her attention to June, who was approaching her apartment. Regina mentally withdrew a bit from the psychic link, blinking her eyes open and stretching her arms and legs as she stood. Then she strolled into her living room, which Ira had recently redecorated using some of the gifts that had arrived from people across the Empire and beyond looking for favor. The most prominently displayed ones were a few antiques and reproductions of art and crafts made by a few drones. As a result, the room had a rather different style than the rest of Kiara¡¯s palace. Regina was currently only wearing a pair of linen pants and a t-shirt altered to accommodate her wings, but it was only June, so she didn¡¯t bother getting presentable. ¡°Master,¡± June greeted her as she entered, unsurprised at finding her here. She did have good magical senses. ¡°Evening, June. The negotiations with the gnomes are still ongoing. I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t have time for a lesson right now.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t come here for that,¡± June replied with a shake of her head. She glanced at Regina for permission and then sat down on one of the armchairs in the room. ¡°You remember when we had that scrying ritual to find John Cern and talked about what he was doing?¡± ¡°Yes, I recall you offered to look for information from his friends and acquaintances,¡± Regina responded. She hadn¡¯t honestly expected her to have much success, but maybe she¡¯d been wrong about that. ¡°Yes, and I found a few that I think might be good leads. I¡¯ve tried to gain their trust, it¡¯s slow-going but I think I¡¯ve made some progress. Although I kind of had to play on our connection,¡± June smiled a bit sheepishly. ¡°Does that have anything to do with why you¡¯ve come right now?¡± ¡°I may have alluded to some things happening today,¡± June admitted, looking down and fiddling with the hems of her sleeves. ¡°It would be good if you could give a few orders accordingly.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°June, what does that mean?¡± ¡°Nothing big!¡± her apprentice assured her. ¡°I just needed to convince them that I¡¯m valued and have access to high-level information, for them to seek my favor. Like the palace guard patrol patterns changing today.¡± Regina pinched her nose. ¡°Fine, I can make that happen. I have to say, I¡¯m not particularly happy about you forcing my hand like this, though.¡± ¡°I know, Your Majesty, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Alright. Who¡¯s ¡®they¡¯, anyway?¡± June rattled off a list of names and titles, each one making Regina frown more heavily. ¡°Wait, Zephyr may be involved? Are you sure?¡± June shook her head. ¡°No, he¡¯s just one of the men I¡¯ve been trying to get a bit closer to, to investigate. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s involved in anything like that botched assassination attempt. Honestly, I doubt it.¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°And he is pretty knowledgeable about rituals.¡± Regina regarded her for a second, then nodded. ¡°Alright, feel free to get more information from him if you can.¡± Having June establish a closer relationship with the de facto Cernlian court mage could be beneficial. ¡°What about Edmund of Whitedale? He¡¯s Earl Whitor¡¯s son, right?¡± June frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about him, either, but he seems like more of a suspect. Some of his responses when we talked were a bit odd. But maybe I¡¯m just reading too much into it. And maybe it¡¯s because he feels compelled to sympathize with Lewis Breaksword.¡± ¡°Lewis Breaksword?¡± Regina asked. June seemed surprised that she had to ask. ¡°Yes. Lewis of Cernlia, or at least that¡¯s what he calls himself. He¡¯s one of the late king¡¯s bastard sons.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible. ¡°And he¡¯s come out of the woodwork?¡± June nodded. Clearly, this was the most important piece of information she had. ¡°It seems so. I haven¡¯t seen him and I haven¡¯t found out where he is, yet, but people have been talking about him. There¡¯s been more whispers. He¡¯s probably doing something.¡± Regina regarded her. This was a topic that presumably affected June a lot more than her. ¡°Do you think he might contest Kiara¡¯s succession and try to get her throne?¡± she asked cautiously. June shook her head. ¡°I doubt it. We only met once, when I was a kid, but by all accounts, he¡¯s a reasonable man. Or at least not an idiot. He has to know that trying anything would mean a huge risk with little chance of success.¡± ¡°Maybe I should suggest to Kiara that she could invite him to court and give him some prestigious position,¡± Regina mused. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, after all. Even potential enemies. And maybe he can be placated. ¡°It would probably look good politically,¡± June agreed. Regina leaned back in her chair and watched her for a moment. So far, it seemed more like June had been going around beating the bushes and trying to see what fell out. Not the worst strategy, but who knew if she¡¯d found anything that really related to Cern and whatever little conspiracy he might have been a part of. Still, she wouldn¡¯t stop June. ¡°Now that you¡¯re here,¡± Regina said, ¡°we could also try something else. Having psychic abilities would help you a lot, and I¡¯ve been wanting to attempt teaching you anyway.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you tried before?¡± Regina shrugged dismissively. ¡°That was more of a cursory test to see if you had inborn psychic talent,¡± she said. ¡°What I have in mind is more focused on your actual magic. My own skills have improved, too. First of all, I¡¯d like to see if I can share what I sense with you.¡± June was eager to try, predictably, and they were soon in the same position she¡¯d been in with Ira recently. Regina was going to try the same approach. Of course, since she wasn¡¯t connected to June in a psychic link, she had to use her own abilities to establish a connection with her. June let her connect to her mind easily, and Regina tried her best not to look too deeply. Her anticipation and nerves were clear. Instead, Regina focused on her sense of the minds around her and funneled it to June. The girl gasped. This is what you see all the time? More or less, Regina agreed. I¡¯ll withdraw now and I want you to try and hold on to this feeling, okay? Try and stretch your senses, your magic, to feel the same thing. Slowly and carefully, she withdrew further into her own mind, thinning the connection to June. Finally, it snapped so far she could no longer receive anything June might try to communicate to her, and she instead focused on passive observation. ¡°I think I got something!¡± June gasped. She bounced a bit and smiled at Regina. ¡°Only for a moment, but it was after you were gone, and I was focusing on my mana senses and trying to recapture what you showed me, and I think I sensed your mind. And Max¡¯s outside the door, and a few others, it was a lot.¡± Regina smiled back. ¡°Good work,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s a great result for a first attempt. We can build on that. From now on, our lesson plan has expanded.¡± June grinned at her, and she didn¡¯t have to be psychic to tell she was excited at the prospect. Regina felt relieved. It was at least a foundation to work on. Clearly, June still didn¡¯t have a particular talent for the ¡®psychic arts¡¯, but that didn¡¯t have to mean she lacked the capability entirely. Maybe she could teach June enough to be useful. Chapter 297: Letters and Goals Tim looked well, Galatea decided. It was a bit hard to tell with Hivekind, compared to humans, but she had spent enough time with them and compiled enough information on their habits and appearance to have a good estimation. He was slightly leaner than before, but his shell still had the same healthy sheen, he had no visible wounds or scars, and while his clothes had clearly seen better days, he didn¡¯t appear bothered. He also met her gaze directly and openly. ¡°Will you come back to visit us soon?¡± he asked. Galatea shrugged slightly. She hadn¡¯t been here long, only popped by for a short visit, but the expedition party also hadn¡¯t actually reached their goal yet. They were past the mountains by now, though. Apparently, they had stumbled on a Veraglian archmage and his adventurer party somewhere in the mountains, on the southern side. According to Tim, it had still taken them several days to get here from that point, though, so they had spent almost a week traveling together. She was curious how that situation would develop. ¡°If I have time,¡± she said. ¡°If I do, I¡¯ll carry any return messages Regina has, don¡¯t worry.¡± Tim nodded with a smile she tentatively interpreted as grateful. The light was very sparse, since it was the middle of the night and clouds covered the moon. Galatea had approached the party while the southerners weren¡¯t awake, to avoid unwanted questions. She glanced again at the rest of the group, most of whom were asleep. Not the drones, of course, who might have been woken by Tim¡¯s initial reaction anyway. The humans, elves and dark elves all looked reasonably well, too, she noted. Good, she hadn¡¯t looked forward to the possibility of carrying news that they were dead or injured to their respective superiors. She just knew they were going to ask her to play messenger girl a lot more often, anyway. Not that she¡¯d told Regina she was coming here. It was supposed to be a surprise. ¡°Good luck on the rest of the trip,¡± she told Tim. ¡°Remember what I told you about the local cities.¡± He didn¡¯t seem concerned. ¡°I will, thank you. I appreciate it. Safe travels, Galatea.¡± ¡°You too.¡± She turned and moved back the way she had come, out of the small valley the travelers were currently using as a campsite. As a mana-form without much of a physical body, Galatea could travel quite quickly if she put her mind to it. Of course not quickly enough to cross the mountains in a few minutes even if she didn¡¯t still have to worry about monsters, but she had other methods for that. Instead, she just moved far enough away from the camp to be sure she wouldn¡¯t be found or disturbed, taking a moment to appreciate the natural beauty around her. The landscape was a bit different compared to the northern side of the mountains, but there were still rolling hills and forests, which had seen few humans ¡ª or other people ¡ª in some time. Once she found a sheltered spot in the lee of a patch of forest and a rocky ledge, she stopped. It wasn¡¯t really necessary to find shelter, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt. Galatea stilled her outer body, which was little more than a projection, and focused on her magic. She cut a circle into the ground around her with a bit of air magic, then gathered her mana and concentrated it. She had learned this spell from Leian, after much begging and pleading. It was very taxing, however, and even slight mistakes could lead to grievous consequences. The spell required high visualization capabilities and a sharp focus, which fortunately posed little problem for her. Galatea envisioned her goal and her path, then made sure to direct her magic in a complicated, knotted spiral. This wasn¡¯t going to be a simple short-range teleport, but a version suitable for both longer distance travel and veiling her movements and position. With a slight swirling of the air, she disappeared from her current position and appeared at her target. Galatea instantly straightened herself up and used her magic to ensure her movement was controlled. She¡¯d chosen to appear in the air above the city of Cera, above the outskirts of the royal palace. From there, she flew softly to the ground. The guards at the palace noticed her arrival, of course. She assumed the magic-capable drones had sensed it and then immediately informed Max and some other people. By now, however, they were used to her, and neither humans nor Hive drones made a fuss as she walked through the back doors into the large building. She knew the shortest path to her laboratory, though she wasn¡¯t in a hurry to go there right away. Instead, she slowly made her way to where she could sense Regina. The Hive Queen¡¯s presence was rather distinct to magical senses. At least in her experience, it might be different for others, since she knew her own grasp on magic was a bit different given that she was a mana-form. Luckily, instead of being shut up in her office or immersed in the psychic link, Regina was in the gardens that Kiara had recently started to have redone and expanded. She clearly sensed Galatea¡¯s presence and showed no surprise as she arrived. ¡°You¡¯ve been gone a bit longer this time. Welcome back.¡± Galatea shrugged and sat down on the bench beside her, not that it made much of a difference to her whether she was sitting or standing. ¡°I¡¯m going to stay for a bit,¡± she replied. ¡°Also, I have a message for you. A letter.¡± Regina turned to face her fully and Galatea could practically see the question of where she would keep a letter flash across her face. Amused, she fed a trickle of magic into another spell, watching the letter materialize in midair ¡ª in a sense, anyway. She¡¯d decided not to rely on a physical letter and instead simply scanned the one Tim had written before burning it. Now, she showed a projection of it in the air at a comfortable height for reading. ¡°From Tim?¡± Regina asked after looking at it for a second, her eyes darting to the last line. ¡°You went south of the mountains?¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Sure.¡± Galatea shrugged again. She glanced at the letter, although she recalled perfectly what it said. Mother My Empress Mother, we have safely arrived at the other side of the mountains, which is where Galatea found us. I¡¯m sure she can tell you more details. None of us are hurt beyond quickly fixed injuries, and we¡¯re doing well mentally. We found a good path through the mountains, I think. We made a few detours and fought a few monsters. There¡¯s no way around fighting monsters, but with a good route, travelers can avoid the stronger ones. Digging a few tunnels would be helpful, but tunnelers need to be well-protected. Lingering at any spot for too long wouldn¡¯t be advisable. I estimate it might take around a week to traverse the mountains given a good party with an experienced guide. A quick sketch of the best route is marked on the back of this letter. Once we reached the southern side of the mountains, we ran into a party from the southern lands, specifically, adventurers led by an archmage from the city of Veragles, named Thande Lucian (¡®Archmage of the Present¡¯, unknown high level, maybe ask Galatea). The party includes several dwarves. Mr. Lucian invited us to accompany him back to his city, to establish diplomatic relations, which I have accepted. I currently have no itinerary to report, length of the stay will depend on the situation in the city. I estimate at least several weeks before we travel to other cities. I have made some inquiries, but gathered no information beyond what Galatea would already have. I request any information we have on potential conflict between elves and dwarves or other races/nations be included in any potential return message. Please give everyone my love. I await further orders. Yours, Tim Galatea could see the relief in Regina¡¯s expression and the slight slumping of her shoulders as she read the message. Then she frowned thoughtfully, scanning the letter again. "Show me the map?¡± she asked. ¡°Turn the page around.¡± Galatea watched with interest as Regina used her mana, slight strands of it intertwining with her construct and causing the imaginary letter to turn and reveal its back. The young Empress leaned closer to examine the map. Galatea knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to make much sense of the details, but it did show the most important aspects of the proposed route, like the starting point. ¡°And he looked well?¡± Regina asked. Suddenly, she seemed more like a concerned mother, which might have been ironic. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯d lie in the letter, but ¡­¡± ¡°He did,¡± Galatea assured her. ¡°So did the rest of them. I didn¡¯t talk with him long, you understand, but from what I could tell, their mental states were just fine, not traumatized or broken by losing the connection to your psychic link.¡± Regina let out a breath. ¡°Alright. Good.¡± She nodded and turned back to the letter. Presumably, she knew that if that hadn¡¯t been the case, Galatea would have dragged Tim ¡ª and the others ¡ª back to Regina. Galatea was pleased at the sign her friend trusted her, at least. She still had to occasionally fight the urge to be a little too solicitous and obedient to Regina. At least she assumed so. Being devoted to your friends wasn¡¯t a bad thing, surely, and what¡¯s worse, Galatea didn¡¯t exactly have much experience with healthy friendships. The closest was Leian ¡ª who she probably should have considered a friend from the start, and she was chagrined she¡¯d been an idiot about it ¡ª but the situation was different. Either way, she did like Tim. ¡°How are things going with the gnomes?¡± she asked, shelving those thoughts. Regina quickly caught her up on the negotiations, which were apparently proceeding today but not making any real progress. She didn¡¯t sound particularly enthusiastic, certainly. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have much insight to offer you on that front,¡± Galatea told her. ¡°Just keep doing what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°I wish it was that simple.¡± Galatea thought for a moment. ¡°Well, your ultimate strategy relies on them being disunited, right? Did you see any fracture lines in the group? Who they sent to negotiate?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d put it quite like that,¡± Regina muttered. She tugged on her mandible, which usually meant she was nervous but sometimes just thinking. ¡°They definitely don¡¯t all agree on everything, even if they try to show a united front. I¡¯m pretty sure the military guys they¡¯ve sent are the most reasonable, actually.¡± Galatea had to smile at that. It probably wasn¡¯t a surprise considering the situation. ¡°Are they?¡± ¡°And maybe unhappy with their civilian leadership, but considering how they¡¯ve waged the war and everything else, that¡¯s understandable. Military officers are always complaining about civvies, right?¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, yes.¡± Galatea agreed. ¡°How about our side? Are your commanders being good? Or your new appointments?¡± Regina chuckled. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I ever had that problem with the Hive. And actually, the Delvers are surprisingly similar in a sense. Their ¡®civilian¡¯ and ¡®military¡¯ parts, such as they are, are pretty closely linked, after all. And I guess the Nerlian and Cernlian commanders are all nobles, so there¡¯s that.¡± ¡°Who would have thought the feudal system might have some advantages?¡± Galatea deadpanned. Regina laughed. She could tell it was a genuine reaction, but there was still a flicker in her eyes. Galatea didn¡¯t comment on it. She supposed Regina had been dealing with (or pushing off) a bit of an identity crisis for a while now. Or more than one, but the whole Hivekind vs. human thing was old and worn by now. Either way, Galatea was determined not to barge in unless Regina actually asked for her help or opinion. ¡°If and when I get back, I¡¯ll tell you so you can write a return letter,¡± she said, redirecting the conversation back to the original topic. Regina nodded. ¡°Thanks. I suppose I should tell some people about Tim¡¯s letter.¡± She¡¯d clearly already shared it with the Hive. Galatea nodded, then quickly said her goodbyes and turned to go. She headed back to her laboratory. During her trip, she had had a few ideas she wanted to start implementing. Besides, she should probably check in on June, she supposed. Since their joint training started, she¡¯d arguably taken on June as something of a second mentor/apprentice dynamic alongside Regina. Some people, she knew, would question that Regina had ever taken June as an official mage apprentice at all, given how new she herself was to magic, in chronological terms if nothing else. They had a point, she¡¯d admit, but she would also admit to calling Regina arrogant at least in the privacy of her own mind. It wasn¡¯t undeserved, and if anyone could, Galatea understood the feeling of being alone in a world that was in many ways much more backward than the one whose knowledge you carried. Many of the issues she saw in Regina were probably ones she herself had to deal with. She preferred not to think about her own identity too closely, for starters. Once she reached the door to her quarters, Galatea shook off those thoughts and instead turned to the nearest workbench. Today, she was not going to work on tools of war. There were enough people concerned with those. Instead, she was more interested in playing around with Conjuration magic for more academic or beneficial pursuits. A major issue with such tests was always safety precautions, she didn¡¯t want to accidentally create some poisonous, explosive or radioactive substance. But she¡¯d had an idea for a vacuum chamber with a contained internal testing space that should do fine. Maybe with it, she could finally play around a bit more with gases. And maybe test whether gamma radiation would actually hurt her. Carefully, of course. On second thought, it was probably better to search for a new location for that. Until then, she would focus on silicates and maybe make some progress toward solar cells like she¡¯d been hoping for. Chapter 298: Unreasonable Regina knew training June in psychic abilities would be a long and hard road. Not only would she need to figure out how to translate her knowledge into something helpful for someone who largely used regular magic, not the innate kind of psychic skill she had, but she would also need to tailor her approach to June herself. It was not the kind of thing that could be taught by rote from a textbook. On the contrary, the subject depended a lot on someone¡¯s mental state. By its very nature, it was changeable and prone to misinterpretation. As such, she tried not to get discouraged when they couldn¡¯t even move on from the first step. Unfortunately, June sensing other minds for a second wasn¡¯t the breakthrough she might have hoped for, and didn¡¯t allow her to reliably repeat it. It would take training. And even then, when June had progressed far enough that she could sense psychic presences with about sixty percent probability, she could only hold on to it for a second. ¡°I don¡¯t get how I¡¯m supposed to do this,¡± June whined after a training session that she couldn¡¯t say had gone well. She slumped in an armchair in Regina¡¯s living room and pouted. ¡°Do you want me to explain it again?¡± ¡°No, I mean ¡ª¡° she waved her hand impatiently, ¡°I understand what you said, I¡¯m just not sure how it helps. I get a headache even after just sensing other minds for a second. How by all the gods am I supposed to retain and integrate all that information while I¡¯m keeping my focus on sensing them?¡± Regina opened her mouth, then paused. She sat down opposite June and rested her chin on her hands. ¡°Maybe you have a point,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°I get some help from the psychic link with that, I¡¯m pretty sure. You might just have to manage on your own.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you very much for that, Your Imperial Majesty,¡± June answered sarcastically. ¡°That¡¯s so helpful.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°It has to be possible.¡± ¡°What, because you can manage on your own?¡± June interrupted. ¡°I don¡¯t have the psychic link, Master.¡± Sometimes it was easy to forget June was still a teenager. This wasn¡¯t one of those times. ¡°Not what I meant,¡± Regina frowned at her. ¡°If you¡¯d just let me finish. But you can sense and interpret more information with your magical senses, can¡¯t you? Your mana senses are very good for someone at your level. Clearly, the capability is there.¡± June hummed, sitting up a bit straighter. ¡°That¡¯s a good point, actually. Then what makes it different?¡± ¡°How should I know?¡± Regina rubbed her forehead. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just a matter of tapping into that working memory space or whatever, whether it¡¯s somehow interacting with the System or just storing information in mana, or ¡­ I don¡¯t know. Maybe we just need to train your capacity.¡± June chewed on her lip for a bit. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to do a lot more training, aren¡¯t I?¡± she grumbled. ¡°Do you want to have the abilities afforded by psychic magic or not?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, sure.¡± She stood up and paced a few steps around the room. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with it. At least I can cure my headaches now.¡± Regina mostly sat and watched as June tried again. She strained her own senses, trying to pick up the nuances of her apprentice¡¯s focus and attention. It was better if she didn¡¯t create an actual connection for this part. This time, she was actually able to see a small shift. It lasted for maybe two seconds before June reeled back with a wince. She wasn¡¯t joking about the headaches, Regina could sense her pain as well. ¡°Let¡¯s stop there for today,¡± Regina said. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t overexert yourself, and constantly healing headaches would only be covering up a deeper problem.¡± June grumbled but acquiesced to her words without fighting about it again, luckily. One advantage of these training sessions was that they provided a good distraction for Regina. This way, they kept her from dwelling on and mentally hovering around the negotiations taking place at the front. It was still frustrating, but she suspected she would have been a lot more annoyed if she let herself obsess over it. While the negotiations had taken a few days so far, it was becoming pretty clear that they were running out of things to talk about. Not that there was a lot of agreement, on the contrary, there were many important issues where both sides simply could not come to a resolution. Regina had questioned her own decisions and goals more than once over that time, but ultimately held true to the line she¡¯d set out before. What the gnomes offered simply wasn¡¯t enough. To be fair, they were now willing to give up some outlying towns and cities, but that was simply too little too late. It wouldn¡¯t help to protect Regina¡¯s drones from further aggression, or curb the Confederation¡¯s capacity to wage war in the future. They wouldn¡¯t even offer public apologies or any kind of recompense for the murders of Bea or the others, let alone acknowledge they¡¯d been the first to invade. She knew it probably shouldn¡¯t be that important compared to decisions about the future that could shape the lives of millions for decades to come, but it was a key issue. In a way, it might have become a representation of the entire conflict. Besides, she had to think about her own internal politics, too. The Empire was calm for the moment, but it was still very young, and she could not afford to let discontent rise. Giving in to the gnomes, possibly even allowing herself to be humiliated in many people¡¯s eyes, would be dangerous, at best. And the nobles and those who¡¯d been directly or indirectly involved in the war effort would expect something to show for it. Whether that was territorial gains or a new vassal or even just a lot of gold, she suspected it didn¡¯t matter much as long as they unambiguously won. It is the first war the Central European Empire is waging in its history, I suppose that means something. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Regina had also told Janis and the other delegates to demand the resignation of the Gnomish Confederation¡¯s current political leadership and democratic elections for the next government, according to their own traditions, but to not push the issue too hard. As much as she wanted to, it wasn¡¯t something she would hang the entire negotiations on, and she knew very well that the gnomes¡¯ regime would never agree to that. They didn¡¯t have the leverage to force it through along with other major conditions, not yet. Janis had been more intransigent on the matter of the Gnomish Confederation¡¯s status. They might retain most of their autonomy, but the Empire needed to have some political oversight ¡ª enough to stop them from raising another army and starting another war. The original proposal had been some form of vassalage, but they¡¯d softened their position to instead demand a demilitarized status enforced by treaties. The Empire would send observers with free access to the Gnomish Confederation to monitor its compliance. In addition, they would limit the number of soldiers the country was allowed to muster, and oversee an effort to purge anti-Hivekind propaganda. Of course, the gnomes weren¡¯t happy with those demands. Although Regina suspected they were easier to move on the treaties than the issue of recognition and amends for the crimes that started the war. If the gnomish leaders allowed that, it would severely weaken their own position, she supposed. That was why, at the end of the third day of this, when it finally came up again, Regina reminded Janis not to let them get away with weaseling out of it. And Janis took no prisoners, figuratively speaking, of course. She stood and delivered a scathing speech, listing all of the gnomes¡¯ crimes and mistakes from the very beginning, and lauding Regina¡¯s mercy shown in the terms she had offered them. It ended with a few oblique and not-so-oblique threats regarding the Hive¡¯s numbers and the military power of the Empire. After that, the chances of reaching an agreement in these negotiations were turning to ash. Not that they had likely ever been high to begin with. The gnomes were intransigent in not straying from their core terms, and the Empire likewise would not accept anything less than a clear win with tangible benefits to show for it, specifically ones that would handle the threat of another war with the gnomes in the future. ¡°Your stubborn insistence on empty, humiliating ¡®restitution¡¯ is an insult, almost as much of one as suggesting we should simply kneel to your Empress,¡± one of the gnomes, a woman called Dekilakel who was apparently a Historical politician and recently appointed to an important committee, said. ¡°If you will not even admit your past wrongdoing, how are we to trust that you would keep to any agreement we might come to?¡± Janis retorted. ¡°It does not appear you actually want peace. If you do not move on from this insulting demand to talk reasonably,¡± another gnome said ¡ª Etiaken, a member of the executive council who didn¡¯t seem to be directly responsible for military matters, ¡°we will be forced to consider these negotiations a loss.¡± Duke Bluegrass, who¡¯d arrived to represent Cernlia in the negotiations, scoffed. ¡°It seems to me you are the ones who are not serious about wanting peace. You are in no position to refuse to pay reparations or offer homage, and Her Imperial Majesty¡¯s terms are quite reasonable.¡± Predictably, this exchange did not improve the negotiations. It only took five more minutes until they had gotten so heated that Etiaken actually stood up and declared that the talks were over. Dekilakel joined him quickly, and the rest of the gnomish delegates followed. At least it looks like not everyone is happy about ending it like this, Janis commented as she watched them, and Regina could tell she was swallowing a sigh. Her gaze had wandered to the two senior military officers present. They probably did think their politicians were idiots, Regina supposed. She would. It¡¯s a good thing that they were the ones to walk away, though, she said, letting some of her satisfaction show. It makes the gnomish leaders look selfish, which is only going to bolster our position. Or that of the opposition in the Confederation. They may even be able to organize more protests. Let¡¯s see, Janis responded. For now, I have to touch base with the rest of our team. Regina watched the gnomes leave, intermittently checking their surroundings through Swarm Drones they¡¯d stationed at various positions, but her thoughts were still on the talks. The Nerlians had been pretty quiet, she realized. But they didn¡¯t have much skin in this game, since they didn¡¯t share a border with the gnomes and had only sent token support for the war. Presumably, they didn¡¯t want to offend any factions in the Empire who wanted either peace or war, so they didn¡¯t commit to a position. In contrast, Bluegrass grumbled about the gnomes torching the negotiations and the other Cernlians voiced their displeasure as well. Regina understood, they were more affected by the war and would like to see it end soon. Particularly since Cernlia was still recovering from its own civil war. On the other hand, they had a vested interest in seeing a proper resolution to it. ¡°Our assault will proceed as planned?¡± Owin asked. Janis nodded, and the others fell silent to hear her response. ¡°Yes. We will give them the two days required by the terms of the truce, but not a minute longer.¡± An approving mutter swept the tent. Janis went to circle it for a few minutes, talking to everyone and making sure she had given them at least a bit of attention. In the meantime, Regina focused on watching the scene from above. She had the feeling she had missed something, but she didn¡¯t know what it could be. Regina focused on the gnomes as closely as she could, stretching her psychic senses to get an idea of their mental states. The emotions she could pick up were not particularly surprising. None of them was happy. Instead, anxiety, resentment and even anger dominated. The only one who felt a bit of satisfaction was Etiaken, who¡¯d clearly ended the talks on purpose, and from the exasperation Dekilakel felt, she¡¯d probably only backed him up to present a united front. The rest of the delegates were lower ranking; politicians, a few senior officers and one or two in more administrative capacities to make transcripts or provide information. Still, the entire group moved back in the direction of the pass at a decent pace, without dawdling. Regina prowled through a few more Winged Drones flying above and hopped through some War Drones on the ground, but she knew it was pointless, just activity to soothe the restlessness she felt. The next few days waiting until the war properly restarted were going to be frustrating. She would try and talk to her ¡®contacts¡¯ with the gnomes, see if they could perhaps offer some insight. None of them seemed to have anticipated the regime¡¯s sudden desire to talk to the Empire, but it had clearly been something decided at the highest level. In the meantime, drones had already started packing up the accommodations they¡¯d prepared for the negotiations. Soon, it would look like they¡¯d never been there. The Imperial officers and officials were returning to the army encampment. Ben was making plans for a large-scale artillery exercise. Ada was drawing up plans for scouting out the gnomes¡¯ positions and deployments in the aftermath of these talks. Kiara was preparing a royal tour through her country, now that winter had lifted and spring arrived. Maybe Regina would join her. She still hadn¡¯t visited the Nerlian capital in person, either. As long as the war allowed for it. God, I¡¯m tired of it, Regina thought, sighing as she blinked her eyes open and stared at the ceiling. She felt bad about complaining since her people were fighting for her and it wasn¡¯t like she was risking her life on the front lines. But she would dearly like to have a year of peace sometime. Just a single year, is that so much to ask for? After this, she told herself. The Esemen and the Western Confederation and whoever else could go hang, she wasn¡¯t fighting anyone else for a while. Chapter 299: Doctrine In the end, their planned attack on the pass and the city beyond it proceeded almost without a hitch. It was enough to make Regina suspicious, though she knew it shouldn¡¯t be. It wasn¡¯t like they hadn¡¯t prepared for it extensively. Still, the gnomes were clearly not as dedicated to the defense as she¡¯d thought. Maybe the negotiations really had been a desperate attempt to avoid this battle? The Imperial forces started with artillery bombardment of the fortifications the gnomes had built. The geography of the pass limited the effectiveness of that tactic, but it still demolished any walls they could reach. The hive¡¯s artillery had improved quite a bit since their start. The gnomes responded in kind, their own cannons and big guns raining fire down on the army from their elevated positions. Their artillery had improved as well, though not as drastically, she supposed. But her commanders were keeping most of their soldiers out of the field of fire until the artillery duel had already proceeded for a while. Unlike a purely conventional engagement would have, she guessed, they didn¡¯t manage to destroy all of the gnomes¡¯ artillery. Some of the pieces were being protected by magic or defensive Classed people with high levels. Janis judged that trying to batter them down would only lead to a drawn-out exchange with no result. Instead, Janis used their Winged Drones judiciously, having them drop explosives on spots that were harder to reach from farther away on the ground and harass the enemy soldiers. Regina had expected them not to accomplish much, since the gnomes knew how to defend against flying drones by now, but they still managed to tie down and distract the gnomish soldiers. Under the cover of further artillery fire and the Winged Drones, the Empire¡¯s army finally advanced on the pass. They were moving as quickly as they could to get through the killing field of the gnomish artillery, but Regina still felt many drones die as they were caught in it. She winced and hoped they¡¯d be able to overrun their positions soon. The army was mainly composed of War Drones in the first few waves, with only scattered groups of human, higher-leveled fighters. Their mages and others with similar Skills used their Abilities to make shields over the army to weather the gnomish guns. They didn¡¯t have enough to cover everything, not against artillery as well as muskets, so some of the War Drones had to charge ahead without that protection. Of course, being Swarm Drones, they didn¡¯t balk at running straight into the teeth of a fortification bristling with cannons. They just kept on coming. And by the time the army reached the gates of the lower wall spanning the entrance to the pass, it had taken such a beating from their artillery that little of the real fortification was left. The rubble made it even easier for the War Drones to swarm the stronghold, climbing up the walls and falling on the soldiers defending the spot. The gnomes retreated as soon as the hive managed to send drones up in larger numbers, running to the next line of defense. At the same time, archers, gunners and artillery rained fire down on them, trying to kill the drones caught in the limited space and halt the Empire¡¯s push. Their own officers had expect it, of course. Regina remembered they¡¯d discussed several responses to such a scenario, either rushing ahead and trying to overrun the gnomes in a quick sweep or digging in and letting the army catch up properly, working their way forward. Focus on securing this part of the fortifications, Janis told her officers as Regina listened in ¡ª apparently, she thought it had to be the second option. She spread her attention further and gave orders to the War Drones at the front to consolidate and defend their new territory. After that, the rest of the assault proceeded in a similar manner. It got worse as they moved forward, due to the incline of the terrain and the narrow space offered by the mountain walls forming the pass. But the gnomes had been harassed for a while and were losing a lot of soldiers, too. They¡¯d already had to give up their initial emplacements and their artillery pieces were limited, as well. Some were dug in and impossible to move. Regina watched, trying not to flinch every time a larger group of Swarm Drones was killed. She¡¯d had enough time to get used to it, but on some level she didn¡¯t think one could ever get used to feeling death in the psychic link. She could ignore it, consciously at least, but if many drones were dying at the same time that was no longer really an option. She didn¡¯t even want it to get easier. How would I end up if I could just send swarms of drones to die against my enemies and not feel a thing? she contemplated. Of course, that didn¡¯t stop her from letting them fight. Instead of interfering, Regina watched as the battle continued. Ben was watching intently as well and she noticed him giving a few suggestions and orders to various drones a few times, but the battle was mainly commanded by Janis. Several drones relayed her orders to the human contingent of the army. It took hours to advance through the pass, under fire from the gnomes the whole way. The Winged Drones were a lifesaver, but the army still suffered casualties. However, the numbers¡¯ game was in their favor: the gnomes just didn¡¯t have the means to take them all out before the Imperial army overran their positions. As they proceeded, the artillery became less important and it was more of a grind of steel and Abilities, hemmed in by rock and elemental magic use. Regina was really glad her Swarm Drones could climb. The fortifications the gnomes used were all heavily damaged, but they¡¯d prepared extensively for this assault. Presumably, the gnomes had used the truce afforded by the negotiations to reinforce and extend them. Layers of walls and battlements guarded the climb up the pass. The War Drones managed to take most of them by storm in the end, though, climbing up the stone even as entire units of them were swept off by the defenders. In addition to walls, the gnomes had also used various other kinds of defenses, besides artillery emplacements; spiked pits and caltrops, ditches filled with water or flammable liquids, rock faces rigged to produce rockfalls ¡ª they even had primitive landmines. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The last one wasn¡¯t really a surprise. Even if their flying drone scouts hadn¡¯t caught glimpses of them, it was only a matter of time until the gnomes would copy the hive¡¯s tactics and use them on a large scale. Their bombs were worse than the hive¡¯s, but they had expertise that Cernlia or Nerlia wouldn¡¯t have had. The hive also had one of the best measures against minefields if you were cynical: expendable troops to send into them to scout out paths or try and set them off in a controlled way. In the end, no matter what the gnomes tried, they couldn¡¯t stop the Imperial army¡¯s advance. They could only slow it down, and even then not for very long. This is a microcosm of the war, Max said when she pulled out of watching the battle in the psychic link for a short break. Regina raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. ¡°I suppose,¡± she said, her voice coming out a bit raspy. ¡°Go get some sleep later, Max, you don¡¯t need to keep standing around my door.¡± He smiled and shrugged. ¡°Once your focus is back here, I will.¡± Regina sighed but didn¡¯t insist, and instead sat down on her bed to continue her vigil. She dwelled on Max¡¯s earlier comment for a bit before shelving her ruminations to focus on the end of the battle. He wasn¡¯t wrong, the tactics employed and the means available to both sides were representative of the entire conflict. Which also showed that they were going to win this war. There was little hope for the gnomes. Trying to look at it objectively, with the hive¡¯s natural advantages and growth, the Empire¡¯s growing technological options and the international geopolitical landscape, she didn¡¯t see a realistic way for them out of it. At the start of the war, the gnomes had a decisive advantage in their comparatively much larger population than the hive, but that disparity had been canceled out and even flipped now. With its human nations, the Empire had a larger population than the Gnomish Confederation, so if she absolutely had to, she could call up many more men to fight. Of course, that analysis neglected several factors, and Regina didn¡¯t just need to win the war, she wanted to do it in a way that didn¡¯t screw everything up in the long term. For now, the momentum of the battle carried it onward. The Imperial forces advanced through each defensive position prepared by the gnomes, destroying or capturing almost all of their artillery in the process. The fortifications already looked like a ruin, and small craters and rifts in the landscape dotted the pass. Little remained of the road that had originally wound its way up here. But the other side of the ridge was much less damaged, and as the first drone troops climbed the apex of the pass, they had a clear view down into the city. Clearly, the gnomes had known that if their enemy made it this far, there was little left to do, and they¡¯d focused their efforts on fortifying the approach to and the way through the pass, leaving its reverse side with little more than token defenses. Their army didn¡¯t advance across it yet, instead taking the time to gather and regroup. They had taken considerable losses forcing the pass, and many of their drones and soldiers had been fighting for hours. Regina listened in as the commanders discussed what to do next. Some were arguing for a longer break, but Janis decided to press on once they were ready, to maintain their momentum and not give the gnomes in the city more time to act. Regina kept out of it, willing to leave the military decisions to the experts, although she would have given their soldiers some time to sleep. Janis¡¯ decision might have been for the better, though, as they continued on down the other side of the ridge and into the city. The gnomish defenders were clearly still scrambling to reorganize. They must have lost a lot of soldiers and probably many officers as well. With her psychic senses, Regina caught some gnomes that seemed to be deserting, leaving the army and hiding in the city or running away from it. Either way, they didn¡¯t manage to put up much of a resistance. Regina again had that feeling like there was something she was missing. It wasn¡¯t a big thing, she didn¡¯t think, or at least it didn¡¯t seem like she had overlooked anything really important for this battle. It was more about the attitude and emotional state of the gnomes she could sense, as she focused on a broad sweep of their minds. The army advanced down the other side of the ridge, into the suburbs of the city, and then into its central part. The road had been trapped again, but with Winged Drones and War Drones leading the charge, those were quickly dealt with. Civilians seemed to have smartly fled the path of the advancing army, and Regina could sense clusters of them further on. She passed the information on to her commanders with strict instructions to leave the civilians alone. Some gnomish soldiers still tried to slow them down, but there weren¡¯t many and they avoided direct confrontation, instead focusing on harassing the Imperial forces. It seemed like whoever was in charge on their side, probably that general the new regime had promoted, had decided to cut their losses and consider the city a lost cause but preserve their forces for the next battles. A wise decision, or at least Ben agreed with it when she asked him. Regina stood up and started pacing through her room as she watched the army advance into and through the city. If it was still counted as the same battle, it had dragged on for quite a while now. Her soldiers were getting tired, even the drones, but it had to be worse for the gnomes. And still there was no trap or other turnaround for them that she could see. It made her feel like she¡¯d missed something again, but not necessarily in a negative way. Maybe the gnomes really hadn¡¯t had any better options than the negotiations, even if they didn¡¯t exactly put all their effort into succeeding at them. But that could be put down to partisan politics and internal strife within the ruling regime. If she knew anything about those, it was that they were rarely very stable. This one didn¡¯t even seem to have a clear leader, at least not that she¡¯d heard of. It was entirely possible that some strong faction had opposed the negotiations either out of genuine fervor or for some goal of their own, and had set boundaries on which concessions they would allow and then torpedoed the negotiations. They¡¯re not exactly resistant to shooting themselves in the foot so far, she noted. The other option would be that the gnomes were using a lot of soldiers for another task, somewhere else. Maybe they were just distracted. But what could be more important than this battle? She couldn¡¯t think of anything. Regina decided to sleep on it, since it didn¡¯t seem immediately relevant for now, and laid down for a nap. She woke a few hours later and checked in with Janis again, then their higher-up commanders. Everything was proceeding as planned, and they were effectively in control of the city already. The assault on the other two cities was about to start, now that the way here was open. Regina took a deep breath and then focused on other areas of the psychic link. She wanted a better feel for the situation on the whole, not just this battle or this city. After considering for a bit, she decided to search for any further information the contacts they¡¯d cultivated might have. In the end, she got an answer before they had the chance to respond to her request with any information. Instead, it was just a few hidden drones trying to eavesdrop on settlements further within the Gnomish Confederation, mostly stealthy variants of Winged Drones. They were enough to catch rumors spreading widely, even if details were scarce. It was hard to know exactly what had happened, but Regina wasn¡¯t sure what to think about what she did hear. She hadn¡¯t been wrong about regimes like this, but she could perhaps have paid it more attention; they weren¡¯t just prone to communication failures or shooting themselves in the foot, but also to internal instability. Interlude: Division VI Ever since the executive council had voted to begin negotiations with the Central European Empire, the opposition that had coalesced in the shadows seemed to be torn between hope, dread and insecurity, and possibly accomplished even less than before. At least that was Tikimaken¡¯s impression. He recognized that it might be unfair. They had managed to form something of an organized group, bringing diverse people together, and they hadn¡¯t been found by the Historicals yet. Well, by other Historicals except for those associated with the reformers, of course. He and Eli had actually heard about the decision to negotiate with the Empire first, and he¡¯d been able to provide some context for the military situation and the underlying arguments. One major reason had been to buy some time, after all. Providing that information to their compatriots had bought the two of them some goodwill from the group, and it had ensured they at least weren¡¯t completely taken by surprise. At the same time, his direct superior seemed to have decided he could do without Tikimaken¡¯s help. He¡¯d worried about Aliekin possibly finding out about his loyalties, but nothing ever came of it, and the general didn¡¯t seem like a hardliner anyway. He hadn¡¯t even been a member of the Historicals until recently, and that was clearly more of a political move. Still, he had thrown himself into preparing for the end of the negotiations and the resumption of the war. Tikimaken knew he¡¯d almost written off Ikris-on-Plains, still preparing a defense but expecting that it would fail in the end. In the meantime, Tikimaken himself was getting fobbed off on minor projects and social engagements. Still, it allowed him to cultivate his network of contacts further and to try to discreetly gather more information and maybe even sympathizers, so he wasn¡¯t too upset. Which brought him to this meeting. He¡¯d had an entirely legitimate commitment nearby earlier and had another meeting later, but he¡¯d scheduled just enough room and left his appointment early enough to squeeze it in, hopefully without making anyone suspicious. It couldn¡¯t be helped that they were all meeting in a specific place, but hopefully it was worth the risk. He¡¯d rarely seen this many of the group all together, since in his limited experience, they usually met in smaller groups. It was an impressive lineup, not just in the number of leading faction members of opposition factions ¡ª and some Historicals like him and Eli ¡ª but other people from all walks of life, including those with influence among workers¡¯ groups and cultural associations. They were currently discussing the end of the negotiations ¡ª the most recent news ¡ª and what it meant for the future of the Confederation and their own plans. ¡°Let¡¯s all take a step back,¡± Eli was saying. ¡°Being hasty is only going to hurt us, but the pendulum has swung in our favor. The faction leadership dismissed a perfectly good opportunity to make peace, and far more people than they¡¯d like to admit want it.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Geriken, an old grizzled miner with far more political acumen than you¡¯d expect, put in. ¡°They showed their selfishness, we only need to make sure people see it and don¡¯t forget it. Their rage is already rising.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need to survive this war first,¡± called someone else, who he didn¡¯t know very well. Tikimaken leaned back against the wall. They were meeting in the basement of a restaurant just a few streets across from the old mining district, in a neighborhood that perched uncomfortably between laborer and miner housing and more mercantile parts of the city. There were only a few chairs and most of the men were standing. He had positioned himself with a view of both the room and the door, which was why he was the first to notice the steps approaching. He held up a hand, then sharply hissed ¡°Quiet!¡± at the others, trying to keep his voice low. They fell silent and the heavy tread of boots became clearer. A second later, before he could do more than move a few steps forward, the door banged open. A group of soldiers walked inside and Tikimaken had almost drawn his own knife ¡ª carrying anything more would have been too suspicious ¡ª before he paused, blinking in surprise. He recognized these men. And they didn¡¯t seem particularly hostile. They were keeping their hands well away from any weapons. ¡°Calm down, friends!¡± Geriken bellowed. It helped a little to stem the rising buzz in the room. ¡°Thank you, and I apologize for the abrupt entrance,¡± General Aliekin said. ¡°Rest assured I am not here to hurt anyone.¡± His gaze swept over the room and then stuttered. ¡°Tiki?¡± ¡°Sir?¡± He asked dumbly, blinking in surprise. ¡°I did not expect to find you here.¡± ¡°Yes, I sympathize.¡± He glanced at the others around the room. The general cleared his throat. ¡°Yes, well, I would have included you if I had known you were amenable. But that is not why we are here today.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Eli asked. ¡°And who let him in?¡± she added. Tikimaken breathed out deeply and took a step closer. It was becoming clear the general was not here to arrest them. Relief and the faint stirrings of hope were spreading through him, clearing his head a little. ¡°I had several of you followed, and intercepted a report of one¡¯s activity,¡± Aliekin admitted easily. ¡°As for why I am here, it is to ask for your help.¡± That caused a few looks to be exchanged along with low whispers which the others didn¡¯t want him to hear. ¡°For what?¡± someone asked. ¡°I think I can guess,¡± Eli replied. She was frowning thoughtfully at the general. ¡°Do you have the support of the other generals?¡± ¡°Most of them,¡± Aliekin answered. ¡°A few have or will be placed under house arrest shortly. The city will be locked down for the day.¡± Tikimaken felt a shiver crawl down his spine, but he didn¡¯t let it show. ¡°You will need to move quickly,¡± Eli said, still calmly. It almost seemed to calm the people around her, too. ¡°We will,¡° the general agreed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to find people with such high status in the Historicals faction, but ¡ª it would be good for you to come along, Tiki too. And maybe a few others.¡± Several people clamored to speak at once, until Geriken thumped on a table. ¡°I will go,¡± he said, cutting through the noise. ¡°Dar, you come too.¡± The rest almost seemed to pass in a blur, the others starting to talk about preparations, and Tiki felt like time jumped ahead as he walked out of the room at speed, accompanied by his partner and two other conspirators. Eli¡¯s hand slipping in his grounded him back in the present moment. He glanced at their surroundings, noting the soldiers and officers Aliekin had brought. He recognized everyone, they were solid and reliable, clearly in more ways than one, but not the highest-placed allies he would have ¡ª presumably, those had other tasks. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. As they left the building, Aliekin led the way, clearly knowing where he was going, and after a turn around the building he headed down a side alley surrounded by his men, while Tiki and the others hurried to catch up. Several unmarked carriages were waiting a short distance away, and he could tell more soldiers waited inside. He maneuvered himself to end up next to the general, who allowed it readily, and wasn¡¯t surprised to find men in full armor and carrying weapons in the carriage. The horses¡¯ hooves clattered on the cobblestone as they got moving as soon as everyone was inside. ¡°Reinforcements are underway,¡± one of the others, a colonel he¡¯d talked to a few times, said. Aliekin only nodded. After a tense but mercifully short carriage ride, the vehicles slowed down again. He was thankful for the lack of traffic, and that nothing had gone wrong yet. Aliekin exited ahead of him, and set off quickly, walking at a calm but not slow pace down the street. Tikimaken glanced around, not surprised to recognize the back entrance of the Council Hall. He fell into step with his superior. It was amazing how far they got, really, he thought distantly. But it made sense. Guards stationed around the building saluted the general and the rest of them, letting them through without question. Maybe they were his, maybe they just expected this to be fine. General Aliekin had been the one to show success against the Hive, he¡¯d adjusted their strategy, he was their best general and the one the council placed their hopes in, so he¡¯d risen in power by the grace of the faction leaders. ¡°The gatehouses and barracks are secure, the city watch is being confined inside and most of them have turned or laid down their arms,¡± came another report as they walked down an upper-story corridor. ¡°Good, proceed according to plan,¡± Aliekin replied. He glanced at Tikimaken. ¡°We should be able to avoid any real fighting,¡± he explained. Tikimaken nodded. He¡¯d discussed enough contingency situations with the general and the other officers that he had an idea of what they were doing. He was sure these preparations helped them in doing this, ironically enough. Finally, they came to the doors of the council¡¯s offices on the uppermost story, heading toward a meeting room. It wasn¡¯t the ceremonial Council Chamber, but he understood that most of the real work was not done there. The corridor narrowed in this part of the building and passed through several checkpoints. The first one¡¯s soldiers let them through, the second was abandoned. Then, however, they came to the conference room currently housing the Executive Council and the guards tried to stop them. ¡°Halt!¡± one of them called. They wore shiny uniforms, but the muskets looked functional and the swords were probably sharp. There were four guards, two on each side. ¡°The council is not to be disturbed, and you do not have an appointment, general. Kindly wait until they are ready to receive you.¡± He noticed their hands were already going to their weapons. Aliekin, on the other hand, looked relaxed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t be possible, Captain. I will enter right now.¡± As if on cue, both sides went for their weapons and activated their Abilities. Tikimaken took half a step back, shielding both the general and Eli, as he activated two of his defensive Skills. He¡¯d leave the actual fighting to the others. And it seemed they had it well in hand. In only a few seconds, someone had conjured rope around the guards, hindering their movements. There was a slight pop and he could see them gasping, but if they tried to speak no sound reached him, as a vacuum erupted around them. One of them managed to throw a knife, but it thunked into the rocky shield he¡¯d erected. Then the guards were set upon by the other officers and knocked out. Or killed, one had a nasty head wound that was bleeding freely and he didn¡¯t like the angle of another¡¯s head. General Aliekin ignored them. He patted Tikimaken on the shoulder as he passed him and then went to the doors, which one of his soldiers quickly opened for him. Barely waiting a moment for the rest of them, the general went inside. Tikimaken followed hot on his heels. The executive council had recently been expanded again, but it hadn¡¯t yet made up for the positions lost to members dying, disappearing or being arrested. So, only ten faces looked up at the general and his entourage entering their meeting room. A few of them paled as they took in the group, something he noted with surprising satisfaction. ¡°What is the meaning of this, Aliekin?¡± Etiaken demanded. The general ignored the question. He strode further into the room with a definite dramatic flair. Tikimaken kept pace a step behind him, Eli catching up to him, while Geriken wandered a bit off to the side. ¡°Councilors,¡± Aliekin declared. ¡°You are under arrest on charges of murder, conspiracy and treason.¡± More of them paled now, they all stood and a few tried to step forward, hesitating at the soldiers fanning out behind their general. ¡°By what right would you arrest us?¡± Dekilekel asked. ¡°By the will of the people, in the name of justice for the poor souls murdered and the many oppressed under your reign,¡± he answered. ¡°You traitorous scum, we¡¯ll have your head for this!¡± Teliaken, an older faction leader Tikimaken had once looked up to, raged. ¡°You will rue this, mark my words, you bastard ¡ª¡° He cut off as Dekilekel kicked him in the shin. Tikimaken watched her as she clearly scrabbled to keep her composure, unsure what he was even feeling. He¡¯d thought her almost a friend, once. She¡¯d given him this posting. But she was also at the very least complicit in their abuses and crimes. ¡°I suppose this is what the people can expect,¡± she said. ¡°Power taken at the point of a sword. Do you think it would last you, that you will get away with this?¡± ¡°You certainly did for long enough,¡± Geriken commented. ¡°You need to leave us alive, so we can ensure the continuity of government,¡± Teliaken said, seemingly calmed down. ¡°It¡¯s the middle of a war. We can still come to an arrangement.¡± ¡°There is nothing you can say to avoid your fates,¡± Alilekin replied. ¡°Put them in irons,¡± he commanded his men. Tikimaken looked at them. When he woke up this morning, he hadn¡¯t expected to see a military coup, or to participate in one, but it still felt better than some alternatives he could think of. Standing here in this room and watching the leaders of his faction be unceremoniously dragged from the heights of the power they¡¯d gathered for themselves, he only felt glad to see it. ¡°Will you just go along with this?¡± Dekilekel demanded. ¡°Tiki, Eli, you are reasonable people, will you allow a coup against your faction, your government?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Eli replied. ¡°Regardless of other considerations, you people need to be stopped, first. You haven¡¯t been the proper, lawful government in a while now, De. You are the one who¡¯s fallen from grace, I only regret I ever thought better of you.¡± He turned away to watch the others, missing whatever reaction Dekilekel might have to the words. Instead, Tikimaken tried to make sure none of the deposed councilors would do anything stupid. He knew this was only the start, and a lot could still go wrong. Fortunately, they seemed at least smart enough to realize they couldn¡¯t fight all the armed men in the room. A minute later, he stood by the entrance, watching as they were led away. Eli stepped up beside him, brushing their arms together briefly. ¡°Do you suppose we can persuade him to send a few tokens to the Empire?¡± she asked. ¡°They won¡¯t be missed here.¡± He snorted. ¡°I suppose it is in the general¡¯s interest now to make sure the previous regime is blamed for everything, isn¡¯t it?¡± Eli smiled briefly, but it soon faded to a concerned expression. ¡°Something tells me General Aliekin is not all that eager to give up.¡± He nodded slowly. ¡°True,¡± he said quietly. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure what Aliekin would least like to give up, power or the war against the Hivekind. But Tikimaken also had to acknowledge that he¡¯d misread the general before. Clearly, he didn¡¯t know as much as he¡¯d like. ¡°He wants to ally with the opposition factions, and he wanted us here,¡± Eli continued after a pause. ¡°We¡¯ll have a role to play.¡± He hummed faintly. ¡°The other Historicals will be happy to distance themselves from the council and fall in line, to avoid the faction being completely lost, or purged entirely,¡± he said. Given what Eli had just pointed out, he didn¡¯t think there would be a general purge, at least. His and Eli¡¯s stars would probably rise, at least to some extent. He would probably keep working with the general. He looked at Eli and met her gaze, and he knew they were thinking the same thing. Exactly how much power would be in the hands of the people at the end of this would remain to be seen, but at least they were no longer guided by a clique that had started a major war and established a repressive regime of persecution and bloodshed. He¡¯d have to try to make sure it stayed that way, but he did like his chances. If they weren¡¯t simply conquered by the Empire, the Gnomish Confederation might even be fine, eventually. Chapter 300: Questions ¡°So, what exactly do we know already?¡± Max asked. For once, he wasn¡¯t standing behind Regina and playing bodyguard. Instead, he had taken a seat at the table beside her, along with other senior members of the hive and Regina¡¯s closest allies. She had chosen a round table with simple chairs to signal this was going to be an informal meeting. She wanted their opinions, there was no time for needless formalities or political plays. ¡°There has been a military coup in the Gnomish Confederation, it seems,¡± Regina started. The others exchanged looks and she caught some muttering in the psychic link. They should have all heard this much already, but confirmation was something else, she supposed. ¡°Who started it?¡± Kiara asked. ¡°A general named Aliekin, he seems to be in charge. According to our information, he was put in charge of their war effort after some of his strategies proved effective and his predecessors all failed.¡± Regina leaned back in her chair and sighed. ¡°I should have expected something like this,¡± she admitted. ¡°Regimes of this kind are rarely stable and in a situation like this, a coup was probably almost inevitable.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on that,¡± Galatea shrugged. ¡°Hindsight is twenty-twenty, but you couldn¡¯t have known what would happen or how. I didn¡¯t consider the possibility sufficiently, either.¡± ¡°Even if you had, there isn¡¯t much we can do,¡± Max commented. Kiara frowned a bit as she looked at them. ¡°You are all talking like you should have seen this coming,¡± she noted, ¡°but honestly, I don¡¯t understand why. I wouldn¡¯t have expected some military commander to just depose his rulers and get away with it. Wouldn¡¯t he lack any legitimacy?¡± Regina sighed. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re not used to another kind of political system, I think,¡± she said. ¡°From everything I¡¯ve heard, the Gnomish Confederation is closer to a country we might have seen in my time, or in our history. A dictator falling to an internal coup isn¡¯t that surprising. I mean, it¡¯s not like they had much legitimacy to spare. Sure, they were formally voted in and everything, but a lot of people would have known what¡¯s going on. It¡¯s more of a matter of propaganda, and this general can use that just as well. And the people¡¯s support is kinda crucial.¡± ¡°Maybe more to the point,¡± Galatea said drily, ¡°the rebellious commanders seem to control most if not all the country¡¯s military force, and the Historicals or any remaining loyalists don¡¯t have the means to fight back, at the moment.¡± Kiara frowned, but didn¡¯t say anything else. ¡°True,¡± Regina said. ¡°General Aliekin is claiming to want to restore the country to its proper, lawful state, but how genuine his claims are is anyone¡¯s guess. He pretty much has to say that. However, things seem to be moving in a generally positive direction, so far. He has made overtures to the oppositional factions and those discontent with the regime¡¯s rule.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve told you that?¡± June asked. ¡°A few of them. Most haven¡¯t sent any word.¡± Regina ran a hand through her hair. ¡°We should probably expect to lose some of our contacts. With this change in the Gnomish Confederation, they¡¯ll be less inclined to work with us, if they see they have other opportunities.¡± Via nodded. ¡°And what about the war? Is anything going to change?¡± Regina exchanged a look with the military commanders sitting around the table. Janis wasn¡¯t here, yet ¡ª she¡¯d wanted to come, but with this shake-up she also felt compelled to remain at the front to be ready. Ben was present, though. ¡°For now, nothing has changed for our war effort,¡± he said calmly. ¡°I would advise not to waste time waiting. We have only just regained our momentum, and pausing in hopes that the new regime wants to end the war would be giving away the initiative needlessly. If they do want to talk, then putting a bit more pressure on them by continuing our advance won¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we try to consolidate our gains first, though?¡± Tia asked. ¡°We can¡¯t just take control of a city and then leave the next minute, right?¡± Ben smiled a bit. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯d be leaving garrisons either way. I believe our army is big enough now we can leave sufficient detachments behind, as well as some people to help in the civilian administration and integration, while not weakening our front unduly. We also have some experience from Ins-On-A-Rock that will help.¡± Regina glanced at the others to see how they were taking it, then nodded. ¡°I trust you, Ben. If that¡¯s what you think is best, we¡¯ll continue our advance.¡± ¡°Is this going to affect the war in the long term, though?¡± June asked. Ben grimaced slightly. ¡°It might actually make it harder for us,¡± he admitted. ¡°I hope it will be easier in terms of reaching a peace agreement, though that¡¯s not my area of expertise ¡ª¡° he glanced at Regina, who nodded. ¡°But having their best strategist in charge of the country is probably not going to make fighting them easier. They¡¯ll no longer be dragged down by having a group of politicians who might not agree with each other or their commanders at the top. The general will probably be more likely to follow a course of action that would be politically inconvenient but makes sense militarily.¡± ¡°We can hope he¡¯ll be too occupied keeping the country together to focus on strategy,¡± Tia commented. It got a few smiles, but Regina could tell most people weren¡¯t totally optimistic about the prospect. The conversation turned to more details and discussion of how to handle and integrate the newly captured cities, but while Regina paid attention to it, she didn¡¯t say much. Instead, she was still a little distracted by thoughts of the developments in the Gnomish Confederation and what they meant. Considering this was a smaller meeting with fewer people, it finished relatively quickly without getting bogged down in too many tangents or arguments. Regina saw most of them off, escorting them to the door. Max left for once, too, off to catch up on some sleep. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Kiara stayed for a minute, clearing up some details regarding her upcoming trip and the organization of the palace and court, before she left as well. June lingered a bit, and Regina had the distinct impression that she was considering asking for another lesson in psychic magic, before she seemed to decide now was not the time and followed her sister. Regina could faintly sense them starting a conversation but turned her attention away. That left two people behind. Robin Daine had lingered after a look from her, to further discuss their intelligence on the war and the gnomes¡¯ politics. She first turned to Owin, however, who looked a bit nervous. He glanced at the Cernlian lord, then at Regina, a question in his eyes. ¡°Thank you for attending,¡± she told them. ¡°Lord Daine, I will call on you later.¡± He recognized the dismissal and bowed. ¡°Your Imperial Majesty.¡± Then he saw himself out, too professional to linger or glance back at the Delver. ¡°Is something the matter, Sir Owin?¡± Regina asked. He hesitated a bit, sitting down in the chair she pointed to. ¡°Not precisely, My Empress. But we have received some new information that I would like to bring to your attention.¡± Regina nodded. She¡¯d sat down as well and crossed her legs. ¡°From other chapters?¡± ¡°Yes. Most of them are not particularly happy with our war against the Gnomish Confederation of the East, to be perfectly frank. Especially with the role we Delvers have played. There have been accusations ¡­ that we have become ¡®tame lapdogs¡¯, that we are forgetting our roots, or our duty. Things in that vein.¡± Regina grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°If you think it necessary, we can scale back your order¡¯s participation in the war. Take your fighters off the front line.¡± It would hurt their front, but she couldn¡¯t keep them there against their will, and she wouldn¡¯t ignore what might be a serious problem. Owin shook his head. ¡°Thank you for the offer, Your Majesty, but I¡¯m not sure that would be of much help. We have already decided to throw our lot in with you, so to speak, and whether we fight on the front line of this war or not is not going to change much. Especially in the long term.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible, then made herself stop and folded her hands in her lap. ¡°I assume many of those accusations come from countries, or factions, that don¡¯t believe I am who I claim to be, anyway?¡± Owin didn¡¯t seem happy, although his expression remained controlled. ¡°Indeed, My Empress. We have done our best to spread the word, but some are ¡­ skeptical. And some chapters seem to have decided to reject our claims outright.¡± Regina sighed. It didn¡¯t seem like there was much she could do. She wasn¡¯t entirely certain how the Delver order worked, still, but she did know that the individual chapters had a lot of autonomy. If she wasn¡¯t careful, this might lead to a serious break in their organization. Assuming it wasn¡¯t already. ¡°The new technology we have introduced hasn¡¯t persuaded them?¡± she asked anyway. ¡°Perhaps it will in time, Your Majesty. But it is still quite mysterious, especially for other nations. Few actual details have made it out of the Empire, let alone working examples of machinery.¡± She supposed that was true. And she hadn¡¯t exactly put effort into spreading it beyond the Empire, since it was an important advantage, so far. ¡°Still, I assume there is a reason you are bringing this up now, Sir Owin?¡± Owin looked a bit uncomfortable. Regina was pretty sure the other Delvers had sent him to talk to her because they thought he was the one she got along with best, or something like that. ¡°This war against the gnomes has inflamed tempers on both sides,¡± he admitted. ¡°Some are also paying attention because the dark elves sent a delegation, I think. But the end of the war and how we choose to deal with the gnomes is going to determine how they see us in a lot of ways. We simply wanted to express some concerns. Beyond that, there have been a few requests from other chapters in nearby countries, who want to know more about the situation. And about you.¡± Regina frowned. He wants me to deal with the gnomes in a certain way, she realized. After thinking about it for a moment longer, it was obvious. ¡°Instead of dealing with them as a conventional victor in a conventional war of these contemporary times ¡ª you want me to keep insisting on democratic government for them, to ¡­ have a more modern and progressive approach?¡± Owin nodded, looking a bit embarrassed. ¡°Some of the hardliners are going to be upset at anything less than subjugating the gnomes,¡± he said. ¡°But even for some of them, well, the Ancients are known to be more civilized than us, to value liberty, to have more complex political structures and a comprehensive underlying philosophy. It was our golden age, after all.¡± Regina hummed, tapping her fingers on the armrest. ¡°So if we can show them that I uphold these values and extend them beyond humans ¡­¡± Owin smiled slightly. ¡°That would be my hope. You are as astute as always, Your Majesty.¡± Regina let that statement pass without comment. Instead, she wondered if Owin was just speaking for a smaller group of Delvers more in line with his beliefs. Probably; the question was how many of them would think the same way and how many were opposed. In the end, she supposed she¡¯d just have to accept it ¡ª although the Delvers were obviously important, she couldn¡¯t make her decisions only based on what would go over well with them. ¡°I will keep this in mind,¡± she told him. ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can do, but a lot will depend on the gnomes and what they are willing to accept, as well as the further course of the war. Regardless, please feel free to talk about me and our goals to your fellow Delvers. I trust you can handle communications with the other chapters without my personal oversight? Although I¡¯ll of course be available if you need me for anything.¡± Owin inclined his head. ¡°We will, Your Imperial Majesty. Thank you. I will let you know if there are further developments or if other questions come up.¡± ¡°Please do. And thank you again for bringing this up.¡± Owin bowed again, saying his goodbyes, and left. Regina looked after him for a moment. Then she sighed and turned her attention back to her apartment. There was little she could do, personally, at this point. They¡¯d have to wait and she¡¯d let her commanders do what they thought best for continuing to prosecute the war. For now, she¡¯d decided to take the evening off. It had been a while since she got the chance to just relax. Regina had an early dinner, then went to the training yard at the back of this wing of the palace and let loose with a bit of magic, before sparring with some of the drones who were there. They would have trounced her, of course, but they held back enough that she could actually learn something. She tried not to let it bother her and instead enjoyed the adrenaline rush and exertion. Afterwards, she returned to her rooms and ran herself a bath. She was relaxing in the warm water, considering how best to split the new clutch she would have to add to the hive¡¯s numbers later, when she was interrupted by a new System notification.
You have leveled up
Regina started, sputtering as she briefly sprayed water in her face. She shook her head, then clutched the edge of the tub as she stared at the notification. Level 63, she noted.
Congratulations, you have unlocked a new Template: Drone Crafter
Regina smiled to herself, getting out of the water and toweling off. Still, she felt a bit of uncertainty looking at it, as she wasn¡¯t quite sure what to think about this new Template she¡¯d unlocked now. Another type of sapient drones. Well, the plans she¡¯d just been thinking about were now useless, she was going to make some of these drones to see what they were like. She wondered when she was going to get new Swarm Drone Templates. Increasingly, it was starting to seem like the Form Drones were supposed to be all of it and she wasn¡¯t getting new Swarm templates unless she made them herself. Chapter 301: Friends Kiara narrowed her eyes, waited for a moment and then lashed out with her blade. The tip of the sword slid past the edge of her opponent¡¯s shield and clanged against the side of his helmet. He stumbled back a step, shaking his head slightly. She hadn¡¯t put enough force behind the blow to actually hurt or do any damage, but she supposed it would have been distracting. ¡°Very well struck, Your Majesty,¡± Sir Richard complimented. She lowered her sword and nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Then she glanced around, noted the position of the sun, and sighed. ¡°I suppose we should finish up for today.¡± The older knight bowed, then they both walked over to the rack with the training weapons and deposited them. Kiara liked Richard, and being Janis¡¯ great-uncle had little to do with it, he was a good sparring partner and instructor. But today, she wished she could have hit him a bit harder. Even after the training session, she was feeling a little restless and agitated. She¡¯d been using her mana to increase her speed, but had restricted herself to physical combat for today, so she still had most of her mana. She briefly considered whether exhausting it would have helped, then dismissed the thought. Once Kiara had washed up quickly, she returned to her office to take care of some last paperwork. One thing she had learned quickly after she took the throne was that paperwork seemed to breed like rabbits and if you didn¡¯t make sure to keep up with it, the flood of letters and reports would overwhelm you at the least convenient moment. It had only gotten worse with Regina¡¯s reforms and the establishment of the new ministries and agencies. A surprising number of them seemed to need input from the Cernlian crown. Kiara didn¡¯t even want to consider how much worse it would be for Regina. Although she might hope it was worse. And now she was thinking of her again. Kiara sighed, put the last of the letters she¡¯d received down, and paced up and down her sitting room. She was about as prepared for her planned trip as she was going to get. Regina had wanted to come but begged off yesterday, since the news of the military coup in the Gnomish Confederation required her attention. Kiara wanted to be disappointed at that, but a too-large part of her was relieved. She had just gotten started with her efforts in Cernlia¡¯s court, and the trip would be an important element. She needed to be seen, but more importantly, she needed to make sure no one was plotting against them. It would require some careful handling in a few cases. Still, Kiara felt confident she could strengthen her power base and keep the nobles in line. Seeing more of the country and talking to common citizens would be a benefit, too. Kiara stopped pacing and was considering going to look for June to say goodbye, and give her a few last pieces of advice, when someone knocked on the door. She didn¡¯t have to open it to know who it was. Galatea had a rather distinct mana presence. Kiara quickly made sure she was presentable and opened the door, unsure if she should be relieved that the servants usually attending to her were currently occupied with packing her things into the transport they would be using or not. ¡°Good evening, Your Majesty,¡± Galatea greeted her. ¡°I thought I should come this evening to bid you goodbye since you were likely to be busy tomorrow morning.¡± Kiara smiled slightly and stepped back to let her in. ¡°Of course, come on in,¡± she invited her. At least one maid still paid attention and quickly fetched them some tea and snacks before departing. Kiara simply hoped it wasn¡¯t offensive to offer them, unsure if Galatea could even eat, or wanted to. She hadn¡¯t had all that much interaction with her in a private setting, and usually not over meals. Although she seemed to remember her drinking something during Regina¡¯s coronation banquet. The artificial intelligence didn¡¯t seem offended, at least. Instead, she exchanged a few pleasantries with Kiara as they sat down, even if she didn¡¯t touch the food or drink. She mentioned her training and compliments from the senior knight, then the conversation detoured into magic for a bit. It did seem to be the easiest topic they could talk about, Kiara supposed. Besides, she found her insights fascinating. Galatea had a rather different approach than most people she¡¯d talked to, but she clearly knew her way around mana. It was no wonder June kept singing her praises when it came to the tutelage she received from her. Still, she had the impression Galatea hadn¡¯t just come by for ¡®small talk¡¯. She didn¡¯t strike Kiara as a person who particularly enjoyed it, generally speaking. ¡°It was nice to get the chance to speak to you,¡± she finally said, deciding to be a bit more direct. Galatea smiled slightly. ¡°Indeed, we have not had much chance to talk privately. Mostly when Regina was there.¡± Kiara tensed slightly at the mention of Regina, and she could tell that Galatea noticed it. ¡°True,¡± she allowed. It was obvious Galatea was here because of her friend. ¡°Both Regina and your sister June value you highly,¡± the mana-form said. ¡°I feel like I know you better than I probably do, given every time June has mentioned you. She quite looks up to you, as I suppose is natural for an older sister.¡± Kiara couldn¡¯t help but smile slightly as she heard that. It was nice to know June talked about her, of course. Especially positively. She¡¯d been a bit worried that she might have let resentment fester. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°And Regina? Does she talk about me as well?¡± ¡°Occasionally,¡± Galatea said. She hesitated for a moment, then seemed to decide to get on with what she wanted. ¡°Despite my age, I am new to having friends. It strikes me that Regina has somewhat of the opposite but same problem. Don¡¯t forget that despite her knowledge and maturity, she doesn¡¯t remember any relationships she had before her hatching. Janis is the first person outside the hive she formed any connection to, but you are not far behind.¡± Kiara raised an eyebrow. Was that supposed to underline that Regina valued her? It did, she supposed, but why was Galatea bringing this up now? ¡°I do have trouble remembering that,¡± she admitted. ¡°She doesn¡¯t act like a person who only remembers two years of life.¡± ¡°Not on the surface, perhaps.¡± Galatea shrugged slightly and moved her teacup around. ¡°She can be a bit arrogant, can¡¯t she?¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Kiara snorted lightly before she could stop herself. She coughed and took a sip of her tea to hide it. ¡°Your words, not mine,¡± she said. Galatea only gave her an unimpressed look, so she sighed. ¡°Yes, she is. Are you going to tell me it¡¯s all a front to hide her true insecurity or what?¡± Galatea smiled briefly. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. Regina is definitely a bit insecure, but I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to call it a front.¡± Kiara leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. ¡°Then what are you getting at, if you don¡¯t mind being blunt?¡± The AI sighed. ¡°I know Regina can sometimes be ¡­ an arrogant bitch with a superiority complex, to quote someone.¡± She raised an eyebrow and Kiara coughed a bit. ¡°But I understand where she¡¯s coming from, and I hope that maybe I can give you a bit of insight to help your relationship remain strong.¡± Kiara wondered if Regina had even noticed any need for that, but Galatea apparently thought their relationship was getting strained. It shamed her a bit to realize it had apparently gotten to the point Galatea, Regina¡¯s friend, felt the need to intervene. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d done that badly, had she? ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± she said drily, to cover for her thoughts. If she was human, Kiara would have said Galatea was having trouble finding the right words. ¡°Regina woke up as a new species, with induced retrograde amnesia, alone in the wilds. For months, she couldn¡¯t even be sure she was on the same planet she remembered, that the knowledge she did have was real, or if she would survive long enough for it to matter. Then she found out the answers by learning about the Cataclysm. She¡¯s literally the sole survivor of entire civilizations with millennia of history, while not remembering her own history. How do you think you would feel if people like the Delvers went around calling your people and you ¡®Progenitor¡¯ and ¡®Ancient¡¯?¡± ¡°You mean she¡¯s under a lot of pressure?¡± Kiara raised an eyebrow. Galatea made a dismissive motion. ¡°I don¡¯t think you have any concept of how alone she is ¡ª both of us are, I suppose, though I¡¯ve never been human. Regina is very, very alone in the world. If she didn¡¯t happen to have been made a Hive Queen, she would be very lonely. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for a Hive Queen to be lonely. But it¡¯s still an intensely alienating experience.¡± Kiara had to suppress a shiver. ¡°I understand that,¡± she said. ¡°Do you?¡± Galatea shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not okay to treat your people as backward savages, of course. We might be getting a bit too close to that sometimes. But I don¡¯t think you understand just how different the world is. You only get how Regina¡¯s acting and maybe some of her goals. Even June doesn¡¯t, not even Janis, though she gets close.¡± Kiara sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t like the way she talked when we discussed the gnomes¡¯ military coup and whether we could have seen it coming,¡± she admitted. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re about to tell me that I was wrong.¡± Galatea scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either of you was wrong, but it also doesn¡¯t really matter for the point we¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re not telling me to be mindful of Regina and ¡®cut her some slack¡¯ because of these differences?¡± The AI shrugged and shook her head at the same time. ¡°Not in the way you¡¯re thinking, if Regina needs it, you should be perfectly ready to give her a kick in the pants.¡± Kiara choked a bit on another sip of tea she was taking. She put the cup down and leaned back, contemplating what Galatea had said. She had to admit that she had let some resentments fester. Kiara had never expected to be queen of Cernlia, but it still chafed to immediately lose sovereignty of the nation. It would chafe for everyone, surely? Regina hadn¡¯t seemed to properly value and appreciate it. Going by what Galatea said, though, she supposed she might have simply different expectations and attitudes for things like that. It was rather clear that she didn¡¯t expect a relationship where the vassal would simply rule their territory independently, pay taxes to their liege and send men to their wars, anyway. Besides, it was Kiara herself who¡¯d made that choice. In part, she¡¯d knelt because she knew of Regina¡¯s power and that it would grow quickly. There was a chance Regina would force the issue militarily, eventually, and it was better to join her on her terms than risk that ¡ª ¡®getting in on the ground floor of her empire¡¯, Janis had called it once, and she wasn¡¯t wrong. It was probably unfair to blame Regina too much for that. And more importantly, Kiara had always told herself she wouldn¡¯t be like the men who came before her, that she was willing to suffer losses if it meant better lives for her people, and that was still true. I might have just found it a bit harder to live up to the words, she admitted. But because she¡¯d been a little resentful anyway, it had paved the way to feeling annoyed or slighted over other issues, even minor ones. ¡°We¡¯re friends,¡± she finally said. ¡°Any issues will work themselves out.¡± And Kiara meant it. She did respect and admire Regina, irritation aside, and for both political and personal reasons, she didn¡¯t want to lose her friendship. ¡°It¡¯s always good for friends to talk honestly with each other and mention any issues,¡± Galatea commented. True, but that logic doesn¡¯t make the two of us friends, yet, Kiara thought, but didn¡¯t say. ¡°Of course,¡± she agreed mildly. ¡°The HRE was a federal nation with much autonomy for its constituent states, until the end,¡± Galatea said. ¡°Regina isn¡¯t going to be unreasonable about centralizing too much.¡± Her expression indicated that if she was going to, Kiara wasn¡¯t the only one who could ¡®kick her ass¡¯. Kiara smiled. ¡°I think I quite enjoyed our talk, Lady Galatea. We should repeat it more often.¡± The mana-form lifted her cup in salute and smiled. ¡°Any time, Queen Kiara.¡± Then she paused, set it down, and stood up. ¡°By the way, to assuage your curiosity, yes, I can eat or drink. It¡¯s not automatic and takes some energy without providing much benefit, though, so I generally don¡¯t.¡± Kiara knew she shouldn¡¯t, but she still flushed a bit in embarrassment. I should have just asked. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± she replied. ¡°I bid you a goodnight, then.¡± Galatea returned the farewell and left quickly. Kiara got ready for bed and then tossed and turned for a while, too restless to sleep easily. Her mind kept circling back through their conversation as well as past ones. She wished Janis was here, but it looked like she might be reduced to missing her. When Kiara woke up the next day, she was still feeling tired and took a bit of extra time to ensure her appearance was flawless. Luckily, everything had been properly prepared the night before. She did have to suffer through goodbyes, but at least they were relatively quick, especially since she¡¯d chosen to have them in the courtyard instead of waiting and sitting inside. Regina sent several of her personal team of bodyguards along with her and reminded her she could use them to contact her if she needed anything. Kiara managed a bright smile and thanked her sincerely. Mercifully, Regina kept the goodbyes brief. She was probably already diving into the psychic link as she walked back into the building. Kiara rode through the city on her most impressive horse. There had been no big announcement, but people still gathered at the sides of the street to see them off. She waved and smiled a bit. Everyone else got out of the way of the royal party, so luckily, they made good time through the city. Once they had exited the city and were and on the road leading through fields and pastures, she breathed a bit easier. It had gone well, she judged. Now Kiara was looking forward to the tour. Her attendants kept quiet and she had the opportunity to just enjoy traveling through the countryside for some hours, watching as the sun started to disappear behind the horizon. It didn¡¯t last, unfortunately. They had only gone a few leagues from the city, not yet at their planned stop for the night, when Sir Richard rode up to her. ¡°There is news, Your Majesty,¡± he informed her. Kiara nodded, then glanced at Jay, who was following him. ¡°What news?¡± she asked them. ¡°Reports from the southern border, my Queen,¡± Richard answered. ¡°There have been several encounters with gnomish soldiers.¡± Kiara sucked in a breath. ¡°They¡¯re not invading, are they?¡± To her relief, Jay shook his head. ¡°The Hive has a few Winged Drones covering the area and we checked. There¡¯s no great buildup and definitely no large invasion force crossing the border.¡± ¡°Raids, then,¡± Kiara muttered. The two men nodded. ¡°Regina has already ordered more soldiers into the area to track and harass or possibly counter them,¡± the drone said. ¡°She¡¯s conferring with Ben on it now.¡± Kiara suppressed a sigh. Of all the times for this to happen, it had to be when she just left for her trip. Chapter 302: Healers Whatever General Aliekin was doing to establish his power in the Gnomish Confederation, he clearly wasn¡¯t wasting any time keeping the fight going. Their soldiers had already been in retreat from Ikris-on-Plains and were probably reorganizing anyway, so ironically, the disruption of the coup really didn¡¯t have much of an effect. Probably less than on their political establishment, certainly. Via wondered how things were going over there, with a bit of concern. She still wasn¡¯t entirely sold on the whole sympathy thing, but ever since she¡¯d started working as more of a dedicated healer she¡¯d developed something more ¡­ well, maybe not empathy, but not functionally dissimilar. When treating patients, it was generally a good thing to care on some level what was hurting them. The war had given her plenty of opportunities to nurture those talents. On balance, Via still wasn¡¯t sure whether she preferred it to her old station by Regina¡¯s side. Any drone would want one of those in principle, of course, but she was probably more useful here in a different way. Not that she¡¯d ever really set out to be a healer or leader of other drones or working with their human allies, it had just kind of happened that way. Regina had needed someone to oversee the healers she was sending to her allies and Via had always been good with medicine and healing spells she¡¯d learned from her Queen while Ira could pick up the slack for her. Nowadays, she probably had more human patients than drones even while they were fighting the gnomes together rather than the Cernlian civil war. Partly, she supposed that was because everyone was more likely to leave Swarm Drones to die. They also tended to die outright to strong attacks while humans, often higher-leveled and with higher stats anyway, could weather them and walk away with an injury. Sapient drones were even rarer, since Mother was protective of them and they tended to stay in the back commanding Swarm Drones rather than get into the thick of the fight. As always, the aftermath of a battle lasted longer than the battle itself, especially in the field hospitals. The assault on the pass had led to a staggering number of casualties and an unprecedented number of injured to take care of. Via suspected she might be getting close to beating one of the oldest drones at reaching the next Level Threshold, at the rate she was forced to gain Experience. It was a good thing she¡¯d improved her magic. Therefore, Via was a bit out of the loop when she finally managed to come up for some air. She¡¯d kept apprised of the broad strokes, of course, but she¡¯d ignored most of what was going on in the psychic link and even ignored many of the people trying to speak to her while she was focused on a patient, without following up with them afterwards. Dan showing up to drag her away from her tent and towards the center of the current camp was the first real opportunity she had to catch up. They could have been housed in the city, but due to various concerns, the largest field hospital had been established outside of its bounds. There were a lot of drones around to make sure no gnomes got stupid ideas about striking at the wounded. ¡°So, how are we handling these raids?¡± she asked him, deciding it was easier than sifting for information in the psychic link. ¡°The Cernlians are primarily responsible for the situation at this point,¡± Dan explained. ¡°Supported by us, of course. It seems like a well-planned campaign, probably something they¡¯ve had in the works for a while, but it¡¯s not the invasion a few people have been afraid of. They¡¯re not really trying to take and hold territory, except maybe a few outposts or hamlets.¡± ¡°And?¡± Via asked. ¡°There¡¯s been some damage, but we¡¯re beating them back. The Cernlian reinforcements Kiara sent have been proving their worth. A few Delvers have been heading over as well and have done pretty good work. And more drones, of course, but I have to admit it¡¯s not necessarily the kind of fighting we¡¯re most suited to.¡± Via cocked her head. She supposed she could see that, in terms of ¡®stopping power¡¯ and being on the defensive. Still, they should have some advantages. ¡°I¡¯d think our improved senses would be an advantage, and our coordination over the psychic link, and Swarm Drones¡¯ endurance, the supply situation ¡­¡± she trailed off, a bit surprised herself at the list. Dan shrugged. ¡°Sure, but we¡¯d really need a good commander to take advantage of most of those points. Besides, the gnomes have grown pretty used to fighting us. They¡¯re always attacking in the dark or using Abilities to hide from our Winged Drones. And they like to strike where we don¡¯t have enough drones for a real swarm. We don¡¯t really have enough concentrated strength to force them to stand and fight, unfortunately. Still, the battles aren¡¯t really the issue. This isn¡¯t their main goal, just a way for them to force us to send away troops and resources.¡± ¡°And they can always threaten to turn it into a real invasion, so we can¡¯t exactly ignore them even if we didn¡¯t care for the civilians in the area,¡± Via murmured. Dan smiled. ¡°You really have gotten good at this, don¡¯t ever let anyone tell you you¡¯re not cut out to be a commander,¡± he praised her. Via returned his smile and sent her appreciation over the psychic link. He responded with a playful nudge. ¡°How are things going with the healers?¡± he asked. ¡°There¡¯s always more to heal,¡± she complained half-heartedly. ¡°But it¡¯s actually been a bit interesting, I¡¯ve started getting patients from the civilian gnomish population. I¡¯ve actually treated a few female gnomes now, for a change.¡± ¡°In here?¡± he asked, raising an eyebrow. Via didn¡¯t care about the implied judgment. ¡°I¡¯ve been making the rounds to other places, you know that,¡± she reminded him. Their conversation came to a halt as they left the medical area and entered the part of the camp dedicated to other things outside. Via could tell Janis had been standing around for a minute or so, and a few other drones were with her. ¡°Finally ready to show your face outside the healers¡¯ tents again?¡± Janis asked her teasingly. Via smiled and returned a mocking salute. ¡°Sure, princess. Did you miss me?¡± She did like Janis, despite the occasional headaches she was causing her. Via hadn¡¯t approved of the decision to press the attack on the city, for example, but she wasn¡¯t going to bring that up now. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I always miss your biting wit,¡± Janis replied drily. ¡°It¡¯s a pity I might not have close access to it in person from today on.¡± That made Via pay more attention. ¡°You¡¯re heading out with the army?¡± ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no point in letting off the pressure, and Ben thinks we should keep advancing. I¡¯m not going to sit back and hide behind the city walls. But maybe you should stay back and look after the patients you¡¯ve got.¡± Via frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± she said. ¡°Most of the injuries from the battle are now healed.¡± It went unsaid that the injuries too severe to be healed by their magic usually meant a quick death for the fighter. An unfortunate reality of field medicine. ¡°Maybe I should stay closer to you, I could do more to help at the actual front.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to decide for you. You would know best what makes the most sense,¡± Janis conceded. ¡°I¡¯m going to be joining Janis, but Ben, or Mother, might send me to the northern front to try and stop the raids soon,¡± Dan put in. Now his interest in and info on the raids made more sense. Via supposed he might be a good fit for the mission, although she still felt a bit worried about him. ¡°Finally taking up a bit more responsibility instead of just bashing heads in?¡± she teased him to cover for it. ¡°Yes, I think this might be their way of trying to trick me into landing a leadership role,¡± Dan deadpanned. Although she could sense he wasn¡¯t entirely kidding. ¡°Or maybe certain other persons.¡± He was looking at Janis, who lifted her hands. ¡°I know nothing and have done nothing.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to return to Cera?¡± Via asked, suddenly reminded of it. Janis grimaced, and she could sense a bit of dismay and reluctance mingled with determination over the psychic link. Probably upset that she wouldn¡¯t get to see her girlfriend, she guessed. ¡°It looks like I may have to postpone that trip. They¡¯ll manage without me.¡± ¡°At this rate, we¡¯ll have to defeat the gnomes and secure the peace before you get to spend time getting physical with Kiara again,¡± Dan said with a mix of cheerfulness and false sympathy that somehow worked. Janis glared at him and started to threaten something about reassigning him to oversee latrine construction, but Via was distracted from the conversation. Several of the other drones in the city were contacting her. ¡°Hey,¡± she interrupted the other two. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading into the city. It seems like a group of gnomish civilians have shown up asking for healing. More than before, they¡¯ve attracted others. I should go and handle it myself.¡± ¡°If we can get them used to this and have more people rely on us for medical help, it will definitely help our efforts in the city,¡± Janis nodded. ¡°Do you need an escort?¡± The way she asked the question made it clear it wasn¡¯t really a question and a denial wouldn¡¯t be accepted. Via shrugged. ¡°Sure, but I¡¯d prefer if it wasn¡¯t other drones this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get a few soldiers together,¡± Dan said, waving half over his shoulder as he turned away. They could¡¯ve just assembled drones over the psychic link, but it obviously wasn¡¯t that easy with human soldiers. Janis smiled and exchanged a brief hug with Via, since they probably wouldn¡¯t see each other before she left. ¡°I won¡¯t keep you, then.¡± ¡°Good luck. Be careful,¡± Via responded. They would talk over the psychic link, of course, but it couldn¡¯t hurt to do this in person too. Then she headed to the exit. It didn¡¯t take long for Dan to send her a squad of soldiers. Via mounted one of the drones Evolved as Mounts and tried to make small talk with them as they headed into the city. These men were all polite and respectful and clearly professional, even if they were a bit rough around the edges. They were Cernlian soldiers from Lyns¡¯ old army, then Kiara¡¯s army. Via knew most of them were probably farmers or laborers or at best hunters before the war - wars - but not anymore. They were all in the second Tier and had more martial-sounding Class names. She usually didn¡¯t notice, but she rarely saw people in the first Tier, even though she knew it had been more common before the war and was probably still common in the interior of Cernlia and Nerlia. That was the consequence of war, she supposed. Via wondered what these men would do after the war against the gnomes was over. People like them would probably be the backbone of the new Imperial military. They didn¡¯t seem like they¡¯d wanted to go back to their civilian lives, so it would be professional soldiering for them. One of them pushed at her shoulder, nudging her side, ripping her from a brief contemplation. He looked like he barely restrained himself from kicking the civilian gnome now edging to the side of the street. ¡°Bastards should know better than to get too close,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°Careful, Milady.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Matt,¡± she said firmly. ¡°I¡¯m certain I will not catch an infection.¡± The rebuke in her tone seemed to get through, although she suspected maybe not the entire reason for it, and he ducked his head a bit. It did prompt her to pay a little more attention to the people around her beside the Imperial soldiers. The city was obviously more subdued than it would normally be, but it was hardly deserted. Gnomes still walked down the streets or went into buildings. Many of them gazed curiously at her escort party. It could be a lot worse, she supposed. At least the hostility was muted and it didn¡¯t look like many gnomes were barricading themselves in their homes for fear of the cannibalistic invaders (or whatever word would be appropriate between races). Looking at them, Via once again noticed the gnomes really weren¡¯t that different from the citizens she would see in the Empire. Arguably, most were better off. At least before the war and maybe even during. The construction tended to be better and she knew from experience that running water was more common. Janis had joked that Mia might judge civilizations by their books but Tia would judge them by their plumbing. Via found herself sympathizing with Tia in this case, the quality of a city¡¯s public infrastructure could tell you a lot. Plus, it helped with the smells. She didn¡¯t get much more time to think about it, however, as they reached their destination. Some of the others had set up a temporary hospital in a square on the eastern side of the city, further from her former location. She saw the minor crowd that had gathered there as they approached. The gnomes made way for her and her escorts, a bit wide-eyed. Some of them looked at her with a desperation in their eyes that told her all she needed to know about why they¡¯d risked this for themselves or their family. Via jumped down from her ride. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this organized,¡± she said briskly. ¡°We¡¯ve brought colored tags. Patients, please wait until one of our healers reaches you to make a quick assessment and either start fixing you or giving you a tag. Anyone else, who is not accompanying a minor or elderly patient or someone whose faculties are compromised, please step back and wait at the back of the square. Here, let¡¯s say.¡± She lowered her voice and looked at her escorts. ¡°Please help corral the civilians.¡± Then she started walking through the patients and the other healers and reminded them of the tag system they¡¯d developed, with different colors to indicate the severity or type of injury or illness. There wouldn¡¯t be any black tags today, anyone with that severe an injury who had not been treated yet wouldn¡¯t still be here searching for treatment, but Via would take care of those with red or purple tags. Grave wounds or severe illnesses with acute danger. She wouldn¡¯t be getting much time to teach the younger healers today, though maybe Via could squeeze a few rounds in after she¡¯d healed the worst cases. Suppressing a sigh, she watched the gnomes shuffle back or wait for the healers to stop by as ordered and then got to work. Some of these should not be out of bed, Via noted. Maybe she should send her people around making house calls, or at least provide some support for whatever gnomish doctors were in the city. Paying them for taking care of everyone ¡ª from what she¡¯d learned, medical expenses were usually covered by one¡¯s faction or union but this didn¡¯t quite cover every gnome ¡ª would probably help their reputation and the locals¡¯ loyalty, as well. Even as she was healing a rather severe case of pneumonia, Via found herself smiling. It was good to feel useful. Chapter 303: Infrastructure Requirements As always, Regina waited impatiently for the new drones of her unlocked Template to hatch. Three days wasn¡¯t a particularly long time, especially if you compared it to how long it could take. It still felt like it took longer than it actually did. The first batch hatched with several drones. She¡¯d added twenty of them over the course of one day, since the name sounded useful and she was curious to see the possibilities. They ended up looking a lot like Drone Workers. In fact, they seemed to be basically like Drone Workers but a bit more specialized. Their work-limb wasn¡¯t as adapted to digging and instead would work better as a tool for artisans or handicrafts. Despite the name, Regina had the impression that they weren¡¯t limited to either ¡®arts and crafts¡¯ things or to something that might be considered crafting in video games. Instead, it seemed more like a general purpose description for people working with their hands, though maybe not writing. Blacksmiths, carpenters, woodcarving and so on ¡ª but especially for the workshops that the Hive had been raising. Mechanics and technicians. She suspected many of them would Evolve to Classes like Drone Engineer. Their skillset wasn¡¯t exactly entirely new, but it did help to fill out the hive¡¯s roster and would provide people for the tasks they needed most in the coming years. Regina was happy with it. She wondered if she¡¯d done something to unlock the Template, perhaps have a certain number of people working somewhere? It didn¡¯t look like she was unlocking a new Swarm Template and she was a bit concerned about that, though she supposed she didn¡¯t need to with the Form Drones, so having a new Inner Hive Template was nice, anyway. She didn¡¯t get to spend much time talking to the new drones, though. Partly, she didn¡¯t want to single them out or show favoritism. She also had a lot of things to do. The war against the gnomes was proceeding quickly and with the news of a military coup in the Gnomish Confederation and the raids into southern Cernlia, she had to be prepared. Kiara had decided to continue her tour, just with stricter security arrangements. Regina was a bit concerned for her, but she made herself accept her friend¡¯s decision. She might have demanded a bit too much from Cernlia recently, anyway ¡ª Galatea had dropped a few hints and Janis seemed to agree. So Regina needed to give Kiara the chance to establish and secure her authority among her subjects. The raids didn¡¯t actually concern Regina as much as the progress of the Imperial army into the Gnomish Confederation. She knew she wasn¡¯t a great general compared to the others actually working as her generals ¡ª though after all this war, she wasn¡¯t exactly a bumbling novice either ¡ª but she knew the raids couldn¡¯t seriously threaten their position by themselves. Cernlia was still much less involved in the war effort than the hive. And the gnomes were clearly still using the majority of their forces to defend against the Empire¡¯s advance. They might simply not have the troops for the full-on invasion she¡¯d vaguely anticipated for a while now. Either way, she was glad it was ¡®only¡¯ raids and not an invasion. Still, there wasn¡¯t much she could do about it except wait and have her generals handle things. And maybe make things easier for them in the meanwhile, or in the long term. Ironically, the war was actually throwing a wrench in their plans to (re-)organize the Imperial military. They had to work with what they had and trying to do a major reorganization of their forces in the middle of a war seemed stupid. That didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t prepare the groundwork, or set up the necessary infrastructure for the professional military force she wanted, although that was proving to be a big challenge. Mass-producing weapons was not a simple feat. And that didn¡¯t even take into account all the other supplies or infrastructure for it. Her current focus was building a network of good roads across the Empire. The locomotive project was making progress, but was still limited. They were moving away from coal or even oil-powered locomotives, but weren¡¯t really at the point where they could just use renewable energy reliably. Electrical motors for the trains weren¡¯t easy and electrifying the rail lines would be additional work even with existing power stations, and seemed easier to sabotage. But roads didn¡¯t have those issues and could be spread more widely. Building proper, useful roads was easy if you put in the effort. The Romans had done it and they hadn¡¯t had access to magic or the technological options they did. Cement was relatively simple, and the Empire had more than enough access to tar. Regina wanted to make the roads good enough to eventually support heavier vehicles, and smooth surfaces were probably better, but all in all it was still easily doable. It just took money and manpower. Regina was in the process of looking over some plans of expanding their new roads from the major routes between cities when she was contacted by Ben once again. She looked up from her paperwork and rubbed her forehead. She¡¯d been trying not to dwell on the ongoing fighting too much, but the concern she could feel from him didn¡¯t give her a good feeling. She put down her papers and focused on the psychic link. We may need to rethink our plans for advances into the Gnomish Confederation, he said bluntly, getting right to the point. Why? Regina asked. Are we not making enough progress or are they doing something unexpected? Neither. Well, both, I guess. Ben seemed faintly exasperated. Maybe you should look for yourself, My Queen? Regina raised an eyebrow but allowed him to guide her focus in the psychic link without further questions. Ben wasn¡¯t good enough to really point her at very specific pieces of information ¡ª she wasn¡¯t sure anyone but herself was that good with the psychic link, maybe some senior Keepers ¡ª but he could show her who to pay attention to and that was usually enough. Regina quickly took a closer look at the minds of several of her sapient drones as well as switching through the perspectives of other Swarm Drones. Their memories were usually less helpful, but not useless, and their senses were clear. These villages are all abandoned, aren¡¯t they? she asked after a moment. They are, Ben confirmed, and that¡¯s only the start of it. They¡¯ve evacuated everyone in a broad swath of land ahead of our advance. It¡¯s not just to protect them, they¡¯re clearly using this as a chance to prepare their ground. That¡¯s where the minefields come in. Regina grimaced. She¡¯d seen those, or at least the aftermath, in the drones¡¯ minds. The gnomes were getting good at using explosives like that scarily quickly. They¡¯ve also completely torched any vegetation they could get to, probably to deny us food, she noted after a second. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. It would only be partly successful. It would have needed a concerted campaign to really get rid of all the greenery, even this close to winter, and it would have probably interfered with their evacuation efforts. Still, there were quite a few forests turned into little more than ash in the wind and the charred skeletons of trees. That didn¡¯t even count the fields. Finding food for the human soldiers in their army was going to be pretty much impossible, and they¡¯d have to bring in food for the drones as well since there were too many to feed off the land in any real way. I also wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they¡¯d poisoned the wells and probably some waterways, Ben said. We¡¯ll need to check for that. Regina was silent for a moment, considering what she¡¯d seen and the implications. Scorched earth tactics, she said. They¡¯re going to hurt the gnomes more than us, though, aren¡¯t they? Maybe, Ben said. Their usefulness is limited in a world with the System and magic, but I wouldn¡¯t discount the effect, Mother. General Aliekin has shown he¡¯s willing to do what he can to hurt us and slow us down even if it hurts his own people too. The idea of setting the countryside on fire just to slow down an approaching enemy might have shocked some people, but Regina couldn¡¯t say she was very moved. She suspected she¡¯d be willing to do the same in that position, a thought she didn¡¯t examine any further. It was obvious he¡¯d at least gotten Ben to be cautious, though. Which was probably smart. Landmines could do a lot of damage even to the hive, even if they had drones who were good at sensing things below the ground. Artillery emplacements could probably be used and moved more quickly with magic and Class Skills, and the gnomes weren¡¯t exactly useless with direct offensive magic, too. They¡¯re going to try to slow us down further and whittle away at us with more than just this, she said. Expect ambushes, night raids, traps, guerrilla tactics and asymmetrical warfare in general. I know, Ben said. He didn¡¯t sound very happy. We¡¯ve got enough experience with it, I suppose it was time for the shoe to be on the other foot. Despite herself, Regina smiled a bit at his quip. She was glad that Ben at least seemed to be confident they could handle things, even if the gnomes¡¯ tactics managed to delay the army¡¯s advance a bit. Not that she disagreed, either. I wonder what his ultimate goal is, she said. Would we be able to negotiate with them? It might not be the best thing to attempt this right now, Ben warned her. It would make them think their plans are working, maybe even that they¡¯re winning, and that would make them less likely to agree to negotiations at present. I know, Regina sighed. Anyway, do what you have to do, Ben, but try to keep casualties down. I will, my Queen. Regina was about to metaphorically hang up and turn her focus to other things, before she paused, remembering something. Oh, have you heard the news yet? What news? She felt Ben¡¯s attention expand a bit as he swept through the psychic link. I finally got word from one of our contacts in the Gnomish Confederation, Regina said. And it had been a pain and a half. They¡¯d barely managed to set up rudimentary channels of communication before this coup hit and disrupted all of it. Aliekin has been consolidating power and the fate of the former Executive Council has been decided. Shouldn¡¯t it have taken longer that this if they got a real trial? Ben asked, his focus returning to her. Regina shrugged. They were put in front of a military tribunal, apparently. To be fair, it¡¯s not like their guilt is really in question. I¡¯m sure getting them a proper civilian trial and using the opportunity to really investigate and review all their crimes would have been his preferred option, but that would have taken weeks or months longer. The general probably wanted to have the question settled earlier, to create a fait accompli. I see. What did the tribunal decide, then? All the men have been sentenced to death, executions to be carried out posthaste, and the women¡¯s sentence has been commuted to lifelong imprisonment. She could feel faint surprise from Ben. I¡¯m not sure if I should consider that merciful or not, he commented. Regina shrugged. She thought she had a better understanding of the gnomes¡¯ culture and traditions. For the gnomes, it¡¯s generally seen as bad to kill women, even if it still happened occasionally, she said. That¡¯s just one more thing the previous regime didn¡¯t bother with, they removed all potential threats regardless of factors like gender. But this war has also brought up memories of their beginning, when they almost lost against the remaining Hivekind, and I think the sentiment has actually swung to be more protective of women right now. Maybe to justify why only the men are soldiers. Aliekin is probably distancing himself from the previous regime on purpose, demonstrating restraint and showing that he¡¯s ¡®more civilized¡¯ than them. She paused for a moment, frowning. It doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they won¡¯t in a few months all suffer unfortunate illnesses or accidents or hang themselves in their cells, I suppose. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d do that, but I¡¯m not sure. Ben was silent for a moment and she could sense him thinking through the implications. What about the rest of them? he finally asked. Their supporters in high positions? The Executive Council members can¡¯t have been the only ones guilty. There are further trials for those people, some of them still ongoing or pending. It depends on the person and the circumstances, but from what we can gather, most of them are going the same way as the councilors. There are even a few military officers on trial, though most of the accused seem to be civilian government functionaries. Regina wondered about that part a bit. So far, it didn¡¯t seem like Aliekin or the other generals were in any hurry to instate a new Executive Council. He had officially proclaimed himself the head of an interim government, they¡¯d already had news of that a few days ago. So far, the gnomes, beaten down by the war and thoroughly alienated by the regime¡¯s oppressive methods, had seemed to accept it. Most of them probably hoped that things would get better. And what if they don¡¯t? she wondered. Wouldn¡¯t they turn on him just as quickly? That meant he had to keep being successful or his power in the Gnomish Confederation probably wouldn¡¯t last long. The previous regime had, at least in principle, come from a proper, legitimate government. He¡¯d simply taken power in a coup. It had to be less secure. As long as they remain alive, the female gnomes of the Executive Council will be rallying points for any reactionaries or remaining supporters of the regime, Ben commented. Regina realized he¡¯d followed at least the general trend of her thoughts. True, she conceded. But I can¡¯t really see them being in power again. Even if Aliekin screws up, are the people going to just want them back? Somehow, I doubt it. Fair enough. Ben shrugged mentally. Does that mean anything for us? Regina took a deep breath. Keep pushing, she told him. We might still be able to force them to come to the negotiation table. The point of this isn¡¯t to conquer every square meter of the nation, it¡¯s to reach a peace agreement we can be happy with. I trust you to do what is needed. As you command, Mother. Regina exhaled a deep breath as Ben mentally withdrew, focusing on his officers and the armies spread across the region. She stood up and paced for a bit, thinking through everything they¡¯d talked about, before shaking her head and returning to her desk. Even if they didn¡¯t have a step-by-step plan for dealing with the gnomes, it was still important to build up the Empire the best she could. The ripple effects of these events would propagate outwards and who knew what kind of results they would have in the long term? She could only try to make things better for her people, to make sure they were prepared. Chapter 304: Rank and Status The city of Veragles was big. Bigger by far than Cera or Nerlia-city, from what he¡¯d heard. It was probably even bigger than the gnomish capital, whose name Tim always found difficult to pronounce. People were crammed together in the inner parts of the city and houses sprawled outwards like a massive, constantly shifting carpet made of brick, stone and wood in the outer parts. It made him almost glad Regina wasn¡¯t here, he didn¡¯t know how his mother would have dealt with the hive of humanity (pun totally intended) that was this place. From what he¡¯d heard, it was one of the biggest cities in the lands south of the mountains, but Tim still found it faintly remarkable that there were several others as big or bigger than this. Not that it would have been anything to write home about in the old world. At the end, Vienna had sprawled over a much larger area and had a population in the eight digits, according to Regina¡¯s faint memory and Galatea¡¯s data. Still, the fact that this area tended towards big cities was an interesting data point. For one thing, he suspected it had to do with the city¡¯s relative proximity to the mountains, which housed lots of scary monsters. Building tall walls and huddling close together was an obvious response for the people living here. It did also have an impact on the political structure, though. Unlike the cities he¡¯d thought to compare this to, Veragles wasn¡¯t a capital or even a large city of a large nation. It was the center of its own city-state. It also wasn¡¯t a monarchy, at least not really. The patricians of the city elected a prince to rule over them for a given amount of time, usually a few years ¡ª when someone wasn¡¯t trying to undermine the system or attempting a coup and declaring himself Prince for life, which had happened a few times ¡ª but they were usually more of a figurehead, from what Tim gathered. It meant there was a shifting array of factions, usually merchant princes who got rich off trade, who really determined the politics of the city. And this meant that Tim was the guest of only one of those factions, rather than the city as a whole. Oh, they made an attempt at recognizing his status as an ambassador to the entire city-state (and others), and he¡¯d been approached by several nobles of other factions. Still, in truth Archmage Lucian had grasped the opportunity to make connections to his people, more than anything. Which would be fine, Tim supposed, if it didn¡¯t also feel a little like the Archmage was using him for his own political ends. And by extension, using the Empire and his Hive Queen. Maybe that was just a fact of life when it came to diplomacy, he just found it a little difficult to tell where the line ought to be. At least Lucian was a gracious host, who¡¯d quartered him and his party in his (very richly appointed) mansion in the city and was helping them attend parties and diplomatic events across the city; even planning one of his own to, ostensibly, introduce Tim and help his goal of forging diplomatic connections. It should have been a nice vacation from the war. In some ways, it was. They¡¯d been here for a number of days now and Tim could say he¡¯d made progress. Trade talks with several merchant princes, even discussions with religious and cultural leaders, and he¡¯d impressed some of the more martially inclined grands of the city in a duel. In retrospect, fighting that duel just because someone had made some comments about Janis might be a bit much, but at least he wouldn¡¯t be insulting her in the future. Tim had made certain of that (deadly certain, one might say). And he¡¯d been looking for an opportunity to show off, not because he wanted to, but because he sensed it might help them get taken seriously. It therefore didn¡¯t surprise him that people now acted more sanguine about his desire to go out into the city and see the people. He knew they wouldn¡¯t get to decide anything of political importance, but being shut off in the mansions of the wealthy and the elite wouldn¡¯t get him a real picture of what was going on in the city. It didn¡¯t take a genius to see how far removed they were from the common citizens. And Tim enjoyed being out and about. Walking down the streets with a few companions, taking in the street criers and looking at the graffiti decorating some stone houses, getting some street food from vendors. It was surprisingly good, a bit spicier than he was used to from Cernlia. It spoke of trade routes stretching to and across the Mediterranean Sea and perhaps further. He was glad they¡¯d managed to discreetly change some of the gold they¡¯d brought for local currency. Obviously, Tim and his companions attracted a lot of stares, though. He was currently accompanied by only one other drone, Ash, as well as Anuis and several of the humans. The city actually had a substantial population of non-humans from what he could see, but they clearly belonged to different races and there was no one even close to a Hivekind. He did see some dwarves and other demihumans and even a few elves, though. ¡°Have you talked to others of your people?¡± he asked Anuis in a murmur, leaning closer to her. She raised an eyebrow. ¡°I assume you mean other members of my race. The Free State has had little interaction with other elvish nations in the past centuries. But yes, I¡¯ve talked to a few of them.¡± Tim nodded. ¡°Sorry, I meant no offense. But yes. What did you find out? Is our information on their locations accurate?¡± ¡°Yes. Most of their settlements seem to be city-states not too different from Ariedel, though smaller. They are also more accustomed to traveling outside their borders, and there is some trade and occasional migration between the cities and other nations.¡± ¡°And they have not had a war in a while, right?¡± he asked, to ensure the information they had was up to date. ¡°A bit over a century, yes.¡± Anuis paused as she dodged around a street vendor who¡¯d gotten a bit too aggressive, then carried on the conversation. ¡°As it happens, I¡¯ve been invited to a ceremony three days from now. This one is exclusive to elves, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Tim nodded. He was aware that Anuis was the only one, at least of this current group, not from the Empire. He couldn¡¯t really give orders to her. Her country was an ally, sure, and it was probably a lot weaker relatively speaking so they would be polite, but it still wasn¡¯t the same. The elves were probably looking for allies here as well. In principle, his Queen didn¡¯t mind that. The Delvers also had representatives in the city, and he¡¯d sent ¡ª or more like allowed ¡ª several of their party to go to them to make contact already. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure where they stood politically. Tim figured that if they were skeptical, he and his companions could probably convince them that Regina was the real deal. Assuming they gave them a chance at all, he supposed. Considering the diversity of the city¡¯s population, he didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be hardcore human supremacists in this city, anyway. Well, he supposed it could have gone in the other direction if they felt threatened and dug their heels in ideologically, but the information they did have indicated such hardliners were in the minority here. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean the local Delvers were necessarily all for equality, either. It seemed like they¡¯d be perfectly fine with demihumans and nonhumans being second-class citizens, at best. The Delvers in the Central European Empire had moved away from such a stance, but he had to remind himself that the rest of the world wasn¡¯t the same. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. It explained some of the looks they got as they moved about the streets now. He knew most of those were probably just due to curiosity, but there was definitely a bit of a hostile edge to them from some people. It seemed directed more at him and Ash than Anuis, though. Maybe just because they looked less humanoid. It reminded Tim vaguely of when they¡¯d fled the monster horde and sought shelter in Forest¡¯s Haunt, not memories he liked to revisit. At least no one actually accosted them. ¡°Sir Eduard? Sir Tirias?¡± someone called out to them. Tim turned around, watching a man he immediately pegged as a Delver, given the armor, and of course the fact that he knew his party members. ¡°And you must be Lord Tim Starlit, right? Very pleased to meet you.¡± Tim smiled back, discreetly checking the guy¡¯s System notification. A level 45 Paladin, and the name sounded familiar from what they had mentioned. ¡°Sir Welds, a pleasure to meet you as well,¡± he returned the greeting, deciding to let the name he¡¯d called him pass. The others made their greetings as well and he clasped hands with the two Delvers and nodded to Anuis and Ash. ¡°How are you finding the city?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit bigger than I thought,¡± Tim said honestly, ¡°but quite interesting. I enjoy the atmosphere. And the climate, to be honest.¡± Welds laughed politely. He commented on the nice day and the weather patterns of the area. They made small talk for a few minutes, moving around so they didn¡¯t block the street. It was a busy one, though, so this still wasn¡¯t the best spot for a chat. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t keep you for long,¡± the Delver finally said. ¡°I hope to continue our conversation this evening, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be glad to see you there, I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± Tim agreed. Welds finally looked serious for a moment. ¡°I am not certain if it was on your initiative, but I hope you know Lord Lier invited the gnomish ambassador as well?¡± Tim¡¯s smile stiffened and his eyes tightened a bit despite himself. He hadn¡¯t known that. ¡°Thank you for telling me, Sir Welds,¡± he replied. ¡°It will be handled.¡± Welds nodded and made his goodbyes. Tim waited until he had gone out of sight before he sighed and turned to the others. ¡°It looks like we have something to prepare for.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know the Gnomish Confederation even had an ambassador here,¡± Ash muttered. ¡°From what I heard, it¡¯s not a permanent post,¡± Tirias said. ¡°But they must have been looking for allies since the war turned against them.¡± He looked at Tim. ¡°We will find out what we can.¡± Tim nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s continue, we can speak about this later.¡± They kept walking through the city, but a lot of the enjoyment had drained out of it at the reminder of the political situation and the stakes. It also didn¡¯t help that they quickly left the more well-to-do parts of the city behind and ventured to the borders of the poorer areas. The distinction was noticeable, the houses were clearly of inferior construction, the people¡¯s clothes dirtier and there were too many homeless or disabled begging for alms. Of course, any number of them would have been too many. The others seemed to share his sentiments, and they didn¡¯t extend their trip. Tim led the way back to their host¡¯s villa and then started preparing for the gala that evening. Not that he needed a lot of preparation to make himself presentable, it wasn¡¯t like he had to take hours to do his hair or makeup. They¡¯d managed to piece together something that served as a dress uniform, made in the styles the Empire would be using for their new military. It had a very ¡®nineteenth century¡¯ look, at least according to those of his siblings who were more interesting in things like that. He was just glad they¡¯d prepared for it. The cut of the jacket, shirt and trousers was certainly more modern. The color scheme was kept dark, with silver stripes down the sides of the pants and gold braid and epaulettes on the jacket. He also wore his sword. Tim met up with the rest of his people before they made their entrance. He thought they all looked pretty good, but this wasn¡¯t exactly his area of expertise. More importantly, it gave them a chance to touch base again before they joined the party. The gala was housed in the ballroom of the estate, which had been prettied up for the occasion. Tim didn¡¯t spare it much attention, though, focusing instead on the people present. There were a lot of guests, mostly humans but some other races as well. As Tim slowly made his way into the room, he scanned the crowd and finally caught sight of a small group of gnomes in fancy clothes talking to several local nobles. Tim noted their position and then ignored them, instead turning to introduce himself and make small talk with the gathered people. Most of them he¡¯d seen before at one of the other gatherings he¡¯d attended, but some were new. Unsurprisingly, their interest seemed about evenly split between his exotic Hivekind status and the rumors about the Hive and the Hive Queen, and trade opportunities with the Empire. Trade would still be difficult even with a route scouted out through the mountains, but he didn¡¯t let that discourage him. Trade could also mean books or information rather than high-volume goods. Besides, their Conjuration ability allowed them to provide quite a few things the people here might want. He hinted at that fact throughout several conversations and found tentative interest. Finally, Tim found himself facing an important guest he hadn¡¯t met yet, the Prince of the city. The man didn¡¯t look like much, a slight middle-aged guy in expensive clothes, but he had managed to keep power here for years, so there must be more to him. Tim bowed shallowly and offered his greetings. ¡°A pleasure to meet you as well, Sir Tim! Or is it Lord?¡± the Prince asked jovially. Tim smiled as pleasantly as he could manage. ¡°My people don¡¯t really use either title, but I¡¯ve been called both, Milord.¡± ¡°Naturally you would, as Champion of the Empire! Your people¡¯s emergence and the founding of your new nation have been watched with great interest, Lord Tim, great interest. I understand you had a part to play as well?¡± ¡°I may have led a few battles,¡± Tim replied. ¡°But the credit belongs to all of us and our allies.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you mean subjects?¡± another voice joined in. Tim turned to see that the gnomish ambassador had chosen to show his face. He¡¯d known it would be a male, since their cultural expectations were for men to be masters of the social field, which would include diplomacy. Tim was still a bit surprised to see the gnome wearing a military uniform, though. ¡°No, I did mean allies, Colonel,¡± he replied calmly, nodding at the man. ¡°Technically we are all subjects of the Empress, of course, but that was hardly the case before the country¡¯s founding, and she is determined to maintain their liberty and cultural identity even when the people chose to join the Central European Empire.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the gnome said sarcastically, ¡°Cernlia and Nerlia were known for individual freedom, were they? Or am I confusing something?¡± Tim kept his smile. ¡°At least Mother¡¯s new laws are giving them personal liberty now. And it¡¯s funny you should say that, Colonel. Considering the tyranny of the Gnomish Confederation¡¯s regime. At least we are moving towards securing civil rights, not away from them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the Prince interrupted, ¡°the Hive Queen is your mother, isn¡¯t she? Your family must be rather large. How many siblings do you have again, Sir Tim?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure some were born after I left, so I really couldn¡¯t give you an exact number, my Prince.¡± Tim¡¯s facial muscles were starting to complain from keeping his smile fixed on his face. ¡°A single parent with this many offspring, could you ever raise children in such an environment?¡± the gnome shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s assuming everyone must be raised by one person, what a narrow-minded view. We actually have a system in place to guide and mentor newly born drones ¡­¡± Tim explained briefly about their mentorship. ¡°How interesting! And did you have such an older sibling to raise you, Sir Tim?¡± ¡°Actually not, my Prince. I am the Empress¡¯ second-born son, you see, so it came after my time and I was taught directly by her.¡± Tim grinned a bit wider and hoped he managed to underscore the difference in rank regarding who each country sent. ¡°Marvelous! I¡¯ve also heard Hivekind have a unique palate. Come, let us try the appetizers and you can give me your opinion on our local cuisine.¡± The Prince of Veragles somehow managed to touch Tim¡¯s arm and turn him away from the conversation to lead him toward the snack table without seeming to exclude the gnome, although he definitely did. Tim grinned and bore it. He was fine with local food so far. And he knew this probably wouldn¡¯t be his last time trading barbs with the gnomish ambassador, but at least it felt like he¡¯d scored a point. And now he had the ear of the Prince for at least a few minutes. What he didn¡¯t do for the sake of the Hive, he mused. Chapter 305: Scorched Earth Janis watched the landscape in front of her, sweeping her gaze across the burnt-out ground and small hills of ash. A few hundred meters further on, the remains of a small copse of trees rose into the air like fingers pointing accusingly at the heavens. She knew the drones were still able to get a few nutrients from the charred husks of trees, but not as many as from actual living plants, which was probably the point. Only a few of them even wanted to try, even after their rations had been reduced. Their advance had been stalled. It shouldn¡¯t take this long to cross this stretch of land, which really wasn¡¯t all that wide. Although she supposed that didn¡¯t matter; the gnomes would just repeat this treatment for the land beyond it. Their scouts had reported they were already beginning to do it. Janis wondered what the people who¡¯d lived here before, not long ago, thought about this. Gnomes they might be, though she doubted they were happy to leave their places of residence and work, their farms and villages. But I¡¯m the foreign invader, she thought with a touch of dark humor, I don¡¯t need to worry about that. Janis sighed, her gaze drifting to the equally burnt remains of a village further away ¡ª clearly, the gnomes were taking no chances, either with giving the Imperial army shelter or with the wood of the houses providing food for their drones. Think of Bea and the others, she told herself. Bea¡¯s smile, her laugh that always sounded a bit hesitant to her ears, as if she was surprised to find she had started laughing. They weren¡¯t the ones who had laid mines and traps and prepared ambushes, not this time, they just needed to deal with it. Academically, Janis supposed it might even be a good thing, to give her soldiers this experience. The Hive, especially, was already familiar with guerrilla-type tactics of their own, but now they had to face this them. And they were getting much better at dealing with these tactics. She was even getting a bit of inspiration for potential future campaigns, although Janis hoped never to have to use these ideas. Still, it was obvious the gnomes had gained a bit of confidence, probably due to their military coup. Their strategy and tactics hadn¡¯t changed all that much ¡ª why would they? ¡ª but that wasn¡¯t necessarily the most dangerous part. Anyway, the gnomes wouldn¡¯t be able to run and hide, or to slow the Imperial forces down, forever. Sooner or later, Janis would reach a target they couldn¡¯t afford to just abandon. The next city, in all likelihood. And then she¡¯d have them where she wanted them. ¡°Gather yourselves¡±, she commanded the headquarters unit currently taking a rest around her. ¡°We need to march on.¡± A few scattered groans answered her, but they were muffled and didn¡¯t need a response. Her troops¡¯ discipline was too good. Janis looked around, at the mix of drones and human soldiers she¡¯d chosen for this. War Drones were already sweeping out in an arc in front of them, starting to clear the path. They had just been swapped with another flock, so these drones were fresh and ready. Janis climbed on her current Mount and waited for a minute before she started to move, giving the soldiers acting as her bodyguards time to put themselves between her and the real edge of the group. She¡¯d grown used to that, and now spent the time looking through several other drones¡¯ eyes, considering the situation. Her current strategy would work, but she still found herself unsatisfied with it. Not only would it be slow, incremental, and thus carry the risk for higher casualties, more deaths that perhaps could have been prevented ¡­ but it was also, she realized, predictable. And in war, predictability was one of the worst sins. The gnomes knew what they were doing now, they had seen how the Hive could respond to their tactics and how to try to counter them, or ignore their attempts. Expecting them to blindly repeat the same things would be foolish. Janis sighed and raised a hand from her mount¡¯s saddle to massage her temple, feeling the beginning of a headache. She¡¯d just been confident they¡¯d found the right balance of pressing ahead and sweeping aside resistance, but perhaps she¡¯d been too optimistic. Instead, she contacted Ben and gave him a brief overview of her recent thoughts. What do you want to do? he asked calmly. Try to press on fast enough to surprise them and catch them before they can burn the area in front of you? That might be one option, Janis said. But there has to be a way to play into their expectations, to use their tactics against them. Hm. We need to look into how exactly they are reacting to our movements. Which they were. Obviously, they already had people looking into this, analyzing the gnomes¡¯ actions and attacks. Janis mentally stepped away from Ben and instead went looking for some of them, drones of various Classes, including Keepers who helped to store and analyze the information in the psychic link. A great deal of what might have normally been done by a general staff¡¯s analysts ¡ª or her own command staff¡¯s ¡ª was handled in the psychic link. At first glance, nothing she found there particularly surprised Janis. She¡¯d made a point of keeping up with their insights. She looked at the sketched map of their route and the spots where they¡¯d found or encountered gnomish traps, ambushes, minefields or soldiers. The pattern wasn¡¯t hard to see. Then she moved her attention to the area still in front of them, the planned route ¡ª which she could still change, although it wouldn¡¯t make much sense for the immediate future ¡ª and the features of the terrain around it. The gnomes had good stealth spells and Skills, at least for their elites, so those features didn¡¯t matter as much as they otherwise might. Still, Janis found herself coming up with the vague outline of a plan. Now the feasibility depended on the details. Look for a good spot, and prepare several options for me, she ordered the drones working on the analysis. Making sure we can naturally fit it into our current advance is key. She received a chorus of mental assent, and sent back her own acknowledgment before she shook her head and turned her attention back to the world around her. Losing track of her surroundings and getting too lost in her thoughts or the psychic link at a time like this was inadvisable, and Janis chided herself for it for a moment before she focused on the people around her. The road they were taking, little more than a dirt path although there was little reason not to use it, remained clear. No one was close by except for her escorts and the other units of the vanguard. The army stretched out behind her. Riding roughly at the front of the march might be a bit risky, but the gnomes had attacked other parts just as easily, especially when they were forced to travel in a long column, so she didn¡¯t think it particularly mattered. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She would have still felt a bit safer if Dan was here, Janis acknowledged to herself. But he wasn¡¯t, he¡¯d been sent north to help with the raids the gnomes were conducting into southern Cernlia. Janis hadn¡¯t arranged that mission for him, of course, but she¡¯d hardly protested and Regina probably knew she tacitly approved. Dan was a great warrior, but his strength couldn¡¯t have been used to his full potential here, however much she liked having him by her side, while the raids would hopefully challenge him and help him grow. Not just in Experience but actual experience and skill. Maybe he¡¯d even manage to take some leadership duties that were frankly only appropriate for his rank and level and discover that it wasn¡¯t so bad after all. The raids themselves were probably an important component of the plan, though, so Janis focused on them again even as she kept half an eye on her surroundings, trawling through the psychic link and occasionally dipping in and out of a Swarm Drone¡¯s senses. The gnomes were clearly trying to tie down more forces than they themselves committed there, but they required roughly the same type of skills and Abilities as their tactics here. At least, on paper. Their soldiers were versatile, though, it couldn¡¯t be that hard to learn how to dig a trench, throw a grenade or put on some camouflage. Her own soldiers had certainly learned those skills. The drones might have some advantages, though admittedly the Swarm Drones were handicapped by their lack of intelligence compared to self-aware people, but even they could learn and the sapient drones were getting better at giving orders, too. Today, things were reasonably quiet as the army advanced. Janis could sense the tension, could almost hear it among the sounds of her troops¡¯ footfalls and the clanking of their equipment. All of them were prepared for the next trap, the next ambush. It didn¡¯t help that the gnomes also appeared to get better at launching them from far away, just Spells and attacks created by Class Skills sent from fortified or hidden positions beyond easy retribution. A few of those had already started to pester the army, but they were nothing they couldn¡¯t deal with. Janis herself only expended a bit of mana once, to swipe an incoming Fireball from the sky. It had been launched from far enough away that it had already lost some power by the time it reached them. She still sent a small group of flying drones to where she¡¯d spotted it coming from, but without success. The gnomish mage had departed into a tunnel a few meters away, and collapsed it behind them. Trying to dig it out would be a pointless effort. Janis sighed and checked on the progress of her orders in the psychic link again. Hopefully, the movements in the back lines would be hidden from the gnomes, or at least not be enough to alarm them. Considering the way her troops were heading deeper into enemy territory, it was hardly unexpected for there to be some shuffling around. Janis was even sending reinforcements to the wings of the army and other forces currently pressuring the gnomes to the sides of her current position, who¡¯d been supporting her advance and were guarding their flanks. At some point, a drone showed up with a wrapped meal for her, and Janis chewed it mechanically as she considered, looking at the horizon and the psychic link. Their advance continued at a deliberate pace. It wasn¡¯t really winter anymore, but the sun still set earlier than in summer, and the sky was starting to glow in warm colors as they came upon the area she¡¯d mentally marked beforehand. Janis checked once again that everything was ready. They didn¡¯t have to carry out her little scheme today, but there would be little point in it if they waited much longer. Janis nibbled on another snack, to keep her energy up, as night set in and the vanguard marched the last kilometer or so. The Hive didn¡¯t have to stop for the night, but the Imperial army usually did. Nightfall made it easier for gnomes to attack them without giving away their own position, and their soldiers needed to sleep, anyway. Their enemies shouldn¡¯t find anything unusual about them stopping here. Janis had chosen a little valley, more of a depression in the mostly flat plain flanked by a few copses of burnt-out tree shells, that offered some additional protection. She waited in the center of the camp as the troops around her busily set about their work, supervised by their officers. Gradually, all the older and stronger drones as well as many human soldiers edged closer to her. Meanwhile, she checked on the other corps. Janis had, with the help of the others, designated several spots as gathering points. They¡¯d ensured all of them were as well hidden as they could make them, while still being accessible to their units. Now soldiers were making their way towards them under the cover of the night. Janis stretched and walked out of the ring of drones that had formed around her while she¡¯d been distracted in the psychic link. They stepped aside to clear the way. A minute later, the soft sound of wings beating in the night air reached their ears and Janis glanced up. Thor was the first to circle over their camp, though he only did half a circle before he quickly set down in front of her. Already, scattered dark shapes on the horizon converged, and she knew without checking again that the flocks of Winged Drones were behind them, all flying low to the ground. ¡°Ready for pickup, I suppose?¡± Thor asked. Janis patted his arm in thanks. ¡°I¡¯m ready. Now ¡­¡± she turned to watch her army. The War Drones had spread out to the edges of the camp, forming several rings. They¡¯d remain on the defensive for now. Other drones walked among them, while many of the sapient drones were formed into neat rows closer to her position, waiting for her signal. The same was true for human soldiers, Delvers and Cernlian men-at-arms, who shifted and fidgeted a lot more. Janis nodded. Tim might have made some kind of speech to raise their morale and capabilities, but she¡¯d rather not risk it. Instead, she simply told the sapient drones over the psychic link that it was go time and they spread the word. She climbed onto Thor and watched as the flying drones set down on the spots left open for them. More Winged Drones circled in the sky above, only those with the right Class or who were big and strong enough descended. The sapient drones and human soldiers climbed on quickly, and they took to the air to make space for the next flying drones. Thor shifted beneath her, his muscles bunching, and then they were in the air as well. Janis checked that everything was going well, then glanced in the direction of the Confederation¡¯s interior. The moon was a picturesque half-circle, but only a few clouds dotted the dark sky, so it was a relatively bright night. That was both good and bad. It increased the chances of being spotted earlier, but it also helped her own soldiers. Once every member of the strike force was in the air, Thor wordlessly turned and banked to the side to head east. He called a flock of Winged Drones to form a loose circle around them as escorts. The rest of the mounts fell into place in a V formation to decrease air resistance. Checking via the psychic link showed that the other units at the designated gathering spots were likewise all underway, as planned since they were smaller groups. Two of them would rendezvous with her own force soon. If this worked out, they would be analyzing her strategic gambit in the history books in the future, Janis felt. Probably if it didn¡¯t work out, too. It might be a risky play, but she was confident. And as they moved east at the speed of the drones¡¯ wings, no arrows or magical attacks disturbed their progress. Janis smiled and quickly secured herself to Thor¡¯s back with the leather straps someone had fastened. The gnomes would be in for an unpleasant surprise very soon. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d expected me to leave behind our War Drone horde and skip their little obstacle course, she thought with a grin. If they¡¯re too much of a hassle on the ground, I can just turn it into a contest about our forces in the air, and they definitely have less fliers than we do. And then she could send detachments west to help clear out the way, while also perhaps probing east and even threatening the approaches to their capital. If an army of mages or ranged fighters gathered on the ground to bring them down, they could just evade it. Janis¡¯ grin widened as they reached their first target and Thor lost altitude, increasing the rush of the wind through her hair. She lit up a Fireball and sent it into the gnomish outpost. She didn¡¯t need to be a psychic to know they hadn¡¯t been prepared for this attack. There were a lot of screams and shouting, anyway. Chapter 306: Stratagem Regina ignored the headache building behind her temples and worked her jaw up and down to resist the urge to yawn. She¡¯d gotten little sleep and would get less in the coming hours, but she didn¡¯t care about that. She had work to do. She couldn¡¯t say she was very happy about Janis¡¯ decision to take the fight to the gnomes by ditching her ground-bound troops and launching a lightning assault with only flying drones and riders, but she hadn¡¯t protested. The decision made strategic sense. She might be a bit concerned, and that was not groundless ¡ª the composition of the forces meant there would likely be higher casualties. On the other hand, it was also a strike calculated to be decisive, to potentially stop the war or at least move it into a new tempo, so it was just as likely there would be fewer casualties in the long run. Either way, it was important to stay unnoticed by the gnomes as long as possible and to be aware of their forces¡¯ positions, so Regina stretched her psychic muscles. She was the only proper psychic they had, after all. Well, there was June. Regina turned her head a bit and watched her apprentice sitting on the chair beside her, although she didn¡¯t need to use her eyes. June was frowning in concentration, sweat pearling on her forehead. She had been getting better, but this was really a bit much. Only the large concentrations of minds involved made it feasible for her at all, and she probably wouldn¡¯t detect anything short of the gnomes secretly assembling another army. But it was good practice, in Regina¡¯s opinion, so June had to bear with it. She smiled a bit and turned her full focus back to the western part of the Gnomish Confederation. Janis¡¯ plan had encountered a few hurdles, but it was still on track, more or less. Several of the flying drone groups, these ones largely composed of Winged Drones with fewer sapient soldiers, had been discovered by gnomes and got into firefights. Although those fights were more like exchanging potshots. The gnomish units in question were small, probably prepared as part of their larger strategy to harass the incoming Imperial army. They even seemed to have trouble communicating the threat back to each other. The hive¡¯s psychic link, of course, meant they didn¡¯t have that problem. Several flocks of reinforcements were already on the way, plans adjusted so those gnomish units would be wiped out first. It was much less important than the major battles coming up, though, just small skirmishes. Janis had taken the majority of their forces deeper into Confederation territory and attacked a string of outposts and bases the gnomes had set up roughly in a hooked line positioned against the projected path of the Imperial advance, also shielding several of their cities further in. She¡¯d been working her way up that collection of targets. The first one or possibly two had been total surprise attacks, but Regina had already warned Janis that it wouldn¡¯t be so easy from now on. The gnomes were very much alarmed and alert. Of course, she could sense they still didn¡¯t have the forces to match Janis, not concentrated in one fort, so it was fine. Janis herself wasn¡¯t paying much attention to Regina, but that was to be expected. She was clearly hopped up on adrenaline and focused intently on the next fight, a combination of excitement and nerves churning in her mind. Her mana was still carefully regulated, and Regina wouldn¡¯t want to be the poor bastard who ended up on the other end of her Fire Manipulation. Janis sent a wave of Winged Drones first, but then asked Thor to descend, followed by other fighters. Normally, they might have only relied on Swarm Drones to minimize the risk to sapient drones. But that would not be a good idea in this case; this was hardly the only battle they were going to fight. Sacrificing all the Winged Drones would just mean they¡¯d all be gone, later, and the people would have to fight anyway, but without their support. She handled it just fine, though. They relied on soldiers equipped with long-ranged weapons and magic users, fighting from relatively high up in the air. Flying affected their accuracy, but also let their mounts dodge attacks more easily. Thor in particular got many attacks thrown his way, maybe someone had recognized Janis, but he dodged most of them easily. The remaining arrows and musket shot, carrying less force as they were shot almost straight up into the air, only hit his shell strengthened by a defensive Skill and barely fazed him. And Janis was wearing her armor. The fight continued pretty much the same as the previous ones had, and while Regina still kept a metaphorical eye on it, she mostly focused on their surroundings, trying to detect any potential gnomes she might have missed. There were none, of course; her sensory abilities using psychic skills had progressed enough that it would probably take a truly dedicated Class or a high-leveled Class¡¯s dedicated Ability to fool her. And she didn¡¯t have to worry too much about individual gnomes, anyway. Janis¡¯ army¡¯s presence was pretty hard to hide now, so stealth wasn¡¯t the top priority. I think things are going pretty well, Regina commented to Janis. The other woman badly hid the way she startled at being suddenly addressed. I suppose so, she answered. After a moment, she asked, Did you find any cause for concern? No. The gnomes are reacting as you and Ben expected. Maybe a bit faster, but I don¡¯t think they can really assemble a force ready to face you until you¡¯ve at least wiped out this ring of outposts. Regina paused for a moment. That fire is not very subtle, though. You should probably clean up this place. I¡¯m the one risking my life fighting here, Janis grumbled. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re on it. At some point, while Regina hadn¡¯t paid much attention, they had indeed ended up setting the outpost on fire. The basic structure the gnomes had used was mostly made out of wood, which helped. A few mages were already trying to put it out with water Spells. Janis turned her focus to it and Regina watched distantly as she smothered the flamers with her manipulation Spells, a nice mixture of air and fire elemental magic. Not that burning it down was necessarily a mistake, anyway. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Janis¡¯ strike force quickly cleaned up, made sure the wounded received medical attention, and then set off again to continue their mission. Regina left them to it, not watching as closely now. Instead of focusing on the details, she made sure she had a good understanding of the whole operation¡¯s progress. Then she turned her attention to the gnomes and tried to evaluate their response. Militarily, it was pretty easy, if not simple. There was only so much they could do to hide their troop movements, especially from something like her psychic senses, and they clearly had other priorities, as well. Regina watched as the gnomes¡¯ units got moving, anticipating their paths. It would be hard for them to catch Janis¡¯ force; that was the point. Their commanders seemed to understand that as well and focused on reinforcing the bases they could quickly. But Regina also tried to get a read on their state of mind, which was a bit trickier. There was some shock, alarm and the usual cocktail of emotions that preceded a fight, that much she had expected. But the level of fear, was it higher than expected or too low? Making judgments like this was not as easy as guessing their tactical responses. Besides, she had to admit there was little chance of getting to feel the reaction of those gnomes who really mattered, who¡¯d make the important decisions ¡ª even if she wanted to, she¡¯d have to devote so much time and energy to searching for specific minds in the sea that was the gnomish capital with no guarantee of success that it would be pretty pointless. The strategy was still paying off, though. Janis¡¯ strike force and the others had now pretty much demolished every outpost or base the gnomes were using in a wide arc around the paths the army could take further east. Regina turned her focus to sniffing out leftover groups of gnomish soldiers and sending their locations to her commanders so they could take care of them, too. Now, the next phase started. Janis split up her large strike force, more of an army already. She would send several units further east, under the command of reliable commanders who wouldn¡¯t act too aggressively. But strategically, their force could threaten the approaches to the capital. If the gnomes elected to weaken the defenses of one of their other cities, they might even take one of them as well, at least with reinforcements. Meanwhile, other troops would be assigned to the area the gnomes had burned and mined, helping to clear at least one good path through it, so the ground army could catch up. Supplies would be a problem, of course. They were carrying some and could raid for more food. Beyond that, the other part of Janis¡¯ strategy would come into play ¡ª the southern Cernlian border. On her orders, Dan and the other local commanders had already started some counter-pushes of their own against the gnomish raiders. Several would actually lead to incursions into the Confederation¡¯s borders, ostensibly in return for the gnomes¡¯ raids and to disrupt the enemy¡¯s ability to continue them. In addition, they would be carrying extra supplies, and flying units in need could retreat there to resupply. It wasn¡¯t a small distance, but it should be doable if they planned ahead. The psychic link¡¯s coordination ensured they would be able to time everything correctly, and maybe form the equivalent of bucket chains passing food or ammunition to where it was needed. If not, it would simply mean additional attrition for their Winged Drones, as much as Regina disliked the callousness towards her drones. But she had already shifted a number of Drone Breeders to breed exclusively Winged Drones. Their numbers would be refilled, even if it took a few days for them to be ready. God, I¡¯m truly coming to despise war. Regina shook her head, then blinked her eyes open to stare at the ceiling. She knew the feeling would probably fade at least a bit, and the accomplishment of having won a war wasn¡¯t to be underestimated, either. She didn¡¯t doubt her ability to go to war again if it was necessary. She felt she was entitled to the sentiment, though. For now, there was little she could do except wait and occasionally use her psychic abilities to check if the gnomes were preparing any hidden surprises. It was a good thing that she did, too. Just when she¡¯d started to think she was being needlessly paranoid, Regina noticed a group of soldiers quietly assembling some ways off the main roads, a considerable distance away from one of the outposts Janis had already burnt down. However, their focused minds and what little she could pick up from them made it clear they had a plan. Maybe some Class Skill to move them quickly to take back the outpost, or maybe they were going to try and ambush one of the hive¡¯s units of flying drones. Regina speculated for a moment, then shrugged and pointed them out to Janis. A few minutes later, her commanders had put together another minor strike force, led by some of their stronger sapient drones, and prepared an ambush on the gnomish force. They could move quickly enough to forestall them. Although the gnomish soldiers did start moving roughly in the direction of Janis¡¯ strike force just before the Imperial troops reached them. Regina paid particular attention to them, but if the gnomes had any special means of scouting for the drones or detecting ambushes, they hadn¡¯t deployed them yet. They seemed to be caught by surprise as the Winged Drones started circling lower and dropping bombs on them. Regina breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the fight continue, and their ambush successfully crush the gnomish strike force. Then she yawned. She waited until the minor battle was done, scanned the surroundings again, then performed a wider sweep. Finally, she allowed herself to open her eyes, stand up and pace around her room for a bit. You should sleep, Max sent her, clearly sensing her attention was no longer focused on the psychic link. Regina almost snapped back at him, but paused. She was feeling like the walls of the room were shifting a little. The sun had already risen a while ago, she hadn¡¯t slept during the night, and things were relatively calm right now. But they¡¯d probably get more chaotic again later. Fine, she grumbled. But wake me in a few hours. Max sent a wordless affirmation and Regina plopped back onto her bed, trying to ignore the discomfort in her core, she hadn¡¯t had time for her usual schedule yet. She fell asleep as soon as the thought passed through her mind, though. As she should have expected, Max stretched the meaning of her words to their limits and it was considerably later when she finally woke up. Regina yawned, splashed some water on her face and dragged herself to the bathroom. A quick check showed that nothing important seemed to be on fire currently and there was no panic spreading through the psychic link, so she left it alone until she¡¯d added some more eggs for the nursery. She let Ira clean her up without fuss while she ran a slightly more detailed check, then dragged herself back to her bedroom and sat down on the bed again. Maybe she should have paid attention earlier, though. As soon as she was ready, Janis contacted her, clearly having waited just until she was available. She seemed exhausted but still focused on her task. Did I miss an emergency? Regina asked. Not really. There is a situation that¡¯s pretty urgent, though. Janis sent a quick impression of a memory: a group of gnomes approaching on tamed monsters, a white banner streaming from a lance. They sent an envoy again. The gnomes want to talk. Regina blinked, then focused more intently on what she could sense of their forces and the state of the front. Janis had clearly managed to defend her gains, and their troops were distributed as she¡¯d intended. The gnomes kept a surprising distance from her positions. The Empire now controlled a bridge into the heartlands of the Gnomish Confederation, they were a stone¡¯s throw from the capital and the gnomes wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with the Winged Drones. It looked like they might have finally accomplished what they wanted. They¡¯re offering to surrender. Not unconditionally, but they want peace negotiations. Regina smiled. Chapter 307: Information and Influence A part of Regina thought she should have held out for an unconditional surrender from the gnomes, but that part was quickly shouted down by the rest. She wanted this to be over with, and she couldn¡¯t countenance continuing the war and increasing the toll in lives when she could already accomplish her goals as it was. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like they were really giving up much, they still had a good position. If the gnomes didn¡¯t honor their surrender, if the peace negotiations failed, they could always continue fighting. It would only give them more time to get new drones for the hive. She didn¡¯t spend much time wondering why General Aliekin had surrendered. It was pretty obvious ¡ª the hive had effectively just defeated his stratagem to delay their advance and make them pay for it, which in turn might have just been intended to put him in a better position. But they hadn¡¯t actually won any major victory over his forces or gained a noticeable amount of territory out of it, yet. If either side waited a few weeks before beginning talks, the Gnomish Confederation would be in a worse position. So he was cutting his losses. Regina took it as reassurance that she was dealing with a rational man. That would be reassuring, anyway. She did get a bit more information from the contacts they¡¯d made among the Gnomish Confederations¡¯s opposition ¡ª if she could still call it that ¡ª which gave her some insight into their internal state. Aliekin had appointed several faction leaders from their ranks into high positions, which clearly indicated he was trying to work with them. In return, the opposition had made no plans to depose him or attack his legitimacy and was shoring up his support among the people. Regina was absolutely certain they were also using the opportunity to entrench themselves and were probably preparing to be able to act against Aliekin or the next guy who might come along to seize power. Regina was a bit amused to hear that Tikimaken and Tikelikel, the two gnomes she¡¯d met first when they¡¯d come as traders and who she¡¯d probably still talked to most of all gnomes, had risen to the Historical faction¡¯s leadership. She supposed it made sense, if they were involved in the opposition. And the guy was apparently Aliekin¡¯s aide, which would count for a lot. The faction was much diminished with most of their higher leadership dead or in prison. The rest of its members probably latched onto the two of them to try and stay relevant. Personally, she would have quit the faction after everything its leaders had done, but she supposed she didn¡¯t understand gnomish politics as intimately as someone born and raised there. Either way, Regina wished them luck with it. It would be best if the faction would be the same in name only going forward. Hopefully they would combat the anti-Hivekind propaganda, and change that part of their platform. She didn¡¯t see it going over too well in the future in what passed for the gnomes¡¯ political process, either. For now, the fighting had stopped as a truce took effect, until the end of the war could be properly handled. It did mean the flying drones Janis had taken deeper into the Gnomish Confederation were a bit exposed, which worried Regina a little. Then again, breaking the truce might only give the gnomes a short-term advantage and would spell disaster for them otherwise. She¡¯d still told them not to entirely let their guard down. Currently, she, or rather Ben, hadn¡¯t actually recalled their forces in any real sense. They were being supplied by air and via the path they¡¯d made through the gnomes¡¯ attempts at killing fields. It wasn¡¯t an arrangement she wanted to sustain for months, but it was fine for now. And having these troops breathing down the gnomes¡¯ necks ought to encourage them to tread carefully. This time, there was little wrangling about the location of any peace talks. Regina had invited them to the biggest town close to the border she could find, in southern Cernlia, and the gnomes had agreed. Well, it was more of an order than an invitation, but they¡¯d come, anyway, and that was what mattered. The winner gets to dictate terms, June had told her with a shrug, and at least for things like this, it seemed to be true. The local Cernlian nobles had been informed and Kiara had set to the task of preparing the talks on short notice with an enthusiasm that Regina vaguely realized she hadn¡¯t seen from her in a while. She really needed to take a bit more time for her friends. With the war ending, hopefully she could do that more easily now. Still, something seemed to have eased between them, although Regina had only spoken to her through a drone ¡ª she¡¯d remained in the capital while Kiara had continued traveling. Due to current events, she¡¯d focused on the southern part of Cernlia. Regina was going to travel to attend the talks herself, this time. They were held on Imperial soil, after all. Besides, it would be a good excuse to shift her range a bit ¡ª this way, she would be able to send some drones further south, and she¡¯d get a better view of the mountains. Getting a secure path through them wasn¡¯t exactly the primary goal of defeating the gnomes, but it was on the list. Given Tim¡¯s initial successes in the south, she really wanted to increase trade with that part of the continent. It would bring new materials, new ideas and new opportunities. People, too, eventually, she hoped. Regina was already expecting a population boom in the Empire, even excepting the hive, but natural births might not keep up with the demand once the economy started to grow. There were a lot of projects in the works, from infrastructure to education, and she envisioned a lot of workshops. Somehow, Regina suspected the Esemen and the Western Confederation wouldn¡¯t be permissive of immigration into the Central European Empire for long. Especially in the medium term, once the improvements in the standard of living ¡ª which she dearly hoped would happen ¡ª spread throughout the population. She knew that in the more ¡­ traditional ¡­ countries, all it might take was a bad harvest for people to seek greener pastures elsewhere. Regina had tried her best to keep an eye on the pulse of the Western Confederation, although she had to admit she¡¯d been distracted by other concerns. The gnomes, the war, building up the Empire, all sorts of internal affairs ¡ª she just didn¡¯t have the time to manage it personally or even to make regular sweeps with her psychic abilities. Not that those would help much, it was a bit outside her range. Still, the Western Confederation was obviously the softer target compared to the Esemen. It was still too new and uncertain to have any kind of united defense against the influence of foreign powers. It was a game that took time, so the gains they¡¯d made were limited, but Daine had seemed confident in their chances to get some penetration of the Confederation eventually. They were already buying information from merchants and travelers and carefully cultivating some people to search out information in more targeted ways. He¡¯d bribed a number of servants in noble estates across the new nation, people in less ¡®decent¡¯ professions like prostitutes, and even made inroads with promising soldiers who might be promoted to higher military offices. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Time would tell what came of it. They were hardly privy to the innermost council of the movers and shakers in the country, but at least Regina now had access to regular reports about its general state and the pulse of public opinion in the Western Confederation. Unfortunately, she supposed she had to assume the Westerners (Confederates?) were doing the same, and the Esemen too. There was little Regina could do about her enemies getting similar information from the merchants and others in the Empire. That only made protecting at least her court and the top echelons of the ministries and agencies she¡¯d set up more important. It was why she kept up with her screenings as best she could. Fortunately, June¡¯s psychic training was finally making some progress and she¡¯d hopefully be able to help eventually, too. For now, Regina tried to schedule meetings with pretty much everyone concerned and worked her way down the list, one awkward conversation-slash-test at a time. It was getting surprisingly repetitive and boring considering she was prying into people¡¯s minds and innermost lives. Not that she should be gallivanting around in those figurative inner worlds out of curiosity. Regina had already had a few people discreetly fired. So far, she hadn¡¯t met any spies she would consider to be real problems, though. Maybe she needed to counter-check with more conventional methods. ¡°I truly doubt there are any hidden, high-level agents that have slipped through your net in the interrogations, Your Majesty,¡± Lord Daine said when she asked him about it, looking, and feeling, a bit uncomfortable. ¡°Is that because there are no such people or because they wouldn¡¯t be here?¡± ¡°From what I can tell, stories of ¡®super-spies¡¯ are largely just stories, My Empress. Of course there are Classes and Class Skills that lend themselves to spy work, but hidden feats of daring and intrigue are rather less likely with them. They tend to be more practical. And any such spy would have certainly heard about your tests, and known to avoid them, giving up any chance to pursue a high position if necessary. Keeping one¡¯s cover is generally preferable to running such a risk. I am not a psychic so I can¡¯t speak to the efficacy of your methods in that regard, but I am sure the lady Madris has taught you well. And all of this is assuming our enemies would have gotten far enough to place a spy in an appropriate position at court, anyway, which, with all due humility, I doubt they would have managed.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Regina nodded. ¡°That brings us to your own efforts in the west and east, then.¡± Daine frowned faintly. ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, did you not want me to gather more information regarding the gnomes, in preparation for the upcoming peace negotiations?¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I believe I have it in hand,¡± she said. ¡°The situation is quite different. I think your skills are better used focusing on your networks in the human countries, we cannot afford to neglect them regardless of the gnomes.¡± She wasn¡¯t quite sure what Daine thought about that. She could have used her abilities to see, of course, but he would have noticed, and more importantly, she wasn¡¯t going to try and read people¡¯s thoughts for no good reason. He was calm and contemplative, anyway. ¡°I am at your disposal, Majesty,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°Did you have specific concerns?¡± ¡°Is there news of John Cern?¡± she asked. Regina wasn¡¯t really feeling concerned about him, but she figured she might as well be thorough. ¡°We know he is still in Leberg,¡± Daine reported. ¡°He has been seen out and about several times. I¡¯ve set a few people to watching him, so we should know if he makes any unusual movements or leaves the city. He is apparently hosted at a mansion in the city, but it is on the edge of the inner city and the house has stood empty for several years beforehand. It is a place to stash him and keep him in comfort, I think, but does not indicate they value his use very highly.¡± So he was, if anything, more of a backup chess piece rather than a vital and key part of their plans. That would align with her expectations. Unless they just didn¡¯t want to draw attention to him. ¡°We could demand his return,¡± Daine offered, seeming hesitant. ¡°If he was charged with a crime, the crown could request his extradition to face justice.¡± Regina hummed thoughtfully, but shook her head. ¡°No, let¡¯s not go there yet,¡± she said. ¡°That would undoubtedly escalate the situation. If they refuse, we would need to answer in some way, but I really don¡¯t want to bother with that. Let¡¯s not alienate Liongen unnecessarily.¡± ¡°I concur, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°The rest of your report, Lord Daine?¡± Regina had received him in a relatively private sitting room close to her office which had recently been renovated. It held a more comfortable atmosphere. And especially after verifying his motivations with her psychic abilities, she trusted Daine enough that she was willing to drop the mask a little. So Regina leaned back on her settee and closed her eyes for a moment while she listened to Daine speak. There were a lot of details she probably didn¡¯t need to know, although they might come in useful. Regina preferred to hear more details rather than too few, though. She considered what he told her about the Western Confederation. It was slowly growing closer together, as expected, the merchants had few complaints about prices, the planting had started and peasants were busy, the leaders were still bickering ¡­ anyone could have guessed that. After Daine had finished, he fell silent and Regina drummed her fingers on the arm of the couch for a moment. ¡°Do you have further information about that new Esemen ambassador?¡± she asked. ¡°That strikes me as the most potentially concerning information.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately not, My Empress. I will redouble my efforts, but it does not seem like much is known about his past, at least not publicly.¡± ¡°And this plan to build a new temple to the gods, is it connected?¡± ¡°The timing is suspicious, Your Imperial Majesty, but I have no proof of anything.¡± ¡°Then get that proof,¡± she said curtly, ¡°if you can. I want to be kept apprised. It is a temple of many gods, you said?¡± ¡°Certainly more than two, perhaps all of the major gods,¡± Daine answered. ¡°We are yet unsure which specific gods may be included. It may not be set in stone yet. They have spread news of this new temple widely, however. I would call it a prestige project. Perhaps even trying to elevate their new capital.¡± Regina nodded, tugging on the arms of her jacket as she shifted to sit up a bit straighter. There might be nothing to worry about, it could just be a political prestige projects. Temples built by rulers often were, after all. Got to demonstrate piety and all that, and God forbid you do it by actually helping people. Daine looked hesitant, but when he caught her gaze again, he spoke up. ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, will we be building any such temples ourselves in the Empire?¡± ¡°Certainly not,¡± Regina snapped. Like hell am I going to build those gods any temples, she bit down on the words. ¡°Then perhaps any, ah, churches of an older faith?¡± Daine asked, looking even more uncertain. Regina almost snapped at him again, but swallowed the urge. ¡°It is unlikely,¡± she said in clipped tones. She could practically see him evaluating her response. ¡°I see. Then, is there anything else, My Empress?¡± ¡°No. You may go, attend to your duties,¡± she dismissed him. Daine bowed and backed out of the room, and Regina plopped down on the couch again, laying an arm across her eyes and sighing to herself. Interlude: Division VII The teardrop of glass in the pendant caught the light, throwing a refracted shape skittering across the ground for a moment before it dissolved. It kept spinning, but didn¡¯t catch the sunlight just the right way again. Instead, it just seemed to sparkle slightly, enough to remind him of its presence but not be of any use to anyone. Tikimaken caught it, closed his fist around it, then hooked it back into the necklace he was wearing; a simple, thin chain of silver. It contained a small ring used for just this purpose. He tucked the teardrop, the grave-gift, back into his shirt, then clenched his hand at his side while suppressing a sigh. Gnomish grave-gifts were an old tradition, a mourning rite. Traditionally one wore it for a year before laying it down at their deceased¡¯s grave. Also according to tradition, his was a small charm, a pendant that could be worn on necklaces, bracelets or a few other options. Recently, he had seen a lot of them. Some people had taken to hanging them beside each other or wearing special rings or armbands for the purpose. Tikimaken shook his head and tried to marshal his thoughts instead of letting them drift to morbid subjects again. Did the Hivekind have any special mourning rites, he wondered briefly? Most people did, surely, but they seemed to lose a lot of drones. Previously, he wouldn¡¯t have thought so, if he¡¯d even thought of the question, but now he couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Well, perhaps he would find an answer. He was accompanying General Aliekin into the Empire, after all. Their trip did not take long. They had stopped over at one of the cities closest to the border, where he¡¯d accompanied the general to several meetings. The rest of the delegation, relatively small compared to previous occasions, had met them there. Then they¡¯d traveled into the Empire with tamed mounts or carriages drawn by them. It was a bumpy ride, as the roads were not particularly good, but at least they could bypass all places where there had been heavy fighting ¡ª the roads there would be in even worse condition, certainly. The town they were to talk in was nothing special in any way he could discern. Presumably, it had been chosen purely because its location fell into some optimum range. It also hardly mattered; the place was downright crawling with drones. Tikimaken had to remind himself that the war was over, or as good as over, more than once, or the sight of so many troops of their enemy would have misled his instincts. He was also uncomfortably aware that they were probably being watched every second. A few dark shapes that could only be flying drones circled above, some of them far and small enough to appear as little more than dots. General Aliekin did not show any unease if he was feeling any. Instead, the general appeared completely calm and in control. It was only because Tikimaken had known him for months now that he even realized it might be partly a facade. Still, Aliekin had been almost hesitant when it came to security. He only took one unit of elite soldiers as guards, and it was quite small. Clearly, he felt more soldiers than them would be a provocation. Intellectually, Tikimaken knew he was right in that it didn¡¯t matter how many swords they had, the drones could easily kill them all before they got back to their own troops if they wanted to. The fact the general came in person spoke well of his courage ¡ª but then, the information they had received, tense words from a Hive drone sent as messenger, said that the Hive Queen would come personally, as well. Tikimaken was there as a political leader of the Gnomish Confederation. He had risen quite high recently, almost despite himself. But he knew he had the general¡¯s trust, at least to some extent, and he could speak for the Historicals that remained. But he had no intention of following their traditional policy and trying anything to sabotage or hurt the meeting. On the contrary, he would do his level best to ensure they ended the war. Not that it should really be in question, considering the Gnomish Confederation had explicitly offered their surrender already, but some people could be idiots. Besides, there were still a lot of open questions regarding how, exactly, peace would look like. They were met just inside the bounds of the town by a small honor guard evenly split between drones and humans. He eyed the drones surreptitiously; it had been a while since he had gotten so close to them, especially without fighting. It was easy to tell which of them was the talking, humanoid variant and which were mere beasts. He was even distracted enough to miss the initial sentences exchanged between the general and the leader of the group. ¡°Please accompany us to the premises of the conference,¡± the drone said. ¡°Accommodations have been prepared for you.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Aliekin acceded gracefully. ¡°Thank you for the welcome.¡± From the inside, the town seemed quiet, and he wondered if it had been deserted or evacuated. The houses were simple, often mudbrick and timber-framed with slate roofs, typical Cernlian architecture. He was familiar with it, had passed through many such towns, if not this exact one, before the war. The central building they were led toward must be some kind of guild hall or municipal building, a bit larger and fancier than usual. Humans he assumed were servants received them and guided them to prepared rooms where refreshments waited. Tikimaken spent a few minutes washing his face and hands and trying to straighten out his appearance, glancing surreptitiously at his companions. They¡¯d been told the Empress would receive them soon, and he could tell the general was impatient. He had barely sat down and ignored the provided food and drinks entirely. ¡°Any last instructions, Sir?¡± he asked quietly. Aliekin looked at him and raised an eyebrow in amusement. ¡°If there was something I missed, there would hardly be enough time to discuss it in detail, Tiki. Just keep a cool head and make sure no one makes any grave misstep. This is only the initial meeting.¡± ¡°Of course, General.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for another servant to show up to lead them to their first audience. That was more of a courtesy, he supposed, the building was hardly big enough to get lost in. Tikimaken fell into step half a step behind his general, glancing at the rest of the delegation, many of whom would have been too junior for something like this just weeks ago. Relatively few of them were officers compared to civilian appointments. Then they neared the ¡®great hall¡¯ and he focused his attention forward again. Several drones guarded the doors, but neither of them had names he recognized. They were all above level 40, though. Their demeanor was painfully neutral as they let the group into the room. It had clearly been prepared for the occasion. His first impression was a lot of light and color for a space like this. A number of people had gathered, but they kept a clear aisle to the throne that had been placed on the slightly elevated dais at the head of the room. His eyes were first drawn to the imposing figure standing beside it, armored, tips of his natural blades resting on the floor pointing slightly at them. He now stood as tall as a tall human man, his shell might have darkened a little and he looked at the visitors as if he was trying to dissect them. Max. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Another drone, who stood a bit further down to the right of the throne, spoke and captured his attention. A female drone with wings instead of additional arms, wearing a nice dress that had clearly been designed for her race. It took him a moment to recognize Ira, her Hive Queen¡¯s personal attendant. ¡°Welcome to the Empire,¡± she said. ¡°You have the honor of addressing Her Imperial Majesty, Regina von Woltan, Empress of the Central European Empire and Hive Queen of the Starlit Hive, the Last Progenitor; as well as Her Imperial Highness, Janis von Woltan, Crown Princess of the Central European Empire, and Her Majesty, Kiara Lyns, Queen of Cernlia, Duchess of Heathland and Silver Waters and Lady of the Eastern Expanse.¡± Despite the official introduction, there was only one throne present, he noted, even if it was rather understated. The crown princess and queen stood beside each other, close to the throne. All three of the women were turned out in what he imagined to be diplomatic finery, however ¡ª the Cernlian queen wore a sumptuous blue gown while the other two were instead dressed in a style not quite like anything he¡¯d seen before, but presumably reminiscent of the Ancients, dark jackets of some expensive material with gold accents over blouses and vests, with trousers ¡ª and all wore crowns. His eyes lingered for a moment on the woman who he knew had commanded much of the war. Her almost glittering hair that looked like it burned at the ends and too-vibrantly blue eyes were obvious marks of her demihuman status. Then he focused on the reason they were all here. She still looked young, perhaps eighteen or nineteen in human years, scarcely more in gnomish years. Perhaps more human-looking than any of the drones and yet still unmistakably other with brownish-gray skin, delicate mandibles framing her chin, her horns hidden by her long hair or perhaps the gold tiara she wore. It was almost disconcerting to see her dressed in an old human style, sitting on a throne. Their entire world had been changed by this girl, he thought as he bowed alongside the general and the rest of the delegation. ¡°It is an honor to meet you at last, Your Majesties, Your Highness,¡± Aliekin said. ¡°I am General Aliekin, leader of the provisional government of the Gnomish Confederation of the East. With me are my aide Tikimaken, co-head of the Historicals ¡­¡± Tikimaken tuned out the rest of the introduction, since they had argued about the words quite a bit and so he had heard it several times, in favor of watching the other people present. Few of them seemed pleased to see his people. He noticed a number of officers present, both drones and humans. Several of the more martial-looking people were likely Delvers. There were also a few who seemed to be nobles or court officials, not military. ¡°How good to see you in person,¡± Janis Starlit said. ¡°I feared we would have to meet on the battlefield.¡± He wondered if that was supposed to be a threat. His general only smiled pleasantly. ¡°I am sure we are all glad that can be avoided, Your Imperial Highness.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± the empress said drily, finally speaking up. Looking at her, she appeared entirely relaxed. She watched them with a gaze that lacked any warmth, a confidence bordering on arrogance in her eyes, like a ruler looking at her subjects, or, he supposed, a victor the conquered. ¡°You are welcome in Cernlia for the duration of the negotiations,¡± Queen Kiara spoke up. Her tone was warmer, but still only diplomatic, lacking anything beyond surface courtesy. Which was fair enough, he supposed. ¡°Please be sure to tell us of any needs you have that we may accommodate.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty,¡± General Aliekin responded, inclining his head. ¡°We are looking forward to the return of peace to these lands, and to the resumption of trade.¡± Kiara Lyns nodded, her gaze warming slightly. It¡¯s not hard to guess where she stands, Tikimaken reflected. Peace and prosperity for her kingdom, what else would she want? His gaze darted to the Imperial crown princess beside her again. It was harder to know what she wanted. Glory in battle? She already had that, but the kind of people who were after it might want more. Personal revenge? It would depend on how close she was to those killed. Or did she simply follow her queen in all things? ¡°So are we all,¡± Empress Regina said. ¡°And yet, we want this peace to be a lasting state of affairs, unmarred by further hostility and hate, by the seeds of a new war. It is my intention to ensure we need never meet like this again, to protect my nation and my people from the ravages of war, which we have all too clearly experienced. I appreciate your surrender ¡ª now it is on us to ensure we use it to craft said peace.¡± She spoke well, Tikimaken noted. For a moment, he had perhaps gotten a glimpse into how so many people followed her. Charisma from a woman was always a bit surprising to him, perhaps he was too much of a traditional gnome in that regard. But the content of her words was both encouraging and concerning. The desire for a tenable peace was certainly good, but she also seemed to drop hints about what she wanted this peace to be like, and it was clearly to the benefit of her people and the detriment of the gnomes. Keeping her enemies too weak to attack her country again; it was basic political strategy. Not surprising, considering the circumstances. ¡°Of course,¡± Aliekin said, nodding. ¡°We all wish for a lasting peace agreement. Ideally one that people of both sides can be content with, so there will be no further desire for war.¡± ¡°What a nice sentiment,¡° someone else said, from the group close to the throne. Ira, he realized after a moment. The words were faintly sarcastic. ¡°I assure you, my lady,¡± Aliekin responded, nodding at the drone, ¡°that I am sincere. Despite the deplorable decisions of my predecessors, as its current leader I can assure you the Gnomish Confederation is eager for peace. The previous executive council was arrested for treason. Their sentiments are not ours.¡± An allusion to the start of the war, he knew, without outright coming out and saying that they had started the war. That was, after all, a diplomatic concession, given the previous dialogues between the Empire and the Confederation. ¡°Does that include the actions triggered by their hate?¡± Max asked, his mild tone almost hiding the steel under his words. ¡°Such as, say, the death of my siblings?¡± Tikimaken sucked in a breath. ¡°We regret all deaths that have come about because of their aggression,¡± he said before he could stop it. ¡°Especially that of innocents. That would include envoys.¡± Aliekin glanced at him but said nothing to contradict him. ¡°Then you are willing to acknowledge what happened? That Bea and the others were unjustly murdered?¡± Princess Janis asked, leaning forward a bit. ¡°Let¡¯s not be hasty,¡± the general answered in a calming voice, ¡°any formal acknowledgment of guilt is a matter for the negotiation table, not the initial greetings, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tikimaken glanced away at the crowd again, but this time not to look for anything. He wished he could just speak his mind here, express his dismay and horror at the details of how the war had started, the previous leadership of his faction¡¯s unmitigated aggression. But he couldn¡¯t. He would have been willing to formally apologize for their actions in his role as current head of the Historicals; he was still willing. But they had debated the option of starting with such an apology as a gesture of goodwill, and in the end the general had decided it was unwise. A formal acknowledgment of guilt was a major issue, it would serve as a concession for the negotiations ¡ª so if they gave it up right away, it effectively took one of the concessions they could give off the list of options and the Empire would push for another instead. He believed Aliekin had no intention of being difficult with it. In fact, he¡¯d already started to make plans of how to leverage the matter back in the Gnomish Confederation. Emphasizing the role his predecessors had played, decrying their sins and crimes, could help cement his own actions. But diplomatically, the card should be played at the best time for it. ¡°I see,¡± the empress said, her tone painfully neutral. Tikimaken had no idea what she was thinking. After a moment, she smiled thinly. ¡°We will certainly speak about that, as well as many other issues. But for now, you must be tired after your travel. You are formally welcome here as our guests, and the negotiations are scheduled to start early tomorrow. I am looking forward to speaking to you at greater length, then. For now, you have my leave to go and rest.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty, the sentiment is appreciated and returned,¡± Aliekin answered. Then they bowed again and turned to leave the room. The general showed no visible hesitation or disapproval at the fact that he needed to do so, although Tikimaken supposed other people might have been required to kneel in a formal audience instead of bowing from the waist; he wasn¡¯t versed in human court etiquette. He strained his ears, but the Imperial royals remained quiet until after they¡¯d left the hall and walked down the corridor to get out of range. ¡°Well, I suppose that could have gone worse,¡± the general idly commented. He looked almost cheerful. Tikimaken nodded silently, unconsciously reaching up to finger Erdeken¡¯s grave-gift under his shirt. It did. He still hoped the following days would be a little easier on his nerves. Chapter 308: Shifts That night, Regina slept badly, tossing and turning quite a bit. She was grumpy the next morning and had to control herself to not snap at her drones, who didn¡¯t deserve her irritation. It was the tension of the situation, she knew; not that she was afraid, or anything but confident, but she was aware of the importance of these talks. What they determined now would be crucial in the coming years. And it would mean she had to find some resolution for the deaths of her drones, and all that had happened. She supposed it was made easier by the fact these really weren¡¯t the same people who had started the war. Still gnomes and leaders of their country, but not hateful bigots who would murder envoys and launch an unprovoked invasion. At least not as far as she knew. Her initial impression of Aliekin had been born out by what she¡¯d sensed in the psychic link. He seemed to be a largely reasonable man and his mind was tightly controlled, disciplined. Also guarded in a way that suggested he had received at least a little training, which made it hard for her to gather more than general impressions, even if she wanted to take the risk. His companions weren¡¯t quite that good, but she also hadn¡¯t spared the focus and effort of trying to peer too deeply, not when she¡¯d been focused on the actual interaction and conversation with him. But personal impressions only counted for so much here. Even if she were to grow to respect him, which Regina still doubted, both of them were representing their nations. She could not let the Gnomish Confederation off the hook just because they¡¯d had a change in leadership. They didn¡¯t meet for breakfast today. Instead, Regina ate in the rooms that had been assigned to her, with many of the drones and Janis. The town and its local lord¡¯s mansion didn¡¯t have much space, so they were living in rather cramped quarters, but the drones had taken the opportunity to set up communal bedrooms in a side wing. Janis had decided to sleep with them as well, even while Regina had a private room. She found it a little amusing that the girl seemed to like their cuddle piles while she herself generally preferred privacy. But Janis was probably used to it from campaign. Now, she took the opportunity to go over a few more details with her. Then they met with Kiara and the others and went to meet the gnomes for the real negotiations. They were in a bit of a weird spot in that regard, Regina knew ¡ª they didn¡¯t have an unconditional surrender and the gnomish army was still largely intact, so it wasn¡¯t realistic to just force the Gnomish Confederation to do whatever they wanted, but they had formally won the war. It wasn¡¯t like they had clear terms for it, there were no obvious answers like if people were fighting over specific territory or titles. It meant the situation had to be settled at the negotiating table. At first, Regina mostly kept quiet and allowed the others to talk for her, which she¡¯d at least originally planned for the initial meeting as well. Partly, that was to not give too much away ¡ª she was the ultimate authority, had the ultimate say, and thus the others could push and voice things she did not have to back up ¡ª but partly, it was because she felt less prepared for this. Janis had negotiated with them before. The only real experience in this vein Regina had was the peace conference, and she¡¯d gone in with an established plan, with Cernlia and Nerlia already in agreement and the rest merely spectators. Instead, she paid particular attention to the gnomes. Aliekin was calm, showed little resentment and spoke politely. The others didn¡¯t speak much, again. There was little doubt who was in charge here. She didn¡¯t know if he just had control issues or if it was a reverse tactic of hers. ¡°I believe we spoke about the matter of responsibility for the events that started the war,¡± Kiara said pleasantly, after an exchange of initial pleasantries and after less important matters were discussed, such as practical arrangements for these talks. Aliekin inclined his head slightly. ¡°That we did.¡± ¡°And I believe you just about agreed that your predecessors, the previous executive council, did start it by murdering envoys and launching an unprovoked invasion.¡± ¡°The exact happenings are still under investigation,¡± Aliekin responded, seemingly unfazed. Janis snorted slightly, then muffled it by coughing into her hand. Regina herself only cocked her head slightly and looked at him. ¡°How fortunate,¡± Kiara said. ¡°And when can we expect the matter to be cleared up in your opinion, General? It does not strike me as a very complicated circumstance. You have already seen the most highly-placed perpetrators put on trial and sentenced.¡± ¡°True, I do not expect it to take long until everything is apparent,¡± he said. ¡°Certainly the matter of the initial military orders have been traced back, although the circumstances of the drones¡¯ deaths are a little less clear ¡ª who was where and so on, who gave what orders. Given the standing policy at the time, there may be some contention ¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand if I don¡¯t want the deaths of my children used as political tools,¡± Regina interrupted. Aliekin examined her silently for a moment, while Regina focused on both fanning and controlling the ember of anger in her chest. He nodded after a second. ¡°Of course, Empress Regina. The basic facts of the matter are clear. Provisionally, given further investigation, we can agree to acknowledge the guilt of the executive council. We acknowledge that the first troops to move were ours. The initial goals of the Historicals for the war will never be fulfilled, which seems best for everyone.¡± ¡°We will expect a formal apology from the Gnomish Confederation regarding their invasion,¡± Janis demanded. ¡°Of course, Your Highness,¡± Aliekin answered easily. Regina could tell he was already planning to pin it all on the former Historical leadership and blame them for everything, directing his people¡¯s anger at the lost war at them. She¡¯d expected him to do that from the beginning, and the impressions she¡¯d picked up yesterday only confirmed it. ¡°The war is over now, and the Gnomish Confederation paid a high price for it, losing many soldiers,¡± one of the other gnomes said. "Quite, and so did many other people. War like this is catastrophic for many involved, and it must never be allowed to happen again lightly,¡± Kiara commented. Naturally, this turned into a discussion of reparations. Regina leaned back again and listened to the conversation. She¡¯d spoken up when it came to the matter of her drones¡¯ murder, since she felt obligated to take care of it personally. They were her drones and it was the least she owed them, after all, if she couldn¡¯t protect them. But she stuck to her plans for most of the rest of the meeting and let the others talk. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The matter of reparations was contentious, of course. Even knowing that it was likely one of the less heatedly debated points, no one wanted to give too much. At least the gnomes didn¡¯t have the audacity to suggest that the hive or the Empire pay them anything, they were smarter than that, but they did go on about the losses of the war and the state of their economy and how they simply couldn¡¯t support crippling payments. Truthfully, Regina was inclined to be lenient in that regard. She could literally create money out of thin air, it wasn¡¯t like she necessarily needed their reparation money. She was also aware they had a point, and crippling their economy might work to drain their war readiness, but only at the cost of severe consequences and major risks in the long term. Bad economic conditions led to the rise of extremism and it would very much fan resentment against the Empire, which was what Regina wanted to avoid. Her goal was to lessen the hostility, after all, not increase it. But this was still a negotiation and so diplomacy was conducted. Being forgiving when it came to monetary reparations could be used in turn when it came to other points. Eventually, the question was tabled for later, with the implicit understanding the hive would concede the matter in return for other considerations. The gnomes didn¡¯t look happy, but there must have been some truths to their protests ¡ª they seemed ready to accept it, even reluctantly, for the sake of avoiding having to pay a heavier cost. She didn¡¯t think they would easily trade political concessions for money, so they must really be concerned about their economy¡¯s potential collapse. They broke for lunch at that point, and Regina swept out of the room without giving them a chance to talk to her. She had lunch in a secluded dining room accompanied only by her closest companions. It was quiet, with few people talking, while she kept half of her attention on the psychic link and her psychic senses. Being this close to the gnomes had given her a slightly better understanding of their minds, but it still didn¡¯t offer any real insight. She checked with all the drones present as well as others stationed around the Empire, and particularly those who had the duty of watching the gnomes for suspicious troop movements. None were found, thankfully. She didn¡¯t really think Aliekin would go back on his word like that. Especially not while he and key supporters of his were here, he wasn¡¯t an idiot like some of his predecessors clearly had been. Beyond that, Regina took the opportunity to connect with drones she¡¯d sent south. They were a little closer to southern Europe here than she would have been in Cera, so it was a good opportunity. She still didn¡¯t get far enough to reach Tim in Veragles, although she fancied she could faintly feel it on the metaphorical horizon. Still, at least it would make it easier to communicate, to pass messages. They¡¯d been sending Swarm Drones along the route his group had scouted, off and on. Most of them died, unfortunately. It was why Regina didn¡¯t want to risk sending sapient drones, or her human subjects, not until they could put together a bigger, strong group for the purpose. But it did help them chart the area a bit more accurately, and prepare for building a real path through the mountains. Tunnels had been started, although progress was very slow. One of these days, she would travel closer so her range could cover the entire distance and they could complete securing the path. It would take a while, but it would be worth it. She¡¯d need to make preparations to leave the northern part of her current range uncovered, though. And before all that, they first needed to deal with the gnomes. To finally bring peace, to end the war, and get some assurance that there would not be more attacks. The sound of the door opening broke Regina from her thoughts. She knew who was coming, of course, had sensed them for a while, but she still felt the surprise from the others. Kiara was out of her chair quickly. ¡°June! I didn¡¯t know you were coming.¡± June glanced at Regina, who shrugged and tilted her head at Janis. ¡°I thought you would have told her.¡± ¡°I thought you did,¡± Janis shrugged. She gave Kiara a look, who returned a slightly more exasperated one. Feeling conscious of the other eyes on them, she didn¡¯t hug her sister, just squeezed her arm briefly and then sat back down beside her girlfriend. The only people in this room had either been told of their relationship or put the pieces together and would stay quiet, so there was no reason to be overzealous in trying to hide it. Regina suspected the two of them might find some corner of the Empire to disappear to once this whole thing was over. Hm, now there¡¯s a thought, she considered. Maybe I can send them north? Dealing with the Esemen, even, a little bit? Or whatever needs doing, there are a few small states on the border of the Western Confederation, sending someone to the area might not be a bad idea, anyway. June dropped into the chair, ignoring the byplay. She seemed uncharacteristically tired, in a way that went beyond the physical, though she also wasn¡¯t feeling bad. But her mental shields had also improved, under Regina¡¯s instruction, so she didn¡¯t get more than an impression with a vague look at her apprentice. ¡°The gnomes are in for a surprise,¡± Janis said, smiling at the younger princess. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of royalty gathering in one place,¡± Max said. He sounded like he might be concerned about security implications, but that was just habit, Regina knew he was mostly amused. ¡°Has it ever struck you as odd there are so many female royals here?¡± June asked. Regina shrugged. ¡°I suppose. Partly coincidence, and partly, well, I don¡¯t think I would have worked as well with men.¡± It was probably unfair of her, but the prevailing sexism had made women more appealing allies to her on some level. Girls like Kiara ¡ª and Janis, she supposed, though her circumstances were unique ¡ª knew what it was to struggle against the prevailing, patriarchal social order, the same one Regina herself considered so backward and archaic. Maybe it would have worked just as well if she¡¯d run into a gay lord trying to defend his position or something like that, though. ¡°That¡¯s not why you¡¯re here, however,¡± she added. She knew June well enough to know she had probably just been trying for a distraction to order her thoughts. June turned to face her, and nodded. ¡°I think I¡¯ve made a breakthrough, Master,¡± she said after a short pause. ¡°I reached out with my mind and I felt ¡­ something, I¡¯m not entirely sure how to describe it, if I have the words, but it was like a twining net of minds. I looked at the soldiers and I knew their anxiety, their pride and their concerns.¡± Regina leaned closer. ¡°That¡¯s not all, though,¡± she said. June shook her head, biting at her lower lip. ¡°No. Since then, I¡¯ve ¡ª it¡¯s always there, in the back of my mind ¡ª a sense of the people around me, very distant and faint. But I think I¡¯d always know if someone was in the room with me, if I paid attention. I can¡¯t read your emotions, but ¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very good first step,¡± Regina hummed, pleased. ¡°That¡¯s great, June. It does sound like you¡¯ve made a major breakthrough. Let me just ¡­¡± She trailed off for a moment, focusing entirely on her apprentice¡¯s mind. Mental shields or not, she still knew her intimately. And she could tell something, tiny but oh so significant, had shifted. Her mind was ¡­ different, now, in a very subtle, specific, localized but also unmistakable way. She felt slightly more like Madris, or like Regina herself might feel to others, though obviously without the psychic link. It was a shift like someone cured of chronic pain, or learning magic, or perhaps more like someone gaining a new sense. ¡°Congratulations, June,¡± Kiara grinned at her, not hiding the pride she felt, even if there was a faint flash of concern with it. ¡°You have to teach me how to do that,¡± Janis added, grinning as well. ¡°Maybe we can try later,¡± Regina said, still focused on June. Later, she would need to think about taking other apprentices, about seeing just how well or how thoroughly she could foster this ability in others, if indeed it could be done. But for now, her attention was on June. They¡¯d need to evaluate just how far this went, but Regina was relieved. It really looked like she wasn¡¯t the only psychic they had anymore, besides Madris. Chapter 309: Civilized The rest of the negotiations that day were both very satisfying and very frustrating. Satisfying because Regina could tell they were afraid of her, and a dark part of herself took pleasure in it. It wasn¡¯t a very immediate or primal fear, it wasn¡¯t like the gnomes were afraid she was going to start throwing fireballs around or get her hooks into their minds. She assumed they didn¡¯t know how much she could actually do with them, or rather make them do. It was a more general, political fear. Everyone knew who had won the war. They were anxious about the price she was extracting. And it felt satisfying to feel the confirmation of her victory, of her hive¡¯s and her empire¡¯s victory, in their emotions. Frustrating, because despite all that, they didn¡¯t seem to get very close to an actual resolution. She thought the gnomes were willing, for the most part, but that didn¡¯t make it easy to actually come to anything like a fair compromise. Maybe it didn¡¯t help that Regina herself was holding something back. She didn¡¯t want to go into specifics before she had a good idea of their attitudes, how they would react. And there were so many chances to get sidetracked, to argue over minor issues and faults and definitions. The gnomes were quite reluctant to end up in any kind of inferior, subordinate relationship to the Empire, but ironically also seemed like they thought it inevitable, even if they didn¡¯t say as much. They tried instead to redirect the negotiation to cuts to their military and limits to the number of troops they were allowed to field, even favorable trade deals. They forbade any infringement in their domestic politics and yet seemed strangely okay with Regina¡¯s demands to reintroduce something like democracy and government by elected representatives. She wondered if they were planning on holding elections soon, perhaps manipulating the timing and circumstances, and if Aliekin was that confident in being the last man standing. She felt like Aliekin was holding something back, too. He grew less vocal as the time wore on and allowed his subordinates to speak more. Instead, it seemed like he was considering her, and perhaps his plans. Regina was starting to think she should just talk to him directly about it. Maybe the circumstances, the elaborate negotiations with teams of people from both sides, were an obstacle. A ¡®backroom deal¡¯ might be better, at least to work out the basis for an agreement. Because of that, Regina wasn¡¯t particularly surprised when they were approached at the end of this negotiation session, when they stopped for dinner. The talks would continue tomorrow. He didn¡¯t walk up to talk to her directly. Instead, Tikimaken approached June. What¡¯s he saying? Regina asked over the psychic connection she¡¯d established. June might be able to keep one up herself now, or at least hold up her end of it, but it would be taxing on her, so she still provided her support. The general wants to talk to you in private, Master, June replied, her mental voice strong and clear with a neutral tone. He¡¯s suggesting the parlor on the east side of the building, in half an hour. Regina considered it for a moment. Make it an hour, and don¡¯t tell them who I¡¯ll bring, if anyone, but it will be private. June sent back an acknowledgment and Regina listened as she confirmed it with the gnome, who seemed unbothered about the changed time. He bowed his head to June and went back to his superior, speaking quietly. Aliekin glanced back and nodded at June. That was that, then. In the end, it took Regina slightly more than an hour until she showed up at the specified parlor. Actually, it wasn¡¯t because she was deliberately making him wait as a power move, although she supposed that was a side benefit. It had simply taken a bit longer than she anticipated to referee the argument about who should come with her. Perhaps because she¡¯d left it until the last minute to inform everyone. She could have made it on time if she¡¯d rushed and hurried through the halls, but she didn¡¯t want to do that. As Max opened the door for her, Regina reached up to touch her crown again then quickly pulled her hand back down. She had chosen the same one she wore yesterday, a relatively simple and delicate gold piece set with diamonds. Janis had worn a similar one in silver. She¡¯d brought the heavy crown she¡¯d been coronated with and was planning to use it for a formal ceremony that may arise, or maybe just the signing of any documents that would signify the gnomes¡¯ final submission, but it was a bit much for the talks. Beside the crown, Regina wore a dark suit that was a little too embellished for modern styles but resembled older ones. She was glad she hadn¡¯t overdressed when she saw Aliekin, who was wearing a military uniform with some medals. He seemed to be alone except for Tikimaken, who was standing beside the probably decorative fireplace in the room, while the general was seated in an armchair. He stood up as the Imperials entered. Max quietly closed the door behind her and Janis and then took position by it, crossing his arms. Janis stuck close to Regina as they stepped into the room. ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, thank you for agreeing to meet,¡± Aliekin bowed in greeting. His eyes flashed to Janis and Max. ¡°I had hoped for a bit of privacy to speak with you.¡± ¡°Max would never speak of anything discussed here if I don¡¯t want him to, and I trust my heir¡¯s wisdom and discretion,¡± Regina answered. ¡°You may certainly send away your aide if you like.¡± The ghost of a smile appeared on the general¡¯s face. ¡°Then if it¡¯s all the same to you, Tiki may stay as well? We should still be able to speak frankly.¡± ¡°I would certainly prefer that,¡± Regina agreed, then sat down in an armchair. Janis went to take position standing at her side until Regina gave her a nudge in the psychic link and she instead settled in a chair next to it. Aliekin sat down as well after a moment. ¡°Perhaps I should start by offering congratulations, Princess Janis,¡± he began, nodding at her. ¡°Your strategy with the airborne drones was inspired. A good move.¡± ¡°Thank you, General,¡± Janis replied with a small smile. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have needed to resort to it if not for your own efforts. Even if I may disagree with the details, you have consistently managed to disturb and delay our advance, more than any of your other commanders. As a military opponent, you have my respect.¡± He inclined his head. ¡°And you have my thanks. The feeling is mutual. I wish my young commanders had your talent.¡± Well, I suppose the meeting could have started worse than patting each other on the back for good strategy, Regina thought, suppressing smile that would have been inappropriate for the situation at the thought. ¡°Indeed, Janis has many talents and I¡¯m quite proud of her accomplishments,¡± she agreed. ¡°This particular move brought us here.¡± ¡°It did,¡± Aliekin said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you guessed that I surrendered because I knew the military situation would soon turn on us further, in the wake of it. We faced the loss of several more cities and a direct threat to the capital.¡± Regina nodded, pleased that he was speaking so openly. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been easy to take it, but yes, that was our assessment as well. It would cost many more drones¡¯ lives to take those cities, though I do believe we could manage it.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Aliekin hums and taps his fingers on his armrests. ¡°Perhaps. Either way, the Gnomish Confederation¡¯s army is still intact, even if it is much diminished compared to the early phase of the war.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re all glad we don¡¯t have to put it to the test,¡± Janis speaks up. ¡°I know we have all been saying many diplomatic things, but I truly am glad to see the end of the fighting. Many good men have died, on both sides, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°That is why I want to make sure such a war doesn¡¯t happen again,¡± Regina said. ¡°As do we all. And revenge?¡± he asked, his tone only conveying curiosity. ¡°Is that not also a motivation of yours, Empress Regina? Justice for the drones who died?¡± Regina shifted in her chair, crossing her legs. ¡°Perhaps,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t deny I certainly want justice for my murdered drones. But I hope and believe a drive for revenge was not the main reason for our actions. I needed to protect my hive, and now the Empire.¡± ¡°Which my predecessors threatened, with their unprovoked aggression,¡± Aliekin said. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Essentially, yes. I do know you are not them and were not involved in the original decisions, General. But I can hardly let the Gnomish Confederation as a whole off the hook just because it had a change in leadership. Which, by the way, I was very glad to learn of. Hearing the sentences was quite satisfying.¡± ¡°You¡¯re most welcome,¡± he smiled playfully. ¡°That said, I hope we can move forward in a way that is beneficial for all our people, even if it may cost the Gnomish Confederation something at first. We have many things to offer, General. Not just explosives. I also believe your country has things to offer the Empire, beyond resources or trade.¡± ¡°And you want to take these things.¡± Aliekin leaned back in his chair. ¡°I understand. I expected you to want control of the Confederation, in one way or another.¡± Regina didn¡¯t deny it. "Well, there is little point talking about what I want, here,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°You are the ones who won this war. I only wish for stability and prosperity for my nation. Well, how do you envision the future, Your Imperial Majesty? May I ask for specifics?¡± Regina discreetly took a breath and glanced at Janis. A lot of this came from her input. Regina had been inclined to be a little more severe with the terms she offered, but Janis and several of the others had persuaded her to be more lenient, that it would be more constructive in the long run. Of course, the gnomes might not think it was lenient at all. ¡°As we see it, there are two options. The first one is for the Gnomish Confederation to become a protectorate of the Empire.¡± Regina paused, waiting for input, but Aliekin only nodded for her to go on. ¡°You would be largely able to rule yourselves, although I will insist on some form of democratic process being observed, similar to what you had before. Perhaps some changes ought to be made in light of recent events, the previous regime¡¯s actions seem to have brought to light some potential weaknesses in the system. I suppose that would be your task. However, you would owe allegiance and homage to the Imperial crown. You will be subject to certain laws of the Empire, such as constitutional guarantees of civil rights, and your military will be heavily limited, while Imperial troops may be stationed inside the Confederation or on its foreign borders. You will be protected in case of attack or other conflicts, but expected to follow the lead of the Empire in international matters and foreign policy. In addition, you will have limited access to the Empire¡¯s technological know-how and there will be scholarly cooperations and exchanges.¡± Aliekin had a slight crease between his eyebrows and seemed to listen intently. She could only sense focused concentration from him, no surprise. ¡°And the second option?¡± ¡°It is a more complicated scenario I envision,¡± Regina admitted. ¡°In effect relying on several stages. We would close a peace deal now, with stipulations. An alliance would follow. There will be restrictions for and reparations from the Gnomish Confederation. Most of the terms I have laid out for the first option would apply, including limits to your military strength, and we would organize cultural and technological exchange, allowing you to profit from the Empire¡¯s industry and my own knowledge of Pre-Cataclysm medicine, science and technology. After sufficient time has passed, we will start negotiations with the Gnomish Confederation as a member candidate to fully join the Empire. Perhaps we will need to add secret clauses to any treaty to ensure this part is mandatory. Joining would give your people Imperial citizenship and all the benefits that come with it, as well as full inclusion into the Empire¡¯s economy, although you would still have local autonomy. Once the Imperial parliament is established, you would be able to send delegates, and participate in decision-making for the entire Empire.¡± Aliekin tapped his fingers on his chair, seeming thoughtful. ¡°These negotiations, how long would they take? It sounds like the outcome is predetermined?¡± ¡°I cannot say how long they will take, it depends on the situation,¡± Regina answered honestly. ¡°I do intend them to be genuine talks where both sides try to work out the best way forward together and take into account concerns and potential opportunities. Accordingly, the outcome is not entirely set in stone. If, at that point, our relationship has mended and grown enough, if we have grown closer in other ways and built a stable alliance, and your government has understandable reasons to decide against joining, I suppose I would be willing to let you go. Keeping certain provisions in place, naturally. And the issue of reparations may need to be revisited.¡± Aliekin exhaled heavily. ¡°You mentioned reparations in talking of your second option but not your first,¡± he noted. ¡°Formally becoming a protectorate would be enough to wipe the slate clean, so to speak,¡± Regina answered, shrugging. ¡°There will be an expectation of tribute eventually, but you have my word I will keep it light and scaled to your tax income. But in the second scenario, we start with a peace deal and an, admittedly one-sided, alliance. I do need assurances you will not revert to form, backstab us and start another war. It might be better not to write the membership of the Gnomish Confederation in the Central European Empire into the current treaty, at least not openly.¡± Aliekin nodded slightly, his gaze unfocusing as he stared at the fireplace. He remained silent for a while, clearly thinking over what he had heard. Regina waited patiently, resisting the urge to try and pry too deeply into his mental state. Finally, he exchanged a gaze with Tikimaken, who¡¯d remained quiet, then turned back to Regina. ¡°And I suppose there¡¯s a very polite ¡®or else¡¯ coming with the options, as a bonus?¡± he asked lightly. Regina shrugged and smiled back. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to throw threats around, but the alternative would be continuing the war.¡± She turned more serious and arched an eyebrow. ¡°We could continue to fight until we have won an even more decisive victory and can impose our terms forcefully, you would have much less choice then.¡± The general only nodded as if he¡¯d expected that, which Regina supposed he had. It went without saying that if she actually conquered the Gnomish Confederation entirely, or even mostly, taking the capital and destroying their armies, the terms imposed would be much more restrictive. ¡°Is it possible to combine elements of your two scenarios?¡± Tikimaken asked, finally speaking up. Aliekin nodded. ¡°Our economy would struggle with reparations, and I suppose there are worse things than to bear the name ¡®protectorate¡¯, but I would not like to lose the chance for a more beneficial final outcome.¡± ¡°You would choose to join the Empire as a member state?¡± Janis asked, and Regina could sense some hidden excitement from her. Aliekin shrugged gracefully. ¡°Queen Kiara seems happy enough with her decision. It seems the better option compared to simply being a protectorate from what you have said. If we have to join the fold, I would rather do it in such a way we would have a voice and some control over our fate.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible. ¡°And you might do it by being an Imperial protectorate?¡± He tilted his head and gave her a blank look. ¡°If we are to join the Empire in a few years at most anyway, does it make any real difference?¡± ¡°Very reasonable,¡± Regina allowed. He really was being very reasonable about this. There was a moment of silence as he seemed to be waiting for her actual response. ¡°I don¡¯t see why we couldn¡¯t work something out,¡± Regina said. ¡°The scenarios I presented were obviously rough outlines. We will need to discuss details anyhow, at a later date and in a larger setting.¡± ¡°But I think we¡¯ve got the outline of an agreement,¡± Janis chimed in, smiling. Aliekin stood, inclining his head. ¡°I seems so, Your Highness,¡± he agreed. Regina stood as well. ¡°I am truly glad we could settle this like civilized adults, General.¡± She took a step forward to offer him a hand. He looked at it blankly for a moment before he seemed to realize what she expected, then grasped it to give it a firm shake. Regina gave him a genuine smile as she recovered her hand, but decided not to end it with any clich¨¦s like ¡®I look forward to working with you¡¯. It might still be taken as an insult. Chapter 310: Outcome As expected, the entire meeting went a lot more smoothly once Regina and Aliekin had worked out a basic agreement. They now had an outline they could negotiate with, and some of the tension seemed to have eased. The atmosphere was a lot more cordial, in her opinion, which seemed to help. Despite the gnomes effectively agreeing to surrender their sovereignty. Clearly, some of them didn¡¯t like it. But she suspected Aliekin had expected it, had probably even considered and made plans for the possibility of joining the Empire. Maybe they were just putting on a front now, trying to get the best deal and build some goodwill. In the end, Regina didn¡¯t really care about the details of their reasoning or how they felt about it as long as they worked out a good agreement for everyone. Personally, Regina still had some misgivings. She had been serious about not wanting to conquer any more countries. The Empire would already be seen as an expansionist state. But the longer the war against the gnomes raged, the less she could have settled for any other outcome. And besides, they already had enemies ¡ª the Esemen and the Western Confederation were clearly preparing to fight her, at least. Any diplomatic attempts she¡¯d made to try and smooth things over with the Western Confederation had been stonewalled. Under the circumstances, passing up the opportunity to get the gnomes on her side would be eminently stupid. Regina was fairly sure the rest of her closest companions agreed with her. Janis was perhaps the most conflicted, from what she could tell, but she was also willing to leave the decision to Regina. Kiara would see any increase in the Empire¡¯s power as a good thing and was optimistic about the benefits it could bring to the gnomes, too, so she was supportive of the plans. June didn¡¯t seem to care too much either way and was more concerned with her newly-expanded psychic abilities, although Regina suspected she had more thoughts on it than she seemed to and was simply choosing not to voice them. As for her drones, or at least the senior ones in leadership positions in the hive, she knew some of them thought she¡¯d gone far too easy on the gnomes. They might have a point, but they also didn¡¯t feel strongly about the matter and were willing to accept her reasoning, and Regina was wary of playing into the more ¡­ monster-y parts of their people. This wasn¡¯t to say Regina didn¡¯t feel any conquest urge. She¡¯d always had it in the back of her mind, the desire to strengthen her hive and expand her territory, which sometimes manifested in the desire to bring more land, more people under her rule ¡ª although she suspected that part was influenced by her human side. Some small inner part of her was curling up in satisfaction at the idea of Aliekin submitting to her, bringing his people under her rule. She was at least self-aware enough to know she probably couldn¡¯t simply blame it on the Hivekind instincts. It was probably some kind of mix, partly influenced by her personality; but it was a bit of a meaningless question anyway. Regina didn¡¯t know what she¡¯d been like before her transformation. She had no way to tell whether her feelings and attitudes were new or not. For all she knew she¡¯d been an entirely different person, or she hadn¡¯t changed at all. Beyond what the amnesia would do, anyway. She liked to think she¡¯d mostly come to terms with it, though. ¡°We appreciate the mercy you have shown us, Your Imperial Majesty,¡± one of the gnomish delegates told her. Regina wasn¡¯t sure if he was being honest or not. This particular man had a good poker face and good mental defenses, built on good self-control. She didn¡¯t try to look into it more deeply. Instead, she just smiled, nodded and murmured something vaguely pleasant. (What did you even say to that? ¡®You¡¯re welcome¡¯ seemed a bit weird.) ¡°I am glad we could all come to a beneficial resolution,¡± Kiara said. Mutters of agreement filled the room. It had taken some hard hours of negotiation, but Regina could tell she wasn¡¯t the only one pleased that they had finally reached an agreement. Or at least hammered out the agreement she¡¯d made with Aliekin, and adjusted some details. Whether the Gnomish Confederation would officially be a Protectorate of the Empire had been a heavily debated issue. Surprisingly, just as much among the Imperial side as the gnomes. Some drones, as well as Kiara of all people, had been in support of it. She¡¯d argued that the people and soldiers of the Empire needed this as a tangible prize of their victory. That if they weren¡¯t going to receive heavy reparations, they needed to gain power, and future taxes, from the Gnomish Confederation. Letting the gnomes go with nothing but some complicated treaties and the prospect of further negotiations would engender discontent, making it seem like they¡¯d fought for nothing. The gnomes, for their part, had seemed to follow Aliekin¡¯s stance of preferring it to the burden of reparations, but she could tell some of their pride was hurt at the prospect of vassalization to the Empire. Even if it would only be for a few years before they could join the Empire fully. Eventually, it had been decided they would stick to it, although they were careful with the language used in the official peace treaty and those that would follow. The gnomes were primarily their allies now. The Empire took on the solemn responsibility of protecting the Gnomish Confederation. References to it as a sovereign state had been omitted, however. In the end, the deal was hopefully complicated and balanced enough that they could spin it as whatever they needed to whoever they talked to, depending on the situation. ¡°I will be glad to fight on your side instead of against you in any future wars, may they hopefully be long in coming,¡± Janis said. That comment earned an even more positive response, although Regina could tell that several people weren¡¯t exactly comfortable at the mention of future wars. They weren¡¯t idiots, clearly. Still, it was an interesting insight into the people Aliekin had brought to this meeting; as expected, his supporters were primarily from the military. Regina would have to see about introducing them to Ben and her other commanders and setting up the groundwork for future cooperation. Hopefully they could at least prepare joint training exercises after a bit of time passed. There was no point letting the experience everyone gained in the war go to waste, and they had to do something to work at overcoming hate and resentment.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Will you be visiting the Confederation ¡­ My Empress?¡± Tikimaken asked her hesitantly. There was a noticeable pause before the title, but he did decide to use it so she wouldn¡¯t complain. Regina shook her head. ¡°I wish I could,¡± she said honestly. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be possible. Security concerns aside, it is too far from the center of the Empire for now.¡± Aliekin¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly and she wondered if he realized what she actually meant, if he put the pieces together regarding the psychic link. What did they know about it or her psychic abilities? One more question to add to the list of what she should ask once immediate matters were settled. The Confederation would take her too far from the center of her power, and it would leave drones on the far side of the Empire without access to the psychic link. It was a shame, though. If it wouldn¡¯t expose their border to the Western Confederation, Regina would have loved to see the gnomes¡¯ land with her own eyes, at least once things calmed down. She supposed she¡¯d see it through her drones, some of them would certainly visit, and she¡¯d just have to pay attention to them and make sure memories were stored in the psychic link. ¡°Then what about you, Princess Janis?¡± the general asked. ¡°We would love to host you.¡± Janis smiled weakly. ¡°Thank you for the sentiment. I think I would like to take you up on it at some point. For now, there are matters the war has kept me from tending to. I¡¯ve fallen behind on my studies and I¡¯m looking forward to honing my magic.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he nodded graciously and started asking about her spells. For someone who didn¡¯t use magic himself, Aliekin was fairly knowledgeable. Regina tuned out that conversation, though, and instead glanced at the rest of the people present. After the tentative end of the negotiations, at least for now, the strict gathering had loosened a bit and people were drifting into groups, talking to each other. Even across race or nation boundaries, she noted. We were at war only a few days ago. This is a really good sign. They were not planning on a grand ceremony to celebrate their new ¡®alliance¡¯, although there would be one later with the gathered delegates and some Imperial troops. Maybe they should organize a few events where people could mingle with each other, though. Regina shook her head lightly and pulled her thoughts back to the present, shelving such ideas for the future. She shouldn¡¯t get overly enthusiastic; many people in the Gnomish Confederation might react much worse to their peace settlement. You don¡¯t seem as happy as I thought you would be, Max silently commented to her. Regina turned her head slightly to look at him and raised an eyebrow. Don¡¯t I? I¡¯d say I feel quite satisfied. Maybe. He was quiet for a moment. Personally, I¡¯ll feel better once I see those who were involved in Bea and the others¡¯ deaths meet their well-deserved fate. Who would have thought you¡¯d be so vindictive, she teased him. Max only shrugged in response. She could feel his mood, quietly contemplative, even if he was also satisfied to see this outcome. She shook it off and instead turned to the gnomes, attempting some small talk. They were cautious, and it felt rather stilted, but at least she did get the answers to a few questions she¡¯d been wondering about. Mostly about their culture and geography. She even sensed them relax a little as the conversation went on. The day ended with everyone in high spirits, and Regina turned in early, eager to get a full night¡¯s sleep for once. The next day, they¡¯d do the formal signing of the treaties. As planned, Regina wore her proper, heavy crown for this one. There were no photographers, but she still felt she should look the part. She paired it with something that vaguely resembled an old, showy military dress uniform. It might be a bit weird since she hadn¡¯t actually fought in this war, unlike Janis and others, but she did prefer the style to local fashions. They made a bit of a production out of signing the treaty, and Regina discreetly squinted at Aliekin¡¯s signature on the paper. At least she didn¡¯t seem to have missed something about gnomish family names. For her part, she signed with her first and last name, preceded by ¡®Dr.¡¯, after a moment of consideration. The title might not mean much to the gnomes, but it meant something to her, and it was technically supposed to be something like part of her name, in the old world. Janis, as one of the victorious commanders and the Imperial heir, signed as well, as did Kiara as a witness with high standing in the Empire. They didn¡¯t have a high-ranking representative from Nerlia present and she also didn¡¯t want to give the impression that she needed their permission to sign treaties with foreign powers, so that was all. Janis signed as ¡®Janis Starlit von Woltan¡¯, she noted. ¡°It is done now,¡± Aliekin muttered as they went to the reception afterward. ¡°There is no going back now, I suppose.¡± ¡°For better or worse,¡± Regina agreed. She glanced at the sky, where dark clouds were starting to gather, and exhaled. ¡°I only wish we could have done it sooner.¡± He glanced up to meet her gaze, staring intently. After a moment, he nodded and looked away again. ¡°I will expect you in Cera in a few months¡¯ time at the latest, General,¡± she said, ignoring it. ¡°I am looking forward to the visit, Your Majesty,¡± he agreed. Regina took one of the glasses the servants ¡ª mostly locals, though they¡¯d brought a few from Cernlia¡¯s palace ¡ª had set out, making sure to grab juice instead of alcohol, and swirled it in her hand. ¡°We will also need your help in opening the trade route to the south,¡± she said. Aliekin nodded, clearly unsurprised. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can gather some people who have experience with it,¡± he said. ¡°They might have died or gotten lost in the war, however, so it might take a while and I can make no promises about results.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Regina sipped on her drink, glancing around, then back at the general. ¡°By the way, have you gathered further information on the dark elves?¡± The delegation they¡¯d sent to the Empire had dutifully made connections and arranged a few trades, as well as they could given the large distance, but had been rather quiet overall. Regina supposed it made sense they wouldn¡¯t have much to do. But given Madris was also a dark elf, and that they had gone to the trouble of sending an envoy, she ought not to ignore them anyway. ¡°We have had some trade contact with them,¡± Aliekin said. He hesitated for a moment, then shrugged slightly. ¡°From what I hear, they were not best pleased about the war. I am sure we will receive official congratulations regarding its end any day now.¡± Regina nodded. That wasn¡¯t a particularly surprising assessment. ¡°Have you had contact with the Esemen?¡± she asked casually. Aliekin still froze for a moment. ¡°The Executive Council did,¡± he answered after a second. ¡°They did not send a permanent ambassador, at least not at the end of the war. I am afraid I won¡¯t be of much help in this matter.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I assume you want us to cut all contact with them, Empress Regina?¡± She considered the question for a moment. ¡°If you make contact with them, or they with you, you don¡¯t need to cut if off entirely,¡± she finally said. ¡°I would simply like to be informed of any such thing.¡± The general frowned. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t want us to play double agent for you, Your Imperial Majesty.¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s still my hope we can solve the conflict diplomatically, having a channel between an Imperial ally and the Esemen may be very helpful.¡± He grunted something and moved to get another glass of wine. Regina resisted the urge to scowl or tug on her mandible. She hadn¡¯t been lying, although she didn¡¯t think the chances of just negotiating a good relationship with the Esemen were particularly high, to put it mildly. Contact between the gnomes and them might still be helpful, though, if in other ways. Regina took a moment to close her eyes and take in the energy of the room, the emotional states of the gathered people. Minor issues aside, it had turned out rather well. Chapter 311: Industry Mia crossed her arms and leaned against the pillar of stone beside her as she watched the soldiers trooping past. They looked tired but not defeated or too worn down. Instead, she saw smiles and heard the occasional chuckle drifting on the wind. Mia smiled a bit herself. She was happy that the war was finally over. Many of their soldiers still stayed at the border or inside the Gnomish Confederation and would for some time, she reckoned. But some had returned home. For the human troops, it had been organized as a little bit of a victory march, and their return to Cera seemed to lift most people¡¯s spirits. These were men-at-arms from the Lyns army, for the most part, even some who had fought for King Nicholas and been integrated into Kiara¡¯s army. They¡¯d been at war more or less continuously for a while now, only interrupted by a short break between Kiara¡¯s victory and her committing her forces to the war against the gnomes. Mia knew conditions had been better in the Empire¡¯s army during that war, but some people still died. She could practically feel the soldiers¡¯ relief now, even if she wasn¡¯t psychic. Now the reorganisation of the Empire¡¯s military would really be able to begin, she mused. But Ben and the others would probably give them a bit of a break first. Her eyes drifted from the soldiers to their equipment. Most of them still carried traditional, old-fashioned weaponry; blades, bows and crossbows, and the like. If they had Classes and Class Skills that relied on their use, they were practically bound to them, not to mention quite effective. Even compared to a modern soldier with a gun. She was a little more interested in those. Some soldiers did carry firearms, but not many that she could see. The Hive had relied more on bigger guns, actual artillery. Some of those pieces were brought back as well. Mia wasn¡¯t as familiar with them as Tia, but she still found her curiosity piqued, the itch to take them apart and see how they functioned in detail. She assuaged her curiosity briefly by diving into the psychic link and looking for descriptions. She was wondering how they might be able to improve them with the help of the gnomes. Sure, the hive¡¯s knowledge-base might be technically more advanced, but the gnomes had actually used firearms in combat for decades, if not centuries. They definitely had insights to share. That¡¯s more Tia¡¯s problem than yours, though, she reminded herself. Maybe you should let her have first crack on it. Though we could sit together and discuss it some time soon. It wasn¡¯t like the Hive really had clearly defined spheres of authority and obligation assigned, as a rule. Drones usually worked in what they were best at and enjoyed. But although Tia and Mia were basically jointly responsible for the more civilian side of their operations, the technical and logistical aspects, they had divided the job between them somewhat. Not that they didn¡¯t still cooperate or even work on something alone if it caught their fancy. Mia did have a lot on her plate already, though. She smiled again as she thought of her current projects. Besides mentoring a few of the younger drones, something she always enjoyed doing, she¡¯d been building a lot of workshops, cooperating with the new Imperial departments and ministries, and pushed their technological development further. It was why she was in Cera, actually. While Forest¡¯s Haunt was still a major center for the Hive¡¯s industry and development, they had been building facilities in the Cernlian capital as well, for obvious reasons. Many more of them would spring up in the new Imperial capital once it was ready to move into. She supposed there might be more of a distinction between Hive and Imperial workshops in the future, but for now they were still pretty much the same thing. Mia was checking up on one of those today, one of her favorites in the city, which she spent a bit of time in whenever she was here. It was centrally located, not far from the royal palace, but also a few meters away from a main street, connected with a broad avenue, so it was easy to drop off materials or the like. The building had belonged to a craftsman guild previously and was well-equipped for their work. It wasn¡¯t quite a factory in the traditional sense, at least not yet, but it still produced a good amount of goods, mostly metal parts and tools. There was a more experimental section as well, which usually held more of her attention. They had another facility in the city that was more concerned with chemistry and related fields, including producing new explosive compounds, while this was more of a classical workshop. Since they couldn¡¯t really use a waterwheel in the middle of the city, at least not easily, this was also where she and a few others were working to build better generators. The turbines they had could easily be powered by magic or even War Drones (or other types) working a treadmill or wheel, but she preferred wind or other renewable energy they didn¡¯t have to put much effort into once it was up. They needed something to power the drop hammers, though. She checked on the drones present through the psychic link as she entered, looking around and resisting the urge to cover her ears. It could be loud here, sometimes. Everything seemed to be going quite well, though. Mia checked on the main floor before heading through a thin enclosure toward the back part of the building that housed their more elaborate or experimental projects. Drones and the occasional humans were hard at work manning the various tools, gaining Experience in their Classes as they shaped metal, wood and the substances produced by Production Drones. Once she was through the door into the other part of the building, it was immediately a lot quieter. At least until the silence was broken by excited voices. ¡°Lady Mia! Did you watch the soldiers come back?¡± Mia smiled a bit as she took off her jacket, hanging it on a peg, and grabbed a pair of work gloves. Then she looked at the young man who¡¯d spoken, who seemed to almost hover in place with excitement. He might be a bit young, she suspected he might still grow a few centimeters although he was already tall and gangly, but he¡¯d proven to have talent and she enjoyed his joy when she was teaching. ¡°Yes, Jake, I watched for a bit,¡± she replied. ¡°Isn¡¯t it awesome?¡± he enthused. She didn¡¯t know which drone he¡¯d picked the word up from, but at least he hadn¡¯t mangled the meaning. Unlike ¡®terrific¡¯ last week. ¡°We beat the gnomes! Well, your brothers and sisters did ¡ª you must be proud of them! ¡ª and the soldiers. I wanted to go see them, but Elly said I had to stay, to watch my work.¡± ¡°Which you really should pay attention to, Jake, the mold could get deformed if it¡¯s in the furnace for too long,¡± Elly replied. She stepped further into the room and took off the goggles she was wearing before sinking into a deep curtsey. ¡°Welcome back, Milady, please excuse us not being there to greet you.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Mia waved her hand at her. ¡°No bowing necessary,¡± she reminded her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me ¡®Lady¡¯ either, we work together.¡± ¡°You are a daughter of the Empress,¡± Elly said drily, taking out a hair tie to bind her dark, frizzy hair back quickly. Unlike Jake, she was well into adulthood, and was a bit more reserved. Mia still didn¡¯t know if she had more trouble adjusting to the informal way the Hive preferred to work or if she was just making a point. ¡°Me and every other drone.¡± ¡°My point stands, and every other drone doesn¡¯t have a high position in the Hive or the Empire.¡± ¡°No, she has a point,¡± Jake interjected. He was absently patting down the work apron he wore over his clothes, probably looking for the new graphene pen sticking out of the topmost pocket. Elly gave him a look, and he glanced up enough to notice, then continued his thought. ¡°If her mother¡¯s the Hive Queen and Empress, shouldn¡¯t that make her a princess? Milady, isn¡¯t that how it works?¡± ¡°Maybe, but we can hardly call every drone a prince or princess, that would give the Empire thousands of royals.¡± ¡°That would be impractical, but not impossible I suppose,¡± Adi commented, as he appeared in the doorway and leaned over to look inside. Mia glared at the younger drone. She could feel his faint amusement over the psychic link. ¡°Please don¡¯t encourage them, unless you want everyone to start Milord-ing you, too.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t. Mia, can you take a look at the setup we have in room three?¡± ¡°Of course, brother. Maybe check on that furnace, Jake?¡± ¡°I¡¯m on it, Lady Mia!¡± He disappeared, missing an eye-roll from Elly, who seemed to decide to tag along with Mia and Adi. He was the more recent drone she¡¯d decided to mentor in something of an apprenticeship in the Hive, and she was glad she did. Adi was young enough he had missed their earlier era, he was hatched after the Empire was founded and mostly consolidated. It still felt a bit odd to Mia to think that many of the Hive¡¯s drones were like that, but she supposed that was the way their growth worked. The age brackets were very skewed, with many younger drones compared to few older ones. He¡¯d barely spent any time in their actual bases, regardless, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind. Despite being a Drone Harvester, he was more interested in the technical work. ¡°I have been called ¡®lord¡¯ a few times, actually. It¡¯s a bit weird,¡± he commented as they made their way through the corridors. ¡°I think people are unsure about a drone¡¯s standing, so they decide to make the safest assumption ¡­ Sir Adi,¡± Elly said. Glancing back, Mia could see the slight twinkle in her eye, although her expression was serious. He groaned, and Mia sighed slightly. ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly hard to get people to understand that¡¯s not really how it works with the Hive. You wouldn¡¯t be the first person to ask me how our social ranking is determined. Even though we don¡¯t really have one.¡± Elly frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t? I thought your status was based on seniority.¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Adi said. ¡°I mean, that is one major thing that plays into it, I suppose, but it¡¯s not like we really have formal ranks.¡± ¡°Except for Mother,¡± Mia agreed. ¡°We all obey the Hive Queen, the rest of us are in it together. There are a few people who are in charge of some things, and of course there¡¯s military commanders who kind of need ranks, but it¡¯s not like we have castes or nobility or anything. The Hive is basically a communist society with a thin veneer of absolute monarchy.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t thought of it like that,¡± Adi admitted, his steps slowing as he clearly considered it, ¡°but you¡¯re right. We don¡¯t even use money, internally.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have money?¡± Elly blinked. ¡°Well, we do have it. If the Hive needs to buy something from outsiders, we can, but it¡¯s more ¡­ communal? If you only work inside the hive, you¡¯re not getting paid, and you just contribute what you can and take what you need. Or want, within reason. Everything¡¯s accounted for and managed, with the psychic link, so it¡¯s still efficient enough.¡± Adi shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s why people like Mia are important, she directs our development and makes sure there¡¯s enough resources for the Hive¡¯s projects.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Elly shook her head. ¡°That is hard to truly understand, and I¡¯ve worked with drones for months now. I think I appreciate the difficulty of explaining your social status to others, now.¡± ¡°Guess you¡¯ll just have to get used to being called ¡®Sir¡¯ or something,¡± Mia teased Adi. Their conversation cut off there as they¡¯d reached their destination and Mia focused on what she was seeing. She could tell why Adi had wanted to talk to her about it. They were making good progress. Lately, they¡¯d been trying to reduce the hive¡¯s dependency on magic. As they were scaling up their production, it was becoming unfeasible to involve mages in everything. Previously, they¡¯d too often relied on the shortcuts offered by it, especially Conjuration. However, now they at least had the space and resources to reproduce more conventional ways of getting the same results, even if it was a longer process. A lot of that relied on chemistry and materials science, but they were also focused on other areas of industry. They¡¯d started with relatively simple, common things that were already present in the world, like waterwheels, and were trying to move to a more industrialized, standardized way of operation. Largely, that meant a lot of standardizing measurements and tools and working out ways to produce them without putting in a lot of labor. At least not labor from sapient drones, humans or other people. Which brought Mia to the current project. The first actual assembly line they had built. ¡°Stand back a meter,¡± Adi warned her, before he cranked a lever. With a groan, the framework shifted and the broad band that was spread across several metal supports started moving. There were more structures to either side of it, holding things in place and marking out specific areas. ¡°If we put several of these together, we can easily transport and sort materials, in addition to providing a framework for the different steps in assembling more complicated objects,¡± Adi said, smiling at his handiwork. ¡°Swarm Drones should be able to do basic movements as steps in the process, with this support,¡± Mia mused. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly industrial robot arms, but I think it should do. We still need to test it.¡± ¡°This is only the beginning, Mia,¡± he said excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s not just a matter of pulling screws and carting parts around. If we expand on this, we can really make use of the Swarm as a labor force, freeing the sapient drones for more important tasks.¡± Mia didn¡¯t point out that they already used Swarm Drones as a labor force, she knew what he meant. ¡°Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves,¡± she said instead. ¡°It will still be years before we can really put this to use on a large scale, or even before we really need this. Most of what we are making right now wouldn¡¯t be much improved with an assembly line, they still need too much individual effort.¡± ¡°It also won¡¯t be very useful for building roads or houses,¡± Elly said thoughtfully. ¡°Isn¡¯t that where the most labor is needed currently, Lady Mia?¡± ¡°It is, I¡¯m glad you pay attention what I¡¯m saying,¡± she agreed. She¡¯d discussed it a few days ago when she¡¯d been talking with many of the people working here, although it had been more of an aside. ¡°But if we can make, say, pipes, more easily, it will definitely help,¡± Adi responded. She could tell he wanted to roll his eyes. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m not trying to denigrate your accomplishment,¡± she reassured him. ¡°You should definitely keep working on this. I¡¯ll allocate some more materials to this project so we can build a proper test bed, maybe something we can use as a real factory floor after this.¡± Adi smiled again and Mia smiled back, even as her mind already turned to other things. She already knew Tia would grumble about her wanting even more metal, their supply was getting dangerously short. Sooner or later, they¡¯d either need to allocate more mages to Conjuring it or seriously make an effort with the Empire¡¯s imports. Well, that¡¯s Regina¡¯s problem, Mia thought, shaking her head. She¡¯d make sure to bring it up with her. But she supposed it was one more matter where the peace with the gnomes should help. Civilian industry had an easier time when you weren¡¯t frantically building cannons. Chapter 312: Itinerary When Tim heard of the end of the war, he breathed a sigh of relief, but he was also oddly dissatisfied. He¡¯d fought in it, for longer than he¡¯d been away, all told, but it felt weird to have the war ended without him. When his mother had sent him out, they¡¯d had vague thoughts that maybe it could help, if they cut the gnomes off from allies further south, or even managed to gain allies against them. In retrospect, that had been painfully optimistic. Not that he couldn¡¯t do it, but it would have taken time, and now the war was decided before he¡¯d even left the first city he visited. He supposed it was a good thing that the southern lands hadn¡¯t cared to participate at all, so Tim was technically successful. Having the Gnomish Confederation officially on their side, at least as soon as everything had shaken out properly, was probably going to change the paradigm again. They could use their help to create a real path through the mountains. For now, it also made Tim¡¯s job here a lot easier. The nobles of Veragles might be amoral greedy bastards by and large, at least from what he¡¯d seen, but they were opportunists and clearly realized that his side had won the war. It had taken a while for them to even get the news, of course ¡ª probably by means of a message sent with several stops along the way, going around the eastern side of the mountains, and carried by riders part of the way when it wasn¡¯t a magical missive. But when they did hear of it, the gnomish ambassador suddenly received a colder welcome while interest in Tim and his companions renewed briefly. It wouldn¡¯t last, and he¡¯d already made plans to leave, anyway. He would come back; Veragles was probably the most important city on his itinerary and he was already planning to spend the longest here out of any of his stops. Anuis had been away for several days and come back to report better relations with the elvish enclaves around the city, so he supposed that was all good. Ariedel might not be entirely happy with the Empire, but they were still allies ¡ª and besides, the elves probably knew they couldn¡¯t stand up to them when it came to a fight, as much as everyone might prefer not to think in those terms ¡ª so it could only be positive news for him. He had even asked if they could visit one of the enclaves on the way, and while Anuis hadn¡¯t seemed very optimistic, she hadn¡¯t outright denied the possibility. On the day they were to depart, his original party had gathered in one of the city¡¯s many squares, close to the center, and they were being seen off by a pretty illustrious gathering. ¡°Are you entirely certain I cannot persuade you to stay longer, Lord Tim?¡± the Prince of the city asked. ¡°You and your companions are certainly welcome here.¡± Tim smiled back at him. Despite himself, he¡¯d grown to like the jovial man, who was definitely a shrewder diplomat than many would give him credit for. But he also didn¡¯t think all of it was faked, the guy was just a social butterfly who liked talking to new and interesting people. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure, but I do appreciate the offer, Prince Luca,¡± he answered, bowing his head briefly. ¡°I wish you all the best and hope to return to this magnificent city soon.¡± ¡°I must echo the same sentiment. We will be glad to host you whenever you decide to return, Milord,¡± Archmage Lucian said. Tim smiled back at him and inclined his head again. ¡°I will keep that in mind, and I thank you sincerely for hosting us, Archmage. It was a true pleasure and I appreciate all that you did for us. Should you ever make your way north I know the Empire would be glad to return the favor.¡± ¡°Now I definitely must make it through the mountains one day,¡± Lucian laughed. Tim kept his smile. ¡°I know at least one man who would be delighted to talk to you about magic. So would Janis and Princess June, actually.¡± The archmage¡¯s eyes lit up noticeably and he knew he¡¯d hit the bullseye with that remark. It wasn¡¯t like Tim was lying, Zephyr would definitely be interested in talking to him about magic, and June would have about a million questions, Janis too. But Thande was also a politician and making connections with royalty was worth a lot to him. He would probably consider this entire interlude time and coin well spent just for that, or so Tim hoped. He waited patiently while the rest of his group said their goodbyes and exchanged a few more words with various other people who had shown up, mostly to gawk, he suspected. But at least they were being polite about it. Then it was finally time to turn around and make their way out of the City of Veragles. At last. Of course, actually getting out of the city took quite a while, especially since they had started in the center of it. Tim didn¡¯t let it bother him and instead looked around, taking in the city once again. It looked just about the same as it had when he¡¯d seen it before. Unfortunately, it seemed like watching exotic foreign locales could get boring after all. Who would have thought. Smirking a bit to himself, but taking it as a sign that he had stayed here long enough, Tim turned his attention instead to the other members of his traveling party. There was his actual party, of course. Hivekind, humans, elves and dark elves, they were quite the mixed group, but considering they¡¯d managed a trip over the mountains, he wasn¡¯t worried at all about traveling between cities in these lands. Which did make the other people they would be traveling with somewhat useless, he acknowledged. But they weren¡¯t really there as escorts, at least not in the sense that they¡¯d be guarding the group. They would help a lot with finding their way. But he suspected the major reason Thande had finagled this was for further networking, and maybe even learning more about him and the others. Well, that would work just as well in reverse. ¡°I appreciate you accompanying us,¡± he said, dropping back to walk closer to the dwarf currently pulling rear guard. Iliamina-fe gave him an amused look. ¡°I¡¯m happy to play guide to these lands,¡± he said. ¡°I do know them like the back of my hand.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, I want to learn as much about this region as I can,¡± Tim said earnestly. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind if I ask a question? It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve heard about all sorts of cities and enclaves of the elves, but no one mentioned a settlement of dwarves.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The adventurer grunted. ¡°I suppose they wouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°And why¡¯s that, Sir Iliamina-fe?¡± He blinked up at Tim, then shook his head sharply. ¡°Just call me Iliam, boy, it sounds weird when you use my full name. It¡¯s not like anyone goes around always calling you ¡ª well, do you have a last name, actually? Milord?¡± ¡°Call me Tim. I suppose I would use ¡®Starlit¡¯ as my last name. Or maybe ¡®von Woltan¡¯, although we mostly don¡¯t use that.¡± He didn¡¯t bring up that the guy hadn¡¯t told him to use his first name ¡ª whatever that actually meant given the dwarves¡¯ naming scheme ¡ª when they had traveled together previously, from the mountains to Veragles. Presumably he¡¯d wanted to appear professional in front of his employer. At least Tim was pretty sure Lucian was his employer. ¡°Tim, then. Anyway, you wouldn¡¯t have heard of dwarven towns because there aren¡¯t really any here. We do still have a few settlements, closer to the mountains, but most of us actually live aboveground. In human cities, or occasionally elvish settlements, though that¡¯s ¡­ complicated. Only some of them allow us.¡± Tim nodded as he digested that information. ¡°I see. Thank you for the explanation. Did you come from one of those settlements?¡± ¡°I was born in Veragles, although I spent a few years in a deep dwelling,¡± Iliam replied with a casual shrug. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I hatched in the middle of the forest, actually. On the outskirts of the Great Forest.¡± They kept talking as they made their way through the city and out of the east gate, leading to a picturesque road winding through fields and small copses of trees. Tim told him a few things, but mostly kept to innocuous topics and general information about the Empire that would make its way here sooner or later. In return, he learned more about his traveling companion, his people and the situation in this land. It turned out that ¡®born¡¯ was actually as much of an euphemism for the dwarf as it was for Hivekind. They supposedly hatched out of rock, although it was a little more complicated than that. Iliam gave a brief explanation about meltings and blood donation and what sounded like ritual sex although he wasn¡¯t sure which Tim struggled to follow. Either way, apparently it was an ongoing issue for them to get enough of the right type of rock, grown into the right structure, to have new children. Though they did still have two parents each who raised them in family units. It was rather interesting and certainly not any weirder than the Hive, so Tim wasn¡¯t going to judge. Although apparently some humans, and even elves, did. He wished he was surprised by that. Dwarves were classified as demihumans, considered less humanoid than elves. Although Iliam didn¡¯t quite come out and complain about it in those terms, it sounded like they were one of the groups most discriminated against. It probably didn¡¯t help that they didn¡¯t have any strong states of their own to fight for their rights. They were more often targeted by the more fanatical Delvers here, not really because there was any ideological reason, just because they were an easier target. While Tim sympathized, he also made mental notes about it to pass on to Regina and see if they could forge an alliance with the dwarven settlements that remained. Their close association with the northern Delvers might make that more complicated, he supposed, but they should be able to show them the differences, and Hivekind were generally also considered demihumans, anyway. ¡°I admit we¡¯ve heard some things, but we usually don¡¯t see any dwarves north of the mountains,¡± Eduard said, joining the conversation. Iliam gave the young Delver a suspicious look, but it seemed more like habit. He was smiling slightly, speaking in a friendly tone, and even on their previous trip Tim had never seen him so much as fighting over what dinner to make. ¡°Few of us ever go there,¡± the dwarf admitted, relaxing slightly. ¡°The gnomes are not very welcoming of us, there¡¯s too much bad blood because of old rivalries when we still had regular contact, and the Great Forest isn¡¯t a good place for my people. We prefer stone, or being able to see the sky if aboveground.¡± ¡°And not monster-infested woods, I bet,¡± the Delver joked. He glanced at Tim and shrugged. ¡°Most of what I¡¯ve heard of dwarves are clearly third-hand stories passed through many mouths before they end up with us. It¡¯s enough to know the local Delvers have issues, but not enough for specifics.¡± ¡°The northern Delvers seemed to have the same issues from all I¡¯ve heard,¡± Iliam said. The other man only shrugged, unbothered. ¡°That was before. We¡¯re loyal citizens of the Empire now, and Her Imperial Majesty has a ¡­ strict no-tolerance policy against discrimination, that was the term, right?¡± ¡°It is,¡± Tim replied, trying not to make his amused smile too obvious. ¡°There you have it.¡± ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day Delvers willingly submit to any political authority like that,¡± Iliam shook his head. ¡°No one did, but the Last Progenitor has returned. Things have changed,¡± he said simply. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like the Delvers get nothing out of it,¡± Tirias chimed in, joining the conversation as well. He kept walking a bit further ahead but turned to look at them. ¡°They get good postings in the military and a lot of fuel to their pride, seeing elements of humanity¡¯s glory days returning, right friend?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± he shrugged again. Tim shook his head, glad the conversation hadn¡¯t devolved into more of an argument as this topic came up. The dwarven adventurer looked a bit skeptical, but he clearly decided not to question what they said. ¡°What will we encounter on the road?¡± Tim asked instead, changing the subject. ¡°Are there many monsters in these parts?¡± ¡°Some, though I suspect we won¡¯t have too many fights,¡± Iliam answered. ¡°We are all quite high-Level, this isn¡¯t the mountains. We might have more trouble with other people.¡± ¡°Bandits?¡± he asked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they also consider us too high-level to risk attacking?¡± The dwarf shook his head. ¡°There are not many bandits this close to the city, although later in our trip it may be more of an issue. According to your proposed itinerary, we will be traveling through some areas where we can expect more trouble. Nothing we shouldn¡¯t be able to handle, though. I was mostly considering that some enclaves or cities might not be too friendly and may not want to welcome us into their territory.¡± Tim paused. He had thought about that, of course, but to hear it put so starkly was still a bit surprising. ¡°We are an official delegation from the Central European Empire,¡± he said slowly. ¡°Forgive the bluntness, Lord Tim, but we have here a group of less than twenty people but five different species; humans, elves, dark elves, and a race that hasn¡¯t ever been seen here, and a dwarf, I suppose. In that regard Lord Lucian might not have done you a favor in sending me along, but I suppose one dwarf doesn¡¯t make a difference in this matter. And how many people actually know about your home country?¡± Tim glanced at the other adventurer who was also accompanying them, Tony, another of the Archmage of the Present¡¯s original group, who¡¯d been rather quiet so far. He caught his gaze and nodded with an apologetic expression. Their conversation seemed to have attracted the attention of everyone in the group at this point. "That¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll deal with any issues if and when they arise,¡± Tim sighed. ¡°I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be the worst thing to test people from these lands in combat, if it comes to that. We¡¯ll take the opportunity to practice against monsters, too.¡± Everyone seemed to accept that, or even be happy about it. Tim swept his gaze across the group once more, then nodded. He glanced around. They would probably be on the road for a week or so, before they reached the next major city he had planned to visit. From what he¡¯d heard, they should probably be received with at least normal levels of courtesy. From there, it might get worse, and if they were unlucky, they might even get between two city-states who were fighting. That didn¡¯t seem too rare here, from what he¡¯d heard. Tim glanced north again and shrugged. His Hive Queen had entrusted him with this mission and he would not fail her. He¡¯d fight whoever he had to and kill whoever he had to. It was as simple as that. Chapter 313: Protection In the first few weeks after the war with the gnomes ended, the Empire seemed to breath a collective sigh of relief. It was not very significant to most people, in truth, although there were a few small celebrations for the victory, some organized by those people who wanted to show their loyalty to the Empire, and some springing up spontaneously. Most might not have been very affected by the war, but for the peasantry, not having a war being waged always tended to be good news. If their side had won, so all the better. Some would look forward to the return of their brothers, sons or husbands from the war front, now hopefully to stay home. Some of those people would be disappointed; by their young men wanting to stay in the army and thus being deployed away from home, most likely. But there generally weren¡¯t enough men missing to be soldiers that the communities had suffered severely from it, economically. Untrained levies had long since been sent home if they¡¯d ever been raised in the first place. It was a good thing, too, since fields needed to be worked this spring. Galatea was glad she didn¡¯t need to eat, but she did acknowledge that most people were rightfully concerned about the matter of food. She enjoyed traveling through the Empire at this time, there was something hopeful in the air, a positive atmosphere that was too often missing from the places she went to. She didn¡¯t know how long it would last, if the next minor crisis would dissipate it again, so she was going to enjoy it while it lasted. And she did have a purpose instead of just aimlessly wandering through the country. She wanted to check on it, to see how the changes Regina and her Hive were causing propagated through the nation, and get a more ground-level view of the situation. She could have stayed in the palace in Cera and gone through hundreds of reports, if she was able to bear that, but some things you couldn¡¯t see as easily in numbers on a page. Or maybe she was just too restless to stay for long in one place, even if it was a palace. Either way, Galatea didn¡¯t mind. She knew Regina expected her to go and travel at times, even without giving her prior notice, and there was not really anyone else she would stay for. She got along quite well with June and the members of the Hive, of course, but they weren¡¯t close friends. Maybe in time. That was one thing she did have plenty of, and now that she was no longer stuck in a cave she could spend it how she wanted. Maybe she would get bored of traveling at some point. She¡¯d already decided to roam a little closer to home, so to speak, for the foreseeable future. It wasn¡¯t like the Central European Empire didn¡¯t offer interesting things to see. At the moment, for example, she was heading through a perfectly normal, average town somewhere on the eastern side of Cernlia, and she could still see the changes that had been taking place. There was a fast-flowing brook beside the town, a bit too small to be called a river or to support anything beyond small boats, but it was enough to power a water wheel. Previously, it had been used simply for the town¡¯s mill, to grind flour. Nowadays, a new and slightly more complicated water wheel had been built and another one was under construction. The new one led into a shed built close to the water, a succession of beams and gears reaching into it to power a line of potential mechanisms. Primarily saw blades and some kind of press used in smelting or working metal, Galatea thought, although she¡¯d only caught a short glimpse. The infrastructure was only one part of it, though, and she paid attention to the people, as well. The new road crews hadn¡¯t come through here yet, so the streets were mostly packed dirt and sometimes cobblestone. Inside the town, they were only marginally better than outside. It urgently needed a new water distribution and sewage system, too. As a consequence, the smell would have been unpleasant ¡ª at least for biological life forms, Galatea didn¡¯t care much one way or the other ¡ª and the locals tended to be on the dirtier side. Most probably didn¡¯t have more than two sets of clothes and mended them whenever they got a new rip. But all that aside, the town was still colorful and lively. A few banners and flower garlands were hung what seemed like randomly around the town, indicating this was probably one place that had had some celebration of winning the war, too. Some enterprising local had sewn a reasonable approximation of the new Imperial flag and it was flying from the largest structure in town, probably a guild house or something similar. It didn¡¯t seem like there was a noble liege lord living here. The people were clearly busy, occupied with all the tasks that came with spring, but there was a certain cheer to the atmosphere. It wasn¡¯t run down and oppressive like she¡¯d sometimes seen during the civil war in this country. People stopped and talked to each other, smiling and laughing, children ran through the streets with most adults keeping an eye on them, and there had clearly been some recent work done to pretty up the place. Maybe it was because there was new trade coming into the town. The reduced tax burden, if not. It certainly helped that Regina had laid out some new ¡®guidelines¡¯ and Kiara had adapted them into edicts for Cernlia, standardizing some tariffs and taxes that had previously been variable and effectively at the discretion of the local lord. The taxes had been lowered, mostly, to stimulate the economy. Galatea suspected that the nobles in the lower and middle parts of the hierarchy would be the real losers of these reforms, but she also suspected that Regina either didn¡¯t care or considered that a feature, not an issue. The taxes to the crown still needed to be paid, with set schedules and requirements, and there was a growing bureaucracy instead of the personal relationships between lord and vassal they might have used to plead for exceptions or delays. She expected that unless a given lord was quick to jump on the opportunities offered by the new technologies and the structural change, they¡¯d find their wealth, and consequently their political power, shrinking rapidly. Even if they did, it would still shift the source of that wealth and power to fit a new paradigm. Considering just how large the wealth gap had been, Galatea didn¡¯t much care. Feudalism was very much built on funneling wealth upward, and honestly a bit too similar to the mafia ¡ª the promise of protection for submission, a mentality centered around honor and reputation, economic exploitation, ultimately enforced with violence. Peasants had to pay high taxes, perform work for their lord, serve in his army, and got little benefit and less respect for it, even when, like in Cernlia, they weren¡¯t legally bound to the land or held in serfdom. Whatever weird form of mercantilism might be the current trend couldn¡¯t be much worse, at least.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. It wouldn¡¯t be too much longer until Regina made more active efforts to cut the land-holding nobles out of the chain entirely, Galatea suspected. Either by completely sidelining them or with new reforms, probably targeting property ownership. She might have to use that newly freed-up army to put down revolts if that happens, Galatea thought, absently eying the people on the street and checking their System notifications. Then again, if she¡¯s successfully fostering nationalism, and their local king or queen are on her side, would people actually follow their lords? Take up arms for them? The thought made her pause for a moment. It was easy to see that such a scenario could get ugly. There wouldn¡¯t even need to be foreign interference. Galatea made herself keep walking, picking up the pace, and made a mental note to check on the Nerlian court, in view of what she¡¯d just been considering. They had been pretty quiet since the establishment of the Empire. The safe bet was that there were internal power struggles going on. Unlike Cernlia, they¡¯d never listened to their king quite as much or been as unified, even if it felt odd to use that term for Cernlia, too. For now, there actually was a reason Galatea had chosen to come here, instead of picking a town randomly on the map. She left the outskirts of the town behind quickly and then turned down a road to the left. Soon, another structure appeared, a bit of an annex to the town wall, with its own, smaller circular wall. Inside, a four-story building made mostly of stone was visible. She considered for a moment, then strolled in through the open gate from the town, which no one was guarding. The first impression she had was that the place was empty. It didn¡¯t look to be in disrepair, at least no more than the town itself, but there were few signs of life. She decided against pushing open the main door and instead simply went through it, twisting her mana a bit to make herself invisible in the spectrum of visible light. Mages might still feel her presence, but that didn¡¯t seem to be an issue. She couldn¡¯t sense anyone with decent talent for magic in the building. The main room of the hall was large and airy, clearly laid out for more people than currently occupied it. On one side, there was a line of several counters, like you might see in a lot of businesses. All but one were unoccupied, and the young man at the remaining one was reading a book propped up against a stack of file folders. Galatea ignored him, stepping in and looking around. This was hardly the first chapter house of the Delvers she¡¯d visited, although it was remarkably empty. She¡¯d expected that it wouldn¡¯t be bursting with activity, but it still left her a bit surprised how few people there were. This should be the largest house of its kind in the wider area, only surpassed by the Delvers¡¯ main base in western Cernlia. Had everyone here left for that one? ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be more people here to protect the locals from monsters?¡± she asked. The clerk jerked upright, swearing loudly, as his book fell over. He blinked. Galatea just looked at him calmly. She¡¯d made herself visible again as she was speaking. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked, his voice full of trepidation rather than the bravado one might have expected. ¡°I¡¯m Galatea,¡± she introduced herself. He scrambled to his feet and bowed, although he didn¡¯t look particularly surprised. Maybe he had guessed her identity, then. To be fair, her projected body was wearing an old-fashioned military uniform today, which one didn¡¯t see much of here. ¡°Welcome, Lady Galatea, how can I help you?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, thank you. How about answering my question. Where is everyone?¡± Now he mostly looked annoyed, not so much at her as the state of affairs she referred to, she thought. ¡°Many of them have left,¡± he said. ¡°Our order was needed for the war, and the headquarters is being built up. We have been consolidating, which means there are less Delvers in places like this.¡± Galatea nodded. ¡°Alright, I see. But surely there are still more of you here than this?¡± she gestured to the empty room and the almost as empty building. The man shrugged lightly. ¡°Out on missions,¡± he said laconically. ¡°There have been reports of trouble on the road east. And apparently a new ruin has been found, the surveying for new construction in the south unearthed some stones.¡± Galatea considered it. She knew there wouldn¡¯t be many monsters here, it was too far from any hotspots like the Great Forest. That didn¡¯t mean there couldn¡¯t be other trouble like outlaws, of course. The latter part caught her attention more, though. ¡°A new ruin?¡± The young Delver shrugged again. ¡°It is unclear how old the ruins are,¡± he said before she could clarify. ¡°But we haven¡¯t seen any records of there being buildings in that area, so they might be old. Most of the people here who weren¡¯t occupied with something else went to look at it out of curiosity.¡± She nodded. It wasn¡¯t unusual for Delvers to have the first crack at places like that, it was probably one of the reasons they even kept houses like this open and acted like an adventuring guild much of the time. Of course, very few of such finds were actually ¡®Ancient¡¯ in origin. She might as well take a look, though. ¡°Alright,¡± Galatea repeated. ¡°Thank you for the information, I¡¯ll be off then.¡± She turned, then paused and looked back at the Delver. ¡°You should still make sure there are more people available here. Send a demand to the headquarters or the capital, if necessary. Just to be safe.¡± He frowned. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll handle it,¡± he said, in a tone that made her wonder if he was being sarcastic. Still, it wasn¡¯t really her problem and she¡¯d given him her advice, so Galatea only turned around again and left the building. Once outside, she turned to head south and walked, but after a moment focused on her magic again. Keeping scrying going while you were moving was difficult, but she had a lot of practice, including with more difficult matters. There wasn¡¯t much to see, however. Just a bunch of stones carefully being laid free by some Delvers with shovels. For all her knowledge, Galatea was not an archaeologist or even an architect, so they didn¡¯t mean much to her. She couldn¡¯t tell if the site was old enough to predate the Cataclysm or not, or from which century it would be. That presumably depended on local conditions, as well. Oh well. She might still go take a gander at it, then teleport to Nerlia. She was planning to head through a few towns similar to this one and take a look around before she went to Nerlia-city. The Delvers could keep working on this site, she¡¯d make sure to keep tabs on it occasionally, and maybe on other problems that arose. And she might mention the manpower shortage to some people. They were a little too close to Esemen to leave this part of the country unprotected, and since Galatea had no idea when or how soldiers would be deployed to cover it, it couldn¡¯t hurt to have Delvers there. But I¡¯m still here to have fun, she reminded herself. It wasn¡¯t really her job to worry about force projection or garrisoning troops. The Empire had enough people who did that. Maybe she would take a break to go watch the ocean or something. Or seek out Volance or one of the other elementals for a chat. That could be fun. Chapter 314: Vacation The sunrise was beautiful out here. It painted the eastern horizon in shades of red, orange and yellow, and since the terrain was relatively flat, it wasn¡¯t obstructed by anything. Watching the sun slowly rise over the plains was a memorable sight. The open balcony allowed her to feel the cool morning breath and the smell of the world just waking up, a hint of rain from yesterday still making the air feel fresh. Arms snaked around her, and she stiffened slightly on reflex before she relaxed into the embrace. Turning her head, her girlfriend¡¯s eyes sparkled at her. ¡°Enjoying the view?¡± ¡°I was, but the view in this direction is just as beautiful,¡± she answered with a grin. Kiara smiled at her, pulling her tighter against her chest for a moment before letting go. ¡°Then I have the perfect view from where I¡¯m standing.¡± She raked her gaze briefly across Janis¡¯ form, then frowned slightly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold, however?¡± Janis shrugged and shook her head. She didn¡¯t often make a point of it, but she suspected her tolerance for cold temperatures was slightly higher than an average humans¡¯s from this region. ¡°It¡¯s not that cold, yesterday was pretty balmy and it looks like today¡¯s going to be very sunny,¡± she replied instead. ¡°You¡¯re only wearing a nightshirt that doesn¡¯t even cover your arms,¡± Kiara pointed out. ¡°Please, put on a robe.¡± Janis resisted the urge to roll her eyes. A part of her wondered if Kiara was afraid of them being seen and wanted her to cover up because of that, but it didn¡¯t seem like it or she wouldn¡¯t have hugged her like this. ¡°Fine.¡± She stepped through the balcony door into their bedroom. Technically Kiara¡¯s assigned room, but Janis hadn¡¯t even bothered setting foot in hers. There were no nosy people around who might make trouble because of it, one of the things both of them had wanted to ensure. She opened the chest of her clothes that some War Drones had carried in yesterday and took out the first robe she saw. Luckily, she could get away with wearing traditional mage¡¯s clothing here without having to make it fancy. After quickly throwing it on and running a comb through her hair, she joined Kiara on the balcony again. This time, as she stepped up beside her, Kiara wound an arm around her waist and pulled her to her side. Janis smiled and shifted so she could lay her head on her shoulder. It was a bit awkward since they were close to the same height, but still nice. They watched the sunrise in silence for a moment. ¡°This feels nice,¡± Kiara sighed after a minute. Janis smiled. ¡°So it turns out you get clingy after sex, I should have guessed.¡± That remarks caused a sharp elbow to jab her in the ribs. ¡°I do not.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she drew out the vowel. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I guess I¡¯ll just make sure to provide you with plenty of cuddles this evening.¡± Kiara withdrew a bit to look up into her face, giving her a look. ¡°Awfully bold of you to assume there will be a repeat performance after a remark like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, my girlfriend is kind and forgiving.¡± That made Kiara laugh, which made Janis¡¯ chest feel slightly tighter in a warm way. ¡°I suppose I am.¡± She turned a bit and leaned against her again. ¡°I am glad you¡¯re allowing yourself to be this touchy,¡± Janis said quietly after a moment. ¡°It is indeed nice.¡± She felt Kiara sigh. ¡°I really needed to relax, I think,¡± she said. ¡°The expectations and pressure at court can be stifling. It¡¯s nice to be with you away from it all.¡± ¡°I get that,¡± Janis agreed. ¡°This is basically a vacation. It¡¯s why we¡¯re away from the court or the center of the Hive, right?¡± Kiara hummed. ¡°So, not to question you or anything, but this time ¡­¡± ¡°I shielded us entirely,¡± Janis assured her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Good. As much as I respect Regina, I truly don¡¯t need her to know details like this. Or the drones.¡± ¡°Yeah, believe me, we¡¯re all happier this way.¡± Janis smiled against the strands of Kiara¡¯s hair tickling her nose. They were close to the northern border of Cernlia, as well as a bit further east than the capital. It wasn¡¯t far enough to challenge the range of the psychic link, but Janis fancied she still felt a difference. It was a bit weird to be far away from other members of the Hive, at least sapient drones; she had taken along some Swarm Drones for protection. But having privacy with Kiara was good. They would have to take advantage of it. Of course, they weren¡¯t here just to have fun and take a vacation. Officially, this was part of a continuation of Kiara¡¯s tour through her kingdom. They were currently in what would probably be one of the furthest locations of her route, though, and Janis didn¡¯t really intend to accompany her through all the rest of it. Depending on if there were issues with local nobles or if any other problems cropped up, it could take weeks, maybe even months. Kiara had already interrupted her tour for the negotiations with the gnomes and then returned to the capital for a while, though, so she was determined to finish it now. ¡°We should probably get ready and get to work,¡± Kiara said with a slight sigh, her thoughts clearly following the same path as Janis¡¯. She nodded, then reluctantly lowered her arms and turned to head back into their room, not that she had much to get ready. Their current location was a bit of a sleepy town, nested beautifully between some hills, fields and a river sparkling in the sunlight. She frankly didn¡¯t care enough about the local noble, some earl or other, to bother with looking very regal. From the briefings she¡¯d sat through and what Kiara had said, he wasn¡¯t important, anyway. ¡°We¡¯re close to Esemen here,¡± Kiara mentioned as she sat down to braid her hair and put on simple earrings. ¡°Hm,¡± Janis responded distractedly, checking the room and the building outside it again with her magical senses to ensure she hadn¡¯t overlooked anything. There was no one too close. ¡°Do you think there¡¯ll be trouble?¡± Kiara paused for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t, no,¡± she finally said. ¡°I imagine they might be a little concerned to learn that both of us are here. But the Esemen have been rather quiet recently. I rather doubt they¡¯re going to launch an unprovoked attack across the border just because we have come a little closer than usual.¡± Janis snorted. ¡°They should know Regina would burn down their country around their ears to get us back, and we¡¯re not exactly easy targets. I wasn¡¯t thinking about that. But we are also closer if some people want to talk to you without traveling all the way to the capital.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Or to you, Imperial crown princess,¡± Kiara pointed out. She shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s just go see what the locals have to say before we start speculating, alright?¡± Janis smiled and offered her arm, waiting until Kiara had placed her hand on it. Then she adjusted it until she had hooked her elbow instead of just escorting her with a chaste touch on the arm. Kiara gave her a look and Janis only smiled. Without further ado, they left the room and made their way down the manse they were staying at. Due more to the nice location than any political imperatives, Kiara had decided to remain here for several days instead of moving on right away, and Janis had agreed. Not that her input was really required, she was mostly just along for the ride while Kiara actually planned her tour. As they stepped out from the side wing containing their bedrooms to the bottom level of the building, Kiara disentangled their arms and Janis regretfully let her go. She knew why her girlfriend insisted on maintaining a halfway proper distance in public, even if it still rankled a bit. Then again, they¡¯d probably invite a lot of trouble if their relationship was public even if they hadn¡¯t both been women, so maybe it was just as well, this way. And they didn¡¯t have to pretend around the Hive or their family and close friends, that was already something to be thankful for. ¡°Breakfast first?¡± she asked lightly. Kiara nodded and they turned towards the dining room. As usual, Kiara wanted to eat with the members of their escort, in a slightly less formal setting. Janis made a point of pulling out her chair for her as they arrived before sitting down beside her girlfriend, giving a distracted nod in response to the bows from everyone else. There were only a few people present, Kiara had only taken a handful of courtiers and a few knights. The local noble wasn¡¯t here despite his queen coming to visit, so it was rather relaxed right now. ¡°Are there any news of import?¡± Kiara asked as she spread some butter on a slice of bread. Lady Margaret shook her head. Her gaze was drifting from Janis to Kiara and back, and Janis wondered for a moment what she was making of it. But she knew Kiara¡¯s friend wouldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Nothing of critical importance from the capital, Your Majesty,¡± she answered. ¡°There have been some updates regarding the settlement of the soldiers,¡± another man cut in. Janis didn¡¯t know Baron Theraln well, although she knew he was loyal. ¡°However, there are also news from closer to us, Your Majesty.¡± "The Esemen?¡± ¡°In a manner of speaking. We have been alerted that Delvers from Esemen are going across the border and appear to be traveling here. They should arrive soon. At least, some appear to be from Esemen, but there is a second group from the northern lands, as well.¡± Kiara frowned. ¡°Why weren¡¯t we alerted before now?¡± Janis glanced around and checked the psychic link. Now that she knew what to look for, it didn¡¯t take long to see the Delvers, mostly riding horses on the road leading to the town. Several Winged Drones were flying high above them to keep a discreet eye on them. Someone must have set them to the task, though her quick look with the psychic link didn¡¯t tell her who. She¡¯d have to ask around, but instead focused on the conversation right now. ¡°We received word in the middle of the night, my Queen,¡± Sir Willard answered evenly. ¡°Sir Alf used one of the War Drones in the assigned escort to convey the message. I decided that it was not urgent enough to disturb your or the crown princess¡¯ sleep.¡± ¡°We were just about to send someone up to tell you if you hadn¡¯t shown up,¡± Margaret added with the hint of a smirk. Janis gave her a look, but didn¡¯t comment. She supposed she should be grateful they had waited to send someone to wake them. However much the people in this room might know or suspect about their relationship, finding her in Kiara¡¯s bed would have still been hard to explain away, a bit too much for plausible deniability. Plus, it would have ruined their morning, and they hadn¡¯t exactly slept in very late, anyway. From what she could see, there wasn¡¯t any particular hurry. They finished breakfast without talking much, except for a few light remarks and meaningless chatter. Janis felt her thoughts drifting back to the psychic link. She checked her surroundings regularly out of habit, and kept note of all the drones¡¯ positions around her all the time. Kiara glanced at her, then pushed back her chair and stood up. ¡°We should get ready to meet our visitors. A word, Princess Janis?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Janis stood as well, nodded at the others and let Kiara lead her from the room. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Kiara asked as soon as the door closed behind them, leaving them alone in the hallway. ¡°You were rather quiet.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Janis ran a hand through her hair. ¡°I guess it feels a bit like our nice vacation got cut short, but that¡¯s stupid. I know we¡¯re here on business.¡± Kiara¡¯s eyes darkened a bit. ¡°I think you might be more in need of a vacation than me,¡± she commented. ¡°You worked hard and won a war for the Empire. You should have received more praise for your deeds than you did.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Janis scoffed. ¡°Regina offered to hold a large ceremony in my honor, but I declined. I just wanted to forget about war and fighting for a bit. I think she¡¯s still got some things planned for our return, though.¡± She turned to go and paused as she caught Kiara¡¯s gaze. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing. How did you sleep?¡± ¡°Good. Better than expected, actually.¡± Kiara tilted her head. ¡°Were you expecting a nightmare? You have been having some, have you not?¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°Yes,¡± Janis admitted. ¡°More nights than not recently.¡± She knew Kiara had noticed, there was no point trying to hide it. ¡°I had nightmares as well after the civil war, even if I didn¡¯t fight as much as you did,¡± Kiara admitted, her gaze lowering to her hands. ¡°It can take us a while to leave the fighting behind. There¡¯s no shame in needing or wanting a bit of support in that time. So my mother kept saying, anyhow. And to be fair, spending time with her and Robin helped me get used to all the changes.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Janis took her hand, then tugged her down the corridor. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get going.¡± They walked a few steps together before Janis spoke up again. It felt a little uncomfortable to address this topic, but she did want to tell Kiara about it. ¡°I have been talking about it, or maybe seeking support, I suppose. Not that it was on my own initiative, the drones kind of made me.¡± She shrugged and smiled a little. ¡°Actually, Regina wanted to do it herself, but Galatea reminded her that it¡¯s better for the person talking to the, uh, person in question,¡± not ¡®patient¡¯, she wasn¡¯t ill ¡ª ¡°not to be very close with them. So instead I¡¯ve been talking to¡° ¡ª she decided not to use her name ¡ª ¡°one of the Keepers, one who¡¯s spent a lot of time with humans.¡± "Oh? Has it helped?¡± ¡°I suppose so? She can get what I¡¯m feeling over the psychic link even when I¡¯m having trouble putting it into words, or point out what I might have missed.¡± Janis shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think drones really get ¡ª issues like this,¡± mental illness, but she wasn¡¯t suffering from any, she¡¯d simply seen a few potentially traumatic things, ¡°at least not the way humans do. For that matter, I¡¯m demihuman myself, so for all I know my reactions are different, anyway. Still, it¡¯s nice to talk to someone.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Kiara squeezed her hand briefly, but seemed to decide that was all she needed to say about it. They walked the remaining few meters in silence. Janis reluctantly released her hand as they stepped through the main doors into the yard. She paused, glancing to the side, where several Swarm Drones were gathering. Then she turned her focus to the psychic link. After a few seconds of looking through it and checking through various drones¡¯ eyes, she laughed. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Kiara asked. ¡°They¡¯re not actually coming to see us.¡± Janis shook her head. ¡°They were on this road, sure, but probably just because it leads deeper into Cernlia. There¡¯s a crossing a few hundred meters outside of the town, and they just took the road leading south, bypassing the town.¡± Kiara blinked, then rolled her eyes. ¡°We might have guessed. Of course they might not have heard we were here, yet. Our route is hardly widely publicized and we haven¡¯t been here for long, certainly not enough for most people across the border to hear of it.¡± Janis nodded, a bit distracted as she was still watching the group. ¡°I wonder if these are the only Delvers heading to the Imperial capital?¡± she mused. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s probably better that they talk to the loyal Delvers first. Let¡¯s just let them go on their way.¡± Kiara nodded, then reached out to grasp Janis¡¯ hand again, entwining their fingers. ¡°It seems our schedule has suddenly opened up,¡± she noted. ¡°Maybe we can practice our magic together?¡± Janis smiled and, after quickly glancing around to make sure no one would see, leaned forward to kiss her girlfriend quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll Conjure you whatever you want,¡± she promised. Kiara smiled back, her eyes shining again. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, but who am I to turn down such a gallant offer?¡± Janis chuckled and started to pull her to the improvised training yard. She was already considering whether a golden necklace or earrings would look better. Chapter 315: Rapprochement Madris raised her head, then got up from where she¡¯d been sitting on the floor to meditate. She quickly checked her appearance before passing out of the door of her bedroom. The house was quiet, and her feet barely made any noise on the wooden floors. ¡°Mistress?¡± Armin called. She frowned reflexively. He didn¡¯t call her that often at all, it would have been a bit formal even if they¡¯d been among dark elves, let alone here in Cera. Clearly he was making a point now. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± she said calmly. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the parlor.¡± She hurried and made it to the indicated room just as Armin showed in their guests. Having been able to sense their minds, she wasn¡¯t surprised to see Icnes with a few companions entering. As Armin showed them in, he lingered in the doorway, cocking his head in a silent question. She nodded and jerked her chin slightly inside the room. He closed the door softly before padding over to stand by the side of her chair. So that was it, he is showing he knows proper manners. ¡°It is good to see you, Icnes,¡± Madris greeted her, cocking an eyebrow slightly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting your visit, so excuse the wait, but it is always a pleasure.¡± Inces inclined her head. ¡°I apologize for dropping by unannounced, Madris.¡± Her gaze moved to the lone human in the room. ¡°It is also a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Armin.¡± ¡°I am not a knight,¡± he replied amusedly. ¡°But the sentiment is returned, Mistress Oliren.¡± ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re certainly very polite.¡± She turned to face Madris again. ¡°How did you meet each other, Madris?¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve known each other for quite some time,¡± she answered, avoiding specifics and leaving the unsaid ¡®how did you come to adopt him into your house?¡¯ unanswered. Madris wished she had something to occupy her hands with, even a wineglass would do. Instead she just pretended to be interested in the decorations of the room, even if the tapestry hanging on the opposite wall and depicting a hunting scene was rather boring. Regina had offered her to stay in the palace, hopefully with Kiara¡¯s permission, but she¡¯d declined. She preferred to have her own space. So instead, Madris had bought a small house. At least small compared to most of the noble townhouses in the city, it was still decently large. She¡¯d been living among humans for a while now and consistently earned more than she spent, so she had the money for it. Although she still wasn¡¯t entirely sure what had even possessed her to want to buy a house in Cera. ¡°Then you must have seen him grow up, considering human lifespans, how exciting.¡± Madris raised her head and finally locked eyes with Icnes, giving her an unimpressed look. She knew the other woman wasn¡¯t a xenophobe or prejudiced. She was also too socially savvy to say something borderline offensive by accident. That meant that she was just trying to push her buttons, presumably. It almost made her nostalgic to see this side of Icnes. The other girl had always been nice and personable when she wanted to be, which was most of the time. She really was a diplomat at heart. But she also sometimes liked to prod at people, to rile them up or watch their reactions. ¡°Indeed,¡± she said drily, deciding not to engage. ¡°We first met when I was around ten, I recall,¡± Armin said. When she looked at him, he caught her gaze and gave her a ¡®What?¡¯ look. Madris shrugged slightly. ¡°You already knew you wanted to become a Delver, as I recall,¡± she reminisced. ¡°Kids at that age always want to take after their parents,¡± he replied with a smile, ¡°and you know what my dad was like.¡± Madris smiled as well. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Of course she knew his father. He had been not just a valued party member, but actually the first one she had adopted into House ¡®a joke and a bit of paperwork¡¯ Ulaven. Of course, that was something she didn¡¯t necessarily want to reveal to Icnes if it didn¡¯t need to come up. ¡°But you didn¡¯t come here to hear us reminisce about childhood stories,¡± she said, turning to her visitor. Then she flicked her gaze across the two other dark elves accompanying her, who¡¯d taken positions behind Inces¡¯ chair and stayed silent so far. She didn¡¯t recognize them, although the System gave their names as both being from houses she knew had been allied with House Oliren and probably still were. Neither of them was above level 50, so she could dismiss them as threats. ¡°True, although perhaps I could share some stories about a younger Madris,¡± Icnes agreed with a playful smile. Then her expression turned more serious and she sat up a bit straighter. ¡°I originally came to talk to you about the Delvers. I wanted to ask your opinions.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have given me notice beforehand?¡± she grumbled. ¡°What if I was out?¡± ¡°I was afraid you would be out if I told you I was coming,¡± Icnes said calmly. ¡°You have been avoiding me, Madris.¡± Madris bristled slightly, but quickly let go of the irritation. After all, Icnes wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°I simply didn¡¯t see much reason to go wherever you¡¯ve been mingling,¡± she said. ¡°Besides, I was busy.¡± Icnes gave her an unimpressed look. ¡°And you couldn¡¯t have met with me to catch up on old times at some point? It¡¯s been months, Madris.¡± Madris sighed. Usually she would have slumped into her chair, but seeing Icnes brought back memories and she found herself automatically holding a straight, proper and confident posture. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°I apologize. After how we last parted, I wasn¡¯t sure you wanted to see much of me.¡± Or that it would be a good idea. ¡°Of course I wanted to see you, sister,¡± Icnes said, her tone going a bit softer, her fingers tightening in her lap. Madris looked down for a moment. Former sister, not yours anymore, she¡¯d told herself that so many times that hearing the word from Icnes now was jarring. ¡°Alright,¡± she said, her gaze rising to meet Icnes¡¯ again. When she did, the other woman raised her right eyebrow slightly, jerking her head to the side minutely and then stared straight into her eyes. Of course Madris recognized what she wanted. And so, she quickly reached out and formed a light mental connection to press up against Icnes¡¯ mental shields, which she lowered enough to allow the bridge. Apparently, she would rather talk in private and didn¡¯t trust, or at least didn¡¯t want her companions to overhear the exchange. If I recall, you said you never wanted to see me again, Madris said bluntly. I disappointed you quite a bit. Icnes sighed without showing any sign of it on her face. Emotions were high, and I think we both said things we regret. Or didn¡¯t you call me a coward? Madris suppressed a grimace. I did, and I do regret that. I know you didn¡¯t understand my decisions, but I should not have begrudged yours. You built a life for yourself in the Eternal Dark ¡ª and outside. I can see that.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. I did, Icnes replied with a bit of satisfaction in her mental voice. But it seems you did well for yourself, too. I don¡¯t regret leaving, Madris agreed. But it seems like you got quite a sweet deal, as my student might say. You keep a home in the underground and still manage to travel quite a lot on the surface. Not as freely as you, I imagine. I still have to go where I am sent and defend our interests. That said, I do like my job. Madris smiled at her, ignoring the slightly questioning look from Armin at their apparent silence. He could probably guess what was happening, anyway. She¡¯d expected more recriminations in their private chat, but it looked like both of them wanted to get over their issues and talk again. Not that there weren¡¯t still issues, of course. Madris had been young, restless and disappointed. Icnes¡¯ refusal to even consider going with her, her calling Madris reckless and ungrateful, had stung. She¡¯d argued that she could protect Icnes, but that really hadn¡¯t been the issue. With some distance and perhaps a bit more maturity, she could see her expectations had been unrealistic. Not that she would ever quite agree with her stance on politics, she suspected. Then we¡¯re good? she asked. Icnes smiled a little as well. We are, she said. Then she broke eye contact at last, glancing at her companions, who remained stoically silent, and back at her. I was disappointed, she admitted. From what Madris could sense through their tentative mental connection, she had probably considered this for a long time. You could have been a real force for change in the Eternal Dark, she said, her mental voice deliberately soft. A unifying force, even, perhaps. Like your student here. And instead you left. You left me. Icnes remained silent for a moment, then lowered her shields a bit more to let Madris a bit further inside. She projected some reassurance and understanding, and in return briefly basked in the warmth Icnes showed her. You might overestimate me, she said. Perhaps I could have done something, or perhaps I would have ended up shanked in a side tunnel a few years in. They came close a few times. And even if I¡¯d stayed ¡­ a single person can only do so much, Icnes, that¡¯s something I¡¯ve come to realize. The key would be in changing minds and hearts, but not with psychic abilities. I¡¯m not sure I am up for that. And I already lost my entire house, sister. I understand what you mean, truly I do, but ¡­ I didn¡¯t feel obligated to give the Eternal Dark more than I already had. I still don¡¯t. That¡¯s fair, Icnes replied with a mental sigh. You have to live for yourself. I understand now. I was young and impulsive, too, even if I didn¡¯t think I was. You¡¯re still young, Madris teased her. And probably impulsive. Very funny, Icnes grumbled back. It¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t come here on a whim. Madris let that accusation pass without comment. You did come here to talk about something else, too, though, she pointed out. Perhaps we should move this conversation to the physical world. I¡¯d love to talk to you again soon, though. Maybe you can visit tomorrow? I¡¯d love to, she smiled mentally, then seamlessly continued out loud, ¡°I assume you have kept in touch with the other Delvers?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Madris agreed, pleased that Icnes was acknowledging her decision with that choice of words. ¡°More Delvers are coming to Cera, as I¡¯m sure you noticed. Some of them even from further afield than expected.¡± She gave Armin a mental nudge, so he finally sat down in a chair beside her. As if they were waiting for that signal, Icnes¡¯ companions visibly relaxed and, after exchanging a short glance with her, sat down as well. ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Icnes agreed. ¡°Even your enemies, aren¡¯t they?¡± Armin snorted lightly. ¡°There may be political tension between the Esemen and the Empire, but that doesn¡¯t make the local Delvers our enemies, Mistress Oliren.¡± Icnes inclined her head, wordlessly conceding the point. ¡°Does that mean they were representative of their local chapter?¡± Madris considered for a moment how much to tell her. But she did trust Icnes, and she also didn¡¯t think she was her only contact among the Delvers. She would hear these details soon enough, most likely. "Some factions of it,¡± she said. ¡°Unfortunately, the order in Esemen and its neighboring lands is quite divided. They are uncertain what to do about Regina and the actions of the Delvers in Cernlia and Nerlia. Some of them believe us, some think we¡¯re lying about her identity and what it means.¡± ¡°And some just want to find out more information before they decide,¡± Armin added. Madris inclined her head. ¡°True. That is why Gwen and her compatriots are showing them around.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Icnes frowned lightly. ¡°But if there is such a shift, wouldn¡¯t the more reticent Esemen Delvers be an issue? I know the order is generally disinclined to get involved in politics or push nationalist agendas, but surely some of them feel more connection to their homeland?¡± Madris shook her head. ¡°Perhaps in a more secular country, but Esemen is not one that fosters loyalty in Delvers,¡± she responded, trying to put it diplomatically rather than simply say Icnes didn¡¯t know enough. ¡°I doubt it will be a problem. Even if some of them are skeptical, it would take immense pressure for them to fight against us alongside the Esemen army when they know they would face other Delvers.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Icnes nodded. ¡°I have been told that the Esemen are rather religious, and their political system seems to place value on it. Thank you for answering my concerns.¡± ¡°Anytime, sister.¡± The conversation was calmer and more mellow after that, since Icnes had clearly got the information she had come for. Madris found it a bit hard to pay attention to the niceties exchanged, as her mind kept circling back to the psychic conversation they¡¯d just had. Not that they only spoke about meaningless matters, of course. They also took the chance to catch up on information from home. The Delver chapter Armin ¡ª and Madris herself, she supposed ¡ª came from and her home in the Eternal Dark were considerably closer together than either were to the Empire. ¡°I could arrange to have messages carried home for you,¡± Madris finally offered. ¡°We do have some contact with the chapterhouse, it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to arrange for a message to be passed to the dark elves. There is at least one ongoing cooperation, as I recall.¡± Icnes smiled gratefully. ¡°I would appreciate that, sister. I have a few ideas of my own on how to establish more convenient lines of communication. But we should speak more of that tomorrow. It is getting late and I have already occupied enough of your time without invitation.¡± Madris wanted to protest, but honestly, she would feel better talking to Icnes in private and she did have a meeting planned for later that evening. So she only smiled, agreed and stood up to escort her visitors to the door. Their goodbyes were brief, thankfully. Inces caught her gaze again and gave her a warm smile, which Madris returned automatically. Before she could second-guess the impulse, she laid a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. Then the other dark elves turned to leave. Madris exhaled and retreated back inside the house with Armin. She paused and considered him briefly. Perhaps I could ¡­ but no, that¡¯s too rash, I should just talk to Icnes. ¡°So,¡± Armin drew out the word, ¡°I presume she is the half-sister you mentioned, then?¡± Madris cleared her throat. ¡°I didn¡¯t mention Icnes¡¯ name previously?¡± ¡°Not that I remember.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s good you at least talked to her. If you¡¯re sisters ¡­ well, family is important.¡± ¡°We¡¯re barely considered family,¡± she reminded him. ¡°I know I told you about dark elves¡¯ social costums. We are matriarchal, and Icnes and I only share a father. That¡¯s worth much less than children born from the same mother.¡± He regarded her thoughtfully. ¡°She¡¯s still your only family.¡± ¡°Yes. By blood, anyway.¡± Madris sighed, staying silent for a minute as they walked back inside the house. ¡°In hindsight, losing my father to House Oliren might have marked the start of the downfall of my house, not that I knew it at the time. Obviously. I was just a child. Later, I resented him for it at times.¡± ¡°But not her?¡± ¡°No, never Icnes.¡± She smiled fondly, choosing to focus on the nostalgia. ¡°I can understand why you did. It must have put your family in an awkward position. He wasn¡¯t ¡­ stolen, was he?¡± ¡°No, only metaphorically.¡± Madris laughed again, and this time she couldn¡¯t quite keep the bitterness out of it. ¡°He chose to go. There were some hurt feelings at first, but the houses came to a settlement.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have resented it. I knew my mother didn¡¯t treat him all that well, I should have simply been happy that he was happier with them.¡± ¡°You were just a kid.¡± Armin shrugged. ¡°And it gave you a place to go, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I suppose. It brought me closer to Icnes. Even if it was brief, until I ruined things.¡± ¡°Your relationship didn¡¯t look ruined to me,¡± Armin pointed out, nudging her shoulder. Madris smiled again and dodged around him. ¡°Thank you. Let¡¯s hope we can repair what is damaged. If the Delvers, the Empire and perhaps the dark elves all find themselves drifting closer, it may yet be important.¡± Armin looked at her steadily. ¡°We should resume our language lessons.¡± ¡°If you like, Armin.¡± She turned and grabbed her coat telekinetically. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I should get going.¡± Although she knew her full attention wouldn¡¯t be on her engagements tonight. Interlude: Cooperation Niklos of Twills knew he had gotten quite lucky. Every time he looked around, the high spires of the city of Leberg reminded him of that. At first, when he had first come to the city, it had felt incredible to him that people could make buildings that high, build cities that stretched on for leagues and leagues and housed what felt like all the humans in the world. Which was a ridiculous thought, of course, even then he¡¯d known the world was much bigger than he knew. He¡¯d known Classes and Skills could do incredible things, but in his home village of Twills, they rarely got anyone above Level 30. By now he¡¯d also heard that most of these buildings had been constructed without the use of special Skills at all, but he still wasn¡¯t sure he believed that. Either way, he counted himself lucky to be able to see it. He¡¯d traveled farther than most boys from the countryside ever got, except maybe if they were drafted for war. Thank the gods that wasn¡¯t a problem. Anyway, he¡¯d gotten caught poaching in the lord¡¯s forest and been forced out. He could¡¯ve perhaps stayed in his village short a hand, but that wasn¡¯t an option he¡¯d take. Still, he supposed he¡¯d accomplished his goal when he set out on that ill-fated hunting trip, in a funny way. The spring and summer that year had been wet and miserable, and the crops had started to foul before anyone could do anything. They tried their best, but sometimes there was just no helping the rot. The harvest had been small, and with his family having to give a tenth of each to the temples and a tenth to their lord, in addition to the labor he owed some days so he couldn¡¯t help on the fields then, it didn¡¯t leave them enough. He didn¡¯t want his younger brother to starve, and in his darker moments he¡¯d thought that at least if he was eaten by some bear or caught, his family would have one less mouth to feed. Which they did now. And he¡¯d gotten regular meals since then, even as an indentured servant. He¡¯d now met several foreigners who expressed distaste at the practice, and although Niklos understood ¡ª how couldn¡¯t he, it was him suffering this fate, wasn¡¯t it? ¡ª sometimes he was also grateful it wasn¡¯t worse. This wasn¡¯t slavery, Liongen had long banned that practice. He couldn¡¯t just be killed without anyone taking notice, and he still had certain rights. They didn¡¯t send indentures to houses of ill repute or have them be mages¡¯ test subjects. Well, maybe the very worst criminals, he wasn¡¯t sure about that. And since he was a valuable worker now, an asset, he got enough food and sleep so he could continue to work well. Besides, things had improved even more with his recent assignment. His indenture was originally held by his lord, since it was him he¡¯d stolen from ¡ª or tried to, more like. That made sense even if he didn¡¯t like it. But the lord hadn¡¯t wanted another servant, he¡¯d wanted money, so he¡¯d sold Niklos¡¯ contract, which was what brought him to Leberg. And the city¡¯s lord mayor always needed more workers, apparently. The conditions hadn¡¯t been bad. Since Niklos didn¡¯t know much of any trade besides farming, he¡¯d been assigned to hard labor. It was backbreaking work, but really not that different from what he¡¯d been doing anyway. Just not on his father¡¯s farm or in his village anymore. And Niklos had been told he was smart, and he¡¯d tried to learn everything he could. He knew he needed to adapt to city life, so he hung onto the more experienced servants, those who¡¯d gotten a little bit of an education, and he tried to teach himself new words and to talk like them and to learn directions and manners and timekeeping. Eventually, his efforts must have been noticed. So he supposed anyway; it wasn¡¯t like anyone explained things to an indentured servant like him, if that ''anyone'' was better-off folk. He¡¯d kept track of time as best he could, and he knew he still had a few years left on his indenture, but he¡¯d been making plans. Some admittedly more fanciful than others. He knew he was already pretty old to not only be unmarried but not even have a girl he wanted to marry, and he did want to have a wife at some point. But most of his thoughts were more practical than imagining the pretty girl he¡¯d fall for. He would make use of the skills he¡¯d learned. Free servants could have a quite good life if they had a kind master. Like he did right now, he supposed, his current master was rather kind. ¡°Niklos!¡± he called as he went to see him that evening. ¡°You leveled up, congratulations!¡± ¡°Thank you, Milord,¡± Niklos answered, bowing his head. He still felt a stab of pride to be acknowledged. Being a Level 19 Laborer wasn¡¯t much of an achievement, but he was getting quite close to his Class Evolution. He was hoping for a more specialized Class. It was part of why he was grateful to have his current duties. ¡°We¡¯ll need to talk about potential successor Classes, but not this evening, I don¡¯t have time,¡± Lord John continued. ¡°Help me with that jacket, will you?¡± Niklos nodded and got to work straightening out his lord¡¯s clothes and doing up buttons, then made sure the cufflinks he had chosen sat correctly. He focused intently on his work, aware of his inexperience. The master¡¯s usual valet, Leon, had gotten sick and so he¡¯d stepped us as his replacement. He didn¡¯t want to waste this opportunity. Working at a noble¡¯s household, even one in ¡®irregular conditions¡¯, was good. Sometimes hard work, of course, but still better than most anything else. And gaining new experience and skills was always great, too. ¡°You¡¯re looking fine today, Milord,¡± he complimented him as he stepped back. It was even true. ¡°Is there a special occasion?¡± He¡¯d quickly learned that questions like that were rather safe. When he¡¯d first arrived in this household, people had told him ¡ª quietly, of course ¡ª that Lord John Cern was a bit of an idiot and a blowhard, and honestly, they weren¡¯t wrong. But he wasn¡¯t generally cruel and seemed to regard himself as a benevolent lord, which he acted on in an absent-minded and haphazard manner. He¡¯d had servants beaten at least twice for disrespect or other offenses, so there was clearly a limit to it, but he¡¯d also made sure they all had nice, clean clothes. Although that might be more of an appearances thing. And he apparently didn¡¯t oversee the accounts closely, which the housekeeper appreciated. Now, he preened a little in front of the mirror hung on the wall, although it wasn¡¯t quite high quality enough not to include any distortions. ¡°There¡¯s not truly a special occasion, I suppose I just wanted to look my best today.¡± Niklos nodded. ¡°That¡¯s very understandable, Sir.¡± ¡°People think I¡¯ve lost relevance and am just mouldering around here, but I¡¯m not. I¡¯m talking to the mayor and the council of priests. They want my input!¡± Niklos smiled. Sometimes Lord Cern could get chatty, and he always appreciated it, although he tried not to look too curious for his own good. He knew the lord¡¯s situation was unusual, although he wasn¡¯t sure exactly how. Lordly politics was a bit above his understanding. But Lord Cern was some kind of exile from Cernlia, fleeing from its recent civil war, probably. He was presumably an enemy of the new empire there. And the rulers of the new Western Confederation ¡ª whoever that truly meant in the end, Niklos only had a vague understanding of its structure ¡ª had taken him in. And Niklos guessed most of the other servants, like him, had been provided to Lord John to live in accordance with his station. So he must be some kind of important. He certainly seemed to think he was. ¡°Of course, Sir. You¡¯re the Lord Cern,¡± he agreed. It would be impossible to spend a day in the master¡¯s household and not pick up on his pride in his name.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°That I am, Niklos!¡± Lord John laughed, although it sounded slightly forced toward the end. He turned his head slightly to look at the desk in the study through the open door. ¡°That I am,¡± he repeated more softly, almost sighing. ¡°And I¡¯ll always be, whatever she thinks.¡± ¡°Milord?¡± Niklos asked before he could think better of it. Cern faced him again, his face more serious than usual. ¡°Can you read, Niklos?¡± he asked after a moment. Niklos blinked in confusion, but quickly regained his composure. ¡°A little, Milord.¡± ¡°Then I suppose I can just leave the letter where it is,¡± the lord said with a smile. His expression was a lot harder to read right now. Then he shook his head. ¡°You see, my cousin wrote to me, which is why I am rather wroth at the moment.¡± ¡°Your cousin? You do not have a good relationship, Milord?¡± Niklos ventured. He was starting to think Lord Cern just wanted to talk to someone about this letter, but Niklos himself was curious, too. ¡°You could say that,¡± he snorted. ¡°She ran off to join the Delvers as a girl, but now she¡¯s suddenly interested in our name and title.¡± He was snarling now. ¡°She told me to come back, that I would receive mercy if I just turned myself in, as if the harlot knows what she¡¯s talking about! And then she says that she is going to take over the house and the title if I don¡¯t come back. What nonsense! As if I¡¯m some disinherited outlaw instead of the lord she owes her allegiance to. And these bitches in Cernlia might actually do it!¡± He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just a ploy to get me back, Niklos. They just want me under their thumb again. Well, I¡¯m not falling for it!¡± Niklos swallowed. Suddenly he felt as if he might have bitten off a bit more than was wise. ¡°Of course, Milord. And surely it¡¯s not her decision to make, Milord?¡± he ventured cautiously. He didn¡¯t know much about courtly matters, but he thought a title could only be granted by the liege lord or maybe just the king. ¡°It¡¯s up to the king of Cernlia, or the queen I suppose, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°The queen. Bah!¡± Cern snorted again. ¡°I should be ruling Cernlia, not that bitch. At least Kiara¡¯s father knew my worth. And she had to go and depose him. Can you imagine the ungratefulness? The dishonor? No wonder she crawled under that monsterblood¡¯s skirt, the little pretender.¡± Niklos suspected he was paling slightly. This was getting quite heated. He only had a vague notion of what Lord Cern was talking about, but his words were enough to be fervently thankful that they weren¡¯t in Cernlia and that no one in Liongen was likely to care about slander or treason against its crown. ¡°Deplorable, Milord,¡± he muttered. One of his better words if he did say so himself. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just?¡± Cern agreed. He looked a bit cheered up to get his response, or maybe just to have talked about it. ¡°Well, I should get going. Don¡¯t want to miss my meeting.¡± ¡°With the lord mayor, Sir?¡± ¡°Indeed!¡± He smiled again. ¡°I¡¯d take you along, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re supposed to bring servants. It¡¯s going to be a bigger meeting, some of the high priests will be there and some of the delegates from the other Confederation nations. We¡¯re going to discuss the construction of the new temple and whatever else comes up.¡± Niklos nodded. ¡°Very important, Milord. It¡¯s good that you were invited. They¡¯ll want your opinion on Cernlia, won¡¯t they? After all, you¡¯re the expert,¡± he offered more hesitantly. Lord Cern didn¡¯t seem to see anything wrong with his words, he just nodded again. ¡°Most likely, yes. They have been asking for my opinion on this Empire business. Although just between the two of us, they don¡¯t truly need it. I¡¯ve been mostly cut off from any contacts back home and they have ways of getting information. Still, my perspective is clearly valuable.¡± Niklos had the sudden thought that it may not have been as valuable as his lord thought and they simply wanted to give him the impression that they valued him, but shoved that thought aside. It really wasn¡¯t his business. He was just happy Lord Cern was in a good mood again. Besides, what did he know about Cernlia or the Central European Empire? It seemed to have simply materialized out of nothing one day, the news that the Cernlian war had ended followed by the founding of this new country. Which, to be fair, wasn¡¯t too different from how the founding of the Western Confederation had gone. They¡¯d just been told their country, Liongen, was now a part of it. At the time, most people had thought it wouldn¡¯t make much difference for them, and he supposed they weren¡¯t wrong. Although things had changed just a little ¡ª and mostly for the better. He would never have reached the city on his own even if he¡¯d wanted to, because peasants were bound to the land. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to leave without permission. But there were rumors the law was soon going to change. And the tariffs to other members of the Confederation had been decreased, which allowed more goods into the city and lowered prices. At least that was what he¡¯d heard. Niklos wasn¡¯t a merchant, but he¡¯d been told the prices at the markets used to be higher, especially for imported goods, which apparently meant a lot of metalwork, ceramic, some fabrics and more expensive things. None of which really concerned him. Lisa had also said that the tariffs to or from Nerlia would get really high soon enough, but he didn¡¯t know if that was true. And they definitely had more foreigners in the city than just a year ago, although, unlike some, Niklos didn¡¯t have any problems with that. ¡°Well,¡± Lord Cern continued, ripping him from these thoughts, ¡°I¡¯ll be off. You know what, you can throw that letter into the fireplace. Fire¡¯s gone out, so you¡¯ll have to stoke it first. It¡¯s the one on top of the desk in the middle, can¡¯t miss it. It¡¯s the only letter I got recently, anyway.¡± His expression visibly darkened at the thought, but he quickly shook it off. ¡°Of course, Milord, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± ¡°Good man.¡± Cern clapped him on the shoulder in passing, then was quickly out the door. Niklos closed it behind him and listened for his steps moving out through the corridor, more out of habit than anything, before he turned to the study. The letter was easy to find, although it wasn¡¯t the only paper on the desk. Niklos hesitated for a moment, then he craned his neck to try and find out what the rest were. Unfortunately, while he knew his letters his reading still wasn¡¯t very good, and he had trouble with many of the words in them. After a minute or so, he gave up in frustration. It clearly wasn¡¯t anything that concerned him, maybe some kind of bookkeeping? He turned his attention to the letter and picked it up, then hesitantly opened it and read the words. He figured his lord had half-given him permission anyway. This letter also had some words he was having trouble with, and trying to sound them out, it was hard to get most of them right. He understood enough to get the general content of the letter, at least with the help of what Lord Cern had told him about it. It didn¡¯t seem to be written the way people really spoke, but what did he know? Still, it seemed to be basically what Lord Cern had said. This cousin, a Gwen Cern, didn¡¯t sound like a very nice lady, but maybe he was missing some nuance, he definitely didn¡¯t know anything about their relationship. Shrugging, Niklos picked the letter up and turned to the fireplace, quickly fetching some logs to put in and then starting the fire with the flint and steel kept nearby for that purpose. He carefully blew on it a few times, making sure the tinder caught, then stoked it a bit, shifting the logs to ensure there was a real fire. When Lord Cern got back, his rooms should be nice and warm. He also figured Lord John would prefer him to burn the letter here rather than in the fireplace downstairs where anyone might stumble on it. It would be good gossip material, but he still wasn¡¯t sure if he should tell any of the other servants anything of this conversation. Finally, Niklos threw the paper in and watched the flames eating at the edges for a bit, before he made himself turn and leave. There still was work to do. For the next half hour or so, he managed to put it entirely out of his mind. The housekeeper wasn¡¯t particularly pleased that he¡¯d been gone so long, and quickly set him to work again, although she did accept his explanation that he¡¯d been told to stoke the fire in the lord¡¯s rooms. So he helped carry some boxes and then chopped some more firewood, even if he didn¡¯t think it was really necessary at this point. Because of that task, he was outside when an unexpected visitor sought him out. ¡°Niklos?¡± he called, stopping in front of him. Niklos set the axe down on the stump and wiped his sleeve over his eyes to catch the sweat. ¡°Good evening, Sir,¡± he greeted his old overseer. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve settled in well,¡± the old man said, his voice almost expressionless. Niklos always found Alexander a bit intimidating. ¡°Lord Cern seems pleased with you.¡± Niklos carefully straightened up. ¡°He did?¡± ¡°He mentioned you in passing.¡± Alexander took a step closer. ¡°You work close to him?¡± Niklos hesitated for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve been filling in a bit, Sir.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± The older man smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll make something of yourself yet. Say, did he happen to mention anything about the meeting he¡¯s attending today?¡± He blinked. ¡°Even if he did, I shouldn¡¯t be sharing any of my lord¡¯s words with anyone, should I?¡± ¡°Niklos.¡± Alexander shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t be difficult. This isn¡¯t my personal curiosity, but just following policy. From high up. Cern is a foreigner here, remember. You didn¡¯t think it was a coincidence you¡¯re here, did you? We don¡¯t wish him harm. If you make it seem like he¡¯s hiding something, it might be worse, for everyone.¡± Niklos sighed. ¡°Alright ¡­ I suppose. He did mention the meeting briefly.¡± Hesitantly, he told the overseer what he wanted to know. Afterward, he set to work on chopping the firewood again with a vengeance, but found it much harder to work up a sweat. Chapter 316: Capacity It had been several months since the war against the gnomes ended, and the empire was chugging along nicely. It might make Regina think that winning wars was important for a ruler or regime¡¯s power, which would certainly explain a few things in history. Of course, she knew it was more complicated than that. Aliekin had done his best to get the peace deal they had settled on accepted and implemented by the Gnomish Confederation. He probably knew that if it failed, and, say, Aliekin was deposed in favor of someone else who rejected the deal and the idea of Imperial hegenomy, the war would continue and the Empire would extract an even larger price from the Gnomish Confederation. They¡¯d have to, if it became apparent that the gnomes couldn¡¯t be trusted to keep to agreements like this. Fortunately, that wasn¡¯t necessary, something Regina found a great relief. She¡¯d rather not be any more of a tyrant. At least the Empire was going in a good direction and she was starting to seriously consider implementing some democratization reforms. Realistically, she probably still had to wait, but they could at least lay the groundwork. The gnomish army was largely disbanding, with soldiers being sent home. It should make everyone a bit more relaxed, she hoped. In the last few months, there had been several protests that she knew of, but at least most gnomes seemed to accept the end of the war and what it meant. The protests hadn¡¯t been particularly violent ¡ª there had been some expressions of anger and frustration, but no guns had been shot, as far as she knew. Under the circumstances, Aliekin could probably count himself lucky. His hold on power seemed pretty secure, and he was already skilfully redirecting people¡¯s anger at the last regime, continuing to reveal details of their transgressions. At the same time, they had started a careful, coordinated strategy to combat the propaganda against the Hivekind. Regina was kept informed about all of this, naturally. She had already sent observers into the Gnomish Confederation, and kept her troops close by. Arranging matters for the parts of the Gnomish Confederation occupied by the Empire was a bit of a headache, but they had finally sorted it out. Since the gnomes were supposed to be largely ruling themselves, she couldn¡¯t just institute a military government everywhere. But Regina did want to keep some garrisons handy. They were learning to work with the gnomes. Still, she didn¡¯t have the focus or capacity to really manage all of that herself, so she¡¯d been delegating. One obvious candidate for it was Janis. She had, after all, been involved in fighting the gnomes and in making the peace deal and she had more than enough status to be heard. While Janis went off to the north of Cernlia for a few weeks with Kiara, once she returned Regina gave her her new assignment. Another person she gave some responsibility to was Marianne Neralt, finally fulfilling a promise she¡¯d made a while ago. Neralt didn¡¯t have much personal experience regarding the war, but she was still a good diplomat and someone Regina generally trusted to fulfill her duties. Besides, the gnomes would have no problem with a woman in a leadership position, but pretty much any other people she could give her an assignment to probably would, as much as she disliked it. So, while Marianne wasn¡¯t called a ¡®governor¡¯, she effectively held a similar position, as the head Imperial representative to deal with the Gnomish Confederation, make sure they kept to the treaty, enforce Regina¡¯s directions, and further their reconciliation. ¡°Have you had any trouble establishing your authority in the Gnomish Confederation?¡± Regina asked today. Marianne shook her head. She seemed unsure where to look, probably because Regina wasn¡¯t talking to her in person. She¡¯d instead sent one of the drones slightly adapted for her to speak through them more easily with the lady into the Confederation. Her range wasn¡¯t good enough for it to be practical in its capital, but Marianne also wasn¡¯t there right now, instead touring a city closer to the Cernlian border. She¡¯d bowed to the drone at the beginning of the conversation, but now stood straight and tall, her hands clasped behind her back. It reminded Regina a bit of a military officer giving a report and she wondered if some things were universal. ¡°No, Your Imperial Majesty. General Aliekin has been rather cooperative. Most of his men have followed his example. The drones have all been perfectly obedient, of course. I have successfully commanded many of the Swarm Drones you sent with me, even when I was told your psychic link was ¡­ growing thin.¡± Regina smiled, although she didn¡¯t attempt to mirror the movement with the drone she was currently controlling. Instead, she just hoped it came through in her tone. ¡°Good, thank you, Lady Marianne. That is good news.¡± She had been hoping it would work like that, with the upgrades to the psychic link¡¯s functions promised by her passing her Level Thresholds, but this was the first opportunity to really check it thoroughly. She had personally told every Swarm Drone in the group to follow Marianne¡¯s orders, even if it had been rather tedious, but it seemed to have worked. Now they just needed to test extended deployment some distance outside the limit of her range and hammer out which level of abstraction in the orders given was possible. They had more important things to focus on at the moment, however. ¡°So, you have not encountered much hostility from the gnomes?¡± The lady paused for a heartbeat. ¡°Some, My Empress,¡± she said. ¡°I was expecting it. Many people also seem to be at least slightly afraid of me and my aides, which is also not surprising.¡± Regina nodded, making the drone nod as well. ¡°If you¡¯re confident you can handle it, then I won¡¯t worry about it,¡± she replied. ¡°Before we get into the details, is there anything important you wish to discuss first?¡± ¡°Nothing critical, although I would prefer to start with the positioning of the drones and their redeployment.¡± She started her report, and Regina listened attentively. There were quite a few issues to get through, of course; this was a complicated situation with lots of moving parts and things to be aware of. Accordingly, Marianne mostly kept to a high-level overview, instead of letting herself get bogged down in the details. Regina appreciated it, given the constraints on both of their time. She did realize it meant she wouldn¡¯t have as detailed a picture of the situation as would be necessary for some decisions. Fortunately, she¡¯d already been planning to let the people she¡¯d given these duties to make the decisions. The Empire was really getting to the point where she had to delegate more extensively. As such, she mostly just nodded at Marianne¡¯s suggestions for troop deployments and the effects on the gnomes¡¯ own military readiness or what impressions it would give. Regina was going to trust that Janis and the others knew what they were doing and their reasoning seemed sound. ¡°I know this is a bit off-topic, but have you talked to General Aliekin again about his visit?¡± she asked at one point. ¡°It would presumably be easier to coordinate some of our efforts if he and some key people of his did actually come to Cera.¡± ¡°He has still not committed to an actual date, Your Majesty. He claims that due to unavoidable issues, it will have to be postponed.¡± Marianne¡¯s tone was neutral, but the unsaid ¡®again¡¯ also came through clearly. Regina sighed. ¡°I understand that he is reluctant to leave the Confederation at such a time, but it has been months. There will not be any revolts breaking out now just because he¡¯s out of the country. Let him know that I expect him at the end of the month at least. If that¡¯s not possible, he can explain to me personally why not.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She nodded her head. ¡°I will, Your Imperial Majesty.¡± ¡°Good. Then please continue your report on the economic situation you¡¯ve observed.¡± ¡°Of course. Prices seem to have fallen from the heights they reached during the war, as I¡¯ve previously mentioned, and have now stabilized. I¡¯ve been told the first traders from Cernlia have made it to the capital again ¡­¡± She continued her report, and Regina relaxed a bit as she listened. It was mostly good news. The gnomes were were settling into the new status quo and their economy was in the process of recovering. It still remained to be seen how this would all shake out, but at least there were no crises that actually required her attention. She asked some questions and got some more clarification from Lady Marianne, then thanked her for the report again and concluded with a few remarks, mostly echoing the directions she¡¯d given her before. Marianne wasn¡¯t the only person she talked to regarding the Gnomish Confederation, but she was a very important voice. On the other hand, when it came to things like their educational cooperation with the gnomes or the analysis of their technology, she was better advised to talk to Tia than to her. ¡°We should have a joint briefing next time,¡± Regina concluded. ¡°Perhaps in a week¡¯s time?¡± ¡°As you wish, My Empress.¡± Marianne bowed her head. ¡°Then Ira will be in touch to coordinate a date and time. In the meantime, you know how to get my attention through the drone. That¡¯s it for today.¡± She inclined the drone¡¯s head in a nod while Marianne bowed, and then freed it from her direct control and turned her focus to other parts of the psychic link, ending the meeting. The rest of the evening was rather relaxed, and she managed to keep her good mood going. Regina was taking a break after meeting with several officials regarding the Empire¡¯s finances and economic policy ¡ª the new currency was finally starting to actually matter in the country at large ¡ª when she got a notification she¡¯d been waiting for at last. Since the end of the war, her leveling had obviously slowed down. She¡¯d reached Level 64 towards its end, but had been waiting for the next Level for a while now. But now it had finally come. She smiled as she surveyed the System screen. Since it was a multiple of five (but not a Threshold level) at 65, she was getting a new Ability.
You have leveled up
You may now select another Ability
Regina sat down on her couch, getting comfortable, then turned her focus to the Ability selection, mentally waving off a few drones nearby who were cautiously querying her in the psychic link after they must have felt a surge of excitement from her.
You may now select your eighth Class Skill. Please choose one of the following:
Ruler¡¯s Mind: The power of your mind imposes its will on the world around you. Your psychic link will be slightly strengthened and commanding your Swarm Drones will be facilitated. You will find it easier to instinctively assess the condition and location of all members of your Hive inside your range. Your ability to impose your will on other minds will be strengthened, especially those outside your Hive.
Queen¡¯s Body: Your soul needs a strong shell. Your body will be strengthened, in proportion to the number of drones around you and their physical Stats. This includes the functioning of your vital organs. The effect will fade with distance. You will also be more resistant against arcane attacks. Flight will be easier and drain less mana.
Hive¡¯s Magic: Your magic is the core of your strength. The growth of your mana pool due to the existence of your drones will receive a boost. Your mana regeneration will also improve, scaling with both your level and theirs. With higher levels of mastery, you will find it easier to cast large spells or to cast two spells at once.
Regina paused. She was getting two choices again that she had seen last time. That seemed a bit surprising, but she hadn¡¯t passed up an option and then taken it next time often enough to say if it really was. Usually the new option she didn¡¯t take would show up once more, after all. And both of them seemed pretty good, so she wasn¡¯t complaining. Regina sighed to herself, her excitement at the advancement dimming. She knew what she had to pick. It was a bit of a shame, Hive¡¯s Magic had sounded pretty good and it was still a little tempting. She hadn¡¯t had anything directly improving her magic in a while, if ever. Then again, she had to acknowledge that she wasn¡¯t really using her magic much most of the time these days. It was part of why she¡¯d been focusing on the hive and her psychic abilities in her choices. But what she probably needed even more was something to strengthen her body. There had been eight opportunities to choose now, and she couldn¡¯t drag it out any longer. Her advancements at the Level Thresholds also mostly strengthened her psychic link or maybe her mana pool. At this point, instead of any more multiplicative bonuses to her hatching or drone Templates, she might just get the biggest boost to her growth of the hive by focusing on her physical body. She was, if she was honest with herself, already feeling the strain of adding so many eggs to the hive. Her magic might be doing most of the work, but it was still putting a toll on her body, too. There were some logistical challenges as well, of course, she couldn¡¯t just head off to the hatchery all the time. Queen¡¯s Body might not actually be the best Skill for strengthening her body, but it was what she had right now, and it didn¡¯t seem bad, either. She was usually around a lot of drones, at least if its radius wasn¡¯t minimally small. It was good that it included her organs instead of just raising some general toughness of her skin and bones, as well as flight, and the bonus against arcane attacks was always nice, even if she wouldn¡¯t pick it just for that. Besides, the first option was ¡­ problematic. She could see the appeal and the use of it, of course, but Regina would still hesitate to take it. She didn¡¯t really think she needed more incentive to go into mind control. Of course it wouldn¡¯t force her choices, but one tended to reach for easier tools. Besides, on the off-chance she did use mind control in a situation where it was the best choice and others would be worse, she didn¡¯t think she needed an extra boost. She apparently had a natural talent for it, anyway. The other parts of the Ability would be nice to have, but they were hardly critical. And besides, thinking about it, Regina almost suspected it was some kind of test from Leian, who did apparently decide which options she got. Maybe the goddess was genuinely trying to help and offering her an option she might want to pursue, based on her recent training or as contingency planning. But somehow, she didn¡¯t get the feeling Leian would actually approve of the choice should Regina in fact make it. There was probably no use speculating too much, though. Resolved, Regina chose the middle option, and sighed as she felt like there was a slight change going through her body. She quickly stood up and paced around the room a few times, though she didn¡¯t sense much of a difference. She¡¯d probably have to test it out more extensively. In the meantime, she called up her status screen to look at the changes.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 65
Mana: 21728/42300
Hive: 1682/2461, 20 Swarm: 203459/24100000, 15000
Con: 18 Str: 16
Dex: 17 End: 19
Int: 36 Wis: 35
Another point in Int, she noted. Not surprising, her magical stats were always prioritized, despite the occasional stat point in the physical ones. She¡¯d gotten one in Con last level. Her eyes briefly lingered on the Hive numbers. Without drones dying in the war, they had increased quite a lot recently. However, they weren¡¯t growing as quickly as they could, the logistical capacity to support the Swarm just wasn¡¯t up to it. She¡¯d also actually slowed down a bit with the sapient drones a while ago to make sure they had the infrastructure and support system they would need ready. After a thorough evaluation, she was now increasing their numbers more rapidly again. There had also been a few Swarm Drones Evolving to sapience and joining the Inner Hive, so there was that. She dismissed the status notification, then got up to go to the training grounds. And maybe then she could go for a long flight, now that she finally had a good reason for it. Chapter 317: Crops and Cooks It had been a while since Regina had been to what used to be her base of operations at Forest¡¯s Haunt, and quite a few things had changed since then. She wasn¡¯t surprised by the changes, of course. While she hadn¡¯t deliberately kept an eye on the settlement to watch it, she¡¯d often connected to drones that were here and picked it up in the background. The town had grown again, and she thought it was probably on the way to becoming a real city, though Regina wouldn¡¯t venture a guess when it might cross that threshold, if there was one. It made sense, the town did have a strategic position. And now that her hive was here, they also didn¡¯t have to fear monsters from the forest attacking. Their population had declined sharply. She¡¯d already ordered the drones to limit their hunting. And the other citizens of the Empire living in the region, too. She suspected the elves were relying on the wildlife in the forest and she didn¡¯t want to annoy them too much. A lot of the change that the hive¡¯s base itself had undergone was not visible, of course. They had dug further underground, added a lot of tunnels and rooms and generally expanded its footprint. Some new buildings had joined it above ground, too, and a few older ones had been renovated. The focus of recent changes hadn¡¯t been on defenses ¡ª it was deep enough inside the Empire that, with all due paranoia, Regina really wasn¡¯t worried about attacks here ¡ª but instead more living space and quality of life improvements. The hive¡¯s population kept rising steadily, after all. They needed a lot of facilities. Luckily there still wasn¡¯t a problem managing the water; even without the small river nearby, the groundwater was comfortably high and easy enough to dig for, although that did add challenges to their digging for space. Luckily the drones were pretty good at water-proofing their structures. Right now, though, she was walking around outside instead of in the underground parts of the base, casually strolling through the area and watching everything around her. It might be a bit of a waste of time, but she felt that letting others see her would be good, anyway. After all, their workshops, printing presses and schools didn¡¯t just have drones but also humans present. And even drones probably liked to feel like their Hive Queen was around, she supposed. Besides, it was a nice day. ¡°It¡¯s getting quite warm,¡± she remarked. Most of the drones in the group she traveled with nodded. Some of the senior people currently based here had decided to join her with what she suspected were similar justifications. Not that she would begrudge them. ¡°Summer is definitely well on its way,¡± Zac agreed. ¡°It¡¯s good that we¡¯ve had a proper spring so far, though. I¡¯m hoping it won¡¯t be too hot this year. Would be better for the crops.¡± Regina glanced at the fields they were nearing and sped up a bit. Besides the base, she really also wanted to see them, even if she knew most of the hive¡¯s cultivated land wasn¡¯t exactly close enough to be visible and they had adjusted what they grew based on the town¡¯s proximity. ¡°I know,¡± she agreed, watching the play of the light through the stalks of wheat on one side, clearly still far from ripe for harvest. Most of the land south of here, which they¡¯d been originally assured in the treaty and which was still their heartland, was by now dotted with small outposts and what might have been farms for humans. They were growing a variety of crops, not limited to what would have been food crops for humans, although obviously there was still quite a lot of those, too. They had been optimized to be calorie-dense through selective breeding, after all. But others grew quicker or didn¡¯t need as much care, which was an important factor. Swarms of Swarm Drones that weren¡¯t currently needed somewhere else were also spread across that land, grazing it. They would have been competing with people or their livestock in other places. Most of the hive¡¯s Drone Producers were guided to systematically eat the vegetation prepared for them and then let their substances be collected, which were usually used as food as well as for other things. Their product was much more portable and less perishable, not to mention easier to harvest. The hive did harvest some crops themselves, though, to prepare food or occasionally for other reasons. Luckily, Swarm Drones were easily used for most agricultural work, at least under supervision. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we don¡¯t have corn,¡± she remarked. ¡°From what I know, it was often used as a crop for animal feed, it definitely grew quickly.¡± Zac nodded but shrugged. ¡°We do have potatoes, and they¡¯re also not native to this continent,¡± he pointed out. ¡°I assume corn just got lost somewhere along the way after the Cataclysm.¡± ¡°Which crops are best here again?¡± Zac glanced at the fields. ¡°We¡¯re still figuring some of that out. But we can grow the usual staples like barley, rye and wheat here, or other cereal like millet. Potatoes, like I mentioned. We have a lot of clover. Cabbages, tomatoes and lots of other vegetables. Some apples, pears and other fruits, we mostly gather berries from the forest still. I¡¯m trying some sunflowers, but the jury¡¯s still out on that one. And of course there are lots of weeds, from dandelions to new ones you probably don¡¯t know.¡± Regina smiled. She was aware of all that, though it was good to get a reminder. ¡°Thanks, Zac, good answer, but I actually meant more the immediate area.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± He would have blushed if he could, she was sure. ¡°Of course. Mostly traditional food crops around the village, like the wheat here. That¡¯s the majority. And some barley on the other side. There are orchards to the southeast, mostly growing apples. Some pastures, as well, the locals mostly keep sheep and cattle.¡± Regina nodded. She guessed that was where the milk came from. ¡°Speaking of agricultural products, do you want to try some ice cream replica?¡± Tia asked. She¡¯d arrived a bit late, while Zac was talking, and was carrying a canvas bag that Regina now realized probably had some Conjured ice as well. ¡°Sure,¡± she agreed. What Tia handed her did look a little like ice cream, although it was clearly based on a substance from Production Drones. It did have roughly the same consistency, however, and it was arranged in a thin cone of dough. Regina didn¡¯t waste time examining every detail, though, and instead started eating. She hummed. ¡°Pretty good,¡± she judged. ¡°It¡¯s a pity we don¡¯t have vanilla or chocolate, but you could try it with strawberries, that¡¯s also a classic and sounds pretty nice.¡± Tia smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Ida. She¡¯s the one who had the idea to make ice cream.¡± ¡°I still think we need to add more actual milk,¡± Zac chimed in, but he didn¡¯t hesitate to pounce on the cone Tia handed him. She passed out the rest and kept one for herself, starting to eat it with gusto.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Regina smiled. Eating ice cream out on a walk through their territory on a nice, sunny day with her drones, her children. It was a beautiful moment and she¡¯d treasure it. ¡°What other culinary surprises have you gotten up to?¡± she asked after a while, absently licking a finger clean where a bit of melting not-ice cream had dripped onto it. ¡°Not much, but I think I¡¯d rather show you what Jem was baking when we get back than spoil the surprise now, if that¡¯s okay,¡± Tia said. ¡°Incentive to head back early,¡± Regina joked, although she was only mostly kidding. Still, it was nice to see them carefree and pursuing hobbies like cooking. Assuming making ice cream counted as cooking, but whatever. ¡°Have you heard from Tim recently?¡± Tia asked after a short pause. Regina raised her eyes from her cone and nodded. ¡°Define recently, but yes. Galatea visited them again a while ago. They¡¯ve left Veragles, the first major city, and probably the most important. Tim seemed pretty confident from what Galatea said. Apparently he¡¯s on good terms with the local merchant prince. He really does have a talent for making friends, doesn¡¯t he?¡± The others smiled and Tia chuckled softly, shaking her head a bit. ¡°He really does,¡± she agreed. ¡°He¡¯s just so taciturn usually people don¡¯t realize how good he actually is with people. It was a good decision for him to be Champion, Mother.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°Anyway, they¡¯ve probably reached the second city on their list by now. Tim has passed along some information on dwarves and a suggestion to make contact, which I¡¯d like to pursue if the opportunity arises. He¡¯ll probably get to handle it himself, though. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll stay as long there, they will probably have moved on by the time Galatea wants to check on them again.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just thankful she doesn¡¯t seem to mind doing that.¡± ¡°Well, no offense to Galatea, but if our best mages had a teleportation Spell, maybe we could do it too,¡± Zac said. ¡°Or someone like Zephyr, if not. I guess he might not be trustworthy enough, though. Still, I think Galatea likes Tim well enough, anyway, and she¡¯s been traveling all over the place, too.¡± Regina hm¡¯d noncommittally. She wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d trust Zephyr with that, although, there wasn¡¯t much he could really do to sabotage them that wouldn¡¯t be discovered with scrying, probably. She didn¡¯t think he could travel that far, at least not as easily as Galatea, though, so the question was probably moot. They talked of some lighter topics as they continued their walk, the drones filling Regina in a bit on the daily life at the base. She was a little sad to miss it, but many drones were also in Cera with her by now. And there was always the psychic link, anyway, it wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t still talk to them even across some distance. Regina dropped in and out of the psychic link occasionally, checking on some of the drones around them, and in particular, the Swarm Drones in the fields. And the Drone Breeders, for obvious reasons a lot of them were stationed here as well. There weren¡¯t as many of them as she could theoretically support, of course, given the practical and logistical constraints on the number of new Swarm Drones added to the hive. And with the end of the war, there was no immediate reason to keep pushing those numbers, so Regina had actually slowed down a little in that regard. She wanted to be sure they could properly provide for all those drones and not have them suffer any deprivation or anything if she could avoid it, and to have a plan on where to deploy them all. Accordingly, the number of Drone Breeders was still relatively low, as there would be no point in spreading the Swarm Drone eggs among many but not properly letting them grow. Better to keep a few Drone Breeders active and have them rising in Levels instead. Of course, she had a few who weren¡¯t ¡®active¡¯ as backups, too. The relatively low number of Drone Breeders, still less than a hundred, also made it easier to gather and move the new Swarm Drones, or at least simpler. Sapient drones were assigned individually to monitor them, although it was a tedious duty and so often swapped around. Regina didn¡¯t mind that, since she knew they still gave it their best effort. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Max asked quietly as she turned around again. He¡¯d clearly waited until he¡¯d sensed that she was returning to the present moment. ¡°You seemed deep in thought.¡± ¡°About the Swarm Drones,¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°What about us, My Queen?¡± Kit asked, raising an eyebrow. Regina gave her a quick smile, her gaze briefly going to the other sapient Swarm Drones in the group, which had grown a little. The end of the war had also meant some more of them Evolving to gain sapience, but the ones here were all older. Kit was walking beside a younger Winged Drone, now Drone Commando, Dee, who¡¯d been part of Janis¡¯ task force in the war. She hadn¡¯t paid attention to what they were talking about. ¡°Nothing really,¡± Regina answered. ¡°I was just thinking about the Drone Breeders and the sapient drones. A lot more of you are Evolving to sapience now, and given the disparity in numbers between hatched sapient Drones and Swarm Drones, that¡¯s only going to increase.¡± ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡± Dee asked. ¡°Grandmother?¡± Regina just stared at her dumbly for a moment. She could hear Max and a few others laughing, at the expression on her face, the psychic link told her. She could have thought it was an innocent term, but Dee¡¯s slight anticipation in the psychic link had also told her she¡¯d done it on purpose. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that again,¡± she finally said, blinking. ¡°But it¡¯s what you are,¡± Kit chimed in helpfully, much more successful at keeping her laughter on the inside. ¡°Not even mentioning other Swarm Drones, a lot of the new sapient ones come from the Drone Breeders. And only you can make them ¡­ Mother.¡± Regina rubbed her forehead. ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, the Drone Breeders are basically extensions of me. Any of you, or all Evolved Swarm Drones I suppose, born from them are just as much my children as the rest of the people here. You can all call me Mother. Or use Queen, Empress, call me ¡®Your Imperial Majesty¡¯ if you like, just not grandmother.¡± ¡°Understood, My Queen,¡± Max chimed, still smirking a bit. Regina sighed and rolled her shoulders, straightening up a bit as she turned her head to face them. ¡°I¡¯m serious, though. Some humans, or others, in the Empire might get weird about it otherwise. There¡¯s not reason to let them think any of my children,¡± she emphasized, ¡°are less valued or lower ranked than others.¡± ¡°Sure thing, Mother,¡± Dee agreed, smiling brightly. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the base,¡± Tia suggested, ¡°I think I can smell cake.¡± She definitely couldn¡¯t, but it was still a good idea and Regina agreed, turning to go back to the hive¡¯s main residential area in the company of the drones. The conversation remained lighthearted as they walked. As it turned out, the cake was not a lie; cheesecake, specifically. Regina just took a moment to savor the look of it while she sat down with a plate and small fork in one of their communal dining halls, the others around her. ¡°This day is the culinary highlight of my year,¡± she declared. Then she glanced at Tia. ¡°How did you get quark?¡± ¡°It took a bit of doing,¡± she admitted, but she was smiling, clearly pleased with herself. ¡°I made it a project with some of the village women.¡± Regina nodded, then savored her next bite. She didn¡¯t have any personal memories, but she was still sure this was authentic traditional cheesecake. She supposed the other ingredients wouldn¡¯t have been hard to source, just butter, flour, milk, eggs, and the like. She wasn¡¯t a baker. Instead, she just ate her slice of cake and sipped at her buttermilk, another nice new addition. She wasn¡¯t crazy about the taste, but Tia had added berries and it wasn¡¯t something she got in the royal palace of Cernlia. Not that it was lacking in cake, of course. If you¡¯d asked her a few months ago what sign she wanted to show that her hive had really come into its own and was secure in their place, she wouldn¡¯t have known what to say. But now, seeing her drones experimenting with new dishes, or recreating old ones, and just generally having fun with food was a balm for the soul. It drove home that they were no longer scraping along the subsistence line, like they¡¯d been at the beginning, in a way that seeing the houses outside hadn¡¯t. ¡°Maybe we should set up some kind of cooking competition,¡± Regina muttered. ¡°We were thinking about that, actually,¡± Tia agreed. ¡°And, if you¡¯re staying till tomorrow: We have a music competition planned.¡± Regina smiled again, surreptitiously blinking her eyes. ¡°That sounds wonderful,¡± she said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to hear it.¡± ¡°You should,¡± Tia agreed. ¡°Making instruments was nice.¡± ¡°We¡¯re lucky Tia isn¡¯t playing, though,¡± Kit added. Regina laughed. This visit had been a great idea, she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d been laughing or smiling this much in a while. Chapter 318: Home Visit As promised, the music competition was held the next day. The drones made a bit of an event out of it, and Regina found herself quickly getting into the spirit of the thing. They¡¯d rarely celebrated holidays, partly because they¡¯d just been too busy with other things, but now she considered that maybe she should look into that. Make sure they were regularly celebrating some of them. Some rough guesstimating confirmed that Easter was already past, though, and she couldn¡¯t think of many other holidays coming up soon, so they¡¯d just have to put a pin in that. She¡¯d rather not make a big deal out of religious holidays, anyway. But possibly the founding of the hive. Which would mean celebrating her birthday ¡ª hatching day? I could actually celebrate two birthdays, she thought with some forced humor. The day I hatched and my original one. That¡¯s double what anyone else gets, lucky me. Either way, many drones had taken some time off to listen to the recital and were milling around talking to favorite siblings and eating portable food. It was held outside under the open air, for acoustic reasons, or so Max had explained. Some humans had also been drawn to watch the event. The performers didn¡¯t seem to mind the crowd, though Regina could sense the nerves some of them were concealing. To her surprise, she only really knew a few of them and there was no one she was truly close to among the group. Maybe that made sense, by sheer dint of numbers, statistically there would be many more younger members of the hive. Plus Max and his team probably wouldn¡¯t have gotten much practice, Mia was always traveling around, Tia often was, too, and Tim was still gone. She pushed that thought away and concentrated on enjoying the music. It was a wide variety of instruments and corresponding styles. Some simple, traditional instruments from the current era, some that seemed to be slightly evolved (or devolved, but she didn¡¯t say that) versions of ones Regina remembered, and other drones had some replicas. There was no piano, unfortunately, that was probably too complicated. Thinking about it, Regina realized she probably knew enough about music, sheet music and how to play, that she must have played at least one instrument. She wasn¡¯t sure what to think about that. She kept occasionally discovering new skills her human self must have learned and she rarely knew how to feel about it. Instead, she focused on the music, which was pretty nice. There seemed to be little order, some people played alone while others had formed small bands. The styles were all over the place, too. But somehow, the event still managed to feel consistent, like it had a common theme. Regina listened to the music, clapped enthusiastically for everyone ¡ª even if anyone had been bad, she wouldn¡¯t have stopped applauding, she wouldn¡¯t do that to them ¡ª and basked in the feeling of her children enjoying themselves. They had fun, which was the most important thing. Plus the music would probably spread through the Empire eventually. She was looking forward to it. At the end of the contest, Tia hopped onto the improvised stage, gesturing at the surrounding drones. ¡°Thank you for your participation, and thank you to the audience!¡± she called. ¡°We have another planned item on the the programme, and this time everyone can join in! Let¡¯s sing something together!¡± Of course, Regina figured, it wouldn¡¯t be the hive if they weren¡¯t being communal about it. At least the drones were generally not too bad at singing and it was also fun listening to them. That is, until Tia got them to start singing ¡®God save the Queen¡¯. Regina was sure her face would have been red if that was physically possible, she had no idea what to do with her hands or where to look, and if they hadn¡¯t all been looking at her she would¡¯ve buried her face in her hands. But the drones were all singing the song enthusiastically, while smiling and looking at her and generally making it very obvious it wasn¡¯t a random choice. Regina forced a playful smile at the end and waved at the crowd a bit, figuring it was better to take it in good humor. From the amusement she could feel from Tia, she knew she hadn¡¯t shielded her emotions completely from the psychic link. And the girl clearly caught her looking at her and didn¡¯t bother to hide it, only smirking and sending a vague acknowledgment through the psychic link. She¡¯d demote whoever had told Tia that her mother had apparently been British. Unless it was Regina herself, she rather liked being Empress and it would be a mess to lose that title. She snorted to herself, then turned and started a conversation with Max about the weather and the conditions for the local farmland. The whole time, she knew behind his deadpan gaze he knew exactly what she was doing, but he humored her. Regina managed to seem like she was invested enough in the conversation ¡ª and, in the end, it was actually pretty interesting to hear about what he¡¯d picked up from locals ¡ª that no one bothered her. The crowd dispersed after a while, the musicians going to hang out with their friends and probably celebrate with cake and ice cream or something, and Tia was eventually called away for an issue regarding the new side wing to their central workshop to the north of the base. Regina walked through the thinning crowd for a few minutes to exchange a few words with several drones, then went back inside to get ready to leave. She didn¡¯t have much time, unfortunately. While it was nice to spend a bit of time here, she did have a lot of work waiting for her back in the current capital. However, since she was in the area already, she¡¯d decided on a detour before she returned. It meant going a bit further west, but she¡¯d warned her hive that her psychic range would shift and they were prepared. It wasn¡¯t like she urgently needed to send spies east or something, currently. Max brought a group of bodyguards and she was joined by a few other senior drones who were currently not too busy, like Kit. Thor had stayed in the area after he¡¯d returned from the front and offered to carry her. She agreed for the return journey but wanted to fly this stretch on her own. The others mounted various flying drones if they didn¡¯t have wings themselves, and off they went. It had been a while since Regina could stretch her wings for more than a short and aimless cruise above the city, so she enjoyed the trip. Seeing the Great Forest from above was a nice view, and a bit nostalgic for her. The effect of her newest Ability was noticeable, she felt like she could fly more easily and for longer. The wind rushing by her also seemed to bother her less and it didn¡¯t seem quite as cold, which she took as an unexpected bonus. They touched down on the grounds of the old hive base where they¡¯d first started to truly settle a while later. The lake sparkled with reflected sunshine. Regina remembered when the elves had first shown her the area; it was almost unrecognizable now. Trees had been cleared away from the edges, creating a much larger open space, and houses dotted the area between the boundary and the lake. There was a proper wall now, not just a wooden palisade, but one using concrete and steel supports. They were still experimenting with better methods of construction, and one section of it would probably be torn down and replaced a few more times in the course of this experimenting. But there were two towers before it and metal grids could be placed over them, along with the ditches in front of and behind this section, to ensure it wasn¡¯t much of a break in their defenses. At least this wall actually got some use in holding off monsters, even if it didn¡¯t look like it right now. The buildings in the settlement ¡ª and instead of a base, it did look more like a proper settlement now ¡ª had also changed accordingly. ¡°Home sweet home,¡± Max murmured as their group touched down or dismounted and took their first few steps.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Regina nodded, but didn¡¯t say anything. It didn¡¯t really feel more like home than the base they¡¯d just come from or even Cera, but she understood why he felt attached to the place. She started walking, greeting the drones who came out to see her. The others who¡¯d come with her spread out a bit, taking in the place. It still didn¡¯t have an official name that would appear on maps, at least as far as she knew, but there were several nicknames that had spread through the hive. She honestly found it too amusing to stop it by insisting on a formal name. At least people were no longer trying to name things after her, or not as much as they did at one point. She actually kind of liked it, in a ¡®guilty pleasure¡¯ sort of way, but she wanted to be at least involved in the process, if that was going to happen. Or actually honored if it was like, a dedication of some artistic work, then it would make sense. She hadn¡¯t spoken the last thought aloud, though, since she just knew that if she indicated she was open to that all sorts of people would try to capitalize on it and try to gain her favor with elaborate and unnecessary projects. Besides, ¡®Reginapolis¡¯ had a certain ring to it, but it was just a little too cheesy. (Maybe Woltania? But that sounded like a country.) Maybe she should just call the next city she was building Alexandria, pretend it was a homage to the famous library, and leave it at that. At least she did already have a name selected for the new capital they were building. The town out here was a lot more finished than said city, even if it was still being upgraded. But then, it was constantly being upgraded. They¡¯d made sure to leave ample room inside the walls for expansion. There was always space below the ground, of course, but this settlement was actually built remarkably close to the surface for one that was mostly dedicated to the hive, not any other species. But this was still the Great Forest, even if they were in the outskirts of it, and monsters liked to tunnel, as well. Or, other monsters, she supposed. There was still a clan of Tunnelers somewhere around here, not all that far from the base, that had learned not to mess with the hive, but she wasn¡¯t sure it would remain that way. So, there were lots of escape tunnels and hidden storage rooms and caches and the like, but it was just too easy to collapse or flood underground structures like this without heavy reinforcement, for somewhere that was still effectively a military outpost expected to be regularly attacked ¡ª by monster waves if nothing else. And she wasn¡¯t sure about the heavy reinforcement. With magic, a lot of things were possible. Not that fighting under the open air would necessarily be much safer, but they were banking on having a variety of options. Max went over all of that as they walked down the length of the settlement, gesturing emphatically at the walls, an entrance to the underground part of the base, and the cleared line of the forest, where some War Drones were grazing. Regina hummed in acknowledgment, but he wasn¡¯t telling her much she didn¡¯t already know. She still let him talk, content to see him this animated and invested. Maybe it had been good for more than just her to get out of the city. ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± she finally said. ¡°It should be just as relevant for the next base, too. I do want to see where we hatched.¡± Max hesitated for a moment. ¡°My Queen, are you sure that¡¯s wise? The security implications ¡ª¡° ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she waved him off. ¡°The risk is more than manageable.¡± ¡°There are monsters, and we don¡¯t know about any adventurers who may be around, and while I have some good guards with me, I¡¯m not sure about letting you get out there without more preparation ¡ª¡° ¡°Max,¡± Regina interrupted, her tone growing colder, ¡°shut up.¡± He shut up. She turned to head back to the front of the base, where they would be taking to the air again, glancing around once more. Max¡¯s protectiveness could be charming, and she usually let him be the voice of reason when it came to her personal safety ¡ª she had no intention of getting herself killed, or getting killed at all ¡ª but she would not let him dictate the details of her life to her. However well-meaning. She was able to sense every monster in their general vicinity, and would be aware of their positions, as well as any random adventurers who might show up. It was actually interesting. There were so many animals and monsters around, more than she¡¯d really been aware of before. Her psychic skills had grown a lot, even compared to the last time she¡¯d been here. She felt connected to the forest in a way she never had before. Like it was one living, breathing thing. Or the networks of trees with their roots linking them and exchanging nutrients and information, which she¡¯d been vaguely aware of before, but with her new magical and psychic senses, seemed much more present. At least some of the trees here were pretty remarkable in that way. Especially as they headed deeper into the forest. She wondered if there were sapient trees somewhere. Probably. It seemed like ents would be a thing, or dryads or whatever. Now where they¡¯d be murderous monsters ready to claw her eyes out at first sight was another question. Regina didn¡¯t let it bother her as she flew over the forest, soaking in all the life below her and breathing in the mindscape of the forest. It was enlightening, and instructive. She¡¯d grown used to cities, but this was slightly different. On a level a city, especially one mostly populated by humans, wouldn¡¯t, it drove home just how different the world had become to the one in her memories. But she didn¡¯t dwell on that thought today. The hive¡¯s base deeper in the forest was much smaller, and the buildings huddled more closely together. Regina drew a few circles above it, watching it with interest, but then set down outside. She glanced around a bit, then made her way to her actual goal. Max fell into step beside her, and the rest of the drones spread out a bit. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going, night¡¯s going to fall soon,¡± she muttered, and he nodded. Through her magical and psychic senses, she could also feel the network of tunnels underneath this part of the forest pretty clearly. The hanging moss and the occasional mostly small animals or monsters marked it out if she focused on it. Even with the forest outside having changed a little, it made it very easy for Regina to orient herself in regard to where everything was. She walked quickly, taking deep breaths to savor the smell of the forest. The vault where she¡¯d hatched remained just as it was when she¡¯d last seen it. I should probably get the entrance door replaced at some point, Regina mused, but it was a distant thought. She was too focused on the corridors and rooms beyond it. Quickly passing through the door, she marched down the rough stone until she reached the actual chamber where her egg had lain. Carefully, she walked a circle around the room, taking it in. It was exceedingly bare. Regina sighed and continued on through the door to the rest of the complex, which was still open. The drones had picked up all the splinters of her egg¡¯s shell, so there was literally nothing here. She walked down the path, detouring into the other rooms of the complex. Other drones had scouted it before even after their initial exploration, but she still liked seeing it in person. Then, after at least half an hour of walking around and looking at mostly bare stone, the others trailing quietly in her wake ¡ª only a few of them, there wasn¡¯t really space for a large group here, or at least it didn¡¯t feel appropriate ¡ª she reached the room at the back part of the complex where her egg had laid in stasis for over a thousand years. Regina actually took a few steps back and paced through the area in the front and the connecting part of the room, tugging sharply on her mandible before she made herself stop. ¡°Leian?¡± she asked quietly. There was no response. Regina sighed, glancing around. The goddess had shown up here before, and said something about the place, presumably due to whatever magic the Hivekind had worked here, making it easier to hide it from the other gods tracking her. Regina waited, then called out again, this time trying to project the call for attention. She wasn¡¯t sure what to do. It would be best if she could just use the System, but it didn¡¯t seem to work that way. Maybe they¡¯d figured out this exploit, or whatever it was, and had made an effort to close it, after Leian had used it once. Carefully, Regina tried to project the call through her magic, and then psychically. The drones behind her winced. It seemed uncomfortably exposed, but ¡­ Still, there was no response. Not even the other guy, Berren, showed up. Regina grumbled a curse, then moved through the room, towards the only thing remaining, the towering object at the end. The stasis pod. She¡¯d gone to the little shrine people had set up in Forest¡¯s Haunt this morning. She¡¯d lit a few candles and hoped for a response, but there was nothing. Regina wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Leian was officially forbidden from talking to her ¡ª that seemed like something the other gods would do. Maybe they¡¯d even forced some kind of tracking system on her. There will be ways around that, Regina told herself, but for now, the pod. Previously, she¡¯d thought it was best, safest, to just leave the thing here, avoid drawing attention to it and keep an eye on the area. But now she was not directly threatened by anyone or involved in any actual conflict, and she had the resources of an entire empire. She could take the pod out and study it properly. First, though, Regina was going to carefully examine it and every centimeter of this room. Her magical skills had developed a lot. There didn¡¯t seem to be any connections, no power lines or the magical equivalent, but she¡¯d still make sure before she tried to move it. Chapter 319: Components Of course, it took hours until Regina was reasonably confident about moving the mechanism she was looking at. Beyond the underground complex, the sun had already set, the forest switching from its activity patterns of the day into crepuscular ones and then nocturnal ones, animals coming out to hunt or scavenge or retreating into their burrows. She paid it little attention, except to check that there was no danger approaching. She had been told the Hivekind had been more technologically advanced than any other people on the planet, even the gods from Haven, but Regina wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d really internalized what that meant. Of course, the ability to send someone to sleep for a thousand years, even if it was just an egg with the soul of a person inside, and then wake them up with no apparent issues would have made that clear anyway. She wasn¡¯t sure where to start with the whole ¡®soul¡¯ thing, but stasis was at least something she could conceptualize. Which didn¡¯t mean that she¡¯d started to understand how it worked. But in the few hours she¡¯d taken to investigate, she had come to a few conclusions. First, the design principles and theory on display were different from anything she¡¯d learned about the way magic was worked locally. That shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise, of course. It was, however, slightly more familiar to some of the advanced things she¡¯d talked about with Galatea; even if it still felt like the difference between learning about an early theory of atoms, like the one where they were like little solid balls, and then seeing something that manipulated electrons¡¯ spin. Still ¡­ she supposed it made some sense. Galatea had learned at least a little of what she knew from Leian, and her people, the Aishan, had apparently created the Hivekind ¡ª at some point? It sounded like they¡¯d been independent for some time already ¡ª so it stood to reason that they would have learned some of their knowledge from the Aishan, or that their respective magical theories would at least be related. (Regina didn¡¯t think about what it meant that Leian had apparently never taught anyone else (or anyone that survived or passed it on?), she had work to do and couldn¡¯t afford to go into an anxious spiral about all of this.) Second, she was pretty sure the device had actually used electrical technology in conjunction with magic. Only pretty sure, though, because it wasn¡¯t like anything she¡¯d seen before, as far as she knew. It was mostly the arrangement of parts and what looked like it might be transport lines of sort for electricity ¡ª not necessarily wires, she wasn¡¯t sure there was any metal inside ¡ª that convinced her. And some parts that just seemed much more like complicated technological components than magical elements. Regina did think she had a grasp on the basic elements of magical theory. What materials held enchantments was different than electrical circuitry. What she saw here was still unfamiliar, of course. Maybe something biologically based in some way? That seemed like it might fit. Either way, it was very interesting. They must have survived the effects of the cataclysm, right? Maybe the differences explained how, or maybe the magical parts had shielded the electronic components. Third, she was confident the pod could be moved, because it didn¡¯t seem to be connected to the room or dependent on the local infrastructure. There was no direct, physical connection. The room still had a faint magical field, although it had clearly degraded, even recently. Considering the change and what she suspected were clashing magical energies ¡ª or many types? The terminology was a bit unclear ¡ª related to the Cataclysm, the ¡®twisted¡¯ mana she¡¯d encountered before, it seemed very unlikely that the function of the pod had depended on ambient mana. There was also its function, it had clearly slowed down time in some way. Four, that was her best guess at how it worked, anyway. It made sense and there was no other mechanism she could think of. It definitely wasn¡¯t some kind of cryostasis physically freezing the egg. Well, probably. It was a shame Janis couldn¡¯t be here. June had also wanted to come, but she was busy. And while she didn¡¯t put it in those terms, Regina wasn¡¯t sure about sending her anywhere she¡¯d come into contact with twisted or unknown mana, considering her condition. However, she would probably let June help her study this thing. Very carefully. Actually moving the device took another two hours or so. She only let a few drones into the room at a time and they were very careful. She¡¯d strictly forbidden the use of any sort of magic, just to be safe, but that also meant they had to move it with pure muscle power. Luckily Regina had a few drones with high Str stats. And then they had to actually enlarge the door to make sure the object fit through it. That was a pain and a half. When Regina finally stepped back outside, with a group of drones, mostly Worker Evolutions, very carefully carrying the pod behind her and setting it on a special harness other Workers had just constructed, she took a moment to simply breathe. And heal the headache that had built up, for the third time this night. She should probably cut off the healing magic. ¡°Well, now we just need to get it in the air,¡± Max commented cheerfully. Regina gave him a dark look, then turned to the other drones. ¡°Not to worry, Mother,¡± Ida said reassuringly. ¡°We¡¯ve come up with something.¡± And, wonder of wonders, it worked right away. They had constructed a kind of doubled harness around the pod, resting it on a mat that was rolled up at the edges to hold it securely, and held inside and out with silk netting reinforced by steel wires and probably other materials they¡¯d Conjured, she felt too tired to ask. Several drones would be carrying it. Thor ended up as the lead transporter, as their strongest flying drone oriented around carrying cargo, helped by two other sapient Winged Drones. By the time they finally got back to the base, the horizon was lightening with the dawn and Regina just wanted to fall into bed. They¡¯d set it down outside of sight range for any of the human inhabitants of Forest¡¯s Haunt, and would be sending it on overland, in a covered wagon, with discreet but very high security. Ida had already started organizing all of it, with Ira helping remotely. She really should have planned more time for this trip. Regina quickly greeted a few of the drones she encountered on the way, blearily used the long way around once to avoid a larger gathering of drones, and then stumbled into her bedroom already taking off her jacket and shoes. She crashed into the bed, pulled the covers over herself, and then just stared at the ceiling for a long minute. Eventually her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep. After about five hours or so, she woke up still tired. Ira somehow managed to be more awake than her, although Regina could sense she was also tired, and helped her in the bathroom. She really should have washed up before bed instead of sleeping, and she had no idea how she¡¯d even managed to get this much dirt into her wing joints. She¡¯d have had no chance to get it off by herself. She would¡¯ve liked a long soak in hot water, but would have to do without. Regina added a few more eggs to the hive, ignored the unpleasant aching in her core, and went to the nursery to quickly check on all the eggs and then the newly hatched drones. Then it was time to head back to Cera. Regina was already later than she¡¯d initially hoped to be. As Thor lifted her into the air and took off towards the east, Regina glanced back behind them. The edge of the Great Forest loomed like a dark green barrier. The water of the little river sparkled in the sun. From here, she didn¡¯t have a good view of the base further inside the forest without using one of her drones. As they traveled, she found herself thinking about another issue, not the Hivekind¡¯s technology or past, but one still related, namely how to talk to Leian. She¡¯d tried several times, but without success. The next step she could think of was trying with a bigger and better temple for her. The gods did use temples, so clearly they had some use. Alianais had talked to her at one, even if she hadn¡¯t been happy to be called. Regina considered going to talk to her that way again, but except for annoying the goddess she didn¡¯t know what it would accomplish. If temples were places of power for the gods, it stood to reason they might be strongest there, more able to shield what happened from any interference. Leian was apparently not as powerful, in terms of raw divine power at least, as some, and also had very few temples that Regina knew of, if any. At least, she had seemed to work for Alianais, whenever she bothered to remember that she was a minor goddess.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. So, if Regina built Leian a big and fancy temple, with whatever magical significance and power she could scrape together for it ¡­ and then maybe made a big and meaningful and/or magically powerful sacrifice ¡­ it should at least help her out, and if Leian couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t talk to her right now, that should give her the opportunity. Hopefully. And even if that intuition was wrong, it might not be a bad idea anyway. Regina didn¡¯t necessarily know if she wanted to publicize the construction of such a temple and style herself a pious ruler, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have the option. I¡¯m not exactly lacking in big construction projects, but what¡¯s one more? Regina smiled to herself. A part of her really didn¡¯t like the idea of building a temple to any deity, especially one so associated with the Cataclysm and the whole mess, but Leian wasn¡¯t exactly Deirianon and it was easier to see this pragmatically. She should probably try and cultivate good relationships with as many of these gods as she could, realistically. Regina sighed at the thought. Building more temples? That seems like a good opening move. Maybe one for Benerron at some point? I don¡¯t know. As a monster herself, more or less, it would hardly be unexpected. And as the god of Struggle, he would probably be opposed to Deirianon and maybe closer to Alianais ¡ª although she¡¯d have to check that he wasn¡¯t secretly allied with Deirianon or something. I should probably ask more questions about that. And about what Mr. ¡®make a barbaric wasteland and call it peace¡¯-god usually does. That thought made Regina snort half a laugh and she had to muffle it by ducking her chin against her shoulder. Aren¡¯t I usually the one with the Roman empire style, what does that say about me? But the quote could be translated differently ¡ª solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant - perhaps ¡®solitude¡¯ isn¡¯t the wrong word here either ¡­ Are you alright, Mother? Thor asked. Perfectly fine, she answered, making sure to only send calm assurance. We¡¯re almost there, he offered. Indeed, they were. She probably should go to bed and sleep a few more hours before she started saying stupid things in front of important people. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t to be. She¡¯d built the machines of empire too well, perhaps, now they wouldn¡¯t stop even for her. Or less melodramatically put ¡ª by now she had a good idea what kind of drunk she would be and was somewhat thankful she didn¡¯t seem to metabolize alcohol ¡ª there was a bit of work waiting for her, some of which she ought to get to right away. Although, in the end, Regina only spent a little time at her desk, going through the most important paperwork, which mainly meant signing some important documents left for her. Then, instead of continuing with more paperwork, she went to talk to some dark elves. Rather than receiving them in her office or a throne room, they met in a slightly more neutral location, a parlor off to the side of where some offices for several of the new Imperial ministries were housed for now, not too far from where she worked. Regina stepped inside first, ahead of Max, who leaned against the door, as a gesture of trust. Not that it really meant anything, given that Madris was here alongside Icnes Oliren, the dark elven ambassador. Regina paused for just a moment as she entered to see them sitting close together on two of the chairs, heads bent slightly towards each other as they talked, but stopped when she entered. Regina shook her head slightly and approached them, smiling. ¡°Excuse me for being late,¡± she said. Normally she would have thought twice about apologizing, but this was Madris, after all. It would have been a bit disrespectful to not even apologize for something rude to the person who taught her psychic abilities. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Madris answered, at the same time as Icnes said, ¡°It is not a problem, Your Majesty.¡± They exchanged a short look, before Icnes continued, ¡°Thank you for taking the time to meet, Empress Regina. It is a pleasure to speak again in a more informal setting.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Regina nodded and sat down on an armchair opposite the two of them, separated by a small coffee table but still pretty close. ¡°I hope you have found your stay in the Empire so far enjoyable.¡± ¡°Very much so. I dare say I found what I hoped for.¡± The ambassador smiled again, although the way her emotions seemed to shift slightly, as well as Madris¡¯, meant there might be a joke Regina was missing here. She ignored it and instead continued the conversation. Neither of the other two seemed to be in a hurry to get to a serious point, so they mostly exchanged a bit of small talk that morphed into a pretty interesting discussion of the Empire from a dark elf¡¯s point of view and the differences in culture. Regina kept being distracted by the dynamic between the two other women, though. She noticed that Madris seemed engaged with the conversation, they were agreeing with each other more often than not, but even when they didn¡¯t, there was none of the tension she thought she¡¯d noticed before. Disagreement was more playful, if anything. She wouldn¡¯t say there was no tension between them at all, though, there was still something in the tight way Madris kept her mental shields up, only letting occasional glimmers of her emotional state through, and the clearly practiced way Icnes used all her charm, but still kept glancing at Madris. Finally, Regina decided she might as well bring it up. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice you seem to know each other quite well,¡± she said leadingly. ¡°Perhaps not quite as well as I would wish, Madris can be mysterious,¡± Icnes joked with a small laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her, my sister is the enigmatic one of us,¡± Madris returned with a small smile. Regina raised an eyebrow just slightly. ¡°I thought you were not part of the same house anymore,¡± she observed. ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± Madris said calmly, matter-of-factly. ¡°We were born in separate houses, anyway.¡± Despite herself, Regina blinked at her. She reached out almost automatically and latched on to the opening left by Madris, who was also reaching out to establish a psychic channel of communication. You said you weren¡¯t related. Why did you lie to me? I didn¡¯t. Madris was calm, but she could feel a faint note of apology from her. I said we were in the same house once, you asked if that meant we were related, and I said not really. Which wasn¡¯t a lie. I could have joined her house without a blood relation. We only share a father, anyway. It¡¯s entirely possible for people to join a house with no blood ties or have no ties to some others in the house even in the normal course of affairs. Fine, Regina said flatly. But you still didn¡¯t tell me about her. It feels like a lie. Madris sighed. I apologize, she said. We had a falling out, and I didn¡¯t want to bring it all up again. Regina took a moment to consider it, then sent her an acknowledgment. It wasn¡¯t really her place to pry into Madris¡¯ family drama if she didn¡¯t want to share, and the situation had been complicated, clearly. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you seem to have found each other again,¡± she said drily. ¡°As are both of us,¡± the ambassador smiled again. ¡°I would be lying if I said it wasn¡¯t part of the reason I wanted to take this assignment.¡± ¡°Only part?¡± Regina asked lightly. ¡°So I take it you are not leaving now that you have managed to reconcile?¡± Madris actually sat up slightly straighter at her words, Regina noticed. Her sister was still smiling. ¡°Oh no,¡± she said. ¡°As I said, I am finding my time here quite instructive. I am enjoying watching you work, Empress Regina, and quite eager to see what the Empire may look like in a few years. Why, my people might learn a few things from yours.¡± ¡°If they care to,¡± Madris muttered. Icnes inclined her head. ¡°Just so,¡± she agreed softly. Then she shrugged slightly, still as graceful as ever. ¡°But isn¡¯t that why we seek alliances and exchange with others, to open our minds and teach each other new perspectives on the world, beyond simple material gain? Sometimes people can be stubborn, of course, but in my experience most can be made to see reason. Madris might have less patience for diplomacy, although ¡ª she has always butted heads with the matrons, of course, but despite our differences she also commanded great respect.¡± There were clearly unspoken things in this conversation, but Regina felt like she understood the gist of it. Icnes hadn¡¯t come right out and said anything dangerous, at least not beyond plausible deniability, but she¡¯d still given Regina an idea of her political position. And her goals. Knowing Madris and seeing that they were clearly on the same page helped. ¡°An admirable attitude,¡± Regina murmured. ¡°Of course, diversity is a source of strength. I certainly appreciate the prospect of building closer ties with the dark elves. And perhaps my teacher¡¯s old friends,¡± she added with a playful smile. ¡°That is gratifying to hear,¡± Icnes replied with another smile. ¡°Perhaps we could even send others into the Eternal Dark in exchange, to make it more reciprocal,¡± Madris suggested quietly, looking at Regina with a guarded expression. Was she testing her reaction? Her mental shields were still strong. ¡°I could,¡± Regina agreed. She tapped her mandible, thinking. ¡°Any suggestions?¡± She wasn¡¯t going to agree without reservation, but she could consider it. Madris exchanged a quick look with her sister. ¡°Maybe Tim?¡± she ventured. ¡°He would be suited for something like this, right?¡± Regina¡¯s eyebrow climbed again before she could stop it, but she only nodded. ¡°Perhaps after his current mission is over. I could bring it up and see if he¡¯s interested, I would be reluctant to send him off without his approval.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no rush,¡± Icnes said. Regina looked at them thoughtfully. Tim was definitely suited, but also a provocative pick, being male, young, and something of a soldier but not a mage. Then again, Hivekind weren¡¯t exactly like humans or elves, and they couldn¡¯t judge him by the same standards, so maybe they¡¯d thought this through. For now, the conversation continued and drifted into less political topics. Clearly, dark elves were also patient, since they had all the time in the world. Chapter 320: Magic and Theory Madris stuck around for a while after Regina returned, and she paid a bit more attention to her. It was plain to see that her teacher was happier; clearly, making up with her younger sister ¡ª she¡¯d asked and it turned out her impression was correct and Icnes was indeed the younger one ¡ª had boosted her mood. Regina still wasn¡¯t entirely clear on what they had fought about, or planned, or for that matter how much of their issues they¡¯d worked through, but she was happy to see it. Of course, perhaps as a side effect of that, Madris was also more enthusiastic in her pursuits, which included some magical research and teaching Regina. She seemed to have decided that it was time to renew their lessons. At the same time, Galatea had finally returned from an extended trip, and said she was also planning to stick around for a while. Regina was happy to hear that, too, but she didn¡¯t quite realize it would lead to the two of them teaming up regarding their common goals. After some quiet maneuvering, or so she surmised, they seemed to have come to some kind of agreement. Which brought all three of them plus June sitting outside in the garden one afternoon, a few days after she¡¯d secured the Hivekind¡¯s stasis pod, and looking at what must have been a ritual circle carved into a sheet of metal spread on the ground. The piles of materials on both sides were a pretty big hint. The two older women must have cooperated on it, they were both smiling in apparent satisfaction. ¡°This looks surprisingly simple considering the way you both are grinning,¡± Regina said. ¡°We are hardly grinning,¡± said Madris calmly, but still with a hint of that characteristic ¡®disappointed teacher¡¯ tone. ¡°And this might look simple, but preparing the metal was the easy part. The hard one was working out all the details of how we should set up the circles.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°I admit ritual magic still isn¡¯t my strong suit,¡± she said. She could memorize some metaphysical rules and properties of ingredients, and had made a cursory attempt at it, but the way they all fit together to produce a ritual, the logic behind how it would work, just didn¡¯t make sense to her. It was like some kind of twisted logic puzzle where someone had deliberately used the wrong kind of puzzle pieces and replaced ¡®logic¡¯ with ¡®esoteric nonsense and ridiculous brain-bending pseudo-logic¡®, or maybe absurdist humor. Simple rituals were fine, but going beyond that, trying to make her own? Regina wasn¡¯t too proud to admit she wasn¡¯t cut out for that. She¡¯d focused on other things, in the copious free time she had when she¡¯d managed to carve out some time to devote to her magic. ¡°Believe me, I know,¡± Galatea said. ¡°It frankly isn¡¯t mine, either, but Madris and I were in agreement that a ritual would be best for this particular project. We consulted with Zephyr as well, but he doesn¡¯t know all the details.¡± ¡°While I¡¯m glad to see your newfound closeness is producing results, what is this thing meant to accomplish?¡± ¡°I was wondering that, too,¡± June piped up, staring down at the circle. ¡°Does this include psychic magic?¡± Regina was sure it did, she could pick up that much, even if Madris hadn¡¯t been involved. ¡°The purpose of this is two-fold,¡± Madris explained. ¡°First, to help your efforts to find other people to train in the psychic arts. You¡¯re hardly going to have much success just groping around blindly. As I told you before, Regina, you¡¯re not the first to have tried teaching mages psychic skills.¡± Regina nodded with a slight grimace, she remembered that. ¡°Finding people with latent psychic ability, or perhaps just magic that can be easily bent to that purpose ¡ª admittedly, the details of how it might work aren¡¯t thoroughly explored. Occasionally, a student will have a breakthrough like June. Congratulations again,¡± she added, nodding at June. ¡°Sometimes they¡¯ll develop some basic competency but are unable to delve deeper. Who might show success is unpredictable. That is why we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°The second part is to help train them if we do find a good candidate,¡± Galatea added. ¡°It¡¯s rather theoretical,¡± Madris said, unperturbed, ¡°but I¡¯m eager to see what comes of it, personally.¡± Regina tugged on her mandible, taking a moment to think about their introduction. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few questions,¡± she said. ¡°First of all, before we get into the mechanics of it, you said people have tried things like this before, Madris. But not something like this? What makes your creation different?¡± Madris smiled again. It looked vaguely menacing, although that probably wasn¡¯t the intention. ¡°Well, to put it shortly, because Galatea offered something my contacts didn¡¯t have. There¡¯s a tiny bit of soul magic involved here.¡± Regina sucked in a breath. She switched her gaze to Galatea and raised an eyebrow questioningly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware you knew soul magic.¡± Whatever that actually was, she could only think of however the old Hivekind had apparently moved people¡¯s souls into Hive Queen eggs as an example. Galatea shrugged. ¡°As I said, I only picked up a little bit from my source ¡ª you know who I¡¯m talking about,¡± she added, and Regina nodded, mentally translating it to ¡®Leian¡¯. ¡°They say it¡¯s not their specialty, and while I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some things they¡¯ve kept to themselves, I do understand their point; it¡¯s not the kind of thing you want someone half-trained messing about with, generally. But I do know a few very basic principles, and one of them struck me as appropriate here, inspiring our approach to this problem. The principle of brain-mind-soul reflection in particular. I wouldn¡¯t even say there¡¯s really soul magic involved here, necessarily.¡± ¡°¡­ Alright,¡± Regina said dubiously. ¡°But how does it relate? How did you do this?¡± What followed was a rather complicated explanation, and Regina made mental notes to ask for clarification on a few of the points later. It reminded her that she was talking to probably two of the most experienced and skilled mages she was ever likely to meet. However, she had learned enough herself that she mostly followed their explanation. As Galatea explained, having magic left traces. The soul was connected to the body, primarily the brain ¡ª ¡°Not physically, of course, it¡¯s a metaphysical connection¡± ¡ª Alright, she was willing to trust her on that one ¡ª and the same went for the mind, obviously. A person¡¯s magic potential was presumably linked to it or at least reflected on their soul (the ¡®outer parts¡¯, apparently, though Galatea didn¡¯t seem to know more than the term). It made sense when Regina thought about it for a moment. After all, she¡¯d apparently possessed excellent if latent magic aptitude as a human, so the Hivekind had approached her, and they hadn¡¯t worried about it changing once they got her soul apart from her body and moved into a new one. The same was clearly true of (latent or not) psychic ability, which was some kind of variant of a magical talent ¡ª it generally only occurred in mages, even ones with minor and undeveloped potential. Of course, the problem was that they couldn¡¯t exactly see people¡¯s souls to check them.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. That was where it got actually complicated. Madris and Galatea had worked out a scheme for analyzing fluctuations in a person¡¯s innate mana, especially around the head. The usual abstraction was a ¡®mana pool¡¯, but actually mana was spread through and around the body ¡ª metaphysically, of course ¡ª and use of magic could be detected that way. They were now looking for patterns that corresponded to psychic ability. It would be a lot harder than just testing if people could accomplish something magically, the normal method for testing mages, but in theory, it could help. Whether they would have to focus on telling test subjects to try hard to reach out to other minds and use psychic magic, or whether it would be more of a passive scan was still an open question. They¡¯d just have to try things. And probably refine and develop this particular setup further. ¡°It sounds like we have a lot of testing ahead of us,¡± Regina finally concluded. ¡°That¡¯s not a criticism, of course. That¡¯s how the scientific methods works.¡± ¡°Excuse me if I missed something,¡± June asked, ¡°but as I understand it, the basic idea is that we stick people in this circle, either tell them to daydream or to try and stretch their mind, whatever, then you look at some rough indications of their mana levels and from that, we find out if they have psychic potential? Honestly, that doesn¡¯t seem like a big breakthrough.¡± Galatea shrugged, clearly unbothered. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s not worth trying.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to take a lot of time,¡± she pointed out. ¡°And resources. Aren¡¯t the materials expensive? How much does it take for any one person, how many can we even send here?¡± "It would certainly be better to have some candidates in mind instead of trying to test people randomly,¡± Madris agreed, her smile looking closer to a smirk. ¡°As for the resources, none of these materials are extremely difficult to get. We did try to keep pragmatic constraints in mind, you know. And while a few might be expensive, I am sure our glorious ruler can afford it.¡± Regina sent her a dark look and took a closer look at the materials. The metals wouldn¡¯t be too bad, they could easily Conjure those if necessary. What seemed to be remains of organic materials were harder; primarily monster parts, if she had to guess. Maybe some rare plants. She¡¯d have to take a closer look at the crystals, or ask some of her drones who knew more about that field. Madris was right, she would probably be able to afford all of this. They were more likely to run into time constraints than use up all of their money, although she would have to work out a budget. Or make Ira work one out, she amended. Or work on it together. "We will have to choose the people we test wisely,¡± Galatea added. ¡°Perhaps we can seek out some Delvers,¡± Regina mused, ¡°or a few officials at court that I trust. We don¡¯t need to tell them every detail of this ritual, right? So it doesn¡¯t matter if they haven¡¯t got a full magical education, either.¡± The conversation turned to more practical details. Galatea suggested that she and Madris would both want to be there for the first, initial tests, but once they had figured out a way to go about it, it wasn¡¯t necessary to have both of them present. If they ever established a real routine, it would probably be enough to have one of the four of them there to oversee things. And they could talk about including more people later, too. Eventually, Madris announced she had another appointment and left, while June was starting to fidget, anxious to get started with some practical magic. Galatea remained, though, looking at Regina. ¡°I have a few other matters I wanted to bring up, things I noticed while I was traveling,¡± she said. ¡°Do you have a minute?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Regina answered, already planning to tell Ira to push back her next appointment. ¡°There are a few things I wanted to get your opinion on, anyway.¡± ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll just go visit my mother, then,¡± June sighed. ¡°Thanks, tell her hello from me,¡± Regina said, already distracted. Once June left, she turned and walked a few steps with Galatea, heading to a slightly more secluded part of the garden that was covered by a few trees and flowering bushes. Regina could sense every person in the building, of course, including all the drone guards, so it wasn¡¯t really necessary, but she also liked the spot. Without wasting much time, Regina explained briefly about her trip to the hive¡¯s bases and the forest, explaining that she had been trying to get in contact with Leian, which Galatea should already be aware of, and that she¡¯d examined the stasis pod and had brought it out of the vault. ¡°I hope I can count on your help in trying to study it,¡± she concluded. Galatea seemed thoughtful. She stared past the apple tree in the corner, then turned her head and smiled a little. ¡°I doubt you would get very far on your own,¡± she said. ¡°Of course I will contribute, it sounds intriguing. Do run your plans for a temple by me, as well, choosing the right location might be enough to give you an edge.¡± Regina nodded, smiling at her friend. ¡°I will. Thanks, Galatea.¡± They were quiet for a bit. ¡°I hope she¡¯s alright,¡± Galatea said with a sigh. ¡°I know she can take care of herself. Probably better than any of us. Still, she¡¯s my friend, and the other gods ¡ª¡° ¡°Are kind of assholes?¡± Regina finished. Galatea grinned. ¡°Such language for an empress. But yeah, that is what I meant.¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s got that other guy, right? Berren?¡± ¡°True,¡± Galatea conceded. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to piss him off too much, either. And they have a complicated relationship, but I honestly don¡¯t think he wants her dead, or that he¡¯d let anyone else do it.¡± ¡°Sounds healthy,¡± Regina said drily. ¡°Not that I¡¯m one to talk, I guess. But what did you want to talk about?¡± Galatea seemed to take that question as permission to regale her with stories about her recent travels. Regina stayed quiet and listened, making the appropriate noises at the interesting parts, and didn¡¯t complain that her friend was drawing out the storytelling. ¡°So, I headed into Nerlia for a bit,¡± Galatea continued, ¡°and I looked around before going to the capital. The area is honestly a bit behind Cernlia, probably because you¡¯re here, but it¡¯s not too bad. You should pay a little more attention to the Nerlian court, though. If you ignore them for too long, it might come back to bite you.¡± Regina sighed. She knew Galatea was probably right, but it was still annoying. It wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d actually ignored all of Nerlia. ¡°Is there trouble brewing, or are you just saying they¡¯re miffed that I haven¡¯t given them enough attention?¡± ¡°They probably are. And I didn¡¯t spend enough time there to ferret out any intrigues, but it¡¯s probably a safe bet that there are some. You should definitely think about your opinion on the Nerlian succession before someone decides it for you, Regina.¡± Regina resisted the urge to sigh again. ¡°In principle, I¡¯d prefer Princess Adelaide,¡± she murmured. ¡°She¡¯s competent and female rulers have been passed over too many times in Nerlia. But Prince Raymond might be the wiser choice. Not just because having all three of the crowns in the Empire being worn by women, plus mine and Kiara¡¯s successors, might be a bit too much. He¡¯s competent, too, and the one candidate no one would complain about.¡± She tugged on her mandible. ¡°But this is not urgent, is it? It¡¯s not like King Roger is going to die any day now.¡± Galatea shrugged. ¡°Probably not, but that¡¯s never stopped nobles from speculating or maneuvering,¡± she pointed out. Regina craned her head back to look at the sky. ¡°Thanks for the advice, I¡¯ll consider it. I think I¡¯d prefer a magic lesson to another political headache right now, though.¡± Her friend laughed. ¡°That¡¯s my default assumption,¡± she said. ¡°But let¡¯s see what we can do.¡± Regina smiled at her. Of the two of them, it was probably a good thing that she was the one who¡¯d built an empire. Despite her complaints, she generally enjoyed it. Magic lessons with Galatea were more immediately enjoyable, though. Chapter 321: Travels In winter, it hadn¡¯t been as noticeable, but since spring had come and started fading steadily into summer, it became clearer that the southern lands were considerably warmer than the previous climate he¡¯d experienced. Not that Tim minded, exactly. He generally enjoyed warmer temperatures. He¡¯d never traveled anywhere it was truly achingly cold, just Central Europe in winter, so he wasn¡¯t sure how well he would handle extreme low temperatures ¡ª perhaps not as well ¡ª but he¡¯d never yet found a place too hot. Still, the heat did come with downsides, he had to acknowledge. For one thing, it slowed down their travel noticeably. Most of his companions had quite high Con stats, considering their high levels, which made them somewhat resistant to the temperature. They weren¡¯t in any danger of heatstroke, even those who were wearing heavy armor. But fighting in the heat still wasn¡¯t fun, and it also didn¡¯t improve their smell. Tim occasionally cursed his overly sensitive nose. Finding waterways, especially once they traveled further off the normal paths, was harder as well, given that a few small streams outright dried out in the summer heat. It wouldn¡¯t have been a problem if they didn¡¯t have to travel discreetly, more so than he would have preferred. Tim didn¡¯t waste time complaining about it or stewing in resentment, but he did occasionally think wistfully of the comforts he really should enjoy as a senior diplomat of a powerful country visiting cities that usually claimed to be the heart of civilization or something in that vein. Not that he never experienced these, of course. Even outside of Veragles, he had been gracefully received in several cities. The issue tended to be more that everyone considered it safer for them to travel discreetly, which meant going without additional attendants or pack animals, and so traveling lightly. And, of course, the places that did not receive them warmly tended to be decisive about it. It was one of the reasons he agreed to the need for discretion. Tim wouldn¡¯t put it past some of the more ¡­ extreme conservative people or factions he¡¯d seen or heard about to send assassins after his party. Not with propaganda against the Hivekind being just as present here as it would have been north of the Alps, if perhaps more subtle. Whether it was about killing barbaric monsters whose predecessors had led to the ruin of civilization, or discouraging potential ambitions from their new empire to the north ¡ª either way, he¡¯d already had to fight quite a bit on this trip. And it was getting worse, because now they were not only at risk of being hunted or chased away by well-armed xenophobes, they were also traveling through a contested area. Several cities, and apparently one local enclave of elves ¡ª smaller than a city but still fearsome, from what he¡¯d heard ¡ª were claiming this territory. It had changed hands a few times over the last century, and several skirmishes and minor border wars had been fought. Naturally, it led to a drop in population density, and an increase in crime and banditry, which didn¡¯t exactly make the roads safer. And that was only on the surface. Apparently, the cities were still moving against each other and simply trying to take over the area more subtly, for the moment. At least, that had been the latest information Liam told Tim. From what they¡¯d encountered since then, he was more inclined to think this supposedly mostly-cold conflict was becoming a real war again. Maybe he should have chosen a different route. It was a little late for that, though. Either way, the summer heat coupled with the danger and frequent fights made travel singularly unpleasant, and it seemed to invite his companions to complain, which only made it more unpleasant. ¡°I can barely see anything around here,¡± Ash was whining. ¡°Hills, trees, weird tree gardens, and when there would be free space, there¡¯s a heat haze. It¡¯s super annoying. What I wouldn¡¯t give for some Swarm Drones.¡± ¡°Please shut your mouth about your drones,¡± Tirias returned, wiping his forehead. ¡°It was annoying the first few times. And sightlines are the least of our issues here, it feels like my clothes are permanently merged to my skin. If I don¡¯t get a cold bath soon, I will never be rid of them. I¡¯ll have to carry sweaty linen around with me forever.¡± ¡°Thanks for that mental image,¡± Tim muttered. ¡°Please show a little more discipline, Tirias,¡± Anuis reprimanded him. ¡°Or at least spare us the hyperbole.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say I would let it affect my combat performance, Commander,¡± he answered. Iliam laughed. Tim would have expected their dwarf guide to be more adapted to cooler temperatures and thus show the most discomfort, but he was in remarkably good spirits. He suspected Iliam was enjoying their suffering. That thought shouldn¡¯t bother Tim, but he had to wrestle with the sudden urge to punch him for a moment. Maybe it¡¯s also getting to me more than I thought. Or maybe it¡¯s the separation from the Hive. How many days has it been now since I heard Mother¡¯s voice in my head? Sensed my siblings? He pushed that thought away, as he always did. There was no point dwelling on it. Mourning a cut-off limb didn¡¯t make it grow back. Well, it was more like a limb that had fallen asleep but he couldn¡¯t move it to wake it up, in that analogy. The thought of cutting a limb off was not particularly aversive, either. If it got him closer to returning to the Hive he suspected he might do it in a heartbeat. But he pushed that thought aside, too. ¡°Hey, Tim. Are you okay?¡± Eduard¡¯s question stirred him from getting too far inside his head, and Tim nodded back, faintly grateful. ¡°I was considering our next stop,¡± he said, half-lying. He was only thinking about it now. ¡°Since there seems to be war on the rise and I¡¯ve been told they don¡¯t like foreigners at the best of times, I was wondering if it might be wiser to skip the next city, Iliyan, at least for now.¡± ¡°We would have to go around it, most likely,¡± Anuis pointed out. She frowned, chewing on her bottom lip for a moment, then caught his gaze. ¡°That¡¯s not to say I disagree, Tim. I¡¯m not sure it wouldn¡¯t slow us down overall, though.¡± ¡°There are ways, I think,¡± Iliam finally spoke up. ¡°We¡¯re already off the beaten path, as they say. I could guide you to the next city on your list just as easily, my far-flung friends.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± Tim said drily. ¡°Are there secret tunnels bypassing the city that we don¡¯t know about, or something?¡± ¡°Well ¡ª¡° Iliam started, but before he could continue, he was interrupted by Alvol, who was currently ranging ahead as their primary scout, raising the alarm. He barely had time for more than a shout for their attention before something crashed through the trees in front of them. The group wasn¡¯t actually inside the copse of trees yet, and it was more of an orchard of olive trees, though overgrown, than any kind of forest, so it didn¡¯t actually hide the big monster currently lumbering towards them. Tim¡¯s eyes just took a second to adjust. It was huge. Like some kind of troll had been blown up beyond all proportion.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°How the hell did that hide from us?¡± Tim muttered even as he unsheathed his sword. ¡°Invisibility,¡± Liam said, deadpan. There was no more time for banter; instead, Tim barked at the others to assume formation and put himself at the right of the front line. Magic and ranged attacks were already crashing down on the monster.
Troll Golem ¡ª Level 61
¡°Travelers, comrades, friends!¡± he shouted, activating his most and least favorite Class Skill. It was cheesy, sue him, he hadn¡¯t had any time to choose his words. ¡°This monstrosity thinks it can bar our way. We will show it what an error that assumption is! I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯d rather not have more time wasted before we can get in the shade and wash the heat off us. So we¡¯ll defeat it without even breaking a sweat! What say you?¡± Not my best work, he mused. They¡¯d had a lot of experience fighting as a group by this point, though, and Tim barely needed to direct them to do anything. Liam hung back, more comfortable in a different kind of fight, and also the lowest leveled. Tony hovered somewhere in the back line. Tim ignored the local adventurers and instead focused on his core party, trying to judge the impact of their attacks on the troll. It didn¡¯t seem to be very high, unfortunately, even augmented by his Rally, though admittedly the bonus wasn¡¯t very large just now. The monster¡¯s skin was as thick as several elephants and it seemed to simply shrug off any arrows or javelins they tried. Even an enhanced shot barely scratched it. Its eyes were set pretty far up, tiny in its immense form, and swaying as it moved. Magic barely had more of an effect. He did see it flinch back as Eduard shot a Fireball in its face. But either his aim was off or it had some kind of resistance as well, or just managed to dodge better than its size implied, and it just kept on coming. It was rather slow, though. ¡°Back up,¡± Tim ordered the others. ¡°Slow and steady. Let¡¯s keep our formation. Ash, make sure the path is clear.¡± Ash disappeared into the brush to the side of the road without delay, and Tim knew he¡¯d find the best spots in the area and see if there were any other people or monsters around, as well. Tim turned his attention to the monster instead, trying to judge its pace. It was deceptively fast because of its long legs, even if its gait appeared lumbering. Moving backwards, they wouldn¡¯t be able to outrun it for long. Maybe long enough, though. ¡°Switch to focusing on its movements,¡± Tim said. ¡°Slow it down. Try to tangle it up if you can.¡± As expected, Alvol immediately conjured shadowy graspers to lunge for the troll and try to keep it pinned. Tim had seen that attack stop high-level monsters in its tracks. The troll was perhaps too strong, though, and still managed to push forward ¡ª at least until the others got into it as well. Vines shot up from the sparse ground to join the shadow constructs, Anuis shot some sort of special arrow tugging a rope along from her bow, which had to be a Skill effect, and Eduard switched to conjuring water and then freezing it. Tim squinted, trying to catch if he¡¯d seen what he thought he¡¯d seen. There, again; the monster¡¯s foot was on the ground for a moment too long, and it tilted just a bit too far to the side. ¡°Good thought,¡± he said. ¡°Everyone, try to get it to slip and fall over, support Ed¡¯s ice with your abilities, then be ready to keep it pinned down.¡± He readied his blades, coming to a stop with the rest of their front line fighters. But it wasn¡¯t needed. They spread more ice, the vines twisted in a spiraling pattern into rope, and Tirias shot a surprisingly massive javelin right past the troll¡¯s nose. A moment later, it slipped again, only this time it didn¡¯t manage to catch itself. With a crash that could probably be heard for kilometers, it thundered to the ground. Immediately, the others set to securing it, slipping formless shadows, vines and more ice into strategic places to deny it leverage to move its arms or get to its feet again. It wasn¡¯t dead yet, but that was just as well. Tim slowly lowered his sword and stepped forward, still cautious. He took the opportunity to take a closer look at the troll as he walked around to its head. It was massive, definitely more than ten meters. The head was comparatively small, sitting atop a short, thick neck. Despite that, its proportions seemed correct and it looked well-formed, with smooth surfaces and proper angles. ¡°Is it just me or does it seem a bit off?¡± Tim mused, coming to a stop and looking up into the eyes of the monster. ¡°The System description said ¡®golem¡¯,¡± Anuis noted. ¡°Do you think it was created by someone?¡± Tim frowned, looking back at the others who were coming up behind him. ¡°Iliam?¡± he asked. The dwarf shrugged. He was also frowning as he looked at the golem. ¡°I haven¡¯t encountered one of these guys before,¡± he said. ¡°But I did hear a few stories when I was passing through here first, a few months ago. Didn¡¯t think they got this big. It does sort of look like a golem, though, I suppose. Have you seen the material it¡¯s made from before?¡± Tim knocked his hand against the shoulder of the monster, if it was one. Hard, no give, and no minor unevenness or cracks like you might expect in rock, but it produced a sound closer to knocking on metal machinery. ¡°Some kind of alloy, probably,¡± he judged. ¡°It doesn¡¯t immediately strike a chord, but I¡¯m not an expert. If Tia was here, she¡¯d know more.¡± He grimaced a bit at his own words. Heaven, he he wished Tia was here. He missed her. But they had more important things to think about right now than pining. "Who would have made it?¡± Anuis asked. Iliam shrugged. ¡°I doubt it was anyone recently,¡± he said. ¡°This area doesn¡¯t really have the kind of big forges you would need, as far as I know. It might have wandered in from elsewhere. Or lain in a ditch somewhere until some poor sod stumbled onto it and activated it. It¡¯s hard to know.¡± Tim frowned. He had the feeling it was a bit more than that, but he didn¡¯t really know. The Hive would have the capability to make things like this. He wasn¡¯t sure about any local powers; Iliam would know better than him, though. ¡°Is there any point to keeping it ¡­ alive, or active?¡± he asked after a moment. ¡°Not unless you want the roads to stay just a bit less safe than they could be, boss.¡± ¡°We could take a part of it along for analysis if we dismantle it,¡± Alvol suggested. Tim nodded. ¡°You¡¯re not sapient, are you?¡± he asked the thing. It didn¡¯t react, just continued kind of staring at him with empty eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t think so, but I had to check,¡± Tim muttered. ¡°Did you?¡± Nucme asked. ¡°My Queen wouldn¡¯t like it if we killed some monster person without talking to them just because,¡± Tim shrugged. ¡°Although it did attack us.¡± Fortunately, it was pretty easy to kill ¡ª or ¡®kill¡¯ ¡ª it now that they had it immobilized. They worked together to cave in its chest and then sever its head. Wherever it kept its heart or power core or equivalent, that did the job. Tim poked around in what they had reached of its insides for a bit, joined by the few more technically interested people in his group. Ash was still scouting. Then he took a few pieces of plating, a random sample of a more deformable substance from its chest, and the others packed the head into a bag. Anuis suggested they bury the remains in case they needed to come back for it, which took a while, as well. Tim¡¯s blades weren¡¯t really suited to digging, but he did his best, though their mages¡¯ contributions helped more. They marked the spot discreetly, and then could finally be on their way again. The aftermath had taken a lot longer than the fight itself. Finally, they finished up and got going again. Tim breathed a secret sigh of relief and rolled his shoulders, loosening up. Now he could turn his thoughts to how they would proceed again. ¡°Where are we going?¡± he asked after a moment. ¡°Opinions?¡± ¡°Our conversation previously was interrupted,¡± Anuis noted, ¡°but I believe we were coming to the conclusion that we would avoid the nearest city for now.¡± ¡°Iliam, you mentioned you could guide us to the next city on our list?¡± ¡°Yes, the monster had bad timing,¡± the dwarf said with a smirk. ¡°The answer to your question, however, is yes, your lordship. To both.¡± It took him a moment to recall what exactly they had said. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me there actually are secret tunnels bypassing the city?¡± Tim asked, blinking. ¡°Fine, then I won¡¯t tell you,¡± Iliam grinned, ¡°but I can show you.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Tim considered it for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Cool!¡± Ash agreed, stepping out from behind a bush. ¡°That should be interesting. You¡¯ll find we are experts in underground tunnels, secret or otherwise.¡± Iliam looked him up and down for a moment, then glanced at Tim. ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± Tim swore he heard one of the others grumbling under their breath, asking when they were going to get there. But when he looked back, they were all straight-faced. He suspected they were thinking of their crossing of the mountains, but it probably wouldn¡¯t get as dangerous. Still, he was curious. Chapter 322: Political Developments General Aliekin¡¯s visit was delayed enough that Regina had privately wondered if it would ever happen, or if she¡¯d be visiting the Gnomish Confederation again before he finally came to Cera. However, he did eventually arrive, and it went more smoothly than Regina had feared. Obviously, that didn¡¯t mean there were no issues at all. A lot of the ¡ª mostly human, of course ¡ª courtiers in the city were less than well disposed toward the gnomish general. Or dictator. For the moment, anyway. That was, of course, not what most people minded about him, even though it would have been first on Regina¡¯s list in other circumstances. He was essentially her vassal now, though, so she had to protect him even from hostilities from her own subjects. He seemed to take it in stride, at least. Regina wondered about his reasons for avoiding the city until now, but he did still have a lot to do in his own country. Aliekin had always struck her as more of a general first and politician by necessity, although it might have been an impression he cultivated on purpose. Still, he was better than the alternative. And he¡¯d been quite cooperative. ¡°Preparations for the next election are underway,¡± he told Regina that evening, at dinner. It wasn¡¯t a state dinner, or at least not a very formal one; there were degrees of formality to these things, as she¡¯d learned. Currently, he and most of the people he¡¯d brought with him were eating with Regina, her inner circle and a selection of officials and nobles from the Empire, though mostly Cernlia given their location. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Regina responded with a genuine smile. ¡°You have finalized all the changes you had planned, then?¡± It was a topic she had a personal interest in, and had kept up to date with. Aliekin nodded, also looking pleased. ¡°The basic structure will be the same, we have only added an amendment to make the position of Head of the Executive Council more meaningful, giving it broader authority, so there will be a single leader for the Confederation. They will be elected from among the members of the council in a second vote after it is confirmed, and I imagine the factions will all present their candidates in advance to gain voters. We¡¯ve also made some revisions to the way voters are registered to ensure every citizen of the Gnomish Confederation has a say, regardless of their affiliation with a faction.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°That all sounds very sensible,¡± she said. ¡°Your people are voting on these changes now? And what about the judicial reform?¡± ¡°The referendum will be held with the election itself, for logistical reasons,¡± Aliekin said. ¡°Arranging two major votes so shortly after each other would be a major organizational challenge, and since the number of seats in the Executive Council hasn¡¯t changed, there wouldn¡¯t need to be a new election even if the referendum fails, anyway. The voter registration is actually procedural and can be implemented by the government directly.¡± ¡°That seems potentially ripe for abuse,¡± Regina observed. The general gave her a thin smile. ¡°That is why from now on, all changes will have to be passed by referendum as well, once the reform is implemented. As for your other question, the reform of our justice system is still on its way and far from completed. There will most likely be another referendum to confirm a major reform in half a year or so, giving the justices of the new High Court the power to dissolve the Executive Council and call for new elections if its leaders should seem to abuse their power, as my predecessors did.¡± Regina nodded again and took mental notes. She was going to watch the political developments in her new protectorate with great interest. And consult with Aliekin and others more extensively. Their experience could be very valuable in trying to implement something even vaguely resembling this in the Empire proper. ¡°I assume you will stand for election?¡± she asked for now. Aliekin was actually silent for a moment, before he inclined his head. ¡°I considered it at length,¡± he said. ¡°But yes, I have decided I will be aiming for the position of the Head. I simply cannot run the risk of having someone else who is less inclined to support the reforms elected instead. Or, gods forbid, someone who would try to back out of our treaties.¡± Regina nodded and smiled briefly, acknowledging the vulnerability he showed in even mentioning that possibility. She still wasn¡¯t entirely sure just how truthful he was about his motives, but in the end it didn¡¯t really matter if he acted out of personal ambition or not. She preferred to work with Aliekin rather than an unknown. ¡°I understand,¡± she said. ¡°Just between us, I wouldn¡¯t mind if you were reelected. But of course you understand I still need to be sure it¡¯s a free and open election.¡± ¡°Open?¡± ¡°Well, secret, of course,¡± she amended. ¡°No one should have to reveal who they vote for. But open to everyone.¡± ¡°That is the intention, Your Imperial Majesty,¡± he said, a little drily. At this point, the conversation of the others close to them trailed off. Janis turned back to look at Aliekin after a quiet but heated discussion with Max, while Lady Florance asked her opinion on the food. She was here in place of Kiara today, who couldn¡¯t make it to this dinner because of urgent business in western Cernlia. Her family still held the Lyns march, after all. Regina hadn¡¯t talked much with Florance Lyns recently. She still felt things were a bit too awkward between them. And she had the impression they were mutually avoiding each other, where it was reasonable. It helped that Florance was occupied caring for her baby. She¡¯d mostly kept out of politics, probably not because of a lack of interest, but because she thought it was safer. Still, the lady had always been polite, even to a fault, and they were easily able to make small talk. Even mostly withdrawn, Florance was the queen mother of Cernlia. Although, not having been a queen consort, she didn¡¯t rate that title officially, or the title of dowager queen, apparently. And she was still a star of its social scene. Especially since Kiara was busy governing and June didn¡¯t have much interest, many of the traditional social and ceremonial duties had fallen to her. Regina wasn¡¯t going to complain.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. They had a nice conversation about the food ¡ª having curry was a nice surprise, even if she wouldn¡¯t have expected it at an official dinner; she appreciated that people were making an effort to revive recipes she knew, at least ¡ª the decor, fashion trends, and the differences in human and Hivekind anatomy, until Aliekin was finished with his own conversation and was starting to look bored. At that point, the meal was over, drinks were served and people were starting to stand and mingle, turning it into something of a reception after dinner. It was probably the best time to introduce General Aliekin to people he had not had opportunity to meet yet. Several people were already approaching them, although they seemed to be familiar already. Regina greeted them and listened to a few polite exchanges. Then she saw someone she realized might be a good choice to talk to, anyway, and turned, heading in that direction. ¡°My Empress,¡± the Delver bowed. ¡°Gwen,¡± Regina replied, nodding. ¡°I heard you have been awarded your family¡¯s title and now rule their land. Congratulations. It must be quite a change, though.¡± Gwen smiled faintly. They both knew she wouldn¡¯t have been granted it if Regina hadn¡¯t approved, even though it was officially Kiara¡¯s business instead. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty,¡± she replied. ¡°It is certainly a new challenge. But I have people to help me meet it, fortunately.¡± "That¡¯s good. I hope the people living there have not been too bothered by the switch.¡± The newly-minted Lady Cern chuckled a bit and shook her head. ¡°I doubt it. I am not a stranger to the place, and my dear cousin wasn¡¯t there much, these last few years. When I visited, they didn¡¯t seem particularly upset, if I may say so.¡± Regina grinned. ¡°Can¡¯t imagine why. I imagine you can run the place better than he could.¡± Gwen shrugged. ¡°To be fair to John, he didn¡¯t muck things up, exactly. He just didn¡¯t pay it much attention and let his steward do most of the work. It was mostly fine. But doing anything beyond regular maintenance would have been too much.¡± Her tone grew more serious. ¡°The estate would have been left behind by the times entirely. No attempts to modernize despite all the changes. It was like he thought everything would continue like it had been ten years ago for the next century. I didn¡¯t want to see that. It would have pushed the people who have been depending on my family into poverty for certain.¡± That was probably a good point. Regina nodded soberly. Admittedly, she¡¯d been wondering a bit when she learned of Gwen¡¯s petition, but at the end of the day, she trusted the young Delver as much or more than she did almost anyone else. ¡°Are you going to spend more time there going forward?¡± she asked. ¡°Only if it seems necessary or something comes up. I am confident my people have it well in hand. And of course, I will always be available if Your Majesty needs me. Plus, how could I leave Owin to face the vultures alone?¡± she added with a smirk. Regina smiled back, but before she could continue, they were joined by Aliekin. He seemed to have finally disengaged himself from his last conversation partner and fully turned to join her. ¡°Ah, General,¡± she said. ¡°I believe you two have met, but I am not sure you¡¯ve been formally introduced. This is Lady Gwen Cern, a commander of the Delvers and the best bard I¡¯ve personally ever seen. Gwen, of course you know General Aliekin, interim leader of the Gnomish Confederation.¡± Aliekin inclined his head. ¡°Congratulations on your recent ascension, Milady. I hear the House of Cern holds special significance in this country. I am sure you will be adding to its honor.¡± ¡°Perhaps not as much as it used to have, General,¡± Gwen replied with a faint smile. ¡°But we all need to let tradition give way for modernity, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°That we do,¡± he agreed with an equally tight smile. Regina wondered briefly how old he was; somehow that wasn¡¯t part of the information she¡¯d received. Well, a good bet he¡¯s older than me, no matter what, she thought with a mental shrug. Not that that was hard. She¡¯d recently celebrated her birthday, or at least the day she¡¯d hatched out of her egg. It wasn¡¯t like she knew her actual birthday, and she no longer used that body, anyway. She hadn¡¯t wanted to have a big celebration, and instead it had passed rather quietly. Most people weren¡¯t even aware. Perhaps for a significant anniversary, she would have to organize larger formal celebrations, but for now, she didn¡¯t particularly want to remind her new subjects that their new empress was only a few years old. Or hatched from an egg and all that. It didn¡¯t seem likely to increase her standing in their minds. While she was distracted, Aliekin and Gwen had kept talking, moving the conversation past the initial tension. They both seemed to have sized each other up quickly and it was now remarkably pleasant. It took Regina an embarrassing moment to realize that, of course, Gwen had fought in the war against the gnomes; they were former enemies and just a diplomatic meeting wasn¡¯t going to erase all that. Not to mention the Delvers¡¯ general reputation for xenophobia. Luckily, Gwen was also a good diplomat and generally good with people regardless of their race. In record time, she¡¯d managed to get the general to relax, and a few minutes in, they were chatting productively about traditional weapons and the best strategies for hunting certain kinds of monsters. Regina had initially been interested, but found her attention drifting. Still, she decided to just take this as a win. After a bit of time, she excused herself and wandered away, taking in the conversations in the room. She was instinctively aware of everyone else, especially her drones, but the minds of the other people present were clear and sharp, as well. Some of them were obviously a bit tipsy. Regina smiled wanly. That was one experience she couldn¡¯t really regret missing out on. Instead, she cocked her head, blinked slowly, and took a deeper metaphorical look at the minds around her, both inside and outside the room. Ever since Galatea and Madris had presented their little project, she had been on the lookout for suitable candidates. It was slow-going, particularly because it was hard to know what would make a good candidate when she found them. Besides trustworthiness, of course. It was still a traditional sign of power and status for nobles to have magic, which meant the proportion of mages in the nobility was probably higher than anywhere else ¡ª except for the Delvers, she supposed. There was some overlap, Gwen was hardly the only born noble in the order and a few knightly houses especially had kept close ties, but they were still the minority of Delvers overall. Put that way, it was pretty obvious where her recruits should be drawn from first. Although maybe she should see if June had other, more distant relatives, too. It was possible genetic predisposition was a factor. Florance might still have some relatives hanging around somewhere. Regina would ask Ira to look into it when she had a minute. She didn¡¯t have much time to think about it right now, since she was quickly drawn into conversation again. Regina made her rounds through the room, offering an ear to people who had concerns to bring up. She didn¡¯t exactly hold court traditionally, so offering opportunities like this to talk to her was probably important, and it wasn¡¯t like speaking to the people gathered here was a great sacrifice. Many had interesting insights to bring up. And if she could gauge their mood and attitudes towards the gnomes and the Empire¡¯s recent, or projected, extension, then all the better. They didn¡¯t seem to be more negative than she¡¯d feared. Most people here were clearly willing to extend some trust and follow her lead, which gave Regina a slight glow of satisfaction she allowed herself to indulge in for a little while. Chapter 323: Localization ¡°Are you sure about this location, my Queen?¡± Ina asked hesitantly, sweeping her gaze across the view before them. Regina shrugged. ¡°You¡¯d have to ask Galatea, I guess.¡± She turned to her friend, who was standing a bit further away, hands folded behind her projected body and calmly watching everything. From what she could pick up from her mind, she was pretty sure she was considering the ambient mana or something. ¡°Are you sure?¡± she repeated the question. Galatea shrugged shallowly. ¡°It was the best I could think of,¡± she replied. ¡°Will there be problems with the construction?¡± ¡°Nothing we can¡¯t handle,¡± Ina assured them, frowning shallowly. ¡°We¡¯ll need to set up logistics to have materials transported here,¡± Tia added. ¡°But personally, I think it will be an interesting challenge to work with the terrain.¡± ¡°Build the temple from white stone,¡± Galatea suggested. ¡°It would work well, with the blue of the water. We can shore up the island or enlarge it if needed.¡± They were in rather mountainous terrain, although not as bad as the Alps. Regina hadn¡¯t been to this part of Nerlia before, but it was beautiful. In particular, the clear, calm water of the lake, nestled in between several peaks of the lower mountain range. There was a word for lakes like that, she felt, but it escaped her at the moment. They were looking at a small island in the lake, a bit off-center and probably a bit too small to add other buildings, pretty overgrown as well. But those were all fixable issues. ¡°When you first mentioned the idea, I thought of something a bit more accessible to people,¡± Tia admitted. Regina nodded and shrugged. ¡°I think something a little secluded wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea,¡± she said. ¡°But you have a point that it¡¯s a thing kind of made for visitors.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be as big of a problem as you might think, Tia,¡± Galatea added. ¡°Secluded mountain monastery aesthetics aside, it¡¯s not going to be that hard for people to get here if they want to make a pilgrimage, especially if you prepare for it and maybe add or expand some roads. And treating this as such a pilgrimage site might be better, anyway.¡± Would Leian want to have pilgrims, or value the concept? Regina wondered. She chewed on her lower lip. Well, she was a goddess of transport, right? And probably a goddess of travel too? So it would seem thematically appropriate. She glanced at Galatea. I guess I get what she means. It still felt weird to think of someone she knew in those terms, especially since Leian had always presented herself as a person and didn¡¯t even seem all that enthusiastic about being a goddess, but she supposed that was the way it was. At least when Regina wanted to build a temple for her. She¡¯d had some second thoughts about that idea, but still decided to go ahead with it anyway. They could start construction and always turn it into something else if she changed her mind later. This wouldn¡¯t be a bad place for a castle, either. Or a holiday resort. Maybe if she just thought of it as a holiday retreat for Leian, would that make it easier? ¡°We can add some material to the island, then,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°And perhaps build a walkway to the shore. And we¡¯ll just use white stone, as you said. I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s a source of marble around, but limestone should be fine, right?¡± ¡°We can take care of it, Mother,¡± Tia assured her. ¡°I¡¯d rather not commit to specifics right away, though.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s fine. So, you think you can handle it? Ina?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not truly needed at the capital construction site right now,¡± Ina assured her. ¡°I can definitely split my time between them, and the experience I¡¯ve picked up there should be very useful here. Especially if we want to limit who else is involved in this project.¡± Regina nodded gratefully, and they spent a few more minutes hashing out logistical details. They¡¯d already decided on the general shape of the building, although it would be subject to revision and they¡¯d get more detailed plans to discuss as well. The frame was inspired by historical cathedrals; Regina had decided that a somewhat gothic style, with high arches so the building looked to be striving for the heavens, would be suitable. The temple wouldn¡¯t be built in a cross shape, though, and it might be a bit smaller than all that. ¡°That¡¯s all I have time for right now, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Regina finally concluded. It was a bit of a shame, she¡¯d have preferred to explore the area in more detail. She¡¯d just have to watch over the psychic link when one of her drones did. For now, she had a schedule and didn¡¯t want to deviate from it too much. ¡°Good luck in Nerlia, Mother,¡± Ina said, already turning to confer with Tia. Regina smiled at them and left. Thor had noticed the end of their conversation and set down nearby. He had no interest in architecture, he¡¯d said, so he¡¯d been flying and watching the area while they were discussing the project. Regina waved to the two girls and then climbed on, securing herself with the leather straps Thor had brought, before he took off. She could have flown the distance herself, especially with her recent upgrade, but she had to admit he was probably faster, and she didn¡¯t want to be too tired when she arrived. A flock of Swarm Drones circling overhead, a few with riders, converged on them and they were off. Instead of spending the whole flight immersed in the psychic link, she watched the Nerlian countryside below her and considered her approach. She hadn¡¯t spent nearly as much time in this country ¡ª former country now, she supposed ¡ª as she had in Cernlia. It had never seemed pressing; the Nerlian nobles weren¡¯t making that much trouble. At least not for her. But Galatea was probably right. She¡¯d declined to go with her when Regina asked, but she didn¡¯t doubt she was still seeing many things. And besides, Regina liked the excuse to travel a little. From above, there was no obvious difference to Cernlia. They used a pretty similar architectural style for the settlements she saw, which were dotted in a similar manner among fields and meadows. It probably hadn¡¯t changed that much in actual thousands of years, the aftermath of the Cataclysm excepted. Maybe what people grew was a bit different, and the landscape was obviously not the same either, the mountains at the horizon looked different from here, but overall it was easy to believe this was part of the same country. Regina considered stopping and setting down in a few random towns, but she wasn¡¯t sure that was a good idea. Security considerations aside, it would probably be a bit rude to just drop in on people, and she wouldn¡¯t have a firm plan of what she actually wanted. Max and a few other drones were still accompanying her on their own flying mounts and she wouldn¡¯t leave them behind, so they were a sizeable group. Besides, she did want to make it to the Nerlian royal court in a timely manner, especially since she¡¯d let them know she was coming today. Once they got closer to the capital, the distinction was a bit easier to see. Nerlia-city was younger than Cera and had clearly been planned more extensively, following a vague grid system. Instead of the concentric circles (or meandering vaguely egg-like shapes) of city walls that had been built beyond as the city grew, there was really only one outer wall, which did make a good effort at being a circle. It was still a large city, especially by local standards, and she knew it was still growing. The houses generally looked a bit more uniform as well, and from the reports she knew that the Imperial facilities and workshops that had been set up here were well-positioned, close together and easy to supply. The obvious centerpiece of the city was the royal palace, which didn¡¯t impress Regina particularly. It was pretty big, she supposed, and she knew the side wings had to house a lot of court officials and governance. There were only sparse gardens, one big but honestly a bit overdone fountain in the middle, and a remarkable lack of defensive installations. She supposed they relied on a large guard complement instead. And historically, the knowledge that any noble who tried to take Nerlia and stage a coup would be ganged up on by all the others. Or maybe her standards were just too high.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Thor circled overhead twice to give them plenty of warning, while Max already sent a few of the other drones to the ground. Security reasons, presumably. She wasn¡¯t going to contradict him, Regina would rather avoid another assassination attempt in a new place. Besides, she was planning to make an entrance, as much as she could when traveling as lightly as they were. Accordingly, Thor set down directly in front of the main doors, arching his wings to show off a little. Regina gave it a moment and then slid down as gracefully as she could as he half-crouched forward dipping one side. Luckily, she had a bit of practice. As Thor straightened up behind her, she turned and calmly stepped forward. The Nerlians had organized a welcoming committee, of course, which she¡¯d noticed scramble to line up as they set down. She swept her gaze over them, taking in names and Classes from the System and matching some to the briefings she¡¯d had. Her attention was caught by one familiar face; Prince Raymond had been chosen to greet her personally. ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± he greeted her with a deep bow, mirrored by the rest of the group. ¡°Welcome to Nerlia. We are honored to receive you. I hope your stay will be productive and enjoyable.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± she replied with a smile. ¡° It is good to see you again, my prince, and I am sure it will be.¡± He straightened up fully and gestured at the door. ¡°May I escort you inside?¡± She noticed he didn¡¯t actually make any effort to offer his arm, though. Regina kept smiling and agreed. She would have expected introductions to a few of these people, but she wasn¡¯t entirely sure of the finer details of their etiquette and she didn¡¯t fancy standing around outside, anyway. Raymond led her and the few drones with her into a parlor where refreshments were prepared, and Regina gratefully took a glass of juice. Now was apparently the time for introductions, and she paid attention as Raymond introduced some important court officials from Nerlia, as well as a few more distant members of the royal family. ¡°You know my son Max, of course,¡± she said in turn during a brief pause, gesturing at where Max was stepping up to her side. ¡°The Empress¡¯ firstborn, of course,¡± the prince murmured, bowing politely. ¡°A pleasure to be able to host you as well, Milord.¡± ¡°The pleasure is mine, Your Highness,¡± Max answered, bowing back. Regina noted he made sure to keep the angle roughly the same as Raymond¡¯s. Regina didn¡¯t comment, but continued with the introductions, and the prince politely greeted each of the other drones in turn. The gathered courtiers echoed their greetings. She thought it was over, before there was a bit of movement in the loose crowd as someone stepped forward and the rest subtly backed out of the way. A middle-aged woman, looking maybe forty, approached them. She had the same hazel eyes as Raymond and wore a richly embroidered gown. To her embarrassment, it took Regina a moment after reading her name in the System notification to place her. Rosalie Harlon. The former queen of Cernlia. ¡°Allow me to introduce my aunt, Her Highness the Princess Rosalie of Nerlia,¡± Raymond said. If he felt any tension over this meeting because of the awkward situation regarding Cernlia¡¯s royal family, he managed not to show it, although she could sense his focus intensifying a little. ¡°I do not believe you have met?¡± ¡°I have indeed not had the pleasure, but I am very pleased to meet you now, Your Highness,¡± Regina murmured, inclining her head. They were probably leaving off her royal title of Dowager Queen of Cernlia for her sake. If Regina recalled correctly, under normal circumstances she should still be entitled to the address ¡®Your Majesty¡¯ for it. Of course, Regina had kind of financed an insurrection against her late husband and then fought them to support it, and the actual status of the late king in Cernlia was still a bit ambiguous. The former queen curtseyed deeply. ¡°It is entirely my honor to meet Your Imperial Majesty,¡± she said, her tone even and courteous and not giving anything away. Her mind echoed it. Clearly, this woman was experienced at the political game. She probably hates me, and it wouldn¡¯t exactly be unjustified, she¡¯s just not showing it. Regina honestly felt a little bad for her, but she couldn¡¯t let that influence her decisions. Still, she hadn¡¯t come here to tighten the proverbial iron fist, either. She smiled through the introductions of the rest, making sure to keep her body language relaxed and project confident assurance without verging into condescension, or appearing too threatening. Still, the way a few of the people here stared just a little too long at her hands or her face showed that they still weren¡¯t as used to Hivekind as they would be in Cernlia. Regina was relatively simply dressed, in contrast to most women here, because of the travel, but she wasn¡¯t going to feel self-conscious about her trousers and blouse, either. At least she¡¯d added a necklace and a few rings. Finally, refreshments were finished and Raymond started to escort her out of the room to meet the king. Regina was looking forward to it. She still hadn¡¯t met him in person, yet. Her initial vague idea of treating ¡ª or checking out ¡ª his illness hadn¡¯t panned out. Supposedly, King Roger¡¯s health had improved and there was no need to trouble Her Imperial Majesty with examining him personally, thank you. Their first meeting would probably mostly be an exchange of polite formalities, though. It was the following interactions during her stay here in Nerlia that would be interesting. They were still accompanied by a few others, including a quiet Rosalie. Regina glanced at her, then noted the rest of the entourage, all high-ranking people. It seems like a bigger court than in Cernlia, although I don¡¯t think that¡¯s exactly accurate, she privately commented to Max. Their royal family is certainly bigger, he responded, and she could sense his focus passing over some of the second cousins following Raymond. I suppose it has some advantages for them. Bigger than Cernlia¡¯s and definitely bigger than the Empire¡¯s, Regina agreed. That¡¯s not hard, Max responded playfully, but then she could sense his focus sharpening a bit. Is something the matter, Mother? They seem harmless enough. Except for the prince and queen, obviously. I wouldn¡¯t leave you alone with any of them on principle. No. Regina answered, following their escort down a turn in the hallway, then sighed internally. I have been thinking about expanding the Imperial royal family. It¡¯s been suggested to increase our diplomatic and representative ability. And we all know that¡¯s the most important goal, Max said drily, but before he could continue, his focus shifted as they reached their destination. Regina pulled in her attention from the psychic link and instead turned it to the people they were coming to meet. They were being led through a side door to the throne room, avoiding having to walk down the entire aisle, and it looked relatively sparsely filled for how many people the large hall could fit. It was lightly decorated with large windows set with colored glass letting light play through the space. King Roger rose from his throne and stepped down the two stairs to greet her as they arrived. He was an old-looking man, although Regina knew he couldn¡¯t be that old, especially given his level; he was only in his sixties from her information, but clearly weathered. His illnesses hadn¡¯t entirely been fabrications. Beside the throne, his daughter watched.
Roger Harlon - Level 63 Noble Arcanist
¡°Empress Regina, welcome to Nerlia. We are honored to receive you,¡± he echoed his son, bowing lightly. ¡°Pray forgive I do not kneel to Your Imperial Majesty, my old knees aren¡¯t what they used to be.¡± Regina half-bowed back, a bit shallower as appropriate to their rank. ¡°King Roger. Thank you for the welcome. Of course I know I can be sure of your allegiance without such gestures, Your Majesty.¡± They went on, exchanging a few more courtly pleasantries. He expressed his wish that her travel had been pleasant and assured her that they had arranged appropriate accommodations for her and her retinue. At the same time, she was focusing on what she could sense of them. Princess Adelaide was a bit anxious, which was easily apparent, since her mental shields weren¡¯t quite as good. Roger¡¯s were better, she supposed, but they also had a harder task. She probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to pick up fleeting shifts in his mood and had very little idea what he was actually thinking, but his mind screamed one thing loudly enough she got it anyway ¡ª distaste. He hated having to greet and humble himself before her. He hated being subject to her at all. Well, at least that¡¯s not coming as much of a surprise, Regina thought, suppressing any outward change in her expression, as their exchange came to an end. His actions were what counted, here, and they showed that he had accepted their deal with little hesitation. She was backing the Nerlian crown against unruly or overly ambitious nobles. Said crown was in no position to rebel against her, and as much as he might privately dislike it, King Roger would not be stupid enough to try. It didn¡¯t take looking at his well-shielded mind to tell that, although she was pretty sure it did confirm he wasn¡¯t stupid or feeling murderous, at least. Regina kept smiling as they were led away to their quarters to rest after their travel, instead focusing her senses on the younger generation. Those who would matter going forward. Chapter 324: Qualifications It took a little bit of time and exposure until Regina was sure what kind of people she was dealing with in Nerlia. After a little while, she figured she had them pretty well pegged, though. She¡¯d focused on the royal family primarily, because they were her most immediate contacts and the people she most needed to be sure of, although at least the younger members probably had less actual power than some of the courtiers. That was going to change and her input was required, though. The king¡¯s oldest son, Raymond and Adelaide¡¯s older brother, had been the unquestioned heir. Unfortunately, however, Prince Robert had died, leaving the situation less settled. Regina felt for his siblings, who clearly still mourned his loss, but the rest of the court was not content to let them grieve and instead pushed for an answer to the question of the succession. Something she¡¯d already been rather aware of, whatever Galatea might think. The king¡¯s ostensible poor health probably hadn¡¯t helped in that regard. Adelaide was the middle and thus older child, and in due course would have been passed over anyway. Regina supposed her own ascension, not to mention what happened in Cernlia regarding the succession, had been what changed that, though, creating the possibility of having a ruling queen in Nerlia as well. Princess Adelaide had clearly grown up at court, though Regina wasn¡¯t sure she liked it, and she was a smart and capable young woman. She tried to hide it, but Regina could also tell that she was feeling a bit insecure ¡ª and she had a clear admiration for Regina herself, which she really didn¡¯t know how to feel about. In political terms it was probably a good thing, though. Raymond was only a bit younger, a year and a half or so, so there wasn¡¯t much difference in maturity. He was thoughtful, rather serious, smart and notably curious. And also a bit insecure. That tended to happen in circumstances like this, she supposed. His feelings toward her and the Empire were a bit more mixed, but he didn¡¯t hate either of them or even share much of his father¡¯s resentment. He didn¡¯t seem to let the possibility that his sister would get the throne he must have been raised to expect bother him, either, which Regina found admirable on a personal level. It wasn¡¯t hard to see where the king¡¯s dislike came from, of course. He had been king of his country for several decades, unquestioned sovereign of his domain. He¡¯d been planning to pass it down to his son. And while he¡¯d always had trouble with unruly nobles and had much less direct influence than some of his counterparts, he hadn¡¯t done a bad job of keeping the country together. Unfortunately, arguably a single decision, to marry his younger sister to the Cernlian king and cement an alliance, had backfired epically and dragged him into the Cernlian civil war, which had brought the hive to attack them. Then he¡¯d seen no other option but to surrender and join Regina¡¯s empire ¡ª and she suspected that while he had agreed sincerely, he had probably also been pressured by some of his powerful vassals and courtiers. No, figuring Roger Harlon out wasn¡¯t that difficult. She still wasn¡¯t entirely sure about Rosalie Harlon. Her mind seemed calm and placid, the woman clearly had great self-control. She always treated Regina with exquisite politeness. That might have meant something; after all, in a society like this, women would probably learn to hide behind courtesy and use formality to hide or express their dislike. But she seemed to act just a bit too deferential for that to Regina, especially since, given all this, she presumably could have gotten away with less respect. Regina met the royal family in several settings, over lunch or dinner as well as meetings to discuss affairs of state. It was interesting to watch their interactions as well, although she was aware they wouldn¡¯t act freely while she was watching. Adelaide and Raymond both sought her attention and asked her questions, although they also approached the drones who¡¯d come with her, especially Max. On occasion, that left Regina free to observe the rest of the currents in the Nerlian court. They almost seem more upset by the inclusion of Imperial officials than losing their national sovereignty, Ira commented to her privately at one point. That would make sense, Regina replied. After all, it¡¯s their direct power and influence that is getting curtailed with new ministries and agencies taking up responsibilities. It was a key insight to what was going on here, she felt, and explained the weird mix of emotions she picked up from many of the courtiers, who were almost all Nerlian nobles ¡ª distrust, dislike verging on disgust sometimes, but also hunger, eagerness that felt a little too intense for passing political ambition. The great dukes and wealthiest counts didn¡¯t tend to seek her or her drones out, but the rest of them did. Combined with what she¡¯d sensed from the Nerlian courtiers who¡¯d made the transition to working for the Imperial administration at the capital, it gave her a good idea of what she was dealing with. The Empire was a whole new, bigger arena for them. It presented opportunity, but also danger of losing their wealth and influence and fading into irrelevance. As a side effect, this also meant Nerlian courtiers angling for a prestigious position in the Empire would support her reforms, trying to implement them according to her will ¡ª not because they believed in them or perhaps even understood where she was going with all of it, but to gain merit. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but Regina would take what she could get. It was during dinner on her second day that things finally got a bit confrontational, something she¡¯d honestly expected to happen earlier. It started innocently enough, a tangent about the new roads leading into a larger discussion of the Empire¡¯s policy regarding infrastructure. Prince Raymond had asked a few questions, and Regina was happy to answer them and discuss their decisions. She wasn¡¯t above seeking feedback, although she¡¯d have to be careful with seeming like she needed it. ¡°I am sure magic will help speed this process up,¡± Raymond was saying. ¡°And many of the other inventions the Empire provides will do so as well. I remember Princess June mentioned the possibility of rituals in connection with the new railway initiative. It¡¯s truly a shame the princess wasn¡¯t able to come, Your Imperial Majesty.¡± ¡°Indeed, unfortunately June has other duties to see to at present,¡± Regina responded, making a mental note of his words but unsure how to take them. Raymond had been honest about that remark, she could tell, although she wasn¡¯t sure if he just liked talking to June or if there was more to it. ¡°I¡¯m sure she does,¡± Adelaide muttered. ¡°Considering ¡ª¡° ¡°Considering?¡± Max prompted. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing, Milord, I was simply thinking that I am sure being apprenticed to Her Imperial Majesty as well as crown princess of Cernlia is keeping her quite busy. But it is indeed a shame, I would have liked the opportunity to talk to the princess.¡± ¡°A burden that would be much reduced if she would give up one of those roles,¡± another man a few seats over, the Nerlian treasurer, muttered.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Regina raised an eyebrow mildly. ¡°I hope you are not suggesting that I should oust my apprentice, Lord Thelan.¡± The noble reddened a bit and ducked his head, muttering a denial. ¡°I suppose he was commenting on the stability of the Cernlian line of succession,¡± Rosalie said, calmly and not looking as if she was fanning the flames of an incipient argument. ¡°Of course, Prince Robin is very young, so it should be eminently understandable that Her Majesty Queen Kiara would not name an infant as her heir.¡± ¡°Who is still the Queen¡¯s brother, Rosalie,¡± King Roger said in a faintly chiding tone. He¡¯d drunk two glasses of wine already and his pale skin was flushed with something other than good health. ¡°His only qualification compared to the princess is being male,¡± Adelaide said. They were not really talking about June any longer, but Regina figured everyone knew that. ¡°And she is a sickly girl with the good fortune of being chosen as the Empress¡¯ apprentice ¡ª no offense, Your Majesty,¡± Roger added belatedly to Regina. ¡°Speak of qualifications, daughter? But,¡± he gestured with his wineglass, ¡°it is the Queen¡¯s choice that matters, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Of course, Father,¡± Raymond interjected. ¡°Must we talk of this now? Her Imperial Majesty did not come here to hear us squabble, especially about Cernlian matters,¡± he said pointedly. ¡°Too right, brother,¡± Adelaide agreed. ¡°You said the first phase of the road project should be completed in a matter of a few months, My Empress?¡± Regina took a bit of time to answer, letting the silence stretch and grow taut with tension. Raymond was paling just slightly, Adelaide grasped her fork more tightly, and Roger finally put down his wineglass and sat straighter as if bracing himself. ¡°It should be, yes,¡± she said at last. ¡°As for your topic of conversation, which was indeed ill-chosen, I must admonish you to choose your words with care. Do not let insults fester in your thoughts or spill from your lips. I will have harmony between my subjects.¡± There was another moment of tense silence, before Regina broke it with a smile and turned slightly to reach for the bowl of water presented to clean her fingers after the meal. ¡°My apologies, Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Roger finally said. ¡°No insult was intended to you or your apprentice.¡± Regina hummed and inclined her head slightly. ¡°You are forgiven, King Roger. In fact, I would like to discuss some matters in private with you, perhaps after breakfast tomorrow.¡± "Of course, Your Imperial Majesty.¡± Regina smiled again and with perfect timing, for which she didn¡¯t even have to prompt him directly, Max made a comment on infrastructure planning and turned the conversation back to their previous topic. Regina leaned back, contributed the occasional short comment and watched it wind down. She could have insisted on speaking to the king right now ¡ª presumably, his intoxication would only have helped her ¡ª but it would be a bit rude. That wouldn¡¯t help. Instead, she retired to her chambers early, barely noticing the relatively luxurious furnishings they had provided. Her tolerance for such things had definitely grown. Instead, she paced for a bit and dove into the psychic link to check on the hive¡¯s eggs and her newly hatched drones. Regina had decided that it was too risky to add any more eggs to it right now, while she was here. But following her protective instinct didn¡¯t actually make it easier on her. Breaking her routine for several days was kind of hard, and she suspected the discomfort she felt was at least mostly psychosomatic. She focused on the bright lights of her children¡¯s minds in the psychic link to find sleep that night. Breakfast the next morning was still a relatively subdued affair, although Regina made sure to appear unruffled. It was easy, since she actually wasn¡¯t feeling bothered. Max and the others kept up a bit of chatter, and soon enough they were finished. She retreated to a formal sitting room accompanied only by Max to speak with the king, as she had ¡®requested¡¯ last night. He greeted her politely enough, as she went in and sat down, Max taking a seat on another chair at an angle to hers, so he could keep the whole room in view. King Roger was still clearly wary, and he didn¡¯t even bother to hide it very much. Maybe he thought it would be pointless because of her psychic abilities. "I assume you did not want to speak of repairing roads, My Empress?¡± he asked after the initial greetings. Regina smiled faintly. ¡°No, indeed. I thought it might be time to name the elephant in the room and speak about your succession. It should hardly come as a surprise to anyone that the matter has caused much discussion at court.¡± The king¡¯s face darkened, his eyebrows drawing up. ¡°And so, I suppose, this is where you decree my daughter must be my heir as my oldest remaining child.¡± ¡°A shame that you seem to set against her, when she is after all your daughter,¡± Regina replied, a bit more sharply than she¡¯d intended. She waved her hand abortively. ¡°But no, that is not what I came to say.¡± ¡°It is not, Your Imperial Majesty?¡± He looked at her. She only raised an eyebrow slightly. Then he sighed. ¡°If not for Raymond, I admit Adelaide might make a good queen. But the nobles would not support her as they would him. Our traditions are what hold us together. It is not that I do not love her, I do.¡± ¡°I will take your word for it, King Roger,¡± she said with only a trace of irony. The old man regarded her thoughtfully. ¡°You seem to be in favor of female rulers,¡± he noted. ¡°In some situations, perhaps. Do not misunderstand me, I deplore the systematic disenfranchisement of women that is traditionally practiced here. But I would not simply invert the existing system. Primogeniture is a fairer system than that, of course. But per se, age is only a slightly better qualification for a ruler than gender.¡± Roger was frowning again. ¡°So you do not simply wish for the crown to pass to the oldest child automatically?¡± Regina smiled. ¡°Is it not our choice that should count? I myself have not named my firstborn as heir ¡ª¡° she looked at Max, who gave an ironic little half-bow, smiling as well. ¡°¡ª but the daughter I have adopted and the sister of my heart.¡± ¡°So you would be willing to support my choice of Raymond as heir, strengthening the principle that a ruler may choose their successor,¡± the king mused. He looked focused and intent now. ¡°Is it just a point of principle for you, My Empress? Somehow I find it hard to believe you would let my choice stand if you considered it entirely unsuitable.¡± ¡°Of course I am also being practical,¡± Regina answered dismissively. ¡°Since we are apparently being frank right now, King Roger, you are right. I would not allow an idiot to rule Nerlia. Adelaide is a fine princess and would be a good queen, I¡¯m sure. She would be easy to work with. Raymond ¡ª¡° She paused, thinking back to her interactions with him, her impressions. ¡°Raymond is the one who is actually invested in what is happening, who is contemplating my policies,¡± she admitted slowly. ¡°Both technical and economic. He may be harder to deal with if he takes a stand against something, believing he knows better. But I think that is more than made up for by his interest in the reforms and how to help Nerlia and his people.¡± There was a moment of silence, before the old king nodded. ¡°I had not looked at it that way. But I believe your assessment may be correct, Empress Regina. I am glad to see you are a reasonable woman.¡± ¡°High praise I¡¯m sure,¡± Regina drawled, smiling sardonically. I¡¯m not angling for your approval, old man. Even if it would be nice to have. He didn¡¯t bother to apologize or offer more effusive compliments. Presumably, Roger was by now confident enough in his standing. Regina didn¡¯t mind, it was better if they developed something like a working relationship. Adelaide was going to be disappointed. Regina only hoped she¡¯d be able to cope well enough with it. But she couldn¡¯t spare the princess much consideration. One of the candidates was going to be disappointed no matter what, it was her responsibility to make the decision she thought best for the citizens of the Empire as a whole. ¡°I might be staying a few more days,¡± she informed him, changing the subject. ¡°There are still other matters to address.¡± ¡°Like my courtiers, I suppose,¡± he said, his lip twitching in something between a smile and a scowl. Regina only nodded. She wanted to get a better sense of the movers and shakers in Nerlia and where they stood. She supposed that the impetus of the official confirmation of an heir, if the king chose to do it right away, would also send ripples outward and allow her to gain some more insight. Even if not, she might be able to find some people with magical talent to keep an eye on. Chapter 325: Materials The tunnels Iliam had led them to reminded Tim vaguely of those the Hive had found on the edge of the Great Forest, and he wondered distantly if there was another old underground tram system involved. The resemblance was only vague, though; it looked like these tunnels were hewn out of rock and dirt, at least for the most part, or clad in what might have been a form of brick. Forms of cement were also present, but he wasn¡¯t sure it was the same. The tunnel they were currently walking down was also lit by bioluminescent moss spaced in regular intervals, giving him enough light to see by. He had expected a much smaller tunnel system when their dwarven guide had first mentioned it. But instead of just a few tunnels dug by smugglers to get into or past the city of Iliyan without paying tolls, there was clearly a much more extensive network of paths. In parts, it seemed to be aboveground, simple dirt trails through copses of trees or fields, though whether they were a real part or had been haphazardly incorporated with new connections for convenience he couldn¡¯t say. These tunnels also weren¡¯t deserted, even apart from monsters. Once already, Iliam had led them through a winding tunnel past a cavern that clearly contained people. Tim suspected all the fighting in this region had made them seek all available shelter. Other times, they¡¯d passed crossings with simple torches lighting the way, some of them gone out but some sill burning, even if they didn¡¯t encounter other people. And as much as Iliam professed to be able to guide them anywhere, he clearly wasn¡¯t quite as familiar with this underground network as he might have wished. Tim was fairly sure they¡¯d already taken some detours and roads that weren¡¯t the quickest path to their current destination. He hadn¡¯t said anything, though. It wasn¡¯t like he would be able to navigate better, and maybe it had been on purpose after all. There were clearly older and newer parts of this network, although that might just be an impression given depending on how well they were kept up, and some areas were used much more than others. Right now, they were clearly moving away from any people. Had been for a while. He hadn¡¯t seen any torches, lit or otherwise, in what seemed like hours. The only sounds Tim heard that didn¡¯t come from his own party were furtive scuttling and the occasional high-pitched noise of pests, insects and otherwise. There were probably rats around, judging by the smell, as well as a few other animals he found harder to place. They hadn¡¯t even encountered many monsters recently, and there were a lot more of them down here than up above from what he¡¯d experienced so far. ¡°Are you sure we¡¯re going in the right direction?¡± Ash asked, clearly thinking the same thing. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I don¡¯t mind exploring creepy abandoned tunnels, it¡¯s basically a family hobby, but I thought you were leading us toward an exit.¡± Iliam snorted, sounding just a bit too unruffled and disdainful of the question to be believable, in Tim¡¯s opinion. ¡°Are you the guide or am I, Sir Ash? I¡¯m sure we are going in the proper direction here ¡­ Fairly sure. It¡¯s not like a lot of people normally head east past the city. Besides, Lord Tim said he wanted to explore the tunnels.¡± ¡°I did,¡± Tim agreed, keeping his tone carefully even. ¡°Like Ash said, it¡¯s a hobby.¡± ¡°For some of us, it¡¯s our job,¡± their Delver mage commented. ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Alvol, the dark elf ranger, muttered. ¡°Quiet, please,¡± Anuis hissed. ¡°I think I hear something.¡± Tim pulled his blade-arms in a bit closer to his body and slowed down, the rest of the group mimicking him. They fell silent and continued on cautiously. After a few seconds, he could hear noise as well, something deeper and more regular than the usual background sounds. It was obviously coming from up ahead. Anuis and Alvol both looked at him and asked a question with their hands, pointing at the tunnel ahead. Tim considered for a moment, then shook his head, pointing a few meters in front of them and circling his fingers before pointing back at the group. They nodded and slipped ahead, but stayed in the range he¡¯d specified. After a quick wordless exchange, Anuis fell back a little as the dark elf continued at the point position. In short order, the tunnel widened. Tim halted and waited with the rest of the group. Alvol returned after a minute, stepping up closer to Tim, pointed at one of the bags Tirias was carrying, then held up three fingers and pointed at the cave. At his questioning look, he shrugged and nodded. Tim¡¯s eyes narrowed and he nodded back. Then he kept walking, readying his blades and making sure to keep his steps quiet. He still paused a moment in surprise as he saw what his companion had indicated. There was a larger cavern beyond, lit by sporadic growth of the luminescent moss, and three monsters inside. One stood by the other tunnel while two walked down the cavern. They were all big enough they would have had trouble in the actual tunnels, but not as big as the one he¡¯d seen before. Tim focused on the closest.
Troll Golem ¡ª Level 49
The others were similar, he noted, but he only had a second to appreciate it before the golems turned to them. ¡°As before, slow them down and root them, we¡¯ll attack one by one,¡± he ordered hurriedly. They set to work quickly. As vines and shadowy tentacles erupted to hold the golem in font of him, others reaching for the other two to slow them down, Tim Charged the monster. He tried a few stabs, but knew they wouldn¡¯t be very effective. Instead, he kept the attention of the golem focused on him, turning it slightly and letting it follow him as he backed away. A few second later, as he dodged a swing from its club-like arm, it started staggering. He jumped forward again, shoulder-checking it and using his blade-arms as levers to hook its leg. It worked, the golem came crashing down. The sound of heavy footsteps warned him and Tim dodged to the side before the second monster could reach him, turning and repeating his strategy. However these things worked, they clearly weren¡¯t quite smart enough to learn from one example. It let him repeat his tactic and also went crashing down to the ground just a little later. In the end, the whole fight only took a few minutes. Tim breathed out deeply and shook his head as he trudged to the center of the cavern after stabbing the eye socket of the last golem. ¡°Are these things supposed to be new?¡± he wondered. ¡°They could have been here for a while,¡± Tirias pointed out. ¡°They may not have been a true challenge for us, but they would be deadly to most others who may wander in here, even seasoned adventurers.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way to know unless we check out where they came from,¡± Ash commented. Tim frowned and looked at the golems. The others had already killed all three, or deactivated them, depending on your viewpoint. At this point, he was pretty sure they weren¡¯t really alive or at least not really intelligent. These ones were also clearly smaller than the one they¡¯d encountered before, so they fit in the underground chamber. ¡°You¡¯re right, I want to investigate this,¡± he decided. ¡°Someone has to be making them. Even if the other one just got loose by accident, people would have noticed if it or others like it had been wandering around outside for a while. But that doesn¡¯t mean there couldn¡¯t be a lot more somewhere down here.¡± ¡°Or hidden elsewhere,¡± Anuis pointed out. Tim nodded. ¡°Right. So let¡¯s check it out.¡± He wasn¡¯t really worried about the danger; his gathered party was pretty strong compared to pretty much any other force, especially in restricted quarters. They¡¯d just have to be careful of ambushes or the like. The tunnel continued past the cavern, but it was wider and looked to his inexpert eyes like it might have been expanded. There was a little more of the glowing moss, and when he inhaled carefully, he could tell the air was also a bit more humid, which presumably had something to do with it. There were few rats around anymore. It made the corridor smell sterile and lifeless despite the plants.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. They continued on in silence, every fighter in the group on alert and keeping their weapons ready. The golems weren¡¯t particularly stealthy, but they¡¯d still take no chances. Tim kept an eye on both directions and made sure to mentally mark the distance they were traveling, trying to keep a mental map of their surroundings and the tunnel system in mind. The psychic link would¡¯ve made it easier, but he¡¯d make do. The further they went, the more anxious Tim got, but it wasn¡¯t because he was afraid of danger. Instead, it was like there was something tickling at the edge of his mind, a feeling like he was missing something, but when he tried to reach for it, it remained frustratingly elusive. There were some details he should have caught but didn¡¯t, perhaps. He was just about to speak up and ask Ash if he felt something similar, before the tunnel finally ended. They¡¯d seen one split already, where another tunnel moved off to the side, but the scouts in the group reported that it seemed less alive, and he felt like continuing on straight was the better idea, anyway. The tunnel was bigger and seemed more important, clad with bricks seamlessly fitted together without leaving any gaps, the material almost seeming to darken a bit as they went on. Then finally, they came to another door, and behind it some answers. "That¡¯s why it seemed familiar,¡± Ash breathed. ¡°The Hive.¡± And Tim knew what he meant instantly. Further on, the tunnel opened into a kind of antechamber which in turn led to another underground complex. This time, the walls weren¡¯t just brick, but partly metal. The doors were slightly rounded at the top, a bit bigger than normal for human-sized people, and there were side tunnels leading up or down into levels between this story and those above or below, some of them twisting into a helical shape. In all, the structure was built almost as much on a vertical plan as a horizontal one, and kept open with few doors and instead large rooms allowing for groups of people to gather, for a communal kind of people that liked to do things together. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Anuis asked quietly. Tim stepped up to the wall again, scratching his claws against the brickwork. A tiny part of the surface layer crumbled away, and he rubbed it between his fingers. ¡°This is similar to our Production Drones¡¯ substance, but not quite the same,¡± he murmured. ¡°Like another variation. Something made for building.¡± He didn¡¯t need to test it, but he would bet it was fireproof and water-resistant, too. ¡°What about the metal?¡± Eduard asked, instantly alert as he scanned the space in front of their group. ¡°It¡¯s not like any I¡¯ve seen before.¡± Tim tilted his head, looking at it more closely. ¡°The same as the golems?¡± he asked. Alvol cursed softly. ¡°You think they took the metal to make those golems from here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Tim answered. He took a few cautious steps further into the base. ¡°I think I may have seen something like this before, actually.¡± In the psychic link, memories of the old Hivekind base where his Queen had hatched. He wasn¡¯t sure, he was hardly a metallurgist ¡­ but at least the stasis pod might have some of the similar material. He wished he still had access to the psychic link to help him remember, to confirm it. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m missing something,¡± Iliam said. Tim sighed. ¡°Just a suspicion,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s explore further. Whatever this place is, it seems someone has found it before us and is using it for dubious purposes.¡± ¡°If this really is what you think it is ¡ª to think they could just use it as a trash heap to scavenge materials,¡± Eduard muttered. ¡°It¡¯s almost worse if this is not Ancient. Who would take something like this and destroy it for such a base purpose? It¡¯s ¡­¡± he shrugged helplessly. ¡°Sacrilegious?¡± Ash asked sarcastically. ¡°Someone who wants to make golems, perhaps? I wonder if metals are the only things of worth they can find here.¡± Tim grimaced. If they were, was it because someone else had already taken all the other technological marvels from this place? If this was an old Hivekind base, it¡¯s a wonder it wasn¡¯t completely destroyed, but it must have been found and at least emptied at some point. Otherwise wouldn¡¯t some of them have hid here and survived? The thought almost made him shiver and he sped up a little. Walking deeper into this base, he was almost certain of his suspicion that it was an old Hivekind installation. From the Hives who had come from Haven before the arrival of the gods and the Cataclysm, those with much better technology than his had access to, who might have been very different from the Starlit Hive in other ways, as well. Judging from Anuis¡¯ grimace and the way Tirias clutched his weapon with white knuckles, he wasn¡¯t the only one who remembered that all those Hivekind had been killed; warred on and exterminated as scapegoats or threats. They kept walking in silence, through one of the major corridors, down a small ramp and into a larger corridor leading at a slight incline further downwards. Some of the side corridors were clearly smaller than would be comfortable for most people and he wondered if they were made for Swarm Drones. A few were ventilation shafts, and a few kept closed by locked doors. ¡°Can you hear that?¡± Alvol asked quietly. ¡°It¡¯s coming from ahead of us, further down.¡± Tim nodded and inhaled deeply. The scent of water was slightly stronger in that direction, while there was still little airflow, keeping the air still and sticky. ¡°Let¡¯s check it out first,¡± he said. If there was someone else down there, they needed to know about it instead of allowing them to maneuver behind their backs while his party explored this place. There was another tunnel leading downward, soon enough, one large and wide enough that Tim could tell it had been meant to accommodate fliers. It went down at an angle, a bit curved like a slide. He walked down at a fast pace, but still cautious of where to place his feet. The silence of the complex around him was unnerving, and he had the impression they were moving away from the center of the base. After a while, the large slide-tunnel opened out onto another large cavern, possibly a natural one. The old Hivekind must have used it as either a storage area or workspace for heavy machinery ¡ª maybe some kind of vehicle bay? Either way, it wasn¡¯t recognizable. Sheet metal curling inside on the edges like crumpled aluminum foil lay in some spots, while others only held melted slag or amalgamations of metal bent so out of shape it was impossible to tell what they¡¯d once been. Further in, towards the middle and where a dark hole suggested another entrance, was a cleared space. It looked like someone had taken bites out of the surrounding piles. As they finally rounded the corner around another slag heap big enough to have been a tank in another life, he had an unobstructed line of sight to the center of the cleared area and realized they¡¯d been too slow. Clearly, despite their attempts at being quiet, their coming had been noticed. He only barely had a glimpse of a slight figure in dark robes, only long enough to get their System description.
Ren Lanisiosa ¡ª Level ? Golem Artificer
The next moment, the figure finished darting away from them and turned. He had a flash of green eyes in their hooded face, and his ears faintly caught a muttered exclamation. ¡°Impossible!¡± Then, before Tim could respond, there was a slight flash of light and the person in the dark robe disappeared. ¡°Dammit,¡± Ash cursed, running forward and leaving Tim behind. He quickly glanced at the others to check they were all still with him and on guard, before he followed Ash. Tim couldn¡¯t see, hear or scent the golem artificer anymore, so it was a good bet they were gone. As he stepped closer, Tim could make out the object on the ground where the person had disappeared ¡ª teleported away, presumably. A plate of metal, at least two meters in diameter. In it was etched a double circle along with several other symbols. Tim frowned as he got closer and bent over the carving, careful to keep his head well clear of the circle itself. It was round enough to be made by either machine precision, good calipers or someone with talent and a lot of experience; he couldn¡¯t tell the difference that easily. ¡°This is a ritual circle,¡± Nucme stated, frowning at it as he stepped up beside Tim. ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Tirias answered. ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°Teleportation, presumably.¡± The dark elf shrugged. Tim raised a hand before they could start to bicker. ¡°Long-range?¡± Nucme shook his head, glancing at the other mages in the group, who gestured agreement. ¡°No. Prepared like this, it has to be short-range, perhaps just enough to get out of this structure. I didn¡¯t even know it was possible to do something like this,¡± he added. ¡°Teleportation is very advanced.¡± Tim frowned. They¡¯d have to spread out and search for them right away, then, although he wasn¡¯t optimistic about their chances of capturing the artificer. Even just leaving the complex would be a good head start. And they¡¯d have to travel in groups and be wary of traps and ambushes. Still, another question presented itself to him more urgently. ¡°Could they have found this here?¡± ¡°Something made by the Hivekind, you mean?¡± He frowned, then sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Tim grimaced and clenched his teeth. Well that¡¯s very helpful. He glanced at Eduard and the others, who avoided his gaze or shrugged. ¡°Like nothing I¡¯ve seen before,¡± the young Delver said, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean much.¡± ¡°Well, at least we know a little more,¡± Ash offered. ¡°I caught his info and Golem Artificer is a very specialized Class. No bet this is the one behind all those golems we¡¯ve found.¡± ¡°Probably wasn¡¯t working alone, though,¡± Alvol added. Tim sighed, cracking his knuckles. He wouldn¡¯t get anything done standing around. Hopefully they could manage to get this outside, or transcribe it, and he¡¯d have quite a few questions for Galatea the next time she visited. Assuming she could find them down here. Chapter 326: Checks After the issue of the succession was finally settled, Regina didn¡¯t spend much more time in Nerlia. Partly, that was because she wanted to get back to her usual routine, and she still didn¡¯t quite feel comfortable storing new eggs in Nerlia¡¯s royal palace. There was also a lot of paperwork waiting for her back in Cera. Partly, it was because she¡¯d gotten what she came for. Regina really didn¡¯t think the Nerlian nobles were close to rebelling, not without something happening to provide some impetus. That didn¡¯t mean Galatea had been wrong to point it out to her. Her visit was definitely a good idea; showing her face, reminding them of who they now ultimately answered to, and getting a personal sense of the Nerlian court. The Nerlians hadn¡¯t had a recent civil war to split their peerage. Kiara was still only in the process of piecing them back together in Cernlia. Here, it wasn¡¯t like a group of nobles could or would go off and do their own thing. Instead, she¡¯d realized, the power struggle of the aristocratic class played out in court. King Roger and his immediate predecessors had already been trying to centralize power in Nerlia for a while, and they¡¯d been somewhat successful. Unfortunately for them, it hadn¡¯t led to absolute power for the crown, it just meant that the court ruled the country. It was probably better for the people than pure, compartmentalized feudalism, given at least there were general, national regulations and laws. It was also better for Regina. She¡¯d already interfered and tilted the balance. The lords probably knew it as well, but they were too invested in the paradigm to try and turn back time; instead, they would claw for every scrap of power they could in offices and bestowals and royal appointments and licenses. Regina had been more or less aware of this situation before, but actually spending a bit of time observing and talking to the people ¡ª mostly men, though a few women were powerful here too, just generally in more indirect ways ¡ª really drove home the details and nuance of this process. For one, that it was a process. There was no such thing as a stable equilibrium in something like this, not really. She just needed to shift the center of power in Nerlia from Nerlia itself to her imperial court. There, Regina still had control. Power went where she directed; it would be a mix of direct imperial appointments and elected representatives. It was another process, or perhaps an extension of the existing one. And the process was already underway, of course. For now, she¡¯d marked out people she could work with, and people she wanted to recruit. A few of them she would gently introduce to Madris and Galatea¡¯s invention. The thought made her smile as she prepared to leave the city behind again. ¡°My well wishes for your trip, Your Imperial Majesty. I hope to be able to see you again soon,¡± Raymond said as she came to a stop beside Thor, who was waiting in the main garden. Regina turned and smiled at the prince, who had come to see them off as representative of the royal family again. It wasn¡¯t surprising. Ever since her agreement with the king, Princess Adelaide had avoided her. She didn¡¯t need to spend much time in her presence to sense her disappointment. The princess didn¡¯t throw a fit or anything, but it was almost worse; she could sense she was disillusioned. Regina didn¡¯t like the feeling. ¡°You¡¯ve been a gracious host, my prince. Thank you. We will certainly see each other again, and I look forward to working with you to put some of the ideas we have discussed into practice.¡± Raymond nodded seriously. ¡°I hope I can live up to your expectations, My Empress,¡± he said. He lowered his voice. ¡°I know you must have at least permitted my father to name me heir. I will do what I can to prove worthy of the title for the people of Nerlia.¡± Regina¡¯s smile widened, unmoved by what might have been a warning. ¡°I know,¡± she said. ¡°Please remind your aunt that she is always welcome back at the capital, as my guest if she likes. The invitation goes for you and your sister as well.¡± Rosalie had also avoided her recently, which was to be expected. The prince thanked her again, then stepped back, bowing formally. Regina climbed onto Thor and waved once at the gathered people watching them. Then the others around her rose into the air and Thor jumped up as well. Since she still had a lot to do, Regina spent the flight back mostly immersed in the psychic link, catching up on work. It was definitely an advantage to have a psychic link to many of her subordinates and her personal assistant, since they could prepare paperwork she would only have to sign in addition to holding meetings ¡®virtually¡¯. Regina didn¡¯t have any important conversations scheduled, though, since she knew they would both be distracted. At her request, Thor and the others didn¡¯t fly in a direct line but a curving path, giving her another glimpse of the spot they¡¯d chosen for her newest construction project. There wasn¡¯t much to see yet, of course. Some drones had started to gather there and were preparing the ground, but it would be a while until the actual building was visible. From there, it wasn¡¯t too hard fly back passing over the site of her planned new capital, and there was a lot more to see here. Many buildings in the center were already standing, even if they might not be entirely finished yet. Thor dipped lower and went in a bit of an arc across the location to give her a better view, but Regina didn¡¯t stop or fly down to talk to them. She could check on the progress over the psychic link, and showing up in person would just turn it into a big thing she didn¡¯t have the time for right now. Still, it was nice to see how much progress they¡¯d made. On the way back, she checked on the other parts of the Empire. The gnomes were still struggling to get situated in their new position, but that was to be expected. They were gradually acclimating, and the cultural and technological exchanges they¡¯d started were proving their worth. It was becoming more common to see gnomes in Cernlia, in Forest¡¯s Haunt or even in Nerlia. Mostly traders resuming their old routes, but increasingly other people as well. Similarly, Imperial citizens had been tricking into the Gnomish Confederation, too. Most of the schools and research centers Regina had planned were still under construction, but once they really got started, she was expecting, and looking forward to, a lot of scientific contributions. Mia was already talking about extending their rail network into the Gnomish Confederation. There was one more major construction project Regina couldn¡¯t check on right now even though she wanted do, although only if you used the term loosely. Namely, she¡¯d been planning on building an actual road through the mountains to connect the Empire to the southern lands. It wasn¡¯t anywhere close to finished, but they had at least finished construction of the first phase and were hard at work creating tunnels through some of the more challenging parts. It was not an easy project, since they had to protect their Workers and Swarm Drones that were doing the demolition and construction from monster attacks. But with the war against the gnomes over, the help of some maps and local guides from said gnomes, and troops available to pull guard duty, it was making progress. In fact, despite the risks, it was proving to be a good opportunity for leveling, including for her Swarm Drones, if she managed them carefully. Regina¡¯s psychic range was, of course, recently shifting with the travel she did, which had to be accounted for, but it was more of a benefit than a problem for that project, at least. It was a bit more of an issue for their efforts to find more information on the Esemen, but she hadn¡¯t exactly sent drones in to spy on them, so it was fine. Still, Regina already knew she should spend some time in Cera after this most recent trip instead of more travel.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Once they returned to the city, she got Thor to fly tight circles above it, then slipped from his back and stretched her own wings, letting them carry her down toward the royal palace. But not without taking in the city first. She rarely even got to extend her wings unless she was traveling or training, which she didn¡¯t have much time for usually. Working the kinks out of them was nice. Regina could tell her appearance had caught some people¡¯s attention, and felt sure they were pointing and staring, judging by what she could sense of their minds, but she ignored it. Somewhere along the way, she¡¯d gotten pretty used to people staring at her, or at least able to ignore it. Instead of using the front door, Regina touched down in the back garden of the palace. She rolled her shoulders and folded her wings loosely against her back. Normally she couldn¡¯t get them properly folded away tightly without the help of one of her drones, probably one of the reasons Hive Queens had Attendants. She¡¯d worn a tunic and jacket with openings for the wings for the trip, but they still pulled a bit uncomfortably on the fabric. Luckily, Ira was already there to welcome her, walking further into the garden to approach her as Regina turned towards the door. The smile faded from her face as she focused more intently on Ira¡¯s emotions and the expression on her face, though. ¡°I was looking forward to a bath and a bit of rest, maybe spending a bit of time with the newly hatched drones later,¡± Regina said. ¡°You look like I¡¯ll be disappointed.¡± Ira didn¡¯t smile this time. ¡°Welcome back, Mother,¡± she said. ¡°I would have spoken over the psychic link, but you seemed distracted, and it¡¯s a matter you should address in person anyway.¡± Regina regarded her for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get inside, then.¡± Thanks for the ride, Thor, she added to the other drone. Are you going to stay in the area? I think I will in case someone needs me, Thor replied. Regina sent him back a feeling of acknowledgment and focused on Ira as she made her way inside through the back door. Max was coming as well and would be here in a minute. Apparently, no one had prepared a welcoming committee this time, which was good, so she didn¡¯t have to waste time on ceremony. Maybe the drones hadn¡¯t publicized when she would be back, or Ira had just made sure they¡¯d have privacy. What is this about, then? she asked as they walked down the corridor. Ira chewed on a her lip, a sign of nervousness she didn¡¯t give often. We caught a spy. Regina¡¯s step stuttered and she turned her head, raising an eyebrow. You did? Yes. Well, June caught them, actually. We¡¯re going to her now, Ira added. Regina nodded. She would have figured that out from sensing her mind. Deciding it was best to get the story from both of them directly, she kept quiet until they entered the parlor close to her office where her apprentice waited for them, but kept turning Ira¡¯s words over in her mind. It probably wasn¡¯t surprising something like this would happen, but still concerning. June stood and bowed as Regina entered, but she was smiling. Unlike Ira, she didn¡¯t feel nervous. Maybe a bit excited. That reassured Regina a little. ¡°Master,¡± she greeted her. ¡°June,¡± Regina returned her smile, then unceremoniously plopped down on the nearest armchair. ¡°I hear you caught a spy. Shouldn¡¯t Daine be here for the debrief?¡± June and Ira exchanged a glance. ¡°We can call him in if you want, My Queen,¡° Ira said. ¡°We just thought it might be best to keep this quiet for now.¡± Regina frowned. Before she could answer, the door opened and Max slipped inside. He nodded and smiled at the others before leaning against one of the tables, crossing his arms. ¡°A spy,¡± Regina informed him, speaking out loud for June¡¯s sake. ¡°I assume it was someone in a sensitive position, then?¡± If someone had bribed a junior assistant clerk, they probably wouldn¡¯t be having a meeting like this. ¡°It was one of your own people,¡± June said. Ira shifted on her feet. ¡°We¡¯ve hired more assistants, as you know, Mother. There¡¯s a lot to do, I can¡¯t organize your schedule, act as your secretary and do all of it myself; so we need others to help with your wardrobe, prepare food, pack things if you travel, clean your rooms ¡­¡± ¡°I know,¡± Regina interrupted, sending a gentle wave of reassurance at her. She had a lot fewer personal servants than a lady of her status usually would around here, but she also had no desire to clean her own room or buy her own stationery. Of course she was aware of the situation and her attendants. They still had too few sapient drones, who could command Swarm Drones and do other important tasks, to waste them on work others could do just as well, or better given their experience, so they were mostly locals. Show me which one? Focus on them, she asked Ira over the psychic link. Ira did as she asked, focusing on her memories of one person and picturing them in her mind. Regina nodded to herself. She recognized the guy, but she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever exchanged more than a few sentences with him, and he hadn¡¯t been with them long. ¡°How did this happen?¡± she asked. Ira shrugged, still feeling uncomfortable. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, My Queen. Lars seemed trustworthy, he was a hard worker, respectful, I didn¡¯t really notice anything off. I hadn¡¯t given him access to anything important yet, he was still just doing grunt work and kept away from your office, but it probably wouldn¡¯t have been long before his duties included giving him access.¡± Regina grimaced slightly. They would have to start screening more carefully. She kept most important documents locked in drawers when she wasn¡¯t using her office, but that was hardly foolproof protection. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± she said. ¡°I should have checked all of them myself, but I was done with the current group and moving on to other officials and courtiers, and I neglected to keep up with it properly when I was traveling and you hired new people. I should have thought to do a deeper scan of everyone working directly with any of us.¡± ¡°At least it seems like we probably stopped it before he could do serious damage,¡± Max spoke up. ¡°Still, it¡¯s my fault as well. I should have kept a better eye on this, as your head of security. If they can send in a spy, they could send in an assassin.¡± He cocked his head. ¡°He was just a spy, right? How did you make him, June?¡± ¡°Honestly, it was mostly luck.¡± June shrugged. ¡°I ran into a group of your servants, Master, when I was looking for something. You know the book about traditional Cernlian folklore that Janis got you a few weeks ago? Ira wasn¡¯t there and I just wanted to ask who was responsible and see if I could get a look. I was going to get another copy for mother¡¯s birthday. I didn¡¯t think it was worth disturbing you by asking another drone to ask over the psychic link.¡± ¡°Sure, I did tell you you could borrow my books.¡± ¡°Anyway, as I was talking to the servants, trying to learn names and faces and what their duties were, the man got weirdly nervous. He tried to hide it, but I was also trying to practice my psychic skills, so I noticed. I don¡¯t know if he wasn¡¯t taught any psychic defenses or just didn¡¯t bother around me. Probably the latter, if you didn¡¯t sense that there was something off with him. But it was enough to make me suspicious. So I asked him more questions and he got even more nervous. Then I just asked him if he was hiding something while trying to check if he was lying like you told me, and he was definitely lying. That was it, really. I asked if he was spying on you and he lied when he said no. So I left and went to the nearest of Max¡¯s guards and they arrested him. That was about two hours ago, I think.¡± Regina blinked and nodded. ¡°Well done,¡± she praised her apprentice. ¡°Both in your actions and your psychic skills. Nice work.¡± She tugged on her mandible. ¡°Well, that takes care of my next question.¡± Obviously, the spy knew he¡¯d been made. ¡°Did we find out who sent him?¡± Max asked, following with the next obvious question. June shook her head. ¡°I tried asking, but he didn¡¯t answer, and I¡¯m not good enough to force the answer from his mind.¡± She glanced at Regina. Regina grimaced. I could definitely get an answer, if I played it right ¡­ she considered. Maybe making them answer and checking their honesty would even be the simplest option, it would be an interesting case to try that mind control talent I¡¯m supposed to have. But, that would be a severe violation. ¡°Just put him in a cell and let him stew for a while, for now,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°Maybe we can get him to talk by sweating him a bit. And I¡¯m sure there are a few people trained or experienced in interrogations around here.¡± Max cocked his head and she knew what he was thinking. But the spy had been caught, there was no apparent danger anymore. She couldn¡¯t justify jumping straight to ethically dubious measures. ¡°As you wish, My Queen,¡± he muttered. ¡°In the meantime, I¡¯m going to need your help to run another thorough check of everyone living in the palace,¡± she told June. ¡°Consider it advanced training.¡± June smiled, and Regina could tell she was actually looking forward to it. At least that was nice. Chapter 327: Reporting As expected, they didn¡¯t find anything when trying the other exit from the underground complex. Tim had sent his party out in groups, trying to move quickly, but he¡¯d always known the chances of catching their quarry, or finding anything they might have left behind, were low. Tim suspected there had been a few more golems, though. They hadn¡¯t found any, but the artificer had clearly posted some a short distance beyond the complex on the other side to guard the entrance, where they¡¯d fought the golems. It stood to reason there had been a guard on this entrance as well, but the artificer must have picked them up and brought them with them as they fled. It was even possible they had some way of communicating with them remotely. He wasn¡¯t sure if they¡¯d been alerted of his group¡¯s approach and had simply taken the risk of staying a little longer or not. His party also hadn¡¯t found anyone else, which was probably a mixed blessing. He had no way to know how many people were aware of this place. Presumably, the golem artificer hadn¡¯t been working alone. Tim was confident his party was more than a match for whoever else might show up, though, at least in the short term, which was why he had turned to exploration and cataloging everything they could find with little concern about other intruders. It took a while, as expected. The complex was pretty big. Almost certainly bigger than the outpost the Hive had found in the Great Forest, where Regina had been hatched. And it was obviously a different Hive. Even if the distance between the two locations hadn¡¯t indicated that, there were differences in style as well. Almost everything inside the compound had been taken or destroyed at some point, though, so it was hard to learn anything else about it. Or even what it had been used for. By this point, he was pretty confident the place that connected to the outside with another large tunnel was indeed a vehicle bay of some kind originally, but that was one of the few rooms where he could even say that with any certainty. ¡°And what now?¡± Tim muttered, staring across the vehicle bay. There was still a lot of material left; the old Hivekind had clearly found, or created, it cheaply and hadn¡¯t held back in making their armaments and vehicles. But little of it would still be useable. Most just looked like scrap. Little didn¡¯t necessarily mean none, though, and he didn¡¯t know how thoroughly whoever had trashed this place had checked. It was possible they could still find something important, but they would have to manually sift through all of this. ¡°How long are we going to stay here?¡± Tirias asked. It was barely not a whine. Elves weren¡¯t made for the underground, as he¡¯d said more than once. Alvol and Nucme had only scoffed. Tim bit down on the impulse to say ¡®as long as it takes¡¯. Honestly, he was unsure and the question had weighed on his mind practically since he first realized what this place was ¡ª what did they do now? It could be a priceless opportunity, but it was also located a long distance away from the Empire or the Hive and in the middle of disputed land regularly being fought over by the locals. If only he could talk to his other siblings. Or to Mother. ¡°At least for a while longer,¡± he decided. ¡°Ash, Anuis, Ed, a word?¡± He turned and walked a few meters to where they could talk privately. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to not let this go so easily. What do you think?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to draw attention sooner or later,¡± Ash warned. ¡°And people might fight for it. This area is already volatile, right?¡± ¡°It is,¡± Anuis added, nodding. ¡°Add an Ancient ruin to the mix and it will only get worse ¡ª I know that¡¯s not what it truly is, but it¡¯s what people will think of it as.¡± ¡°We can hold anyone off for a while, until and unless they actually muster an army, though,¡± Ash offered. ¡°Although we still don¡¯t know who else knows about and has been using this place. We need to find out more.¡± Tim sighed, glancing at the others. ¡°I think we can sit on this for at least a while, and then maybe leave a guard behind. We¡¯ll think about other destinations and where we might get help. But, Galatea has been visiting us at least semi-regularly since we left. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s scrying on us.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to do anything more until you have checked in with the Empress, then,¡± Ed said, nodding. ¡°Perfectly sensible in my opinion.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Tim glanced at the ritual circle they¡¯d carefully left alone. There was that, too. Once they returned to the other group, the local human adventurer, Tony, who¡¯d been pretty quiet so far, spoke up. ¡°Lord Tim, this may be a find that necessitates informing your allies. I am sure Archmage Lucian would be pleased to help you secure this site.¡± Tim frowned. That was a bit more formal than usual, and also raised some implications. ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°I could contact him,¡± Tony continued. ¡°We only need to travel a league or so, and I can send a message to Veragles. He could be here with help soon. We don¡¯t even need to inform the Prince if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Tim¡¯s frown deepened. He supposed it wasn¡¯t so surprising. Even if his group had tried to bring tamed beasts used as messengers, they couldn¡¯t have crossed the mountains, and magical means of communicating at that distance from a variable location weren¡¯t really feasible either, so they hadn¡¯t bothered to try. But there was no reason someone couldn¡¯t send a message to a city that was much closer on this side of the mountains. ¡°How would this work?¡± he asked carefully. ¡°Pragmatically speaking, I mean.¡± Tony shrugged. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not a commander. But you know there are a few cities fighting over this stretch of land. The smaller one to the north, Iliucin, is allied to Veragles ¡ª¡° ¡°Beholden, you mean,¡± Iliam said. He was sitting on an unstable looking metal pile and kicking his legs idly. ¡°Whichever. And Lord Thande¡¯s family is strong there. He has a lot of resources to call on.¡± Tim sighed. ¡°I appreciate the offer, Tony, but I¡¯ll have to decline for now.¡± The adventurer straightened up. ¡°You need to reconsider, Tim. Something like this .. the Archmage will want to know. I¡¯m not going to keep it from him.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Tim pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Fine, then. Tony, you¡¯ll stay here until further notice. I¡¯ll give you all guard shift rotations. You will not set foot outside the complex without my say-so, you understand? Just to be safe. Can¡¯t lose my contact with Veragles.¡± Tony stared at him. Tim just turned to Iliam. ¡°And you?¡± The dwarf just shrugged again. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who¡¯s actually supposed to be paying me at the moment, but I like you and I¡¯m not loyal enough to Thande to betray you to him. Besides, this just got really interesting.¡± Tim rolled his eyes, but he thought Iliam was sincere. He¡¯d still make sure both of them were watched, of course. The next two days or so were full of tense waiting. Tim paced through as much of the halls of the complex as he could, a bit disappointed that no one in his current party had wings. Definitely an oversight. He tried to catalog what he could see and assess what it might have meant, helped by the others. They watched all entrances they could find and pulled a lot of guard shifts. So far, no one else showed up, not even a monster. Tim was just about to consider who he might leave behind as a guard to watch the place while he went to that other city when his patience was rewarded. It started with Nucme appearing in the doorway to the hall he was currently in, looking almost windswept. ¡°Tim, come to the bay,¡± he called, already turning. Tim swallowed his questions and followed the dark elf, rushing through several corridors. When he finally entered the vehicle bay and made his way past several blocks of scrap metal to where his group had set up camp, he breathed a sigh of relief and felt some of his tension relax. Galatea was there, looming above the group impressively for someone whose projected body was shorter than him. She had crossed her arms and was looking around with a guarded expression. ¡°Galatea,¡± Tim greeted her as he skittered to a halt, breathing a little harder. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you. We need your help.¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± she responded, sweeping her gaze across him and then around. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you guys to be underground. The scrying backlash wasn¡¯t pleasant. Tim, what is this place?¡± He ran a hand through his hair, then briefly explained everything that had happened the last few days and what he had found out and supposed about this underground complex. He couldn¡¯t read her reaction very well, aware that she only showed on her face what she wanted to, but she listened without interruption. ¡°So, I¡¯m a little stumped on what to do next,¡± he concluded. ¡°But for now, can you take a look at this?¡± Instead of grabbing her arm, he just gestured vaguely with it and turned to lead her to the metal plate etched with magic circles. Most of the others stayed behind at the camp, if they weren¡¯t on guard shift, though a few trailed after them. ¡°Is this from the old Hivekind or just a magical technique I hadn¡¯t heard of from this part of the world?¡± he asked. Galatea frowned down at it, staying silent for a few seconds, before she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she admitted. ¡°It seems vaguely familiar, but I can¡¯t quite place it. Maybe it is from an old Hive, maybe it¡¯s just a local tradition I haven¡¯t encountered much, or maybe someone combined elements of both. It will need a bit more study.¡± She tapped her fingers and he waited silently until she met his gaze squarely again. ¡°Regina will be very interested to hear about this, but the location could be better, to be sure. At least it hasn¡¯t already come under the control of any local power. Under the circumstances, I think we can safely say your original diplomatic mission can take a backseat, or at least include another objective.¡± Tim nodded. That was some assurance he¡¯d wished for, even if she hadn¡¯t said anything surprising. ¡°You¡¯ll let them know?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Galatea started pacing up and down, then nodded and turned back to him. ¡°Chin up, Tim. This isn¡¯t a bad thing. We can make this work.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± Tim muttered, then filled her in on the situation with Tony and Veragles in more detail. Galatea didn¡¯t seem particularly concerned. ¡°Honestly, it was probably to be expected that one of them would report back to the archmage. Intersting detail about their city¡¯s influence, though. I¡¯ll tell Regina about this as well, but she¡¯ll probably back whichever way you want to play this. Whether that means a closer alliance with one local faction here or not. But you might not have to fight alone, anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± he asked. ¡°Regina may send another group through the mountains. I¡¯m not up to date on their exact progress, but the Empire has been working on securing the route. Another special forces group is definitely doable, I think, especially after the end of the war with the gnomes. If you want to ask for reinforcements ¡­¡± ¡°Yes, please,¡± he said with feeling. Another kernel of hope lit in his chest as well. If they open the way, I can return, even just for a brief time ¡­ But he pushed that away, now wasn¡¯t the time to pout over missing his Hive. ¡°That would be great. I think my mission is going well enough, but some backup would definitely be appreciated.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Galatea said a bit drily, and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll let them know. And Tim, you know you can talk to me if you¡¯re not feeling well, right? I should be able to take a passenger back, even if we have to make shorter hops. If you, or one of your party, is suffering from being separated from the psychic link ¡­¡± Tim breathed out deeply and shook his head. ¡°I appreciate the offer, Galatea, but we can handle it.¡± She looked at him for a moment, but seemed to accept that. ¡°Then I will be on my way soon. But for now, can you show me that golem head you say you took?¡± Tim nodded and guided Galatea back to their camp and the rest of the group. They¡¯d passed around their mysterious spoil, but currently someone had propped it up against some of the bags. He reached out, turned it in his hands thoughtfully once and then offered it to the mana-form. Before Galatea could do more than hold it and take a quick look, the others distracted her with questions and requests. Tim hid a grimace. He shouldn¡¯t monopolize her attention, but he felt a bit antsy about sending word back to the Hive and getting information from them. Still, they had all been more or less isolated for a while. ¡°Lady Galatea,¡± Tony spoke up. ¡°I am not sure if you are aware, but I have the option of contacting our patron in Veragles. Perhaps you could even accompany us, or confirm that there is no foul play at work? We can get reinforcements to help secure this position quite quickly this way. It would be much faster and more convenient than waiting for troops from the Empire that may never arrive, and much less disruptive, as well. More Imperial forces showing up would inflame tempers and perhaps provoke a conflict, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Galatea paused, frowning at him. ¡°I¡¯m sure Tim has thought of all that.¡± Tim shifted his weight. It was nice to hear Galatea back him up, although he wouldn¡¯t mind a second opinion. ¡°Are you trying to get her to overrule his princely lordship?¡± Iliam asked, leaning back against another twisted metal contraption he¡¯d dragged over and re-fletching an arrow. ¡°Would that even work?¡± Galatea paused and Tim and she exchanged a look. Galatea had no official status or rank in the Empire, she¡¯d never wanted one. The Delvers showed her respect or even deference and she was the Empress¡¯ best friend, but you could argue she had no official authority. Not that it really mattered. Tim shrugged slightly at her. If Galatea had a strong opinion on this topic, he was willing to follow her lead, anyway. Besides, she could talk to Regina and get her orders. ¡°Mother values her highly,¡± Tim said, a bit stiffly. ¡°But she put me in charge here. I would always listen to Galatea, it¡¯s pointless to try and create some kind of conflict between us.¡± ¡°Sure, no offense meant,¡± Iliam drawled, focusing back on his task. ¡°You should all stay put here for a while longer,¡± Galatea said. ¡°I¡¯m sure the time will come to talk to our contacts in Veragles.¡± She glanced at him and Tim knew they were both thinking the same thing: The city wouldn¡¯t send soldiers here just to help them out. They¡¯d do it as part of a ¡ªprobably planned ¡ª grasp for power in the region. Potentially Ancient ruin or not, this place wasn¡¯t really important enough for everyone to go to war over. Tim would give it up and leave if it came to that. But until then, he would still try to find out what was going on. At least he could now let someone who knew what they were doing worry about the magical questions. He just liked the chance of learning more about their predecessors. Chapter 328: Exercises Psychic abilities, Regina had learned, were finicky, subjective, and hard to teach. They were like other types of magic on the surface, in some aspects, but tended to require intricate control and thought. They were also, as a consequence, more rewarding to use well. Or maybe that was just her. June seemed to agree, though. Lessons were usually nice, but they could also be frustrating. ¡°But if someone doesn¡¯t want to answer your questions at all, it¡¯s harder to find the answer in their mind than if they just lie, right?¡± her apprentice asked, propping her head on her chin. ¡°Right,¡± Regina nodded, ¡°that¡¯s what I meant. It might be related to certain areas of their brain being activated or not. We tend to experience formed thoughts as language, when we sense others¡¯ minds, and I suspect it¡¯s some of the easiest parts to access, behind emotions. Particularly since they are both about outward expression and communication anyway.¡± ¡°Yes, sure,¡± June said. Clearly she wasn¡¯t up for a tangent into neuroscience today, not that Regina knew much about it, anyway. ¡°But, I mean, can¡¯t you just make them answer you? Even if they lie, you can just tell if they do and get the right answer anyway.¡± Regina sighed, sitting back and rubbing her temple. They were in her living room right now, with her sitting in an armchair while June balanced on the couch. ¡°You could, I suppose,¡± she said. ¡°The same way as in other interrogations. Torture or other methods to force compliance. It wouldn¡¯t exactly be very ethical.¡± June winced slightly, looking a bit chastened. ¡°Alright, of course. But you can do it with psychic influence, too?¡± ¡°I could,¡± Regina said. She hadn¡¯t started teaching June anything that would come close to mind control abilities, and wasn¡¯t sure if she would. ¡°Do you think that would be more ethical?¡± Her apprentice shifted on her sofa, shoulders hunching a bit. ¡°No,¡± she admitted, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose so. But that guy spied on you, don¡¯t you need to find out who sent him and if there is more danger?¡± Regina tugged on her mandible. So they¡¯d moved from a theoretical lesson to the actual case they were both thinking about. ¡°Of course I want to know who sent them and what other plans they may have had,¡± she said. ¡°But there are other ways to get information. A common one is offering them consideration when it comes to their sentencing if they cooperate.¡± She shrugged lightly. ¡°I¡¯m not ruling other methods out entirely, mind you, I just don¡¯t think the situation is urgent enough to justify resorting to them, from what we know.¡± June frowned. ¡°I think I understand,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s just a bit of an adjustment, still. The way I was taught, no one really cared if criminals got hurt. It was supposed to happen. To scare others away from committing the same crimes as much as to punish them.¡± Regina nodded. They had been raised in very different societies, with different principles and requirements. And, of course, June was part of the ruling class; she would have been taught, even subconsciously, the mindset of doing what was necessary to maintain their power. Including keeping the lower classes in their ¡®proper place¡¯. And now I sound like an ideologue in my own head, Regina complained to herself. It made her feel a bit guilty about even saying she would consider using ¡®other methods¡¯. She should be using this as a pointed lesson for June as to how everyone deserved basic respect and constitutional protection, including criminals and ¡®enemies¡¯ of hers. ¡°As homework until our next lesson, read my draft of the constitution and give me your opinion,¡± she said. ¡°Pay particular attention to why and how the principles are included.¡± June gave her a faintly exasperated look. ¡°Is that entirely necessary, Master? I¡¯ve heard it before and it¡¯s hardly a lesson on magic.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still something you should know,¡± Regina said mildly. ¡°Besides, I think we¡¯d both enjoy discussing and debating this philosphically, but we kind of need to be on the same page. And you can¡¯t exactly get away from political ideology or policy in your position.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± June sighed. ¡°I mean, as you command, My Empress. I am your obedient subject. Can we still do a practical psychic lesson in exchange, though? Please?¡± Regina chuckled. ¡°Sure, we can do that. Come on, let¡¯s walk.¡± It wasn¡¯t far to where she wanted to go. Regina and the others had already scanned several people and she¡¯d singled out a few she thought had potential, and had started training. They were still in the very early stages. She would have June help her teach them as well, soon. Not quite yet, though. Perhaps if June acquitted herself well today. Instead, Regina had thought of another training exercise, or task, if she wanted to see it that way. It shouldn¡¯t be exclusive to June, though, so instead she stopped by to pick up two of the other new students they had acquired. She reached out mentally and told them to meet her there, ignoring the startled surprise she could sense from both of them. They would learn to expect psychic communication, and to control and hide their reactions from others¡¯ minds, too. ¡°Your Imperial Majesty.¡± When she finally joined them in the inner garden, one of them, Helen, sank to a knee, while the other, Edmund, only bowed deeply. ¡°Rise, please,¡± Regina responded, smiling at them, while making a mental note to make sure they got on the same page. Helen was a bit of a lucky find. She¡¯d actually been brought in by Madris. A peasant by birth, she¡¯d moved to the city a few years ago and used her minor and mostly self-taught magical talent to make a decent living for herself. Regina had already assigned her a tutor to make sure she would learn what she needed to navigate the court and nobility, in case it came up, and asked several drones to catch her up on what they could teach, as well. She already knew the other, of course, Sir Edmund of Whitedale. Earl Whitor¡¯s son. Regina hadn¡¯t forgotten that June was a bit suspicious of him, but so far, she¡¯d seen nothing to confirm any suspicions. She¡¯d be careful, but from her previous interactions she wasn¡¯t inclined to distrust the knight too much. Edmund bowed to June as well as she stepped up beside Regina, and Helen quickly copied him, also murmuring greetings. Regina waited for the initial exchange, but she could feel their anticipation in the psychic link. It was good that neither of them seemed afraid or reluctant, only excited. ¡°Alright,¡± Regina clapped her hands once and smiled at them, kind of enjoying the situation and getting to push them around a little bit. ¡°We¡¯re going to stay here. June, don¡¯t move from this position, you¡¯ll be disqualified from our little exercise if you do. The two of you are free to walk around if you like, but don¡¯t leave the garden. Your task is much simpler, I just want you to see if you can guess what June is doing. Pay attention to which people are nearby and moving to or from our position. I¡¯ll ask you later. Don¡¯t be discouraged if you don¡¯t feel anything or can¡¯t identify other minds, it is a hard task that will need practice.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°And what am I doing?¡± June asked. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a little bit of a scavenger hunt for you,¡± Regina said. ¡°Not with physical clues, of course. At least, not that you should focus on. I¡¯ve designated one of the people in the palace as the target, you need to find out whom and get them here. Several people have hints, and they might have left clues as well. You are not to cross any ethical lines or force anyone to comply with your wishes, still. Obviously. And not everyone in the building is aware of this little game. Try not to disrupt normal operations.¡± She didn¡¯t say that most of the people in on it were her drones, June should be able to figure that out herself. She¡¯d also, in the spirit of the game, instructed some of them to ask for specific things before they would give her a clue. Her apprentice smiled, not daunted by the task at all. She nodded and without fuss, sat down on the grass, closing her eyes and clearly focusing on her psychic senses. Regina watched her for a moment, trying to guess where she was starting. Then she turned to her other two new students and raised an eyebrow. They both bowed their heads at her and started shuffling around, their faces screwed up in expressions of concentration as they tried to reach out with their minds. Regina waited in silence for a while, trying to track her apprentice¡¯s progress. June was doing pretty well from what she could tell, checking in with some of the people she¡¯d conscripted into this little game. She was clearly starting with the people she thought Regina was most likely to have involved in it. And admittedly, she was mostly right. She also appeared to be ready to trade favors with them, trying to bribe them to cooperate, and probably setting up chains that ended with her not having to do that much in the end. That wasn¡¯t quite the strategy Regina had expected, but it also wasn¡¯t wrong. Social manipulations aside, June still had to use her psychic powers extensively; locating, contacting and keeping up conversations with other people, and probably trying to get a read on their emotional state or intentions. It was harder for Regina to evaluate that part, especially since June¡¯s mental defenses had improved as well. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± she asked when June opened her eyes and she saw her attention returning to the garden, clearly taking a break. ¡°Pretty well,¡± June smiled. ¡°I think I almost have the answer.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow. She didn¡¯t think June had talked to that many people yet. She was probably still guessing. But she didn¡¯t say anything, just nodded. After a minute, June closed her eyes again. Regina watched her for a moment, but then her attention was drawn by a commotion outside. She turned her head, sensing a familiar mind approaching quickly. One that was rather more tense than she would have preferred to see her. ¡°Regina,¡± Galatea greeted as she came to a stop in front of them, quite abruptly. A biological organism would have experienced whiplash, but she didn¡¯t bother with it. ¡°I have some news, we need to talk.¡± Regina sighed. It sounded serious. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s the end of our game, unfortunately. Helen, Edmund, please return to your regular duties or other lessons, we¡¯ll conclude this tomorrow.¡± She returned their bows with a distracted nod and then turned to glance from June to Galatea. ¡°Do you need complete privacy?¡± Galatea seemed to consider for a moment. ¡°You¡¯ve worked on June¡¯s mental defenses, right? I don¡¯t think that is necessary.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± June said. ¡°One quick question, though, Master, if we¡¯ve the time? I just want to know if I got the right answer.¡± Galatea gestured at her to go ahead. ¡°Alright, who did I name as the target?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Yourself,¡± June promptly replied. ¡°¡­ Correct. Good work. I didn¡¯t think you had progressed that far yet.¡± From what she could guess, June should only have known the person was female and an adult and, maybe, magical. ¡°No, but I didn¡¯t need to,¡± June smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know the details of your training exercise, but that doesn¡¯t surprise me,¡± Galatea said drily. ¡°Alright, more of that later. I think Tim would prefer I catch you up as soon as possible.¡± Regina straightened and quickly glanced around. Max was coming closer, but they were alone otherwise. She briefly considered going somewhere else, then decided they might as well talk here. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± she said. Without wasting more time, Galatea told her about the underground tunnels Tim¡¯s group had explored, the golems they had encountered, and what they¡¯d found there. Regina listened in silence, tugging on her mandible. Then she asked a few clarifying questions and Galatea went into a bit more detail on several points. Finally, she shook her head, sighing. ¡°Another Hivekind installation,¡± Regina mused. ¡°I suppose it was only a matter of time until we found more ruins. Of course I¡¯ll send more people. This project just got more urgent. Though ¡­¡± she trailed off, frowning. ¡°The distance?¡± Max asked. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to be careful,¡± Regina said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to start fighting with any southern powers. It sounds like they have enough conflict going on already, by what Galatea said. People will try to pull us into it. We may not be able to avoid it, I guess. But I¡¯d prefer to focus on exploring this new site and learning what we can from it.¡± ¡°Tim has dealt with the nobles of Veragles before, and he didn¡¯t seem too bothered, did he?¡± Max asked. ¡°He¡¯s good, he can handle it.¡± ¡°He did seem a bit nervous, but he¡¯s been away from your hive for a while now,¡± Galatea noted. Regina sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can to support Tim, of course. We¡¯ll need to think carefully about who to send, but I have a few ideas. It should be fine to send a few good flying mounts to help them and potentially open a way back, too. And ¡­ well, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re out of luck on that other matter, Max.¡± He gave her a look. ¡°I still don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary. And I want to keep protecting you, My Queen.¡± ¡°You can still do that,¡± Regina said. ¡°As head of my security. We¡¯re in the middle of my empire, it¡¯s really not the best use of your time to personally stand guard around me all the time. You can protect me better by using your skills more judiciously, I mean, you are one of our most competent and high-leveled people. You¡¯ll still be able to accompany me pretty much anywhere, anyway.¡± Max sighed, June raised an eyebrow but forebore to comment, and Galatea crossed her arms, looking impatient. ¡°Maybe we should discuss the magic and potential enemies instead of getting hung up on personnel decisions.¡± ¡°Of course. You said you didn¡¯t recognize the circles in their teleporting ritual plate?¡± ¡°Not at first glance,¡± Galatea said. ¡°Some common elements, of course, but those aren¡¯t unique. I will need to do some research. I already scanned and memorized the design, I can draw it out for you. But please be careful who you show it to.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Regina said. She glanced at June, who looked eager; no surprise there. Janis would be just as curious once she heard about that. ¡°Should we ask anyone else? Zephyr, maybe?¡± Max asked. ¡°Maybe once we hit a wall,¡± Regina answered, shaking her head. She didn¡¯t really think the Cernlian mage would be able to help them, although she supposed all things were possible. ¡°Who would know if it is authentically Hivekind or not?¡± June asked. Regina and Galatea exchanged a look. ¡°Well, Leian,¡± she said promptly. ¡°Not sure about anyone else.¡± ¡°Maybe Beren, and possibly Alianais, but that might be a stretch,¡± Galatea added. Regina sighed and resisted the urge to rub her temples again. ¡°Just the people I wanted to be the answer,¡± she muttered. ¡°Leian would probably know ¡ª or be interested to know ¡ª a lot more about that teleportation ritual, as well, anyway. It¡¯s probably nothing special to her.¡± ¡°Well, I can try to pray again, but until then we¡¯re on our own,¡± Regina said. ¡°Maybe we should focus on the political elements?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Galatea agreed. ¡°That¡¯s your wheelhouse.¡± Regina hummed and glanced at Max again. She could send him to supervise the mountain road project at least for a short while. She¡¯d also consult with Ben, Janis and maybe a few others on who would be a good idea to send. Enough to make it through the mountains and to make a point, but not anything like an invasion force. She really would rather prefer to avoid that impression. Given previous events, it was probably a bit of a concern. At least if the southern lands were informed on what happened up here. At least she¡¯d hopefully get to sate some of her curiosity regarding what happened in other parts of the world. Chapter 329: Status and Position If there was one thing that could be said about the gnomes in political matters, Janis had learned, it was that they knew their way around paperwork and bureaucracy. It was to be expected; they had, for a long time, had an arguably much more complicated and centralized government than Cernlia or Nerlia. Their organization in factions probably needed a lot of it as well. While some of the people in the Empire were still struggling with the standards and expectations that came with what Regina had introduced, Janis didn¡¯t see any problems among the gnomes. Treaties, contracts, funding application forms, written regulations, or whatever else, the gnomes she was working with or saw now seemed much more at ease handling them where new Imperial citizens might have had minor nervous breakdowns. Therefore, while she wouldn¡¯t have expected it a few months ago, Janis found herself almost smiling as she went through the forms and various assorted paperwork submitted by and about the gnomish soldiers who were currently the focus of her attention. Not that she actually felt happy to be doing this, of course, it was still boring. She kept thinking someone else could be handling this. Unfortunately, while being Imperial crown princess was better than a dream ¡ª she wouldn¡¯t have come up with something like this even in her wildest dreams a few years ago, anyway ¡ª it did bring a lot of work with it. It would be petty to complain about it, though, so Janis limited her complaints to occasional grumbles in the privacy of her thoughts. After the end of the war, she¡¯d been relieved, and hoped she would be able to get back to focusing on and advancing her magic. While those hopes hadn¡¯t quite been dashed, she had much less time for it than she¡¯d have liked. Regina, the Hive and the Empire still needed her support, and so Janis had gone back to the Gnomish Confederation for most of the previous months. She¡¯d also discovered there was much to do for a commander like her even in peace time. Especially when they were finally getting somewhere with creating a cohesive Imperial military force. After a while, she was finally done, so she stacked the papers for someone else to take away and then walked out of her temporary office. She¡¯d only been out of the Gnomish Confederation for less than a day, but the difference was obvious. The doors were taller, for one. The building whose hallway she now walked down was in Cera, a converted trade hall turned barracks and military base, but it had been almost completely revamped. Still, it was easy enough to navigate and after only a minute, Janis found herself on a first floor balcony looking down at some soldiers in the inner yard. The soldiers were drilling and putting on a good show, but that wasn¡¯t why she was watching. The reason for her interest would quickly be obvious, because she wasn¡¯t the only one looking at them. A group of gnomish soldiers had been dispersed in the crowd of the other soldiers, some clustering together in the front. The soldiers were all currently testing their skills and abilities, presumably involving some Class Skills that didn¡¯t have long cooldowns. Their coordination at getting to train without getting in each other¡¯s way was impressive. The display was more diverse than it would have been with some units or outfits; since they all had their own Skills, fitting them into the same mold was only possible up to a degree. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t take long for all of them to notice her. The captain barked something and the soldiers lined up quickly, standing at attention and saluting at another order. Janis smiled and returned the salute. ¡°At ease,¡± she said, raising her voice slightly to ensure they all heard it. ¡°Do not let me disturb you. As you were.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Imperial Highness,¡± the captain replied, bowing his head. ¡°You heard her, get back to work!¡± They returned to their training, but Janis knew that it wouldn¡¯t be the same. They were aware they were being watched by a superior now, and would be trying to show off or be extra careful, depending. She still kept watching for a bit longer. The gnomes here weren¡¯t part of their own army, at least not officially. Some ¡ª most ¡ª of them were on loan or on permanent or extended leave from the gnomish military. They had joined the Imperial army separately. It was what some time of negotiations negotiations had arrived at as a compromise. The gnomish military would be more closely integrated with the Imperial one as well, but it would stay an independent force, at least nominally, at least for now. Until they officially joined the Empire. In the meantime, as citizens of the Empire¡¯s protectorate, gnomes were permitted to enlist in the Imperial military. Previous experience and ranks were taken into consideration. That allowed what were basically transfers. Just with more paperwork, or at least she hoped it would be less otherwise, thus the forms. Janis hadn¡¯t disliked her stay in the Gnomish Confederation, but she was glad to be back, and overseeing the integration of the first gnomish soldiers wasn¡¯t a bad mission to focus on for now. Still, there were other things she should give a bit of her attention as well, since she was in Cera now. Janis kept watching for a bit, trying to gauge how well integrated the gnomish soldiers were in the unit. It was still early days and there was clearly some tension and uncertainty, but she didn¡¯t see any outright hostility. It might be pointless to just watch them this openly trying to find it, though. She shook her head to herself and turned, deciding she might as well ask other people about their impressions later. Instead, she turned to leave the building. ¡°Going back to the palace now, my princess?¡± her great-uncle asked as he fell in step beside her, hands clasped behind his back. Janis glanced at him. Sir Richard had been assigned to her for a bit now, and while things had initially been awkward, she was glad to have some of her family with her. He¡¯d settled into a role somewhere between advisor and guard, able and willing to speak informally with her because of their relation, but still proper. He as also a decorated and experienced knight and commander, so she would hardly ignore him, anyway. ¡°Not yet, I still have a stop planned in the city,¡± she answered. He nodded, clearly taking a good guess at what she meant. Fortunately, Janis was able to get away with a lot less in the way of protection here than back in the Gnomish Confederation, where people had usually insisted on a full guard complement if she went out into the streets. But this was their capital. Uncle Rich was a perfectly capable guard, so she didn¡¯t need anyone else. She could have easily taken a few Swarm Drones along, of course, but Janis would prefer to be less conspicuous. Although, she realized as they went, that was apparently a futile hope. She wouldn¡¯t have thought she was that distinctive, but maybe she was underestimating it again. Her hair wasn¡¯t entirely human in color ¡ª as she¡¯d let it grow out enough, the tips became even more fiery to the point she genuinely wondered if it was more than aesthetic ¡ª and her eyes, while not as immediately obvious, weren¡¯t either. Janis was also dressed well, not quite up to a day in court, but the half-cape she¡¯d chosen to finalize her outfit was admittedly a bit dramatic. She still liked it. Being accompanied by a knight, even if he wasn¡¯t wearing his full armor, didn¡¯t help. Either way, it was obvious people noticed, reacting when they checked out her System designation, and once enough of them paid attention, everyone else¡¯s attention would be drawn too. At least the attention wasn¡¯t actually bothersome. They weren¡¯t accosted or blocked; on the contrary, people were eager to clear space around her, parting the normal crowds and even pressing themselves against walls on occasion.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. All of them stared, but it wasn¡¯t hostile or negative. Janis managed to smile at them and dared a wave, and the resulting noise was nothing but excited. People called out her title and a surprising number of them added well wishes and blessings, wishing her a long life, for the gods to keep her, and more creative blessings she hadn¡¯t heard before. Janis smiled again and waved back, occasionally returning a short thank-you. ¡°We should have taken a full guard detail,¡± her uncle muttered. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, that¡¯s not necessary,¡± Janis returned, even though it probably would have made the trip easier. ¡°These people love me.¡± She heard the wonder in her voice, and shook her head a little at herself. ¡°They really love me,¡± she repeated more quietly. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re their crown princess.¡± Janis gave him a sideways glance. ¡°That¡¯s hardly a guarantee of anything. Didn¡¯t you tell me how people tried throwing rotten fruit at the old king once?¡± Key word being ¡®tried¡¯. He¡¯d responded harshly and quickly. Janis was sure he never would have gone without a full guard detail. Her uncle only made a dismissive grumbling sound. ¡°Your reputation is so much better than his, my princess. I am not sure even the Empress herself would get this enthusiasm. You didn¡¯t hear that from me.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Janis asked as she grinned at the crowd again, but started walking a bit faster. ¡°Her reforms are improving their lives, that¡¯s the entire point.¡± ¡°True, but it can be hard to connect the effects in their lives with her efforts, I suppose,¡± Richard murmured. ¡°And she has been sitting behind palace walls. You led an army, and your men mostly only have good things to say about you. The people love a victor.¡± ¡°Really?¡± she mused. ¡°Are the people that shallow?¡± ¡°Shallow?¡± He paused, giving her a more serious look. ¡°Janis, you won a war for them. The people appreciate it. Don¡¯t dismiss it. Your Imperial Highness.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± she muttered, chastened. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± She sighed, then forced another smile. At least they were getting to a less thickly populated part of the city now and the crowds were thinning out. Eventually, she managed to duck into a side alley and block their view with her uncle¡¯s bulk. She adjusted her cape, tucked her hair into her jacket, even if it looked a bit worse this way, and titled her head down as they quickly crossed several streets. It wasn¡¯t very far now, and she¡¯d managed to avoid most people¡¯s attention here. The mansion they eventually reached was a bit smaller than the others nearby, there was no need for more space, and the walls had recently been painted anew. It still didn¡¯t feel familiar to Janis, but she liked its look and atmosphere. She passed through the gate, then looked around, her magical senses giving her a better view of the layout and beings containing mana within. Instead of entering the building directly, she went a bit to the side, Richard following after her, to find the person she¡¯d been looking for in a partly covered courtyard bordered by the main house and a side annex. ¡°You¡¯re the aunt of a princess now. You don¡¯t have to do your own laundry.¡± Aunt Marian startled, almost dropping the basket she¡¯d just picked up. She set it aside carelessly and turned. ¡°Janis! I didn¡¯t see you there. Oh, and Sir Richard. Welcome.¡± Janis nodded and took a step closer, peering critically at the line hanging across the courtyard, filled with sheets and shirts. She didn¡¯t know if it mattered that it wasn¡¯t really visible from the street. ¡°Are the servants I¡¯ve hired not doing enough?¡± she asked. ¡°Tell me, I can chastise them or get more workers.¡± ¡°They¡¯re fine,¡± Marian replied promptly, ¡°don¡¯t you dare dismiss them. We¡¯ve just gotten used to each other. Besides, I know you¡¯re paying them quite generously.¡± ¡°I want you to be well taken care of,¡± Janis shrugged dismissively. That much was true, whatever problems she¡¯d had with her aunt in the past. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like she was spending her own money. Technically. Janis didn¡¯t actually draw a salary or anything. But Regina was perfectly happy to pay for things like her family¡¯s living expenses, which included hiring domestic staff, for people with means. And Janis figured that, if nothing else, she was doing enough work for the Empire to account for keeping a few people living comfortably. Her aunt sighed and rolled her eyes, though the gesture seemed a bit fonder than Janis would have expected. ¡°It¡¯s sweet of you to worry, my dear, but mistaken. I hardly have to do any work at all anymore. In fact, that would be my biggest problem. I don¡¯t have any work to do.¡± Janis stared at her for a moment, then nodded. Maybe she wasn¡¯t the only one who felt that a bit of distance had actually improved their relationship. Or maybe her growing up and the changing situation had removed some causes for friction. She certainly wouldn¡¯t have thought about it like that a few years ago. But her aunt also hadn¡¯t exactly called her ¡®sweet¡¯ often. "How about we head inside and talk over drinks?¡± she suggested. ¡°I could do with a cup of tea.¡± They did, and Janis got the opportunity to see the servants they¡¯d discussed in action. Once her aunt gave the order, clearly acting as matron of the house, they served tea pretty quickly. Janis thanked them with a smile and then settled into the chair in the smaller parlor of the house. Her uncle hesitated for a moment before taking another chair, but her aunt didn¡¯t bother standing on ceremony even if her wayward niece was now a princess. That would have been too weird, anyway. On some level, she always felt like a ten-year-old who¡¯d come back bruised and dirty from playing with the other village children with her aunt. It was amusing to see that hadn¡¯t changed. ¡°So, you¡¯re bored?¡± she ventured after taking a sip of tea. Herbs mixed with something imported. ¡°Am I ever,¡± Aunt Marian sighed. ¡°I appreciate that you brought me here, niece ¡ª at last ¡ª but I am used to the satisfaction of a hard day¡¯s work. Sitting around all day is enough to almost make me wish I¡¯d become an adventurer myself.¡± Janis ducked her head a bit. She should have probably taken her aunt here earlier, but she¡¯d wanted for things to settle first and she¡¯d been rather distracted by fighting the war. At least Forest¡¯s Haunt had improved a lot and she¡¯d still made sure her aunt had money, so it wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d entirely neglected caring for her. And it had been a few months now. ¡°Would you rather have stayed?¡± she asked. Though she could¡¯ve just told me that. ¡°Or go back?¡± Her aunt regarded her silently for a second. ¡°No,¡± she said finally. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the same ¡­ Princess. Everyone knew you, obviously, and who I was. I even got a few visitors, knights and such, who probably thought they could get something out of it regarding you. You should¡¯ve seen their faces.¡± She smiled slightly, then shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have it worse than I do, when it comes to people treating you differently. I was hardly opposed to a new start. So no, I¡¯d rather not go back.¡± Janis nodded. ¡°I could make some introductions,¡± she said hesitantly. ¡°At court, with people of import. There are quite a few functions and engagements you¡¯d be invited to, I¡¯m sure. Although, not to be rude, but hiring a tutor first might be best if you wanted to make the best impression.¡± Her aunt smiled sardonically. ¡°Afraid your country bumpkin of an aunt would embarrass you in front of your subjects, Your Highness? And here I thought I managed to teach you manners.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant ¡ª¡° She shook her head and raised a hand, cutting off Janis¡¯ protest. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re not entirely wrong to worry, Janis. But as it happens, I did learn some manners. And I¡¯ve been having regular chats with a helpful gentleman regarding the subject, so there¡¯s no need to arrange for an additional tutor.¡± Janis blinked. ¡°Oh.¡° Does that mean what I think it does? Is she being careless, or ¡ª ¡°I mean a tutor I¡¯m compensating with some of that money you send, dear, don¡¯t be foolish.¡± Marian smiled, taking some of the sting out of the familiar chiding tone. Janis had the impression she was enjoying her reaction. ¡°Now drink your tea, don¡¯t be rude.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a princess now, you can¡¯t boss me around anymore,¡± Janis muttered sulkily. Richard coughed, clearly hiding a chuckle. Janis sent him a dark look as she gulped down the rest of her cup. ¡°Unfortunately, that seems to be true,¡± her aunt sighed. ¡°So now I have to ask you instead. I want a position, Janis. Something to make myself useful, and I¡¯m sure you need someone you trust. Head of your household would suit.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really have a household,¡± Janis pointed out. Regina¡¯s court and royal family wasn¡¯t the most traditional, but she was sure she would have noticed if she was supposed to set up her own. She suspected she was part of Regina¡¯s household for those who categorized such things. Marian flicked her hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can work something out.¡± Janis sighed, resisting the urge to rub her temples. She could just hear her aunt¡¯s comment if she did. Instead, she leaned back in her chair. ¡°Let me have some time to consider it,¡± she temporized. A lot of time, perhaps. And a few people to talk to if she decided to do it. They could probably find something better for Aunt Marian, where everyone would be happy, right? Chapter 330: Time and Limits The Empire with its assorted territories and interests was large enough now that it was actually starting to come up to the end of Regina¡¯s range. Said range had not really grown substantially in a while, either. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was simply a matter of scaling to exponential growth, if she needed to increase her hive exponentially for the range to double again, or if it was running up against some inherent limits. Or, perhaps, it was a matter of age. She was still technically only a few years old. It would make sense for something like this to grow with age. Perhaps the soft limit of her range increased with her age and level and the actual extent was decided by her drones. Either way, Regina knew that it wasn¡¯t a perfect sphere, or even a circle. There were dents and bumps, for lack of a better word, where there were large aggregations of drones, the area covered by the psychic link stretching and shifting accordingly. Regardless, it limited her reach where she really wanted to look, where she could send few drones. A few across the Alps certainly wasn¡¯t enough to let her psychic link reach there. The enemy territories to the northwest and northeast were still partly beyond her reach as well. Regina would just have to trust in Tim and the others to do what they could. She¡¯d prepared what she thought might be helpful and sent them reinforcements with instructions that were hopefully enough to cover their bases but still open-ended enough to grant them flexibility. Now all she could do was wait for news. To distract herself from driving herself crazy with questions about what they might find at the actual Hivekind base and who was trying to use it or for what, Regina threw herself into her other projects. She wasn¡¯t exactly lacking for those. Janis had returned to the capital for a brief while, to work on integrating the newly restructured Imperial military, but she would leave for the Gnomish Confederation again soon. It was honestly a weight off Regina¡¯s mind that she didn¡¯t have to worry too much about the details on that front. Either of those things, actually. The Confederation had been pretty quiet so far, clearly falling in line under Aliekin¡¯s guidance even as their elections were being prepared, and the rapproachment with the Empire was going well. Mia and the others had already started learning from gnomish artifacts and books and incorporating insights into the hive¡¯s production. At the same time, drones and other scholars had been sent out to share their own technology and build lasting cooperations. And their soldiers had settled down as well. Regina also enjoyed spending a bit of time with Janis during her visit, even if she had to carve the time out of her busy schedule. It was still a little weird to hear her talk about visiting her aunt, though. Apparently, said aunt wanted a job as Janis¡¯ household manager or something similar. Janis was unsure and had asked Regina about it. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I really want to be living in such close proximity to her again,¡± she confessed, winding a strand of hair around her finger. ¡°But I have been missing her the last few months. Still, I don¡¯t really know what I could even offer her.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s best not to rush that, especially given the situation,¡± Regina had advised. ¡°You¡¯re going to go back to the Gnomish Confederation soon, anyway. For which I¡¯m grateful. It might be best to delay it until you¡¯ve completed your tasks there and return on a more permanent basis. Maybe, if all goes ideally, we can even start thinking about moving to the new capital at some point, which would probably require a reorganization of our ¡®household¡¯ setup, anyway.¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± Janis blew out a breath. ¡°Thanks, Regina. So, you¡¯re not intending to keep me in the Gnomish Confederation permanently. I¡¯d assumed as much.¡± ¡°No, I need you too much,¡± Regina replied with a grin. ¡°I¡¯d like you there right now because I can¡¯t go myself. That doesn¡¯t mean you need to be stuck with the gnomes.¡± Janis smiled and nodded, and Regina could faintly sense she was pleased at the implied trust and validation. They didn¡¯t speak more of it that day. Since she was there, Regina also took the opportunity to devote some time to practicing magic and training with Janis. Her ordinary magic had suffered a bit from her focus on the psychic arts, so it was just what she needed to refresh herself. Janis had also made impressive progress, even if she complained about not getting enough time to focus on her magic. The Class choice of Archmage had really worked out for her, Regina felt. Which didn¡¯t necessarily mean it was the best choice to keep it for the fourth tier, but Regina wasn¡¯t going to harp on Janis¡¯ choices. Eventually, though, Janis returned, and Regina focused on her actual students when she wasn¡¯t busy with her duties to the Empire. There were half a dozen of them now, give or take a few that might not properly count. Regina was feeling pessimistic about a few of them, who didn¡¯t seem to make any progress trying to learn to reach out psychically, and probably just didn¡¯t have the talent she¡¯d hoped for. But it might still prove to be otherwise in time, so she¡¯d keep them trying for now. There were a few others who had achieved some progress. They might still stall out at a later point, as Madris had warned, but even then, it at least wouldn¡¯t be a wasted effort. Regina was starting to have June train the others, too, even without her supervision on occasion. She wasn¡¯t really sure what to do with them in the long term. She could create some kind of psychic corps for the Empire, but Regina could see a lot of problems with that. She also wasn¡¯t feeling like taking on several new apprentices, either, though. That didn¡¯t give her an obvious answer, especially since they would need to be integrated into the official structure somehow. Perhaps the easiest solution, she realized in a flash of inspiration, was to have them join the hive. But while she wouldn¡¯t dismiss the possibility, she certainly wasn¡¯t going to do it before she was absolutely sure she could trust them and they¡¯d proven themselves. So, for now, the new students were living in the palace, and going about their usual duties or receiving other eduction when they weren¡¯t learning psychic skills. Regina had touched each of their minds ¡ª after asking permission, obviously ¡ª and was confident they were reasonably trustworthy. Most of them seemed to consider it an honor to be here, and while there were inevitably a few issues with adjusting, they didn¡¯t make trouble. It probably helped that none of them were from exceptionally powerful backgrounds.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The most issues might actually be relating to Madris, who was also taking part in teaching sometimes and could admittedly be abrasive with strangers. ¡°You¡¯re sure you don¡¯t want a larger role in their education?¡± Regina asked her as they stood together on a balcony looking down on the inner courtyard garden, which had become an unofficial practice spot for the group. Madris shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s a reason I only rarely taught anyone,¡± she said. ¡°I only enjoy it in reasonably small doses. Besides, these are your people. You¡¯re certainly proficient enough to teach a psychic hopeful the basics without my help.¡± ¡°Well, thanks,¡± Regina answered. ¡°Are you not getting bored, though?¡± Madris chuckled. ¡°Not enough to change my mind. Besides, I¡¯ve been helping Icnes to shore up her mental defenses, and she¡¯s talked me into teaching some of her people, as well.¡± Regina paused for a moment. That could be innocent enough, but she suspected there might be a reason why Icnes might want people loyal to her taught how to defend their minds. Or just to have them spend more time with Madris, even, come to think of it. ¡°Whatever is going on with you guys .. I don¡¯t want to meddle in your personal affairs. Or political affairs. But, you will tell me if it¡¯s something I should know, right?¡± Madris regarded her silently for a moment. ¡°If there was anything going on, I¡¯m sure it would be a private matter of the Eternal Dark or the dark elves, and not something I should necessarily inform a foreign Empress about, at least at this point, out of consideration to everyone.¡± ¡°I understand. Then I¡¯m just happy you get to spend more time with your little sister.¡± It was probably better if she could honestly claim she didn¡¯t know anything. Even if Regina suspected Madris, Icnes and their supporters were preparing some political moves. That was, strictly speaking, their business, though. Regina didn¡¯t know enough to tell what kind of moves they would even consider, although she doubted they would be violent. If they succeeded, it would presumably only move their people closer to an alliance. And if they failed, it would decrease the chances of that; but, honestly, Regina wouldn¡¯t lose that much ¡ª it wasn¡¯t like the dark elves were particularly close to the Empire, in either a political and geographical sense. She was probably better advised to focus on diplomatic relationships with or political developments in nations that were closer and more threatening, like Esemen and the Western Confederation. ¡°What about your other little problem?¡± Madris asked, clearly changing the subject and inadvertently getting closer to what she was considering. ¡°The little spy still hasn¡¯t sung yet?¡± Regina grimaced. ¡°I¡¯ve taken a look at their mind,¡± she admitted, ¡°just without trying to force entry. He¡¯s definitely been taught some mental defense, and is keeping the shields up now. They must also have trained him to resist interrogation. Conventionally, I mean. Our interrogators haven¡¯t been able to get anything of substance, yet, and investigation into his background is also still ongoing.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s not just a random servant they bribed, clearly. Do you want me to try?¡± She gave Madris a look. ¡°That would hardly be better than doing it myself.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Madris waved her off. ¡°I admire your commitment to ethics. Although, honestly, I wouldn¡¯t have expected you to be this intransigent ¡ª Ah,¡± she cut herself off, looking down at the students in the garden again. ¡°You¡¯re trying to set a good example, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Regina sighed. She shouldn¡¯t be surprised that Madris could see through her this easily. And she had to wonder if she was right, and she¡¯d have been more ¡­ flexible if she didn¡¯t have this consideration. She suspected so. They said knowing yourself was half the battle, or how did that go again? Right ¡­ she¡¯d prefer not to have to fight a hundred battles anyway. ¡°Are you going to respond in kind, then?¡± Madris asked. ¡°Put more effort into spying on your enemies?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to,¡± Regina pulled a face. ¡°I need to know what¡¯s going on in those countries. I¡¯ll send more spies. I don¡¯t like the risk it means for those of my people who are involved, but I suppose that¡¯s just the way it goes. If they freely agree to take the risk ¡­¡± ¡°As long as you can trust them,¡± Madris muttered. ¡°But I assume you¡¯re going to personally check on anyone in a sensitive position or anyone who you will try to place in one, won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°If feasible, yes,¡± Regina confirmed. ¡°But it won¡¯t always be possible. If a junior agent in Liongen sees an opportunity and is suddenly in a much better position, we can hardly ask them to come back to Cera for an interview. It¡¯s a shame that I can¡¯t travel easily.¡± She looked at Madris. The dark elf huffed. ¡°So you want my help, is that it?¡± She glanced down again. ¡°And I assume this is part of what your students will be doing eventually. Well, you realize it¡¯s somewhat odd to have compunctions about using psychic abilities to peer into people¡¯s minds and violate their privacy when you also send people to spy on them and ferret out their secrets and by definition violate their privacy?¡± Regina rolled her eyes. ¡°Obviously. But it¡¯s different using it on my own citizens or as part of intelligence operations against other nations. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m fundamentally opposed to using my abilities for intelligence gathering ¡­ despite moral compunctions.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Besides, you have emphasized ethics and restraint in teaching me, so don¡¯t pretend you¡¯re above such concerns.¡± Madris laughed. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m certainly not. To the chagrin of some of my fellows. But what I felt forced to do in war ¡­¡± she trailed off, shrugging. ¡°There are lines. It¡¯s good if you know where they are. Ours won¡¯t be precisely the same, and we might fight about it on occasion in the future, but at least I trust you to not to throw morals out the window for power, Regina. See that doesn¡¯t change.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Regina muttered. She was aware that Madris was still the better psychic, and would remain so for a while no matter how well Regina progressed. There was just no making up for the wealth of experience she possessed. Although she didn¡¯t have the strength of the psychic link. Still, Regina trusted Madris. And, while Regina was an empress with impressive physical defenses and guards at her disposal ¡­ if Madris ever really felt forced to stop her, she probably could. On the other hand, Regina was starting to think it might be true the other way around, too. Even if she wasn¡¯t as good as Madris, she had her own strengths, and the allegiance of a lot of people. Even the best psychic couldn¡¯t control everyone in a city at once. As far as she knew. "Where¡¯s the upper limit on psychic power?¡± she asked. ¡°Interesting question,¡± Madris mused. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll be the one to find out.¡± Regina snorted. ¡°Somehow, I doubt that,¡± she said drily. ¡°If nothing else, my lifespan is limited.¡± ¡°True,¡± Madris conceded. ¡°Well, I will tell you that I have never encountered a psychic that I know was stronger than I am now, but that does not mean there isn¡¯t one, or hasn¡¯t been. And even with all my centuries, I am still getting better, if slowly. I imagine if your friend Galatea has any talent for it and devoted herself to the psychic arts, she might eclipse both of us one day. She would have all the time in the world.¡± Regina hummed thoughtfully. It was weird to think about it; that Galatea was apparently immortal, while she would die in a century or so, assuming that guess was at all accurate. Yet another thing for the list of what she wanted to ask Leian. At least it was one question she was confident she could answer. ¡°But there¡¯s no inherent limit?¡± ¡°Not as far as I know,¡± Madris said, regarding her thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s like a lot of other magic. We are only mortal and by nature limited. Mental capacity and focus, distance, available mana ¡­ all of it constrains us. You have an advantage in some areas, considering your Hive Queen nature, but you are also the nexus for your psychic link and need to constantly bear its weight.¡± Regina nodded. She was mostly aware of that already. It was still nice to get an answer from her teacher. And she felt pleased at the answer. Inherent limitations or not, she wanted to explore ¡­ she wanted to find the limits. Maybe not of psychic ability in general, but at least push her own limits. Chapter 331: Visitors Tim jerked awake, his heart pounding. For a moment, he was disoriented, his mind reflexively reaching out to the psychic link and his heart aching when he failed to find it. That happened more often than not, these days, although it had been getting a little better. He lay still, breathing regularly, unsure what had woken him. Something was different. Underground, it was hard to get a sense of time passing, but he was still too tired to have been asleep for long. It was silent. He concentrated on the breaths he took and tried to parse the scents they carried, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Dust, a faint tang of metal, perhaps echoes of water and the everpresent moss in tunnel systems like these. Tim opened his eyes just a little bit. It was still dark. He wasn¡¯t even sure why he was being so cautious, by all accounts everything should be fine. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time he simply slept badly. And yet something, some instinct, warned him that something was up. He turned his head slightly, trying to make out shapes in the darkness. That was when he realized. His vision was good, even if it still needed light, and usually, he should have been able to at least see the silhouettes of his companions, sleeping in the camp with him. At least in most hours of the night. Their human and even elven party members didn¡¯t have eyesight quite as good, so they usually kept at least a small magical candle or something burning on watch to provide a little light. But right now, he could barely see anything. It should have been their shift, though; Ash had been on watch when he¡¯d gone to bed and their two dark elves had been active in the day and were again tomorrow, so they hadn¡¯t been scheduled for shifts this night, which meant there should have been at least one human or surface elf, regardless of which shift it was. And it was very quiet. Maybe just a little too quiet. Tim breathed out evenly, then felt for the dagger he¡¯d stowed in the folds of his bedroll, carefully tugging it out a little. He made sure there was nothing in his immediate vicinity, then quickly straightened up, drawing in air and straining his ears. Nothing moved right away. Frowning, he got to his feet, turning in a slow circle. He cursed the fact it was this dark. Closing his eyes, he focused on his other senses. He didn¡¯t need his eyes. Carefully, he moved a few steps, recalling the layout of the camp and moving towards the center, glad no one had put their bedroll too close to his, trying not to wake him during shift changes. Still, the guards on duty should have noticed him moving. There was no scent of blood in the air, at least ¡­ and even straining his ears, he couldn¡¯t hear anything beyond the slow, even breaths of the others sleeping. No faster breaths indicating someone awake. Should I sound the alert? he considered. It might alert the intruder if there was one. But he couldn¡¯t leave his companions defenseless, either. Compromising, he gently kicked the two closest sleeping forms, twice, hoping that Anuis and Ash would be good enough to stay quiet. Then he took another step forward, straining his senses to try and pick up where the problem was. There. Just the slightest swish of air to his left. That was where the party had left their supplies. At least it meant no one was in immediate reach. Tim padded over as quietly as he could, but whatever he¡¯d felt previously didn¡¯t repeat. ¡°Light, now!¡± he called. Anuis, at least, must have been awake and alert, and a moment later the light of a magical everburning candle shone from her position. Tim didn¡¯t turn to look at it to preserve his night vision. Instead, he caught a dark shadow darting away from the supplies. ¡°There!¡± he called again, clutching his dagger tightly and hurrying after it. The light got dimmer as he moved away, broken by the piles of scrap metal, until several other lights suddenly sprang to life, including a Firebolt held in Ed¡¯s hand. It gave Tim enough light to see what he was chasing towards the distant rocky wall of the cavern. Ash had darted around the side and was now coming up on it from a sharp angle. Together, they herded it against the wall. It looked vaguely person-shaped, but more of a shadow than anything substantial. It moved to press against the rocky wall, then seemed to compact a little, as if it was cowering. Tim carefully poked one of his blade-arms towards it, but the shadow gave no reaction. He stepped closer and stabbed again, this time in actual range. But before his blade-arm made contact, the shadow vanished. ¡°What was that?¡± Tim asked tightly. ¡°Some kind of construct, I¡¯d wager,¡± Anuis answered promptly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the kind before, although they¡¯re rare.¡± ¡°It felt like one, not like a person,¡± Nucme agreed, but unlike her, he stayed at their camp. ¡°It¡¯s gone now, you won¡¯t find anything.¡± Tim turned around. ¡°Check the camp, and the cavern,¡± he ordered. ¡°I need to know if it left anything behind or took anything.¡± Then he went to look for the missing guards. Luckily, he didn¡¯t have far to go. Alvol was already dragging both of them over to the camp. They¡¯d been leaning against another metal pile, asleep but clearly still alive. Now they were stirring weakly. ¡°Some kind of Ability effect, probably inherent to the construct,¡± Nucme diagnosed. ¡°We have some antidotes, but they should be fine.¡± Tim nodded. He wasn¡¯t particularly close to the two humans, a Delver and a veteran soldier, they were part of the quieter part of the group, who didn¡¯t speak up much. But it was good to know they¡¯d be alright. ¡°Our supplies are disturbed, but there¡¯s nothing missing,¡± Anuis reported a minute later. ¡°Also, your bedroll looks to be disturbed, but I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s fine.¡± Tim wandered over back to her. ¡°It must have been a scout,¡± he said. We¡¯re lucky no one was hurt. The others nodded. ¡°Well, at least some people definitely know we¡¯re here now,¡± Ash offered. Tim sighed, glancing at the others in his party. He knew they couldn¡¯t remain here undiscovered forever. They had probably been discovered already before this. We can¡¯t just keep sitting here and waiting. ¡°It¡¯s time to set out, I think,¡± Anuis said softly, clearly thinking the same thing. ¡°They will be coming, we can¡¯t simply wait. We need to act.¡± ¡°Where would we go?¡± Ash asked. Tim breathed out. ¡°Iliucin,¡± he said. ¡°If they really are under Veragles¡¯ influence, we¡¯re at least more likely to find a positive reception there than when it comes to other options. We should be able to get some pointers, perhaps even hire some reinforcements, I suppose. It¡¯s also the northernmost city around here, so it¡¯s closest to the Empire, and the obvious destination for any reinforcements to come through.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Makes sense. Should we try to coordinate with Galatea first?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we can afford to wait for her,¡± Tim shook his head. He would have preferred not to leave until he had an update on the status of their reinforcements from her, but he didn¡¯t know when Galatea would show up again. He suspected it was taxing even for her to keep jetting between the Empire and the southern lands, and being underground meant she had trouble scrying them. ¡°Then who¡¯s coming with you?¡± Anuis asked. No one tried to question that Tim himself was leaving. It was obvious. He glanced around, then started naming people who would stay or go. He needed to bring enough people, but also leave enough of them here to guard the site. In the end, Anuis stayed, as the one unofficially in charge, along with Ed as the Imperial and Delver representative. Tirias would accompany him along with most of the others. Of the dark elves, Nucme would come and Alvol stay. Tim had been tempted to leave Ash behind, but he trusted Anuis enough for this, and his talents were better used on the trip. Tim also decided to take both of the local adventurers with him, he just felt better being able to keep a personal eye on them. At least Tony was happy they were visiting his city. When everything had been sorted out and they finally got to leave, Tim set a fast pace. He only faltered slightly when they finally left the underground complex, through the entrance from the vehicle bay, and stepped out into the open. It had been a few days since he¡¯d seen the sun. Not that he could see it right now, since it was still night, just starting to brighten in the gray of pre-dawn. It still felt very bright. He glanced at the others to check they were okay, then kept walking. Luckily, while there was no proper road from the base, obviously, it wasn¡¯t too difficult to traverse the terrain. It was mostly just meadows and the occasional copses of trees. Iliam guided them on a path that led them to a proper trail after a while, and then a real road a few hours later. It wasn¡¯t as well paved as those in the Empire, but it would suffice. Luckily, even the dirt path was already secure enough to allow for faster travel. Everyone in their group had decent Con stats, and they¡¯d been well-rested the last few days, at least in terms of physical exertion. Therefore, when Tim started a forced march, too fast to keep up for regular humans, no one complained. It helped that they could also use Class Skills and the Haste Spell to speed their travel, though they could only keep that up sporadically and for a short period given the size of their group. Their trip took several hours, well into the day, with only short rest breaks. It was a reasonable distance but not out of the question for a day¡¯s forced march for a proper military force, and even less time for his group. It helped that they were already past the city they¡¯d tried to avoid, Iliyan, and after reaching a proper road, it took them straight to their destination. That city was probably where their current enemies were coming from, he suspected. They were closest, so they¡¯d have the most chance of stumbling on the old Hivekind base. He wasn¡¯t sure if their government was involved and they¡¯d simply managed to keep it very secret, or if it was some other group. He didn¡¯t even know much about the city or how it was run, it hadn¡¯t seemed that important before and Iliam or Tony still didn¡¯t have detailed information. At least he knew a little more about Iliucin, since both of them had actually been there. As the city¡¯s walls started appearing on the horizon, Tim tried to find some comfort in the thought. He had several goals in coming here and he¡¯d like to accomplish at least most of them. Unfortunately, his tentative plans started crumbling as soon as they arrived. From up close, the architectural style reminded him of Veragles, although the city wall looked to be a newer addition; the city must have been growing lately. The gate was thrown open and several guards were standing by it in polished armor. As usual, the arrival of Tim¡¯s group caused quite the stir among the people trying to enter the city, though it wasn¡¯t a very thick crowd right now. He¡¯d tried to be unobtrusive, but that was only so feasible given their races, especially since Hivekind were unknown here. However, the guards reacted quickly. At first, he thought they might be coming to detain them, but instead the pushed the crowd back and opened a path for Tim and the others through the gate. As they passed it, a man in a fancier helmet and with a higher level met them, clearly the captain. He straightened up in a semblance of attention and bowed deeply. ¡°Most honored guests, the lords of Iliucin are delighted by your arrival. If you would deign to follow me, you will be received in the rose palace.¡± ¡°Were you expecting us?¡± Tim asked, but gestured at the others to come with and fell into step beside the officer. ¡°In a sense, Your Excellence, the high council was hoping you would visit soon and has been anticipating your arrival. They were quite pleased to receive word from the north.¡± Tim nodded but decided to wait with more questions until he met the city¡¯s leaders. At least this was a nice welcome. He glanced around, noting the people on the streets, the rows of buildings unfolding across the city with colorful designs painted on the brickwork in a local style. It was hard to say if they were readying themselves for war, but the city at least didn¡¯t seem too tense. The rose palace was easy to identify, considering the rose garden surrounding it on three sides. A short path led to the entrance. There were several people drawn up at regular intervals lining it, probably guards, though they wore no armor. He wasn¡¯t familiar enough with cultural cues to tell if they had other roles. Then they passed through the doors into a short entrance hall. A man in some kind of livery met them outside the double doors leading further in, presumably into some kind of great hall. He lowered himself to briefly touch his knee to the floor before standing upright. ¡°The lords are preparing to receive our most esteemed guests, please give them a brief while before you enter,¡± he said. Tim inclined his head in acknowledgment. ¡°We are grateful to be received by the high council.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Excellence, the city of Iliucin welcomes you.¡± The servant, if that¡¯s what he was, hesitated before slipping in through a smaller door Tim only now noticed was set beside the larger double doors. He heard the start of some whispered conversation before it closed and muffled it too much to make out even for his ears. Tim frowned. The other voice sounded familiar. He didn¡¯t have long to wait and wonder. After only a minute, the doors opened and they entered to be announced. As this seemed to be a formal audience, he let the others go first, since Tony had been able to tell them it was generally the order of things for the highest-ranking to go last here. Tim was too distracted to pay particular attention, though, since now that the doors were open he saw the man who was now crossing to stand beside their group. He looked more adventurous than usual in reinforced trousers and jacket instead of traditional mage robes, but he immediately recognized Derrek Zephyr, the Cernlian Thaumaturge. So he¡¯s made it here already. I guess it¡¯s not that surprising if Mother sent him. Then Tim stepped inside and his attention was immediately captured by the announcer¡¯s words. ¡°His Imperial Highness, Prince Tim of House Woltan, Champion of the Central European Empire.¡± He almost faltered and had to force himself to keep moving until he stood beside Zephyr. ¡°But I¡¯m not a prince,¡± he hissed out of the corner of his mouth. ¡°You are now, my Prince,¡± Zephyr hissed back without moving his lips at all; maybe he was using air magic. Before he could respond, the humans sitting on a half-circle of four throne-like chairs on a dais at the end of the room rose and welcomed him, taking it in turns to offer what sounded like formal phrases and diplomatic welcomes. Tim smiled and nodded, but he did manage to throw Zephyr a questioning look in the first break between speakers. ¡°Yourself and your brother Max were given the title of ¡®prince¡¯ by the Empress just before I departed,¡± Zephyr explained quietly. ¡°I imagine she¡¯s given the royal title to your sisters Mia and Tia too, but I was too far gone to receive the official confirmation. I am uncertain about any potential others later.¡± Tim resisted the urge to shake his head. There wouldn¡¯t be any others, at least not for a long time, if ever. He¡¯d never wanted a royal title, and he knew Max would want it even less. None of them really would, although they wouldn¡¯t complain. But Tim could see why Regina thought it was a good idea; it should definitely help his standing for diplomatic efforts. He was fine with that. He¡¯d use all the help he could get for this mission. ¡°We have heard much of you from our friends in Veragles, Prince Tim,¡± one of the lords said, finally moving on from the formal phrases. ¡°It is our hope that we can build a similar bond of friendship and alliance. I am certain we can help each other.¡± With what? he wondered. Do they know about the reason for our interest in the region? Once it was clear they were done talking, Tim smiled at them, inclining his head slightly. ¡°I am honored by your warm welcome, My Lords. In the name of my mother, Empress Regina, I gladly accept your sentiments as well as the hand of friendship you have reached out to us. I am sure closer ties may come in time, and I am as eager to see it as you.¡± They all smiled, and Tim realized that he was not going to be done with this quickly. Chapter 332: Reinforcements Owin Castaway had been curious about the southern lands for decades now. Mostly, it was an idle curiosity, waxing and waning with his interest in other things and his general busyness. He¡¯d entertained thoughts of traveling there, but had always discarded them as too risky or impractical. He couldn¡¯t leave his party for that long, not all of them would want to come with on such an uncertain adventure, and after he met the Hive Queen and everything that followed, he was far too busy and bound to the new Empire to think seriously about it. Except now here he was, sent to the southern lands across the mountain by the Empress¡¯ will. He¡¯d known he had to hurry as much as he could while not disregarding sensible caution. The discovery Tim ¡ª now Prince Tim, he reminded himself ¡ª and his party had made was delicate and there was no time to waste for others to find the location, or those who had first found and made use of it to come try and reclaim it by force. Empress Regina had sent Zephyr ahead, and while the Thaumaturge was doubtless a more than competent mage, Owin was unsure how much he trusted him to handle this. Even if he was loyal, he was only a single man. He had said he couldn¡¯t bring anyone with him traveling with magical means, which was probably true. But Owin and the elite fighters detached to accompany him were traveling quickly, too. A larger force was making its way over the mountains using the newly prepared, if incomplete, road. They would still have to contend with monsters, but he was confident they could make it across safely. Owin and his people, on the other hand, used the wings of the largest contingent of winged drone mounts ¡ª or perhaps flying drones in general ¡ª assembled since the war. They¡¯d all switched mounts twice during the trip, at the safest locations they could find. None of the mounts were high-leveled enough to have gained sapience, clearly a deliberate choice ¡ª the Hive did not want to risk their necessarily more vulnerable people like this, he assumed ¡ª although all of them were close to it, in the late thirties. They managed to fly fast and high enough that they were mostly unbothered by monsters. Owin doubted any of his companions had ever been so high up. The world looked very different from such an altitude, even the peaks below them shrunk like lines on a map. He counted himself lucky to have the experience. Unfortunately, his first impressions of the southern lands themselves didn¡¯t necessarily line up with the hopes he¡¯d had for them. They were interesting enough, of course. Cities with neat and clearly magically aided rows of crops around satellite villages surrounding them like what Princess Janis had once called a fractal pattern. From above, it was harder to make out details, but on the ground he had seen a mix of races he wouldn¡¯t have encountered north of the mountains. Not that they stopped at any of the villages or smaller towns. Crossing the mountains was only occasion for another mount change before they continued on. He had considered the route carefully. Some of his fellows had argued for stopping at the city of Veragles, which was probably closest to the mountains. However, it would still be a detour. Instead, he would prefer to travel to the site Tim¡¯s party had found directly. Of course, setting down directly at that point would be an obvious hint for anyone that there was something to find there, and even traveling on foot was probably risky. The other option would be a city close by which might be friendly. Unfortunately, it was hard for him to know exactly how friendly any of them would be. Most likely, all of them would be alarmed by their flock of flying drones. Instead, they set down well away from any settlement in an empty field. One of the drones accompanying him would stay with the flock for now, while they traveled onwards on foot. If things went sideways, the drones should also allow for a quick escape. ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± he said, securing his pack to his shoulders and sweeping his gaze across the rest of his new party. Most of them were unknown to him, although he might have seen their faces before. Gwen and most of his former party had stayed in the Empire. ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± his second, Dustin, replied. He was a Nerlian who¡¯d fought in the Cernlian civil war, then in the war against the gnomes, and had meanwhile been made a Major in the new Imperial army. Not all of Owin¡¯s men were soldiers, only about half. At least those were a proper unit, even if one recently assembled. The others were drones, Delvers who hadn¡¯t enlisted in the military, and two mages with knighthoods in Cernlia. Owin spent more time looking at all of them than their surroundings, as they set off, though he tried to be discreet. He hadn¡¯t had the time to integrate this ¡®strike force¡¯ as well as he might have liked. But all of them were seasoned combat veterans with the levels and Skills to show for it. Hopefully that would be enough. They marched quietly, obviously on the alert. It would be hard to find their target just from descriptions, but they had several good rangers with them, who quickly took the lead to sniff out the underground base, using Skills able to map underground terrain features as well. It was the reason two of them were in of this party. The descriptions Lady Galatea had provided did help, at least once they confirmed they¡¯d passed over the right cities. Owin hoped the trek wouldn¡¯t take long. They were all tired, and needed a good night¡¯s sleep to be at their best fighting form, even with good Con stats. The mages were noticeably drooping, which was not surprising after the flight. ¡°I¡¯ve found them, Sir Owin,¡± the best ranger with the most applicable Skill, Lauris, finally spoke up. ¡°At least I reckon so. Big underground complex going in several levels, only connected with one proper, long tunnel to the rest of the network.¡± ¡°Good work,¡± he told her. ¡°I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s more, Sir.¡± Owin raised an eyebrow. He knew her Skill, rare as it was, only worked in brief spurts with a long time in between. If you didn¡¯t know where to look, searching anything for underground caverns was prohibitively time-consuming. It might explain why more people hadn¡¯t stumbled on this base, since it was in the middle of nowhere. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel lives or magic with the skill, but people are also made of material thicker than air and if there¡¯s a big group of them in a space, I can sometimes tell. I can¡¯t be certain, but it felt like it this time. At least a few dozen people overall.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Owin stifled a curse. ¡°That sounds like there¡¯s more than just our people waiting for us here,¡± Dustin said. ¡°Hostiles?¡± ¡°Impossible to know, but it seems likely,¡± Owin replied. They would need to proceed with care. He made his party slow down a bit as they continued, staying closer together for protection. At the same time, he sent scouts ahead to try and investigate. They used a standard pattern, with two scouts out far, one of them ahead of the others to alert the rest of the group, and several in close guard around the main party. Lauris stayed with them while Marcus, their stealthiest scout, ranged at the tip. Owin tried not to get too nervous as they continued walking without any word from him or the others. In situations like this, his nerves always felt stretched to the bone. But he knew how to keep control of himself, keep them in check, and gauge the actual passage of time. He was just starting to consider swapping out the scouts when Marcus finally appeared in front of them, clearly letting an invisibility Skill fade. ¡°Sir,¡± he saluted. ¡°Report,¡± Owin asked. ¡°I¡¯ve found the entrance to the base, ten minutes ahead. The gate is open. There are giant golemns guarding the path in front of the entrance, but not directly standing in front of it. Several warriors were moving around as well, all human men, wearing nondescript and non-uniform armor. There were no visible sigils or banners. I chanced a peek into the tunnel, and there are definitely more men inside, at least two dozen in the vehicle bay. I am uncertain about the deeper reaches of the complex.¡± Owin nodded. It appeared their enemies were hiding their affiliations, then. If they truly were enemies, he reminded himself not to take anything for granted. ¡°Any signs of our allies?¡± he asked. The scout shook his head. ¡°No, Sir Owin. I saw no signs of a struggle, and no drone, elf of either kind, or human with Delver or Imperial equipment.¡± ¡°If they abandoned the base without a fight, they might still be lurking out here, and at least keeping an eye on it,¡± Dustin offered. That did seem like the most logical conclusion. ¡°Right. Return to your scouting, see if you can¡¯t make contact with them. Be careful, we don¡¯t want to fight our comrades.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Marcus melted back into the wide grass around them, although it shouldn¡¯t be tall enough for it. Owin motioned to the rest of the group to keep moving, slowing down even further. They still wouldn¡¯t be in sight of the entrance or the guards, but it was best to be careful. In the end, the others made contact with them before Marcus returned. Owin already drew his sword and had almost prepared a Skill before he realized that the shadow moving out from behind a scraggly tree at the side of the path was friendly. The dark elf raised his hands in a gesture of peace. ¡°Calm, friends,¡± he said in a low tone that only just carried to them. Owin glanced at his System notification and nodded. He¡¯d been briefed on everyone in Tim¡¯s party, including Alvol as Oliren. Sheathing his blade again, he stepped up to the dark ranger. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you,¡± he greeted him. ¡°We feared your party was lost after seeing the men occupying the base.¡± Oliren inclined his head. ¡°Lord Tim took about half of our party to Iliucin before they came. Commander Anuis decided there was no point in fighting for it and ordered the withdrawal,¡± he explained. ¡°We might have held them off for a while, but we were severely outnumbered and it was too risky. Instead we erased signs of our presence and withdrew as soon as we spotted them coming. I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on the entrance. Most of us will be out scouting, but I can lead you to our current camp.¡± ¡°Please do,¡± Owin nodded. ¡°I would have made the same decision in her shoes. Less than ten people fighting against this force would turn out badly even if we have higher levels.¡± The dark elf only grunted in what seemed to be agreement, then motioned at them and turned to lead them off at an angle to their previous path. ¡°How many do they number?¡± Owin asked quietly. ¡°And have you found indications of where they¡¯re from?¡± ¡°Fifty men and eight golems in total, by our estimates, and unfortunately not,¡± Oliren replied. ¡°We should continue speaking at camp, Sir Owin, sound still carries out here.¡± Owin nodded and fell back a bit, keeping quiet. He wondered if their camp would be much better. It probably wasn¡¯t intended for a group of their size. They walked for about five minutes, until he guessed they were far enough from the entrance to not be noticed but still close enough to get there quickly in a hurry. There was a small copse of trees, looking a bit like an overgrown orchard, mostly olive trees he guessed, beside a small dirt trail that might have been made by game. As he passed the first few trees, he realized someone must have used some magic to shape the inner part, creating a more complete wall of greenery to hide the clearing in the center. Several people were sitting there, their packs carefully arranged to allow for a quick exit. Anuis Eltarianal turned and stepped towards them as she entered. ¡°Sir Owin,¡± she greeted him, then dipped her head at the others behind him as well. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡± ¡°Likewise, Commander,¡± he replied, sweeping his gaze across the clearing. There were only two other people here, both human, the rest clearly out on patrol or scouting. ¡°You should settle in, then we can talk,¡± she suggested. Owin nodded, stifling a yawn. It was like seeing a campsite and standing still allowed the tiredness to catch up to him. He pushed it away, set down his things and then sat by an unlit fireplace with Anuis, Dustin and their remaining officers. Unprompted, Anuis began to report what had happened. Apparently, Tim had left yesterday for Iliucin. The people they¡¯d seen had arrived five hours later, mid-afternoon the day before, and Anuis had withdrawn the rest of her party, as he¡¯d heard. They¡¯d been spying on them since then. ¡°Have you found any indications of where they¡¯re from?¡± Dustin asked. The elf shook her head. ¡°Nothing conclusive, unfortunately. The obvious guess is Iliyan. We¡¯ve found nothing to confirm it, but also nothing that would question it. And their men¡¯s appearance matches what we might expect for people from there. Or so I¡¯ve been told, human ethnicities have never looked very different to me,¡± she added with a slight smile. ¡°They do,¡± Ed spoke up, shrugging at Owin¡¯s look. ¡°They definitely look like people from the southern lands, I mean; dark hair and slightly darker, more olive skin. We¡¯ve been here long enough I¡¯ve picked up some impressions. Plus, they¡¯re exclusively human.¡± ¡°So they¡¯re probably local, but it doesn¡¯t confirm which city or country they come from,¡± Owin said. ¡°We can assume Iliyan for now. The more important question is what they¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°So far, not much, from what we can tell,¡± Anuis said. ¡°It¡¯s possible that they¡¯ve just been very discreet.¡± She cocked her head. ¡°Will we get further reinforcements? We may be able to force them out with your strike force, but a proper century would be better.¡± Owin rubbed his forehead. ¡°More reinforcements are coming, but they have to get across the mountains first, then get here. If that¡¯s where they should head. I¡¯d prefer not to start a major fight without Tim¡¯s approval; he¡¯s still officially in charge here.¡± Ed nodded. ¡°He could have been back here today. But we don¡¯t know when they¡¯ll come back, yet, or with what news.¡± ¡°For now, you should sleep,¡± Anuis added. ¡°You¡¯ll be no good in a fight exhausted. Perhaps we¡¯ll get word back from him in the meantime.¡± Owin nodded reluctantly, but his tiredness was getting hard to ignore. It took the last of his energy to make sure matters were sorted and his party properly settled. He barely felt awake when he unrolled his bedroll and dropped into deep sleep almost as soon as his head hit his pillow. Chapter 333: Good Relations The city of Iliucin was officially ruled by a council of four high lords, named the lords of the high council on most occasions. They had a slightly strange tradition, in that there was an actual leader among those four, but their identity was not public knowledge. Officially, the council was supposed to speak with one voice. Apparently, they mostly voted on matters with said leader¡¯s vote counting double, but the records of how each lord voted were supposed to be secret, too. While women had on occasion been on the council, it was dominated by men, and currently the lords were all male as well. Tim had found out as much in the first few hours of their stay in the city. They seemed quite eager to speak to the Imperial party, although their own ceremonies seemed to get in the way of that talking a little. Clearly, they¡¯d decided to pull out all the stops and receive them with proper pomp and circumstance, though. It was probably supposed to be a gesture. Considering that not every city on their trip had been willing to acknowledge Hivekind as proper emissaries, let alone give their leader the dignities of a prince, they could hardly complain. Not that Tim was used to thinking of himself as a prince yet, but he figured he¡¯d better get used to it in a hurry. Even if Regina had only granted them the title in order to give him all possible diplomatic weight, all the help she could, it wasn¡¯t going to vanish after this mission was over. At the moment, it was only a detail, though, and he had more important things to focus on. Being immediately welcomed by the guards, guided to the hall and then received by the high council was nice in diplomatic terms, but it had also made him miss some opportunities to accomplish the goals he was here for. They hadn¡¯t seen anything beyond the main street they were led down. Tim had wanted to gather general information on the city, hints about the conflict in the region, who might be responsible and how much support they could expect in the area. He¡¯d also wanted to return quickly, but leaving abruptly would probably be taken as an insult by his hosts now. For now, Tim tried his best to ferret out information from the city¡¯s nobles and officials while he attempted to send a few members of his party into the streets to learn more. He was fairly sure the city¡¯s leaders wanted some kind of alliance, but he also wasn¡¯t going to go into it blindly. He knew the clock was ticking, their opponents had already sent a scout into the underground base, but they needed reliable allies or none at all. Thankfully, the banquet the council had decided to throw to honor him was a good opportunity to talk to people and gather information. While there was a lot of food, it was clearly meant as more of a general gathering, and a lot of people were speaking to each other, freely moving between groups or seats. It looked like the entire upper class of the city was here, although that probably couldn¡¯t be literally true. He knew a lot of people would only be interested in him because of the novelty. That was also something he had some experience with. This time, Tim didn¡¯t have the patience to play it up too much. He tried for serious conversations, though without appearing brusque, to find out more information about the city and its notables. It quickly grew tedious as the hours stretched on. ¡°I do hope you are enjoying the banquet, my Prince,¡± Lord Nerani said, startling him slightly as he turned. ¡°I know they can be tiring.¡± ¡°Not at all, My Lord,¡± Tim replied with a smile and less than perfect sincerity. ¡°I am enjoying the opportunity to get to know the people of your fine city.¡± ¡°That is good. I cannot help but notice you seem disinclined to indulge in the drinks.¡± Tim shrugged lightly. If he had to make a guess, Nerani would be who he¡¯d bet on as leader of the council. Although that was only based on his first impression, he¡¯d barely done more than be introduced to them. ¡°I am afraid alcohol is not good for my constitution, Lord Nerani, it is certainly nothing against what I am sure are very fine spirits you offer.¡± ¡°Goodness, that sounds terrible,¡± the man said with what he probably intended as a charming smile. Tim suspected it wasn¡¯t the track he usually took first. He had more frown than laugh lines, anyway. ¡°I am not sure I would survive that. We must find an alternative for you.¡± Tim forced his smile to stay. This wasn¡¯t the time to talk about humans¡¯ habitual alcoholism (no matter how baffling and unhealthy it was). ¡°I make do,¡± he said. ¡°We do have some rather enjoyable ¡­ medicinal herbs. If you would like to try a new experience.¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time that had been offered to him, either. Tim preferred to keep his head clear. ¡°Perhaps some other time,¡± he said politely. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to muddle my head and inflict a poorer conversationalist on the fine people here.¡± ¡°Of course. You must think me terribly unsophisticated,¡± the lord sighed. He was still acting, but getting better. ¡°Let us talk business, then?¡± Tim wasn¡¯t sure if he meant the weed or that he hadn¡¯t been very subtle about trying to get him drunk and-or high to get information from him. He didn¡¯t really care at the moment. ¡°Of course,¡± he echoed. ¡°You would like to build an alliance, but the Empire is a long distance away from here.¡± Lord Nerani didn¡¯t look enthusiastic, for once. ¡°Not as far as some, farther than others,¡± he replied. ¡°We certainly would try for good relations. As for an actual alliance, well, perhaps we should learn a little more of each other before talking of binding arrangements, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± Tim tilted his head. That didn¡¯t quite fit the vibe he¡¯d gotten so far. He supposed it might be cultural standards or that Nerani was one of the more opposed voices on their council. ¡°Reasonable,¡± he allowed, trying not to show his thoughts on his face. ¡°It would certainly be unwise to rush into it.¡± "That it would,¡± Nerani agreed with a smile that looked just a little too smug for Tim¡¯s liking. ¡°We are the gates to the world, Prince Tim. All manner of goods passes through our gates and our sister cities¡¯. You may have the population of an empire, but I would caution you not to underestimate us.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Tim nodded calmly. He was reminded that Regina did want contacts with the southern lands for their access to the wider world across the Mediterranean. Sailing the sea was still dangerous, but not as much as the Atlantic, or crossing the Alps. At least, as it used to be. Of course, this city wasn¡¯t on the coast. ¡°You must have quite a few of those sister cities.¡± ¡°True, we do,¡± he answered, his smile gaining a pleased edge. He listed a few names, with their important characteristics and epithets. The list at least contained useful information even if he was boasting. ¡°I notice you didn¡¯t mention Veragles,¡± Tim commented. ¡°Oh, Veragles,¡± the lord said. ¡°Of course. That is who everyone thinks of in the same breath as our city¡¯s name. Our friends there are certainly prolific, aren¡¯t they? That sounded like there was a bit of bad blood between them; unless Nerani just wanted to give that impression. ¡°They are eager to build bridges with us,¡± Tim said lightly. There it was, a bit of a flicker in the lord¡¯s eyes. Tim was sure he hadn¡¯t imagined it. Not just a ploy, then. At least not entirely. It made him reevaluate his impression of what was going on here. It had been easier to think of Iliucin and Veragles, the archmage and the adventurer he had sent, as one unit. But, of course, everyone had their own agenda. He shouldn¡¯t be surprised. ¡°I¡¯m sure they are,¡± Nerani said. ¡°Unlike more barbarous fellows, the lords of Veragles are eager to turn to diplomacy rather than the sword, to make friends of newcomers rather than harden enmities. At least at first. They are still strong allies to have.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Tim murmured. ¡°But as you said, true alliances take time, don¡¯t they?¡± The lord smiled again. ¡°That they do. But I think that is my cue to leave, my Prince. Others wish to lay claim to some of my time as well.¡± ¡°Of course. We will speak again, My Lord.¡± ¡°Your Highness.¡± He gave a curt, polite bow, then walked off. Tim stared after him for a moment, then turned. He grabbed a glass off a tray, barely glancing at its content. Alcohol, by the smell; not that they had much of anything else. Perhaps he should have looked harder, but it was perhaps better to have something to hold in his hand. He strolled toward the other side of the room, exchanging nods with some people he had already talked to. He swept the room with his eyes, noting the position of specific people. Most of those in his party were spread out, braving the gathering. Ash had drawn quite a crowd of the curious, but was handling them well. Nucme attracted almost as many stares, he noted. The others were a bit more subtle, but of course, melting into the crowd wouldn¡¯t have been an option for Tim, anyway. None of them were in trouble, but he knew they were keeping an eye on him, and each other, as well. For now, Tim made his way through the room and then out the front door. There was an inner courtyard, a garden of flowers, low hedges and the occasional particularly flowery tree. A few people walked here as well, clearly taking some fresh air. Tim put down his glass and gave himself a moment to crane his neck back and look up into the sky, breathing deeply and releasing some tension. Then he paid more attention to the local nobles in the garden. Some of them looked at him curiously, but there was no one who particularly stood out or felt like they deserved closer investigation. Tim decided to head back inside after a short break for fresh air, but before he could move, several of the other people cried out. He turned, following their gaze, and then started in surprise as he saw a flash of light moving towards him. A bird, he realized after a moment. Some kind of hawk, just a faintly translucent, luminous version of it. It cried once, surprisingly quiet, before coming to a stop hovering in the air in front of him. There was a piece of paper tied to one claw. Cautiously, Tim reached out and untied it. He knew a construct like this must come from a Class Skill, belonging to someone with an uncommon Class and a high level. There were several people coming to mind, though ¡ª notably several soldiers featured in files he¡¯d read. People you would include if you sent reinforcements across the mountains. He glanced around, ignoring the gazes of the other people. More of them had come out to stare. He could have hoped this would be more discreet, but there was no changing it now; everyone would know he¡¯d gotten a message. It looked like the messenger had flown here, but he knew it must have materialized at some point close to him. Just as he unrolled the message, it disappeared. Tim decided he might as well stay there, only looking up to nod at several of his party members who were now coming to join him. Projecting calm, he read the missive. It took all of his self-control not to give any visible reaction. It appeared he¡¯d done just what he¡¯d wanted to avoid and effectively given the base over to their enemies by withdrawing half of their group for this trip. He was inclined to agree with Anuis¡¯ decision to avoid a confrontation, but this was still bad. At least the first wave of reinforcements had arrived. Now the question is, what to do? He hadn¡¯t achieved what he¡¯d wanted to here yet, and rushing off now might ruin everything he had managed. But he couldn¡¯t leave them on their own either, he was needed there. Should they try to fight for the base? ¡°Tim?¡± Tirias asked carefully. Tim glanced up. The elf champion had been out in the city. He looked concerned now, there was tension in the set of his shoulders. ¡°Important news,¡± Tim said. ¡°You found something too?¡± Tirias nodded. ¡°Can we go somewhere more private, perhaps?¡± Tim glanced at the others and waved them back. ¡°Go back inside, show your faces, we¡¯ll be right there.¡± Then he followed Tirias to a quiet corner, around a bend in the path, a spot that was mostly covered by a tree and several bushes. No one was close enough to eavesdrop, and Tim scanned the area carefully, scenting the air and straining his ears to be sure. Then he turned to his companion, who still looked a bit agitated. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I took a good look around,¡± Tirias said. ¡°It struck me how calm the city was, especially around the outer parts. I went by several barracks of the city guard. They¡¯re too empty. None of them is unused, but they¡¯re not filled to capacity. This is the only regular military force the city has, Tim. If they¡¯re not here, they¡¯re out fighting somewhere.¡± Tim nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good to know. But we did know they were preparing or already fighting other cities in the region, anyway.¡± Tirias made a face. ¡°I know, but ¡­ I managed to get a look at their military storage, too. They had warehouses close by the barracks. I know,¡± he added at Tim¡¯s surprised look, ¡°I¡¯m not the sneakiest, but I can manage. And it was full. Uniforms, armor, weapons, filled to bursting. Like they¡¯re recruiting new soldiers, preparing for an intense conflict.¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± Tim muttered. ¡°You¡¯d think there would be more recruits in the city in that case.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the elf agreed, ¡°unless they¡¯re out somewhere fighting without their uniforms and equipment.¡± It meant ¡ª a significant fraction of their fighting force might be operating under disguise, concealing their affiliation. Tim glanced at the letter again. The force that had occupied the base were only fifty people by their estimate. Still ¡­ ¡°I think we might be in deeper trouble than we thought, Tirias,¡± he muttered. ¡°We¡¯ll need to confirm this. But if my suspicions are right, we¡¯re probably in danger. And so are the others.¡± He glanced at the building they¡¯d just exited again, filled with scheming nobles and envoys. Filled with a lot of pointless ceremony and engagements that would at the very least slow him down and distract him. He might be jumping to conclusions, but a lot of things seemed suspicious, if he posited that they might be working against him, trying to take the base out from under his nose, and probably planning to blame their rivals. Chapter 334: Crossings Dan didn¡¯t know how fast the first team had managed to get through the mountains, but he suspected that, for this part at least, it would have been faster. His own group was much bigger, and thus couldn¡¯t manage it as quickly. With a group this size, you couldn¡¯t hope to sneak through the territory. Instead, you had to be prepared to constantly defend against monsters. It was almost like they were some kind of beacon for them. Although it was funny when some of the monsters turned to fighting each other instead of the strike force. Not even close to the group, either, sometimes just getting close enough to each other while reacting to the new presence was enough to start a fight. Dan enjoyed watching it, when he could get a good look. At least entertainment was one thing this trip didn¡¯t really lack, even if it was a big headache otherwise. Or maybe several smaller headaches. But he didn¡¯t really mind that part, he liked the chance to travel through the mountains, fight monsters, and then go help Tim out with some more fighting. Or politics, but that would be solely Tim¡¯s area and he could just stick to bashing some heads in where needed. Unfortunately, their Queen had also put him in charge of this group. Strike force Delta. Someone probably though they were being funny. (Seriously though, why delta? Gamma would make sense if you counted Tim¡¯s group and the first wave of reinforcements. Did they just want to bluff people into thinking there was another strike force ahead of them? That wouldn¡¯t work.) Dan suspected Janis was involved. Regina would have definitely consulted her. Unfortunately, as had been pointed out to him several times and at length, he was a senior officer, with more seniority in the Hive than any other except Ben, and there weren¡¯t many people who would be trusted with this. Owin was already leading his own force. So he had to step up. At least he knew many of the people under him. Instead of the hodgepodge of high-level people thrown together for Owin, this was largely just an actual force detached from the Imperial military command. Still high-level, of course, they couldn¡¯t send anyone less than that here, so there had been some shuffling around. He wasn¡¯t sure a company-sized strike force was the best, but he had to acknowledge they could punch far above their weight class. Especially with all the other gear Ben had sent with them. And there was still a flock of Winged Drones above. It kept shrinking due to monster attacks, and it usually hung back, keeping high above the clouds or to safer areas, to preserve it. They¡¯d still made good time, despite the size of the group. The first part of the trip had been very easy. The area had already been cleared, they¡¯d started from a proper base, and there was an actual road winding into the mountains, and tunnels for some terrain that was less easy to traverse. They¡¯d still had to fight once they got to the end of that part, but considering they were able to start much deeper into the mountains anyway, due to the gnomes¡¯ help, it must have shaved days off their trip. Maybe even more. It also helped that half a dozen of his new soldiers were actually gnomes, newly enlisted in the Imperial army, and half of them had previous experience with the deep mountains. They weren¡¯t the most high-leveled people, so they must have been chosen for that reason. Dan didn¡¯t mind, they had already given him a few good tips regarding the route and how to react to monster attacks. He¡¯d known the gnomes had been more involved in sending people into and occasionally even through the mountains, it was obvious since part of their territory was in the mountains anyway, but he hadn¡¯t realized how much of a difference it made. Now they had made it through the worst parts already and were most of the way through the mountains. Considerably closer to the southern side than where they¡¯d started. The monsters had actually seemed to thin out a little, although he wasn¡¯t sure if it just seemed that way because their previous fights had made an impression. The kinds of monsters they fought had also shifted a little. Regardless, they were now entering areas where they might even encounter other people, or so the gnomes had warned him. It was still unlikely, but adventurers from the southern lands could get this far. Or, apparently, the dwarven communities ¡ª he¡¯d also been briefed on information Tim had collected about the southern lands, and they¡¯d been mentioned. It was interesting that Galatea hadn¡¯t said much about them, though; maybe they¡¯d kept hidden from her, or she just didn¡¯t find them interesting or worth reporting on. Maybe she hadn¡¯t considered them part of the southern lands when Regina had asked for information on those. Dan didn¡¯t want to speculate. Dan stepped onto a rock formation hanging a few meters over the path his company currently trod, although it was more like a small grassy patch that led up the slope they were currently climbing, and looked around. He adjusted his belt and the sword hanging from it nervously. It wasn¡¯t his normal weapon, but one recommended for the trip, considering its weight and the likelihood of having to fight one-handed. He was also currently wearing the Imperial military uniform with light armor, in the Hivekind version. Their normal colors were blue and black, with a darker blue for special forces. He wore a thick gambeson reinforced with metal strips instead of the normal jacket over the uniform tunic, along with a helmet and shin guards over his combat boots. It had the added advantage of helping keep warm in the mountains. At the moment, since they weren¡¯t that high up currently and were moving uphill, it felt like too much of a good thing and he was getting rather warm. Most of his men (and women, although the human soldiers were mostly male, as well as all of the gnomes, obviously) were similarly equipped, to strike a balance between protection and being able to march through rough terrain. Leg and arm guards were surprisingly handy when they had to climb. And Max had made sure they all had good boots, which Dan really appreciated. He watched them march, noting the way they were holding their weapons. All becoming veterans of the mountains now, if they hadn¡¯t been before. Their supplies were getting low. They¡¯d supplemented what they¡¯d brought with hunting, especially with all the monsters attacking anyway, but there wasn¡¯t much time to waste on it. The soldiers all carried dense, high-calorie provisions, but there was only so much they¡¯d brought to not get weighed down. He might have to slow down and allow for more hunting or foraging, which Dan hated. The drones would be fine, but he didn¡¯t think humans would have an easy time finding edible plants here, anyway. Though some of them had magic or Skills that should help. ¡°Commander? Do you think it¡¯s time for another break?¡± Dan shook his thoughts off and turned to his second, who¡¯d paused a meter below him. ¡°Not yet, Geoff,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe once we¡¯re at the top. Can you go to the front, though, check in with our scouts and take point?¡± ¡°Of course, sir,¡± he nodded, turning to leave. Dan looked after him for a moment. The rogue was a veteran Delver and had been part of Owin¡¯s party, probably for years before they met. As such, he was one of the most trusted Delvers. He was also newly a Captain in the Imperial army. In Dan¡¯s opinion, he could have led this company perfectly well, although he supposed he didn¡¯t know if he was any good at diplomacy. Maybe they hadn¡¯t wanted to put him in charge for the political aspects. At least Geoff was friendly and seemed pleased to be working with him.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. A moment later, Dan hopped down from his pile of rocks, getting back onto the road. He managed to balance on the rockier part beside the main ¡®path¡¯, walking quickly to pass his soldiers. On the way, he smiled and exchanged a few words with them, offering encouragement. He¡¯d been trying to get to know his people, and so far it was going well. By the time he finally passed the column, they were almost up the hillside. They were currently in an upper part of a valley leading between several mountain peaks, or maybe a plateau, since it was still pretty far up. From the maps he¡¯d seen, they should be able to follow it for some kilometers longer and then climb around the side of the southernmost mountain, going along another ridge. And then, they would be almost through, and would mostly have to descend to get to the open southern lands. Dan was about to call for his soldiers to stop and take half an hour, when Geoff melted out of a crag between two rock formations in front, hurrying towards him. Dan paused and turned to him, frowning. ¡°Commander,¡± he panted, ¡°we found something. A kind of quarry, perhaps, or maybe a natural formation. But it looks like people have been here, we found signs of pickaxes.¡± ¡°Can you tell how recent?¡± Geoff shrugged. ¡°Well, it hasn¡¯t eroded away, yet, and the scouts say they found what might have been tracks, but they¡¯re unsure if it¡¯s from monsters or people, or how old they are.¡± Dan nodded. ¡°Alright, show me. Sergeant, your unit will accompany us,¡± he added to the closest party leader. Geoff saluted and turned back to lead Dan and the others to the place they had found. The path was a bit rocky, literally and metaphorically, and he almost stumbled into a remaining ice patch once, but they all made it without injuries. The site was a bit higher up than their current resting place, behind a bluff and hidden from view from below, but as he approached, he saw it was still in a depression considering the surrounding rise in the terrain. There was a small brook, probably dried out for part of the year, a hundred meters farther, he heard the faint sound of trickling water. Dan realized why Geoff had called it a quarry right away, it did seem to resemble one going by the layout and first impression. There was a hole in the ground, and boulders were scattered around the depression in the ground, some almost forming a circle around it. But something still seemed off about it. This looked like the same stone (granite, maybe?) the surrounding mountainsides were made of. If anything, he might¡¯ve expected some kind of caves here. Dan carefully stepped forward, keeping his steps light. Something here set him on edge. He gestured at the others, and they took up guard positions. Then he approached the depression in the ground, frowning down into the dark. A moment later, something shifted behind him and he heard a sound like stone grinding on stone. Dan whirled around, half-drawing his sword. He paused at what he saw. In the time he hadn¡¯t been looking, somehow several people had appeared, as if they¡¯d stepped out of the rocks. Which they might well have. They were dwarves, obviously ¡ª shorter than him and with rocky skin. They also wore armor and carried weapons. ¡°Be careful where you tread, travelers,¡± one of them said.
Itemila-ne ¡ª Level 45 Stone Mage
Dan hesitated for a moment, eyes darting around. Where were the more diplomatic members of his Hive when he needed them? ¡±We weren¡¯t trying to intrude on your space,¡± he finally said. ¡°Stand down, men. This doesn¡¯t need to come to a fight.¡± They did, and the dwarves visibly relaxed a bit as well. A moment later, shadows played around the other rocks and more figures seemed to melt out of them. In the end, at least twenty of them surrounded him and his group. At least they weren¡¯t baring their weapons. In fact, their body language seemed peaceful, not aggressive. ¡°You are from the Central European Empire, I see,¡± the leader said again. According to the system, he wasn¡¯t the highest leveled fighter, but he clearly spoke for the group. ¡°That is true,¡± Dan agreed, belatedly inclining his head in a gesture of respect. ¡°We are moving through the mountains toward the southern lands.¡± The dwarf nodded. ¡°Is your goal Veragles? Like the first party of yours that passed through?¡± ¡°You¡¯re well informed,¡± Dan said slowly. The leader smiled, although it didn¡¯t look very pleasant. ¡°Just because we live here, far from others, doesn¡¯t mean news doesn¡¯t reach us, Hive drone. We make a point to keep informed of what goes on in the world. And the birth of a new empire so close to us is rather hard to miss, even if your empress has not granted us her attention.¡± Dan exchanged a look with Geoff. ¡°I¡¯m sure that wasn¡¯t an intentional snub, sir,¡± the Delver spoke up. ¡°Your presence here is not well known. Now that we are here, talking to you, we will send word back and I am confident Her Imperial Majesty will be eager to send actual diplomats to start proper talks. Right, Lord Dan?¡± Dan blinked and nodded. ¡°Very much so, Mother would love to hear from you,¡± he agreed. The dwarven mage cocked his head slightly. ¡°And you cannot speak for the Empire? I was under the impression you were high-ranking officers ¡ª and one of you a senior son of the Empress, no less.¡± Dan bit down on a grimace. He knew exactly what the others would say. ¡°I am,¡± he confirmed, ¡°and the Empire would honor my word, within reason. While we are somewhat pressed for time, I would like to speak further with you.¡± ¡°I can see your mission is time-sensitive,¡± the dwarf conceded. ¡°How about an invitation, then? We have some tunnels leading further south that should help you to your destination without having to climb the Grey Beak¡¯s Mountain. You can rest at our settlement tonight, and we can discuss common interests. We will then send you off with a guide.¡± Dan tried not to look stunned. ¡°That is very gracious,¡± he managed. ¡°Yes, I mean, we would be honored to accept your invitation.¡± Frantically, he tried to recall if they had anything they could leave as a gift for the dwarves. He was distracted enough to almost miss the dwarf gesturing and the grinding of rock deeper in the ¡®quarry¡¯, as a hole opened up, exposing the entrance of a tunnel. Dan blinked, then turned to Geoff to organize their move. It took a bit to marshal everyone and get them to enter the cave in an organized fashion. The dwarves waited patiently, then went ahead of them. Dan put himself at the front of the group, walking quickly to catch up to them. The tunnel was low enough he had to duck his head, but exactly rectangular and seamless. It turned and descended further underground. One of the dwarves was carrying a lantern, and with whispered orders, some of his own men lit their own. ¡°How long until we reach your settlement?¡± Dan asked. ¡°A few hours,¡± the leader, Itemila-ne, replied. ¡°We will guide you. There are many passages and dead ends, intruders who wander without help are prone to find themselves lost and stranded, prey for monsters.¡± Charming. Dan caught his fingers drifting toward his sword and jerked them away. ¡°Sounds nice,¡± he replied lightly. ¡°You won¡¯t require us to be blindfolded?¡± The dwarf gave him a sideways glance. ¡°I do not think that would stop Hivekind for long, would it?¡± Dan nodded, conceding the point. ¡°The gnomes weren¡¯t able to tell us your settlements¡¯ locations,¡± he said instead. The mage smiled faintly. ¡°Of course not. I suppose that they will learn of it now is an unavoidable side effect. I do hope you¡¯ll be careful with whom you share such information.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t take your trust lightly,¡± Dan replied. ¡°Good. Now please be quiet, we don¡¯t want to attract any earth wyrms.¡± Dan nodded and fell back a bit, chewing on his lower lip. Even he could tell the dwarves probably wanted something from him or they wouldn¡¯t be this hospitable. Maybe it was just because the empire was powerful and looking in this direction, and they¡¯d rather get off on the right foot. Maybe they wanted help against enemies in the southern lands. He sighed. So much for leaving all the politics to Tim, I guess. At least it was still a nice adventure. It had only gotten more interesting. He was curious to see their settlement. Chapter 335: Objectives and Plans Anuis Eltarianal considered herself hard to surprise. She had not lived as long as some elves, but long enough to gain varied experiences. So, she did not consider it a surprise, not quite, when Sir Owin and his group of reinforcements appeared just in time, crossing the mountains and southern lands in a matter of days if not hours, but she certainly took note of it. The Hive¡¯s winged drones still proved a formidable tactical advantage. She had not previously been sure that they would allow any substantial number of fighters across the mountains, but clearly they had. Not that Owin Castaway¡¯s group was particularly large, but he had more men than were left in her party. Sorting out matters of command would have to wait until he awoke, of course. She presumed he would wish to be in charge, and most of those present would back him. That would be fine. Anuis might be considered an ally by the Hive Queen and Empress, but that was at least as much on the strength of a personal relationship as political ties. Besides, she knew Sir Owin, although a Delver, would be more than capable. The Delvers had certainly surprised her in the last few years, anyway. At least it was a pleasant surprise. They¡¯d sent their message and there was nothing immediately urgent to do. She expected the knight would take some hours to rest, and so slept for a few hours herself. She spent most of the remaining time trying to integrate the disparate remnants of Tim¡¯s expedition with his new troops. Most of them went to sleep right away as well, clearly tired from their taxing journey. Well, if anyone had intended to try a military action right away, it would clearly have been doomed to failure. Anuis contented herself with making sure their camp was secure and their scouts alert. She sat on a stacked bedroll at the edge of the camp when Sir Owin finally awoke. He sat up with a groan, rubbing his eyes briefly, before looking squarely at her. ¡°What news?¡± ¡°No major movements from the hostile company,¡± she answered. ¡°Our scouts are still watching. We¡¯ve had no word from Lord Tim, either, although I¡¯d expect to hear from him soon, one way or another.¡± Owin nodded. ¡°Hopefully,¡± he murmured, getting up. ¡°What are your plans, Commander?¡± ¡°I was mainly waiting for reinforcements,¡± she said, a bit sardonically. ¡°Further actions would depend on their strength, and orders. I was going to keep observing the newcomers, but remain ready to move further out if necessary.¡± He cocked his head. ¡°I suppose you don¡¯t care for the base?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s not for my people, you mean?¡± She frowned. ¡°I appreciate the trust Tim showed me by putting me in charge, and I intend to fulfill it by acting as he would wish. Of course you are right in that my role here and our people¡¯s alliance is, let¡¯s say, a little ambiguous for now, but Ariedel is still allied to the Starlit Hive. I realize how important this is to them and I¡¯m ready to support them.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he dipped his head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to question your honor, Commander Eltarianal, I apologize if I gave that impression.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it,¡± she reassured him. It wasn¡¯t a question of honor for her so much as duty, but she could admit that she hardly minded this duty. She liked Tim and this little adventure was a nice, exciting change of pace, on the whole. More importantly, she was aware that her presence and participation here was a tangible sign of the Elvish Free State¡¯s goodwill, for an alliance with the Empress. Negotiations between the Empire and Ariedel were still ongoing, but she was sure it would result in a very close alliance, if not an outright membership in the Empire. This meant she was required to perform well here. "Now that you are awake, it is time to decide how to handle the situation, however,¡± she continued. ¡°Do you want to press the attack?¡± Owin hesitated, furrowing his brows. ¡°We still don¡¯t know much about these people, correct? Attacking blindly doesn¡¯t seem smart. We should at least wait until we¡¯ve heard back from Tim, or know he isn¡¯t going to be able to send a message. In the meantime, what say you we focus on scouting and finding out what they are doing in there? Perhaps send in a few of my men skilled with infiltration?¡± Anuis tried not to smile and nodded. ¡°That strikes me as wise,¡± she said. ¡°Who did you have in mind? What are their Skills? Would any of them be able to pretend to be a local?¡± For the next few minutes, they discussed various options and hashed out several plans. Unfortunately, the answer to her last question was apparently ¡®probably not, if they are asked any questions¡¯. There were humans among their troops who could pass for southerners visually, but they would not know much of what their supposed comrades might ask them, and if the enemy had any reason to be suspicious, such a ruse would quickly fall apart. Still, Owin decided to proceed with the idea of at least sending a few scouts and spies, and Anuis agreed. If they were discovered, it would be unfortunate, but they were also planning to move camp, and she would rather fight their enemies out in the open here instead of trying to retake the base directly. She might not be sure of their skills, but she was confident of those of her people and Owin¡¯s, and in a chaotic, spread-out fight they would have an advantage. They still had the mobility advantage, anyhow. ¡°Perhaps we should try to lure them out anyway, even if our scouting isn¡¯t discovered,¡± Dustin suggested. Anuis agreed with the sentiment. They sent their best infiltrators to gather more information on their opponents, then returned to planning. While she remained focused on the task at hand, Anuis also took note of the other speakers and their mindset. Owin was obviously still adjusting to operating in a military capacity, although this mission in particular was hardly typical and probably more reminiscent of his days as a Delver commander. She had few qualms about him, despite everything. He had a good head on his shoulders. The others also lacked experience, but they had enough of it to be better than she¡¯d feared. Her own party members mostly kept quiet and let her talk, which Anuis counted as a blessing. The Hive drones were, as always, the most disciplined. They didn¡¯t seem to mind that none of them was currently in the highest command position. Several of them had already been sent out as scouts, using their - compared to humans'' - enhanced senses of hearing, vision and smell. Anuis privately marked them all as high-value assets and knew she would need to try to keep all of them alive if a fight broke out. It was an annoying constraint on a tactical level and might strike others as unfair, but such was the way of things. She did not want to be responsible for Empress Regina losing any more children, on a personal or political level.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. They quickly hashed out a few plans, including some contingencies, and accounted for ways of sending messages. Then it was time to move camp. She knew any other sites their scouts had found wouldn¡¯t be as good as this one, but her instincts warned against staying in one spot for too long and they¡¯d already spent some time here. And it really wasn¡¯t big enough for the whole force, anyway. Instead, they crept through the shade of sparse trees to a position a little farther out from the base, so as to hide better. There were two connected clearings in a small forest, easily hidden from the outside, and offering a bit more room. Several of their soldiers with appropriate Abilities had already set to preparing it for the camp and drawing up the greenery around it to hide it better. Anuis could have contributed, but decided to preserve her strength and instead focused on managing the troops and planning. She would rather ensure they kept enough scouts in a proper pattern to facilitate easy communications between them. Which was fortunate, when they finally received the report she had been waiting for. ¡°They appear to be looking for something,¡± one of the scouts, a human named Marcus, said. ¡°They have been moving through the base in patrol patterns, but I have the impression they are looking for more than intruders. There was heavier traffic in some interior areas you would expect to be less guarded.¡± Anuis frowned. That was interesting. ¡°Any hint as to what?¡± Owin asked. ¡°No, Sir Owin. None of us found anything,¡± another scout replied. ¡°Did you manage to confirm their numbers?¡± Anuis asked. ¡°As we estimated,¡± Alvol said. ¡°Fifty-one humans, eight golems. A unit of fifty plus their commander, I would guess, and the golems as additional muscle.¡± ¡°Did you see the golem artificer we encountered among the group?¡± Anuis pressed. ¡°No, Commander. Not that I saw.¡± He glanced at the other scouts, who shook their heads. ¡°There was no one with the name you gave,¡± Lauris said. Anuis nodded, then looked at Owin. He was frowning thoughtfully. However, whatever he was about to say was interrupted by one of his soldiers rushing up to them. ¡°Sir, Commander,¡± he panted, ¡°the perimeter scouts sent word, there¡¯s a single traveler approaching our location. Apparently, it¡¯s a dark elf.¡± That relaxed some of the tension she felt. ¡°Nucme,¡± she said, ¡°Tim must have sent him as a messenger.¡± Owin glanced at her and nodded. ¡°Please pass the word to show him here, discreetly, provided it is him.¡± The soldier ran off again and they settled down to wait. Anuis dismissed the other scouts to get some rest and then occupied her fingers with repairing the fletching of one of her arrows. They didn¡¯t have to wait long until the familiar dark elf stepped into the clearing, looking exhausted. He immediately headed for her and Owin, clearly unsurprised to see the reinforcements. Anuis assumed Tim had sent him because he would attract notice in Iliucin or other cities in the south, but he would also have to rely on magic to move very fast. She restrained her curiosity until he had set down and been handed a waterskin. Then she glanced at Owin, who was examining the dark elf with an assessing gaze. ¡°What news do you bring?¡± she asked. Nucme set down the waterskin and straightened up, looking like he was considering saluting but thinking better of it. From the way his ears were laid slightly back, she could tell he was not only tired, but tense and probably concerned. ¡°We were received with honor and ceremony in Iliucin,¡± he reported. ¡°Thaumaturge Zephyr was already there, having come by magical means, and made initial contact while waiting for us. The high council immediately granted us an audience, and were quite respectful of Tim ¡ª who is, in fact, ¡®Prince Tim¡¯ now. Apparently the Empress named him and a few others princes and princesses of the Empire.¡± Anuis couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow. ¡°That would be Princes and Princesses Max, Tim, Mia and Tia, I assume?¡± ¡°I think so, yes,¡± Nucme confirmed. He and Owin both looked at her for a moment, and she caught a few of the others glances¡¯ as well. Anuis declined to comment. Few seemed to remember that she was one of the first people who had ever met the Hive Queen (in this life) and her first drones; back when there were only the four of them. She knew they were in a category of their own in some ways, it seemed inevitable based on what they had experienced and seen together. But there were more relevant things to speak about. ¡°The city welcomed you, then. Did they seem eager for an alliance?¡± Nucme shrugged slightly. ¡°It seemed like it at first, but they didn¡¯t want to commit, Prince Tim told me. And they may be putting on a show to mislead us. Tirias did some scouting, and found some concerning indications.¡± He briefly explained about empty barracks but full storehouses of uniforms and weapons. ¡°So, he thinks Iliucin is behind this?¡± Owin asked, clasping his hands behind his back. Nucme nodded. ¡°It¡¯s at least a strong possibility, Sir Owin. And it seems likely there is more going on in this region as well. Have you found any indications that would support this theory?¡± Owin looked at Anuis, who shook her head. ¡°Not quite,¡± she responded. ¡°It seems plausible, though. If we consider travel times for a group of soldiers this size, especially if they took a circuitous route, the length of time it took them to show up might indicate they came from Iliucin rather than Iliyan. That is purely speculative, however. Do you have any notion what they might be searching for here?¡± ¡°Searching?¡± the dark mage frowned. ¡°No, not that I know of, Commander.¡± ¡°I assume the prince has a plan?¡± Owin asked. ¡°He does,¡± Nucme smiled. ¡°I am not the only messenger he sent. For now, though, your part will be the most difficult, and he is asking another task of us, if you¡¯re able.¡± ¡°He has orders for us, then?¡± ¡°Yes. There are several priorities and objectives. We need a detailed description of their outfits and weapons and an assessment of whether we can replicate them convincingly. Scouting out their movement patterns would be good, too, but I assume you¡¯ve already done most of that? Most importantly, he told me to ask for an honest assessment; do you think you can fake an engagement with this group convincingly without risking death or capture?¡± Owin blinked and glanced at Anuis, who frowned thoughtfully. She felt she was starting to get an idea of Tim¡¯s plan. ¡°We should be able to,¡± she replied after Owin remained silent for a moment. ¡°Is there a specific objective?¡± ¡°Primarily, if at all possible, we are to focus on capturing one of their golems, as intact as possible. Ideally, without letting on that this is our goal.¡± ¡°Secondary objectives?¡± she pressed. ¡°Taking a prisoner to question, finding proof of their actual affiliation, and finding any information on their larger operations in this area,¡± he replied. ¡°That¡¯s quite the list,¡± Owin mused. ¡°I can see why he wanted an evaluation first.¡± He glanced at the others, then nodded. ¡°We will do our best to fulfill his objectives.¡± Anuis echoed the nod, agreeing with him. Trying to meet all these objectives would make the battle riskier than ¡®fake engagement¡¯ implied, but she was still confident in their ability to meet this challenge. And all of them were obviously valuable goals. ¡°Do we have a timeframe?¡± Dustin asked. ¡°He didn¡¯t set a specific time, but we need to be done by tomorrow night at the latest.¡± That was fine; lingering here without engaging would only increase the risk of discovery, anyway. Not to mention their supply situation. ¡°My instinct is to choose a night attack shortly before dawn,¡± Anuis mused, ¡°but we may need to adjust based on other considerations.¡± ¡°No, I agree,¡± Owin replied. ¡°Let¡¯s talk through the information we have already and get down to the details.¡± Anuis smiled. It had been quite a while since she¡¯d been part of an operation like this; false-flag attacks weren¡¯t much of an option when most of her time had been spent primarily fighting humans as an elven ranger. This would prove interesting, if not quite what she¡¯d have expected for their first proper battle in the southern lands. She did enjoy a challenge. Chapter 336: Prospective Allies Dan found the tunnels the dwarves led them down a bit nostalgic. They definitely reminded him more of the Hive¡¯s work than the old, underground ruins originally built by the ¡®Ancient¡¯ civilization which they had found under the forest. They were still lit mostly by bioluminescent moss, and their steps echoed just faintly down the stone corridors. He tried to keep a mental map of their surroundings and their route, but it was difficult. Still, he thought he managed to keep a general impression of where they were relative to the entrance. A few hours to get to the dwarves¡¯ settlement seemed to be right. It meant the tunnels were more extensive than he¡¯d have guessed. Despite the warning, they didn¡¯t see any signs of earth wyrms for the first two hours or so. However, that luck didn¡¯t last. Dan didn¡¯t know if it followed some kind of order; while he¡¯d seen earth wyrms before, they were scarcer in the northern part of the mountains and he hadn¡¯t paid as much attention. Now, he pressed himself against the tunnel, slowing his breathing on instinct, as something rumbled through the cavern ahead of them. Judging by their size and the layout, there was either a connecting tunnel or some kind of cave the monster was moving through. After a moment, he glanced at his troops, who were fortunately all silent. He held up a hand and gestured for them to back away a little bit. The group was big enough, walking single file or in twos down this tunnel, that it took some shuffling, but they pressed more closely together without making much noise. He was thankful he¡¯d at least been saddled with command of veterans. The dwarves had obviously tensed up a bit, but were more relaxed. Their leader, Itemil, as he¡¯d offered at some point, looked at Dan, clearly considering, before he gestured ahead and turned to take a few steps. Dan hesitated for a moment, before he carefully pulled his blade-arms in, securing his armor and weapons, and lightly walked after him. The earth wyrm was bigger than he¡¯d thought, looking at it from a little closer up. It almost looked like it had used this path many times before and worn a groove in the floor of the cavern, although it might also be a dry water bed. The beast looked more like a large snake than a worm, lacking any limbs but with reflective dark scales and green eyes gleaming in the darkness like a cat¡¯s. It didn¡¯t look like a beast entirely living underground. He also didn¡¯t see why the dwarves would intersect their corridors with its path. The earth wyrm continued on its way, and they watched, silently. Dan tried to take in as much as he could given the dim light. Once he only saw the tip of its tail, he turned his attention to the corridor itself, and realized what should have been obvious. There was definitely a natural cavern here, but further on, and probably mirrored at some point on its other end, it narrowed to a smaller, rougher tunnel ¡ª a round one, just the right size to fit the earth wyrm with a little bit of wiggle room. Clearly, they were using it to dig tunnels. ¡°Risky but convenient,¡± he muttered. Itemil smiled, a flash of teeth in the darkness. ¡°It¡¯s important to keep bolt holes. And to time trips for larger groups. Come on, let¡¯s continue.¡± Dan simply nodded and turned back to see to the rest of the company. They muttered faintly as they traversed the cavern, and he paid particular attention to the rock of the cave walls, trying to pinpoint the spot at which natural formations merged into the monster¡¯s digging. It was a pretty effective demonstration of what the dwarves could do under the mountains, if that was the point. He wondered about their ability to tame the earth wyrms, and whether other people could do it. Clearly the dwarves relied more on steering them, if anything, but it should be possibly for high enough leveled people with the right Classes to basically control them outright, shouldn¡¯t it? It could be very interesting for their ability to secure the route through the mountains, but he had a feeling the dwarves weren¡¯t going to offer help for nothing. The rest of their trip was slightly tenser, with the reminder that monsters lurked here in the dark, but it passed without incident. They passed through a few more tunnels, going down one that wound a little like an enlarged staircase, and then into parts that were obviously better secured. They passed several points where the tunnel narrowed in obvious chokepoints and he saw arrow slits in the, presumably fake, walls. The tunnel led upwards again after dipping down, probably a precaution against flooding, same as the other caverns. Then it finally opened up a little more and they got to a bigger cave. Here, it was easy to see the differences in the structure that led to the settlement. The dwarves hadn¡¯t built conventional houses; with the cavern ceiling above, they didn¡¯t need roofs, and they seemed to embrace a communal style where many functions took place in dedicated areas that weren¡¯t separated by walls. It was similar to the Hive in a lot of ways. Also, building walls here would be rough, he supposed. There were still smaller compartments separated out with wood and bricks, probably bedrooms. But Dan only spared the architecture a short glance before focusing on the people. It was immediately apparent that the cave complex they¡¯d entered could house a lot more people than there were. There was a lot of open space and his company could easily rest here without disturbing the dwarves. They looked a lot like the group escorting his company, wearing similar clothing and engaged in a variety of tasks. The only one not at least writing something stood by a central obelisk that reached to the ceiling of the cave, wearing burnished armor, hands clasped behind his backs, looking steadily at him. It didn¡¯t surprise Dan when Itemil headed straight for him. He followed him after making sure that Geoff was catching up.
Itirka-ne ¡ª Level 42 Paladin
¡°Greetings,¡± Dan said, bowing his head a bit. ¡°Thank you for welcoming us here.¡± The paladin nodded and extended a hand for a handshake. ¡°It is good to meet you, Lord Dan. Welcome to Atefia¡¯kela.¡± Dan noted that his skin felt as rocky as it looked as he returned the handshake and tried to remember the name. He really hoped he wasn¡¯t messing up this meeting, he wasn¡¯t a diplomat. ¡°I appreciate it,¡± he replied, figuring that being as polite as possible was probably best, and gratitude and assurances would probably fit well. ¡°We didn¡¯t intend to trespass on your territory without invitation, as it appears we might have. Also, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m unsure what to call you ¡ª Sir Itirka-ne?¡± ¡°Tirka is fine,¡± the dwarf replied with a small smile. ¡°It will generally be a safe bet to shorten a dwarf¡¯s name by leaving out the last syllable and the last or both bracketing vowels. Would you like something to drink?¡± Dan accepted, remembering to introduce Geoff as well. They sat down at what was clearly a meeting area with rough chairs and he took a cup of water. At least it wasn¡¯t alcohol.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I assume you¡¯re the leader of this settlement?¡± he asked after a moment, to be sure. Tirka smiled and shook his head. ¡°No. I¡¯m not even a resident here, most of the time.¡± Dan raised an eyebrow and looked at Itemil (Temil?), who smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the leader of our warriors here,¡± he said. ¡°But this affects more than just our settlement, so I¡¯ll let Tirka talk.¡± Dan glanced at his company of soldiers, who were settling in, and mostly watching them with interest. Many of them would be able to overhear them talking. The same was probably true of the dwarves, too. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about your people,¡± he admitted, ¡°or your culture. So I apologize in advance if I give offense. But can you talk for all dwarves? Or, for that matter, do you want to?¡± ¡°That¡¯s complicated,¡± Tirka said. ¡°I¡¯m well-respected in almost all of the settlements. Many of our people live outside of them, in the human or occasionally elven lands. I still want to protect them as much as we can, regardless of any affiliations with specific villages.¡± ¡°From what?¡± Now Tirka hesitated. He seemed to take a moment to consider, then decide to be blunt. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have some experience with hostility based on nothing more than your race. Humans can be very intolerant. No offense, Captain.¡± Geoff inclined his head slightly. ¡°None taken, Tirka. My order has had to reevaluate quite a lot in the last few years. I know the southern chapters haven¡¯t followed suit.¡± The dwarf leaned back a little, tilting his head slightly; conciliatory, Dan thought. ¡°And it will always be worse for those without a stable home or strong rulers to speak up for them,¡± Geoff continued. Now Tirka actually looked surprised, for a moment, before he nodded. ¡°I suppose so,¡± he muttered. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve found some allies, but it¡¯s not a simple situation. And your brother, Lord Dan, seemed reasonable, and I think he would understand.¡± ¡°Just Dan, no need for the ¡®lord¡¯,¡± Dan said automatically. ¡°So you¡¯ve seen Tim?¡± ¡°Yes. I was traveling with an archmage from Veragles, Thande Lucian. We encountered his party and accompanied them to the city.¡± Dan tried not to look surprised. He knew about that, at least. So, from what Tirka said, he could assume Lucian was one of their allies. It didn¡¯t seem to be enough for the dwarf, though. Or maybe they just wanted to evaluate the Empire as well. ¡°You¡¯re familiar with the mountains,¡± Geoff said. It sounded like a disconnect, but even Dan could see where this was going. They were going to talk about what each could offer the other, presumably. ¡°Very much so,¡± Itemil said. ¡°I know you have the gnomes on your side now, but they¡¯ve been largely restricted to the northern side. If you want to build a proper and well-trafficked route to the south, you will be going through our territory, or close enough as makes no difference. We could help your efforts ¡­¡± ¡°Or, well, you can guess,¡± Tirka added. Both of them looked very tense right now, almost staring straight at him, and it took Dan a moment to realize that they might be afraid of his reaction. He paused, his mind churning as he tried to work through the implications. The Empire could conquer them, he thought, considering. It wouldn¡¯t be easy given the terrain, but we¡¯ve got Hivekind and now the gnomes, it would only be an investment of time and some resources. But Mother won¡¯t want to. He hadn¡¯t paid much attention, but he did know she wanted to avoid being seen as conquering anyone in her way. Plus, she would probably object to the idea of an unprovoked attack on a peaceful neighbor for more reasons than just optics. If this develops as they think, they¡¯ll be in control of the pass, or at least an important part of it. The connection between the southern and northern lands. That¡¯s got to be worth a lot, right? He¡¯d been silent for too long, and Geoff spoke up again. ¡°We always thought not much information passed through the mountains, but you seem to know a lot about the Empire.¡± Itemil shrugged slightly. ¡°We¡¯ve tried to keep informed. News are still coming, even if they have to take the long way around.¡± ¡°Your offer is valuable,¡± Dan finally said. ¡°I can¡¯t give you a final answer, I¡¯m sure you understand, but I¡¯ll pass along any messages you might have and recommend a diplomatic team be sent to hammer out a deal that will benefit us all. I can reassure you that the Empress would much rather talk than fight, and your lives and territory will be respected. But I¡¯d like to know what you want from us, in more detail.¡± The two dwarves exchanged a look, and a bit of the tension seemed to flow out of their posture. They didn¡¯t seem surprised, either, so that probably meant they¡¯d expected a response like this. Maybe he wasn¡¯t messing up this diplomacy thing too badly. ¡°If you want to establish safe travel through the mountains, you will need to secure the surrounding area,¡± Tirka said, clearly still speaking carefully. ¡°It will involve managing the monster populations and allow opportunities for expansion. Obviously, we¡¯re not stupid enough to expect to clear the mountains of monsters entirely, but we would like increased security. We may want to reclaim settlements our people were forced to abandon, and secure resources we cannot access yet.¡± ¡°That sounds reasonable,¡± Dan said. Maybe the Empire would want some resources in the mountains, too, but he only had a vague idea of what they might be, and it wasn¡¯t like he was promising anything. ¡°We would also like the Empress¡¯ political support, in the lands south of the mountains,¡± the dwarf continued. ¡°I know you are making allies and connections there. If we are to be ¡­ allied, we expect the Empire¡¯s influence to be used to support and protect our people. It would be in your own interests as well.¡± Dan felt like he might be missing something, but he¡¯d felt that way for most of this conversation and clearly, he¡¯d just have to deal with it. ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°The Empire is against any form of racial discrimination. Or other discrimination. We will certainly push for equality and advocate for respecting the rights and concerns of minorities.¡± That was a boilerplate answer, but hopefully safe enough. He had a bit more trouble trying to read their reactions to this answer, but at least they didn¡¯t seem too upset. No one was bringing out weapons, anyway. ¡°Are there other demands the Empire has?¡± Itemil asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be some requests,¡± Dan said. Requests, not demands, sounded more polite, right? ¡°They will come up in negotiations. For now, I have to admit I am more concerned with my own mission.¡± The two dwarves exchanged a glance. ¡°You need to move south quickly, I assume,¡± Itemil said. Dan nodded. There was little point trying to conceal that fact at this point. ¡°We would also appreciate information,¡± he added. ¡°But yes, moving this company south quickly would be best. Toward the region around Iliucin and Iliyan, preferably.¡± That was where Tim was, so hopefully it wouldn¡¯t give too much away. ¡°I will guide you, tomorrow,¡± Itemil said. ¡°There is a good path, and I assume your soldiers will be sufficient protection.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Dan hesitated for a moment. ¡°Would you be willing to do the same for other Imperial soldiers coming after us?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t speak for every dwarf, at least not yet,¡± Tirka warned him. ¡°There may be issues with other settlements. But I think we could, in return for some assurances.¡± Dan smiled. ¡°We will be happy to pay for passage. And we will respect your territory, and maintain its security.¡± Geoff shifted slightly beside him, and the two dwarves exchanged a look again. It took a moment for Dan to realize how they might have interpreted his words. He¡¯d been thinking in terms of dealing with monsters, not threatening them with troop movements or the prospect of the Empire chewing on their borders. ¡°Of course,¡± Tirka said coolly. ¡°You will have our assistance.¡± Dan smiled, trying to look conciliatory, although he knew better than to try and apologize or try to explain he hadn¡¯t meant it. Trying to walk back his words probably wouldn¡¯t help and only create more confusion. Especially because it was probably a reasonable diplomatic threat, as far as that went. ¡°I appreciate it,¡± he said sincerely. ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can do right now in return for your assistance, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± They didn¡¯t reply directly and instead turned the conversation to the route and the company¡¯s overnight stay in their settlement. Dan tried not to second-guess himself the entire time, while he was talking with the dwarves and planning for the future. When he finally managed to lay down for the night, he was exhausted. At least it seemed he¡¯d made some progress. Chapter 337: Skirmishes Thaumaturge Derrek Zephyr wondered how many of the people he was ostensibly working with right now realized that he had actually been to the southern lands before. He suspected it wasn¡¯t many, although Lady Galatea certainly knew. Perhaps the drones just hadn¡¯t seen fit to bring it up. And to be fair, it had been decades ago and he knew little that would be relevant right now. Certainly nothing in the way of general information that Galatea would not have told them anyhow. He wished the ignorance had been enough to spare him from having to go, but that would hardly matter. Traveling here, he had been forced to leave his mount behind, which left him more worried than he¡¯d like to admit. He didn¡¯t want to lose this one too. He had steadfastly refused to name it to avoid attachment, but he couldn¡¯t help that his thoughts wanted to say ¡®Lisa¡¯ instead of ¡®the wyvern¡¯ and it took conscious effort not to. Of course, she was only part of the reason why he wasn¡¯t all too happy about this mission. There was nothing for it, however. At least Queen Kiara was largely more reasonable than her late cousin. He¡¯d spent more than enough time as royal mage and effectively a glorified errand boy and punching bag. Sometimes, it had felt like he was single-handedly propping up King Nicholas¡¯ rule and he hardly received any thanks for it. The new queen at least respected his abilities and didn¡¯t waste him on tasks a knight would be better suited to. He wasn¡¯t too thrilled about working for the Hive Queen Empress, on the other hand. Not after everything. Or, at least, he hadn¡¯t been. He did have to admit it was a much more intellectually stimulating environment she provided. He had great professional respect for Lady Galatea, and although he had little personally to do with the Empress, it was enough to recognize her as a gifted if still somewhat unpolished mage. While there were ¡ª somewhat understandable ¡ª trust issues, she seemed to coming around to respecting his skills, as well. Perhaps he should consider this mission a good sign in that regard. For said mission, he was currently traveling again, although it didn¡¯t strain his magic as much. He was thankful to have gotten at least a little rest in Iliucin. It had meant leaving Tim, the young newly-named prince, largely on his own when dealing with the city¡¯s nobles, at least at first, but that couldn¡¯t be helped. He¡¯d been awake for most of the planning, at least, and Tim seemed to take their Hive Queen sending him here as a sufficient sign of trust. Unfortunately, since he didn¡¯t have his usual ride, this short trip was a lot more complicated. It would have been easy enough, considering its short distance, but he was also trying to avoid any notice. Leading more of their enemies straight to the base the first expedition had found would not help their goal here. So, he had used a modified Haste Spell and then switched it to an invisibility Spell later. Keeping both up would have been uncertain and too risky. At least he had managed to get good descriptions and maps of the area, so he knew where to go. He wished he could have chosen a mount, even a horse would do, but he couldn¡¯t be bogged down by worrying about where to keep it. That meant he had to traipse through the wilderness alone, following uneasy and winding trails. It reminded him uncomfortably of his childhood, before he¡¯d been able to practice magic and leave outdoor work for the luxury of well-lit rooms and books. He tried not to dwell on the memories and instead focus on the issue at hand. Fortunately or unfortunately, the sounds of battle soon served to anchor him in the present moment. He slowed down a little and made sure to keep his movements silent. It wouldn¡¯t do to attract attention. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t discern much from the sounds yet; just the occasional clash of metal or battle cry ¡ª it didn¡¯t seem particularly heated, but then there weren¡¯t so many men involved here, were they? He¡¯d known the plan called for an attack, and it seemed he¡¯d came too late to see them decide on the particulars. He stepped forward quietly, sticking to the sparse tree cover as best he could. He had no weapons except for a knife in an inside pocket, but he didn¡¯t need any. Indeed, as he crossed behind a surprisingly thick tree trunk, he finally made out what was happening. It was a skirmish ¡ª probably not the first or the only one. Four Imperials were fighting, or rather three Imperials, specifically a drone and two humans, and one dark elf, against half a dozen southerners in unmarked mail armor. Both sides were using Class Skills, as was evidenced by flashes of light and heat and sudden rapid movements. He only took a moment to assess the situation. The next moment, a small barrage of Magic Missiles arced over their heads and dropped on top of the hostiles. Not every one of them died to it, but those who survived were quickly bested by the Imperial fighters. He stepped forward, noting with approval that his allies didn¡¯t drop their guards and instead only waited tensely, still arrayed defensively. He walked closer, noting the shifts in their body language, before he finally dropped his illusion. ¡°Thaumaturge!¡± one of the men said, visibly relaxing. He didn¡¯t recognize him, but they very well might have seen each other at some point in the past. ¡°Your arrival was well-timed.¡± ¡°You fought well,¡± he praised. ¡°Is there more fighting going on?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Zephyr,¡± the dark elf ranger answered. ¡°We¡¯ve been skirmishing with them throughout these fields for the last hour or so, after we managed to draw them out. I should guide you to the command group. If you please?¡± ¡°Please do,¡± he said, nodding at the others. The dark elf, Oliren, sheathed his weapon and turned without delay. He hadn¡¯t been here before, but it wasn¡¯t hard to orient himself. Oliren was as stealthy as expected, and he kept pace easily. He had decent physical Stats, since he wasn¡¯t given the ease of simply staying in a mage tower all the time. At the moment, it was a good thing, and he had only started to breath hard by the time they finally reached their destination. Castaway and the others had clearly done well and spread the fighting over an significant area. He assumed they were apportioning their forces to ease the numerical disparity and instead gain the numbers advantage in individual skirmishes. The Delver officer in question was standing with a few others in a grove that looked quickly grown together, not too far from where he put the entrance to the underground base. One of them was the elves¡¯ Three-Century Commander Eltarianal; he knew who must have come up with most of the details for this plan. They all looked up as he arrived. ¡°Zephyr,¡± Sir Owin said, reaching out a hand. ¡°The Empress really called in the big guns, didn¡¯t she?¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°I suppose so,¡± he replied, shaking his hand, then greeting the others. ¡°I¡¯m surprised Tim sent you. That must mean this is really the most important place to be right now. We could use your help in wrapping this up, as long as you can do it without showing off too much.¡± He hoped Owin hadn¡¯t meant that the way it sounded. ¡°I can. What¡¯s the situation? Have you managed some progress on our goals?¡± ¡°We attacked just before dawn,¡± Anuis Eltarianal said. ¡°We¡¯ve been skirmishing for the hour since, and managed to draw out most of their forces. One prisoner who we presume to be a lower-ranking officer is under guard back at our camp. We¡¯ve tried to hide our identities, but by now they will have a good idea. No fatalities on our side yet. Unfortunately, they¡¯ve kept their golems relatively close to their base.¡± ¡°I see, that might be a problem,¡± he mused. ¡°We were just coordinating ¡ª If you can provide a distraction, I can lead a party to cut off and capture one of them.¡± Owin glanced at him and nodded in agreement, so he straightened with a slight smile. ¡°I¡¯ll give you plenty of time.¡± ¡°We might also send a few people into the base in search of information or physical evidence,¡± another officer, a major he hadn¡¯t met before, said. They quickly hammered out a few details of the plan, while he evaluated the group. It seemed they¡¯d done decently well so far. Hopefully, they wouldn¡¯t mess it up now. It didn¡¯t take long for them to walk until they could see the entrance of the base, which answered a few questions he¡¯d had and raised a few more. Clearly, the enemy commander was nothing special, or he wouldn¡¯t have allowed himself to be drawn into skirmishes. But the tunnel was broad, the entrance much larger than a typical door, and it would not be entirely easy to fortify it. Since the Imperial side had higher levels and more specialized Class Skills ¡ª that felt like a safe assumption ¡ª he could see the logic in not just sitting tight and allowing themselves to be attacked without responding. Or perhaps there was more to it, he¡¯d had some experience, but he was hardly a military strategist. Instead of wasting time, he started his attack right away. Something effective and showy but not too flashy was required, so he relied on a mix of Firebolts, wind magic, and the occasional bit of earth magic. Growing spikes of stone from behind an enemy fighter¡¯s head and seeing their surprise was almost satisfying. The fight quickly gained momentum and grew rather more serious than the ¡®fake¡¯ skirmish the plan had originally called for. That didn¡¯t trouble him, they could adapt. He walked forward slowly, one hand raised and still firing off a barrage of spells. In the pauses, he layered shields on his allies. It would be embarrassing to lose one of his compatriots in a fight like this, if nothing else. Predictably, they soon faced stiffer resistance. He didn¡¯t let it trouble him and kept walking forward. ¡®It¡¯s all about the image,¡¯ he remembered his old mentor telling him. ¡®Battles are won and lost when men believe they are won or lost.¡¯ He¡¯d found that to be good advice for the occasions he did have to participate in a larger fight. So, keeping a careful eye on his mana pool, he advanced, throwing out attack and shield spells, careful to avoid his truly powerful magic that would be bound to attract more attention. More and more of the enemy soldiers turned on him, and he had to truly work at it not to slow down. But it was worth it, because he noticed the sounds of fighting from a little further away, as Eltarianal¡¯s party had started their own strike. It was a good moment for a distraction, so he unleashed another barrage of Firebolts, letting these ones be a little flashier, and then reached into the ground and poured his mana in. He didn¡¯t have a structured System Spell for this, but it was too useful to not have experimented with it. As his mana pool fled like ice in summer, the ground started to shake. At first, it was barely noticeable, and he staggered under a surprise Fireball from an enemy mage, his Shell almost visibly denting. Then the quake was strong enough to stagger men, disrupting their formation; and entirely keeping their attention on his side of the battle. It didn¡¯t come without a price, of course. His mana pool was draining at an alarming rate, and if the enemy had any competent officers they would guess as much. He had to stop, instinctively setting into a more defensive stance as he focused on defensive magic. At the same time, more enemy soldiers joined the ranks against him. He hesitated for a moment. If he pressed now, he could perhaps scatter them and capture the entrance to the base, and from there root them out of it. But no, that was foolish. He couldn¡¯t fight all of them himself, and his own allies were too scattered from their strategy to offer sufficient support right now. Instead, he grudgingly focused on the defensive, gesturing at the other soldiers to support him. Luckily, they didn¡¯t need to keep it up for long. He glanced at Dustin, who was currently leading the unit supporting him, and jerked his chin backwards, holding up a hand behind his back and closing the fingers one by one. When his fist snapped close, he retreated, using the strength reinforcing his frame with his modified Mage Shell to get back quickly. The others melted into the terrain behind him. Several of the enemy soldiers tried to pursue them, but whistles and cries from their officers quickly called them back. He noted the length of time it took them to assemble ¡ª not bad, but not as good as the Imperial military would now manage, he¡¯d wager ¡ª before they were out of sight. ¡°Well done,¡± he nodded at Dustin. Without waiting for a reply, he started jogging south. Not being a complete amateur, they didn¡¯t meet up with the other group immediately. Instead, he covered their retreat with another strong gale, which thankfully took less mana and also helped hide some less obvious tracks, before he backtracked to their preset meeting point. It took ten minutes until he was finally able to confirm that their mission had been a success. All of Eltarianal¡¯s party were carrying the golem they¡¯d managed to snatch, what he supposed was a specimen of moderate size. He greeted them and managed to contain his curiosity until they¡¯d safely returned to their current camp site and rangers sent out to make sure they were unobserved. Then he paced up and down the captured golem, ignoring the curious looks of the gathered leaders. This was why he¡¯d been sent here, when Prince Tim could have just as easily used him in Iliucin. His magic would be a tremendous asset for a proper assault, but the others could have managed the ¡®fake¡¯ one just as easily. The golem was bound in what looked like black vines and clearly deactivated, given it didn¡¯t attempt to struggle. The only visible damage was to its head, but it had barely scratched the outer plating. ¡°It stopped moving once we got about five minutes away from the base,¡± Commander Eltarianal said, anticipating his question. He nodded, then crouched down to look at it more closely. The material was unfamiliar but, as expected, the same as the samples he¡¯d already seen. He searched for a hinge before finally finding a slight gap in the plating close to the armpit. Grabbing a blade, he managed to leverage it open, then carefully pried out the outer plates of the torso. As he¡¯d half-expected, there were designs on the backside, as well as in the inner parts. ¡°Can you tell us anything about this?¡± Owin finally asked. He straightened up, dusting off his hands. ¡°It will require further study,¡± he answered. ¡°However, I am already confident this is not in any way a Hivekind creation, or a remnant of the Progenitors. The materials, perhaps, but not the construction. Too modern ¡ª for a given value of the word. I still need to evaluate the power source, but it would surprise me if there was any change.¡± The others nodded. ¡°So, whatever they¡¯re looking to find here, they didn¡¯t put it into the golems, beyond the materials,¡± Eltarianal said slowly. ¡°As far as you can tell,¡± Owin added. He shrugged, not offended at the implication. ¡°I will still be able to tell you more about the creator and where they studied once I analyze it further. Finding evidence to link it to Iliucin is not going to be a challenge. Also, we¡¯ll be able to use it ourselves with a bit of work,¡± he added. Owin visibly relaxed a bit at that. The elven commander had more composure, but she did smile slightly. He nodded at them both before returning to his analysis. Ancient or not, he didn¡¯t often get to study objects as novel as this, after all. Chapter 338: Reception Regina had a lot to do, what with ruling the Empire, pushing her reforms forward, restructuring the military, integrating the gnomes, training her students, intensifying her intelligence efforts in hostile countries ¡ª and yet, it felt like a part of her mind was always on what was happening in the south. Like she wasn¡¯t able to properly be at ease until she knew what was going on there. Maybe she was too spoiled by the psychic link. The knowledge that some of her people were out of her range, fighting and possibly being hurt, while she had to wait in ignorance, was grating. Maybe she got a taste of how most people in this day and age lived now, but that didn¡¯t mean she liked it. As a result of this, she had obviously spent some effort on the south. Max stayed for a while, and they were pushing progress on building their new road perhaps faster than was wise. After some deliberation, Regina shifted her ¡®court¡¯ to Forest¡¯s Haunt again for a while, since it was closer, and meant her psychic range extended farther into the mountains. This time, like before, Ira stayed in Cera to handle some of her affairs, but the psychic link meant she was hardly out of touch with the rest of the people she worked with. Kiara actually seemed a bit relieved to get her own palace back for a few weeks, which Regina tried not to feel guilty about. They would hopefully be able to move to the new capital soon, anyway. For now, this also meant she was currently closer to Nerlia and the Western Confederation, so she decided she might as well take advantage of it. Of her new psychic students, June and a few others accompanied her, while a few of them stayed in Cera. Madris had agreed to provide some oversight for them. Regina took the opportunity for a few more training exercises in the new environment, and she felt they were coming along pretty well. Soon, she would be able to actually use them for some tasks. Perhaps even screening people. By now, that felt more like an annoying chore than anything else, even if she still didn¡¯t take her looks into people¡¯s heads lightly. But it was astounding what someone could get used to. They¡¯d almost settled into a new routine when new developments captured her attention again. This time, it was a message passed from a soldier Dan had sent back ¡ª unfortunately with a good chunk of their Winged Drones, since they couldn¡¯t have guaranteed his safe arrival otherwise. Max immediately sent more men to help escort him back once he was in range, and the psychic link meant the message was passed on quickly, giving Regina enough time to consider it. She hadn¡¯t spared much thought to the dwarvish settlements in the mountains before, which was clearly a mistake. Obviously they would be quite important if the Empire wanted to build a real trade route through the mountains. It seemed they were perhaps more present and confident than she¡¯d expected from what Galatea had said and what Tim had reported, but maybe that shouldn¡¯t be a surprise, either ¡ª they¡¯d survived in the mountains, after all. Clearly the dwarves had to have some high-level people, if nothing else. Regina knew she had to send people to talk to them, as quickly as possible. Dan had done well enough, for being unprepared, and it wasn¡¯t like she fundamentally disagreed with his choices. He¡¯d laid out some of his reasoning in the letter he¡¯d sent along, and while he was wrong on some details, he¡¯d correctly guessed the main position she would take. Regardless of whether fighting the dwarves would be feasible or a good use of resources, it was obviously much better to talk to them and come to a peaceful agreement. For a variety of reasons. Which didn¡¯t mean they had to give them everything they asked for freely. Regina knew she had the stronger position and she wasn¡¯t above using that in negotiations. Fortunately, she actually had people she could send as proper diplomats, unlike for her first efforts at reaching out to other people. One of the departments they had been building up was a foreign office, and although it was still very much under construction and in flux, they had a few people who were basically career diplomats now. Mostly minor nobles with previous diplomatic experience. But she would take what she could get. Of course, she also needed to send at least one drone along, for communication if nothing else. For that, she picked Via. She would have chosen Ray, but he was busy with the elves, and Via was already right there at the new base. Plus, sending a healer as her envoy should hopefully help show them that she had peaceful intentions. Regina let the diplomatic party take some of their fastest flying mounts to get to the base the Empire was currently using for their project in the mountains, from which they would go on with an escort. It was still risky, but she had also received some information that should make it easier for them to meet the dwarves at a safe spot. And if they didn¡¯t expect us to respond this quickly, they¡¯ll just have to deal with it, I guess. Regina was still very conscious of the old Hivekind base Tim had found in the south, and any deals she cut with the residents of the mountains ¡ª or the dwarves living in the cities beyond, she wasn¡¯t sure how that would shake out ¡ª would only help them. She had to wait until Galatea finally returned from another extended trip before she could ask another question she had been wondering, though. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you talk more about the dwarves?¡± Her friend visibly paused. They were currently standing on a balcony in one of the newer wings the drones had built into the main base, after Regina¡¯s personal quarters had been moved. It was more accessible to the outside, while still being secure and providing convenient access to the nursery. The various hangers-on who¡¯d come from the court in Cera were housed close by, but one layer of security lower. Right now, it just meant they had some privacy to talk while having a good view of the developing city. ¡°To be honest, I just didn¡¯t consider it very relevant,¡± Galatea admitted. ¡°The impression I got in the southern lands is that their remaining villages are scattered and barely held. Remnants that don¡¯t really have a bearing on anything. I tried to find one a few times, mostly out of curiosity, but when I didn¡¯t get more than the occasional dwarvish fighter, I just left.¡± She shrugged lightly. ¡°In hindsight, I realize what I heard was biased and I shouldn¡¯t have assumed.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Were they hiding from you?¡± ¡°¡­ Perhaps,¡± Galatea mused quietly. ¡°I should also have realized hiding their villages was not a simple prospect, but as you know, I do less well with underground structures.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a moot point now. What else did you learn on your last trip?¡± Galatea had already handed her another letter she picked up from Tim. Regina tried not to dwell on it too much after quickly devouring it. It seemed like the situation was getting a lot more complicated than she¡¯d thought, and she really didn¡¯t know what the best way to handle it would be. Clearly there were also a lot of details she was missing ¡ª there was only so much you could fit into a clearly hastily-written letter ¡ª so she didn¡¯t want to mess something up for him by suddenly sending new and contradictory orders. And Tim hadn¡¯t known the newest developments around the base himself when he¡¯d written it. "Political alliances in the south are shifting,¡± Galatea said. She stood still, stiller than a human would normally be able to, seeing as she didn¡¯t need to breathe. But something about her still seemed reminiscent of shifting restlessly, maybe the movement of her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t pay too much attention to them in my previous travels, because I know they¡¯re ephemeral. But in the region around these cities, borders are being drawn. Alliances are being made. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s about a war, as such ¡ª it felt more like a political shift. Maybe they¡¯re developing zones of influence.¡± She lifted her shoulders slightly, indicating a shrug. ¡°You would know better than me.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Hm.¡± Regina leaned against the balcony railing, crossing her arms. ¡°I need to get out of the habit of looking at these political situations as something fixed. Of course they¡¯re in flux. If you have an entire part of the continent dominated by city states, some larger states may arise out of them sooner or later. Do you think our own actions played any part in it?¡± ¡°Maybe. I can¡¯t tell you much, and like I said, this is more your area than mine.¡± Regina inclined her head and glanced away, conceding the point. She was concerned by what she¡¯d heard. Taking on a city-state or two was possible, even if they had to send troops through the mountains. An entire coalition or some kind of nascent unified state? With the logistical and practical challenges involved, she suspected it just wasn¡¯t a possibility. ¡°Are you willing to travel south again and help Tim with his plan?¡± she asked. Galatea watched her silently for a moment. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything else planned to try and help?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything I can do,¡± Regina sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t travel south myself, that would leave the Empire vulnerable. We can send more troops, but I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s the best decision, and moving them over the mountains won¡¯t be easy. I need the dwarves for that, and I¡¯ve already impressed the importance of success on the envoys I¡¯ve sent.¡± ¡°So helping Tim¡¯s plan succeed is more important than keeping you up to date? Alright. I¡¯ll do what I can, Regina, but don¡¯t expect miracles. And don¡¯t forget I¡¯m doing this as a favor to a friend, not because I have to.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll owe you a huge favor when this is over,¡± Regina promised. ¡°Thank you.¡± Galatea nodded and they fell silent, watching the city. Regina sighed and stretched out her psychic senses, feeling the life thrumming through the hive¡¯s base and through the minds of her drones. She paused. There was something odd ¡­ there. She honed in on it. A new, unfamiliar psychic signature, traveling quickly. From the other, simpler mind close by, clearly someone riding a tamed monster ¡ª and it had to be a high-level one, considering it was coming from the mountains. The sapient mind had good defenses, so there wasn¡¯t much more she could tell, at least not from here and not without alerting them that they had been discovered by her. ¡°Regina?¡± ¡°Give me a moment, Galatea,¡± she said absently. She searched for the nearest gathering of drones, which were unsurprisingly at the base used to build the new mountain route, and alerted them to the traveler. It only took a minute to assemble a decent swarm of Winged Drones with a few sapient drones along for the ride. Then she sent them to meet the person she¡¯d found. A better look showed it was a single figure in dark clothes riding some kind of giant eagle. They clearly noticed the drones¡¯ approach quickly and raised their hands before tugging their mount into a downward spiral to set down on the nearest flat area. The flying drones spread out a bit and circled overhead, cutting off any potential escape paths without getting too close. Gale approached with a wing of other drones, also keeping out of easy range but getting close enough to talk. And to see the person¡¯s System description, which immediately caught Regina¡¯s attention. Ren Lanisiosa, Golem Artificer of unknown level. She did know who this was, or at least, Tim had seen them before. ¡°Who are you and what to do you want?¡± Gale called. ¡°I come with peaceful intentions!¡± the artificer called back. They lowered their hood, showing a pale, narrow face framed by chin-length dark hair. ¡°I would like to talk to the leaders of your Hive!¡± At Regina¡¯s nudge, he came a bit closer. ¡°And what do you want from them? Why should they receive you?¡± ¡°Because I have some information they may want. I only wish to know more, not to harm your people. With respect, sir, anything else I will only discuss with someone privy to your secrets.¡± Regina frowned to herself, hesitating for a moment. If she took control of Gale or otherwise fed him words, she could talk directly to this person. But if they didn¡¯t know she could do that yet, she¡¯d be showing some of her cards. Besides, she was curious enough to want to talk to them properly. She communicated her intentions to Gale, who grimaced, but didn¡¯t try to protest. ¡°Come with us,¡± he ordered the artificer. ¡°One wrong move and we will shoot you out of the sky.¡± ¡°Of course. I will not resist.¡± They took off, this time with the artificer¡¯s beast surrounded by hive drones. The sapient ones still kept their distance. Regina watched for a moment longer to make sure they made no sudden wrong moves, then returned her focus to her surroundings. ¡°We¡¯re getting a guest,¡± she told Galatea. ¡°I need to prepare some security measures.¡± Max wasn¡¯t with her right now, but she could already imagine what he would say. It only took a bit of time to arrange things to her satisfaction, and then Regina waited. She made herself focus on her work and talked to other people in the psychic link instead of simply tracking their progress. At least the group still made good time, the flying drones were rested and the southerner¡¯s mount was clearly pretty high-level. She assumed they hadn¡¯t tamed it themselves, but that meant they had access to substantial resources. Finally, the escort set down outside the base and several of the security team Max had left behind were there to take their guest into custody. Regina had decided it didn¡¯t matter if they saw the surface areas of the base ¡ª there was now enough traffic in the public portions of it that keeping information contained entirely would be unfeasible, anyway ¡ª so they went straight to their destination. Lanisiosa was given a bit of time to freshen up, then escorted to her. Regina had vetoed the expense of building a separate throne room for this base, but there were several rooms which could serve the purpose, and with a heavy, ornate chair on a slight dais as well as more decorations put up, you couldn¡¯t tell this had been meant as a common room for the hive originally, before they¡¯d restructured. Several people standing around importantly helped, too. Ira had decided to add some formality to intimidate their visitor, so Regina was introduced with all her names and titles while Tia, the only one of her princes or princesses currently at the base, stood beside her throne and got an honorable mention as well. Lanisiosa was clearly uncertain even if they tried not to show it ¡ª and Regina really needed to ask their gender at some point, but it wasn¡¯t high on the priority list right now ¡ª but they dropped to one knee after only a moment and bowed their head. ¡°I am Ren Lanisiosa of Iliyan, Master Artificer of the Shadowed Path of the guilds of Terahdokni. Thank you for allowing me an audience ¡­ Empress.¡± Regina raised an eyebrow slightly. As far as she knew, Terahdokni was very far to the south, and shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with what was happening. There was a slight question in the title too, as if they were wondering if ¡®Hive Queen¡¯ would be better. ¡°You seem quite far from home, Master Artificer,¡± she said. ¡°You claim to have information for us and to want some in return. Speak.¡± They raised their head hesitantly, meeting her gaze. ¡°I speak of affairs of the Hivekind,¡± they said hesitantly. ¡°I have been investigating what remains of an old Hive. I did not know there were any left alive today, or I would have come to you sooner.¡± ¡°You are clearly behind on news, Master Lanisiosa,¡± Regina drawled. She glanced around the room, but didn¡¯t dismiss anyone. There were only hive drones or those she trusted to keep their secrets here. And it was obvious what they were speaking of now, so she might as well bring it up. ¡°You must be quite brave to come here, either way. You were seen somewhere you should not be, perhaps meddling with what you should not have.¡± The artificer pulled a face. ¡°I had no intentions of disrespecting your race or memory, Your Majesty. I am not your enemy.¡± ¡°And yet, your tools are being used by those in conflict with my people,¡± Regina said in a low tone. They bowed their head without answering for a moment. ¡°The people I am working with are perhaps not as wise as I would wish,¡± they finally said. ¡°A poor justification,¡± she scoffed, playing it up a bit. ¡°Is your promise of information equally poor? I tire of your equivocation.¡± The artificer licked their lips and straightened up, meeting her gaze squarely again. ¡°I know what they are seeking in the old base, and what you may find there, Your Majesty. I know where what remains of the Hivekind¡¯s knowledge is hidden. It should be yours to hold, so I will gladly tell you what I know. I only ask for some slight measure of your knowledge in return.¡± Regina leaned back in her throne, resisting the urge to grin. ¡°Now, Master Artificer,¡± she said, ¡°I believe we may have a productive conversation.¡± Spreading her own knowledge was what she was doing already, she¡¯d simply censor what they got. But she felt her rising excitement mirrored in the others in the room at what they might learn now. And even if it was overstated, she should still be able to use the golem artificer against their allies in the south to secure control of the base. Chapter 339: Company The dwarves had been as good as their word, and Dan managed to shave some time off his estimate of how long it would take them to leave the mountains. Their tunnels led almost directly south and managed to avoid having to climb higher elevations, which obviously meant they could cover a lot more ground. They didn¡¯t directly lead to the cities in the southern lands, but by the time his company set foot outside again coming out of a tunnel for the last time, they were far enough in the foothills that it didn¡¯t matter too much. He was driving them hard, he knew that. Dan himself had barely managed to get enough sleep since they started. But all of his soldiers had reasonable Con stats, and they could manage forced marches for a week or two. From the mountains, it was only a few days until they neared their actual destination. They avoided Veragles for now, since he¡¯d decided that it would unnecessarily slow them down to be entangled there. Besides, he¡¯d learned that the political situation was dicey, and without updated information, he wasn¡¯t sure if he wouldn¡¯t make some huge blunder by talking to people he shouldn¡¯t or giving them information he shouldn¡¯t. Who all did know about the base, anyway? No, better to avoid all that for now until he could catch up with Tim or at least get updated on his orders. Luckily, that was not too hard to manage. Instead, they¡¯d headed on a more or less direct course for the disputed lands around and between Iliyan and Iliucin, thanks to the dwarves¡¯ help. Their provisions were getting low, but there was enough forage and game to sustain them for a bit, and while water was getting scarcer, they didn¡¯t have to worry about it yet. If nothing else, they had mages who could Conjure water, though he¡¯d prefer they save their mana for other things. Still, it meant they¡¯d made decent progress so far. Right now, Dan was leading his company through open, hilly countryside a few kilometers away from another minor city, noting the way the landscape was visibly getting more arid as they progressed. His hand was curled around the letter a Winged Drone ¡ª one of those sent with Owin¡¯s first wave of reinforcements, he would have known that anyway ¡ª had delivered. It must have been a risk to send it, and he made sure the drone kept to the ground instead of the air for now. He assumed it had been strongly ordered to destroy the letter before letting it fall into anyone else¡¯s hands. To help secure it against someone intercepting the letter, it was also written in code. Simply using another language would probably have been best, he mused. Unfortunately, whatever process decided which parts of Regina¡¯s knowledge her drones inherited clearly didn¡¯t value linguistic skills and didn¡¯t seem to think more than one was necessary, so none of them actually spoke anything but Global. It would have been nice to know the other languages she did. He thought he vaguely recognized some things, on the rare occasion he¡¯d heard them, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough for writing letters. Instead, Tim had written his message in binary, with zeros and ones, like what you¡¯d find in a computer ¡ª using bytes for letters. Even if people figured out the idea, others shouldn¡¯t know which base was used and how many zeros made one byte. He had also used a simple replacement cipher, so once Dan had transliterated the letters, he had to go over it again and replace them so the most frequently used letter equated to ¡®e¡¯. Because of all that, the message was necessarily short and to the point, but he hoped it still provided the information he¡¯d need. The general gist of it was easy enough to understand, anyway. It was the details that Dan was getting hung up on. He really hoped the others knew what they were doing. Then again, it should be exciting even if it all blew up in their faces. ¡°Commander!¡± one of the scouts interrupted his thoughts. Dan blinked, mentally chiding himself for not paying enough attention, as he¡¯d barely noticed the man melting out of the high grass at the side of the road. ¡°Yes? Something to report?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an altercation about a kilometer ahead, sir! We didn¡¯t get close enough to make out any details, but there were two groups of about platoon size.¡± Dan blinked again, glanced at the letter again, then raised a hand to order a halt to their march. ¡°First squad, with me,¡± he ordered. ¡°You as well, soldier. Lead us there, quietly and discreetly. Geoff, hold position here and pay attention to the scouts. Second squad, be ready to reinforce us on my signal.¡± The soldiers quickly did as instructed. Dan only lingered long enough to be sure his orders were fulfilled, before he headed off the road with the soldiers in the named squad ¡ª some of their strongest and also decent at stealth. Despite not having many trees, the terrain was surprisingly difficult and easy to hide in, given the craggy earth, differences in elevation, and persistent shrubs and bushes. He focused more on their approach, which was at least pretty easy in terms of avoiding notice. Of course, by the time they finally approached the location and joined up with the second scout, the fight in question was already over. It didn¡¯t surprise Dan; at this level, such affairs were usually quick and dirty. ¡°The battle concluded, Lord Dan, and the losers have withdrawn,¡± the scout reported. ¡°Several bodies remain. The winners have taken their own dead.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. Did you get close enough to see them? Describe the winners.¡± It was as he suspected, judging by the soldier¡¯s report. And when they finally reached the clearing where the fight had happened, it was confirmed as well. The weapons and equipment that must have come from this group were plain and unmarked. The scout had seen no identifying features of any kind, beyond a generic set of light mail armor and a sword, spear and shield combo. The other side, on the other hand ¡ª the ones whose bodies still littered the cracked ground, half a dozen laying where they must have fallen ¡ª were obvious. Their equipment was actually a bit more diverse, which didn¡¯t necessarily mean they were worse. After all, soldiers with good Classes and Skills used weapons that suited those instead of generic crap. But more importantly, they were in fact in uniform ¡ª even if Dan wouldn¡¯t consider the vaguely dyed trousers and helmets much of a uniform ¡ª and there was at least one trampled flag he could see at a glance, of the kind you might attach to a spear shaft. The insignia on it, a spear behind a snarling feline monster¡¯s head, was mirrored on some of the soldiers¡¯ equipment. Dan had been briefed for this mission and immediately recognized it even without context clues.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The city-state of Veragles. Dan hesitated for a moment, resisting the urge to take out the letter again. ¡°Leave it,¡± he finally ordered. ¡°If and when we get a chance, we will let their people know, but since some of them got away, I am sure Veragles will be informed anyway. We need to report to Tim.¡± It took a bit more time, scouting the area and making sure there were no hidden surprises. The victorious soldiers had already departed, and Dan didn¡¯t go after them. He wasn¡¯t even sure what he¡¯d want to find. Instead, he took his squad back to the main column and got his company to move on, this time in a tighter formation and on higher alert. ¡°Do you think this was genuine?¡± Geoff muttered, after he had quickly briefed him on what he had found. Dan shot him a sharp look, then turned to the lead scout again as he came up beside them. ¡°We found traces of the attackers withdrawing in a south-eastern direction, sir,¡± he retorted. Dan nodded. ¡°Keep an eye on them until they pass our outer scouting perimeter,¡± he ordered. ¡°Don¡¯t get drawn into following them too far.¡± He scout saluted and sped up to get ahead of the company. Dan turned to his second, who had wisely shut up and was contemplating his sword instead. ¡°There will be more skirmishes, Commander,¡± he finally spoke up again after a while of silence. ¡°Won¡¯t there?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Dan replied. ¡°We¡¯ll be watchful. Don¡¯t forget our primary goal, here.¡± Geoff gave him a sideways look, then glanced around them. ¡°I think the prince¡¯s secondary goal is to sow chaos and mistrust, isn¡¯t it?¡± he muttered. ¡°I¡¯d say so,¡± Dan smiled. ¡°And if he should tell us to fight someone, we will. For now, we need to catch up with the other reinforcements that were sent.¡± He could tell that doing so pushed his soldiers to their limits. They¡¯d been traveling hard for a while now, and the prospect of potential combat at the end of the trip didn¡¯t help. But Dan persisted. It wasn¡¯t like he wasn¡¯t getting tired, but as commander, he had to think of the larger picture here, unfortunately. They were needed, and his men were soldiers, they could deal. At least they had gotten some more information on the layout of the area, and a few landmarks to navigate. Dan had made some plans in the evening, but he was having to update them in his head as they marched. That was another aspect of command he had previously underestimated. Although maybe that was also because he was also cut off from the psychic link and any other officers or analysts. He tried not to think about that. It had only been a few days, but he was already starting to feel the absence. He¡¯d been prepared for it, of course. It would probably be worse if he wasn¡¯t. But he hadn¡¯t really done this before. His respect for Tim, and the others, was steadily rising. They walked on for about an hour or so, judging by the movement of the sun that was lowering towards the horizon, when a flying drone found them. If they¡¯d been in range for the psychic link, it would not have taken nearly as long and they¡¯d have been able to easily communicate and send Swarm Drones between groups. As it was, he wondered if it had been ordered to scout. Dan called it down, watching with a bit of relief as it descended. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure no one saw that,¡± Geoff grumbled, walking off to talk to the scouts. Dan gave him a distracted nod, then cautiously approached the drone and started scratching its chin. Luckily, even in the absence of the psychic link, Swarm Drones were still Swarm Drones ¡ª loyal to the Hive and obedient to a fault. Recognizing him as a drone, it relaxed and butted its head against him slightly. Dan smiled faintly, then stepped back to be sure he hadn¡¯t missed anything, but there was no letter for him this time. That was fine. He knew giving the Winged Drone detailed orders would be impossible ¡ª anything much more complicated than ¡®fly there¡¯ would backfire ¡ª but he could work with it. Instead, he left to quickly get paper and pen, and scrawled a few words onto it. Then he tied it to the drone¡¯s neck and stepped back again. ¡°Fly,¡± he told it, ¡°to the biggest group of other drones around here. Let them take the message.¡± For a moment, he wondered if that had been too complicated, as the drone cocked its head and looked at him, before it crouched and jumped into the air, beating its wings. He watched it rise and skew to the side to drift off southeast. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he told the others, then kept walking in the same direction. His company kept up with him. Despite his fears (or hopes?), they didn¡¯t run into any other fights in the next few hours. Dan was considering calling it a day and making camp, so he could look for the other Imperial forces in the daylight, but it might be better to meet under the cover of night. He wanted to meet up with them quickly, but also be ready to fight. Enemies might have taken the base, but with his reinforcements, they would have enough soldiers to take it back and hold it. He assumed that was still the biggest priority. ¡°Commander!¡± someone interrupted his thoughts. It took him a moment to place him as one of their mages. ¡°There¡¯s someone coming.¡± Dan frowned and raised a hand to halt the company. They were trampling down a dirt path right now, spread out a little further than he¡¯d have liked. He glanced at the grove of trees to their right. Nothing. By the time he was looking left again, the air was shimmering slightly and then the light expanded to reveal a familiar figure. ¡°Galatea?¡± She took a step closer, patting herself down ¡ª clearly an affected action, it wasn¡¯t like she had a physical body at any time ¡ª and nodded. ¡°Dan. Good to see you again. I¡¯m glad I caught you.¡± Dan glanced at his company. ¡°Take five minutes.¡± Then he stepped off the path to join Galatea. ¡°Did you see Tim?¡± She smiled a little. ¡°Not quite yet, but he¡¯s next on my list. I spoke to others; things have gotten a little complicated around here, it seems.¡± ¡°Then he¡¯s still in Iliucin?¡± ¡°Not for much longer, I¡¯d guess.¡± Dan straightened up a little. ¡°How can we help?¡± Galatea looked more serious as well. ¡°I¡¯ll guide you to the others. They¡¯ll need your soldiers.¡± He frowned a little, noting her choice of words. ¡°Are you going to participate in the fighting?¡± ¡°What?¡± She grimaced. ¡°Not really my scene. Besides, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll need me. You¡¯re perfectly capable of handling a fight, I¡¯ll be doing other things with my time. Such as talking to people.¡± Dan tried not to deflate. ¡°Fair enough, I guess.¡± It would have been nice to see Galatea in action. But he could understand that pushing her on it wasn¡¯t the best move. ¡°Thank you for helping anyway.¡± ¡°Anything for my friends,¡± she grinned, but he could tell there was something heavier behind the words. ¡°Now come on, I¡¯ll catch you up while we walk.¡± Dan nodded and fell into step beside her, trusting Geoff to look after the soldiers. Regardless of why Galatea did what she did, she was their connection back to the Hive, to their Queen, and he found he really wanted that connection. He could only guess how Tim would feel; maybe it was a good thing Galatea didn¡¯t want to be more involved. Chapter 340: Pieces in Place There were a few perks to being an honored guest in the city of Iliucin, regardless of the suspicions Tim had regarding their actual motives and actions. If he could swallow his discomfort and tension and pretend to go along blithely, simply concerned about forgoing a new alliance with the locals, he could take advantage of it. At the moment, he was enjoying access to their library. There were actually several libraries in the city, he understood, but the one he was in right now was the biggest and directly sponsored by the high council of Iliucin. Which didn¡¯t mean it was open to every citizen of the city, but at least they had some volumes designed for showing off. While he didn¡¯t have much time to read, he¡¯d decided not to waste the opportunity. In particular, it provided him with a bit of privacy. And the ability to look some things up. Besides, checking out what sort of knowledge they had access to was a worthwhile goal on its own, anyway. If there was one thing the Hive and the Empire still lacked, it was a large collection of books. They had some, of course, and the Hive was producing new books with information you couldn¡¯t find anywhere else in this day and age, but they simply hadn¡¯t been around long enough to accumulate a collection of considerable size. Right now, he was reading up on some more specific information, though. At least he was, until some shuffling and the thump of the door interrupted him. ¡°Tim?¡± Tirias asked, leaning in. ¡°They¡¯re ready now.¡± Tim nodded. He closed his book, making sure it was level and that there was no indication which page he¡¯d been on more out of habit than because he really thought anyone would care to check, then carefully placed it back on its place in the bookshelf. Then he straightened his jacket and went to join the elf. They didn¡¯t speak much as they walked through the building, conscious of the fact that others might be listening in. The library was its own structure, but not far from the main palace of the city that served as seat of its high council and also housed guests, at least for the time being. In fact, the simplest way to their destination was entering a side wing of that complex and then traversing the corridors. In the short time they¡¯d been here, Tim had made the effort of learning his surroundings and was confident he could navigate it reasonably well, at least in broad strokes. He still didn¡¯t know where everything was, and the itch to track all of their guards and fighters made the situation even more tense. He¡¯d been wondering whether they would even allow his party to leave. How could he not? It would be a direct insult to the Empire ¡ª it wasn¡¯t like his people didn¡¯t know where he was, so there was no hiding it ¡ª but they might think themselves safe enough anyway. If their goal was control of the base, taking Tim hostage would provide them a lot of leverage. In the end, if they really tried, there might not be much he could do about it. All he could do was try to make it harder for them and offer incentives not to. They finally reached the other side of the building. Tim went by the rooms they¡¯d been in to check that everything was packed and ready, checking in with a few other members of his party. With Zephyr now gone, it felt like his people were dwindling more and more, and he felt uncomfortably exposed. It was about time to get out of this city. He made sure his clothes were left behind ¡ª all gifts from the lords to ensure he had ¡®appropriate attire¡¯ during his stay, but taking it along would just slow them down. Instead, Tim quickly made his way past this wing and toward the outside. Unfortunately, his gathered party members weren¡¯t alone. He didn¡¯t allow his steps to slow, but walked right up to the group standing by the back entrance of the hall, Tirias in step and slightly behind him. There were a suspicious amount of armed soldiers present, although he supposed they were ostensibly an honor guard, and, honestly, they didn¡¯t look that well equipped for an actual fight. ¡°Lord Nerani,¡± he said, inclining his head slightly. ¡°It is an honor for you to see us off personally.¡± ¡°Yes, quite,¡± the human man responded, his lips pursed. ¡°Prince Tim, we really would be delighted for you to extend your stay. Surely you¡¯re not needed back so soon? We haven¡¯t even discussed an alliance properly.¡± Tim shook his head lightly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we do have to leave, My Lord. I have not spoken to the rest of my forces in too long as it is.¡± He put slight emphasis on the ¡®rest of my forces¡¯, and watched as Nerani¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. One of the officers of the guard behind him shifted, tensing slightly. No one else acted. ¡°Besides, Zephyr is going to be grumpy if he doesn¡¯t get to share his travels with Prince Tim soon,¡± Tirias said jokingly. ¡°That too,¡± he agreed with a grateful smile. ¡°And there¡¯s the rest of the Empress¡¯ envoy to worry about. We really do need to resume our journey.¡± Nerani sighed theatrically. ¡°You will not stay, even if I insist?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid insistence is futile, my friend, I¡¯m bound and determined,¡± Tim replied, trying to sound friendly without coming off as too humorous. ¡°I see. Then I will bid you farewell, Your Highness.¡± They exchanged a few more words, polite farewells this time. None of them reacted to Tim calling him ¡®friend¡¯, even if it was clearly a rhetorical gesture. The fact that Nerani couldn¡¯t object and maintain his facade had to irritate him. At least Tim hoped so. Finally, the goodbyes drew to a close and they turned and walked out. Tim felt a prickling on his neck the entire time and had to resist the impulse to turn and look back a dozen times, but nothing actually happened. Well, that was tenser than it should have been. He breathed a little easier once they had turned a few corners and moved well past the palace deeper into the city, still sticking to the main roads. Tim¡¯s tension dissipated enough for him to pay more attention to the city and their walk. Their party still drew attention, but not as much as they had at first; clearly, word of their presence had spread and at least a few people had gotten used to it. It probably helped that the city did house quite a few different races, from what he could see. At least no one accosted them.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Once they passed into the outer reaches of the city, it wasn¡¯t long until they got to the gate. Tim glanced up at it. They¡¯d decided to take the less traveled eastern gate, which meant they¡¯d had to turn south later, but it was worth it considering how few people were using it currently. ¡°Prince Tim!¡± A man in the formal armor of the city¡¯s military greeted him, walking up to them with a broad smile. Another captain stood by the gate, watching them both, then shrugged and turned back to his men, who straightened up at whatever he said to them. ¡°Captain Blaird,¡± Tim returned with a smile. ¡°A pleasure to see you again.¡± ¡°All mine, Imperial Highness. Come, I¡¯ll escort you out of the city, if you please?¡± He acquiesced easily and maneuvered so the captain escorted him out of the city through the gate while the other guards stood something resembling honor guard but kept his party in between them. Once they were on the other side, and out of easy hearing range, the man slowed, and Tim matched his pace. ¡°I see your task in the city was accomplished,¡± Blaird said. It might have helped if he didn¡¯t give Tim a significant look, enough to translate the sentence to what he really wanted to say. Tim reached into his jacket and drew out a prepared bag, pressing it into the man¡¯s hands while angled so the rest of the guards didn¡¯t have a clear view. ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± ¡°I am always at your service, My Prince,¡± he smiled and saluted before turning, the bag having vanished with astounding speed. At least he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to check it out here. Tim maintained his smile and walked off with his party, unhurried and casual. The gold and minor gemstones in the bag had cost his mages a bit of mana to Conjure, but he couldn¡¯t afford to rely on a small bribe. At least he was sure the captain wouldn¡¯t betray their dealings; he¡¯d be incriminating himself for a serious crime (probably treason) if he did. "What was that about?¡± Ash muttered quietly. Tim only shrugged, not bothering to answer the question. He was sure the others could manage to draw their own conclusions, and honestly the captain¡¯s behavior was the least of his worries right now. Instead, he had to consider how to proceed. By now, the others should be gathering around the hidden base, prepared for a push. He was confident they could take it with low casualties. Their reinforcements aside, Zephyr was a powerful enough mage to be a significant factor, and he should have recovered from his travels by now. The soldiers sent as their reinforcements were also some of the best the Empire had to offer. No, they could take the base ¡ª and then hold it. Not indefinitely, perhaps, but long enough. At the same time, Iliucin should start to get problems with the other cities soon, if they didn¡¯t already. Their conflict with Iliyan had already been smoldering, but Tim was sure he¡¯d fanned it. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard to at least talk to that city, and hopefully come to some kind of agreement, if necessary. The real question mark was Veragles. Tim was also confident there was enough existing tension between the two ostensible allies which he could leverage, but he still wasn¡¯t entirely sure whether Veragles, or a subfaction in the city, had known or been involved in what Iliucin was doing. If they did, it would be more complicated; although they might still pretend they didn¡¯t and wash their hands of it, if he applied enough pressure. He had already sown suspicion between them, he was confident of that. Getting Veragles to drop their investment should be feasible. Especially if they thought they got something from Tim in turn. If they didn¡¯t know, of course, it was also something he could exploit, and at least make sure they wouldn¡¯t support his enemies in the future. At this point, the pieces were mostly in place, but he¡¯d have to decide how to approach it; perhaps visit the city again personally, or otherwise handle some communication ¡­ "Tim?¡± Tirias¡¯ voice pulled him from his thoughts. ¡°Are we going in the right direction?¡± Tim blinked and looked around. They¡¯d made their way out of the city and went south-east, as expected. His messages had also included a rendezvous point where they could be picked up, but he hadn¡¯t described it in detail to the rest of his party. He thought back to the maps he¡¯d seen, then nodded. ¡°Just over there,¡± he said. The area around here was kind of weird, to him. It wasn¡¯t mountainous or even hilly, really, but it was marked by crags and sudden differences in elevation. It was also carpeted in a mix of rough grasses, brushland and small copses of trees. That made it hard to navigate in general, but having the city as a reference point along with the roads, as well as his innate sense of direction, helped him find the right spot. It was just behind an abandoned village that had probably been sacked and then given up during the fighting this part of the south saw so often. His group steered clear of it, but in a small dip a few hundred meters further, they found what they¡¯d been looking for. Specifically, a group of Winged Drones. Two of them were sapient drones, and they greeted him and the others excitedly. Tim took a minute to catch up, noticing that he was relaxing a bit while talking to other drones he had not expected. He hadn¡¯t spoken much with these two before, but that didn¡¯t matter. One of them offered to give him a ride, even though Wing wasn¡¯t really a flying mount, but they didn¡¯t have many of those. Most of the rest of his party would have to make do with regular flying drones as well. For a short flight, it should be fine. Tim let them navigate, since they knew the way better than he did. He did take the opportunity to assess the landscape from above, noticing the positions of landmarks, and trying to spot the base. It was surprisingly easy, after a while, because there were still golems guarding the outside. ¡°Everything worked out fine so far,¡± Wing reported as they flew. ¡°Zephyr said he can take any other golems they capture and make them operational for us. We¡¯re also ready to assault the base, if you decide to do it.¡± ¡°Thank you, brother,¡± Tim murmured, absently patting his shoulder. ¡°Take me to the other commanders, please?¡± It didn¡¯t take long. They set down far enough away that their arrival wouldn¡¯t be immediately obvious, then hiked the last few meters. Tim paused as he approached their current camp, his steps slowing down a bit. In part, it was because it looked rather exposed; maybe they¡¯d run out of good hiding spots. This one was little more than a dip in the ground flanked by some scraggly bushes. More importantly, there was an uninvited guest waiting for them. At least, he better well hoped they hadn¡¯t invited him. Judging by the confrontational stances of his people, it didn¡¯t seem like it. Everyone turned when he and his companions arrived, and Tim narrowed his eyes, marching up to their visitor. He recognized him, of course. He¡¯d spent enough time being his guest in Veragles. ¡°Archmage Lucian,¡± he greeted him tightly. ¡°How did you find us?¡± Lucian finally shifted his gaze from the others ¡ª mostly Zephyr, it looked like they¡¯d had a lengthy staring match, actually ¡ª to face him fully and smiled. ¡°Prince Tim, my friend. You didn¡¯t think I keep track of my allies ¡ª or my people?¡± His eyes cut to Tony, who straightened up a little in the mids of Tim¡¯s group, clearly defensive. ¡°From there, it wasn¡¯t too hard to find this location.¡± Tim suppressed a sigh. This wasn¡¯t how he¡¯d wanted to do this. He¡¯d love to ask Tony a few pointed questions, but unfortunately, now wasn¡¯t the time. ¡°I assume there¡¯s a reason you visited us personally,¡± he said instead, drily, refusing to be pushed. ¡°Certainly, we have much to discuss.¡± Tim looked past him at the gathered officers of the various groups who¡¯d come together for this mission, greeting them with a nod and a smile, and watching their reactions. They all seemed pleased to see him, even under the circumstances. Hopefully not because dealing with Lucian was now his problem. ¡°We do indeed,¡± he agreed. Deliberately, he set his pack down and then lounged on one of the overturned tree stumps they¡¯d clearly been using for seats before, staring the human down. At least he¡¯d be able to answer some of his other questions now. Chapter 341: Unilateral Owin had started to consider that he should have probably put a little more thought into the chain of command and the question of who was actually in charge here. Well, the ultimate commander was, of course, Tim, even if he still hadn¡¯t been a prince of the Empire (although he would still be Champion), but that didn¡¯t resolve everything when he was away and in only sporadic communication. For their forces gathered here, the situation was a bit more complex. In the time after they had fought and succeeded in at least most of their objectives, that was a little clearer to Owin. Anuis seemed eager not to have a fight about the question of command, which he supposed he appreciated, although perhaps having it out once and for all might have been good. He¡¯d started to have doubts about it, Owin had to admit privately, and not just because he was relying heavily on her, anyway. In something resembling Delver operations, he was confident in his expertise and leadership, but when it came to military actions, he knew she had the advantage of him. And he¡¯d been reminded she also had at least several centuries of experience on him, either way. In a straight-up fight, Owin wouldn¡¯t worry about his own fitness to lead, but the implications and plans of whether to assault an enemy force to secure a tactical position in hostile territory were a bit different. And that had just been their new status before unexpected variables showed up. In particular, the Veraglian archmage who had apparently tracked them here and come to say hello, showing no concern at all about being surrounded by armed soldiers with every reason to be wary of uninvited guests. Either way, it would have helped to have a clear leader who everyone respected when it came to dealing with Lucian. Owin tried not to take it personally, but he was truthfully a bit offended that the man spent more time looking at Zephyr than at him. He also almost entirely ignored Anuis, though Owin wasn¡¯t sure why ¡ª sexism, racism, or simply considering her an unimportant subordinate? He supposed either bigotry or a more specific failure of imagination or observation would just constitute a blindspot she¡¯d want to exploit. (It felt odd to think about it with such judgment, but he had been working to overcome his own bigotry, for years now. Perhaps he could consider it a small accomplishment.) Finally getting this minor conflict settled was only one of the reasons he was glad to see Tim suddenly show up, but it was certainly a good thing. The boy ¡ª he probably didn¡¯t count as one anymore, but Owin remembered when he hadn¡¯t looked fully grown and it wasn¡¯t that long ago ¡ª had clearly learned a thing or two in the last few years, too. He sat on his improvised seat with all the poise of a prince, effortlessly commanding the attention of everyone around him. It was like he acted with such assurance that, of course, he would be in charge and the Imperials would follow and obey him, that he simply made it happen. The soldiers and even the other officers just seemed to fall into place behind him like, well, like Swarm Drones in the Hive, he supposed. Metaphorically at least. The only one immune to the effect was Zephyr, who looked almost bored ¡ª Owin suspected it was a habitual reaction when he was involved in anything resembling royal politics ¡ª and, of course, Lucian, who simply smiled politely but with a distinct edge of smug satisfaction. Clearly, he thought showing up here to surprise them was a grand victory. ¡°Well?¡± Tim asked after a short silence, raising an eyebrow at Lucian. ¡°You said we had things to discuss. I take it you sought me out to ask a question?¡± The archmage smiled. ¡°Quite, young prince. I would like to discuss your travels so far. In particular to this rather ¡­ peculiar destination.¡± ¡°Now that we are on the subject,¡± Tim hummed, ¡°you still not did give a sufficient answer as to how you located my people. I think that should be the first point of discussion, as it were.¡± Lucian didn¡¯t answer right away, just looking at him, before he inclined his head slightly. ¡°Tony had a tracker,¡± he said. ¡°I noticed it spent a while here, ostensibly in the middle of nowhere. It was the obvious destination.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t want to visit Iliucin,¡± Tim mused. The Archmage of the Present waved a hand idly. ¡°That would have been a lot of fuss and bother. Better to spare everyone the headache, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± ¡°How modest,¡± Iliam muttered under his breath, but Owin still heard it. ¡°And then you decided to visit us here, even in the middle of nowhere,¡± Tim continued. ¡°Why now?¡± ¡°Oh, I think you know that, Your Imperial Highness.¡± ¡°There have been rising tensions in the area,¡± Tim acknowledged. ¡°That is one way to put it.¡± Lucian sighed, then finally sat down on another tree stump opposite Tim. ¡°Shall we stop beating around the bush?¡± ¡°Fine. Then, do you know what there is here?¡± ¡°I have some idea.¡± The archmage glanced at the rest of the gathered people, before he focused on Tim again. ¡°It must have sentimental value for your people, certainly, although this level of conflict over it is perhaps a tad surprising.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t quite know why the current occupants are here or what they might be looking for, either,¡± Tim conceded. Owin cleared his throat softly and gave Tim what he hoped was a discreet look. They did, in fact, know a few important things now. They simply hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to inform him yet. Putting it in a letter to Iliucin would have been foolish. ¡°Regardless,¡± Tim continued smoothly, ¡°the question that suggests itself to me is why you might be interested. You or the city of Veragles, as a whole.¡± ¡°We have our own interests in this area,¡± Lucian said, shrugging a little. ¡°Apart from that, I assure you our only interest is that of our allies.¡± Owin frowned. Lucian had clearly found out at least something of what the location meant. The easiest answer as to how was that he¡¯d spoken to the people occupying it, or rather the people behind them. Iliucin and Veragles were allies, after all. Tim seemed to think that the greater city might not be involved, or so it appeared, but he wasn¡¯t sure about that. ¡°But you still hurried here?¡± Tim pointed out. ¡°Did you just want to avoid a conflict between us and your allies in Iliucin?¡± Zephyr stiffened slightly, but Owin was paying more attention to Lucian, who raised an eyebrow. Maybe it was his imagination, but he looked a bit more tense now, too. ¡°That would imply that the people you might be fighting are our allies in Iliucin.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Tim leaned back, studied nonchalance draped about him. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know, Thande. They¡¯re a group of men from the southlands with conspicuously coordinated equipment but no banners, emblems or signs of any affiliation. Rather like other groups that have been roaming around this area, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°So they are,¡± Lucian mused, leaning back on his own seat and frowning finally. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have no idea who they are, please.¡± The archmage paused. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t insult you by pretending we have no eyes in the area,¡± he finally said. ¡°Of course I have heard reports of these groups, as you call them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m almost certain they¡¯re from Iliucin,¡± Tim said. His tone was sincere, almost open. Owin wondered if he¡¯d become a better actor or was just trying to weaponize the truth. ¡°And not just from there, but based out of the city, working on the orders or at least in accordance with the city government. The signs are all there.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t have proof?¡± ¡°Perhaps not, but do you need proof?¡± Tim leaned forward again slightly, fixing Lucian with his gaze. ¡°Will you only accept what I tell you and act on it if I can deliver evidence up to your standards? Because that would raise some questions in my mind, you see. Regarding just how much you do know about what your allies are up to, and who might be involved.¡± The archmage straightened up. ¡°Do not treat me like a criminal being investigated, Tim,¡± he said, voice hard. ¡°I am not under suspicion here.¡± Tim leaned back fractionally. ¡°Perhaps not, but then, aren¡¯t you?¡± he mused. ¡°They are your allies, more than we are. Why shouldn¡¯t I be suspicious? Do you have any assurances that you knew nothing of this?¡± ¡°Will you only believe me if I give you hard evidence as assurance?¡± Lucian asked, turning his question back on him, eyes narrowed. ¡°Whatever that may even look like. Do take care not to burn your bridges.¡± ¡°That is the last thing I want,¡± Tim told him, smiling faintly, ¡°although I am not as isolated down here as you may seem to believe.¡± His eyes flicked to the others present, finally, sweeping across the people standing around and watching the conversation like a particularly tense game of cards. Owin cleared his throat, deciding he might as well take this opportunity to step in, and perhaps he could defuse the tension a little. He didn¡¯t think Tim really wanted to fight with their visitor. ¡°Regardless of alliances, we do have enough strength gathered here to take our objective, if that is His Imperial Highness¡¯ wish,¡± he said. ¡°It would be valuable to have assurance that we will not have to worry about further hostility.¡± ¡°Clearly, your alliance with Iliucin is not something to take lightly or to throw away without cause,¡± Anuis added. ¡°But the game has, as they say, developed. The good lords of Iliucin may appreciate some counsel from their friends.¡± Or they could use it, even if they don¡¯t appreciate it, he thought. ¡°It would be in everyone¡¯s interest to deescalate, and make sure there was no ¡­ unnecessary conflict. Clearly Veragles would not wish to be dragged into something like that, would it? Beyond what your plans here already entail. We don¡¯t judge.¡± ¡°Precisely,¡± Tim agreed. ¡°Our interest is merely in this site, and accordingly, securing the area. I am willing to let the matter rest at that.¡± Owin was pretty sure he knew what they were saying; that Tim was willing to ignore or forget it even if Veragles ¡ª or Lucian ¡ª had been involved with Iliucin¡¯s plot, as long as they stopped now. It was a very ¡­ political move. Clearly Lucian knew it as well. He nodded, grimacing faintly. ¡°I resent your implications, as I truly did not know of this, My Prince,¡± he said. ¡°But I take your point.¡± "Of course,¡± Tim replied, a little more softly. ¡°Then you will ¡­ impress on your allies the folly of their course of action?¡± ¡°Indeed. I will make sure the Prince is aware, but I do not doubt he will have me talk to the high lords of Iliucin. They should be reminded that such unilateral actions in defiance of their friends¡¯ wishes are not a wise course of action.¡± Tim nodded, and Owin saw some of the tension draining out of everyone. He still wasn¡¯t sure whether he believed the man, or whether Tim believed him, actually, but their prince had clearly decided to settle for this for now. The conversation continued after this, but it was more subdued, more relaxed. Owin still paid attention, but he was occasionally lost by references to people or places he didn¡¯t recognize; clearly, some that Tim had seen when traveling and during his stay at the city. The others relaxed as well and the loose circle formed around them broke up, with a few men stepping away and others settling down where convenient. Owin stayed standing beside Anuis, watching their troops as well as the conversing leaders. The conversation stretched on, and Tim started dropping hints that Lucian should leave. Owin suspected the southlander only stayed after that in order to annoy him, or perhaps to prove a point that he couldn¡¯t be ordered around like a soldier. However, he did leave before Tim had to get more forceful. Standing up, the archmage offered a stiff half-bow. ¡°I will proceed as we have discussed, Prince Tim. Please accept my well wishes for your success here. And please take care of yourself, it would grieve me to hear you were injured.¡± Tim bowed his head in return. ¡°Thank you, Thande. I will certainly take care, and I hope you will as well. Don¡¯t underestimate these people, they certainly haven¡¯t started all this without some resolve to see it through to the end. Safe travels.¡± There were a few more words, before Lucian turned and walked off. After a few steps, his form almost seemed to blur as he sped off down the path. Some kind of modified Haste Spell, perhaps? Owin didn¡¯t suppose that he would travel the entire way to Veragles like that, but if he had other means of transportation, he clearly didn¡¯t want them to see. Tim sighed, rolling his shoulder. He looked tired suddenly, and Owin felt a brief pang at the thought of adding to his burdens and keeping him from sleep. Unfortunately, they did have important things to discuss. ¡°I notice you didn¡¯t quite agree when I said I didn¡¯t know what they had,¡± Tim said, turning to him. ¡°Did we find anything out in the meantime?¡± ¡°Yes. Well, sort of. Galatea showed up with Dan, she had important news for us.¡± ¡°From back home, if you can believe it,¡± Dan added, taking a step closer. He¡¯d been very quiet, which Owin suspected was purely due to not wanting to get roped into further diplomacy. ¡°She went off again to go to you, but she was hesitant about visiting Iliucin. Maybe you missed each other.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Tim agreed, then cast a glance around. He beckoned them closer, and Owin stepped up along with Dan and Anuis, leading them to a slightly more secluded spot on the outside of the camp. ¡°Now, do we have word from Mother?¡± Tim asked. There was a faint note in his voice Owin hesitated to label. Maybe because the closest word he could think of was ¡®longing¡¯. ¡°Yes. You won¡¯t believe what happened, Tim. Apparently, this golem artificer showed up, traveling over the mountains. She granted him audience and he offered information on what they were doing here.¡± ¡°And?¡± Tim leaned forward slightly. Dan hesitated for a moment, glancing at the two of them. Owin decided to stay silent; this was clearly closer to Hive business than something for him to speak about, and Anuis followed his example. ¡°It definitely is an old Hivekind base. He told us a few details, which we can verify once we have control of it again. But the most important thing is that there might be a missing section, or something like that. Apparently the artificer suspects it is underneath the regular base, completely separated with no connection or airflow. There is some kind of material or magic inside that prevents mana from flowing through it. At least that¡¯s what he thinks, there were traces in other things found in the base. They¡¯ve all been cut out and carried off by now, though.¡± Tim blew out a long breath. ¡°I see.¡± He glanced at them, clearly hesitant. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what this all means, to be honest,¡± he said. ¡°It sounds like it could be quite important, though. Do we know anything else about what¡¯s there?¡± ¡°Not that I know of,¡± Owin finally spoke up. ¡°We will have to look for ourselves.¡± Personally, he was quite excited at the prospect. Tim nodded. ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°We are in position to do it,¡± Anuis cut in. ¡°Our troops are ready, we have gathered all reinforcements we are going to get on short notice. My advice is to strike quickly, before they are further entrenched.¡± Tim stayed silent for a second, then nodded again. ¡°Alright,¡± he said softly. ¡°Soon, we¡¯ll fight for a remaining piece of our heritage.¡± ¡°In the Empire¡¯s name,¡± Owin agreed. ¡°In the name of the Hive,¡± Dan added with playful severity. ¡°For the Hive Queen.¡± Tim repeated his words, more softly, and more seriously. Chapter 342: Push Keeping a sizeable group of people staying in essentially the middle of nowhere in a land that tended to be arid fed and provisioned was not a simple undertaking. While it wasn¡¯t winter, so they didn¡¯t have to worry too much about the temperature, the area seemed to have been through a bit of a drought, so even water was a concern. And there just wasn¡¯t much growing around here, compared to what it could be. The Empire had accumulated a sizeable force right now. Tim¡¯s original party was manageable enough, but they also had Owin¡¯s reinforcements, Dan¡¯s reinforcements, and some remaining flying drones to worry about. Because of that, they really couldn¡¯t afford to delay. Dan didn¡¯t want to care about that kind of thing. It wasn¡¯t what he wanted to focus on, or be responsible for, or have to worry about. He still did, worry about it at least, he just didn¡¯t like that fact. But he was one of the commanders of their little expeditionary force, so he kind of had to deal with it. It helped that some of their number were Hivekind, who could find enough food here. It meant dedicating a bit of their time to scavenging and harvesting, perhaps, but even the grass, shrubbery and trees were good enough eating. Unfortunately, the majority of their people were humans. Each group had brought some provisions, but they were running out. It was suggesting another possible motivation regarding why Tim had talked to that mage from Veragles like he had, something Dan hadn¡¯t thought about before. Maybe he wanted to barter for supplies. Either way, the situation raised another question, one Dan had, in fact, thought about, and he wasn¡¯t the only one. Where did their enemies get their supplies? Obviously they had to have brought some along, too. But those wouldn¡¯t keep forever. They were effectively shut off in the base right now. Well, he supposed they could be sending messengers through the tunnels on the other side, although they had been trying to watch those. They definitely would have noticed a supply delivery, and it wouldn¡¯t exactly be inconspicuous or very safe to cart it from their city, anyway. They must be waiting for new supplies which would come along with reinforcements. That was the consensus Dan and the others had come to. And that, of course, gave them almost more time pressure than their own dwindling supplies. Right now, they had the forces to take the base. With their enemies reinforced, it might not be as easy. For the moment, however, they did have the advantage, and he was confident. Tim had conferred with the commanders and set a time for their attack; pretty soon, given all of these considerations. Another night attack close to dawn might be expected, given it was when they¡¯d previously attacked, so instead, they would be attacking in the evening, around sunset, after a hopefully long and exhausting ¡ª or tiresome and boring, he wasn¡¯t picky ¡ª day for the defenders. They had Tim¡¯s party, veteran fighters from Owin¡¯s and his company, and Zephyr. The question was more whether they could manage to keep any of the enemy forces from getting away than beating them in the first place. Something they¡¯d taken into consideration in the planning. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Tim asked him. Dan turned his head toward him and smiled. Neither of them moved from where they were crouched behind a conveniently placed boulder. They didn¡¯t need to. ¡°I am. Are you?¡± ¡°More than ready,¡± he replied with a tight smile. ¡°It¡¯s about time we find what¡¯s left there.¡± Dan nodded and scooted back a bit. ¡°Then we¡¯ll move on your signal.¡± He skittered back, still crouched down, and followed a slight dip in the terrain to the side. It didn¡¯t take long until he reached the vanguard of his company. Slotting in between Geoff and another soldier, he tapped them on the shoulder, then focused on the entrance to the base, which he could just make out. His men would be the first wave of the attack, but they weren¡¯t fighting alone. After just a few minutes, enough for Tim to coordinate with the others, a faint tremor ran through the earth under his hand, barely perceptible. Dan glanced back at the others, then raised his hand. ¡°Go!¡± he murmured just loud enough for them to hear. They moved. Dan kept in the front row, but made sure not to fall out of step with the others. He drew his blade, preparing himself. They were attacking silently, something that felt weird, but he didn¡¯t dwell on the thought. Their enemies spotted them, but it was too late. Speeding up once it was clear, Dan ducked under an arrow, then charged and slammed into the first human, piercing his leg with his sword. The man stumbled back, falling, and his right blade-arm followed, finding his armpit, exploiting a gap in the armor. The man gasped, but Dan stepped over him. The sounds of combat enveloped him, and he had to take a moment to get the lay of the land. They were fighting fiercely, but his attack had managed to surprise the southlanders just enough. More of them were joining, closing ranks, but his company had already managed to win some ground. He slowed, yelling at them to keep formation, then turned to face the group of enemies that had formed a knot in front of him, bristling with shields and weapons. Dan twirled his sword, examining their expressions for an instant. ¡°For the Empire!¡± The next moment, the mages launched their attack. Fireballs, Magic Missiles, and more exotic Spells rained down on the enemy. A flickering shield rose over them, catching the next few attacks, before it was overwhelmed. Dan didn¡¯t hesitate. He launched himself at the enemy, taking advantage of the magical attack which was now petering off, his comrades beside him. He slammed into a shield, pushing with all his strength, twisting to get a blade-arm or his sword into a gap. Someone pushed behind him. Then something gave and he stepped forward, his blade seeking the throat of another enemy. Someone got him in the side, cracking his shell, and burning pain stabbed through him. Nothing vital, he assessed in the back of his mind, as he sidestepped and faced his next enemy. Then Geoff slammed an axe into the human¡¯s skull and Dan found himself briefly without opponents. ¡°They¡¯re retreating already,¡± Geoff said. ¡°They¡¯ll hold the line further back, have a better defensive position prepared.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Dan nodded. He could already see that. A few of them were still fighting, those further back had already turned to run. ¡°Regroup!¡± he bellowed, turning to his men. ¡°Wounded to the back, defensive formation at the front!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wounded, too,¡± Geoff pointed out. Before Dan could respond, and assure him he was fine, a healer had already stepped up to them and was catching his hand, using the physical contact to more easily work the healing magic. He grimaced as he felt his side knit back together, the hard material of the shell pinching as it slid into place and fused. ¡°Interesting anatomy you¡¯ve got there,¡± Zephyr commented. ¡°I see I neglected a few other important discussions I could have had with the Empress.¡± Dan gave him a dirty look, but left it at that. ¡°Here already?¡± ¡°Everything is proceeding as planned,¡± Zephyr answered, unruffled. ¡°His Imperial Highness sent me to reinforce you for the push into the base through the main entrance.¡± He glanced around, clearly noting they were ready to proceed with said attack. ¡°Fine. Please focus on keeping us protected, I don¡¯t think we want to risk too large magical attacks down there.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll make sure you all get out of this in one piece.¡± Dan nodded and turned to talk to his officers, who were guiding the troops into place. They switched out the front line to make sure those who would bear the brunt of the attack were rested and fully healed, and interspersed mages in the following rows. The relatively confined quarters meant he couldn¡¯t bring all of their numbers to bear, but it was still better to have them available. Then Dan took his place in the front row. He preferred to lead from the front. ¡°Company, advance!¡± he called. ¡°Hold steady. Keep tight ranks. Let¡¯s show these bastards what we¡¯re made of. For the Empress!¡± They repeated similar calls, and advanced. Dan trusted his men to have his back, to keep in step with him, and marched down the entrance at a fast pace. It took longer than he¡¯d thought until they met resistance. Clearly, the enemy had decided to set up at the exit of the tunnel into what Tim had called the vehicle bay. It made sense tactically, since it would give them more room, but it also meant he only had to overcome one chokepoint before they were in. Magic swelled around them, letting him almost feel it like a static charge in the air around them. Dan hefted the shield he¡¯d picked up somewhere and his sword, then sped up. His vision went white for a moment and he felt heat on his face, but the magical protection held against the Firebolt. He focused on keeping his feet, keeping going. Then he covered the last few meters and charged with his men at his side. The initial crash knocked the air out of his lungs. He had to take a moment before he could remember to push with all his strength, relying on those behind him to give him momentum. The human men forming a small shield wall in front of him staggered back just a little. Dan pressed on. Someone thrust a spear over his shoulder, and he shifted his weight around his shield slightly to catch a blade that would have gotten his side. Then the enemy in front of him fell away and Dan moved into the breach, stabbing out with his blade-arms. Something slammed into him and he barely kept his feet. He stumbled, crashing into one of his men. A moment later, the human fell away and he almost bounced off the rocky wall of the cavern. Not far enough, he thought dazedly. We¡¯re not far enough. Someone grabbed him and he almost stabbed them, only his blade-arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, and then he realized it was Zephyr, who was pulling him upright. Some kind of magical attack had scattered his men, but they were already reforming. Some bodies laid on the ground, but he couldn¡¯t focus on that now ¡ª a quick look showed he still had enough men. ¡°To me!¡± he shouted, raising his sword. ¡°Push them back.¡± ¡°For the Empress,¡± Zephyr muttered, just a bit of irony in his tone. He snapped his fingers and a few torches the enemy had placed around the cavern exploded, sending tongues of fire at southlander soldiers. Others repeated the battle cry, and they pushed forward again. Dan lost himself to the rhythm of combat. The push and pull, stabbing and blocking and thrusting his blades into vulnerable spots. He liked to rely on passive Skills instead of active ones, so he rarely activated any Abilities. Others did, and the flashes and sudden jerks of increased movement shaped the battlefield¡¯s rhythm, but Dan was an experienced dancer of such halls. He worked his way forward, barely seeing past the enemy in front of him and yet intimately aware of the flow of battle. Suddenly, he found himself at the opposite end of the cavern, and facing someone he hadn¡¯t expected. He blinked, wiping a hand across his eyes to soothe the stinging of blood spattered across his face. ¡°Ash?¡± ¡°We did it, Dan!¡± His little brother grinned. ¡°We¡¯ve taken both entrances, and Owin¡¯s men are securing the corridors as we speak.¡± Dan looked around for Zephyr, then grinned as well and slumped a bit in relief. Now that he was looking, he saw more of the second and third teams. Zephyr had helped open another path before he joined him, which Anuis and her people must have taken, and Tim and Owin had taken the other entrance from the tunnels. ¡°There were more of the golems on the other side, I assume?¡± he asked. Ash nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why you had to deal with most of the men. Where are their commanders?¡± Dan wiped his sword on a convenient piece of cloth armor. ¡°Let¡¯s see about them.¡± Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to look for very long. One of the wounded his people were taking into custody had been identified as the enemy second-in-command. The commander himself was unfortunately dead, fallen to a stray ice spear while trying to defend the bay. That must have been around when their resistance crumbled. Dan was glad they had good scouting reports to work with, and just hoped there was no critical top-secret intel only the commander had known. That seemed unlikely, though. After all, they still hadn¡¯t found what the real prize here was, as far as he could tell. And now it was the Imperials¡¯ turn. ¡°Good work,¡± Tim told him when they finally found each other in one of the corridors leading to a larger room in the lower part of the base, what must have been a central section at one point. It seemed to have been converted into their headquarters for now. ¡°Our people are still sweeping the base,¡± Owin said without having to be asked, ¡°but I think we got all of them. We just have to be careful of traps now.¡± Dan smiled. ¡°Good. And did any escape?¡± They both turned to look at Tim and Anuis, who shook their heads. ¡°Not that we can tell,¡± Tim said. ¡°We¡¯re still collecting reports from the scouts and counting the bodies. It doesn¡¯t help that a few are a little too mangled to be sure of an exact count.¡± He threw a look at Zephyr, who had showed up behind Dan at some point. The mage shifted his weight and grimaced a little. ¡°I remember how many there were, if that¡¯s a problem.¡± Tim waved a hand dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem, we¡¯re just still regrouping after the battle. But this is a victory to be proud of, my friends. We accomplished what we wanted to.¡± ¡°Now we just have to see if it¡¯s worth it,¡± Dan added. Zephyr cocked his head. ¡°Well, I get the impression your information was not completely off, at least. I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if I hadn¡¯t known there was something to look for, but the ambient mana in the lower reaches is just the slightest bit off. It will need more investigation, but I am certain we can find it.¡± Dan nodded, as did Tim. None of them were mages, and Zephyr was definitely the most powerful and skilled one here, so they¡¯d have to take him on his word. At least until Galatea showed up. He¡¯d given up wondering where she was off to. She¡¯d said she was going to talk to Tim, but Galatea, Dan was starting to learn, might not be the best at sticking to a plan, even her own. She¡¯d turn up sooner or later. Maybe even with word from their Hive Queen. Until then, he would focus on securing the base and leaving the magic stuff to others to worry about. They might still get enemy reinforcements sent this way, after all, and someone had to make sure those were defeated just as crushingly as their compatriots. And, unfortunately, their enemies¡¯ dead weren¡¯t the only ones they had to care for. Chapter 343: Restrictions Tim had seen quite a few battles in his life; probably not as many as Owin and only a fraction of those Anuis had seen, but enough to appreciate them, and this one was one of the more successful ones. Not that success had really been in question. He had the advantage in numbers and in levels. He even knew the base they were fighting in (and over), the others had gathered useful scouting reports, and they had information on the golems their enemies were using. No, the real success was in managing to keep casualties down and stray enemy soldiers from fleeing. Now they could get to the more difficult parts. At least, once the aftermath of the battle was sorted out. Despite his declaration, Tim had sent Zephyr to assist with the wounded before trying anything else. He knew the mage was probably low on mana, even if he didn¡¯t want to show it. So were the rest of them. They still needed to handle triage and help the injured as much as possible before wasting mana on further investigations, first. In the end, Tim had lost six soldiers and might still lose two more as fighting assets. Several would probably take longer to recover and be only fit for light duty for a while. A few things would be beyond the healers they had here in the field. Tim was confident Regina would be able to heal anything short of actual brain death, but they couldn¡¯t exactly transfer the wounded to the capital right now, anyway. The casualties were much worse for the losing side, of course. The enemy fighters had lost about a third of their number. Pragmatically, that made it much easier to guard the remaining prisoners, especially since many of them were at least lightly injured. Tim had a feeling that wasn¡¯t the most important consequence, though. Still, he was actually more interested in the golems. They unfortunately didn¡¯t have any of self-destruct or neutralization mechanism, at least not one that could be used at range. Tim and his men had had to get up close and personal. At least the information Galatea had conveyed from their artificer had been helpful. Right now, it meant that three of them were completely destroyed, three were neutralized and only lightly damaged, and one was more heavily damaged but probably salvageable. That meant four golems they could use in the future. The one the others had captured previously was of course already in use. Right now, Tim was pacing down in the vehicle bay. It had quickly been chosen as the location of their improvised infirmary and in the process of becoming more than that, given it was the largest available space and close, but not too close, to the outside. Not to mention a hotspot of the fight. No one wanted to carry stretchers down staircases too often, he supposed. Breathing in heavily, the smelled the scents of battle; blood, metal and more pungent odors. They would take a while to dissipate. He could also almost smell the despondent fear of their captives. Tim swept his eyes over them, looking for weaknesses and hidden points of concern, weapons or attempts at resistance. So far, he wasn¡¯t very impressed. Ash glanced up, then stood to join him. ¡°Looking for anything in particular?¡± he asked cautiously. Tim shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d like a report, but it can wait,¡± he said. ¡°Who is their commander again?¡± The other drone pointed out one of them men who looked only barely injured, although his clothing was scuffed, bloody and torn in places. He was middle-aged, dark-haired, pretty unremarkable overall. The System gave his Class as Adept of the Blade, what sounded like a pretty generic Warrior Class, and level at thirty-six. Tim nodded at two of the soldiers who¡¯d been lingering nearby. Following the unspoken command, they approached the enemy officer and pulled him to his feet before unsubtly chivying him over to Tim. ¡°Commander Halen,¡± Tim greeted him. ¡°Or do you have a specific rank?¡± The human just stared at him for a long moment, before he spit on the rocky ground. Ash shifted, but it didn¡¯t come close to Tim, so he decided not to take it as an insult. ¡°Lieutenant,¡± he answered stiffly. ¡°What about you, monsterblood?¡± This time, Ash wasn¡¯t the only one who moved. One of the soldiers, who Tim didn¡¯t know although he noted his loyalty, looked like he barely held back from decking the man. ¡°That would be Prince monsterblood,¡± Tim replied calmly but with a slight smirk he made sure made it into his voice. ¡°The likes of you may address me formally.¡± Ash muffled a snort, and a bit of the tension in the gathered soldiers seemed to relax. The southlander officer just stared at him, before he visibly gritted his teeth and bowed his head. ¡°Understood,¡± he grated. ¡°What is it you want with me, honored prince?¡± The emphasis on the last two words was probably not meant to be mocking, Tim decided. ¡°First, I would confirm that you are the highest-ranking of these prisoners and thus in command?¡± The man frowned. ¡°I am, yes,¡± he confirmed, shooting a wary glance at the Imperial soldiers. ¡°Good. Then, let me first assure you that you will be treated with all due courtesy and respect,¡± Tim said evenly. ¡°Our standards of prisoner treatment will be adhered to. If you have questions, see my officers. In short, it means your needs will be seen to, you will not starve unless we do, and you will not be mistreated. Interrogations are not precluded. Understood?¡± Now the prisoner was definitely staring at him in surprise. A few of his own soldiers also seemed surprised, Tim noted. ¡°Understood ¡­ my Prince,¡± the lieutenant nodded, with noticeably more respect in his voice. He still seemed dubious, but that was fair enough. ¡°Now, what was your mission?¡± Like clockwork, he stiffened again. ¡°To take and hold this base,¡± he said after a moment. Tim resisted the urge to give an outward sign of what he felt. That answer was expected, and nothing anyone couldn¡¯t have guessed. ¡°That was all?¡± he prompted. The man met his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± Tim suppressed a sigh. He almost wished he could just torture the prisoner to get answers, regulations or not ¡ª he was pretty sure no one would stop him if he gave that order ¡ª but that wouldn¡¯t even be a practical solution. No, they¡¯d just have to try with repeated interrogations, he supposed. More detailed ones, so they could catch other details, like proof that he was from Iliucin. Separate interrogations of other captives, too.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Tim tried a few more questions, getting bland and unsurprising answers, before he let it be for now. There were probably soldiers under his current command with more training or at least experience in interrogation. He stepped away, keeping an ear peeled for Halen¡¯s reactions, but the enemy officer was quiet. He settled down again on the spot assigned to him, turning to look at his men, and didn¡¯t say anything. Tim shook his head and moved on. There were other concerns to focus on, after all. He called another quick meeting with Owin, Anuis and Dan, as well as their seconds, to decide their guard rotation and positioning. Anuis had already prepared a suggestion, which he signed off on with only minor tweaks. It helped that they¡¯d seen this base before. Tim now had more men at his command than their opponents had previously had, but it was still too big to effectively position guards everywhere. Instead, they had to focus on the entrances, scouts on the outside, and a few select spots inside the base. Plus, many of their soldiers were still tired from their trip here, so they should have a watch rotation that allowed them plenty of rest. Tim wasn¡¯t sure when the next chance for proper rest would be, after all. ¡°Any other news?¡± he asked. ¡°Enemy movements?¡± Dan shook his head. ¡°Our scouts don¡¯t have anything to report,¡± he said. ¡°There is no more movement in the tunnels than expected, as far as we can tell. No reaction from Iliyan, so far. And Iliucin probably hasn¡¯t gotten word yet, anyway.¡± Tim nodded. The golem artificer these people had worked with apparently claimed to be from Iliyan, although he also claimed to be rogue and working with them on his own terms, probably along with a few other people. That didn¡¯t necessarily mean the government of the city was completely blind to what was going on here, though. Well, especially after the message he¡¯d sent them, they¡¯d better not be. Tim was still waiting for a real response to that, though, and it looked like the city-state would take its time. That was fine. More time for them to get entrenched here and work on more pertinent goals. To see about those, he went looking for their mages, including Zephyr. The Thaumaturge had helped heal the wounded, but he was now sitting at the rough camp they¡¯d made with their supplies, on an overturned crate with legs stretched out. He didn¡¯t look injured, but was clearly tired ¡ª low on mana, presumably. ¡°My Prince,¡± he greeted Tim as he approached, half-bowing from his seat instead of getting up. Tim nodded and leaned against a pile of scrap metal beside him. ¡°Thaumaturge. Have you had a chance to look around the base for a possible way down yet? It¡¯s fine if not,¡± he added, ¡°I¡¯d just like to get an initial impression.¡± The man shrugged slightly. ¡°I can make the rounds later, but honestly, I don¡¯t think the precise position matters. There is clearly no entrance present. You need to get down by other means.¡± Tim nodded. If there had been an easily findable entrance, their opponents would have found it already. ¡°Then how do we get to it?¡± he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose teleportation is an option?¡± Zephyr grimaced. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s possible, but even if we had a specialist, there might be concerns about attempting to teleport into this presumptive area. Given what little we know of it, it might be bad for one¡¯s health, or at least risk getting one stuck there unable to teleport back out.¡± Tim pinched the bridge of his nose. That makes sense, unfortunately. ¡°I see,¡± he said. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to keep looking, and considering options.¡± He tried to exercise his patience as he waited, after that. It took a few more meetings with various people. Ash and a few of the more engineering-inclined soldiers, including some Hive drones, started to draw up tentative plans for digging into the ground to try and get to the hidden chamber they were now pretty sure was there. ¡°We¡¯d probably be the best suited for it,¡± Ash told Tim after a few of the others went off to gather tools. ¡°I mean, with the Ground Excavation Ability the Workers have, it¡¯s the best way to dig a small tunnel without disrupting the structure or disturbing whatever is down there. It¡¯s just a shame we don¡¯t actually have any here.¡± Tim sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose again. He was trying to stave off a headache, but suspected he might just be picking up a bad habit. ¡°I see,¡± he said. ¡°We knew where they were going, when we called for reinforcements. Are you seriously telling me they didn¡¯t think to bring anyone who might be useful in an old underground structure like this?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Ash grimaced, ¡°we did, but not any Workers? I mean, they did have to go over the mountains, bringing civilians along would be iffy.¡± ¡°I get it.¡± Tim paced up and down a few steps, running a hand through his hair. ¡°It might not be the perfect answer, anyway,¡± he finally muttered. ¡°Considering, we still don¡¯t know if the System ¡­¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Tim glanced up at him. ¡°If it really does totally impede mana flows, that might be an issue,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not an expert, but this place wasn¡¯t detectible to any of our mages, who would usually get something like that in the ambient mana, which means it has to be completely shielded and redirecting all mana or something, to hide that there¡¯s even a ¡­ void, or whatever, in there. Or maybe an actual lack of mana just doesn¡¯t twinge in their mana senses, I¡¯m not sure how it works.¡± If it was like sound instead of light, then not getting anything would just mean there was nothing there, and it wouldn¡¯t led people to suspect there was a sound-absorbing material ¡ª it was just a random underground spot in the middle of earth and rock, after all. Tim shook his head. ¡°Either way, our Class Skills rely on the System and the System seems to work on ambient mana. I guess? There are definitely issues with, like, twisted mana, just ask Galatea.¡± There was a swish from behind him, and a voice before he¡¯d turned fully around. ¡°Ask me what?¡± ¡°Galatea!¡± He relaxed the tension in his spine and smiled at her. ¡°Where have you been? Dan said you would have looked for me, but I haven¡¯t seen you.¡± ¡°I decided to change my plans,¡± she said, smiling faintly. ¡°As I can see, I was right to think you had everything under control. Although more of your people really should have caught me walking in.¡± She nodded at Anuis and Nucme, who had been hovering near the doorway. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to tell them,¡± Tim said a bit drily. Not that he wasn¡¯t going to have a word with the soldiers. ¡°Though I somehow doubt you just walked in.¡± Galatea shrugged elegantly. ¡°I went on a more extended trip, a little further afield,¡± she said instead, answering his question. ¡°It occurred to me there was one person I knew, an old acquaintance, who might be able to answer a few questions. Someone with a chance to maybe know a little about these things. Well, besides the obvious.¡± She gave him a meaningful look. ¡°The obvious?¡± Ash asked. It took him a second. ¡°Leian,¡± Tim muttered, keeping his voice quiet enough no one would overhear. Galatea didn¡¯t confirm it verbally, but that was confirmation enough. ¡°Who is it, then?¡± Tim asked. ¡°An elf from a settlement further to the south than those you¡¯re familiar with,¡± Galatea said. ¡°Beyond that, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s my place to tell you. I also haven¡¯t told her much, about the situation, or where this place is located. It ¡ª well, I decided not to do that unilaterally.¡± Galatea didn¡¯t want to betray Regina again by giving too much information to someone with ulterior motives, he realized. ¡°How nice,¡± he said drily. ¡°Let¡¯s go sit down and you can tell me what you think we should know. Unless there¡¯s other important news to go over first?¡± Galatea turned to go, then paused and smiled. ¡°Before I forget, it did look like Iliyan was sending a team to talk to you. You should perhaps prepare your diplomacy hat again, Tim.¡± He clenched his fingers together behind his back and smiled tightly. ¡°Wonderful. I¡¯ll get right on that. Let me just check if we packed a welcome mat to roll out. Never mind the signs of combat everywhere.¡± At least it was better than just waiting around, he supposed. Chapter 344: Diplomatic Offers The envoy from Iliyan was, in fact, more of an envoy than a strike force or military detachment sent to capture the base. They clearly went to some effort to make this clear. Almost everyone in the group had a relatively low Level, with many of them clearly having Classes that were not focused on combat. The few who did have higher levels and more martial Classes tended toward Paladin, or others that implicitly assured some righteousness. Against other people, it might have been a very interesting diplomatic ploy. Galatea was pretty sure that aspect would be lost on her current companions. Drones like Tim didn¡¯t exactly have the same cultural conditioning as local humans, and Owin and most of the lower-ranking officers were Delvers, with a slightly more complicated relationship with it. Tim had complained about the location of the base supposedly being secret but leaking everywhere, but Galatea tried not to let it bother her. He was probably entitled to a bit of whining. Still, he probably also knew that the secret was pretty much out already. Lucian had tracked its location with his adventurer, Iliucin obviously knew about it and it would have been unrealistic to hope that Iliyan hadn¡¯t noticed the battle, even if they¡¯d missed the previous occupation. No, secrecy was not a defense that was going to hold much longer, even if it wasn¡¯t already completely frayed at the edges. Still, that didn¡¯t mean one had to reveal all their cards, or so Tim said, so he met the Iliyans inside the base but almost directly by the entrance, stopping them from getting a better view or, hopefully, from gauging the size of the place. The soldiers had managed to drag some tables and chairs together and there were some refreshments available, even if the quality could probably be improved. Sitting down and talking over food was still a much more relaxed and amenable atmosphere. Galatea would have suggested doing it this way if Tim hadn¡¯t decided on it himself. To their credit, the diplomats from the city-state didn¡¯t act like this was unusual and hid any discomfort they might have felt pretty well. They started with some small talk, exchanging pleasantries with Tim and the others who chimed in occasionally. Galatea listened, but didn¡¯t pay particular attention to the words. There might be interesting nuggets of information buried in them, but she didn¡¯t much care about their babbling or the minor details, and, frankly, it wasn¡¯t her job. Not that she had any job at all, but the principle still held. She was also a little distracted trying to sense the empty space below the base, and what it did to mana. It wasn¡¯t easy, but now that she knew what to look for, she wondered how more mages couldn¡¯t have noticed it. Perhaps her own senses were a little different, but there was certainly something of a void. It also seemed vaguely familiar, not necessarily in the sense of a familiar sensation, but that she felt she was missing a reference to something she knew. It wasn¡¯t ¡®twisted¡¯ mana like she was intimately familiar with, though. That much she could say with certainty. Unless it hid behind a wall of this more obscure phenomenon. Either way, she felt very reluctant to actually venture down there and get too close to it. She still might go down, while exercising healthy caution and taking care not to draw closer than necessary, but if they did end up trying to rely on teleportation, she wouldn¡¯t volunteer. An area, material or artifact that could completely disrupt and cancel out the flow of mana sounded particularly dangerous to a mana-form like her. If she was to test her immortality, she¡¯d prefer not to do it in quite this stupid a way. Galatea tuned back in to the conversation enough to make sure Tim didn¡¯t say anything stupid regarding this little discovery. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t. He was smarter than that. He managed to steer the conversation away from the base or its contents pretty well, only satisfying their curiosity with some surface-level observations, metaphorically and literally. He managed to get the fact across that there was little to be found here, everything of value long since taken or destroyed, without quite coming out and saying it. Luckily, that seemed to be enough for Iliyan¡¯s agents. They seemed a little more interested in the political situation than the historical site of cultural value to the new people, anyway. ¡°Of course, I understand, however justified the war, conducting military operations requires a lot of resources,¡± Tim was saying understandingly. ¡°The logistical burden is great. My people are fortunate in both requiring less care in some ways and having means of meeting such requirements.¡± Galatea frowned slightly. Was he ¡­ trying to bribe the city-state? Well, I guess it might work, she supposed. ¡°That it does,¡± the lead diplomat said. He looked rather unimpressive, more of a scholar or bureaucrat rather than a warrior, but a warrior might have been a worse envoy for them in a negotiation like this. ¡°We cannot simply give up out of fear that expenses will be too high, unfortunately. Our enemies will not, and having our fields and villages burned is unlikely to make the financial situation better. I am sure you understand that as well, given your empire¡¯s recent war.¡± ¡°True,¡± Tim agreed, leaning back a little and projecting confidence. ¡°It was quite a drain, although the gnomes have paid some reparations after their unprovoked attack, and the empire is doing quite well in peacetime.¡± ¡°It is, My Prince?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Not to brag, but the Central European Empire is quite large. A large population means a large tax base, as I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to explain to you. Recent reforms have shown considerable success. And while we are currently restructuring our military, having a standing professional army does have some advantages as well. The Empire¡¯s coffers are full enough to spend some coin on projects of more spiritual or cultural importance rather than purely pragmatic.¡± The southlanders were quiet for a moment, exchanging quick looks and clearly parsing what Tim had said. ¡°That is impressive,¡± the Iliyan said. ¡°I believe I see why you are here, Prince Tim. We would, of course, not dream of interfering with such important cultural projects for the Hivekind. Unfortunately, the current aggression makes it hard to guarantee the safety of even our own people, let alone esteemed visitors, it pains me to say.¡± He paused, then clearly decided to push the conversation forward a bit. ¡°Our forces and resources must be allocated pragmatically, securing our safety and interests, which includes not leaving potential routes to the city open.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Of course,¡± Tim agreed, nodding graciously. ¡°I am sure we can come to an agreement regarding a contribution ¡ª as a token of the Empress¡¯ favor and to help ensure that our reclaiming of this part of our heritage goes smoothly without being molested by enemies. If you are open to it, a more comprehensive treaty is certainly possible as well, to cement a working relationship between our people, perhaps even an alliance, and give us all some peace of mind regarding potential hostilities.¡± Galatea stared at him for a moment, but Tim looked entirely innocent and seriously diplomatic, not like he¡¯d just offered a bribe and then an alliance treaty to a city that was, at best, an enemy of an enemy. She hoped he knew what he was doing ¡ª but then, he probably had some specifics and defined goals in mind, and it wouldn¡¯t be much of a real alliance. Or one between equals. ¡°I see,¡± the diplomat said, not breaking stride. ¡°That is a very gracious offer, Your Imperial Highness. We would be more than pleased to accept.¡± They kept talking some more, going into a bit more detail, but Galatea let her attention drift as it was clear they¡¯d come to an agreement. She doubted the Iliyans actually bought the line that this was purely about spiritual or cultural importance, but it didn¡¯t look like they would risk fighting the Empire about it, so that was all that really mattered. Instead, Galatea returned most of her attention to the analysis of the ambient magic. She tried to examine the space below them and what the other mages in the base were doing. A few discreet applications of several spells to manipulate sound waves also let her listen in on discussions further away; the contained nature of the tunnels helped in that regard. Zephyr was apparently methodically examining ever meter of the lowest levels, while others were still more focused on healing the injured, doing other tasks, or simply resting. It took a while until the negotiation was finished, and both sides signed a draft agreement they¡¯d come up with. Galatea had read over it, but didn¡¯t see any cause to comment. As she¡¯d told Regina, the political aspects were not really her area of interest and Tim seemed to be doing well enough. He had managed to come to an agreement with the city, with the possibility of further cooperation in the future. That was what they¡¯d wanted. She doubted Regina would be upset about paying a fee to the city government so they¡¯d let them operate in their backyard. Especially not when she could just Conjure the gold and diamonds she could use to pay them easily enough. A minor detail Tim had neglected to mention. Eventually, the envoys left, and Galatea stayed with Tim as he lingered after seeing them off, watching the group disappear through the tunnel. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± he finally asked, turning to face her. Galatea shrugged, crossing her arms. ¡°Normally, when people talk about bribery in terms of diplomacy, it¡¯s a bit less literal. But if it works, it works. I think you can be pretty sure they¡¯re not going to attack, at least.¡± Tim nodded. ¡°Yeah, I think so too. It would be pretty stupid of them, anyway. They got what they wanted either way.¡± ¡°Beyond gold to finance their war?¡± ¡°Well, that too, now, but I meant that it¡¯s in their best interest to let the Iliucins and us fight over this base. At least it will cost Iliucin soldiers they can¡¯t send against them.¡± ¡°True,¡± Galatea conceded. She tapped her fingers against her sleeves, adding a slight ringing noise, and the sound waves traveled through the tunnels. ¡°I don¡¯t think Regina is going to be very happy that you basically ignited a war between all these cities just for cover to help your goal here, though.¡± This visibly made Tim pause. His posture wilted slightly, and his head dipped before he raised it to look at her, eyes slightly wide. ¡°You really think that¡¯s ¡­?¡± he trailed off. ¡°Sorry, I should have put that better.¡± Galatea smiled reassuringly. ¡°And even if Regina might be angry, she knows you¡¯re doing the best you can and she won¡¯t blame you for hard decisions in a difficult position. Besides, we all know they are fighting or would have been fighting anyway.¡± Perhaps not as hard or as long than if Tim hadn¡¯t come here and kicked all of this loose, though. Arranged a deliberate increase in tensions and ¡®incidents¡¯, offered to pad the war chest of one contender. Then again, who knew? The base was still here and people had been searching for the same thing they wanted. ¡°Should I have done it differently?¡± Tim wondered, running a hand over his head in a gesture that reminded her of Regina. ¡°I don¡¯t know what else you could have done,¡± she said honestly. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s too late to change course now. Maybe these city-states will work things out without an actual war. We still need to wait and see what Lucian does with Iliucin. For now, we should focus on the issue in front of us. The political situation seems to be sorted, for now.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Tim straightened up, putting a bit more emphasis into his steps. ¡°This woman you thought could help us, you still haven¡¯t told me much about her. Do you want us to wait until we can talk to her to continue?¡± ¡°I think we might as well start digging. Besides, it¡¯s really something I want to get Regina to weigh in on. I was going to check in with her anyway.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem very enthused,¡± Tim noted, taking a corner into another room and slowing down. They were pretty alone right now. Galatea sighed, another affectation that was becoming a habit. ¡°I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s the second choice, anyway. Who I really wish I could talk to about this is Leian.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s still unavailable?¡± ¡°It seems so.¡± Galatea waved a hand airily, dismissing the matter. It was bad enough talking about it with Regina, she didn¡¯t need Tim to start acting concerned about whether she was missing a friend, too. In reality, Galatea wasn¡¯t ¡ª or well, she was only a little bit worried. Mostly because she didn¡¯t know where Leian was. She had a suspicion ¡­ but is that even possible? Either way, there was nothing she could do about it until the goddess in question answered some attempts to reach her. She didn¡¯t think that would take too long. Leian would know better than to go incommunicado for very long, she knew the situation was a bit delicate at the moment. And unlike Regina, Galatea wouldn¡¯t worry about the other gods doing something nefarious; she doubted they could truly, actually stop Leian. Not forcibly. ¡°I¡¯m going to guess this mystery woman has something to do with it, then,¡± Tim said drily. Galatea hesitated for a moment, then acknowledged that there was nothing for it, she might as well say this much. ¡°Yes. Her priestess or something like that, I don¡¯t know all the details.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think she had an actual cult and temples.¡± ¡°Maybe not, but it would be stupid to assume she has no agents in the world, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Tim conceded the point with a nod. He was probably thinking that Regina would want to talk to this priestess for her attempts to talk to Leian. The thought had occurred to her, too. ¡°Regardless, I¡¯m going to let the others start digging downward,¡± Tim said. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to watch and advise. I promise we¡¯ll be careful. Maybe you can even bring a Worker with you when you come back?¡± Galatea gave him a look, but nodded slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± ¡°Good. And I¡¯ll write a letter. Maybe a few letters this time,¡± he muttered. Galatea smiled and briefly touched his shoulder, even if he wouldn¡¯t be able to feel it much. ¡°You do that,¡± she said. ¡°I can drop letters for your siblings off.¡± In all honesty, she was a bit impressed that Tim hadn¡¯t cracked but had lasted this long without asking if she could bring him back for a visit, or anything like that. The temptation had to be big. But his Hive Queen had sent him here and hadn¡¯t recalled him yet, so he¡¯d continue to do his duty to the Hive and fulfill his mission. Loyalty, Galatea mused, is a strong force. Innate and encoded or not. Chapter 345: Drills and Digging The drill spun once around itself with a screeching cry like a few monsters he¡¯d heard, then clanked against the rocky walls of the cavern. Ash swore softly in a low tone, something he must have picked up from one of the human soldiers, and jumped down to right it. Tim resisted the urge to go after him and pull him back out. This was fine. They wouldn¡¯t turn it right now. The drill was a cobbled-together thing, barely more than some metal bent roughly into the right shape and propelled more by the arm strength of some people with high Str stats combined with the help of a few Spells or Skills than its engineering. It would have worked perfectly fine against normal earth and dirt, Tim was sure, but the rock of the cave the base had been built into gave it some problems. Still, at least they¡¯d already made some progress. ¡°How long is this going to take?¡± he asked, sighing. Anuis, beside him, shrugged calmly. ¡°As long as it takes,¡± she said. ¡°We have no immediate cause for worry regarding the timing, our position is secure for the immediate future.¡± No one does patience like an elf, I guess, Tim mused, but didn¡¯t say anything about that. He wouldn¡¯t like being reduced to his racial characteristics either. Which, at the moment, didn¡¯t even feel very relevant. He really wanted to feel the psychic embrace of his Hive again, to use poetic phrasing, but it didn¡¯t seem to be happening in the next few days. Presumably, the sooner they made some progress with this particular discovery, the sooner he could actually go home. Of course, he¡¯d rather not rush things and mess something up because of it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sir,¡± Geoff called from the other side of the contraption. ¡°We¡¯re getting the hang of this. The next few meters should go much more smoothly.¡± As if to give the lie to his words, the drill clanked again when they started turning it, but then they seemed to manage to stabilize it. Some of the mages added a bit of pressure, which he couldn¡¯t feel, but was obvious in the way the shape bent, and it resumed its work with the same racket it had made before. Tim was glad he¡¯d been careful enough to get some ear protection. The humans went without for the most part, but Anuis and the other drones all used some, too. The Delver turned out to be right, and it did proceed much more smoothly from there. Tim resisted the urge to pace and instead just watched. A few more people had Skills useful for this kind of endeavor, and they combined them with the mechanical work of the drill to dig a straight ¡ª but more importantly, thin ¡ª little tunnel right down into the earth. It might have been something like a ventilation shaft if there had been another level of the base below. Or rather, a regular one; he supposed there was another level, which they were trying to reach. They were trying to be careful. The drill was secured with several ropes, no one got any closer than its tip minus quite a bit of safety distance factored in, and Zephyr was pacing around and supposedly focusing on the ambient mana. Tim eventually gave in and resumed pacing, though he kept his steps short and slow. There were other things he could do, tasks he could see to. The base was still being reclaimed, in more than the technical sense, and they had to prepare for the possibility of further attacks. But instead, he stayed here, watching their progress. It was the most important task anyway. Depending on what they found, they might even decide to give this place up entirely. Not a thought he liked, after everything it had taken to seize it. But if Regina decided it was not worth the trouble and potential conflict to hold on to a place this far south, he¡¯d follow her wishes. This site was simply too far removed from the Empire proper; they would never be able to completely secure it, not entirely. If their arrangement with a nearby city or cities fell through, it would be vulnerable again. When Tim wasn¡¯t focused on other concerns, that worry occupied his mind. Finally, the sound the drill made changed slightly and his thoughts were interrupted. He stopped pacing, turning to face the hole in the ground. The others had started digging a shallower trench around it, to more easily guide the drill and get access to the new shaft. They would probably have to start adding another layer of it soon, or deepening it much further on its own. ¡°There¡¯s a change in the composition of the ground,¡± Ash noted. ¡°I¡¯m not a geologist, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s entirely typical of the area.¡± ¡°What can you tell?¡± he asked. Ash shrugged. ¡°Some harder rock, it looks like. Granite, if I had to guess. It might be artificially induced, maybe with magic. Or maybe they just used what was already here.¡± ¡°We definitely haven¡¯t reached it yet, though,¡± Nucme added. ¡°They built deep.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Zephyr said. ¡°Just keep on it.¡± Tim agreed, but didn¡¯t say anything, and let them continue. Instead, he leaned over and squinted at the paper the older mage was scribbling things on. It was a little hard to make sense of. He clearly wasn¡¯t making an effort with his handwriting, and probably using a private shorthand. ¡°Charting the ambient mana?¡± Tim hazarded a guess. Zephyr looked up and actually graced him with a brief smile. ¡°A little, yes,¡± he said. ¡°I have also been working on a few theories, and brushing up on my earth magic. Practical experience does help at getting past issues, sometimes.¡± Tim nodded slowly. ¡°And you could, say, help us get closer to this underground space?¡± ¡°I thought we agreed to avoid using magic for this endeavor,¡± he frowned. We could¡¯ve at least used your earth magic for the first few meters, right? Tim thought, but he didn¡¯t say that. He should have suggested it earlier if he wanted to. ¡°Right,¡± he said instead, suppressing a sigh and turning around. ¡°I think there was another change,¡± Ash said after a while of silent waiting. This time, even Tim could tell it was different; the sound of the drill had definitely changed. ¡°There¡¯s metal in the way,¡± he added. ¡°A sheet around the actual chamber, most likely,¡± Zephyr said. ¡°Check there is no undue mana or signs of enchantment, and be very careful drilling through it.¡± ¡°Will do,¡± Ash muttered, focusing on it again. Luckily, Nucme was able to confirm there was slightly less than the normal amount of ambient mana, and no runes or anything else, so they pulled the drill out to sharpen the tip and add more weight before lowering it again to start trying to drill through the metal. Tim winced at the screeching sounds. At least it seemed to work.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Suddenly, there was another shriek, somewhat different from the tortured noise of their implement trying to dig through the metal. Tim flinched and staggered a step back on instinct, raising his blade-arms defensively. There was a crash accompanied by a flash of light, and he blinked against it. It took a moment to realize what was happening. The drill had been propelled out of the hole, whose edges were suddenly looking more ragged. It must have crashed against the ceiling or wall and was now lying in a heap beside the new tunnel, as a smoking, damaged mess. ¡°Is everyone alright?¡± Tim asked, squinting against the dust and the bright spots in his eyes. He took off his earplugs for now. ¡°I think I broke my arm,¡± Ash muttered after a moment, staggering away from the hole. ¡°Let me see,¡± Zephyr said brusquely, stepping forward and grabbing his shoulder. Ash hissed softly but didn¡¯t react otherwise, patiently waiting as the Thaumaturge used his magic. ¡°Okay, is anyone else hurt?¡± Tim asked, glancing at the others. They shook their heads. He saw a few scratches, they probably had bumps and bruises, but it looked like no one suffered serious injuries. He was willing to let it lie at that. ¡°I take it we encountered some defenses,¡± Anuis said, her calm presence reassuring some of their restless tension. ¡°You could say that,¡± Zephyr said. He let go of Ash and stepped up to the newly-dug shaft, peering down it critically. His body language was still defensive and wary. ¡°How far down is that now?¡± Anuis asked. ¡°Ten meters at a guess,¡± Ash responded, patting down his clothes and then joining them. ¡°I think the actual chamber below is still at least a meter further down.¡± ¡°That seems likely,¡± Zephyr agreed. ¡°The magical defenses are clearly not directly in contact with it, or with what we are expecting to find here; they wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain themselves otherwise.¡± ¡°How did they do it?¡± Tim wondered. ¡°Without any of you sensing them?¡± Zephyr scowled, and only responded after a short pause. ¡°There must be enchantments inside the metal casing. It was built in several layers, most likely. The outer and lower layers would isolate it from the environment, also helping it to stay active ¡ª or at least able to be activated ¡ª for this long. The middle layer, or layers, carried the mana that caused the reaction.¡± ¡°I would guess it¡¯s a more passive measure,¡± Nucme added. ¡°Something that would not need to be directed or controlled by any external component, simply automatically active when the shell was breached.¡± ¡°Like some chemical substances that react violently when exposed to air or pressure changes,¡± Tim mused quietly. ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a good comparison,¡± Zephyr agreed with a brief smile. ¡°However, even if it was still enough to react, I doubt there is still as much mana contained within as when it was first made. Some of it must have dissipated over the centuries, it is impossible to completely isolate enchantments from the mana flow of the outside world.¡± Tim crossed his arms, examining it for a moment. ¡°So, we could probably force our way through if we expended all that mana? It sounds like a risky course of action, Zephyr. How much would it even take?¡± ¡°Impossible to know for sure, although I can do some estimates,¡± he responded, unperturbed. ¡°Do we have other options?¡± Anuis asked. There was a minute of silence, as they clearly all thought hard. Tim started pacing again, trying to come up with a plan of action. Unfortunately, if magic ¡ª at least direct magic ¡ª was out, he really didn¡¯t see any way but to brute-force it. Or, of course, they could rely on that contact Galatea had mentioned. ¡°Continue with this, but be careful,¡± Tim decided. ¡°I assume it will take a while. I may look into what Galatea suggested.¡± It would probably be useful if and when they broke through and found whatever there was to find down there, too, anyway. ¡°We¡¯ll need to build new drills,¡± Ash finally decided. ¡°You do that,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll look for Dan. And write a letter.¡± He¡¯d initially planned to wait until he heard back from Galatea, from their Hive Queen. But it shouldn¡¯t hurt to make initial contact, and he didn¡¯t need to pursue it if he didn¡¯t want to. But he also needed someone he could trust to take care of it. ¡°You want to saddle me with yet another diplomatic mission?¡± Dan asked, crossing his blade-arms stiffly behind his body and tilting his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I would call this a diplomatic mission,¡± Tim prevaricated, glancing up briefly and then deliberately gluing his eyes to the pen and paper in his hands. ¡°You¡¯re sending me to talk to someone instead of fighting, that counts in my book,¡± Dan pointed out. ¡°You could have just sent me to check on your golems.¡± Tim hummed. They were in a side room of the base, but there was no door, so he kept his voice low. He was using a stone shelf built into the wall as a desk, but it wasn¡¯t very comfortable. ¡°You can check on them on the way back, if you like,¡± he offered distractedly. Dan snorted. ¡°I¡¯d need to know the details of where you sent them first,¡± he muttered. ¡°The first golem has probably been picked up by Iliyan by now,¡± Tim said, pausing and looking up. ¡°That was always the plan, anyway. We just needed to send it around to cause chaos and distrust, give the impression that a certain group was attacking. The others are still held in reserve, I just put them into different locations for security. It¡¯s not really important now that we actually have their creator available.¡± Dan uncrossed his arms and visibly slumped a bit as he stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ll do this, of course,¡± he said. ¡°But please keep in mind it¡¯s under protest and assign me to a nice, clean fighting mission next time, okay?¡± ¡°No promises, brother,¡± Tim grinned. He checked his letter one last time, then rolled it up. Pity I don¡¯t have a signet ring or something. Then again, might be best if it¡¯s not super official. Instead, he just closed it with some twine and then handed it to Dan. ¡°Take one of Owin¡¯s men and either Tirias or Alvol,¡± he instructed him. ¡°On the way back, make sure the campsite we first used is clear. Direct her to the closest village if she agrees to come ¡ª that should be the one twenty kilometers east of here.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Dan grumbled, but took the letter and nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll be back soon. Try not to blow up the base in the meantime, O glorious prince.¡± Tim tried to swat at him, but Dan dodged nimbly, before he walked off, now grinning. Tim shook his head, cleaned up his writing utensils, and then meandered back to the lowest level. There was probably a lot of waiting in his future. He stood quietly for a while, before he gave in and took another tour of the base, to check on his soldiers. As a result, he missed the next explosion. By the time he came back, they¡¯d already almost finished the next drill, although this one was rather different. At least some of the men had learned how to put their applicable Class Skills to good use. Finally, after several hours he¡¯d deliberately refused to count, Zephyr jerked upright from where he might have been sleeping standing up and took a step forward. ¡°We¡¯re through,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s ¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ash said. He pulled on a rope they¡¯d put up with a rough wooden scaffold, and the others started heaving the current drill out of the hole. ¡°At least there seem to be no more defenses,¡± Nucme added, smiling. ¡°What is it?¡± Tim asked, peering curiously at the tunnel even if he knew he wouldn¡¯t see anything. Zephyr was silent for a moment. ¡°Well, I think it is apparent the important thing was not whatever might have been hidden here,¡± he said. ¡°This truly is a void in the ambient mana. I can sense it a little better now, but I would not like to come too close. Few of us should. Whatever this chamber is made of is like nothing I have ever seen or heard of. It¡¯s not simply stopping all ambient mana from touching it; it¡¯s almost like it is actively expelling it. Devouring it, even.¡± Tim pulled a face. That sounds delightful. ¡°We will need to investigate,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°Well, I suggest you do not send a mage down there.¡± Zephyr looked like he wanted to add something, then hesitated. ¡°And perhaps not a demihuman,¡± Anuis murmured. Owin shifted audibly. He¡¯d shown up a while ago but said little. ¡°Perhaps a human as close to a ¡®baseline¡¯ as possible?¡± he suggested quietly. ¡°Yes, that would be advisable,¡± Zephyr agreed. Tim nodded, understanding what they meant. He knew Earth used to have little mana, while Haven, the original home world of the other races except the Hivekind, did. It wouldn¡¯t be outside the realm of possibility that they had evolved ¡ª if there was even such a thing as natural evolution at play ¡ª with a dependence on ambient mana, or something like that. It should be less of a risk for a human, then. That probably meant Hivekind shouldn¡¯t go down first thing, too. It was a bit of a shame, he was curious to see it. Still, he supposed it was still a good opportunity. Chapter 346: Expectations ¡°Please excuse the guards,¡± Regina said, waving two of said guards off with a stern look. ¡°They¡¯re new to this and a bit over-enthusiastic.¡± One of the human men ducked his head and shuffled back slightly like a scolded puppy, while the other stood rigidly at military attention. Regina managed not to roll her eyes as she walked past them, prompting the first one to hold open the door and then close it behind her and her friend. You wouldn¡¯t think they¡¯re decorated combat veterans, she thought. On the upside, these details are probably easier to teach. ¡°Your entourage does keep growing every time I see it,¡± Galatea mused. Regina snorted. ¡°That¡¯s what you notice about my entourage? The size?¡± ¡°Well, the uniforms are snazzy too,¡± Galatea said airily, but betrayed her tone with a slight smile. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I will be traveling outside of the city since the new royal guard was formed,¡± Regina explained. ¡°I think they decided to take it as some kind of challenge.¡± ¡°So, Max finally got what he wanted.¡± Galatea stepped up beside her as they reached the open courtyard where a group of Winged Drone Mounts were waiting. ¡°I suppose,¡± Regina conceded. She glanced at them again, a mix of humans and drones somehow eagerly guarding them despite being professional about it, in new dark-blue uniform jackets with a six-pointed star on the shoulder. ¡°He did have a few good points. An elite unit like this has a few advantages. It gives the regular soldiers something to aspire to. It should help ensure their loyalty ¡ª although obviously, anyone assigned to guard a member of the Imperial family will undergo background and loyalty checks regardless. But they¡¯re not just bodyguards, they are supposed to be elite combat forces too.¡± ¡°I see the logic,¡± Galatea nodded. ¡°If you just take veterans off the battlefield and have them sit around on guard duty where nothing usually happens, they¡¯d stagnate.¡± ¡°Exactly. So they¡¯ll rotate active postings and royal guard duty, ensuring they get to keep their skills sharp, and get Experience and levels. The soldiers we¡¯ve currently sent to Tim will probably all end up in the Star Guard, too.¡± Galatea started hovering slightly, waiting until Regina mounted her current ride. ¡°The name is a bit on the nose, though.¡± Regina pulled herself into the saddle, checking around herself to make sure everything was fine. She chewed on her lower lip, then offered Galatea a sheepish shrug. ¡°It¡¯s actually just a lame pun,¡± she admitted. ¡°I could have called it the Imperial Guard or something equally bland, but that seemed boring. So, you know, the name is because they guard the Empire¡¯s VIPs, and in the old world, VIPs were ¡®stars¡¯. Plus I guess they¡¯re the stars of the Imperial military.¡± ¡°Perhaps next time, you should let Janis choose a name,¡± Galatea advised. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have the atrocious naming sense of the family.¡± ¡°Oh, screw you,¡± Regina laughed. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Her mount rose into the air, accompanied by those of her escort detail for today. Galatea was still flying on her own power, not bothering to pretend that she had physical mass or was inconvenienced by it. It still felt a little weird that Max wasn¡¯t among the group, but as the new commander of the Imperial elite royal guard regiment ¡ª unit size subject to change ¡ª he had too much to do organizing it to go haring off on her trip. And she had reminded him she didn¡¯t need him to keep playing personal bodyguard. It wasn¡¯t like they were going anywhere dangerous. "You wanted this trip, though I¡¯m not happy to accompany you,¡± Galatea noted. She kept up easily and was probably using magic to project her voice, not that she didn¡¯t do that usually, but it was as clearly audible as if they were just sitting together. ¡°I thought that, with everything you told me, it couldn¡¯t hurt to try contacting Leian again,¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°And we can check on the progress of the temple anyway.¡± ¡°Makes sense. And you jumped at the chance to get out of the palace for a bit.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°I guess the new guard force made you stir-crazy? Max isn¡¯t even sticking around you as much anymore. Although I doubt he likes that. A bigger guard force would be worth that for him, though.¡± Regina chuckled. ¡°I think Max hasn¡¯t thought it through. He hasn¡¯t yet realized he¡¯ll get a guard detail, too.¡± Galatea echoed her chuckle for a few seconds. ¡°That¡¯s the price of being a prince. I imagine he¡¯ll put up with it, though.¡± Then she turned more serious, turning her head to watch Regina. ¡°I wonder, though ¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± She didn¡¯t speak right away, and they watched the city passing below them, followed by the countryside. ¡°You¡¯re restructuring the military and raising a new elite force. Some people could see it as a sign in terms of policy, reading your intentions.¡± ¡°Oh, God, no.¡± Regina groaned slightly, letting herself fall back against the back of her mount a little more. ¡°I¡¯m not planning to conquer anyone else, Galatea. I know it must seem like the Empire has an expansionist agenda, but there are no invasion plans, I assure you.¡± ¡°I know,¡± she said soberly. I could if I wanted to, Regina thought. It wasn¡¯t a new realization. She was still pretty sure that was what made Galatea a little uneasy about the situation. And honestly ¡­ she appreciated it. Janis would question her decisions, June might as well, but ultimately, they would trust her to know what she was doing and would follow her lead if she decided to follow an expansionist strategy. ¡°Are you worried it will come to war against the Western Confederation, or the Esemen? Or both?¡± Galatea asked. Regina sighed, turning to face her more fully on her mount, and ignoring the river sparkling below them in the sunshine. ¡°Do you think it will?¡± she asked after a moment. Galatea remained silent for a second. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it might,¡± she finally said. ¡°Me too,¡± Regina admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t know if preparing for it will just make it inevitable. It could be a self-fulfilling prophecy, letting our fears and anxieties guide our decision-making until we slide into a war. But can I afford not to expect the worst? I have a responsibility to defend the Empire¡¯s citizens.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an easy situation. But I know you¡¯re doing the best you can.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Regina exhaled, glancing down to the watch the passing countryside. They didn¡¯t speak much more after that. Instead, she spent her time dipping in and out of the psychic link, catching up with other drones and checking on the state of affairs of her country. There was a lot of work that she could just as easily do while traveling on the back of a flying drone than behind a desk in her office. The psychic link was useful like that. She¡¯d have a pile of documents waiting for her signature when she returned, but that was nothing new, either.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. In the meantime, Regina managed to take a few minutes to enjoy the trip. She was almost constantly busy these days. It went so far that at this point, her occasional trips to the hospital to help instruct the healers and deal with the most severe cases felt like a pleasant break from the burden of ruling. Not that she disliked healing people before, but still. At least June was taking over some of the burden of teaching the newer psychic students, but Regina also didn¡¯t want to neglect her apprentice¡¯s, or her own, magic education. Her own magic felt like it had been stagnating for a while, but she was aware that it probably just seemed that way. Regina had come a long way in just a few years. If she now had to work at a pace that was closer to a normal mage¡¯s, that was fine. Besides, it had always been easier when there had been some kind of external impetus to prompt it. Perhaps a new material or location that repelled mana could be one such thing. Regina glanced at Galatea, considering. She¡¯d already told her about what had most recently happened in the south, but it might be better to have a few more details. ¡°Can you go over what happened and what you sensed there again?¡± Galatea turned her head, her expression patient. ¡°Sure. Perhaps I should start at the beginning, if we have time now ¡­¡± Regina metaphorically settled in and listened to the story. Galatea added reports from the others and speculation on what had happened when she wasn¡¯t there. It was more comprehensive and felt like Regina got more out of it than just a few letters and abridged reports. Of course, she still didn¡¯t know what the others had found when they started digging for it. There was always a time-lag in communicating with the expedition, even if she was lucky that Galatea was willing to pass messages in the first place. ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± she finally concluded, and Regina ripped her attention from her and instead looked at the ground below them. They were currently flying over some low mountains again, and she recognized the area immediately. Arriving like this gave her a slightly different perspective than when she just looked in on it from a drone¡¯s eyes normally, and she took a second to appreciate the view. The construction site was still very obviously a work in progress, but progress had been made. The island in the lake had been slightly enlarged, which she knew had been much easier than she¡¯d first feared. There were a few members of her hive with Skills that could just as easily add dirt and stone to something than subtract it, and they¡¯d managed to get it done pretty quickly. The walkway to the shore was still a preliminary scaffold, but sturdy enough to transport materials. More importantly, the building itself was taking shape. So far, the roof was still only a suggestion made by a few big wooden beams, but most of the walls were standing, with high arched windows, still gaping emptily, breaking them up. The white stone shone in the sun, even without being perfectly clad in the final layers of its raiment. Someone had already put up a big chunk of granite, roughly hewn, in place as an altar. Regina liked the aesthetic of it. ¡°It¡¯s going well,¡± Galatea noted as they approached and Regina and her guards¡¯ mounts started to bank and descend. ¡°You spent a lot of money on a vanity project.¡± Regina pulled a face, but didn¡¯t immediately protest. I guess that is what this is, she acknowledged, the Empire¡¯s ruler¡¯s personal vanity project. Not that most people would protest, but they wouldn¡¯t see it as bringing a lot of material benefit. A temple for an almost-forgotten goddess. ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s more a project by the hive than the Empire,¡± she said instead. ¡°Many of the workers and most of the materials were sourced by it.¡± The wind rushed past her face as their mounts came in for a sharp landing and set down on the island. Regina jumped down, offering nods to her guards, before she turned to the temple. She only got a few meters before they were greeted by Ina. ¡°Mother!¡± She smiled, falling into step with the group. ¡°Do you want a more detailed report on our progress?¡± ¡°No thanks, Ina, your updates were fine. I just want to take a look around and maybe try and see if we can get any response.¡± Ina nodded and started pointing out details as she led them around the building. It didn¡¯t take long, even with piles of construction materials on the island and groups of other people dodging out of the way, or stopping to stare. Regina listened with one ear, but mostly just took in the atmosphere and look of the building. Finally, they stopped inside the main temple building, in the nave or whatever it would be called, looking towards the altar. Regina craned her head back and soaked in the feel of the ambient mana for a moment. ¡°Seems nice, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s enough. It¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t get your acquaintance here, at least right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure why that¡¯s your priority, but perhaps we could arrange something if you really want to,¡± Galatea commented quietly. ¡°To consecrate the temple? Isn¡¯t that what you do with houses of worship?¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Galatea paused, looking around with a visible frown. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if it makes much of a difference or not. And I¡¯m also not sure if you need a sacrifice.¡± ¡°We¡¯re prepared, as you ordered, My Queen,¡± Ina spoke up. Regina turned to her and smiled. ¡°You found a good monster?¡± ¡°A mana-beast with the highest level the hunters could find,¡± she confirmed. ¡°We also had a few mages Conjure some precious stones, cooked some food, and a few of us tried our hand with some poetry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure all that¡¯s necessary,¡± Galatea said, clearly stifling a laugh. ¡°You can leave any inert materials out, unless they contain mana it¡¯s unlikely to matter. Food might be worth a try and I suppose reciting some hymns wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± Regina nodded, then delved into the psychic link to arrange things. They had everything prepared in a remarkably short time. Ina sent the other workers away from the walls for now, and dragged in the Mana Beast, which someone had thoughtfully tranquilized. Regina supposed Galatea felt a bit bad about killing it as a sacrifice, judging by her look, although as much as she tried, she was unable to muster up much of the same emotion. It reminded her a little of Arcanis, but she pushed that thought away quickly. Her tamed mana beast was safe and happy in the outskirts of the Great Forest, being used to secure their base there. Instead, Regina dragged it before the altar and waited for Ina to set up some buckets and simple wooden slates to drain its blood. She glanced at the others, mostly Galatea, who raised an eyebrow. Then she lit a brazier standing beside the altar and started throwing in the food items the drones had prepared ¡ª mostly hard cakes and the like, what seemed like traditional offerings. Regina turned to the monster, hesitated for a moment as she realized she¡¯d forgot to bring a knife, then resigned herself to using her claws. Extending her index finger, she carefully drew it across the beast¡¯s throat, deeply enough to kill quickly, then set it upright to drain the blood, and knelt down before the altar. She bowed her head, licking her lips. ¡°Leianaleine?¡± she began. ¡°Or, I suppose, Leian.¡± ¡°Leian Blue-White of Agialsis,¡± Galatea cut in. Regina blinked, cleared her throat. That must be her original name, then? ¡°Right. O Leianaleine, also known as Leian Blue-White of Agialsis ¡­ the Last Aishan, She Who Remains ¡­ former goddess of transportation on Haven. I invoke you, I beseech you to turn your attention to me. Please grant me your ear, and your presence. There are matters on which I would seek your guidance.¡± She finished and snapped her mouth shut. Everyone was quiet, and they listened to the silence for moments that seemed to stretch out. Regina clenched her fists. ¡°I feel your religious devotional needs a little work, Regina, but I applaud the effort.¡± Her head jerked around, to where a figure had appeared behind them, now walking up to the altar with casual grace. She looked almost as she had the last time she¡¯d seen her, but it was hard to pin down the difference. ¡°Leian.¡± Regina scrambled upright, feeling less willing to be on her knees before a goddess now that she was actually here. ¡°I assume you didn¡¯t go to this effort for the sake of worship,¡± Leian noted, leaning against her altar. ¡°No,¡± Regina admitted, straightening up further and folding her arms. ¡°Are we able to speak freely here? There are a few things I¡¯d like to discuss with you. Particularly a find Tim¡¯s group has made in the south.¡± ¡°The other gods might still listen, but it would take some effort and I¡¯m likely to sense it in my own temple. Now, what is it that they found? I have been ¡­ out of touch until just about now.¡± The goddess tilted her head, looking contemplative, and Regina wondered if she was checking something via the System or something like that. ¡°An old Hivekind base,¡± Regina answered. ¡°At least, we¡¯re pretty sure. It¡¯s in the south, close to Iliyan and Iliucin. And there¡¯s clearly something special to it, although we found no remaining technology of note, but ¡­¡± ¡°I see,¡± Leian murmured, frowning consideringly. Her eyes seemed to gaze into the distance, until suddenly they fixed on Regina. ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Describe what your people found there,¡± she commanded. ¡°Underground.¡± Regina blinked and looked at Galatea. ¡°I wish I could, but we don¡¯t have much information yet. Just hints that it¡¯s something refusing mana flows.¡± Leian stared hard at both of them for a moment longer, and Regina suddenly wondered if all this had been such a smart idea. ¡°Then we will simply have to go and look at it,¡± Leian finally said. Regina exchanged another look with Galatea. ¡°Okay? What do you ¡­¡± She trailed off, feeling a sudden buildup of mana. It was clearly some kind of spell, but like nothing she had ever felt before ¡­ although, it did remind her of her first trip to the Mirrored Halls with Leian. Then Regina¡¯s thoughts scattered and she instinctively tried to grab and hold on to the stone in front of her as the world dissolved. Her surroundings turned into strings of light and with a lurch in her stomach, she was suddenly elsewhere. Chapter 347: Material Secrets Regina had never teleported before, and the experience was profoundly disorienting. It didn¡¯t even come from the teleportation itself, which on its own would probably only be mildly disorienting ¡ª suddenly being somewhere else, the sounds and smells and ambient mana very different. But she was a Hive Queen, intricately linked to her hive via its psychic link, and Leian took her out of her normal range, beyond where she could reach almost all of her hive. Once the world around her resolved into real sights and sounds again, Regina staggered to her knees, heaving and barely keeping from throwing up. Her heart felt like it had suddenly been pulled halfway out of her chest and frozen, except it wasn¡¯t really her heart and there was actually an empty space in her head instead except that wasn¡¯t it either and now there were a few bright lights around her radiating confusion and alarm and however far she reached found nothing but the normal background of minds. It took a moment for her brain to resolve the sounds swelling around her into audible words. ¡°Mother?!¡± That was Tim. ¡°What ¡ª How did you ¡ª Are you alright?¡± ¡°Is that ¡­¡± ¡°Regina? Just take a deep breath,¡± Galatea said soothingly. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Regina coughed out, climbing to her feet and blinking once against the change in ambient lighting. She ignored the emptiness in her head and focused on her surroundings, taking them in at a glance. They hadn¡¯t appeared directly in whatever place Leian was so concerned about, but stood in a corridor hewn out of stone and partly clad in metal. Tim and a few other familiar faces stared at her and Galatea. Ina and the others had clearly been left behind, along with everything else in the temple. Leian had apparently taken a few steps, but paused now, and she was looking at Regina with what seemed to be concern. ¡°You could have warned us,¡± Regina said through gritted teeth. ¡°Or, you know, asked. This is going to be hell to deal with, me suddenly disappearing.¡± Leian tilted her head slightly, not quite lowering it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will put you back before they panic too much. I apologize for the disruption ¡­ but I felt this was necessary.¡± By this point, the immediate shock of their arrival seemed to have passed and the others realized there was a goddess standing right there. None of them seemed quite sure how to react, although the anxiety was evident to her. Regina glanced at Tim and those standing right beside him, currently Owin and Anuis. ¡°Clear the corridor,¡± she told them. ¡°No one but hive drones and you two should remain here.¡± Having a clear order to follow seemed to snap them out of the uncertainty, and they turned to snap at the soldiers starting to crowd in to see what happened. Regina felt the profound relief swelling up in Tim, which he suppressed as he focused on the immediate situation. She couldn¡¯t resist reaching out a little and brushing against his mind, sending him a wave of love and assurance. His answer was still slightly frantic, but more restrained. ¡°What have you found already?¡± Galatea asked, sending a tentative glance at Leian. ¡°I went down to see a large cave with some sort of crystalline material on the walls, but it was otherwise largely empty,¡± Owin reported. ¡°Tim had me return after a brief visit to be checked out.¡± Leian¡¯s expression visibly darkened. ¡°I will see for myself,¡± she said, ¡°come if you like.¡± The next moment, the shaft the others had dug expanded as if by itself and grew a small winding staircase cut into the sides, and Leian disappeared, but her presence immediately reappeared further down. Regina glanced at Galatea before she hurried to the staircase and started climbing down. Whatever this was, she had the feeling leaving Leian alone was not the best move. Regina had felt the difference since they¡¯d arrived, but naturally, it had been overshadowed by the shock of losing the connection to her hive. Now that she was focused on it, she picked up a few more details, and a part of her really didn¡¯t like the idea of getting closer. She pushed past that, knowing it was irrational, but an interesting data point nonetheless. She¡¯d never sensed an area without mana since she¡¯d first become aware of it, possibly as far back as she could remember, and it was interesting to feel it now. Or not feel it, as the case may be. But she focused on Leian¡¯s presence instead and hurried. Galatea followed her, a bit more slowly, while the others hesitated. Down at the end of the new staircase, the cut out ledges vanished into rock and she dropped the last two meters or so. They¡¯d apparently opened into something of an antechamber rather than the real chamber itself ¡ª the really important part of the structure seemed to only be an inner section of the hollow that had been dug out here, but the rest of it was still covered by the phenomenon. As she took a few steps forward, she realized that the crystalline material Owin had mentioned lined the walls of this inner chamber, although ¡®room¡¯ or ¡®hall¡¯ would be a more appropriate descriptor given the size. And crystalline wasn¡¯t a wrong word, either, but it felt insufficient for the material she saw. It was a gray verging on silver but almost transparent, without truly letting any light through. Its structure looked like nothing she¡¯d seen before. Parts of it were smooth, others pockmarked or fluted and corrugated in geometric patterns she couldn¡¯t make sense of, although there might be some logic behind it. They caused the light in the room, coming from a hovering ball Leian had clearly put up, to behave oddly, throwing shadows and clear spaces that felt disjointed and making the edges of the room look unsteady. Beyond the walls, there were two low counters of shelves made of some black, unreflective material. A low sound brought Regina¡¯s attention back to Leian, who¡¯d come to stand closer to the middle of the room, seemingly unconcerned with the local mana or lack thereof. Regina took a hesitant step forward, then paused, the hair on the back of her neck prickling. She couldn¡¯t see the goddess¡¯ face from here, but her posture screamed coiled tension. ¡°Those traitorous liars!¡± Leian whirled around.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Regina¡¯s feet took a step back before she even realized it. The fury on Leian¡¯s face felt like it almost reached out and could burn her if she made a wrong move. She¡¯d never seen her like that. It was like the other woman was seeing through her, not registering her presence, and still glaring at her with the weight of all her sins stripped bare. ¡°Leian?¡± Galatea called softly. She¡¯d stopped outside the room proper, hovering a few centimeters above the ground under the shaft they¡¯d come through. Regina could sense her discomfort with the location, a visceral urge to turn away, and realized she simply refused to come any closer. ¡°They assured us they didn¡¯t have it! Said they would never steal our secrets! I was there, Galatea, I was part of the delegation we sent ¡­ One of the Aishans¡¯ lowest points, the Hivekind pretended to be sympathetic but regretfully, they couldn¡¯t help.¡± She followed up by spitting a word in another language which Regina didn¡¯t need the translation to know was a curse. She swallowed and edged a little further away. For the first time, even with this reminder of Leian¡¯s presumably mortal origins, she really got what it meant to see a deity, and fear their wrath. ¡°Are you sure they were lying?¡± Galatea asked in a reasonable tone, raising a hand slowly in a reassuring gesture. ¡°Presumably you only dealt with one Hive, or a few? They might not have even been connected to those who ultimately sent people here. And this was years before, they might have gathered or found this knowledge in the intervening time.¡± Leian¡¯s eyes had shifted to Galatea, and she took a deep breath she presumably didn¡¯t actually need. ¡°You are right, my friend,¡± she finally acknowledged. ¡°I cannot know for sure what truly happened or who might have lied. Not right now.¡± Regina carefully edged a little closer, resisting the urge to cross her arms or affect a defensive posture. In the back of her mind, she was very aware that this could be an issue, to put it mildly. She¡¯d relied on Leian¡¯s goodwill so far, she had to admit that. Whether because of her previous experiences, out of guilt over the death of the Hivekind or the Cataclysm, or a sense of kinship with Regina, Leian had helped her. If her feelings toward the Hivekind soured and she considered Regina guilty by association, she didn¡¯t know what she¡¯d do. Luckily, it seemed Leian was a bit more reasonable than that. ¡°I take it this is about this material? The knowledge of how to make it?¡± she guessed, speaking softly. Leian¡¯s eyes flickered to her and she nodded curtly after a moment. ¡°Yes. The knowledge of how to make it, indeed. It was a closely guarded secret of my people. The requirements are not simple, but it¡¯s the knowledge that was the truly important factor.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°We lost the ability to make it, as our civilization fell to ruins.¡± Regina didn¡¯t ask if Leian knew this secret. She knew better than that. ¡°What is it?¡± Galatea asked. The goddess turned to eye the crystal walls again, stepping up to brush her hand against one. She seemed entirely unaffected by the anti-mana effect that permeated the space. The casual unconcern was a bit scary. ¡°It went by several names. The High Aishan one, translated into your language, would be ¡®Flame of Ruins¡¯. Overly poetic, but not entirely inappropriate. Some of our most powerful weapons were forged of it. It used to be a crucial ingredient in forging gates between worlds, though not irreplaceable. It can also destroy them. Or almost anything else, if properly applied. A proper weapon made of it could kill essentially any entity in this world, in theory.¡± Regina swallowed. It did sound impressive, and presumably explained why it was this deeply hidden and why people wanted it. Still, if it was everything Leian said, this reaction almost seemed too subdued. ¡°Our enemies could use it to make weapons that would kill anyone?¡± Leian huffed dismissively. ¡°In theory. In practice, no one from this world ¡ª or Haven ¡ª is anywhere remotely close to being able to properly work it.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s reassuring,¡± she said softly. And disappointing. Of course, the ability to make a weapon that could work against anyone, even gods, seemed tempting, even if it was probably a double-edged sword. On the whole, it was probably better if no one could use it, at least like that. ¡°Is this all there is of it?¡± Galatea asked, frowning. Leian glanced at the walls again and shrugged. ¡°It does seem unimaginative of the Hivekind to have used it only for hiding a room, so perhaps not. I will look for other pieces, though given the material¡¯s nature, that may take some time even for me. I doubt it is truly something you need to concern yourselves with, however. Nothing has surfaced yet, and this place was forgotten for a long time.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± Regina muttered. She took a deep breath, then bowed her head to Leian. ¡°I appreciate the explanations, and your patience.¡± Leian¡¯s expression had lost some of its animation again, her emotions less visible behind a cool, unaffected facade. Regina still lingered on the edges of the room, close to the exit that let a bit of slightly-fresher air in. The lighting and shadows illuminated her face strangely. ¡°Naturally,¡± Leian said, then started slowly walking closer to her. ¡°I will leave this place in your care, Regina. Be careful. Some people may think they could use it and aim to acquire it. My fellow gods should know better, although I imagine they won¡¯t be pleased to learn of it, either, if they haven¡¯t already.¡± Regina nodded. She was glad Leian was at least willing to leave this base under her control, even if it was a headache with concerning implications. ¡°I will give you what aid may be necessary should it be truly threatened, within reason,¡± Leian assured her. ¡°I appreciate that, too.¡± Galatea cleared her throat. ¡°Now that that is settled ¡ª where have you been?¡± Leian smiled faintly, walking past Regina to face her old friend. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have guessed already. I was beyond where you could have reached me. For once. It has been far too long, even if I had to drain a large part of my accumulated power.¡± ¡°You were gone for a while.¡± ¡°Time passes quickly here, as I¡¯ve also told you.¡± Regina blinked, but those details were pretty clear. ¡°Wait, you were ¡ª¡° ¡°Off-world? Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t vanish right now,¡± Galatea warned her. ¡°We can speak freely here, can¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t think it is conducive to either of your health to stay here for long,¡± Leian said. ¡°Come on.¡± They went back up the stairs Leian had created, leaving the strange mana-void chamber behind, but Leian paused halfway up before they reached the corridor. ¡°You should guard access very carefully,¡± she advised Regina. ¡°And make sure those who saw us come in don¡¯t talk about what they¡¯ve seen. Your psychic abilities should be more than enough for that task.¡± Regina frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of taking their memories. Especially if it¡¯s against their will.¡± ¡°You can just blur it out, make them aware of everything else but leave key details vague,¡± Leian shrugged. ¡°And ask for their agreement. Besides, these are all members of your armed forces. Simply put a gag order on the information. If they don¡¯t agree to any psychic influence, you can still transfer and demote them, though.¡± She nodded, suppressing a sigh. That would be kind of interesting, but probably unpleasant. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that, thanks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Also ¡­¡± Leian sighed. ¡°I believe we should talk. It¡¯s past time. I owe you a few explanations.¡± That sent a flutter of nerves through Regina¡¯s stomach, but she nodded in agreement. The chance to talk to Leian wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d pass up. ¡°Back to the temple?¡± Galatea asked. Leian tilted her head slightly. ¡°Would you mind going going back up and reassuring Regina¡¯s followers that everything is fine, Galatea? I¡¯ll take her to a secure place and we¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Galatea crossed her arms and stared at them for a few moments, but Leian held her gaze. Eventually, she gave in to the unspoken request to let them talk privately and nodded, turning back to the stairs. Leian held out her hand to Regina. ¡°Shall we?¡± Swallowing any urge to hesitate, Regina took her hand and braced for the sensation of teleportation again. This time she at least wasn¡¯t ripped out of most of her hive¡¯s psychic network. Chapter 348: Past Regina recognized the mana of the place they arrived in before she recognized anything else. It was thick, heavy, flavored with a certain sensation. And on second glance, it was obvious she wouldn¡¯t recognize anything about this place in particular, either; she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever been here. It did feel faintly familiar in a more general sense, though. She was standing on a white beach, watching a few idyllic palm trees dotted about, and could just make out the facade of a structure a short distance away. It was a nice, peaceful scenery, almost too much so to be real. Although that might also be because she checked the horizon and confirmed it was considerably closer than it should be. ¡°We¡¯re in the Mirrored Halls,¡± she said. ¡°Astute,¡± Leian commented. She waved a hand and a couple of beach chairs and a table appeared in front of them. Regina kept glancing around for another second. The landscape was staying stable this time. ¡°Will you get in trouble for inviting me here?¡± ¡°This is my own little corner of the Celestial Home,¡± Leian said. She sat down, ostensibly relaxed. Two glasses with little umbrellas in them appeared on the table. That¡¯s not a no, Regina thought, but didn¡¯t press the point. She sat down and enjoyed the sea breeze for a moment before focusing. Leian had previously told her that a mortal shouldn¡¯t stay in the Mirrored Halls for long, or something like that; she didn¡¯t remember the exact words. But it meant their time here was limited. And even if she hadn¡¯t disappeared without notice, she didn¡¯t like the feeling of being so disconnected from her hive. ¡°So,¡± she said, ¡°I was wondering how you knew so much about the Hivekind. You mentioned you were part of a delegation from the Aishan to the Hivekind, is that why?¡± Leian idly twirled the glass in her hands, conveniently not looking Regina in the eyes. ¡°Yes and no,¡± she said. ¡°I was a very junior member. This was back before things went entirely to hell ¡ª I must have been sixteen, seventeen or so. Most of the adults who raised me had recently died in another great battle and I was largely on my own, so I wouldn¡¯t call myself a kid, but they didn¡¯t let me into the high-level discussions.¡± ¡°The adults who raised you?¡± Regina interrupted, curious despite herself. ¡°Your parents?¡± Leian smiled wanly. ¡°Yes and no, again. I was deli¡¯ata; raised by the village, basically. My lineage conceived me in an ill-fated plot to take control of a new world once the empire stabilized, which of course, it never did. I was born in the very last gasps of it, the last time anyone thought it could simply be salvaged. Either way, none of them wanted to raise me full-time, so I was raised collectively, at least by those living in the main estate. It wasn¡¯t that uncommon for Aishan. But you don¡¯t want to talk about my cultural peculiarities, do you?¡± ¡°How long did it take the Aishan to fall?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Decades. Centuries if you count the decline. I was about the age you would have been when you took their offer when, well, when I was captured by a Mesen warlord. Much like the Roman empire of your world, its fall wasn¡¯t a single event and it took more than one cause. In this case, civil wars, epidemics ¡ª including one that took Aishan especially, economic unrest, all the consequences of the collapsing portal network, Mesen rebellions, and more.¡± Regina wanted to ask more about the Mesen, but she¡¯d also noticed something. ¡°You never fully answered my question. What about the Hivekind?¡± ¡°They were independent and loosely allied at this point,¡± Leian said. ¡°They were created and gained their independence long before my time, without too much violence. The company that made them was destroyed and its property distributed, everyone politely pretended it hadn¡¯t almost entirely belonged to the government, and they managed to drag us into a civil war of their own later. But to answer your original question, I learned more when the Hivekind approached me to sound me out as a candidate for joining them.¡± Regina almost choked. ¡°You were a candidate to become a Hive Queen?¡± ¡°Yes. It didn¡¯t work out that way. Things turned to shit, the Hivekind retreated. In hindsight, I don¡¯t think I would have gone through with it, but I suppose we¡¯ll never know.¡± Regina shook her head. It was an odd thought, but she¡¯d never spent too much time wondering about all the other women who would have had their souls transferred to become Hive Queens. ¡°You¡¯re being very open,¡± she said instead, slowly. ¡°I appreciate it, of course, but you¡¯re telling me a lot about your past. Why?¡± Leian visibly stiffened in her chair, fixing her gaze on her glass again before she raised it to meet Regina¡¯s. ¡°Explaining myself is the least I can do. It¡¯s not a nice tale, but you deserve to hear it.¡± Regina¡¯s throat tightened and she dug her fingers into the armrests of her chair. She exhaled heavily, and said softly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me, if it¡¯s too painful.¡± ¡°No, I owe you the story.¡± Leian stood up, looking at the beach, where the (simulated, perhaps?) sun was starting to set, tinting the scenery in an orange glow. She stayed quiet for a moment, clearly struggling with how to start. I suppose it takes a while for an interplanetary empire to crumble, Regina thought, looking at Leian. She lived through the downfall of her entire civilization; as the only survivor. I suppose that might be worse than just waking up and learning it is gone. ¡°My people, the true Aishan, were all mages of great power,¡± she finally began. ¡°There were never all that many of us, although we also still had ¡ª usually distant ¡ª kin with no magic, who were also called Aishan, and some of these ethnic Aishan survived, mostly mixing with the Mesen. I will not pretend my ancestors were saints, or anything but imperialist conquerors, despite their good sides.¡± ¡°But the Aishan of your time weren¡¯t?¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Leian shrugged. ¡°There had not been any new conquests for quite some time when I was born. They simply didn¡¯t have the opportunities.¡± ¡°Fair enough. The Mesen were part of your empire, then? The people who attacked Haven and drained its mana?¡± The goddess grimaced. ¡°The term has shifted in meaning over the centuries, but yes. At the time, the Mesen were arguably second-class citizens, which is still better than people without citizenship. They are not an ethnicity, actually ¡ª more like a collection of them. Anyone from the homeworld or their descendants who were not Aishan. Under Aishan rule, Mesen could be, and were, lawyers, doctors and judges, even governors. Perhaps that was a mistake, since those places rebelled most easily.¡± Regina nodded slowly, trying to square this information with the admittedly little she¡¯d hard of the Mesen before, the impression she¡¯d gotten. She hadn¡¯t even realized they were human, or close enough, apparently. But as interesting as all this was, she still wanted to hear more about Leian and the lead-up to the Cataclysm. ¡°Alianais said you were as much a tyrant as any of them, once,¡± she ventured. Leian had turned to look at her again, and before she¡¯d even finished the sentence, Regina saw her clench her jaw and something flash through her eyes, too complicated to be sure what emotion it was. Regina stiffened a bit, but Leian only shook her head after a breath. ¡°Did she?¡± Her tone was scornful. ¡°I think that is a mis-characterization, but I can¡¯t argue she was lying.¡± She crossed her arms behind her back and took a step back toward Regina. ¡°I suppose the story really starts after I was made head of my lineage. There were only a few of us left, though I was the youngest. I tried to do the best I could to protect my people. Everyone there. You have to understand ¡­ I was the closest thing remaining to a lawful authority in that sector.¡± Regina nodded. She was starting to get the picture. ¡°There were several warlords rising at the time, but one in particular was gathering many Mesen under his banner and gaining a lot of power.¡± Leian grimaced, clasping her hands behind her back. ¡°His Soul Name was Tyrant and that should tell you all you need to know about him. I will not dignify his memory by uttering his real name. I did not have much time before he set his sights on me and those under my protection. I tried my best, and I managed to hold them off for a while, but eventually ¡­¡± ¡°You were captured,¡± Regina completed. ¡°Yes. It didn¡¯t help that Berren Green-Gray had recently murdered my family, or I might have managed to hold out for a bit longer.¡± Regina blinked, opened her mouth, then closed it again. ¡°The Tyrant captured and tortured me for three years,¡± Leian continued, briefly closing her eyes. ¡°He hated and usually killed all Aishan, but I was the last to resist him and also a pretty young woman. He tried to break me. It was ¡­ In those three years, all the scraps that were left of the Aishan crumbled, all of my lineage and Aishan acquaintances died. I will not go into details. Eventually, I managed to escape, and lacking any other prospects, I went to Haven.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Regina said quietly. There was nothing else she could say. ¡°The gods of Haven gave me sanctuary,¡± Leian continued. ¡°I accepted it. I knew they wanted to use me. I was not happy with the prospect of becoming a goddess, immortality included, but I saw little choice, so I accepted their help. I was too hurt. For years, I¡¯d been raped, tortured and maimed ¡ª my condition was so bad that even our medical technology had trouble with it, and there wasn¡¯t much remaining, but ascending cleared all of that up. It even helped piece my mind back together, although it has a stabilizing effect which means I have not grown as much since then as the years would suggest. Then the Mesen led by the Tyrant set their sights on Haven. I was ¡­ not in a good state of mind, back then. Which is not an excuse, but it is all I can offer. I disagreed with the others about the gates, but I did not dare to speak up.¡± Regina breathed in sharply and nodded, a bit jerkily. ¡°I see. They needed your power for the gates?¡± ¡°My knowledge, yes. The portals were made with it, but with their power and skill. I was reluctant, seeing it as a risky plan, but I couldn¡¯t see a better alternative to save the people of Haven. I knew the Mesen wouldn¡¯t spare them in a conquest, but I didn¡¯t expect they would resort to sucking all the mana out of the world. I tried to close the gates when I realized what was happening, but they overpowered me, and I wasn¡¯t able to stop them from completely destabilizing the portals, only buffer it somewhat.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Regina whispered. ¡°I would never have gone along with it if I¡¯d known what would happen.¡± Leian took another step closer, swallowing visibly, and bowed her head. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Regina. I know my apologies are next to worthless, but you¡¯re the only one I can tell it to now. My actions led indirectly to the genocide of your people and the fall of every indigenous civilization on this planet. I know I can never make up for it.¡± Regina stayed silent for a while. She was reeling, unsure what to think, what to feel. To finally hear an apology, a real and heartfelt one ¡­ but Leian was right, what good could words do after all that had happened? And yet, who was Regina to say how these events should be judged? She¡¯d been hidden away in a Hivekind egg in stasis and it was pure luck she¡¯d survived, for a given value of the word, when so many died. And is Leian the one I should be angry at? She¡¯s not the one responsible for wiping out civilizations, is she? It was all such a tangle, and even this story had only left her with further questions, many of which she¡¯d never know the answer to. ¡°I ¡­ thank you, Leian,¡± she finally answered. ¡°I can¡¯t say I forgive you, but I appreciate your words, more than you can know. You¡¯re not ¡ª you¡¯re not the one most to blame for what happened. Maybe your actions contributed, but so did those of many others. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to pile it all on you. I can¡¯t say for certain how I feel about it, but I know that much. I recognize you¡¯ve been doing the best you could. It¡¯s the Mesen who are most responsible for all the damage they caused, clearly. I don¡¯t know if I would have survived what you did and then be able to help anyone afterward. Just ¡­ we just need to find a way to move forward, I guess.¡± It wasn¡¯t forgiveness or even acceptance, but it was something. Leian seemed to recognize that. She rejoined her, sitting back down and sagging back into the chair. ¡°Thank you, Regina.¡± They sat in silence for a while. Regina¡¯s thoughts circled back around Leian¡¯s story. She shivered, pulling on the collar of her jacket. ¡°Is there any way to fight the Mesen?¡± she finally asked. Leian hesitated. ¡°People have been fighting them from the start,¡± she said slowly. ¡°But it is not simple. Slave rebellions have broken out regularly, but most of them are quickly suppressed. Well, before; supposedly they¡¯ve abolished slavery now, though I think if you asked many of the colonial laborers they would disagree. Some planets have managed to break away from them and kept their independence for decades. Powerful people with heroic Soul Names have caused trouble for them. But if you¡¯re asking if there¡¯s any way you can fight them to get revenge? I can¡¯t think of one.¡± ¡°You traveled off this world, you said,¡± Regina frowned. ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s not easy, even for me. Besides, and please take this advice in the spirit it is offered, do you really think it¡¯s the best choice for you to try and go haring off on some ill-fated quest for revenge? You have people depending on you here, people you are sworn to protect.¡± Regina sighed. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± she said. ¡°I just ¡­¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Leian smiled bitterly. ¡°Believe me, I do.¡± She stayed silent for a bit, watching the sunset over the sea, still wrestling with her feelings. Finally, Regina turned back to Leian. ¡°I have a few more questions, if you¡¯re up for answering them.¡± ¡°Of course. Anything I can do.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°Good. Then tell me more about the Hivekind.¡± Tentatively, Leian started smiling back. ¡°As you wish, Hive Queen.¡± Regina settled back into her seat and closed her eyes for a moment, preparing her mind to focus on and memorize the information Leian gave her. Chapter 349: Aftermath Regina stumbled as her surroundings materialized around her, but this time she managed to keep her feet. She still felt a bit nauseous, but she was determined to make it pass quickly without giving in to the feeling. It still took a second until she really registered the world around her, because she¡¯d finally slammed back into her psychic link and it was a little overwhelming. Not as bad as being ripped away from it, especially because she¡¯d known to expect it, but still disorienting. She reached out mentally and projected her presence; she should probably send more than that, but it felt like too much right now. ¡°Mother?¡± Ina reached out to catch her shoulders, and Regina leaned into her touch for a moment before she straightened up fully. ¡°Hey,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± A quick glance around her showed that the temple housed a few more people, but otherwise not much had changed. They¡¯d left the body of the mana beast here for now, presumably because they hadn¡¯t had the capacity to worry about it. It wasn¡¯t even on Regina¡¯s list of concerns right now, either. It was reassuring to be back, but she couldn¡¯t help but worry she¡¯d made the wrong decision. Leian had offered her the choice, and she¡¯d decided to return here directly. Tim and the others would be concerned. Still, judging by what she could feel from the psychic link, it was good she hadn¡¯t delayed any further. Their talk had already taken longer than she¡¯d anticipated ¡ª but she couldn¡¯t pass up the opportunity to speak with Leian and gain more knowledge she wouldn¡¯t be able to find anywhere else. She needed to determine how they should proceed with regard to the hidden chamber and what it contained, not to mention Leian¡¯s advice to ensure the secret and news of their visit couldn¡¯t get out. But it would take far too much time for her to go through everyone¡¯s minds there anyway, more than she could afford, especially with transportation back to the Empire uncertain. She¡¯d just have to rely on their isolation for now. Galatea would probably come to check on her, and in the meantime, she trusted Tim and the others to handle themselves. For now, she reached out to pull Max, Tia and Mia¡¯s minds to her in the equivalent of a conference call, only more substantial. I¡¯m back, and I¡¯m fine, she said, preempting their questions. I trust you didn¡¯t let the Empire burn down around us? Of course not, My Queen, Tia said. Her mental voice was a bit exasperated, but she could sense the worry behind it that had only been partially assuaged by sensing her presence again. But what happened? Leian took Galatea and me along on a trip to the south, to the old base, she said, then briefly recounted what had happened. Regina didn¡¯t go into detail about her conversation with Leian in the Mirrored Halls. She was still sorting it out in her own mind, but she already knew she wouldn¡¯t be putting this one into the psychic link. Only some of the information she¡¯d gained from her, at most. For one thing, it felt private, and she wasn¡¯t about to share the vulnerable details Leian had revealed of herself with thousands of other people. Besides, they had more important immediate concerns to talk about. What happened while I was gone? she asked. I presume the psychic link didn¡¯t keep functioning? Unfortunately not, Max said soberly. We all got quite the shock. The court is on high alert and we only barely managed to avoid general panic once the news spread. The capital was almost cut off from communication with a few other places, since we relied on drones using the psychic link, and they might have overreacted. Ben decided not to put the army on alert, though. I¡¯m not sure if Janis is coming home, we sent her the news and an order to put her security detail on alert, but haven¡¯t heard back from them yet. I guess I¡¯ll send them the all-clear now. It¡¯s a good thing that the link¡¯s back without any trouble now, though, Mia added. At least as far as I can tell. I¡¯ll check to make sure there were no unforeseen problems, Regina assured them. For now, I¡¯m traveling back to the capital. Please make sure everyone stays calm and that anyone who needs to know is informed that we¡¯re safe. Don¡¯t give them details on where I was yet, though. Of course, Mother, they chorused. Regina gave Ina another mental nudge of reassurance, extending it to the other drones present, then turned to leave the temple. She supposed she¡¯d have them keep building it for now, even if Leian hadn¡¯t said much about it. A thank-you would have been nice. Then again, I guess she had other worries. For now, she focused on the psychic link again. Regina reached for Jem and several of the senior Keepers, asking for a report on the state of the link and the mental health of her drones. Jem assured her everything was fine under the circumstances, and they¡¯d get back to her with a more detailed report. She¡¯d barely stepped out of the temple before several men surrounded her, getting a bit closer than she would have wished for. Regina gave them a stern look. ¡°Our deepest apologies, Your Imperial Majesty,¡± the current commander of the Star Guard detail, a human captain named Woods, bowed. ¡°I will assume full responsibility for this failure in our duties.¡± ¡°Give me a little more space,¡± she said irritably. She knew she shouldn¡¯t take her feelings out on them, but Regina was feeling a bit worn right now. ¡°And this was not your fault in any way, Captain,¡± she added. ¡°You could not have foreseen my departure.¡± He stepped back a little. ¡°Of course, my apologies,¡± he repeated. ¡°Thank you, My Empress. If I may be so bold as to ask, is there a chance this will be repeated? Is there still any threat to your person?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± she answered curtly. ¡°I was not in serious danger, anyway. But we will be returning to the palace straight away. Please coordinate with the Guard forces there.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Of course, Your Imperial Majesty,¡± he murmured. One of the drones in the unit had already called their mounts over, and it didn¡¯t take long for them to get ready for departure. Regina took the highest-level Winged Drone Mount, though none of them were sentient. She barely noticed their departure or the first leg of their trip, since she was too focused on the psychic link. There was still a lot to do and to sort out. If nothing else, this little excursion had shown a few vulnerabilities that they needed to address. And she needed to consider how to handle the base and everything else in the south. This material, Flame of Ruin or whatever, seemed important and potentially dangerous but also, as such, not immediately relevant. It didn¡¯t seem like anyone was actually able to use it, anyway. It wouldn¡¯t help her defend the site if it came to that, either way. But she also couldn¡¯t give it up, even without Leian¡¯s words and her implicit promise to take care of this. Regina was going to need to sit down with Ben and Max and a few others and figure out the parameters of their operations in the southern lands. Whether to send new reinforcements, and perhaps some kind of structure so they could keep up a military presence indefinitely without inviting attack. Alliances with southern city-states would probably be important, even if she didn¡¯t like the implications. There were also the dwarves, with whom they needed to finalize an agreement. Regina made a mental note to prepare a proper address to inform at least her ¡®court¡¯ about the matter, and perhaps a public statement as well. They should at least know the Empire was in talks with the dwarves; who probably wouldn¡¯t object to that information becoming public since it would also give them more potential weight in the south, anyway, either. At least now that she actually knew what there was to protect in the southern base, she could finalize some plans. And in a little while, she could send Tim and the drones with him home. Not only had Regina missed him, they really deserved it after what they¡¯d accomplished. Regina focused on the southern-most edge of her psychic range, quickly cycling through a few drones scouting the mountains, then to the larger collection of their minds. Her abrupt disappearance had also not done their forces here any favors, but she noted that they¡¯d been smart enough for a tactical withdrawal and to hunker down, remaining on the defensive for a while. There had been no major battles, since they¡¯d cleared out the monsters there already. All in all, it could have gone a lot worse. Regina did a quick sweep to ensure there were no particularly dangerous monsters remaining near them, then focused a little more on the strategic situation. They¡¯d set up a small chain of outposts by now, in carefully chosen locations. Each still needed substantial forces assigned to them, since the threat of monster attacks was constant. Still, things were largely quiet, for the most part. The road they were building, combining more normal paths up slightly-less-steep parts of the mountains with digging tunnels, was progressing nicely. At this point, it would be pretty easy to get into the middle of the mountains. Not that the road really led into the heart of the mountains; they still avoided the most dangerous areas, for obvious reasons. She presumed the dwarves would also want to set up or perhaps reclaim settlements along this new route, coming from the other direction. Working together should make this simpler for both of them. And, although Regina didn¡¯t like what it meant in other terms, having a region crawling with monsters so close was probably a good thing for the Empire in some respects ¡ª basically a source for monsters to fight so their soldiers could train and level up. In that sense, completely clearing the mountains would be foolish, anyway. The trip passed in a blur. Regina was starting to feel pretty tired, but she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to rest for a while yet. There were too many people to talk to and too many things to sort out. As much as she wanted to just take a few hours to reflect on her conversation with Leian, she couldn¡¯t afford that right now. Finally, they reached Cera, their current destination. She¡¯d considered just heading to Forest¡¯s Haunt, but most of the government was still in the Cernlian capital. The drones didn¡¯t take any time to circle over the city like they usually might have. Instead, Regina guided them straight to the royal palace. The rather abrupt landing knocked the wind out of her for a moment, but she quickly gathered herself and dismounted, only pausing for a second to make sure everyone in her escort came along. Turning, she strode to the back entrance into the palace. Perhaps surprisingly, Kiara was the first person she met. The young queen looked relieved. She must have heard Regina was fine, but clearly seeing it helped. ¡°Welcome back,¡± she greeted with a bow. ¡°We were worried.¡± Regina pulled her into a quick hug. There weren¡¯t many people around anyway. ¡°Thank you, Kiara. I¡¯m fine, and I know you had it under control.¡± Before the conversation could continue, Max, Tia, Ben, Ira and June joined them. Regina greeted all of them as well with quick hugs. It felt a bit like being a plushy passed around, but she didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Do we have to worry about this happening again?¡± Kiara asked. ¡°Or perhaps another attack?¡± Regina shook her head. ¡°I doubt it. We should probably make contingency plans in case I¡¯m taken out and the psychic link shuts down again, but there shouldn¡¯t be any problems right now.¡± She paused, frowning. ¡°Well, except perhaps related to what we found in the south. If word gets out, certain parties might be interested.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Ben said sardonically, ¡°I was not looking forward to marching an army through the mountains.¡± Regina smiled, but shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t get too comfortable,¡± she teased him. ¡°It might still happen.¡± Tia frowned, quickly turning serious. ¡°Is that a real possibility?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope not. I don¡¯t intend to wage war in the south.¡± ¡°There¡¯s another issue,¡± Ira spoke up soberly. Regina turned her attention to her. She could already guess, given the impression in the psychic link. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°The eggs. They haven¡¯t hatched while you were away. I think some are beginning to, now, but their hatching was definitely delayed.¡± ¡°They are,¡± she confirmed. She could sense it in the psychic link, and quickly projected a sense of reassurance and welcome at the new drones. ¡°Will there be any side effects?¡± June asked. She sounded concerned. Regina hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The psychic connection to a drone is fully anchored shortly before they hatch. It makes sense that being outside the psychic range would delay or even stop their growth or hatching. But once it stabilizes, I don¡¯t think there will be any further issues. They¡¯re not aware before being hatched, after all, even the sapient drones.¡± ¡°So, you can¡¯t just transport wagon loads of drone eggs south and have them hatch there to grow an army,¡± Kiara mused. Regina pulled a face. ¡°Not something I would do anyway, but no, that wouldn¡¯t work.¡± The hive was pretty sharply limited by her psychic range, for that and other reasons. It was a good thing her range was still growing. She¡¯d been staggering the hatchings across the day, anyway, so there weren¡¯t that many affected. For now, she would make time to visit the nursery soon, and add more eggs to their little hoard. The number was getting low, and she was starting to feel a familiar tightness in her core. Maybe some food first, though. ¡°Can we continue this conversation over dinner?¡± she asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten in ages and I¡¯m famished.¡± That quickly derailed the conversation, and they followed Regina further into the palace, although she could tell several of them were already preparing to discuss important affairs of the Empire. It was a good thing Janis was coming back, actually. Maybe she could pass off some of the work of sorting out this mess to her. Chapter 350: Acolyte Tim really had no idea what to make of what had happened this day. They¡¯d finally reached the secret chamber beneath the old Hivekind base; great. Judging by the reactions of the mages, it wasn¡¯t some place you should blindly wander into, even if Owin¡¯s description didn¡¯t seem that concerning. Then, just as they were discussing sending him down again with some way to take measurements, he suddenly felt the presence of his fellow drones in the south again ¡ª and, of course, his Hive Queen. He wasn¡¯t sure what had happened on their end, the details had kind of gotten lost in the shuffle, but it didn¡¯t seem to be anything major or urgent. Leian, who was apparently ¡®available¡¯ again by now, had simple heard something she found alarming enough to teleport Regina and Galatea along to the base. And now, she¡¯d taken Regina away and the link had been cut again. Tim honestly wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d rather the brief visit hadn¡¯t happened, in terms of his own feelings. It had been invigorating, but now the absence of the Hive felt even starker. But he had other things to focus on, so he pushed it to the back of his mind and turned to Galatea. ¡°You¡¯re sure there¡¯s nothing else important? And that you want to leave right away?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything I can, Tim,¡± Galatea said irritably. She paused for a moment, and if she was biological would have probably taken a deep breath. ¡°Regina will be safe. Leian will watch over her. Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s probably back in the Empire by now. But she might need a friend, and if she suddenly disappeared without warning, the country will be in enough of a state that she can¡¯t just leave again, anyway.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± he assured her. He did. ¡°Just try and let us know eventually. I¡¯d rather be informed if the Empire is having a serious crisis because the psychic link was broken or something.¡± ¡°I will,¡± she answered, then paused again. ¡°It¡¯s probably best if you don¡¯t send anyone down there for now. It¡¯s not like we can do anything with it, but prolonged exposure seems to be hazardous, and we need to keep this as quiet as possible, besides.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cover the entrance for now,¡± he nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve got things under control.¡± ¡°I know. See you, Tim.¡± He watched her go for a moment, then turned away. Galatea could take care of herself. Like Regina. He just had to hold the fort for now. Tim wasn¡¯t sure what do make of that apparently top-secret and ultra-dangerous but also inaccessible and unworkable material they¡¯d found, or of Leian¡¯s involvement. After a bit of thought, he¡¯d decided it wasn¡¯t his problem. His Queen and their senior magic-users could worry about it; it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d have much to contribute. The site itself, the room cut off from mana, was probably a strategic asset of some kind. He was a little more qualified to think about that. Even if they couldn¡¯t safely use it for now. Still, he focused on the tactical issues at the moment. ¡°Is that all you can tell us?¡± Anuis asked when he called his commanders together and gave them a brief recap. Tim nodded, trying not to smile at the irony. ¡°Unfortunately, yes. And the room itself or what it contains is not our immediate priority. We simply need to secure it. To that end, have you taken account of who saw the Empress, Leianaleine or possibly the entrance to the hidden vault?¡± ¡°So it was the goddess Leianaleine after all?¡± Owin murmured. He shook his head. ¡°Sorry, Commander. We¡¯ve spoken to the men.¡± "It¡¯s possible that we missed someone, but they all know not to go speaking about what they have seen,¡± Anuis added. ¡°We are also quite isolated here, there is no one for them to talk to in the first place, anyhow.¡± Tim nodded. He supposed that was true, but it wouldn¡¯t last forever. ¡°If that¡¯s all, you should get some rest,¡± he said. ¡°I intend to sleep for as long as I can manage, myself.¡± That got a few smiles from them, and they quickly wrapped up the meeting. In the end, Tim had to sleep alone since his fellow drones were on watch rotation or currently active. He disliked that, but had gotten used to it after their travels here in the south, so it wasn¡¯t an issue. Despite his worries, he was exhausted enough that sleep came quickly. He only remembered bits and pieces of his dreams when he woke up, but they were chaotic and fire featured prominently, as did the faces of his favorite siblings. He got up quickly the next day, scarfing down breakfast ¡ª with their limited supplies, it was always the same and no great loss anyway ¡ª and then going for a tour of the base. Everything was still quiet. Tim lingered at the edge of the tunnel leading down to the underground chamber. Hesitantly, he took the stairs. Zephyr, who had been standing there and ostensibly guarding it, gave him a look but said nothing. Tim went far enough down until he could see the open, hollow chamber, then turned around. He wasn¡¯t a mage and didn¡¯t feel any mana, but it still gave him ¡­ bad vibes, he supposed; and with all the warnings, he didn¡¯t want to risk anything. When he got back up, Zephyr stopped him before he left. ¡°Dan just came back,¡± he said. ¡°You should talk to him. I think they¡¯re in the main bay still.¡± Tim nodded. ¡°Thanks, I will,¡± he responded, saving any questions for Dan personally. It didn¡¯t take him long to find them, and the way back to the main vehicle bay was almost automatic at this point. He paused for a moment to assess who else was there, then quickly moved to join Dan. His brother looked a bit worse for wear, he noted, tired and exhausted in a way that wasn¡¯t entirely because of missed sleep, but he still smiled to see him. ¡°Dan, good to see you back,¡± he greeted him with a hug. ¡°You missed a few things.¡± ¡°I noticed,¡± Dan said drily. ¡°It was a bit of a shock.¡± He glanced around. ¡°She¡¯s safe?¡± ¡°As far as we can tell. What about your mission? I expected you to show up with someone else in tow.¡± Dan sighed. ¡°Well, my target wasn¡¯t where Galatea had said she would be. I looked around some, but I didn¡¯t want to attract too much suspicion.¡± Tim pulled a face, but nodded. Well, Leian apparently came back from whatever she¡¯s been doing, probably shortly before all this, he reflected. It¡¯s possible this elf priestess Galatea met moved because of it. Maybe Leian had another job for her. He paused. ¡°I suppose she might still show up here, actually,¡± he said quietly. ¡°For now, get some sleep, you look like you need it.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Dan rolled his eyes, but he didn¡¯t protest too much. After exchanging a few more details, though Tim kept his own responses short and vague for anyone listening in, Dan left for their current ¡®bedroom¡¯ in the base. Tim wished he still had the psychic link to check on him and make sure he slept, but he¡¯d just have to do without. Before he could get back to his next round of the base, a muffled shout reached him. He turned around, noting one of the soldiers going right for him. ¡°My Prince,¡± the man gasped. ¡°There¡¯s someone approaching ¡ª a lone intruder, they¡¯re ¡ª¡° ¡°Apparently already inside,¡± Zephyr interrupted, showing up beside Tim. ¡°Just let them talk to us.¡± Tim frowned. Before he could do much, he saw the intruder in question stepping into the entrance of the bay through the tunnel, on which several more men were already converging. A bit too late, but then this clearly wasn¡¯t an enemy. At least. ¡°Let her pass,¡± Tim called to them, then stepped forward, going to meet their visitor. Up close, it was easy to see his assumption was correct. The person was clearly an elf, given the orange eyes and pointy ears, although her hair was white from age and her face deeply lined. She was the oldest elf Tim had ever seen, although he was unsure what that meant exactly ¡ª could she have lived through the Cataclysm? He didn¡¯t know. Then there was also the System notification he saw when he focused on her.
Iseis ¡ª Level ? Acolyte of Space
¡°Welcome,¡± Tim said, only a little sarcastically. ¡°Come right in. I was hoping to meet you.¡± The old elf bowed. ¡°A pleasure to meet you as well, Prince Tim of the Central European Empire,¡± she said, her tone even, but something made him feel like she was laughing on the inside. ¡°I assume you are Iseis Alturiel?¡± he asked. He hadn¡¯t known her Class or level, although Galatea had shared the name, fortunately. He wondered just how high her level actually was. Judging by Zephyr¡¯s obvious tension, it had to be quite high, or she was very magically powerful, maybe both. The Class name didn¡¯t sound very powerful considering all that, but maybe there was more to it. ¡°That I am,¡± she confirmed. ¡°I see Galatea told you about me.¡± ¡°How did you find this place?¡± Zephyr asked, crossing his arms. Alturiel smiled slightly. ¡°A funny question, considering you sent a group to poke around my home which then went straight here.¡± So, she¡¯d followed Dan? Or wants us to think that. She might have already known about the place. But challenging her on it now would be more combative than he wanted to be. "Do you know what it is we have found here?¡± he asked hesitantly. Alturiel nodded curtly. ¡°I have been informed. May I see?¡± Tim exchanged a look with Zephyr and Anuis, who had just come and was eying the older elf with obvious interest. Then he shrugged. ¡°Of course.¡± She already knew about it and Leian would probably grant her access anyway, he didn¡¯t see much point in dragging it out now or causing a fight. Alturiel exchanged a few sentences with Anuis in a language Tim didn¡¯t speak, presumably elvish, as they went. Anuis visibly relaxed a bit and even smiled a little. Then they reached the shaft they had dug to the secret chamber. Alturiel paused, before she started climbing down the stairs, with surprising grace considering her age. Tim waved the others back and followed her, sticking close enough to watch over her. To his surprise, she didn¡¯t enter the main chamber itself, just looked around with what he guessed was curiosity. Then she nodded and turned to him. ¡°As described,¡± she said lightly. ¡°Let us talk upstairs, perhaps?¡± ¡°Ladies first,¡± he gestured at the tunnel. She laughed and swept back up the stairs, with Tim following. He gave a last glance at the odd crystalline substance decorating the room before he followed. They regrouped in a meeting room on one of the lower levels, close to the entrance. Dan was still asleep, but Zephyr, Owin and Anuis were present. To his surprise, Zephyr had brought along the teleportation pad, or whatever it was, that his group had originally found here when Lanisiosa escaped them with it. So much had happened since then that Tim had almost forgotten about it. Especially since they hadn¡¯t had any further insight. According to Galatea, even the Golem Artificer didn¡¯t know where it had come from, and had simply been provided it by their allies. It was pretty cumbersome, but Zephyr levitated it into the room through the surprisingly large door; presumably the Hivekind had needed to accommodate bigger drone types. Alturiel actually gasped when she saw it. ¡°Where did you find this?¡± she asked, glancing between Zephyr and Tim. ¡°Here,¡± he answered. ¡°One of the people using the base used it to teleport themself away. Do you recognize it?¡± ¡°I should say so,¡± she murmured, stepping closer and tapping a finger against the metal sheet. ¡°I made it, after all.¡± Tim started in surprise before he could stop himself. That, he hadn¡¯t expected. Although on second thought, if it was made here and not an ¡®ancient¡¯ find, she¡¯d probably be on the short list of people who could. ¡°You did?¡± Zephyr asked curiously. His eyes were almost sparkling, it was uncanny. Mages. ¡°We were uncertain whether Hivekind or similar Ancient practices or designs were involved in making it. The quality is exceptional, you have my compliments.¡± ¡°Thank you, Thaumaturge,¡± the elf responded with a brief dip of her head. ¡°I did have the privilege of getting a glimpse of similar arrays used by the old Hivekind, which inspired much of it. They are all destroyed now, as far as I know; I doubt any survived the war after the Cataclysm,¡± she added with a look at Tim. He frowned. ¡°You saw them personally?¡± ¡°Not quite,¡± she sounded a bit amused, probably by catching his attempt to determine her age. ¡°It was only in a memory. A trance state in which I may receive select visions; the details are not important for you to know. Anyhow, this particular work was stolen a century ago and I had given up hope of ever seeing it again.¡± Tim nodded. That was more or less what he¡¯d expected. Assuming she was telling the truth, but he had no reason to doubt that. She didn¡¯t need to admit it was hers. "That is good to know,¡± he said. ¡°Do you want it back? We will return it if you do, assuming it¡¯s not a danger, but I¡¯d like for our mages to have the opportunity to study it first.¡± The priestess hesitated for a moment, before slowly shaking her head. ¡°Actually, my Prince, that is fine. You may keep it, at least for now. I would recommend keeping it here, in fact. Perhaps we may do something with it.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Owin asked. ¡°Can you craft a teleportation link?¡± She shrugged lightly. ¡°We will see what can be done. Regardless, I will help you choose a location and set it up properly.¡± ¡°That would be appreciated, but I assume you want something in return?¡± Tim asked. Alturiel smiled slightly. She looked pretty satisfied with herself once the initial surprise had passed. ¡°At present, I would simply like access to your Empress¡¯ court. I am sure there is much I may offer and considering her apparent closeness with my patron, I do hope she would appreciate my advice on occasion. I would not demand a title of court chaplain or anything of the sort, though if it is decided an official title is necessary I won¡¯t decline.¡± Tim didn¡¯t need to consider it for long, he was pretty sure what Regina would want. ¡°I¡¯m sure that can be arranged. I¡¯ll write you a letter of introduction if you like, though I doubt you need one.¡± ¡°Then there is the temple your country is building,¡± she continued. ¡°As it is dedicated to my lady, I would like to oversee it. That¡¯s only reasonable, isn¡¯t it? Having only a temple without any priests at least stopping by would hardly be the same.¡± Tim exchanged a look with Owin, who looked a bit disgruntled, and shrugged slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll appreciate your input,¡± he said diplomatically. He hoped it was true. After all, if his Hive Queen wanted to build a temple to Leian, consulting Alturiel did make sense, or they might end up with a design choice that was completely inappropriate and probably wouldn¡¯t help its purpose. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you wanted a temple to preside over,¡± Anuis commented mildly. Alturiel crossed her hands behind her back and smiled serenely. ¡°I was not very keen on it, but I have learned enough about your Empire by now to be curious, and I feel it might perhaps be time to dedicate a little more of my time to, shall we say, pious pursuits.¡± Tim regarded her for a moment, then shrugged again. He didn¡¯t really care in the end, and he wouldn¡¯t pry into her relationship with Leian. At least not right now. If nothing else, she seemed like an ally, and those were always good to have. Chapter 351: In Order In the end, it wasn¡¯t as bad as Regina had been afraid of. Her hive was important for the Empire, but there were still only a few thousand sapient drones, a veritable drop in the bucket compared to the country¡¯s population, and the government largely didn¡¯t rely on them. And there were other ways of communicating. Besides, they had been at peace. While there had been some concern at losing access to quick communication with more outlying regions, nothing had really been urgent enough to impact the stability of the Empire as a whole. Fortunately. The bigger problem really might have been everyone¡¯s panic at Regina¡¯s seeming disappearance. She was lucky she¡¯d returned without too long a wait and that the drones had been able to let everyone know right away. Ultimately, Regina wrote it all off as a stress test for their new system and tasked a few people with going through the reports to find and evaluate ways of mitigating such things in the future, before she returned to her regularly scheduled work. One good thing had come of it from a personal perspective: Janis had returned to the Empire proper and was going to stay for a while. She¡¯d already been underway when she realized that Regina was back. Then she¡¯d offered to return to the Gnomish Confederation straight away, but Regina had told her to keep going. They didn¡¯t strictly need Janis there anymore, and she could probably use some time at home with her family and her girlfriend. A good ruler makes sure to keep her vassals happy, after all. Kiara should thank me. Not that she had put it in those terms, of course. Two days later, Regina and Janis were sitting together in the inner garden again, going over another bit of Imperial business that Regina had decided she should be involved in. There was no psychic training right now, and June was busy with other things, while a few of the students lingered on the other side of the garden and Regina could sense Madris keeping a discreet eye on their efforts. She only checked in briefly, though, before returning her attention to the matter at hand. And her heir, who couldn¡¯t seem to decide whether she looked happy to be here or annoyed at the paperwork. ¡°The alliance won¡¯t be official until we¡¯ve sent this back, then?¡± she asked, gesticulating with a stack of pages. It was one of two copies of the treaty, though not the official version. Ira had written this down for them from the information in the psychic link. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll wait for the paper copies to arrive, sign them and send two back and then we¡¯re official,¡± Regina nodded. ¡°The dwarves wanted something more concrete as assurance, not just a verbal agreement. And they probably wanted to be extra sure the agreement the diplomats worked out was going to be valid, I guess.¡± Janis pulled a face and read through it again. ¡°You gave them a lot of leeway, then.¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°It was the only way. I wanted this to be done quickly and we couldn¡¯t wait to arrange a summit or anything. Besides, this is all fine. And as soon as the paperwork is properly in order, we¡¯ll have their help expanding the road project.¡± ¡°I can see why they and the gnomes don¡¯t like each other, they¡¯re far too similar,¡± Janis muttered. Regina snorted. But she wasn¡¯t wrong. She wouldn¡¯t have expected dwarves, of all races, to be sticklers for proper bureaucracy, but apparently that was the case. She supposed it made some sense for a people dealing with a precarious position like theirs in the southern lands; not having their paperwork properly in order could be a vulnerability to be exploited. "You didn¡¯t give them the same kind of deal as the gnomes,¡± Janis noted after a moment. ¡°There is no requirement to join the Empire at any point.¡± ¡°No,¡± Regina said. ¡°They also didn¡¯t attack us or openly try to wipe out my people at any point. I¡¯m hopeful for a closer relationship, and if they want to join later, I¡¯d definitely welcome it, but I¡¯m fine if they don¡¯t become citizens of the Empire. I¡¯m not going to force them into it.¡± Janis nodded, smiling slightly. She read through the paper for a minute longer, then put it aside. ¡°We will need to send a larger detachment of troops to secure all of the sites they want to reclaim and build settlements on,¡± she said. ¡°Finalizing that list is probably the first thing you should do, too. And I would suggest involving the gnomes, maybe some of their soldiers can participate? They still tend to know the mountains better.¡± ¡°And getting them to work more closely with the dwarves might be a good idea,¡± Regina mused. ¡°We can certainly ask.¡± They spent a few more minutes discussing the details of the agreement her envoys had reached with the dwarves. All in all, it was pretty comprehensive, considering the negotiations hadn¡¯t taken that long and they¡¯d apparently had to get approval from several dwarven settlements, some of which were pretty far away from each other. The details didn¡¯t diverge very far from the outline Dan had brought to them. In addition to assurances of political support in the south, which were by necessity somewhat vague but which Regina fully intended to honor, the dwarves would have the Empire¡¯s help in reclaiming and perhaps building anew several settlements. They would be secured by both sides, and some of them would effectively be joint settlements. The dwarves would help the Empire chart, build and secure a proper route through the mountains, as well as guide them in interactions with the southern lands. There was also a mutual protection agreement, which probably mostly meant that others would be discouraged from attacking the dwarves since that would mean facing the Empire, but it also meant the dwarves would send them a few troops if the Empire found itself at war. Regina was uncertain how much help that would be, but she wasn¡¯t going to turn away any potential support. There was a major power differential and everyone knew the Empire was the stronger and more dominant party, the contract even acknowledged it implicitly, but she was at least technically acknowledging them as a sovereign people and nation. That probably counted for something on its own. Regina wondered if others would start opening proper diplomatic relationships with the dwarves, too ¡ª the new settlements would at least make that easier, presumably. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I think it¡¯s going to take a few years to really see the effects of this deal,¡± Janis finally concluded, frowning down at the contract in thought. ¡°But it¡¯s still a good thing. I hope all or our future diplomatic efforts go this smoothly.¡± ¡°We can only hope,¡± Regina agreed drily. Her time dealing with the gnomes seemed to have given Janis a little more confidence, made her more self-assured about her political position. She was happy to see it. They sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying each other¡¯s presence. They both could have gotten back to work, but Regina wasn¡¯t in any hurry. Feeling Janis¡¯ mind beside hers was nice, something she¡¯d missed. She was clearly thinking, but there was no edge of urgency or negative emotions to it. After a bit, Janis stirred and looked up again. ¡°Where¡¯s Galatea, by the way? I was looking forward to meeting her again.¡± ¡°She¡¯s probably back in the south,¡± Regina shrugged. ¡°She came back pretty quickly after that whole trip we took.¡± She didn¡¯t need to explain that part; even if Janis hadn¡¯t had access to the psychic link, they¡¯d talked about it before. ¡°After she checked on me, she headed off again pretty soon, though. She mentioned she was going to take a detour, and she might be hanging around to talk to that priestess acquaintance of hers, I guess.¡± Janis nodded. ¡°She¡¯ll always come and go when she pleases, I suppose.¡± ¡°I think she¡¯s getting a little tired of being the only messenger between me and the southern expedition,¡± Regina admitted. ¡°I wish we could set up some other line of communication.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you?¡± Janis frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t have some kind of technological solution for that in mind?¡± ¡°I wish. I could try and set up a telephone line, I guess, but the terrain isn¡¯t exactly conducive to that,¡± Regina sighed. ¡°It¡¯s something we can definitely think about for the Empire itself. But laying wires across the mountains? I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s even worth trying, given all the monsters. At the very least, we¡¯d have to finish securing and probably building the road first.¡± ¡°Underground lines might work,¡± Janis mused. ¡°But I can see why that would still be an issue. There are underground monsters, too. And it would take a lot of effort in the first place.¡± ¡°Exactly. The other options I¡¯m aware of would use towers or satellites. The latter isn¡¯t exactly a realistic option. The former, maybe. I admit I don¡¯t know much about how cell towers actually work. We¡¯d still need to build the road first at minimum.¡± They fell silent again, although Regina could tell Janis wasn¡¯t thinking about radio towers. Not that she was, either. ¡°It¡¯s so weird to think that we¡¯re only a small piece of a much bigger multiverse with many other worlds out there,¡± Janis finally said. ¡°You told me about it before, but I guess I didn¡¯t really internalize it. And there are things out there that can even kill gods.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Regina agreed. ¡°It makes you wonder. If some bastards can just come around and kill the people of entire worlds. Although Leian said it would take decades if not centuries before they could show up here, so there¡¯s that, I guess.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t seem worried about it?¡± ¡°No. I suppose she thinks their empire is going to fall sooner or later.¡± Like the Aishan¡¯s did, Regina didn¡¯t add. Maybe she even wants to fight them again. Who wouldn¡¯t? ¡°Well, I suppose we should focus on making sure ours doesn¡¯t any time soon,¡± Janis said, sitting up straighter and rolling her shoulders. She set her jaw and Regina felt a renewed surge of determination from her. Of course. It took her a moment to realize why, when it should be obvious. ¡°I suppose it might be more your problem than mine,¡± Regina said. She was trying for lightness, but the words fell flat. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Janis said, her voice slightly harder with suppressed emotion. ¡°What did Leian say about your lifespan, again?¡± ¡°I can expect to live about a hundred years post hatching,¡± Regina answered. That had confirmed what she¡¯d already guessed. She sighed. ¡°I suppose that is still considerably shorter than your lifespan, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m your heir, I thought,¡± Janis returned, but she managed to relax a bit and her words were more playful. Her tone turned serious again for her next words, though. ¡°Yes. I actually heard about a few other descendants of elementals when I was at the Confederation. The data is still pretty spotty, but I¡¯m pretty sure my projected lifespan should be several centuries.¡± Regina nodded slowly. It was clearly something Janis had to consider, something she clearly felt compelled to dwell on to some extent. Anyone probably would in her situation. ¡°Have you talked to Kiara about it?¡± she asked tentatively. Janis hesitated, and Regina could sense her mind drawing inward a bit in an instinctive defensive reaction. ¡°I told her, but we didn¡¯t talk much about it,¡± she said. ¡°She prefers to avoid the topic, I think.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°It must be weird to think of it for her. A reminder that you¡¯re not entirely the same. There¡¯s still prejudice against ¡®monsterbloods¡¯.¡± Janis sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s really the core of the issue.¡± ¡°Ah. Then, is she insecure?¡± ¡°Maybe. You¡¯d know better than I,¡± Janis scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t look into people¡¯s minds like they¡¯re open storybooks,¡± Regina said, drawing back a bit herself. ¡°You¡¯re sensing how I¡¯m feeling right now,¡± Janis pointed out. She let herself fall back, lying down in the grass. ¡°Still, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have spoken to you like that, Regina.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± They were quiet for a moment, before Janis spoke. ¡°It¡¯s just weird to think that I¡¯m going to look this young for centuries, while everyone else gets old and wrinkly.¡± Regina snorted. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to bear with it. Besides, I¡¯m certain I will never get old and wrinkly.¡± Janis flashed a grin, but it faded quickly. ¡°And ¡ª just to be clear, in case you wanted to make any plans or anything. If I¡¯m ever going to have any children, it won¡¯t be any time soon. They¡¯ll have less elemental blood than me ¡ª unless I get a really unexpected partner, I guess, but come on ¡ª so they¡¯ll have shorter lifespans. So ¡­ no, not until I¡¯m old.¡± Regina nodded. She understood that. This conversation was reminding her that her own projected lifespan as a Hive Queen was longer than that of her drones, even if the System would extend it for those with high levels. She really didn¡¯t like the prospect of seeing any of her children die. ¡°I don¡¯t require you to have heirs any time soon,¡± she said lightly. She also wondered if this was part of the issue between Kiara and Janis. There was probably some way for magic to help two women have children, right? If not, it was definitely possible with technology, but it would take much more advanced tech than they currently had access to. Or maybe she was overthinking this. The two of them weren¡¯t even officially together to the world at large. Maybe Janis actually intends to wait until after Kiara eventually dies, but she won¡¯t say that, she reflected. Which also made sense. ¡°We should get together at some point,¡± Regina said, shaking off those musings. ¡°Do a girls¡¯ night or something. June can come, too.¡± Janis smiled, her mind brightening noticeably. ¡°That would be fun. I haven¡¯t seen her in too long, either.¡± Regina smiled back. ¡°Maybe you all can introduce me to some of your favorite stories or fun details from Cernlia, for a change.¡± Janis stared at her for a moment, before she nodded. ¡°Sure, that would be fun.¡± Regina ignored her look with, if she did say so, great dignity. ¡°No weird food, though,¡± she clarified. ¡°I know I can eat anything, but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to.¡± Janis laughed, and Regina smiled more widely. On second thought, she probably would be willing to suffer through every awful bit of traditional food they could come up with in the name of fun, but she didn¡¯t tell her that now. Chapter 352: Teleportation Regina couldn¡¯t wait for the day her new capital was finished, or at least finished enough, and they could all move there. Unfortunately, it would take a while, still. And in the meantime, she was splitting her time between Cera and the base at Forest¡¯s Haunt. In recent weeks, she¡¯d spent more time in the latter place than before, but it was closer to the mountains and ensured quicker communication with the southern expedition, if nothing else. That was part of the reason she was receiving visitors from the south here instead of in Cera. Once more, Regina was waiting to welcome a powerful magic user with uncertain intentions whom her people in the south had seen before. This time, she was avoiding the full throne room rigmarole. She didn¡¯t think an attempt at intimidation was likely to impress this visitor, and there was no reason to be hostile, anyway. They were still in a formal-ish receiving room, and Regina was wearing a simple gold crown, while Janis had put on a silver version, although Regina had to remind her of it. They were sitting together along with Mia and Ina in the most fancy chairs and talking about less important things at the moment, but her attention wasn¡¯t on the conversation. She paid enough attention that Regina wasn¡¯t surprised when the door opened and Max entered along with their visitor. Politely, she stood up as the old elf stepped forward, followed by the others, looking at her curiously. They hadn¡¯t had much warning. The priestess ¡ª if that was even the right term ¡ª had made her own way north. Tim had probably sent word, but communication with the south took a while and it hadn¡¯t reached them yet. Regina had been alerted by sensing the woman¡¯s mind approaching, instead. Up close, it was clear Alturiel had probably been more obvious than she needed to be; her mind was tightly disciplined with not a stray thought leaking out, locked behind smooth and impassible defenses. Regina only had a very vague sense of her mood that might as well have been pure intuition. She listened with one ear as Max introduced her and the others, smiling faintly and carefully prodding her visitor¡¯s mind just a little, to reassure herself of its defenses. It had no give and showed no indication her probe had been noticed. ¡°Welcome to Forest¡¯s Haunt and the Central European Empire,¡± she said. ¡°Iseis Alturiel, I believe.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Imperial Majesty, and thank you for the welcome.¡± The elf bowed in greeting. She was pretty spry for her age. ¡°I am honored to meet you, and your children as well.¡± ¡°It is my honor,¡± Regina inclined her head. ¡°And ours, and indeed our distinct pleasure,¡± Janis added, nodding at her as well. ¡°I confess I have been curious to meet you. One does not hear much of a priesthood of Leian.¡± ¡°That would be because there is not much of a priesthood, Princess Janis,¡± she replied, smiling faintly. ¡°I am, of course, a devoted follower of my lady, personally, but I only claim the title of priestess because it is most convenient. For the most part, I do not act as one would expect of it, or in a typical capacity of clergy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not surprising,¡± Regina commented, transitioning to speaking a bit more informally. ¡°Your goddess is hardly worshiped widely and needs it even less. Although, if you follow certain lines of thought, at least gods that do not demand worship would seem more worthy of it.¡± ¡°Is that why you have built a temple for this goddess, of all the gods, Empress Regina?¡± the elf asked lightly, but there was a bit of a glint in her eye. Regina smiled, taking the question in good humor instead of pretending to be offended. ¡°Not quite, although I doubt you expected me to actually be some eager worshiper.¡± ¡°I confess I would have been almost disappointed if you had been.¡± ¡°Not disappointed enough to make up for the benefit it would bring?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Perhaps not,¡± Alturiel replied with another smile. "Either way, you¡¯re welcome here,¡± Regina told her. ¡°I¡¯d like the opportunity to talk to you at some length. I am sure you have interesting stories to tell, and sound advice to offer.¡± ¡°I did come here to offer the latter,¡± she agreed. ¡°In hopes it may be useful from time to time. And, of course, to see the Empire and what you have been building.¡± That prompted a conversation about the history of the Empire, short as it might have been, and questions about Alturiel herself and her own stories. Regina spoke less, letting the others get some words in. She wasn¡¯t particularly worried about Alturiel seeking political influence. For one thing, it was hard to see some kind of harmful plot here. Whatever she might feel about her past or other things, Regina didn¡¯t really doubt that Leian wanted her to succeed. And she also didn¡¯t doubt that Leian wouldn¡¯t be undermined by anyone calling themselves her follower, even if they weren¡¯t a traditional devotee; maybe even more so than Alianais, who at least had a much larger priesthood to keep an eye on. Besides, if the old elf had wanted political power she clearly could have already had much more of it. That didn¡¯t mean Regina was going to listen to her blindly, but she wouldn¡¯t send her away. Although, as the conversation progressed, she was starting to doubt how much time she would actually spend here. Judging by her stories, Alturiel wasn¡¯t one to stay anywhere for long, but especially not involved in royal courts, and she¡¯d already expressed interest in the temple. Beyond that, she only offered a little information about herself. Apparently, she was indeed born after the Cataclysm. She also dodged the question of how she¡¯d come to know Leian, although Regina didn¡¯t push. After a while, Regina excused herself to attend her next meeting, with Janis and a few of the others also leaving. She left the elf talking with Max and Mia, and checked that they¡¯d prepared a place to stay for her. Over the next few days, most of the expectations that Regina had were fulfilled, but what she hadn¡¯t considered were other topics they could discuss. Namely, magic. Regina didn¡¯t let her into her psychic training sessions, but Alturiel expressed an interest in attending their training with other magic, and Regina was eager enough to learn from her that she didn¡¯t hesitate. Galatea still hadn¡¯t returned, which was a shame, but Janis and June were good partners and were both motivated to keep up their magical studies along with Regina. Madris even dropped in and offered a few pointers of her own. While she might primarily be a psychic, the dark elf was also a high-level magic user with a few centuries of experience, so she was pretty good. Regina suspected she also wanted to evaluate Alturiel, but she didn¡¯t mind. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Her specialty, the old elf explained, was teleportation. No one was surprised to hear that. Regina was glad to learn that it included actual magical spells instead of just the kind of ¡®divine magic¡¯ sponsored by the System. Apart from Leian herself, and to an extent Galatea, Alturiel was clearly the best expert on teleportation she¡¯d ever had the chance to meet. Considering how rare and complicated a field of study it was ¡ª probably more so than Conjuration, especially now that it wasn¡¯t quite as rare in the Empire anymore ¡ª that was quite a distinction. ¡°You need to have a good understanding of physics, fine magical senses and a good sense of space, but more importantly, a strong will and a big mana pool,¡± Alturiel explained. ¡°Twisting the fabric of space enough to move something takes a lot of raw power. It is why it is such a rare skill. It is also very finicky and you need to be very exact, of course. And the required spell constructs are hard to learn.¡± Regina had noticed that in theory, she should be well-suited to learning it. At least she definitely had the high amounts of mana required. In practice, she soon found, she might simply not have the time for even learning the basics. Just looking at the first diagram Alturiel drew out gave her a headache, and that was supposed to be a simplified version! From what she gathered, there was a reason both Galatea and Alturiel herself were both really old and proficient at it. (Leian must have learned it more quickly, but maybe the Aishan had simply had better ways of teaching or maybe she was just a prodigy, but either way, it didn¡¯t help her now). Regina still tried and got a few lessons from the priestess. She even felt she might be making a bit of progress. At least until Alturiel departed for the north. She¡¯d been dropping hints the previous day and then simply stated she was off to the temple. Regina didn¡¯t try to stop her. She just made sure she had a proper escort. In the meantime, Regina was pretty distracted by other matters. She kept delegating more and more of the actual rule of the Empire, but she still had a lot on her plate. Ben and Max had effectively taken over the restructuring of the military ¡ª which was finally coming to an end ¡ª and the associated issues, but now that Janis was back, she was involved heavily as well, and Regina had to make a few final decisions and sign off on some things. Most notably, they were setting up a network of new military bases, training grounds, and barracks. A standing military needed all sorts of support infrastructure. That didn¡¯t even count all the technological improvements for weapons and gear they were planning for, like motorized vehicles. Electrical motors would clearly be the best ¡ª they could still Conjure rare metals, although in the long term, they¡¯d need to mine or import them from somewhere ¡ª but the question of energy sources remained. Wind turbines were relatively easy to build and Mia had already started setting them up across the Empire, but it probably wouldn¡¯t be enough for a proper power supply for an actual electrical grid. They were starting to experiment with solar panels as well, but getting those right was much trickier, and probably impossible without magic at their current level of technology. While she would have preferred to avoid using them entirely, for both environmental reasons and because of the inherently limited supply, Regina had already come to accept that she¡¯d have to rely on fossil fuels at least in the medium term. Preliminary efforts to find oil or gas deposits were underway, though she wasn¡¯t expecting much in that regard. Coal might be easier, if the existing deposits hadn¡¯t already been mostly harvested. Charcoal was always an option, at least as long as they only needed to power a few trains or something. Biogas might be a better solution, but they still needed to build plants for that and the material needs were in direct competition with not just local farmland to feed the population but the hive as well. She already needed more and more acres to feed the increasing number of Swarm Drones. In comparison to worrying about that issue, it was much more enjoyable to listen to Ben lay out their plans for new training camps for soldiers or argue with Janis about the eventual integration of the gnomish military and then sign off on new schedules and projections. They might be focusing too much on the military, but Regina was growing concerned about their potential enemies in the Esemen and Western Confederation. A little more concerned than she¡¯d already been, at least. Their efforts to increase their intelligence network in those countries were proceeding slowly, but it was enough to get a clear picture of at least the attitude towards the Empire among their leadership, and it wasn¡¯t pretty. Most of the nobles seemed almost personally offended at it, though the reasons varied. Some didn¡¯t like women rulers, some were concerned about supposed Imperial expansionism, and smarter people even seemed to realize what the economic shift taking place would eventually mean for their own wealth and power. There was also a lot of propaganda floating around, naturally. Caught up in all of those considerations, it took a while until Regina actually checked in on Alturiel and the temple, and even longer until she did more than a cursory check. It was a tentative question from Ina that finally motivated her to pay a bit more attention. Apparently, the construction was progressing very well, and the temple did look a lot more complete now than it had before. They had also further expanded the little island it was built on, particularly in the direction of the shore, since the water was pretty shallow there, anyway. That was where Alturiel was currently standing, when Regina sent Ina to find her. ¡°My Queen has questions about your ¡­ plans,¡± Ina told her. Alturiel turned to face her, smiling slightly. ¡°And she can¡¯t speak them to me directly?¡± ¡°She can,¡± Ina replied, a bit annoyed. She opened her mind more deeply, letting Regina step in from the psychic link. ¡°She is.¡± The priestess regarded her silently for a moment. ¡°So you want to know what I¡¯m doing here.¡± ¡°I do,¡± Ina replied for her. ¡°I was wondering how long it would take you to ask.¡± Alturiel gestured at the space in front of her, where she¡¯d piled up and flattened some earth. ¡°You remember the teleportation pad, I presume. I am preparing something similar here. Not a portable version this time, and one that has been built from the ground up to operate on different parameters, but otherwise compatible.¡± Regina cocked her head, with Ina mimicking the motion. ¡°With such a teleportation circle as an anchor, would the other one in the south be able to be used beyond its normal range?¡± Alturiel smiled, visibly pleased. ¡°I see some of my lessons stuck,¡± she praised. ¡°Yes, indeed. That is the point of this endeavor. I have already made minor adjustments to the counterpart.¡± Regina took a moment to absorb this. ¡°So, you would have two linked teleportation pads ¡ª allowing transportation from one to the other? A fast-travel corridor that completely bypasses the mountains or any other obstacles?¡± That would be huge, a big step, pun totally intended. It¡¯s a potential vulnerability, I suppose, so we¡¯ll need to guard the exits carefully, but it would help in securing the base in the south very much ¡­ ¡°In essence, but it will not allow easy teleportation for anyone who so much as steps inside,¡± Alturiel warned her. ¡°There will still need to be a powerful mage providing a large amount of mana. It will simply make teleportation from here to there, or the reverse, easier.¡± Regina nodded. ¡°I understand,¡± she said. ¡°I assume there¡¯s a reason you had to build it here?¡± ¡°The temple is here, I am drawing a little on the respective energies,¡± Alturiel said with a little shrug. ¡°Besides, I assumed you did not want a teleportation point that could be a potential opening for invasion in your capital.¡± ¡°True,¡± Regina admitted. She supposed this location was as good as any. Close enough to the center of the Empire to not be too inconvenient, in terms of travel times for moving people back and forth, but far enough away from any major settlements or other important locations to give them some time if it was ever seized by an enemy. Still, Regina grinned at the thought of what this meant, an expression Ina thankfully didn¡¯t copy. She¡¯d be able to bring Tim and the others home much more easily than she¡¯d feared, and the base wouldn¡¯t be as cut off from the Empire, so they could maintain a real garrison. ¡°I am grateful for what you¡¯re doing,¡± she told Alturiel. ¡°I won¡¯t forget it.¡± The priestess nodded and waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Think nothing of it. This is too interesting not to do anything.¡± She paused. ¡°And besides, I am not helping you for no reason or solely of my own account.¡± Regina nodded. She understood. Chapter 353: Return When Tim had first heard about the new teleportation link that Iseis Alturiel was apparently setting up between the old base and the new temple, his first reaction had been intense relief, followed by creeping worry. Still, the prospect of going home more easily was enticing. He¡¯d barely been able to think of anything else in the first few minutes. Now that it was actually happening, he was suddenly a lot more apprehensive. Partly it might be because he felt he was leaving things unfinished here, but he had to admit that it wasn¡¯t a very large issue. The base was about as safe as it was ever going to be, most likely, and while the fighting between the various cities hadn¡¯t finished yet, it didn¡¯t seem likely to come this way. It hadn¡¯t been that long, and said fighting had mostly only begun. Their hopes that a war would be averted and it could all blow over without violence hadn¡¯t come true. If Tim was honest with himself, he¡¯d never expected it to come true. That was one thing he¡¯d have to face the music for, when he returned to his Mother. He wasn¡¯t looking forward to that. Not because he thought she¡¯d be angry ¡ª even if she had been, she would¡¯ve had a lot of time to calm down in the meantime ¡ª but because he hated the thought of disappointing her. At least it looked like it wasn¡¯t going to be a large war, here in the south, and it probably wouldn¡¯t spill beyond the bounds of this region or draw other city-states in. From what he¡¯d heard, anyway. He¡¯d received a few letters. Veragles was still propping up Iliucin, but it seemed decidedly unenthusiastic and would probably press for some kind of settlement soon. Iliyan was, he suspected, taking the opportunity for a land grab, to get some new territory in their claws, and then they¡¯d settle when they had achieved sufficient success. Whatever issues Lucian or the other leaders of Veragles had worked out with Iliucin hadn¡¯t become public, but he could more or less guess how it had gone down. Either way, the people interested in this base should have far too many other worries to even think about coming back for more. No, while it felt a little weird to leave before the war was over, Tim wasn¡¯t really concerned about the base¡¯s safety. Especially not with this teleport link. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Zephyr asked, glancing behind him at the assembled people. They would be traveling in groups, and most of the men stationed here would actually remain here for now. Tim and a few of the leaders, and all of the sapient drones, would return, to be switched with another group that was already preparing for a turn here outside of the psychic link. ¡°Whenever you are,¡± the priestess who had actually built the conduit drawled, gesturing with a sweep of her arm. She¡¯d come back a few times before this point, testing the teleportation capability. It had given Tim the opportunity to talk to her a little more. Once he got past the fact that she was a little intimidating, he found she was nice enough. She¡¯d told him to call her Iseis and had answered his questions patiently, for the most part. It was how he knew that it took a lot of mana to use this teleportation link, the amount increasing linearly with every additional person added, but with a high ¡®offset¡¯ cost to activate it in the first place. So, taking an entire group at once wasn¡¯t that difficult, comparatively. It also took quite a bit of skill, apparently. It was why Zephyr was doing it right now, to show that he could, and so they knew he had the ability it when it was needed later. Tim briefly wondered how many people his Hive Queen would be able to teleport, but decided he¡¯d probably see that happened eventually ¡ª and the answer would change with time anyway, as the hive grew. Either way, Zephyr wasn¡¯t a Thaumaturge for nothing and would be more than capable of this much. He raised his hand, and a light started to shine in front of him, just slightly. Perhaps some kind of spatial warping messing with the artificial light around them. Tim barely had time to wonder about it before the world wrenched. He clenched his teeth instinctively, stiffening as he resisted the urge to fall over. It was profoundly uncomfortable, like being forced into a strange shape, and for an endless moment, his world was swallowed by white noise and light. Then everything snapped into place again, the world suddenly different. And the Hive was back. His mind snapped into place in the psychic link, and he felt the presence of other drones around him, stretching out into the distance. He was no longer alone. He blinked against the change in the light level, taking a deep breath and noting the different scents of his surroundings. It was much noisier, too, but that might just be due to their arrival. ¡°Tim!¡± The first person he properly saw was Tia, stepping forward from a crowd who¡¯d gathered to watch their arrival. ¡°Tia,¡± he replied, grinning widely. The rest of it was unimportant as he stepped forward into her hug. Tim clutched her tightly to him, basking in the feel and scent of her as much as the welcome and joy she sent to him over the psychic link. Feeling his sister¡¯s presence again was a relief. He blinked hard. He wasn¡¯t supposed to have favorites, but if he did, he had to admit she would be his favorite little sister. Then he stopped focusing on his immediate surroundings as more minds clamored for his attention in the psychic link. In particular, his Mother reached out to him. It was always easy to distinguish her in the psychic link, she was on a whole other level even when she wasn¡¯t trying to be overbearing. Now she greeted him with a wordless hug and he simply enjoyed it for a while. Come back home, she told him finally. I want to see you in person again. Of course, Mother. She retreated, probably to make way for Max and Mia, who immediately greeted him as well. Tim sent positive feelings to them and got them in return, exchanging a few words. Then he focused on his surroundings and stepped forward. He had to make sure everything was properly sorted. The others also deserved to go home. The temple was pretty impressive, he noted. Not quite as large as he¡¯d thought, but it was nice to look at. The island was a bit cramped, though, and they moved everyone away from it to the shore pretty quickly. Tim was pretty distracted right now, while they organized the group and prepared to set off again. Suddenly being connected to the psychic link again was a bit overwhelming. It was also a temptation, trying to delve into it and catch up on everything he¡¯d missed. Luckily, Owin and the others were competent enough that he didn¡¯t need to focus very much. There were a lot of new minds in the psychic link. Of course. He¡¯d been gone for roughly a year. That was a lot of time for new drones to be born, especially with the exponential growth of the Hive, even with the limits imposed by their limited resources and need to actually mentor sapient drones. He felt a lot of curious minds, metaphorically watching him attentively but from a distance, so many they blended together into one. Tim tried to ignore them and focus on his immediate situation. ¡°Eager to get back to the capital, Your Imperial Highness?¡± Owin asked, stepping up beside him. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Tim side-eyed him. ¡°You weren¡¯t that formal before we teleported.¡± The Delver commander shrugged lightly. ¡°Just helping you get used to it.¡± Tim snorted and shook his head, but he didn¡¯t respond. Of course, that¡¯s another thing. I¡¯m coming back as a prince. It was a good thing they were going to Forest¡¯s Haunt first. Finally, the men started to march off, and Tim turned to Anuis and the few other elves. They would be returning to Ariedel for now, although he strongly suspected he¡¯d be seeing her and Tirias again. ¡°This is goodbye, then,¡± he said, inclining his head. ¡°I truly enjoyed your company on this journey, and I value the companionship, support and advice you offered highly. It was invaluable. I hope we will be able to see each other again soon. Either way, it was an honor.¡± Anuis bowed, but she had a slight smile on her face. ¡°The honor was all mine, my Prince. We enjoyed your company on this mission just as much. We will certainly meet again. Until then, please convey my well-wishes to your siblings.¡± He promised he would, asked her to remember him to a few elves he remembered in Ariedel, and they exchanged a few more pleasantries. It was polite and courteous, but he could tell the Three-Century Commander meant what she said, and so did he. He was pretty sure he knew about at least one faction in Ariedel that would be pro-Empire and at least tentatively supporting joining it. And he didn¡¯t need Ray¡¯s reports to know which family would be at the heart of that faction. The elves vanished into the forest surrounding the lake quickly, spurning the road, as they clearly intended to make their way to the Great Forest more directly. Political importance aside, he supposed Anuis was a good ranger and they¡¯d all earned their levels protecting their city in the forest. Then it was time to leave as well. Tim made sure everyone was ready before he climbed on his Winged Drone Mount and took to the sky. Nucme and Alvol were coming with him for now, accompanying them until the capital, where they¡¯d presumably rejoin Icnes Oliren. He wished he could be a fly on the wall for that report. Regina must have worked things out with Madris to ensure they would keep certain information secret. There had unfortunately been no way to hide the underground chamber from the dark elves. But he also suspected their ambassador wouldn¡¯t necessarily feel compelled to report everything to whatever rulers she might have back home. The flight took a while, but Tim barely noticed the time passing. He was too caught up in looking at the changes that had happened in the Empire during his absence. He glanced down at the landscape they flew over, but except for some general details, it didn¡¯t tell him much. Although it was apparent that the new roads were being built steadily. Instead, he took advantage of the psychic link, both to talk to other drones and to just lurk behind the eyes of a few Swarm Drones, watching cities, villages and farmland through them. There were a lot more to choose from now, and they were strategically scattered all over the Empire, as far as the psychic link reached (and a little beyond the Empire¡¯s borders, in select cases). There were a lot of new buildings in both the capital and Forest¡¯s Haunt, which was growing into a real city, but also in other cities and town. They housed schools, workshops and simple proto-factories. Or manufactories? He¡¯d have to ask Tia, but he didn¡¯t care much about the terminology. It was interesting to see how many humans, normal Imperial citizens, were working at them along with Hive drones, though, in all sorts of positions. And Swarm Drones were used as labor in quite a few of these projects, as well. He hadn¡¯t realized their efforts were going this well. You¡¯ve been busy while I was gone, he said to Tia. She was sticking close to him, so he could have tried to say it out loud, but he¡¯d have to shout over the wind. Besides, he enjoyed being able to use the psychic link again. We¡¯ve all been busy, she responded with a shrug. The good kind of busy, though. I think your time was more stressful. Tim thought back to a few days over the last few months and pulled a face. He wasn¡¯t going to argue with that assumption. Then they were close enough he could see the town from above directly, and Tim leaned a bit to the side to watch it. The Hive¡¯s base had grown substantially, but not all of it was visible, since a lot of the base was underground. The drones headed directly for a cleared strip of earth that resembled an airfield, and he enjoyed the wind whipping past him as they dove and came in for a landing. Tim hopped down, waiting for Tia, who immediately confiscated his right arm and dragged it and him into the base. After that came a whirlwhind of greetings. He¡¯d already seen them in the psychic link, but many of his siblings and closer friends wanted to greet him in person. And he wasn¡¯t the only one coming back, either; he caught Ace almost tackling Ash to the ground in a hug. Finally, some of the crowd dispersed and Tim found himself maneuvered into some kind of common room with the older of his siblings, Regina, Janis and June. Max had taken over from Tia and was sticking to his side. He seemed to have actually grown a little in the last year or so and was taller than everyone, but Tim didn¡¯t mind his bulk, he only leaned into his side and rested his head in the crook of his shoulder as they sat down on a couch. ¡°Have you tried the ice cream yet?¡± their Mother asked. ¡°We had to guess at your favorite flavors, but I made sure there¡¯s some of everything ready. And the drinks.¡± ¡°And we¡¯ve got lots of new games you should try,¡± Mia added cheerfully. ¡°And you missed a lot of the music!¡± Janis laughed. ¡°He hasn¡¯t even been back half an hour yet, don¡¯t suffocate the poor boy.¡± Tim shot her a dirty look for the ¡®poor boy¡¯ part, although he was privately a bit grateful for her intervention. ¡°You¡¯re not one to talk about anyone¡¯s age,¡± June said, smirking slightly. Janis gasped in mock offense. ¡°I¡¯m older than everyone here!¡± She glanced at Regina, then nodded decisively. ¡°Everyone.¡± Regina hid a smile behind her hand, though Tim could tell she was amused at their antics over the psychic link. She didn¡¯t protest. ¡°Yes, but relatively speaking, you¡¯re earlier in the course of your life than I am,¡± June said. ¡°Practically still a child.¡± ¡°And what is everyone else here, little kids?¡± Janis countered, waving a hand impatiently. ¡°At least I¡¯ve seen more than one monster wave.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who you want to call ¡®little¡¯,¡± Max said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯re not building our tunnels to your scale, that would give us a lot of neck pain, right, Tim?¡± Janis shook her head sadly, hiding her own amusement. ¡°Such disrespect toward your crown princess,¡± she sighed theatrically. ¡°Alas, we¡¯re surrounded by those who cannot understand our worth.¡± ¡°Yes, some of us don¡¯t have titles inflating our self importance,¡± Max agreed, deadpan. Regina was actually frowning a bit now. June didn¡¯t seem to notice, but smirked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you second in line to the throne, Max?¡± she asked. That seemed to sober the rest of them up, and Tim had a feeling he knew where this was going. ¡°Since you mention it,¡± Regina spoke up, sitting up a bit straighter. ¡°Max is my oldest child, but he does not want that position.¡± ¡°I told her we needed to solidify the official line of succession,¡± Max explained, his arm around Tim¡¯s shoulders tightening just a bit. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to be the official spare or whatever it¡¯s called. You¡¯re much better suited for that, Tim. Honestly, I¡¯d prefer to be behind Mia and Tia, too.¡± Tim frowned. ¡°You want it to be one of us either way?¡± he asked cautiously. ¡°Is it wise to name a drone?¡± Regina tilted her head. ¡°At least Leian confirmed that if I die, I¡¯m not taking all of you with me. The psychic link would collapse and you¡¯d only maybe keep scraps of it, but you wouldn¡¯t die or go mad, at least not beyond what grief and loss would do. So there¡¯s that.¡± Tim grimaced. He really didn¡¯t want to think about her dying. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t know about this. You don¡¯t need to be demoted, Max. What do you think, My Queen?¡± Regina tapped her fingers on the armrests of her chair. ¡°You¡¯re my Champion, Tim, and you have more experience in some things. You¡¯re more of a diplomat. This isn¡¯t really about who¡¯ll inherit what, but it would make sense to name you heir behind Janis. I¡¯d still stick with primogeniture as a principle beyond that, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll sign whatever I need to or proclaim whatever I need to,¡± Max added. ¡°I think the best thing would be an official line of succession with Janis, Tim, me if our Queen insists on that, Tia and Mia. That¡¯s what we discussed, anyway.¡± Tim nodded slowly. He could see their point. He wondered for a moment why they put Tia ahead of Mia, but it was easy to see. If it comes to that and every one of us ahead of them is dead, a slightly more warlike leader would be better. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to talk about politics right now, though,¡± Regina added, a note of finality in her tone. ¡°We¡¯re here to have fun and welcome Tim and the others back.¡± The conversation quickly returned to more joking and banter between the others, while Tim only chimed in occasionally. He was a little too tired and content to participate much, but it was relaxing to simply sit and bask in their presence and companionship. The small gathering broke up a bit later, probably because it was getting late and he was tired, and Tim went to bed early. He was looking forward to sharing a ¡®nest¡¯ with the others again. When the door creaked open half an hour later and his Mother quietly stepped into their bedroom, he only smiled and scooted over to make room on the large mattress. Sandwiched between her and Tia in a tangle of limbs, he drifted off to sleep happier than he¡¯d been in a long time. Chapter 354: Stalemate Regina hadn¡¯t quite realized how worried she¡¯d been until she had Tim back. Having a tangible connection to the southern base with the teleportation link also helped, of course. It put her mind at ease about the safety of both what they¡¯d found there and the troops they were stationing there to hold the site. Still, feeling Tim¡¯s mind in the psychic link again, along with Ash and everyone else, was really what made her relax a little more, letting go of some tension she¡¯d been feeling. She should be fretting over the implications of having drones away from the hive and the psychic link for a considerable span of time and how well they held up, but she was just glad they were back. Luckily, Regina wasn¡¯t the only one to feel this way and so she didn¡¯t bear the brunt of the teasing from the others. They were all glad and she suspected her own reaction was also mirrored slightly by her drones. Regina even joined them in the cuddle pile for the first few nights back in the Forest¡¯s Haunt base, although she retreated to her normal bedroom after that. It was nice and relaxing, something she should probably do more often, but having parts of hard shell poking her everywhere meant she got less actual sleep and it made getting ready in the morning a bit awkward. Plus, she¡¯d probably have to rotate through groups of drones if she wanted to avoid blatant favoritism, and she drew the line at playing politics with her sleeping schedule. Besides, they returned to Cera after only a few days, where she was ensconced in the comforts of the Imperial royal apartments once again. Over the last months, ever since they¡¯d really settled in there, she supposed, Regina had been accumulating quite the collection of luxuries and minor extravagances, most of them diplomatic gifts. She had everything from pelts of exotic animals to expensive crystal glasses to beautifully illuminated books (obviously her favorites), not to mention all the articles of clothing and accessories. It was a little weird to think about at first, but she¡¯d learned to accept it and take satisfaction in the proof that the Empire was a very powerful country, and so, many people sought its, and her, favor. She was being courted by quite the collection of nobles and foreign royals looking for assurances, profitable relationships or even military ties. Occasionally literally. She rejected every such proposal, obviously, but Regina was getting a little tired of it. Did these people not realize she didn¡¯t need to marry to have children, couldn¡¯t have any heirs they wanted anyway, and had less than zero interest in a political marriage? There wasn¡¯t even anyone that would qualify for that kind of alliance if she¡¯d wanted to. For now, Ira had standing orders to burn such letters, a copy-paste template for rejections, and Regina tried not to think about how many of these gifts had been meant for ¡®courting¡¯ or given with certain kinds of ulterior motives. The first time a foreign envoy had tried making an offer for Max, Regina had only stared blankly and then excused herself quickly, torn between the urges to laugh or to blast their head off. By now, she was unfortunately getting used to them. Mia and Tia even had an informal competition about it. Max had started speculating out loud if the offers would decrease if they actually accepted one. Then Regina had loudly contemplated how many people she could marry one of her drone princes or princesses to at the same time (the answer, she figured, was probably around ten if it was restricted to nobility and functionally unlimited if not). He¡¯d been quiet since then. When they returned, Tim settled in pretty well to these patterns. He joined Max and Janis in overseeing their efforts with the military and spent more time attending diplomatic functions and building political connections than any of them. (Unsurprisingly, the amount of betrothal offers for his hand were soon double those of anyone else except Janis. Mia and Tia refused to let him join their game citing unfair advantages.) A few were even from members of the Western Confederation. Regina wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of that. Especially since relations continued to deteriorate, slowly but steadily. At least they were still talking to each other, for the most part. She entertained envoys from the Western Confederation, and sent diplomats to them in return. Her diplomats all reported that they were tightly monitored and their movements restricted, and they had to fight to even get the time of day with any of the real leaders of the Confederation. That was certainly not a good sign, although it was better than ambassadors being sent away. And Regina also had to admit she wasn¡¯t very eager to talk to Confederation diplomats, either. Luckily for their diplomatic efforts, she now had the official help of Janis, Tim, and to a slightly lesser degree, Max, Mia and Tia, who all claimed they weren¡¯t diplomats and wouldn¡¯t do well. At least they could attend the more unimportant functions where what was said didn¡¯t really matter but it was still good to show the presence of the Imperial crown. That was half the benefit of having more princes and princesses. Luckily, politics aside, the Empire was still thriving. The harvest had been good, with the weather that year thankfully cooperating or at least not burdening them with too many storms and floods. Many of the projects the hive had started had come to be evaluated, and Mia was chomping at the bit to get started with the next cycle. The yields had been higher than projected for some crops and lower for others, but overall they easily had enough to get through winter, keep the stores full and even take into account an expanding population, which soothed some fears. Regina was keeping up with the projections pretty closely, aware of how important this was. The ability to feed her people was one of the most crucial responsibilities she had, especially in a world with a medieval technology level and mindset like this. Fortunately, the hive¡¯s experiments in the chemical industry had also progressed, not just the mechanical and more flashy projects like rail lines. They had access to nitrate fertilizers now, even if the process of synthesizing them was still pretty dangerous and they were too dependent on magic in a few places compared to what she¡¯d like. Still, this spring was the first time they were really using them on a large scale, not just in the territory the hive controlled and administered directly. It had been a bit of a headache to figure out how to distribute their products, and Regina had eventually chosen to leave them free of charge but controlled with tax brakes and hikes based on the harvest once it was taken in. That meant farmers had free access to them and would remunerate the Empire once they¡¯d achieved a bigger harvest than usual while still profiting from it. This system would only work for now, while all of it was still getting rolled out. Eventually, such things would simply be sold on the market. But subsidies and tax incentives would probably stay. Unfortunately, they also still had to go through the local lords since it simply wasn¡¯t feasible for the Imperial bureaucracy to keep track of every single person properly. At least for now. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. At least it meant she could pass off a lot of the headache of organizing this to the lower nobles, and they could hardly complain, since they were given help from the Empire. Which would increase their incomes as well, since they were unfortunately still based on the old system. The winter had passed quickly, both because they were all busy and the weather simply turning into an early spring. Regina didn¡¯t get to spend much time outside, only occasionally for training or when she could carve out some time to go for a flight, so the changing seasons barely affected her. She was a little more concerned with the effects it had on her populace, which she mostly found in her stacks of reports and by talking to drones in the psychic link. She¡¯d originally hoped to move her ¡®court¡¯ to the new capital this spring, but had to postpone it by at least several months. The project was rather ¡­ ambitious. They were building an entire new city. Of course, parts of it were already built and she could technically move right in, but Regina wanted to move most of the Imperial government, which meant a lot of space for the offices of various departments, and they also required a lot of other things in terms of support infrastructure. She¡¯d decided it was better not to cut parts of it off and relocate them on their own. Moving everything at once wouldn¡¯t be possible, either, but at least she could make sure the preparations were fully in place. Things had settled into a bit of a stalemate for now and Regina was enjoying the relative peace. Spring moved into early summer, her projects proceeded apace, the war in the south kept well clear of the old Hivekind base and would hopefully be over soon, and her studies were progressing well. June was coming along as a psychic, to the point she could take over most of the instructions of the other students, especially new ones. It wasn¡¯t her focus anymore, but Regina still occasionally found someone worth teaching, or at least trying to see if they had potential. Others stopped or were sent home when they showed they couldn¡¯t get past a surface understanding or had no real skill in the ¡®psychic arts¡¯ except for magic, so the size of the group fluctuated a little. Things were busy enough that she almost missed her friends and a few of her drones preparing a ¡®surprise party¡¯ for her birthday, which honestly, was just embarrassing. She had the psychic link. How could she not pick up something like this? So, she didn¡¯t let on that she knew, at least not by saying anything, but she also didn¡¯t act surprised when they finally ¡®revealed¡¯ it. She had to admit they¡¯d gone to some effort; the garden was decorated, everyone who didn¡¯t belong had been barred from the premises for the evening, and they¡¯d incorporated some of the adjoining rooms and set up buffet tables and party games. Regina admittedly had complicated feelings about her birthday. Besides the fact that it was the day of her hatching ¡ª and even then more of a best guess than anything ¡ª and not her actual birthday when she¡¯d first been born, which she still didn¡¯t know. It reminded her just how young she still was, at least in chronological terms. Everything had happened so quickly, so much had changed in such a short time. Three years ago, she couldn¡¯t have imagined standing where she was right now. But at least she didn¡¯t have to worry about another monster wave, quite yet. So Regina tried to enjoy herself. The food was nice. It even included some of the more ¡®unique¡¯ traditional Cernlian food Kiara and Janis had introduced her to. They¡¯d tried for regular ¡®girls¡¯ nights¡¯ lately, but were often too busy to find the time, so it often fell by the wayside. But at least they did get together occasionally, often with just the Lyns sisters, Janis and Regina, but sometimes including a few of the drones, or even Galatea on one occasion. The mana-form was currently also here, absolutely destroying everyone else at poker. Regina had wisely decided not to play. It would have been difficult to resist the urge to cheat by using her psychic powers to read their emotional reactions, anyway. Galatea had only arrived a few days ago and would probably leave soon, too, but at least she was here. Interestingly, Madris was also playing. She was pretty new to it and still learning the rules, though, which probably explained why she was losing despite also having the psychic advantage. Once she lost the last of her coins ¡ª at least they weren¡¯t betting with large sums, only pocket change ¡ª and bowed out of the game, her psychic mentor came to join Regina. They watched for a minute in silence, while Regina waited for Madris to broach the topic she clearly wanted to discuss. ¡°I know you¡¯ve kept out of it, but there have been a few developments regarding our interests in the Eternal Dark,¡± she finally said. ¡°Icnes is considering going back.¡± Regina glanced at her, surprised. ¡°You don¡¯t want her to leave,¡± she observed. Madris shrugged slightly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even if I wasn¡¯t concerned for her safety. I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s a good time for her to return. But perhaps we should send someone.¡± ¡°As I recall, you originally suggested perhaps sending Tim,¡± Regina said, keeping her tone carefully neutral. The dark elf inclined her head slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that would be an option, would it? He is a prince now, rather high-profile. And he has only returned from an extended absence a few months ago.¡± Regina hesitated for a moment. She really didn¡¯t like the idea of sending Tim away again, especially like this. She could ask him, of course, but a part of her was afraid he¡¯d just say yes trying to please her, even if he really didn¡¯t want to go. ¡°I understand,¡± Madris said before she could respond. ¡°I¡¯ve been considering sending Armin. He¡¯s very willing to go. I may have told him too many stories about my home.¡± Regina smiled faintly. ¡°You¡¯re fine with that?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m not worried, but he should be reasonably safe. He¡¯s a member of my house, they can¡¯t really deny him entry. Icnes¡¯ people will help him, too.¡± Regina nodded slowly. ¡°He¡¯s like your adopted son, right? Even if he¡¯s human? What does that mean for his status?¡± ¡°Somewhat, but not really.¡± Madris pulled a face. ¡°I adopted him into the house, but that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s necessarily my son. It¡¯s complicated ¡ª family relationships among dark elves can be.¡± She hesitated for a slight moment. ¡°For example, it wouldn¡¯t be forbidden for me to take him as a lover, despite inducting him into my house. It¡¯s also too small to really have an internal ranking structure, but if it did, it wouldn¡¯t necessarily put him at the top, although he is quite strong, so he¡¯d be respected.¡± ¡°Did you?¡± Galatea asked. Neither of them reacted, they¡¯d both sensed her coming up beside them. Regina only spared her a look and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Madris asked. ¡°Have you slept with him?¡± Galatea clarified. For a moment, Regina thought Madris would lash out at her. But the moment passed, and the dark elf only sighed, rolling her eyes. ¡°I have, in the past, when I needed comfort. But our affair is decisively over,¡± she finally said after a pause. ¡°And don¡¯t give me that look, Galatea; we all know humans age differently and he was obviously a mature adult.¡± Regina cleared her throat. ¡°As interesting as that is, let¡¯s get back on topic. We would have sent Tim as an envoy of the Empire. That¡¯s not as easy with Armin, since he¡¯s not from the Empire. Should we still send someone, as well?¡± Madris smiled at her. ¡°I would suggest so, eventually, if nothing else. But perhaps we should have him go and scout out the situation first. Still, if you want to consider who you might want to send as an envoy ¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to a few people,¡± Regina nodded. ¡°Let me know if there¡¯s anything I can do to help, regardless. Supplies, an escort, or whatever.¡± ¡°Thank you. We may have to take you up on that.¡± Regina smiled again and glanced back at the party that was still ongoing around them. They stayed silent for a time, while she was enjoying the atmosphere. Chapter 355: Growing The Empire had made a lot of progress in the last few months, or you could even say ever since its founding. Still, they just hadn¡¯t had enough time to really get very far in the great scheme of things, which Tia found very frustrating. In principle, her job was to oversee the Hive¡¯s and Empire¡¯s capabilities in a more military sense. But in reality, it wasn¡¯t so easy to separate civilian and military infrastructure or capabilities, and she wasn¡¯t stuck just playing warfare logistics, either. Mia would strangle her if she refused to help with other projects just based on them not being directly relevant for the army. As such, she was heavily involved in the development of the country as a whole as well as the various projects the Hive was sponsoring. The most progress had been made with the roads. It was a labor-intensive but not particularly challenging project, on the whole. And they weren¡¯t really lacking for manpower, especially since it was still pretty cheap to just hire people from the local region to help lay the roads. That boosted the local economy in addition to facilitating travel and trade there. By now, all the major cities in the Empire had been connected and they had made good progress in doing the same for other towns. It was going so well that Mia and Tia barely had to spend any time on it beside reviewing the occasional status updates. The railways were a lot more of a problem child, in comparison. A few test rail lines had been laid, but it would still take a while until they were actually able to be used regularly. Building locomotives was still very money- and time-intensive, so much so she had serious doubts about its commercial viability just now. Especially since they probably couldn¡¯t ¡ª or wouldn¡¯t ¡ª stick to one power source for long. Mia even thought it might be best to put the entire project on ice until they were better prepared, or at least until they had secured more steel, but Tia had argued for keeping it going. In her experience, you didn¡¯t make any breakthroughs or come up with new solutions if you didn¡¯t try to work on it. Materials were becoming a real issue, which was why she was glad that trade with other countries had risen sharply. They were importing iron from quite a few countries now, even if these countries mostly couldn¡¯t offer very much. Not at the scale of their fledgling industry, at least. Tia was also overseeing an effort at increasing mining operations in the Empire itself, which would hopefully help. She was particularly interested in the south, including the mountains. Who knew what sort of resources might be hidden there? It was obvious they¡¯d changed a lot from the Alps in Regina¡¯s time, if all the monsters weren¡¯t enough of a clue. The cooperation they were starting with the dwarves would hopefully open up a lot of opportunities. It also provided a good excuse for her to go and talk to Tim and Dan, who had actually met the dwarves. Tia could have probably relied more on information shared in the psychic link, but she wouldn¡¯t let an opportunity to chat with her favorite brothers go to waste. Well, favorite brother and somewhat favored brother; Dan was okay but he wasn¡¯t Tim. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go there and see for yourself?¡± Tim suggested. ¡°I don¡¯t think Mother would stop you. And it¡¯s not like anyone else would.¡± Tia shrugged. ¡°We¡¯d need someone to power the teleportation, and honestly I don¡¯t really need to see this thing for myself. It would be a lot of fuss and effort. I have your impressions and I¡¯m less interested in this material than the rest of it.¡± She wouldn¡¯t pretend she wasn¡¯t curious, but not enough to go haring off outside the range of the psychic link. ¡°True, you probably shouldn¡¯t try to work with it anyway, I don¡¯t think Regina would allow that,¡± Tim nodded. ¡°It seems to be dangerous. But what about the rest of your projects?¡± ¡°They¡¯re going pretty well,¡± she told him. Sensing his interest, Tia launched into a quick explanation of her current progress. She knew Tim was keeping abreast of the general developments, but she mostly talked about her issues. They were interrupted by a shriek, and Tia glanced up. She noted that Tim instinctively went for the dagger he wasn¡¯t carrying today, but ignored it. The two of them had been walking through the palace, especially to the inner gardens. They were still in their outskirts, where an open promenade led into the greenery. Tia relaxed once she noted what was happening. It was hard to mistake the little human toddling along the cross path with surprising speed, or his mother going after him and trying to catch him. She succeeded just before they would have crashed into the two of them. ¡°I see little Robin¡¯s already learning to run away,¡± she commented quietly. Florance took a step back, gripping her son tightly, who was squirming in her arms and laughing. ¡°Please forgive the interruption,¡± the woman said, bowing surprisingly gracefully despite the toddler. ¡°Your Highnesses.¡± Tia suppressed the urge to make a face. She still wasn¡¯t quite used to that. ¡°No need for the formalities, Lady Florance,¡± she replied after a quick glance at Tim. ¡°It is always nice to see you, and the little prince. God, he¡¯s growing really fast, isn¡¯t he?¡± Florance smiled politely. ¡°Indeed, he seems to become more of a handful every day,¡± she agreed. After a moment, her smile turned a bit more genuine. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose Hivekind have much experience with such things.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Tia took a step closer, curious despite herself, with Tim copying her. She¡¯d seen the kid around, of course, as well as others, but she didn¡¯t spend much time with children. Especially ones so young. Robin Lyns smiled at her. He seemed like a cheerful baby. ¡°There haven¡¯t been any problems with his magic, have there?¡± Tim asked, sounding concerned. He reached out tentatively, catching the boy¡¯s attention, but stopped short of actually touching him. His mother shook her head. ¡°Not at all. The Empress has still checked him regularly, and June is quite committed to monitoring him, but neither of them has seen any issue. He seems to be developing as normal despite any irregularities with his mana, or so they say.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Tia muttered. She raised her gaze, focusing on the woman instead. Florance wasn¡¯t that old, as far as Tia knew ¡ª maybe forty or early forties at most ¡ª but she looked a bit older. Part of the reason for that might be the strain of repeated pregnancies, not to mention many miscarriages, which could probably do some damage beyond that. Tia wouldn¡¯t underestimate her because of it, though. It took strength and resilience to keep going like she had. But the lady was also polite and politic enough that Tia wasn¡¯t sure how she really felt about many things, like the Hive as a whole. ¡°Now that he is growing up a little, you must have more time for other things,¡± Tim commented. ¡°I heard you¡¯ve started a regular soir¨¦e for ladies in the capital, along with your laudable efforts with the Cernlian crown¡¯s charity projects.¡± Florance inclined her head. ¡°Thank you for your kind words, Prince Tim. I do try.¡± ¡°More than try,¡± Tia chimed in. ¡°If it wouldn¡¯t be a bother, perhaps I could attend one of these evenings? Not to put you on the spot, of course; you can let me know your decision later, and I won¡¯t begrudge it if you¡¯d prefer to keep it to your current circle. I¡¯ve heard nothing but good things of your charity efforts, as well. I know that takes more effort and finesse than it might seem.¡± The queen mother smiled slightly. ¡°Thank you, Princess Tia. They are traditional ventures of the Cernlian queen. Since my daughter is busy with more important matters, I am simply trying to contribute where I can, to lighten her load a little if I am able. It is the least I can do.¡± Clearly, Tia thought. She¡¯d never heard Kiara say much about these ventures, although June had mentioned them before. ¡°I am certain Kiara appreciates it, Lady Florance,¡± Tim said earnestly. ¡°Janis had nothing but praise.¡± Florance¡¯s expression was very neutral at the mention of Janis. ¡°Of course. Speaking of, would either of you know who I should speak to regarding matters of the Imperial household? I promised Princess Janis I would help with getting her aunt settled and integrated.¡± Tia raised an eyebrow slightly. ¡°If not Regina herself, I would talk to Ira, she really runs things around here, I think. Or perhaps Max. He was more concerned with overseeing the security, but he is also heavily involved with other matters regarding the court and household as a result.¡± ¡°That is helpful, thank you.¡± She glanced down at her son, who was reaching up to tug at her hair and clearly demanding attention. ¡°I should settle Robin down for his nap. If you would excuse me?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Tim said, as they stepped aside. ¡°It was a pleasure to talk to you again.¡± Florance bowed her head and walked off, transferring the boy to the other arm. He laughed again, the sound following them down the hallway into the building, as the two of them looked after them. ¡°Something is still going on with that family,¡± Tia said. Tim snorted slightly. ¡°Maybe it always is.¡± He paused, considering. ¡°Do you think Florance likes Janis?¡± Tia frowned, thinking back to various conversations with the girls. ¡°I think she likes Janis just fine on a personal level, but she¡¯s not a fan of their relationship for other reasons. But she¡¯s also not going to say anything or make a fuss and she will support Kiara for the same practical reasons.¡± Unlike June, who clearly liked Janis a lot and was very supportive of their relationship, mostly because she just wanted her sister to be happy. At least neither of them was actually homophobic. Though, from what Tia could tell, a homophobic attitude was decidedly out of fashion in the court of Cera, anyway. She didn¡¯t have the impression that Kiara and Janis¡¯ relationship was an open secret that everyone knew, but it was definitely not the most tightly held secret, either. A lot of people probably had their suspicions but didn¡¯t do anything about them. Presumably because shit-talking either the Cernlian queen or Imperial crown princess was bad enough, and both at once would be worse. Though Tia didn¡¯t pay much attention to gossip, so maybe her evaluation was off. ¡°It¡¯s going to be weird to move out and no longer live in the same palace,¡± Tim commented as they kept walking. Tia shrugged. She¡¯d kept abreast of the progress of the new capital, although not in any real detail. She knew how far it had come, though. ¡°Maybe,¡± she said. ¡°We already moved here from the base at Forest¡¯s Haunt. Not to mention the base in the forest. I think I¡¯ve actually stayed here longer than at any of them, though.¡± ¡°Probably,¡± Tim said. ¡°It feels like a very long time ago that we were building huts in the forest.¡± He paused, frowning slightly. ¡°Now I¡¯m building military barracks in several cities, and not personally, but just on paper.¡± Tia hummed. She personally liked building things. Even if that didn¡¯t usually mean she worked on them with her own hands, when it came to buildings. Contributing to the planning and design was still fun. But she still understood what Tim meant. ¡°You are building a lot of these garrisons,¡± she said lightly. Tim cocked his head. ¡°I blame Max. He seems to take our security so seriously, he¡¯s extended it to mean the security of the entire Empire.¡± Tia laughed. Tim smiled weakly but didn¡¯t join in. After a bit, she trailed off, clearing her throat. ¡°I guess he¡¯s not entirely wrong,¡± she admitted. There were a lot of them now. Thousands of drones. Tens of thousands, even. They still weren¡¯t growing as quickly as they could have, but the last, peaceful months had still seen a significant growth in the Hive. And their security was directly correlated to that of everyone else in the country, to its security as a whole. ¡°Do we really need that many military bases?¡± she asked after a moment. ¡°I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not complaining. I will gladly help build them and I like making cannons for the army as much as the next girl.¡± Tim shrugged. ¡°I think we¡¯re all looking to the next war,¡± he said. ¡°As much as I might prefer to avoid it, I don¡¯t think the Esemen or the Western Confederation will let us just build and expand the Empire in peace. Besides, you never know when we¡¯ll run into a new enemy. And we¡¯re pretty well set up for war. Speaking of, how are those cannons coming along?¡± Tia nodded. She knew they could easily win against their neighbors if they went to war. It was only because Regina didn¡¯t want to attack them that they didn¡¯t. That was her decision, of course. Like everyone else, Tia wouldn¡¯t question it or complain about it, but she¡¯d also help her Hive conquer their surroundings if the Hive Queen changed her mind. That was, as far as she could tell, the Hivekind way. ¡°They¡¯re coming along well,¡± she said, refocusing her thoughts on one of her longer-running projects. ¡°We managed to make qualitative improvements to several of the models. The mortars¡¯ range is significantly greater and we¡¯ve managed to improve their precision even more. The heavy artillery is also a little lighter now. We¡¯ve been trying some prototypes of lightweight, field-portable versions. Most would still do better with horse-drawn carts, or with stronger and heavier Swarm Drones working to transport them. I¡¯ve actually got a pretty nice model of a portable grenade launcher, too. It still needs a bit of improvement, but with a bit more work I¡¯d feel comfortable outfitting the army with it as a standard weapon.¡± Tim smiled. His eyes went a bit glassy, and she could tell he was looking through information in the psychic link. ¡°I¡¯ll have to test them a little more closely,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ve done good work, as always, Tia.¡± Tia shrugged. ¡°Thanks. Gotta admit, I¡¯m actually looking forward to seeing how everything will actually stand up in battle.¡± He smiled slightly. ¡°Yeah. Just don¡¯t let Janis hear you talking like that.¡± Tia didn¡¯t respond. She knew Janis didn¡¯t want another war. She even understood that. But she also knew that if she actually thought the Hive and the Empire wouldn¡¯t wage war again, she was just kidding herself. Chapter 356: Review Janis knew the Empire would wage war again, she was just hoping it would wait for a long time. Still, as she stood on the review stand the people around her had hastily erected and watched a company of soldiers after another march past, she reflected that at least they wouldn¡¯t be caught unprepared. Honestly, she had pretty conflicted feelings on the matter. A part of her was even a little resentful that Regina seemed to have left any duties that had to do with commanding the army to her. Not that she was alone, of course, Ben and Max and the others were doing their part. But Janis was the crown princess and she was the crown¡¯s designated representative for leading their people in battle. She knew any resentment was groundless, of course; as the Empress, Regina had more than enough other duties to take care of. It made sense to split the responsibility a little. Besides, while Regina was hardly stupid, she wasn¡¯t really a general. Luckily, Ben as the official Marshal of the Empire was doing very good work. ¡°Enlistment is up by ten percept from last month, Your Imperial Highness,¡± the local commander said. ¡°We will be able to muster a new company soon.¡± Janis nodded, briefly glancing at the man before she returned her attention to the soldiers passing by on the open parade ground. The marching troops had finished and were now followed by ranks of cavalry. All of them currently wearing firearms in addition to cavalry sabers. They did make a pretty picture. ¡°You have done good work, Colonel,¡± she praised. ¡°It is reassuring to know that the northern border will be that much more secure, relying on a solid defense in this province.¡± He smiled, obviously pleased, just as she¡¯d intended. And while Janis was here to raise morale, she wasn¡¯t lying. Obviously, judging the local garrison by their performance on an occasion like this would be flawed, but she could still tell they were disciplined. The colonel and his subordinates had seemed competent. It was the last stop on her current route, and she¡¯d definitely seen worse. There were even a few recruits for the Star Guard here. She¡¯d scheduled time to speak to a few of them later. Regina¡¯s plan for that outfit seemed to have worked so far; they were truly seen as an elite that other soldiers aspired to join, even if they hadn¡¯t really proven themselves in war yet. ¡°You seem to have handled the transition from disparate levies to a proper army well in this county,¡± the commander of her current escort from the Star Guard noted. Jay was a senior drone, one of the highest officers in the Guard and honestly probably a little too senior to just play escort for her, but she guessed he¡¯d wanted to see the northern defenses for himself, too. Not that Janis objected to having him with her. ¡°Yes, we are fortunate to have many true patriots who are eager to do their duty to the Empire,¡± the colonel responded. ¡°It perhaps helps that the Count is away, having taken a position in the capital, to be frank.¡± Janis smiled slightly. That was good to know, but she didn¡¯t want to risk an answer being taken the wrong way, so she didn¡¯t say anything; just refocused her attention on the inspection of the troops she was here for, which was coming to an end. She paid particular attention to the artillery pieces they had. Which wasn¡¯t many, this wasn¡¯t the most important garrison or the largest, but they did show off a few. Janis watched a drill to make sure they knew how to use them properly, occasionally asking a few more questions of the local commander. She had no real concerns here, it had been a rather relaxed visit so far, and it continued in that vein. After the review, she talked to a few of the veterans who would be joining the Star Guard. Again, Janis didn¡¯t ask any hard questions or give them a hard time. She probably could have still kicked them out, but there was no reason to. This trip was mostly to be seen and raise morale. And these soldiers in particular had been carefully chosen, she didn¡¯t really think a few minutes¡¯ conversation would do a better job at deciding if they were suitable. It took a few more hours, talking with the local officers and promising to help sort out a few issues, and then they finally left. Janis rolled her shoulders as her entourage departed the gate of the military base, mostly just a few buildings with a fence around them. ¡°That was the last of them,¡± she said. Jay smiled slightly. ¡°Saving the best for last, then?¡± She glanced at him. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s enough reason to make such a distinction, honestly.¡± ¡°Fair enough, but I wasn¡¯t really talking about the garrison here.¡± Janis sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just go to the market and look around a little, perhaps?¡± They had already spoken to people at the local lord¡¯s hall, where they were quartered. However, with the local count away at the capital and nothing much happening there, it had been pretty boring and quiet. But there was a reason Janis was paying attention here. This city ¡ª or more like a large town, perhaps ¡ª was the closest city to the Esemen and also pretty close to the Western Confederation. Trade ties had been strong. There were reports of growing tension ¡ª when were there not, though? ¡ª and Janis wanted to look around personally, besides just inspecting their defenses. It didn¡¯t take long to notice that the prices were rising, once they reached the market. Of course, Janis and her escort of several Star Guard soldiers attracted a lot of attention. She smiled and nodded, accepting greetings and blessings from people, occasionally exchanging a few words. After the first wave of interest died down, she walked past a few stalls, looking at prices and talking to a few of the people. The market was also ringed by storefronts, and she chanced a look inside several of them as well. Overall, it wasn¡¯t hard to tell were the problems lay. There were a few goods you generally got from more southern parts of the Empire here, and others that were imported from the neighboring countries. Trinkets and household goods crafted in a certain style unique to their origin, or goods imported from even further away. Expensive wines were a particularly interesting choice, since she could also look at vintages and no one found it strange that the princess would be looking at fine wines. The best ones supposedly still came from several regions around the Rhine and almost certainly passed through the Western Confederation. The same was true of other luxury goods, but also religious idols from Esemen or books from certain writers. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Not that the latter was a large concern, the Empire was far ahead when it came to books. Also many other things that had benefited from Regina¡¯s introduction of new knowledge and techniques. Overall, it was easy to see prices were up, especially from Esemen. That was a concern. There had been minor tax hikes and tariff increases that could explain rising prices on imported goods from the Western Confederation, but not from Esemen. As far as she knew, the tariffs hadn¡¯t changed. And the Imperial government certainly should have been informed. That meant merchants were probably less willing to come to the Empire, driving up prices for their goods since there was less supply for the same demand. That seemed to be born out by what she saw. She wasn¡¯t aware of any epidemics or large-scale disasters in Esemen that would have affected it, though. Janis quickly shared her speculation with Jay when they had a bit of privacy, who nodded. ¡°Our informants in the east still aren¡¯t the best, but we can definitely look into that,¡± he said. ¡°It could be that the Esemen government is putting pressure on their merchants to avoid the Empire. They would probably deny it if we asked or complained.¡± Janis nodded, frowning. Making your citizens avoid coming to a nearby country could be seen as a sign for a prelude to war, to avoid them getting caught up in it. But if the Esemen were actually planning to attack the Empire soon, there would be more signs of it. Of course, they could just be thinking long-term. She talked to a few more people, getting some information and taking a few mental notes on things to look into. Reports of this would have probably reached them sooner or later, anyway, but it seemed like a recent development. If only they had more spies in Esemen to confirm for them what was happening. Unfortunately, the Esemen were annoyingly good at avoiding or catching them, from what Janis heard. It wasn¡¯t really her area of responsibility. Still, it put her in a contemplative mood even as they finally returned to their quarters to eat dinner before heading back. At least she had also managed to pick up a few things at the market to bring back as souvenirs, especially for Kiara. Dinner was quiet and uneventful. The sparse staff left in the mansion clearly tried their best, but it couldn¡¯t compare to the usual fare at the palace. Maybe I¡¯ve become spoiled, Janis reflected. The different courses and extra-sweet dessert would have seemed extravagant to her a few years ago. She limited herself to a single glass of wine, while her escort didn¡¯t drink. Then they left, mounting their Winged Drone Mounts and taking off into the sky. At this point, Janis was used to traveling like this. The ease and speed was simply unequaled. A carriage might have been more pleasant, especially on the new roads and with a decent suspension system, but she pulled up the scarf she¡¯d brought for this reason over her lower face, tucked her gloved hands flat against the drone¡¯s back and ignored the wind and chill of the air, with the ease of practice. A part of her liked to feel like she was still a warrior and not some spoiled princess, she had to admit. The trip took several hours, and she distracted herself by diving into the psychic link and catching up with several drones she hadn¡¯t talked to in a while. The sun was setting in the east and she spared a few moments for appreciating the sight before it got dark. Their flying drones didn¡¯t care, able to see well enough at night. Finally, they reached Cera. The drones circled once around the city before they landed in a secluded courtyard at the back of the royal palace. Janis hopped down, stretching a bit, and checked on her escorts via the psychic link out of habit as she walked inside. The palace was pretty quiet at this hour, although it rarely completely slept. Janis glanced around, dimissing Jay and the others with a wordless feeling of thanks, before she headed to the wing where the royal family of Cernlia kept their quarters ¡ª a short distance from the suites given to the Imperial royals and Janis¡¯ own bedroom. Kiara was still awake. She had dressed down for bed already, though, her hair falling freely down her back and slippers peeking out from the hem of a night robe. There was no one else around. Janis opened the door quietly, smiling at Kiara and stepping in before closing it softly as well, setting down her bag beside it for later. By the time she turned back around, her girlfriend was in front of her, reaching up to tangle a hand in her hair and kiss her. Janis eagerly recipocrated, putting her arms around Kiara¡¯s waist and back. After a few seconds, she deepened the kiss, teasing Kiara¡¯s mouth open and exploring it with her tongue. ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± Kiara said as they finally broke apart and she stepped back, breathing a little more heavily. ¡°Sorry,¡± Janis said. ¡°I spent a little longer in the last city than I thought. The Esemen are causing the prices of goods to rise.¡± She shook her head, then stepped further into the room and took off her jacket. ¡°I appreciate you waiting up for me.¡± Kiara smiled slightly, though there was still a bit of tension in her expression. She clearly decided to leave talking about the Esemen for later, and only said, ¡°Of course. What sort of lover would I be if I didn¡¯t greet you on your return? Besides, the bed is cold and lonely on its own, I require your presence in it.¡± ¡°A well-rested one, hopefully,¡± Janis smirked, stepping forward again after she¡¯d kicked off her shoes and starting to slowly lower Kiara¡¯s robe from her shoulders. It did present a very enticing sight; she liked Kiara in full regalia, but there was something different about such an intimate moment. ¡°And does that mean you don¡¯t want to use my bed from now on?¡± Kiara seemed to hesitate for a moment, before she pushed a strand of Janis¡¯ hair behind her ear. ¡°I don¡¯t mind either way, of course. But Mother and June already know about us, if they catch you creeping around at night it won¡¯t be an issue.¡± ¡°So do the Hive,¡± Janis pointed out. ¡°There aren¡¯t really any more outsiders here than in this wing. It¡¯s fine, though.¡± She sighed. ¡°I wish all this secrecy wasn¡¯t necessary.¡± Kiara tensed slightly, which Janis could sense as her fingers were currently exploring the best path under her nightshirt. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any intention of risking my reign any further.¡± Janis shrugged, stopping her movements. ¡°You know I¡¯d never push you into something you¡¯re not comfortable with, Kiara. And I do appreciate that we have some more privacy.¡± Kiara nodded, then lifted a hand to trace Janis¡¯ lips and chin with a soft touch. ¡°I know. I don¡¯t deserve you, my love.¡± ¡°I beg to differ, my queen. You¡¯re mine and I¡¯m not giving you up.¡± Kiara smiled and they leaned in for a kiss, softer this time. But when Janis moved her hands again towards her breasts, Kiara shook her head, drawing back. ¡°Not today, love. Let us simply go to sleep, we need to start the day early tomorrow.¡± Janis nodded, a little disappointed, but she was pretty tired. She knew it wasn¡¯t because of their location or surroundings; Janis still wasn¡¯t a psychic, but she had gotten very good at separating her mind from the psychic link and keeping that barrier up subconsciously. Instead, she quickly changed into one of Kiara¡¯s shirts and then climbed into bed with her. Her girlfriend pulled her closer and Janis absentmindedly traced a finger down her neck to her collarbones. Maybe it was the monster in her, but she wished she could just bite her here firmly, mark her girlfriend for everyone to see. Leave a visible reminder that would remind her girlfriend she was here, that she belonged to her and was cared for and protected, when Janis couldn¡¯t be there. Pushing the thought aside, she wrapped her arms around Kiara, enjoying her warmth and letting the steady beat of her heart lull her to sleep. Interlude: Isolation ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen one of you Delvers with a proper house name,¡± the dark elf said. ¡°You do realize you don¡¯t need one to walk the tunnels of the Eternal Dark, right?¡± ¡°Your order has agreements with our people,¡± the second man, his companion, added. Armin forced a smile and managed not to roll his eyes. Of course he was aware of that fact. It was common knowledge, even if he didn¡¯t know Madris. ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± he said drily. ¡°I am a Delver, you guessed right in that regard, but I am actually not here on business for the order.¡± The two dark elves exchanged a look. They were both male and looked young, probably still in their first centuries. He didn¡¯t recognize the symbol embroidered on their jackets, clearly a house sigil, but they were obviously soldiers. The uniforms and weapons made that clear, in addition to the fact they were manning this outpost ¡ª what amounted to a minor border checkpoint. ¡°Now I¡¯m not sure if we should let you in,¡± the second, slightly younger one, said. ¡°Why would you tell us that, anyway?¡± Armin half-sighed and gave them a stern look. ¡°It does not matter, because I have every right to be here either way. I belong to a house of the Eternal Dark, founded and headed by a powerful lady of high standing. You¡¯ll let me pass, boys, because you¡¯re not idiots, and you don¡¯t want your superior to get a visit from my lady. Believe me, no one would be happy after that.¡± The first man actually stepped back slightly. They exchanged another look, before the second turned to open the gate of the checkpoint, a rather simple construct of wooden beams and planks, and the first nodded at him. ¡°Alright, no need for threats. Come on in, friend.¡± Armin smiled and thanked him before stepping through, deeper into the tunnel. Now he was officially in the realm of the dark elves. Finally, after rather lengthy travel. He could have descended into the Eternal Dark earlier, or at least into tunnels leading to the dark elves¡¯ home. They extended much further than most people realized. But this way had probably been faster. And he was impatient. Between the dithering, preparations and travel, the last proper letter they had gotten from the Eternal Dark, the one that had prompted Icnes to consider returning and Madris to send him instead, was several months ago. ¡°What should I expect on this route? Anything I should be aware of?¡± he asked. ¡°A few monsters, including a colony of Tunnelers a ways down the southern crossing, and the usual dangers. But considering your level, I doubt it will be a challenge,¡± the soldier said, shrugging. ¡°Normally I¡¯d recommend not traveling alone, but you¡¯re clearly strong.¡± Armin nodded. ¡°Thank you, soldier. I¡¯ll be off then. Good fortune to you.¡± They wished him the same, craning their necks as he set off down the tunnel. He knew he was likely the most interesting thing to happen to them all week, so he took no offense. The tunnel was narrow and dim compared to what he had been told to expect, but darkness was hardly a problem for Armin. He strode down the path at a quick pace, adjusting the straps of his pack absentmindedly. He only had to get to the first city, there would be people waiting for him there. From Icnes¡¯ house, he understood. The travel to get here had been boring more than anything, and so far, the tunnels were only more of the same. He recalled what he¡¯d heard and the maps of the Eternal Dark he¡¯d seen, but there was only so long he could dwell on them. Armin was curious to finally see what Madris had told him of many times. He knew she didn¡¯t particularly want to return, but it had always sounded fascinating to him. He¡¯d even learned their language. It was also an opportunity to find out more about her past; in her stories, he¡¯d always felt like there were some things she¡¯d left out, or left as implications. More importantly, of course, he would be evaluating the situation for both her and the Empire. He¡¯d traveled for several hours before he was first attacked by monsters. It was a small group of Tunnelers, only about a dozen, and none of them higher than the second Tier. The narrow tunnel meant he only needed to fight a few of them at once. Armin made sure his back was covered, manifested some shadows into a spectral blade, his favorite trick, and then conjured more shadow to bind and hinder their movements while he slashed at them. He received several slashes, but he¡¯d also triggered his defensive Skill, Shadow Armor, which caught all of them. It made the fight more annoying than truly threatening. By the time he was finished, he¡¯d worked up a sweat. He glanced at the bodies, then decided to leave them as he lacked the tools or time to properly harvest them, and instead turned to continue on. Still, this fight seemed to have broken some kind of dam. Over the next hour, he was attacked twice more, once by some giant spider ¡ª luckily not the kind with corrosive or acidic venom ¡ª and the other by mole-like monsters he hadn¡¯t seen before but recognized from descriptions. Armin made sure he didn¡¯t linger and instead hurried on. It was tiring. He was more used to fighting in a group and had almost forgotten how exhausting it could be on his own. Luckily, after that the monsters tapered off. He only encountered a few more Tunnelers, and then an hour of nothing. Perhaps he should have realized that meant he was getting close to a dark elf city ¡ª of course they would keep their surroundings clear. Regardless, the tunnel opened abruptly into a larger cavern, and once he crossed it, the path spiraled down to the ground of an even larger hollow, perhaps the size of a surface city in diameter. It was not completely given over to housing, he soon realized, so the actual settlement was only perhaps the size of a large town. There was a small waterway on the east end, diverted into a few ponds, presumably for fishing. Most of the walls of the cavern, some pockmarked with artificial caves, were clearly used for growing mushrooms and other edibles. Magical lights dotted them in some spots to provide for those crops that needed it, also brightening the cavern a little. Armin walked down the road towards the town, ignoring the gazes of the few people out beyond its confines. As expected, there were a few soldiers guarding the entrance here, too. They watched him warily, and he kept his expression calm as he approached. ¡°Halt, human,¡± one finally said, stepping down from the open platform of the gatehouse to greet him. ¡°Who are you and what is your business here?¡± ¡°Armin niz¡¯as Ulaven,¡± he responded, even though they could see it with the System. ¡°I am only passing through.¡± ¡°Why do you have a house name of ours, and what are you doing in the Eternal Dark?¡± the soldier continued asking. ¡°Because Eminent Mistress Ulaven took me into her house,¡± he answered, letting some of his annoyance show. ¡°I am here on an errand for her. Do you intend to bar my way? Because I know that would not be lawful.¡± ¡°No one said we would,¡± another soldier jumped down hastily. He wasn¡¯t sure about their ranks, but his level was higher, at 30. ¡°Asking these questions is standard procedure.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Clearly, the mention of Madris had spooked them. The other two soldiers immediately opened the gate. Armin inclined his head slightly. ¡°My thanks,¡± he told them, subtly excluding the first soldier. It might be petty, but he didn¡¯t care. Instead, he stepped into the town. Again, he attracted a lot of stares, which didn¡¯t surprise him. At least no one seemed outright hostile. He supposed being this close to the border of the Eternal Dark, people here were likely to see some travelers passing through on occasion, including Delvers. Not that he was certain how the soldiers had recognized him as a Delver, but perhaps they simply assumed any armed human who came to visit was one. Armin wandered down the street, looking around curiously and taking note of the buildings and people. The houses were surprisingly similar to what he¡¯d see above-ground, though usually with flat roofs ¡ª he supposed they didn¡¯t have to worry about rain or snow accumulating. Similarly, the street was open and the few market stands he glimpsed further on had no coverings. The road was hewn directly into the rock of the cavern. Otherwise, it could have been a scene from a surface city. ¡°Visitor!¡± someone called over to him as he stepped into a small town square. Armin almost walked past, assuming they were simply trying to hawk some wares, before a closer look made him stop. There were two men wearing a different kind of armor, lighter and of a darker color, as well as a woman in a dress of some shimmering fabric he didn¡¯t recognize but had seen on several people so far. The sigil on their shoulder was also different, but he recognized it. The woman looked him up and down as he approached and clicked her tongue. ¡°You¡¯re not quite what I was expecting ¡­ Sir Armin,¡± she told him. ¡°But I would venture that you are who we were supposed to watch for.¡±
Peras Oliren ¡ª Level 28 Ink Hand
¡°Mostly likely,¡± he agreed, quickly checking them out in return. He could take those two soldiers, but it shouldn¡¯t be necessary. ¡°Were you sent by Mistress Icnes Oliren?¡± the dark elf asked, clearly simply to confirm an assumption. She didn¡¯t sound doubtful. ¡°Mostly by her sister, Madris Ulaven,¡± he said. ¡°But yes. I have a letter from her.¡± He quickly opened his pack and got it out, passing it to her to read. In truth, he had several letters, one of which he was only supposed to give to someone very high up in this house. But this one was more general, simply an introduction that confirmed some basic facts. Peras read it over and nodded, then passed it back. ¡°Good. We will ensure you have an escort the rest of the way, then. I will accompany you to Eterian¡¯nes, that is, the closest city. In fact, Lord Oliren has been eager to meet you and is already waiting there. We can rest here but shouldn¡¯t dawdle. I¡¯ve arranged accommodations for us and we can get an additional room for you, then set off in the morning for the city, where we should arrive in the late afternoon. If that suits you?¡± ¡°Perfectly,¡± he assured her. He was a little curious who he would meet; if she was calling him ¡®lord¡¯, with no discernible irritation or anything but respect in her tone, it had to be a very respected man. He had a suspicion, but bit down on the urge to ask further questions. There would be time for that. For now, their meeting had already attracted some curious looks, and he quickly followed the small group of dark elves to their inn. It, too, would not be very out of place on the surface. The lighting was dim, and there was a large water clock prominently displayed in the common room, to help keep the time in the absence of sunlight. He knew dark elves still operated on a regular daily cycle simply because their bodies required regular rest, the same as anyone else¡¯s, but it would be quite the experience to live without the guidance of the sun or stars. But Armin barely had time to contemplate it before he was ushered into a small room, bare of most anything but a bed. Tired from the travel, he hardly minded, so he simply laid down to sleep. He thought he woke early the next day, but Peras and her escorts were already up. Armin stayed at the inn for breakfast, a mush of what he supposed were mushrooms and strange plants, with a peculiar, almost bitter taste. He would have liked some honey to sweeten it, but that was clearly rare here. Still, he didn¡¯t complain, only made sure his gear was safely stowed before he accompanied the dark elves out into town. Peras had paid for his stay, but he requested they stop at a money changer so he could exchange most of the coin he brought. Thankfully, being this close to an exit to the surface, there was one in town. With the dark elf woman¡¯s help, he even managed to get a favorable exchange. The money lender, a withered old man, seemed rather curious about the Imperial coinage he brought. He supposed it had not spread this far yet. ¡°You will see much more of it in the coming decades,¡± Armin told him, and the old elf smiled with amusement. The Eternal Dark¡¯s own coinage was unified, though the back of the coin showed where it had been minted, mostly by the sigil of the controlling house. He noticed one of his new golden coins had the symbol of Oliren - an ¡®X¡¯ cross with a star in the middle - on it. "It¡¯s only a few miles to the next transit point, then we can rent gliders and follow the eastern route to the city,¡± Peras told him. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± he smiled. And he did. They left the town without fuss, even though they were moving east, deeper into the Eternal Dark. The tunnel here was a bit wider, and there were even lines demarcating it into two lanes, outbound and inbound, though it was sparsely used at the moment and no one seemed to care about them. Armin made chitchat with the dark elves, also managing to coax some conversation from the fighters who had thus far been mostly silent. Once they opened up, they were pleasant enough conversation partners, telling him some stories from their home province. Almost too soon, they reached the transit station Peras had mentioned. Armin looked around curiously. It was a hut with a large attached workshed, from what he could see. Beyond it, the tunnel dipped down, and, stepping closer, he was greeted by an impressive sight. This tunnel, if it could still be called that, was much wider ¡ª at least the width of a large hall. It descended downward, deeper underground toward the heart of the Eternal Dark, and curved slightly. There were cables spanned across it, held up by pegs hammered into the ceiling. He didn¡¯t even want to imagine how dangerous placing them to build this railway of the air might have been. Another dark elf woman stepped out to greet them. As Peras started discussing and haggling over their rental, Armin stepped closer to the shed and the glider he could see resting on a wooden frame beside it. It was large, a frame of thin wood and bits of metal with lengths of cloth spanned overhead almost like wings. It looked like they were foldable, even. It took the right wing moving before he realized someone was lying under it, working on the frame. Armin stepped back, then frowned as he saw the man who clambered to his feet beside him. The worker dusted his hands off on his roughspun coveralls, shooting him a glance. ¡°You¡¯re a dwarf?¡± ¡°Obviously,¡± he rolled his eyes. ¡°And you¡¯re a human, aren¡¯t you?¡± Armin ducked his head slightly. ¡°Pardon me,¡± he apologized. ¡°I was just surprised. I wasn¡¯t expecting to see one of your people down here.¡± ¡°Clearly,¡± the dwarf grumbled. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°What does it look like? Working. I need to get this glider fixed up quickly. It looks like your party might need it.¡± ¡°Yes, but ¡­ how did you come to be in the Eternal Dark, working for dark elves, if I may ask?¡± The other man stared at him for a long moment, his eyes narrowed. It struck Armin that he was probably younger than he seemed, not that he was familiar with dwarven aging or lifespan, as he checked his System description. ¡°They captured me in the last war.¡±
Tanmi-le ¡ª Level 26 Engineer
¡°Oh.¡± Armin winced slightly in embarrassment. He should have known. It wasn¡¯t like Madris hadn¡¯t warned him what else he might find down here. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The dwarf shrugged. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Delver. Just passing through.¡± ¡°Clearly, that¡¯s not all you are, human,¡± he scoffed lightly. ¡°I¡¯ve been here long enough to recognize the name ¡®Ulaven¡¯.¡± Armin inclined his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m here for my Eminent Mistress.¡± Tanmi-le grumbled something he couldn¡¯t make out. He didn¡¯t look friendly. Before they could continue the conversation, Peras called him over, and one of the soldiers came to check. Armin lingered for a moment, then quietly bid the dwarf goodbye and turned away. There was little he could do, anyway. For the first time since he arrived in the Eternal Dark, he felt the urge to talk to Madris. But that was unfeasible. At this distance, even if it was possible, it would take too much mana and focus. Instead, he checked that he still had his daggers and tightened the straps of his pack to prepare for the next step of the journey in this little adventure. Chapter 357: Peace and Cooperation Regina finally got word that the war in the south had ended a little while after it actually happened. They still regularly sent people down and swapped out the garrison at the old Hivekind base, but since the teleportation needed quite a bit of power and was only possible from the new temple side, the teleportation pad wasn¡¯t activated often. Still, it was a much more direct route and faster than traveling over the mountains, so it was how they got most news. Apparently, there had been several villages burned during the course of this war between the city-states. Regina felt an uncomfortable twisting in her gut at the thought of what had happened to the people living there. Tim clearly knew, and he looked a little nervous. But Regina wasn¡¯t going to blow up at him now. What was done was done. He¡¯d done what he thought was best and it had clearly worked. It was also hard to say if his actions had truly led to anything that might not have happened anyway. Either way, the end result of the war seemed to be that not much had truly changed. Some borders had been moved, mostly to the benefit of Iliyan. Veragles had clearly not invested much into the war, after what had happened, which led to Iliucin, their ostensible ally, being much worse off. They would have to keep a close eye on the situation in case someone decided to turn covetous eyes to the base now that their soldiers were no longer occupied fighting each other, but Regina was still relieved to hear it was over. Especially without the base getting attacked or anything. Iseis seemed to be content to stay at the temple for now, overseeing both it and the teleportation pad. Regina didn¡¯t mind, although she¡¯d hoped for more lessons from her, which would have been easier if she¡¯d come back to Cera. Still, it wasn¡¯t worth complaining about. Meanwhile, their planned road through the mountains progressed pretty well. Getting the teleportation pad working had moved it down the priority list, but they were still continuing the project, with the help of their new dwarf allies. Regina still hadn¡¯t met any of their leaders personally, but the coordination seemed to work out well. They had started reclaiming one of their older settlements and even started work on a new one, in a tactically sound position where it was sheltered against the elements and hard to access for monsters, which also slowed down construction. The drones who were assigned to this area spoke highly of their tamed earth wyrms for helping dig the tunnels their planning called for, though. In the end, it would take a little longer for the road to be finished, but it was about time for them to prepare for when it was. That meant preparing delegations for Veragles and the other cities, and general preparations to establish trade links. Personally, Regina was looking forward to what they could import from south of the mountains. Since the teleportation link¡¯s capacity was limited and they wanted to keep the base¡¯s location secret, she couldn¡¯t exactly use it for that purpose. It was also important because of the gnomes, who were still integrating into the Empire. Preparations were starting for negotiations about incorporating them directly into the Empire. Regina was glad they were able to take that step, or would be soon, but she also expected discontent and rising unrest once that time came. Aliekin had assured her that he would be able to handle things, but also warned her to be careful about potentially stirring up the situation. The general, now firmly established as head of their Executive Council, had done pretty well so far, she had to admit. It was probably due to his efforts that they hadn¡¯t actually had to deal with a rebellion in the Gnomish Confederation since the end of the war. Right now, she hoped that prevailing on the gnomes to help with the road building project didn¡¯t count as anything inflammatory. She was only trying to sooth tensions between them and the dwarves. If they were going to both be allied to the Empire, it was better to be proactive about that than let some ¡®incidents¡¯ blow up in their faces. That had been Janis¡¯ recommendation, anyway, and Regina thought she was right. So, now there were some gnomish soldiers in addition to human Imperial troopers in the mountains, and builders, architects and demolition experts helping with the construction projects. Do you think we¡¯re getting them to get along better? she asked Dan as she checked in with him. He shrugged, transmitting the sensation faintly through the psychic link. There¡¯s an even chance some kind of fight is going to break out, I think. But once it¡¯s over with, they should improve. Don¡¯t worry about it, My Queen. Regina nodded. Her ¡­ third or fourth son (still weird that she had to count them like that) seemed like too much of a restless soul to stay sitting around in the Empire for too long, so a posting to oversee the protection of their road building project suited him well. He worked with Max, Tim and Ben, and surprisingly, seemed to be highly regarded by the dwarves. Despite his claims that he was a bad diplomat. Regina wasn¡¯t sure about that, but she didn¡¯t argue about it, just let him do his thing in the south. Have you heard more about what¡¯s been happening further south? she asked. Veragles is sending people into the mountains, Dan reported. There¡¯s always been a few adventurers, apparently, but their numbers have increased. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s connected to our efforts. We have been thinning out the monsters, and some must have been migrating away from our area of operations. So, it could just be in response to monster activity. Or maybe they¡¯re curious and hoping to profit off it once we finish securing this route. Regina frowned. We have to keep an eye on that, she said. I won¡¯t exactly mind if people from Veragles use the road to visit the Empire, allowing trade and travel is kind of the point, but we do need to keep control of it. And not allow them to sabotage us, either. If they send the kind of numbers needed for that, we¡¯ll definitely notice, Dan assured her. We¡¯ll watch them. Regina didn¡¯t say anything to that. She was probably jumping at shadows. Either way, she trusted Dan and the others to monitor their assigned area of operations. There have been more dwarves moving north as well, Dan continued. Some of them are probably venturing into the mountains for the same reasons as the humans, but the others seem to be looking for dwarven settlements, to join them. Their numbers may be rising if this keeps up. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. That seems likely, yes, she agreed. So far, she didn¡¯t think news of their alliance or the details of it had spread very far, and travel from further south would take time. And some people were probably waiting a little longer to see what came of it before they decided to move. She¡¯d venture a guess that the number of immigrants would only increase. Assuming it could count as immigration. Some of them were probably originally from the mountain settlements, or their parents were. Well, if our allies are getting more numerous, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a problem, she finally commented. I wasn¡¯t complaining, my Queen. But speaking of allies, our scouts have also seen more movement from the elves in the northern part of our range. It might be connected to our efforts to clear the mountains. We¡¯re already in communication with them, she assured him. There were a few complaints because of monster migrations. She often wasn¡¯t quite sure where she stood with Ariedel, to be honest. The elves seemed friendly and had certainly helped her hive in the past, but they¡¯d also been dragging out the negotiations about joining the Empire interminably. At this point, she figured the negotiations wouldn¡¯t progress unless something changed. Maybe they were just being cautious. Getting in good with her but trying to retain their autonomy as much as possible. Regina wouldn¡¯t blame them. The world was changing around them, their victory against Cernlia and Nerlia was almost meaningless right now and their relation to the Hivekind was clearly still fraught in a historical sense. Though the last part didn¡¯t exactly make her sympathize with them. Still, maybe she should at some point stop softballing it and maybe raise tariffs a little or something, only to ¡®encourage¡¯ them to come to a decision. But there was something else she¡¯d learned from her knowledge of another time; there was sometimes little difference between a close alliance and actually joining some kind of federation (or country with a federal organization) if there were enough treaties and commonalities. If the elves didn¡¯t join the Empire but joined a common economic area, even a shared currency area, and a close military alliance with mutual defense pacts and more ¡ª it wouldn¡¯t make a huge difference in the end. Especially depending on how much local autonomy they would have anyway. For now, Regina was content with the fact that they were allied, and, in any potential conflicts in the foreseeable future, they would probably be on her side. It did help that Ariedel had sent a few envoys she knew and liked. Anuis was back in the city and probably getting bored, as she¡¯d heard she¡¯d started a stint working with what passed for their general staff. It didn¡¯t take a genius to see Anuis was set up to rise high. But instead, Bianorn was one of the people sent in the newest diplomatic team, joining a few elves already staying at a new permanent embassy in the capital. ¡°Commander Anuis asked me to pass along her greetings,¡± he told her as they talked privately one evening. Regina had hosted a dinner for some diplomatic envoys ¡ª only the ones she liked, really ¡ª and invited him to stay for a drink after that. ¡°She would have come herself, but said she was needed in the city. Politics, I can assume.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Regina told him. ¡°It is good to see you again, either way.¡± He was silent for a bit, looking out over the royal palace. They were standing on a balcony with a nice view, especially since it was evening and some torches and lights had been lit. ¡°There is some debate in the Elvish Free State,¡± he said finally. ¡°I¡¯d guess that doesn¡¯t come as a surprise to you, Empress Regina.¡± ¡°Should I be worried?¡± ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t go that far. Few people are outright questioning our alliance with the Empire.¡± He shrugged. ¡°However, you might have heard there has been a new delegation of diplomats from the Western Confederation, and they have found more than enough willing hosts for their stay.¡± Regina frowned. She¡¯d been informed of that before, but hadn¡¯t paid much attention at the time. ¡°Is that so? I admit I¡¯d rather your people didn¡¯t welcome them.¡± ¡°On what grounds?¡± he asked. ¡°You have hardly sworn an official oath of enmity to the Western Confederation ¡­ Your Imperial Majesty. We have little reason not to allow diplomats access to the city, or to not speak with them.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. My apologies. I know Ariedel profits from trade and wouldn¡¯t lightly close any doors to potential partners.¡± Regina didn¡¯t have to like it, but she also knew she could hardly begrudge the elves talking to Confederation diplomats. Bianorn sighed, crossing his arms and leaning against the balustrade. ¡°I¡¯m only a military man, not a politician, Empress Regina. Personally, I understand where you are coming from. But it¡¯s my job to think about fighting, and other people focus on how to prevent war. Some in the government are apparently suggesting that Ariedel could mediate between your nation and the Western Confederation.¡± ¡°Mediating?¡± Regina tapped on her mandible. It was an interesting suggestion. ¡°Officially, I take it?¡± ¡°Personally, I would recommend against it,¡± he warned. ¡°There is no fight between the Empire and the Western Confederation, no official source of open conflict, you do not even have a border dispute. Admitting the need for mediation may simply confirm that there is reason for enmity and deepen instead of resolve it. It would showcase any such conflict for all to see.¡± Bianorn had a point, actually. There wasn¡¯t any real, official reason for enmity between the two nations, and they were still in diplomatic contact and even trading with each other. A mediation attempt might only make things worse, especially if the Confederation leaders didn¡¯t want to play nice with the Empire. Or actually wanted to kindle conflict. ¡°Sometimes it is better to preserve the facade of civility.¡± Regina smiled. ¡°Are you quoting someone?¡± He seemed surprised for a second, then smiled back. ¡°Yes, actually. The Special Minister.¡± Well, if Enais thought it was a bad idea, Regina should probably listen. Maybe she simply shared Bianorn¡¯s opinion for the reasons he¡¯d outlined, or maybe there were other factors at play, like the internal politics of Ariedel. ¡°You can tell them I would be open to the possibility of mediation, in principle, as long as the Western Confederation is, but we don¡¯t need to push for it.¡± She sighed. ¡°Perhaps once this conflict is more ¡­ open, if that happens.¡± Bianorn nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± Regina glanced back out over the city. ¡°There has also been rising tension with Esemen,¡± she admitted. ¡°They have raised tariffs somewhat and are discouraging merchants from visiting the Empire. It¡¯s subtle, not an official policy decision, but the effect it still there.¡± The elf raised an eyebrow, looking concerned. ¡°I see,¡± he murmured. ¡°I¡¯ll pass that on, too.¡± Regina nodded. She knew the information would also reach them through other, more proper channels. ¡°I hope Ariedel is still doing well?¡± she asked. ¡°Of course.¡± He started talking about their defenses and the reactions to changing monster patterns, which necessitated some updates to their defensive strategy. However, it sounded like they had everything perfectly under control. Obviously, this wasn¡¯t the first time the elves had done this. Regina nodded along to his explanation, asking a few questions. The conversation slowly moved away from politics and then to less heavy topics. Later that evening, after he had gone, she checked on the drones she had in and around the elvish city. It seemed to bear out what he¡¯d said. Regina found herself lingering a little on the minds of monsters she could sense in the farther reaches of her range. Lately, most of her hive¡¯s combat, and a part of their Experience gain, had come from fighting them. They needed to make arrangements to keep it up, in accordance with the elves. Personally, she was waiting for her next level, when she¡¯d choose her next Ability, which should happen any day now. Recently, her leveling had slowed quite a bit. Partly that must be because she was reaching quite high levels, obviously Experience gain and leveling would be slower. But it was probably also because the war had ended and her hive wasn¡¯t fighting anyone, or at least not as much. It was something she tried to feel proud of, right now. Peace was good, after all. Chapter 358: Imitation The day after her conversation with Biarnorn, the Imperial forces operating in the mountains fought a major battle against the resident monsters, or at least major as far as these fights went. After that, Regina finally leveled up. There were actually several packs of monsters involved, though two of them only joined in the fight later, perhaps drawn by the sounds of the fighting. A large group of some kind of monstrous wolves, in various forms, posed the first challenge. Then a murder of particularly murderous monster birds, though not a type Regina was personally very familiar with. And finally, a pack of several assorted monsters, including scavengers. The soldiers were in a large enough group to handle them, with the assistance of some dwarves, who were trying to secure the site of a new settlement nearby. Regina had noticed the fighting and watched, since it was the biggest fight in a while. She still hadn¡¯t been prepared for the notification, although she had been expecting it.
You have leveled up
You may now select another Ability
Regina retreated to the balcony again. It overlooked the inner gardens, where several psychic students were currently doing exercises, attempting to look into each other¡¯s minds. She focused on the next System message.
You may now select your ninth Class Skill. Please choose one of the following:
Queen¡¯s Magic: Wielding magic is key to power. Your ability to channel mana will be improved, decreasing the mana costs of casting your spells slightly. You may also channel some of your mana to drones capable of using magic within a short distance, temporarily increasing their own mana pool somewhat. This will demand much more of your mana than they will be able to use in return. The remainder will be diffused through the psychic link, passively strengthening it slightly over time, or into your environment.
Ruler¡¯s Mind: The power of your mind imposes its will on the world around you. Your psychic link will be slightly strengthened and commanding your Swarm Drones will be facilitated. You will find it easier to instinctively assess the condition and location of all members of your Hive inside your range. Your ability to impose your will on other minds will be strengthened, especially those outside your Hive.
Imitation Link: You connect minds to each other. You may temporarily create an imitation of your psychic link, pulling in and connecting your subjects outside of the Hive provided they are not too far from you. This will allow them to talk telepathically to you and each other and to transmit emotions and information. Latent or actualized psychic potential will ease this process and allow for more participants and connections from further away.
Regina frowned, reading through the options carefully and weighing her choices. She had expected to see Ruler¡¯s Mind again, since she had declined the option last time. The Ability was still tempting, honestly more so now than last time. The growth of her hive meant that the bit of extra strength to the psychic link would be good, and especially the ability to more easily assess where the drones were spread out. But she still couldn¡¯t shake the slight suspicion that it was a poisoned chalice. The other two, new options were different, and actually surprised her a little. Regina had hoped for good Abilities, of course, and even imagined a few she might get, but she hadn¡¯t quite pictured this. They both seemed pretty powerful, assuming the respective limits weren¡¯t too harsh. The first was a way to directly power-up her drones. The passive benefit it included also seemed to mimic some of what she got with other Ability choices, although it would depend on what ¡®slightly¡¯ meant. That word seemed to do a lot of work in this description. Still, giving her mana to drones. It would only be the magic-users, of course ¡ª and she noted it said drones, not Hive members, so it might not count Janis or any other future non-Hivekind members ¡ª but it could still allow them to accomplish things they wouldn¡¯t be able to before, punching above their weight class. It would be temporary, there was probably some kind of limit, and there would be a distance limit, too, but she assumed that would expand with time ¡ª and it only counted for transferring the mana, they¡¯d still keep it when they moved away. The last Ability would allow her to essentially mimic the psychic link with some of her other friends and subordinates. It should allow Kiara and Janis to talk mind-to-mind, for example. Let her easily show information to Daine or others. Even if it was temporary, they should retain the information they received through it. Even beyond the practical utility, this might help in bringing her hive and the other leaders, or even citizens, of the Empire closer together. Sighing, Regina tabled it to make a decision later, once she¡¯d had time to sleep on it, but she was pretty sure she knew what she was going to choose. They were all good options, but the last would honestly be too useful to pass up, helping not just the hive, but the Empire, and she was curious what it would be like. Especially with June and her psychic students helping. The other option would show up again, anyway. She did have more than enough mana to take advantage of it. Contemplatively, Regina pulled up her status screen, which she hadn¡¯t really looked at in a while, taking in the changes.
Regina Hive Queen
Level: 70
Mana: 30830/67780
Hive: 3960/4071, 5 Swarm: 800050/136000000, 10
Con: 18 Str: 17
Dex: 17 End: 19
Int: 38 Wis: 37
Another point in Int, she noted, glancing over it. Not surprising. Dex would probably be next, one of these days. She¡¯d finally had a point in Str last time, but it was always the lowest. But her stats remained basically as expected. Regina tugged on her mandible, going through the numbers. The limits were getting so high she had to manually count the zeros. It¡¯s so far in the millions now, the exponential growth really showed itself, she reflected, shaking her head. The specifics don¡¯t even matter, I can just treat the Swarm as effectively unlimited. Not so much the Inner Hive, of course. She was actually getting close to pushing that limit. That also made sense, since it increased ¡­ well, perhaps still exponentially, but not nearly as fast. She suspected Leian had effectively been fudging the numbers, or maybe it was also affected by something she didn¡¯t know (or some kind of random sampling?), since she hadn¡¯t been able to figure out a function for that limit. At least it was expanding faster. She still wished it was higher. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She¡¯d slowed down the addition of new sapient Hive drones, leaving space for Swarm Drones who gained sentience, which quite a few were doing. It also helped since they still had to integrate all of them. They all needed mentorship, homes and food, it wasn¡¯t as easy as just making a few eggs, anyway. It was different with the Swarm Drones. She¡¯d effectively stopped adding to them a while ago. In theory, she could have several million Swarm Drones, and a part of her found that tempting, but trying would be more trouble than it was worth. They might be resistant to the elements, compared to others, and omnivores, but Swarm Drones still needed food and usually a minimum of shelter, especially at low levels. It was already a challenge to keep this number fed ¡ª effectively the population of several large cities, after all. They had to be dispersed through the Empire and the lands set aside in the hive¡¯s own territory carefully managed, with many Swarm Drones hibernating. Besides, if it was necessary, she had enough Drone Breeders to get their numbers up quickly. Given the way their levels worked, with her Swarm Strength Ability, it was better to not add too many very low-level drones right now, but just let the existing ones level up a little, and then make new ones when necessary, when they would hopefully get at least a few levels to start with. There was also the issue of the commanders-to-swarm ratio, which might become unworkable. And in many situations, the actual absolute numbers probably wouldn¡¯t make a difference ¡ª you could only attack from so many sides at once ¡ª so it wouldn¡¯t matter how many War Drones they had waiting in the wings, it was better to have some with higher levels doing the fighting. That had been Ben¡¯s conclusion, supported by many of the hive¡¯s senior drones, though others disagreed. Mia was still preparing new plans and infrastructure to enable the feeding and ¡®housing¡¯ of more drones, so they could increase that number. Regina was at least glad that everyone was adjusting so well to the number of minds in the psychic link, although she did privately have a few concerns. For now, however, she found her eyes wandering back to the numbers and limits of her Inner Hive and Swarm. It wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d considered how being connected to and reliant on the System might actually limit her, limit her hive. She knew from Leian that the Hivekind had been able to build hives like hers without it. Perhaps not quite as easily, she certainly wouldn¡¯t have amassed a Swarm this size so quickly, but almost everything was in principle inherent to her new species, not just a gift of the System. It begged the question of whether the gods ¡ª Deirianon ¡ª were deliberately limiting her as a potential threat and what else they might be relying on to that end. Regina closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. She was currently alone, she could sense that even Max and Ira were otherwise occupied, so it was fine. Then she opened her eyes, glancing into the garden again, and reached out to Janis. Her little sister was currently talking with June over lunch, just the two of them. But it seemed they were almost finished. Regina waited, then quietly signaled Janis when they were done and June left to go back to work, heading back to the garden she was currently overlooking. Something I can do for you? Janis asked. I just reached level 70, finally, and got a new Ability. Regina briefly summarized her choices and reasoning. Janis nodded slowly. They were currently so focused on each other it was like she was there with her, so Regina picked it up automatically. I think I agree with you, Regina. But it¡¯s your decision, ultimately. I can see either one being a big advantage to us, potentially. Skill choices are always personal. Do what feels right. Thanks, Janis. That¡¯s not the only reason I wanted to talk to you, though. Janis waited quietly for her to continue, and Regina started pacing up and down the balcony. She looked at the young psychics in training again. Some of them neither young nor green. The hive is limited, she finally said. That¡¯s obvious, of course. The range limit to the psychic link means some of our most powerful skills and abilities, advantages like instant communication, only work within a certain distance to me. And we can only have so many sapient drones. That¡¯s true, Janis agreed easily. We have many natural advantages, but there are also downsides to it. Drones¡¯ levels are limited to yours. The Swarm Drones need oversight and direction. Sapient drones are born with some knowledge, but they also need guidance and information before they can truly start contributing to society. But we don¡¯t have just the Hive. There¡¯s also the Empire, your Empire. It¡¯s why we¡¯re building up its military. Regina smiled slightly. It was good that Janis got it. And she understood without her having to say it that Regina was looking for a bit of guidance of her own, for her opinion, insight and advice. Yes. That is why I think I need to focus on those other avenues. Not that I don¡¯t focus on the Empire already, of course, but still ¡ª there are limits to the hive, and to the Empire, which we can work on. But we also have magic and psychic power. Perhaps we should found and expand magic schools. And as for psychics, make sure they can actually be useful not just passively, but in a conflict. That sounds good. I agree about magic schools, of course. It may lead to some issues with the nobles, but it¡¯s worth it. But, what did you have in mind? I want you to come and work with the psychic students we have, Janis. Do some thinking, get some opinions, and come up with ways we can employ their talents, particularly in light of potential violent conflicts. A unified doctrine, if possible. You may not be a psychic yourself ¡ª which we should really work on ¡ª but you¡¯re experienced with the psychic link, you understand what it can do. And you¡¯re good with the military, too. She could sense Janis considering the matter. Of course, I will do my best. But I think it may be limiting to only focus on warfare. We should consider how this applies to civics too ¡­ and how to protect against and counter potential manipulation. As for opinions, you should probably talk to Madris, right? I have, Regina shrugged, and you can as well. But carefully, I don¡¯t want to bring up bad memories. And while I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be able to offer some good advice, there are a lot of differences between a war underground and what we have to deal with. Janis nodded again. Then she stood and left her office. Regina could sense she was heading to the garden. They could talk in person, but she was probably not coming for that. I will do as you command, my Empress, she said with a little bit of irony. Let us hope they¡¯ll work with a poor non-psychic like me. Regina snorted. She really didn¡¯t think that was an issue. Janis was rather well-respected as crown princess, as far as Regina was aware (and this was one thing she tried to be aware of). Especially among those you might call Regina¡¯s supporters. And these new psychics were largely commoners or from the lower nobility at best, they certainly wouldn¡¯t go against a princess. I will look forward to your accomplishments, then, she returned. There were several reasons she¡¯d chosen Janis. The fact that she would keep ethical considerations in mind was one of them. But her experience and status were also part of it. Besides, she might have ideas that hadn¡¯t occurred to Regina, and it would make sure they were on the same page, regarding how she thought.