Sorry about the late post and missed post; I had some personal matters come up last week, and I’m still handling them. I owe you an extra Chapter this week, which I’ll get out either Wednesday or Thursday. Also, my July vacation is settled on the 13th of July, but the Chapter will be delayed till later in the following week. Thanks for your understanding and I’ll see you again soon.

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We’ve spent over a week in the forest, and it’s proven as dangerous as everyone’s said. A person could not go a single day without running into a monster or wild animal prepared to fight to the death for merely existing in the same place as them. The ecosystem’s hostility was greatly underestimated, honestly.

It made sense that Brax and even Luminar, after it, had not managed to colonize the entire place. Even if an entire army was marched into the forest, there were creatures strong enough to kill hundreds of densely packed men with a single strike. That Ent by itself could have folded an entire section by itself before it was put down.

But it only took one glance to see why Luminar desperately wanted to maintain some level of control over the region. The raw resources were astounding. Just off monster material alone, it must have made for a hefty percentage of Luminar’s income, and that wasn’t including the small settlements littered in the forest, either mining or farming a dungeon of its valuables.

Yesterday, we stopped at what could only be a small hovel, with a hundred or so people, a third of them soldiers from the military stationed there for defense. Monster attacks were rampant, even against a walled settlement, at least every three days or so we were told, but the mines themselves were producing at a staggering rate.

I didn’t personally enter the mines, but the depots on the outside were stacked to the ceiling with iron, copper, and nickel, and an overhanded comment from the foreman and how they wouldn’t even finish the mine before his great-grandson’s death showed the value alone. The forges were running at nearly all times of the day, churning raw material into something easier to transport. It also made sense why bandits were so keen on targeting those places; the forest was dangerous, but the riches were too alluring even for criminals.

The mining town had just arrested a small group of them attempting to make away with goods during a monster attack, at least what was left of them. Mot ended up getting themselves mostly killed by the same monsters they were trying to use, and the others surrendered before they were wiped out entirely. There was a sliver of hope that they were a part of the insurrectionists, but they were just your average bandits or outlaws trying to capitalize on the chaos of a battle. However, they weren’t utterly useless as they had met up with some in the forest.

Their tacit agreement not to step on each other’s toes was as weak as their morals, and they were more than happy to reveal what they knew to avoid an immediate execution. Now, Santer and Elowen were tracking their last known whereabouts, and according to them, we were getting close.

Durak was referring to the map before he let out a satisfied grunt and folded it away for safekeeping. "Anything particular about this part of the forest?" I asked.

"It was cleared not long ago by another team. Shouldn’t be anything too dangerous for the time bein’ if those bandits are around," he answered.

As if answering his words, Santer rushed back toward us through the trees and reported, "We found them. What is left of them."

Durak shook his head, and we followed Santer through the woods. What was left of them was an apt description. It was nearly impossible to tell what I had even killed them.

Their campsite was overturned and probably held about ten people, but the only thing left was dried blood and freshly cleaned bones. Whatever monster that got to them didn’t even leave a scrap of clothing. Even the weapons themselves were completely absent from the scene.

"Do monsters usually loot weapons?" I asked, kicking over a discarded ribcage.

"Some do if they have the fingers for’em. Got some Kobolds from a dungeon break nearby, not too long ago, nasty bastards target people more than monsters. They loot what they can when they finish, but they don’t do this kinda work. Not out in the open anyway," Durak muttered.

"It’s more likely that a monster that eats metal got to them. Those are common enough," Ingra said with a shrug.

I was going to ask another question before everyone tensed, and I reacted first. My spear was in my hand, and already mid-thrust toward the sound from the tree beside me, before Elowen shouted for me to stop.

From the crack in the tree, a bright purple creature buzzed out. It was about the size of a person’s head, and its entire body was covered in fur. Its translucent wings fluttered rapidly, suspending the creature, and a long stinger protruded from its abdomen, only to retract itself slowly.

It looked to be just a giant bee, and surprisingly, it seemed completely docile, not even reacting to our presence as it floated in the air, watching us with its big insectile eyes.

Elowen gently grabbed the creature as she cooed, "Ahhh, aren’t you just the cutest thing in the forest? A little scout working hard, mhm?"

The creature let out a small buzz with its wings as if agreeing, and it even let itself be grabbed and held by her. "Yes, you are, aren’t you? Are you the one who killed those bad men, mm? I bet you did, yes, you did," she said softly as she pet the creature.

What the hell?

"Ah, must be your first time seeing one of them, huh? There is a rare species of monster we just call them Hivers. They are the best thing to find around here since they protect a large area of the forest. As long as they aren’t attacked or you don’t approach their hive, they are super friendly. They even have enough brains to trade things with people, but you gotta find the warriors and workers first," Geoffrey explained.

"Even so...to let itself be held that way? Is that normal?" I asked hesitantly.

"Well, not usually. It wouldn’t let me do that to it, but for some reason, they really like Elves, like really like them. That’s probably why it didn’t attack you right away despite you nearly impaling it," he said.

"Good thing to because they are vengeful little things. They’ll mark you, and you’ll be swarmed anytime you enter their territory. The scouts, like this one, will fly at you and explode, leaving nothing but venom and pain," Ingra groaned. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"I see...there really are all kinds of monsters," I said.

Elowen looked over at us as her face reddened and she cleared her throat. "Ah...sorry. I just find these things...very cute, is all," she muttered.

She let the scout go, and it hovered over to Cerila. Everyone looked ready to yell, but I told them she was a half-Elf, and apparently, that was good enough. The monster plopped into her outstretched hands as she gently caressed it with a warm smile.

The monster even seemed to be enjoying itself as it rolled around and pressed its plump body against her hands. "Why don’t you give it a try? I’m sure Dark Elves are just the same. Even heard some of ’em braggin about it one time," Thrak said.

"I’m not so sure about that. Animals and I never seem to get along very well. It’s been like that since I was a boy," I said.

I’m also not keen on holding a biological bomb in my hands...

Thrak looked at me as if I had said something strange as he looked over to Santer, who seemed to share the same opinion. I didn’t get to question it before Cerila gestured to me and opened her hands for the creature to fly toward me, and to my surprise, it did.

Despite my better judgment, I extended my hands and let the creature glide into them. I was met with an immediate sense of softness that even the finest carpets could not match. The creature let out low buzzes with its wings as it nestled itself into my hands without a care in the world, letting me gently run my fingers through its purple fur. It even licked me with its long tongue.

<Cute, isn’t it?> Cerila asked.

Normally, when people ask me if monsters were somehow cute, I’d disagree wholeheartedly, as most monsters look like a mad scientist’s abomination...but this little thing has its own type of charm.

<It is.> I signed with one hand.

Eventually, the creature seemed finished with its preening as it buzzed out of my hands into the air. It started to fly away, but looked back from time to time to see if we were following it.

"Looks like it wants us to follow it. Should we try to find a worker and make a trade?" Elowen asked.

"Aye, we should at least get the direction of the hive to mark it. Don’t want any poor fool wandering into it and dying," Durak agreed.

—

"What exactly do these things like to trade?" I asked Elowen as she picked another flower from the ground.

"They’ll seemingly trade anything, but what you get in return is completely random. One time, I gave them an arrowhead, and they gave me an entire sack of silver coins. Thrak gave them a dried biscuit, and they just gave him back my arrowhead," she chuckled.

"Bastards scammed me, they did," Thrak grumbled.

The scout turned around to face us one last time before zipping away at a surprising speed befitting of a monster. When we walked through the brush, we found ourselves in a wide clearing filled with wild flowers. Dozens of these Hivers, about the size of small dogs, hovered over the flowers, sucking the nectar from them with their long tongues.

But what immediately caught my eye were the child-sized Hivers, far bigger and nastier looking than their counterparts patrolling the field. Their fur was a deep black, almost looking like armor, and their stingers looked more like the lance of a knight, big enough to impale a man through the chest and keep going. At the center of the field, another fat Hiver sat atop a wooden stump like a lord watching over his workers.

"Elowen, take Kaladin and Cerila to trade. You three will get a better deal, so we’ll stay here," Durak suggested.

"Alright, let’s go then," Elowen said with a wave.

We walked through the field of flowers and buzzing Hivers until we reached the fat one, which Elowen explained was a type of leader. It watched us with interest through its black bug eyes; its coat was a bright purple, like that of workers and scouts, but had a few spots of black. Elowen went first and laid out the flowers she had picked.

The Hiver used its long tongue to scoop up a flower and ate it with a single bite. Its wings let out a long buzz, which I could only guess was pleased, as a nearby worker shifted away from a flower and flew off into the forest behind. It came back a few moments later, hauling a shiny blue chunk of metal, and dropped it at our feet.

Elowen wasn’t the only one surprised, because it was clear what it was just from its appearance alone. "Cobalt?" Elowen muttered.

She handed it to me, and I turned the chunk of metal over in my hand, and sure enough, it was Cobalt. "It is...where did it get it from?" I asked.

"Who knows...but we should continue the trade," Elowen said with a shrug.

Cerila hesitated for a moment before a murky bottle appeared from thin air in he hands, and she set it down. It looked to be oil, but before she could step back, the Hiver had already pierced the cork with its tongue. It didn’t let out the same buzz, and its attitude seemed far less pleased than the flowers, but once more it sent a worker to fetch something.

What Cerila got in return was...far less valuable. A shattered dagger, bits and pieces, rust and all. Cerila just smiled wryly. I pondered for a moment on what to give and figured if it came from a dungeon, perhaps it would see value in something it was familiar with?

From my Spatil Ring, I put down three small crystal shards, Dungeon Core shards. They glimmered blue, red, and green in the afternoon sun. I wondered only for a moment if it would eat it, and sure enough, the Hiver sucked up the green one and crunched it to bits in a few bites.

A monster is still a monster afterall...

Its reaction was also vastly different from the other two. The Hiver floated up and began moving away slowly before it turned in a slow circle in the air and watched us expectantly.

Elowen took a hesitant step back. "Uh...they don’t usually do that. I’m not sure if we should follow it..." she muttered.

"Has a trade ever gone wrong? Can they be displeased with something offered?" I asked.

"Well...no, I haven’t heard of such a thing, but we know so little about them, so there is a possibility," she warned.

I scratched my head and shrugged to myself. "It must want to show us something of value if it’s doing it itself instead of sending a worker. Let’s just take a look since I don’t think it’s acting hostile," I said.

The Hiver led us into the forest, and we passed workers going deeper into the woods. We kept walking for a time before an odd-shaped mound appeared. It was overgrown with grass and flowers, but there was a very distinct opening that appeared to go deep underground.

A dungeon?