Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 20: The Hive

Toren Daen

"You all might have heard of beastwards," Vaelum started. He gestured to Meera, who held one of the red-trimmed boxes. She handed it to her leader, allowing him to raise it up. Vaelum kept it close to one of the lighting artifacts the group used for illumination. "Inside of here is an artifact created by the mages in Taegrin Caelum themselves! When exposed to the air, it will ward off mana beasts for a length of time. But it also has another function!" he said, pausing momentarily. The mention of Taegrin Caelum seemed to quiet some of the tension in the non-mages. After all, the goods created by the High Sovereign's Instillers were the best of the best.

"But if these artifacts are subjected to high enough heat, they detonate. Depending on the strength of the artifact, this can knock mana beasts out cold!" Vaelum said, holding the box high. "That's what we will be doing today." Vaelum gestured to another mage in the expedition, who stepped up confidently. "Our casters will be exploding several of these beastwards near the acidbeam hornet nest, hopefully knocking every one of these insectoid bastards out and dislodging their nest from the trees," he said, lowering his hands. "After that, our mages will move in to kill their queen, which will effectively neuter any resistance they can offer!"

The plan sounded solid. What made acidbeam hornets so dangerous was their ability to work together, but that link depended on their hives' queen. If the queen was dead, their greatest advantage was effectively null.

"That is where the non-mages come in. Your job is to get in, carve up as many slices of the nest as you can, then get out. The mages will come in after you with dimension rings to store the rest," Vaelum finished, clapping his hands. "Any questions?"

A hesitant hand rose amidst the crowd, drawing the attention of the lead spearman. "If those explosions knock the nest down," a woman said hesitantly, her face shadowed by the lighting artifact nearby, "Won't us unads need to avoid the downed hornets? Even if they're unconscious?"

Vaelum nodded in her direction. "Yes, that is something you've got to worry about. That's why you've got weapons: to stick any mana beast that's too close. But they will be basically braindead with their queen killed." The spearman paused, then continued speaking. "Also, there will no doubt be straggling worker hornets away from the nest that will make a beeline back for their home once we blow it off its perch. Because they'll be far enough away to escape their queen's immediate influence, they won't be immediately damaged by her death. Those will be managed by our mages."

When it seemed like no more questions would arise, the convoy began a slow march forward. My breathing became more rapid as we neared: despite how long I had scavenged and killed in this forest, I avoided the hornets like the plague. I knew the forest went much deeper than anywhere I had reached, but the unofficial barrier between the safer and more dangerous parts was these nasty hornets. Very few mana beasts trifled with them.

I heard the hive well before I saw it. An incessant, deep buzzing noise pressed against my ears like the grating of a saw, almost causing me to miss a jump. It grew in volume the closer I got, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to rise.

This plan of theirs better work, I thought nervously, Or I don't know if I can even get out alive.

Vaelum called a halt to the convoy before long, gesturing for the group to be silent. He waved to several of the casters with his spear. Each held a box in their hand, and at the spearman's command, they opened them.

I could barely see by the light of their artifacts, but the crystalline black spheres resting inside on small embroidered pillows rang bells in my mind. Where had I heard of these before?

Each mage quietly withdrew the black crystal sphere, and a man came forward: the sentry from before. He laid a hand on each of the mage's shoulders, a flux of mana flaring in my senses with each touch. Then he peered toward where I heard the incessant buzzing, focusing for all he was worth.