Chapter 40: Chapter 38: Information and Deliberation

The discovery of monsters in the tunnels set back their plans, but it could have gone worse. A few of the warriors investigated, and Regina sent some War Drones as well, since those were smaller and better able to fit through tight tunnels. It turned out that the Tunnelers they’d encountered seemed to be either an isolated group or some distance away from their main group. The tunnels they had dug were a rather haphazard warren no more than a few hundred meters long in total. There were two very narrow tunnels leading farther off into the distance, but Regina simply had them closed off.

The Workers were easily able to handle it. With their Ability, they produced some reinforced compressed dirt that they used to brick off these tunnels, melding it into the surrounding earth.

Still, Regina insisted on some warriors staying close to keep an eye on things. From now on, there would be at least two warriors there whenever they worked on the tunnels, and several War Drones posted nearby at all times. They could even help with the digging, so it wasn’t a total loss, even if it did hurt the hive’s productivity.

Regina wasn’t discouraged by the discovery of underground monsters, though. If nothing else, it indicated there could be more to find underground, not just danger, but also opportunity. Still, their levels seemed to be higher than those of the surface monsters in the area, unless they’d just had the bad luck of encountering an exceptionally strong group. Comprehensive exploration could wait until her hive was stronger.

In the meantime, she got a bit more practice in with her new Spell. She also used this occasion to finally ask the warriors to bring some injured monsters back alive if possible. Not only would that allow her to further practice and perhaps improve her healing, but it was worth trying if they could use it to level other drones. She was a little skeptical, since it seemed the System rewarded effort and true accomplishments more than just kills, but with her new healing spell, they at least had a safety net in case things went wrong.

Of course, this was still easier said than done. The warriors were all eager to please, but bringing back injured monsters took some doing, and she emphasized that she did not want them to put themselves into unnecessary danger.

Her eggs were still in development, which limited how much mana she could use, but at least she didn’t need to conjure as much stuff now that they had some things to work with. The day after the fight, Regina spent some time walking around the settlement, checking on everything, making sure things ran smoothly and taking note of what they needed. Max trailed along behind her for most of the way. He seemed content to leave the training of the other warriors and workers to Tim. Regina didn’t send him away, though. She liked his company, and he spoke up when he saw a problem.

After she was done with her rounds, which didn’t take too long, since their burgeoning village was still very small, she settled down by the main campfire and waited. She checked on Tim and Bea and could tell that they would be back very soon. Their elven companions had already departed, leaving them to return to the hive on their own. Regina used the time to glance at her status screen.

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