The more she saw of the Delvers, the more Regina felt like she didn’t understand them. It was like they were deliberately making it hard for her. She never really knew what they knew or didn’t know, what they thought or didn’t think. She was getting closer, perhaps, but this wasn’t horseshoes or hand grenades. She had a feeling what they were trying to juggle here was more incendiary.

Staring up at what she intellectually realized wasn’t supposed to be a church didn’t help. It was like they’d seen one through a warped mirror and then recreated it from memory, but gotten surprisingly good at it. There was little religious imagery, at least, except for the cross which was taken more as an antique or conversation piece. The windows seemed to be half stained glass, with a mishmash of scenes. She suspected some of it was salvaged from digs. The other part was probably recreated accordingly.

At least she could confirm that they really didn’t seem to be religious, or weren’t supposed to be, for either option. Personally, Regina didn’t know what she might have believed once upon a time, but she considered herself agnostic and was not going to change.

Regina shook her head slightly to herself and focused back on her companions. The others from her Hive clearly didn’t share her feeling. They might have some of her knowledge, but it wasn’t quite the same. She’d already known that. They were looking attentive, though, curious at the Delvers. Those seemed a bit taken aback, if she was reading them right. If she’d intended to dazzle or unsettle them, to shake them before negotiations, she’d be happy with that.

At least they didn’t start with introductions again. She was getting a little sick of what she suspected was a local tradition now. Instead, the Delvers were exchanging a few quick words among themselves and then seemed poised to get started. Good, she’d rather get to business and get to know them that way.

“If you’ll allow me to be blunt, Hive Queen Regina,” one of the new Delvers she hadn’t met before spoke up, a woman in her thirties with a confident look. “There has been a rumor going around and I’d like to hear your answer to it. Are you Alianais’ Champion?”

“Not that I know of,” Regina replied with a sardonic smile.

It got a few answering smiles from them, at least.

“I won’t lie, Alianais has helped me in the past,” she continued. “I wouldn’t be averse to working with her in the future. I think we have at least some of the same goals; she is the goddess of progress, after all. But I’m not a particular fan of the gods.”

“I see. Thank you for the honest answer, Your Majesty,” Telkin said, inclining her head. “It was enlightening.”

“So, what you want is progress?” Owin asked.

Regina shrugged a little, smiling again in what she hoped was a disarming way. “Yes. Or what I would consider progress, going from the current state of affairs. I hope I won’t have to rhapsodize you on the good things of the past, what I believe you call the ‘golden age’?”

There were nods and murmurs around the table. So far, none of them seemed very surprised. Apparently, they knew at least this much about what she’d been doing.

“I hope you haven’t started without me?” a new voice sounded from the side. It was thin and reedy, but spoken with confidence.

The Delvers all fell silent and more than a few didn’t quite manage to hide their surprise. Regina turned to see an older man approach the table with shuffling steps. He was wearing a stereotypical robe and had thinning gray hair, with deep wrinkles lining his face. But that paled in importance compared to what the System told her.

Alix Castaway — Level ? Seer

Her eyebrow tried to climb and she had to force it back down. So this is the Seer I’ve heard about? He was higher level than her, which she supposed made some sense. It seemed like a high-level Class. His age also wasn’t too surprising under the circumstances. What surprised her more was the fact he was actually wearing a blindfold. It didn’t seem to hinder him too much, and she wasn’t sure whether he was actually blind and compensating for it, or just using it for some reason; maybe a Class Skill or for cultural reasons.

Regina smiled. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Seer Castaway,” she greeted him.

He returned her smile, although she wasn’t quite sure what to make of the look on his face. “Indeed. The pleasure is all mine, Doctor.”

A few of the other Delvers sucked in surprised breaths, though quiet enough she wouldn’t have heard it without her improved hearing. They clearly hadn’t expected the Seer to show up, which she found interesting. How did they treat him, normally? And then he’d called her by a title that acknowledged her past rather than her current status as a Hive Queen. She widened her smile to show she didn’t mind and nodded.

“Seer.” Gwen stood up. “A pleasant surprise to see you here. We did not think you would wish to come; I’m sorry.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Not to worry,” he said, then took a chair another Delver just vacated, as they scurried around to make room. He didn’t even spare most of them a glance, as far as she could tell.

“I admit, I’ve heard of you, but not any details,” Regina commented, trying to sound friendly.

“I’m sure you’ve experienced my magic,” he replied with a small smile. “Don’t worry, however. There are no hard feelings.”

Regina shrugged. So, he’s at least partly responsible for their defense against scrying and magical surveillance? That would make sense, I guess.

“Is there a particular reason you wished to come, Seer?” Egon Trito asked, his voice cautious. Regina had been trying not to pay too much attention to him.

“Why wouldn’t I come, when we finally have a person from this world’s first age as a guest?” Alix replied, tilting his head slightly. He sounded a bit ironic.

“You believe us, then,” Galatea stated. She didn’t seem ruffled, and just leaned back in her chair with a curiously cocked eyebrow and mildly interested expression.

“Of course. It’s rather obvious.”

Regina glanced at the others. If he’s known, why hasn’t he told the others? Or maybe he has been supportive and that’s part of the reason they’ve begun accepting it. A few of them didn’t look happy, and most glanced at Regina.

“I do have to admit,” the Seer continued, “I’d like to hear your story myself - Your Majesty. On that note, how would you prefer I refer to you? As Doctor von Woltan or the Hive Queen?”

“I’m fine with either,” Regina smiled.

She paused for a moment, letting her gaze sweep around the room and the assembled people, considering how much she wanted to tell them. A lot of it, she decided. There were a few points she’d have to be careful about, and she didn’t want to give the wrong impression, although she’d also rather not draw attention to how much she didn’t remember.

“I assume you know the basic history of the world,” she began. “The gods opened portals from another world, fleeing from a great enemy, but were caught before they were prepared, and the resulting attack damaged or destabilized the portal. The Cataclysm. In the leadup to that, some people crossed over, including some Hivekind. They went looking for new Hive Queens and approached me, among others. At the time … from what I remember and have gathered since, I was just finishing up my education in medicine, my doctorate; I agreed to it, and eventually they took my soul and placed it in a Hive Queen egg. Something must have gone wrong somewhere. The procedure messed with my memory somewhat. The egg was in stasis when the Cataclysm happened, and I remained there for a thousand years, until someone let it out. I suspect the gods. At first, I thought I was transmigrated to another world; it was quite a shock to find the current state of the world.”

Regina didn’t look at them as she talked, she just stared at the wall and tried to focus on choosing her words. When she’d finished and turned to look at the Delvers, she might have missed their immediate reactions, but saw a surprising variety now. Some of them were pretty good at hiding their true expressions. Galatea met her gaze and her hand twitched; Regina felt her squeeze her hand reassuringly for a brief moment.

“That’s quite the story,” Gwen eventually commented, breaking the tension a little. A slight sigh seemed to go through the Delvers and they started shuffling a little. She was pretty sure some of them were communicating quietly, probably using Class Skills or magic.

“It’s what it is,” Regina replied with a shrug.

“It’s true,” Galatea cut in. She leaned forward a bit, sitting up straighter. “I am an artificial intelligence created by the humans of this world’s first age, born in the Cataclysm. I was essentially imprisoned in an ancient bunker underground, not too far from here, until Regina freed me. I consider her to be the only real survivor of the ‘golden age’ and the Cataclysm - arguably excluding myself - and the only person I am in any way beholden to.”

Regina glanced at her friend and inclined her head slightly, smiling at her. She appreciated the support. Besides, there was pretty obvious subtext in her words, which the Delvers clearly caught. Galatea had told them that she would not help them over Regina, or be loyal to them at all if Regina didn’t want her to.

“I see,” Owin said, nodding at Galatea and then Regina. “Quite the story, yes, but everything we’ve seen supports it.”

“It is rather far-fetched, on the face of it,” Telkin commented. “What do you think, Seer Alix?”

The older man shrugged. “I have no particular comment to add. Everything seems rather clear.”

That made for a few raised eyebrows, though Regina didn’t particularly care. It was hard to figure out what Alix wanted, but he didn’t seem hostile, at least.

“Indeed?” Galatea pressed. “What do you believe, Seer?”

“You both appear to be telling the truth, but we rather knew that already,” he answered, almost sounding detached.

Regina frowned. It wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. He was basically saying what she’d want him to, but in such a way as to leave room for doubts. She didn’t think she liked it. But she didn’t know enough about how his Skills worked; maybe he was just uncertain, and probably covering for it, or he just didn’t want to commit.

“That does bring up a question,” one of the other Delvers put in. He seemed to like the ‘rough around the edges’ knight look. At least, she didn’t know why he’d wear scuffed armor otherwise. “Even assuming this is all true, or that you all believe it to be true, at least — What do you want, Hive Queen Regina? Why come here?”

Regina shrugged a bit, twisting her fingers together. “If you acknowledge that we’re telling the truth, it should be rather clear why I’d want to talk to you,” she said. “The Delvers are apparently the only group that really cares about the past. I am who I am, and I’m not content to bury it. But, I wasn’t the only one who wanted to talk. Why did you invite me here, Delvers?”

They exchanged looks, seemingly surprised at her question. She knew there probably wasn’t a single answer to it; the different people and factions here would have their own reasons and goals.

Alix of all people answered, sounding matter-of-fact. “We wanted to see you in person,” he said. “I wanted to see what you were really like.”

“And?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve seen me now, Seer. What did you see?”

“You’re just like I expected.”

Regina had to suppress the urge to frown. That wasn’t exactly a bad answer, but she did find him a bit aggravating.

Gwen cleared her throat. “I think we have an unprecedented opportunity,” she said. “We have the chance to actually talk to a Progenitor and learn more about the golden age. It’s priceless.”

There were nods all around as the Delvers agreed, more easily than Regina expected. Maybe she had still been underestimating the Delvers’ pseudo-religious reverence.

“You could really learn a lot,” Janis spoke up. “Regina has been teaching the Hive, and even, a little, the people in our territory. I know I’ve learned so much I never would’ve thought possible. You stand to learn a lot.”

That seemed to hit the right tone, and more than a few of them leaned forward a bit with obvious interest. Regina wasn’t sure if they were more interested in her culture or practical know-how from the past, but she supposed both could be attractive to this group. And it’s not like I haven’t planned on giving it out.

“Be that as it may,” another Delver, Rodrick, piped up. “There is still the question of why. Why should we be expected to trust you completely? You are all nonhuman. Even if there was no friction between our people, the Delvers’ unfortunate reputation in the outside world appears to make it rather hard for you to trust us.”

Regina frowned. That logic seemed a bit backward to her, but she had to admit he had a point.

Gwen didn’t glare at the guy, but only barely. “I’m sure we have a better foundation than that. We’ve worked to establish some trust, and we will keep at it.”

“She’s right,” Regina agreed. “I have not had the best first impression of your order, that’s true. But time has passed, we’ve had more contact and I’d like to think I’ve gained some understanding of you. Whatever personal antipathy and perfectly reasonable caution I still feel, I do intend to deal with you … as long as we can come to a suitable basis of understanding.”

Now even Gwen and Owin looked a little bit uneasy, she noted. Although their expressions soon settled into determined frowns.

“That is very fair, and a shame for our order that it is necessary,” Egon Tritor spoke up. Regina almost twitched in surprise.

He actually stood up, his chair scraping on the floor and his polished armor clinking a little, before he bowed to her. “Doctor von Woltan, Hive Queen Regina, I apologize sincerely for the upset I have caused you. And your new family, of course. I hope you can find it in yourself to look past it.” He paused, straightening up to meet her gaze firmly. “I would love nothing more than the chance to work towards bringing a little of the past’s glory back, under your direction, whether it may need my sword-arm or my mind. The chance to follow a Progenitor into shaping the future is, indeed, priceless.”

Regina just stared at him for a moment, a bit taken aback, even if she was pleased to hear it. Then she smiled and inclined her head. “Thank you.”

“Well said,” Owin spoke up. When she looked back at him, he bowed his head as well. “I can only agree with the sentiment.”

Gwen quickly followed suit, bowing her head as well. And when Regina swept her gaze over the other Delvers, she saw most of them doing the same, nodding or agreeing without words.

Her smile widened, turning more genuine, as she almost slumped back into her seat. Her plans were starting to come to fruition. And beside all that, despite the political importance, it just felt good to get this acknowledgment, this validation. She hadn’t realized how good it would feel.