“Good people of Yiwi! I ask: why does the City Lord hide within his gaudy halls? Could it be that he knows he is wrong? That we are right? The merchants are not the only ones who are angry, but they are the strongest opponents of the City Lord. Them, and the Ehra Group! Who have taken the plunge and fully joined our cause!”

Cheers rose from the ever-growing crowd in the central plaza. Being in this mostly open space right next to the Rotor meant that the giant mechanism’s groans were loud and clear, but the cheers that were mounting around Grehn and Vlugh drowned it out.

“I wonder where the Fighters found that kid. Doubt they would’ve grown so much without his skills.”

“Right? When I listened to him, I almost felt like I could imagine being free again,” Vlugh said wistfully.

The two of them had pushed to the front of the crowd early on, and good thing too. There were far too many people to push through now. Even Grehn might’ve had a tough time forcing his way through, considering how many big mercenaries had found themselves swept up in the fervor.

Even so, they were right up at the front, staring the three young rebels straight in the eyes. And the young rebels looked back. Nervous.

“Our gathering here must soon come to a close. Everyone! The time draws near that the Yiwi Fighters will not be able to hold back the tides of change. Rejoice! And stand together!”

The cacophony exploded, making Grehn wince. He glanced to the alley where the trio would likely escape, spotting Toh inside. As soon as they entered, Toh would hide himself. Grehn would hold the crowd back alongside the bodyguards, and Vlugh would face the trio. One way or another, he would get close enough to release three Linkers and begin the takeover of the Yiwi Fighters.

“Now.” Grehn whispered, which Vlugh heard even over the cheers.

The three mercenaries moved into position, and the three rebels slipped into the alley. As expected.

“Ho! Nice to meet you three again!”

“Mercenary,” the squat boy said. He was definitely less defensive than last time, but he stood moved to stand between his two friends and Vlugh.

“Like we said last time: please just move. If we get overrun, I won’t-“

“Ah ah. No need to worry, my friend! My partner back there,” Vlugh pointed, “is taking care of that particular problem.”

The three rebels glanced back and saw Grehn holding the crowd back practically by himself. The squat boy stiffened, but the other two visibly relaxed.

“It’s all right, Uruhple,” the leader said, stepping forward. To Vlugh’s surprise, the boy eagerly clasped one of Vlugh’s hands in his own.

“Good mercenary, you are from Hayrey’s, are you not? I recognize you now; one of the members of the young up-and-coming mercenary team led by… miss Yelah, I believe?”

“Uh, yeah. That’s right.”

“Excellent!” he turned to the other two, excited, “I told you two! Ehra Group wouldn’t be the only ones eager to join us! Now-“

And as quickly as he spoke, he stopped. Oyonshe, the secret weapon of the Yiwi Fighters, looked at his two friends with an expression of shock. He didn’t move as Vlugh dashed towards his friends, Uruhple and Bronha, who put up their guards. But now Oyonshe knew it was pointless.

Because Vlugh was nothing more than a distraction.

Vlugh suddenly stopped, confusing Oyonshe’s friends for a moment, before the Linker Bees that had buzzed out of Grehn’s cloak reached them and easily attached themselves to their napes. They had focused all of their attention and wariness forward, towards Vlugh and Oyonshe himself, so the attack from behind was completely unexpected.

Oyonshe could scarcely believe what was happening. He suddenly knew so much. He knew of the mercenaries who plotted the end of Yiwi. He knew of Toh, the mercenary hiding nearby using an Ability which rendered him invisible. Of his new purpose, to infiltrate and take control of his leaders. To betray his people.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

And of another thing. A presence so terrible, Oyonshe began to sweat, his skin growing cold. A voice so horrific that it rattled his Mind and crumbled his resolve spoke.

“Hello you three! Welcome to the hive.”

___________

Toh watched the three rebels, new members of the hive, enter an unassuming building. Well, the building itself was quite gaudy. It had wooden accents for Person’s sake! Only merchants could be so arrogant, flaunting such incredible wealth while the people’s wallets burned.

Even so, a building that opulent was actually inconspicuous next to the other merchant buildings here in the commercial district. Without the three kids, it would have been impossible to know which one housed the leadership of the Yiwi Fighters.

Toh snuck into the building, taking care to inspect each step before taking it. Merchants in charge of an organization as risky as the Yiwi Fighters would certainly take measures to prevent spying and infiltration, and he did find traps. Simple ones; alarms, mostly. But who knew what strange technologies or techniques merchants could bring in from places like the capital?

Other than the potential dangers? Toh noted the building’s interior. He couldn’t help but gawk. If the outside was gaudy, the inside was downright disgusting. Floors built of wood. A fucking desk made of wood. Trinkets and baubles either made entirely of wood or covered in wooden accents. All of that wasn’t even to mention precious metals and gemstones, monster parts and gorgeous artwork. And this was just the blasted entrance!

Toh expertly maneuvered around the traps, trying to track where the rebels went. The girl, Bronha, strayed behind, casually gesturing towards nooks and crannies or spots on the floor. She was pointing out traps and making sure he could see where they went as they led Toh towards the back rooms, into winding halls. Even so, Toh was wary with each and every step. Not that he didn’t trust Bronha. After all, it was impossible for her to betray him. No, the issue came as paranoia; specifically the paranoia of the merchants. He found alarms which Bronha didn’t point out, cementing his suspicions. They were not informed about every defense mechanism, hence they didn't know about it.

So then, how did they avoid the secret defenses? Toh wasn’t sure. Likely some secret the merchants held close to their chests. And so Toh was being cautious.

Another obstacle came in the form of people. There had been a clerk in the front room, sitting at the desk, but other than that, it had seemed like the building was empty. Not so. Armed guards patrolled the hallways, wearing a variety of uniforms. Different merchant leaders apparently employed their own bodyguards. The trio passed them with friendly smiles and nods, receiving the same in kind. Toh, meanwhile, had to sneak by them.

They finally reached a door, wooden of course, which the trio casually left open. Toh snuck in to a meeting. Nearly a dozen men and women gathered in the spacious room, conversing between bites of food. Good food. Much of which, Toh noticed, included fruit. Bastard merchants. Many people suspected that the City Lord was hiding stores of fruits which formerly did much to sustain Yiwi, and that was a major rallying cry for the Yiwi Fighters. ‘The City Lord has food he doesn’t share!’ Well, look at this.

Toh didn’t miss the look of open disgust that appeared on the trio’s faces, though the merchants didn’t seem to notice. Or if they did, they simply didn’t care.

“Ah, the heroes of the Yiwi Fighters triumphantly return from another battle! Why not partake?” a startlingly skinny woman said, voice screechy like a bird. Toh checked her ears for some reason, but saw nothing satisfactory. What a strange thing he suddenly felt compelled to do.

“No, thank you,” Oyonshe managed to say, plastering a smile across his face. Strong lad.

Oyonshe would not be sad to see these men and women brought into the hive. Some part of him screamed, exclaiming that despite their monstrosity, they did good things. Even if it was for their own benefit, they were the reason that a small rebel organization had become a force to be recognized. Even if they had taken control of it. Despite that, they did work to bring down the greedy and cowardly City Lord.

Of course, none of that mattered any more. What good they could do with their money, bees would do with grit.

“I apologize for interrupting your meal, but I must give you my typical report. Before that, have you found out any more information about the City Lord?” Oyonshe said as he made his way around the table, subtly dropping Linkers to the ground near their wooden chairs. He only had six with him, and the others had two each. Toh held the remaining two they would require, but they would have no more Linkers after this besides Yelah’s three. Oyonshe had explained that these twelve were the most important sponsors and leaders of the Yiwi Fighters.

How lucky that they all happened to be here, together.

Toh didn’t like it. It reeked of a setup, but the three kids couldn’t have betrayed them. Was it just luck? The kids had insisted on attacking today, as the leaders would be meeting to discuss future plans. But all twelve?

“Unfortunately not,” one man said. “Harven’s man has been helpful, but that oafish Lord is too cautious. Fool man. If only he had been this paranoid when the knights arrived.”

“He was, he was. Until he wasn’t.”

“Too true!”

“Hold on,” Oyonshe said, not pausing his steps, “Harven’s man? I didn’t know you were working with that loan shark.”

The skinny woman glanced at him. “Of course. Old Harven is the man to go to in this city for more covert dealings. Mercenaries are good, but unpredictable. They aren’t as money-driven as I’d like, unfortunately.”

“Some are. But not like Harven. And that one bully of his is too good at his job. Heard he got some mercenary girl to pay a massive debt recently.”

“Oh, I know her. Yelah Welay. Quite new, but has potential. Maybe she’ll reach the level of Seiena some day.”

Seiena. The most notorious mercenary in Yiwi. Toh knew her well; he had even worked with her once. One of the few members of the tiny Goloyo Company, Toh knew that neither she nor anyone from her company was in Yiwi at the moment. Thank goodness. Goloyo would be impossible to infiltrate because of its small size and powerful members.

“One can hope!”

By this point, Oyonshe, Bronha, Uruhple, and Toh had finished dropping all twelve Linkers behind the merchants. Together with Oyonshe’s distracting voice and the clattering of silverware, the tiny bees flew and crawled on the merchants unnoticed.

One woman suddenly jumped, sharply smacking her neck.

All at once, the Linkers struck.

“Get her!”

Toh yelled as the room burst with temporary commotion, eleven merchants expressing confusion and shock while the twelfth tried to run out of the room, finding her path blocked by the gigantic Toh who had come from nowhere.

“Guar-!” she yelled until Toh slapped a hand over her mouth, grabbing her with his massive arms. She strained, trying to use her Mind to fight him, but she was unpracticed. Her Mind was not weak, but she must have typically used it for merchant things. Not combat.

“Oh Person, what do we do?!”

“Calm down Oyonshe,” Toh said, forcing himself to follow his own advice. What should he do?

“Okay, okay, nobody panic!” A voice cried out. The Queen.

“You merchant leaders, keep quiet for a second. Knock her out or something! Which of you is the fastest?”

Toh was definitely the fastest among them, but knock her out? He cautiously held her out and let Uruhple hit the merchant on the head with a metal dinner plate. Hopefully she would be alright. Would be damning for the merchants to be casually dining with a dead body.

He couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of dread. Why? The plan was going well, minimal complications were arising. This was something deeper. An instinct perhaps. Surprisingly, the Queen didn’t know about it. Until he thought about it.

Toh took a breath, channeling his Ability, [Unseeable Self], then dashed out of the room. To the eastern wall. To Belphegora.