Chapter 91: Chapter 88: Contacts, Scouting and Field Testing

It turns out they really won’t know, Regina mused in a thoughtful and maybe slightly amused tone.

I’m sorry, what? Ada asked.

She got the impression of her Queen shaking her head. Nevermind. Keep watching.

Ada resisted the urge to tilt her head in confusion or make any other movements. As far as she was concerned, making sure that the humans didn’t know anything about what the newly named Starlit Hive was doing was the whole point. And it seemed to be going well so far. Although, of course, Ada couldn’t be sure that their targets really didn’t suspect anything and weren’t simply faking it.

That was probably always a danger when trying to lay a trap. But as she’d heard Max say once, the best traps were those that worked even if the quarry became aware of them. That had stuck with her, and Ada felt confident that they had been preparing one of these.

The group of humans she was thinking about drew closer during the short exchange. They walked at a relatively quick pace, but nothing out of the ordinary. She would have described it as ‘marching’, but they didn’t really keep proper ranks and their formation was too uneven for that, not that the terrain would do them any favors in that regard. They were currently moving through a copse of trees, which might be much sparser than the large forest to the west, but still had its fair share of rocks, roots and uneven ground, and the hilly ground didn’t help.

Ada tried to trace their path as she kept watching the humans. They were mostly men, with only a few women in the group. One of the women and one of the men wore cloth armor that seemed much lighter than the others’ equipment, who all wore metal armor, usually at least a breastplate and a few other pieces, and all of them wore some kind of helmet. Their equipment seemed disparate, but those of the group who were using the same type of weapon had matching weapons that looked like they’d probably been made by the same person or in the same mold even if not manufactured in bulk. None of them openly wore any coat of arms or identifying detail, which she supposed showed some basic sense on the part of their organization.

A soft rustling beside her diverted Ada’s attention, and she turned her head slightly to look. Then she rolled her eyes. She was currently hidden in the shadow of a bush, with careful camouflage. The War Drone who had just come up to her wasn’t, but since it was behind her, it should still be out of their targets’ sight.

Ada narrowed her eyes and focused intently on the War Drone Elite, trying to access its mind. She’d practiced this diligently, but she still had some trouble with it. After a few seconds, though, she sensed something with that other kind of sense which she only felt fully when her Queen connected to her directly, and she got some impressions from the drone. It had finished the task she had assigned it and was now coming to report.

Ada slowly crawled backwards, then moved her hand and gestured at the drone to move back. After that, she closed her eyes again and focused on the minds of the other nearby Swarm Drones. One by one, she touched their minds and relayed new orders. It helped that they’d made detailed plans beforehand and she just needed to give them the go-ahead.

Then she felt a slight brush against her mind, one she recognized quickly. Regina had departed at some point, so softly Ada hadn’t realized it at the time. Now, Tim told her, We’re ready here. How about you? Is everything going well?

They’re still moving, and don’t seem to be changing course, Ada answered. The Swarm Drones on my side are ready. I’d just like to get out of this spot first.

She felt Tim’s wordless agreement before his mind withdrew, and Ada even caught an echo of Regina, as she was probably contacting Tim right now. Then Ada patiently eased herself backwards in tiny increments, taking care not to disturb the greenery or even the shadows around her too much.

Once she was far enough, Ada made her way around the small copse of trees to join another group of drones. She moved swiftly, but she couldn’t even hear herself making any sounds, since she’d activated her newest Class Skill. Simply called Stealth, it was an active Ability that didn’t last long, so she was careful about activating it, but it muffled her footsteps and hid her passing. She’d experimented with it and learned that, while it didn’t hide her from sight, it made people or other creatures less inclined to look in her direction or to notice her presence. It even dampened her scent.

Once she reached the group of drones, mostly higher-leveled Swarm Drones with Ace and two Warriors leading them, she reached out to Tim again. We’re ready, she reported.

Alright, he answered. Then we can start. I repeat, we are launching the attack now. She felt him reach out farther and contact several other drones.

Still, to be sure, Ada glanced at the other drones around her and raised a hand, wiggling it up and down in the sign they had previously arranged. A few of them nodded. Then Ada returned her focus to their targets, trusting in her enhanced sight to see them clearly.

The first sign of anything going on came in the form a low sound that slowly grew louder, though it took a while for the humans she was watching to notice. When they finally did look up, the flock of Winged Drones was almost above them. Ada smirked to herself as she watched their reactions, feeling smug.

“Now,” she whispered tersely after a few seconds.

The group of drones started moving, and Ada hurried to put herself in the lead. They had timed it quite well, and the Winged Drones let their cargo drop just before she and the other drones reached it. One of the War Drones in the group coming from the other direction was already too close and got caught in the blast, but Ada only felt a sudden gust of wind against her face.

The grenades the Winged Drones had dropped were somewhat underpowered compared to the Hive’s best, but they set off the next part of the trap. The pit traps that had been covered with a thin layer of earth, twigs and rocks opened up, taking quite a few of the humans with them. Two large tree trunks fell down with a crash, cutting one of group off from his companions and boxing in the others.

Before the lone human swordsman could do more than turn, Tim reached him in a flash. The human was quick enough to parry his initial attack, but Ada saw Tim coming in for a second one with both of his blade-arms and a dagger, and she doubted the human had experience fighting someone with six limbs.

Then she reached her own target and had to focus on it. Ada stopped and struck her own blade-arm against the rotten tree beside her, sending up a puff of dust and a few splinters of bark. She leaped forward, catching the attack of another human warrior in heavier armor. Close combat wasn’t her strong suit, but she managed to hold him long enough for the closest War Drones to swarm him.

Then the strongest of the Winged Drones had circled around for another attack, diving down onto the remaining, scattered humans. Regina must have directed them personally.

“Finish them!” Ada cried, raising her hand and glancing around at the drones in her group. “No intruders in our Hive’s territory!”

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The drones roared in response, and while Ada paused to take stock, they quickly finished off their enemies. Following the orders they’d received, they managed to take most of them prisoner.

Ada quickly moved between them, checking their bindings. Technically, Tim was in charge, but he had other things to take care off, too. Besides, this whole thing was actually more of a mission for her than for him.

“I think I’m done here,” she told him when they finally met in front of one of the pits. Swarm Drones were pulling the remains of two men out of it.

Tim glanced at her, looking thoughtful, and nodded. “Yes, I think that was all of them. A lot of people for a scouting or exploration team, although I guess they could have been intended as a raiding party. We’ll get that information out of them soon enough.”

“I think it’s better if I don’t wait that long to do some scouting of our own,” Ada said. “They might be missed soon.”

She paused, focusing more closely on the psychic link in her mind. After a second, her Queen answered, If you think that’s best. Be careful. I’ll keep you in contact with Tim and the others.

Ada nodded, then gave a low whistle she had trained with. A few seconds later, a few Winged Drones dropped from the air close to her. Ada smiled and scratched their heads, before she carefully climbed on their backs.

She ended up perched on top of and between two of them, her body secured with a harness she’d made out of rope she’d brought along. These Winged Drones were two of the strongest in the Hive, both getting close to Evolution at level 20. She’d practiced this painstakingly, although this would be the first time she’d actually use it in the field, so to speak. If it went well, this could become a regular tactic of the Hive’s scouts and maybe even the basis for small mobile strike teams. Of course, she also knew that carrying a passenger would tire them out quickly, so they wouldn’t be able to fly as far or as fast.

It was a shame that the Hive still didn’t have any sapient flying drones except for Regina. The Attendants had wings, but they clearly weren’t developed enough yet to fly properly, though they could glide and could probably spend a long time in the air if they started from a high enough altitude.

Ada grimaced and resisted the urge to cover her eyes as the drones rose up off the ground. She was shaken to and fro until their flight leveled out somewhat. For once, Ada was glad that she was still only about as big as a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old human girl, and thinner and lighter than a Warrior. The drones clearly had to work at it, but they managed to gain some altitude. Ada focused on their minds - she had also practiced finding and connecting to them a lot - and directed them onto the best course.

Even considering her Skills, the Winged Drones moved a lot more quickly than Ada could have on her own. She paid careful attention to their path and the landscape underneath them, keeping her Keen Sight on and looking out for the soldiers she knew had to be there.

She wasn’t sure how long the flight took, but soon enough, Ada saw signs of them on the horizon. She told the drones to descend and slow down, but let them get close enough to see the army. Then Ada had them turn back for a little bit and descend further. The Winged Drones circled down until she found a good spot for them to land, a small depression surrounded by a scraggly copse of trees.

Ada sighed and fumbled with the ropes. When she jumped down, she stumbled a bit, but quickly caught her balance again. She hesitated for a moment, before she decided to leave some of the ropes on. Enough that she could hopefully grab them in a pinch, but so the Winged Drones weren’t tethered together anymore.

“You, fly up again and circle farther off, a few kilometers in that direction,” she ordered one of them. “Keep watching our targets, but withdraw if they come closer.”

With that, she set off. Ada tried to go as sneakily as she could, but she didn’t activate Stealth yet. It was a relatively long walk, since she’d wanted to set down far enough to be sure that they wouldn’t easily be seen. Luckily, it was also getting dark, and she made sure to approach from the north, so she wouldn’t be directly in the path of the setting sun. The sky was relatively overcast, too, which should help matters.

Finally, she got closer to the army. She activated Stealth, but subtly, so it wouldn’t take as much energy. It was a trick she’d learned recently, but she found it very helpful. Then Ada crept forward, carefully picking her path to stay under the cover of trees and bushes most of the time.

Finally, she crawled under a bush, slowly and carefully, and stilled as she got a good look at the army. As she’d surmised before, it was already on the move. This force was bigger than the one Regina had found before with her Winged Drones, judging by what she’d said. It looked decently well organized, with a small line of wagons and marching soldiers in several columns. It seemed like they’d broken camp recently or were just traveling slowly.

Ada would still have to start relocating soon, since they were coming closer. Although they weren’t moving towards the Hive, but in a more easterly direction.

Ada focused on the individual parts that made up the marching army. Soldiers, mostly men, a few knights or nobles, a few banners with devices that didn’t mean much to her. When she got to the back, though, she froze.

There was a group of Delvers here. She’d seen enough of them by now to recognize their style of equipment. There were only a few of them, maybe a single party. She couldn’t even be sure they were actual Delvers, or current ones. And they were speaking to an even more surprising group.

Ada hadn’t had much to do with the gnomes who were visiting Forest’s Haunt, although she’d been there when they arrived. Apparently, they were merchants, and probably gathering information as well. As far as she knew, they were staying there for now, presumably smoothing the way for trade deals and trying to schmooze the locals.

She wondered what they might know about the other group of gnomes that was evidently traveling with this army. They had a wagon much like the one the Hive’s visitors brought, although the gnomes with the army seemed to have put on more traditionally human clothing. There wasn’t much else she could make out, unfortunately.

Believe me, her Queen whispered in her mind, probably having caught her last thought, I’m going to ask them some pointed questions.

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