Chapter 240: Chapter 224: Impressions

Delvers, Gwen Cern had found early on in her career with them, were a lot like squabbling schoolchildren sometimes. Too much of the time, truly. As such, as the raised voices around her launched into another argument, she was annoyed but not particularly surprised.

If anything, it was remarkable how few fights there had been. The town was filled to bursting with fighters and adventurers, and their headquarters was even more crowded. Under these circumstances, and taking into account the political factions among those present, they had been rather civil. Not that it made this particular argument any less annoying, of course.

Gwen sighed, caught Owin’s eye, and then started edging backward. He didn’t really need her here, he was more than capable of handling all this by himself. Besides, her last name alone made her seem too involved in what was going on in Cernlia and thus less than objective. Never mind that she had only found herself roughly on the same side as her idiot cousin essentially on accident.

Gwen honestly could hardly care less about the succession of Cernlia’s crown, and rather suspected that Lyns winning and her family name regaining a bit of prominence would only lead to more headaches for her in the future.

Unfortunately, all of that was secondary. Because they had a chance that generations of Delvers before them did not: they had met an actual Progenitor! Gwen was self-aware enough to know that if Regina demanded her to turn around entirely and attack her family and all of their allies, she would probably do it. The vagaries of Cernlia’s latest civil simply didn’t matter compared to what it meant … a chance at regaining the Golden Age of humanity was far too ridiculous and distant a dream to be taken seriously, and yet, today, it felt a little closer, as if it might be an actual possibility.

Sure, Regina did not exactly fit the legends and wishful stories her people had passed around at campfires. She was a Hivekind rather than an actual human, at least in this day and age, and she seemed more concerned with her new people than humanity. But all of the knowledge she held was still there. And despite the rumors Gwen had heard, it was clear to her that Regina was not positively disposed toward the gods. Anything they’d heard from the Hive’s territory and their new gains in Nerlia only supported the impression that she could, and would, bring back some of what had long been lost.

"This is ridiculous,” one of the foreign Delvers stated, crossing her arms. From her body language, Gwen suspected she was a lot less sure than she wanted to project, and the derisive tone was equally fake. Reading clues like that was one of the most basic but underestimated tools of her trade. “You honestly expect us to accept that this demihuman is not just a mythical Hivekind ruler, but also a former human Progenitor? Without seeing proof?”

Owin rolled his eyes. Unfortunately, he was not as diplomatic as he could be. “We’ve been over this,” he said. And over and over. “We have seen proof. We only ask you all to accept that, until you can see it all with your own eyes.”

"It does stand to reason,” Telkin, another foreign Delver she’d met before, commented. Her tone was light, but her gaze serious. “Every Delver who has actually seen it with their own eyes appears to agree.”

“I trust Owin,” Commander Rick cut in. “And I would trust every one of his party with my lives.”

“Be that as it may,” Egon drawled. “This is a little late.”

“I simply don’t see why we should roll out the proverbial carpet in quite this fashion,” Marie said, crossing her arms. Now she was getting to the point she’d been driving at, Gwen thought. Not that it would amount to much, either way.

At least the bickering was starting to taper off now out of pure necessity. Once she was sure that nothing was going to blow up immediately, Gwen excused herself and made her way to the entrance. The base was extensive, with expansive basement levels and a few experimental chambers with uncommon magic, including spatial effects, so it hid a lot more than it would seem to an outside observer. She navigated it with the ease of long familiarity, however, pausing occasionally to talk to one of the many passing Delvers. There were quite a few she needed to speak to, but fortunately, they were all close by.

For the next half an hour or so, Gwen was too busy to think about the politics or what various factions thought about this. There were preparations to make, adventurers to wrangle, and idiots to send away. Too many of the latter for her taste. At least the planned route was clear and prettied up sufficiently.

Finally, Owin slipped into place next to her again. “Ready?” he asked.

“As we’ll ever be,” Gwen replied with a grimace. “Is it too late to have someone else take my place?” she asked half-jokingly.

“Yes,” he answered, deadpan.

Then the rest of the leadership arrived and put an end to their banter. Gwen glanced around, then straightened her jacket and set off, walking slowly. Her fingers twitched and she wished she could wrap them around her instrument, but that would not be possible under the circumstances. She hummed tunelessly to herself, before getting a few dirty looks made her stop.

Their guests were just as punctual as expected. A hush fell over the gathered Delvers, and the townspeople, mercenaries and adventurers who had come to watch further out. A few flashes of light showed where people activated Skills, and she had to resist the urge to grit her teeth. Instead, Gwen focused on those approaching.

She was perfectly aware that they had flown in to cover most of the distance in the air, but they approached on foot now, which admittedly would set a few people at ease. What she had not expected was quite this kind of show.

The Starlit Hive had clearly sent only the most senior drones it could spare, including a few Swarm Drones who were quite close to gaining sapience and moving with control and purpose. They were all arranged around the central figure — in both their Hive and this visit — who topped all of them by riding a tall horse. Gwen did not know where they had found a gray of this breed, much less the tack and decorations; they’d even braided its mane in an unfamiliar style. Regina rode her horse with all the poise and confidence of someone born to it, projecting a regal air. It was helped by the clearly expensive clothing she wore, although Gwen did not recognize the style at first. It was more subdued than she’d thought, although the outfit consisted of trousers, a blouse, a jacket that jogged something in her memory, and she wore something made of cloth around her neck as well.

Gwen blinked and turned her focus to the Hive Queen’s companions. She was not surprised to see Max and a few other drones she recognized, though the most attention-grabbing of them was Janis, as well as Galatea in clothing similar to Regina’s, but somehow more elaborate and in different colors. It looked like a military uniform, she realized after a moment.

She did recognize the device on a flag carried by one of the drones. It was not quite the same as the emblem she’d seen in a few places underground — although the emblem had been stylized in other contexts, to be sure — but appeared to have some differences. Still, the black eagle on its yellow field was clearly meant as a deliberate reference. There was also a second banner, this one showing a silver ring of stars over a crown on a black background. The device was repeated on a few of the drones’ clothing or the cloth covering of their mounts.

Judging by the murmur that arose from the others, at least some of them must have recognized at least some of the symbolism on display here. Or perhaps they were simply surprised at their appearance. It could be either, she supposed. Gwen tried to put it out of her mind and instead focus on greeting them.

“Your Majesty, Hive Queen Regina, and companions from the Starlit Hive,” she greeted them with an elaborate bow. “Please be welcome here. We are honored to meet you and look forward to hosting you.” Even this much was like pulling teeth. They had argued for a solid hour which address she should use for the visiting Hive Queen. And as much fun as it would have been to openly greet her as ‘Dr. Woltan’, it’s most likely a good idea not to do it. Although I would have liked to see her reaction.

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Regina dismounted and returned her bow, although it was a bit shallower. “Thank you, Lady Cern, honored leaders of the Delvers. It is my honor to be here today.” Safe and neutral, good.

The other leaders of the Delvers stepped up now to give their own greetings, starting with the local Commandant and then following with foreign visitors. The order and what they would say had also been a bit of an issue, but at least it had been sorted out without fights. They fortunately kept their words brief.

After the greetings were done, Gwen turned around, standing close to their visitors as appropriate for her role as their escort. She didn’t mind so much. In fact, if their visit went well, it might see her star rise considerably. Of course, on the other hand, if it went badly she’d lose quite a bit of reputation. That seemed secondary to what they could accomplish, for their order and beyond, though. She looked at the gathered Delvers, judging their reaction. So far, they rather reminded her of festival goers visiting a theater play. Which was fair enough, she figured, there was quite a bit of theater today.

Regina and the others looked around curiously as they were led inside, clearly assessing more than simply the people inside or the decorations. Which were rather sparse, Gwen had to admit. Delvers had many strengths, but were not known for lavish interior design; she’d always rather liked that about them.

“It is good to see you again,” Regina said more quietly as they walked. “I hope you are well, Sir Owin?”

Her friend smiled and dipped his head. “Quite well, Your Majesty. The recent political upheaval has kept us on our toes, but we’ve not had too much trouble. And our recent discovery has buoyed our spirits.”

“I can understand that,” she smiled back.

Gwen glanced at the drones. They looked calm and neutral, but then, they usually did in her experience. Galatea was also looking around, her expression a little more guarded. Janis seemed excited, if anything. Gwen didn’t know her well enough to tell if it was feigned or not. From what she’d heard, and given the girl’s obvious nonhuman traits, she was not much of a fan of the Delvers. She might favor an alliance for more political reasons, however, or maybe she just wanted to see them eat crow about Regina’s status.

Unsurprisingly, Galatea was downright popular with the others. Some of them had met her already, and most of the others must have at least heard stories. She exchanged friendly greetings and short chats with several of them even just while they were walking through the base to get to a more official meeting. Gwen tried to listen in with one ear, while also watching the rest of this delegation.

A meeting area was prepared some distance outside the actual base proper, closer to the outer courtyard. It had been a compromise due to security concerns. Ironically, the Delvers were less hesitant about letting Regina into their sanctum than the drones were about potentially exposing their queen to danger in the center of their power. In the true fashion of compromise, it pleased no one, but at least they had agreed on something.

Regina slowed and briefly came to a stop as they reached the building that had been designated as the meeting area. Gwen paused, confused for a moment, before she realized.

“A church?” Regina cocked her head. “No. I did not take you for the religious sort, I have to admit …”

Her words sent a small stir through the gathered Delvers. Accusing them of being religious was not the best diplomatic move she could make, Gwen reflected. A small but vocal part of her order actively despised the gods. None of them were particularly devout, at least not in leadership positions.

“That’s a curious statement,” Telkin commented. “I wonder what prompted it?”

Regina blinked, then glanced at the Delvers. “Oh. I see — I was unclear, my mistake. I am not referring to current religion, or the gods that —“ she hesitated for a moment. “That are worshiped today.”

“You mean the gods from the other world,” Rick said, silencing the room instantly.

Gwen glanced around. Only Delvers of reasonably high rank were here, right now, but she was not certain they all knew what he meant anyhow. She did, personally, but it was not something lightly spoken of even among the Delvers. Many of them doubted the accounts they passed on, too. I always wondered how much of it was accurate. I guess now we have the chance to get an answer.

“Just so.” Regina smiled. “I’m not very familiar with the Havenite gods’ iconography, but there is symbolism from another religion here.” She gestured around the room.

Gwen looked around again, following her gestures. The building had been patterned after a rather impressive one they had exhumed in Nerlia several centuries ago, although it was built to a smaller scale, and they had taken out removable walls, currently, to turn it into something closer to a pavilion open to the air. The arched ceiling held up a balustrade going around the center room, while three smaller sections emerged from it, forming the shape of a T with a cap on one end. Or a cross, she realized, glancing at what Regina indicated again. It was a genuine antique, though half-burned and most likely missing major components, as something must have hung on it.

“I thought that the old world did not have gods,” Owin asked, his voice seeming loud in the sudden silence.

Regina shrugged. “No, not really, I suppose. There were still religions. A lot of people believed in one, singular, god. One like it was the most common religion in this part of the world.” She turned, putting her back to the large cross and visibly shifting her posture. “Shall we get to it, ladies and gentlemen?”

Gwen shifted back into business mode seamlessly with the ease of long practice, gently chivvying everyone to their places and making sure there were no holdups so they could start talking. At the same time, she considered Regina. This might have been a calculated gesture. Showing everyone that she understood the Progenitors, not just their technical knowledge but their culture. If it was fake, she most likely wouldn’t be doing it by challenging long-standing assumptions and preconceptions, however.

Gwen caught Owin’s eye and they exchanged a nod. If it was true, she could tell it was working. The more hardline members were a bit off-balance, less sure of themselves and what they would be going for. Regina had a force of personality they had not expected, she could tell.

Privately, she was pretty sure Regina was at least partly projecting confidence born out of arrogance, considering everyone primitive and perhaps seeing their attitude toward her old people, and indirectly her, as her due. And the worst part was that Gwen could hardly begrudge her that.

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