Madris Ulaven watched the human soldiers, evaluating their movements in a corner of her mind while most of her attention was elsewhere. They were reasonably skilled, although not nearly at the level of a proper warrior of the Eternal Dark. An experienced dark elf even five levels lower could have taken any of them with ease. Against their current opponents, however, the Nerlians and Cernlians would have the advantage of levels and experience.

The Hivekind were still accounting well for themselves, and while a human observing them might have been surprised, she knew better. With the disruption field shattered, their mind link was back in play, and she could tell the difference it made. For a psychic of her power and skill, it would have been impossible not to sense it. She could also feel the center of it, the young Hive Queen, a short distance to the north, surrounded by a small cluster of other minds.

Having all of her senses back after having to struggle against the suppression felt intensely liberating. The closest she could compare it to was finding water after two days of thirst, although naturally, the experiences were quite different.

Relief aside, having her most powerful tool back was good; she would need it.

Madris turned and walked a few steps, glancing back to assure herself that her mount was still staying where she had left it. The drone, one of the ubiquitous horde without proper minds or intelligent thought, crouched on the ground, presumably waiting. It had followed her directions without complaint or attempt to diverge from her path, although now that the Hive Queen had regained control of it she supposed that might change. Assuming she was not too busy with other concerns, anyway.

Janis, the young part-elemental, had been incapacitated by the backlash of breaking the ritual effect. Her mind cried out the pain it was feeling; briefly, Madris wondered if it was radiating through their mental link as well and perhaps disturbing the others. There should be protections in place so pain felt by one member would not be debilitating to the others. Madris still felt some sympathy for the young woman. A headache had been pounding against her own skull since the break, and she still had to divert some of her focus to ensure her mana did not rage out of control.

Of course, controlling pain or discomfort to not affect one’s performance was a basic skill she had learned long ago. Even the rest of the backlash would not incapacitate her. She had accounted for it and knew the effect would fade. Regina and Galatea should have been somewhat sheltered as well, having been outside the bounds of the field when it shattered.

Thinking of Regina and Janis almost elicited a grimace. She had not felt as humiliated in some time as she had coming to the Hive’s army to offer, almost beg, to let her help them. However, she had recently had a lesson in the dangers of pride and strove to learn from these. Swallowing a bit of perceived humiliation was nothing against the potential benefits she could gain here, or the dangers of letting the situation develop uncontrolled.

On the face of it, the disruption effect would not be considered a grave threat by most people. Of course, others in the organization would certainly act, if only for the potential weapon against them. What truly concerned her, however, was that the Nerlians had never shown any inclination for the psychic arts before, certainly not like this, even if they had dabbled in ritual magic a little. It made sense for them to develop a countermeasure against the Hivekind, but this quickly? No, this was either an old weapon from the times of the purge resurfacing or outside action (perhaps even both). The Nerlians should not even have the resources a ritual on this scale must require, which only added to the potential concern. And all else aside, misuse of this capability was exactly what she was supposed to curb.

"Madris?” Armin whispered.

Long practice allowed her not to visibly startle. Instead, she only turned her head calmly to look as he melted into sight from the shadow of a rock that should never have been large enough to hide him.

“Armin,” she responded, stepping closer to him. “You’ve remained hidden?”

“They never saw me,” he confirmed. “They’re presumably too occupied by their fight with the Hivekind. I did keep my distance until the battle actually started, so I don’t have much information for you.”

“You didn’t manage to slow them down?” she asked.

“I never really saw a good opportunity,” he answered with a grimace. “I still sabotaged a few wagon wheels, but they just let the wagons fall back, and I shooed a few monsters their way, but they barely slowed down.”

“That’s alright.” Madris shook her head lightly. “The Hive seem to be handling this well enough on their own.”

She was currently behind the human army and deeper into the ritual effect’s field. That had put her in a better position for the attempt to pierce through and shatter it, although it also cut her off from support the drones might be able to offer. On the other hand, this might make it easier for her. And the Nerlians and Cernlians wouldn’t expect someone to come from behind them. Although with Armin’s guidance, she was not worried about that anyhow.

“So, we’re not going to help with the battle?” he asked, tugging on a strap across his chest and adjusting the handle of a short blade.

“Not unless we get a good opportunity that does not put us at risk,” Madris said. “While I do want to help them, I’d say I’ve already done my part by helping them break through this suppression, and young Janis seems to have it all accounted for.”

“Well, as long as you have your power back,” he said, accepting her decision easily.

Madris smiled. While he might only be part of her House as a formality — not that there was much of one — to take advantage of some antiquated laws, Armin always trusted her to take charge and lead the party. She was glad he was also willing to follow her lead unquestioningly in these circumstances.

They did not talk much as they proceeded. Armin helped them pass unnoticed, although Madris had an opportunity to practice her skills at wandering stealthily as well. It was admittedly not a skill she excelled in, though with her natural gifts and many years of practice, it would mark her as an expert among humans. The scattered sentries and soldiers they passed never noticed that anyone was there. Certainly none of them raised an alarm. Madris still made sure to move carefully, at a cautious pace. Battles did not conclude quickly, so they should be occupied for some time.

She kept a metaphorical as well as literal eye on it to make sure that remained the case. This many minds together in the throes of strong emotion would have been like bonfires to any psychic nearby, anyhow. Lesser ones might have had trouble telling apart details or getting an accurate sense of what was happening, but Madris was not new to this and it was far from the first battle she had observed. She grasped the Hive’s strategy quickly, and felt some satisfaction as she watched them encircle the enemy force. Good, that should pin them down for a while, at least, and while the battle might be effectively decided, it would still take time to conclude. Hopefully, the drones would be smart enough to limit the human fighters’ retreat instead of simply letting them all run.

She was not entirely sure what to look for, although sensing the minds around her helped. While they approached, she sorted through the impressions they gave her. Most of the humans were obviously focused on the battle. While they were approaching the back lines, where the commanders, noncombatants and perhaps reinforcements were kept, it was close enough to be potentially threatened by the Hive’s drones. Madris briefly wondered what the Hive might do regarding camp followers or other civilians or innocents caught up in this, before she dismissed the thought. It was not her business or her problem and besides, Regina would surely be less likely to massacre civilians than anyone else in this mess, if she was not mistaken.

Armin pointed out a few steps in a whisper, and Madris contributed her own efforts to make sure they stayed invisible. It was not technically invisibility, of course. An objective observation would still see her, and it was uncertain concerning scrying. Galatea might see her as well, with how differently she saw the world. But for everyone around them, their minds simply refused to process their presence, ignoring it entirely. It would even work if they made a loud racket, although being stealthy saved mana. A rather basic application of psychic powers, although it was one she had gotten good mileage out of for a long time.

Madris used it to ghost through the camp of the Cernlian-Nerlian army, taking note of interesting features and people. Armin kept his eyes out as well, slipping further away from her a few times.

The separation between the two nationalities was clear, though less distinct than it had been the last time she visited one of their armies. It appeared the progression of the war had worn down some barriers. That would tend to make things easier for them, most likely, and result in some increase in effectiveness. There was what she’d consider a disproportionate number of nobles present, perhaps because it was the Cernlian king’s host. And considering what she had heard, he’d prefer his vassals close by and in easy reach. There were a surprising number of Nerlians in expensive clothes as well, however.

Madris noted and cataloged them, but she paid more attention to the mages. There was a concentration of them here you rarely saw outside of war. Even without access to their status from the System, she was rather sure many of them were exhausted, judging by the feel of their minds.

It seemed like casting the ritual had taken quite a bit of mana. Most casters could not take having their mana pools emptied in stride, and the forced march and now this battle would only exacerbate it, although the Nerlians did not seem to rely as heavily on their mages for this one.

Madris paused as she neared who she suspected might be the leader of at least the Cernlian part of this assembly. Thaumaturge Zephyr was someone she’d encountered before, although he seemed to have gained a level recently.

Derrek Zephyr — Level 73 Thaumaturge

Apart from the level-up, which she knew would have taken quite a bit of time and effort at his level, he did not appear to have changed much. There was stubble on his chin and his face was set in a glower, although that did not seem very unusual from what little she knew of him. He was also quite clearly exhausted, but not quite to the level of most others. He must have retained at least a fifth or so of his mana pool, she estimated.

Madris stopped as she came across him and quickly took in these details. Zephyr was walking along the trampled dirt path, clearly hurrying. She hesitated for a moment before she slipped behind him and followed.

While Madris had been focused on the mages and on looking for any signs of the ritual they cast or anything connected to it, she’d paid less attention to the mundanely important matters. It was with some surprise now that she recognized the middle-aged human man Zephyr approached at a quick pace, as he turned to look at him. She checked the System to be sure.

Nicholas of Cernlia — Level 36 King

“Where have you been, Zephyr?” King Nicholas snapped.

“As I said, Your Majesty, one gets a better view of the battle being airborne,” Zephyr replied with a tone of exaggerated patience.

So he finally got his wyvern back, Madris mused, suppressing a smirk. She didn’t particularly care about the Cernlian king, but under these circumstances, he was important. She looked around, quickly examining the scene. Nicholas and a few knights were stood a short distance away from the center of the impromptu camp, and she noted a few pages leading horses behind them. A few men were quickly gathering what looked like shaped but uneven gold bars in bags. They were treating the precious metal with far less respect than one would usually assume.

Gold was usually involved in making ritual circles. And interestingly, the men clearly answered to Zephyr, who quickly gestured for one of them to move a bag to a different horse.

“So it’s as bad as it seems?” another man asked, who she didn’t need to check the System to recognize as a noble lord.

“I am afraid so, if not worse.”

“Your vaunted ritual certainly did not hold up to expectations,” the king commented with a dark look.

“It wasn’t my ritual, my lord,” Zephyr replied in a similar tone. “And I’m uncertain what happened that the Hive managed to pierce it so quickly, but that’s all done now.”

Madris looked around once more with a frown, then gestured at Armin. It was easier, especially for him, to hide them if they were silent, so they didn’t speak. He nodded as he followed her gaze to Zephyr.

It did not take a genius to realize they were planning on fleeing. That was only sensible, she supposed. The battle was clearly turning against them and would soon be lost, barring a surprise they did not seem to have prepared. Madris hesitated, looking between the people present, before she sighed and melted into the shadows as she stepped back.

She waited patiently until Zephyr left the gathered men. It had been a gamble on her part, but one she felt was well worth it. Zephyr had a wyvern again and he would certainly not leave it behind, even if he could stand the king’s (or some other lords’) company voluntarily. So she was not surprised to see him turning away from them and heading to a nearby enclosure after a few minutes.

They had to wait for an appropriate moment. When it came, Madris assaulted their target’s mind while Armin did the actual work. He was much better at it. She crashed through Zephyr’s mental defenses with untypical brute force, more concerned with speed than finesse this time. He staggered and almost dropped where he stood in the shadow of a pavilion tent until Armin swept him up and carried him away. Madris followed quickly, glancing around and making sure no one had seen anything. For good measure, she impressed the thought that Zephyr was fine and did not matter so they could all focus on more important concerns to anyone who might be close by and interested in seeing him.

He was still conscious and awake, but Madris kept up the pressure — not enough to harm him, just enough to keep him from casting any spells. Once they were no longer surrounded by the gathered soldiers and in the shadow of a grassy hill a few meters away, Armin nodded at her and then put his hand on the man’s face. Darkness rose and shadow swallowed him. He heaved the bundle of shadow up onto his back and they set off. She monitored Zephyr’s consciousness while he stumbled through the shadowy labyrinth they’d constructed, unknowing that it was all in his mind.

Not someone she’d want to keep contained long-term, but this should do. She tapped Armin’s shoulder and jerked her head north, telling him they should hurry up.

It would have been very convenient to be able to take the king. She was confident they would have won the fight in question, even if it wouldn’t be easy. And she was not certain Regina would not take exception to the choice to let him go. But Madris thought she would understand. The king was one thing, but they had to mind the bigger picture, and answers were more likely to be had from the mage.

She had not found the kind of evidence or information she had hoped for with the army leadership, so she certainly hoped their catch would be useful. If nothing else, she looked forward to Regina’s reaction when she brought him. After all, they needed a secure location to stash or interrogate the prisoner, and the Hive’s presence might as well be used for that.