The wagon rumbled its way along the road, moving quicker now than it had at the start of their journey. Tim glanced back at a creaking sound, but none of the elves seemed concerned.

To be fair, the wagon was well-constructed and obviously suited to moving through the forest. It was long but narrow, able to wind its way through trees more easily, and its wheels seemed very broad. They were made of some kind of wood he hadn’t seen before that appeared springy and elastic.

“This road seems a little odd,” Bea commented in a whisper. “Not bad, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t look to be reinforced. If it saw heavy traffic or bad weather, it seems like it would devolve into mud.”

The road indeed barely deserved the name at first glance. It was marked by the absence of trees, cutting a straight lane through the forest. But the grass that made up its surface seemed perfectly even, and he hadn’t seen any major bumps.

“They must know what they’re doing,” Tim answered.

He was glad that Bea ended up accompanying him to the elven city. Not that he disliked the elves, but he couldn’t help but feel nervous, and having another drone with him helped.

Especially since Regina apparently wasn’t able to contact them anymore. She’d been checking in on them regularly, but he hadn’t felt the presence of her mind in a while. The last time, it had seemed muted, as if it was weakened by the distance.

They’d been traveling for some time and should reach the city soon, at least. It was hard to measure the distance, but Tim estimated that his Queen’s range was about fifty kilometers. Judging by what Bianorn had said and a glimpse of the map he’d seen, the elven city should be about seventy kilometers from the hive. He didn’t know how accurate his guess was, though.

Well, there was nothing he could do about it. Tim shook his head and focused on the trip. They’d been traveling quite quickly since they broke camp this morning, at a steady pace that ate up the distance, with only a short stop for lunch. He was glad his End stat had risen with his last level-up, even if he and Bea had ridden on the wagon for a bit here and there.

“We’re almost there!” Bianorn let himself fall back to join them and smiled cheerfully. “As soon as we crest that rise, we should be able to see the city.”

Tim smiled back. He was looking forward to it.

They weren’t able to see much of it, though. The trees still blocked most of their view. But Tim saw enough to realize that the city was larger than he expected. It seemed to stretch on for kilometers, and he could catch glimpses of buildings and structures a large distance away. There didn’t seem to be a single city wall, but rather several stretches of wooden wall.

“What do we need to do to be able to enter?” he asked Bianorn.

“There’s a small ritual,” he replied. “Just come with me, and your companion can go with the other group. It shouldn’t take long, but we’ll need to take a detour.”

Apparently, they had to travel to a location some distance outside the city to key in visitors. For security reasons, ostensibly. Bianorn and a few of the other elves left the wagon behind and jogged off into the forest, and Tim followed them.

Finally, they reached a small wooden shrine. He couldn’t sense magic, but he had the impression that he would have felt quite a bit of it if he’d been able to. There was a small compound around the central building, with a stone wall encircling it.

“Just put a few drops of your blood into the bowl here and we’ll take care of the rest,” Bianorn said as they entered.

Tim looked around. The room was bare and almost cramped. Another elf wearing a dark robe entered from a door opposite theirs, barely glancing at him. There was a stone podium in the middle of the room with various odds and ends, including a small bowl. Tim carefully nicked his lower left arm with his blade-limb and let a few drops of blood drip into it.

The other man picked up the bowl, and Bianorn said, “Alright, let’s head back.”

“That’s it?”

“It’ll all be ready by the time we get there.”

Tim shot a curious glance at the ritual space, but let Bianorn lead him out of the room. The elf took off without another word, and he had to hurry to follow him back towards the city.

Bea was there by the time they returned, and the group continued on their way. Soon, the forest lightened up around them, and when they walked down the slope of a hill, he found himself passing beside a wall and into the outer part of the settlement.

“Welcome to Ariedel.” Bianorn smiled at them.

Their earlier glimpse hadn’t done the city justice, Tim realized. There were a few buildings on ground level, but the elves had also built upwards, into the trees. It had looked like the city was mostly hidden by trees. Actually, there were simply a lot of trees making up the city, providing structure and buildings. It looked like a larger version of the outpost they’d stayed at, but more solid. There were proper roads on the ground, but also an equivalent higher up. It looked like they were mostly, like many of the buildings’ walls, grown right out of trees.

But as they traveled further into the city, he noticed that this was only one level of it, too. There were large holes, open shafts leading down below ground, usually with wooden structures leading out of them and upwards. They had staircases and bundles of ropes that were probably elevators. From the placement of these access points and the occasional glimpse below under a tree’s root systems, he realized that the city simply incorporated an underground part.

All of this made it hard to judge how large it really was. It covered a wide area, a lot bigger than the human village, but the different levels meant there were probably a lot more inhabitants than the perimeter size suggested. And he could see quite a few of those out and about, walking on the roads and tree-paths, occasionally swinging from ropes or heading down into the ground. Most of them were elves like those he’d seen before and dressed similarly, though most didn’t carry weapons. But he also saw a few other races. There were some shorter people that might be dwarves or halflings or something, some he couldn’t place, and even a few humans. As Bianorn led them through the city, most of the people they passed looking curiously at them.

They mainly stayed on a paved, wide road that was probably a main road and led straight into the city. As they reached what had to be the center of it, the city grew more open, with the buildings being farther apart. Finally, they reached one that seemed to be built entirely on the ground, with trees incorporated only subtly, but it still rose at least four stories high. There were a few elves standing outside, dressed in dark green clothes with a cloak that probably constituted a uniform, and carrying sheathed swords and bows.

Bianorn exchanged nods with them, then led Tim and Bea inside one of the entrances without pausing to talk. Tim followed quietly, turning his head to take in everything. The sounds and smells of the city were almost overpowering, but it was a little quieter here.

They passed through a wood-paneled corridor and into a small atrium with a field of flowers planted on one side. A large table and some chairs stood to the side, and an elven woman rose from one of them as they walked in. Tim regarded her curiously.

Enais of Ariedel — Level ? Mistress of the Forest

She was the first elf Tim had seen up close who actually looked old. Her hair was entirely gray and fell down to her shoulders, shorter than most elven women he’d seen. Her face was lined with wrinkles, though there seemed to be more laugh lines than frown lines. She had eyes of a dark orange color that still looked vibrant. Her posture was a little bent, though, and she had a cane in one hand. Tim didn’t know how old she was, but given that elves were famously long-lived, it could easily be several centuries. Her class sounded powerful, too.

Regina had told him to be polite. He gave a short bow, which Bea copied. “Hello. I am Tim, and this is my sister Bea. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

The elf smiled at them. “My name is Enais, and it is a true pleasure to meet you. Do sit down, please. I would have liked to meet your Hive Queen herself, but I suppose it was always a foolish notion. Of course she cannot leave her hive so easily.”

Tim sat down on one of the offered chairs, exchanging a glance with Bea. “That’s true,” he replied. “You sound like you are familiar with the concept of a hive and hive queen?”

“Oh, not so much.” She waved her cane airily. “But that would be true for any leader in her position, I imagine. We are aware of how quickly your hive is growing. In any case, I imagine you must have questions. We have some things to discuss. Oh, and if you would like some refreshments, please help yourselves.”

Tim nodded, ignoring the glasses of water and plate of fruit and snacks on the table. “Are you a part of the government, then?”

“Yes, I am.” She smiled again. “I am a Special Minister, to be precise. That means I do not have an official portfolio, but I am involved in the governing of the state. It’s a more common position for us than you’d think.”

At that moment, Tim wished Regina had a Drone Diplomat or Drone Politician to take his place here. He was a warrior, not someone you should send to talks like this. But his Mother had chosen him, and he’d do his best.

“Thank you for all the help your people have already given us,” he said. “I have to admit there is still much we do not know, and we were hoping to learn some of these things coming here.”

“I have already arranged for you to get tours of some crafters’ workshops and the city’s library later,” Enais replied. “If there is anything else you would like, please feel free to speak up.”

“That will be very helpful. We appreciate it.” He glanced at Bea, who nodded enthusiastically.

“If possible, we would also like to look at some maps, and perhaps have longer discussions about the history and politics of the region. Beyond that, we have questions about the System.”

Enais inclined her head. “As expected. I will not ask where your hive came from on our first meeting, but information about the System, especially about Classes and other specifics, is usually valued highly and losing guarded knowledge of this sort would be a dreadful blow to many groups. I do not think we will be able to help you much in that regard, though.”

Tim shook his head. “Just some general knowledge would already be helpful. For instance, we are unsure if or how the quality of being a demihuman is based on the System.”

The elf pursed her lips slightly. “A complicated matter to start with. As you likely know, elves are considered humanoid, not demihumans. The difference is usually academic, or at most, a matter of designations and restrictions. The basic structure of the System is the same, although there are differences that underpin this distinction.”

“And the difference between monsters and demihumans?”

She raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly. “An even more interesting matter. Despite what some might say, the line between monsters and demihumans is broad and sometimes difficult to pin down. At least when we are talking about sapient monsters. They are rare, but there are more than just dragons. There is some debate in academic circles, but generally, the main difference is considered to be that demihumans, like humanoids, choose a Class, while monsters are simply born as whatever they may be.”

Tim exchanged a glance with Bea. That was interesting. All of the drones — even their Queen herself, really — had been born with what she called their Template. That would mean they were closer to sapient monsters than demihumans on this line. On the other hand, they did have Abilities called Class Skills.

“Monsters may evolve when they reach level 20,” Enais continued, “similar to a humanoid’s Class Evolution. Well, it is called that in common parlance, but the technical term would be Class Progression, to distinguish it. A monster’s evolution seems to be more comprehensive and includes physical changes. Of course, demihumans may experience those as well when evolving.”

She reached for a glass of water and took a sip, but didn’t take her eyes from him. She must be wondering why he asked about this, and she was giving them a lot of information. Tim couldn’t shake the impression that she’d seen through him.

“And could you tell us about the assignment and effect of stat points?” he asked, changing the subject.

Enais smiled slightly. “Of course. I do consider myself something of an amateur scholar. The first thing you should be aware of is that the stat points in one’s status sheet are a reflection of reality filtered through the System, rather than some sort of causal mechanism.”

Tim leaned back and listened attentively to her explanations. He needed to commit everything to memory and bring it back to his Hive.