Daniel walks through the carnage of molten rock mixed with the stench of burning bodies. He never gave much thought to what an insectoid or arachnoid creature might smell like if it was burnt while also being large enough to contain more than a single droplet of blood in its system. He somewhat regrets that he knows the answer now.

Doephluev and Hekate are walking at his flanks, while Neith and Yaulwembor are on opposite sides of what can only be described as a titanic nest, incinerating the last vestiges of the scorpion creatures. He can feel his lack of sleep catching up to him, since it's nighttime now, but Neith insisted on finishing quickly so they can return to the Citadel.

Daniel has no reason to object, of course. He's worried about his family, but he also didn't want to leave these malicious scorpion-like creatures be if the kobolds will be overwhelmed and devoured. They don't even know what race occupied the village that was wiped out. But, it does explain why the rakehorn was so close, relatively speaking, without trying to destroy the town itself. Otherwise, it would have succeeded or been killed.

"These things stink!" complains Hekate, while the three kobolds who remain able keep close behind the three.

"Definitely won't be something I ever look forward to," adds Treia as she keeps close behind and to the right of Daniel. Like the mechanic himself, she's relatively weak, so she can't afford to be out front.

And, guarding the front, since she can use defensive barriers with relative ease is Kera'tai, who adds, "I think that's the fires burning them. Though, it could be the eggs, too."

Daniel and his group are walking towards the most secure part of the nest, which is actually sheltered by a glistening igloo-like structure made of ice and mud, similar to a beehive, but with a semi-translucent appearance. And, much larger.

"It's surprising. I thought we'd have to do more," remarks Doephluev. "Is Sir Neith competing with Yaulwembor?"

"I think she's competing with him," replies Kera'tai warmly.

"Shouldn't we just obliterate this whole nest and be done with it?" asks Hekate as she holds her nose. Her voice sounds a little awkward, and it certainly wouldn't do her any favors as an Empress, but everyone present already knows her quite well.

"Hah hah hah!" laughs Doephluev with a slightly mocking edge. "Perhaps you should sleep a little less soundly in my Darling's lap and learn more about him if you wish to be one of my husband's mistresses."

Daniel can feel his own blood drain from his body as Hekate's amber eyes near-literally turn as red as Ryuogriar's or Sundenelle's. Before Hekate can explode, though, Treia replies, "Even Yaulwembor is avoiding it because it's a fortress. It'll take more effort to attack if we're also trying to defend. So, it's better to focus our efforts on the soldiers we can see."

"That's right, and, in this case, we know there could be hostages, so obliterating it would be unwise," adds Kera'tai. Her own voice is a little nervous, since she knows that Hekate is the most destructive force present, if she chooses to be.

The fox-eared Empress continues to glare at her rival, who is fearless. "Fine. We just need to find out if there are any hostages inside, right?"

"Yes," replies Daniel.

"I vote that Doephluev goes and looks!" declares Hekate as she points at the archoneldwyn.

Seemingly never missing a beat, Doephluev replies indignantly, "Wha-!? I can't do it! I'm pregnant!"

"Hah! That didn't stop you from coming out here!"

"Daniel's precious children shouldn't go too long without hearing his voice, obviously." Doephluev rubs her belly, and Hekate darts past Daniel to confront the pseudo elf.

"Well, I'm NOT pregnant, so how is that fair!? You already had your turn!"

The two start bickering and Daniel keeps walking, catching up to Kera'tai as she hesitates, listening to the bickering match. "Let's keep going. The Idiot Empresses will be at it for a few minutes."

"R-Right," replies the Chi'rinnis woman with a chuckle.

Treia jogs into step with them, walking alongside Daniel while she has the opportunity. "It must be nice to just decide to be successful," grumbles the gatonine.

"I know right?" jokes Kera'tai. "Someone here isn't doing his job very well."

"Oh for f-..." Daniel pokes his index finger gently into Kera'tai's abdomen, saying with his most dramatic and goofy voice, "I cast: Pregnant!" He then does the same thing to Treia, repeating only the word, "Pregnant!"

Both women stammer briefly, caught off guard, and Daniel shrugs. "Welp. I've cast all of the magic I know. Now we wai-OOF!" Daniel coughs as Treia suckerpunches him in the abdomen, and he stumbles into Kera'tai, who catches him.

"Maybe it's stress caused by an idiot," growls the gatonine. "Or maybe, it's neglect." She grips his collar, growling coldly, "I don't have to be in heat, you know."

"I got it, I got it. I'm sorry. I'll work harder." Daniel shoots himself in the foot when he makes a different joke. "It's probably the rose milk, though. You both…" He trails off when he notices both of their expressions. Kera'tai and Treia are both looking at him roughly the same way Hekate looked at Doephluev a short while ago.

"I mean.. Let's focus on the monsters."

"Daniel… You're well on your way to being a kept man," warns Kera'tai.

The human laughs uneasily. She specifically emphasizes it to imply the meaning used by the Chi'rinnis. While they have a culture of marrying those who defeat them in battle, they also ensure there are men, primarily, to continue bloodlines even in times of peace. They are apparently treated rather well, considering they have very restricted lives.

The mechanic clears his throat. "Right. A bad joke. The dragons and Doephluev literally used magic to cheat, so take it up with them, please. I'll keep doing what I can when we can."

"Daniel!" calls out Glizumi as she jogs up. She points at Neith, who is already waiting near the entrance to the fortress. And, Yaulwembor flies quickly to Daniel and the others, giving a smug look. She presses closer and closer expectantly, and Daniel pets her head. "Thank you, Yaulwembor. Good girl."

"You realize she's going to want the same thing, right?" asks Treia dryly.

"One thing at a time, Treia," replies Daniel with a soft voice. Hekate said something about Yaulwembor hating 'noise', and that she defines speaking loudly as 'noise'. It's possible she has a sensitivity to noise, which is ironic, since her roar can create shockwaves. "Neith, what's…"

"Hey!" Hekate and Doephluev both notice that the rest of the group abandoned them to their bickering, and they dash to catch up. However, Treia and Kera'tai immediately cling to Daniel's arms, and the kobolds crowd his legs, leaving the two Empresses ousted for the moment.

Neith, doing his best to remain on task, replies, "I did a quick sweep around the area, and there are no more of the creatures remaining. The ones you encountered initially seem to have been an especially strong variant."

"A lot of hive-forming insects on Earth have specialized roles for the variants within their own hive, but that usually implies the existence of a queen. I wouldn't expect such a thing in such a large species."

Yaulwembor expresses her boredom with the conversation, which she doesn't understand, and she sparks her teeth a couple of times.

"I'm with Yauly," remarks Hekate. "Let's blast this place to rithersmeens!"

"Hold your horses, Sweetpea," retorts Daniel. "We still haven't-..."

Movement draws all of their attention, and Sodenizia calls out, "Daniel! Nonsuta!"

"Contact forward!" shouts Neith, while Kera'tai adds, "I have the barrier up!"

One of the scorpion-creatures, though distinctly smaller than the ones that attacked already, dashes out, waving its arms. Neith has taken position front and center, while Yaulwembor snarls and ignites her pilot flame. Daniel has to somewhat forcibly pull his hands free of Treia and Kera'tai, allowing him to place his hands on her shoulders. The faormyr whips her head around to glare at him, but she relaxes briefly.

Before even Neith or Treia can launch retaliatory strikes, with Treia's rifle being fastest once she has it aimed, the creature flops down onto the ground, making itself as small as possible.

"What's it doing!?" asks Hekate urgently.

Kera'tai replies, "I think… it's trying to make some sort of supplication."

"Supplication?" asks Hekate, confused.

Doephluev says more bluntly, "It's begging for its life. And, perhaps, the nest."

"Most creatures that sense existential danger resort to fight or flight," remarks Daniel. "Is… it possible these things were sentient all along?"

"If that is true, none of the ones we exterminated pleaded for their lives, my Liege," replies Neith coldly. "It's possible this is some sort of decoy maneuver. Many creatures will feign being wounded or fearful to lure in predators they intend to turn into prey."

Daniel nods, digesting the information. He doesn't like the idea that they're sentient, since he gave the order to incinerate them so thoroughly from the larger nest. He thought he was just dealing with especially large bugs, so it didn't really register to him.

"What do you think, Neith?"

The dragon gives it some thought, and Doephluev offers a little pointedly, "Trap or no, do we want to confirm the existence of prisoners or not? Not that it's likely."

Daniel thinks, and Neith agrees with Doephluev. "Unfortunately, she's right. I think it's best if we at least confirm. And, if the creatures are sentient, perhaps making them atone will be an option."

"If that's the case, we'll need someone who can understand their language," replies Treia. "Or, can cast the spell for it."

"I can cast the spell," states Neith. "Please allow me to act in your stead."

Daniel nods, but Hekate suddenly sighs dramatically. "I'll go too. I don't know exactly how my ability to understand every language works, but it'll probably be useful, right?"

Neith politely bows his head, replying warmly, "If I were to go alone, I would find a way to manage. But, your assistance will be most welcome, your Greatness." He glances at Daniel before saying a little sarcastically, "Though, a lesson for an Empress, if I may; your soldiers will have more leeway on missions if they are sent alone."

Hekate cocks her head, flopping her ears to the side cutely as her tail swishes back and forth. "Hmm?"

Treia explains dryly, "He's saying he might 'accidentally' kill all of the enemies inside so it ceases to be on Daniel's conscience."

Daniel laughs lightly, since he suspected that was the implication as well.

"Well, I might do that myself," replies Hekate with an almost dumbfounding innocence to her tone. It silences Daniel awkwardly, and Treia laughs at him this time.

The otherworlder human sighs, and he pets Hekate's head. "I recommend against wholesale murder."

For once, Hekate shoves his hand off of her head, going into her 'dignified empress' posture as she replies, "Yeah, yeah. Who do you think I am? Not Hekate?" She cackles as she rubs her hands together. "Making them my minions is far more useful to us! Heh heh heh!" She points at Doephluev, declaring, "Chief Minion! Look after everyone here."

"I am not your minion," growls Doephluev, but Hekate ignores her to march proudly towards the supplicating scorpion creature.

Daniel adds softly, "Keep her safe above all, Neith. If either of you take a hit with those poison needles, even a graze, rush both of you back out and nuke the hive."

"As you wish, my Liege. Excuse me." He watches Yaulwembor cautiously as he jogs after Hekate, but the faormyr simply clicks her spark. It seems to serve as her laugh, her warning, and just a general means of communicating that she has thoughts about the situation. What those thoughts are will take time to learn, but for now, she is at least behaving.

That said, he does quietly acknowledge that he'll have to prepare more weapons for any eventuality, not least of which is, if not Yaulwembor, then the risk of facing other faormyrs who remain hostile to them.

***

Hekate and Neith approach the scorpion creature as the feldrok empress calls out, "You there! Answer me, are you surrendering or leading us into a trap! Be warned, I can detect lies with my… sacred… magic lie detection. Thingie."

Neith clears his throat, and the ravenette teen snips at him, "Quiet, Neith!"

"No, no, pay me no mind, your Greatness. You're doing great."

"That's right!" She puffs her chest up with her fists on her hips, and she asks, "Well? Gonna answer?"

The creature continues to remain on the ground in a tight ball, and it seems to be trembling.

"Neith, cast the spell on it. It obviously doesn't understand Eastern."

The dragon coughs lightly, as if he was waiting on that instruction. Hekate scowls at him, but he politely and obediently says, "Of course, your Greatness. Allow me."

Neith chants the language spell, casting it on the insectoid being. It's larger than Neith in his humanoid form, but not nearly as large as the strong ones that ambushed Daniel and his travelling group before Hekate and Neith arrived.

Hekate then explains, "Now, we just used language magic on you. You can understand us, yes? Hmm?" She steps closer, growling, "Our patience is wearing thin. You monsters hurt my friends, and I have a LOT less reservation about vaporizing all of you than my darling does. So…"

The creature seems to tense as Hekate gets closer, but it still won't respond.

Hekate sighs. She glances at Daniel and the others, who are watching. The only peculiar thing is that the kobolds are offering Yaulwembor food. They seem to have a strange worship for the dragons, and even Yaulwembor, who looks more like the small lizard women when she's in her 'humanoid' form. Daniel doesn't have the superhearing Hekate does. In fact, she can hear Glizumi and Sodenizia talking quietly about Daniel and if they should pressure him to stay in their village, or if they should join him in his.

However, Treia might hear if Hekate is too loud.

"Neith, tear one of its legs off to make it talk."

"As you wish, your Greatness." The dragon growls viciously as it approaches the scorpion creature, and it trembles, but still refuses to speak.

"[Wait! Please, don't harm my worker! Please, enter the hive, and I will speak. I beg of you! Show mercy!]"

Hekate's ears perk up at the voice calling out to her, and she hisses, "Wait!" She tilts her ears and listens to the whole plea, and the voice continues from deep inside the fortress-like hive, "[Yes! Yes, I swear to you, I will not attack. Please show mercy to me and my workers. I beg of you. All will be clear inside. Mercy, please.]"

"Did… you hear that?" asks Hekate, looking to Neith.

"I can hear buzzing," replies the dragon. "It seems the hive is agitated. Allow me to…"

Hekate jogs to the 'worker' and pats it on the equivalent of its shoulder, prompting it to lift its head enough to look at her. She points, dragging it to its feet and shoving it forward. "If we're going to get ambushed, you'll get attacked, too. Let's go. Stay close to it, Neith."

"Of course." His armor should protect him regardless, but Hekate isn't fully encased like he is. She'll have to listen and be ready to react. "Daniel! We're going in! If anything happens, you have to kiss me to revive me! Got it!?"

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"Focus on the mission," retorts Daniel. "If I have to revive you, no cuddles for a week."

"Gah!" whines Hekate. She immediately points at Neith. "Neith! If I get hit, you'll have to… have to… Ah! You'll have to crawl around… and bark like a dog! Oh! And, you'll have to steal things from Geirahoel at my request."

Neith glances at Daniel, who offers from where he is, "You won't have to worry about it if you don't fail, Neith. Good luck."

The grey dragon slumps and Hekate huffs triumphantly. She walks arrogantly with dramatic swings of her arms and tail as she follows the worker into the large entrance. "Heh! Get used to it, Neith. I'm the real power of the Fievegal, and I always will be."

The dragon sighs slightly and follows after her, agreeing in defeat, "Yes, your Real Power-ness."

"Hey! I like that. Feel free to call me that more often!"

Neith smiles and closes his eyes, though he maintains alertness through his hearing, magic, and sense of smell.

The hive itself is naturally a cluttered mess at a glance to the likes of Neith and Hekate, who favor space for movement. The hive contains a small stockpile of materials that look to be various bio-materials like plant matter, wood, hide, and meat, as well as a seeming 'junk pile' of claws, teeth, fangs, and metals.

The smell is a different sort of foul from the burning insectoids, but interestingly enough, it's not worse than the stable where Hekate spent most of her childhood. Until she met Daniel, and he in turn started making her bathe more regularly, she probably smelled worse than this.

That said, the hive is far from being down to its last members. There are hundreds of scorpions on every surface, all watching Hekate and Neith, while others tend to small, kitten-sized larvae, cautious about the pair.

"[Mother, I'm afraid…]"

"[Shhh, don't draw their attention!]"

"[What are they?]"

"[They don't look anything like the pettyswarms…]"

"[These things killed even the starvers?]"

"[That is why Mother ordered us to be quiet. Do NOT provoke them.]"

Hekate's ears twist back and forth as she listens to the varying conversations around her. She knows they aren't speaking Eastern Imperial Trade, or even the bridge language to Draconic, Yaulrent, which is the language she grew up on. However, even when Daniel speaks in English, she naturally hears the words in a form she understands, so it can be easy to forget she's hearing a different language.

"They make a lot of noise. It'll be difficult to detect attacks, your Real Power-ness," states Neith.

"They're scared," replies Hekate. "They're being cautious."

"So, you can understand them?"

"Yes. I heard a voice from inside, but now there's lots of them."

"Lots of them?" repeats the dragon knight. He glances around. Many of the gigantic arachnids are looking at them, so it would be almost impossible to pick out which ones are actually speaking. Hekate has a pretty good idea of the sources of the voices, thanks to her big ears, but there is a lot of noise, so she would have to make a lot of effort to pick out the ones that are speaking.

"Yes. Their voices are hard to distinguish, but there are a lot of different speakers, I think. Maybe at least twenty that I can hear. They keep calling us 'pettyswarms' and that we killed 'the starvers'."

"Well… I hope this one will have more answers for us."

A handful of workers move in tandem to separate and roll back a curtain-like shroud, revealing a scorpion-creature that is easily twice as large as the largest enforcer they've seen so far. But, unlike the malicious monsters, this one has a much larger abdomen and tail, which doesn't seem nearly as geared for combat as those of the hunters that attacked Daniel.

"[Please forgive my children,]" states the initial voice Hekate heard, coming definitively from the humongous being. While her huge size makes her slow, she is able to move, and she turns to face Hekate. Even as they talk, she continues to lay eggs that are about the size one would expect an egg to be if it were to contain the baby goblin children, making them much smaller by comparison to the dragon or feldrok eggs, but much larger than those of birds that Hekate knows… and has eaten.

She swallows a sudden buildup of saliva, resisting the urge to drool. The eggs are a transparent amber color, but remind Hekate of the various sweet treats she has been making with Geirahoel, mostly. Hekate feels a little bad, but this creature's minions attack Daniel, Magnir, and Arachne, so she has very little sympathy for her.

The large scorpion creature adds, "[I don't know if you can understand me, but my workers are not intelligent like myself or my highest caste children. Please forgive us. I can explain.]"

"You have a ton of explaining to do," replies Hekate. "Not least of which is why you let your minions slaughter…" She trails off as the Scorpion clacks its mandibles together, seemingly making uneasy noises of confusion, though they don't translate to words. The feldrok empress looks up at her dragon knight, and he nods once.

Neith raises his hand, chanting quietly, and he casts the language spell once again. He then speaks in Eastern Imperial Trade, "This is the language of our Emperor and Empress, and I have just cast a spell to grant you comprehension of this language. Can you understand me?"

The leading arachnid creature makes a sudden twitch, and she buzzes. "[Outstanding! Your words suddenly became understandable to me!]"

"Then you should speak in this language, as you are in the presence of the Empress of the Fievegal, Hekate fell Lawson."

The being looks to Hekate and back at Neith. She tries to make noises, but it comes out as creaky, screechy sounds that grates on Hekate's ears, and she can't stand to listen to it.

"Nevermind him! I can understand you! So please, just speak your normal language!"

The strange giant hesitates, but she says gently, "[My apologies. This is my natural tongue. I have never had to converse with pettyswarms before…]"

"Before we address that name," replies Hekate. "You have a lot of explaining to do. We came here because your minions wiped out a town and tried to kill my hus-,... hmm… Mate. They harmed my friends, my swarm. How will you atone for this?"

The leading scorpion bows her head low, and the other scorpions do the same. "[Please allow me to explain.]"

"Don't test my patience. My mate is waiting outside for us," warns Hekate.

"[Yes, of course.]" The Queen sits up and explains, "[To begin with, the starvers are the ones that you likely encountered. They were driven from the nest because we are in a time of famine, and starvers or soldiers that have grown to their final stage, and are strong enough to rebel against my doctrine enough to begin cannibalizing our own. It is not ideal, but our only option is to repel them and hope they perish in the wilderness.]"

"That's reckless!" snaps Hekate. "Your 'starvers' wiped out a whole town that was just minding its own business! Do you think that's acceptable!?"

"[No. But, once I have lost control, all I can do is treat them as enemies. It is not worth much, but I can only apologize and beg for your mercy.]"

Hekate growls as she listens, and she notices that Neith cast the comprehension spell on himself at some point, since he didn't already seem to know this creature's language. "So, if we wipe out your entire people, and no one weeps for you, how will that make you feel?"

"[... I have no further excuses other than my own survival. I am truly sorry.]"

"If I may, your Greatness," starts Neith, and Hekate nods for him to go ahead. "Thank you. You there, do you feel nothing for 'your children' that we cut down? You seem rather calm given the circumstances."

"[When the starvers returned to the nest in spite of our attempts to drive them away, myself included, I knew there was something worse than them on the way and recalled my legacy children to the nest core. My soldiers and workers are no more intelligent than beasts, as their only function is to live and die for the swarm. To lose them is the course of nature, but when I saw that we stood no chance at all, I knew our only chance would be to appease you, oh mighty pettyswarms. Please, extend us mercy, and our strength will be completely at your disposal.]"

Hekate cups her chin, looking at the scorpions around her. Neith asks, "What will keep you from attacking us in the future? If a little hunger drives your 'starvers' to wipe out an entire village, we would be fools to negotiate with or share our resources with you."

"[You speak logically, and I have nothing more than words. However, it was only recently that our ability to sustain ourselves collapsed.]" She gestures to the side, where several workers reveal a pile of snow. But, beneath it are vegetables and fruits, though there aren't very many left. "[This is what remains of our own farming efforts. I have tried to delay, but cannibalism will soon be forced upon us. The starvers, or rather, my Grand Soldiers, unfortunately, are more carnivorous, and as such, were forced to hunt living beings by their ravenous hunger. Regardless of whether or not their consumption is acceptable to even myself, let alone pettyswarms.]" The leader scorpion bows again, and her workers and children mimic her again. "[We are humbly at your mercy, strong ones. One called 'your Greatness'.]"

"[Please show us mercy,]" speak the other voices in near perfect unison from all around Hekate and Neith, and they both glance around.

Regardless, there truly doesn't seem to be any hostility.

"Doephluev, bring everyone in here, but make sure the barriers stay up."

"{Understood, Hekate. We're on our way.}"

Hekate smiles. At least when things need to be serious, they can get along well.

"I'm calling in my swarm. Know that we won't attack as long as you remain docile. But, if even one of your children attacks, we will incinerate your entire hive."

"[None of my children will interfere with your swarm. If our fate is tied to the newcomers, we shall wait patiently.]"

As soon as the rest of the group enters, Hekate jogs to them. She can hear Tulztame cautiously complain, "Daniel… {We shouldn't be here…}"

"{Remain cautious, but calm,}" replies Neith in their language. "{Supposedly, the leader of these beings is surrendering to Hekate.}"

"{To the furry child?}" asks the eldest of the three kobolds. "{She seems more noisy than strong.}"

Neith chuckles uneasily, and he warns her, "{Hekate can understand you, Tulztame.}"

The kobold looks at the feldrok Empress, not seeming to have any semblance of respect for her. Though, Hekate doesn't really care much about anyone's respect, so much as she wants love from her family; primarily, from Daniel, of course.

She sighs, and instead focuses on the mission. She explains briefly to Daniel and the others, and after catching them up quickly, Treia asks, "So… She wants to be the next Empress of the Fievegal, is that it?"

"Wha-!? No! She said we can use her… for stuff."

Kera'tai states the obvious, "If this is all that's left of her army, it really won't be difficult to finish them off. Particularly if you let Yaulwembor loose." She looks at the faormyr, who is glancing around in irritation while keeping close to Daniel. He has his right hand on her shoulder to keep her from moving aggressively, but the draconic woman could easily do as she pleases before anyone present could stop her.

"What do you ladies want to do?" asks Daniel politely.

"What do you mean, my Love?" asks Doephluev. "You are our Emperor."

Hekate watches Daniel take a deep breath and exhale. He's nervous. In fact, he seems almost fearful. He's keeping his cool, but he doesn't seem to be willing to look at the scorpion creatures. They are wildly outnumbered, and he has seen them take down several of his friends.

Don't worry, Daniel. I'll protect YOU this time. The Feldrok Empress puts her hands on her hips, wagging her tail warmly. "I always want more minions. And, like Neith said, they can't atone if they're dead." She looks at the Queen of the Scorpions, replying, "Isn't that right?"

"[Yes,]" replies the creature quietly.

"If there is a shortage of food for them here, it's only a matter of time before even the other denizens of the island are starved out."

"The kobolds indicated they were experiencing famine as well," remarks Daniel. "For what it's worth."

"Magic contracts are obviously an option," remarks Treia. "Though, at the rate she seems to be reproducing, the Citadel will need a lot more mana to keep up with all of the offspring."

"It sounds like she's similar to a queen bee or ant, possessing a great deal of influence, if not outright control over her workers and soldiers. Only the sentient ones seem to possess true free will."

"[Your mate speaks the truth,]" replies the Scorpion Queen. "[My workers would not live very long without my influence, and the soldiers would eventually kill each other and the rest of the hive if they grow too hungry.]"

"It does sound like a rather grave risk," points out Kera'tai. "I sympathize with surrendering oneself to one's conqueror, but if she loses control of her soldiers when they get hungry, it may not be worth it."

"They do seem pretty industrious," points out Treia. "And, they are obviously strong. If they will serve the Fievegal, isn't it exactly like us to collect these big beasties like Geira's flowers?" The gatonine gestures to Yaulwembor, who notices and cocks her head innocently.

"You have a point," replies Kera'tai.

Doephluev adds, "As the Sovereign Empress, I believe we should make these creatures earn their redemption. Soldiers for the army, workers for the farms and construction, and the Queen can be a trophy mistress to our beloved Emperor." She grins cheekily at Daniel, who rolls his eyes.

Hekate scowls at the archoneldwyn, but she instead asks, "Any objections, then? I'm going to offer her permanent residence in the Fievegal, as long as she serves us."

Everyone agrees, and Daniel nods his own approval, since he does favor second chances. There's no telling if this creature is the last of her kind, which is unfortunately more numerous than he'd like in Daniel's inner circle alone. That said, Hekate is content with being the only feldrok left in the world so long as Daniel loves her. Her legacy is relatively meaningless. She only cares about her own family.

It's not my fault the feldroks let themselves get destroyed. I don't owe them anything. How as I supposed to help? Become a monster like Lugrae or the Devourer?

Daniel notices Hekate's thoughts darken, and he steps away from everyone else to put his hand on her head gently. She twitches, looking up at him.

"Before anything else, you are Hekate, my best friend and savior in this world. Probably my best friend in both worlds."

Hekate's eyes water, and Daniel kneels to be closer to her level. "I wanted you to choose here today, because you are the Empress. You, and Doephluev, and Treia, and Kera'tai. I will make decisions in the absence of time, but the Fievegal is yours. And, I will do my best only to offer my opinion, but I won't be angry with what you choose. If we make decisions together…"

Hekate throws herself forward, hugging Daniel with her arms and legs. He can only chuckle, and he holds her gently. "We're still in audience with a former enemy…"

"I don't care. You handle it. Just let me have this…" Hekate sniffles, and she hugs Daniel even more snugly, indicating she won't let go any time soon.

Daniel sighs. He stands up, holding the feldrok girl. "You've gotten heavier, you know."

"I'm not fat…" grumbles the ravenette.

"I didn't say fat. Translate for me."

She nods wordlessly, relaxing against the most reliable safety anchor she has ever known. Daniel approaches the Queen relatively fearlessly, in spite of the trembling only Hekate can feel. Knowing that Daniel has weaknesses, true weaknesses, is something reserved for Hekate. Even in spite of his magic-lessness, he always projects a calmness and strength that the feldrok teen envies. But, Hekate has seen the truth.

And, she still feels like he's stronger than she'll ever hope to be.

Daniel is a trillion miles away from home, or even further, and yet, he fights for people he loves.

And, he faces the things he fears.

Himself, most of all.

"Greetings. I'm, uh… Hekate's 'mate'. My name is Daniel. Do you have a name?"

The queen buzzes, and Hekate easily understands. She translates for Daniel, "She says her kind don't really have names, because she is the only one of consequence to the hive."

"I see," replies Daniel. "Do you identify as a queen, then? Where I come from, hive rulers like you were called the 'Queen' of their hive."

The Queen buzzes, and Hekate translates. "Queen is good enough for her, if it makes it easier for us."

"Good. We have to return to our hive to fend off enemies, but once we do, we'll return to retrieve you and bring you to our hive. You'll become our prisoners, but we'll treat you well as long as you cooperate. You'll be asked to have your workers tend farmland, which is more plentiful than this island seems to be, and you'll be asked to deploy soldiers in times of battle."

The Queen and her children bow their heads. Hekate replies, "She says she won't disappoint you. And, she won't forget our mercy."

Daniel smiles. "Very good. I understand what happened with the 'starvers' as you called them, but you'll have to work with us to prevent that from ever happening again. We'll ensure we're prepared, but you'll have to call upon our soldiers if the starvers start getting out of control."

The queen gestures politely, buzzing softly.

"She said something about it not happening if there is no shortage of food."

Daniel looks to Neith, who nods in agreement. Hekate isn't translating exactly, but she is getting the point across, which is good enough for now.

"Alright. Then, allow us to depart for today, and we'll return in a few days time." Daniel then hikes Hekate up a little higher, saying, "Neith, if you don't mind, in my void bag…"

The dragon steps forward, but Doephluev slaps his hands away as she swoops in. "Don't reach for an Empress's butt, Neith. Only the Emperor should lay hands on his Empresses."

Daniel rolls his eyes as the archoneldwyn searches through his main void bag, while Hekate flaps her tail at her rival. Doephluev simply giggles, finding Daniel's supply bag. "I assume you're handing over rations?" asks the archoneldwyn.

"Yes," replies Daniel warmly. "Thank you."

"Of course, my Love." Doephluev steps forward, depositing pile after pile of supplies from Daniel's commandeered void bag containing a small army's worth of supplies. The kobolds whine, "Wha-!? Daniel!" They rush to him and tug on his pants, but Daniel replies, "Neith, please tell them not to worry. They're coming with us. We'll supply them, heal Levvikami and Moelka, and let them do just about whatever they want to do after that."

"Of course, my Liege." Neith translates for the kobold women, and they relax. Yaulwembor huffs, startling the three, and they back off from Daniel. Thankfully, the faormyr leaves it at that, since she seems to view Hekate as a friend, or at least, not a threat at all.

Doephluev then says, "My Darling Mate who is known as Daniel graciously gives you these supplies to help you hold out until we return. This is an apology for killing your soldiers as well as compensation to acknowledge your surrender. Do you accept?"

The Queen and her children bow once more, and several of the sentient children scuttle somewhat quickly down to the floor where the group is. Kera'tai, Treia, Neith, and Yaulwembor go on guard, but they prostrate themselves on the floor, at least in so much as a scorpion-like creature can prostrate itself. They buzz more urgently than the Queen just did, which seems to surprise the giant. Hekate perks up, and Doephluev looks at her, since she hasn't used translation magic for this instance on herself.

Hekate can understand them just fine, though they are talking over each other.

"[Thank you for sparing our lives!]"

"[We're truly sorry for endangering your friends!]"

"[Thank you for this mercy! We will treat this gift with reverence!]"

"[You won't regret this! We welcome your return!]"

Daniel asks gently, "Hekate?"

She smiles, replying to the scorpions first. "You're welcome, but remember what we said. This mercy is provisional. If you do anything to make us lose trust, it's over."

The beings confirm with more supplication, and Hekate explains to Daniel, "They're expressing gratitude and relief. It… sounds like it was worse than she explained."

Daniel nods. "Got it. Thanks." He then looks up at the Queen. "Queen, is there a name for your race?"

Her reply is soft, and Hekate translates, "No. They only call themselves the Swarm. Anyone else, like us, are called pettyswarms because…" She listens to the explanation, finishing, "Because we don't make big swarms like they do."

"I see. I don't mind referring to you as 'the Swarm' as a group, particularly if you end up being our vassals. But, we'll come up with a name for your species."

"Ooo! Ooo!" urges Hekate as she bounces in Daniel's arms. "Pick something from Earth! Something mythology-ish. Like the Valkyries."

Daniel laughs lightly. "Uhh… Alright. Let me think… If I remember right, there's a goddess named Serket that's related to scorpions… Egyptian, I think. Mmm… Ah, how's this? Selkethia. That should hopefully be easy enough to remember."

"I'll document it as soon as we have a moment free, my Liege," replies Neith.

"[Selkethia?]" repeats the queen, creating a pronunciation in the buzzing and clicking tones she uses.

"Yes," replies Daniel, who can understand the word well enough. "Will that work? From now on, your race of scorpion-like beings will be known as Selkethia, so that it's easy to distinguish you from the rest of us. I'm a human, Hekate here is a feldrok, Neith is a dragon, Treia is a gatonine, Kera'tai is a Chi'rinnis, and…"

"I'm an archoneldwyn," replies Doephluev for herself. "Last of my kind until our children are born. And, those four are dragon-kin; kobolds and a faormyr."

"[I… see…]" replies the Queen. "[There will be much I need to learn. Please return when you can, and we shall join you as part of your hive and your swarm, merciful ones.]"

"See you soon!" replies Hekate. She then asks, "Everyone ready?"

The group agrees, including the kobolds, and Hekate leans on Daniel's shoulder, casting the group-teleportation spell. This will be the largest group she has transported, but without the interfering mana, which has mostly faded from Daniel, and everyone in humanoid forms, she should have no trouble.

The actual issues will be at the Citadel itself.

***

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