Chapter 334

[Ytte POV]

"Of course, Took. I'll ensure that every one of the Kha'Tal are aware of that." 

"Thanks." The massive Hak'Tal warrior flared her frills and inclined her head to Ytte for a moment before turning and walking steadily away. Ytte had no such luxury, instead running towards where Foire was sure to be this time of day. Only Sybil was conscientious enough to establish a time for meetings to take place, so Ytte had been forced to learn what the schedule was for each of the leaders in the New Empire and find opportunities to speak with each at least once every other day. It was exhausting, and she felt her scales stiffening with frustration at each leader's dismissive attitude towards the Kha'Tal.

There had been an angry part of her that rebelled at the idea of becoming Kha'Tal when it first occurred to her before her evolution. To be submissive? To listen instead of lead? No, she wanted to kill those that threatened the Zaaktif, to conquer those who had looked down on them, and overcome the world that hated keelish. More than that, though, she wanted to ensure that her people could thrive. Everything she'd ever seen showed that the world wanted keelish dead, without exception. Whether it was a person, an animal, or the world itself, keelish were given nothing but enemies and hatred every step of their paths.

That meant that the New Empire needed to be secure and steady. Should there be soldiers and hunters and leaders? Of course. But more than that, there needed to be keelish, khatif, and Keel who were able to follow orders and make the Zaaktif's grand visions come true. A leader was nothing without competent followers to guide, and Ytte realized that she could serve as an example and a liaison of the followers of the nation Ashlani was building.

Maybe it was because he hadn't built the original swarm himself, but Ashlani was largely unaware of how ruling actually worked. He'd usurped Redael's command structure and instated himself as Swarm Alpha, which functioned initially. Then, when the swarm was reduced to under 40 individuals, his natural leadership ability was more than sufficient to keep all his already devoted followers in line. That hadn't lasted, though, and the swarm continued growing. Hundreds, and now over one thousand keelish followed their Alpha, their Zaaktif, and that was solely through the strength of his arm and personality. 

There was so much more to leadership than that. That Sybil was so loyal to Ashlani was an absolute miracle, since if she weren't, she would be the Alpha in all but name already. She was his main contact to the lowest levels of power and influence in the New Empire, and he didn't care to expand his information gathering avenues. Without her, the New Empire would splinter and break, and Ytte suspected he'd never know why. 

With the onus for interpersonal relations and general governance falling on Sybil, Ytte quickly realized where the weakness in their new nation would be amplified. That, combined with her affinity for the earth and stones combined to convince Ytte of what she needed to do. Now, as a Kha'Tal Keel, she served as an additional member of the Zaaktif's elites that interacted directly with the lowest rungs of their society. That combined with the fact that she was a Kha'Tal helped those frustrated who might have become malcontents to instead see themselves reflected in every aspect of their country's leadership.

"Ytte." Basit called out as Ytte rushed through the streets of the city.

"With me as you talk." Ytte commanded. She hadn't needed to, Basit sprinting to stay beside the hurrying Keel.

"The cultivation efforts of the tubers are facing difficulty in sustainability." Basit spoke without any obvious strain, notwithstanding the exertion it took to maintain pace. "We haven't found enough to do anything more than see if we can get them to grow at all."

"Do what you can with what we can. We dwell in the shadow, we are the shadow."

"Of course. There have been troubling developments outside of the walls, but Sybil and Foire will be able to better tell you. Be prepared, they've encountered much more than just the ants we've seen thus far. You'll probably be called on for advice on how to slow or stop their approach."

Ytte's mind raced as she flared her frills in acknowledgement. So many things to do and think and plan, and she had no idea how to implement even the first half of them. She supposed that was her lot in life, as well as the result of the choices she'd deliberately made. 

"How's the progress on more advanced weapons?"

"The only person with any level of confidence when it comes to metallurgy, or even ore refinement, remains you. Cra's team is showing some level of progress, but they're far from reaching any level of proficiency."

"Ok." Ytte sighed. "I'll see if I can instruct anyone once night falls. It's already been a full day, and I suspect it will soon be full beyond capacity."

"Very well. Thank you, Ytte, for your dedication to the true well-being of this New Empire."

"Of course. That is our role." Ytte flared her frills and picked up the pace towards the western edge of the city's walls. There was only a one minute window for encountering Foire, and… there he was! Ytte slowed from a run to a mere jog, intercepting Foire's journey back to the city.

"Walk with me, Ytte." Foire said as soon as they met. "There is something that I will need your expertise on."

"Of course. How have the hunts and scouting been?"

"Noting of note, though I suspect we'll soon want more of Joral's Kou'Tal out on the mountains. There are more and more creatures that we've discovered that could be assets to the New Empire's strength. Only the Kou'Tal can reliable hasten the pace of domestication for us, though. It is unfortunate that we'll be slowed from that avenue for the next short while, though."

"Why's that?" Ytte asked, already somewhat knowing the answer. "New enemies?"

"Not enemies." Foire hedged. "But definitely unwelcome neighbors. I'll explain more once we've reached Sybil, but suffice to say, there are more ants than we expected, and they're becoming truly violent instead of territorial."

Ytte couldn't think of a response to that. "I'd thought that their previous actions were those of a violent creature."

"So had we. I'll explain more as we speak with Sybil."

The dismissive words pricked at Ytte's pride, but she remembered the words the Basit had told her after it was apparent that Ytte was now one of their own: When we see that there is something that needs to be done, we do it. We cannot do what the others can, so we do what they do not. Our place isn't to stand before others' eyes. It's to be wherever we need to be.

"Of course." Ytte responded, and they walked in a companionable silence as Ytte chuckled to herself. She'd treated the keelish and, later, Kha'Tal this same way, and now she found herself getting frustrated when she was treated with dismissive callousness. Maybe she'd get to Basit's level sometime soon, but it would take a while yet. 

Once they got to Sybil, she dismissed her assistants to whatever assignment she had given them, and asked, "Vefir, Ytte, what can I do for you?"