Whatever Regina might have been in a previous life before she came to wake up in the egg of a Hive Queen, she was pretty sure it hadn’t been something practical. Like an architect or engineer.

She felt the lack when she looked at the buildings they’d erected. Her hive finally had two log cabins and was in the process of building the third structure. They were bare, rectangular things, with no decorations or finesse. As Regina compared them to the skeleton of the next one, she couldn’t help but wonder if they would collapse.

Then she shook her head and turned away. She was being too negative. Besides, she might have been someone in the medical field, she did seem to have a bit of medical knowledge. That could be useful.

She walked over to Tia and Bea, who were working on the other project. They’d already dug a ditch that was at least fifteen meters long, with a corresponding mound of earth behind it. That was where they’d put sharpened stakes to make a palisade. It was about the best defensive fortification they could build under the circumstances. Still, it would take a while to finish.

“How is it going, girls?” Regina asked.

Tia looked up. “I think the amount of dirt I can remove when I use my Class Skill is increasing slightly, my Queen. But it is still going slowly.”

Regina nodded. “That’s interesting, and don’t stress yourself too much about it. We knew this would take some effort.”

“It would also be helpful if you could finalize and mark out where you want the line to be.”

“I’ll talk to Max and the others about it. Although you should probably be part of that conversation, as well, Tia.” Regina glanced up at the sky to gauge the time, a habit she’d found herself developing. “Let’s say, today at dinner?”

“Whenever suits you, my Queen. Is there anything else I can help you with?” Tia asked.

“Not really, I’m just making the rounds. Keep up the good work.”

Regina nodded at them, then turned around. While their new home wasn’t quite the makeshift camp it had been, calling it a settlement would still be a bit of a stretch. Things were going well, though. They’d only been here for a few days, and that it was taking shape already probably said good things about her drones’ competence and motivation.

Regina strolled away from the two Workers and in a curve around the perimeter of the camp. She found herself a little lost, unsure what to do in general and how best to put her skills to use. She didn’t even have a clear picture of what her skills were.

She had been considering it and concluded her main issue was that she didn’t really have a clear goal. She wanted to build up her hive, sure, but how and what for? There was the question of how she’d come to be in this situation, but she didn’t exactly have many leads in figuring it out. In a way, things had been easier when they were running from the monster horde or trying to deal with the humans. For now, Regina determined that she wanted to get a clearer picture of the state of affairs in this world, and she would feel safer going out and trying to get information with a stronger base, a stronger hive. Which kind of puts me back at square one. Ugh. Maybe I just need to wait until it’s large enough to actually need a queen.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Dan, one of the younger Warriors, ran up to her. “My Queen! Ace just came back with news.”

Regina turned and glanced toward the forest. “Did he say what he found?”

“He said that we’re going to have visitors from the forest, my Queen.”

Regina nodded, then started hurrying towards the trees, Dan falling into step behind her. Max was already there, talking to the young Scout.

“I hear we’re getting visitors?” she asked as she arrived.

“A group of elves,” Max said. “They were going to come sooner or later, weren’t they?”

“I saw five elves, but there might have been more, my Queen,” Ace reported. “They were all armed. That was about ten minutes at a run from here.”

That meant they were coming quickly. Regina nodded, then stepped forward. “Alright. Dan, go get Mia and Tia. It’s probably best if we keep the drones who have dealt with them before here.”

“You’re not going to try to hide the rest, my Queen?” Max asked.

Regina hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. “That’s not going to work, at least not in the long term.” She frowned, considering if she should at least hide the War Drones, but then decided it wasn’t a good idea. “Besides, it would be foolish to assume that they didn’t already have a scout with stealth abilities check in on us. If not before, then on this trip.”

They didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, and Regina didn’t see the point in doing much. If anything, this just showed her that she needed to have better eyes on her territory and its surroundings. They could have easily missed the visitors’ approach completely.

The elves came out of the forest a few minutes later. It was a group of three men and three women, which meant they had indeed had at least one more person somewhere else on the way, maybe in the treetops.

“Welcome,” Regina greeted them. She stepped forward and smiled. “It’s nice to get visitors. I know our little settlement isn’t much, but we’re working on it.”

The man in the lead bowed his head slightly. It wasn’t anyone she recognized, although Regina had taken a look at what the System showed her for all of them. Unsurprisingly, they were all higher leveled. “Thank you, Hive Queen,” he responded. “You seem to have made good progress in a short time, simply judging by what I can see here.”

“Thank you.” Regina stepped back to invite them to come closer. “We can at least offer you some food and water. I have to admit I’m curious to hear what brought you here.”

They walked further inside, to the fireplace at the center of their camp. She saw the elves looking around curiously.

“Curiosity is what brought us here, in the main,” the leader answered. According to the System, he was named Lianan. “We wanted to check up on your group and perhaps give you some help if you needed it.”

Regina nodded. She gestured at some seats around the fire, little more than some grass that had been pressed down and a few monster pelts, and sat herself. “That is appreciated. You represent your government, then?”

He tilted his head slightly. “We do, yes.”

“Well, I think what we need most at the moment are good tools and perhaps weapons. Unfortunately, I don’t think we have much to trade for them with, at least not yet.”

The elf nodded. “I understand. We may be able to provide some tools to help you get started. Unfortunately, weapons are a different story. I’m afraid our government will not be able to spare those.”

Regina narrowed her eyes. She glanced at Max, who stood beside her and was clearly listening attentively, then back at the elves. “As I said, I am happy to have you visit, but why now? We have not been here long, and I was under the impression that it was not a trip of just a few hours.”

Lianan looked undecided for a moment, before he nodded. “The journey would take several days ordinarily, yes, although that can be shortened for those with higher levels.”

That was an interesting fact which Regina tucked away in her head carefully, but she didn’t want to get distracted.

“So there is a reason you are coming to visit now?”

Another elf spoke up now, a woman with orange eyes who was apparently called Nias. “Yes. We have also come to warn you. Events are afoot that might impact you. In any case, we are to inform you of them, and see if there is perhaps even something you could contribute.”

“I’m all ears. What is this about?”

Lianan answered, “About three months ago, there was a raid on an elven enclave near the Brightvers Forest. It is located several weeks’ travel roughly northwest of here. The locals found evidence that the local human kingdom we share a border with, Nerlia, was involved. The border has been disputed for a while, and we have had disagreements on the ownership of the silver mines nearby, as well as the management of the monster spawning grounds in the area. In retaliation, the local detachment of the Guard raided an outpost that served as a base for adventurers and soldiers, trying to secure evidence. Unfortunately, the son of a local human noble was caught up in it and maimed in the fighting. To cut a long story short, there were several escalating incidents, and our attempts at diplomacy failed. The Nerlian king has officially declared war and mustered his armies.”

Regina sat back and crossed her arms, contemplating that. “So you are at war?”

He inclined his head affirmatively.

Well, that’s … interesting news. Regina frowned. This made her see a lot of what had happened with the elves in a new light. No wonder they didn’t want to send weapons, they probably needed all they had for themselves.

“I have to admit I’m not very familiar with the local geopolitical landscape,” she said. “How big of a threat is this?”

Nias grimaced. “We could handle Nerlia alone. Unfortunately, they have an alliance with the local human kingdom here, Cernlia. They might very well join the war soon.”

Regina glanced out over the lake. “This is the kingdom to which the village and the castle that fell to the horde belong?”

“They have retaken and are rebuilding the castle,” Lianan said. “But yes, indeed.”

Regina looked at her drones. They all seemed concerned.

“How much danger are we in?” Max asked.

Lianan and Nias exchanged a look. “We cannot say,” Lianan answered. “I do not think they will send soldiers here, but if they do, your settlement might be at risk. It is simply too close. And if they learn of our, well, relationship, they may consider you targets.”

“Well, thank you for letting us know,” Regina said, not voicing what else she was thinking. She fell silent for a moment, then shook her head. “We might be able to help, if not now, then soon. But I cannot make any promises.” This was just bad timing. If they had even a few more weeks, she’d feel much better prepared. As it was, sending just a few War Drones wouldn’t be more than a token gesture.

Lianan nodded. “We understand. And thank you for your understanding.”

That seemed to be all that the elves had wanted here, and they quickly prepared to leave again. Regina wondered if she should feel offended that they hadn’t even accepted any food from them, but then she realized that she had no idea what elves ate, they might all be vegetarian, and most of what her hive had was monster meat.

She accompanied them back to the edge of the forest and exchanged polite goodbyes with the two leaders. After that, the elves set off back into the trees.

Regina turned to leave, then paused. There was something else here. She couldn’t hear or see it, but there was another scent in the air. She turned and frowned at the space to the side of where the elves had stood, where an old tree’s thick branches offered a good perch. “And who are you?”

The air shimmered and another woman appeared. She floated down to the ground as if gravity didn’t mean anything to her. “Oh, shoot. I must be losing my touch. Too long since I dealt with a race with such an enhanced sense of smell.”

Regina frowned. The woman’s scent was odd. The closest she could compare it to was the charged feeling in the air during a thunderstorm, before lightning struck. That comparison didn’t make any sense, but it was weird.

At first she’d thought the visitor was just another blonde elf, but on a closer look, she wasn’t so sure. While the woman did have pointed ears, her skin still looked just a little shimmery, her features seemed more human than elven, and her eyes were a very light gray closer to silver, without the reflective quality of elves’ eyes. Regina focused on her for a long moment, but the System refused to pop up any information.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” she said, taking a step back and glancing at the Warriors stepping up beside her. This person was obviously powerful. “But I’d like to know who you are and what you’re doing here.”

“Watching you, of course,” the woman replied lightly, as if it didn’t matter. “Don’t worry, I was just leaving anyway. I just thought it would be interesting to see how you reacted to the news of a war. Tell me, are you thinking of participating?”

Regina resisted the urge to clench her hands. A part of her was really not happy about being questioned by a stranger showing up uninvited in her territory, and only their obvious strength kept her from showing it. “I don’t think so. Do you think I should?”

“You’re asking for my advice?” The woman clapped her hands together once. “Interesting indeed! I suppose Alianais might be onto something with you.”

That didn’t sound like she was going to get an answer. Regina paused, unsure what to say. “Alianais?”

“Oh, you’re just precious!” The strange woman grinned again, then turned to go. “Ciao for now, little Hive Queen.” Then she looked back and winked. “I wouldn’t depend too much on divine favor if I were you, kid. Benerron might have stuck his fingers in, but you’re just as likely to get burned as given a parasol, if you catch my drift.”

She disappeared. In an instant, none of Regina’s senses could detect her anymore.

For a moment, she just stood there, staring at the spot where the woman had been. Regina shook her head, not sure what to think at all.