Path of the Hive Queen-Chapter 424: Approaches and Commanders

Path of the Hive Queen-Chapter 424: Approaches and Commanders

Itirka-ne leaned on the balustrade of the watchtower, looking at the meadow and trees in front of him with narrowed eyes. “Still think I should have given the elves the benefit of the doubt, Temil?”
“They did step up now, Tirka,” Itemil replied mildly.
Tirka sighed, shaking his head a little. He truly didn’t understand these elves. They were the Hivekind’s allies and were just as impacted by the war as his own people. Why had it taken a literal invading army to get them to move out of their comfortable homes?
Not that they were likely to have much common ground, he supposed. The elves did have a nice, comfortable city, long settled, with all their elders and children. Well, and a few smaller settlements. They certainly had much less cause to worry about a group of monsters suddenly devastating their home. Or wandering around human-controlled territory where they were viewed with suspicion at best.
Most of the fighters now looking to him for leadership had spent a significant part, if not most of their lives, south of the mountains, among the hills, plains and rivers, with the human and occasionally elvish city-states. Tirka was actually unusual in how much he’d lived in the mountains even before their treaty with the Empire, and even he had ventured out for months or years several times.
So much had changed since then … He supposed he couldn’t really blame the elves of this city for not seeing things the same way. They must have been much less impacted by their contact with the Hivekind. Even if it still felt to him like they were trying to weasel out of their obligations; despicable behavior.
But I haven
’t even seen whatever treaties they must have,
he reminded himself.
And they were here now. This outpost had been built by Ariedel, along with two lines of others extending outward from here. There were several bigger forts as well. His own soldiers had helped with the construction of some of them. They would be needed.
The main enemy host was only just visible in the distance. They were still camping just outside the forest proper, but they weren’t just sitting there — instead, they were constantly in motion. And they were sending more and more soldiers into the forest.
Tirka lifted his spyglass to his eyes, looking through it. It was partly hidden by the trees, but he could still see the clash between one of their vanguard forces and an elvish unit. His allies had sent signals as as he watched, other rangers were coming to support them. The Westerners could clearly see that as well, and they were starting to disengage and retreat, or at least trying to. The elves weren’t letting them get away that easily.
“What are your orders, Commander?” Temil asked, interrupting.
Tirka straightened up slightly. “We must coordinate closely with the elves going forward,” he said. “I do not want to strike on our own and risk upsetting one of their plans.”
The elves might not be their direct allies, officially, but they were their allies’ allies and both of them were fighting on the side of the Empire, so it was good enough for this war. Which meant he had a duty to ensure that his fighters behaved themselves and respected their allies; especially since they were fighting on their home ground.
Not that Tirka had ever though he would be in this position. His encounters with the Imperial soldiers and princeling and his involvement in the talks with the Empire had raised his status with his people far more than he could have expected a few years ago. It was good to see them more unified, but also slightly daunting. He was still a little surprised that so many had agreed he should lead their contribution to this war.
“Commander!” one of his men shouted from the ground.
Tirka glanced down, then gave Temil a nod and started down the stairs. He took them quickly, grateful that at least they had been sized for his people, and emerged in the small ‘yard’ of the outpost, which was laid out like a typical (if rather small) castle.
Before he could do more than call a few soldiers over, the charged feeling of mana in the air expanded, forming a small hole. It grew with a slight ‘pop’ sound until it was the size of a doorway, then closed right after its maker stepped through.
Tirka relaxed slightly. “Lady Iseis, it is good to see you,” he greeted her, respectfully inclining his head.
The old elf smiled back. “Likewise, Commander Tirka. How are things going here?”
Reflexively, he glanced west again, though it was hard to see anything from here. “Largely as expected,” he admitted. “They’ve started to push into the forest, but they are not being reckless so far. Our allies are still holding their probing attacks off. I am expecting this to change shortly.”
Iseis nodded seriously. She looked slightly tired, he thought, but that might just be her age. Or it might be the strain of teleporting around the area, more likely.
“I hope your efforts have seen the same success,” Tirka continued. “Is there further news? I hope Ariedel’s leadership is being cooperative?”
“Yes, they have agreed to provide me with resources,” the priestess said with a nod. “It seems the imminent attack on their city has finally managed to get through a few thick heads, just between us. But that’s not all, unfortunately. Their scouts have also identified a new threat. Have you kept eyes on the enemy army?”
“Of course, we’ve been watching them as closely as possible. As have the drones,” he pointed out.
“Then you have seen the strike forces they’ve sent underground?”
Tirka sighed slightly. “Of course those would come back to bite us,” he grumbled. “I’ve seen them send teams through an entrance a few times, and I know the flying drones have seen a few more. I confess I’d rather hoped they were killed by monsters underground. But I assume what we’ve seen wasn’t all of them?”
Iseis shook her head. “No. On the contrary, some people have suggested that they must have split off forces before even reaching this position, to scout the tunnels. Regardless of whether that’s true, the Free State’s scouts and a few of the drones have managed to locate a large enemy force assembling in the tunnels. They’re afraid they might be gathering in order to emerge at an entrance close to the city and attempt a pincer attack.”
Tirka frowned in thought. “The other option would be them trying to bypass the city to strike at Hive territory,” he mused. “But that seems less likely.”
“Most agree on that, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the possibility, either,” she replied. “They are making plans on how to respond and I think your presence would be valuable. If you’ll allow me?”
“Of course, but give me one minute to brief my subordinates, please.”
Tirka called Temil over and relayed what the Champion had said, then made sure he was aware of what to do. Then he collected two more warriors to escort him and turned back to Lady Iseis.
The elf gestured and he felt her mana settle into a pattern before another portal opened. She hastened through it, and he quickly followed with his warriors, unsure how long she could keep it up and unwilling to drain her reserves. The sensation was odd, mostly because it didn’t feel any worse than taking a step down a staircase.
It took Tirka a moment to orient himself to his new surroundings after they’d stepped through and the portal disappeared behind him, leaving no more evidence than a mild breeze. They were in the city, he recognized after a moment. Specifically, Iseis had led them to a small open area just below the city walls to the south of the greater settlement. Tirka took a moment to settle himself before focusing on the other people present. Several military officers, he noted. He had seen most of them before. There was also a group of political leaders he recognized. Most notably, Special Minister Eltarianal was speaking to a familiar commander — her daughter if he remembered correctly — not far from the gate.
They turned as Iseis and Tirka approached, and a few of the other elder elves broke off their conversation as well. In the end, they formed a loose half-circle of politicians and officers, with Iseis and him at one side. It made him feel a little like at one of those tribunals the western riverlords liked. At least these elves looked friendly.
“Lady Iseis, Commader Tirka,” Enais greeted them briskly. “Good timing. We were preparing to send a strike force beyond the walls into the tunnels, to disrupt the enemy’s advance through them.”
“What intelligence do we have on their movements?” Tirka asked. If they wanted him to send troops along to this fight, which seemed likely, he’d rather know what he was getting into.
“We have estimates of their numbers and current positions,” one of the officers spoke up. He started to give a on what they’d seen. One of the mages projected an illusionary map into the air to help illustrate it. Tirka listened closely, taking mental notes and considering which of his soldiers were likely suited to which task, accordingly.
“The current plan is to establish a beachhead inside the tunnels, here and possibly extending up to here and here,” the younger Eltarianal said, drawing on the map with a few sparks. “We will commit as many troops as necessary to this stronghold and would like your support. Once this is accomplished, we will send an expeditionary force, or possibly several, into these farther tunnels to hamper the enemy’s advance. If possible, secondary goals are to reduce their numbers and prepare potential traps, such as cave-ins. It will also give us better information on their advance; we expect they’ll coordinate the timing with a push from their main army aboveground.”
Tirka nodded. That sounded sensible enough. “I understand. We have not committed many soldiers to the fight directly yet, so I should be able to send at least two war groups with you. I will come along personally to establish this stronghold. We are quite experienced in such matters.”
That raised a few eyebrows, but he didn’t much care. Dwarven commanders led from the front — if he tried to stay back and simply direct everything from the safety of the city, he would quickly find himself replaced. Not Tirka intended to do that either way.
"Good. Esiorn will command the base and Anuis will command the strike force,” another old man said. This caused a bit of muttering from the others. Judging by the dark looks they shot the Special Minister, they were probably thinking it was nepotism. Not a promising sign, but Tirka resolved to withhold judgment for now.
“Fantastic!” Iseis clapped. “I will accompany you on the initial push as well. Unless there are any objections?”
There weren’t. Instead, they proceeded to hash out the details, after Tirka sent messages back to his troops. He stayed to participate in the planning. Fortunately, it didn’t take very long for the officers he had sent for to arrive, and their companies after them.
It also became clear why they had chosen to meet here; the elves clearly meant to be quick about this. The discussion had made it obvious they meant this to be an elite force; numbers would be worth less in the tunnels, especially in the battle they anticipated fighting. It necessitated some reshuffling of troops. With everyone present and preparing to set out, the area was still rather crowded.
But in a remarkably short time, they were ready.
Tirka walked with Anuis Eltarianal and the most senior elven officer, the Sub-General called Esiorn. He wasn’t sure about the officer’s last name, since the System didn’t how it and it felt rude to ask right now. They discussed the disposition of their forces, until they reached the entrance the elves had chosen.
It looked rather inconspicuous, in truth. He barely even realized there was something like a cave there, until they cleared away some brush and tree branches and he realized the elves had put up netting to hide it. Removing the foliage revealed a relatively big tunnel entrance. The elves marched through confidently, and not to be outdone, Tirka followed, at the head of his fighters.
The march through the tunnels was quiet and tense. They’d sent scouts ahead, but his little group was still at the head of the column, walking closely together to squeeze as many fighters into one row as possible. Their sounds almost covered the sudden clashing of metal and what might have been a yelp from ahead.
“A fight up ahead,” the commander announced.
Before she could say anything else, a scout returned, visibly sweating a little. “A hive of Tunnelers,” he ed breathlessly. “They must have moved in recently.”
Tirka gripped the hilt of his sword. “No time to waste, then, let’s go!”
Esiorn barked a few orders, and they advanced. Tirka made sure to be among the vanguard, and was pleased to see several other dwarves falling into line with him, strengthening the group. To their credit, both of the elven captains did the same.
Another scout stumbled forward, and they parted to let him through — Tirka hoped their healers farther back would be able to heal whatever had him covered in blood — but they didn’t stop. Instead, they sped up.
When they finally met the Tunneler colony, it was in a larger cavern. Two more elven scouts were getting swarmed by them, both visibly injured. Tirka steeled himself and used his first Ability to boost his defense. “Forward, split and envelop them!” he barked.
They were veterans and didn’t need much further hand-holding. Tirka joined the line, advancing forward, and raised his sword to skewer the first Tunneler to charge his fighters.
The elves to his left had pulled ahead slightly, and their line buckled under the assault of Tunnelers turning to new foes. But they held. Tirka sped up, trusting his men to follow suit, and hacked into the main swarm of monsters. They were vicious, and the dwarf to his right had to use a Skill to get one off his shield before it overran them. Tirka stepped forward slightly, using his superior Stats to push them back and create breathing room for his comrades.
Despite clearly being hard-pressed at first, the elves managed well. He suspected they weren’t used to fighting with allies, but their two sides managed to get into a rhythm. They advanced forward, taking advantage of the stone walls of the cavern to pen the monsters in and make sure they had nowhere to run. The elves flowed, their formation shifting until a group rushed forward like the claw of a beast, pincering the Tunnelers and pushing them away from the other end of the cavern — where it led into a new tunnel — to keep them from running. After that, it was only a matter of time.
Tirka wiped his sword before he walked up to the elven leaders. “A good warmup for the fight ahead,” he commented.
“I think that was our biggest fight until we establish a proper stronghold here,” Anuis said. “It’s a shame none of our long-range scouts has ed in yet.”
“Perhaps, but I am afraid a bigger fight will be here sooner than expected,” Esiorn said.
He walked to one of the Tunneler corpses, turning it over. It took Tirka a moment to realize why; there was a piece of metal wedged in its mouth. It looked like the monster had bitten down on something and it had deformed enough that the Tunneler couldn’t get it back out. Carefully, the elf worked it loose, then held it out to them.
“A copper piece with the symbol of Gediarno,” Anuis noted, examining it closely. “It looks like it came from a bigger object, perhaps a decorative frill that was twisted loose, or even part of a large coin worn as a medal. Tersias, take a look at this!”
Another elven soldier joined them. He took the find and closed his eyes, clearly activating a System Ability, then put a hand on the Tunneler corpse as well.
“They came from the northwest, originally a small side shaft about two leagues away,” he ed. “They encountered the wearer of this on the main throughway close by. I assume there was a fight, it feels like several of its colony were involved.”
Tirka frowned. The soldier must have been using a psychometric Skill; he’d heard of those, although they were rare. What he’d found was more concerning. “So, at least some Westerners are already here,” he noted. “Scouts or perhaps more than that?”
“It’s unlikely to be a single scout if a large group of monsters was involved, especially if they caused a group of this size to migrate,” Anuis said. “Most likely, it’s at least a proper advance party of scouts.”
“Either way, we need to move quickly,” Esiorn said. “Dispose of the corpses and move, we must secure our area of operations before their vanguard gets here!”
Tirka nodded, turning back to his people. He still saw Anuis grip her bowstave tightly, and knew her job had just gotten harder. But perhaps more vital.
They would need to use some mages or perhaps ask one of the Empire’s psychics to locate their enemy more precisely as soon as they had their staging ground secured, but he also suspected the answer would be closer than he’d like. Which in turn implied the Westerners might be preparing for a large push at the city very soon.

Chapter 424: Approaches and Commanders