SWARM

©2022 VALETHEHOWL

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Contents

Also in Series

Prologue

1. Bubble Tea Trouble

2. A Mother’s Disappointment

3. Mission One Start

4. Oh Deer!

5. Snake Eater

6. Crab Battle

7. Laugh Wolf

8. Cave Story

9. Bugging Me Out

10. Shedding Worries

11. At a Turtle’s Pace

12. Fruits, Bacon, and an Egg

13. The Puppy

14. A Boy and His Dog

15. Three’s a Charm

16. Chess and Goblins

17. Hello Neighbor

18. Night Raid

19. Firing My Laser!

20. Better Served Cold

21. Homecoming

22. Home Sweet Home

23. May I Give You a Suggestion?

24. Don’t Shoot the Messenger

25. Tremors Underground

26. Looming from Above

27. Expecting Guests

28. Mutual Flashing

29. Rib Caged

30. Happy Meal

31. No Fighting in the War Room

32. Dance Earth Dance

33. A Tactical Retreat Is Not Running Away

34. Reasonable Instincts

35. Awkward Silence Is Not Golden

36. A Pain in the

37. Questioning Questions

38. Call on Hold

39. I Know That You Know That I Know

40. In the Eye of the Beholder

41. Eye to Face Conversation

42. Scheming Schemers Scheming

43. Career Path Picnic

44. I Want My Broodmommy

45. Mistakes Have Been Made

46. Talk Magic Talk

47. Night Raid

48. Armageddon

49. Are You Ready for a War?

50. Saving Private Lycan

51. Bamboozled

52. Pay the Piper

53. Dressing Up

54. Boys Are Back in Town

55. We’re Out of Coffee

56. Test Your Might!

57. Failed a Diplomacy Check

58. The Battle of Brettholz Part 1

59. The Battle of Brettholz Part 2

60. The Battle of Brettholz Part 3

61. The Battle of Brettholz Part 4

62. The Battle of Brettholz Part 5

63. The Battle of Brettholz Part 6

64. Wine and Whining

65. A Random Encounter

66. Extra Thicc!

67. Panic at the Feast

68. Hogg’s School for Gifted Youngsters

69. Nice

70. Coffee Rush

71. The Queen’s New Clothes

72. Breakfast of the Champions

73. Little Shop of Horrors

74. A Study in Feeling Blue

75. Girl Talk

76. Always Expect the Unexpected

77. Quarrel in the Quarry

Thank you for reading Swarm

Groups

LitRPG

Also in Series

Swarm

Horde

Book 3 - Coming Soon!

Prologue

Sarah ran for her life, her copper-brown hair trailing in the wind while monstrous figures chased after her.

Contrary to what could be expected of a maiden running away from horrible monsters, she was not panicking. An Aura Master never panics. Granted, she technically wasn’t an Aura Master yet, but that was only due to her postponing her trial in order to take part in this godsdamned expedition. She was more than skilled enough to hold the Crimson Sheath. Still, Aura Master or not, she was confident in her control of her emotions, so the weird sensation in her chest must surely be her armor being a tad too tight and definitely not abject terror gripping her heart. Similarly, the fact that she was fervently swearing under her breath didn’t mean she was scared, no sir! That was only because of the burning anger for getting herself involved in this whole fiasco.

Most of her curses were aimed at Karl, the old adventurer who convinced her to join this accursed expedition to the Dark Heart, the mysterious region at the center of the Caligare Forest. If it wasn’t for him, she would have never let herself get involved in such a foolish journey, but the old man had been weirdly convincing. His feverish optimism and enthusiasm infected all those who listened to him, to the point that Sarah would have suspected the involvement of some mind-magic trickery if she hadn’t been so confident in her mental defenses.

Nevertheless, the end result found Sarah as the only survivor of the expedition, and she would soon share the fate of her companions if she couldn’t lose her pursuers. Which meant she should focus on escaping before trying to pin the blame for this situation.

Concentrating on her legs, she used the Flash Step Aura technique to increase her speed, accelerating to the pace of a galloping horse. She could have potentially gone even faster, but the terrain was far too treacherous for that, being almost entirely covered in a weird mold, similar to gray wax, on which she could easily slip and fall. Besides, that speed still allowed her to gradually out-distance her pursuer, albeit not as quickly as she would have wished.

The chase continued for a while in an eerie silence, broken only by Sarah’s footsteps and her enemies’ chittering. There was no birdsong, nor rustling leaves, not even insects crawling on the ground. The whole place was dead and shrouded in that waxy mold that seemed to suffocate any other form of life.

Sarah had known something was deadly wrong the very moment they stepped out of the jungle into that huge, mold-covered clearing. Her suspicions had only grown when her Aura senses failed to pick up any signs of life coming from it. Worse still, once she had stepped on it, her own Aura senses dulled.

And yet she let Karl convince her to march on. At worst, he’d said with seemingly absolute confidence, the dead zone would have marked the presence of a colony of undead. And their group had several veteran clerics to deal with such an infestation.

After testing the substance covering the ground and making sure it wasn’t poisonous, nor would it animate and try to swallow them, he dismissed it as a harmless variety of mold from the Dark Heart. And the others followed him over that dead zone, blinded by Karl’s talk of the golden temple ahead and all of the treasures it would contain.

Now, to be fair, the old explorer had been partially right. After half a day of marching through that horrible clearing with their Aura sense completely blinded, they’d reached the temple, and it was almost exactly how Karl described it. Forty meters tall and seemingly made out entirely of gold, crystallium and other precious materials.

And that was where the old adventurer’s information started going wrong, and everything went to hell. First off, the walls of the temple were almost entirely covered by the same mold wax that encrusted everything else. And second, it wasn’t infested by undead, but rather something much, much worse.

Chitin-covered horrors emerged from the inside of the temple and erupted from the very ground around them. Thousands upon thousands of them had been waiting for the humans, preparing an ambush, and not even the Aura Scan spell managed to find them out. It was as if they were soulless.

They were extremely intelligent. As if guided by a common, malevolent intent, they struck with surgical precision and coordination, taking advantage of the element of surprise to attack and kill the expedition’s casters first. Only a couple of them survived that initial onslaught, and they weren’t enough to really make a difference.

After that, the battle had been a slow but methodical massacre.

The group of adventurers posed a strenuous resistance. Karl had convinced the King of Medelan himself to finance the expedition. Expecting to meet dangerous creatures in the Caligare Forest, the old explorer spared no expense in hiring expert warriors to provide protection. At the time of their departure from the city of Brettholz, the group was two hundred people strong. It had over thirty casters, half of which were legion-grade Battlecasters, while the other half were skilled clerics, about twenty Aura Warriors, of which four—five if you included Sarah—were Aura Masters, and the rest were all veteran hunters, scouts, soldiers, and explorers. It was an incredibly elite group, which despite its relatively small size, would have been able to take on and defeat most of the creatures that infested the forest.

However, taken by surprise and with most of their casters dead, they couldn’t do much more than delay the inevitable, since the number of swarming enemies seemingly knew no end. For each creature they killed, three more took its place, while the number of humans was slowly being whittled down. If they had a sufficient number of casters, they could have used their magic to clear out an escape route. As things were, it fell on the Aura Warriors. Not a really efficient method, but there were no alternatives.

Half an hour of fighting later, Sarah and the other last surviving Aura Master spearheaded one last desperate attack to breach the encirclement and escape. Against all odds, it worked. All they needed was to run for the forest.

Sadly, that too proved to be a rather illusory hope.

The survivors were exhausted and wounded from the fight, and the creatures were incredibly fast. They caught up with the survivors, killing them one by one until only the girl remained. She was approaching the end of the clearing, and if she managed to reach the trees, she’d have a real chance of getting away with her life. Sure, going back through the forest alone was going to be hard, even for an Aura Warrior such as herself, but she was confident she could make it.

Her hope took a nosedive when a few figures emerged from the mold a few meters in front of her.

Once again, those creatures had shown a surprising amount of intelligence and forethought, leaving some of their kin hidden away at the edge of the clearing to intercept any eventual escapee.

Sarah gritted her teeth in rage, her frustration surpassing her fear. She was damned if she’d let these oversized bugs get the better of her.

Chitin-covered bodies hurled themselves at her, raising scythe-like limbs. The girl didn’t even slow down.

“Flowing Flower Slash!” she cried—something which normally would have made her ashamed, as only rookie Aura Warriors shouted the name of their attacks, but right now, she simply didn’t care—and she flew past the monsters like a gust of wind.

The monsters’ heads fell, leaving their serpentine bodies to squirm in the dirt.

Sarah had to stop herself from sneering. Apparently, the strength of these creatures resided in their numbers and ability to not be picked up by the Aura Scan, but in a fair fight, they were nothing compared to an Aura Master.

Individual trees were in view now, and she picked up her pace. In less than a minute, she would reach the relative safety of the forest, where she could easily lose the creatures. Just a little more, and she would survive!

Blinded by her own hope, she failed to notice a buzzing noise coming from overhead, and a shadow clawing at her from the sky until the very last moment. She instinctively dove to the left, just as a new horror, similar to a gigantic wasp, pierced the ground with its oversized stinger.

Sarah immediately picked herself up and dashed away. More of those flying monsters dropped from the sky, and several of the other creatures emerged from the ground before she got very far.

She held her ground, trying to open an escape route. Dozens of monsters were felled by her swings, but in the end, she was literally drowned in a sea of chitin-covered bodies, and everything went dark for her.

* * *

An undetermined amount of time later, Sarah regained her senses.

She felt terribly weak and confused, as if her thoughts and memories had been scrambled, and her body ached all over, with a particularly sharp pain concentrated in her head.

“Great,” she mumbled. “I must be hungover.”

She tried moving but couldn’t. And yet, it wasn’t as if she was tied up… it was more like her whole body was encased in rock or something. She opened her eyes to assess this odd situation.

She was in a large chamber entirely covered in a weird, gray translucent substance, which dimly glowed and was the only source of light. After inspecting her surroundings, she looked down at herself, and to her horror, found she was buried up to her neck in that substance.

She immediately tried to free herself, calling upon her Aura powers to gain the necessary strength to break the substance keeping her trapped. For some reason, she couldn’t. It was as if her thoughts couldn’t connect properly with her body.

Useless. Useless.

A weird, emotionless voice echoed painfully in her mind, making her flinch. A gargantuan shadow moved into her field of vision from behind.

It was one of the chitin-covered monsters that chased her, only different.

For starters, it was much bigger than the others. Even crouching over her, it was at least three meters tall. Its lower body was similar to that of a bloated lizard with chitin armor covering its skin. Its torso was vaguely humanoid, like that of a praying mantis, an impression reinforced by its scythe-like arms and huge insectoid head with huge, bulging eyes that glowed purple. However, unlike a real insect, this one had an actual mouth. One filled with countless needle-sharp teeth, like that of a fish out of the depths of the ocean.

More horrific than the creature’s appearance was its Aura. Even without using an Aura Scan technique, Sarah could clearly feel it, permeating the whole room like a miasma. Worse still, it was inside her head, keeping her from using her powers and violating her mind in the worst way imaginable, filling it with its utterly alien presence. Sarah tried to scream, but no sound escaped her mouth except for a weak wheeze.

The cold voice echoed again in Sarah’s mind, only this time, it carried the creature’s intention. It was tinged with hunger, which left the Aura Warrior no doubt about her fate.

Strong. Strong. You make good nourishment for new queen. The Vex will grow big and strong with you.

Chapter 1

Bubble Tea Trouble

Marcus was contemplating murder. Or suicide. Anything really to get out of this torment.

That particular customer was gonna be trouble the moment she stepped into the fast-food restaurant. She was a rather obese woman with excessive makeup, scarlet dyed hair, and was speaking—rather, screaming—at her phone. She’d cut in line before the other customers, who looked at her with rage but didn’t actually say anything. She’d ordered a bubble tea and finally sat at a large family table, taking it all for herself while still loudly complaining at the phone about something.

Marcus hoped she would drink her tea and go away. The bitch had other plans.

As soon as she finished her drink, she hung up and marched toward the register with the fury and grace of an enraged hippo. She stared at Marcus with pure fury and placed her cup under his nose, showing that it was empty, save for most of the tapioca balls.

“I finished my tea, but I still have a lot of jelly balls!” she screeched.

“I can see that, ma’am,” Marcus replied, struggling to keep a straight face. “So, what’s the problem?”

“What’s the problem!” she screamed as if she couldn’t believe what Marcus just said. “What’s the problem, he says! Can’t you see that I can’t eat those jellies through a straw without more tea, you idiot?”

Marcus’s temper flared at being insulted by this fat bitch. But he needed this job. He tried to be professional and answer in a polite tone.

“Well, if you want, we can give you a spoon—”

“A spoon?” she interrupted. “You want me to eat the bubbles of the bubble tea with a spoon! Are you out of your fucking mind?”

“Ma’am, please… I don’t know what else to do for you.” Marcus was using all of his patience to repress the urge to tell her off. “If you don’t want to eat the tapioca balls, no one is forcing you.”

“Oh, and why in the hell would I have paid for a bubble tea if I didn’t want to eat the balls?” she replied in a sarcastic tone. “What I want is a refund! You made the tea wrong. And be thankful I don’t sue you for the horrible way you just treated me!”

Rage rose inside Marcus at a dangerous rate.

He could give the bitch a refund and let the story end there. But Ol’ Heinz, the owner of the restaurant, was a bloody miser through and through. He’d made various ridiculous cheap rules. Among them, the chief one was: if you make a mistake, you pay for it. Meaning any refunds would be taken out of the pay of the one who made the unsatisfactory dish or beverage.

Not really a fair, or even legal, policy, but the town was full of unemployed students who desperately needed a job. Heinz could get away with pretty much anything.

However, it was not Marcus who made the tea. That was Lisa, a young girl who was watching them with a tired, almost scared stare. Lisa had to work one hour to earn what that bubble tea cost.

To take money from her because a landwhale was feeling bitchy just didn’t feel right.

“Sorry, ma’am, but the tea was actually made correctly,” Marcus said, with only just a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “You see, there’s this thing called physics that say if you have a liquid, like your tea, and you put an object with greater density, let’s say like the tapioca balls, in that liquid, then the object is gonna drop to the bottom because of something called gravity.”

“Are you being condescending with me, you little twat?” the fat woman cried in an incredulous voice, as if she couldn’t believe someone would dare disagree with her.

“No, ma’am, I was just explaining to you the reason why the tapioca balls dropped to the bottom, and that it’s something outside of our control. Besides, you already drank all your tea, so you’re not eligible for a refund.”

“That’s it. I’m suing you; I’m suing all y’all! I want to speak with the manager!” The woman was starting to sound like a wounded eagle.

“Ma’am, please, keep your cal—” Marcus tried to say, but the woman threw the cup at him, hitting him on the nose.

The cup was made of hard plastic, and the tapioca balls gave it some weight, so it hurt more than Marcus would have expected.

He grabbed his face. Blood dripped from his nose and oozed from between his fingers. The fat bitch kept screaming, grabbing everything she could find and throwing it in random directions.

She hit Lisa’s head with a well-aimed bottle of ketchup, knocking her out. Marcus decided he’d enough of this bullshit.

He jumped over the counter and reached the screaming woman. With a calculated movement, he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. She yelped in surprise, but before she could react, he kicked her behind the knees, knocking her down.

The fat lady cried in an incredibly high-pitched voice, like a whistle or a boiling kettle. Marcus shut her up by twisting her arm.

“Shut up, bitch!” he said, rage in his voice. He lifted his head to see Damian, another employee of Ol’ Heinz, staring at him in disbelief. “Call the police, Damian! We’re getting this fat bitch out of here!”

* * *

About an hour later, after the police had come, Ol’ Heinz himself coldly stared Marcus in the eyes in the staff room of the fast-food place.

“You’re fired.”

“What? Are you kidding me!” Marcus protested “You can’t do this. That fat bitch was the one that started it all and because of a stupid bubble tea, no less!”

“You could have just given her the refund she wanted,” Heinz replied. “In that case, we could have avoided this mess. The police coming up, the clients hurt by thrown objects… it’s all horrible publicity for my place.”

“Oh, so people can now enter your shitty restaurant and demand free food?” Marcus said with heavy sarcasm. “I get why you want us employees to pay for it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t make a dime with that policy.”

“I don’t want to listen to another word of this.” Heinz turned his back on Marcus. “You are fired. End of the story. Take your things and go.”

Rage was mounting inside Marcus at a rate far greater than before. He knew Heinz was a bastard. Just not to such a degree.

“You pay a misery to us, and you want us to cover for your bullshit with our own money?” Marcus screamed. “And then you fire us when we defend ourselves from assault! You’re a cunt, Heinz. A huge, colossal cunt. I hope to see you burning in hell with your shitty restaurant.”

Heinz left the room without bothering to answer.

Marcus stared at the empty door frame, his anger surging. Then he opened his locker, collected his belongings—mostly his clothes—and considered the pros and cons of murdering your boss. Or rather, your former boss.

Surely there had to be some way to pass it off as legitimate self-defense in tribunal. Maybe he could plead insanity. Heaven knew Heinz was driving him insane.

“Uhm, Marcus?” a gentle voice interrupted his thoughts.

Lisa stood timidly in the doorway. She had a nasty bump on her head and otherwise appeared fine. She was a tall, really thin girl, about twenty-one years old, with long sandy hair and an oval face. Lisa was quite pretty, in a subdued way. She was the kind of girl you could see a thousand times without ever noticing her, and her shy personality didn’t help any.

Right now, even as she was talking to Marcus, she stared at her feet. She always did that when talking to people, so Marcus wasn’t bothered by it.

“Oh, sorry, Lisa. I was lost in my thoughts,” Marcus said, his voice a little calmer. “Do you need something?”

“Well, I… I wanted to thank you for defending me. And also, I’m sorry you lost the job because of me.”

“I didn’t lose the job because of you,” he replied adamantly. “I lost it because Heinz is a fucking idiot! And also, don’t thank me for that. I just did what was right.”

“Oh, well… I still want to thank you.” Lisa blushed. “I-if you need help, now that you’ve lost your job, feel free to count on me. I want to repay you somehow.”

“Don’t worry about it. There’s nothing to repay,” Marcus said in a confident tone. “I’m sure I’ll manage somehow. It’s not like I’m dead or something, is it? Actually, losing a shitty job like this one could actually be for the best!”

“Well, if you’re so sure…” Lisa blushed even more. “B-but… c-could I at least give you m-my phone n-number? You know, just in c-case…”

Marcus hesitated, confused by Lisa’s embarrassment. Then he shrugged.

“Well, okay then. At least this could work both ways,” he said, staring at the girl while taking out his cell phone. “If Heinz or anyone else bothers you, feel free to call me, Lisa, and I’ll come to punch them in the face.”

“Oh, thank you, Marcus! B-but, know that you can c-count on me as well. Don’t hesitate to call me if you n-need help.”

“Hey, I should be the one to say that!” Marcus smiled. “Don’t let that old bastard Heinz mistreat you, okay?”

They exchanged phone numbers and Lisa left him, resuming her shift. He changed his clothes, not wanting to spend another minute in that damned place, and marched right out of the back door, a mix of anger and annoyance on his face.

Once he was on the street, the fresh breeze of the evening cooled him down, and anger slowly gave way to exhaustion and worries.

“Maaaaaan! What a drag!” he said, looking at the sky.

The sun had long set behind the buildings of the city. Its light still hung on, fading and tinging the horizon red and purple. The first stars were showing in the opposite direction. Noises and smells filled the air, and the street was crowded both by people and cars—most going home from a day of hard work.

It almost felt like there were no individuals. As if they were all part of some kind of swarm. Where the problems and worries of a single person could disappear.

Only, it wasn’t that easy. And even if it was, Marcus would never accept to surrender his own individuality.

“Always be true to yourself, son.” These had been the last words of Marcus’s father, and he tried his best to live by this motto. He couldn’t stand people who pretended to be something else. Marcus could forgive a lot of things, but hypocrisy was not among them.

Especially not in himself.

Unfortunately, this attitude had only brought him trouble. He’d lost many jobs because of his inability to look the other way and keep his mouth shut. The fiasco with Heinz was only the latest in a long streak of failures.

He had to take a pause from his studies because he couldn’t afford the tuition. To make things worse, with the loss of this job, he probably couldn’t even pay the rent this month. And he didn’t want to ask his mother for money. She was dirt poor herself. No doubt she’d give him the money, at the cost of not eating. Marcus would never let his mother do that.

His father had died ten years ago. Since that day, Marcus had sworn he’d find a way to take care of his mother.

He’d always excelled at school. Although he often got into fights, he successfully enrolled in a good college. Then he lost his first job, and after that, less and less people were willing to hire him.

Months of struggle later landed him the dubious pleasure of working under Heinz’s tyrannical wing, and now he’d have to do it again. He sighed. At least, as he’d said to Lisa, it wasn’t like he was dead. With time and effort, he would find a way to make things right.

As he kept walking and thinking, night came. The streets were darker, and he met less and less people.

The neighborhood where Marcus lived was something of a place of ill repute. At least rents were suitably low. And Marcus didn’t feel like he had much to fear, in any case.

First of all, being dirt poor meant he had nothing of value to steal.

Second, he was intimidating enough to convince most would-be muggers to steer clear. He was very tall, close to 1.9 meters, with broad shoulders. He had short, copper-brown hair, and a thin beard, little more than a stubble really, of the same color. His face was quite rough and sharp, but not without something of a virile, attractive quality. His expression almost always remained serious with droopy eyes. A kind of threatening brooding that had become a habit since long ago.

All in all, he usually had a seedy look, accentuated by his cheap, old clothes. Right now, he had the appearance of a thug seeking a brawl, and in that exact moment, he’d have actually welcomed one. At least it would have given him an excuse to vent his frustration by punching someone in the face.

It was at that moment he heard the scream.

A woman’s scream. Coming from a dark alley.

Normally, Marcus would have called the police or just shouted to interrupt whatever was happening in there. But right now, he was too angry and frustrated to be rational. He stepped into the alley.

In the dark, he could see a woman being grabbed by a man with a baseball cap. He ran toward them and grabbed the man, throwing him away from the woman.

BANG!

The deafening sound of a gunshot erupted in the alley.

Marcus fell to the ground, an excruciating pain burning in his chest. He had trouble breathing, and through the tears filling his eyes, he noticed the man with a baseball cap held a gun.

The woman kept screaming, and the man with the gun simply ran away.

Not like this! Marcus thought. I still have so many things to do… I want to live! I don’t want… to…

A deep cold lanced his every molecule. He was incredibly tired, struggling to stay awake. It was futile.

After a few seconds, his eyes closed and darkness enveloped him.

Chapter 2

A Mother’s Disappointment

For some reason, Marcus felt strange.

He couldn’t focus his thoughts on anything in particular. His mind was numb. All he experienced was a peaceful, cozy, and relaxing sensation of being submerged into some kind of lukewarm liquid.

He didn’t even have the need to breathe. All he had to do was float and let the warmth cradle him. Let his mind and body rest in that blissful forgetfulness…

After an undetermined amount of time, a sharp pain stabbed within his lungs. He gasped for air, his body twitching while the sticky, warm liquid restrained him.

Marcus panicked, moving desperately to free himself, and felt some kind of membrane surrounding him like a loose straitjacket.

He jerked harder, trying to rip through that substance. Painful flashes seared through his head, and his newfound consciousness started to fade. Fear and survival instinct lent him one final moment of strength, and the membrane started to tear apart.

Marcus slid out through that opening and onto a cold, hard surface, able to breathe again. The air going through his throat and into his lungs seemed ice cold after the previous warmth. He breathed gratefully nonetheless, stopping only to cough out liquid. He just lay there for a while, covered in a weird, viscous liquid, coughing and trembling.

It took some minutes for him to collect his wits and start thinking again. Even then, he felt too tired to stand up properly. Still, he wanted to know where he was and what was happening, so he sat up and opened his eyes.

Despite being very dark, he could see perfectly, although in weird black and white tones.

Then he noticed a huge monster staring at him.

Marcus tried to jump back. To scream. But he failed at both actions. His limbs were too weak, and the “jump,” was just a slight crawl, while the “scream,” ended up being a wet wheeze.

Luckily, the humongous creature didn’t move, at least for the moment.

Too weak and scared, Marcus studied the weird being.

It was like a hybrid between a reptile and an insect. The lower half was similar in shape to that of a bloated lizard, but it was covered in a purple chitin exoskeleton instead of scales. The torso resembled that of a praying mantis, as it had a thin waist, long, scythe-shaped arms, and a big insectoid head—without the antennae—and four, huge yellow glowing eyes…. A single, sharp horn jutted out between the two upper eyes.

The beast was at least four meters tall. Although he couldn’t measure it with accuracy, Marcus was sure it was at least twenty meters long.

They stared at each other for some time. After a while, the monster started moving toward him.

Marcus instinctively tried to escape, but something weird happened. It was like a huge, incomprehensibly powerful presence had grabbed his mind and kept him still. He was forced to stare in horror as the creature extended one of its scythe-shaped limbs and slightly caressed his cheek with a claw.

The gesture didn’t contain any hostility, only curiosity. It was actually quite delicate, like a mother caressing a child.

Marcus was surprised and thought that maybe this creature wasn’t that hostile.

Then, without warning, the claw stabbed Marcus in the shoulder, pinning him to the ground.

He screamed a shrill sound he didn’t even recognize as his own voice. He grabbed the claw, trying to free himself, but he was too weak to make it budge. The monster kept him helplessly pinned. Marcus kept trying and failing to free himself. Then it let him go.

He crawled away, desperate to put as much space as possible between him and that insectoid being. But the creature was just staring at him.

The presence that touched Marcus’s mind appeared again, this time in the form of a voice full of disappointment.

Weak. Very weak. Fully formed but weak. Why? Nourishment was strong. Very strong. Why new queen weak then?

Marcus sat there trembling. His mind, now fully awake, was riddled with questions. Where was he? What the hell was that creature? Why was he hearing that creepy-ass voice in his mind? And most importantly: What. The fuck. Was happening!

Do not understand. But weak queen is useless. Weak, too weak. The Vex would grow weak with weak queen.

The disappointment in the voice increased.

Making new queen with that nourishment was a mistake. Weak, too weak. Can’t make Vex stronger. Useless, too useless. Waste of time and nourishment.

The voice turned cold and emotionless.

At least can use weak queen body as material for warrior.

The powerful presence grabbed Marcus’s mind, only this time, it was stronger and more violent, as if trying to crush him.

Die.

The word was projected directly in Marcus’s head. An order with such an absolute authority, he felt the instinctive need to obey it.

Darkness enveloped him again. A sensation of sleepiness that was somehow familiar. He felt that it would be nice to close his eyes and let himself go…

No!

Screw that!

With a desperate act of will, Marcus forced himself to stay awake. He didn’t want to die. He wanted to live!

And even if he had to die, he wouldn’t go down without a fight. He’d at least take that monster with him!

The presence in his mind sensed something and tightened its grip, the command Die repeated multiple times. Marcus was no longer listening.

Powered by his rage, he stared directly at the monster looming over him, and clenched his teeth before finally managing to stand up on his feet. His balance was horrible, and he felt dizzy and nauseous, but he stood up nonetheless, his pose full of prideful defiance.

The surprise in the monster increased. When Marcus made a step in its direction, the creature cowered back a bit, a small tinge of fear and confusion emanating from it.

Do not understand. Body is weak, very weak. But mind is strong, very strong. Newborn queen with no swarm should not have mind this strong. Why? Why?

Marcus took another step, raising his fist to hit that hideous monster.

The presence grabbed him again. Only this time, it wasn’t trying to kill him, just stopping him in his tracks. He struggled within that telepathic grip, trying to free himself. He sensed that the creature was having a hard time keeping him still, and that only made him try harder.

Mind so strong. But why? Did nourishment do this? How? Maybe strength of nourishment came from mind and not from body? Could it be possible?

The insectoid monster looked appraisingly at Marcus, who returned a glare full of defiance.

Strange mind. Strong. Independent. More like flesh-things mind than Vex mind. Body is weak, very weak, but maybe new queen strength come from mind. Worth testing. Worth trying to create new hive.

Another command was given to Marcus. As if the creature had made up its mind, this command was even stronger than the previous one.

Sleep.

He struggled against it, grunting and desperately struggling to remain conscious. But the strength of this order was overwhelming. In addition to that, his body was genuinely tired and in need of rest.

He fought back harder, even though it was a losing battle. Marcus fell to the ground, slowly drifting off into sleep. He never stopped fighting that command, though, clinging to his senses as long as he could.

This was how he was able to perceive the last words of the creature.

Sleep. Warriors will take new queen away to a far, very far place. There, new queen will be able to make new nest, new hive. Sleep now. Real struggle is about to come for new queen.

At that, Marcus finally fell asleep.

Chapter 3

Mission One Start

Marcus kept sleeping for what seemed a long time.

His body felt immensely tired. Even when he tried to wake up, the fatigue always dragged him back to unconsciousness.

In his brief moments of wakefulness, he could perceive strange things from his surroundings. A buzzing sound, like that of a huge bee. Strong, hard claws carried him as delicately as possible. A cold wind blew against his skin, and whenever he managed to open his eyes, a huge forest moved beneath him, as if he was flying over it.

He was too tired to focus his thoughts on anything specific, though, so after a few moments, he always drifted asleep again.

He dreamt of various things. Of working at Ol’ Heinz’s when the fat bitch came in. This time, the bitch was a humongous reptilian-insectoid monster. She protested the fact that her bubble tea had too many tapioca balls and not enough tea and demanded a refund. When Marcus refused to give one to her, she grabbed him with her scythe-shaped appendages, raising him to her drooling, fanged mouth, and—

Marcus woke to cold shivers running along his spine.

Dammit, what a nightmare!

He’d dreamt of being fired after discussing something with a stupid fat woman, then was shot by a mugger, and threatened by a huge monster. Then a mix of all of the above.

“Goddammit, I need some damn coffee,” he murmured to himself.

He didn’t even recognize his own voice, as it was unnaturally shrill. He hoped he hadn’t caught anything. He couldn’t afford to take a sick day at work. Marcus stretched his arms, clicking his tongue. That was when he realized there was something very wrong. He wasn’t in his bed. Heck, he wasn’t even in his house.

He was in the middle of a forest.

“What the—!” he cried.

There was indeed something completely wrong with his voice. Not only was it acute and feminine, like that of a child, but it also had a reverberating quality that made it sound kind of alien.

He grabbed his throat in surprise, his hands feeling weirdly hard and cold. When he looked at them, he almost cried out in surprise.

His hands were covered in some dark purple chitin substance that enveloped them like a pair of armored gloves. That chitin also covered up most of his arms, stopping right before his bare shoulders, whose skin was gray.

“What the actual fuck!” Marcus cried and started inspecting himself more carefully.

He had grayish-purple skin. The only parts that seemed to be covered by the chitin armor were his arms and legs, extending from his toes to his thighs. His torso was naked and clearly showed his skin.

And that skin wasn’t the only thing showing.

His chest was flat and smooth. There weren’t any nipples. Weird. An even greater surprise awaited him when he finally looked between his legs.

“What the flying shit-bucket is this!”

There was nothing between his legs. Rather, there was nothing of what was supposed to be there. Marcus’s “little big fella” had disappeared, taking the family jewels with him. In his place, he had something else left. Something Marcus was used to seeing on women, not on himself.

“Is that a vagina? What the hell! Have I become a girl now? I’m still dreaming…. Am I on drugs?”

Marcus was having a serious mental kerfuffle. For a while, all he could do was sit there, immobile, while sometimes uttering a random profanity.

Then he slapped himself and got up on his feet.

“Okay, stop it. Keep your calm, Marcus,” he said to himself. “Deep breaths, deep breaths! Count to ten if you can. Concentrate on the ground if you will. But calm. Your. Inexistent. Tits. Down!”

He stood there for a minute, completely immobile, taking deep breaths. He opened his eyes and started doing a summary of the situation.

“Okay… I don’t know where I am. I don’t know why I have this body. And most importantly, I don’t know what’s going on! I think that sums it up pretty nicely, doesn’t it?”

No one answered. Then again, he was talking to himself.

“If I got it right, I got fired by Heinz, shot by that thug, and then I woke up in front of that monster. What could have happened? Maybe this is a nightmare. Maybe I’m in a delusional coma after being shot. Or…” He didn’t want to consider the last possibility. “Or maybe all of this is real. In any case, sitting here on my ass won’t do me any good. First of all, let’s find a clue about where I am exactly.”

He was in a small clearing surrounded by trees resembling oaks. The clearing was full of rocks and small vegetation. Above it was a clear blue sky, where the sun was shining brightly. Judging by its position, Marcus estimated it should be around noon.

Then he froze. There was something else in the sky. A pale red planet, several times the size of the moon, was clearly visible on the horizon.

“The hell! If there is something like that, doesn’t it mean I’m not on Earth anymore?”

After staring at the sky for another minute, he decided it was a problem for later. Just like his current appearance, it wasn’t something he could deal with right now. He had more important things to do. Since he was stranded in the middle of an unknown forest, survival took precedence over anything else.

“Well, let’s see, what to do now? I could try and look for some sign of civilization.”

He looked around, sighting a big rock in the middle of the clearing that would give him some elevation. He climbed over it, albeit with some difficulty as his arms and legs still felt really weak.

Luckily, the chitin armor on his limbs was protecting him nicely, letting him walk and climb on the rocky ground without a problem.

After a minute or so, he managed to get on top of the rock and had a proper look around.

Apparently, he was on the top of a hill. Even from this elevated position, all he could see were more hills covered by trees. No sign of human presence anywhere. He sighed with disappointment.

“Well then…. What to do now, I wonder?”

He thought hard, trying to remember any piece of trivia that could help him. When he was young, his father used to take him camping in the forest and taught him a thing or two about survival.

“First, find a source of water!” Marcus recited. “Food and shelter can wait, but a human can’t survive for long without water. Although… do I still count as human? Damn if I know, but finding some water surely won’t hurt.”

He scanned his surroundings for signs of a stream or a lake. Luckily, he managed to spot something. Right at the base of the hill he was on was a small gorge. Through the trees covering it, he could see the faint sparkle of the sun reflected on the water.

“Mission one, start! Objective: Secure some water. Let’s go!”

And with an almost military rhythm, he marched toward the gorge.

Chapter 4

Oh Deer!

By the time Marcus emerged from the forest and reached the open gorge, he was wasted.

His limbs, although armored, were still very weak. He’d tripped and fallen numerous times, gaining various bruises all over his torso.

In the end, he had to use a fallen branch as an improvised crutch. Walking was an incredibly tiring enterprise, as the undergrowth obstructed his advance and thorny plants scratched him.

Moreover, he was both hungry and thirsty, more than he had ever felt in his life. Really, the only things that kept him going were his stubbornness and the fact that if he stopped before reaching water, he didn’t know if he would be able to continue.

After what felt like an eternity, he arrived at the gorge and the small stream he’d seen twinkling in the sun. He rushed to it, dropping to his knees, and put his face in the water, drinking like an animal. Marcus kept drinking until he was out of breath, gasping for air as he collapsed at the edge of the pool.

“Aaaah…” he sighed, having finally sated his thirst. “That was absolute bliss. I’d have never thought simple water could taste so good.”

He lay there for a while, watching the sky and listening to the sounds of the river and nearby forest, resting his weary body.

It was only after a few minutes that he noticed something moving under his back. He jumped away, fearing it could be a snake or some other animal. Except when he looked at the ground, he couldn’t see anything.

“Weird,” he murmured. “I could have sworn there was something there. Maybe I just got something attached to my back?”

He turned his head. What he saw was a short, stubby tail sprouting from just above his—surprisingly big and round—butt.

“Why do I have a tail! How come I didn’t notice it before? And why the hell is my butt so fucking big!”

The tail was reptilian in appearance, with chitin plates covering its upper part. As far as Marcus could tell, the plates also extended to his back, covering his spine up to his neck.

“Wonderful. I’ve got a tail and a tiny bit of useless armor in my back. What next? Do I have the face of an insect too?”

He was actually afraid of that being the case. He peered over the pool of water, likely the only reflective surface in miles. Well, no time like the present to find out.

Fearing what he was about to see, he forced himself to look at his reflection.

The face staring back at him was rather feminine and young, framed by wild, dirty long brown hair. It had gray skin like the rest of the body, but the most striking detail was the eyes. Big and vaguely insectoid, with no pupils and shining with a purple glow. In the center of his forehead, right above the eyes, was a small, sharp horn. He also had no nose, just two barely visible nostrils, and his mouth was a jagged line with no apparent lips. Opening it revealed a disturbing set of sharp teeth. His tongue was also weird, being bright green and unnaturally long.

He tried making expressions at the pool. He made sad faces, he smiled, he even tried to make a duck face—a difficult undertaking since he had no lips—before being satisfied.

It could have been far worse. His face was clearly not human, but it wasn’t nearly as monstrous as he’d feared. Actually, it was kinda cute, in a creepy way. It had a childish quality due to the shape and the size of the eyes. It wasn’t his old face, but for the time being, he was glad he wouldn’t have to wander around with the head of a mantis or something.

A sudden noise ripped him from his thoughts.

Marcus raised his gaze to the surrounding forest and saw a huge deer looking at him from the other side of the river.

It was a majestic creature, at least two meters tall, with a collar of flowing white fur and incredibly beautiful antlers that seemed to be made out of crystal, shining in the sun like a crown. Marcus couldn’t help but stare in awe at the sight of such a magnificent creature. As he was soon to find out, that was a terrible mistake.

The deer gave him an angry glare with prideful eyes and kicked the ground in annoyance. Then, without warning, it lowered its head and charged.

Though Marcus was taken by surprise, he reacted instantly and dove away, dodging those majestic crystal antlers that up close looked sharp and deadly, by a hair’s breadth.

He hit the ground and immediately picked himself up, running away.

His heart was beating like crazy. Marcus tried to ignore it, looking behind himself to see the deer charging at him.

Marcus tried to dodge but was a bit too slow, and the antlers grazed him. Luckily, they hit him on the arm, where he was protected by his chitin armor, so he was just sent flying away.

The young man hit the ground hard. He ignored the pain and jumped to his feet, resuming his run for the forest. If he managed to hide behind the trees, maybe he could hide from the deer.

Marcus reached the first tree when the galloping of the beast pounded behind him. He jumped for the cover offered by the tree’s trunk, crouching behind it to shield himself from the rushing deer. The vibrations of an incredible impact, accompanied by the creak of wood being torn apart, reverberated through the tree, showering him in a rain of splinters.

The deer passed right next to him. When he looked up, just above his head, a huge chunk of wood was missing from the trunk.

Are you kidding me? How strong is that deer! It’s more like a monster than an animal!

The animal shook its head to clear its antlers of the remaining wood. Marcus used this momentary pause to sprint for the depths of the forest.

He kept running until he couldn’t hear the noise of the deer’s clopping and kept going, just to be sure. He didn’t even dare to look over his shoulders. It was only when he was out of breath that he let himself fall behind a tree.

The deer was nowhere in sight. Apparently, the beast decided he wasn’t worth the effort. Or maybe he was now out of its territory.

Whatever the reason, Marcus was glad he’d managed to survive.

* * *

It took some time before Marcus felt rested enough to move, and the sun was about to set.

He stared at the alien sky. The red moon had disappeared, replaced by two others, one small and white, the other medium-sized with a yellow hue.

It was a magnificent view, only Marcus was too crestfallen to take notice of it. He was incredibly hungry, tired, and scared, stranded in the hostile wilderness of another world. He had a weak, weird body that wasn’t his own. And to make things worse, he couldn’t even scrounge up some coffee.

All in all, it was enough to break someone’s spirit.

That state of self-pity lasted until Marcus slapped himself in the face.

His hand was hard, cold, and armored. The slap hurt quite a bit, but it served its purpose, shaking him out of his depression.

“Okay, staying here and whining won’t help you, Marcus! So stop being such a pussy and get yourself together. You’re not dead yet, and if you intend to survive, there are things that need to be done.”

He picked himself up, standing with his back against the tree. He felt a little dizzy, but was relatively okay.

“I need a shelter…” he murmured weakly. “Food can wait for now, but I absolutely need to sleep. And for sure, I can’t do that in the open. What if there are other animals like that deer nearby?”

He looked around. There was only the forest around him. No source of lights. Where could he find shelter?

“I could try to build some kind of hut, but that’d take time, and the sun is about to set…. Should I try to climb one of these trees? It’d be relatively safe up there, I guess.” He looked up, gauging the height and discarded that plan. “Nah. They’re too high and difficult to climb. Even with proper equipment, I don’t know if I’d manage to do that right now.”

He sighed.

“Well then. I can’t hide on the ground or above it. The only thing to do is hide under it.” A sad, sarcastic smile touched his lips. “Guess it’s fitting for an insect, or whatever I am right now, to crawl under some rock.”

He started wandering, looking for a suitable hole in the ground that he could slide into.

The search took about an hour, during which the sun completely set, plunging the forest in darkness.

Luckily for Marcus, his new eyes seemed perfectly capable of seeing in the dark. That didn’t hamper his search, although he was more wary. Now that the sun had set, the forest was even more noisy. Many creatures moved around: crawling, walking, and flying. He even heard the howl of a wolf in the distance.

He trembled and tried even harder to find a suitable shelter.

* * *

After some time, he found one, but its suitableness was up for debate. It was little more than a hole in the ground, dug by erosion under the roots of a huge, dead tree. Before entering, Marcus checked the inside for the presence of any previous occupants. All he could see were tiny millipedes, worms, and spiders crawling about.

He shuddered, but hey, sharing your living space with insects beats ending up as food for some hungry predator, doesn’t it?

Also, he was kind of an insect too, at the moment.

He kept his disgust under check and crawled in the hole.

The inside wasn’t all that comfy. The hole continued into the earth for about one meter, and the roof, made of dead roots, was only about eighty centimeters tall. It was more than enough to accommodate Marcus’s tiny body, but not to let him be comfy, especially since the ground under him was damp and crawling with vermin.

“Ew! Ew! Ew, ew, ew, ew!” Marcus lamented when a particularly long millipede fell on his face. “This is just the worst. I need to find a better place soon!”

This was his only choice for now, so he’d have to grin and bear it.

He let himself lie against the ground in a fetal position, trying to be as comfortable as possible.

“Well then… goodnight, shitty new world. I sincerely hope you’ll go fuck yourself, and when I wake up, I’ll be back in my home!”

Chapter 5

Snake Eater

When Marcus awoke, the sun was high in the sky.

Despite his state of exhaustion, he had trouble falling asleep the previous night. Various factors conspired to keep him awake. First and foremost was sleeping in a small hole in the ground with insects and spiders crawling all around. It wasn’t exactly a comfy bed.

Second, he was incredibly hungry. The rumblings of his stomach weren’t easy to ignore.

Third, he’d been incredibly scared and tense all night. He could hear various creatures moving outside of his temporary shelter, and his imagination pictured all sorts of scary predators crawling inside the hole he hid in, waiting to devour him whole.

Between all that, it took hours for the fatigue to finally overcome him, and even then, his sleep had been troubled by blurred, feverish nightmares. He probably hadn’t slept soundly for more than a couple hours. Despite that, he was feeling surprisingly well rested.

He crawled out of the hole, got up, and stretched.

“Well, good morning, Vietnam!” he said with a yawn. “Let’s see what shitty surprise this new day has in store for us.”

His stomach rumbled violently, making Marcus grimace. The hunger was getting unbearable, and he absolutely had to find something to eat. Which, since he was in the middle of a forest, basically meant he had to either find some edible plants or hunt something. Since he wasn’t an expert of botany and didn’t know which plants were safe to eat and which were not, his only option was to catch some prey.

Before that, he needed to drink some water. And that meant visiting the gorge where that brutal, crystal-horned deer could be waiting to attack him. Marcus grimaced even harder at the prospect of being chased by that beast. Then again, maybe if he’d try being stealthy, he wouldn’t be found out. It wasn’t as if he’d been particularly careful before.

Weighing his possibilities, he decided a visit to the river was worth the risk. After all, he hadn’t found any other water source nearby.

As soon as he made this resolution, he picked a broken branch to use as a crutch and started toward the gorge.

About an hour later, Marcus was scanning the surroundings while hiding in a bush near the river. The deer was nowhere to be seen. Just to be sure, he waited a few minutes before carefully stepping out in the open.

Quickly, while trying to be as silent as possible, he approached the river, turning his head left and right to spot any possible danger.

He couldn’t see any, and he couldn’t even hear anything besides the water and the birds singing. Marcus crouched near the stream and tried to pick up water by making a cup with his hands. That failed miserably because of the hard chitin armor covering them.

He almost let out a sigh and just lowered his head into the water, drinking like an animal as he’d done the day before. He really needed to find some kind of cup or container for the water. For now, he didn’t have anything like that.

As soon as his thirst was sated, he carefully started to step back into the woods. A movement to his right froze him. He slowly moved his head, fearing it was the deer. Luckily, that wasn’t the case. A big brown snake, almost two meters long, with some type of horns over its eyes and nose, slithered through the rocks toward the river.

While he stared, the reptile reached the water and started drinking with rapid movements of its forked tongue.

Marcus looked appraisingly at the animal. It seemed quite dangerous, especially if it was venomous, and the sound of a fight could attract the deer. But at this point, he was so hungry that even a snake looked positively appetizing. Not to mention it was the only animal he’d met so far that he thought he had a chance of defeating.

As if it sensed his ravenous intentions, the reptile raised its head, staring at him with cold eyes.

Marcus stood still for a few moments. Then his hunger won over his caution, and he grabbed the fallen branch he had used as a crutch. If things kept going like this, he’d become too weak to fight and die of starvation. Better to take a risk now rather than wait for that.

With caution, he moved a few tense steps toward the snake, raising the stick overhead, ready to strike. He didn’t want to take any chances in case the animal had a venomous bite, planning to just smash its head in with the branch as soon as it was within striking distance.

Before he could do that, the reptile launched at him, mouth open to show two oversized fangs. Marcus barely dodged by jumping to his right, then cursed and struck down with his stick, hitting the snake’s body.

The animal trembled in pain, the blow not enough to kill it. It reared and its head darted once more at him.

This time, he was too slow, and the beast bit his arm, causing him to scream in surprise.

But there was no pain. He looked at his arm. The snake’s fangs had failed to pierce his chitin armor.

Marcus was quick to recover from the shock, seeing his opportunity to attack. While the snake uselessly chewed on his arm and became effectively stuck, he lifted the branch and struck its head with all the strength he could muster.

The reptile let go of his arm, dizzy from the concussion. Marcus didn’t give it any pause. Grabbing the stick with both hands, he started savagely hitting the beast’s head and body.

“Die. You. Stupid. Mother. Fucker!”

This went on for a while due to Marcus’s low strength and the snake’s resilience. Finally, with a lucky strike, he hit the animal right behind the head, breaking its spine with the sound of crumbling bones.

The reptile collapsed, writhing in agony, and after a while, it stopped moving.

Only then did Marcus let himself sink to the ground, breathing heavily. His arms felt like they weighed a ton. He let go of the stick, just sitting on his knees in front of the lifeless body of his prey.

He won!

A sensation of happiness and triumph coursed through his tired body. He felt incredibly alive. All of his senses were sharpened. The slight breeze caressing his body was cold like ice. His sight revealed details of his surroundings that he’d previously ignored. And the beating of his heart was deafening.

But he didn’t have the time to rest on his laurels. A big animal was galloping in his direction. Probably meaning the deer was coming to investigate the commotion.

Marcus forced himself to his feet, grabbed the snake, and dragged it into the forest, hiding among the bushes.

After a few seconds, the majestic deer appeared, raising splashes of water as it ran through the river. The huge beast stopped abruptly where Marcus and the snake had fought, and raised its head, sniffing the air.

Tension gripped Marcus’s shoulders.

After what felt like an eternity, but was actually a few minutes, the deer sneezed with contempt and walked away, leaving him alone with his prey.

Marcus sighed with relief, exhaustion overwhelming his senses. He didn’t know if he would have had the energy to run away from the deer this time.

Luckily, he hadn’t been found out, and he finally had something to eat.

He looked at the snake’s corpse. To his mind, it was incredibly repulsive. Except his instincts were urging him to devour it.

Marcus actually started drooling. He had to use all of his self-control to not jump on the carcass right there. After all, the deer could come back at any time. Better to consume his meal away from the gorge.

So he grabbed the corpse, lifted it onto his shoulders, and dragged it away from the river.

While he was walking, he thought about how he was gonna eat this thing.

“I don’t have any tools to skin it. Maybe I could just try and light a fire to roast it whole? But how do I light a fire here in the forest? Could just use two sticks…. Maybe two stones?”

The trek accentuated his hunger more and more. The rumbling of his stomach grew stronger. He couldn’t ignore it anymore.

He looked at the body of the snake.

“Well… maybe if it’s just a bite, I could try to eat it raw… just to stop… this stupid hunger.”

He raised the torso of the snake to his mouth.

His reason screamed at him that this was disgusting and gross, but his hunger was too strong. He opened his mouth and bit down on the reptile corpse.

His sharp teeth easily pierced through the hard scales, and cold blood drained into his mouth. It tasted bitter and revolting. His instincts kicked in, and he found himself wolfing down the snake like it was the most delicious thing in the world. He ate meat, scales, and bones without distinction, easily chewing it all down.

After he took the last bite, he realized he’d eaten the whole snake, leaving nothing behind.

“What the hell!” Marcus was both surprised and vaguely disgusted, rationality flooding him on the waning of his hunger. “Did I really eat a raw snake…. with bones and everything!”

He was quite amazed. And to make things stranger, he didn’t even feel sick. Actually, he was still a bit peckish.

“Well, that was weird. And gross. And disgusting. And I hope that I’ll never have to do something like that ever again. At least now I’m not that hungry anymore.” He sighed. “Let’s just hope I don’t feel sick later. I just wanna lie down and rest for a bit.”

He walked out of the valley, headed for his shelter, and experienced an odd feeling.

He couldn’t put it into words, but it was like he was somehow… memorizing the snake. Details of the reptile’s physiology flashed through his mind. He was suddenly aware of the composition of its scales, the arrangement of the muscles that allowed it to move, and its venom glands.

He stopped for a second, wondering if overeating raw flesh like that was giving him hallucinations. He felt fine. It was just as if that information were being absorbed into some part of him.

He shrugged. Probably he was just tired. He hoped a nap would help him recover.

Marcus kept going until he reached the relative safety of his improvised shelter.

Chapter 6

Crab Battle

When Marcus woke up the following day, he was feeling much better.

He wasn’t starving anymore. He was hungry and thirsty, yes, but tolerably so. And he’d managed to make some improvements on his shelter. He had covered the cold ground with leaves and grass, making a kind of rustic bed, and covered the entrance with various sticks held together by grass strings.

It wasn’t elegant, or even that well made, but it was far more comfortable than sleeping on the dirt. Having a door, if you could call some flimsy sticks a “door,” actually made it feel safer.

So now, despite it all, he felt a bit optimistic.

Sure, he was still stranded in a weird, wild world. At least he thought he could take care of himself. The victory over the snake gave him a much-needed boost in confidence.

Now what should he do? Same as yesterday, his priorities were finding food and water. And he could start making plans for the future.

He didn’t want to stay in the forest indefinitely. He’d have to explore to find some traces of civilization, or even better, a way home. To do so, he needed provisions, and most importantly was a way to carry water, like a canteen or something. That meant he had to craft some equipment, but he didn’t have any tools to work with. He needed at least a blade to start building.

He knew in ancient times people used to craft flint blades. Only… he hadn’t seen any flint around here.

Maybe he could just make do with a sharp rock or something.

He remembered spotting various rocks on the top of the hill, so he went that way, hoping to find something to fit his needs.

A couple of hours later, he was silently cursing against all rocks in existence.

On the top of the hill, he’d found some sharpened rocks, which seemed to be just what he was looking for. Except when he tried to use them to cut wood, he found it more difficult than he had imagined.

After trying to sharpen the end of a long stick to make a wooden spear, the rock’s edge always broke after a few hits. Now he was almost out of rocks, and the stick was nowhere near as sharp as he needed.

He hissed in frustration. Clearly, the kind of rocks on the top of the hill weren’t durable enough to be used for blades.

But where could he find other kinds of rocks?

He searched his memory and recalled that the river in the gorge was full of stones and pebbles.

Since he was thirsty, he decided to go there next and hopefully avoid the deer and any other possible animal that was there to drink.

Marcus grabbed his incomplete spear and started down the hill.

About half an hour later, as he approached the gorge, Marcus heard some weird noises.

It was as if someone was fighting near the river.

With caution, he edged closer to the source of the noises, moving ever so slowly in order to not attract the fighters’ attention. Using the cover provided by the bushes, he remained hidden while observing what was happening.

The scene before him was unreal.

The majestic crystal-horned deer that continuously threatened him was struggling against three unlikely opponents. Some kind of giant hermit crabs that stood on long, stilt-like limbs longer than Marcus himself. They had huge red pincers that, once closed, were similar to boxing gloves.

And the crabs fought like boxers too, throwing powerful punches at the deer with their long arms, and dodging by sidestepping whenever the deer charged.

Marcus observed the fight with fascination.

The boxing crabs were clearly more skilled than the deer, and they were using their numbers and coordination to deliver blow after blow. But the boss of the river took their punches without showing any discomfort, continuously charging at them with his crystal antlers.

That stalemate went on for a while. The punches didn’t seem to affect the deer, and the crabs dodged its charges like a matador.

One of the crustaceans was a bit too slow, and it was pierced by the crystal antlers of the deer. The deer immediately raised his head, lifting the unfortunate crab from the ground. The immobilized boxer tried to free himself, punching the deer repeatedly, but the brute simply stood still, his horns getting brighter and brighter.

A blinding flash came from the crystal antlers, and the crab suddenly exploded in every direction, sending a splash of boiling guts and charred shell fragments across the rocks around the river.

The other crustaceans seemed hesitant. When the deer turned to them, they turned to their side and scuttled away.

The deer ran in pursuit of them, and the gorge was suddenly empty.

Marcus, after he heard the galloping disappear into the distance, came out of his hiding place and approached one of the broken yet still smoking pieces of the crab.

A delicious smell came from those shell pieces, a scent of cooked crab that felt almost intoxicating. Quickly, he grabbed one, seeing some grilled meat still attached to the shell, and put it into his mouth with voracity.

“Ouch!” he cried.

It was still very hot. Whatever the light that came from that antler was, the heat it released was certainly impressive. Thinking that those same antlers had been about to stab him, Marcus couldn’t help but shudder.

Once the crab cooled, it tasted like the most delicious thing in the world, and he hurried to collect all the shell fragments.

While he was doing that, he noticed most of them were actually pretty sharp. Not to mention one of the biggest ones was actually shaped like some sort of bowl.

“Well, this was a stroke of luck!” Marcus smiled. “Not only do I get a free meal, but also knives and a bowl! If only I could get some booze, it would be the perfect gift!”

That was obviously asking too much, so he quickly emptied the bowl-shaped shell of its meat into his mouth, and then he filled it with water.

Now he was facing a different problem…

It was very difficult to carry all of the shell pieces with him, and it was outright impossible to do it without spilling the water.

He needed to get out of the gorge as soon as possible to avoid being chased by the deer. Marcus stopped there for a moment, wondering about what to do.

He made a decision.

First, he hid all the pieces into the bushes. Then, he proceeded to silently consume all the crab meat.

The meal took a while, and it wasn’t exactly abundant, but it was too delicious to complain about it.

When he finished—too soon; he could’ve kept eating for a while—Marcus drank all the water in his bowl, and proceeded to fill it with the other shell fragments.

His reasoning was that he could return to fill the bowl later, but now he needed to get the fragments to his shelter.

Once he was prepared, he left the gorge in higher spirits than he had been in a long time. Since even before he’d arrived in this world.

Chapter 7

Laugh Wolf

About a couple of days later, Marcus finally finished crafting the equipment he needed to start exploring the forest.

“Do-do-do-doooo!” He hummed a game item-acquired fanfare as he finished tying the last laces. “You got the Shitty Backpack! Now you can actually have an inventory!”

Jokes aside, the backpack was more like a deep basket made of woven grass and sticks he could carry over his shoulder. It wasn’t pretty and it didn’t seem particularly robust, but it would serve the purpose of letting Marcus carry his few belongings: a bowl full of water, a knife and a few needles all made from the crab’s shell fragments.

He also had a wooden spear and wore a cloak constructed of green leaves held together by woven grass. Not the most fashionable outfit, though it beat strolling around naked. At least he didn’t need any kind of shoes, as the armor on his leg was more resilient than anything he could make.

All things considered, he felt ready and eager to start the exploration of this new world. To be honest, he was kind of excited. He felt like the protagonist of some adventure tale. The fact that he’d managed to somehow feed himself added to his good mood. He’d caught another horned snake—albeit smaller than the previous one—and some kind of huge red grasshopper.

Neither of those meals managed to completely sate his appetite, but he certainly didn’t feel weak from hunger anymore. And maybe he could find a better hunting spot somewhere else. The options in this place were kind of reduced by the presence of the crystal-horned deer guarding the only source of water.

Without further ado, he lifted the kinda-backpack over his shoulder, grabbed the spear, and proceeded in the direction of the place he’d chosen to start off his exploration: a big, steep hill with a barren, rocky top. That hill was the highest point he could see. It towered over the ones around it and would be perfect to get a better look at the geography of the region.

He started the march with a brisk walk, eager to reach his destination. That lasted until the bottom of his destination hill, when he started climbing it. Marcus slowed down considerably. The terrain was steep and rough, forcing him to frequently take detours to get around natural obstacles.

Despite starting his march early in the morning, it was past noon when he reached the peak. He wasn’t particularly tired, having taken numerous breaks during the climb.

The top of the hill was barren, other than some stiff grass and a couple of thorny bushes. The trees disappeared about a couple dozen meters under the peak, and it was relatively easy to conclude the reason. The remains of a few trees still stood above that level, burned and cracked by lightning. Evidently, thunderbolts were frequent on this particular hill.

But right now, the sky was clear, so there shouldn’t be any danger.

Actually, it was quite a nice place. The sun was hot, and there was a nice breeze that refreshed Marcus.

He basked in that moment for a while, recovering some energy before taking a good look around. Being barren, the top had nothing blocking the view. The surrounding hills were like a beautiful, perfect map that blurred on the horizon.

The forest continued in almost every direction, much to his chagrin.

On the south, the hills disappeared into a great plain, entirely covered by the forest, and the same thing happened to the east. On the contrary, the hills in the west gradually got bigger, morphing into the profile of actual mountains. And across the north, the hills continued for quite a bit, to the point he couldn’t tell what lay beyond them. At the same time, he saw the most promising detail in that direction—a small, faint wisp of smoke rising to the sky. He looked harder, and although he couldn’t see the source of that smoke, he caught a glimpse of something equally promising. What seemed to be a small tower was on the top of that hill.

“Finally!” he rejoiced. “There are people living in this world after all. But will they be hostile? Or even human?”

He stopped for a second. After all, if this was an alien world, it was actually quite probable that the people living here would be aliens as well.

“Well, no point in worrying now. I have to actually reach that tower, then I’ll see what the inhabitants are like.”

He tried to gauge the distance between himself and the landmark. It couldn’t be more than ten kilometers away. If he didn’t get stuck in some rough terrain, he might be able to get there by the end of the day.

Eager to come in contact with civilization, Marcus started walking.

About six hours later, Marcus wound up stuck on rough terrain.

At first, he had no problem heading toward his destination. Until after the first hill, there was a deep gulch he hadn’t seen from his previous observation spot, and he was forced to go around it.

The next hill was incredibly steep and covered in thick vegetation that all but blocked the path. He had to cut his way through thorny bushes for hours before reaching the top, and by then, the sun had almost set. Shadows became longer as the sky darkened, and Marcus was in a hurry to find some sort of shelter.

“Goddammit!” he cursed. “I hate this! I swear, I’ll burn this damn forest down as soon as I get out of it.”

Finding a suitable place proved to be difficult. The terrain was rocky and hard, and the few holes he could find were too small for him to crawl into. He kept searching as the night fell, luckily aided by his night vision, but he couldn’t find anything.

“Wait! What’s that?” he murmured, having finally spotted something.

The hill in front of him was even rockier, mostly devoid of any trees and only covered in small bushes. What had captured his attention was a rock face full of holes, some of which seemed to be actual caves.

“That looks like a good shelter,” he said, a little relieved. “As long as the caves aren’t already occupied by some random monstrosity, that is. But it’s worth taking a peek.”

He started in that direction when suddenly he froze.

A weird wailing emanated from the dark woods around him. It was a mix between a howl and a demented laugh, and it made Marcus’s blood run cold.

The noise repeated several times, coming from various directions. If it was animals, then it meant there was a whole pack of them. And they had him surrounded.

Marcus looked around nervously. He didn’t actually want to meet whatever made that screeching face-to-face. He’d have to find a temporary shelter, but the only one suitable was the cave, and that was too far.

The only choice he had was to climb a tree. Most of them were too tall and thin to do that, though. He desperately searched for a broader one. And there, in a small clearing a hundred or so meters away, was a big but not overly tall oak tree, whose canopy covered almost all of the glade.

The laughing howl repeated itself, this time much closer. Marcus sprinted for the oak, hoping to reach it before the beasts showed themselves. His hopes were dashed. A sudden movement on his right caught his eye. When he turned, he spotted a big, dark shadow crawling on the ground. He couldn’t make out the details save for a pair of glowing, crazy yellow eyes and a demented smile full of sharp fangs.

Other shadows moved behind that one, all converging in his direction. Marcus had to take desperate measures.

He wouldn’t be a match for those creatures in a fight, so he dropped the spear and backpack in order to be faster, and ran to the tree with all his might. The mad cackling of the creatures behind him took on a tone of hunger and anticipation as they drew closer.

His heart beat like crazy, thumping in his ears, as the ground flew by under his feet.

He was almost there. He’d reached the clearing, and the tree was right in front of him.

The howling was right behind him now, urging him to sprint even faster. To cover the remaining meters in a flash before jumping to grab a low-hanging branch and desperately lifting himself up.

And he did it just in time, the snapping of jaws and growling right under his feet.

Breathing frantically, he climbed a few more branches and looked down.

About ten creatures were moving in the clearing, circling the tree.

The creatures kind of resembled wolves, but were actually something very different. Covered head to toe in black fur, they had powerful front legs way longer than the hind legs. It gave them an almost erect posture, like that of a gorilla, and their long, thin tails were similar to that of a cat.

But their most terrifying feature was their face. Triangular heads, similar to that of a wolf, but their mouth was unnaturally big, distorted into a mad grin that showed their fangs. Their eyes were glowing with malice and hunger.

Marcus shivered. He didn’t know if things like werewolves existed in this world, but those creatures certainly looked like a pack of lycanthropes. He didn’t want to think about what they could have done to him.

At least, as long as he remained on the tree, he should be safe…

Then, with a powerful jump, one of the creatures grabbed a branch with its paws—those paws looked disturbingly like clawed and twisted human hands—and lifted with ease, biting Marcus’s leg.

He screamed, both in surprise and in pain, and instinctively grabbed one of the branches with both hands.

The last action saved his life. The creature tried to rip him from his perch and throw him to the ground, where its companions were waiting. Somehow Marcus managed to keep himself on the tree.

The creature kept pulling, but he held tight, despite the pain in his leg. The creature had an incredibly strong bite, even capable of getting through the chitin armor covering his limb.

Tears of pain and desperation flowed down Marcus’s cheeks as he held tight to the branch. He wanted to live, and he was ready to fight for it.

Using his free leg, he started kicking the beast.

With a stroke of luck, one of the kicks hit the monster right on the nose, and with a yelp, the animal let go, falling to the ground.

A growling, angry noise came from the other wolf-things. They inched closer to the tree, preparing to jump.

Despite the terror and pain coursing through his body, Marcus gave the predators a defiant look.

“Come and get me, fuckers!” he screamed hysterically, fear slowly turning to rage. “You want to bite me? Then bite me. I’ll make you choke on it, you pieces of shit!”

It was a desperate situation. The beasts let out another laughing howl and prepared to jump into the tree—when a new noise echoed through the forest. It was a low, reverberating groan, so powerful that Marcus felt it to his bones. The crazy werewolf things froze in response.

Then, whining and crying in fear, they ran away, disappearing into the night like shadows.

Marcus remained in the tree, too surprised to feel relieved. He just sat on the branch, breathing frantically as his emotions slowly cooled down.

The forest was dead quiet. It was like the air itself had turned to ice. Everything suddenly turned immobile. The wind, the insects, the birds. The only thing he could hear was his own heartbeat.

And then it came. Crawling along the ground, and incomprehensibly huge, a gargantuan shadow slithered under the tree.

Marcus’s entire being numbed, and a new kind of terror gripped his heart. When the wolf-things chased him, he could at least react and run away. Now all he could do was stay still.

This beast was something different from anything he’d met before. An existence so unnaturally powerful, big and predatory, it rendered him catatonic by its mere presence.

He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t even think. He could only stay there, paralyzed in terror, hoping with every fiber of his being that this new creature wouldn’t notice him.

This new horror was at least twenty meters long from head to tail, and at least four meters tall, even while crawling on the ground. Six powerful legs moved its bloated, scaly body, while a huge, beaked head shook left and right.

Two pairs of glowing yellow eyes searched the forest. Eyes devoid of anything even remotely similar to fear or caution. This beast was the peerless ruler of this place, and its quiet arrogance emanated from every movement.

It was similar to a humongous, monstrous monitor lizard, but that wasn’t the word Marcus would have used. No, the word that continued popping up in his mind was one that carried a healthy dose of respect for the immense strength of that animal.

The word was dragon.

The monster stood there for over a minute, letting out an overly long, raspy tongue similar to a misshapen worm to taste the air.

Every second felt like an eternity to Marcus. Each moment carried the promise of a swift death in that enormous beaked jaw. After a tense few minutes, the reptilian creature moved, continuing its stroll, undisturbed and unaware of the terrified creature looking down at it from the tree.

Too terrified to move, Marcus spent the rest of the night clinging to that tree.

Chapter 8

Cave Story

“Ouch!” Marcus cried as he tried putting some weight on his left leg.

The wound the wolf-things had given him hurt like hell. The chitin armor on the ankle was cracked, with a couple of holes from which a green, viscous fluid was dripping. He shuddered at the implications that it could have been his blood.

He’d climbed down from the oak tree early in the morning, and now he was slowly limping around, searching for his missing equipment.

He found the backpack completely broken, trampled by the wolf-things. Luckily, the bowl and the shell knife and needles were intact. He also found his wooden spear, which he started using as a crutch.

Even after having recovered those items, the situation was still dire.

He was hungry and thirsty, and with his wounded leg, he couldn’t hunt or explore. Heck, he couldn’t even run away if some big animals found him.

Therefore, he needed a shelter. A decent one in which he could rest and recover.

The only such thing he’d seen were the caves on the hill in front of him. Of course, he hoped they weren’t already occupied by something else. There wasn’t really any other option right now, so he started his march toward the rocky caves.

The journey was difficult. His leg hurt like hell at every step, even with the crutch. He had to carefully choose his way because he couldn’t tread on difficult terrains. This made what would have been a half an hour stroll last for hours before Marcus finally arrived at the caves.

A narrow path stood between him and potential safety. It hugged the rock face and opened to a very steep slope, almost a ravine, on the other side. The ground was bare of any vegetation and full of precariously balanced stones. Any wrong step could send him tumbling down the hill.

He was exhausted both mentally and physically, but he was almost there.

The rock face was full of holes, some far above the pathway and therefore useless to him. The biggest of them, shaped like a triangle, conveniently opened right on ground level.

“Let’s see now…” Marcus cautiously peeked inside the entrance. “Anyone home?”

Right after the entrance, the cave continued downward in a narrow tunnel. It was dark, but his improved night vision had no trouble penetrating the shadows.

This, however, didn’t make the cave any less ominous.

He stood there a while, trying to decide whether or not to explore it.

“Well, nothing ventured nothing gained,” he sighed, entering the opening. “Let’s seriously hope there’s no one home.”

One wary step after the other, testing the ground with the wooden spear, he descended into the tunnel.

The ground was made of broken stones and dirt. Nothing really too hard to walk on. Also, the farther he went, the more he could feel the humidity level in the air rise. After about fifteen meters, the tunnel ended in a roughly circular cave with quite a low ceiling. In some places, even with his small body, Marcus had to lower his head.

As it was with the tunnel, the floor was made of stones and dirt, but it was moist. At the center of the cave was a puddle of muddy water, surrounded by moss and small mushrooms.

The ground was teeming with insects and spiders, but there wasn’t a single trace of any bigger animals, so Marcus limped toward the puddle.

The water was dirty and full of small insects, but he didn’t really have any way to clean it besides trying to filter it with his teeth. He took his shell bowl and took a small sip of water, immediately spitting out a worm that had somehow gotten inside the bowl.

“Puah! Bleah!” he cried in disgust, though he didn’t actually have the time to taste the thing before spitting it out. “Eww! This is disgusting.”

He stared at the water and the disgust gave way to resignation.

“Well, at least I have water now…” he sighed sadly. “It’s not like I can go back to the gorge. With my leg like this, that damn deer would get me for sure.”

The place was damp, dirty, cramped, and dark. No wonder no other animal wanted to use it, besides the insects. For now, it was perfect. Although perfect was a strong word. It was more like he had no other alternative if he wanted to live.

And his desire to live outweighed his dislike of the place. As he threw away a centipede that was trying to climb on him, he wondered how long that would last.

“Well, the interior design leaves a lot to be desired. Let’s rest a bit for today, and tomorrow I’ll see what I can do to improve it.”

He searched the cavern for the least damp place to lie on, but all he could find were a bunch of cold rocks that were only faintly drier than the rest of the cave. With a sigh, he lay down with his back against the wall. It didn’t take long before he fell asleep.

* * *

When he woke up, he was shivering. The cave was completely dark, so it was probably night outside. Thanks to his strange eyes, he could see clearly around him.

Marcus’s teeth rattled while he curled up in a fetal position, trying to use his own body to warm himself. The air was now damp and chilling, and the tattered cloak made of leaves didn’t help much against it.

“F-fuck this cold! I n-need to make a fire.”

He looked to the entrance of the cavern. It was completely dark, and he didn’t really want to risk another night stroll in the forest.

“F-fuck! I’ll d-do it tomorrow…. F-for tonight, I have to endure.”

He tried his best to cover himself, waiting for the morning to come.

Some hours later, a little speck of light filtered in from the entrance, the signal that the sun had finally risen. Marcus had been awake most of the night because of the cold, and he welcomed the new day and the warmth the sun would bring.

He scuttled to the exit, and the blinding light of the new day enveloped him. He couldn’t see clearly, but he gratefully basked in the warm sunlight until the cold numbness of his body dissipated.

“Aaaaah!” He breathed in the fresh, clean air of the forest. “This is it! Now, if only I could find some breakfast, the day wouldn’t be so shitty.”

Finding something to eat was easier said than done. Although the woods were positively teeming with life, from the birds singing in the trees to small animals crawling on the ground, with his injured leg, Marcus would have trouble catching anything. Since he couldn’t hope to successfully fight or chase down anything, his only option was to ambush something.

To do that, he’d need a good spot and a suitable prey.

He hid near a tree, waiting for some slow animal to appear.

* * *

“Mother—OUCH!—Fucker!” Marcus cursed, picking out yet another spine from his skin.

There was a lesson to learn there. Animals that are both small and slow usually still have a way to defend themselves. Otherwise, they’d already be dead.

A few minutes before, Marcus had found a weird animal. A strange hedgehog with spine-covered skin like a sea urchin. The beast was barely sixty centimeters long, and it appeared slow.

Marcus had been lying in ambush for a while, waiting for the animal to get within a few meters of him before jumping out, ready to stab his prey with the wooden spear.

Not his brightest idea, as he’d found out. Due to his leg, his action was a bit too slow, and the hedgehog-thing immediately reacted to his sudden appearance by, well… exploding and sending spines flying everywhere like shrapnel.

Most of them had been blocked by Marcus’s chitin armor, but some managed to hit his defenseless torso, burying into his flesh.

Marcus immediately fell over while the creature, now naked and slimy like a frog, scuttled away.

The only thing Marcus could do was sit on a rock and pluck out the spines, one by one.

“Fucking hedgehog…. Ouch! Fucking forest…. Ouch! Fucking everything!”

He accompanied every spine extraction with a groan and a curse. When the last spine had been removed, he let himself fall back on the rock, looking at the bright sky.

It was a nice day without a cloud to be seen, and that helped him relax.

“Man, this sucks on ice…. I guess no supper for today. And for the day after too, if my leg doesn’t get any better. I can’t risk hunting too far from the cave. Heck, taking that kind of risk is what got my leg injured in the first place! But what can I do?”

He thought for a few minutes, relaxing in the warmth of the sunlight.

Then he got back on his feet, a determined expression on his face.

“Well, I can exist for a while without food, since I have water. I can also try to improve my shelter. A bed of leaves like the last one, and maybe even a fire, if I manage to light one. It should be safe enough to light it in the cave, where nothing can see it, no?”

And with this resolution in mind, he started gathering the materials he needed, mostly leaves and wood.

Chapter 9

Bugging Me Out

“Dammit! And they make starting a fire look so easy in movies!” Marcus said bitterly.

He’d been trying to make a bonfire using wooden sticks for the last hour, with no success. At first, he tried to do so inside the cave, but the air was too damp for the fire to catch and he had to try it outside.

Even there, one problem remained. His chitin-covered fingers didn’t have a good grasp on the sticks, which kept slipping away. It was like trying to do precision work with armored gloves on. During the attempts, almost all of the sticks had broken.

Sure, he could search around for more, but it was late in the afternoon and the sun had started setting. It would be night soon. Marcus didn’t want to repeat the experience of being out in the dark.

“Looks like it’ll be another cold night…. Well, at least I managed to get a bed of leaves. I hope it’ll keep me at least a bit warmer than being naked.”

His stomach rumbled, which wasn’t really surprising, considering he hadn’t eaten in two days. Nonetheless, it was annoying, especially since he still didn’t have anything to eat.

“Cold and hungry, and my leg still hurts. Splendid! What’s next? It’s gonna start rainin—No!” he interrupted himself. “Better not to jinx it. Things are already bad and I don’t want them to get any worse!”

He stayed outside, taking in all the heat he could, until the sun completely disappeared over the hills. He went back inside the cave to try to have a good night of sleep.

* * *

“Shut up!” Marcus yelled at his belly. “Shut up and let me sleep already!”

Since he’d lain down to sleep, his stomach continuously rumbled louder and louder, and despite his best efforts, he couldn’t ignore it. The leaves he was using as blankets were actually doing a good job at keeping the cold at bay. The bed of straws and leaves was acceptably comfy. But the noises coming from his belly were preventing him from sleeping.

He was incredibly hungry. Hungrier than he’d ever been. Visions of food appeared before his eyes, almost driving him mad.

“Goddammit it all!” he cursed, clenching his teeth. “I am so fucking hungry…. Why does this damn leg take so long to heal? If I could move, I could hunt. And if I could hunt, I could get something to eat. So, hurry up and heal, you stupid leg!”

He tried his best to distract himself from thoughts of food, but his mind was set on them. Visions of raw, succulent, delicious meat flashed before his eyes, haunting him and preventing him from falling asleep.

“So… hungry…” He started to gnaw at his finger before suddenly realizing what he was doing and slapping himself out of it.

“Stop it, Marcus! I know you’re fucking hungry, but this has to stop! You are getting pathetic.”

It was completely dark in the cave, other than a little speck of starlight at the entrance. The air was still damp and cold, and though the leaves were actually keeping him warm, they were now teeming with unwanted guests, despite his efforts to swat them away from time to time.

Even now, spiders, centipedes and cockroaches were moving beside him, but he was too concentrated on his worries to pay them any attention.

“I should be able to go for another couple of days without food. I hope my leg will be healed enough to let me hunt by then. ‘Cause if not, then it’s game over. Luckily, water isn’t an issue for now. It tastes like mud, but it’s better than nothing. And at least drinking makes me feel less hungry… for a while.”

He decided to take another sip of water. He slowly limped to the puddle, taking his bowl with him. His movements were sluggish, his mind feverish. The wounds on the leg had almost completely closed, but some of the pain remained. Being basically starved didn’t help the situation one bit. He hoped he hadn’t developed an infection, because without antibiotics, it would probably kill him. There wasn’t anything he could do about that, so he tried not to think about it.

Once at the pool, he took a small sip of water.

He didn’t notice the small centipede that had slid inside the bowl until he put it in his mouth. When he felt the insect’s frantic movements, he bit and swallowed in surprise.

“Gaaack!” The still moving centipede slid down his throat, and he almost threw up.

“Gahh—” He coughed, grabbing his throat and chest. “Ugh, I can feel it moving around inside! This is fucking disgusting!”

He cursed through the insect’s whole journey to his stomach.

“I ate a live centipede… What if it’s poisonous! Dammit, I need to throw it up.”

He started to put two fingers in his mouth to force himself to puke, but he stopped. The taste of the centipede, which he would have once found revolting, was actually not that bad. He licked his lips.

“Well… maybe I could wait… I mean, I’ve eaten a raw snake, and I didn’t feel bad after that. Maybe this body is actually resistant to food poisoning. And hey, I could use all the food I can get right now…”

After a minute, a weird feeling filled his mind. The same thing that happened with the horned snake. He was suddenly receiving information about the centipede. It had indeed been poisonous. But the poison… he couldn’t explain it. It wasn’t nearly strong enough to harm him, he was sure of that. Also, he now knew about its legs, the structure of its torso, and its eyes.

He shook his head.

What the hell was that sensation?

Anyway, it wasn’t an unpleasant one. Rather, it felt… appeasing. Like when you’re eating a specific food you were craving without even knowing it. Somehow, he was certain that eating that centipede didn’t harm him. Quite the opposite, it both fed him and filled that weird need he didn’t know he had.

Marcus’s stomach rumbled. The tiny appetizer it received had just stimulated its hunger, and now it was craving more.

The cave. It was full of other small critters like the centipede, and he was starving.

Could he really… eat them?

His hunger struck him like a hammer, overriding his conscious thoughts that kept telling him this was absolutely disgusting. With a sudden movement, he caught a spider that had been crawling on the ground. The arachnid uselessly tried to bite him, but the chitin armor on his hand was too strong. He squashed it before putting the still twitching mush in his mouth.

Again, the weird feeling of knowledge about the spider’s body filled his mind. He continued looking around for other prey, a ravenous expression in his eyes. As if they had felt the sudden danger, the vermin suddenly started getting away from him. Most weren’t fast enough.

With his mind gone completely feral, Marcus pounced at them, grabbing every creature he could and stuffing them into his mouth.

First, he caught and ate all the centipedes, millipedes, cockroaches, and spiders he could get his hands on. When he couldn’t find any more, he went toward the puddle in the middle of the cavern and started digging the mud around it, grabbing the worms before swallowing them whole, not even bothering to clean the dirt from them.

His mind filled with information about the things he ate, and his stomach ever demanded more. He kept going until he couldn’t find any other living being in the cavern, and only then did he stop, letting himself fall to the ground, breathing heavily.

Slowly, he regained his reason, and with it came a huge wave of disgust.

He grabbed his mouth with his hands, feeling sick, but the sickness was all in his mind. Physically, he was actually feeling much better than before.

“Ugh! Puah!” he grunted and spit. “What’s wrong with me! Did… did I really eat all those… ugh!” He grimaced, recalling all the disgusting things he’d eaten. “What was that? What the dancing flying holy fuck on a rollercoaster was that!”

His mouth was full of the foul taste of his horrible meal. Although it didn’t feel all that foul to him, even if it wasn’t even remotely good. It only added to his confusion, so he decided to wash it out with some water.

He went to the puddle and took a sip with the cup, this time checking it before drinking.

Then he went to his leaf bed, lying down in order to rest and sort the mess that was his thoughts.

“There is something seriously wrong with me… There is no way in hell a normal person could eat all those things without puking afterwards. At least for now I feel, well, not fine but not that bad either…. What the fuck is wrong with me!” He looked at his chitin-covered hands. “What the hell am I, really? I’m not human anymore, I can tell that, but… really, what am I? An insect? A reptile? An alien?”

No one answered, though Marcus hadn’t really expected anyone to.

He just sighed, grabbed his legs, and rested in a fetal position.

“Well, let’s look at the bright side. At least I don’t feel that hungry anymore. And with this body, it looks like food poisoning is a non-issue. Though I wish I knew what that rush of information I received was after I ate… those things. I mean, how does the knowledge that a centipede has to shed his cuticle to grow, or that a spider doesn’t have muscles to extend its legs but have to pump liquids to push them out, have anything to do with eating them?”

He wondered for a while, but he couldn’t find a reason. Eventually, he gave up on thinking and decided to take a nap. Hopefully, having eaten a bit, his leg would heal faster.

Chapter 10

Shedding Worries

The very next day, Marcus’s leg didn’t really hurt anymore, but it was abominably itchy. Cracks had appeared on the armor, which had also lost its shininess, becoming opaque and rough.

“Please let it not be an infection! I don’t want to lose a leg. It would be a death sentence for me in this godforsaken place!”

He couldn’t really walk, since he felt as if his leg was shoved inside an ant’s nest. Luckily, he didn’t need to move around that much. Eating all those insects had actually satisfied his hunger. He could always hunt for more inside the cave, so he wasn’t about to die of starvation, but there wasn’t much he could do besides rest and hope he could heal soon. Doing so inside a cold, dark, and damp cave was kind of depressing.

He decided to go outside.

Using the wooden spear as a crutch, Marcus slowly started climbing out of the grotto, pieces of chitin falling from his wounded leg with every step. He gritted his teeth and continued until he was at the entrance of the cave.

For a moment, the sudden light blinded him, and he covered his eyes with his hand, trying to take a look around.

It was a nice sunny day with only a few small clouds in the sky. Birds were singing and a nice, warm breeze was blowing through the trees, shaking their leaves. An idyllic and bucolic scenery, perfect for a picnic, that managed to relax Marcus, lightening his mood.

He sat on a rock near the entrance of the cave, bathing in the light of the sun. For a few minutes, he didn’t think about anything, just enjoyed the warmth and the peacefulness of the day.

But soon the itch on his leg caught his attention, and he looked down.

The chitin armor covering the leg was in complete disarray, having fallen off in some places. It revealed not exposed flesh or skin underneath, but another layer of chitin, albeit much paler than the original one.

“What’s this?”

It looked like he was shedding the old armor, and a new one was growing under it. He knew about some animals, like spiders and crustacean, that could regenerate limbs like that. To see it happen to him? Well, that was a great surprise and another reminder that his body wasn’t human anymore.

“Does this mean, if by any chance I were to lose a limb, I could regrow it? Well, let’s hope I won’t have to put that theory to the test.”

The new armor looked really soft, though. Curious, Marcus touched it.

That was a mistake. Although not really painful, that chitin layer was extremely sensitive, and he felt a weird, ticklish sensation that wormed all the way to his bones.

“Aaaaah!” he moaned, a girlish sound that felt incredibly weird to his ears. It was the kind of sound that wouldn’t be out of place in a cheap hentai movie.

“What the actual fuck!” he cried out, feeling intensely embarrassed. “What was that? I sound like a girl…. Well, I guess this body is female, but…”

This train of thoughts was making him feel deeply uncomfortable. So far, he’d tried to ignore that his body seemed to be female. Even when he had to pee, he always tried to do so quickly without looking down.

After all, he always had more immediate problems. Like getting food or shelter or escaping from predators. Since he was just resting, the repressed thoughts about his situation flooded his mind.

Why was his body like this? If he was really reincarnated, why did his body have to be like this? And why did he keep all the memories from his previous life? Also, even if there were other humans in this world, would they accept him, or would they see him as a monster?

There were too many questions, and he didn’t have any answers. All he could do was explore these lands, trying to learn all he could about them in order to survive. Maybe he could plan some course of action in case he actually met someone.

“Since I’m not human-looking anymore, people could be intimidated by me. I need to look harmless in order to not scare people. But… what if they want to catch me and dissect me?” He shuddered at the thought. “Okay, maybe just revealing myself isn’t the best idea. I need to study the people before making contact. If they’re hostile, at least I can avoid them. Yeah, this should work. Though I have to find someone first.”

He thought about the tower he’d seen from the hilltop. The smoke rising from it seemed to reveal that it was inhabited, except the structure was rather medieval-looking. He hadn’t seen any light or road, so maybe the people of this world weren’t very civilized compared to his own. Or maybe he was just in a wild area.

He shook his head. There were just too many things he didn’t know. Having some sort of guide, or a way to acquire information would have considerably sped things up. Something like a game menu or the power to identify things would have been ideal. After all, knowledge is power, and having a power like that would have made his life much easier.

Only, this wasn’t a game. This was real-life, and you just had to go in blind, hope for the best and learn from your failures. Too bad that any of those failures could potentially be fatal.

After thinking for a while, he established a rough course of action. He was gonna travel to the tower as soon as his leg was healed enough to let him walk and run without problems. He’d sneak near the building, trying not to be seen, and collect information about the inhabitants of this world. If they were peaceful enough, he could try to make contact, but otherwise, he’d have to remain hidden.

And even in the latter case, he could just sneak near their settlement to take a few things he could use to survive. After all, even things that would be considered trash could greatly help him survive right now.

Marcus nodded. That was a good enough plan for him. Making complicated plans for the future didn’t really suit him. Having a general course of action prepared greatly helped, but he was always prepared to change it on the fly. You couldn’t predict exactly what the future had in store for you when you were making a plan.

He spent the rest of the day outside, napping and resting while his leg healed, although he remained bothered by its itchiness.

* * *

The following day, the old armor had completely shed off Marcus’s leg. It was still a bit too sensitive to walk comfortably, so he decided to wait another day before trying to reach the tower, using this time to prepare himself.

First came securing provisions. Having much better mobility compared to before, he managed to hunt down a small lizard and some sort of rodent that seemed a mix between a big rat and a mole. The last one was a stroke of luck. Marcus had literally tripped over its burrow, trapping the creature with his right foot. The animal attempted to bite him. Despite its powerful fangs, the chitin on his good leg was too hard, and he managed to get a good prey with ease.

Of the two, Marcus decided to only eat the mole-rat thing and keep the lizard for the next day.

At this point, he figured out that with his current body, he could eat almost anything without getting sick. Even raw or poisonous meat. Raw meat especially tasted great. Still, he had to force himself to take the first bite out of the rodent, although after that, he’d gorged the thing down with a wild appetite.

After eating, Marcus experienced the usual flow of information about the thing he ate. It had amazing hearing, a powerful jaw, and strong claws suited for digging, plus various other details about its body and genetic makeup. He didn’t exactly know why he was experiencing these things, but it didn’t seem to be harmful, and it wasn’t unpleasant, so he didn’t mind.

Instead, having satisfied his basic needs, he focused on trying to light a fire. He gathered other dry leaves and sticks, this time taking many spares in case he accidentally broke some of them.

Back at the entrance of his cave, he spent the rest of the day trying to light a fire.

After many tries, and many broken sticks, by rubbing a surprisingly pointy stick against the dry half of a log, a small wisp of smoke rose from the wood. Immediately, he took a dry leaf and put it near it while blowing gently.

The leaf caught fire and Marcus threw it into a pile of dry leaves and branches he’d gathered on the rocks near him.

A warm, roaring fire crackled to life.

“Finally!” Marcus gloated, throwing more wood on top. “I fucking did it! I have a fire! Burn, baby, buuuuurn!”

He organized things in order to take the fire inside the cavern. Since he didn’t want the smoke to suffocate him, he had to keep it near the entrance. The damp air didn’t help him, but after a while, he managed to arrange a small bonfire on top of a few rocks.

The fire illuminated the cavern, making all the small animals squirm away. Marcus welcomed it. The cold and dampness of the cave was banished by the flames, and he took a few more sticks to keep it lit during the night.

Only when the evening came, and he was getting ready to sleep, a random, sudden regret flashed in his mind.

“Dammit! I could have cooked the rat thing before eating it.”

Chapter 11

At a Turtle’s Pace

The sun was once again shining in the sky, and a gentle breeze was blowing through the trees.

A perfect day for exploring.

Marcus felt ready to go on an exploration trip. His leg was almost completely healed. The new chitin had hardened during the night, and although it was still a little bit sensitive, he could walk without problems. Also, he felt really well rested. Having had his first good night of sleep since arriving on this world did wonders. The fire kept him warm and the vermin at bay.

The only thing that annoyed him was his constant hunger. Despite his intention to keep the lizard as provision, he ended up grilling it on the bonfire and eating it. Weirdly enough, it didn’t actually taste that great compared to the raw meat. It felt bland, as if something was missing, and he didn’t experience the usual flow of information he usually had after eating something.

And he was still hungry. It was strange, especially because he was actually eating a lot, at least by human standards. A normal man could have lived on a tenth of what he was usually eating, and still, despite his small body, he was always hungry.

Maybe his body required a lot of nutrients. Maybe it had something to do with the fact it could regenerate.

But it didn’t feel that way to Marcus. It was like most of the things he ate went straight to a certain part of his belly located under his stomach. He couldn’t explain this sensation, but he didn’t really care that much. All he cared about was finding a reliable food source.

This was one of the reasons he decided to explore the territory before trying to reach the tower. The other reason was that, if he were to meet another unexpected obstacle, he could always go back to his cave before the sun set.

He controlled his equipment. The cloak of leaves had wilted, so he discarded it, keeping only a small kilt of leaves and grass covering his genitalia. He put his shell knife in a grass belt he’d made, and he had a wooden spear in his hand.

He didn’t carry anything else, leaving the rest of his belongings in the cave. After all, he was planning to return before dusk.

Before setting out, he threw a few more sticks into the dying bonfire, in order to at least find some embers on his return.

He climbed the hill he was currently on in order to pick the right direction and get a good view of the territory ahead of him.

The terrain was difficult, rocky, and with few trees. It took Marcus a few hours to reach the top, which was a small, flat area bare of any vegetation.

A few kilometers ahead, the tower stood on the next hill. Between the hill he was on and that one was a huge valley, a plain completely covered in trees.

Those trees were different from the ones he’d seen so far. Instead of only oaks, there were trees similar to cypresses and maples here and there. Also, even from where he was, he could see some large clearings where water ponds sparkled in the light of the sun.

“Mmm… I could be wrong, but this area looks like a swamp. The thing I don’t know is, is it safe to travel through? Or would it be better to go around?”

He looked left and right. The valley wasn’t very wide, no more than six kilometers, but it was long, and going around it would take days.

He sighed.

“Well, I guess I’ll try to explore it for now. If it doesn’t seem safe enough, I’ll just come back.”

* * *

A few minutes later, Marcus was cursing as he trudged through muddy water that reached his thighs.

“Damn swamp! Damn forest! And most importantly, damn bugs!” He slapped one of the many mosquitoes that had landed on his face.

The terrain was treacherous, full of hidden mud pits and fetid ponds all covered by some weird species of fern. More than once, Marcus had been forced to march through the muddy water. He was really grateful that the chitin armor on his legs protected him from potential bites of water dwelling creatures. Although the thought of the animals that could live in the mud he was walking through was enough to make him shudder.

“I can’t wait to leave this damn place. Maybe I should just go back and look for another path to the tower. I dunno if I can cross this swamp twice before the sun goes down…”

He was about to do that when a splash behind him got his attention. He turned, but there was nothing there. After a few seconds, he noticed a few ripples on the water’s surface. Ripples that were slowly getting nearer to him.

“Oh shit!” Marcus started running—plodding, really—searching for the nearest dry land.

Confronting an aquatic creature in the middle of a swamp wasn’t the brightest idea. He elected to simply run away and find some cover.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see other ripples converging on him from his left. Then he saw a little mound of earth, no taller than two meters, in front of him and with a very big moss-covered rock on top. He hurried to that point.

A few meters away from the mound, one of the ripples reached him and the water exploded. A black serpentine shape launched itself out of the water, pouncing at him.

Marcus barely had the time to dodge, and the black creature fell back into the water.

“Fuck!” With a final jump, he threw himself on the mound.

Marcus gasped for air, believing himself to be safe now that he was on dry land. “What… what the hell was that?”

As it turned out, he wasn’t really safe at all. From the water, more of those creatures jumped at him, and with a scream, he jumped higher on the mound, barely dodging.

They were enormous leeches, at least one meter long with slender, sinewy bodies that were writhing on the ground, and huge round mouths filled with needle-like teeth.

“Ewwwww!” Marcus cried in disgust. He had no time to waste. Even on land, those creatures seemed quite agile, as they kept lunging at him. He decided to get on top on the mound and defend himself from there.

With a few steps, he got on the highest point—the huge rock sitting on the mound—and grabbed his spear in both hands.

“Come and get some, fuckers! I’ll kill all of you!”

The leeches didn’t need any further encouragement. They slithered across the ground toward him. There were at least two dozen of the parasites, and many more were emerging from the water.

“Shit…” Even though he had the high ground and a weapon, the situation wasn’t all that positive. Those creatures would overwhelm him with sheer numbers.

Then, a weird thing happened. The huge rock under his feet moved, almost making him lose his balance.

“What the—” Something emerged from under the rock. It was a huge turtle head, covered in moss like the rock itself.

The head looked at the leeches, who had stopped, and then it darted in their direction, the neck elongating in the process. In a fraction of a second, the reptile was holding a leech in his jaws.

The turtle swallowed the bloodsucker whole and darted for another one, its head so fast, all Marcus could see was a blur.

The leeches, however, were either too hungry or too stupid to retreat. They kept coming and jumping at the turtle. The neck of the creature was too fast, and all the leeches that pounced were either dodged or grabbed and eaten mid-jump.

The rock moved again, and four huge, stocky and scaly legs emerged from under it.

Apparently, that huge boulder was actually the turtle’s shell, and Marcus was right on top. He remained still for a moment, then, as the turtle was still busy eating the leeches, he jumped off, landing behind it and running away. Seeing how easily the reptile was killing all those leeches, he didn’t want to remain there to experiment how dangerous it was on his skin. Instead, he opted to dart away, hoping the beasts would keep each other occupied until he was safe.

From his elevated position, he could see that the swamp ended a few dozen meters from where he was, so he ran in that direction. He could still hear the sounds of battle between the turtle and the leeches, but the noises were getting more sporadic, so he tried to hurry.

Finally, gasping and fatigued, he got out of the muddy water, and only then did he dare to look back.

The leeches were nowhere to be found, but the turtle had moved from the mound. It was walking in the swamp, incredibly long neck stretched to better scout its surroundings.

Going back in that direction was far too dangerous, so Marcus decided to proceed, hoping to find a way out of the swamp soon.

Chapter 12

Fruits, Bacon, and an Egg

Marcus leaned against a tree to rest for a while.

The escape from the leeches and the turtle, albeit brief, had been physically and mentally exhausting. He needed a pause before continuing his exploration.

Going back through the way he’d come was not an option. The turtle seemed to have started patrolling the area, so he had to search for another path. Failing that, locating a temporary hideout in order to not be out in the open during the night.

His belly rumbled, making him grimace. To make things worse, the constant hunger remained. No matter how much he ate, he was always wanting for more.

“I wonder how that turtle tastes…” he muttered with a tired voice. “I remember they make turtle soup in some countries. That would be delicious.”

While resting, a gentle breeze raised through the tree, dispersing the fetid and damp air of the nearby swamp. Marcus took a long breath of that fresh air with gratitude.

“Aaaaaah…” He sank into it. Then he noticed something.

The wind carried some kind of smell with it, an intoxicatingly sweet aroma that made his mouth water. His stomach rumbled even stronger. The air was full of this sweet scent of food, and he immediately got up, moving toward the source of that smell as if hypnotized.

“What is this?” he said in a dreamy tone. “It… it seems like the smell of a candy shop, a bakery, and a grill all mixed together!”

He walked for a few minutes, his mind lost in visions of delicious, succulent foods, and then he arrived to the source of it all. It was a large clearing, where the trees and the undergrowth disappeared, leaving the terrain completely barren. In the middle of the clearing was a small field of vegetables that looked like a mix between melons and pumpkins, only of a pale pink color. Those fruits were incredibly big and plump, surrounded by emerald green leaves and vines, and small, yellow flowers littered the whole field.

The smell of food was almost unbearable now. Marcus subconsciously took a few steps toward the field. Those fruits were terribly inviting. They almost screamed that they wanted to be eaten, that they were delicious and succulent. They held the promise of a delicious nectar, of sweet pulp, and—

Marcus stopped. Something in the corner of his mind told him there was something terribly wrong there. If he’d met that field a few days before, when his hunger was at its peak, he couldn’t have resisted that terribly alluring smell. Right now, he was fed enough to still be able to think rationally.

The fruits were just a bit too perfect. They had no visible defect, no signs of being eaten by any insect. And come to think of it, the insects that were infesting the air over the swamp were completely absent here.

That scent of food was weird too. It didn’t even resemble any specific scent at all; it was just the smell of delicious food in general. Smelling the air more carefully, he could pick up another scent, barely perceptible under the overpowering aroma of food. It was the stink of rotting meat.

Looking more closely, he saw there were elongated objects hidden under the foliage. Even from where he was now, he could tell they were bones.

Yep. These fruits are definitely not a trap. I guess everything in this crazy forest is out to kill and eat you. Well, not even I’m gonna fall for this one. Nope. Not gonna happen.

He turned away, trying his best to ignore the rumbling of his stomach. Despite rationally knowing those fruits were most likely the bait of a lethal trap, his instincts still wanted him to try and eat them nonetheless.

“Dammit! Maybe this smell has some hypnotic properties? Well, whatever it is, I better get away asap.”

He was about to do so, when a sudden noise stopped him in his tracks. Something very big and heavy was walking through the forest, and Marcus, not wanting to attract the attention of whatever beast it was, dove for the trees, hiding behind one and remaining perfectly still.

He still peeked from behind the trunk. After all, if another monstrosity was gonna show itself, Marcus wanted to know about it.

After a few seconds, a huge shape emerged. It resembled a wild boar but was bigger than an ox, with tusks the size of swords.

It had powerful legs, and he had no doubt it could easily outrun him. But right now, the beast was mesmerized by the fruits.

With arrogant and greedy-looking movements, the animal marched into the field, stepping over the vines and breaking them with ease. It stopped in front of the biggest of the fruits and opened its gigantic mouth, taking a huge bite out of the vegetable.

Maybe I was wrong and those fruits aren’t a trap after all. Well, if that’s the case, I could go get some when this pig leaves.

The boar suddenly started wobbling, almost as if it was feeling dizzy. At the same time, the vines, which had remained inert, started moving, darting toward the faltering beast like snakes.

The beast soon found itself bound by multiple vines, but even when poisoned and wrapped like that, it was still a dangerous, strong being. With a roar of rage, the boar struggled with all of its strength, breaking several vines while trying to free itself.

More vines kept moving toward the animal, replacing those broken and tying it even tighter.

The fight between beast and plant went on for a minute with Marcus looking at it with fascination.

After a while, it seemed the confrontation had reached its conclusion. The boar was moving very weakly and was almost completely covered by vines, which were slowly dragging it toward the center of the field. With a sudden explosion of strength, the animal freed itself, jumping outside of the field with a desperate rush. Even more vines lashed out to bind the animal and drag it back, but it had gained too much momentum to be stopped, and the vines were easily broken.

The boar broke free thanks to its enormous strength and determination, but all of his energies had been expended in the escape, not to mention it had been poisoned by the fruit. It wobbled, and as soon as it was out of the reach of the predatory field, it collapsed, gasping and wheezing for air.

Marcus stood still, but the boar didn’t show any signs of getting better. Actually, it was getting worse. Trembling wildly, its legs spasmed.

If the boar’s so weak, I could use this opportunity to escape! No reason to stick so close to this dangerous field. I’m so hungry that, even after seeing that, I’m still tempted to eat some of the fruits!

He turned, about to dash away, when a sudden realization overcame him.

“Wait… if the boar is that weak, doesn’t that mean that I could eat it? After all, that’s a prey I’d never have the chance to catch by myself. And it has a lot of meat on it. A lot of delicious, succulent meat…”

Marcus’s stomach rumbled at the thought, and he struggled to keep himself rational. After all, if the boar still had some energy to fight, it could very well kill him.

Looking at the beast, it seemed very clear it couldn’t fight a baby in that state. And Marcus was very, very hungry.

All considered, it was worth the risk.

With caution, and keeping a long distance between himself and the carnivore field, Marcus approached the boar.

The animal was definitely in pain. Its entire body was convulsing slightly, and its breath was short. It didn’t even react to his presence. Killing it seemed like an act of mercy at this point. Marcus grabbed his wooden spear in both hands, ready to strike the killing blow, but he hesitated.

Although he’d killed other animals in the previous days, he couldn’t help but pity this one. Watching how much it struggled to stay alive against all odds, escaping from the killer field… Marcus sympathized with that. Since he’d come to this world, all of his life had been like that.

He steeled his decision. This world was merciless, and the boar’s death could very well mean his survival. Not to mention that in its state, the animal was going to die anyway. It was better to give it a clear death now, instead of letting it suffer.

With this determination in mind, he pointed his spear to the neck of the animal, right where the jugular should have been, and stabbed with all his strength.

Blood sprayed from the wound, coating Marcus’s body. The boar trembled even more for a few seconds, then it stopped completely.

The big beast was dead.

Marcus couldn’t process all this. As soon as he smelled the blood, the rational part of his brain shut down. He raised his hands, watching the blood drip from them, and then his tongue dashed out of his mouth, licking it.

Delicious.

With a ravenous hunger, he threw himself on the boar, devouring it like a wild animal. His large mouth and sharp teeth tore through the beast’s hide and muscles without problem, letting him take huge bites that he swallowed whole.

Soon, he had disemboweled his prey, and was eating the raw guts. Rationally, this should have sickened him beyond reason, but right now, in the middle of his wild hunger, he didn’t care. All he cared about was getting these succulent, bloody nutrients in his body. He needed them. He needed them so much that the rational part of his mind had been overwhelmed by that singular primal necessity.

Marcus experienced the usual flux of information about what he was eating. He knew about the powerful muscles of the boar, about its thick skin and tusks. He even got some information about the poison that was slowly paralyzing its heart.

The feeding went on for a while, but Marcus had completely lost any sense of time. He couldn’t stop eating, he couldn’t even think about stopping. He only did so when his stomach felt so full, it hurt.

“Owww…” he moaned, slowly regaining his rationality. “What the hell happened!”

He was crouched near the remains of the animal, sitting in a pool of blood. He looked at his stomach. It was incredibly bloated to the point it almost made him look pregnant. And on top of this, he was covered head to toe in blood.

“Ugh! I don’t feel so good…”

He looked at the dead boar. To his absolute astonishment, more than half of it had been devoured.

“The hell… Did… did I do this?”

If he really had, it meant he’d eaten more than his own weight. Any human would have likely died after eating that much.

Even now, all the discomfort Marcus felt was just a slight pain in his belly and a bit of nausea.

“What happened here!” he cried, trying to get to his feet. Dizziness swept over him and he fell. “Ugh… What is this—why did I eat so much?”

He waited for a bit, breathing wildly. Then he grabbed his spear and used it as a crutch to get himself up. He was wobbling and dizzy, but at least he could stand. More or less.

“Ngh… I need some water.”

Slowly, he walked toward the nearest pond, limping and stumbling until he finally reached it.

Then he let himself fall to his knees on the bank and took a sip of water. It was muddy, but at this point, he’d stopped caring about that. Then he started splashing his body, cleaning himself of the blood. It took a few minutes, but he felt both refreshed and a bit cleaner.

“What is wrong with me? What is wrong with this body? Why did I eat so much? I get it that I was hungry, but… isn’t this a bit too fucking much!”

He looked at the sky. The sun was about to set now, and he wasn’t in any condition to get back to his cave.

Right now, he didn’t have the time to ask idle questions. He needed to find shelter, otherwise, he’d be out in the dark again. With a groan, he got to his feet again and stumbled around, searching for a suitable place.

In the end, Marcus decided to simply sleep near the field of killer fruits. It was a questionable decision, but he simply couldn’t find any other shelter. In that valley, all the holes in the ground were filled with water, and he felt too weighed down to climb a tree. So he’d simply decided to rest near the field. The smell of the fruits should hide his own, and the presence of that predatory plant should take care of, or at least repel most potential dangers.

Moreover, after binge-eating the boar like that, Marcus wasn’t hungry at all. The mesmerizing smell of the field had almost no effect on him.

For his bed, he dug the ground a bit, covered himself in leaves and hid there, trying to get some sleep.

But he couldn’t fall asleep. At first, he thought he had the symptoms of indigestion. Strangely, by the time he lay down, he felt as if he’d almost completed his digestion. No, what was keeping him awake were weird thoughts about some undefined creature.

The creature in his mind was a weird mix between a reptile and an insect, whose colors were similar to his own, but the specific features were missing. This somehow irked him to no end, and soon he was forced to think about how to fill in the missing features of that being.

Uhmm… let’s see. I could make it similar to a snake or a millipede?

The image in his mind changed, and the creature took some serpentine features.

Nah, it looks disgusting. Let’s try to think about something else. Like, what kind of animal would be useful to me right now? I’d say some sort of dog would be the best. A hound to defend me and hunt for me. How to make this creature more similar to a dog?

In response to this question, the recollections of the information he got from eating the animals of this world appeared in his mind. None of those animals were even remotely similar to a dog. But maybe he could get something close enough by mixing them.

Let’s see… A quadruped creature—wait, it must have six limbs? Well, six limbs it is, then. I’ll just shrink the anterior ones. If I take the legs of the boar and mix them with those of the rat and the lizard… Too bad the features of the lizard are vague. And… there I have it.

As for the head. Well, a big head filled with teeth is good enough. Let’s mix the boar with that of the snake. Horns? No. Wait… It must have at least one horn? Okay, then, but let’s make it little too. As for the senses, the sense of smell of the boar is very good. But that of the snake isn’t bad either. The hearing? The rat is by far the best.

Marcus thought about the features of the creature for quite a long time, and in his head, the image of that being gradually changed to fit his decisions.

Then he finally finished thinking about all the details. He’d thought about a creature similar to a dog in shape, with a back protected by a chitin armor covered in small spikes. The creature had a big, triangular head with a small horn in front of its forehead, and a big mouth filled with sharp teeth. The creature was incredibly fast and had a sharp sense of smell and hearing. It was a natural hunter, ready to catch all prey. As for the size, it was quite big, at least the size of a wolf.

Marcus thought a bit about this image before nodding. This was the companion that he’d like to have in this godforsaken world.

Then, immediately after he solidified his thought on it, he felt a sudden pain in his bowels.

“Fuck!” he cried, trying to emerge from his hiding place as fast as he could. “I knew eating all that meat was gonna have some repercussions!”

As soon as he managed to get out of the small hole in the ground, he stumbled a few meters away and squatted, the pain in his belly getting stronger.

“This is gonna be a big one!” he snarled, gritting his teeth and trying to push.

Something was wrong. He did indeed feel as if something big was coming out, only not from his butt.

“What! What the heck?” he cried in pain and surprise. “What is this? Am I—UGH!”

The pain intensified, along with another sensation. Not necessarily unpleasant, but that somehow made him feel really, really uncomfortable.

“Oh shit. Oh fuck. Oh shit! Oh—Fuck! Fuck! FUUUUU!” Marcus cried, pushing with all his strength.

And then something slid out of him and fell to the ground.

Marcus collapsed, panting and shaking. He was strained now, and he felt weirdly hungry.

“W-what… what the hell was t-that?” he mumbled, looking down to see what he’d produced.

He completely froze in surprise, his mind unable to process what his eyes were seeing.

He remained in that condition for a few seconds, before closing his eyes.

“Okay, Marcus. Maybe you didn’t see it right. Maybe this is just a nightmare. Just open your eyes, and that thing won’t be there anymore.”

He opened his eyes, and the “thing” was still there.

It was an egg.

At least, it seemed like an egg. It was more similar to the egg of a fish or a frog than that of a reptile or a bird. It was oval in shape, about the size of an ostrich egg, and it was transparent. There was a weird shape inside, a creature similar to a tadpole. Only it had six limbs and was covered in a soft-looking chitin armor.

“What…What the unholy alien fuck dancing on a nuclear shit is that?”

He didn’t have an answer for that question. Nor he did have one for the hundreds of other questions popping in his mind. He only had one certainty at that point. That night, he wouldn’t be able to sleep, that was for sure.

Chapter 13

The Puppy

As usual, Marcus’s expectations were proven false.

Despite all the astonishment and horror of having laid an egg, he was simply too tired to stay awake for long. He fell asleep as soon as he crawled back into his improvised bed.

He didn’t touch the egg, leaving it where it was. First, he didn’t even want to acknowledge that it existed, since it brought a lot of uncomfortable facts about his body to his mind.

Second, even if it hatched, he didn’t have the means to take care of… whatever was inside the egg. It wasn’t like he was abandoning a baby. It wasn’t even born. And it was clearly not humanoid.

And third, he was too tired and shocked to give a shit about anything. He simply tried to sleep it off and forget it.

But even his sleep was troubled. He had a weird, feeble dream. A dream where he felt somehow warm, suspended in some gelatinous substance. The feeling became clearer and clearer, until he started moving in that dream, trying to free himself from that substance.

Wiggling and clawing, he finally managed to free himself, landing on the cold, hard ground. The first thing he did was take a long breath, taking the air in his lungs for the first time. The air was full of smells so intense, they almost hurt. He was still in the forest, but somehow everything looked bigger. It was night, but his eyes could see perfectly even in complete darkness. He also felt very hungry.

He started moving toward the field on all fours—or were they six—attracted to the smell of the fruits. He stopped. It was very hard to focus his thoughts, but he remembered that those plants were dangerous. He headed for the remains of the boar.

They were still there, a mountain of raw meat already half devoured. What remained was more than enough for him. With a ravenous hunger, he threw himself on the dead beast, biting off pieces of bloody meat.

Marcus woke up, rising from the leaf-covered hole that was his bed.

He stretched his arms and yawned, looking around. It was early in the morning, and the sun had yet to rise from the hills. The sky was already bright, a few stars remaining visible.

Still half asleep, Marcus rose, thinking that he was hungry.

“Well, the boar is still there. I’m eating it right now, after all. I think I’ll go there and eat it by myself too.”

For a few seconds, his sleepy mind didn’t register the weirdness of what he’d said, and then it hit him.

“What… What is this? I’m here; how could I be there eating the boar if I’m right here! But I’m there too.”

He stopped moving. Something really weird was happening.

Even though he was standing near his bed, he was also next to the boar, still munching it. It was like he was in two places at the same time.

“What the hell!” He ran toward the dead animal to see the source of this weird double vision he was having.

What he saw left him paralyzed with astonishment.

There was a creature eating the boar, a small animal with six limbs that vaguely resembled a dog, with reptilian and insectoid features, and a chitin armor that covered its back.

It was similar to the creature he’d imagined, only much smaller. It was barely thirty centimeters long and somewhat more insectoid. It was the creature that had been inside the egg.

But the strangest thing was that Marcus somehow was that creature. He could see through his eyes, experience what he was feeling. It was like their minds were linked.

No.

It was like their minds were one and the same.

“S-stop eating and watch me…” he tried to say, but the creature immediately turned around as soon as he had the thought about giving it an order.

The two stared at each other, a weird thing since it was like looking at himself from two different bodies. Marcus tried to make some movements, and the creature replicated them. He stepped to the right, lifted his head, jumped, and always the creature did the same things in sync with him.

Okay, let’s try it another way, he thought. I’ll move and you’ll stay still!

He jumped, and the creatures remained perfectly still.

Perfect. Now you jump and I stay still!

The creature jumped while he remained motionless.

“Okay, this is pretty fucking weird,” Marcus mumbled. “I dunno if it’s telepathy or some other bullshit, but it seems I can control this thing. But what is it? Will it become the animal I imagined when it grows up? Will it still be controllable?”

There were too many questions in Marcus’s mind, and his stomach was rumbling. He sighed and approached the dead boar.

“Well, I will think about those things after breakfast,” he said in a resigned tone. “I think better with a full belly.”

Between the two of them, Marcus and the puppy—since it looked kind of like one, he decided to call it so—soon devoured most of the remaining boar. Marcus, seriously wondering if he was really a man anymore at this point, packed the leftovers in some leaves. He also ripped the oversized tusks out of the beast’s mouth. He thought he could make a pair of knives out of them.

Then left, heading for his cave.

He’d given a thought about his destination, and decided to go toward the cave instead of proceeding to the tower. After all, he thought while giving a look at the puppy, he had to process some things now before meeting people.

This time, Marcus decided not to cross the swamp since it was too dangerous, and attempted going around it.

He walked at a brisk pace, the puppy scuttling behind him.

It was a weird thing to experience the feeling of having multiple bodies. Sometimes his mind was lost in that sensation, and he either tripped or stopped moving entirely. This was mostly caused by the puppy’s sense of smell. It was far more developed than that of Marcus’s main body, and the forest was full of interesting, scary, and appetizing odors.

The man—no, the main body shook her head. It was hard to focus like this. And in order to survive in this forest, he needed all the focus he could muster.

“Okay, the plan is to get back to the cave and don’t leave until I can make some sense out of this mess. To get to the cave, I need to concentrate, so don’t distract me, you got me?” He looked at the puppy, then rolled his eyes. “Well, of course you get it. I’m in your head after all. This feels like talking to myself. Luckily, I’ve been talking to myself since I came to this fucking world, so no big difference there.”

The sharp senses of the puppy came in handy soon enough. Various times, the small animal perceived the smell of dangerous creatures ahead, warning Marcus of their presence, and allowing him to avoid areas which he’d have otherwise walked through.

Thanks to this, the journey back to the cave was pretty uneventful, albeit quite long.

It was late in the afternoon when Marcus finally reached the hill where the cave was, leaving the swamp behind him.

During the day, he’d gotten much better at coordinating his shared mind. He discovered he didn’t need to constantly think about the puppy in order to control it, and that greatly improved his concentration. It was kind of like breathing. If you thought about it, you had to consciously control your breath, but normally, you would breathe automatically.

When he finally got to his cave, he had the hang of it. The awkwardness of having the same mind in two bodies was gone, replaced by the still weird though much more manageable feeling of having an extra body part. Like an extra limb or something.

Still, learning this process had been tiring, and Marcus was exhausted. Luckily, the cave was exactly as he’d left it. Except for the fire, which had completely died out in his absence.

He could make another one the next day, though, so he took some leaves and made another bed. The old one was completely overrun by insects. Too bad the cave was as damp and cold as he remembered, maybe even more so. He started trembling with cold.

Dammit…. Maybe I should start a fire. After all, it’s not like I have a blanket or something else to keep me warm…

A sudden realization came to him. He looked at the puppy, which, following his desires, simply stood a few meters from him.

Come here.

Obeying his thought, the puppy immediately came, and he took it between his arms, hugging it like a teddy bear.

The chitin of the animal was hard and cold, but the rest of its body radiated a pleasant warmth.

Plus, it was nice to experience the feeling of hugging and being hugged. Marcus suddenly realized how much he missed the company of other people. The feeling of communicating and talking to someone else.

Somehow, hugging that weird creature that was part of him made him feel less alone.

“You need a name,” he said, slowly falling to sleep. “Puppy is too generic. I had a dog named Cooper once. I guess I could call you that.”

The puppy didn’t really react, but Marcus’s ease and approval echoed in its mind.

Chapter 14

A Boy and His Dog

Three days had passed since Marcus had returned to his cave.

In that small amount of time, Cooper had grown at an incredible pace. He went from being just about the size of a puppy to that of a grown German shepherd, and apparently, it was still growing. The downside to this was he needed a lot of food. Cooper proved to be an exceptional hunter, catching a lot of small animals thanks to its speed and senses, to the point it was also feeding its owner.

Though, to be fair, Marcus was still leaving most of the preys to Cooper for two main reasons. First, the animal was growing and needed more food. Second, he now suspected that the constant hunger plaguing him was directly tied to his ability to lay eggs. Since he didn’t feel mentally ready to repeat that experience, he ate just enough to keep himself going, leaving no excess food for… producing offspring.

Since the puppy was providing food for them both, that meant he had more time to work on his equipment.

Using the skins and tendons of the captured animals, mostly rodents and rabbits, he managed to sew a small fur coat. It was barely enough to cover his shoulders, but it kept him warm and that was enough.

He’d also managed to turn the boar’s fangs into a couple of curved daggers. They were far more effective and useful than the shell knife he had before. Marcus also made another grass belt and leaves kilt, since the ones he had were wilting. The new ones were much better than the old.

All in all, he was ready to resume his exploration of these lands. Save for one thing.

He still needed to know more about Cooper.

As far as he could tell, the animal hadn’t developed any kind of personality. Apart from instinctive behaviors, like eating, hunting, or sleeping, it didn’t show any sign of autonomy. Everything it did was a consequence of Marcus’s thoughts and feelings, be they conscious or subconscious.

If he was sad, Cooper would rub against him. Unless he desired to be left alone. If he was hungry, it would bring him food. Conscious “orders” had a precedence, but otherwise, the puppy would instinctively do everything it could to please its master.

Marcus, in turn, always felt the animal’s presence in a corner of his mind. He learned to ignore it for the most part, relegating it to his subconscious unless he decided to actually focus on it. Since Cooper didn’t really have feelings or thoughts of his own, it was easy to do. But the link between them was always present, and the puppy constantly used its master’s experience and intelligence to make decisions.

There was also the question of the range of that mental link. Marcus tested it by sending Cooper to explore the territory and the link never disappeared or weakened. To be fair, he didn’t send the animal farther than a few kilometers.

All in all, that was an excellent range, and it allowed the puppy to freely hunt and explore while Marcus remained hidden and safe in his cavern.

And that presented him with a really good opportunity. He could actually use Cooper to scout out the tower while remaining hidden in the cave. He didn’t know if the link would endure such a distance—the tower was more than ten kilometers away after all—but it was worth a shot.

The only problem with this plan was he didn’t like it one bit. He’d always been a man that had done things by himself, refusing to rely on others. Sending someone else to risk their own life while he remained hidden was something he would have never done.

Sure, the animal seemed more like a part of him than an actual sentient being, but despite that, it didn’t feel right.

Moreover, letting the puppy explore while he was hidden would be a huge blow to his pride, another reminder of his current weak and pathetic condition. The logical thing to do was to send Cooper to scout ahead. His pride as a man dictated otherwise. Moreover, he was getting sick of staying in the damp cave, even with a fire and food.

He wanted to get out, to explore and basically do anything to take control of his own life.

Also, thinking about it, there was another matter to take into consideration. Even if the puppy found people at the tower, it didn’t have any means to communicate with them. Marcus would have to reach the tower by himself eventually, and he much preferred to do that now.

At that point, the decision was made. Marcus and Cooper were going to travel to the tower together. After all, the animal’s senses were sharp enough to spot most potential dangers, and he was probably safer with him than alone.

Of course, if the people in the tower proved to be hostile, it could be a problem. Marcus was confident he could sneak near enough to gauge their intention first.

It was a nice, clear morning. Perfect for travelling. Marcus didn’t see any reason to wait, so he grabbed his spear, took a bit of meat and water in a grass basket, and with Cooper at his side, departed from the cave, heading toward the tower.

* * *

The journey was quite uneventful. Thanks to the animal’s senses, the duo was able to spot all possible dangers in advance and avoid them. Quite a few times, they hid from predators or avoided areas that didn’t smell right, with the result that they didn’t meet anything that threatened them.

Later that afternoon, they reached the field of carnivorous plants, where Marcus decided to set camp.

He started enlarging the hole in the ground he’d left three days before, so it could accommodate both him and Cooper, while the latter went hunting for something to eat.

It was evening when it returned, with what looked like a couple of big rabbits in its mouth.

Marcus had of course followed all the movements of the dog-thing with his mind, directing him toward the most suitable prey. It was really like moving one part of his own body. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a stint of envy toward it.

Cooper’s body was strong and powerful, perfect for hunting. Its back was protected by a chitin armor covered in spines, and its large mouth was filled with dangerous-looking teeth. It was a perfect predator. Comparing it with his own child-like body was quite harsh for Marcus.

At least I can say with confidence that I’m the one thinking for both. Literally, he thought sourly. But that still doesn’t change the fact that I’d wish for a better body. The only things this body of mine seems good for is eating and… laying eggs.

He sighed, grabbing the dead rabbits and starting to skin them using one of his knives. At least now things were going better than they used to. He had a faithful, powerful companion to hunt for him and protect him. He was no longer hungry, at least, not too much, and he was finally about to reach the tower.

All things considered, he didn’t really have many reasons to complain compared to before.

Feelings and emotions are a fickle thing. Though he rationally knew complaining would get him nothing, he couldn’t really help it.

He sighed again.

Looking at the bright side, maybe tomorrow he would reach civilization. If the natives were nice enough, he would be able to get a nice dinner and a bath. A long, warm, and luxurious bath to wash away all the dirt, blood, and dry mud covering him.

He was still daydreaming while biting off the raw head of one rabbit, giving the other to Cooper.

* * *

The next day, Marcus resumed his march to the tower.

Despite all of his hopeful expectations, he decided to proceed cautiously. After all, he didn’t know if the people of this world would be hostile or not.

After a few hours of walking, he finally got to the base of the hill upon which the tower stood.

Hidden by the trees and bushes, he tried to make out the details of the building, and what the occupants looked like. It was hard to get such details from his position. He could only tell that the building was circular and rather squat.

“Well, no choice but to get closer,” he whispered. “Time to be sneaky, then!”

He had Cooper sniff the ground and the air ahead of him. There was a strong scent there. A smell of many creatures that regularly passed through the area. He couldn’t tell what creature they were, though, apart from the fact that they weren’t something he’d met before.

Dammit, I don’t even know how humans are supposed to smell here! The only way to know is to see them with my eyes.

He started climbing the hill with Cooper at his side. He moved carefully, trying not to make a sound. An inexplicable tension filled his mind, resonating from the dog. Something about the smell of the creatures living on this hill wasn’t right. They smelled dangerous.

But he’d gone too far to stop now, so he continued to advance.

After an hour or so, he had almost reached the top of the hill, and realized he—or rather the dog—could hear voices.

He tried to listen. They were still too far to actually pick up specific words. Marcus was sure they were actual words, not just the sound of an animal.

Finally! I finally found people! Now, let’s try to see what they look like.

Slowly, he and Cooper sneaked closer, using trees and bushes to hide their presence, until they reached the limits of a big clearing. In its center was the tower.

Marcus peeked at it from behind a tree. The tower was an impressive construction. A big, stout building made of gray, smooth stones shining in the daylight. Only the moss and vines climbing it betrayed its age.

At the base of the tower were other structures, more recent and less impressive. Mostly leather tents and wooden shacks, all rather poorly made. A few humanoid figures were moving through that camp gathering wood, repairing things, and doing other chores.

But those weren’t humans.

From what Marcus could see, those creatures were indeed humanoid, but they had pale gray skin, huge bat-like ears, and were much shorter than a human. Their arms were long, to the point that they could touch the ground if they crouched, and most of them were very thin. Their faces were somewhat square, with flat noses and big mouths, and two big, bulgy red eyes. They were also completely hairless.

What are these creatures? Gremlins? What do I do now? I don’t know if they’re friendly or not… I mean, we’re not even the same species! They could help me, but they’re just as likely to just kill me and eat me.

Marcus was still in astonishment, when a gasping sound from his right attracted his attention. He turned immediately and saw one of those creatures, carrying a bundle of wood, staring at him and the dog with a shocked expression.

The two were paralyzed for a while, staying absolutely still and silent. Marcus tried to make a reassuring gesture.

“Ehm… Hi there!” he said in a friendly tone, raising his hands to show he had no bad intentions. The creature dropped the wood he was carrying and bolted for the tower, screaming in fear.

“Well, there goes my good first impression,” Marcus said sardonically.

In response to those screams, a dozen or so of those creatures emerged from the tower, all armed with wooden spears, maces, and axes, and they immediately ran toward Marcus’s direction.

“Aaaand speaking of going, I should probably—” Marcus bolted downhill with Cooper at his side.

Running in the woods wasn’t really safe, and there was the risk of tripping and stumbling down to the base of the hill, but Marcus threw all caution to the wind in order to run faster. He jumped over rocks, dodged trees, and risked falling more than once.

He was lucky, and that didn’t happen.

Meanwhile, Cooper was having no trouble at all. Heck, it could have easily left him behind if it wanted to. Again, what the dog wanted was literally what Marcus wanted, and he certainly didn’t want to be left behind.

The two kept running until they reached the base of the hill. Marcus felt as if his lungs were about to explode, and he needed a pause. He crouched over with his hands on his knees, gasping for air. Only then did he turn to see if the “gremlins” were still on his trail.

A wooden spear flew, barely missing him, and grazing his shoulder. The humanoids were only a few dozen meters away, and they were throwing their weapons at him.

“Oh, shit!” Marcus cried, resuming his run.

This time, he was too shocked and tired, and tripped after a few steps.

The gremlins were upon him and fear and panic rushed through his mind.

It was then he heard a wild, angry growl, and some part of his mind seemed to shut up in utter fury.

Cooper, still growling, a weird sound that reverberated with an insectoid echo, threw itself against the creatures, its huge mouth open to show an impressive collection of needle-sharp teeth.

It pounced on the first one, throwing it on the ground, and the humanoid screams were cut short by Cooper’s fangs crushing its throat.

The other gremlins were taken by surprise for a few seconds, and that gave the animal the opportunity to attack another one. This time, the small humanoid tried to defend itself by raising its arms, but Cooper bit right through them, ripping the right arm off.

The others, recovering from the shock, counterattacked by throwing their spears, but Cooper’s chitin armor protected it, letting it free to assault another one of the creatures.

At this point, the group started panicking, putting distance between them and the terrifying predator killing one after the other. One lone humanoid stood firm. It was bigger than the others, at least one head taller and much larger, with part of its gray skin covered by scales. The creature was armed with a big wooden club, and it met Cooper’s assault with a cold, calm gaze, remaining perfectly still in guard position.

As soon as the dog threw itself at him, the big humanoid moved with surprising speed, hitting the animal mid-jump with his club and sending it flying three meters away.

The dog whimpered, bouncing on the ground. It immediately stood, albeit shaking and wobbling.

The blow hadn’t been enough to put it out of commission, but it surely had been effective.

During this, Marcus was still on the ground, looking confusedly at the scene before him.

For the first time, he couldn’t really feel Cooper like a part of himself. As soon as he had been wounded by those creatures, the animal’s mind shut down, filled with nothing but murderous rage toward those that dared to harm its master.

Even then, it didn’t seem like that berserk rage was enough. The big gremlin was clearly an experienced warrior, and Cooper’s wild assault wasn’t enough to defeat him. To make things worse, the other gremlins were now coming back, rallying after their leader.

If Marcus didn’t do something, that would be the end of both him and the dog.

He struggled to enter the angered mind of the dog. In order to survive, they needed to defeat that big humanoid before the others could join the fight. And to do that, they needed a plan.

Listen to me, you stupid mutt! he thought with anger, trying to overcome the barrier of pure instinct that was keeping him from Cooper’s mind. If you want to help me, you need to do as I tell you! Obey me! LISTEN!

With a sudden flow of willpower, Marcus managed to dispel the rage filling the dog’s head, calming it down and re-establishing the link between them.

They only had one chance, and they had to make it work.

Following its master’s instructions, the dog kept on wobbling, making a few tentative steps toward the big gremlin while growling weakly. It wasn’t actually that hurt, but for the plan’s sake, it had to look like it was.

With a confident smirk, the gremlin grabbed its club with both hands and walked toward the animal, ready to give it the final blow.

It was at this time, when no one was paying attention to him, that Marcus jumped to his feet, took one dagger out of his belt, and jumped at the humanoid.

The creature registered his presence when he was almost upon him, and turned around surprisingly quick, easily swatting away Marcus’s dagger with the club. He then smirked down at his seemingly pitiful opponent, raising the weapon to kill him.

He never got the chance.

As soon as the gremlin was distracted, Marcus made Cooper drop the “too wounded to fight” act, and the animal pounced, lunging at the humanoid’s throat.

The animal and the gremlin both fell to the ground, the latter trying to free himself, but the dog didn’t let go, biting even harder.

Then Cooper jerked his head away, tearing off almost all of the creature’s throat with a huge splash of blood. The gremlin tried to shriek, producing only a weak gurgle before rolling its eyes and staying still.

The rest of the hunters, who had been approaching, were visibly appalled and scared by this spectacle. When Cooper and Marcus turned to face them, they simply ran away, disappearing in the direction of the tower.

Marcus stood still for a few seconds, and then let himself collapse, the tension and fatigue of that escape and fight finally getting him.

“Well, that could have gone better…”

Chapter 15

Three’s a Charm

Marcus sat in the forest, trying to put some order in the chaos of his thoughts.

Beside him was the body of the humanoid creature Cooper had slain. The “dog” was not too far, sitting while looking at him.

What confused Marcus the most was the apparent lack of emotions he was experiencing. He’d just killed someone for the first time, and he felt nothing at all. To be fair, the thing he killed wasn’t exactly human, and it tried to kill him. Nonetheless, he would have expected to feel something.

Staring at the body of the creature, a thick lump of muscles covered in scales, he didn’t experience any emotion.

No, to be honest, he was feeling something. By looking at the exposed flesh of the humanoid, he was feeling—hungry.

“NO! No, no, no, no, nooooope! Not happening. I am not gonna eat this thing. Why am I even thinking about it? What the fuck is wrong with me?”

Despite that, he couldn’t help it. He looked at the lifeless body as if he was looking at an all-you-can-eat buffet. The rational part of him didn’t want any of that, screaming internally that it was disgusting to eat another humanoid being. His instinct was equally loud, roaring of hunger.

Marcus considered that eating the creature would actually be the most logical thing to do. Not only would it give him sustenance, but if his powers worked as usual, he would even learn a lot of things about those gremlins' biology. Maybe he could even give birth to spawns with the traits of those humanoids.

He shook his head firmly.

“No. No matter how much I want to eat this thing, I have standards for fuck’s sake. I am not gonna turn into a cannibal if I can help it. And if this gremlin’s friends come back and see me munching on their pal, well then, I won’t be able to blame them if they want to put me down like some dangerous beast.”

He raised his head, looking to the woods in which the humanoids disappeared.

“Speaking of which, I better get away from here before they come back. I’m pretty sure they won’t help me now. I don’t want to kill them or be killed by them either. This was a huge misunderstanding, and I’ll be damned if I’ll drag this on longer than I need to. Let’s go, Cooper!”

His desire to keep his humanity won over his instincts, and he walked away, with Cooper limping right behind him.

It took him a bit of effort, but when dusk came, Marcus was finally back at his cave.

The reason he’d been able to get back so fast was because he had gone through the swamp. He’d done so despite the danger because he didn’t want to risk being tracked by those humanoids. Going through the water seemed like an excellent way of losing them. And those leeches or turtles hadn’t attacked on the way.

As soon as he was safe inside his cave, Marcus let himself fall onto his bed of leaves, with Cooper sitting next to him.

He was dead tired and demoralized. All of his hopes of finding civilization and help had gone up in smoke. For now, he was too exhausted to process all that. He knew as soon as he rested a bit, he would receive all the emotional shock of those facts.

He looked at Cooper, who seemed unperturbed as always. The animal was still quite hurt, but nothing too serious. It recovered quite a bit during the afternoon, a sign of the resilience of its species.

Of our species. Marcus corrected himself bitterly. Let’s face it, I’m not human anymore, and there probably aren’t humans in this world either. Just me and a bunch of other monstrous creatures that want to kill and/or eat me.

He sighed, hopelessness sinking its claws into his heart. His plans of getting rescued weren’t feasible anymore, and now he feared he was completely alone in a hostile world. Except for Cooper. But the dog-like creature alone was not enough to keep him safe.

Wait a second…. If I need help, couldn’t I just make more helpers? he suddenly realized. I mean, if I can make more creatures like Cooper, I could actually be reasonably safe. I could even start building a house and try to make a living in this godforsaken place.

The downside of this was, obviously, that he had to actually give birth to the creatures himself. And laying eggs was something that made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

But at this point, his pride and comfort had to be set aside, at least for now. He desperately needed some help, and that was the only way to provide it.

He sighed again with a dejected look in his eyes.

That plan seemed good. But he didn’t really like it.

At least he could get a good night of sleep before starting to pull it off.

* * *

If there was any upside to his latest plan, it was that Marcus was finally able to eat as much as he wanted.

He apparently needed a lot of nutrients to produce offspring. The following days, he and Cooper spent most of their time hunting. Between the two of them, they managed to get more than enough food to sate their hunger.

Also, in order to expand the traits that he could give his minions, he tried to eat as many different animals as possible.

The first day after getting back to the cave, he caught a big lizard, the same species as the one he grilled before. This time, he ate it raw, absorbing all of its genetic information. Cooper also managed to hunt down another one of those big rodents.

He also found a small praying mantis that rested on a leaf before he grabbed it and ate it whole, absorbing its nutrients and, more importantly, the traits it possessed.

The next day, Cooper had completely healed from his injuries, and was out hunting all day. By the evening, between the two of them, they caught a couple of snakes, a rabbit, and a weird animal that seemed like a mix between a monkey and a racoon. Marcus left one of the snakes to his dog, eating everything else himself. The monkey-racoon provided him with some nice traits for a prehensile tail and nimble, human-like hands.

The third day, Marcus started feeling something funny in his tummy, and upon further inspection, saw that his belly was a bit bloated. He decided to rest that day, keeping his energies for the egg laying, although he still dreaded the prospect of that. Cooper had to hunt alone that day, but it still managed to catch a very big lizard and another snake.

Again, Marcus consumed most of the food, even though he felt quite full at that point. If things would go like last time, he’d need every last bit of those nutrients.

Later that evening, he was tending to the fire at the entrance of the cave, when he suddenly found himself thinking very vividly about what kind of creature he wanted.

Well, here we are, he thought bitterly. Let’s see… Do I make another dog like Cooper? No, it’d be better to get some more versatile minions for starters. Something kind of humanoid would be good, if possible.

Images of a six-limbed reptilian-insectoid creature flashed in his mind, taking inspiration from the large creature he’d first seen when he appeared in this world. He elected to make it like a centaur, with the lower body of a quadruped, which ended in a short, reptilian tail, and a quasi-humanoid torso, similar to that of a mantis. The legs were strong, allowing the creature to jump and run very fast, while the arms were long and had human-like hands covered in chitin, pretty much like his own, only they had four fingers instead of five.

The chitin armor of this creature was actually a lot smaller than Cooper’s, leaving a lot of their skin unprotected, save for its arms and legs. It had some sort of chitin helmet to cover its head, with a single horn sprouting from its snake-like head.

The end result was a creature that wasn’t really a hunter or a warrior, although it could serve as one, but more of an unspecialized drone that could adequately perform most tasks.

Good, this way, they could even help me build stuff. He stopped for a second. Thinking about building had drawn out some potential traits he didn’t know about. What’s this? The ability to make… mold, a wax-like substance? Where does it come from? I don’t remember eating something with this ability. It seems useful. The wax is sturdy enough to build structures with it, it grows like mold with just some light and humidity and it’s even edible!

Quickly, he added the glands necessary to produce that substance to his mental project. He also had to decide about the size of that creature. At first, he was tempted to make it big, but since a bigger size meant it required more food and it would be too clumsy for an unspecialized drone, he opted to make it rather small, no bigger than Cooper in size.

When the project was finally ready, he took a deep breath and gave it his mental approval.

Here we go… he thought with dread.

He didn’t have to wait long and suddenly felt an acute cramp in his belly.

“Oh, GOD!” he cried, squatting and starting to push. “Oh, fuck! This feels even worse than last time!”

He kept swearing while pushing and sweating.

He suddenly realized that Cooper was sitting in a corner of the cave, watching him. With horror, he realized he could see himself through the animal’s eyes. A small creature, similar to a little girl, trembling while squatting on the floor in a very unsightly position.

“Go the fuck away, Cooper!” he snarled, panic in his voice. There were few things he had less desire to see than himself giving birth, as it would most likely give him a mental scar that would last forever.

The dog obeyed his command, trotting out of the cave as soon as he desired so.

When he was finally alone, Marcus resumed the birth, breathing spasmodically while shouting an occasional curse from time to time.

To be completely honest, he wasn’t exactly in pain, but the sensation was simply too intense and intimate, making him deeply uncomfortable.

After struggling like that for a few minutes, he fell on the ground, breathing wildly. In front of him were three translucent eggs, each with a small larval drone barely visible inside.

Marcus looked at them with a mix of fatigue, horror, and embarrassment. He still didn’t really want to process the fact that he produced such things, but the circumstances didn’t leave him any choice in the matter.

“Well, you can come down now, Cooper,” he said with a sarcastic voice, giving a mental command to the animal. “Come and see your little fucking brothers.”

Chapter 16

Chess and Goblins

Gabur was a bit anxious. Trakk had the reputation of being a fair leader, but you never knew how a leader would react when he received bad news. He’d been ordered to report to the headquarters, and he could hardly refuse.

The small goblin left the southern tower early in the morning, arriving to the city in about one hour.

The city alone was enough to make him feel uncomfortable. Goblins had always been a tribal race, usually not having any settlement bigger than a few hundred. Now, here they were, thousands upon thousands of them inhabiting the ruins of an old human city.

The sight was terrifying and exciting at the same time. Countless goblins were moving through the dusty streets, surrounded by huge stone houses. Most of the buildings were little more than ruins, showing signs of crude repairs made by the goblins using wood and leather. They looked terribly overcrowded, but to the goblins, who were used to living in caves and temporary camps, it was still a huge improvement.

Under the leadership of Trakk, they managed to live together in that place. Each goblin had his own task, and there was a clear chain of command that went from the lowliest goblin whelp to the general himself.

It was something unheard of in the history of goblinkind. These radical changes made Gabur uncomfortable, but also excited.

He felt as if he was part of something bigger, a weird feeling that reassured him. At least, until it meant he’d be given responsibilities. Gabur hated being responsible for anything. It meant his superiors would punish him if he failed to meet their standards, and Gabur didn’t like that.

Leaving the city meant being on his own against all the other creatures that infested the forest. Gabur liked that even less.

Trying not to get distracted by the activities on the street, the goblin headed straight to the headquarters. A stone building even bigger than the others. It had two wings, but one was completely in ruin, so only the other wing was inhabited. Still, it was the most spacious building in the town, and Trakk decided to make it his own residence.

Gabur approached the front door, guarded by two hobgoblins. Both were still recognizable as goblins, having gray skin, big bat-like ears and square, flat-nosed faces, but they were much taller than Gabur and possessed characteristics of other races. One had human-like traits, like the straighter posture and more proportionate limbs. The other one possessed the burly frame and scaled skin associated with the orcs. The human-hob carried short iron spears and was dressed in some sort of armor made of scrap metal, while the orc-hob wore a simple leather tunic and was armed with a huge bronze axe.

“Halt!” said the human-hob, blocking his way. “What is your business here, gob?”

Why did it have to be so complicated? When he was part of a tribe, he could simply walk off to the leader of the tribe and speak with him. Now there were all sorts of procedures to follow, and he didn’t understand half of them. Still, he knew by experience it was better to follow those rules. Trakk was very fussy about the regulations he made and was more than happy to punish those who broke them.

“Gabur, from the southern tower, sir,” he said half-heartedly. “Came here to tell the boss about all the fuss we had. Can I pass now?”

The human-gob frowned at his sloppy attitude, looking at him with disapproval, but the orc-hob simply laughed.

“Pass, gob,” the big hob said. “Boss is upstairs, with ’nother apprentice. Tell him ’bout the fuss.”

Gabur quickly went through the door, secretly pleased with the sour expression the human-hob was making. He didn’t like those that had evolved from contacts with the humans. They always behaved as if they had a stick up their collective asses. Sadly, not only was the general a human-hob, but he was perhaps the one with the biggest stick in his buttocks.

He passed through the main hall of the headquarters. It was a huge room, crowded with all sorts of goblins talking with each other. They were mainly hobs, but Gabur could also spot several shamans, with their ornate staves and their robes, and a couple of winged gargoyles.

No one paid attention to him, so he headed for the stone stairs that led to the general’s office.

When he finally got there, he found himself in front of a wooden door. Which was kind of unusual. Goblins had never used doors before. The general was a weird one, and not only wanted his office separated from the rest of the building by a door, but pretended that everyone visiting him would knock before entering.

Still, it was useless to argue with him, and it was kind of dangerous to try it, so Gabur wouldn’t be the one to disobey. He just knocked, waiting for a response.

“Come on in,” a quiet voice answered, and Gabur opened the door.

The office was a simple room with only a wooden table, a chest, and two crude chairs. A very young goblin, little more than a whelp, was sitting on one of them, trembling in fear, panic in his eyes, while the other was occupied by General Trakk himself.

At first glance, the general was a human-hob like many others, possibly smaller than most. Barely taller than a standard gob, with only the posture and the proportion of his limbs revealing he was a hob. The more you looked at him, the more it was clear that something was not ordinary. Maybe it was his piercing eyes, which looked as if they could see right through you. Or maybe it was the aura of absolute confidence that surrounded him. Whatever it was, it was a mesmerizing feeling, as if you were drawn to him like a moth to a fire.

And when he spoke, with his calm, polite, and charismatic voice, all doubts would be lifted. He was no simple human-hob, he was a Goblin General, the first to appear in centuries.

“Ah, Gabur. What a pleasant surprise,” Trakk said. He had the unnerving ability to remember the name of each of his subjects, no matter how much time passed since he last saw them. “You come at the right time. I think young Druk here is in dire need of a pause. His game has been getting worse for a few minutes now.”

Gabur looked at the poor young goblin on the chair. Some sort of board was on the table between him and the general, surely one of the human games Trakk loved so much. Gabur didn’t know about this one. The board was covered in black and white boxes, upon which there were black and white wooden figures. For some reason, there were very few white figures and a lot of black ones.

The whelp seemed terribly scared, which was normal for an apprentice, since it meant being put in life-or-death situations. Apprentices had only two choices ahead of them: trigger their evolution or die.

And sadly for young Druk, the odds weren’t in his favor. Among the dozens of apprentices that Trakk had taken, not even one managed to evolve.

“So, Gabur. Do you have anything to tell me?” the general asked.

“Yes, sir,” the goblin answered, this time trying not to sound too sloppy. Unlike the guards, Trakk wasn’t to be trifled with even in the best of times, and now he had to give him bad news. “The patrols have searched the valley, but they didn’t find the humanoid and the dog-like creature that killed Braga.”

“I see.” There was no trace of anger in his voice.

Gabur was starting to feel relieved. Maybe Trakk would leave it at that, and let the garrison of the southern tower resume their routine.

But his expectations were thoroughly crushed by the general’s next order.

“Increase the range of the perlustrations then. Explore the hills around the valley, search every nook and cranny. We must find those creatures.”

“Uhm… why?” Gabur asked, confused and worried. “I mean, there are the nightwolves and the King of the Forest and all sorts of dangerous monsters on those hills. If those two creatures went there, probably they are dead by now, and any patrol sent there would risk dying as well.”

“Those monsters only come out at night,” Trakk replied. “Any sufficiently smart animal could avoid them by simply hiding during the night. The patrols will be okay for the same reason, if they just keep track of the time and remember to come back before sunset. Anyway, I’ll send a few winged gargoyles south as well. They will explore the most dangerous areas from the sky, and they will report to the southern tower. Keep the state of alert until I order otherwise.”

Now Gabur was just flabbergasted. This all seemed like a huge waste of time and resources. He had seen the two creatures with his own eyes. Two weird reptilian-insectoid things, one vaguely similar to a young human female, and the other similar to a dog. As strange as they were, they didn’t strike him as particularly dangerous. Heck, most of the other creatures that infested the swamp would have made a snack out of them. True, the duo managed to kill Braga, but that was mostly because the hob had been careless, and his group was made of young whelps too undisciplined to be helpful in a fight.

Certainly, it wasn’t worth risking the lives of the garrison of the southern tower, of which Gabur was part of, just to look for those two!

“Why do we even care about those creatures?” he asked, trying to sway the general. “I mean…. There are many worse threats. The orcs on the east, the King of the Forest in the south, the humans in the north. Couldn’t we just leave those creatures be? We don’t even know what they are!”

“And that’s exactly why we can’t leave them be,” Trakk replied, still calm but stern. “I much prefer an enemy I know to an unknown one. Moreover, from what I have been told, the humanoid creature used weapons, and the dog was protecting her.” He paused, looking very serious. “This is the worst kind of danger we could ever face. Something intelligent, organized, and unknown. They may not be a threat right now, but they could very well become one in the future. It’s better to play it safe and crush them now!”

He looked Gabur straight in the eyes, and all the replies the goblin could have made instantly disappeared.

Very few goblins could argue with the general after he gave a direct order, and Gabur was not among them.

“Go now,” Trakk ordered. “Report my order to the commander of the southern tower. I’ll send the gargoyles to him tomorrow.”

Gabur instinctively saluted and marched right out of the room.

As he was exiting, he could see the young goblin, Druk, looking at him with desperation, almost as if he was asking for help.

Sorry, whelp, but better you than me, Gabur thought, before closing the door behind him.

Chapter 17

Hello Neighbor

Slowly but steadily, things were falling into a daily routine. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it beat having your life threatened in new exciting ways every day.

Eat, drink, sleep, and manage the minions. This was all Marcus had been doing lately. It had been almost two weeks since he had given birth to the builder drone triplets, and since then, his hive had increased more than fivefold. He now had about six builders, eight hound-hunters—including Cooper—and a couple of flying explorers, which looked a bit like oversized dragonflies.

Food was no longer an issue. Thanks to the hunters, he was always able to eat as much as he wanted. And the builders had done an amazing job at renovating the cave. Although the “wax mold” they produced wasn’t enough to build things on its own, it worked perfectly as a coating material. By covering branch structures with that stuff, Marcus managed to create some furniture. A bed, table, and a couple of chairs. Plus, the wax mold was exceptional as a thermal insulator, so he had the inside of the cave coated in it, resulting in a much drier, warm, and overall pleasant space.

There were also some drawbacks about having such a number of minions. First of all, Marcus felt their presence inside of his head, and it was incredibly distracting. The first couple days after the triplets had been born, he couldn’t even walk without tripping or slamming against something, since the shared thoughts of his offspring took all of his attention. All he could do was sit and concentrate, using his brain power to micromanage his minions. He was getting better at it and now, even though he had more units to control, he could move normally while supervising the activities of the hive in the back of his head.

The other drawback was that the presence of so many new hunters was thinning the local fauna. The drones had to go farther and farther to catch new prey, and that entailed some risks. First of all, the forest was still full of other dangerous beasts, some of which were more of a match to the pack of hunter drones, so travelling around was quite risky. He already lost four hunters to some of those animals. Although they were easily replaceable, he didn’t exactly like feeling their pain. It wasn’t that traumatizing. The pain itself didn’t get transferred, just some sort of alarm, but it was still unpleasant.

Second, the swamp and the forests nearby were full of patrols of those gremlin-like humanoids. Marcus didn’t want any more trouble with them, so he had the hunters avoid them. But hiding away like that had a negative effect on the hunts.

Luckily, the mold wax was a great boon to his food supplies. Not only was it edible, it was also highly nutritious, and it grew at an amazing pace when exposed to sunlight. The taste wasn’t anything to write home about, but it wasn’t actually disgusting. It tasted kind of like grass and stale bread.

Thanks to this surplus of nutrients, Marcus could produce a lot of minions, to the point that he was giving birth almost every other day, much to his chagrin.

The experience of laying eggs was still something he couldn’t quite get used to. It made him feel vulnerable, confused, and uncomfortable. Yet it was also incredibly stimulating and almost titillating in a very weird way. He would have died before admitting that even to himself, though, so he just tried to avoid thinking about it.

In order to keep his mind occupied, he only had one pastime: exploring the lands around him. Although it was risky to get out of his cave personally, he had no trouble seeing through the eyes of his offspring. At first, he sent the hunters or the builders to the places he wanted to see, but then he decided that making a drone specifically for reconnaissance was worth the effort.

Using the information he got from the animals he’d eaten, he created a sort of lizard-dragonfly hybrid, the size of a small dog. They could fly and had excellent sight, but they were rather clumsy on land. Also, the first one he made could only look downward, which had proved to be a mistake when some big bird attacked and killed it from above.

After that, Marcus made sure to include a way for the flying drones to look upward, giving them three pairs of eyes, and explored all the surrounding hills and valleys through them.

It was then that he discovered the nest of the dragon-like animal that had both terrified him and saved his life days before. He made this discovery almost by accident. One of the flying drones was returning to the cave at twilight, when he spotted a gargantuan figure moving through the trees.

Even while being safe in his cave, only looking at the creature through the eyes of his drone, Marcus couldn’t help but shiver. The dragon was larger than his world’s whales, and yet it moved with a serpentine grace that suggested an unnatural agility. Every movement it made was confident, calm, and without any trace of urgency. It was at the top of the food chain and nothing could threaten it or make it nervous. Not that Marcus had any intention of bothering it. He just had the flying drones follow it, in order to learn its habits to better avoid it.

The dragon wandered for most of the night, sometimes stopping to tear down a tree and eat its foliage. Marcus started wondering if, despite its appearance, the animal could actually be an herbivore. Then a huge boar, even bigger than the one he met at the carnivore plant field, crossed paths with the dragon.

The encounter was over so fast, Marcus had barely any time to register it. The gargantuan reptile moved with incredible speed, pouncing on its prey in a blur of dark scales. With a loud snap, the dragon bit the side of the boar with its humongous beak. The poor animal squealed in pain, trying to free itself, but it was too late. The dragon lifted the animal, throwing it into the air, and decapitated it with another bite before it touched the ground.

The creature then proceeded to eat its prey, tearing off huge chunks of meat and swallowing them whole, before returning to its nest before the sun rose.

Much to Marcus’s alarm, the dragon’s den was actually pretty close to his cave, just a couple kilometers downhill, in a narrow canyon between two hills. After some thinking, he decided this was actually a good thing. It kept other predators away, and the dragon didn’t seem interested in going uphill. Staying on guard wouldn’t hurt, though.

Since he now knew the area was free of dangerous animals, except for the dragon, Marcus decided to expand his mold wax field.

He got out of the cave, looking at the rock face his cave opened into. Part of it was already covered in the gray, opaque stuff, and the builder drones were already working on making it bigger. Those drones were very good at climbing steep surfaces, using the powerful grip of their talons to cling to the rocks, and were producing mold wax from their mouth and spitting it on the rocks.

The process was quite disgusting to watch, but also somehow fascinating, like popping a zit or something like that.

Marcus planned on having the whole rock face covered in mold wax. This way, both he and the drones could live on that stuff. Since it would grow back, he wouldn’t have any more food-related problems, and could stop with the excessive hunting he’d been doing lately.

Also, that’ll reduce the risk of being discovered by those gremlins! After all, if neither me nor the hunters have to travel around, it will decrease the risk of being discovered by those patrols!

He smiled to himself. This new life wasn’t exactly what he’d have wished for, but he had the feeling that he was actually doing good for once.

He looked up at the sky, which was, as always, mostly cloudless, and basked in the light of the sun.

For a moment, he almost thought he had seen a flying figure in the air. Something similar to a humanoid with bat wings, but when he searched the area, it had disappeared.

“Must have been a bird I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Well, back to work, then. Let’s see if I can make some other furniture with the mold wax!”

* * *

A few hundred meters above, Graak started moving again. He had hidden himself from the scrying creature on the ground by flying in front of the sun. Now the weird insectoid creature was distracted again. Not that he was worried about being harmed, being confident in his flying skills. But the boss had ordered him to scout the area without being discovered.

The gargoyle flapped his wings, flying toward the southern tower to report his discovery. While flying, he was amazed once again by the foresight of the general. When the orders had come, he didn’t think much of them. Using multiple patrols and even gargoyles like himself just to search for a couple of creatures seemed like a waste of time. Even if they managed to kill a single hob, the forest was full of beasts that were capable of such a feat.

But after seeing that hive, he concurred with the general. A group of organized creatures like that would become a serious threat for the goblins if it had time to grow.

Now that the hive had been discovered, time was something the goblins wouldn’t give to it.

Chapter 18

Night Raid

It had been a busy day for Marcus.

Wondering if he could make pottery out of the mold wax, he’d spent hours trying to shape the substance into that of bowls and cups.

Sadly, the wax was too liquid to stand on its own before solidifying, and once solid, it was invariably stuck to what he used as a mold.

After many attempts, he finally found a passable solution. He covered the rock he wanted to use as a mold with leaves, and then covered those leaves with the wax, which would stick to the leaves and not to the rock itself.

Late in the afternoon, the result of these experiments was a dirty, fragile thing that could hardly be called a bowl, although it could maybe be used as one.

Marcus wasn’t impressed by that result.

“Well, it’ll do for now,” he sighed, going back into his cave. “But I gotta make some decent pottery sooner or later. Luckily, there’s a swamp nearby, so maybe there will be some clay there. And I could try to build a small oven in the cave.”

As of late, he was focusing on making his stay in this new world as pleasant as possible. Housing, food, and security were not a concern anymore, so he could try to get other less important luxuries.

Pottery, clothing, and a few other things were what he was trying to get now. He also really wanted to get a bath. Except the only pools of water he knew about were the swamp, which was quite dangerous, and the river that was guarded by the crystal-horned deer.

Thinking about it… I could try to kill that deer. I’m sure I could get some good traits for my minions by eating it, and securing the river for myself would also be a good thing!

The only problem with that plan was the strength of that damn animal. He’d seen exactly how powerful the deer was in its battle against the boxer crabs. He wasn’t sure if the hunter drones could kill it.

I could make a more powerful drone. Maybe a warrior drone, made for fighting instead of hunting.

Following that line of thought, he accessed his mental database of genetic traits. In the past weeks, he’d learned how to do so at will, and had also discovered many new things about his ability. Apparently, most of the nutrients he ate went to some sort of “reserve” used to produce offspring. This reserve had a maximum cap that, when reached, kind of forced Marcus to produce at least one drone. With an act of will, he could also lay eggs before hitting that limit, provided he had enough nutrients stored to do so.

Gauging that reserve of energy was mostly instinctive and not really accurate. It was like trying to decide how much food you could eat before being full, but he was slowly getting the hang of it.

Right now, he judged he had enough energy to give birth to five worker drones or three hunters. It wasn’t nearly the maximum cap, but he had enough food at hand to reach it if he wanted to.

Slowly and carefully, he started to think about the kind of characteristics the warrior drone could have.

Should I give it wings? No, for now, let’s just focus on making it strong. In order to fly, it should be quite light and that would decrease its power. It should still be fast. Speed is always a good thing in a fight. So, about the legs… should it be a quadruped? No, I don’t think so. Let’s make it similar to a velociraptor.

Since it can have six limbs, let’s give it powerful, raptor-like posterior legs. The upper ones can be mantis-like scythes. And the middle ones… let’s just make them very long. This way, the soldier will be able to use them to balance itself, as well as run and fight on all fours should it need more stability. And it could always use them to grab its prey and finish it with the scythe claws. Oh, it should also have a long tail for balance. But let’s make it barbed. Another potential weapon never hurts. As for the armor, it should be thicker than that of the hunters and covered in spines.

The image of the creature slowly took shape in his mind. When it was finished, it indeed looked very dangerous. A reptilian creature that seemed like an armored mix between a velociraptor and a mantis.

It reminded Marcus of an alien straight out of a horror sci-fi movie.

Well, it certainly looks dangerous enough! And I think I have just enough energies to actually make it. Let’s do this!

As soon as he made the resolution, he felt the sudden cramp he’d learned to associate with the act of giving birth.

Grinding his teeth, he squatted in the middle of his cave.

“Now this is something I won’t ever get used to!” he growled to himself. “God fucking dammit! Why do I have to—uff! Fuck! Why do I have to go through this crap every time?”

Trembling and spasming, he concentrated on the task of pushing the egg out.

A few minutes later, he was sitting on the floor of the cave, panting, with a translucent egg in front of him.

“Well, another one for the hive, I guess,” he said, breathless. “Now I need to sleep. This crap always exhausts me. The egg should hatch during the night, hopefully.”

And with that, he went straight to bed, while giving a mental order to the drones to come back for the night.

He only left a hunter drone out as a sentry, a precaution he took ever since he discovered that the dragon lived nearby. After all, he didn’t want that beast to catch him inside a cave while he was sleeping.

He was about to be really grateful for this decision, but not for the reason he expected.

* * *

Ever since he’d given birth to Cooper, Marcus had technically stopped dreaming. Or to be more precise, his “dreams” were filled by the collective consciousness of his minions.

Even now, while he was asleep on his mold wax bed, he could perceive all of the drones. Most of them were resting in the cave with him with only one hunter out in the open on guard duty.

The hunter drone was feeling restless for some reason, and that anxiety was transmitted directly to Marcus, troubling his sleep.

The forest is quiet. The sun has just set, and every remaining light is disappearing from the sky. The air is still, not a single breath of wind is blowing. There is not a single sound. Apparently, no reason to be alarmed.

But the hunter drone still feels uneasy. It doesn’t actually have enough of a consciousness to feel anxious for itself, but its duty is to protect the queen and the hive. That duty is absolute. The hunter drone must stay on guard and identify any potential danger to the queen and the hive.

The hunter drone is not smart enough to understand the cause of this sense of uneasiness on its own, but it can draw upon the collective consciousness of the queen and the hive to understand. The mind of the hive starts analyzing the situation.

The forest is quiet. Too quiet. The sounds of the animals that usually move out of their nests at this hour is missing. And since the air is so perfectly still, the hunter drone can’t smell anything.

Something isn’t right. The primary directive is to explore the surroundings, searching for potential threats. The hunter drone moves from the entrance of the cave, slowly walking uphill as silently as possible.

The hunter drone can see perfectly in the dark and notices movement at the top of the hill. It can’t identify what it is, though, so it approaches cautiously, one step at the time, making absolutely no sound.

There are dark figures above the cave that are slowly, silently descending. They can barely be called humanoid. Most of them have a hunched posture, and some even walk on all fours like beasts. All of them, however, have the big ears associated with the gremlin-like creatures from the tower.

The hunter drone stares at them, the alarm it’s experiencing resonating through all the minds of the hive. Suddenly, one of those figures spots the drone with big, luminous eyes.

With a soft screech, the creature charges at the hunter drone with a couple of its companions. But the hunter drone doesn’t run away. Its duty is to protect the hive, and it will do so. It charges the attacking creatures, opening its mouth to meet them halfway, in a blur of fangs, claws, and blood. The hunter drone bites hard, sinking its teeth deep into the flesh of the first assailant, but there are too many. In a few seconds, the hunter drone is swarmed by a dozen of those creatures, each of them biting it, tearing it apart—

Marcus woke up in a panic.

Around him, all the drones started moving, reacting to his fear.

“We’re under attack!” he cried, running toward the exit. He stopped, his rationality affirming itself over his fear.

If I get out now, those things are gonna be all over me in a heartbeat. He looked at the drones that were now completely still, waiting for his orders. The only chance I have at getting out of this alive is to keep them occupied while I run.

He gave a mental command and all of the hunters, save for Cooper, rushed out of the cave to confront the incoming creatures. They wouldn’t keep them occupied for long, so Marcus slipped out right after them, Cooper at his side, surrounded by the builders and explorers. He noticed another presence scuttling awkwardly on the ground behind them. It was the freshly hatched larvae of the warrior, which struggled to keep pace on its undeveloped legs.

Without hesitation, Marcus grabbed the baby drone and lifted it on his shoulder while hurrying out of the cave.

In his mind, he could now see the hunters were fighting against the invaders. Thanks to their coordination and their armored hide, those drones were still resisting. It was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of those bestial gremlins.

“I have to get out of here!” Marcus muttered to himself, hurrying downhill.

And then he stopped, frozen in surprise.

Right below him were many figures slowly climbing the hill to reach the cave.

Judging by their shapes, they were the same breed of creatures as the ones above, but their numbers were even bigger. He didn’t lose time counting them. They couldn’t be less than one hundred.

He was surrounded.

Uncertainty and panic paralyzed Marcus for only a moment before his survival instinct, refined by weeks of living on this dangerous world, took the wheel.

“Inside the cave! Now!” he cried, turning back. That would have meant trapping himself, but at least he would be able to resist for a while since the enemies would be forced to come at him a few at a time through a narrow tunnel instead of ganging up on him and the remaining drones from all directions.

Not that he knew what to do once he was inside. There were too many enemies. They would certainly overwhelm the few defenders.

If only he could call someone to help.

He had a flash of inspiration. A really outrageous and risky idea, but one that might just work.

As he ran, he mentally ordered the two explorer drones to fly away. The two complied immediately, taking off and flying downhill.

Now all Marcus and the others had to do was to resist for a few minutes.

While he was finally entering the cave, he felt the last surviving hunter he’d sent uphill die. The beastly gremlins were about to come at him from all directions.

“Inside!” he shouted needlessly, as the other drones would obey mental commands, but he was too agitated to act completely rationally.

Once inside, he grabbed a couple of wooden spears he had made for himself and handed them to the builder drones, who then proceeded to block the entrance of the cave, spear pointed high against the invaders.

And it didn’t take long for them to come. The first gremlin, a beastly hairy thing similar to a hyena, was so savagely enraged that it literally threw itself at the spears, getting impaled for its trouble.

The others came as a wave, barely contained by the worker drones, who stopped them from entering the cave with their armored mass, while the two with spears poked at them from behind the defensive line.

Luckily for the defenders, the entrance to the cave was pretty narrow, allowing only a couple of those creatures to enter at a time. Unluckily, those who did manage to reach the defensive line were fighting with a berserk fury that was almost overwhelming.

One drone fell. Then another. A small pile of bodies was forming, further hindering the attackers, but too soon they would manage to break into the cave.

Cooper joined the dwindling builder drones, adding his jaws and claws to the defense. Marcus just stood in the back, his mind focused on both coordinating the fight in the cave and simultaneously directing the explorers outside.

The two flying drones are nearing the bottom of the valley. The sounds of the battle are now barely audible behind them, but they know they have no time to lose.

With incredible speed, they fly directly to the small canyon where the dragon has its den.

The air there is tense with a sense of impending danger that is felt even by the barely self-conscious drones. That doesn’t stop them.

The two of them fly inside the canyon. The rocky terrain is littered with bones, and a stench of death and decomposition fill the place.

At the end of the canyon, there is a small cave. Something’s inside. Something big that’s now moving, annoyed by the flying sound of the two creatures that so foolishly entered his domain.

But the creatures have their orders. Orders that to them are more important than their own life. One of them, following a mental command from the queen, throws itself at the dark shape inside the cave with all the speed it can muster.

There is a loud sound when the explorer collides with the hard scales of the dragon, and the small creature feels pain and dizziness as a result from the impact.

Four yellow eyes stare at the drone in surprised disbelief. The dragon is so used to having no rivals that the sensation of being attacked is almost forgotten for him. But the surprise only lasts a moment, and with an outraged roar, the reptile snaps its beak at the drone, killing it instantly.

Then, with single-minded fury, it throws itself at the other drone, which immediately flees uphill.

The small drone doesn’t look back, but it can hear the sound of something humongous following it at an incredible speed, smashing every obstacle on the way.

Marcus smiled. “Just as planned.”

There were only a couple of builder drones and Cooper left, not counting Marcus and the larvae of the warrior.

The gremlins were finally about to force themselves into the cave, and as Marcus turned his attention back at them, another builder went down, torn apart by the claws and fangs of the attackers.

The gremlins rallied themselves, preparing for the final assault.

A deep roar resonated, coming from outside, followed by the high-pitched panicked screams of the gremlins.

The attackers already in the cave hesitated, confused by what was happening, and the defenders took advantage of it. Cooper threw itself in the middle of the creatures, tearing and biting all he could reach, while the last builder charged at them with its spear.

Confusion quickly turned to panic, and the attackers fled, rushing outside the cave. Cooper and the builder pressed forward, not giving them time to recuperate, and Marcus followed with the larvae in his arms.

Soon, they were all out. The army of beastly gremlins had all but broken down, its scattered remnants running in every direction like scared ants. The huge shape of the dragon, barely visible in the darkness, pursued them at its leisure, grabbing and swallowing the unfortunate humanoids it reached with a single bite.

Marcus and the surviving drones ran away as fast as they could, trying to put as much distance as possible between them and this place.

Before disappearing into the night, Marcus couldn’t help but turn once, giving the gremlins a furious look.

“Good riddance, you motherfuckers!” He flipped the bird in the general direction of the humanoids. “You better not come bother me again… because I’m fucking done playing nice guy.”

Chapter 19

Firing My Laser!

Marcus was carefully spying on the deer through the eyes of his flying drone.

He’d come back to the valley he started his journey in. He soon discovered the only source of water there was the river guarded by that damn crystal-horned deer, so he decided to keep his original plan of using the warrior drone to kill the animal and take its territory.

But it’d take some days for the drone to fully grow, so he decided to spend that time learning as much as possible on his prey, hoping to discover a possible weakness.

Marcus had learned many things about the beast and its territory, though nothing that could be called a weakness.

The river came out of a big cave at the end of the gorge, and it went on for about three kilometers before disappearing underground.

The whole valley dug by the river was the deer’s territory. The animal had its den in the cave, where it slept at night, and during the day, it patrolled the area, attacking all trespassers with extreme prejudice. It even attacked apparently harmless animals that were just there to drink, like snakes or birds.

And to make things worse, that deer wasn’t just extremely aggressive, it was damn strong too. No other beast managed to resist it and few even attempted to.

Still, Marcus was confident the warrior drone could take it down. Although fast and strong, the deer was quite predictable. All it did was charge its enemies, trying to skewer them with its crystal antlers. No doubt it was a dangerous attack, since those horns were apparently both almost indestructible and incredibly sharp, but the warrior drone was, at least according to Marcus’s mental project, nimble enough to dodge such an attack and lethally counter it.

All he had to do was wait until it was grown enough to actually take on the deer.

Or so Marcus thought.

It was the third day since he’d come back to the valley. The weather, which so far had always been clear, was getting a little bit cloudier.

Not having anything better to do, with Cooper and the builder drone hunting and providing him food, Marcus used the flying drone to keep spying on the deer.

The drone was flying over the gorge when it saw a few shapes on the ground.

The Crystal Deer was fighting against something, and after a moment, Marcus recognized the animal’s enemies. They were those crazy wolf-hyena hybrids that almost killed him once.

The deer was having trouble against those opponents. The creatures had it surrounded, and every time the animal tried to charge one of them, the others attacked, keeping it occupied enough to let the target canid dodge the deadly antlers.

Right now, the deer was bleeding from multiple little wounds, while the canid things were unscathed.

Dammit, those fucking dogs might kill the deer before me! I think the warrior drone can deal with them, but I wanted the genetic information of the deer. Well, if they leave at least one bone, I could still get some, I think.

Both he and the wolf-things had deeply underestimated the power of the deer.

Suddenly, the crystal antlers of the animal started shining, seemingly absorbing the sunlight. Then, with a blinding flash, a beam of light erupted from the horns, hitting one of the canid wolf-things.

With an agonizing scream of pain, the beast fell, completely charred and smoking. Its companions were paralyzed, and the deer charged its horns once again, discharging another beam and killing another one of them.

It was more than enough for the wolf-hyena hybrids. They turned around and ran away, pursued by the deer, which was charging another beam.

Marcus, watching the scene from the flying drone’s eyes, was completely astonished.

What the hell! That deer has fucking laser beams now? How the hell am I supposed to kill something like that…. It’s not fair!

Something happened that caught his attention. The deer was about to fire his laser beam when a passing cloud obscured the sun, and the antlers immediately stopped shining.

The beam wasn’t fired.

The deer kept chasing the wolf-things nonetheless, until they were way out of its territory, but to Marcus, he’d finally found a weakness.

“So that damn thing can’t fire his lasers unless there’s direct sunlight. Good…. This is good. All I have to do is to attack it during the night, and it won’t be able to use that trick to defend itself. Then the warrior drone will be able to kill it, and by eating it, I’ll be able to create laser creatures too!”

He smiled. This opportunity was too good to pass up. With a group of laser firing creatures at his command, not even those humanoids would stand a chance against him.

* * *

Three days later, the warrior drone, which Marcus nicknamed Achilles, had finally reached maturity.

It looked so intimidating, that even its creator couldn’t help but shudder in its presence. Achilles was easily three meters tall with a slender, sinewy body that made him light and fast without losing any power in the process. Its serpentine torso was covered in spined chitin armor, making him impervious to most damage, and its extremely long and nimble whip-like tail ended with a sharp stinger.

Its forearms were like those of a mantis, with scythe-like hands sharp enough to cut down a small tree in a single slash.

Its legs were similar to those of a velociraptor, long and powerful, and with strong, clawed toes to grip on every surface with ease. Not only did those legs allow it an incredible speed and jumping power, but a kick from them could break all the bones in one’s body.

And finally, the middle arms were very long and slender, although he usually kept them folded back, and had nimble but strong, clawed hands that could be used to grab things. Those secondary arms could be used either as standard arms to grab an opponent or as an additional pair of legs for extra mobility and balance.

The scariest part of the drone was its head. Big and triangular in shape, it rested on a long but strong serpentine neck, and it was protected by a chitin helmet from which a single horn protruded. Two pairs of eyes were visible from holes in the chitin, glowing with furious energy, and its gigantic mouth was filled with rows of teeth that could make a shark envious.

By look alone, Marcus would have thought that Achilles was one of the most dangerous creatures in the forest.

And now was the time to put this thought to the test.

It was night. The moon shined in the sky with only a few clouds passing over it from time to time.

The sounds of the animals could be heard through the forest, but in a certain area, they stopped completely, signaling the presence of a dangerous creature passing through.

That creature was Achilles.

Its armor and blade arms shined dangerously under the moonlight, passing by almost without a sound. Every step it took was graceful and elegant. Every movement it made was dangerously calculated.

It was a born killing machine, and the small creatures that witnessed its passage fell silent and stood still, paralyzed by fear.

Accompanying him was Cooper, another dangerous-looking animal, similar to an armored wolf-lizard.

The eyes of the two drones were perfectly visible in the dark, a creepy purple light shining in them.

About thirty meters above, the flying drone was acting as a scout, searching for every possible menace until the two reached their destination.

Marcus and the builder drone stayed behind in their temporary shelter. A hole in the ground under a fallen tree. After all, since neither of them was especially effective in combat, they’d only risk hurting themselves and getting in the way of the others.

This didn’t really please Marcus, who was still used to thinking of himself as a strong man who could solve his problems by himself. But he wasn’t stubborn or stupid enough to risk his life just for that. He swallowed his pride and relied on his offspring.

The flying drone arrived over the cave of the deer’s den. There was no sign of the animal, so Marcus made Cooper and Achilles advance into the gorge, slowly getting closer and closer to the entrance.

If I’m really lucky, maybe that damn deer is asleep. This way, I won’t even need to fi—

He hadn’t even finished his thought when the deer emerged, galloping in the direction of the drones.

“Dammit!” Marcus cursed before sending a mental order to his minions. Achilles, stay your ground. Cooper, hide in the bushes and get ready to sneak attack when the deer is occupied with Achilles!

Obeying his order, Cooper hid away while Achilles simply stood there, flexing its talons in preparation for the fight.

The deer arrived, appearing from behind the trees right in front of the warrior drone.

For a few seconds, the two just stared at each other, Achilles flexing its legs, ready to jump.

The noise of the streaming water was the only sound to be heard. Everything looked unreal under the light of the moon.

Then the deer charged at Achilles without warning, trying to impale it with its horns.

But the drone, or rather, Marcus, as he was the one doing the thinking, was expecting such a move, and it jumped out of the way, dodging the reckless charge of the animal with grace.

Before the beast could turn around and charge again, Achilles was over it, trying to slash its neck with its scythes.

But the deer was also fast and jumped away at the last second, getting only two long scratches instead of being beheaded.

The deer charged again, and the drone dodged, counterattacking, which was also dodged.

The two opponents went on like this for a while. Charge, dodge, counter, dodge, charge again. It was like some sort of dance. The only difference was that the first one to make a mistake would end up dead.

And the drone wasn’t alone.

Now’s the time! Marcus thought, as the deer’s last dodge brought it closer to Cooper’s hiding spot. Cooper! Attack it!

Cooper jumped out of the bushes, biting at one of the deer’s legs.

The animal screamed in pain and surprise, but before it could react, Achilles attacked, slashing with its scythe-arms.

With a desperate jump, the beast tried to dodge, but this time, with another predator biting its leg, it was a bit too slow. The chitin blades bit deep into its flesh, spraying blood everywhere.

Good! Now finish it! Marcus thought with excitement. It can’t use the laser beam without the sun, so it’s basically defenseless if it can’t move!

He’d declared victory too soon.

Just as Achilles was about to strike the killing blow, the deer stared at it, a cold, murderous intent in its eyes, and its antlers started shining, absorbing the moonlight.

“Wha—”

With a blinding flash, a beam of light erupted from the antlers, hitting Achilles in the middle of its chest.

The drone screamed, and Marcus could feel the echoes of its pain.

Luckily, he didn’t actually feel the pain itself, but still, it wasn’t a pleasant sensation. And the greater the pain was, the more unpleasant the sensation became.

This time, it was actually very, very unpleasant.

“Damn that deer! It can use the beam even with the moonlight. God fucking dammit!”

Then he noticed the feeling of Achilles’ pain hadn’t disappeared. He concentrated on the warrior drone and was surprised to find that it was still alive, albeit badly injured.

Why didn’t the beam kill it? This afternoon, it was deadly enough to char those wolf-things. Maybe it’s weaker when using the moonlight instead of sunlight?

There wasn’t time to be lost in thought. The deer turned over to Cooper, who was still biting its legs, and started charging its laser once again.

“Oh no you fucking don’t!” Marcus screamed, and gave a quick mental order to the hunter drone.

Immediately, Cooper let go of the leg, jumping away. It barely made it in time, as the spot he had been a moment before was hit by the light beam, bursting into flames.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Marcus cursed as he made Cooper jump left and right to avoid the following light beams. The wounds it had received slowed the deer, and its aim wasn’t good enough to hit a target small and fast like the hunter drone.

But the rapid barrage of beams meant Cooper couldn’t attack either, as it had to give its all just to dodge.

Achilles couldn’t help, as it was too injured to move.

It was a stalemate.

Until the light of the moon disappeared. A cloud passed in front of it, and the deer’s antlers ceased to shine.

The animal was cornered, but it wasn’t stupid. It backed away, putting its sharp crystal horns between it and its attacker, stalling for time and waiting for the cloud to pass.

A direct attack with Cooper was likely to fail, with the prey being on guard like that. Then again, Cooper wasn’t alone either.

Go! Marcus commanded to the flying drone, and it dove out of the sky, hitting the back of the deer with considerable strength and starting to bite it.

Surprised by the aerial attack, the animal turned to see its new opponent, and it was at that moment that Cooper lunged. Taking advantage of the distraction, the hunter drone jumped at the deer’s throat, biting deep into its flesh with all the strength it could muster.

The beast wailed in agony, coughing blood, and started jumping, trying to shake off its attacker. But Cooper refused to relent and kept on biting the deer’s throat until finally the deer collapsed, shaking slightly as it was dying.

Only then did the hunter drone let go and watched as the beast slowly lost his life.

Marcus, watching the scene through his drone, was shocked by the eyes of the deer. It wasn’t scared or even in shock.

It just looked absolutely incredulous, as if it couldn’t believe it had been beaten.

“Well, you better believe it, pal!” Marcus said, even though he was so far that the deer couldn’t possibly hear him. “This is for trying to kill me. If you had been a little more tolerant, it wouldn’t have come to this!”

With a sigh of relief, Marcus let himself fall to his back. Even though he hadn’t moved a finger personally, he still felt incredibly tired.

Killing such a majestic animal didn’t make him feel happy or anything. It had been a necessity, but he still felt somewhat sorry for it.

Not that this sorrow would prevent him from eating the beast. After all, this was the law of the jungle. And besides, he really wanted those laser minions.

He looked at the builder drone, which was sitting beside him, and got up.

“Well, let’s go, then. Dinner is served, and after it, we can take a look at our new home. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll finally be able to take a bath.”

And with these words, he left the muddy hole in the ground, followed by the builder drone.

Chapter 20

Better Served Cold

“What the fuck is this! Where’s the laser horns feature!”

He was sitting near the corpse of the deer, hands bloodied after skinning it.

A few minutes before, he made various portions in order to share it among all the hive. Most of the meat went to Achilles, who could barely move and needed a lot of nutrients in order to heal from the burns. The rest was shared equally by Marcus, Cooper and the other two drones.

The raw meat of the deer had been incredibly delicious, easily the best food Marcus had since he came to this world. Not even the boar could compare. The texture and flavor were incredible, and the blood seemed more like a sauce, salty and sweet at the same time.

And then, the rush of genetic information came. As expected, they were incredible. From the power of the muscles to the hardness of the bones, it was clear the deer had been a force to be reckoned with.

Marcus had smiled thinking about what kind of powerful minions he could make with that information, and waited for the info about the laser antlers to appear.

But when the rush of information stopped, there was no trace of the ability among them.

This was the cause of his outrage and anger.

“Perhaps I missed it.” He accessed his mental databank of genetic information.

But even upon a more accurate exam, he didn’t find anything.

Rather, there were a few genetic information bits about the deer’s antlers, but apparently, he wasn’t able to process them. He tried to, but they made absolutely no sense. He couldn’t put it into words, but it was the same confusion one might experience when presented with a purposely nonsensical problem, the likes of, “If you have an orange and your brother has a pear, what color is the bookshelf?”

Marcus scanned each genetic blueprint, trying to make heads or tails out of it. “The fuck is that? The fuck are those? Argh!”

He moaned in pain. Trying to probe those impossible genetic codes had given him a migraine.

“That’s it. Fuck this, I’m out,” he said, stopping his investigation and looking at the mostly devoured corpse of the deer with rage. “Keep your fucking secrets, you stupid animal! I hope you’re happy that, even in death, you’re a pain in my ass.”

He stood up and stomped his foot on the ground in frustration. Then he stopped, a doubt appearing in his mind.

“Or… perhaps the information isn’t in the flesh. Maybe it’s in the antlers. But what can I do if that’s the case? It’s not as if I can eat them… or can I?”

He gave a quick, appraising look at the crystal horns, then grabbed them and tried to take a small bite.

“Ouch!” The crystal proved to be just as hard as he thought it would be. “Nope, can’t fucking eat them. Ouch!”

He shook his head, waiting for the pain to subside, and finally, he sighed with resignation.

“Well, let’s look at the bright side. I managed to kill this deer, I got a delicious meal, and I have the river all for myself now. Also, I can make a new shelter in the deer’s cave, and tomorrow, I’ll finally be able to take a bath. All things considered, I have plenty of reason to be happy…. But I really wanted laser minions!”

With this deliberation, he and the builder drones took the remains of the deer, mainly the bones, the hide, and the crystal antlers, and started toward the end of the gorge where the cave was, followed by Cooper, the flying drone, and the limping Achilles.

* * *

The following morning, Marcus was definitely feeling more positive.

Apart from a good night of sleep, his new cave was also a reason for his good mood. It was much bigger than his older one and more comfortable.

The cave itself consisted of three main chambers, all crossed by the river, which disappeared into the rocks. The first room opened directly on the gorge, and it was roughly the same size of his old cave with a higher ceiling. Marcus had called it the “porch.”

The second room was much, much bigger. It was a circular cave more than thirty meters in diameter, and at least ten meters tall at its highest point. On the ceiling was some sort of big window in the rock, from which light entered and illuminated the whole space. The cave was cut in the middle by the river, and was covered in moss, mushrooms and small vegetation. It had apparently been the house of the deer, since in a corner, there was some sort of nest made of moss and grass with deer excrements in every corner.

Finally, the third room was much smaller than the other two. A roughly circular, four meters in diameter room. The river disappeared in the ground right before the entrance. It was therefore a bit drier than the rest of the chambers.

All things considered, this was the best shelter Marcus could hope for, and it was perfect for hiding a great number of minions.

As soon as he got off his bed, a comfortable hole in the second chamber full of soft moss, he started organizing his hive.

Achilles had already healed quite a bit, but it was still rather weak, so it would just rest in the cave for further recovery.

The builder drone meanwhile would start growing another field of mold wax. Since the second cave had both water and sunlight, it was perfect to grow the stuff undetected.

And finally, Cooper would go out and hunt something to eat with the flying drone acting as a spotter.

Marcus gave those orders rather quickly, and as soon as he was done, he headed out of the cave. There was something he was dying to do. Take a bath.

Right outside of the cave, the river formed a large pool of water, which seemed absolutely perfect to swim in. Marcus looked at the sky. A clear and sunny day for now, but he could see some dark clouds approaching from the north.

“Better take a bath now.” Although he didn’t really have any intention to wait. “Then I can dry myself in the sun and get back in before it gets cloudy.”

Without further ado, he threw off his few clothes and ran into the water, diving in and splashing water everywhere.

“Fuck! That’s cold!” he cried as soon as he emerged, but he forced himself to stay in the water.

Soon, he got used to the temperature, and he started washing himself, trying to whistle happily. And failing because his almost nonexistent lips weren’t suited for that. He spent a lot of time in the water, getting rid of all the dirt, mud, blood and other filthy things covering his body. He also tried to wash his hair, which proved to be difficult, as it was messy and full of knots. Using his fingers as an improvised comb, he managed to give the strands a semblance of order.

When he was done, he grabbed his clothes and gave them a quick wash too, before getting out of the water and lying on the rocks near the river, warmed by the sunlight.

“Aaaaaah! I really, really needed that. I never thought being clean could feel so pleasant.”

He lay there naked for more than an hour, until passing clouds obscured the sun, and the air started getting chilly.

With a sigh of irritation, he left that spot and headed back into the cave.

* * *

Later that afternoon, it started to rain.

The sky was gray, and big droplets of water fell.

Cooper and the flying drone had managed to come back right before the storm started. The hunter drone caught a couple of big rodents, similar to beavers with reptilian tails.

It was barely enough to feed everyone, but it would do for now while waiting for the mold wax to grow.

As usual, Marcus gave most of the meat to Achilles, reasoning that the sooner the warrior was able to heal, the sooner it would be able to join the hunt. Because of that, a rather small portion of meat was left for Marcus. At least for his present standards.

“Well, guess I’ll have to tighten my belt for now. Let’s look at the bright side. I won’t have to… to give b—I mean, lay eggs for a while,” he said the words with a hint of embarrassment and disgust. “But sadly, I do need to start doing that again soon. If those humanoids find me right now, they will kill me. I don’t even have another dragon I can call upon if I get discovered. I need to make my own fighting force… I really, really wish there was another way of doing so!”

It took about three days for Marcus to get his new hive going.

The mold wax grew at an amazing rate in the cave, engulfing most of the ground of the main chamber and absorbing all other forms of vegetation. That meant they weren’t dependent on the hunting of Cooper and Achilles, who had almost completely recovered. This was actually a very good thing since the weather had considerably worsened, and the almost constant heavy rain really hindered the hunt.

After the mold wax had grown enough to be eaten at will, Marcus started eating more than his fill. The stuff didn’t provide him with any new genetic information, but it gave him more than enough nutrients to produce new minions.

The first batch he made were builders, in order to produce even more food. After all, with all that rain, hunting was rather difficult, and a diet of mold wax was just as nutritious, even though bland and boring.

It rained for more than a week, and in this time, Marcus didn’t get out of his cave, focused on making the greatest amount of minions he could.

When the sun finally showed up again, the hive had seven additional mature builder drones, plus another three builders and four hunters, which still had to reach full maturity.

Marcus also tampered with their genetic project a bit. The builders had a more humanoid torso now, but he’d also given them the ability of walking on vertical surfaces like geckos and spiders. This way, they could also start farming mold wax on the ceiling of the cave.

Meanwhile, the hunters were—or would be, since they still had to reach maturity—both bigger and stronger than Cooper, without losing any of their speed. Marcus used the information about the deer to create them, and their muscles were both slender and incredibly strong. In addition to that, he also allowed them to fully grow their third pair of limbs, but instead of legs, he made them become some sort of appendage that sprouted from their backs like featherless wings. Those pseudo-arms were tipped with sharp, vaguely hook-like claws, which could be used both for combat and for grabbing their prey.

And although he still didn’t give birth to any, Marcus had also done a small mental modification to the project of the warrior drones. They would be faster, bigger, and stronger than Achilles, although their general shape wouldn’t change that much.

Imagining what those warriors could do to the humanoids that chased him out of his previous home, Marcus couldn’t help but make a ferocious smirk. For now, he kept this project in reserve, as those drones would require a huge amount of food, and he wanted to grow the mold wax more before actually producing them.

In the meantime, since it was sunny again, he decided to take another bath. And also, because he wanted to take a breath of fresh air.

When he got out, the air was quite chilly despite the sun. He looked around and was surprised to see the leaves on the trees were starting to turn red and yellow.

So, fall is coming. I didn’t know this world had seasons too… well, I was lucky to appear here in the summer, then! To wander around naked in the winter would have sucked on ice.

He proceeded with his bath, taking much less time than he had before since the water was positively icy in comparison. When he was done, he was trembling.

“F-fuck! I n-need to light a f-fire as soon as I c-can. I can’t stand t-this cold!”

He covered himself with his fur mantle, giving one of the builder drones a mental order to find some sticks to use to light a fire. Not that he expected to find dry ones since it had just stopped raining, but at least he could wait for them to dry.

That same day, he sent the flying drone to explore the valley where his old cave was. He had been caught flat-footed once, and he didn’t want it to happen again. He decided to keep an eye on the activities of the humanoids.

The drone flew for a few hours before reaching the old cave, and the spectacle that Marcus saw through its eyes made him furious. His old shelter had been set on fire, burning all of the mold wax. Even after a week of constant rain, the rocks were still blackened by fire.

Sadly, that wasn’t the worst of it. As it was flying back, the drone saw figures moving on the ground. It was a patrol of those gremlins, made of three of the more beast-like ones and a couple of humanoid ones armed with short spears.

The more beastly creatures were on all fours, sniffing like hounds and occasionally raising their heads and pointing in a random direction.

The patrol advanced slowly and carefully, since the beastly creatures took a long time sniffing after every step. Marcus had no doubt about the objective of their search. The path they were following was the same one he used to escape that valley.

Luckily for him, the constant rain had probably washed away most of his trail. The patrol was constantly getting lost, wandering away from the right path and coming back to start again.

Marcus kind of wondered why it had taken them so long to send hunters after him. But the reason didn’t really matter. What was important was that those creatures had lost the occasion to kill him while he was vulnerable. Now, with his new hive, he could make them pay.

“So, they really are that intent on killing me, huh?” Marcus’s voice was full of rage. “Too fucking bad for you, then. Because this time, I’m done pulling punches!”

* * *

Kragg was feeling uneasy. He had very good reasons for it, to be fair. Being in the middle of the forest during the night with just four other goblins was dangerous. Those hills were full of beasts capable of killing three ferals and a couple of hobs. A pack of nightwolves, a tuskboar matriarch, and of course, there was the King of the Ashwood Hills roaming that valley. Just thinking about the Forest Dragon and the death and destruction it caused recently made Kragg shudder.

In his mind, he cursed the general for the crazy order he’d given his group. Finding a few monsters in that forest after more than week was basically impossible. To make things worse, the constant rain of last week had all but erased the traces of their passage.

But, being a human-hob and therefore a bit smarter than other goblins, Kragg could also understand the reasons the general was still worried about those creatures. In a short time, those bug-reptile things had managed to create a nest near their city, and to make things worse, they’d proven to be smarter than most monsters. To think, using the King of the Ashwood Hills as a defense against the force sent to eliminate them.

But even then, sending a scouting party after more than a week was just ridiculous. They couldn’t get in the valley sooner because the dragon, enraged by the invasion of his territory, rampaged for days, searching and slaughtering all patrols it found in his valley.

By the time it calmed down, the rainstorm started, making exploration very difficult.

Those bug-reptile creatures would surely have escaped far from here. Maybe they were already back in the Dark Heart, together with all the other monstrosities that resided there.

But the general had to be sure. Having to deal with a nearby enemy would mess up all the plans for the invasion. So he sent Kragg and the others to make sure those beings were really gone.

It was a risky and probably useless mission, but it had to be done. Although Kragg was quite unhappy with being the one actually doing it.

He looked at his companions, an orc-hob and three feral goblins. He was in charge, so everything that happened would be his responsibility. He really didn’t want to get any farther from the city, risking his life among the wilderness.

He paused for a moment, then said, “Okay, gobs, let’s stop here for tonight. We’ll resume the search tomorrow. And if we don’t find anything by the time we leave this valley, we’ll get back to the city. After all, if they’re gone farther than that, it means they’re not a threat anymore!”

The other goblins nodded, looking a bit relieved. Even they understood the dangers of the forest and were happy to hear they’d soon be back home.

Kragg and the other hob started preparing their camp, when suddenly, a feral raised his head in alarm, his ears in the air. He’d heard something.

“Danger, danger!” he growled with his guttural voice. “Close! Danger!”

Kragg grabbed his weapon while the other goblins jumped to attention.

He and the other hob stood back-to-back, their spears pointed out, while the ferals growled.

“What is it?” Kragg asked. Even though his own hearing was almost as good as that of the ferals, he couldn’t hear anything.

Or could he?

There was a buzzing coming from above, almost like that of a big bug. But that was quite a normal sound in a forest, so he hadn’t paid attention to it.

Now he noticed that buzzing was the only noise present. All the other animals were silent, and that meant a dangerous predator was nearby.

“Stay close!” he ordered his companions. “Prepare to defend yourself! If we flee now, we’re dead!”

Goblins had very good night vision, not perfect, but they didn’t have any trouble seeing about thirty meters away, even in the middle of the night.

And Kragg could now see something. Dark shapes moved through the trees, circling them, and occasionally, he could see two pairs of purple lights, eerily similar to a bug’s eyes, staring at him.

From what he could guess, there were at least five shapes around them, all of them bigger than a hob.

“P-prepare to engage!” Kragg ordered. “W-we will show these m-monsters what a real goblin is made o—!”

He couldn’t finish the phrase when those creatures attacked.

The ferals, incapable of controlling themselves, charged. Three dog-shaped animals who had clawed limbs sprouting from their backs met them halfway in a vortex of fangs and claws. Their opponents were stronger and more heavily armored, and the ferals were quickly overwhelmed.

Kragg was wondering if he should rescue them or just run away with the other hob, when a movement came from his side.

Another monster, this time an abomination three meters tall, walking on two powerful clawed legs, had charged at him, and now was trying to slash him with its huge scythe-like arms.

Kragg jumped away at the last second, and those scythe limbs hit the orc-hob, cutting him neatly in two.

After that, there was no more room for doubt in Kragg’s mind. He just let go of his spear, got up, and started running as fast as he could, his rationality lost in a sea of pure terror. He ran downhill at maximum speed, not daring to look behind. He could easily hear the monster chasing him.

Not caring about anything but putting some distance between himself and those creatures, Kragg ran like a madman, foaming at the mouth and blinded to everything by his own panic.

Then, as it should have been expected by running blind in a forest, he tripped, tumbling down the hill and seemingly hitting every part of his body on the way.

He jumped to his feet almost immediately, but collapsed as soon as he took another step. His ankle was sprained, and he couldn’t run anymore.

With panicked gestures, he took out his knife, a pathetic weapon against the monstrosities he was facing, and pointed it in the direction he’d been fleeing from.

There was nothing there. Not a single one of those creatures.

Gasping wildly, he darted his eyes left and right, but he couldn't see anything.

Then, with a sigh of relief, he lowered his knife. He heard something behind him.

He turned and found himself face-to-face with another of those dog-like creatures, although this one was a bit bigger and lacked the limbs on its back.

The monster looked at him with its four glowing purple eyes, and Kragg could perceive something in that stare. Something was watching him through those eyes. An intelligence full of anger and hate toward him.

Kragg screamed. The last thing he saw was the maw of the beast opening, and its teeth closing on him.

* * *

A few kilometers away, in his cave, Marcus watched the scene through the eyes of his minions.

A wild, ferocious satisfaction filled him as he took his revenge upon those humanoids that tried to kill him.

“Told ya I was done playing fucking nice,” he whispered. “I hope you motherfuckers are happy now. Because since you couldn’t leave me alone, I’m coming to wreck your shit.”

Chapter 21

Homecoming

Meanwhile, in a village at the northern border of Caligare Forest, northeast of the Ashwood Hills where Marcus was, another chain of events was started…

Oakfell was in the middle of a big clearing in the forest, with a small river near it. The village was the product of two generations worth of hard work. The clearing had been opened with axes and sweat, and the wood from the felled oak trees had been used to build the first houses. During the years, more buildings made of wood and stone were added, surrounded by a solid fence and a ditch.

But right now, before sunrise, the village looked fragile and ephemeral. A temporary intruder in the wilderness that surrounded it. So much so that it seemed the wind could blow it away like the veil of morning mist that enveloped it.

Klara would have actually liked for that to happen, so she wouldn’t have to see the village and its inhabitants again.

She walked sluggishly toward the main gate. She had been walking for three days, taking only short rests in order to get back as soon as possible. She had a good reason for that hurry. The region near the border of the Caligare Forest was dangerous, even for armed groups of hunters, and she was alone. A huge number of monsters and magical beasts capable of easily killing and eating her lurked in the depths of the forest. Thanks to her skill, and a fair bit of luck, she’d managed to avoid them. The risk she took had paid off. The backpack on her shoulder was full of the furs and body parts of rare animals. Two wapans, a blue raccoon, and most importantly, a mistfox had been caught in her traps.

The mistfox was a particularly lucky catch, since those animals had the ability to become incorporeal, thus avoiding all non-magical traps and predators with ease. This particular beast had her neck snapped by the trap as soon as it was sprung, which killed it instantly, preventing it from getting away. A really nice catch for Klara, who would be able to sell its fur for a really good price.

Step by step through the dew-covered grass, Klara approached the gates. On her path, she crossed trappers, hunters, and lumberjacks from the village. All people that had known her for a long time and even some that were once her friends. They simply pretended not to see her, except some that openly gave her contemptuous looks.

Klara simply lowered her head, not meeting their eyes. Inside, she was full of rage.

She arrived right at the entrance of the village, where a clump of tents and temporary shelters had been built.

This was where a mercenary group had made their camp after the owner of the local tavern had thrown them off his property when they destroyed his hall during a brawl. Not having anywhere else to go, the mercenaries were simply encamped just outside of the village’s gates.

It was at this point that Klara started moving cautiously. After all, mercenary bands were known for taking liberties with women and had already made a pass at her previously. She wasn’t exactly beautiful, but she wasn’t that ugly either. Her skin was tanned due to spending all of her time outside, and she had long, blonde hair combed into a single braid. Her face was regular, but a bit too masculine, and this, combined with her broad shoulders and loose hunter’s clothes, made her look more like a guy than a girl.

The only thing that clearly indicated she was a woman, apart from her hair, was her chest, which protruded a lot despite her loose clothing.

For most mercenaries, almost any girl was good enough, and she had no desire to listen to their sleazy comments. She moved at a brisker pace, trying to get past the camp as fast as she could.

She hadn’t been fast enough, though, because a big shadow emerged from one of the tents, blocking her way.

Klara knew him. His name was Ludd the Quick, leader of the mercenary group the Brightswords, even though there was nothing bright about their swords or the mercenaries themselves. And among them, Ludd was easily the worst. A total scumbag who was also annoyingly full of himself. To the point that the only reason his own men tolerated him was because of his strength. Ludd was an Aura Warrior, as the blue sheath he proudly carried on his belt showed. Something which made him a rarity amongst mercenaries, since Aura Warriors who weren’t part of an Order were usually hired permanently by lords and nobles.

Klara strongly suspected the only reason Ludd still worked as a freelancer was because no noble could stand having him around any longer than it was strictly necessary. A sentiment she wholly shared.

“Why, hello, sunshine!” The man smiled with his crooked teeth. “Nice seeing you again. You’ve been away for a long time. Did you at least catch something good?”

“Out of the way,” Klara replied emotionlessly, trying to get past the mercenary, but he just moved to block her.

“Why such a hurry, sugarplums?” Ludd asked, sarcasm in his voice. “If ya want something to drink and a place to get warm, you can come in my tent right here. I’ve got everything you may need in there. What do you say?”

“I say get out of the way right now, or you’re gonna regret it!” Klara growled, trying again to get past the mercenary.

Ludd wasn’t so easily dissuaded. He stood right in front on her, bowing slightly to get closer to her face. Klara could smell sweat and alcohol on him, a mix that almost made her sick.

“Oh, why so rude, little kitty?” he said in a paternalistic tone. “I think you’d better behave yourself for your own good. Everyone in the city hates your guts, and soon you won’t be able to earn your living by playing in the woods as you do now. We both know what the only other job available for you is, and since you’re not much of a beauty, the least you could do is try to be nice to your future clients.”

At this insult, Klara’s hand slowly slipped to her knife. Her eyes were flashing with fury, and for a moment, she seriously thought about stabbing that son of a bitch.

Ludd, seeing her movements, just smiled confidently, waiting for her to make the first move.

“Oh, this little kitten is going to show her claws?” he mocked her. “C’mon, do it! Let’s play a little bit.”

Their standoff was interrupted by the smell of something burning, and a voice that cried, “Fire! Fire!”

They both turned. Smoke was coming out of Ludd’s tent.

“Shit!” the mercenary cursed, and rushed in to save his belongings.

Klara, surprised, just stood there for a moment, but then a suspicion came to her mind. Looking around, she could see a thin figure with red hair slipping into the village through the gates. That, and the fact she’d recognized the voice that cried fire, let her knew who was responsible for the little distraction.

She couldn’t help but smile despite herself, and since her path was now free, she quickly got out of the mercenary camp, entering the village.

From the inside, the village was a great deal more inviting. There were at least thirty buildings of stone and wood, about half of which were houses and the others were warehouses, stores, and a single tavern, the biggest building in town.

The dirt streets were full of activities, even this early in the morning. Merchants, hunters, and many other workers moved from one place to another, seemingly too busy to notice anything else, which suited Klara just fine.

After all, drawing attention on herself lately didn’t seem like a positive thing.

“Hi, Klara! How’re you doing?” a cheerful voice, the same who’d cried fire, saluted her.

Klara sighed. So much for passing through unnoticed.

Even without seeing him, she knew exactly to whom that voice belonged. After all, he was pretty much the only person left in town that was still friendly with her.

“Hello, Felix.” A brief smile passed her lips. “I’m fine, thanks. What about you? Won’t you be in trouble for setting Ludd’s tent on fire?”

Felix laughed heartily. He was a young boy, about seventeen years old by his look. He was thin, but lively, with red, fiery hair and slightly bronze-colored skin. His traits suggested a possible Fire Djinni ancestry, which his alleged affinity for fire magic made even more probable.

“Nah, it wasn’t actual fire, just some smoke. I thought that actually setting his tent on fire would make Ludd a little mad, but a small smoke bomb would just irritate him. If anything, it’ll drive some cockroaches out, so he should thank me!”

“You still shouldn’t have intervened,” Klara replied, a hint of hardness entering her voice. “I could have handled him myself.”

“No doubt!” Felix conceded flippantly. “But he was kinda counting on it, didn’t you notice? He was provoking you on purpose. If you’d have attacked him, he and his band would have been justified for killing you in front of the law.”

“What?” Klara exclaimed. “Why would he do something like that? I’m not exactly loved in town right now, but he’s an outsider! He doesn’t have any reason to want me dead.”

“Who knows.” Felix shrugged. “But while you were in the woods hunting, he and the Vulture were often seen together. And since both of them are about as friendly as a snake with a toothache, I don’t think they were simply enjoying each other’s company.”

“What… you mean that Vicker wants me dead? But why! Just for the house? I mean… I love my house, but I don’t think it’s worth killing people over.”

“I don’t know. It may be just the house. After all, as you said, you’re not exactly popular among the villagers right now. Maybe he thinks he can do whatever he wants since no one would defend you—well, almost no one, at least!” he concluded with a little wink.

“Well, that’s a great consolation for sure,” she said sardonically. “The whole village hates me, and Vicker and that sleazeball want me dead, but I can count on an apprentice sorcerer that barely knows any spells. Really, what was I worried about?”

She tried to sound completely deadpan, but she couldn’t totally hide the emotion in her voice. Felix had always been her best friend, and his support was priceless right now. Thankfully, as a true friend would, the apprentice sorcerer magnanimously chose to ignore that moment of weakness.

“Hey there! How dare you doubt my incredible powers,” he said in a completely fake-offended tone. “I just saved you using my most wondrous arts. You should have more respect for a great sorcerer like me!”

“If you’re a great sorcerer, then I’m the mother-loving Empress,” she snorted “I know perfectly well you can barely light a match with your magic. And fire is your specialty!”

“Hey, I’m still an apprentice! As soon as I become a qualified sorcerer, I’ll be able to burn mountains and face whole armies by myself! You’ll see.”

“Eh, dream on, Felix!” She laughed. “It’d be funny if an idiot like you actually managed to do this, so I’m cheering for you. But I’ve to go now!” She indicated her backpack. “Unlike you, I’ve got no time to daydream all day. I have to go to the emporium to sell the fur and the reagents, and then I’ll finally be able to get home and have the first decent meal in a week!”

“Well, I won’t keep you here any longer,” Felix said merrily. “I don’t want to stand between you and your meal. You’d probably bite my fingers off!”

“Don’t worry, I don’t eat spoiled food.” Klara smiled. “But I’m hungry, dirty, and in a bad mood, so I may just kick your ass if you annoy me enough.”

“Oh well, then I’ve got no other choice than to let you pass.” The young boy laughed. “Seeya around then, Klara! And if Vicker or Ludd mess with you, I’ll make them pay.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make them pay enough myself if they try,” she replied with a confidence she didn’t really have. “Seeya around, Felix!”

And then they separated, each going their own way.

Chapter 22

Home Sweet Home

“What? Only three royals for all this stuff?” Klara’s voice was incredulous. “Are you out of your mind!”

She was in the emporium of the village, a big wooden room full of every sort of good, from furs and magical reagents, to everyday commodities like flour and medicines.

It was the only shop in the village, and the only place where trappers like Klara could sell their catches. The owner was a big, stout woman in her fifties that everyone in the village called Mama Gertrude because of how nice and sweet she was. But in that moment, she was anything but. In fact, she was looking at Klara as if she was a cockroach on the floor.

“Yeah, only three royals, and not a coin more!” Mama Gertrude replied in a cold voice. “And do not make a commotion, or I’ll kick you out of my store.”

“B-but… Gertrude!” Klara protested “This is unheard of. A mistfox fur alone is worth more than ten royals minimum. And I’m selling two wapan horns and a blue racoon tail as well!”

“My store, my price.” The woman shrugged. “If you don’t like it, you are free to sell that stuff to someone else.”

The girl stared at Gertrude with a cold, burning rage. “We both know there isn’t anyone else here I can sell these things to, Gertrude!”

“Not my problem. I’m already being generous to consider buying stuff from you. Do not test my patience or my pity, you little brat.”

Klara’s face became red with frustration. “This isn’t fair, Gertrude!”

The woman stared at her, eyes flaring with her own rage. “Fair? Fair!” she growled like a bear. “I’ll tell you what is not fair here, you little brat. The fact that I won’t be able to see my little nephew anymore! My little Ulric, the same one you played with when you were little. Remember him?” she asked rhetorically, her voice full of bitterness. “Your grandpa took him away from me. Took him away to die somewhere in the forest. And you have the gall to defend him!”

“He knew the risks of the expedition, Gertrude!” Klara protested. “My grandpa never hid anything. Ulric volunteered, same as all the others. It’s not my grandpa’s fault if—”

“Out of my shop!” Gertrude interrupted her, clearly not in the mood to listen to reason, shoving her away from the door. “Get out! Out! Out!”

“Ouch!” Klara cried as she was thrown into the middle of the road. A few moments later, Gertrude threw her stuff at her.

“Don’t ever come back here, bitch!” the old woman shouted, tears flowing down her red face. “Until you can bring back my little Ulric, you can die on the road for all I care!”

She slammed the door closed.

Tears were flowing down Klara’s cheeks too as she bowed to pick up her stuff.

It wasn’t fair!

It had been a month since everyone started treating her as if she was some kind of monster. But it wasn’t her fault. And it wasn’t her grandpa’s fault either!

As she walked to her home, she thought about the circumstances that led to her being ostracized by the same people she had once considered her friends.

She came from a family of adventurers and explorers. Her grandpa, Karl, and her parents, Kraig and Laura, were all expert scouts and treasure hunters. But during one of their adventures, Kraig and Laura had died, leaving Klara, who wasn’t even two at the time, alone with Karl.

The old explorer stopped going on adventures in order to stay with his granddaughter. He tried his best to raise Klara, and although he didn’t really know anything about how to raise a girl, he proved himself to be a caring and loving grandparent, always playing with her and teaching her everything he knew about history, hunting, and exploring.

But, deep inside, Klara had always known that her grandpa missed his adventures. She could perceive it in his voice when he talked about his explorations, and in his eyes when he looked beyond the horizon.

But for fifteen years, Karl never went on an adventure, content with working as a trapper and spending his days with Klara.

That all changed one year before.

One day, Karl had returned home from Brettholz, the capital of the province, with a very old book full of weird runes and strange maps. He was positively feverish with excitement, and he spent a month closed inside his study, attempting to decipher the book and maps.

When he came out, he was dirty, tired, and all the more excited.

He started talking about a temple in the Dark Heart, the core of Caligare Forest. A temple made of gold, full of every sort of magical treasure and relic.

“A treasure beyond anyone’s imagination!” he kept repeating.

Klara remembered that, even to her, he’d seemed a little crazy.

She’d been worried about him. He was the only family she had left, but she couldn’t stop him. When she tried to talk to him, he didn’t listen. He seemed almost possessed by something.

He then called all of his old contacts, trying to gather enough funds and people for an expedition in the Caligare Forest. In his excitement, he didn’t care about anything else, even taking money from moneylenders like Vicker in order to pay for the supplies. He also talked publicly to all the inhabitants of Oakfell, trying to goad as many people into that adventure as he could.

Many of the villagers, especially the young ones, listened to him, lured by the promise of treasures, fame, and adventure. Often against the will of their families, most of the village’s youngsters followed the old explorer, along with a platoon of mercenaries sent directly by the King of Medelan, which included many casters and Aura Warriors.

The expedition counted more than two hundred members when it departed from Oakfell, a number unheard of in that century.

Klara had asked her grandpa to take her with him. She was a good hunter and scout after all, but Karl declined.

“I’ve already lost your parents. I can’t risk losing you too, little Klara,” he’d said right before departing, about five months before. For a moment, his eyes had become focused again, and a cloud of doubt passed through them. But that moment of clarity lasted for only a second, and his eyes became feverish the very next instant. He added, “Stay here and take care of the house for me. Don’t worry for me. I’ll come back with so many treasures, you won’t be able to believe it. So many treasures! A treasure beyond anyone’s imagination!”

And then he left, still babbling about treasures, while she stayed at the village’s gates, looking worriedly at his back.

Despite her doubts, everything seemed to go well at the beginning. The sorcerers had sent daily reports to Brettholz using their magic. The expedition was well-organized, and they proceeded through the Caligare Forest without any trouble, either killing or avoiding any monster that could have bothered them, while the clerics cured any wound or disease the expeditioners took.

But then, two months after their departure, all communications stopped.

The casters at Brettholz had desperately tried to contact them for over a month, using either Twinstones or dreamscape messages to locate them. Everything failed. It was like the Dark Heart of Caligare Forest had eaten all the explorers, leaving nothing behind.

After another month with no further contact, the expedition was declared officially lost, its members dead.

Klara remembered when the royal messengers announced that news in the center of the village. She remembered the shock and pain she and probably everyone else felt when their hopes were destroyed. And she also remembered her rage when someone in the crowd, she couldn’t recall who, had insinuated it was all Karl’s fault.

It was at that moment she’d made a mistake. Had she just kept her mouth shut, everyone’s rage would have been directed only against Karl. But she couldn’t do it. She had faced the rest of the villagers, screaming at them that it wasn’t her grandpa’s fault, and that everyone who followed him was a volunteer. Even worse, she’d told them to their faces that her grandpa was better than everyone else in the expedition, and that if it was someone’s fault they disappeared, then it certainly wasn’t Karl’s.

The village was full of mourning families. They were sad, angry, and hurt, ready to take their hate out on the first scapegoat available.

And Klara had marked herself as one.

After that, everyone started ostracizing her. They didn’t quite do things like lynch her or attack her physically. Everyone avoided her, and no one talked to her. She also started to find rotting vegetables or animal corpses on the walls of her house. All the traps she had set in the usual spots had been sabotaged or destroyed.

This was why she went so much farther away than usual inside the forest to hunt down animals.

And to make it all worse, there was Vicker, looming over her like a literal vulture…

Klara’s house was in the middle of the village, right next to the tavern.

It was a big, wooden two-story building with stone foundations, and a wide porch on the side that faced the main street.

Apart from being slightly bigger, there was nothing remarkable about it. Upon a further inspection, it revealed delicate carvings in the wood, as well as very big windows, which were now closed by solid wooden shutters.

Overall, it was a building of a better quality than the others, surely one of the best houses in the village.

The only thing that ruined it in that moment were the dried, rotten vegetables that someone had thrown on the porch, and the trash that was deliberately left in front of the door.

Grimacing at the sight of that act of vandalism, Klara threw the trash away and opened the door. The hall behind it was completely dark, but when she clapped her hands and shouted, “Light!” two pairs of lamps immediately started emanating a dim light.

The room was a big wooden hall with a stone fireplace on one wall, and the floor was covered by thick furs and big carpets. At the center, there was a big table and various chairs, and stairs in a corner of the room connected the first floor.

The windows were all closed and had been so for a long time if the stuffy air had anything to say about it. The reason was visible. A lot of the glass in the windows had been smashed by objects thrown from the outside. Klara kept the shutters closed since then to avoid further damage, relying on the lamps for light.

Speaking of which, she looked at the flickering lights with annoyance. The spell powering them was already fading. This time, it didn’t even last a month. She’d have to ask Felix to cast it again soon, although he never really did a good job. When cast by a professional wizard, a light spell like that could last more than a year.

She sighed. She couldn’t really complain, since the young apprentice sorcerer did it for free.

Klara left her stuff on the table, closed the door, and prepared to head to the bathroom to see if the heat spell was still good enough to warm some water for a hot bath, when she heard someone knocking politely at the door.

“Who is it now?” Klara asked, running at the door and opening it. “Felix, is it you? You came right on time; the light spell is—”

It wasn’t Felix. The man at the door was the one Klara least wanted to see: Vicker the Vulture.

“Klara! I’m so very relieved to see that you’re well.” The man smiled a smile that managed to look genuine while also remaining incredibly cold. “The forest is such a terribly dangerous place after all. Especially for a young maiden such as yourself. It would have broke my old heart if something had happened to you!”

“Cut the crap and tell me what you want, Vicker!” she snarled, giving the man a disgusted look. “If you’re here, it’s surely not to exchange pleasantries.”

Vicker continued to smile, unperturbed. His appearance was very deceptive. He was short, a bit fat, and balding, his few remaining hairs completely gray. His face was round and kind, with a big nose and a thick, luscious moustache. His eyes were tiny, and almost always squinting behind a pair of elegant glasses.

He looked like a kindly old grandfather, but he was actually a dangerous and ruthless person. A moneylender who had ruined many people without a shred of mercy or compassion. He had gained his nickname, the Vulture, because of his habit of stalking his debtor like a vulture would follow a dying animal.

As usual, he was accompanied by his bodyguard, a huge minotaur named Sergei, who was currently waiting on the porch. Many of Vicker’s debtors were desperate people or at least became desperate after dealing with him. It was Sergei’s job to keep them from solving their debts by simply getting rid of the Vulture.

Thanks to the minotaur’s incredible strength, all who tried received a bloody beating for their trouble.

And if it wasn’t for the presence of that looming bodyguard, Klara would have gladly decked the moneylender in the face. Especially when he started to talk with his sardonic voice, like he was doing right now.

“Oh, my dear Klara, you wound me!” he cried in a completely fake pained tone. “For such a young lady to have so harsh a language…. Oh, your grandpa Karl would be so disappointed in you.”

“Do not mention my grandpa, you wretch!” Klara admonished him, her eyes flashing with rage. “Just cut to the point.”

“Oh, the impatience of the young,” Vicker lamented before chuckling evilly. “Fine then, I’ll keep it professional if you really want. Do you have my money? ‘Cause otherwise, I’ll have to ask you to vacate the house in three days.”

“What? Three days! I have at least another two weeks before the deadline!”

“Well, things have changed,” Vicker replied. “By the legislations of the kingdom, I’m entitled to ask my debtors to settle their debt prior to the deadline if their job is particularly dangerous, putting them at risk of dying before the debt is repaid. And, forgive me if I tell you so, there are few jobs as dangerous as strolling around in the Caligare Forest.”

“Are you serious? Why are you doing this? The house is gonna be yours even if I don’t pay. You’ve got nothing to gain from this.”

“On the contrary, young lady, I’ve got everything to gain! In case you’d disappear in the forest and your body would not be found, a lot of time would pass before you would be declared officially dead. And even more time would pass before I could take legal possession of your house. So it’s in my best interest to settle this matter as quickly as possible.”

Klara said nothing. She just stared at the little man with a mix of anger and incredulity.

For a moment, she wondered if punching the slimy little bastard would be the best thing to do. Sergei moved, getting closer to his boss while giving her a warning look, and slowly, her rage gave way to caution. She’d seen what the beastman was capable of, and it wasn’t pretty. He probably wouldn’t kill her, since as his boss said, dead people can’t pay their debts, but he would most certainly beat her black and blue if she dared attack Vicker.

Meanwhile, the moneylender seemed positively ecstatic seeing the frustration and powerlessness on her face, and he laughed merrily.

“Oh, poor Klara! You’ve been given such a burden for such a young lady. Well, I’m feeling so sorry for you that I won’t take actual possession of the house right now. I gave you a three-day notice to vacate the premises, but if you’ll get the money by then, I’ll consider the debt set.”

“And how do you expect me to get one hundred royals in three days? It’s utterly impossible!”

“Oh, there is always a way, my dear,” the moneylender replied, slimier than ever. “There are many ways to get money. Not that they’re always legal, but they are there!”

“You’d love to see me stoop that low, wouldn’t you?” Klara said, disgust palpable in her voice. “Except that if I committed a crime, you’d be the first to denounce me to the authorities. Also, I know about your association with Ludd! You’re trying to get me killed to get the house.”

“Now that’s just slander!” Vicker sounded genuinely offended, but she knew him well enough to know that nothing was genuine about him. “I’ve… entertained some business with Ludd all right, but it had nothing to do with you. And frankly, you should be ashamed of yourself for throwing around baseless accusations!”

“Cut the crap, Vicker!” Klara snarled. “I’ve had enough of you. You said you’ll give me three days? Fine. But I don’t wanna see your ugly face until then!”

The moneylender hesitated, but then he smiled again and bowed.

“Of course, I shall respect your desire, young lady. I will not bother you again for three days. Until then, I bid you good luck in finding my money.”

Not wanting to listen to anything else, Klara slammed the door in his face.

She waited, giving them time to walk away, and she let herself fall to the floor, crying helplessly.

Chapter 23

May I Give You a Suggestion?

After leaving Klara, Vicker went straight to the room he rented at the inn. His own pawn shop was in the city of Brettholz, a good day of travel away from Oakfell. He had no choice but to get a room in order to do his business in the village.

He sincerely hoped the investment of both time and money was worth it.

He went through the hall of the tavern without a word, and at the same time, no one seemed interested in him. He took the stairs and went straight to his room, which was the best in the inn.

Someone else was already inside.

A middle-aged man sat in an armchair near the bed. As soon as he saw Vicker, he stood up.

“Took you long enough, Vicker!” he said with an annoyingly nasal voice. “I was about to get downstairs to have something to drink.”

“I remember telling you not to drink anything while you were on the job, Zeno,” the moneylender said with disapproval.

The man called Zeno shrugged, as if he didn’t care. He was of average height, his balding hair still mostly black, but with some gray here and there. He was incredibly pale, save for his nose, which was as red as a cherry. His limbs and neck were very thin, but he had the pot belly of a heavy drinker.

He was dressed in a simple gray tunic with a gray cloak over it. The only remarkable thing was a weird amulet tied with a silver chain around his neck. It looked like a dried eyeball the size of a child’s fist.

For some reason, that eyeball really captured the attention of whoever looked at it, making thinking straight pretty hard.

“A lot of people told me not to drink,” Zeno replied. “I didn’t listen to them, so why should I listen to you?”

Vicker’s eyes flashed with rage, but he controlled himself. Getting in a discussion with Zeno wasn’t a smart thing to do.

With a nod, he gestured Sergei to wait outside the door, a standard procedure in order to avoid being spied on. When the minotaur was out of the room, he returned his attention to the odd man.

Or at least he tried to, as the dried eyeball around his neck kept messing with his focus.

“Could you… put that thing away?” he asked, shaking his head to rid himself of the confusion. “It’s very distracting.”

“Oh sorry, I forgot about it,” Zeno said, putting the dried eyeball inside his tunic. As soon as he did, Vicker’s thoughts became clearer.

“Much better,” the Vulture sighed. “I don’t know how you can stand that horrible thing!”

“You get used to it. Unless you are a spineless coward, that is.”

Vicker refused to pick up that thinly veiled insult and tried to take the conversation on a more professional ground.

“Okay, enough pleasantries. How are things going? Did you renew the Suggestion spell on enough villagers?”

This time, Zeno took his time, carefully pondering all possibilities before giving an answer.

Vicker knew he could trust Zeno’s judgment. At least, while he was sober. For all his flaws, the man was still a stellar sorcerer. If it wasn’t for his drinking problem and caustic personality, he would probably be serving as court magician under some important noble.

But that was very lucky for the moneylender, who wouldn’t be able to employ a wizard of Zeno’s skill otherwise, even though he now had to deal with the sorcerer’s antics. Thanks to his advices and spells, Vicker had been able to make many lucrative deals over the years, making him into one of the richest persons of the Brettholz province.

And it was because of his advice that they were here now.

“I think for now I’ve mesmerized enough villagers to make life difficult for the girl here,” Zeno finally said. “Just yesterday, I managed to plant a pretty powerful suggestion in the head of the woman who owns the emporium here. She’s still mourning her nephew, you see, and I used those feelings to fuel hate toward the girl.”

“Excellent!” Vicker lowered himself into the armchair. “And dear young Klara is finally starting to crack down. Took her longer than I expected. That damn brat has been quite an annoyance, forcing me to move my old body from Brettholz to this godforsaken place so often.”

“Ah! At least you weren’t the one that was forced to stay here and cast spells all day,” Zeno replied with bitterness. “I’m getting sick and tired of this job, and the beer here is disgusting! Couldn’t you just buy the damn book from that dumb girl or something?”

“Not without making her suspicious,” the moneylender replied. “I’ve already offered to buy some of her grandpa’s stuff for a very good price, that book included, but she’s refused. Insisting on it would just draw her attention on the fact that I’m actually interested in the book and not the house. And if she realizes that, we can kiss our chances of getting the damn thing goodbye!” He gave Zeno a suspicious look. “This would be much easier if we could just steal it.”

“That would be hardly prudent,” Zeno said adamantly. “Powerful magic items like that book have very specific rules associated with them and terrible repercussions if they are not followed. One of the most common rules, to the point of being almost universal, is that trying to steal or acquire a magical artifact through illegitimate means would almost invariably end up in a disaster.”

“To be fair, what we’re doing right now is not exactly legitimate,” Vicker noted. “Planting suggestions in people’s minds to make them hate one person is not exactly legal.”

“Yeah, but we’re not harming the girl directly.” Zeno made a smug smile. “One thing you can say about the rules of magic is they are hardly absolute. You can circumvent most of them if you are smart enough. Harming the owner of a magic item directly in order to acquire said item, either through thievery, violence, or threats, would almost certainly trigger the curse, but anything else should be fair game.”

“If you say so,” Vicker conceded. “I just hope the book is valuable enough to make this worthwhile.”

“You can trust me on that!” Zeno smiled. “The Chronicles of Alhareziel is a legendary tome. I still wonder how Karl was able to get his hands on it. Not that it did him any good.” He shook his head. “Trying to read the Chronicles without any protection was incredibly foolish… The Gods only know what it did to his head while he was searching it for treasure maps. He certainly wasn’t sane when he organized that expedition.”

“Well, I have no intention of reading that book anyway,” Vicker remarked. “I am interested in the money I could make by selling it. If it’s so legendary, it should make a hefty price!”

“If by hefty price you mean enough money to pay for a Duke’s ransom, then you’re right!” Greed showed in Zeno’s eyes. “The book holds many secrets, both about history and magic itself. Any magical academy in the world would kill to get their hands on it.”

“Aaaah! That’s music to my ears.” The moneylender smiled with equal greed. “But let’s not count chickens before they’re hatched. First, we actually have to get our hands on the damn thing.” His smile turned into a frown. “And that’s easier said than done. The last thing I want right now is for Klara to actually give me the house, take all of her stuff, book included, and get away. Thankfully, she’s delightfully stubborn, and so far, she doesn’t want to give it away. But we still have to get her to have an accident or break the law. I paid Ludd to provoke and kill her in self-defense, but that idiot didn’t even manage to do something that simple. And she’s far too alert when she’s in the forest to have someone follow her.”

“As you said, she’s stubborn,” Zeno noted. “But if she’s starting to crack down, it’s only a matter of time before she does something stupid, like trying to burn her house down to keep you from having it. That would give you the right to take all of her other possessions in reparation.”

“And the fire wouldn’t actually damage the book, would it?” Vicker asked.

“Not a chance!” the sorcerer assured him. “An artifact like the Chronicles can’t be destroyed that easily. It would take a catastrophic event or a very powerful magic to actually damage it.”

“Good!” Vicker felt more relaxed. “Then we can continue as we have thus far. If we play our cards right, the book is as good as ours!” Vicker gave Zeno a pointed stare. “Until then, we have to be careful. So, keep off the bottle. I don’t care if you drink yourself to death afterwards, as long as you are on this job, I want you sober enough not to screw up!”

Zeno smiled. “Don’t worry, Vicker. I couldn’t get drunk on the piss that passes for beer in these parts even if I tried.”

The two men laughed, but stopped when someone knocked at the door.

They looked at each other and Vicker asked, “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, boss!” the deep voice of Sergei answered from behind the door. “There is news from the village. There could be a problem.”

Chapter 24

Don’t Shoot the Messenger

Klara was still sobbing on the floor when a knock came to her door.

She didn’t answer at first, not caring about who it might be.

To hell with this village, and all these people! They can all burn for all I care! In fact, I might just start the fire myself and—

“Klara! Are you there?” The voice of Felix came from behind the door. “Open up if you can hear me. I’ve got some very good news for ya!”

Klara remained on the floor for a few moments, shook her head, stood up, and went to the door. Right in this moment, Felix was the only one she had, so she forced herself to meet him face-to-face.

Even if all she wanted right now was everything to just disappear.

She opened the door, and Felix was right behind it, an excited expression on his face.

“Klara, there you are! I’ve got to tell ya some—” He stopped, getting a good look at her face. “By the Gods! You look terrible. Are you all right?”

Klara didn’t know whether to answer or not. Even if she told him, the young apprentice wouldn’t be able to do anything concrete to help her. On the other side, he’d always been there to support her, morally at least, and she could certainly do with venting some of her frustration.

“Oh, I dunno, you tell me! Should I be fine when everyone hates me for something I’m not responsible for? When Gertrude threw me away from her shop after refusing to buy my stuff? When the son of a cheap prostitute, Vicker, is giving me three days before he takes possession of the house? Am I fine when I want to burn this place down and leave it behind me?”

She was fighting back the tears, but a few were still flowing despite her best efforts.

Felix looked at her in astonishment for a moment. Then his expression turned dubious.

“Gertrude threw you out of her shop? Really? But why?”

“I dunno, you tell me!” She started to cry again. “She offered me a ridiculously low price for my stuff, told me that it was my fault that Ulric died!”

Felix looked even more surprised at this point.

“That’s… strange. Very strange. I talked to her two days ago, and she told me that she was sorry about your situation, and that she was gonna buy anything you’d bring to her at more than its value in order to help you pay your debt to Vicker. Also, throwing people out of her shop is something Mama Gertrude would never do.”

“Well, she did it to me!” Klara shouted. “Called me a bitch for defending my grandpa.”

Felix’s face became even more dubious. “Now that’s something completely out of character for Gertrude. She and Karl were really good friends. She actually helped him raise you when you were a kid. This can’t be right.”

Suspicion burned in Klara’s mind at his words.

Yeah, Gertrude wasn’t the kind of person that would do that. And she hadn’t been that hostile to her in the past month… only now.

Why?

The more she thought about it, the more suspicious the whole affair became.

“Oh right!” Felix blurted. “Before I forget, I have some good news for you, Klara. A messenger just came from Brettholz. They’re organizing a scouting expedition in the forest.”

Klara, who’d been busy thinking about the weirdness of her situation, looked at him with annoyance.

“So what?” she said bitterly. “I can’t see how this is gonna help me.”

“Well, this is an official state expedition!” Felix explained. “The officers in Brettholz are worried about something that’s happening in the forest. And they’re recruiting local hunters to serve as scouts for the exploratory mission!”

“Again, I can’t see how this could help me,” Klara sighed. “That bastard Vicker gave me three days to move out unless I pay him one hundred royals, and I barely have fifty! Even if the mission would pay fifty royals, something that I highly doubt, it would be impossible to be back in just three days.”

Felix smiled with an air of smugness.

“Ah, but you’re forgetting a little fact, Klara! This is an official state expedition. Which means you would be considered part of the army for the duration of the mission. Which in turn would mean that—”

“That all of my debts would be frozen!” Klara completed the phrase for him. “For all the duration of the mission and for a month afterwards!” She stopped, making quick calculations in her head. “If I work tirelessly, I could make it. Especially if the mission pays well!”

“Five royals up front and an additional five royals each month,” confirmed the apprentice mage. “Plus eventual bonuses. The messenger from Brettholz was very clear about that.”

The girl frowned through the surprise etched across her features.

“That’s a lot of money for a scouting mission,” she said. “What the hell is happening in the forest to justify such a mission? And where are they going?”

* * *

Meanwhile, in the central plaza of the village, a crowd of people was gathering around a man with the uniform of a provincial messenger.

“The area to be explored is the Ashwood Hills!” he told to the men and women gathered around him. “We need anyone familiar with it, or that at least knows the way.”

The mood of the crowd around him suddenly cooled. They had all been hooked by the promise of payment and having all of their debts frozen, but after hearing the name of the place, they turned somber.

The recruiter sighed. This was the third village he went to, and he barely got any volunteers. Not that he could really blame people for being scared. The Ashwood Hills were notoriously dangerous, even for the standards of the Caligare Forest. Rumors stated a huge Forest Dragon had his nest somewhere in those hills, and to make things worse, the territory was treacherous, full of swamps, ravines, and dangerous beasts. Almost no one ever went there, and even fewer had returned.

These people were all professional hunters, and they knew very well about the dangers of the forest. Most of them were now shaking their heads, whispering and heading away: they knew very well that the risks were higher than the reward. One had to be desperate to sign in and—

“I want to join!” a female voice shouted.

The recruiter turned his head and saw a young blonde girl, accompanied by a red-haired boy, running in his direction.

Judging by the contemptuous looks she was receiving, she probably wasn’t very popular in the village, which might be one of the reasons she wanted to join the expedition.

But her reasons were her own. The messenger was only there to recruit all professional hunters he could. And this girl seemed to be reliable. Although very young, she was well-built and she moved with the confident grace of a hunter.

“Well done, young lady!” the recruiter said. “That’s very brave of you. What is your name and age?”

“Klara. Klara Kreigdoter. I’m eighteen years old.”

“Very well!” the man took out a paper from his purse, wrote Klara’s name, and gave it to her with a pencil. “This is the recruitment paper. If you’re really interested in joining, sign here, or just put an X in case you don’t know how to write. Then take this document to Brettholz’s city guard. The expedition will depart from there, and they will provide you room and board until you depart.”

“I’m familiar with the procedure. And I know how to write,” the girl said, taking the paper. “Just a question: all of my debts will be frozen from the moment I sign this document, am I right?”

Ah, so this is why she decided to join… the recruiter thought, but then answered, “You’re absolutely correct. However, in the case you’ll not take the job after you’ve signed, you’ll have to pay a fine, and the grace period for your debts will be retroactively made null.”

“I’m perfectly aware, thank you!” She signed the paper and gave it back. “I’m familiar with the procedure of official expeditions.”

“Well, good to have someone who knows what she’s doing, then!” the recruiter said with a smile. This girl seemed quite professional, and she’d make a fine addition to the expedition. Unlike some village boys who just wanted to join for fame, adventure, and especially girls, and who would almost certainly be a burden to—

“I want to join too!” the red-haired boy who’d accompanied the girl shouted.

Klara looked at him with an astonished expression, while the recruiter studied him. This boy was clearly no hunter. Tall and thin like a broom, and moving awkwardly like someone who still had to adjust to their own size after a sudden growth spurt. It’d be a miracle if someone like him wouldn’t trip on his feet on his way home, let alone survive an expedition in the forest.

“Ehm…” he started answering, “I appreciate your bravery, young man, but I don’t think that—”

“Are you out of your mind, Felix?” the girl cried. “This isn’t a stroll in the woods. This is an expedition to the Caligare Forest. You could die in there!”

The recruiter decided to keep quiet. Maybe the girl would do his job for him and convince the boy to remain home.

“I’m aware of the risks,” Felix replied. “But I think I can take care of myself. Besides, my master has gone to the capital for a while, so I’ll have nothing to do or learn for a few months. At least this way, I could help you.”

“No, you wouldn’t!” she shouted. “You’d get in the way! I’d have to keep you out of trouble, and I’m gonna have my hands full trying to survive myself in a place like the Ashwood Hills!”

“You can’t stop me, Klara!” Felix said in a flippant tone. “You’re not my mother nor my master. You have no authority over me.”

“Well, I’m gonna tell your master about this!” she said. “He’ll kick you out if he knows you’ve deserted your apprenticeship!”

“No, he won’t.” Felix said with irritating confidence. “He barely cares about me anyway, and if I’m gonna give him the pay I’ll earn, the old coot is gonna be perfectly fine with whatever I do.”

At this point, Klara just looked at her friend with impotent rage. The recruiter, seeing that she had failed in making the boy desist, sighed and spoke.

“Well, I’m sorry, young man, but I’m afraid you’re not going to be accepted into the expedition anyway.” He shook his head. “We are looking for people with experience for this job, and you don’t look like an experienced hunter or scout.”

“Well, that’s because I’m neither!” the boy replied. “I’m a senior apprentice sorcerer. And I guess you’re gonna need some casters in your expedition.”

“Senior apprentice sorcerer, my ass!” Klara cried. “You can barely cast any spell! They’re not gonna take someone like you.”

But the messenger seemed dubious. He gave an appraising look at the boy.

“Well, it’s true we’re short of casters right now…. After most of them went on that expedition about a year ago.” He turned to Felix and asked, “Tell me, young man, do you know how to operate a Telestone or how to send a Flare Signal?”

“Of course!” Felix answered, secretly relieved. Those were among the few things he’d been taught to do. “I can do that easily! I can even send a Flare Signal without using a focus!”

Felix pointed upwards. A minuscule ball of flames fired from his fingers, flying up to the sky, and exploded into sparks with a loud crack.

The messenger nodded and took out another sheet of paper.

“Fine, I guess they may take you after all,” he said, and then asked, “What is your name and age, young man?”

“Felix Agner. I’m seventeen.”

“Good.” The messenger wrote the name on the paper and handed it to the boy. “Sign here, please. The conditions are the same as those for the young lady.”

“Wait, you can’t do this!” Klara intervened. “You can’t accept him. Someone like him wouldn’t make it in the forest!”

“Well, I’m just a messenger, so I can’t stop him,” the man replied. “Also, if he’s a caster, he’s going to stay with the main bulk of the expedition, protected by the knights. Scouts like you are the ones taking the biggest risk.”

Klara looked at the man and Felix with powerless exasperation. Meanwhile, Felix had signed the paper, and stuck his tongue out playfully to Klara.

“Don’t worry for me, Klara!” he said with a smile. “I can take care of myself. And I’ll do my best to take care of you too.”

“You moron!” Klara hissed. “This isn’t a game. You could die in there.”

“Well, there’s no coming back now anyway.” The boy’s face became a little more serious. “I don’t have the money to pay the fine if I don’t show up after having signed.”

Klara was speechless. But as he’d said, she didn’t have the authority to stop him. She turned and went straight to her home to prepare her equipment.

Felix wanted to help her, but he only managed to drop another worry on her lap. Now she’d have to care about Felix’s safety in addition to her own.

And to make things worse, she still didn’t know the reason why the villagers had been so unnaturally hostile to her. She’d heard about some mind controlling spells, but they were both illegal and terribly expensive. She didn’t possess anything valuable enough to justify using such a spell against her. Even Vicker wouldn’t stoop so low.

Or would he?

* * *

Meanwhile, in the camp of the Brightsword mercenary group, three men were sitting in a tent, discussing a deal.

“You want me to join this expedition?” Ludd, the mercenary captain, asked the two cloaked men. “But why? Does this have anything to do with that girl again?”

“Yes,” replied one of the cloaked men, who was none other than Vicker. “I want you to follow her and make sure she won’t return. But do not harm her directly, are we clear? I’ll consider any direct action against her a failure!”

“That’s kinda hard to do…” Ludd pondered the request. “Why bother with the no direct harm crap anyway? No one will notice if I just make her disappear. And with no witnesses, you wouldn’t have any sort of legal trouble.”

“Just do as you’re told,” Vicker replied adamantly. “I pay you well enough to follow my whims without any discussion!”

“Well, actually, let’s talk about that,” Ludd said. “Going on this mission will be dangerous, so I want a raise. Another two hundred royals in addition to what you’re already paying me.”

“What? That’s ridiculous!” the moneylender cried. “That’s four times what I’m already paying you!”

“Well, yeah, but you paid me to provoke a girl into fighting me and kill her in self-defense,” Ludd explained. “That’s a bit easier than strolling around in the Caligare Forest. Plus, I’d have to take all of my men with me on this mission, or it’d look suspicious. This time, you’re effectively hiring all of my company.”

The moneylender did nothing to hide his roiling anger, reluctantly giving the mercenary a nod.

“Fine. But I have an additional request.” He gestured toward his cloaked companion, a pale man with the red nose of a heavy drinker. “This is Zeno. Register him as a member of the Brightsword and take him with you. Also, you’ll follow his orders as if I was giving them.”

Ludd took one look at Zeno and laughed. “What? Are you kidding me? This little scarecrow here could never pass for a mercenary!”

“Of course not. But he is a very good sorcerer,” Vicker replied. “He can take care of himself. And mercenary companies do employ sorcerers sometimes.”

Ludd stopped laughing. He stared appraisingly at Zeno.

“Well then, if you pay, I’ll take him with me,” the mercenary conceded. “While I’ll listen to him in private, in public, he’ll have to obey my every order and call me Captain. Otherwise, people would get suspicious.”

“Of course, Captain.” Zeno nodded. “Gotta keep up appearances, after all.”

* * *

A week later, on a misty and cold morning, a small crowd waited just outside the gates of Brettholz. Due to the mist, it was hard to see every individual, but there were approximately thirty people, all enveloped in cloaks to defend themselves from the morning chill.

A bit separated from the group was a line of five mules, strong and stocky animals that carried all sorts of provisions on their backs, with two men who cared for them.

From an elevated position on the city walls, two figures observed the gathering. One was a middle-aged man with wavy dark hair, a short beard, and dressed in very expensive clothes. His cloak was dark green with a fluffy gray fur hood.

The other seemed a bit younger, with a completely shaven face, a strong, square jaw, and short blond hair. He was more modestly dressed in a simple travel cloak worn over brigandine armor, with the only conspicuous element being the bright yellow sheath of his sword, identifying him as an Aura Warrior.

“Not a lot of people,” the rich-looking man mumbled to himself, dissatisfaction in his voice.

“Well, that’s to be expected, your grace. We lost most scouts in the great expeditions a year ago,” the other man replied. “We’ll manage. After all, this is a scouting expedition. We just need to find what’s happening in the forest; we do not have to fight it directly.”

Eisen Brett, Marquis of Brettholz and ruler of the Brettholz province, adjusted his fur hood to protect himself from the chill and looked at his underling with tired eyes.

“Yes, if it’s you, I think you’ll manage even with this ragtag bunch of misfits,” he conceded, but then added, “Be careful. My Diviners have sensed a great disturbance coming from the Ashwood Hills. All spells to directly see what’s going on in there have failed…. We can’t be certain of anything, since we’re talking about Caligare Forest after all, but if something is hiding in there, it’s hiding itself from magic while at the same time is big enough it could be sensed regardless. And it’s close enough to our borders to be a threat.”

“We’ll be careful, your grace.” The man bowed, making a ringing sound from the armor hidden under his cloak. “We’ll just investigate and come back quickly.” He smirked. “I’m not exactly used to running away from danger, but if you order so, I’ll manage to do it anyway.”

“This is just what I expect from you, Dagobert!” the marquis said with a smile, but then he sobered and sighed. “To be honest, I really hope the Diviners are wrong, and you find nothing. But I have a feeling that we won’t be so fortunate…” His eyes became lost in the mist. “The times are changing, Dagobert. I can feel it. A storm is brewing, and if we’re not careful, it will sweep us all away.”

“As you say, your grace!” Dagobert replied.

He’d known the marquis for a long time, and he knew the man had a flair for the dramatic. In fact, he had a peculiar penchant for making cryptic and ominous predictions about the future, as he thought doing so made him appear wise.

For Dagobert, at least, that just made him look kind of funny. All that moaning, staring into nothing, and using phrases that seemed to have come out of a fortune cookie was ridiculous. Eisen was a good ruler, in his own way. It was probably okay to let him indulge in his theatrics.

Besides, in this case, he was perfectly justified in his worries. Nothing good usually came out from the Caligare Forest. Orcs, goblins, beasts, and even dragons were known to emerge from the depths of the forest to lay waste upon the province.

No, this time, Marquis Eisen had all the right reasons to be pessimistic.

The marquis kept staring into the mist for a few seconds, then focused his eyes again on Dagobert. “Well, Sir Dagobert, I won’t keep you here any longer. You’ve got a mission for the Kingdom. Find out what’s happening in the Ashwood Hills and report it to me. Now go!”

Sir Dagobert bowed again and left. A few seconds later, he emerged from the gate and reached the group.

“I am Sir Dagobert, Captain of the Brettholz Knights!” he shouted, and all figures in the mist turned to him. “I am the head of this expedition. From now on, you will follow my order to the letter, without arguing and without hesitation. You will be considered soldiers on a military campaign, and you will be subject to military legislation. If any of you wants to step back now, this is your last chance!”

All the figures remained still.

“Well then, the expedition starts now. Let’s go, soldiers!”

And they all started marching. Dagobert gave the group an appraising eye. A ragtag bunch of misfits if he’d ever seen one. He wondered how many of them could actually be useful. He didn’t have many choices. This was a dangerous mission and volunteers had been few.

He was sure about his abilities and those of his two direct subordinates, as they were both former Royal Knights and Green Sheath Aura Users.

There was also a group of mercenaries, a dozen men called the Brightswords. Dagobert knew about them, and though their reputation was far from sterling, they seemed to know how to hold their own in a fight.

The rest of the group was made of scouts, mostly hunters hired in the frontier villages, and four casters.

The hunters seemed professional enough. Most of them were either too young or too old, but they looked like they knew their business.

It was the casters that concerned Dagobert the most. Only two of them seemed competent, a sorcerer called Zeno that accompanied the Brightsword, and another called Argus, who’d been in service of Marquis Brettholz for years.

The other two casters, in contrast, seemed completely out of their depths. A red-haired boy who was an apprentice sorcerer, and a short, black-haired girl who was a novice cleric.

Despite not knowing if he could depend on their abilities, they needed all the casters they could muster for this expedition.

For now, the order of march wasn’t important, as they were still a full day away from the forest. As soon as they stopped for the night, he’d evaluate the skills of each one. Seeing who was suited to scout in advance and who could cover the rear. He also resolved to keep the casters always at the center.

Lost in his thoughts and plans, Dagobert marched alongside the group, slowly disappearing into the mist.

Chapter 25

Tremors Underground

“Fuck everything!” Marcus cursed.

His current mood was darker than a moonless night. Lately, almost nothing seemed to go the right way, and even the things that did go well still managed to irritate him.

He was sitting in the central chamber of his hive. In just about three weeks, the place was almost unrecognizable. The cave was completely covered in mold wax, which had also dripped from the ceiling, creating columns and stalactites. The river that once crossed the cave was now blocked by a small dam and formed a little lake at the center right under the opening on the ceiling. Many circular holes opened on the walls, leading to narrow tunnels that disappeared in the darkness.

The floor was littered with dozens of eggs while many small larvae scuttled around, and the builder drones were tending to the mold wax.

The place looked eerily like an alien hive out of a sci-fi movie. To be fair, that was technically true. The air was warm and full of the smell of eggs, mold wax, and other less identifiable scents. There was barely any light, and there was a frantic skittering everywhere. It would have been enough to give a panic attack to any normal person that had the misfortune of wandering inside.

And yet, it all felt weirdly relaxing to Marcus. It made him feel safe and cozy, at home.

The problem was, Marcus didn’t want this place to be his home. His home was on Earth, where he had left his friends and family. Not a hole in this godforsaken forest.

But he couldn’t help what he felt. And ironically, this feeling of ease irritated him a lot.

He also had trouble looking at all the eggs and drones that filled the place. He had no trouble looking at them separately anymore, but when they were together, he couldn’t help making the connection and think he was the one that had given birth to all those creatures. All three hundred and fourteen of them. Not counting the ones that still had to hatch. And the many more that died during the previous weeks.

Now that’s a big family indeed… he thought sarcastically. If I’m glad about anything, it’s the fact I don’t have to change their diapers. I’d literally be neck-deep in shit!

He didn’t actually feel any maternal instinct toward the drones. He had come to see them only as instruments, and losing them was only irritating in the way losing some useful items would be. This stance was reinforced by the fact that the drones didn’t have any individuality. Their only thoughts and emotions were echoes of his own. They lived only to serve him, and had no desires of their own.

Combined with lately they had been dying in droves, it was much easier for Marcus to think of the drones as objects rather than living things.

There was one exception, though, and that exception was following him around right now.

Cooper was the first drone he’d made, and it had been his sole companion for quite a lot of time. Marcus was attached to it like he had been to the stuffed raccoon he had in his childhood. Many years ago, Mr. Stripes helped him fall asleep, warding off all nightmares and loneliness while he hugged him, and Cooper had a similar job.

This was also one of the reasons he’d stopped sending the hunter drone out, as losing it would actually be rather painful to him. And as things were, the probability of it dying in the constant skirmishes with the gremlins was rather high. Even the newer hunter drones that were stronger, faster, and better armored than Cooper were dying off by the handfuls. The smaller, weaker, and older hunter would simply stand no chance in the current state of war.

Marcus grimaced. He didn’t really like it, but the conflict had indeed escalated to the point it could be called a war. And it wasn’t going well for him.

At first, his forces definitely had the upper hand. Thanks to the strength of both warrior and hunter drones, not to mention the aerial reconnaissance provided by the flying drones, they managed to annihilate any gremlin patrol south of the swamp. He even left some of their mangled bodies where they could be seen as a warning.

Unfortunately, the humanoids didn’t heed the warning. Worse still, they responded by counterattacking with a force Marcus didn’t even suspect they possessed. The patrols had more than doubled in both size and number. They were better equipped, more disciplined, and to top it all off, they were often accompanied by some mutant-humanoids that were far more dangerous than the others and were more than a match for the warrior drones.

There were two-and-a-half-meter-tall brutes covered head to toe in rock-like scales, armed with gigantic maces. Quick and skilled warriors who could cut down their opponents in a flash. Wild berserkers who fought with fangs and claws. And red-scaled, winged gargoyle-looking creatures that could breathe fire.

The last ones had been especially annoying. Marcus had no way to counter them. The flying drones were too light to damage them, and even though he had given birth to a new breed with venomous fangs and sharp claws, they were still usually killed by the fire breath before they could reach their opponents.

It took at least a dozen of the new flying drones to kill a single one of the gargoyles, and even though Marcus gave birth to them non-stop, it wasn’t nearly enough. The aerial superiority had been lost, and even worse, those flying humanoids had started scouting from the skies, searching for Marcus’s location. He was powerless to stop them.

That came with all sorts of problems. Simply remaining hidden wasn’t enough. Sooner or later, the cave would be discovered by the patrols, so the drones needed to keep them away. But they could be spotted by a gargoyle scout while moving around the entrance of the cave.

The solution Marcus had come up with was simple. If they couldn’t move on the ground, they simply had to move under it.

So he’d created the digger drones.

He had taken bits from worms, moles, and various other animals and combined them into a single, gigantic creature. The result was a four-meter-long drone with the torso of a worm, powerful claws capable of digging through any soil, and a huge mouth with a powerful jaw capable of crushing rock. Its eyes were very small, but it had exceptional hearing and could perfectly feel and read vibrations through the earth.

It dug at an amazing speed, leaving behind a one-and-a-half-meter wide circular tunnel, which the builder drones reinforced with mold wax to prevent cave-ins.

He had given birth to only three of these creatures, since they required a lot of energy to produce. They’d been working tirelessly the past week. There was now an underground complex of tunnels that reached all the adjacent valleys.

The warrior and hunter drones used these tunnels to move out and ambush any gremlin patrol they found. They’d disappear underground again, collapsing the tunnel entrance after they were done, since the digger could easily open it if needed.

Marcus smiled, a small hint of smugness on his insectoid face.

He was a bit proud of this idea, which evened the ground in the conflicts between him and the humanoids. At the same time, it provided him with an escape route should things take a turn for the worse. A few of the tunnels reached pretty far into the nearby valleys and could be used to leave the cave.

While he was walking around in the cave, one of his patrols, a couple of warrior drones accompanied by six hunters, returned. All of them were carrying something in their mouths, which at closer inspection turned out to be the corpses of the humanoids, plus one of the hunter drones.

The smug smile slowly faded from Marcus’s face as the drones dropped the bodies in the middle of the cave. They were immediately swarmed over by the larvae, who started ripping and eating them in a feeding frenzy.

One of the least pleasant things he didn’t plan for was the food shortage they were experiencing. There was a huge number of drones now, and the warrior and digger in particular needed a lot of nutrients to stay alive. The mold wax growing inside the cave wasn’t enough to feed them all, but at the same time, he couldn’t grow it outside because it would be like putting a giant “I am here” sign for all the gargoyles scouting the valley. And to make things worse, most of the wild animals had moved away due to the constant fighting between the drones and the humanoids.

Luckily, there was an abundant source of food available. But unluckily, it wasn’t a very pleasant one.

It was, of course, eating the corpses of both humanoids and drones killed in battle. And this felt quite wrong to Marcus.

Sadly, there wasn’t any other alternative for now. He had the drones take back all the bodies they could grab in order to use them as food for the hive.

Even as all the other drones ripped the corpses apart, Marcus still continued to live off the mold wax. It was a bland, monotonous diet, and he would have killed for some good meat, but he could force himself to eat neither the gremlins nor the drones. For the first, he was still reluctant about eating a fellow humanoid while he could help it as it went against pretty much every sense of morality he had. While for the second… well, eating something that had come out of his own coochie felt wrong on so many levels that he couldn’t even count them.

Although, Marcus had already tried eating some of the more powerful gremlins in order to gain their abilities, but he kept telling himself that it was different than using them as food.

Sadly, like what had happened with the laser deer, the humanoids’ more powerful abilities couldn’t be found in their DNA no matter what kind of gremlin Marcus ate. The huge scaled ones, the beast ones, or even the gargoyles; the information he got from them was always those of a simple, small humanoid with no outstanding features.

And this made him hate the little buggers even more.

They tried to kill him, kept fighting his drones, and wouldn't leave him alone. They didn’t even have the decency to give him a good power-up for his minions!

Marcus could have just run away, leaving the valley and taking most of his hive with him. At this point, it was a challenge for him. His pride wouldn’t allow for a retreat unless there was no alternative available.

He promised to take vengeance on the humanoids, and by God, he would do so!

To vent his frustration and distract himself, he let his mind go, concentrating on one of the drone patrols preparing an ambush northwest in the valley.

The tunnel was small, dark, and crowded, but those weren’t a problem for the Vex. Their eyes were perfectly capable of seeing in pitch black darkness, while the proximity of so many of their kind just felt reassuring. They were one mind in many bodies, after all.

Right now, they were all standing still to not disturb the digger, who was using his senses to feel the passage of the enemy.

The digger felt the vibrations of many creatures walking on the surface. At least fifty, and roughly a third of them were walking on all fours. That meant there were about fifteen beast-humanoids up there, while the others could be either the quick, skilled ones or the strong, scaled ones.

Using the queen’s knowledge, they assumed at least one gargoyle accompanied a group of that size. Even if the digger couldn’t feel it, as it would be flying above the ground.

The hivemind analyzed the chances of success in case of a fight. Their group consisted of eight warrior drones, eleven hunter drones, one digger drone, and nine flying drones. They were outnumbered, but if they managed to catch the gremlins by surprise, they could still win. The problem was that if a gargoyle spotted them, they would lose the element of surprise.

The area they were in was good enough for that. There were numerous trees and a thick undergrowth that would hide them from above. The hivemind pondered for a while, and made a decision.

The digger drone started digging, creating an exit about one hundred meters from the humanoids, inside a small basin in the ground, covered by ferns and bushes, and slithered away to let its brothers get out.

The drones crawled out of the hole, staying low to avoid being seen by the enemy. Slowly and carefully, they moved toward their prey without making a sound.

They reached them a few minutes later. It was indeed a big gremlin patrol. Sixteen beast-humanoids walked in front of the group, smelling the air in search of potential dangers, but the drones had emerged from the ground downwind and couldn’t be found.

The rest of the group consisted mainly of a dozen simple humanoids. Those without any peculiar traits, armed with wooden spears. Fifteen of the more human-looking humanoids who wore a crude armor and were armed with shields and pole weapons. And finally, six of the fat, scaled humanoids with wooden clubs, one of which towered over all the others, being over two meters tall. That last one seemed to be the leader.

In the sky, barely visible through the foliage, there was the winged silhouette of a gargoyle flying over the patrol. It couldn’t see the drones hidden in the bushes.

They waited for the perfect chance, moving along the humanoid patrol. The enemies were staying closer to each other, on their guard. With such an irregular terrain, it was only a matter of time before they got distracted.

And the opportunity presented itself after a few minutes. The patrol walked into a wall of thick thorn bushes, which forced them to change direction. There was some confusion, with the big humanoid bellowing orders in its incomprehensible language, and they lost cohesion for a moment.

This was the time.

Silently, the drones attacked. The warriors immediately ran toward the enemy leader, while the hunters attacked the armored humanoids, and the flying drones remained in reserve, ready to attack when the time was right.

The humanoids were taken completely by surprise. The few of them between the warriors and the leader were immediately killed, not even slowing down the drones. The armored ones were almost completely wiped out by the first attack, being too surprised to use a formation with their pole weapons to defend themselves. The simple humanoids screamed and ran away, disappearing into the woods.

Then they started to fight back. The leader reacted instantly, hitting a warrior that had pounced on him with his mace and sending it flying into the bushes. The other fat ones started defending, trying to rescue their leader and hitting hard with their humongous wooden clubs. In the meantime, the beastly humanoids that acted as a vanguard turned and came to the rescue of their allies, charging the hunter drones and engaging them in a fight that looked like a tornado of fangs, claws, chitin, and fur.

The Vex still held the advantage. A great number of humanoids had been killed during the first assault, and apart from their leader, they were greatly outclassed by the strength of the drones. The hunters were gaining the upper hand against the beastly humanoids, and the warriors were making short work of the fat ones while three of them kept the big one occupied.

It was then that the gargoyle dropped from the sky. It was almost as tall as the leader, his red scales gleaming under the sun, with claws as big as knives and a sharp beak full of fangs. The creature turned to the closest warrior and vomited a river of flames, killing it instantly. One of the other warriors tried to attack it, but the gargoyle deflected the slash of the scythe-arms with his scales and counterattacked by ripping the assailant’s throat out with his claws.

Encouraged by the help received, the leader attacked with renewed energy, crushing another warrior with its club.

“Now,” the queen thought, a command for the ones still hiding in ambush.

The flying drones emerged, moving like arrows toward the gargoyle. The humanoid saw them and started breathing fire, but it was too late. They were too close to be hit by the flames, and as soon as they hit the creature’s body, they started biting. Thanks to the humanoid’s scales, most of those attacks did absolutely no damage, but a couple of them managed to find a vulnerable spot, sinking their venomous fangs in deep in the gremlin’s flesh.

The gargoyle screeched, ripping the little drones away.

Taking advantage of the distraction, one of the warriors attacked the humanoid, sinking its scythe-arm deep in the gremlin’s neck.

The creature went down, black blood spraying from its wound and smoking wherever it landed, and immediately the warriors and the flyers left him, concentrating on the leader.

The big gremlin defended himself valiantly, with a defiant look in his small black eyes, but in the end, he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of aggressors, falling down with multiple horrible wounds on his body.

The rest of the goblins were quickly dealt with, with only a few of them running away into the woods. Not that this would do them any good. After the battle ended, the hunter drones gave chase. Thanks to their senses, speed, and abilities to find any trail, it was almost assured there wouldn’t be a single survivor.

The queen counted the survivors. Four warriors were dead, and another two were badly injured, and only a couple of flyers remained. The hunters had better luck. Only one of them had died, stabbed in the neck by a sword, while the others only received minor wounds.

It had been an absolute victory. The only thing left to do, after the hunters finished taking down all the runaways, was to return to the hive and collapse the tunnel behind them, taking back all the bodies they could as nourishment.

Marcus returned his focus to himself with a smug, ferocious smile.

“Take that, you little bastards!” he said with satisfaction, slowly petting Cooper like a stereotypical mafia boss would pet their cat. “That should teach you not to fuck with me.”

He theatrically indulged this satisfaction for a bit, cackling like an evil mastermind. A sudden pain in his lower abdomen announced he was ready to lay eggs again.

That immediately drained all the fun out of him, and he sighed while going to a corner of the hive to get it over with.

“Damn, never a moment of reprieve…” he said bitterly before squatting.

Chapter 26

Looming from Above

Pride and stubbornness were perfectly good things in Marcus’s book, as long as they didn’t get you killed.

And being too prideful to run away from a losing battle that would almost surely get you killed was a special kind of idiocy.

In the last few days, his forces hadn’t achieved any significant victory. The humanoid patrols were always on their guard against potential attacks, and their size had grown. The few battles the drones fought were either pyrrhic victories or total defeats. Even with Marcus literally shitting out eggs all day, the lost drones couldn’t be replaced quickly enough.

In the end, Marcus had no choice but to admit he was only delaying the inevitable. He had greatly underestimated the humanoids numbers and strength, and it was only a matter of time before they discovered the cave and killed him.

The only sensible thing to do was to organize an escape plan.

Thanks to the tunnels the drones dug, getting away from the cave was simple enough. Then where could he go? He needed a shelter, and a big one to boot if he wanted to build another hive. In order to find a suitable place, he resumed his explorations through the flying drones.

For this mission, he would use a new breed of flying drone. They were still similar to the original dragonfly-lizard hybrids, but they were much larger with big wings that allowed them to fly at an incredible speed, probably faster than the gargoyles. As for their defenses, they had both venomous fangs and a stinger at the end of their tail, plus the ability to spit poison. They were also strong enough to pick and lift considerable weights, since Marcus wanted them to take back any prey with particularly useful abilities worth absorbing.

Originally, these drones were supposed to fight against the gargoyles. At this point, Marcus was simply trying to gain time and avoided any major confrontation. He utilized hit and run tactics to keep the gremlins distracted and on edge while he organized his escape. These valuable drones were better used for exploration.

There were ten of those new flying drones, and Marcus sent them in three groups. Three of them would go east, three south, and four west. He didn’t bother sending any of them north, since they would almost surely be spotted by the gargoyles.

Those drones were very autonomous, capable of hunting by themselves and procuring their own food. They could explore for as long as it was needed.

Through their eyes, Marcus saw the territory surrounding him. Going east, the hills continued for a few dozen kilometers before reaching a series of lakes, marshes, and swamps. Certainly not a good place to build a hive.

To the south, the hills continued for a bit longer before they disappeared into a huge forest-covered plain that extended as far as the drones' eyes could see. The forest was made up of gigantic trees, even taller than giant sequoias, whose shadows kept the ground dark, even in the middle of the day.

This place was certainly interesting, but it seemed even more dangerous than the hills. Marcus lost two drones caught in huge webs set between trees and devoured by some particularly scary-looking spiders the size of small horses.

After a quick glance at one of those arachnids through the eyes of a dying drone, Marcus had said, “NOPE!” and made the last surviving drone come back.

To the west, the hills continued for many kilometers. The territory was pretty similar to the one he was in. Steep hills covered by woods, bushes, and rocks. There were certainly many places to hide in that direction, and the drones had already spotted what looked like a few caves.

During the second day of exploration, Marcus finally found the perfect place. The drones were flying well above the trees when they spotted something on top of a hill.

Curious about it, Marcus sent them in that direction. When they were close enough, he realized that it was some sort of ruins. He had the drones approach it carefully, remembering the bad surprise he had with the humanoids in the tower. The place seemed completely deserted, apart from a few birds and small animals that scampered away.

Most of the buildings were in ruin and covered by lush vegetation. A couple of them were still standing. One of them looked like a big church, while the other was a big, three-story rectangular building with an inner garden covered in wild bushes with a well at the center.

The drones stayed up in the air for a while, searching for eventual dangers, but after a while, they flew lower to get a better look.

The buildings were little more than walls at this point as all of the wooden parts had long rotted away, and the ceilings had caved in. There were various stairs leading underground, suggesting the presence of wide cellars. The well was too covered in vegetation to see the bottom, but one of the drones dropped a stone in it, which after a few seconds made a splashing sound, indicating water still stood in it.

Marcus evaluated the pros and cons. Although it was a very visible area and not really far enough from the humanoids to be completely safe, it was also easy to defend. It had a water supply and probably an underground area in which he could build his hive.

All things considered, it was the best option for a new shelter if Marcus needed to run away from his current location.

Satisfied, Marcus ordered one of the digger drones to dig a tunnel toward those ruins, while also commanding the scout drones to come back.

Good. At least now I know a place I can run to should those fucking gremlins find my hive, he thought, allowing himself to relax a bit. Still a bit too close to them for comfort, but with a tiny bit of luck, I should be able to stay hidden in there long enough to prepare an army large enough to wipe those dirty little bastards off the map!

He smiled while thinking this, but this smile slowly drained away as he realized he’d have to personally give birth to the whole army himself.

Oh, fuck no! That’s gonna be the end of me… The ultimate cooch destruction!

He shuddered, trying to think of an alternative solution, but he was suddenly distracted by some feedback coming from the scout drones returning from the ruins.

He focused on it, seeing through the eyes of his minions, taking direct control…

The flying drones were high in the sky, high enough to be practically invisible from the ground. But their eyes, made to be able to notice faraway things, had no problem identifying the small figures moving below.

It was a humanoid patrol, the largest the hive had ever seen. The trees were in the way, so it wasn’t possible to count them, but they seemed to be at least a thousand. To make things worse, it was exclusively composed of the stronger breeds of gremlins. The weaker, smaller, and non-specialized gremlins that usually made up at least a third of their forces were completely absent.

The size and strength of this army would have been enough to make the hivemind panic, if it wasn’t for a small detail. The gremlins weren’t coming toward the hive. They were marching in the opposite direction, going northwest. But why would they do that? Was there something else threatening them?

The hivemind hesitated a bit, wondering what to do, but then it ordered the four flying drones to follow the army from a safe distance.

If something required the gremlins to field an army of that size, it was probably better to try and discover what that something was.

After all, God only knew what kind of menaces lurked in the forest.

* * *

“Ouch!” Felix cried, taking his boots off and starting to massage his feet. “Dammit… I think I got blisters.”

Klara gave him an exasperated look. The group was taking a short rest, but only Felix and the other casters really needed it. The others could have easily kept on marching until sunset. They decided to take their time, as an exhausted caster was a useless caster.

Still, the red-haired boy was holding on well, considering his inexperience. He sure wasn’t used to marching for days, but he didn’t complain too much, despite his obvious pain.

Taking pity on him, Klara gave him a small jar.

“Take this. It’s an unguent. Rub it on your feet, and the blisters should be gone in a few hours.”

“Thank you, Klara!” Felix said with gratitude, taking the jar. “I knew I could rely on y—”

“Shut up! I’m still mad at you. You shouldn’t be here. You should have stayed at home.”

“We already talked about this,” Felix sighed. “I just want to help you…”

Klara turned her back on him and left, going to the edge of the clearing where the group was currently resting.

To be honest, she wasn’t really that angry, just royally pissed. This expedition was dangerous, and she had her hands full just trying to stay alive and earn her pay. And now she had to watch over Felix too.

She appreciated the boy was trying to help her, but by the gods, he was doing it in the worst possible way.

It had been thirteen days since the group had departed from Brettholz. In the meantime, Klara had rescued her friend from quicksand, hidden ravines, poisonous animals, and a particularly nasty snail that had tried to eat his brain.

The problem was that Felix, while capable of moving through the woods, was too curious and easily distracted. His mind always jumped at whatever picked his interest, and he often got almost separated from the group because he stopped to observe something he found interesting.

Since no one else really cared about the apprentice sorcerer, Klara had become his babysitter. This just added to the work she had to do as a scout.

She arrived at the edge of the clearing and leaned against a tree, resting a bit while observing the rest of the group.

At the center, on an old fallen tree, Felix and two other casters were resting. The young novice cleric, Bal, was even more exhausted than the apprentice sorcerer. He held on by muttering prayers, while the sorcerer Joakim was much better off and was simply resting while watching the sky.

Near them, the knights were silently standing guard. They all wore light armor covered by heavy green cloaks and were so immobile, they could be mistaken for part of the forest. Klara was kind of happy to be accompanied by them. They had an aura of competence and lethality that made her feel safe.

The hunters were scattered randomly in the clearing, usually resting or standing guard themselves, while the Brightsword mercenaries were near the opposite edge of the clearing from Klara.

Zeno, the sorcerer accompanying the mercenaries, also remained close to them, but the others generally ignored his presence. He was by far the most exhausted of the casters, and was currently sitting on the ground with his back against a tree, apparently trying to make the most of this moment of rest.

Klara didn’t trust the group, and she was very suspicious of Zeno. It was evident he wasn’t really part of the Brightswords, nor an expert of campaigns, but he accompanied them nonetheless. Plus, she hadn’t seen him with the Brightswords when they were in Oakfell. He still felt familiar for some reason…

“Attention, troopers!” the voice of Dagobert, the head of the expedition, echoed through the clearing, interrupting her thoughts. “We are resuming the exploration. Get ready and be on your guard. We need three scouts ahead, plus some others to cover our flanks and rear. We are getting near our objective, so consider this a war zone!”

A war zone. Klara couldn’t help but smile at the militaristic term, even though it wasn’t exactly wrong. The Ashwood Hills were certainly a warzone, but the war happening there was a war for survival. Countless magic beasts and monsters fought every day, and she sure as hell didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire.

They had reached the hills only two days ago, but the hunters had already found more threats in this time than in all the rest of the trip. Sometimes, they had to take wider detours in order to avoid the territories of particularly nasty creatures that were a menace even for a well-armed and numerous group like theirs.

A moment of distraction would almost surely mean death in this place. Which was why Klara was so worried about Felix.

She looked at the sky, trying to gauge the weather for the next day. It was mostly clear, but she could see a mass of dark clouds on the horizon. Depending on the wind, they could have some heavy rain in the coming days.

She also noticed a small spot in the blue of the sky. Some creature with bat-like wings. When she tried to get a better look, it flew in front of the sun, basically becoming invisible. She dismissed it.

After all, she already had her hands full with worrying about what was on the ground.

Chapter 27

Expecting Guests

The group had stopped for the night.

The air was chilly, especially because no fire had been lit, as it’d have only attracted the attention of whatever creatures were lurking in the woods.

Five sentinels were dispersed around the camp, while the rest were trying to do their best to sleep despite the cold. Everyone was too tired for conversation, but there were a couple exceptions.

In a corner of the camp, surrounded by darkness, Ludd, the captain of the Brightsword, and Zeno the sorcerer were talking. Although they whispered, their tones were clearly heavy and angry.

“Can’t we just cut her throat and dump her in the woods already?” Ludd asked. “Or even just tie her to a tree and let the beasts do the job for us?”

“No, we can’t!” Zeno replied. “If it was so easy, we wouldn’t have to follow her in this goddamn forest!”

“But why must it be so complicated? Would the curse affect anyone that would harm her?”

“Certainly not! But it would affect anyone trying to get her book after having her killed.” Zeno was talking with the exasperated confidence of a teacher explaining things to an incompetent child. “Magic does not obey the same rules of nature. The spirit of the magical rules is just as important as the letter. And most importantly, magic always starts with a will.”

“What do you mean?” Ludd asked, confused.

“I mean that her death should be the result of her decision in order for the curse to not activate. In layman terms, she has to have a choice in the matter.”

“You’re telling me that she has to choose to die?” Ludd was bewildered. “And how, pray tell, are you gonna make her take that choice? Only a bloody fool would choose death! And she doesn’t strike me as a fool.”

“Alas, I still don’t have a detailed plan,” the sorcerer said, shaking his head. “But I’m sure that a suitable occasion will arise during this mission.”

The mercenary was still bewildered, blinking at the caster. Then a sudden thought appeared in his mind. Ludd wasn’t that bright, but he wasn’t entirely stupid either. Years of mercenary work, of pillaging, threatening, and blackmailing people had forged his mind into something very devious.

“Uhmm… the girl seems pretty chummy with that red-haired boy, doesn’t she?”

“Uh? Yeah, I guess so,” Zeno replied, a bit confused by the question. “Why are you asking?”

“Well, I’ll tell you something,” Ludd said with an evil smirk. “Some people, especially young, idealistic ones, can get very irrational when one of their friends is in danger, and it’s very easy for them to get killed.” His smile widened, resembling that of a shark. “I know this from experience.”

The sorcerer looked at him in amazement for a few seconds, but then he started smiling too.

“You know what? You’ve got a point, Captain,” he said in a very slimy tone. “I think that young Felix has done us a big favor accompanying his girlfriend on this little stroll in the woods!”

On the other side of the camp, Klara was trying to sleep. She was on guard duty right before dawn, so she needed all the rest she could get.

Too bad she had an annoyance sitting right next to her.

“Ehm, Klara, I know you’re still mad at me, but we need to talk,” the boy said from the darkness. “There’s something I need to tell you—”

“You’re right, I am still mad,” she interrupted. “And right now, I want to sleep. So shut up and let me be.”

“But… this is important, Klara!” Felix protested. “I’ve got a suspicion about the Brightswords. I think they’ve come on this mission to kill you.”

Klara moaned, rolling her eyes in disbelief.

“Felix, that would be ridiculous,” she said, turning to look him in the eyes. “I agree that Vicker could have easily paid them to provoke me at the village, but my house is not worth enough to justify joining this expedition and risking their lives.”

“I know, but the sorcerer accompanying them, that Zeno…”

“What about him?” she asked with impatience.

“Well, he’d stayed in Oakfell for at least a month, and during that time, he never really interacted with the Brightswords,” the young man explained. “Actually, he never really did anything. He just stayed in the inn and sometimes spoke with people. He said he was in the village to buy some magical reagents, but he didn’t seem really interested in that.”

“I fail to see the connection between him and the Brightswords wanting to kill me,” Klara said. “Maybe he just has a debt and joined the mercenaries to pay it off. Nothing to worry about.”

Felix remained silent for a few seconds, and when he spoke again, his tone was dubious. “Well, maybe it’s just my impression, but to me, it seems the villagers started hating you only since he arrived in the village. I even remember him walking inside Gertrude’s store when I was going out, and it was after that she had that change of heart. Before she talked to him, she told me she wanted to help you.”

“Felix, this is complete nonsense!” Klara cried. “Mind manipulation is illegal. Any wizard found messing with someone else’s mind would be hanged immediately. And my house is simply not worth enough to justify such a risk!”

“Maybe they’re not after your house.”

“Then what would they be after, pray tell?”

“I don’t know…” he admitted. “But it’s just that it makes se—”

It was as though Felix had suddenly stopped talking. But after a moment, Klara realized it wasn’t only Felix’s voice, but all sounds had disappeared from the world. She couldn’t even hear her own heartbeat!

“What’s going on!” she tried to say out loud, but no sound came out of her mouth.

For a moment, she wondered if she’d gone deaf, but then she saw Felix was acting distressed too, holding his hand to his throat and seemingly trying, and failing, to emit sounds.

Klara looked around, alarmed, and it was then she noticed many figures running around the camp and the frantic movement of people fighting, although the details were hidden by the darkness and she couldn’t hear anything.

She jumped up, dragging Felix up with her. She didn’t know what was going on, but one thing was clear. They were under attack. If they did nothing, they would be killed before they had a chance to react.

The problem was how to give the alarm since most of the group was asleep, and with that unnatural silence, they couldn’t just shout to wake them up.

And to top it all off, the darkness didn’t help. The decision to not light a bonfire had bitten them back, since they had been discovered anyway, and now it was hard to see.

Suddenly, Klara had an inspiration. The darkness could actually help them. An explosion of light would almost certainly wake up a lot of the people, even without sounds. And Felix was certainly capable of conjuring something like that. She grabbed the boy’s head, making him turn toward her, and tried to mimic an explosion with her hands, gesturing toward the apprentice mage.

It took a few precious seconds to convey her idea, and Klara started to panic as the figures started getting closer to the camp. Felix suddenly understood and nodded.

He took out a small, black stone from his pouch and gripped it strongly in his hand while murmuring something to himself. The stone started glowing and he threw it in the air.

The glowing stone exploded, and the area was lit up by a blinding white light. There was no sound, but Klara, who had covered her eyes, could see many people suddenly rising from their resting spot. And beyond them, just at the limit of the camp, she saw the attackers, and her heart sank. It was goblins, and that in itself wasn’t particularly scary, but a quick glance at their number was enough to terrify her. There was no end to them. They were completely surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of goblins, with no possible chance of survival other than fighting their way out.

The humanoids had momentarily stopped their advance, blinded and confused by the light that kept shining in the air, but their daze lasted for only a few seconds before they resumed their attack.

Those precious few moments had given the humans a chance. Dagobert, the leader of the expedition, stood, raising his sword and gesturing everyone to follow him, and charged the goblins. The other two knights followed, and after a moment, the rest of the group did the same, waking those who were still asleep and urging them to run.

Moving so fast they were almost impossible to follow, the knights reached the goblins on the north and cut through them like a hot knife through butter. The other humans followed their lead, wedging themselves into the enemy formation and fighting to advance.

Klara was in the middle of them, using her short sword to stab everything in her way. Felix followed her like a lost puppy, sometimes using his staff to knock an assailant away.

The Brightswords acted as the rearguard and fought like demons. They advanced without any trace of panic, methodically killing any goblin that got in their way, while remaining in formation. Ludd in particular moved almost as fast as the knights, his sword a barely visible blur that left severed heads and bloody stumps in its wake.

It was kind of weird there was no noise at all, but the light from Felix’s spell lingered, and together with the stars and the moon, it was enough to let everyone fight well with their sight alone.

The battle was harsh. For a moment, it looked like the humans could make it out alive. The Aura Users seemed all but invincible. The hunters fought with a ferocity born from desperation. The mercenaries coldly and professionally dispensed death to every enemy that approached them.

Then another group of humanoids emerged from the darkness, similar to a wall of scales and muscles at least two meters high. On their flanks were two formations of smaller, but still bigger than average, armored goblins, wielding pikes, spears, and other pole weapons all pointed against the incoming humans.

Klara recognized them and internally cursed. Those were hobgoblins. The big ones were orc-hobs, and the armored ones were human-hobs. She knew they were much stronger and more dangerous than the normal goblins they’d faced so far, and sent a silent prayer to the gods to watch over her and Felix.

The knights reached the hobs, and there was no more time for idle thoughts.

Thanks to the strength of the Aura Warriors, the group was still advancing, but they were taking a lot of casualties. The humongous clubs of the orc-hobs were all but impossible to parry and were taking a bloody toll on the lightly armored hunters, and the simple mass of the hobs was obstructing their advance.

If a man got injured or separated from the main group by any means, he was dead. There was simply no time to rescue him in this slaughter.

Klara was now grabbing Felix’s hand, making sure he wouldn’t get lost, while she tried her best to keep up with the rest of the group. Luckily, being in the center meant she was protected from all directions, so they still had a chance to survive.

A few meters behind them, Ludd noticed the girl dragging her friend, and an evil smile appeared on his face.

Klara suddenly felt Felix being jerked away from her. She turned around, and she saw the apprentice wizard flying in the air, a shocked expression on his face, after being thrown away by Ludd. He grinned evilly at her, as if daring her to rescue her friend.

Without a sound, Felix landed at the feet of an orc-hob, who stumbled upon the young boy before looking down and raising his mace to hit him.

Klara acted on instinct. She threw herself at the hob, stabbing his neck while he was distracted.

The hobgoblin fell, blood spraying her face, and she grabbed Felix, trying to pull him up.

We’re still on time! she thought frantically. We can still rejoin the group and escape from her—

Klara couldn’t hear the boy’s warning, but the sheer alarm and fear on his face tipped her off. Klara dove for cover at the exact moment a humongous wooden club swung at her.

The attack would have killed her if it had fully connected. Even something that could be barely called a glancing blow sent her flying a few meters.

All the air left Klara’s lungs, while pain exploded in her torso. She hit the ground, where she remained, too hurt to get up. Through her tear-filled eyes, she could see little dancing dots of light, and beyond that were the backs of the mercenaries disappearing into the darkness.

She and Felix had been left behind and were now surrounded by the orc-hobs.

The girl tried desperately to get up, but her limbs refused to respond. The apprentice sorcerer tried to help her, but he was immobilized by another hob.

Meanwhile, the one that attacked Klara approached her, spat on the ground, and lifted his mace to finish her off.

No! I don’t want to die! Oh, gods please no! Please help me!

She closed her eyes, waiting for the club to hit her.

But that blow never arrived.

A moment before the hob could drop his weapon on his victim, a huge shadow dropped from the sky right on the humanoid’s face. With a silent scream, the hob stumbled backwards.

Before anyone else could react, three other shadows appeared and shot something in the face of the hobs, which caused them to jump back, obviously in pain and probably screaming.

Before anyone could do anything else, one of the shadows swept over Klara, grabbing her and lifting her from the ground. The sudden movement sent a shock of pain through her torso, and she felt her senses leaving her. The last thing she remembered seeing before fainting was Felix struggling as two of the shadows lifted him in the air.

* * *

In his cave more than ten kilometers away, Marcus was positively jittery with excitement.

The flying drones had been following the humanoid army for two days. Marcus was just too curious to know what enemy justified such a deployment of troops.

Sadly, the gremlins were accompanied by those damn gargoyles, so the drones had to follow from a very long distance, and could only get closer during the night, when the darkness would hide their presence.

This was the reason why Marcus discovered that the mysterious enemy the gremlins were facing was a group of humans only during the second night. By then, the humanoids had already started their attack.

Finding out about the humans had been a shock. He’d assumed, by this point, he was on an alien world with no member of the human race present. His joy and surprise had been greatly mitigated by the fact that the gremlins surrounded them and were probably going to kill them all.

A few weirdly dressed humanoids, each wielding staves decorated with skulls, had done something that involved a lot of dancing around, and suddenly, all sound disappeared in a radius of two kilometers. After that, the gremlins started their surprise attack, killing the human guards and preparing to slaughter the whole sleeping camp.

Luckily, things didn’t go exactly their way, as a blinding light was somehow produced by the humans, waking the group, and they’d started fighting their way out of the ambush.

The drones were watching the battle from the sky, and despite the humans fighting with incredible valor, it was clear they weren’t going to make it. They couldn’t see it from the ground, but they were charging directly into the biggest formation of gremlins in the battlefield, at least one thousand waited behind a smaller formation of those big, scaled humanoids.

It was then Marcus decided he needed to do something. He couldn’t save all of the humans, not with just four drones. He could at least try to get a couple of them.

The chance presented itself when a couple of young humans, a boy and a girl, became separated from the group. They were surrounded by four of those big, fat gremlins with the maces. The rest of the humanoid army was concentrated on the rest of the humans, and this gave Marcus the window he needed to perform his rescue.

The flying drones had dropped from the sky, biting and spitting poison in the gremlins’ faces, and while they were distracted screaming—although he couldn’t hear them in the silence—the oversized dragonfly creatures grabbed the two humans and fled to the sky.

The girl, who had probably been hurt in the fight, stopped moving completely, fainting in the drone’s clutches. Marcus hoped she wasn’t dead.

However, the boy had been quite a problem, struggling to free himself, almost falling a couple of times as result of his actions. This bothered Marcus quite a lot, as he had no way to reassure him and didn’t want to lose the livelier of the two. After a while, and a quick look at the ground, which had been worryingly far at that point, the young man calmed down, shivering and trembling like a rabbit caught in the talons of a hawk.

At this point, Marcus had finally been able to let out a sigh of relief, and he had let himself fall on his bed.

He lay there for a few seconds, and then he started giggling.

“Humans! I’ve found humans. Real people! I’m not alone on this fucking shitty world. I can’t wait to talk with them. I have so many questions. Are there cities in this world? Can they help me come back to my own world? And most importantly, do they have toilet paper? Not that I really need it. My shits are so small and dry, I couldn’t get dirty if I tried, but still, wiping myself with soft, wonderful toilet paper after getting the duty done would be very nice!” He giggled again, but a sudden realization hit him. “Wait… maybe I should do something about my appearance. After all, I don’t look very human, and I could scare them… but what can I do?”

He got up, looking around to find something to improve his look, and noticed the cave itself was pretty intimidating. It was dark, damp, and completely coated in mold wax. What worried Marcus the most was the ground, which was covered by bones, scuttling larvae, and most importantly, a huge number of eggs.

“Dammit, I can’t let them see the cave like this!” he screamed. “Especially not the eggs. I can’t let them know about the fucking eggs. No one can know about them. I couldn’t live with myself if someone found out I’m the one laying them.”

He issued a mental command, and a few worker drones started to move eggs and clean the room.

“Let’s get this place clean asap,” Marcus shouted. “Double time! We’re expecting guests.”

Chapter 28

Mutual Flashing

The flight was a pure nightmare for Felix.

In the beginning, he tried to free himself, kicking and punching to be released by the grip of the creature holding him. But as soon as he looked down and saw the ground more than fifty meters away, he decided that wasn’t exactly a good plan and had stopped struggling.

After he stopped panicking, he took a good look at the flying creatures. They were some sort of hybrid between a lizard and a dragonfly, about two meters long from head to tail, with equally large wings. They also had a creepy collection of talons, fangs, and hooks that made them look incredibly deadly, and their alien eyes shone with a purple light.

Despite their intimidating appearance, they were actually holding him quite delicately. At least as delicately as their talons allowed. Plus, they had just saved both him and Klara from the hobgoblins, fighting off the humanoids long enough to grab them and escape. Sure, they could have saved the humans just to eat them later, but Felix didn’t think this was likely. There were much easier preys to catch than a couple of humans surrounded by an army of goblins, after all.

But why would these creatures save them? Felix had no idea. Rather, he had no idea that he actually liked to think about. He recalled a parasitic spider that used living beings as meat puppets. Not having any way to escape right now, he just hoped these creatures wouldn’t inject mind-controlling webs into his brain.

Another source of worries was Klara. She was being transported by two other dragonfly creatures in front of him and was obviously injured. She still hadn’t regained consciousness and barely moved, save for the occasional spasm accompanied by a moan of pain.

Felix spent the whole trip accompanied by these dark thoughts. It was no wonder that, to him, it seemed an eternity before it ended.

In reality, it took about five hours, and it was still dark when they reached their destination. It should have been dawn, but the sky was covered by dark clouds that let the night linger.

When they reached a valley in the middle of the Ashwood Hills, the flying creatures started slowly descending until a big hole in the ground appeared in front of them.

Without hesitation, the creatures dove into it, taking their passengers with them. It was far too dark to see anything, but Felix immediately noticed the smell. It was pungent and strong but not exactly unpleasant. He could only describe it as weird.

Then, the creatures dropped him. He screamed in surprise, but he’d only been a meter from the ground and easily landed on all fours. He heard more than saw Klara being deposited a little more delicately a few meters from him.

Too shocked to do anything, he remained there for a while, trying to catch his breath. He could hear the sound of flowing water near him, but what caught his attention was the ground itself. It was soft and compact and also quite warm. It almost seemed like the skin of some humongous animal.

What is this? the apprentice sorcerer wondered. Then the sound of something nearby moved.

He immediately jumped up, looking frantically in the darkness, unable to see anything.

Then, with horror, he realized countless small, purple eyes were glowing all around him.

Felix panicked, taking out a small knife, his only weapon, and pointed it against the eyes in the darkness.

“Stay away!” he tried to scream, but his voice came out as a whimper.

The skittering sounds stopped, but the eyes kept staring.

Then, a new voice came out of the dark.

It was a high-pitched female voice, similar to that of a young girl but with a shrill echo that made it sound very alien. To make things worse, he also hadn’t been able to understand a single word of that gibberish.

“What? Who’s there! Is someone here?”

No answer came. After a few seconds, he heard something moving again, and the purple eyes were getting closer.

Panicking, he did the only thing he thought would help him. He took out a focus from his pocket and cast a Flare spell.

It was the same spell he had used at the camp. A simple one that would summon a big light that would linger in the air for a few minutes. He held the focus to his heart, concentrated on it, and as it was about to discharge, threw it into the air, where it exploded into a ball of white light.

As soon as the Flare spell illuminated the cave, Felix was able to see his surroundings. And he immediately wished he hadn’t.

He was in a big, circular cave, with a hole on the top and a small river flowing in the middle of it. The whole chamber was completely coated in some weird substance similar to opaque wax, which formed weirdly shaped lumps everywhere. Many small, circular tunnels opened on the walls, making them look like worm-eaten wood.

Klara, still unconscious, was lying three meters from him.

But the worst part was the army of creatures surrounding him. Hundreds of lizard-insect things, of many shapes and forms, all trying to cover their eyes from the light. Many of those creatures had terrifying scythe-like arms, while others looked like monstrous hounds, and others still had a vaguely humanoid torso attached to a four-legged lizard body. All of them had chitin armor, sharp fangs, and a single horn in the middle of their forehead.

Felix started screaming. He grabbed Klara and tried to run for it, but before he could take another step, a dozen of those creatures with the humanoid torso recovered themselves from the blindness and swarmed him.

He tried to defend himself, stabbing a couple of those beings with his knife, but he didn’t manage to inflict any serious wounds before he was immobilized and disarmed. He still tried to free himself, kicking, punching, and screaming. It was useless. Those insectoid things had an iron grip and wouldn’t let him go.

He kept struggling for a bit, but then he heard something approaching him. It was an overwhelming presence, an Aura unmatched by any he had ever felt before. Despair grasped his heart as he closed his eyes.

This is the end… he thought. I’m sorry, Klara! I just wanted to help you. I just wanted to tell you that I lo—

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. It was a weirdly human sound, filled with irritation and impatience but not really menacing.

He slowly opened his eyes, and in the lingering light of his spell, he saw a naked girl in front of him.

* * *

Marcus had watched the drones drop the boy and the girl in the cave, and it was only when he’d seen the boy jump to his feet, pointing his knife blindly around him, that he realized it was too dark for a normal human to see.

He cursed himself for his idiocy, but it was too late to do anything about it. He could just try to calm down the young man.

“Calm down, boy!” he said, trying his best to sound reassuring. “No one wants to hurt you. Just put down your knife, please!”

In response to his words, the young man simply looked around even more frantically, but he didn’t seem to have understood anything. Then he spoke, and his words sounded like some incomprehensible gibberish to Marcus.

Only then, it finally dawned on him that the people of this world could be speaking a different language.

He cursed under his breath. He’d failed to take into account the completely predictable fact that the inhabitants of this alien world would speak an alien language.

Goddammit… I’m such an idiot! I should have been able to anticipate this. He stopped for a second, then he decided to cut himself some slack. Well, I was busy hiding all the eggs into the third room while they were coming, and it’s not like I ever planned to receive visitors before. If I can somehow calm him down without hurting him, I can still make this work. I just have to stop acting completely braindead and start thinking from now on!

He looked at the terrified young man holding the knife and decided the first thing to do was to immobilize him, as he was bound to hurt someone otherwise.

He was about to order the drones to immobilize him, when the boy took a small stone from one of his pockets and launched it in the air. An instant later, an intense light exploded in the cavern, blinding Marcus and most of the drones.

With a cry of pain, he turned away. Luckily, he could see through more eyes than just his own. A few of the drones didn’t get hit by the light directly, and through them, he saw the young man rush toward the unconscious girl and try to run away with her.

Oh, no you don’t! Marcus thought, and issued a mental order to the drones to seize him. Out of caution, he gave this order only to the workers, who were less likely to accidentally hurt the boy, and although he struggled and tried to stab a couple of them, soon he was completely immobilized.

Only then did he approached him, walking under the white light that still lingered in the air over him.

He didn’t really know what it was, whether some sort of firework or flare, but he guessed it was the same thing that illuminated the human camp during the attack. He quickly dismissed it, turning his attention to the captive boy.

The young man, clearly in complete terror, was keeping his eyes shut, and Marcus cleared his throat to attract his attention.

Hearing that sound, the boy opened his eyes and looked at him.

Then he kept staring.

And then he blushed.

What? Why is he staring at me like that! Marcus wondered. And why is he blush—oh. Oh dear.

He finally registered the fact that he was completely naked. After all, the cave was warm enough to let him stay comfortably nude, and he hadn’t bothered wearing anything for the past few weeks, as he had been forced to stay inside.

He instinctively covered his crotch, almost letting out an embarrassed whimper. He stopped immediately, as his stubborn pride surfaced.

Wait a second, I’m a man! I don’t need to be flustered or scream like a shy little virgin. I am a man, and I will act like one! No need to cover my dick or anything in front of another man. Although, right now, I have a cooch not a dick. His resolution wavered as the boy kept staring at his private parts, making him feel very uncomfortable. Well… maybe I should get dressed anyway. No need to give any wrong ideas to this young man. And I’m definitely not getting dressed because I’m embarrassed or something!

He ran to the newly appointed “store room” of the hive, searching for something to cover himself with.

* * *

Felix couldn’t help but stare and blush despite himself. He’d never seen a naked girl before, and even if this one was probably a monster that would eat him, he couldn’t help but feeling slightly embarrassed in front of her.

Then the monster-girl seemed to realize the reason for his insistent stare, and she covered herself, looking flustered for a moment before running away. She disappeared into a small tunnel, and when she returned, she’d covered herself with a small fur cloak.

Felix, in the meantime, was trying to get some order to his thoughts. Fear had been replaced by confusion. Sure, he was surrounded by scary monsters that were keeping him immobilized, but they didn’t seem to be overtly hostile.

But what confused him the most was the little monster-girl. She was clearly not human, as she shared many of her features with the other creatures. From the eyes to her skin and chitin armor.

On the other hand, her mannerisms were very human, and very expressive to boot. This, coupled with her girlish appearance, made her much less threatening than she would otherwise be.

Now covered with a fur cloak, the monster-girl approached Felix again. For a second, she studied him, then she pointed at herself and said a single word, “Marcus.”

Then she pointed at Felix, slightly tilting her head.

For some reason, maybe because of her very expressive mannerism, the young man immediately understood what she meant. She’d introduced herself as Marcus and now was asking about his name!

“Uhm… ah… Felix. My name is Felix,” he answered, wondering about the creature’s name. Marcus was a common Imperial male name, and he had no idea why this monster-girl called herself this. Maybe she’d picked it from some Imperial explorer lost in the forest?

“Uh-Ah-Feelix Rai-Numis Feelix?” she repeated, pointing at the boy.

Felix immediately tried to correct himself. “Uh, no. Just Felix. Ehm…” He waited for a bit, then he just said, “Felix.”

She seemed to understand, as she pointed her finger at him and said, “Felix!” Then she pointed at herself and repeated her name, “Marcus!”

“Good!” Felix tried to smile a little. “Marcus, your name is Marcus! Is that what you’re trying to say to me?”

“Marcus!” the monster-girl replied triumphantly, and then she pointed at the boy saying, “Felix!”

After a second, she pointed at Klara, still lying on the floor, with a quizzical expression on her face.

“Klara,” Felix said. He looked to Klara with a worried expression. She probably needed help, and he couldn’t give her any while being held like that.

“Uhm, sorry, but could you tell these guys to let me go?” he said in a worried tone. “Klara needs my help. And I promise not to hurt you or anything!”

He looked at both Klara and the creatures that were holding him, trying to convey his message nonverbally as best as he could using only his head—since every other part was immobilized.

Luckily, the monster-girl seemed to understand as she nodded and pointed to Klara. Still, she was being cautious, and she took a few steps back as the insectoid creatures released him.

Felix fell to the floor, and immediately got up and approached the unconscious Klara. He tried to see if she had any serious injuries, taking off some of her clothes. He couldn’t see any blood. She was very pale, though, and had a nasty bruise on her left side.

At least one of her ribs is bruised or even broken… I can’t see any other injury and she doesn’t seem to have any trouble breathing, so even if her rib is broken, it didn’t puncture her lungs. I don’t know any healing spells, but she should be able to survive if she gets some rest. Then she could get healed as soon as we make it back to Brettholz!

Having finished his amateurish diagnosis, he turned to look at the monster-girl again. She was watching him with curiosity, but neither she nor the other creatures in the cave were doing anything else.

“Uhm… she’s injured,” Felix said, pointing at Klara. “Probably a broken rib.” He mimicked a blow to his side. “She needs to rest for a while.” He mimicked the sleeping gesture, closing his eyes and laying his head on his hands. “So, uhm, can we stay here for a while?” He pointed first at himself and Klara and then at the ground.

Miraculously, the monster-girl seemed to understand all of this. She nodded again, and then she approached him cautiously.

When she was a couple of meters from him, she extended her hand, apparently waiting for him to shake it.

Felix remained motionless for a second, but then he decided that trusting this monster-girl was the only thing he could do right now, so he slowly walked to her and took her hand.

The little monster-girl that called herself Marcus smiled brightly. This didn’t exactly put Felix at ease, though, as that smile was full of shark-like teeth.

Chapter 29

Rib Caged

When Klara finally regained consciousness, the first thing she saw was Felix, who was watching over her with a worried expression.

“Klara? Can you hear me? How do you feel?”

She tried to get up, but a sharp pain exploded in her right side, making her stop and moan in pain. Felix immediately sounded more worried.

“Don’t move!” he said. “You have a broken rib, and if you move too much, it could pierce your lungs.”

“Ugh!” Klara moaned again, closing her eyes, but she remained still. Judging from the pain she was in, Felix’s diagnosis was probably correct, and she knew all too well how dangerous broken ribs were.

“What happened?” she asked in a pained whisper, still keeping her eyes closed. “My memories are a little hazy… I remember we got ambushed by a bunch of goblins, didn’t we?”

“Yes.”

“And we got separated from the group.”

“Yes again.”

“And I can tell we’re not dead, ’cause I don’t think dead people can have broken ribs. So how in the Three Hells did we survive? Did we get rescued by the group?”

“Uhm… we got rescued, yes, but not by them,” he replied.

“What do you mean?” Klara asked, finally re-opening her eyes. “Who else could have… rescued… us…”

Her voice slowly died as she took a good look at her surroundings. She was in what seemed to be a rather big cave. The only source of light was a hole in the ceiling that let in the dim gray light of a cloudy day, but even in that semi-darkness, she could tell the place was wrong.

First of all, everything was covered by an opaque substance, similar to gray wax, which formed weirdly shaped lumps on the ceiling and walls. The only thing that was free of that stuff was a small river flowing in the center of the room.

The place looked unnatural and just plain alien. The worst thing were the dark shapes moving in the shadows just outside of the light. Some of them were looking at her with purple glowing insectoid eyes. It was impossible to count them, but they seem to number in the hundreds, skittering and scuttling like insects.

Klara’s eyes widened with fear and panic, and she tried to jump up, but the pain from her rib made her fall again with a moan of pain.

“Stay still!” Felix said. “Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you. They’re the ones that saved us.”

“Felix…” Klara spoke, but her voice was faint and full of fear. “What do you mean? What are those things? And for the love of the gods, where are we!”

The apprentice sorcerer looked at her for a moment, trying to decide which question to answer first.

“Well, I don’t know what exactly those things are, but they don’t seem to be hostile. They rescued us from the hobgoblins. Or maybe they were just following Marcus’s orders…” Felix seemed lost in his thoughts for a second. “She seems to be the only sentient one, and the others obey her.”

“What are you talking about?” Klara said, exasperation in her voice. “Who is this… Marcus?”

“Oh, right! Marcus is the owner of this place. I think. She seems nice enough, though she doesn’t speak our language. She seems capable of learning it, and anyway, she’s amazing at communicating through gestures and—”

“Felix, focus!” Klara admonished him. She knew fully well her friend could speak for hours without getting to the point if left unchecked. “Answer my question first, please. Who exactly is this Marcus?”

It took him a while to answer. For a few seconds, he seemed to try to find the right words, but then he gave up.

“Well, I don’t know if I can explain it,” he said. “Maybe it’s better if you see her with your own eyes.” He turned away, facing toward the dark, and gestured to someone. “Marcus, could you come over here, please? I want to introduce you to Klara.”

In response to Felix’s call, one of the dark shapes stepped into the light. Klara flinched in surprise.

It was a humanoid creature with gray skin and long, messy copper-brown hair. She was pretty short and dressed with a collection of random furs and rags. From the shape of her body, it was pretty clear she was a female, although her chest was completely flat, and her arms and legs were covered by some sort of dark chitin armor.

What really struck Klara was the creature’s face. She had various nonhuman features, like the glowing insectoid eyes, the horn in the center of the forehead, and the slightly jagged mouth, but for some reason, it felt familiar to the young woman. She couldn’t tell why, as she had certainly never met this creature or anyone like her before, but the feeling remained.

“Klara, this is Marcus,” Felix said awkwardly, pointing at the creature. “And Marcus, this is Klara.”

Marcus bowed slightly after being introduced, then she pointed at herself and exclaimed, “Marcus!” Her voice had a weird, shrill echo, but apart from that, it sounded like a girl’s voice.

Then the creature pointed at the young woman and asked, “Klara?”

“Uh… yes,” she answered, still a bit confused. “I’m Klara.”

The creature smiled merrily after this introduction with a childish, delighted expression on her face that was at odds with her shark-like teeth. The overall effect was creepy and did nothing to put Klara at ease.

What followed was a long, awkward silence, broken only by the flowing water and the skittering sounds of the creatures moving in the dark.

“Felix, what is this creature?” Klara finally asked.

“I don’t know,” the apprentice sorcerer admitted. “I’ve never heard of something like her. She doesn’t seem hostile, though, and the other creatures here seem to obey her.”

“These other creatures are the ones hiding in the dark?” Klara studied the shadows and the purple eyes around her. “Why don’t they show themselves?”

“Uhm, err… I think that maybe they don’t want to scare you.” Felix shuddered a little. “They don’t look as human as Marcus. The first time I saw them, I panicked a little.”

“What do you mean they don’t look human? What do they look like, then?” Klara asked, but before the boy could answer, a sudden memory flashed in her mind. “Wait, I remember something. Those dragonfly things… the ones that took us from the hobgoblins. Are those the other creatures?”

“Yes! But there are other types too. They all look like a mix between insects and lizards, but their general shape changes greatly from type to type. I wonder why that—”

“Felix!” Klara interrupted, a worried rage in her eyes. “Are you telling me that we’re in the middle of a den of creatures that could rip us apart if they wanted to?”

The boy shrugged. “Well, why would they? They saved us from the goblins. As long as we don’t do anything stupid, we should be safe. And Marcus seems quite friendly, to be honest.”

“Yes, but—Ouch!” the girl had tried to debate that point, but a stabbing pain at her side interrupted her.

She’d completely forgotten about her broken ribs, and after talking for so long, it had started to hurt a lot.

Felix gave a worried look at her.

“Maybe we should argue later,” he suggested. “You can’t move right now anyway, and Marcus and the other creatures are at least keeping us safe. We should treat your wound. Do you happen to have a first aid kit with you?”

“No,” Klara hissed through her teeth. “I left mine in my backpack at the camp.”

“Uh, well, then I’ll have to find something,” the apprentice mumbled. “But I don’t know what to use.”

“Just some painkillers would be enough,” Klara hissed again. “Broken ribs require—uff! To stay still. But something for… the pain would be great.”

“Right! What do we have for the pain?” Felix asked.

“Nothing… But there are plants… on these hills… that can be used. Dawnshade berries, or toadbirch bark… should work. Do you know them?”

“Of course! I’ll get them for you in a flash!”

And he immediately turned to Marcus, who had been following the whole conversation in silence, listening to every word while trying to pick out bits of the language used.

“Marcus,” Felix said, trying to use gestures to explain himself. “I need to get some medicines for Klara. I need to go outside. Search for medicines.”

The monster-girl seemed a bit confused, so Felix tried to explain himself better, pointing first at Klara, then trying to mimic the treating of a wound, and then pointing outside. Marcus finally seemed to understand, but she replied by shaking her head and gesturing about something flying over her head and then diving to get her.

Felix understood the meaning. She was worried that some flying creatures would discover and attack him.

He argued by mimicking a pain at his side, moaning in pain, and then pointing at Klara to indicate that she would be suffering without medicines.

Marcus seemed thoughtful for a moment, but then she nodded, and gestured Felix to follow her. She brought him to one of the small circular tunnels leading out of the cave, where they found one of those huge worm-mole things and various warriors and hounds waiting for them. The monster-girl pointed at the drones and then at Felix, meaning they would accompany him.

The boy tried to refuse, but Marcus interrupted him, pointing to the outside and mimicking various ferocious beasts that would attack him. The apprentice sorcerer got the point. A lone human in the Ashwood Hills wouldn’t last long without protection.

Felix had to agree, and as soon as he nodded, the creatures entered in the tunnel in front of him.

The boy did the same, but he took the time to take out a small crystal from his pocket and murmur a few words.

A pale light appeared from the crystal, just enough to illuminate the darkness of the tunnel, and the apprentice sorcerer made a loud, nervous gulp and entered the hole.

As soon as he left, Marcus walked back into the light and sat right next to Klara, staring at the girl with her big, glowing eyes.

The wounded young woman couldn’t help but shudder, and she fervently hoped Felix would be back soon.

Chapter 30

Happy Meal

“I tell you, Cooper, this girl ain’t very sociable,” Marcus muttered to his drone.

He was now sitting in another room, since his presence seemed to make Klara uncomfortable. All of his attempts to start a conversation failed. The girl kept staring at him almost as if he was some kind of dangerous beast ready to pounce at her. Even after he had some drones take a few furs to her to make her more comfortable, her cool attitude didn’t change a single iota. In the end, Marcus elected to retire to the storeroom and sat near a pile of his eggs, venting his frustration by complaining to Cooper.

“I mean, I get that she’s injured, and I don’t look exactly normal right now, but she looks at me as if I threatened to kill her dog or something! Even after I gave her the furs of my own bed. Now I’ll have to sleep on the floor, and did she thank me? Of course not! Not even a word. She just took the damn furs and kept staring at me! She’s getting fucking creepy…. What should I do with her, buddy?”

Cooper didn’t answer, nor did Marcus expect it to. The drone wasn’t capable of talking—heck, it couldn’t even think on its own—but having some sort of echo chamber for his thoughts helped him to relax.

He couldn’t do anything about it right now, so he just had to wait for Felix to come back. He, at least, seemed the more collaborative of the two. Following this line of thought, he shifted his attention to the drones accompanying the boy and saw he was still out in the woods, looking for plants and roots.

Just to be sure he wasn’t gonna be discovered while outside, Marcus concentrated on the flying drones that were patrolling the valley. He didn’t see any threats nearby.

In fact, since the previous day, the gremlin patrols had retreated north of the swamp, abandoning the territory completely save for a few packs of gargoyles that still scouted the nearby valleys. And those were far from the one the hive was in.

This actually seemed quite suspicious to Marcus. Why abandon the territory they had fought so hard for, especially since the fight was going their way?

The only answer he could think of was that maybe the humanoids were more concerned about the humans than they were about him. This theory was supported by the fact that the army sent to attack the humans had been much, much bigger than all of the patrols sent against the drones combined.

It was still highly suspicious, though. Marcus knew the gremlins well enough to expect some sort of dirty trick from them. He resolved to keep his eyes—the eyes of his drones, actually—well open just in case.

Also, there was another aspect of this unexpected truce that was both welcome and horrible. Since the conflict was on break for now, it was the perfect moment to replenish the hive’s forces, but this meant more eggs to lay.

And Marcus, who was already uncomfortable laying eggs on his own, couldn’t even process the level of embarrassment he would experience if his guests witnessed him during such an act. The thought alone was almost enough to make him feel physically ill.

Still, he didn’t really have a choice. To ensure his own survival, he needed all the drones he could get. He would have to just take care of this dirty business while hidden in the storeroom, and maybe station a warrior drone to the entrance to make sure the humans wouldn’t get in.

Taking a look at the pile of eggs near him, Marcus decided to make at least two drones watch this room. At all times.

* * *

Felix came back a couple of hours later, carrying a small but very full bag with him.

As soon as he entered the cave, he looked out for Klara, finding her resting on a bunch of furs laid on the floor.

“Hey, Klara!” he shouted, waving at her. “I’m back!”

Klara turned a bit to look at him, a grimace of pain on her face. “Took you… long enough!” she said weakly. “Did you find… the things I’ve asked for?”

“Yes! And then some.” He smiled, emptying his bag on the floor. A lot of herbs, roots, and fruits rolled out. “I’ve also gathered some food, since we both lost our backpacks, and our provisions were in there.”

Klara frowned hearing this. She’d been about to scold her friend for taking so long and leaving her alone in a nest full of creepy creatures, but she couldn’t fault his logic. They needed to eat.

“Well, let’s give a look at your injury, then,” Felix said. “I’ve got the toadbirch bark, the dawnshade berries, and even some bloodmold, just in case of an infection.”

Klara’s side was swollen, bruised, and incredibly sore, and she felt a sharp pain every time she took a breath.

The first thing Felix did was to give her a dawnshade berry. The berries were a very good painkiller, but they would become toxic if you ate too many of them.

He took the toadbirch bark and soaked it in water before putting it directly on the injury. The bark had a painkiller property too, but most importantly, it would reduce the inflammation.

Felix tore the bloodmold apart, since it would be needed in case of an infection. That particular mold would, in fact, grow pretty well if applied on a suppurating wound, eating away the infection.

After being treated like this, Klara seemed a little more at ease, and they started eating.

Felix had been able to find various things, from berries to edible roots, and even some small pinepears, while still very unripe, would do nicely to fill their bellies.

“Uhm, so, do you know where Marcus is?” Felix asked while chewing a root. “I can’t see her.”

“I dunno,” Klara replied while eating a few berries. “She’s been gone for at least an hour now. I think she’s gone to one of the other rooms. Not that I miss her, though. After you left, she stared at me for a very long time without blinking. It was awfully creepy!”

“She did give you some furs to rest on, though,” Felix said, looking at the bed she was lying on.

“Some of the other… things, did it. Not her.”

“Well, I think she must have ordered them to,” the apprentice sorcerer mused. “The others don’t really seem that smart.”

“Whatever. Ouch!” Klara shrugged, then grimaced as the movement still felt painful. “Well, I guess I’ll have to tolerate her presence as long as we stay here. We’re basically at her mercy, and it’s better to stay on good terms with her. But we must stay on guard. These creatures could turn on us. And besides, there’s something about this monster-girl that bugs me.”

“Eh!” Felix snickered. “So, the bug girl bugs you?”

“Shut it! This is no joking matter. Our lives are at stake.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry! Please, calm down. So, why does she bug you?”

“I dunno…” Klara replied. “There’s something about her that feels weirdly familiar.”

Before they could continue the discussion, Marcus emerged from the storeroom, walking toward them. She looked a bit weary, as if she’d done some strenuous physical exercise, but she smiled at Felix, clearly happy to see him.

“Oh, hi, Marcus!” Felix saluted her, waving his hand. “Nice to see you!”

“Oh, hi, Feelix!” Marcus replied, trying to repeat the boy’s speech. “Neeice tae sae yeth!”

“Very good, Marcus!” Felix laughed. “Very good! Just a bit more time and you’ll be able to speak properly.”

Klara said nothing, merely staring at the creature as she picked up a fruit. Marcus looked at Felix, indicating first the fruit, and then at her own mouth with a quizzical expression.

Her question was immediately understood.

“Of course, you can eat that, Marcus!” the apprentice sorcerer nodded. “You can eat all you want. Here, have some roots and berries too.”

He gave some to the monster-girl, who looked at them with a puzzled expression and then gave most of them back, just keeping one of each kind for herself.

She proceeded to bite the fruit, grimacing a bit because of the sour taste, but ate it all nonetheless. She then ate a berry and a root, and she seemed to really take a liking to it.

Then, suddenly, she hit her forehead with the palm of her hand, frowning and repeating a word in her weird language. The two humans couldn’t really tell what she was saying, but it sounded like, “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

Klara and Felix looked at her with confusion.

“Uhm, is everything all right?” Felix asked. “Perhaps you didn’t like the berries?”

The monster-girl looked at him, still frowning and shrugged, as if saying that it was nothing.

“Uhm, okay.” Felix went back to eating.

The meal didn’t really take long since it wasn’t that abundant, and it left both Felix and Klara still quite hungry. They tried to sate their hunger by drinking a lot of water, but it just wasn’t the same.

“We need to find something more nutritious soon,” Klara said, eating the last of the berries. “These vegetables may keep us alive, but if we eat only things like this, we’ll just get weaker. Also, I need proteins and calcium to heal faster.”

“Yeah,” Felix concurred. “But we’re still in the wrong season for nuts and other more nutritious things. I’m not a hunter like you, so catching prey would be difficult.”

The two remained silent, trying to think of a solution. Then their thoughts were disturbed by a crunching sound.

They both turned to the source of the sound, and saw Marcus, who was watching them while loudly eating a piece of mold wax.

The monster-girl looked at them, then the mold wax, and offered it to them.

Klara didn’t move, but Felix took it from the creature’s hands and tried to bite into it.

It was quite hard to chew, with an almost wood-like texture. At first, he couldn’t even sense the taste. Then, after quite a bit of chewing, his saliva finally started working on that substance, and a foul taste invaded his mouth and almost made him throw up.

He spit out the rest of the mold wax, coughing and gasping, and he ran to the river, trying to wash out the taste.

“So, I guess that it wasn’t to your liking,” Klara said sardonically.

“Puah! Not really,” Felix admitted, still spitting. “Tastes like rotten eggs and spoiled milk. I guess I could eat that stuff if I was about to starve, but not any sooner!”

He turned to Marcus, who was staring quizzically at him, apparently surprised at his reaction to the mold wax.

“I’m sorry, but do you happen to have anything else to eat?” Felix asked. “Klara needs to be well fed to heal, and some meat would greatly help.”

“Hey, are you really asking her for meat?” Klara intervened, astonished.

“Well, it’s worth a try, isn’t it?” Felix gestured for something to eat, pinching his own arm to indicate the word “meat.”

As always, the monster-girl seemed to immediately guess what he meant.

He made a quick nod toward the drones scuttling around them, and less than a minute later, one of the more humanoid-looking drones came from the storeroom carrying various pieces of meat.

“See?” Felix said to Klara. “The problem is solved now. With all that meat, we could eat… for days…”

His voice slowly died out as he realized the nature of the meat that was being presented to him.

There were two varieties. One was purple, and the skin seemed dark gray and sometimes covered in dark chitin armor. It was obviously the meat of the drones. But the other was even worse. There were a few recognizable body parts, like arms and feet, that obviously used to belong to a goblin.

Both humans looked in horror at the meat, while Marcus merrily gestured them to serve themselves.

“Felix?” Klara asked.

“Yes?”

“Is this creature really serving us the meat of goblins and of her own goddamn kin?”

“I… I guess so?”

They exchanged a concerned look, while Marcus, studying their reaction, noticed their disgust and with a quick nod ordered the drone to take the meat away. She shrugged apologetically, as if trying to excuse for making them uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry. We’re fine. I know you were just trying to get us something to eat,” Felix said, still trying to get the image of the severed goblin arm out of his head. Even if the hand had four fingers instead of five and the skin was gray, it looked far too human for his liking.

Klara, on the other hand, seemed even more alarmed than him, as she had gone completely silent, keeping a hand on the handle of her knife. She stared at Marcus as if the monster-girl was about to pounce her and rip out her throat.

“Well then, I guess it’s better to leave Klara to rest for now!” Felix said quickly, trying to defuse the tension in the air. “How about I give Marcus some language lessons? I’m sure we could all be more at ease if we could better understand each other.”

He gestured toward Marcus, indicating himself speaking and then the monster-girl. She smiled brightly with a happy nod.

“Perfect! We can just get a bit further in order to not bother Klara,” he said, taking a few steps away from Klara’s bed. Marcus followed him.

As soon as they were both sitting on the floor, a dozen meters away from Klara, the apprentice sorcerer started his first lesson.

“Well then, let’s start with presentation. I say: My name is Felix.” He pointed to himself while saying this. “And you say: My name is Marcus.”

He pointed at the monster-girl.

“Meeeth noum es Marcus,” she said.

“Splendid!” Felix smiled. “Now let’s try something else…”

They spent the following hours conversing this way, while Klara kept staring at Marcus with suspicion.

Chapter 31

No Fighting in the War Room

The goblin city was bustling because of the preparations for the invasion. Goblins were running in every direction, often slamming into each other and arguing, only to be whipped into motion again by the human-hob overseers who patrolled the roads.

Grel felt sympathy for those overseers. Getting most goblins to behave and cooperate was like trying to herd a bunch of cats, and this task fell completely on the shoulders of the human-hobs, who were the only ones capable of organizing things.

Truly, being in command was mostly a curse, Grel thought. You had to think for those who didn’t, take responsibility for everything, try to correct every single problem, and to top it all off, most of your subjects thought you were the one that had it better than anyone else. He shook his head in disgust. Only a fool would think of authority as something to be desired.

Grel knew this fully well. He was a human-hob himself, but he was also something more. He was Trakk’s second-in-command, the one the general trusted to lead the troops into battle.

Unluckily—or luckily; it was a matter of perspective really—Grel would never be able to become a general himself. He’d already evolved into a Goblin Champion, but he was smart and responsible enough to perform well in his current role.

Sadly, competence was like a curse. It meant you were always needed, and you never had any respite. Grel had just come back from leading the attack against the human explorers and wanted nothing more than to eat something and get some sleep. Trakk, of course, had more work for him, so he had to postpone his well-deserved rest.

Grel walked through the streets, cutting through the crowd with ease. He carried himself with such a confidence that everyone instinctively made way for him, even if he wasn’t that physically impressive. About 1.6 meters tall, not counting the ears, Grel was of average stature for a human-hob. His face was nothing special either, save for his eyes. They were of an icy blue and filled with a quiet confidence. The only thing that immediately made him stand out was his outfit. He was covered head to toe in blood-spattered, full plate armor, which he didn’t have time to take off and clean after the battle.

After a few minutes, he reached the old inn Trakk was using as a headquarters. The guards, an orc-hob and a human-hob, recognized him with a glance and stood at attention as he passed.

Once inside the great hall, there were a lot of goblins, but five in particular caught his attention. They were all sitting at a big table with seven chairs.

Those five goblins all had peculiar appearances and radiated an Aura of power that would keep anyone on their toes. Those were the top brass of the goblin army. The commanders of the various branches, and each of them was a powerful and gifted specimen.

There was a human-hob in full plate armor just like Grel, but this one was much taller, larger, and his face was covered in scars. It was Ureg the Scarred, the strongest Goblin Champion of this army, and the commander of the assault forces. He had a strong dislike for Grel, who, despite being weaker than him, was his superior. But Trakk had chosen Grel for his wits in addition to his strength. Ureg was too impulsive and hotheaded to be an effective commander.

Near Ureg was a humongous orc-hob, one so big he could easily be mistaken for an actual orc. He was more than three meters tall and half as wide, with a rough, scale-covered skin that seemed as resilient as rock. It was Grom the Basher, an Ogre Goblin and commander of the orc-hobs, a position which required simply to be the strongest among them. He was still smart enough to follow Trakk’s orders to the letter, though.

Another figure who seemed even bigger than Grom, but after a second glance, one would realize it was an illusion caused by the goblin’s gigantic wings. Shak was the biggest gargoyle of the camp, being almost two meters tall, but his wings were longer than three meters. Unlike other gargoyles, he had a long reptilian tail, and every time he took a breath, he emitted small puffs of smoke.

Sitting in the middle between Shak and Grom, almost hidden by them, was a small, hunched, cloaked figure. Its face was impossible to see, but its identity could easily be guessed by the staff decorated with a nightwolf skull he carried around. The figure was none other than Klatch, the leader of the Goblin Shamans.

The last goblin sat a bit separated from the others, and everyone seemed to try and not to make eye contact with him. Even Grel found that particular goblin to be a bit upsetting. Arag was the only one of his breed in the whole army, a spider goblin. He had six long, thin arms covered in chitin, eight insectoid eyes, and a perpetual smile full of needle-shaped teeth. He was the leader of the intelligence and scouts. According to the rumors, he was an amazing assassin who had taken the lives of all who opposed Trakk.

Not losing any time, Grel took a chair with a sigh of relief. He was starting to feel really tired, and the sooner this meeting was dealt with, the sooner he could go to bed.

“What took you so long, Grel?” Ureg asked in a caustic voice. “You’re late. We’ve been waiting for you for the last hour!”

“I was occupied,” Grel replied, too tired to actually get irritated by Ureg’s amateurish attempts at provoking him. “I’ve led the attack against the humans, and I had to make sure everything was in order when we came back to town.”

“Then you’ll have to tell me everything about it,” said a familiar confident voice.

Grel turned to his right. The general was coming down the stairs. He sat in the last chair available, and gave everyone a calculating stare.

“Grel. Report to me how the attack has gone down,” Trakk ordered.

“The attack was an overall success,” the Goblin Champion answered dutifully. “There have been a few hiccups here and there, but they were well within expectations. We didn’t manage to catch the humans completely by surprise, despite the Silence charm over the area, but we prevented them from using their Twinstones to warn their bosses about us. We managed to catch most of them alive, as you asked us to do, but we were forced to kill at least a third of them first.”

“That was within my expectations,” Trakk nodded. “Good job on catching so many alive. Anything else to report?”

Grel paused for a moment, then he added, “Well, there is this. A couple of hobs have reported seeing some of those insectoid beasts. According to them, they took a couple of humans and fled.”

“What!” Ureg asked, baffled “How did they do that?”

“They flew in, blinding the hobs with a spray of poison, grabbed the humans, and flew away,” Grel replied. “According to the hobs, they looked like those dragonfly things, but much bigger.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Grel shrugged.

“They wanted information,” Trakk said with complete confidence. “They are going to probe the humans for information they can use against us.”

“What? How can you be sure?” Ureg asked.

“It’s what any sufficiently intelligent leader would do,” the general replied. “Information is power. Those creatures are losing so badly against us, mostly because they don’t have enough information. If they manage to communicate with the humans, they could turn the tables on us. In the worst-case scenario, they may even end up making an alliance with the humans.”

“An alliance with the humans?” Ureg laughed. “As if! The humans would kill those creatures on sight!”

“Maybe,” Trakk conceded. “But it’s better to be prepared for the worst. We have to deal with those insects before departing.”

“Isn’t that what we’ve been trying to do for weeks?” Grel asked. “We can’t wipe them out without finding their nest, and as far as I know, the gargoyles still haven’t found it.”

“They haven’t,” Arag the Spider Goblin said, his soft voice similar to a hiss. “But Arag did.”

The spider goblin always spoke of himself in the third person for some reason. No one really wanted to know why.

“How did you do it?” Grel asked in a bewildered tone. “Did you manage to follow them into one of those tunnels of theirs?”

“Perhaps they mistook him for one of them,” Shak the Gargoyle suggested with heavy sarcasm. Like all gargoyles, he was pretty prideful, and he didn’t like other goblins professing themselves more competent than his kind.

Arag cackled, a very unsettling sound that resembled thousands of spiders moving inside a box.

“You overestimate Arag,” he admitted in an amused tone. “General Trakk had already located the valley in which the nest is. Arag only had to explore that valley.”

“What?” Ureg turned to Trakk. “How did you do it?”

“It was simple really,” the general said. “All I had to do was send our patrols in different places to see where there was more resistance.” He smiled sardonically. “Those creatures may be fairly intelligent, but they aren’t strategic experts. They defended with particular care one specific valley, and lo and behold, their base was in there.”

“Wait a second!” Ureg said, shocked. “Do you mean that all the patrols you sent south and all the skirmishes they fought were all just for finding their base?”

“But of course,” Trakk nodded. “We can’t risk leaving those creatures so close to our town while our forces are attacking the human kingdom. They are far too dangerous. Those insects have gone from a small group of about thirty weak individuals to a force of hundreds of strong warriors in only a few weeks. Think about what would happen if they were left to their own devices for months.”

Everyone remained quiet for a bit, slowly digesting this fact. Then, all of a sudden, Grom the Basher spoke.

“So, we’re smashing the insects now?” he asked in his deep voice. “I can lead my hobs there and smash them good.”

“I don’t doubt you could.” Trakk smiled. “But the attack needs to be swift and sudden in order to not leave any survivors like last time. Your hobs are ill-suited for this kind of job. Better to leave it to the ferals, and maybe the new breed that has appeared recently.” He turned to Klatch, who had remained silent until then. “To ensure the success of this mission, I need your shamans to conjure some sort of veil to keep our troops unseen until they reach the hive, as well as doing something to collapse their tunnels before they can escape. Can you do that?”

The old shaman slightly lifted his head, and a pair of glowing yellow eyes met those of the general.

“I think we should be able to do what you ask,” he said with a feeble and raspy voice, similar to that of dry leaves being stepped on. “It would take the majority of our shamans to do something of this magnitude, and this would weaken the charm of undetectability around the city. Any serious attempt to divine our location would most likely succeed in that case.”

“I thought as much,” the general said. “Before the attack, we’ll have to make sure the humans don’t look in this direction.”

“And how would you do that?” Grel asked.

Trakk smiled at his question, a calm, confident smile that was somehow more chilling than any expression of anger.

“Why, by telling them there is nothing interesting here, of course!” he replied sardonically.

* * *

Zeno was not having a good time.

Sitting naked in a wooden cage was already bad enough, but being surrounded by hundreds of hobgoblins made it even worse.

Still, it was better than being dead.

He’d been captured along with most of the others the previous night. Their attempt at breaking through the enemy lines failed when they met another formation of hobgoblins hidden inside the forest. The other caster, Argus, had tried to break their lines by casting a fireball, but at that point, everyone else was too tired to keep fighting, and they were overwhelmed.

Argus himself had been felled by at least three different blows before he could cast another spell, as no soldier would take any risk when dealing with a caster. This was the reason Zeno hadn’t cast a single spell during the battle, as doing so would be like painting a giant target on his head.

After being defeated, the survivors had been taken captive.

Interestingly, the goblins didn’t seem interested in killing them, as they had some of their shamans heal the most wounded humans before tying them up. After all the captives had been massed together, ready to be taken away, Zeno estimated at least half of the original group survived, which seemed to suggest the goblins wanted them alive to begin with. They even kept the Aura Warriors alive despite the danger they posed, though they made them drink something that had put them in some kind of catatonic state. Zeno guessed it was some drug to prevent them from using their powers to escape, which only supported the theory that the goblins wanted to keep them alive.

The humans had then been taken away to a goblin outpost in a nearby valley, where they had been stripped of their possessions and put into wooden cages.

Zeno, in particular, had been given a cage all for himself after the goblins recognized his possessions as focus instruments for casters, and so he was rather more comfortable than the others, who had been trapped in big groups in tight cages.

Still, the situation wasn’t good. He was trapped, and he had no way of freeing himself. The goblins had been smart enough to take all of his possessions away, which included all of his foci for his spells, some of which he hid in his clothes, leaving him naked.

And even though the goblins seemed interested in keeping them alive, they could change their mind anytime.

I shouldn’t have let Vicker convince me to come here, he thought bitterly. That goddamn book is more trouble than it’s worth. All the money in the world wouldn’t make up for this situation! I swear, if I come out of this alive, I’ll never again get involved in Vicker’s affairs.

He noticed a peculiar goblin approaching his cage. This goblin was physically no different from a standard one, but the way he was dressed was weird. All of his body was draped in rags held together by ropes and bones. In one hand, he carried a long staff decorated with countless rat skulls, which identified him as a shaman.

In the other hand, he carried Zeno’s Twinstone.

The shaman stopped a couple of meters from the sorcerer’s cage and gave him an appraising look.

“This yours?” he asked, raising the Twinstone. He spoke in Imperial, albeit with a terrible accent, instead of the usual goblin gibberish, so the human understood him.

Zeno hesitated, pondering the pros and cons of telling the truth, but the shaman didn’t seem very patient. Instead of waiting for an answer, he pointed his staff at the human, and a bolt of lightning erupted from it, flaying the sorcerer and making him scream in pain.

The lightning disappeared almost immediately, leaving Zeno twitching frantically on the floor of his cage. The goblin raised the Twinstone again and repeated the question, this time with impatience palpable in his voice.

“This yours?”

“Y-yes! Yes! It’s mine!” Zeno cried in panic. “P-please d-don’t hurt me!”

“You can use this?” the goblin asked. “You is magic man, yes?”

“Yes, I can use it!” he quickly said. “I’m a sorcerer!”

“Good. You gonna use it, then,” the shaman said with satisfaction. “You gonna tell other humans what I tell you to tell. If you don’t, we kill you. Understand?”

“Yes!” Zeno said. “Whatever you want. J-just don’t hurt me!”

“Good.” The shaman smiled with satisfaction, and he handed the Twinstone to the sorcerer. “Take it. And tell other humans what I tell you now.”

Too terrified to do anything else, Zeno complied.

Chapter 32

Dance Earth Dance

Klara couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

She and Felix had remained in Marcus’s cave for a week, and during this time, the monster-girl had been a rather good host. She’d shared the food her minions took to the cave with the humans. Thankfully, she didn’t offer them any meat belonging to goblins or her kin, but rather more conventional game meat and vegetables like roots, berries, and fruits. This had been quite convenient, since the weather had considerably worsened, and it had been raining for days.

Felix spent most of his time either teaching Marcus how to talk or trying to use his Twinstone to warn Brettholz about the goblins.

In the last of these tasks, he hadn’t been successful. He kept failing to activate the stone, muttering under his breath about some field in the way that disrupted the link. Klara wasn’t too surprised about this as the only magic Felix was marginally good at were fire-related spells.

On the contrary, his progress with Marcus had been stellar. The monster-girl was picking up Imperial words very fast, and she managed to more or less hold a conversation. The result was that she and Felix now chatted for hours without stopping, especially since Marcus had shown the apprentice sorcerer her collection of materials she’d gathered over time.

Admittedly, even Klara had been impressed by some of those. The huge antlers of a Crystal Deer, for example, were a very rare, magical material that could be sold for thousands of crowns. However, she was more interested in the part of the cave where those things were kept.

Whenever Marcus wanted to show something, she’d have one of her minions take it from the “forbidden” room where neither Klara nor Felix were allowed in.

Klara didn’t know what was kept in there, but for some reason, the monster-girl often went there and remained inside for a few minutes before coming out looking weary and tired. Klara would have suspected it was the restroom, but Marcus took care of her “business” in a hidden corner of the cave like everyone else, and the waste was quickly absorbed by the mold wax. So, whatever it was she was doing in that room, it sure wasn’t taking a crap.

Also, sometimes some more of her minions came out of that room, but Klara didn’t remember watching them go inside.

Something weird was going on in there, she was sure of it. But all of her attempts to peek inside had been thwarted by the creatures that constantly guarded its entrance. And to make things worse, Felix didn’t take this seriously. He argued that if Marcus wanted to hurt them, she could have done so anytime she wanted to. Whatever secret she was keeping in there didn’t matter to them, and it was best to respect the monster-girl’s privacy in order to stay in her good graces.

Still, Klara couldn’t force herself to blindly trust their host. Something about Marcus’s face put her on edge, as it was vaguely familiar. She just couldn’t remember where or when she’d seen it before.

Since she was still injured and couldn’t walk, the only thing she could do was rest, heal, and get out of there as soon as she was able to.

However, she could already tell that getting Felix to leave was going to be a problem. The apprentice sorcerer was completely absorbed with Marcus. He’d probably want to take the monster-girl home with them, as if she were some kind of lost puppy.

Or at least, Klara hoped the boy’s interest in the creature was only akin to that of a lost puppy. Because despite her monster traits and wild boyish behavior, Marcus was still very clearly female, and quite cute, in an alien way. And there were plenty of humans who had a thing for “exotics.”

She shook her head in disgust. She didn’t want to think this way about Felix. It made her feel very, very uncomfortable, sad, and angry for some reason. Maybe she just didn’t want to see her best friend fall so low. She just couldn’t help but feel bitter whenever she watched the boy chatting merrily with Marcus.

Which only made her more curious about what was in the room. If only to find some reason to make Felix stop being so friendly with the monster-girl.

* * *

“And this is called horse,” Felix said, finishing drawing a crude picture of a horse on the ash-covered ground with a stick.

“Horse!” Marcus smiled, pointing at the drawing, apparently recognizing the image, and then she imitated a horse with her hands, saying, “Neigh!”

“Yes! Horses go neigh! Have you seen a horse before, Marcus?” Felix asked.

“Yes.” The monster-girl nodded. “Horse home.”

“You mean there are horses back in your home?”

“Yes, horse back home!” Marcus kept nodding.

They were both sitting a few meters away from Klara, and between them there was a spot on the ground free of mold wax and covered in ashes. Marcus had his minions tear that substance away in order to make space for a bonfire, where she’d personally cooked the meat for Felix and Klara. And she even managed to make it somewhat tasty, using the herbs his minions gathered.

Felix had been surprised by that. But the more he got to know Marcus, the more he got the feeling she knew quite a lot about humans. She’d cooked the meat, despite the fact she ate it raw, without any input. And since he’d started drawing on the ashes in order to teach her about things that were not present in the cave, she’d often recognized the things he drew.

Because of this, the apprentice sorcerer suspected she had interactions with humans before, although if that was the case, he had no idea what kind of humans they were. Medelan was right between the Dianisian Empire and the Thule Federation, and a hub for all trade routes of the continent. Because of this, Felix had heard almost all the languages spoken in the continent. But the language Marcus spoke when talking to herself was not one of them, although it did have some similarities to Imperial.

Where does Marcus come from? Felix wondered. And what is she exactly? She’s far too knowledgeable for someone that’s lived her entire existence in a cave in the woods. And I’ve never heard of a creature like her or her minions.

Of course, only the monster-girl herself could have answered these questions, but her grasp of the Imperial language still wasn’t enough to do so.

So, Felix kept teaching her, partly because he was curious about her, but also because it felt genuinely good to teach her.

“Okay, let’s try another thing.” The boy drew a stylized goblin on the ashes. “This is called a goblin. Goblin. They are the creatures you saved us from.”

“Goblin?” Marcus seemed confused, and pointed at the figure. “No gremlin?”

“No, that’s called a goblin,” Felix corrected her. “The pronunciation is similar, I give you that, but it’s still called goblin.”

The monster-girl remained silent for a bit, digesting this information, then she shrugged.

“Goblin,” she said, while nodding. “Goblin bad. Goblin hurt.”

“Yes, goblins are usually bad news, and they hurt people,” Felix concurred. “Though they’re not all bad. A few years ago, some of them actually used to trade with the humans, but then they were—”

He suddenly stopped talking, raising his head and looking around in alarm.

“Something’s wrong,” he said, as he felt the hair standing on his head. “I feel… a presence. A presence all around us.”

“What are you talking about?” Klara asked from her bed, while Marcus just stared quizzically at him.

“I dunno, it’s in the wall—no, in the earth itself,” Felix replied, his eyes wide. “It’s magical and it’s… strong. Very, very strong.”

He jumped to his feet. “We’re in danger!” he cried, running toward Klara. “Something’s coming! We must get away!”

As soon as he said this, the earth started shaking.

Cracks opened on the mold wax covering the walls, and pieces of the stuff started falling from the roof, accompanied by a rain of rocks and dirt.

Felix dove over Klara, shielding her with his body, and fell over her when a rock hit him on his shoulder and one on his head.

Then, everything went black.

* * *

Marcus had been shielded by a dozen drones who all jumped over him, instinctively protecting him.

He looked up at the partially collapsing ceiling and saw something weird. There were vaguely humanoid shapes moving through the ground, shapes that seemed made of rocks and dirt but moved fluidly like water.

Then, as soon as it started, the earthquake ceased, and Marcus, when he was certain it wouldn’t start again, looked toward the humans. Felix was lying over Klara, unconscious and with blood on his face, while the girl was calling her friend’s name with a panic-filled voice.

Fearing the worst, Marcus immediately ran toward them, but when he reached them, Klara was checking the apprentice sorcerer’s pulse, and she seemed a bit relieved.

“He’s alive!” she said. “But he’s hurt. What happened? What was that earthquake?”

Marcus let out a sigh of relief, and he looked around the cave. The room was mostly intact thanks to the mold wax, which had absorbed most of the vibration and held the roof together, but all the tunnels had completely collapsed.

Considering the tunnels were even more reinforced than the cave had been, this seemed to indicate the earthquake had been caused on purpose to cut off their escape route.

After a few seconds, this theory was confirmed when the few drones outside of the cave spotted a goblin army that had seemingly appeared from nowhere, as if the rain had somehow concealed their presence.

The explorer drones patrolling outside were quickly taken down one by one, either by arrows or lightning that erupted from the ground. From the feedback, he managed to gauge the numbers of the enemy.

The situation wasn’t good.

There were thousands of goblins out there, and they had the hive completely surrounded.

Chapter 33

A Tactical Retreat Is Not Running Away

“Shit!” Marcus cursed. “Shit! Shit! Shit!”

He was completely immobile in the middle of the cave, while his drones were scuttling all around him, relaying all the information they could find about the current situation.

Sadly, the more details he got, the more he knew just how fucked he was.

Contrary to what should have logically happened, the cave was relatively intact, but all the tunnels had completely collapsed. It was a no-brainer to deduce this was intentionally done in order to cut off his underground escape routes. Still, Marcus wondered how the goblins could have possibly pulled this off.

Could it be magic?

However, right now, with an entire hostile army closing in, he had no time for idle thoughts. He had to use all of his brainpower to figure out a way to get out of there alive.

Flying away carried by the bigger explorer drones seemed like the next best solution. Too bad the goblins seemed to have thought of that too, because his explorer drones currently flying outside were being taken out one after the other. From the eyes of his remaining drones, Marcus could see cloaked figures marching alongside the feral goblins, each of them carrying a skull-tipped staff that shot lightning at his drones.

That meant that flight was out of the question too. No flying away if they didn’t want to be fried alive.

The idea of trying to fight their way out of this didn’t really appeal to Marcus either. The goblins had them completely surrounded, and their numbers were in the thousands. Meanwhile, Marcus only had three hundred and twelve drones capable of fighting, and fifty-four of them had been patrolling outside before the attack, and therefore had been cut from him.

Moreover, the majority of the goblins were those beast-like ones who were fast enough to catch them even if they tried to run.

“Dancing dicks on a fiddlestick!” Marcus cursed, and he gave a quick mental order to the explorer drones still outside to fly back to the cave. No reason to lose them now.

He made the warrior drones go to the entrance in order to hold it against the attackers, hoping they could gain enough time for him to find a solution.

As he was desperately trying to figure out what to do, he felt someone grabbing him by the shoulder. He’d grown so unused to being touched that he almost jumped away screaming, but when he turned, he saw it was Klara, who had a pained expression on her face from managing to walk to him.

Now that she had his attention, the girl screamed something at him.

Marcus, whose understanding of her language was still lacking, understood only about half of those words, but he understood she was asking what was going on.

“Goblins,” he replied briefly. “No time to talk. Look to Felix.”

He returned his concentration to the drones, trying to coordinate his defenses as best as he could. Although he knew perfectly well that, against that mass of goblins, even the warrior drones could only last so long.

But the girl grabbed his shoulder again, still screaming something at him.

Marcus clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had no time or concentration to spare for reassuring a panicking little girl, and turned to tell her to leave him alone.

Much to his surprise, Klara didn’t seem to be panicking. Her expression was cold and focused, albeit she was still visibly in pain. She told Marcus something he didn’t quite grasp, and then she pointed at a particular drone lying on the ground a few meters from them.

It was a digger drone, resting uneasily while waiting for orders. Then he understood what Klara meant. Although the tunnels had collapsed, they could still dig their way out.

An option that Marcus, in his panic, had completely forgotten about.

Well, there was a panicking little girl after all, he thought sarcastically. Only it was me instead of Klara.

He gave the digger drone a quick mental order, and it darted toward the collapsed escape tunnel, digging through it at commendable speed, while a dozen workers came after him to reinforce the newly excavated walls.

Sadly, it would still need some time to completely re-open that route, and nothing would prevent the cloaked goblins outside from collapsing it again, unless they were occupied.

Quickly, the Hive Queen established a new plan. Just holding the position wasn’t enough; they needed to attack the goblin lines to keep them distracted while they dug.

Luckily, the hunter drones were perfect for this sort of attack.

He had about seventy-eight of them in the cave. He sent seventy outside, doing some blitzes against the enemy to keep them on edge. The remaining eight, including Cooper, would escape with him.

The rest of his forces were made up of ninety-seven warriors, fifty-five workers, twenty-seven explorers, thirteen of which were of the newest models, and only one digger.

He quickly decided which forces to sacrifice. Ninety warriors would stay behind, defending the entrance of the cave, and all the “outdated” explorer drones would do the same, flying over the heads of the cloaked figures to hold their attention. The rest would come with him to the new hive.

There was no time to lose. As the hunters charged at the feral goblins, meeting them in a clash of fangs and talons, the workers started gathering up all of Marcus possessions, including the eggs and the larvae still too undeveloped to walk quickly on their own. Not that he liked Klara taking a look at them. Hopefully, the girl wouldn’t pay too much attention to them during this time of crisis.

After a quick look at the two humans, he decided they should be included in the “baggage” list, since Felix was unconscious, and Klara was still recovering from her injuries.

He made a quick gesture toward them, and four workers rushed toward the humans. They easily lifted the boy and started carrying him away along with all the other things, but Klara made a fight for it, kicking and punching the drones and refusing to be touched.

She gave up after a while and let herself be dragged to safety.

This left Marcus able to concentrate solely on the defense of the hive.

The hunters had been completely overrun in a matter of minutes, and now the goblins had engaged the warriors defending the entrance. Most of the attackers were similar to animals, covered in fur and moving on all fours, but some of them were of a different breed whose sight made Marcus shudder. Those goblins were covered in chitin armor and had glowing purple eyes and sharp chitin talons. In short, they were uncannily similar to his own drones.

However, there was no time to think about it. The defenders were determined and deadly, but their numbers were rapidly dwindling. For every goblin killed, three more took its place. To make things worse, he could see the cloaked figures in the back, biding their time and occasionally throwing a bolt of lightning. Just to be sure, Marcus ordered the flying drones to engage them, in order to keep them distracted while he was escaping through the tunnel.

As the last drone flew away from the opening on the ceiling, the queen gave one last, nostalgic look at her hive, knowing fully well that this would be the last time seeing it.

“Well, it wasn’t much, but it was home,” he said wistfully to Cooper, who remained at his side. “And I’m getting tired of running away… or tactically retreating, if you wanna be generous.” His expression hardened. “Next time, I’m gonna be prepared to deal with whatever these fucking goblins throw at me!”

And with those words, Marcus and his dog joined the other fugitives in the tunnel.

* * *

Felix was awakened by some droplets of water falling on his face. His head ached abominably, and when he opened his eyes, all he could see were blurry shapes, but he could clearly hear the sound of rain falling all around him.

He tried to sit up, but a sudden bout of nausea made him fall back on his back, barely managing to not throw up.

“Urgh!” he mumbled, pain flashing anew in his head.

“Glad to see you’re finally awake, sleepyhead,” a familiar voice said near him.

He opened his eyes again, and though still a bit blurry, he could see Klara sitting a few meters from him with her back against a mossy wall.

“Don’t try and get up, Felix,” she told him. “You’ve taken a bad hit to the head, and the best thing you can do is just sit down and rest.”

The apprentice sorcerer did as he was told, but his eyes darted around.

He could see ancient stone walls surrounding him, most of them covered in moss and vegetation. He and Klara were sitting under a partially collapsed stone porch which barely sheltered them from the pouring rain.

“W-where are we?” Felix asked in a muffled tone. “What happened?”

“According to our host, we were under attack by a group of goblins,” Klara replied. “They probably had some shamans to cause that earthquake. Anyway, one of Marcus’s minions managed to open a tunnel, and we escaped through it. The tunnel led to these ruins, and here we are.” She paused for a second, then added, “Although I have no idea of exactly where here is.”

She stopped for a moment, looking around at the ruins.

“My best guess is that this used to be a Dianisian monastery,” she said. “I saw the remains of the temple when we were reaching these ruins, and right now, we should be in what used to be the cloister, although most of it has collapsed. But knowing this doesn’t give me any clue about our actual position.”

“Can’t you deduce it from these ruins?” Felix asked. “Surely there shouldn’t be too many ancient Dianisian temples in the Ashwood Hills.”

Felix knew Klara had learned a lot of things about history and archeology. Particularly about the Caligare Forest. She was probably the one who knew the most about it, second only to her grandfather.

She shook her head. “I can’t. There are simply too many ruins scattered around the Ashwood Hills to remember them all. This whole area used to be an Imperial outpost and a densely populated one at that. After all, this region used to supply the bastions that guarded the Dark Heart, and it was full of farms, towns, and monasteries.”

Felix remained still, but a small smile appeared on his face.

“It’s actually hard to imagine that this place has ever been inhabited,” he said. “Since all that’s left now are a few ruins in the middle of a monster-infested forest.”

“Well, it’s been more than two thousand years since the region was abandoned.” Klara shrugged. “More than enough time for nature to reclaim everything.”

“I wonder why they abandoned the place, though,” Felix murmured. “Especially since the Empire is always hungry for new lands.”

“Back then, these lands had been ravaged by the war against the Zaru,” Klara answered with confidence. “The region wasn’t safe, and the Empire didn’t have enough soldiers left to secure it, so it was abandoned.”

“Right, I forgot about that. The war against the Squidfaces… I’ve heard your grandpa telling stories about it. He always loved telling stories.” Felix smiled a little. “Listening to your grandpa’s tales is the closest thing to a proper education I’ve ever received.”

“Only because you always skipped classes in school,” the girl noted, a hint of amusement in her voice.

The apprentice sorcerer made a cheeky smile.

“Father Ullo’s lessons were quite boring,” he admitted. “After learning how to read and do some math, I didn’t see the point of remaining there since all he did was ramble about his god and his saints. I had better ways to spend my time!”

“Like being a freeloader in our house,” Klara accused him with a smile.

“Hey, it’s not my fault if your grandpa always offered me milk and cookies every time I visited!” Felix replied with feigned indignation. “Plus, his ramblings were much more interesting than Ullo’s.”

Klara laughed, but she knew he wasn’t exactly wrong. In Medelan, elementary education was provided by the church free of charge, and was usually very basic. Those who could afford it preferred to send their children to a private academy or have a teacher homeschool them.

Being more cultured than a country friar, Karl had homeschooled his granddaughter himself, and he’d also taught a lot of things to Felix, whose parents were too poor to pay for a proper education for their son.

Klara remembered fondly the winter afternoons when the old man taught them about history in front of the fireplace. Those memories also caused a surge of pain in her chest, as she was also reminded of her grandfather’s disappearance.

Felix seemed to notice the sadness that suddenly showed on Klara’s face and quickly tried to change the subject.

“Uhm, so, where’s Marcus, then? I can’t see her or her minions.”

The sadness on Klara’s face suddenly turned to annoyance when Felix mentioned the monster-girl.

“Oh, she’s inside the ruins somewhere.” She waved toward the buildings. “She and her minions are exploring the place. They’re probably gonna set up a new hive in here.”

“Oh. Okay then. Is there something we can do to help her?”

“I somehow doubt that a couple of wounded people could make a significant difference in manual labor when she already has dozens of those minions working for her,” she replied sarcastically. “Don’t worry about the little freak of nature. I’m sure she’ll dig herself a nice hole to crawl in.”

“Uhm…” Felix was a bit surprised by the annoyance in Klara’s voice. “I’ve been meaning to ask, why do you seem to dislike Marcus so much? I mean, didn’t she save our lives twice by now?”

“Only once,” the girl corrected him. “When we escaped from the tunnel, she saved our lives alongside hers.”

“Well, she still saved us,” the apprentice sorcerer insisted. “And at this point, I think there’s almost no chance of her wanting to eat us. So why are you still so… hostile toward her?”

“I’m not hostile!” Klara protested. “I’m just cautious! We don’t know what she is exactly, or what she’s hiding.”

“Hiding?” Felix was surprised. “How can you tell she’s hiding something?”

“Because she is!” she insisted. “Back in the cave, there was one room she often disappeared into, which was always guarded by two of her minions. And they never let me peek inside!”

“Oh, the storeroom?” The apprentice sorcerer shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess that maybe she just wanted some privacy? There are people who don’t like strangers looking at their things.”

“Except she’s not people, Felix! She’s some sort of humanoid monster. Don’t forget it. We already know she kept goblin bodies in that room. Why not human bodies? Also, when we were escaping, her servants took some weird things out of that room.”

“What weird things?”

“Well, they were round, translucent, and more or less the size of a fist,” she replied. “I may be wrong, but they looked like eggs.”

“Uh, okay?” The boy was surprised, but then he recovered. “Well, that explains it. Maybe that room is also the nursery for her minions, and she doesn’t want to risk strangers getting in there and damaging the eggs.”

“Well… that could be the case,” Klara conceded. “But then, why doesn’t she even want us to peek at them? And why does she disappear in there so often?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t really care either. Everyone is entitled to have some secrets. And so far, Marcus has proven to be nothing but friendly to us. Least we can do is respect her privacy.”

Klara gave Felix an angry look.

“Well, okay then!” she hissed in a furious tone. “Just don’t expect my help if I turn out to be right and she wants to eat your face!”

The apprentice sorcerer looked surprised.

“Klara, are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, a bit worried. “Usually, you’re not this suspicious. And it really sounds like you have something personal against Marcus.”

She gave him a cold stare. “No, I’m not okay. My ribs hurt, we’re stranded in the middle of nowhere with a creepy monster lady and her minions while goblins are attacking everyone, my grandpa has disappeared, I’m about to lose my home, and this goddamn rain is really getting on my nerves!” She shook her head to repress tears. “I’ve lost or am about to lose most of the things I care about, I feel powerless and defenseless, and there is not a damn thing I can do about it!”

“Well, you still have me,” Felix said, trying to console her.

“Do I now?” she snarled. “You’re ignoring everything I say about that creature. Even worse, you always defend her! How can I be sure she didn’t put you under some weird spell?”

“Well, I’d know if that was the case.” Felix tried to smile. “I’m not much of a wizard, but even I would recognize an attempt to subdue my mind with magic.”

“What if she didn’t do it with magic?”

“Huh?” He seemed honestly confused. “How would she do that without magic?”

“Well, you’re a boy, and she’s almost always completely naked when she’s around you,” Klara said sarcastically. “Can you do the math?”

“Oh!” He blushed and started stuttering, “Oh, t-that’s not the case! I-I’m not like that! I never ever thought of Marcus like t-that!”

“Why, you’ve never peeked at her during your lessons?” Klara laughed bitterly. “I find it difficult to believe. Her fur cloak is not exactly good at covering her.”

“No! I mean, yes, b-but I try not to look!” he protested, blushing even more violently, to the point his face became as crimson as his hair. “I-I don’t see Marcus t-that way! I mean, she’s k-kinda cute and all, but she’s clearly not human. And besides…” He stopped talking, looking unsure about what to say next.

“Besides what?” she asked, inviting him to continue.

“Uhm, I don’t know how to put it.” Felix seemed lost in his thoughts. “But, Marcus… well, she clearly is female.”

“Very clearly,” Klara said drily.

“But! She gives me a…boyish feeling, if I can call it so.” He frowned. “It’s not her appearance, but more like her mannerisms, the way she moves and talks. I swear, it’s like talking to another guy rather than with a girl.”

“Well, she could just behave in a boyish manner.” Klara shrugged. “It’s not that unusual.”

“No, it’s different than that,” Felix insisted. “I mean, look at you. You behave like a guy most of the time, but I can still tell you’re a girl. Marcus is different. She completely feels like a guy.”

Klara frowned at this explanation, but she couldn’t really refute it, because she felt the same way. She was some sort of tomboy herself after all, but something in Marcus’s mannerisms were way more masculine than that.

“You’re right about that,” she finally conceded. “I don’t know why, but she does indeed feel rather… boyish.”

As she said this, she felt more relaxed. She would never admit it, but realizing Felix wasn’t attracted to the monster-girl really cheered her up.

“I guess I’ll have to give her the benefit of the doubt for now,” she finally said. “We’re not in any condition to fight or flee, and she’s the only thing that’s keeping us alive. Still, keeping our eyes open won’t hurt.”

“Well, that’s all I can ask you for,” Felix said and flashed a smile. “After all, I can be friendly to her for the both of us!”

Klara smiled back, but for some reason, thinking about Marcus’s face still made her uncomfortable. That lingering feeling of familiarity really bugged her out.

Chapter 34

Reasonable Instincts

“Son of a cussing cuss word!” Marcus cursed after almost slipping on a mud puddle.

He was currently exploring the basement of the ruins with Cooper and the worker drones, after having left Klara and the unconscious Felix to rest. He’d been pleased to discover the place was pretty big. A labyrinth of stone corridors and cellars that would be perfect for his new hive. But he’d been less pleased to discover the place was a complete mess, invaded by mud, plants, and vermin, and there were entire sections completely collapsed. To make things worse, the rain was filtering from the ground above, creating puddles and sometimes actual pools almost a meter deep.

He cursed himself again for not sending workers to the ruins before actually getting here. He had already known this would be his new hiding place in case something went badly, but somehow the thought of preparing the place for his arrival evaded his mind.

Really, my brain seems to have taken a vacation ever since I came to this Godforsaken world! he grumbled bitterly to himself while thinking about all the very predictable problems he had completely failed to anticipate.

Still, he didn’t consider himself a total moron. The least he could do was to try to actually learn from those mistakes. For starters, this time, he didn’t take any risks with the goblins. He had the digger drone completely collapse the tunnel after their escape, and right now, it was keeping guard near what used to be the exit, a few kilometers east of the ruins. Even if the goblins managed to track down that tunnel, the new hive would have the time to evacuate, though he really hoped that wouldn’t be necessary, because setting up a new hive was a lot of work, and he didn’t want to have to do it again a third time.

The mental image of the little humanoids invading his hive, his own little space, his home in this hostile world, touching and desecrating everything with their little grubby hands, filled Marcus with an irrational fury. He almost felt physically violated.

How dare those little vermin invade my hive, not only once but twice! And they want to do it again. I’ll kill them all for this! I’ll turn them into minced meat and feed them to my children! I’ll devour this whole world if that’s what it takes to keep my hive safe! I will— He suddenly realized what he’d been thinking.

“Wait, what was that?” he asked himself. “Did I just refer to the drones as my children? And threatened to devour the world?” Marcus was immobile for a few seconds, and then he cried out, “What the hell is wrong with me? I would never think things like that!”

But there was no denying he just did exactly that. He paused his exploration for a bit, sitting against a moss-covered wall with Cooper at his side.

“Okay, let’s work this out… I would have never thought things like this when I was in my old world. Back then, I was a human being, and now I’m not. Or rather, my body is not human. So those thoughts are the result of this body’s instincts.”

He nodded to himself, fairly certain he was in the right.

“So, the race my body belongs to is probably fairly territorial and aggressive. They would react quite badly to some other species invading their hive and threatening them, which is why I’ve been so fucking pissed ever since I’ve left my hive.” Realization flashed. “The previous time too… I could have simply stayed hidden and avoided any confrontation with the goblins after they chased me out of my first hive, but I just had to wage war against them. Because I was just too pissed to let it pass. Because my instincts wouldn’t allow me not to fight.”

He remained silent for a few seconds and then started cursing vehemently.

“What the waste-swimming, pajama-wearing, shit-hopping, arse-kissing, mother-loving FUCK!” Marcus stared at his body in pure disgust. “Not only do I have to deal with shitting eggs out of my fanny, not to mention having a fanny at all, but this shitty body is now messing with my mind?” His voice was filled with rage.

“Ain’t this just fantastic! What next? Am I gonna become explosive or something? No, wait, forget about it. I don’t wanna jinx it.” He shook his head in pure disgust at his whole situation, and sighed in resignation, speaking in a heavily sarcastic tone. “Well, ain’t that just perfect. Another thing I have to worry about was just what I needed. Now not only do I have to worry about the frigging creatures trying to kill me, but I also have to check if the one making the decision is me or this fucking body.”

His expression hardened, and he tightened his fists, staring down at his own body, realizing once more how different and just plain alien it was compared to his old one.

“Well, you know what? Bring it!” he cried, talking to his own body. “Do you think this is the first time I struggled with my instincts? Please! I’ve resisted the urge to murder my customers and my bosses. I’ve resisted the urge to spend all of my salary on pizza and beer. I’ve managed to study for weeks with about three hours of sleep per night. You got nothing on me, you shitty body! You hear me? NOTHING!”

He screamed the last word, and his own shrill voice echoed through the cellars. He took a deep breath, then another, and finally felt some of his anger dissipate.

“Uff!” he snorted, and then he smiled lightly. “Nothing better than screaming a bit to vent out some frustration.”

He left his spot and resumed his exploration.

“At least I figured out what the problem was with me. Now I just have to keep my instincts in check. Before tackling that particular matter, I better secure this new hive first. I need to get food supplies, organize the space, and replenish the number of my warrior drones.” He grimaced as he listed the last thing, as that meant he had to lay more eggs, an activity that still made him feel incredibly uncomfortable.

The only positive thing was the patrols that had been out during the goblin attack were still unharmed and were currently on the way to the ruins. There were two of those patrols, each made up of twelve warriors, eighteen hunters, three explorers, and one digger. So, sixty-eight drones in total, which would be a nice boon to his forces and would spare Marcus from laying another sixty-eight eggs, which was possibly the biggest advantage for him.

“Well then, let’s get the lost lambs home!” he said while grinning, and telepathically checked how long they’d take before reaching the new hive.

The two patrols were still hiding underground when the goblins attacked the hive. Even though each of them had a digger drone, they couldn’t travel underground all the way there, ‘cause the digger drones would get tired and hungry quickly.

Simply walking on the surface right where they were wasn’t an option either, because the risk of being spotted by the goblins was too high. So, the hivemind decided to have them dig south, past the valley where the old hive was, and proceed on the surface from there.

This method of travel would take a few days, especially because the new hive was quite far away, but it would be safe, and they could actually hunt down some prey to feed themselves during the march.

At first, the two patrols simply dug their way south, past the old hive, until both reached the same valley. Then they joined each other and began travelling west together. The march was quite difficult because of the rain, and because they avoided the familiar northern valleys since they had a chance to meet the goblins there. Remaining on the south, where the terrain was quite rougher also slowed them down, and they didn’t know the most convenient paths.

Since they were travelling on new paths, they stood on guard, exploring the terrain ahead using the flying drones. They met nothing more dangerous than themselves. The few beasts that stood in their path were quickly killed and devoured. Since it seemed there was nothing to be feared by a group of drones of that size, the hivemind had them travel on the quickest paths. If they kept that pace up, they’d reach the new hive in just another couple of days.

But the quickest path led them to a weird valley. It was much, much bigger and wider than the rest, and the vegetation was also different, being made up mostly of huge conifers instead of oak trees. There was no sign of animal life. The flying drones spotted a weird rock formation on the ground, which seemed to be made of very big boulders all stacked together.

It was all pretty weird, but since there wasn’t any outright sign of danger, the patrol went down there, as it was the quickest way to the hive.

Still, they stood on their guard, and they had the digger drones using their sharp senses to pick up any vibration from the ground. But the diggers didn’t hear anything apart from a light and steady vibration coming from the rock formations, and the hivemind dismissed it as the vibration made by a small stream of underground water or something. It was too faint to be anything dangerous anyway.

The drones started crossing the valley, sending the hunters as vanguard and wings, while the warriors remained at the center and protected the diggers, who despite their size, were the most vulnerable when above the ground.

The valley was eerily quiet. No birds or insects were singing, and the ground itself was strange, as there was no undergrowth, and the dirt seemed compacted, as if something very heavy had passed on it. Also, there was a peculiar stench in the air, an unpleasant smell that no drone had ever come across before. It was alarming.

Something was not right there, and the hivemind urged the drones to get out of that valley as quickly as possible just to be safe.

But, when they were passing near the weird rock formation, the diggers noticed the soft vibration they had heard before had become much stronger and now was somehow rhythmical. Then, without warning, the huge boulders started moving.

Only they weren’t boulders, but rather humongous gorilla-like creatures, with hairless stone-like skin covered in moss, which made them virtually indistinguishable from rocks while they were crouched.

The creatures rose, each of them at least four meters tall even while hunched over, and almost as large. They had huge hands, each the size of a table, with three thick fingers each. Their face was very beast-like, with a disproportionate jaw filled with tusks and small, beady black eyes.

Those creatures and the drones studied each other in silence for a moment, and then, with a guttural growl, the beasts launched themselves against the Vex.

There were only about sixteen of those creatures, while the drones were more than sixty. Plus, there were a lot of warrior drones specifically made for combat. The few moments before the attack allowed the hivemind to recover from surprise and organize the drones effectively.

The drones were still massacred.

Neither the scythe-like appendages of the warriors nor the bites of the hunters managed to inflict any significant wound to the ape-like creatures. Even when they managed to cut through their hard skin, the rock-solid muscles of the creatures prevented any fatal injury.

On the contrary, the attacks of the creatures were incredibly effective, and they literally squashed the drones like bugs with their humongous fists.

The hivemind realized there was no chance of victory, and gave the order to retreat. All the drones ran away as fast as they could, but the creatures gave chase, running on all fours like gorillas. They managed to catch a few more drones, including the two diggers, and killed them.

Out of the sixty-eight drones that entered the valley, only twenty-four came out, and six of them were actually the flying ones.

“Okay, what the actual fuck was that!” Marcus screamed, having telepathically witnessed the almost complete annihilation of his patrol. “What were those things? How can they be so strong!”

He was so amazed and surprised that he wasn’t even that mad. He expected that no one in the forest, except the goblins and the dragon, could actually challenge a patrol of drones that size. Heck, he’d even thought the warrior drones were among the most dangerous things in the area after having absorbed the deer’s DNA.

He’d been proven wrong.

For some reason, he wasn’t that irritated by it. On the contrary, he felt excited. Very excited indeed. Like a warm, fuzzy feeling in his underbelly. Having witnessed the power of those gorilla-like creatures, he now craved their power and their DNA for his drones. A craving that seemed almost a physical hunger.

He immediately recognized this unnaturally strong desire as something that came from his new set of instincts.

“Okay, calm down now, Marcus!” he ordered himself. “You’ve seen what happens when you let your instincts control you. So calm down, fight these feelings back, and try to think clearly.”

He took a deep breath, and the excitement he had felt slowly subsided. He still wanted the creature’s DNA, though. It would be an incredible boon for his minions. At least if it was actually readable, unlike those of the goblins and the deer.

But he currently lacked the means to actually procure their DNA. Moreover, most of the reinforcements he expected had been slaughtered, so the need of making more minions was bigger than ever.

With an exasperated sigh, he left the basement. The drones could fix this place better than him, and he could see through their eyes, so there was no real reason to stay there. More than anything, it had been an excuse to procrastinate his egg-laying duty.

Now was not the time for excuses. He needed new warriors and hunters, and he needed them as soon as possible.

When he came out of the cellar, the rain had momentarily stopped, although by the look of the sky, it could resume anytime.

However, Marcus was quite pleased by this, as he was already wet and dirty as it was, so he went to the room where he’d stored the eggs—if you could call three walls and half a roof a room—and the other stuff he’d taken from the old hive. After looking around, he squatted and started designing the drones he wanted to give birth to.

As always, the process was… uniquely uncomfortable. Marcus moaned and cursed while pushing the eggs out, squinting his eyes and trying to exclude the rest of the world from his perception.

Finally, four new eggs were lying on the ground under him, and he was left panting, his mind numbed with exhaustion, shame, and guilty pleasure.

Only then did he open his eyes.

And with pure horror, he saw Klara staring at him from the entrance of the room with her eyes wide.

Chapter 35

Awkward Silence Is Not Golden

Klara had been wandering in the ruins, limping slightly because of her injury.

She was searching for something to use to make a bed for her and Felix, since lying on the mossy stone floor wasn’t exactly that comfortable. She remembered that Marcus’s minions had taken some furs with them when they fled the cave, though she had no clue about where they put them, so she had to explore the place despite the pain from her ribs.

To make things worse, Felix couldn’t help her since he was in even worse shape than her. Whenever he tried to get up, he suffered from bouts of nausea. And Marcus and the other insectoid creatures had disappeared somewhere inside the ruins, so she was on her own.

At least the rain had reduced to a barely noticeable drizzle, so she wouldn’t get too wet, but the terrain was still pretty difficult. It was covered in slippery mud, plants, and stone, which were fairly easy to trip on. Because of this, and having no idea where the new storeroom had been established, Klara walked slowly, checking every nook and cranny and taking frequent pauses.

But while she was exploring an empty, partially collapsed building, she heard noises coming from one of the rooms. Curious but cautious, she silently approached the entrance, peeking inside.

What she saw left her speechless.

The room was obviously being used as the temporary storeroom, judging by the pile of eggs, furs, and random stuff piled under the part of the ceiling that was still up, but what caught Klara’s attention was at the center of the room.

There, Marcus was squatting, completely naked while squirming, moaning, and grunting with her shrill, high-pitched voice. Her face was a mixture of pain, pleasure, and discomfort, her eyes closed. A few droplets of rain coated her shiny, smooth, gray skin like sweat.

What really horrified Klara was that the monster-girl was pushing something big out of her… her…

Klara didn’t manage to finish the thought. With a strained grunt, Marcus finally expelled the thing from her body. As it fell gently on the grass, the girl recognized the object. It was an egg, roughly the size of her fist, identical to the ones she’d seen being carried away from the cave.

She’s laying eggs! That’s what she’s been doing all that time in the storeroom!

Then a sudden realization hit her.

Wait… Does that mean she’s the one that made all the other eggs! Klara thought with horror. Then all those other creatures… are her children!

Feeling sick, Klara tried to avert her eyes, only to discover she couldn’t. She yearned to look away, but some sort of morbid fascination kept her staring at Marcus while the monster-girl pushed two more eggs out of her body.

Well, at least I know what my nightmares are gonna be about tonight…. If I’m gonna get any sleep at all, that is!

Then, as the third egg rolled gently on the grass with the other two, Marcus took a deep breath and opened her eyes, noticing Klara.

The two girls stared at each other for a good minute, both of them too shocked and horrified to talk, almost afraid to break the incredibly awkward silence that enveloped the room.

Then thunder resonated in the distance, breaking the spell-like silence, and Klara darted away with all the speed her wounded body could muster. Not a really smart move considering her injured ribs, but she hadn’t been thinking of anything else other than escaping from the terrible awkwardness of that situation.

She made it a whole ten meters before Marcus tackled her to the ground.

Pain exploded from Klara’s side as the monster-girl’s weight pressed on her wound, and she let out an anguished grunt of pain.

The moment Marcus heard this, she stood up, leaving the female human free and giving her a very worried and panicked look.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Marcus cried, lifting her hands to the air. “Sorry! I no want hurt you! Sorry!”

Klara didn’t answer, hissing through her teeth because of the pain, and simply glared at the monster-girl.

“What was the bright idea?” she asked angrily. “Why did you tackle me!”

Marcus hesitated for a moment, trying to formulate a coherent answer with her poor vocabulary.

“You… run,” she finally said. “I scared. Cannot think. I sorry. I do not want hurt you. Klara friend. No hurt friend.”

Klara raised her eyes to meet those of the creature. Despite her nonhuman features, she looked genuinely mortified, and the blonde girl felt her anger simmer down a little.

“So, you were you scared and couldn’t think, right?” she asked, and the monster-girl nodded. “But why were you scared?”

“I… I scared you go tell Felix…” Marcus blushed, or what looked like a blush. Her gray face took a light purple shade. She gestured toward the room they just left. “I scared you tell Felix what you see there.”

“You were scared I would tell Felix about that?” Klara looked at her with very suspicious eyes, feeling a bit of her anger returning. “Why would you be scared about that?”

Marcus couldn’t answer at first, and simply looked down at her feet with embarrassment.

“I… I scared Felix see that. I scared Klara see that. I scared… all people see that. I want not one see that. I want not one know that.”

Her grammar was seriously mangled, but Klara understood what she wanted to say.

“You don’t want anyone to see or know about the fact that you lay… I mean, about what you do in that room. Because it embarrasses you, right?”

Marcus nodded again, still avoiding her eyes and blushing.

For once, Klara was at a loss for words. The monster-girl’s embarrassment seemed completely honest, and to be fair, she would feel embarrassed if anyone saw her while… well, while pushing things out of her private parts.

Since neither of them was talking, the awkward silence made its return, and somehow it felt even more unbearable. In order to break it, possibly in a less stupid manner, Klara started asking some questions.

“Uhm, so… do all your minions… come from those eggs?”

Marcus grimaced and nodded.

“But, are you the only one laying them?”

Another positive nod.

“Doesn’t that mean you’ve laid hundreds of those things?” Klara asked with a horrified voice.

The monster-girl grimaced even harder, her face deeply unhappy, and nodded again.

“But… did you have to—I mean, don’t you need to mate in order to reproduce?” Klara asked, starting to feel physically sick at the thought.

Marcus looked at her a bit confused, and asked, “Mai-tee?”

“Oh, right, you probably don’t know what the word means. Err…” This time, it was Klara’s turn to stutter and blush. “You know, to mate is to have sex… Ehm…” To help her explanation, she did a very vulgar gesture, making a circle with one hand and sticking a finger in it.

The level of awkwardness between the two girls rose to new heights, as both Marcus and Klara blushed even more intensely. After a moment, the monster-girl started shaking her head in denial while desperately waving her arms.

“No! No! No!” she cried, her face turning to a more vivid shade of purple. “I-I do not mate! I do not need mate to… to lay eggs.”

Klara actually took a sigh of relief after hearing this. She wouldn’t have been able to take any more awkwardness.

After a few seconds, she then looked at Marcus, trying to decide what to do now.

The monster-girl seemed… well, she looked like a deeply uncomfortable and embarrassed girl. Her emotions were clearly showing on her face, and she looked more human than she ever did.

Or maybe it’s just the first time I actually looked at her like a person instead of like a wild beast, Klara admitted to herself.

Not that this alone was a reason to trust her completely. People could be just as dangerous as animals, not to mention far more treacherous. But along with the fact that she helped her and her friend multiple times, it was at least enough to give her a chance.

Klara sighed and tried to get up. Marcus immediately came and offered her hand, and this time, Klara accepted the help, grabbing the creature’s hand and pulling herself up.

The hand was… peculiar. The chitin armor that covered it was very hard and smooth, but to her surprise, it wasn’t cold at all, but rather pleasantly warm. Once Klara was up, she looked Marcus straight in the eyes.

“I’m not gonna tell Felix about this. I promise,” she said.

Relief flashed on Marcus’s face when she heard those words.

“T-thank you!” she said, her purple eyes shining with happiness. “Thank you, Klara!”

“It’s nothing.” Klara shrugged. “Let’s just pretend this never happened, okay? It’s just as embarrassing for me as it is for you.”

Grimacing hard, Marcus nodded in agreement.

“Anyway, could I ask you for a favor? I’m gonna need a couple of furs to make a bedding for me and Felix. Sleeping on a stone floor is not exactly comfortable, especially since we’re both injured.”

At these words, Marcus smiled brightly and ran away to the storeroom, coming back with a small pile of furs in her hands. Instead of giving them to Klara, she said, “Go. I follow. Klara hurt. I get clothes on and then take furs.”

Klara was about to protest and insist she could do it herself, but her pained side convinced her otherwise.

“Okay, fine. Get dressed and let’s go, then.”

The monster-girl nodded, grabbing a few furs and draping them around herself. They made their way back to the cloister where Felix rested.

Despite her embarrassment, Marcus seemed quite happy. This was the first time she had the chance to really talk to Marcus, who so far had been rather cold and distant. Klara was still a bit worried.

Despite acknowledging the monster-girl as an ally, or at least not an enemy, she still felt some… well, some irrational dislike for her.

This was mostly because the nagging feeling of familiarity she got every time she looked at the female creature hadn’t disappeared, and it really annoyed her.

Still, for now at least, she would do her best to ignore it.

Chapter 36

A Pain in the

Marcus accompanied Klara back to the cloister where Felix was. Luckily, the boy was asleep, but still Marcus couldn’t bear to face him right now. Right after they arrived, he dumped the furs on the ground, quickly saluted Klara, and ran away.

He ran until he was sure the humans couldn’t hear him, and then he stopped and took a deep breath.

“Fuuuuuuuuck!” he screamed, letting out all of the embarrassment he’d kept inside until then. “Mr. Fuckity McFuck riding wild dicks to the great Hall of Fuckery, leaving nothing un-fucked in his wake, until everything is well and truly fucked!”

He continued cursing an endless stream of profanity that grew in inventiveness, complexity, and volume. The limits of anatomy were verbally explored. The fairness of the universe was put into question and a lot of improbable names were called, all in the foulest language Marcus could conceive.

Really, if the ruins of the convent had been still consecrated, whatever god was worshipped there would probably have appeared just to say, “Dude, what the hell!”

Marcus stopped in the middle of a particularly vitriolic tirade because he was out of breath, and then he just let himself fall to the ground, completely exhausted.

He remained there for a while, completely motionless, thinking of absolutely nothing and feeling completely empty after letting out all of his frustration.

Then, with quite a lot of effort, he picked himself up and mentally called for Cooper.

The dog-like drone arrived in less than a minute, and Marcus started petting it to relax while he thought.

All things considered, this went better than expected. For some reason, if it was Felix who’d seen me instead of Klara, it would have felt even worse! He grimaced at the thought. Still, all I want right now is just to dig a deep hole and disappear in it for the rest of eternity! Damn eggs and damn monster body!

He sighed and shook his head.

Well, let’s try looking at the bright side. At least Klara promised not to tell Felix. Not to mention, we actually talked for the first time. She’s seemed pretty aloof and hostile. Who knows, maybe she doesn’t trust non-humans. Marcus smirked. Or maybe she’s just in that phase of adolescence and needs to be an asshole to everyone to prove her independence. Even I was a little piece of shit at that age! He shuddered, remembering the cringeworthy things he’d done at that age. I even wore an actual trench coat at school for a year, thinking it would make me look cool instead of making me look like an absolute dork!

Embarrassing as they were, those memories actually cheered him up. The feelings he was having right now, even the embarrassment and nostalgia, made him feel human and completely overwhelmed the hive instincts he had in his mind.

Heck, even the rage he experienced at the destruction of his old hive had completely gotten out of his mind. Sure, he felt deeply uncomfortable and even angry when he’d seen Klara peeping at him, but those were human feelings and belonged entirely to him rather than to his body. That was why he’d been able to instantly put his irritation to the side and talk with Klara in a civilized manner. Compared to the bouts of rage he experienced thanks to his racial instincts, those were nothing.

“Always gotta find the silver lining in any plate of shit that life serves you,” Marcus said, smiling sardonically. “Well, if I can control myself and avoid any more brain farts from now on, that’s more than enough reason to be happy.”

His smile lasted for a few more seconds, but then faded, replaced by determination.

Well then, enough of that. I’ve got a hive to run, and sadly, it won’t run itself. And I could use this moment of mental clarity to better plan for the future!

He concentrated. His current priorities were already established. Secure a big enough food reserve and make more drones capable of defending the new hive.

The first task would require him to produce a lot of hunter drones, as he wanted to have a big reserve of mold wax before starting to consume it, and therefore he would like to depend on hunting and gathering. This new area was still filled with prey, so the hive could live on that for a while.

The second task was trickier. As having witnessed the numbers and the might of the goblins, he didn’t want to underestimate them again. Therefore, he needed an army capable to face whatever the humanoids would throw at him. If he chose to face them with quantity vs quantity, he would need to make at least a few thousands warrior drones.

Marcus shuddered. He could feel the pain in his cooch just at the thought.

But the other option was to pit quality vs quantity. Marcus realized there were a lot of incredibly dangerous animals in this forest. The gorilla-like creatures that had all but annihilated his patrols. The hyena-wolves that assaulted him weeks before with a bite that could pierce through anything. The dragon. By itself, it seemed capable of facing an entire army.

The problem was that right now, he didn’t have an army big enough to defeat those creatures, so he couldn’t collect their corpses to eat them and absorb their DNA.

He tried to think of a solution. He needed the bodies of those creatures if he wanted to absorb their characteristics, but at the same time, fighting them would cost too many drones. Not to mention there was always the risk of their DNA being unreadable, like those of the goblins and the laser deer.

Wait! He stopped in his tracks, realizing something important. Who ever said I need to actually kill them to get their DNA? Couldn’t I just get it from some parts of their bodies, like blood or saliva?

For some reason, he didn’t really like this solution. He really wanted to feast on the bodies of these strong creatures, killing them simply because their existence was a threat to the hive and taking their strength for his children.

He quickly realized this dislike came from his new instincts.

“Nice try, fucking monster instincts!” Marcus said while looking down at his body. “But I win this round! Plus, the true threat to the hive are the goblins, and since I can’t absorb their characteristics because of some bullshit reason, the best thing I can do is take the characteristics of other strong creatures without actually confronting them.”

For some reason, this self-explanation worked like a charm. Marcus felt his instinctive dislike for the plan slowly dissipate as he realized all of the advantages this new plan could bring his hive.

Well then, now that my instincts are out of the way, how do I actually accomplish that? He grabbed his chin, thinking hard. I can’t exactly send the workers or the hunters to collect part of their bodies. What about some new kind of drone? A nice idea suddenly appeared in his mind. Hey, in that old movie about cloning dinosaurs, they obtained the dinosaurs’ DNA from mosquitoes trapped in amber. So why don’t I make my own mosquitoes?

He smiled smugly at this idea and accessed his own mental genetic database to see if it was possible.

Let’s see… Dangit, I didn’t eat any mosquitoes. But hey, I just need to make a blood sucking creature. Just drinking the blood won’t do it. I need for the drone to have a place where it can store the blood and keep it as unadulterated as possible. Maybe an internal pouch? I don’t have anything like that in my database… Oh well, I just need to make it.

What if I give the creature a second stomach, only without any digestive function? Uhmm, yeah, this will work. Now, how could this creature actually collect the blood? Do I give it a needle? No, that wouldn’t really work. If I give them a needle too big, the creatures it stings would feel it and be alarmed, but if I make it small enough to be unnoticeable, then it wouldn’t be strong enough to pierce through the skin of those gorilla-like creatures, not to mention the dragon.

Hmmm… Hey! What if I just give it a very strong bite, just to break through the skin, and then a small needle to get through that opening. Yeah, this is perfect! Heck, I can even make the needle retractable and make it so that blood sucked through it would go directly to the pouch, so the drone can actually eat when not collecting blood. Brilliant!

After the most specific part of the drone had been decided, the rest was pretty much a given. Marcus decided to make the new drone as small as possible, half the size of his forearm, and shaped pretty much like a vaguely reptiloid mosquito. The drone would be capable of flying, and while it didn’t possess any defense apart from its strong bite, it would be very fast and stealthy.

Also, and this was one of the greatest benefits in Marcus’s opinion, due to its diminutive size, this drone would need a rather smaller egg than the rest, meaning it would be easier to actually make.

Perfect! I shall call it the collector drone! I can easily make a dozen of these things at a time. In fact, I shall start to do it right now. I have more than enough energy reserves to produce these drones.

As soon as he made this decision, he felt a familiar sting in his lower belly. He retreated into the storeroom, this time leaving Cooper outside to keep guard and stop anyone from coming in, and he squatted on the grass and started pushing.

But this birth was harder than he anticipated. The eggs he was making should have been smaller than the usual ones, about the size of a ping-pong ball, but for some reason, it seemed like they were much, much bigger.

“Fuuuuuck!” Marcus cried as intense spasms of pain and pleasure coursed through his body. “What the hell is this? Why is it so hard—NNNGH!”

He moaned and twitched, feeling as if he was going to be torn apart at any moment. Then, with a final push and an anguished scream, he pushed something outrageously big out of his body, and it fell on the grass with a wet plop.

Marcus collapsed, breathing frantically and trembling like a newborn fawn. He felt his, well, certain parts of his body still twitching, and actual tears coursed down his face.

He looked down in front of himself, and with shock, realized what he was watching.

“W-what the a-actual fuck!”

In front of him, there were a dozen eggs. Just like he envisioned, each egg was about the size of a ping-pong ball. But much to his horror and surprise, all of those balls were united in a single cluster the size of a rugby ball.

“What t-the hell is that!” Marcus screamed. “Did… did I just p-push that t-thing out of my fucking vagina? W-what the hell is this?” He stared at his body, stuttering because of pain and fatigue. “Is this so-some sort of r-revenge for taking control of my instincts, you f-fucking b-body!”

Of course, his body didn’t answer him. He considered swearing a bit to relieve himself of the tension and shock, but he found that he was far too tired to do that.

Without further thinking, Marcus let himself lie on the grass together with his eggs, and he fell almost immediately asleep.

Chapter 37

Questioning Questions

The following days were relatively peaceful, which was a much-needed breather for Marcus.

For starters, he’d woken up completely fine despite the effort of laying the egg cluster, which would have made any human woman walk funny for days. Since this wasn’t the first time he recovered unnaturally quickly from injuries or exhaustion, he suspected his current body had some regenerative abilities, but he wasn’t keen on exploring their limits. He was just glad that he didn’t feel as if he was impaled through his cooch anymore.

Also, the new hive was getting off pretty well. The mold wax was growing at an exceptional rate, probably thanks to the rain and all the plants it could absorb. The hunting was plentiful, so he had enough food to feed everyone, especially since there weren’t that many drones for now.

In fact, most of the eggs were taking an unusually long time to hatch, but this was fine for Marcus since he wanted to build up his food supplies a bit more before increasing the numbers. His instincts suggested to him that the eggs would hatch much faster if they were surrounded by the mold wax. For the moment, he kept them away from it, with the exception of the collectors and a few hunters, which he placed directly in one newly grown patch of mold wax.

The reason for the hunters was that he could use them both for defense and to hunt for food, while the collectors wouldn’t need that much food and could start collecting DNA for when he decided to give birth to new warriors. Those eggs were developing quickly, and he expected the drones to be fully operational in a few days.

Not having to lay many eggs for now, he spent more time with Klara and Felix. The boy was still suffering from occasional nausea or dizziness, but was otherwise fine, so he’d resumed his language lessons. Also, much to Marcus’s surprise, Klara had become more relaxed and talkative, often conversing with Felix in front of him and even talking to him directly.

He suspected this was because of the conversation they had after she’d seen him lay eggs. He’d rather cut out his own tongue than bring that matter up, so he just enjoyed his new source of social activity.

And to be fair, Klara was a good source of useful information. She was a hunter, and she knew the forest pretty well, so Marcus could ask her almost everything about the creatures of this world.

Like the goblins.

The trio was sitting in the cloister, under a makeshift roof made of branches and grass to shelter themselves from the nearly constant rain, and Marcus had just asked the girl about the weird humanoids, why there were so many subspecies of them, and why some of them looked like his own drones.

“Well, they’re a race of tribal humanoids that live here in the Caligare Forest,” Klara started to explain, in the tone of a teacher explaining things to a child. “They are usually pretty territorial, and it’s hard to make them move, but under particularly dire circumstances, they’re known to migrate en masse. Anyway, they’re quite aggressive and are known to attack anything that approaches their nests.”

“Also, they have a pretty interesting racial magic!” Felix chimed in. “I don’t know exactly how it works, but when facing and surviving a dangerous enemy, the goblins can copy the characteristics of that enemy. This is why the goblins can be so different from each other. Depending on the enemy they copied, they could appear completely different. Some of them probably survived an encounter with your minions and developed similar characteristics as a result.”

“That’s right,” Klara agreed. “Which is why you have to be extremely careful when exterminating a goblin’s nest. If you leave some of them alive, they’re gonna evolve and come back stronger.”

Marcus’s eyes went wide at this explanation. Sure, now he understood how the goblins could be so strong, and why some of them looked like his own drones, but this wasn’t good news. If the goblins were able to take the characteristics of anything they fought, they were an incredibly dangerous foe.

For some reason, he hadn’t seen any goblin that exhibited more than one species’ traits.

“If they take characteristic of what they fight, can they take characteristic of more species?” Marcus asked. “Or they can take only one?”

His knowledge of this world’s language was still pretty crude, but after hearing Klara and Felix talk to each other, he’d made stellar progress. It also helped that the syntax was very similar to that of the English language, as were many words and phrases. Heck, this whole language sounded more like an English dialect than an alien language.

Anyway, the two humans shook their heads at his question.

“Nah, they can’t copy more than one species at the time,” Klara replied. “The copying magic is effective only when they are in their base form. After they evolve, the change is permanent and they lose the ability to copy any other species.”

“Though they can still improve the characteristics of the species they copied in the first place,” Felix added. “For example, if a goblin keeps fighting orcs and surviving, it would gradually become more similar to an orc.”

Marcus nodded to show he understood the explanation. He also let out a sigh of relief. The goblins were already a problem as they were, but at least they couldn’t become the chimeric monstrosities he feared for a moment.

“Oh, by the way, can I ask you a question?” Felix said all of a sudden.

“You can,” Marcus replied, nodding. “I answer if I know!”

“Well, I was wondering which species you belong to.” Felix smiled awkwardly. “Sorry if it sounds disrespectful, but I’ve never seen a creature like you or your minions.”

The monster-girl smiled, as if to reassure Felix that he wasn’t offended, and replied immediately.

“I am human,” he said in his mind, but his mouth said, “I am Vex.”

Huh? What did I just say!

“Vex, huh? I’ve never heard of it.” Felix looked intrigued. “What about you, Klara?”

“I’ve never heard of it either.”

“It’s likely an entirely unknown species!” Felix seemed very excited. “Could you tell us more about your race, Marcus? Where do you come from?”

Marcus wasn’t listening. Instead, she was just sitting there, eyes wide, processing what he had just said. The question about her race had awakened something in his mind, and he felt as if two different entities were struggling inside of her head, each trying to assert dominance.

“Uh, Marcus? Are you all right?” Felix asked, slowly touching her shoulder to get his attention.

The monster-girl, startled, immediately jumped to his feet, gave a nervous look at the boy and quickly said, “Sorry. Need to go. Need time now.”

And he darted away, running away under the rain until he reached the entrance to the underground part of the ruins, and then she hid himself in a corner of a cellar.

The place was completely dark and almost entirely covered in a layer of mold wax, so it reminded her of his old hive.

There, he remained in a fetal position, breathing frantically while trying to get a hold of herself.

“I am human! I am human! I am a fucking human!” he repeated as some kind of mantra. “I am a Vex, not a man—NO!” he screamed, trying to correct himself. “I meant I am a man, not a fucking… Vex, or whatever they’re called. God frigging dammit! It’s these damn instincts trying to fuck with my mind again. It’s not me! I’m still myself! I’m still the same person deep down, dammit!”

He remained still, sitting in the darkness of his new hive, trying to get a hold of himself.

I am human. I am human. I am human… he kept repeating in his mind, rocking forward and back, hugging himself, trying to clear his mind of his instincts’ influence.

I am human. I am human. I am human… He tried to put all the conviction he could muster in this thought.

But deep inside himself, he was starting to have doubts.

Chapter 38

Call on Hold

“What’s the matter with her?” Felix asked right after Marcus had run away, a worried expression on his face.

“No idea,” Klara replied, looking equally puzzled. “She looked upset, though.”

“Oh dear! Was it something I said? Maybe asking where she came from?”

“I don’t know.”

“Should we go after her?” Felix suggested. “Maybe we could—”

“No!” Klara cried out loudly, interrupting her friend. She looked very alarmed. “Ehm, I mean, if she needs help, she’ll be back, and she’ll tell us what worries her. No need to disturb her privacy.”

“But you said she seemed upset,” Felix protested. “So can’t we—”

“No, we can’t.” Klara was adamant. “We don’t know what she’s doing right now, but she looked like she needed to be alone. Let’s give her some time. When she feels ready to return, she will. No need to risk interrupting whatever she’s doing right now.”

“Well, that’s… very sensible of you.” Felix looked surprised. “I was under the impression you didn’t like her for some reason. And you didn’t trust her either. You were always trying to spy on her in the cave.”

The girl shrugged. “That’s in the past. I… decided to give her a chance. She doesn’t really seem hostile, so I can at least try to be polite, as long as she doesn’t try to do anything against us.”

“Oh, yeah.” Felix nodded. “It seemed to me that you were friendlier to her all of a sudden. Did something happen between you two?”

Klara grimaced, and avoided Felix’s eyes. “We had… a girl talk,” she finally said after a long pause. “Nothing you could really understand.”

“Oh yeah?” Felix seemed curious. “What did you two speak about?”

“That’s none of your concern.” Her tone hardened. “As I said, it was a girl talk. So don’t try to pry, Felix.”

“Okay then! Keep your girl secrets.”

The boy hated leaving his curiosity unsatisfied, but he knew his friend well enough to know he wouldn’t get anything else out of her. He took his Twinstone out of his pocket to give another try at making contact with Brettholz. Not that he had high hopes. He’d tried multiple times to make it work during his residence in the cave and had failed every time, despite being in much better condition back then. Still, it was worth a shot. If anything, he could distract himself from the need to ask Klara more questions.

The Twinstone looked like a gray, smooth hemispherical rock. At first look, there was nothing special about it, and in fact, it had once been a perfectly normal rock, before being enchanted and broken in two pieces. After that, the rock could be used as a focus for a rather simple spell, allowing whoever was holding one half of a Twinstone to speak telepathically with whoever held the other half, no matter the distance between them.

Sadly, because of his Djinni heritage, Felix wasn’t gifted in any kind of magic except fire-related spells. Sure, unlike pure-blooded Djinni, he could still practice sorcery, but it was harder for him than it would be for a normal human. And to make things worse, his master hadn’t exactly been a good teacher. He was more interested in his own work rather than dealing with his apprentice. He mostly treated Felix like a servant when he bothered to acknowledge his presence at all.

Because of this, the boy hadn’t exactly been surprised when he couldn’t manage to make the Twinstone work inside the cave, and he had thought it was because of his own incompetence.

What surprised him was that, this time, as he concentrated on the Twinstone, he actually managed to establish a link on the first try.

“Wow!” he exclaimed, and actually dropped the link because of how surprised he was.

“What?” Klara asked. “What happened?”

“I… I think I managed to make the Twinstone work!” Felix said in an astonished tone.

Klara’s expression brightened considerably.

“That’s awesome!” she cried, her voice full of excitement. “We can call for help now! We can ask for a rescue party to come and get us home!” She stopped for a moment, and her tone became more serious. “Though we should warn them about the goblins first. I’ve never heard about such an army of those creatures, and they clearly pose a threat to the province and maybe even the whole kingdom.”

“Right!” He was about to concentrate on the Twinstone again, but then he lifted his eyes again. “Klara, what about Marcus?”

“What about Marcus?” the girl asked back.

“Ehm, I don’t know. But we can’t just leave her here alone in the forest.”

Klara grimaced but said nothing. Just a couple of days before, she would have had no problem leaving that weird creature behind. Things were different now. She had acknowledged the monster-girl was actually a person, and a rather helpful and friendly one to boot, so she couldn’t just treat her as some kind of wild animal despite her instinctive dislike of her.

She sighed.

“We’ll think about it when the time comes,” she finally said. “The least we can do is offer her to come with us, although I have no idea how she would be treated in the kingdom.” She shrugged. “But she seems capable of taking care of herself, and she even has her minions to help her, so I don’t think we’ll have to worry about her in any case.”

Felix nodded, looking a bit relieved, and returned his concentration to the stone.

After a few moments, he established the link again, and started talking.

The Twinstone communication, despite being basically telepathic, still required the two people to talk with a clear voice in order to be understood. Even when not used, the other half of the Twinstone would vibrate when receiving a message, warning the other person of the upcoming call.

“Hello?” Felix spoke into the stone. “Is anyone there? This is Felix Agner, from the expedition commanded by Sir Dagobert! Is anyone there?”

A few seconds passed, and he was about to repeat the message when he heard an unknown voice replying in the back of his head.

“This is Telemancer Hoggs speaking. Who am I speaking to?”

Felix smiled. “Hello! This is Felix Agner, apprentice sorcerer and part of the expedition sent to scout the Ashwood Hills.”

There were a few seconds of silence, and then the voice returned. “Okay… You are the apprentice sorcerer Felix Agner. Are you sure?”

“Yes, of course!” Felix answered, a bit baffled by the question.

“Okay then. What’s your status?”

“Well, me and Klara—oh, I mean Klara Kreigdoter, one of the scouts, well, we got separated from the main group during the goblin attack. We are both injured, and we need help getting back.”

The voice fell silent for a few seconds, prompting Felix to wonder if the link had fallen. But then Hoggs continued speaking.

“What about this goblin attack? When did it happen? And how did you get separated from the others?”

“Wait, the others didn’t tell you! Are they okay? You did hear from them, right?”

“First answer my question, please,” the telemancer replied, his tone a bit harder.

“Uhm, okay then.” Felix was a bit shaken and surprised, but answered nonetheless. “The attack happened about ten days ago. The goblins cast some spell that silenced the whole area, preventing us from giving the alarm or trying to contact you. There were hundreds—no, thousands of goblins, but we tried to escape anyway, following the Aura Warriors. Me and Klara got separated from the rest during the fight, but luckily, we were rescued by Marcus’s flying minions that took us to safety.”

“Okay—no, wait a second!” Hoggs seemed confused. “Who’s this Marcus?”

“Well, that’s a long story. To sum things up, Marcus is a… Vex, I think she said. A Vex girl, to be precise.”

“And what’s a Vex, exactly?”

“Oh, I don’t know exactly. She’s a humanoid creature and clearly female, despite not having, uhm, much of a chest.” Felix blushed a bit. “Anyway, she resembles some kind of beastman, but instead of a hybrid between a human and another mammal she looks like a hybrid between a human and… some kind of weird insect or reptile thing. She also controls a lot of creatures that look similar to her, minus the humanoid part. Those were the creatures that rescued us. Apparently, they’re fighting the goblins too, and they’ve cared for us until now.”

There were a few seconds of silence before Hoggs replied.

“Ooookay!” he said, sounding confused and more than a bit suspicious. “Could you stand by for a bit? I need to report what you said, and we’ll continue later. Will you be available in a few hours?”

“Uh, yes, I think.” This time, it was Felix who seemed confused. “But, why, though? Can’t you listen to my full report right now? I mean, there is a frigging goblin army out here, and they don’t exactly look friendly. They could raid the province at any time!”

There were another few seconds of silence before the telemancer answered.

“Okay, I will give your partial report to the captain as soon as I find him. Then, if possible, I will immediately call you back, and you’ll be able to give your full report to the captain, as well as answer his questions directly. Is that okay?”

“Well, sure.”

“Then remain on standby. I’ll call you back. Now I’ll drop the link.”

And, as soon as he said it, the communication stopped. Felix felt the link from the other half of the Twinstone drop. He dropped his own too, and gave a long stare at the ground, confused about the conversation.

Klara, who so far had waited in order to not disturb her friend, noticed his change in demeanor. “Is everything all right, Felix? Can you talk with me now?”

“Yes, yes. It’s just, the conversation was weird. They were surprised to hear from us.”

“Well, if we’re the only survivors from the expedition, that’s to be expected. Although it’s not a pleasant thought…”

“No, not that.” Felix shook his head. “I don’t know how to explain it, but… the telemancer didn’t exactly react as if we were the survivors that called after a long time of silence. He was, suspicious. Almost as if he thought we didn’t tell the truth.”

A mix of confusion and worry appeared on Klara’s face.

“That’s…peculiar,” she said. “Any idea why?”

“No clue. Do you?”

The girl remained silent for a bit, thinking. “Well, from how you described their reaction, it sounded as if they did receive some reports before, and somehow those reports greatly contradict our own.”

Felix’s eyes widened in surprise and shock. “But… but how’s it possible? How could they receive reports that contradict what I just said?”

“It’s simple really,” Klara said, narrowing her eyes. “All it takes is a traitor who’s working with the goblins.”

“But that’s ridiculous!” Felix sounded incredulous. “Who would do something like that! And why?”

The huntress laughed. “Eh, it’s simple really.” A bitter smile tugged at her lips. “For most people, loyalty suddenly becomes not so important when weighed against your life.”

Felix shook his head in disbelief.

“Well, yeah, but I can’t imagine someone openly collaborating with the goblins like that,” he said. “If those goblins attack the province, they could kill hundreds of people. Who could allow something like this?”

Klara smiled again, amused at her friend’s naivety. Not too long ago, she thought the same, but after she experienced firsthand how nasty people can be, even toward those that were once close to them, she’d hardened her view of the world considerably.

“Well, maybe you’re right, and I’m being too suspicious,” she conceded, unwilling to tackle Felix’s idealism. “Let’s wait for the captain to call back. Maybe we’ll clear things up then.”

Deep inside, though, she was almost certain she was right.

Chapter 39

I Know That You Know That I Know

Zeno wasn’t having a good day.

Though no days had been stellar as of late. First, he’d been caught in Vicker’s crazy scheme to take the accursed book from that stubborn girl, Klara. Then he had to venture inside this godforsaken forest. And then he spent the last ten days inside a small wooden cage, completely naked save for a dirty blanket.

Still, it could be worse. If anything, he was still alive while almost half the members of the expedition were dead, and most of the survivors had been considerably roughed up, suffering broken bones, bruises, and sometimes even missing a limb after the capture.

Zeno had been too scared to resist the goblins, and he had been caught without problem or too much discomfort, while the other sorcerer, Joakim, had been killed by a blow to the head while trying to cast a fireball against the enemy.

And contrary to all expectations, letting himself be captured had turned out to be a smart decision. Despite their reputation of being wild savages, the goblins had actually treated them relatively well so far. The wounded had been healed by their shamans and there was no torture or slave labor. They were just kept in the cages. They even let the surviving Aura Warriors, Dagobert and Ludd, live despite the danger they posed. Although they kept them drugged at all times in order to prevent them from using their powers to try to escape.

They also took similar precautions with Zeno, once their shamans had identified him as a sorcerer. In his case, it was deemed sufficient to take all of his possessions away, including his clothes.

The sorcerer had to admit that his captors had been quite smart in doing that. Sorcerers couldn’t really use magic without their tools, so a lot of them, Zeno included, kept various focus instruments hidden in their clothes in case of emergency. The goblins obviously anticipated this, showing a great deal more cunning and foresight than he’d have given them credit for.

Not that this would stop him from silently cursing at them for leaving him naked in the chill of early autumn.

He was in the middle of a big clearing in the forest, surrounded by a three-meter-tall wooden fence. A few small wooden huts and leather tents offered shelter to the goblins guarding the humans, who were kept in five wooden cages in the exact center of the clearing.

A dozen or so hobgoblin guards stood near them at all times, armed with long spears and clubs, ready to punish any attempt to escape. A shaman also watched them. There were four of them who alternated at keeping watch on the Aura Warriors and the sorcerer, who were kept separated from the others. Zeno was really glad about this last thing. Not only did he not have to share the small space with other people, he was also safe from his companions, since some of them were looking at him with murder in their eyes ever since he struck a deal with the goblins.

The sorcerer shook his head. That wasn’t important. They couldn’t hurt him right now. Sure, if they made it out alive, they’d make it pretty difficult for him to live in Medelan, accusing him of being a traitor and all. He could always find work in the Empire or in the Federation. Maybe even Castillar if he really wanted to disappear. The Castillar Frontier Legion never asked questions about the recruit’s past, and it wouldn’t be the first time a criminal hid among them.

The only place he couldn’t escape to was his hometown in Becca, as his dealings in the past made him a great number of enemies there that would gladly put a knife between his shoulders should they get a clue about his location.

While he was meditating on his future plans, a goblin approached his cage. It was one of the shamans. It wore a mangy robe and carried a staff decorated with dozens of crow skulls.

Zeno recognized him. He was the head of the shamans of this camp, and he was also the one that proposed him the deal.

Basically, the sorcerer had been promised both his life and his freedom in exchange for giving false information to his boss in Brettholz through the Twinstone. Since Zeno wasn’t loyal to the Kingdom of Medelan, but only to himself, and the spears pointed at him at the time looked very sharp, he accepted.

Initially, he thought that he could somehow turn the situation in his favor by cryptically giving a distress call to the telemancer. But the goblins somehow expected that. Not only had they made a whole script for him, making it clear that any attempt at giving any extra information would have been punished, but they also tampered with the Twinstone, enabling them to listen to the conversation.

The goblins made Zeno report that a Tyrant Bear had made a nest in the Ashwood Hills and was fighting against the Forest Dragon known to live there. To justify the fact that the other sorcerers, Joakim and Felix, couldn’t answer, he had to say they had been caught by surprise in the middle of a fight between the two creatures, losing roughly half of the group, including the two sorcerers, and the rest had fled south to save their lives.

The story was quite plausible, since both Tyrant Bears and Forest Dragons were very territorial and known to fight each other if their territories overlapped. Also, both creatures were strong enough that it was entirely possible for a patrol like theirs to get annihilated by one of them, but at the same time, they’d be relatively safe once outside of their territories.

Zeno had to admit this cover story was quite brilliant. It was simple, plausible, and perfectly justified why they had lost half of the group, and why they were taking so long before returning. Healing the wounded and going around the danger zone created by the two beasts would take a while. But most importantly, neither a Tyrant Bear nor the Forest Dragon were really a threat to the province, because although they were ridiculously strong, they weren’t known for leaving their territories, and the non-detectable area in the forest could roughly be explained as a consequence of the creature’s humongous Auras clashing against each other. It wasn’t really a good explanation. It was still vaguely possible, as the side-effects of massive Aura usage were all but unpredictable.

The Brettholz province wouldn’t really take any precaution against this threat, and it would be an easy target for a goblin raid, which seemed what the little gray bastards had in mind.

The shaman approached the cage, holding Zeno’s Twinstone. He then gave it to the caged sorcerer, who took it and felt it was vibrating, the sign of an incoming call.

“There’s call incoming!” the goblin said with a raspy voice. “You answer, I listen through my wind spirits. You must say that you and your group are currently resting, that wounded ones need time to recover properly, and you still need three weeks to get back! If you say anything different from this, we kill you!”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s the same old drill, I know,” Zeno replied. “Listen, we’ve done this for more than a week, I’m not just gonna betray you all of a sudd—OUCH!”

The sorcerer cried out in pain as a small spark of lightning erupted from the shaman’s staff, shocking his body.

“You no talk back! You just do as you’re told if you want to live and be free!” the goblin snarled. “We do not trust you. You betray your own kind for your convenience. You’d betray us even more easily. Behave and know your life is in our hands!”

“Okay, okay!” Zeno whimpered. “I got it! Don’t do that again, please! I’ll do as I’m told.”

He started concentrating on the Twinstone, and after a few seconds, he established the link.

“This is the sorcerer Zeno Zarini speaking,” he stated, forcing himself to have a steady voice.

“This is Telemancer Hoggs speaking,” a familiar voice from the Twinstone replied, perfectly audible to everyone thanks to the shaman’s spirit connected to the stone that broadcasted the otherwise telepathic message. “We’ve called you to receive your report about the situation of your group.”

“Oh, okay then,” Zeno answered. “We are currently resting southwest of the danger area. We are making slow progress, since our seriously injured can’t travel too fast, but we should be able to return to Brettholz in about three weeks.”

“Good,” Hoggs replied. “I have a few more questions, though. You stated in your past reports that the apprentice sorcerer Felix Agner and the scout Klara Kreigdoter are among those who died when you got caught between the Forest Dragon and the Tyrant Bear, is that right?”

The sorcerer was caught by surprise by that question and turned to the shaman, who nodded and gestured him to answer positively.

“Yes, that’s right,” Zeno said, trying to sound sad. “They both died during that encounter. Sad thing, they were both so young and—”

“Another question!” Hoggs said, interrupting him in the middle of his false lamentation. “Did you find any trace of any other threats in your area? Like trolls, orcs, goblins, nightwolves, or wild elementals?”

This question was unexpected, and Zeno, not knowing what to say, looked desperately in the shaman’s direction. The goblin, who looked quite worried himself, shook his head, silently ordering him to answer negatively.

“Didn’t find any,” Zeno lied. “Why do you ask?”

“Just because there is a clear threat, doesn’t mean we should focus only on it,” the telemancer said. “Your expedition was made to find out all possible menaces out there, after all. I’ll drop the link now. Thank you for your report.”

And as soon as he said those words, the link was dropped, leaving Zeno and the shaman puzzled at that response. Then the goblin gestured for the sorcerer to give back the Twinstone, and as soon as he had it in his hands, he darted away, running toward the hut where the shamans resided.

Zeno couldn’t move from his cage, obviously, but his mind was still racing. Hoggs had seemingly fell hook, line, and sinker for his lies, never questioning his reports for the last ten days, but this time, he actually sounded suspicious.

Could he have somehow gotten an inkling of what was really happening? And if so, how in the seven hells did he do that?

* * *

Inside the room he was using as an office, Hoggs turned to Marquis Eisen Brett. He’d been eavesdropping on the conversation thanks to the broadcasting spell the telemancer cast on the Twinstone. He was frowning, and his face looked very worried.

“Well, your grace, that settles it,” Hoggs said. “The reports are too contradictory. One of them is lying.”

This had been the second Twinstone conversation he’d listened to that day. A few hours before, Hoggs told him about the unexpected Twinstone report from Felix, the young apprentice sorcerer that, according to Zeno, had died during the fight between the dragon and the bear. Since that seemed fishy, Eisen ordered Hoggs to cast a spell to listen to the Twinstone conversations directly, and he made the telemancer contact the boy before Zeno.

The young apprentice had given a completely different story from the sorcerer. According to him, it had been an army of goblins that attacked them, not a dragon or a bear. Also, the simple fact that he had seemingly survived contradicted what Zeno reported.

After hearing both, the marquis concurred with Hoggs. At least one of them was definitely lying. And if he was a betting man, he’d put his money on Zeno being the liar.

But he wasn’t a betting man, or at least he wasn’t when the fate of his whole province was at stake.

“Actually, you’re missing a third possibility, Hoggs,” he said while smirking. “They could both be lying.”

“Yes, but why would they do that?” the telemancer asked, looking dubious.

“Ah, that’s the right question, my friend!” Eisen smiled ever more brightly. “Most crimes can be easily solved if you know the motivations behind them. Alas, that knowledge is not often readily available, but we have our wits, and we can try to deduce their motives.”

He put himself into what he thought was a cool, intelligent pose, grabbing his chin and smirking ever so smugly. To Hoggs, however, the noble looked just like an absolute dork. Still, he respected Eisen. He was also the one who paid him, so he didn’t say anything and let the man indulge in his antics.

“For you see, the reason for giving a false report is to cause a certain reaction in those who receive it,” he explained in a smug voice. “The people feeding us false information are doing so in order to have us behave in a certain way!”

He lifted his right hand with one finger up.

“The first possibility is that the boy, Felix, is lying, and Zeno is telling the truth. In that case, the one talking to us is not Felix at all, but someone else impersonating him for some reason. By feeding us information about an army of goblins, he wants us to mobilize our forces toward the border of the Caligare Forest, probably leaving us vulnerable somewhere else!”

He lifted a second finger.

“The second option is that Zeno is lying, and the boy is telling the truth. In that case, he’s probably conniving with the goblins and is telling us that there is no threat in order to leave us open for a goblin raid!”

He lifted a third finger.

“Option number three is that both are lying. In this case, they most likely are doing it to confuse us!”

Hoggs just nodded at each of these explanations. “Well, if we want to know for sure, I could use a scrying spell to check them directly,” he suggested. “I can divine them fairly easily by using the Twinstone’s link as a coordinate.”

Eisen smiled sarcastically in response.

“Yes, that is a possibility indeed,” he admitted. “But, forgive me if I’m wrong, isn’t the scrying spell easily detectable by whoever is being watched?”

“Well, yes,” Hoggs said. “A giant, floating ethereal eye is quite difficult to miss, after all.”

“Exactly! They’d know we’re watching them! And in that case, we’d lose the advantage of them not knowing that we know.”

The telemancer almost groaned at this explanation. Eisen was a smart person, but he always had to show it off by being dramatic and overcomplicated.

“So, what should we do then?” he asked cautiously. “Not scry on them?”

“No, no, what I mean is that we should use the scrying judiciously,” the marquis replied. “By choosing who to scry and how to react.”

“Well then, who should we scry on?” Hoggs asked.

This time, the noble paused for a few seconds, remaining in his meditating pose while caressing his moustache. With another smug smile, he explained, “We’ll use the scrying on the supposed young Felix. First of all, if he’s lying, then he’s not Felix but an impersonator who should be fairly easy to spot. Moreover, his story seems like the more plausible. After all, we don’t really have borders with dangerous areas except the one with the Caligare Forest, and he’s the one telling us to watch out from that direction!”

He paused for a moment, and then said with a vaguely childish glee, “And to be honest, I’m curious to see this… Marcus creature he’s talking about. I’ve never heard of a species like that. Who knows, maybe it’s a completely undiscovered one. In that case, our names could go down in history for this discovery!”

Chapter 40

In the Eye of the Beholder

Marcus was not having a good time.

Truth be told, he actually felt a little depressed. All he wanted was to lie down alone in the dark, but this seemed impossible at the moment.

First of all, it was rather difficult to be alone when you shared the same mind with hundreds of other creatures. Even now, he felt everything the drones did; he saw through their eyes and moved with their legs.

Second, being in the dark had a rather dubious value when you could see perfectly without any light source. The room he was sitting in was in the deepest part of the cellars, too far for any sunlight to reach, and he could still see every detail. The stone walls, which had once been covered in moss and mud, were now almost completely coated in mold wax, which had grown exponentially in the last few days. That sight did feel relaxing to him as it felt appeasing to his Vex instincts, but it also fueled the conflict inside his mind. Because what bothered him the most was the still ongoing identity crisis he’d been experiencing since yesterday.

The conflict between his human mind and memories and her new set of Vex urges and instincts made him feel torn apart inside. And to make things worse, the more he tried to impose his will over his body, the more her subconscious kicked back, trying to influence his behavior.

The result was that Marcus felt confused, flustered, and deeply uncomfortable and unhappy. He was really starting to understand how much he had changed, and how much of his old self he had lost.

Up until now, he’d irrationally hoped, deep inside his mind, that things could still return to normal. That he could somehow return to his old life, to his old world, and to his old family. After all, dying and waking up as a weird creature alone in the woods save for the company of the drones that she herself gave birth to wasn’t really a rational thing to begin with. Somehow, it felt like a bad dream, one he could hope to wake up from.

But things changed after his meeting Felix and Klara. The company of the two humans with whom he could speak made the whole world seem more real and also showed him clearly how different he’d become. Pleasant as it was to be able to communicate with someone else, they still made him feel uncomfortable, because now he had no way to deny the reality of his situation. Even worse, he felt ashamed for trying to deny this truth to begin with. He had always tried to live his life by the motto of “Always stay true to yourself.” Realizing he had lost his way made him feel worse than anything else.

But still, he didn’t want it to be true! To accept that he wasn’t human anymore and bow down to his instincts, to renounce who he once was—it felt wrong. It felt like the coward’s way out.

In the darkness of this underground cellar, Marcus’s face assumed a determined expression. He would never surrender. Ever. He could still fail in the end and completely lose his old identity, but he sure as hell wouldn’t go down without a fight.

As he made this resolution, he immediately felt better. Be what it may be, he’d decided what to do for now.

He got up, brushing the dirt out of the rags he used as clothing.

“Well then,” he said, talking to no one in particular. “Let’s see what our two guests are up to. I didn’t check on them since yesterday.”

And he focused his attention on his drones, which he had been operating subconsciously so far. He’d gotten really good at that, to the point that, most of the time, he didn’t even realize he was doing it unless he paid attention to it, pretty much like breathing. Through the eyes of the drones currently working inside the ruins, he searched the place for the two humans. A worker saw Felix sitting in the cloister, just where he’d left him the day before, but Klara wasn’t with him. After a few seconds, a flying drone that was resting at the top of a half-collapsed bell tower saw her. She was walking through the ruins, searching room after room and calling for him.

Marcus was a bit surprised that he hadn’t noticed that before. Then again, he hadn’t really paid attention to what was happening to the drones, and Klara didn’t know that he could see and hear everything the drones did, so she hadn’t thought of getting Marcus’s attention through them.

Wondering what she could want from him, Marcus left the room, walking outside of the cellars to meet Klara.

About two minutes later, Marcus reached Klara just as he was exiting the cellars.

The human girl was calling for him from the entrance to the underground part of the ruins, but she seemed reluctant to step in, despite the light rain. Marcus could understand why. The entrance looked absolutely ominous, being completely dark, covered in alien-looking mold wax, with multiple worker drones scuttling inside, their glowing eyes appearing and disappearing from sight. Heck, if he hadn’t been capable of seeing in the dark, completely used to the mold wax, and connected telepathically to the drones, the cellars would have made him nervous too.

So, instead of inviting Klara to come inside, he stepped outside, trying his best to ignore both the rain and the air that felt surprisingly chilly after the mild warmth of the underground. He shivered and cloaked himself tightly in the dirty furs he used as a mantle.

“I am here,” he said. “Do you need thing from me, Klara?”

“Uh, yeah. I actually need something from you,” the girl replied. “Felix managed to make his Twinstone work, and he spoke with our bosses in Brettholz. He explained our situation, and they want to talk to you.”

“What?” Marcus asked, completely bewildered. “What is Twinstone? How do Felix speak with other people? How do I speak with them? I do not understand.”

Klara sighed. “A Twinstone is a magic instrument to talk with people at long distances. It’s made of two halves of a rock. Whoever is holding one half can listen to what the person holding the other half is saying, regardless of the distance or obstacles between them.”

“Oh, so it’s like cellphone!” Marcus said.

“A what?” Klara asked, a bit confused.

“It’s nothing,” he said, dismissing the question. “So, who are your bosses? Why they want to talk with me?”

“Well, the telemancer for sure. And maybe the marquis himself. Felix talked to him a bit earlier today.”

“Tele-mannker? Maar-kees?” Marcus asked, as he didn’t know those words. The last one did sound familiar, though.

“A telemancer is a sorcerer specialized in communications,” Klara replied. “And marquis is a noble title. Its rank is roughly equal to count, but a marquis usually rules over a frontier region, and therefore has more autonomy. Do you get it now?”

He nodded in response. To be fair, he still didn’t completely understand what a telemancer was, but he got that they were some sort of communications expert, and that was probably the important bit. As for marquis. Well, that word existed in his world as well, although the pronunciation was different.

“Well then, are you willing to talk to them?” Klara asked.

Marcus remained silent for a second, pondering his options. But there wasn’t really any harm in just speaking with them. Plus, if this marquis was an important person, he could actually benefit from it. If he wanted to live among other humans, having the support of someone in authority could really help.

So, with a small smile, Marcus replied, “Sure. I will talk to them!”

“Good. Let’s go to Felix, then. He’s the one operating the Twinstone.”

And she turned and started walking back to the cloister.

Marcus tailed her, but a sudden worry rose. “Do I need to use Twinstone? Can I use it?”

“No, you don’t need to. As I said, it’s pretty difficult to use, so Felix will be operating it.” She stopped for a moment and then added under her breath, “Or at least let’s hope he’ll be able to.”

“What was that?” Marcus asked.

“Nothing. Let’s just go,” Klara replied as she continued to walk.

About a minute later, they reached the cloister where Felix, sitting on a pile of furs, greeted them with a wave of his arm. The boy seemed in much better health than the previous day.

“Hi, Marcus!” he said. “Nice to see you again. Is everything okay? You seemed a bit upset when you left yesterday.”

“I’m okay,” he replied. “I just… had bad thinking.”

The boy gave him a puzzled look, but Marcus didn’t feel ready to talk about his feelings right now, so he changed the argument.

“Klara tell me your bosses want to talk to me,” he said. “I can talk to them.”

“Oh, okay! Good!” Felix said with a smile. “They told me to call them as soon as you’re ready to speak. Shall I contact them right now?”

“Yes.”

Felix fixated his eyes on the stone he was holding, which the Vex Queen assumed was the so-called Twinstone. The boy remained concentrated for about a minute, during which neither Marcus nor Klara made a sound. Then the monster-girl heard something. It was a very weak voice, like the faintest of whispers, and it was apparently coming from the stone. He didn’t understand anything, but Felix apparently did, as he started speaking just as the whispers stopped.

“This is the apprentice sorcerer Felix speaking,” he said. “As you requested, I asked Marcus to be present during this call. She said she’s willing to talk with you.”

The Vex Queen heard the same weak voice as before answering. He also realized it didn’t come from the stone itself, but rather he heard it in the back of his head—he only had the sensation of it being connected to the stone. It was a weird feeling, and he couldn’t really explain it.

He was still questioning it when Felix suddenly looked at him.

“They said to stand by for a minute, and try not to move,” he said, relaying the orders he’d been given. “They said they are going to attempt to create a more… direct contact.”

Marcus was about to ask what he meant by that, when suddenly, the stone in his hands started glowing. That took all present by surprise. Felix looked panicked and almost dropped the Twinstone, while both Klara and Marcus gazed at it in confused surprise.

Then, with a flash of light, a giant, glowing eyeball appeared, floating a few meters over the apprentice sorcerer’s head, and gave a long, scanning gaze to the area before locking on Marcus.

Chapter 41

Eye to Face Conversation

Marcus’s reaction was both instantaneous and instinctive.

With a cry of surprise, she jumped back and mentally called all nearby drones to protect her against whatever that eyeball thing was.

In a few seconds, eight drones rushed into the ruined cloister. Three flyers dropped from above, while four workers and a single hunter came running from other parts of the ruins.

The drones positioned themselves between the Hive Queen and the perceived threat. Not satisfied, Marcus kept sending his mental summoning to all the drones in the vicinity, her instincts drowning her reason with waves of alarm and fury.

Intrusions in her hive couldn’t be tolerated!

Then she heard some voices speaking to her. They felt weirdly distant and weak, as if hearing something while being submerged in water. Marcus ignored them at first, but then she noticed the two humans waving their arms, and suddenly made the connection that the voices belonged to them. As soon as he did, their voices became clear, and he understood what they were saying.

“Marcus, stop!” Felix was saying, trying to calm him down. “This is not a threat! It’s simply a spell. It’s harmless.”

“Yeah, control yourself!” Klara said with a steady voice, although her expression was much more wary than the boy’s. “We’re not going to harm you!”

As the rational part of his mind started working again, Marcus felt as if he’d just woken up from a dream. And then, a surge of anger exploded in his mind.

Those goddamn instincts had taken control of him. Again!

He gritted his teeth and struggled to fight back the extreme irritation and annoyance. Even after the resolution he made a few minutes before, he got overwhelmed that easily. So much for not going down without a fight!

He lifted his head and noticed that Klara and Felix were still giving him worried looks. The eye kept staring. Being just an eye, it didn’t really have an expression. Marcus struggled to calm himself down, and with a gesture of his head, he telepathically dismissed the drones, who went back to their previous tasks.

“I am sorry,” he said. “I got scared by big eye. I did not… wait for it.”

“You didn’t expect it,” Felix corrected him with a relieved smile. “Well, it’s perfectly understandable, then. Spell effects can be rather spooky if you’re not used to them.”

“Still, you better control yourself,” Klara added, still giving him a wary look. “You seemed to have lost it for a moment.”

“I will control myself better in future,” Marcus replied with a very resolute voice. “Trust me, I will.”

He wasn’t just answering to Klara, he was also talking to himself. No matter what might happen, he’d never let his instincts get the better of him that easily ever again.

Meanwhile, Felix turned his attention to the Twinstone, as if listening to something, and then spoke as if replying to a question.

“No, everything is all right! Marcus was simply taken by surprise by that spell. We all were, to be fair. Maybe she’s never seen something like that.”

Marcus heard the faint whispering again, and the apprentice sorcerer nodded and turned to him.

“The marquis wants to ask you a few questions, Marcus. He can see you, but he can’t hear you, so I’ll just relay everything you say to him. Is that okay?”

“It is okay,” the monster-girl replied. “Ask me what you want to know.”

Felix smiled and turned his concentration on the stone.

“She said it’s all right. She’ll answer your questions.”

He stopped, listening to the telepathic words from his superiors, and then turned to Marcus.

“Well, first of all, the marquis would like to introduce himself,” he said. “His name is Eisen Brett, ruler of the Brettholz province and Marquis of the Medelan Kingdom.”

“Say to him it is… nice to know him,” Marcus said, hoping not to sound rude. He would have liked to say things like an honor to meet you but he lacked the knowledge to hold a proper formal conversation. “My name is Marcus Vitali. I come from America.”

The last bit wasn’t completely true, but it was a good approximation. Marcus was born in Italy, but due to his father’s job, he had pretty much travelled all over the world. He’d spent only a few years in Italy, then he had moved to Germany, then to England, and finally, the US, where his father died, and he had been stuck trying to make ends meet.

Of course, he didn’t expect anyone in this place to know anything about his old world, and sure enough, both Klara and Felix gave him a puzzled look. Felix repeated to the marquis what he’d just said, and after a few seconds, he asked another question.

“The marquis says that both your last name and the name of the place you come from sounds Beccan. Is America the name of a place in Becca?”

“Uh, no,” Marcus replied. “I do not know what Becca is. And I don’t think America is… in here.” He really wanted to say in this world, but he didn’t know the right word, so he just made an all-encompassing gesture when he said here.

Felix blinked, a bit confused, but he reported the answer exactly as it was said. After a few seconds, he spoke once again.

“The marquis wants to know what species you and your minions belong to exactly.”

Marcus meditated on the answer. That was a tricky question indeed. He wanted to say he was a human with every fiber of his being, but he didn’t want to risk triggering another identity crisis. Besides, the marquis probably wanted to know about his physical species, not his mental one.

With a resigned sigh, he said, “I am Vex.” He grimaced while saying this, but continued nonetheless, “My minions are Vex too. But they are different from me. They can’t… choose. I have to choose for them. Because I am the… boss of this place? No, that doesn’t sound right.”

Marcus looked to Klara for help, since his vocabulary wasn’t enough to explain the concept.

“Maybe you want to say that your minions can’t make decisions for themselves?” she suggested. “That you have to order them around, and that you are some sort of… Hive Queen?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “That’s what I wanted to say. Me and my minions are Vex, but only I am the Hive Queen. I have to make decisions for my minions, ‘cause they have… no mind.”

Felix reported what Marcus just said, and then he asked a few questions.

“The marquis wants to know if you control your minions completely, if you can use them as soldiers, and how many you have.”

“I do control them completely,” Marcus confirmed. “I can use them as soldiers, and I did use them as soldiers against the goblins. But the goblins were too many, and I had to run away, leaving my old hive.” He stopped for a second, doing a mental tally of how many drones he had left. “I have about two hundred minions now, but many of them are not fit for combat. But I can get more.”

There was a bit of a pause, and then Felix said, “The marquis wants to know what you want to do with your minions.”

This question took Marcus by surprise. He’d always needed the drones to help him survive. Apart from that, he’d never given any thought about what he would do about them, should he not need them anymore. His instincts were clearly pushing him to expand the hive in any case, but he fought them back.

“I use my minions to stay alive and safe in the forest, because the forest is dangerous. I do not know what to use them for if I’m not in danger. If I live in peaceful place, I may not need them at all.”

And of course, if I were to live in a peaceful place, I wouldn’t have to shit new drones out of my cooch! he added mentally. That thought alone made him feel much better.

The apprentice sorcerer repeated his words to the marquis, and what followed was a series of questions about Marcus’s and the drone’s physiology and their behavior.

The Hive Queen answered as completely as both his knowledge and his vocabulary allowed. He listed the various types of drones he had, that the drones could eat mostly everything, and that they could live on mold wax alone. He then explained what mold wax was, and how it could provide renewable sustenance to both him and his drones. Finally, he explained how the drones would literally do nothing without orders, and they weren’t aggressive unless ordered to be.

In this explanation, he left out a couple of things. The way the drones were made because it felt too embarrassing to say out loud, and his ability to absorb other creature’s DNA, because he didn’t know the words to explain it properly. On the last bit, he decided it wasn’t worth the trouble to try and explain it, and that he’d do that once he knew how to better speak Imperial.

Finally, after a long conversation, Felix asked him the question he’d waited for ever since the conversation started.

“The marquis has a proposition for you. Since your minions can move more or less freely through the forest, they could be a great boon against the goblins. The marquis would like for you to assist his forces in the battle, mainly by hunting down any goblin that would flee back into the forest and prevent them from evolving further. In exchange, he will grant you a free Medelanian citizenship and will allow you to live in the Brettholz province!”

Marcus nodded, satisfied. The proposal was a good one, especially since he had already decided to help the humans. But he knew better than to sign a contract completely blind.

“What does the Medelanian citizenship mean, exactly?” he asked. “Do I have to do thing for you?”

The question was passed to the marquis.

“As a free Medelanian citizen, you will be granted the legal right to live within the Medelanian borders, as well as the right to cross the borders whenever you want,” Felix said, most likely parroting the explanation he was given. “You will also be considered a subject of the Medelanian crown, and therefore you will have the right to be protected by the state. Your duties will be to pay the taxes on whatever property or lucrative activity you’ll have on Medelanian territory, obey Medelanian laws and pay respect to the crown and its representatives.”

Marcus thought about it for a bit. “What are Medelanian laws?”

There was another bit of a pause.

“Well, the main laws are made to protect civil order. Do not kill another person, do not steal, do not damage private property and such. There are many others, but they are more specific, and it would require a lawyer to list them all. If you want, though, they could get one, either now or later.”

Marcus thought for a bit, wondering if there were laws he wouldn’t like.

“Okay. I have decided. I will help you anyway, and later will listen to a lawyer and learn about Medelanian laws. If I like it, I will stay and become Medelanian citizen. If there are things I do not like, I want to be able to travel through Medelan territory to wherever I want to go and not to be harmed by Medelanian people. And in any case, I want to have money and support to live well, and food to feed both me and my minions.”

Felix conveyed this request to the marquis, who took a bit of time before answering.

“The marquis said that your terms are acceptable,” Felix said. “But he wants to put a few clauses. First, in case you refuse the citizenship, the Medelanian citizens won’t harm you unless you harm them first. Second, you will be granted five hundred royals for your services, and also one year of tax exemption in case you accept the citizenship. Is that, okay?”

Marcus had no idea about how much money five hundred royals were, so he glanced both at Klara and Felix, silently asking for advice. Both the girl and the boy nodded, suggesting to him that it was indeed a good deal.

“It is… acceptable.” Marcus nodded too, picking up the last word from Felix’s discourse to sound more formal. “I accept this proposition.”

Felix smiled and repeated what he’d just said. After a few seconds, he relayed the marquis’s response.

“The marquis welcomes you as an ally, then! He says to wait where we are until the goblins are sighted near Medelan, and then you can come north and take out the survivors that come in our direction.”

“I will do that!” Marcus said, nodding happily.

There was another series of faint whispers, and this time, the apprentice sorcerer nodded and answered directly to the Twinstone.

“Understood. I’ll inform Klara as well.”

Then, with a sigh of relief, the boy relaxed, dropping the Twinstone. As soon as he did, the giant floating eye disappeared.

“Man, keeping the link up for so long sure is tiring!” he said with a smile. “I could really go for some supper right now.”

“Then I will get you some,” Marcus said while smiling back. “I think my minions did catch some prey. Me and Klara can cook it together, and tonight, we eat it together!”

“Yeah! We really have a good reason to celebrate,” Felix agreed. “We managed to warn the marquis of the goblins, and Marcus can come with us to Medelan when we go back!”

“And when will it be?” Klara asked, a bit reluctant to indulge in the general rejoicing. “We’re still stuck in the middle of the forest, if you forgot about that.”

“Well, the marquis has given us some new orders,” Felix replied. “We are to liaison with Marcus until the goblins are spotted near the borders. Then we can come to Medelan together with her and her minions.”

Klara didn’t really seem to like that, her face scrunched in a sour expression.

“Well, if it’s of any consolation,” Felix started, “the marquis said we’re getting double the pay for this work. If it takes long enough, you could earn enough money to pay for your house and then some!”

After hearing this, she did seem a bit mollified.

Marcus, however, suddenly realized he didn’t have enough drones to properly do what was asked of him. And that meant he’d have to lay many more eggs.

He groaned at the thought, but at least now he had the hope of a future in which he didn’t need to lay eggs anymore.

With a bit of luck, this was the last time he’d have to go through it!

Chapter 42

Scheming Schemers Scheming

“That went well,” the marquis said as the images in the mirror slowly faded.

He was in a small, cramped room full of people and weird instruments. The size of the room was due to the fact that it was on top of the tallest tower in Brettholz, and once again, Eisen wondered why the telemancers couldn’t do their work on the first floor or something. After all, telemancy always worked the same regardless of altitude. For some weird quirk of theirs, the telemancers felt they worked better the higher they were.

Eisen shook his head. With magic, belief was important, so they probably did work better this way. But this still made moving their stuff around uncomfortable. The room was filled to the brim with advanced telemancy equipment. Two Twinstones were sitting on two separate bronze pedestals, while on another pedestal in front of them was a big gryphon eye floating in a jar. On the opposite side of the room, there was a weird instrument, which looked like a tuning fork made of copper and crystal, and finally, in front of Eisen, was a big silver mirror. Everything was connected with thin copper cables, which the occupants of the room carefully avoided stepping on.

Apart from the marquis, there were five other men present, all of them professional telemancers. They were the entire telemancy crew that worked for Eisen, a rather big one by any standard, and they were all needed to operate the apparatus inside the room. The gryphon eye was the focus for the Sighting spell, which had been connected to the Twinstone link, basically allowing the caster to see the area near the other Twinstone. The mirror had also been connected to the spell, showing anyone what the magical eye was seeing. But unknown to Felix and the others, this hadn’t been the only spell connected to the Twinstone link. The tuning fork-like device was the focus of a Hearing spell, a rather difficult and not well-known spell that allowed everyone in the room to hear whatever was being said in the selected place.

The marquis had used the Hearing and Seeing spells to monitor the entire conversation. This meant he didn’t really need Felix to repeat everything to him, but he didn’t say anything, in case they had something to hide and would betray themselves by speaking. It was also a fact that the effects of the two spells would persist for a few minutes after the Twinstone link had been dropped, despite the ethereal eye that was the manifestation of the Seeing spell seemingly fading away. He did so in order to study their reaction after the conversation, when they thought they weren’t being monitored anymore.

He’d almost been disappointed when the Vex Queen and the two youngsters didn’t do anything suspicious.

Spending this much time and effort to catch someone red-handed and discovering they’re actually innocent is surprisingly annoying, he thought.

“The residual visual link has now completely faded, your grace,” said the telemancer in charge of the Sighting spell focus.

“So has the audio link,” said the one in charge of the Hearing spell focus.

“It’s fine,” the marquis replied. “I saw and heard everything I wanted to. It seems that young Felix is not lying to us. Not knowingly, at least.”

“What do you mean by not knowingly, your grace?” the youngest telemancer asked, earning a look of disapproval from all of his colleagues who knew better than to humor the marquis’s love for drama.

Eisen, on his part, was all too happy to be able to indulge in another one of his monologues.

“You see, young man, things rarely are what they seem on the surface. This creature known as Marcus could be deceiving young Felix for her purposes, probably to get close to us and gain our trust! So we’ve got to keep our eyes open and our minds sharp, for we do not know when the sinister blade of treachery could stab us in the back!”

“But why have you offered this creature a Medelanian citizenship if you don’t trust her?” the young telemancer asked again, a bit confused. The others looked as if they wanted to slap him to make him shut up, but they held back, and the marquis went on.

“Ah! It’s exactly because I can’t trust her that I want her near me.” Eisen gloated in the chance to show off his self-perceived intelligence. “In the middle of the Caligare Forest, she could easily hide from us. But as long as she’s here in Brettholz, I can keep an eye on her.”

He stopped for a moment, building a tension only he could feel, before unveiling his final thoughts on the matter.

“Of course, there’s also the chance that she’s telling the truth, and she just wants to help us and live peacefully after that. In any case, there is nothing to lose in allowing her to move here!”

“But what if she’s actually dangerous?” the telemancer objected. “You see how she controlled those beasts. And she said she can make more. Isn’t this too much of a risk?”

Eisen gave the young man a condescending smile.

“Boy, if those creatures lost to a bunch of goblins, they can’t be that dangerous,” he said. “Even in the worst case, a few Aura Warriors alone could take care of her whole hive.”

He gave another confident smile.

“Now that we know about this goblin raid, it’s not a threat anymore,” he stated. “Even if there were ten thousand goblins out there, something that I highly doubt, they wouldn’t be enough to defeat my garrison. The only risk is that we wouldn’t be able to kill them all and some would escape in the forest and become a bigger nuisance in the future, but with the Vex’s help, we should be able to kill them all.”

He paused for a moment, thinking through all the possibilities.

“Well, since we can’t completely trust our new insectoid allies, I think it’s better not to rely on them in any case. I’m going to have to raise a militia in order to have the numbers to be sure we completely annihilate those pesky goblins.”

He then turned to the telemancers and said, “Keep waiting for Zeno’s usual report. We’ll continue to feign ignorance about the goblin’s plot. As for me, I’ve got letters to write and an army to raise.”

He turned to leave, but then, almost as an afterthought, said, “Oh, by the way, after you’re done here, try calling the Royal Academy and ask about a place called America. That name does sound familiar for some reason, but I don’t remember when I could have possibly heard it.”

And with this final order, he left the room.

* * *

More than twenty thousand goblins were on the move through the forest.

It was an impressive spectacle, even for Grel, who’d experienced leading several thousand goblins into battle. This goblin army was surely the biggest in history. Even the legendary raid of Kalagon the Red, more than thirty years before, had been minuscule compared to this one.

The town had been practically emptied, all the food and valuables were being carried by hundreds of big carts, while anything superfluous had been abandoned.

The general had been very clear in his speech that morning. This wasn’t a simple raid. It was a turning point in the history of goblinkind.

This time, their race would either achieve their greatest victory and thrive, or be forever cancelled from the world.

The feral goblins were leading the way as a wave of fur, claws, and chitin, their bestial features making them faster than the others. The rear of the army was composed of either normal goblins or orc-hobs, who were the most numerous and the most disorganized. At the center was the core of the army, two huge columns of human-hobs marching in good order, their pole weapons ready.

Between the two columns were the carts, which were the heart of the army in more ways than one. Most of them carried the provisions that were the lifeline of any marching army, but some others carried something even more valuable. Those carts, which were visibly more comfortable and secure than the rest, draped in tents and being pulled by very well-mannered orc-hobs, literally contained the future of the goblin race. Carrying them with the army during a raid was extremely reckless, and was something no one ever did. But the stakes had never been this high, and Grel understood why the general insisted on bringing them.

He still had some doubts, which made him feel unsure about all of this. And the only one capable of soothing them was the general.

Grel looked at Trakk. They were both at the top of an old tower on the northern hills, watching as the army moving away from the city. The general was staring at the countless goblins below them, studying them like an experienced chess player would stare at the board.

Emotionless. Cold.

Grel gulped. Trakk wasn’t the easiest goblin to talk to, due to his intimidatory Aura and serious nature, though he often encouraged Grel to voice any doubt he might have. So he gathered his courage and spoke.

“Trakk, there is something I need to talk about.”

“What is it, Grel?” the general replied, not even lifting his eyes from the marching army.

“Well, there have been reports from the shamans that indicated the humans seem to be growing suspicious of the false information the captive sorcerer is giving them,” Grel said. “If they have time to prepare, gathering all of their sorcerers and Aura Users, then I don’t know if our army can best them.”

This time, the general met Grel’s eyes as a sardonic smile appeared across his face.

“You don’t know, you say? Well, that’s to be expected. After all, you did spend all your life in the forest. However, I do know. The humans don’t need to gather all of their forces, because even half of them would be more than enough to completely obliterate our army.”

Grel stared at the general, completely astonished at this admission.

“B-but… Why are we invading them in the first place, then? If we can’t defeat their armies, all of this is for naught!”

Trakk continued to smile as he lifted a hand as if to dismiss his second-in-command’s worries. “Grel, as I’ve said, you don’t know the humans as well as I do. Trust me. Even if the humans know we are about to raid their lands, they won’t deploy even a tenth of their forces to deal with us.”

Grel remained silent, and the general continued his explanation.

“We goblins have never been a real threat to them. Even the raid of Kalagon the Red, which is almost legendary for us, is just a footnote in history for them. I doubt there are many humans that still remember it.” He smiled while saying this, almost as if telling a joke. “To them, goblins are a race of uncivilized barbarians, no better than animals. They may be cautious toward us on an individual level, like they’d be cautious around a wolf or a bear, but as a whole, they don’t take us seriously. And being underestimated is perhaps our greatest advantage.”

“But what will happen once they see we are actually a threat?” Grel asked. “They’d send their Aura Users, their soldiers, and their mages!”

“Yes, they would,” Trakk replied. “Such an order would take time, though. More than enough time to achieve our objective.”

“Why?”

“Because, my friend, with great numbers comes great logistical problems.” He gestured toward the now abandoned town. “This city here is the perfect example. You’ve seen how many problems we had ruling over merely twenty thousand goblins in a small territory. The humans—even those from a relatively minor kingdom like Medelan—have to deal with much greater numbers on a much larger territory. It’d take them weeks to gather, organize, and send a military force strong enough to actually defeat our army.”

The reasoning seemed sound, Grel had to admit. And the general was right. He didn’t know the humans as well as him, so he couldn’t really judge it.

“This feels like a gamble, though,” he finally said, looking Trakk straight in the eyes. “If you misjudged the humans and they actually do take us seriously, then it’s gonna be bad.”

“It is a gamble,” the general said with a bemused smirk. “But I’m a professional when it comes to gambling. I’ve spent almost ten years in a human gambling house, so I ought to have learnt the trade. Besides, the odds are as good as they come. Any gambler worth his salt would make the same bet as me.”

Grel nodded, conceding the point. He knew Trakk’s story, as he had made no secret of it. The general had been a slave for many years, serving inside a human gambling house before escaping and returning to the forest. He often told his subordinates that it was there, where the humans were actively trying to deceive each other, that he learned the greatest weapon was the mind, and that had triggered his transformation into a Goblin General.

What was unusual for Trakk was to drop his usual serious martial facade and act all witty and sardonic, which was actually closer to his real personality. But the general had deemed that Aura of imperturbable stoicism was better to keep other goblins in line than good humor. He relaxed a bit only with Grel, who was pretty much his only friend.

The two had known each other for many years, ever since Trakk escaped the humans and went back to the forest. Grel was the leader of the tribe that accepted the general among them when he first arrived. But soon enough, he’d given Trakk his position, and the weird goblin had quickly turned the tribe into the most powerful of the Caligare Forest, conquering and uniting all other goblins under his rule.

He’d announced that he wanted to create a goblin nation, on par with the humans and beastmen kingdoms, in order to assure goblinkind a bright future.

And he might have managed to do just that, if it wasn’t for the things that crawled out of the Dark Heart, endangering every other race.

Grel sighed, suddenly feeling very tired and worried. Even if they succeeded and managed to achieve their objective in the human lands, they still wouldn’t be safe. No one would be while they lived.

Trakk noticed his concern, and lost his smirk.

“I don’t like it either, my friend,” he said with a sour tone. “Even if the odds are good, the stakes are high. I’m betting the entire future of our race, and I wish I wouldn’t have to…. Still, desperate times require desperate measures. And I think you’ll agree that the times are indeed pretty desperate.”

“They are indeed,” Grel agreed, an equally somber expression on his face.

“It’s good you get it,” the general said. “Looking at the bright side, every crisis can be an opportunity. If this gamble succeeds, we may very well be on the right way to becoming a proper civilized nation.”

He stopped for a moment, then said thoughtfully, “Even the fact that the humans may suspect our arrival could actually play in our favor, if we act in the right way.”

“Do you have a plan in mind?” Grel asked.

Trakk turned to him, a mischievous smile on his lips. “Did I ever not have one?”

Chapter 43

Career Path Picnic

“How is Medelan?” Marcus asked before taking a bite out of a green fruit.

He was sitting with Klara and Felix in the middle of the cloister. The rain had stopped, and the sun was shining over the ruins. It was only a temporary reprieve, though. Dark clouds were visible on the horizon, so the three of them made the most out of it.

They had laid furs on the still wet ground, and were happily basking in the sun, while the drones brought them fruits and water.

It was basically a picnic, and this, together with the fact that he could go live among people again, had made Marcus very happy and chatty.

“It’s a nice place,” Felix answered, equally merry and talkative. “There are huge fields of wheat as far as the eye can see, interrupted only by rivers and small woods. It looks like a patchwork blanket that stretches to the horizon, and herds of cows, sheep, and smeerps move on it, almost like clouds.”

“Smeerps?” Marcus asked, unsure of what the term meant. Probably some kind of animal, but he’d never heard of it.

“Oh, they’re farm animals, quite similar to rabbits, only bigger than sheep and incredibly fluffy!” Felix replied with a big smile. “They’re very well-behaved, and you can even ride them!”

Marcus was astonished at this explanation, but this was a different world, so he guessed it could be possible.

However, Klara started chuckling under her breath. The Vex Queen looked at her, then at Felix, whose honest smile had turned into a mile-wide shit-eating grin, and realized he was being made fun of.

Then, with the force of an explosion, he started laughing uncontrollably, followed shortly after by the two humans. The echoes of that laughter felt somehow weird to Marcus. It wasn’t that his voice was different. No, it was that he hadn’t heard laughter ever since he’d arrived in this world.

“Eh… giant rabbits, my ass!” he said with a chuckle, mixing Imperial words with his own English cursing. “I was actually believing you, Felix!”

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist!” the boy said while still grinning. “I hope you’re not offended, though.”

“No, it is okay,” Marcus replied. “I needed it. I needed to… to…” He struggled to find the right word.

“To laugh?” Klara suggested.

“Yes, I needed to laugh. I haven’t laugh ever since I arrived… here.”

He still didn’t know how to say this world in Imperial, and he made a mental note to ask Felix or Klara about it.

“Bullshitting aside, Felix’s description is pretty accurate in general, if a bit superficial,” Klara said. “The southern part of the realm, which is basically the Brettholz province, has way more hills and woods, especially near the border with the Caligare Forest, and the northern part is a mountainous region.” She paused and looked at Marcus before asking, “But that’s not what you want to know, is it? You probably want to know how living in Medelan is, don’t you?”

“Yes,” the monster-girl replied. “That is what I want to know.”

“That’s a rather more complicated question,” Klara said. “I don’t know much about other nations, but from what my grandpa told me, Medelan is a relatively nice place to live. He always said he liked the peace and quiet of the Medelanian countryside. We have no borders with hostile nations, banditism is low, the weather is pleasant, and trade and farming are plentiful.” Klara collected her thoughts before continuing.

“Of course, there are some problems, but no place in Geala is free of them. Some of the ruling nobles or civic officers can be corrupt jerks or just plain incompetent or both, and there are thieves, scammers, and all kinds of unpleasant individuals. Plus, there are often wild beasts wandering near the border of the Caligare Forest, not to mention the occasional goblin or orc raid.” She smiled bitterly while listing the last point. “But those are usually exceptions. In general, it’s a nice place. There are plenty of opportunities for those willing to work hard too, and people are generally nice.” Her expression darkened as if she’d remembered something unpleasant. “Generally being the key word here.”

Marcus listened carefully. Indeed, Medelan seemed to be a relatively normal medieval country, except for the displays of magic he witnessed. He was curious about the magic, but it could wait. He had more urgent questions for now.

“What can I do in Medelan? To work in Medelan, I mean.”

There was a moment of silence, and then Felix asked, “Do you mean, what could you do for a living?”

“Yes!” Marcus confirmed with a nod.

“Well, you could…” The boy trailed off, lost in his thoughts. “Uh. Actually, I don’t know. It depends on what you can do, I suppose. What can you do, Marcus?”

The monster-girl opened her mouth to answer, but then she closed it.

Yeah, that’s right. What can I do in this world? he thought.

He was studying to become a civil engineer in his old world, but he still had a lot to learn for it to be useful. He had a good theoretical knowledge of math, physics, and mechanics, plus a good general knowledge in various fields, but nothing he could use in practice. Or maybe he could?

He shook his head. He’d have to investigate further. Marcus doubted he could actually earn a living as an engineer or scientist. Sure, this world looked medieval, but they had magic, so maybe they didn’t even need actual science.

He thought about his other skills. He was a rather good cook, having worked in multiple restaurants, but sadly, his sense of taste had changed greatly alongside his body. Hell, the tastiest thing he could think of right now was raw meat.

Cooking for humans would be like trying to play the piano while deaf, and Marcus was nowhere good enough for that. He could cook a couple of dishes using his memory, but that was it.

No cooking profession for him, then.

He also had some experience as a waiter. But what kind of owner would hire him with the appearance he had right now? After all, who would be willing to be served by a small, flat-chested monster-girl with a mix of bug and reptile features? Most likely no one.

He tried to think about all the jobs he tried in his previous life, but he could find nothing useful. He lacked any useful knowledge about this world, and his body would make it difficult for him to do physical work. Heck, even his fingers lacked sensitivity because of the chitin armor covering them.

Fuck this body with a spiky rubber duck from hell! Marcus thought with hate. Everything would be better if I had been human, but no! For some fucking reason, I had to be reincarnated in this shitty bug-reptile thing. Dammit all with a side dish of get shit on by a smelly cow!

He was clenching his fists when Felix suddenly cleared his throat.

The apprentice sorcerer, probably misunderstanding the source of his rage, started talking in a rather soothing voice. “Well, you don’t have to worry if you don’t know what to do. You’re a fast learner, Marcus. I’m sure you’ll learn a trade very quickly. Besides, you have your minions to help you! If you command them so completely, you may even make them work for you.”

“That’s actually a good idea,” Klara said. “From the look of it, your minions can do a lot of things, from menial labor to guarding and fighting. And since you can grow that mold wax thing yourself, you don’t have to worry about buying food to feed them either.”

“Exactly!” Felix said. “You have a lot of servants that work for you basically for free, and you said you can have even more. You could rent their services and cash out on it!”

Marcus stared at the two humans as if they’d gone crazy.

Using the drones for work? He didn’t want to see a single drone ever again after the fight with the goblins, let alone live off them!

And yet, he might not have a choice.

He knew no trade. He was ignorant of this world. He didn’t even have any special skills save for giving birth and controlling the drones. Moreover, it didn’t have to be a permanent solution. Nor would he need to give birth to more drones. After taking out the goblins, he could just make the surviving drones work for him until he learned a trade.

The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Heck, he could even spend some time learning about the supposed “magic” Felix had been using. Maybe he could even become a mage himself!

This plan felt very appeasing.

Learning magic was pretty much everyone’s dream in his old world. And Marcus had a chance at realizing it.

Who knows what this magic can do. That thing with the floating eyeball was gnarly, and so is the stuff with the light and the fire that Felix does. Man, it’d be so cool to become a magician.

Of course, in the deepest part of his mind, his instincts were still trying to push him toward expanding the hive. But, for now at least, he was still firmly in control and easily repressed them.

“You are right,” he said. “I can use my minions to work for me. But I can learn how to work in the meantime.” Marcus turned to Felix and asked, “Do you think I can learn magic?”

Klara made a dubious face, but Felix gave him a big smile.

“Of course!” Felix said. “Almost everyone can use magic in some form. It takes time and effort, though, but as I’ve said, you’re a fast learner, so I think you’d get the hang of it rather quickly.” He made a somewhat bitter smile. “Heavens, you could even surpass me in a few years. Not that it’d be much of an achievement, though.”

“Let’s not get hasty here,” Klara said. “First of all, don’t sell yourself short, Felix. You are amazing when it comes to fire spells, aren’t you?”

“Well, yes,” Felix replied, looking a bit flustered but obviously pleased. “But that’s probably because of my Djinni blood.”

“Exactly.” Klara’s tone was resolute. “Your heritage is what makes you so good at fire magic, while also hindering you from learning other types of magic. And we know absolutely nothing about Marcus’s race, so she could either be naturally talented at magic, or at least some type of magic, or she could be completely incapable of using it. So don’t give her false hopes.”

Klara turned to Marcus. “And you too, I get it that you’re excited about coming to live with people, but don’t let this blind you. Even though Medelan is a very cosmopolitan place and we have no problem with other races in general, you’re still gonna face some difficulties and prejudices because you’re so… peculiar.” She paused, considering how to express her thoughts. “The thing you should concentrate on right now is earning the marquis’s trust. Having someone in power as an ally is gonna help you greatly while you’re settling in. And the best way for you to get into Eisen’s good graces is to help him in the fight against the goblins.”

Both Marcus and Felix gave Klara an astonished look, then they looked at each other. They clearly hadn’t expected this reaction from her.

Klara sighed.

“C’mon, there’s nothing wrong with dreaming, but there is a time for everything,” she said. “Right now, we’re still stuck in the middle of the forest with an army of goblins. When the goblins are defeated and we’re back in Brettholz, we’ll have all the time to relax and plan for the future. The gods know I need to take a vacation after everything that’s happened. But for now, it’s better to stay grounded.”

“Well, you’re right,” Felix said. “But what else can we do right now?”

“Nothing really,” Klara replied. “At least, both me and you can do nothing but wait and be careful. I was talking more about Marcus.” She turned to the monster-girl. “With the number of goblins we’ve seen, your minions are far too few even to clean up after the army. They would be swarmed by the survivors, and the goblins would still get away. If you want to keep up your end of the bargain, you need to make more minions.”

This time, Marcus looked at Klara with extreme annoyance, verging on outright anger. She knew what making new minions meant for him! She’d seen him laying eggs after all! And despite that, she still had the gall to tell him to make more? How about if she tried to push eggs out of her own cooch first, so she’d know how it felt.

But the Vex Queen repressed this bout of anger, not wanting to leave his instincts any room to gain control of him again. And once he calmed down, he had to admit that the girl wasn’t wrong.

Whether he liked it or not, he needed to make as many minions as possible if he wanted to contribute significantly to the battle against the goblins. And he needed to contribute to the battle in order to gain the trust of the marquis. The best thing to do was to follow Klara’s suggestion and endure the humiliation of laying eggs one last time.

With a sigh of resignation, Marcus got to his feet.

“You are right, Klara. I do not like it, but I will do it. I will go now. Better to not lose time.”

“Doing what?” Felix asked. “Where are you going, Marcus?”

The monster-girl stopped for a moment. He could bear laying more eggs, but telling Felix about it was definitely out of the question.

“I need to… look at my minions,” he said, feeling a bit bad for lying. “They… cannot make new minions if I do not look at them.”

“Well, that’s… peculiar,” the boy said. “If you want, I can accompany you. I mean, it’d be kinda interesting to see how your minions reproduce and—”

“NO!” both Marcus and Klara screamed.

Felix looked a bit confused and astonished, and Marcus tried to give a justification.

“The-the minions are… not good while they… reproduce,” he said, improvising an explanation. “They can be dangerous.”

“Okay?” Felix said, still a bit confused. “If you say so. I’ll stay here and wait for more calls until you tell me it’s okay to move around again. Is that okay?”

“Yes, it is.” Relief filled Marcus. “You wait here with Klara. I will be back soon.”

Not wanting to continue this awkward conversation, Marcus ran away to the cellars, leaving the two humans alone in the cloister.

Chapter 44

I Want My Broodmommy

The collector drones were heading toward their destination.

There was a dozen of them, flying in a tight formation and relatively close to the ground in order to be as stealthy as possible. Even their buzzing was barely audible over the sound of the wind.

They flew over several valleys and hills, until they finally reached the one they sought. A wide, deep valley covered in pine trees and what looked like weird rock formations.

Except they weren’t rock at all, as the hivemind remembered. Those were the creatures that had all but annihilated two patrols a few days before.

Those creatures were strong, dangerous, and resilient, and the hivemind wanted their DNA for the hive. It was the collector’s job to get it.

Most of them landed on top of the pine trees, resting and waiting, while one of them went ahead to check if the creatures’ slumber was deep enough to get their DNA without waking them up.

The lone collector landed carefully on the rock-like skin of one of those creatures, ready to escape if it awoke. Apparently, their hide was too thick to be very sensitive, and it remained asleep.

Now all that remained was to actually collect the DNA.

Moving delicately on its thin legs, the drone walked all over its target, searching for a weak point where it could bite and take some blood. It took a few minutes, as the creature was very well armored. Finally, it found a place where the hide seemed thinner. It couldn’t be sure, but it looked like it was the creature’s neck.

All the other drones flew down, each landing on a different rock-skinned creature and searching for the same weak spot. After all, they only had one chance to collect the DNA of those beings, so it was logical to try and maximize this chance.

They all opened their mandibles, readying themselves, and bit at the same moment.

All of the rock-skinned creatures woke up, screaming in pain and rage, and a few of them were quick enough to raise their hands and squash the drones sucking their blood.

Most of them, though, were just a bit too slow, allowing the collectors to fly out of their reach.

The creatures, furious and confused, still tried to get their attackers, throwing rocks and big pieces of wood at them. But their targets were too small and fast and flew away, returning to the hive.

Marcus nodded with satisfaction. The collector drones had performed their job perfectly, and now the rock-skinned creature’s DNA was being brought to him. He hoped it would actually be readable this time. A lot of the more powerful creatures of this world had abilities that weren’t connected to their DNA in a way he could understand, like the deer’s laser or the goblins’ various forms.

Even if it turned out he couldn’t produce any hulk-like drones, he could still make up for it in the upcoming battle with sheer numbers. He grimaced at the thought, since those “numbers” had to pass through his vagina before being brought to the table. It wasn’t like he had a choice. He had to endure the uncomfortable creation process for one last time and prepare the hive for the upcoming increase in numbers.

With the decision to expand the hive, the main problem was the food reserves. He had to replenish them basically from zero after the destruction of the old one. The new mold wax was growing nicely in the underground cellars, but it wasn’t nearly enough to feed an army of drones. And he couldn’t rely too much on hunting or gathering, because he couldn’t send the drones too far and risk being spotted by the goblins.

So, after weighing his options, Marcus decided to start growing it all over the top of the hill. Sure, it increased the risk of being spotted by a passing gargoyle, but the goblins were probably busy planning their attacks against Medelan, and the new hive was pretty far from their area. It was a gamble, but he felt the odds were in his favor.

And so far, it seemed his bet was a winning one. No gargoyles had been spotted near the ruins ever since he arrived, and the new mold wax was growing more than twice as fast as it did inside the cave or the cellars. Marcus guessed that both light and the presence of organic material to absorb were beneficial for the growth of the substance, which by now had almost completely covered the ruins.

For the first time since he arrived in this world, he had no problem with the food reserves for the future. Hell, at this rate, the mold wax would expand faster than he could spawn new drones to consume it. And this made him feel very, very relieved.

Maybe even a bit too relieved.

Okay, I don’t care about this damn hive, so why do I feel so happy that I have enough food to keep it growing? It’s not like I care about the drones—except maybe Cooper—and I certainly had no problem sending them to die in battle to save my ass! And yet I feel as if the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders. Why is that? Are those damn instincts kicking in again?

The more he thought about it, the more that last theory seemed plausible. It was entirely possible that he’d always subconsciously worried about the food reserves for the hive but had only realized it now. Pretty much like an itch he had gotten so used to that he forgot it existed and only acknowledged it once it disappeared.

Marcus made a disgusted face. His instincts were influencing him in more ways than he thought. This attachment to the hive was clearly originating from this body, because he had no reason to care about it. Sure, the drones helped him survive in the forest, and they were pretty convenient, but he also had to personally give birth to all of them. Perhaps if there was a way to produce them without having to lay eggs himself, like having a Broodmother do it for him, it wouldn’t be so bad to employ the drones as personal servants. Right now, it felt too weird and embarrassing.

He stopped, suddenly realizing something.

Hold on a second. The fuck is a Broodmother! Why was I thinking about it?

The answer came to him almost naturally from inside his mental database.

A Broodmother is a drone specialized for producing other drones. Unlike a queen, it has no individuality and lacks the ability to absorb other creature’s DNA, but it can still lay eggs. In fact, it can even lay more eggs than the queen herself. Although, since it can’t modify the DNA of its offspring, it is restricted to producing a single breed of drones.

He stopped in his tracks, confused and shocked.

“Okay, what the actual fuck! If such a drone exists, why in the uppity shit-layers of hell couldn’t I have made one before and save me the hassle of shitting out hundreds of eggs myself? Why couldn’t I access this data then!”

Marcus tried to remember if he had eaten something with genetic information similar to this so called Broodmother recently, but he couldn’t recall doing so. And even if that was the case, most of the creatures he’d eaten so far had the ability to breed, and yet, he hadn’t been able to replicate that ability without making another independent queen before now.

What changed?

He tried to inspect the characteristics of a Broodmother to get some clues.

The physical form is pretty simple. It’s an insectoid creature with atrophied limbs and a very, very big rear section and a humongous—Ew! He stopped for a second, cringing with disgust.

Man, that has to be the most disgustingly huge vagina ever! It’s more like a tunnel womb than anything else. Oh well, let’s try not to think about it. The size is about four meters long at full maturity, weighing two hundred kilos. Most of the body mass is made up by the reproductive system, with all other functions reduced to minimum in order to reduce waste of nutrients. This is customizable of course, but it’s already perfect for breeding as it is. And the nutrient consumption to make it and keep it alive is—oh!

The numbers that flashed in his head were humongous. Hold on a second! How much does this thing eat? It basically eats its own bodyweight each day! How’s that possible!

In thinking about it, he had to admit it was perfectly possible. Laying eggs took an immense amount of energy, as he himself could attest. Heck, each day, he was basically eating enough food for a whole family, and he wasn’t even laying many eggs despite all his protests. A Broodmother was capable of giving birth to even more drones each day, but at the same time would require more food.

A suspicion creeped into Marcus’s mind.

Wait… Maybe the reason I couldn’t make these things before is because I was worried about not having enough food. Maybe I subconsciously avoided thinking about making these Broodmothers because I knew I wouldn’t be able to feed them!

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. After all, what good would a drone-making machine do if it consumed all the resources of the hive, leaving it to die of starvation?

Still, the fact that his subconscious withheld this information made him mad. Hell, if he had known about these things, he would have taken them into account when making plans for the future!

“Damned pieces of shit prancing about with a head full of piss! These fuckity fockity fucking instincts are at it again!”

Anger swelled inside of him, building pressure like steam, but then it quickly dissipated, leaving only a nagging sense of exhaustion and annoyance behind.

“Oh well, I already know my instincts are illogical, shitty, and pretty much the worst thing I got ever since I reincarnated in this world. And that’s including the egg laying. But it’s not worth getting mad any longer. It sucks, but I have to suck it up. At least for now. If things go as planned, I can start living like a frigging human being again soon.”

Just the thought made him smile. The thought of living in a proper house, sleeping in a real bed, and most importantly, having a bathroom. God only knew he missed taking baths. He would have never thought that a day would come when he would miss soap so much. He felt dirty and ragged, and the mental image of a bathtub full of bubbly water was almost like a vision of paradise.

And, as an added bonus, the plan of having the drones work for him now felt a hundred times more inviting. All he had to do was to make these so called Broodmothers and let them produce new drones for him.

They would be of great help in producing the forces necessary to defeat the goblins. So, without further ado, Marcus dove into his mental database, collecting all the data necessary to make a Broodmother.

Good, I have just the right amount of nutrient reserves to produce a Broodmother. Now, about the kind of drones the Broodmother should make. Maybe workers? This way, I can keep expanding the food reserves even more. Besides, I want to take a look at those rock creatures’ DNA to see if there is anything useful for modifying my warriors before committing to produce a Broodmother for them. I can do that later.

He made a mental blueprint, adding the last touches. The appearance isn’t really a problem. I mean, it’s gross, but this thing will stay hidden underground anyway. Let’s see how long it will take to mature… A whole month! Okay, this is not good. I can’t wait a month for this thing to be ready if I want to use its offspring against the goblins. Isn’t there a way to speed up the maturing process?

He searched through the genetic information of the Broodmothers. Hundreds of possible combinations flashed in his mind in a matter of milliseconds until he found a suitable solution.

This is interesting. Apparently, I can speed up the growing by gestating the egg longer. This is good to know. Yeah, let’s go this way. Heck, even if the egg is a bit bigger, it can’t be worse than the cluster I pushed out the other day, can it?

Chapter 45

Mistakes Have Been Made

Felix and Klara were sitting under the stone porch in the cloister. After a brief sunny interlude that lasted half the day, it had started raining again and the sky was completely covered in gray clouds.

To make things even more gloomy, the mold wax had started to cover the walls of the ruins, which looked like they had been infected by some kind of disease. All in all, it was a very grim scenery. Felix and Klara were more than glad to have a place free of the mold wax where they made a bonfire to keep themselves warm. The flames were a welcome sight, distracting them from the bleakness of their surroundings.

Klara was tending to the fire, lost in her thoughts, while Felix was keeping the Twinstone on his lap in case his superior from Brettholz called him. Not that it was probable, since the last report had been that morning.

After a while, the boy raised his head, putting the stone back in his pocket.

“So… do you have any idea about what we’ll have for dinner?” he asked, trying to have a conversation to stave off the boredom.

The girl almost flinched as her friend’s voice broke the silence.

“No idea,” she replied. “It depends on what Marcus’s minions bring us. Although, going by what we had in the last few days, it’s probably gonna be venison with a side of fruits and berries.”

Felix grimaced at those words. “I’m kinda getting tired of always eating the same things, though. I’d kill for some bread, condiments, and especially some nice mashed potatoes!”

“Me too,” Klara said with a sad smile. “But at least we are not starving. We just have to endure it for a while, then we’ll be able to return home.” Her expression became wistful. “I think the first thing I’ll do will be a very long, hot bath, and then I’ll go to that Beccan restaurant in Brettholz. The one my grandpa always took me to.”

“Oh, I remember that place!” Felix said with a bright smile. “Your grandpa once took me there with you. We ate those spaghetti alla Turanese there. They were so good.”

“Well, we could return there together,” Klara proposed with an even larger smile. “To celebrate our return to civilization!”

“It’s a deal!” Felix happily agreed. “With the extra payment we’re gonna receive from the marquis, we’ll be able to afford it.” Felix looked around. “Hey, why don’t we take Marcus with us too?”

Klara’s expression became much colder.

“Oh, I don’t know. Why would you want to take her with us?”

“Well, it’s to get her to know the good things of Medelan,” Felix said, oblivious of his friend’s change of tone. “She’ll probably feel out of place among so many people, and she’ll need someone she can trust.” He gave Klara an awkward smile. “Of course I’m gonna try my best to help her, but since I’m a guy, being too close to her in public could give people the wrong idea. If you’re with us, it’d be more proper. Heck, in a way, it would be as if we’re the parents, and Marcus is our daughter.”

He laughed awkwardly at this, and so did Klara. When she replied, she seemed relieved.

“Dammit, Felix, that is one hell of a mental image you gave me! For this, it’s gonna be your treat at the restaurant.”

“My pleasure,” Felix replied cheekily. “By the way, have you seen Marcus lately? I haven’t seen her in two days.”

“No, I haven’t seen her. Have you tried looking in the cellars?”

“I tried, but a couple of her minions stopped me at the entrance.”

The girl remained silent for a moment, then said, “Well, she’s probably still in the cellars… overseeing the production of new drones.”

“For two whole days?” Felix said in disbelief. “Without pause? Are you sure she’s okay?”

There was a moment of awkward silence. Klara seemed to be lost in her thoughts for a moment, then she shuddered, as if feeling uncomfortable.

“I don’t know. But the best thing to do is to let her do what she wants. If she wants help, she’ll tell us.”

“Shouldn’t we go in the cellars to check up on her?”

“No! No, we shall not. And don’t worry about her so much. She’s probably stronger than she seems. After all, she survived in this damn forest for the gods only know how long. What could scare her after that?”

* * *

Marcus was scared.

A couple of days before, he decided to have a longer gestation period before laying the egg of a Broodmother, in order to make it mature faster.

That turned out to be a colossal mistake.

Ever since he decided to make such a drone, he’d been plagued by a ravenous hunger. For those two days, he hadn’t done anything but eat what his drones brought to him for hours, collapse on the floor asleep for a few minutes before the hunger woke him up, and he started eating again. By now, he was sure he’d eaten more than his own bodyweight worth of food, and he felt nauseous and abominably tired and full.

But the absolute worst thing of all was his bulging, bloated belly, which made him look as if he was pregnant.

Marcus had touched it, and it was clear this belly was not filled by the food, but by a huge, compact spherical object. In other words, it was an egg two times the size of his own head.

Ever since the bulge started appearing, Marcus had been panicking. How in the hell was he supposed to give birth to something that fucking big! Even the egg cluster had been minuscule by comparison. Something of that size would wreck him completely!

Sadly, it was too late to have second thoughts now. Apparently, once the egg was being produced, it was impossible to add further modifications. Stopping the gestation and laying the egg prematurely was also impossible, as Marcus had tried to push it out with all his strength when it was still of a sensible size, but it hadn’t worked.

All he could do was sit there in the darkness of the cellars, trying to brace himself for the moment of birth.

He was scared, disgusted, and terribly, terribly lonely. Cooper was at his side, but the dog drone couldn’t really provide any emotional support. He could have called Klara or Felix, but he would rather cut his own throat than be seen in this state.

He had to endure it alone. And there were only two things that helped him keep calm while he felt the egg growing inside of him.

One was that he knew that he’d probably be okay. After all, for all his bitching about it, his new body seemed to be quite tough, and it would likely be able to regenerate in no time.

The other was that by using the Broodmothers to produce more drones, he would actually be saving lives. After all, hunting the goblins in the woods was a risky job, and someone was bound to get hurt while doing it. Better for the casualties to be highly expendable drones than actual individuals. This thought usually filled Marcus with a grim determination, and the pain and humiliation he was going through seemed less humiliating if it was for a good cause.

And now that the moment of birth was imminent, he needed all the determination he could gather in order not to panic.

“Nnnnngh…. Fuck!” he cried, sitting on the mold wax-covered floor in the deepest part of the cellars. It was warm and comfortable for him down there, but he was in too much pain to notice. He’d been in labor for the last hour, experiencing violent spasms.

“This is—nnng…. The absolute fucking worst! If you take—ouch! If you take the shittiest thing in the world, drop it in the Mariana Trench full of crap and leave it there to absorb shit for a millennia, it still wouldn’t be as shitty as this! Nnnnngh!”

The contractions became more pronounced and painful as the moment of birth came closer.

“Oh cool, it gets worse. Aaaaaagh! Son of a fuck-mothering queen of all bitches! Argh! Fucking god of all fucks! Nnnngh!”

The cursing became louder and louder, if a bit repetitive. After a while, it became a collection of “Fuck” and “Shit” interrupted by screams of agony. In normal circumstances, Marcus would have been deeply disappointed with such unimaginative cursing. At the moment, he was in too much pain to care about the creativity of his swear words. And after a while, there was nothing intelligible anymore. Only a high-pitched, reverberating cry that resonated through the cellars.

After an hour, everything became silent.

The hivemind looked at her own unconscious main body through the eyes of one of her drones, the one that she called “Cooper.” The body was still twitching and sending out an occasional moan, the echoes of the extreme pain still present in its nervous system, but the conscious part of its brain was currently inactive. Beside the body, there was a humongous, spherical egg, which contained the semi-developed Broodmother.

With the more emotional and human part of Marcus’s mind shut down, the hivemind felt unusually free and light. The memories and feelings of her previous life really tied her down, making her cling to her identity and individuality. But right now, she felt herself in all the drones, feeling everything they did as if they were parts of her own body. It was exhilarating after such a long captivity. She felt she could indulge happily in her most basic instincts, taking pleasure in expanding her hive until nothing else remained on this alien world. All would be organized and safe under her sole rule. She wanted to shape this planet to her will, using the flesh of all who opposed her as raw material.

And yet… Something was still preventing her from going down that route. A tiny piece of her identity as Marcus, something that could be called a conscience, that persisted beyond the neural system. It was barely a speck of a mental process, a feeble echo of a personality, and yet she couldn’t go against it. That personality fragment was incredibly strong despite its size. Unbreakable like a diamond.

It was a sense of right and wrong that defined what Marcus was, and it was sustained by an unwavering willpower. The hivemind couldn’t understand where this power came from on her own, though she had a feeling she would understand it if the human part of her personality had been awake. It had something to do with what Marcus called “humanity” and “being a man.” It was all nonsense hogwash to the hivemind, but it was real nevertheless. Hell, it was probably the reason she was alive in the first place. Her Progenitor Queen spared her despite her weak body specifically because she’d been impressed by that willpower.

Also, despite all of his hate and complaints, the human part of her mind had done quite a good job at ruling the hive, considering the circumstances. Surrounded by powerful enemies, he’d managed to avoid annihilation multiple times, and he was able to work together with the humans, something that would be unthinkable for a pure Vex mind.

The hivemind could access Marcus’s memories well enough to have a good idea about the results that could be achieved through collaborating with them. She would never renounce expanding her hive because that was her entire raison d’etre, her mission in life, but she could see that blindly attacking and trying to absorb everyone else would most likely result in the destruction of the hive.

So, as much as she found him illogical and a bit of a crybaby, the hivemind decided she would follow Marcus’s lead for now. He seemed stronger, and more importantly, more suitable to dealing with other people in a non-violent manner. This was a harsh world, and getting both Marcus’s and his allies’ strength would help the hive thrive.

Of course, this would only be as long as Marcus kept acting in the hive’s best interest. Otherwise, the hivemind would have to try and fight back.

Chapter 46

Talk Magic Talk

Rain poured over the ruins like a silver curtain.

Nonetheless, the corridors of the ancient monastery were teeming with activity. The Vex drones did not care about the rain, carrying off their tasks in an eerie silence, while the mold wax had almost completely covered the walls, like some sort of skin disease.

All in all, the place looked awfully gloomy and eerie, save for one single spot. Under the stone porch of the cloister, an improvised shack had been built out of furs, bones, and wood. Inside of it, a bonfire burned and crackled cheerfully, while a huge chicken leg roasted over it.

Marcus, Klara, and Felix were all sitting around the fire, waiting for their meal. Or at least the two humans were waiting for it. Marcus waited out of courtesy with a raw chicken leg sitting on his lap.

He’d already eaten a little of the giant chicken’s meat as soon as it was brought to him in order to absorb its DNA. The creature had a weird and almost comical appearance. Like a two-meter-tall chick with a beak filled with sharp teeth, but it had proven to be quite fierce despite its look. It took a whole pack of hunter drones to kill it, and even outnumbered, it managed to take down one of them. But in Marcus’s opinion, the drone’s death was worth the data contained in the creature’s DNA.

He smirked with satisfaction. Lately, he’d acquired lots of useful genetic information from the local fauna that could be used to improve his drones.

Still, nothing had been as useful as the data he’d taken from the rock monsters.

When the collector drones brought the blood samples to him, he was too occupied with the birth of the Broodmother to pay attention to the information he obtained. On further analysis, he realized he had really hit the jackpot this time.

Unlike the goblins or the laser deer, the rock monster’s DNA was completely readable. It contained lots of useful traits he could implement in his drones, especially regarding their muscles, which were incredibly dense and almost supernaturally strong.

The only drawback was that possessing that sort of muscle would make it difficult to swim, since their density was too high to allow for floating, but that didn’t seem like such a big problem for now.

Using this information, he updated the design of the warrior drones, making them much stronger and more resilient than they used to be. Moreover, he’d also made a mental blueprint for an entirely new type of drone. He decided to copy the general shape of the rock monsters, which was similar to a gorilla with oversized arms and smaller hind legs that gave them a crouched position, while adding another, smaller set of arms, which allowed for better balance, and an armor of hard chitin.

The resulting creature, which he called the Heavy Drone, would be an incredibly strong juggernaut, capable of lifting tons without effort, and so resilient that nothing short of a cannon would make it budge. Not only would it be an unstoppable force in battle, it would also greatly help with the heavy work during peacetime.

The thought of such powerful drones was almost enough to make Marcus giddy, but right now, he couldn’t force himself to lay eggs.

The trauma from giving birth to the Broodmother was too fresh in his mind. Although he had completely recovered physically, the memories of the pain, the shame, and fear were still present.

He needed some rest and relaxation, and he decided to spend the day with his friends to distract himself from his mental scars.

“It’s almost done!” Klara announced after poking at the chicken leg with her knife. “Are you sure you don’t want some, Marcus?”

“No thanks,” Marcus replied, shaking his head. “Meat tastes worse for me when cooked. I will eat my meat raw.”

“Very well.” The girl shrugged, and took the chicken leg off the fire and started to cut into it. “To be fair, I don’t know how tasty it’s gonna be. I did my best, but it’s hard to cook things properly without salt or spices.”

“Oh don’t worry!” Felix said. “It’s gonna be delicious anyway! This is a Devil Chick, right? It’s supposed to be a delicacy.”

“Well, yes, but I think that’s mostly because of how hard it is to catch one. Nobles and rich people would eat almost anything to distinguish themselves from commoners.”

The two humans served themselves while Marcus started biting off the raw meat from the bone.

After a while, Klara commented, “Okay, I stand corrected. This meat is actually delicious!”

Felix nodded in agreement, although he couldn’t reply because his mouth was full.

The meal was quickly finished, and the three of them sat around the fire.

“Aaaaaah! That was really good. Thank you for cooking it for us, Klara! Oh, and thank you, Marcus, for sharing with us.”

“You are welcome,” Marcus replied.

“It’s also good to finally see you again!” the boy said. “How did your minion breeding go? Your other minions wouldn’t let us in the cellars for some reason.”

Marcus froze. So did Klara. The two exchanged a furtive glance, while Felix remained completely oblivious of their reaction.

Then, with a careful tone, Marcus spoke. “There were some… complications. I do not want to talk about it. I see you lit the fire with your hands. How do you do that? Is that magic?”

Even if the boy noticed the desperate attempt to change the subject, it was lost in his eagerness to talk about magic.

“Oh, yes! Although what I did was more of a parlor trick than serious magic. I would need a focus in order to cast some real spells. One can only do so much with spontaneous casting.”

“What is spontaneous casting?” Marcus asked. “Also, can you tell me what magic is?”

He asked this in part because he wanted the conversation to drift away as far as possible from the matter of breeding, and in part because he felt genuinely curious.

Felix paused for a minute, grabbing his chin. “It’s rather complicated. Especially because I’m but an apprentice myself. But I can try to explain a bit of the basics.”

He grabbed a half-burned stick from the fire, and using the charred end, he drew a line on the stone floor.

“Here. Imagine the world is made of two separate planes.”

“Pleaans?” Marcus said, not recognizing the word.

“I mean, think as if the world is made of two different places at the same time. Like the surface of a lake. If there is a reflection, there has to be something that projects it. But everything that shows up on the lake has to have a reflection.”

Marcus nodded. He more or less got it.

“Well, our plane, the Material Plane, is where the material body is.” Felix drew a stylized stick figure on one side of the line. “You can think of it as the object that faces the lake. Meanwhile, the other plane is called the Ethereal Plane, and that’s where the Aura is.” He drew the same figure on the other side of the line, only this time, it was a little bit shakier, to suggest its ethereal nature.

“So… the Aura is the reflection of material things?” Marcus asked.

“Yes!” Felix said in a delighted tone. “That’s right. The Ethereal Plane is not real in the strict sense of the word. It’s more like, a reflection of the Material Plane. Everything that happens on the Material Plane influences what happens on the Ethereal Plane.”

The Hive Queen nodded, to show he was following.

“Now, the thing that we call magic is basically inverting this process,” Felix said. “Magic is changing the reflected image, so that reality is forced to follow through.”

“What?” Marcus asked.

“Well, that’s just a really gross approximation,” Felix said. “It’s easier to understand this way. You see, the Ethereal Plane is not just influenced by physical events. Emotions, ideas, willpower, and things like that can also leave an imprint on the Etherium—another name for the Ethereal Plane—and can influence it just as much as physical events do, if not even more. Basically, if you will something to happen hard enough, it will happen on the Ethereal Plane, and then by consequence it will happen on the Material Plane too.”

“Wait. You are saying that anything can happen if you will it?”

“Theoretically, yes. In practice, there are some… heavy limiting factors.”

“Ah,” Marcus said with a bit of relief. The thought of such power available to everyone made him uneasy.

“First of all, there’s this.” Felix pointed at the line separating the two planes. “The line here is called the Veil. It’s basically a wall between the Material and Ethereal plane. In some places, the Veil is so thick that magic is all but impossible. In others, it’s so thin that magic comes almost naturally.”

“Uhm, how strong is the Veil here?” Marcus asked.

“Not particularly strong,” Felix admitted. “The Veil is thinner than average in all of the Caligare Forest, but we’re relatively close to the borders. In the heart of the Caligare Forest, though, I’ve heard that the Veil is so thin, it’s basically nonexistent.” He shuddered. “The Dark Heart, it’s called. It’s a very dangerous place, full of magical monsters, where even the flow of time and space is warped and unpredictable. Almost no one who goes there ever comes back—oh!” He stopped and gave Klara a worried look. “Sorry, Klara,” he said in a desolate voice. “I didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t worry, Felix.” Klara shrugged, but her eyes became sad. “It’s not as if I don’t know what happened to my grandpa. Go on with your explanation.”

Marcus was about to ask what that was about, but the apprentice sorcerer resumed talking before he could.

“Anyway, there’s also another obstacle. Even if you manage to pierce the Veil, you still have to modify the natural flow of the Etherium in order to cast a spell. And that’s pretty much impossible. Like trying to catch mist with your hands.”

“Uh, okay.” The monster-girl tilted his head a little in confusion, and asked, “But if it is impossible, how do you cast spells?”

“By using a focus instrument,” Felix replied. “Focus instruments allow a sorcerer to interact with the Etherium. All you have to do is channel your Aura through a specific focus and BAM!” He clapped his hands for emphasis. “You cast a spell!”

Marcus nodded, but then he realized something.

“Sorry, but what are focus instruments?” he asked. “Are they things? Because I did not see you use anything to light the fire.”

“That’s because in that case I didn’t,” Felix replied with a smile. “Some really minor spells don’t actually require a focus, although it’s still very difficult to cast them without one. But I’m very good with fire-related spells, so it comes almost naturally to me.”

“Okay. But then, what are focus things?”

“Hold on a second.” Felix rummaged in his pockets. After a moment, he took out a small, shiny stone, wrapped by a thin copper wire. “Here! This is a focus instrument. More specifically, the one used for a Flare spell.” He grinned at Marcus before continuing. “Do you remember the light that flashed in your cavern when your minions first took us there? Well, that was the Flare spell. A very intense light that shines as long as the caster concentrates on it.”

Real magic! Like something out of a fantasy book.

Granted, that specific spell wasn’t really impressive. A flashlight or an actual Flare would have been equally effective, but there were probably more flashy—pun intended—spells out there!

Then, a thought occurred to him.

“The time when the earth moved. Right before the goblin attack. I saw faces and the earth moved like water. Was that magic too?”

“Most likely,” Felix nodded. “Goblins and other savage species are not civilized enough for actual sorcery, but they do have shamans. Shamanism is a very crude and primitive form of magic, but it can still be quite powerful.”

“So, the goblins can do things like that when they invade Medelan?” Marcus asked, a bit worried. “Then how can you stop them!”

“Don’t worry!” Felix replied with a confident smile. “The main weakness of shamans is that they can only use their powers in a limited area. The further they get away from their home, the weaker they get. In Medelan, they wouldn’t be able to move a single pebble.”

Marcus nodded slowly. He didn’t know anything about magic, so he had to trust Felix’s words.

Then a new idea formed, one that seemed so appealing, he almost didn’t dare to contemplate it.

“So… do you think I am able to use magic too?” the Vex Queen timidly asked.

Despite not having much time to read or play video games, Marcus had always been a huge fan of fantasy stuff, and the thought of being able to use magic himself made him feel very, very excited.

Felix didn’t answer right away. Instead, he studied the monster-girl for a few seconds.

“I don’t know, actually,” he admitted. “Usually, every species has a different talent for magic. Pretty much all humans can potentially learn some magic, but beastmen are almost completely magically inept. Djinni are restricted to their innate magic. I don’t know enough about your species to answer that. I guess the only way to find out is to teach you sorcery and have you try to cast a spell.”

Felix smiled bitterly. “However, learning how to cast magic is incredibly difficult, and I can’t really teach you much since I’m just an apprentice. If you’re interested in learning magic, you could get someone more qualified to teach you once you come with us to Brettholz.”

“Like I said before, try not to get your hopes up too much,” Klara chimed in. “The sorcerers of Brettholz are going to be too busy to teach her anything for a while.”

“Why do you say that?” Felix asked, a bit confused.

Klara sighed. “In case you forgot, there’s a goblin raid coming. From what I’ve seen, it’s probably going to be the worst raid in living memory. These aren’t just a few hundred goblins, there are thousands of them this time.”

“Yes, but I don’t think they’re going to be that much of a threat, now that we’ve warned Brettholz,” Felix protested. “They’re only goblins after all. The army is gonna make short work of them.”

Klara gave the boy a serious stare.

“Do not underestimate them, Felix. They’re still very dangerous, especially with those numbers. And while I do agree that the army is probably going to defeat them, cleaning up the survivors is gonna be difficult, and it’s probably going to require all the magical help we can get.”

“Oh!” Felix said, realization flashing in his eyes. “You’re right. I didn’t think about it.”

“What are you talking about?” Marcus asked, curious but a bit confused.

“Goblins are an especially annoying species to deal with,” Klara replied. “Because every time they’re defeated, the survivors become stronger, taking the traits of those who have defeated them. Because of this, we have to completely wipe out the survivors after every battle; otherwise, the goblins would just come back stronger than they were before.”

Marcus nodded, remembering the explanation he was given before about the goblins. Indeed, if they became stronger after every defeat, it was better to completely wipe them out rather than let the survivors flee. He’d made that mistake before, and it bit him in the ass, since now there were chitin-armored goblins capable of standing up to his drones.

“So you can wipe them all out?” he asked Klara. “With magic?”

“I doubt it. Not with those numbers, at least. Even if the marquis could field every available soldier in the province, the goblins are still going to outnumber us. And while defeating them shouldn’t be a problem, it’s the chasing of the survivors that worries me.” She looked Marcus in the eye. “I think that’s why the marquis asked for your help. Having your drones hunt down goblins in the forest is gonna save him a lot of work.”

Marcus nodded, but he felt a little guilty as well. He knew his current numbers wouldn’t allow him to perform that task. He would need at least four or five times the drones he had right now to carry out that duty, and the only way to get those numbers was to give birth to another Broodmother. Which he really, really didn’t want to do.

“But… the goblins are not going to be a threat after they are defeated, are they?” he asked, trying to soothe his worries. “It will take a long time before they are back. And they are no threat to Brettholz anyway.”

To Marcus’s dismay, Klara shook her head.

“You’re wrong, Marcus. Goblins reproduce at a very fast pace, and they’re gonna be back in no time. Moreover, they appear to be capable of transmitting their acquired trait to other goblins in some way. So, when they’ll be back, they’re going to be an even bigger threat. Especially because next time we’re probably not gonna be warned about the raid beforehand.”

“I lost my great-grandparents to a goblin raid,” Felix added. “It was a very big raid, something like thirty-seven years ago. They came in and started pillaging everything before disappearing back into the forest. They burned a lot of villages and killed everyone that was too slow to escape. My grandparents managed to get away, but my great-grandparents were killed, and their farm was burned to the ground…. My family has been dirt poor ever since. They were forced to sell their lands for almost nothing and have worked as farm hands ever since.”

Instead of subsiding, the sting of guilt became even stronger in Marcus’s chest.

Yes, he hated laying eggs with all of his might, and giving birth to a Broodmother was just plain torture, but he would recover in no time. Meanwhile, the consequences of a goblin raid would last for generations.

And he had the means to prevent some of that future suffering, albeit by suffering a bit himself.

He covered his face with his hands.

He didn’t ask for this.

He didn’t ask to be able to shit armies out of his cooch.

He didn’t want any of this. He just wanted to go back home and live a normal life again!

But… things would always happen whether people asked for them or not. All they could do was decide how to react.

In the future, people would die or suffer if Marcus did nothing. Whether he liked it or not—and he didn’t—he had the means to save them. He had no real obligation to do so, and no one else would know if he chose not to help. But he himself would know, and he wouldn’t be able to call himself a good man afterwards.

Well, it was difficult to call himself a good man even right now. But he’d settle for at least being good!

In the end, there was only one real possible choice for him.

He lifted his head, his eyes flashing with a grim determination. He saw that both Klara and Felix were watching him with worried expressions.

“Is everything all right, Marcus?” Felix asked.

“Yeah, for a moment, you didn’t look so well,” Klara added.

“It is all right,” Marcus replied. “I just thought that maybe… maybe it is better if I have the drones reproduce for now.”

He said this with a bitter expression, and Klara winced. But Felix, who was completely oblivious of the circumstances, simply gave him a confused look.

“Oh, okay,” Felix said. “But why now? You just came back from doing just that! Surely you can take a pause, can’t you?”

That was damn tempting, but Marcus would feel guilty if he did.

“I am sorry, but I need more minions to do well in battle. I want to help your people. I do not want other people to die or suffer, and I can only help if I make more minions.”

“Oh, that’s… very noble of you,” Felix said. “Well, I guess these are dire times. But if you ever need a pause, we’ll be here for you!”

“Yes. You can count on us,” Klara said with a mix of pity and respect in her eyes. “You’re working to save our people. We won’t forget that. And we’ll do anything we can to repay you.”

The Vex Queen felt genuinely moved. Heck, he almost felt as if he was going to cry. Having been alone for so long, he wasn’t used to social interaction or getting a hold of his feelings anymore. But he was too proud to show it, so he turned his back on the two humans so they couldn’t see his face.

“Thank you,” he said, trying to not sound too moved. “I… I appreciate that.”

And without another word, he walked away, heading for the cellars.

Chapter 47

Night Raid

In an isolated outpost on the border of the Caligare Forest, a sentinel let out a long yawn.

It was well past midnight, and Denam Whis was starting to feel tired. Usually at this hour, he would just drink some vodka to keep himself warm in the chill of that autumn morning and then catch a little nap, but these weren’t normal circumstances. Three weeks ago, the officials from the capital issued a state of alert, which meant the guards were supposed to be particularly vigilant. There had been numerous surprise inspections and quite a lot of guards had been harshly punished for falling asleep on their post.

Muttering some curses against paranoid officials, Denam grabbed his old, battered thermos and poured himself some coffee.

While sipping the hot beverage, he started to feel a bit more optimistic. At least he was used to pulling all-nighters, and he even technically belonged to a semi-nocturnal species.

Denam was a Felid, or catman as they were commonly called, a race well suited for night jobs. Their senses, and especially their night vision, were much better than those of a normal human. Their fur protected them from the night chills, and lying in ambush came almost naturally to them.

Now, Denam was not the typical Felid. While his kin were mostly lithe, agile, and hyperactive, he was fat, clumsy, and lazy. He was the kind of person whose ideal life was an endless nap interrupted only by mealtimes. But because of this, the job of a sentinel suited him perfectly. He was a champion at standing still—provided he didn’t actually have to be standing—and he could sit in one place for hours and hours, only occasionally grabbing something to eat, drink, or smoke.

Still, sitting for so long in the darkness while forcing himself to stay awake was hard. Denam wished he could at least kill some time by taking a smoke, but sadly, smoking was forbidden during guard duty. Not that this would stop him during normal circumstances, but with the risk of a surprise inspection, he didn’t want to take any risks.

So he just stretched himself out, moved his tail with impatience, let out another long yawn, and adjusted himself on his wooden chair, trying to find a comfortable position. After all, why not catch a little nap? he asked himself. It was highly improbable that an inspector would turn up at that hour of the morning. And his hearing was good enough to pick up anyone approaching the tower anyway.

He closed his eyes, wrapped himself in his mantle, and let go of everything.

Despite the cold and the damp air, it wasn’t actually a bad night. It wasn’t raining for starters, a rare exception during this season, and there was no wind whatsoever. Even a few stars were visible in the sky. There were no sounds, not even birds or insects. Everything was completely silent and peaceful.

It was then, in that absolute stillness, that the Felid heard something moving below.

It was a sloshing sound of something quite big moving through the muddy ground that surrounded the tower. It could have easily been a wild animal wandering without aim, like a boar, but something in his gut told Denam that wasn’t the case. Something about that sound made his whiskers tremble with terror. He remained seated for a few seconds, scared and unsure about what to do, as the sound got closer and closer. Even worse, it seemed as if it was coming from all around him.

Trembling and dreading what he was about to see, the catman peeked to the ground from the cabin. To his absolute horror, he saw numerous shadows slowly approaching the base of the tower.

The Felid just stared in shock, his mind numb from terror, and his body paralyzed from fear. But, as the nearest shape reached the tower and started to climb it, both his survival instinct and training kicked in, and he sprinted into action.

Defending the tower was not an option. It was basically just a small cabin on a wooden framework, and the only defense was its altitude. But luckily, there was an escape route. A long rope had been tied to the ceiling of the cabin, and using a crutch, which was hung right beside the exit, the sentinel could easily slide down, reaching the base of the hill. Infinitely glad for the foresight of the builders, Denam grabbed the crutch, getting ready to jump.

He was only stopped by both his training and his conscience. Despite all his faults, the Felid wasn’t a bad person, and he knew it was his duty to give the alarm of an incursion. If he didn’t, the closest village and farms would be taken by surprise. So, with a growl of impatience and a tinge of panic, he turned back inside the cabin.

Dangling from the roof was a small alchemical lamp. Denam quickly pulled a string from under it, igniting the chemical substances inside.

A vivid crimson light exploded from the lamp, illuminating the top of the hill and revealing the creatures attacking the tower. They were goblins, but of a subspecies the guard had never seen before, partially covered in chitin armor and with glowing purple eyes.

The strange goblins shrieked when the lamp was lit, covering their eyes to protect them from the sudden burst of light. Taking advantage of the confusion, Denam grabbed the crutch and jumped from the cabin, sliding down the rope.

The catman’s arms protested, as the enormous weight of his belly strained them to their limit, and he felt as if they were gonna rip any second.

If I make it out of here alive, I’ll go on a diet! Denam thought desperately, trying his best not to let go of the crutch.

The cold wind stirred the guard’s fur, and the tower was getting farther and farther behind him, along with the shrieks of the goblins. He had almost reached the base of the hill, and sighed with relief.

The cable ended in a small, wooden framework, only a couple of meters from the ground. Denam’s momentum, however, was too much for him to simply stop there. As soon as the crutch met the end of the line, he was thrown a few meters beyond, rolling in the air like a ball of fur before landing on the muddy ground with a splash.

He lay there for a few seconds, breathing frantically and resting his arms. Then he rose up as quickly as he could—not that quickly at all—ready to run away to the nearest village.

But his plans were rapidly foiled. Even before he was completely on his feet, something moved in front of him.

“Surrender,” said a cold, high-pitched voice from the dark. “Surrender and you’ll live. Do anything else and you’ll die.”

In front of him was a hobgoblin, one of the more human ones, wearing rusty chainmail, with a big axe resting on his shoulder. Behind him, the Felid could also see many others of his kind, all armed.

He was surrounded.

Too scared to do anything else, Denam raised his hands and fell to his knees.

The leader of the hobgoblins nodded and made a gesture. Without a word, a couple of hobs approached the guard, carrying rope.

They tied up the catman and brought him away.

* * *

“Well, that could have gone better,” Grel said, watching many red lights appearing on the horizon in response to the alarm from the tower. “Now the Medelanians definitely know we’re here.”

“It doesn’t really matter,” Trakk replied. “To let them know we’re here was our plan to begin with.”

“Yes, but we could have caught at least a couple of villages unaware if the chitin goblins hadn’t messed up!” Grel protested. “If you had sent Arag, that guard would have been caught before he could realize what had happened.”

“But in that case, the chitin goblins wouldn’t have gotten their practical training.” The general smiled. “Even if they failed, it didn’t influence our plans. And the failure should keep them in check and allow them to perform better in the future. So I’d say it was worth using them.”

The second-in-command gave his boss a long stare before shrugging.

“Oh well. If you say so, then it’s probably true. But if the Medelanians react too quickly, it’s going to be bad. And they just might do it.” He let out a bitter sigh. “The march through the forest took more time than we planned for. Three weeks, Trakk. Three weeks. If your suspicions are right and they knew we were coming, they had all the time to prepare.”

“Of course,” the general concurred. “But they were preparing for a simple raid, not an outright invasion. This still gives us the element of surprise if we play our cards right.” He looked up to Grel with a smile. “And you are the ace up my sleeve! If you complete your mission, we won’t have any trouble.”

“And if I fail?”

“Well, then this whole campaign will fail as well. Thousands of goblins will have died a pointless death, and our race will probably be doomed.”

Grel gave his boss a long, penetrating stare, trying to discern whether he was joking or not. Sadly, he probably wasn’t.

“Gee, Trakk, you sure know how to put people at ease,” he said with heavy sarcasm.

“Actually, I’m very good at putting people at ease,” the general replied. “But you’re a special case. You’re my second-in-command, as well as my friend, and you ought to know the truth without sugarcoating it. You need to understand the bigger picture to perform your duties.” He became more serious. “Do not fail, Grel. I put my trust in you, because I know your talents. Do not betray it.”

There was a long silence between the two hobgoblins, before Grel finally replied, his face a mask of determination. “I will complete the mission. I’ll do what you’ve asked me to no matter what. You can be sure of that.”

“Excellent. I knew I could count on you, Grel. Now go. We don’t have time to lose.”

“Yes, sir!” the Goblin Champion replied with a slight bow. He turned and marched toward his army waiting at the border of the forest. Grel marched until he was between them and the lights of the nearest village, and then he faced his underlings.

“Goblins!” he shouted in a stern, commanding voice. “Tonight, we begin the raid!”

The army cheered. Grel unsheathed his sword and pointed toward the village.

“Here are your orders. You can pillage how much you want, but try to keep the killings to a minimum. Especially the women and the children have to be left alive! You can kill anyone who resists, but you’ll have a prize in the spoils if you manage to take them alive.”

He paused, letting the goblins digest their orders.

“And now, follow me!” he cried, waving his sword. “Let the raid begin!”

He started marching toward the lights of the settlement, and with a collective howl of excitement, the army followed him.

In the dark of the night, it was almost impossible to accurately assess their numbers, but there were at least three thousand of them.

Chapter 48

Armageddon

Marquis Eisen was sitting in his study, slowly processing the paperwork associated with raising an army. With a sour expression, he wished he had as many soldiers as were the papers he needed to sign. That way, he would have surely outnumbered the goblins three to one.

At least the day was pleasant enough. The autumn storms had disappeared south, and the morning sun was shining bright in a cloudless sky. It almost looked like a second summer, if not for a chilly breeze coming from the north. A huge, lit fireplace right in front of the marquis kept the cold of the upcoming winter outside of the room.

The study was rather big, with one wall occupied by the fireplace, one by the windows, and the remaining two by many bookshelves completely filled with leather-lined books and papers. In the center of the room was a monumental wooden desk, carved with baroque-looking swirls and lion’s feet. A mountain of papers completely covered its surface, and Eisen’s head was barely visible behind it.

The noble let out a sigh of frustration. Raising an army was much less exciting than he’d thought. In the adventure books he loved to read, the hero just had to raise his sword and ride through cities and villages, rallying the people with his charisma and fighting spirit, and lead the resulting army to victory. The books failed to mention all the tiny, little details that were vital to raising an army. The ones currently driving Eisen mad.

It wasn’t just getting the soldiers and food. Soldiers needed tents and bedding, plus all kinds of tools for setting camp, from kitchenware to shovels to dig out latrines, and those things needed a lot of carts and horses to be carried. And while Eisen could avoid immediately paying for all of this by declaring a regional state of emergency and commandeering everything he needed, he still had to sign a receipt for every single item he got this way.

And to make things even worse, he also had to deal with the bureaucrats of the capital. Not only had they denied him any reinforcement, but they protested his declaration of regional emergency. And while they couldn’t actually do anything to stop him because his status as marquis gave him the legal right to do pretty much anything he wanted to protect his province, they still threatened him with all kinds of investigations and exponentially increased the amount of paperwork he had to process.

Eisen tried to explain to those damn pencil pushers that the goblins were a serious threat, and that the reports indicated this would be the biggest raid of the last few centuries. It had been like talking to a brick wall. Those bureaucrats didn’t live on the frontier and probably their only experience with goblins was watching captive ones working for street performers, dancing on the streets with chains around their necks while the crowd laughed at them. They didn’t know how cunning, brutal, and dangerous wild goblins could be, especially the more “evolved” subspecies.

Just thinking about that bloody obtuseness made him so exasperated, he wanted to throw all the papers into the fire.

Just as he was contemplating whether or not to act on this pyromaniacal urge, someone knocked at the door, and the marquis forced himself to calm down.

“Come in,” Eisen said.

Three men entered the room. Two of them were the marquis’s personal bodyguards, Luther and Max, two Yellow Sheath Aura Warriors that served in the Royal Knights. The third one grabbed the nobleman’s attention. He was a young city guard who looked very nervous and excited at the same time, despite his best efforts to look professional.

Judging by his expression, he had something very important to report.

Eisen turned to him, and said in a commanding tone, “Report, soldier.”

“Yes, sir!” the young soldier said, standing at attention and saluting. “An alarm signal has just arrived from the village of Rupra. They were attacked by goblins, sir. A full army, at least three thousand in number.”

Three thousand! the marquis thought with shock. He didn’t let the surprise show on his face. Instead, he calmly nodded.

“Good job, soldier. Return to your post, but don’t get too comfortable, because we’re going to depart very soon.”

“As you order, sir!” the soldier saluted again, and bolted out of the room.

The two bodyguards remained inside, waiting for their boss to dismiss them. But Eisen was lost in his thoughts, as it so often happened.

“Three thousand goblins, uh?” he said to himself. “So many. It’s going to be difficult to exterminate all of them.”

He got up and walked to one of the windows. His mansion was high enough that he could easily see beyond the city walls.

And what he saw was a big camp. Even from that distance, it was perfectly visible. Numerous lines of tents, latrines, and training grounds that occupied more than six acres. It almost looked as if a second town had been built right outside the city walls. There, the army Eisen had raised was waiting.

“Is the army ready to depart?” the marquis asked his bodyguards.

“Almost, sir,” Max replied. “All the provisions are already packed on the carts. They just need to break camp and get into marching formations.”

“Good. How long will it take to be completely ready?”

“About a couple of hours if they start moving now, sir.”

“Excellent. Go tell them to prepare. We’re departing in a couple of hours.”

“Yes, sir.” The bodyguard saluted and walked away, leaving Eisen alone with Luther, who simply remained still, waiting for orders.

“Is my armor set ready?” the nobleman asked.

“Yes, sir. The servants have cleaned it up and are waiting for you in your room.”

“Good. Then let’s go don it.”

“Sir, if I may…” Luther hesitated a bit before continuing. “Wouldn’t a chainmail be better? After all, it’s been a while since you’ve donned your armor, and you may be a bit… out of practice.”

“Nonsense! How can someone be out of practice with wearing an armor? Besides, I have to look imposing while leading the army. We can’t have the commander dressed like a common soldier!”

“Very well, sir,” Luther replied. “Then I’ll assist you in donning your armor.”

* * *

About two hours later, on the road south of Brettholz, Eisen had to admit that Luther had been right. A chainmail would have definitely been better than his full plate armor, because at least it would have let him breathe easier. Despite not actually being fat, the marquis had been putting on a lot of weight over the last three years. The plate armor felt uncomfortably tight in some places despite having been custom made for him.

Despite this, the nobleman still felt the advantages of the plate armor did outweigh the drawbacks. Though not very comfortable, he could still move and ride more or less freely, and the armor would easily stop any stray arrow or projectile. In addition, the marquis looked positively impressive inside his armor.

The armor, a silvery full plate with golden engravings and an impressive crested helm, made him look just like the hero of some play. He could tell that most of his soldiers had been staring at him in awe. So the nobleman was pretty sure the morale boost he provided his troops was well worth his discomfort. Especially if everything went well, he wouldn’t have to actually fight by himself.

He turned his horse, riding in front of the army and inspecting the ranks.

A little less than one hundred and fifty cavalrymen, divided between light and heavy, recruited from the nobility of the Brettholz province and elite guards stood before him. They were all armed with spears and shields, and wore either chainmail or plate armor. Even some of the horses were armored with padded caparison, and a couple were protected by scale mail.

Behind the cavalry was the core of the army, made up of about three hundred professional soldiers recruited from the town guards of the province. They were equipped with either brigandine or chainmail, but they all had metal helmets. Most of them carried pole weapons, but a few were equipped with crossbows and even firearms.

Right beside the guards, one hundred and fifty mercenaries were standing idly. Eisen hired them using his own money, and he was sure he got a good deal out of it. The equipment of those mercenaries varied wildly from gambeson and leather armor to actual plate armor. They carried all sorts of weapons, including halberds, zweihanders, bows, and guns, but their equipment was universally well-worn, even if properly maintained, a sure sign it had seen a lot of use in the past. Those mercenaries were probably the most veteran troops in the army, and their experience was well worth their payment.

Scattered around the other groups was also the local militia, which made up most of the army. In the past three weeks, Eisen had issued a general recruitment in the province, and about fifteen hundred people joined. These were farmers, lumberjacks, and hunters, all tough people used to the dangerous life on the frontier. Despite not being professional soldiers, they all knew how to hold their own in a fight. Most of them were equipped with bows and arrows, but about a third would serve as melee fighters, armed with spears, axes, and hammers. Sadly, their complete lack of any form of armor made them vulnerable, so the marquis provided them with wooden shields so they would have at least some protection.

Finally, there were the supply carts, all filled to the brim with provisions, ammo, and backup weapons. The carts were pulled by horses, mules, and even oxen, who were nervously waiting to depart. The nobleman knew that those carts, despite looking mundane and not impressive at all, were probably the most important part of the army, their literal lifeline. Any idiot could gather an army. Keeping it well supplied was what made the difference between victory and defeat.

This was Brettholz’s army. A little more than twenty-two hundred people, which seemed very few when compared to the number of goblins.

Eisen was confident they would be enough.

For starters, humans were on average much stronger than an unevolved goblin, which tended to make up the majority of a goblin army, and they were undoubtedly better equipped. Even the most well-armed hobgoblins wouldn’t be much better equipped than the militia, since finding a steady supply of metal inside the Caligare Forest was pretty much impossible, and the goblins weren’t exactly known for their craftsmanship skills.

Still, having a few more soldiers would have been better, because while the marquis had no doubt they could easily beat even twice the amount of goblins they were currently facing, they were too few to surround and exterminate them all.

Sure, that weird monster-girl, Marcus, promised to help, but the marquis couldn’t rely on her. For starters, she was an unknown quantity, a being of a species no one had ever heard about before, and to trust her blindly would be foolish. Even if she’d told the truth and genuinely wanted to help, Eisen didn’t know if she and her few minions were actually capable of having a significant impact on the battle. After all, by her own admission, they had been defeated multiple times by the goblins, and nothing indicated that this time it would be different. Still, any help was welcomed. This was a good occasion to test Marcus’s attitude and character.

There had been only one option left for Eisen. Recruit enough casters and Aura Warriors to have such an overwhelming advantage in battle that the goblins wouldn’t just be beaten, they’d be annihilated.

Finding the first ones had been difficult. While Brettholz was positively teeming with sorcerers who came to buy raw magical reagents, most of them were civilians or foreign citizens, and the marquis had no authority over them. And while he had publicly offered a good pay for all casters who joined his army, there weren’t many who were interested in risking their lives in battle. As it was, Eisen managed to gather only twenty-seven sorcerers and sixteen clerics. Only half of the sorcerers were powerful enough to actually cast spells in battles. And even the weakest caster could serve in a support role, like healer or telemancer.

As for the Aura Warriors, Eisen had a bit more luck. He currently had nine of them at his service after the exploratory expedition had been lost, and Dagobert and the other two had been caught. Luckily, a lot of masters routinely passed through the province, either seeking employment as bodyguards or travelling to hone their skills against the beasts of the Caligare Forest.

Eisen hired every master he managed to find. Including a particularly prestigious group belonging to the Order of the Rose, five people who were renowned and respected warriors. Also, about eight of the mercenary leaders, most likely dropouts from knightly orders, knew some basics of Aura Arts. While they would probably barely count as Black Sheath Aura Warriors, they were still much stronger than normal troops.

The marquis had written a letter to his old friend Yasen Harp, the captain of the Royal Knights, asking him for help. And while Yasen couldn’t officially send any of his knights, due to the meddling of the bureaucrats, he managed to find a loophole. Since he was in charge of the training of new Royal Knights, he had the authority to decide whatever training exercise the squires would have to do. He’d sent fourteen of his most senior and talented students in the Brettholz province, under the excuse of some “special field training exercises.” Those squires were all at least Blue Sheath or higher, and they even had a couple of expert instructors with them.

This meant the marquis’s army now included thirty-eight people capable of using Aura Arts, a very respectable force by any standard, that would prove to be completely unstoppable against a foe such as goblins, if used well.

With a satisfied smirk, Eisen made a gesture toward one of the telemancers accompanying him. The caster nodded and took a long wand out of his robe, putting it right in front of Eisen’s mouth.

The nobleman then cleared his throat, and suddenly, his voice became incredibly amplified and audible for all the troops regardless of the distance. Even the civilians that were spectating the army departure from the city walls were able to hear him.

“Citizens of Brettholz and of the Medelan Kingdom!” the marquis said. “Today, we march out to face the vile foe that dares invade our beautiful country! A veritable army of goblins has crawled out of the Caligare Forest, seeking to plunder and destroy our lands, but the only thing they’ll find here is their own death!”

A huge cheer came from the army, and a lot of the soldiers raised their weapons.

The marquis let the cheers slowly die out before continuing.

“Hear me, oh brave warriors. We will face our enemies, and we will destroy them. Because we fight to protect our homes. We fight for our children and our families. We fight for our King and our Kingdom. And nothing will stand in our way!”

Even more people cheered, and the civilians on the walls joined in the noise.

“Let’s go, my soldiers! May the Light shine upon your path, and may the gods watch over you.”

Eisen gestured to one of his staff, who blew a horn, and then started riding south.

All the army followed him.

The nobleman couldn’t help but smile. He felt his blood boiling with excitement. This was the first time he was in command of an army, and he had never felt quite so powerful and important in his whole life.

In this moment, he felt completely invincible, and he had absolutely no doubt that he’d be able to completely annihilate the goblins.

Chapter 49

Are You Ready for a War?

Marcus stared apathetically at the ceiling while sitting naked on the mold wax-covered floor. Right beside him, there was a big pile of eggs he’d just laid, about thirty slimy, translucent things with the embryo of the drone barely visible inside of them. Cooper sat in a corner of the room, silently watching him.

A lot of things were changing. Just a few weeks before, Marcus would have felt so uncomfortable laying eggs that he would have made the drone leave and have felt repelled by the eggs themselves. Now he’d grown, if not accustomed, at least numb toward those feelings. Maybe he was getting used to it or maybe it was the fact that compared to giving birth to a premature Broodmother, regular eggs were barely an annoyance, but the results didn’t change. At this point, giving birth to normal drones felt more like a chore than a torture.

But this change, while positive, was making him question himself. How much was he gonna change in the future? Would he still be able to consider himself human? Once he was absolutely sure he would remain a man, no matter what would have happened. But now he was starting to have doubts.

He made a sour face. Maybe he was feeling like this just because he’d been isolated for the past three weeks. Or maybe not. Only time would tell.

After giving birth to the second Broodmother, he’d taken only one day of break before starting to build up his army, and he had been at it for almost three weeks with close to no pauses. He’d seen Felix and Klara only a few short times, and every time, he had felt quite uncomfortable in their presence. Pretty much the same feeling he had while attending a formal event right after a violent bout of diarrhea. And even worse, he always felt extremely reluctant in resuming his “duty” after spending time with his friends. Over the last few weeks, he distanced himself from them in order to give birth to as many drones as possible.

A sad smirk marred his lips. It was kind of ironic, in a sense. He was trying to isolate himself from his human friends in order to help their nation. All he hoped was that he would still be human enough to resume their friendship after this mess with the goblins had been sorted out.

He still watched them through the eyes of his drones, though. He felt a bit guilty about this because it could be considered spying. Except he was just doing so to make sure they were okay. Besides, he couldn’t really help it since the drones occupied every nook and cranny of the ruins.

Ever since the Broodmothers started laying eggs, the number of drones increased exponentially, going from barely a hundred to more than one thousand. Hundreds of workers and warriors were everywhere in the ruins, the first tending to the growth of the mold wax while the second remained mostly motionless in an almost stasis-like state, in order to conserve their energy and reduce their need for food.

And to top it all off, Marcus had also contributed greatly by himself to the population of the hive, adding an additional one hundred and twenty-two flyers, six diggers, seventy-three hunters and eleven heavies. And while he felt he would never like giving birth, he had to admit that he felt a small hint of pride in how strong and functional his drones were. The heavies in particular were a sight to behold. More than a ton of muscles and armored chitin, each four meters tall and capable of easily lifting twice their weight. The sheer physical power they emanated was deeply impressive.

Since giving birth didn’t feel like that much of a burden anymore, Marcus had also started experimenting a bit with his skill, mixing the DNA of various creatures to create whatever chimera he thought of. A lot of the prototypes he’d made were basically useless. Like the spider-monkey thing who always tripped on its own legs, or a super strong flyer that was too heavy to fly.

A few of them were quite promising. One new drone type in particular, that he called spitter, was very impressive. Using the DNA of an acid-spitting insect mixed with that of a fish and some other animals, Marcus created a creature that resembled a toad with lizard legs. The chitin armor was kept to a minimum, as it only covered part of its back and its head, but this wasn’t that important since the creature wasn’t a close-range fighter. Instead, this drone was capable of spitting a powerful acidic poison with a very impressive range and accuracy. It could even hit a tree trunk from seventy meters away, and the acid was strong enough to make the tree fall in about thirty seconds. Heck, the drone was even capable of altering the density of its spit, making it very thick for long-range projectiles and more liquid for a short-range, but very wide spray.

So far, Marcus had made only three spitters. He didn’t really plan on making more, since they were suited for actual battle rather than hunting and guerilla warfare, and both the hunters and warriors were better for that. But he still liked the power of these creatures, so he decided to bring them along, hoping they’d be useful.

To be fair, he didn’t really feel as if he actually needed them, though. With the current number of other drones, he was more than confident he could take on the remnants of the goblins and win. But as a wise man once said, “There is no kill like overkill.” This was a good occasion to impress the marquis, showing how helpful he could be, which was a nice plus. Besides, he had already underestimated the goblins twice. He didn’t want to risk doing so a third. So it was better to bolster his forces as much as possible before the confrontation, even if it would most likely turn out to be redundant.

As he was thinking this, his stomach started growling. Marcus looked down and nodded. Laying eggs always made him very, very hungry.

“Well, time to grab a bite and then shit out some more eggs,” he said, rising to his feet.

He walked to the deepest room of the cellars, which he had made into a larder. It was a big square room which was always pretty cold, and it was also the only place in the ruins not covered by mold wax. Fearing it would absorb the food, Marcus decided to leave this place free from it and had initially assigned a drone to clean it up, but that turned out to be redundant. For some reason, the mold wax didn’t grow in there. The only reason the Hive Queen could think of was that the gray stuff was somehow obeying his subconscious desires to some degree. He hadn’t really verified this hypothesis, though, so he could be wrong.

The larder was full of skinned animals, each hanging from crude wooden racks or even lying on the cold floor. Marcus grabbed a bone knife hanging from the wall and started cutting pieces of meat from the leg of a weird animal that looked like a mix between a bull and a lion. The meat was tough, and cutting it was hard, but he didn’t relent. Admittedly, it would be easier to just bite the meat, but he wanted to try and be civil if possible. With so few things reminding him of his humanity lately, he wanted to at least keep his manners to some degree.

After managing to cut some big, rough chunks from the lion-bull leg, he put them on a plate made of bark and headed to his personal room near the exit.

The room was quite small but also kind of cozy. The mold wax had been shaped into some kind of furniture, going from a table to a small bunk filled with leaves that Marcus used as a bed. Sitting at the table, he started eating his meal, grabbing big bites out of the meat chunks, and occasionally drinking water from a crude wooden bowl.

He was in the middle of his meal when he noticed, through the eyes of the drones outside, that Klara was coming toward the cellars with an excited expression. Wondering what she wanted, Marcus left the meat on the table and ran toward the entrance to meet her there. He reached the exit of the cellars just as the girl arrived, and as soon as she saw him, she made a weird expression while staring at him.

“Oh, hi, Marcus. Ehm, am I interrupting something?”

“No, no!” Marcus replied. “I was just eating, but that can wait. Do you have something to tell me?”

“Well, yes,” Klara said, still giving him a weird stare. “Felix received a Twinstone call. The goblins have arrived in Brettholz.”

Marcus needed a moment to take in the news, but he had been expecting this moment for weeks, so he wasn’t really surprised.

“We are going to depart now,” he said while nodding. “Do you know how many goblins are there?”

“The report says there are about three thousand goblins raiding frontier villages. The marquis left Brettholz just a few hours ago, in order to face them.”

Marcus blinked while assimilating this information. Something wasn’t right. Last time the goblins attacked his hive, they were at least twice that number. Why were there so few of them in Brettholz?

He voiced his doubts.

Klara nodded with a hint of worry. “I agree. I can’t be sure because it was dark at the time, but I think there were a lot more than three thousand when they attacked our camp as well.”

“Why are there so few of them?” Marcus asked.

“I wouldn’t exactly call three thousand few, but maybe this is because both your hive and our expedition were a threat to their nest, so they attacked us with all their strength, while the raid has been made to steal some supplies that they couldn’t get otherwise.”

“This do sound likely,” Marcus admitted.

“However, if this is the case, their current behavior makes no sense,” Klara added.

“Why is that?”

“Because if pillaging was their main objective, they would have split into many smaller raiding parties. That way, they could have attacked more villages at the same time. Instead, according to what the telemancer told us, they’re just banding together in one big army that’s raiding a village at the time.”

“That do sound weird,” Marcus concurred. “Then why are they doing this?”

“The only reason I could think of is that those three thousand are acting as bait,” Klara said. “With those numbers, the Brettholz army would surely face them, leaving the rest of the province undefended. But…” She stopped for a moment, her expression twisting into confusion.

“But?” Marcus invited her to continue.

“I don’t know why they would be doing this. If they wanted to raid a few villages, they could have been doing that from the start. And there are no other objectives for them to attack.”

The Hive Queen remained silent for a moment, and then he asked, “What about the city of Brettholz? Could the goblins want to attack it?”

“What? Brettholz? I don’t think so.” Klara shook her head. “It’s a fortified city… well, it’s not heavily fortified, but it’s still defended by stone walls. And the goblins simply don’t have the means to siege a city like that.”

Marcus thought about it. Despite the fact that both Klara and Felix had described the goblins as usually being witless savages, they didn’t feel that way to him. When he fought them, the goblins had shown a great deal of strategic foresight, even more than himself.

He wondered if there was something the humans didn’t know about these goblins.

“Have you told these things to the marquis?” he finally asked. “I think he should know.”

“No.” Klara shook her head meekly. “I didn’t rationalize these things until now. Besides, these are just a few conjectures, and we have nothing concrete to warn him of. But I’ll still speak to him about it in the next report.”

“Good. Then, what now?”

“Well, I guess we should get ready to go.” Klara smirked. “After all, we don’t want to be late to the party, do we?”

“Absolutely!” The Hive Queen smiled back. “I will get the drones ready. How long will it take for you to get ready?”

“Felix already started packing our stuff,” Klara said. “We should be ready in about half an hour. How about you?”

“I will be ready as soon as you are. I will take only food and a few other things with me.”

“Uhm… if I may, I suggest that you also take some clothes. I personally don’t mind, but Felix and the other men could be uncomfortable if they see you like this.”

Marcus froze and looked down at his body. He was still completely naked, having forgotten to dress himself up before coming up from the cellars. Worse still, his hands and mouth were also covered in blood from his meal.

“Oh,” he muttered, slowly feeling his cheeks getting hotter and hotter from the embarrassment. “Oh!”

He covered himself while blushing furiously. He now understood why Klara had been giving that weird stare.

“Don’t worry, Marcus, we’re both girls,” she said with a smile. “Just be glad I came to give you the news instead of Felix.”

“I… think I’m gonna need a bit more to get ready, then,” Marcus replied, still very shaken. “Maybe it’s better if I clean myself first.”

“It’s probably for the best. So, we’ll depart in about one hour, then?”

“That sounds good,” Marcus said, and he scurried back into the cellars, anything to escape from his embarrassment.

Klara just smiled. For some reason, she found it really amusing that the monster-girl would turn to a bright purple when blushing.

* * *

About an hour later, everything was ready for departure.

Marcus, who had cleaned himself up and was dressed with furs and pelts, gave one final look at the hive around him.

The ruins had been completely enveloped by the mold wax, to the point they resembled some kind of alien structure more than an actual building. And it didn’t stop there, as the whole hill was now covered in the stuff, and even some of the surrounding forest had started to be absorbed.

The sight made him feel proud. The fact that his hive had been able to thrive and expand so much made him kind of happy, and being surrounded by so much mold wax felt very comforting.

This wasn’t the case for Felix and Klara, who looked a bit uncomfortable while looking at the smooth, translucent substance that covered most of the landscape around them.

“So, are you ready to go?” he asked the two humans.

“Oh, yes,” Felix replied, looking away from the mold wax. “We were only waiting for you.”

“And I’m ready to guide you,” Klara said. “I’ve never actually been in this part of the Caligare Forest, but if we go north, we should eventually reach an area I know. After that, I can easily get you to Brettholz.”

“That’s good,” Marcus said.

And it really was, since he had no idea where Brettholz was exactly. He’d tried to send some flyers to the north, in order to scout the road ahead, but much to his dismay, he found out the telepathic link with his minions became weaker and weaker after a certain distance, to the point it almost disappeared when they were farther than twenty-five kilometers from him. After that, he could still vaguely feel the drone’s presence, but it was terribly difficult and required him to concentrate a lot. And at that distance, he couldn’t get any information from them; he could only give simple orders.

“We can move then,” Klara said. “Are your minions ready?”

“They are.”

He’d given the telepathic order to prepare for departure as soon as he received the news. He only left the Broodmothers behind, with about one hundred workers to take care of them and tend to the hive in his absence.

He made a mental tally of his forces. He had three hundred and fifty workers, all carrying chunks of mold wax to feed his troops, in addition to three hundred and seventy-seven warriors and all the other drones available. His forces numbered just a little less than one thousand. What they lacked in quantity, they made up for in quality. After being modified with the DNA of the rock creatures, the drones were much stronger than they used to be, and each of them, save maybe for the workers, were perfectly capable of killing dozens of goblins alone.

Marcus couldn’t help but make a proud smile. If the goblins didn’t have any surprises, his army alone would be able to take care of them.

“Everything is ready. We can go,” Marcus said.

Felix and Klara nodded and headed off. Marcus and the rest of the drones followed them.

Giving one final look at the hive, the Hive Queen felt a sting of sadness. This place had been his home for only a short while, but he felt safe and cozy in there, and he felt bad about abandoning it. But it couldn’t be helped. He had work to do, and he certainly didn’t want to spend the rest of his days holed up inside a forest. He steeled his will and marched on without looking back.

Chapter 50

Saving Private Lycan

“What do the reports say?” Marquis Eisen asked.

He was sitting on a stool in the middle of his army, which was currently resting in a barren field. Since time was crucial, no tents had been erected, nor any fires lit. They would rest and catch some sleep on the ground, while the only hot meal of the day would be served in the evening. During the day, cold rations were distributed. This situation had been going on for the last three days. Coupled with the forced long marches, it was quickly exhausting the soldiers.

Still, if everything went as planned, it would be worth it.

“The scouts have returned just a few minutes ago,” his bodyguard and second-in-command Luther replied. “The goblins are just north of us. They are currently raiding a few farms.”

“Excellent. This means we did it! Tell the scouts to continue keeping an eye on the goblins. Take our cavalry and ride north of the goblins, and then wait there until I send you a signal through the telemancer.”

“Very well, sir!” Luther saluted and walked away.

“And as for us, we’re going to camp here until Luther is in position,” the marquis told his other aides. “Tell the cook to prepare a hot meal for everyone, and inform the soldiers to get comfortable and get all the rest they can get.”

His aides saluted and marched away to relay his orders.

Eisen got a bit more comfortable on his stool, letting out a sigh of relief. That desperate march had paid off, and now the Brettholz army had wedged itself between the Caligare Forest and the goblins before they could react, cutting their escape route. Now they could only retreat north. The open plains and fields of Brettholz wouldn’t offer them anywhere to hide, making the job of hunting down the survivors exponentially easier. Due to their numbers, a few of them were bound to manage to run away. But with the majority of their kin annihilated, they would be easy pickings for the hunters that made up most of the Brettholz forces.

This had been the plan the marquis thought of with the help of his advisors. It was actually a very simple, straightforward plan. Most importantly, it was easy to put into action, even for an inexperienced commander like Eisen. All that was left was to simply let the soldiers rest and get ready for the battle before marching out to face the enemy.

The marquis smiled weakly. Thinking of this plan and the upcoming battle made him very excited while he was still in Brettholz. Now, after three days of riding and eating mostly military rations, he just wanted to be done with it and go home.

Guess reality can’t stand up to the stories, uh? None of the books I read talked about how tiring it is to lead an army, and how many small annoyances there are. I feel dirty, hungry, I smell of horse sweat, and I need to change my undergarments. Gods, I’d kill for a nice bath and a hot meal right now! Though that’s actually what I have to do… Kill some goblins, that is. Eh.

Around him, the orders had been given, and the news was spreading among the soldiers. It spoke volumes about how tired they were that most were rejoicing for the longer rest and the hot meal, rather than being worried for the upcoming battle. Still, a few of them looked nervous, in particular the younger recruits. They tried their best to hide it, but the subtle trembling in their voices and a subtle stiffness in their movements betrayed their fear. A young Lycan was actually shaking, grabbing his head while sitting in a fetal position on the ground. His eyes were so full of fear and doubts, the marquis felt bad for him. He was about to go encourage him when someone preceded him.

A tall warrior with short blond hair, dressed in full plate gilded armor approached the young recruit. Eisen didn’t recognize the armored individual until she spoke. It was Merva, one of the Aura Warriors of the Order of the Rose. Listening to the encouraging words the woman gave to the young wolfman, the marquis could not help but smile, feeling the utmost respect for the lady warrior. She was clearly a veteran and knew how to raise a recruit’s spirits. The fact that she was taking the time to actually do that was very kind of her. Heck, with just that pep talk, she could have even changed that Lycan’s fate entirely!

* * *

“Well, that pup’s fate is sealed now,” Nemi said with a grin. “Even if he manages to survive the battle, I doubt he’ll survive what Merva will do to him in bed!”

The other members of the Order of the Rose let out a chuckle. They were mostly females, but that wasn’t unusual in the Order of the Rose. In ancient times, the Order was a group of warrior priestesses devoted to Pretheve, the Goddess of the Earth and Fertility. But the Old Religion had lost a lot of followers, being mostly supplanted by the Church of the Holy Light, and the Order of the Rose had slowly become something akin to a mercenary group. Since old habits died hard, they still recruited mostly females.

The current group was made of four women and one man, although the man looked very effeminate despite his considerable bulk.

The youngest of the group was Tertia, a relatively young woman who had just reached the Yellow Sheath rank of Aura Warrior, which for her Order was the minimum required rank for going on small group missions like this one. Because of this, she was still a bit shy and not used to the world. She wore a simple chainmail reinforced with gilded plate protections on the shoulders, arms and knees. Her posture was quite rigid, with her hands gripping her glaive, trying to look as professional as possible.

The one who made the sarcastic comment, Nemi, looked even younger than Tertia due to her carefree attitude and shorter height, though she was actually much older. She was a petite and lithe woman with short raven-black hair, wearing a suit of chainmail that hung to her knees and a big leather baldric from which dozens of knives hung. She was currently juggling one of those knives, throwing it into the air and catching the blade between two fingers without even looking.

The man, Reginald, wore an ornate, full plate armor and had long, curly blond hair and a tiny black moustache on a square, masculine face. He also had overly long and feminine eyelashes and full, cherry-red lips. He smiled cheerfully at Nemi’s joke, showing his perfectly white teeth. His peculiar appearance attracted an occasional weird stare from passing soldiers, but nothing more. After all, the Order of the Rose was notorious for accepting among their ranks people who had the “heart of a maiden.”

Finally, there was the leader of the squad, Belinda. She was much older than the rest, and her hair was almost completely white. Despite this, and a few wrinkles, she was still a very attractive woman. Her skin was darkened by the sun, which created a sharp contrast with her hair, and she had cold ice-blue eyes with a piercing stare. She let out a smirk at Nemi’s joke, but nothing more, and leveled a serious look.

“It’s good that you are in a good mood, but try not to get too relaxed,” she said. “We’re going to have a battle soon, after all, and we need to stay sharp.”

“Oh, come on, Belinda!” Nemi cried. “We’re facing goblins, not ogres! We would be more in danger stealing candy from babies.”

“Do not underestimate them,” Belinda replied. “Like everything else in the Caligare Forest, goblins can be very dangerous. Some of their evolved specimens could even be a threat for me.”

“You’re such a buzzkill, cap,” the brunette said, looking a little bummed, but she didn’t protest.

She and everyone else knew very well just how experienced Belinda was, and no one would dare question her wisdom. Besides, she was the captain of their group and disrespecting her too much could have consequences, so even Nemi controlled herself. The short woman looked around for something else to have fun with and saw that Merva was coming back.

Merva was almost the complete opposite of Nemi. She was very tall for a woman, almost two meters, and had broad shoulders and an impressive bulk. With her short, sandy hair and covered head to toe in a gilded, full plate armor, she looked more like a man than a woman. Even her face, though quite feminine and gorgeous, gave her a handsome quality. All of these traits combined made a lot of girls turn their head, but Merva was interested only in men. Especially the young ones.

With a mischievous smile, Nemi waved at her companion, thinking that teasing her a bit would relieve her of her boredom.

“Welcome back, Merva! How did the hunt go? Are you taking a wolf pelt home as a souvenir this time?”

“Someday your big mouth will get you in trouble, Nemi!” the blonde knight replied in a dry tone. Then she smiled and said, “But the hunt did go quite well indeed, all things considered. I managed to cheer the young pup up, and I gave him some pointers on how to survive the battle. I also… motivated him a bit.” A mischievous smile played on her lips. “But those things will have to wait until after the battle, if he manages to get to that point unscathed.” Her smile became worried. “I hope he does. He’s just so adorable. Like a lost puppy or something. I just want to hug him and never let go!”

“I guess he’s kinda cute, if you like beastme—I mean Thulians,” Reginald chimed in, “Personally, I don’t really care for them. All that fur really rubs me the wrong way.”

“Well, our Merva here sure seems to have a thing for them!” Nemi said with a sardonic smile. “First the catboy in the tavern, then that lionman guard in town, and now the wolfboy. I guess next is gonna be a minotaur!”

“Please, no!” Merva cried out with a laugh. “I do like well-endowed men, but I have my limits, and minotaur are well beyond them!”

The warriors all laughed except for Tertia, who just blushed hard. Nemi, sensing weakness and a possible source of fun, approached her and gave her a pat on the back.

“C’mon, loosen up, sister!” she said with a bright smile. “You’re not in the headquarters anymore. The drought that is novitiate has ended, and now you can freely drink at the fountain of life!” Her grin turned even larger as she added in a conspiratorial tone, “Though you may find that it’s not as impressive as the tales make it up to be. Most men are just clumsy and boorish, so you have to choose carefully. Maybe I could give you some pointers.”

Tertia blushed even harder, and Belinda interrupted the conversation.

“Enough, Nemi,” she ordered. “Leave Tertia alone. This is her first real battle as well, so it’s better if you don’t fill her head with this nonsense.”

“But, cap, I’m only doing my duty as her senior!” Nemi replied. “Teaching her how the world works.”

“I said, ‘enough’,” the captain repeated with a stern voice, and her subordinate remained silent. “Now, I think it’s better to refresh your memories. We have been hired for clearing out the goblins by the marquis and that’s our current priority, but that’s because the goblins are in the way of our main mission. After they’re dealt with, we will have to head into the Caligare Forest to hunt a number of dangerous magic beasts on behalf of the Magic Trade Guild, and that will be a much greater challenge. Consider this battle a warm-up!”

“Yeah, we know, and it’s all thanks to Sarah!” Nemi said with irritation. “That damn idiot left us a hot mess to sort! Leaving her mission unfinished to join that ridiculous expedition. The Order sent us all in reparation for not completing the task on time. And to top it all off, the goblins decide to have a damn raid and delay us further.”

“It’s not that bad really.” Merva shrugged. “We’re a full team for a job meant for just one. This should be easy. And besides, we can use the battle with the goblins as a warm-up as Belinda suggested.”

“Bah!” Nemi said. “Goblins aren’t even gonna be good enough as training dummies for me. But whatever. If Sarah ever reappears from that damned forest, I’m gonna take it out on her.”

“Enough, Nemi!” Belinda shouted. “That’s not the way to talk about one of our sisters. Besides, I fear that Sarah already paid dearly for her blunder. The Dark Heart of the Caligare Forest is a dangerous place, and she’s probably dead by now.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Aura Warrior Nemi admitted. “But for some reason, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m gonna see her face again one of these days.”

“Well, everything is possible, I guess,” Merva said. “For now, all I really want is something hot to eat. I’ve had enough with cold rations, and I’ve heard they’re preparing a stew right now. I’m going to go and get some. Who’s with me?”

“Count me in,” Reginald said. “I’d really like something to eat right now.”

“I’m in as well,” Nemi nodded. “I’m starving.”

“Well, it never hurts to fill your belly before a battle,” Belinda murmured, and turned to Tertia. “You should eat as well. It’ll help you relax.”

“Okay, captain,” the young Aura Warrior said. “I think I’m a little hungry too.”

And without further ado, the five knights made their way to the kitchens of the camp from which a very good smell was coming.

Chapter 51

Bamboozled

It was a misty dawn.

The sun was just starting to rise over the horizon, and two moons were still high in the sky. The air was both chilly and damp, heralding the arrival of winter, but the fields hadn’t frozen yet, and the dew shone in the first light of the day. All in all, it was quite a pleasant landscape, but marching through it was uncomfortable.

The marquis was glad he was on a horse. Walking in that sea of damp grass with full armor on would have been a torture, and he really pitied the infantrymen all around him. At least they were mostly farmers and hunters, and were used to walking for long distances, so for them, it wasn’t such an ordeal. Besides, after a good night of sleep, they looked relatively well rested and ready for battle.

There was a group of buildings barely visible on the horizon, almost surely a farm, which had been occupied by the goblins. It was too far to see any details, but even at that distance, the marquis could hear a few faint sounds carried by the wind. They seemed like cries and the clashing of metal against metal.

The noble reached for his satchel and took out a brass spyglass. The farm was teeming like an ant nest on fire. Small figures were running everywhere, while bigger ones that looked like men on horseback chased them.

Eisen smiled. As planned, the cavalry attacked the goblins, and it looked like they had managed to catch them off guard. Perfect.

The knights alone weren’t enough to cause significant damage to the raiders, but since the goblins were notorious cowards, they could still be routed by a few determined attackers. And if that happened, they would have almost certainly escaped to the south, where Eisen and the rest of the army were waiting for them. All he had to do now was to get ready to receive them.

“Attention soldiers!” he cried. “Get ready! Assume the formation!”

His orders were quickly relayed, and the officers and sergeants readied their troops. In less than ten minutes, they were in formation. The soldiers had been disposed into the shape of a horseshoe, perfect to catch an incoming enemy. The center of the army was made up by five lines of guards and mercenaries, all bracing themselves to receive a charge. The militia was on the wings, mostly armed with bows and arrows, and only a few lines of spearmen and melee fighters to protect them.

However, since the main task of the wings was to push the goblins to the center, they needed to be a bit stronger, so Eisen placed some Aura Warriors and battle casters among the militia to reinforce it. With this, the wings would easily hold, channeling the enemy to the center, where the spearmen would keep it in place. The cavalry would charge in from behind, completely surrounding the goblins and thus sealing their doom.

The marquis was quite proud of this plan. It was simple and yet quite foolproof, all things considered. Sure, the credit wasn’t all his own, as he’d received a lot of counseling from his more experienced aides, but he felt proud nonetheless. If everything went as planned, and he could see no reason why it shouldn’t, today, the goblin threat would be dealt with.

He wouldn’t even need the help of Marcus and her weird creatures. Although they could still make themselves useful by hunting down any eventual goblin that would manage to reach the forest. He wasn’t really sure about the Vex’s capabilities, but the reports from Felix said those creatures were almost a thousand strong, and with those numbers, hunting down a few goblins wouldn’t be a problem.

However, the fact that the Vex had grown so much in number was alarming. Just three weeks before, he’d been told there were barely a hundred of them. In that short timespan, they’d increased tenfold. Either they had been hiding something from him or they were able to breed at an incredible rate. Both options were quite worrying. If they had lied to him, it meant they weren’t trustworthy, and if they didn’t… well, a species that reproduced that fast was a problem on its own.

The marquis shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. He had to deal with the goblins first, and he couldn’t afford to get distracted by something that wasn’t an immediate threat. Besides, he wanted to give Marcus the benefit of the doubt. If she proved to be trustworthy and reasonable, he would do his best to be the same. And even if the number of her minions would become a problem, he could always have them shipped out to serve as mercenaries somewhere. The Castillar Legion and Federation Army were always searching for more soldiers, and they would pay well. Considering the monster-girl didn’t seem too attached to her kin, Eisen didn’t doubt he could convince her to accept this deal. Of course, it was only fair that he’d take a small commission for his services… maybe about twenty or thirty percent of the profits.

While he was thinking about this, his bodyguard and third in command, Max, who was still looking at the farm with his spyglass, scowled and said, “What is happening out there? What are the goblins doing?”

“What?” Eisen asked, taken a bit by surprise. “What do you mean? What’s going on?”

“From this distance, I can’t be sure, but it seems like the goblins are moving west,” Max replied.

The marquis watched through his own spyglass, and he could indeed see that most of the figures were moving west, while those that seemed to be his cavalry were being pushed away to the east.

“What is Luther doing!” Eisen cried and turned to his telemancer, Hoggs. “You! Call our cavalry immediately! Make them tell you what’s happening!”

“Yes, sir!” Hoggs said, and started concentrating while holding his Twinstone. “This is Hoggs speaking,” he said after a few seconds, talking to the telemancer that was accompanying the cavalry. “What’s happening out there?”

The sorcerer remained silent for about a minute, listening to the telepathic words of his colleague. He gave the marquis a worried look.

“Well, what happened?” the noble asked.

“The goblins have managed to form an organized resistance and repelled our cavalry,” the telemancer explained. “They have many hobgoblins with them and are using a combination of slingers and spearmen to keep the knights at bay while the rest of their force is retreating west.”

To organize such a defense right after having been attacked required a level of coordination Eisen didn’t think the goblins were capable of. This could be explained if they had an unusually high number of human-hobs, who were much more disciplined than the other goblin breeds.

Still, why were they retreating west? Did they spot the army waiting for them south? That didn’t seem likely, as they were so far, he could barely see anything even while using a spyglass.

“What’s west of here?” he asked his aides.

“Not much, sir,” a grizzled veteran guard replied. “There are a few farms and even a small village, but beyond those, the terrain is just rocky hills, so there are only small woods and pastures. I’ve been there a few times to hunt beasts who were attacking the cattle, and it’s usually a rather boring place.”

The marquis turned to the soldier. “Why do you think they are going there? Maybe they think to lose the cavalry in that rocky terrain?”

“Not much of a chance of that, sir.” The guard shrugged. “As I’ve said, it’s mostly pastures. If cattle can move easily through there, so could a horse. Besides, if they wanted to lose the cavalry, they should have gone east. There are some thick woods in that direction, perfect to hide from people on horseback.” He smiled bitterly. “I know because I’ve had to go there from time to time, hunting down beasts who were hiding in the woods.”

Eisen was perplexed. Why would the goblins go west then?

He tried to dismiss his doubts, reasoning that the goblins hadn’t bothered to scout ahead and were aimlessly running away. For some reason, he couldn’t. There were a few things that didn’t add up.

“Sir? What are your orders?” his bodyguard, Max, asked.

The marquis sighed. Despite his worries, he couldn’t let the goblins go, could he?

“We chase after them,” he ordered. “Tell the cavalry to follow them at a distance, and to hunt down any goblin that tries to separate from the main group if they can, but they are not to commit themselves to an offensive unless I order them to.” Eisen looked around at the army.

“As for us, we’ll march in parallel to the goblins, keeping us between them and the Caligare Forest. Have the scouts have the farms ahead evacuated and their food supplies either taken away or destroyed. If the goblins want to drag this out, we’ll oblige them. We have supplies for at least a week, and they have none. If this chase goes on for a while, they’re going to break way before we do. And then we’ll be able to take them without a fight.”

The noble turned to his soldiers and shouted, “Let’s move, men! Take the marching formations, quick!”

His orders were relayed, and within a few minutes, the whole army was in march, moving alongside the goblins.

* * *

“Move, you sons of a swamp rat!” Grel cried, kicking the butt of a goblin who was moving too slow. “And stay in line! If any of you tries to wander away, you better pray the humans get you before I do.”

The situation was critical, and the unevolved goblins, cowardly as they were, weren’t making things easier for him. Through charisma, shouting, cursing, and the occasional kick and punch, he’d been able to pull out a semi-organized retreat. A regiment of human-hobs had repelled the Medelanian cavalry using pikes and slings, buying the rest of the army enough time to move away.

Still, the surprise attack had taken its toll. About one hundred goblins were killed or injured, and despite having been driven away, the enemy cavalry had taken only minimal damage from the counterattack.

Considering the size of his army, this wasn’t such a big deal. The Medelanian cavalry simply lacked the numbers to seriously threaten his force. They could annoy it, hitting it and running away like a mosquito, but just like a mosquito, they couldn’t deal any real damage.

No, the real threat was the Medelanian infantry.

Grel gave a quick look to the horizon. He couldn’t see the main enemy army, which meant they were still a bit far. They were either coming from the south, if their commander was smart and attempted to cut off their retreat path, or from the north, if their commander was a moron, or just wanted to repel them from his lands. Either way, it didn’t make a difference. He would go to the west in any case.

Grel smirked with confidence. The general had predicted what would happen with a scary degree of accuracy. The Goblin Champion had no doubt that everything would go just as Trakk planned. He had taken into account a huge number of factors. From simple logistics to the habits of the “civilized” races to look down on goblinkind and had used every single one of them to create a foolproof strategy.

However, Grel’s smirk faded. Sure, Trakk’s plan was smart, but it still hinged on the Goblin Champion’s performance. If he made a mistake now, everything would collapse. It was a terribly heavy responsibility, but Grel knew Trakk had given it to him because he had his full trust. Now he had to live up to that trust.

“Run, you bastards! Run!” he cried to his troops. “If the humans catch you, they’ll make mincemeat out of you!” He gave a quick look around and ordered, “Ferals will go in front of the army. Scout out the territory for any possible traps. Human-hobs will take the wings, and orc-hobs the back. Normal goblins, in the center. Be quick!”

The order of march was quickly established, as they’d practiced it even before leaving the Caligare Forest. The goblin army moved quickly through the fields, heading toward the hills on the west.

Chapter 52

Pay the Piper

Eisen was exhausted, dirty, and hungry. His butt was sore after so many hours of non-stop riding, and as for his legs, he could barely feel them.

And yet he was smirking. The satisfied, evil grin of a man who’s about to exact vengeance on the thing that annoyed him for days.

For the last two days, the goblins kept retreating west, forcing the Brettholz army to keep up in order to prevent their escape. It had been a strenuous march for the Medelanians with very few pauses for cold meals. It finally paid off as the raiders had finally been trapped inside a valley.

That valley, locally known as Piper’s Brook, was a big field crossed by a small brook and surrounded by very steep hills covered in thick woods. Those hills would be difficult to climb even in normal circumstances, and were outright impassable for the exhausted goblins. The field was a little less than a kilometer wide and three kilometers deep, ending in a tall rock wall from which the brook fell into a pond, creating a small waterfall.

The goblin army was resting right beside the pond. The march had been hard for the Medelanians, but it had been much worse for the humanoids. At least one hundred goblins had collapsed on the way, only to be killed by the pursuing cavalry. Those who made it to the valley looked far too tired to fight even a cat, let alone an army. Most of them were simply lying on the grass, too exhausted to stand.

As for the Medelanian soldiers, while they looked tired as hell, they were still battleworthy and sported a grim resolution on their faces. They were absolutely pissed by the cat and mouse chase and wanted to end it then and there, slaughtering the goblins and finally going back home.

Eisen turned to his bodyguards, still sporting an evil grin. “So, it seems we’ve finally managed to trap our prey. How should we proceed with actually taking it down?”

“Send in the spearmen and the archers right behind them,” Luther replied as matter-of-factly as he always was. “The goblins are lightly armored and have no cover, so you can trap them in the valley with a line of infantry and have the archers take pot shots. The cavalry stays behind, ready to support the infantry.”

The marquis nodded. The plan seemed sound, like most of Luther’s ideas. The bodyguard was a veteran of many wars after all, so he knew his business. Still, the noble wasn’t satisfied.

“Isn’t this a bit… I don’t know, cheap?” he asked. “I mean, the goblins are already dead tired. Couldn’t we simply charge at them?”

“Sure, we could, sir,” Luther replied with barely a note of sarcasm in his voice. “But you will be the one to write letters to the relatives of the soldiers that will fall in battle if we engage them in melee. Still, if you don’t mind the extra work…”

“Very well. I get it. It was a stupid idea,” Eisen said while rolling his eyes. “No need to be such a buzzkill about it.”

“As you wish, sir,” the bodyguard said with a completely straight face. Only his voice betrayed the smallest hint of snark.

“Heavens,” the noble sighed. “War is worse than I could have anticipated. My books made it look so fun and glorious and… heroic. So far, it’s just dirty, annoying, and grueling.” He glanced at Luther and asked, “Is it always like this?”

“War is always a dirty business, sir,” the Aura Warrior confirmed. “For the soldiers, it’s mostly just trying to get back home alive and with all your limbs still properly attached. For the commanders, it’s even worse, because they have to bear the responsibility of their soldiers’ lives. Hundreds of people could die because of a single mistake. It’s not an enviable position by any means.”

“I’m beginning to understand that, yes.” Eisen nodded. “Very well then, let’s go with your plan. Send the orders. The archers will fire arrows at the enemy, and the rest of the infantry will stay close to defend them. Have Max take command of the whole infantry, he should be able to hold them in line. We’ll remain behind with the cavalry. Is this good enough?”

“You’re the commander here, sir, so it’s up to you to decide whether or not it is good enough,” Luther replied dryly. “But as your second-in-command, I daresay it’s indeed good enough.”

With a salute, Luther rode away, relaying the orders to the army.

After a few minutes, the Medelanians got into formation and marched into the valley. The light infantry was in front, with bows, crossbows, and firearms ready to fire. Even a few sorcerers prepared to cast their spells. The melee fighters were right behind with a long line of pole weapons taking their front lines.

The goblins obviously noticed their advance and tried to prepare for battle, but they were clearly too tired to pose a serious threat. Hell, most of them were so exhausted, they used their weapons as crutches in order to stand. Though they were very tired themselves, the Brettholz army had a pretty high morale.

The infantry line was stretched wide, so most of the Aura Warriors had been placed within their ranks in order to reinforce them, and only five, including Luther, remained with the cavalry.

Eisen supervised this all from his horse with Luther and Hoggs the telemancer beside him.

“Well then, gentlemen,” the marquis said, “let’s put an end to this skit.”

Luther nodded and raised his hand to give Max the signal to start.

From the front line, the other bodyguard nodded, and raised his arm as well, preparing to give the order to fire at will.

It was at that moment, when the battle was finally about to start, a horn echoed in the valley.

Eisen, confused by this, looked around, trying to identify the source of that noise. His surprise quickly turned to horror when he saw thousands of figures swarming out of the woods. It took him a few moments to realize that those figures were goblins, and they were rushing to seal the exit of the valley.

The noble couldn’t believe his eyes. There were countless goblins of all kinds. Orc-hobs who carried huge clubs lumbered out of the undergrowth, surrounded by a sea of smaller, unevolved goblins. Human-hobs marched in tight battle formations, showing a discipline that would have made professional soldiers envious. Feral goblins scurried around like a tidal wave of fur and claws, and a subspecies the marquis had never seen, covered in chitin armor, scuttled like a swarm of insects.

The Medelanians were paralyzed by surprise and indecision. All they could do was gawk as the goblins surrounded them. Even the marquis sat on his horse doing nothing but staring at the enemy forces, since the rational part of his brain was too overwhelmed by what was happening to really take control.

This would have been the end of the battle, if it wasn’t for Luther. Being a veteran of many fights, the Aura Warrior shook off his confusion and assessed the situation. All it took was a glance to understand they’d fallen into a trap, and they had no hope of winning this engagement. Not only did the goblins outnumber them at least ten to one, the marquis’s troops were also taken by surprise and tired from the long march.

The only thing they could do was cut their losses. The infantry was doomed, as it would be too slow to escape. The cavalry still had a chance to get away, if they moved before the enemy completely blocked the exit from the valley. And more importantly, the marquis himself would be able to retreat this way.

“Follow me!” Luther cried, turning his horse. “We’re getting out of here!”

“B-but, what about the infantry!” Eisen stuttered, still confused. “We can’t just leave them here to—”

“We can’t help them, sir!” the bodyguard shouted, grabbing the reins of his lord’s horse and making it turn. “The only thing we can do is run away. If you manage to escape, you can ask the King for reinforcements. But we have to run now, or we’ll be trapped!”

Before the noble could reply, Luther urged both horses into a gallop toward the only exit, while the rest of the cavalrymen followed them.

The goblins were moving fast, especially the feral ones, but there was still a small gap.

While they were charging for that opening, Luther saw another unit approaching to close that spot from outside the valley. With horror, he realized it was another unit of hobgoblins, all of them mounted on huge wild boars and armed with lances. And even worse, a lot of big-winged figures appeared in the sky, bearing the unmistakable appearance of gargoyles.

“Luther!” Eisen cried in a panic. “There are enemies there!”

“I can see them!” Luther said, not slowing his horses even one bit. “We have nowhere else to turn. We’ll have to break through their formation. You stay behind, sir! It’s too risky for you to stay too close to the front line.” He raised his sword and cried, “Aura Warriors, come with me to the front! Everyone else, take an arrowhead formation behind us. We’re gonna charge through the enemy!”

A roar came from the knights, and the other four Aura Warriors rode up to the bodyguard. The marquis decided it was better to follow the suggestion he received and slowed down, staying in the middle of the cavalry formation with Hogg the telemancer at his side.

Meanwhile, Luther had closed his eyes and normalized his breath, forcing himself to focus on his own Aura. He made it flow out, enveloping his body and his weapon in a thin ethereal layer. A powerful force flowed through his body, and he started perceiving the spear in his hand like a part of his own body.

When he opened his eyes again, he could see far better than before, as time itself seemed to have slowed down. He could count every speck of dust the boars raised while charging, he could describe every detail of the hob’s armors, and he could distinctly hear the breath and voices of every single one of his soldiers behind him.

The distance between the two cavalry units was reduced to a few dozen meters in a matter of seconds. The gargoyles were flying over the boar-riders, but there was nothing the Medelanians could do about them unless they approached. Luther examined the enemy formation and identified the biggest threats among them. Thanks to his empowered senses, he could clearly see that a few of the hobgoblins had activated their own Aura, although they were in general much less skilled than a human. There was a single exception, though, a big hobgoblin covered in ramshackle plate armor, whose Aura was significantly more steady and powerful than the other goblins, though still weaker than Luther’s.

The goblinoid had noticed the bodyguard’s stare, and returned it with a predatory grin before pointing his lance at the human. Despite the clear difference in their Aura, the hob seemed eerily confident, and Luther felt a little worried by this. At this point, they were too close to each other to change trajectory, so the bodyguard steeled his resolve and pointed his spear at the enemy.

Though both the horses and boars were charging fast against each other, the moments before impact seemed painfully long to Luther thanks to his Aura-empowered reflexes. He used this time to try and understand just why the goblin seemed so confident. He couldn’t find anything, as he himself apparently held all the advantages. His horse was faster, his spear was longer, and his Aura was both more powerful and better controlled. Just how did the goblin think he could win?

Just a few seconds before the impact, the answer came to Luther. The gargoyles, which had flown well above the boar-riders, suddenly dove for the Medelanian cavalry, fire flashing in their mouths.

Suddenly, the bodyguard understood what would happen, and his heart skipped a bit. During a frontal charge like this, the focus was of utmost importance, and if the gargoyles distracted the Brettholz front line by breathing fire on them, the hobgoblin would have an easy time overcoming them. And even though he was confident that he himself could take on both a gargoyle and a hobgoblin at the same time, he doubted any other Aura Warrior currently with him was skilled enough to do the same.

“Gargoyles incoming!” Luther cried, but besides alerting his men, it was too late to do anything else. He focused his Aura around his body, using it to protect himself from the upcoming flames.

But the flames never came.

Instead, just as the gargoyles were about to smother the Medelanians’ fire, a bright light flashed from the backlines of the human cavalry. With a crackling sound, many bolts of pure lightning rose to the sky, homing to the flying goblinods, hitting most of them. Whenever they were touched by those twirling thunderbolts, the gargoyles spasmed and fell to the ground, where they were trampled by the galloping horses.

After this display, the boar-riders seemed very confused and even a little scared. Luther, despite being rather surprised himself, took advantage of it, hitting the enemy leader with his spear. The hobgoblin managed to guard himself, but the force of the impact was enough to unsaddle him. With that obstacle out of the way, the bodyguard proceeded to run through the enemy formation like a red-hot knife, followed by the rest of the cavalry, until they managed to escape the valley.

A few meters behind Luther, the marquis was staring at Hoggs with something akin to awe. When he’d seen the gargoyles, the telemancer had grumbled something and taken out a peculiar focus instrument—a straight white horn coiled in copper wire—and pointed it toward the flying creatures. Hoggs closed his eyes and bolts of lightning had exploded from the horn, hitting dozens of the gargoyles. Then the old man simply slouched on the saddle, panting, as they tore through the enemy formation.

When they finally got past the goblins, leaving the hills behind, the noble approached the sorcerer. “What was that, Hoggs? How… how did you do that?”

The old, bald telemancer gave Eisen a tired look. “I already told you I served in the Legion, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but I thought you were just a telemancer!” the marquis replied. “You told me you handled communications!”

“Oh, I handled communications all right,” the sorcerer said with a tired smile. “But when you serve on the front lines against the Roks, you have to pick up a few tricks in order to survive. The lizards really liked to single out us sorcerers using their wyverns, so I learned how to defend against aerial attacks.” He pointed at his horn. “This lightning spell is perfect. Wide area of effect, pretty much impossible to miss, and it works on multiple targets. It doesn’t pack much of a punch, so it’s unlikely it would kill anything by itself, but the thunderbolts briefly paralyze whatever they hit, so it’s perfect to make flying creatures drop to the ground. The only drawback is that it’s very draining. When I was young, I could cast it three times in a row, but now I’m completely spent after casting it just once. Guess I’ve gotten old and rusty.”

The noble’s eyes widened a bit as a realization flashed in his mind. “You served on the front lines? But… doesn’t that make you a Battlecaster of the Legion?”

“I guess I was one,” Hoggs confirmed. “That was many years ago.”

Hoggs was old, bald, and slightly fat. The noble was used to thinking of him as a rather lazy, if competent, telemancer. This discovery shed a whole new light on his character. Legion Battlecasters were amongst the most skilled and powerful sorcerers in the world. Unlike most other casters, who usually handled support roles like communication or healing, the Legion Battlecasters fought directly on the battlefield, using their terrifying spells to change the course of entire battles. It was said that a skilled Battlecaster was the equivalent of a small army.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” the noble asked.

“Because I wanted some peace and quiet,” the sorcerer replied. “If I told you, you’d have insisted on making me do more dangerous stuff, but I’ve had enough of it in my life. The job of a telemancer suits me fine. It’s slow, boring, and absolutely peaceful. Just what I wanted for my retirement.”

After a moment of confusion, the marquis had to admit that Hoggs was right. Having an ex-Battlecaster and using him as a simple telemancer felt like a terrible waste, after all, and he knew himself well enough to know he would have pestered the sorcerer a lot.

Still, something didn’t add up.

“If you wanted some peace and quiet, why did you agree on coming with us on this battle?” Eisen asked. “I mean, you could have just insisted on remaining in Brettholz. No one forced you to come.”

“I still have my honor and my sense of duty, sir,” Hoggs said in a much more serious tone. “Even if I’m a telemancer now, I still work for you. And besides, I have friends and family in Brettholz that I have to protect. And the best way to do so is to assist you in the best of my capacity.”

“Well, thank you, Hoggs,” the marquis said, a bit moved. “I guess you really saved our lives just now. I swear I’ll repay you for this somehow.”

“If you really want to repay me, just allow me to remain a simple telemancer once this fight is over,” the sorcerer replied dryly.

“Well, fine,” the noble said. “Guess I’ll try to employ you only as a telemancer, then. Speaking of which, can you use a Twinstone right now?”

“Sure,” Hoggs said. “Casting another big spell would be hard, but if it’s just using a Twinstone, I could do that all day.”

“Well then, I need you to call the other telemancers in Brettholz. Give them the news about the battle, and tell them to contact the capital. The goblins are more of a threat than we anticipated, and we need the kingdom’s army!”

“As you order, sir,” the telemancer said, and pulled a Twinstone from his pocket, concentrating on it to relay the message.

* * *

“Well, there they go,” Belinda said, watching the cavalry breaking through the enemy formation and escape from the valley. “Glad to see they made it.”

“T-they abandoned us!” a young soldier near her cried, shaking like a leaf. “They left us here! Those bastards left us here!”

“What would you have them do?” the old Aura Warrior asked. “They were too few to help us, and it’s a small miracle they even managed to get away. At least they saved the marquis, and this way, they can get help from the kingdom.”

Most of the infantry didn’t share her phlegmatic composure. They were scared and on the point of breaking down. The officers were trying their best to calm them and bring back some semblance of order, but it was a hard task. Heck, even Belinda’s own subordinates looked restless, despite being veterans.

“So, what do we do now, cap?” Nemi asked, her voice steady but with a hint of nervousness. “Do we try to break through, or should we try and escape to the woods?”

“Neither of those options seem very good,” the captain of the Order of the Rose replied. “The enemy lines are rather thick, and the gods only know what kind of nasty surprises the goblins have set inside the woods. They have clearly been waiting for us here. It was all a trap.”

She thought hard about a possible solution, and said, “If we have the support of the whole army, we have a chance of breaking through. We Aura Warriors spearhead the attack, and the rest of the infantry covers our back and flanks. Still, it’s gonna be bad.” She grimaced. “In order to break through those lines, we’re going to lose roughly half our soldiers, if we’re lucky. And yet…” She made a sad smile. “The fact we’re trapped may play in our favor. A cornered animal is very dangerous, and if our soldiers are desperate, they’re going to fight to the bitter end. We just have to channel that desperation into an all-out attack.”

As soon as she said this, the leader of the infantry, Max, shouted orders, encouraging the soldiers to fight, reminding them of their families and friends waiting for them at home and generally trying to stir them into action.

“Seems like the marquis’s bodyguard had the same idea as myself.” Belinda laughed. before turning to her subordinates. “Well then, let’s get ready for battle, girls! This is going to be tough.”

The Brettholz army slowly got into formation, a desperate fire in the eyes of its soldiers. With grim determination, they tightened their grips on their weapons, preparing to charge the enemy.

By now, the exit from Piper’s Brook was completely blocked by at least ten thousand goblins, all battle-ready and organized in tight formations and distributed in three lines. The first line was composed by baseline goblins, armed with ramshackle weapons, who were clearly there to serve as a meatshield and experience battle in order to evolve. The second line was a thick phalanx of human-hobs, better equipped than their unevolved kind and each carried a long pike. The final line was composed of various units of orc-hobs and feral goblins, which were clearly there to plug any hole made into the human-hob line.

This is not good, Belinda thought. These goblins are better organized than I thought possible. Breaking through their lines is going to be tough, especially since most of our forces are archers and light infantry. Still, we Aura Warriors at least should be able to make it.

While she was thinking and studying the enemy formations, a new figure emerged from the forest. It was a human riding a horse and carrying a white flag, who approached the Brettholz army.

The unexpected appearance of this individual took the Medelanians by surprise. Only their commander, Max, recovered himself quickly enough.

“Halt!” he ordered. “Identify yourself!”

The rider stopped his horse. He was a middle-aged man, dressed in a filthy gambeson. He carried no weapons, but he held a white flag in his right hand.

“My name is Grueber Holl,” he said. “I was a city guard of Brettholz, and I took part in the exploratory expedition about two months ago. I got caught by the goblins, and I’m now their prisoner. They sent me to negotiate with you.”

“Negotiate!” the commander asked, a bit confused.

“Yes,” Grueber confirmed. “The goblin leader is willing to accept your surrender and take you as prisoners of war. If you accept, you won’t be harmed unless you try to attack or escape. You will be fed and treated with dignity. In addition, you will be kept prisoners only as long as hostilities with Medelan continue, and you will be freed afterwards.”

Max remained silent for a few seconds, trying to process what had just been said. He’d never heard of goblins trying to negotiate. To him, and to the rest of the world, they had always been little more than animals, a wild and tribal race that simply couldn’t live without conflict.

Still, they could prove cunning from time to time, and lying was something they would be very capable of.

“What guarantee do we have that the goblins will keep their word?” the bodyguard asked. “For all I know, they could be lying, and you could be collaborating with them to save your sorry hide!”

Grueber grimaced at the insinuation, but when he spoke, his voice was calm. “If I came here, it’s because I wanted to avoid the deaths of as many of my compatriots as possible. Besides, most of the expedition has survived, and we have been treated pretty well.”

“Wait!” Max said. “If you were part of that expedition… do you know what happened to Sir Dagobert?”

“He’s alive,” the guard said. “The goblins have treated us humanely, all things considered. In this case, since you don’t trust them, the goblin leader told me he’s gonna offer us a few hostages to make sure they’ll keep their word.”

“A… few hostages!” Max asked, a bit confused.

“Yes. A few high-ranked goblins will stay with us as prisoners, and we will be allowed to keep a few weapons to kill them if we feel we’re going to be betrayed.” The guard smiled bitterly. “There is another reason why both us and the goblins may want to keep our casualties to a minimum.”

“What is this other reason?” the Aura Warrior asked.

Grueber told him, and that answer sent a cold chill down Max’s spine.

After that, the commander took a few minutes to reflect.

While it was possible the goblins were lying, if they were telling the truth, then trying to limit the number of casualties was in everyone’s best interest. And besides, even if this was a trick, the morale of the Brettholz army had taken a huge blow just by listening to the negotiation. The soldiers, who would have been ready to fight to the bitter end when they felt cornered, had now seen a way out and wouldn’t fight with the same energy. They were tired, surrounded, and their determination had been compromised. Their chances to break out of the valley had been reduced from low to basically nil.

Max sighed.

The goblins proved to be more cunning and strategically minded than he would have thought possible. It wouldn’t be impossible they would also prove to be more civilized than expected.

He turned to Grueber. “We accept this goblin leader’s conditions. We surrender.”

Chapter 53

Dressing Up

Grel wearily climbed to the top of the hill where Trakk was holding a war council.

He was the last to arrive, though this could be excused by the fact he didn’t get any sleep for the past three days. Luckily, his presence was ignored for the most part, as the general attention was concentrated on a discussion between Ureg the Scarred and Trakk.

“I did everything I could!” the scarred Goblin Champion cried. “If those damn gargoyles would have done their part, I’d have surely gotten the human noble!”

“What?” Shak, the leader of the gargoyles, shouted in outrage. “It’s not our fault if you can’t hold your own against the humans! And we had no way to avoid that lightning magic.”

The gargoyle was in a rather bad mood and with good reason. He’d been shot down by the lightning and consequently trampled by the human cavalry. It was a testament to his toughness that he was still alive. He had a broken wing and was bruised from head to toe, but apart from that, he seemed relatively fine and as deadly as ever.

Ureg and Shak stared at each other, seeming almost ready to throw themselves at each other.

“Stop it!” the general ordered, halting them in their tracks. “We won’t get anywhere by blaming each other like a bunch of younglings. Instead, we should focus on the task at hand.”

There was a moment of silence around the table, and after a few seconds, Ureg spoke. “But… I thought we had to capture the human noble. Didn’t we fail, then?”

“We captured at least two thousand enemy soldiers with minimal casualties,” Trakk explained. “I’d hardly call that a failure. The fact that the marquis got away is just a minor setback compared to this victory.”

“What are we gonna do now?” Shak asked.

“Why, we march to Brettholz of course!” the general replied with a wicked smile. “The city is basically defenseless now, and if we manage to conquer it with all of its citizens still inside, we are going to obtain far more leverage than we would have by just catching the marquis!” He sat back, growing thoughtful. “Then again, it’s highly probable the marquis will go to the city, so we should be able to catch him as well.”

All the goblin leaders nodded, the logic of that reasoning clear even to the more bull-headed of them.

Grel frowned, and asked, “What’s going to stop the people of Brettholz from leaving? If they see our army coming their way, they could just leave us an empty city.”

Trakk stared at him, and then nodded approvingly.

“Very good, Grel,” he complimented him. “That would be a problem. Luckily, I already foresaw this eventuality, and I dispatched a force of two thousand ferals to the north a day ago. They will block the roads that lead out of the Brettholz province, ensuring the citizens will be trapped inside.”

Everyone stared at the general, slowly taking in what he’d just said. Then, Ureg spoke in a tone of outrage.

“Why did you do that? Did you not trust us to catch the marquis?”

“No, I do trust you,” Trakk replied calmly. “But, as it has been demonstrated, it’s always better to have a backup plan to fall to, just in case.”

The leader of the goblins gave a serious look at his lieutenants. “Gentlemen, this is our last chance. The very future of our race depends on our success. We need to move swiftly! Go back to your units and prepare them to move. We march out in two hours.”

The tone did not allow any reply, and the other goblins simply obeyed, walking away to organize their subjects. Just as Grel was about to go, Trakk interrupted him.

“You’re not coming with us, Grel.”

“What!” the Goblin Champion cried. “Why?”

“I’m afraid I need you to look after our prisoners,” the general said. “I need to have them treated civilly, so I can’t really trust anyone else. I’ll leave you a garrison of a thousand human-hobs, since they are the only ones disciplined enough to perform well at guard duty.”

Grel was about to protest, but even before speaking, he realized his boss was right. He was the only one that had the necessary discipline to keep the prisoners alive and relatively well. The likes of Ureg or Grom would have simply abused and killed them in droves, which wouldn’t be convenient for the general’s plans.

Grel sighed with annoyance.

“Very well, General,” he said. “Somehow I can’t shake the feeling that you’re gonna need me.”

“Don’t worry, Grel!” Trakk replied with a confident smile. “Most of the Brettholz forces have been captured, and it’s gonna take weeks before enough reinforcements are sent from the capital. It’s not like they can conjure an army out of thin air, can they?”

* * *

The Vex drones emerged from the shadow of the trees, as if they had just been conjured out of thin air.

It had been a long trip, Marcus thought. Thanks to the flyers scouting the terrain ahead, and Klara using her knowledge of the region, they managed to navigate safely through the Caligare Forest. The journey had been relatively uneventful, but it had still been far too long for the Hive Queen’s tastes. First of all, he’d miscalculated the amount of food his drones needed. He’d been forced to stop and resupply often. Though the Vex were such extreme omnivores, they seemed capable of eating basically anything organic.

Then there had been the problem of Klara and Felix. The girl, while mostly healed, was still slowed down by her injury, while the boy simply wasn’t used to walking for such long distances in difficult terrains. In this case, the solution was simple: they just had to ride one of the heavy drones. Heck, even Marcus decided to have one of the heavies carry him, since it was better than walking.

And then there had been a lot of small problems. Like avoiding nests of dangerous creatures or getting around cliffs and things like that. Going in a straight line was simply impossible without a reliable road.

But they advanced, until they finally managed to get out.

For the last day, Marcus noticed subtle but substantial changes in the territory. The undergrowth was less pronounced, the trees were growing sparse, and the number of trails increased significantly.

And now, the woods opened, and he could see the kingdom of Medelan.

He was on a small hill, and from it, he could easily gauge the territory, tinged with red by the setting sun and one of the moons above. The forest continued to his left and right, but in front of him was a huge plain, covered in fields and cultivations separated by small roads and rivers. Even farther away was a group of buildings that looked like a small village or a big farm, barely visible in the twilight since there were no lights on.

“We’re home,” Felix said excitedly. “We’re finally home. We made it!”

“Yes, we did,” Klara replied in a more sober tone, but she couldn’t hide the emotion in her voice.

Marcus looked at them and smiled. He felt happy for them. Heavens knew just how much he himself missed his home. Hell, just thinking about it was enough to make him melancholic.

The Hive Queen shook his head to repress the memories. This wasn’t the time to grieve for what he had lost. The day was about to end, and they needed to find a suitable shelter for the night. Sure, they could always camp in the open like they had done for the last week, but Marcus was getting a bit tired of sleeping on the cold, hard ground. Especially since now he had the option to lie on a real bed. Just the thought was enough to raise his spirits.

“Do you think the people in that village will let us sleep in their houses?” he asked, pointing at the buildings in the distance.

Klara gave a quick look and then shrugged. “There’s no one there. The village has probably been evacuated. But taking shelter there is a good idea. At least we should be able to sleep on a real bed.”

“How can you tell there is no one there?” Marcus asked.

“Because I see no movements, no lights, and no smoke coming from the chimneys,” the girl explained. “Plus, it’s standard practice to evacuate frontier settlements whenever there is an enemy raid.”

“That makes sense,” Marcus admitted. “But then who do we ask for permission to enter?”

Klara and Felix gave him a surprised stare, and then they started giggling uncontrollably.

“Why are you two laughing?” Marcus asked, a bit confused by that reaction. “What is funny?”

“Well…” Felix said, trying to catch his breath. “It’s just that I didn’t expect you to be this polite. Somehow it doesn’t suit you.”

The monster-girl blinked, still a bit confused.

“Well, is it not rude to break into other people’s houses?” After all, Marcus didn’t know about local customs. Maybe they had a different concept of private property than he did.

The humans laughed again.

“You’re right,” Klara said. “But that’s the point. To be honest, you look like some wild animal that just crawled out of a cave, and you being this polite is… ill-fitting, to say the least.” She smirked before continuing. “Anyway, it shouldn’t be a problem if we break in and take what we need, provided we don’t cause too much damage. This is an emergency situation after all.”

“Okay then,” Marcus replied, and he gave the drones the order to take them to the village. He didn’t take offense at the girl’s description of his appearance, since he imagined it actually described him quite well. Instead, he was just relieved at the prospect of being able to sleep on a real bed.

Reaching the village took only half an hour, and as Klara predicted, it was completely deserted. Even the pens for the animals were empty. If not for the scuttling of the Vex, the settlement would have been completely silent.

Marcus observed the houses with curiosity. They were mostly two-story buildings, with a foundation of stones. The walls were made out of wood and white plaster, while the roofs were made out of some dark gray material he didn’t recognize. Their design was very similar to stereotypical medieval houses, if a bit bigger and cleaner than he would have expected, and they were disposed on two sides of a dirt road. There were about two dozen buildings in total. About half of them were houses, while the rest were barns, animal pens, and warehouses.

Klara spoke, catching Marcus’s attention.

“We can sleep there!” Klara pointed at a building to the north, a bit isolated from the rest of the village. It was a two-story like the others, but it was bigger and had a stable beside it. A sign with the drawing of a sun was dangling over the door. “That looks like a tavern. They’re bound to have enough rooms for us.” She turned to the Hive Queen and added, “Your minions can sleep in the barns and the stable, if that’s all right with you.”

“It is.” Marcus nodded.

They walked over to the entrance of the tavern. The door was closed, but one of the heavy drones knocked it down as if it had been made out of paper, allowing them to enter.

The ground floor was almost entirely occupied by a single hall full of tables. On one side of the room was a large stone fireplace, while the opposite side was entirely occupied by huge barrels stacked together behind a counter. The only way out of the room, besides the entrance, was a swinging door that likely led to the kitchens and a staircase that went to the upper floor.

The room was dark, cold, and silent, but it still felt cozy and welcoming compared to the woods they’d slept in for the last week.

“I’ll light a fire,” Felix said.

“Good idea,” Klara said. “I’ll go check out the kitchen. Maybe the owners left some food in the pantry.”

“I’ll help Felix,” Marcus proposed.

The girl walked to the swinging doors, while the Vex Queen and the boy started gathering firewood. After a few minutes, they had a crackling fire, and Klara walked back with a smile.

“Well, good news, friends.” She said merrily. “The owners didn’t leave much, but we can still have a nice warm dinner with what I’ve found!”

“That’s great!” Felix said. “So, what’s on the menu?”

“Porridge, roasted potatoes, and a vegetable stew. I found a sack of flour and some potatoes, turnips, onions, and glummocks in the pantry. Plus, salt, pepper, and other spices.”

“What are glummocks?” Marcus asked, curious.

“A vegetable,” Klara replied. “It’s a rather bulbous plant that has kind of a sweet and sour taste. It’s fairly common because it grows pretty fast all year, even in the winter, but since it drains the fields of nutrients, its cultivation is limited.”

The Hive Queen nodded. He had never heard of glummocks before, and while it was possible they existed back on Earth, it was more probable they were native to this new world.

Suddenly, he felt a pang of nostalgia. The village was the first civilized place he’d seen since he had been reborn. It reminded him of his home, but small details kept hinting that he was still stranded in a different world. Somehow, this made everything feel subtly wrong, giving Marcus a sense of uneasiness that was almost overwhelming.

He shook his head, trying to control his emotions. But Klara noticed.

“Is everything all right, Marcus?” she asked.

“All is… fine,” the Hive Queen replied, swallowing his sadness and forcing himself to stay calm. “I am a bit tired. That is all.”

“Well, why don’t you go rest a bit?” Klara suggested. “There are many rooms with real beds here.”

“I will do that.” Marcus excused himself, going to the bedrooms on the upper floor.

* * *

A few minutes later, Marcus was sitting on a huge canopy bed, inside the biggest room he’d found.

This room was clearly the tavern’s best, as the decorated walls and luxurious furniture attested. There was the canopy bed with an incredibly soft feather mattress, covered in pure white sheets. A huge, dark wardrobe that would be able to contain at least six people. A chest decorated with floral motifs, and even a dressing table with a small, oval mirror. It was the most comfortable and nice-looking place Marcus had been since being born in this world, and yet it somehow felt wrong, maybe because he’d gotten used to living in the wilderness. Or maybe it was because it was so similar and yet so different from his own home.

So far, he somehow maintained the hope that he would be able to go back to his old life, and that all he needed to do was to get out of the forest and get some help from other humans. But now that he had finally reached civilization, he was forced to confront the fact that he was deluding himself. He was truly stuck in this world and in this body.

He got up from the bed and walked to the dressing table, checking himself out in the mirror. The reflection of the monster-girl that he still struggled to associate with himself stared back. Marcus forced himself to ignore the nonhuman, unfamiliar bits, and what was left looked like a complete mess. He had ratty hair and his “clothing” consisted of just a few dirty, ragged furs that barely covered his… private parts.

The Vex Queen grimaced.

“Klara was right. I do look like some kind of wild animal that crawled out of a hole in the ground…. Well, if I’m truly stuck in this body, I guess I should take care of it a bit. After all, looking a bit more civilized could help me in my relations with the humans.”

He rummaged through the drawers of the dressing table and found a small horn comb. He tried to comb his hair, which was easier said than done, since it was incredibly knotty. Every time he moved the comb, he felt as if he was trying to scalp himself.

Nevertheless, after a long and strenuous struggle, he managed to give his hair some semblance of order. Now it was time to find some decent clothes.

He searched his room but couldn’t find anything in there besides a few bed sheets, a blanket, and a bedpan. He then started looking around the building until he found a room that looked different from the others, as it probably belonged to the owner of the tavern, which had a wardrobe half filled with various clothes.

Now all the clothes were too large for Marcus, and he didn’t feel comfortable stealing things. Nevertheless, he needed something to cover himself, so he picked what looked like the cheapest thing in the wardrobe, a white nightgown with no decorations. He tried it on, and obviously, it was far too big, as it dragged on the floor. His tail felt trapped inside the clothing and the sleeves were too long as well. They even got caught in the chitin armor covering his arms.

He easily solved this by cutting the lower half of the nightgown so it would only reach his knees and made a hole for his tail, and he also removed the sleeves entirely. Marcus took a leather belt from the wardrobe and wore it over the nightgown before going back to his room to check the result.

When he looked at himself in the mirror, he blinked in surprise. The changes were impressive. Where once stood a wild, inhuman creature, now was a girl. Not a human girl obviously, but a girl nonetheless.

Marcus felt weird about this. Until now, he hadn’t given much thought about the gender of his new body. Mostly because it was a minor thing compared to its more alien characteristics such as the egg-laying. But looking at his current reflection, he couldn’t help thinking about it.

“Don’t be stupid! The body doesn’t matter. I’m still me. My memories and my mind are still my own. Besides, I have more urgent things than to worry about what's between my legs. Like defeating the goblins, finding a place in this world’s society and, most importantly, getting a fucking bath! A long, warm bath in a real bathtub with all the soap and bubbles I can find! Maybe a sauna and a visit to the spa afterwards, if they have those things in this godforsaken world. Man, that’d feel nice.” He smiled at the thought, but then his expression soured. “That’ll have to wait, though. Well, looking at the bright side, at least I get to sleep on a real bed tonight!”

And, without further ado, he jumped onto the bed, bouncing a bit and then lying face down, embracing the sheets and feeling the fluffiness off the mattress.

He remained in this position for a good ten minutes before someone knocked at the door. Marcus immediately got up and opened the door.

Klara stood there, pale and with a worried expression. For a moment, the girl looked at Marcus with a hint of surprise, probably because of his refreshed look, but it was only for a moment. Whatever she was worried about took priority.

“Hi, Klara,” the Hive Queen said. “Is everything all right? You look… worried.”

“I am,” the girl replied, her voice full of anxiety. “There’s some bad news.”

“What is it?” Marcus asked, a bit alarmed.

“Felix received a message from Brettholz. The marquis’s army has been defeated.”

“What! How did it happen?”

“The goblin army that raided the village was just bait,” Klara explained. “When the Brettholz army chased them, they were ambushed by the real goblin army—an army more than ten thousand strong. The marquis managed to escape with the cavalry, and he’s back in Brettholz. He’s asking us to join him there as soon as possible, so that we can help defend the city.”

Marcus processed this information. Oddly enough, he wasn’t as shocked as Klara. He had personally fought the goblins for months, and he knew very well what they were capable of. He even tried to warn the marquis about it, but he didn’t listen. Still, Marcus had given his word that he’d help the humans, and he wanted to keep it.

“How long before the city is attacked?” he asked.

“A couple of days at most, I think,” Klara replied. “Maybe less.”

“And how long will it take for us to get to the city?”

“If we keep our current pace, one day.”

Marcus sighed. If that was the case, he needed to hurry, and that meant that he would have to give up his well-deserved night of sleep. He didn’t like it one bit, but he couldn’t see any other solution.

“Let’s pack our things, then,” he said. “We’re moving now. To Brettholz.”

Chapter 54

Boys Are Back in Town

Eisen was sitting in his study, though “sitting” probably wasn’t the right word. Perhaps it was more correct to say he was slumped in his chair, as he lacked the energy necessary to sit properly. The nobleman was pale and unkept and he kept staring vacantly at the walls. A feeling of almost palpable desperation radiated from him.

It was almost incredible that he actually felt worse than he looked.

The marquis just stared at the void. The last news he received had all but broken him, to the point he couldn’t even muster enough energy to get a drink, let alone do something more complex. Not that doing nothing made him feel better, far from that. It actually made him feel even worse. A pang of shame ate at him at the thought that, while he was sitting there, Luther the bodyguard was busy trying to do whatever he could to boost the defenses of the city and try to soothe the civilians. But even with that, Eisen still couldn’t force himself to do anything.

Then someone knocked at the door.

In his apathetic state, it took a few seconds for the marquis to notice the noise and even longer to muster the strength to answer.

“Come in,” he said with a tired voice.

A guard entered and saluted. Even in his state, the noble noticed the man had a very worried expression on his face.

“Sir, an army is approaching from the south,” the guard said.

“What!” Eisen cried, jumping out of his chair. “The goblins are already here?”

“Ehm…” the guard hesitated for a moment. “It’s, not goblins, sir. At least, I don’t think so.”

“What?” the marquis gave the soldier a perplexed look. “What army is it, then?”

“Well, I don’t really know.” The man stopped again, trying to give a coherent answer. “They are still far away, but they kind of look like bugs. Or lizards. And they’re at least one thousand strong.”

Eisen stared at the guard, and then a faint smile appeared on his face.

“The Vex!” he cried, his voice now alive with hope. “I forgot about them! Let’s go greet them!”

“Sir,” the guard said, his voice worried, “are you sure you want to greet these creatures? They look dangerous. Maybe we should close the gate and prepare for combat.”

The nobleman took on a more serious expression and shook his head.

“I made a deal with these creatures, and they come as allies. We need to show at least some good faith. Besides, at this moment, we need all the help we can get. However, do alert Luther and tell him to put all of our forces on alert. Just to be safe.”

* * *

“Soooo… Is this Brettholz?” Marcus asked.

“Yes,” Felix confirmed.

He, Klara, and Marcus had dismounted from the heavy drones and were currently all walking together, since the road was easy.

“Okay,” the Hive Queen said, and studied the city before them with a hint of worry.

Brettholz was an average-sized town, sitting in the middle of a plain, surrounded by fields of wheat. A small river coursed right, east of the city, with a small bridge crossing it.

What worried Marcus was the almost complete absence of any form of defense. Sure, the town was surrounded by a brick and stone wall, but it was pathetically short, barely two and a half meters tall at best, and lacking any turret or even a moat.

The Hive Queen wasn’t really an expert on medieval fortifications, but in his past life, he’d seen a lot of castles and ancient cities, and this town looked pathetic in comparison.

“Say, Klara,” he asked, “are Brettholz defenses considered good? Because it doesn’t look very defensible to me.”

“Well, you’re right. Brettholz defenses are pathetic. But that’s to be expected since it’s a relatively recent settlement, and it’s been centuries since this region has seen any meaningful conflict.” Klara smirked sadly, pointing at the city wall. “This wall was made mostly to keep off wild beasts, not armies.”

“I understand,” Marcus replied.

I really hope we won’t have to defend this city! he thought. Though, if the marquis has enough men, we could manage. I’m not an expert, but I’d think that with the help of a few thousand soldiers, my drones should be able to hold the walls for a few days.

After a few minutes, the Vex army arrived at the city gates, which were closed and guarded by dozens of archers and crossbowmen, all of whom looked very alarmed and were giving worried looks at the approaching drones. Not that Marcus could blame them, since the army he brought with him looked like something straight out of a horror movie, and the chittering sound that accompanied them was incredibly creepy. Heck, even the Hive Queen himself would have been intimidated by that view if he didn’t perceive the drones as part of himself. Still, he didn’t want to be shot down by a jumpy soldier, so as a precaution, he made one of the heavy drones move in front of him to protect himself from eventual arrows.

“Halt!” one of the guards on the wall cried. His voice was steady, but he was visibly nervous. “Who goes there? Identify yourself!”

Marcus turned to Klara, and the girl nodded. She walked in front of the gate and cleared her throat.

“I’m Klara Kreigdoter! Part of the exploratory expedition under Sir Dagobert. I’m accompanied by Felix Agner, another member of the same expedition, and by Marcus the Vex and her minions. We are here to help against the goblins.”

The guard that asked for their identities turned around, nodded, and turned back.

“Klara Kreigdoter, Felix Agner, and Marcus the Vex, you can enter. But those…” He hesitated for a moment, trying to find a suitable word. “Those minions will have to wait outside.”

“What?” Marcus cried. “Why?”

“We have to make sure they’re not a threat to the population before letting them in,” the guard replied.

“They are not a threat,” the Hive Queen said. “And I won’t let them stay outside. What if the goblins arrive, and they have no time to get in?”

There was some chatter on the wall, and then the guard said, “The goblins are still a day of marching away from Brettholz. Your minions are not in danger right now.”

“How can you be sure of that?” Marcus said sarcastically. “You were also sure that the goblins were just three thousand, and you were wrong. What if you’re wrong now too?”

The guard looked nervous and unsure of what to say. He turned away and exchanged a few words with someone on the other side of the wall. Marcus couldn’t hear what was being said, but then the man faced them again.

“We have to make sure those things you brought with you are not dangerous. We have civilians here. But you have our word that, if the goblins come, we’ll let them in.”

Marcus frowned. He understood the guard’s reasons, but right now, he wasn’t in the mood to comply. He’d marched for a whole week, and he was tired, pissed, and hungry, so his tolerance had grown pretty thin. Also, he had quite literally worked his ass off to create the army of drones to help the humans, suffering like hell to give birth to the Broodmothers and the others, so he felt he was entitled to some trust at least.

Besides, apart from spite and pride, there was another reason why he wanted his drones to accompany him. He could easily tell the men guarding the gate were nervous and on the verge of panicking, and they looked like professional soldiers. If they were so on edge, the civilians would be worse, and Marcus knew from experience how violent people could get when they were scared. Especially against someone who was different from them. And a weird, small monster-girl like the one he was right now would do perfectly as a scapegoat.

So yeah, no. He absolutely wouldn’t leave his drones outside. He wanted to have a solid wall of muscles and chitin between himself and a mob who could lynch him at any moment.

“No,” he said, looking up to the guard, face full of defiance. “I came here to help against the goblins. I am ready to risk the lives of my minions to help you. But not if you do not trust me. If you do not want my minions to enter, I will go back to the forest and leave you to defend yourself on your own!”

Klara and Felix gave him a surprised look, as they had never seen him impose himself like that. Even the guard seemed taken aback before turning around to exchange a few tense words with the person on the other side of the wall.

While the guard was occupied, Klara leaned toward Marcus and smiled.

“Well, I’ll take it back,” she whispered. “You’re not as polite as I thought you were!”

“I just don’t want to leave my minions outside,” the Hive Queen replied defensively.

“Oh, don’t worry!” Klara said. “I think you’re right. Leaving them outside when the goblins can arrive at any moment is idiotic. Besides, they have to trust you at least a little if they want your help in battle.”

Marcus nodded, a bit relieved to know the girl agreed with him, but then the guard on top of the wall spoke again.

“You will be granted permission to enter the city,” he announced. “But you’ll be held responsible for anything your minions do.”

“That’s fine,” the Hive Queen replied with confidence. “My minions obey my orders perfectly.” He turned to his army and snapped his fingers. Responding to a mental command, the drones got in an orderly line, standing perfectly still with eerie discipline.

The guard appeared surprised. “Open the gates!” he ordered, and the city gates slowly opened.

Marcus, with his friends at his side, marched in, followed by his army. The gates opened on a rather big cobblestone square, surrounded by rather big, two-story buildings, some of which looked like taverns. The place was also crowded with a lot of people staring at the incoming army, but the onlookers were kept on the sides of the square by a few soldiers, while a few people were standing in the middle of the square, apparently waiting for Marcus.

Those people were better dressed than the others, some of them donning plate armor, which made them look like knights out of a fantasy novel, while others wore ornate robes and fancy clothing. One man in particular wore a red livery, which looked quite luxurious, if a bit untidy. The man had wavy black hair and was of undefined age. He stood at the center of the group and was clearly the leader, though at that moment, he looked very tired and nervous.

“Is that the marquis?” Marcus whispered to Klara, tilting his head toward the man in red.

“Yes. That’s Eisen Brett, Marquis of Brettholz.”

The Hive Queen studied the noble, and he didn’t like what he saw. The man was pale, stiff, and his eyes were sunken and circled. Marcus had seen the same look of desperate hopelessness in one of his neighbors in his previous life. The man had been up to his armpits in debts, and some unsavory individuals with thick Russian accents were constantly knocking at his door.

For this reason, Marcus feared the situation was even worse than he anticipated. But at this point, he was in too deep to get out, so he just marched on toward the nobleman and his retinue.

He felt hundreds of people staring at him, and for some reason, despite the mood of the crowd being neutral rather than hostile, he felt exposed and vulnerable. He had the sudden, irrational urge to run away and hide in the deepest hole he could find, surrounded by his drones, which would keep him safe. He even stopped walking and started shaking for a moment, and Felix and Klara gave him a worried look.

“Marcus?” the boy asked. “Is everything all right?”

The monster-girl shook his head, and suddenly, he slapped himself. He then gave his friends a nervous smile.

“It is all right,” he said, his voice still a bit shaky. “I just think I am not used to so many people anymore. It’s a little funny too. I spent months looking for people and now that I found it, I feel scared!”

“What do you mean?” Felix asked, but before Marcus could reply, Klara interrupted him.

“We can talk about it later,” she said. “Right now, let’s go greet the marquis.”

“You’re right,” the Hive Queen concurred. “Let’s go, then.”

Once they were in front of the nobleman and his retinue, Klara and Felix bowed slightly, and Marcus did the same, trying his best to mimic the local custom.

The marquis responded with a polite nod.

“Welcome back to Brettholz, Felix Agner and Klara Kreigdoter!” he announced, speaking so that the crowd around them could hear. “And welcome to you, Marcus. My name is Eisen Brett, Marquis of Brettholz. I thank you for coming to our aid in this hour of need. There are no words to describe how much your help is appreciated, and I for one am grateful to have you with us. Together, the citizens of Brettholz and the Vex will surely vanquish the goblin threat!”

The crowd cheered at those words, although there were many who just kept staring at the Vex drones, looking a bit worried.

“Uh… thank you,” Marcus said, a bit taken aback by that welcome. “I am Marcus Vitali. And I am… grateful to be here…” He stopped, unsure about what to say next.

“Don’t worry,” the nobleman said in a low voice, so that only the ones close could hear. “I’m being so pompous to make sure the citizens of Brettholz know you’re not an enemy. They’re a bit on edge, and they need to be reassured. Just go along with it, please. We’ll be able to talk more freely later.”

“Oh, okay,” Marcus replied.

“Well then,” the marquis said in a louder voice. “I’m sure you and your companions are tired from the voyage, Marcus. Let me offer you some refreshments at my residence.” He looked around and asked in a whisper, “Do you mind if your minions wait in the garden of my home? I don’t have the space to accommodate them all inside.”

“Sure, it is not a problem,” the Hive Queen said.

“Very well,” Eisen said. “Follow me, then. I’ll guide you to my home.”

And he turned, walking toward the center of the city with his retinue. Marcus and the others followed with the rest of the Vex in tow.

Chapter 55

We’re Out of Coffee

On his way to the marquis’s palace, Marcus studied the city and its inhabitants.

Brettholz looked just like a medieval town from Marcus’s world, but there were a few subtle differences. The lamp posts, or at least what he assumed were lamp posts, were unlike anything he had ever seen before. They resembled crystal balls on top of ornate metal rods with no lamp visible inside of them.

What struck him the most were the people. He wasn’t really used to crowds anymore, at least not human ones, and finding himself in the middle of one made him feel rather uncomfortable. Also, not everyone was human. There were a few individuals that looked like anthropomorphic animals. When he asked about them, Felix shrugged and replied they were Thulians. Marcus didn’t investigate further, since no one seemed to have a problem with it, and kept studying the people around him, especially their behavior.

Everyone was nervous and a fair bit scared, just like he feared, but luckily, no one was outright panicking. A few people looked positively terrified of the drones, staring at them wide-eyed and sometimes even locking their doors while they were passing, but no one tried to harm them. In fact, the ones that looked more tense were the soldiers.

All things considered, the townspeople were calmer than Marcus would have expected. After all, they were about to be attacked by an army! People in his old world would have rioted for much less. Either the locals had nerves of steel or there was something amiss. He thought about asking for explanations from the marquis, but something in his attitude prevented him from doing so. It was like the nobleman wanted to reach his home as soon as possible, and he hadn’t uttered a single word, walking as fast as he could. Marcus quietly decided to wait until they reached their destination before asking questions.

He didn’t have to wait long, as they soon arrived in front of Eisen’s home.

The palace of the marquis looked as if it used to be a castle. Indeed, the central building was made entirely of raw stone and appeared very sturdy. It also sported a couple of towers. Any martial impression was ruined by the wings of the mansion, which looked more recent and lacked any sort of defense. The palace was surrounded by a small garden, separated from the city by a high, ornate metal fence.

The group entered the garden from an equally ornate metal gate, which was closed after the last of the Vex went in. Marcus wondered if he should worry about being trapped inside but then shrugged. The fence didn’t look particularly sturdy, nor was it all that high, and he had no doubt his drones wouldn’t have any trouble either jumping over it or tearing it down. It was clearly made more to discourage the occasional trespasser rather than serve as an actual defense.

“Please, come this way,” the marquis said, pointing at the door to the castle. “Your minions can wait here. Is there anything they may need?”

“Yes,” Marcus replied. “Water. And something to eat, if possible.”

“Of course. What do they eat, if I may ask?”

“Anything,” the Vex Queen said. “Meat is better, but they can also eat plants.”

The marquis studied the army in his garden, trying to make a mental tally of the food needed to feed them all. He looked slightly worried when he turned to Marcus again.

“Uhm… would some horse mash with added meat be good?” he asked in a worried tone. “Of course if that isn’t good enough, I could prepare something better.”

“The horse mash with meat is good enough,” Marcus reassured him with a smile. “They are not picky.”

The marquis looked relieved, surely thinking this would save a lot of expenses for food.

“Very well, then. I’ll give order to my servants to take care of them. In the meantime, if you, Felix, and Klara could follow me inside, we could discuss our plans in privacy, and maybe you could have some refreshments yourselves.”

“Of course,” Marcus promptly said, and Felix and Klara nodded in agreement.

“Follow me, then,” the nobleman said, making his way into the house.

Marcus, Klara, and Felix went behind him with two guards. They passed through various halls, all richly decorated, until they arrived in a big tea room with various sofas. The room also had a lit fireplace that made it pleasantly warm, and on a small table, there were jugs of water and beer and various snacks from cookies to cake.

“Please, have a seat,” the marquis said. “And feel free to help yourself to anything you want. Also, if you want something more specific, I could order the kitchen staff to prepare it.”

Klara and Felix thanked the nobleman, and they both took a mug of light beer and sat down. Marcus inspected the table and decided to take up the offer and asked for some coffee. Heavens knew he missed a good cup of coffee.

“Uhm, do you have… ehm, coffee?” he asked, using the English word for coffee. When his request was met with confusion, he added, “The hot, dark brown drink? The one that keeps you awake?”

“Oh, kayfee!” The marquis nodded, pronouncing the word differently. “They should have some in the kitchen. I’ll have it prepared for you.”

The nobleman took a silver bell from the table and rung it. Immediately, a maid entered the room.

The woman was of an undefined age, looking as nondescript as possible. She was dressed in simple, plain work clothing with a white apron and was a far shot from how Marcus would have thought a maid would look. But to be fair, he wasn’t exactly an expert, as his mental image of a maid mostly came from his old world’s erotica.

“You wish, my lord?” she asked.

“Prepare some coffee for our guest, Marcus, here,” Eisen ordered.

“That’s… not possible, my lord,” she replied a bit nervously. “We’re out of coffee beans. We used them all to prepare breakfast for the knights currently residing in the mansion, and with all the ruckus going on, we couldn’t get more. We could send someone to the shops in town to see if they have more if you want.”

“Do not worry,” Marcus said. “I will just get some beer.”

Truth be told, he was a bit bummed about it, since he’d fantasized for months about getting a good cup of coffee, but he didn’t want to bother these people too much. He settled for a mug of beer, which he sipped cautiously, since he didn’t know how his body would react to it. Luckily, while the taste was a bit off, it was still rather pleasant. Sitting down, however, proved to be more of a challenge than he expected, as his tail kept getting in the way. In the end, he resorted to sitting on the very edge of the sofa, not a very comfortable position, but it was the best he could do. Then he turned to the marquis.

“So, what do we do now?” he asked, cutting directly to the point. “Do you have a plan?”

The nobleman hesitated and collapsed on his sofa, showing all the fatigue he managed to hide so far.

“I don’t know if it can be called a plan,” he replied. “We have to defend Brettholz, and most importantly, the citizens. I’ve contacted the capital via Twinstone, and they said they’re going to send us reinforcements in two days, three at most. We have to hold until then.”

Marcus stopped drinking his beer and stared at the man in disbelief.

“From what I see, the defenses of Brettholz are not good,” he said. “So we need a lot of soldiers to defend the city. More than my minions. How many soldiers do you have?”

The marquis grimaced, as if swallowing something very bitter.

“Just about three hundred men. One hundred knights that escaped the ambush at Piper’s Brook, and another two hundred between guards and conscripts.”

Marcus, Klara, and Felix all looked shocked after receiving such news. The human girl was the first to recover.

“Wait! We can’t possibly defend the city from twenty thousand goblins! We should evacuate and escape to the north.”

“Sadly, that’s not an option,” the nobleman replied, his expression growing grim. “The goblins have anticipated that we would do this and sent a detachment of their forces to occupy the roads that go north. They’re not enough to attack the city, but they are enough to keep us from escaping. Especially with nine thousand civilians to protect.”

This time, it took a good minute for the three to digest this information. Their faces grew increasingly worried, and the silence in the room became so thick, it was almost oppressive.

“How are the civilians in town so calm, then?” Marcus finally asked. “Shouldn’t they be panicking?”

A guilty expression flashed on Eisen’s face.

“I have not yet informed the population of this. Though they know our army has been defeated, they don’t know how bad the situation really is.”

The awkward silence once again filled the room.

“So, if I understood it right, we are less than two thousand against twenty thousand enemies, the defenses of the city are bad, and there is an army to the north blocking the way. Right?” Marcus asked, to make sure he understood the situation.

“Yes,” the marquis replied, looking immensely tired.

The monster-girl remained silent, but his expression turned sour. Staying in the city under the current circumstances was basically suicide, and he was not gonna throw away his life. But at the same time, he didn’t like the idea of abandoning the citizens of Brettholz to their fate.

“How big is the army blocking the way north?” he asked.

“It’s difficult to say. According to our scouts, it’s not that big,” Eisen replied. “About two or three thousand.”

“Good.” Marcus nodded. “Then we can evacuate to the north. We are enough to defeat three thousand goblins and protect the civilians.”

“It’s a bit late for that.” The marquis grimaced. “The main goblin army is just a day of march from Brettholz. We don’t have enough time to organize the civilians and make them march north.”

“Why not?” Marcus asked, narrowing his eyes. “Just pack all the supplies you need together with old people and children on carts and run to the north.”

“It’s not that easy,” the nobleman explained. “The civilians will need time to prepare, and I can’t just leave those who are too slow behind!”

“And if they stay here, the goblins will get them all,” the Vex Queen stated. “We are not enough to defend the city. My minions can help the slow people. If we go now, we can still escape.”

“And if your minions help the slow ones, who’s going to protect them from the army in front of us and the vanguard coming from behind?” the marquis replied sarcastically.

“My minions are strong,” Marcus stated. “We can protect the civilians from a few thousand goblins. Besides, what else can we do?”

“The risk is too great,” the nobleman insisted. “If the main goblin army catches up with us, they’re going to get the civilians.”

“Is it better to stay here and wait for the goblins to arrive?” the Vex Queen asked sarcastically, as he was getting annoyed at the nobleman’s indecisiveness.

“Taking the wrong decision right now would spell the doom of my people!” the marquis cried. “I can’t take this matter lightly!”

“You are not taking this matter at all,” Marcus replied. “Taking no decision would doom your people anyway.”

“I am the one responsible for them!” Eisen shouted. “Not you!”

“I say that I am responsible for my life and the life of my minions!” Marcus said, getting emotional herself, as her voice started becoming shriller and alien. “I came here to help you, even if the situation changed and now there is more risk. I came because I felt pity toward the people of Brettholz. But I will not stay here to die for no reason. If you do not have a plan besides waiting for the goblins to come and kill us, I’ll go away, and I’ll take my minions with me!”

The man and the Hive Queen stared angrily at each other, while the guards in the room started getting antsy.

Felix, looking very worried, chimed in, trying to calm everyone down.

“Uhm, err, please calm down, Marcus. And you too, sir, if you please. This is not the time to squabble among ourselves. We need to decide what to do and bickering like this will not help.”

The marquis continued to eye Marcus for a moment, but then he sort of deflated as his anger evaporated.

“You’re right,” he admitted with a tired voice. “Sorry about that. I’m just… incredibly tired.”

“We all are,” the Vex Queen conceded, quite a bit mollified himself. “And I am sorry too. But we still cannot defend the city. We are too few, and the city does not have enough defenses.”

“That’s true,” Klara said. “But maybe there’s a way to fix that.”

“What?” Marcus and the marquis asked in unison.

“Maybe there’s a way to take advantage of Brettholz’s lack of fortifications,” she explained. “It’s the strategy used during the siege of Corania, during the Zaru wars. According to the tales, Corania lacked meaningful fortifications and the defenders were badly outnumbered, so their situation kinda resembled ours. They managed to hold by making a series of barricades inside the city. Whenever the pressure on the barricades was too much, they collapsed the nearby buildings on the attackers and retreated to another line of barricades.” A bitter expression came over her face. “Most of Corania was left in ruins after the siege, sadly, but the defenders did manage to hold against all odds.”

All present remained silent for a bit. Then the marquis spoke.

“That’s… an interesting plan. But I don’t think it’ll work. The goblins will be here too soon to prepare those sorts of barricades and rig the buildings so they will fall.”

“You’re wrong, sir,” Klara said, and gestured toward Marcus. “Some of Marcus’s minions are actually very good at digging and building things. I’ve seen them, and I am quite sure that with their help we could make all the preparations with time to spare, if we begin now.”

The nobleman seemed confused, but the Hive Queen nodded.

“My minions can do that,” he confirmed. “I have four diggers, and three hundred and fifty workers and heavies that can help with building and digging.” He turned to the marquis.

The marquis seemed even more baffled at this explanation.

“I mean my… types of minions. I have different types, and they are each good at one thing. Diggers are good at digging. Workers are good at working.”

“They need to be very good indeed to prepare such fortifications in less than a day,” Eisen muttered.

“They are, sir,” Klara stated. “The diggers—the worm-like Vex with the huge claws—are incredibly fast diggers. I’ve seen them open tunnels at an incredible pace. And as for the workers, they are even better than human laborers. They are incredibly well-coordinated, and they don’t get tired.”

The marquis remained silent for a minute, lost in his thoughts.

“If we do this, what would stop the goblins from just continuously attacking without pause until they overwhelm us?” he asked. “A few barricades wouldn’t stop such an army.”

“The barricades alone surely wouldn’t,” Klara said. “But coupled with the presence of the buildings and the defenders, they would force the enemy to channel their forces into the relatively narrow streets, thus neutralizing their numerical advantage. If I recall it right, the defenders of Corania also kept archers on the roofs, to keep firing on the enemy below. The whole city was turned into a meat grinder for the Zaru forces.”

As Klara kept talking, the nobleman looked more and more alive and hopeful. Then, he jumped to his feet.

“By the Lord of Light! This might just work!” He turned to Marcus and exclaimed, “If we follow this plan, we may be able to hold the city until reinforcements arrive!”

Eisen walked right in front of Marcus and kneeled down before him.

“Oh, Marcus, Queen of the Vex, I beseech you! I know that I’m asking a lot of you, but please help us! The fate of this city and its inhabitants rests in your hands!”

Marcus, completely shocked by that attitude, remained speechless. But even when he recovered from the surprise, he still remained silent, thinking before giving his answer.

If I stay here, I’ll put myself in danger. Which is something I never agreed to. I just promised to help them wipe out the goblin survivors. And even that, I did mostly out of goodwill. I have no obligation to help them. Nothing would stop me from just gathering my drones and running away. Those who want to come with me are free to do it, while those who remain…. Well, those who remain are free to fight the goblins by themselves.

Marcus sighed. Problem is, I’m not enough of a cold bastard to leave people to their fate, and frankly, I’ve had enough of running away from the goblins. I want to make them pay for destroying my hives and trying to kill me! Guess I’ll stay here and give a hand. If the worst comes to pass, I can just have one of the diggers dig a tunnel to escape the city.

The marquis still knelt in front of him. The view made him frown, as he remembered how presumptuous the nobleman had been just a few moments before and how humble he seemed now. It unpleasantly reminded Marcus of all the times his bosses from his world had taken advantage of his goodwill to make him work unpaid overtime. Sure, Eisen had the excuse of being in a really desperate situation, but the Vex Queen still felt bummed about it. Sadly, at this point, he’d already decided to help the people of Brettholz, and he wasn’t about to go back on this decision for such a petty reason.

However, he would sure as hell make certain he got something out of it, though this was mostly for the principle of the matter rather than actually wanting anything.

“I will help you,” he said. “But since things have changed, we have to change the reward for my help. I want something more.”

Everyone remained silent for a moment, and the marquis lifted his head, looking at him with a mix of relief and worry.

“Uhm… What exactly do you want?”

“I do not know,” Marcus replied, shrugging. “It is not important. I just do not like working more than agreed for nothing. I will think about something after the battle. Now, it is more important to think about how to defeat the goblins.”

Felix and Klara let out a chuckle, and the worry on Eisen’s face turned completely into relief.

“Very good,” the nobleman nodded, getting to his feet. “I guess that reality really is different than my books. But it’s fine! Your help is greatly appreciated, and I’ll make sure to reward you greatly for your services.”

“Good. Then we have a deal,” Marcus said, getting up and extending a hand.

The nobleman blinked in surprise, but then he smiled and shook the monster-girl’s hand.

“We have a deal.”

Chapter 56

Test Your Might!

Soon enough, Brettholz was bustling with activity.

Heralds ran all over the town, announcing that all carpenters and handymen were required to help in the fortification of the city, while the rest of the population would take refuge in the marquis’s residence and in the nearby buildings. When questioned about the situation, the heralds simply replied that this was just for security. A few people protested, since they didn’t want to leave their houses, but they quickly changed their minds when the guards knocked at their doors usually accompanied by a few Vex drones. Nothing like a two-meter-tall mantis-raptor thingy staring coldly at you from your porch to convince you that it’s best to do as you’re told.

As a result, a constant flux of people streamed toward the center of the city, while the noise of hammering, sawing, and digging echoed in the vacated parts of the town.

Meanwhile, Marcus, Felix, and Klara were standing in the marquis’s dining hall, which was being used as an HQ for the time being, as it was the only room big enough to comfortably accommodate so many people. Apart from the trio, the marquis and his bodyguards, there were also civilian functionaries, telemancers, and the commanders of the Brettholz army, what was left of it anyway. On the table at the center of the room was a big map of the city with doodles all over it, which showed the position of the barricades and the defensive positions.

Eisen and his entourage were discussing the details of the strategy that Klara had come up with. Marcus wasn’t really listening, because he was feeling very antsy for some reason. He felt as if the hall was cramped and the crowd was pushing on him from every direction, which was utterly ridiculous as there was room to spare, and everyone else, save for Klara and Felix, was actually giving him a lot of space. He had resorted to holding Cooper to calm himself down, and indeed touching his favorite drone helped him relax a bit. Also, the presence of the big, menacing hound-like beast made everyone else in the room give him even more breathing room, which was positive.

The hell is wrong with me? he thought angrily. I never had any problem being in a crowd before! Sure, that was before I was fired, killed, reincarnated as a monster-girl, and spent months shitting out eggs in a forest where everything was trying to kill me… uh. He groaned as realization flashed in his mind.

Well, now that I think about it, it’s no surprise I’m a bit off. This is a bit too much, though. I feel as if everyone is dogpiling on me right now. I never had this problem with Klara, Felix, or the drones. Why is this happening? And then there’s that bald asshat that keeps staring at me! Marcus angrily turned to the telemancer, Hoggs, who was indeed staring at him. I can literally feel his stare on my skin! I get that I’m some sort of freak right now, but this isn’t the zoo; it’s a goddamn war council. He should have some fucking decency!

Hoggs, realizing that the Hive Queen was now giving him the stink eye, flinched and turned away. Now that he wasn’t staring at him anymore, Marcus felt a little better, and he focused on what was being discussed.

“We have established three different lines of fortifications,” the marquis was explaining, pointing at three crooked circles drawn on the map of the city. “Four, including the city walls. Our men are already working to build the barricades and rig the nearby buildings to fall on the attackers. For the purpose of maximizing the effectiveness of this tactic, we’ve chosen the narrowest roads possible to build the barricades on to reduce the enemy numerical advantage. We’re also modifying the buildings to create defensive posts from which archers can safely shoot at the enemy.”

“What about the gargoyles?” one of the men asked. “They can simply ignore the fortifications and attack us from above.”

“They certainly could,” the nobleman admitted. “But that shouldn’t be a problem. Gargoyles are pretty rare and Lady Marcus has told me some of her Vex minions can fly and are capable of fighting off the gargoyles. Between the flying Vex and the archers, we should be able to keep the gargoyles at bay.”

Marcus frowned at being called lady but said nothing. He just nodded to confirm what the marquis just said.

“Inside of the city,” Eisen continued, “the goblins' numerical advantage will be greatly reduced, so we should be able to hold on to each barricade for a while. But since we’re talking about barricades and not proper walls, we won’t be able to resist indefinitely.” He pointed once again at the map. “Which is why we have three different lines of fortification. Once our current position is compromised, we will fall back to the next line, collapsing the nearby buildings behind us to cover our retreat.”

The marquis paused before turning to the bald telemancer.

“Mister Hoggs here has relayed our plans to Captain Harp in Rennhafen. Has he answered yet?”

“Yes, my lord,” the old man replied, looking quite nervous. “Captain Harp said the strategy is sound, and that he will be here with reinforcements in three days at most. We will have to resist on our own until then. He has also sent the following reports.”

While Hoggs kept talking, Marcus frowned. For some reason, he had trouble understanding what the telemancer was saying.

Maybe he has an accent or something, he thought, quite puzzled. Though it must be something subtle, ‘cause he doesn’t actually sound that different from the others.

Then his thoughts were interrupted by a young blond knight who suddenly jumped up from his seat and started shouting.

“That’s insane! We can’t hold three days against twenty thousand goblins! We’re gonna be lucky if we resist one hour!”

An older knight stood up as well, giving the young man a very stern look.

“Herbert!” the older knight shouted. “Stand down! You’re disrespecting Marquis Eisen!”

“But we’ll just get killed if we stay here!” the young man replied, his face red with emotion. “We came here to kill a few goblins as an exercise, not to die in a hopeless battle in the middle of nowhere! There are tens of thousands of goblins out there, and we only have a few dozen knights and a handful of city guards!”

“You’re forgetting the Vex, young Herbert,” the marquis said, pointing at Marcus. “Lady Marcus has brought more than one thousand of her minions to help defend the city. They should be enough to properly man the barricades.”

“The… Vex? Ah!” the young knight sneered. “You mean those creatures out there? How can you expect them to properly fight in a battle, my lord? And if we’re gonna rely on animals during the battle, why aren’t we arming pigs and cows too?”

“Enough!” the older knight shouted, his eyes full of fury. “You will sit down, young Herbert, and you will not interrupt us again! And if you survive the upcoming battle, I’ll make sure that you’ll get an official misconduct note!”

“Uhm, excuse me,” Marcus intervened. All eyes turned to him, which made him instantly uncomfortable, but he made himself continue. “I want to reassure Herbert that the Vex will fight well. They are strong, and they can defeat a lot of goblins.”

The room became silent, as everyone simply stared at the little monster-girl. Then the old knight gave him a bright smile.

“That’s the spirit, young lady!” he said. “See, Herbert? You should take an example from her.”

The rest of the men started smiling and smirking as well, but Marcus’s expression turned sour. Not only did he not really appreciate being called young lady, but there was also something terribly paternalistic and false in the way everyone was smiling. It was clear that for all their bravado, they too doubted the Vex. Not that Herbert’s open distrust felt much better, but at least he was honest about it.

It’s hard to blame him, though. And I can tell many of the others agree with him, even if they said nothing. It’s clearly written on their faces that they don’t trust my drones further than they can throw a mountain. And to be fair, no one has seen my drones fight, so it’s only logical to be skeptical of their capabilities.

And then, as soon as he finished this thought, Marcus realized how he could quell the doubts about his drones and at the same time have some satisfaction against them.

If the problem is that they haven’t seen my drones in action, why not give them a demonstration? A grin slowly appeared on his face. And that punk Herbert here can be the guinea pig, since he’s so quick to complain!

“I think that Herbert has a point,” Marcus said, and the room went silent once again. “Not one of you knows how strong the Vex are, after all. You did not see them fight. It is right to doubt them.”

Everyone remained silent, just staring at the Vex Queen, who smirked and continued.

“So I think it is better if you get a…” Marcus struggled to find the right word. “Ah, a demonstration of what my warriors can do. Just to get an idea of what you can expect from them. What do you say?”

“That’s… an interesting proposition,” the marquis hesitantly said. “What kind of demonstration do you have in mind, exactly?”

“How about a, a… a fight where they do not try to kill each other? How is it called?”

“A sparring match?” a knight suggested.

“Yes! That!” Marcus said, and turned to Herbert with a bright smile. “You can fight against one of my warriors, Herbert! This way, you will know you can rely on them!”

The young knight blinked and frowned.

“You… want me to fight one of those things?” he said, incredulous.

“Yes.” The grin on Marcus’s face turned creepily large, like that of an insectoid Cheshire cat. “Unless you are scared. If so, another person can fight instead.”

“I am not scared!” the young man cried, his face turning red. “I am to become a Royal Knight, and I fear no beast!”

“Then do you accept the sparring match?” Marcus asked.

“Of course!” Herbert replied.

Marcus turned to the marquis. “So, Marquis, is it all right if we have a little sparring match outside? This way, there won’t be any more doubts about the Vex.”

Eisen looked at the little monster-girl, who was smiling with confidence, and then at the rest of the room. Then he nodded slowly.

“Well, we’ve still got some time before the goblins arrive, and it won’t hurt to get an idea of the Vex’s combat capabilities. If you want, we can certainly hold your sparring match.”

“Very well then.” Marcus turned to Herbert. “Shall we head outside?”

* * *

The courtyard of the marquis’s palace was emptier than it was before, as all of the worker, heavy, and digger drones had left to help fortify the city. However, the number of warriors, hunters, and other drones was still enough to make the place seem rather crowded. At a mental command from their queen, the drones moved to one side, leaving a big empty space that could serve as the arena for the sparring match.

As Herbert was getting ready donning his armor, Marcus randomly chose one of his warriors for the fight.

“Eenie, meenie, miney, mo!” He pointed at one of his drones.

It was a young but fully mature warrior drone, one of the new models possessing the improved muscle structure taken from the rock creatures. It was more than three meters long from head to tail and completely covered in chitin armor. It possessed six limbs, a pair of powerful hind legs and two pairs of arms, one pair of which ended in clawed hands and the other in scythe-like appendages. And to top it all off, the creature also had a mouth filled with sharp fangs and a hooked barb at the end of its tail.

The drone moved to the center of the improvised arena before stopping and standing tall on its hind legs. In that position, it was more than two meters tall and towered over everyone present. The warrior let out a belligerent shriek, just for show, and then waited for its opponent.

Meanwhile, Herbert was done donning his armor. He wore a simple chainmail, but he also had plate elements, like pauldrons and gauntlets, and carried a small dagger in a decorated blue sheath at his belt. However, as his main weapon, the young knight had a huge two-handed sword almost as tall as he was. The weapon also looked unusually thick and heavy, but Herbert handled it as easily as if it was made of paper. This, combined with the fact that the young man looked completely calm in front of his monstrous opponent, made Marcus wonder about how strong he really was.

Either he is one of the most overconfident people I’ve ever met, or he has some trick up his sleeves.

The young man walked calmly until he was in front of the drone. Only a few meters separated them. There, the knight assumed a guard position, raising his sword in front of him, while the drone crouched like a cat ready to jump.

“This is just a sparring match!” the marquis cried. “So just show us what you can do, and try not to hurt each other. Now, begin!”

As soon as the nobleman gave the order, the Vex warrior darted toward its opponent, trying to disarm him with a sudden blow. The young man moved with equal speed, dodging elegantly to the left before countering with a low sweep with his sword, hitting the Vex right behind the knee and making it fall on the ground.

The drone roared in surprise and pain but immediately stood up, using its legs and hands to gain a better balance while slashing at Herbert with its scythe-arms. The knight easily parried every attack before retaliating with a blow to the drone’s head, which luckily failed to penetrate through the chitin armor, but still made the warrior flinch back from the impact. The drone was simply too tough to let that bother it too much, and with an angry growl, it lunged once again. Herbert simply stepped back, dodging the clawed hands with grace before attacking again, forcing the drone back.

Meanwhile, Marcus was completely flabbergasted. Even though he suspected the young knight was hiding something, he would have never imagined he could be this strong. Hell, he had never seen anyone this strong before. The guy moved like some kind of anime character rather than a real-life human!

He turned to Felix. “Uhm, Felix,” he asked under his breath. “How is that guy so strong? Is it normal?”

“Well, he’s an Aura User, so yeah,” the boy replied in an equally low voice. He pointed at Herbert, who was elegantly dodging another blow. “See that dagger in the blue sheath he carries? It’s to show he’s a Blue Sheath ranked Aura Warrior. Though that’s the second lowest rank, it would still make him far stronger than any regular human warrior.”

“Aura?” the Hive Queen asked. “Isn’t it the same thing you said is used for magic?”

“Yes, but it’s used differently. Sorcerers channel their Aura through focus instruments, but Aura Users use their Aura to directly enhance their bodies. Compared to sorcery, Aura Arts are more difficult to perform but are also better suited for combat.”

“How do you beat an Aura User, then?” Marcus asked.

“It’s quite simple.” Felix smiled. “You have two options: either send another Aura User to fight them or send a lot of expendable soldiers against them until they tire out.”

“Cute,” Marcus replied with a frown, not in the mood for jests. “But what if you are fighting an Aura User in a one-on-one duel? How you beat them then?”

“In that case, you made a very poor decision accepting to fight against an Aura User in a duel to begin with,” Felix replied with a sardonic smile. “More seriously, though, using Aura is very tiring and requires a lot of focus. You either drag things out long enough or find a way to take the Aura User by surprise.”

“I do not think Herbert will give my warrior a lot of time,” Marcus whispered bitterly, as he saw the young knight pressing his attack, forcing the drone even farther back. “And I do not know how my warrior can surprise him.”

The warrior drone was completely on the defensive now, unable to do anything to change the situation despite being taller and heavier than its opponent. Meanwhile, the knight was clearly toying with the Vex, dodging and riposting with impeccable grace and showing off his dominance.

Marcus found himself pouting. He felt incredibly frustrated with this outcome. He hoped to teach the young twerp a lesson in manners, while showing everyone else what his drones were capable of. It appeared the only thing he’d done was ridicule himself and his hive. And for some reason, this irked him. It irked him a lot.

Well, at least there is nothing really important on stake right now. I don’t care what Boy Wonder here and the Tinpants Brigade think about me. And it’s actually a good thing they’re this strong. It actually makes me feel we may win this battle yet. But still…

It’s so damn annoying! That little shit was so quick to dismiss my drones, and now he’s gonna walk with a shit-eating grin after the duel. And the other old toads are gonna be even more frigging paternalistic. I really wanted to shut them all up, dammit!

He stopped, suddenly realizing something.

Wait a second. What I’m trying to show is that my drones are more than beasts and can be useful in a battle. But any beast can fight a one-on-one duel. What really differentiates a beast from a human soldier is the ability to use strategy. In other words, the ability to cheat. A wide, malicious grin slowly creased Marcus’s face. Well, maybe I can still show them all what my drones can do!

The warrior drone was clearly on its last leg. It had been hit multiple times, while failing to hit back even once. It was a testament to its toughness that it was even standing at this point. Meanwhile, Herbert still appeared as fresh as a daisy and was sporting a self-confident grin that could have easily swallowed an entire sewer worth of shit.

The young knight raised his sword, ready to finish the fight—and then something charged at him from the Vex lines. It was a hunter drone, one of the new, bigger models. As it ran, it let out a piercing shriek. Herbert, startled, turned to the source of the noise, but the hunter drone stopped its charge a few meters away from the young knight, remaining completely immobile.

However, this proved more than enough.

Taking advantage of the distraction, the warrior drone pounced the young knight, using its superior weight to make the human lose balance. Before the human could even attempt to get back up, the drone lowered one of its scythe-arms, putting it only a few centimeters away from the young man’s throat.

Everyone stood still, too surprised to move.

Then, with slow and deliberate movements, the warrior drone backed off, freeing Herbert from its clutch.

“I think that my minion won,” Marcus announced, still smiling. “Now you know that they can fight.”

Everyone remained silent.

“You cheated!” Herbert shouted, picking himself up. “You had that other thing distract me during the duel!”

“It was not a duel,” Marcus replied drily. “It was a sparring match to show you what my minions can do. The only rule was to not kill or hurt you too bad.” He grinned even more. “And I also think if my minion did cheat, it is proof that they are not animals. After all, I do not think pigs and cows can cheat.”

The last remark caused a general chuckle, while Herbert’s face turned red. He looked about to say something else, but the old knight from before stepped in and interrupted him.

“Say nothing more, Herbert,” the old man said. “As the young lady here said, it was not a duel, it was a sparring match. You lose only if you learnt nothing from it. And I really hope you did learn something.”

Herbert and the old knight stared at each for a second, then the young man lowered his head.

“Yes, Master Dorian,” he said. “I think I’ve actually learned something from this.”

“I hope that’s the case,” the old man said, and he turned to the marquis. “I think we all have a pretty clear idea of what the Vex are capable of now. We can carry on with the other matters.”

“Very well then,” the nobleman said. “Let’s get back in then. We have much to discuss before the goblins arrive.”

“A moment if you please, my lord,” Hoggs said.

“What is it, Hoggs?” the marquis asked.

Everyone else was returning to the mansion. Eisen himself was about to go back to the dining hall when the telemancer approached him.

“I have something to discuss with you in private,” the old sorcerer said. “Do you have a minute to spare?”

“Can it wait?” the nobleman asked. “I still have to hold the meeting and discuss the details of our strategy.”

“It’s… a rather important and delicate matter, my lord,” Hoggs insisted, looking a bit worried.

Eisen gave him a puzzled look, and then sighed.

“Very well. I guess my guests can wait for a minute. Follow me, Hoggs.”

The marquis guided the telemancer to another room and closed the door behind them.

“Now can you tell me what this is about?”

“Well, it’s about that creature, Marcus,” Hoggs explained. “I have scanned her with my Aura, just as precaution, and what I’ve discovered is quite worrying.”

“Oh,” Eisen looked immediately a bit more interested. “What is it?”

“Well, first of all, her Aura is incredibly strong. Very few times in my life have I perceived such a powerful Aura. She’s comparable to a Rok Tyrant or even a dragon!”

The marquis blinked in surprise.

“Well, that’s surprising,” he said. “But I can’t see why this should be urgent. It’s not like she can learn how to use magic or Aura Arts in such a brief time.”

“That’s the problem,” Hoggs said. “I fear that she may possess some form of innate magic, most likely some form of racial magic.”

Eisen blinked once again in surprise, but this time, he seemed a little more worried.

“What makes you say that?” he asked.

“While scanning her and her minions, I noticed that their Aura is… linked, somehow,” the telemancer replied. “This is most likely how she controls them. I’ve seen something similar with telepathic spells, though nothing of this magnitude.”

“She controls her minions with her mind?” the marquis asked.

“More than that. Something this strong would be complete dominance, and something more akin to possession. Her minions all share her Aura and seem to be little more than puppets at her command.”

“Well, no wonder they seem so disciplined, then,” the marquis said after a moment. “This is peculiar. It makes me wonder what kind of creatures these Vex are. I’ve asked some scholars in the capital, but no one knows anything about them…. Still, this seems to be good news for us. The Vex will fight better if they are controlled so well.”

“Yes. That’s true,” Hoggs conceded. “But what troubles me the most is that her telepathic powers are not limited to her minions.”

“What?” Eisen asked, a bit alarmed. “Explain!”

“From what I’ve seen, she makes a telepathic link with anyone in her vicinity. This link is far weaker than the ones she has with her minions, but it’s still clearly present.”

“So…” The marquis was starting to look really worried. “You’re saying that she’s trying to mind control us?”

“No.” The sorcerer shook his head. “I don’t think so, at least. For starters, the link is too weak to really control anyone, and she seems to create it unconsciously. I think she’s just using this power to better communicate with us. She clearly had trouble understanding me when I started blocking off her Aura. But I’m still worried. With such a powerful Aura, if she learns how to control her telepathic powers, she could be a huge threat.”

This time, Eisen remained silent for quite a long time, slowly trying to work out the implications of what Hoggs told him.

“Well, right now, Marcus and her minions are our only hope to defeat the goblins,” the marquis said. “And besides, she has done nothing to make me doubt of her good intentions so far. But… keep an eye on her for now. Better to be safe than sorry.”

“As you wish, my lord,” Hoggs replied while bowing.

“Let’s go,” the nobleman said, opening the door. “We have more urgent business at the moment. Oh, and Hoggs?”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Don’t tell anyone else about what you’ve discovered. We don’t need to stir up trouble in our own forces.”

“Of course, my lord.”

Chapter 57

Failed a Diplomacy Check

The goblin army arrived in sight of Brettholz the next morning.

More than twenty thousand goblins moved in a huge column, slowly approaching the town like a dark river. When they were about two kilometers from the walls, they split their force in four detachments, each more than five thousand strong, which proceeded to surround the city. Those armies stood in front of one of the main city gates in the fourth cardinal direction, completely cutting off any attempt of escape. At the vanguard of each detachment was a solid unit of human-hobs, deployed in tight formation and all equipped with shields and polearms. Some of them also carried rudimental ladders, ropes, and grappling hooks, from which it could easily be understood they were the ones selected to assault the walls.

Behind them was a huge crowd of base goblins with a number of orc-hobs and chitin-armored goblins scattered among them. They were all lightly equipped, but the orc-hobs carried huge wooden and stone clubs, while the chitin goblins were naturally armored. A group of the biggest and strongest orc-hobs also carried a huge log with them, obviously planning to use it as a battering ram. Finally, scattered all around the army, were the feral goblins who were just too wild and undisciplined to assault the walls but would be useful to prevent any attempt at escaping.

That neat deployment was a clear sign of strategic prowess that left the defenders baffled. No one had known the goblins were capable of such a feat, and more than one soldier held a look of disbelief. The only one who wasn’t really surprised was Marcus himself. Having fought the goblins for months, he’d already seen what they were capable of, and he was expecting this much martial competence.

Well, that is impressive, he thought when looking at the enemy army, and then he tried to stifle a yawn. He felt very, very sleepy. The previous night he’d finally managed to lie on a real bed, but after so many months spent sleeping on improvised bedding, if not directly on the cold, hard ground, he wasn’t used to the softness of a feather mattress. That, combined with the excitement for the upcoming battle, prevented him from getting a wink of sleep.

As a result, he felt rather detached, as if it was all a dream. Even the spectacle of the approaching army didn’t manage to shake him from his lethargy. Still, he knew perfectly that he needed to focus in order to direct his drones optimally in battle. He tried to wake himself up by shaking his head and pinching his cheeks. He also silently cursed the fact that he couldn’t have any coffee that morning. Hell knew he needed some. He would have to wait until after the battle to feel the pleasure of caffeine coursing through his veins again. Assuming he survived, of course.

“Is everything all right, Marcus?” Felix asked, having noticed the Hive Queen’s restlessness.

“Yes. I am just sleepy. I did not sleep well last night.”

“You’re not the only one,” the boy replied, the bags under his eyes showing clearly he’d spent most of the night awake. “I bet the thought of the battle kept most of us up last night.”

The Hive Queen nodded in agreement. Indeed, everyone present—Felix, Klara, a couple of telemancers, a guard, and Marcus himself—looked rather tired and tense. They were on top of the highest tower of the marquis’s palace, the tallest building in Brettholz. It offered a perfect view of the fields surrounding the city. The air was rather chilly up there, but luckily, he was wearing a heavy cloak that completely covered his body, though that wasn’t just to keep himself warm. According to the strategy they’d come up with, the Vex would have to stay hidden in order to ambush the attackers and having their queen in plain sight wasn’t really a good idea. Hence the cloak, which would make Marcus look like any other individual. Almost, at least.

“Uhm, Marcus, you’re lifting the cloak with your tail again,” Felix said.

“Uh? Oh dammit!” Marcus cursed in his own native tongue while lowering his tail. “It is hard to control my tail,” he apologized in the local language.

“Well, it’s not really a problem,” Klara said. “There are some beastmen in the city, and some of them have tails. Marcus here could easily pass for one of them under that cloak.”

“Hey! Something is going on down there!” Felix suddenly cried, pointing south. Klara and Marcus turned to see what the boy was talking about, and they saw a lonely human-hob walking toward the city walls while carrying a white flag.

“What’s going on?” Klara wondered.

“Maybe he’s coming to negotiate with us?” Marcus asked. “That goblin looks like a messenger.”

“That would be… peculiar,” Klara said hesitantly. “I’ve never seen goblins behave in a civilized way. Usually, they just kill or flee on sight and don’t really speak with humans.”

“Well, these goblins have already proven to be smarter than you thought,” the Hive Queen stated. “So I would not be surprised. For now, let’s see how things will evolve.”

* * *

Down at the gates, Marquis Eisen stared warily at the incoming hobgoblin. From that distance, he could clearly see the goblin was carrying a white sash in addition to the white flag, all signs that identified him as a messenger that had come to parley. And indeed, as soon as it got close enough, the humanoid stopped and started talking.

“I’ve come to parley on behalf of the goblins!” he cried in perfect Imperial tongue. “If there is someone with authority over the city, show yourself so we can discuss the matter at hand!”

Since when are the goblins so damn civilized! the nobleman thought. Aren’t they supposed to be savages who attack every other race on sight? Something is terribly wrong here.

“What are you gonna do, sir?” one of the guards asked him.

“I’m going to parley, of course,” Eisen replied. “If we negotiate, we should at least be able to stall for time. And there is also a slim chance we may be able to solve things peacefully.”

The marquis stepped forward, showing himself from the city walls.

“I am Marquis Eisen Brett, lord of Brettholz!” he shouted. “What do you want to discuss?”

“We want to discuss the unconditional surrender of Brettholz,” the goblin replied, leaving the marquis speechless and causing an uproar from the other men on the wall.

“Filthy savage! How dare you!”

“As if we’ll surrender to a bunch of jumped-up animals!”

“We will send you all to hell, you—”

“Quiet!” the marquis cried, and the men fell silent. He turned to the goblin. “That is not much of an offer. I’m afraid that if you want to negotiate with us, you have to bring more to the table.”

“Your life is what we bring to the table,” the goblin replied, completely unfazed. “We greatly outnumber you and could easily take the city by force, but we want to avoid a senseless bloodshed. Surrender and we will guarantee that you and the inhabitants of the city won’t be harmed.”

The marquis remained silent for a moment, trying to formulate an answer.

“My priority is the safety of the citizens,” he finally said. “If you agree to let the population leave unharmed, I will leave the city to you.”

Many of the Brettholz soldiers gave the nobleman a surprised look, but the goblin messenger shook his head.

“I am sorry, but that’s not acceptable,” he said. “The citizens will have to stay, though we will guarantee they won’t be harmed.”

“What?” Eisen cried. “Why? Why would you want the citizens to stay?”

“Those are our terms,” the hobgoblin replied adamantly. “You have no other options. Surrender and you will be spared. Refuse and we’ll take the city anyway but will kill the defenders first. And make haste. If you don’t make a decision right now, we will attack.”

The marquis resisted glaring at the goblin below. How dare these beasts…. His expression hardened.

“If that’s the case, then your offer is refused,” he said. “Brettholz won’t fall to the likes of you, goblin! Try and take the city. We’ll make you pay in blood for each step you take toward us!”

The guards at the gate roared their approval, screaming at the top of their lungs with anger and bloodlust. The messenger continued to look completely unfazed, but a glint of surprise flashed in its eyes. Clearly, it didn’t expect the citizens of Brettholz to be in such high spirit.

“Then I will take my leave,” he said before turning and walking off to his army.

“Shall we kill that goblin, my lord?” one of the archers on the wall asked, raising his bow and pointing an arrow at the hobgoblin’s back.

“No. Let him go,” the nobleman replied. “It’s common courtesy to not shoot the messenger, and it’d be ironic if the goblins acted more civilized than we did. Besides…” He looked over the goblin army. “You’re going to have plenty of targets soon enough.”

Eisen drew his sword and cried, “Prepare for battle, men! We’ll kick these bastards back to the hole they crawled out from!”

The men cheered, raising their weapons before running to their posts. The marquis did so as well, walking back to the backlines, from which he could coordinate the defenses. On his way, he encouraged every soldier he crossed, all while showing an immense amount of confidence, one that he was far from actually feeling himself.

May the Lord of Light watch over us, he prayed. We’re gonna need all the luck we can get to survive this.

* * *

Meanwhile, the hobgoblin messenger had returned to the main goblin army and had given his report to Trakk.

“Well, that was expected,” Trakk said. “It’s quite a shame, but I guess that it was unavoidable.”

“They did offer to leave the city to us in exchange for letting the people leave,” the messenger said. “I still don’t understand why we didn’t take them up on that offer.”

“The city itself is meaningless,” the goblin general replied. “Even if we get it now, the Medelan army will eventually take it back. What we’re here for is to show the kingdom our power. To show them that the goblins are not just a bunch of savages, but a force to be reckoned with! And taking this city with all of its inhabitants still inside will serve that purpose.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, General,” the human-hob said. “These humans were so cocky, they didn’t even look all that scared despite being so few. It’s really time to teach them a lesson!”

Trakk’s ears flinched in surprise. “What did you say?”

“Oh, I just said it’s time to teach the humans a—”

“No, before that! Did you say they don’t look scared?”

The messenger hesitated a bit, trying to recall what he’d seen.

“Well, not really… now that I think about it, they did look a bit scared, they just tried to mask it with their bravado. Still, I’d have expected them to be a bit more intimidated. After all, there are barely a few hundred men on those walls, and there are more than twenty thousand of us. But I guess they really aren’t used to seeing us goblins as a threat, are they?”

“Maybe. Maybe,” the general muttered while stroking his chin, thinking. “Or maybe they are hiding something.” He turned to one of his aides. “What are the reports from the gargoyles? Have they inspected the city yet?”

“Yes, sir. The scouts just came back. They said they have seen a lot of barricades all over the town, but the number of soldiers is just about two hundred.”

Trakk remained silent, lost in his thoughts. His aide looked at him, rather worried.

“General? Is everything all right?”

“I don’t know,” the goblin general muttered, talking more to himself than actually replying. “There is… something wrong. Building barricades inside the city is indeed a good way to defend Brettholz, since the city walls are a joke. Only it’s completely useless if they don’t have enough soldiers to man the barricades. But if they have enough soldiers, how did they get them? We got the majority of their forces in Piper’s Brook, and they didn’t receive any reinforcement from other cities, because I’ve kept the roads under surveillance. So how…”

“Should we… delay the attack, sir?” the hobgoblin messenger asked, starting to look nervous.

“What? No,” Trakk replied. “It’s essential to conquer Brettholz as soon as possible. Even a small relief force from the capital could disrupt our siege. We have to attack. We just can’t afford to be careless. Well, we couldn’t have afforded to be careless in any case, but right now, we’ll have to be extra careful.” He stopped for a second, mind made up, and started giving out orders. “We’re going to prod their defenses, but we’re going to be cautious about it. The assault is going to proceed as we have planned, but tell the commanders to be extra careful. Also, keep the gargoyles in the air for scouting. I want to be reported about anything weird they may find. They are not to join the attack for now.”

“Yes, sir!” The aide saluted, and went on to relay the orders.

After a few minutes, runners had been sent to the other three armies, and the commanders had been forewarned. Everything was ready, and so the goblin general raised his hand.

“Begin the attack!”

Immediately, one of his aides blew a horn, which echoed loudly across the plain, and three others answered in kind from the other armies. The goblins advanced toward the city walls, moving as one body, a tide of flesh, wood, and iron ready to wipe out the defenders.

Chapter 58

The Battle of Brettholz Part 1

From the southern gate, the marquis saw the goblin army start moving as one being, marching toward the walls of Brettholz. A quick glance left and right confirmed the eastern and western gates were also about to be attacked.

A knot of fear twisted in Eisen’s stomach. Each one of the armies moving against his city were a scary spectacle on its own. When realizing there were four of them converging, the fear became outright terror, especially considering how few the defenders were. Since the Vex were hidden, he had barely enough men to defend the gates. Most of the walls were unguarded, though that was kind of a moot point since he didn’t plan to have anything more than a symbolic defense on the city walls. More importantly, he had at least a third of his troops as rearguard, ready to cover the retreat of their comrades.

But still, standing in front of thousands of goblins with only a few hundred men put the marquis’s nerves under considerable pressure. He had to struggle to keep his fear from showing.

May the Lord of Light preserve us all! he silently prayed. When he moved to give an order, his voice was steady, and he showed nothing but grim determination, which encouraged the soldiers around him.

“Hold! Don’t fire! Wait for them to arrive in range!”

Then, as the goblins reached a certain distance, he dropped his hand to give the signal.

“Fire!”

Two hundred soldiers loosed their weapons. Most of them were archers, but there were also a few crossbows and even some flintlocks. The sound of sparse gunshots echoed in the air, followed by the whistle of hundreds of arrows raining down on the enemy. The human-hobs in the vanguard raised their shields, but a few of them fell under that barrage. The rest continued marching, unfazed by the deaths of their comrades.

“Fire!” Eisen cried again.

Another rain of arrows fell on the attackers, knocking down another dozen or so of them. But still they continued to march on.

Eisen felt quite impressed despite himself. Marching so well under enemy fire required a lot of discipline, which he would have never thought the goblins would possess. Their determined advance also put a lot of pressure on the defenders, many of whom were on the verge of panicking.

“Fire at will!” Eisen said as the distance between the walls and the attackers was now less than sixty meters. At this point, the volume of fire would matter more than making each shot count.

The defenders loosed their arrows and fired their weapons frantically. More goblins fell, but the rest picked up their pace, rushing toward the wall to finally close the distance between them and the city. A few started returning fire using slings and rudimentary bows, but this proved mostly ineffective, hitting only a couple of the defenders, while the rest kept raining death on the goblins. This did not stop the attacking army, and in a few seconds, they reached the walls and started climbing using ladders and ropes.

“Retreat!” Eisen ordered, and his aides blew their trumpets three times, signaling everyone to abandon the walls. All men rushed away toward the center of the city and the first line of barricades. A few of the goblins who were the first to climb over the wall tried to give chase, but the rearguard made quick work of them, allowing their comrades to flee unscathed.

“Well done!” the marquis cheered. “Let’s go, then!”

He and his men left together with the rearguard. The plan so far was going off without a hitch, but the nobleman couldn’t help but feel bitter about it. Despite all the justifications he had, the goblins were now in possession of the walls of his city, and this fact annoyed him more than he cared to admit.

* * *

After the goblins took the walls and opened the gates for the rest of their army, new orders arrived from the general. As he suspected the presence of a trap, the armies were to send the base goblins first, saving their elite fighters for later. They would be sacrificing an expendable force if there really was a trap. If there wasn’t one, the base goblins would get the fighting experience needed to evolve, while also tiring up the defenders, allowing their stronger brethren to take the city with less casualties.

Three of the goblin commanders accepted the order without any issue, sending a force of base goblins against the defenders with only a few hobs with them in order to better coordinate the attack. That order didn’t fly particularly well with the commander of the northern army, Ureg the Scarred.

“What the hell is Trakk playing at?” he cursed at the messenger. “We guarded the roads to the city, and they didn’t receive reinforcements! And we didn’t leave them enough time to prepare any complex trap. What is he afraid of?”

“I-I don’t know, boss,” the messenger replied timidly. Ureg had quite a reputation for his temper, and no one wanted to piss him off. “I’m just telling you what the general said.”

“That’s a load of crap!” the Goblin Champion snarled. “I’ve had enough of Trakk’s cowardice. There can’t be more than three hundred defenders left in the city right now. Even if they’ve plotted something, they simply lack the numbers to stop us!” He stared furiously at the road that led to the center of the city. “I’m gonna go in with my personal guard and slaughter all the defenders myself! If the others want to wait and drag things out, they can be my guests. Me and my army are gonna destroy the enemy lines and take the lion’s share of the plunder!”

“B-but, boss!” the messenger cried. “General Trakk explicitly ordered—”

The messenger couldn’t finish, as Ureg decked him on the nose with his armored gauntlet, sending him flying a good meter before landing unconscious on the ground.

The Goblin Champion raised his huge axe and cried, “Follow me! We’re gonna be the ones to take the city!”

A huge roar of approval came from Ureg’s guard, made up entirely of hobgoblins, some human-hobs and orc-hobs, but all of them bigger, meaner, and more aggressive than the average specimen of their subrace. Moving like a pack of wolves, they charged through the streets toward the first line of barricades. They were not alone, however, as high-pitched war cries from other parts of the city revealed the base goblins were charging in.

Let them do things the coward’s way! Ureg thought with a predatory smile. I’ll show them all that my way of doing things is better. And if I do well enough, I may even be able to take command from that little piece of shit Trakk!

Going through one of the town’s main roads, the goblins arrived in sight of the first barricade. It had been erected in a bottleneck of the road, between two rather big buildings, and it was made out of furniture, bricks, and sandbags. The defenders were waiting behind it with their weapons pointed at the attackers, but there were barely a few dozen of them. With a ferocious laugh, Ureg pointed his axe and gave the order.

“Charge!”

His guard charged in with a roar.

The response from the defenders came immediately, a rain of arrows and other projectiles both from behind the barricades and the upper floors of the nearby buildings. Raising his head, Ureg could see many men firing at the goblins from the windows of the buildings, essentially creating a kill zone in front of the barricades. But there were too few of them and Ureg’s troops were too well armored and disciplined to let that stop them. They ignored the arrows and kept charging with Ureg moving together with them.

Then, as soon as the first goblin reached the barricade, all the doors of the nearby buildings slammed open, and a huge number of insectoid-reptilian creatures poured onto the streets like a river of chittering chitin, bowling through the goblins.

“What the hell is this!” Ureg cried as his forces were systematically slaughtered. He recognized those creatures. They were the weird things the goblins had fought near their city in the Caligare Forest. He would have never expected to see them here. In fact, it took him a moment to realize they were helping the defenders.

The realization shook him from his stupor, but before he could give an order, a huge mantis-raptor thing jumped at him with its scythe-arms raised, ready to hit. Ureg called upon his Aura and, after deflecting the first blow, proceeded to decapitate the creature with a mighty swing of his axe. However, not many of his guards had his reflexes or his strength, and they were being overwhelmed by their enemies, who were on average faster, stronger, and better armored, on top of having perfect coordination. The goblins were completely taken by surprise and on the verge of routing.

There was no chance of victory right now. Staying here any longer would only lead to their annihilation.

“Retreat!” he cried, while trying to escape himself. “Retreat! Get back to the walls!”

He cut down another creature that stood in his way, a slightly more humanoid one that tried to attack him with an improvised wooden club. One of the walls on his left exploded as a huge figure smashed right through it, cutting his escape route. It was a hulking creature, easily two and a half meters tall even while crouching, heavily clad in chitin armor and with arms the size of columns. The huge thing stared right at Ureg with murderous intent, and with a shrill roar, it threw itself at the Goblin Champion, trying to squash him with a mighty blow.

Ureg managed to dodge, rolling to his right, and counterattacked with a swing of his axe. But the thing’s arm was so thick and armored, the blade failed to cut all the way and remained stuck in the chitin armor. Before Ureg could free the weapon, the creature swept his arm right into a wall, catching the Goblin Champion in the middle and smashing his chest with another explosion of debris. Ureg felt all the air leave his lungs and coughed a bit of blood.

Thanks to his plate armor, he wasn’t completely squashed, only suffering a couple of broken ribs. Despite the pain, he could still move. When the creature lifted its arm in order to smash him again, he rolled out of the way and under the monster’s belly. There, he drew a short sword, his secondary weapon, from his belt and stabbed the creature in the joint of his leg, where the chitin armor didn’t protect it.

The huge creature roared in pain, falling to one knee as Ureg rolled out of the way. Then the hobgoblin jumped on the creature’s back and stabbed it in one of its purple, glowing eyes. The monster once again roared in pain and desperately tried to shake his attacker from his back, but Ureg wouldn’t relent and continued to stab the drone’s vulnerable eyes, deeper and deeper until the creature, with a shrill scream, finally fell to the ground.

Ureg stood up, ignoring the pain in his chest, and he looked around to get an idea of the situation.

It wasn’t good.

All around him, the goblin army had routed, and the weird creatures were chasing and killing them at their leisure. There were a few pockets of resistance where groups of particularly strong and desperate hobgoblins were fighting to survive, but they were quickly getting overwhelmed.

Not good. Ureg thought. I don’t know what these creatures are doing here helping the humans, but this is bad. I need to get out of here!

He started to run toward the wall, but as soon as he moved, something hit him from behind, making him fall on the ground in pain.

“Ouch! What the hell is this!”

He turned and saw a crossbow dart buried deep in his armor. Luckily, it hadn’t wounded him too badly. Ureg tried to stand up and run away, but he froze as he heard a voice coming from above him.

“That one’s still alive!” one of the human archers cried from the windows of the nearby buildings, pointing at Ureg. “He must be one of the leaders! He killed the big Vex!”

Oh shit! Ureg thought and rolled behind the dead body of the creature he just killed as dozens of arrows and darts rained around him.

Okay, calm down. I can still use my Aura! I can dash away to the walls, and there is nothing the archers can do to stop me. The armor will be enough to stop the arrows. On the count of three! One… two… thr—

As he prepared to dash away, the air whistled behind him. A huge, scythe-like blade made of chitin swung toward his face.

It was the last thing he saw before everything turned dark.

* * *

Right outside of the city, Trakk, who was waiting for developments, jumped up as soon as he heard the screams of the goblins being killed inside Brettholz.

“What’s going on there, Krag?” he cried, calling for a gargoyle who was flying right above him to monitor the situation. “I need a report right now!”

A few dozen meters above, the gargoyle looked inside of the city, and his eyes went wide with surprise.

“Our forces are under attack!” he shouted back.

“By whom?”

“It’s those weird insect creatures we fought back in the Caligare Forest,” Krag said. “There’s hundreds of them. They were hiding in the city and are attacking our forces!”

Trakk recovered from his surprise and turned to one of his aides. “Sound the general retreat!”

“W-what?” the aide hesitated.

“You heard me, sound the general retreat! Now!” the general cried, now completely furious.

Without any further hesitation, the goblin reached for his horn and blew it three times, the signal for a general retreat. Immediately, horns from all the other armies answered in kind, and the goblins started running out of the city gates. But Trakk called once again for Krag.

“Go and fetch the gargoyles currently flying over the city!” he ordered. “I need a full report about what happened!”

“Aye, sir!” Krag replied, and flew away.

Trakk stared at the city with a worried expression.

“What is going on in there?” he asked mostly to himself. “Why are those creatures here? Could it be that they have made an alliance with the kingdom? Or maybe it’s something else?” His expression turned even more sour. “Whatever it is, I need to find out soon.”

* * *

Inside the city, the defenders cheered as the goblins fled, chased away by the Vex. They fired a few more arrows, but they soon stopped as all the goblins ran away. The streets were deserted save for the corpses of the invaders, and the goblins had been driven away from Brettholz.

Up in the tower, Felix, who had been watching the battle, started jumping around with excitement.

“We did it!” he exulted. “We’ve won! We chased them away!”

“We chased them away for now,” Marcus corrected him in a sober voice. “They will be back, I think.”

“I think so too,” Klara concurred. “The Vex caught them by surprise, but that’s it. We bloodied their nose, but there are still an awful lot of them. They’ve retreated outside Brettholz to lick their wounds, and then they’re gonna try again.”

The boy’s excitement cooled down, and he looked once again rather scared. Marcus felt the need to reassure him.

“We still killed a lot of them,” he said. “I did not keep count, but they lost hundreds while we had barely any casualty. The only place where my minions had some troubles was north. A lot of stronger goblins attacked there, and they managed to kill a heavy and some warriors and workers. I still killed most of them, though, so I think my losses are acceptable.”

Klara and Felix both gave him a surprised look.

“How do you know that?” the boy asked with curiosity. “We were facing south all the time, and we can’t see the northern barricade from here anyway.”

“Oh, did I not tell you?” Marcus shrugged. “I see what my minions see.”

The two young humans stared at him, their mouths agape.

“What?” the Hive Queen asked, surprised by their reaction. “Is anything wrong?”

“That’s…” Felix started to say, trying to find the right words before asking. “When you said that you see what your minions see, you mean that you can actually see things through their eyes?”

“Yes.”

“How!”

“I see all of them in my head,” Marcus explained, tapping his forehead. “I do not know how, but I feel everything my minions feel. I can see what they see. Smell what they smell. I even feel the pain they feel, but luckily, not all of it. It’s all like… well, I still do not know how to describe it. It is like I am my minions. All of them at once.”

The two humans were too shocked to say anything, and Marcus started to feel nervous. Was there something wrong with that?

“Well,” Felix finally said with a smile, “I guess that makes sense. You controlled your minions without a word or a gesture, after all.”

“Yeah,” Klara said, and then shrugged. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The world is getting more and more crazy lately. Goblins becoming civilized, telepathic lizard-insect people. Next week, we’re probably gonna see cows fly and horses talk.” Something occurred to Klara just then. “Wait a second, if you can see everything your minions see, does it mean you could see us through their eyes when we were in the ruins too?”

“Uuuuh, yes,” Marcus replied a bit awkwardly. “But I did not mean to spy. I just… well, I just did not bother to look away, I think.”

Klara stared at the Hive Queen for a second before shrugging and letting out a sigh.

“Oh well,” she said. “It’s not such a big deal. If we wanted to do something in secret, we wouldn’t have done it in front of your minions anyway.” She smirked. “Though I gotta say, I’m really glad you’re a girl too, Marcus. I’d be really embarrassed if you were a guy, since I relieved myself many times in front of your minions.”

“Wait!” Felix said, suddenly turning red. “D-does that means that she… she watched me all the times I relieved myself as well!”

Klara simply laughed in response to the boy’s embarrassment, but Marcus felt really uncomfortable.

Ooooooh boy. I don’t think this is the right moment to tell them I’m a guy—or rather, I was one, ’cause I really don’t want to make things even more awkward. Marcus then turned away, focusing on the goblin army. Besides, there are more pressing things to think about.

We repelled the goblin’s first assault, but I don’t think they’ve had enough. And next time, we won’t have the element of surprise. But looking at the bright side, I kicked their little gray asses so hard that I probably genetically imprinted my footprints on their buttocks. That’s gonna give them pause for a bit.

He grinned and stared directly at the goblin southern army, narrowing his big, glowing purple eyes. He could clearly see the goblins retreating from the city and regrouping on the surrounding plains. They were completely in disarray, but there was still an awful lot of them. Marcus decided not to have his drones leave the city, for fear they could be surrounded and slaughtered once they were in the open. Instead, he made them feast upon the goblin corpses in order to feed them without having to ask the marquis for further food.

I myself could go for a snack too. Coordinating the drones is hard work, and I fear I’m gonna have to do a lot of overtime to clean up this mess.

He turned away, going to ask for something to eat.

* * *

Back at the goblin HQ in the southern army, Trakk was giving out orders like crazy, trying to get things under control. He’d sent runners to all the other armies, ordering them to keep the encirclement of the city and to wait for further orders. He also asked them to report the casualties they had and everything useful they found. Trakk had also sent a few gargoyles to scout the city from the sky.

He needed any scrap of information available to properly make a new strategy. The unexpected presence of the reptile-insect creatures changed everything, and their trap caused many losses for the goblins. Still, the situation was far from unsalvageable, since the decision to probe the enemy defenses with the base goblins had paid off greatly. Not only had most of the casualties been the expendable base goblins, sparing the more elite forces, but a lot of the survivors from that assault were already showing signs of evolution into chitin-armored goblins. By the next day, they would turn into a much more powerful fighting force, and one that was naturally armored and armed to boot, sparing the need to find additional weapons and armors.

When the runners from the eastern and western armies came back, they all reported stories similar to what happened to the southern army. Their commanders had sent the base goblins first, and although they suffered a lot of losses, they managed to keep their elite troops safe. Trakk did a mental tally and calculated that about a thousand goblins perished in the assault, but only very few of them were evolved goblins. All in all, the situation was better than he feared.

The only thing missing was the report from the northern army. The runner sent there was taking his sweet time, but this didn’t surprise the general. The northern army was not only the most distant, but it was also led by Ureg, whose temper made giving him orders and receiving reports a lot more difficult than it needed to be. He saw nothing wrong when the messenger arrived looking nervous and out of breath.

“What news from the northern army?” he asked. “What did Ureg tell you?”

“Nothing,” the runner said.

“What?” the general said, a bit surprised. “What do you mean by that? Why did he tell you nothing?”

“He couldn’t. He’s dead,” the messenger said, looking deeply nervous.

“Dead! How?” Trakk cried, completely taken aback.

“Apparently, he charged in with his personal guard and was killed during the attack. The hobgoblins of his army have also been decimated.” The messenger looked more and more uneasy. “From what I saw, the northern army lost nearly half their elite forces.”

Trakk didn’t reply, but the anger on his usually calm face made the messenger flinch. But the general’s rage wasn’t directed toward the messenger, and the culprit was already dead, so it was useless to make a fuss out of it.

Trakk didn’t need to ask why Ureg had not obeyed his order to send the base goblins first. He already knew the Goblin Champion had been a bloodthirsty fool and an ambitious one to boot. Ureg always had trouble accepting orders from the general and had often challenged his authority. Still, his strength and charisma were an important asset for the army and now they were lost, together with at least a few hundred hobgoblins.

To make up for the northern army losses, Trakk sent one of his lieutenants from the southern army to take command of the northern army, accompanied by one hundred hobs as reinforcements. Still, this wasn’t nearly enough to completely patch things up. The overall attack prowess of the army had been compromised, and this could potentially jeopardize the whole siege. Some additional action had to be taken to ensure victory.

“Arag,” he called, and after a moment the spider goblin appeared behind him, apparently materializing out of thin air.

“How can Arag be of service, General?” he whispered with his chittering voice.

Trakk, despite being Arag’s master, had to force himself not to shudder after hearing his voice and feeling his presence. The spider goblin was incredibly unsettling even for him, and perhaps especially to him, since he was the only one who knew just how deadly the assassin was. If there was someone who could change the tide of battle in favor of the goblins right now, that was Arag, and Trakk wanted to make full use of his peculiar skills.

“Have you finished studying the city yet?” the general asked.

“Yes, sir,” Arag replied.

“And have you found what I sent you to search for?”

“Yes, sir,” the assassin grinned, showing his needle-like teeth.

“Very well. I’ve got another mission for you.”

“Arag lives to serve.” He bowed with eerie grace.

As he detailed his plan to the assassin, Trakk couldn’t help but smile confidently again. There may have been a small chance that the defenders would have been able to resist against a conventional siege, but now their fate was pretty much sealed. Arag had never failed before, and he would ensure the success of the Goblin General’s plan.

Chapter 59

The Battle of Brettholz Part 2

The goblins attacked again during the afternoon. This assault didn’t come as a surprise, and the defenders were prepared to face it. After the battle in the morning, they had retaken the walls, and this time were prepared to offer a more meaningful resistance. Now that the Vex were not hiding, they actually had enough numbers to try and keep the walls for a little while, effectively adding another layer to the collapsing defense strategy.

The gates had been blocked with debris and carts piled behind them, and Vex warriors and humans and beastmen archers served as the rearguard to cover the retreat of the front line just like in the morning.

And just like in the morning, Marcus observed the battle from the top of the tower, and what he could see actually made him feel rather optimistic. Morale amongst the citizens of Brettholz was much higher since they were informed of the first successful defense. A few more of them had volunteered to join the militia to help fight the goblins. As for the Vex, well, morale was not a problem for them to begin with, but Marcus still felt his own improved spirit somehow affected the drones.

He closed his eyes and focused upon the thousand minds under his control.

The hive stared at their prey as they got closer. Their instincts compelled them to attack immediately in order to eliminate any possible threat, but their queen’s will ordered them otherwise. They were to wait and defend their position together with their Brettholz ally-friends. The drones just stood completely immobile, waiting for the right moment to strike.

As the goblins got closer, the archers started loosing their arrows. Like it had happened in the morning, this didn’t stop the goblins who simply marched on. However, when the distance between them and the walls was reduced to less than thirty meters, the Vex joined in on the shooting, mostly by throwing rocks, bricks, and other pieces of debris. This wasn’t really that effective when it was the workers who did it, although the sheer volume of fire was enough to slow down the attackers.

But when it was done by the heavies, it was a completely different matter. The huge drones acted as living catapults and threw massive boulders and pieces of buildings, crushing the goblins like insects. Though not even this stopped the humanoids, who reached the wall and started to climb over just like they did in the morning.

Unlike in the morning, the walls were defended by the Vex, who easily repelled the first assaults. However, the defenders still lacked the numbers to properly defend the entirety of the walls with the result that the goblins soon established various beachheads and started swarming, engaging the drones in close combat.

This went on for a while, until with a crash, the eastern gate was breached, and the humans started retreating.

While their allies ran away, the Vex held their ground a little longer to cover for them before starting to fall back themselves. Thanks to their uncanny discipline and coordination they didn’t suffer meaningful casualties in the process and made it to the barricades, where they readied themselves for the enemy assault.

Marcus opened his eyes. He didn’t have any flyers to scout the enemy from the sky, since he preferred to keep them as a hidden counter against the gargoyles for now. Thankfully, he could perfectly see the walls from the top of the tower.

The humanoids were once again opening the gates to let the bulk of their forces inside, preparing for an all-out assault against the barricades. Pretty much like they had done in the morning. In addition to that, they were also piling the debris that had been used to block the gates to form some sort of rudimental barricade of their own.

“Hey, what are the goblins doing?” he asked, a bit confused. “Are they not supposed to be the attackers? Why are they building barricades?”

Klara took a look at the enemy herself.

“It looks like they are building a defensive line of their own.” she said, “Most likely to stop an eventual counterattack. This way, they will have a line of defense to fall to should something go wrong in their next assault.”

“Well, it is a good thing we do not have any more counterattacks planned, then,” Marcus replied sarcastically. “We just have to hold the barricades as long as we can and hope that reinforcements will come.”

“Do you think we can really pull it off, Marcus?” Felix asked, looking a bit nervous. “There are an awful lot of goblins out there and so few of your minions.”

“Oh yes,” the Hive Queen replied with a very wide, predatory grin. “But battles are not won by numbers alone. My warriors are strong, and they will not lose.”

“I really hope you’re right,” Felix replied, looking a bit relieved by Marcus’s confidence.

“The goblins are moving!” Klara cried. “They’re attacking now!”

Everyone looked down from the tower, trying to see what was happening in the streets.

* * *

“They’re coming!” one of the soldiers screamed.

Behind the barricade, the marquis nodded in response. Indeed, an enemy was approaching. It was mostly base goblins, badly equipped and charging with close to no discipline, just screaming and running at the barricades. There were a lot of them, though, so the nobleman was still a little worried.

“I can see them,” he said before turning to Dorian, the captain of the Royal Knights in charge of that barricade. “What are you going to do? Rain arrows on them from above while the Vex defend the barricade?”

The old knight studied the incoming enemies before shaking his head.

“Nah, it’d be a waste of ammo. The enemy forces are made out of unevolved goblins. I bet they sent them just to tire us out, so it’s useless to waste our resources against them. The bugs here should be able to hold their own for now.”

“Are you sure, Sir Dorian?” the marquis asked.

“Pretty much,” the old knight replied. “I’ve seen how they fight, both in yesterday’s match and this morning, and I can say that these bugs are tough.” He started speaking louder to be heard over the screams of the approaching goblins. “And now if you will excuse me, sir, I’ve got a battle to worry about.” Dorian turned to his men and cried, “Hold fire! These bastards here are not even worth shooting down. Let the bugs deal with them and keep your arrows for better targets.”

The soldiers obeyed, and just watched as the screaming horde of goblins closed in. The Vex, however, did not let the enemies get close unscathed, as the workers and the heavies started throwing rocks and bricks. Lacking armor and almost any sort of protection, this barrage was quite effective. A few goblins fell, only to be trampled by their companions who didn’t even stop to avoid them.

The goblins reached the barricade and started to climb over it. In response, the Vex warriors advanced as one, slashing and cutting down all enemies that approached. With their long, scythe-like limbs, they even had enough reach to easily hit the goblins from behind the barricades. They moved with terrifying speed and precision.

Wild screams of pain came from the humanoids, as blood and body parts flew in the air. The first lines of goblins looked intimidated by what was happening, but they couldn’t stop or even slow down, because they would get trampled by their comrades charging behind them. So, the small humanoids just kept on coming, running to their death as the mangled corpses of their casualties piled in front of the barricades, their blood, guts, and other fluids making everything slippery.

This went on for a few minutes with the goblins reaching the barricades, only to get torn into pieces. The spectacle was so bloody and the smell of blood, bile, and waste so disgusting that the marquis found himself gagging, while a few soldiers were actually throwing up. The Vex, however, didn’t seem to care in the slightest and just continued to coldly slice up goblins as if they were cutting vegetables, showing no sign of getting tired.

This isn’t a battle, Eisen thought. This is like watching a herd of sheep walking inside a meat grinder!

The assault slowly faltered as the goblins noticed the ongoing massacre. It finally stopped as the front lines of the goblins panicked and tried desperately to run away, clashing against those advancing behind.

“Fire!” Dorian cried, making the marquis jump in surprise. “Fire now! Now!”

A rain of arrows fell on the attackers, completely breaking what little discipline they had left, and they turned and ran, completely terrified.

“Did… did we win?” Eisen asked in a hopeful voice.

“Nah, that was just the appetizer,” Dorian replied with a bitter grin. “Here comes the main course.”

The marquis turned. Another force of goblins was making its way down the street, but unlike the previous one, this was made entirely out of hobgoblins. Human-hobs were marching in tight formation, holding up big wooden shields and pole weapons, while huge orc-hobs lumbered just behind them.

The nobleman paled, while the old knight grinned with grim determination.

“Well, about time they got serious. We’ll have to do the same,” Dorian said. “Prepare for battle, men! Archers, fire at will! As for the others, stay with me behind the Vex and get ready to help the bugs!”

He turned to the marquis. “I’ll have to take command of my men now, milord. I recommend you stay back and be careful. It’d be a pretty bad blow for us if we lost our commander.”

As the old knight left to join his men, Eisen remained where he was. He actually felt a little bad about sitting out of the battle. He was forced to admit that the problems his death would cause far outweighed the contribution he could give in actual combat. So he just stood there, studying the battle that was about to happen.

The archers were doing their best, showering the hobgoblins with arrows, but this proved not very effective, as they were advancing in a tight formation and protected each other with their shields. What proved more effective, however, were the huge rocks thrown by the heavy Vex, which crushed the attackers and disrupted their formation, allowing for the archers to take a few shots before they could reorganize.

But step by step, the hobgoblins advanced, uncaringly stepping on the bodies of their comrades, until they reached the barricades. Once there, the goblins organized themselves into three lines, one of hobs with shields on their back who were climbing the barricade, the other of hobs with long pole weapons to keep the defenders at bay, and a frontal line of hobs carrying big shields to protect the others.

It was a perfectly executed assault, to the point that Eisen couldn’t think of any better way to attack a barricade without the use of heavy artillery.

Despite all this, it was still a slaughter.

The Vex warriors started hacking the hobgoblins to pieces as they had done with their unevolved cousins. Wooden shields and leather armor didn’t offer much more protection than naked skin against the powerful chitin scythes and talons of the warriors. The weapons of the attackers also failed to penetrate the thick chitin armor of the Vex.

Eisen stared in shock as the reptilian-insectoid creatures killed the goblins almost at their leisure. At one point, a hob managed to sneak over the barricade, but a Vex warrior simply grabbed it with its second pair of arms, lifted the unfortunate humanoid off the ground and bisected it with a slash of its scythe-like limbs, letting the lower body and the viscera of the goblin fall to the ground before throwing the upper body over the barricade. Another time, a goblin managed to stab one of the warriors in one of its glowing purple eyes, causing the creature to fall back twitching spasmodically, but it was a short-lived victory. Another Vex swiftly retaliated by decapitating him.

The battle raged for a while, and the Vex still showed no sign of fatigue, killing the enemies with the same energy and focus, even though human soldiers would have been exhausted by then. And apart from an occasional hiss, they were also eerily silent and fought with uncanny discipline, which badly contrasted with their bestial appearance. All in all, they looked weirdly more like emotionless puppets than actual living beings.

The whole spectacle was weirdly fascinating in a morbid way, and the marquis stared in awe, completely ignoring everything else around him as he kept his eyes on the bloody massacre the Vex were making.

“Careful, sir!” one of his aides cried all of a sudden, pushing him away and pulling him from his thoughts. The nobleman then saw a rock flying just where his head had been a second before.

“What was that?” Eisen cried, looking up to see where the rock had come from. He saw numerous humanoid figures moving on the roofs, and with a flash of horror, he realized they were hobgoblins. All of them were equipped with slingers and were shooting the defenders from above. The rocks didn’t have much of an effect on the Vex, who were heavily armored, but the Brettholz militia was much more vulnerable, and a couple of soldiers had already fallen.

“Take cover, sir!” his aide cried again, dragging him inside one of the houses as rocks fell all around.

“Dammit!” the marquis cursed. “They’ve climbed over the roofs! We have to do something!”

Before he could even start thinking about what he could do, a buzzing reached his ears, barely audible over the sound of the battle. He turned and saw a swarm of Vex flyers emerging from an inner building of the city like some sort of dark cloud, darting toward the goblins on the roofs, some engaging the humanoids in combat with their claws and others spitting poison on them. The enemy, taken by surprise in an exposed area and with precarious footing, wasn’t able to fight back, and in a minute or so, all of the goblins were either killed or forced to retreat from the roofs. The poison-spitting flyers flew over the enemies on the street, raining poison upon them.

Under this new attack, the hobgoblins faltered before resuming their attack with desperate determination. It was clear their morale had been compromised, and they were on the verge of breaking. The marquis, seeing this as an opportunity, opened his mouth to order his men to attack the goblins and break their assault, but before he could utter a word, a new creature emerged from the ranks of the Vex.

It was a weird creature, rather similar to a bloated toad with short, stumpy legs, and it clumsily climbed over the barricade until it was on top of it. Then it inflated itself like a balloon and spat out a spray of yellow-greenish liquid that covered half of the road in front of the barricade. The hobgoblins hit by that substance immediately started screaming in pain, trying to clean themselves from it. Some even fell to the ground, rolling.

This was the last straw for the goblin army. Completely demoralized, they ran away from the barricades and the weird, scary creatures that killed so many of them. Within a minute, not one of them remained in sight of the barricades.

The Brettholz soldiers initially stared in disbelief at this spectacle, too shocked and surprised to do anything else. Then, one at a time, they all started cheering, until everyone was letting out shouts of victory. However, they didn’t get close to the Vex and even avoided looking at them, which wasn’t a surprise since they were even more intimidating and off-putting than usual, since they were completely covered in blood and gore. Luckily, the bug-lizard creatures didn’t seem to mind, just keeping to themselves and starting to eat the bodies of the fallen goblins.

In the midst of this, the marquis stared wide-eyed at the Vex with a completely new respect that bordered on fear. As it turned out, he had greatly underestimated both the goblins and the Vex. The goblins were more numerous and disciplined than he would have ever thought possible, rivalling a regular human army in effectiveness. And the Vex were apparently strong enough to give the goblins pause despite being outnumbered at least ten to one.

But among the two, the ones that worried him the most were the Vex. Even in such a relatively small number, they were a force to be reckoned with. He remembered from Felix’s reports that they had grown from one hundred to more than a thousand in less than a month. If this was true, the Vex were very strong creatures capable of reproducing at an incredible pace and could potentially be a much bigger threat than the goblins ever were.

Eisen felt a cold shiver go down his spine after this realization, but he forced himself to calm down.

It’s best not to let irrational fears take the best of me! So far, neither Lady Marcus nor the other Vex have given me any reason to doubt their good will, and it’s entirely thanks to them we’ve been able to resist the goblins at all! The least I could do is to put my paranoia aside and be grateful to her.

But… if I’m being honest, I really can’t shake the feeling that I’ve summoned a dragon to chase away a wolf.

Chapter 60

The Battle of Brettholz Part 3

Marcus grimaced as he put a spoonful of stew in his mouth. The food, a beef stew with potatoes and vegetables, looked absolutely delicious, but the taste felt off. It wasn’t bad by any means, but like most cooked foods, it lacked something for the Vex taste buds compared to raw ingredients.

He sighed with regret but kept eating, since the food at least filled his belly. He was sitting in the courtyard of the marquis’s palace, which had been turned into an improvised canteen for the refugees. The sun had already set, and torches, candles, and magical lamps had been brought to light the area. There were many tables and benches, all full of people intent on eating dinner. Despite the threat of the goblins, the atmosphere was a relatively festive one, and loud laughs and cheers could be heard.

Although he had been invited to join the others at the tables, Marcus preferred to stay by himself, sitting against the walls of the palace far from the crowd, mostly because he still didn’t feel comfortable sitting near so many strangers. He wasn’t alone, though, as both Felix and Klara decided to keep him company and were sitting near him. The two were eating and conversing with each other, but Marcus still felt grateful for their presence. He was also accompanied by Cooper, and the threatening presence of the drone probably explained why no one else dared approach him.

Well, almost no one else, at least. A few of the bravest or at least most curious children of Brettholz were staring at him from behind a shrub a few meters away. Those kids were clearly trying to be stealthy about it, but Marcus could clearly see them in the corner of his eyes, even though he pretended not to notice. It didn’t annoy him, and actually, he was rather amused by their honest curiosity. Then he suddenly turned and winked at the children, who screamed and ran away laughing.

Marcus started laughing himself, while Klara and Felix looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Glad to see you’re having fun, Marcus,” Klara said with a smile. “Why are you in such a good mood?”

“I have spent a lot of time alone in the forest,” the Hive Queen replied. “I am just happy to be here. Also, the fight is going well. We have managed to hold the first barricades for a whole day. If things continue like this, we will be able to win.”

“That’s true!” Felix said cheerfully. “I’ve heard that your minions have held the barricades basically by themselves. If they can keep this up, we can resist until the reinforcements come!”

“Assuming, of course, that the goblins don’t have some other trick up their sleeves,” Klara added, her face turning a bit more serious.

“What? What do you mean?” Felix asked. “What could they do?”

“I have no idea. And that’s what worries me. These goblins have not been acting like typical goblins at all, and I can’t predict what they are gonna do.” Klara pointed toward the walls with her spoon. “One thing is for sure: they have proved they are not stupid, and if they are still out there trying to take the city after being repelled twice, it means they are confident they can still win.”

Marcus grimaced, feeling his previous optimism being drained away, but he was forced to agree to that logic. The battle wasn’t won just yet, and dropping their guard now could have disastrous consequences. Also, now that his cheerfulness had gone, he started feeling all the fatigue from focusing on the battle all day long, coupled with the fact that he hadn’t slept well the previous night.

He stifled a yawn, and he felt his eyes closing.

“Well, then I think it is better to go to bed,” he said. “I have to get all the sleep I can if I want to command my minions well.”

“That’s a good idea,” Klara said. “We have no idea when the goblins are gonna attack again. We have to get all the rest we can while we’re having a moment of respite.”

Marcus nodded. He was starting to feel really sleepy, and hopefully, whatever dirty scheme the goblins were cooking up would wait until the morning to show up.

* * *

It really said something about Arag that having to lead a bunch of other goblins irritated him more than having to crawl through an ancient sewer full of centuries old waste. The spider goblin was a natural loner and was so used to working on his own that actually leading other goblins annoyed him to no end. Especially because they were absolutely incompetent compared to him. Every single little noise they made irked his nerves. At least they weren’t talking to each other—at least not anymore after what happened to the last one caught committing such an infraction.

Still, the general had been clear about the importance of this mission. Besides, it wasn’t in Arag’s nature to complain, so he just got on with it, trying to endure the pain of having to work with complete amateurs. To be fair, though, pretty much every other goblin was an amateur compared to Arag. Such was the curse of being the best at his trade. And at least being an assassin allowed the spider goblin to work alone most of the time. He didn’t want to think about all the time the general, being a leader and therefore forced to work with others, had to spend dealing with incompetent idiots.

And there was no question that Trakk was the best at his trade too. The preparations for the current mission showed a foresight that no other goblin possessed. Knowing that he would likely have to attack Brettholz during his campaign, the general had sent various spies to scout the city surroundings months in advance. In particular, one of the spies had found an old, and probably forgotten, sewer exit near the river, and the previous day, the general had sent Arag to explore it.

The results had been really promising, as the sewer was big enough to let a goblin crawl inside, even though it’d still be cramped and uncomfortable. Many thick iron grates had blocked the entrance in order to stop wild animals from getting in. That obstacle was swiftly removed by the spider goblin, while the numerous vermin who inhabited that dark, damp place had turned into a quick snack whenever they got too close. And finally, Arag discovered an exit from the sewers located inside the basement of a building, most likely the marquis’s palace itself, since it was the only construction that looked as old as the sewer.

All in all, it was a perfect way to infiltrate the city, provided it was done stealthily. If they were discovered, it would have been far too easy for the defenders to pour oil or other flammable substances in the sewers and burn all the invaders alive, which explained why Arag was so fixated on making as little noise as possible.

Luckily, despite all the splashing and grunting that came from the other troops, the humans didn’t seem to notice anything by the time they reached the exit, which was just a hole opening in the floor of a room. There was another metal grate, and the spider goblin dealt with it the same way he had with the others, pouring a foul-smelling paste over it and then spitting its poison on them.

The paste, an alchemical substance made by the shamans, greatly boosted the corrosive effects of his poison, allowing it to eat through iron in a matter of minutes. The assassin grabbed the grate with his six hands and waited until the bars were corroded enough before carefully removing it, putting it beside the hole without a sound.

Arag then looked around. There was no light, though neither he nor the goblins he’d taken with him needed any to see in the dark. The room was completely bare, save for a few rusted chains hanging from the stone walls, and a staircase leading to a closed door a few meters above. The spider goblin immediately went to check the door, finding it locked, but it only took a few seconds for him to knock it open. Beyond the door, there was a long, dark corridor, and another set of stairs, probably leading to other parts of the castle.

There was no human in sight, nor could he hear any noise.

Perfect, Arag thought and gave a signal to the goblins waiting in the sewers.

Slowly, one after another, dozens upon dozens of chitin-covered humanoids emerged from the sewers, moving with a chittering sound and looking around with their glowing purple eyes.

* * *

“Goddamn soft fucking bed!” Marcus cursed under his breath, walking through the corridors of the marquis’s palace.

Just like the previous night, he still hadn’t gotten used to the comfiness of an actual bed, and having part of his brain focus on the drones defending the barricades certainly didn’t help. Besides, knowing the goblins were out there and could attack at any moment made him far too nervous to even try and close his eyes.

Luckily, he knew of a place where he could relax a bit: the bathroom. The palace actually had various bathrooms, and the one on the third floor in particular seemed rather comfy and modern, since it had tap water, a rather modern-looking toilet, and even a bidet and a good supply of toilet paper.

Marcus discovered that place the previous day, and the feeling of relieving himself and cleaning his nether regions in a proper, clean, and sanitized place had been heavenly. Even in his previous life, he had always loved spending time in the bathroom, either bathing or even just sitting on the toilet while checking his mail on the phone, as he firmly believed that in no other place one could relax as much as they could in the bathroom. Hence his little nightly stroll through the corridors of the palace to reach his porcelain throne in the hall of cleanliness and let himself relax a bit before giving another shot at sleeping on the bed.

Marcus saw a couple of figures appear from behind a corner. At first, he thought they were a couple of drones, since they were covered in chitin and had the glowing purple eyes of the Vex, so he just kept walking toward them. Only after a moment, he started to realize there was something wrong.

Wait a second! Why can’t I feel these drones in my head? And why are they here? There shouldn’t be any drones inside the palace except for Cooper…

Then, as the two chitin-covered creatures saw him and started running toward him with their claws raised, he realized they were not Vex drones at all but rather two chitin-armored goblins.

“Oh shit!” Marcus cried, turning around and running as fast as he could. Unarmed and unprepared as he was, he didn’t really feel confident about taking on the two humanoids, and besides, he didn’t know if there were more of them.

“Help!” he cried again, trying to alert the humans of the presence of the enemy. “Help me! There are goblins here! Help!”

As he was running and shouting, he also felt all of the drones instinctively rushing to defend the queen. He had to mentally order them to keep their position, because otherwise, they would leave the barricades unprotected and vulnerable to an enemy attack. He only let the hunters and the flyers come, since they weren’t needed on the barricades. They were the fastest drones and would arrive sooner than the others. He also spared a thought to be surprised that he was managing to process all of these thoughts so well while running for his life. It almost felt as if he had a few different minds working in parallel with each other, each processing a different line of thought.

However, not even such an unnatural amount of brainpower was enough for Marcus to safely pursue these idle thoughts while two monstrous humanoids were chasing him, not if his priority was to stay alive at least. He brushed away the least urgent inquiries from his mind and focused on the task of trying to stay alive.

There was an open door a few meters ahead, and with a final sprint, he reached it and slammed it close behind himself, only then realizing the key was on the other side. And he didn’t have any means to lock it. Without hesitation, he did the next best thing and put all of his weight against the door. A moment later, something hard and heavy slammed against the door, trying to smash it open.

Marcus knew he couldn’t hold it closed forever, so he just looked at the room, trying to find something to use as a weapon to defend himself. Unluckily, he was in a small living room and not in an armory. In a small fireplace in the corner was an iron poker that could be used as an improvised weapon. Not that he felt confident taking on two chitin-armored goblins with just an iron poker, but maybe he could buy enough time for his drones to arrive.

As it turned out, he didn’t wait for long, as even before the goblins could break into the room, Cooper reached him. Without a sound, the hunter drone threw itself at one of the invaders, making it lose balance and fall on the ground while the Vex tried to bite its throat. The goblin was far too armored for the drone’s fang to reach its target, though the humanoid’s claws were equally ineffective against Cooper’s chitin. The two just rolled on the ground, each trying to get an advantage, while the second goblin left the door to help its companion.

Marcus saw this through the eyes of Cooper and with horror realized that the drone wouldn’t be able to take care of both goblins. The other, more powerful drones were drawing near, so the most logical solution would have been to leave the old hunter to its fate, but Marcus couldn’t force himself to do that. Despite not being sentient, Cooper had been his first and only companion for a long time, and he had grown really attached to it. Leaving the old, faithful drone to die was unacceptable.

So, with a grim expression, Marcus grabbed the iron poker from the fireplace and ran out of the room.

The first goblin, hearing the sound of the door opening, turned just in time to see Marcus hitting him in the head with the poker. The humanoid reeled, more because of the surprise than actual pain, and the Hive Queen took advantage of that opening to stab it through its big, glowing eyes. The goblin screamed, trying to get the piece of iron out of its eyes, but Marcus used his weight to push the poker further inside the creature’s head, until it fell to the ground, twitching like a dying spider.

Marcus yanked the iron poker out from the first goblin’s head and immediately walked toward the second one, who was still fighting against Cooper on the floor. Without mercy, the Hive Queen started bludgeoning the creature with the poker, trying to aim for the eyes and the joints.

This went on for a while, until finally Cooper was able to close its jaws on the goblin’s throat, crushing it with a sickening sound.

Marcus looked around. There were no other enemies in sight, but he could hear screams and sounds of battle coming from all over the city. As the adrenaline—or whatever it was that his body produced—started fading, the Hive Queen felt more and more exhausted. The iron poker, bent beyond repair during the fight, slipped from his trembling fingers, and he felt the overwhelming urge to lie down and rest.

Doing so in the middle of a corridor while there were invaders around didn’t seem like a good idea, so Marcus forced himself to walk inside the living room with Cooper, closed and locked the door and finally collapsed on a sofa.

While his body rested, his mind focused on managing his drones. He closed his eyes and concentrated on what his drones were seeing.

The drones coming to help the queen soon met the enemy, as the inner part of the city was swarming with numerous groups of chitin-armored goblins. The hunters and flyers engaged them without hesitation, throwing themselves at the invaders with single-minded ferocity. The hunters, being newer models with greatly improved strength, tore their opponents apart, but they were badly outnumbered, and soon their advance was stopped. As for the flyers, they were rather ineffective against heavily armored opponents, and they didn’t do much besides annoy the goblins.

For a moment, the Hive Queen thought about sending a few warriors to help fight the infiltrators, but the sensory inputs from the drones defending the barricades made them decide otherwise. From the look of it, the goblins were just about to start another offensive and a big one at that. Weakening the defensive lines even a little bit didn’t seem like a good idea. On the bright side, the humans had been alarmed about the presence of the invaders inside the city, and numerous guards were running to the palace. Hoping they would be enough to tip the battle in favor of the Vex, the Hive Queen had the drones simply stall the goblins for time, waiting for their human allies to arrive.

It caught the Hive Queen completely by surprise when the human guards arrived and attacked both the Vex and goblins, killing all of them without distinction.

“What!” Marcus cried as the surprise woke him from his trance-like state. “What are those mother-loving morons doing? Why are they attacking my drones!”

He concentrated on the battle again, trying to find reasons for the sudden betrayal. From what he could see, the humans were simply charging at the masses of Vex and goblins, waving their swords while trying to hit the glowing, purple eyes of both.

“Seriously, what are those breadcrumb-filled shitsacks doing? Can’t they tell the goblins apart from my Vex! I get that both have chitin armor, but even a blind mole would be able to—oh.”

He stopped his rant, as it suddenly dawned on him that it was still dark outside. Without a proper light, the humans really couldn’t tell the Vex and the goblins apart.

“Well, shit,” Marcus said in a very tired voice. “I guess I’ve gotten a bit too used to my own eyesight. I forgot that normal humans can’t see that well in complete darkness… God-freaking-dammit! That was really devious of the goblins, if they did it on purpose. And I bet those little gray shit-stains totally did it on purpose! Damn it all to double hell!”

Marcus forced himself to calm down. Getting angry wouldn’t really help the situation, so he just focused once again on his minions, trying to both have the hunters retreat in order to avoid being killed by the humans and coordinate the defense of the barricades.

* * *

The marquis immediately knew something was wrong the instant he woke up. Someone was knocking at the door of his current bedroom in a house near the barricades, but he could also hear faint screams in the distance.

“Who is it?” he asked, jumping off his bed and grabbing his sword.

“I’m guardsman Jacob Helgam, sir! We are under attack!”

“Under attack!” Eisen repeated, opening the door. “Are the goblins assaulting the barricades again?”

“Yes, but,” the guard hesitated. “But it seems we are under attack from inside the city as well.”

“From inside the city?” the nobleman repeated in disbelief. “How is it possible? Have the goblins overtaken the barricades?”

“I… I don’t know, sir,” Jacob replied, looking very nervous. “The only report I’ve got is that chitin-covered creatures have come out from the palace and are attacking our forces.”

“Chitin-covered creatures?” the marquis repeated once again, feeling his heart skip a beat. “Don’t you mean the Vex!”

A sudden betrayal by the insect-bug creatures would have been absolutely disastrous. Not only because it would have meant the goblins would have free rein, but also because the Vex were a threat in their own right. The thought of his subjects being violently killed and eaten by those things made Eisen shudder.

“I don’t know, sir,” the guard replied, looking rather confused. “The report only mentioned chitin-covered creatures, but the Vex are still on the barricades.”

After hearing this, the marquis looked out from one of the windows, and he did indeed see the Vex were still on the barricades. He also saw a mass of countless dark shapes getting closer and closer. It was too dark to make out the details, but it looked very much like a tight formation of hobgoblins, all advancing as one.

“By the Lord of Light!” Eisen cursed. “It never rains, it just pours! What is Dorian doing about this?”

“He sent some guards and some of his students to take care of the creatures inside the city, and he sent me here to warn you, sir.”

“Very well then,” the nobleman said with a resolute voice. “Help me don my armor. I’m gonna check what’s going on in my city with my own eyes.”

About a minute later, the marquis reached Sir Dorian, who was staring grimly at the incoming goblins, who were now only a few dozen meters away from the barricades. The archers were firing at them and so were the Vex, but like in the morning, this didn’t stop the humanoids.

“Dorian!” the nobleman shouted. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“We’re under attack, that’s what’s bloody going on!” the old knight replied, without looking away from the enemies.

“I know that, but by whom?” Eisen asked. “I’ve heard that chitin-covered creatures are attacking from inside the city! Are those…” He paused and gave a quick, worried look to the Vex on the barricades before whispering, “Are the Vex attacking us?”

“If they were, they wouldn’t be standing there right now, would they?” Dorian replied sarcastically, pointing at the creatures defending the barricades. “They’d be trying to gut us. Besides, I can’t think of a reason they would do that. Nah, I think it’s the goblins who are behind this.”

As he said this, the goblins reached the barricades, and the sound of screams and iron hitting chitin drowned any other noise.

“The goblins? Do you think they are the ones attacking from inside the city?” the marquis asked, speaking loudly to be heard over all the commotion.

“Yeah. They’ve got chitin goblins who look just like the bugs, don’t they? They probably used them to infiltrate the city, knowing that we wouldn’t be able to tell the bugs apart from them in the dark.”

“That… actually makes sense,” Eisen said, a bit relieved. “How many of them are in the city?”

“Damn if I know,” Dorian admitted. “We’ll have to hope they aren’t too many, because otherwise, we’re in a pinch. I’ve sent more than half of my men in the city, but I can’t send more in case the bugs need help handling the goblins.”

“The Vex managed to hold them back well yesterday,” the marquis said. “Why would they not be able to do the same tonight?”

Before the old knight could answer, an oblong object flew past them, landing on the cobblestones of the road. The marquis looked at what the object was and realized it was the head of a Vex warrior.

He immediately turned his head to the barricades. The goblins had managed to break through the barricades in one place, where a particularly big and well-armored hobgoblin was keeping two warriors at bay fighting with two oversized machetes. The humanoid’s movements were almost too fast to follow, and soon another Vex fell, twitching spasmodically.

“Just as I thought,” Dorian said. “That is a Goblin Champion. A hobgoblin that has learned how to use Aura Arts. They are very rare, and if they’re attacking us now, it means the enemy isn’t playing around anymore. Makes sense they would go all-out if they bothered to make a decisive action to split our forces, no?” He started walking toward the hobgoblin. “Now stay back, your grace. It’s time for me to get to work.”

Raising his sword, Dorian shouted, “To me, soldiers of Brettholz! Let’s kick these guys back to the hole they crawled out from!”

Then with an incredibly fast leap, he reached the Goblin Champion and attacked relentlessly with strikes so fast, they only appeared as a blur. The hobgoblin, taken by surprise, barely managed to parry a couple of attacks before a third one neatly decapitated him. Emboldened by their commander’s display, the soldiers followed his example and threw themselves at the goblins, chasing them back beyond the barricades.

This success was short-lived. The humanoids immediately recovered and counterattacked furiously. It was clear the goblin troops attacking now were cut from a different cloth from those of the previous day, and their lines were filled with rare specimens. Like Goblin Champions and gigantic ogre-hobs, each of whom was more than a match for the Vex warriors. Slowly but inevitably, the defenders were pushed back, and the invaders started breaching the barricades in more and more places.

“Fall back!” Dorian screamed at the top of his lungs, having noticed the situation had become unbearable. “We can’t hold them here! Retreat to the second line of the barricades!”

The humans started pulling back, while the Vex covered their retreat. The goblins, however, didn’t let them go peacefully and doubled the ferocity of their assault, threatening to overwhelm the Vex.

Dozens of the bug-reptile creatures were killed in a matter of seconds, while the humanoids slowly started to surround them in order to attack from all sides. But this sacrifice had bought the humans enough time to run away. Once they were all safe, Dorian shouted to the Vex, loud enough to be heard over the sounds of the battle.

“We’re safe now! Retreat!”

At that signal, the Vex stopped fighting and simply ran away. The goblins, emboldened by the sight of their enemies fleeing, gave chase and killed every Vex they reached. But a few moments later, an incredibly loud noise of cracking wood was heard, and the houses near the barricades started wobbling and leaning. Then they came crashing down on the streets, burying anyone who was unfortunate to be under them. The following chaos gave pause to the goblin assault, allowing the Vex to safely retreat behind the second line of the barricades.

“Well, that went as well as it could be expected!” Dorian said to the marquis. The old knight was looking rather tired despite having fought for just a few minutes, something which worried Eisen.

“Are you… okay, Dorian? You don’t look so well.”

“Eh, it’s just that I don’t have the endurance I once had. Using Aura takes a toll on me. But I’ll be fine if I get to rest for a few minutes, and hopefully, the little gray buggers won’t come back soon.”

The nobleman looked at the rubble of the houses farther down the road, where the dust still had to settle down. Then he saw numerous shapes emerging from the darkness, running on all fours toward the second barricades, moving with incredible speed.

“Sorry to say it, but I fear that your hopes are about to be betrayed!” the nobleman said, and the old knight immediately turned to face the new menace.

“Archers! Fire at will!” Dorian shouted, but the enemy was so fast that the soldiers of Brettholz barely had the time to fire a single volley before the invaders reached the barricades.

Unlike the previous assault, this one was made up mainly of feral goblins, a tide of dark, bestial shapes covered in fur and scales who attacked the defenders with fangs and claws. The Vex and the humans managed to hold and kill many of the goblins, who were completely unarmored and lacked any sort of discipline.

And the bestial humanoids just kept coming with rabid rage.

That fury alone wasn’t enough to overwhelm the Vex, who were too strong, disciplined, and well-armored, and any feral goblin who threw itself over the barricade was quickly killed, all while the archers kept up their bombardment, causing significant casualties among the unarmored invaders.

Then, all of a sudden, a handful of winged figures descended from the sky, assaulting the human archers and sometimes even breathing fire on them.

“Gargoyles!” a soldier cried, just before receiving a blaze in his face, turning his head into a torch, and his warning into a blood curdling scream.

In response to this aerial assault, a buzzing could be heard, and after a moment, dozens of flying Vex emerged from the darkness, attacking the gargoyles by clawing at their wings and dragging them to the ground, where the soldiers could finish them.

The dragon-like creatures retreated, but the damage was done, and the human defenders were now in chaos. Only the Vex kept fighting with the usual cold efficiency, apparently unfazed by anything.

Right then, a few new figures appeared over the barricades. The enemy elite troops were attacking, and under such an assault, even the Vex started to get pushed back.

“Get in line and fight properly!” Dorian cried, trying to rally his soldiers, who were on the verge of routing.

“Dorian, I don’t think we can hold them here,” the marquis said. “We should retreat!”

“And leave the second barricade so soon? I don’t think so!” The old knight turned a furious stare on the marquis. “I’m gonna get in and push back these savages myself! I may have gotten old, but it won’t be a few damn goblins who do me in!”

He raised his sword, calling once again for his soldiers.

“To me, men! Let’s show these bastards who they are dealing wi—”

Before he could complete the phrase, a small black dart hit Dorian right in his face, remaining stuck in his cheek. The old man flinched, and instinctively grabbed the dart and extracted it.

“What in the Eight Hells is this!” he cried, looking at the thing with wide eyes. Then he fell to the ground, twitching while foaming at the mouth.

“Dorian!” Eisen cried, rushing to the aid of the Aura Warrior. The old man was kicking spasmodically, and his face was turning blue.

“He’s been poisoned!” the nobleman cried, before turning to his guard, Jacob. “He needs a healer! Carry him away!”

“Yes, sir!” the guard replied, and started dragging the still twitching Dorian away.

The marquis turned to the ongoing battle. It was hopeless. Without the strength and commanding presence of the old Aura Warrior, it was impossible to rally the human soldiers in time to hold the barricade. So, with a heavy heart, the nobleman ordered the retreat himself. The humans fell back first, quickly followed by the Vex, but this time, the goblins chased them without mercy, wanting to end the battle then and there. Luckily, the marquis had one last ace up his sleeve.

“Casters!” he cried.

The night was illuminated by the lights of various offensive spells, exploding in the middle of the goblin crowd. Since the ones casting these spells weren’t professional Battlecasters, the effects were rather underwhelming, and only a handful of goblins died, but this had still been effective, as it momentarily halted their advance. Before they could recover, a huge Vex heavy charged in, smashing through their formation and forcing them back. It was then that the marquis finally ordered the collapse of the nearby buildings.

Just like before, the ground suddenly caved in, and the two-story houses fell on the road, burying anyone present under a ton of rubble. The defenders could finally reach the third and final line of barricades, battered and tired but still ready to fight. Luckily, though, having the city fall on their head two times in a row had broken the goblins morale, causing them to give up any further attack for now. Most of the soldiers took advantage of this moment of respite to simply fall on the ground, completely exhausted, while the Vex stood motionless.

Meanwhile, Eisen contacted all the other commanders through his telemancers, assessing the situation. It was pretty much the same in all parts of the city, and the defenders had been pushed to their last lines of barricades everywhere. The infiltrators had been dealt with, but a lot of Vex had also been killed due to having been mistaken for the enemy. The only positive thing about this was that the chitin goblins had not attacked the civilians, only going after the guards and the Vex.

After finally getting a full picture of the situation, the marquis felt a sense of dread filling him. The number of casualties still wasn’t known, but it was probable that at least half of the Vex and a third of the guards had been killed, while four other Aura Warriors had also been poisoned the same way Dorian had been. Only one of them died, a young squire named Thomas, but the others were in no condition to fight.

The final assessment was that, in just one night, the defenders had lost more than half of their forces and holding the last line of barricades for two more days was just wishful thinking at this point.

“This is not good,” the marquis said, to no one in particular.

* * *

Hidden on top of a roof, Arag looked at the marquis standing motionless in the middle of the road. He would have been an easy target, but the spider goblin had been ordered to keep the nobleman alive and well if possible, so he put his huge blowpipe away.

While the chitin goblins were rampaging inside the city, he had taken the occasion to ambush any target he deemed worthy of his attention. He managed to poison five Aura Warriors, though it was up in the air if they survived or not. Once again, Trakk had suggested keeping them alive if possible while simultaneously incapacitating them, but this was a tall order. Aura Warriors could be very resistant to poisons, so the spider goblin had to use a substance that would have been lethal to any normal human. Anyway, if one of his victims died because of the poisoning, it would have meant they were not really good at using their Aura, so Arag deemed this wasn’t such a big loss.

The defenders were slowly getting things under control inside of the city, so there wouldn’t likely be another good chance to target anyone else for the night. Besides, Arag thought he had already done enough. So, without further ado, he scurried away from the city, disappearing into the shadows of the night to report back to the general.

Chapter 61

The Battle of Brettholz Part 4

It was a clear and bright morning. An unusually warm day for that time of the year and probably the last real taste of summer as winter approached. Eisen was trying his best to hide his exhaustion and desperation while addressing the people in front of him. Ideally, he would have liked to give off an impression of unbreakable confidence, encouraging his subjects with a bright smile. Perhaps even cracking a few jokes to put them at ease.

That was far beyond his skills at the moment. He’d opted for an expression of grim determination, or at least for what he hoped would be received as such by those present. Pretty much all the men present amongst the refugees who were physically capable of fighting, and the citizens of Brettholz, had been gathered to hear what the marquis had to say.

The emotions on their faces varied from nervous to utterly terrified, which was understandable, since the enemy infiltration of the previous night had taken a toll on their morale. Despite the fact that, for some reason, the chitin goblins hadn’t actually hurt any civilians. Just knowing the enemy had been able to go through the defenses was enough to rattle the refugees, despite the reassurance that the infiltrators had been dealt with, and their way in, an old sewer under the castle, had been blocked.

All things considered, it really wasn’t a good moment to ask these people for help, but Eisen was out of options. Many men and Vex had been killed during the night attack and even more had died defending the barricades. Even worse, four Aura Warriors, Dorian included, had been poisoned and were unable to fight. The only solution was to recruit even more men from the civilians. In order to do so, he needed to rile them up and turn their fear into anger.

“Citizens of Medelan! Hear me out! The goblins have launched a vile, unprovoked attack against the kingdom. They have raided our villages and towns and are now besieging this very city and threatening our lives.

“Thanks to the bravery of our soldiers, we’ve been able to repel them. They died in droves when they met against our will, faith, and steel!” Eisen paused, taking that moment to judge the energy of the crowd. “But last night, using a cowardly trick, they managed to infiltrate our city and weaken our defenses. Our soldiers’ will is unwavering, but to make absolutely sure we’re going to resist, we’re going to need your help!”

The people in the courtyard seemed a little worried, and a few of them even asked out loud what they were supposed to do, since they weren’t soldiers.

“Any help would make a great difference,” the marquis replied to those questions. “Firing arrows at the enemy. Throwing rocks. Even just helping the defenders by bringing them water and carrying the wounded ones away. I won’t order you to do anything. What I ask you is to ask yourself if you’d rather spend your time helping our soldiers or cowering in the palace and hoping the goblins won’t break our lines and come for your lives.

“Reinforcements are already on their way here. Moreover, a relief force of one hundred Royal Knights, led by Captain Harp, is preceding them and should arrive very soon! We’ve only got to resist until they get here, and we’re all but assured to win!”

He waited for a few seconds, giving the people time to process this information.

“Who’s ready to stand with me and kick these goblins back into the forest? Who’s going to fight for their life and for their Kingdom?”

Many men roared in response, shouting their approval and their willingness to fight. But there were also many who simply looked away either with guilt or fear. Another couple hundred people came forward to join the defenders.

The marquis looked at those people, who for the most part were either too old or too young, and silently made a prayer to the Lord of Light and Saint Diane to protect them all. Heavens knew that they needed all the help they could get in the upcoming fight.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a room of the palace, another kind of fight was going on.

“This is stupid!” Klara shouted angrily. “You can’t go on the barricades!”

“The marquis has been clear!” Felix replied with determination. “He said all people capable of fighting are needed on the barricades, and that includes me!”

“You’ve never fought in battle! Actually, you’ve never even fought seriously against anything. You can’t hold a sword, and you’re a terrible shot with the bow. What contribution could you give to the battle beside slowing down the first goblin who’s gonna take the time to kill you?”

“I am a sorcerer!” the boy protested. “I can cast spells—”

“You are an apprentice sorcerer, Felix! At best, you could throw a very small fireball that could hardly kill a person!”

“I still have to go. I can’t stay here while all the others risk their lives!”

The discussion went on, and in a corner of the room, Marcus watched, trying to make his best impression of a piece of furniture.

Truth be told, he was feeling rather awkward. He’d come to Felix’s room to check if he was okay, and only after entering had he found out he was talking with Klara. He didn’t feel like interrupting them, but he couldn’t really leave either, since Klara had placed herself in front of the door to prevent Felix from getting away. All he could do was stare silently at the two, waiting for things to calm down, but sadly, neither of them showed any sign of giving up.

Honestly, both arguers had a point, but personally, he was in favor of letting Felix do what he wanted. After all, it was his life, and he should be free to decide what to do with it. He also thought the apprentice sorcerer would never forgive himself if he cowered away from this battle while his compatriots fought. However, he also agreed with Klara on the fact that sending an inexperienced young boy to the barricades without any support was basically a death sentence. It seemed like it was up to the Hive Queen to act as a mediator and find a suitable compromise between idealistic courage and caution.

“Klara, let Felix go. My minions will take care of him and will make sure nothing bad happens to him.”

The girl remained silent, thinking about it, but Felix angrily protested.

“Out of the question! Your minions are basically the only real fighting force we have, and they have more important things to do than keep me safe.”

“Oh, for the love of the gods, Felix!” Klara cried. “You do understand that the contribution you could give to the battle is meaningless, so why do you still want to go?”

“It’s the principle of the thing. If everyone thought like you do, no one would ever do anything!”

“Wait!” Marcus cried, trying to prevent the argument from escalating again. “What if I give you one of my minions that are not used in battle to keep you safe?”

“What?” Felix asked. “Aren’t all of your minions already fighting? Do you have more?”

“Just one,” the Hive Queen said with a smile, pointing at Cooper.

“What?” The boy stared at the dog-like Vex. “That thing? Isn’t it just your pet?”

“No. Cooper is strong,” Marcus replied. “Not as strong as a warrior or a new hunter but stronger than most goblins. He can protect you. Also, with him close, I will be able to watch you through his eyes. Just in case there is a lot of danger, he can guide you somewhere safe.”

“But that’s—” Felix started to protest again, but the Hive Queen interrupted him.

“That would be like a friend fighting with you and watching your back. Which, if I am not wrong, is actually the point of fighting in an army.”

“Well…” the apprentice sorcerer mumbled. “If you put it like that.”

“It’s slightly less idiotic than going on the barricades without any plan or help,” Klara stated. “Of course, going on the barricades at all is still idiotic to begin with.”

Both arguers seemed pretty much convinced, if not exactly happy about the situation, which convinced Marcus he’d found a rather good compromise. After all, all good compromises left all parties unsatisfied.

“Felix wants to go,” Marcus said. “We cannot force him to stay here, but we can take all precautions possible to keep him safe. And he cannot stop us from doing it.”

“Fine,” Felix said. “I’ll take Cooper with me.”

“You also have to promise that you won’t do anything too foolish, Felix!” Klara said adamantly. “Promise to stay behind the front lines and to run away should things get bad, otherwise, I will keep you here even if I have to tie you!”

“Okay, fine, Mom!” Felix replied sarcastically. “I’ll do what I can to help the defenders, and I’ll try not to get killed. Which was my plan all along, if you can believe it. A fool I may be, but I’m not exactly planning on throwing my life away.”

“Try to keep that in mind,” Klara said, and then, when Felix finally left the room, she turned to Marcus. “You’re gonna keep him safe, right?”

“Of course,” the Hive Queen replied. “Cooper will keep an eye on him. If he is in danger, I can make my nearby drones come and help him.”

“Good,” Klara said with a sigh of relief. “Felix is too naive to realize he can die, but if your minions can protect him, maybe he has a chance to make it out after all.”

“I hope that we all have a chance at making it out alive.”

* * *

Accompanied by Cooper, who followed him around just like a dog, Felix reached the northern barricade where he had been assigned. Luckily, the goblins weren’t attacking yet, but judging from the noise coming from the outskirts of the city, it wouldn’t be long before they did.

The apprentice sorcerer felt his throat becoming dry from nervousness, and he forced himself to swallow. It had been much easier to take the decision to fight when he was safe inside the fortress, but now, with only a flimsy barricade between himself and the murderous humanoids trying to kill them all, he was much less sure of himself. Still, he refused to give in to panic and forced himself to walk to his position, together with the other members of the newly raised militia who were standing a few meters behind the barricades.

“Oi!” a familiar, deep voice called. “If it isn’t young Felix! What are you doing here, lad?”

Felix turned, happy to see someone he knew. “Ol’ man Kruger!”

Kruger was one of the inhabitants of Oakfell, and one of the lifetime acquaintances of Felix and Klara. He was well in his seventies with very few hairs remaining on his head, but he still sported an impressive moustache. Despite being as wrinkled as a prune, he was still tall and proud, and his arms were thick with muscles. He carried a huge musket, which was almost as tall as Felix, and having a caliber that was more fitting for a small cannon rather than a rifle.

“Well, I think we’re both here for the same reason, to fight the goblins,” Felix replied, raising his homemade wand made out of feathers and dried up salamanders, a focus tool needed to cast offensive fire spells. “I figured they might need a caster down here to help with fighting off the goblins.”

“Well said, young man!” Kruger said, smilingly approvingly. “Though you can keep your hocus pocus for yourself. Never trusted the bloody thing, too unreliable. All it takes is a little spook to make a caster useless. I’m much more into iron and gunpowder myself!” He fondly caressed the barrel of his rifle, almost as if petting a dog. “Though that isn’t what I meant. I wasn’t expecting to see you here. You disappeared into that damned forest with Klara and the others and, well… from the rumors I’ve heard, you reappeared at the doors with this army of bug-lizard things in tow.” Kruger gave a quick and more than a little diffident look to Cooper. “Didn’t believe my ears when they told me it was you two, but now I have to think again. Just how did you do it?”

“It’s a long story, old man,” Felix replied. “Not sure I have the time to tell it to you right now.”

He nodded toward the streets of Brettholz, from which the noises of the upcoming goblins were growing louder and louder.

“Fair enough. You’ll tell me later, after the battle, possibly while having a well-deserved beer.” He looked away for a moment, and when he caught Felix’s eye again, his expression had changed, but Felix couldn’t quite pin down what it was about it. “There is someone we have to talk about that can’t wait, though.”

“Uh? What is it?”

“Klara. How is she?”

“She’s…fine,” Felix replied, growing a little cautious. “She was hurt in the forest, and she can’t fight right now, so she’s waiting in the castle.”

Like most of the inhabitants of Oakfell, Kruger had also become strangely hostile to the girl during the last year, and the apprentice sorcerer didn’t know how he would react knowing she was nearby. But the old man just nodded somberly, his face pensive.

“That’s good,” Kruger said. “At least she’s safe there.” His grip on his rifle tightened. “Felix, I have to ask you for a favor.”

“What is it?”

“When the battle is over, I’d like to meet with Klara.”

“Why would you want to do that?” Felix asked, getting more and more defensive. Kruger may have been an old acquaintance, but Klara was his best friend, and the young man wouldn’t hesitate to tell the old man to go to hell in order to protect her. However, Kruger’s reply caught him by surprise.

“Because I want to say I’m sorry.” His voice was filled with genuine remorse. “And not just on my behalf, but on behalf of all the people of Oakfell. I just don’t know what had gotten into us, treating her like dirt and using her as a scapegoat for our grievances. I don’t want to make excuses… but it almost felt as if I was compelled to hate her.”

“And how do you feel about her now?” the apprentice sorcerer asked, still suspicious.

“I feel terribly sorry, that’s how I feel!” Kruger cried. “Dammit, boy! I held both of you on my knees when you were but toddlers. You two are like family to me, and I’ve treated her like shit!” The old man’s eyes were full of guilt. “And it’s the same for the others as well. We started coming to our senses a few days after you departed for the forest, and when that Vicker bastard came to take possession of Klara’s house, telling everyone you were dead… well, we didn’t take it well. Poor Gertrude cried for days.”

“Well, well,” Felix muttered, caressing his chin with a pensive face. “Would you look at that.”

“What is it, boy?” the old man asked, surprised by Felix’s reaction.

“Just a suspicion of mine. For now, at least. Say, when you said you came to your senses, do you mean perhaps that—”

But the apprentice’s question was interrupted by the cry of one of the commanders.

“They are coming! Get into position!”

A horde of goblins approached from the other side of the barricades.

“Well, it seems like we have no more time for chatting,” Kruger said, cocking his gun. “Now’s the time for action. Get ready, boy.”

“Of course, Kruger,” Felix replied, trying his best to control the shaking in his voice and his knees. He felt a strong urge to both run away and wet his pants, and while he managed to control the first one, he’d count himself as really lucky if his undergarments would still be of the same color after the battle.

Chapter 62

The Battle of Brettholz Part 5

The goblins advanced like a tide of grayish bodies. The disciplined human-hobs were in front with their shields raised to defend against arrows, while huge orc-hobs and ferocious feral goblins swarmed behind them, howling and screaming with mad ferocity.

It was a terrifying spectacle from up close, and Felix felt as if his knees had been turned into jelly just by looking at it. The goblin army seemed unstoppable, and he wondered how all the other human defenders managed to stay still and not flee in terror. The gods knew that was exactly what he wanted to do, but personally, he was too scared to move at all.

Beside him, Kruger gave him a look and patted him on his back.

“Courage, lad!” he shouted to be heard over the noise of the incoming goblins. “Don’t let fear control you!”

Felix felt a bit of his panic dissipate after hearing the familiar and confident voice of the old man.

“Just keep your wits and pay attention to your surroundings,” Kruger further advised while simultaneously raising his rifle and taking aim. “And do not panic. No matter what is going to happen. If you lose your mind, you’re also gonna lose your life!”

The apprentice sorcerer felt a pang of gratefulness toward the old man while also feeling immensely reassured by being with someone who seemed to know what to do. Kruger looked completely calm and confident and as solid as a rock, which was kind of to be expected from a war veteran. The old man had served as a sergeant in the Castillar Legion for ten years before retiring in Oakfell, and he’d always told tales of his battles to the children of the village, Felix and Klara included.

The goblins drew closer, and the officers gave the signal to fire at will. Immediately, the archers started raining down arrows, while the Vex threw rocks of varying size. From simple bricks and stones thrown by the workers, to the huge boulders and pieces of masonry the heavies fired like living catapults. Meanwhile, Kruger calmly took aim at one of the biggest orc-hobs in sight and pulled the trigger. There was an incredibly loud explosion, and a cloud of smoke emerged from the rifle, but at the same time, the hobgoblin’s head exploded, raining blood, brains, and pieces of skull all around it.

“Ouch!” The old man cried, grabbing his shoulder. “Gods dammit! I’m not used to the damn recoil anymore.”

“Is everything all right, Kruger?” Felix asked, a bit worried.

“Yeah, I just haven’t fired this thing in years.” Kruger massaged his shoulder a bit more, before starting to reload his rifle. “Almost forgot how much of a punch legion-grade rifles pack!”

While talking, the old man had finished reloading, and without hesitation took aim and fired once more, this time opening a hole the size of a fist in the torso of a human-hob.

The concentrated fire took a terrifying toll on the goblins, but they kept charging, running over the bodies of their fallen until they reached the barricades. Once there, their advance was stopped by the Vex warriors.

The bug-reptile creatures moved with cold and terrifying efficiency, hacking to pieces any enemy who approached like they were slabs of meat instead of living beings, sending blood and limbs flying everywhere. But even this didn’t stop the goblins, as the ones who hesitated were quickly trampled to death by the ones behind them, and so the humanoids just kept on charging, even though the place had turned into a literal meat grinder for them.

Meanwhile, Felix couldn’t do anything else but stare at the bloody spectacle, in equal parts captivated and terrified. Then, as the wind changed, his nose was assaulted by the combined smell of blood, guts, and excrements, which made him gag and almost throw up. With some herculean effort he managed to keep his breakfast inside and briefly averted his eyes from the battle in order to regain control of his stomach.

Klara was right! he thought desperately. I should have never come down here! I should have stayed in the castle!

“Eyes on the fight, young Felix!” he heard Kruger shouting, and he turned to see the old man taking aim and firing his gun, head-shotting another big orc-hob. “Stay focused! A moment of distraction could cost your life!”

“Yes, Kruger!” Felix replied. “I was just—”

He couldn’t finish the phrase because something hit him from the side, interrupting him and pushing him away. He fell to the ground and, at the same time, he heard a series of inhuman screams, followed by an incredibly loud, thunderous explosion, followed by a wave of bristling heat.

“What!” the young man cried, raising his head to see what happened.

Various corpses lay on the charred ground, some of them still burning and twitching, and one was even missing the lower half of its body. Cooper the Vex dog stood right next to the apprentice sorcerer, seemingly checking if he was all right, while up in the sky, the huge shape of a gargoyle was visible, retreating while chased by a group of Vex flyers.

“O-old man, K-Kruger?” Felix called with a voice so feeble, it couldn’t even be heard over the sounds of the battle. He searched for the familiar shape of the old man, but he couldn’t find him anywhere. Only after a few seconds, he realized that one of the charred corpses on the ground, the one missing its lower half, was still holding what looked like the charred remains of a rifle.

As the shock somehow numbed his own emotions, allowing him to stay calm in spite of everything, he quickly puzzled together what just occurred. The gargoyle had most likely swept over the group of militia and breathed fire on them, causing Kruger’s gunpowder horn, which he carried on his belt, to explode, effectively bisecting the old man. Meanwhile, Cooper had noticed the attack and pushed Felix away, saving his life, and the Vex flyers had then moved in to chase the gargoyle away.

“Yeah, that seems about right.” The apprentice sorcerer nodded to himself, his voice eerily calm. “So, we were attacked, Cooper saved me, and old man Kruger is dead.” He stopped a moment, those words sinking into his psyche. “Old man Kruger is dead…”

Felix remained motionless, but veins bulged on his forehead as a fiery rage slowly surged up inside him, breaking through his shock like a volcanic eruption breaking through the earth. He gritted his teeth so hard, they ached, and he started trembling from head to toe. Small sparks started flying from his fingers, and a crimson and red light flashed in his eyes, but he didn’t notice that. All of his mind was filled with pure, unadulterated rage, and when he turned to the goblins, all he could feel was the overwhelming need to burn them all alive.

Without another word, Felix pointed his wand toward the enemy.

“Burn!”

A torrent of fire emerged from the tip of the wand, arching over the defenders before dropping on the bulk of the goblins, instantly incinerating dozens of them before they could even realize what was happening. The rest stopped, scared and surprised by that sudden, unexpected attack.

But it didn’t stop there.

Fueled by Felix’s rage, the flames moved like a living thing, slithering through the enemy ranks like a huge snake, claiming even more victims. Screams of pain filled the air together with the smell of roasted meat, and the apprentice sorcerer screamed as well, only out of fury instead of pain. His voice somehow resonated through the fire, coming out as a fierce roar.

It was too much for the goblins.

The humanoids turned and started running away, their morale completely broken by that fiery counterattack. Only then did Felix let his flames die out.

The young man felt completely empty. No strength, no emotions… nothing. Only a huge, overwhelming fatigue that permeated every fiber of his being. He felt the focus instrument break in his hand and, looking down, he realized it had been reduced to a piece of charred wood.

Weird, Felix thought. And then everything turned black as he dropped to the ground, like a puppet with its strings cut.

* * *

“Shit!” Marcus cursed in his own native language. “Shit, shit, shit! For the love of all crap pies, you better not be dead, Felix!”

Just like the day before, he was on top of the highest tower of the palace together with Klara and a few telemancers. He had been following the battle through his telepathic link with his drones, paying particular attention to Felix, which had proven to be a good idea. The young man would have likely died without Cooper pushing him away from the gargoyle’s flames. But now the apprentice sorcerer had dropped to the ground after casting that huge spell, and Marcus didn’t know whether he was alive or not.

“What happened?” Klara asked, not really understanding what the Hive Queen was saying but alarmed by his tone.

“Wait!” Marcus shouted back, and quickly checked on Felix through the eyes of Cooper, letting out a sigh of relief when he noticed the young man was still breathing.

“Felix fainted, but he is alive, and he doesn’t seem to be hurt too bad,” he explained, turning to Klara. “Some soldiers are dragging him away to safety now, and Cooper is accompanying them.”

Klara, who was pale and looking really worried, let out a sigh after hearing those words.

“That fool,” she said, but her voice was full of relief. “I told him he was just gonna get hurt without accomplishing anything. Well, at least he’s gonna be safe from now on, and that’s gonna keep him from doing any further idiocy, at least for now.”

“Actually, he did accomplish something,” Marcus corrected her. “He repelled the assault at the northern barricade by himself.”

“What!” Klara said. “How?”

“He used magic,” the Hive Queen replied. “He threw a lot of fire at the goblins. He killed dozens of them and the others ran away, but he fainted after casting that spell. Are all of your sorcerers this strong?”

“We wish.” One of the nearby telemancers snickered. “Most of us don’t have enough Aura to light a bonfire, let alone throw a fireball.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Klara confirmed, but she still looked confused. “Felix is particularly talented when it comes to fire spells, and he seems to have a rather strong Aura, probably because of his Djinni heritage, but something like you described…. That would be hard to do even for a master Battlecaster. No wonder he fainted afterwards.” Her expression became worried again. “Are you sure he’s all right? I’ve heard that straining your Aura can have very bad repercussions. Sometimes even lethal.”

“He seems fine, just unconscious,” Marcus replied, telepathically checking on the boy. “He breathes well. He just looks asleep and tired. The other people there have put him in a bed in a house near the barricade.”

“They haven’t taken him to the infirmary here in the castle!”

“No, but as I said, he does not look hurt. And since he repelled the goblins, the northern barricade should be the most safe one for now.”

Klara didn’t answer, but she looked incredibly anxious. She simply stared out of the window to the north while simultaneously tapping her fingers on the wall. It was clear she simply couldn’t bear the thought of Felix lying defenseless so near to the enemy.

Marcus quickly checked the situation in the town through the eyes of his flyer drones. In the northern part of the town, the goblins still had to recover from the blow that Felix dealt, and though they were already reforming their formations, it would take them a little while to resume the attack. Meanwhile, there was heavy fighting at the other barricades, but the defenders were still holding, and it didn’t seem like any enemy would get through any time soon. Even the gargoyles had been chased away from the city’s airspace for the time being, and there wasn’t any sign of goblin infiltrations underground, where his digger drones stood guard, listening for any possible enemy trying to sneak their way in.

All things considered, going out to get Felix didn’t seem particularly dangerous, especially since the northern barricade was less than a hundred meters away, and the whole trip would take less than five minutes at most.

The more cautious part of Marcus’s mind still acknowledged that this was a bad decision. Getting out of the castle was still dangerous, and he didn’t know what the Vex drones would do if something happened to him. The safest solution would be to either let Felix rest where he was or ask one of the marquis’s servants to go fetch the young boy.

But right now, Marcus was feeling a tad too frustrated to be overly cautious. He was tired of standing in a room while his drones did all the work for him. He wanted to do something personally, if anything to confirm that he was still an independent individual instead of just a drone-making machine.

“We can go get Felix now, if we are quick,” he said with a smile. “We can take him back in the castle, where he will be safe.”

Klara turned to him. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. The goblins in the northern part of the city still have to reorganize, so we should be safe. Also, we could go to the marquis’s private garden when we have Felix with us.”

“Why? What’s in the marquis’s private garden?”

“The entrance of a couple of tunnels that my drones dug in the past few days,” the Hive Queen replied. “I had them made in case the city should fall. They lead away from here in some hidden places.”

“That’s… a sensible precaution,” Klara said, arching one of her eyebrows. “Does the marquis know about them?”

“Yes. I have asked for his advice on where these tunnels should lead out to. He will use them to evacuate the castle should the city fall completely. But I think it would be a good idea to be first in line.”

“You know, that is actually a good idea,” the young huntress replied with a smile. “Are you sure that there is no danger in going to retrieve Felix?”

“Not if we are quick.”

“What are we waiting for, then?” Klara said with a smile.

* * *

In the southern part of the city, where the goblins had established their HQ, the general was listening to the reports from the other detachments. Apparently, the northern army was repelled by some powerful magic, but they were already recovering and ready to resume the assault. There was nothing new from the other armies, who steadily continued their attack, chipping away at the enemy forces but still failing to advance past the barricades.

The general carefully listened to every single report, paying attention to every detail and puzzling them together to form a bigger picture.

“Well then,” he said. “Signal all the armies to send in our heavy hitters and start an all-out assault. The time has come to put an end to this battle.”

The messengers looked a bit surprised but said nothing and simply ran away to relay his orders. Only one of his advisors, a human-hob named Krump, spoke his mind.

“Sir, if I may, why are we sending in our heavy hitters only now? Couldn’t we have sent them sooner?”

“Because of three reasons, Krump,” Trakk replied calmly. “First, our heavy hitters are few and difficult to replace, so I couldn’t afford to use them carelessly. Second, while they are indeed very powerful, the enemy Aura Users and casters have the means to kill them, so I had to make sure they were too tired to pose a meaningful resistance. And third…” The general took a bit of a pause, looking around to make sure no one else was listening. “Third, we have to take the city in the next few hours, because a company of three hundred knights is approaching from the north. Judging by how easily they smashed through our army in the north, I’d wager that it’s a force made entirely of Aura Users. They should be here at sunset at their current pace.”

Krump paled when he heard this, though the general remained as calm as ever.

“The success of this operation hinges on whether or not we manage to defeat the last line of defenders before those reinforcements arrive,” Trakk said. “The enemy is tired, and they seem to have used all of their aces in the hole. They were much harder to beat than I initially thought, especially because of those bugs, but now they are on their last leg.” He stared Krump directly in the eyes and gave him an encouraging smile. “Barring any surprises, the city should be ours in the next hour or so.”

Chapter 63

The Battle of Brettholz Part 6

The marquis’s palace was incredibly crowded, with every nook and cranny filled with refugees who were either resting or praying. Because of this, moving out was rather difficult for Klara and Marcus, since both of them were fairly small and sometimes had to stop and ask the people to move to let them through. Moreover, Marcus felt incredibly uncomfortable being near so many strangers. Their sheer presence was almost suffocating, and he didn’t really like the looks that some of them gave him. He didn’t really mind the scared and suspicious stares, which were understandable under the current circumstances, but there were a few men that looked at him with weirdly appreciative eyes that made his skin crawl.

Still, despite these hindrances, it took only a few minutes to reach the main gate. There was a constant flow of people going in and out, most of them carrying stretchers, empty when going out and with wounded when coming in, but the gate was large enough for everyone to pass easily. There were also two soldiers guarding the entrance, but they didn’t do anything to stop them, only giving them a puzzled look.

The streets were almost completely deserted, save for the people carrying the wounded, but the noises of the battle could be clearly heard. Marcus and Klara didn’t utter a word, just looking around to search for any possible threat. Both were also carrying a short sword at their belt, which they’d taken from the palace’s armory, and both were gripping the hilt, ready to defend themselves. Neither of them could see any threat, so they continued toward the northern barricade.

There was an incredible tension in the air that made Marcus’s hair stand on his neck. He felt almost certain that something bad was going to happen, and he quickly scanned the city through the eyes of his drones. With a pang of fear, he noticed the goblins were once again marching against the northern barricade, and this time, they looked more determined than ever.

Their formation was led by three of the biggest, most threatening specimens that Marcus had ever seen. They looked kind of like the gargoyles, only they were much larger, wingless, and their scales were of an opaque green instead of vivid red. They also felt somehow familiar, though Marcus had never seen their kind before, but one thing was for sure, they looked absolutely dangerous, and they were likely the enemy’s trump card.

“We have to be quick!” he whispered to Klara. “The goblins are attacking again!”

The girl nodded in response, and they hurried to the northern barricade. After barely a minute, they came in sight of the defenders. A lot of militia armed with bows, crossbows, and a few rifles, and beyond them there was a mix of Vex and human warriors manning the barricade. A single knight in plate armor shouted orders, and even more archers could be seen from the second floor windows of the nearby houses.

The Hive Queen and the huntress spared only a single glance at this spectacle, and then Marcus took the lead.

“Follow me!” he said, running toward a house near the barricade. The door was open, and inside were a few improvised beddings laid on the floor. Felix, still unconscious, was resting on one of them with Cooper sitting beside him.

Klara turned pale, seeing her friend like that, and stopped for a moment. The Hive Queen immediately went and grabbed the young man by his left arm.

“Help me get him!” he said with an almost panicked urgency. “We have no time to lose!”

Klara quickly grabbed the other arm, and they lifted the apprentice sorcerer, putting his arms around their shoulders.

“Let’s go!” the Hive Queen cried, and they started dragging him out of the house with Cooper on their heels. They barely took a step or two outside before they heard the screams of the charging goblins, and the human commander ordering them to fire at will.

“Do not look back!” Marcus ordered. “Just walk as fast as you can! We have to get back to the castle! Now!”

Pale as a ghost, Klara nodded and obeyed, looking straight ahead of her and visibly trying to ignore the noises coming from behind.

Marcus, however, could still see perfectly what was happening through the eyes of his drones, and that sight nearly made him piss himself.

The huge green gargoyles charged straight against the barricades, ignoring the arrows and projectiles that harmlessly bounced off their scales. They impacted against the small wall of wood and stones like living battering rams, sending splinters, pieces of stone, and any defender that was unlucky enough to be on their trajectory flying in the air. The barricade had been breached.

The Vex swarmed upon the gargoyles, attacking them from all directions, but the chitin blades that seemed unstoppable failed to penetrate the thick, scaly hide of the goblinoids. Meanwhile, those gargoyles stood up, shrugging off the assault of the drones and counterattacking with blinding speed, using their claws, fists, and beaks to tear, crush, and bite through the thick chitin armor of the Vex as if it was made out of paper.

Seeing that the warriors and workers were terribly outclassed by these new enemies, Marcus mentally ordered them to fall back and concentrate on the other goblins who were pushing through the barricade, while simultaneously sending in the heavies to deal with the gargoyles.

The huge drones moved in, even bigger and heavier than their opponents, and they attacked with single-minded fury, pummeling the goblinoids before they had a chance to react, stopping their advance.

For a moment, Marcus felt hope surging inside himself.

But sadly, that hope turned to despair. After wavering for a moment, having been taken by surprise by the heavy assault of the heavies, the gargoyles recovered. Ignoring blows that would have flattened any other creature, the goblinoids launched themselves against the heavies, using their claws to tear their chitin armor and their incredibly thick muscles.

Despite the substantial damage they received, the heavies refused to back down and fought with uncaring determination, ignoring the wounds they received in order to deliver even more of a beating on their enemies. One of the heavies managed to down one of the gargoyles, hitting it in the head with a hammering blow using both of its humongous arms and sending the goblinoid crashing down into the street with a deafening boom. This success was short-lived, as one of the other gargoyles pounced on that drone, making it fall before seizing its head between his beak and crushing it with a sickening crack. Moreover, the gargoyle that had been downed slowly rose back up, looking a bit wobbly on its feet but still not seriously injured.

Marcus started to panic, especially since he could see, through the eyes of his minions, even more of those new goblins approaching the other barricades. He couldn’t think of any way to stop these creatures. And if they couldn’t be stopped, the city was going to fall. Which made getting to the castle and the escape tunnel an even more urgent matter.

The gargoyles charged the second line of the defenders, composed mostly by human militia, and Marcus judged they couldn’t resist even a second against those scaly juggernauts. But once again, his expectations were betrayed.

The Aura Knight in charge of the northern barricade, instead of waiting for the enemy to get closer, charged on his own, moving against the gargoyles with his sword raised. The Hive Queen wondered if he’d gone crazy, but before he could finish this thought, the man dodged a blow and retaliated with a slashing attack so fast it could barely be seen. The gargoyle fell with a huge, bloody wound on its leg.

Before it could recover, the knight stabbed it in the eye, causing it to spasm uncontrollably and howl in pain. The human, however, simply pushed his sword deeper, until half of it disappeared inside the gargoyle’s skull, and only then did the creature stop moving. The other gargoyles launched themselves against the knight, who gracefully dodged their assault and countered with a series of attacks that left dozens of small cuts in the scaly hide of the humanoids.

It looked as if the man could easily deal with those two monstrous opponents by himself, but unluckily for him, those weren’t the only enemies.

A Goblin Champion armed with a longsword emerged from the enemy lines, cutting down a couple of Vex that stood in his way, and charged straight at the knight. He had only a split second to react, managing to parry the goblin’s blade. This, however, left him momentarily distracted, and the gargoyles capitalized on this.

The nearest gargoyle leapt in the air, pouncing on the knight with all of its weight. Caught by surprise, the man fell to the ground together with his attacker, and before he could react, the monster seized his head in its beak.

With a crunch, the knight’s brains and blood sprayed everywhere.

Victorious, the gargoyle rose up, howling triumphantly and looking around for another victim. For some reason, his eyes locked on the fleeing figure of Marcus, despite the fact he was already a hundred meters away. There was no room for doubt, as the Hive Queen instantly felt all the murderous intent of the creature being directed toward him.

“Oh shit!” he cursed, and then to Klara, he shouted, “We have to run, now!”

The girl gave him a frightened look but obeyed without a word, and they turned up their pace. It wasn’t very fast, though, as they were still carrying the unconscious Felix. Still, the palace was really close, and they’d be able to get inside in less than a minute.

Too bad they didn’t have that much time.

The gargoyle ran on all fours like an animal and was deceptively fast for something of its size. Marcus estimated it’d only take thirty seconds to close the distance between them. Even if he ditched Klara and Felix and started running for his life, he still wouldn’t be able to reach the palace in time. Heck, most likely not even sending Cooper to distract the creature would work, as the drone lacked any way to harm or even slow down the gargoyle. The creature was really set on killing Marcus specifically for some unknown reason. And there were no other drones nearby who could arrive in time to help.

Marcus was alone. And he would likely be killed in the next few seconds.

He felt his whole body go numb, as an abject terror threatened to paralyze him. A part of him just wanted to lie down and curl into a ball.

But at the same time, a spark of defiant anger surged from a corner of his mind, spreading like wildfire and turning fear into rage.

Fuck running away.

Fuck fear.

Fuck terror.

Fuck this senseless world he had reborn into.

Fuck everything.

And more than anything else… Fuck. That. Gargoyle!

Marcus stopped and slid away from Felix’s arm. Klara gave him a puzzled look.

“Marcus? What—”

“Run,” Marcus replied, his shrill voice reverberating with pure anger. “Run now and do not look back!”

The girl turned even paler, her eyes widening in terror, but she obeyed, trying to carry Felix away as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, the man reborn as a Vex Hive Queen drew his sword and turned to face his opponent, Cooper at his side. He somehow felt his face distorting into a mad, predatory grin, and his heart beat faster than ever. A burning, defiant rage surged from every fiber of his body, and when he set his eyes on the gargoyle, the creature slowed down, seemingly wary now for some reason.

“What’s the matter, fucker!” Marcus screamed at the top of his lungs, using his native language and filling his words with spiteful fury. “Chickening out? Get over here if ya have the balls! I’m gonna rip ’em off and feed ’em to ya!”

The gargoyle slowed even more, approaching slowly and carefully, but still approaching nonetheless. It stopped about five meters away from Marcus, crouching and getting ready to jump.

The Hive Queen’s mind worked like crazy, trying to find a way to survive, as time itself slowed down.

Judging from its pose, the creature would certainly try to pounce and bite his head off, like it had done with the knight. In doing so, it would offer him the chance to stab it in its open mouth. The downside of this tactic was that he was most likely going to lose his arm regardless of the result, and anything other than an instant, lethal blow would mean he was also going to lose his life.

Still, a slim chance of survival was better than no chance at all, so the Hive Queen grinned manically and raised his sword, getting ready to stab the gargoyle as soon as it jumped. He summoned all of his rage and determination to keep his hands steady, and somehow, he managed. He also took comfort in the presence of Cooper, although the drone couldn’t do anything to help him.

The gargoyle got ready to jump.

Marcus tightened his grip on the sword.

The humanoid pounced.

And then, it happened.

A shiny figure dropped from the sky at incredible speed, hitting the gargoyle right between its shoulders and throwing it to the ground with an incredibly powerful impact.

The shockwave blew Marcus away, making him fall on the ground, confused and completely unable to understand what just happened. A cloud of dust completely covered the area. Then a sudden gust of wind came out of nowhere, clearing out the air and allowing him to see what was in front of him.

The gargoyle, or rather its corpse, twitched feebly on the ground, pinned against the road by a humongous glaive that had pierced it completely. A man in silvery armor stood on top of the body with one of his boots placed directly on its head, and his hands grabbing the shaft of his weapon, posed like one of those big game hunters next to their prey.

“Lady Marcus, I assume?” the man asked, smiling brightly toward the Hive Queen.

Marcus just nodded, too surprised to even speak. Instead, he just looked at the man that saved him. The knight was dressed in what looked like a silvery tunic at first glance, but it was actually a suit of incredibly fine scale mail. Over the armor, the man wore a billowing, almost transparent gray cloak, which fluttered wildly in the air as if it was made out of smoke. He also wore a pointy helm decorated with white wings on each side and a plume of white hair on top.

Since the helm had no visor, the face of the knight was perfectly visible, his strong but also somehow delicate features covered in many little scars, and a completely white goatee covering his chin.

The knight also radiated an Aura of confidence and strength that was almost palpable.

“My name is Yasen Harp, Captain of the Royal Knight,” the man introduced himself with an elegant bow. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” He raised his head and smiled even brighter. “Also, let me commend your bravery. Standing behind and facing such an enemy to allow your friend to escape was nothing short of heroic.”

The Hive Queen wanted to say it hadn’t been heroic at all, that the gargoyle targeted him specifically, and he had no other choice. Before he could reply, the last gargoyle charged at Harp with an howling scream, closing the distance between them in a matter of seconds.

“Careful!” Marcus cried. “It’s com—”

Before the Hive Queen could even finish his warning, Yasen moved with incredible speed, pulling his glaive from the gargoyle’s corpse and turning around to face the new threat. The humanoid threw itself at the warrior, and the knight slashed it down with his weapon so fast, it only appeared as a silver flash.

There was a sudden gust of wind, and the gargoyle’s body flew in two different directions, cut neatly in half. Black blood sprayed everywhere, some even getting on Marcus.

The knight turned once again to the Hive Queen, still smiling, but then he grimaced when he noticed the bloodstains on the monster-girl.

“Oh, I am mortified,” he said. “Sorry for that, Lady Marcus. Here, use this to clean yourself, milady.”

He produced a white, immaculate napkin from somewhere under his cloak, handing it to Marcus. The Hive Queen took it by reflex, but said nothing, as he was too busy processing what was happening to even speak.

“I’d advise you to retreat to the palace, Lady Marcus,” the knight continued. “Things could get dangerous on the streets. But don’t worry, now that I’m here, we should have no problem holding these creatures back until the rest of the reinforcements arrive.”

And with those words, he faced the barricade where the battle was still raging and darted toward it. He didn’t even run, he simply flew like an arrow, covering a hundred meters in a single jump and landing in the middle of the fight.

What followed could only be described as a one-sided massacre.

Yasen moved with incredible speed and grace, seemingly floating in the air like a feather. He dodged every attack with contemptuous ease, and his glaive cut through the goblins like a red-hot knife. Moreover, a gust of wind accompanied each of his swings, sending the enemies flying in the air like leaves.

Yasen passed through the enemy formations like a tornado, leaving an inhuman destruction behind him and looking more like a force of nature than a mortal warrior.

Meanwhile, Marcus was still sitting on the ground, incapable of averting his eyes from the massacre Yasen was inflicting upon the goblins, completely mesmerized by that inhuman display of strength. And for some reason, he felt… weirdly warm inside while watching the knight show off his power and skills.

“Marcus?” a voice called him from behind, making him jump in surprise. He immediately turned and saw Klara was staring at him, still carrying Felix on her shoulder.

“Marcus, are you okay? You look… weird.”

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing!” the Hive Queen replied, feeling very awkward for some unknown reason. “I am just… I do not know. Maybe I just need to rest. I was very scared when the gargoyle was chasing me.”

“So was I.” Klara nodded. “And thank you.”

“For what?”

“For staying behind to give me the time to run.”

“Oh, you don’t have to thank me for that,” Marcus replied. “The gargoyle was chasing me, not you. Even if I had left you behind, it would have continued to chase me.”

“Well, in any case, you stood there and gave me the time to run,” Klara said, with a smile. “And luckily, Captain Harp came just at the right time to save you.”

“You know him?” Marcus asked, curious.

“Everyone in Medelan knows him. He’s a celebrity in this kingdom and even the lands beyond. The captain of the Royal Knight. The hero of Numa Valley. The Defender of the Realm. The Knight of the Wind.” Klara giggled. “I don’t know if all the stories about him are true, but even if just a third of them are, then he’s a formidable warrior. If he’s here, we could manage to hold the city after all.”

“Do you really think he can push back the goblins by himself?” Marcus asked. “I mean, he is just one person, no matter how strong he is.”

“I think so. But I’m not sure. These goblins have been unpredictable, so it’s better to not underestimate them. I think getting inside the palace and near the tunnel you spoke about wouldn’t hurt.”

“Yes, I think so too,” Marcus said.

He once again slid under Felix’s arm, helping Klara to carry the young man, and they walked away toward the palace.

Still, he couldn’t help but mentally watch Yasen Harp through the eyes of his drones. The knight had just pushed away the goblins from the northern barricades, routing them and making them run away in terror, and now he was flying toward the eastern barricade, which was also under great pressure. He looked practically invincible, as if nothing could stop him. For some reason, watching him in action made Marcus’s heart beat faster. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, but it made him feel rather awkward.

Seriously, what the diggitly daggitly swooping fuck is going on! he thought, feeling his face blushing.

* * *

A single, out of breath runner came to the goblin HQ, pushing everyone in his path away while screaming at the top of his lungs.

“General! General! There’s bad news from the northern army!”

Trakk, who was sitting at a table, studying a map of the city, raised his head and stared right at the messenger.

“Speak up. What’s going on?”

“Our forces have been pushed back! A human in silver armor has dropped from the sky and has killed our forest gargoyles! And then he single-handedly pushed us back!”

Almost everyone present gave the messenger a look full of disbelief, thinking he’d gone crazy. The general remained completely serious with his face turning sour as he narrowed his eyes.

“That’d be Captain Harp of the Royal Knights, I think,” he commented. “This isn’t good. I wasn’t expecting him to be here so soon. He must have left the rest of the knights behind to fly here to help the city by himself.”

“Fly!” one of the general’s aides asked in disbelief. “What do you mean that human can fly?”

“He’s not exactly a human,” Trakk corrected. “He’s half Wind Djinni, and his heritage does indeed grant him various powers, including the ability to fly.”

“How do we deal with him, sir?” another aide asked. “Should we send the rest of our Champions against him?”

Trakk didn’t answer. Instead, his eyes went vacant as he became seemingly lost in thought. It took him a few moments to consider all the possibilities and choose the best course of action, but when he was done, he sighed with resignation.

“Sound a general retreat and prepare a messenger with a white flag. We’re going to ask for another truce with the humans.”

All the other goblins remained in a silent shock for a few moments, too surprised to say anything.

“B-but, sir!” one of them finally cried. “If we do that, we won’t be able to take the city before the enemy reinforcements arrive!”

“Yes, I’m well aware of that. I just don’t think taking the city is worth it anymore.”

The other goblins stared at him in disbelief, as if they couldn’t believe what he’d just said.

“But, General, we suffered a lot of losses in order to conquer this city. We can’t just give up like this!”

“He’s right!” another hobgoblin said. “We can’t give up just because this half-human thing showed up. We can send out our Champions and take him down!”

The other goblins voiced their disapproval while giving Trakk some very furious stares. A few of them even gripped their weapons, as if they were about to physically attack the general. But Trakk remained silent, staring coldly at them and then tapped three times on the table with his fingers.

In response to that signal, a few figures appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, surrounding the rioting goblins. One of these newcomers was Arag the Spider Goblin, and the others were either Goblin Champions or rare, dangerous goblin subspecies. They were the general’s personal bodyguards, who doubled as his assassins, and their sinister reputation was well-known among the goblins. In response to their appearance, the protesting aides froze, realizing the mortal danger they were in.

“Anyone else want to complain?” Trakk asked coldly, and when no one replied, a sardonic grin spread across his face. “Good. Now that you’ve cooled down, I’ll tell you why we’re giving up on the city, and then you can start following my orders again. Or if you wish, my bodyguards can kill you where you stand right now. Are we clear?”

The protesting goblins looked at the guards and nodded.

“Very well. Now listen. Taking this city is not our main objective. It would have been better if we did, but it’s not vital. What is really important is showing the humans what we can do, while simultaneously preserving as much of both our fighting forces as possible for what’s to come.” He pointed at the center of the city. “If we send in all of our elite forces, we would indeed have a chance to take down Captain Harp. But it’d cost us. We’d likely lose most of our Champions and ogre-hobs, and most importantly, we’d have to kill Harp too. And, in case you forgot, we need him to face the real enemy that threatens us all.”

The faces of the goblins present turned sour, but a few of them showed a spark of comprehension, realizing the motivations of the general.

“Besides, we already have more than two thousand prisoners we can use as leverage,” Trakk continued, trying to soothe the worries of his aides. “The situation isn’t that bad. Taking the city would have been a good bonus, but we can make do with what we already have.”

The goblins nodded in response, seemingly a little more at ease.

“Very good,” the general said. “And now obey my orders. Sound a general retreat and prepare to send a messenger to the humans. Any more time we waste here means more goblins dying senselessly.”

* * *

The southern barricade was basically a bloodbath. Following the assault of five huge forest gargoyles, the goblins managed to break through the defensive lines in three places.

“Push them back!” the marquis cried, cutting down a goblin.

He and his bodyguards had joined the fight in order to boost the morale of the defenders and allow them to hold, but the situation was desperate. The marquis was about to order his men to retreat, as the position was basically lost, when the sound of a horn echoed in the air, coming from the southern part of the city. The goblins stopped advancing, seemingly confused. Then, slowly, almost reluctantly, the humanoids started falling back, leaving the barricades to the defenders, who were far too tired and battered to chase them.

The soldiers of Brettholz watched with incredulity as the enemy retreated. The Vex kept staring with their emotionless, alien eyes until the last of the goblins disappeared, leaving only their casualties behind. Then, from the back lines, one of the soldiers started cheering, soon followed by all the others, until the street echoed with their cries of victory and relief.

The only one who wasn’t exulting was the marquis, who stared at the direction the goblins had gone, almost as if he expected them to reappear and start their attack anew.

“Why have they retreated?” he asked no one in particular. “They were about to win, and this retreat will allow us to rest and organize our formations. So why did they do it?”

Then, a single figure appeared on the street, coming from one of the alleys. It was a human-hob who was slowly and carefully approaching the barricade. Many soldiers grabbed their weapons, ready to defend themselves against some sort of dirty trick, while the archers took aim on the lone humanoid.

For a moment, the marquis thought about letting them shoot the goblin down, but then he noticed he was carrying a white flag. In fact, it seemed to be the same messenger that had come to parley when the goblins first arrived.

Eisen was tempted to let the archers shoot him, but he decided against it. At least he could buy some time for the reinforcements to arrive while talking.

“Stop! Hold fire! Let him talk.”

The goblin continued to advance until he was just a few dozen meters away from the barricade, then he stopped.

“I am here to parley with Marquis Eisen!”

“I am here!” the marquis shouted back. “What do you want, goblin?”

“We want a truce.”

For a moment, everyone was too incredulous to speak. Then, an outraged, angry murmur slowly raised from most of the defenders, though there were a few who remained silent, a flash of mad hope flashing in their eyes.

“Quiet!” the nobleman ordered his soldiers. He turned to the goblin and asked, his voice full of hostility, “Why should we grant you a truce, goblin? Reinforcements are on the way, and once they arrive, they will kill you all. We just have to resist a little longer and we’ll win.”

“We can still take the city,” the human-hob replied. “But we wish for no further bloodshed. Especially because we’re both gonna need our forces to face an enemy that threatens us all.”

The marquis was speechless. He hadn’t expected that kind of answer.

“And what would this enemy be?” he asked, suspicious.

“A huge army of orcs and ogres is coming,” the goblin replied, his voice steady. “They are currently busy conquering and eating all other species on their way, and they are heading north. They should reach Medelan in less than a year.”

The marquis blinked in surprise, then he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Sure, orcs were terrifyingly strong, and ogres even more so, but they were also dim-witted brutes that lacked any sort of social organization beyond small tribes and the rule of the strongest. Any host of orcs larger than a dozen individuals would inevitably fall apart due to infighting. The thought of them operating as a unified army was utterly ridiculous.

“An army of orcs?” he asked, his voice full of spiteful derision. “And you expect me to believe that? No one has ever heard of such a thing in the last thousand years! And even then, according to the stories, the orcs were always led by an Oni when they gathered in such numbers. Next are you going to tell me an Oni is leading this army?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” the messenger replied, deadly serious.

Eisen would have wanted to laugh off these words as nonsensical lies, but something prevented him from doing so. Sure, the story of an army of orcs led by an Oni that was coming to Medelan seemed like a tall tale, an old legend the goblin was exploiting to better manipulate him.

But at the same time, if it was true, then not only Brettholz, but the entire kingdom and maybe even the realms beyond were in grave danger.

The defenders had everything to gain from a truce, which would buy enough time for the reinforcements to arrive, while he couldn’t really see what advantage the goblins could possibly get from it. Agreeing to the truce seemed like the best option, whether the goblin was lying or not.

“I agree to the truce,” he said, and with these words, the battle was finally over.

Chapter 64

Wine and Whining

The sun was setting, painting the western sky in a bright crimson, but that light didn’t reach far into the east where a storm brewed, and a wall of jet-black clouds covered the horizon. A cold wind came from the east, heralding the arrival of winter with its icy breath. All those who could stayed in their homes, crowding in front of the fireplace.

Marquis Eisen didn’t have such a luxury, since he had to meet with the goblin leader on neutral grounds to negotiate the terms of the truce. He just tightened his cloak around his shoulder, trying not to shiver. The Royal Knights accompanying him didn’t betray any sign of uneasiness despite being covered head to toe in full plate metal armor without even a cloak over it. Only Yasen Harp, who walked beside the nobleman, seemed to acknowledge the sudden drop in temperature, and even then, he seemed to do so only for the sake of conversation.

“Seems like winter is coming early this year, doesn’t it?” he asked, though he personally seemed completely unbothered by it. “We’re probably going to get snow soon.”

Eisen nodded absentmindedly, too focused on the many problems, either present or potential, that plagued his mind like a murder of crows.

For starters, there was the matter of the goblins. They were still occupying most of the city, although they hadn’t attacked again, and they did let the reinforcements go through the gates to reach the center of the city. Now that three hundred Royal Knights had joined the defenders, the marquis was pretty sure they could definitely defeat the goblins.

There were just so many of them that chasing them out of the city could still prove to be quite difficult if they decided to defend their positions. With the hypothetical threat of the orc army looming in his battered brain, the nobleman wasn’t willing to take any losses right now.

Which led to the second cause of his worries: the orcs.

Eisen didn’t know if it was real or not, but in ancient legends, orc hordes were often compared to natural calamities. Incredibly destructive and seemingly unstoppable. The thought of one such horde coming to ravage his lands sent a chill down the marquis’s spine.

In addition to these two great threats, there was also a plethora of other relatively smaller problems and details that crowded Eisen’s head. The loss of two thousand people at Piper’s Brook, the damage to the towns and villages, and the costs of maintaining the soldiers on his territory would economically cripple the province of Brettholz for many years to come. Since the marquis had been unable to stop this from happening, he would also lose a lot of support and prestige in the kingdom, thus making finding help even more difficult than it ought to be.

And then there was the matter of the Vex, which was probably the most complicated. Despite the fact they had been nothing but helpful, they were still an enigma. No one knew what they were exactly or where they came from, but they had perfectly shown they were really dangerous. They all had an uncanny discipline and coordination, and their warriors and heavies were strong enough to make even Aura Users careful. Coupled with their incredibly fast reproductive rate and their ability to assume various different forms, they were already an enemy potentially more dangerous than the goblins.

And that was without considering the possible mental powers that their queen possessed.

The real problem was that Marcus was just so friendly, helpful, and even oddly humane in her behavior that the marquis felt bad for doubting her. The little monster-girl and her minions were the true saviors of Brettholz. His city would have fallen to the goblins without their help, and they had shown multiple times that they could be trusted. Eisen felt he ought to have nothing but gratitude toward the Vex Queen, but despite this, he couldn’t help being somewhat wary of her ever since he learned about her mental powers. Mainly because he couldn’t be completely sure whether or not his feelings were genuine or psychically induced.

Sure, his gut was telling him he could trust her, but in this situation, he didn’t know if he could trust his gut.

Lost in his dark thoughts, the marquis remained silent for quite a long while, and Yasen, noticing just how upset his old friend was, patted his back to get his attention.

“Hey, Eisen!” the captain of the Royal Knights said. “What’s wrong? You know you can talk to me about it, if you want.”

“It’s just…” the nobleman replied, struggling to find the right words. “There are so many things to worry about. All of these creatures coming out of the forest. The goblins, the Vex, and now even the orcs! I swear, I wouldn’t be surprised if a flight of dragons turned up at my door tomorrow.”

“Don’t tempt fate,” Harp said with a smirk. “You never know if the gods may be listening.” He paused for a second, and then he chuckled before adding, “Speaking of which, weren’t you the one always complaining about living in boring times? You should be happy things are becoming more interesting.”

Eisen couldn’t help but laugh at this statement, especially because it was completely true.

“Yes, it was quite foolish of me!” he said, his voice a bit more lively. “If I’ve learned something these days, it’s that reading about interesting times is much better than living through them.”

“That’s the wisdom that comes with experience. Though I think that at least one of your worries has no reason to be.”

“Oh?” Eisen was taken by surprise by this statement. “And which one would it be?”

“The Vex,” the captain said. “Or at least, their queen. I really think we can trust her, at least for the time being.”

“Oh, and why would you think that?” the nobleman asked, a tad suspicious. He didn’t think the mental powers of the queen could work on an Aura Master of Yasen’s caliber, but you never knew.

“Because I’ve seen that young lady in action with my own eyes,” Yasen replied. “She stayed back to face the gargoyle by herself in order to give her friends the time to get away. And the Aura she was emitting while doing so…” The Aura Master smiled with approval, recalling the memory. “It was so powerful, I could read it clearly even from far away. It was desperate. Defiant. Brave. Determined. And incredibly honest, almost naively so.” He gave the marquis an encouraging smile. “I don’t think someone with an Aura like that would be capable of duplicity or betrayal.”

“Yes, she gives me this impression too, but…” Eisen hesitated before revealing his suspicions. “Hoggs believes she possesses some kind of telepathic powers, and that she could be able to influence other people’s minds, so I don’t know if I can trust my instincts in this case.”

“Did she actually do anything shady or threatening?” Yasen asked.

“Well, no. Not that I know at least.”

“Then the feeling you have is probably genuine,” the captain concluded. “Actions carry more weight than words or feelings, or they should do so at least.”

“But what if she’s dangerous?” the marquis protested.

“Oh, she certainly is,” Yasen replied with a smile. “Her Aura alone is so powerful, she could influence or even harm others with it, even by mistake. And on top of it, she controls an army of those Vex creatures. But just because someone is dangerous, doesn’t mean they can’t be friendly. We’ve been friends for years after all, and I’m probably one of the most dangerous men in Medelan.”

Eisen nodded slowly, since he had to admit his friend had a point. But still, he wasn’t completely reassured.

“You’re right, Yasen. But I still don’t know enough about her and her species to be completely sure. I mean, how can we know that her species doesn’t turn into mindless murderous monsters when the red moon is covered or something like that?”

“Then keep an eye on her.” The Aura Master shrugged. “At least give her the benefit of the doubt. And stop worrying so much; it’s bad for you. Life is full of risks and uncertainties. Learn to accept them and live on. Besides, you have bigger fish to fry at the moment. There are a lot of goblins still in your city, for starters, and then there is this alleged orc invasion coming up. I’d say the matter of psychic bug-girls can wait.”

Eisen smiled at these words. His friend was always like this, only worrying about the problems directly in front of him. At least he helped him relax a little bit. And besides, he wasn’t wrong, at least on this occasion.

“Well, you’re right,” Eisen said, his voice a bit more serene. “Let’s start dealing with the goblins, for now.”

And without further ado, the group proceeded toward the square where the goblin leader waited to negotiate the terms for the truce.

* * *

The place chosen for the meeting was the now deserted Brettholz’s market square, mostly because it was a big open space that would make a potential ambush difficult. When the humans arrived, a small cloth pavilion had been built at the center of the square, and a few goblins were waiting in front of it. The Medelan delegation advanced steadily but with caution, scanning the area for possible threats. They couldn’t find any by the time they arrived at the pavilion. One of the goblins, a human-hob who wore chainmail and was almost certainly a Goblin Champion, bowed and parted the curtain to allow them to enter.

“Do come in,” said a rich voice from the inside.

Eisen and Yasen looked at each other, and the captain nodded. The marquis then entered the tent.

The inside of the pavilion was surprisingly warm thanks to a couple of braziers that provided both heat and a dim light. There was also a wooden desk with a few glasses and a bottle of wine on top of it and three wooden chairs.

Sitting on one of those chairs was a goblin. He looked pretty much like an average human-hob, save for a straighter posture and some slightly more refined features. At the same time, he had something that set him apart from the rest of his kind. Neither human could tell what it was, but they were certain the one in front of them wasn’t a common hobgoblin.

“Greetings,” the humanoid saluted them, speaking in flawless Imperial. His voice was rich and refined, the voice of an expert orator. “Marquis Eisen Brett and Captain Yasen Harp, I suppose?”

The two humans exchanged a look. Sure, these goblins had been surprisingly civilized for their kind, but they wouldn’t have expected for one of them to be like this.

“Yes,” Eisen confirmed. “And who might you be?”

“My name is Trakk,” the goblin replied. “I’m the leader of this army. Please, have a seat and pour yourself some wine, if you want. It’s Castillar Bloodwine 2197, an excellent year.”

“We are perfectly comfortable standing up, thank you,” the nobleman replied coldly. “And we have no need for wine. Let’s just get down to business.”

“Very well then,” Trakk said. “Let’s talk business.”

The hobgoblin stared at the two men in front of him.

“First off, let me tell you that the orc army is indeed real, and it’s coming to the north from the Caligare Forest. Currently, they should be busy fighting another two races, the Rantul and the Piraca, for the control of the Greenward Mountains. It won’t take long for them to win, if they haven’t already. Besides, raiding orc parties are already scouring the north, searching for prey. Many of the southern goblin tribes have been destroyed, and the survivors have escaped north.” He gave a very serious look at the marquis. “According to my calculation, those raiding parties will reach Medelan during the spring, if not sooner. And after that, we can expect a full force invasion.”

Eisen remained silent during this explanation, just listening and processing what he heard.

“You’re saying the orcs are going to come in about six months from now,” he said with a bitter voice. “This means we have plenty of time to wipe out your little army and prepare for the orcs, am I wrong?”

“That is only technically true,” the goblin replied calmly. “While you should be able to defeat us, it’d be costly. And trust me, you’re going to need every scrap of military might you can muster if you want to stand a chance against the orcs.”

“I think we can manage,” Eisen said, sounding rather pissed. “Destroying your army wouldn’t really impact our forces that much. And even if it did, we can always ask for help from the rest of the Empire or even from the Federation.”

Yasen gave the marquis a worried look after he made the last statement. Trakk, however, simply smiled with confidence, completely unfazed.

“And I think you are quite wrong on all points, my dear Marquis,” he said. “First, you are greatly underestimating the threat the orcs pose, for their numbers can be counted not in hundreds but in thousands.” These words caused Eisen to look at the goblin in disbelief, but Trakk continued speaking nonetheless. “Second, you are mistaken if you think you can easily destroy my army. We still have a few aces up our sleeves, and the only reason we haven’t used them is because they would have caused too many casualties, especially amongst your civilians, thus making any diplomatic activity between us even more difficult than it is presently.

“If you fight us now, you are going to lose at least a third of your Aura Knights and half of your total forces, and since we won’t hold back anymore, you can expect a lot of civilian casualties as well. And as for getting help from the Empire or the Federation, well…” He made a vague gesture. “These are hard times. As far as I know, the Roks are getting more active, threatening the borders of Castillar, while the tensions are rising between the Federation and the Djinni Dominate. I doubt you’d get much help from either, at least not until the orcs have taken so much of your territory they threaten their borders.”

The marquis blinked in surprise when the goblin talked about the Federation and the Empire and quickly looked at Yasen, who gave him a grim nod to confirm the goblin’s assessment was accurate.

Eisen grimaced, silently berating himself for not paying attention to the international politics as of late. Then a question surfaced in his mind.

“How is it that a goblin like you knows so much about foreign countries?” he asked with suspicion. “It’s not as if the couriers bring newspapers in the Caligare Forest.”

“They don’t,” Trakk replied with a smile. “But they do bring them to some of the villages near the border of the forest, and your people just throw them away after they’re done reading. Just rummaging through the trash of some of your settlements is enough to stay up to date on what’s happening in the world.”

“Fair enough,” Eisen said impatiently. “So you’ve convinced me these orcs are a serious threat. That’s just more reason to deal with you right now, instead of waiting until after our forces are weakened in the conflict against the orcs.”

“What if you don’t have to deal with us in a violent manner at all?” the hobgoblin asked.

The marquis gave him a grim look. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that we could become allies. After all, the orcs do threaten us all, and if they get here, they won’t make distinction between goblins and humans.”

These words were followed by a long silence as Eisen stared at the goblin with incredulity.

“Let me get this straight,” the nobleman asked, anger in his voice. “You have invaded my lands, killed my men, besieged my very town, and now you want a goddamn alliance with me?”

“Technically, yes, but keep in mind, we didn’t really have much choice. It was either that or face the extinction of my people.”

“How? What do you mean?”

Trakk sighed and made a dramatic gesture. “My army is not just the largest host of goblins ever seen since the time of legends. It’s also the majority of the goblin survivors of the Caligare Forest.” Sadness plagued his eyes. “In the last five years, the forest has become more deadly and inhospitable than it was before, and the orcs are just the tip of the iceberg. The Rantul and the Piraca have started expanding their territories, while the beasts and the monsters have become more aggressive, and even the dragons have become more active. And to make things even worse, there have been a lot more natural disasters, like fires, famine, and droughts.”

Trakk grimaced. “Most of the goblins inside the forest have died, and the survivors fled north, where they have banded together under my rule. Together, we have managed to resist for a while, but the forest is not a good place for any civilization bigger than a few tribes. The territory is not suitable for farming, and we’re soon going to exhaust our sources of food. Which means we have to move somewhere else. A place where we can actually cultivate the land and form a peaceful, civilized society. And with your permission, we would like to do so in your province.”

“What!” Eisen cried in disbelief. “You mean that on top of everything you have done, you expect me to give you my lands?”

“Of course not. What we want is for you to allow us to live on your lands as your vassals.”

“What did you say?” the marquis asked, looking fairly confused.

“I said we want to live on your lands as your vassals,” the goblin repeated. “It shouldn’t really be a problem. From what I know, the province of Brettholz is sparsely populated, and the southeastern region has already been completely evacuated. We could easily settle in there.” Trakk noticed the nobleman was still looking at him with outrage, and added, “Before you answer, I’d ask you to think of the possible benefits you’d gain from it.

“Not only would we help you in the fight against the orcs as your allies, you would also get a lot of relatively cheap manpower that could be used to upstart the economy of the province.” He smiled brightly at Eisen, the same smile a skilled merchant would use to convince a client to buy their wares. “Provided we manage to defeat the orcs first. You could make up for the losses we caused in just a year and turn Brettholz into the most prosperous province of the kingdom!”

“Except that can’t make up for the loss of human lives,” the marquis said with hard eyes. “A lot of people died because of you, both here in the city and at Piper’s Brook, and I couldn’t ignore that even if I wanted to.”

Unfazed, Trakk just nodded in response. “I thought you’d feel this way. Allow me to tell you there are a lot less casualties than you may think, mostly because the people you left behind at Piper’s Brook are still alive and well.”

“How’s that possible!” the marquis cried, once again taken by surprise.

“It’s simple really,” Trakk explained. “We hardly killed anyone at Piper’s Brook, as your army surrendered when they were surrounded, and we took them all as prisoners.”

“Where are they, then?” Eisen asked.

“Somewhere safe. We are treating them well for now, feeding them and avoiding any unprovoked mistreatment, and we are willing to release them once we reach an acceptable agreement.”

“Are they hostages?”

“Only technically so. What we really offer is our allegiance and our military help against the orcs,” Trakk said. “The release of the prisoners is just to make sure you wouldn’t reject our offer out of spite.”

After that, the marquis fell silent, thinking about what he should do. Then, after a few moments, he looked Trakk in the eyes.

“In all of this, there is one thing I don’t understand. Why have you attacked us if you wanted to ally with us to begin with? Couldn’t you have just come in peace, told us about the orcs, and offered your help?”

“I wish it could have been so simple,” Trakk said with a bitter smile. “But… before our invasion, would you have really thought an alliance with a bunch of goblins would have been worthwhile? You people of Medelan usually consider us to be little more than animals, and it would have been unlikely you would have taken us seriously. We needed to show you that we could really hold our own in battle and act like a civilized and unified army rather than a collection of savage tribes.

“This has been a little wake-up call for you. If the orcs had arrived while you were still unprepared, they could have gained enough momentum to become unstoppable by the time you actually gathered your forces. But that’s not a problem now, since you have already mobilized in order to face us, and I expect you will be much more on your guard from now on. And if I am to be completely sincere, we also wanted to take you prisoner, together with this city, in order to have an advantageous position during the negotiations.

“Our future is at stake here. We wanted to take any possible advantage we could have, and if things had gone according to our plans, we would have ended our little conflict with barely any casualties on either side. We had already captured your army, and we would have caught the city without a fight too.” Trakk sighed heavily. “The appearance of those weird lizard-bugs sure did throw a wrench in my plans, but by the time they appeared, we were already committed to try and take the city. Hence that mess of a battle that followed.”

“A battle, I might add, that we won,” the marquis said. “You never managed to pierce through our lines, in spite of your numerical superiority and your underhanded tricks.”

“Oh, please, dear Marquis!” Trakk said with a smirk. “Do not be that naive. Do you really think that you would have won, even with the help of the Vex, if we didn’t hold back for fear of hurting your civilians? We could have easily burned the whole city down or poisoned your water reserves and many other things you wouldn’t have been able to defend against. But we didn’t, because we wanted to have some civilized negotiations with you after the fighting was over.”

Eisen didn’t like this explanation, but he could see the goblin did have a point. Besides, from the tone of his voice, Trakk seemed completely honest, if arrogant for a goblin.

If the people he left behind at Piper’s Brook were still alive, he would have to do everything in his power to free them, that was for sure. And if Trakk was right about the orc army, he would really need all the help he could get, including the Vex and the goblins. While the first ones had done a lot to prove their loyalty and had never been hostile, the latter had launched an unprovoked attack on his lands, and he didn’t really trust them further than he could throw an adult dragon.

Having them stay on his lands without proper surveillance would be unacceptable. At the same time, he could see the advantages of having them as his subjects, and their army would be a great boon against the orcs. Not to mention, he didn’t want to refuse their offer outright for fear they might hurt the hostages in retaliation.

What could he do?

An idea flashed in his mind. Sure, his lands were sparsely populated, but they were pretty vast, and he could easily afford to give the goblins the southeastern region and still leave a buffer zone between them and the lands where the human and beastmen inhabitants would reside.

So, what if he gave that buffer zone to Marcus and the Vex?

The more he thought about it, the more he liked this idea. From what he’d seen, the Vex multiplied very quickly and were strong enough they would be able to keep the goblins in check. And they’d proven their loyalty. The marquis trusted them more than the goblins to share a border with his people. Since their new home would be threatened by the incoming orcs, the Vex would be forced to help against them.

And finally, having the Vex and the goblins in an isolated corner of the province would mean he could easily keep them under control, should either of them try to betray him.

He nodded, confirming the decision inside his head, and turned to Trakk.

“I think we can come to a temporary agreement. I will extend the truce and allow you to move into the southeastern part of my province, but in exchange, you will release your hostages. In the meantime, I’ll also try to confirm the presence of the orcs before finalizing our negotiation.” He stared menacingly at the goblin. “But do not think, even for a moment, that I’ve forgiven you. If it turns out that you lied to me about anything, you will pay dearly for it.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing I told you the truth!” Trakk replied with a smile. “So, do we have a deal?”

“Before that, I need a confirmation that the hostages are still alive and well,” the marquis said with a hard tone. “Until you can prove that to me, I won’t concede anything to you.”

“Very well. I think I can arrange that. I’ll have some of the prisoners released and brought to you by tomorrow. They will confirm the rest are still alive. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, at least for now.”

“Excellent,” Trakk said, getting up from his chair and extending his hand. “Do we have a deal then, at least for now?”

After a moment of hesitation, the marquis shook the goblin’s hand.

“We do. But remember my words. If you try to deceive me, there will be hell to pay for you and your people!”

“I will try to keep that in mind,” Trakk replied with a smirk.

Chapter 65

A Random Encounter

The day was dark, as the light of the sun barely managed to pierce through the thick clouds that covered the sky. Moreover, an icy wind was blowing from the north, carrying the unmistakable smell of snow.

In short, it was a perfect day to spend lazily lying in bed, preferably with a mug of hot coffee and a good book.

Too bad Marcus couldn’t have any of those things. For starters, he didn’t know how to read in the local language, despite the fact that this world’s characters were almost identical to those of his world. Then, the kitchens of the palace were still out of coffee for the foreseeable future, despite the marquis’s reassurance that he had already ordered a new supply. And finally, Marcus’s bed was already occupied, forcing him to rest on the ground, albeit with a few pillows to make it at least marginally comfortable.

Felix was lying on the Hive Queen’s bed, completely motionless save for breathing. Beside the young man, sitting on a stool, was Klara, who was currently asleep as well, her head resting on the bed. She looked completely exhausted, which was understandable considering what she’d gone through.

Marcus himself didn’t feel much better. He was terribly tired and stiff, so he stretched himself and slowly stood up, taking a long breath. Then he repressed a cough, as the air in the room had a burning smell to it.

Gosh frigging dammit! he thought, scanning the room in search of fire. But there wasn’t any, just a few burned spots here and there, so he walked to the window and opened it in order to ventilate the room. A cold breeze blew on his face, quickly dissipating the burning smell in the room and making him feel better. It also woke Klara from her slumber, and the girl stood up, looking alarmed.

“I fell asleep,” she said, sounding quite displeased with herself. “Gods, I can’t even keep watch properly anymore.”

“You were tired,” Marcus said. “Besides, nothing else caught fire, so it is fine.”

“I guess you’re right,” she replied, not sounding entirely convinced. “Good morning, Marcus.”

“Good morning, Klara. How are you? And how is Felix?”

“I’m fine, all things considered.” Klara stretched her arms. “Felix has calmed down in the last few hours. He’s shown no sign of waking up yet, but he’s sleeping more peacefully.”

Marcus nodded. According to the healers, the apprentice sorcerer was afflicted by something called mage’s exhaustion, which was caused by him trying to cast a spell too powerful for his Aura. Thankfully, it wasn’t a serious case, and the boy would recover after a few days of sleep and quiet. The treatment was just to make him drink water with some nutrient powder mixed in to keep him hydrated and replenish his energies. However, there were also some unusual symptoms. The young man had a very agitated slumber, mumbling and sometimes even screaming in his sleep. He was unnaturally hot despite not showing any other sign of a fever. And small fires kept starting around him, which required someone to constantly guard him to prevent those fires from spreading.

These symptoms were supposedly caused by the nature of the spell he’d cast, a fire spell. Whatever the reason, this made it impossible to keep the young man in the infirmary, as he greatly disturbed both the healers and the other patients. And he couldn’t even stay in his room since it was made entirely out of wood. Because of this, Marcus offered his own room, which was made mostly out of stone and therefore safer.

He spent the night taking turns with Klara, nursing the young man and keeping watch for the fires. Luckily, these fires always started small and a glass of water was enough to extinguish them before they could turn into something serious. Still, spending the night like that had been hard, and the sheets of the luxurious bed were full of small burns, something for which he would have to apologize to the marquis later.

However, he didn’t really mind. Felix and Klara were his only friends, and he was happy to be of use to them. And after such a long time spent hiding and making the drones handle everything for him, doing something by himself made him feel useful.

“I can look after him now if you want,” Marcus offered, noticing the bags under Klara’s eyes. “You can sleep a bit more.”

“No, it’s fine,” the girl replied, shaking her head. “I’m used to staying awake for long periods of time. I always have trouble sleeping when the sun is up anyway. I’ll keep on nursing Felix for now.”

“Okay then. I want to have breakfast. Do you want something too?”

“Yes, a light breakfast would be good,” Klara said.

Marcus left, and after a few minutes, he was back carrying a couple of trays. On one of them was a mug of milk, a few slices of bread, cheese, and some fruits, while on the other was just a mug of milk and a pile of pieces of raw meat. The Hive Queen gave the first tray to Klara and kept the second for himself, sitting down on a sofa and devouring the raw meat with a voracious appetite.

That was good, he thought once he had finished. But I can’t shake the feeling that it’s a damn waste that I can finally have some good cooked food and I still prefer bloody raw meat!

He looked at Klara, who was still eating, and then around the room. For some reason, he felt kind of restless now that his hunger had been sated. He put it down to the fact that he hadn’t slept well that night and tried to distract himself by checking what was going on in town through the eyes of his drones. But the annoying sensation didn’t leave him. By the time Klara finished her own breakfast, he couldn’t stand it anymore.

“I need to take a stroll,” he announced, standing up. “Do you mind if I leave you alone for a while?”

“Feel free. Just be careful. We’re having a truce with the goblins, but you never know.”

“I will be careful,” Marcus promised, and took out a cloak from the wardrobe, donned it, and stepped out of the room.

* * *

A cold, icy wind was blowing, but the streets of Brettholz were still bursting with activity. A lot of people were clearing the streets of the rubble and repairing the damages caused by the battle. They were doing so at a very fast pace thanks to the help provided by the worker and heavy drones. A few shops were already open, and people were walking the streets more or less freely, slowly returning to their usual lives.

There were still some signs of tension. The southern part of the city was still occupied by the goblins, so everyone concentrated in the northern part. A lot of guards, knights, and Vex warriors patrolled the streets, while the Vex flyers scoured the sky. Luckily, these precautions didn’t seem to be necessary, as the goblins were respecting the truce. But it was better to err on the side of caution.

Marcus, covered head to toe in his cloak and with the hood up in order to both fend off the cold and hide his identity, strolled along the main northern street, between the palace and the northern gate, observing the people all around him. He was feeling marginally better, as the fresh air helped him clear his thoughts. Except the restlessness that plagued him refused to go away, no matter how much he walked.

In order to distract himself, he looked at the few merchant booths, which were showcasing their meagre wares, mostly spices and dried goods. Luckily, due to the cold, almost everyone wore either a cloak like his or heavy clothes, so he blended in the crowd and almost no one paid attention to him, save for a few knights who, for some reason, always seemed to pick him out amongst the crowd, although they didn’t actually stop him.

He was just about to go back to the palace when a familiar voice called for him.

“Lady Marcus!”

The Hive Queen turned and found himself face to face—or rather face to chest, since the difference in their heights was pretty big—with Yasen Harp. The captain of the Royal Guard was dressed in the same scale mail he had worn during the battle, but he didn’t have the helm on, letting his long, feathery white hair flow in the wind. He also didn’t have his humongous glaive with him, instead just carrying a normal scimitar on his belt.

Marcus’s uneasiness immediately shot up to eleven as soon as he laid his eyes on the man. He felt blood rushing to his cheeks, and he had to make a strenuous effort to speak without stuttering.

“Oh, uhm, hello, Sir Yasen,” he said rather awkwardly. “Good morning.”

“Good morning to you as well, Lady Marcus. What brings you on the streets of Brettholz, if I may ask? Are you out on some errand? May I be of assistance?”

“Oh, no,” the Hive Queen said. “I was just walking. And what are you doing here? Should you not be with the marquis, working on the truce and things like that?”

“I’m not really cut for diplomacy, I fear.” The man shrugged. “Instead of making a fool of myself during the negotiations, I’m just patrolling the city and making sure that the city is safe.”

For some reason, despite his confusion at the appearance of the man, Marcus felt something was off about this explanation. But before he could reply, the knight spoke again.

“Do you mind if I accompany you in your walk? I’d wish to exchange a few words with you.”

Of course I mind. Now fuck off and stop giving me gay thoughts, you bastard! Marcus frantically thought, but he didn’t actually say so.

“If… if you really want,” he replied instead, albeit rather reluctantly, hoping the knight would get the hint and leave him alone.

“Very good!” Yasen instead said with a bright smile. “I shall keep you company for this little stroll, then.”

Learn to read the fucking mood, you asshole! Marcus mentally screamed. I don’t want you with me, go away! Take your well-toned ass and your powerful, sexy body and bring them as far away as possible from me! He paused for a second, slowly processing what he’d just thought. Wait! What the hell was that?

The two walked side by side toward the palace with Marcus desperately trying to delete any gay thought from his mind.

“First, I must thank you, Lady Marcus, for your contribution to the defense of Brettholz,” Yasen said. “The city wouldn’t have held without you and your minions. You have my deepest gratitude and respect for that.”

“You are welcome,” Marcus replied, trying to keep his voice neutral.

There was a bit of an awkward silence after that, until the captain spoke again.

“May I ask what your plans are now that the city is free? Perhaps, are you going to stay and help against the orcs as well?”

“I hope not,” the Hive Queen immediately replied, and then, fearing his words would be misunderstood, added, “Ehm, not that I do not want to help, but… I had enough of fighting. I just want some peace and quiet. And I want to know more about…” He struggled to find the right words. “About the places outside the Caligare Forest. I know very little about it. I would love to travel and know more.”

“You certainly deserve some peace and quiet, milady,” Yasen said with a smirk, although Marcus slightly frowned at being called milady. “And wanting to know more about the world is certainly a praiseworthy aspiration. Still, it’s a shame. Your minions would have been a great boon to our forces in the conflict against the orcs. Couldn’t you leave some of your minions here to help us while you’re off travelling?”

“Ehm, no.” Marcus shook his head. “I need to be… close, in order to control them. When I am too far away, my minions don’t really… think clearly.” Marcus struggled to find a suitable definition. “I can give them some orders for when I am not here, but they need to be simple and that is not really good for a battle.”

Yasen stared thoughtfully at the Vex Queen, processing her words.

“I understand,” he said. “Well, as I just said, it’s a shame. We could certainly use all the help we can get against the orcs. But I’m sure we’ll manage somehow.”

Another brief, awkward silence followed, and this time, it was Marcus who broke it.

“So…. What exactly are these orcs? I have never met one before.”

“They are a species of humanoid that inhabits wild areas like the Caligare Forest,” Yasen explained. “And they are probably one of the most dangerous ones, because they are very strong and aggressive. They usually lack any sort of organization more complex than a tribe of a few dozen individuals, and they are prone to fight each other even more than they fight other species.”

“How is it possible they are united in a single big horde, then?”

“Because there must be either an ogre or an Oni guiding them. You see orcs get stronger by eating creatures with a strong Aura, be they animals, humans, or even other orcs. When they have eaten enough of them, they can evolve into an ogre, which is stronger, smarter, and more powerful than normal orcs. Since orcs have a ‘might makes right’ mentality, and the ogres are very powerful indeed, a single ogre can command dozens, if not hundreds, of orcs.”

“I see,” Marcus said. “These ogres, how strong are they?”

“Very strong. Strong enough to be a serious threat even for a higher-ranked Aura User. And still, according to the stories, they are pathetically weak compared to an Oni.”

“An Oni?” Marcus asked.

“Yes, an Oni. The legendary final stage of the orc evolution. There have been only three documented Oni in history, and according to the tales, each one of them has been a huge threat. Not only are they incredibly powerful by themselves, but they also instinctively command obedience in other orcs and ogres, allowing them to lead more effectively as a unified force rather than a collection of wild tribes. Of course, this is what the stories told us, because no one has even heard of an Oni in the last three hundred years.”

Now that the conversation had somehow taken off naturally, Marcus was feeling slightly more comfortable, to the point he was even able to look directly at the man without blushing or feeling awkward.

Hey, I don’t feel that weird attraction right now! I knew it! I don’t swing that way after all. Maybe I was just feeling gratitude for him saving me from that gargoyle.

“Anyway, I think I should be able to defeat an Oni,” Yasen continued with a confident smile. “I don’t mean to brag, but I am, after all, the strongest warrior in Medelan. I’ve already faced an ogre, and I’ve killed it rather easily. So, rest assured, me and the other Royal Knights should be able to fend off this orc invasion should it ever reach our lands.”

Marcus, having seen just how strong the knight was with his own eyes, didn’t really doubt his words. However, this casual mention of the man’s power caused the Hive Queen to blush once again, and he suddenly found himself staring at Yasen’s body with primal desire.

Oh, fuck me with a hockey stick! he silently cursed, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. Not again! I’m not gay, so why do I feel like this?

“Is everything all right, milady?” Yasen asked, having noticed some of the Hive Queen’s discomfort.

“Yes!” Marcus quickly replied. “I just… feel uneasy for some reason. I came out to walk because I hoped that I would feel better, but it got worse.”

“I hope you didn’t catch a cold, milady,” Yasen thoughtfully said, while staring at the monster-girl’s clothes. “Say, are you still wearing that… white tunic under that cloak?”

“Yes, I am,” Marcus replied, a bit surprised by the question. “It is my only piece of clothing right now, so I do not have a choice.”

“I see. Well, no offense, but that’s not a suitable dress for this cold weather. I’ll speak with Eisen about it, and have someone get some more decent clothes for you.”

“You do not have to worry—”

“Also, I think you may need a hot bath to shake off any cold you may have caught,” Yasen interrupted. “I’ll send word to have one prepared for you.”

This idea was actually really welcome to Marcus, who had dreamed of getting a hot bath for ages. Besides, his clothes, if they could be called such, were basically a dirty rag. Having some actual decent ones was not a bad idea. And to top it all off, he suddenly realized his current clothes could be very revealing if a draft hit him the wrong way, due to the fact that his tunic was a few sizes too large and he lacked any sort of underwear. With this, he felt very grateful for the cloak he was wearing right now.

“Thank you,” he replied. “A bath and some clothes would be good, but I hope it is not too much of a bother.”

“It’s no bother at all,” Yasen reassured him. “Not after everything you and your minions did for Brettholz. Which reminds me, Eisen is holding a banquet tonight in order to celebrate the liberation of the city and give a welcome to the newly released hostages of the goblins. He is also going to make a few official announcements, among which there should be your official reward for the help you provided. Would you care to attend?”

Marcus thought about it for a moment. He had never cared for mundane events even when he was human, and with his newfound distaste for crowds, he liked them even less. At the same time, he felt it would be polite to participate. Besides, improving his relations with the important people of this world could be very beneficial for him in the future.

“I… will attend this banquet,” he finally said after a moment of hesitation.

“Splendid! I’m glad you decided to participate.”

After that, the two finally reached the gates of the palace, and Yasen turned to Marcus.

“Well, now I must be off to see the marquis. And also, to ask him to prepare the clothes and the bath for you!” He bowed slightly toward the Vex Queen. “It was nice to talk with you, Lady Marcus. It was lucky that we got to meet on the streets.”

And with that, he walked away toward the marquis’s office. Meanwhile, Marcus, still rather flustered and confused, slowly moved toward his own room. However, even in his current state, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his meeting with Yasen had been anything but coincidental. Still, he didn’t really care, and the prospect of a hot bath was enough to put him in a good mood, despite the fact he still felt some of the restlessness from before.

Chapter 66

Extra Thicc!

Marcus was almost brought to tears when he first saw the bathroom that had been prepared for him. It was a rather big room with the floor and a third of the walls covered in dark blue tiles, a few wooden lockers, a dressing table, a sink, and a big mirror on one side, and finally, a monumental granite bathtub in the center. The tub, which was basically a small pool, was full of warm, steaming water, and near it on a small table were also a few glass bottles, a small bell, and a few towels.

“The bath is ready, Lady Marcus,” said the maid who accompanied him there. “We have also prepared some soap, conditioner, and body oil for you to use, and if you want to have cold water to wash yourself, just pull that cord over there.” She pointed at a cord dangling over the tub, connected to a copper shower head on the roof. “Do you require help in cleaning yourself?”

“No, no,” the Vex Queen replied distractedly, mesmerized by the bathtub. “I can clean myself.”

“Very well. I will leave you, then. Ring the bell if you need anything. When you’re done, the head maid will bring you your clothes.”

“Thanks,” Marcus said, and barely noticed the woman leaving, as all of his attention was focused on the hot water in front of him.

In only a few seconds, he took off his tunic and threw it to the ground before climbing over the edge of the bathtub and slowly getting inside.

Initially, he was a bit cautious, because he didn’t know how hot the water was and checking the temperature was difficult with his chitin-covered limbs. When his butt finally touched the surface, he confirmed the heat was bearable and let his entire body slide into the water.

What followed could only be described as pure bliss.

If there is a heaven, it should definitely feel like this.

As he floated in the hot water, he felt all of his stress and worries dissipate as his body relaxed, and his mind drifted away in a sea of calm serenity. Sure, there was still the telepathic link with his drones, but that was relegated into an isolated corner of consciousness, having been reduced to some sort of mental background noise.

He remained motionless like that for quite a long time, until the water turned from hot to barely lukewarm. Only then did he start cleaning himself, using a lot of soap and thoroughly washing every single spot of his body. The result was that once he stepped out of the tub, he was cleaner than he had ever been ever since he was born. Both times, in fact.

Letting out a sigh of pure delight, he walked to the side of the room with the sink and the dressing table while rubbing his hair with a towel and stopped in front of the mirror, which was bigger than the one he had seen in the abandoned inn, about twice his own height and almost as wide.

With idle curiosity, he studied his reflection.

He had cleaned up rather nicely. His skin and chitin armor were glistening, and his wet, auburn hair was lustrous like never before.

As he looked, he felt a weird sense of detachment from the image the mirror showed him. Even after such a long time in this new body, he still pictured himself as the athletic young man he had been in his previous life. The weirdly cute monster-girl that he saw as his reflection felt like a stranger.

He frowned for a moment, as this sensation was far from pleasant, but then he smiled as an idea about how to get used to it surfaced in his mind. It was silly and probably a little childish, but maybe, after being serious for so long, that was exactly what he needed.

For the following fifteen minutes, Marcus stood in front of the mirror, doing every silly pose and face he could think of. He stuck his tongue out, stretching it to its limit and discovering with surprise that it was at least twenty centimeters long and incredibly nimble. Then, with a mischievous smile, he used this newfound feature to realize one of the most elusive goals that all kids from all ages struggled to reach—licking his own elbows. Although that felt rather disappointing since he couldn’t actually feel the tongue on his elbow because of the chitin armor.

After that, he kept making silly poses while studying his own body. He was also surprised to realize how much control he had over his tail, to the point that he could even make it curl at will, and he marveled over how different a chest felt just because of the lack of nipples.

Finally, with a bit of fearful cautiousness, he also inspected his lower regions. At first, he tried to touch himself there directly, but that felt so weird that he immediately removed his hand as if he had touched fire. He shivered, thinking that maybe touching a sensitive spot with armored fingers wasn’t such a good idea. Then he just spread his legs to have a better look, trying to analyze what he saw as coldly and scientifically as possible.

The… thing looked pretty much identical to a human one, as far as Marcus could tell. It even looked—and he quite hated thinking of a part of himself in those terms—tight, despite all the abuse it suffered when laying eggs, something for which the Vex Queen felt extremely grateful.

In order to have a better look, Marcus turned around and bent over, looking at the mirror from between his legs. The image of himself in that position was actually rather silly, especially because his tail was up in the air and wiggling like a fat worm.

With a smile, Marcus started singing to himself while moving his tail.

“Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.”

As he moved, he also noticed that his butt cheeks were also visibly jiggling, something that caused him to smirk sadly.

Goddammit… he thought with regret. I have finally found the Holy Grail of spankable sweet asses I’ve always dreamed of, but it’s attached to my own rear. That’s some monkey’s paw bullshit right there!

Someone knocked on the door, causing the Vex Queen to jump in surprise. Unluckily, due to his already precarious position and the rather slippery floor, he immediately lost his balance and fell on the ground with a grunt of pain.

“Ouch!” he cried.

“Lady Marcus?” a deep, powerful, and yet feminine voice came from behind the door. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, yes!” Marcus shouted back. “Give me a moment!”

He immediately stood up and ran toward the table with the towels, taking the biggest one and wrapping it around his naked body.

“Come in,” he finally said once he was more or less presentable.

The door opened, and a huge white bear in a maid dress walked in.

It took a few seconds for Marcus to process what his eyes were seeing. Then he blinked in surprise and disbelief and went wide-eyed.

“W-what?” he muttered, utterly confused.

“Good evening, Lady Marcus!” the bear said in a cheerful tone while bowing slightly. “I am Olga, head maid of the palace!”

The Hive Queen was still speechless, but he slowly realized that the creature in front of him was not, in fact, just a bear in a dress. Her face and proportions were much more human-like than those of a normal bear. Her posture was more upright, and her corset was clearly struggling to contain what looked like a massive bosom. The bear was probably one of the beastmen, or Thulian, that Felix told him about.

Since he was still too stunned to speak, the bear woman took the initiative.

“Are you done with your bath, milady?” she asked.

“Oh, uhm, yes,” Marcus stuttered. “I was… just done.”

“Very well!” The head maid nodded. “Then I will assist you from now on.” She clapped her hands, and another couple maids came in, each carrying a pile of clothes.

“You can leave the clothes here,” Marcus said. “I can prepare by myself. There is no need to—”

“Oh, do not be shy!” the huge bear woman interrupted. “I am an expert at helping ladies getting dressed, and it has been too long since I had an occasion to practice my skills!” She made a slightly sour face while she kept talking. “Eisen should really entertain more ladies. But he spends all his time working and reading books! It’s no good for his health, I always say.”

“Uhm… really, I can do it by my—” Marcus started to say, but he couldn’t continue as Olga walked toward him, and gently but forcibly, pushed him in front of the mirror, where she made him sit on a stool.

“First, let’s take care of your hair!” she announced as a comb almost magically appeared in her hand. “You have such nice hair, Lady Marcus. It’s a shame you have taken no care of it. I could see the knots from far away. Then again, you have spent so much time in the forest, so you most likely didn’t have the means to take care of it, poor dear. Don’t worry, though, I’ll make sure that you get the proper care you deserve!”

And before the Vex Queen could say anything, the bear woman started combing his hair with fluid and experienced movements. True to her words, she was really skilled, and her huge hands were incredibly delicate and nimble, managing to untie the knots in Marcus’s hair without causing him any discomfort, so he reluctantly decided to let her do as she wanted. Besides, he really didn’t know how to stop that avalanche of fur and motherly affection that was running all over him.

Meanwhile, Olga kept talking, letting out a seemingly uninterrupted stream of words that jumped from subject to subject.

“Oh, it is nice to finally have a young lady to tend to again,” she said while combing. “Last time I could do so was when Count Luff and his wife came visiting for a hunting trip. Lady Luff was really a beautiful woman too, if a bit cold and haughty. Then again, aren’t all Imperial noblewomen like that?” She laughed. “The women of my country are quite different. In Zima, being a ruler is just another job, if an important one, but the Imperials always love to make a fuss about rank and nonsense like that.”

While she talked, her hands didn’t stop moving, combing and adjusting Marcus’s hair and then applying some kind of perfumed lotion on it.

“Now, what style would be good with your hair?” Olga mumbled. “They are really good looking, but not the kind of hair that would be put in a braid. Curls, then?” She paused for a moment and then shook her head. “No, no. Curls wouldn’t fit with your features. You have a lovely face, Lady Marcus, so cute and yet so exotic, but it’s so different from what I’m used to that I really do not know what style would go best with it.

“It is really quite the pickle. Maybe some makeup to make you look more refined?” She seemed to consider this option for a moment, much to Marcus’s dismay, and he was about to cry that he didn’t want any makeup when the bear woman shook her head. “No, that wouldn’t be right. Your face has a wild beauty to it, like that of a wild wolf in the tundra, and it wouldn’t do to try and tame it. Oh, that’s it! If changing your natural look won’t do, then I just have to valorize it!”

She kept combing for a while, following the natural flow of the hair, until she was satisfied with it.

“Very good!” Olga exulted. “I really managed to find a good style, if I can say so myself!”

Despite his uninterest in his own look, the Vex Queen had to admit this hairstyle really suited him. Most of his hair was now combed behind his head, with only a couple of long locks in front, and his bangs parted by his horn.

“Well, thank you, Miss Olga,” he said while getting up and turning to the bear woman, trying to be polite. “Now, if you leave the clothes here, I can do the rest by mys—”

“Oh, no dear!” the head maid interrupted him once again. “An artist should never leave a work incomplete! And choosing the right dress is half the work.”

Without even asking, the bear woman grabbed the towel Marcus was using to cover himself and yanked it away, leaving the Vex Queen completely exposed.

“Wait!” he cried, taken by surprise while trying to cover himself with his hands. “What are you—”

“Hmmmm, nice wide hips, but no breasts at all,” Olga said while staring at his body. “That’s tricky. A lot of the dresses I have won’t fit you, but I can certainly arrange something.”

Before Marcus could stop her, the bear woman clapped her hands again, and the two maids that had waited with clothes in their hands came closer, and the trio proceeded to storm all over the Hive Queen like a hurricane.

First, a pair of panties with a hole for the tail was swiftly put on him and a corset was forcibly fit on his bust. Then many dresses were put in front of him until the head maid decided on which one was the best, a dark blue sleeveless dress. A few boots and shoes were also tried, but they were quickly discarded as it became clear the Vex Queen’s armored feet were not really suited for shoes.

Then, as it was done, Olga took a step back and observed the results of her work. Marcus was left in a daze by everything that was happening to him, to the point he wondered if he should run back in the forest, where many things would try to kill him, but no one would smother him like that giant bear woman was doing.

“Not bad, not bad at all, all things considered,” she said. “You really have a peculiar figure, Lady Marcus, so I struggled a bit to find something that would complement it, especially since I had to make do with what I could find. But I think I managed. You lack the curves of a grown woman, so I decided to go for a girlish cuteness with this one, with a dab of exotic wildness.” She smiled with delight. “Oh, I can tell that you will make a lot of heads turn, that’s for sure!”

Marcus looked at himself in the mirror. He had trouble recognizing his reflection from just a few minutes before, and now the reflection he saw looked like yet someone else entirely. The more alien features of his body had been toned down by his current attire, while its femininity had been greatly enhanced, to the point he looked like some sort of alien Disney princess.

This did not sit well with him. At all.

“What the actual fuck!” he cried out, so pissed that he spoke in his native language. “What the hell is this? When I asked for clothes, I meant trousers and a shirt and things like those, not this posh shit here!”

“What?” Olga asked, confused by the foreign language of the Vex Queen.

It took a moment for Marcus to remember that the maid had no way to understand him if he spoke in English. He took a deep breath—which was harder than it should have been due to the corset—and spoke in the local language.

“I do not want these clothes,” he said as levelly as he could. “I want some male clothes. Pants and a shirt or a tunic.”

“But, Lady Marcus, that wouldn’t be proper!” the bear woman protested.

“I saw many women dressed like that in this town,” Marcus argued. “My friend Klara also wore male clothes, and no one batted an eye. I do not think it will be such a problem.”

“Well, it’s fine, if a bit rude, for women to wear men’s clothing at work,” Olga argued back with a bit of stiffness. “But it’s a completely different story for formal events.” She paused, gathering herself, and added in a sweeter tone, “I understand you may want to dress like your friends, dear. There is nothing wrong with it, and you are free to choose your own clothing in your everyday life. But if you can’t dress properly for events like this one, some people would look down on you.”

“I do not care,” Marcus replied with a shrug. “They can look down on me all they want, but I am still gonna wear the clothes I choose.”

Olga didn’t reply immediately, but her expression sobered noticeably, and she suddenly looked very serious.

“Listen, dear,” she said, in a delicate but adamant tone. “This is more important than you may think. If you act careless now, there could be serious consequences.”

“How so?” Marcus asked, taken a bit by surprise by the change in the head maid’s voice.

“Some Imperial humans, nobles in particular, are somewhat… prejudiced toward other races. Even us Thulians are not completely exempt from it, despite the fact that we are related to humans and have been allies for thousands of years. And in your case, it’s going to be even worse, because you belong to an entirely new species. There is bound to be some suspicion about you, and those people I spoke about will use it to attack you.

“Because of this, it is very important you give them as few things to work with as possible. Showing that you can follow our customs would be a great start. Besides, you do look adorable in that dress, and that is going to help even more. People would be wary of a wild and intelligent creature that came out of the Caligare Forest, but not as many would fear the same creature if it looked and acted like a small, cute, and polite little girl.”

The more he listened to that explanation, the more Marcus had to admit, albeit reluctantly, that the head maid had a point. After all, this wasn’t his old, modern world but a medieval, feudal society, and one from a completely different world to boot. He pretty much knew nothing about the local customs, nor did he understand what could be considered a grave offense or even a crime. Maybe it was better to do as he was told for the time being, no matter how much he loathed it.

He thought about it for a bit, and then he had to concede that wearing a dress for a banquet or two was indeed a small price to pay for having a more peaceful life.

It was still fucking humiliating, though.

“Fine,” he said with a sigh of resignation. “I will wear this dress. I would also like to know if there are things I am supposed to know about behaving during a banquet. If what you say is true, it is better to look as civilized as possible. However, I would like to have some male clothes for when the banquet is over. I do not want to wear a dress if it is not absolutely necessary.”

“I will have some prepared for you, then,” Olga replied with an approving nod. “Some of Eisen’s old clothes from when he was a young boy should fit you perfectly, I think. Still, it’s a shame. You look just so adorable in that dress, and I had many more to try on you. Oh well, I guess they can wait until the next formal occasion.”

Marcus shivered at the prospect of another clothing session with Olga and silently decided he was going to try and avoid as many formal occasions as possible.

He listened carefully when the head maid started to explain how to behave during a banquet. Marcus wanted to make the most out of the humiliation he decided to endure.

Chapter 67

Panic at the Feast

The marquis’s dining hall was completely full. More than two hundred men occupied many tables that filled the room, leaving only a small open corridor in the middle for the servants to bring wine, though the food would be served later after the official announcements. At the biggest table, which occupied one whole side of the room, Eisen himself sat at the center with Yasen at his right and another commander at his left. A few seats away, Marcus was marinating in unease.

He was hungry, tired, and bored. He found it difficult to breathe with the corset in the way, and he felt utterly ridiculous in his current dress. But the thing that annoyed him the most was the sheer presence of so many people, which made him feel claustrophobic. Almost as if they were pushing at him from all sides. To make things even worse, there were many who insistently stared at him, some with curiosity, others with suspicion, and others still with a weird appreciation that Marcus didn’t like at all and which made his skin crawl.

Still, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to bear it all. After all, he had already gone through the incredibly boring process of listening to Olga teaching him the proper manners he should follow, something which took him hours, and he didn’t want to waste that effort just because he was feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Besides, this event actually seemed pretty interesting beneath the droning, and he didn’t want to miss it. After all, it was a real medieval banquet inside a castle with a company of honest-to-God knights! Back in his old world, he would have been overjoyed to participate in such an event. Admittedly, that was before he got turned into a monster lizard-girl and was forced to wear a dress.

In order to distract himself from his own unease, Marcus tried to listen to the conversations of those around him. It was actually pretty difficult since the noise of everyone talking created a pretty loud background noise, but he did manage to catch a few words here and there.

The two knights on his right were talking about a place called the Duchy of Rasse. One was complaining about having spent the last months patrolling the border the kingdom shared with that area, while the other replied it was no surprise. Duke Rasse was a notorious nutjob violently obsessed with getting new lands, which had caused many troubles with his neighbors, Medelan included.

Meanwhile, in the table right in front of him, a huge, burly knight was busy loudly narrating his adventures in a place called Castillar, where he apparently faced monstrous creatures called Roks in battle.

Marcus also managed to listen to a few other fragments of conversation from a few other people, and all of them spoke about recent battles and conflicts. The Vex Queen said nothing, frowning, feeling rather worried. Sure, these people were soldiers and it made sense they spoke about military stuff, but the situation they pictured in their talks wasn’t positive at all. From what he could hear, these lands were far from peaceful, and there were tensions rising pretty much everywhere.

“Is everything all right, Lady Marcus?” someone asked him.

Marcus turned to see the bald telemancer, Hoggs, who was sitting on his left, giving him a neutral stare.

It took a few moments for Marcus to process what Hoggs had said, since the man was still hard to understand for some reason.

“It is all right,” he replied. “Just… there are a lot of talks about wars and battles. I hoped that I could have some peace after all this, but it seems that peace is rare in these lands.”

“Peace is indeed a rare treat in this world,” the telemancer replied with a sad smile. “And it’s become even rarer as of late. But most of the problems are limited to the frontiers. The inner regions are almost perfectly safe.”

Once again, it took a moment for Marcus to mentally translate what Hoggs said. He thought he got the gist of it, so he nodded somberly in response.

Guess expecting a completely peaceful life was kinda naive of me. After all, peace wasn’t that common even in my modern and civilized world. But maybe, if I play my cards right, I could settle in one of those peaceful, inner regions… and hopefully, I will get over my current agoraphobia by then.

However, he couldn’t ponder longer on this matter, as the marquis stood from his seat and raised his hand, prompting everyone to be quiet.

“My friends!” he said with an austere voice. “First off, thank you all for being here. It is a pleasure to be in your company.”

There was a general, educated cheer, as the knights gently slammed their cutlery on the table. Marcus did the same, since Olga had told him this gesture was the equivalent of a polite applause.

“I’ve gathered you in order to make a few announcements. First off, I’d like to spend a moment to remember those who gave their life in protecting our realm. May they have been knights, guards, or civilians, it doesn’t matter, for they were all heroes worthy of all our respect.” He raised his chalice. “To those who are not with us tonight. May their heroic deeds never be forgotten!”

Another wave of cheers, this time louder but at the same time a bit more somber, echoed in the hall.

“I want to also express my deepest gratitude for your help in defending our town,” Eisen continued once the cheering subsided. “You’ve come to us in our hour of need, and for that, not only myself, but all the kingdom thanks you. To you, valiant knights of the realm! May your glory shine brighter than the sun itself!”

The knights loudly cheered in response, while stomping on the ground. Marcus, who didn’t know if that included him, just limited himself to gently slamming the cutlery again.

“And since I’m already thanking people, there is someone who deserves a special recognition for their vital contribution to the defense of Brettholz,” the nobleman said, turning toward Marcus, raising his chalice. “Lady Marcus, in the name of the Kingdom of Medelan, I thank you. As a token of gratitude, we offer you the title of Knight of the Realm and a parcel of land in this very province that you helped defend, for you and your minions to inhabit. In addition, we will also grant you the sum of seven hundred royals.” He looked the Vex Queen straight in the eyes. “Lady Marcus, do you accept?”

There was no response, as the Hive Queen was currently too busy panicking to answer. Literally everyone in the room was staring at him, and their sheer presence hit him almost like a physical blow, making him feel suffocated to the point he had difficulty breathing.

Noticing the discomfort on Marcus’s face, the marquis frowned, looking worried.

“Lady Marcus? Is everything all right? Do you not feel well?”

The Hive Queen didn’t answer right away, as he was busy fighting back the waves of panic that surged inside of him. Surrounded by so many strangers, he felt extremely vulnerable and wanted nothing more than to run away and hide inside a hole.

Calm down, Marcus! he said to himself, trying to cut off the presence of the other people from his mind. You can do it. You have nothing to fear now. These people won’t harm me. They are allies and I have nothing to fear. I’ll just finish this diggitly damnity banquet and go back to my room for the night. I can do it!

Slowly, he managed to regain control of himself, though he had to make a conscious effort not to think of all the people around him. Marcus finally turned to the marquis.

“I am fine. Just… tired, I think.” He paused for a moment, actually thinking about whether or not to accept the offer. He had been initially promised five hundred royals and Medelanian citizenship for his help. Though he had later asked for more, mostly out of principle rather than greed, he thought a knightly title, a parcel of land, and two hundred more royals were more than enough to cover his additional efforts.

“I accept your… gift,” Marcus finally said, thinking that using the word gift instead of reward was a good choice in this situation. “I thank you for your generosity.”

Marcus bowed slightly, as Olga had taught him it was the right way to thank someone, and the marquis bowed back.

“We are the ones that must thank you, Lady Marcus,” he announced. “For your help, we award you the title of Knight of the Realm, the lands south of the river Rump, between the villages of Stonebarrow and Torm’s Mill, for you to use as you see fit. You will also be given an exception from taxation for ten years.” The marquis smiled even brighter. “Since the hall is a bit full tonight, we’ll delay your knighting ceremony, if it isn’t a problem for you.”

“It is fine,” Marcus replied, internally rejoicing at that news. He was already at his limit, and he didn’t know if he could endure staying at the center of attention much longer.

“Very well then,” Eisen said. “We’re now going to give the last, but not the least important announcement of the evening. As you all know by now, we’ve entered a truce with the goblin army. We decided to do so because of the possible threat of an approaching orc horde, and after discussing the matter with the leader of the goblins, we have decided to form an alliance against the upcoming menace. Because of this, the goblins are going to become a client race to Medelan and will be given the southeastern part of this province to inhabit, in the lands south of Tallbridge.”

Everyone fell silent. Marcus wondered if he had to cheer, but since no one was moving, he decided to imitate them. Looking around, he noticed this piece of news hadn’t been well received, as quite a few people looked really outraged, something for which he was secretly glad because right now everyone had stopped paying attention to him.

Personally, he didn’t like this either. The little gray buggers had tried to kill him and had chased him away from his home twice. He had little love for them. But if the orcs were really as big of a threat as everyone made them up to be, this alliance was probably for the best. Still, he had no wish to see a goblin anytime in the future, and he just hoped the lands he had been given were as far as possible from those damned humanoids.

“In order to cement this alliance, the goblins have also agreed to return to us the prisoners they took during their raid, starting with the injured and the women,” the marquis continued. “And some of them are here tonight, having just been released!”

The nobleman made a gesture, and the main doors of the hall opened, letting a few dozen people inside. Most of them were women, but it was clear from their bearing that all the released prisoners were either soldiers or hunters, regardless of their gender. The women even wore masculine clothes, usually pants and a tunic, which looked remarkably like soldier fatigues. Something Marcus greatly envied.

At the head of the group, an old but still rather attractive woman was clearly leading the others. She moved with incredible confidence and grace, and even in her unassuming clothes, she managed to have an Aura of authority. Behind her was a very tall woman with short hair, and a couple of younger-looking girls; one blonde and naïve-looking, and the other a brunette with a very short bob cut and a rather mischievous face. For some reason, the girl with black hair was staring at Marcus, studying him with narrow eyes. Marcus dismissed that as being caused by his nonhuman look. She wouldn’t be the first that had been surprised by his unique appearance, after all.

The group advanced until they were in the center of the room and then bowed to the marquis.

“Welcome back, valiant warriors!” Eisen saluted them. “Have no fear, for nothing will be held against you for having been captured. If anything, we are happy to see that you are back alive and well. And we are especially delighted to see that the knights from the Order of the Rose are here.”

“We thank you, Marquis Brettholz,” the old woman said. “It’s thanks to your negotiations that we have been released. You have the gratitude of the Order of the Rose.”

“You are welcome,” the nobleman replied with a benevolent smile. “And I hope that we’ll be able to fight again together very soon, perhaps against the orcs.”

“I can’t promise you anything right now, my lord,” the woman replied. “For I am not free to decide that for myself, as my loyalty first goes to my Order. But if my superiors will give me permission, me and my sisters will gladly fight at your side.”

“We sincerely hope that will be the case. For now, have a seat! We will celebrate your return with a great feast.” Eisen turned away and clapped his hands, and a few servants appeared to lead the freed hostages to their seats, while others emerged from the kitchens, carrying huge plates of roasted meat and other dishes.

Since he was finally going to eat, Marcus’s mood improved greatly. Besides, the appearance of these female knights would surely be enough to catch everyone’s attention, allowing him to dine without receiving any more annoying stares.

As he was having these thoughts, a small, satisfied smirk touched his lips, and the short black-haired girl, who had kept studying him, suddenly went wide-eyed.

“Sarah!” she cried. “Is… that you! What happened? Why do you look like that!”

Everyone became silent, and Marcus himself blinked in surprise and confusion.

“Nemi!” the old woman who had spoken with the marquis shouted. “What are you doing?”

“Look at her, cap!” Nemi said, pointing at Marcus. “That’s Sarah!”

“Nonsense!” the woman replied. “Can’t you see this creature is not even human? How could she…”

She stopped talking, as she too went wide-eyed when she paid attention to Marcus’s face.

“By Pretheve!” she cried as well. “She does look like Sarah!”

“What’s going on?” the marquis asked, looking rather perplexed. “What are you talking about? Do you perhaps know Lady Marcus?”

The other two women of that group, the two blondes, also stared at the Vex Queen, and their eyes too flashed with recognition.

“Marcus?” the shorter blonde asked. “Isn’t that a male name?”

“Hush, Tertia!” the old woman ordered, and then she turned to Eisen. “This… creature here looks somehow very much like a member of my Order, Sarah of the Autumn Wind. She went missing inside the Caligare Forest about two years ago.”

“Wait!” the marquis said. “I remember that woman. She took part in the expedition to the Dark Heart, the one led by Karl—” He stopped and looked at Marcus, studying him carefully. “Well, now that you mention it, she does look somehow similar to Sarah, in a way, but maybe that’s just because they have the same hair color.”

“No, it’s more than that,” the old woman replied. “If you ignore her nonhuman parts, her features are identical to Sarah’s.”

“Fair enough,” the marquis replied. “You have spent more time with her than I did.” He turned to the Hive Queen and asked, in a gentle tone, “What say you, Lady Marcus? Have you perhaps met Sarah during your time in the Caligare Forest?”

Once again, Marcus didn’t answer immediately, as he was busy fighting another surge of panic. He silently cursed against the black-haired girl, who had drawn the attention of the whole room on him. Now everyone was studying him even more insistently than before. He felt their inquisitive stares directly inside his head, poking in his brain like hundreds of minuscule needles.

“I d-do not know t-this Sarah,” he managed to stutter, desperately trying to ignore his own discomfort. “I-I… I have n-not seen any h-human inside the C-Caligare F-Forest b-before meeting Klara and F-Felix.”

“Very well.” The marquis nodded, before turning to the old woman. “I trust Lady Marcus’s word. Still, if you want, maybe after the banquet, you could ask her a few questions about what she saw in the forest, in order to find clues about your missing companion.”

“Thank you, Lord Brettholz, but that can wait,” the old woman replied. “This girl seems agitated enough for now. Let her rest for tonight, and I’ll talk to her when she feels up to it.”

“Very well.” The marquis nodded. “Let’s resume the banquet, then!”

However, despite the fact that food was now served, a lot of people still kept staring at Marcus, or at least clearly thinking about him. As a result, Marcus felt so oppressed by the atmosphere that he started to feel physically ill. His head pulsed painfully and his stomach turned.

“Lady Marcus?” a voice called for him, and he noticed that Hoggs was looking at him, seeming rather worried. Unlike the others, the telemancer’s stare didn’t actually disturb him. But maybe he was just too sick to notice it. “Lady Marcus? Are you all right? You haven’t touched your food yet.”

“I-I feel b-bad,” he stuttered, struggling not to throw up. “I n-need to get out.”

“Then allow me to accompany you outside,” the old man offered, and he helped Marcus up from his seat, gently grabbing him by the arm and carrying him away.

The marquis noticed them and gave them a quizzical stare.

“Where are you two going?” he asked.

“Lady Marcus is not feeling well,” Hoggs explained. “I am carrying her outside. Maybe some fresh air will help her.”

“Very well.” The marquis nodded, and then added with a worried voice, “Take care of her then. And tell me if she needs anything.”

“I will,” the bald telemancer replied before slowly leading the Vex Queen out of the hall.

Chapter 68

Hogg’s School for Gifted Youngsters

As soon as he was brought out of the dining hall, Marcus started to feel better. But since he was still quite shaken, he let Hoggs accompany him outside to the palace’s courtyard, where the cold air of the night reinvigorated and refreshed him.

“Aaaaaah!” Marcus sighed while breathing in. “This is better. I was really feeling bad in there!” He turned to the telemancer, who stood beside him. “Thank you for accompanying me here. I really needed it.”

“You’re welcome. Are you feeling better now? And may I ask what was troubling you in the dining hall?”

Marcus blinked as he once again struggled to understand Hoggs’s words.

“Uhm, could you repeat your question more slowly?” he asked. “I have trouble understanding you. Maybe you have a…” He struggled to find the right word for accent, but for some reason, it didn’t come to him, so he just gave up on it and phrased the question differently. “Maybe you talk in a strange way? I mean no offense, but I am still not very familiar with your language.”

“No offense taken. It’s indeed probably my fault that you can’t understand me. Anyway…” The old man took a breath before repeating himself, staring at the Hive Queen directly in the eyes as he did so. “I asked you if you are feeling better and what was troubling you in the hall.”

This time, Marcus understood him perfectly. Unlike before, he also felt the man’s stare, but luckily, he could easily bear with just one person staring at him.

“Oh, yes, I am feeling better,” he replied. “And… I was feeling bad in the hall because I…” Marcus searched for the right words to describe what he’d felt, and for some reason, this time, they came to him almost immediately. “Because I felt overwhelmed by the presence of so many people. I do not really know how to explain it better, but I felt them weighing on my mind, especially while they stared at me.”

A sad little smirk touched Marcus’s lips. “Maybe it is because I am not used to crowds anymore, not human ones at least. Spending so much time in the forest has made it difficult for me to socialize, and then there is the fact that this place is very different from what I was used to, not to mention the last few days have been rough for everyone. So, all in all, I think it is not really surprising that I had a panic attack.”

As he finished this explanation, Marcus felt a little puzzled. He’d managed to speak with surprising ease, almost as if someone had been suggesting to him the right words, but maybe it was just that he felt more relaxed now and his vocabulary was getting better.

But Hoggs didn’t reply. He just stared at Marcus with narrow eyes, studying him with such intensity that the monster-girl started to feel uncomfortable.

“Uh… is there anything wrong?” he asked.

In response, Hoggs just sighed. “You really don’t know, do you?” Hoggs scratched the back of his bald head. “Well, keeping you in ignorance at this point could be dangerous, so I guess it’s better if I tell you right now.” He gave Marcus a very serious stare. “You have telepathic powers, Lady Marcus. Are you aware of this?”

“Well, yes,” the Hive Queen replied. “That is how I control my minions, after all.”

“Yes, I thought as much,” the telemancer nodded. “But do you know that your powers also extend to humans?”

That notion was completely new to Marcus, who just shook his head.

“I don’t really think that is the case,” he said. “It is true I can control my minions through my mind, but I do not have control over humans. I cannot read the thoughts of people or anything like that.”

“That’s probably because you’re using your powers subconsciously, at least on humans. You manage to communicate so well, despite having just learned our language, because you pick words directly from the minds of those that surround you, and you also transmit what you mean to say.”

“But, how can you know that?” the Hive Queen asked in a dubious tone. “I mean… I did not know about that myself. So how could you know?”

“Well, I was first tipped off when I noticed that your Aura interacts with other people’s Aura in a way similar to how mind spells work,” the telemancer explained. “Then I conducted a little experiment to confirm my suspicions. For the last few days, I have been purposely shielding my mind from your Aura, which, as you explained just a minute ago, made it hard for you to understand me. And right now, as I opened my mind once again, not only did you immediately understand me, but you also expressed yourself better.”

Marcus nodded, slowly processing what the telemancer was telling him. If the old man was right, that would indeed explain a lot of things. Such as why he had been able to communicate so well despite his lackluster vocabulary, or why being in the middle of a crowd made him feel so uneasy, despite the fact that he had never suffered from agoraphobia before.

“The fact that I felt bad in the dining hall was also because of my powers?” he asked for confirmation.

“Most likely,” Hoggs nodded. “Telepathic communications can take a toll on the mind and handling a link with multiple people at once would be hard even for the most experienced telemancers.”

“Well, that explains it.” The Vex Queen caressed his chin while thinking. “Is there a way to close off this telepathy? I mean, it is useful, but it can be hard to keep it active while I am in the middle of many people.”

The telemancer remained silent for a few moments, carefully pondering that question before giving an answer.

“Maybe. I can’t be sure, because I still know too little about your powers, but I think that learning how to control your Aura to some extent would also help you control your telepathy.”

“Good! So I have to learn how to control my Aura, then?”

“That’s easier said than done,” Hoggs replied. “Learning how to control one’s Aura is a difficult process, which requires a lot of time to practice, a quiet place to meditate, a good teacher and, most importantly, a strong will.”

“I think I’ve got most of those things.” The Vex Queen smirked. “I have a place to live now, I have time, and I definitely have a lot of will. The only thing that is missing is a good teacher.” He gave the old man a sideways glance. “Could you teach me?”

“Me?” Hoggs laughed. “I’m just an old telemancer! I’m sure you can find a much more qualified teacher than me, Lady Marcus.”

“But it is you who noticed I have these powers. From that and the way you talk, you sound very qualified to me, and the marquis seems to trust you a lot too.”

“Well, thank you for your high opinion of me. I think it’s a bit misplaced, but if you really want me, I guess I would be able to teach you the basics.” The old man smiled brightly. “If the marquis agrees to it, I could act as your teacher for a while. It certainly seems more interesting than working as a full-time telemancer.”

“Good. Then I will ask the marquis after the banquet!” Marcus said with a smile. “Speaking of that, what do I do with crowds for now? I mean, if I just go back to the dining hall, I’m gonna feel bad again…”

“Don’t worry, you can go back to your room for now, if you want,” the telemancer reassured him. “I will inform the marquis of your situation, and I’ll also relay your request. For the time being, you can just—”

A loud explosion coming from the palace interrupted the old man, and both he and the Hive Queen turned around, completely caught off guard.

“What was that!” Hoggs cried, frantically looking around with alarm.

“I don’t know…” Marcus replied, but as soon as he said that, his attention got caught by a weird feeling coming from above and he raised his head.

At the third floor of the palace, one of the windows had been smashed open with smoke and a few feeble flames rising from its wooden frame, and a feeling of anger coming from the inside. It took a few moments for the Vex Queen to realize the smashed window was that of his room. The one where Felix and Klara were resting.

“Shit on a stick!” he cursed in his native language, and immediately sprinted toward the palace, only to promptly trip on his gown and fall on the cold, hard ground.

Cursing like a sailor, he got up, raised his gown, and resumed running, followed by a rather confused and worried Hoggs.

* * *

Marcus ran across the corridors and up the staircase of the palace until he reached the third floor. Once there, he bolted toward his room, and as soon as he came in sight of it, he noticed a small crowd standing in front of the door, which had been smashed to pieces. They all crowded to peek inside with a mix of alarm and curiosity.

“What is going on!” Marcus asked the closest one, a young maid.

The girl turned to Marcus and flinched in surprise when she saw the Vex Queen, but she still responded quickly.

“That red-haired boy,” she whispered. “There is something wrong with him.”

Marcus’s heart skipped a beat.

“Move!” he cried, and he forced his way through the crowd until he could see what was happening inside of his bedroom.

A thin veil of smoke covered everything. Most of the furniture was completely smashed, reduced to piles of charred splinters. In the middle of it all, Felix stood on what remained of the bed. His red hair waved as if it was made of fire, and his eyes glowed with a blazing fury as he stood there stiffly, his fists clenched.

Klara, pale as a ghost, was a few meters away, her arms in front of her face to protect herself.

“Felix!” she cried. “Calm down! This isn’t like you!”

“Calm down? CALM DOWN!” the apprentice sorcerer shouted back, crackling sparks accompanying his words. “You are telling me that those goddamn goblins are still here in this city, and I have to calm down? I think not. I will burn them all down if I have to turn the whole of Brettholz into cinders!”

He raised his hand, and a small fireball materialized in his palm.

“Please, Felix!” Klara begged. “Stop!”

“What the craptastic hell is going on in here!” Marcus shouted, and only when everyone gave him a confused look, he realized he’d spoken in his native language. He grimaced and repeated his question in the local idiom. “What is going on?”

“Marcus!” Felix cried, turning toward the Vex Queen and sending a spray of sparks flying everywhere. “Have you heard? The goblins… we’re actually allying with those little bastards. Allying! We should kill them all and turn them to ashes!”

The boy scanned the room until he found something still intact, a wooden stool that had survived the fiery onslaught. Then, with an angry gesture, he threw the fireball in his hand against the piece of furniture, causing it to explode in a myriad of burning splinters.

Marcus blinked in surprise. He knew Felix was a sorcerer, even if an apprentice, but still, he hadn’t expected for him to be so powerful or intimidating. Though he looked completely unhinged. Something that coupled with his display of firepower made the Hive Queen very, very cautious.

“I have heard,” he said, trying to speak slow and calm. “And I do not like it either. But if there is an orc army incoming, maybe it is better to—”

“You don’t understand!” Felix interrupted with a desperate cry. “You don’t understand. None of you do! The goblins… they have invaded us. They have hurt our friends. They have killed our friends. And I can’t forgive them. I won’t forgive them! They have to burn, burn, BURN!”

Small flames flickered all around Felix’s body and another huge wave of burning rage surged from him, causing Marcus to take a step back. But, as terrifying as the young man looked, the Vex Queen could also feel that he was terribly sick. The emotions radiating from him were intense but also feverish and confused, and his eyes looked unfocused and bloodshot behind their unnatural glow.

“Felix…” Marcus said, his voice thick with worry. “It is fine. Maybe we can talk with the marquis about this alliance, but now you need to rest. You are not well. After you have calmed, we will talk to the marquis, okay?”

Felix seemed to hesitate for a moment and his fiery Aura waned, but then his wave of fury resurged.

“No!” he shouted, and another fireball appeared in his hand. “I can’t wait. I have to burn them, and they will burn. They will ALL BURN!”

“Okay, that’s quite enough of this,” someone said, and Marcus turned around to see Hoggs had entered the room.

The telemancer rummaged in his pockets and took out a weird item. It was a voodoo-like fetish resembling a mummified hand with six unnaturally long fingers with multiple knuckles tied together by a black string. He pointed it toward Felix.

“Sleep!” the old men ordered.

Felix wavered and the fireball in his hand disappeared, though he still remained awake, looking at Hoggs with rage-filled eyes as he struggled to resist the command.

“Sleep!” the telemancer repeated, even more peremptorily.

This time, Felix’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell on the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Felix!” Klara cried, and ran to her friend, kneeling beside him and checking his pulse.

“Don’t worry, he should be fine,” the old man said with a tired voice, leaning on the wall and trying to catch his breath. “I just put him to sleep.”

“What happened?” Marcus asked, still confused by the entire ordeal. “What was wrong with Felix? Why was he acting like that?”

“I can’t be sure, but I’ve seen something similar once before,” the telemancer muttered wearily. “The boy… he’s part Fire Djinni, isn’t he?”

“He is,” Klara confirmed. “Got that from his mother’s side. Why do you ask? Do you think it has something to do with what happened to him?”

“Most likely,” Hoggs replied. “It’s speculated that those that possess Djinni blood can awaken their latent power under the right circumstances. That’s probably what happened to this youngster.”

“You’re saying he’s awakened his Djinni powers?” Klara asked. “That explains all the fire, but what about his anger? Was that a result of the awakening too?”

“Probably,” the telemancer nodded. “The awakening causes a radical change in the Aura of the affected person, which is without a doubt a very traumatic experience. It’s no surprise your friend was acting so unhinged. Not to mention he was probably being influenced by his Djinni nature, and Fire Djinni are notoriously vindictive and easy to anger.”

So he’s being influenced by a sudden change into something different, uh? Marcus thought. I can certainly relate to that.

“Will he go back to normal?” Klara asked.

Hoggs shook his head. “No. As far as I know, the change is permanent.”

Klara suddenly looked a lot more worried. “Is he always gonna suffer from this anger from now on?”

“I certainly hope not. With time, he should get used to his new Aura. He was an apprentice sorcerer, wasn’t he? If that’s so, he should already know the basics of Aura control, and that will help him greatly. That said, he may still need someone to keep him in check for a while, in order to prevent him from hurting both himself and others. And he would certainly benefit from further guidance in Aura control.”

Hoggs stopped talking, looking pensive for a few seconds, and then he let out a weary sigh.

“Well, since I’ve already accepted to act as Lady Marcus’s mentor, I guess I could double as this young man’s teacher as well, if he wants. After all, they are both going to need to learn how to control their Aura.”

“What do you mean?” Klara asked. “Why does Marcus need to learn how to control her Aura?”

“Maybe it’s best if we don’t talk about that now,” Hoggs replied, giving a side glance at the crowd eavesdropping everything from outside the room. “Lady Marcus can tell you later, if she wants. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go talk with the marquis. I’ve got to explain to him what happened here, as well as ask him to provide a new room for you all, since this one is in dire need of renovations. I’d advise you to take the young Djinni man to the infirmary. The healers should be able to keep him calm and stable for the time being.”

And with those words, the old bald man walked out. At the same time, a few servants entered to pick Felix up and take him to the infirmary as the telemancer had suggested. Marcus and Klara accompanied them, both looking very worried.

Suddenly, the Vex Queen let out a chuckle.

“What is it, Marcus?” the girl asked. “What are you laughing about?”

“You would not be able to understand.” he replied, still giggling. “An old, telepathic bald man is recruiting gifted youngsters to teach them how to use their powers. That reminds me of a story I read before.”

Klara gave the Hive Queen a puzzled look, wondering exactly where Marcus could have read anything before, but then she shrugged. There were more pressing matters, and she could always ask about it later.

Chapter 69

Nice

As soon as the banquet ended, the marquis retired to his study. He poured himself a glass of liquor and sat at his desk, quietly thinking about the current situation.

Although he tried to sound positive while giving his announcements, there were actually a lot of problems and complications he had to take care of. Since the southeastern part of the province had been given to the Vex and the goblins, the refugees from those places needed new homes, something he had to personally provide. Thankfully, he possessed more than enough lands to accommodate them, and he’d already given the order to build two new villages. Still… the amount of work ahead of him was staggering. And that was without taking into account the prospect of an orc invasion.

Someone knocked at the door, shaking Eisen from his thoughts.

“Come in.”

Yasen Harp and Hoggs the telemancer entered. The captain of the Royal Knight gave a look at the bottle the marquis was holding and smirked.

“Drinking alone at this hour, Eisen?”

“I’ve got too many thoughts to sleep, but I’m too tired to work, so I thought I’d relax a bit,” the nobleman replied. “Besides, now I’m not alone anymore. Do you want to drink with me?”

“Why not?” the captain said, and Eisen poured him a glass. Hoggs, however, politely raised his hand to decline.

“Sorry, but drinking this late would make me feel sick in the morning,” the telemancer said, sitting in a chair in front of the desk. “Besides, I’m here because I have something important to report.”

“Same goes for me,” Harp chimed in as he too sat down. “But having a drink while I make my report is not going to hurt anyone.” He raised his glass toward the old man. “So, who’s gonna go first? Me or you?”

“By all means,” Hoggs replied, gesturing for the captain to go first.

“Well, I spoke with his Majesty after dinner, and I’ve got good news and bad news.” Yasen took a sip from his glass. “Good news is, the Chamber of the Lords have approved of your request to make the goblins a client race, with the condition that they are to be confined to the province of Brettholz for the time being. They have also approved of giving the knightly status to Lady Marcus.”

Eisen frowned after hearing this. Both of those things were legally within his power to begin with, and they didn’t need the approval of the Chamber.

“Bad news is, the Chamber has refused to allow for a general mobilization of our forces.”

“What!” the marquis cried, getting up from his seat. “Why? Haven’t they received our reports?”

“They did, but sadly, they don’t believe them. Or at least they didn’t want to believe them, which is even worse. They said our sources are not trustworthy enough to justify the expenses of a general mobilization.” The Aura Master turned a sarcastic smirk toward Eisen. “Or, to be more precise, they said that we’re all fools for believing the words of a goblin and that they want no part in our idiocy.”

Eisen remained silent for a moment, internally boiling with anger. He let out an exasperated sigh.

“That’s about what I expected from those damn fat cats,” he said, his voice full of bitterness. “Always looking after their own purse first. Who cares if the citizens of the kingdom get slaughtered and eaten alive by orcs when they can earn a few more royals by delaying the mobilization? Bah!”

Eisen shook his head in disgust.

“Well, there is some hope at least,” Yasen said. “His Majesty told me that if we can get some first-hand proof of the orc invasion, he could try to declare a national state of emergency. In that case, he would be free to mobilize the army without the approval of the Chamber.”

“That’s easier said than done,” the nobleman replied. “Divination spells can’t reach deep inside the forest, and the same goes for scouting expeditions. At best, we would be able to find the orcs when they’re a week of march from here, and we wouldn’t have the time to mobilize the army by then.”

“I know,” the captain said, taking another sip of his drink. “And I already thought of a possible solution. If we make a few outposts in the forest and keep watch from there, we should be able to find out if any orc host are coming to the north sooner. And as for the place where we could make such outposts, well, the goblins and the Vex had each secured a base for themselves in the forest, and now that they’re coming here, we could make use of those places.”

“I see,” Eisen nodded, looking noticeably more optimistic. “I’ll think about it. Thanks for your suggestion, Yasen.”

“You’re welcome!” the knight replied with a bright smile.

“Very well then. Now that this is out of the way, what brings you here, Hoggs?” The marquis turned toward the telemancer. “Last time I saw you, you were escorting Lady Marcus out of the dining hall. Is she all right? And also, I’ve received word of an accident involving that boy, Felix, on the third floor. An explosion or something. The servants haven’t been clear on that, but they told me you took care of it, and that Lady Marcus and her friends are going to need a new room.”

“I did take care of it,” the old man confirmed. “For the moment, at least. But it’s better to keep an eye on that young man for a while.”

“Why?” Eisen asked. “What happened to him?”

“I think he has awakened his Fire Djinni nature. With rather explosive consequences, I might add, which are the reason why Lady Marcus’s room is currently in dire need of repairs,” Hoggs explained, causing Yasen to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

The marquis, however, didn’t know what the telemancer was talking about, and he just tilted his head in confusion.

“What do you mean by saying that he has awakened his Fire Djinni nature?”

“He means to say that the boy is basically a Djinni now,” Yasen answered. “It’s something that can happen to those that have Djinni blood. Sometimes they just awaken their full heritage with all the associated powers… if they can survive the shock.” He turned to Hoggs and asked, “Is the boy still alive? Those with Fire Djinni heritage tend to literally burn themselves to death upon their awakening.”

“He’s still alive,” Hoggs confirmed. “He was unstable when I found him, though, so I used a spell to put him to sleep.”

“That probably saved him.” The captain nodded. “The awakening of Fire Djinni heritage is the most dangerous.”

Hoggs gave the captain a surprised look. “You seem pretty knowledgeable about this matter, captain.”

“That’s no surprise.” Yasen laughed. “I went through an awakening of my own. That’s how I got my wind powers.”

The telemancer blinked in surprise and then nodded.

“I see. Well, in that case, what do you suggest we do with the young man? I offered to keep an eye on him myself, but maybe you would be more qualified.”

“No, it’s better if you do that,” Yasen replied with a shake of his head. “You are certainly skilled enough to take care of him, and besides, I have too many duties to actually look after him.”

The marquis, who so far had silently followed the conversation, intervened.

“That’s nice of you to offer to help young Felix, Hoggs, but… what about your own duties? Weren’t you supposed to keep watch on Lady Marcus?”

“Yes. And in fact, I shall do so even more effectively now, under the pretense of teaching both her and the young man how to control their Aura.”

“Control their Aura?” the marquis asked, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Lady Marcus has requested my help in learning how to control her Aura because her own telepathic powers are becoming a burden for her,” Hoggs explained.

“Wait, so you confirmed that she has telepathic powers?”

“I did, though she herself didn’t know. She seems to have been using her power subconsciously and she didn’t actually notice until this evening, when the psychic presence of all the people in the dining hall overloaded her mind, making her feel unwell.”

“Oh, so that’s what happened.” Eisen nodded. “What do we do, then? Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with this?”

“Well, she asked me to teach her how to control her Aura, and with your permission, I’m inclined to accept.”

“Wait a second,” the marquis said. “You’re saying that you want to teach her how to control her powers?”

“Essentially, yes.”

“But you were the one who advised me to be careful because her powers could be dangerous. Did anything change?”

“I still think that being careful is a good idea,” the telemancer replied. “But right now, leaving Lady Marcus’s powers unchecked would be more dangerous than teaching her how to control them, and besides, she has proven herself to be trustworthy so far.” Hoggs smiled a little. “Moreover, as her Aura teacher, I’d be in the perfect position to keep watch on her.”

“Fine,” the marquis said. “I’ll trust your judgment on this. For now, consider tutoring both Lady Marcus and her Djinni friend as part of your duties, and report to me if you notice anything suspicious.”

“I will, my lord.”

“Good.” Eisen turned to Yasen. “And what do you think about this, Yasen? I’d like to hear your opinion as well.”

“Lady Marcus seems like a good girl to me.” The captain shrugged. “I think we can trust her. I talked with her today, and I couldn’t notice any ill intention coming from her.” He did nothing to hide a mischievous smile. “If anything, I think she fancies me. She acted all shy, but I could clearly see she was into me.”

“Keep it in your pants, Yasen!” the marquis said in an adamant tone. “I’m seriously trying to form an alliance with Lady Marcus, and I don’t want you to ruin it with one of your escapades!”

“Well, I wouldn’t really be ruining it, wouldn’t I? If anything, I’d actually make the alliance stronger.”

“Enough!” Eisen shouted, staring daggers at his friend.

Yasen just let out a thunderous laughter in response.

“Don’t worry, Eisen! I’m just pulling your leg! I know how to not let my nether regions do the thinking for me!” Yasen paused for a second, his eyes looking beyond the room. “It’s quite a shame, though. Lady Marcus sure does look cute, in an exotic way, and I’d be curious to see what her species is like in the sheets.”

“Keep your curiosity, and anything else of yours, for yourself,” the marquis snarled. “This is serious! I already have to worry about the orcs and the goblins, and I don’t want to add a telepathic girl who controls an army of monsters to the list just because you wanted to have fun and hurt her feelings with your womanizing!”

“Fine, fine!” the captain said with another burst of laughter. “I’ll do as you wish. I swear that Lady Marcus’s virtue is safe from me! Is that okay?”

“That’s better,” Eisen replied, still looking annoyed. But in his mind, he decided that the new room he was going to assign to Marcus would be as far as possible from Yasen’s quarters. After all, it was better safe than sorry.

Chapter 70

Coffee Rush

“Screw this sideways with a native totem pole!” Marcus snarled with a mix of pleasure and annoyance in his voice, as a translucent egg rolled on the floor.

He was alone in his new room with Cooper, as Klara had preferred to stay with Felix in the infirmary, something for which he was incredibly grateful. Because in the middle of breakfast, he had been assailed by the overwhelming urge to lay eggs, accompanied by painful cramps in his belly. He barely managed to get back into his new room before the urge became too strong to resist, and once there, he simply squatted and started laying worker eggs to relieve himself.

Also, much to his chagrin, this time, it felt much more intense than usual. Maybe it was because he hadn’t laid any eggs in the last week, but whatever the reason was, he had a hard time trying not to scream in pleasure. Even keeping his moans low was basically impossible, so he just had to hope that no one was nearby, because they would definitely hear him. Luckily, his new room was in a rather isolated wing of the palace, so there were a lot less servants passing by.

After a few minutes, Marcus let himself fall on the ground, panting and wheezing, with fifteen worker eggs right beside him.

God-freaking-dammit! he thought while lying motionless. I feel like a conga line just danced out of my vagina! I’ve never laid so many eggs at the same time before. What the hell happened?

Since there was no one to answer that question for him, the Vex Queen tried to piece it together by himself. The urge to lay eggs was nothing new, as he had it quite often in the past whenever he reached the limit of his egg-laying-nutrient-reserves, but for some reason, he hadn’t felt it at all for more than a week. While the most probable reason for his sudden egg-laying spree was that he had accumulated a surplus of nutrients, that left the question of how he had been able to go for so long without emptying it.

Marcus did a quick self-inspection, turning his attention to his internal body parts, and with surprise, he felt that he still had a lot of nutrients to spare despite having just laid fifteen eggs.

Why is that? Did the capacity of my nutrient reserves grow? Marcus looked at Cooper, who was sitting in a corner of the room, and was hit by a sudden realization. Well, of course it did. When I made Cooper, I had barely enough energy for one egg, but later on, I was able to lay multiple.

He grimaced as he slowly processed the consequences of this situation.

I guess that once I reach the upper limit of my reserves, I get the urge to lay eggs, pretty much like how shitting or pissing works. But that means I will never be free from laying eggs.

For some reason, this discovery didn’t bother him as much as it once would have. Sure, it was a literal pain in the ass to lay eggs, but if he treated it like a normal bodily function, he could live with it. Besides, despite how much he complained about it, he had to admit that it wasn’t a completely unpleasant experience if done in moderation. It wasn’t as if he needed to lay eggs like crazy like he did back in the forest. He could just live his life normally and lay an egg from time to time.

The real question is what to do with the drones. I could rent them as cheap labor. After all, they are good at building things, and I think a lot of people would request their services.

While he was thinking this, someone knocked at the door, making him literally jump from the surprise.

“Lady Marcus? Are you there?”

“A moment!” Marcus cried, getting up and frantically searching for a place to hide the eggs. Picking them all up would take too much time, so he just resorted to pushing them under the bed before going to open the door, finding himself in front of a puzzled-looking maid.

“What is it?” he asked, still sounding a bit panicked.

“The… marquis has requested your presence for a meeting in the tea room on the second floor,” the girl said in a neutral voice.

“Oh.” The Vex Queen tilted his head with curiosity. “Why is that? Has something happened?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know,” the girl replied. “I was just instructed to inform you and guide you to the tea room in case you accept to come.”

“Fine, I will come,” Marcus said. “Just give me a minute to prepare.”

* * *

A few minutes later, Marcus and the maid arrived at the tea room. The Vex Queen had decided to come alone, leaving Cooper to guard the room and keep any eventual visitor away from the eggs. He wore a simple white tunic, which was the most unisex piece of clothing he had found in his wardrobe. The maid knocked at the door, and after receiving a response, she let Marcus in.

The room was the same one where the marquis had first received him, Klara, and Felix the day they arrived, and the number of people in the room was also the same. Eisen was there, of course, as well as Yasen Harp, much to Marcus’s chagrin and embarrassment. The final person was the old woman that Marcus had seen the previous day during the banquet, Belinda, the leader of the released female knights.

“Lady Marcus!” Eisen welcomed him. “Thank you for joining us. Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you, Marquis,” the Vex Queen replied, sitting on one of the sofas, as far as possible from Yasen Harp. “If it is not a bother, can I ask why you have called me? Do you have something to tell me?”

“Straight to the point as always!” The nobleman chuckled. “But yes, I have a few questions for you about your permanence in the forest, since we need every scrap of information to prepare our defenses against the orcs. And also, I think that Lady Belinda has some questions regarding her missing comrade, Sarah. I hope you don’t mind.”

“It is not a problem,” Marcus replied. “I will answer everything I can.”

“Very good!” Eisen nodded, smiling cheerfully. “Thank you, Lady Marcus. First of all, could you tell us how well you know the forest?”

The Vex Queen thought about the question for a moment before giving an answer.

“I know the area called the Ashwood Hills pretty well. But I do not know the rest of the forest at all.”

“Uh, that’s… surprising,” the marquis mumbled. “Have you never travelled through the forest before? You told me you came from a place called… Amerinca, right? How did you get to the Ashwood Hills from there?”

Oooooh boy, would that require a long explanation, Marcus thought. And I don’t know if they’d believe me if I told them that I was reborn here from another world. Let’s go with the events of just this world first.

“Well, it is… complicated. I do not know where I was born in this world because I only saw the inside of a big room, and after that, I was brought to the Ashwood Hills while unconscious.”

The marquis and the others exchanged a rather confused glance after hearing these words.

“Could you please elaborate?” Eisen asked.

“Not really much to say,” Marcus replied. “My first memory of this world is being born in a dark room covered in mold wax. I think I hatched from an egg, and then…” He paused for a second, shuddering while some unpleasant memories resurfaced. “Then there was this huge creature, I think it was another Vex Queen, and it tried to kill me for being too weak.”

Everyone flinched when hearing these words, but the monster-girl continued as if it was nothing.

“Luckily for me, that Vex Queen decided to spare me and instead put me to sleep. Then she had her warriors take me to the Ashwood Hills while I was sleeping. Once there, I was too busy trying to survive to really explore the forest, at least until I met Klara and Felix. And after that, you already know the story.”

No one replied, as they just stared at the monster-girl while processing what she’d told them. Only after a few moments, the old woman, Belinda, finally spoke.

“You were just born one day in a dark room, and then you spent the rest of your life in the Ashwood Hills,” she summarized. “Then you have never met a human girl named Sarah, have you?”

“No, sorry,” Marcus replied. “I have never met her before. I have not met any human at all before Klara and Felix.”

The woman stared at him intensely for one moment, but then she closed her eyes and let out a resigned sigh.

“Fine. I believe you,” she said. “I gave her up for dead a long time ago, to be honest. Getting lost in the Caligare Forest is pretty much a death sentence for anyone, Aura Warrior or not. It’s just that you look so similar to her in some ways that I wondered if you two could have a connection. But I guess it could be a coincidence.”

“Well, I am sorry I cannot be of more help…” Marcus started to say, but then he stopped, as a sudden realization hit him with the force of a sledgehammer.

Wait a second! I look similar to this girl, Sarah, and I also look a lot more human than any other Vex I’ve ever seen. And the Vex Queens can produce offspring with the genetic characteristics of the creatures they’ve eaten. But then… Marcus grimaced. Then the original Vex Queen must have eaten a human in order to make me. And since I look similar to this Sarah, this means that the original Vex Queen must have eaten her.

For a moment, Marcus wondered whether or not to tell this to Belinda, but then decided against it. After all, the old woman seemed to have already accepted Sarah’s death, and knowing that her friend had been eaten by a giant monster would probably just upset her. Not to mention there could be some misunderstandings if he said that he was made out of Sarah’s DNA, so he decided to keep this information for himself.

“Lady Marcus?” Yasen Harp called him, interrupting his thoughts. “Are you all right? You look a bit shaken.”

“Yes, yes,” he replied. “I was just thinking about some things.”

The knight gave him a look full of sympathy, while the marquis said, in a gentle tone, “Do you mind if I ask you some other questions? If you don’t feel like it, we could always talk another time.”

“No, do not worry,” Marcus replied. “I am fine. Ask away.”

“Good.” The nobleman nodded. “So, you said that you haven’t seen the rest of the Caligare Forest, but do you at least know the Ashwood Hills well?”

“I do.”

“And do you know of a place where we could prepare an outpost where we could safely station a few soldiers?”

“I can think of a few places,” Marcus replied, remembering his past hideouts. “Why do you need to know?”

“Because we need to prepare a few outposts from which we can keep watch on the forest. For political reasons, we can’t mobilize the Medelanian army until we have more solid proof of the orc invasion, so we need to deploy a few scouts deep enough in the forest to find the invaders and still have enough time left to prepare our army. But since staying in the forest is dangerous, we need a safe, defensible, and possibly well-hidden spot where our men could stay.”

“Well, you can use my old house, if you want,” the Vex Queen proposed. “It is an abandoned temple on top of a hill, and there should be a few of my minions that I left there.”

For the first time since his departure, he thought about the hive he’d left behind. He didn’t know what had happened to it, since he was too far to actually feel the presence of his drones in his mind, but now that he thought about it, he felt a very weak sensation at the back of his head, which probably was a sign that the hive was still active.

“That’s good news!” the marquis said. “Your minions would be a great help in dealing with the dangers of the forest!”

“I will try to contact them telepathically, then,” Marcus said. “I am very far and their presence in my head is very weak, but maybe I can tell them to prepare for the arrival of your scouts.”

“Thank you,” the nobleman said with a smile. “And speaking about your minions, would you be willing to lend us a few of them for the fight against the orcs?” He made an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for asking this, since I know that you wanted some peace after helping us with the goblins, but we really need all the help we can get.”

Marcus thought about it. While it was true he wanted some peace and quiet in his life, he was also aware that life seldom gave people what they wanted, and the incoming orcs were probably as much of a threat for him as they were for the humans. Besides, he had just discovered he was going to keep on laying eggs, so it wouldn’t hurt to make a few warrior drones to help the defenders and stay on good terms with the marquis.

“It is fine,” he finally replied. “I can send a few of my minions to help you.”

“You have my deepest gratitude, Lady Marcus!” the marquis said, getting up and bowing slightly toward him.

“You are welcome,” the Vex Queen replied, and then added with a sardonic smile, “Besides, I am supposed to be a knight now, am I not? Knights are supposed to defend the people.”

Yasen Harp laughed, while the marquis smiled, and even Belinda, who so far had been quite aloof, smirked. Marcus looked at them, rather confused.

“Am I wrong?” he said, fearing he might have said something wrong because of his notion of knighthood from his old world.

“No, no, you are perfectly right!” the marquis answered. “That is how it’s supposed to be. But I’m afraid that not many of those who bear the title of knight actually live up to it, and most people are painfully aware of this. Your… innocence on this matter just felt endearing, that’s all.”

“You are adorable, Lady Marcus!” Yasen added, still chuckling. “I think that you’re going to make a much finer knight than most!”

“Thank you,” Marcus said, averting his eyes because he felt himself blushing from embarrassment, especially after receiving the compliment from the captain. He was desperately searching for a way to change the subject when someone knocked at the door, and a few maids entered the room carrying a few trays.

“Ah, the refreshments have arrived!” the marquis said, and he turned to the Vex Queen. “I think you will be quite pleased to know that our kitchens just received a new supply of coffee, Lady Marcus. I’ve had some prepared for you, since I remembered that you asked for it the first time we met.”

“Really? You have coffee?” Marcus asked, immediately forgetting about everything else that had just happened.

“See for yourself!” the nobleman said with a smile, taking a pot from one of the trays and putting it on the table in front of the monster-girl.

The Vex Queen leaned forward to examine the contents of the pot. It did indeed look like coffee, black and steaming hot, and he could smell the powerful, fragrant aroma rising from it.

Feeling his mouth water, he had to restrain himself from just drinking it directly from the pot.

“Uhm, do you mind if I take a cup?” he asked.

“Feel free,” the marquis replied. “I’d rather have some tea myself.”

“Same for me,” Belinda said. “I don’t really drink coffee.”

“And I’ll stay faithful to beer,” Yasen said with a laugh. “No other beverage can compare, in my opinion!”

Without further ado, Marcus grabbed a mug and poured himself a generous quantity of coffee, but when it came the time to bring it to his lips, he hesitated. What if, like it had happened for other foods, coffee also tasted less good or, god forbid, downright bad?

C’mon, Marcus! You’ve come too far in your search for coffee to let a bit of insecurity stop you. Now drink it down like a man!

And so, he raised the cup and took a small sip.

The effects were… unexpected, to say the least.

Good heavens this is BLOODY GLORIOUS! the Hive Queen screamed in his mind, drinking the rest of the coffee in a single gulp. The flavor wasn’t just as good as he remembered, it was actually much, much better. The aroma completely filled his head, making him feel all warm, tingly, and cheerfully energetic, while the actual taste lingered in his mouth like a cloud of deliciousness.

Thank God coffee is still good! he thought while pouring himself another cup. No, it’s not just good, it’s the best. This is the best thing that has happened to me ever since I was born into this world. All the suffering, all the struggles, this moment makes it all worth it!

He quickly drank the other cup, and proceeded to pour himself yet another. And another one after that.

Yasen, who noticed the Vex Queen’s drinking spree, raised an eyebrow.

“Uhm, Lady Marcus?” he said in a worried voice. “I’m happy that you are enjoying yourself, but you might want to take it down a notch; otherwise, you won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“I do not care! This is too good!” Marcus replied, emptying yet another cup directly into his gullet. He then let out a little hiccup and added, “Also, I do not mind not sleeping, especially if you want to keep me company during the night!”

“I… beg your pardon?” Yasen said in a very confused voice.

Not listening, the Vex Queen tried to pour himself another cup, but his hands had started shaking so much that he dropped the pot, spilling coffee all over himself.

“Ouch!” he cried. “Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!”

“Are you all right, Lady Marcus?” Eisen asked, getting up from his seat and approaching the monster-girl.

“Hands off!” Marcus said with an unsteady, unfocused voice. “I am fine… fine, fine. The coffee was hot, but now it’s just warm. It feels good now. But my tunic… it is dirty now. Got coffee on me, that is bad. And it is getting cold. It doesn’t feel good anymore. I am taking this off.”

And without hesitation, he stood up and started taking his tunic off.

“Whoa!” the marquis cried, jumping back and averting his eyes in embarrassment. “Lady Marcus, what are you doing!”

“I do not feel good… with dirty clothes on!” he slurred in response, throwing the tunic to the side, standing in front of the others with just his underwear on. “And I have… I have nothing to hide either! Look at my chest!” He pointed at it. “It is sooooo smooooth, nothing on it!” He looked down, and added with an even more slurred voice, “But my panties are dirty now too… coffee got on them… I have to take them away too… but then I would be naked.” He gave a mischievous look toward Yasen, who was looking at him with a dumbfounded expression. “Do you want… to help me, Captain? I do not mind if you… see me naked. Eheheheheh!”

He started reaching to get his panties off, when Belinda jumped off her seat and blocked his hands.

“That’s quite enough, young lady,” she said in a stern voice. “I think that you need to rest a bit.” She turned to the two men. “Gentlemen, please leave the room. I’ll take care of this.”

“I do not… need to rest!” Marcus mumbled angrily. “I feel amazing! And I am not a lady… I am a man. A manly, manly man… Eheheheh!” he chuckled. “Even if right now I do not have… how is it called? The thing that men have between their legs… well, even if I do not… have that, I am still a man, man, man! I have that thing in my spirit! I have a spiritual thing between… my legs… Eheheheheheh!”

The Vex Queen started swaying, losing balance, and Belinda held him carefully, slowly putting him down on the sofa.

“Eh… I feel good…” Marcus said. “I feel good… but it is hard… to speak right now… I think I will lie down… for a bit…”

And then, his big, glowing eyes slowly closed, and he started snoring loudly.

Belinda looked around, searching for something to cover the sleeping monster-girl, but the only thing she found was the tablecloth on the table. Nonetheless, she pulled it off and put it over the naked body of the Vex Queen.

Meanwhile, the marquis and the captain remained silent, exchanging confused and awkward looks between each other.

“What in the seven hells happened?” Yasen asked.

“Well, I’m not sure how it happened, but it’s clear that she got drunk,” Belinda said with the tone of someone stating the obvious.

“But she only drank coffee!” the knight said, and then he turned to Eisen. “Did the servant put something in it?”

“Not to my knowledge,” the marquis replied, still trying his best to not look in the direction of Marcus. “But I’ll check it out. However, I don’t think this is the case.”

“Then why was she drunk?”

“Probably because it was the coffee itself that made her drunk,” the nobleman explained. “I’ve heard that coffee can make spiders drunk, and it probably had the same effect on her.”

“Gentlemen,” Belinda said, interrupting them. “If you don’t mind, you could talk later. Now we need to make sure this young lady is really all right, and then, if she is, she should be brought back to her room.”

“I’m sorry,” Eisen said. “I’ll call a healer immediately, and I’ll send someone to prepare her room.”

And without another word, both men exited the room in a hurry, eager to avoid any further awkwardness.

Chapter 71

The Queen’s New Clothes

Marcus woke up in his bed, his head painfully pulsating. He tried to turn around and bury his face in the pillows, but this proved to be difficult, as his horn got in the way.

“Stupid, bloody horn,” he mumbled, and tried to go back to sleep, but he was feeling too sick to relax, so he just let out a resigned sigh and sat up.

“Owwww! My head…” he moaned, grabbing his forehead between his hands. “What the hell happened? Why do I feel like this?”

Now, in a merciful universe, that question would have gone unanswered, and Marcus would have remained blissfully ignorant of his drunken shenanigans.

Sadly, the universe was anything but merciful.

Very lucid memories started flooding the Vex Queen’s mind as soon as he asked that question, in all their painfully awkward details. He remembered discussing with the marquis the delight that had been drinking coffee… and having propositioned Yasen and stripping naked in front of everyone.

“Fuuuuuuuuck!” he hissed as his eyes widened in horror. “No, no, no, no, no, that can’t have happened.”

His whole body tensed in panic and he felt his cheeks blushing so hard, he thought they would catch fire. Unluckily, this didn’t go well with his headache, and his head started pulsating even more painfully.

“Ouch!” he cried, clawing even harder at his forehead. “Goddamn headache!”

He remained motionless for a minute, trying to calm himself down and collect his thoughts. At the same time, he also tried to understand what exactly happened.

Okay, I think I got drunk. This definitely is a hangover headache, though it lacks the associated nausea. Not that I’m complaining. But what did I get drunk from? Also, if I got so piss drunk, shouldn’t I have a hole in my memories? Heavens know that I couldn’t remember anything when I got drunk back on Earth!

For a moment, he hoped that the memories of his embarrassing actions could be incorrect, that maybe they were a bad dream or something. But that wishful possibility lost most of its plausibility when he noticed he was naked and that he smelled of coffee, indicating that he had indeed spilled coffee all over himself.

Besides, his memories were surprisingly clear, to the point he remembered exactly how confused and clouded his thoughts had been, almost as if he had been watching his own mind from someone else’s perspective.

This struck him as weird. For a moment, he forgot about his embarrassment. After all, if he had been intoxicated enough to lose all inhibitions, then he should also have no recollection of it. But for some reason he still did. Why was that?

It took him but a moment to realize that, in a way, his mind wasn’t really restricted to just his body. All of his minions shared his thoughts, so it kind of made sense that they would also share his memories. And since they hadn’t gotten drunk themselves, their memories were pretty clear.

This hivemind thing is getting even more complex. Who knows what other surprises the Vex have in store for me? Maybe I’ll get to know more during my training with Hoggs.

He nodded, happy that things seemed to make sense, and then he immediately went back to feeling awkward.

Holy moly freaking smiley poo, I actually propositioned Yasen! Why did I do that? I definitely don’t want to have sex with him… Following this line of thought, a mental picture started to form in his mind, but he abruptly cancelled it. Nope, nope, nope, nope! I don’t want to even think about it. Get out of my head. Out! Out! Out!

Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, Marcus hugged himself and started rocking back and forth on the bed, but that only worsened his headache.

“Owwwww!”

Forgot about the goddamn headache. Damn, I hate being hungover. But how did I get drunk to begin with? Was it the coffee? I’ve heard that spiders can get drunk off it… but I’m not a fucking spider! Still, I’m not human either, so that’s a possibility. Considering my luck, that’s exactly the kind of ironic bullshit that would happen to me. Coffee tastes a thousand times better than it did before, but it makes me piss drunk. He sighed and clicked his tongue in annoyance. The universe must really like toying with me.

He looked around the room to distract himself from his dark thoughts. Cooper was still sitting quietly in a corner, and a change of clothes had been prepared on a chair. From the window, it was impossible to tell the time because the sky was covered by gray clouds, but judging by the intensity of the light, it should have been either morning or early afternoon. In any case, he was feeling rather hungry.

Well, I might as well get something to eat. Just sitting here thinking about… what happened isn’t gonna make me feel better. But first, I got to get dressed.

He got up slowly and carefully to avoid worsening his headache and inspected the clothes that had been prepared for him. The underwear was acceptable, but the rest was far too feminine for his taste. Especially after what happened with Yasen.

Lace and frills, he thought with disgust. Nope, not gonna wear this. I don’t know if there is someone who could get the wrong idea, seeing me in this. I mean, I dunno if there are people who would actually be attracted to a weird bug monster-girl, but I don’t want to encourage them if they exist. I couldn’t really stand being stared at with lust right now.

He scoured the wardrobe, searching for a more suitable set of clothing. Sadly, it seemed that the only unisex one was the one he spilled coffee over. With a sigh, he gave up and just took the one that looked more plain.

Guess I could ask the marquis for some men’s clothes, he thought for a moment, but then he shook his head. Asking Eisen for clothing after what happened in the tea room would feel a tad too awkward for him right now.

Wait! If I don’t have clothes, couldn’t I buy them! After all, the marquis should have given me a lot of money. Maybe I can take some to buy some decent clothes.

He thought about it, and he liked the idea. Not only would he get to choose the clothes he liked, but he wouldn’t technically be asking anything of anyone this way. And also, a stroll through the market would maybe help him get rid of his headache.

It’s decided, then. I’ll hit the kitchens, and after that, I’ll go ask someone if I can have some of my money!

And so, without further ado, he got out of his room, leaving Cooper inside.

* * *

Despite the cold weather, the streets were bustling with activity. The goblins had now left the city completely, retiring to the lands the marquis had given them, and a lot of people had moved back in.

The market square in particular, which had been all but abandoned for the past week, was now completely full of stands selling everything from food to building materials, and people were crowding every nook and cranny of it, making it difficult to move fast.

Marcus was right in the middle of the market, wrapped up in various layers of clothing and cloaks to both keep himself warm and to hide his identity. As expected, the sheer presence of so many people made him feel kind of overwhelmed at first, but he found he could bear it, probably because no one was paying attention to him. The cold air also cleared out the last vestiges of his headache, so he felt rather well.

Marcus browsed the various stands, looking for clothes, and at the same time, enjoying the simple pleasure of doing such a normal human activity. He had been given a bag with a bunch of silver coins by one of the marquis’s attendants, who had said the amount of money inside was about fifteen royals.

The merchandise on display was also really interesting. Most of it was common items like food, kitchenware, and so on. There were also weapons and things that looked like magic charms, which gave the feeling of being in a fantasy book. For a moment, he was tempted to buy a sword, something he’d wanted ever since he was a kid, but decided against it. Mostly because he didn’t really need one, since he had his drones protecting him, and he wasn’t actually good with a sword anyway.

“Maybe another time,” he said to himself, and moved on.

After a while, he arrived at a stand selling clothes. It was a pretty big stand with many mannequins on display, and though two thirds of them were women’s clothes, there were also quite a few induments on sale for men. Marcus went to inspect them, touching a few simple tunics and trying to find something to his liking, when something caught his attention. On a mannequin beside the stand, there was a very peculiar set of clothing, which looked like a military uniform, and on top of it was a long, dark leather coat.

“Wow!” Marcus murmured in his native language. “That’s so cool! It looks like something that belongs to a World War II officer.”

In his previous life, Marcus was something of a fan of WWII aesthetic and history, not surprisingly, considering his Italian ancestry. Heck, while attending high school in the US, he even made friends with two kids, one German and the other Japanese, so that he could make jokes about it. Later on, they did become genuine friends and kept in touch even after going to separate universities.

I wonder how Viktor and Lee are doing with their lives. A pang of nostalgia for his old life tugged at him. We were supposed to visit Volgograd this summer…. Though I probably couldn’t have made it, ’cause I was fired. I wouldn’t have had enough money. Also, I died.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” someone asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Marcus turned to see a middle-aged woman, probably the owner of the stand, staring at him with a warm smile. As soon as she noticed the Vex Queen’s glowing eyes, however, her own eyes widened in surprise and she jumped back, fear showing on her face.

“Do not worry!” Marcus said, lifting his hands to show he had no aggressive intentions. “I am not dangerous. Please, do not make a scene.”

“By the light of the Lord!” the woman cried. “W-what are you?”

“Please, do not raise your voice,” Marcus pleaded. “I am the…” He stopped, as he didn’t want to introduce himself as a queen. “I am the leader of the Vex. I am here only because I want to buy some clothes.”

The woman may have been a bit intimidated, but those words immediately triggered her merchant instincts. Her face went from frightened to professionally polite, and she immediately recovered her warm smile.

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to react that way. I hope I didn’t offend you,” she said. “Anyway, I see you were looking at this uniform. It’s a really nice set of clothes, if I can say so myself. Custom made in Castillar for some noble officer, but I managed to get it myself.” She pointed at the uniform. “The fabric is top quality and the coat is lined with the finest Rok leather, which is not only very comfortable and light, but also as durable and resilient as a chainmail. Touch it if you will!”

Marcus did as he was told and touched the coat, and though he couldn’t exactly feel the leather under his chitin-covered skin, he could tell it seemed indeed very comfortable. He also looked at the actual uniform under it and noticed the upper part was quite long, reaching just above the knees, and it was kept tight at the waist by a dark leather belt. It was also completely sleeveless, something that would be perfect for him, since sleeves were kind of uncomfortable due to his armored arms.

“Why is the jacket sleeveless, but the coat has sleeves?” he asked, curious.

“That’s due to the weather in southern Castillar,” the woman explained. “It can be terribly hot during the day, but nights are almost always very cold. Their uniforms usually consist of rather light clothes for the day and a warm coat for when the sun sets.” She grimaced a bit. “That’s also the reason why I haven’t been able to sell this thing. I don’t want to sell the coat separately from the uniform, but no one is interested in buying both at the same time, since one is for cold climates and the other for hot ones.” She turned to Marcus and blinked. “So, I think I could give you a discount, if you want!”

The Vex Queen smiled in return. He thought that, after all he had been through, he really deserved to get something nice for himself, and that uniform looked really cool.

“Very good. I think I will buy this!”

The actual transaction happened rather quickly after that. When Marcus walked away, he was carrying two packages containing his new clothes. He bought the uniform for four royals, and the merchant had thrown in a few tunics and trousers for free, so now he could finally have a more masculine wardrobe.

Still, he didn’t return immediately to the palace. He was feeling much better now, but he still needed some time to completely get over his embarrassment before being able to meet Yasen or the marquis without feeling terribly awkward. He decided to explore the southern part of the city. That district was still in dire need of repairs, since it had been occupied by the goblins until the previous day. A lot of people had already moved back in and things seemed like they were slowly going back to normal.

Marcus was strolling without a precise destination, deciding where to go purely on a whim. He saw a few shops on the way, but they were either uninteresting or closed for repairs, so he passed them without so much as a second look. Then, when he entered a small alley, he finally saw something that caught his attention.

On the side of the road, in front of a shop, a few animals were standing completely still. The Vex Queen stared at them for a moment, rather confused by their immobility, before realizing they were actually stuffed. There were a couple of foxes, three birds he didn’t recognize, a rather big yellow lizard, and even one of those weird laughing wolf-hyena creatures he’d met in the forest.

Even when dead and stuffed, the wolf-thing was still creepy as hell with its vicious maw forever frozen in a sadistic grin, and its little glass eyes glinting weakly. Remembering his encounter with those monsters, Marcus shuddered, but at the same time, an idea suddenly flashed in his mind.

Wait a second! A sudden excitement ran through his body. Maybe I could get the DNA of these stuffed creatures by eating a bit of their fur or something. The laughing wolves were incredibly strong, and their genes could greatly improve my hunters. I think it’s worth a try!

Still, he didn’t want to take anything without permission, not even a pinch of fur, so he got closer to ask for the owner of the shop. He still couldn’t read the sign hanging over the entrance, but the doors were open. Peeking inside, he could see many other stuffed animals and many trophy heads hanging on the walls.

Guess this is a taxidermist shop or something like that.

“Hello?” Marcus called while entering. “Is anyone here?”

He gave a look around while waiting for a response. That place was quite creepy, with all the dead animals staring at him with glass eyes. That didn’t really bother him at the moment, as he was too busy admiring the various species on display. There were some animals he was familiar with, like deer and bears, but for the most part, the shop was full of unknown creatures, some of which looked quite strong and dangerous. Thinking about their DNA, Marcus couldn’t help but feel like a child in a candy shop and his mouth started watering.

“Uhm, is anyone here?” he called out once again, this time raising his voice quite a bit.

A few steps could be heard, together with the sound of a few objects being moved, and from a door hidden behind the counter emerged a pale man. He was skeletally thin with very short black hair, a large mouth, and rather big, feverish round eyes, which made him look similar to a fish. The guy moved in a clumsy way and basically oozed social awkwardness, and when he entered the room, he didn’t even look at Marcus, instead staring sideways.

“S-sorry, we are closed for today,” he said in a very awkward voice. “Please, come back tomorrow.”

“Uhm, sorry,” Marcus replied. “I just wanted to ask you a question. Do you have a moment?”

Hearing the high-pitched and somehow alien voice of the Vex Queen, the man raised an eyebrow and started studying the newcomer with more attention. After a few moments, his eyes got even wider than they were before.

“Wait a second…. You’re one of the Vex, aren’t you? Their queen, if I’m not mistaken!”

“Well, yes,” Marcus replied, frowning a little at being called a queen, but he decided to let it go. “I am surprised you can tell.”

“Oh, I can still clearly see your eyes,” the man said with a smile. “And besides, I spent most of the siege studying you and the other Vex every time I could!”

“Oh really?” the Vex Queen asked. “And why did you do so?”

The man suddenly looked rather embarrassed. “Well, it’s because you and your minions are very interesting creatures! I’ve never seen your species before, so I am very curious about it. You and the other Vex look so different from each other, and yet you are clearly the same species somehow. And the way the other Vex obey you… I’ve only seen something like this in hive species, like ants or bees, but you seem to be much more coordinated! And then there’s your chitin armor. It’s different from any other chitin I’ve ever seen in my life, and it’s extraordinarily resilient for its weight! And the internal tissues are amazing as well. The muscles have almost the same density as troll muscles, but they are more elastic and compact, and the internal organs are simple and yet clearly very efficient—”

He stopped talking, realizing Marcus was staring at him with surprise and a good dose of alarm as well.

“How do you know those things about the organs of the Vex?” Marcus said, cautiously taking a few steps back.

“Oh, oh please, do not worry!” the pale man said, looking rather embarrassed. “I meant no harm! It’s just that a few dead Vex bodies were lying on the streets and… well, I hope you don’t mind that I took them to study in my shop. It’s just… studying the bodies of new species is kind of my passion, if you can believe it.”

“Well, if it is like that, it is okay,” the Hive Queen replied, relaxing slightly. “I do not mind that you took them. And also, I think it is good they are being studied. I myself know quite little about my own race and knowing more is good. If you can, I would like for you to share what you find out with me.”

“Oh! Oh sure!” the pale guy said in an excited voice. “Thank you for your understanding! I will make sure to share whatever I find with you.” The man suddenly realized something and deeply bowed. “Oh, but I seem to have forgotten my manners! Sorry about that. My name is Golam Wynch, professional taxidermist and owner of this shop. Nice to meet you!”

“And I’m Marcus Vitali. Nice to meet you too,” the Vex Queen replied, bowing slightly in response. “By the way, can I ask you a question now?”

“Oh, sure. Ask away.”

“Do you mind if I take a pinch of fur from some of your animals?” Marcus gestured toward the various stuffed animals and trophy heads on display.

“Oh, sure.” Golam nodded. “It shouldn’t be a problem if you don’t take too much. Why do you need it, though?”

“Well… it is complicated.” The Vex Queen tried to come up with the right words, since he didn’t know how to explain the concept of DNA in the local language. “When I eat part of a living thing, I can pick the traits of that living thing and give them to my minions. For example, if I eat a creature with horns, I can make a minion with horns. And I can even take traits from multiple creatures and give them to just one minion. For example, the horns from one animal, the muscles from another, and so on. Do you understand?”

Golam didn’t answer immediately, but his eyes got so wide, they seemed about to fall out of his head. His mouth was also agape, and he really looked like a fish dragged out of water.

“Wait… You mean to say, you can mix different living beings to create chimeric creatures?”

“Well, sort of. The minions I make would have the traits of other creatures, but they would still be Vex.”

The taxidermist stared at him, and for a moment, Marcus was afraid of having said something bad. Who knew, maybe creating hybrid creatures was a taboo for the people of this world.

Golam’s eyes suddenly glowed with excitement, and he smiled from ear to ear.

“That’s incredible!” he said with unbound enthusiasm. “I didn’t know creatures capable of that existed! The closest thing to this would be the goblins and their copying abilities, but even they can only copy one creature.”

Marcus relaxed a bit. Apparently, making hybrids wasn’t a taboo.

“So, are you fine with me taking a bit of fur from your animals?”

“I’m more than fine!” the taxidermist replied cheerfully. “I’m overjoyed that I can be of help! Just wait a second.”

The pale man ran to the back of his shop, and a few moments later, he came back carrying a small stuffed animal in his hands.

That creature was even more weird-looking than the others. Its body was that of a fox with silvery fur, but it had the tail of a scorpion, an incredibly large mouth filled with shark teeth, and eight long, furry limbs that looked like those of a tarantula, only with claws at the end. Golam put it on the counter for Marcus to see.

“This is a chimera I made myself!” he announced proudly. “I used the body of a mistfox, the teeth of a trevelax, the tail of a desert scorpion, and the limbs of a Rantul Spawnling to build it.” He stared directly at Marcus and asked in a very hopeful voice, “If you’d eat parts of those animals, could you make a minion like this?”

Marcus raised an eyebrow, taken a bit by surprise, but after a moment, he nodded.

“Yes, I think I can,” he said cautiously. “More or less, at least.”

“That’s splendid!” Golam cheered. “This is… this is exactly what I’ve always dreamed of!” When he noticed the Vex Queen’s confusion, he smiled and explained, “Making chimeras has been my hobby for years. I even made entirely new names for them, as well as imagining how they would behave in nature.” He pointed at the spider-fox thing on the counter. “For example, this is a Lesser Gradamott. It’s a nocturnal ambush predator that climbs over trees and waits carefully to drop on the back of unsuspecting prey and stab them with its stinger! With this tactic, it can take out prey many times its size. Or at least it would, if it was real.” He became rather dejected for a moment.

“For all my daydreaming, they are just stuffed animals made out of leftovers. They’re not alive, and as much as I wished to see them move, they are… just objects. Weird trinkets I made to keep myself occupied. Even if I wish with every fiber of my being to see them move and live.” He turned to Marcus, his eyes glowing with excitement. “If… if it isn’t too much of a bother, could you make a few minions based on the chimeras I made? It would mean the world for me! And in return, I’ll make sure to give you a body part of any animal that passes through my shop! Sometimes big game hunters bring very dangerous and rare species, so you could get some very good traits for your minions.”

Marcus considered the offer. Golam was definitely a weirdo, but he didn’t seem like a bad guy, so he saw no harm in humoring him. Besides, since he had to lay a few eggs now and then, making a few drones based on the man’s chimeras wouldn’t be too much of a bother. And above everything else, he really, really wanted the DNA of the creatures he’d seen in that shop.

“I can do it,” the Vex Queen finally replied. “But keep in mind that any creature I make will still be a Vex under my command.”

“That’s fine with me!” Golam said with a huge smile. “Just watching them move and, well, live will be enough for me!”

“Very well then.” Marcus nodded. “In exchange for pieces of your stuffed animals, I will try to make you some of your hybrids.”

The taxidermist looked as if he was going to explode from joy at those words.

“Thank you so very much! You can’t imagine what this means for me. I’ll give you some of the fur and other pieces that you can eat right now.” He grabbed a pair of scissors and moved around the counter. “For starters, you said you wanted stronger minions, didn’t you? Well then, I think your working minions could benefit from the grip strength of a gulala. Those monkeys can crush rocks with their hands.” He moved toward a rather scary-looking monkey with giant hands and took a pinch of its fur. “Also, the venom of a dartsnake would be great for your warriors. That stuff could eat through armor!” He indicated a giant snake with bright pink scales. “Uhm, no fur on it, though. Can you take information from their scales? I think it’s worth a try!”

The pale man spent the next few minutes clipping parts from various stuffed animals, all while describing their characteristics and their strengths to Marcus, who just listened silently, internally impressed at the knowledge Golam possessed.

After a while, the taxidermist put all of the fur, scales, and other body parts into a small pouch, and handed it to the Vex Queen.

“Here! With this many samples, you should be able to really improve your minions!”

“Well, thank you!” Marcus replied with a smile. “That will be of great help. About my part of the bargain… is there any creature you want to see alive first?”

“Well, if you could make something like the Lesser Gradamott, it would be a great start!” Golam said, brimming with excitement. “I’ve already given you all the parts from the animals that make it up.”

“Okay then. I will try to make it. Still, it is gonna take a while. A few days, I think. I hope you do not mind.”

“No, no.” The pale man shook his head. “By all means, take your time. I admit I feel a tad impatient, but I’ll deal with it. If you can really make a Lesser Gradamott, it’ll be worth the wait!”

“Very well. I will go now, then. It is getting late, and it is almost dinner time. I will come back as soon as the drone is ready.”

“Thank you very much again!” Golam said. “And have a great evening!”

“You too,” the Vex Queen replied, finally stepping out of the shop.

As he walked back to the palace, he silently mused about how much appearances could be deceiving. Golam looked like a madman straight out of a Lovecraft book, and his job as a taxidermist and his mannerisms only added to his creepiness, but he revealed himself to be a helpful and nice person.

Eh, if this was a horror movie, he would have certainly turned out to be a crazy cultist or something like that! he thought with a sardonic smile. But I guess reality really is more complex than fiction!

* * *

As soon as the Vex Queen left, Golam gathered the stuffed animals he’d left outside and closed the doors before going back to his workshop.

The room he stepped into was big and dark, lit only by a small window that let the gray light of the waning day in. The walls were almost entirely covered with shelves full of stuffed animals and various tools, and on the side of the room, there was also a huge work desk, covered in knives, saws, and various other items.

All of the above was a fairly standard view in a taxidermist workshop, but in the middle of the room was something far more unusual.

A circle had been drawn in the middle with some strange white powder and various blue candles surrounding it. In the middle of that drawing was lying a weird figure, which looked as if it had been cobbled together out of various goblin and Vex parts. The head and torso were that of a hobgoblin, while the furry legs belonged to a feral goblin, and the arms were the scythe-like limbs of a Vex warrior. That figure lay motionless, clearly dead, but unlike the animals on the shelves, it wasn’t stuffed. All the body parts still had meat on them and had been simply sewn together.

Golam walked toward one of the shelves and took out a book he had hidden there. The book was clearly very old with a rotting leather cover barely holding it together. It faintly glowed with a malicious-looking green light.

The taxidermist held the book in his hands, looking pensive. Just as he had said to the Vex Queen, his greatest dream was to give life to his creations. What he didn’t tell her was that he had been searching for a method to do so for a long time. Sadly, while there were technically a few magical ways for him to realize his ambitions, they were incredibly costly, difficult, and dangerous, requiring the aid of either a master sorcerer or a high priest, and many rare materials. Only a very rich noble or a king could afford all that, and Golam was neither.

Still, the pale man hadn’t given up and kept searching for a more affordable way and, just a few months prior, it seemed as if his patience had been rewarded when he managed to acquire the book he now held.

That book was about necromancy, and it explained in detail how to imbue the power of the Dead Moon into corpses in order to create an undead creature, a revenant that would obey its creator. Provided all the rituals were done correctly and that luck was on his side, of course. Otherwise, the newly created revenant could turn on Golam and drain him of all his life, leaving him as a dead husk of himself. Perhaps the necrotic energies he summoned would get out of control and turn him into a ravenous undead. Or the whole building would explode.

There were no absolute certainties in necromancy, which was an inherently fickle, dangerous, and unpredictable kind of magic. That was probably the reason why it was forbidden. Just owning and reading a necromancy book was a serious crime, and if someone saw him trying to raise the undead, Golam would be immediately burnt at the stake.

Still, he was too fixated on realizing his dream to really care about the possible consequences. He really wanted to give life, or some semblance of it at least, to his constructs, and necromancy seemed like the only possible way. He’d decided to try and create his first undead that evening.

It was then that Marcus appeared, interrupting his ritual before it could really begin and providing a safer and better alternative to necromancy. Because, why bother raising the undead when he could simply give the Vex Queen some pieces of his stuffed animals and let her make the chimeras for him? That would also have the added bonus to make the chimeras actual living beings rather than animated corpses.

And besides, talking with the monster-girl had really shaken his motivation. Until that moment, he was ready to throw away his life, mostly because he felt that no one would have really cared if he died or even realized he was missing to begin with.

Golam wasn’t really good with other people. He’d managed to speak with Marcus mostly because she wasn’t human, and his excitement for being in the presence of a new species got the best of his social awkwardness. Usually, he was barely able to speak in front of others. Because of this, he didn’t have any real friends, and the people of Brettholz considered him weird and generally avoided him.

But speaking with the Vex Queen…. It had given him a pleasure he hadn’t experienced in years. She had been the first person in a very long time to really pay attention to his ideas. Not only hadn’t she derided his ambitions, but she actually seemed genuinely interested in them!

Thinking about their conversation made Golam smile, and he lowered his eyes on the book he was still holding.

“Not today,” he said and hid the book back on the shelf before starting to clean the floor of the workshop, dragging the corpse away to his cellars.

Chapter 72

Breakfast of the Champions

It was a bright morning outside. After the cold and cloudy weather of the previous week, it almost felt as if the summer had made a comeback. The air was still rather chilly, but the sunlight was intense and pleasantly warm, and the birds were singing cheerfully. All in all, it was a really nice day.

Whistling a merry tune, or at least trying to, as his jagged mouth clearly wasn’t designed for such an activity, Marcus was trying to choose which clothes he would wear for the day. This was actually harder than it seemed since he couldn’t wear pants. Not only did the tail get in the way, the fabric often got caught in the chinks of his chitin armor and would tear as a result.

At least most of his tunics were long enough to cover part of his legs, so he could just wear one of them as some sort of short dress. Though that brought another sort of problem. For starters, he had bought these clothes to look more masculine and wearing them as dresses kind of defeated that purpose. Then there was the matter of wearing something that barely covered his legs, which forced him to be mindful of how he sat and moved, lest he gifted the ones around him with a panoramic view of his undergarments.

However, despite those associated inconveniences, the tunics were still an improvement over the frilly clothing the marquis had given him, so he went with them anyway.

After a minute, Marcus picked up his Castillar uniform. It was his favorite set of clothes, as they looked very cool and gave him a martial and stern appearance that was as far from feminine as possible, at least in his opinion. He had to wear the coat over his shoulders, though, since his armored arms would ruin the sleeves, but that only added to the overall coolness, so he didn’t mind.

Finally, he grabbed a wicker basket from under his bed and headed out of his room, ready to face another day.

The marquis’s palace was almost completely empty, save for a few servants. When the goblins had departed from the city for their new lands in the south, the knights and the guards had gone with the humanoids in order to keep an eye on them and make sure they wouldn’t do anything fishy. Even Yasen and Belinda had gone with them. Since the marquis was holed up in his study for most of the day, that meant Marcus could freely move around the palace without fear of any awkward meeting.

Meanwhile, the refugees that had been hosted during the siege had either gone back to their homes or, in the case of those that inhabited the territory given to the Vex and the goblins, had been relocated into one of the new villages that were being built in the west.

Because of this, the dining hall wasn’t really used anymore, and the few guests remaining could either dine in the kitchens or in their own room. Marcus would have preferred the second option, but he didn’t like making the servants work more than was necessary. He’d been in the service industry too long to not relate to the staff. He usually just dined in a corner of the kitchens while keeping to himself, trying his best to ignore the presence of the other people.

However, that morning, when he walked in the kitchens, with the basket under his left arm, to have breakfast, he found Klara and Felix sitting at one of the tables, having breakfast.

“Hoi!” Marcus called, waving his hand at them. “Good morning, Klara! Good morning, Felix!”

“Oh, hi, Marcus!” Felix said, waving back. “Good morning to you!”

“Yeah, good morning!” Klara greeted him as well. “Wanna sit with us?”

“Sure,” the Vex Queen said, sitting at the table. “What brings you two here this morning? It’s been a while since I have seen Felix out of his room.”

Felix made a sad smirk after hearing that.

“Well, Hoggs said I’m getting better at controlling my temper, so now it’s safe for me to leave my quarters.”

“That is good!” Marcus said cheerfully. “I’m happy for you!”

After his Djinni awakening, Felix suffered from violent mood swings, which often resulted in him setting something on fire. He’d been relegated into isolated quarters in the basement of the palace in order to prevent accidents. Klara stayed with him, though, refusing to be separated from her friend, and Marcus had also visited from time to time. The biggest help, however, had come from Hoggs, who stayed with the boy day and night to keep an eye on him and to teach him how to control himself.

Whatever training the telemancer put Felix under had certainly been effective, because in the span of just a few days, Felix was almost back to normal. Marcus was really happy for his friend, but he was also encouraged by the fact that Hoggs seemed to be a very good teacher, as it made him hope well for his own training. He hadn’t started yet, as the telemancer was too busy taking care of Felix at the moment to teach him as well, but he didn’t really mind. His friend needed the telemancer’s help more than he did. Besides, if Felix was really getting better, it wouldn’t be long before he could start his lessons!

“Are you gonna have breakfast with us, Marcus?” Klara asked him, interrupting his thoughts.

“Sure! Just give me a second. I’ll take the food and I’ll join you.”

He went to ask the kitchen staff for his usual breakfast, and after a minute, he returned carrying a tray filled with a mountain of raw, bloody meat. He sat down in front of his friends and started thoroughly devouring his meal.

“So…” he asked the apprentice sorcerer while ripping a huge chunk of raw meat from a bone. “What do you want to do now that you can control yourself?”

“Well, I still have much to learn,” Felix replied. “Sometimes I still get so angry for no reason at all, and when it happens, it’s still hard to contain myself from… venting that rage. I plan on studying under Mister Hoggs for a bit longer, until I can completely control my temper.”

“Well, good luck,” Marcus said before taking the now bare bone and eating it as well, crushing it with his shark-like teeth. “I guess you two won’t go back to your village, then?”

“No, at least for the time being,” Klara replied with a shrug. “Oakfell is still basically deserted anyway. It’s very close to the goblin territories, and most people feel as if it’s too dangerous to stay there, for the time being.”

“Well, from what I know, my own lands are between the goblins and the rest of Brettholz, so it’s not like they are the closest,” the Vex Queen said with a bitter smile, while picking a piece of meat from his teeth. “I understand them, though. I don’t like being close to the goblins either.”

In fact, he had been pretty peeved when he learned about the exact location of his new home, since the marquis was effectively using him and the drones as a buffer between the goblins and the humans. Marcus understood why the marquis had done this, as the Vex were able to keep a more effective watch on their borders than human soldiers could. Besides, the territory he’d gotten seemed to be rather good according to Klara, being fertile and relatively vast, so he decided not to complain about it.

“Anyway, I want to keep my land safe and goblin-free, so you can relax,” he said with a smile. “As long as the Vex are there, the goblins won’t be able to sneak around undetected.”

“Yeah, that’s also kind of part of the problem,” the girl said, taking a long, embarrassed breath in. “I don’t mean to be rude, but… a lot of people are also rather reluctant to have the Vex as neighbors.”

“Uh?” Marcus muttered, taken completely by surprise. “Why would they not want us as neighbors? We fought to protect Brettholz and we even helped with the reconstruction!”

“Yes, but, it’s gonna take some time for them to get used to your minions’ appearance,” Klara said with a sour expression. “A lot of villagers are rather ignorant, and they don’t like anything new or different.”

“Oh, I get it now,” Marcus nodded and then shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t really matter, as long as they don’t actually attack me or something. Being liked by everyone was never one of my ambitions.”

“I’m glad you think like that,” Klara said, and she quickly changed the subject. “By the way, what are you up to today?”

“Not much,” The Vex Queen replied. “I have things to do in the city this morning, but after lunch, I should be free.”

“In that case, do you want to have another reading lesson?” the girl proposed. “Felix is gonna train with Hoggs in the afternoon, so I’m free as well.”

“Sure!” he replied with a cheerful smile. “I will meet you in the library after lunch, then.”

Klara had started to give him reading lessons in the past days, mostly to pass the time since she had to leave Felix and Hoggs alone during their lessons, and she had proven to be a very competent teacher. Not only was Marcus learning fast, but he was also having fun while doing so, as the girl also talked with him and taught him about the world.

“Man, I wish I could be with you two,” Felix chimed in, looking a bit dejected. “But I can’t skip Hoggs’s lesson, and it’s probably not a good idea for me to stand near easily flammable things like books.”

“Don’t worry, Felix,” Klara tried to console him. “Maybe we could take a walk together right now. I think getting some fresh air would help you, and the weather seems very good today.”

“Yeah, that’s right!” the young man said, looking a lot more cheerful. “You were going out, weren’t you, Marcus? In that case, we can accompany you!”

“Err…” Marcus stuttered, taken by surprise by that offer. “I… I hope you do not take it badly, but I’d prefer to go alone this morning. I have got some… errands to do.”

The two humans looked at him with curiosity.

“What are you doing exactly?” Felix asked. “Does it have something to do with that wicker basket you’re carrying? What’s in there?”

“Ehm… it’s a private thing,” the Vex Queen said, looking more and more nervous. “It’s nothing bad, I swear, but I’d really prefer to not show it.”

“Leave Marcus alone, Felix,” Klara chimed in. “She’s entitled to some privacy, if she wishes so.”

Marcus looked at the girl with gratitude, and she nodded in response. Felix, on the other hand, seemed quite irritated by that answer.

“What do you mean she’s entitled to her privacy?” he cried, getting red in the face. “If she really is our friend, she has nothing to hide!”

“Felix…” Klara warned him, her expression suddenly becoming worried.

“Do not Felix me!” the young man shouted, jumping up from his seat. “Do not treat me like a goddamn child! I’m an adult, and I want to be treated as such! I am a—”

A small wisp of smoke raised from the wooden table, and Felix froze at that sight. He closed his eyes and sat back down, grabbing his temples with his hands and mumbling something.

Marcus and Klara exchanged a worried look, but after a few seconds, the apprentice sorcerer opened his eyes again, looking incredibly mortified.

“I-I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I… I think I had another anger episode. Maybe it’s better if I just get back to my room for now.”

“I’ll accompany you,” Klara offered.

“No, no. I don’t want to keep you from getting out all the time,” Felix said. “It’s a beautiful day outside, you said it yourself. You should go and get some fresh air.”

“Nonsense. I’m not leaving you alone,” Klara replied adamantly. “You’re my friend and you’re not well right now. We’ll get all the fresh air we want after you get better!”

Felix, apparently drained of all energy, just nodded in response, and the two got up from the table.

“Do you want me to come with you as well?” Marcus offered.

“Don’t worry, I’ll suffice,” Klara replied with a sad smile. “Besides, you had things to do, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but they can wait. If I can be of help, I’d rather stay with you.”

“No, don’t worry,” Felix said weakly. “Please. I’d feel bad if you had to give up your things just to stay with me. Just go, you can come visit me later.” Felix looked to him with tired eyes. “Please.”

“All right.” Marcus nodded. “But at least let me accompany you to your room.”

“Fine.” The apprentice sorcerer nodded, and the Vex Queen grabbed his wicker basket and followed his friends out of the kitchens.

While he was heading toward the basement where Felix’s quarters were located, he thought to himself that his lessons with Hoggs would probably have to wait a bit longer.

Chapter 73

Little Shop of Horrors

After accompanying Felix to his room, Marcus left the palace to take care of his business, carrying his wicker basket with him. He made Cooper join him at the entrance, and they walked out together, heading toward the southern part of the city.

As he strolled through the streets, he basked in the pleasant warmth of the day, enjoying the sunlight and the fresh air.

Such a change in weather, from an almost winter-like cold to a late summer warmth would have been pretty weird in his old world, but Klara explained it was normal here. It was called the “Fool’s Summer,” and it only lasted a few days before the winter came back in full force. Still, a lot of people used this small reprieve to prepare for the winter season, taking care of unfinished work, travelling before snowfall, or just simply enjoying the nice days, and Marcus himself found himself doing the latter.

However, this beautiful weather also had a downside. It made it difficult for him to walk outside without attracting unwanted attention. Since it was so warm, most people had ditched their winter clothes and wandering around with his cloak on would have made him stand out like a sore thumb. He didn’t really have any other way to hide his appearance.

This was quite the conundrum, but he had a solution. His drones were still in the city, providing him with a constant stream of information about the situation on the streets. Using them, and especially the flyers, he was able to create a real-time map of the city in his head and use it to navigate the town without having to meet too many people.

The path he had to take was quite tortuous, but he didn’t really care. He wasn’t in a hurry after all, and he enjoyed taking a stroll under the sunlight.

He kept his mind open to the feedback from his minions, and together with the directions, he also received all sorts of information. Since the citizens had grown used to the presence of the Vex drones and mostly ignored them, Marcus was able to eavesdrop on basically every single conversation happening in Brettholz as if he was present. He did feel a tad guilty about it, but since they weren’t private conversations, as they were held in public, and he couldn’t really help it anyway, he decided to make the most out of it, keeping his attention on for anything useful he could overhear.

Most people talked about banal things, like the weather or what they were having for dinner, or subjects he couldn’t understand because he didn’t have the necessary context. From time to time, he managed to collect some quite interesting tidbits.

A lot of people were complaining about the increased prices, while the merchants justified themselves by saying there was a lot of trouble that made trading harder and more dangerous than it used to be. There were open wars in two places called the Federation and Castillar, while the north of the Empire was plagued by barbarian raids. Also, for some reason, a lot of beasts and monsters were migrating en masse from their natural habitats, often passing through civilized lands and causing havoc. Even banditry was on the rise.

The news from foreign lands gave Marcus a lot to think about. He imagined this world was less peaceful than his old one, but it seemed as if he arrived in a particularly bad moment to boot.

Seems like I’ve been born in this world during some quite interesting times. Well, at least I won’t get bored.

After a while, he arrived at his destination, Golam’s taxidermy shop.

The shop seemed to be closed, but Marcus knew he was expected, so he just opened the door and entered with Cooper.

“Golam, it’s me!” he announced, closing the door behind him.

There was some noise in response, and after a few seconds, the taxidermist emerged from the back of the shop, carrying a few boxes. A small creature followed him, scuttling quickly on the floor.

The creature, a weird mix between a fox and a spider, was an almost exact copy of the chimeric creature Golam had made, a Lesser Gradamott. The only differences were that it was considerably smaller, it was covered in completely dark gray fur, and it had two pairs of glowing purple eyes.

“Welcome, Marcus!” the taxidermist greeted him, putting the boxes down. “You’re finally here! I almost thought you couldn’t come today.”

“I was just delayed,” the Vex Queen said. He pointed at the weird spider thing on the floor. “I see the Gradamott drone is growing well. Are you happy with it?”

“Of course!” Golam replied. “It’s almost exactly as I imagined it! I will never be able to thank you enough for making it.”

“Don’t worry,” Marcus said. “It is a pleasure to help you realize your dream. And besides, you are also helping me greatly. Speaking of which…”

He headed to the counter and set the basket down. He then removed the cloth covering its contents, revealing three translucent eggs inside. “I brought you the specimen you asked for, and also a couple of new hunter drones. They should hatch in a day or two.”

“Very good!” Golam smiled brightly. “Follow me; let’s put them in the nursery.”

The pale man guided Marcus to the back of the shop and even farther to a small and isolated courtyard with no windows facing on it. There was a small door there, leading to a big and run-down building, and Golam opened it, letting the Vex Queen inside.

A single huge room occupied the entire building, and it was dimly lit by a few small windows put very high on the wall and a myriad of small holes in the wooden roof. The walls were made of stone, while the floor was covered by cracked and stained tiles with a few metal drains placed at irregular intervals, while rusty hooks and chains hung down from the ceiling.

The whole place looked like the setting of a horror movie, something which was made even worse by a dark substance that covered a corner of the warehouse, similar to an alien cancer growing on the building itself, where a few dark, insectoid shapes scuttled around. However, those last two things felt rather reassuring for Marcus, since they were just a patch of mold wax and a few worker drones.

After the Vex Queen made the Gradamott drone, Golam had been so overjoyed that he offered him the abandoned warehouse to use as a nursery because he was really interested in watching the eggs grow and hatch. Since he didn’t really have any other place to leave the eggs, and the taxidermist seemed really eager to help, Marcus had accepted, and the workers had been slowly turning that building into a small hive for the past few days.

Marcus approached the patch of mold wax and inspected it. Many translucent eggs littered its surface, and judging by the size of the larva inside, most of them were almost ready to hatch.

“They are growing well, and the mold wax has also grown a lot.”

“I have been feeding trash to the mold wax,” Golam said. “You said it seems to absorb organic things, and I thought using some fertilizer would help it grow faster.”

“Nice thinking.” The Vex Queen nodded. He kneeled beside the patch, taking the eggs from the basket before carefully putting them on the mold wax.

“This is the creature you wanted me to create, the badger-snake thing,” he said, pointing to the first egg. “I could not give it multiple heads, like you asked, but I managed to give it an appendage that looks like a head.”

“That’s still fine,” the taxidermist nodded.

“And these two are new hunter drones.” Marcus took out the other two eggs. “I used the nightwolves info as usual, but I also added a few modifications. I gave them the hearing of a fellbat, so they can act as almost perfect scouts.”

“That works. Fellbats are notoriously good at hearing anything from very far away. I’m happy that the old, moth-eaten stuffed bat was of some use.”

“Indeed it was,” Marcus said, his voice full of satisfaction. “And it is all thanks to your suggestions.”

His partnership with the taxidermist had brought much better results than he could have imagined. Not only did the pale man have a lot of samples from rare and exotic animals, but he also possessed enough knowledge of zoology that he could select animals with useful abilities for Marcus to absorb.

Sadly, a lot of those animals had abilities that Marcus couldn’t copy, since they were tied to nonsensical lines of DNA like those of the laser deer’s crystal antlers. The mistfox, for example, was famous for its ability to blend with its surroundings so that it became almost invisible, but that ability couldn’t be copied by the Vex Queen. Since the mistfox fur was commonly used by sorcerers as a catalyst for “invisibility” spells, Marcus theorized the abilities he couldn’t copy were magical in nature.

However, he managed to acquire some very interesting DNA traits. For example, the Rantul—a species of giant, furry spiders—had a very unique method of reproduction, which involved laying eggs inside other living beings. Said eggs could then either replicate at an incredible rate inside the host’s body before hatching, giving birth to hundreds of Rantul Spawnling, or they could turn parasitic and mutate the host into a Rantul Thrall, a weird hybrid between a Rantul and the species of the host. Marcus had been impressed by that strange and frankly rather creepy ability, but for now, he had no reason to implement it in his drones. His own method of creating hybrids was more versatile, and besides, the Broodmothers were just plain better for increasing the number of drones.

He did, however, make a bunch of modifications on his already existing drones. For example, he had given the warriors and the hunters the jaw strength of the nightwolves, which allowed them to bite through almost anything. Also, with the help of Golam, he came up with the projects for a few new drone types.

Using leather from a wyvern, he made a mental blueprint for a huge, bat-like drone with a wingspan of over ten meters, that would theoretically be capable of carrying a person on its back. Sadly, due to its size, it would take a while for that drone to hatch and mature, but he was rather excited at the prospect of gaining a flying mount.

Apart from that, he’d also made a lot of drone prototypes, and even the chimeras the taxidermist had requested of him, something which made the taxidermist incredibly happy. And while the pale man was a tad weird, Marcus had to admit he was incredibly friendly and even almost adorable in his own way. His passion for zoology was impressive, and he could spend hours talking about different species and theorizing how the Vex Queen could make use of their traits.

As a testament to his weirdness, Golam had also taken the information that Marcus could see him through his minion’s eyes very well. If anything, he seemed to have been even more interested in hosting the Vex in his house after that, and he started talking to the Gradamott drones as if he were speaking directly to Marcus. That had been a little unnerving, especially because the Hive Queen could indeed hear everything, but he decided to dismiss it since it was technically true that anyone could speak to him by talking to his drones. After all, it was a rather effective method of communication, as it was this way that Golam informed him about when he managed to find good samples of animals.

“It’s nothing!” Golam replied, interrupting Marcus’s musings. “I was just curious to see if you could make use of the fellbat hearing. Oh, and by the way, I found another sample you might be interested in!”

“Oh, really? What is it?”

“It’s a Piraca wing!” the taxidermist said proudly. “It’s pretty old. I think it’s from one of my father’s works, but with your ability, you should be able to take information from it anyway.”

“Very good. I will try it out. By the way, what is a Piraca?”

“Well, the Piraca are a weird race that can be found in the southern parts of the Caligare Forest, especially on the Greenward Mountains,” Golam explained. “They are somewhat sentient and have a complex society, but they are very hostile and aggressive toward any other race, so they are hunted down like beasts. As for their physical characteristics, they resemble a mix between bats and birds, only without any fur or feathers. Instead, they have a rubbery, bluish skin that is very tough and especially resistant to acid, which is kind of a given considering their main method of attacking.

“They spit a very powerful acid, which melts their prey and turns it into a goo, which they suck with their leech-like tongues for nourishment. They are divided into two subspecies, the Piraca Servants, which are small and incapable of actual flight, though they can glide, and the Piraca Nobles, who can become huge and can fly. They also have the habit of creating huge pools of acid in their nests, where they drop living prey. These pools are also their means of reproduction. I don’t know how, but young Piraca emerge from them. And there are rumors that say they use those pools for some mystic rituals, as well as—”

“That does sound interesting,” Marcus interrupted, knowing if he let the man talk, he’d spend the whole day listening to his ramblings. “If you give me that sample of a Piraca, I’ll see what I can make with it.”

“Very good!” Golam nodded. “I left it in a box near the counter. Follow me!”

The man and the monster-girl returned to the shop, where Golam rummaged through the box and retrieved what looked like an old piece of a light blue rubber sheet.

“Here it is!” he said, handing it to Marcus.

The Vex Queen gave it a careful look before nibbling a corner of the weird thing. Like its appearance suggested, it was extremely rubbery and tough, and even with his sharp teeth, he had trouble chewing it. Nonetheless, the flow of information still came, albeit slower than usual, and Marcus started processing it in his mind.

“Umf, this may take a minute or two,” he mumbled. “I’ve never had something so hard to digest.”

“That’s normal for the Piraca. They usually thrive without trouble because they have almost no predator. Not only are they almost completely inedible, but their acid can hurt those that try to eat them.”

“I can see why.” Marcus nodded and smiled. “But this is only going to make me want them more. Those traits would be perfect for some of my drones!”

“Yeah, it’s pretty ironic!” The taxidermist laughed. “I knew you’d like it! Oh, and if I may give you a suggestion, I think the Piraca traits would go very well with your acid-spitting minions. From what I’ve seen, the acidic poison of your spitter drone is quite strong, but it’s not on the level of Piraca acid. And giving your drones the Piraca’s resistance to acid would make friendly fire much less dangerous.”

“Good suggestion!” the Vex Queen said with a smile. “I’m gonna do that if possible. Maybe I could improve my flying minions as well. Give them acid spit.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Golam concurred. “The ranged attacks of your current drones are somewhat lacking. Given that the orcs are almost exclusively focused on melee, having good-ranged units would be a great advantage.”

“You are right,” Marcus said. “Oh, by the way, do you happen to have any orc parts lying around? I could use the information that consuming their parts would give me to my advantage when they invade.”

“I can look around, but I doubt I’ll find orc lying around,” Golam replied. “Stuffing humanoid species is commonly frowned upon. It’s quite stupid in my opinion, since I stuff sentient species like the Piraca and the Rantul all the time, but still, most people don’t like seeing trophies of species that look too human.”

“Got it. Well, it was worth a try.” Marcus noticed through the eyes of his drones outside that it was almost noon, and most people were going home for lunch. He also realized he was getting hungry. “Well, now that we’re done here, I think I will get back to the palace. I’d like to have lunch with my friends there, and in the afternoon, I want to have some reading lessons.”

“Oh, okay then!” Golam nodded. “Not that it makes much of a difference, am I right? If your drones are here, you can still hear anything they do, so it’s not like you’re actually leaving.”

“Well, yes,” the Vex Queen replied. “I’ve never thought about it that way, but I think it is correct. I won’t be able to reply, though.”

“It doesn’t matter, don’t worry!” Golam said with a laugh. “In the end, I’m happy to have someone to talk to, even if you can’t always reply. It’s wonderful to not feel alone!”

“Well, I’m happy for you,” Marcus said, a bit taken aback by the taxidermist’s enthusiasm. He told himself that the pale man was probably rather lonely due to his eccentricity, so he tried to not let that bother him.

“Oh, and before you leave,” Golam said in a hopeful voice. “Are you really sure you can’t tell me how the eggs are made? I’m really curious about that.”

“Ehm…” the Vex Queen stuttered, now feeling decidedly bothered. “No, I can’t. That’s a trade secret, and I’d appreciate it if you don’t ask again.”

“Oh, okay,” the taxidermist said, looking rather dejected. “But you know you can trust me, right? I wouldn’t tell anyone else!”

“I really can’t. Sorry,” Marcus replied, his tone adamant. “And now, if you excuse me, I really have to go. It takes a while for me to get to the palace, and I don’t want to miss lunch.”

“Oh, fine, then,” Golam finally relented. “I hope to see you soon!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll come back as soon as I can. And as you said, even if I’m not here physically, I am still here through my drones, right? So just talk to the Gradamott or any other drone if you have any news or if you find some good samples for me to eat!”

“I’ll do that!” the pale man said, looking more cheerful. “Well, see ya, Marcus!”

“See ya, Golam!” Marcus said, and then he left the shop, closing the door behind him, and getting back to the palace together with Cooper.

Chapter 74

A Study in Feeling Blue

The marquis’s library was located in a small and cramped room with only one window, a small table at the center, and the walls covered in bookshelves filled with hundreds of books. There were only a couple of chairs, which at the moment were occupied by Marcus and Klara. There was an oil lamp on the table, though for now, the light of the day was more than enough.

Marcus sat in front of the table, intent on staring at the pages of a book Klara selected for him. According to the girl, that book had a simple grammar that was very easy to understand, but for some reason, it was still difficult for the Vex Queen despite his recent improvements with the local language. Though maybe that was because he was helped by his telepathic powers when speaking directly to someone, and that didn’t work with a book. Luckily, the local alphabet was pretty similar to his native one, down to the letters themselves, something which helped him greatly.

“At the… d-down of the third day?” he recited, stuttering a bit.

“No, not down. Dawn,” Klara corrected him.

“Thanks. At the dawn of the third day, the Zaru… mountain? No, that can’t be right.”

“It’s mounted. Not mountain.”

“Oh, okay. At the dawn of the third day, the Zaru mounted an all-out… offensive?” He looked at the girl for confirmation. Since she nodded, he continued. “The soldiers were prepared and met their… charge? Yeah, they met their charge with b-bareless? Bindless? No, wait, boundless! The soldiers were prepared and met their charge with boundless courage, repelling the first assault with few… casualties, and drowning—no, driving the vile Zaru away from the walls, se-securing the first victory of the day.”

He frowned a bit. The book he was reading was the Chronicles of the Zaru Wars. It was classified as a history book, but it was filled with too much painfully obvious propaganda to feel really reliable. Still, even if he had to take what was written with a pinch of salt, it was a nice source of information about the history of this world.

And what a history it was! Compared to it, his old world’s history was as boring as an accounting meeting.

According to the book, five hundred years prior, the Empire had been invaded by the Zaru, a race of sadomasochistic squid-people that summoned tentacle monsters in battle. Marcus would have found that tale quite hard to believe, but Klara confirmed it. Besides, he himself had witnessed so many crazy things in this world that he really couldn’t dismiss anything, no matter how improbable it seemed.

One day, a huge army of Zaru, a species that had never been seen in the world before, emerged from the Dark Heart. Without any warning and without any reason or attempt at parley, they started methodically laying waste to everything they found in their way. The kingdoms of Medelan and Rodenheim were razed to the ground, their population either slaughtered, forced to flee, or captured by the Zaru to be tortured and sacrificed to their dark gods. The invaders had gained so much momentum, it seemed as if the Empire as a whole was in danger. However, the advance of the squidmen was halted at the city of Corania, and the passage Marcus was now reading detailed the events of the siege.

He was about to resume reading when he was interrupted by someone knocking at the door, and after a moment, a maid entered.

“Sorry to bother you,” she said. “But the marquis has asked for Lady Marcus’s presence in his study.”

The Vex Queen frowned for a moment after hearing this and sighed with resignation. He had carefully avoided Eisen for almost a week due to the embarrassment from their previous meeting. It seemed like it was finally time to face him once again. At least he knew if the nobleman had summoned him like this, he almost certainly had something important to say, so hopefully, he wouldn’t bring up what happened in the tea room and make things intolerably awkward.

“I’ll go right away,” Marcus said to the maid before turning to Klara. “I hope you do not mind if we interrupt our lesson here.”

“Don’t worry,” the girl reassured him. “We can resume later if you want, or even tomorrow. I’ve got nothing else to do right now, so I think I’ll just stay here and read some books.”

“Suit yourself. I’ll see you later, then.”

“Later, Marcus.”

* * *

A few minutes later, Marcus arrived in front of the marquis’s door, but he didn’t enter right away. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing before facing the nobleman.

C’mon, Marcus, you can do it! It’s not the first time you got wasted and ended up doing embarrassing things. Get over it already! The marquis is literally a gentleman; he won’t bring that up… or at least I hope so.

After gathering up his resolution, he raised his fist and knocked on the door.

“Do come in,” Eisen’s voice replied from the inside.

The Vex Queen entered, and he immediately noticed just how chaotic it was compared to the previous times he’d seen it. There were piles of papers everywhere, some even scattered on the floor, and the desk was covered by documents, huge leather-cased ledgers, and even a couple of abacuses. Eisen’s head was barely visible behind it all, his usual well-groomed hair now messy and untidy, and his face was pale with huge bags under his eyes.

Another person was also sitting right beside the marquis. A tall, blond man, who managed to seem imposing despite looking quite pale and tired himself. For some reason, he reminded the Vex Queen of the marquis.

“Good day, Marquis,” Marcus said.

“Good day, Lady Marcus!” the nobleman replied with a tired voice. “Thank you for coming!”

“It is not a problem,” the Vex Queen shrugged before giving a look at the other person. “Ehm, I do not think we know each other, do we?”

“Oh, where are my manners! I forgot to introduce you to each other,” Eisen said. “Sorry about that. I’m quite tired right now. Anyway, this is Dagobert Brett, my chief officer. He was taken prisoner by the goblins and has been released only recently. Dagobert, this is Lady Marcus. I have already told you about her.”

“You did,” Dagobert confirmed, getting out of his chair and bowing toward Marcus. “It is an honor to meet you, my lady.”

“Well, the pleasure is all mine,” the Vex Queen replied, returning the bow. “But please, do not call me lady. Just Marcus will do.”

The man nodded, and Marcus looked at him more carefully, suddenly realizing something.

“Ehm, correct me if I’m wrong,” he asked, “but are you related to the marquis, by any chance? You look kinda similar, and you have the same last name.”

“Indeed,” Dagobert nodded. “I’m Eisen’s second cousin.”

“It’s quite common for the younger sons of aristocrats to become soldiers in service of their relatives,” the marquis chimed in absent-mindedly. “And it’s even more common for their sons to inherit the job. And to be honest, I couldn’t have wished for a better man for that position. Dagobert here is not only one of the best Aura Warriors in the kingdom, but also one of the best officers.”

“You flatter me, Eisen,” Dagobert replied with a sad smile. “I don’t deserve such praises. Especially after I got captured by goblins and spent months as their prisoner.”

“It’s not your fault; stop bashing yourself for it!” Eisen barked. “The goblins this time were better organized and more numerous than we could have ever imagined. They even threatened Brettholz itself! I doubt even Yasen would have done better than you, in the same circumstances.”

“Fine, my lord,” the officer replied, but it was clear he didn’t agree.

“Uhm,” Marcus muttered, feeling rather awkward. “Can I ask why did you call me here, Marquis?”

“Oh, yes, yes!” Eisen said. “Sorry, I tend to ramble when I’m tired, and the Lord knows I feel tired right now!” He gave Marcus an exhausted look. “Do you mind if I get straight to the point? I’m afraid I don’t have the energy for diplomatic babble.”

“Of course, I don’t mind,” the Vex Queen replied. “Actually, I would appreciate it.”

“Very well. Then let’s cut to the chase. I need you and your minions to move to your lands as soon as possible. If I handle the preparations, could you depart from Brettholz in a day or two?”

Marcus thought about it for a second and then nodded.

“Well, I think I can do that,” he confirmed. “Can I ask why you want me to leave?”

“It’s not really that I want you to leave. You are a welcome guest here, and it pains me to send you away. It’s just that I need your drones to guard the borders with the goblins, and from what you said last time we talked—” He looked away for a moment, embarrassment flushing his face. “Well, you said you need to be within a dozen kilometers or so from the drones to control them properly. Is that right?”

“Yes. Yes, it is,” Marcus replied, feeling rather awkward since Eisen just brought up their previous meeting.

“Then if your minions are going to guard those territories, you have to go with them,” the nobleman continued, apparently not intending to discuss more about what happened in the tea room. “This is the reason I need you to go. Sorry if it’s so sudden, but I’m kind of in a corner here.”

“Do not worry,” the Vex Queen reassured him. “I already knew I had to go to my lands sooner or later, so it’s no problem for me to go now. But can I ask why are you in such a hurry? I thought I could stay here for the winter.”

“Long story short, it’s because those damned pencil pushers in Rennhafen are a bunch of useless morons!” Eisen said bitterly. “Yasen and his knights were supposed to stay here and guard the goblins for the winter, but some genius decided to recall them to the capital, since apparently, the emergency is over in the province of Brettholz!” The nobleman’s face turned red with rage. “Apparently, for those fools in the capitals, the goblins suddenly became completely trustworthy, from a legal point of view, the very moment I declared them a client race! So, without any official threat, there is no reason to keep the Royal Knights stationed here. Never mind that I’m stuck with tens of thousands of goblins camped in a corner of my territory, ready to swarm over my lands.”

The nobleman was so furious, he clenched his fists, breaking the pen he was holding. Marcus didn’t know how to reply, as he had never seen Eisen get so emotional before. Dagobert approached his cousin and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Calm down, Eisen,” he said, in a polite but firm voice. “Losing your temper won’t help anyone.”

“Yes, sorry,” the marquis replied, relaxing a bit. “I beg your pardon, Lady Marcus. That was unbecoming of me.”

“Just call me Marcus,” the Vex Queen corrected him automatically. “And also, do not worry. I take no offense. You should get some rest, though. You look like you are about to fall apart.”

Eisen smirked at that suggestion, but Dagobert shot the nobleman a cold glance.

“That’s what I’ve told him ever since I arrived,” the captain grumbled. “He should take better care of himself.”

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll just take a nap later,” the nobleman said in a bemused voice. “It’s just that there are a lot of documents that require my signature, and I want to process them as soon as possible.” His face turned grim once again. “I’ve got to prepare a suitable shelter for the winter for those who inhabited the lands I’ve given to the goblins. Their new villages are not going to be ready before the first snow, and after that, the construction works will come to a halt. I’ll have to buy a lot of tents to accommodate them all. And to make it all worse, since they can’t harvest the fields in their home, since they now belong to the goblins, I’ll also have to pay for their food! This little post-war here is eating through my savings like a devilrat. I’ll be surprised if I have any penny left in spring!”

Marcus felt a sudden sympathy for the nobleman’s plight. He, too, had suffered from financial problems in his old world. What with paying for his student loans and his living expenses, and he remembered very well how powerless and angry he felt back then.

“Is there any way I can help?” he offered. “I mean, maybe with my drone’s help, we could manage to build those villages in time, or something.”

“I’m thankful for the offer, but I’m afraid that even with your help, we wouldn’t make it in time.” The marquis shook his head, but he did sound somewhat cheered up. “And besides, if you and your minions keep watch over the goblins, that would be more than enough help. And to be honest, not having to feed your minions would be a great financial relief in itself. No offense, but you Vex sure eat a lot!”

“None taken.” The Hive Queen shrugged. “It is true, after all.”

“And about that. Are you sure your minions have enough food to survive in your new lands?” the nobleman asked. “I mean, there are a few unharvested cultivations there, but they won’t be enough to last all winter with your numbers.”

“Do not worry,” Marcus reassured him. “We Vex can eat almost everything. Probably even grass or wood, if there is nothing better. And besides, I will start growing mold wax as soon as I arrive there. Mold wax grows very fast and is very nutritious, so I’ll be able to feed my minions once I have a big enough patch of it.”

“Very well. Then I guess it’s in everyone’s best interest that you depart as soon as you can. How long would you take to get ready?”

“As I said, not long,” the Vex Queen replied. “I do not own many things, after all. I would only need some food to feed my minions on the way there, but apart from that, I can leave anytime.”

“That, I can provide,” Eisen said. “Along with a few other things to make you comfortable. Would it be okay for you to depart in a day or two?”

“Yes.”

“Very well then. I’ll send word to arrange the necessary things for your trip. Oh, and I also need to tell Hoggs. He’ll need some time to prepare as well.”

“Hoggs is coming with me?” Marcus asked.

“Yes, of course,” Eisen replied. “After all, he still has to give you those lessons in Aura control he promised, and I need to have a telemancer stationed with you, so he’s the logical choice.”

“Good,” the Vex Queen said with satisfaction. “Is there anything else?”

“No, at least not for now. If anything else turns up, I’ll send word to you, but I really hope there won’t be any more surprises. Lately, there have been only bad ones.”

“Very well. Then I think I will go prepare. I’ve got a few things to do before I depart.”

“I’ll leave you to it. Good day, Marcus.”

“Good day, Marquis. And good day to you too, Dagobert.”

“Good day,” the officer replied with a smirk.

Marcus walked to the door, but at the last moment, he turned toward the marquis.

“Oh, and Marquis… really, take some rest. You look more dead than alive.”

“I will, Marcus, don’t worry,” the man said with a sad smirk. “Thank you for the suggestion.”

And with those parting words, the Vex Queen left to arrange things for his departure.

Chapter 75

Girl Talk

It was a chilly and foggy morning when the Vex left Brettholz.

They quietly marched out of the southern gates, making hardly any sound, and no one, save for the guards on the walls, noticed their departure. About three hundred drones, all those left alive after the siege, moved in a long line that stretched for almost a mile. The hunters ran at the head of the formation, scouting the territory, followed by the warriors who marched in a loose formation, while the rest walked slowly in the rear. A few workers and heavies were also pulling carts full of supplies, since horses were too spooked by the insectoid-reptilian creatures to get anywhere near them.

Marcus rode on one of those carts together with Klara, while Hoggs and Felix were on another one. Although the girl would have preferred to ride with her friend, each cart only had enough space to comfortably accommodate two people, and it was better for the boy to ride with the old man, who could actually take care of him in case he had one of his bouts of anger. Still, that didn’t stop her from glancing in the boy’s direction every minute or so to make sure he was okay. Almost as if she feared he could explode or something. Although, given the apprentice sorcerer’s powers, that possibility wasn’t entirely off the table.

Watching her, Marcus couldn’t help but feel some admiration for Klara’s dedication to Felix. Ever since the latter’s awakening, she had made it her mission to take care of him, constantly keeping him company and trying her best to calm him down when he was having a temper tantrum. And when the Vex Queen told them he was going to leave Brettholz and bring Hoggs with him, she had been the one to ask for the permission to accompany them, so Felix could continue his training. Heck, she even offered to work as a maid in Marcus’s new home to repay this favor. Though he told her there was no need for that and he was happy to have both her and Felix as permanent guests, she insisted, telling him she wanted to repay him somehow.

So, finally, the Vex Queen budged, and now the two young humans were officially coming with him as part of his retinue.

Truth be told, Marcus was actually very happy his friends were coming with him. Even though he couldn’t stand crowds for now, he still greatly appreciated social interaction, even more so if it was with people he was already used to. He had been with Klara and Felix for so long, their presence didn’t bother him in the slightest. As for Hoggs, he knew how to minimize his own presence. Those three were basically the best company he could currently wish for.

The only thing he felt a bit bad about was leaving Golam behind. The taxidermist had been quite distraught when Marcus told him he was leaving Brettholz. He’d cheered up considerably when Marcus told him the chimera-drones would be staying with him. With this, the taxidermist had been left, if not happy, at least somewhat satisfied, especially after Marcus promised to try to keep in touch with him.

“Uhm, Marcus?” Klara asked, interrupting his thoughts. “Is everything all right? You’ve been very quiet ever since we left Brettholz.”

“Oh, yes. I’m fine. I was just lost in my thoughts.”

“Don’t worry. These are hard times, and we all have much to think about.” Klara sighed. “The fight with the goblins was bad enough already, and now we have an even worse threat looming in the future.”

“Well, look at the bright side,” Marcus said cheerfully. “At least we’re still alive. I think that counts for something, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, you’re right. But it’s still hard for me to stay positive with all the things that have happened. Especially when I see Felix during one of his moments of anger.” She sighed once again. “It’s as if he becomes another person entirely. He’s clearly hurting, though, and I don’t know what to do to help him.”

“You are helping him already, in my opinion,” the Vex Queen said. “You are always at his side, and I think that is helping him a lot. Besides, he has Hoggs training him now, and since he started his lessons, he is getting better at controlling his temper. Just give it some time and don’t lose hope. I am sure Felix is going to be fine.”

Klara made a little smile, seemingly cheered up some by Marcus’s words. “You sure are optimistic today.”

“No reason to worry about things you can’t do anything about,” Marcus replied seraphically. “Tomorrow we’ll be in a village near thousands of goblins that could attack us at any moment. In a few months, we may be facing an army of orcs, and who knows what disasters the future is going to bring. But right now, we are peacefully riding a cart in the countryside. Let’s enjoy this moment.”

“That’s a pretty carefree attitude,” Klara observed. “And it could easily lead to carelessness. Some problems can be solved only by actually thinking about them.”

“You are right. But that is still no reason to let our worries ruin such a perfectly good day.”

“And you would call this day perfectly good?” the girl asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, yes. For starters, no one is trying to kill us,” Marcus replied sardonically. “Living in the Caligare Forest long enough really makes you appreciate that.”

“Fair enough.” Klara chuckled. “I must say, you sure are pretty… witty today. What happened?”

“Oh, I was always witty,” the Vex Queen replied with a smirk. “In my head, at least. I just lacked the vocabulary to properly express it before.”

“Gods help us.” The girl shook her head in fake desperation. “What horror have we let loose on the world!”

“Yeah, my sarcasm is gonna be the ruin of entire nations! And it is all your fault for teaching me how to speak in your language! Mwahahahah!” Marcus let out a melodramatic evil cackle, causing Klara to burst into laughter.

“Well, this is a surprise for sure!” she said once she had stopped laughing. “You were so meek and polite before. I didn’t expect you would turn like this once you mastered our language.”

“I am full of surprises!” he replied with a proud grin. “Also, it was kind of hard to really be myself back then. Not only my vocabulary was lackluster, but I also had too many things to worry about and, well, living alone in the forest for almost a year made it difficult for me to talk to people at all, regardless of the language used.”

“Fair points. Well, I’m glad you can be yourself now. To be honest, I kinda prefer you like this. You certainly are more lively now!”

“Well, thanks!”

“I mean it.” Klara sighed, staring away into the mists. “Truth be told, I was never that good at socializing either. Especially with other girls of my age.” She smirked. “Too much time spent in the forest, I guess. I always preferred hunting and exploring over talking about girly stuff like dresses, boys, and other nonsense like that.” She turned to Marcus with a mischievous smile. “Which is one of the reasons I like how you are right now. This may be the first time I’m genuinely enjoying having some girl talk.”

Marcus frowned at those words, as being called a girl, or any kind of feminine noun really, somehow peeved him a lot lately.

“Yeah. About that…” He took a deep breath before continuing. “I am not really a girl, Klara.”

“What?” The young huntress raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What do you mean to say? That you’re not a human girl? Or that you’re not a female of your species?”

“No. Well… maybe?” he stuttered in response. “I mean, I’m certainly not a human girl right now, but I am pretty sure I am a female Vex.” He sighed. “But I’m digressing. I wasn’t really talking about my body. I was talking about my mind.”

“What?” Klara said, sounding even more confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” Marcus hesitated a bit, but then decided to tell his friend everything. “I used to be a human male in my past life, but I died and I found myself in this body.”

After hearing this, Klara remained silent for a while, just staring at him with wide eyes and an incredulous expression. She didn’t look like she was going to believe him, and to be fair, Marcus couldn’t really blame her. After all, the claim he just made did sound completely ridiculous.

I should have probably kept that to myself…. Now she’ll probably think I’m crazy. Well, the damage is already done, so I think it’s best to not press the matter and to never mention this again.

But this time, Klara really subverted his expectations.

“That explains a lot,” she suddenly said, interrupting the Vex Queen’s train of thought and catching him completely by surprise. “You always behaved in a very human way, even when we had just met. And you have a clearly male Imperial name, which would make sense if it was your name in your previous life when you were a guy!”

“So, you believe me?” he asked cautiously.

“Yes.” The girl nodded slowly. “I can’t think of any reason why you should be lying and reincarnation is proved to exist after all.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Marcus cried. “You mean to say that reincarnation is common here?”

“Well, it’s not exactly common, or at least it’s not common for people to retain clear memories of their previous lives. Those who do usually lose them before puberty, and only very few manage to keep them as adults. And I’ve never heard of someone reincarnating as a different species before. But that doesn’t mean it’s completely impossible.”

“That is a relief.” The Vex Queen sighed and relaxed a bit. “For a moment, I feared you would think I’m crazy.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t think you’re crazy!” Klara smirked. “However, I keep the right to change my mind should you start running around naked with your panties on your head while singing the national anthem!”

“Fair enough!” Marcus replied with a chuckle. “Though if I did something like that, I could just be completely drunk instead of crazy.”

“That’s true,” the girl conceded. “But didn’t you tell me that alcohol doesn’t affect you?”

“Well, it doesn’t. But…” the Vex Queen started to say, but he stopped as soon as the memories of his caffeinated shenanigans flashed in his mind.

“But what?” Klara inquired.

“Never mind,” he replied, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. “I do not want to talk about it. Can we change the subject, please?”

“Oh, yes. It’s fine,” she said. “Soooo… do you remember your previous life clearly? Who were you back then?”

“Yes, I remember it very well.” Marcus was glad she didn’t investigate further about the caffeine incident. “I wasn’t anyone of importance, though. Just a simple guy in his twenties, working all day to make ends meet. Then, one day, I saw a girl getting robbed. I tried to help her and I got killed for my trouble.”

“That’s… rather succinct.”

“Well, it is not like the story of my life is that interesting.” Marcus shrugged. “My father died a few years ago. I tried my best to work and not weigh on the rest of my family while I was building a future for myself…. That didn’t really work out. I pretty much died without accomplishing anything.”

“Well, at least you died doing something good,” Klara said. “You tried to save that woman, didn’t you?”

“Eh, mostly, I was just looking for an excuse to punch someone,” he corrected her with a smirk. “I was pretty angry that day. Doing a good deed was just a nice bonus.”

“Yeah, that does sound like something a man in his twenties would do,” Klara said with some amusement in her voice. “Where did this happen? In a city of the Empire? Or maybe in one of the Free Cities? The name of the place you said you come from—Amerrica, was it?—did sound pretty Beccan to me.”

“Nah, I don’t come from any of those places,” Marcus replied. “I come from a completely different world.”

“What!” Klara cried, her eyes widening with surprise.

“Err…” Marcus mumbled, struggling to find the right words. “I don’t really know how to explain it correctly, but I do not think my world was this world. Mine had just one moon, and there was no magic or stuff like that. And the only species that could talk were humans. No goblins, or Thulians, or orcs, or anything like that, just humans. Oh, and I do not know how I got here. I just died in my world and woke up in this one.”

This time, after he was done talking, Klara was seriously looking at him as if he was crazy. She didn’t say a word and she just kept staring at him as if trying to decide whether or not he was pulling her leg.

“Are you… serious?” she finally asked. “Do you really mean that you come from another world?”

“Yes. I know it is difficult to believe and that it sounds crazy. Even more so than the reincarnation thing probably. But I am telling the truth. I clearly remember my old world, and trust me, it was nothing like this one.”

Another long, awkward silence ensued, as Klara was clearly busy processing what she had been told, and Marcus didn’t want to interrupt her.

After almost a minute, the girl spoke again, in a rather alarmingly neutral tone.

“Well, as I said before, I can’t see a reason why you should be lying, and you don’t seem insane either.”

“You believe me?”

“I believe that you are sincere, at least,” she said cautiously. “The other world stuff is a bit hard to swallow without any substantial proof. But I trust you, so I’ll take what you say at face value. I wouldn’t talk too much about it, if I were you. Especially with strangers. That stuff sounds really weird.” She paused for a second, as if she had suddenly remembered something. “Though, I think I’ve read some passages in one of my grandfather’s books talking about people and creatures arriving from different worlds.”

“Really?” Marcus said in a rather excited voice. “What book is it?”

“I don’t remember the title. I only remember that it was a very big, old, and tattered book that my grandfather kept in his library.” Klara tried to recollect her memories. “It was hard to read too. The writing style was archaic and a few pages were missing here and there, but I clearly remember the passage about the other worlds. It theorized that the Great Invasions happen when rifts open in reality and connect our world with another one, allowing armies of alien creatures to invade our lands.” She shook her head. “But all of that was just speculation. It didn’t offer any proof or reliable sources.”

“Well, if it is the only hint about different worlds, I would still like to read it,” the Hive Queen replied. “It could help me understand what happened to me.”

“Okay. When I get back in Oakfell, I’ll make sure to take it and lend it to you.”

“Thanks, Klara.”

“You’re welcome, Marcus.” Klara shrugged. “After everything you did for me and Felix, this is nothing.”

“Don’t worry about that. I did not do anything special.”

“You saved our lives,” Klara said with amusement. “That’s special enough for me.”

“It did not cost me anything to save you, and I gained a lot by doing that. It was not that heroic.”

“You could have still left us to rot,” Klara insisted. “And no one forced you to fight for Brettholz. You could have just walked away back then. But you didn’t. You stood with us, despite risking your very life. And I’m not going to forget that.”

“Well…” he mumbled, unsure of how to reply. He wasn’t really used to being praised, and in fact, it made him feel rather awkward.

Noticing his distress, Klara decided to change the subject.

“Hey, since we were talking about books, look at what I brought with me!”

She rummaged through her bag and she took out a book. It was Chronicles of the Zaru Wars, the one he was using to learn how to read.

“Want to have a reading lesson?” she offered. “That would help us relax a bit, I think.”

“What, right now? While we’re riding?”

“Why not? It’s your minions that are pulling the cart, not horses, so we don’t have to guide them. And it’d be a great way to kill some time while we’re travelling.” She smiled. “Also, I think we both need to relax a bit right now. As you said, it’s important that we enjoy this perfectly good day, and I sure need some time to process all the things you’ve told me.”

“Very good!” Marcus grinned, taking the book from Klara. “Then it’s better if I wait until tomorrow before I tell you the really shocking things, isn’t it?”

Klara gave him a worried look and the Vex Queen just laughed.

“Just kidding! I don’t have any more shocking facts for now. Let’s get to reading, shall we?”

“Yeah… maybe that’s better,” Klara said.

Her visible relief gave Marcus one final chuckle before he started focusing on the pages of the book.

Chapter 76

Always Expect the Unexpected

It was almost noon when the caravan arrived in sight of the village.

“Hey, Klara, is that our destination?” Marcus asked.

“Yeah, that’s Stonebarrow. We should get there in about half an hour.”

“Good. I can’t wait to get down from this cart. Sure it is better than walking, but now my—” Marcus realized he lacked the Imperial translation for a word he was very fond of.

“Say, Klara,” he asked, pointing at his ass. “What do you call this part of the body?”

Klara blinked in surprise at that question and blushed a bit. “Uh, well, that’s… the butt?” she stuttered in response.

“Yeah, I think that’s the word. Thanks, Klara. Anyway, as I was saying, sitting for so long made my butt hurt.”

“That’s hardly surprising. We’ve been riding for a day and a half. That’s bound to hurt, especially if you’re not used to it. Have you ever travelled on a cart before? In your old life, I mean?”

“No, we did not use carts in my old world. Well, actually, in some places, people still use carts, but for the most part we ride cars.”

“What’s a car?”

“Oh, it is still basically a cart, but much faster and without horses or anything else that pulls it. It is also usually more comfortable than a cart, ‘cause the seats are padded and not just raw wood.”

“Well, carts with padded seats exist. And those are pretty comfortable; it’s just that our carts are cheap ones. But you said that nothing pulls a car, right? Then how does it move?”

“I don’t think I can explain it right now.” The Vex Queen shook his head. “I know how it works, but I still do not know the right words to tell you.”

“Don’t sweat it, then. You’ll tell me when you’re able to, if you want.”

Marcus nodded, a little smirk on his jagged lips. He and Klara had chatted a lot the previous day and the girl asked him all sorts of things about his old world, and he answered to the best of his ability, happy to talk about his previous life with someone. Sure, some of the arguments brought up were rather painful for him, as they reminded him of what he lost, but for some reason, he felt better after speaking about it.

Klara proved to be a good listener too, paying attention to whatever he said and only asking pertinent questions from time to time. She also suggested to wait a bit before sharing these revelations with Felix, since the boy was in a delicate mental state and he could react poorly to unexpected news. Marcus didn’t really like keeping secrets, but he could see her point. Marcus avoided speaking of his past when they made camp for the night, trying to keep the conversation as neutral as possible to avoid stressing Felix.

Because of this, he didn’t even speak about his plans for the future, since they would probably be even more stressful for the apprentice sorcerer. With the goblins within spitting distance of his new home, he felt justifiably worried about his security and he was currently trying to develop all kinds of counter plans against a possible attack.

The previous night, during a moment when Felix was distracted, he asked Hoggs if it was possible for the goblin shamans to use their magic against him. The old man replied negatively, explaining that due to the nature of their magic, the shamans wouldn’t be able to use their powers until they had bonded with the spirits of their new territory, a process that would take at least half a year.

That was music to Marcus’s ears, since apart from using magic, he couldn’t think of any other way the goblins could stop him from escaping through an underground tunnel, should his life be in peril. And if everything went according to his plans, by the time the shamans had bonded with the spirits, he wouldn’t need to run anymore.

The main reason for his confidence was inside a bag in the back of the carts. There were three Broodmother eggs, one for making workers, one for warriors, and the last one for heavies. He had laid them over the course of a few days, ever since Golam had given him use of that warehouse as a nursery. Now he was carrying them to his new hive together with the prototype of the wyvern drone.

Since he had laid the Broodmother eggs normally, without the extended gestation, they would take at least a month to fully mature even after hatching. During that time, he planned to accumulate enough provisions to feed a sizable army. According to his calculations, he just needed three months to make a host of drones big enough to fight the goblins on equal ground, and that was with just those three Broodmothers. He also planned on making more of them as soon as he reached his destination. The downside was those would take even longer to mature and start producing drones.

It all hinged on those first three months, during which the hive would be vulnerable. Since Hoggs had confirmed the goblins couldn’t use magic to attack him, he had the option to simply run away if push came to shove. Even though he loathed the idea of abandoning his hive. Again.

For the time being, he would have to focus on expanding his hive while keeping his eyes open for any signs of danger. It wasn’t exactly an idyllic situation by any means. Though it was one he could live with. After all, sharing a hivemind with his drones made for a very efficient security network. He was confident that no goblin could enter his territories undetected.

In the end, he would almost certainly be fine, unless something completely unexpected happened.

“Hey, who’s that?” Klara said, pointing at the village.

Marcus looked in that direction and saw someone approaching, a lone figure riding a horse.

“I don’t know,” he replied with a bitter sigh. “But knowing my luck, it is probably something unexpected.”

The rider got closer, until it was possible to recognize her features. It was that old female knight, Belinda. She approached the Vex, and kept riding until she was right next to Marcus’s cart.

“Good day!” She saluted. “Welcome to Stonebarrow, Lady Marcus.”

“Good day to you,” the Vex Queen replied automatically, feeling his cheeks blushing. He still hadn’t completely gotten over his embarrassment after the drunken incident.

“Good day,” Klara said as well, raising an eyebrow. “You’re the leader of the Knights of the Rose, aren’t you? Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be watching the borders with the goblins?”

“Yes, that’s our current mission. But something rather unexpected happened that required our presence here.”

Bloody typical, Marcus thought. I should change my name to Cassandra, because I fucking called it!

“What happened?” he asked. “Are the goblins up to something?”

“Probably.” Belinda shrugged. “But I don’t know exactly what. All I know is that, this morning, a group of goblins approached our outpost carrying a white flag. They told us they wanted to send an envoy to this village to talk with the Queen of the Vex.”

“What!” Marcus cried. “How did they know about me? And that I would be coming to this village?”

“Well, it’s not exactly a secret,” Klara chimed in. “They could have just eavesdropped a few conversations in Brettholz.”

“Exactly,” Belinda said. “Though that’s worrying in and of itself, because it means they still have someone hidden in Brettholz who is passing information to them.” She turned to Marcus. “Anyway, we’ve agreed to accompany a single goblin envoy to the village, but it’s up to you to decide whether or not you want to meet him.”

“Me? Why me?”

“Because technically, you are the ruler of this territory,” the female knight replied. “If you don’t want to speak with the goblin, no one will force you. By the way, we’ve already informed the marquis about this, and he has given the goblin his permission to speak with you under the condition that the conversation be relayed to him. But even he said that ultimately it depends on whether or not you agree to talk with the goblin.”

Marcus remained silent for a moment, thinking carefully about the situation. He didn’t like goblins, since the little gray buggers tried to kill him multiple times, and he certainly didn’t wish to speak with them. He also couldn’t imagine a reason why they would want to talk to him either, as his minions had killed scores of their numbers, thwarting their plans to conquer Brettholz in the process. But at the same time, he was curious. He’d never spoken with a goblin before. They were always too busy trying to kill him to make conversation, and he didn’t know what they were like when not fighting.

And even if they proved to be the little conniving, murderous bastards he thought them to be, he could certainly benefit from some insight on their way of thinking. Knowledge was power, after all.

The opposite was also true, however. The goblins could possibly see a weakness in him and use it to attack him. It was a big gamble, since those humanoids had proven to be far more skilled at scheming and deception than he was, though the potential benefits outweighed the risks in his opinion. Marcus just needed to be careful and not reveal too much. Maybe he could even take advantage of his telepathy—even if he had no idea about how to use it properly—to sense any possible danger or duplicity. Plus, with Belinda and all his drones protecting him, he would be relatively safe.

“Okay, I will meet this goblin. Where is he now?”

“He’s waiting in the middle of the village, surrounded by my subordinates,” Belinda said.

“Wait!” Klara interrupted. “What about Felix? We can’t have him see a goblin in his current state. He could literally blow up!”

“That could be a problem,” Marcus agreed. “Is there a place where I could meet this goblin without being seen by my companion?”

“There is an old quarry nearby,” Belinda replied. “It’s right next to the village, but it can’t be seen from it. Would that suffice?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Very well,” Belinda said. “I’ll take the goblin there and wait for your arrival. Is there anything else you need?”

“No, I don’t think so. What about you, Klara?”

“No, I think that’s all for now,” Klara said. “Thank you for coming to tell us in advance, Lady Belinda.”

“Don’t worry, it’s my job. I’ll see you later.”

“Well, that was a surprise for sure,” Klara said when Belinda was out of earshot. “I hope that nothing bad will come from it.”

“You and me both. And I hope that Felix won’t find out about it, at least for the time being.”

“I’ll keep Felix occupied during the meeting, don’t worry. Just focus on dealing with this envoy.”

“I will. Any suggestion on what to say?”

“I don’t know. I’m not a diplomat.” Klara shrugged. “But, in my opinion, you should try to talk as little as possible. You are usually pretty honest. Keep in mind that any information the goblins get they can use against you.”

“Noted. I’ll try to keep my big mouth shut, then!”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

For some reason, that last phrase didn’t really cheer Marcus up. In fact, he felt even more worried. He spent the rest of the trip to the village trying to think of ways to not make a complete fool of himself.

Chapter 77

Quarrel in the Quarry

Stonebarrow was a rather small village, consisting of about a dozen houses all facing the main road with a small square in the middle. The only noteworthy thing about it was that all the buildings were mostly made out of stone, which made sense since this was a mining town.

The quarry was a few hundred meters from the village, dug into the side of a wood-covered hill like a huge bite mark left by a colossal creature.

After leaving Klara and Felix at the village with the rest of the caravan, Marcus went straight for the quarry, accompanied by Hoggs and a small host of drones to serve as his bodyguards. In addition, he also sent his flyers out to scout the surrounding area. Marcus wanted to make sure he wasn’t walking straight into a trap. After taking a good look through the eyes of his drones, it seemed the surrounding countryside was devoid of any goblins, save for the one waiting for him in the middle of the quarry. And that one was surrounded by four human knights, Belinda included. The humanoid didn’t seem to pose a serious threat, but Marcus still decided to err on the side of caution and keep his distance while talking.

As he proceeded toward the meeting, he mentally rehearsed what he was going to say.

I’ve got to talk as little as possible, that’s for sure. The less things I say, the smaller the chance I accidentally reveal something that could be used against me. I’m gonna let the goblin do the talking and no matter what he says, I’m still gonna keep a cool head. Yep. That’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna be an immovable wall of stoicism.

“Is everything all right, Lady Marcus?” Hoggs asked, interrupting his thoughts. “You look kind of nervous.”

“I’m fine. Just trying to think of what to say to the goblin. And just call me Marcus, please.”

“Very well, Marcus. If you wish, though, I could do the talking for you.”

“Do not worry. I can do it. Just stay with me and correct me if I say anything wrong, okay?”

“I’ll support you as much as I can.”

“Thank you, Hoggs,” Marcus said with a smirk. Even then, a hint of anxiety kept showing on his face.

Once they reached the quarry, they found themselves face-to-face with the goblin and the knights that accompanied him.

The Vex Queen recognized the rest of the knights. Apart from Belinda, the others were a young, blonde girl wearing chainmail, a tall woman in full plate who carried a halberd, and finally, the lean woman with short, black hair that noticed Marcus’s resemblance to Sarah. They formed a square around the goblin, hands on their weapons and carefully scanning the surrounding area in search of any possible danger. None said a word when Hoggs and Marcus approached, remaining as quiet and still as they could.

Since the women seemed to be content, acting as silent bodyguards, Marcus focused on the goblin. It was a rather tall human-hob and wore a simple but clean tunic, and at first sight, there was nothing outstanding about it. However, the more he stared, the more he picked up details that set him apart from his kin. His posture was straight, his mannerism calm and controlled, and his eyes gleamed in equal measure with intelligence and confidence.

Marcus and Hoggs stopped at about ten meters from the knights, and the drones spread out, forming a protective semicircle around their queen. Only then did Marcus take a step closer, putting himself right in front of the goblin.

“Greetings!” the humanoid said, bowing politely. His voice was rich and charismatic, the voice of a leader. “My name is Trakk, General of the United Goblin Tribes. Are you the one called Marcus, the Queen of the Vex?”

“I am,” Marcus replied coldly without adding anything else, remaining stubbornly silent while giving Trakk a hostile gaze.

“It recently came to my knowledge that you and your subjects have been given territories adjacent to our own,” the general continued, choosing to ignore the hostility of his host. “And since we are to be neighbors, I came to greet you as good manners demand.”

In that case, he could have at least brought a pie or a bottle of wine, Marcus thought sarcastically.

“Good. You have greeted me now. Do you have anything else to say or are we done?”

“Actually, I’d like to converse a bit with you before returning to my territories.” Trakk’s voice was no less polite than before, despite his host’s open rudeness. “Just to set up the basis for a peaceful coexistence. There are many things we do not know about each other, and it’d be ideal to make things clear before we each go our way.”

“Just stay away from my lands, and I’ll stay away from yours. Is that clear enough?”

“Crystal,” Trakk said. “But still, there are a few other questions I’d like to ask you. First of all, are you the same creature that attacked one of our outposts about seven months ago? The reports I’ve received described someone that looked very much like you.”

Marcus hesitated, thinking of his first contact with the goblins. Hard to believe it had only been seven months. It felt like a lifetime.

“No, I am not the one that attacked your outpost,” he replied sarcastically. “I am the one that tried to approach peacefully and was attacked without any provocation.”

Nemi, the knight with the short, black hair, snickered at this remark, earning a reproaching stare from Belinda. Trakk didn’t answer immediately. For the first time since the start of their conversation, he was clearly taken by surprise.

“I am truly sorry to hear that,” he said, apparently accepting the Vex Queen’s declaration as truth. “But I fear that was inevitable. As you surely know by now, the Caligare Forest is a very dangerous place, as almost all of the creatures that inhabit it are far from friendly. Our guards were justifiably wary of any possible threat. They probably misunderstood your intentions when you approached and attacked you in the spur of the moment.”

“That is understandable,” Marcus nodded, his voice growing cold. “But what is less understandable is that you hunted me afterwards. Even though I was not approaching you anymore.”

“Well, by that point, you had already killed a few of our people, so we considered you a threat. When we discovered your nest, we tried to destroy it, that’s true, but we would have done the same with any colony of hostile creatures found near our city. It was nothing personal, I assure you. We were merely doing what we could to survive.”

“Well, it was personal to me!” Marcus snarled, outrage thick in his voice. Hoggs cautiously cleared his throat to catch his attention. Marcus turned toward the telemancer, who gestured to him to calm down. After a second, he got the hint and took a deep breath, forcing himself to rein in his anger.

“I understand your point of view,” Trakk said. “Sadly, this is a harsh world. We are forced to be ruthless in order to survive, as unpleasant as that is. Anyway, I’m not here to make excuses. It’s a shame that we got off on the wrong foot, but right now, we are allies, and it’s in everyone’s best interest if we put our hostilities behind us for the time being. The orcs are coming. We didn’t lie about that, and we need to collaborate with each other if we want to survive.” Trakk smiled sardonically. “And afterwards, when we won’t be constantly struggling for our survival in a savage land, maybe we goblins will be able to afford being more merciful and civilized. Personally, nothing would please me more.”

Marcus remained silent, since he didn’t know how to respond. He hated to admit it, but he couldn’t find any fault in Trakk’s logic, at least so far.

He’d be damned if he openly agreed with the little gray bastard, though. Not after he’d seen so many people die during the siege of Brettholz. And to make things worse, the reason the goblins attacked to begin with, at least according to what Eisen had told him, was just because they wanted an advantage during the negotiations!

And just like that, he found a flaw in the goblin general’s reasoning. Something he could exploit to bring the smug humanoid down a notch.

“Those seem to be nice words,” he said bitterly. “But your actions tell a different story. You are only interested in your own gain, and you have clearly shown it by attacking Brettholz. So, if betraying us would be more convenient than keeping your word, you would do it. That means you can’t be trusted.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Trakk’s genuine smile twitched into a sad smirk. “It’s unlikely that the orcs would offer us anything better than promising to chew before they swallow us.”

“But what if they do?” Marcus insisted. “What if they do make you a better offer?”

Trakk didn’t answer right away, taking his time to seriously think about the matter. Meanwhile, Marcus held his gaze, focusing as much as he could on the goblin’s presence, trying to discern any falsehood in the goblin’s next words using his telepathy.

“Even in that case, I wouldn’t betray you.”

To the Vex Queen’s instincts, those words rang completely true. “Why?” Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because I trust the humans to keep their word more than I trust the orcs. For all their faults, as a rule of thumb, the human rulers usually honor their agreements, as long as they put them on paper and sign them first. They may be ready to take advantage of any loophole, but outright breaking a contract is not something they would normally do. It would be dishonorable, and human nobles greatly value their honor, or at least, they value appearing honorable.”

“You… wouldn’t betray us because you consider us more trustworthy than the orcs, is that what you are saying?” Marcus asked.

“Well, I consider the humans more trustworthy than the orcs at least,” the goblin general replied with a smile. “I still don’t know enough about you Vex to have an opinion. In fact, one of the reasons for my visit is to ascertain whether or not we can trust you.”

The Vex Queen flinched. Sure, by now he had kind of gotten used to the fact that he wasn’t human anymore, but being reminded of it so casually somehow felt like a slap in the face.

And like a spark falling on a barrel of gunpowder, that little shock caused all of Marcus’s pent-up anger to blow up. How dare the little gray bastard be so goddamn preachy! It was him and his godforsaken kin that started the conflict, bringing death and suffering both for him and for the people of Brettholz. And instead of paying for their misdeeds, they were given land and a general pardon. Sure, there had been many practical reasons for that leniency, but that absolutely didn’t give this goblin any right to act as if he had the moral high ground.

Like steam blowing out of a kettle, Marcus vented his fury with his words, unable to contain it any longer.

“Trust me? Trust me?” His voice rose in volume, and a flock of birds flew away from the surrounding woods, as if something scared them. “You and your people have tried to kill me. You have invaded Brettholz. You have killed innocent people that were just trying to defend their homes! And after all that, you still dare question my trustworthiness?”

As he spoke, the Vex Queen noticed with some grim satisfaction that Trakk seemed to be quite intimidated, having gotten pale and taken a few steps back. Then he realized the humans were also looking alarmed. All of the knights were staring at him as if he was a growling, dangerous beast.

The one that had it worst, however, was Hoggs. The telemancer had grown paler than the goblin and was shaking like a leaf, his eyes wide open and his mouth gaping. He seemed to be trying to say something, but no sound came out of his throat.

Wait! Am I causing all this? he thought. Shit, shit, shit! Calm down, Marcus. Calm down. Stop broadcasting your anger like some sort of pissed off radio station!

He took a deep breath, forcing all of his anger back inside, and those present visibly relaxed, the alarm slowly fading from their eyes. Hoggs stopped trembling, although he still looked shaken.

Seems like it really was me. Marcus thought, feeling rather ashamed. A case of frigging telepathic incontinence. Wonderful! That’s just what I needed. Another embarrassing thing to worry about.

“Uhm, sorry about that. I think I, uh… lost control of myself for a moment.”

No one replied, and what followed were a few seconds of incredibly deep, awkward, and uncomfortable silence.

Unsurprisingly, the first one to recover was the goblin general.

“Well…. To be fair, we didn’t actually betray anyone’s trust. After all, we didn’t have any previous agreement with Medelan.” When Trakk noticed the Vex Queen growing angry again, he quickly added, “But I think I can understand how you feel. My kind did try to kill you, and we did attack your allies. Your hostility toward us is completely justified, I won’t deny it. I’m not asking you to like us, I’m merely asking you to collaborate with us to fight a common enemy. And as for trusting us… if you can’t trust us personally, you can at least trust our self-interest. I’ve already listed all the reasons why we benefit more from honoring our alliance with the humans than betraying it.”

Marcus didn’t reply right away, as he was feeling deeply conflicted. Rationally, he knew the goblin was probably right, but right now, he felt too angry to actually listen to reason. He just wanted to deck the smarmy little bastard in the face.

Hoggs, who had recovered in the meantime, got closer and put his hand on the Vex Queen’s shoulder, and somehow that gesture greatly calmed him down, allowing him to think with a clear head once again.

“Very well,” Marcus said. “I will try to collaborate with you against the orcs, but in exchange, you must stay away from my territory. If you do not cause trouble for long enough, maybe I will trust you a bit.”

Especially because by then, I won’t need to fear you anymore!

Trakk just nodded grimly. “That, we can do. Try not to take too long in deciding to trust us, though. It’s vital we learn to work together before the orcs arrive; otherwise, we might be taking our grievances to the grave.”

“I think we should be able to deal with the orcs by then,” Marcus said with confidence. “After all, we have time to prepare for their arrival, and we’ll have the support of Medelan too.”

The general let out a small, patronizing chuckle. “I’d highly advise you not to underestimate the threat posed by the orcs, Lady Marcus,” he said with a sardonic smirk. “If we are not careful, we could easily be defeated.” That smirk vanished, Trakk becoming suddenly very serious. “In fact, even with the entirety of Medelan’s army on our side, I’d say the odds would be slightly in the orcs’ favor.”

“Are you serious?” Marcus scoffed in disbelief.

Judging from the skeptical faces the other humans were making, he wasn’t the only one who found it hard to believe the goblin’s word either. Only Belinda seemed to take it seriously, as she became even more attentive.

“I’m completely serious,” Trakk confirmed. “If the orcs are allowed to win the first engagements, they could gain so much power and momentum that not only Medelan, but the Empire and maybe even the whole world would be in danger.”

“Wait, what do you mean by gain power?”

“Well, in case you didn’t know, orcs grow stronger by eating creatures who possess a strong Aura,” Trakk explained. “And humans have a rather powerful Aura on average, especially their casters and Aura Users. By feasting on a human army, the orcs would get significantly stronger, and some may even transform into ogres, or even worse, Onis. And if that happens, they would truly be nigh unstoppable.”

“If the orcs are so strong, why haven’t they taken over the world by now?” Marcus asked, still feeling skeptical.

“An intelligent question. There are a few reasons for that. First, the orcs are usually too stupid and impulsive to make long-term plans. Second, they are instinctively aggressive and unruly, and forcing them to collaborate in large numbers would require an overwhelming power in order to scare them into behaving. And third, there are other races that can actually hold their own against them in the Caligare Forest, especially the Rantul and the Piraca.” Trakk’s expression turned even more sour. “Sadly, all three of these points have been rendered moot by the appearance of the Blue Terror.”

“The Blue Terror?” Marcus asked.

“That’s what my people call the blue-skinned Oni that has unified the orc tribes under his rule. Not only is he strong and powerful enough to force all other orcs and ogres of the Caligare Forest into submission, but he’s also smart enough to organize them into an effective fighting force. And due to the previous two points, it’s only a matter of time before he defeats the opposition he faces in the forest and turns his attention to the north.”

He suddenly smiled with grim satisfaction. “Luckily, the Rantul and the Piraca have recently become much stronger, as they too had each been unified under powerful leaders. The orcs are stuck in a long and bloody campaign instead of a quick and easy one. They are still definitely going to win in the end, since they are significantly more powerful, but this unexpected development has given us goblins the time to flee to the north. Now that I’ve informed Medelan about them, the humans will have enough time to prepare for the Oni’s arrival, instead of being caught by surprise as it would have happened otherwise.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow in surprise. In this story, there was something that didn’t add up, and for once, it wasn’t the self-congratulatory note at the end.

“Wait a second. There is something I do not understand. All these races—the orcs, the Rantul, the Piraca, and even you goblins—are usually tribal and divided, yes?”

“Yes, usually.”

“And now they have all united under a single leader, all at the same time?”

“Yes. Even if that happened in a different way for each race,” Trakk confirmed. “The Blue Terror has subdued all orc tribes through violence. Meanwhile, the red-skinned Piraca, the Crimson King, was naturally chosen as a ruler for his race from birth. I think this has something to do with the Piraca’s religion or something, as they can be very superstitious. The Rantul seem to have instinctively flocked under the Pale Matriarch’s rule. Oh, and obviously, I’ve been working on trying to unite the goblins through diplomacy for years.”

Those names didn’t mean much to Marcus, but he got the gist of what happened. Which made him even more suspicious.

“Isn’t that, weird? I mean, from what I understand, you goblins and the others have never been united before. And now all of you are.”

“It’s very weird indeed. And what’s even more disconcerting is the fact that the Blue Terror, the Crimson King, and the Pale Matriarch all came out of nowhere, basically at the same time. I’ve been trying to learn as much as I could about them, but sadly, gathering information is not easy in the Caligare Forest, and besides, I had more pressing concerns, so I wasn’t able to discover much. All I know is that they all seem to be rather unique anomalies among their races, and they became active more or less at the same time.”

“What about you?” the Vex Queen inquired. “From what I know, you have also appeared out of nowhere, and you also seem different from the rest of the goblins.”

Trakk let out an amused chuckle. “Yes, it certainly seems that way. I’ve actually been around much longer than the others. I’ve only succeeded recently in unifying the goblins, mostly thanks to the threat of the orcs and the other races, quite ironically.”

“You did not answer my question, though,” Marcus insisted. “Where did you come from? And why are you so different from the other goblins?”

“Why, I come from the Caligare Forest of course!” Trakk replied with a sardonic, Cheshire cat smile. “I was born as a perfectly normal, average goblin whelp about… I don’t know, I think about thirty or so years ago in a tribe that lived on the Ashwood Hills. And as for why I’m so different from the others, that’s probably because I was captured by humans when I was young and spent most of my life in the Empire as a slave. Or rather, as a pet.”

This time, it was Marcus’s turn to be taken by surprise. He certainly hadn’t expected such an answer, and slavery was almost completely unknown in his old world, or at least in the civilized countries where it was generally considered an unforgivable crime. Though some minimum wage jobs weren’t that far from slavery. It really said something that Marcus’s last boss, Ol’ Heinz, wasn’t even in the top five of the worst employers he had in his life. He almost shuddered when memories of his most horrific workplaces surfaced.

Despite himself, he felt a hint of sympathy for the goblin.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be. The years I spent as a slave in the Empire were rather pleasant, all things considered. It was certainly an improvement over my life in the forest. I was well-fed, I didn’t have to struggle simply to survive another day, and I wasn’t even abused too much. Besides, I learned many things in the Empire I wouldn’t have even dreamt of otherwise, and it’s probably thanks to it that I managed to become a Goblin General to begin with.”

Again, this took Marcus by surprise. He wouldn’t have expected a slave to enjoy being a slave. Then again, this was literally a whole different world, so things were probably different.

Still, that didn’t add up.

“If you were a slave in the Empire, how did you become the leader of the goblins?”

“It’s quite a long story, actually. Maybe I’ll tell you another time. Possibly in a more comfortable place rather than the middle of an abandoned quarry. Right now, I’m actually here to discuss business with you, starting with making sure to properly impress on you the magnitude of the threat we’re facing. According to what info I managed to gather, there were about fifteen thousand orcs under the Blue Terror’s command when my people left the depth of the Caligare Forest, and both their numbers and individual strength will only increase by the time they get here. We can expect an invasion of at least twenty thousand orcs, if not more.”

Those numbers didn’t seem so threatening to Marcus. After all, the goblins themselves were more than that. But judging from the shocked and worried expressions everyone else was making, he had to assume the orcs were probably more of a threat than he thought.

“I have never met an orc before, so I do not know just how strong they are,” Marcus admitted. “Are they so strong that twenty thousand of them are really such a threat?”

“Yes. You have seen my orc-hobs in action, haven’t you? Well, the strongest and biggest ones among them still couldn’t hold a candle to the average orc. As for the ogres, a single one of them could easily hold its own against ten average Aura Users, and there will be at least a few dozen of them. Finally, the Oni himself is even stronger still, probably capable of taking on multiple ogres on his own and winning.”

If all this were true, Marcus’s initial estimate of the number of drones he needed to defeat the orcs needed some major adjustments. He thought he could just make do with about ten thousand drones. After hearing Trakk’s assessment, he would need three or five times that amount to defeat such an enemy.

That was a major pain in the ass, quite literally, since he would have to personally lay a lot of eggs to meet that quota. He would also need at least a dozen Broodmothers, which had to be laid as soon as possible, since they would take time to fully mature. Thinking of all the days of literal labor that awaited him, Marcus struggled to contain a groan of exasperation.

At the same time, he’d just dodged a very nasty bullet. He didn’t even want to think about what would have happened if he had been caught by surprise by the orc’s strength. Now that he knew, he could prepare accordingly. He hated to admit it, but Trakk had done him a huge favor by making him realize just how inadequate his previous plans were.

And now that he thought about it, he wondered if that hadn’t been the goblin’s true motivation—at least one of his true motivations—behind this visit. After all, he was aware of the fact that the marquis had given him his current land in order to use him and his drones as a literal meat shield against the goblins. It made sense that Trakk would want to use him in the same way against the orcs.

And what was worse, Marcus couldn’t blame either of them for doing so. After all, his drones were expendable. Though he didn’t like being manipulated, he saw no other option but to comply. The only silver lining was that if the goblins really intended to make use of him, the chances that they would attack him would be greatly diminished.

Marcus sighed and decided to go along with Trakk’s plan.

“Well, thank you for the information,” he said, trying not to sound too resigned. “I will make sure to not underestimate the orcs, and I will try to prepare for their arrival as best as I can.”

“Good,” Trakk replied with a satisfied, approving grin. “That’s music to my ears, Lady Marcus. I’m glad that I could be of help, and I hope that this will be the beginning of a mutually beneficial collaboration.”

“Maybe. I still do not trust you, keep that in mind. But I think I can work with you for now. As long as you stay out of my territories and do not try anything bad, that is.”

“I couldn’t ask for more.” Trakk bowed gallantly toward the Vex Queen. “I feel we’ve told each other everything we had to say, at least for now. I’d love to stay and chat a bit longer, but I have to get back to my territories as soon as possible to supervise the colonization. I’ve left my attendants to take care of things while I spoke with you, but it’s really better for me to be there personally. And of course, I wouldn’t want to steal any more of your time, as you’re certainly going to be busy yourself with organizing your new home.” A very mischievous grin played across his lips. “Of course, you’re always welcome in my own lands, should you want to drop by for a visit.”

That’s highly unlikely, Marcus thought.

“We will see,” Marcus said. “Do not expect me too soon, though.”

“I won’t.” Trakk mounted Belinda’s horse, while the squad of knights prepared to depart. “Goodbye, Lady Marcus.”

“Goodbye.” The Vex Queen stood still, watching the knights ride away. Only after they disappeared behind the hill did he finally move, returning to the village together with Hoggs and the drones that accompanied him.

“Hoggs?”

“Yes, Marcus?” the old telemancer replied.

“Sorry for my outburst earlier. And thanks for helping me to calm down.”

“Don’t worry about that, Marcus. And you’re welcome.”

“So… how do you think I did? I hope my outburst didn’t completely ruin everything.”

“Well, you certainly let your emotions slip a couple of times. Violently so. But that’s to be expected. After all, you’re not a trained diplomat. All things considered, I think you did pretty well. At least you didn’t reveal anything about your powers. Besides, I believe that goblin was telling the truth, or at least part of it, so I don’t think they are planning to attack you, at least for the time being. Still, it’d be better to not lower our guard with them. As you pointed out, they are only out for themselves, and our own wellbeing couldn’t be further away from the top of their priorities.”

“Thanks for the tips. I will try to follow them.”

Marcus felt completely exhausted. That little discussion with the goblin general had been more tiring than an actual physical fight, and now, all he wanted was to have a snack and take a long nap.

After a few seconds, he decided that having a snack and taking a nap was exactly what he was going to do. Screw the goblins, the orcs, and everything else. They all could wait. He was going to take the rest of the day off.

With this resolution, his mood improved considerably, and he started to look forward to finally settling in his new home.

* * *

The story continues in Horde.

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