Helen stood on the wall ramparts, watching the fields and casting her wide-area plant spells as soon as she had enough MP to cast it again. She tried to go and drain MP from the weeds but standing still and meditating proved to be the most efficient way to recover MP. The mental strain and the scorching sun were taking their toll on her but she endured. That was one thing she was proud of. Her resilience.
She was assisted by Sebastian. The loyal butler was holding a clay jar with fresh water and a parasol to keep the lady's fair complexion out of the sun.
Her victory conditions were clear. Break the siege before Grendel woke from his evolution or just hold the fort until the Monster-Hero returned. She had no doubt he would kick the army back to Hrothgar in a single swing of his horn-spear.
The problem was, she didn't want to have to rely on him. What was she and the others, mere decorations on his story? Just background noise? Hadn't they any personal strength? She would take risks to prove these ideas wrong. She wasn't a fool though. She knew very well that without him they would've never reached that level of power. They would still stick to the guild's approved methods of leveling, the career paths all adventurers followed. They would've never learned the true power that came with multiclassing and unlocking the boosting classes. She wouldn't have her bees or pets.
A squeak drew her attention. At her feet, Emory protested against the gloomy mood of his mistress.
Yes, not even Emory, she mused. Because if she weren't thrown and tortured in jail because of him, she'd never bonded with the rats. At that moment Helen saw a flash of light coming from the undergrowth of the woods beyond the fields next to the city walls and watched as the glimmering figure approached at breakneck speed.
"Oh, wow! Why the gloomy face, your Majesty?" Petal's voice was sweet and caring.
"Hi, Petal," Helen smiled but she didn't transmit much confidence or cheerfulness. "Would you mind scout the enemy troops' position again?"
"Not at all!" Chimed the fairy. "Just let me dump the retrieved hunting arrows and bunny carcasses near the guild for dismantling. I got hundreds of wretched pests."
Helen shuddered at the thought of hundreds of bunnies eating their crops. It was hard to grow enough food in normal conditions, an infestation of the dread vermin was a death sentence for the people. Why couldn't bunnies be more like rats, eating only leftovers? At least they made good shooting practice and Exp sources for the children and novices.
But wait for a second...
"Where are the bunnies?"
"In my storage, silly! Where else?" Petal comically turned around to look behind her, spinning in circles like a playful dog.
She did have the storage skill just like Grendel, didn't she? Helen felt she should know that, but she was dazed and her mind was swimming with a hundred thoughts. Most of them not happy.
"Thanks, Petal. Do that, take a break if you need but I'd like that information as soon as possible. I was thinking of cutting down the trees to deny the troops wood to build siege weapons with."
The fairy looped around the golden-haired girl and ended up hovering upside down in front of Helen's face.
"Yeah, leave it to me! I'll go like swoosh and be back in a flash! Pow! But you don't need to worry that much. Silly Helen is not alone, you know? Everyone is with you, right Mr. Sebastian?"
The butler stifled a chuckle at the tiny fey's antics.
"It is as Ms. Petal the Fairy says, Ma'am. Everyone here will support you. The Lady and Lord Beowulf are rulers worth of the people's loyalty. I've seen it in the streets. Mirfield was abandoned by Heorot for too long. They left the people to fend for themselves. If it weren't for your support, a lot of people wouldn't have made it through the winter. The lord went peddling and pulling his own cart selling food and clothing for cheap. He gave work to the craftsmen. It is the opinion of this humble servant that this peasant family made noble is worthier of their peerage than any noble-born I've ever met. And I am an old man. But I spoke too much. Forgive my impudence, Milady."
It was at the same time what she wanted to hear and what she didn't want to hear. She'd take the admiration and elation if it didn't come with the pressure and dread. But it wasn't time to wallow in self-pity.
And it was stupid to think she would break or survive the siege on her own. She could barely make all the plants grow and mature so they could be immediately harvested. Petal flew away to the west, searching for the enemy troops marching on them. Mirfield was blessed in that troops coming from Heorot had to climb up the mountain to go through Whiteridge or go the long way around, climb out of the valley into Strawford and then south to Mirfield. Hrothgar's army chose the former.
After the fairy disappeared in the distance, Helen sighed and steeled herself. If she wanted to defeat the siege, she had to get down to business.
Helen: Mercy, do you have some hunters available? I had an idea and I want to try something to get rid of those hateful bunnies. It is an emergency request.
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Mercy: There are some lazy bums drinking here that can wield a bow, I'm going to shove the request up their... quest logs.
Helen: Good. Could you send Sepal and them to the north gate with instructions to find me in the outer fields. It won't be too hard.
"Sebastian, go back to the mansion," She ordered. "Leave the water, I'll drink it."
She forced the liquid down her throat, feeling her stomach complain. Helen climbed down the stairs and made her way to the north gate, fiddling with her pouch and fishing out a small round red-purple berry. A mature frillbush berry. Frillbush was one of the three new plant species Alvus and her found during their expedition in the dragon valley. It was a bush that had thick, juicy leaves and produces a sweet red berry. One peculiarity of these berries is that their juice has a sweet enticing scent that could be felt for hundreds of feet away if a single berry was squished. Caramel and her bees harvested these berries heavily, their nectar, and pollen to make their honey. She knew through their tamer link that the bees wouldn't have anything else. They could be eaten raw or made into jam. Bunnies should love this stuff.
She reached the north gate and found a group of adventurers loitering nearby, watched by wary guards. She didn't recognize the faces but she didn't spend that long at the guild. Above them, another fairy very similar to Petal hovered.
"Milady Viscountess, we are the Thundering Hammer, an E-rank party. I'm Galford, the leader. These are Altina, Vesper, and Curly. We came on orders from the guild master for your emergency request." They all knelt.
Helen wasn't used to the deference and status she now bore. After a lifetime of scorn and bullying, of being called inept and useless, her mind struggled to superimpose her self-image with her new, grownup aristocratic persona.
"Arise, friends," Helen said, trying to sound dignified. "I am issuing an emergency quest. You are to hunt as many bunnies you can. We cannot let these disgusting ugly vermin devour our crops. Sepal is going to keep them away for a while so I can plant some bait for them. After everything is set, you are to take care of all the bunnies that come to eat the berries. You will also clean up the bodies and send them to the processing at the guild.
"We accept your quest, milady," Galford boasted.
Fewer rabbits, more food and furs. Reduced crop losses. Work for the few adventurers that remained behind. A win in her book.
They crossed the crops gardens, the magical boundary of the City Core's field, and reached the edge of the treeline. This area was logged a few months ago, and some saplings were already trying to reclaim the land for the forest. Helen paused to think. It was too easy to forget about the City Core's influence, but wasn't that also another boon Grendel bestowed on them? The Core was still low on energy and area of effect. It didn't even reach the treeline. Maybe she could do something to change that. But right now she had another task to worry about.
"Sepal, could you please go into the forest and scare away the rabbits with your aura skill?" She asked.
"Easy Peasy!" The fairy clone chimed and fluttered into the woods.
They soon felt the pressure of the fear aura. Even though Sepal's strength was severely diminished from the original, it was still imposing. For the small woodland critters, it was as if doomsday had arrived. In a way, it was exactly what happened. Putting the influence of the fairy dreadful aura aside, Helen poked the soft dirt with her finger and pushed the berry inside. Then, with a pocket knife, she cut herself and dripped blood over the berry. Helen activated her druidic and plant magic at the same time.
"Area Plant Growth!"
The drain in MP was huge, going as far as to take a chunk of her HP to pay off for the spell. It was the saplings' fault, Helen noticed too late. The frillbush sprouted from the berry and soon threw its branches and juicy leaves to the left and right, soon sprouting small buds that would turn into the delectable sugary berries. The tree saplings were growing upward and thickening, becoming full-grown trees in minutes.
After catching her breath from the exhausting magical ordeal and healing back her HP with what little MP she recovered, Helen left the adventurers and went back to town with Sepal. On the way, she called the guildmaster on the party chat.
Helen: I'm going to the Hill to pick up some helpers. Mercy, can you expand the guild field north? Don't worry too much about MP expenditures, I'll get us enough energy soon enough.
Mercy: Sure, Milady!
Helen: Not you too, aunt. Please!😢
Her plan was simple. Each inhabitant increased the city core's reach by a small amount. Doubling the population would double the range and quadruple the area. It could be adjusted to save on energy or increased at the expense of more power, but the easiest way to enhance the core would be to increase the population.
Helen opened her passbook and focused on the Willow Hill token. Once again her MP hit rock bottom as her surroundings warped and she found herself at the central square of the monster community. Her mind was promptly assaulted by hundreds of melodic but annoying buzzes.
"MOTHER!" "Mother is back!" "I got delicious honey, mother. Please taste it!"
And finally, as the buzz died out, Caramel thought out loud through their tamer bond. "What would you have us do, mother?"
"Prepare to relocate six hundred bees to form a branch hive," Helen responded through their link. "I'm going to see if there are any other volunteers to work in Mirfield."
That was her realization. The City Core did not discriminate based on species and it could take stamina as well as MP to power it up. Grendel's foresight to include monsters as potential citizens were the key to empower the core. A single harmonic bee was weak and wouldn't generate much energy for the Core, but six hundred? That would extend the field's reach well into the treeline and grant a substantial charge for the Core's functions.
Helen sighed. Alone, she would surely lose. It was not her battle to win. It was theirs. The fall of Mirfield was also the fall of Willow Hill. The monsters would be trapped between the hammer of humans and the anvil of demons.
After meditating to recover enough MP, she sent a mental summons. A few minutes later, a huge red figure buzzed through the air and landed next to her. An alien face with bulbous eyes and cutter mandibles. Two antennas jutting on top, a red carapace the color of dried blood, chitinous legs and body, and two huge and sharp scythes as forelimbs.
"Come, Mittens. It is time to fight for our home."
She held the backside of a scythe and soon a swarm of bees landed on and covered both girl and mantis. Once she made sure to touch every single creature, she triggered her passbook again.
Helen and her monster horde teleported back to Mirfield.