We head back inside this newly built base, surrounded by an always growing amount of new tunnels and halls.

Whatever Liseti tells me, this place was created to keep an army ready to fight whenever it's necessary.

The question is just if I'm being paranoid or if she lied to me.

Well, in the end, I enter a new hall which forms some kind of plaza and find the person in question.

(L)

(E)

Promptly she looks past me and spots my brother.

"TheeE smaaall one froom yiEeesteeeerEAy, ieez ieeet ryEeght?" (L)

"Ehk, yes... my brother. Pleease, treeat him well. He means much to me." (E)

The anxiousness makes me a little forget my ability to adjust my speech.

"NAatuurallyEee! Ieee wanteeed to wEelcoome hiim. YeEet IEee guEess hEeere ieez not muuch foor hiem to Eenjoyiie hieemseeelf!" (L)

"That shouldn't be an issue." (E)

I turn to Toris.

"I need to do some things here. Can you wait for a bit? I will always stay close by." (EH)

"Yes I can!" (T)

He goes to the wall and sits down there.

I am a little bit anxious as there is quite a number of insects around, but he seems to be fine.

It's not like he is in any danger, and the assigned guards are still around.

Yet other kids might find this scary.

I turn to Liseti.

(E)

(LF)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

That sounds far too much like taking hostages.

I did just some parenting.

(E)

(L)

(E)

She seems to have put disturbingly much thought in the opposite.

(L)

(E)

(L)

She does!!!

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

She asks for Suki and Kyska, but...

(E)

(L)

She is right.

If I want to avoid conflict my approach might work the best.

We simply cannot let a princess directly go and it wouldn't be allowed without an army.

Still, I like Kyska.

And I am pretty sure that for Liseti she's just another drone.

(E)

(K)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

Well, it was my idea.

I'm the best choice if it's about talking and I want to prevent a conflict.

But to talk with nobles and such?

I'm a peasant.

Something like this would have been a crime before.

Okay, maybe I am not a peasant anymore, as crude my current status is defined at the moment.

But being a little self-conscious about this is absolutely understandable.

I had no perfect track of time below the earth, but it shouldn't have been more than five to six days.

This is simply no timeframe to forget about this.

But lives are at stake.

(E)

(L)

(E)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

A nurse comes to her she takes something and then she throws it to me.

A stick?

(E)

(L)

She throws another one in my direction.

"You have two blades! So learn to use them both simultaneously!> (L)

Wait this happens much too fast!

(L)

She doesn't seem to allow any backing off and so I don't really have a choice.

Yet when I try to get ready she looks displeased.

Or more the scent and her demeanor tell me.

(L)

She extracts her broadsword and shows how the blade goes through the gap between the ones in the middle, supported by the outer ones of her four-fingered claw.

(E)

(L)

She has a point.

At the moment I'm not sure if I am knowing my own body well enough.

(L)

I've got the feeling she will start even if I'm not ready.

So I hurry.

To my surprise, as soon I tense the fingers to hold the sticks between middle- and forefinger there is some kind of clicking.

I notice that they are stuck.

Completely locked in position.

Liseti seems to have noticed my gaze and the confusion.

(L)

Okay, so this is absolutely normal.

In the most twisted kind of way, regarding my body changing into that of an insect's.

(L)

So I just need to defend myself.

Should be manageable.

Hey!?

Why does she take two more sticks?

Wait she isn't...

Like this Liseti, armed with four sturdy sticks rushes at me and directly brings two of her arms down on me.

I can barely take my own arm up and deflect one strike with my stick, but the other one hits my shoulder with full force.

I feel a heavy impact and the stick breaks.

To my surprise, my shoulder seems to be fine.

Well, it hurts and maybe there's a scrape, but no real damage despite the force.

(L)

In fact, I did.

I absolutely knew how I would get hit, but had no idea how to take it and froze.

In retrospect, the movement was incredibly fast, but my eyes could follow up with it.

Now I remember that my eyes aren't normal anymore.

So that's what it was.

But following a movement with your eyes and moving your body in accordance are completely different things.

And I have no experience in using weapons.

(L)

I know she doesn't want to bully me and this is for my benefit, yet she is quite rough.

The next two hours I get battered up.

It's the first time that I'm halfway thankful for a carapace that protects me from greater harm.

I mean at the speed and force Liseti applies she has the nurses bringing her again and again new sticks to replace those she broke.

On my body that is.

(L)

Hard to believe as relentless she strikes me.

On the other side, I don't grow as exhausted as I thought.

With dread, I think about my "energy storage" and that it possibly keeps me going.

Also, maybe I grew stronger.

With time some of the sticks break because of my deflective moves.

I am not sure if I could have broken them like this before.

Yet now I'm looking quite battered.

Literally.

She's really strict with me and doesn't allow any slip-ups.

After another hour I'm totally finished.

I think I've got a little better, but you won't become a master fighter after just one session.

To think like this is just stupid.

However...

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

Now I understand!

Shit!

My brother is here! What shall I do?

I need to act fast before anything happens and look for my brother.

I stare in shock when I find him playing with a hunter.

"Toris!!!" (E)

"Sister?" (T)

"What are you doing there?! (E)

"I played! You said I can!" (T)

"But not with those! They are dangerous!" (E)

"You said they are friendly!" (T)

"They... The smaller ones are more like dogs. Mum and dad wouldn't allow you to approach those you don't know, right? You cannot do this!" (E)

I glare at the workers, who should have kept him away from any danger and failed miserably!

They don't seem to understand my gesture, but become distressed at the scent which conveys my displeasure I think.

(Sk)

Skiras?

What does he want?

(E)

The insect speech might be troubling for my brother.

But I won't say that hearable for my brother.

(Sk)

This helps to ease me a little.

So he wasn't really in danger.

Yet, I feel a bit distressed seeing him close to this thing.

I mean it has distressingly sharp claws.

"And it was great! To see you fight!" (T)

"I've got just beaten up." (E)

"No! You were so fast! I could barely see!" (T)

No, no, no, no.

I wasn't acting strange, right?

"Toris, I would like to go now to my place. Can we go together?" (E)

He nods and we can leave for my temporary home in this base.

The problem is I notice on the way the already too good known pressure in my waist.

Time is running!

"Toris, I would like that Kyska shows you around this place. Especially where you, mum and dad will stay. She is very nice." (E)

I glance at Kyska.

"I'm very sorry, but I need to do something alone for a moment." (E)

She understands and her behavior shifts.

"My princess, I will fetch the nurses, but are you sure you can manage on your own?" (K)

"Yes, sure. But it is really important that Toris is fine, understood?" (E)

"Yes. Then I will send the nurses!" (K)

Urrgh, unpleasant!

"You leave me alone?" (T)

"No, I'm just one room away. It is just that I need to do something very important. Please, let me just for a moment." (E)

"You promise to come back?" (T)

"Sure, directly after this." (E)

I try to appear as assuring as possible but need to hurry now before the first eggs come and Kyska gets angry again for me keeping them inside.

We are soon there and I directly rush into my room.

The nurses are already gathering in there and it seems I have no choice.

(E)

I lay my head on the closest bench and release my self-induced pressure.

"Plop"

And so it starts.

After less than an hour I am done.

I've not done this creepy counting thing, but I guess a bit more than forty.

Yet as I promised I go directly to Toris.

And find him getting a piggyback ride on Kyska.

She's really giving her all.

"Hi. Here I am!" (E)

"Sister!" (T)

"Hello!" (E)

"Princess, are you well?" (K)

"Yes, it worked out!" (E)

Now please stop this topic immediately.

I send the workers away, to prevent that they die because of starvation or something like this.

Since I promised I would spend time with Toris I join to play with them.

It is nice to spend time with him and enjoy my reunion with my family.

So I take advantage of this.