Path of the Hive Queen

Things had gone to shit so quickly Armin would have had whiplash if he'd had the attention to spare for something like that.

He'd been aware there was was rising tension. If you compared the situation to the proverbial pressure cooker, or at least a boiler or kettle, there'd been a little bit of steam escaping showing that the pressure was rising steadily. Mostly, that had been political fights and a bit of civil unrest. A little bit of political violence in the streets, perhaps. Mostly things that could easily be explained awas by crime in general, but were probably motivated by grudges and enmities between different groups.

Armin had taken note of it, and he knew Ray had sent somewhat concerned reports home, but he'd been more focused on talking to his contacts in the dark elves' army. With the Empire now actually at war with Esemen and the Western Confederation, he had to prioritize. The men he'd spoken to were clearly also eager for news of that war, which shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did.

Most of the soldiers were surprisingly educated and eloquent. He supposed that was a credit to their long lives and the general attitude of both surface and dark elves. It went double for their leaders. They'd seemed like they had a plan. Or plans.

Which might have been the problem, he supposed. Too many men with their own ideas and plans.

As he paced up and down the foyer of the townhouse they'd been granted as an embassy, Armin cursed his own naivety. He should have known better. He should have been quicker, more alert, made better plans. He should not have allowed events to overtake him. Of course, 'should have' meant nothing, and now here he was, pacing up and down and clutching a short sword while people probably fought and died not too far from him, or worse.

On his own, he might have wanted to get out there and fight. But there was nothing really to fight, no cause to risk his life for. He wasn't sure if he'd want to fight those men out there — if not for, well, the general raiding and violence. Regardless, there were people in this house he'd promised to protect.

Armin was confident enough of his power and skill to handle a party of out-of-control, rioting soldiers if it came down to it, but that shouldn't be necessary — they were mostly relying on wards around the house. He'd put up a shadow ward that should hide it, make it less likely to draw attention, in addition to offering some protection.

"The riots will burn themselves out soon," Ray said as he stepped into the room. He looked a bit wan; Hivekind didn't really pale or blush, but something in his appearance suggested it. He was clearly trying to sound more confident than he really was.

"You think?" Armin muttered.

Ray frowned at him. "This kind of violence doesn't last long, you'll see," he said. "Besides, this can't be all or even most of the soldiers in the city. Someone will assert control soon. The leaders of this rebellion will bring their men to heel eventually, or someone else will step in."

"And escalate it into further fighting," Armin commented. He sighed, shaking his head. "I suppose you're right, but it really matters who asserts control, Ray. If one of the political coalitions gets enough soldiers together to suppress these riots …"

Ray nodded tightly. Armin wasn't a psychic, but he could tell they were both thinking roughly the same thing.

"Backup plans," Ray muttered. "Didn't one of your contacts invite us to their stronghold if things got tough?"

"Several, actually, but I'd trust Vares to hold to it, if not the Oliren," Armin replied. "Getting out of the city would be the hardest part; I could guide us to the western strongholds easily enough. But that would mean abandoning this embassy and all of our goals here."

Before they could continue, a heavy knock shook the door, echoing into the hall. Armin tensed and shared a look with Ray. At least knocking was better than kicking the door down? Then he focused on his magical senses to see what was going on.

Carefully, he stepped forward, angling his body to minimize potential impact and calling up some of his mana as he unlocked the door, levering it open an inch.

A hand caught the door and shoved it open wider. He almost attacked on instinct, but held back since he did recognize them.

"Armin! Good to see you're here after all, and not hurt," Ferdis Epiren said, stepping forward and forcing him to walk backwards. He gestured at her companions to invite them in and several men came with her.

"Ferdis," Armin replied tightly, nodding at her, then at the others. They looked like soldiers, he noted. "Same for you. What's going on out there?"

"We're trying to secure the city," she said briskly. "I went with a detachment to secure this quarter and make sure the embassy still stood." She glanced around. "Looks like I accomplished my mission, Ulaven."

"We're thankful for any backup, though Armin had it well in hand, Lady Epiren," Ray said, stepping forward and holding out his hand.

"I bet, that was a good ward," someone else said, coming in.

Armin turned to them, then smiled as he recognized the man. "Sergeant," he greeted him. "Or should I use a different title now? It's good to see you, anyway."

Sarkol as Ivosen — Level 56 Ranger of the Dark

Sergeant Ivosen looked like always, weathered and scarred across his chin, but still tall and broadly built for a dark elf. He was wearing what seemed like his normal armor, the same as the other soldiers. He shook his head, smiling. "Not yet, we're a little too busy to worry about titles or ranks. Like Epiren said, we're clearing out this quarter right now. There's been a bit of fighting, but most of the men have started to see sense. Your presence would be appreciated. I think the others want to talk to you back at headquarters, too. It might have to wait, we're moving to the city center now."

"Well, good to know, and I'll be happy to help where I can," Armin replied.

"Then we'll leave a few men to help Lord Ray. If you don't mind?"

"May I go wherever your leadership is gathered as well?" Ray asked. "Not aiming to interfere, but I might be able to provide a bit of perspective and it might be safer than being a sitting duck here."

He shrugged. "Then I'm sure the Free Men of Elasetiahval will be happy to have your input."

"Fine, but we should still detach a few men," Epiren cut in again.

"Sure, don't get your braids untangled," he waved.

Armin observed the byplay, considering their dynamics. Despite the tension, they still sorted everything out quickly and a moment later, he was on the street with Epiren, the sergeant and most of his troops.

Stolen novel; please report.

A street that had certainly seen better days. It was clearly not the worst-hit in the city by far, but he could see scorch marks only a few houses over. There were a few pillars of smoke coming from farther away, too, along with the sound of further 'unrest'. Everything was quiet and dark right here, except for these soldiers.

"So," Armin said quietly, glancing up and down the street and taking note of the changes, "who's 'we' or 'the others'?"

A few things were obvious, of course. Ivosen, or Sarkol, had been one of the main leaders of the reform-minded soldiers he'd spoken to. Armin would be surprised if he didn't have a high position in whatever structures they had now, possibly leading a splinter group. It was also obvious that Ferdis' people, presumably the faction around Tedis Oliren and Vares Iriesen he was basically a part of himself, had come to some kind of arrangement with them. They were natural political allies — at least if the dissatisfied soldiers were going to work with any of the Eternal Dark's houses in the first place. (He suspected some hadn't been, especially those still rioting.)

(This faction must still have some soldiers loyal to them; perhaps more than others, given they'd tried to treat their men well. But probably not enough to restore order — or 'restore order' — on their own.)

"Given the unrest and the infeasibility of reaching everyone, a part of the Conclave has approached the rebelling soldiers and come to terms with them," Ferdis said. "Unfortunately, they only speak for a part of the rebels. These fine men will help us restore order to the city, along with those of the true soldiers who have remained loyal to our houses."

"I'd be careful with words like 'rebellion'," the sergeant grunted. "Might give a lad ideas, you know. That aside; I'm a member of the Free Brotherhood, leading the Free Men of Elasetiahval. We have pledged we will not be treated as cattle again." He side-eyed Ferdis. "Fortunately, the reformist women have agreed to new laws and decrees that should give us the 'political voice' and more options, so we'll see how it goes."

"That's great, actually," Armin said. "I'm glad you were able to find common ground so quickly."

Ferdis scoffed lightly. "Armin, you say that like you aren't aware we've been talking. I know you have been speaking to them."

Armin smiled. Ferdis wasn't exactly the woman he was closest with in that political circle, but it was good to know she remained the same and seemed genuine in getting him to safety and able to participate (and in protecting Ray). Probably for political reasons, but he still appreciated it, and it made some of the tension he'd been feeling melt away.

"I can still be optimistic. Right, Sergeant?"

"Call me Sarkol. No time for formality. Armin." He grunted. "Let's not get too carried away. We'll help you so-called reformist fancypants get power and make some changes." He paused. "If you betray us, there's always time for a spot of rebellion."

"Yes, I've heard it's good for the soul," Armin said drily. (Ray looked innocent.)

"Not everyone agrees to give you a chance, though," the older man warned. "I dislike the idea of hurting brothers, but it's better that than give the reactionaries time to crack down, I suppose."

"Which will be a problem," Ferdis said. "We just got some preliminary reports that they're assembling some kind of army in the northwest."

That didn't sound good. Armin looked around, sighing. They had now made it deeper into the city, but were going through several slightly less affluent parts, and the destruction caused by the rioting was worse. He figured it would have been the other way around, but there were shops here, many of which had clearly been broken into. And he supposed many nobles' mansions would have some defenses, making those of other people easier prey. It was ironic.

It didn't take long for them to meet other fighters. These men — and a few women — were obviously part of this alliance. They exchanged short updates with Sarkol and Ferdis, and some of them peeled off to join the growing group around him. Armin made sure he stayed at the front and otherwise kept quiet, observing what was happening.

Eventually, they found themselves in a square in the city which adjoined some government buildings. To his mild surprise, they headed for the hall where the ritual to start the Gathering had taken place, but he had not seen it used since.

Conversely, it didn't surprise Armin at all to see Tedis Oliren present, along with Peras and a few others. She was accompanied by several older men in armor with the symbol of her house; presumably older men who'd 'retired' and returned as officers leading her house's soldiers. Tedis smiled when she saw them and beckoned to Armin.

There were a lot of soldiers gathering around this square and its buildings. Many of them faced outward, clearly prepared to hold it against any potential aggression by their counterparts. The signs of recent fighting still lingered; a few spots on the pavement still smoked. There were small craters and dips in others, puddles and scorch-marks and worse as well. They'd cleaned up enough to allow quick movement through the square and the adjoining streets.

"Finally," another man said, turning around. "It seems everyone important is here."

Armin recognized him as well, but only vaguely. Unlike most other people, he was wearing visibly dinged armor over unkempt clothes and scuffed boots. Clearly a statement, in this little gathering of the powerful.

"I don't know why we were waiting for him," another soldier said disdainfully, jerking his chin at Armin. "Or the insectoid. This isn't a matter for foreign envoys."

Armin glanced at their status briefly before speaking.

Orfin as Esiemin — Level 49 Earth Sentinel

Alve as Inaven — Level 38 Ice Mage

"We were waiting for Sarkol, too, Alve," Orfin, the first man who'd spoken, replied mildly. "And Armin does represent a powerful player, and he's not exactly weak himself."

"Still," one of the other women grumbled. Armin vaguely recognized her from a few parties. "Having gnomes and dwarves present is bad enough, I don't want to open it to humans."

"They're all demihumans here, that's it, matter closed," Ferdis said, stepping forward. "Don't we have more important matters to discuss?"

"Yes we do," Tedis jumped in. "We've got the riots mostly contained for now, and most of the city under control. But other houses are gathering their strength, and several of them usually opposed to us have linked up. If they try to make trouble, this could get bloody."

"There's also still the remaining rebelling soldiers," Ofrin added. "Those who decided not to follow the Brotherhood's path. They seem to have withdrawn to the southwest for now. I recommend letting tempers cool down a bit."

"You don't want to press them now while they're vulnerable?" Tedis asked.

The soldiers' leaders who were present quickly demurred. Armin listened to them while looking around. It was obvious they were reluctant to engage what must have been former comrades. Alve seemed to think they'd simply come around with a bit of time, and while others were more skeptical, they were also pushing for diplomacy.

It made sense, Armin supposed, looking at the other soldiers who were increasingly gathering around this group, watching and listening. None of these 'rebel' leaders likely had a very firm hold on their men. Who knew how many soldiers would really side with each faction if it came down to it?

That seemed to be the nobles' attitude, at least, since they quickly backed off.

"Is that everyone we have to worry about?" he asked as the conversation stalled. "What about Clasen?"

Sarkol shook his head. "Lucas Clasen is not here. He already departed, before this started."

"I see." He exchanged a quick look with Tedis. This news should have been a relief, but it didn't bode well. Could he have had something to do with these riots breaking out?

"We must deal with the remaining houses in the city now, somehow," Ofrin said.

"Whatever we decide here, it will be a guiding light for the entire Eternal Dark," Peras warned them, tone somber.

The gathered dark elves shuffled uncomfortably for a moment. Laterien'nas was just one city, and it wasn't even the capital, not that they had one. Many important and notable figures were here, but most houses still had bases of power elsewhere. Armin suspected a few of these people only just realized that these were only the opening moves of a wave of upheaval that would soon shake the entire Eternal Dark.

A civil war seemed almost inevitable right now.

"We should try diplomacy first, as well," Tedis suggested. "Maybe they'll come to the table. We need to try to keep everyone as unified as possible."

"As long as you don't go back on your words, Mistress," Ofrin said.

"Of course. Some accommodations will have to be made if we want their support —"

"Not accommodations we'll have to pay for in blood while noble mistresses celebrate," Alve said.

Armin sighed as they started debating what they could and would do. It was going to be a long discussion, he suspected. And that when they should move quickly.

At least no one had even hinted at drawing blades yet, so he supposed this was a victory for diplomacy?