by Pirateaba
He shook his head and grunted.
“Go ahead. Nothing I need.”
Custom dictated that the adventurer who was highest in rank, or level, or who’d done the most work got first pick. But Ceria had doubted a Gold-rank adventurer would waste his time with that anyways; she was vaguely surprised he was even recovering arrows.
She walked back to the rest of her party—and it was a party now—exhausted. Pisces was sitting on the snow, and Yvlon was talking to a Drake—an older woman who had tears in her eyes.
“Don’t know how we can thank—”
“It’s nothing. Please, it’s our job. Are there any wounded?”
“The Watch has potions. But thank you! If it weren’t for you and that other Human—”
It was odd. Sometimes it was like this after a battle, but usually it wasn’t. Ceria couldn’t remember the last time the Horns of Hammerad had intervened to save a village, but then, they often got requests and seldom saw a monster attacking out of the blue.
Usually, adventurers took their pay and left, often having to wrangle it out of the suddenly not-so-grateful head chief or council of villagers. But the Drakes here were amazingly grateful, and Ceria found she and the others were the target of praise and adoration.
“It’s nothing, really. Pisces, we’ve got permission to check the dead. Do you have any mana…?”
“[Detect Magic]. There, there, and…the Hobs.”
He pointed. Ceria excused herself from the mob to walk over to the bodies Pisces had identified.
“Ah, this one was the Goblin [Shaman]. Looks like a wand of some kind and this feather amulet.”
“Careful. You never know what types of enchantments—”
“I’m not an amateur, Pisces.”
Ceria carefully picked both up with a piece of cloth and stowed them away. Then she investigated the other bodies.
“Magic rings? A necklace? And this sword is pretty good. Ksmvr!”
The Antinium walked over and Ceria handed him the sword. He studied it.
“This is a superior blade for a Goblin. Curious. My knowledge of Goblins indicates that this would usually be the equipment of a Chieftain, not a normal Hob.”
“Could this have been a tribe, do you think?”
Yvlon shook her head as she investigated another corpse, finding a gold ring.
“No children, no pregnant females. This is a raiding party, but it must be a huge tribe it came from.”
Ceria exchanged a look with Pisces. They were both thinking the same thing.
“Could it be that Goblin that Erin lets visit? Rags…?”
He looked troubled, but shook his head.
“I taught the Goblin a few spells. She is…intelligent. She would not be so foolish as to attack when the Watch is nearby, and these Goblins are different. Note the armor and the markings here and here.”
He pointed, and Ceria saw these Goblins had notched ears.
“That’s a different tribe.”
“Where did they come from?”
“South. That is what the villagers informed us.”
Everyone looked at Ksmvr. Ceria stared in that direction, worried. Yvlon nodded.
“They came from the south. From the Blood Fields. There must be a new tribe down there, a dangerous one. If this is a raiding party, what must their actual tribe look like?”
Something lurched in Ceria’s stomach. She breathed one word.
“Ryoka.”
2.27
Some days he could not bear to see her as she was. He remembered when she had been smaller, and the first time she had walked through the tunnels of the Hive. But now she was bloated, obscenely huge, grand and horrible and beautiful all at once.
That is what Klbkch thought as he gazed upon his Queen. She was not what she once was. She was greater now, yes, with a Hive full of thousands of Antinium who followed her every order. But sometimes he wondered if she was a captive, a helpless prisoner. He knew he was.
“—We will dispose of the bodies of the Goblins for the city. I believe they will be largely useful as food supplies unless they carry some kind of invisible affliction.”
“Very well.”
His Queen gazed down at Klbkch, as they had often done. He stood at perfect attention, in the darkness of his Hive underneath Liscor, speaking up to her. This was his duty; true, he had other tasks now, but he had done this for decades, and it was what was needed. His Queen was the ruler of the Hive, but Klbkch was her eyes and ears and sword, if need be.
Up until a few weeks ago. Now Klbkch was a Revalantor, and in theory he should have been reporting to his Queen less and working with Pawn and the new individuals, but the situation had changed. Klbkch shifted slightly, a movement his Queeen picked up.
“Is something amiss, Klbkchhezeim?”
“Not as of such, my Queen. However, casualties from the latest incursion from the dungeons were quite severe.”
“Yes. It seems activity above has woken more of the wretched things.”
“I believe it would be wise to proceed with the uncovering of the dungeon as soon as possible.”
“So you have said. Repeatedly.”
Above him, the Queen stared down at Klbkch. He knew she was not pleased. She wanted the Hive to do this alone, but he had argued this point for years. He thought he’d convinced her after Skinner to take the opportunity, but was she having second thoughts?
Klbkch braced himself for another argument, but instead his Queen just shook her head.
“What then, of the adventurers? Will they locate the dungeon themselves or must we point them to it?”
“They have been unable to locate the exact entrance, but two Gold-rank teams had already approached me and asked if the Antinium would dig in search of it.”
“Ah.”
Was that a good sign or not? Even after so long, Klbkch wasn’t certain.
“…They have offered a sizeable sum of gold to locate the entrance to the dungeon. I believe they are offering us a higher price than the normal rate.”
“That would be useful.”
Gold was not really an issue for the Antinium, but every bit helped. Klbkch nodded.
“If we were to accept a lower price, we might surprise them and influence their feelings towards us in some positive manner. Griffon Hunt appears to be especially hostile towards us.”
“Is that an issue?”
“It may not be, but I would prefer to do so if you will permit it.”
Another sigh.
“Very well. I trust your judgment, Klbkch.”
She trusted his judgment, but didn’t understand it. It was an odd thing, but his Queen—all Queens, really—did not value goodwill or friendship as a resource. They only thought of other species as variables to be influenced, and hence that was why Klbkch occasionally had to argue like this.
Perhaps this was why the Prognugators had been created; to fill the voids of each Queen’s personality. Of course, each Prognugator and Queen was different; Klbkch knew other Hives had vastly different ways of approaching their work.
Regardless…
“We will construct a tunnel with multiple branching sections to the entrance of the main dungeon and unearth it in…three days. I believe that should be enough time.”
“No doubt. But it is these adventurers that concern me, Klbkch. Regardless of their designs on the treasure; will they be enough to be useful in the first place?”
“They are Gold-rank, my Queen. They should have the combined capability of at least a thousand of our Soldiers.”
“Mm. Indeed, if they could disarm the traps it would be best. But I more referred to their lack of numbers. I would prefer at least one Named Adventurer and twice as many Gold-rank ones.”
That surprised Klbkch enough to make him hesitate. From being so opposed to any interference, his Queen had changed her opinion quickly. Why? He wondered if she’d been speaking to another Queen.
“—I believe more will flock to the area as the dunge
on is uncovered and its scale is noticed. The minor treasures and artifacts will doubtless encourage some. It is only a matter of time.”
“Well then.”
He nodded. There was nothing more to say.
“Then, finally, I will initiate the next part of the plan regarding Ksmvr, with your permission.”
His Queen sighed and shifted on her throne again. Sometimes Klbkch wondered if she were growing tired. She was certainly old. Perhaps it was time for her to go through the Rite of Anastases, but that would necessitate bring her to another Queen, or Queens, and the effort involved would be immense.
“I dislike the need for it, but very well. You are sure he suspects nothing?”
“As far as I am aware.”
“Hm. Disappointing that he does not think or wonder. But then, he is young.”
And untested. And experimental. Klbkch added these words in his head, but did not say them out loud. Ksmvr was his Queen’s pet project, and he might be useful—
If he were stronger.
“I will return to my duties. I believe Pawn is speaking with the other Workers, both individual and not. The others will arrive within the week.”
“I see. Then go.”
His Queen waved her feeler again. There wasn’t much more to be said. After her initial excitement, she had gone back to managing her Hive. Antinium didn’t dwell on emotional matters, if they even felt anything.
Klbkch understood. It was a practical choice. But he had changed in the last few months, and recently, he’d begun feeling—
He turned, and walked out of his Queen’s presence before she could sense his emotions. So much was changing within the Hive right now. She needed him more than ever. He would abide for a while longer before he acted on his concerns.
And he had work to do. Klbkch’s legs carried him swiftly through the tunnels, occasionally passing by Workers and Soldiers who moved aside so as not to impede his progress. That was how it worked in the Hive. Soldiers would move as quickly as possible through the Hive, usually to rest, eat, or reinforce areas under attack. Workers would scuttle around, stopping or moving out of the way to accommodate Soldiers. And Klbkch?
He walked in a bubble of his own. He was Revalantor, a step above Prognugator. No one would get in his way. Within his Hive, he was alone.
As he had always been. Ever since he had arrived on this continent. But it had not always been this way.
Lost in thought, Klbkch only came back fully into reality when he was at his destination. He stopped at a tunnel less trodden than the main channels and walked into a small storeroom big enough to hold a single bedroom’s worth of goods.
It was one of the many storage rooms the Antinium of Liscor had built. True to their nature, each storage area had its own designated location and purpose depending on the value and need for each item contained within.
Because this storage room contained item not useful for Soldiers and Workers fighting in the Dungeon, it was located closer to the surface. But given the value of the items contained within, it was relatively close to the Queen’s room.
There were no guards at the doors, and there was no door for that matter. There was no need. Anyone who had penetrated this far into the Hive would have to have slaughtered almost every single living Antinium to get here, and if that was the case, what good would a door be? In any case, the need to open and close a door and station Soldiers there was a needless waste of resources.
And the Antinium did not waste resources.
Klbkch walked into the room and carefully walked over to a closed box. He opened it, and withdrew a folded piece of paper. He handled it with extreme care because the parchment was cracked and crumbling with age.
The Antinium walked out of the storage room and up through the maze of tunnels, closer to the surface. He entered a side tunnel, and then entered into the cellar of an ancient building that had been buried underground.
The walls of this building were crumbling; the stone looked as it if would fall apart at the touch. A beam slanted as it seemed to audibly groan under the pressures exerted on it from above. The door leading upwards was jammed open, and collapsed earth could be seen blocking the way upwards.
It was clearly some lost building that had once been part of Liscor, or at least, part of some ancient city. Klbkch advanced into the room and looked around. He had no fear of anything collapsing, despite the precarious appearance of the room. He was an Antinium and could dig through dirt with ease, and he’d spent nearly a week overseeing the construction of the room to begin with. The stone may look weak, but it was as structurally sound as any part of the Hive.
“Ah. There.”
Klbkch strode over to one wall, where he’d had some Workers drag in a wine rack and nearly fifty expensive vintages and smash the entire structure before adding a coating of dust to the mix. The Antinium knelt, lifted a broken board, and tucked the folded parchment underneath it. Then he raised his head.
Footsteps, a bit too quick and too soon. But it didn’t matter. Klbkch straightened, took a few steps into the center of the room, and turned just as Olesm entered.
“Ah!”
The Drake screamed and leapt back from Klbkch, fumbling for the dagger at his side. Perhaps it was seeing the motionless Antinium standing in the nearly pitch-black room that had scared him. Klbkch raised his voice.
“Olesm. Excuse me, I did not mean to alarm you.”
“What, me? No, I’m sorry Klbkch. I just didn’t expect anyone down here.”
Flustered, Olesm stepped into the room and hesitated. He looked warily at the walls and ceiling.
“Ah, is it safe to enter?”
“Some structural reinforcement is necessary, but the room is safe for now.”
Klbkch lied as Olesm cautiously stepped further inside, looking around surreptitiously as he held the small lantern in one hand. Klbkch had no need of the faint glow it emitted, but for the rare visitors to the Hive, it was essential.
“I see you are alone. Have you finished teaching chess to the Workers?”
It was another redundant question; they had been the ones to inform Klbkch of Olesm’s movements. But the Antinium listened attentively to Olesm anyways.
“Oh, yes. They’re making great progress, just great! Some of them have no interest of course, but the ones who do play constantly. When they’re not working, of course.”
“Of course.”
Klbkch liked chess, but his interest was a shallow drop in the bucket compared to the waterfall of passion some of the Workers displayed for the game. It was…odd. The Antinium had never brought games or anything like it into their Hive. It was pointless, again, a waste of resources.
But had that been the clue all along? When Klbkch had suggested it, his Queen had grown silent before dismissing them. Was the key really just that?
…No. There was more. It had to be other people, not just the Antinium. People like Erin, special people who could teach them. That was why Ksmvr had to leave, and why this was important.
“I see you have come here again. Are you looking for additional maps of the dungeons? Was the one recovered not enough?”
Olesm shrugged slightly. He seemed a bit upset, insofar as Klbkch could read Drake emotions. His tail was twitching more than usual, but he wasn’t shouting or throwing things as Relc often did.
“I’m sure it was fine. The Council was very grateful for the discovery. But ah, I’m just looking for anything else that might be of use.”
“I see. Well, we have not completed our search of the area. The Antinium have discovered more buildings, but few remain even partially intact. This one seems to be the most important.”
“Yeah, you’re right. There could be something else here, couldn’t there?”
Olesm peered around the room, aiming his lantern at corners as Klbkch watched.
“I mean, I don’t know who lived here, but if this was some kind of [Cartographer]’s basement…”
“Could more maps be trapped unde
r the rubble?”
“Maybe. Would you ah, like to give me a hand?”
“Certainly.”
Klbkch moved forwards and he and Olesm began searching the room systematically. Klbkch focused on the side of the room opposite the destroyed wine rack, while Olesm searched the other side of the room.
Even so, it would take Olesm a while to find the hidden parchment, as the Drake was focused on one corner of the room and very slowly making his way over. Klbkch decided to make small talk, if only so he would not become bored.
“I had expected that you would be at Erin Solstice’s inn instead of down here.”
“What?”
Olesm looked over as Klbkch picked up a fragment of cloth and discarded it. The Drake hesitated.
“Well…I mean, you did offer to pay me to teach the Antinium. It’s good money, and I always love playing chess.”
“Ah. But Erin is the greatest chess player in Liscor.”
She might be the best in the world. Certainly, she was among the best from hers, or so Klbkch had gathered. That was something else he had not told to anyone, including his Queen. It was…his secret. Erin had told other people of course, but who among them came down here to talk to the Queen? If he did not speak, she would never know. At least, not until the moment was right.
“Erin? Yeah, I mean, she is the best. But ah, I don’t want to disturb her. Plus, there are other reasons…”
Olesm’s voice trailed off and Klbkch observed his tail thrashing even harder.
“You seem upset. Is something the matter?”
“Yes! No. I—I just had a bad morning, that’s all.”
“Ah.”
Klbkch went back to searching through the rubble. He didn’t say anything. In his experience, non-Antinium would say what was on their minds eventually. In this case, it took Olesm only ten minutes to blurt out what he was thinking about.
“It’s Ceria. And adventuring. And Erin, I guess. I just feel like I’m not in their league anymore. In terms of levels, I mean.”
“Oh? I fail to see the issue. You are the highest-level [Tactician] in Liscor, are you not?”
“Hah!”
Olesm laughed bitterly as he tossed a rock against one wall.
“That’s nothing compared to the [Strategists] in our army. I might be higher-level than some of the Humans in the northern cities, but so what? I’m still weak.”
