After our talk, I spent an anxious day, waiting for what there is to come.
As Lord Stormheart couldn't give a concrete estimate, it's left up to chance if our weapons will arrive before the Koresoans start their attack.
But then I get a message to quickly come to the plaza.
This could be good or bad.
I head down to the large, iron gate that was delivered straight out of Valera, to serve as our entrance.
While there is a sense of urgency in how both humans and drones alike are moving, there is no dreadful sense of alert with them, which tells me it must be about the weapon delivery.
Upon entering the plaza we established where the enemy camp was before, I find both Liseti and Lord Stormheart awaiting me.
So I was right.
Yet there's something I'd like to set right.
Woah, did I offend her?
She seems rather prissy.
Liseti has this way of pointing out my shortcomings by simply letting me run straight into them.
Not the most amicable trait, given that she could at least mention them, but I'll give it to her that it makes me invested to fix them.
Even if just so that she can't rub them into my face anymore.
She's really a bitch in this regard.
Just who is responsible for having her turn out like this?
I choose not to engage any further in this conversation and just wait with the others.
"You said it wouldn't take long, but I still can't see any signs of the transport." (St)
She does!?
"You do!?" (St)
She points for us, but initially, I stand confused, as her claw doesn't direct us towards the road, but the sky.
Which is when I truly become stunned upon realizing what I'm looking at.
A far distance away, there's a small black cloud.
At least, that's what it looks like from afar.
However, once you notice the odd movements and shifts at the edges you see it for what it truly is.
A large swarm of messengers, heading straight at us.
"Damn, I'll probably never grow used to this. I knew you said you'd get involved in their transportation, but I certainly didn't expect something of this degree." (St)
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I was expecting as well some kind of trek of several carriages, delivering the ready-made weaponry, but this isn't the case.
Instead, there's a swarm of messengers carrying various objects of varying size right here.
"So this means that each of these 'messengers' carries a single piece of the whole to set them back up here?" (St)
Given the numbers I see there, they probably can just switch out the carriers on the way.
Seriously, if anyone on the other side of the wall notices this, I'm pretty sure we'll hear Koresoan alarms any moment.
"I need to admit that it’s quite remarkable that you can just assign such numbers on this kind of task. It's an impressive feat of coordination." (St)
A princess?
But who... Oh, don't tell me...
Seriously, it's Princess Chera?
Doesn't she have other problems to attend to?
But it is her, leading all the messengers.
She's closing in, accompanied by thousands of flapped wings.
This is one of the examples why pheromone speech is convenient, as even through the noise, we can nonetheless understand her just fine.
Not that I'd appreciate what she actually says.
At this, Liseti emits a subtle, but complex set of pheromones that speaks of frustration, admiration, self-consciousness, and the conviction to do it right.
Damn, right now I begin to understand a lot quite a bit better.
(C)
Sure you will.
I guess she'd take anything she could get against the Crusteans invasion of her hive.
Just how much can someone overplay an act?
Yeah, like the fact that it's barely scraping by with all the issues that you allowed to fester there.
Suddenly, Chera glares at me.
Uh, did I think this too loud?
However, Liseti's dismissive demeanor tells me that there wasn't anything concrete for her to gather from this.
She points at the wall while saying so.
I reckon she intends to make use of the larger piles that naturally came into existence during the digging effort.
"Of course. We'll do so as soon as possible. I'd propose that you allow personnel here on the ground to arrange the right parts together, so they make a whole and can be easier put together." (St)
At this, she turns around to the swarm and shouts.
Well, silently in pheromones.
A moment later, two messengers carry a visibly distraught man to the ground.
Yeah, the way he hugs the soil tells me he isn't a fan of flying.
"This... was... terrifying!" (D)
"Y-yes, my princess." (D)
Poor guy.
If this princess chose him it's quite unlikely he'll ever get out of this arrangement.
It probably is only a question of time till she grows him a pair of wings.
Oh, now I see it.
There's the string, the bowed holding array.
"The artillery? Yes, right. Hm, I would advise against doing so right away. The way I see it, we're lacking proper cover at those positions. This high up, they would be very exposed." (D)
(C)
(L)
Yeah, this really answers the question of who messed up Liseti's view on gaining experiences.
"Ahem, this was calculated. If we'd started too early, the enemy could anticipate what we're doing and would prepare to target the respective spots." (St)
(C)
This princess was only here for a negligible length of time and already manages to get on my nerves.
Sigh.
Why me again?