Chapter One-Hundred One

Chapter One-Hundred One

Leo

Leo thinks as he prepares to go on his expedition. This is the most important thing the Alpha has asked him to do, and is possibly the most important thing hes asked any of his scions to do, and so the wolf wants to do the best job he possibly can. He first checks with Poe to see if theres any extra information he can get.

There is, but not much. Its mostly topography of the area, but that does at least give him a better idea of what hell be working with. The rocky beach should not be too difficult to secure, even beneath the waves. There are a lot of large rocks and other things that would spell doom for a boat, and also disrupts the waves. At low tide, it gives him several choke points that the skeletons can secure. At high tide, hes more uncertain of how to deal with them. Sharks and other dangerous denizens may be able to swim over, but theyd also risk dashing themselves on the rocks. Hell have to get a better look himself before he can make much in the way of plans there.

The biggest challenge will be the stretch of land between the beach itself and the woods hell be hiding in. The Alpha is correct in transitioning to just skeletons to avoid the spying denizens getting spotted. Hed like to get even more inside Hullbreak itself, but he cant risk bringing in more for that. Perhaps he can get the delvers to help? A few quests to deliver boxes or barrels to the local docks, and slimes and slides could slip out and into the sea with minimal chance of being seen.

He nods to himself and files that idea away for later, in case its needed. He still has the problem of actually acquiring the reports from the spies. He could use skeletons, but hed prefer not to. Skeletons leaving the ocean plays against the idea of Neverrest just sending constant raids to try to gain mana or whittle Hullbreak down. So he needs to use something sneakier, something smaller.

His first thought is to try the rats, maybe at night. Theyre quick and should blend in well, but can he manage anything better? He gets an idea and heads for the library. He cant manage anything sneakier than the rats, but he thinks Honeys bees would be an even better option.

Hes actually quite fond of the bookish little bee. He had expected her to be annoying or useless with her idea to go get samples of things around the Alphas territory, but was willing to humor her if the Alpha was. But her bees have been proving themselves invaluable in getting details, and she has this infectious energy when she goes on about whatever weird thing has captured her interest at the time.

The bees only give him a passing glance as he enters the lab, before continuing their own work. He soon finds Honey dissecting what appears to be a dragonfly of some variety, and he wiggles his rear in a pale imitation of a bees dance of greeting. Hes pretty sure he manages to say something crude each time, but it does a good job of gaining Honeys attention and making the mood light.

Leo! How can I help you? she asks, handing her tiny tools off to a few other workers while she focuses on her fellow scion.

I was hoping I could borrow some of your bees, Honey. The Alpha has given me a task, and I think some bees would be perfect for one of the roles.

She buzzes in excitement. The Hullbreak situation, right? Id love to help, though I do have a condition.

That is?

Leo still doesnt get it. I can swim just fine, Queen.

She laughs and motions for her ants to pause so she can focus more on Leo. Can you swim as well as a fish, Leo? How much more nimble is a fish than you in the water? Even if a fish could breathe on land, would you have any trouble fighting one if it flopped into the Emperors territory? It will be the same with Hullbreak. Breathing will help, but mobility is the key to actually trying to win any fights with Hullbreak.

Leo frowns, not liking her tone, but also not able to come up with any real retort. Have you made any progress on that, then?

Her confidence fades at that and she eventually must shake her head. No, unfortunately. The Emperor has given me some interesting ideas, but I havent managed to make anything with the properties to try to use them yet. That ratkin delver, Staiven, may be able to help with that. I believe he has formulae for what we want, but I also suspect it requires reagents I just dont have.

Leo sighs at that. I was afraid of that.

We still have some hope, though.

Oh? says the wolf, perking up.

The Emperor has agents inside the harbor now, correct? Id wager that any missing reagents can be found inside it. A few subtle snips, and we could have what we need to bring a fight to them, should the need arise.

Leo cant help but grin at that, glad he decided to come to her. Ill keep that in mind! The Alpha hopes for a peaceful resolution

But he prepares for the worst. The Emperor is wise and merciful, daring to hope without letting it blind him.

Leo can only nod at that. Ill keep you in the loop if it looks like the spies can sneak out anything from inside. The Alpha wants to get into contact with the dwellers, and they may have a much easier time of gathering than our invaders will.

And I shall continue to work on the water problem with what we do have available. The Emperor has suggested I look into how oil repels water, to see if that could be useful. He thinks it will only be part of the solution, but a part is better than what we have now.

Leo nods once more and takes his leave, trying to think of what else he needs to do. He has the foreseeable problems planned for, and with the bees he should at least have warning for anything unforeseeable. He needs to actually get out there and get the FOB started, and secure the beachhead before he can try to solve any other problems. Those two will certainly present issues, but if he keeps a level head, hes certain he can do the Alpha proud.