Janis pushed back the hood of her robe, letting it fall to her shoulders and giving herself a better view of the forest around her in its dim light. It had started drizzling a few minutes ago, but the clouds seemed to have given up already and dried up.

She was wearing much better clothing than the last time she’d been here, of course. Her mage’s robe and its hood would not only protect her from even heavy rain and biting wind, but it was also made of superior quality materials and embroidered with skill, if sparingly. She looked like a real mage in the service of their local lord. Just another token of Lady Kiara’s generosity, who barely seemed to give it any thought.

Janis glanced at her, only to see the older girl turned to look toward the fort, in the direction they came from. There was a faint frown on her face. After a second, it smoothed out and she returned her gaze to the trees ahead of them.

Janis suppressed a sigh and resisted the urge to look back as well. She was not sure that everything was entirely put in order there, either. But for now, they were here on another important task.

At least, she thought it was important. Janis wasn’t entirely sure why both Kiara and her father, the marquis himself, had seemed to give such weight to her words. She’d felt guilty for telling her lady about Regina and her people, she still did. But it was the sort of information his soldiers needed if they were to go into the forest and might happen into a situation they were not prepared for. Perhaps that was the reason. With another group in play, even if they were small - for now - the situation in the Great Forest had changed significantly. Even more so if the new faction was of a strange race, with unknown capabilities.

In any case, Kiara had been upset to discover that things had gone off-course right from the beginning. While the marquis had sent word to the forces stationed at the forest’s border, mostly to Forest’s Watch, it had been too late to reach the first squads sent into the forest. Janis didn’t know how that could happen, but she supposed the marquis and his commanders might have sent their first orders right after the conversation with Derrek Zephyr, and he had perhaps hesitated before deciding how to handle this matter.

She also knew he wasn’t happy about Kiara heading here herself, although Janis hadn’t been privy to that conversation. She could hardly blame him. Although he had also sent along fighters strong enough to protect his heir from just about anyone they might encounter here.

Janis glanced at the men out of the corner of her eyes. She didn’t have a high enough level to see the level of any of them. She knew that at least three of them had passed their second Class Evolution, though, and she suspected that at least one was close to his third one.

Still, she suspected that Lady Kiara was simply taking the chance to get out, away from her father’s oversight and control, so to speak. She seemed a little too excited to be here. Janis hadn’t said anything, though. She wasn’t in a position to judge anyone for putting themselves into danger unnecessarily, after all.

“We’re going to be there soon, right?” Kiara asked.

Janis looked at her, then, as she saw that none of the others was about to answer, she shrugged slightly. “I assume so, Milady. We’ve already covered a relatively large distance.”

They were moving much more quickly than they would normally be able to, thanks to one of their companions’ Class Skill. They also knew approximately where the squad they followed had gone.

None of them spoke after that, and they continued traveling in silence. It only took about ten minutes before the knights leading the group slowed down. Janis looked around, trying to see what had changed. She realized that they had not encountered any monsters in a while, especially not any of the ones above level 10 or so. In addition, it seemed like the forest might be lightening.

“There should be a clearing ahead on the banks of a lake,” one of the men, a Sir Willard, said.

Another one raised their hand and seemed to be using a Skill of some kind. A spectral sparrow flew out of it and into the forest, moving at high speed. About a minute later, it returned, alighting on the man’s hand and then disappearing.

“There is a village of sorts ahead,” the knight said, bowing his head respectfully to Kiara. “We appear to have found our goal.”

She nodded. “Let us go, then.”

After a few seconds of preparation, they continued. The guards had drawn more tightly around them and were holding their shields and weapons at the ready. Two of them were holding their lances out so the white cloth tied to them flapped in the soft wind a bit.

It didn’t take long for the party to reach the edge of the forest. Janis hesitated for a moment, taking in the sight. They kept walking, allowing her to make out more details.

There was only a cluster of simple houses, although she had not seen ones built in quite that style before. She also saw what appeared to be the beginnings of a ditch and palisade wall curving around some corner of it. The fortification was clearly unfinished, although someone had dug out the ditch wider than the palisade atop the mound of earth that must have come from it. The whole thing was not placed directly around the houses, but farther out, leaving a lot of space. Clearly, the builders intended to accommodate future growth within the settlement. There was also a firepit placed in a central location, made in a style Janis didn’t recognize, with stones forming a circle around its edge. It was currently lit, but the fire was burning low.

The small village only captured her attention for a moment, though, and she focused on its inhabitants. She thought she recognized a few of them at first, before Janis realized that some of them looked almost alike. They seemed to come in several groups, but all of them were like the ‘drones’ she had met before. They wore simple attire of monster furs and rough cloth, with extra holes to accommodate their additional pair of arms. They’d assembled at the edge of the settlement, and stood with regular spaces between them, like a formation, most of them holding weapons.

The second thing that caught her eyes were three elves standing off to the side, as if making it clear that they were not part of the group. Janis had only seen elves rarely, but their identity was obvious. They were armed and seemed prepared for trouble.

Janis almost felt Kiara’s hesitation and sent her what she hoped was an encouraging smile. She heard the young lady take a deep breath, before she composed herself, her face becoming a mask of calm. Slowly and carefully, the group made their way towards the demihumans and stopped before them.

Janis’ eyes were drawn towards the woman in the middle, the only one who seemed old enough to be called such, although, naturally, she did not appear to have aged very much since their last encounter.

Regina — Level ? Hive Queen

So, the girl had leveled up enough to surpass her. Janis had risen very quickly recently, reaching level 13 just two days ago, so she couldn’t help but be impressed at this progress. In addition, Regina was flanked by the two biggest male drones, who Janis recognized as two of her previous companions, Max and Tim. They were both higher leveled as well, indicating even quicker progress.

“Janis,” Regina stated in a cool voice, gazing at them like a true queen receiving petitioners, “I am not fond of people who break their promises. Who are your companions?”

Janis shifted uncomfortably before she made herself stop. Sir Willard was whispering something into Lady Kiara’s ears. Janis couldn’t make out his words, but she read the surprise in her lady’s eyes, and the clear wariness with which she eyed the people she faced. Perhaps he’d told her their levels?

After a moment, when no one else spoke, Janis decided to answer, since she was the one who had been addressed. “This is Lady Kiara Lyns, daughter and heir of Marquis Lyns of the kingdom of Cernlia. We are accompanied by several of the march’s knights and guards.” She hesitated for a moment, then continued. “And I apologize.”

The strange girl nodded slightly. “Am I correct to assume you are here under a flag of truce?”

“We are,” Kiara spoke up. She inclined her head the slightest bit and gave her a polite smile. “I am aware that the strength we have brought along might seem intimidating or even threatening, but we are only here to talk.”

Regina didn’t look particularly intimidated, assuming she wasn’t simply hiding it. Janis chose to see her apparent trust in the sanctity of the white flag as a good thing. “Then I am happy to talk, of course.”

Kiara glanced at the elves, who had not introduced themselves nor been introduced so far, then nodded and took another step forward. “Perfect. Then, may I assume that you have encountered one of the squads we have sent into the forest?”

“You could say that.” Regina’s expression seemed to darken a little. “They were not as polite as you, nor as peaceful.”

Janis tried not to let her dismay show on her face. She’d been afraid of that. Kiara seemed to share her sentiments. “Oh? Could you please explain what happened, in your view?”

“Of course.” Regina seemed to take a moment to gather herself, then spoke.

“They approached us a few days ago, giving little warning of their presence. Their leader, Ulric, told us of the war, cast a few aspersions, then claimed that this area belonged to your kingdom. As he produced no proof of this, and since I already had indications of a prior claim, I refused to comply when he tried to evict us. He seemed to accept our response and his squad turned to leave, only to launch an unprovoked surprise attack. Following this, he imprisoned us, hit me and used what could be classified as a form of torture. He even got his Cleric to attempt to do something immediately punished by his goddess. In the ensuing fight, many of our tame monsters died, as well as one of our members, a young girl.” She paused for a moment. “Three of them also died fighting, the rest are alive and well.”

Janis stiffened, and she saw Kiara react the same way. This is a serious issue, and those are serious allegations. Not even mentioning whatever this Ulric did, blood has been spilled on both sides.

“I see,” Lady Kiara said slowly. “This is concerning. I would like to talk to the survivors of this fight to verify this story, but I do not doubt you, Lady Regina.”

“I hope so,” Regina answered. “We had no stake in this conflict, no grievance against your people. I would like for you to keep us out of your disagreement with the elves.”

Kiara nodded. “I would also prefer for you and your people to stay neutral.”

“Then, would you agree to a temporary truce?”

Kiara paused, clearly surprised by the offer. “I suppose so,” she said slowly, exchanging a glance with Janis.

She knew what her lady was thinking: They were already conducting the raids ordered by the king, and would hopefully be done with them soon. After that, they had much less stake in what was happening in this forest.

“I would propose an agreement for you - or any humans - to stay out of our territory, or the area near this settlement, for two months. We may reevaluate our relationship after that.”

“One month,” Kiara countered. Probably less because she had an inherent issue with a timeframe two months, Janis thought, but more for the principle of the matter.

“Agreed.”

“If anyone on either side engages in aggression against the other, or intrudes into their territory, the agreement is broken.”

Regina hesitated for several breaths before replying. “Agreed.” She glanced at one of the warriors beside her, who had shifted his stance, then back to the humans. “What sort of guarantee can you give me that you will abide by this deal?”

Kiara stiffened slightly again, but she didn’t show any obvious sign of anger. “I have nothing material that would work and no intention of leaving hostages. However, I will give you my word as a member of the Lyns family, on our honor. That should be enough.”

Regina seemed to consider it for a moment, glancing at the knights around her and Janis, before nodding. “Alright. I won’t ask if you can speak for your side, then.”

“And what do you offer, Hive Queen Regina?”

The girl shrugged. “There is little I could offer. Do you have a suggestion?”

Kiara’s eyes darted to the houses. “As a gesture of goodwill, I would like to receive the soldiers in your custody. I am willing to pay ransom for them.”

From their body language, Janis could see that the other demihumans did not like that idea at all. Their lady, however, seemed much calmer about it. “I can agree to that,” she said.

The elf standing in the center, who had been silent until now, cleared his throat. “Lady Regina, I seem to recall that you would send these into our custody?”

She glanced at him and shrugged. “I didn’t promise anything, Bianorn. And I can still do with them what I want, since they are mine. Including ransoming them.” She turned back to Janis and Kiara. “I have little need for money. Would you give us weapons?”

“Regina -“ Bianorn began.

“It’s decided,” she interrupted him in a low voice.

He shut his mouth again, looking distinctly unhappy. Janis caught his gaze roving over the assembled human fighters, clearly seeing that he was outmatched.

“I cannot agree to that,” Kiara said, ignoring the byplay. “However, we have some bars of refined metals that should be useful as currency for trading with many different factions and races. Would you agree to that?”

“Alright.”

They quickly finalized the details, and Kiara picked up some ingots of various metals, including iron and steel, from one of the pack mules. She passed them to one of the knights, who carried them to the demihumans and handed them to one of the Drone Warriors.

After that, about half of the drones departed and returned quickly with a group of human prisoners. Janis couldn’t help but be a little surprised as she saw them. They really did look alive and well. Either they were all taken uninjured, or someone among this group has a healing ability. The latter seems more likely.

She listened in as Lady Kiara quietly conversed with the apparent leader, a shaman called Oak, while the guards cut the ropes binding the others. She asked a few questions, and he seemed to support the account of events Regina had given. Janis knew there would be a more detailed interrogation once they were back.

“Alright, then our business here is concluded,” Kiara finally said, smiling again. “I wish you good fortune and hope we will meet under better circumstances next time.”

Regina nodded seriously. “Agreed. Goodbye.”

Kiara hesitated for a moment, but nothing more was said, so their party turned around and left.

They had walked for a minute before the young lady let out a deep breath and turned to Janis. “Well, that was exciting.”

Janis nodded and smiled a little. “It certainly was. And illuminating.”

“Did you see how quickly they progressed?” Kiara shook her head. “I wouldn’t have believed it possible!”

That was probably a good reason to not want this hive set against them, Janis reflected. She nodded again.

She just wished she was able to read Regina a little better. How sincere was the girl about her words and intentions?