Anthony is free!
And he brought friends back to the Colony in the form of the monstrous bear Sarah, and the devious worm, Jim. But things aren�t all going the way of our antrepid antventurer.
Enemies abound, and the Colony has drawn too much attention.
When the Legionem Abyssi, led by Commander Titus, come knocking on his door, will Anthony be able to repel the greatest army beneath the ground?
Through all the struggle, strife, betrayal and sacrifice, our hero must persist, and defend the gate.
Following the scent trails the scouting parties had put down, it didn�t take long for us to make our way through the twisting tunnels to where the golgari would soon pass. We position ourselves in cover at an angle to better spot them from a good range. I don�t want to get too close. I will never underestimate the stone-people ever again. While the majority of Warriors and Shapers proved to be unable to damage me in small numbers, I�m not going to push my luck.
In terms of monsters, I�m quite exceptional. 99% of the Dungeon�s creations don�t get to evolve in the way I did, with a maxed-out core, or possessing this many mutations.
I might have started out as a measly ant, but I�m becoming stacked. It makes sense to me that the average golgari wouldn�t be able to match me.
But something I�ve learned from Granin still gives me pause. He�d told me most of the Shapers in the outpost are just scholars, hardly any were real Dungeon delvers. Stuck in offices and reading books all day, they had polished Skills but not many Levels or combat experience.
I even suspect the Warriors I�ve fought are of a similar bent. As far as I know, they aren�t members of an official golgari military or any such thing. If anything, Coriinam Balta gave me the impression of a pampered youth who�s done far more training than fighting. A show of strength, rather than the reality. Their sword slashes might make a fancy light show, but without the proper OOMPH that raw stats provide, they simply lack the penetrating power to deal with my carapace. If nothing else, that proves they�re under-Levelled.
Would that be true for all golgari? Hell no. These are people who made their home inside the Dungeon. Shapers like Granin have seen a ton of action in the tunnels. I have little doubt he�s the highest-Levelled Shaper inside that outpost. With the walls of the town, there must be individuals or a group that the others depend on to do the heavy lifting keeping them safe. A militia, a defence force. Heck, maybe a full-blown army.
Whoever it is, I never saw them and I�m not keen on fighting them. We�ve already had casualties on this rescue mission. Just another thing to weigh on my conscience. If I can avoid more death amongst my family, I sure as hell will.
For now, we�re only here to observe, so we settle into position and wait.
Tiny isn�t much good at being still� nor hiding, come to think of it. I
end up sending him back up the tunnel a hundred metres or so where he
promptly goes to sleep. The rest of us have more patience and keep a
sharp eye. As promised by the scouts, the golgari turn up an hour later,
moving fast. We hear them well before we see them; the pounding of stone
feet on stone makes the sound more like a
The golgari in the lead are huge, even by their standards. A dozen giants stride forth, perhaps three metres tall, with comically large weapons strapped to their backs. And their skin! This is no ordinary true skin. These folks glitter in the dim Dungeon light from head to toe and are covered entirely with metal ore!
From what I�ve been able to pick up about golgari culture, finding ores capable of holding the Mana required to bond to their bodies isn�t easy. That means high-quality ores are expensive. When I�d asked Torrina how much her own ore was worth, she�d given me a strange look before telling me that asking a golgari about their true skin was simply not done.
Before I could apologise, she�d laughed and explained it anyway. The reason her own skin isn�t complete is due to the ludicrous expense required to purchase more. She�d made the decision to use a higher-grade ore and form an incomplete skin rather than substitute for something worse, but in sufficient quantity. Yet here are these freakin� mutants wandering around, enormous, and covered head to toe in gleaming ores!
Each one of these guys is covered in enough money to buy a golgari mansion, I have no doubt.
Are these dudes going to be under-Levelled? NOT LIKELY. No way am I tangoing with them unless I have absolutely no choice. Behind them is a more usual procession of Warriors and Shapers, but each individual wears something I�ve not seen before: a dark brown, braided rope around their neck that nearly blends into their stone skin. Does this indicate they are all part of one faction? Or is it something they�d put on when becoming part of their expedition?
Mixed amongst the crowd are other golgari that don�t match anything I recognise. Robed figures gripping thick staves in one hand dot the procession, along with a few shorter members accompanied by what are clearly their monstrous pets.
In a small cluster is something I didn�t believe I�d ever see. Golgari wearing armour�
There�s only three, but they put the fear of Gandalf into me. Why the hell are they wearing armour! What�s the point? Does it mean their true skin is weak? Can�t be! Even Granin, who�d formed his true skin from the weakest, most common ore he could, just because he was a jerk, never wore a stitch of armour. Not leather, or cloth, and sure as hell not metal!
I have no idea what this signifies� When they come to the branch before us, the procession halts and various members converse. It appears as though the robed individuals are being consulted quite heavily, along with the pet keepers� Interesting. After a few minutes, they ready themselves again and take the path directly toward the colony.
�How do they know?� I wonder.
�What�s that, eldest?� a scout asks.
�They�re tracking us. They aren�t
�I don�t know. We need to inform the others.�
�Send a scout back immediately.�
One of the scouts rushes off to let the rest of our convoy know, whilst my pets and I slink out of sight to stay ahead of the golgari. They might be tracking the two prisoners we took. Or perhaps there�s some sort of tracking spell on me? I can�t find any magic on my person, but there could be a method to hide it. How would I know? Perhaps they have a way of monitoring Dungeon traffic, like remote sensors they�ve built into the walls in their territory� Could they be picking up on our pheromone trails?
Like any good ant, the entire troop has been laying trails everywhere they go, it�s how we navigate. Just because the ants in the colony have better eyes than normal, doesn�t mean they�ve abandoned their instincts. Unlike me, who was human once, the others are pure ants at heart. The pheromone trail is their guiding light!
The more I consider it, the more I think it must be true. The golgari know they�ve come out to hunt an ant colony, and it�s not the first time in history one has spawned. What better method of tracking down the nest than following the pheromone trails? Thank goodness I came back here to scout, otherwise they�d have been able to follow us all the way back to the Queen�
The Ancients surfaced all over the face of Pangera, almost equidistant from each other. Wherever they rose, they caused a unique catastrophe that befell those unfortunate enough to be caught in the chaos.
Yarrum consumed all in his path. Kygar caused lightning to fall for a month, burning all to ash. Morribolg turned the ground to mud over a vast area, sinking the entire city of Yallowyn beneath the ground in less than a minute. Due to the colossal damage, the sheer scale of death they caused, actual eye-witness accounts of the Ancients are nearly impossible to find.
Because they rose so far apart, most kingdoms assumed they were the only ones to be afflicted by a monster of such impossible might. It was hundreds of years before scholars were able to connect the nineteen creatures together.
Further frustrating the efforts of scholars is the deep layer of secrecy that many shroud the Ancients in. Some were forthcoming with their information, sharing all they could of these leviathans to better inform the world of the threat they posed, while others remained silent. They hoarded the knowledge of their experience and enacted strict penalties on any caught sharing it.
Over the years, their grip has only tightened. Of Zothoth, almost nothing is known in the broader community. It rose amongst the tribes of the dust plains, far to the west, and they do not speak of him. Lerrewyn arose in the Deep Forests in the south. Were the Ancient not seen from hundreds of kilometres away, it�s possible that only eighteen Ancients would be spoken of, since the bruan�chii have said nothing but its name.
Regardless, the topic of the Ancients is a source of tremendous enquiry across the world, in open colleges and within secret societies. There are as many theories as there are scholars, though some have gained credibility over the decades.
One such thought, postulated by Xinci, stated that it was possible the Ancients each populated a single stratum, possibly the final stratum of the Dungeon, and each maintained their own territory there. For this reason, they did not rise together, but moved directly up from their own lands.
By tracing the locations of their breach back to the centre of Pangera�the diameter of the planet being calculated by the Magio Scholars in the year 726 AR�Xinci proposed a possible map of the territorial boundaries of each Ancient within the final strata. Although this map is far from accepted fact, it does explain many observations. A curious feature of the map, however, is that when assuming each territory is the same size, and that each Ancient rose directly from their own resting place, there is an unclaimed place in the map. A twentieth territory.
This has led many scholars to speculate that another Ancient exists. If that monster surfaced in the Rending, and if anyone saw it, they have yet to speak its name.
By the time I was able to reconnect with the colony, they�d already taken measures. All use of pheromones was banned as we once again resumed the long march back to the nest. It was bizarre to experience. It�s normal for the ants to make no noise whilst travelling. To a human passerby, we would be unnervingly quiet. But to us ants, there is a never-ending cacophony of communication!
Conversations between ants, trails laid by the leaders in the convoy, and even the old scent trails put down by the scouts who ranged far ahead, all mixed together to assault the antennae. With no pheromones being produced, it�s as if true silence has descended on the colony for the first time in its history. As a former human, I probably coped better than my siblings, but even for me, it is truly strange.
I need to constantly stop myself from trying to speak with my fellow ants, my antennae constantly tip-tapping, trying to find the scents my ant brain thinks should definitely be there. The rest of the ants are totally uncomfortable, wandering backwards and forwards as they try to navigate with their eyes instead of their sense of smell.
Hopefully, we don�t have to deal with this for long. If we can travel a dozen or so kilometres without leaving a trail behind, that should be enough for the golgari to get lost.
Fortunately, I still have my pets to speak to!
[Hey, Tiny! How�s everything going? Enjoying the trek?]
[Nurrr.]
[It can�t be that bad�]
[Raaaa.]
[Fair enough then. You do make a good point.]
As a power athlete, rather than an endurance runner, Tiny isn�t cut out for this sort of extended effort. He�s knackered. Ah well, surely someone else is up for a chat.
[Crinis! My gelatinous horror from the deep! How are you going?]
[I�m not letting go.]
[�I didn�t even�]
[I know what you wanted to say, Master!]
My carapace creaks as she squeezes me.
[But I�m going to make sure you stay safe!]
[That�s� That�s great. Thanks, Crinis�]
Phew boy. This is going to need some more time. Thank goodness I have
Invidia around now! He�s just riding around on Tiny�s back, so he�ll be
rested and down for a chat,
[Invidia! How�s my favourite greed demon? Getting used to having all the ants around?]
The eye is watching me, lit from within with a rising glow of green.
[
[�I suppose so� why?]
He doesn�t answer, but his eye narrows and burns brighter.
[Is� everything alright there, Invidia?]
[
Okay! Creepy as always! I need more time to get used to this guy. The way he thinks is just different. Having exhausted all options of conversation, I return to marching in determined silence.
For about five minutes before I start to go crazy.
I just can�t walk along, doing nothing! I want to go back and check on the expedition, see how they react when the scent trails vanish. The chance still exists that it�s me they�re tracing, after all. Sadly, it appears as though the council members are able to follow my thoughts now.
A Mind Bridge reaches out to me and I allow it to connect. I recognise this ant-mind.
[Propellant? What�s going on?]
[Sorry to bother you, eldest. Just wanted to ask that you don�t go running off on your own.]
[�What do you mean?]
[I think we both know what the long pause at the start of that sentence means, eldest.]
[�Maybe?]
[The scouts are watching the golgari constantly. Burke will go
nuts if you rush back there again. She doesn�t have enough scouts to
cover all the directions that need watching
[Wait. I�m being guarded?]
[Not at the moment. But the second you leave the convoy, you will be.]
[What if they�re tracking me with some sort of magic we haven�t seen yet? There�s still too much we aren�t aware of, Propellant!]
[We�ve considered the possibility. The others and I want to eliminate all other possibilities before we consider moving you away from the convoy. Right now, the two prisoners are being led on a roundabout tour through nearby tunnels, we wish to see if the convoy is tracking them. At the same time, the scouts are laying false trails behind us that lead just about everywhere. Only when we�ve confirmed that these methods are ineffective will we chance moving you off.]
[I don�t like sitting here while others risk their lives for me, Propellant.]
[I know, eldest. Just please bear with it for a little while.]
[�You said all of you agree on this. Even Leeroy?]
[Ah, no. Leeroy is currently under heavy guard in the centre of the convoy. She�s tried to escape nine times already.]
The thought that me trying to run off is even the tiniest bit similar to the behaviour of that lunatic is enough to send a shiver down my non-existent spine. I�ll wait!
Things weren�t going the way they were meant to. When things in the Dungeon don�t go the way they are meant to, that usually indicated something was going very wrong. There wasn�t a single Dungeon delver who didn�t feel the same way. As chaotic and unpredictable as the place was, there were ways to combat it, knowledge that was sure and tested over hundreds of years.
When creepers were around, you packed up and tried to lose them. When Binding Spiders appeared, you burned them out of their nests. When ants turned up, they would mindlessly devour everything they found, regardless of the cost.
Which begged the question, what exactly was happening here?
Ants that invaded a specific outpost, left survivors and took prisoners? It made no sense. Not only did it not make sense, the very notion was completely unfathomable. There just wasn�t enough information on hand, particularly with how silent the Shapers were being, to try and draw any accurate conclusions.
This made Ferrox Irron concerned. He didn�t like being concerned.
His armour shifted uncomfortably as he walked in the centre of the expedition, and he cursed. He must have made a mistake when strapping it on that morning. The stuff was a right pain in the true skin to attach and cost a fortune to maintain, but it had proved its use in battle on more than one occasion. He ran one hand down the runic inscription on the inner side of the gauntlets. The Mana density here wasn�t nearly high enough to maintain constant use, but would last for a good ten, twenty minutes of hard fighting if it kept charging at the current rate.
He was getting irritable. His feet hurt, his back hurt, his armour was
chafing, and the enemy wasn�t behaving the way they were
�Stellen! What the hell is going on up there?� he demanded of his attendant.
�Lord Irron. There appears to be some manner of disagreement amongst the Seekers.�
�The useless mutt managers. What�s the problem this time?�
The attendant checked his master with a quick glance, observing the slight frown and general air of disagreeability that hung around him. He�d told Lord Irron not to attempt to don his armour without assistance, but what would a lowly attendant know? He sighed without thinking and managed to cover it with a slight cough.
�Haa-hem! From what I can ascertain, my lord, there appears to be some disagreement about the route we should take.�
The irritable feeling that had been niggling at Ferrox flared into full-blown anger before he was able to tamp it down. He�d known this was coming, he�d felt it clear as day.
�Go and tell them to present themselves here so their betters can sort it out,� he ordered Stellen then collapsed into silent meditation.
If he were to get through the rest of the day without doing something he�d regret, then he ought to try and find some calm.
�Why, Irron, what troubles you so?� came a cloying and coquettish voice from behind him.
He jerked around too quickly, and his armour grated against his true skin underneath, scraping against the ore. He cursed. That sort of damage would take hours to buff out of his true skin. Won�t Stellen be pleased. The look on the smug attendant�s face as he polished his master would be just another nail in the coffin of Irron�s mood.
�Is there some reason you have addressed me, Lady Calytryx?� He managed to push the polite address through his gritted teeth.
�Not at all, my Lord Irron.� The laughter in her voice said otherwise. �I merely observe that you appear a touch out of sorts. Whatever could be the trouble to dent the jovial attitude of such a regarded noble?�
Oregal Calytryx took great pleasure in seeing her old rival and fellow veteran noble suffering. Retiring to the edge of the empire had been a move they�d both made hoping to be rid of others like them, only to find they now lived within the same Circle in the same city! The niggling war had begun immediately, and no ceasefire was in sight.
�You know, Calytryx,� Irron grated acerbically, �I�ve no idea how that husband of yours manages to stay so cheerful, given his circumstances.�
�Lord Calytryx is an endless optimist.�
�Mired in the bottom of a well.�
�He couldn�t have finer company.�
The two lapsed into companionable silence, waiting for the others to come to them, as proper nobles should. The titles weighed on them both, but it was hardly something they were allowed to put down. After a few long minutes, Stellen returned with a half dozen grumpy-looking Seekers, their pets trailing at their heels.
�What�s the problem?� Irron demanded. �We have a rather important task to be about, do we not? Why the delay?�
Stellen bowed to his lord, Lady Calytryx, and the other nobles who listened a few metres distant, interested, but not wanting to intrude if they didn�t have to.
�I have spoken to our eminent Seekers, and it appears they do not agree on the direction the quarry we pursue has travelled.�
�I found the scent trail down the westward tunnel break, my lord. Strong it was, near made my snuffer sneeze his nose off.�
�Please, my lord and lady, this man is a fool. My charges and I found the trail leading to the northeast, clear as day.�
�Haven�t you both just located divergent scout trails?� Irron snapped.
Both Seekers hastily assured him they had located the correct trail, far too strong for a few scouts, and that the other Seeker clearly made the blunder.
�This is odd, Irron,� Calytryx observed.
�I agree,� he nodded, grim. His poor mood was proving more prophetic than he�d supposed. �The possibility exists that both of these men are correct, and we are being led on a false trail��
�Such a thing would be� unusual,� his fellow noble observed.
Unusual? It would be completely unheard of in the annals of golgari history. An ant colony with the sort of intelligence to pull a manoeuvre like this? Such a thing didn�t bear thinking about. Yet it remained consistent with what they knew of these monsters. Strange behaviour, unusual goals and methods. It would be foolish to believe normal thinking and methods would apply in this case.
�I don�t like this,� he muttered.
�We don�t know enough,� Calytryx agreed.
Irron sank deep into thought. If these damnable Dungeon spawn were able to consider the ways in which they might be being tracked, and attempt countermeasures, then they possessed more advanced thought processes than any hive creature the golgari had ever encountered. Which meant they would be incredibly dangerous.
The possibility still existed that this was all a coincidence, but such a thing was becoming increasingly unlikely. Irron hadn�t risen to being a noble, the most celebrated caste of soldiers in the empire, by ignoring his instincts.
�Bring me the Farseers and the Shapers,� he ordered.
In short order, it was done. The Farseers stood before him, draped in their robes, and holding their staves. Irron tried not to pull a face, the Farseers were a difficult lot to get along with. They always seemed delighted to know something you didn�t, but they were necessary out in the Dungeon. The Shapers, on the other hand, were know-it-all do-nothings and scholars. Just being around them set his teeth on edge. The Shaper in front of him now, put in charge of his fellow mages by virtue of his close knowledge of the quarry, wasn�t much like the Shapers Irron had met in the past, but he disliked the man on principle.
�We report to you, as you requested, my lord,� the Farseer envoy bowed low.
�What do you want?� the Shaper grunted.
Irron reined in his temper before he could smash the man into pieces with a single punch.
�It appears the quarry is taking measures to avoid being traced by their scent,� he told them. �I asked for the esteemed Farseers so they might report if their own methods of tracking remained unhindered.�
�It is so, my lord,� the Farseer bowed once more. �Their feet have touched the Dungeon and so it knows them. So long as it does, we do as well.�
That was good news.
�I�ve asked for the Shaper representative to join us in case there is any new information. It would seem these ants are behaving in ways beyond what we might expect from monsters such as these. Has anything trickled out of that highly trained mind of yours, Shaper? Something that might save golgari lives?�
�Not a damned thing,� Granin grunted.
�Why did I think this was a good idea?�
�I have to say, eldest, I�m not entirely sure. I wasn�t surprised when you suggested it, though.�
�I get the feeling that�s almost an insult, Propellant��
�I wouldn�t dream of it, eldest. My respect for you knows no bounds.�
�I can�t tell if you�re being sarcastic or not anymore.�
�What�s sarcastic mean?�
��I�m starting to think you and the others need another round of training. It�ll take care of this poor attitude I�m starting to detect.�
�Ah, no. I mean. Please. We are� far too busy, eldest.�
�I suppose that�s true. You guys have it rough. What with all the expectations that are put on you. I really appreciate all the work that you do.�
�We do what we must so that the colony will thrive.�
�As do we all, I suppose� You�d better head on back now, Propellant. It won�t be long until they arrive.�
�Good luck, eldest. Don�t forget the contingency plans and reserves.�
Heh. As if I�m going to use them.
�If you don�t call on us, we�ll probably run out on our own and get killed.�
Dammit.
�Did you put Leeroy in charge or something?�
�Of course not, but we could.�
More training is
Haaa. It�s hard being an authority figure in a group of such self-sacrificing creatures. Nobody is willing to take a step back, especially when the stakes are high. In fact, the higher the stakes, the more eager they become to throw themselves in the fire.
�Fine. If I need help, I�ll ask for it. Okay?�
Seemingly satisfied, the mage turns and dashes up the tunnel to rejoin the others. Which leaves me and my pets to face the oncoming golgari. Not that we intend to fight them, naturally. It might come to that, but only in the very worst of circumstances. The lack of scent trails did seem to mess with the trackers hunting us, but only for a time. The guys with the pets no longer go out to scout nearly as often, being relegated to a minor role as the enemy relies on some other method to track us.
We�d managed to establish they weren�t tracking the hostages. When the two Shapers were shifted to another tunnel, the golgari showed no sign of shifting from the path of the colony. We next checked if Jim or Sarah were being tracked, but they showed no reaction to the two of them either. Now it was time to see if it was me they were after. The only way to do that was to dangle myself like a juicy worm down a side tunnel while the colony continued on their merry way.
Now here we are, my pets and I, waiting to see if the golgari will divert themselves to follow me or follow the rest of the ants. Once again, the Stealth Skill has come into play as I wait for the enemy to approach, and they do, at their own steady pace.
The procession is mostly unchanged from the last time I saw it, the various members in the same positions. I don�t see a supply train yet, though I presume it must be toward the back. I can�t imagine all these massive humanoids are going to march this far on an empty stomach.
Oh, here we go. Now we come to it. They reach the divide in the tunnel not a hundred metres away from where I hide and come to a stop. It�s a little odd to see the enemy in this way, stretching, chatting, and working kinks out of their backs. The armoured figures in the centre of the column are having an animated discussion. It�s hard to make out this far away, but the fact that something is being considered down there is clear.
Perhaps they do know where I am� That�s� not a good thing. Not good at all. After a few minutes of waiting, the decision of the column becomes clear. Surprisingly, they split. A small party of fifteen breaks off to move down the tunnel toward me, whilst the others continue on their path, unerringly following the colony as they�ve done all this time. Unfortunately for me, it looks like quite a few beefy characters are heading my way. It�ll get messy if we wait much longer.
[Come on, gang. Let�s get the heck out of here.]
Creeping carefully, we retreat down the tunnel, trying to stay out of sight. But something doesn�t quite seem right. These golgari are moving swiftly. Way too swiftly. In fact� aren�t they just charging?
[Forget the sneaking! Book-it!]
No longer bothering to try and hide our presence, we sprint down the tunnel in a mad dash! Behind, the golgari see us and pick up their own pace.
Dammit! Not only did they know which direction I was in, they even knew
I was close.
I risk a slight turn to bring the sprinting fighters into my view. Oh yeah, they�ve brought out the big guns. Several of those huge monsters, and even one of the armoured figures. I�m not a fan of this at all! Looks like some Shapers have come also. In fact� they look a touch familiar�
As I flee down the dark, cold tunnel of the second stratum with my pets,
I try to get a sense of the strength possessed by the golgari behind us.
The first few are just
According to Beyn, the stats humans possess aren�t linked to their mass, but rather the capacity to channel Mana through their bodies. Having said that, he did explain that someone with a larger Might stat is going to be bulkier than others. These behemoths remind me of his words. They�re like the Hulk covered in gleaming stone. Or like the Thing, but not a joke.
I never thought I�d see a non-monster that could arm-wrestle Tiny, but here we are.
Comparatively, the armoured figure is smaller, although still of average golgari height, pushing three metres. But something about the way they move is giving me the heeby-jeebies. If I had money, I�d be betting all of it that the armoured figures are the strongest in the group.
And they�re not only chasing us but gaining!
[Come on, Tiny! Pump those ape legs! We need more speed!]
[GRAAAAH!]
The giant ape roars in my mind and out loud as he spreads his wings, beating them furiously in an attempt to build up more speed. It does help, but not enough. The golgari are gaining on us so easily. Their expressions are so calm and confident, as if we represent no threat to them at all.
Good thing we were prepared for this sort of eventuality. One thing about a hive mind of individually intelligent creatures, there�s enough brain power to go around to cover for all eventualities.
Certainly, the colony was never going to leave me hanging out to dry. Not far up the tunnel are our reinforcements, ready to spring from their hiding places and assault the enemy in numbers. Before that happens, I want to try my own mandibles at the fight, see if we can�t bring this to a standstill before I need to call out my siblings.
[Get ready to turn and fight!] I call to my pets, and they each respond with determination.
[�That means you need to climb off me, Crinis.]
[Oh! Right. Sorry, Master.]
Yeesh. She reluctantly pulls herself away from my carapace as we continue our mad dash for a few seconds longer.
[Alright� turn!]
As one, the four of us dig in our heels and slow our momentum, turning around to face the enemy. A flicker of understanding ripples through the golgari�s eyes as they heft their weapons and prepare for contact.
It�s Tiny who commits first, as it should be. His face distorts in a raw bellow of rage and delight that shakes the cavern, causing a rain of dust and stone before he leaps high into the air. His wings unfold, brushing against the ceiling, and he draws back both fists over his head. Those ham-sized fists glow fiercely with bright light, and he descends like a god hammer toward the huge golgari in the front. The frontline stone-people gather, combining their strength to withstand the mighty blow that�s coming.
But the bag of tricks isn�t empty yet, not by a long shot. As Tiny falls, his image shimmers, and he appears to slide to one side. Then, with a distorting flicker, there are four Tinys descending on the enemy! With ease and precision, Invidia weaves an illusion to protect the great ape as he strikes the foe.
One of the soldiers slashes wildly with his oversized blade, cleanly bisecting two of the images. And that�s when Tiny lands amongst them.
BOOM!
The stone beneath my feet shakes as an explosion of dust and pebbles fills the tunnel, showering me. What became of the golgari at the point of impact, I�ve no idea, I can�t see a thing. I briefly consider a little Air Magic to clear the debris, but decide against it.
This is perfect cover for my own approach! Gwehehehehehe. Fear the ant that you don�t see coming!
I lower by body and Dash forward, firing off a few acid barrages, trying to avoid Tiny�s last known location. Even using Mana Sense isn�t helping much, since there are so many bodies of powerful energy present. Oddly enough, it�s my heat sense that gives me the clearest indication of where Tiny is, since the golgari, who are sealed in stone, don�t release all that much heat.
Behind me, Invidia takes up an unobtrusive position as his green eye blazes with energy. The Mana around him whirls in an intricate dance as his ridiculous brain power goes to work, weaving many spells at once.
For her part, Crinis is forming up her body from the ooze she�d reduced herself to, all three mouths gaping and gnashing horrifically as her tentacles spread. Not only is she reaching and grasping toward the golgari, but dozens of limbs are plunging into the darkening shadows around her, sinking into the floor and walls only to reappear closer to the enemy.
This is exciting! The gang, assembled at last, standing united against the enemy with the colony at our backs. It�s enough to really get the blood pumping! I can�t help but clack my mandibles in excitement, my six legs blurring as I speed through the tunnel. From my Vestibule come a thousand tiny voices, urging me on, demanding they be given the chance to fight alongside me. I take that energy and channel it, filling my body with that drive until my heart might very well explode.
The colony is with me!
�FOR THE COLONY!� I scream as large stone shapes loom out of the darkness.
A glint of metal and a sound like a collapsing tidal wave set my antennae blazing as I duck and angle my carapace to receive the blow.
BAM!
My poor legs creak as a titanic strike digs a chunk of diamond from my
thorax before deflecting above me. Didn�t expect me to be that tough,
Omen Chomp!
The dark energy manifests around my jaws and I clamp them down on the gleaming giant in front of me.
CRUNCH!
Yikes! This guy�s tough! Whatever material they used to create that skin, they sure as hell picked a hard one. With my mandibles gripped around the golgari, I spin and throw them away, using my far greater mass to send them stumbling backward, then I press forward to find Tiny.
Crinis has started to take a more active part of the battle, her tentacles reaching and grasping. Once she latches onto someone, they instantly become coiled by a dozen limbs that relentlessly dig and tear at them. I�m fairly sure she has more up her sleeves, judging by the strange behaviour of the shadows. Things are starting to heat up!
Just in case things start to turn south, I direct my sub-brains to start drawing on my Gravitational Mana. I�m not confident I�ll be able to subdue this lot. When push comes to shove, I�ll need a way out. As I try to shape up to the looming shadows, the dust that still fills the air is sucked away into a ball, leaving everyone blinking in the sudden clarity. Everyone except Tiny, who keeps swinging his fists and blasting out lightning as if nothing changed.
There are fifteen golgari in total and they are all moving in to fight. Thanks to Invidia, the fight isn�t going to go out of our favour immediately due to lack of numbers. His barrage of mental attacks, illusions, and barriers are enough to keep the opponent on the back foot as Tiny wreaks havoc amongst them. Light on his feet, Tiny shows what he can do when he gets serious. Lightning-fast ape jabs, a powerful gorilla hook, not to mention his devastating kong upper. All jaw-droppingly powerful weapons in the arsenal of his Ape Boxing Skill.
The golgari respond with the sort of practised ease that makes me
nervous. The largest three, with their gleaming skin and oversized
weapons, have regained their balance and move to the front. Even the one
I threw is swinging his axe through the air. Behind them, the armoured
guy, along with a group of Warriors and Shapers, fend off Crinis�
tentacles, seeking openings. Particularly the armoured guy, he�s barely
having to fight at all, mainly just watching us, or watching
All of a sudden, the three giants
Hah! No matter how fast you move, I can react! Their blows are coordinated, aiming to cut off my path of escape. It�s impossible to angle my carapace to receive all three, so I dodge to my left, legs firing with impossible speed, and tilt myself to one side.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Two of the strikes
At point-blank range, I pump a Gravity Bolt into the two golgari elites who managed to hit me. I wish I�d had the time to condense them, but regular-old Mana will have to do. At the same time, I flood my mandibles with Gravity Mana and shift to the left. The moment it�s charged, I yank the third elite toward me, causing him to crash into the other two. Unfortunately, they�re so monstrously strong that they hold their ground, even with one of their own crashing into their backs. It�s enough of a shock to give me the brief moment of time that I need!
POW! POW! POW! POW!
Eat rapid-fire acid, fools! Point-blank shots fire from the celebrated commercial empire straight onto the front two elites, splattering them with my patented cleaning agent. Having done the deed, I do the only noble thing, turn around and run!
[Tiny, deal with these guys!]
[HRE, HRE, HRE, HRE.]
The giant ape�s gleeful laughter echoes in my head as we trade places,
me running out and him charging in. I don�t want to get bogged down with
those three, they�re tough as bricks and strong as an ox on steroids.
I�ve got chunks missing out of my back!
My business is with the other members of this group. With Tiny supplying the threat and Invidia keeping him alive, I can plough into the softer targets that Crinis has been harassing.
She still hasn�t committed her main body, which is smart. Until that armoured guy moves, I don�t want us to get in too deep. If he�s stronger than the big three, I wouldn�t want to try taking a hit! More Gravity Bolts fly as I weave together something a little heavier. The regular warriors are tough, better than the ones I faced before, and they move with precision and power to strike at me. Without the sheer strength of the elites, though, they struggle to break through my diamond shell. My reflexes fire with insane speed, allowing me to turn and slant my body to deflect blows I see coming a fraction before they begin.
CHOMP! CHOMP!
My mandibles lash out at the press of bodies. Every time I grip a golgari in my jaws, I throw them to sow more chaos, right up until the Gravity Domain descends.
A dark purple sphere of pure gravity expands outward with me in the centre, pulling all the golgari to the ground. They�re strong, too strong to fall from such a spell, but it�s enough to hinder their movements as their weapons drag their arms to the ground. Probably my favourite thing about the Gravity Domain against opponents like these, is the way every blow becomes more difficult for them. With the weight of their own blades pulling them down, my carapace is easily able to deflect normal strikes, buying more time for the diamond layer to heal itself.
Still, things are getting crazy in here. Tired of messing around, weapons are starting to light up as Skills are put to use. The area becomes full of glowing ape fists, blade light, and crushing mandibles as I fight my way back to the Shapers. These are the guys who need to get put out of action the most. Without mage support, I�m not as worried about the warriors. When the potential exists for me to get half-knocked out with one punch, I can�t fight properly!
Get outta my way!
Protected by the domain, and with the armoured figure still just observing the action, I bully my way to confront the Shapers, only to run into a familiar face. He doesn�t look super happy to see me, though. Gah! Making contact in this situation is risky, but I�ll have to chance it.
[GRANIN! What the hell, man?]
[I know,] he sighs. [Got recruited just as forcefully as you did.]
[Is that Torrina and Corun over there?]
[Yep. We�re the experts on all things Anthony and ants, apparently.]
BAM! BAM!
Weapons continue to rattle against my carapace as I dodge left and right whilst trying to work out what the hell I�m going to do about my allies being here to hunt me down.
[What�s the plan then, Granin? Going to attack me? Kill my family?]
[Honestly? I was hoping we never caught up to you. We aren�t being particularly useful right now, but eventually, we�ll get an order that we can�t refuse.]
[Dammit, Granin. You put me in a pretty damn awkward position here.]
[Tell me about it.]
This sucks. I think it�s time to bug out.
[Retreat! Fall back down the tunnel and we�ll scare them off with numbers! Tiny, get the he�]
CRUNCH!
In a motion so fast, I can barely register what�s happening, even as I sensed it in advance, the armoured figure drew his sword, lunged, and crossed the space between us. His blade, illuminated with cold light and glowing runes, punctured my carapace with an alarming rip, the tip of the blade barely sliding past my core as I lifted my legs on one side to shift the angle.
What in the name of heck was THAT?
YEEEOUCH!
If someone ever told you that getting an enchanted blade through the gizzards is a good time, let me be the first to assure that isn�t the case! The pain is immediate and intense. I throw my body to the side in a desperate roll, keen to dislodge that sword from my guts.
Thankfully, the armoured warrior has a grip of steel, and the sword pulls cleanly out. Tucking my legs, I spring back up to find the mysterious figure watching me carefully.
This situation is not cool, and I don�t approve of it! How the heck did he get through me so easily? Is it something special about the sword? Or something about the fighter himself? The sword sure as hell looks rad, though, covered in glittering runic script and dotted with embedded cores down the blade. Bet that�s expensive�
I strain my senses and trigger my healing gland to deal with my internal injuries. My pets have already started to retreat, following my order, which has the unfortunate side effect of leaving me high and dry lagging behind them. Was this his plan? I pour more Mana into the Gravity Domain, compressing the energy to increase the strength of the pull.
[Crinis, I need some distraction. Have you got something for me?]
[Master! Are you alright?]
[I won�t be if you can�t give me some cover! Invidia, you too!]
I�m already moving, assuming my pets have my back. If I stay here even a few more seconds, I�m going to get surrounded, domain or no. My compound eyes are watching the armoured figure like a hawk-ant as I scooch my way back toward the reinforcements and away from the golgari.
The huge elite warriors are turning on me already whilst their leader watches on, blade loosely held. Thankfully, before they take a swing, a sudden darkness blooms around me, plunging the already dim tunnel into complete black. At the same time, my Mana Sense comes alight as spheres of concentrated energy flare to life around me. Crinis and Invidia have come to save the day, obscuring me visually and through Mana Sense.
Time to DASH!
My legs explode into motion, and I rush forward, keen to get some separation between these rock-people and myself. As nice as Granin is, he�s clearly not in control here and I won�t rely on golgari kindness again. Just as I pick up traction, my antennae flicker a warning. I twist my body by a fraction as the runic blade plunges toward me with inhuman speed.
CRUNCH!
Dammit! That freaking hurts!
Once again, with a sickening splintering, that hateful blade has pierced
my wonderful Diamond Carapace and poked a hole in my organs!
This guy moves so fast it�s beyond belief. How was he even able to locate me? Sound? Surely that�s not possible! At least he made one mistake, which was to attack me from behind.
POW! POW! POW!
Eat acid! At point-blank range, the powerful golgari has no choice but to cop the sizzling liquid right in the chest as I pull away once again.
[Invidia! Shield!]
The restorative fluid from my healing gland is still sloshing through my body from the first strike and my HP slowly regenerates. After two seconds, a hardened barrier forms between the golgari and I, granting me some level of protection. Thank goodness that guy didn�t chop off my legs!
For whatever reason, he seemed to think his stabbing attacks would be fatal in one hit, so he saw no need to immobilise me. It�s true, I can�t seem to defend myself against those strikes, they come too fast and hard even for my hyper-accelerated reflexes. That in and of itself is something I never thought would be possible.
I rush thirty metres down the tunnel and rejoin my pets. I can sense the colony swarming in their hidden chambers around me, granting me a strong sense of comfort. Even if I can�t hold them off on my own, we can hold them off together. Damn, my guts hurt. The darkness fades away to reveal the golgari, reforming their group as they begin to march toward us. Near the back, Granin, Torrina, and Corun walk with their people, grim looks between all three.
If I was to guess, I�m thinking they don�t want this to come to a bloody end, just as much as I don�t. They helped a lot in the past and I certainly can�t say they�d be spared if an all-out battle were to ensue here. At the same time, things won�t go as well for me and the colony if they decide to fight for real.
That figure encased in steel is the key. That�s clearly the leader here. My acid has little effect on them, the armour is just as polished as it was before. It doesn�t look as if the acid was even able to adhere properly and just sloughed off. Please don�t tell me that�s some sort of enchanted armour�
A fight is still possible, but I�m going to try another way first.
�Come on out, family! Time for a show of force!�
I call out to the hidden ants and they reveal themselves immediately. The core shapers come first, their shadow beast pets sliding from cover and blending into the darkness around them. Then the soldiers, the scouts, mages, healers, and generals. Hundreds of them crawl out of the walls and floor until they cover every surface, forming a living wall of carapace and mandibles that confronts the mere fifteen golgari.
Gwehehehe. Leave it to a colony of ants to perform a dominant display of numbers!
Some might expect I would feel ashamed at this overwhelming numerical advantage. Such people are fools! Charlatans, all! Also, they smell bad! Ants need numbers to win, these sorts of odds are only natural. Viva la swarm!
I�ll give the golgari credit, they remain stone faced�heh�when confronted with this intimidating scene. When we show no sign of advancing, they slow to a halt and stand before us, weapons poised.
Between the two sides, a standoff ensues. Two forces separated by only a dozen metres. The potential for explosive violence is thick in the air. The cold and oppressive darkness of the second stratum presses in around us and not a single figure wants to move in case they spark the conflict.
It�s into this tense atmosphere that I will need to insert my charm.
With slow caution, I deliberately weave together a Mind Bridge and extend it to the armoured golgari. I don�t want to startle anyone, so I keep my control tight and the contact light. The spell settles on him gently, and I open myself up to the channel with care.
Damn, I could cut this air with an antenna, I swear it�s that thick. Need to be so careful here.
[What�s happening, rock-man?] Gotta keep it light.
A nice, soft touch. That�s always the correct play. Keep it friendly, no need to shout or get angry, that stuff never defused anything. Believe me, I know. You gotta smile through the screaming, that�s how you get your bacon out of the frying pan. So far, signs are good! The powerful golgari warrior, encased in gleaming metal, is yet to stab me through the face, so let�s call the initial salvo a victory!
[You would be Anthony, I presume?]
The mental voice that comes back to me is deep and powerfully resonant. Just by touching that mind, I can tell this guy isn�t ordinary. There are depths of power here that he hasn�t yet displayed. A sleeping aura that boils beneath the surface, controlled and concealed. I get the feeling if he was to really cut loose, not only my pets and I, but also his allies, would be impacted by it.
[That�s me. One big �ol ant.]
[You were once a human, were you not?]
[That is indeed the case.]
[Interesting. I presume you choose to surround yourself with these monsters for security, yes?]
He gestures toward the eerily still wall of ants that cover the tunnel walls and ceiling with one hand. I watch him carefully for any other sign of motion. If he moves a single toe, I want to see it happening in advance. Come on, antennae, don�t fail me now!
[I�m not sure what you mean. I�ve been more welcome and treated far better amongst them than with any �civilised� race I�ve come across so far. With the possible exception of the sophos.]
[Monsters rejecting the sapient to consort with monsters. I�m hardly surprised.]
[That attitude may be part of the problem, uh, what was your name?]
[I do not give my name to creatures such as you. Why do you wish to talk with me, creature? We have business to be about.]
This guy has issues. Serious problems in the upstairs department.
[You
It�s hard to read the man�s emotions, his face being hidden behind the intricate helmet he�s wearing along with the armour. Now that I�m close enough to get a good look, the armour is super fancy. Smooth, burnished surfaces, elegant lines, and incredibly fine detailing. I�ll be shocked if it isn�t enchanted. The cores must be socketed somewhere inside the suit, which makes sense. They�d create a weak point were they placed anywhere else. Such a suit must be immensely difficult to make, not to mention pricey. My estimation of this guy�s status is rising even further.
[These proud Warriors would be pleased to give their lives to achieve our mission. Which, I might add, is exterminating you and your kind,] he proclaims.
[You really want to test the dedication of your members against
mine? I�ll give you a hint at how that�ll go:
The figure has barely moved, and now indicates indifference with the slightest lift of his shoulders.
[You have killed my people, monster. The city has charged me and mine with the extermination of your kind, down to the last, so that no further infestation will spread to threaten the Empire of Stone. I know not what you seek to achieve with this banter.]
[Preservation of life? According to your own words, more of your people will die here in this tunnel than have perished at my people�s mandibles, so far. If you actually care to keep your people alive, then turning around, and returning to your city, is by far the best choice. I have no wish to kill your people. We seek only to return to our home, far from here.]
The ants around me maintain their eerie, inhuman stillness, all eyes locked on the gleaming figure encased in metal. Even to me, it�s a creepy scene. When I include Crinis, all three maws open and dripping with ooze as she gnaws on the air whilst staring at the golgari, it becomes a touch unnerving.
[Just chill out, Crinis.]
[He stabbed you, Master!]
[I�m aware�]
[Twice!]
[I was there! Just don�t attack unless I say, alright?]
[Fine�]
Phew. This situation is bad enough without Crinis going off the deep end and committing us all to battle. Even now, the bulk of the golgari force is still tracking the majority of the colony somewhere in the tunnels. My fear is that battle has already commenced over there, though I know the colony is doing all they can to maintain the distance. There should be no chance that they�re fighting, but still, I worry.
The armoured figure has remained silent for a few beats, and I feel compelled to fill the silence.
[You need to make a decision, guy. Either you turn around and walk away or we fight it out to the death right here. There doesn�t appear to be any middle ground.]
[These ants,] he muses, [they don�t behave as they should. I presume that�s because of your influence?]
[I suppose a little of my personality rubbed off on them, what can I say? On the bright side, they aren�t trying to eat you right now.]
He nods and hefts his weapon.
[Hopefully, they�ll return to their savage selves after you are dead.]
No. C�mon,
My antennae flicker a warning, and I respond on instinct, twisting to one side and the sword slides past my face and sinks into my thorax.
[Are you serious? Do you have any idea how many are going to die
because of
Omen Chomp!
My mandibles crunch around the armour, dragging the figure closer to my face.
[There�s going to be
[The Empire of stone is always at war with the Dungeon, monster.]
Well, nards. I mean, even with a sword sticking in me and an angry golgari in a fancy suit of armour staring hatefully into my eyes, all I can think of is the unwinding consequences of this action. How many ants, how many creatures, will suffer as a result? All so unnecessary! These freakin� morons!
Luckily for me, my fellow colony members are not quite as upset at the prospect of the oncoming conflict. The moment the armoured stone giant strikes me, the hundreds of ants, not to mention my pets, leap into action. Acid and spells, held at the ready during the standoff, are now let loose.
The air is chock-full of sizzling liquid, fireballs, and pheromones as the ants scream their war cries and rush headfirst into the conflict. Before I can even attempt to dislodge the blade from my carapace, Crinis has lashed the powerful golgari warrior with a dozen limbs. A horrific grinding begins as she unsheathes her barbs and they tear into his armour.
Tiny wastes no time and leaps into the thick of the fray, leading the ant charge, Invidia tagging along as every surface of the tunnel becomes a crawling mass of insect surging toward the enemy.
�FOR THE COLONY!�
�DESTROY THEM!�
�DEFEND THE ELDEST!�
The ants cry out relentlessly as they stream into battle, biting and chomping everything they can, utilising the group tactics that were drilled into them at the Academy.
The golgari don�t wait for death, but instead spring forward like the trained professional warriors that they are.
Against the swarming ants, they deploy wide sweeping blades of sword light, trying to cut down as many of the onrushing monsters as they can. The result is probably not as impressive as they�d hoped. Big-bodied tier four soldiers in the front lines perform their duty and throw themselves in harm�s way to protect their more vulnerable kin. Their thick carapaces absorb the strikes, large rents appearing on their bodies, but they don�t stop pushing forward.
The armoured golgari and I remain locked in our own little world, each hardly moving. I can tell Crinis isn�t having much luck breaking through that powerful armour, and I don�t expect she will. The gear this guy is strutting around in puts him on another level, and I don�t think she�ll be able to cut through to him at her current tier. I wonder what sort of ore someone this strong was able to secure for their skin? Something fancy, no doubt, but surely not as strong as his armour.
[You killed a lot of your own people today,] I tell him.
[You�re very confident for a bug. Do you think we can�t squash you as we please?]
[You�ve never seen anything like us before, rock-head. When you crawl back to your home, make sure you remember that this didn�t have to happen!]
[CRINIS!]
At my mental shout, Crinis releases her grip on him, and my mandibles crunch down, heedless of how his blade twists in my carapace. With the energy of the colony flooding out of the Vestibule and diffusing throughout my whole being, I truly feel as if my lifeforce is boundless!
OMEN CHOMP! OMEN CHOMP! OMEN CHOMP!
Not holding back anymore, the dark mandibles manifest and slam down, rapid-firing onto the glittering armour. Sensing my intent, he reacts to defend himself and the runes engraved in the metal flare to life, drawing on the Mana in the air for the first time. As my jaws clamp down, they�re being repulsed by a force emanating outward from the armour. It�s not really a problem, though, since my jaws are far from the only weapons I have available.
I let the Mind Bridge dissolve and the Mind Mana Construct with it. I don�t see the point in talking to this guy any longer, and I highly doubt someone as strong as he is will be vulnerable to my mental tricks. Instead, I draw on the Fire Mana Construct I prepared during our chat and give him a face full of blue flames. Rocks can melt, sucka! How do you like them toasty apples?
The heat from the flickering tongues of blue flame is intense. The very moisture from my eyeballs is evaporating even though I�m the one casting it! I can�t imagine it�s a whole lot of fun for the enemy. Indeed, after only a second of being wreathed in flame, he moves.
With that eerie, impossible speed, he withdraws the blade from my side and rather than stab me, he batters the blade into my side with raw strength, diverting the flame away. I switch off the magic before I roast my own siblings and allow the strike to turn my body around.
POW! POW! POW! POW!
I know the acid isn�t going to do much to him, but it doesn�t hurt to let him have a second serving! This also has the added benefit of shifting my core away from that damn sword and presenting him with the least vital section of my body.
Which turns out to be a good thing since he stabs me there before I can turn around again. I grit my mandibles against the pain and trigger my healing gland again. I can only thank my bulk that his one-handed sword isn�t able to penetrate far enough to pierce my core from back there.
Determined, I swing myself back around to face him directly, my antennae blazing with laser focus to detect his moves before he can make them. When we come face to face, his sword is already in position to pierce my brain. Opening my jaws wide, I unleash more fire. The blade flickers forward, only to be slapped midair by a Crinis tentacle. The figure�s strength is still immense, and she isn�t able to divert the blade completely, but it�s enough to turn the strike away from my head.
He growls in frustration as his blade sinks into my thorax and the flames roar against his armour. I don�t care how damn tough you are, this level of fire has got to hurt. I can feel a welling frustration building within him as well. I�m sure he wants to finish me off quickly and go help the rest of the golgari, but I�m continuing to prove difficult to kill.
Every second that passes, the colony gets closer to victory over the others. There�s just no way that fourteen stone-people are going to be able to hold off hundreds of tier three and four monsters who work together. I can only hope that Granin and his Triad are able to make it out alive. It would be rough if the only reward they received for helping me was an untimely end at the mandibles of my siblings.
Heh. You�ve got no chance of finishing me off fast enough to save them, punk. What are you gonna do about it? Isn�t it time we took the gloves off?
Like air in a bellows, the palpable strength within this armoured figure rises and falls in his attempt to control it. He knows as well as I do that he doesn�t have any choice but to unleash it. What will it matter if some of his people become collateral damage, if none of them are going to survive anyway?
The same proposition is looming before my multifaceted eyes as well. If I don�t force this guy to retreat, he�ll kill every ant here, or come very close to it. I�m going to have to pull out the big guns to get him out of here, and there�s little chance I�ll be able to prevent the rest of the colony from getting caught up in the crossfire. Definitely not a preferred choice, but I�m just going to have to deal with it!
Come on then, blockhead. Show me what you�ve got!
Power surges through me as the Vestibule channels the will of every ant in range, thousands of individuals, into me as energy. Harnessing that, I push my body and minds further than I ever have before. One of my sub-brains weaves together a new Elemental Construct while I focus my energy on my jaws and lunge for another vicious chomp. The pain of the blade in my side threatens to jar my focus as I fight to hold him still, blue flames pouring from my mouth, roasting him with intense heat.
I feel the surge building before it comes. Rather than retreat, I step forward, bringing the golgari even closer, so that I might shield my family from as much harm as possible.
Light blazes from his armour as an irresistible
HRRRRR. Damn this moron! If he�s so desperate for a war that�ll kill thousands, then at the very least he should be one of the first to fall!
My minds work in flawless harmony weaving together two different elements to form an entirely new spell. Roaring heat from the Fire Mana Construct held in my left-brain melds with firm Earth Mana from my right, creating a new Mana. Thick and bursting with raw power, my central sub-brain takes hold of this new energy and crafts a spell out of it, all in the blink of an eye.
The ability to form new types of Mana is just one of the startling advances my spellcraft has made over the last few weeks. My capacity to manipulate Mana has grown by leaps and bounds, not to mention that never-ending, repetitive practice has driven these new patterns into my subconscious. I�ve been having dreams about them, for Gandalf�s sake. It all shows in the incredible ease with which I pull together this new magic.
EAT LAVA, SUCKA!
Five metres in front of me, the armoured golgari is ablaze with energy. Mana floods into his armour and blade as he draws back to unleash a mighty blow. Luckily, I can strike before he gets the chance. Before my face, a sizzling ball of molten rock takes shape, then launches through the air and slams into the figure�s chest. The physical force is enough to disrupt his balance, but far from enough to knock him down. That�s what the next three are for!
Lava Bolt after Lava Bolt rockets toward him as he fights to hold his feet. I�m also advancing, step by step, never letting my focus waver. If I allow him a moment of respite, he�ll be able to unleash his Skill, and who knows the devastation he�ll be able to cause with that? I can�t give him the chance!
The battle rages around me as ants rush in, pheromones flying and rattling off my antennae. Cries of victory, calls for healers, requests for backup�it all washes over me and slides past my consciousness. Sunk deep into meditation, my focus is absolute. I will not be distracted. Step. Step. My mandibles flex and open wide, charging with power as the dark mandibles bloom to life.
Omen Chomp!
With a shout of rage, the golgari tightens his grip on the hilt of his sword and brings it down in a massive overhead strike. The moment it begins to move, the pressure it unleashes is absurd, nearly crushing me to the floor. With my very slight glimpse into the future, my senses scream that this blade means death. Even the sight of it is horrifying. His stamina has flooded the blade until it�s bursting with light, extending from the tip of the blade through the ceiling of the tunnel. The runes along the blade are lit with pure Mana and the energy in the air howls, forming a vortex around the blade itself.
To be struck would kill me, I�m certain of that. Diamond Carapace or no,
this is still an ability above my grade. But I refuse to dodge! Acting
against my every instinct, I don�t roll to the side, or leap backward.
In that split second, hovering on the border of life and death, I
The arm descends as my mandibles close.
SNAP!
BOOOOOM!
My mandibles crunch on his arm, arresting its descent, but with a roar
of rage, he forces the Skill to fall. Using only his wrist, he directs
the howling storm onto my back. In that last moment, there�s a
resounding
At first, I don�t feel anything, and I�m filled with relief. Then I
realise that I don�t feel
I attack in a frenzy, jaws pumping furiously as I blast him with lava. At this point-blank range, almost as much of the stuff lands on me as slips through his armour. The molten stone hisses as it superheats my carapace, but I pay it no mind, I can�t afford to. Triggering my healing gland again, I keep on biting.
Desperate to fight me off, the golgari uses his good hand to hammer at my head with his ferocious strength, trying to force my head away. My strength fading, I can�t resist for long, and he eventually succeeds in smashing a fist down on my eye. Instantly blinded on that side, I reel in pain and my jaws slacken, allowing the golgari loose.
He doesn�t hesitate and explodes outward with power, forcing me and every ant nearby back against the walls. With a final glance at the skittering horde of insects around him, he flickers and dashes away down the tunnel, smashing any ant that gets in his way. As he fades from view, it�s only then that I realise my abdomen is missing. As in, the whole thing.
DAMMIT! Closed for business?
Then I pass out.
Turns out that the tier four healers have a whole new range of tricks up their carapace. Some have even modified their acid production with a variant that allows them to shoot regenerative fluids instead. They�ve literally got medic guns! The things that are possible in this world, I tell you.
When I come around, a group of healers is clustered around me, fussing over my injuries. I immediately glance back at my shattered rear-zone and sigh with relief when I see that it�s started to regenerate. It doesn�t look pretty, that�s for sure. In fact, it looks anything but pretty. A pulsing blob of flesh, covered with a congealing layer of glittering, clear shell hangs off my thorax. Yuck.
Luckily, it�s regrowing nicely. When I check my status, there�s no change in my glands or organs, which is great. I�d have been majorly ticked off if all the hard work I�d put into mutation, not to mention all the itching I�d endured, had been lost in the business district. I�m feeling surprisingly good considering a third of my body was smashed to nothing. That strike was completely nuts. By far the most powerful Skill I�ve seen. The armoured golgari are not to be messed with, that�s become clear. Maybe after I�ve evolved again, I�ll be able to go up against them more evenly.
The colony doesn�t seem to share my relaxed attitude to my injury. There are at least twenty ants hovering around me right now, screaming constantly about the situation.
�We need more regenerating fluid! Hurry up with it!�
�I�m all out! There�s a lot of healing that needs to get done around here!�
�THEN GET THE HECK OUT OF THE WAY!�
�Do any of you healers know Healing Magic? NONE of you! Why the HELL don�t we have magic healers in this group?�
�I kind of feel nervous about telling them that I have Healing Magic. I mean, I�ve been using it on myself, don�t get me wrong, they just seem very tense. I could also let them know that Invidia is perfectly capable of healing, but I�ve got him out healing the injured ants in the tunnels and don�t need him to be dragged back here to look after me.
�Let me through, step back a little, let me through.�
A calm, authoritative voice breaks through the babble, and soon, Propellant appears next to me.
�You look a little worse for wear, eldest.�
�Ah, hey there. What�s the damage like?�
I know we lost people. I just hope it wasn�t too bad.
�Not as bad as you might expect, eldest. The healers are doing great work, as they always do, and the overwhelming numbers advantage allowed us to effectively swarm the enemy.�
�Fair enough,� I sigh. �Were there any prisoners? Did anyone surrender?�
Please let Granin and the others have survived.
�We did actually have three surrender during the fight. They are under guard right now. I thought you might want to speak to them before we move on.�
�Great! Fantastic news! Where are they?�
After getting directions, I ignore the shouting of the healers and start dragging my battered body toward my erstwhile allies. They�re standing calmly, surrounded by dozens of monstrous ants. Tiny is there, joking around with Corun, each throwing playful punches at the other. When I appear, Granin and Torrina turn to me, and their combined minds reach out.
[Hey there, squad! I�m so glad you survived!] I greet them.
Granin huffs.
[You look like crap.]
I take in the slowly morphing blob of flesh hanging off my back end.
[Well, I think I got off pretty light, all things considered.]
Granin brings his hands up to run over his face. He looks weary.
[A lot of my people have died here. This isn�t going to turn out well, Anthony.]
[Hey, look. I tried. I offered to just let you guys walk away, back to your city where we would never be seen again. That moron insisted on battle, even if the situation was against you.]
[I figured,] Granin sighs. [Though it sucks, this was predictable. The nobles won�t back down once they�ve been given a task. That�s just how it goes.]
He eyes the rest of the ants nearby and farther down the tunnel.
[I can see what you�ve done here. You modified the Queen, didn�t you?]
I fiddle my antennae and kick the dirt a little.
[I did,] I confess. [I wanted my colony to thrive, to be successful. In this world, they�re my family, after all. Is that so wrong?]
Granin falls silent and Torrina steps forward to fill in the gap.
[It isn�t like you did the wrong thing, Anthony. But you have to
understand how others are going to react when they find out what you�ve
done. A
[But
She only shakes her head.
[It doesn�t matter. If you keep exploring, keep expanding, then
you�ll eventually run into other Dungeon powers. The lower you go, the
more crowded it becomes. Battles for territory happen
[It�s not only that,] Granin breaks in. [The Dungeon is all about resources. Experience, cores, and rare materials.]
I�m not sure what that has to do with�
[Oh, heck.
Granin nods.
[Big ant colony? Tons of experience. And if I�m not mistaken, every one of these ants has a core. A walking fortune. Probably a lot of useable monster parts as well. Good chunk of carapace can make fine armour, in the right hands. People are going to fight for the chance to hunt you down.]
Well, dammit. I�d not considered it like that. This super sucks.
[Now that things have come to this, once word gets back to the city, they are going to start mobilising. You�ll have a little time, but not much, before the empire moves against you. If you�re lucky, it�ll just be them. If you�re unlucky, they�ll invite others as well.]
[Others?]
[Other kingdoms. Other forces and armies that occupy space in the Dungeon. You�re lucky the area you live in is so undeveloped, at the higher levels at least. But I guarantee that there are powerful groups taking up space below you.]
Hardly shocking, I suppose. Still, they paint a very depressing picture of almost endless conflict to come.
[So, what are you guys going to do?] I ask.
Granin pulls a face and spits to one side.
[Hell. There�s basically no way for me to avoid the conflict. I�m not even sure how I�ll explain our survival.]
[You can always come with me,] I offer.
[No thanks,] he rebuts. [I know you�ve been treated poorly, and that the coming conflict isn�t on you, but I think I�ll head back to the Shapers and try to get the Cult on firm footing. I�m not the sort of golgari who can fight against his people.]
[Fair enough. I couldn�t ask it of you.]
It�s disappointing. Despite everything, Granin has become something of a mentor to me. But I understand his choice and can only wish the best for him.
[So, I�ll be sending these two idiots with you instead.] He points at Torrina and Corun.
The tunnels are a complete mess. Huge cracks run through the stone and sections are collapsing all over the place. Before we even meet up with the main group, I know what�s taken place. The moment I came under attack, the message was passed to enact the ambush on the golgari in the other tunnel.
No point allowing the two groups of rock-people to reunite and fight together. Decisive action was called for. I objected to the colony going head-to-head against such a powerful enemy, but the other members of the council assured me they had another strategy in mind. Which turned out to be collapsing the tunnel on top of the enemies� heads. Using earth mages and our natural predilection to tunnel digging, the council was able to arrange a fairly broad tunnel collapse in a matter of hours. After the stone came down, the ants moved in to fight whatever they could find, taking advantage of the less-than-ideal state of their opponents.
The fact that the armoured golgari, the �nobles�, were in the centre of the column would have played to our advantage. They should�ve taken the brunt of the fall and been too far from the front to be in a position to fight the ants. Somehow, I doubt they died. With their Skills, armour, and doubtlessly potent true skin, if anyone was going to survive a tunnel collapse it would be them. All the more reason to get ourselves out of here.
�Eldest! What a glorious injury you�ve received! I�m jealous��
�Leeroy, you idiot. You�re looking disappointingly healthy.�
�I was unable to find an enemy during the battle. I wanted to start unearthing the golgari, but the others stopped me.�
Her antennae droop sadly as she talks of saving the lives of our enemies, only to end them in person.
�I�m tired, Leeroy. What did you want?�
�Right! The others were wondering if you wanted to discuss what was going to happen next? It�s a little up in the air, from what I gather.�
Up in the air? Why the heck would it be up in the air? Let�s go
�What the heck is going on here?� I demand. �We need to get away from this place and go back to the nest! Why am I hearing about discussions regarding our �plans�?�
The others make room for me, my larger frame taking up much of the space. Only the tier four soldiers can rival me for size, but even they fall short of my bulk and I loom over the council. When I think about it, my eyes are probably at a similar height to that of a tall human, my third body segment being the �tallest� part of my body. It�s in length that my true mass lies, and I�m a fairly chunky ant at this point.
�Obviously, the plan is to get back to the nest,� Burke explains patiently. �But we need to do it in such a way that we don�t get followed. At the very least, we need to make tracking us as difficult as possible. The more time we can buy for the colony to grow, the better.�
Actually, that�s a damn good point.
�Doesn�t that just mean we keep going without using pheromones?� I ask.
�Look,� Burke says, exasperated, �doing that isn�t as simple as some of you seem to think. My scouts rely on those trails to move around and ensure they stay on safe paths! We don�t have Mind Magic to communicate, and it�s too risky to drag a mage that far away from the main group. Long-range scouting is basically impossible without pheromonal communication.�
Ahh. I�m starting to see the problem.
�That means we need to move slower in order to ensure we don�t take any wrong turns and run into trouble,� I say.
�Right,� Burke agrees. �Except we can�t really afford to slow down that much.�
�Not to mention,� breaks in Sloan, �that we still don�t know how they were tracking us once we ceased using our pheromones. Without that knowledge, it�s impossible for us to be certain we can�t be followed.�
�Have either of the prisoners said anything?� I ask.
�Nothing!� declares Leeroy. �They won�t even fight with me!�
�What about the two new golgari you brought back with you?� Burke asks.
�How do you even know about that already?�
�I have my sources, eldest.�
�I bet. No, I�m not going to question them on anything that might be considered a betrayal of their own people. To be honest, I�m not even sure why they were sent with us. I�ll have to work that out with them later. For now, let�s put our antennae together and work out a plan.�
The four of us rattle on for twenty minutes without coming to any conclusive path forward. It�s frustrating, but we�re dealing with something unknown, a Skill we don�t know about, perhaps. In the end, all we can do is try to limit our scent and move as quickly as possible. To that end, it�s agreed that the main group will maintain �radio silence� whilst the scouts roaming ahead would be able to put down a limited number of trails to mark paths. Alongside this, an extensive network of false trails would be laid by splinter groups roving away from the main group before they returned.
�If we slow ourselves too much worrying about something we don�t understand, we�re only shooting ourselves in the claw,� I tell them.
�Right you are, eldest.�
�Sounds good!�
�If you don�t mind, I�m going to try and finish healing as we start marching.�
They agree that seems like a good idea, and I pull away from the group to find my pets. Predictably, they�re hanging out with Corun and Torrina, both of whom seem a little stunned to be where they�ve ended up. As I painfully crawl over, I whip up a Mind Bridge and extend it to both of them.
[He didn�t tell you what he was going to do, did he?]
Torrina starts when my mind touches hers and turns her head to find me amongst the swarming ants.
[No, he didn�t. I kind of had a feeling that something like this might happen, though,] she replies.
[You did?] Corun cries. [You might have said something. I had no idea�]
I�m also a little curious.
[Why did you think he would leave you behind?] I ask. [This is hardly a wonderful place to be for you guys. Your people are about to go to war with mine, for starters.]
Torrina thinks for a moment before she replies, the gleaming metal of her skin shining softly in the dark.
[Do you remember what the Cult of the Worm is all about, Anthony?]
[Finding the twentieth Ancient? Or
[Right. It�s not unusual for the Cult to appoint a mentor, a steward, to prospects that come under our care, which was done for you. The Cult placed Granin and his Triad in charge of you.]
[So?]
I�m struggling to see where this is going.
[So, you�re still our responsibility as a candidate monster.]
[This seems a little far to go just to fulfill that responsibility, Torrina. I�m not buying it.]
[We take that a little more seriously than you seem to think we do. But there is more. I think Granin has come to believe you actually have a chance.]
[
[That makes sense,] Corun muses. [For Granin to stick his neck
out like this. To put the two of
[Ah, heck.]
The old man was loopy in the end after all. No way I want something like becoming an Ancient. Sounds like way too much work. Not to mention, I have no idea what�s supposed to happen when twenty of them get together. Something big, apparently. I can�t be bothered thinking about this. I�ve got about a week of marching ahead of me.
[Invidia! Get over here and help me fix my butt. We start marching soon.]
Morrelia groaned as she peeled her eyes open. Her eyelids had other ideas and refused to respond to orders. Her brain and muscles fell into a battle, neither side willing to budge until at last, she triumphed and forced her eyes open. A victory, but hard fought. She was already exhausted and all she�d done was open her eyes.
She wouldn�t be defeated like this, not before she�d even rolled out of bed! Morrelia grit her teeth and began to move her arms and legs. Only slight movements, just a little twitch of a finger, or a curl of toe. Every time she made the attempt, her body screamed with protest and sent jagged pokers of pain shooting down her nerves. She was nothing if not determined, or stubborn, her mother would say with a smile, so she persisted. Eventually, she was able to clench her hands into fists, which was another win. Then, she was able to shift her feet without significant pain.
Sensing victory, she decided to attempt to leap from her bed in one go. She carefully gathered her strength, grit her teeth in determination, and loosened her joints before she flung herself forward! Only to find she moved not a bit, since she was still strapped into the Runic armour she�d had on yesterday. In fact, judging by the somewhat lowered perspective she currently enjoyed, it was entirely possible that when she collapsed into bed, the legs on it had broken.
�Crud,� she muttered as her body continued to remind her of its numerous aches.
There was nothing for it. She stifled her groans and awkwardly levered herself out of bed, waddling like a turtle to shift the heavy plates of enchanted stone and metal. She might be strong, stronger than she�d ever been, but this stuff was heavy. Once she was up, she was able to appreciate the areas of her skin where the leather strapping had chafed as she slept. A whole new type of pain for her to enjoy during today�s training. Without much time to prepare herself, she grabbed her well-used pot of salve from her shelf and reached between the plates to try and cover the worst of her injuries.
All of the new Legionaries were sharing medicinal tips, and this particular ointment had proven to be a boon. Cheap to requisition from the Legionary supply and effective for the price, the stuff was a godsend to Morrelia on a day like this. Ministrations complete, she stomped out of her room and into the corridor before making her way to the gathering square outside. Already, seven other newly promoted Legionaries in full armour stood to attention, watched over by a stone-still Centurion. Cheering that she hadn�t been the last to awake, she rushed to take her place in line, posture perfect and gaze determined.
It was another three minutes before the last unfortunates clattered out of the dorm and into the square, by which time the Centurion was practically radiating his displeasure. The last to emerge took one frantic glance around the square, which only confirmed her fate. Without even being ordered, she turned toward the parade ground and started running.
�Double it,� the Centurion said in clipped tones.
Each of the Legionaries in line winced at the fate of their comrade. Double the usual run? That�s ten kilometres in full armour before training even begins! As the unfortunate clanked off, the metal of her boots jarring with each step, the rest of them awaited their instructions for the day.
The Centurion looked over them with a critical eye, making note of their appearance, their demeanour, and how willing their glares were. He firmly believed that cultivating one�s glare was a critical part of Legionary training. If you couldn�t stare down a tier three monster, then you shouldn�t be let off the base.
�There aren�t many Legionaries who arrive here without having completed their Runic armour training,� the Centurion began. �Those that do, receive the most vigorous and punishing regime the Legion has to offer. The Iron Temple does not produce weak Legionaries.�
Morrelia and the rest nodded firmly. The lot of them had been promoted from all over Pangera, and not one had gone through anything like what they�d experienced over the last month. Brutal, unforgiving, relentless, merciless Centurions had driven them to the brink of breaking down and held them there for the entire duration of their stay. If they weren�t undertaking endless physical drills, they were in the Dungeon, exhausted and fighting until they dropped. Only to get a splash of water in the face and sent back in.
It was madness, but it worked. Morrelia had experienced growth incomparable to anything she�d experienced before. Her stats, her Levels, and Skills. All exploded rapidly, a testament to the quality of training given here.
�Now for today�s assignment, rest!� the Centurion barked.
The Legionaries flinched before the words had a chance to sink in. When
they had, they only looked confused. Rest? There was
�Training course is done, Legionaries. Your Classes have reached the required level and your Skills have progressed to the point that you are no longer required to report here. Your time in the Iron Temple is done.�
Relief washed over the faces of most, but not Morrelia. The Centurion was amused to note a flicker of irritation on her face before it was replaced with a decidedly false smile.
�A report on your training progress and accomplishment will be sent to your commanders. You have two hours before you are expected to report to your divisions, until then, pack and clean your armour.�
�What about the rest?� one of the Legionaries protested.
The Centurion shot her a glare.
�That IS your rest! Or would you rather run?� He jerked a thumb at the still running member.
�No, sir!�
�That�s what I thought. Legionary Faronicus, report to me. The rest of you are dismissed.�
They each crashed a fist over their heart before moving to their duty, an excited babble of chatter rising as they went. Morrelia stepped toward the Centurion warily. She hadn�t tried to stand out during her training, but her father�s surname carried certain connotations she�d only become aware of once she�d arrived.
�Your situation is a little unusual, Legionary, in that your training report will end up in the hands of your father. Before I submit it, I want to be sure you are comfortable with that scenario.�
Morrelia breathed a sigh of relief. If that was all it was, she didn�t have a problem.
�No, that�s fine,� she said.
The Centurion looked at the fierce young woman with approval. Commander Titus would no doubt be pleased by the glowing report about to land in his hands. His daughter would be a rare Legionary if she were given the chance to grow.
�Dismissed, Legionary. Good luck in your division.�
�Thank you, Centurion.�
Morrelia marched back to her rooms where she began the long and painful process of peeling herself out of her Runic armour and cleaning down each individual piece. Before that, though, another round of salve.
Titus walked the long corridors of his new billet with a training report held in one hand, his face cast in stone as usual. It was difficult, though, since the corner of his mouth kept threatening to curl up reading of his daughter�s training exploits. The Centurions in charge of her training used some interesting terms: manic dedication, boundless tolerance for bloodshed, and disturbing disregard for pain, were a few of his favourites.
The trainers in the Iron Temple didn�t hand out praise lightly. An ornery group of veterans from the deep strata, they prided themselves on producing the best results and the most conditioned Legionaries. Judging by the numbers Morrelia achieved in her new Class and the growth of her Skills, she�d excelled even by their standards. Pride tinged with sadness welled up within him. He was filled with joy to see Morrelia achieving her potential, but it was bittersweet that her brother would never receive the same opportunities.
He shook his head to shake off the creeping melancholy. Romanus wasn�t served by him wallowing in self-pity, and Titus wasn�t about to allow it of himself. He finished reading the report and dropped it into his satchel. He�d reached a door set into the stone wall and knocked firmly, opening it without waiting for a reply.
At his entrance, three figures inside stood to attention once they caught sight of him. He snapped a quick salute, fist to heart, then waved for them to be at ease.
�Greetings all, just checking in with Aurillia.�
The room was a typical office space in the Legion, sparse and militant, a desk, a bookshelf, and a few chairs. Aurillia stood behind the desk, laden with papers, whilst two of the younger Legionaries from Liria assisted with the tedious minutiae of administration. Titus had been all too willing to offload the paperwork to his long-suffering adjutant. He simply didn�t have the time to look after his own Legionaries since the upper brass were intent on having him run all over the temple for meeting after meeting.
�Any chance you�ve arrived to assist with these requisition forms, Commander?� Aurillia asked with an arched brow.
�Not in a million years,� he replied flatly and the faces of the two assistants fell.
Donnelan and Mirryn had been stuck in this office for days now, wading through the demanding bureaucracy of the Abyssal Legion. They�d never imagined that the Legion they�d signed up for so long ago would have such strict requirements for paperwork. When the Tribune pointed out that running an independent army on a global scale required as disciplined an approach to administration as it did to soldier training, they could only nod and agree.
�How�s progress rehoming our Legionaries?� Titus asked.
Aurillia sighed. �Slow, Commander. Very slow. There�s hot spots flaring all over the Dungeon, and every commander in the fortress is demanding supplies and reinforcements. Our request to reform our Legion has been accepted, but there seems to be an issue giving us the people we need.�
�It�s not unexpected,� Titus said, �but still disappointing. We were understrength to start with, and after the defence at the Bulwark, we are undermanned, though deserving.�
�The last wave pushed a lot of garrisons hard, apparently. There just aren�t enough recruits to go around, Commander.�
Titus� eyes glinted. �I might have to make use of my connections if this thing is going to get done.�
Aurillia blanched. �You�d actually try it? With
�She�s not that scary,� he said offhandedly. �You just have to get used to her.�
�Maybe to
Donnelan and Myrrin stared at each other wide-eyed. Who could the two
officers possibly be talking about? Someone able to scare Tribune
Aurillia? Even intimidate the
�Have you even been to see her since we arrived?� Aurillia asked.
�Of course I have,� Titus said, impatient.
�How many times?�
�Three or four,� Titus mused.
�That�s all? That�s your
�She�s busy and so am I,� he harrumphed. �You think I can just march into her office whenever I want?�
Aurillia became quite still. �You can�t?�
�Of course not! If I show up there unannounced, she�d kick me out herself!�
�But now you think you can just wander in there and ask her to give us preferential treatment?�
�No. I have an appointment.�
�You do?�
�It was always going to come down to this. The Abyssal Legion has never had an abundance of resources, we squeeze every centimetre out of what we have. If nothing else, the brass understand that whatever they place in my hands won�t be wasted. I planned ahead and set this up.�
Aurillia ran her eyes over the stacks of paper heaped on her desk.
�Are you telling me�� Her voice trembled with barely suppressed rage.
�That I�ve been going to war with these
�No!� he hastened to assure her. �All of this stuff still needs to get done. If we don�t toe the line, we won�t get so much as a sword. If anything, these efforts have been central to our chances of success.�
He ran an eye over his longest serving officer.
�Take a day off, Aurillia. After today, our situation will change anyway. You can come back and tackle the paper once we know where we stand.�
He turned to the two young Legionaries who looked as if they were trying to fade into the walls.
�I�ll take these two with me. Minerva always had a soft spot for the young up and comers. She won�t get too nasty with them around. Get up, you two. Time to go meet the consul.�
Even now, a month after arriving in the great fortress of the Legion, Myrrin still couldn�t quite believe her eyes whenever she saw it. Along with Donnelan, she trailed behind her commander as they made their way out of the remote barracks she and her fellow refugees from Liria had been billeted in. When the commander pushed open the door and strode through, the bright light flared in her eyes, and she raised a hand to provide some relief. After several days straight of being locked indoors, the outside was a little too well-lit for her to handle.
It was almost like stepping out when on the surface. Overhead was a truly vast space, far larger than even Rylleh had contained. Numerous powerful crystals dotted the ceiling, flooding the enormous Expanse with light. The entire space was arranged as an impregnable fortress, walls and towers in concentric rings radiated outward from the centre. Every building was designed to be as defensible as possible, whilst also contributing to the overall layout.
In the distance was the central tower rising like a mountain, surrounded by its eight siblings. The sister towers formed a great ring around the central pillar, rising to tremendous heights and standing guard over the fortress, iron spears of unbreakable will.
As impressive as the outer towers were, hundreds of metres tall, perfectly straight, and like nothing any of the Lirian Legionaries had ever seen before, they simply faded into the background when compared to the impossible tower of the central fort. It dominated the entire Expanse with ease. A brooding titan of rust red metal that dyed the skyline a blood red, climbing from the floor of the Expanse up to the ceiling, more than two kilometres high.
Built in layers, the tower grew thinner as it rose, each new section protected by its own wall and defences. Even from this far away, they could make out the enormous siege engines that dotted the walls. This vast structure was the very heart of the Abyssal Legion, wherein the highest-ranking members made decisions that would be carried out by their Legionaries across Pangera.
It was difficult not to imagine what secrets were contained within, what knowledge had been hidden away since the Legion had been founded. If there was anywhere that forbidden technologies and methods would be held, it would be there, the Red Mountain.
�I�ve never been in the mountain,� Myrrin muttered to Donnelan. �Have you?�
His eyes were fastened on the looming fortress. �Of course not,� he rasped. �You think they just allow anyone in there?�
She noticed her friend was unusually pale and sweating.
�You look as if you�ve seen a ghost. What�s wrong with you? Is the Red
Mountain
It certainly was to her. It�s a freaking mountain made of metal! Who ever heard of such a demented thing?
�You realise who we�re going to go and see, right?� Donnelan hissed.
�The commander�s wife? I�ve never met her. She left Liria before I had the chance. Have you ever seen her?�
�Not that,� he said. �The title.
Myrrin allowed that to sink in.
�Sweet steel of home!� she suddenly cried.
With a
�I can hear every word you�ve said back there.�
Myrrin and Donnelan flushed red from embarrassment, but the commander just waved it off.
�Come walk up here next to me and we�ll talk as we go. We don�t want you embarrassing yourselves in front of Minerva, now do we?�
�Of course not, Commander!� Myrrin snapped out a crisp salute.
�We wouldn�t dream of it, sir!� Donnelan mirrored her movement perfectly.
�Just relax a little,� Titus said. �You�re making
He resumed walking as the two of them caught up.
�Look, Minerva might be one of the highest-ranking members of the Legion on Pangera, sure. But she�s not as terrifying as people make out.�
�I don�t know, Commander,� Donnelan said warily. �Aurillia seemed more than a little intimidated.�
�Well, sure, but that�s an isolated case, you�ll see.�
The two young Legionaries weren�t much mollified, but they had little choice except to follow their leader as he marched onward toward the ever-growing mountain in the distance.
The streets of the fortress were built to the exacting standard of the Legion engineers. Straight, flat stone and wide paths allowed for the easy flow of traffic, and there was plenty of that. Legionaries in armour moving goods to warehouses or delivering supplies to the innumerable barracks throughout the Expanse or moving out to the teleportation arrays for deployment. With so many soldiers and administration staff in one place, the fortress held as many civilians as any city, but here, nothing was allowed to distract from the military purpose of the fortress.
Alberton the Loremaster had droned on and on about the place when they�d arrived, blinking through the teleportation gates, filling the head of every Legionary who�d never been here with the history of the Abyssal Legion�s seat of power.
This place had never been conquered, not even during the Cataclysm, she�d learned. This Expanse had been found and claimed by the first Legion in the opening years of the Rending, and as the conflict raged on, they�d built it up to its current state and used it as a staging ground and central organising point for the entire war effort. Its location was an intensely held secret. Myrrin didn�t even know what stratum they were in, though from the extremely dense Mana in the air, she was afraid that she could take a guess.
�Have you been to the forges yet? At the foot of the spears.� Titus waved toward the great towers that pierced the sky. �That�s where the best arms the Abyssal Legion has to offer are made, including my axe.�
Myrrin�s heart skipped a beat with excitement at the news. She�d long admired the commander�s axe, a weapon of incredible power. She�d love to see where it was made, but her enthusiasm dimmed. The closer they got to the towering mountain, the more its sheer size loomed over them, the more their hearts quailed. The size, scope, and power of it was overwhelming. Only the commander was unaffected, his step becoming lighter and his stride further extending the closer they came to it.
Donnelan and Myrrin struggled to breathe. They huddled together in a vain attempt to ward off the suffocating waves of pressure that emanated from the surrounding Legionaries. There didn�t seem to be a single guard standing at their post, or official running messages, who didn�t seem as though they were a high-Level powerhouse with the stats of a top-Level delver. The two young Legionaries felt as small as mice clinging to a toothpick in an ocean storm as they trailed in their commander�s wake, desperately struggling not to succumb. For his part, Titus didn�t appear to notice their plight.
After they were allowed entrance through the yawning gate of the Iron Mountain, they hastily made their way inside to find the interior bedecked in breathtaking marble, the wide-open halls lined with incredible, lifelike statues of long-passed Legionaries. The commander�s steps only lengthened as he moved from place to place, giving his name at each checkpoint they crossed and gradually penetrating deeper into the heart of the fortress.
It took hours, and by the end, Myrrin�s head was spinning. She couldn�t say where they were, who�d they�d met, or even why they were there anymore. Every time they moved from one chamber into the next, the strength of the Legionaries on guard leapt to a new tier.
The soldiers standing guard next to her were resplendent in the most impressive Legion armour she�d ever seen. Trimmed in gold, the living rock plates were wreathed in precious metals and alive with veins of Fire Mana that seeped heat into the air as it trickled through the stone. She wasn�t even able to look the man in the eye, and when she snuck a glance at Donnelan, she found he was sweating profusely and shaking in his seat.
For goodness� sake, Commander! Why did you have to bring us with you?
Oblivious to her suffering, Titus was speaking quietly with an armoured official outside a grand set of double doors. The doors themselves were elaborately carved and decorated, set into an archway that extended fifteen metres high. A full squad of ten Legionaries stood guard in formation outside the door, their dominant auras unrestrained, flooding the room with their thirst for battle.
After a few moments, the official stepped through the cavernous door, leaving Titus by himself. He gazed on in silence before he turned back to his two, cowering young Legionaries. He clicked his tongue before walking over and clapping them on the shoulder.
�Come on now, young ones. You need to show a little more mettle than this. Don�t embarrass our Legion.�
The two of them stopped trembling, eyes filled with a kindling resolve.
�Don�t forget,� he said, �it�s going to be way worse on the other side of the door.�
He gave them a squeeze on the shoulder with his sausage-fingered hands and turned to walk back to the door, never noticing the crumbling confidence he left behind.
�I don�t want to be here anymore,� Donnelan moaned under his breath. �I curse the day I ever got curious about the inside of the Iron Mountain.�
�Y-you�re g-going to meet the c-consul! A-aren�t you excited?�
�You�re stuttering. I�m sweating like I�ve spent a day doing drills in armour. This isn�t looking good.�
�I-if I pass out in f-front of the consul, will I b-be discharged?� Myrrin whispered, horrified.
�Of course not. The commander will just hate you forever.�
�Nooooo.�
When the official stepped back through the oversized doors, they both jumped in their seats and shut their mouths, staring straight ahead. Titus exchanged a few short words before he returned to them.
�We�re up. Step quickly. We don�t get much of her time.�
So saying, he brushed down the shoulders of their uniforms with his palms as if they were unruly children before grabbing each of them by the arms and straightening their posture.
�It�s going to be tough in there, show me what you�re made of.�
He shot each of them a hard stare, his cold blue eyes piercing through the mountainous pressure that suffocated them and stiffened their spines.
�Yes, Commander!� Myrrin shouted unthinkingly and saluted him, Donnelan following suit a moment later.
A deafening silence fell in the chamber as the officials, guards, and fellow waiting functionaries turned to stare at the young Legionaries. The two of them froze in embarrassment, though Titus smiled. That rare sight was enough to hone their focus, and they followed at his heels up to the intimidating guards and that oversized door.
A little of the steel had leaked out of the guards as the trio walked through their ranks, the stiff youngsters trailing behind their stoic commander. They made a conscious effort to lighten the strength of their aura as they allowed the commander and his associates to walk through. Once they were gone, the guards resumed their full-bore assault on everyone outside the door. Defending the consul was their responsibility and they would perform that duty to the death.
The moment Titus stepped through, he felt a frozen air pierce straight through him to his bones. He braced himself against it and allowed his eyes to take in this new space.
The office of the consul was surprisingly small, given the door. The room was roughly ten metres wide, lined by columns decorated with Mana-infused gold, the stone itself seemed to glow with a soft metallic light. The ceiling was high, vaulted at the top with every inch carved with depictions of Legion glory. There was the battle of Deep Field, the defeat of Galatrix, the siege at Crumbling Rock, each a legendary battle from the Rending.
At the end of the room, a solid, dark-haired woman sat behind a deep red, crystal desk. Every inch of the walls and floor was exposed, stone or metal, without any softening furnishings at all. She refused to use them. The room felt cold and unyielding, rigid and formal, much like the Legion.
And though no expression showed on her face, she radiated an air that let Titus know she was absolutely furious.
He stepped quickly to allow his dual shields to enter, wide-eyed as they came into the sparse office, and he immediately felt the pressure on him ease. He allowed himself to unknot just a little as he moved toward the desk, his boots clacking on the polished stone floor until he stood before his wife and offered her his salute.
�Commander Titus Faronicus!� he announced himself.
Donnelan and Myrrin hastened to offer their own salutes.
�Myrrin Smithson!�
�Donnelan Branger!�
Minerva shot Titus a brief glare before she stood to return their salute. Had the man gone soft? Bringing in these two to protect him from her wrath!
�Welcome to the office of the consul, Legionaries. Be at ease.�
Almost unconsciously, she appraised the two young soldiers in front of her. Lirian stock, young and only recently promoted, she judged. She watched as they strove to maintain their cool and decided that Titus had trained them well. As he usually did.
�What happened to Liria was a tragedy, and a failure of the Abyssal Legion. Would you not agree, Titus?�
Titus stifled a wince. The lack of title was a warning sign.
�It was,� he agreed, not breaking his posture. �The Legion garrison was barely able to maintain the Bulwark during the wave. We were totally unable to prevent what occurred on the surface.�
�I know,� Minerva sighed. �We wanted to divert reinforcements, but the
wave put pressure on us everywhere. If I�d had double the reserves, we
Myrrin and Donnelan stiffened in place before they wordlessly saluted once more, unable to speak. The destruction of their homeland had cut deeply. Even though they�d fought as hard as they could in the depths to defend it, their strength hadn�t been enough.
She stood and walked around her desk to face her husband and his
�Don�t think that bringing these two is going to save you, Titus!�
With no warning, she blurred, appearing directly in front of the commander, her fist sunk deep into his stomach.
�Where is Morrelia? Do you think I wouldn�t know she was
To his credit, Titus straightened instantly, no sign of pain showing.
�She went straight to the temple after she arrived, she hadn�t changed her Class yet.�
�She couldn�t drop by on the way?�
�That was up to her.�
�You couldn�t
�I chose not to.�
BAM!
Another brutal fist to the gut, this time sending the commander sliding back three metres, his boots screeching on the marble floor. He straightened once more, his face still placid.
�When you accepted a term as consul, raising the children was my responsibility. That�s what we agreed.�
Minerva stared hard at him, then nodded.
�That�s true. Only a few more months and I�ll be free of this blasted office.�
She idly shook her wrist as she looked at her husband�s stomach.
�Have you Levelled up a few times?� she asked.
�Three times,� he admitted.
She frowned. �Defensive Skills?�
�Iron Skin.�
�That makes sense. You�ve definitely toughened up.�
�Lucky me,� he said wryly.
His wife had always had a temper, much like his daughter. Being separated from her family had only sharpened it. Her guilt at not being with them when Romanus died fuelled much of her anger. Once she�d accepted the post of consul, she was duty-bound to remain for the full, ten-year term.
�I know why you�re here. You want me to reform your Legion and get you back out into the fight, and you want to take Morrelia with you. Am I right?�
�Yes, Consul.�
Minerva leaned back against the hard crystal of her desk.
�We�re being pressed everywhere, even now. Mana levels haven�t fallen like they should after the wave, and some outposts in the deep are reporting they might be on the rise again. Things aren�t right out there, Titus.�
�All the more reason to have good Legionaries in the field.�
�Hmm.� Her stare became steady. �It might be your lucky day. We had a report come in from the Empire of Stone. Ants. They appear to have made their nest somewhere beneath where Liria once stood.�
Titus� eyes narrowed. �I did report that an ant nest had been located.�
�But there wasn�t the capacity to deal with it right away. It was a problem we�d assumed we could put off for a time, perhaps the wave might have killed the colony off. Now it seems they�re raiding locations more than a hundred kilometres away from where you found them. Your Legion will be reformed, and you�ll get your new recruits. Head back to Liria and clean up this infestation, then return. We�ll have need of you down here before long.�
Titus nodded, his face serious. Ants were always a problem.
�Understood, Consul.� He turned to leave.
�Not so fast,� Minerva cut him off. �You two head outside. I need to
have a� private word, with my husband. After all, Titus, it�s been so
long since we�ve
Titus felt a heat rise in his chest. This damned woman.
It�s a long �ol march home, over a week before it�s all said and done. It wasn�t hard for me to find a use for the time, since there was the whole �impending war of doom and death� looming over our heads.
How on Pangera I manage to stumble from one of these disasters into the next, I have no idea. Am I cursed by Gandalf, the almighty voice of the System? If so, please let me know! I�m worried I�m causing more harm than good by sticking around the colony. The nagging thought that they�d be better off if I just wandered into the Dungeon and never came back pokes its way into my mind and refuses to go away.
On the other side of the coin, the endless whispers of the colony
delivered through the Vestibule tickle at the edge of my awareness,
pleading with me to stay, to help,
Of course, no time can be wasted, even when marching through the Dungeon! Crinis, Invidia, and myself devote our time to practising our Mana handling and developing our magic Skills.
Crinis has been diligent in her Shadow Magic practice and is starting to do some interesting things. Deadly, disturbing, and horrific things, for sure, but also interesting. I encourage her to pick up Mind Magic Affinity when she can, since she has the potential to reach an advanced enough stage that she could make use of the multi-layered Mind Construct technique the Shapers informed me of. It�s clear from her evolution into the Tri-Maw Amorphous Horror that she will pursue a balanced stat build, at least for now, which means she may eventually reach the point of becoming a sincere magical threat. I think it�s a build that suits her role in our little team, since she isn�t really needed to output damage, that�s more for Tiny and me, or even Invidia to do.
Invidia continues to develop and practise his defensive shield and
Healing Magic. Whenever he gets the chance to cure an ant�s wounds, he
floats off shouting [
I�m jealous, dammit.
I have a long way to go before I manage to fuse my elemental casting
Skills at the desired tier. I�ve come a long way, and learned a few new
tricks, including the ability to weave the basic elements together.
Pushing earth and fire together to create Lava Mana is way more taxing
and far less efficient than simply fusing the two affinity Skills
together to form Lava Magic Affinity, but I can maintain the flexibility
of using Earth, Fire,
Hopefully, when I eventually fuse all elements together, I�ll still have access to those options. The idea is to use the Elemental Magic as a stopgap until I get myself to the higher ranked stuff. Gravity Magic is out there somewhere! I just need to keep on believing.
Invidia himself has an Elemental Fusion Magic. Fire and Air coming together to form his Combustion Magic, which he can use to such devastating effect.
I use the week to drill my weaker magic Skills, Air and Earth, successfully ranking them up to tier four and getting some decent Levels toward rank five. Whenever I get a chance, I continue to grind at my Core Manipulation Skills as well. We seized quite a few valuable cores in our raid against the Shapers, and I grab a couple to fiddle around with every time we take a break, still trying to master the fusion technique. I�ve no desire for more pets for myself, but the work is challenging, and if I can master the technique, I�ll be able to pass it on to the core shapers back at the nest.
Besides, if I manage to create a super cool new pet monster core, then I can just give it to another ant. Bella and Ellie back at the nest would be delighted to have a fancy new pet, I�m sure of it!
I can sense it when we begin to approach the nest. More and more ants have been flickering into existence within my Vestibule. Tiny motes of energy appearing and drifting from the strange organ and into my body, nourishing me with their energy.
It�s quite a thing to find that with so many ants around, I don�t really get tired. The only fatigue build-up I have to deal with is emotional, which seems fine. Even after grinding away at cores until my head aches, it�s only a short time until I feel fresh and ready to go again. My grind capacity is starting to get out of control!
�Eldest, we�re getting close to the new nest,� Sloan comes over to let me know.
�I figured as much,� I tell her. �It�s been a long haul.�
�That it has.�
I can only imagine what a pain it�s been to try and organise our escape path, a burden that has fallen almost entirely onto the carapace of Sloan. She�s borne up well, something for which I�m extremely grateful. If they�d tried to bring me into the planning, who knows what would have happened?
�Do you think they�ll be able to track us, after all the measures we took?�
Decoy paths, detours through numerous Expanses, and long stretches of
pheromone-free travel were just a few of the tricks we attempted during
the journey. Burke was going crazy running all over the place, sending
groups of scouts on
�We can hope that they can�t, but we have to assume they can,� Sloan sighed, a little of her weariness showing through. �If we don�t start preparing for when they get here, then we�ll lose too much.�
I can�t help but feel guilt welling up within me at those words. If only I hadn�t gotten caught�
�Don�t mistake me, eldest,� Sloan breaks into my thoughts. �Regardless of the outcome, we still would have gone to save you. We all know that you would have done the same for us.�
My eyes would be welling up with tears if that were something I could still do.
�Thanks, Sloan. I really appreciate that.�
�Not at all, eldest.�
�Now, you make sure you get a proper rest once we get in the nest, alright?�
She flinches a little at hearing the dreaded word. I double down.
�And you spread the word to every member of this expedition. I expect a full twenty hours of torpor for each and every one of you.�
�TWEN��
�You heard me, Sloan.�
�They may not like being punished like this, eldest��
�I couldn�t care less. Everyone is exhausted, and exhausted workers are sloppy workers. Rest!�
��Fine,� she mutters, but I can tell she�s still unhappy.
�Come on then, Sloan. I�m really looking forward to seeing what the carvers have been up to. I wonder if they�ve learned any more about building in the time I�ve been gone.�
As we approach the nest, I find myself in a huddle with Torrina, Corun, and my pet gang in the centre of our column. I�m not sure where the prisoners are being held, somewhere toward the back, I imagine. Hopefully, they can adjust to their new abode. I may not like them very much, but I don�t want total suffering for them. Claws crossed we use them as part of a peace negotiation or something.
My Vestibule is revving up as more and more ants come into range and begin to provide their own trickle of energy. Frankly, the number of ants is already out of control, and I don�t think I�ve reached them all yet. I�d estimate close to five thousand are feeding me energy, and I�m starting to buzz as if I just drank ten cups of coffee and followed it with a kilogram of raw sugar. Keeping my focus is� difficult. Perhaps a higher Will stat will help me resist this effect? I�ll need to test it later.
The tunnel begins to widen and flatten itself as the rocky protrusions are suddenly gone, as if sheared away by mandibles. The roof remains a little rough, though, and it takes me a little while to figure out why. Behind each carefully sloped bump is a well-disguised hole where an ant could emerge without being seen. Clever stuff! In fact, when I look closer, the tunnel ceiling has been left deliberately rough, and not smoothed out like the floor. I mean, you could play marbles on here! Yet the small deviations and bumps that make the stone much easier to grip remain above my head.
[This is some good work,] Corun observes.
[What do you mean?] I ask.
He pulls a face. [Look closely at the floor and walls. Achieving this level of smoothness isn�t easy with magic. It appears to have been compressed as well. Trying to get it compacted and remain this even? I�m impressed.]
He�s right. My Digging Skill is telling me the soil all around has been pressed hard, making it much harder to bite into. Yet it�s super smooth, with nothing to grip or hold onto. Is that to make it harder to reach the roof tunnels from the ground?
[Wait a second, what�s that?] Torrina breaks in. [Farther up on the wall, it doesn�t look as flat.]
She�s right. As we approach, it becomes clear there�s an image carved into the wall. The indentation is shallow, not enough to provide a foothold, but the image is sharp nonetheless. Magically done, no doubt.
[Look at that,] Torrina gasps. [It�s so well done!]
[Very lifelike!] Corun admires the image, moving closer to take it in. [Looks like it was made with a combination of magic and carving. See here? You can see the residual scrape marks, even if only barely. A lot of effort went into this!]
From behind, I can see the image is of a very impressive and dignified ant, standing proud with a well-shaped carapace and powerful mandibles clacking with determination. If I was in any doubt who it was meant to be, the small ape depicted riding on the ant�s back would give it away.
[Is that meant to be Tiny?] Corun wonders, looking over at the big ape.
[That�s me and Tiny just after he was reconstituted,] I tell them reluctantly.
They both look at me, then back at the carving, then back at me before they both turn away. They�re trying to hide it, but I can see both of their shoulders are shaking as they strain to repress their laughter.
[I didn�t ask for them to do that! Alright? Let�s just keep moving!]
There are heaps of great ants in this colony, carve someone else,
dammit! Like the Queen! Or Vibrant! Or
Sadly, that wasn�t the last time I had to put up with the golgari laughing. Turns out, that�s not the only carving depicting me and my pets. I�m not sure which carver was the first to work out his technique, but they sure as hell went nuts with it. Every damn inch of the walls is covered with art!
There�s me arriving at the colony for the first time. Meeting with Mother. The development of pheromone language, using traps to feed the colony, hunting in groups. The first war of the hill is depicted in lavish detail, a series of enormous murals dedicated to scenes of the great battle.
Torrina and Corun can�t help but become curious about the evolving story, so I wind up having to explain the images as we go along, despite each of them glorifying my contributions far too much, something I hasten to assure them. Our escape during the wave, meeting Crinis, running into Beyn, it�s all there.
Explaining the interactions we�ve had with the humans of Liria is awkward, to say the least. Both of the golgari grow perplexed when that particular saga is done. Only for it to be followed with the war against Garralosh and her spawn.
[That is one big monster,] Corun gasps. [On the
[Oh, she had help,] I assure him, and point an antenna to where a lizard flanked by his six servants, is shown.
[A ka�armodo! She was a candidate?]
[Yes indeed,] I confirm. [That�s the damnable who-lizard that told you lot about me, Granin informed me. Can�t say I�m grateful.]
[Aww, but then you would have never met me!] Corun protests.
[You�re making it worse,] Torrina jokes, before turning to me. [Did you absorb the core from that creature? If not, do you still have it?]
[I� didn�t absorb it, no. But I do still have it.]
I haven�t wanted to think about that core ever since the fight.
[That�s good. I�d like to see it, if possible.] She holds up her hands. [I won�t interfere with it in any way. A chance to peer at the details of a candidate monster is a rare blessing.]
[I suppose I can arrange that,] I sigh.
With all the trouble looming, I�ll have to focus on maxing out my core, which probably means absorbing that thing as soon as I can. Not looking forward to that�
Up ahead, the tunnel narrows to a limited opening on the right-hand side, and as we pass through, I can see that there are numerous defensive positions carved into the back of the opening, almost like a vertical wall which would allow ants to look out when clinging to the rock. Clever idea!
Shortly after passing, we�re joined by two more busybodies.
[Can�t we rest? I can only slither so much!] Jim complains.
The week of travel has been especially hard on the worm, and more than once, I�ve seen him looped around Sarah like a flabby scarf whilst she marched with us.
[I could get the ants to grip you with their mandibles and drag you,] I offer. [Although, they might get a taste for your tender flesh.]
The giant worm shudders and the menacing bear that looms over all of us places a gentle claw on his back.
[Don�t tease him, Anthony,] she says. [Jim�s having a hard enough time moving into a nest full of predators.]
[He�s never been safer in his life than now,] I scoff. [I do understand, though. Soon enough, you�ll have your own comfy space and you can work out what you want to do with yourselves. No pressure from me.]
[Thanks, Anthony. For everything. By the way, have you seen these
incredible carvings?] She nudges her nose toward a three-metre-tall
depiction of me entering the second stratum. [The details are
incredible! You�re telling me that
As she talks, we approach a gigantic bound steel gate set into the tunnel. Numerous cores and enchantments hum with power across the surface, and smack in the centre stands a proud image of an ant�s head.
[Apparently, anything�] I tell her.
These damn siblings of mine� Haven�t they learned a bit too much?
As if the first gate wasn�t impressive enough, the second one is even larger, thicker, and more heavily enchanted than the first. Not to mention, it positively bristles with ants in defended lookout posts. How anyone could possibly break through, I�ve no idea. If another wave happened, we�d be laughing at the monsters on the outside. Unless a battering ram made from living metal happens to spawn nearby, I don�t think anything will get through.
That�s not a challenge, Gandalf! Don�t you dare create that frickin� creature just to spite me!
After crossing the second gate, the procession began to break up. Sarah and Jim are led to a nearby chamber to rest as the scouts, soldiers, and generals break away to find their own chambers to enjoy their rest. As they march past me, I don�t see the grateful ants I thought I would, but tense and somewhat resentful ones. You hate rest that much? For a brief moment, I contemplate increasing their enforced break to twenty-four hours.
�I told you they wouldn�t like it.�
�Sloan? Bah! Who cares if they don�t like it? Rest is important and we�re all extremely fatigued. They need it.�
She shrugs. �You may be right about that. I know
I look at her appraisingly.
�That�s not something I hear many members of the council admit to, Sloan. Is this indicative of growth?�
�Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps I�ve just been working harder.�
�You�re tier four now, so you should be.�
�True.�
With the soldier caste gone, the workers and crafters also peel away to find their own places to rest, making sure to give me the stink eye as they leave. I make it a point to stare them down, waving them away with my antennae. Yeah, you go rest and freakin� like it!
Without any destination in mind, I start to wander down a branching tunnel, just taking in the design with my pets in tow. The farther I go, the more of my siblings begin to cover the surface of the tunnel, and I notice something different. The way the tunnel has been shaped is off. Only when I pause, causing a few hurried ants to crawl over me since I�m holding up traffic, do I realise the difference.
In the first nest, tunnels were usually round and fairly narrow. Like you would imagine the inside of an ant nest to be back on Earth. Cramped, little tunnels that connect similarly cramped chambers together.
This is different. The tunnel is wide, with enough overhead space to allow two �lanes� of traffic to exist, one on the floor and one on the ceiling. More than that, the shape of the floor and ceiling aren�t flat, but rather folded into waves, like the letter �W�. By watching the travelling ants, I realise this increases the surface area that can be gripped, allowing more ants to move through at the same time.
The ceiling is shaped the same way, but with the dips and valleys opposite to the floor, so the same distance is maintained from ground to ceiling at all times. It�s a little thing, but it�s super clever! They�ve really been putting those brains I gave them to good use! Chuffed, I keep moving, taking in the sights.
After a few dozen metres, I notice something I haven�t seen before embedded in one of the walls. Curious, I skitter over so I can make a more thorough inspection. It looks like a metal plate, indented with numerous grooves that form a strange pattern. My interest is piqued, unable to work out what it�s for. Have the carvers decided to engage in some sort of modern art project? I wouldn�t call the thing objectively beautiful, but it certainly is different. Then all of a sudden, the metal plate speaks at me.
�Remember, daily rest is mandatory!�
�Gah!�
I leap back in surprise when my antennae register the ant pheromones emitting from the thing. What the heck was that? It speaks? Obviously, it isn�t speaking as an ant would, of its own volition. This is clearly a clever invention that can store pheromonal messages and �play� them like a recording. Astounding!
I approach it once more and start tippy tapping it with my antennae, in the hopes of detecting exactly what is happening. I can�t sense a damn thing, though. Once it spread its message, all sign of pheromones vanished without a trace. Are they magically developed? That would be nuts. Curiosity fulfilled, I continue on my way within the nest.
When we come across a chamber, the first thing I notice is its unusual size. Much like the tunnels, it�s been built wider, with a higher ceiling, and the surfaces are all constructed with that same wavy rise and fall, dotted with side tunnels. My antennae tingle with a constant stream of ant communication and the persistent trails that advertise where each tunnel leads.
Rather disturbingly, in the centre of the chamber, a rather elaborate-looking stone statue of what appears to be me stands proudly, pointing into the distance with one leg as the antennae slope forward at a noble and confident angle. An angle you would never find my own antennae at, by the way.
These damn ants with their carvings and statues! Why? Why would ants like statues? It makes no sense! I feel a bubbling rage building up in my carapace, urging me to go and smack the thing down. Rather quickly, though, I�m starting to get noticed. Which isn�t hard when Tiny, Crinis, and Invidia are trailing along behind me.
It isn�t much, but the ants slow down a touch when they see me, some of them muttering or whispering to each other as they rush past.
[You guys probably need a bit of rest,] I say to my pets. [Find yourselves a comfortable chamber and get some sleep. We�ll go out hunting tomorrow before we make any long-term plans.]
[Hmm. Slip.]
[Understood, Master. You won�t go far, will you?]
[No�]
[Fine.]
[
The three of them wander off and I�m confident it won�t be long until a helpful ant leads them to a quiet spot. For myself, I want to find somewhere a little less crowded. Maybe I�ll go play with the brood. Those little grubs are always in need of a good tickling! Putting my antennae down, I follow the trails to the brood chambers, joining the winding trails that flow this way and that throughout the nest. Before long, I tumble into a soothing chamber filled with wiggling larvae, lovingly tended by the ever-watchful Brood Tenders.
�Hey all,� I say. �Just looking for a quiet spot. Mind if I hang out here for a while?�
These grubs look criminally under-tickled! I have much work to do. Waiting for a response, I check on the ants and notice they don�t seem to be looking at me. This is something that�s hard to tell amongst us members of the colony, since we see fairly omni-directionally, but it�s a skill I�ve been developing. They�re watching something behind me, right in my blind spot. I have a bad feeling about this.
�Hello, Mothe��
THWACK!
Dammit! She could never have snuck up on me if I wasn�t distracted by the grubs!
�Welcome home, child. It�s been some time since I saw you.�
�Oh! Hello there, Mother� I, uh, didn�t expect to see you here!�
�In the brood chambers, child? Where else would I be?�
I can almost sense another thwack coming� The first one
�Wherever you want to be, Mother?�
THWACK!
Ouch!
�You wouldn�t be suggesting I would skip out on my duty to the colony, would you?�
�Of course not! Who would ever think of such a thing?�
Dangit, Mother! My poor head� What did I even do? Turning around to face my overbearing parent, I take a chance to see how she�s been faring. She looks fine, no wounds or scarring to mar her carapace. That ever-present twinkle in her eye is still apparent, as is the unusual level of force she�s able to generate with her antennae. There must be a �mother� perk buried in the System somewhere that grants bonus damage when disciplining children, otherwise it just doesn�t make sense.
�If you�re mad at me, Mother, then please just tell me what I�ve done,� I capitulate.
I don�t have the heart to try and get out of my well-earned thwacks. I�ve once again evaded my responsibilities and brought danger down on the colony. A few knocks on the head are the least of what I deserve. Instead, the Queen just looks down at me, curious.
�I am not mad at you, child. I am pleased to see you.�
�Got a funny way of showing it�� I mutter.
�What was that? I didn�t quite catch the scent.�
�Ah, nothing! Well, uh. It�s nice to see you in such good health! Managing to get out much?�
�Why yes. I leave the colony for a daily hunt in order to secure my own Biomass. The prey in the nearby tunnels is becoming rather thin, however. I may need to start ranging farther��
They actually let the Queen out for
�I�m going to assume you have an escort?�
The Queen sighs.
�Yes. They insist, and I don�t really want to say no, even if I do think it�s a bit of a waste. Those children could all be contributing in a more meaningful way. I feel bad for them.�
She shouldn�t.
�Mother, I think if you were to ask, you�d find that every member of your escort is more than happy to be there. I�m sure of it, in fact.�
The honour of guarding the Queen? Almost every ant in the colony would be delighted to have the chance. I�ve no doubt that every member of her guard was carefully chosen to be the best at what they do. No way the council would leave the health of their mother to chance.
This chamber really is packed with brood. Dozens of Brood Tenders pick amongst the little grubs, ensuring each is fed and cleaned, ready to take on the next step in their lifecycle and become a pupa. Pretty clear that the Queens have been busy down here.
�Looks like the rate of growth has exploded.� I tip an antenna at the young. �Are we still making sure each hatchling is educated properly?�
�Yes,� she assures me. �Although the majority of the brood are born in this nest, they are transported to the first nest during the pupal stage. When they emerge, they are taken through the training program before they enter service. I try to keep up with what is being done with the new children, just so I know they�re being taken care of.�
�Well, that�s good. I was a bit worried they�d get slack once the population started to explode. Must be hard for them to rustle up enough Biomass and XP for this many hatchlings, though��
There really are a lot. I don�t even know how many eggs are currently being laid each day. Could it be as many as a thousand a day? That would be insane�
�This was mentioned to me once,� the Queen says. �I believe the creation of two new nests is being planned in order to extend the hunting grounds.�
TWO more nests? Already! When I left, this one hadn�t even been started. Things are really accelerating now� Things will spiral out of control pretty darn fast soon. I don�t want to pretend I�ll be able to manage this colony once the population hits the millions. If we keep expanding at this rate, that�ll be sooner rather than later.
And what sort of effect will the Vestibule have on me with that many little voices whispering in the back of my mind? They�re already so insistent. They tug at my awareness, nudging me in different directions than I would otherwise take. The Collective Will Vestibule does exactly what it says on the tin, it feeds me the Will of all of the ants within range, telling me what they want, driving me to act as the agent of that super-mind.
And they are implacable. They want me to hunt, to battle, dig, build, seek and destroy our enemies, and tend the young. They want all of those with an intensity that is beyond anything a human could achieve. Even as familiar with ants as I am, even I�m a little shocked I never seem to detect the slightest ripple of selfish desire. Always the collective, putting the colony above themselves, never a solitary thought of indulgence or relaxation.
At this point, I don�t even know what I would do if one started to think that way. Punish them? Celebrate them? Perhaps as we expand, it�s only inevitable that such an individual will be born.
As I wonder over the inevitable future of the colony, the Queen remains patient.
�What are you pondering, child? Don�t you have important work to be about? I know that many are waiting to speak with you.�
Her words shake me out of my contemplation. I have a massive list of jobs to get done. I need to share the things I�ve learned about spellcasting with the mages, I have to talk to the core shapers and pass on the techniques and strategies I learned from the sophos. Then I should meet with the council about our planning in regards to the coming conflict. Not to mention the expansion of our territory and how I might help with that. I should probably pay a visit to the surface�if I even can�and check in with the humans and the upper nest, just to make sure things are still peaceful up there. So much to do!
�Yes, that�s true. There�s a huge list of things I have to get done. Thanks for the reminder.�
I turn and march toward the nearest grub.
�What are you doing, child?� the Queen asks, confused.
�I decided to start with the most important job first. Grub tickling!�
THWACK!
Despite receiving the justice of my mother, I stoically endured her disapproving gaze for as long as I could manage in order to tickle grubs. Their joyful wiggles warm my heart even as I quail inside, anticipating another THWACK. In the end, I can only hold out for ten minutes before I slink from the chamber, only to find myself in even more sacred territory, the egg-laying room!
Victoriant and Antionette look up at me in surprise as I crawl down through a gap in the ceiling.
�Eldest! What are you doing here?�
�Oh, you know me. Just checking in on everyone and seeing how things are going.�
�He�s avoiding work,� the Queen calls out as she enters the chamber after me.
The two younger Queens give each other a brief look.
�The eldest? Avoiding work? Surely you jest, Mother!�
�Such a thing is impossible!�
They laugh together and I hasten to cut Mother off before she can destroy my reputation. What can I use to distract her?
�Ah! Is that Aphy, the aphid queen, I see? She�s gotten big!�
It�s true, in one corner of the egg-laying chamber, a much larger than before aphid queen is nibbling on some Biomass next to her own little pile of eggs, looking very pleased with herself.
�Yes, she evolved not that long ago.� The Queen can�t help but rush over to dote on her pet with pats and scritches. �I wasn�t sure about bringing her down to this stratum, but in the end, I feel a lot more comfortable when she�s somewhere I can keep an eye on her. You do like to get up to mischief, don�t you, Aphy?�
�Chirrup!�
The much smaller bug monster makes a noise of delight as it leans into the Queen�s antenna like some sort of cat.
�The Brood Tenders take care of the aphid young as well?� I ask.
�Of course!� Victoriant chips in. �They seem to get the bonus stats from their care just as well as the hatchlings do, and each aphid will pay the colony back far more Biomass than what we spend on Aphy to get them hatched.�
�The feeding is going well in the Marsh Expanse?�
�Aphy�s children are far more useful than that,� the Queen tells me warmly, still radiating affection toward her pet. �They�ve been spread to four separate Expanses in the first stratum now.�
FOUR!
�Since when did we own that much territory?� I ask, flabbergasted.
�After you left, the expansion happened pretty quickly,� Antionette muses. �The generals, soldiers, and scouts were super excited. They were all fired up every time they found a new Expanse. I think they sent a thousand soldiers into the Red Woods Expanse on the first day they found it.�
A thousand? But
�I heard the same,� Victoriant confirms. �I think they conquered the whole thing in two hours.�
Yeesh, they really were getting carried away.
�How many members of the colony
There�s a moment of reflective silence as the three gathered Queens ponder my question.
�You know, child, I�m not exactly sure,� Mother answers. �I haven�t been keeping count� Perhaps the Brood Tenders on the council might know?�
The two younger Queens both echo the sentiment�they�ve no idea. I can get a rough sense of how many are in range of the Vestibule, but I can�t count them precisely.
�I�ll ask as I move around the nest, someone must be keeping a count.�
Ah well, can�t put it off any longer. I limber up my legs and make my way up the wall.
�Heading out, child?� the Queen asks, barely concealed amusement peppering her scent.
�Yes, Mother. The work never ends, as well you know.�
�An end to work? What a terrible thought,� she muses before turning back to pat Aphy.
Hah. I�ve only just gotten back and already a vacation is starting to sound nice. No! Bad Anthony! Stay firm! Alright then, time to head over to the core shapers, then I�ll check in with the mages and teach them a few things, then the carvers and their plans. Maybe there�s some engineering or building knowledge tucked away in my head somewhere� Unlikely, but maybe I can describe a few cool buildings and see if it inspires them?
I need to find who�s making all these carvings of me as well. And the statues! Enough is enough already!
After that� council, I suppose, then surface. Yeesh, so much to do. I might need to try and slip some torpor in there somewhere, just in case I need a mental break. Full of determination, I follow the scent trails to the core shaper workshop and find both Bella and Ellie hard at work. It takes a few hours, but I�m able to demonstrate the new techniques I�ve learned and share all the knowledge of monster builds that I picked up. The two council members are giddy with delight at these gifts and declare they must be committed to the library immediately!
�Library?� I ask, puzzled.
�Of course!� Ellie proclaims. �We need to preserve this information for further study.�
�Yeah, but how? Since when do you have a library?�
�Oh! You haven�t seen one yet? The carvers got the idea from the humans, I think. A way to store information. Check it out!�
She rushes to the other of the busy chamber and returns with a metal plate grasped gently in her mandibles.
She places it on the table, and I peer at the thing closely. It looks like a page, but instead of lines of text, it has grooves filled with a clear, gel-like substance. I�m a little nervous that it�s going to shout something at me like the one I found in the tunnel, but I bring an antenna down to smell it.
�Core experiment #424. Attempting to make something useful out of the centipede variety of monster has proven to be impossible. A more hopeless, failed concept of a monster is yet to be��
�You�ve found a way to
�Indeed! It�s very useful being able to �read.� Saves a lot of time around here, let me tell you,� Ellie assures me.
�Efficiency is way up,� Bella confirms.
The rate these ants are developing is out of control.
�Well, good luck with what I told you. I hope it helps out a bit.�
I make a hasty farewell and totter off to my next meeting. Books? Ants with books. I guess it makes sense in a way, I just didn�t think they�d get going this fast. How long until they put an ant on the moon? Neil Antstrong may be just a few generations away!
After my visit to the core shapers and taking in their own advancements, I hustle off to find Propellant and Coolant. I track down the two mages busily training their own Skills and overseeing the progress of their fellow caste members in the �mage training area.� Appropriate, I suppose. A rather large, enclosed place that puts me somewhat in mind of a bowling alley. Long, straight lanes to the left and right on both the floor and the ceiling, each ending in a carved, enchanted target which the ants hurl spells at.
The noise is deafening. Roaring flames, shattering ice, splashing water, crunching stone, and rushing air are all around, the sounds mingling into a shattering din. Luckily, hearing has nothing to do with being able to talk when you�re an ant, so I manage to find who I�m looking for by asking around.
�Hello, eldest,� Coolant welcomes me. �How do you like our new training facility?�
�It�s looking good!� I congratulate the two of them. �Presumably, you�re seeing some good results?�
She flicks an antenna with authority.
�At the moment, we have three separate training areas that are being assessed. Each of these mages report daily on their MP used, number of spells cast, and Skill gains. Hopefully, we�ll have some hard data soon and can adjust our training to be more optimised.�
Already conducting experiments and trying to optimise the training time?
They grow up so fast� Also,
It�s a lot for them to digest, and I leave them to it after letting them know I�ll be hosting a council meeting later on. With that job ticked off, it�s time to chase down the carvers, Tungstant and Cobalt. They prove much harder to find. Neither are working in the forges, enchanting chambers, or even in the statuary.
Yes. A
Sigh.
Just let it go. It makes them happy, what�s the harm? I�ll just move on.
Before I leave
I gladly hustle my way out of there and track down the two I�m looking for in a �design sketching chamber.� Upon entry, I don�t see them drawing anything, but rather talking to each other as they fuss over an intricate 3D model of carved stone.
�Looks good!� I say. �Is that the layout of this nest?�
They startle a little, so engrossed in their discussion that they don�t notice me squeeze into the room.
�Oh, eldest!� Cobalt greets. �No, not at all. This is the proposed
design for the
�What do you mean, proposed? I thought this was accepted!� Tungstant protests.
�With this tunnel layout?
�You have to compromise somewhere, Cobalt!� the other carver fumes. �The
stone in the third quadrant is too soft. Proper design has to be shaped
to suit the environment, not
�You call this suiting the environment? This is a hack! Difficult problems require elegant solutions!�
�What�s Ellie got to do with this?�
�Whoa there, you two. Chill out a little.�
I interrupt them before they launch into what feels like a well-worn argument and they remain silent as I inspect the model. It really is a fantastic piece of work. Every chamber is perfectly shaped to the desired dimensions, not to mention they are �open� on one side to show the intricately formed interior of every space. Some of the connections between pieces are spiderweb thin, appearing as delicate as blown glass.
�How the heck do you make something like this?� I ask in wonder.
�Oh, it�s something we figured out. Certain types of rock can hold Mana, which makes them more durable,� Tungstant says.
I�m impressed as heck. What an incredible display of skill! I cast my eyes over the intricate connection of chambers and tunnels, with their elaborate defences. In the heart of the nest design lies the egg-laying and brood chambers, as one would expect, complete with tiny stone grub carvings.
�Do we even have Queens to populate this nest? I thought there were only the three here and then another group in the first nest?�
�Another six Queens have begun being raised as soon as this nest was completed,� Cobalt says. �According to our timetable, we should have the new nests in a solid, defendable state by the time they are ready to move down.�
Six more Queens? Almost doubling the rate of egg-laying we currently have� Yikes. I shake off my shock and spend a little time talking to them about whatever I can recall from Earth that pertained to construction. Some of it is just words, like �superstructure,� or �load bearing walls,� but perhaps more useful are the descriptions of famous buildings that I could still picture. The Pyramids, the Eiffel tower, the statue of liberty, stadiums, hospitals, skyscrapers. Basically, I dump everything I think of on them and leave it for them to sort out. Hopefully, they�ll be able to pull at least a little workable information from the mess I just handed over.
�Ah! Don�t forget about the council meeting. Two hours!� I call back as I leave their chamber.
They�re standing in silent contemplation and don�t respond before I�m gone. I�m sure they caught my scent, it�ll be fine. With two hours to kill before the meeting begins, I have a little time on my claws. What to do?
[Master Mind Magic Affinity (IV) has reached Level 8.]
Oh! Nice! Ever since my gruelling training with Torrina, I�ve been in the habit of constantly working my sub-brains, always handling one type of construct or another. Right now, all three brains are grinding away on Mind Magic, trying to push closer to that rank five threshold. With my feet planted firmly in the Mana-rich walls of the Dungeon, I don�t have any issue with Mana, and thanks to my Vestibule, mental fatigue isn�t as much of an issue, meaning the training has been more effective than ever!
I�d rather not, but I suppose I may as well head over to that mage training area and work on my spells. Still a long way to go before I hit that elemental fusion I�m after. I wonder what sort of Skill I�ll get when I finally manage to complete it? Well, I just hope it doesn�t suck.
�Was it really necessary to construct a council meeting chamber? We hardly ever have a meeting��
It�s quite nice, too. They even have what appear to be ant-specific chairs. They look like a padded bench in three sections, one for each of our body segments, joined together at the right angle for us to rest on them. Interestingly, this means there�s a specific chair for each of us due to the polymorphic nature of our colony. One size doesn�t fit all when it comes to us. The chairs are arranged in a wide circle with a low, round table carved from pure rock in the centre. Atop the table sits a flattened map of the Dungeon engraved on the surface in perfect detail.
�I can�t help but feel like this is more effort than was needed.�
Since we entered from the roof, the walls are free from openings and
host an incredible panoramic carving of the twenty, with myself
featuring prominently, because,
�It�s fine, isn�t it eldest? These meetings are usually important, right? Seems like we should hold them in an important-looking place,� Wills gives her thoughts.
�I can see what the eldest is saying,� Tungstant muses. �This space is close to the centre of the nest and could have been used for all sorts of things.�
�Right? We can hold these meetings in any tunnel, no need to get fancy,� I press.
�Well, I think it�s nice,� says Antionette as she settles onto her chair. �We need to be worthy of the space our family has prepared for us.�
That�s a good sentiment. A little hesitant, I crawl over my own seat and gradually allow my not insignificant weight to fall on it. It�s surprisingly comfy, allowing my legs to just hang loose, without any need to support the rest of me.
�I think it�s important we clearly assess our current situation,� Victor starts. �What are our threats? Where is the enemy?�
�It may be more valuable to understand where the colony stands as a whole, as opposed to focusing on our foes,� Sloan disagrees.
�I�m more interested in that, to start with,� I say. �There�s so much happening that I don�t know about. The development of our knowledge, techniques and craftsmanship is way beyond what I expected at this point.�
Each of the council members shifts and wiggles their antennae with glee, pleased with this compliment, especially the carvers.
�We only did as you asked of us, eldest,� Mendant answers. �We tried to draw every ounce of information from the humans that we could and adapt it to our needs.�
�I�m just surprised at what you picked up. Like, the magnificent carvings and artworks,� I gesture to the walls with one antenna. �Not exactly the sort of thing I expected the colony to prioritise.�
The rest of the council shift slightly to take in the walls a little better.
�Well, to be honest, most of us didn�t really see the point of it,� Cobalt admits.
�It was really only a small group of carvers who decided to pick it up in earnest,� Tungstant says.
�Any idea why?�
�I�m not sure, you might have to ask them yourself. The rest of the carvers who specialise in construction have picked up the Skill to one degree or another. Once the bar for aesthetics had been set, we were determined that it would be uniform. Since it doesn�t detract from the function of the spaces, there�s not really any harm,� Cobalt says.
�Fine. I just want it put on the record that I�m uncomfortable with having so many images of myself hung up everywhere.�
�Uh� What�s the �record,�� Coolant asks.
�Like, a written record of our meeting.�
�Ooh,� they chorus.
�Let�s do that!� Mendant says.
�No problem, I�ll write it all down later and we can publish it in one of the central tunnels. That way, anyone can read it,� Bella declares.
�Alright, fine! Now what the heck is going on with the colony?�
�I�ll start!� Vibrant throws an antenna into the air. �You all talk too much! So, after you left, we took a whole bunch of new territory and Expanses, you can see them here, here, and over there.� She raises up a leg to point at the map. �We got a whole bunch of food and experience. New nest is here, other new nests going over there, and around here somewhere. We think there�s an underground city around here somewhere and��
�Wait,
�A city, or something like it. The signs are there, at least. Shaped passages, footprints, noises� So, anyway�-�
�We need to seize that city.�
Silence falls at the table, no scent hanging in the air.
�That�s� unusual, coming from you, eldest,� Advant observes.
�Portals. I explained this to Coolant and Propellant already, but our foes can move vast distances in an instant with this magic. If there are portals in that city��
�They�ll appear right next to us?� Sloan asks slowly.
�Right. This blank zone which might have a city in it, that�s right between this nest and the proposed third. If an army were to suddenly appear there, we�ll have a difficult fight on our claws.�
�The eldest is right,� Victor says. �We need to strike first to neutralise this threat. We can mobilise a force in two hours.�
�We can�t move that quickly!� Advant protests. �We have no idea what we�re going into. We cannot afford to throw lives away before this conflict even begins!�
Another moment of contemplation.
�I agree with Advant. We should still have a little time since they still don�t know exactly where we are. A few days. Scout it out, push deeper, and get a clearer picture. We need to act fast.�
�Great!� Vibrant cheers.
�I�ll head to the village and talk to them about this. There may be a
way they can help. I want Cobalt and Tungstant to come with me. I have a
few things to discuss with you two. We�ll come back to this meeting in a
day when we know more. And can someone
The council meeting was cut brutally short, the revelation of a possible underground city so close to where the colony is operating warranted immediate investigation. If an enormous pile of golgari pop out right on our doorstep, our home ground advantage will go for nothing. Not to mention they could flank us horrifically. I also need to be wary of the possible reinforcements they call in. We need to move fast, uncomfortably fast.
To this end, I hurry to gather my entourage for this whirlwind trip to the surface. I pick up Torrina and Corun before gathering my pets. Rather than bring them with me, I decide to send them in support of the scouting efforts. They�ll be more useful there. If something does end up going south, they�ll be able to help the ants escape. There�s only one problem with this plan.
[Nooooooo, I won�t leave you, Master!]
[Crinis! I�m only going to the surface, I�ll be back in less than a day! Will you get off me?]
[I won�t!]
[Don�t make me order you!]
[Don�t do it, Master! You�ll get sucked through a portal, or challenged by a mega-monster, or slip and fall down a pit and land in the fifth stratum, or an Ancient will rise from the depths and swallow you, forcing you to live as a parasite in its gullet, or a great confluence of stars will smite you down the moment you set foot out of the tunnels! Take me with you!]
�All of those things sound completely ridiculous, but why is it I can�t
seem to say that none of them will happen? I
[Alright, fine! You come with me. Tiny and Invidia, you guys go with Sloan to check out this underground city.]
[Yes!]
[
Crinis nearly cracks my carapace with her grip as she wriggles with joy
at my concession. I suppose it
With that done, I depart on a brisk journey upward to the surface nest. Corun and Torrina do an admirable job keeping up with my monstrous stamina, but we do end up having to take a few breaks. It�s during one of these that I notice something strange.
My Vestibule is still ablaze with energy from the plethora of ants that pick their way through the tunnels around me. Scouting, hunting, hatchlings on training expeditions, there�s no shortage of reasons for the colony to be active in this area. Yet I feel there�s something else, something� slippery. A tiny presence that somehow slips out of my awareness when I�m not paying attention to it. A small cluster of muted lights that seem to hover nearby, fading in and out of existence.
Since they turn up in the Vestibule, I have to assume they�re related to the colony in some way, but nonetheless, I�m put on edge by their strange elusiveness. For the rest of the journey, I try to identify or see whatever is causing this phenomenon, but I can�t seem to get a grip on them.
Besides that, we reach the surface nest without incident. It�s interesting to be surrounded by so many hatchlings in the tunnels. They�re so tiny! It�s hard to believe I was once so small and weak. I�m almost tall enough for them to crawl beneath me without having to lift myself up! As one would expect, there are more Brood Tenders here than anything else, supervising the pupae and guiding the hatchlings once they�ve emerged. It�s nice to see that a sizeable garrison of more combat-oriented castes still maintain a very visible presence in order to protect the precious future of the colony. Not to mention the huge number of carvers bustling about, carting materials, and working in the huge forging chambers we pass.
There�s something weird about watching ants work a smithy�
As we pass one such chamber, I spot a carver, amongst the smallest of all the castes, taking a blinding-hot rod of metal out of a circular forge with her bare mandibles, before placing it on a low-built anvil. Moving quickly, she skitters off to one side and triggers a mechanism that brings a heavy weight down from above onto the metal with a resounding clang! Sparks fly and she resets the mechanism, the weight rising slowly as she repositions the metal with her mandibles before triggering it again.
I was wondering how they were hoping to work metal without the capacity to use a hammer� Although, with another evolution, they could probably work to build up the strength in their front arms. They could grip a hammer just fine, but the leg strength isn�t there at tier three.
We rush past all manner of interesting chambers until we breach the surface. I step into the glare of the bright surface light, and immediately feel my core shudder in pain. Here on the surface, the Mana concentration takes a massive dip and the drain that was already in effect the moment I crossed from the second stratum to the first kicks into overdrive. My days of leisurely wandering about up here are long gone, my friends. It�s the tunnels for me.
As I did in the past, I reach out with my External Mana Manipulation and drag every scrap of energy I can reach into my core to stave off the drain, but even with my increased Skills, I can�t cover for my loss as effectively as I could before my last evolution. The increased need for Mana appears to grow exponentially at each tier. After one more evolution, I won�t even make it half a day on the surface before my core runs dry.
The town has come a long way. Even standing atop the even larger and more heavily defended ant hill, I can see new buildings have arisen, and the beginnings of a town wall going up, ants mixed with the human workers, helping to clear land and shape stones.
As I crawl from the hill, I�m a little shocked to see a small open-air building, almost like the tiered seating you�d see in a sports stadium, but much more modest. Every row is filled to capacity with humans wearing strange brown robes, with weird pointy things sticking out the top.
Come to think of it, they kind of look like antennae�
The moment I come within their sight, every single one of them throws their hands in the air and cries out with an ecstatic voice.
�PRAISE THE GREAT ONE! PRAISE HIS SHININESS. MAY THE SHADOWS FLEE FROM HIS CARAPACE, AND HIS MANDIBLES PIERCE THE HIDE OF EVIL!�
What in the hell�
I try to skirt around and avoid them, but they leap from the platforms and rush to greet me. Just when I think I�m going to be buried under a pile of human bodies, they stop and form a loose circle around me, hands clasped in front of their chests and facing outward. When I move, they move with me, forming a living barrier of devoutness that goes where I go. When I pick up the pace, they try and run with me, but it�s clear they can�t all keep up. I sigh and slow down, allowing them to do what they want�
This feels
With my circle around me, I find my way into town. And a shocking transformation has taken place. Cobbled roads with drainage ditches, a smattering of proper, stone buildings, way more people than I remember, and a plethora of other indicators of a thriving, happy community. To think that mere months ago, this place didn�t have one brick on top of another. There�s still quite a few ants about the place, watching the humans go about their business, helping out here and there. Most of them are mages, of course, but every now and again, a carver pops up with a mage escort to perform the Mind Magic for them.
The colony really has taken my instructions to learn from the humans very seriously. It seems as though they won�t be satisfied until they extract every little piece of information they can get their mandibles on. Considering the rate of improvement that they�ve shown, it�s working like a charm.
Corun and Torrina draw a lot of strange looks as they accompany me into the town. Being golgari, they stand head and shoulders above even the tallest human, not to mention their glittering stone skin and general lack of clothing. But even they, as strange and new to these people as they are, don�t seem to be enough to distract from the spectacle of forty robed �ant-people� escorting me through the streets. Having them just be there is one thing, but the shouting adds a whole new layer of awkwardness.
�MAKE WAY FOR THE GREAT ONE!�
�DO NOT SULLY THE SHINE OF HOLINESS!�
�PAY PROPER RESPECT! MAKE WAY FOR THE MANDIBLES OF JUSTICE!�
The WHAT?
I thought I was the only one who called them that� Regardless, this public display of devotion receives something of a mixed response from the gathering crowd of onlookers. Some, presumably those who�ve seen me before, possibly during the battle against Garralosh, cheer and wave, or clasp their hands and join the shouting, which is less great.
Others appear more curious than elated, likely those who haven�t seen an ant of this sort of size or apparent importance wandering around. Then there�s those who are clearly less delighted to have a giant monster in quite such close proximity to themselves.
I should have waited outside of town. I just got a little enthused and wanted to see all of the changes that had taken place. They�ve worked hard, these people. Can�t help if I wanted to have a bit of a sticky-beak.
[You seem popular up here,] Corun laughs over a Mind Bridge.
[When you save people�s lives from a horrible death by monster,
they tend to be grateful, even if you
[Even so, some of this feels a little�
[I�m not sure I get what you mean�]
[The robes, the singing of praises and such. Granin might be on the right track with you, you�ve already managed to create your own cult!]
[Antenna Cult?] Torrina says.
[I was thinking �Carapace Cult,�] Corun says.
[Whoa there, hold on. First off, I do
[It�s nice to finally see some humans treat Master with the respect he deserves!] Crinis remarks snippily.
[They�re slowing me down, though,] I sigh. [Being up here can�t be any more comfortable for you than it is for me, Crinis.]
[I�m fine!]
[No, you aren�t. But not to worry, we�re nearly done.]
Despite the ever-increasing crowd of onlookers, we do eventually push our way through to the newly constructed town hall, a two-storey building of simple stone construction that is nevertheless very impressive considering how quick they whipped it up. It�s nothing compared to what the carvers are building underground, but hey, they�re only human.
I use my Mana Sense and reach out with a Mind Bridge once I find the person I need.
[Enid! You can�t possibly tell me that you didn�t know I was coming. Half the town is out here gabbing.]
[Oh, I know.] She sounds equal parts irritated and weary. [I�ve been stuck in here listening to people natter on about their issues which apparently can�t be put aside for the sake of a monster.]
[Are they lacking gratitude to that extent?] I�m incredulous. [I hate to interrupt you, but I can�t stay up here for long. One more evolution and you�ll probably never see me on the surface again! Any chance I can break up the meeting? We�ve got some big stuff going on down there.]
[By all means. It�s hard to focus on mental communication when people won�t stop talking to you.]
Not if you had better mental stats. Enid needs a few more Levels, if you
ask me. Although, she may be a
[Hey there, it�s me, the giant ant standing next to you.]
The fellow I�m talking to, a middle-aged-looking chap with a weather-beaten face, leaps a metre into the air before turning to look at me with a panic-stricken face.
[Hey, buddy, just breathe, alright? Stay cool. I just need you to grab some of your people, go in there, and make sure Enid can come out and talk to me. Okay? Keep it simple.]
Seemingly unable to form a coherent response, he nods jerkily, and then
thinks better of it and bows deeply. After a moment to collect himself,
he grabs two others and drags them into the building, whispering
furiously to them as they go. The chap looks a touch glassy-eyed, I hope
he�s alright. It�s better than having that one-armed Priest Beyn around.
Goodness knows what would happen if
Not long after they went in, the three ant-robed people bring out a
rather startled Enid being carried in their arms. She knew that
something was going to happen, but I�m not sure that she expected
[Hey, Enid,] I greet her with a friendly wave of an antenna. [Been a little while.]
[It certainly has. Have you changed colour?]
[What? Ah, no. That�s Crinis. Say hello, Crinis.]
A section of gloop detaches from my carapace and forms a barbed tentacle, much to the horror of most people watching. Crinis extends the limb toward Enid and waves it playfully before retracting it back into her main mass.
[She says hi.]
Enid shakes her head slightly, brushes her skirts down, and shoos away the hovering ant-people.
[Apparently, there�s something important going on in the Dungeon? Must be big if you�ve come up here, it can�t be pleasant for you. Does it have something to do with your two golgari friends?]
[Look, it�s not great to be here, and that�s no knock on the
company. I�m not sure exactly how to phrase this delicately, so I�m just
going to come out and say it. I might have
Enid just stares at me.
[You WHAT? With the golgari! Then why are
[They, uh, just really believe in me? They�re on our side�
because,
[�Right.] She massages her temples, closing her eyes to think. [What do you need from us?] she says, her eyes calm and steady when she opens them again.
[I really thought you�d be a little more shocked by this,] I admit.
[There�s no point, is there? Things move so fast around here that I�m better off just accepting and not thinking about it for too long. I�ll need to get the town council together and discuss this, but I�m willing to pledge you our support.]
That takes me back a little.
[Really? I was just going to let you know what was happening, I didn�t have any intention of asking you to fight�]
[Anthony, if the colony is destroyed, we won�t last much longer. Anyone who�s cooperated with monsters as we have, isn�t exactly looked on favourably. For good or for ill, our fates are tied to yours.]
I scratch my head with an antenna.
[Well, sure. I guess we�ll take any help we can get. Probably best if you think about what you have to offer, since I have no clue. We�ll be able to coordinate more closely after that.]
[Alright. The work never ends around here,] she sighs.
[When ants are involved, it tends to get like that.] I laugh.
We exchange pleasantries for a few minutes before I decide to end the
conversation. If anything, the surrounding crowd has
Saying farewell to the mayor, I head back toward the nest. I have a core I need to collect in there.
�Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaait!�
I won�t. I�m running for it. With a great leap, I fly into the air, over the heads of the ant-robed people and crash back down to the ground. My legs creak under the strain, but I care not, forcing myself to sprint as soon as I can.
�WAIT FOR ME, GREAT OOOOONNNEEE!�
It�s not happening, you mad priest. I barely talk to you, and now people are wearing strange robes and following me around like secret service. A few more conversations and you�ll have newborn babies dressed up as larvae, and people will start trying to carry me around on a palanquin or something� Actually, the baby thing sounds cute�
No! I�ll be strong! DASH!
I kick up a huge cloud of dust, and just like that, I leave the humans and Beyn floundering in my wake. The sweet Mana, it calls to me! As do the more reasonable behaviours of my family members. I�d rather talk to Leeroy than exchange words with that nutty priest.
My time in the town was certainly interesting, and it�s nice to know the
colony still has a strong ally in Enid, even if some of the more recent
arrivals don�t look quite as favourably on us. I can�t help but feel a
little disgruntled about that. Who saved all their lives, bore the brunt
of the horde attack, and is even helping them build their town to this
very day?
I speed back to the nest with Crinis still attached to my carapace, plunging into the welcome dark the moment I can. The sweet blue light of Mana infuses my body and I breathe a sigh of relief as the drain from my core slows significantly. With constant application of External Mana Manipulation, it�s possible for me to slowly replenish my reserves in the first stratum, a thought which unwinds the unconscious knot of tension in the back of my head.
Walking around with Mana leaking from your core is almost like a human taking a trip down the streets whilst bleeding from an open vein. Your very life energy is slowly dripping out of you as you try and ignore it and concentrate on other things, but it�s always there, the sense of impending death prodding away at your mind. I�m not a fan. Which is why I was happy enough to come back here in a hurry, even though there�s something I have to do that I�ve been avoiding for a long time.
Moving much slower now, I make my way through the nest, trying to make space for the many hatchlings and others that I share these more cramped tunnels with. Those tricky flickers in my Vestibule have returned, but I ignore them. I need to concentrate on this task, she deserves my full attention.
Pushing ever-deeper into the nest, I make my way to the brood chambers, where hundreds of pupae line dozens of chambers, each lovingly cared for by their Brood Tenders. In the centre of these lies the egg chamber, where several immature Queens now reside in what used to be Mother�s room.
�Hello, all!� I greet them. �Hope things are going well. I�ve seen the designs for the new nests and they�re absolutely out of control, you�ll love them.�
�Eldest!� they cry in surprise.
�Just passing through, came to pick something up from my old room.�
I can feel Crinis shift on my carapace, but she chooses to remain silent. She knows why I�ve come, even if she doesn�t understand why I�ve hesitated until now.
�We didn�t expect you, eldest,� one of the Queens steps forward to say. �We heard you had arrived in the nest. Is there anything we can help with?�
�No, no,� I laugh. �You do your best for the colony and leave this sort of thing for me. You have a very important job to do, much more important than mine. Good luck!�
So saying, I ignore their looks of surprise and crawl down through the gap in the floor and down into what used to be the space reserved for myself, Tiny, and Crinis. Just as the nest below ground has expanded, so too has this one. Dozens of extra chambers and tunnels have been carved out, the misplaced dirt and rock added to the towering ant hill above ground. This unadorned little chamber has been left untouched throughout those works.
It�s a bit cramped now. With my larger frame and Crinis glooped on me, I fill the space in a way I never did before. Which brings me uncomfortably close to the object I left here when I left, Garralosh�s core.
I still have mixed feelings about that fight, and the eventual death of Garralosh. If she hadn�t ended the life of one of my family, Grant the brave, who sacrificed her life for me, then I�m not sure I would have found it in me to finish her off. We made use of her Biomass, though the colony ate much of it, and her core was something I couldn�t bring myself to deal with at the time.
I could reconstitute her. Bring back a brand-new Garralosh copy to stomp around on behalf of the colony, but without her soul. The human who had been reborn on Pangera is gone forever, perhaps to another, even stranger life. Certainly the new Garralosh would be more sane than the last. It�s a fairly low bar to jump over, if I�m honest. Still, I don�t think that I�ll bring back the giant croc. The drain on resources the colony would experience trying to keep her up and fighting fit wouldn�t be worth it. Not to mention the baggage of all of those that were trying to hunt her down returning to finish the job.
No, I didn�t come here for that. This core needs to be absorbed. I wasn�t prepared to do it after the battle, and not only because it�s so uncomfortably big, but because it represents the struggle of Garralosh, the suffering she endured, vanishing from this world for good. When this core is gone, there really will be nothing left of her. Nothing except for the profile that was unlocked when I consumed her.
With a sigh, I bring it up using the menu and read through it once more.
[Garralosh. The unique monster known as Garralosh is the reincarnation of Janice Thornton, a human from Earth. The product of a violent household, Janice�s view of relationships grew twisted and callous. As she matured, she grew crueller and more manipulative, eventually coming to utilise violence and brutality to get her way. This ever-escalating spiral resulted in her descent to madness and two murders before she was eventually cut down.
Her soul was selected as a likely candidate for resurrection due to her urge to dominate and confront with violence. It was hoped that her introduction to the Dungeon would allow her to vent her more bloodthirsty urges and develop herself as an apex predator. Instead, she drowned in conflict and descended further into madness.
Her desire to dominate, control, and gain vengeance led to her isolation and entrapment. Despite reaching a reasonable level of evolution for a first stratum monster, Garralosh is yet another failed transplanted soul, leaving little to no mark on the Dungeon and its ecosystem.]
Does the Dungeon have a similar profile ready for me? Bit of a disturbing thought. Gingerly, I grab the core in my mandibles and begin to make my way back down to the second stratum.
[I don�t know what I was expecting, but it sure wasn�t this.]
Jim, the large and ever-floppy worm, slithered through the tunnels beside the hulking, menacing form of his friend, Sarah. The two former humans had achieved their goal, a long cherished one for the worm, of escaping from their gilded cage amongst the golgari. When Anthony had first arrived amongst them, they hadn�t known what to make of him, but he�d done it, pulled off the seemingly impossible escape, and brought them back to his home.
And what a home it turned out to be. Vaulted chambers, beautiful carvings, a surprisingly stunning array of statues, most of which were dedicated to Anthony, all lovingly crafted in intricate detail, were just some of the startling features of the ant nest.
[Are you getting more comfortable being around all these ants?] Sarah asked, sounding concerned.
[It�s still a struggle, if I�m being honest. My coils can�t help but shiver whenever they crawl over me. Gyah!]
It just so happened, at that moment, a host of ants skittered out of a side tunnel and made their way over the big worm�s body. He stilled completely and tried not to writhe too much as their claws pinched his skin. If he reacted badly and hurt one of the colony members, who knows what would happen to him.
In the outer tunnels of the nest, there was far less traffic, so they�d found their way out here in order to stretch their legs and coils, take in some air and try to decide what they should do next.
The heavy traffic found in the inner sections of the nest was noticeably lighter here, but that didn�t mean Jim didn�t tense up every now and again as their hosts made their way over him as they went about their business.
[We�re certainly safe here,] Sarah said, a little hesitantly. [I haven�t even seen a monster other than the ants since we got here. And the defences around the nest were certainly impressive.]
Jim wiggled non-committedly.
[Is that really what you want? To hide behind the protection that someone else is willing to offer you? Aren�t you just putting yourself back in the cage you escaped from?]
Sarah was silent for a moment and Jim hastened to console her.
[Ah! I�m not judging you or anything, I know that it�s hard for you to fight and that you�d rather not. I just don�t want to see you go back into your shell and give up your independence, just after you got it back.]
She absorbed that and considered her own feelings before she responded.
[You might be right, Jim. I guess, I still feel scared. I�m relieved to get away from the golgari after what they forced me to do, but I don�t know if I�m ready to go back into the Dungeon�]
[We could do it together,] he encouraged. [Just in little bits. Go out for ten minutes a day, build up immunity to it over time. We could head out with the�GYAHAHA!]
The ants crawled across him, paying no mind to his sudden freeze.
[I�m not sure if I should be offended by that,] he muttered. [Anyway. We could head out with the Queen. I saw her go out a few hours ago with a big escort of ants. I asked around and she goes out hunting every day to get her own food. That�d be a safe way to go about it.]
The giant bear, with its bristled fur and muscle-packed frame looked down at the worm, a little surprised.
[You�ve been talking to the ants? I didn�t think you�d want to do that.]
[Because I�m
[No. Because you didn�t want to rely on them.]
Jim deflated a little as the sudden anger he�d felt drained away.
[Oh. I thought�GYOOO!�I figured we couldn�t exactly wait for Anthony to get back before we start working things out. He sort of vanished on us�]
[He has a lot of things to worry about now that he�s back here,] Sarah chided. [We can�t expect him to hang around and wait on us hand and foot.]
[I get it,] Jim huffed. [What with the war coming, he�s got a lot on his plate.]
The big worm froze, realising too late what he�d said.
[Jim?] Sarah asked slowly. [What war are you talking about?]
Jim sighed and slapped himself in his mind. He wasn�t really keeping it a secret, but he hadn�t told her when he�d found out, and then he hadn�t been sure what he should say.
[I spoke to a few of the ants with names, though I wasn�t able to get a hold of them for long. Vibrant in particular was� fast. From what I gather, the colony doesn�t expect the golgari to let them go after what they did, killing their people and stealing their property.]
[You mean� us?]
[Us and other things. We managed to fight off the force that was pursuing us, but the colony believes they can still be followed, so eventually, they�ll come here in force to exterminate them. That�s why things have been so crazy, the ants are getting themselves ready to fight.]
They continued to make their way down the tunnel as they tried to straighten out their tangled thoughts. Sarah ambled along, her shoulders almost brushing the ceiling as she walked, whilst Jim shuffled at her side.
[It�s not our fight, you know,] Jim burst out. [They might have saved us, but they don�t need us for their war. And the golgari aren�t after us. We can take a few days to help you get used to the Dungeon and then we can make our own way. Find somewhere else that�s safe.]
[Jim�]
[We could go find the sophos that you told me about, or we could live, just the two of us. I know you don�t want to fight, and nobody has the right to make you, certainly not against any non-monster. We can just leave this behind us and�]
[Jim. We can�t do that, and you know it,] Sarah cut him off
sternly. [They
Jim pulled back a little. [Are you sure about that, Sarah? You know what that means, right? You�ll have to fight. You might have to kill golgari.]
Even the thought of such a conflict was enough to set the great bear to trembling, but she didn�t back down.
[You said it, didn�t you? Anthony said it as well. We can�t just run away forever. At some point, I have to fight. The colony hasn�t done anything wrong to me or you, why should they suffer for us? I-I think I�m going to stay. I�ll try to fight.]
[You might
The bear didn�t shrink away at all at those words.
[It�s not dying that I�m afraid of, Jim.]
At that moment, a flurry of movement from farther up the tunnel caught their attention. From the shadows emerged Anthony, his carapace covered by the ink-coloured pet he called Crinis, carrying a gigantic core in his mandibles. When he saw the two of them, his antennae perked up and he rushed forward to greet them.
[Hey there, you two! How�ve things been? Sorry I haven�t caught up with you since we got here, things have been a little� hectic.]
[Because of the war, right? I want to help,] Sarah told him firmly.
Anthony twitched and he turned toward Jim a little, as if to ask if she was serious.
[She seems to have made up her mind,] Jim muttered. [I suppose I�ll help out as well.]
The massive ant appeared to take them in for a moment, then his antennae seemed to shrug.
[Hey, sure thing. To be honest, the help is
This branch tunnel wasn�t wide enough for the three of them to traverse at the same time, so Anthony had to back up until they reached a wider branch to turn down.
[I don�t want to tell you what you can and can�t do to help,] the ant was telling them. [You want to help dig tunnels? Great! You want to help defend the nest, also great! You want to fight on the front lines? You�re insane, but hey, that�s also great.]
[Isn�t that where you�re going to be?] Sarah asked him.
[Well, yeah. But it�s
[You really think that, don�t you?] Sarah asked.
[Of course. Anyways, I think what I�ll do is get one of our teachers to talk to you specifically, Sarah. Work out exactly what you want to do and how you can help. Florence is her name. A good worker. Jim, I might put you in touch with Cobalt, she�s a carver, in charge of building stuff. I�m certain she�ll be able to find a heap of things you could do�]
He kept nattering at them, totally unaware of the very different emotions growing within his two fellow reincarnators.
After dropping Sarah and Jim with Florence, I rush back to the storage area I�m told we stashed our haul from the outpost in. I feel a touch buoyed by the run-in with Sarah and Jim. I�m not sure how much they�ll be able to help, but like I told them, every little bit is welcome. I doubt it would ever happen, but having Sarah on the front lines, a monster who�s supposedly strong enough to rip me up, would make an incredible ally. It would take a lot to get there, considering her aversion to violence, but I�m sure she�ll be able to contribute no matter what.
When I finally make it to the chamber, I find a wide, low-ceilinged chamber filled with precious loot. My siblings have been busy in here, categorising and stacking all the goods on neat shelves they�ve shaped out of stone. Probably another innovation they learned from the humans. At the time I arrive, Coolant is here, picking through various magical materials and items. Ellie is also here, taking a meticulous inventory of the many, many cores we brought back.
I crawl over and drop Garralosh�s core with a massive THUD. Ellie�s antennae begin to quiver uncontrollably the moment she notices it.
[Eldest! That core! Are you here to donate it?]
[Ah, no. This one�s for me, unfortunately.]
[Are you going to make a pet with it? Surely you will!]
[You know what core this is, right?]
[Of course I know! I still can�t believe you never let us study it, but it�s an amazing chance to create an incredibly strong pet.]
I shouldn�t be surprised that the core shaper would be interested in the most potent core the colony has gotten its mandibles on, but I kind of hoped they�d have gotten over it by now.
[No, I won�t. I�ll be absorbing this core after I�ve maxed out my current limit. That�s why I came here, have you finished categorising the cores yet? I want to take the more useless ones and absorb them.]
[Hmm. I may not have enough for you here. A lot of these cores are of real interest to us. Unknown monsters we haven�t come across before, new organs that we haven�t experimented with, there�s a dizzying amount of new information.]
[Surely there�s a bit of trash they had lying around. I just need the energy, not quality.]
[Give me a second,] she says and starts rummaging around.
I leave her to her work and wander over to where Coolant is busy.
[Hey there, Coolant. Did we actually get anything useful from those geezers?]
She scratches her head with one antenna.
[Well, it�s not easy to say at this stage. We certainly got a
[What sort of stuff
She starts pointing out various things on the shelves with a claw.
[We managed to scrounge up a few pieces of equipment, staves mostly, a couple of enchanted robes and� loincloths? There are also many other items we have yet to be certain of the purpose of. Over here, I�ve collected a series of gems and implements that I believe are for scrying for certain Mana signatures over great range. If we can discover what each enchantment is designed to find, it will be a great advancement in our ability to create magical scouting tools.]
Fascinating!
[Are we making any progress on that front?] I ask.
[Not yet, we�ve only conducted initial studies on the tools at this stage. We�re assembling teams of our best tier four mages and enchanters to look over them. Claws crossed, they�ll be able to unravel the secret soon. If we can make scrying tools for golgari�]
[Holy. Moly. That
[Well, we
She leads me to a separate shelf behind the first, laden with chunks of glittering ore. Flipping on my Mana Sense, I can feel the pure energy of the Dungeon flowing throughout these materials. Some are clearly more precious than others, but all of them are rich with Mana.
[Any idea what we can do with these?] I ask wonderingly.
Coolant shrugs.
[I have no idea. Our only thought is to try and determine what affinities these materials have and then pass them over to the carvers. They should be able to make something useful out of them.]
Makes sense. There�s not really any point in hoarding them. If the colony can work out how to create useful items out of this stuff, then we�d have a reason to actually seek it out and mine it.
[Have the humans been consulted about what to do with these materials?]
[I believe that is still being done, eldest.]
[Right�]
[Here you are, eldest!] Ellie breaks in. [This is what we have that you can use.]
With little ceremony, she crawls up next to me and drops a thin stone bucket filled with cores on the ground. Even just by looking, I can tell there won�t be enough to max out my core. Still, can�t be ungrateful for the help of the colony.
[Cheers, Ellie. This is a big help.]
[Anytime, eldest. I better get back to work.]
I decide to leave the two council members to their business. I place Garralosh�s core on top of the bucket, even though it doesn�t quite fit, and lift the container in my mandibles before heading out of the storeroom. Carefully balancing myself, I tread through the tunnels until I arrive at a relatively small, out of the way chamber that I picked out for myself. Not too much traffic nearby and not much going on inside, the room is quite perfect for my purposes. I wearily plunk down all the cores and take a moment to settle myself.
Physically, I�m not tired at all, but emotionally, I�m starting to flag a bit. Too much running around, too many things to worry about. I need to take a break. Time for a little well-earned torpor, I think. I can deal with these cores after that, then try and find out what�s happening with this city.
The return of the Eldest after their brief time apart from the Colony was a momentous event. Throughout the history of our kind, it was always the Eldest who acted as the catalyst of change, the harbinger of progress.
As we grew in strength, wisdom, and capability, there was danger of complacency, of waste and inefficiency as we followed a thousand different trails of knowledge to their fruitless conclusions. Instead, at the critical moment, the Eldest brought us firm paths on which we were only just becoming ready to tread, new ideas to throw our burgeoning industry forward and expand our imaginations.
Most importantly of all, they brought us enemies against which we could test ourselves, obstacles that we had to strive to overcome. This contention is not universally accepted amongst my siblings, but it is my belief that every action they undertook was deliberate and calculated, that they forged the Colony like a smith-ant forges metal, alternating the guidance of their hammer with the intense heat of the forge.
In this conflict, we would be forced to purify our conceptual understanding of what we were and how we were to function. To become something even greater, stronger, and more ambitious than before. All the while, the Eldest was there, watching over us, guiding us in the right direction. The Eldest saw the beginning and the end of our journey all at once.
Only they saw what it was that we would become.
SHASHIFRASS!
I�m up! Boy, I really needed a bit of torpor, more than I thought I did. I am refreshed! Stretching out my antennae and flicking my legs in a few different directions, I finish off with a few short hops to get the joints lubricated. Nice. Maybe I should implement this as a sort of morning exercise for the colony? A healthy body and a healthy mind leads to a healthy society! Perhaps they could set up some of those pheromone speakers for this purpose?
The image of millions of monstrous ants, lined up in row upon row, performing morning jazzer-cise blooms in my mind and I almost fall over laughing.
[Is everything alright, Master?]
[Gah! Crinis? I actually forgot you were there for a second�]
She wiggles a little with happiness.
[Is that because I�ve become your second skin? I told you I�d never part with you again, this is just a natural progression.]
In what way is this natural? In fact, in what way is any part of Crinis natural? She looks like a nightmare born when another nightmare went to sleep. In order to keep her happy, I�ll continue to tolerate this arrangement, but I�d be lying if I said I was getting accustomed to it. If anything, me forgetting that she�s attached to me is just my mind fantasising about regaining my freedom.
Grumbling internally to myself, I gather up the cores I collected and begin to absorb them. I need to reinforce my core and put myself in a position of maximum strength for the upcoming conflict. Nothing less than peak, optimum condition can be accepted. Before I evolve, I need to take in the Garralosh core also, pushing myself to a new peak of evolutionary energy. It�ll be intense, and most likely very painful, but it needs to be done to secure the future of the colony.
A flicker of energy in my Vestibule captures my attention before it fades away into the background once more. This irritating thing is back again! What exactly is it? Having these stupid ghost ant signals creep up on me all the time is really getting on my nerves! I�m determined to work out exactly what is giving this strange feeling. I feel like someone is trying to pull one over on me. I refuse to allow it!
Brimming with fierce energy, I sweep up the remainder of the cores and check my status. Looks like I�m getting close to my maxed-out core. I�ll have to try and source the rest of the cores I need either out in the Dungeon, or perhaps from the city. Maybe I can buy them there? I don�t know what they�d want in trade. Would they even be willing to trade with a monstrous ant is another question�
Alright then, time to get moving. I spring to my feet and Dash out of the chamber. Maximum speed! As I do so, I focus all of my sub-brains on the Vestibule as it provides a steady flow of energy from the thousands of ants congregating throughout the nest. I�m going to find you, you damn flickers! They must be ants who are causing it, some sort of sneaky ant! I�ll uncover your mask and give you a good thwacking for following me around!
AHA!
Almost simultaneously, I perceive the tiniest sputter of energy within the Vestibule and my antennae sense a disturbance in the tunnel ahead of me. Have I found one of them at last? I can�t see them, though.
DASH!
Even more determined, I put the hammer down and accelerate to the limit! My huge body flies down the narrow tunnel, sending smaller ants scurrying in all directions and diving down side tunnels to get out of my way.
Oho! The flicker has moved around the bend up ahead. Need to turn! I slam my claws into the ground and haul my mass around the tight bend before I Dash once more. You won�t escape me!
Even now, I can�t see them, but I can
�Why hello, eldest, I didn�t expect to see you here.�
From behind a bend up ahead, Advant steps smartly forward, cutting off my path. I hop slightly and land with all six legs dug into the ground to slow my advance as my momentum causes me to dig deep furrows in the ground. I manage to stop mere centimetres away from rolling over Advant and causing an embarrassing scene for the council, squashing one of their members.
�Advant? Where the heck did you come from?� I gasp.
�Who, me? I was looking for you, eldest. It�s time for the follow up meeting to discuss the scouting reports.�
I grow still for a moment.
�Your timing here is rather perfect, Advant. You wouldn�t be hiding anything from me, would you?�
I raise an antenna.
�O-Of course not, eldest! Why would I do such a thing?�
Leaning in a little closer, I stare down at the soldier.
�I�m not sure. That�s why it bugs me so much.�
Records of the early days of non-monster habitation of the Dungeon are scarce, to say the least. The Dungeon opened itself during the Cataclysm known as the Rending, and certainly before that time, the vast network of caves and tunnels beneath the ground was both unknown and inaccessible to those on the surface.
During the event itself, when hordes of monsters poured out of holes in the surface every day, pressing forward into the Dungeon was difficult, but not impossible. There are scattered records of several expeditions that managed to gain a foothold beneath the surface. According to the journal written by Alain of Exeter, the ruling ten decreed that defending against the monsters beneath the surface, where narrow tunnels make perfect chokepoints, would be far less costly than attempting to curb them on the surface, and so dispatched a mighty force to seize a Dungeon entrance.
Although the loss of life was horrific, Exeter was the first nation on record to establish a permanent foothold within the Dungeon. It began life as a crude defensive fort. The site, which came to be named Victoria, was reinforced and expanded throughout the Rending. It became a frontline defence against the monsters and was effective at reducing the numbers that breached the surface.
Victoria still exists today, though not in the form it once did. As Exeter pushed deeper into the Dungeon to seize its wealth and research its secrets, Victoria became a gateway city between the depths and the surface kingdom, a place of trade and travel. Although firmly placed within the first stratum, Victoria is considered the first true metropolis beneath the ground, though many others would follow.
Empires, kingdoms, and nations of all sorts would rush to seize land in the Dungeon, establishing cities of their own. Even powerful merchant collectives or independent mercenary companies were able to construct their own safe havens in less desirable Dungeon locations. In this way, the community below ground expanded.
�Excerpt from
I keep a suspicious eye on Advant as we march to the council chamber, the teasing flicker in my Vestibule having now conspicuously vanished. They�re trying to pull something over on me here, and I will not allow it! To think, the council that I raised and taught from mere hatchlings to the powerful and advanced monsters that they are today would try and sneak something past me. The whole idea is absurd. It will not be allowed to stand!
By the time we reach the chamber and settle in, Advant is almost shaking after receiving my withering, omni-directional glare for ten minutes straight. She hasn�t cracked, though, which means I�m still in the dark regarding their nefarious scheme. It�s unfortunate that the survival of the colony is at stake right now, I can�t afford to be distracted by these side games. After another five minutes pass, the entire council has been assembled and settled into our individual seats.
�Hi-Hi! Eldest!� Vibrant chirrups the moment she enters the room. �It�s been exciting out there! Things have moved sooo fast! Even for me! I�ve been all over the place for the last day, I don�t think I�ve stopped moving, even for a moment.�
�That�s great, Vibrant,� I break in to stop the flow of scents flying from her before she can really get going. One of the things I�ve noticed about pheromone-based communication, is that at no point is the person �speaking� required to pause to take a breath. If an ant really wants to, they can launch into a diatribe that can be quite horrendous in length. Eventually they�ll run out of pheromones, but with a few mutations, they can last a heck of a long time.
�So, what exactly did we learn?� I ask, moving to head off potential monologues from Vibrant.
�Quite a lot,� Burke responds smoothly. �Our scouts managed to infiltrate the outskirts undetected and gather quite a chunk of actionable intelligence.�
�You�re sure that you weren�t found?� I�m doubtful. How could a city in the Dungeon survive without being monster proof?
�We can�t be completely sure,� Wills answers, her antennae drooping slightly. �I assure you we took every possible measure we could to avoid discovery. We tunnelled in ourselves, sent our stealthiest members, and cooperated with the shapers and mages.�
�That�s right,� Bella waved a leg to draw attention to herself. �We sent the pets in to see what they could see! We even made them fight each other to look believable. The tunnel approaches are watched carefully, that�s for sure. The second we crossed a line, BAM, a bunch of humans jumped on the pets and annihilated them!�
That�s a little worrying.
�Did you dig past that line?� I ask, intent.
�Are you concerned about a spherical detection zone?� Propellant asks. �We considered the same thing. Not to worry, we made sure to stop before crossing over the line.�
Hmm.
�So how much did we actually learn? It doesn�t sound like we were able to get close to the city at all!�
�We know it�s location, how much space it occupies, we�ve identified all of the entrances and tested the defences. Preparations have been made on tunnel access from a wide range of entrance points and every path in and out of the city is being monitored. Quite a bit in twenty-four hours, I should say.�
When you put it like that� Actually, what the heck did I expect? A complete census of the city? The names of every man, woman, child, and a detailed inventory of their house pets? The place is effectively surrounded, and pushing any further risks exposing us at a time when surprise is our most powerful weapon. Hang on, there�s a thought.
�A census! I want a census done of the colony! A record of every single member of the family. I want to know their caste, their age, the MP that their core can take, their Skill Levels and mutations! I want the works! Someone get on that!�
�Uhh, eldest? Is that related to what we were talking about?� Sloan asks, her antennae twitching in a puzzled manner.
�Absolutely not. It came into my head and I thought it was important enough that I should mention it. Right then. If we�ve learned all that we�re going to learn, it�s time to go for it. What�s the plan? When are we going in?�
There�s a moment of silence as the members of the council look at each other. I can almost hear them silently considering who should speak and how they should frame it.
�No,� I cut in. �I�m not sitting it out, and the first member of this council to ask me to will be �re-educated.��
I
�I told them! I said it was dumb! Did you really think the eldest would sit and watch as the rest of us ran in? You girls keep thinking you can shield the eldest and the Queen, but you�re nuts. It won�t work! Nope-nope. In fact, when I told the Queen what we were going to do, she insisted on coming along!�
�YOU DID WHAT?� the rest of the council screams at her.
Seemingly oblivious to their outrage, Vibrant continues to hop and wiggle on the spot. She�s still surprisingly light on her legs, considering how large she is.
�Yep-yep! She�s real excited! Or determined� One of those! With the eldest and the Queen running into the unknown danger where who knows what waits for us, it�s going to be AMAZING!�
Sloan and Victor have collapsed on their chairs, legs dangling uselessly and eyes staring blankly into space. I can only imagine that all of their plans have gone up in smoke at this point. I think they�re reworking every strategy they had and building in as much protection for the Queen as they possibly can.
I have to admit, I�m a little nervous myself, but by this stage, I�ve given up on trying to keep the Queen out of trouble. Mother is Mother, after all! She�s more than capable of taking care of herself. What�s more dangerous is the possibility of these guys going off the rails and jeopardising the mission in an attempt to keep her out of danger.
�Look, the Queen is going to get in there and fight. There�s nothing you can do about that,� I cut Vibrant off as she continues to rave and address the rest of the council. �If you want to protect her, then let�s commit hard and make sure our takeover of this city is done as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. If it turns into a pitched battle in the streets, then we�ve already failed. This needs to be over before an effective defence can be mounted. We get in, smash the defences, quell the populace, and take any teleporters offline. Make sense?�
Leeroy puts up an antenna.
�So we don�t destroy everything in the city?�
�No! Why would we destroy everything in the city?�
�Because� what are we going to do with a city full of people who hate us?�
�We�Actually� That�s a surprisingly sensible point coming from you, Leeroy. Look, we�ll win them over, or if we can�t, we just walk away and leave them alone. As long as they don�t have those teleportation gates, we don�t have any beef with them.�
�So, we eat them?�
�Not that sort of beef!�
THWACK!
Torrina Laksham wasn�t sure what to think. The more time she spent around that remarkable ant, the more things didn�t make sense. When she and Corun accompanied Anthony to the surface, she�d been stunned to find an entire community of humans who not only accepted the ant and his colony, but were rapidly approaching something very close to worship.
The moment they�d seen the welcoming party, with their robes and ant-like regalia, she and Corun had shared a long and significant stare. The parallels they could draw between their own cult and the behaviour on display were far too easy to draw. It was almost disturbing to see such devout actions taking place in clear daylight, in full view of everyone. They had spent their entire adult lives concealing their beliefs and ideology, only to see these humans being so forward and direct with their burgeoning faith. It was, in many ways, shocking.
But also, exciting. They were following the direction of their Triad leader, hoping to help cultivate a new Ancient, and here was a group of people who responded to Anthony in much the same way that groups all over the world had reacted to the Ancients during the Cataclysm. To Torrina, it was a powerful sign that they were on the right track. Corun was less convinced.
[These people are backward hicks from the middle of nowhere. Most have barely ever set foot in the Dungeon, let alone faced a monster in combat,] he argued over a Mind Bridge. [The moment any powerful monster appeared in front of them, they were bound to admire it.]
[Admiration is one thing,] Torrina said. [Worship is quite another. Look around you, Corun. There are monsters walking through the streets of a human settlement. And nobody cares. In fact, they�re respected, revered, and welcomed. I�m not certain that such a thing has happened in the entire history of Pangera, from the Cataclysm to now.]
Corun just shook his head and looked around a little more. It was hard to deny the argument that his Triad partner put forward, but he wasn�t ready to commit quite as much. These people were just so backward. He found it hard to put any stock at all in their thoughts and beliefs. That didn�t mean he saw nothing he could learn from their interactions with the colony, which was why he wasn�t bothered by being left behind when Anthony had returned to the Dungeon.
The two of them had stayed with the mayor, Enid, the previous night and pumped her for information on the history of the town and its interactions with Anthony. The old woman was tough as any stone and quite cagey, but was unable to conceal her own deep respect and unquestioning faith in her powerful insect ally.
[These people are from the back end of the back end,] Corun tried again. [Frontier farmers with no foundation, no connection to any of the great powers, and no history. Regardless of what they think, is it really that important? You need to remember that Anthony is a special case, a reincarnated human. He�s inclined to help these people based on his history, not to mention he�s well-aware of what the colony would be able to learn from people such as these. He wanted them to trust him.]
He and Torrina were walking out of the town, accompanying a group of armed members and ant-robes led by the one-armed priest, Beyn, but Torrina was frustrated enough by his remarks that she stopped to stare at him.
[Do you really think it�s
By the end of her rant, the usually cool as ice golgari Shaper had more than a little heat in her gaze as she glared at Corun. Despite being the older of the two, Corun threw his hands up in surrender.
[Alright! Cool down! I�m not used to seeing you get this fired up, Torrina.]
She took a deep breath and felt her ire recede before she continued in a more even tone.
[I find your own lack of enthusiasm to be more confusing. There is a growing possibility that Anthony will ascend to become the twentieth Ancient. The more I consider it, the harder I find it to remain level-headed.]
�Everything alright back there?� a voice called.
Torrina and Corun turned to see that their entire group had stalled to wait for them as they�d discussed silently through mental communication. Corun smiled easily and raised a hand.
�Apologies to you all, my compatriot and I were merely discussing a few points and didn�t want to disturb you. We won�t delay you any further.�
The two golgari towered over the humans, their stone-covered bodies and heavily built frames meaning that even the largest human appeared frail and childlike when next to them. This meant they acted in a very polite and reserved way around their hosts, not wanting to cause any accidents.
�You have come in support of the Great One, that is enough to grant you a great deal of leeway,� Beyn declared.
With his remaining arm, he waved the group forward and they marched toward the towering anthill in the distance. Seeing an opportunity to pick the brains of this key human, Torrina strode forward to speak to him.
�Priest Beyn, may I have a moment of your time? I have questions regarding your own interactions with the� Great One.�
The priest nodded, but didn�t turn his head toward her, instead remaining focused on the nest in front of him.
�I see that you hesitate to refer to them as such. Perhaps you know his name?�
She nodded.
�Yes, I see. I choose not to use that name, instead referring to them with a title I bestowed myself. Perhaps it is hubris on my part, but I feel that being so personal wouldn�t be right for someone such as myself.�
Torrina tried to look as if she understood.
�I believe I heard, Priest Beyn, that you are the first human to come into contact with the Great One. How did that meeting go?�
The priest laughed and waggled the stump of his arm.
�He bit my arm off.�
Torrina nearly tripped.
�Not the most auspicious beginning, I�ll happily admit,� Beyn said with a wry smile. �I was confused then, I didn�t understand what it was that I was witness to. It took some time, but I was eventually able to see the true Path that had been laid before my feet.�
�Sounds like you�ve had quite a range of experiences.�
�Indeed I have.�
�I�d love to hear more.�
The priest was only too happy to talk, and she listened intently as the anthill grew to loom over them, until they entered one of its many tunnels and plunged beneath the ground. It wasn�t long until a representative of the colony approached the group and led them deeper. There was a major campaign underway, and the town would not sit on the sidelines.
I have sought to capture the Eldest in their purest form for many years in various media. Stone was the first material I utilised, crude and rough, it was appropriate for them at that time. Just like the stone I hewed with mandible, claw, and magic, they were rough and unpolished, a creature of brute strength and straight edges. The edges never really changed, the eldest remains as straightforward an ant as there is to find in the colony. At least, if you know the turnings of their mind, as I do. I�ve watched them for far too long to be entirely ignorant of their inner workings.
When others try to learn my Skills, I do my utmost to help them, of course. Even a few humans and some amongst the golgari have sought out my expertise after seeing my works. Of the basics, I had nought to teach them, they were skilled artists, all. But there remained something of the spirit, of the dignity and power the Eldest possesses, that they were never able to properly capture. I can honestly say I held nothing back in my efforts to teach them.
There are none in the Colony who would hoard knowledge of how to spread the Eldest�s glory, but I failed every one of my students.
To properly depict the Eldest, one must acknowledge the creature they truly are. The humans, the golgari, and the other sapients, even many amongst the Colony, close their eyes to those aspects of their subject that they are not capable of comprehending. The Eldest is powerful, yes. The Eldest is mighty, of course. The Eldest is wise and generous and caring and brave and clever and joyful and frequently inscrutable, all know this.
But first and foremost, the eldest is an individual who contains and has experienced great pain.
To me, the magnificent dignity of the Eldest is made even more impressive because of its source. Everything that they are, and everything they accomplish, springs from a bottomless well of suffering that most do not know exists and none can name the origin.
It�s not something I speak of directly, it isn�t my place, but I try to guide the eye of my students toward it. There, in that hesitation, do you see it? Here, in this selfless sacrifice, do you understand? They see a great mountain towering into the sky and try to capture it. I can see a tiny fraction of that mountain below the surface as it descends to darkness. It isn�t much, but it is all anyone is allowed to see.
The more time passes, the greater the chance of things going wrong. To that end, it was decided to strike against the city as quickly as possible. The council left me out of the logistics, and I�m very glad they did. I think we can all acknowledge that isn�t where my strengths lie.
Instead, I gathered up my pets and put us to practising our Skills as we waited for the human contingent to join us. That the people of the town were so willing to risk their lives and limbs in this way was more than a little surprising to me, but what the heck, I�ll take it.
We don�t intend to use them in a combat role, the ants are far better equipped for that, but we hope they can talk down our opposition. People who think they have to win, or die and get eaten are likely to fight very hard indeed. If instead we can have a person explain to the people of the city that they won�t be consumed, nor killed, then perhaps they�ll stand down and we can prevent as much death as possible.
To both sides, that is. I�m pretty confident the colony could exterminate every man, woman, and child in that city, but where would that leave us? If word ever got out, every empire, kingdom, mercenary, and farmer with a sharp pitchfork would travel from all over the world to exterminate us. Perhaps that might happen even if we spare them, but I�ll take a chance at life over a guarantee of death any day of the week.
We need more time to get stronger. Eventually, everyone is going to want to come for us, I know that. On Pangera, we are the equivalent of thousands and thousands of crawling bags of gold. The only way we can survive is if we are more trouble to profit from than it�s worth bothering with. Which translates to strength. More high-Level ants, more ants in general. It�s a straightforward formula that only needs time to come to fruition.
As I grind away with several minds at my elemental Skills, Tiny punches at the air, Crinis practises Shadow Magic, and Invidia makes barriers for Tiny to smash, I also try to go back over the plan. The colony is going to go all out for this one. A full ten thousand ants are being assembled for the assault. Soldiers, scouts, mages, core shapers, medics, generals, the whole shebang. I think every single tier four member is being called in.
From what I gather, this means that aside from the necessary guard presence in the nests, along with the castes who don�t operate on the field of battle, the colony will have next to no members anywhere in the Dungeon. Naturally, there will be scouts out and about, as well as a few patrols, but for the most part, we are going all in against this city.
We should win handily. No, scratch that. We WILL win, easily. All resistance crushed and the unconditional surrender of the city will be offered in less than an hour. We go in, find any gates, smash �em, and work out what to do after that. I need to focus on my own job, which is to subdue any elites that we come across. With my three pets, I make up the most compact fighting force the colony has at its disposal, the only thing we can bring to bear against the truly strong.
The council, not to mention the rest of the ants, are totally willing to bring down powerhouses through sheer, exhausting weight of numbers, but I refuse. The loss of life would be obscene, as it is in nature when ants take on those creatures greater and more powerful than themselves. I suppose I�m greedy. It�s not enough to win, I want to win and lose as few family members as possible.
Thinking these sorts of thoughts, I while away a few hours until the humans arrive, along with Torrina and Corun.
[Hey there, gang,] I reach out to them. [How was the trip?]
�I greet you, oh Great One! We are here to serve and pledge ourselves to illuminating your glory!�
Before they can reply, Beyn leaps forward and prostrates himself in one smooth motion. There�s no way he did that first try, he must have practised. The rest of the �ant-robes� follow suit and are kneeling in the dirt in a flash, declaring their joy and singing praise. With a weary sigh, I extend another Mind Bridge out to the one-armed priest.
[How are you, Beyn? I�m a little surpri�]
[YOUR VOICE FILLS ME WITH JOY, GREAT ONE! I CANNOT EXPRE�]
[LOUD!]
This idiot. He�s nothing but helpful, but he really gets carried away with the �great one� business. For a moment, I consider attempting to redirect his devotion to the Queen, but I decide against it. Although far more deserving of these powerful emotions, I wouldn�t want to burden her unnecessarily.
[It�s nice to see you as well, Beyn, just keep it down, man. I was going to say I�m surprised Enid let you lead the procession down here.]
[IT WAS� It was believed that for this particular task, sincerity of feeling and honest dedication were the most important traits to make us more compelling witnesses for the colony. For that reason, I was asked to bring my most devoted followers to assist.]
His mental voice has become much more reasonable, but a literal flood of tears is pouring out of his eyes as he stares at me with frantic joy plastered on his face. It�s freakin� creepy! Still, I can tolerate it, he and his people are only here to help, at significant risk to themselves. With some difficulty, I create a branching Mind Bridge and connect it to all of the humans who are present, so I can speak to them all at once.
[I welcome you and thank you for volunteering. It is my hope that your participation will save many lives, both ant and otherwise. For your bravery, and dedication, I thank you.]
I dip my head and antennae in a short bow/nod toward them, and by the time I bring my head back up, each and every one of them is flooding the tunnel with their tears.
The Dungeon city of Rylleh is relatively young, in city terms, barely older than the expansionist kingdoms that took root above it. Formed by a collective of experienced and high-Level delvers, the city benefited from the protection and knowledge of these individuals, allowing it to prosper relatively quickly.
Positioned in a relatively barren section of the Dungeon�s first stratum, the city doesn�t provide much in terms of resources or prime delving ground, but it does offer something much harder to come across: independence. Unbound from any greater authority and capable of standing its ground against the Mercenary Union, the city-state of Rylleh offers a haven to those who wish to delve without being tied up in string.
Naturally this means trading away richer hunting grounds for the frontier, but to a small yet vocal portion of delvers, the trade-off is more than worth it. So Rylleh has remained quietly prosperous for hundreds of years. Administered by a ruling council of inherited seats controlled by the descendants of the founders, the city has relied on its own guard and a deployment of Abyssal Legion to defend itself from the depredations of the Dungeon.
Though really, what could possibly harm such a city in the first stratum?
�Excerpt from
Wallace Danton ground his teeth on a fresh wedge of Dungeon chew, pausing only to lean over and spit, as he stared at the warning crystal array in front of him. Stood by his side, his deputy rolled her eyes and took a discreet step away from the man. Chew was a common enough vice in Rylleh, useful as a stimulant with slight numbing properties, but by the Path, did the stuff stink!
�Captain�� she warned.
�No.�
�Regulations��
�I
�The council will be shocked to hear of it.�
�Lieutenant Yasmine, could we perhaps focus on something a
Yasmine just sighed, adjusted her glasses, and checked her clipboard. The captain had been spooked by the multiple alarms that had been tripped in the last two days, and had ordered every guardsman to be in a heightened state of alert. She didn�t think the man had slept in twenty-four hours, hence the copious amounts of chew he kept cramming in his maw.
Even she felt he was overreacting. Monsters approached the outer tunnels all the time. Though she had to admit the old man had good instincts. He�d been captain of the Rylleh guard for over twenty years at this point, and a powerful delver before that. If anyone knew the Dungeon like the back of their hand, it was him.
�It just doesn�t feel right,� Wallace muttered as he stared at the
array. �Why would so many trigger so close together? All
Here in the central guard tower, they were situated almost in the centre of the city, next to the council chambers themselves. Ever since the alarms had triggered, Wallace and Yasmine had been ensconced deep in the tower, in constant contact with the crystal array that connected to each and every outpost that guarded the entrances to the Dungeon.
By connecting to a similar enchanted detection device in each outpost, the command array before them would light up to show the location of any monster that encroached within the city�s detection radius, the instant they did so. On the wall behind them, communication spells powered by monster cores gave them real-time communication with every guard on the perimeter and every guard station within the city itself.
It was a massively expensive investment that many had called unnecessary, but the measures had proven invaluable ever since the work had been completed. The ability to instantly respond to any possible incursion was worth so much to the defence of the city.
�Still no word from the delving parties outside the city?� he asked Yasmine without turning around.
�Not since you last asked twenty minutes ago�� she said.
�It�s strange.�
�No, it isn�t,� she insisted. �There are only five groups delving right now, and all of them planned to delve for at least a month. Two days of no-contact is hardly unusual.�
The old man stubbornly shook his head.
�Fool girl,� he muttered, not tearing his eyes from the array.
Her temper flared. �If I�m
She immediately regretted her actions and snapped out a salute to her superior officer.
�I�m sorry, Captain! I don�t know what came over me!�
He didn�t bother to look up.
�You�re tired and cranky because I made you stay here all night instead of going home and getting rest,� he said. �It�s only reasonable. Focus and I�ll explain.�
He pointed to the outer ring of crystals that represented the outermost guard posts.
�We had this post, this, this, and this, all detect monsters within an hour of each other. All of them shadow monsters, second stratum dwellers. Right?�
�That�s right.�
�If there�s enough second stratum beasties out there that they hit each of these points near simultaneously, there must be a huge contingent of them that have risen up to this layer.�
She thought for a moment.
�If our delvers had run into anything like that��
�They�d have reported it immediately,� he confirmed, still staring at the crystals. �That�s why I don�t think it fits.�
He spat to the side, then stuffed another wedge of chew into his mouth.
Suddenly, one of the crystals on the array lit up and Wallace stood quickly, his chair clattering over behind him as he leaned in. A tiny ball of red light representing a single monster flared to life as it approached the guard station to the west of the city.
�What do you think it is?� Yasmine asked.
�Shhh,� Wallace hissed, his eyes intent.
Flash, flash, flash, flash! In the span of a second, four more lights burst to light and Wallace slammed a hand down on the array. Immediately, a sphere was projected above the array, a model of Rylleh and its surrounds. In the time it took his eyes to focus on the projection, each and every array crystal was lit. Within the projected sphere, red lights began to appear by the dozen as communications began to crackle through the arrays behind him.
�Uhh, Captain? Got a lot of contacts within the perimeter.�
�Captain? Something in the tunnels! I can hear them coming!�
�Orders? Monsters on the approach!�
�They�re in the walls! They�re in the
Yasmine�s eyes widened in horror, unmoving at what was unfolding before her. This many contacts? So close together? Is this a wave?
�WE�RE UNDER ATTACK!� Wallace roared. �PREPARE TO FALL BACK TO THE CITY!�
�What!�
�Confirm? Captain, confirm!�
�GET YOUR ARSES BACK TO THE CITY!� Wallace turned to bellow directly to the wall. �AND SOMEBODY CONFIRM A DAMN VISUAL!�
�I don�t see anything, Captain!�
�Yasmine! Yasmine?
He shoved her roughly in the arm until she turned to look at him, her eyes vacant.
�Focus, idiot! Get those damn soldiers back to the gates and then lock them! You hear me? Get to it!�
He turned her around and pushed her toward the audio arrays before he spun back to the projection. There were hundreds of small glowing points of red light now, and more appeared every second in every direction, all moving toward the city.
�What the hell are you?� he muttered. �What could you possibly be?�
The guards manning the outer defences fell back, abandoning their posts and equipment as they sprinted to safety. One by one, the guard stations went silent until the monsters approached. That�s when Wallace heard it.
�Click, click, click��
�Click, click, click, click, click, click, click��
�Click, click, click, click- click-click-click-click-click-click-click-CLICK-CLICK.�
From every array the same sound rattled out a thousand times over a few seconds. It wasn�t the sound of a foot, or a boot, but something harder and sharper, stabbing against the stone as it gripped. Wallace only had to think for a second to determine what kind of monster it could be.
That�s when he knew they were dead.
The captain of the Rylleh guard knew, deep in his gut, that he was dead,
that
In that moment, he felt as if two divergent paths lay before him. He could surrender to the inevitable death that awaited him and every person living in the city, lay down and give in, or he could fight and take as many of the filthy monsters down with him as he could.
It didn�t seem like much of a choice at all to Wallace.
�Yasmine! YAS! Get over here!�
His second in command, a quaver of panic running just beneath the surface, rushed back to his side, and he stepped in front of the display before he turned to speak to her.
�What�s been happening?� he asked.
He could hear the rumbling and clatter of more guardsmen piling into the headquarters, responding to the emergency summons that was automatically sent out once the alarms were tripped.
�W-Well,� Yasmine steadied herself. �I�ve done as you asked. All of the outer guardsmen are retreating to the gates, which are being closed and reinforced. The reserves have been summoned and the city has been notified of an attack.�
�Right, I want everyone to abandon the gates and fall back to the city centre,� Wallace said. �Issue an evacuation order to the populace. Everyone into the city centre, collapse the buildings in a hundred metre radius beyond the square. Then I want��
�Have you gone mad?� Yasmine demanded, aghast. �Are you abandoning the city? You�ll kill us all!�
�They�re
�That�s impossible! What about the enchantments? The reinforced rock? It�s absurdly hard to break through the stone!�
�It would be if they were
He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder, his old, calloused hand
digging painfully into her flesh. She looked at him and noticed for the
first time the faint glint of something mad in his eyes, something
�Are you alright, Captain?� she whispered.
�I will be soon,� he chuckled. �Now shut up and listen. I�m going to tell you something and it�s very important you don�t spread this around. The last thing we want is a panic, alright? Do you understand?�
�I-I think so, Captain.�
�Good. We are under attack by ants. This is an ant horde.�
He muttered the words low, forcing her to lean closer to hear him. He could see the moment she comprehended him as her face drained of blood and she began to shake. He gripped her tighter and tried to give her the strength to hold on.
�There�s thousands of them, alright? Thousands. Not a single one below tier three. I know, shut up.� He held her eyes as she tried to break in but he refused to allow her to panic. �The gates are going to be useless, they�ll tunnel around and come at our people from behind. The only way we have a chance is if we gather in the square and use those walls to hold them off. Alright? Breathe, Yas. Just breathe. We can make it, but we have to act fast! I need you to hold it together and help get the orders out, otherwise we�re finished.�
Used to dealing with bar scuffles and the rare monster wave, she wasn�t equipped to handle this, but she gathered her courage and nodded. She would do her best for the city of her birth. They wouldn�t die today!
Seeing the firming determination in her eyes, Wallace released her to her duty. He�d had to lie to her, to keep her steady. Even when they gathered in the square, the ants would tunnel under the walls and come at them from beneath, but hopefully they�d be able to swat a few of the filthy bugs as they approached. It was the best they could hope for.
Not even aware of the smile that twisted his face, Wallace rushed out to give his orders.
�They want us to WHAT?�
�Abandon the gate! Orders came straight from Wallace!�
�Like hell we are!� Ernes yelled back through the communication crystal.
�Has that old fool turned
The voice on the other side of the enchanted gem grew frustrated at his intransigence.
�If you think the
Ernes Bally slammed his fist onto the expensive array, cracking it right
down the middle. He�d be
�What are our orders, Ernes?� one of his men called.
�We hold the line. Whoever is stupid enough to take this city is going to get a taste of our steel!�
Confidence surging, he rushed out of the guard house attached to the west gate and helped to finish closing and sealing it. A massive construction of enchanted metal and stone, the gates had held off hordes of monsters during the recent wave, and Ernes doubted there was any chance they would fail now.
�Prepare the firing ports! Mages at the ready, archers behind! Shields up!� he roared.
There were more than fifty guards manning the gate, and they leapt to their tasks like a well-oiled machine. As their major, his heart swelled with pride as he rushed to join them. A full fifteen metres high, the back of the gate was lined with three tiers of viewing ports accessed by ramps that joined across the centre. At his command, the guards flew up the ladders and took their positions, ready to throw open the hatches built into the gate and annihilate whatever they saw on the other side.
�Steady, men!� Ernes urged them. �When I give the command, unleash hell fire!�
Heart pounding in his chest, he took a deep breath to calm himself. His reputation would be made by what he did here today. This was going to be the defining moment of his life. He was ready. It was time.
He needed to see what was happening, so he threw open his own hatch and courageously leant over to look, exposing his head to enemy fire. For a brief second, he gained vision of the tunnel approach to the gate before he flicked his head back out of the way and slammed the hatch shut.
�Well, how is it, sir?� the guard next to him asked.
Ernes frowned. He wasn�t sure exactly
�I need another look,� he muttered and performed the action again.
Open, peek, slam!
�Did that person have�
Then a voice called out from beyond the gate.
�Please surrender to the colony, and you�ll be spared! Weapons down, uh, would be very appreciated! There isn�t much time, so, I�d do it fast��
A murmur of confusion arose from the guards on the gate as they tried to unpack exactly what that meant.
�Major? What the heck is that?�
Ernes shook his head, still confused.
�I think it was a person, asking for our surrender?� Anger built inside him once more. �Mages! Prepare to fire the tunnel on my mark!�
Asking for him to surrender? Idiocy! He refused to bend to Wallace, and he wasn�t about to lie down for a single invader. They�d roast this fool to send a message. Regardless of what happened at every other gate, the west gate would stand firm!
�Three, two, one, m��
BOOM!
Before he could say the final word, the stone
CLACK! CLACK!
Jagged and barbed mandibles opened and shut with tremendous force, unleashing an ear-splitting crack into the air. Ernes could only stare in horror as the two titans turned toward the guardsmen and women clinging to the back of the gate preparing to fire on the person outside.
Before they could even begin to process what was happening, a flood of insects poured through the tunnel openings, climbing up the walls and throwing themselves onto the guards. Ernes couldn�t even scream before an ant was upon him, throwing itself forward and latching its mandibles around his neck.
From what I understand, we expected the gates to be abandoned at this
point, so I�m more than a little shocked to find this one fully manned.
Not that it did them much good, as it turned out. Surely by now, the
city knows exactly what is attacking them? What did they really expect
gates to do?
I should also say that the generals have got together and created specialised digging teams. Only a colony of ants would have the resources and spare bodies to be able to dedicate individuals to such a niche task as breaking through hardened and magically reinforced stone, but here we are.
Turns out that when mages whose sole pursuit is breaking down earth
enchantments are paired with huge soldiers that have dedicated every
ounce of Biomass and evolutionary energy to ripping through stone with
their mandibles, you can really dig a tunnel. As it happens, you dig the
Ten of these teams went to work, and I was able to burst out of the wall in suitably dramatic fashion with hardly a wait. The Queen came out at just the same time, and I have to say, the poor defenders looked as though they fairly browned their trousers. In less than ten seconds, they were overwhelmed and pinned to the ground, multiple ants gripping them by their limbs and pinching their necks at just the right pressure. At that point, they became very still indeed. When Tiny and Invidia leapt out�Crinis is still with me�they became practically statues.
�Well, that went fairly smoothly,� I observe to the Queen.
She dips her antennae, but I can tell she�s anxious, looking for the next fight.
�We have done well so far, child, but we must advance. If the others reach the city before us��
She�s worried they�ll take the brunt of the return fire when she and I should be absorbing it instead. Good �ol Mother! Always thinking of her children.
�Not to worry, they know to hold back and give us a little time to get ahead of them. Let�s get this gate down and then we can move on.�
Working together, the two of us approach the massive gate, nearly as
impressive as our nest gates, and get to work opening it. Since we�re on
the inside, there�s no need to try and tear the thing down, we just
leverage the bar off its mount and
A decision was made that we ants wouldn�t communicate with the defenders, since the idea of intelligent ants was more likely to terrify them than the thought of a human invader with a horde of ants under their control. Once he�s inside, we task Beyn with trying to sound like he�s in charge�seriously, that�s not hard for the priest�and getting information out of our captured defenders.
I didn�t think they�d talk much, but I was genuinely surprised at how much they were willing to cough up in a short amount of time. I suppose having two or three monsters with their mandibles on you is rather persuasive. The humans also seem rather shocked that they aren�t dead, which adds another element to their mental distress.
With our tasks done, the Queen and I prepare to run ahead of the rest of the invasion and get closer to the city. At the moment, we�re still in a well-shaped tunnel, but I can see it opens up roughly a hundred metres ahead. After all the fuss, I�m quite keen to see what this city looks like! Discounting the nest, this will be the first major Dungeon construction I�ll have laid my many-lensed eyes on! Despite the fact I�m ostensibly invading the place, I feel quite like a tourist.
�Alright then, Mother. Ready to charge forward recklessly and endanger ourselves?�
THWACK!
�That is not what we are doing,� she reprimands me firmly. �We are attempting to focus attention on ourselves as we are in the best position to absorb danger.�
I rub my head and refrain from pointing out that it�s basically the same thing. Mother has a look in her eye as if she knows what I�m thinking and one of her antenna twitches irritably.
�Right then, off we go! Come on, Tiny! Keep up, Invidia!� I say and scurry off.
Mother is in a grumpy mood. She must be stressed, what with all of this invasion stuff going on. For now, it�s best to avoid giving her opportunities to punish me too extensively.
�How much longer do you anticipate the eldest will need before they move into the city itself?� Sloan asked.
�Give them at least another five minutes. I know we estimated ten minutes of �eldest delay,� but I think we can afford a bit more buffer time, considering the gate abandonment has gone according to plan,� Victor suggested.
�Agreed.�
�Do you think the Queen will be alright?�
�Don�t start this again, Victor. We�ve done all that we can on that front��
�I�m just worried!�
�We�re all worried!�
The two generals cleaned their antennae vigorously to calm themselves before deflating. It was true, they�d done all they could to ensure their mother would be safe. The extra measures put in place to protect the eldest were, so far, working well, though Advant was adamant they suspected something.
�At least everything is going to plan so far�� Victor said.
�The next part was always going to be the major challenge,� Sloan agreed. �Overcoming stone and dirt isn�t a challenge. Getting what we need from this city without having to destroy the inhabitants and throw our siblings� lives away was the challenging part. That�s the sort of thing we rely on the eldest for.�
�Would you two stuffy generals get to doing something useful? I swear, the laziest caste of the lot. All you do is stand around, provide auras, and think a lot.�
Burke, like most scouts, never hesitated to needle the generals. In truth, though they were the most physically fragile of all the soldier caste evolutions, the generals still put themselves on the front line and fought. Rather than armchair planners, the generals were more like hardened squad leaders in the forces of the colony.
�We decided to wait an extra five minutes,� Sloan informed her sister.
�Ah, eldest allowance?�
�Indeed.�
In the distance, the ants could feel a powerful vibration shake the air as it rattled against the fine hairs of their antennae. If they had to hazard a guess, they�d say that a large building or wall had collapsed, possibly as a monster of considerable size had smashed into it. In that moment, they each considered whether the Queen or the eldest were responsible for this destruction.
Yasmine had seen the captain focused on his work. During the more intense moments of the last wave, he�d been relentless in his energy and application, but this time something was different. Gone was the calm, determined figure she was accustomed to, replaced by a beast with so much nervous energy he almost vibrated in place. He roared and shouted through the communication arrays and at anyone who happened to cross his path. He bullied and intimidated everyone who so much as queried a word that came out of his mouth.
She could have accepted that, perhaps, considering the situation they were in, especially knowing what he�d told her, but the wild look in his eye coupled with the rictus grin plastered on his face unnerved her to no end. Wanting to escape, she�d offered to act as a liaison and assist the citizens falling back to the square.
There was panic in the streets by the time she arrived, the news of the gates being abandoned had spread like wildfire, causing an uproar that threatened to turn an orderly retreat into a riot. Yasmine was forced to intervene multiple times in her first few minutes outside to prevent altercations between city folks and the guards trying to protect them.
�Get to the square! Take nothing with you but what you can carry! Move with all haste! Volunteers to the armoury!�
The crush in the streets was unbearable, only her superior physical stats due to her Class allowed her to press through the crowds. On every corner, a guardsmen or volunteer hollered out orders at the top of their lungs while teams went door to door. There wasn�t enough time to ensure everyone obeyed the command, anyone who chose to stay in their homes would be abandoned. Left to fend for themselves against the ravenous ants.
She shivered as she considered the fate that awaited those who didn�t listen. A fate she couldn�t even warn them about. It was only a matter of time before the true nature of this invasion was revealed, but every second between now and then allowed them to save precious lives. Yasmine had no doubt that the instant the citizens realised they were being invaded by ants, a mad panic would descend.
As she neared the market on Dionys Street, she found the guard out in force, funnelling people toward the square and the inner wall to be found there. She rushed forward, flashing the insignia on her uniform the moment she arrived.
�Lieutenant Yasmine,� Sargent Lyssa saluted hurriedly. �Are there new orders?�
�At the moment, we continue to get as many people into the square as we can,� Yas said.
Lyssa nodded grimly before she turned back to the hundreds of terrified people rushing past.
�Does the captain really think all of these people are going to fit? The town hall doesn�t have enough room for this, surely? Are they planning to activate the gates?�
�I don�t know,� Yasmine said softly. �We don�t control the gates, the council does. It�s possible they�re reaching out for aid, or for somewhere to receive us, but we haven�t heard from them.�
�Useless bastards,� the sergeant spat. �If their ancestors could see what their blood has come to.�
Yasmine swallowed her agreement. There was little point ragging on their rulers now.
�I�ll head upstairs.� She indicated
�Right you are, Lieutenant.�
Inside the market was mayhem as the merchants tried to load their wares into carts to bring with them or were zealously defending their cash boxes. Yasmine had no time for any of them, ignoring their indignant screams as she rushed into Merry�s and kicked down the door blocking the stairs.
Good thing the fussy old man wasn�t home, otherwise he�d have pitched a fit. She leapt up four stairs at a time and burst onto the westward facing balcony just in time to see something she would never forget.
From the west gate entrance crept an enormous ant, taller than a person
and
What
CLACK!
Even from hundreds of metres away, she clearly heard the sound. The great monster had opened those horrific jaws wide and slammed them shut with unspeakable force. The piercing sound tore through the din of the city with ease. From where she stood, Yasmine could see the people in the streets turn and look, start pointing as they discovered where the noise was coming from.
A terrified hush descended on Rylleh as that monster gazed down on them,
not an ounce of mercy reflected in its frame. When it finally moved, it
was slow, one leg at a time, stalking down the ramp that led to the city
itself. From the tunnel behind it emerged an enormous, dark ape that
Out of the tunnel came an
As if a spell were broken, a great cry rose from the people of Rylleh. A unified scream of pure terror that emanated from thousands of throats. In an instant, the semi-orderly evacuation was over, and the crowd transformed into a frantic mob. Rather than watch her own people shove and crush each other, Yasmine reached up with shaking hands to grip the eave above her head and pull herself onto the roof. Her stomach churned and she struggled to contain her bile as she righted her balance and looked around.
From the east, the north, and south, the scene was repeated. The inner sanctuary of Rylleh had been punctured so easily by these creatures, and now they came in a great flood to wash the city away. She fell to her knees, no longer able to stand. For a reason she couldn�t explain, she turned back to gaze at the first ant to enter, and found herself staring at something new.
A thousand barbed tentacles rose from the ant�s back, attached to a central trunk that housed three separate, gaping maws of pure darkness. Tears beginning to roll down her face, Yasmine watched as each of those mouths opened impossibly wide, paused, then screamed a piercing wail that blew through every mortal soul that heard it and rattled their minds like weathervanes.
That sound seeped through their ears and into their brains, sinking into a deeper place, a primal place of fear and terror that every child knows, and adults wish they could forget. For many, the madness that followed was almost a relief.
This place is amazing! I mean,
My entrance comes out about halfway up the side of the egg, and from that point down, the buildings begin to appear, built right into the walls of the cavern itself. All sorts of impressive stone constructions poke out, fort-like citadels and graceful mansions gradually giving way to more humble living spaces and markets.
I wonder how they find the vertical living here on the side of the cavern? Must be a little awkward getting up and down. I hope for their sake there was something other than stairs to get up here, that would have been painful.
The most stunning aspect of the city, and one that I only noticed after
entering the main chamber, is the total lack of Dungeon veins! How the
heck have they achieved something like this? I�ve not seen such a thing
done before, not even by the sophos! This secret
I don�t get so distracted by gawping at everything new around me that I neglect to pay attention to the defenders of the city, such as there are. It appears the citizens are being herded into the city centre. I can see an inner wall there where I assume they hope to make their final stand. There also seems to be a terrific amount of screaming and running going on as my siblings flood into the chamber.
[Hey, Crinis. What was that scream thing all about?]
[I am letting them know what they are dealing with!]
[It looks like you got quite a strong reaction.]
[Naturally I did, Master! I wanted to ensure they ran away� in accordance with your plans, of course!]
Suspicious. Not that I have the time to deal with it right now.
[Come on, Tiny. Let�s move up and see if anyone comes to try and deal with us. Stay alert, they may attempt to ambush us from amongst the buildings, so be careful.]
Attempting to follow my own advice, I stick to the middle of the pleasingly wide roads as I rush down the side of the cavern. Judging by the winch and pulley systems I see about the place, these sections aren�t really for walking on, but they suit me just fine!
BOOM!
�What the heck, Mother?�
Rather than follow my example, the Queen simply smashes through the first building that gets in her way, sending the stone tumbling down and damaging a few more houses on its way. She looks even larger than usual, I assume she�s activated her �War Queen� form.
�What is it, child?� she asks as she continues to barrel forward.
If they were planning on lying in wait within the buildings, I�m going to assume they aren�t considering it anymore.
From the third-storey window, Sylvin was able to see the onrushing horde of monsters, led by two truly colossal insects.
�What do you think, boss? Should we leg it?� a voice asked him nervously.
Sylvin sneered but managed to wipe the expression from his face before he turned back to his nervous compatriots.
�Run? Why would we run away when a literal
There was nervousness and anxiety in the air inside the Mercenary Union
of Rylleh. That was a smell he knew well, but rising above that fear was
a more powerful motivator:
�Jessim, do we have any more union members coming in?� he asked.
�No, sir, we got about half the membership in here, the others must�ve headed to the square.�
�More for the rest of us then.� Sylvin chuckled and a few others in the room picked up on his energy and laughed along. Glancing around, he could see the rising tension in his fellow mercs faces. It was a familiar scene. One didn�t make a living hunting monsters in the Dungeon without being familiar with pre-battle jitters. His people just needed a little push.
�What we�ve got out there,� he pointed out the upstairs window to the masses of ants creeping into the city, �is money on legs. A horde of low-tier, low-stat monsters with no Biomass. If we stay in our teams and hold the line, we can kill a million of them.�
There were rumblings of agreement as people hefted weapons and tightened their fists.
�Over
Grins and eager faces began to appear amongst the gathered men and women of the Union. These people were hardened monster killers and they weren�t about to run and hide like the guard at the first sign of Dungeon spawn. After all, this was how they got paid.
Sylvin shot an assessing glance around the room. He�d worked out of the Rylleh Merc Union building for years and he recognised many of those faces, but there were still many he did not. At least his regular team was here. He trusted them to watch his back.
�Make sure you�ve got your gear organised, people. This is going to be bloody work today and don�t think otherwise. We�ve only got a few minutes to prepare before they reach us, the big two need to go down first. Let�s get moving.�
All around the room, hardened mercenaries began to organise themselves into teams, checking their equipment, and a dozen muttered discussions began at once. Sylvin moved to one side and indicated with his head for his team to join him. The troops were all fired up and it was time to work out how to seize the prize when it hit the deck. They were mercenaries after all, sharing just wasn�t in their vocabulary.
Sylvin gathered his team, and as the mercenaries fanned out from their building, he kept close with the people he trusted.
Ogran was a tremendous brute of a fighter who wielded a two-handed hammer in battle, perfect for shattering the carapace defence these ants relied on. His Level wasn�t the highest in the group, but his physical strength certainly was. They�d need to rely on him to crack the big ants open.
Yann was the scout, deadly with a bow or the rapier she kept at her waist, and her stealth had reached a high rank, allowing her to move with almost no sound. With her shadow cloak, made from weaver spider threads farmed in the second stratum, she could vanish into the shadows in an instant. A powerful ability for someone with her talents.
Sylvin had been pleased when they added the mage, Illianus, to the group. A highly skilled golgari merc, she was excellent with healing spells and possessed an impressive offensive repertoire to back it up.
He himself was something of an all-rounder. He�d spent a lot of time grinding away delving in the first and second strata when perhaps he could have challenged the depths. He just wasn�t stupid. How many had he seen think they�d graduated the first two strata and leave Rylleh for opportunities somewhere deeper? Most of them were dead within a month. The shadow sea was perilous to life, but the demons of the third stratum were cunning, vicious, and held little love for delvers in their territory. One wrong step would see an entire party annihilated in the blink of an eye, should they run across a demon hunting pack.
Dabbling in Elemental Magic, training his stealth, his movement Skills and weapon handling, he�d never bothered to focus on only one area, keeping himself interested by branching out. This earned him a reputation as the best delver in Rylleh, something he acknowledged but hardly valued.
Inhaling through his nose, Sylvin almost smelled the terror in the air. He chuckled in wry amusement. Imagine, living in the Dungeon and not bothering to Level up enough to feel safe. It was insane that so many of the civilians in this city were so incapable. Sure, they only lived in the first stratum, a small pond, but they were so content to be the tiniest fish.
Not him.
�Yann, get out there and find a spot high enough to give you good line of sight. You�ve got no chance of dealing damage with that sewing needle you call a sword.�
�Get stuffed, Sylvin,� she scoffed, then vanished into the gloom in a breath, already making her way higher.
�It�ll be you and me on the frontline, Ogran.� Sylvin turned to the brawny human. �Stay nimble and don�t get hit. We�ll need your hammer to crack this nut.�
�You got it, boss,� Ogran rumbled.
A man of few words, he merely hefted his hammer and kept his eyes on the surroundings, a professional.
�I suppose you want me to back you up and try and keep you safe whilst you prance around pretending you know what you�re doing?� Illianus drawled.
Her leader shot her a grin.
�Business as usual, eh Illi?� he said.
�That�s not my name,� she warned him.
�I know, I know, I only tease. Let�s get to work, they�ll be here any minute.�
The abandoned streets and buildings made for an eerie backdrop as the four mercs moved swiftly to prepare the perfect ambush location. Behind them, more teams were taking defensive positions, getting ready to fend off the descending swarm. Barricades were being set, obstructions made use of, and chokepoints set up by those looking to profit from killing as many ants as possible. A few of the more high-Level groups were doing just as Sylvin and his team were, getting ready to jump the big fish. The experience alone for killing these high tier monsters was almost prize enough for them, the fortune a potential rare core represented to shallow delvers like them was just the icing on the cake.
Even now, they could still hear the wailing of the populace as they rioted to safety. The scent of smoke had begun to rise in the air, evidence that somewhere a fire had started. Probably some idiot looting during the chaos. Sylvin pushed it all from his mind, he needed to focus. Along with all the mercenaries around him, he settled his body, crouched behind a corner as he watched the two massive ants pick their way forward, walking over the top of buildings or just smashing through them.
He studied the creatures closely, using all of his years of experience as a delver. Both were heavily mutated, especially the smaller one, which didn�t seem to make much sense. Judging by the shape of the mandibles and carapace, the offensive and defensive abilities were sure to be formidable.
A flicker of nerves entered his heart, but he quickly quieted them. This may be a higher tier of monster than he was used to fighting, but they were just ants. He shared a glance with Ogran, who huddled next to him. The big man was as cool as ice, hands steady on the haft of his weapon. They were going to do this, they would win.
Sylvin never saw the attack coming. All of his concentration was honed to a razor�s edge, focused on the two great monsters. But even were he to be more generally aware, he still may not have noticed. The ants practically materialised from thin air. They leapt from nearby buildings, charged from the streets, and erupted from the stones beneath their feet.
When their jaws found him, Sylvin managed to cry, �They�re here!� before he was pinned to the stone.
Ogran lasted a little longer, able to swing his hammer and knock aside the first attacker, but three more were on him before he could ready another strike. They bore him down, mandibles shattering his hammer and gripping his limbs. Atop a nearby building, crouched against the slate roof, Yann saw nothing before they found her, too confident in her own Skill. Illianus, at least, knew what was coming, her finely tuned magical senses gave her the slightest glimpse of the monsters closing in, but her mind was assaulted on multiple fronts at once, battering at her mental defences until they crumbled, and she fell unconscious.
Their work was complete in less than ten seconds. The twenty ants checked each other and their surrounds, making sure their efforts had gone unnoticed by those around them. One of the ants moved from group to group with light steps as she checked on her fellows. The situation well in hand, she leant down to look at the face of Sylvin, clamped in the mandibles of her sibling.
�To think that pitiful creatures such as this would dare to raise their hand against the eldest,� Protectant muttered.
�Do you think they noticed?� Defendant wondered.
�I don�t think so, but we must be careful. They�ve come so close to us already.�
�What do you want us to do with these aggressors?� Defendant asked, her jaws squeezing tighter around the mercenary�s head.
�Knock them out, quickly. Then back to the shadows. We�ll have much work today, the eldest is going to be busy,� came the reply.
Sylvin heard none of this, since none of it was spoken out loud. All he knew was the fear of death and the pressure around his head, until a blow fell on his skull, and he knew nothing.
I swear I sensed something, those damn flickers that pop up in my
Vestibule for a few seconds before they vanish. My suspicions are
starting to firm on that front, and I�m
The Queen and I have been making quite the show of ourselves. Mother has
knocked down a few more buildings�I didn�t imagine she had such a
destructive side�and so far, nothing has come forward to challenge us as
we move deeper into the city. At the pace we�re going, the people have
managed to stay well ahead of us as they retreat to the walled square,
but I�d expected that
WHACK!
Oh! There they are!
From the buildings emerge an insultingly small band of warriors and mages, firing arrows that glitter with the light of Skills, waves of sword light, and a smattering of elemental spells. All of which peter out against my powerful and attractive Diamond Carapace.
�Mother! Looks like someone decided to come out and play!�
�This is not a game, child,� she huffs. �Let�s eliminate this threat and move on. The sooner we are done with this task, the safer the colony will be.�
�Hard to argue with that.�
With my preternatural senses tuned in and my nerves firing, these piffling little blows are nothing to me. I run along the sides of the buildings and turn my best angles to receive the strikes as I close the distance with a Dash. As I loom over my first target, a brawny-looking human with a standard-looking sword and shield, I almost feel pity for the guy. Still, it�s better that he falls by my mandibles than by the Queen�s. I�ve rushed ahead of her, but even from here, her gnashing jaws are audible as she charges, ready to rend these poor people into more harmless forms. Better that I deal with them before she gets the chance!
My victim-to-be looks up at me with a sneer and brandishes his shield in my face. It explodes with bright light, blinding me completely! With a roar of triumph, another leaps from a nearby roof, mighty hammer aglow with power as he prepares to bring it down on my head. But I� step backward, causing the powerful blow to land with tremendous force on the cobbled street. Blinding me was a clever move, pitiful humans! But my senses are greater than just my sight! In point of fact, my Mana Sense and my heat detecting antennae both were able to inform me of the incoming danger in this instance.
I will reward your cleverness by allowing you to sample the finest produce in the entire stratum, straight from the source!
POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!
A rapid-fire rain of merchandise and justice falls amongst the swarming fighters, causing them to cry out in shock or run for cover. The acid itself burns at their armour and gums up their limbs, restricting their movements even as it burns away at the mage�s shields.
Gwehehehehe. Such a multi-purpose, good for all situations thing my acid is! With my eyes still blinded, I can�t work too precisely, so I must resort to wide sweeps of my mandibles to send my adversaries stumbling while my sub-brains twist apart the threads of magic that fly my way. Surprisingly, the spells are better crafted than I expected, clearly a few of these chaps and chapettes have worked on their Skills. After I get my minds on them, though, what remains of their fireballs, ice spears, and wind blades doesn�t amount to much.
I should be able to wind this up with minimal injuries if everything keeps going this way!
[HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY MASTER!]
Ah.
I�d neglected to take Crinis� feelings into account. Actually, come to think of it, where�s Tiny?
�HUUUAAAARRRR!�
BOOM!
There he is. Just as dozens of tentacles explode from my back in delightful Crinis fashion, making her terrifying presence known once more, Tiny and Invidia enter the fray in an explosion of fists and spells. Confronted with such a concentration of high tier monsters, the opponents arrayed before us begin to waver.
It�s all a little confusing to me. I mean, they saw us come in! Didn�t they have a plan? Perhaps those flickers have something to do with this situation. At any rate, they don�t seem to know what to do in this moment as the four of us run amok. Invidia�s magical prowess almost completely suppresses the local mages, and his shields protect Tiny and myself from the worst of the attacks flung our way.
By the time the Queen arrives, we�ve managed to suppress or incapacitate almost all of them. I try to turn my gaze from the fate that awaited those unfortunate saps. The Queen does not appear to be in the mood to delay the conclusion of the day�s events. It�s pretty ugly. The members of the colony are almost upon us now, and they take it upon themselves to clean up after us, keeping watch on the defeated and ensuring they can�t get up to any more mischief.
�Looks like it might be a clear run down to the square, Mother,� I observe.
�Then perhaps we�ll be able to finish this quickly,� she replies and begins to crawl forward with purpose.
�Hold up a second! Don�t forget the speakers, we�ll need to wait a second.�
�Oh,
She�s definitely feeling impatient. This was the plan, though. Backed into a corner, terrified and desperate, the people of this city are right where we want them, but at the same time, on the edge and dangerous. If we provoke them, who knows what damage they�d do to themselves, to us, to whatever they can get their hands on? We figured it would be wiser to try and send in our human communication specialists to try and open dialogue and bring this campaign to a swift conclusion. Indeed, we only have to wait a minute before a few of the brown robes arrive, joined by my most devoted, one-armed priest.
[Please don�t shout at me,] I sigh as I reach out to connect a bridge to the people.
[We are blessed to be in your presence, Great One,] Beyn replies.
His mind is so incredibly focused on containing the �volume� of his
thoughts, that the mental contact trembles with suppressed energy. It�s
almost as distracting as just getting shouted at.
[This is going to be a dangerous moment for you lot. Be careful, but don�t let them stall us. We need to find and shut down any magical gates in here and we need it done yesterday.]
[Fear not, Great One. We will serve with all our hearts. The danger is nothing to us.]
Looking at the fanatical zeal in their eyes, I actually believe it.
There had been little to no communication from the council, not that it was a surprise to Captain Wallace. In recent years, the ruling families had become little more than leeches, perpetually sucking at the prosperity their ancestors achieved. He could almost imagine their faces, locked in their mansions as they panicked and strove to preserve their possessions. The indecision and paralysis that had likely seized them in this crisis was so easy to picture it was comical. A wisp of glee bubbled up in the captain�s belly and he nearly giggled out loud before he restrained himself.
The pressure had pushed him right to the edge, he could tell that about himself, now. The despair that he�d thought had fallen away from him, he now realised was merely suppressed, forced into the background of his mind where it ate away at his sanity. He was grateful for it. In half an hour, he�d been able to move with incredible purpose and enact decisions with crystal clarity thanks to his own burgeoning insanity. Hopefully he�d enabled, not a saving of lives, but a more dignified end for the city which he served for his entire life.
Because it
When that thought struck him, Wallace was led to a conclusion that disturbed him in a way he found difficult to shake. The correct decisions were made for his people, his decades of experience assured him of that. If better moves had been possible, he simply didn�t know of them. Yet he couldn�t help but feel led to his current position, that he�d been dancing in the palm of his opponent all this time. That each of his decisions, as good as they�d felt at the time, were nothing but a path set in front of his feet by another intelligence.
Could it be possible the ants themselves were not the orchestrators of this invasion? The way they�d so expertly tested and circumvented the protections around the city, the way they�d so efficiently overwhelmed any opposition. That didn�t strike him as anything that he�d ever read of conflict against Dungeon spawned ants.
The literature was clear, ants would throw themselves into suicidal rushes, crawling over massed piles of their own dead to reach their enemies. Unending hordes of low-tier creatures, starved of Biomass and experience attacking single points, following scent trails from their nests, battering against the foe until the prey grew tired, or sloppy, or simply gave up hope. Based on the scanning array, not a single one of these creatures was below tier three! How could this be any ordinary colony?
Another giggle threatened to erupt, but he managed to stifle it into a cough, although a few nearby guardsmen and women looked at him askance. Someone had tamed an ant Queen, used it as a pet, and was now utilising it to assault Rylleh. This was the most plausible explanation! Why didn�t he think of it before? Was it simply a crime so rare and unspeakable that he hadn�t been willing to consider it? Perhaps.
The square, as it was generally referred to by the people of the city, was relatively large, given the population. It was home to the administrative and ruling arm of Rylleh. The council building, the treasury, the guard offices, and the sorts of wide open, well-gardened spaces that only the extravagantly wealthy could afford to surround themselves with in a literal underground living space, all surrounded by a largely decorative but still functional wall. Those manicured lawns and elaborate rock gardens were now covered in shivering and crying refugees. The inner sanctum of the elite, perforated by those people they most wanted to keep out.
Upon the wall was every guardsmen, volunteer, and mercenary Wallace could find and give a weapon, along with Wallace himself. He hadn�t heard from Yasmine in more than ten minutes, apparently lost somewhere near the market. A shame that, she was a good officer, if a little soft. He stared out into the city, waiting for the attackers� next move. Would they try and negotiate? In which case, perhaps there was a sliver of a chance that the people might live. Or would they, far more likely, simply overwhelm the defenders from all sides, using the experience and Biomass the citizens would provide to grow their ant force even further?
Regardless of what he thought would happen, he was still shocked when a one-armed man, dressed in an earthy brown robe with what appeared to be antennae sticking out the top, along with another twenty of his kind, stepped slowly down the main road toward them. Behind those figures stood two enormous ants, perhaps Queens of this colony, and behind them, the ranks of thousands more gathered on all sides.
�Hee, hee!�
As he looked down on these strange humans, he couldn�t help but laugh
aloud. They just looked so
Tension was high on the wall, the humans easily within bow range. Wallace himself felt the air thicken around him. If someone lost their cool and took a shot, then every single one of them would die. Judging by the expressions on those around him, this fact was very apparent to everyone, not just to him. The overwhelming show of force in front of them was enough to convince them that resistance was a gesture more than a hope for survival.
Not able to wait any longer, Wallace leaned over the parapet and called out to the strange ant� people, before they got any closer. The figure in the lead, a young man with only one arm, paused his step, which led the entire procession to come to a halt. There was a long moment of silence before the lead ant figure raised his head, drew a powerful breath, and began to speak.
�YOU STAND IN THE PRESENCE OF��
THWACK!
In a mind-boggling scene, the smaller of the two large ants brought an antenna down to strike the human on the head, which caused him to lurch forward before he caught his balance. Once he�d righted himself, the human turned toward the ant, bowed deeply�Wallace swore the antenna twitched again�and then turned back to the wall.
�AHEM! WE INVADED YOUR CITY, BUT WE DO NOT SEEK TO END YOUR LIVES! IF YOU ACCEDE TO OUR DEMANDS, THEN ALL OF YOU SHALL BE SPARED!�
There were a few sighs of relief along the wall, but just as many snorts of distrust. After the mass panic and the deaths, to appear as a peaceful intruder at this point was far-fetched.
Wallace did not share their reaction, he was neither relieved, nor distrustful. Instead, he was chortling, his shoulders shaking as a grin twisted his lips. Just when he�d decided the ants were controlled by another agent, that display before him now clearly said otherwise! When he thought about it, his entire day had just been insane. He may as well lean into it.
Beyn was nervous, yet exultant, and terrified whilst also experiencing a deep sense of unfurling faith. The gravity of the moment wasn�t lost on him, far from it. This was the first time the holy ones, the Great One, would be exposed to the wider community of Pangera! And he, Beyn, the one-armed, humble priest, was to be the spokesman, the representative that would communicate their glory to the world!
�Except that he couldn�t. He wasn�t allowed to say any of the words that exploded in his heart and soared to the snow-capped peaks of his soul. He was wracked with a pain that sent shudders through his entire frame as he strove to restrain himself. He�d already failed once, in a shameful display that brought swift retribution from the Great One. Richly deserved punishment that nevertheless sent him into paroxysms of faith-induced joy. It was wrong for him to find such delight in the touch of the one he revered so, but he couldn�t help it! He wasn�t worthy, wretched unbeliever that he had once been, far too lost to receive such contact!
Behind him, the rest of the delegation looked on with eyes bulging from their heads. Even if they knew he was being disciplined, to see Priest Beyn receive the touch of the Great One elevated him to new heights in their esteem. Truly, he was the right person to lead their congregation. Selected by the Great One the moment they breached the surface, this level of closeness only reaffirmed his eminence.
Beyn himself continued to battle within himself, a titanic clash that consumed him as he desperately strove to say only the words he was meant to.
Suddenly, he felt the touch of the Great One upon his mind and tears began to well in his eyes. He wasn�t worthy!
[Look, just chill out, alright? You look like you�re about to pass out, I swear to goodness you�re vibrating in place! Deep breaths. Just breathe.]
Covertly, the priest attempted to follow this advice in the depths of his hood. Inhale. Exhale. He focused and tried to still his frantic thoughts and emotions. It worked, a little, maybe enough.
[Okay now. Just remember what we need you to say and how we need to come across here. We don�t want them knowing what they�re dealing with, not yet, alright?]
Yes, that�s right. He must maintain this shameful charade for the time being. It would be painful, it would be difficult, but he could do this! He gathered himself and began to speak once more, hoping his unusual delay had gone largely unnoticed.
�I SAY AGAIN!� he called. �THERE NEED BE NO MORE HARM DONE THIS DAY! SEND OUT A DELEGATION THAT WE MAY NEGOTIATE WITH!�
There was a pause as his words were digested before someone called back.
�I think we�d rather talk from where we are, if it�s all the same!�
Refusing to talk with the Great One? INSOLENCE!
[Just ask them if they�d like us to go in there and talk with them,] the Great One cut in, heading off another off-script explosion.
Beyn wasn�t sure exactly what he meant, but he dutifully followed his instructions.
�IF YOU SO CHOOSE, WE WILL COME OVER THE WALL TO NEGOTIATE WITH YOU!�
�Fine! I�ll come out!�
A miracle! Though he had no idea why, the words of the Great One brought about such a swift resolution. A miracle indeed. Within five minutes, an older gentleman emerged from the narrowly opened gate which slammed shut behind him.
Beyn took a moment to study this person, as he felt the thousands of ants in view were also doing, their collective attention somehow materialised in the tense atmosphere like a blanket that weighed down on everything. Grizzled, experienced, solid, and somehow not entirely predictable was Beyn�s read on him. There was something about him that spoke of instability, not that he could be blamed; faced with such glorious inevitability as the colony, who wouldn�t be rattled?
The man certainly didn�t lack for courage as he willingly abandoned the safety of his wall to venture out alone into the face of an army of monsters. Not just any person could do such a thing.
�My name is Captain Wallace Danton,� he spoke and bowed toward Beyn, but also somehow toward the Great One, a gesture which raised him in Beyn�s esteem immensely. �I head the guard here in Rylleh, the guard you have so roundly defeated this day.�
�DO NOT�
�True,� Wallace ceded, his gaze wandering over the ants who covered
every surface of every building he could see from where he stood. Each
monster was perfectly still, barely a twitch of an antenna to show they
still lived. Despite their eyes not needing to focus, he could almost
It was enough to drive someone mad�
�I would love to know what it is that has brought about this� invasion. I find it difficult to imagine what a human in charge of such a large colony of monsters would want.�
Beyn stared at the man blankly for a moment before he remembered. Oh, right! The fiction! He was supposed to be in control.
�I will not mince words as our mission is time sensitive. We wish to know how many spatial gates exist here in this city, and where they are. We seek to dismantle them as soon as possible. Once that is complete, we will leave your people to their own devices. All we ask is that we are allowed to oversee the city to ensure that no new gates are constructed.�
Wallace�s head spun. They wanted to cut off this area of Dungeon? But why? There must be more that he didn�t know.
�Such a thing would be difficult,� he said. �The people here depend on those gates for many things. Without them, we�ll be isolated, unable to trade with the other cities, unable to contact our families and friends. Many in the city are travellers whose homes lie elsewhere. They�d be abandoned here, cut off from their support networks.�
The priest frowned at this less than instant capitulation.
�The gates
There was a strange pause as the priest stared straight ahead, as if listening to another voice.
�We will provide what consolation we can. Nobody will starve and what material goods we can provide, we shall strive to do so. It is not the fault of the people of this city that we�ve come here, you are unfortunately caught in the crossfire. Nevertheless, we must achieve what we have set out to do this day.�
Wallace could see no hesitation in the eyes of the surprisingly young man. He spoke of eliminating the city as if it were simply a matter of course. Chilling.
�There are only two places with gates,� Wallace sighed. �Inside the square is the transport ministry, and�� he gestured to an imposing fort carved into the wall of the city, �the Abyssal Legion fort up there.�
The moment this Wallace guy revealed the locations of the gates, the
colony sprang into action. Orders are being snapped out as ants gather
in teams, flooding away toward the fort on the outskirts of the city.
Even my heart skipped a beat. This could be a major blunder! We�d
anticipated the gates would be here, in the centre, and so they were,
but we didn�t foresee that there�d be more around the edge of the city!
Almost all our forces are concentrated
�One of us should go,� I tell Mother. �Those Legion soldiers are no joke, as I recall.�
Though, I was super weak back then. I have no idea what their relative strength would be now, realistically.
�Which of us should it be?� she asks. �I�m willing to go where I�m most needed.�
I hesitate, needing to stay here to help communicate, but I�m worried the fort will prove to be the more dangerous of the options.
�Go to the fort,� I tell her reluctantly. �As soon as I�m done here, I�ll head up as well, just in case. Make sure you take a few members of the council up there with you. If it turns serious, we�d rather have more firepower than we need than not enough.�
The Queen�s antennae twitch.
�What about you, child? Will you be alright here?�
I suspect she thinks I�m taking on too much.
�Not to worry,� I assure her. �I alone would be enough.�
The Queen rushes to join the flow of ants marching into the distance, and I focus back onto the idiot priest and the negotiations taking place with the guard captain, Wallace.
[We want to get in and dismantle that gate as soon as possible,] I urge Beyn. [No delays. We get in there, right now.]
The two humans continue to exchange their inefficient, noisy words as I wait, impatient to get moving. If I can smack this thing down fast enough, then maybe I�ll be able to make it over to that fort in the event something nasty starts up over there. I think Beyn can sense my impatience as my mental communication becomes more and more curt. After a few more minutes, I run out of patience.
[Tell them we�ll have access to the gate within the next two minutes or we�ll be charging over the wall and bringing it down ourselves, no more stalling.]
[He�s worried about sending ants within the wall. The people are unlikely to react well.]
The priest sounds highly offended that our reception would be anything less than celebratory, but I can understand what the captain is worried about. If a riot breaks out inside, where I imagine people are densely packed, then the potential for fatalities will skyrocket. I harden my heart to the possibility.
[Tell him that�s not our problem. If his people can�t control
themselves, then they become another obstacle we�ll overcome. Those
gates are coming down.
Injected with my determination, Beyn toughens his stance and delivers our ultimatum. Rather than sweat, flinch, or any of the other behaviours I would expect, the captain looks as if he�s about to laugh before he turns back toward the wall. We give him a single minute to let the people on the other side of the wall know we�re coming before we follow.
The waiting is unbearable. The colony and I standing around, impatient as the seconds tick by.
�Do you really think they�ll let us in?� Advant asks.
�They will if they know what�s good for them!� Propellant cackles.
She really is getting more and more aggressive the higher her Flame Magic Skill rises. I wonder if Skills can have an impact on our personalities. Is it more than just knowledge that Gandalf the wise is slipping into our brains? Something to chew over later. Just to be careful, I task my sub-brains with whipping up another construct and preparing some Gravity Magic. Not the bomb, that might be a little overkill, but the domain will help keep me safe if the crowd turns hostile.
Despite my reservations, Wallace appears on the wall and waves us forward. Somewhat trepidatious, Beyn and ten of his followers lead a contingent of ants to the gates, which open wide to allow us inside. Masses of people are huddled together amongst truly elaborate buildings, terrified of the monsters in their midst. The ants outside the wall move closer, increasing the pressure on those manning the parapet, pushing the whole situation closer to the brink of disaster. One idiot doing the wrong thing is all it�s going to take for this to turn into a bloodbath.
As I stride into the square, the faces of the assembled humans, with a few golgari and possibly others mixed in, are a mixture of hatred, fear, and disgust. Thankfully, a great deal of that emotion is deflected toward Beyn and his robed followers. Nice save, crazy people! Taking all the heat for us! I appreciate your sacrifice. Several large buildings loom within the square, but the captain wastes no time�for once�and directs us to the largest. Even though the centre of the city has become packed with people, this single building appears to be completely unoccupied, which may have something to do with the thickly swirling magical energies around it.
When we break in, we don�t find a horde of enemy soldiers pouring through active gates, but rather three large archways, unpowered and dormant. Enchantments and runes built into the gates appear to be collecting Mana and storing it, which leads me to believe the gates need to be charged before being opened. Handy for us, they appear to have been mid-cycle when we launched our attack. What fortuitous timing!
In a jiffy, the ants move in, study everything they see and break the gates down into segments, shearing the stone with clean bites so it can be reassembled and studied back at the nest. Mission accomplished, we turn to exit the square as quickly as possible. I don�t want to expose my family to danger any more than is necessary.
But that�s when it happens.
I don�t know what motivates the little kid, he could only be six or seven years old. Mature enough to know that us monsters had done something bad, but not enough to realise what provoking us might mean. I could see his face amongst the crowd, screwed up in anger and frustration, much like many of those around him. Unlike those adults, this child had the courage, or lack of understanding, to express that feeling. Winding back his little arm, he gripped hard onto something and threw it with all his might. Right at me.
With my senses, with my reflexes, there�s not a chance that it will hit me, and honestly, what could it do, even if it did? I understand all this, it�s common sense for someone who�d been human, like me, to know that a little child isn�t going to have some sort of mega-grenade to hurl at the biggest and baddest monster he can see.
But there are members of my family who lack my level of understanding, young and foolish creatures that they are.
�IT�S AN ATTACK! GET DOWN!� screams an ant, appearing almost from thin air as she throws herself forward into the path of the projectile.
In an instant, more of them pop into existence, leaping onto my carapace to cover me from harm and forming a defensive wall around me.
�COVER, DAMMIT! PROVIDE COVER!�
�CHECK THE ELDEST FOR WOUNDS! MEDIC!�
The first ant continues to glide gracefully through the air, my
hyper-reflexes causing the entire scene to unfold in near slow motion as
I become almost buried under these mystery ants. The projectile, a
harmless toy ball, spins through the air and rebounds from the ant�s
carapace with a gentle
Perhaps it�s lucky the humans seem far too shocked to react to this bizarre scene that�s unfolded. The rest of the colony also seems a touch surprised, staring at these newcomers with bewilderment in their eyes. Sadly for them, I react the fastest.
[Crinis! Get them!]
So close to me, the ants have no chance of escape from the tentacles that sprout from my abdomen and wrap them tight. Crinis lifts each of the creatures into the air as they scrabble to escape her grasp. No chance! Glee builds within as I stalk over to the ant on the ground, using her antennae to check herself for injuries.
Just as I close in, she seems to realise what�s happening and tries to scurry away like lightning, but I nab her in my mandibles and lift her up, so she has no choice but to look into my eyes.
�Fooooound youuuuuuuu!�
The surrounding crowds, pressed together in the square, recoil with horror as Crinis makes her presence known. The fact she snatched up the mysterious ants rather than start munching on the helpless crowd isn�t enough to completely mollify their fears. Screams and indignant cries rise as they push to create distance from me, while the kid who threw the stupid ball looks on with wide eyes before being dragged away by who I presume is his mother.
Whelp, time for me to get out of here.
�Let�s get the heck out of here!� I shout to my siblings before speaking to Beyn over the mental link. [We need to leave. Let things calm down a bit before we come back.]
The priest readily agrees, and our convoy makes directly for the nearest wall as the crowd scrambles to make room for us to pass by. A few guards brandish their spears, but the ants ignore them, climbing straight up the wall and using their bodies to shove the guards to one side to create space for those behind. Each of the ant-robed humans is picked up by a large soldier and carried over whilst clutched in mandibles. You�d think they�d be a little afraid at being gripped in the crushing jaws of powerful monsters, but instead, they look almost radiantly happy. These people are just as far gone as the damned priest. There�s no hope for them anymore.
I maintain my grip on the still struggling ant as Crinis holds aloft the other nineteen. It makes crawling up the wall rather difficult; the individual ants are relatively small, but holding twenty of them is no joke in terms of weight! Up and over, and once more in the clear as the uproar behind us continues. Being surrounded by my fellow insects rather than the panicked citizens of this city is such a relief. Back amongst my own kind!
Those ants who�d taken apart the gates were already on their way out of the city, wasting no time in their quest to return the precious artefacts back to the nest. If we can unlock the secrets of this magic, the future of the colony will truly know no limits! A solid contingent of soldiers and scouts go with them, guarding the precious cargo. For the rest of the ants present, the work is clear. We may have seized the gates inside the square, but there are no guarantees that there aren�t more besides those that we were told of.
�Do you think all of the gates will have that distinctive Mana gathering array?� Coolant asks from nearby.
Struggling to contain my wiggling captives, I take a moment to reply.
�I�m not sure. Since there�s no Dungeon veins in here, the Mana is thinner than it is out in the tunnels, so it would make sense they�d need such arrays to power the gates. But we don�t know enough to assume that would be the case.�
The mage nods. �We�ll just have to manually search then.�
�Wouldn�t hurt to send out the mages to test the Mana density around the place anyway. Never know what they might turn up.�
The low concentration of Mana is almost enough to cause me problems. Only by using my External Mana Manipulation to pull energy toward myself am I able to maintain my core.
Coolant rushes off to facilitate the search as the majority of ants scurry away into the city. I remain with perhaps a thousand others to watch over the walled square where order is gradually being restored, judging by the diminishing level of noise coming over the parapet. As much as I want to run to the fort in support of the Queen, the situation here just isn�t stable enough that I can be confident the city defenders won�t get feisty again. At the very least, this gives me a little time to interrogate my captives. Gwehehehehe.
�So,� I address the ant gripped in my mandibles. �I presume you�re the little flickers I�ve been sensing lately?�
At detecting my scent, the prisoner goes limp in my grip. I wait a moment to see what will happen, but to my surprise, she doesn�t respond at all.
�Hello? Are you not going to respond to me?�
Nothing. Every single ant that Crinis holds in her grip has similarly gone slack. I can sense they�re still alive. It appears as though this is their strategy to avoid my interrogation. Foolish! Do they really believe giving me the silent treatment is going to be enough to dissuade me?
�Let me just take a guess at something and see how you feel about it, alright?� I watch each captive closely as I continue my line of questioning. �Let�s say that after I was captured by the golgari and vanished from the colony, the council got together and decided that having me running around doing dangerous stuff was a bit of a pain, but not something they could control.�
The very idea of the council trying to tell
�Instead, they thought to themselves, �since we can�t prevent the eldest
from doing whatever they want, we�ll try to make sure they stay safe.
Why not provide some guards?� or something along those lines. Only, they
immediately realised I would say no. I do not need or want a group of
guards following me around, I would more likely have to protect
My mandibles grip the still limp ant a little tighter.
�Instead of dropping the idea there and then, like sensible ants, they
thought they�d go a step further. �If the eldest doesn�t want to be
protected, but at the same time
Each of the twenty figures exudes a sense of martyrdom now, as if they know the jig is up.
�So, the council put into a motion a plan, probably with a stupid name like Operation Silent Shield.�
Twitch.
�Really? Holy moly. So, Operation Silent Shield commences, they recruit twenty promising young hatchlings, ones who are dedicated to a fault, willing to serve in any way and give them the best training, full core evolutions and full mutations. Maybe even special evolutions?�
Twitch.
�Right. And for your last evolution, you�re probably tier four, I would guess? Yes, judging by your Mana, tier four. For your last evolution, you all chose some sort of advanced gland that masks your presence from all sources. Or does it work on perception? Perhaps the Vestibule was working correctly the whole time and I filtered it out without realising? Maybe my Will stat was too high� Well? Which is it?�
I prod my captive, but she stubbornly refuses to say anything.
�I suppose it doesn�t matter. Even if you hadn�t leapt out when you did, I would have tracked you down eventually.�
I can�t help but sigh. I shouldn�t be surprised the council would pull a
move like this. I can�t even be mad, not really. These twenty young ants
represent the council worrying about me, attempting to look after my
safety without letting me know. They basically used up a second council
worth of resources, special cores and everything,
[Crinis, let them go, please.]
[Are you sure, Master?] she huffs.
She sounds irritated that these ants were attempting to do her job.
[Yes, let them go.]
She uncoils her limbs and each of the nineteen insects she�d captured sprints away into the shadows where they disappear. It�s uncanny how fast it happens. Despite not moving, I can tell the remaining ant in my mandibles is feeling distinctly hopeful. She seems to be hanging in a more optimistic way. I just need one thing before I let her go.
�Name.�
I give her a shake.
�Name. I�ll let you go once I get your name. They
��Protectant.�
Really? Not that I can judge, I suppose.
�Thanks for looking out for me, Protectant. I�ll be having a chat with Advant later, and then with you and your sisters. Right now, we need to get back to work.�
With that, I let her drop and she Dashes away to join her team out of sight. As satisfying as it is to drag this little group out into the light, I have other things to worry about. As the seconds drag by, I keep thinking about the Legion fort, and beyond that, what the future is going to look like for this city. The trick is, we can�t leave them alone, not anymore. We know they can build gates, what�s to stop them doing it again?
A consideration for another time� and probably one I�ll punt to the council, let them work it out. Maybe the humans from the village can help, I don�t know. Having to manage some sort of subservient city-state under the control of an ant colony feels a little odd. Ah well, maybe I�ll let Beyn at them, he seems to be able to sell just about anyone on the concept of ant messiahs.
You might think it would be challenging to operate in a territory administered by ants. Indeed, I have heard many express such sentiments, going so far as to insinuate that I�m suffering from an affliction of the mind when I tell them otherwise. Any attempt to explain on my part is waved away as the ravings of a lunatic. Good thing they�ll still trade, even if they refuse to engage in proper discourse. Gold forged by ants is still gold, as it turns out.
It just made so much sense! It took a little adjusting to, of course, but once I did, my business began to thrive. Perhaps I had an edge in that department, as I was far quicker to accept the new status quo than many of my competitors. The bribes? The under the table deals? Gone, overnight. You can�t bribe an ant! There were many who tried, only to stand rather awkwardly, a purse covertly extended in one hand as a giant insect stared back at them, uncomprehending. The entire concept of commerce was foreign to their society. They didn�t sell, buy, or trade in any way, but once they understood the fundamental nature of it, fair compensation in exchange for goods and services, they decided to ensure that�s what would happen! Any merchant who failed to see the light was hurt in the simplest and most profound way possible�crippling fines.
Overcharging? Half your business gone, overnight. Fraudulent goods? Half, vanished. Repeat offenders were out of business in a week. No matter how they tried to conceal their shoddy dealings, the ants always sniffed them out. They wailed and gnashed their teeth as they appealed to the council, but the ants didn�t care. Why would they?
When it was suggested the penalties might be too onerous, they were genuinely puzzled and rejected any compromise. Since the seized materials were efficiently distributed to the poor in the city, there was a blossoming of support amongst the people for the new administrators.
Thus, a new playing field was created for the merchant class. A place administered by incorruptible, brutally fair, and somehow almost omniscient creatures who questioned the very existence of business. With such dramatic drops in costs, the ants insisted the savings be passed on, �fair� compensation, after all. The drop in prices allowed many who could never access my goods to now become customers, and the volumes I moved rose and rose.
For an honest businessman, nothing is better than working for ants!
It takes the colony a few hours to thoroughly search the entire city. Every building, every mansion, every room, and every cellar is opened for insect inspection. Sometime during the process, word came back from the force the Queen led to the Legion fort, informing us it was empty. Not a single soul was found. What�s more, papers, documentation, cores, rare materials, all gone. Several forges and workshops were scraped entirely clean, not a piece of wire or pliers left behind to indicate what they may have been working on in there.
It�s clear they knew we were coming in advance and wiped clean all traces of themselves and their technology before abandoning the fort. How much notice would they have needed to pull that off? A day? Two? Did they realise what was happening once we began testing the defences around the city, or did they have some other means of detecting our presence? The possibility also exists that they were recalled in preparation for an assault on another front after receiving a call for aid from the golgari.
No matter which of those situations turns out to be true, it doesn�t bode well for us. The gates were found, just as Captain Wallace suggested they would be, and were summarily taken apart and returned to the nest for study. Lending further credence to his words, no other gates were found anywhere in the city, not even in the largest and most wealthy-looking abodes. In this city at least, running a private gateway appears to be too expensive to justify.
With our immediate mission complete and the safety of the colony secured for the short-term, the colony begins to move out of the city. The headache of having to administer the city as part of the colony�s territory also begins to make itself known as Beyn enters into negotiations on our behalf. He arranges for a full meeting of the Rylleh city council in the next day, decreeing how many ants will remain here and where they should go, what the guardsmen will be allowed to do and not do. It�s a nightmare I simply don�t have the attention to detail to handle.
Besides, I have my own council meeting to attend. We need to decide what the next steps are going to be, given the conquest of the city has gone according to our best-case scenario.
�We still have no idea where they�re going to come for us from,� Sloan grumbles.
�At least we can be confident it isn�t going to be from here. Which means the expansion and construction of the new nests can proceed,� Tungstant sounds pleased at the prospect.
�I agree, we need to expand,� I say. �Not just across the second stratum either. We can�t afford to be ignoring any resource. We need more surface nests and to grow our reach in the first stratum also. The more territory we can balloon into, the sooner we�ll know where they�re coming from.�
The council reacts with muted surprise at my words. I suppose they didn�t expect me to be advocating for reckless expansion.
�We can do that, eldest. It steps our timetable forward a bit, but we can do it,� Cobalt says.
�We also need to expand down,� I tell them firmly. �There�s a good chance that even though the first and second strata in this area are largely abandoned, the richer territory beneath us could have already been claimed. There�ll be more cities with gates, and races like the golgari who�ve made their civilisations in the depths of the Dungeon. I think the direction of the attack will come from below.�
�Pushing down is dangerous,� Victor warns. �The colony doesn�t know enough of what goes on down there.�
�That�s why I need to go,� I say before they can protest. �Not on my
own, not this time. I�ll take Vibrant and her team, and I�ll have my new
I glare at Advant and she wilts a little.
�We need to send the strongest we have to uncover as much as we can, as quickly as possible. This is the best way to get the job done. I don�t intend to take any unnecessary risks, but in my view, Dungeon exploration is key to our survival. Not only because of what we can learn, but because we need to continue to Level up and evolve our people if we want to survive.�
Myself, Tiny, Crinis, and Invidia are still the strongest non-Queens in the colony, and we need to continue to power ourselves up to meet any and all potential threats. We can�t be everywhere at once, so others need to step up with us, Vibrant being the obvious next choice.
�I advise that we push for further integration with the human village,� Coolant says. �They�ve proven they can be useful as our public face when we interact with non-Dungeon spawn, and I think it would be wise to continue to do so.�
I�m a little shocked to hear this coming from� not me. The rest of the council are happy to include humans?
�I agree,� Ellie speaks up. �Many of our advancements have come from interacting with those people, I�m sure there�s still a lot we can learn. We could look at establishing new villages alongside each of our surface nests, to ensure there�s always someone to �talk for us.��
�That�s a greater level of cooperation than we anticipated embracing,� Advant sounds unconvinced. �Would they really be willing to accept such a thing? Where would we even find the people to populate new villages? They don�t seem to be able to increase their numbers like we do.�
The rest of the council nod as they consider this massive failing of the human race. I can�t help but laugh inside. Yes, they aren�t producing hundreds of new children every day like we are, it doesn�t quite work like that for them! More�s the pity, if we could churn out devoted human helpers at even ten per day, it would be a serious help.
�I�ll scatter the scouts and get them ranging away from the nests, we�ll shoot for as wide an area of coverage as possible,� Burke tells the group. �With any luck, we�ll be able to catch them coming a long way out.�
�I�ll lead a team toward the golgari territory,� Wills offers. �They�ll most likely come through that area.�
�We should meet back at the main nest in around a week. Does that seem reasonable to everyone?� Sloan asks.
None of the members take any issue with that, and so the various council members disperse. Vibrant hops toward me, full of energy.
�Hey-hey! Ready to go and explore? Just like old times! I hope we go fast, we�ll go fast, right? Lots of ground to cover after all! Let�s go, go, go!�
I�m already regretting this�
�Are we there yet?�
�No.�
�Are we there yet?�
�No.�
�Are we there yet?�
�Dammit, Vibrant! NO! It�s going to take us a while to get there, okay? We�re moving as fast as we can already. We can�t go any faster than this. Just think of something else to talk about!�
A moment of blessed, blessed silence descends amongst our group as we run through the tunnels. My pets and I are all here, along with Vibrant and her whole posse, several hundred ants at this point, as well as my twenty �shadow helpers.� This is the advance group of powerful troops I�ve chosen to take on a push further into the depths of the Dungeon. A special mission, in a sense. If the warning given to me by Corun and Torrina is true, then there�s likely to be more settlements, cities, probably larger ones than Rylleh, below us. My suspicion is that the next closest path of attack is likely to be from deeper in the third stratum or perhaps even in the fourth. The colony needs to get its eyes as deep as possible, and we will be the vanguard of that.
I still feel a little useless. Although I think this work is necessary
and we�re the best group in the colony for the job, I have to say that
the
As the eldest, it�s my duty to oversee and support them as they grow. Not to inhibit their dreams and desires!
�Are we there yet?�
�GAH!
�What do you mean? I�ve always been like this! Why? Do you think there�s some reason for me to change? I�ve just kept on doing things the way I�ve always done them! It�s been working out okay!�
I eye her sceptically. She�s still this casual and cavalier, yet things have been working out alright? Somehow, I�m doubting that. I take a moment to have a look at the group of ants dutifully following along in their leader�s wake. If Vibrant hasn�t changed from the hyper-energetic, impulsive, and enthusiastic ant I recall, how the heck are any of these colony members still alive?
One of the smaller ants trailing along appears to nod a little at my words before catching herself and checking to make sure Vibrant hasn�t noticed. Vibrant, of course, hasn�t, as she�s too busy nattering on and flicking her antennae in every direction as new scents make themselves known to her.
�Well, what have you been doing lately? I can see your group has grown in size again. How do you recruit members, anyway? They just show up out of the blue?�
�Uhhh, where�s the blue? This place is pretty dark, is this the black? The Mana in the first stratum is blue! Do you mean they come from the first stratum? I suppose so since that�s where we�re all raised. Not me though! I spent a lot of time on the surface when I was a hatchling, didn�t I? I mean, I don�t need to tell you that, you were there too. Well, not all the time, but you know what I mean.�
�I do.�
This is exhausting.
�No, it�s just a saying that refers to� never mind. Where do they come from?�
�Oh, I don�t know really. They approach me and ask if they can join the group and I always say yes, because, why not? We�re ants, after all! We�re happier and more effective the more of us are around!�
She says that as if it were just common sense and I suppose for ants it is. I can think of a lot of humans who didn�t necessarily enjoy the company of other people. I mean, as a human, I frequently tried to get people to enjoy my company, but I don�t think I could say I was successful. I mean, my parents certainly didn�t like spending time with me, given the whole abandonment thing. I guess not all humans enjoy company. Personally, the ant vibe is good, now that I�m more accustomed to it. The more of my siblings there are, the more comfortable I feel.
�You don�t have any criteria or anything? Everyone is welcome?�
�Yep-yep!�
I turn my attention toward the smaller ant behind us, and she tenses immediately, not expecting me to focus on her.
�Tell me, what made you want to follow Vibrant?�
I mean, I know Vibrant is a champion monster, as they�re described by the humans. Individuals born with higher stats, better evolutions and a strange capacity for leadership that attracts others to them. To my knowledge, another champion is yet to be born in the colony, but it�s only a matter of time. The more we understand them and the way they work, the better we can make use of their talents.
The ant, a general by the look of her, considers my question seriously before she answers.
�I felt that aiding and assisting Vibrant would be the best outcome for the colony and for myself. I believe I made the right choice, considering all that we�ve been able to achieve.�
Good answer. Vibrant and her team have been in the hottest and most
active areas of the colony�s expansion, for sure. Not to mention the
role they played in extracting my butt from the fire after I was
captured. Interesting she put forward that she was motivated by a
[
[What�s up, Invidia? You sense something?]
[
[And you�ll get �em, Chief!]
Not that you�ll be satisfied�
�Hey, Vibrant. Invidia says he�s found an Expanse nearby.�
�Yay-yay! Let�s gooooo!�
And she�s off.
�I didn�t tell you WHERE! HEY!�
Any person of sufficient courage, who has walked the Dungeon long enough to know its pain and glory, will come to hunger for the power that is buried at the root of this world.
�
We�re moving in. It feels nice, in a way, to be boldly adventuring where no ant has gone before, alongside my fellow colony members. We creep toward the powerful flow of Mana Invidia is sensing, making short work of any monster that happens to pop up in our way.
I almost feel sorry for the critters as they�re set upon by dozens of ants before I even get my mandibles open. I could push my way to the front, but I don�t feel it�s appropriate for me to hog all the experience for myself. The colony is going to need other powerful members, that�s why I brought Vibrant and her group here to begin with. Which reminds me�
�PROTECTANT!�
Vibrant and the other ants all twitch in surprise as I flood the tunnel with pheromones. Vibrant in particular has a quizzical tilt to her antennae. If I�m guessing correctly, she probably had nothing to do with the plan to put twenty babysitters around me. Even if they discussed it in front of her, I doubt Vibrant would have been interested enough to follow along. This sort of scheming is completely not her style.
I wait for two minutes before I decide to call again.
�GET OUT HERE, PROTECTANT, OR I SWEAR I�LL GET THE COUNCIL TO REASSIGN
YOU TO GUARDING
It only takes a few seconds for her to appear over my head, clinging to the roof of the tunnel. She looks a little sulky and I feel a little bad for my threat.
�This isn�t supposed to be part of how we operate, eldest,� she says.
She�s lucky I can�t roll my eyes.
�Oh, I know all about Operation Silent Shield. Gawd. I called you here because I need to make sure you understand something. The council, Advant, Sloan, even the Queen, are not the ones who tell you how to do this job. I do. If we can work together, then we�ll all have happier lives and more safety than if I have to keep guessing what it is you�re going to do.�
She remains silent and watchful, and I can almost hear the gears turning in her head as she thinks over my words.
�If you�re thinking of activating some stupid protocol that you were taught where you pretend to cooperate with me but just keep doing things the way they told you, I�m going to be super annoyed.�
Twitch.
She�s so easy to read. Perhaps it�s because she�s so used to not being seen at all? If nobody can see her, or doesn�t notice her, what would be the point of learning to control your reactions? A blind spot in their training.
�Look, all I want to say for now is that you need to be careful before you jump out of nowhere and take a hit for me. You�re no use to anyone dead. In this Expanse, I just want you lot to pick around the edges and secure some XP and Biomass for yourselves.�
�That�s� not really what we were trained to do, eldest.�
�Yeah, I�m sure you�re meant to live the most sacrificial lives in the history of the colony. Always on duty, never resting, never a moment of peace. It�s all super noble and everything, but let me ask you this: if I evolve and I�m tier six, whilst you�re all still tier four, what exactly are you going to protect me from that I can�t handle myself?�
I let that thought sit in the air as Protectant digests it before I dismiss her with a flick of my antenna. She gratefully fades away into the darkness to join her fellows, and I feel Crinis stir on my abdomen.
[Problem, Crinis?]
[I don�t like the way these newcomers have tried to take your security as their responsibility.]
[It�s not something I chose, or something that they chose. We may as well make sure they�re useful, since they�re here. Not to worry, I still consider you my real last line of defence.]
HRK!
Letting her emotions get the better of her, Crinis dang near puts a crack in my carapace by gripping on too tight. Trying to push the discomfort from my mind, I push forward with the others.
Before long, we arrive at the entrance of this new Expanse. Pure, dark
Mana flows into our faces and wraps around us as the ground drops away
beneath our feet. A vast space opens up, the Shadow Mana so thick it
swirls in massive currents, like rope coiling around itself. The largest
detail that really hits home is that the whole place is covered in webs.
Giant webs. Monstrous,
�That looks nasty,� Vibrant complains, her antennae twitching with disgust as she looks out onto the mess that awaits us.
�I bet half of it�s poisoned as well�� I mutter.
The air amongst the group has certainly fallen, except for Tiny. The big ape is positively grinning, his eyes blazing with a fierce light as his fists clench at his sides.
[You want to get revenge, eh big fella?] I ask him.
He nods vigorously and bellows as he slams his chest.
[SMASH!] he roars in my mind.
A word! An actual
[Good stuff, Tiny! We�ll get in there and tear those stupid webs to shreds!]
�Come on, team! This is a chance to strike a blow against the foul arachnid menace and ensure they remember for all time the superiority of the insect! For the colony!�
�FOR THE COLONY!�
�Down with the arachnids!�
�FOR THE COLONY!�
Close enough. Our group pushes into the Expanse and immediately descends, scaling the rocky wall and making sure to avoid the webs where they connect to the stone.
Chittering and clacking of hateful spiders echoes in the darkness as we move, but we ignore them all. Their time will come, but not yet. Our conquest of this Expanse is going to come from the territory where we are superior, the ground. Making our way up into the nightmare tangle of webs will come later, after we test and ensure the safety of the footing.
The floor of this particular Expanse is quite similar to the last one I was in. Long fronds of those spined weed-like plants that drift and bend with the flow of Shadow Mana in the air. The stone coral is also present, but the huge strands of web anchoring to the rock dominate the space. I can detect flickers of Mana in just about every direction, monsters huddling away from this new invasion.
An interesting point is that I can sense Mana flowing through the massive webs. The spiders who made these must be similar to the one that poisoned Tiny.
[�Be careful of the webs,�] I warn everyone around me. [�There�s Shadow Mana infused inside.�]
There are a few mages in Vibrant�s group, and they busy themselves running over to the nearest web and investigating it, their antennae quivering with eagerness.
[You watch yourself,] I say to Tiny. [I don�t know if you�re immune to the influence of that Mana or not, but I don�t see any reason to take a chance, do you?]
The big ape looks mad, but he shakes his head with a grimace. The pain of having your insides constantly eaten away seems to have left a lasting impression on him. Since his evolution, I�m pretty sure he would be at the very least resistant to the effects of that Mana, but we have absolutely no reason to push our luck.
[Any chance I can send you out on a scouting mission?] I ask Crinis.
[No.]
Haaah.
[Fine. I guess we�ll just hold here for a moment as we get our bearings. Invidia! Let�s do some practice!]
The magical Skills grind is never-ending, and today is no exception. Invidia practises his shields, forming barriers out of hardened Mana in the air as I blast them with whatever element I happen to be practising. That, or we engage in Mind Magic duels, which I almost always lose. I think once I manage to evolve again, I�ll be able to have the raw power to keep up with him. If I combine higher stats with sufficient Mind Magic to create those Mental Constructs he uses, I might even be able to come out ahead!
For now, I work on my Fire Magic. It�s effective against these stupid spiders and their webs, so I want to ensure I�m well-practised with my constructs. The Fire Bolt, Fire Spear, even the Fire Domain might come in handy.
The Fire Domain is a little tricky to use, though. My allies and pets
aren�t affected by the flames of the domain itself, but since it
produces such ridiculous amounts of heat, it tends to set everything
around it on fire, and
Vibrant, being who she is, doesn�t share my patience and decides to lead a group to scout the surrounding area, screaming at me about how she�ll �just take a quick look.� Naturally, she returns ten minutes later with the severed pieces of a monster gripped in her mandibles.
�Eldest! Look at what I found!�
�Did you �find� it, or did you chase it down and bite it until it questioned its life choices?�
�One of those, yes!�
The creature itself appears to be some sort of scorpion. Hardened carapace�of an inferior sort�in segments that support a powerful-looking tail. When I take a closer look at the barbed point of that tail, I notice an interesting detail.
�Did this thing shoot barbs from its tail?� I ask Vibrant.
�Oh, yeah! They were fast, too! I mean, not
I thought so. The musculature at the tip is oddly shaped and way too bulky for just stabbing. It�s all attached to some sinew which acts as a launching mechanism. The barbs themselves are probably formed deeper in the tail, so there�s a ready stock of ammunition. Seeing the claws and tail is bringing up some bad memories for me. If those damn centipedes pop up in here, then this Expanse is going to experience the full measure of my wrath.
Still, this is evidence that there�s more than just one type of arachnid
making a home here in this Expanse. The eight-legged menace has truly
gained a strong foothold in this cursed place! I can tell from the
surrounding ants they too are burning with outrage and disgust at the
appearance of these
�Enough waiting, we�ll leave the webs for later. For now, we can sweep around this area and clean up anything that we can get our mandibles on. If it has the wrong number of legs, it is to be destroyed without mercy!�
[Come on guys, let�s get hunting.]
Without further ado, teams of ants, a
The monsters we find are more of the scorpion variety, though we do come across some spiders. Nimble creatures of shadow and death, they constantly try to launch sneak attacks, creeping from the dark with their glistening mandibles ready to puncture our defences. With Crinis and Invidia on the lookout, they never had much chance, but when we regroup, it�s clear that a few of Vibrant�s squad weren�t so lucky.
[Invidia, see what you can do to heal them.]
[
[Good stuff.]
There are already healer ants picking over the wounded, but Invidia has a lot more oomph when it comes to magic.
�Stupid sneaky spiders!� Vibrant complains. �Jumping out of the shadows like that!�
She�s fussing over the injured as she declares her disgust for the deplorable stealth tactics of the enemy.
�This is their hunting method. No point complaining about it, we just need to come up with countermeasures. What have we learned?�
�Well, there�s a
�Oh, how do you know?� I ask.
�I�m poisoned right now.�
�
Thanks to our advanced medical techniques, or at least, advanced compared to how primitive they were before, our wounded compatriots are back on their feet in a relatively short amount of time.
�Let me up!�
Ah, the truly wondrous cooperation that members of the same colony can display. It�s heart-warming.
�I won�t run this time!�
The collective and unselfish nature of the ant is a marvel of nature. The healers see to their injured siblings not only with care and dedication, but true joy, as they fulfill their chosen purpose and dedicate their labour to the glory of our family.
�Eldest! I�ll be good!�
Over here, we have a slightly different example. An ant being sat on by a giant gorilla because she refuses to sit still whilst the poison she readily admitted to coursing through her veins is being expunged. How impatient can you get? Too impatient to be healed of frickin� poison! There�s a limit!
Luckily, Invidia was on the ball and before Vibrant managed to get up a full head of steam, she ran mandibles-first into a barrier which stunned her long enough for Tiny to latch onto her leg. After a brief wrestle she was destined to lose, I asked Tiny to ensure she remained still for the rest of her treatment, so he sat on her. For some reason, she�s chosen to persistently complain about this eminently satisfactory outcome.
�What is the problem, Vibrant? You�re poisoned. You are getting
�I�m booooored!�
�Who
�Oh! Me! Me!�
�THAT WAS RHETORICAL!�
GAH! I�m going to burst a valve or something.
�Just be sat on until we get the all-clear, and next time, don�t get shot, alright?�
We haven�t even gotten into the vast tangle of webs above our heads, the true home territory of this gang of spiders, and already we�re having trouble with tactics. If we constantly have to stop and purge poison from amongst the ranks, we�ll have a slow time of it indeed. If we get jumped by a swarm with half our members out of action due to poisoning� I�d be fine, more likely than not, but the regular ants with us wouldn�t be so lucky. The objective here is to Level up Vibrant�s squad, not get them wiped out.
�Do we have any generals around here?�
One of the ants raises an antenna in response to my question.
�Yes, eldest. I�m Emilia, one of Vibrant�s generals.�
This is the ant I saw on the way here, running along at Vibrant�s heels.
�Emilia? She named you?�
�She�s named most of us, eldest.�
The general sounds proud of that, which is fine. I never claimed to have some divine right to name all ants, it�s just curious that Vibrant would take it on herself to hand out names. Makes me wonder why she did. Just because I did? Seems unlikely. Perhaps now that the ants know about the concept of names, they�re beginning to grow fond of the idea? I�d like that, if it�s true. I mean, technically we�d all have the same last name, being descended from the same individual. And it appears we may have finally reached the stage where the word �ant� doesn�t have to feature in every name.
�Alright then, Emilia. I think we should mix up the strategy for our next outing. Mages in every group, light up the area to reduce sneak attack opportunities, scouts with eyes on the sky. Keep the groups close together in case the flames attract too much attention. If they do, we can shut off the fire and work on clearing out the mess. Also, do we have any core shapers in this group?�
Emilia looks at me a little confused.
�We do, eldest. But why are you telling me this?�
�So, we can� so we can do the things I�ve suggested?�
�We follow Vibrant.�
Oh
At any rate, this situation is an easy enough fix.
�Hey, Vibrant, should Emilia do what I said?�
�Will you let me up?�
�Sure.�
�Do it, Emmy!�
[Tiny, let her up.]
[Haaah.]
The big ape almost seems a little disappointed at having to relinquish his comfortable seat. Freed from the rather burdensome weight the gorilla posed, Vibrant springs to her feet and dashes around in a blistering circle.
�Ahhh! I need to move my legs! All six are cramping!�
�Vibrant!�
�Yep-yep!� she cheerfully replies without stopping her sprint.
�Sit down and let the healers finish checking you or I�ll get Crinis to hold you down this time!�
�Crin-Crin wouldn�t do that!�
�Wanna bet?�
�What�s a bet?�
�SIT!� I flood the area with a roar of pheromones which are apparently just persuasive enough to make Vibrant stop running. �Now, what did you think of my idea?�
�Hmm? Ah! I thought it sounded good! We�re best suited for high-speed fighting, though, so I think we should make sure every group keeps moving! I can stay in the middle and help out where needed. I can be there in a flash!�
�That�s� actually a good idea.�
Vibrant and her squad are just as she said, specialised in moving, hit and run style fights. After joining her squad, most of the members have taken at least one mutation to enhance their speed and trained their Dashing Skills relentlessly. When her generals evolved to tier four, they unanimously chose a speed or agility aura power to supplement their existing combat aura. The result is an incredibly mobile force that does its best work on the run.
�Alright then, Vibrant, we�ll do it as you�ve suggested, how does that sound, Emilia?�
The tier four general salutes with one antenna toward Vibrant and then me.
�I�ll see it done!�
She scuttles off to arrange things with the other generals of the group, and before long, teams are reforged and more detailed movement plans are being discussed. I only have one more thing I need to organise before I�m ready to go.
�Protectant, make sure you and your team secure experience and Biomass during this outing. I want a full report when we�re done.�
��Understood.�
The message is barely a whisper against my antennae, and the ant herself refuses to step out of hiding, but it appears I�ve gotten my point across. There is a metric boatload of spiders in this Expanse, so there should be enough experience for all of us! In fact, the numbers make me curious if all these eight-legged beasties are spawned, or if a giant spider-momma exists and has taken over the place.
The truly giant, kilometres-high web suggests that a big ol� spider is living in here somewhere. If she�s laying eggs, then a ridiculous population of young would make perfect sense. Perhaps if I eat a few and some profiles I might get an answer to that question.
Although spiders don�t produce at quite the same prodigious rate as ants, they can lay up to a thousand eggs in a single clutch, depending on the species. That�s a pittance compared to, say, army ant Queens, who lay around three hundred thousand per day, but spiders are usually more capable on their own than a single ant. Heck, army ants are pretty much blind, and the workers are tiny. Not that it matters with those sorts of numbers.
Imagine if my colony was producing three hundred thousand new hatchlings every day� Yeesh. It�d get out of control pretty darn fast.
Our second outing is less experimental and far better planned than the first. Ants spread throughout the surrounding terrain in a spiral pattern, mages burning bright flames that illuminate the area and chase the shadows back, exposing the creeping spiders that seek to approach from the dark.
Just as it did when I was fishing for monsters with Tiny and Crinis, the hated light brings down more creatures who seek to extinguish the painful spark. Before long, the surrounding area is filled with hissing and spitting. From all directions, the arachnids advance, their eight claws click-clacking.
Without the benefit of striking from the shadows, the ants see the eight-legged monsters coming and respond like the well-disciplined troops they are. Barrages of acid and magic wound the enemy from range, slowing them enough that nimble scouts and soldiers can easily duck in and out, biting and tearing with their mandibles before darting away.
Always fighting, always moving, that�s the way Vibrant likes to do battle.
My pets and I stay on the ground, striking out from the main group. Every now and again, I flare a bright blast of fire into the air in an attempt to draw away a portion of the monsters descending on the ants and into our own monster blending apparatus. Crinis has detached herself from my back, for once, and joined the others on the front lines to help deal with the onrushing horde of skittering beasts. The spiders and scorpions come in all shapes and sizes, some of them clearly tier one, but strangely, many more are higher. I suppose the weaker are either killed off quickly or ascend once we get this deep.
[Invidia! Scorpions on the left!]
[
A barrier snaps into being just as the damn pinchy beasts unleash
another salvo of their spines. The projectiles hurtle through the air
with incredible force, whistling as they pierce the space between us.
They crunch into the demon�s barrier with a sound like fracturing glass,
and I�m genuinely not sure if it�s the barrier or the spines that have
broken. Those things hit
If they hit Tiny? They�d rip through the muscle-bound idiot. The poison doesn�t really matter once his soft, tender flesh is taken into account. Ah well, good thing he has Invidia backing him up and a kind, diligent master to pick up after him.
Eat flamethrowers!
Twin jets of blue flame burst out from before my mandibles, roasting the arachnids where they stand. The creatures clack their claws and try to run, but I keep the fire trained on them until they collapse, cooked to perfection. Of course, the sudden flare of light only brings more of the damned things down on our heads, but it�s all fun and games.
[You have defeated a Level 14 (III) Sagitta Scorpionem.]
[You have gained XP.]
A little bit of experience never went down the wrong way. Going to take a heck of a lot more to evolve if all I get to fight are tier threes, though. I�m fairly confident there are much higher tier monsters above our heads. Maybe a few fives, perhaps a six? No more than that, though. I doubt a seven could manage in the Mana here, certainly not at peak condition.
The skittering menace is really starting to mount at this point. Dozens of the sneaky buggers are angrily snipping their fangs as they scramble through the coral and leap from their webs. Normally I wouldn�t worry about these sorts of numbers, but we have to be cautious due to the venom they possess. Which means we need to deploy excessive measures.
[Tiny! Invidia! Let�s see the light show!]
[HHHURRRRRAAAAAAAA!]
[
[�Can you actually do that?]
I don�t get a response from the little demon, as he�s already focused on
unleashing his special combination attack. I
In practical terms, that means Tiny unfurls his wings and leaps into the air, lightning crackling all over his frame with such intensity I can barely stand to look at him. After charging up the voltage, he lets it rip and unleashes twisting ribbons of sizzling electricity around himself. The bolts seek to ground themselves through the nearest monsters, who quickly find themselves attracting far more lightning than they�d like to see.
As he does this, Invidia begins to do what I haven�t let him do since I reconstituted him, which is charge up his eye laser. Explosions rock the stone as the envy demon weaves his magic of destruction, all the while his one eye grows more and more bulbous and luminous. It isn�t long before it starts to feel as if we have a bright green lamp of extreme power beaming out into the dark. Being the crafty little demon he is, Invidia lines up the maximum number of spiders he can before he finally unloads the spell.
It�s just as destructive as I remember, shredding through stone, spiders, scorpions, and everything else that happens to get in the way. Invidia himself delights in the destruction, wiggling his stick-thin arms over his eye as his too-small wings flap and flutter to keep him aloft. Between the two of them, we manage to clear away the swarm of monsters. Though naturally, thanks to the incredibly bright nature of their efforts, we�ve only called down another wave.
[Crinis, time to go to work.]
[Yes, Master!]
Her bubbly, chipper tone is completely at odds with the grisly nature of her fighting style, Crinis begins to unfold herself even further, extending tentacle after tentacle into the gloom. The descending spiders find themselves caught in an altogether different sort of web, one that coils and twists, that grips and squeezes. If that were all it did, it wouldn�t be so bad. But no, after that, the barbs come out, followed by the tearing and grinding. Mere tier three creatures have little hope of standing up to Crinis, not unless their numbers are truly absurd. I still need to unleash the odd jet of flame, usually at monsters coming toward us across the ground, but Crinis takes care of the majority of those above over the next five minutes.
Even though I can�t see everything that goes on up there, I can hear the spiders start running away in terror, so I can take a guess at what it was like.
[Uh, good job, Crinis.]
[Thank you, Master!]
So saying, she gathers herself into a blob of pure darkness once more
and drops down onto my abdomen,
[Oof! Alright then. Let�s start a slow retreat back to the group and see how we all went.]
With my pets in tow, I begin to retrace our steps to the agreed meeting point. There are still many monsters about in the darkness, and we deal with them as they appear. A lot of precious Biomass is left behind, but I�m hoping we�ll be back to collect it before it dissolves into the Dungeon. It�s more important that our little strike forces get together and assess our progress than spend time gobbling down food. There�ll be plenty of time for that later!
Before long, I run into Vibrant and her group, already crunching the numbers and assessing the situation. Well, her generals are doing that. Vibrant herself is running around between groups of ants, checking that everyone is well, asking if they need help, and generally sticking her antennae into everyone else�s business.
�Vibrant!�
�Eldest! Hi-hi! How�d you go fighting the nasty things?�
�Uh, well, I suppose. How about you and your team?�
�We did good! Really good!�
Somehow, I doubt she has the numbers to back that statement up.
�Alright then. Let�s go through it��
Deep beneath the surface, under layers of rock and stone, burned a flame that had never been seen on Pangera before. No ordinary flame, this. It did not burn, yet its heat was unbearable. Had no colour, yet glowed bright with the light of molten steel. Made no sound, yet contained the ringing of a thousand hammers on a thousand anvils. The flame of insect industry had roared to life within the colony of Formica Sapiens, and its intensity grew day by day. Such that, should it continue unchecked, it would consume all the world.
The eldest had commanded his siblings to look upon the humans, on their sciences, Skills and craft, and learn from them. The colony had done their utmost to comply, as they always did. No effort was spared, no question left unasked, and every observation was discussed, disseminated, and dissected so that every kernel of wisdom would be extracted.
The blacksmithing trade was one that the colony had initially dismissed. What need had they for tools? Their mandibles could dig better than any spade! Cut rock better than any pick! Not only that, what need had the ants of swords, spears, or axes? Their bodies were not soft and weak like the humans. The opposite was true! Where the humans sought to compensate for their sagginess with more solid materials, the ants were already armed and armoured from birth! What need had they for metal?
Yet, there were other concerns. Many valuable minerals could be found in the Dungeon. If the colony learned to extract and refine them, trade became possible. As knowledge of construction grew, the ability to manipulate metals became more valuable. As Skills at finer manipulations were uncovered and Levelled up, more detailed metalwork was possible. Suddenly, the ant smiths were called upon to make brackets, fittings, moulds, and pins for any number of widgets. Yet the initial assessment still rang true within the colony: they did not need smiths to forge arms nor armour.
The crafter startled from her torpor and began to drag her antennae through her elbows to clean them, still rather groggy. Ever since she�d evolved to tier four, her rest just hadn�t been the same. Antennae clean, she began to pick over herself in the way that only insects would recognise. A fastidious need for cleanliness was born into all the ants of the colony, and it never left them, no matter how intelligent they�d become.
Her first task of the day complete, she stretched all six of her legs and, slowly at first, began to crawl out of the chamber she shared with her sixty-two roommates. At least this time, she hadn�t had to sleep whilst clinging to the roof. That was always a less restful torpor.
Entering the tunnels, she felt the ever-present messages of the colony waft into her antennae. �Go this way for such and such,� or �go that way for things and stuff.� None of it was relevant to her, yet it always helped invigorate her. She felt immediately connected to the larger organism, the super-organism that was the colony itself. Her chamber wasn�t far from where she performed her work, and she was eager to return to it. She made good time through the tunnels, the twists and turns as familiar as her own legs.
One more left turn and she was in her element. The temperature rose with each step and the ringing clang of metal impacting metal filled the air. Every chamber she passed was part of the great machine the colony had built within its nest. A powerful production line that took raw ore at one end, processed it, refined it, blasted it in a crucible and produced ingots of strong metal at the other end.
She herself had been part of developing that project, the frustrating days of experimentation, of trial and error as the detail-obsessed carvers iterated on what they�d learned from the humans, always seeking to improve by even a fraction of a percent. She was aware that those tests still continued elsewhere in the nest. Waste was inefficient and inefficiency was not something the colony was prepared to tolerate. Thus, they strove to improve their processes. Every ingot that formed with impurities was an indictment on the entire carver caste, an insult that burned inside their carapaces and drove them to do better.
But she�d long graduated from that more menial labour. Her Skills at handling the refined metals had grown at a prodigious rate, such that she had been given a new task. Entrusted with the finished product of the long refinement process, her new task was the final and most important of all: smithing.
She eagerly leapt inside her own chamber, ready to begin. A fresh stockpile of ingots lay waiting, delivered as she rested, as they always were. Now brimming with energy, she rushed to her station and prepared it for work. Enchantments were activated, the fire primed, the air circulation hummed to life, and the quenching stations were meticulously examined for faults. As she busied herself, she was interrupted by a somewhat unwelcome visitor.
�The materials consumed by your project are becoming a drain,� the message wafted around the chamber, disturbed by the airflow that was necessary for the ants to work in such hot environments.
With a sigh, the crafter turned to the entrance and came face to face with what humans would consider a boss or supervisor. Such roles didn�t really exist within the colony. Each ant was given responsibility that best suited their abilities and inclinations. This particular carver had a talent for organisation and an excoriating eye for detail. Giving her responsibility for managing the resources of the foundry made perfect sense.
�My Skills continue to improve day by day,� the crafter defended herself. �I�m confident that the next rank up will be crucial in unlocking the techniques I need to complete the work.�
�How many Levels is your Blacksmithing Skill from its next rank up?�
�Three.�
The newly arrived crafter�s antennae twitched as she envisioned the number of raw materials required to provide enough metal for those three Levels.
�I know I don�t need to remind you, there isn�t much enthusiasm for your project within the caste. Some have even begun to suggest you are being selfish by pursuing such an unneeded piece of equipment.�
�Selfish��
That stung. To learn that her own caste, her own contemporaries would say such a thing about her� Did they really have so little faith in her abilities? Nameless she may be, but it was no conceit to say she possessed the highest Blacksmithing Skill in the colony, at Expert Blacksmithing Level 17, rank 3, so close to the fourth rank. She�d been working with metal longer than almost any other ant. Did they really think she would be pushing ahead with a project such as this if she wasn�t firm in her resolve?
She shook her antennae. It mattered not. Only results mattered.
�I have utmost belief that I will produce results. All that is needed is time.�
The other crafter nodded.
�I will give you as much time as I can. Though you burn through ingots like none other in the colony, it�s also true that you Level up faster than anyone else. Hard to think that you�d be in the wrong.�
�I� thank you.�
Without another word, the ant departed, leaving the crafter to her own devices. Unwilling to waste any time, she began to renew her preparations. Her mandibles and legs were busy, but her mind was focused on something different. Ever since she�d been introduced to the concept, she couldn�t help but be captivated by it.
The idea of an ant, bedecked in armour, a steel insect juggernaut, had possessed her. Should she succeed in creating it, an all-new type of soldier would be born, one with an entirely different sort of strength!
Her heart ablaze with passion, the ant grasped hold of the first ingot in her mandibles and put it to the fire. Her last prototype had failed, but she�d learned much, and her Skills had grown. Perhaps this time, she would break through.
The crafters of the Colony were an interesting and formidable bunch, to be sure. The first time I worked with them was when I heard they were willing to provide certain materials, namely processed Mana-infused woods, at near cost. Being an engraver and enchanter, such a ridiculous drop in price was far too tempting to give up, even if it meant dealing with an occupying force of monsters. If my competitors were to take advantage of this new supplier and I didn�t, they could price me out of the market instantly!
In many respects, I didn�t have a choice, and I�m a little ashamed to say, I wasn�t pleased at being forced to deal with the �monsters� at the time. I saw this move on their part as a way of forcing the city to become reliant on their help. Since the gates were closed and Dungeon delving banned, we didn�t have anywhere else to go but to rely on an ever-dwindling stockpile anyway.
So, steaming on the inside, I swallowed my pride and took part in a trade mission. The ants and their human associates were extremely accommodating, which did little to dull my distrust, and led the group of similarly disgruntled merchants and crafters to the closest nest. Our safety was impeccably managed. Not once in my life had I experienced such a peaceful journey through the Dungeon. What was more surprising, was that the ants and their associates were more than happy to speak on the nature of this trade agreement, and their honesty was almost disturbing to a long-time businessman such as myself.
They were open about the reason for the low price they demanded for their goods. They simply had little need of money and were harvesting the materials at a rate faster than they could consume them. When I pointed out that they were processing the raw materials themselves, couldn�t they then go ahead and complete the final product, they admitted that the number of ants in the colony dedicated to creating such things was limited. They didn�t see a need for wands, couldn�t operate bows in the classical sense, were insulted by the idea of a stave, and used stone for almost all their furniture.
(The idea of insect furniture was quite startling to me at the time.)
From the description I was given, I began to think of the crafters in the ant community as shortsighted, lacking in appreciation for their craft and quite possibly stupid.
How wrong I was. The crafters of the colony were INSANELY dedicated. Their attention to detail was inhuman, their work ethic, unparalleled. When they showed us the chambers where the raw woods were cut and shaped, the workers were industrious to the point of obsession. A single poor cut was intolerable to them and every one of them was fanatical in their pursuit of efficiency. When next they showed us the area in which the Mana grains were examined and refined, I almost couldn�t believe my eyes. Row after row of ants sifted and organised the cuts of wood before meticulously examining each one. Not a single one faltered in their concentration for even a second in the hour I was there.
I was beyond impressed. Refining the grains is mind-numbing, headache-inducing, incredibly detailed work. Highly qualified workers that could perform this task were almost impossible to find and worth their weight in gold, simply because almost no sane person could endure the job and its exacting standards. I came away sure in the knowledge that the colony, for as long as it existed, would become the centre of industry in the area. Who could hope to match that level of production?
As I worked with them more, I came to see that the only real weakness of the ant crafters was their lack of imagination. They could grind through tedious tasks like no sapient creature ever could, but when it came to making bold leaps of creativity, they were the definition of �by the book�. I was certain this would come to be a lasting advantage that we held over them. How disappointed I was to learn that it simply wasn�t true for all ants. Even within an ant colony, remarkable individuals could emerge that completely upset their dynamic.
The crafter laboured tirelessly, firing and shaping the metal without pause or rest. It consumed every ounce of her attention, to the point the ant who delivered her Biomass was forced to physically drag her to the food before she would eat it. She made fine rings and riveted them together, she made solid plates that overlapped with cunning joints, fine scales that she layered�she made and made and made. Small test pieces, larger scale prototypes. She burned through all the knowledge the System had granted her on the working and shaping of metal, desperate to find a solution that would meld what she knew about armour with the reality of Formica Sapiens biology.
She didn�t stop for three days, until she was dragged unceremoniously from her chamber, still trying to work the bellows and fire another ingot.
�No! I�m so close to the next Level!� she cried out, straining against the firm pull of the three ants tearing her from her work.
�You�ve already skipped one mandatory rest period,� one of them scolded. �Any more and we�ll be forced to block you from entering the workshop for three days.�
She moved through the chamber, careful not to disturb the torpor of the others as she made her way to the back corner. Once there, she used her mandibles to lift a strategically placed stone to reveal a small steel container buried in the dirt. Slowly, so as not to make any unnecessary noise, she lifted the box up with her mandibles and opened it to reveal a small collection of materials and cores. The rainy day supplies!
She couldn�t possibly rest yet, her vision hadn�t even begun to fade! So instead, she continued to grind away in secret at her second passion: enchanting. She�d only recently reached the third rank in her Enchanting Skill, quite a ways behind her Blacksmithing, but with the limited time and resources at her disposal, she considered it quite the achievement. She felt she would never be satisfied handing her work off to another crafter to enchant. Imagine, when she finally managed to complete the first, perfect ant-armour, only to give it to someone else to stuff up the enchanting work? The very thought was enough to make her grind her mandibles.
To prevent such a travesty, she spent the next five hours tinkering with the cores and metals, testing different combinations until her mind grew dull and fuzzy. Only then did she pack away the box, conceal it once more, and allow herself to fall into torpor.
It wasn�t long into her next shift that the magical milestone came to pass.
[Expert Blacksmithing (III) has reached Level 20. Upgrade available.]
Elated, she raced into the menu to confirm the selection.
[Expert Blacksmithing (III) Metalsmithing (IV): Cost 1 SP. Imbues the Skill user with more detailed knowledge of metalworking, guiding them to more accurate and finer shaping. Also grants advanced knowledge of metalworking patterns.]
Yes, yes, yes, YES!
She mentally smashed the confirm button and almost swooned as the knowledge trickled into her mind. New ideas, new methods, new instincts all blossomed in her thoughts as the System poured the knowledge into her head like a cup being filled with life-giving Mana. When it was done, she remained perfectly still, digesting, thinking, feeling out exactly what it was that she�d learned. She remained that way for an hour, before she realised she had yet more to do with her menu.
Once more, she opened the interface and mentally tabbed through it, this time checking for new Skills. Had her advancement unlocked anything new? A speciality? A more specific, in-depth Skill? Almost in a frenzy, she ripped through the menu until she found something.
[Armour Smithing (I)]
[Enchantment Forging Optimisation (I)]
What was that?
As much as the crafter wanted to leap into further work and practise each and every new pattern she�d learned to tease out all of the little morsels of information that could only be learned through application, she knew she couldn�t. She was the first Blacksmith to reach the rank four Skill and therefore the first to unlock the new Skill specialisations, which meant she had certain obligations to the colony.
She packed away her tools and shut down her workstation, then stepped into the tunnel to hunt down the organiser. The ant turned to her with a quizzical tilt to her antennae.
�I didn�t expect to see you out of your room. I suppose you must have ranked up Blacksmithing?�
�I did,� she confirmed. �And I have a few new Skill options to report.�
�Excellent news. I�ll fetch the Brood Tenders.�
She scurried off, leaving the crafter to wait. Thankfully, it wasn�t long before she returned with a pair of eager Brood Tenders who took over the moment they entered the chamber.
�Is this the crafter? How wonderful! Well done, sibling, we�re very proud of you! The very first in the colony to unlock these new Skills, a truly meaningful contribution.�
�New Skill unlocks as well! We�ll have to go through your status in detail to ensure we can pinpoint the conditions. We have a lot of work to do!�
The crafter sighed as the Brood Tenders fussed over her as if she were a new hatchling. It was only natural that the Tenders took responsibility within the colony for studying and documenting the System, since they were the ones most involved in teaching it, but their mothering nature slowed the process significantly.
It was several hours later before the crafter, near her limits, was finally able to return to her workshop, exhausted, but brimming with excitement. She threw herself into her work, determined to unravel the secrets of her new Skills and push them into the next tier.
For three whole days, she forged without rest, her fire burned unending, and the ring of clanging metal sounded again and again as she worked in a fever. Her mad spree was only brought to an end when a team of five workers forced their way into her workshop�she�d barred the door�and dragged her away as she cackled with mad delirium.
After a full day of observed rest, during which she was restrained by an earth mage, the crafter was allowed to return to her workshop to inspect the fruits of her labours. The last day was little more than a blur in her memory, so she was quite surprised to see the sheer volume of different patterns and pieces she�d produced. Her two new Skills had even made it to the second rank! Something was beginning to synthesise in her mind, and she couldn�t wait to get started.
Except there was something standing in her way.
�You�re running out of time,� the supervisor told her.
�What?� the crafter was shocked. �I�m closer than I�ve ever been before!�
�And the number of resources you�re consuming has increased, with nothing to show for it.�
With a flick of her mandibles, the supervisor indicated the sheer amount of armour bits and pieces that littered the small workshop.
�It�s becoming harder and harder for me to source materials for you. If you want to continue this project, then you need something to show for it, and soon. The voices of those who are displeased by the waste are growing louder by the day. Inefficiency isn�t something the colony is willing to tolerate.�
�But how are we supposed to develop something new without experimentation and failure? How am I supposed to push my Skills forward without practice?�
It was generally accepted in the colony that to develop Skills and
uncover new branches of knowledge, it was necessary to test, test, and
test again. Hundreds of ants had been committed to sub-optimal Skill and
mutation builds in an attempt to unearth new fusions or combinations.
Yet they accused
�Your case is somewhat unique,� the organiser told her. �Because the products you produce in your practice have no value to the colony, yet to mine and refine the metal you use costs a huge investment of energy. Furthermore, many are convinced that what you are ultimately trying to make is something with fundamentally no value. I�ve heard several say the most talented Blacksmith in the colony is wasting her talent. Only results will still their voices.�
With that stark warning, she left the crafter alone to consider her path. In the mind of the crafter, there was pressure, concern, and not a little anger at the short-sightedness of her fellow crafters, but not a single iota of doubt. She knew, KNEW, that what she sought to build was close to being within her grasp. The ant-armour would be realised! She would forge it right here, with her own mandibles!
Burning with conviction, the crafter cleaned her workspace, and began to plan. As she lifted different pieces of armour, each forged with their own unique methods, an image began to take shape in her mind�s eye. A powerful soldier ant, covered in gleaming metal that thrummed with enchantments. An iron juggernaut of unstoppable might. The Steel Insect!
Yes! She could use moulded plates over a layer of mail for the head. And scale would be used in the joints and to cover the petiole. The abdomen plating would need to be flexible, of course, but also thick. The thickest plates would need to be around the thorax. She had to consider how it would attach to the carapace itself. Where to strap it? And how would the armour interact with the carapace? There had to be a way to maximise the benefit of both carapace and steel�
In her head, the full suit took shape as she considered processes, pieces, and techniques, discarding this one, modifying that one. And between the carapace and armour, an entire new layer emerged. One that would allow the armour to flex, yet be braced against the unyielding exo-skeleton beneath.
The more details she filled in, the more her understanding of enchantment played into the design. If she modified these materials, the enchantment effect would be stronger. If she connected this section to that, the magical effect wouldn�t be diluted by the incompatibility of the metals.
Eyes ablaze and antennae twitching with insane energy, she fired up the forge and shoved in a mandible-load of ingots. Today, she would complete a prototype that would prove the entire colony wrong!
�I still don�t understand why
�You know exactly why,� Brendant was having none of her sibling�s nonsense. �We asked this crafter to make it to fit you, since you�re the one most in need of extra protection.�
Leeroy fidgeted and wiggled as the many,
�Stop your fidgeting,� the crafter scolded. �The point of this armour is to keep you alive.�
�That�s why I don�t like it,� the soldier muttered.
�What was that, Leeroy?� Brendant demanded.
�Nothing! Nothing at all.�
�You�ve been warned many times to adjust your attitude,� Brendant told
her wearily. �You aren�t a hatchling anymore, stop acting like it. It�s
your responsibility to fight, yes, but also to do everything you can to
preserve the investment the colony has made in you. Do you think
everyone is given complete core evolutions like you? Does every ant in
our family receive the personal education of
Leeroy endured this lecture in dignified silence, she�d heard the same thing many times before. At times, she wondered if she was just built fundamentally different compared to the rest of her siblings. She just couldn�t see things the same way they did. But the eldest had spoken, and everyone appeared to accept their word. All Leeroy could do was continue to secretly plot and plan her own glorious contribution to the greatness of the colony. Something that this new armour would actively seek to impede!
Already she hated it.
�There are five cores powering the enchantment matrix,� the crafter was saying. �Two of those are here and here,� she thwacked the metal with an antenna to indicate the locations, �which help to regulate the weight of the heavier plates.�
The crafter moved toward Leeroy�s head where she finished tightening the straps for the helmet as she continued explaining.
�The other three cores are concentrated toward the front of the armour. The metals here are infused with Earth Mana, and the cores help to enhance that stability and hardness. The idea is to give maximum protection to the vital areas, as well as preserve the mass and momentum advantage the armour gives.�
As she finished her explanation, the crafter stepped back and felt a surge of joy as she beheld the completed product. Leeroy was a large tier four soldier, with a thick carapace that housed a powerful musculature. Even with the enchantments lightening the load, the full set of armour still weighed over a ton; a soldier with less physical stats would likely struggle to move wearing that suit.
Watching the process from the side, Brendant had to admit that the crafter had done an incredible job. The many various pieces of armour fit together ingeniously, clips, hooks and straps used in a variety of clever places to help hold the suit together. She didn�t have high expectations for this project, but looking at the final product now, she had to admit that she was impressed. Leeroy had been transformed from an indomitable soldier to something else entirely. The helmet gave her the visage of a fearsome demon, the folds of the metal that protected her eyes cast her features into shadow. Plates of metal swept down the sides of her head and curved around her mandibles, jutting forward beneath them to protect her mouth.
Thick plates covered her abdomen and thorax, with the most attention given to the plating down the sides of her body. Virtually no protection was afforded to the underside of the carapace. The idea was to keep the body low and charge forward, allowing the armour to both protect, and add to the impact.
The shock absorbent properties of the armour were also excellent. The crafter had done an incredible job of building an internal structure on the inside of the metal. The joints cunningly inserted would allow the armour to flex whilst the inner layer transfered force from the armour to the carapace, dispersing the impact across a wider area and borrowing the strength of the existing exo-skeleton.
�Well, nothing to do now but test it. Are you happy to proceed, crafter?�
The smaller ant did one final tour around the indignant form of her test subject, checking straps and brushing her antennae lovingly over the plating one final time. Suddenly nervous, she stepped away and steadied herself before replying.
�It�s ready.�
The supporting ants cleared space to allow the two big soldiers some room.
�Alright then, Leeroy, I�m going to enjoy this!� Brendant laughed, rushing forward.
For the next ten minutes, she charged, bit, and battered her sibling while Leeroy absorbed the punishment with a resigned attitude. From the side, the crafter watched intently, her heart pounding incessantly. She needn�t have worried, her work held up remarkably well. With her powerful jaws and many mutations, Brendant was able to puncture the armour in several places, but was unable to do any meaningful damage to the carapace beneath, the force of her mandibles wasted on the metal.
�I have to say, it�s far more durable than I expected,� the soldier observed as she stepped back. �Although, carrying all that weight can�t be good for your mobility.�
�Certainly, only the stronger soldier specimens would be able to wear a suit this heavy,� the crafter informed her. �For other castes, such as the generals, a more lightweight version would be needed.�
�Makes sense. Alright then, Leeroy, time for revenge. Let�s have it.�
After enduring the attentions of her sibling for so long, Leeroy was more than ready to return the favour. Though, it should be noted that her enthusiasm was lacking. Without the threat of very real, mortal danger, she just couldn�t become enthused. She shook her body to settle the armour, still adjusting to the feel of it before she set her feet and charged. Although slow to get going, she built up speed quickly, dirt flying every time her claws dug into the soil.
The crafter�s eyes shone as she watched that charge. The power, the force, the unstoppable momentum�this was it!
Mandibles wide, Leeroy dashed with all her strength; her speed was much reduced, but the power of that charge was undeniable. Brendant braced herself as best she could, but it was for naught. When the fusion of steel and insect that Leeroy had become collided with her, Brendant was instantly bowled over. Unable to stop her own momentum, Leeroy charged directly through her sister and smashed into the wall of the tunnel, cracking the stone heavily and burying her head in the dirt.
It took several minutes to extract the soldier, but the crafter was elated. This model of the armour was merely the first. In her eyes, it was a crude and brutish thing, lacking elegance and with only a fraction of the raw strength she envisioned. Even so, it performed remarkably well!
�Well,� Brendant said as she picked herself up. �That�s quite the thing, isn�t it? I�ve got a crack in my carapace! I don�t think she even bit me. I�m impressed! What do you think, Leeroy?�
A little dazed, the other council member staggered over with a depressed air.
�It works really well. I feel almost un-killable in this.�
�So why do you look so unhappy?�
�I feel almost un-killable in this.�
�Ah.�
Ignoring her idiot sister, Brendant turned to the crafter.
�Congratulations. Although it has a huge cost in resources, this armour does appear as if it will have a use. We can create and maintain a small number of these to begin with. I presume you have revisions, Smithant?�
The crafter started.
�What�s a Smithant?�
�You are. You�ve got a lot of work to do. I think I might be recommending the eldest pay you a visit as well, if they get a chance. I�m sure they�d want to see what it is you�ve done. Good job!�
It would be an understatement to say that Enid was nervous. The first
time her husband had taken her into the Dungeon, she�d been nervous.
When smuggling Karak shells from the blue desert, she was nervous.
Marching into the heart of the colony�s nest? She was
Certainly, they were curious. Even now, members of the colony, almost exclusively mages and crafters, wandered through the town, observing, questioning. It was hard for a craftsman to go a day without having a giant insect poke its antennae through a window and start asking about this or that. Some found it intrusive, but the ants certainly did more than their fair share of work around the place. Whether it was tilling fields, sourcing construction materials, extending the irrigation system that they themselves had built, the colony did a lot to help a group of people they didn�t really owe anything to.
She stepped carefully as they continued to tread through what must be close to sacred ground to the ants. They�d trudged through the Dungeon for many hours to make it to this subterranean nest. The town council had been more than a little apprehensive about journeying this deep. In the frontier kingdoms, there were very few capable of venturing to the second stratum safely. Aarran the Bowyer had been amongst the most hesitant to venture down, yet the colony managed to make the trip almost boring.
Being escorted by a full hundred monsters seemed almost extravagant, but
they�d done a remarkable job. Enid didn�t think she�d even
�I still don�t believe what I�m seeing.�
Enid rolled her eyes and looked at Isaac as he gazed with wonder at the intricate carvings that adorned every wall they passed. She herself had been shocked at the quality of the work. Her mercantile spirit ignited at the sight of the intricate details. Work of this quality would have high demand in several markets that she could think of. She�d have to see if she could track down the artist during her visit.
�Try and focus, Isaac. We�re here representing Renewal as members of the council. Stop gawping at the walls and try to project a little dignity,� she snapped wryly.
The guard captain did straighten up, but it didn�t last long. Five minutes later, he was staring idiotically at something else. Enid went to rebuke him, but Aarran cut her off.
�Leave him be, Mayor. I can hardly keep my mouth shut myself. If you�d told me something like this existed in the Dungeon, I�d have called you a liar to your face.�
She turned her glare in this new direction, but the grizzled old craftsman was as immune to her ire as always. He merely shrugged and went back to carefully placing his feet as they navigated the tunnels.
[Are there any problems?] the slightly alien voice of her guide rang in her mind.
She concentrated on the connection and replied.
[No, nothing wrong. I think my people are just a little surprised at how far your family has progressed in such a short time.]
She could feel the ant�s pride radiating across the bridge. Enid had noticed that the best way to compliment an ant was to praise their family.
[Yes, we have worked very hard to apply the concepts we have learned from the eldest.]
[Didn�t you learn them from us?]
[It was the eldest�s idea to do that,] the mage shrugged.
That was another observation Enid had made. They were almost
incorrigible in their determination to assign credit or praise to
Anthony, often for things he himself wouldn�t agree had anything to do
with him. Indeed, after considering the value of the artworks she�d
seen, her second thought had been how hilarious the
Rounding a corner, they came to a large central chamber. Its size and perfectly uniform shape were enough to impress the visitors, but the elaborate carvings on the walls, when viewed alongside the truly massive carving of Anthony in the centre, beautifully illuminated by glowing orbs placed around the base, added a whole other layer of awe. The walls and floor of the room bristled with ants, climbing over each other as they darted in and out of the many tunnels that branched from this probably central area. Enid sucked in a breath at the sight, there must be thousands of colony members presently scurrying about.
�Ah! Welcome! Glory to the colony!� came a call from their left.
�GLORY!�
Startled to hear another human voice in this nest of monsters, the delegation turned to see a group of robed figures approaching them after having exited a nearby tunnel. At their lead, as ever, was the one-armed priest, Beyn.
�I was wondering when you were going to show up,� Enid greeted him. �You�ve been down here this whole time?�
�I have,� the priest�s eyes were almost glazed over with joy at living in such close proximity to the ants, and Enid averted her gaze from the disturbing sight. �The colony��
As he said the word, the figures behind him erupted in a unified shout of, �Praise their wisdom! Praise the colony!�
Beyn waited for them to finish before he continued. ��have been very accommodating. It seems they were impressed at how useful my comrades and I proved to be during the siege and now wish to engage in a deeper partnership!�
The mayor of Renewal was shocked.
�You were
Beyn�s expression turned hurt.
�Really now, Enid. You surely wouldn�t expect that the colony��
�PRAISE! PRAISE!�
��would let us just
Enid noticed he didn�t even attempt to protest the likelihood of them making fools of themselves, just that the colony wouldn�t let them die for it. With Beyn and his followers here, there were a total of thirty-five humans huddled together amidst a mass of insect life that boiled with activity. She tried to draw closer to Beyn.
�Have you any idea what they want us for?� she asked. �Look at what
they�ve been able to achieve in just a few months! What can we actually
The priest�s eyes glittered at her praise for the colony. He�d observed the softening of the mayor�s attitude toward the ants over time and was mighty pleased to see it continued.
�I can only suppose,� he whispered back, �that they want us to act as a face for their interests. During the siege, I was used to negotiate with the city, and I think they want you and a few others to represent them in further talks.�
Her business mind instantly understood what the colony was driving at.
By bringing along other people who had lived peacefully and prosperously
under their �rule,� the ants would be able to allay the fears of these
Dungeon-dwelling people. They would
[It is nice to see you all gathered here together,] a new, powerful mind
reached out to Enid. Judging by the heads swivelling around her, the
rest of the gathering was able to hear this new voice as well. How�d
they work
A large ant pushed forward from the crush of insects around them and dipped its antennae in greeting.
[I am Coolant. Mage ant and representative of the council here to welcome you to our main nest. It is nice to see both members of the town council,] she used one leg to gesture to Enid and her group, [as well as Priest Beyn and his acolytes who proved so useful at Rylleh. Come, let us move somewhere a little more private.]
A pause.
[I do ask that you be careful as we walk. We are moving to a room
quite close to the brood chambers and security is very tight, as I�m
sure you understand. Sudden moves or noises would make the guards jumpy,
and they take their role
With that warning, Coolant began to stride through the press of ants,
who cleared a path and moved around the humans as they started to
shuffle forward. Enid herself could barely breathe as she turned to look
with a face full of dread at the idiot acolytes trailing behind their
leader. Those idiots were supposed to be
It took ten minutes for the ants to herd the humans into a side tunnel, and from there into a small but comfortable room, complete with chairs where they could sit. Enid herself had no eyes for the furnishings, instead her focus was laser sharp on the ants around them who definitely appeared more tense and alert than they did a moment ago.
Antennae twitching, mandibles flexing, sudden, jumpy movements were all indications of nervousness that she�d witnessed in the ants, and each of those signs were present in those watching them at this minute. All except Coolant, that is. The powerful mage was as her name, relaxed and comfortable as she asked for the humans to sit and took her place at the head of the table on a strange, ant-shaped seat.
It dawned on Enid what it meant to be so close to the brood. She knew how the lifecycle of the ants went. The larval ant monsters demanded a huge amount of Biomass before they could weave their cocoons and mature to full-grown members of the colony. Somewhere nearby, a literal army of flesh-eating grubs were being served mountains of monster remains. In the back of her mind, she almost felt as if she could hear the sound of thousands of mandibles tearing into meat and crunching bone.
She felt sick.
Beyn on the other hand, was totally elated! He was so close to the heart of the Colony, he could practically hear the heartbeat thudding in the walls. It filled him with ecstasy, yet also humbled him. What was one, pathetic life next to the majesty of the colony and its children? Thousands of young miracles were being reared nearby, angels of the System. What could one such as him do in comparison to that?
The rest of the council looked nervously to Enid for leadership, and she laboured to pull herself together. It wouldn�t do to shame herself or the proud people of Renewal here. Come on, Enid, pull yourself together! She reprimanded herself harshly and rallied her spirit, chasing the gnashing sounds away.
[Thank you for accommodating us here, Coolant,] she gestured to the seats and table. [It�s clear you went to some trouble to make us comfortable.]
[Oh, it�s nothing. The furniture is but stone and wood, things we shape easily enough.]
Aarran harrumphed quietly at this insult to his profession, but Coolant either didn�t notice or ignored the man.
[We thank you anyway,] Enid continued as she kicked the idiot craftsman under the table. [Though I must ask, why bring us so close to the brood chambers if it makes you uncomfortable? I, for one, am happy to relocate to another place if our hosts will be more at ease.]
Please let us leave!
[That won�t be necessary,] Coolant replied, dashing her hopes. [The eldest made it clear to us that if we want to receive trust from another sapient being, then we must extend trust. This is true on an individual level, but also on a societal level. It is our intention to seek greater trust from you and your people, so it is necessary we display trust toward you. For that reason, we have brought you here, next to our heart.]
The mage turned toward one wall to better gesture for her human audience.
[Through that wall and down a tunnel lies the egg-laying chamber of this nest where the Queen resides.]
This announcement was met with a stunned silence. Not a single human made a sound as they stared toward that unassuming wall. None except for Beyn. The priest�s eyes bulged in their sockets and a strangled gargle croaked out of his throat as he desperately tried to hold in his jubilation. So intense was the war of feeling within him, that his face turned a deep shade of red and he was forced to bring his hand to his throat to prevent his roars of praise escaping his soul. This bizarre demonstration drew the attention of everyone in the room, including Coolant, who had no idea what she was looking at. To the humans, it appeared as if the priest was actively trying to choke himself to death.
Enid wanted to leap across the table and knock the idiot out, but at her age and with her stats, she wasn�t likely to succeed. The closest to Beyn were his acolytes, who insisted on sitting behind him, but they were just as lost to religious fervour as their leader, either silently praying with frantic energy or actively in the process of fainting. Before Enid had a chance to rectify the situation, Coolant went and made things worse.
[It was our intention to bring any who were willing to meet the Queen down into the chamber once our discussion was complete�]
Coolant sounded ever so slightly hesitant as she took in the strange mix of reactions she was getting. Nevertheless, she pressed forward with the colony�s most generous offer of hospitality. Holding the Mind Bridge in so many divisions was taxing, even if she had help, and interpreting human responses was difficult at the best of times. When the two different groups were presenting her with such divergent expressions, she didn�t know what to make of it.
When Beyn heard those words, a piercing shrill escaped his mouth, like the scream of a dying eagle, which caused him to clamp down on his throat even more vigorously, cutting off that noise and strangling it down to a low croak. By this time, his eyes were completely bloodshot, and his face had begun to darken its shade of red to verge on purple.
He desperately needed oxygen, but he wasn�t willing to risk it. He
couldn�t! What if he disturbed the Queen? What if he were to startle the
larvae as they grew? No, better he do what he must to prevent such a
travesty from taking place. Better he were
The rest of the acolytes were in little better shape as they each battled to contain an entirely new, even greater wave of exultation. As if their previous dam had been able to contain the waters of their joy, but this new flood, so soon after the first, was just too much for their reinforced banks to withstand. First one, then more, began to sway on their feet and collapse to the floor.
Beyn himself continued to hold on, though it only appeared he suffered more for it. The town council watched with horrified fascination as Beyn croaked and gurgled with his one remaining hand locked in a vice grip on his own neck. Wild eyed and trembling, the priest began to foam at the mouth as his eyes rolled up in his head. For the first time in months, he wished he had his other hand back. The better to strangle himself with.
There was a profound silence in the room as the addled priest finally slumped from his chair, unconscious.
[I am uncertain what has happened,] Coolant said.
[Erm,] Enid stammered. [P-perhaps we might say that the honour of meeting the Queen was too much for Beyn and the acolytes. They felt they were unworthy.]
The massive ant considered that for a moment before she nodded.
[It is well they hold such respect. The Queen is the progenitor of us all and deserves such consideration.]
Enid breathed a sigh of relief as she inwardly damned Beyn and his idiot followers. They�d come so close to disaster thanks to these morons! Ironically, if they�d been any less devout, things would have been much, much worse!
The talks themselves were the most straightforward negotiation of Enid�s life. Coolant was calm, intelligent, and without guile, speaking clearly and directly with the human council.
The colony wanted them to assist with negotiations going forward into the future, was this possible?
Yes, it was something they could do, and indeed, there were many who would be happy to volunteer to assist the ants, beyond the passed-out fanatics on the floor.
In exchange for the assistance, the colony would be prepared to expand their efforts to assist the town in its development. Including a wide-ranging search campaign for more refugees.
Fantastic, this help would be most welcome.
And it was done. From start to finish, it took less than five minutes to reach an in-principle agreement. Then a further five were required for Coolant to outline exactly what the oncoming talks with the Dungeon city of Rylleh would entail. Enid was able to gather, from the things the mage said, that the colony didn�t really know what to do with the city, nor did they have any real interest in extracting anything from it. The city had presented a threat, they neutralised that threat, now they just wanted to ensure the city went along, doing its own thing, whilst not building any gates.
Coolant seemed to feel this was an entirely reasonable position for the ants to take, and from their perspective, it was. Enid was quite certain the people of the city wouldn�t see it that way, what with their access to the broader Dungeon society being completely cut off. The list of complaints they�d bring to the table would be staggering, of that she had no doubt. But that was now her problem to deal with as much as it was the colony�s. As per her agreement.
With the generic talks completed, the moment that each and every member of the council had been dreading had arrived. Coolant was almost cheery as she brought it up to the delegation.
[With the more unpleasant business out of the way, I would like to now, as a gesture of trust, invite all of you to meet the Queen in her chamber. You will be heavily under guard, of course, but this is the deepest gesture of openness we can offer, apart from allowing you to contact our young, which we aren�t comfortable doing at this time.]
Such a direct and well-mannered invitation! Enid glanced at the rest of the council and sure enough, each was already sweating bullets. They managed to hide it well, but the widened eyes and frozen expressions told of the inner struggle taking place as they sought to find a reasonable excuse to turn down this visit. As if such a thing could be allowed.
Imagine if the ants were to extend this invitation with open hearts, only for every visitor to refuse it. The mayor wasn�t sure how the ants would take it, but in sapient societies, such a rejection would be seen as a massive slap in the face. She wasn�t exactly thrilled with the idea of coming face to face with such a monster, but she refused to insult the colony in such a way.
[If you don�t mind, Coolant,] she led with, [I�d like to accept your gracious invitation on behalf of the council. I would not want to disturb her majesty overmuch with our visit, I alone will be a sufficient representative of Renewal.]
The palpable relief on the faces of her fellow council members was a disgrace, and Enid turned a hard glare of contempt at the lot of them. They didn�t even have the decency to look ashamed! Next time the elections came up, she�d have to make sure more capable members of the community were persuaded to run. If this was the best their people had to offer, then they were doomed to begin with.
She turned back to Coolant.
[Though it would be nice if Isaac could join me in case I trip. I am very old for a human, you understand.]
The giant ant tipped her antennae in acceptance, even as Isaac released a disgraceful whimper, his face a picture of wounded betrayal.
[This is acceptable. I�m sure the Queen would prefer to not be crowded. Though I must ask, what is the term �your majesty� referring to?]
Enid faltered.
[It�s uh� a term used to refer to royalty.]
[Who is royal?]
[The Queen?]
Coolant stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending before she replied.
[But the Queen is not royalty, she is
[�Of course.]
Enid and an openly weeping Isaac were escorted out of the room and back into the adjoining tunnel. Isaac managed to pull himself together after Enid whispered �Morrelia� under her breath, which fortunately occurred before they reached a downward slope that opened into a larger chamber.
The two humans steeled themselves before they descended under the watchful eyes of the massive insects that loomed over them. At the bottom of the slope, Enid closed her eyes for a moment as she braced her aged heart, and stepped forward into the chamber.
The Queen both was and wasn�t what she expected. She was, by far, the biggest ant Enid had ever seen, towering over the humans as she turned to stare at them with mild curiosity. Massive mandibles, a gleaming, thick carapace, her legs reached as tall as a house roof before angling back down to the ground. But where she�d expected a bloated, pulsating creature that was barely able to move under her own power, the Queen was instead powerful, sleek, and mobile. Only her larger rear segment gave hint to the different nature of her species.
More than that, the presence of two
[I�ll handle the Mind Bridge connection,] Coolant announced. [Just give me a moment.]
An awkward silence descended between the two sides as they stared, unable to offer comment. Isaac managed to take hold of himself quite well, utilising deep breathing exercises and imagining Morrelia�s excited face spattered in gore during an intense battle. Even the site of these truly intimidating insects wasn�t enough to blow away the ardour he felt toward his goddess.
[Done,] Coolant announced. [Mother, this is Enid, mayor of the human settlement on the surface, and Isaac, some sort of soldier.]
The giant Queen brought her antennae toward each of them as they were introduced, getting a sense for them.
[Welcome to the egg-laying chamber, guests of my family. I must admit, I did not expect any would accept the offer to visit this place, but I welcome you.]
The Queen�s voice was deep, and warm. Not at all harsh or domineering as one might expect of a mighty monster of the Dungeon. Enid could feel a connection to that voice immediately. This was the voice of a matriarch, of someone who placed family above all. That was something she could relate to. She took a bold step forward and addressed the Queen.
[I� We, are most pleased to be here, Queen of the colony.] Manners never hurt anyone�it was one of Enid�s dictums. [I have to ask, why did you think nobody would come here?]
Initially she�d thought the Queen was assuming they�d be too frightened, but when she thought a little more, she doubted that was true. The Queen wouldn�t think anyone would be afraid of her, why would they? If the colony had said they would be safe, then they would be safe. That�s the end of the matter. And why would anyone doubt the word of the colony? As far as Enid was aware, not one ant had lied even once in all of their dealings and conversations with humans. She thought something else must have gone on in the mind of the Queen, and she was interested in knowing what it was.
The Queen pointed toward Coolant with an antenna as she explained.
[I have a small understanding of human society. Of �mayors� and �rulers.� Individuals in charge of things. I am not such a figure in the colony. I am the mother of many, but I am not a central figure now that we have more Queens.]
[Mother! That simply isn�t true!] Coolant protested.
THWACK!
The Queen whipped one of her antennae down to crack it onto the head of the mage ant in a move that brought nothing to mind so much as an impatient mother rapping her child on the head with a wooden spoon. The image was so comical that Enid near laughed out loud.
[You and your siblings� continued insistence on something that I do not see as real makes you near as frustrating as the troublesome one. Accept what I say.]
[Yes, Mother.]
Though the Queen probably wouldn�t describe herself this way, to Enid, she was quintessentially a grandmother who was tired of her children and grandchildren fussing around her. To the elderly mayor of Renewal, this was something she could empathise with.
[It�s irritating when they don�t take your word at face value, is it not?] Enid asked.
The Queen nodded�a dip of the antennae, in ant body language.
[I am frustrated when they claim on the one mandible that they have the utmost respect for my wishes, and on the other, they go behind my back to circumvent me at every turn.]
[I wouldn�t put it that way, Mother!]
The antenna twitched and Coolant fell silent.
[I wouldn�t have been able to participate in the siege of Rylleh
had Vibrant not told me about it, something I assume she was
specifically told
The Queen�s gaze was calm and still, yet Coolant could do nothing but wilt in the face of those implacable eyes. This was the ant who raised the colony up from nothing, literally by herself. Were it not for a quirk of fate, the respect afforded to the eldest would instead fall on this individual�s shoulders. There was little the council could do when confronted by their mother directly, which is why they tended to scheme behind her back in an effort to keep her from harm�s way.
Enid found herself feeling sorry for the poor mage and stepped in to redirect the Queen�s attention.
[It can be frustrating, that is true,] she sympathised. [I have experienced the same thing myself, many a time. I do find that it is important to remember that their concern comes from a place of love. They do not wish for you to come to harm, because they care for you.]
The mayor shot Coolant a glare before she could pipe up again and get herself thwacked. Where had the intelligent and calm negotiator gone? Enid could only lament. It appeared that being exposed to their mother turned the ants� brains to mush. The Queen, for her part, only looked confused by what had been said. She absentmindedly raised her forelegs to clear her antennae as she pondered it.
[I do not understand,] she said. [If harm were to befall me, the colony would only suffer in the sense that the egg production I provide would need to be replaced. This is something our family has the ability to do. Hundreds of my children come to harm every day, in what way am I more special than them?]
Although she was talking to Enid, the Queen�s soft gaze drilled directly into Coolant�s carapace. She wasn�t sure how she�d come to adopt this role of conflict resolution between the ant council and their parent, but Enid found herself enjoying it immensely. If Anthony were here, would he squirm just as badly as Coolant? She had to wonder just how often it was necessary for the Queen to knock him back into line. If she had to guess, it would be a frequent occurrence.
Coolant adopted a pleading stance toward Enid and the old woman once again stepped in on her behalf.
[It might be possible that this idea of emotional attachment to an individual is new in the colony, but it is quite common amongst all the sapient races, not just humans. It is also natural for most organisms to feel a bond to their parent, just as a parent feels a bond toward its children. I�m sure you would agree, Queen, that you care for your children and wish the best for them. Likewise, they care for you and wish the best for you.]
The Queen flicked an antenna in dismissal.
[Then they should stop fussing about and let me serve the colony
as best I can. I will not be prevented from performing the work I deem
best suits my abilities. Doing such a thing is not
[I would also suggest that your children do a better job respecting the wishes of their mother.]
Coolant sank into the floor as both the Queen and the human mayor so rapidly turned against her. Out of desperation, Coolant reached out for a final handhold.
[Isaac Bird, what is your view of this matter?]
The man had been standing almost preternaturally still in an attempt to avoid drawing the attention of the ants, something he�d failed spectacularly at. Whilst the Queen was engaged with Enid, Antionette and Victoriant had both, wisely, chosen to avoid that conversation and instead moved to inspect this other human who had entered their chamber. The two massive Queens had engaged in an extended bout of trying to engage the guard in conversation and poking him with their antennae when he refused to answer.
Almost glad for the distraction, he turned to Coolant and replied.
[Ah. If I told me mam what she could do, she�d fair whack me on the head. I don�t try and I�m happier for it.]
Not really what the mage ant had wanted to hear, she sagged in defeat. The next time this sort of thing happened, she�d be sending the generals along, she thought bitterly. Sloan and Victor were the main culprits when it came to schemes that revolved around Mother, yet they always managed to avoid the blame. Actually, that gave her an idea�
[I understand you, Mother, and I am sorry that we have caused you frustration. In truth, it is Sloan and Victor who make decisions regarding the members who are to be deployed in battle. If you wish to avoid further incidents in the future, I suggest you speak to them directly.]
It was difficult for Enid not to burst out laughing. Did she really just
watch a giant ant monster
Yet she could only stifle her grin as a messenger was summoned, presumably through pheromones, and then sent scampering away to fetch the two generals who would no doubt receive a strongly worded dressing down from the irritated Queen.
While they waited, Enid continued to converse with the giant ant and
found her to be every bit the proud matriarch she appeared to be. They
each boasted of their children and the accomplishments of their
families, though Enid had to concede her own brood hadn�t
In fact, when the Queen discovered that humans required an entire nine months to bring a single baby to term, she�d been quite shocked. How were there so many humans then? It just didn�t make sense!
[Have you tried eating more?] the Queen asked, concerned. [I know it isn�t the same between you and monsters, but I feel that such a length of time just can�t be healthy.]
Unfortunately, Enid didn�t manage to explain human biology to the Queen�s satisfaction by the time she had to leave, but she did feel as though she might have made a friend.
[Damn spider! Get down here and face me!]
The house-sized arachnid, safe in her hole in the wall ringed with poisonous strands of webbing as thick as a car, waggles her fangs at me in derision and points one leg at the hundreds of ants standing next to me.
[Oh? You�ll come out if they go away? Somehow I doubt that, you eight-legged coward!]
The spider clacks her fangs, and by waving her front four legs, manages to convey the message that I was an invading, leg-deficient fool who can�t be trusted, and I may as well scuttle away with my stupid pets and fellow ants because she wasn�t coming out to fight. I think she also insulted my mother.
[COME DOWN HERE AND SAY THAT, BUG!]
I was so mad I was hopping on the coating of stone and dirt we�d covered the webbing in, causing trickles of the material to fall into the cavernous space below.
�Eldest, why are you so upset?� Emilia asks.
�She insulted our mother!� I roar.
The smaller general�s aura turns dangerous as she stares up at the giant spider.
�Oh, did she��
The ants within smellshot pass the message along, and within moments, every ant is flinging scented insults up at the spider who gleefully waggles her legs back at us. The rage is rising to a fever pitch when another mind cuts through my emotions.
[
Invidia�s eye glows with insight as it stares up at the looming mother
spider. I bring myself back under control and tell the ants to stand
down. It�s not like us to lose control of our emotions. Actually, it�s
totally like
[Fine, you stay up there, you bloated sack of schemes. Just keep
this in mind, there�s going to be an army of ants marching through here
at some point, and if you�re still around, I�ll
I aggressively snap my mandibles at the spider matriarch, then turn around and lead our strike force away. The ants are reluctant, unwilling to leave the insult unaddressed, but when I firmly walk away, they follow as I head back to base camp, my pets trundling along in my wake.
It takes a long time to traverse the vast web down to the ground. It�s taken a full week of campaigning to get to this point, but the Expanse has been basically conquered. Obviously, we discovered the presence of a powerful spider who was laying eggs in here. It just took a long time before we were able to pin down the location of her lair, and was also quite a project to neutralise the blasted webs.
Once we worked out that we could treat the webs much the same as I treated that damn slug�s goo all that time ago, it was a lot of work to haul the dirt and soil necessary to create our superhighway through the ridiculous net of mega-webs covering this Expanse top to bottom.
Once we did, though, it was all over for the arachnids. Turns out the spider brood isn�t nearly as cooperative as ants. Such an inferior species! Gwehehehehe. With hundreds of cooperative ants working together with our advanced tactics, the hidden super squad, and my pets and I, they never stood a chance. Even so, there were so many of the darn things they took a whole week to wipe out! I�ve been biting so much, my mandibles hurt!
The haul in experience and Biomass has been worth it; not really for me, but for Vibrant and her squad, it�s been super valuable.
�Hey-hey! Welcome back! How�d you go with the big one? Was it big? Was it tasty? I bet it was!�
Speaking of whom, the hyper-energetic soldier comes bouncing along the web from a separate corner of the Expanse.
�Find anything on your side?� I ask her.
�Nope-nope! It�s all been cleared out! We left the spawn points alone, though, just like you said. It�s so empty here now, it�s almost weird!�
Leaving the spawn points alone will let this place regenerate into a nice hunting ground for the colony. Unless I miss my guess, the fat spider will move out and into a different territory. We�ve wiped out her army and cornered her once; if we come back with more ants, I don�t care what sort of traps she has tucked away up that cave of hers, it won�t be enough. A monster doesn�t get to tier six or seven without developing enough of a brain to work out when they�re outmatched.
�I suppose we better continue our recon mission then. Gather everyone up and we�ll head out into the tunnels. We�ve got a lot of ground to cover, and we spent a lot of time in here.�
�We got a lot of Levels, though! My friends have never been so big before! Soo many evolutions!�
Wait a sec�
�Did you just say friends?� I ask her.
Vibrant tilts her antennae in confusion.
�I suppose so? Is that bad?�
�Ah, not really? I think? I mean, do you even know what friends are?�
�Yup-yup! Just like Crinis and me! Buds forever!�
A tentacle extends from my back and reaches out to Vibrant, who gives
the inky tendril of darkness a quick
[You two did hang out a lot when you were little, didn�t you, Crinis?]
[We did. And Vibrant helped me a lot when you went missing. We even ate humans together.]
[I see. Well, that�s good then.]
Hang on� WHAT!
Ah, forget it. Do I even want to know? Not like they were eating ants. Nope, the colony has a strange respect for the dead, at least, the same respect that a normal ant colony has for its dead. They take them out of the nest and watch them, much like normal ants remove bodies and place them a distance away so they don�t invite fungus or disease into their home.
In this world, it goes a little further. They don�t eat the Biomass, nor do they harvest the cores from the deceased ants. In what might seem like a tremendous loss of efficiency, they let them return to the Dungeon, dissolving into pure Mana. I�ve seen a few such� I hesitate to call them ceremonies, but they do feel quite impactful, in their own way, since I�ve arrived. I�d rather not see any more.
The real haul for me personally has been the ongoing development of my Skills. Nothing helps pump up those Levels like combat experience, even against weaker foes. Thanks to having a decent group of ants around me, my brains have been able to churn out battle magic non-stop. The day of elemental fusion is drawing ever closer! MUAHAHAHA!
I�m so close to the avatar state I can almost feel the arrow on my forehead. Watch out, Dungeon! I�m coming for you!
Another Expanse conquered, the great web has been brought low. Vibrant and I lead our group into a new section of tunnel as we prepare to launch the next leg of our advance scouting party. The first item on our list of jobs is to retrace our steps, filling in our Tunnel Maps and checking that nothing has passed us by during our battle. After climbing through the Dungeon, we reconnect to the point we entered the Expanse and find a group of three scouts sneaking about on the roof.
With a quick salute, they report that no changes have been reported to the main nest at this stage. The scouting and expansion mission goes on in all directions around the main nest. The two new nests are under construction, new Queens almost ready to move in. Sounds like great progress is being made on all fronts! There�s some news regarding Leeroy and a new squad being sent to fight and Level up in the second stratum, which is a bit surprising.
A squad with Leeroy in charge? Sounds like a bad DC movie with a band of mildly super-powered criminals banding together. I hope the generals have some idea what they�re doing. If I get up there and Leeroy�s managed to get herself killed, I�m going to be super annoyed. I�ve spent a lot of effort keeping that ant alive, and I refuse to let it go to waste! I�ll make a sensible member of the council out of her yet.
With all the news being positive, we pass our own update to the scouts so they can return it to the colony and resume our mission. The time for the next meeting of the council isn�t far away and we probably should head back, but since there isn�t any major news, I feel comfortable extending our search to the nearby tunnels. Levelling up is one of our objectives, checking for signs of an approaching force is the other! Plenty of the first has been done, but not much of the second.
In terms of powering up Vibrant�s squad, it�s been an unmitigated success. Every last one of them has reached tier four and are well on the way to maxing out their mutations. There were even plenty of cores to soak up in there, meaning that a lot of them have solidly reinforced their internal gems.
I�m becoming certain that a larger core does more than simply increase the maximum amount of Mana that can be stored. The more sensitive my Mana sight becomes, the clearer I can detect the flow of Mana in my fellow monsters, and it�s clear that larger cores equate to more Mana moving throughout their bodies. It�s difficult to examine myself, but my pets are clearly circulating a great deal more energy.
As I continue to think about the nature of monsters and Mana�without getting anywhere�and practise my Elemental Magic, the group spreads out through the tunnels seeking signs of habitation or a force on the move.
[Blue Fire Magic Affinity (IV) has reached Level 40. Upgrade available.]
[Advanced Blue Fire Magic Affinity (V): Cost 1 SP. Enables those who possess the Skill access to more advanced manipulations of the greater flame. Concentrating heat to finer points and generating greater heat at the point of ignition are key elements of this Skill.]
So, I can what� create a blowtorch? Whatever, gotta buy it anyway. As I confirm the choice, the usual trickle of knowledge seeps into my brain, drowning out the endless chatter that streams out of Vibrant for a precious few seconds. This is the first of my basic Elemental Magics to reach rank five, a cause for celebration! Although I can�t dwell on it for long. I can almost feel my sub-brains sigh wearily as they whip up a new construct, releasing the Fire Mana converter they�ve been holding for several days now. Water next, I suppose, go with the opposite, just to keep things interesting.
I regret going for the rank five fusion. It takes sooo many Levels! I�ve been grinding away at these damn elemental Skills for weeks! I mean, that�s rapid progress compared to what most would be capable of, due to my Vestibule and multiple brains setup, but it�s getting more than a little tiresome. At least fire is done. I can cross that off the list. Another thirteen Levels of ice, and that�ll be in the cooler too.
�Hey-hey, senior! The scouts think they might have found something. Over here, over here!�
Before she�s even finished talking, Vibrant has zoomed off, leaving me to trail along in her wake, as usual. When I catch up after ten minutes of solid running, I find the scouts have indeed found something interesting.
In a wider tunnel, already cleaned out by Vibrant�s squad, are clear signs of civilisation. Built into the wall appears to be some kind of way station. A solid, curving wall has a door tucked tight against it, concealed from casual monster investigation. From the size of the entrance, it doesn�t seem as though too much would fit inside there.
Perhaps this is a kind of resting point for delvers? Giving shelter and a place to resupply? I haven�t seen any such thing before, but that certainly doesn�t mean they couldn�t exist. How else would soft humans get around down here? At least the golgari have the common sense to cover up their spongy flesh with something approaching a carapace.
�What are you thinking, Vibrant?� I ask the hyper-excited ant.
�We crack it open and take a look! Why wouldn�t we? Right? Don�t you want to know what it is? I do!�
�But what do you think is going to be�aaand she�s gone.�
Without waiting for me to finish my no doubt boring sentence, Vibrant leaps forward to engage her loyal squad.
�Open it up! Let�s go-go-go-go!� she cheers.
The ants salute, snapping an antenna to their heads, and in less than a minute, the wall has been chomped and magicked out of the way to reveal, much as I suspected, a rather small open area with space to lay out a few bedrolls, tightly packed shelves set into the wall with neat packages and jars.
There you go, what a nice little design. It�s almost like an igloo carved into the wall. A safe haven for those who need a break from the rigours of the Dungeon. I can imagine how it would feel for a delver to make it to this place. Drained, tired, arms heavy and burning after hours of fighting. The horrors of the Dungeon behind you, for just a moment, you crawl through the narrow entrance, muffling all sound, for even here, you aren�t truly safe. A comfortable meal, a restful sleep. Must be worth more than a person�s weight in gold, that sort of rest, down here.
Then imagine that peaceful rest being interrupted by an army of giant ant monsters tearing into the shelter and exposing you to open air. What sort of look would you have on your face?
Turns out, I don�t need to wonder, since I�m staring at two examples right now. A naked pair of strange, furred humanoids stare out at us in utter terror, shock and perhaps embarrassment, before they pass out. Prisoners! How convenient!
Thankfully, this awkward moment is resolved in the best way possible when both humanoids pass out. My siblings around me react with general confusion before they shrug their collective antennae and grab the prisoners to take back to the colony for questioning. I step in to ensure we take their supplies back with us, which a few soldiers and scouts handle. I imagine these two are going to want some clothes when they wake up.
A detachment of thirty return to the nest while the rest of us continue to make our sweep. The monsters are densely packed here in these tunnels, and even with our mage ants teaming up to firebomb the hazardous corals, webs, seaweed, and various other deadly things filling up the space here in the second stratum, it takes time.
It�s taken me a long time, but I�m finally starting to get the hang of this place. It�s always freezing cold, which isn�t ideal for us ants. There are many species of ant who hibernate in the winter, and we aren�t fans of low temperatures at all. Fire Magic provides some relief, the ants huddle around flames that burn constantly around the mages when they need a little warmth. Apart from the cold, the dark is the second issue. It�s oppressive, and every ant who�s come down here has been drilled to train their Mana Sense, regardless of how poor their mental stats may happen to be. Relying on our completely rubbish natural eyesight would be a recipe for utter disaster!
I know some members of the colony have been experimenting with different mutations for vision. Rather than doing as I�ve done, and just brute force quality mutations to try and bring back something akin to human levels of focus from a compound eye, they�ve been switching to infrared, or hyper-sensitive movement detection, or vibration vision.
Almost all of which sound cooler than what I chose. Not being able to see was a real point of stress for me after I spawned in the Dungeon. I needed that comfort!
After spending another half day poking deeper into the Dungeon, sweeping out tunnels, and expanding our map, I decide to pull the plug and drag Vibrant back to the nest. We profited a lot in terms of experience and Biomass, I even managed to force the secret squad to Level up, which is a hidden bonus, but we failed to detect any sign of the coming invasion, and meeting aside, I don�t want to get much farther away from the rest of the family in case the invasion sneaks past us.
So back we go. It takes a while to retrace our steps, we pushed a fair way down, but after nearly a day of climbing, we make it back home.
�What. In the name of heck. Are you wearing?� I say to Leeroy.
�Armour.�
�But� why?�
�To keep me alive.�
�I get that� Just� I mean, has it worked?�
�Extremely well.�
She sounds miserable admitting that.
�And there�s a group of you that wear this?�
�Five of us now.�
That is literally tons of metal being forged to make that much armour�
�This is the Leeroy squad then? Your team? What are you called?�
�I didn�t want us to have a name�� Leeroy hedges.
�But someone came up with one anyway?� I press. �Surely, a team with
this many resources poured into them has got a name. The council
They�re quite obsessed with it these days.
�Maybe someone did�� Leeroy mutters.
�Out with it, Leeroy. It can�t be
��The Immortals.�
�Oof. That�s rough, Leeroy,� I try to comfort her. I know the idea of being immune to death would be a miserable situation for her.
�Do you really mean that, eldest?� she perks up.
�No. I hope you live for a thousand years before you finally die in a tunnel collapse or something. Stop being stupid,� I reprimand her. �You�re not a hatchling anymore, you need to live and work.�
�I suppose so,� she says, but her heart isn�t in it.
�Look on the bright side,� I relent. �Now that you have this armour and a group to work with, odds are the generals are going to use you on the frontline in the upcoming battles. You�ll be right in the thick of the danger, where the fighting is hottest! That doesn�t sound so bad, does it?�
�I suppose not�� Now the gears are turning in her head. There�s absolutely no chance the generals will send her in without some plan to extract her out again, but I can let her dream a little, I suppose. I�m too soft, dammit!
�By the way, eldest, you were supposed to pay a visit to Smithant at some point soon, she�s really excited about it.�
There�s a hint of ill feeling in Leeroy�s pheromones as she mentions the name, but I don�t recognise it.
�Who�s this?� I ask.
�Smithant, the crafter who came up with this idea,� she raps her helmet with one antenna for emphasis.
�You mean it wasn�t Tungstant or Cobalt who crafted this?� I�m genuinely shocked.
�No, they hated the idea. This one nutter was obsessed with it and now
I�m stuck with
Fascinating!
�I�ll definitely pay her a visit!� I tell Leeroy as she turns to leave. She waves a weary antenna and I continue on my way deeper into the nest.
The place is absolutely jumping with activity. Even more crowded than before, the many layers of pheromone trails have been overlain with all-new scents. Construction teams for nests two and three, resource transportation, storage trails, even a tearoom!
Hold up. A
When I make it to the end of the trail and stick my head into this
so-called
After a moment of whipping up a Mind Mana Construct, I intrude into what was clearly a cosy conversation.
[You lot are all looking very comfortable. Any work getting done around here?]
They�ve seen me already, hard not to notice such a shiny head poking through the open door, not to mention my size.
[A great deal of work, in fact,] Enid snaps back, a little
waspish. [
I twitch my mandibles in surprise. It�s unlike Enid to be so rude!
[Ah, thanks, Enid. How�d it all go? The colony brought you in to do all the talking, I suppose. Wasn�t my idea, you can�t blame me.]
The old mayor sighs and raises a hand to massage her brow, while Torrina and Corun sip their tea, content to observe rather than contribute.
[I apologise, Anthony. The talks have been glacially slow, and it doesn�t help that I have to explain the details in excruciating detail to the ants immediately after I finish haggling with the delegates.]
I can imagine my siblings are quite interested in learning about this sort of thing. Negotiations between rival powers aren�t something the colony has had to deal with in the past. Come to think of it, no ant would have had to deal with these issues in the history of Pangera.
[If they�re being difficult, surely there�s a few things we can do to hustle the dialogue along?]
She thinks for a moment before a slow smile curls on her face.
[If you have the time, I�m sure we can work something out�]
After chatting with Enid a little more, she finishes her tea and heads off to rest. The next day of talks will prove to be an eventful one, I�m sure, given what we�ve discussed, but for now, I have two expectant-looking golgari to deal with.
[Been a while, Anthony,] Corun greets me coolly. [How were things down in the Dungeon? Anything interesting happen?]
Torrina is looking at me with her usual deadpan expression, but I can tell she�s a little more frosty than usual. It�s easy to see that something is up with them.
[Alright then, what�s gotten into you two? It�s not like you guys to skirt around the subject, goodness knows Granin wasn�t even physically capable of holding his words in.]
That gets a slight smile out of Corun, and perhaps a mild release of tension around the eyes for Torrina. Even so, they still take a long glance at each other before Torrina breaks the stalemate.
[Anthony, why do you think we are here?]
Well, that�s quite the question, isn�t it?
[I suppose because Granin thought I had potential to become an Ancient, and he wanted you two to keep an eye on me and record my progress for history? Make note of my successes and failures so you can implement the knowledge better for future subjects?]
She shakes her head.
[Not exactly. We�re supposed to be here, not just as some sort of supervisors, but as guides and assistants. We are willing and able to take on a much more hands-on role than you seem to have envisioned for us.]
[What do you mean?] I protest. [I haven�t told you what you can and can�t do at all. As far as I�m concerned, I trust you guys and you�re free to do what you want concerning your mission and myself. I just recommend you step lightly around the family, they can be a bit touchy sometimes.]
Neither of them blink at me describing a growing civilisation of thousands of murderous ant monsters as �a bit touchy,� which shows me they�re acclimating pretty well to life around here. Murder ants are the norm in the nest!
[I thought this might be the case�] she sighs. [You think you�ll just leave us to our devices, and we�ll work things out? That�s not exactly how we want to operate.]
[Well, how
[I understand your frustration, I just want you to hear ours a little.] She gestures to herself and Corun. [We can help you a lot more than we�ve been able to so far, we just need you to trust us and bring us along. When you dive off into the Dungeon for a week at a time and leave us behind, or when you take us to the surface and then vanish back underground without us, it makes it hard to be able to help.]
[Sooo, you want to tag along a bit more closely when I�m moving around?]
[In short, yes.]
[Look, we don�t need to get in the way, and we certainly don�t need to be up front and fighting or anything. Just to be in the general area so we know what�s happening and can approach you when we feel we have something to contribute. That doesn�t sound too bad, does it?]
I think about it.
[You know what, that sounds pretty good. You�ve got a deal.]
I extend an antenna through the door and they both shake it solemnly before returning to their tea. I excuse myself and get back onto the pheromone trails. Things to do, ants to see!
Back into the bustling tunnels and my first port of call is the industrial district. The crafters have turned this section of the nest into their own empire. The mining efforts of the colony have expanded to cover hundreds of square kilometres of Dungeon, and every extracted scrap from the field is brought back here for processing.
Tons of material are hauled into this section of the nest each day, and the fires burn all day and all night, melting the slag, extracting and purifying the metals. It�s hot, hard work, but the smallest caste of all is more than up to the task, using tools and ingenious devices, even magic when their frames aren�t up to the task. Buried deep at the end of this maze of workshops, I find the remarkable ant I was told to find.
�Smithant, I presume?�
A relatively large crafter, obviously tier four, is busy in her own
private workshop working on several things at once. With one leg, she�s
poking and prodding at her forge, manipulating whatever she has heating
in there, with another, she�s working her pulley hammer, pounding a
sheet of heated steel into shape, using her mandibles to grip and bend
the material, whilst
�Hello there? Everything alright?�
Without pausing in her work, the ant snaps at me.
�I had a rest two days ago! You mandatory rest enforcers are getting
more insufferable by the week! I can�t be asleep,
�Two days, eh? Sounds like someone is well overdue for a nap.�
�I TOLD you�Oh.�
Dropping her work to face the doorway fully, Smithant finally sees who has come to visit and the realisation is written all over her face.
�When we�re done here, you�re going to sleep. No arguments,� I warn her.
She deflates a little.
�Yes, eldest.�
�I�ve seen your work, the suit you made for Leeroy? Amazing! I�m told you also enchanted it yourself?�
�That�s true�� Full of fire only a moment ago, the crafter is now quite
shy when it comes to taking a compliment. �But that suit is nothing!
Complete garbage compared to what I can make now. My enchanting and
smithing keep Levelling, and the
�That�s not a small amount.�
�It�s just the beginning.� The more she talks about her work, the more animated she becomes until her passion is burning just as hot as the forge behind her. �The more we expand, the better-quality ore we find, and as more time passes, the better we get at processing it. I feel like the metal I get improves every day I crawl into my workshop. And the better the metal I work with, the faster my Skills climb! I�ve even heard there�s a team of crafters working on a more efficient anvil and hammer design.�
She pats her still glowing anvil with her claw.
�Much as I love the old thing, it�s hard to keep up with demand.�
I�m a bit surprised.
�Aren�t there more crafters who can work with you? At the very least support you?�
The usual solution the colony attempts to employ is to throw greater numbers at the problem. Generally works out okay. I don�t see why this situation would be any different. Smithant clacks her mandibles in irritation.
�Most of the crafters still don�t see the need for armour on ants. We have a carapace, after all.�
�But even the council seems to find it useful!�
�They still haven�t ordered anyone to assist me, and until they do, I
don�t think anyone will bother. I�m the
What nonsense is this? The most talented smith in the entire colony,
slaving away on her own without support! This is
�That�s going to change,� I tell her. �Anything that helps to keep our people alive is something that needs to be explored. A carapace isn�t going to be enough for the fight that�s coming. I�ll put the word out that this is to become a priority. I don�t think every ant needs a full set of armour, but defensive enhancement is something I want every frontline soldier to have. After I next evolve, I�ll get you to make me a set as well.�
Time for the antdustrial revolution to reach an entirely new phase!
The centuries following the event that came to be known as the Descent, when the System applied itself to the peoples of Pangera, remain shrouded in darkness. The Cataclysm that came afterward destroyed almost all records, but those scraps we have access to speak of great upheaval, followed by an age of enlightenment before the Dungeon opened on the surface.
Like most things that fall into a civilised society�s hands, the System was seen as a weapon that would give a tremendous advantage to those who were able to master it first. This is largely conjecture on my part, but it is highly likely that the people of that time engaged in the same sort of questionable practises that were seen in the post-Rending era, when people sought to recapture that which was lost.
In that time, it was unheard of to die of old age, not just because of the many conflicts, but allowing a person to pass away naturally would waste a tremendous resource. It was common for children to execute their parents as they lay on their deathbed in order to inherit the experience gained for the kill. Compared to other atrocities, that practice could be considered mild. Slaves were forced to endure unimaginable horrors in the name of experimentation, all to secure an edge over competitors.
Many hoped the storied �golden age� would re-emerge after the age of suffering and secrecy, but in many ways, that veil still remains. Knowledge of the System is hoarded between societies, faiths, even members of the same delving teams have been known to withhold what they�ve gleaned of its inner workings. Builds, classes, fusions, any piece of information can lead to a competitive advantage.
And that is meaningful. The System allows a person to rise to unbelievable heights. With the power of Mana, and the knowledge of how to wield one�s inner strength, incredible feats become possible. Firing blades of light from your weapons, weaving the elements, or even bending light with one�s mind. Those few who managed to scale the heights and achieve the pinnacle, the highest Level, the most powerful classes, all had a deep, lasting impact on Pangera. Many founded their own kingdoms, others destroyed empires that had existed for centuries.
In the pursuit of that sort of power, people will do almost anything.
The question I have, is how this conflict was managed during the �golden age�? The only answer that seems plausible, is that someone so powerful arose that they were able to enforce their ideals on the entire planet. If that is indeed the case, what happened to them?
It�s a shame I had too much on my plate to participate myself, but the other members of the council were more than capable of running such a simple mission. Enid�s idea to simplify the negotiation process was ingenious. It hadn�t taken her long to realise what the problem was, what exactly was causing the talks to be so painfully slow and make the natives of Rylleh so intractable. The people in charge were wastes of space.
They weren�t stupid or anything, at least, not in her opinion, they just existed in very comfortable circumstances and didn�t want to see that change. For the most part, they were born into those circumstances, inheriting their positions as descendants of those intrepid delvers who managed to gather enough wealth and power that they were able to carve out their own independent space which eventually grew into the city of Rylleh.
So how to deal with these well-to-do leeches? Simple. Under the direction of Sloan and working with Wallace on the inside, the colony abducted each and every one of them, moved them to Renewal, dropping them on the doorstep of Beyn�s church like lost lambs. While they were at it, the ants looted their mansions and broke them down to rubble, carting away the precious materials�watched by, oddly enough, the cheering masses. Generations of discontent erupted once people got wind of what was happening, and in a dramatic shift in public opinion, the colony became the champions of the people in one night.
Not to say there wasn�t unrest. You can�t simply uproot large family units unilaterally and expect everyone to be happy about it. The ructions in Rylleh were largely overshadowed by the outpouring of goodwill the colony experienced, a worthy trade.
In Renewal, the once noble class were now destitute and dependent on the support of an ant-worshipping community. It only took a day before they gave up trying to convince people to take them into the Dungeon in exchange for promised riches. The next day, they banded together to launch an expedition of their own. I�m told they made it about two hundred metres outside the town before a detachment of scouts chased them back. The next day, they took up farming.
With the talks on hold until elections could be arranged in Rylleh, a much more cheerful Enid spent her time drinking tea and chatting with myself, Corun, and Torrina, and occasionally Beyn, when we managed to stop him wandering around the tunnels.
For my part, I had to meet with the council, minus Sloan, to work out what our next steps were. We gathered once more in the somehow even more luxurious council chamber, the ant chairs now lined with soft fabrics and the table topped with a beautifully carved wooden surface instead of the rude stone we�d had before.
What the point of the fabric is, I�ve no idea. We�re ants! We have a skeletons on the outside of our bodies! Although it does mean there�s less chance the stone will scuff my Diamond Carapace�
It can stay.
As the colony expands and grows, it�s becoming increasingly difficult to get the council together. The members are needed all over the place. Victoriant and Antionette have their regular egg-laying duties, which takes the bulk of their time. When they aren�t laying, they usually have a ridiculous amount of Biomass they need to consume, as well as accruing experience from the monsters the colony brings to them for last hitting. Evolving the Queens is still one of the top priorities of the colony, after all.
Needless to say, Burke and Wills have covered an unbelievable amount of territory over the last week. I don�t think I�ve ever seen either of them look tired, but their legs are definitely hanging a little lower as they rest on their chairs. Coordinating the scouting expeditions throughout the literally thousands of tunnels and branches in every direction must have come close to frying their brains. Turns out when your territory is largely spherical, it�s harder to manage than a nice flat piece of land.
The soldiers have all been fighting in the many, many battles of expansion taking place all throughout the second stratum as we strive to soak up as much space and resources as we possibly can before the attack begins. Chief amongst those resources are Biomass and experience. Our troops need to be fighting fit and as strong as they can get, as fast as we can get them there. Needless to say, the generals have been heavily involved in this activity. Organising the logistics of it all must have been a nightmare.
The worker classes have all been busy running support in the meantime, not to mention the constant research and development that goes on. Nest building, manufacturing, testing, experimenting, and pushing the boundaries of possibility in all areas. They are the scientists and engineers driving the colony forward. Which reminds me of something.
�I understand you had something of a breakthrough recently?� I ask Ellie and Bella, the two core shapers as they settle into their chairs.
They perk up immediately, delighted to talk about their work.
�Oh, we sure have! We�ve been testing with that core combination technique you brought back to us from the sophos, geez I�d love to meet them. Anyway, since we�ve evolved to tier four, along with many of our fellow researchers, we�ve been making a lot of headway in utilising the technique. Our first �folded� pet core design was completed yesterday!�
�Oh? What did you manage to fuse?�
�A centipede and a Garralosh infant��
Holy heck. I do NOT want to see that.
�How on Pangera did you manage to get those two to go together?�
Their antennae twitch wildly.
�It� wasn�t easy. Extensive modifications were made to both creatures before the cores were able to merge. We don�t believe the resulting creature will be useful, but it�s an important milestone!�
�Agreed� you didn�t actually reconstitute one of these did you?�
�We did not.�
Phew. Such a monstrosity should not be called into existence, even in the name of progress.
�This is really good news. Keep it up, you two! I have high hopes for you. If we can develop more powerful and useful pets, it can have a positive impact in all aspects of the colony.�
The core shapers happily salute me and prepare for the council proper to begin. I sincerely believe what I said, the sophos have shown the raw power that pets can hold. The core shapers have already proven their pets can be useful, but with time, and as their Skill Levels rise, their creations will become more and more deadly. The colony will be able to pour enough resources into those pets that they can become truly powerful.
�Alright then,� I address the gathered council members. �Where the hell are they?�
�What do you mean, eldest?� Victor asks.
�We�re expecting an invasion from multiple fronts!
There�s an awkward moment around the table as the ants glance at each other.
�We haven�t seen anything,� Burke admits. �We�ve been expanding our zone of control in every direction and our scouts have pushed hard toward golgari territory, but so far, there hasn�t been any sign of them.�
Wills backs her partner up.
�It�s true. We�ve set up relays of scouts to bring word as soon as they spot anything approaching through the tunnels. Right now, we just haven�t found evidence of the invasion.�
�That doesn�t mean they aren�t coming, though,� Advant warns the table. �We are still expecting a large enemy force to approach us, possibly from multiple directions.�
�Our expansion has been going according to plan,� Tungstant chips in. �The next two second stratum nests are active, and we�ve begun to develop surface nests to complement them. The new Queens are in place and the Biomass has begun to flow.�
�Egg production has reached a new high at a touch over five thousand per week. It�s going to put a strain on the Academy as we attempt to graduate these larger classes. Our territory will need to continue to expand if we want to secure the experience and cores necessary to ensure our standards are met,� the Brood Tender, Florence, informs the table.
�Also, we estimate the total number of members in the colony at around thirty thousand,� she adds.
�Five thousand a week? Thirty
THWACK!
�Eldest! What was that for?� Leeroy complains.
�Sorry, I was shocked there for a second.�
�But I didn�t do anything!�
�You have a helmet on, you probably didn�t even feel a thing. Shush.�
�That�s right,� Theresant affirms. �It�s become quite stressful trying to keep up. A problem which will only get worse when the hatchlings from the two new nests emerge. We want to take this opportunity to ask for more resources to be dedicated toward the academies and rearing the brood.�
�Done,� every member of the table immediately agrees.
Regardless of the situation, the colony does not hesitate to invest in the next generation. Sacrificing the future to preserve the present is not a trade any ant is willing to make. Everything is for the brood.
�I suppose that means we need to rush the construction of the surface nests in order to provide training grounds,� Cobalt muses. �That might mean the defences for the new nests are left unfinished for longer than we anticipated.�
�It might be necessary,� I say. �If the war against the golgari drags on, we�ll have time to shore up our defences, but those hatchlings will be necessary reinforcements down the line.�
A heavy silence falls around the table as the council is forced to confront the idea that a protracted fight will leave many ants dead. It�s not something the colony has had to deal with so far, extended war against a superior foe. Which leads me to believe there�s another thing I need to say which they may not have considered.
�We need to think about what will happen if we lose this fight,� I announce.
Each member of the council goes perfectly still, their antennae frozen with shock as they process my words.
�We don�t know what is coming, we don�t know when they�re going to get here, and we don�t know that we�ll be able to defeat this enemy. In the event that we lose, there needs to be a plan that will allow the colony to survive. They�ll try and hunt down every one of us if we can�t push them back, so we�ll need to be clever, hide Queens in faraway places, build disguised nests on the surface and place tier one and two ants there who can rebuild from scratch, given time. It�s important that our family carry on, even if we should fall.�
The council digests this potential reality for a few long moments. I can tell they aren�t happy about it, but they know it makes sense. No matter what happens, the colony must survive.
In this world.
All things.
Flow.
To the Colony.
�Spoken by Cobalt at the seizure of the lightning mines of Al�Razza.
The plan has to have a name, of course. What is it with these ants and
their insistence on stupid names? I shoot down a few of the more
obnoxious ones, like �Omega Seed Shield� and �Phoenix Ant Flames.� I
mean�
In the end, I manage to sell them on �Slow Grow.�
�There�s a chance that through some unknown magical means, the enemy may be able to interpret our pheromones,� I tell them. �So any reference to seeds or phoenixes may lead them to uncover the plot and immediately know what it means. From this point, Slow Grow will be used to refer to this concept, and any pheromone messaging related to it will be scrubbed as thoroughly as possible. Acid wash the whole room if you have to.�
The council readily agreed. No measure is too extreme when the survival of the colony, and indeed, our entire species may be on the line.
�Make this a priority,� I inform them. �For my part, I�m going to get myself back out into the tunnels, scouting and fighting. I�ll make sure not to get too far away, and I�ll keep a scout relay between me and the nest at all times. Vibrant, you should get your team back out into the field as well. Skills and Levels are going to win us this war, we need to get �em.�
�Are you sure you don�t want to go with Vibrant again, eldest?� Sloan asks. �Your last expedition was very fruitful, as I understand. The Expanse you conquered is certainly one of the largest we�ve yet seen.�
�Be careful in there,� I warn her. �The big spider mother wasn�t defeated and I get the feeling she holds a grudge. She�s a sneaky so-and-so, don�t take any risks. If she�s still in there, we�ll need an extensive digging project to get her out.�
Leeroy looks like she�s about to volunteer something, but her fellow soldier, Brendant, puts a claw on her back and she quiets. Sending her and her squad after a large, powerful monster would be exactly the sort of thing she�d be looking for to enact her �glorious sacrifice� plan. That�s not happening.
�Which reminds me. I�ve seen the work Smithant has done for Leeroy and the group, and after talking to her, it�s become clear she isn�t getting the help she needs. It seems that most carvers don�t feel that making armour is worth their time.�
Both Tungstant and Cobalt shift in their seats, uncomfortable with the topic.
�It�s true there isn�t much enthusiasm when it comes to creating armour or weapons for ants,� Cobalt admits. �Most of the artisans feel it�s a waste to pour their effort into making things we get naturally. If we want tougher defences, just mutate the carapace, if we need stronger weapons, mutate the mandibles. So far, our bodies have proven to be more capable than the things we can make.�
It�s clear from their words that they, in part, seem to agree with this sentiment. Sheer stupidity, in my opinion.
�Look, the reality of the situation is that for most members of the colony, tier four or five is the highest they can expect to go in terms of evolutions. Particularly in the short-term. If we manage to continue to expand and we exist as a stable family for the next hundred years, that�ll change, but for now, it�s not. If a soldier has maxed mutations for carapace, mandibles and whatever other organs they have which are combat related, they are no longer able to get stronger until they evolve, which may be a long time coming. How can that ant possibly improve?�
�I see what you�re saying,� Tungstant says. �The armour can be used in the meantime to shore up their carapace until they can evolve.�
�Better than that, wearing the armour will help keep them
�If we spread word of
�Do whatever you have to do,� I tell them. �Just get Smithant the help she needs. Asking her to produce enough sets to clad even a small force of ants on her own is just ridiculous. The amount of work that goes into one of these suits is insane.�
I have a think.
�I think I�ll go pay a visit to our prisoners before I leave. From what I hear, we haven�t gotten much out of them, so I may as well poke my antennae in and see what they have to say.�
�The human, Beyn, has been speaking with the two new ones you brought in, eldest,� Mendant tells me in her gentle, soothing voice. �He�s been quite excited to speak with them from what I understand.�
That�s just great. He�ll be filling their heads with all sorts of nonsense.
�As soon as we hear anything about the enemy making their approach, we need to meet back here as a matter of urgency. Until then, continue the expansion, continue to develop our defences and networks, and put Slow Grow into action as soon as possible.�
Nods all around. I make a circuit of the chamber, exchanging pheromones with each of the council members as I make my way out. The colony is growing too large to be managed by just these twenty individuals. Perhaps not numerically, there are plenty of cities with one hundred thousand people in them who get by with a council, but geographically, we�re covering a huge amount of space. The two new nests are one thing, but the hunting territories around them, the various Expanses the colony has conquered, the extensive mining operations, there�s a whole lot going on. Sometime soon, I�m going to have to ensure the council is getting sufficient help, they can�t keep doing it on their own.
I mean, at the rate the eggs are going to be laid, we�ll be up to a million strong colony before too long. What an exciting and scary thought! If the golgari were scared of us before, they�ll be terrified of us then! Gwehehehehe.
Still, as I leave the council, there�s a certain feeling of stress and gloom hanging over the members as they each contemplate their roles under the threat of the impending invasion. A million things to do, but all of them will be dropped the instant one of those stone-skinned fools poke his nose into our territory.
With a shake of my antennae, I try to brush my concerns away. The only thing I can do is try my best to do my duty as the strongest ant in the colony. Get stronger and allow my siblings to rise up alongside me. I�ll act as their sword to drive away those that would bring them harm, and their shield to defend them as they grow and become strong.
To that end, we need MOAR LEVELS!
[Are we heading back out into the Dungeon, Master?] Crinis asks.
[Sometimes I forget you don�t hear what�s said in pheromone language, Crinis. I just walk around assuming you know what�s been discussed after a meeting like that.]
[I know,] she huffs. [I�ve been considering acquiring a Pheromone Sensory Gland when I next evolve, but when I checked the menu last time, it was unusually expensive. I think because I have none of the sensory receptors or nerve centres required to interpret the information.]
[That�d be a waste! Just remind me and I�ll be happy to let you know what�s going on.]
[Then I will do that, Master.] She sounds happy.
[By the by, what Level are you Crinis?]
[Only Level 21, Master.] Now she sounds sad.
[That�s not so bad! Why are you down about it?]
[I�ll evolve a long time after you, again.]
[I got a lot of experience fighting against big nasty monsters, Crinis. Garralosh, the stupid tournament. All of those were extremely challenging and not exactly something I would have sought out on my own, given the choice.]
[I know that,] she mutters in my head. [I just don�t like when you are so much stronger than me. How can I protect you against the sorts of enemies you�ll go up against at tier six?]
[Look on the bright side. When I�m tier six, you won�t have to protect me from enemies at tier five anymore.]
[That doesn�t help�]
Ah well. Worth a shot. Crinis has continued to be as protective of me as always, ever since we reunited after I escaped�with help�from the golgari. She�s still riding around, attached to my carapace. She�s heavy, but I can�t quite bring myself to complain about it to her.
[Hey, Tiny, Invidia. We need to get ready to go.]
The big ape looks up, his fists clenching with excitement.
[Fiiight?] he grunts.
I sigh.
[Yes, we�re going back out to fight.]
He grins broadly and lumbers toward me, slapping me on the back with happiness. For his part, Invidia materialises his haunting, toothy grin in the air beneath his hovering eye, which flashes green.
[
[Not too many,] I warn him. [You�re still a higher tier than the rest of us. No point funnelling experience into you.]
The large eye flashes brighter as the envy demon baulks at being denied that which he desires, but I prod him with my antennae.
[None of that. We�ll go check in on Jim and Sarah, pop by the prisoners, then a final check on our Biomass and Skills situation, then out to scout and take names. Let�s go.]
I find Jim and Sarah in a place I didn�t quite expect, visiting the golgari prisoners, which is an unexpected convenience for me. As I bustle onto the scene, my pets in tow, my two fellow ex-prisoners appear to be getting ready to leave.
[Hey there, you two! How�ve you been?]
I don�t think I�ll ever get used to seeing humanish reactions from giant monsters. Jim is a gigantic worm, he basically doesn�t have a face, you can�t even see his mouth most of the time, but I can still recognise the awkward jerking motion he makes as he reacts to my voice.
Sarah, for her part, has a more standard face. Eyes, nose, big ol� horrifying bear maw filled with death fangs of murderising. Standard. Those huge eyes blink slowly as she looks down at me.
[Anthony? I-I didn�t expect to see you here�]
[Yeah, I�ve been ignoring this lot for a while. Letting them stew
in their own juices, as the fairly disgusting saying goes. I guess I�m
not that shocked to see you here, considering how long you were� a
[I�m afraid not,] she says sadly. [They don�t want to open up to me. I can�t get any answers about what they planned to do with me, or why. I guess I just wanted to know what made them want to turn on me.]
I shrug. [Self-interest. Isn�t it always? That�s why you�re better off hanging with the colony. If you ask one of these ants if they�re self-interested, they�d probably slap you in the face.]
[What about you, Anthony?] Jim asks, his tone a little sharp. [Can you make the same claim? You aren�t an ant like them, after all, you were human once.]
I�m a little taken aback at these words, but I consider them all the same, and do my best to answer.
[I don�t
[Jeez, I don�t need your life story. I just want to know you won�t turn on us to look after yourself like they did.] The big worm jabs his ringed tail toward the improvised �cell� the golgari are being kept in.
I scratch my head with an antenna.
[How did you die, Jim?]
He freezes for a long second.
[I�d rather not talk about it,] he mutters.
[That�s fair enough. I shouldn�t have asked. I myself starved to
death because I gave all my last scraps of food to an ant colony I�d
raised in my room. There were
[Thank you, Anthony,] Sarah says quietly. [I think you answered his question.]
[All good.] I give them a cheery wave with an antenna. [All the people from Earth who wind up in this place are a little weird. We need to keep looking out for each other.]
[Right.] The enormous bear lumbers to her feet and begins to plod down the corridor, her vast bulk taking up most of the available space.
[Come on, Jim,] she calls back. [Let�s go hunting.]
[Again?] the worm is aghast. [We just got back!]
[I feel motivated. Come on.]
[Fine, fine.]
If a worm can slither in a resentful way, then that�s what I witness as Jim and his many segments vanish around the corner. Those two have been out hunting? Nice! I hope Sarah manages to keep herself under control. Having an insane raging doom-bear stronger than myself tearing the tunnels apart would be a slight problem, to say the least. She has Jim to help keep her in line, that should be enough.
Pushing my friends out of my mind, I round another corner to find who I
came here to see. When I lay eyes on the �cell� the colony stashed them
in, I almost stumble over. It�s clear the ants don�t have any real
understanding of the concept of prisoners. These rooms are done up just
the same as Enid�s sitting room! The damn golgari are just sipping tea
and relaxing in an idyllic, well-furnished sitting room.
If it weren�t for the team of eight mages placed about watching them like hawks, you�d never know they were captives.
�Just having a quick chat,� I inform the guards.
�Go ahead, eldest. These two don�t do much. Maybe talking to you will stir something up.�
I hope not. I don�t expect them to give us any meaningful intelligence, but at the least we might be able to use them as bargaining chips. It�s unlikely, given how willing their leaders were to throw lives away, but I don�t want to rule anything out at this point.
I reach out with a Mind Bridge and feel it snap into place in short order.
[I was wondering when you would come to gloat,] Irette Plamine sneers at me.
How do you even sneer over a purely mental form of communication? Her face didn�t move, but there�s a definite sneerish tone to her thoughts.
[Gloat about what?] I ask, curious.
[Flipping the tables on us? Taking us captive and placing us in your control where once you were in ours?] She seems almost flabbergasted that I would need to ask.
[Oh, that. Honestly, I kind of forgot you two were here. There is
[You WHAT?] Plamine bursts out before her fellow Triad member settles her down and turns to speak to me.
[Come now, Anthony,] she says, calm on the surface but with a simmering anger underneath. [You don�t really expect us to believe that you forgot we were here, do you?]
Ahh� They seem annoyed. Might as well play it cool.
[Of course not. I�ve been� brooding! Yes, indeed! Brooding about�
the
[You really did forget us, didn�t you?]
[I really did, yes, I�m sorry.]
I�m not that good at playing the villain.
[I don�t think it�s entirely my fault,] I say to their chagrined faces. [What with the whole threat-of-invasion thing hanging over our heads. The golgari who chased us were not happy, not happy at all.]
[Did they say anything about us?] Biritite Cryslas perks up.
[Not a word. Don�t think they care about Shapers much, from what I gathered. No, they were mainly concerned with annihilating us.]
[As you deserve,] Irette Plamine spits at me. [A failure like you shouldn�t even exist.]
[That�s a lot of resentment from someone who had me locked up and
forced to fight in a death tournament against my will. You seriously
don�t think you deserve just a little of the misfortune you�ve suffered?
And what do you think is going to happen if the golgari
I can tell that Irette is simply too angry to listen to what I have to say, but a flicker of understanding appears in the eyes of Biritite, and I keep speaking to both of them, but mainly to her.
[The only chance you have of getting back into the Empire of Stone, or whatever you call yourselves, is to cooperate with me. There are cult members in the colony right now, it�s not like I�ve totally cut ties. The nutcase warriors on the way here are never going to take you home. The question you have to ask is, how badly do you want to see me fail? What price are you willing to pay?]
With that thought, I leave them to stew a little longer. I�ll check in again when I get back from this excursion. Who knows? They might have something useful to share.
Many a recruit has been lost to the demons of the third stratum, despite the Legion�s best efforts to prepare them. It provides some comfort that delvers who belong to the Mercenary Union fall at a higher rate, which means our training does have some effect. Independents have it the worst. Without prior knowledge, or the proper mental preparations, their chances of success in that burning wasteland are almost nil.
Records indicate that the earliest expeditions launched by the Legionem Abyssi had similar expectations of the dangers they would confront there that most delvers hold today. The Dungeon is a place of violence and death, the first and second strata offer no comforts, every living thing, plant or animal, is a potential threat. It stands to reason the deeper you go, the more violent and merciless the strata will become.
And that is indeed, a true inclination. The third stratum is far more deadly than the second, but in a much different way. The Dungeon is as cunning as it is brutal, and as brutal as it is cunning. The lesser demons of the third stratum swarm the plains, feasting and warring in roving bands of mindless beasts. Like swarms of vermin, they fight and kill endlessly, the spawn rate absurdly high for such a powerful class of monster.
But once they reach a high enough tier, they rise above the rabble. Above the plains tower the fortress cities of the demon aristocracy, palaces of intrigue, wealth, and guile that have entrapped so many a gullible soldier. If a demon tells you something, it�s probably true, just never in the way that you expect.
Leaving the golgari Shapers to their business, I wander a few doors down to check on the newest of our additions. Not wanting to intimidate them, I leave Tiny and Invidia in the corridor. Crinis, predictably, doesn�t want to peel herself off my carapace, so I give her direct instructions not to terrify the humanoids.
[How am I supposed to know what scares them, Master?] she asks, genuinely interested.
It�s a valid question, different people are afraid of different things. Not to mention the culture gap. What�s terrifying to a human may be hilarious to these fur-people. Crinis has horrifying fangs, perhaps they do too? I didn�t get a great look at the tooth situation, so I�m not sure how much maw they�d be able to handle.
I mean, what is it that Crinis does that�s scary? The way she moves is rather creepy, with the slithering, tentacles, and inky flesh that�s black as the depths of evil. I mean, the mouths are surely out, right? Unless these people are descended from sharks, which seems unlikely, given the fur, then I can�t imagine they�d be pleased to see that trio of horrendous, all-consuming portals of death. The tentacles are likewise out. Tentacles in general have a weird sort of vibe; add the ripping barbs that cleave flesh and sanity like a chainsaw, and you have a recipe for disaster.
[You know what, Crinis, maybe just remain as still as possible and don�t do anything. I can�t imagine anything you might do that wouldn�t be scary to most organisms.]
[Thank you, Master!]
She seems genuinely pleased by my statement and gives a happy wriggle before settling back into herself. She wants to be terrifying? I mean, why not, right? Go with what works for you. Crinis has been scary as hell since I first saw her original form before she was my pet. Her power has skyrocketed since that time, and she�s only become more fear-inducing. The memory of that horrific scream she unleashed in Rylleh pops into my head. That was something to see and hear. It didn�t have that much of an effect on me, I assume allies aren�t affected, but the people in the city who heard it didn�t look too flash afterward.
I�ll worry about Crinis another time; for now, I need to put my best claw forward and represent the colony to this new community we�ve stumbled into. Hopefully, this group won�t declare war on us�
The guards are relatively unobtrusive around this cell, hanging back from the door and not making themselves known. A team of mages are still present, of course, to sense the Mana inside the �cell� and react to any suspicious fluctuations.
�Anything interesting happen?� I ask them.
�Eldest,� they salute. �Nothing unexpected. A few tentative communication attempts were made by Coolant, but not much came of it. They�ve remained very quiet. Haven�t heard anything out of them, really.�
�They sound like model guests. I�ll pop in and have a chat, see if we can establish communications.�
I rap on the door with a mandible before pushing it open. The ants on duty haven�t bothered to lock it. Honestly, what would be the point? If someone can escape from the middle of a nest with tens of thousands of monsters flooding every tunnel, room, and surface within, fair play to them, they deserve to get out.
The door, if you could call it that, is large enough to be a gate, plenty of room for the bulkier castes of ant to fit through. Even so, it�s a bit of a squeeze for me. I move slowly, not wanting to unnerve anyone on the other side. Having a giant pair of serrated mandibles poke through your door would be enough to upset most people.
I reach out with Mind Mana and find the two people within the, as it turns out, quite extensive chambers. Wherever the ants have taken their interior decorating tips from�I suspect Enid�they�ve really taken the style to heart. As I enter the rooms in which our not-quite-willing guests have been stationed, I find them once again to be lavishly decorated with fine, carved wooden furniture, lush woven rugs, and plump cushions on every chair.
The two� prisoners� are currently seated on the floor, thankfully better dressed than they were the last time I saw them. Their position seems rather unusual, seated on the floor facing each other, their eyes closed and their breathing regular. Some sort of meditation?
Not wanting to intrude, I settle myself on the floor, my carapace protected from the rough stone by the rugs. Did some ant somewhere weave these? I can�t even imagine that happening. As I look closer, I can see an image of myself, bravely leading a cluster of smaller ants to follow me into a tunnel that appears to rise out of the Dungeon.
Yep, some crafter has actually taken up weaving. I can�t even�
I�m left waiting for a few minutes, so I use the time to examine these new creatures more closely. They�re mostly humanoid, though assuredly more animalistic in many of their features. The fur, for starters, but also their faces. Slightly more confusing are the ways they differ from one another. On the left, the larger of the two, has more canid features, almost wolf-like in the shape of the jaw, whereas the other is sleeker. Not quite like a cat, but perhaps an ermine, or something along those lines?
[You know, it can be considered rude to stare.]
A gruff voice rings in my mind and the wolf-person opens a pair of piercing, golden eyes and turns them on me.
[But I must commend you for your patience. What business do you have with the Folk?]
[Your people are called� the Folks?]
[Folk.]
[The Folk?]
[Yes.]
[So� the Folk?]
[That is correct.]
[Is that like� a nickname, or a translation thing? Or is it just� the Folk?]
So far, the wolf-like guy has been placid, a cold yet calm air of dignity surrounding him. For some reason, after my repeated questions, a crack begins to show in his fa�ade.
[Our people are collectively known as the Folk. It is a name we chose for ourselves, hundreds of years ago, and it remains our name today.]
[Right. It�s just�]
[Just what?]
A hint of anger in his eyes causes me to change my words.
[�Such a cool and interesting name. Really great. I know that if I could name my community whatever I wanted to, I�d for sure call it the Folk. If it wasn�t taken, I mean. By you. What a good name.]
[You don�t like it, do you?]
[�I think it�s a bit weird.]
[I see.] The wolf closes his eyes, his face a mask of calm discipline. [Your thoughts belong to you and you are worthy of them. Nonetheless, the name of our people does not change. We should move past it if our discussions are to bear fruit.]
Was that some sort of dig? Big words coming from one of
[Sure. Well, I know you�ve spoken to one of my siblings already. Coolant would have explained to you who we are and what we�re about around here?]
He nods, his eyes still sharp.
[Yes. This, Coolant, was quite respectful. I enjoyed my conversations with her. For one so young, she possessed a settled and insightful mind. I had wondered if all of your kind were similar, but I see that I am wrong.]
[Oh, totally!] I agree. [If you want more peaceful, relaxing, and well-mannered conversation, you should talk to Vibrant. Absolutely the most zen member of the family.]
He eyes me as if trying to determine my intentions. Good luck trying to get a read on an ant, buddy. We don�t even have a face, it�s all bones on the outside. We can tell quite a bit about each other�s state of mind just by watching antennae, the more subtle cues of the stance and of course scent, but I doubt this guy has managed to achieve that level of insight in a few meetings with one of us. I can�t wait to see how he deals with the chattiest ant to ever exist.
[Then I look forward to speaking with this� Vibrant. I hope the exchange will result in mutual benefit.]
[Oh, I�m sure it will. So, do you two have names, or would you rather I continue to refer to you as the Folk?]
He raises a hand�his nails are long and curved, more like claws than human fingernails. The hands are also larger than what a human might have. Perhaps that�s just a trait of this individual, but I suspect it might be a common trend amongst the wolf-like Folks. The girl, who has remained silent, is certainly shorter than he is, and much more delicate. Her fur is snowy white, and her features more delicate than the harsh angles of a canid. Definitely more of a weasel type.
[We are not so quick to share our names among those we do not consider friends. Considering how our relationship began.] He pauses for dramatic effect, just to remind me that our �relationship�, such as it is, began when we abducted them in the Dungeon. [For now, you may call me Grey, and you may refer to my apprentice as White.]
As in, the colour of their fur? Seems a bit� simple? Also, she�s his apprentice? Were they on some sort of teaching journey through the Dungeon?
Could it be the case that this is another community with as bad a naming sense as the colony? I mean, it�s not like my own naming sense is particularly good. Just take a look at the council for an example of that. My own poor sense seems to have been adopted by them to an almost absurd degree and spread throughout my family. It�s nice to think we may have some kindred spirits.
[Sure. Grey, White, nice to meet you. You can call me Diamond, I suppose.]
They run their eyes over my glittering carapace, and I can�t help but feel proud of my splendid shininess. You could shampoo your fur every day for a year, Grey, you still wouldn�t look this slick.
[First thing I�d like to do is extend an apology, on behalf of my family, for abducting you in the Dungeon. We aren�t in the habit of kidnapping people� or Folk� against their will and imprisoning them. We aren�t intending to keep you. Once our discussions are complete, we will be happy to return you to where we found you and repair the damage to the safe house. If it weren�t for the circumstances we currently find ourselves in, we wouldn�t be so quick to use such harsh measures.]
The two of them nod graciously to accept my apology.
[Indeed,] Grey says, [your situation has been described to me in some small detail by Coolant. A war with the Empire of Stone. Your colony will find it difficult to survive, I fear.]
[We may, but I don�t think we�ll be the easy food you and they seem to think we will be. I have to say, you don�t seem to be quite as upset by the idea of a sapient ant colony as I might have expected. Most people we talk to don�t react quite so� calmly.]
[What would I gain from showing otherwise?] Grey replies dryly. [I would hardly be wise to announce my hatred and disgust of your kind when surrounded in the seat of your power.]
[That�s� true.]
[However, it is true that the Folk do have a more relaxed attitude toward those such as you. Intelligent monsters are not something we are unfamiliar with.]
Well, that sounds nice.
[I must tell you, the Folk have suffered greatly from the scourge of ant-type monsters in the Dungeon, much as all races have. I should also say, that we are not a nation, as you might think we are. We are a loose conglomeration of tribes without any form of central government. I would be pleased to bring word of your colony to my people, but I cannot say what effect that news might have. Some will want to destroy you, others will seek you as allies against the threats we face, whilst others would be indifferent. There would be no consensus, and indeed, there would be no attempt to enforce one. I know this may not be what you want to hear, but the strictures of my tribe demand that I be honest with you.]
Grey has adopted a more formal tone as he drops this bad news, and as he finishes, he bows toward me, and White mimics his action. Might think this is bad news, but frankly, the fact they wouldn�t all immediately want us dead is a massive win. Better than I expected!
It is no mystery to the theorists of the Colony why most of the races we encountered were initially hostile. Our kind is dangerous. It�s for precisely this reason that we were able to deal with others as equals, because we were strong, a threat. Mutual destruction isn�t the best stance to begin inter-species diplomacy, but it was all that was afforded us, most of the time.
The existence of other intelligent societies of monsters did help to pave the way for us. After all, the sapients of Pangera had been dealing with their kind for thousands of years. Often an antagonistic relationship, with a laundry list of broken alliances and betrayals, on both sides, but at the very least, there was an established framework they could use to converse with us.
Here it was that the Eldest had the greatest effect. Whilst the attention they gave to foreign policy was sporadic at best�though many would say the intention of the Eldest was to raise the capacity of the Colony to handle its own problems, rather than the failing of a mighty being with a limited attention span, my own thoughts on this topic are detailed to a greater degree in my other writings�the attitude that the Colony adapted in dealings with other races was set by the Eldest very early in our history.
It was a point of view that, whilst never stated explicitly in Council documents, nevertheless governed all interactions between we ants and others. The Colony was, is, and always will be, open, supportive, and willing to work with any who approach us. We have worked immensely hard to bring up those who did not spurn us, raised villages to mighty cities, cities to great nations, nations to mighty empires. Aggression, war, and bad faith were always met with the same, but only until our enemies were able to change their stance. Once an olive branch was extended, the Colony was always willing to accept it.
Naturally, this has caused the Colony to be on the receiving end of its share of betrayals, yet it is the opinion of most scholars within the Colony that this was a necessary cost of pursuing a peaceful agenda. We have always been able to make the argument that we were in the right, that we dealt in good faith. In this way, our reputation spread across the world and did more work in our favour than anything else.
Too many were unable, or unwilling, to heed this message and receive the Eldest�s kindness. The destruction that followed in those instances is, in this scholar�s opinion, both the Eldest�s greatest failing, and greatest triumph.
My conversation with Grey and White rolls on for more than an hour. His people, the er, Folk, seem to be an interesting lot. He�s quite cagey about where exactly they live, which is understandable, I suppose. As far as he knows, Coolant and I are the friendly face of what is actually a ravenous horde, intent on sniffing out their cities and consuming their young.
When I tell him about the one city we have actually sort of conquered, he at first expresses some doubt that such a thing actually occurred, but when I continue to affirm the existence of Rylleh, a city under the administration of the colony�to all intents and purposes�he expresses a desire to go and see it for himself.
When I tell him about the existence of a village where the colony and humans coexist, he�s equally interested in taking a peek. Then, it�s my turn to become a little cagey. I�m not wasn�t against him looking at the village, so long as Enid doesn�t mind, but I don�t necessarily want him to know where it is, either. Without a more full and thorough understanding of Portal and Gate Magic, we don�t know that more advanced societies can�t just pop a magic portal into existence anywhere they want.
Grey himself mentioned that sections of the Folk are likely to be openly hostile to us without denying that he himself may feel that way, so it�s not as if he�s necessarily a trusted agent. In the end, we part ways with a generally positive vibe. I�ll leave the particulars of how this interaction is handled from this point onward to the council. I�ve managed to put my point of view across, I think, and I get the sense that Grey is prepared to be upfront with the colony, which is better than anticipated.
White is another story. I get nothing out of her, regardless of what I try. When I direct a question to her directly, she merely turns to Grey, and he answers in her place. When I try to slip a sneaky question to her directly, namely: [Is this ugly guy keeping you against your will?] She stifles a giggle and shakes her head. In the end, White remains a mystery. An apprentice of some kind, but more than that, I have no idea.
Heading out into the tunnel, I rejoin my pets and we make our way back through the tunnels of the nest to our private chamber. Interestingly enough, the colony hasn�t made much of an effort to decorate this space without asking me. This chamber reminds me of the original ant nests, back before I�d made them smarter. Unadorned dirt walls, a nice ovoid sort of shape. It�s cosy. Also, it�s nice not to see my own damn face every time I look at a wall.
[Alright, gang. Get your Biomass and Skills in order. We need to crunch the numbers before we head out and do some power Levelling. Make sure you�re in tip-top shape!]
Each of my pets, my closest allies, react in their own way. Tiny smacks himself on the chest with both fists, excited for the battle to come. Crinis tightens her grip on my carapace at the mention of danger, no doubt considering all that she�ll need to protect me from, and probably worrying about a few far-fetched scenarios. Invidia�s eye just gleams as he thinks about the Biomass and experience his victims possess, resources that he now yearns to seize.
I just shake my head and crack open my menu, ready to poke about and check on my progress.
Name: Anthony
Level: 53 (Rare) (V)
Might: 91
Toughness: 79
Cunning: 64
Will: 55
HP: 158/158
MP: 330/330
Skills:
General:
Expert Excavation Level 20 (III); Expert Grip Level 7 (III); Expert Stealth Level 6 (III); Tunnel Guide Level 9 (III); Iron Mind Level 21 (IV); Expert Stamina Level 19 (III); Still Meditation Level 4 (IV); Snap Dash Level 5 (IV)
Mana:
Mana Craft Level 15 (V); Master Condensed Mana Level 7 (IV); Master External Mana Manipulation Level 13 (IV); Mana Hoarder Level 15 (IV); Master Mind Magic Affinity Level 17 (IV); Expert Mana Sensing Level 20 (III); Empowered Healing Magic Affinity Level 11 (III); Advanced Blue Fire Magic Affinity Level 2 (V); Stone Magic Affinity Level 18 (IV); Gas Magic Affinity Level 26 (IV); Ice Magic Affinity Level 31 (IV)
Pet:
Further Pet Communication Level 4 (III); Core Crafting Level 13 (IV); Pet Growth Speed Level 5 (I)
Defensive:
Master Exo-Skeleton Defence Level 26 (IV); Expert Dodge Level 19 (III); Expert Endure Level 10 (III); Expert Grace Level 5 (III)
Offensive:
Deadly Acid Shot Level 19 (III); Master Precise Shooting Level 11 (IV); Omen Chomp Level 35 (IV)
Mutations:
Senses:
Heightened Perimeter Eyes +20; Far-sight Oracle Antennae +25
Defence:
Complete Diamond Carapace +25; Braced Healing Inner Carapace Plating +25
Physical:
Tough Rapid Osmotic Legs +20; Mana Flooded Mandibles +25; Frequent Potent Regeneration Gland +25; Convincing Pheromone Gland +20; Vast Hungering Stomach +25; Hyper Twitch Musculature +20; Instant Transmission Sub-Neural Network +20
Acid:
Mana Feasting Bind Acid +20; Hyper Pressurised Acid Nozzle +10; Thickened Potent Acid Concentration Gland +10; Rapid Fatiguing Acid Stimulation Gland +10
Mental:
Unyielding Coordination Cortex +25
Mana:
Unending Gravity Magic Gland +20; Endless Collective Will Vestibule +25
Species: Juvenile Colony Paragon (Formica Sapiens)
Skill Points: 12
Biomass: 434
Quite a few Skills have ranked up recently, and I have a ton of Biomass to spend. I really want to check and see if anything new has been unlocked recently, but I need to be careful. I�ve only got twelve points in the tank. Aiming for a rank five fusion means I�ll need to hold a good number of points in reserve.
Once again, I�ve managed to pile up a respectable amount of Biomass,
though far less than I could have. The priority was given to pumping up
my siblings on recent trips; on the next one, I can afford to be more�
dare I say it�
It�s not selfish to feed myself, dammit! I need to max out my mutations before I can even think about evolving. Anyone who thinks I�m going to miss out on that juicy, free bonus evolutionary energy for maxed evolutions is insane! Insane I tell you!
To that end, I need to stuff my face. I won�t apologise for it.
The other thing I need to do is use combat to pump up my Skills as fast as possible. Elemental Magic needs to be the priority. Once I finally achieve the rank five fusion, I�ll be able to push my practice in other directions. Mind Magic will probably be the next area of magical study. Those Mind Constructs will allow me to raise my prowess to a whole new level once I evolve and enhance my brain power.
I feel like it�s been a long time since I�ve even considered evolving. The colony has been expanding so fast, and conflict has come to find us at such a rapid pace, I haven�t had any time at all to consider my own progress. I guess in the back of my mind, I�d kind of pushed all thought of evolution away, since Level eighty was such a ridiculously long way away. Not anymore, though! Only twenty-seven more Levels! Sounds like a lot, but it�s a heck of a lot less than eighty!
I�m getting excited just thinking about it. Evolution is so addictive, I swear.
Alright, let�s get busy, if I sit around here and keep pondering my next evolution, then nothing is going to get done. Leaving my pets to sort out their own numbers�even Tiny appears to be counting on his fingers, his face a mask of concentration�I duck out into the corridor and flag down a passing ant.
�Hey there, any chance you can get word to the golgari, Torrina and Corun, to come and drop by here?�
�Sure thing. Work hard!�
�When am I not?�
Their silent pheromones speak volumes.
�Alright already! Geez!�
Everyone�s a critic. Just because I�m not currently doing something,
doesn�t mean I�m not
Flicker Dash ranking up into Snap Dash was a nice one. The improved Dash Skill has a dramatically shorter windup than before. Not that the charging time was long, but if you cut half a second down to a quarter of a second, you notice. It�s similar to the feeling of gathering strength in your legs before you jump. With Flicker Dash, there was a brief windup before the explosive speed was unleashed, now that time is almost gone. Combined with my reflexes, even faster dodging is now possible. Gwehehehehe.
My Digging Skill is ready to rank up which will hopefully take my ability to move serious dirt to a whole new level, but I�m holding off for now. Not taking the upgrade pains me though� the pursuit of ant-zen should never stop! Meditation ranked up once again, which is handy. The Skill is basically a form of enhanced concentration, allowing the Skill user to push emotion and distractions to one side and draw out 100% of their strength. This new rank improves the ability of the Skill to be utilised when moving in high-speed, stressful situations. Allowing me to stay centred and focused, even when dashing all over the place.
Ranking up Grace is just helping me with my balance, never a thing to be underestimated when you have six legs and can run up multiple surfaces. All in all, my progress has been decent without being overwhelming. My strength has been steadily ticking up, without any major leaps.
That has to change. MOAR power will be needed if I�m going to defend the colony and fight off the invaders! It�s unlikely I�ll manage to evolve before the golgari arrive, but I can push my Skills as far as possible before then and see what happens.
Ten minutes later, my advisors arrive, and I welcome them into my chamber.
[Wait, this is where you live?] Corun asks, blank faced.
[Sort of, I suppose? I don�t really
[I suppose,] he says, staring at the bare, smooth walls. [You were a human, though, once upon a time. I guess I would have expected you to have more of a need for a personal space?]
I�m a bit confused.
[I have my own room,] I point out. [How many ants in the colony have their own room? It�s more than enough.]
Corun looks like he wants to say more, but Torrina cuts him off ruthlessly.
[Who cares about this? What did you want to talk to us about?]
[I was planning on purchasing some mutations and doing some serious power Levelling over the next few days, so I thought I�d consult my resident experts? Isn�t that what you wanted?]
[It is! Although I kind of feel like you�re doing this out of courtesy rather than because you feel any real desire for our help. Regardless, I�m happy to discuss your plans. Are you still aiming for the rank five elemental fusion?]
[Yep! I�m getting close, too. Fire Magic is already there. The others are getting closer by the day.]
Corun shakes his head.
[Rank five? I mean� why though?]
Torrina rolls her eyes.
[Still, Corun? He made up his mind, leave it alone.]
[Nobody goes for rank five,] he protests. [That�s so many Skill Levels for such basic magic!]
[But it synergises well with my current build,] I firmly say. [I�ve split my mental power across too many brains to be able to handle the more powerful magics. With this fusion, I�ll be able to maximise the offensive output I can achieve from my sub-brain setup.]
[That� sounds like a lot more sense than I�m used to hearing from you, Anthony.]
[I�m trying to get better at being assertive. I think it�s working?]
[It�s working fine,] Torrina assures me. [And I agree with your choices. If you continue to progress and rank up your other core Skills, your bite, movement, and defensive ones mainly, then you shouldn�t have any issues up until it�s time to evolve. Just make sure you consult with us before you do it.]
[Why?]
[I presume you mean to absorb
That core, Garralosh�s, is buried in the wall next to where I�m standing as a matter of fact. Old habits die hard, and stashing cores in my own chamber has worked for me so far.
[Yep.]
[Tier five to tier six is a big evolution for a monster,] she tells me seriously. [Not that any evolution is unimportant, but the jump in evolutionary energy available at this tier is huge, and you�ll be sitting at tier six for a long time. One hundred and sixty Levels takes a long time to get, even if you�re being fed by others.]
I laugh. [As if the colony would stand it if I made them all force-feed me experience. That�s a totally shameful level of laziness.]
She shrugs.
[I think they�d only be too happy to do it, and it might not be the wrong call. You can do a lot of work at tier six. At that tier, normal delvers would need to dispatch several teams of experts to beat such a monster. Even elites in the second stratum wouldn�t dare go one-on-one with a tier six. At tier seven? That�s basically as powerful as it gets up here. Though you wouldn�t be able to remain at this depth for long, you�d be a powerful deterrent to attackers.]
I hesitate. Would it really be okay to have the colony feed me experience? Bring already crippled monsters up to me to last hit like they do for the Queens?
[No,] I say, [it feels wrong. Besides, the Queens need that sort of treatment because they have important work to do in the nests and can�t be risked. The regular members of the colony need experience and Biomass also. I�m perfectly capable of getting my own and not stealing from their plate. Every ant is a part of our strength, not just me.]
She watches me carefully. [It�s your call. I won�t tell you what to do, ever. All I will do is present ideas.]
[That one�s out,] I say.
[Have you considered what path you�ll take for the rest of your mutations?] Corun asks.
[Hmm� I�m not sure exactly where I want to go. I have a few thoughts� but I don�t know what to do that�ll best suit a monster like me.]
[I�m not surprised,] Corun chuckles. [There hasn�t really
[So, you don�t know of any sweet combos I can use?] I�m naturally a touch disappointed.
[That�s not exactly true,] he muses. [There�s tons of research done on other insect archetypes, just not ants. Some of it should apply, though.]
[We studied what we could before we left,] Torrina assures me. [We even brought some documents with us. I�d love to go through them with you.]
She starts to rummage through a document satchel strapped to her side and I begin to feel a headache coming on. I didn�t realise there�d be book learning! How long does she want to take?
[Here�s the thing,] I break in. [I�ll take a look at the options and sort something out, then we can go through the more advanced stuff together later? Ok?]
Torrina frowns at me doubtfully, which is hard to notice on a golgari�what with the stone skin.
[They�re your mutations,] she says. [You can do what you want. Just try to make sure you always build on what you already have. Even weaker mutations that have lost their usefulness can fold into a new plan.]
[Think about it carefully, Anthony,] Corun urges. [Next time, we�ll give you the full rundown, alright? Your sixth tier is going to be fearsome, I guarantee it.]
[Alright, thanks, I appreciate it. If there�s nothing else, I�ll get to itching.]
Time to bring on the exquisite pain of self-improvement. I have a ton of Biomass to spend and the time to roll around on the floor looking like a fool. Let�s get to it!
But what to improve next? I�ve still got a ton of things that need to be upgraded to +25. Improving my eyes is an option that leaps out at me. My initial struggle on Pangera was my pathetic ant eyesight, and while getting it to +20 along with a few choice mutations has certainly helped alleviate the situation, it�s still not exactly where I�d like it to be.
Having said that, though, improving my eyeballs isn�t going to do a whole lot for me in the second stratum. This place has two main features, being dark as heck and being cold as a tomb. Eyes may not be the play.
My Gravity Magic Gland is a touch neglected, I could bring that up to speed, but again, my focus is in other directions at the moment. If I lean on my Gravity Magic Gland too hard, then I�ll only be slowing the progress of my elemental Skills. Perhaps I can better spend my points elsewhere.
The more I peruse my list of options, the more I�m drawn to the business district. There�s a lot of potential upgrades available here, and the number of organs could potentially allow me to build some synergy between them, to further improve the potency of my corporate sector.
The three new additions were the Acid Nozzle, which gives me more flexible aim, the Acid Concentration Gland, for thickening the acid, and the Stimulation Gland, which speeds up the process of reloading. So far, most of my mutations have concentrated on improving the organs at doing their core job, but I feel like I want to be a little more creative this go around.
Eager to check out the possibilities, I dive right in and start poking through the more offbeat options in the menu. First, the nozzle. The pressurised tube helps to throttle the produce as it emerges, acting like someone squeezing the end of a hose to increase the range. It�s done good work, but I�m satisfied with the range; time to see if we can add a little heat, a little spice, to this aspect of the zone.
The list is exhaustively long, all sorts of things strike my eye. For such a small organ, it�s quite versatile. Many of the options allow it to place some sort of effect on the nature of the spray. Widen the acid blast, fire the acid in a flatter arc, as well as more generic options that improve the ability of the nozzle to flex, broadening its ability to aim. I�m not interested in that ordinary stuff. Give me the sauce, Gandalf! I want something a little off the wall!
As I ponder the list, I try to think about what I want my acid to do in a fight. The sticky effect has done good work for me in the past, and was key in slowing down my opponents, restricting them and allowing my former squishy self to stay safe. But now things are different, the stickiness just isn�t enough to hinder the kind of enemies I�m fighting. They�re just too strong for a mutation of that level to have enough of an effect. Not to mention, I�m more than happy for my foes to get up in my grill and take a shot. My Diamond Carapace and inner plating are more than capable of absorbing punishment! Not to mention my self-healing abilities are becoming better and better.
No, kiting my opponents isn�t what I need, so the stickiness has outlived its usefulness as the primary factor in my acid. The magic eating is still effective. Being able to dissolve shields, chew away magical effects, and even weaken incoming spells without using my brains is super useful. Big fan of this aspect, I�m glad I reinforced it when I mutated that acid gland to +20. But now I need to find something else to add into the mix.
What�s it gonna be?
I scroll through the list, trying to find an option that brings my existing mutations together whilst offering a new flavour for my merchandise. I flick over to my other acid-based organs, and end up going back to my main acid gland. At +20, it still needs to be improved to +25, and I suppose it makes sense that I start here while jazzing up my production line.
Options, options, options. What sort of acid do I want? There are a lot
of choices that jump out at me. Acid that burns? Acid that freezes? Acid
that freeze-burns! That�s new. Acid that chews through inorganic matter
better? Acid that eats light� Like� how?
Dammit, Gandalf, you always make this so hard! I swear if I look through here long enough, I�m going to find a mutation that causes the acid to chew through time or something�Ah. There it is. Makes the target age as it eats their future. What the hell is that? Come on, Gandalf! Are you out of your mind? Why would you put an option like that in there? Reading closely, it seems as though the effect is rather weak. You�d need a ton of mutations, and then basically submerge someone in a tank of the stuff in order to meaningfully age them. Fair enough then, that seems like a balancing factor.
Let�s go back to this acid that makes
I can blast out a wave of acid, and even if I don�t hit much, it�s still going to grow and become a problem. Let�s not forget that thanks to my concentration gland, the acid itself is quite damaging, even if I don�t have any direct damage mutations. The effect will be light at just the first mutation, but if I commit to it over this evolution and the next, then it should be able to do some work.
After fiddling around a bit, I end up settling on the following mutations:
My Mana Feasting Binding Acid Gland +20 will add the self-propagating trait and become the Propagating Mana Feasting Bind Acid Gland +25.
That is� quite the mouthful. Hopefully, it becomes a little more readable when I compress these traits down. I�m assuming I get to do that again at +30. In addition to that, which will take a good 115 chunk of Biomass out of my reserve, I�ve made upgrades to the rest of the business district to bring the whole thing together.
My Acid Nozzle has had its pressurised trait reinforced and then gained the scattershot mutation. My theory being that if the acid is able to make more of itself, then applying a little bit of it to a wider area will allow me to bring the slow burn of never-ending acid to a massive number of foes. Alternatively, I can use this mode to blast a scattershot onto a particularly large enemy, creating dozens of acid hotspots that will only grow over time. That�s taken it from +10 all the way to +20 for a cool 155 Biomass.
The Acid Concentration Gland has so far been used to power up the traits inherent in my main acid gland, thickening the mixture, so to speak. That�s great, and I reinforced that at +15, but for +20, I wanted to emphasise damage, and the concentration gland had a wealth of options to boost the effectiveness of my produce in that department.
The usual suspects make an appearance here, elemental damage and so on, but rather than take those options, I had the gland inject a little extra spice into the mixture, a tiny addition that will reduce the defence of whatever the acid hits to the melting effect. Should help kick the deeps of the acid to the next level.
That�s another 155 Biomass which turns my Thickened Potent Acid Concentration Gland +10 to the Thickened Weakening Acid Concentration Gland +20. My acid stimulation gland is still stuck at +10, but I�ll have to deal with that for the moment. Not to mention, none of my new acid components have reached +25. It�s going to take a heck of a lot more Biomass before I�m finished revamping the commercial zone.
With a weary sigh, I check over my selections once more and then give Tiny a subtle nod. He nods back, a serious look on his face, for once, and moves to block the entrance to my chamber. Once she notices what�s happening, Crinis detaches from me and manifests her body to block all line of sight to me from the outside. Not even my annoying bodyguards will be able to see what goes on in this space!
Operation �Blackout� is in full effect�
Confirm!
HARCK!
FTTTT� SHABA�
COLLIBLAMAWAGAAAAA!
It itches so bad! Dammit all!
Corun and Torrina make their way through the colony discussing theories and options that they�ll need to present to Anthony the next time they get the chance. They could talk for hours on this topic, this is their purpose, as well as the entire focus of the Cult, but they got the sense Anthony wasn�t quite as interested in poring over the details, so they were determined to work out the kinks in their research before speaking to him again.
After a few minutes, an easy silence fell as they both lapsed into their thoughts.
�Hey, Torr,� Corun said.
�Yes?�
�What do you think Anthony meant when he mentioned itching?�
She pursed her lips and frowned as she considered. �I�ve no idea. Do ants get itchy under their carapace?�
�You want to ask one?�
They hesitated. The ants could get quite touchy when it came to their carapace.
�Maybe ask him next time,� Torrina suggested.
Corun nodded. That sounded like the best plan.
It took a few seconds for the dizzying sense of vertigo to fade, and with it went the nausea. Morrelia took a deep breath and resisted the urge to raise the faceplate of her Runic armour to take a better look around.
�Don�t,� the stern voice of her father rumbled from her side, causing her to jump.
�Commander,� she ground out, her temper flaring. �Surely you have better things to do than babysitting new Legionaries?�
�It�s only normal that my personal guard be near me, is it not?� Titus spoke levelly.
Morrelia felt a spark of the berserker�s rage ignite in her chest and shoved it down, brutally. Not for the first time, she wondered if she shouldn�t have tried so hard in her training. Her apparently glowing reports from the Iron Church and her field Centurions had given her father the perfect excuse to keep her close at hand. She�d protested vigorously when she�d learned of her assignment to the commander�s guards. In fact, she�d been so mad, she�d dared to pay a visit to her mother in the hopes the woman would overrule her husband.
A total waste of time. Her mother had been delighted to see her and wrapped her in a bone-crushing hug the second she entered her office, but when she�d told her of her grievance, the consul had simply laughed at her and shrugged it off.
�He might look like he�s carved from stone, but did you really think your father would risk losing you?� her mother had asked seriously.
When Morrelia argued, she found herself gasping on the floor, crushed under the weight of her mother�s aura.
�Let it go, daughter,� came the command, delivered in ice cold tones. �You are strong, your promotion is not unwarranted. Besides, I too have no desire to lose any more children.�
And that was that. She�d hoped that over the years, she might have closed the gap between her and her mother, but it looked as if it had only grown wider. How that was even possible when the woman spent all her time in an office, she had no idea. How did she even get that strong?
�Welcomesssssssss to you,� a sibilant voice slithered through the air and defiled the ears of the Legion.
She didn�t know what it was about it, but she felt unclean just hearing that voice speak.
�Who�� she began.
�Later,� Titus said.
He strode forward, the light in his eyes giving away his burning anger to those who knew him as well as his daughter. He hated dealing with these creatures. Maybe once he was done with ants, he could persuade the leadership that it was time for another crusade. The demons were a cancer that should have been exterminated centuries ago, and would have been, were it possible.
The axe on his back responded to his anger, stirring in its sheath as it echoed his rage. With a push of Will, he forced its influence from his mind.
The soul trapped in the weapon bellowed its fury and tried to claw at his mind, but Titus endured the blows and forced it back into the axe, where it prowled like a wounded dragon. Being back in its home stratum had woken it up more than it had been in decades, but Titus held no fear. He�d conquered the demon when it was alive, and he�d dominated it every day since.
Without turning, he could sense the stern demeanour of the thousand armoured figures at his back as he strode forward to negotiate their passage. The Legion had arrived in the third stratum. Soon, their work would begin.
When the itching finally fades, Crinis peels herself off the walls and regroups back onto my carapace to reveal something I didn�t expect to see. Protectant, her cover dropped without me having to drag her out of the shadows for once, stands right in front of me, in the centre of the room. Exposed to my senses, she wears a nervous air, as if the simple fact of being able to be seen makes her uncomfortable.
�Didn�t expect to see you, Protectant. What�s up?�
Her antennae twitch in surprise.
�The rest of the nest? The surface nest? The surface? About two hundred million tons of rock and soil? I don�t understand the question, eldest.�
Sometimes I forget the ants aren�t up to speed with the lingo.
�I just mean to see what�s up with you. I mean�forget it. Why are you out of cover? I assume you have something to say?�
�Where have you been?�
The question is rather direct, but it�s pretty much what I thought she�d say.
�Right here.� I�m still not going to bow down to these babysitters.
�We couldn�t see you.�
�I know, that was the point of Operation Blackout.�
As I announce the name of my scheme, I can see her antennae go crazy with barely suppressed excitement. These damn security guards are as bad as the council. They love nothing better than a truly awful plan title.
�Why did you need to hide from us?�
I can almost see her forcing her intrigue away in order to focus on the point at hand.
�Sometimes, an eldest needs a little privacy. You�ll just have to deal with it.�
�It makes it hard for us to fulfill our purpose.�
�What did you think was going to happen to me here in the nest? Forget it, you�ll just need to cope. We�re heading out to do some grinding deeper in the stratum. I want to make sure you and your team keep Levelling and progressing your mutations. You can�t protect me from anything if you�re too weak.�
�We�ll keep ten on you at all times,� she says sullenly.
They hate the idea of getting stronger for some reason.
�That�s fine. The others should probably hunt in teams of five, or ten, depending on the Level of the opponents. Let�s move.�
Tiny is the first up, leaping to his feet from where he sat at the entrance to the chamber, his muscles bunching with excitement as he does his little gorilla boxing shuffle, throwing mini-punches into the air. The ape is pumped up and ready to fight. In fact, even Invidia has allowed his Cheshire cat grin to appear. Seems like the whole crew is ready to rumble.
Who am I to deny them? We speed out of our chamber and race through the nest, taking the fastest route through the mighty gates�still being reinforced�and taking new paths deeper into the stratum. It�s hard to move too quickly in the second stratum, what with poisonous little barbs attached to almost everything we see. By now, we�ve become far more comfortable traversing the tunnels and we need fewer breaks to heal Tiny after he stumbles into something else that wants to kill him.
In this way, we make solid progress as we descend, clearing out tunnels and stripping them bare of Biomass. The pure black Mana pulses from the walls, filling the air like tar. I swear that it�s getting thicker. Is there going to be another wave soon? I get the feeling it�ll be harder to deal with this time, exposed to the second stratum, and the third beneath it, as we are now. If we can master the technique that Rylleh used to push the Dungeon veins out of their territory, we�ll manage to survive it much better. I should ask how we�re progressing with that the next time I get a chance.
For now, I don�t need to focus on such things. There�s only me, my pets, my babysitters, and the need to smash as many monsters in as short a time frame as possible. We need dat sweet, sweet experience! Elemental Constructs, whizzing with Mana, unleash all the Mana I have into our foes as we press forward. Slowly but surely, the Levels come.
�Do you know what we�re going up against?� Myrrin asked her friend.
Morrelia frowned and resisted the urge to spit.
�No,� she said sourly. �The old man loves his secrets. Aside from the fact we�re in the third stratum, I don�t even know where we are. I don�t think anyone does. The commander is keeping his cards close to his chest.�
The two remained standing to attention along with their full Legion as they awaited permission to exit the citadel they�d arrived in. Even though the Runic armour shielded them from the elements, the searing heat scalded their skin and the taste of ash filled their mouths. Morrelia had never been in the third stratum before, and she wasn�t particularly enjoying it now. That was an understatement. She�d barely seen any of the place, and she hated it.
The Legion was thoroughly drilled, to the point that when the commander strode into the hall in which they waited, not a one of them moved. But the tension in the air certainly raised a few notches.
�Finally,� Morrelia muttered as she moved forward with her fellow guards.
Her Centurion, a grizzled veteran named Pompeus, shot her a dark look and she sighed internally, knowing she�d get another grilling. She wished he wouldn�t waste his time. She�d done everything she could think of to get thrown off this duty, but Titus wasn�t having it. She had too much respect for the Legion to keep pushing the boundaries and had fallen into line, but a few muttered complaints were inevitable in this situation.
�We�ve got our marching orders,� the commander told them. �Form up the troops for an address, we move out in an hour.�
Auxiliaries were sent running to inform the Centurions, while Morrelia and her comrades fell into line behind the commander. She spotted Myrrin in the crowd and rolled her eyes, which caused the younger woman to stifle a laugh behind her visor.
In a matter of moments, things were ready, and a thousand heavily armoured, heavily armed members of the Abyssal Legion looked to their commander expectantly.
�Legionaries. Welcome to the first deployment of our newly formed Legion,� Titus announced. �We have many old faces from Liria, new recruits from around Pangera, and a smattering of veterans from the deep world. I welcome you all.�
He paused to stare at them, and each soldier met his eye with firm resolve.
�We�ve not had long to acclimate, only a few weeks. Like most units, the real work of forging us into a cohesive whole will be done in the fires of battle. We have been deployed to the Plains of Lang, directly beneath Old Liria. During the last wave, the local kingdoms were annihilated by a monster uprising, though there are several Dungeon communities that still stand.�
Morrelia�s stomach twisted upon hearing where they were. The ruins of Liria, the horrific army of the beast Garralosh. These were not pleasant memories.
�It appears as though the Dungeon hasn�t done enough damage here. We�ve been called in by allies in the Empire of Stone to deal with a local infestation. A colony of ants has taken hold of the area, several months old, and from what we understand, has evolved in a fairly unique way. We will reach the engagement zone in three days, at which time, we will launch a cooperative assault with our allies. Our goal is the complete and total extermination of the colony. Not a single insect is to survive the purge. Understood?�
A thousand fists crashed into a thousand chest plates. Morrelia followed
suit, but inside, she grew numb. The colony? She was here to kill the
Dungeon warfare is probably the most studied and practised craft on Pangera. The Rending was a rude introduction to the intricacies of the three-dimensional conflict beneath the surface, but the sapient races of the surface proved to be quick studies, and basic strategies were established, most likely independently, all across the world.
Fighting monsters is always a losing prospect. They can�t be exterminated, they simply respawn, and nothing that is known will prevent the Dungeon from doing so, not on a global scale. But population control is possible and is the primary occupation of those who are tasked with defending the surface from a repeat invasion. By culling populations, scattering concentrations of spawn points, and draining Mana from areas of particular density.
These tactics can be effective, but the work is relentless. Without constant monitoring, depleted respawn points will reform elsewhere, populations will swell, and Mana will flow, like water, to pool in another location. War with the monsters is an exhausting, never-ending chore that all civilisations of Pangera must engage in ceaselessly.
But this is not the true conflict.
There are a multitude of empires, kingdoms, city-states, and alliances within the Dungeon, and their wars, battles, and spats are endless. Several historian colleagues of this author have spent decades attempting to map the history of inter-sapient conflicts and have floated the idea that there has been no time during the post-Cataclysm era, that all of Pangera has been at peace.
As stunning as it is to think about, the records appear to line up: there has never been a time when the Dungeon hasn�t been home to an inter-sapient conflict.
Which means the strategy of warfare within the Dungeon is a highly developed art form. Even the relatively simple act of breaching walls has become an intricate process. The more rigid the doctrines become, the more predictable the outcomes. It�s said that the Grand-Strategists can predict the outcomes of a decade-long war before the first blow is struck.
Regardless, it�s a fascinating area of study that I don�t think I�ll ever tire of.
During the hunting, I keep in regular contact with the colony through a chain of swift-running scouts, and from the sounds of things, they�re as busy as ever over there. What I haven�t heard about is the arrival of an invasion force, which I find a touch surprising. I�ve spent two days hunting down here! When are they going to get off their butts and attack us already?
I mean, I don�t want to sound ridiculous, but I�d almost prefer for the assault to come now, rather than endure this mysterious silence. It�s unbearable. Every moment, I expect the penny to drop and a violent struggle of survival to begin. In the meantime, all I can do is keep grinding, trying to get as strong as possible, as quickly as possible.
We�ve been relentless, and everyone is suffering from flagging energy levels, even me. At this distance from the colony, my Vestibule intake is significantly reduced. At least my babysitters are useful for something, since they provide me a bonus trickle.
Still, forty-eight hours of endless fighting hasn�t been for nothing. The Levels are piling in, and I�ve managed some tasty rank-ups. I put a bit of effort into chomping on the shadow creatures and pushing my Omen Chomp into the next rank. It�s been close for a long time, but I�ve been so focused on icing, burning, crushing, or slicing my opponents magically, that the old-fashioned mandible chomp has fallen by the wayside a bit. But if I�m going to be battling more of those armoured chumps, then a little extra shell-cracking power is going to come in handy.
[Omen Chomp (IV) Doom Chomp (V): Cost 1 SP. This advanced bite technique allows the wielder to further harness their inner energy and use it to inflict harm through the medium of teeth, mandibles, or fangs. Range and power are both increased at this rank, and the wielder gains insight into shaping the energy utilised in the strike.]
When the knowledge flows into my brain, it�s quite a surprise to find that the ethereal, energy-based mandibles that manifested when I employed the Skill could, in fact, be manipulated. I can�t do a whole lot with it right now, but I can make the mandibles a bit sharper, for added puncturing, or a bit more grindy, for� grinding� I suppose.
I have to say, the jump from rank four to five does provide a significant boost in power, from what I�ve seen so far. I�m quite curious about the sort of qualitative leap in strength the sixth tier will bring. Bit of a shame it�s going to take another eighty-sixty Levels to get there!
My other Skills have been progressing well. Very well, in fact! Without anyone else to prevent me from hoovering up the experience, I�ve made good progress. Nothing pumps the Skill Levels quite like battle does! Ice Magic Affinity has pushed all the way to rank five! Whoo! I�m also making solid progress�heh�on my Earth Magic. It won�t be long until that too reaches the fifth rank, then I can move on to the final remaining element.
[Master, I sense prey!]
[Oh-ho! Anything interesting?]
[I�m detecting a powerful concentration of Death Mana. Could be one creature, maybe a small group.]
[Ugh. I hate those things.]
[Experience is experience, Master.]
[Yeah, I know.]
The deeper we push into the second stratum, the thicker the stench of death becomes. It isn�t as if the Shadow Mana fades, it�s simply joined by another, more malevolent force. With the rise in Death Mana, we naturally see a rise in a type of monster I�m not at all fond of.
The undead.
The group creeps down the tunnel in order to get a better eye on the enemy, only to find they already have their eyes on us, in a sense. Only fifty metres away, sunk to its knees in a thick soup of what I can only describe as evil sludge, stands a proud-looking deer monster. Or, it would have appeared proud, if its eyes weren�t missing and large chunks of its flesh hadn�t simply sloughed off somewhere along the line.
I don�t have to focus particularly hard to sense a rising cloud of death surrounding the monster. Curiously, it just stands there, staring at us.
Hey, free XP is free XP. I�ll take it! My sub-brains work together, pumping Mana from my core through my Stone Magic Construct to produce the new energy which is seized by my main mind to weave together a deadly spike of hardened, compressed stone.
The stone spear is a simple, brutal, yet effective weapon, especially when using condensed Mana. I�ve seen these rocks puncture holes in all sorts of things. They should be fit for the purpose here. Not wanting to waste the opportunity my patient target is providing, I whip together half a dozen spears and launch them all at once.
The end result is� messy. Each spear is over a metre long and as thick as an adult human wrist. They pierce straight into the deer, which makes no sound, and sink deep into its flesh.
[You have defeated�]
[Nice!] I cheer.
�CONTACT!�
[What did you say?] I ask Crinis.
[That wasn�t me, Master! Mana signatures lighting up everywhere! It�s a trap!]
[BOOK-IT, PEOPLE!]
The classic deer in the headlights trap! I should have seen it coming a mile away. Within an ecosystem with vast amounts of competition, since when is a monster that helpless ever left alive for more than a minute? This is the Dungeon, for goodness sake!
It�s so dark here I can�t see the individuals that have leapt forth from the shadows, and I don�t intend on hanging out until I can.
[Move it, Tiny! We are NOT sticking around to say hello,] I order my unruly pet.
The giant bat-faced ape was flexing his fists, eyes glaring wild and fierce as he sought for something to pummel. I�m not having any of it. Unknown enemies? We�re getting out of here! I can feel Crinis writhing on my thorax, desperate to attack those who would do me harm, but I act quickly to reel her in.
[Crinis! We�re leaving!]
[But, Master!]
[No buts!]
Thankfully, Invidia is smart enough that I don�t have to order him to retreat from a disadvantageous fight. The demon is already moving, and I follow his spherical, winged form as we rush back the way we came. Which still leaves me with one problem.
�Get the hell out of here, Protectant. I want your people ahead of me as we run! And don�t you dare go against me here! If one of you dies, I swear I�ll resurrect them so you know you can�t escape my wrath!�
The threat is completely hollow. I�d never desecrate the remains of my siblings, but it works. No member of the secret brigade appears and throws themselves in harm�s way, so I assume they are running ahead of me.
CRACK!
With an explosion of light, an incandescent beam of sword light blasts from the shadows and flashes toward me, carving deep gouges in the stone floor on its way. Holy heck! Dodge! My antennae blaze with future signs of severe danger and my nerves fire, throwing my body to one side before I have time to think about it.
I skitter, a tangle of legs that scrabble against the stone to regain
purchase. The moment I do, I DASH with all my strength, picking up speed
in an instant and rocketing forward as I sense more shapes emerging
behind me. Whoever they are, they�re
They can�t possibly be people. They�d be cooking themselves from the inside out at those sorts of temperatures!
Have I been accosted by some sort of
Rocketing behind an outcropping of stone to dodge yet another of those
I�ve seen enough!
[Invidia! I need barriers and mental distractions! Pile it on!]
[
[What do you mean,
What I saw in that brief flash didn�t fill me with joy. Rather the opposite. Large bodies wrapped in steel and stone. Some sort of armoured suit? In the brief glimpse, I spotted runes and the telltale signs of Mana flowing through the materials. Whoever they are, they are rocking some high-end tech! I think Smithant would get quite a bit out of a conversation with this lot.
CRACK!
If they didn�t try and kill her on sight, that is!
[How are we looking, Invidia?]
[
Almost? When it comes to magical mind warfare, this demon is a freak! What�s going on? I let my other constructs disintegrate and pull together some Mind Mana, scrabbling my way around corners, using the deadly vegetation of the second stratum to cover my retreat. Once the Mana is ready, my sub-minds weave together a bridge and start extending it to the nearest attacker.
I sink my mind deep into the Meditation Skill, trying to let my emotions fall away so I can focus. My minds drink in the calm that follows, the ragged edges vanishing as my nerves fade away. Even so, I feel a ruffle of unease as the Mind Bridge fails to latch. I don�t have time to examine how or why, I just get a vague sense of the spell slipping off their mind instead of snapping into place as it should.
Some sort of mind defence enchanted into their helmets? Holy moly, I
didn�t even know that was possible! Who
POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!
A rapid-fire cannonade erupts from my back zone, the new scattershot mode engaged, causing a wide spray of acid to blast everything within twenty metres behind me. It doesn�t slow them. I can feel the dense Mana powering their suits flowing unimpeded as they employ their movement Skills to rocket through the tunnels, their forms a blur in the dark.
That doesn�t stop me, though. With its new properties, my acid doesn�t need to make a splash�heh�the moment it connects. It�s yet to show its true power!
POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!
The barrage continues as my pets and I tear through the tunnels, our
foes hot on our heels. I don�t know how much of what I fire is
connecting with our pursuers, but it doesn�t matter. I know that
I keep firing until I have nothing left in the tank.
Those chasing in my wake don�t appreciate my gifts. Angry shouts are heard and a torrent of blade light explodes, shattering the stone and sending shards bouncing from my carapace. I don�t think they like my souped-up merchandise. They�ll like it even less soon enough� Gwehehehe.
Wha�!
BOOM!
My senses tingle and my legs fire before I understand why, just in time to avoid a fireball that streaks beneath me, searing the fine hairs on my legs before detonating against the tunnel wall in front of me. My vision becomes filled with smoke and dust, my antennae muddled by the residual heat. Even so, my future sense sends flashes of sensory input into my mind, and I leap to my left, just in time to avoid a glittering broadsword that slices down.
Clang!
The blade flashes before my eyes and pierces deep into the stone between my mandibles, slicing through the stone as if it weren�t there. Holy heck! My mandibles flex and snap shut with concussive force.
Doom Chomp!
The dark jaws of energy manifest and close with brutal swiftness. Irritatingly, the blade snakes up from the ground and draws a shining arc in the air that my jaws crunch down on and stop. They just blocked my Doom Chomp with sword light? Is that even a thing?
Turns out, it nearly is, but not quite. After a moment of strain, the light shatters and my jaws complete their path, crunching shut. But holy mcjiggers is that armour tough! Like clamping my mandibles down on a rod of reinforced concrete. What the heck is that stuff made of?
Regardless, I wasn�t able to penetrate the bulky suit in my first bite, but the person wearing it doesn�t look comfortable. With a heave, I lift them from the ground and spin my body to one side, tossing them directly back into the path of the oncoming pursuers.
And they�re gaining. It looks like there�s ten of them, and with this one making the sacrifice play to hold me up, they�ve closed the distance to just a dozen metres. At this sort of range, they can Dash to cover it in an instant. If I turn my back on them now, I�m going to take a heck of a lot of shots from them before I get far. We might have to stand and deliver.
[Form up! Crinis! Time to peel off and get busy. Tiny! I want you on the front line making a mess, just make sure you don�t die. Invidia, you�re on support. You have permission to bring the boom if necessary.]
That bulging eye flashes green and curves with delight.
[
�Protectant and company, I want you in the back. If you try and step out against foes like this, you�ll get cooked. Your Skill Levels aren�t high enough. If you think you have a chance to pick off one and take them out of the fight, go for it. No chances, though, operate in two groups of ten.�
Luckily, I can think at my pets and speak with pheromones at the same time. Instructions relayed, I turn to take up the frontline position against this obstinate foe.
[
He�s been banned from using his explosive magics since he tends to suck up all the experience when he deploys it. Finally let off the leash, the mad little eyeball is drawing out enormous flows of Mana, spinning together deadly flowers that he scatters amongst our enemies.
Now that I face up to them, I wonder again, who are these people? These armoured death soldiers of doom? They sure as heck don�t look like any golgari that I�ve ever seen. So, who are they? Is this just a hunting team on a delve? They seem a little too well-armed and armoured for that. The massive plates of living rock and steel that make up their suits are impressive as hell, every inch appears enchanted to the brim. And their weapons are just the same! Two even sport massive tower shields that positively hum with Mana. This lot are of a way higher league than what we�ve seen before.
Tiny, Crinis, and Invidia begin to make their presence known. Here in the depths of the second stratum, Crinis is at her most powerful, the thick Shadow Mana allowing her to manifest her tentacles almost anywhere she pleases. As she rises from my back and begins to take her true form, dozens of twisting limbs break away and slither through the air, only to vanish into the darkness. Tiny unleashes his lightning across his bulging, muscular form, his roar of defiance shaking the ceiling.
Invidia just glares and unleashes his creations.
From the darkness comes a shout of warning, and in a flash, the figures Dash together, huddled behind the two shields that unleash a burst of radiant light before�
BOOM!
The magic of Invidia strikes home and further shakes the tunnel. To my shock, the barrier of energy the shield soldiers erected manages to hold strong against the spell. Brandishing their shields high, the two step forward in unison, pushing their barrier forward as the others fan out behind them.
The longer I�m part of this conflict, the less I like how it�s going. At the very least, I can take some comfort from the sight of the acid I fired growing on them. Not in an emotional sense, but in the literal. Clumps of acidic, sticky goop cling to their armour where it sizzles and steams, eating into stone, metal, and Mana alike. Given enough time, it�s sure to wreak havoc with their enchantments.
My sub-minds are busy, frantic even, spinning together an Ice Magic Construct and continuing my attempts to latch onto the mind of one of these attackers. Whatever they�ve done to their helmets, it�s still working, the spell just slides off them without taking hold. We�ve got to learn how to do that!
Ah well, if the Mind Magic won�t stick, let�s see how they like shards of ice with a side serving of my mandibles!
DOOM CHOMP!
Rearing back, I put my carapace into it this time and force my will into the energy flowing out of my body. The dark mandibles manifest, only flatter, built for impact. The two shield bearers step forward, fearless, the dome-like shield enveloping them still. You want to underestimate this ant? You won�t be the last!
CRACK!
My jaws strike home and once again come to a stop, forcing me to strain against the force. Unwilling to allow me to attack their shield, the two soldiers and those behind them lash out, weapon strikes and spells zipping through the air toward me.
Fortunately, I�m not alone. In a heartbeat, multiple shields condense in the air before me, snapping together from the ambient Mana. It isn�t enough to hold back the strikes sent my way, but it�s enough to dull them. When they finally reach me, the blows dissipate against my Diamond Carapace, barely scratching the surface.
I retaliate in kind, spears of ice forming around me that I send zipping through the air as I clench my face zone, trying to shatter this damn shield!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions ring out, and I can�t be sure if it�s Invidia at work or Tiny. More and more stone dust trickles down from the ceiling, some of it into my eyes as the repeated detonations shake the Dungeon.
[Scum! How DARE you strike Master?]
Crinis has had enough. From every surface of the chamber springs a forest of barbed tentacles, each one seeking a target to dismember like a limb-seeking missile. Put on the defensive, the enemies scatter, lashing out with their weapons to try and thin the sheer number of grasping vines. Even now, they�re not panicking, and that bothers me more than it should. And will this shield break already!
From the back of the tunnel, behind our enemy, a noise grows in strength, sinking my heart. More are coming. When the first one steps into view, illuminated by the glow of fire and lightning, I swear that I sense something familiar. Armoured like the others, but with two wickedly curved blades, one held in each hand, the figure rushes forward to help their comrades, armour igniting into a burning red, like the fury of a berserker made manifest.
That�s exactly when Protectant decides to strike.
The approaching, red-armoured figure clearly hadn�t expected to be descended upon by the heretofore hidden ant squad. Even I was a little shocked, to be honest, and I�d known they were there the entire time. I�ve looked a little deeper into the methods that Protectant and her squad uses to keep themselves from being noticed, much to their discomfort. I�ve come to believe the council hasn�t asked them to ignore my instructions explicitly, but trained them to think that protecting me from myself is literally half their job.
Which hurts. It�s probably fair, but it still hurts.
Even when I ask them to do, or not do, certain things, they look at me askance and I can almost hear their internal dialogue, wondering if I�m about to get myself killed.
And their stealth organs are an incredible piece of work, some of Gandalf�s finest. It�s an immensely powerful application of Mind Magic. One that infiltrates passively, slipping through any defence I�ve seen and making the recipient ignore their presence. Even for me, when my Vestibule is clearly receiving energy from the twenty super spies, it won�t let me pinpoint their existence, because my mind doesn�t want to acknowledge that they�re real.
There are limitations, of course. If they get too close, if they intrude on another creature�s senses too much, then the charade falls apart. With a high enough Will stat, the effect can also be resisted, somewhat. The other cost is that purchasing the organ basically sucked up all of the evolutionary energy they had available when they went from tier three to four, leaving them with comparatively low stats.
Even so, working together in a team of ten, they leap from concealment to seize upon this eager figure, one who�d run too far ahead of her group and thus made herself vulnerable. Protectant and her group meld into my perception, already leaping to strike the strangely familiar figure.
A two-weaponed berserker? I know one of those. But why would Morrelia be here trying to kill us? And surely all berserkers use two weapons, they don�t seem like the defensive type. I mean, they wouldn�t be berserkers if they were, right?
This internal monologue continues as the figure is brought to the ground, wrists seized by two separate ants as the others swarm atop the armour, biting and gnawing as they try to penetrate the thick plate.
�Protectant!� I holler. �Get the helmet off!�
My pheromones flood the room and reach the group instantly. They react instinctively, leaping to follow my directions as they use their mandibles to pry at the helmet, trying to rip it clear.
The other soldiers don�t respond well to one of their own being jumped.
On either side of the shield bros, two pairs form up and activate a new
type of Skill. Movements so in sync, they almost look like robots, the
four bring their blades down in a shining arc, the weapons swung so
quickly I can�t see them move. What�s more shocking, is the blade light
Two of these beams are aimed at me, one from each side, and I have so little time to react. Luckily, Invidia is there for me, his shields snapping into place a moment before those deadly arcs of light hit home. But they don�t hold. The concentrated sword light bursts through the shields and slams into my carapace, digging into the diamond coating and forcing me to release my grip on the shields.
That hurt! Not wanting to take any chances, I pump my system full of regeneration fluid just as my antennae register what Protectant is telling me.
�We have it, eldest! The helmet!�
Nice! Held in readiness all this time, the Mind Bridge I�d formed snaps into place on that now unprotected mind. I push hard with my Mind Mana, flooding their mind with my own consciousness. Who are you? What the hell are you doing here?
Wait a second� This mind feels familiar.
[RUN!] Morrelia screams at me.
I snap the connection.
[We�re getting out of here, people! Back up now, now, now!]
�Protectant, get your people stealthed and get the heck out of here! Get behind me!�
Luckily, nobody decides to take this moment to question me. Tiny swings his massive arms to create space and leaps behind me, dragging Invidia along in one meaty fist. Crinis slithers back to my carapace, but at the same time weaves her Shadow Magic to suck away the little light left in the room. The ten babysitter ants that revealed themselves break away and scuttle along the walls, racing behind me as they fade back out of view.
[Tiny, punch the roof! Invidia, help him out!]
Tiny unfurls his wings and leaps upward, slamming into the stone overhead with one colossal fist, just as more explosions detonate around him.
[Crinis, pull us out!]
[Yes, Master!]
An ominous rumble echoes from overhead as Crinis extends her limbs to grasp each of us, and then grab the tunnel ahead. She slingshots us forward as an ominous crack sounds out and the stone shatters, collapsing and burying the tunnel in a tidal wave of tons of rubble that envelops us.
What had only moments ago been a furious fight is now nothing but darkness and pressure. This really hurts. I mean, I don�t really mind being surrounded by dirt and stone, but this is a little more claustrophobic than I�m used to.
[You guys okay?]
[I am alright, Master.]
[You�re so squishy, you probably didn�t lose any HP.]
[That�s rude.]
[Sorry. How about you, Tiny? Invidia?]
[
[Try and heal him up, I�ll dig my way to you.]
Wearily, I pull together an Earth Mana Construct and begin to weave some spells to try and create a little space for my mandibles to move and soften up the solid rock. It takes some time, but gradually I�m able to create space by chomping up the stone, pushing it behind me with my legs and compressing it there. When I finally make my way to where Tiny is buried, I find the big ape collapsed on top of Invidia, shielding the eyeball with his body from the stone that crushed his back.
The two of us manage to heal him up, and I wiggle my way to the front to continue digging us out. The entire time, I can�t help but wonder what exactly happened back there. Super powerful armoured soldiers? Morrelia there with them? What�s happening? And if there are two groups of these soldiers, then are there more? What about back in the nest? Have the golgari come?
I�m worried. Buried in the stone as we slowly chew our way out, I�m
When he�d rounded the corner and seen the swarm of insects bear his
daughter to the ground, Titus felt the Mana in his blood ignite with
rage. When they�d fled, and the ape monster brought down the tunnel,
burying his Legionaries, burying
The roar of fury that tore from the commander was only defeated by the roar of the planet itself as the tunnel collapsed. Without pause, Titus dropped his axe and charged forward, tearing into the rock with his bare hands.
The axe, warm and ready for the blood of battle, began to cool, disappointment flooding its fiery soul. Next time, it promised itself.
The other members of the commander�s personal guard, along with the Legionaries following behind, rushed in to assist. Titus saw none of it, heard none of it. All he saw was his daughter vanishing beneath the rubble. His muscles screamed and the metal of his Legionary armour groaned as he reached out with his armoured hands to pull away tons of rock at a time. He worked with such concentrated fury that the others were forced to step away, lest they be crushed by a stray boulder.
Titus worked as if possessed, without fatiguing in the slightest. When he uncovered a red-armoured foot, he redoubled his efforts, moving even faster when Earth Magic specialists arrived to assist. Morrelia was unconscious, her helmet half-jammed back onto her head, protecting her just enough. Even so, blood ran from her nose as Titus hauled her from the rubble and into the waiting arm of the medics.
There was nothing more he could do for her, so Titus turned back to retrieve the rest of his Legion.
�Tunnel collapse, nasty business,� Alberton muttered.
Titus didn�t reply. The two men sat outside a hastily erected med-post,
waiting for word that Morrelia had awoken. It�d taken several hours to
clear the tunnel completely. No sign of enemy casualties was found, not
even ichor. There
�I�m sure she�ll be fine, Titus,� Alberton tried to comfort his friend.
Titus wasn�t listening.
�Have you ever read of an ant-type monster cultivating pets?� Titus asked, his brow furrowed and eyes distant.
The Loremaster looked at his old friend as if he were on stimulants.
�No? I don�t even need to reference the records to check that. No known pattern of ant behaviour includes pet rearing. It�s just not how they operate.�
Titus� eyes flickered as he put himself back in that moment, running down the tunnel, axe in hand. Morrelia had been attacked, but beyond her were others, an ape, a shadow being, and a large ant.
�I�m confident in what I saw,� Titus said. �A large ant, probably tier five, with two, possibly more pets, each tier four or five.�
Alberton became frozen in shock.
�Tier five? An ant-type?� he muttered. �But that�s� absurd! How would one ant accrue the kind of resources to evolve that far, and so quickly?�
�Don�t forget the pets,� Titus said, his voice low and intense.
�Yes, yes. The pets also. That�s a staggering amount of experience� It
just doesn�t make sense. The Biomass necessary would allow for hundreds
of individual ants� Let me think now. Have
The wizened old Legionary continued to think out loud, half-finished sentences referencing the dozens of books on ant-type monster morphology he�d studied over the last month. It mattered little to Titus, he had what he wanted.
The very first encounter they�d had with this infestation, and it already showed multiple paths of divergence from known Dungeon patterns. That gave him pause. It was known for thousands of years that the Dungeon didn�t make wholesale changes to successful, recorded species. Slight changes, occurring over hundreds of years, was the normal, expected sequence. Whatever this was, it wasn�t normal.
With a loud crash that startled the Loremaster from his thoughts, Titus brought his mailed fist down on his armoured knee and stood. This action signalled strategists, advisors, and Centurions who�d been lurking nearby to rush toward him, babbling for attention. He silenced all of them with a glare.
�I want our position fortified right here,� he ordered. �Get the medics in place as a priority. I want logistics established within six hours and bridge-link in ten. Provisional gate can be erected one kilometre down tunnel.�
As he spoke, people peeled off from the small crowd, sprinting to pass on orders.
�I need geomancers and Dungeon seers in every scout group and I want
those scouts out
He turned and spoke to Aurillia, waiting to one side.
�Once we have further contact, I want you to liaise with the golgari representative as soon as you can. They aren�t telling us something and I want to know what it is before it gets my Legionaries killed.�
His loyal Tribune nodded and ran off to prepare for the chicanery that
was likely to come. Titus
The Loremaster looked his commander in the eye, his face grave.
�It�s an abomination, Titus, has to be.�
�A reincarnator? You�re sure?� Titus questioned, no judgement in his voice.
�I can�t think of anything else it could be. Nothing else makes sense.
From what you�ve said, it was too intelligent, employed too much magic,
and operated in ways ant monsters just
�And it�s hanging around its colony,� Titus mused.
Alberton leaned closer.
�This could get bad, Commander. If it�s a normal abomination, then it�ll go blood crazy before too long, we have enough to deal with it. But if it works together with its colony��
�Could be a force multiplier,� Titus sounded grim.
�Exactly. The last thing we need is an ant colony with some sort of sapient leadership. Every time the Legion has engaged that sort of threat, we�ve needed to go full deployment.�
�Resources are stretched thin, that might be hard to do.�
�They�ll do it, Titus. Trust me.�
Deep in the second stratum, a furious scout was running as if all the demons of the third were after its delicious abdomen. She�d left her relay station thirty minutes ago and was almost out of juice; her mutations specialised in speed, not so much endurance. It was a close-run thing, she staggered the last few steps, her stamina finally spent, but that was as intended. The colony knew exactly how far she could run, just as far as every other scout in the chain, and she passed on her message successfully before being taken to a chamber to rest, another ant dispatched to take her place in the relay.
Word spread quickly, the pheromones filling the nest within minutes. There was no fear, only grim determination, and in the case of Leeroy, desperate hope.
�The golgari are coming,� Victor announced.
�Those rock-heads are late, I was almost getting bored,� Burke said.
�We�ve got a lot to do,� Victor shook her antennae. �Almost too much. Even with the extra time, we still aren�t ready. The new nests aren�t fully fortified, our number of tier four combat castes isn�t high enough, and the core shapers aren�t back yet. I�m worried.�
�What about the eldest?� Coolant asked. �What do we know about their status?�
�Runner came in a few minutes ago,� Burke told her sister. �Eldest got tangled with something in the depths and is on their way back. Next runner should have better information.�
�If it�s a second invasion force�� Victor muttered.
�Plan for the worst, hope for the best.� Burke slapped her on the thorax with one antenna. �That�s what we keep you generals around for, right?�
�Thanks,� Victor grumbled. �Leave all the planning to us, as usual. How did this happen anyway? It�s not like the generals have the highest Cunning stat of the castes��
The three council members turned to look at the corner of the grand meeting chamber. As if sensing their gaze, Cobalt looked up from the stone model she�d been crafting.
�Don�t look at me!� she protested. �We�ve got enough on our plate trying to shore up the defences! These things don�t just invent themselves you know!�
�What are you working on right now?� Victor asked.
�A system that can relay pheromones long distances at rapid speed that we can place in the relay stations. That way we won�t need runners, giving us a faster response time and freeing up those scouts for more important work��
Victor considered for a moment.
�I can�t argue with that. Keep up the good work.� She turned to the
other two. �I�ll get back to planning then. No way in heck I could work
something like
�Stick to what you�re good at,� Burke replied. �Speaking of, I�d better check in with the stations. If things go according to plan, we should be getting more detailed reports over the next ten minutes.�
Her words proved to be prophetic, as several exhausted scouts sprinted into the outer edges of the nest, passing on their intelligence before staggering away to rest. Everything confirmed what they already knew and drew a more detailed picture of the attacking force. Within thirty minutes, all available council members had gathered, putting their collective minds to studying the war map assembled on the council table.
�Did it have to be three dimensional?� Victoriant wondered.
�No,� Cobalt replied.
�So why is it?�
�Because we could,� the carver said.
�Forget that,� Sloan snapped. �We need to focus here. From our reports so far, we�re looking at a golgari force that�s five times the size of what pursued us when we rescued the eldest. Not to mention, initial scout reports state these troops look significantly higher Level.�
�They brought out the proper soldiers.� Leeroy leaned forward in her chair until her eyes were nearly pressed into the model. �I can�t wait to fight them.�
�You�ll be waiting a long time,� Sloan muttered.
�What was that?�
�Nothing. Now, let me draw your attention to this area.�
The general used her antenna as a pointer to indicate a particular section of tunnel at the lower end of the model.
�The eldest passed beyond where our mapping teams have explored, but their last known position was at the end of this tunnel branch. Reports are still sketchy, but the eldest informed the relay scouts that an unknown force attacked in the depths. Exact composition, strength, and intention of this force is unknown, but we can�t afford to underestimate it.�
�That�s right,� Victor picked up where her sister left off. �At this moment, we are looking at deploying our forces to defend in depth evenly across the two known fronts. Information is critical at this early stage. Wills, what have you got for us?�
Newly returned from the field, the second scout council member cleaned her antennae, still dusty from the tunnels.
�We�ve got ten thousand scouts in the field, either in relays or in active scouting teams. Our stealthiest members are moving to track the progress of these two forces, but we still don�t have eyes on the second. From what we see of the golgari, they are coming in packed with supplies. Large trains of wheeled carriers pulled by what we assume are monster pets, not to mention a large contingent of mages. I expect they mean to set up a forward base.�
�If they put a gate down, that could mean infinite reinforcements,� Brendant observed.
�You think they want to challenge us on numbers?� Advant asked, incredulous.
�I think they�re taking us seriously,� Brendant replied. �Which is
Propellant shook her head.
�It�s enchantment on a level we haven�t come across before. We don�t even have a single mage who�s managed to learn the relevant branch of magic specialisation. We�re attempting to brute force as much information as we can, but it�s very slow going and taking a lot of resources.�
�To be honest,� Coolant followed up, �I think our members would be better spent Levelling their Skills and trying to unlock Spatial Magic before continuing this path of study. We can�t afford to be this inefficient.�
Victor wasn�t prepared to let it go.
�If we can harness these gates, learn how to build them, how to work them, then our colony will endure forever, even if we lose this war. They�ll never be able to catch us, we could spread across the planet.�
�I think if they learned that we could make them, every sapient on this planet would join in the hunt to ensure we�re extinct!� Coolant shot back.
�Enough! You two are too loud!� Vibrant smacked the table with one leg,
the sharp sound ringing through the chamber. �Let the mages decide what
they think is best! They�re the mages! We have a heap of work to do
preparing the defences and getting ready to fight, so let�s go
With that stunning declaration, the powerful soldier Dashed from the chamber, leaving behind nothing but a blurry outline of where she used to be. The remainder of the council watched her go for a moment, all thinking the exact same thing.
�Did you ever think
The ants were not aware of the age-old adage from Earth: battles are won
on the training ground. Though, they certainly knew how to throw their
efforts into wholehearted preparations regardless. Not that much changed
once the invasion forces were spotted, the colony had been working full
throttle on building capacity and shoring up their defences already. It
was, however, undeniable that the imminent threat added a certain
Perhaps the mandatory rest observers were a little less diligent, perhaps a few more workers decided to push their next torpor back a few hours, perhaps those teams training in the various Expanses within the colony�s territory took a few more risks. Everyone pushed that little bit harder, trying to eke out that final edge that would help the family survive.
As the workers, crafters, and soldiers raced to complete their tasks, far to the east of the colony, the initial skirmishes had already begun.
POW! POW! POW! POW!
�SHOT OUT!�
�Two-kilometre clearance! GO! GO! GO!�
�Next team in five! Five! Keep clear of the sight lanes and watch your abdomens. I want those antennae sharp and eyes focused. I�m talking every lens!�
The last team to fire their long-range acid barrage raced through the tunnels, putting a solid distance between themselves and the enemy as stealth specialist scouts kept an eye on the response from the golgari. Most scouts took extensive range extensions in their acid setup, but not all invested in extensive acid setups like the eldest. Those that did, chose to divert Biomass investment away from more typical mutations, like improving the mandibles or carapace, and instead poured those points into becoming dedicated acid artillery.
�Did we hit?� one scout asked her sibling as they ran to the clearance zone. �I didn�t even see them.�
�The spotter had us lined up pretty well. Even if it wasn�t a direct
hit, with that much acid in the air,
�Quiet back there!� the larger scout running in front sent back to them. �You�re clogging up the tunnel with scent. Just run!�
They continued to run in silence, the ten scouts keeping to a tight formation, their heavily mutated legs whipping through the air and sending the terrain flashing past. When they arrived at their destination, they found dozens of teams resting in groups around the tunnel, some clearly preparing to head back to the front.
In the centre of it all stood an ant larger than the others, one of the council members, Burke.
�Well done, team,� she welcomed the newly arrived group. �Head to the back and rest your legs. We have a stash of Biomass back there, make sure you fill up, mutate if you can and get ready. When it�s your turn to head back, I�ll let you know.�
The scouts saluted their elder with an antenna snapped to their head and scuttled away to take their place amongst the hundreds of other ants. Burke turned back to the eastward facing tunnel entrance, waiting on the next group.
�How goes it?� Advant asked, approaching from across the ceiling.
�Why are you up there?�
�I�ve been training my Grip. I�ve let it stagnate for too long, so I�m sticking to ceilings as much as possible.�
Grip was an important Skill for soldiers; since they had the most mass of all the castes, they needed higher ranks of Grip to compensate in order to traverse walls and roofs as they wanted. They could solve the problem by improving the strength of the gripping claws on the end of their legs during evolution, but no soldier was willing to spend the energy on something that didn�t directly improve their combat capability.
�So, how�s it going?� Advant asked again.
Burke sighed, or at least, unleashed the pheromone equivalent.
�It�s hard to say. We aren�t allowed to get close enough to really assess what�s happening, so we don�t really know if we are achieving anything at all. These are maximum range strikes. Most of the scouts can�t even see what they�re aiming at.�
�The idea isn�t to inflict damage, remember. The whole point is to fatigue the enemy.�
�I know.�
It had been Frances, the healer�s idea, oddly enough. The ants had an enormous advantage in numbers over the enemy, which meant they could afford to be profligate in their use of each ant�s energy. If ten ants were able to wear down a single golgari, that would be a worthy trade. The healer had pointed out that fatigue would be a far greater danger for the sapients than it was for the colony. By constantly threatening the enemy and forcing them to defend against an endless acid barrage, the council aimed at sapping energy from the invaders, bit by bit.
�I just wish we could engage them more directly,� Burke said. �It feels like we aren�t doing enough.�
�You�re starting to sound like Leeroy,� Advant joked. �Be patient. We aren�t going to be able to beat these block-heads without fighting smart. If it comes down to it and we must swarm them through the tunnel walls, we will, but until we don�t have a choice, we need to explore every possible advantage we can get our mandibles on.�
�I know, I know. Imagine a scout being lectured by a soldier on patience.�
�Had to happen sometime.� The two of them clacked their mandibles in a quick laugh, just as another team raced through the tunnel toward them.
�Good work!� Burke greeted them before asking they take their place. �Next team away!� she called, sending another group of scouts running back to the front to repeat the never-ending cycle.
�What do you think about what Sloan said?� Advant asked.
�About the tunnel collapses? It makes sense. We have to try and think about countering things we haven�t seen yet, and she made a good argument.�
�I suppose,� the soldier didn�t sound convinced. �I just don�t know how they could counter an entire tunnel dropping on their head.�
�Just because it worked for us once, doesn�t mean it�s going to work
every time,� the scout lectured her sister. �I�m with the generals on
this one. There�s
�Alright, fine. I suppose you�re right. How do you think the other scout teams are finding things in the deep?�
�I have no idea, but I�ll tell you what, I�d rather be me than Wills right now.�
They�re digging in for the long haul, and I hate it. I hate it! I don�t want them to be this sensible! Constructing a fortified position? Securing their supply lines? Pushing forward with caution? No! This isn�t what I want to see! I want them to charge ahead, frothing at the mouth and underestimating us to the point of stupidity!
I can wish, can�t I?
After digging our way out of the tunnel and healing up our injuries, my pets and I retraced our steps until we met up with the relay scouts. After sending word back to the colony, I decided we�d be best served here, keeping an eye on this new threat, determining how severe it was, and sucking up all the XP in the area. The more we take for ourselves, the less our enemies get. Not to mention, the number of Levels I need to complete my fusion�my next big power spike�is getting lower and lower.
But spying on this mystery army is proving to be a right pain in the rear-zone. We can�t get anywhere close to them. Their guard is up so high I can�t even see over the top of it. Those stupid monster detecting crystals are in place, they have mages in every patrol around the outside of their camp, a camp they built with almost ant-like efficiency, I might add. It seems as though they have every method of monster detection I know of installed already, as well as a few I don�t. When I sent one of my babysitters to go investigate as best they could, even they were detected before making it much past the guards.
How the heck were they able to detect them? There must be some new, secret method� Since then, they�ve been relatively quiet, but it�s been less than a day. They send out patrols to investigate the nearby tunnels, but they never go far. Certainly not far enough that I feel comfortable trying to engage them, they�re just too close to the reinforcements.
Their numbers are another thing we don�t know. There�s more of them than
I initially thought, and the camp certainly seems like it would hold
hundreds, but I just don�t
And Morrelia. I�d kind of hoped she�d come out here so I�d have a chance to talk with her, ask a question or two. Like, �Hey, Morrelia, how have you been? Why are you with these armoured murder-bots who are trying to take my head off?� When was this something that happened?
Too many questions and I have no answers.
I find myself seated in a disgruntled tangle of legs, my senses focused on the tunnel ahead, which twists and turns, and after three kilometres, leads to the zone inhabited by those tin cans, when a fresh scout approaches.
�Eldest! Word has come from the colony!�
�Finally! What�s happening up there?�
I�ve been waiting a long time for this. Although, I have to admit the relay system the scouts have worked out is lightning fast. These poor scouts have run a heck of a long way to the colony and back.
�The golgari invasion force has been sighted, and preliminary engagements are taking place.�
�Holy moly!�
�Indeed. Only indirect combat is the information I have at this time, eldest.�
�Do we have a picture of the strength of their force?�
�I�m not aware of it if we do, eldest.�
Dammit.
�Alright, thanks. I appreciate your hard work.�
The weary scout tips her antennae to me and stumbles back to her waiting post, clearly on her last six legs. So much to think about. Thinking isn�t my speciality! To be honest, I�m not entirely sure what my speciality is� I can work that out later.
Gah! I�m going crazy just standing around cleaning my antennae, watching this mystery force entrench themselves whilst I can�t do anything about it. I need to move.
Problem is, the place where the colony is clashing with the golgari is ages away. If I were to rush there, it�d take hours, and then what if something terrible happened here whilst I was on my way? We have two areas of conflict, and as far as I know, I can�t be in two places at once. I didn�t think it was possible, but my irritation at Morrelia�s new goon squad has risen to an even higher pitch. I address the team.
[Let�s get going. There�s no point sitting here banging our heads against the wall. We need Levels and Biomass, and if these punks are going to give us time to get it, I�m not going to say no.]
My pets are ready to go in a moment, stepping forward�or floating, or just hanging onto my carapace�eager to go into battle.
�I�m going to keep grinding,� I tell the scouts nearby. �If something happens, come and get me, I�ll leave a pheromone trail, but I want you all to be very careful. We don�t know enough about what�s happening here, and I don�t want to see my siblings waste their lives.�
The ants acknowledge my scent and go back to their careful monitoring of the tunnels, and I head upward, ready to dig into more Biomass and harvest some experience.
�Keep focused, you daft boy! Things are happening!�
Donnelan shook his head slightly to clear the cobwebs and refocused his attention on the array. Braxis nodded in satisfaction, not taking his eyes or mind from the enchanted device.
�We have movement,� he muttered. �But who, and where?�
The younger mage worked hard to sync his mind, not only with the crystal monster detection array but also on his own mage-armour. The enchantments and cores woven into the bulky metal and stone plates enhanced his ability to direct his thoughts and control Mana, but only if he properly harnessed them.
�What are you sensing, boy?� the grizzled senior mage asked.
Donnelan pushed his mind harder, right to the point where pain spiked through his brain before backing off with a sigh.
�The big one. The signal is fading, I think it�s rising, along with a lot of others. I�m not sure how many.�
Braxis grunted.
�Yeah, well, they�re pretty damn hard to find with a field array, even for me. Almost all of them are moving out; in five minutes, they�ll be out of range. There�s still a few around, though. Must be keeping an eye on us, the cheeky buggers.�
The old man chuckled at his own horrible joke, whilst Donnelan forced out a weak grin. Braxis was a veteran mage of the Legion and certainly a far higher Level than new blood like him. It paid to not get on his bad side.
�Alright then. I�ll keep an eye here, you go report to the commander. I get the feeling he�ll want to know what�s going on.�
Forcing down his nerves, Donnelan gathered his courage, saluted his officer, and made his way out of their tent and into the darkness of the frenetic camp. Legionaries ran every which way, carting stone, shifting supplies, getting ready to patrol or organising the rapid expansion and construction. In only a few hours, a random section of tunnel had been transformed into a proto-base. He and the other mages had worked themselves to the bone shaping stone, flattening areas, raising others, and blocking off the entrances. The moment he�d finished that shift, he�d been dragged in to help man the monster sensing array. His head was pounding after so many hours of continuous spellcraft.
Hopefully, the commander would let him rest soon.
He pushed through the camp and made his way to the command tent, the centre of activity in the camp. After making himself known to a legate, stating his business and waiting in line for ten minutes, he stepped inside to find Titus loomed over a table, a crude map of the tunnel structure around their location spread out before him.
Donnelan crashed his fist to his heart in a brisk salute, and the commander glanced up and nodded. Behind that powerful figure hulking in his massive armour, stood his personal guard. Donnelan got the unnerving feeling that each of them watched him, and somehow every corner of the tent, at the same time.
�At ease, young Legionary. What has old Braxis got for us?�
�Movement from the enemy, sir. The first ant we�d spotted, the high tier one, has moved upward, taking the pets and stealthed ants with them. He expected they�d be beyond our range by now.�
The commander grunted, his eyes dropping back to the map as he traced his finger along a tunnel above their current position.
�Any of them still here?� he asked without looking up.
�Yes, sir. A half dozen, not many.�
�Keeping an eye on us. Watching and waiting.� Titus straightened to his full height. �Good work, Donnelan. Go get yourself some rest, you�ll be needed on rotation in five hours.�
The relief that had risen within the Legionary at the word �rest� barely
had time to grow before it was ruthlessly crushed by his commander.
Back in the command tent, Titus was disturbed. These ants didn�t behave as ants should. Even the presence of an abomination wasn�t enough to fully account for it. He had a gnawing feeling in his gut that wasn�t going away. He�d learned to trust that feeling over the years and wasn�t about to ignore it now. In another six hours, he�d have contact with the golgari, and he intended to ask them some very pointed questions.
What is Mana? It was an embarrassingly long time before the tower had anything even remotely approaching a satisfying answer to this question. Even now, we have no real way of knowing if we are correct, since we don�t know where it comes from, how it�s made, or where it goes. We know that it existed on Pangera before the Dungeon broke the surface. It�s possible that Mana has always existed on Pangera since the pre-history times, but that�s another thing we cannot confirm.
The deeper one goes into the Dungeon, the denser it becomes. This, we have known for a long time. There has been a lot of argument over whether the Mana was emanating outward from the centre of the planet or being drawn from the outside inward. A great deal of effort was put into tracing the Mana flows on the surface, and most studies have been inconclusive on this issue.
As to the nature of Mana itself, who knows? It�s a type of energy. It�s malleable. It can be changed into a massive variety of other forms of Mana, each with their own attributes, strengths, and weaknesses. It�s tied into the natural world, as it replicates things that are possible without it. Sometimes. Other times, it achieves things that are impossible without its use.
To this day it baffles us, though we use it extensively in our daily lives and research.
The Mana was rising. It wasn�t a dramatic issue in the present moment, but should this extermination drag out, it might cause problems. The spawn rates had already begun to rise. If it were to become another wave�
The High Blade shook his head. It wouldn�t come to that, so soon after a wave had just completed. There hadn�t been two such events so close together in the history of the Empire of Stone. It would be foolish to adjust his strategy to accommodate such a freak occurrence. The levels were still within tolerance. No doubt they would peak soon and then continue to decline until Mana levels returned to what they should be.
He dismissed the thoughts with practised ease and sank himself further into the meditative state necessary for the ritual. All concerns and awareness faded from view. The mission no longer existed, the tent around him turned to black, and even the myriad sounds of the camp that intruded so rudely a moment before were gone.
All that remained was the stillness, and the blade.
With smooth, practised motions, the High Blade withdrew a container of stone seed. The precious mineral, ground into a glittering dust, flickered in the near perfect darkness, the only significant source of light within the tent. With care, the warrior drew his blade and placed it on a prepared cloth spread before him. Once, twice, thrice he cleaned the blade, ensuring that not a speck of dust marred its perfect surface. Only then did he take the stone seed and slowly tap a small amount into the palm of his hand.
He could feel the Mana within the dust, strong and vibrant, through the rock of his true skin. It was tantalising. Sunk deep into meditation, he ignored it and stretched his hand out to the blade. Before he opened his hand, he could already feel the hunger wake within the blade, the Living Stone keen for sustenance.
Lapisvitae, the stone of life. As he allowed the seed to trickle from his palm onto the surface of the blade, it greedily drank it in, absorbing the mineral and the Mana it contained to strengthen and sustain itself. It was almost a waste to awaken the blade only to cut insect trash, a pathetic breed of monster unworthy of his talents. But his circle had been slighted, his people attacked. Nothing but the obliteration of his enemies would satisfy his rage.
The sword emitted a faint light as he slid it back into its sheath. It would take time to digest the meal he�d given it, but in time, it would put forth a measure of its true power.
Ritual complete, the High Blade relaxed his meditative state. The mundane world impugned his senses, the noise, mess, and pain. He would deal with it as he always did: without complaint, mercy, or hesitation.
Kooranon of the House Balta rose to his full height and marched from his tent. He was tired of these pests spitting at his camp. It was time they endured his wrath.
Vibrant was running. She wasn�t exactly sure where to, or what she was
going to do when she got there, but wherever and whatever was going to
happen, she wanted to make sure it was going to happen
�Vibrant! Senior! Where are we going?� Emilia, her loyal general asked.
Vibrant laughed.
�I�m not sure! Down I suppose? Isn�t it good to go down? Better than sitting around in a council room. That�s boring!�
They were racing through the tunnels, her and her loyal followers, each and every one of them built for speed. The entire group was tier four now, a fearsome group of insects, to be sure. They fell upon everything in their way with ferocious, coordinated strikes, and devoured the Biomass like a school of sharks before sprinting to catch up with the lead group. In this way, they accrued experience and Biomass at a great pace.
�I believe the eldest is down here somewhere. Do you think we should join forces with them?� Emilia shouted, desperate to keep pace with her leader.
�Crin-crin! I wonder what she�s up to? Something fun, I�m sure! That�s a good idea, Emilia! Well done!�
The general tried to suppress the flood of joy at being praised by this erratic, scatterbrained leader she�d chosen to follow. She needed to focus! The colony was at war and Vibrant would need her advice and strategic nous if the squad was going to perform at its best.
Vibrant spied a shadow beast slinking across the tunnel in front of her
and
�Food-food!� Vibrant cackled and chomped down once more.
In a few more chomps, the bulk of the Biomass was gone, and Vibrant was off and running. Ever since she�d reached the fifth rank of Dash, using the instantaneous burst of speed to surprise her enemies had become her favourite tactic.
Behind her, the sound of two hundred ants pounding the stone with their claws echoed along the chamber, along with the crunch and crack of mandibles closing around hapless foes. The colony was on the move.
It was almost funny, Mendant thought to herself, that such a highly anticipated and foreshadowed invasion would result in such frantic activity on the part of the colony. None of them were surprised, and yet they all managed to be in the wrong place and behind the pace when the enemy finally arrived. She herself was rushing through the main nest, organising teams of healers about to depart for the front lines.
Or what were soon to be the front lines. The real fighting was yet to begin, and like every time the colony started a fight, there would be many, many of her siblings that needed healing. Her other priority, the construction of a massive hospital inside the nest, was behind schedule.
The idea of a central location in which to tend the most severely wounded made sense to Mendant, though she hadn�t realised there existed a term for such a facility until recently. The hospital was intended to house those that would require an extended period of time and a preponderance of resources to bring back to full strength. Being monsters, even the most severe injuries would heal quickly, given the application of healing fluid, magic, and a hearty feed of Biomass, but the regeneration process could take days. Also, the discovery that more highly evolved and mutated members of the family were more difficult to heal had come as something of a shock to the colony.
Perhaps the Queen was the first high tier ant to be injured, but none could remember that time before the colony had truly come into being. The eldest had recovered from severe injuries during the escape from golgari territory, and the amount of healing fluid used to heal those wounds was incredible. This led to the disturbing discovery of increased healing times for the growing number of tier four ants.
Thus, the hospital. The worst injured might need a full week to recover and drain resources that would not be available at the front. Alas, the carvers were being pushed to the brink, constructing two whole new nests, new surface nests, copious layers of defences throughout colony territory, as well as major construction projects here in the main nest.
The last team departed, loaded with precious Biomass containers to fuel the troops on the frontlines, and Mendant turned to run back to the construction site. The healers would be just as busy as the carvers soon enough.
Something that Cobalt would likely dispute�
Cobalt hadn�t actually entered torpor in three days and had been forced to flee from rest enforcers twice in that time. The carver would flee again, having been pushing her limits right to the edge. But circumstances were forcing her hand. The amount of construction going on in colony territory was mind-boggling. Managing the flow of resources, the extraction, processing, and installation of each and every piece was a nightmare of logistics that�in her opinion�put the grand strategy of the generals to shame in its complexity.
Hundreds of tons of material were moved by carvers each and every hour,
thousands of them, hauling stone and ore with their mandibles, shaping
the Dungeon with their magics. That didn�t even include the dozens of
ongoing research projects! Forcing Dungeon veins from an area? Top
priority, according to the council! Unravelling gate technology? Top
priority! Developing new rune combinations for combat enchantments? Top
priority! Better gates! Stronger doors! More cunning traps!
The carver focused her mind and tried to shake away her complaints. They didn�t matter. Only the work mattered! She herself was deep into the process of designing another addition to the nest. The colony�s intake of materials from the resource gathering outposts would soon outstrip their current capacity to process and refine them.
They could expand it, obviously, but such a solution was inelegant and inefficient, something that would twist in her guts like a knife. If they took that approach, the carvers would be constantly adding onto a system on the brink of failure forever. It would take up too much space, weaken the internal defences of the nest, and fail to process the materials in a timely manner, which would hamper the war effort.
No, a new system was needed. And since the forges, smelters, and refiners within the nest were being redesigned, why not the mining stations? And if the mining stations were being rebuilt, why not develop a better transport method?
Alone in a chamber, Cobalt slumped to the stone, slipping into torpor against her will. In the centre of the large chamber stood a grand stone carving, ten metres by ten metres, it depicted the carver�s section of the nest, not as it was, but as it would be. A revolution was coming.
The mages were flagging. In the lead up to the invasion, Propellant and Coolant had led their caste in a concerted drive to raise combat effectiveness as high as possible in the shortest possible time frame. This had necessitated the mages begin active combat training, mage against mage. The injuries had been� more extensive than anticipated, but the results were worth it. The rest of their caste was engaged in research alongside the carvers, desperately bending their minds to pry open the secrets of gates and Dungeon �folding� as they�d come to refer to it.
The final push had been a twenty-four-hour duelling marathon in which mages slung spells at each other without pause, until their brains had almost started leaking out of their ears. Every ounce of experience they could gain had been squeezed out of the exhausted ants until they�d collapsed into torpor.
Now that the enemy had arrived, the troops were being woken and organised. Propellant moved through the rest chambers and training areas, designating each individual a deployment plan according to the arranged schedule. In ones and twos, the mage ants of the colony filed out of the nest, met up with teams of scouts, soldiers, and healers, and moved out to the front line.
Wills was in a good position to see it happen. Outside the main nest, a flood of ants poured out the main thoroughfares, dashing past the open gates and into the Dungeon in a tide of soldiers. Tens of thousands of them, row after row, marched past her and formed into their assigned teams. They would travel as fast as they could to make it to their assigned positions in the plan. The pheromone trails had already been laid, ready to lead them to their place.
The sight of her family marching to war gave the lithe scout mixed feelings. There was no fear in them, no regrets or hesitation. Many were only weeks old, didn�t even recall a time when the grand nest in the second stratum didn�t exist. Now they went to defend it with their lives against an unknown enemy.
She cleaned her antennae in the elbow joint of her legs. A soothing gesture. What would come would come. There wasn�t anything more they could do than what had already been done. Preparations had occurred at a frenzied pace, ants working themselves into the dirt. All that was left was to measure their strength against what Pangera would throw at them.
The colony would triumph, as they always did, of this she was sure. With the eldest to lead them, how could they fail?
Titus hated dressing up. But the golgari High Blades were notorious sticklers for protocol and tradition, so his hands were tied. He�d be damned if he�d put on his full-dress uniform, though, absolutely no chance. The jumped-up pile of rocks would have to be satisfied with him giving his armour a solid polish.
So it was that in the final hours of the Bridge Relay being assembled, Titus took off his elaborate Legion Runic armour, sat in front of the command tent, and attended to the buckles, plates, and stone whilst directing his Legion.
His hands worked the leather straps, polished the buckles, and cleaned the stone almost automatically, not really having to look at what he was doing, his eyes instead roving over the camp. There wasn�t a single Legionary with five years of experience who couldn�t clean their armour in their sleep, and Titus had far more than that.
When the job was done, he put the suit back on, a sense of relief overcoming him when the final plate snapped into place, sealing him in.
�Feeling more comfortable, Commander?� Alberton asked from his seat nearby.
Titus shrugged, feeling the heavy suit fall into place on his frame.
�It doesn�t feel right being in the field without being armoured up,� Titus said.
He performed a few rapid checks with hands, pulling on a plate here, shoving with his palms there, testing the joints and straps. The Loremaster frowned.
�Be careful of the Mana�� he began.
�I know,� Titus cut him off and continued his meticulous checks.
Alberton was silent for a moment before he continued quietly.
�I worry sometimes, old friend. Just be careful.�
Titus didn�t look up from his inspection, drawing a sigh from Alberton. The Loremaster rose from his seat, checking every strap and seal on the back of the suit.
�Flawless as always, Commander,� he said, slapping him on the pauldron with one wrinkled hand.
�Are you going to suit up?�
The Loremaster snorted.
�What for? My Skills are in research and documents, not swords and sorcery.�
Titus looked his friend in the eye.
�Put it on,� he ordered. �Something isn�t quite right on this mission, and I don�t want to lose anyone. In fact, pass the order along. I want all personnel to be battle ready at all times. No exceptions.�
Without pausing to listen to the Loremaster�s spluttering protestations, Titus headed for the communications tent. As he walked, he managed to loosen his jaw and tamp down his anger. It wasn�t Alberton�s fault. The Mana was rising, and the armour drank it in, pouring it into his infused body. He made a mental note to have the medics do regular checks on every member of the Legion, including himself.
The effect of Mana on the human body had many implications. Mana sickness was just the most common of these. Once adapted to a certain level of Mana, withdrawal became the next concern, wasting away just like a monster would. What the old Legionary worried about was something only high-Level individuals had to be wary of: addiction.
Titus brushed through the opening of the stiff canvas tent to find Braxis fussing over a core as it was lowered into the array.
�Careful, careful! That thing cracks and it�s six months� pay for a louse like you!�
�This would be a lot easier if you�d stop
�Shut up and work!�
The youngster, Donnelan, rolled his eyes as he placed the precious core into its housing. The moment it clicked into place, the entire array hummed to life, accompanied by an inward whoosh of Mana as the core began to drain it.
�Is it ready?� Titus rumbled from the entrance.
�Ah, Commander. Just in time, it�s ready to roll. Give it a second to charge and I�ll engage the bridge. Shouldn�t take long.�
Titus nodded and moved around the tent to stand in front of the device. This was far from the first time he�d used a Bridge Relay. As he waited for the mage to finish his work, the younger Legionary watching attentively over his shoulder, Titus thought about the current campaign. The more he thought, the higher his temper flared until he forced it down again.
Hiding information? From the Legion? The Legionem Abyssi were not to be lied to, something the Empire of Stone appeared to have forgotten.
�I�m through, Commander,� Braxis� voice sounded distant, his eyes open but seeing nothing. Titus knew he was reaching through the array with his mind, seeking out the connection to the golgari camp. �You�re speaking now.�
So saying, Braxis turned his blank eyes onto his commander and Titus felt his mind reach out to his own. Relaxing his will, he allowed himself to be carried out of his own body. There was a feeling of being dragged, and a rush of distance, then he stood before the High Blade Balta, surrounded by swirling darkness and mist.
Eyes cold, the golgari drew his blade, lay it across his palms and bowed over it.
�Before the Living Stone, I greet you, Titus of the Legion.�
Titus returned the gesture with a Legionary salute, crashing his right fist into his chest plate, right over his heart.
�The Abyssal Legion sends its greetings, High Blade,� Titus said.
The barest minimum of decorum addressed, the two men settled on their heels and weighed each other. Titus was familiar with the golgari, they were a martial people and numerous within the Legion.
As if sensing the tinge of contempt from his opposite�s expression, the High Blade Balta sneered as he addressed his ally.
�You have come calling so soon, Commander. Has the Legion run into difficulty already? Are the insects too difficult and you must request my help?�
Titus didn�t answer immediately, he just stared, hard, at the golgari. To his credit, Balta appeared unruffled, his demeanour condescending and superior.
�The Legionem Abyssi does not appreciate when information is withheld.�
That got a raised eyebrow.
�You accuse the Empire of Stone of withholding knowledge from you? This is a bold claim you make, Commander. By your honour, I trust you have proof,� his voice sharpened by the end.
The word
�If I decide that your empire has misled us, then I will petition the consul for a punitive expedition to be dispatched immediately,� Titus spoke evenly. �Perhaps after we put a few cities to the torch, your people will remember how to treat their allies.�
�You would dare!�
�It wouldn�t be my first time.�
The two leaders glared at each other, hands twitching as they longed to grasp weapons that didn�t truly exist here in this mind space. After a long, tense moment, Titus crossed his arms.
�However, I don�t believe it was the empire that provided false information to us.�
He didn�t bother clarifying his accusation. If he spoke aloud his suspicions of the High Blade, Balta would be honour bound to defend himself. Better to let those words hang in the air, unspoken.
�Your Legion has forgotten their place, it would seem. You were requested to join this expedition to support the empire in crushing this infestation. Instead, you arrive here with threats and accusations.�
�We encountered an abomination.�
The reaction was immediate. Rage flared in the eyes of the High Blade, only to quickly cool to simmering anger.
�Where?�
�You didn�t tell us there was an abomination. One being here changes the nature of the conflict significantly.�
�
Titus didn�t answer. After a moment, the golgari calmed himself.
�That creature has insulted my family, injured my kin, and brought shame to my house. I will destroy that filth with my own hands, slowly. Where did you find it?� he demanded.
Titus sighed internally. Petty feuds and grudges. It was always like this with the golgari. They were as stubborn and hardheaded as their own skin.
�I need to make something clear to you at the beginning of this cooperation,� Titus spoke slowly. �You have a personal stake in this expedition, I understand that now, but I want to make something very clear.�
Titus leaned forward.
�I don�t care. The Legion has come here, at your request, to exterminate this nest before it gets out of control. With or without your help, that is exactly what we are going to do. If you get in my way, I�ll cut you down myself.�
Titus spoke flatly, without emotion, as if he were discussing the weather. It wasn�t an opinion, it was simply fact.
�Now tell me everything that you should have told me before, or I�ll go hunt your precious quarry myself, kill it with mercy and dignity, then bury it with honour. It�s right outside my camp, after all.�
The High Blade�s eyes glittered with malice.
�
When the bellow of pure rage shook the stone around the Legion camp, Aurillia was one of the few who didn�t start wildly staring at every angle, trying to understand what happened. She�d soldiered with the commander for a long time, and it wasn�t the first time she heard him get angry. She was surprised, to be sure. That roar had shaken everyone, such was the sheer volume and depth of anger contained within it. She just wasn�t confused. She knew what had happened.
�What was that?�
Aurillia turned to see Titus� daughter, the young Morrelia, approach her. The berserker�s eyes were wide, as if she wasn�t quite believing what she was hearing.
Aurillia raised a brow.
�You�ve never heard your father get angry before?�
�No, never.�
The Tribune was initially surprised, but then, considering her parents, it was most likely the mother who�d displayed the most temper. Only in the field did Titus experience these sorts of eruptions. The man himself then appeared, storming out of the communications tent, rage rolling off him in waves. So powerful was his aura that even experienced Legionaries were forced to draw back.
Morrelia watched as her usually unflappable father stormed across the camp, his face a mask of black ire. When he reached the stone wall of the tunnel, he pulled back one fist and slammed it into the rock so quickly, she never even saw his hand move.
BOOM!
The stone
Expression carefully neutral, she marched in front of the commander and offered a crisp salute.
�Commander Titus, Tribune Aurillia reporting.�
�Stop it,� he grunted.
She maintained her parade ground perfect form, feet flat, shoulders down, the exact angle on the saluting arm.
�I don�t know what you mean, Commander.�
�Every time I lose my temper, you march over, as formal as possible in a misguided attempt to inject some calm. It�s irritating.�
�But effective.�
�That�s why it�s irritating.�
Titus closed his eyes and drew a deep, slow breath. He focused his mind and concentrated on pushing his anger away, forcing it out of his clenched muscles and pounding heart, out of his racing blood and into his lungs. From his lungs, he imagined forcing the emotion into the air contained therein, which he then breathed out. It only took a moment, but he was noticeably calmer. The almost physical pressure he�d exerted had eased, if not completely, at least enough that it was more comfortable standing close to him.
Though she tried to hide it, Aurillia breathed out a sigh of relief as the waves of anger stopped battering against her consciousness. Whatever had set him off this time, it must have been bad.
�I presume you�ve just finished communicating with our valued allies?� she enquired as Morrelia tentatively approached.
At the mention of the golgari, Titus� face twisted once more, but only for an instant before he was able to smooth it back to its normal state of smooth stone.
�I have.� He paused long enough to ensure he had mastered himself before he continued. �When they requested the Legion assist them in this endeavour, it would appear the House communicating with us withheld information.�
Morrelia stood beside the Tribune, a worried expression on her face. She tentatively tried to speak up.
�Fathe��
�How bad is it?� Aurillia asked.
�Bad,� Titus ground out. �Not only did they
�Quite a coincidence.�
�Indeed,� he spat. �If that were all, it would be bad enough. I�d have brought a second Legion on this extermination, just to be sure.�
�There�s more?� Aurillia sounded appalled.
Keeping information from the Legion simply wasn�t done. What sort of colossal moron decided it was a good idea?
�The ant abomination has modified the core of at least one Queen and turned the whole damn colony intelligent.�
There was a moment of silence as the Tribune absorbed that.
�WHAT?� she bellowed.
Titus nodded. �That�s what I said.�
Morrelia winced at Aurillia�s outburst, but mustered her courage and tried to inject herself into the conversation again.
�Comman��
�The species is apparently called Formica Sapiens. Numerous tier three, some tier four specimens spotted, and that was weeks ago. We can expect far more fours and possibly some fives mixed in. On top of that, there are magic-capable ants, as well as some with their own pets, and they also have healers in the mix.�
The Tribune was aghast. �This is a disaster! The potential damage from such a swarm is� is� monstrous!�
She was clearly staggered by the sheer scale of the disaster. A normal
ant colony, when left unchecked, was enough to tear down kingdoms,
destroy cities, and consume tens of thousands of lives. A colony where
every single insect was
Titus breathed out slowly.
�Yes. If I�d been told this ahead of time, I�d have brought five Legions. Cornering the colony and ensuring none of the damned monsters escape to continue the species is going to be a nightmare with our numbers. Even managing to engage the filthy beasts is going to be a pain.�
Expression grim, Titus began to think about what he needed to do.
�Alright. Aurillia, I want you to assemble the officers. Ten minutes. We have to redraw the parameters of our campaign here. We�ll try and get reinforcements, though I think it�ll be a struggle to get the numbers I want. That means every soldier is going to have to carry more weight. I want the troops informed of a shift in policy within the hour. Things are going to get rough, and they need to be warned.�
�Yes, Commander.�
The Tribune offered a crisp salute and turned on her heel, walking swiftly away, leaving Titus and Morrelia alone together. The commander offered his daughter a weary smile.
�I apologise for losing my temper. I always tried to control it around you and your brother.�
Suddenly addressed by the person she was trying to speak to moments ago, Morrelia could only nod.
Titus sighed.
�Things are going to get ugly here. Intelligent monsters are a nasty fight at the best of times. The sort of numbers we�re dealing with here? We�re going to lose good people. Dead Legionaries, all thanks to that prideful trash pile.�
He placed a hand on his daughter�s shoulder.
�Get some rest while you can. There�s a lot of killing to do soon. It�s not going to be easy, but it�s necessary to keep people safe.�
Titus squared his shoulders and marched into the camp. He had work to do.
Morrelia�s shoulders slumped .
�Ah, hell,� she said.
Abyssal Legion armour is known by many names, Runic Armour, Legion Plate, Abyssal Armour. As far as I can determine, no �official� nomenclature exists. At least, if one did in the past, it has since been lost. Instead, the terms used tend to vary from region to region, or Legion to Legion.
For the purposes of this text, I shall use the term Abyssal Armour, as that is the most commonly used in my own deployment.
Legion records from the Rending are surprisingly robust in some areas. Fortunately, the creation of the armour is one such field of study. Though others would doubtless refute such a claim, the Legion was the first surface dwelling organisation to penetrate deep into the Dungeon. Desperate to survive, the early leadership would reach out to any branch they thought would pull them from the surging currents. A great deal was discovered, and utilised, that is now forbidden.
What they eventually learned was that in order to survive, it wasn�t enough to just defend the surface. The means and materials required to destroy the monsters weren�t to be found there, but deep in the Dungeon itself. It was the confluence of several discoveries that led to the development of the first suits.
Lapisvitae. The Living Stone. Harder than steel, highly responsive to Mana, and able to be grown to a desired shape, the material was perfect for creating arms and armour that would respond well to enchantment. Unlike others, the Legion has never prioritised using the stone for weapons, but instead highly-prized its defensive properties and included it in our armour. The usage can vary, depending on where the armour was forged, but most typically, Lapisvitae is used to form the chest plate, thigh guards, and gorget. The slabs of Living Stone are grown to the desired shape and fused to the metal using means I shall not elaborate on here.
The second major discovery was what came to be known as Abyssal Iron. Difficult to mine, impossible to work, the stuff was so highly-prized by the early Legion, they founded their central fortress on top of the only known node. Not all suits of Abyssal Armour are made of this metal, it�s too rare for that. Only the best ones are.
Despite being notoriously hard to work with, the iron possessed several properties that the Legion prizes. First, it�s indescribably tough. Second, it conducts Mana to an absurd degree, whilst also being resistant to magical damage, a contradiction I cannot begin to explain. Third, it was discovered that the iron could hold captive the �essence� or �soul� of a monster. Trapped within, the creature would lend a portion of its own strength and will to the metal, turning the monster�s strength against its own kind.
The third discovery was the baptism through which each Legionary is reborn, their bodies adapted to accept the flow of Mana to a higher degree than other mortals. On its own, this wasn�t relevant, but when both Baptism and Abyssal Armour became common within the Legion, a method was developed where the one would connect to the other. A feedback loop, where the armour would feed Mana into the body, through the channels forged by the absorption of liquid Mana, where it strengthened the Legionary, and then back into the armour, powering its enchantments.
In this way, the Legion solidified its already considerable strength and paved the way for modern patterns of Abyssal Armour. Though much has changed over the centuries�the types of enchantments used, the preferred shape and layout of the armour, the monster core array�the basic three components remain the same. Living Stone plate. Abyssal Iron frame. A Legionary with Mana in their veins.
�Dammit, Vibrant! It�s not my fault if Crinis doesn�t want to go play with you!�
�Is-is! The only reason she won�t come is because she�s worried about you! If you weren�t the sort of ant that vanished into pits, or, or got captured, or vanished into thin air and needed others to save you, or��
�ALRIGHT! FINE!�
[Crinis, go and play with this moron for a while, would you?]
�Yay-yay!�
[Master, I�m not sure. This isn�t really a good time�]
[Crinis, I�m so fed up with her whining, I�ll order you if I have to. I promise I won�t fight the invaders, and I�ll retreat if they find me, alright? Just go have fun.]
[�Alright. But be careful! I won�t be far away.]
[Okay,
The void of infinite darkness and suffering peels herself off my carapace and latches onto Vibrant, who continues to dance around like a gigantic, hideous insect-child. With her new passenger on board, the energetic ant speeds away into the Dungeon, with Crinis� tentacles fluttering in the wind.
FINALLY!
Some peace and quiet. I don�t know how she manages to cram so many words into such a small amount of time. And she never runs out! I actually believe she�s mutated her pheromone gland to increase her supply so she doesn�t have to worry about running out. Otherwise, there would be no way she could possibly go on as much as she does.
With the pest no longer polluting the air and smothering my antennae with her irritating scent, I can finally concentrate. I give my idle sub-brains a kick and they almost begrudgingly get back to work, spinning together the Gas Mana Construct, the advanced form of the basic Air Construct. I form two at once and have each of my smaller sub-brains maintain them as the central sub-brain and my main mind get to work operating and weaving the spells I need together.
It�s a shame that Vibrant wouldn�t shut up long enough for me to try this little trick on her. Ah well, Tiny gets a kick out of it.
[You ready, big guy?]
The giant bat-faced ape shakes his shoulders as he gives me a thumbs up with one of his engine-sized fists, a broad grin splitting his face. The two spells aren�t that hard to weave, really, I mean, not compared to some others. Creating a blade of wind so sharp it can cut stone takes a bit of work. The first spell anchors to Tiny�a trick that took quite a while for me to get a hold on� Invidia helped a lot�and sits right in front of him. It basically splits the air ahead of him and causes it to pass by his sides.
The second is similar. It anchors behind Tiny and takes hold of the air
passing around him, and then accelerates it. The net effect is that he
goes
[Alright then, you�re set to go! Invidia, stick close to him.]
[
[You�re about to be. GO!]
And he�s off! Dashing away, he leaves only a blurred outline of himself, a small orb with wings hanging onto his back. That�ll keep him occupied for a while. More alone time for me to work on my magic.
[Gas Magic Affinity has reached Level 32!]
Whoo! Nice! Eight more Levels and I�ll be ready to fuse! I�m sure our invading friends will be calm enough to wait until I reach that milestone�
�Hold the line!� Advant flooded the surrounding space with her pheromones.
�FOR THE COLONY!� the ants roared back.
BOOM!
Another explosion rocked the tunnel, sending colony members sprawling in the dust. Healers rushed in, antennae darting over the fallen, checking for pheromones indicating injury or distress. The medics had to be careful, too many soldiers were hiding their injuries, or at least refusing to acknowledge them.
Once they�d identified those in need, they pulled them back from the front line and began to administer emergency treatment.
�Mages! Return fire!� Advant continued to flood the combat zone with instructions, trying to bring some order to the chaos. �Another acid barrage! Where�s my artillery?�
A team of ants pressed forward, collectively raising their business districts and unleashing a flood of acid at the enemies. With dust, spells, smoke, and the acrid haze of acid filling the tunnel, it was almost impossible to see what was happening in the distance. Advant strained to see, frustrated by her inability to determine the enemy�s movements.
�They�re advancing!� called her spotter.
�Fall back!� she roared. �Give ground, steady pace! Healers to the rear!�
The ants organised themselves instantly, tiny bursts of pheromones flying between them as they communicated rapidly. Every member was constantly aware of where their neighbours were. Compound eyes, antennae firing with the scent messages, the colony members were engaged in unbroken communication.
The healers scurried to pull the injured back until larger soldiers moved to join them. Their wounded family members clung to their back with mandibles and claws, and they made an organised retreat.
�Ready the collapse!� Advant ordered, and the gathered mages got to work.
Mana flowed and shifted in the air. Great torrents of the stuff, drilling into the ceiling, softening the rock in places, splitting it apart in others. The mages were guided by their Digging Skill, helping them to ascertain how to best perform their work.
It was subtle at first; one mage, then another, twitched as if poked, their hold on the Mana slipping from their grasp.
�They�re pushing back!� one of them announced. �I�ve lost control of the stone!�
�Don�t force it! Pull back with the others. Quickly!�
The mages broke off as the ceiling of the tunnel continued to groan and shift above their heads. The powerful soldier was the last to retreat, watchful for any pursuit, but none came. The stone-people had been advancing for a day, frustrating the colony�s attempts to hold them back. Somehow, they were even able to overpower the ant mages and prevent them from collapsing the tunnels. With their superior command of Earth Magic, it was even possible they could drop the tunnel ceilings right on the colony�s heads. Except they didn�t want a few crushed ants, they wanted to continue their march. Straight for the nest.
The forward combat group fell back two kilometres until they reached the next defence point, a joining of three sizeable tunnels to form one major arterial passage. The carvers had been hard at work here, ambush tunnels, thick walls enchanted against damage, a significant narrowing of the passage. They would make a major stand here.
Weary and in need of healing, Advant led her group into the defences, directing her members to rest and eat.
�There�s plenty more fighting to do,� she warned. �Anyone skipping torpor will be sent straight back to the nest. Maybe you can explain to Mother why you thought you knew better than to do as the colony asked of you.�
The ants shrank back visibly from such a threat. Getting a dressing down from the Queen was something few ants got to experience, but all dreaded. Only the eldest had demonstrated any capacity to withstand the pressure. Just another legendary aspect of their existence.
�That�s an effective way to threaten the troops,� another scent commented. �I might have to try that one on the mages.�
Advant turned to see Propellant walk over. The mage looked exhausted, her antennae drooping against her will, legs barely holding her abdomen off the ground.
�I think I need to use it on you,� Advant observed. �Seems you�re in need of some torpor yourself.�
The mage waved one antennae wearily.
�I would if I could. I assume you know what�s been happening?�
�The tunnels not collapsing?�
The smaller ant nodded.
�It�s not as if it was central to our strategy, but it has exposed a weakness. They are stronger than us when we fight them directly without bringing our advantage in numbers to bear. This goes for the soldiers as well as the mages.�
�It�s not as if we didn�t know that already,� Advant pointed out.
�True, but I don�t think we were prepared for how great the gap would be. I don�t even think collapsing the tunnels would slow them that much, only hours perhaps, but they refuse to give us even that much. We aren�t even able to succeed at tunnelling behind them. They can sense us as we move through the stone.�
Once the golgari had begun to press forward, they�d been relentless. The colony had no desire to throw lives away battling to the death over stretches of tunnel so far from their nests, so their delaying strategy had been put into play. Slow down the advance, wear them out, never let them rest. It was too early to say it wasn�t having any effect, but Advant wasn�t as confident as she had been.
�Any word from the other fronts?� Advant asked.
Propellant nodded.
�I caught up with Burke on my way here. It�s the same on every angle�they�re pushing forward. Every now and again, they send out splinter groups to feel out the side passages, but never far enough that we can cut them off. They�re hunting the nest, they don�t care about anything else.�
�They know we�ll never retreat from the brood,� Advant guessed. �They believe we�ll stand and fight when they get close enough.�
�Which is why I think they invited the second force,� the mage shared. �A pincer, to make it more difficult for us to simply retreat from the golgari with the young.�
The conflict had only begun, one day of fighting with almost no casualties, yet already Advant was feeling pressured.
�Stay cool,� Propellant advised. �You know it�s serious if it�s me saying that. We have a long road and a lot of battle ahead. Things can change faster than you think. Be ready.�
�Good advice,� the soldier conceded. �Let�s both get some torpor whilst we can, sister. The battle here is going to be fierce.�
It took a long time before we actually began to fight as the sapients do. The gift the Eldest bestowed on us seemed natural, once we had it. Our old forms fell away and were replaced by the new in such a seamless way, we never considered what that transition really meant for an embarrassingly long time. Although the Colony learned at a tremendously fast pace, and developed in many different directions at once, in battle, too often we defaulted to the behaviour of monsters without thinking.
To the monster, fighting is for territory, food, or preservation. Using all the tools at their disposal, monsters fight in a brutal fashion to meet their needs. We thought we were brutal. We crushed our prey with horrific violence, never giving them the chance to fight back. What were we, if not apex predators?
The sapients showed us different ways and reasons to battle. For hate, for revenge, for power, as punishment and a reward. In truth, there are a thousand reasons why they fight, a thousand times a thousand, almost all of them unimportant or nonsensical in the eyes of the Colony. But the way they fought, even against each other�
Savage, merciless, pitiless. They would go further than any monster would in seeking the destruction of their enemies, chase them to the end of the world and laugh the whole way.
The Colony had to learn to treat them the same way if we wanted to survive. The records show the discontent these actions caused amongst our family. It was unnatural to engage in such a profligate waste of resources. To push an already defeated foe into the dirt, in case they might one day rise up again? The Colony did not fear the defeated as the sapients did.
What had fallen to the Colony once, would only fall harder the second time. What we discovered over time is that our actions were interpreted as �mercy� and �weakness,� a sign that we were prey, not predator.
What we learned was how to finally teach the foolish who we really were.
Granin sighed. He was tired, right down to his bones. Beneath the granite covering him, beneath the flesh, and right in the core of him, he was tired.
It wasn�t the two days he�d been awake that was draining him, though it didn�t help. He could push for a week if he needed to, and it was starting to look as if he did. The perpetual posturing and bickering within the Shaper Circle wasn�t the main issue, though it certainly grated on him. How a race with such affinity to the common building blocks of the world became such posers, he had no idea, but that was reality. Not even the constant suppression by the Warriors had drained him to this point. He was so accustomed to it that he almost didn�t notice that the Shapers were the last to be fed, the last to get water, the first to wake, and the last to sleep.
It was the nobles.
Granin decided that he hated the nobles. Those High Ladies and Lords, the Blades of this house or that, their true skin inevitably formed of such rare minerals that they gleamed in the darkness of the second stratum, dragging everyone else through the mud�it was plain unnecessary.
He himself had little doubt that the only reason he was here, was so his body could be left in a ditch on the way home in order to expunge whatever shame the House of Balta had decided Anthony inflicted on them. It wasn�t likely, but if he lived to see the day when Anthony chomped a few of these pompous morons in half, he�d be able to die a happy golgari.
�Lazus! You awake?� a callous voice called.
�Why wouldn�t I be? Haven�t been given permission to sleep,� the old Shaper grumbled, careful to pitch his voice low. �Over here!�
The figure stumbled in the dark and cursed as he made his way over. The Shapers didn�t warrant the expense of lights on this expedition, apparently. This kind of suppression was a touch unusual, but not unheard of. Though it would probably end the way it always did.
�You Lazus?� the voice asked.
�That�s me.�
�You�ve been called upon.�
The barely concealed sneer in his voice told Granin all he needed to know about this messenger. Warrior, snobbish, highly skilled, and stupid. Just like everyone else on this damn mission.
�Alright then.� He hauled himself to his feet. �I wouldn�t want to keep them waiting.�
As they made their way through the camp, it grew progressively brighter as they left the Shaper�s Circle behind, entering the Warriors� Circle and then the nobles. Here, the pride of House Balta rested: Shield Guardians, Blade Saints, Sword Dancers, veterans of waves, internecine House conflicts and more than a few from the last Wood War.
To his surprise, Granin wasn�t stopped here, but instead directed through the centre of the camp and toward the front. He heard it before he saw it, shouted orders, the ring of Skills and explosions of magic. He almost sighed. He�d been here not that long ago, pitting his Will against the ants as they tried to push back and hold against the golgari or, failing that, causing rock falls to delay them.
He almost chuckled at that. The monsters had no need to worry about angering the Church of the Path by disfiguring the �holy� order of the Dungeon. Not like the golgari didn�t indulge in a little collapse every now and again. All was well so long as there wasn�t proof.
As they advanced, they moved past a number of mages, each with their eyes closed and senses extended, watching the stone with their minds. It was draining work that required constant concentration, something no warrior would appreciate. He shook his head to try and clear away his sluggish thoughts. Damn, he needed some sleep.
At the rear of the line, a tall, decorated golgari watched the action with a critical eye. It was toward him that Granin was led. The closer they got, the more he could make out of the battle taking place. Mana flares lit the area, penetrating the hideous dark, illuminating the two fronts. Disciplined rows of golgari were exchanging fire with a walled defence a hundred metres away that positively bristled with ants. From the other side, they unleashed a flood of acid and spells. There must be thousands of them.
Just what the heck had Anthony done over there?
�Right pain in the backside,� a voice broke his concentration.
The old Shaper started when he realised it was the authoritative figure speaking to him. The warrior eyed him with that critical eye before he turned back to the unfolding scene.
�Who would have thought these bloody insects would be building forts?�
Granin shifted on his feet a little. He�d known it, that�s for sure. The next sentence took him by surprise.
�Ready to join the charge?�
�Crud.�
He sensed them before they came. The Shapers had been ordered to keep their senses tuned for just such an ambush, but the ants were getting clever. They must have placed dampeners or some other form of Mana suppression in the tunnels, which meant he didn�t have a whole lot of time once he detected the telltale signs through the ground.
�Contact!� Granin hollered. �Beneath! Above! And in the damn walls!�
His voice didn�t carry far above the din, but enough heard him to make a difference.
Physical shields went up, exploding with shimmering light that expanded to cover the golgari force on the flanks even as Shapers wove together magical shields. Flares of light arrowed from mages� hands into the rock around the tunnel, bringing points of illumination to the oppressive darkness.
What they saw wasn�t pretty. From well-concealed points on the walls and ceiling came a flood of insects, their antennae twitching furiously, lidless eyes staring as they launched their attack. Acid and magic came at the invaders from all sides, hammering into their shields and coating them with hissing goo.
�Hold the line!� a voice roared, cutting through the noise. �Nothing here we didn�t expect! Push forward! PUSH, damn you!�
Granin could only shake his head. Low Blade Hironus Balta led this offensive, hoping to cover himself with glory in the eyes of his House and clan. Why the minor noble felt it necessary to drag an exhausted Shaper into the middle of the fight, he had a few suspicions, none of them good. Not much he could do about it now. Granin had known something like this would happen when he sent his Triad away. He hoped those two kids were doing alright. More than that, he hoped Anthony was living up to the promise that the old Shaper had seen in him.
The tunnel was wide, close to two hundred metres at its widest point where the multiple passages came together. The golgari hadn�t spread to cover that space as they pushed toward the walled fort the ants had created. The attacking force was a thousand members strong, but they were outnumbered at least five to one.
He forced his tired mind to work, splitting off his Mental Constructs and tasking each of them with a role. Pain spiked through his head, and he stifled a wince. He was pushing his limits here. Insanity had erupted in the tunnel and there was too much to take in. Mana swirled wildly through the air as hundreds of mages drew on the energy and cast it back out in a different form. Granin dedicated his own resources to firming up the shields on the left flank where he stood. Offensive magic was just as likely to hurt as harm in a situation like this. With acid covering the shields, he wouldn�t be able to see what he was aiming at.
The ants weren�t committing so far, hanging back and not closing with the deadly blades of the golgari. It made for a slow, grinding battle. At least, so far. It was only a matter of time until someone declared the charge.
�SHIELD WALL!� came a deafening shout. �ANCHOR YOURSELVES!�
What? Granin almost did a double take, having to force himself not to turn his attention to the front. He had his own role to play, and he knew better than to split his focus when he was already so drained.
The Low Blade almost wished he were able to avert his eyes, he wasn�t quite able to parse exactly what he was looking at. The golgari had been making slow and steady progress against the ant fort. The moment they�d closed the distance, the insects would have been forced to retreat or die throwing themselves against a wall of swords.
It was clear the ants were pursuing a strategy of attrition, trying to wear down their betters. The very idea made Balta curl his lip. The Warriors of House Balta were indefatigable! They would push for weeks if necessary! The battle progressed exactly as he imagined it, right up until the ants defending the wall of their fort had parted and a host of armoured monstrosities charged forth.
Huge ants covered in steel rushed forward with almost palpable glee, their mandibles eagerly gnashing and chomping at the air. From behind those behemoths came a tidal wave of insects, thousands of them, blasting acid overhead as they ran upon the floor and ceiling,
A quiver of fear rose in his chest, one he ruthlessly quashed. A noble of the Houses wouldn�t falter in the face of these disgusting insects!
He gave the orders to hold the line and a host of huge, broad-shouldered Warriors emerged, massive tower shields mounted on their arms. Together, they activated their defensive Skills as the front line stepped in behind them.
�LET THEM TASTE YOUR SWORD!� he ordered and stepped forward himself, blade in hand.
Such was the weight and power of the insect charge that the ground under their feet shook, but the golgari held firm. Balta tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and centred himself, allowing his emotions to fade as he channelled his energy into the blade. When he felt the technique reach its peak, he bellowed and the sword blade flashed, tracing a brilliant arc of light in the air.
It was just one of a torrent of sword lights that flew from the golgari lines toward the onrushing ants. Balta eagerly waited to see the result of their barrage. In his mind�s eye, he could already see the bugs cut to pieces, their charge dying in its infancy.
What he didn�t expect, was for the armoured figures to
The sword light struck home and a screech of metal filled the air as the ant-armour was rent and cut, causing the leading figures to stumble, but they didn�t stop. Before the golgari could take another breath, the ants crashed into their line and all hell broke loose.
�LEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOY!�
What a day! WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY! The Immortals unleashed their war cry, the name of their great leader, charging toward what would surely be their useful deaths. The golgari formed a fortress before them, their combined shields creating a wall of golden light that the ants just couldn�t wait to run into.
�No!� roared Leeroy as she battered aside one of her subordinates with a vicious shoulder check. �I will be the one to die!�
The soldier watched the powerful arc of sword light descend on her as if it moved in slow motion. Perhaps this would be her chance, maybe this was her moment! The armour was an extension of her own body. She felt it as the beam of condensed energy crunched into the steel, cutting deep rents in the folded metal and sending shockwaves of pressure through her carapace. There was pain, she was scarred, but she did not find oblivion. A disappointment.
�THE SEARCH GOES ON, SISTERS!�
�WE SEEK!�
The Immortals charged with renewed vigour. The mighty enemy arrayed before them ignited a flame in their hearts and cores that burned like a sun.
�You lot are weird,� muttered a small voice.
Clung underneath Leeroy, her claws dug into special grooves cut for this very purpose and her head protected behind a curve of folded steel, the healer had to wonder who had thought it was a good idea to send these crazed siblings into battle.
Leeroy cared nothing for the opinion of others. She cared only for this moment, this charge, and this enemy. The wall loomed, the golgari firm against their massed charge, confident in the strength of their defence. She hoped they were right.
Closer. Closer! CLOSER!
Tons of metal-encased ant endured the blows that rained down on them as they closed with the enemy, the rest of the colony�s attack force following close behind. At the last possible moment, Leeroy synched her three pairs of legs, ready to unleash the new technique she discovered.
DASH! DASH! DASH!
Firing each pair of legs just off time with each other, the Immortals pushed their thin ant legs to the breaking point, three separate Dashes executed almost at once. The sheer force almost shattered their joints but pushed the armoured titans to the peak of their speed. The heavily armoured insects timed their charge perfectly, crashing home into the golden shield line like a wave of steel.
Please! Leeroy hoped.
Nope! The medic declared, releasing her grip and dropping to the ground along with her sisters who appeared from under the other armoured figures. Once on the ground, they turned their mandibles to the dirt, burrowing as the rest of the attack wave flowed over their backs.
Leeroy turned her body and felt her carapace crunch into the golgari defence. A test of the hardest steel the colony could produce and the shield wall of the golgari. Despite her pounding heart and screaming soul, it was the shield that broke first, the enormous wall of energy cracking, then shattering under the combined weight of the Immortals.
Carried forward by her momentum, Leeroy smashed into the golgari themselves, splintering defences and stumbling to the ground, her legs giving way beneath her. The colony swarmed over her back as the soldier took a moment to check her body and collect her thoughts.
She was injured. The impact against the shield had crumpled her armour
and a web of stress fractures had appeared on her carapace. Yet, she
lived.
�THE SEARCH GOES ON, SISTERS!�
The battered Immortals responded in chorus.
�WE SEEK!�
Advant, directing the fight from close to the front, could only twitch her antennae, a mix of irritation and bemusement rising inside her. At first, it seemed like a good idea to take those soldiers who, like Leeroy, struggled with the concept of valuing their own lives, and put them together with Leeroy, forming the Immortals. Armoured to the utmost limit of the colony�s skills, they were the hardest to kill of any soldier. Instead, Leeroy had turned their lack of care into a fanatical desire for a glorious death.
When the eldest got back, they weren�t going to be pleased.
She shook off the stray thoughts. The battle raged and she had a job to do. The golgari were surrounded on three sides, the colony closing into melee on every front. It had been a deliberate decision not to surround them completely; they still weren�t sure of the fighting strength the golgari possessed, and it had been deemed wise not to find out when they were given no escape.
Advant climbed a nearby rock to better see the conflict. The ants pressed hard, the barrage of acid and magic never-ending. Though their front shield was destroyed, there must be mages maintaining the barriers on the flanks, since the acid barrage wasn�t getting through. The ants were, though. From her elevated position, she could see soldiers engaging the enemy with their mandibles.
Details were hard to make out, smoke and steam had begun to fill the tunnel, but the fighting must have been fierce. Healers were working hard, dragging injured ants out of the conflict, risking their lives to fetch their wounded siblings back to the pits they�d prepared. With that tiny bit of cover, they set about administering what treatment they could. From behind, Advant spotted reinforcements still pouring from the fort, the ants crawling over each other and every surface of the tunnel in order to close with their opponents.
The colony had committed five thousand ants to this battle, the first real test against the golgari. Not a number that could contend with the full force brought against them, but enough to take a fight if it presented itself. When the enemy dared to advance with only a small portion of their numbers against them, Advant and her siblings decided they had no choice but to commit.
The main battleground was a heaving mess, the small details of the conflict completely lost in the crush. But that wasn�t what she was looking for. All of her senses strained to their utmost as she focused, trying to see the overall picture of the battlefield. The golgari were shocked by the charge of the Immortals, but they were holding their formation. The ants increased the pressure, gripping their enemy in the mandibles formed by their three-pronged assault, and slowly, the golgari began to pull back. A fighting retreat.
Advant was tense as a bowstring. For thirty minutes, the fighting raged until finally, there was a response from the golgari camp. Massed ranks began to appear, led by figures in gleaming armour. It was time.
�PULL BACK!� Advant roared, her pheromones flooding the area.
In moments, her message had been relayed, blowing away the other scents as every ant passed it on. In an instant, the seething mass of insects that pressed the golgari from multiple sides broke away and ran, carrying their wounded with them as they went. The acid and magic barrage continued as the soldiers retreated, until that too was over, and the ants vanished into their hidden tunnels.
In ten seconds, what had moments ago been a raging battle was eerily silent. Advant watched their enemy closely. The golgari appeared confused, several wanting to press forward to take advantage of the open field, others pulling back, and yet more milling about in confusion.
After observing for a few long moments, she too made her withdrawal, the first major battle of the conflict complete. There would be much to discuss and analyse; no doubt the generals would have much to say. For the moment, the enemy advance had been halted.
A victory for the colony.
She�s really gonna kill me this time. I mean, Crinis grew absurdly clingy after my last disappearance, so what�s going to happen this time? I�m afraid, afraid, GANDALF! The image of Crinis burrowing her tentacles through my carapace and taking residence within my skeleton rises in my mind, causing me to shudder.
She
No-no-no-no. Having her stuck to my carapace all the time is bad enough. It�s like having a second skin that disapproves of my every decision. Imagine what that�s like! A disagreeable SKIN. I can�t handle it getting worse, I just can�t!
BOOM!
An impact detonates under my claws, sending me sprawling, and I scramble to get my legs back under me and run. Can�t you guys leave me alone? I�m trying to deal with real problems here!
The five heavily armoured soldiers chasing me don�t seem all that sympathetic to my plight. In fact, they�re rather insistent that they continue trying to poke holes in me with various pointy implements. Having foreign objects inside my carapace is exactly what I�m worried about right now. I don�t need this as well!
I fire a quick air blade hoping to scatter them, but the big one bears
his shield, absorbing the impact as the others run around to flanking
positions.
With my legs under me, it�s time to DASH! Blows slash into my carapace,
carving deep slices into the precious diamond as I flee into the dark.
Stop marking my shiny exterior! How am I supposed to lie to Crinis about
this if she sees me covered in
DASH! DASH! DASH!
POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!
Acid launches from the rear-zone as I run, trying to shake my pursuers. Just my luck I decide to poke my antennae at the camp right when a patrol was coming back. How the heck was I supposed to know? All I wanted was a little peek, just to see if I was needed�I was being careful! They must have been using some kind of Skill or technique, because they practically tripped over me before I noticed they were there.
Not even heat signatures! How the heck are these people so damn cold?
HAP!
BOOM!
I leap just in time to avoid a vicious thrust that fires a ray of sword light straight for my head. These people don�t play around. In fact, with their bulky armour and helmets covering their faces, it�s hard to believe they aren�t the monsters rather than me!
How do you like this, then?
With a sound of tearing wind, I unleash three wind spears at once, the spells twisting and warping the air, spreading the acid in all directions. Chance! I�ve explored these tunnels before, at least somewhat, and I know the tunnel wall right over there is super thin. I run with all speed, firing more Acid and Wind Magic as I go, trying to conceal my movements.
Made it to the wall! Here we go!
CHOMP! CHOMP!
I rip into the stone with wild abandon, and in only a few bites, I manage to open a hole and dive into it! Only to get my abdomen stuck�
Again with this? Am I fat? Are you calling me fat, you stupid Dungeon?
Dammit,
Gwehehehehe.
With this gap, surely they won�t be able to catch up to me. Dash!
BOOM!
The wall explodes as an arc of blade light cuts through the rock and cuts a deep gash on the opposite wall of the tunnel.
RUN-RUN-RUN-RUN-RUN-RUN!
Part of me really wants to turn and shape up to these pests, but I�m worried. I�m too close to their base for one�not my fault, by the way�and I don�t know that I would win, especially without my pets.
Gah! They�ve forced me into unknown Dungeon territory here. This is all unexplored terrain. As I speed through, firing Wind Magic�gotta push for those Levels, combat always helps!�I search for anything that might lend me an advantage.
All I find are the usual things, shadow beasts, stupid seaweed, and
deadly spike plants all over the place. Not to mention a decent number
of what I�ve started to call
Just another irritating thing caused by these damn
I cut around the corner just in time to avoid another coordinated strike that slices into the rock as if it were paper. Yikes! Not keen to test my head against that level of strike� Aha! What�s that?
Up ahead, the tunnel opens into a major passage, and lo and behold, right in the middle, I find a HUGE root that connects the roof to the floor. I�ve never seen anything like it around this area, but this could be my chance! The soil around tree roots is usually far looser than other places, since the ground gets broken up by the roots pushing through. I might be onto something here!
I zig and zag as I run, and then skirt around the blind side of the root. This thing is massive, likely thirty metres in diameter at least. Easily enough to block sight of me. Once there, I coil my legs and spring into the air! As I descend, I pull back my mandibles as I spin together an Earth Mana Construct.
I land headfirst, digging into the soil in a frenzy of biting and shovelling with my legs even as my sub-brains weave Mana to help drill into the ground as fast as possible. DIG! DIG! DIG! Gotta get as deep as possible! No chances can be taken!
Fully immersing myself in the power of ant-zen, I dig with all the efficiency my ant body can muster, burrowing into the soil at a rate that would make Jim proud. Only when the business district has been fully submerged do I feel even remotely safe, but I don�t stop digging.
Once I feel I�ve reached a significant enough depth, I freeze, hoping against hope that they won�t be able to find me. I expand all my senses, trying to gauge what is going on around me. Only then do I notice something I really should have picked up on before.
This root has a metric truck load of Mana inside it� Like, holy moly, that is a lot of Mana. When I push my awareness inside the root, it�s almost as if the pure, dense Mana is moving inside like sap within a tree.
What the heck
I�m getting a bad feeling about this.
Deciding to take my chances, I angle myself and dig my way back up, squeezing out between the root and the soil. To my vast surprise, I don�t see any soldiers trying to cut me down, nor any monsters nearby. Did my digging ruse work?
Being exceptionally careful this time, I sneak my way back to where my pets left me, collapsing in a relieved heap the moment I make it. Not five minutes later, Crinis and Vibrant return.
[Hey there, Crinis,] I say, desperately acting casual. [Did you have fun?]
I�m sure I�m okay. I even triggered my healing gland on the way back to take care of any minor wounds and I thoroughly cleaned myself. Please, for the love of the bearded one, let me get away with this!
[I did. Thank you, Master.]
The mass of tentacles and death unfolds from Vibrant�s back and once again takes up residence wrapped around my abdomen.
[Did you manage to stay out of trouble, Master?]
[Trouble? Me? Of course not! Just practising magic is all
[Hmm. Alright then.]
PHEW!
The Empire of Stone endures forever. That is their claim, at least. It�s no secret that the rock-people are proud and stubborn. Proud of their history as one of the �Old Races� of Pangera. They are survivors, hardy and tough, their natural advantages and the classes that tie to their race have proven to be enough to bring them through the Cataclysm, as well as the chaos that followed.
golgari youth are born much as human children are; indeed, they are similar in size, strength, and develop at a comparable pace. The children of the golgari are rarely seen by outsiders, particularly within the empire. Without those who have chosen to live away from the stronghold of their people, it�s unlikely anyone would have ever seen the natural skin colour of their children�it�s grey.
When they mature, the rock-people begin to differ more and more from a standard human. They are significantly taller and heavier. The mean height for golgari is over seven feet, with exceptionally tall individuals standing over nine. They are physically stronger, their mass reaching over two hundred kilograms even without their true skin, the name they give the mineral coating they wear.
When they come of age, young golgari participate in a bonding ceremony that fuses their skin with a rock covering. A unique property of their skin allows it to form a strong bond with minerals that melds the two substances together, essentially forming a new skin. It is a misconception that the outer stone covering is a �second layer� of skin, one that the golgari themselves usually don�t bother to correct.
Their affinity to stone goes beyond their capacity to make it part of themselves. golgari society as a whole is stratified and rigidly divided. Families are split into Houses and Clans, each in constant competition with each other. Individuals are separated into Circles based on aptitude and class.
Due to their powerful physical properties and martial history, Warriors, those who fight with stamina and weapons, are esteemed, whilst those who manipulate Mana are generally disparaged. The Crafting Circle, Merchant Circle, even the Growers Circle enjoy a position of higher prestige than the mages. This is a feature almost unique to the golgari in Pangera, as generally mages are venerated, or at the very least highly respected for their prowess.
Finally, we must address the golgari affinity for working in groups, or teams of three, which they refer to as Triads, a time-honoured tradition, the origins of which cannot be determined. It is possible that not even the golgari themselves know. Only those individuals who rise to prominence in the Warriors Circle are accepted to operate outside of a Triad for an extended period, having proven their exceptionality. Such individuals are greatly respected and given the title of Blade. These are the nobles, leaders of the Houses, generals, and strategists of note.
The rock-people continue to be a force to be reckoned with inside the Dungeon. Despite their stubbornness, their infighting, and their somewhat archaic views, they endure against pressure better than almost any other society.
High Blade Balta was displeased. He�d marshalled the forces of his House, called in favours, and splashed coin to ensure he would lead this expedition. He did all he could to pull in veteran Warriors and equip them with the best available gear he could find. Time constrained him in this regard, as well as the remote location. Deeper in the core of the empire, he would have been able to muster double the numbers with higher Levels and better Classes, but he�d been satisfied with what he managed to assemble.
Ants, even intelligent ones, should have stood no chance against the golgari might he brought to crush them with. Yet here he stood, looking down at his nephew who knelt at his feet, reporting that the insects had pushed him back when he attempted to claim their pathetic fort.
�I do not want to hear words of failure from your mouth, nephew. Failure is not something we accept in our House. Do you understand what I�m saying?�
The younger golgari Blade trembled under the simmering anger of his elder that lurked just beneath the surface. He�d been brash and taken his force to assault the insects without waiting for the other commanders to organise their forces. Had he been victorious, the glory would have belonged to himself alone. In failure, he received every ounce of shame that went with such a defeat.
�Were you not of my own House, I would have expelled you from this expedition and sent you home in disgrace,� High Blade Balta spat.
�Please, uncle, give me another chance!�
�You weren�t given a chance! You just decided to seize one for yourself. Arrogance is only accepted when it is backed by ability. You have proven you lack the latter but hold an abundance of the former!�
Real anger blazed in the eyes of the elder now. This promising youth had
achieved the rank of Low Blade at a young age. The House had great
expectations for him, only for the fool to grow impatient and make
himself a laughingstock. Defeated in pitched battle by
�A hundred of our people lie dead due to your ambition and stupidity.
�I hear and obey!�
Hironus Balta, on his knees before the leader of his House, tried to disguise his sigh of relief. Had the High Blade wanted, he could have done far worse. He would get a chance to prove to his rivals that he deserved his rank. It would suffice.
In the east, the other half of the invasion force was progressing in their advance, though with less haste and more success. Yet Titus wasn�t pleased with what he heard.
�A root of the Mother Tree? You�re sure?� he asked.
�I�ve seen them before, Commander. It�s hard to mistake something like that.�
Titus could only nod. It was true, the Mother Tree wasn�t the sort of thing that could be described as small, or be accused of blending in.
�What happened?�
�The target fled toward the root and burrowed itself in the soil in an obvious and slightly ridiculous way. We decided it best not to disturb the root and retreated.�
�Wise,� Titus said, acknowledging the squad leader with a nod. �Take your team to the mess and get some food in you. You�ll be back out there soon enough.�
With a crisp salute, the man left Titus to his thoughts.
�I don�t like it, Titus,� Aurillia warned her commander. �A root showing
up
�We don�t know if it�s going to be active,� he cautioned.
�After that idiotic creature burrowed next to it? I�d be shocked if it
didn�t start sprouting
As much as he hated to admit it, his Tribune was most likely correct. From the moment his Legion first engaged the enemy, things had not gone according to plan. An intelligent colony, a wave likely coming, his allies proving untrustworthy, and now this. Another variable into the mix was the last thing he needed.
Titus growled in frustration. He�d feel a lot better once he started cutting down insects. It was time he headed out on patrol. His axe was thirsty.
The Old Races against the New is a troubling rivalry that has arisen in the centuries since the Cataclysm. Perhaps it is understandable that those who existed on Pangera in a time before the Dungeon would view those that came after with suspicion. They know for a fact, in essence, that they are free of the corruption that the Dungeon brought to the world, whereas the same cannot be said for those who came later.
The New Races rose to sapience and formed their societies after the surface was breached and damaged by spawned creatures. Their peoples have never known a world without monsters, never walked the surface without fear and certainly do not value the surface in the way their elders do.
The humans, ka�armodo, golgari, and Chal initially viewed the newcomers with hostility and attempted to push them out of the Dungeon. The sophos who fell, originally an Old Race, were hunted to the brink of extinction once the Cataclysm subsided and conquest of the Dungeon began. When contact was first made between Old and New, conflict erupted. Only after the New Races demonstrated their ability to defend themselves and their interests�once they came into contact with each other and formed a mutual cooperation agreement�did the Old and New begin to enter discussions and deescalate.
The bruan�chii, the Folk, and the brathian, being the most prominent among the New, proved to be bold players in the fierce competition for resources that goes on in the Dungeon. Sometimes working together, sometimes in opposition, they have displayed a fearlessness and willingness to take on great risks that their elders would avoid. Some argue this is due to their lower intelligence or lack of stable foundations, whilst others believe it to be a necessity, given that they arose so much more recently than their competitors and need to catch up.
The origins of most New Races continues to be a contested matter amongst many academics. The bruan�chii, for example, arose within the wildlands of the south, though it is not known exactly where, or when. The Folk are a loose amalgamation of many peoples with a similar philosophy, and were first encountered in the Dungeon itself, leading many to believe they are monstrous in nature. It has since been proven they are able to live and thrive on the surface, taking away the credence of that theory.
How the people of Pangera will coexist moving forward, no credible theorist is willing to say. Shifts and changes within the Dungeon are capable of shattering centuries old alliances in a matter of days. Nothing is permanent and all is in flux. It is safe to wager, however, that the Old and New Races will continue to hold to their own for the most part, preferring to trust in those similar to themselves.
The conflict was proving to be a nightmare for Sloan, one she simply couldn�t wake from.
�News from the front, General!� announced an exhausted runner, crawling into the command post.
�Which front?� Sloan snapped.
�The deeper front! The enemy advance has shattered the first outpost. Casualties were heavy.�
Ice struck the general�s heart, but she steeled herself against it. She
resisted the urge to indulge in her nature like Leeroy and throw herself
out of the command post, rush to the front line and die with her
siblings. She could do far more good for her family here, so
It was hard, but she would do it.
�What about the eldest?� she asked.
�The eldest and all guardians were able to retreat safely. Only thanks to their intervention were any saved at all.�
That bad?
�Is there a full report coming?�
�Yes, General. Should only be a few hours behind me.�
The weary scout stood on shaking legs, having pushed herself to the limit to bring this dire news to the nest. Runners like her were racing through the colony�s territory without pause during this conflict, hundreds at a time.
�Go rest, Scout. You�ve done well.�
Sloan saluted the exhausted ant with one antenna and nodded when the gesture was returned. Medics hurried to tend to the scout before she collapsed and the council member turned back to the war map. The enormous sculpture took almost ten cubic metres of space in the centre of the open command post. A host of carvers crawled over and inside the thing, being careful not to damage the incredible piece of work. Using Tunnel Maps and Earth Magic, the carvers had created a vast statue of stone that accurately depicted the territory of the colony.
Even the fine details were accounted for, the defences and gates, the location of forces, and even a special flag to indicate the location of the eldest was present. Sloan watched with interest as one of the Carvers responded to the most recent news, grasped that flag in her mandibles and shifted it closer to the nest.
�What did I miss?� Victor asked, rushing into the chamber.
�Assault on the deeper front. The first outer fort has fallen. How was your rest?�
�Terrible. It�s impossible to enjoy torpor with all of this mess running through your head.� Victor gestured with one mandible to the flurry of activity that surrounded them.
�I�ll save you a bit of trouble,� Victor continued. �The enemy has broken through in the east as well, I intercepted the scout on the way in. You know the weirdest thing? Not a single one of the Immortals was killed in the retreat.�
Sloan stared.
�How is that even possible? They volunteered to be the front of every conflict!�
Her fellow general could only shrug her antennae.
�They
�They are going to be even more insufferable when they get back.�
��You�re right.�
They turned to view the territory of the colony, making calculations as the little flags which represented their enemies advanced closer to the nest.
�The first ring of defences has fallen along with many of our siblings,� Victor observed.
�I don�t want to sound callous, but more have graduated since the beginning of the conflict than have died. In terms of numbers, our situation has improved, not gotten worse.�
�I don�t think the eldest would like that thinking.�
�I doubt they would, but we have to deal in realities. There is no way the colony will be able to survive without sacrifice.�
�I understand that. You and I have been given the job of observing the conflict as a whole. The eldest on the other hand� they might take things a bit more personally.�
Sloan agreed. The eldest always placed a high priority on the lives of the colony. Higher than the individual ants themselves ever did.
�You don�t think the eldest will do something� unwise� do you?� she asked tentatively.
�Think? No� I�d bet on it.�
It was already personal. Now it�s� more personal. When the armoured death machines started to advance, the scouts alerted me and I�d gathered the troops and headed to the first defensive position. The carvers had been working overtime, throwing up walls, forts, and all sorts of little traps throughout the entirety of the colony�s territory.
When the killers arrived, they�d cut through our defensive line with ease. Hundreds of them had advanced against our position, weapons aglow with deadly light and armour pulsing with Mana. They had been visible, even through the thick darkness of the second stratum. Magic hadn�t affected them much, acid hadn�t slowed them down, they just kept coming.
When the leader drew close enough, they�d drawn back with a massive axe and unleashed something I�d never seen before. It wasn�t a slash, or an arc of blade light. It was more like a freakin� WALL. When it closed in on me, it was like the entire world went white. I�d tried to protect my siblings by leaping in front of those near me, and the resulting wounds put me out of the fight. Without Invidia shielding and healing me, I might not have made it out at all.
Those damn metal bucket
Geh�
It was a defeat. A total defeat. The rest of the colony fell back to the next defensive position, ready to try again, undeterred by the deaths. Not me, though. I have too much rage! WAY too much rage!
�I don�t think this is wise, eldest��
I won�t be satisfied until I inflict damage on the enemy. My mandibles must rend. REND, I SAY.
�Eldest��
I can�t take on hundreds of them at once� no. That would be suicide, even for me. What I CAN do is ambush one of their patrols. With my pets and Protectant�s crew, we should be able to overpower and finish them off before reinforcements can come.
�I don�t think the council would approve��
Who cares if these stupid tin cans get angry? They�re already here
killing us! Time to return the treatment back to them, with
�I agree with Protectant. This isn�t a good idea.�
I�ve been ignoring Protectant, as is my policy when she offers advice, but who the heck is this?
�I�ve never seen you before. Why are you popping out now?�
The ant shifts uncomfortably, unhappy to be out of the shadows.
�It didn�t seem like you were listening, and I felt our point of view needed to be emphasised.�
�What�s your name?�
�Defendant.�
�Look. Our colony members have been killed, and I am determined to seek righteous vengeance! Justice! What can you possibly have against that?�
�You would be better served to join with the rest of the colony and assist in the defence. Your capacity to punish the enemy will surely be higher there, not to mention your own safety��
�Safety be damned! This is about attack! Aggressive moves to let them know they can�t kill us with impunity!�
Protectant and Defendant share a nervous twitch, and I can tell they are watching each other carefully. I cut them off before they can start to organise against me.
�Let�s discuss this rationally,� I begin. �I want to establish a few things first, though.�
They both nod an antenna.
�Alright. I�m not sure exactly what the council has ordered you to do, so let me ask this: Do you have to follow me wherever I go?�
�Yes,� the two answer immediately.
�Okay. Thanks. Secondly��
DASH!
I�m off!
[Let�s go, Tiny! Invidia! It�s time to strike a blow against the tin cans!]
Full of a desire to inflict pain on the invaders, I rush down the tunnel at top speed, my pets hot on my heels. I don�t even need to turn my head to see the two babysitters freeze in shock before chasing after me in a panic. Gwehehehe. No matter what, you�ll get dragged into my schemes! You think the council will be able to prevent me from quenching the fires of rage that burn inside my heart?
The sight of my family members broken and dying around me refuses to leave my mind. I refuse to not strike back!
I have to be careful about it, I understand that much. If I get caught by a large number of those armoured soldiers, then I�m going to get myself killed, which isn�t going to help the colony at all. The tiny voices that trickle through my Vestibule demand that I fight, though, and I�m fully inclined to listen. We make a wide loop, trying to avoid the front, and circle into position between the fort where we last fought and the camp occupied by the enemy.
I�ve spent hours running through this area and adding it to my Tunnel Map whilst they built their stupid camp. I have it well mapped out. Only a small portion of this remains dark to me, mostly around that weird root I found. I�m still interested in investigating that a bit further, but first, I must attend to my business.
Once we come close enough, I engage full stealth mode, creeping as much as possible from cover to cover and sending Crinis ahead to scout, hiding in the shadows. The soldiers are frequently sending scouts out into this area, usually in teams of five. By myself, I won�t be able to take them on, but with my full crew, I have confidence. Short of some unholy demon like that axe-wielding freak arriving, we�ll be able to win.
It�s not a fair fight�it�s an ambush!
Dishonourable? Who cares about dishonourable? My dead family members don�t care! When we come to a likely location, I carefully begin to dig a hidey hole for us whilst employing my new Skill. That�s right! The technology of the ant is always evolving! I think this Skill became unlocked when I ranked up External Mana Manipulation last, but I didn�t notice until recently.
The Skill? Mana Masking! This Skill grants knowledge of how to conceal Mana signatures of monsters and other sources from detection. Although it�s only rank one since I just bought it, this is going to come in handy. I have to dedicate a sub-brain to managing the load, but it�ll be worth it. Perhaps if the Skill was high enough, I�d be able to hide a Gravity Bomb from detection, but there�s no way it can do that now. I only hope it�ll fool the soldiers long enough for them to come close. It�s important enough to risk the Skill Point to purchase it anyway.
With our hiding place dug and my brains busily constructing a false Mana impression around us, we settle in and wait. Crinis extends tentacles into the shadows, using her advanced senses to keep watch.
Fortunately, we only have to wait an hour before Crinis passes word.
[Master, five are coming.]
With Crinis� announcement, my entire carapace tenses�metaphorically. It�s time, I�m ready for action, my entire spirit is primed and filled with ire. These tin-people have hurt my family and now I�m going to return the pain.
[Steady, Master. Control the Mana.]
My ever-faithful Crinis provides a timely warning and I check myself. My emotions had begun to get the better of me and my Mana disguise was fluctuating. Cursing myself for my carelessness, I sink deep into the Meditation Skill, pushing my distractions away and sharpening my minds to their limit. No mistakes, no emotions.
My main mind runs a quick check of preparations. Gas Mana Construct is ready to go, my first spell already constructed and held in waiting. My legs are flexed, like coiled springs, ready to leap from the hiding place in half a second. All I need is the word.
[How long, Crinis?]
[They�re coming. I don�t think they sense me, or if they have, they�re pretending. I am ready to strike at any time, Master.]
[Wait for the rest of us.]
[Yes, Master.]
A tense silence.
Then another mind intrudes on my own.
[Fight?] Tiny asks.
[Almost.]
[Fight�] he responds, despondent.
[Just wait ten seconds, you thick ape! Just how badly do you want to punch something?]
He looks at me seriously, bat-face all twisted thoughtfulness as he considers my question. Tiny holds up ten fingers and nods solemnly.
[A ten. Is that out of ten?]
He nods again.
[So you reaaaaaally want to fight?]
Another nod.
[I have just one more question. Just a quick one. If I were to
ask you the same question another time, do you think you�d ever, under
any circumstances, give me an answer
A slight pause, then a slow headshake.
[They are slowing down. I think they sense something, Master!]
[Attack!] I send the mental roar at my pets as my legs fire, and I rocket out of the hole.
Fifty metres away stand five heavily armoured figures, their weapons up, having sensed something was off about this stretch of tunnel. Too late!
With a thought, I unleash my prepared spell, blasting out a fierce tornado toward the soldiers. Sharp winds cut into the rocks, sending stone shards into the air and destroying visibility. Not that I mind.
[Tiny! Move it!]
The ape was slower than me at getting out of our crammed-in hole, but once he finds his feet, his wings unfurl and he bounds forward, hands outstretched, Invidia riding on his back. Barriers form around the soldiers as they raise their shields and activate their defensive Skills to fend off my spell. It�s all the time we need to close the distance.
POW! POW! POW! POW!
Acid flies and explosions ring out the moment the wind dissipates. The noise is sure to bring swift attention down on us, but I�ve decided we�ll hold nothing back in order to achieve this victory. We close the distance in a flash, my mandibles wide open and a Doom Chomp already forming.
CRUNCH!
The soldiers are disciplined and show no fear, slashing out with their weapons and attempting to get into formation, but we don�t let them. I�ve noticed these people are far more powerful when they work effectively together, which means disrupting their teamwork is our top priority. This is the role Tiny is playing to perfection as the enraged ape lashes out with lightning-coated fists smashing everything in his way.
His absurd strength is on display, battering through the soldiers as they attempt to dodge and duck out of the way, treating him like a bull.
CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!
My sub-brains continue to pump out wind blades, firing them every moment I can find a target. The only thing I really have to be careful of is hitting Tiny. Not that he�d notice, he�s way too pumped up. In the frenzy of battle, all of my minds are razor-focused on the task of destruction.
Two soldiers have taken a position in front of me, their powerful armour deterring my mandibles, for now at least. The Doom Chomp isn�t to be underestimated! This powerful rank five Skill, along with my heavily mutated mandibles is more than capable of punching through this armour.
Eventually�
�Get in here and help already, Protectant!� I yell.
I detect the whiff of a sigh from above me before all twenty of the hidden babysitters materialise on the ceiling. After a brief moment, they launch from their perches to strike at the soldiers, neatly dividing themselves between the five enemies, four ants for each. They don�t try and defeat them on their own, but instead disrupt and distract, acting much like ants on Earth would, grabbing at limbs and trying to pin the enemy down. It�s an effective tactic and the pressure on us eases for a critical moment.
�We need to hurry, eldest,� Protectant warns me. �Let�s finish this quickly and hurry back to the colony.�
She�s right, this is taking too long.
I turn my sub-minds away from the Wind Construct and instead draw on my Gravity Mana, flooding my mandibles with the powerful energy and forming multiple bolts at a time.
POW! POW! POW! POW!
In the next ten seconds, I smash the soldier in front of me with Gravity Bolts until they can no longer move effectively, only releasing them from my mandibles when I�m sure they can no longer fight. Distracted and separated, the others can�t prevent me from using the YOINK ability of the gravity infused mandibles to pull them to me.
One by one, I bring every armoured soldier down in this way, the babysitters club, Tiny, Crinis, and Invidia keeping them off-balance and unable to retaliate. No longer able to defend themselves, the soldiers strain to lift their weapons and activate their Skills, still desperate to fight for their lives.
[The magic will wear off if we don�t act soon, Master. Do you want me to�?]
[No. I�ll do it myself.]
Using my mandibles, I take their helmets off and end them in one swift bite. They stare at me with hatred and rage, not an ounce of fear present. Sunk deep into the Meditation Skill, there is little emotion, except for the whispers that echo throughout my body, trickling from the Vestibule. They tell me something I need to hear. They tell me something that pushes away the tremors in my heart.
They say: �Good work.�
As we flee from the scene of the battle with all haste, I take a moment to let the System messages from the battle roll over me.
[You have defeated a Level 54 Legionem Shieldbearer (Human).]
[You have defeated a Level 44 Legionem Armoured Scout (Human).]
[You have defeated a Level 45 Legionem Shieldbearer (Human).]
[You have defeated a Level 58 Legionem Swordsman (Human).]
[You have defeated a Level 42 Legionem Armoured Scout (Human).]
[You have gained XP.]
[You have reached Level 61.]
A lot of experience was gained there. Also, the next evolution is getting a lot closer. Another nineteen Levels and I�ll reach that mythical Level 80 that seemed so far away after I�d evolved. It�s a shame to leave their armour and technology behind, but I don�t want any delays. I believe it�s likely they�ll have a way to know when their people go down. All in all, this ambush was highly successful, but still, I can�t shake the feeling that my mandibles are unclean.
[They have come to kill you, Master. Don�t worry over them when they wouldn�t do the same for you,] Crinis� voice echoes in my mind.
I twitch, startled by her sudden words. How well is she able to read my mood? I still have Meditation active! I hardly even have a mood!
[What do you mean?] I ask. [Why would I be feeling anything other than triumph right now?]
There�s a noticeable pause as Crinis considers her reply.
[I have been your servant for a long time now, Master. I have
watched carefully, and I see more than you think. I know that you do not
want to hurt the humans. You didn�t really want to hurt the golgari
either. Even though they are
[Crinis!]
[�ah. I�m sorry. I just felt that defeating this enemy would make you sad, so I spoke. I hope I have not disturbed you for no reason.]
I sigh.
[No, Crinis. You�re totally right, as you usually are. I felt as
though� I felt like we could be a bit better than this, with monsters
for everyone to fight against, why would they go out of their way to
fight
I can feel Crinis bristle on my carapace.
[Master isn�t wrong! Everyone else is wrong! What reason do they have to attack your family? None! These trash have no excuse for their behaviour!]
She�s riled up. I can feel the teeth of her tentacles grinding against my perfect diamond shell. I wince. Please don�t scratch me! It heals up pretty fast, but it hurts my heart.
[I guess it doesn�t matter who�s wrong or right now,] I try to soothe her. [This is the situation we�re in and we�re going to have to deal with it. I can�t be half-assed anymore. It�s them or us, and we weren�t the ones to push it to that point.]
[Master?]
[Yes?]
[What�s an ass?]
How could I even explain it� Monsters don�t have butts!
I deflect as best I can as we wind our way through narrow tunnels until we come to the point I�d been looking for. That weird root had appeared in this location, and I want to take another gander at it before it becomes too hard for us to make it into this area. It doesn�t take long for us to arrive at the location, although I don�t recognise it at first.
Where first there had been a regular, second stratum tunnel, filled with darkness and the scent of death, grasping plants and shadow beasts, there is now a totally different scene. Green vegetation has exploded along the walls, thick and vibrant. The four of us pull up out of reach of the vines and strangely grasping branches in surprise.
�What the heck is this?� I ask nobody in particular.
�A-are you talking to us?� Protectant asks from over my head. �We have no idea.�
�No, I wasn�t�Doesn�t matter, I suppose. Should we try and push into this?�
We�re still some distance from the root itself. I can�t even see it, but I can�t imagine anything else is responsible for this explosion of greenery. Seeing this amount of bright plant life, is just so weird for this part of the Dungeon, it�s almost surreal. Why the heck would it be green, anyway? I don�t think photosynthesis is happening down here!
[I�m not going to lie,] I announce to my pets. [I�ve got a bad feeling about this place. I�m not sure I want to meet whatever it was that caused this to happen.]
Whatever did this might be a scary thing, which is fine with me, since
that would mean those stupid soldiers will have to deal with it, not me.
Still, I can�t say I�m
[Let�s get the heck out of here,] I say as I turn around and make my way back.
We�ll loop around and regroup with the colony, ready to defend the next fort. When those metal-encased chumps come back, I hope they�re prepared to accept a Gravity Bomb to the face! To be honest, it wouldn�t shock me if they had some sort of countermeasure for hyper-condensed spells. Come to think of it, I hope we do too. Surely someone has thought of that, no way I�m the first.
We make good time returning to the colony and manage to arrive before another major offensive. What�s more, we find some timely reinforcements have returned from their training trip.
�Eldest, nice to see you again!� Bella calls, hopping with excitement.
�Ellie, Bella! Good to see you too! How did the training trip go?�
The core shapers were sent on a long-range expedition to soak up experience and farm cores away from the colony. With the number of graduates coming out of the Academy and the demands of the soldiers, scouts, and generals for experience, the call was made that there just wasn�t enough to go around.
�Sorry we�re late,� Bella said. �When we got out there, we found a whole lot more than we expected and were reluctant to leave without taking everything we could.�
�It�s fine,� I say. �You did what was asked of you and there�s still a long way to go in this war. I hope the results are enough. Are your pets going to give a good show of themselves?�
Bella chomps her mandibles aggressively,
�They are ready to go! Our Skills have improved a lot, and so have theirs! We also have a few new types we�ve developed in the mix. They�ll make the colony proud.�
�Good. It won�t be long before they�ll be put to the test. Make sure your people get enough rest and then slot into the defence. It�s going to get wild around here.�
�What will we do with them?� Morrelia�s voice was subdued.
Titus stared unblinking at the five bodies arranged before him.
�They will be returned to their families for burial. If their families do not claim them, or if they requested it themselves, they will be taken to the surface and buried in the Legion memorial in Tanna.�
Morrelia gazed up at her father.
�There�s a Legion memorial?� She�d never heard of such a thing. �Is that where brother�?�
He nodded grimly.
�We don�t bury our dead in the Dungeon. They deserve the light of the surface, not this cursed world below.�
The commander stood with his full guard as watch for the fallen Legionaries. Found outside the camp, there had been little mourning, or even surprise, when their comrades were discovered. Death was part of war, and the Abyssal Legion was always at war.
Alberton approached.
�Interesting that they were not eaten,� he observed. �Most monsters won�t pass up the opportunity for Biomass, especially social insects.�
Morrelia was shocked by the man�s callous attitude, though Titus merely nodded.
�This was the abomination�s work,� he said.
�You are likely to be right,� the Loremaster agreed. �Either it wanted to send a message or wasn�t ready to feast on its former species.�
As someone who had spent a considerable amount of time with that �abomination,� Morrelia felt sick at the idea of Anthony being responsible for what she saw in front of her.
�How can you be sure it was the� reincarnator?� she protested. �All of the ants are smart, couldn�t it have been any of them?�
Alberton shook his head. The commander�s daughter was a fierce warrior, but she was still too green as a Legionary.
�There would be no reason for a regular monster not to eat the bodies,� he pointed out. �It�s sad to say, but most Legionaries who fall within the Dungeon do not get buried. No, your father and I believe it was a lingering sense of humanity within the abomination that caused it to act this way.�
She tried to digest the thought, struggling to accept it. Ever since the campaign had begun, she�d tried to understand what the right thing to do was. The colony was peaceful, she knew that, yet the Legion insisted they be wiped out before they became a greater threat. The ants were peaceful for now, but what about in the future? What if Anthony died, and the colony was left without the leader that held them back? What then?
�I still don�t understand why you refer to them as abominations,� she said. �Aren�t they just people? Humans, like us? They didn�t choose to come back this way, right? The Dungeon did that to them.�
Titus and the Loremaster shared a look.
�Don�t think of those who have been reborn in this world as monsters as people,� Alberton warned her. �They may have been something like a human in their past life, but each and every one of them is twisted, broken. The records tell of numerous occasions where we encountered such beings. In every case, they were eventually put down at great cost. The Dungeon chooses the souls it does with good reason, each of them is chosen to further its purpose. That is just another reason why they should be killed as swiftly as we can manage.�
The commander backed him up.
�The moment they were born inside a monster, that is what they were. Not human, monster. Truth be told, the abominations are the most dangerous of all monsters. All the drive, experience, and intelligence of a sapient packed into an evolving killing machine.�
�Why do you think it decided to strike now?� Alberton wondered.
�Revenge,� Titus grunted. �That�s the easiest to understand. We pushed hard into the ants and killed many, so it decided to strike back. In a way, this is my fault. We could have predicted this and doubled the size of the scout teams.�
Morrelia felt sick. The thought of the dead colony members weighed heavily on her, and the thought of Anthony, filled with a thirst for revenge, fighting and killing her fellow Legionaries was awful. Who was right? Who was wrong? She wasn�t sure what she should do. Should she confront her father and tell him the colony was peaceful? After what had been said today, she didn�t think it would matter. Alberton and Titus would simply say they would turn against the sapients eventually, better to put the ants down now before they became too large a threat.
She wasn�t sure she believed that, but she was far from as experienced with these things as her elders were. What if she was wrong? The idea of the colony turning itself against humans the way Garralosh had done seemed absurd, but the damage they could do if they chose to� As devastating as the beast had been to the frontier kingdoms, Anthony�s family would be capable of far more.
She snapped out of her thoughts to realise that her father and the Loremaster were still speaking.
��From the fortress?� Alberton asked.
�It�ll be a few days at the least. The Legion is deployed in a lot of places putting out fires after the last wave, we�re stretched thin.�
�What about calling people up from below?�
Titus grunted.
�If things are rough in the upper strata, what do you think it�s going to be like down there? Besides, we can�t afford the time it would take to acclimate them to the thinner Mana. No, we�ll have to make do with what we have for the time being. It�s going to take longer than I�d like, but we need to advance slow and steady.�
�Will the golgari be happy about that?�
�You think I care?�
It had been many years since the one who called himself �Grey� had
walked the surface of this world, and he couldn�t do so for long, but
what he had seen was not what he expected. Ants cooperating and working
alongside humans who�
His visit to the �conquered� territory of Rylleh had been much the same. When an underground city fell to the monsters, it was expected to become a wasteland, the people consumed for Biomass and destroyed. What he found instead was a city that went on much as it had before. The people chafed at the seizure of the gates, cutting them off from the rest of society, but the colony had gone to great lengths to ensure they were supplied with essentials.
What the large ant told him had proven to be true. Even moving through
the territory of the ants had been remarkably safe, the Dungeon
patrolled better than most sapient controlled territories. It was almost
enough for him to forgive being made to listen to Vibrant for an hour.
He�d spoken only three words in those sixty minutes, two of which were
�What do you think, White?� he asked his apprentice without looking at her. �What is it that we have stumbled into here?�
There was no sound as response, instead, her voice rang within his mind.
[This species has gone against their nature to a high degree, teacher. It is hard to think of them as monsters at all.]
�Yet that is what they are,� he reminded her. �In the eyes of the System, they are designated monsters, and so that is what they shall be seen as.�
[Not to the Folk,] came the firm reply.
�Indeed. I sense you have made a determination already, apprentice. Normally, I would not be so quick to pass judgement, but given the circumstances this colony finds themselves in, I must choose haste.�
They continued to walk in silence through the tunnels, moving back toward the nest. Ants passed by them frequently, rushing to achieve whatever task their family needed of them in this time of war. Though Grey suspected they moved with the same sense of urgency no matter the overall circumstances.
[I am sensing the resonance of the bruan�chii, teacher. I feel that they will be here soon.]
�So quickly?� Grey asked, a flash of surprise in his eyes. �Curious.�
Things were moving faster than normal, the currents of time turbulent around him. A storm was certainly brewing. How unusual for a place so high in the Dungeon. What role would the Folk have to play? He would need to meditate on this.
Hironus Balta bared his blade and executed the blooming flower technique, six consecutive slashes that unleashed a barrage of light so quick, they each flew out like the petals of a single rose. The ants before him were unable to withstand the power of his sword and were driven back or cut through directly. He stepped over the fallen bodies of the insects, allowing those behind him to drive their blades through the carapace and claim the experience.
As a member of the Noble Circle, he was entitled to take it, but the gain from tier four monsters, or worse, tier three, was beneath his notice. All along the line the battle raged, but having broken through the centre, it was only a matter of time until the ants were forced to disengage, lest they be collapsed on and slaughtered.
With no more opponents, Balta took a long breath and centred himself. He�d been placed in the centre for three consecutive battles now, having to re-establish his reputation after the disastrous loss in the earlier assault. To his left and right, ants covered the floor and ceiling, fighting to hold off the golgari who encroached step by step, their coordinated shield wall holding strong.
Just as he prepared to charge to his right and begin collapsing the line, he noticed something subtle. Though chaos reigned, the sound of clashing blades and snapping mandibles filling the air, he could feel something. It took a moment to realise what it was: the ground beneath his feet had begun to tremble.
The current battle was taking place in a wide tunnel with a low ceiling, perfect for the ants to utilise their roof clinging Skills to double their battleline. This particular area also sloped upward toward the surface. Filled with a worrying premonition, Balta lashed out with his weapon, clearing space around him, and charged deeper into the ant�s territory. The farther he Dashed, the more he could see of the slope, and soon he was seeing something that caused rage to flare up within his heart.
The armoured ants! They hadn�t been seen on the front line since his inglorious defeat, something that caused the Low Blade no small amount of ire. They appeared before him once more, charging in unison, a gleaming line of massive insects covered in steel.
Balta set his feet and began channelling energy through his Living Stone blade. With his next strike, he would skewer the lead ant straight through its head! The blade soaked up his intent as he primed the Skill, shining brighter each moment. This was his chance, delivered by the Path itself to help him establish himself once again.
The ants hurtled forward, much as they had the first time, their legs a blur as they ran toward danger. The blade grew brighter and brighter as the distance between the two closed. The golgari exulted in his heart as the moment to unleash his Skill drew closer. So elated was he, that he failed to notice something rather crucial.
�ROOOOAAAAAARRRR!�
An earth-shattering roar split the air throughout the battlefield, blasting away the noise, and for a brief moment, both sides were smothered in complete silence. Shocked, the threads of his Skill unravelled as he shifted his focus off the hated armoured ants. There he saw something that didn�t quite register at first. A titanic bear, eyes ablaze with dark flame and jaws open to reveal enormous, curved fangs.
Only then did Balta recognise that the ants were arranged in a V-formation, the largest armoured figure in the centre, with the gargantuan bear nestled between them. More than that, the bear itself was also covered in thick plates of armour that crackled with Mana. With the metal and sheer mass of the monsters rushing toward him, Balta felt as if a mountain was about to collapse on him.
He abandoned all attempts to charge his Skill and rushed back to the safety of his own lines.
�BRACE!� he bellowed. �BRACE THE LINE! SHIELDS UP!�
Despite not being assigned a position of leadership for this assault, his commanding presence was enough for the golgari in the centre of the line to respond. The shield bearers took position, their eyes firm as they slammed their shields into the ground and activated their defensive Skills in synch. A wall of golden light erupted at once as the powerful Warriors anchored themselves and each other. Mages stepped forward to weave barriers and attempt to modify the terrain, anything to slow and disrupt the coming charge. Immediately they felt themselves contested by a swarm of minds seeking to firm the ground and prevent their efforts.
�There�s more coming!� someone shouted.
Balta looked up to see it was true. Behind the armoured wave of monsters, a scurrying flood of insects followed. Hundreds, maybe thousands of monsters charging along all surfaces of the tunnel made a horrifying sight.
�Stones,� Balta cursed under his breath.
It was clear the ants had planned for the centre of their line to collapse in this battle. Now their reinforcements were coming to shove the golgari back and smash their opponents in the middle of the line. He had confidence, though. After the first battle where the armoured ants showed the strength of their charge, steps were taken to ensure it wouldn�t happen again. The only thing that made him nervous was the fearsome bear. Could this be something the ants prepared for such a situation?
Back amongst his fellow Warriors, Balta grew emboldened and snapped out slashes of blade along with those around him, only to see the armoured figures fight amongst themselves to accept the strikes. Armour was dented, ants stumbled, but the charge did not falter. The bear was growing larger and larger the closer it came, its eyes leaving a trailing streak of flames as it ran.
Balta focused his eyes and realised the monster�s body was wreathed in an ever-strengthening red aura.
�It�s berserking!� he cried.
�ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRR!�
Another deafening roar echoed from the monster�s mouth, the sheer volume making many Warriors flinch. This monster wasn�t a tier four ant, something they didn�t fear, but at least tier five, possibly tier six. Clearly, it was powerful.
�HOLD!� Balta yelled as he set his body alongside those around him, helping to brace the shield line.
In the final moment, the ants accelerated across the last few metres all at once, smashing their bodies against the golgari line, heedless of any risk to themselves. There was a thunderous impact, and at first, it seemed as if the shields would hold. Then came the bear. Bellowing with rage, it leapt over the armoured ants and collided with the barrier like a collapsing building.
Surrounded with a bloodred aura of rage and madness, the bear shattered the shields and landed amongst the golgari, who had but a moment to gather themselves before they were under attack. Claws and teeth snapped and flashed before Balta�s face as he wove a defensive pattern of light with his blade. A few seconds later, the second wave of ants crashed amongst their lines and the fight was on for real.
Wind blade! Tornado! Wind speed! Wind blast! GAH! I�m exhausted. Every inch of my mind is devoted toward creating Gas Mana and whipping it into spells. The target for the spells is naturally the stupid armoured forces, the Legionaries, I suppose.
The experience notifications unveiled just who this enemy is. I can only assume this is the Abyssal Legion that Morrelia and others have spoken about. Her father is a prominent member, as I recall, which probably explains why she�s here. What a mess she�s gotten herself into, sent to kill the colony. Traitor! Well� I haven�t seen her on the battlefield since that first encounter in which she actually saved my life, so I won�t be so fast to judge. Let Morrelia worry about Morrelia, she can handle herself. We ants have enough on our plate at the moment!
PA! PA!
My barrage of wind spells is little more than an irritation to the oncoming Legion. Their powerful armour and mages are more than enough to deflect my efforts. I mean, I could be throwing rocks, fire, spears of ice, or even blobs of lava if I wanted to! Instead, I continue to attack them with a stiff breeze. And why, do you ask? Because I only need one more Level! One more measly Level!
Sitting there in my status menu: [Gas Magic Affinity Level 39 (IV)], it�s taunting me! I�ve been spamming these damn wind spells until my mind is an aching mess. All of my minds! An enormous amount of brain matter has been dedicated to blowing wind at these invaders, all for the sake of this precious rank up. And it�s so close!
The Legion advances at a steady pace, as they always do. Their front rank of shields remains an impenetrable barrier to our attacks. Even the barrage of acid fails to eat away at them. At least we haven�t seen that axe-wielding demon again for the time being. Even without that freakin� superhuman, they�ve been managing to push us back on all fronts. They�ve spread out, creating a wider and wider front, attempting to corral us back to our nests.
Still, time is being bought, the war of attrition continues! You think
you can be more determined than ants? You�re out of your mind! Every
day, our numbers increase, and our Skills continuously improve! Except
for this damn
Come on!
POW! POW! POW!
More blades, more balls of concentrated wind, more spinning dervishes of blade wind. My brains are on fire. Only the regeneration provided by the whispering Vestibule has sustained me. Without it, I�d be a quivering mess on the ground, unable to think or function from sheer mental fatigue.
I�m not even finding the many whispers of the colony inside me much of a burden right now, since they want me to be doing basically what I�m doing already. Namely, throw everything and the kitchen sink at the invaders who dare to encroach on our territory. Mind you, if I listened to them totally, I�d be charging in to rip the enemy apart with my bare mandibles and most likely die in the process.
It seems more than a few ants in the colony still harbour a secret desire to end themselves in glorious sacrifice. Apparently some �re-education� is necessary, The Academy hasn�t done enough to stamp out this heresy.
Still, on the Legion marches, several hundred of them in tight formation. They are methodical to an absurd degree when it comes to Dungeon combat, yet they try to counter us at every turn. Once they push us out of a tunnel, they defend it to the hilt, even to the point of monitoring the surrounding earth for any digging attempts. When we try to tunnel behind them, they detect it early and try to close our tunnels around us. We almost lost many ants that way.
�COME ON, YOU STUPID TIN CANS!� I yell at the approaching wall of armour. �At the very least, give me my damn Level!�
[Gas Magic (IV) has reached Level 40. Rank up available.]
AT LAST! AT LAST!
My time has arrived, my suffering is finally over! I�ve been grinding away at this fusion for so long I can�t even bear to think of it! At that moment, the approaching Legion break their ranks and begin to charge, weapons ablaze with light.
�Fall back!�
We have never intended to defend this position to the death. For the moment, our strategy isn�t to engage these Legionaries in close combat, rather to try and wear them down as we give ground. I hear the fighting is far more fierce on the other front. At some point, we�ll have to engage here too, but for now, retreat is the order of the day.
[Let�s get out of here, gang.]
Following the order, my pets and I turn along with the rest of the colony and make our way back down the tunnel. I�m more than happy to follow, I have a Skill fusion to explore.
First, I purchase Advanced Gas Magic (V), which sets me back one Skill Point, hopefully not a big deal. The tickling feeling of knowledge spreading through my mind begins immediately, sinking in and becoming a part of my magical repertoire.
As desperate as I am to fuse on the spot, I wait. Only when I�ve retreated to a safe location will I dare to engage in that fusion. There�s a chance it might soak up my attention and render me immobile for an extended period of time.
�Eldest, how did the defence go?� Vibrant pops up next to me.
�Gah! Vibrant, sheesh. You need to let people know you�re creeping up before you start talking.�
�What are you saying? You can see in every direction! Although I do move fast, was I moving too fast? I�m superfast. On the other mandible, I�m not fast enough! More speed is better, don�t you think? I know I think so. When I evolve again, I�m considering more legs. Would that be weird? It�d be weird. Six legs is best. More muscle would be better. Speed muscle! That gave me an idea! I�m gonna go think about it! Bye-bye!�
That hurts my head sometimes.
�I am interested in hearing how the defence went, eldest.�
I spy two other council members approaching, Ellie and Bella.
�Pretty typical, I have to say. We shot at them, tried to slow them down, they pushed forward, and we left. I think your caste is in there now, harassing and being annoying as much as possible until the next time they push forward.�
The core shapers are perfect for the task, able to risk their pets in ways we would rather not do with our own members. They harass from range and make probing attacks whenever they get a chance, constantly pushing to prevent the Legion from being able to settle.
�Alright, I need to back off the front for a bit, not sure how long. Keep things steady for the next few hours, alright?� I say.
The two core shapers look a little confused, but readily agree to my request. Full of glee, I scurry away with my pets in tow, keen to put some distance between me and the front. After ten minutes of sprinting, I�m both tired and way too impatient to wait any longer.
FUSION!
[Do you want to fuse the Skills: Advanced Blue Fire Magic Affinity Level 2 (V), Advanced Stone Magic Affinity Level 1 (V), Advanced Gas Magic Affinity Level 1 (V), and Advanced Ice Magic Affinity Level 2 (V)? This will cost fourteen Skill Points.]
Fourteen! Whatever, how many do I have? FOURTEEN? Heck! That was close! Paid!
Immediately, my brain comes alive with a trickling sensation that soaks into every crevice until I can�t feel anything else.
The four rank five Skills are melting down and blending together inside my mind, forming a new pool of knowledge that�s greater than the sum of its parts. Excitement is bursting inside my heart. What will come of this powerful fusion?
My only fear is that it won�t reach my expectations. I was forced into grinding for this due to Gravity Mana speciality not showing up in my Skill list after all this time. Before I moved onto the next tier of magic and started grinding away at it, I wanted to secure the best possible foundation I could for the first tier.
A part of me still regrets that I didn�t stick it out for a rank six fusion, but grinding for so many Levels would take time I just don�t have. I can only hope that what I gained here will be enough to carry my magical offense until more powerful options become viable.
Judging by the flowing information, it just might do! The sheer volume of what�s entering and forming is indicating that this fusion is going to reveal something particularly juicy. All I can do is wait. Like pieces slotting into a puzzle, new knowledge slowly takes shape, each passing moment making the picture that little bit clearer. When I finally understand just what it is that�s forming, I can�t help but clack my mandibles in appreciation.
Holy moly. This isn�t just juicy, it�s a juice
The fusion takes a long time, a period of hours, but what is revealed is well worth the time investment. It�s a new type of construct. Every construct was a fiendish demon puzzle formed of Mana that allows raw, unattributed energy to transform into one of the myriad of types. Forming the construct, maintaining, and operating it, consumes one of my brains most of the time. It�s difficult work that requires fine Mana control and a powerful Will. Like holding a squat, not for minutes, but hours at a time.
This new design took the puzzles I�ve already seen and blew them out of the water. It�s absurd, obscene even. This sort of thing would be censored in any normal society, it wasn�t safe to look at.
This is a globe within a globe within a globe, repeated down to the
molecular level, each level inscribed on the inside
Dammit, Gandalf! What the heck is this thing? Next time I evolve, I�m gonna bite you right in the beard!
I can already tell it�s going to take a lot of practice to even be able to form this construct correctly, let alone do so quickly under pressure. But for what it�s able to do, it will be worth it.
My four elemental Skills are gone, no longer cluttering up my Skills list. Instead, a brand-new Skill has formed in their place: Omni-Elemental Affinity Level 1 (V).
I wasn�t sure what I expected, but this is good. That single construct,
that monstrosity of a contraption, is able to produce
Water Mana? No problem. Ice Mana? Done. Fire Mana? Blue Fire Mana? Wind! Gas! Earth! Stone! Lava! Steam! Mud!
No longer do I have to weave together the combined forms by making the elements separately and forcing them together�something of a hack�an inefficient and wasteful method at the best of times, now I can form them directly! Not only that, the proper spell patterns have been imprinted in my mind along with the construct. It�s as if I�ve been given the specialities of each of the fusion types along with the knowledge of this new construct.
This will be incredibly valuable for me when fighting. If my main sub-mind is able to maintain and operate this construct, then I�ll be able to throw around three different types of elements at once using my other three brains. That would be huge! The flexibility alone. Not having to break down a construct and form another in order to change elements� The amount of mental effort saved during a battle will be massive!
The truly remarkable thing about this fusion is that its true strength won�t be revealed until after my next evolution. Once I�m able to increase the raw oomph of my four brains and master Mind Magic to a sufficient degree, I�ll be able to make use of the Mind Construct technique, stacking multiple minds in each brain! I wouldn�t have just four minds then, I�d have eight, or twelve! And if each of my brains were to form and maintain this new construct� I�d be able to throw out eight or twelve different spells at a time, and every single one of them could be any of the basic Mana elements.
The very thought of being able to switch up my element of attack at a moment�s notice is enough to make me giddy. Always the right tool for the job.
I�m super satisfied with this rank five fusion. Very satisfied indeed! It feels good to achieve goals like this. Now I suppose I need to look at what I need to be training and grinding next� Practising forming the new construct is a massive priority, and after that, I�ll need to focus on Mind Magic. I don�t want to be lagging behind. When the time comes to evolve, everything needs to be ready!
Ah, an ant�s work is never done.
Obviously, my new Skill would be totally useless if I weren�t able to make effective use of it, so all four of my brains are made to practise forming it. Early signs� aren�t good. It�s a nightmare, frankly. The entire thing falls to ribbons in my hands and vanishes into dust.
This construct is a fiendish mass of complexity, it�s like a construct within a construct within a construct. Which, I suppose� is exactly what it is. It�s capable of creating fourteen different types of elemental energy, basically fourteen constructs in one! I�m not deterred, though; thinking back to how difficult I found creating my first construct, I know this is only going to be a matter of time. It�s like playing an instrument, it takes time to memorise exactly how all the pieces fit together.
[Master?]
[Huh? Crinis? What�s up?]
I feel my loyal eldritch terror shift on my carapace.
[How long are you planning to stay here, Master? I know you want some time to spend on your new Skill, but it�s been several hours already.]
Oh, right. The war.
[Thanks for the time check, Crinis. We do have things we need to be about. Let�s go.]
The last part I say to all of my pets, and we gather to return to the front lines. I toss the practice regime onto the sub-brains and let them deal with it whilst I go back to where the action is. I can almost feel my sub-brains shuddering with pain as the load of putting together this monstrosity of a construct lands solely in their lap. They can suck it up! I don�t have the luxury to let them slack off.
In no time at all, we�re back. I didn�t move that far and it�s not like it would move that far in such a short amount of time. I do get a surprise once I arrive at the defensive line in the form of an unexpected visitor.
�Sloan! I�m a little surprised to see you out of the main nest. How are things travelling up there?�
The two generals of the council have been locked in the main nest managing the two-sided conflict to the best of their abilities. We�ve been relying on them to be the organisers and decision makers when it comes to overall strategy, a heavy burden I was only too happy to not be a part of.
She gives a weary wave of an antenna.
�Busy,� she sighs. �Very busy. Things are constantly changing, and the colony is now so large that keeping track of all the moving parts is impossible.�
�Are we really growing that fast? Are the second and third nests operational now?�
�Yes, and producing new brood at full capacity. The Brood Tenders have been in a frenzy, trying to ensure the Academy handles the load. There are still teams out there expanding territory and securing resources for the hatchlings even whilst this conflict goes on. Making sure every area has the resources they need has been difficult.�
That only makes sense. Nothing is more important than the brood and hatchlings, they�re the future of the colony! No matter what is happening out here, the colony has to ensure the next generation is cared for.
�What brings you down here then? Getting bored being locked upstairs? Keen to get your mandibles dirty on the frontlines?� I tease.
�Something like that,� she surprises me. �Victor and I decided we needed to get a better sense of what�s happening, so we each came to a separate battleline. This way, we�ll have a more direct understanding.�
�Are you sure you didn�t just get sick of feeling as if you were hiding in the nest and wanted to experience a bit of danger?� I accuse.
My antennae poke forward in an accusatory fashion, pinning the smaller general on the spot.
�N-no, of course not,� Sloan plays it cool and waves away my concern.
�Hmm,� I eye her with suspicion.
Is it possible that the selfless danger-seeking instincts of the colony are still this prevalent? My re-education campaign will be strict indeed.
�How are things on the other front?� I allow myself to get diverted by the question I really want to ask.
�Bloody. The fighting is much more direct there than here. Sarah has agreed to engage as well, and with her help, we�ve been able to take the fight right to the golgari for the time being.�
I�m shocked.
�Sarah? Really? I really didn�t think she�d be willing� Hopefully, she�s alright.�
It�s hard to imagine that reserved and timid person fighting in a gruesome battle, even if she is a ginormous death bear of doom.
�Things on this front are downright boring in comparison to that,� I shrug. �We�ve just been probing and retreating.�
The general gives me an odd look.
�What?� I ask.
�I�m just surprised you�re being so patient and going along with what we asked, eldest,� she tells me frankly.
I�m tempted to deal out a THWACK for that� but it�s too accurate. I�ve been biding my time waiting for the Skill fusion to occur, patiently grinding Levels. I�ve no need to hold back anymore.
�That may change in the next battle,� I answer and Sloan nods.
�We predicted as much. Victor thought you�d crack earlier, I�m the winner of this bet,� she says, looking smug.
THWACK!
It isn�t long until my newfound lack of restraint is put to the test. The Legion wants to push our lines back faster and faster, it would seem, meaning the harassing core shapers have been pulled back and I, along with the more martial caste members, have been put back on the line of fire.
The overall strategy of the colony is still to give ground to the
Legion, but I intend to make them pay a steeper price this time. You
could say I want them to experience the
Gwehehehehe.
So it is that when the Legion appears before me, advancing upon us once more, I no longer trouble myself with flinging wind. Instead, I power up a Gravity Bomb. It�s been a long time since I tried to harness this level of energy, but my minds work together once again to bring that dark purple Mana out of the Gravitational Mana Gland and begin to compress it into a miniature sphere of crushing power that I�ve come to know and love.
As the Mana becomes denser and more compressed, unruly, and wild, I see a response from the enemy lines. As I thought, with this level of Mana being gathered, it doesn�t take them long to be able to detect it. I can�t even put any attention toward trying to disguise the build-up, since I want all of my mental muscle dedicated to creating the biggest bomb I can.
The reaction is fast from the other side. The Legionaries stop advancing and brace their shield line. From where I stand, I can see their mages move to the front, preparing shields and readying themselves to break apart my spell once I unleash it.
As if I would let it be that easy!
[Let them have it!]
[
Invidia sounds delighted to be let off the chain, his eye shining with a dangerous light.
My minds are pushed to the breaking point. Containing this level of energy isn�t easy, and it doesn�t get easier. One might think my increasing stats and Levels would make this process more manageable, but in fact, all it does is allow me to push further and make a more destructive Gravity Bomb! What sort of moron would keep the power of the spell the same? That would be madness. Madness!
As I squeeze and crush the Mana together, working my minds to the limit of my strength, Invidia floats forward, delighted to be let off the leash. Not just a little let off the leash either, totally free of my many restrictions.
He�s a powerful monster in his own right, this little demon, and I only managed to defeat him based on a superior knowledge of jumping. Now all that power is directed toward the defensive line of the Legion as they await my spell.
It starts with explosions, as it usually does. The tunnel is suddenly rocked with detonations that shake the dust from the stone roof and pierce the oppressive dark with scattered bursts of light.
BOOM! BOOM!
The little ball flits gleefully in the air, his two long, stick-thin arms dangling down past the wide Cheshire-grin that appears beneath his body.
[
His eye flashes bright with green energy as Mana begins to accumulate within the orb. Explosions continue to pummel the shield wall as the envy demon prepares his most powerful attack. The speed he pulls it together still puts me to shame, his eye nearly bursting with Mana before I�m even close to completing my Gravity Bomb. One more evolution and I�ll show you! Damn eyeball.
Ignorant of my own envy, Invidia grins and darts forward, unleashing a terrifying ray of green energy. The eye beam of death lives again! Even focused on my own growing ball of doom, I take particular interest in watching the Legion deal with this situation. The mages brace hard, more barriers springing to life even as they reach out with their minds to break the magic apart. The beam travels so fast, they don�t get much time before it impacts, shattering one shield after the other until it crashes into the front line of soldiers.
Each one supports the other Legionary around them, their defensive shields coalescing into one defensive line. The green ray tries to drill through, a piercing whine rising in the tunnel as the two forces contest each other. Finally, the beam scatters across the face of the shield wall and disperses, having failed to break through.
His eye exhausted of its strength for the time being, Invidia returns to flinging detonations while the Legion�s mages attempt to reinforce their barriers. The little demon doesn�t give them a reprieve, working magic as quickly as only a hyper-specialised monster can.
�Bring the artillery!� I call to the ants around me, causing them to shift.
The Legion is still outside the range of most soldiers, but the scouts who�ve evolved for range will still reach with their acid at this point. Anything we can use to put the heat on them will help, even if only a little. In a few seconds� time, the acid barrage begins to fly over my head, forcing the Legion to defend against the sizzling liquid as well as Invidia�s magic.
I don�t have the minds to pay attention to them anymore, all of my focus is invested in the slowly rotating sphere of Gravity Magic. It has darkened almost to black as I pour every last drop of Mana I can get into it, until I feel as if I�m trying to squeeze a brick inside another brick, or a thought into Tiny�s mind.
All four brains are aching, screaming even, but I keep forcing. I need this one to be big, I�ve no doubt the Legion will be more capable at repelling magic than even the ka�armodo and its servants. Once I can�t take any more, I open my mandibles wide and unleash the beast.
I immediately get a surprise. Turns out even the second stratum can get darker. When the ball of magic appears, that familiar, spine-tingling shriek fills the air.
HOOOOOOOWLLLLLLLLLLLL!
All the air in the tunnel is pulled into the sphere as it travels, vanishing into the impenetrable depths as it goes. Drained as I am, I can see the wall of Legionaries concentrating as they tighten their defence to prepare for the storm.
Prepare all you like. If that thing hits home, you�re going to be in trouble.
The moment I release the Gravity Bomb, the tension rises in the enemy. They could feel the build-up of the spell, they could tell what sort of thing I would be throwing their way. But I highly doubt they could have predicted just what the bomb can do!
I grip the floor tightly with my claws, making sure I�m not sucked forward, and Tiny has to snatch Invidia out of the air, lest the demon be dragged into the maw. The pull of the sphere is so strong, and it hasn�t properly detonated yet!
I�m almost a little fearful of the effect.
Almost as if to allay my fears, I feel a host of minds reach out to break down the spell, ripping into the Mana and dispersing it as best they can before it slams into their ranks. Good luck to you, I know as well as anyone how hard it is to break apart compressed Mana. Still, they manage more than I expect in the short amount of time they have. They frantically tear away at the Gravity Bomb, reducing its power by half when it finally impacts.
There�s a flicker in the darkness and the ball is gone, replaced with a large sphere of slowly rotating pure black that begins to drag in everything it can touch. It lasts for only ten seconds before the mages disperse the spell, but the damage is done. When the bomb is gone and some light returns, the Legionary line is left in shambles. Heavily wounded soldiers are being picked up and dragged away, whilst others step forward to brace their shields toward our position.
I�m almost tempted to try and launch an offensive as they retreat, but I resist the urge. We aren�t prepared for that, no need to snatch a defeat from this victory. The Legion pulls back to nurse their wounds and adjust their strategy as the colony clacks their mandibles. They won�t be so bold as to advance right into my face without properly accounting for my spells now, which means a slower advance, which means more time for the colony.
I�ll take it.
The following day proves that the Legion is being more careful with their approach. I received two experience notifications from the first Gravity Bomb, giving me another Level, but the next assault isn�t as bountiful. More mages, tighter shield walls with more layers. It means they can�t spread themselves out as thinly as before, and their overall forward progress is slower, as they have to sit and wait whilst the magical barrage is underway.
The extra time means a lot to the colony. Every day, around a thousand more ants graduate from the Academy to reinforce our numbers, our Skills improve, and we draw closer to cracking the many technological challenges we face.
The only issue is that we�re running out of territory. The Legion has pushed at us hard, and even though they�ve slowed down, they�ll eventually be knocking at the gates of the nest.
The more I see of them, the more convinced I become that there isn�t much a tier three ant is going to be able to do to these Legionaries. Even in tremendous numbers, I worry that the Legion would be able to cut them down just as fast as they appear. With enough ants, we�d drag them down with us eventually, but I�m not happy about engaging in a strategy that will result in so many deaths. This is my family we�re talking about! The lives lost already are too much!
�Eldest, are you ready?�
�Huh, what?� I snap out of my thinking to find Ellie looking at me.
�Are you coming to the meeting? Sloan wanted to talk to us before she leaves.�
Oh, right.
I follow along in her wake, my pets and babysitters trailing behind. A minute later, we come to a hastily dug out chamber to find the council members present, including Wills, who appeared over the last day.
�What�s happening, people?� I wave an antenna as I enter.
Sloan looks confused, then shrugs and ignores what I said.
�Thanks for coming, eldest. Are all ready?�
Present in the chamber are Sloan, Vibrant, Ellie, Bella, Frances the healer, Wills, and myself. Not a bad showing, all things considered. Each of us nods and settles in for the discussion.
�I wanted to check with you before I head back to the nest and start making decisions about how to deploy our forces. The main idea I want to hear from you on, is a change in our overall strategy on this front.�
That gets my attention.
�A change in what way?� I ask.
�In my opinion, we need to be less passive,� she says. �We haven�t been able to slow them as much as we wanted, and so far, we haven�t seen any sign of them being worn down by our harassment. If things keep going at this pace, we�ll be forced into a battle at the gates of the nest without getting the full measure of our opponents.�
�It�s too risky!� I protest. �So many ants would perish if we did that!�
Isn�t this exactly what I was thinking about before? How come I came to the opposite conclusion that Sloan did?
There�s silence, except from Vibrant, she�s bouncing from side to side clacking her mandibles in a rhythm.
�Eldest, we have to accept that there will be casualties, no matter what we do. There�s no way for us to fight against this Legion without putting our lives on the line.�
�Sure, I get that, but we aren�t talking about just a few, here. If the colony goes hard at those Legionaries, it�s going to be a one-sided massacre!�
All of the ants shift on their legs.
�Eldest� You�re being too protective of us,� Ellie tells me gently. �You can�t fight all of our battles for us. You need to step aside and let us do what we need to do.�
Geh. Are the children all grown up? No! Papa refuses to accept it!
�I hardly think you�re giving me credit. Plenty of our siblings have fallen already! Too many!�
�That�s what we mean,� Bella backs up her sibling. �The conflict has hardly started. We never expected that we�d be able to defend the colony without significant sacrifice, not this time. The enemy is just too strong.�
�Why can�t we just go all in when they reach the gates?� I stubbornly refuse to give up. �We have every advantage there and they�ll be stretched further than before, more fatigued. I don�t see why we need to start attacking them now.�
�Weeeeell,� Vibrant butts in. �I agree with Sloan-Sloan. My generals are getting all worked up, wanting to fight! Have to keep telling them no, but they don�t like it! When they found out the other front is all fighty-smashy, they got super sad and asked if we could go there. We could make it pretty fast I think, we�re all super fast! But I thought we should stay here with the eldest. I think I was right. Was I right?�
�You were right,� Sloan assures her. �We need our best and most powerful soldiers here to ensure that as many ants survive as possible.�
She turns to me.
�That�s what we want you to do, eldest. We want you to do your best to
make sure as many of us survive as possible. But we
The rest of the council members present all agree and my mood sinks. What�s worse is that I know they�re right. The Vestibule doesn�t give me anywhere to hide when it comes to the desires of the ants. Their will is constantly whispered into my being, urging me to act as their instrument. The colony members don�t want to employ this slow retreat, tiring and wearing down their enemies. They want to swarm and bite and tear until nothing moves anymore!
�Fine� you win. If this is what you want, I won�t say no. Just� let�s try and be careful, alright? I really don�t want to see hordes of us fall at the hands of these damn invaders. I want us to preserve our strength if we can.�
The conversation continues after that, but the main topic is dealt with. When Sloan returns to the nest, we�ll employ a more aggressive stance against the Legion.
This is going to be chaotic.
Beyn was troubled in spirit, something he had rarely been during his life. He remembered his time in the seminary, training to serve the Path. Even at that young age, his spirit burned with certainty and divine purpose. He�d risen long before the sun and slept long after it set, devoting his every waking moment to the scripture, his meditations, and the development of his oratory Skills. Such a simple time of purity and growth, one that he was fond of.
But the measure of his devotion in those years paled in comparison to the blaze that would awaken in his later life. With the loss of his arm, an even greater purpose would be revealed to him, a deeper truth. And yet, he was unable to serve as he so desired!
�Priest Beyn. How are you feeling?�
He was dragged from his thoughts by a voice, and he turned to see one of the true believers, Margaret, approaching him with concern.
�I am fine, sister,� he assured her. �My symptoms have abated at last, and I make haste to the temple to join our brethren.�
A look of relief flashed over the middle-aged woman�s face.
�Thank the Great One. We feared the worst when you were returned to us.�
Beyn tried to hide a grimace at the unwanted memory. He�d been unwilling to leave the nest to the point he suffered severe Mana Sickness. A gross oversight on his part. When the illness started, he�d assumed it was due to an oversaturation of joy, but alas�
Without the intervention of Coolant, he might have died down there, but he was saved when he was dragged to the surface by a soldier that gripped him around the waist with its mandibles. Almost all of the brethren who�d joined him in the nest had to be removed in this way, though his symptoms were by far the worst.
The fact he�d been forced to be removed from the nest at such a crucial time was the source of his disquiet. As much as Coolant wanted to keep it quiet, he knew of the great challenge that faced the colony at this time, how could he not sense the tension in the air? More than anything, he yearned to lend his support, to aid and abet the great colony and the Great One as they fended away the evil that threatened to snuff out the miracle of their existence.
He was filled with impotent rage! Bursting with fervour and zeal with nowhere to direct it. If he didn�t find a way to channel these emotions, he might very well explode on the spot.
Margaret joined him on his walk through the streets of Renewal as he headed for the church. Many called out to him, and he waved back with his remaining arm, stopping to exchange a few words here and there with the faithful.
�The people have responded well to the word, haven�t they?� Margaret noted with obvious pride. �I was worried the newcomers wouldn�t be willing to receive our teachings.�
Beyn only smiled.
�How could they deny the truth when it is right before their eyes?� He gestured to one side where an ant was currently helping carry stone blocks for a new construction. The law court would be impressive when it was done. In Beyn�s eyes, this would be largely due to the way the building incorporated the colony, with viewing hatches built into the walls, wide doors to allow them to enter, and the ant-designed seating Beyn witnessed in the nest. In his mind, every building in the town should be able to accommodate the people of the Great One. It was they who illuminated the path for the community, after all.
No matter how pleased he was to be amongst his flock once more, Beyn did not allow his feet to tarry, and Margaret had to hurry to keep up with him. The feelings of helplessness he experienced during his convalescence had built within him, and he needed to be amongst the devoted to seek relief. Perhaps together, they would find a way they could assist their saviours. There had to be something!
The closer he came to the looming stone building, the faster he moved until he�d almost broken into a run, his eyes filled with the grand edifice that fronted the church. They had been truly blessed when they awoke one day to find an ant crafter had risen from the nest and taken an interest in their work. The congregation had watched with bated breath as the colony member inspected their own humble carvings, including the statue of the Great One that featured prominently inside. They were never able to communicate with this mysterious individual, but they must have passed muster, as the blessed creature spent a week working on the church, carving with mandibles and magic with equal skill to transform the once austere and square building into a magnificent work of art.
Even laying his eyes on the structure was enough to soothe the pain in his heart. Beyn struggled to restrain the tears that threatened to fall as he took in the sheer beauty. There were always people who gathered outside to admire it, but Beyn had no time for them today. Normally, he would stay to speak, perhaps even preach, but not today. He moved through the people, barely acknowledging their presence as he rushed to the door and pushed it open.
Inside, a circle of the devoted were already gathered, wearing their robes and attached antennae of glory. As one they turned, and when they saw who arrived, their faces lit up with joy. Heart soaring, the priest was carried on his momentum to greet his people. There was no need for words between them. These were the people who experienced the deeper truth of the colony and its majesty. Within the nest, they�d experienced much together, and had their eyes opened even further�something he had not thought possible. These were the people whose feet were most firm upon the path.
Without speaking, they formed a circle in the centre of the church and communed with their spirits. They all felt the same pain, being unable to reach out and aid their saviours in their time of need. All around the walls, the colony looked down on them. The statues of the Great One looked upon them with patience and wisdom in their eyes.
There had to be a solution, there had to be a way forward. There was always a path!
Together, the congregation communed and prayed. Anguish gripped their hearts, but also hope, along with something new� As time passed, they could feel it building within themselves, and alongside it, excitement built. Minutes turned to hours, but not one of them moved to leave. Instead, their resolve only grew. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved.
A great change was coming.
How could a person describe their connection to the System that governed Pangera? It moved through them, existed within and all around them. It had been part of their lives from the moment they were born. Only those sapients who existed at the moment of descent could have told you the difference between the before and the now.
It was an inescapable, unchosen overseer that applied its rules to all creatures it chose to invest itself in. Yet there were times when the System responded to the people, rather than the other way around. It was an entity of adaptation in many ways. When the world changed around it, it shifted to better represent the circumstances it found itself in.
This change could come as a response to technology, equipment, or tactics. The Abyssal Legion was one such example, their members undergoing such drastic changes and using such specialised arms and armour that numerous new Classes became available to them. Many other cases were known, and many more unknown, across the societies of the world.
What was rarer, was the System responding not only to circumstance, but
to
Such an experience took place inside the Church of the Great One. That
indescribable feeling built within Beyn and his closest followers. They
could feel a powerful emotion building within. An uplifting, a changing,
And then it was done.
[You have met the conditions for a new Class: Antmancer. You can change your Class through the System prompt.]
All eyes flew open at once to stare in shocked incredulity at the person opposite to them, only to find that person looking back with the same expression. In an instant, they knew each had received the same message from the System. In the next second, all eyes flew to Beyn.
He was frozen. As if he�d been struck by a bolt of lightning. His nerves wouldn�t respond, they were jammed. He couldn�t even think about wanting to think. So immobile was he, no breath moved in his body, and he began to turn red.
Then the tears came. Slow at first, they dripped from his eyes and into his lashes, but soon gave way to a raging flood. When they saw this, the congregation joined him, each openly sobbing with joy.
When recalling later, Beyn couldn�t say at which moment he changed his class, and neither could the others. Somehow, during the outpouring of their emotions, they each accessed the System menu and switched their Class without even stopping to consider the benefits and drawbacks of such a change. In fact, they didn�t care. This was a miracle. Another one. Truly, this was the heavens assuring Beyn that his feet had not strayed from the Path that had been laid out before him!
The first they knew of the class change was when they smelled something odd inside the church.
�Lazy,� it said.
Beyn was so shocked he fell to one side and tried to put out his hands to stop his fall, only to realise at the last second that he had but one hand, and face planted on the ground. With pain wracking his body, he looked up from the cold stone floor to see a member of the colony on the wall, watching them.
�Don�t you have work to do?� the ant huffed before turning around and skittering away.
The priest watched it go, completely stunned, as did the congregation around him.
�Priest� Beyn� did you� hear? Or� smell? What I just�� brother John stammered.
From the floor, Beyn�s eyes bulged out of his head as he realised he hadn�t imagined what just happened.
�I did,� he said. Then he roared, �I DID!�
It wasn�t easy for a one-armed person to leap quickly to their feet, yet the priest managed it with alacrity and surprising grace before he sprinted out the door. The others followed, filled with energy just as he was, even if they weren�t sure what he wanted to do. Beyn frantically scanned around the church before he found what he was looking for. Nearby, an ant was seen looking in the window at a potter who was busy at his craft. Without hesitation, he threw himself on the ground before the startled insect.
�Speak unto me of your wisdom!� he cried. �Instruct me so that I might better serve!�
There was a heavy pause as those nearby turned to look with strange expressions at this eminent figure in their community throwing himself into the dirt and trying to speak with an ant monster with his voice. The colony member, a carver, looked at this strange, robed human and the ones who came after with a steady eye.
�These humans need more to do. Too much rest is driving them crazy.�
So saying, the ant flicked its antennae and turned back to watching the strange human art of shaping clay with their� hands.
Emotions ran high amongst the congregation for some time, and it was difficult for any of them to articulate their thoughts as they waited for the emotional high to leave them. Every time they came close to being able to hold a conversation, an ant would appear, tell them to get to work, and the mere fact of being able to process the colony�s pheromone language drove them once more into paroxysms of joy, driving away all rational thought.
Beyn himself experienced waves of euphoria so powerful he nearly lost consciousness several times before he was able to make a break for the interior of the church building. His flock rushed to follow him, and they huddled in a corner out of sight until they were able to calm themselves to the point of holding a whispered conversation.
Beyn raised his face to look at the barely controlled expressions of his brothers and sisters in faith and tried to contain the roaring of his spirit. He needed to be calm in this moment and provide leadership. He was trained for this. He was the closest thing to a System expert in Renewal, and the creation of a brand-new Class in this place was an extraordinary miracle.
He cleared his throat and began to whisper to his people.
�Brothers and sisters, what has occurred today is a miracle.�
He paused to gather himself.
�A miracle,� his voice came out a little stronger this time, and the others watched with bated breath as their leader stopped once more to master himself.
�I apologise. What has occurred here today� IS A MIRACLE!� he roared, his face instantly flushing with excitement.
Once unleashed, his spirit could no longer be contained.
�A MIRACLE! A MIRACLE! A MIRACLE!� He drew a deep breath and thrust his remaining hand to the sky. �A MIIIIIIRRAAAAAAAA��
The others watched with wide eyes as Beyn became more and more red and his voice higher and higher in pitch until the priest�s eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted. Brother Thomas leapt to catch the fallen clergyman�s head before it cracked into the stone floor as several others stepped forward with expert timing to lower their leader. With long, practised precision, they rolled him onto his side and made space to allow him to breathe as they patiently waited.
After a few minutes, Beyn regained consciousness and sat up, causing his head to spin.
�I�m sorry, everyone, I�ve disgraced myself again.�
The others frantically waved their hands to indicate he shouldn�t worry about it. Beyn accepted their feelings with gratitude and tried to speak once more.
�We have witnessed something� very special here today. I can tell you that as someone trained in this knowledge. It can only be said that our powerful desire to aid the colony, combined with our fervour, has been recognised by the System itself and given us a path forward. Let us commune and confirm the details of our new Class.�
For the next few minutes, the flock spoke in hushed tones, unwilling to lose themselves to emotion at this critical juncture. Together, they were able to make note of the abilities their new class gave them and check to see that they were all identical.
The name of the Class: Antmancer!
It suggested to Beyn that it was a type of mage or support class, specialising in ants somehow. The stat gain per Level was an interesting blend of three main stats rather than the high priority given to two that most classes experienced.
Per Level, +2 Toughness, +2 Cunning, and +3 Will. A gain of seven stats was more than respectable. Beyn could only think this was the power of a newly formed Class. The stat gain was an important clue to its purpose, Beyn knew as much. It was a signpost. Even without considering the Skills that were gained, he could tell this would be a mental-focused class that required endurance. Toughness and Will, the defensive pair, were emphasised here. The Cunning would provide power to their Skills.
The all-important Skills. It took some time for the group to whisper to each other before they were confident they understood all that the System was telling them. The Core Class Skill was a magical passive that allowed them to understand pheromones at rank one. Beyn told the group he thought it highly likely that as they ranked up the Skill, it would allow them to communicate back. To produce pheromones of their own, through Mana, and speak with the ants as easily as they spoke to other humans.
Each of them only received one other Skill upon accepting the class: Formica Sapiens Inspiration. By utilising it, they would be able to provide powerful bonuses to both ants and other humans. Once they�d confirmed the description, the nature of this glorious happening became clearer to the one-armed priest.
Their purpose was made yet more clear. They were to be the bridge
between the ants and those around them. They would allow the humans of
Renewal to fight alongside the colony, for only when they battled
alongside
�We must prepare,� Beyn whispered, �for the crusade.�
Enid was tired, yet energised. She found herself constantly in this state as of late. There were never enough hours in the day for all the things that needed to be done, which meant she was constantly on the run. Difficult for a woman of her age. At the same time, she was enthused to rise to the challenges of her new home.
From the tragedy that Garralosh inflicted on the people living on the frontier, they had brought about a miracle of rebirth with the help of the colony. The town of Renewal grew at a pace that could only be described as dizzying. They�d been able to grow a new community so quickly, and with such harmony! If someone had told her how well the people would do when they started, she�d have refused to believe it.
She�d returned to the community after negotiations had been completed with the representatives of Rylleh. They�d bargained as hard as any merchant in the end, a testament to what people with their backs against the wall were capable of. With the threat of the colony behind her, though, there was little they could do to enforce their bluster. The terms were settled to the satisfaction of the nest and, for the most part, the city was satisfied.
�Mayor,� a voice called her back to the present.
Enid turned to see her assistant, Ruth, approach, a rather worried expression on her face. Usually a steady young woman, it was a rare day that she looked so unsettled. Enid could immediately guess the root of the problem.
�What�s he done this time?� she sighed.
How the hell that damnable priest managed to screw something up so quickly, she could only imagine. When she�d checked on him yesterday, he was still convalescing from his Mana poisoning. He should be barely out of bed!
�He and the faithful have gathered in the square, he�s really preaching up a storm down there.�
�Sounds like normal behaviour to me. What�s the issue?�
Ruth hesitated.
�It�s just� some of the claims being made are quite extraordinary. The crowd is really being whipped into a frenzy. Half of Renewal is down there already.�
�
In the square, a large crowd had gathered to listen as the priest spoke of the miracle that occurred, his booming voice captivating the attention of everyone who heard it.
�THE TIME HAS COME!� he orated. �TO RISE! TO STEP FORWARD AND BE COUNTED! OUR SAVIOURS, THE COLONY, BATTLE FOR THEIR VERY SURVIVAL BENEATH THE GROUND. THEY SAVED OUR LIVES, REBUILT OUR HOPES AND DREAMS, AND GAVE HOPE TO THOSE WHO HAD NONE!�
He took a breath before he continued with even greater fervour than before.
�I KNOW HOW YOU HAVE FELT! TO STAND ON THE SIDELINE, POWERLESS TO GIVE
AID! I TOO, HAVE EXPERIENCED THAT CRUSHING DISAPPOINTMENT.
Beyn was never more in his element than when addressing a crowd. His Skills in this area were high Level, and more than that, his experience over years of delivering fiery sermons had honed his instincts to a fine point. He could already sense the restless energy building in his audience, getting ready to reach a fine crescendo.
�WITH OUR NEW CLASS, THE ANTMANCER, GRANTED TO US ON THIS VERY DAY, WE SHALL BE ABLE TO STAND SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH OUR ANT SAVIOURS AND REPAY OUR DEBTS!�
The rumbling in the crowd grew stronger as he continued to exhort them with this great miracle. Beyn possessed a stellar reputation for honesty and good dealings within the community, there were none who would doubt his word. Even in matters of the colony, he was strictly factual�according to his worldview. It�s not like he had to make things up to impress on people the good works of the colony.
�REMEMBER, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!� He thrust forward an accusatory
finger. �THE PEACE YOU EXPERIENCE NOW, A PEACE THAT THE COLONY FOUGHT
AND
Some in the crowd shifted at his words. Love for the colony was strong amongst these people, they weren�t happy that their saviours were forced to fight whilst they themselves were powerless to help.
�TAKE HEART AND PREPARE YOURSELVES, MY PEOPLE! WE ARE PREPARING TO LAUNCH A GREAT CRUSADE INTO THE DUNGEON! WE WILL FIGHT ALONGSIDE THE COLONY AND ENSURE OUR FUTURE TOGETHER WITH OUR OWN HANDS! GATHER TOGETHER ALL WHO ARE WILLING! ONLY TOGETHER CAN WE��
Beyn�s mind was razor-focused on the audience and his own speech. They were his instrument, and modulations of his powerful voice seized their attention and didn�t let it go. His presence demanded their attention. Similarly, speaking in such a precise, weaponised way was draining on the priest. His focus on the crowd was absolute.
Which is why nobody saw the book flying through the air until it slammed into the side of his head.
WHAM!
Both the audience and Beyn were stunned as he stumbled to the side and fell to the ground. After he gathered his senses, he turned to see Enid storming toward him from the council building.
�WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT PRIEST!� she roared when she got her hands on him.
Beyn looked up at her, shocked.
�I�m spreading the word of our miracle and calling the people to action. What else was I supposed to do? We need to help the colony, Enid!�
The mayor leaned down to glare at him from point-blank range, the fire in her eyes burning bright.
�We�re talking about people�s lives, Beyn! They�ll die! Remember that!�
�I am prepared to die for the colony!� he said.
�I don�t care about that�any idiot can die! Are you willing to raise the
orphans who will be left behind? Are you willing to do that? Are you
willing to bury the dead and speak solace to those who
Only then did Beyn realise the folly of his actions. His powerful Skills in oration were a heavy responsibility, his ability to persuade was almost magical. What�s more, he had a responsibility to this community as its priest! He�d been so eager to spread the word of this new miracle, he hadn�t paused to consider the best way to do it.
Frantic, he looked out over the crowd only to see the intense energy he�d generated in them hadn�t decreased, if anything the opposite was true. Men and women were shouting and cheering, hoisting weapons into the sky. Already, some had found nearby Colony members and were kneeling and praying before them in readiness. The euphoria he�d felt only moments ago faded away with the grim reality of the miracle that had been granted to them. Fighting alongside the ants meant dying alongside them. It was something to be celebrated, but also mourned.
But nothing could stop it now. The humans were coming.
Titus stifled his grimace as he walked from the battlefield. To others who looked at him, he was as stone faced and unshakable as ever, but inside, he was tired. High stats and the superhuman abilities of a powerfully Levelled Legionary were able to sustain him for a long time, longer than almost any other type of soldier on Pangera, but not forever.
A few days ago, by the Legion, only a few days? Yes, just a few days ago, the ants had escalated the conflict, no longer content to delay and cede ground. The rise in intensity required that Titus and his troops match their fervour.
�Are you alright, Commander?�
Titus recognised the voice of his daughter, and her concern. She knew better than most that he hadn�t rested in almost a week.
�Fine,� he replied.
He heard a doubtful snort from behind him and nearly smiled. Morrelia had not learned grace as she aged, much like her mother.
�I didn�t expect that you would need to fight so much yourself, isn�t it a bit overkill for you to show up?� she asked.
Without turning, Titus gestured for his daughter to walk by his side.
After a moment, she was there, her hands resting easily on the hilts of
her blades. Although she appeared relaxed and confident on the surface,
Morrelia�s emotions were far from settled. Battling against the colony
was still something she couldn�t bring herself to do, and fortunately,
she hadn�t had to up to this point. Even though Titus had entered the
fight, even as one of his assigned guards, she simply didn�t have any
opportunity
The colony had adapted quickly to his appearance on the field and began to avoid combat the moment they spotted him, something Morrelia was more than grateful for.
�Time is against us in this campaign, daughter. The insects are being careful, trying to force us to expend our strength and waste our time. Every day that passes, our supply lines grow longer, our Legionaries more weary, and for what? Are we even killing the creatures faster than they are replacing themselves?�
The commander�s hand gripped tight around the handle of his axe before he relaxed again. The spirit trapped within raged without end, but he crushed it with his Will after a brief struggle. Whenever he grew frustrated, angry, or tired, the foul beast would attempt to break him. Laughable.
�Unless we gain access to their nest and kill every Queen we find, we won�t be able to make real progress. Once that�s done, we can take our time to hunt down and extinguish every individual.�
Morrelia remained silent, thoughts turbulent.
�It doesn�t bother you at all that they�re sapient?� she asked.
Titus raised a brow. �No.� He placed a hand on the armoured shoulder next to him.
�They are monsters, born from Mana. They are the children of the Dungeon, and it is that which they serve. I�m surprised I would need to explain this to you, of all people.�
The young Legionary beside him didn�t reply immediately and Titus continued on toward his own lines at his usual long stride. Behind him, several squads were in the process of making meticulous checks over the defences the ants had just abandoned. No matter how many times the Legion foiled their traps and ambushes, the blasted bugs never stopped trying. He knew they didn�t even expect them to work, they just wanted to slow down and exhaust his soldiers.
Against other opposition, it would have worked, too.
�I suppose I�m just not used to fighting monsters that can think and feel,� Morrelia sighed, hiding her true feelings within.
He nodded. This was something every delver who achieved the strength to reach the lower strata had to deal with. Though rarely would anyone encounter it in the second strata of all places. Monsters became more intelligent, built societies, traded, and formed relationships.
But it didn�t change what they were, fundamentally. When the Cataclysm occurred, the old Legion records showed these supposedly �peaceful� creatures had rallied behind the Ancients and helped lay waste to the surface. The Legion never forgot and never forgave. For them, the war had never ended.
�Not to worry,� he told her. �You�ll come to see the way of things, in time. Follow in the footsteps of the veterans and you can�t go wrong.�
He didn�t notice the slight sigh his daughter released behind her helmet.
�I suppose so,� she said.
When they returned behind the lines, Titus waved her away as he went to consult with the officers, leaving Morrelia with some precious time to her own thoughts. Though it didn�t last long.
�Hey, Morr!� called Myrrin who approached enthusiastically. �How are you?�
The berserker smiled to see such a friendly face.
�Tired. Where are you getting your energy?�
The archer grinned. �Just got off break. Rested and ready to go! They put five hundred of us back in camp for some shuteye. Seems they want to make a big push before the reinforcements come.�
Caught in the middle of nodding her understanding, Morrelia froze. �Reinforcements?�
�Yup, about time too! I heard the commander put the request in pretty much the second we landed here. Not sure how many are coming, hopefully another Legion at least. Then we�ll be able to smash our way through these bugs.�
Myrrin sounded particularly fierce by the end of her statement, revealing the depth of her antipathy toward the colony, taking Morrelia aback.
�I didn�t think you were so eager to kill them,� she said, a little stiffly.
She got an �are you crazy?� look in return.
�They�re
It was true. The fighting had grown more intense, and even though the ants were being killed, the Legionaries were too. The grim rage within the Legion camp had only risen to new heights with each passing day as more of their members fell. The cumulative effect of her doubts and this new information was enough to make Morrelia ill. She needed some air.
�I�ll catch up with you later, Myrrin. Good luck out there.�
Myrrin tried to catch hold of her friend, but she evaded her grasp and slipped amongst the rows of tents and out of sight. The young woman stared after Morrelia with worry, only to turn back to her duties. Morrelia was tough as nails forged from larger, tougher nails. Whatever was bothering her, she could handle it.
Nearly� there� just a bit more� I need to just� get this bit� No! Stupid sub-brain, hold that bit steady! GAH! Other sub-brain! What the hell are you doing over there? Just hold it steady!
Cursing at my own minds whilst my other minds grumble back at me is confusing enough, but the four separate brains manage to steady the ship, and I work frantically to slot the final pieces of the construct into place.
Once the last frame is put in place I nearly wince, expecting the thing to explode in my face, but to my surprise, it holds together, suspended in my mind and maintained by my main sub-mind. Although, just holding the thing in place is exhausting to that mind. The construct is so complicated I don�t think the one sub-mind can even operate it whilst holding it together.
Maintaining a construct isn�t as easy as just holding a ball in your hand. It�s more like keeping the molecular structure of the ball in mind at all times, as if it were your will that held it together, rather than physics. Which is exactly what�s happening here. The construct will only hold together so long as I actively hold its shape. Without that conscious effort, it will dissolve like snow in an oven.
But FINALLY! It�s complete! It took so much practice I thought I was
going to go mad, but it�s
Not wanting to push too hard, I get one of the smaller sub-minds to carefully feed a little Mana into the construct. Ever so slowly, the Mana seeps out of my core and is then directed into the all-purpose opening. Once the Mana is inside, things get a little more interesting. Since the unattributed Mana can take any of a dozen paths throughout the structure, it requires fine control to navigate the desired route and produce the element I want.
My sub-mind strains hard to maintain such a delicate grip on the energy, but eventually, the construct rotates and spits out a tiny amount of Fire Mana. Enough to heat a sausage. It�s pathetic, and not nearly as much Mana as I can produce from the Fire Construct with half the effort. Even so, I�m happy with the result.
This represents progress! Soon enough, I�ll be able to form the construct without having to commit every mind to it. Like any instrument, only diligent practice will allow me to operate the construct without consciously thinking about every little piece. Eventually, I�ll be able to spit out as much of whatever type of Mana as I want.
Since I have the construct up and running, I decide to continue practising with it, directing my two smaller sub-minds to operate it whilst I go about my business. Even with the constant regeneration provided by the colony within range of the Vestibule, I won�t be able to maintain this level of effort continuously, but I should be able to hold onto it for a few hours.
[Have you succeeded, Master?] Crinis asks.
[I have!] It�s hard to keep the pride from leaking into my tone.
[Congratulations, Master! I expected it would only be a matter of time.]
[Why thanks, Crinis. I appreciate the vote of confidence. How goes your own magic practice?]
[I continue to focus solely on Shadow Magic. I have been able to make progress, but it�s been slow.]
[Don�t forget to work on your Mind Mana,] I remind her. [With enough brain power, you�ll be able to make use of the Mind Constructs. Once you can do that, your training speed in other areas will multiply.]
[Of course, Master. I�ll rededicate myself.]
No-no, I think you�re plenty dedicated� Rather, don�t you dare get any more dedicated than you are now!
My pets and I are huddling in a side tunnel, getting some mandated rest whilst the scouts are out with the core shapers, trying to get a sense of the Legion�s next move. Not far away, a steady stream of wounded continues to be taken from the forward field hospital to a more robust setup closer to the nest. Healers skitter about, anxiously tending to the much larger castes in their care. Since the healers are too small, it generally falls to soldiers to grip their injured siblings in their mandibles and carry them with care whilst the healers run alongside, ensuring they remain stabilised.
Those with minor injuries will heal themselves within a few hours at the front with regenerative fluid and Biomass. The more seriously injured, those with missing legs or large chunks of carapace sheared away, will likely take days to be combat ready again.
As I�d warned, the fighting had grown brutal once the colony made the decision to challenge the Legion. A flood of reinforcements arrived from the nest shortly after Sloan returned, sent to help us brace the line. Even with our vastly superior numbers, it was just way too difficult to bring the armoured tin cans down. My pets and I were able to help sway the fight tremendously wherever we were, but we just couldn�t be on every battlefield at once.
Thank goodness I never ran into the axe-wielding demon again. I was quite happy when the others adopted my suggestion to just abandon whatever field he turned up in. We�d have to face him down eventually, but until we were forced to, putting ants in front of him was just throwing away the lives of our family. Unacceptable!
�Working hard, eldest?�
�You�ve had enough rest, haven�t you?�
�If you don�t hurry, we won�t leave any fighting for you to do!�
The passing ants, even the injured ones, call out to me as they go, their spirits undaunted by the escalating challenge. I give a wave with an antenna as they go, their voices whispering within the Vestibule. If anything, the mood of the colony has only been rising the harder the fight has gotten. Giving away territory without fighting over it had gone against their ant nature, and now that they are permitted to, they leap into the battle with joy and ferocity.
[Fight?] Tiny rumbled, as if sensing my thoughts.
I�m about to tell him to sit on his big hairy butt and wait when I spot a general rushing through the tunnels turn toward us.
[Seems so,] I tell him. [Rest time is over.]
A massive grin splits the face of the ape, his eyes darkening to a deep shade of red as anger kindles in his heart.
With reluctance, I let the construct dissolve and give my brains a chance to rest as the battle draws nearer. I�m still not proficient enough with it to employ the thing in battle, better to give my all to pump out a Gravity Bomb and then do what I can to support the ants around me.
No matter how sneaky I get, the bombs haven�t managed to inflict any casualties after the first, but if I stop throwing them, then perhaps the Legion would start to spread their numbers thinner and push us harder on a wider front, something I don�t want. So every fight starts with a bang, so to speak, as long as I�m around, just to keep them on their toes.
�Are you ready, eldest?� Wills asks as my pets and I arrive at the front.
�Rested as I�ve ever been,� I lie. �How about you? Manage to get a bit of torpor in between battles?�
My antennae poke forward in an accusatory manner. The scout backs up defensively.
�There wasn�t time, eldest! I swear!� She continues to retreat as I move forward. �I�ll get some rest after this one, I promise! Two hours!�
I raise an antenna.
�Fine! Four hours! That�s all I can spare!�
I lower the appendage.
�I�m not trying to bully you,� I tell her. �But you have to remember that rest is a weapon. We need our decision makers to be sharp and thinking clearly, not fatigued and run off their feet. If we make mistakes, our family pays the price. Don�t forget it.�
I�ll conveniently skip the fact that I just spent my allocated rest time practising a fiendishly difficult Mental Construct and burned through my mental reserves just before showing up to a fight. Thankfully, I have the Vestibule in my back pocket, which means I�ll be able to recover to nearly peak condition soon enough, even if the emotional fatigue is starting to weigh on me.
�I know, eldest. It�s just hard to find the time, there�s a ton of stuff to do��
�As if every member of the colony isn�t saying the same thing since the day they were born?� I ask sceptically. �Find some scouts you can trust to help cover you for a few hours, it�s not that hard. Get some damn rest!�
Perhaps sensing the incoming �THWACK!� the scout dashes away to help organise the artillery as the front line of ants begins to take shape around the defences. The closer we get to the nest, the more thorough and elaborate the preparations the carvers have been able to make. Where once were simple tunnels, walls, and ambush points now are pitfall traps, rock falls, hardened rock stakes, reinforced compacted stone barricades, and more. I can only imagine how irritating it is for the enemy to clear one set of walls after a tough fight, only to find an even more elaborate set of walls waiting a kilometre farther up the tunnel.
Still, it hasn�t been enough to stop them. Even as the ants form themselves into silent ranks, layer on layer of ferocious insects ready to fight, the Legion has begun to form up opposite us. Similarly, they are strangely quiet as they arrange themselves in rows of heavily armed soldiers, their faces hidden behind the steel plating of their helmets.
Won�t be long now.
I start pouring my Gravity Mana out to form the Gravity Bomb, not even bothering to try and hide what I�m doing. I�ve positioned myself at the front of the line and they clearly see me, so I don�t see what the point would be. After almost ten of these conflicts over the last few days, the process has become somewhat routine. Indeed, things begin to follow an expected pattern. Recognising my presence, the Legion soldiers begin their measured approach in the face of a hail of spells and acid, their barriers holding tight against the offensive.
When the Gravity Bomb is ready, I unleash it upon them, the horrifying darkness and screaming of the air driving away all thought of anything else. The enemy responds smoothly, doing everything they can to weaken the magic from the second I unleash it. Even with Invidia helping to distract them with all the magic he can, the soldiers stand firm and manage to disperse the spell by combining their efforts. Still, I can see the toll it takes. Several mages are forced to retire to the rear of the Legion forces, totally spent by the mental effort of resisting the bomb.
With the main threat dealt with, the advance begins anew, steady and slow as the colony continues to fling everything they have. After a few moments to rest, I whip around and unleash some acid as fast as I can. This much is totally standard by this time, things are proceeding as expected. If it continues along the usual lines, I anticipate we�ll see a charge from them soon, followed by a full-on melee until we eventually retreat.
Except there�s something that isn�t going as expected. Rather than his usual restless moping during this part of the battle, Tiny is agitated, thumping his chest, and bellowing his rage at the encroaching Legion soldiers. The great ape�s eyes have turned a deep red and lightning has already begun to crackle and jump in the air around him.
[Hey, Tiny, you alright, buddy?] I ask, concerned.
He doesn�t respond, instead raising himself higher to shake his fists at the enemy and blast them with arcing bolts of electricity. When his blows fail to leave much of an impact, his anger grows even stronger, his snarls and bellows reaching a deafening crescendo.
[Whoa there, big guy. Don�t do anythi�]
Too late.
Gripped by his fury and desire for battle, the massive ape unfurls his dark wings and leaps forward from the wall, hurtling himself toward the Legion in a spectacularly Leeroy-like course of action.
[What are you doing, you idiot?] I mentally roar at him, but he isn�t listening. [Invidia! Get after him!]
[
[What will we do, Master?]
[We�ll have to go after him!] I grimly reply to Crinis, already climbing over the wall.
I don�t know what in the name of heck has possessed the moron, but he�s gone right over the deep end. Perhaps the simple fact he hasn�t had a satisfying fight in over a week of battles has been enough to drive him over the edge? Having to retreat and fall back constantly isn�t exactly the sort of thing Tiny is built to do. Regardless of the reason, I need to try and save that idiot before he gets himself killed!
It happens so quickly I don�t have time to speak to the confused ants before I�m over the wall and Dashing in, desperate to catch up to the bounding bat-gorilla. With those dark wings of his, he can really cover the ground quickly with a combination of leaps and flaps.
Come on. DASH!
My legs strain, and I fling more acid at the enemy with desperate energy to close the distance. Behind me, I can see the colony scurrying to change their plans as wave after wave of soldiers, generals, scouts, and the shadow pets of the shapers pour over the top of the wall and charge across the open ground.
I swear to God, Tiny, if this goes bad, I�ll THWACK you until you�re nothing but a gorilla-shaped outline on the wall!
Completely ignorant of the rising tide of my indignation, Tiny continues to bellow with a mix of pure rage and joy as he bounds faster and faster toward the Legion. When he�s still thirty metres away, he hurls himself into the air, wings spread to their limit as he explodes with electricity, channelling the energy into his giant fists. Those great hands shine so bright with the concentrated Lightning Mana that they�re blinding, and I almost stumble in my charge across the uneven ground.
Even the Legion is forced to block their eyes as they raise their shields, maintaining their strong barriers. Without me ordering him to, Invidia weaves Mana around Tiny with incredible skill, creating shield after shield to protect the stupid monkey from his own offense. In a moment of inspiration, I hastily weave together a few Gravity Bolts and fire them at Tiny when he reaches the peak of his jump, increasing his weight.
He falls like a collapsing star, smashing into the gathered shields of the Legion and shattering them with a deafening thunderclap.
I don�t know what shocked me more, the fact Tiny managed to land without getting himself killed, or that he actually broke through the layered shields and barriers of the Legion. Since he accomplished the impossible, I�m not about to let the chance slip by.
�GO-GO-GO-GO-GO-GO-GO!� I flood the tunnel with a wave of commanding pheromones that batter into the antennae of the ants behind me, driving them into a frenzied wave of insects.
[Crinis, I need you to go big on this one, alright? Keep your losses below fifty percent, though.]
[I�ll do my best, Master.]
Crinis acknowledges my order and I feel her gathering Mana a moment before she slips off my carapace and into the shadows of the tunnel, vanishing without a trace.
[Go hard, Invidia! Keep Tiny alive if it�s at all possible!]
[
[Good boy.]
As Tiny�s huge body slams into the ranks of the Legion, dust and debris flies in a wide circle, obscuring the scene. I can hear a ton of shouting, screaming, and the omnipresent ring of steel. But those sounds are driven away by a piercing scream that detonates inside the tunnel.
It�s Tiny! The dumb ape has unleashed his primal scream in an effort to stun the Legionaries. Even more powerful than before, the waves of sound are enough to blow my antennae back into my carapace. I swear I can feel my eyes being pressed back into my head! What it feels like standing right next to him, I have no idea, but it sure can�t be pleasant.
Well, that�s for the Legion to worry about, not me.
Desperately hoping the scream was enough to keep my first pet alive for a few more seconds, I drive my legs even harder to arrive that split second faster, my minds weaving Mana at a dizzying pace.
POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!
An endless stream of acid blasts flies from the back zone, the hungry acid falling in a rain on the massed Legion soldiers. Every little thing that can help is going to be needed now. Just as I approach the front line, the dust begins to clear, and I see the wall of shields braced right in my face.
Awww, hell.
BAM!
I slam face-first into the Legion lines and the resistance is fierce, but my momentum is just too much to be stopped. I crash through the shields, sending soldiers flying as my legs scramble and I lose my balance, collapsing in a heap within the tight ranks of the enemy.
Not good! Gravity Domain!
My sub-brains force out the sphere of dark purple Mana, making the space around me heavier. It probably won�t help much against the powerful soldiers, but I�ll take anything I can get. Once that job is done, I pick myself up and start chomping like a mad thing. Surrounded by stupid armoured soldiers, how the heck am I supposed to miss?
CHOMP!
Despite only just getting back to my feet, I can already feel the blows beginning to rain down on my Diamond Carapace. If they are given a few more seconds, the Legionaries will begin to coordinate their attacks and rip into my precious exo-skeleton. Fortunately, they don�t get that much time.
�FOR THE COLONY!�
The horde of ants slam into the disordered Legion force and washes over
them like a wave. The front row of ants batter into the shields of their
foes, and the ants behind simply climb over the top of them and throw
themselves into the fray. Followed by the ants behind them, and the ants
behind
[TINY! Where the hell are you?] I call mentally to my pet.
[FIGHT!] comes the roar back at me.
[OBVIOUSLY, YOU IDIOT! BUT WHERE?]
Forget asking him, I�ll just have to find him. The battlefield is now a tangle of ants, Legionaries, and shadow beast pets embroiled in a grand melee. I can�t see anything in any direction. All around, the crush of bodies presses against me, buffeting me from side to side and it�s hard to make headway.
[Crinis, any idea which way I need to go to find my way to Tiny?]
[Yes, Master! Head to your left!]
[Great! �Which way is left? Wait, I think I got it.]
I feel bad about distracting Crinis when she�s about to make her entrance, but I really can�t tell where the heck I am. Once I think I�ve worked it out, I orient myself and just start shoving and chomping whenever I see a flash of metal.
After a few moments, the darkness around me begins to deepen as the light drains away. From out of the deepest patches of black snake long, barbed limbs that coil around any Legion soldier unfortunate enough to take their notice. Once they take hold, the tentacles contort and twist, and the sound of shrieking metal fills the air as Crinis begins to try and cut her way through the Legionary armour.
I manage to blast through enough of the melee that I meet up with Tiny, and the sight is something to behold. The great ape is bloody, cuts all over his body staining his fur and making him look like some form of nightmare creature. Despite his numerous wounds, a fierce grin is plastered across his bat-face as he swings his massive fists in a dizzying display of speed and power. Lightning surges across his body and darts down his hands whenever he strikes, blasting those foolish enough to get in his way with electrical discharges that smoke straight through their armour. Even so, the number of strikes directed at Tiny is ridiculous, and even Invidia isn�t able to block them all.
Come on!
Gritting my mandibles, I throw my body forward and use my own frame to shield my friend from the barrage directed toward him. At the same time, I trigger my regeneration gland and allow the liquid to flush through my system, helping to restore my HP even as I lose it.
[Come on, Tiny! Time to fight our way out!]
Tiny�s fists are a sight to behold. Tireless and dauntless, his hands flash out faster than the ant eye can see, each strike accompanied by a flash of light as fists of pure energy materialise and crash into his targets like trucks. He winds up and unleashes a devastating uppercut that starts at his feet and finishes above his head. An arc of light materialises from the fist and rises underneath a Legionary soldier and lifts them with tremendous force to crash into the ceiling.
Holy heck! That had to hurt.
Despite the spectacular success of that swing, Tiny received numerous cuts and strikes during the wind up and recovery. He can�t afford to take much more damage! Get back, you tin cans! Get back!
Doom Chomp!
The intimidating jaws of dark energy gnash and bite at the swirling melee around us. It�s hard to penetrate the powerful armour of the Legion, but I know I manage to get a few good bites in here and there as I use my body as a living shield for Tiny. Invidia is doing all he can to distract the enemy and keep his ape charge standing, healing and shielding Tiny in a dizzying display of magical prowess. So far, it�s just enough to keep the big guy swinging, along with my own impressive Diamond Carapace absorbing its fair share of blows.
In fact, would it be fair to say they are targeting me more than Tiny right now?
A barrage of weapon strikes flash through the darkness at me, carving gouges in my carapace and knocking my weight around. My nerves allow me to make precision, last-second dodges that keep my legs attached to my body and protect my eyes from being punctured. The battlefield truly has descended into a complete mess, with fanatical ants literally throwing their bodies at the enemy, crawling over the roof, and dropping onto the Legion from above.
More and more ants join the fray until the entire tunnel is a seething mass of ants. Once the numbers get high enough, Tiny and I can finally relax, since there aren�t enough soldiers with a clear shot at us to cause significant issues. Once they realise they can�t claim the major prize, the enemy begins a fighting retreat. When they group together, the Legion soldiers are adept at layering their shields and combining their strikes to sweep away a number of ants at once, giving themselves breathing room to try and free more of their allies.
I push forward, attempting to stay on the front lines in order to protect my siblings, but there�s so darn many of them, I�d have to crush them in order to get through. After ten minutes of shoving and snapping whenever I can, I suddenly find myself alone in the field.
Did� did we win?
�FOR THE COLONY!�
�CHARGE!�
�GET �EM!�
The colony has clearly not had enough of chomping on the Legion. The ants surge, hungry to extract their full measure of vengeance now that they finally have the upper mandible.
[Crinis! Block them! Don�t let the colony pursue them!]
The Legion has been diligent in seizing our strongholds and bringing their line forward in unison. I�ve no doubt that if we chase them down the tunnel, we�ll run into traps and reinforcements. If we aren�t careful, they�ll flip this victory into a defeat before we can blink!
The horde of ants give chase, but the shadows deepen beyond black in front of them and a mass of tentacles rises from the floors. In the blink of an eye, a forest of dark, writhing limbs have risen in front of them, blocking the path of the charge.
�Get back!� I call. �Get back to our walls!�
With persistent calls and the odd THWACK! I manage to get the colony turned around. I get that they�re excited, but I sure as heck don�t want to lose any more of them. Indeed, the battlefield is littered with wounded and fallen ants. They may have managed to pile on and get within biting range of the Legion for a change, but that doesn�t change the fact that those armoured soldiers pack a ridiculous punch in a small package.
The healers are already out in full force, gathering up the wounded and providing emergency treatment. Nutritious Biomass is delivered to those in most need to help kick-start the natural healing process and get them back on their feet faster. I ask Invidia to help out where he can as I wearily survey the battlefield. It was a short and sharp conflict, but I�m completely exhausted. I might actually need some torpor after that one.
I wander around and find Tiny slumped against the wall with a satisfied smile on his face and his body covered in wounds. I almost call Invidia to take care of the ape, but I stop myself when I realise most of the injuries are already closed. Even so, he must have come close to losing all of his HP multiple times in that fight. I swear at one point, I saw him with one arm barely hanging on. Even with Invidia in his back pocket, he still isn�t protected enough to make it out of engagements like this in one piece.
[You dumb gorilla,] I sigh at him. [Fighting is good and all, but you need to make it out alive or it doesn�t count.]
[Harr,] he scoffs and then winces as his wounds flare up.
[You deserve that. Rest, you big lug, I�ll try and get some food for you.]
Unsurprisingly, his eyes light up at the mention of food and he nods at me with vigour. Predictable.
�Quite the unexpected fight, eldest.�
Gah! I didn�t even notice Wills creep up on me, I was so preoccupied.
�Don�t blame me,� I say. �I had nothing to do with it. Tiny decided he wanted to fight today.�
�Turns out it was a good thing he did. The real question I have, though, is what we�re going to do with all of that.�
With a flick of her antennae, the scout indicates the two dozen or so suits of armour being dragged away toward our own walls.
�I can think of an ant who might want to take a look at those��
The hammer of anvils and the searing heat of metal surrounded Smithant on all sides and she couldn�t be happier.
�How do I manage this part?� another carver asked, scuttling up to her.
�Ah, the folding? It�s like this�� She explained the process with care and demonstrated some of the techniques on her own workbench as the other ant watched with laser-like focus.
�I understand,� the carver nodded. �I�ll make an attempt and return to see what you think.�
So saying, the ant ran off to her own workspace, another anvil soon ringing in chorus with the others. It felt so nice to have helpers! It was only weeks ago when she was labouring on these projects by herself. Only weeks? It seemed like a lifetime ago. After breaking through with her Skills and forging the first suit of enchanted ant-armour for Leeroy, she�d managed to receive the blessing of the eldest and, suffice to say, the word of the most important ant in the colony went a long way toward getting approval.
With more resources at her disposal, and the help to make use of them, the armour workshop of the colony was now a small thriving community of armoursmiths, dedicated to their profession with the sort of unflinching fanaticism that came so naturally to the ants.
Filled with pleasant feelings and eager to return to her own work, Smithant was more than a little irritated to hear a clamour as a horde of ants descended into the workshop, taking up space and hauling what appeared to be heavy sacks filled with the unmistakable tinkle of metal on metal. At least they were interrupting her for something worthwhile, she grumbled. As long as there was metal involved, she was interested.
�What has got you lot so riled up?� she demanded as the cavalcade of ants flooded into her workspace, covering every inch of the walls and ceiling, taking up defensive positions.
�Sorry for the trouble,� came a recognised scent. �The generals are a little nervous about this stuff and wanted a full security detail. Forget that the largest soldiers won�t even fit in the workshop area.�
�Tungstant?�
The carver council member skittered into the room, poking and prodding at the bags on the ground with her front legs. It was quite rare for the council members to show up here, especially right now.
�I thought you were working on the defences of the three nests� What are you doing here?�
The council member shook her antennae and kept prodding at the bags.
�Because of this stuff, obviously. I�ve been told what we have here, but
I haven�t actually
�What could they possibly bring in that would need this kind of attention?� As curious as she was, Smithant kind of resented having so many of her siblings crowded into her private work area. Nobody bothered to come in here before, why were they so desperate to jump in now?
Still, the lure of the bags drew her in. What could it be? A new mineral or type of metal? It was possible that scouts and miners had turned up something new and unexpected in their explorations. The colony refused to abandon expansion and search efforts during the conflict.
Interest stirred within the carapace of the crafter and she found herself drawn to the sharply angled lumps hidden within the bags. Where the heck did the colony even get bags from, anyway? Tungstant noticed her unspoken question.
�We�ve started making them to help carry stuff. One ant, even a carver, can carry a heck of a lot in two bags slung over the carapace. Now help me get these things open!�
It took a few moments for the two to recognise the bottom of the unfamiliar container and upend it to send the precious contents tumbling out onto the floor. The moment the gleaming plates of enchantment-encrusted armour hit the floor, something magical happened, something remarkable, unexplainable, and unfathomable. It was a lightning strike, an earthquake, an eruption, and implosion all at once, and it took place directly in the centre of Smithant�s heart.
In that instant, she fell in love.
�What� what have you��
Her pheromones trailed away to nothing as she drew ever closer to the gleaming plates of armour. Her antennae swept forward to caress the curved metal with an almost tender softness as her mandibles clacked together rhythmically.
If she noticed this strange behaviour, Tungstant didn�t seem to pay it any mind. Indeed, she�d been around the carvers long enough to know what could happen to them around the objects of their obsession. This level of strangeness didn�t even approach the kind of things that stupid sculpture-inspired ant had done since she�d started working.
�These are full sets of Legion armour that we seized from the battlefield, one set in each of these bags. The mages have swept over and analysed them to the best of their ability in order to check if there are hazardous enchantments on them, but if there are, it�s far beyond our ability to detect it.�
�I see.�
Tungstant wasn�t confident she�d been heard, but she continued anyway.
�In fact, from what I�ve been told, the technology on display is far beyond anything we have at our disposal. The mages weren�t even able to identify the materials used to make these suits. We can�t even speculate on it, to be honest. Naturally, as the foremost expert on the subject, we decided to bring this to you. Learn whatever you can from them, but be careful, we don�t know what this armour can do if you start melting it down.�
�Melt it down?� Smithant cried, coming back to her senses. �Sacrilege! Who would possibly think of destroying such perfection?�
She snatched up one of the pauldrons in her mandibles as an antenna drooped down to pet the curved metal.
�Noone will hurt you, my darling. My gem�
�Great! I�ll leave you to it then,� Tungstant said and turned around to hurry back to her own work.
The many guards and sentries remained in place, but Smithant didn�t see them, couldn�t possibly imagine they existed. All of the material things in creation were only herself, and the armour. All else was dust.
She knew she would have to break it. It was obvious. How on Pangera was
she supposed to learn the secrets of this incredible armour without
hitting it, breaking it open,
She�d examined the armour in intricate detail. Every sense she could bring to bear had been utilised with laser-like focus on every curve and fold of the suits she could access. Her antennae were intimately familiar with every square inch. Her eyes had examined every marking and rune, the entire network of which�that was visible�she had copied onto sheets of metal that adorned the walls of her forge.
Several of the watchful scouts had been yelled at for allowing their legs to pollute those surfaces as they shifted around the room, disturbing her thoughts for seemingly no good reason. What were they supposed to protect her from? The scouts fobbed her off, with generic statements about �dangerous enemy technology,� as they�d been ordered to.
The fact Tungstant had placed them there to protect Smithant in the event something went very wrong, they wouldn�t say. The colony was not about to lose their foremost armour expert so soon after she demonstrated her worth! Not even for Legion armour would that be worthwhile.
So, they carefully watched as the carver interacted with the armour, their cores in their jaws each time she dropped something or started gnawing on the armour with her mandibles, worried that something would explode before they had the chance to throw themselves on top of it.
Eventually, she was forced to weigh her affection for the incredible craftsmanship of the Legion pieces that had fallen into her claws, against her own Skills and knowledge, and by extension, the colony�s. Of course, her own Skills won out. How much more precious would equally stunning works be, if they had come from her own forge? The very thought sent her into a catatonic state of joy for several long minutes.
The decision made, she wasted no time in getting to work. The ants had developed many ant-specific tools for manipulating armour in order for them to manage the process of detailing and enchanting. With the straps undone and the joints snipped, Smithant used her front two claws to lift and mount the armour on the frames she�d constructed and started the painful process of deconstructing the suits.
It took long hours of arduous,
She nearly had a few cores drained dry when they were placed too close
to the stuff. When she tested it on herself�the watching scouts came
The only logical conclusion was that the mineral was, in some sense, living. The number of experiments she would need to conduct was immeasurable and would likely take years. Reluctant as she was to part with it, she had little choice but to pass responsibility for that investigation over to the mages. She had armour to make and precious little time to take on a task that could instead be done by a dozen teams of mage ants.
The metal was a more familiar material. She wasn�t sure what she�d expected to find after the encounter with the strange stone, but the steel was, as far as she could tell, inert. A relief. If the Legion managed to find some sort of living metal and learned to shape it, she might have despaired of the colony ever catching up to their craftsmanship.
The material was unknown to her, that much made sense. She could work at
identifying and categorising the qualities, but it was unlikely she
would be able to do more until they found an unprocessed sample for
herself. Where her interest truly lay, and where she stood to gain the
most from this investigation, was the
And those techniques were, quite literally, next level. She was able to
see what had been achieved but couldn�t picture
This led the carver to further believe that there were far better suits of armour out there. She refused to believe that a force as formidable as this Legion didn�t have access to ore that far surpassed this.
The other key advantage was in the way their smiths had worked the final
metal. Although she couldn�t completely reverse engineer the techniques
used in the forging, she was able to analyse the final
In terms of unlocking the benefits to their enchanting methods, she was
even further behind in that department. Although she worked hard on her
enchanting Skills, it was her secondary profession, so she wasn�t the
highest Level in the colony by a long shot. She�d have to bring in a few
experts to help break down
But all of that wouldn�t require the use of this many suits. The colony
had seized over ten full sets, it would be a waste for it to collect
dust in her collection�though she longed for it, she couldn�t condone
the inefficiency. She couldn�t replicate these materials, or their
techniques, but what she
The giant gorilla shifted uncomfortably as Smithant crawled over him, taking measurements with her antennae and trying to work out the best way she could cobble the armour she had onto his massive frame.
Tiny, for his part, suffered through it as best he could. Naturally, his preference would be to smash the stupid sword-people�s faces in, but he�d been ordered to come all the way up to the nest by his Master, and so he had no choice but to do so.
In his own opinion, the previous fight had been a magnificent success. Much face was smashed, many blows landed upon the enemy. Tiny had punched until his fists bled and wrists cracked, the rage within him all but spent. Yet the Master was more concerned with �near fatal wounds� and �catastrophic loss of blood,� things Tiny didn�t deem nearly as important. Still, the Master had heard that there might be a powerful set of armour on offer and so now here he was.
Antennae tippy-tapped on his arm, and he dutifully raised it to allow the ant to measure his arms and shoulders.
It was a good thing the colony managed to haul so many suits back from the battlefield, Smithant reflected, since there were only so many pieces that would be useable in this reconstruction, and she had a heck of a lot of surface area to cover.
The rest of the ants in attendance watched from the sidelines, anxious for the outcome. The pets raised by the eldest had achieved a strange sort of status amongst the colony. They weren�t ants, obviously, but they were still accepted as part of the family. In a sense, they were an extension of the eldest, and therefore deserving of some measure of the respect reserved for that august individual.
The colony stepped carefully and deferentially around Tiny as he sat and sulked during the extended measuring session. In truth, it took hours to complete since Smithant constantly moved back and forth, fetching sections of armour from her workshop and using her mandibles to hold them against Tiny to check their fit.
Gradually, the shape of what she would need to make began to take shape in the mind of the carver. It wasn�t going to be pretty, and it certainly wasn�t going to be something like a full suit of armour, but it was going to provide a lot more protection than fur and skin. With the rough outline complete, she got to work.
Back in her workshop, watched over by the ever-paranoid eyes of the scouts clinging to the roof, she began the arduous task of making the cuts necessary to separate the armour. Hours of painful and careful work followed. She had to cut the armour without weakening it as much as possible, easier said than done. She also had to keep in mind the chunks of inscribed, enchanted runes and what she would need to change and modify to create a working network of her own.
Several of her helpers came to hold pieces and manoeuvre the sections, which helped speed things along remarkably. As the hours progressed, more and more of her team piled into her workspace to assist on the project. Eventually, they were forced to take a wall down to accommodate them all as they worked in a frenzy.
Sections were cut, compared, recut, straps added, bindings tied, and pieces layered over each other in a thousand different combinations.
After a few hours, a trio of high-Level enchanters arrived to study the armour, and within a minute, had been swept into the project. Along with Smithant, they studied the intricate rune script engraved on the armour, large sections of which they couldn�t interpret.
The process of rewriting and editing the runes was a mammoth one, and the ants set to it with gusto, forming a separate team working alongside the first. It was hectic work, but the ants felt their Skill Levels rising rapidly, not stopping until the final product began to take shape.
As pure ant artisans and crafters, it hurt their sensibilities to send out something as rough as what they made. It was crude, a hodgepodge of bits and pieces taken from far finer work, but it functioned. The enchantment matrix might spark a little bit�metaphorically�but it did the job. Despite how rough it was, due to the excellence of the source materials, there was little question that it was the best armour the colony had produced to date.
When Tiny put it on, Smithant couldn�t help but think he looked that much more� eager.
The armour was spotty in places, but it did a good job of covering his chest, shoulders and belly. It was a mismatch of stone and metal plating strapped together and heavily padded underneath with cloth and leather. For the most part, they hadn�t been able to cover his arms and legs, aside from some plating covering the front of his legs.
The hardest piece of work by far had been the helmet. In order to make
it, they�d been forced to break apart nearly fifteen of the human head
protectors and splice them together in order to fit over Tiny�s much,
much,
When the armour was at last assembled and strapped on, Tiny rolled his shoulders and swung his arms a few times before grunting in satisfaction. It was uncomfortable and weighed him down, but there was something about the heft to the slabs of metal and stone that he found quite satisfying. More than that, with his task of getting armour completed, he was free to rejoin his master.
His greatest hope was that his new equipment would prevent him from being sent away from the fighting again. He�d lost so much smashing time.
Myrrin continued to push hard alongside her brothers and sisters of steel. The grim men and women of the Legion battled with little rest against endless waves of insects. She pulled her helmet off for a moment and sat, leaning her back against the rough tunnel wall. Without the aid of her helmet, the oppressive darkness of the second stratum swept over her. She�d had her helmet on for so long, she�d almost forgotten how dark it was. She could barely see her own hand in front of her face.
�Myrrin, got any space on that wall for a weary mage?� came the tired voice of Donnelan.
The young Legionary snorted in derision.
�A tired mage? How would it be possible to see such a thing? Standing at the back and waving your hands around can�t be that tiring, can it?�
�Leave off,� came the grumbled reply as Donnelan leaned back into the wall and slid down to a seated position. �Do you have any idea how hard it is to contest the minds of these stupid ants? There�s no end to them.�
She felt her curiosity piqued.
�I can�t, really. What�s it like?�
Her friend shuddered.
�I imagine it�s similar to what it feels like on the front. You push forward and immediately get jumped by a dozen opponents that swarm over you in seconds. After that, it�s just a desperate wrestle until they give up or someone else comes along and saves you.�
�Sounds about right,� she said quietly.
She fell silent for a moment before she barked out a humourless laugh.
�What�s so funny?� Donnelan asked.
She smiled in the dark.
�You remember during the wave, under Liria, when we fought for days on end against the monsters? We swore we�d never see anything that bad ever again.�
He couldn�t help but chuckle at how na�ve they�d been.
�I suppose this is kind of similar. Endless waves of monsters to fight. Days without sleep. The commander pushing us like a slave driver.�
�It�s not the same,� Myrrin refuted. �Not the same at all.�
�How do you figure?�
�During the wave, we fought so many monsters, but they were mindless, in a frenzy. The moment they saw us, they charged and didn�t stop until they were cut to bits. These ants��
She trailed away and Donnelan sighed.
�Are too cunning,� he finished the thought for her, and she nodded.
The traps, the secret tunnels, the ambush attempts, the constant probing
on the flanks, sneak attacks trying to cut off their supplies, attempted
tunnel collapses, mental assaults, barrages of spells, reinforced stone
walls bristling with spikes. It was brutal, draining, and
At any moment, there could be four or five tunnelling attempts going on in different locations throughout the area of Dungeon they�d captured. Not a single one had ever succeeded, but the ants didn�t stop trying. At first, Myrrin thought they were just being stupid, but she�d seen how draining it had been for the mages and auxiliaries to haul their detecting equipment around, setting it up all over again every time the front moved. They even had to staff the thing in rotating shifts, not for a single moment allowing the array to be unattended.
If their vigilance ever slipped, even for a period of minutes, the ants would be behind them, filling the tunnels in an instant and crawling over every wall and ceiling as they sought to inflict any damage they could.
�You�re right, this is so much worse,� Donnelan said. �I�d much rather
throw fireballs until I pass out than engage in these mental battles.
They just feel so
�You should see them from the front,� Myrrin said softly. �They�re so desperate to bite us they crawl on top of each other. It�s like watching a living wall of monsters come rushing toward us rather than a charge. I swear I can feel their rage, even though their eyes are so cold.�
The mage shrugged.
�We came here to kill them all.� He yawned. �I�m not surprised they�re a little cheesed off. How much longer until the next push?�
�Only a few minutes,� she sighed and pulled on her helmet. �I�m getting a break after this one. You?�
�No. Unlike
�Except you would if you could,� she smiled.
�Hells yes.�
The two friends lapsed into a comfortable silence as they drank in this rare opportunity for a break. It didn�t last long. With her helmet back on, Myrrin could see her fellow Legionaries hurrying forward as they prepared for the next push. The Centurions huddled together not far away, poring over scout reports and discussing the overall strategy.
Things had changed since the incident a few days ago when one of the attack groups had their shield line broken. The defensive line had been reinforced further for every push. It only mattered when that huge ant and its disgusting pets showed up to the battlefield, but it couldn�t be predicted where it would show.
Myrrin herself had seen it in the field the day after that incident. The
magic it cast was horrifying. For a moment, it had almost looked as if
the layered shield in front of her would break and she would be consumed
by that
�FALL IN!� came the call and Donnelan sighed.
�Back at it,� he said as he hauled himself to his feet. �I hear we expect to reach their nest before too long, so hopefully we�ve reached the tail end of this campaign.�
Myrrin barked a humourless laugh.
�You really think fighting in the nest is going to be the easy part of this? It�ll take longer to break through there than it�s taken to get to this point, mark my words.�
�We have auxiliaries and more Legionaries coming,� the mage pointed out. �That�s going to help take the pressure off.�
�I hope so��
They parted ways, returning to their respective squads. The actions required before every attack had become so routine that the scout could complete them without thinking. She�d also been warned against the temptation to mindlessly perform her maintenance.
She made sure that she focused on every minute detail as she completed her equipment check alongside her comrades while their Centurion watched on like a hawk. She checked every strap and buckle, tested each enchantment, and examined every one of her weapons before turning and doing the same to the Legionary on her left as they performed the same inspection on her. When all was confirmed ready, they reported to their Centurion, a grizzled veteran from the wars on the third stratum, who nodded and led them in a brisk march through the lines.
The sentries gave short words of encouragement as they scanned the darkness for ants, and before long, they�d arrived at the staging ground. Row upon row of disciplined Legionaries formed up and Myrrin was proud to take her place amongst them. They weren�t in the front for this assault, something she was secretly grateful for, but rather toward the middle. She cast her eyes forward, but it was hard to make out what was ahead of her through the darkness.
After a few minutes of nervous waiting, the order came to advance. Eyes up, she marched in time with her comrades, hand gripped around her bow. The shape of the ant defence gradually took shape in the gloom, the walls already bristling with innumerable insects that clicked and clacked softly. Just when she�d begun to relax, she saw it.
In the centre of the wall, surrounded by the thickest number of insects, that hulking figure loomed. Even in the dim light, its carapace glittered and sparkled, at least around its eyes. Myrrin suppressed a shudder. She swore she could feel the malice and rage emanating from it across the tunnel. Just above it flittered the small shape of the demon pet that appeared alongside it, the green light of its eye a tiny point of light in the dark. Looks like she was going to experience another battle in the presence of that creature, the most powerful ant in the colony. She drew a deep breath. At least it didn�t have that�
�ROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!�
A mindless scream of rage and bloodlust boomed out from behind the ant wall, so powerful it shook the air and rattled the stone. Trickles of soil shaken loose from the ceiling fell on the heads of the Legion as they advanced.
What the hell was that?
From behind the wall, a giant hand appeared on the lip, followed by another. Over the next few seconds, an enormous, hulking brute lifted itself over the edge, its eyes glowing red with fury.
As she drew closer, Myrrin felt a ripple of anger from the silent Legionaries around them. A few curse words were shoved past gritted teeth and she soon understood why.
The ape was covered in the armour of the fallen soldiers. The ants had desecrated their Abyssal Armour and turned it to their own purposes. Behind the thick visor over the ape�s head, she swore she saw the beast recognise their anger� and grin.
The various strata of the Dungeon are as different from one another as can be, each holding unique characteristics that can only be found in those places. There is some discussion around whether the environment of that stratum is the cause of the predominant Mana attributes in those places, or is it the Mana that gives shape to the environment?
Since no scholar was present as the various layers of the Dungeon took shape, it�s impossible for us to know for certain. What we can do, as researchers, delvers and academics, is to study the current state of the various layers and hypothesise as to their formation. In the following pages, I will provide a detailed breakdown of the layers known to the Magio Scholars of the Imperial College and give my own thoughts as to their purpose and origins.
(Inquisitor Note: Details of the lower strata are NOT for distribution on pain of death. Do not disseminate, discuss, or pass on this information without the express clearance of the Inquisitorium.)
First Stratum: The Layer of Beasts, as it is commonly referred to, is the weakest and least dangerous. The Mana here is of a low concentration and is unable to support the more advanced monster types that can be found deeper.
Second Stratum: The Shadow Sea. Due to its nature, it is far more threatening than the first layer, despite being only slightly deeper into the Dungeon. The darkness, cold, and high concentration of Death Mana create many unique monster types that can prove fatal to the unprepared. It has been noted by many that this layer holds special affinity to stealth Skills and types, proving the perfect hunting and training ground for those who specialise in such builds.
Fourth Stratum: Mythic Realm. It is in the fourth layer that what mages like to class as the �higher Mana� affinities begin to appear, those that are beyond the basic elemental types. The monsters here draw power from many sources and are as varied as the environments that can be found. It is certainly worth noting that this layer is home to the highest concentration of many rare minerals that are prized highly by the sapient races, making territory here among the most fiercely sought after.
Fifth Stratum: Fields of Decay. A troublesome place to say the least, the fifth stratum is almost inhospitable to life. Filled with Mana of decay, decomposition, and rot, few powers seek to fight for control over these lands and contest against the almost indestructible monsters that roam through it. According to the earliest records the Tower has access to, the first delvers to reach this place found remnants of a different environment and traces of Mana with attributes that no longer exist there. It is theorised by many that Theorazzn somehow tainted this entire layer upon his ascent, changing it into what it has now become.
(
Gaining Invidia helped Tiny tremendously in terms of his survivability in combat. The numerous shields, which only got stronger as the little demon improved his Skills, with the constant flowing of sweet, sweet Healing Mana, had done wonders in allowing the big ape to unleash his inner glass cannon.
After watching the ape nearly get himself killed diving headlong into
the Legion, I knew
Turns out I was wrong on many fronts. Not only did the slight visit
To be fair to him, the Legion wasn�t all that happy to see him, either. A crack formed in their usual cast-iron discipline. A visible ripple moved through the ranks, and it became immediately clear that Tiny was their primary target. The amount of firepower being directed his way was extraordinary! Sword light, spells, and a few kitchen sinks flew up at him well before the distance closed to the point that such things could hurt him.
When the battle lines closed, all hell broke loose. I�d forced Tiny to remain on the wall by giving a strict, clear order using only small words which I�d repeated fourteen times. That didn�t stop him from bathing the approaching Legion with Lightning the moment he could. If I hadn�t ordered him to stop, he might have run out of juice before he even got to throw a punch!
The second the fighting started in earnest, with the Legionaries
battering our walls and the ants starting to apply the mandibles, that�s
when Tiny�s new outfit got its first
Good grief, did the Legionaries want to make him holey. That they failed is a testimonial on the effectiveness of their own craftsmanship, I suppose. With Invidia helping to blunt the damage and the armour in place to protect his vitals, the giant ape is gleefully throwing fists well past the point I thought he would need to retire from the fight.
Eventually, I have to dive in front of him and nearly get killed in order to force him to retreat, but even after all that, the armour held up fine. If he were to repeat his action from earlier and dive into the middle of the Legion assault, he�d fare way better than before, but I�m sure as heck not going to let him do that until we have to go for broke at the front of the gates of the nest.
It�s too risky now anyway. After the last time Tiny was on the field and he broke through the enemy shield wall, the Legion has thickened their numbers and beefed up their defences. Not even super-mad Tiny would break through that nonsense now. I can�t be mad, though, having to commit greater numbers to each push means they�ve had to slow down, and every hour gained helps.
It certainly helps me. Being in combat with these high-Level opponents
is doing
As we retreat from the ruins of our last defensive outpost, I share a few words with Tiny.
[How did you find the new armour?] I ask.
The big ape looks at me before shrugging as we run side by side.
[Really?] I�m surprised by his lack of enthusiasm. [You�ve held up well under the barrage in that battle. You�d have been shredded to bits before!]
He shrugs again and waves his fist vaguely in the air before returning to running.
[You don�t really care because it doesn�t help you hit harder?]
He nods and grins.
THIS IDIOT.
Sarah took a deep breath of the frigid air of the second stratum, holding it for a few long seconds before she exhaled, the wind of her breath so strong it nearly knocked over an ant who�d been walking in front of her. She paid no mind, or rather, she didn�t notice at all, her attention was focused inward, all external distractions shoved away.
She took another deep, slow breath. In. Hold. Out. Wait. In. Hold. Out. Wait.
This was a cycle she remembered learning as a human on Earth, something her psychologist had told her would help her be calm. Cyclical breathing. That was the name of the technique. It�d helped in her past life. Most of the time. She flinched away from the memories of her previous existence and focused on her breathing. Each stage five seconds long.
In. Hold. Out. Wait. In. Hold. Out. Wait.
Even though she wasn�t conscious of it, a team of ants crawled over the enormous bear as she lay sprawled on her belly. The great warrior Sarah had contributed much to the defence of the colony, and her unselfish fight made the ants well disposed toward her.
As she rested, they tended to her fur, meticulously cleaning it and ensuring there were no small wounds or barbs that may cause issues later. It was the same level of care with which they tended to each other before and after a battle, Sarah deserved that much. Also, they�d noticed she breathed easier when they were active around her, the aura of violence and malevolence that suffused the air abated when they drew close. From this, they surmised that they were providing some sort of emotional comfort, another thing they were pleased to do.
From the wall of the tunnel, Jim watched silently as his companion battled her nature. He�d created a burrow within the tunnel wall and only his head emerged, protruding into the open space. From the moment Sarah joined the front lines, he had been here also. Not to fight, he wasn�t much use for that, but to try and support his friend. He could feel her now, sense the internal struggle with his mind as she battled against the violent nature that had lain dormant so long within her.
[Sarah� are you alright over there?]
The great bear opened one eye, and for a terrifying instant, an overwhelming pressure of violence pressed into the consciousness of the worm, filling his mind with a hunger for battle. He wanted to rip, to tear, to do all sorts of non-worm-like things. How would he even tear? Then Sarah released a great huff, knocked over another ant, and the aura was gone, restrained once more in the depths of her mind.
[I�m fine,] she replied. [It�s alright. I�ve got it under control.]
She pushed her feet beneath her and forced herself to stand, sending the cleaning crew on her back to scatter. She turned to face her friend in the wall.
[See? No problem.]
The worm wiggled derisively.
[Sarah, you�re the worst liar I ever met. Putting that aside, I can still feel the malevolence inside you. I have very sensitive mental faculties, remember? You can�t conceal this from me.]
Sarah just sighed and shrugged her massive bear shoulders.
[What do you want me to do about it? It�s not like I can just stop fighting.]
[Why not?] Jim asked indignantly. [You�ve done more than enough! How long do you expect to throw yourself against the golgari to defend a place that isn�t yours? You don�t owe�]
[Don�t I? Are you sure that I don�t owe anything, Jim? If it weren�t for the colony, if it weren�t for Anthony, where would I be now?]
[Then what about what you owe me?] the worm demanded. [Have I been useless? Have I not supported you and helped you escape? Huh? Don�t I deserve a little gratitude?]
The two looked at each other for a long moment.
[So. What? You want me to pay you back by betraying the colony? Is that it?] Sarah asked, her mental voice low and soft.
Jim recoiled as if struck.
[What? No! I mean�]
At that moment, the two friends were interrupted as Coolant arrived.
[Hello to you both,] the ant said once the mind bridges had stabilised. [I hope I find you well.]
[O-of course,] Sarah replied. [And you?]
[I am also well. I am still not used to your human style greetings. I hope I was accurate.]
Sarah briefly wondered how the ants greeted each other, and once the thought was in her head, she couldn�t shake it. She had to ask. In response, the mage ant turned to the nearby traffic. There was no visible response, except the passing ant�s antennae began to twitch, followed by Coolant�s.
[I told them to work hard,] the ant explained. [They told me to stop slacking off.]
Sarah and Jim both stared at her.
[We usually encourage each other to work when we see others of the colony. If we see them not working, we tell them to get to work. If we see them working hard, we tell them to keep it up.]
[Don�t you ever tell them to rest?] Jim wondered.
Coolant looked nervous for a second.
[No,] the ant muttered as she turned her body this way and that, as if searching for something. [We don�t say that.]
[Why do you look so nervous?] Sarah asked, confused by the transformation.
[I haven�t gone into torpor for a few days� I�d forgotten about it until just now.]
[You haven�t slept? Why is that so worrying?]
[It�s nothing.] Once again, the mage was cool and composed. [I�ve been sent to let you know our plan for the upcoming defence.]
[Okay,] Sarah said. [ I�m ready to fight anytime.]
She pointedly ignored the bristling worm in the wall.
[That is good. We are retreating.]
[Whe�wait� what?]
[Retreating,] Coolant emphasised. She gestured with one leg toward the procession of ants making their way past. [As you can see, the process has already begun. The generals have decided to cede the final stretch of defences in order to consolidate around the gates. Let the enemy extend themselves across the distance as we recuperate.]
Sarah was confused. [I thought you wanted to fight for every inch of ground, wear the golgari down. Has that changed?]
[We have worn them down,] Coolant told her. [In no small part thanks to you, we have been able to force them to pay a high price for advancing. There are many circumstances that led to this decision being made.]
[Like what?] Having been so ready to throw herself back into the fight, Sarah was keen to understand the change.
[The Mana is rising in the tunnels. The spawn rates of the shadow creatures are rising. Extending our supply lines outside the nest is becoming more difficult and it is necessary to withdraw soldiers to defend the young. And if it is difficult for the colony, with all our numbers, to hold off the beasts�]
[It�s worse for the golgari�]
[Just so. We anticipate there will be another wave before too long. Though, exactly when is not something we can guess. If we are able to repel the enemy at the gates, then our hope is that they will be forced to retreat when the Dungeon becomes too dangerous.]
Slowly, Sarah and Jim began to understand what this meant to the ants.
[The time for the final stand is fast approaching,] Coolant confirmed. [We will live or die based on the events of the next few days. Keep in mind, Sarah and Jim, you are friends of the colony, but you are not compelled to fight. The battle will be fierce at the gates, so think carefully whether you want to fight. None will think less of you if you choose to sit out.]
The ant spoke to both of them, but all present understood it was to the great bear that her message was intended. Sarah wanted to reply immediately, but felt her thoughts constrict unexpectedly. Before she could force herself to agree, Coolant had vanished.
Had she been less distracted, she would have noticed the council member being dragged away by a team of ants as she struggled for freedom. With the liaison gone, she had little choice but to join the trail as they made their way back to the nest.
When the order came to pull back to the nest, I honestly couldn�t say if
I was unhappy or relieved. We�d battled these stupid Legion punks for
every inch of ground. Thousands of colony members had died. Now we were
just supposed to hand over the last five kilometres of tunnel for free?
I know that�s not the intention, but it still rankles me. On the other hand, I�m freakin� tired. Exhausted even. I haven�t enjoyed proper torpor in so long, I swear I�ve sensed Protectant and her gang grouping up to try and drag me away. My body might feel young and sprightly, filled to bursting with the energy the colony supplies, but my mind is spongy and bruised. I need sleep! I need release from this endless war of attrition.
It�s with these mixed feelings that I finally make my return to the main nest. Each of the three nests are expected to be hit in the upcoming siege, but this is still the centre of the colony�s strength, and despite not being asked to, I want to position myself here where the fighting is going to be hottest.
As the massive trail of thousands of ants winds toward home, it�s hard not to take notice of how freaking cold it is. Ants aren�t the best when it comes to dealing with low temperatures, and I can tell the soldiers are struggling somewhat to deal with it. The sea of shadows has grown thicker over the last few days, the oppressive darkness and freezing cold are pressing down on us ever more viciously.
It�s obvious another wave is coming. Possibly worse than the first. This deep down, we�re sure to run into significant numbers of third stratum monsters as they rise, possibly even the fourth. Where the last wave turned into an opportunity for us, this one may be a great trial. Should we survive our current predicament, we�ll be thrust right into a fresh onslaught. Even so, I find it hard to believe the colony will falter. My new family has never let me down.
Plenty of time to worry about the future when it happens, right now I need to take a comprehensive look at my situation. Fighting against the Legion is certainly good for Skills, I can�t complain about that much. I�ve experienced growth in a lot of areas, particularly in those I�ve been using repeatedly. My mental Skills, along with my targeting have grown by leaps and bounds, as well as solid improvements in my magic.
My stockpile of Biomass hasn�t grown by as much as I would like, opportunities for hunting have been nil for a long time. The colony did keep us well-fed over the course of the battles, but not enough to significantly increase what I�d stashed away before the Legion arrived. Still, there�ll be room for a few final mutations before the last battle heats up.
As I busy myself poring over my Skill list and wondering which of my organs and body parts I should mutate next, the convoy rolls ever forward until finally we reach the gates of the nest.
If I thought things were ostentatious and overdone before, the carvers have taken things to an entirely new level. The tunnel bristles like a porcupine on a bad hair day with reinforced steel spikes. There are ambush and firing tunnels every few metres, peppering the roof of the tunnel. Even the slope moving toward the gate has been changed to a steep downward grade, forcing the enemy to march uphill. The massive steel doors themselves are now packed so full of enchantments and cores I can practically feel them vibrate in place.
This is just the outer gate! The inner one is surely even more ridiculous.
It is.
The carvers have not been slacking whilst the other castes have been fighting. I�m impressed as hell. The vats full of acid ready to tip on the enemy are the cherry on top of a spectacularly deadly cake. If the Legion tries to approach through the front door, they�re in for a very bad time. Hopefully, the colony has considered what to do in the event that the enemy decides to tunnel around our defences. Magically condensed stone is wonderful and all that, but it can be beaten. We�ve done it ourselves.
Just as I make my way into the nest proper, I spy a few unexpected faces before I can slither away to work on my mutations.
[Enid,] I say. [Imagine seeing you here. And in such good company�]
I pointedly try to avoid looking at the thirty robed figures who crashed down to their knees the moment I appeared. The mayor rolls her eyes discreetly and replies.
[I think you�re going to be more than a little surprised when you realise just what�s happened up there. I don�t think even you could have predicted this.]
[Predicted what?]
Rather than answer, Enid just smiles and gestures toward the foremost robed figure, one conspicuously missing an arm. Dammit. Somehow, I know this is going to be annoying.
[Beyn, if you yell at me, I swear I will banish you from the colony for all time. Try to keep it down and tell me what is going on here.]
The threat works a treat and I see a naked fear take root in the priest�s eyes. For once, he actually hesitates before blasting my mind with his thoughts.
[Great One. A new miracle has occurred. My fellow faithful have been blessed with a unique Cass by the System that will allow the people of the surface to fight alongside their saviours. So we have come�]
[Hell no.]
He stares at me. I stare unblinking back at him.
[Do you have any idea what the Legion would do to you people? It�ll be a massacre. No way.] I turn to Enid. [Tell him how stupid this is, Enid. Unless this new Class of theirs allows them to shoot beams of pure destruction from their butts or something, there�s no chance they�ll be able to stand against the Legion.]
[Why the butt?] Enid wonders.
[I was born shooting acid from back there, alright? Don�t judge me. Now explain to this moronic priest why he�s such a moron.]
The elderly woman sighs.
[It�s not that simple. It�s a buff class that works on sapients
As much as I want to say no, we are heavily outmatched by our opponents. Sensing my hesitation, Enid breaks into my thoughts.
[We�ve already spoken to Sloan and Victor, and they�ve approved our involvement, provided you agree. A lot of people from Renewal have come to help defend the nests. We feel that we have a chance to repay our debt.]
I scoff.
[Come on, Enid. How many people would be dumb enough to run into the Dungeon to try and defend a colony of monstrous ants? They�d have to be completely and irrevocably insane.]
Before I even finish my rant, they�ve begun to arrive in the chamber. People. Hundreds of them. Farmers, merchants, craftsmen and women, each and every one a refugee from the devastation of Garralosh. Word of my arrival must have spread quickly, because they run to me in waves, more appearing every moment. When the first arrive behind the priests, they immediately join them, falling to their knees and raising their hands in prayer.
More come, then more, still more, until I stand with my pets and the great gate of the colony behind me, and thousands of humans kneeling in a great arc before me.
[Just about every person of fighting age came,] Enid says gently. [Almost the entire town.]
I can�t even shake my head.
[What is
Deep within the main nest of the young race of ants that he had come to know as �the colony,� the sage who named himself Grey sat in deep meditation. Nearby, his apprentice, White, watched patiently as her master performed those feats of the mind she was not yet capable of. For though he sat still, not a single muscle moving across his entire frame, his mind roamed wide, seeking and communing. After several hours of stillness, he opened his eyes and breathed a deep sigh, relaxing the tension that had seized him.
�What were you able to find, teacher?� White asked.
In response, he only shook his head. A moment later, she felt his mind nudge against her own.
[You know better than to speak out loud in this place,] he admonished her. [The colony are not our enemies, but they are not Folk.]
The fox-girl ducked her head to acknowledge the reprimand.
[I understand. I feared you would be tired after your Seeking and did not wish to tax you.]
Her concern warmed his old heart, but he did not allow it to show on his face.
[I am stronger than you give me credit for, youngling. I have no need of your coddling.]
[Putting that aside, were you able to contact the bruan�chii?]
[Impatient as ever, my disciple. Yes. The Grove Keeper has awoken and begun to tend to her children. The Grove has grown so quickly, I fear the anger of the Mother Tree has been roused.]
[Isn�t that rare? I had read that the Mother Tree was a lover of peace.]
Grey leaned back and rubbed his legs secretly, trying to keep the motion out of his young charge�s eyes.
[The Mother Tree is, before anything else, a tree. She can be vicious when it comes to matters that touch on her wellbeing, or that of her children. From what I could glean, she has felt the presence of the Abyssal Legion in this place, and she has no love for them, putting it mildly.]
White nodded. Knowledge of the war between the young races and the old was important history to their people. The conflict between the Legion and bruan�chii had been particularly fierce. At the height of which, the Mother Tree herself had been under siege, even wounded, by the Legionaries. Had the alliance not been brokered in time, it�s possible the Legion would have been successful in their attempts to cull this new race from Pangera.
[Do you believe they will intervene?] she asked.
[I do. I�m not sure if they will risk open conflict at this stage, but I think a show of force will be the least we can expect from them.]
[And our people?]
The wolf-man heaved a deep breath and shook his head.
[It is never so easy to reach a consensus amongst the Folk, you know that, White. The decision to accept the colony as a young race and bring them into the alliance will take years, and many honour battles, to settle. The tribes are fractious at the best of times. Unless they are threatened, they will not unify quickly.]
[Surely your words carry weight there, Master. You could push them to act quickly.]
Grey turned his eyes directly on his disciple and stared hard at her. She sat still, hands folded in her lap as she looked steadily back at him. Her eyes were clear and focused, unpolluted by selfishness and greed.
[You have come to admire the colony, haven�t you, child? You desire our people to reach forth their hand and shelter them?]
[I do,] she acknowledged, not attempting to deny it. [I do not believe you should extinguish an entire race on the premise that they may one day do evil. I do not see evil here, but good.]
[A simple view of the world. There are always currents, variables�uncertainties. The nature of good and evil are not so clear. Do you think the Legion to be evil? I do not. They simply do what they think is right, as do we all. It is rare indeed to find the individual who walks on a path that they know to be wrong.]
[I have heard these words before,] his normally demure student told him, her mind firm. [But they do not answer my question. Will you act?]
Grey closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, sinking into meditation. He ignored the irritated huff White released when she saw his actions, and instead pondered the answer to her question. Was he willing to act? Usually so confident in his decisions, this time, he wasn�t sure. The branching paths of fate spread so far and wide from this point it was impossible to predict the consequences of any action. Who could walk boldly on such paths?
The Grove Keeper was newly awakened, but already his body was flexible and lithe, filled with the power of the Mother. His memory still shifted and drifted, not yet settled in his new form, but he didn�t mind. Here in the Grove, so close to the tendril of the Origin Tree, he knew no harm could come to him. So long as the Mother watched over them, their safety was guaranteed, enabling them to act and carry out her will.
In this moment, her will was clear. Anger and indignation rang throughout the Grove until every branch and leaf quivered with it. The hated enemy had been found attempting to extinguish new light, just as they attempted on the Keeper�s own people. It would not stand.
Around the tendril, a vast garden had formed, filled to bursting with life and greenery that drank in the dark Mana of the second stratum without pause, transforming it into nutrition that further powered the growth of each vine, flower, tree, and shrub. To the outside eye, it appeared as if a flourishing ecosystem of plants had sprung to life in the harshest of environments, a miracle of nature. The Keeper roamed amongst the plants, caressing each in turn as he encouraged their growth and felt their energy flow into him in return.
The truth was simpler. This was not a plethora of plants, but one entity. All was the Mother Tree, each and every lifeform in the Grove just another expression of her careful design to draw in the power of the Dungeon and transform it to fuel her people. That energy was already being put to good use.
The Keeper turned back to the tendril, the filament that extended from one of his mother�s roots, and saw the dozens of shapes beginning to emerge.
A smile creased the wooden face of the Keeper as these new children of the Mother were born. It wouldn�t be long now until they emerged, fully formed and ready to become the vessels of her anger. He raised one hand and blessed their growth, those natural energies flowing out from him and infusing the growing forms. The bruan�chii were coming.
Titus leaned against the table and examined the various scout reports laid out atop it.
�An enchanted gate made of steel?� he asked.
�That�s right,� Aurillia replied.
�Twenty tons?�
�At least.�
�The same at the other identified nests?�
�Yes.�
He raised one hand to pinch his brow.
�They�ve developed so fast��
�Good thing we�re here then.�
He leaned back. �With the irregulars who�ve arrived, we should be able to succeed on a full frontal assault of the gate, but I�m worried about the no doubt hundreds of traps they�ve woven into the place.�
�Ants are industrious, who�d have thought?�
Titus only grunted, too focused to even make a pretence of laughing.
�Has the siege team had any luck identifying weak points in the stone?� he asked.
The report from the Earth Magic specialists was already on the table and he�d read it twice, but he asked anyway.
�None of it is especially hard, but none of it is soft either. We could tunnel through easily enough, but the diggers are reluctant to drill into an ant nest. They�ll know it�s happening immediately and move to counter us.�
The fact this colony of ants was already capable of causing even a slight headache to his admittedly fresh Legion was a problem. If they were given a year? Or five? It would take a hefty mobilisation of forces and the number of casualties would be high. Better to strike decisively now, nip the problem in the bud.
�Looks like I�ll have to frontline myself,� Titus said.
�You�ve explored every other avenue, Commander.�
The Abyssal Legion did not like to let their high-Level members take centre stage when they didn�t have to. Whereas some armies would let Level seventy elites shepherd and protect rookies through hard battles, the Legion preferred to trust their training and equipment and push the new Legionaries into combat. Expecting that Titus would step in and solve every issue, fight every battle when it got hard, would only stifle the growth of the soldiers, letting them embrace a security blanket that wouldn�t always be there. They wanted smart, powerful Legionaries, not cowards.
Given the pressure they were under in this conflict, both timewise and in a lack of personnel, it was permitted that Titus take the field. To prevent the numerous casualties it would take to assault the gate, it was more than acceptable that he bear the responsibility of destroying it himself.
The commander stood from the table and rolled his shoulders as he took a deep breath. The Mana was rising steadily. There wasn�t much time left until the wave, another reason why he needed to act fast. Mana stirred in his bones as he breathed in again. How long had it been since he�d needed to fight hard? Not since Garralosh had gotten away from him, and even then, he�d been hampered by the lack of Mana in the first stratum. The current level of ambient Mana was just enough for him to really cut loose.
Almost enough to make him smile. His last campaign in the sixth layer was so long ago now. Did he even still have the moves?
Kooranon Balta knelt on the stone, his blade standing straight before him, the tip balanced perfectly on the flat ground. As he�d been taught so long ago, he focused his entire being on the sword, his mind and soul, seeking resonance with the blade. It was believed amongst the Blades in the golgari that the precious weapons they wielded, formed and shaped from the Living Stone to fit their wielders over a period of years, were living creatures. The stone itself was alive, certainly, but more than that, the swords could develop and grow a personality of their own.
It was to connect with that gestalt being that the High Blade now sought to do, but it was elusive. Sometimes, for a fleeting moment, he would sense a response from the weapon as it reached to him, but then it would be gone, lost as if it had never been.
After another hour, he relaxed his stance and withdrew the blade from the ground before he cleaned it meticulously. As he nourished it with Mana, he felt the blade quiver in delight as it fed before it once more became inert. Kooranon was not discouraged, he knew of High Blades who�d sought and nourished their blades for hundreds of years who only received fleeting acknowledgement from their weapons. Even so, the pursuit of oneness with the blade was well worth the price.
After a moment to centre himself, he sheathed the blade with care and turned to find his attendant waiting in the same place as when he�d begun his communion.
�Prepare the camp,� he ordered. �It�s time.�
Turns out food gets scarce during a siege. I know for a
I get it. I do. The brood comes before all, obviously. We�re ants after all. But dammit� I�m hungry!
There�s a nudge at the edge of my attention and I turn to see Tiny staring at me with wide, pitiful eyes.
I shift my head side to side and two huge tears begin to well up within the ape�s eyes.
[I know, buddy. It�s going to be rough for a little while, but we can survive. We�re going to get through this together.]
Tiny reaches out to me with one shaking hand and places it against my carapace as if trying to draw strength through it.
[In times like this, we can only depend on each other. We�ve been together through the times of plenty. We can fight it out together in the lean times as well. If you don�t believe in yourself, Tiny, believe in me who believes in you. There is power in you yet. Your race is not yet run. Conquer the hunger!]
What� What was that?
Tiny�s hand has now grasped my leg, which he�s raised to his mouth.
[Did you just try and bite me?]
Silence.
[Tiny�] I focus on him dangerously as he begins to sweat through his fur. [If you�re attempting to eat me right now, I�m going to hand you over to Crinis for punishment. Now take my leg out of your mouth.]
He does.
[Ah! You got slobber all over it! I can�t believe I have to say this, but from this point forward, you are ordered to never eat me!]
Stupid ape!
�Eldest, how are your preparations going?�
AH!
�Nothing weird is happening here, Advant! Nothing! My dignity hasn�t been impacted in the slightest! And if you ask your babysitter squad, they�ll tell you the same!�
When saying the last part, I raise my abdomen high to threaten the
ceiling of our chamber with a judicious acid spray to ensure Protectant
and her squad get the message. Imagine the colony finding out that one
of my own pets tried to eat me while I comforted them for a lack of
food. The
�Of course, eldest,� Advant brushes it off. �I was just wondering how you were doing making your final preparations. The council meets in a few hours, and we need you to be there.�
Another meeting? The enemy is at the gates! How many of these damn meetings are they planning on having?
�I will definitely be there,� I lie. �Just give me some time to finish my mutations up.�
�Of course, eldest.�
The soldier turns to leave me in peace for the time being, and I
immediately bring up my menu in order to rush through the mutation
process. If I get it done quickly enough, I can vanish somewhere before
the meeting starts.
A quick perusal tells me I have a grand total of 251. More than I thought I might have at this point. Nice! What lucky body part is going to get the upgrade? I can probably afford two here. Personally, I think it�s time for legs. Legs are a must!
My legs are absorbing all the Mana I need. Especially down here in the second stratum. Only heavy-duty spell slinging can drain me. Especially once I get to using External Mana Manipulation. It may become a problem in the future, but for now, I�m solid. In the +20 upgrade, I wanted to improve their ability to absorb damage, resulting in the Tough Rapid Osmotic Legs +20. It must be noted that not having my legs cut off has been a welcome experience.
Because the Legion for sure targets our legs. The carapace is hard and tough to deal with, but if you take off an ant�s legs, what the heck are they going to do to you? Even insects on Earth know this much. When ants fight each other, they�re always going for the legs, with a few notable exceptions.
With my potent reflexes and foresight, I�m almost always able to move my legs out of harm�s way, but sometimes it just isn�t possible. During the grand melee after Tiny smashed the Legion shield, I had absolutely no room to dodge and had to rely on natural toughness. Which is why I�m going straight to Hardened Rapid Osmotic Legs +25! Which is going to set me back a cool 115 Biomass.
I have enough left to take one more body part from 20 to 25. Only question is, what shall it be?
I still need to upgrade a few things, but perhaps the one I�m leaning into the most is my musculature. So far, I�ve poured all of my mutations into increasing the speed at which my muscles can fire, which has given me the superhuman reflexes of a radioactive spider, although I�m not certain I want to keep pushing down this road exclusively.
My reflexes are already super fast, especially when connected to my limited pre-cognition. My nervous system can probably carry the load of increasing my reflexes further. What I need from my muscles is more power! I need some OOMPH! Tiny�s mutations focus almost exclusively on the amount of strength he can punch out, and although I don�t feel like I need to match him in that department, I�d love to get myself a little slice of that.
Of course, my need for power is isolated in terms of where it needs to be applied. It�s all about the face-hands. Biting harder is a no brainer. Mandibles are great, everyone should have them, but I need to be biting harder if I want to crack open the real tough nuts out there. Even the dedicated tier four soldiers haven�t been able to get through the Legion armour, and all their stats and mutations are directed to the purpose of tanking and biting. Even if I have the benefit of special evolutions and bonus stats, I can�t get through either. There has to be some mutation here that can give me an edge!
I pour through the menu, going through hundreds of options until something catches my eye. Lock Musculature. From the description, it acts similarly to the famous trap-jaw ant from Earth. It allows the muscles to be �set� in a certain position, poised to fire almost like a bow string. When the tension is released, it can occur with tremendous power! The trap-jaw has, pound for pound, one of the strongest bites on the planet!
This also has synergy with my existing muscle mutations, since they can fire so quickly! Using this, I�ll be able to pull my mandibles back and �lock� them, stretching the muscles in my head and then releasing that pent up power all at once. Except with only one mutation, the elasticity of the muscles isn�t going to be much, but it�ll help!
Lock Hyper Twitch Musculature +25, here we come!
That�s 230 Biomass gone. Yeesh, easy come, easy go these days. Lock those choices in, Gandalf! I�ve got a meeting to dodge!
Although I feel like I�ve forgotten something�
CHADANGADANGALOOZA!
THIS
The Legion war machine had swung into motion. Warriors of the Abyss, the
Legion remained in a constant state of war for over a thousand years.
The struggle against the Dungeon did not end with the Cataclysm, it
merely changed, and over all that time, they�d become
That machinery was now within Titus� hands, and he directed it with precision and confidence toward meeting his ends. From his side, Morrelia watched with mounting dread as her father drew the noose tighter around the neck of the colony. In her heart, a storm brewed as the conflict had drawn on, and her emotions boiled to the bursting point without having any solid idea of what would happen after.
She�d finally reconnected with her father, with her
But now, that comfort had been stripped away by harsh reality. Where once she�d been convinced that killing monsters was always the correct decision, she was no longer so sure. The colony had done no harm in her eyes. In fact, they�d done so much good.
They protected the lives of the Liria refugees when the Legion itself failed. Not only had they saved those people, they assisted them, helped them to thrive where normal monsters would have only killed and eaten. It was something that fundamentally challenged her understanding of monsters and the Dungeon forever.
Yet now she stood on the brink of participating in an assault to kill those very saviours.
It wasn�t right. It
A subdued Morrelia checked over her armour, once more surrendering to the familiar routine. The Legion camp had been moved forward over the previous day with the help of the reinforcements that arrived. Not an hour�s march away, the great nest of the colony awaited them. Titus had ordered the assault and informed his guard that he would participate on the frontline, personally. There was nothing left for her to do but prepare to take the field. Desperate to avoid her traitorous thoughts, she was all too happy to engage in a mindless task.
Her check complete, she began to put the armour on. Piece by piece, she strapped it over the thick padding she already wore, ensuring each section clicked into place, locked in with its neighbours. Her two weapons found their sheaths and she secured her helmet on her head. She was ready. For what, she wasn�t sure, but she was ready.
She left her tent to find the camp alive with activity. All around her, Legionaries rushed to complete the final preparations for what was sure to be a difficult battle. Orders were being relayed, scout reports continued to flow in constantly, necessitating last-minute changes in strategy. Centurions argued loudly in corners while soldiers assembled their armour and honed their weapons in groups.
Despite the frenetic action, the mood was subdued, grim. Their faces were focused and ready, determined and unflinching. Many of the Legionaries were fairly green, much as she was, yet over such a short time, they�d become inured to the grind of war.
She found her father in his customary place, in the command tent surrounded by the tribunes and other senior officers of their Legion. The new addition, the leader of the auxiliary force, was a seven-foot giant of a man covered in thick reptilian scales.
His name was Charles, apparently. A former convict sent to the Legion and force-fed Biomass to turn him into a serviceable weapon. He�d served with distinction and risen to command his own company which had been attached to Titus� force for this mission. She herself felt slightly uncomfortable in the man�s presence. He was a living reminder of just how far the Legion was willing to push in order to see the spawn of the Dungeon die.
When she arrived, her father spotted her almost instantly and waved the officers away as he strode out of the tent to meet her.
�Don�t you have work to do?� she asked.
�Indeed. Making sure my daughter survives is my most important duty.�
She rolled her eyes.
�You�re laying it on a bit thick, Commander.�
Titus� expression didn�t change in the slightest, his seriousness carved into the planes of his face as if sculpted from stone.
�I don�t joke, child. Your mother gave me official orders to ensure you don�t die during this extermination.�
Morrelia stumbled.
�You�re kidding!� Would her mother really bend the rules to issue an order like that?
�Signed and sealed. I never kid about orders.�
The berserker felt lucky she�d put her helmet on already, since nobody could tell her face had flushed bright red. The Consul of the Legion issuing official orders to keep her child alive? It was a scandal! Nepotism! It was� very like her.
�Come on now.� Her father patted her on the shoulder. �Let�s get moving. It�s time.�
Only then did she realise her father had already suited up, his massive, bulky armour appeared to weigh a ton, yet he moved as if he didn�t notice he was wearing it. Even his great axe was strapped into position on his shoulder. Morrelia fell into place with her fellow guards and marched in precise order, her mind falling into chaos. What was the right thing to do? How was she supposed to save this situation?
That long march toward the nest was a special hell for Titus� daughter.
With every step, she thought about talking to the commander, yet every
other step she reminded herself it would do no good. She was confident
that even if the colony
Suddenly, she noticed her father had stopped marching and she stilled her feet, looking about in confusion. They stood at the head of the Legion column, and behind her, the thousands of soldiers ground to a halt. What stopped them? She strained her neck to try and see. What she saw caused her heart to leap into her throat.
�Welcome, fellow humans,� Enid called to them. �Welcome to the nest of the colony.�
In the centre of the tunnel stood a lone, old woman, garbed in simple robes, and bearing a solid stick of oak to assist her walking. There was no fear on her face, in fact, she was smiling at them.
From Enid�s point of view, the approaching Legion was almost entirely shrouded in darkness, the thick Mana of the second stratum meant that all but the first few rows of soldiers were blurred to nothing in her eyes. Old age probably played its own part in that.
�I see you, Commander Titus. I have never met you, but I�ve heard many stories of the man who came to Liria to raise his family. Would you be willing to speak with me?�
Titus turned back to the rest of them.
�Wait here,� he said, and strode forward.
The colony had been clever with its strategy so far, if a little na�ve. The inexperience in fighting sapient enemies was likely the reason for their relatively direct approach. If they were allowed to grow, that would change. Yet another reason to excise this problem before it grew too severe.
Still, Titus was compelled to keep his eyes wide open as he approached the elderly woman who stood alone in the wide tunnel.
�I am Titus,� he confirmed. �Commander of the Legionem Abyssi. I have to say, I did not expect to find a Lirian in this place. May I know your name?�
The old soldier stood straight and tall, not bothering to try and appear
unthreatening. How could he? He was wearing a full set of heavy Abyssal
Armour with a demonic axe on his back. In truth, he
�My name is Enid Ruther, Commander. You might have known my husband.�
Titus frowned.
�Derrion? The mercenary?�
The mayor smiled, pleased to see her dearest husband was still remembered.
�That�s right. He spoke highly of you.�
�He was one of the good ones. The dark blade of Arranyss. I seldom have respect for mercs, but your husband was very capable and stuck to the rules. I was saddened to hear of his death.�
�He had no time for union politics. He always saw the Dungeon as his place of work and held no interest in jostling for control.�
The commander grunted.
�Good thing, too. As much as I would like to take the time to pay the proper respect to your husband, Ms. Ruther, I am sure you are aware of what is happening in this place and that my time is limited. I can guess why you are here, but I�m prepared to listen to what you have to say.�
�I agree. It�s unpleasant that we find ourselves in this position.� Enid smoothed her skirt as she gathered her courage. �I don�t know what happened in the Dungeon during the wave, Commander, but I imagine it wasn�t easy for you. I presume you were occupied when Garralosh rose to the surface.�
�We held the line and prevented the lower monsters surging into Liria. We couldn�t predict that Garralosh would be able to do what it did.�
She only shook her head.
�I don�t blame you, or the Legion, for what happened during the wave. None of us could have known that a beast like that would be able to survive on the surface. But I must inform you that the beast, Garralosh, you once fought, was defeated by the colony you now seek to destroy.�
Titus only shrugged.
�Monsters kill monsters all the time. I deeply regret I wasn�t able to finish the vile creature when I had the chance, but I do not intend to spare these monsters because they rid the world of an evil.�
�They did more than just that. They saved us. They scoured the countryside and dug survivors out of the ruins. They built us homes, irrigated our fields, fed us, defended us, and brought us together. It is no exaggeration to say that without the support of these monsters, there likely would be no survivors of Liria or the frontier kingdoms at all. We owe the ants our lives and have lived in harmony with them for months. You seek to destroy them simply because they are monsters and were created by the Dungeon. We have decided this is wrong.�
�You intend to defend these creatures against my Legionaries? There are many in my ranks who were born in Liria. Are you truly willing to fight against your own people?�
�I can say the same to you, Commander,� Enid�s eyes hardened. �You have brought war and destruction down on this colony who has done nothing but help me and my people. How can you be seen as anything but an enemy?�
�And what of the people of Rylleh?� Titus demanded. �The city was overrun weeks ago. Have they too been spared the creature�s hunger?�
�There are a number of people from that city amongst our ranks today,� Enid returned. �It seems many consider the arrival of the colony a liberation, rather than a death sentence. That city has not been harmed by the colony, far from it.�
The commander�s frown only deepened. It was beyond his expectations that this colony would act in such a way, but it wasn�t totally unheard of. The abomination had clearly influenced the ants not to prey on the human population, but for how long would that last? If that creature born of another world were to perish, how long before the ants reverted to their true nature? For that matter, how long until the abomination itself lost its sense of self and sank into the murderous carnage that claimed them all in the end?
This changed nothing. The hard lines of Titus� face didn�t budge.
�The Legion has given its orders and I do not intend to debate the righteousness of them here. We will destroy these creatures and stamp them from the Dungeon so that not a single one remains. If you choose to take the field against us, then I must warn you we will not show mercy to those who side with the creatures of the Dungeon against their own kind. I will give you four hours to talk to your people and inform them of our position. During that time, should anyone approach our lines, they will be let through and given safe passage to wherever they want to go. Should they remain, they will die alongside the insects.�
So saying, the commander snapped out a crisp salute and turned back to his people. Enid only sighed. This was the outcome she expected, but it still lay heavy on her heart. To the Legion, the people of Renewal were now traitors who abandoned the sapient races to side with the ancient enemy. It was inevitable once they made the decision to stand with the colony.
�Would you think we did the right thing, Derrion?� she wondered aloud.
With the discussions over, she began the walk back to the nest where an open gate awaited her. She had much to discuss with her people.
Titus gave orders to have the Legion pull back and widen the tunnel to allow for a temporary camp to be created. The Legionaries rested and conversed in quiet voices as Titus and the tribunes moved from group to group and informed them of what awaited them in the battle ahead. Some expressed sadness, others anger, most felt a level of disbelief that their own people would stand against them on the side of monsters, but none were unwilling to fight. They made war on the Dungeon. Always.
Enid moved amongst the people inside the gate. Farmers, traders, crafters, and town guards before the last wave, now they stood firm in their resolution to defend those that saved their lives and gave them hope. Some were dismayed to find their own kind would fail to see the goodness of the colony�let alone its holiness�but their resolve was unflinching.
When the four hours elapsed, not a single person had abandoned the colony.
Disappointed, but not surprised, Titus once more formed up the Legion and they began their simultaneous approach toward the gates of the nest. It wasn�t long until they were able to look up and see the huge metal gates ahead. The giant ant head carved into the centre stared down at them indifferently, projecting an alien aura that seemed to say what lay beyond did not belong to humankind. But it would soon, Titus promised himself.
The mighty Legionary gripped the haft of his axe tight in both hands as he stoked the demon within. The gate loomed large in his eyes. Come what may, he would crush that thing beneath his boot before the day was done.
Gwehehehehe. I have succeeded in dodging the meeting! Once my mutation was complete, I used every ounce of my guile and cunning to slip away. Of course, I needed to find a place to wait out the time before the battle started where the council wouldn�t disturb me, so I naturally headed straight for the gates to while away the time with the ants and humans stationed there.
When I poked my head out of the tunnels and the great outer gate of the nest loomed before me, I was more than a little surprised to find the entire council gathered and waiting for me.
�Ah, the eldest has arrived at last,� Advant observed with a perfectly flat scent. �Now we can start the meeting.�
You smug little�
�How did you even know which gate I would go to?� I demanded. �I could�ve gone to the other side of the nest for all you knew!�
�The assault is expected to be concentrated on this side of the nest,� the soldier responds without acknowledging my question. �How are our preparations looking at this point?�
Defeated, I have no choice but to sit in and listen to the council go over many of the details we already expected. We were cut off from the other nests, who dug themselves in to the greatest possible extent in preparation. The Legion and golgari had loosely cooperated to form a wide net that locked us off from the Dungeon and had since established defensive positions at every exit.
The colony was effectively boxed inside three separate cages. From our scouting, we�ve determined the enemy has concentrated their forces here, at the main nest. Clearly, they intend to deal as powerful a blow against the colony as possible in the time they have. Makes sense, considering the rising threat of a wave. If they can cripple us enough, then they may not even have to lift a finger to destroy the rest of us as the other nests may be too weakened to survive the wave on their own.
Meanwhile, the Legion and golgari could just clean this nest out, re-establish the gates, and wait out the storm. I�ve no doubt they would be able to manage their own defence against the monsters that will come.
By the end of the meeting, I�ve almost fallen into torpor. It�s important stuff, obviously, but there really isn�t anything to go over that we don�t already know, or didn�t suspect would happen. All that�s left to do is hold the gates. If we can do that, we will survive�if not, then we won�t.
When the discussion finally wraps up, someone pokes me back to my senses and I notice Propellant shaking Vibrant out of torpor. Then it�s off to the gates to prepare.
Once there, I learn things are already well underway. Enid steps out for our agreed-on appeal for sanity, only for it to unsurprisingly fall on deaf ears. The Legion was never likely to back down, but I kind of hoped they would. To my surprise, not a single one of the villagers or folks from Rylleh decides to cross the fence, despite making it perfectly clear they could if they wanted to.
The humans give off a determined and solid air, as if they are enduring a trial they cannot contemplate failing. At least, that�s the sort of thing Beyn has been shouting for the last hour. The man is a preaching machine and has put his Skills on full display today. It�s a while before the battle is expected to begin, and he�s out here pumping people up with fiery words and blazing passion. How he keeps going without tearing his throat apart, I have no idea, but he does. The people are loving it and their energy has risen to a fever pitch even as more sensible people like Enid and Isaac look on from the side, bemused.
The ants, for their part, pay no mind to the spectacle. Instead, the thousands of members of the colony stationed here spend their time making last-second preparations, checking every tunnel, every trap, every mechanism for the umpteenth time to ensure it will perform as expected.
When the time finally comes, I make my way up the gate along with a smattering of humans and ants. My pets also come along for the ride.
Sally ports are a fairly standard feature of a defensive wall or gate, a small opening that a group can exit from without having to open the gate proper. In constructing the great gates of the nest, the carvers were sure to include these smaller doors, though in a very ant way. The sally ports on our gates are all attached to the roof. So it is that Tiny, Crinis, Invidia, and my very own honour guard exit through the hatch at the top of the gate and position ourselves to meet the enemy as they approach.
At first glance, it may seem as if this is an exposed location and a suicidal place to be, but nothing could be further from the truth. The walls around us bristle with tunnels filled to the brim with ants. The whole point of the gate is so we can harass and attack the enemy from relative safety, and in order to do that, we need to poke our noses out from behind it.
Normally, this would involve soldiers standing on top of a wall in which the gate was placed, but the colony didn�t want a wall. Ants can crawl straight up the things, so why bother? Instead, the gate covers the entire tunnel, a barrier between the inside and out. May it stand forever!
We don�t have long to position our battle line before the sound of fighting begins to make its way up the tunnel. The crash and boom of spells, the crunch of stone and the acrid sting of acid fill the air and echo off the stone walls. After a few more minutes, the ebb and flow of the magical warfare that�s taking place is unmistakable. The ants try to collapse boulders onto the heads of the Legion, throw fireballs, ice shards, and everything else as the enemy deflects, disrupts, and shields in order to gain ground.
Indeed, the Legion mages have become more ruthless and cunning, reaching out with their minds to crush the tunnels around the ants, forcing the colony�s mages to enter a defensive battle to maintain the shape of the stone around them.
A running force of scouts keeps far ahead of the closest soldiers as they deliver a continuous barrage of acid. The specialised artillery ants are a sight to behold. Unleashing litres and litres of sizzling acid with every blast, literally making it rain flesh-dissolving liquid on the tightly packed ranks of our foes. Through it all, the Legionaries advance, the ants retreat a little more, never ceasing in their firing patterns.
Before long, the first ranks of the enemy come into sight, and I can only sigh at the appearance of the hulking brute in the lead. That dreadful axe is already gleaming with energy, ready to unleash death upon us at any moment.
Behind the armoured demon, I even see an old friend, Morrelia. Despite wearing her helmet, I can tell from the colour and shape of the armour that it�s her inside there. I�d dearly love to ask her a question or two about this whole situation, but I sincerely doubt I�m likely to get a chance. After the time we spent together, I can�t say it doesn�t hurt to have her appear on the field of battle against us. Though she did save us the last time I saw her, so�
Who knows?
At any rate, it�s time to get this show on the road.
�Anyone else think our guests look thirsty?� I ask nobody in particular. �Let�s give them a drink.�
A moment of silence.
�Should we� release the acid?� comes a hesitant scent from behind the ceiling above me.
�Yes. That�s what I meant when I said give them a drink. I don�t mean for them to actually drink the acid, but rather was insinuating� Never mind. Just tip it out.�
�Got it, eldest.�
I thought that whole process was going to be so much cooler than it turned out. I had the line prepared and everything�
At this stage, the Legion are only a hundred metres from the gate itself, still engaged in the gradually moving battle, advancing step by step toward our gate. Packed ranks of hundreds of Legionaries make a hell of a turtle formation, their defensive Skills overlapping to form an impregnable barrier. Sure would be hard to crack through that. I can�t even imagine how much acid it would take to chew through their stamina.
From the holes in the ceiling, I hear a screech of metal as a large mechanism is pulled to one side, followed by a slosh, then a roar, of a massive amount of fluid.
Maybe twenty million litres will do the job?
Turns out, acid that can propagate itself almost infinitely can pile up
if you give it enough time. After I chose and began to use the
multiplicative acid mutation, more than a few of the scouts took a solid
look and liked what they saw. If I were to try and produce twenty
mega-litres on my own, it would take far too long. The acid is able to
replicate itself, sure, but with only one mutation dedicated to the
effect, it isn�t
The moment the flood begins, I can no longer see the reaction of the Legion forces which only a moment ago had dominated the approach to the gate. The downward sloping tunnel works perfectly to direct the absurd rush of acid as it foams and froths before my eyes, pouring toward the approaching army. The sound of the acid crashing into the hard stone of the tunnel is horrendous, and it reaches out from there, hungry for flesh and metal. It might be unfortunate for them, but the Legion provides both.
There isn�t much I can do to further enhance the damage of this particular strike, so I prepare for the next stage as we wait to see how effective this tactic is. My inner minds focus as I bring forth the power of the Gravitation Mana, crunching it down and compressing it in on itself again and again, moulding a tiny ball of screaming death within myself. Even though I shouldn�t be distracted whilst attempting to do this, I can�t help but extend my main mind forward to get some sense of what is happening.
What I detect is the titanic battle taking place between the Legion mages and the spell weavers of the colony. Hundreds of minds warring against each other as they work to seize control of the ground. The flow of Mana is hectic in my eyes; swirls, gusts, and ripples have been replaced by tears, whirlpools, and hurricanes as each side tries to wrench the flow into their control.
The Legion has drawn on their mastery of earth to modify the shape of the tunnel, blunting the force of the river of acid and diverting it to the sides, though my siblings have resisted their efforts at every turn. In enacting these changes, some of the mages of the enemy have been forced to abandon their efforts to stymie the ants attempting to collapse the roof down on their heads. Even as the torrent of acid slides down the side of their barriers, eating into their shields of light as it continues to propagate itself, the battle of minds surges overhead.
If the humans falter even for a moment, they�ll be in for a nasty surprise. There are metal spikes, each weighing tons, lodged into the stone up there. If they are allowed to fall, it�s going to be a bad day for whoever gets hit.
This is the strategy of the colony when it comes to this defence. One attack isn�t going to be enough to divert the power of these soldiers, they�re too strong and far too experienced. Certainly more than we can deal with at our current level of strength. Since one strike won�t defeat them, we�ll hit them a hundred times. A hundred times a hundred. However many it takes until they fall. That means we strike from multiple directions at once.
Never the kind of creatures to let something go to waste, I know the acid is going to be collected in special holding tanks carved out of the stone deep below the tunnel. The Legion may never have noticed the holes in the stone beneath their feet when they began their ascent to the gate, but they are certainly there. A hundred metres below, the tanks await, from which the acid can be pumped back to the top of the tunnel. An ingenious system that hundreds of carvers spent a week carving out. Sadly, it�ll take hours to refill, so we can only deploy the acid again if we manage to repel this first approach from our enemies.
�How did it go, eldest?�
It�s Ellie, hiding in a chamber on the other side of the wall to my right.
�I think we got their feet wet at the least, but it hasn�t stopped them. On the plus side, they aren�t coming any closer.�
It takes over a minute for the tanks to fully empty themselves, dumping out acid at a shocking pace. As the deafening roar fades, I can finally hear myself think, and more than one ant clicks their mandibles in shock at the ferocious display.
�In other words, they�re right in position?�
�Yep. Think your pets are going to be up to the task?�
�They�ll make you proud, eldest.�
�Let�s see it.�
[Is it possible that I can join them, Master?] Crinis asks.
[No, Crinis. We�ve gone over this. I need you here with me. Let�s watch and see how they do.]
The blob attached to my carapace wiggles in a mix of frustration and happiness as I turn my attention back to the ever-hungering ball of Mana spiralling in power within my mind. The bomb is reaching the critical point of overload and I need to devote all my attention to it. I just can�t help but keep my eyes peeled for the attack of the core shapers.
The moment the Legion becomes visible again behind the haze of acid mist in the air, it�s clear how they were able to survive. Deep gouges have been carved into the ground on either side of their formation. From the ruined appearance of the tunnel floor, it looks as if a combination of magic and sheer physical strength was used to create these gashes, which means they must have directed weapon strikes at the stone to help break it up.
More than that, their soldiers are tightly packed together in a narrow column, shields pressed against each other with their defensive abilities activated. From my position near the gate, they present a layered wall of golden light which patches of acid still cling to, sizzling away.
It might be a pain, but I can�t help but be impressed that they survived. Sorry, Morrelia, but that�s not the only trick we have up our sleeves.
A few seconds is all it takes for the order to slip down the chain, and I witness something most people would rather not see in their lifetimes. The furious acid has burned away a thin coating that once covered the floor to reveal a narrow gap in the tunnel walls, close to the floor. If I weren�t looking for it, there�s almost no chance I could see it at all, it�s so narrow. From that narrow gap on both sides, a darkness wells up and begins to seep out. All the way up and down on both sides of the Legion column, a tide of pure black is massing. From out of the shadows, slowly at first, but quickly gathering speed, extends a forest of tentacles, hundreds, thousands of them, as the darkness moulds itself to reveal its true form.
Centipedes.
The hated foe, the reviled enemy. My hatred of the centipede knows almost no bounds! Long did they torment me in my youth, only for me to turn the tables on them and use the foul creatures as fuel for my own growth. Once the table flipped, I refuseed to allow it to flip back again, no matter how much the Dungeon seems to like the putrid things.
Naturally, my own predisposition against the centipedes was passed onto
the colony, which led to an aggressive campaign to delete them from the
Dungeon. Wherever the colony has been, war against the many-legs has
been waged. Their nests expunged, their spawn points camped until the
Mana dissipated and no more of the cursed monsters appeared. It�s safe
to say that whilst we ants have left most spawn points alone in order to
have monsters to hunt, the centipede no longer exists within our
territory. They have been
As a result of this extensive activity, a tremendous number of centipede cores has flooded into the claws of the core shapers. Interestingly enough, it was found that the centipede core is remarkably mouldable. It�s as if the genetic code of the many-legs is so basic and primitive that the shapers had great success utilising the sophos� merging technique, fusing the centipede together with other creatures. After experimenting with various forms of the omnipresent shadow beasts, this variant was created.
The centi-sludge!
At least, that�s what I call them. I think Ellie told me their name, but I forget already.
Utilising advanced shadow flesh technology, these centi-sludges are able to mould themselves into a goop-like state in much the same way Crinis does. Similarly, they have the ability to extend a tendril of dark flesh filled with the same potent toxin that filled the centipede stingers. A devious creation that represents the dedication and hard work of the colony core shaper caste, the centi-sludge is a nasty little package on its own, but when multiplied by thousands, can create all sorts of problems.
The Legion doesn�t hold back and displays the rapid response expected from soldiers with such high levels of discipline and training. The moment the tendrils reach for them, a flash of blade light explodes as hundreds of swords and axes strike out, cutting swathes into the slithering pile of centipedes reaching for them. From where I hang on the roof, packing more and more Gravity Mana into my bomb, I can see the light carve into the centipedes, bisecting many of them, but even so, they don�t stop moving.
In truth, these pets have almost no defensive capabilities. The strikes cut straight through them without resistance, splitting hundreds of them apart at a time. But that just doesn�t do the job. The pieces of the monsters that have been cut away return to goop which is then claimed by any of the centi-sludges nearby, incorporating the precious shadow flesh as part of their own body. Unless the core itself is damaged, or the Legion is able to cut away at them fast enough that they don�t get a chance to reform before the flesh is dissolved into the Dungeon, they won�t stop coming!
Gwehehehehe.
Although, to pay for this roach-like level of survivability, not only do the centi-sludges lack in toughness, but their offense is low. The purpose of this tactic is not to defeat the Legion, but rather to wear them down. If some of them get poisoned while we�re at it, all the better!
As the Legion engages with the pets, turning their attention from one crisis to the next, a sortie of ants emerge from the gate. A mixed force of mages and scouts, they rain down-ranged firepower at the leading Legion figures in order to amp up the pressure. The Legion�s shields have formed a wall of light that now flickers and flashes with each new impact as the colony ups their offense, trying to batter through the attackers� stamina.
We don�t need to win, we only need to hold. Forcing the Legion to go back to their camp and try again another day, that�s a victory.
With a mental command, I send Invidia to join in the barrage, lighting up the tunnel with his detonations. I warn him not to go too hard yet. Our part in this defence is not yet done. I don�t have the spare mental energy to reach out and keep an eye on the ongoing mental warfare taking place in the tunnel, but I wager it�s ramped up another notch. Attacking the mages by putting them under constant pressure to defend their comrades is a lynchpin of our strategy. Even if the individual Legionaries prove to be indefatigable monsters, the minds of the spellcasters can�t be. Even if they have hundreds of super wizards in their ranks, the colony is able to throw literally thousands of ant mages at them until they crack.
Compress, compress,
In the final stages of preparation, the only thing that exists in my consciousness is the Gravity Bomb. It grows darker and darker as the crushing force takes on a life of its own. Even so, I continue to force more of the purple Gravity Mana into it until the pressure of holding the sphere of pure magic together starts to push back against my mind. Working with Mana in this way is always headache-inducing, and each of my four brains is pounding by the time I cut off the supply of Mana and prepare the spell for launch.
�I�m ready to throw out the bomb. Clear the deck!� I call out a warning to the ants in the area.
The word is rapidly passed along, and the core shapers coordinate to clear their centipedes out of the danger zone at the front as quickly as possible.
[Invidia, are you clear?]
[
Nice.
�Black hole in the hole!�
HHHHOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWLLLLLL!
As ever, the Gravity Bomb announces its presence in spectacular fashion, causing a storm of wind and filling the tunnel with the now-familiar shriek the moment it�s released. The sound is deafening, as if the air itself were screaming as the near black sphere devoured it. It�s a terror-inducing effect that�s only magnified by the spell swallowing all light as it travels. The ants know what�s coming and dig their claws into the walls of the tunnel even as I do the same. The Legion too is familiar with this scene, and their response hasn�t changed, only grown stronger over time.
Shields and barriers spring to life by the dozens the moment I unleash the spell, and a host of minds reach out to rip the Gravity Bomb apart before it can land. At the same time, the ants launch a new offensive, hundreds of mages who�ve remained hidden until now throwing their Will into the contest.
Once again, the battle to control the rock of the tunnel is pushed to the brink as the colony attempts to drop tons of stone and pointed slabs of pure iron onto the heads of the attackers. Invidia himself goes to work batting away the mages who try to unmake the Gravity Bomb, pitting his own considerable prowess against the Legion in an attempt to preserve the power I packed into the spell.
The bomb strikes home as it always does, flickering into its final form�a slowly rotating sphere of pure destruction. The pull is dreadful. Hanging from the roof, I dig in as hard as I can to resist being a victim of my own spell. It�s a risk, casting this spell whilst hanging here, since my weight is so much higher than my grip has been able to sustain, but where there is a Will, there is a way, and I hold on fiercely as the bomb ravages all it can touch.
Bwahahahaha! Behold my power!
I have to say, watching the devastation unleashed by the Gravity Bomb never fails to elicit an exaggerated sense of achievement in me. Look at what I have wrought! In reality, the bomb is structurally the simplest piece of magic I�ve ever attempted on Pangera. A blob of pure Gravitational Mana crushed into itself as hard as I can manage before being flung out into the world. Far more than Cunning, Will is the stat that determines the strength of this spell since my ability to force and compact Mana is dependent on my willpower.
The current rendition of my most destructive spell can only be called an unqualified success by my own standards. The potent drag of the expanded Gravity Bomb threatens to pull me from my perch on the ceiling, and many ants fight to maintain their position on the walls.
What it feels like closer to the epicentre, I can only imagine. Unpleasant, I�m sure. Although my brains are exhausted so soon after releasing the Gravity Mana, I extend my senses out toward the Legion in order to get a sense of how the clash is going.
Thankfully, they�re struggling. Although they have expertly layered their defensive abilities with magical shields and ripped away at my spell, they�ve not been able to do the work they�ve previously employed to mitigate the spell before it�s able to land. The many-pronged attack of the colony has done its work in forcing our opponents into having to make difficult decisions. Do they try and hold the ceiling together and strike back at the ants positioned in the tunnels there? Do they fend off the limitless poisoned tentacles of the centi-sludge, or do they commit everything to limiting the impact of the Gravity Bomb?
It feels as if they chose to do all of the above, and as a result, they�ve lost some ground on each front. Sections of the tunnel roof are starting to slip even as the shadow pets begin to close on their lines, spreading their toxic blessing, and the bomb is shattering the protections they put in place just as quickly as they put them up.
It�s clear the Legion didn�t expect us to be able to bring the number of mages to bear that we have, likely believing they would retain their comfortable superiority in this regard. The fools!
From my perspective, all action in the tunnel has come to a stop as the screaming sphere of black death rotates in place and consumes everything that falls into its maw. The air, the dirt, the light, nothing is safe from its insatiable hunger, and all we can do is hold on until it peters out. After hurling this spell into the teeth of the Legion so many times without breaking through, it�s almost a shock when a notification from Gandalf appears.
[You have defeated a Level 53 Abyssal Legion Scout.]
[You have gained XP.]
[You have reached Level 66. One Skill Point awarded.]
Holy moly! I
The second the spell runs out of power, it flickers and then fades to nothing. The silence and stillness that hangs in the air is profound after the cacophony of shrieking wind that had felt so oppressive just a moment ago. The Legion is still there, ranked up together with shields to the front, but it�s clear those in the vanguard have suffered under the effects of my spell. Many are showing injuries, some have collapsed, one knee in the dirt as they breathe heavily.
Tanking the brunt of my strike for their fellows has cost these Legionaries dearly, and for many of them, they will have no further part in this battle. I notice Morrelia is not among the wounded, which gives me mixed feelings.
On the other hand, I know how to feel about the hulking, axe-wielding form in front of the column. That massive chap appears almost totally unharmed, with barely a scuff in his armour. Judging by the positioning of the other soldiers, it appears as if the nearby Legionaries stepped forward to protect their leader from the worst of it, taking the wrath of the Gravity Bomb onto their own shoulders. An action that caused one of them to pay the ultimate price.
Unwilling to let this chance slip, the ants dash forward to renew their bombardment, with Tiny, Invidia, and Crinis joining in from a safe distance. Wearing down the opponent before the final clash is still the name of the game, and I refuse to let Tiny leap into the ranks of the enemy and get himself filleted by the axe-guy before he manages to land a single punch. Instead, I have him throwing boulders using his considerable arm strength and blasting out with lightning when he gets a chance.
Just as the long-range strikes begin, the Legion appears to make a decisive move, advancing rapidly toward the wall. The wounded and exhausted warriors are being picked up and moved to the rear of the column, which flows around them like water even as the axe-wielding hulk bullies his way forward at their head. The imposing soldier batters aside projectiles directed at him, or just plain ignores them, allowing the acid and spells to smack into his crackling armour as if uncaring of his own safety.
With each step, he gathers momentum, and I begin to sense an ominous energy building within the head of the axe. Brutally wild and hungry for violence, that�s the sense I get. An unrestrained thirst for blood and vengeance emanates from the weapon, and many ants within range of the baleful aura react with insectile rage. The energy contained within the weapon grows and grows as the figure draws closer, climbing to unbelievable heights, but even so, the strike isn�t unleashed. What the heck are they aiming for?
Then it hits me.
[He�s going for the gate!] I roar at Invidia. [Shield, now!]
The demon has nothing if not a quick mind, and before I even finish the thought, a flow of Mana around the gate behind me is swirling and shifting as the little eyeball shapes it into barriers.
�He�s going to try and bring down the gate! Hit him! Defend the nest!� I blast the entire tunnel with pheromones, snapping every ant within range to attention.
�FOR THE COLONY!� they roar as they rush into battle.
This guy wants to bring down the gates himself? He�s either mad or far more powerful than we expected, and I�m terrified it�s the latter.
Even so, what can we do? If we must fall to preserve the colony, then that�s exactly what we are going to do. Filled with this resolution, I drop from the tunnel roof and position myself between the lone Legionary and the gate, putting my exquisite diamond form in the firing line. Come on then, you stupid spectre of death. Let�s see if you can charge into the mandibles of the colony and walk away unscathed!
I regret my choices. Many of them. How did this situation wind up with me facing down this inhuman axe-maniac whilst he charges his weapon with what feels like enough energy to cut a mountain in half? The things people do for their families, that�s all I can say.
The colony and Invidia are working overtime to establish all the shields they can as quickly as possible, layering protections across the already potent enchantments of the gate. Hopefully it�s going to be enough.
[Crinis, get off me.]
[NO!]
[IT�S AN ORDER! GET OUT OF THE WAY!]
I refuse to let her get caught up in the fallout here. Her Skills and mutations are totally unsuited to facing down this kind of situation, all that will happen is she�ll get herself killed for nothing. That�s an outcome I won�t allow.
I barely register as my loyal friend peels herself off my carapace and disappears into the shadows along the side of the tunnel. My focus is solely on that dreaded axe. Minds churning, I try to think of anything I can do to help mitigate this attack.
Sinking into the depths of meditation, time almost seems to slow. Do I have enough time to whip together a spell? Probably not, judging by the speed the axe is gathering energy, it�s almost ready to go. Can I create a physical barrier? Digging maybe? Unlikely to help. This guy is trying to cut down solid steel gates with an axe. If I put a few rocks in the way, it isn�t going to make a difference.
There has to be something,
The lone Legionary continues to sprint under the combined bombardment of everything the colony can throw at him. Tiny is blasting with lightning. Acid rains from openings in the gate and walls. Spells radiate as the mages spit out a plethora of magics. Maybe I can use a little Gravity Magic? I don�t need to spin a construct for it, and I�m well-practised at the basic forms, my main mind doesn�t even need to get involved.
Quick as a thought, my sub-brains begin to form and throw out basic
Gravity Bolts at the onrushing juggernaut in the hopes that it does
DASH!
As fast as I can, Dash!
Right into the jaws of death!
Because that�s exactly what it feels like. My senses are going crazy at the sheer amount of energy pouring off that demonic weapon, so much that the very air itself seems to warp with it. An aura of bloodlust and violence permeates the air around the charging figure, leaking from the axe itself, saturating the minds of everyone who draws too close.
Even sunk into meditation, my emotions pushed to one side, I can feel it. A rage that bubbles up from within and eats away at my thoughts. I don�t let it. Even the cold logical thoughts of my own brain, severed from my emotions, tell me this course of action is illogical. I don�t listen. Even the Vestibule, the gateway through which the Will of the colony leaks into my being, is begging me to turn aside and allow others to go in my place. But I won�t.
I don�t know why. Explaining it is impossible. Something deep within my
carapace is simply telling me
The figure looms large in my vision as we close on one another at hectic speeds. My mandibles stretch open wide, the dark energy of the Doom Chomp manifesting around me. More and more Gravity Bolts fly, peppering the figure all over without slowing his unstoppable momentum. Just before I reach him, my mandibles begin to snap shut as every cell in my body screams for me to flee this danger, to get out of the way and preserve myself because this is something way out of my league.
I don�t listen.
I was never very good at being what other people expected of me. Not in this life, or the last.
With a shout that
It�s so fast I don�t even see the axe move. One minute it�s over his shoulder, the gauntlets gripped tight around the haft, the next, the axe is buried in the stone at his feet, all the way up to those same gauntlets.
My mandibles strain for a final second as the world flickers before me and a tidal wave of energy explodes in the air in front of my face. It�s a blade of axe light like none I�ve ever seen. Instead of the normal soft glow of white light, this arc of power is bloodred. Rather than the size of a blade, it stretches from the ceiling to the floor in a vertical line of pure destruction.
Too late to prevent the strike from being unleashed, I pull myself to one side, but in a flash, the strike is upon me. Then it�s gone. One of my sub-brains triggers my healing gland without my conscious thought and a feeling of almost puzzlement flutters in me. Why�? Then the pain comes. Searing agony explodes down the right side of my body as I struggle to comprehend what just happened.
[Master! I�m here!]
My thoughts are sluggish. What�s going on?
The darkness is pitch-black and a forest of tentacles envelop my entire body in their embrace. Before my eyes are covered, I make out the sole Legionary in front of me on one knee, his weapon still buried in the ground as he draws deep, shuddering breaths. Despite being so vulnerable, no attacks fall on him. Why isn�t the colony attacking?
I�m sinking and I can�t even process the sensation as Crinis pulls me into the shadow, dragging my body through the darkness and out the other side. Where am I? �This pain is intense.
�Healing! The eldest needs healing!�
�Move aside!�
As the tentacles unwrap, I realise where I am. Crinis has brought me right in front of the gate, the gigantic steel barriers towering above me as my siblings swarm to my side, desperate to heal my injuries. I don�t have eyes for them. Instead, my addled mind tries to take in the jagged rent that has been carved into the left gate. The metal is twisted and warped where that horrific axe blow impacted and then cut through.
It�s strange. Why would he only target one side of the gate? Come to think of it, why can�t I see out of my right eye?
Or feel my right legs?
Ah. I think I get it. With the healing energies of my regeneration gland flooding through me, Invidia�s Healing Magic, and the ministrations of the colony, I can feel my flesh knitting itself back together and regrowing the part of my body that has been sheared completely off. Who needed a right side of the body anyway? Unfortunately, it doesn�t seem as if I�m going to get much time to pull myself together�heh.
Farther down the tunnel, the Legion leader has managed to stand and his soldiers have surged to encompass him within their ranks. Having secured their leader, they�ve resumed their purposeful march to the now damaged gates and the colony is scrambling to pick up the defence. No chance you punks are getting through this damn gate today!
�Get me back on my feet�� I manage to say. �We aren�t done here yet.�
The Legion advances to where I lie convalescent, still recovering from my grievous injuries. The only blessing is that the one-man army who cut through half the gate is no longer in the frontlines, replaced by a wall of armoured bodies that hold their weapons and shields with perfect discipline. Once Crinis has pulled me clear, the colony continues their barrage, and a horde of my siblings sally forth from the gate to surround me.
�Get me back behind the gate,� I squeeze out. �We didn�t plan to take a stand here.�
The ants don�t respond at all, and I wonder if they smelled what I had to say.
�H-hello? You need to either move me behind the gate or leave me here. What the heck are you doing?�
�Eldest, I mean this with all my respect, but please shut your pheromone hole. We�re trying to heal you and you need to stop moving.�
Who was that? Mendant? Where the heck do you get the nerve to speak to me like that? The healer is completely unperturbed, as if an enemy army wasn�t closing on her position with each passing moment. Are these ants crazy or what? We can�t fight here, we�ll get slaughtered!
If I can�t be moved, then just retreat to safety, I�ll fight my way out! This won�t be the last you see of me!
Before I get the chance to insist, the ants have already formed ranks around me, hundreds turning into thousands in mere seconds. I quickly realise they aren�t going to give me up.
[Crinis! Can you move me again? Through the shadows?]
[I can�t, Master, I�m sorry. It took almost all of my Shadow Mana to get you this far.] She sounds panicked.
[It�s going to be fine,] I reassure her. [My face is almost back together, see? I�ll be in biting shape again in no time.]
She doesn�t seem to be encouraged by my words. She�s twisting herself into mind bending, non-Euclidean shapes that I�m certain are formed of more dimensions than there should be in her anxiety.
[Invidia, get the buffs onto Tiny. I get the feeling there�s going to be a scrap in here shortly! Tiny, you are NOT allowed to die! That�s an order!]
I can�t see much, the ants are swarming over me as the healers continue to administer their healing fluid to help regenerate my flesh, but I can sense something I never expected, and moments later, I see one.
What the hell are the
Led by that manic priest, at least a hundred humans have marched forth from the gate to squeeze in amongst the much larger bodies of the soldiers and scouts in the front ranks between me and the Legion. The priest himself has a short spear gripped in his one good hand, which he waves back and forth with frantic energy as he bellows words I can�t understand to the gathered humans. His voice rolls like thunder with the power of a war drum, urging his fellows to battle.
When the Antmancers activate their Skill, their bodies ignite and begin to spread an aura that envelops every ant and human within reach. Even I can feel it, giving strength to the limbs I still possess and filling my heart with courage. It doesn�t help that the Vestibule continues to whisper of the ants� desire for victory, to make the enemy pay for the damage they�ve done. It�s difficult to ignore them in the heat of battle. I have an urge to scurry forward on my three remaining legs and try to stab the Legionaries to death with my only mandible.
I don�t think that will go too well.
�Can I be moved yet?� I whine to Mendant.
Her antennae twitch and I swear by my mother that she almost thwacked me.
�Any other member of the colony would be dead right now. No, you can�t be moved,� she tells me as she continues to work.
Dammit. This is going to get ugly.
From where I lie, I only get flashes of vision from the front lines, but I can tell the two forces are closing together as the colony and its allies press forward to allow more room between the fighting and me. Are you kidding me! The battle is right in front of the gates, and I�m not even going to be able to participate? This must be some sort of joke. I�m tempted to ask if I can move yet but there�s something in Mendant�s eye that causes me to hesitate.
[Crinis, go support the colony,] I tell her. [They�re going to need your help.]
[You are heavily injured, Master. You need me here to protect you!]
[I need you to protect my family more. Go on, Crinis. Do this for me.]
The amorphous blob of unmitigable darkness shudders once before lashing out with tentacles that drag her deep into the shadows of the tunnel roof. Before long, she�s vanished from sight as she slithers closer to the enemy. All I can do now is lie still and wait for the healing to complete.
The sounds and vibrations of battle rise to a fever pitch. Even now, reinforcements pour out from behind the gate, piling up on top of each other until the tunnel is almost filled to capacity from bottom to top with a writhing mass of furious monsters, with me buried somewhere at the bottom.
With a colossal THUD that rumbles through the stone on which I lie, the two opposing armies clash for the first time. There is little yelling or talking�with the exception of Beyn�the ants communicating in perfect silence whilst the Legion are too disciplined for random noise, yet the sound is still deafening.
The clash of steel on carapace, the vibration and detonation of activated Skills and spells fill the air until I can�t tell what�s happening anymore. All the while, my antennae are battered with a flood of pheromones from my siblings.
�FOR THE COLONY!�
�FOR THE ELDEST!�
�STRIKE FOR THE BROOD!�
�FORWARD SISTERS!�
�FOR THE COLONY!�
Infused with the aura of the Antmancers and their own generals, the soldiers, scouts, mages, and every other caste present are driven to the peak of their fighting abilities as they throw themselves against the Legion army in an endless tide of fury.
A deafening screech erupts from a distance away, piercing through the sounds like a knife. Tiny has entered the fray, using his scream to distract and stun to buy enough time for his fists to come to bear. On the edges of my Mana Sense, I can feel the centi-sludges and other pets creeping out from gaps in the wall, pressuring the Legion line all the way down the tunnel in an attempt to sow chaos in the enemy ranks.
Shortly after, the mad priest comes into view again, standing upon a rock dislodged in the fighting, his face a twisted mask of ecstasy and rage as he bellows, his words pounding into my ears like waves on rocks. How the man isn�t dead yet, stood up like he is, I have no idea, but there he remains, preaching with righteous fury as the battle unfolds around him.
The knowledge that my siblings are fighting and dying so close and being unable to help them tears me apart inside. I�ve always wanted to fight for my family, but so often, they are the ones who fight for me. Having them do so on my behalf is something so precious, I didn�t even realise how much I needed it in my past life, but now that I have it I refuse to let it go. I will take hold of this family with my mandibles, and they will never be able to dislodge me.
�Please,� I beg Mendant, �let me go fight.�
The healer looks down on me once more and this time I see no irritation or anger in her, only acceptance, patience, and love.
�Don�t worry, eldest,� she tells me. �We will protect you.�
The battle raged around Isaac Bird and, in the brief moments where he wasn�t desperately trying to keep himself from getting skewered or sliced in half, he had to wonder why he was even here.
Peer pressure was part of it, he could admit that to himself. When three quarters of the guards under him volunteered to go down and aid in the defence, it would have looked a little ridiculous if he, their leader, didn�t go with them. There was an element of pride, also. The ants had done much to help the refugees, and now, when a chance came for the people to return the favour, it would be churlish to turn it down.
Another part of him, a more honest part, was willing to admit that he�d hoped to see Morrelia here. When she�d left, all those weeks ago, he regretted not going with her, and now that she�d returned with the Legion, how could he not take this chance? What exactly he hoped to accomplish in wooing the woman who captured his heart with her fierce and headstrong ways from the opposite side of a battlefield, he wasn�t sure, but it was worth a go!
He hoped it was worth a go.
�SPEARS UP, LADS!� he roared into the din and hoped his people could hear him as the Legionaries surged for another clash.
CLICK-CLICK-CLACK-CLICK!
A chorus of snapped mandibles rang out as the ants issued their own war cry. Isaac held his ground and tried not to get buffeted by the huge monsters that crawled over each other and clung to the ceiling to get at the enemy.
�FOR THE COLONY!� roared the priest from behind him. �DELIVER VENGEANCE UPON THE INFIDEL WHO REFUSE TO ACCEPT THAT WHICH HAS BEEN MADE CLEAR TO US! FIGHT! FIGHT FOR THE COLONY!�
�I�m fightin�, I�m fightin�!� Isaac grumbled, and activated his shield wall Skill and deflected a blast of sword light upward.
The ant above him angled its carapace to absorb the diminished blow before it lunged to snap the sword of the offending soldier, but the enemy was too crafty and snatched the weapon back just in time.
�Try this on!� he roared and executed a perfect micro-Dash while he ignited his spear with energy and used Expert Thrust.
A pure beam of light shot forward from the weapon and caught the enemy unawares, hitting them full in the chest. Other than knocking the wind out of them, the strike didn�t appear to do much to the foe. The ranks closed around the soldier, who was back in the fight a few moments later after collecting their breath.
�Their armour is too damn tough. What the hell is tha� stuff even made of?� Though exhausted and in the midst of battle, Isaac couldn�t help but complain about how unfair life was.
Whilst it was true the colony had provided the guards with brand-new arms and armour, far better quality than anything they�d been able to lay their hands on before, it felt a little inadequate when they were put against the bloody Abyssal Legion. Still, beggars couldn�t be choosers. If he was here in his old gear, he had no doubt his head would have left his shoulders behind some time ago.
�DO NOT YIELD TO THE HERETIC. DEFEND THE PATH WHICH WE HAVE FOUND THROUGH TRIAL AND SUFFERING. DO NOT FORGET THOSE THAT SAVED US! DO NOT ABANDON THE ONE WHO LIBERATED YOU FROM FEAR!�
How that damned priest didn�t detonate at the neck projecting that level of volume, Isaac would never know. It was inhuman as far as he was concerned. Not that he had much time to worry about it.
�SPEARS UP!� he roared again.
The clash and ring of steel filled his ears as the flash and flicker of light blasted his eyes. There were hundreds of beings fighting at once, each employing their Skills, equipment, and natural gifts to the limit.
Both sides struggled to hold on. Isaac snarled and bellowed, then dipped low before executing a sneaky shield charge. He clipped his opponent�s weapon at a different angle than was expected, which caused the soldier to lurch backward before he was disarmed. Not willing to let go of this chance, Isaac lashed his spear through a tight sweep that clipped the left foot of the Legionary and caused him to crash to the ground.
The moment the man fell, his allies on either side leapt to defend the
breach and protect their comrade, and those behind pushed to cover the
gaps. The ants refused to let it happen so easily and
�RALLY TO ME!� Isaac called, hoping someone could hear him above the clamour.
If the ants were going to push, he sure as hell wasn�t going to let them do it alone! He cursed and spat with wild abandon as he lashed out with his spear, desperate to widen the gap and take the pressure off the monsters who absorbed insane amounts of punishment without taking a backward step. It wouldn�t be possible for Isaac to perform half of these heroics without the boost he was receiving from Beyn and his kin. The more humans and ants gathered together, the greater the strength of the buff, and right now, Isaac was riding high, his stats pushed to levels he�d never experienced in his life.
�DEFEND THIS HOLY GROUND WITH EVERY FIBRE OF YOUR BEING! LET YOUR VERY SOUL SHAKE WITH THE POWER OF YOUR EFFORTS AS WE DRIVE AWAY THESE LOST ONES.
�DO NOT BLAME THEM, CHILDREN, FOR THEY TREAD THE FALSE PATH, COLD AND ALONE WITHOUT THE LIGHT OF THE GREAT ONE TO ALLEVIATE THEIR FEAR!�
Does he ever shut up! Isaac shoved all thoughts of the priest from his mind as he frantically battled in the front lines. The fighting rose to new levels as both sides jumped on the tiny, infinitesimal edge he�d created for the colony, and he was finding it harder and harder to hold his ground. Sweat poured into his eyes, his shield was battered and rent, and his spear arm shook from pure exhaustion. Yet he refused to quit. So long as the ants kept fighting, so would he.
�Come an� get it, you shiny bastards!� He grimaced his challenge as he forced himself to keep fighting.
Then she was there. For the rest of his life, he would fail to explain how he recognised her so quickly, but the instant that red-armoured figure, a brutal short sword in either hand, stepped into view, he knew it was her. His heart froze in his chest and a foolish smile broke out on his face. It was wildly not the time for it, but he couldn�t help it.
�Hey, Morr. How�ve you been?�
He didn�t get a reply. Morrelia charged forward, her twin weapons a blur as she struck at him from both sides. He parried the first attack with the shaft of his spear and caught the second square on his shield. The weight from that blow nearly caved his shield in completely, and he suspected his arm may have been fractured.
Still with a stupid grin on his face he struck back, spear lancing out only to find empty air as she brought both her weapons up in a perfectly timed cross block. She didn�t give him time to recover, snapping out a quick kick that threw him back a few feet. Gods, she was strong!
He set his feet and brought his weapon up once more, eager for the fight to continue.
�That all you got?� he laughed. �And here�n I thought you was supposed to be strong!�
It was a complete bluff and both of them knew it, but he wasn�t going to back down, and neither was she.
�HAAAAAA!� Morrelia bellowed. Isaac caught her eyes blaze with red light through her helmet as her berserker Skill ignited.
She was heedless of the danger, like a stone from a siege engine right into the ant lines. Her weapons smashed his spear and shield aside with ease as she crunched straight into his chest and just kept going. His feet left the ground as her shoulder bore his weight deeper amongst the swarming colony. When she finally stopped running, she collapsed on top of him, causing him to cough out a mouthful of bright red blood.
�Nice ta see you too,� he said.
�You�re an idiot,� came back her distraught reply. As the ants and humans descended on top of them, she dropped her weapons and ripped off her helmet, exposing her midnight black hair to the light.
�Capture me, Isaac,� she said.
Was it the chest injury, or those magnificent words that finally drove him over the edge? A few seconds later, as Morrelia raised her hands in surrender and was taken away under guard, the ants would find Isaac passed out, blood leaking from numerous wounds.
What they couldn�t explain was the copious flow from his nose that continued long after they�d already healed him. A quirk of human physiology, they decided, and promptly forgot about it.
�THE SEARCH GOES ON, SISTERS!�
�WE SEEK!�
�Oh no you don�t! Retreat now! That�s an order!�
Brendant waved her antennae threateningly at the Immortals and their reckless leader.
�Leeroy! Get your metal covered carapace back to the gate! The enemy has pulled back and so will you!�
It was never a good idea to give the misguided armoured soldier a chance to �misinterpret� her orders. Brendant watched like a hawk as the heavy assault ants begrudgingly turned themselves around, putting their backs to the retreating enemy, and dragged themselves to the gate. Healers swarmed over the ants, tending to their numerous near fatal wounds.
Even from where she stood, Brendant could hear the medics taunting the survivors.
�Ooo. That�s a rough wound,
�Just a few centimetres to the left and you�d have been
The healers continued to bait and mock their charges all the way to the gates. There, the Immortals moved toward the foundries established just inside, where their armour could undergo an emergency refit. No doubt Smithant was already bashing the exhausted soldiers over the head with her hammer, lamenting the damage done to her precious armour.
The moniker �Immortals� had rung amazingly true over the duration of the siege, only a single member had suffered exceedingly heavy wounds so far. The others had been unsure whether to curse or praise their sister for her misfortune. They�d gathered for a solemn vigil as the soldier had been peeled from her armour and laid to rest.
Though the tunnel before the gate was now almost totally bare, the council member did not turn back. There was still one more warrior of the colony yet to return.
�How is she?� the soldier asked one of the nearby mages.
The two of them watched the great bear as it drew deep, measured breaths. Each exhalation sounded like a gale and blew dust and earth into a small whirlwind in front of the huge monster�s face.
�She is coming back to herself more slowly after each battle. We are growing concerned for her wellbeing.�
Sarah, the friend of the colony, had been instrumental in holding back the golgari on this side of the nest, but more and more, the ants were becoming worried for her state of mind. A team of ants combed over her frame, cleaning and soothing her while she reclaimed her sense of self from the fury that seized her during battle.
�She must not participate in the next clash, preferably the next two. Tell her the council has ordered that she rest herself.�
The mage twitched her antennae.
�I will tell her, but she will not like it. She wants to help,� the mage
said. �And I believe that part of her yearns for this state. She
�But we cannot allow her back into a state she once rejected, simply to fight on our behalf. Be sure to tell her what I said.�
Without the bear on their side, the next clashes would be far more difficult, but it was necessary. The other side was holding against the more powerful Legion without the assistance of a tier six behemoth like Sarah, though they did have the eldest. They would have to make do here. Weary and filled with a thousand worries, Brendant finally retreated behind the gate and returned to the embrace of the nest once more.
Thousands of ants swarmed here, each with a specific job. Triage was taking place in the field hospital as the many wounded were tended to. The most grievously injured would be shifted to the dedicated facilities as soon as they were able to be moved, whereas the others would heal on the spot. A bit of Biomass, magic, and regeneration fluid was all they needed to repair their wounds.
�How goes it?� came a scent from the left.
�Wills? It goes as it goes, I�m afraid.�
The scout, clinging to the roof, nodded her antennae in acknowledgement. The enemy had been repelled four times from the gate so far, but the cost was higher than they would like. Still, they were holding, which was all they needed to do. The foe had managed to reach the gate twice and inflict significant damage to the metal before they�d been pushed back. Eventually they would smash through, and the colony would be forced to retreat to the second, and final layer of defence.
�We�ll have to make the next defence without the help of Sarah. She needs to rest to regain her sense of self.�
The scout hesitated at that news.
�That�s going to make things� more interesting.�
�We don�t have a choice. It may finally be time to commit the humans to the front.�
The colony had hedged on sending out the humans so far, a decision that hadn�t gone down too well with the people themselves. The general feeling amongst the ants was that they should be responsible for defending their own nest and didn�t want to depend on assistance from others. The mayor, Enid, had rightly pointed out that the colony had helped defend the human homes, so why shouldn�t they return the favour? It looked as though they were about to get their chance.
�They�ll be happy about that,� Wills said. �I wanted to pass on that the scouts haven�t managed to break through to the satellite nests. We�ll keep trying, but it looks as though we�re still ringed in.�
The nest itself was a massive area. How the enemy managed to contain them in all directions and detect every attempt to tunnel out was something beyond the ants� understanding. There was still so much they had to learn before they could compete on equal footing with enemies like these. Given enough time, Brendant knew the colony would not only match their opponents, but exceed them in all aspects, but that day was far off yet.
Numbers and hard work were what they could depend on for now, it was their only chance.
[Where is she?] a voice broke into her thoughts.
[Friend Jim?] Brendant asked.
[Obviously it�s me!] came the irritated reply of the large worm. [Where the hell is Sarah?]
[She is still recovering outside the gate. She is being watched by a team of ants as she gathers herself, worry not.]
[Oh, I�m worried. I�m
[We have.]
[And� what?]
[We have noticed her struggles and I have asked the mages to tell her to rest for the next two clashes. After that, she will be able to choose whether to rejoin the fight or not.]
[That�s not good enough. If you give her a chance to fight, she will. Tell her to step back completely.]
Brendant considered that, but what could she do if the bear
[We will not take away her autonomy without good reason.]
[You mean you can�t win without her.]
[It will be more difficult,] the soldier readily admitted, [but we will still win.]
The worm went silent and Brendant felt him tunnel away through the soil, no doubt returning to the chamber set aside for himself and Sarah to which his friend would soon return. Before long, the council member had pushed the interaction from her mind. The battle went on and there was much to do.
Having to wait for your legs to regrow sucks. Even if it only takes an hour considering all the healing the colony, my pets, and I can pour into it. I even mutated these legs so they will grow back faster. An ant without legs is like� pretty much anything without its legs. Not particularly mobile.
By the time I have my claws under me enough that I can walk, the battle is over. After a bruising and bloody exchange, the Legion pulls back and gives the colony the room it needs to make an orderly retreat. That also includes dragging my sorry carapace inside where far too many medics fuss over me whilst others wait for their wounds to be tended.
�I�m fine!� I tell them. �Go bother someone else! Look, you can�t even see my insides anymore!�
It�s true, the muscle has
Thanks to the Vestibule, I�ve already been able to unload another full blast from the regeneration gland, which, combined with the ministrations of Invidia, has gone a long way to speeding up my recovery. What I�ve found, though, is that coming back from heavy injuries like this has a minimum time frame. No matter how much Healing Magic and regeneration fluid you pump into yourself, there�s a hard cap to how fast my cells will regenerate themselves. Some things just take longer than others, like the carapace for example. With the organs and muscles regrown, the only thing I can do now is wait.
�There are plenty of ants and humans who need caring for, there�s nothing else you can do for me now,� I assure the fussy healers.
�Are you sure about that, eldest?� Mendant asks. �You aren�t exactly� all the way back together.�
�I�m sure. Go tend to our new allies. They look like they need some care.�
�Are you sure you don�t want to just go talk to the prisoner?� the healer asks, her antennae looming dangerously.
�Not at all!� I protest. �The energy of the healers is a precious resource, and I would hate for it to be wasted when it could be better spent elsewhere. Please. Tend to the humans and the ants in need. I will heal given enough time.�
There were indeed plenty of humans and other ants in need of care. Despite the colony going all in to try and protect their human allies, not all of them had made it back, and many were injured. The number of injured and fallen on the part of the colony numbered in the thousands, yet another wrong to lay at the feet of the Legion. It would be days before some of them were back to combat readiness, and all would need to draw from the limited supply of Biomass stored in the nest.
After giving me a couple hundred side-eyes�compound eyes and all that�Mendant finally gives in and waves away the swarming healers, directing them to the many others who need their help. Once the council member herself moves away, I take it upon myself to mosey over to where the crowd is gathering. I say mosey. My legs aren�t fully regrown yet, so it�s a bit more of a �drag� but I get over there in the end.
Morellia has, as far as I know, turned herself in to our custody, or something along those lines. Isaac hasn�t been able to communicate all that well since the battle for some reason, and Beyn can�t bring himself to talk to her, given that she�s a �heretic betrayer� or some such. Without Enid being here, it�s been hard to find someone to communicate with the berserker, so things have been at a bit of a standstill.
The Legionary is sitting on the ground with her arms raised in the air, her weapons having been taken long ago. With her helmet off, it�s clear to see she isn�t afraid of what may occur here. Whether that�s because she doesn�t think we�ll hurt her or she doesn�t care, I�ll have to find out.
Damn I need some torpor� Hopefully I don�t get dragged away or anything before I talk to Morrelia.
�By the by, Protectant, I didn�t see you in the battle,� I say to the empty air.
After a brief silence, I get a near undetectable reply brush against my antennae.
�Please don�t address me when there are so many around. We want to remain secret, remember?�
I tap my antennae together in acknowledgement and wait.
�We could do nothing to prevent you leaping in front of the strike that nearly killed you, unfortunately. Once the guardian pulled you back to the gate, we were positioned around you the whole time.�
�You didn�t show yourselves, even then?� I ask, a touch incredulous.
�It wasn�t necessary. Should any of the enemy have reached us, we would have fought them, to the death if needed.�
I sigh. So many of our siblings made that sacrifice in the battle. Having such potent defenders is nice, but I�ll always feel the council wasted resources that could have been better spent protecting others. Ah well, it�s all water under the bridge now, I suppose. I push my tired brains to whip up a Mind Bridge and extend it to Morrelia as she watches me approach.
[Hey there, Morrelia,] I greet her with a wave of an antenna. [How�ve you been?]
Her face twists with an unknown emotion before she settles on a smile, her shoulders sagging.
[I didn�t know what you would say to me when we met again, but I should never have had any doubt.]
I honestly don�t know what she means.
[Thanks for saving me, by the way,] I tell her. [If you hadn�t told me to run, things would have gone sideways pretty fast. That dude with the axe is something else. Look at what he did to my carapace, dammit!]
She takes a good look at the still healing, and completely disgusting, wound.
[A foot to the left and he might have carved me clean in half!] I complain. [Is someone like that even human anymore?]
[That�s my father,] she says quietly.
[Lovely guy. Charming even. I mean, so human. Such a warm personality and totally regular level of strength.]
She bursts out laughing.
Despite being surrounded by hostile monsters who, quite rightly, were more than a little suspicious of her, Morrelia felt more at peace than she had in a long time. The colony weren�t in the wrong, she�d known that all along. The problem was, she wasn�t sure her father was wrong either.
In the end, she decided her conscience would not abide sentencing
Anthony and his family to death on the grounds that they
She knew what this would mean should the colony turn against the sapient races in the future. Given enough time, the ants would amass unfathomable strength, and should they attack, Pangera would be devastated before they could be stopped. But Morrelia decided it was a risk she was willing to take.
[You really don�t seem to care,] she said to Anthony. [It doesn�t bother you that I betrayed your trust and joined an army that was fighting against you?]
The giant ant looked at her quizzically, his antennae twitching in the random way they did whenever he was confused.
[No?] came his voice in her mind. [Should I be? I mean, from what you�ve said, you haven�t personally fought us, didn�t pass on any intelligence about us, and have given us a potential key to survival in this conflict. Rather than be mad, I think I ought to thank you.]
Those jagged mandibles clacked happily and Morrelia knew he was about to do just what he�d said he would and thank her. For some reason, she was unwilling to hear that.
[I didn�t even tell you I was going!] she burst out. [I just straight up abandoned the village and the colony! And for what? To turn around and attack the people I wanted to save?]
All the guilt the proud soldier had been suppressing came flooding out, surprising her with the intensity of the emotion. She seethed with rage and self-loathing that had piled up over the weeks as she�d suppressed her doubts and fears about her chosen course of action. She felt so stupid. The indecision and hesitation that plagued her seemed so foolish now, as if those feelings belonged to another person. Her hands clenched into fists that shook with the strength of her anger and she struggled to release the tension in her body.
[
The giant ant in front of her scrabbled in the dirt with his still undeveloped right-side legs until he�d managed to tilt his carapace to present his wounded half to the roof.
[You gotta keep the dirt out of it, you know what I mean? Clean wound is a healthy wound. I mean, not healthy, but better. Actually, can monsters even get infections? Is there bacteria in the Dungeon? I�ve never thought of that. Is there monstrous bacteria! That would be terrifying, holy moly! �Anyway, what were you saying again?]
It was infuriating, the way he always turned the conversation away from
the darker paths. It was particularly maddening because even now, she
couldn�t be sure he was doing it on purpose. He was so
[Oh, right. I remember now, the abandonment thing. Look, I really think if you want to make that argument, you�re talking to the wrong species, if you get my meaning.]
He gestured to himself with all six legs, though three were smaller than the others, making the motion rather lopsided.
[I�m an ant. Well, I�m an ant
There was a brief pause in the conversation as Anthony grew still, his antennae sweeping around the swarming ants around them. Then each of those ants froze in place for a fraction of second before resuming what they were doing, except now with a good dose of nervous energy added into the mix. After spending enough time amongst the ants, it wasn�t too hard to pick up on a few of their emotional tells. The erratic, soft clacks of the mandibles, the incessant antennae cleaning, and frequent flexing of the legs were all tells of a nervous ant.
[What did you say to them?] she asked.
[Just reminded them that rest is mandatory.]
Morrelia felt a laugh bubble up in her chest.
[You have to
[Absolutely. Even then, we get rebels who try and skip it sometimes.]
[What happens to them?]
[Dark things. I would rather not speak of it. Let us get back to your problems. You went to be with your father and mother. That�s fine and totally the right thing to do. Could you have asked your dad to not almost cut me in half? Sure, I�d have liked it if you did. But you�ve done the next best thing, by the sounds of it. You�re absolutely sure he won�t take the field if you�re our prisoner?]
[So long as you get the message out that I�ll be killed should he do so. My mother ordered that he bring me back alive, which means he can�t take any action that would get me killed.]
[Because it�s an order? You don�t think he�d refuse to take the field just because you�re his daughter?]
She hesitated, which told Anthony what he needed to know.
[Yeouch. That�s rough.]
[He might and he might not,] Morrelia slumped over. [His duty is very important to him. I�m not saying family isn�t, but he has thousands of people, thousands of families to consider when making decisions. He takes that seriously.]
The ant nodded.
[A lack of selfishness. A strong ant-like trait that we respect.
I suppose that order might turn into a relief for him. Now he has no
reason to refuse to accede, given that it allows him to spare his
daughter as well as follow orders. Wait a second� did you say your
Morrelia could only shrug helplessly.
[I didn�t even realise how strong they were, growing up. It just seemed normal to my brother and I.]
[You have a brother?]
The old and familiar pain stirred up.
[I had a brother.]
An antenna came down and patted her on the head.
[I�m sorry for your loss. The loss of a sibling is a painful thing. I have lost many in this lifetime and each of them stings in their own way.]
[I suppose I never thought about that. Each of you are related, aren�t you? Siblings from the same parent.]
[Technically, some of the colony members are my nieces now that we have more than one Queen, but I�d rather just think of them all as siblings. There�s no need for a generational hierarchy in the colony.]
Morrelia was sceptical.
[Don�t they call you the �eldest� and listen to you because you�re technically the first of them? Sounds like a hierarchy already exists.]
[That�s on them! I had nothing to do with that, and frankly I regret that it turned out this way. I was just a regular ant back in the day, one face in the crowd, and I liked it. Now I have all sorts of nonsense to deal with.]
For some reason he glared and snapped his mandibles at the roof as he spoke. It was a little ridiculous, and Morrelia felt the tension drain out of her.
[I�m ready, you can take me to my cell now.] She levered herself to her feet.
Anthony flicked an antenna.
[Meh. We�ll put you in Enid�s rooms. I�m sure she�ll be happy to see you. She brews a good cup of tea as well, or so I�m told. Nice to catch up, Morrelia. Don�t be a stranger. Provided your family doesn�t keep trying to kill us, I suppose.]
Alberton and Titus stood in grim silence as they awaited the emissary of the colony to approach. The elderly woman looked the same as she had before, her expression the same look of resigned weariness that she�d borne the first time they met.
�I apologise for making you wait,� she greeted. �My old bones aren�t as nimble as they once were.�
Titus was in no mood for pleasantries.
�My daughter,� he ground out. �Does she still live?�
If Enid was surprised by his coarse attitude, she did not show it.
�She is still alive, of course she is. She spent many weeks with us helping the survivors of the Garralosh wave. I personally count her as a friend and would not see her come to harm.�
It was such an infinitesimal change that only Alberton, through his long years working alongside his commander, saw the release of tension in Titus when he learned that Morrelia had not perished during the battle. Ever since his daughter had berserked and charged headfirst into the enemy lines, he�d been wound as tight as a void-steel trap.
�What do you desire in exchange for the safe return of the prisoner?� he asked, his voice stiff.
�You desire a prisoner exchange? Pardon my rudeness, but I do not
believe you have captured any of our people�� She left a deliberate gap.
��
It was true. On campaign against the monsters, the Legionem Abyssi did not take prisoners. Never had, never would.
�Can you offer a reprieve? Leave the colony alone for a period of months? The ants would be more than willing to accommodate such an offer,� Enid said.
Alberton grimaced. After even just two months, these ants could have multiplied into the millions. Multiple Legions would need to be deployed, probably even golems and praetorians. Such an expensive campaign would drain them of precious resources at a time when they couldn�t afford it. Besides which, the Loremaster glanced at Titus.
�I will not entertain anything that goes counter to my orders,� Titus stated flatly. �We have come here to exterminate this threat and that is what we intend to do.�
Enid nodded in understanding.
�Although I hate to say it, that doesn�t give the colony much reason to continue to keep your daughter alive, though, does it, Commander?� she pointed out. �There must be a point at which your duty and your familial affection can intersect, don�t you think?�
�You�re threatening her life?� Alberton demanded. �Didn�t you say moments ago that she was your friend?�
�She IS a friend,� Enid insisted. �To me and many others in Renewal. But the colony will make any decisions regarding her safety. They are fighting for their existence because of you. The idea that they would baulk at killing a prisoner when you slaughter every one of them you get your hands on is laughable.�
Though she tried to hide it, the contempt she felt for their actions seeped into her voice.
�You would weigh the lives of monsters against those of
�You would give no weight to the lives of monsters, and then expect them to treat you differently?� Enid countered.
�Enough,� Titus growled, and the controlled rage in the man�s voice was enough to silence the others in an instant. �No more games, Enid Ruther. You are a skilled negotiator and I have not the patience for this dance. State your terms.�
When he wasn�t actively holding himself back, the power of the commander rolled off him in waves and Enid needed a moment to steel herself before she spoke. With Morrelia�s help, they�d agreed on what the arrangement should be long before she walked out to parley, but it was necessary that they create some form of illusion to protect the girl.
�The colony will keep your daughter alive so long as you, Commander Titus, do not take the field for the remainder of this battle. Should your forces be victorious, you will find her within the nest, safely ensconced in my rooms. Should you pull back for whatever reason, send an emissary and she will be returned to you.�
Alberton was troubled. This offer implied that the enemy was confident they would be able to hold the Legion at bay until circumstances forced them to fall back. This meant the colony was as keenly aware of the approaching wave as they were. Maintaining a siege in the second stratum would be impossible. Once these tunnels saw demons rise into them, they would be forced to retreat.
More than that, he was worried of the growing tree-kin presence in the tunnels below. Scouts reported that the forest spread farther by the hour, and movement had been spotted within, several times. Most likely, the Grove Keeper was already awake, and the others wouldn�t be far behind. The Loremaster inwardly cursed. That infernal tree would hound them any chance it got. How unlucky they had stumbled on a root stem out here in the middle of nowhere. The odds of it were so small he almost developed a headache just thinking about it.
�If I do not take the field, more of my soldiers will die in order to see that those living on the surface do so in peace,� Titus said.
�I live on the surface, right next to the biggest anthill I�ve ever seen, and I�m doing just fine,� Enid replied.
�My people will still die.�
�Not if you turn around and leave.�
�You know I can�t do that.�
�Then you must make a choice, Commander. Will you sacrifice the lives of your soldiers in order to save one of them? It�s not a decision a leader would make,� Enid sighed, �but it�s one that a father might.�
If Morrelia was right, Titus had little choice in the matter at all. His orders were clear, and he had to follow them. Even if he was willing to sacrifice his daughter, which he likely wasn�t, he would have to agree to their terms. The end result was that due to Morrelia�s action, innocent soldiers would die who might otherwise have lived. A hard choice, but one that may have saved tens of thousands of colony members.
Alberton was about to speak, but Titus cut him off.
�I agree,� he rumbled.
Having said his piece, the commander nodded stiffly to Enid and turned on his heel to march back to his camp. Caught flat footed, Alberton stumbled a little as he too turned and caught up to his friend.
�Are you sure about this, old friend?� the Loremaster asked. �Do you really believe they will hold to their end of this arrangement?�
�I believe Enid Ruther to be an honourable woman,� Titus replied. �This is the best chance I have to ensure my child is returned to me.� His voice quietened. �I cannot lose her too, Alberton. I just can�t.�
Only when he heard those words did Alberton understand the true depth of the struggle that took place inside his commander. The loss of his first child had cut the man in a way that never healed, though he hid it far too well. Should his daughter die, the man considered throughout the Legion to be unbreakable might crack like a fragile egg, never to come back together.
Ah! It�s nice to have fully grown legs again. Like, just being able to walk normally is such a sweet thing. Only took a few hours too. There are advantages to being a monster, don�t let me say there aren�t. Heck, if you ask me, I�d prefer monster every time! Which is probably exactly why the bearded bozo picked up my soul for this gig in the first place. Still, if I�d had this level of healing in my past life, I�d have missed a lot fewer meals. Which might have helped with the whole starvation situation.
Ah well.
No point crying over spilt� life. Got a whole new family with their
lives on the line. Waving one antenna through the air, I get a sense of
the mood in the crowd of ants gathered outside the second gate. Despite
the impending battle, or perhaps
Trickling through the Vestibule, the whispered Will of the colony is always there within my thoughts, inescapable and inevitable. I know what they want. They tell me, all the time. I can hear the ants defending against the golgari just as well as the Queens deep within the nest. Sometimes, I forget it�s not normal for me to know these things and I have to consciously remind myself what it is that I�m hearing. It�s a bit weird, but I�m getting the hang of it. If it gets worse in my next evolution, though, it�ll get annoying.
The other thing that rings alarms to my senses is the concentration of Mana. The speed of the rise during the last wave was much faster in its last few days, and we�ve hit that point already. Every hour, it gets higher. The shadows are so thick you could spread them on toast.
Even this high up in the stratum, the stink of death is starting to creep into everything. I mean, it�s not really a smell, but the sickly taint of Death Mana is permeating the air and sticking to everything it touches. I hope they�re cleaning it out of the brood chambers, we don�t want the young getting exposed to this stuff, it�s nasty.
Before too long, a full-blast wave is going to kick off and the council has agreed that the Legion and golgari are unlikely to want to pursue their siege with an infinite number of crazed monsters flooding the tunnels. Heck, if we ended up holding them out of the nest, their encirclement would end up protecting us rather than hurting us. Given the time frame involved, it looks like they have enough of a window for one big push to try and crack the gates before they run out of time.
Since the last attack, we�ve had almost six hours of tense quiet in the nest. Our enemies have all pulled back, and I suspect they are gathering their strength and coordinating their plans for an all-out assault.
Naturally, the colony hasn�t wasted that time. If the enemy is going to give us an opportunity to get some work done, then we ants aren�t going to hold back. The carvers have gone absolutely ballistic, swarming all over the place in a frenzy of mandibles and Earth Mana. It�s been quite a sight to see. One second, you�d be looking at a stretch of tunnel, the next, it would be filled with ants crammed together like sardines in a can. After ten minutes of furious work, they�d vanish, leaving behind a reinforced tunnel with choke points, traps, hardened walls, embedded steel stakes, and pristine carvings engraved in the stone.
WHY THE CARVINGS?
I wanted to yell at them, but they were gone so quickly, I didn�t get a chance. Off to their next assignment. Now I sit outside the second gate, awaiting round two of the fighting. I doubt it�ll be long. I can already sense the Mana stirring at the end of the tunnel.
�I still think we shouldn�t have abandoned the first gate,� Vibrant interrupts my thoughts. �It was a great gate! Very shiny and metal and it must have taken so long to build. The carvers worked on it for ages! Think about all that work going to waste, it isn�t right! The second gate is bigger though� and shinier! Why is it more shiny? Is it the metal? I bet it�s the metal. Do you think it�s the metal? Maybe they polished it. I wonder if polishing the gate makes it stronger in some way. Does magic slide off it? It probably doesn�t. Do you know��
�Gah! Vibrant! Can you hold it in for a minute or two? My antennae feel like they�re about to fall off!�
�No, I can�t.�
�At least she�s honest.
�You�ve been like this since you were a larva, I can�t be surprised about it now,� I sigh. �Just try and not die, alright? These guys pack some serious heat, I nearly got carved in half and your carapace is weak as paper compared to mine, so be careful.�
�It is not!� she protests. �I�ve upgraded my carapace heavily I�ll have you know!�
�Didn�t you get some mutation that made it lighter so you could run faster?�
��No.�
�That�s what I thought. Just don�t get killed, alright? It�s going to be hard to make use of your speed out here in the crush.�
�Kay-kay, eldest. I�ll be careful.�
I still feel like I�m herding children half the time with the colony, even if most of them are smarter than me. Good thing I�m not fighting on the same front as Leeroy. I�d have probably smashed her armour to pieces through sheer force of thwacking.
�Movement down the tunnel!� I smell someone call, and Burke emerges, running back through the darkness.
�I think they�re coming, eldest.�
�Of course they are,� I tell her. �What the heck else were they going to do? Leave us alone?�
Around me an elite force of thousands of the colony�s finest stirs. Peppered amongst them are the human reinforcements of the village with their Antmancers, including the stupid priest. If the Legion wants to break through here and into the nest, they�re going to have to pay a heavy price. I�ll make sure of it.
Granin sighed and scratched at the solid granite covering his leg. He could feel his hands against the stone as if it were a part of his own body, a product of the fusion process he�d experienced in his youth. He�d never regretted choosing the humble ore that now coated his body. Granite was common as mud, resistant to weathering, and hard to grind down. It was the same kind of stubborn that he was, and he liked how much it suited him just as much as he liked the message it sent.
Too many flaunted their wealth and connections, using the sacred tradition of bonding to the stone as a means to differentiate themselves from their fellow golgari. He found it distasteful. It was another sign of the degradation, the rot, that had sunk into the Empire of Stone through the centuries.
Whenever they saw him, whenever those elites were forced to turn their gaze on his skin, he was slapping them in the face. Distaste always played in their eyes, complete with a sneer that was born in the corner of their lips. Though he wouldn�t admit it, certainly not at his advanced age, he took a childlike glee in rubbing their faces in it. In forcing them to look at how the rest of them lived.
Which was why, when summoned to stand before the High Blade, he took particular pleasure in scratching his leg and making no effort to conceal the boredom he felt at being forced to stand and wait for his �betters� to notice him. At least it gave him a little time to reflect.
He�d had to admit that he�d been right to trust his instincts with Anthony. That boy showed tremendous promise for a monster and had overcome everything Pangera had thrown at him so far. What he�d seen of the colony during this conflict had impressed him to no end. There was clearly great potential in the ant-strain of monsters that had gone unexplored all this time. Granin couldn�t fault the researchers who�d gone before him, though, he himself had overlooked them despite dedicating his research within the Cult of the Worm to other sidelined species.
If Anthony managed to survive and evolve another two or three times, his true potential would be unveiled. Thinking about it, the ambitions that Granin had thought buried with his youth ignited within him once again. The dream of every cult member was to create or mentor the final Ancient and complete the circle. This had been their mission since the mission had been handed down to them by the Great Worm itself.
Like all new cult members, Granin had yearned for that glory and devoted long hours to scouring books and roaming the Dungeon in search of overlooked, under-researched or unseen specimens. Whilst he�d contributed well above the average for a cult member and experienced many great successes, the dream eventually died out in him.
Only for a strange ant to stumble into his path and open his eyes to new possibilities and a future he�d given up on bearing witness to. At times, he regretted not going with his younger Triad members when Anthony escaped. He had decided at the time that he would rather stand alongside his people for the trials that were to come, but every day, his people seemed to find a new way to let him know that they didn�t want him there.
A few metres away, the Warrior caste muttered amongst themselves in a loose circle around the High Blade. Their glorious leader listened to all of it with a pensive frown, as if anything that was being said was in any way relevant. Granin doubted they had anything to say that hadn�t already been chewed over a hundred times. Despite spending golgari blood like water, they were no closer to achieving their goal and they were running out of time. All for the pride of the clans.
�Shaper Lazus, the High Blade wishes to speak with you.�
Finally, they had time for him. He still wasn�t sure why they insisted on speaking to him at all. They had their own clan-aligned Shapers loyal to the House of Balta, why call on someone like him? Because of Anthony, obviously, but he wasn�t sure what it was about his connection to Anthony that interested them so much.
�I am here,� Granin announced himself, making a point of openly displaying his granite skin as he saluted. �What is your will?�
The High Blade stared hard at him, disgust and contempt clear on his face. Granin nearly laughed but managed to stifle it in his chest. If he only knew Granin felt the exact same about him, how would he react? He�d probably cut off the Shaper�s head, to be honest.
�It is good to see you have survived the hardships of this expedition,� Kooranon Balta intoned in the needlessly formal way of the nobility. �You have proven to be a survivor.�
�Shapers learn to adapt and survive in situations that don�t allow us control. The Dungeon does not bend to our will from birth, so we learn to manage it,� Granin replied.
Muttering and growls rose from the warriors around him for the implied insult to their caste. Every citizen of the empire hopped when the warriors said jump. They truly were coddled from the day they were born. Though, usually, Granin would put some effort into concealing his jabs; he must be more bored with living than he thought. Insulting warriors to their face was a quick way to get into an honour duel. Totally fair one-on-one combat, with no magic allowed�
Surprisingly, the High Blade raised a hand and silenced those around him in an instant.
�You are bold,� he observed. �Perhaps foolishly so.�
Granin nodded. �With respect, I think I�m merely getting old. One tends to lose their subtlety as one ages.�
�I have found the same. Perhaps I would be able to speak with you directly then.�
He waved a hand, and an adjutant brought a chair over in a rush, placing it behind the noble and inviting him to sit with a quiet �by your will�. With his eyes still on Granin, Kooranon sat, placing his sheathed blade across his knees. The Shaper noted wryly that no seat was offered to him. Typical bloody nobles.
�You have a relationship with the reincarnated creature, do you not? He was under your care during his stay with the Shapers?�
�He was. I wouldn�t say we had a relationship, but we spoke many times.�
The noble�s eyes glittered.
�That is good,� he said. �I had hoped for as much. You may be fit to serve the purpose I have in mind then.�
Granin had a bad feeling about this.
�May I know what the nature of that service will be?� he asked, not expecting an answer.
Surprisingly, the High Blade elaborated.
�I have made no secret of my desire for the creature to die by my hand. It is necessary to expunge the shame that filth has placed on my house. Sadly, breaking down this nest and slaughtering all within has proven more challenging than anticipated, and, strange as it might be, the possibility that the wave will force us to retreat before the work can be completed has become very real.�
He leaned forward, his hands unconsciously caressing the sheath of his blade.
�This is unacceptable.�
The unbridled anger that burned in the noble was intense and the power of the man began to leak out, oppressing Granin where he stood. As much as he looked down on the warrior, his Level was the real deal.
�So I have been forced to consider an alternate strategy to destroy the pest. I will use you as bait and demand the beast meet me in combat outside the gate. Should it refuse, I will cut off your head in full view of the nest and the siege will resume.�
Somehow, Granin doubted this was in line with what the High Blade had no doubt promised his allies in the Legion, but it wouldn�t matter to him. Clan honour was the only honour that truly mattered to the Blades.
�Typical,� he sighed.
A sharp blow cracked the stone on the back of his head, and he knew no more.
I can already hear the fighting. The sounds of clashing steel and snapping mandibles tug at my claws. I have to force myself to resist charging blindly into the fray like a shinier, much smarter Leeroy. Keeping myself so still has never been so hard before. Then again, the only member of my family that I know was exposed to danger in my previous life was myself. In Pangera, I have thousands of siblings exposed to terrible danger almost every day. It�s enough to drive a person nuts.
The Vestibule makes my situation even worse, but if I focus, then I can filter out their whispers.
We have a plan and I�m going to stick to it. When the fighting gets hot here at the gate, I�m going to be right in the thick of it, which is where I want to be. At the front gate, the lead force of a few thousand is busy putting the Legion through their paces using the same tricks and tactics we spent on them the first time around. River of acid, magic barrage, the works. They�ll have to fight their way through all of it a second time before they even get through the first gate. By the time they reach me here, I�m hoping they�ll be all tuckered out and want to quit and go home.
More likely, they�ll be mad as hell and wanting to carve me into itty bitty pieces, but at the very least, they�ll have worked to get here. The ants and humans on this side of the picture need every edge we can get.
�How confident are you, eldest?� Advant asks.
The powerful soldier stands next to me in the dark, her antennae twitching in a rarely seen sign of nerves.
�We�re going to win,� I tell her with certainty. �We�re ants. What can they possibly do against us?�
�They�ve managed to bottle us up in our nest and destroy the outer gate.�
�Bah. Just a flesh wound.�
�You nearly got cut in half.�
�As I said, just a flesh wound.�
�Getting cut in half is just a flesh wound?�
�I�m perfectly fine now, aren�t I?�
A beat.
�You�re saying the colony might get cut in half but we�ll heal eventually?�
�No! I�m saying we�ll be fine!�
�I think so too.�
All around us, the packed ants of the colony stir. It�s not like we can keep our scent conversation private, not that I felt any need. I truly believe we will win. My family has been incredible from the moment I found them in this life, and I refuse to believe they won�t overcome this challenge just like they have every other.
BOOM!
A thunderous impact roars down the tunnel as the gates buckle on their hinges. A moment later, a flood of ants pour through the gap between the two doors, a gap that rapidly widens as more of my siblings push it open as they retreat. It looks like the line has buckled at the first gate�a bit faster than expected. No matter.
Injured soldiers and scouts are supported by their still healthy allies as the retreat occurs in swift silence. When they reach us, the lines part in unison to allow the wounded through, medics already positioned to work their magic. The air is tense now as we watch and wait for the enemy to show their faces.
It�s taking them quite a while. They must be exercising extreme caution. Understandable, considering this is their big push. If they fail on this assault, they probably won�t be able to muster another before the wave hits.
After ten minutes, the gate buckles as armoured figures appear and begin to force them open, teams bracing their shoulders against the metal and pushing with raw physical strength. The gate Titus cut into is in particularly bad shape. That mad man managed to cut through it from a hundred metres away. I hope the Legion doesn�t have many more like him tucked away somewhere, because just one is more than the entire colony can handle.
Another ten minutes pass in tense silence while the Legionaries force open gates and reassemble themselves into the disciplined, impenetrable ranks we have come to know them for. Our side watches it all happen, unwilling to be baited into a fight other than the one we�ve prepared for. These buggers are crafty. They looked all disorganised as they were moving through the gate, but I wager if we�d attempted to engage, we�d have found them snapped into neat ranks in a matter of moments.
[How are you holding up there, Priest?]
In a rare showing of charity toward the crazy, one-armed human, I reach out to him with my mind and initiate a conversation. Inwardly, I brace myself for what may come of it. If he doesn�t shout at me, I�ll take it as a win. To my shock, the priest sounds incredibly lucid.
[I am well, Great One. My brethren and I eagerly await the coming contest. We hope that in a few hours, the colony will be freed from this threat and able to once more pursue its grand destiny.]
I mean. He
[Any idea what sort of destiny that would be?]
I�m sort of curious to learn what he thinks this rapidly swelling pile of monster ants is going to amount to.
[I have no idea,] he surprises me instead. [It is not for me to guess or influence you, or the colony, in any particular direction. Such a thing would be sacrilege. We will wait and watch as we tread upon the path that you set before our feet. That is our mission.]
[Fair enough, I suppose. I like that you don�t intend to interfere with the colony. I don�t think that would go down too well. Oh, right! I forgot you can smell our pheromone language now. How�s that going for you?]
[It is wonderful. I cannot wait until I am able to communicate with a scent of my own.]
That will be� interesting. How will the scent be produced? I�m going to assume �magic� and not some sort of extreme diet leading to eloquent flatulence.
Up ahead, the Legion has begun their advance, marching with measured steps that shake the ground. It�s time.
[Thanks for the chat, Beyn. We�re counting on your guys in this battle. Do your best to keep your people alive.]
[I will, Great One. May you also fight well and survive into the new day.]
Maybe I was wrong about Beyn being a lunatic. During that conversation, he was cool as a cucumber. Maybe he�s turned over a new leaf and calmed himself down? That�d be a welcome change, to be sure. Let�s see. Interested in this �new Beyn,� I survey the massed forces of the colony, scanning for a sign of the priest. I know what direction he�s in after the mind connection� just need to� Ah! There he is.
He�s a little hard to miss, standing atop a rock. I didn�t notice him at first because, rather than wearing his usual robes, he�s almost totally naked, his bare and pale skin revealed for all to see. In his one good hand, he holds a gnarled staff with an ant head carved on top, which he�s brandishing at the oncoming Legion. From his mouth, an endless stream of both vile curses and foam are directed toward the enemy as his eyes bulge with the fervour of his rage.
You know what? This makes more sense to me. This is fine.
As the approaching wall of Legionaries draws closer, I perform a final check to make sure everything is ready for the battle to come. Do I have a giant ape? Check. Crazy shadow blob of unending horror? Check. Weird eyeball dude? Check. Omni-elemental Construct fired up and ready to go? Check. Even my spiffy Diamond Carapace is back to full shininess. I couldn�t possibly be more ready to deal out the pain.
[Tiny, you remember what you need to do?]
The big bat-faced gorilla turns to look down at me and nods slowly, a broad grin splitting his face.
[Tiny smash,] he declares confidently, one car tyre-sized paw patting himself on the chest.
With his patchwork armour and helmet strapped on, he makes quite the intimidating sight. Smithant outdid herself when slapping this stuff together, her work has kept the big fella�s injuries down to an almost unheard-of level. He�s going to need every bit of that protection for this one, as there is simply no retreat. We fight until the fight is won.
[How about you, Crinis? Are you going to be alright?]
[I would rather stay by your side, Master,] she complains.
[You�ll be able to inflict far more punishment on the enemy from where you are rather than hanging on the back of my carapace. There�s no avoiding the danger this time. We just need to dive in and hope for the best.]
[I understand. I simply worry about you. I will do my best to bring a swift end to this conflict.]
[Make sure you stay safe in there. When your supply of shadow flesh runs out, you need to retreat. That�s the agreement, remember?]
[I know!]
I�ve been hassling her a bit over the plan for this battle, so I understand why she might be a bit frustrated. I�ve been doing all I can to try and make sure my pets will survive the fight, but in Crinis� case, all she cares about is if I survive. Fortunately, I get to make the final call.
[How about you, Invidia? You ready to cut loose?]
The eyeball is hovering farther from the gate amongst the other mages of the colony, distanced from the front-liners like myself and Tiny. Going to need to rely on his firepower pretty heavily if we want to make it through this. The Legion is going to put a big target on him for sure, and I expect a ton of magic and arrow fire to go his way once the fighting gets thick.
[
Inivida is throwing shade at the Legion now? Colour me surprised. Just
goes to show that if you try hard enough, you can even tick off a greed
demon. I have to give our enemies their due, they
The massed ranks of the Legion move with slow, measured tread and the long-range acid artillery kicks into gear. Huge, dense, arcing jets of sizzling acid fly overhead, the force of the shots so powerful that even the spray and drizzle lands in front of me. The artillery squad have really been amping up their Skill Levels during these battles, and the effects are clearly visible. As the burning liquid splashes against the golden layers of the enemy shields, I nervously check my Omni-elemental Construct.
I�ve decided to lean on this new-fangled piece of technology for this battle. Normally, I�d be winding up a massive Gravity Bomb and chucking it at the Legion, but I don�t think I should in this fight. Although the bomb does a great job of causing chaos and inflicting the occasional casualty, serving to also wear down the Legion�s barriers and tax their mages and soldiers alike, this fight isn�t like the others.
This is going to be a grind.
This is going to be a no holds barred, head-butting contest until one side blinks.
The bomb is a great piece of work, but it tires out my brains to the point that even with the Vestibule refilling my tank, it takes a while to get back to full strength. Frankly, I�m not sure it would be a good idea to knock myself out so hard at the beginning.
Practice with the new construct continues whenever I have the chance, and now I�m finally confident that each of my brains is prepped and knows what they�re doing well enough that I can manage to use the thing effectively.
My current setup is to have the main sub-brain focus on maintaining the construct whilst the two sub-brains operate it. The only problem with this is that none of the brains are quite up to the tasks they�ve been assigned on their own. Maintaining the construct and helping to create the desired Mana types is too much for the larger sub-mind, which means my main mind needs to chip in and help. Similarly, the two smaller sub-minds aren�t quite up to the task of producing and weaving the Mana that comes out on their own, which means the main mind needs to pitch and help there as well.
Does it make much sense that I made the main mind the strongest and then only relied on it for biting and dodging whilst the smaller, weaker sub-minds do the heavy lifting magic wise? It doesn�t, does it? Ah well. It�s not easy, but if I can maintain the delicate balance of ducking in with my main brain to help out, then it all comes together to a reasonable degree. It�s not perfect, but it�s useable.
In fact, the time to put it to the test has finally arrived. I absent-mindedly raise my abdomen and aim my own acid barrage toward the oncoming Legionaries whilst my focus turns inward. My main sub-mind is already straining under the pressure, so I jump in to aid it as the two sub-minds operate the construct. Raw Mana flows from my core, quickly replenished by the flow soaked up through my legs, before splitting into halves and entering the many layered sphere at two separate points.
Now the magic really begins. As each segment of the construct rotates in its own direction, the sub-minds hold onto the flow of Mana they control and direct it carefully through a labyrinthine route that only they can see. While the energy traverses the construct, it changes, taking on the properties of the desired elements, and then rises through the layers once more to exit, ready to be shaped.
My main mind leaps to work controlling the flow of Mana as the two sub-minds grasp hold of the new Mana and begin to shape it into spells.
Nothing too complicated to start with, this is already hard enough without getting too crazy. The two types of Mana I�ve produced are lava�the combination of fire and earth�and air. With the lava, I�m forming a simple Lava Bolt, the most basic of all spells. The Lava Mana is tricky to work with. It�s turbulent and broiling. Too hot to handle, in a way. With the Air Mana, I create something akin to the spear shape.
Air acts very differently to the other types of Mana, which makes sense considering it isn�t as solid. The spear isn�t exactly something I�ll throw at the enemy, creating a pointy tornado and flinging it about isn�t really something I can do�yet. Instead, it will act more like a wind tunnel, drawing air in one side, accelerating it, then flinging it out the other side.
Think of it as a booster tunnel that I want to shoot lava through. Because� that�s exactly what it is.
Let �em fly!
The Lava Bolts are about the size of my eye, the molten, oozing liquid
burns with a fierce energy, and I feel a little relief from the
sub-brains as the spells are finally pulled from their grasp. Once the
orbs of lava enter the wind tunnels, they shoot forward faster than I
can track with my eyes, only to
That�s tasty!
Coolant looked out from her perch next to the upper sally port of the great gate and felt nothing but confusion.
�Do you want to go tell him or should I?� she said to Sloan who was clinging to the wall next to her.
The general shook her head, bewildered.
�I mean. They have to know, right? There�s no chance they don�t know.�
�I assume they know. I mean, what are the odds the two forces aren�t communicating to this extent?�
�Almost none, surely. Such a lack of organisation in our foes would throw our plans way out.�
�Hasn�t this thrown them way out anyway?�
Sloan hesitated.
�That�s� true.�
The totally unexpected scene before them played out under their watchful eye.
�What do you think we should do?� Coolant asked, her scent as calm and unruffled as it always was.
�I don�t know!� Sloan fretted. Why would these idiots perform this sort
of moronic action
Once again, that strange, undirected mental communication washed out over them, rippling through the ambient Mana in the air and into their heads.
[Bring the reincarnated one here, or this one, a friend of that creature, will die.]
Just inside the first gate, a procession of golgari stood with one of their own forced to kneel on the ground at sword point whilst an elaborately armoured figure reclined in a chair next to him, watching all that occurred with an expression of detached boredom. Next to them, a trio of mages worked together, supposedly sending out the Mind Magic communications.
�They have to mean the eldest� Who else could they possibly want?� Coolant wondered with some interest.
�I have no idea, but the eldest
�What, why?� Coolant asked. In her opinion, if one of the golgari wanted to kill another golgari for some reason, why not let them do it? One less for them to fight when they made a push for the gate.
�If the eldest is involved, there might be some element at play that we don�t understand,� Sloan sighed. �Anytime something weird happens, it�s usually to do with the eldest.�
Coolant could only nod to that. It was true. For whatever reason, the eldest gobbled down trouble like a Queen taking in Biomass. The end result was something good, but the appetite appeared to be endless.
�You want me to reach out to them?� Coolant offered. �I�ll need to move a little closer, I don�t think I can extend a Mind Bridge that far.�
�I�ll arrange an escort.�
The general scuttled away and had half a thousand ants ready to escort the mage closer to the enemy in a matter of seconds. Coolant had a thought, though.
�Do you think a thousand may send the wrong message?�
�What do you mean?�
�They have a total of�� she counted quickly, �eight golgari over there. If we move closer with a thousand, might they think they are being attacked?�
�You think a thousand is too many?� Sloan rubbed the top of her head with an antenna. A thousand didn�t feel like many to her. Then again, she was an ant. �I�ll send a hundred.�
The mage nodded. A hundred should be fine. Shortly thereafter, a procession of a hundred and one ants cautiously advanced toward the golgari delegation, ready to flee at a moment�s notice. Sloan had considered things carefully, and the delegation contained a healthy mix of mages for raising shields, scouts for detecting foul play, and soldiers to hold the line in the event the others needed to retreat.
Once they covered half the ground to the first gate, they very obviously stopped and parked themselves. Acting with great caution, Coolant wove together a Mind Bridge and extended it toward the trio of mages in the golgari party.
[I greet you on behalf of the colony,] she started off formally. [I have come to clarify exactly what it is that you want.]
The stone-people all communicated with each other for a long moment before a reply came back.
[The reincarnated ant. We want you to bring them here so they may duel the High Blade Balta. He wishes to expunge the shame the creature has cast upon his house with his own hand.]
Coolant was rather taken aback by this. This guy came all the way out here chasing the eldest? For what? Some imagined insult? She couldn�t possibly comprehend the meaning behind such actions, but she didn�t let her confusion show. True to her name, she remained calm.
[When you refer to the �reincarnated one,� you refer to the member of our family who was captured by your people? Large? Shiny carapace?] Better to be sure.
More conferring.
[That is correct.]
Nice to have that confirmed.
[You are aware that the individual you refer to is currently engaged in fighting your allies on the other side of the nest?]
[We are.]
[It will be difficult to bring the one you want here to this place,] Coolant said, which was putting it mildly. There was a battle going on! Did they forget that?
[We believe the reincarnated will not want this individual to perish. His name is Granin, and he knew the monster we want quite well.]
In all likelihood, the eldest would not want this golgari to die. Surely, not even these invaders would be so foolish as to try such a gambit if they weren�t at least somewhat competent. On the other claw, there was precious little chance the eldest would be able to extricate themself from the battle with the Legion. Feeling somewhat deflated, Coolant bade the enemy farewell and returned to Sloan at the gate. She rapidly explained the situation to the general.
�We will need to consult those two,� Sloan said. �They might know something that can help sort this out.�
It didn�t take long to locate the two golgari advisors within the colony. Corun and Torrina were anxiously awaiting news of the outcome in Enid�s rooms. The colony had been unwilling to allow them to fight on the frontline, despite them putting forward numerous requests. It was the eldest himself who had to shoot them down, relegating the pair to tea and biscuits with the mayor as the fight to determine their survival went on without them.
They were more than a little shocked to be summoned to the gate during the battle, and even more shocked to learn of the circumstances when they got there.
�By the granite gonads of my forefathers!� Corun swore. �Is that idiot
noble
Torrina stared hard at the gate, as if her gaze were enough to pierce the hundreds of tons of metal that stood between her and her mentor.
�We have to save him.� She turned to her fellow Triad member. �We can�t just leave him there.�
The usually cold and distant Torrina was nowhere to be seen, replaced with someone whose eyes brimmed with fear. For once, the talented Shaper appeared to have no clue how she should proceed. Seeing the change in her, Corun became unusually quiet as he wracked his brain to find a solution.
[I have to tell you,] Coolant told them, [at the moment, we have no intention of bringing the eldest here to do battle with this person.]
Corun was taken aback by how direct the mage was being, but he couldn�t support their decision when his mentor�s life was on the line.
[I assure you], he pleaded, [Anthony would not want Granin to die!]
Coolant eyed him. [They probably wouldn�t. But is the eldest willing to sacrifice hundreds of their siblings to come here and fight to the death against a foe of unknown strength? Indeed, it would seem to be in the best interest of the colony to take this decision away from the eldest and allow them to focus on the battle in front of them.]
[Is that how the colony treats its oldest member now?] Corun asked. [You control Anthony and make decisions for him?]
[Do not presume to judge how we treat members of our own family!]
the usually placid mage displayed her rising anger in her furious tone.
[The eldest is fighting for the survival of our entire
As much as he wanted to argue, Corun could not tell Coolant that she was wrong. He wrestled with himself before his shoulders slumped in defeat.
[Is there really
He brightened as an idea struck him.
[You could let me go,] he said. [Perhaps they would take me instead. I could reason with them, or fight in Anthony�s place.]
Torrina had kept her mind attuned to the conversation, listening with stone-faced silence as Corun tried to negotiate for the colony to save her teacher, but she could no longer remain silent.
[Corun, you mustn�t! You�d be cut down in a second!]
Her fellow Triad member set his jaw.
�You can�t be sure of that,� he said aloud. �I�m stronger than you think.�
�I know you�re good, but that�s a High Blade! In a one-on-one fight, you wouldn�t stand a chance. If you get yourself killed, they�ll kill Granin too, and I�ll be the only one left.�
The heartbreak of being the lone survivor of a Triad was not something she was willing to bear, not when she could save at least one of the most important people in her life.
�Then what do you propose we do?� Corun hissed, his frustration bubbling up. �They won�t get Anthony, and if nobody goes out there, then Granin is as good as dead!�
�Please, calm yourselves,� a new voice pierced the gloom that had descended over the two Shapers. �I may be able to assist in this matter.�
Outside the gate, Balta was rapidly growing impatient.
�How much longer before they bring the beast here for me to slay?� he demanded.
�We do not know, High Blade,� the leader of the Shaper Triad managed to hide his exasperation and reply with proper deference. How could he possibly know? These were ants he was negotiating with! Who knew how they would react to anything?
He was positively relieved when he spotted movement at the gate, the
giant, looming ant head splitting once more as one side of the gate was
pushed open slightly and a figure emerged. It wasn�t an ant, which was
disappointing, but at least
Balta watched the distant person approach with hooded eyes, scanning for every detail his eyes could pick out. What he saw intrigued him. This was no ordinary messenger. Something about the way they moved told him this person was high Level. There was a confidence, a balance in every step that only those with true power possessed. From what the High Blade knew, there shouldn�t be such a person here with these miserable ants. He resisted the urge to lean forward to see better so as not to give away his curiosity as he tried to gather more information.
There wasn�t much to glean. The figure was shrouded in a dark robe and appeared to carry no weapons. With the hood pulled up to cover their face, it wasn�t even possible to determine race or gender.
�Halt there,� called the Shaper as the mystery person drew within twenty paces. �Reveal yourself and state your business.�
The figure made no move to draw back their hood. The voice that emerged was steady and sure, confident and calm. When he heard it, the High Blade�s eyes narrowed.
�I have come to negotiate on behalf of my people.�
There was a moment of pause before Balta himself replied.
�Who are �your people�? If you are an ant, you are surely a strange one. My demands are clear: bring me the abomination or this one dies.�
He gestured without looking at the silent Granin who remained forced to his knees, bound securely. The figure laughed quietly as they revealed their face.
�I am indeed no member of the colony,� Grey said. �But the Folk have something to say in regards to what is taking place here.�
The wolf-like features of the representative struck the golgari dumb, except for Granin, who chuckled through his gag. What in the name of the Great Worm was one of the Folk doing here? Not even he could have predicted this! Anthony truly did bring chaos wherever he went.
Almost against his will, Balta sat straighter when Grey revealed himself. The currents were shifting quickly beneath his feet, and he struggled to hold his ground. He still needed to get what he wanted, and he would not allow this turn of events to deny him.
�Your people hold no claim to this territory,� Balta sneered. �Nor do they have authority in these tunnels. Were I to cut you down where you stand, the Folk would have no ability to seek redress from me. You are obstructing us in prosecuting an extermination.�
�Things are rarely so simple,� Grey chided as he massaged his palms and forearms. �And never when the Dungeon is concerned. I have applied to have the colony recognised as one of the New Races. The tribes deliberate as we speak.�
�It will be years before they come to any sort of agreement,� Balta scoffed. �Why does this concern me?�
�Because it means I am within my rights to fight to defend this new race, according to the laws of my people.�
The wolf flexed his hands, and from each finger snapped a wickedly-gleaming claw several inches long.
�What are you proposing?� the High Blade asked as he eyed those edges.
�Well. I
�Or,� Balta grated.
��
Spell after spell I fling at the oncoming Legion soldiers, battering
away at layered bubbles of golden shields along with the rest of my
siblings. Hundreds, no,
It�s a dazzling sight to behold, not that I have the time to appreciate it. The return fire has begun. My sharpened reflexes and precognitive instincts keep me relatively safe from the barrage of arrows crunching into the stone as if they�ve been fired out of a cannon. I must constantly hop from side to side, my antennae tingling with warning of the projectiles directed at me.
I get the feeling the Legionaries are holding a grudge, or perhaps I just make too shiny of a target out here in the front of the colony lines. My Diamond Carapace is so damn sparkly, the enemy just can�t help but shoot at it. At least I�m serving my intended purpose and absorbing more than my fair share of the damage, keeping my siblings safer through this early part of the battle.
It does throw off my concentration, though, making it harder to maintain my wind-assisted lava assault. The need for my main mind to continuously pick up the slack for the other brains makes focusing on dodging and casting at the same time difficult. I decide to focus more on my spells, which means I get hit moments later.
Not a problem for the Diamond Carapace! Gwehehehehe�Oh shoot!
Seeing me get hit with an arrow appears to have emboldened the Legion mages and snipers. At least, that�s what it seems like since the wave of ordnance being sent my way is intensifying.
Settle down, people! You need to find your chill! The carapace on the lower side of my body gets pelted with shards of stone as impacts crunch into the rock between my legs. I�m dancing the dance of my people, which turns out to be a frantic six-legged scramble back and forth whilst contorting my body into strange shapes and flinging spells. It can�t look too dignified, but it�s going to get the job done!
BOOM!
Aha! Invidia is finally in range to do his thing! Explosions rock the tunnel, sending dust and stone flying into the air and causing trickles of loose soil to rain down from above as the impacts shake the stone itself. The balls of fire are spectacular as they blossom against the enemy shields, causing them to spark and ripple as the Legion continues their implacable advance.
I can�t help but be a little impressed with the indomitable and unyielding discipline of the Legion soldiers. We are pouring all the firepower the colony can muster on their heads and they never flinch. It must help that they�re encased from head to toe in armour far better than anything we can make, but still, they�re just humans. Compared to us ants, they�re clearly lacking in many respects�legs�but even so, they�ve pushed our backs to the wall.
With the Legion drawing closer, it becomes harder and harder to dodge the incoming fire and I begin to take more damage than I would like. Incremental damage will pile up over time and the Legion�s attacks are getting stronger at the closer range. Colony mages are doing their best to erect shields and take the sting out of our foe�s magical barrage, but as the distance shortens, they have much less time to work.
BOOM!
Holy smokes! The heat from that one nearly singed the hair off my antennae. Glaringly bright light momentarily blinds me and I hop blindly to one side before my vision is restored, trusting in my instincts to keep from taking an arrow through the eye. Not being able to blink really sucks at moments like this. I can�t shield my vision even though I want to!
All around me, the soldiers are starting to loosen their joints and flex their mandibles as the ranks tighten. It won�t be long now until the two sides collide for the first melee of this exchange, and it pays to ensure you aren�t too tightly wound up before it happens. The ranks tighten and my performative display of dodging reduces in scale as I have less space to manoeuvre.
Working with the Lava Mana is too hard for my weary sub-brains right now, I need to switch over to something that�s going to be more effective in close range. Limiting myself to the easier-to-work with base elements, I flip to water and fire. The two opposing elements don�t play all that well together, but I suspect they�ll be more effective at impacting the battle in ways other than direct damage.
Sensing his moment is near, the armoured colossus that is Tiny draws himself up to his full height. Up to this moment, he�s just been parked on his backside behind me waiting impatiently for a chance to get into the action. I didn�t want him to waste a single charge of electricity, so I ordered him to hold back in this initial phase.
Rather than spend all his fuel blasting the shields, I decided he�d be better off swinging his lightning fists in close combat, and that moment has nearly arrived. Even from behind his gnarled and twisted helmet, I can tell the great ape has a massive grin on his face as he clenches his hands in mighty fists and begins to punch the ground and air, eager to begin the fight.
Not much farther to go now, only fifty metres between us.
The flurry of spells and projectiles is now so thick, midair collisions are detonating just as often as Invidia�s explosions. Bright flares of light and bursts of acid fall everywhere between the two armies, and dodging has become all but impossible now.
With my two sub-brains having managed the process of starting to grind out the new Mana forms, I squeeze myself back into formation fully, powerful soldiers on both sides, and then hunker down for the charge. Pelted by arrows and spells, our HP starts to fall, but none falter in their position, not even for a second. Eyes as powerfully mutated as mine aren�t enough to keep track of the sheer volume of firepower being thrown around, and my antennae are overwhelmed with the feedback.
Heat signals flare up and die every instant and the future sense is almost painful at the sheer amount of information it tries to cram into my head. The sound is deafening. Explosions crack and shake the rock, acid sizzles, and arrows fizz through the air before they crunch into stone or carapace or bury themselves in soft earth.
It�s overwhelming, and for a few minutes, it�s all I and my fellow frontline ants know as we sit still and wait for our moment.
I�m holding up better than most, thanks to my higher Level of evolution and carapace, but even so, I�m grateful when I feel a cool healing touch spread over my back and then the rest of my exo-skeleton.
�Thanks for the heal!� I tell the medic hidden in an emergency trench just behind me. �But make sure the rest of the line gets a dose before I do!�
�No can do, eldest,� the little ant tells me as she burrows herself back down to safety. �Everyone gets healed whenever we can get to them. We don�t have the ability to set up a schedule.�
The healers have really changed over the course of the conflict. No longer are they the timid creatures they once were. They know their job and they take no guff, even from me. Mother help any ant who tries to get between them and healing those that need it.
�Right you are,� I say and shift my position slightly to ensure the trench is covered by my body.
That burst of healing works to counteract the damage I�d been taking, and by the time it runs out, I�m almost back to full again. Only thirty metres remain between the two sides. It won�t be long now.
Then something unexpected happens. The ranks of the Legion, normally so uniform and unbreakable, split apart. The soldiers take brisk steps, shields and defensive formations maintained at all times as the column breaks into halves that press themselves against the wall to maximise the space between. It only makes sense if they�re clearing the way for something�
�Something is coming!� I warn the ants around me and brace my legs into the ground.
�HUURAAAAAAA!� an inhuman bellow slices through the cacophony of sound in the tunnel, and through the gap in the Legion lines storm creatures the likes of which I have never seen.
Swollen and misshapen, with no armour or weapons, but donning tough
hides and gleaming claws, they look more like monsters than anything
else. Something in their faces, their eyes, tells me I�m wrong. Were
these�
�GRAAAAAAHHH!�
Tiny doesn�t care
The humans begin to emerge from their bunkers behind me, taking up positions spread throughout the second line of ants where they�ll be protected from the worst of the fray, but I don�t have much attention for them.
Twin jets erupt from my mouth, one of flame and one of water, the liquid steaming and bubbling in an instant, creating a wave of searing mist in front of me. The front line of creatures screams in rage and pain before the two sides collide with an almighty CRASH.
�FOR THE COLONY!� I bellow.
�FOR THE COLONY!� comes the reply of thousands.
No more time to think. Blows crunch into my body and my mandibles open wide. Time to fight!
Whatever these things are, they�re
The creature in front of me shrieks in rage as it presses through my screen of steaming hot� steam, and brings two massive hands down in a devastating hammer blow on my back. My legs buckle and barely manage to hold my body up as the Diamond Carapace and inner plating do the work absorbing the blow. My mandibles are locked in position, and I unleash them, feeling the coiled energy within unleash all at once in a mighty chomp!
The jagged edges of my jaws slice forward and my opponent screeches with pain. Yeah, you don�t like that, do ya? Ouch! Dammit, this guy is tougher than I gave him credit for. He recovered from the bite quickly and scraped his claws down my back. He was aiming for the antennae, but my reflexes fired in time to push forward into his chest.
There�s no messing around with this guy! I channel my newly minted Fire Mana into my mandibles, and they begin to glow white hot, heat rolling from them in waves as I reset the muscles in my face and lunge again.
CHOMP!
As strong a physical specimen as this weird hybrid is, it lacks the same level of protection the regular Legionaries have, and even without using my Skill, the power of my musculature is enough to bite deep. The sizzling smell of roasting meat that fills the air is disgusting enough on its own, and my opponent falls back.
As much as I want to attempt a finishing blow, I resist the urge and maintain my formation with the ants around me. If I go out too deep, I�ll only get surrounded and end up needing my siblings to bail me out, increasing the risks they have to face. Not worth it. Instead, I�ll stand here and absorb my share of the punishment as we grind out this battle.
This one�s going in for the long haul.
The crush of bodies forces another hulking monstrosity in front of me in short enough order and I greet them with another burst of searing hot steam, which obviously goes down very well with my next customer. I follow up that opening salvo with another roasting-hot chomp and get punched in the head for my trouble.
Bare fists against my carapace turns out to be a bad idea, though, who would have thought. The shock of the impact rattles the enemy long enough that I can bite down once again.
�GRUAAAAAAA!�
BOOM!
Tiny�s here. Clad in his armour, he looks like an unstoppable
juggernaut, the sheer mass of him is intimidating enough, but then he
starts to throw hands and things get
But they don�t stop coming, and not all of the defensive line is holding as well as this section with myself and Tiny in it.
[Invidia, I need you to support the rest of the line, don�t let them buckle under the pressure. Crinis, get ready to intervene if you need to.]
[
[Yes, Master.]
Ironically, this is exactly the sort of drawn-out fight that Leeroy and her group are perfectly suited to fight. Vibrant is a powerful soldier, and her group is highly evolved, but they�re built for speed, not this sort of slugfest. It�s going to be tough for the speedy ant so long as the battle lines remain static, she simply has no room in which to run.
As the pressure increases and the packed armies smash into each other again and again, it becomes harder to have the spare room for thoughts of the rest of the battle. In my face is a constant stream of these disfigured part-monsters, each one quick and strong, smashing at my carapace and trying to claw my eyes before I can finish them off or drive them back. At my back, the ants hold the line and push up behind me, occasionally climbing onto my back to dart forward and provide support, shrinking my vision even further.
The heat and noise are intense to the point I�m forced to sink my mind deep into the Meditation Skill just to maintain focus. It�s something I�ve become reluctant to do at times. Being able to think free from distracting emotions is nice and all, but emotions can be a source of great energy and drive, pushing me past the point when my mind under the influence of the Meditation Skill would pull the plug. Except the distractions are overwhelming to the point that I don�t have a choice.
CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!
My mandibles reset and snap, reset and snap as fast as I can manage it until my face aches. The extra penetrating power of the bites is more than welcome, allowing me to preserve stamina by holding off on using my Doom Chomp, but still able to inflict severe damage on the foe. In the back of my mind, I�m conscious this is merely the opening stanza of the battle. Whoever and whatever these creatures are, they are the prelude for the true fight to come. Waiting in the wings for us to tire, the Legion is still out there, and they�ll join in the fight the moment they feel the time is right.
[Master, I�m stepping in.]
Dammit! Surely they aren�t breaking through already?
DOOM CHOMP!
To gain space, I activate my most powerful physical Skill. The black mandibles of dark energy manifest and crunch on everything ten feet in front of my face, the momentum and power of my new muscular mutation translating into the Skill. Whatever is left standing after the strike I blast with steam and rear back, lowering my back legs and extending the front to lift my head high enough to see.
Crinis is right, a section of the line to my right is starting to struggle. The freaks, sensing weakness, hold and scream with savage glee as they pile on the pressure, activating their Skills and slashing into the lines with wild abandon, heedless for their own safety. Crinis steps into the breach, announcing her presence in her usual insidious way as a forest of barbed limbs rise from the tunnel floor. The moment they�re long enough, they begin to wind themselves around the unsuspecting forms of the attackers, binding them tight as the barbs dig into their flesh and begin to perform their dark work.
I lower myself down, unwilling to see the rest. Hopefully, she manages to trigger her fear Skills and these guys back off a little. If the ant battle line is already starting to break, it�s a worrying sign, to say the least.
Will we need to bring the humans forward and activate their buff already? I hope not, we need to hold off as long as possible before bringing the Antmancers into the fray. Their buff is powerful, boosting the stats of our combatants, but the humans simply aren�t trained for extended, intense fighting such as this, and we don�t have enough people to rotate them during the battle. No matter what, we can�t bring them forward until the Legionaries themselves stand before us.
It only took a second, but the space in front of me is once again filled with opponents and my reflexes trigger just in time to help me avoid another strike directed at my eyes.
Dammit! Do I need diamond eyes now?
CHOMP!
This is going to be a long fight�
Titus watched the battle unfold from the rear ranks of the Legion column, his experienced eye catching numerous flaws in execution that any outside observer would fail to notice. He couldn�t prevent the slight twitch of his eye at the sight.
They can�t help it, he reminded himself. His Legion was still green, not used to working together and lacking proper drill experience. The auxiliaries were even worse, though it was more common for the shock troops to show such a lack. Former prisoners slated for death, they hadn�t come from the best stock. Even so, the Legion had turned them into viable soldiers, given them a family, a purpose, and the dignity they�d lacked most of their lives.
�Don�t pull that face, Commander, I can see it too. Don�t you worry, I�ll give them a proper tongue lashing when they get back.�
Titus turned to his side where the commanding officer of the auxiliary detachment stood, doing much the same thing he himself was, looking over the field of battle, seeking flaws in both sides of the conflict.
�Your unit is relatively fresh into the field?� he enquired.
Waving a gnarled claw, the former human pulled a towel from beneath his robes, which he then used to wipe the slobber from his distended jaws.
�Pardon, Commander. I figured you wouldn�t want a shower as well as a conversation!�
A wheezing chuckle emerged from the auxiliary, which threatened to do just that as a spray of sizzling drool launched from the back of his throat. Titus glanced down and saw that little was left of the towel, most of the fabric already being melted away.
�Cloud salamander?� the commander asked.
�Spot on! You know, most people think the acid came from a bile monster or some such. Terrible eating! I�m far too classy to be caught feasting on Biomass such as that!�
Once again, the wheeze and cough which passed for a laugh, followed by another spray of hissing fluid.
�We lost a lot of people during the last wave,� the former human continued. �Fresh recruits get shoved into the mix with hardly a �how do you do�, and we need to whip them into shape faster than you can blink. It�s not easy, but I think we�ve done fairly well.�
Titus nodded. If what he was saying was true, then the many tactical lapses he spotted were understandable, generous even.
�It�s hard for us once we get in the field,� the auxiliary commander went on, gesturing at his own facial appendages. �Communication isn�t our strong point at the best of times. If I start barking orders at my troops, I�m likely to melt half of them!�
Wheeze. Cough. Spray.
�We�ll give them a full review once we�re done. The blood will have cooled by then. Once the monster gets into you, the urge to fight is always there, after all.�
�Your sacrifice is honoured, Commander,� Titus said.
The once-human shrugged his massive, misshapen shoulders.
�It�s nothing. Not like I was doing anything worthwhile before I enlisted. No need for the title, just call me Ristos.�
�Ristos then. Your troops don�t appear to have listened closely to the briefing. I can see many moving to engage the abomination in direct combat. I believe they were instructed to avoid that target, it�s too strong for them.�
Wheeze. Cough. Spray.
�Some of us are a little hotter in the blood than others, shall we say. When they hear there�s a big bad monster out there, they want to show that they�re bigger and badder, you know? It�s something that happens. I�ve seen it a lot over the years. That�s why auxiliaries who can�t overcome the urge don�t last long. Oof. There goes another one.�
The ant in question had reared back and unleashed a brutal chomp, crunching his opponent into a mangled mess in an instant.
�Stupid waste of Biomass,� Ristos sighed. �Don�t matter how you warn them, some people are just too stupid to live.�
The commander rolled his shoulders and turned back to his own Legion. They continued to support the assault with long-range fire and medical assistance, dragging the wounded clear for healing and pounding the ant�s shields with an endless barrage of spells and arrow fire. It wasn�t like they could miss. There must have been twenty thousand ant monsters packed into the tunnel. The rows of the enemy were so densely packed from floor to ceiling, the imposing metal gate�the second damned gate!�was almost totally invisible.
He was still irritated by the existence of that imposing ant head studded metal monstrosity. If he�d known there was another, he�d have been more reluctant to step out of the battle. It wouldn�t have swayed his decision in the end. Morrelia had to survive, that was the end of it.
He could still feel his body protest when he recalled the blow he�d unleashed to damage what turned out to be the outer gate. It�d been a long time since he�d been forced to unleash his Master Axe Arts and the strain was severe. The Mana saturation in his cells was still too low to channel Skills of that magnitude, though age may have also played a factor. He wasn�t exactly in his prime anymore, and hadn�t been at his peak strength for some years. The surface would do that to a person. Not even the Mana tonics were enough to stave off the decay.
Almost by habit, he checked the ambient Mana and was forced to stifle a sigh. Still rising. The wave could come anytime now. Might be a few days, might be in an hour. The ants had done everything they could to delay the Legion advance, and if they were lucky, it might just pay off.
Titus pushed it from his mind, refusing to stress over things he couldn�t control; that was a quick way to burn out in the Legion. Besides, if the waves kept coming at this pace, everyone would have much bigger things to worry about than an ant colony. A second Cataclysm, the rising of the Ancients. If it came to pass as he suspected it might, he may just need to get back into top shape. Just the thought of baring his axe at one of the nineteen strongest monsters in the Dungeon was enough to get his blood pumping.
�Tell your people to push harder, Ristos,� Titus ordered. �In five minutes, I�m going to order my ranks forward and you�ll have a chance to rest before the next engagement.�
�Right you are then, Commander,� the half-monster saluted before he turned and loped through the column to relay his instructions.
An experienced and able ally was always welcome in Titus� book, even if he threatened to melt your face off every time he laughed.
Coolant and Sloan were gobsmacked as the fight unfolded before them. At first, it seemed as though everything had gone well. After Grey had spoken with the golgari, the kneeling form of the Shaper, Granin, had risen to his feet, and his bindings were broken so he could painfully jog his way toward the gate.
It was clear at that point the negotiations had been a success. In the distance, the small camp the golgari had erected was disassembled by the mages while the two figures, the noble and Grey, stood a slight distance apart. Both watched as the newly freed Granin made his painful way to the nest.
When he arrived, the gate was pushed slightly open as a few ants emerged to welcome him. Mage ants, all of them, they reached out with their minds to reassure him before leading him inside where he was sure to be greeted and cared for by the two who pled so strongly for his life. Against the odds, their wishes had been granted and their mentor returned to them. All that was left was to witness the outcome of the battle.
�How do you think it will go?� Coolant asked her more martially knowledgeable sister.
Sloan started, her concentration broken. �Sorry, what?�
�Who do you think will win?� Coolant tried again with patience.
The general turned slightly toward her sister.
�How on Pangera am I supposed to know?� she sounded exasperated. �I
don�t know their Levels or Skills even slightly! From what we know, they
don�t even
�They have classes,� Coolant offered sagely. �Their species doesn�t change, but they have a �class� that gives stats per Level. You should know this much.�
Sloan shrugged.
�I do, of course I do.� She jabbed a leg toward the two figures. �I just
don�t know what
�Does it really matter to us? Who wins, I mean.�
The thought hadn�t occurred to Sloan, and she contemplated for a moment as Grey and his opponent began to move, walking apart until there were five hatchling lengths between them.
Did it really matter? She obviously wanted Grey to win, since he was more or less on the colony�s side, though he had gone to some lengths to conceal his motives and opinions from the colony. They certainly knew nothing of his true strength. Ultimately though, with Granin released to their custody, the outcome of the duel didn�t seem to be all that important. The Shaper was only relevant to the colony because of his connection to the eldest, nothing their lives depended on.
If Grey could win, though� that might take an important piece for the golgari off the table. With this, the most powerful of their number removed from the battle, the odds of holding off the rock-people until the wave began improved dramatically.
�If Grey wins, our position will be stronger. Also, he is an ally, of a sort. It would obviously be better if our allies are stronger,� Sloan reasoned.
�That�s true,� her sister agreed. They settled in to watch as the distant figures bowed to one another in a strange display of etiquette before they both took a pose.
The golgari had dispensed with his sheath, the glittering blade of stone shining with the same potent energy that rippled through the hardened �skin� that coated his body. No armour was worn for this duel, apparently. The noble had dispensed with it, revealing his true skin for all to see.
The stone was streaked with golden rivers of Mana that rippled and flowed as he moved, casting light around him in a dazzling display of power. Whatever mineral or ore had been used was clearly top shelf, Sloan had never seen anything like it. She wagered Smithant would give an antenna to study it for five minutes. The sword itself was slender and curved, but long, perhaps as much as two metres. Held in the grip of the giant warrior, it appeared sharp and deadly, a precision implement of death.
When weighed against Grey, unarmed and far smaller, dressed in a humble robe with his claws unsheathed, it didn�t look favourable for him.
Then it began, and Sloan could have sworn she�d missed it. One moment,
the two were still as statues, the next, they�d
So fast!
The two of them flickered across the tunnel until finally they clashed. The poor eyes of the ant general caught the impact a second after it happened. The golgari had rushed forward, great blade descending in an overhead chop. The energy infused in the blade was so great it felt to Sloan as if a thousand tons of rock was descending on Grey at the speed of a lightning bolt. Inescapable.
Unfazed by the danger, Grey had swung both hands from right to left, his claws blazing with light that extended outward and clashed with the blade, diverting it to the side.
The stone shattered under the force of the impact, shards flying as several tons of rock disintegrated. With his opponent unbalanced, Grey lashed out with his claws, once, twice, thrice, almost too fast to see before he danced back out of reach, both hands extended.
The noble golgari took his time righting himself as he gripped the hilt of his sword in one hand, using the other to brush dust and stone from his skin. Whatever material he was coated in, it was clearly tough as nails, not a scratch could be seen on him.
The two exchanged a few words before they once again took a ready stance, giving the ants a chance to process what they�d seen.
�What the hell was that?� Sloan gasped.
�Did you see the Mana packed in that sword!� Coolant was shocked. �That was insane! How does it hold that much?�
�Did you see the speed?�
�The power��
It was clear then to the two council members, that outside of the eldest and possibly the Queen herself, there were none who could hope to stand against individuals as powerful as these two.
Indeed, no matter how many tier three ants they were to throw at the two combatants before them, would it really matter? In the face of this kind of condensed might, only an individual of equal strength would suffice.
Unless they could cultivate warriors of comparable ability themselves, the casualties they would suffer to bring down these exceptional individuals would be obscene. And who knew? Were creatures such as these two even that rare in the depths?
Grey and his opponent, the High Blade Kooranon Balta, studied each other. Their experience and observation Skills provided a constant stream of information as they continued to feel each other out.
Using his rank seven Master Keen Eye, Grey could see every muscle twitch, every exhalation of breath in excruciating detail. The golgari wouldn�t be able to twitch a toe without the wolf-Folk being able to tell him how many millimetres he�d shifted it. Not just sight, every sense was pushed to the limit of his abilities. Even his natural advantages as one of the Folk were on high alert, ensuring nothing took place outside of his notice.
Experience was what allowed that information to filter, to disregard that which wasn�t important. He could smell the ant pheromones that blanketed this tunnel, smell the blood and ichor of those that had fallen beyond the gate before him. He ignored those, all that mattered was the battle.
He centred himself, as the great warriors of the Folk were trained to do, and balanced his mind against his instinct to find the proper equilibrium. Almost reflexively, so ingrained was the technique, Grey began to circulate the Mana inside his body around his centre, creating a flow that empowered his movements and hastened the absorption of energy throughout his body.
It had been so long since he�d fought in a high-Level duel such as this. The old familiar feeling stirred in his veins, the impression of being on the hunt. The wolf within him had begun to bare its fangs and he allowed the sensation to wash over him, acknowledging its presence, neither embracing nor dismissing it. Equilibrium was his safe harbour.
The High Blade mastered his breathing and exerted his aura. Powerful and domineering, it swept through the air and attempted to crush the wolf-kin, intimidating and robbing him of strength. As before, he did not resist it, but instead let it pass through him. Such childish tricks were a waste of precious energy in a duel and would have no effect on him. The fact the High Blade insisted on attempting it displayed a lack of experience.
�You will yield to me, beast,� Balta said, confidence dripping from his large frame. �How many of your kind have fallen to my blade already? You are just another notch, and you don�t even know it.�
Anger flared in Grey�s heart. The war between the new and old races of Pangera never really ended. Conflict between the Empire of Stone and the Folk continued to this day. There was a chance that Balta had slain his people in the depths, it was true, but most likely, it was just a taunt. He allowed the anger to sputter out. This was not the time for anger.
�You are a pup,� Grey said calmly. �Whining and snuffling in the dirt, waiting for the alpha to teach you the ways of the world. What are you waiting for? I�m right here.�
The golgari�s stone-covered face twisted with rage and he lunged, the rock beneath his feet shifting with the force of his Dash. In a battle of this level, there wasn�t time to think or ponder, no consideration for the next move. It was a realm of highly trained reflexes so fast and automatic that an argument could be made the brain wasn�t involved at all. Grey threw himself into the battle, refusing to direct or control his body to strike. He didn�t need to. It would strike all by itself. He and his instinct were one and the same.
He Dashed with his right foot only, rotating his body as his left activated Meteor Slash. Stamina and Mana drained out of him through his claws as the Skill activated and manifested in the air. Enhanced by the rotation of his body, five jagged cuts streaked through the air at a speed faster than even his eyes could follow. As predicted, Balta charged directly forward, relying on his toughened body to absorb whatever Grey could unleash. Yet again, he�d been underestimated. With a loud crunch, the slash impacted the golgari�s side and threw off his balance enough that the destructive overhead strike flew past its target by centimetres.
Breathe. Then flow. The wild joy in his heart surged and Grey allowed his lips to peel back in a savage snarl, baring his fangs. His body continued its rotation, completing the full spin in an instant, whereupon he slammed both feet down and charged. Mana swirled in the air and within his body as his hands fell inward to rest at his hips. Dash. DASH. DASH. Three times in less than a second, he executed a perfect micro-Dash, bringing his speed up to a dizzying height as his hands concentrated stamina and Mana. Unleashing his named Skill, he thrust both hands forward, palms up and claws extended.
Pierce the Wall!
The light from each claw unified in a single fang that shot outward and dug into the side of the noble.
The golgari wasn�t without his own Skills. Unable to bring his blade to bear, he activated his own Dash to take momentum from the strike as golden streaks of metal on his skin slithered together toward the point of impact. Just before the moment of impact, Grey noticed the telltale shimmer of a shield around the frame of the noble, then his Skill landed and blew the body of the golgari away.
He wasn�t finished, though, despite how much that must have hurt. As he blasted out from the point of impact, Balta rotated his body to protect his head before he slammed into the roof of the tunnel, where the rock shattered around his frame.
Even from that position, Balta was able to fight back. His free hand gripped the hilt of his Living Stone blade, sending a wide defensive slash toward the beast as he freed himself from the stone.
Contrary to his opponent�s expectations, Grey did not choose to follow up on his advantage; instead, he chose to be patient. Eyes wide, he studied everything. How hurt was the golgari? How effective had his strike been? At the same time, he focused on regulating his breathing and ensuring his state of mind was not disturbed. It�d taken a long time for him to learn the necessity of resisting his urge to chase, but it had been a valuable lesson.
As Balta dropped back to the tunnel floor, Grey flexed his hands and shook out his legs, ensuring he remained as limber as possible.
�That�s a very tough mineral you have bonded to your skin,� he observed conversationally. �Quite a rare find.�
Balta sneered as light glittered on his true skin.
�We prize the stone above all things, beast. Naturally, the best ore is destined to fall to the best of our people.�
He was unbalanced to his left side, Grey was sure of it. The moment he detected the weakness, his pupils dilated, and the breath caught in his throat for the briefest of moments, then it passed, and he was in control once more.
It was unfortunate, but in that moment, he lost control of his
bloodlust, the murderous aura of the hunter had surged out of his body,
and judging by the expression on the noble�s face, he had sensed it. It
was almost funny. Balta had been so willing to call him a beast as a
taunt, not realising the description was quite apt. Grey
A wide and feral grin stretched across Grey�s face as he accepted the rising tide of the wolf within.
�Naturally,� he growled through his exposed fangs, �and I suppose you won that ore by your own hand? Did you, Balta? Or did someone else buy it, like everything else exceptional about you?�
The mix of fear and outrage on the noble�s face was like ripe wine on
Grey�s tongue, and he didn�t wait for a reply before he
The sword light howled with malevolence as it carved through the stone floor of the tunnel, but Balta paid it no mind. His foe had dodged at the last possible moment, he sensed it. His eyes flickered as he tried to track his opponent, but the aged wolf had become even faster, and his instincts were yet to catch up.
He never saw the final blow coming.
Grey had leapt above the sword blows and used his shifting cloak to blend with the stone behind him. In a battle of this level, losing track of your opponent for an instant was ten times longer than they needed to end the fight. Focusing hard on his inner self, Grey breathed and shoved hard with both feet.
To the outside observer, it looked as if the wolf-kin pushed off thin air, descending on his unaware opponent like a fanged comet. A vortex of Mana and stamina formed in front of him, and he rotated his body to give it more speed and power. When he reached the High Blade, he sent that energy driving into the giant, rock covered frame with the points of his claws.
BOOM!
The stone around them shattered like porcelain as Grey drove his foe deep into the ground. By the time his attack dissipated, he found he�d buried the golgari in ten metres of solid rock. As he had no personal grudge with this foe, he ensured the noble still lived before he hauled the fellow up and carried him back to the tunnel floor.
Once there, he lay Balta on the ground so that he might be collected by his people, turned, and headed back to the nest.
A nice little fight. Just enough to whet the palate.
At least those crazy malformed humans were good for experience. Whatever the Legion did to turn them into� what they were, they certainly lacked the finely tuned discipline of their more regular compatriots.
Even after I�d demonstrated the ability to rip into them using my Doom Chomp, cutting down several at a time, they continued to come, almost ant-like in their eagerness to sacrifice themselves for their allies. If they would just fight defensively, be a bit more cagey, then I wouldn�t be able to hit their numbers even half as hard as I do.
I�ve not been paying attention to the notifications Gandalf has been whispering into my ear, but I�m sure I must have racked up three Levels from these clowns. If they want to throw experience at me, I�m more than happy to take it!
Although I am a little tired from having to use the draining Doom Chomp so many times, which is possibly their aim.
Doesn�t look like I�m going to get time to rest, either. When the bizarre creatures pull back from the ant line, they slide expertly through the perfectly aligned ranks of heavy armoured Legion soldiers waiting behind them. The moment the way is clear, the ranks reform into a solid wall of shields and blades that begin to close with us at speed.
�Bring up the humans!� comes the call from the generals huddled near the front. The words are repeated all the way up and down the line before reaching the human Antmancers dotted throughout the battlefield.
With an enthusiastic roar, the first real sound from our side of the field beyond Tiny�s racket, the human volunteers and the robed figures of Beyn and his true believers take their places in our formation. A half-second before the two forces collide, a rush surges throughout my body as the potent buff rolls through me from the nearest Antmancer.
Every ant around me stands a little taller, a little firmer, as their stats get a healthy bump from the aura effect. It�s needed too; without it, most soldiers simply aren�t able to stay in front of the more powerful Legionary soldiers for long. For me? It makes me a real pain in their backside.
The nice thing about the aura provided by the Antmancers, is that it
doesn�t cancel the benefits we gain from the generals, so that�s neat.
The stat boost they give also affects
The two lines smash together as carapace and mandibles contest against stone and steel. A shield is thrust in my face, and a short sword flickers like a snake tongue, seeking my eyes. Always the eyes with these people! Is my Diamond Carapace so impressive that you�ve just given up on ever breaking through?
With my antennae still functioning and my reflexes primed and ready, I�m able to make small adjustments of my legs, shifting my head by a few centimetres in order to deflect each attempt.
Get out of here, punk!
Firing my legs in a Dash, I surge with my head tilted to one side, using my �shoulder� to smash into them with extra speed. The new muscle augmentation isn�t just useful for my mandibles. I�ve found that if I set my legs before a Dash, I can snap out with more power and acceleration. Which is certainly handy! Faced with my bulk, the soldier has little choice but to give ground as I crunch him back into his own ranks. They brace together to absorb the impact, but I�ve gotten the bit of breathing space I wanted.
Eat steam!
I blast all of them in the face with a searing wave of steam as I wind my mandibles back and unleash a mighty Doom Chomp!
SNAP!
My mandibles pierce and crunch, but the lack of notifications tells me my attempt hasn�t been as successful as it was with the previous wave of foes. These armoured guys are hard nuts to crack! Especially when the ranks are packed together like this. The extended mandibles of dark light that manifest when I use the Skill help to extend my reach, certainly, but they also spread the impact out across a half dozen Legionaries. When they all work together to absorb the blow, it becomes even harder to break through their defence.
I throw away the residual Fire and Water Mana so I can start cooking up the Lava Mana combined with a little Earth Mana. Hopefully, I can make something good happen with this combo, I have a few good ideas.
�ROOOOAAAAAAR!�
The colossus of metal and muscle that is Tiny continues to be a pain for the Legion as he sends his devastating fists over the heads of the colony members, smacking the enemy in the face over and over again with his electrified punches.
Crinis has retreated to the shadows once more now that she isn�t needed to shore up that faltering section of the line, but I get a feeling we�re going to need her again fairly soon. With the two forces confronting each other at this range, I know Invidia is working double time on the defensive end. I can feel the spells flying over my head with my Mana Sense, an endless flurry of magic that could cause incalculable damage to either side should one group of mages get on top.
Even with all our numbers, the colony is being suppressed in this area
as more and more of the Legion mages find their range and pile on the
offense. With Invidia throwing his
All I can do is keep battling away here in the front lines, using my body to protect my family as best I can.
At this point, the battle has devolved into an endless tug of war as the two fronts smack into each other endlessly, shoving, stabbing, and biting to break the other.
I�m using every trick I have in the book: charging, biting, blasting with acid and lava. The fatigue is setting in, even for me. The effort is unrelenting and neither side is prepared to back down.
As the minutes grind past, it starts to become clear that the colony is being pushed back. The line is just too wide, and I can�t cover the whole thing at once. Wherever I and my pets aren�t, the Legion gains ground, wounding our soldiers, cutting them down and advancing one step at a time. Even deploying Crinis isn�t enough to stem the tide.
Can that wave start already?
�Something isn�t right,� Sloan muttered.
Coolant looked askance at her sister as the two of them continued to hang outside the second gate facing the golgari invasion. She could tell the general wasn�t discussing with her but thinking out loud, so she remained silent and waited.
�They�ve formed up, but they aren�t approaching us, why is that?�
One of the two ants most central to the colony�s planning of this siege was more than a little unsettled when she saw something so out of her expectations. The force from the Empire of Stone had behaved almost exactly as expected right up until they started demanding honour duels.
With the bizarre rituals of their people disposed with, Sloan anticipated the golgari would return to assaulting the gate. They were here to exterminate her family, were they not? How was that going to be achieved if they didn�t attack? They were on the clock, after all.
The entire strategy Sloan and Victor had hammered out centred on the concept of their enemies working within a limited time frame. If the wave started before they finished their task, they would be forced to retreat. They couldn�t possibly hope to stand against both the colony and a raging Dungeon filled with desperate monsters. Surely!
Yet before her eyes, something inexplicable was taking place. Once their leader had been collected and returned to his troops behind the first gate, the golgari had forced the gate open wider and formed ranks, their soldiers imposing in their sheer size and mass. Not wanting to be caught unprepared, the colony deployed their own troops, along with the human volunteers, and prepared for the confrontation.
Except it hadn�t come.
According to her understanding of the situation, it should have begun immediately, yet here they were, several minutes later, still waiting for the enemy to take a forward step.
�Perhaps they�re waiting for their leader to awaken? They seem quite rigid in their authority structures,� Coolant suggested.
Sloan shook her antennae.
�They are an organised semi-military force who pride themselves on martial Skills. I refuse to believe they don�t have a second in command willing to issue orders to complete the mission. It would be insane to arrange the command structure in any other way. This is something else��
The general stared, her twin compound eyes focused on the unmoving ranks of the golgari as if trying to penetrate their thoughts.
�Do you think their ranks look thin?� she asked.
Taken by surprise by the change in topic, Coolant could only go still as she tried to assess the �thickness� of the enemy soldiers.
�They seem well-fed to me?� she said.
�And why didn�t they open the gate all the way? Do you see the way it isn�t fully open? They could probably fit an extra six soldiers to each rank through that gap if they pushed it open all the way. It doesn�t make sense to create a choke point for their own troops. It only makes it take longer to bring their soldiers to bear against ours. This only makes sense if there�s something they don�t want us to see. Something they�re hiding out of our line of sight.�
�You think there is some sort of super weapon back there? Something we haven�t seen and can�t predict?�
This was one of the council�s greatest fears. They were young as a people and it was certain that those races and groups who�d existed for hundreds, if not thousands of years would have innumerable pieces of wisdom that the colony just hadn�t had the time to experience. They couldn�t prepare for the unknown, only acknowledge that it existed.
��No,� Sloan said, her eyes still scanning the distance.
Coolant was confused.
�Then what?� she said.
��I think we�ve been betrayed.�
So saying, the general Dashed back within the nest as if a hundred golgari soldiers were at her back.
The Queen clacked her mandibles to dispel her irritation despite it being a fruitless endeavour. Her conversation with the human, Enid, had been enlightening and helped explain the exasperating behaviours of her children, but it did little to alleviate the frustration of being treated like a grub.
Out of deference for the concern of her children, she agreed to remain within the nest to protect the brood in the event of a breach, a role that kept her out of the fighting altogether. If the battle came to the brood chambers, then it was already lost, she understood that much just from having the plans explained to her by one of the soldiers who stood guard.
Still, she had agreed, only to find how chafed she felt not being able to fight alongside her children. It was as if her carapace were being scratched from the inside. A constant, maddening sensation that just wouldn�t go away, no matter how she scratched at it.
Not for the first time, she stood, her six legs heaving her bulk from the floor, only for her to slowly lower herself back down. She�d given her word she would remain and defend the brood, so she would. No matter how much it grated her. Internally, she vowed that her children would never extract another such pledge from her, no matter how they pleaded.
�How do you think the battle is going, Mother?� Antionette asked, obviously nervous.
The two young Queens were anxious; despite being members of the council and privy to all the planning that had gone on, they too felt helpless at being unable to help protect their family.
For the Queens� life had continued much as it always did. The Biomass reserves were brought to them, they ate, and then they produced their maximum daily quota of brood. The Brood Tenders cared for and raised the young in the chambers, much as they had before. The only real difference in their environment was the huge chambers carved beneath the egg-laying space to house the hatchlings who couldn�t be transported to the surface nest for their Academy training.
Obviously, the Queen hadn�t been able to leave on her regular hunting expeditions, another imposition that chafed her, but otherwise, the three of them continued to perform their role for the colony without pause.
�I�m sure it will be fine,� the Queen soothed her daughter, patting her on the head with an antenna. �Trust that they will work hard and succeed, just as we must��
She trailed off, her antennae quivering.
Antionette and Victoriant looked up at their mother in confusion. It was
unlike the Queen to be distracted at
The Queen turned toward one of the walls of the egg-laying chamber and
approached it slowly, her two antennae dancing in the air as she felt
the vibrations in the air. A trickle of dirt broke loose on the wall,
cascading down the rock to come to a rest on the floor. Then another.
Then another. As she finally came face to face with the wall, the rock
had started to quiver and shift, almost as if it were being
�Daughters,� the Queen called, not turning around, �fetch the guards. All of them.�
�Mother?� Victoriant called.
�Now, child!� came the stern reply.
Suddenly, the wall bulged, and the Queen leapt back to avoid the collapsing stone and dust that rained down when whatever it was finally broke through. Waving her antennae to clear away the dust, the Queen found herself face to face with the featureless, ringed face of a giant worm.
[I�m sorry,] she heard in her head.
Before she could respond, the worm lowered its face, the almost invisible mouth opening wide to crunch into the stone floor of the chamber, and in a breath it was gone, burrowed into the space between the rooms. With the bloated creature no longer blocking her view, the Queen was able to see the massed ranks of stone-covered warriors charging toward the new opening, and she reacted in the only way she knew how.
�FOR THE COLONY!�
Mandibles wide, the War Queen charged into the breach.
Brendant Dashed into the depths of the nest, the emergency pheromone trails screaming against her antennae with every step.
The brood was in danger!
The Queens were under assault!
Every nerve in her body was on fire with desperate rage. There wasn�t a single ant in the colony who wouldn�t put their life down to protect the brood, including the eldest, and now they flooded from every inch of the nest toward the breach.
She burst into the egg-laying chamber to find a scene of utter chaos. Without any plan or strategy, the ants were throwing themselves upon the enemy any way they could. Brood Tenders raced up the walls and dropped down on the golgari from above, biting and tearing with their feeble jaws until they were dispatched by the stone-people in short order. That didn�t stop others from repeating the action, and already, the piles of dead and dying ants being dragged out by exhausted medics were growing into hills.
A member of the council and graduate of the eldest�s own training program, Brendant knew she needed to be calm, needed to take control of the situation and establish some order. Only then would the chances of a successful defence be maximised. She knew that. But when she saw the Queen, covered in wounds, thrashing in the midst of the battle, she lost it. Her reasoning fled, replaced by her instinct, and the next thing she knew, her mandibles cracked against a golgari as she bit again and again.
What had happened? Where was the Queen?
She pulled back and lifted her head, desperately seeking her mother amidst the heaving, battling bodies. There! She was there! Somehow, someone had managed to get her to retreat. In glimpses caught through the legs and segments of ants that crawled over the top of each other to grapple with the invaders, she saw the Queen being tended to by healers as she stood, wounded heavily and dripping ichor on the floor.
�Hey-hey! You awake now, Brendy?� a scent managed to cut through the chaos long enough for Brendant to catch the meaning.
Vibrant?
�You gotta do better than that, Brendy!� her sister chided. �Can�t go losing your temper just because Mother had to fight. Not like she didn�t want to anyway.�
Suddenly, she was there at her side, the massive and absurdly quick soldier who talked just as fast as she moved.
�Hi-hi! You look a little beat up, let me getcha!�
Those massive mandibles reached out to grasp hold of her thorax, and before she knew what was happening, Brendant was being dragged away from the fighting.
�Hey! Vibrant, let me go! I can still fight.�
�Hummmm,� Vibrant released a meaningless, musical scent as she continued to haul her wayward sibling out of the fight before dumping her in front of a small team of medics and generals. �Got her out of there finally!� Vibrant cheered. �Get her fixed up, alright? She couldn�t bite a cheese wheel with her mandibles like that! What have you been doing, Brendy? Trying to chomp their swords in half?�
Bewildered and confused, the soldier could barely process the rapid-fire words coming out of Vibrant as the healers applied magic and regeneration fluid to her many injuries. Her carapace began to tickle as it started to stretch and flex, the damaged sections stitching shut at a visible pace.
�Vibrant?� she finally muttered. �When did you get here?�
�Pretty fast! We got word over at the gate, so me and my team raced over
here to help out. Everyone was pretty mad, so we ran-ran
�What about the brood?� Brendant was desperate. �What about the young?�
This chamber was directly connected to the chambers above, where the eggs were kept before hatching, and then above those were the myriad rooms reserved for the larvae. For a brief moment, even the irrepressible Vibrant was at a loss for words and she knew something was wrong.
�Tell me,� she said.
Vibrant sighed, a scent rarely detected in her vicinity.
�We weren�t fast enough,� she said softly. �Several groups of golgari were able to invade the upper chambers, they�re still fighting up there.�
A crushing despair and rage seized Brendant�s heart as she thought of the young lives lost, but after a few seconds, the anger won.
�Come on, let�s scour these scum from our home!� she declared.
�No-no you don�t!� Vibrant said, tapping the wounded soldier on her still-mending carapace. �You�re in no shape to fight. Me, though? I�m still good to go!�
With a savage clack of her mandibles, the speedy soldier was gone, back into the thick of the fray, and where she went, her loyal troops followed. Filled with righteous anger and the need for speed, they ploughed into the fight, leaping over the backs of their own allies to ensure they crashed into the golgari lines at full speed.
�FOR THE COLONY!� Vibrant roared and her followers echoed her cry as they impacted the front lines like a thunderclap.
The resurgence of Vibrant and her allies gave the colony the little bit of breathing room they needed. Once Brendant stabilised her condition, she kept a cool head and began to organise the defence, a job that sorely needed doing. Gradually, the Brood Tenders were taken out of the battle, replaced by soldiers. Mage and scout support arrived and began to pepper the enemy from range. The medics were given more space to work and proper paths established for the transport of the wounded.
The battle still raged, but the colony was starting to hold the line.
RAGE! RAAAAAAGE!
He led them to the egg-laying chamber? To MOTHER?
I�m so damned angry I�m going blind and might just bust a vein at this rate! Is that even something I can do? Perhaps I�ll be able to manifest it out of sheer anger. I could make it happen!
I channel my anger into the only positive avenue I have available: chomping like a fiend and blasting my enemies with bolts of lava to the face! All I get in exchange is about seventeen sword strikes to the carapace, and I think someone kicked me�
Since Vibrant and her crew had to take off, things have gotten tense
here at this gate, and when I say tense, I mean
�Come on, you slackers! Are you trying to live forever?� an ant bellows from nearby.
�Victor! What the hell are you doing here?� I cry.
�Trying to shore up the line! We diverted a portion of the troops from the other front to here, but they haven�t been able to make up the difference. We need to go harder!�
I check my menu for a second. I�m getting constantly topped off with healing, pumping my regeneration gland on cooldown, and the Vestibule is replenishing my energy. With all of the ants in the nest providing me with energy, I�ve been able to push well beyond the normal limits of my body, but even that has a limit. I�ve been chomping and throwing my weight around out here for a long time and I�m starting to feel it.
[Tiny! You got much left in the tank, big guy?]
The giant ape has been giving his all in the fight since the very beginning, and to be honest, I�m not even sure how he�s still out here swinging. In reply to my query, the exhausted and battered bat-faced gorilla flashes me a grin full of fire, then throws out another fist. I mean fist literally now, since he�s long been out of the stamina required to activate his Skills properly. His hands are a bloody mess, but he doesn�t flinch when he crunches his knuckles into the shields of the enemy over and over again.
[Crinis?]
[I�m running low on my reserves of shadow flesh, Master! They�ve been targeting my limbs whenever they can see them.]
Dammit.
[Keep pushing but don�t take too many risks. I can�t afford for you to take permanent damage.]
[You�re taking damage�]
[What was that?]
Her silence speaks volumes. That�s what I thought. I let Crinis sulk on her own as she continues to operate as best she can. The Legion are a terrible matchup for her, and she�s done far more than I expected of her. Instead of trying to saw the enemy apart, she�s been disrupting as much as she possibly can, sneaking her tentacles out into the enemy ranks and grabbing ankles, shoving legs, doing anything to blunt the offensive and help the front line hold up.
As I continue to battle with the Legionaries, I feel another wash of healing flow over my carapace from behind as the healer who�s been with me throughout the battle pops her head up once more.
�How�s it looking?� she asks through the mass of scents.
�It�s been better,� is all I can manage.
She seems to take it in stride.
�Do I need to move back?� she says.
If the frontline needs to fold, then we need to let the healers and generals behind us know in advance. Even a few seconds is enough for them to uproot their positions and find a new bunker farther back before we give up ground. Needless to say, this has already happened numerous times over the course of the battle. I give out a short, sharp laugh.
�The next time we retreat, we�re going to be behind the gate, little one.�
�Oh,� is all she says before she sinks back below the surface of the tunnel floor to recharge her abilities.
I�d shake my head, but I�m already doing that since I managed to get a good grip on a shield for once. Gimme that! I pull the slab of layered metal to one side and unleash a blast of lava that coats the Legionary right across the chest plate. The stone there glows bright red from the heat and he falls back, releasing his grip on the shield before I can hit him again. The ranks close tight in front of me as another soldier steps forward to take his place.
Dammit! Irritated, I throw the offending shield back over the lines and reset my mandibles for another Doom Chomp.
�Watch it up there!� comes a strong scent. �You nearly knocked a human�s head clean off!�
What? Raising my head just a little, I can see that it�s true. At some point, Beyn has ended up behind me and I�ve darn near brained the man with that throw. Rather than be mad, the priest�s eyes blaze with purpose as he seizes the shield and labours to lift it from the ground despite it clearly being too heavy for the man. I can already see him roaring out some nonsense or other, the pitch of his voice rising to seemingly inhuman levels.
Why do I get the terrible feeling I�ve created a �holy artefact� or some other nonsense?
[Invidia, if you see a spell coming at the priest, don�t work
[
[So you�re saying he�d live anyway.]
[
Dammit. I�m still mad as hell!
KEEP BITING!
Titus watched the battle unfold from the rear of the formation. The irregulars had formed up once again and begun to execute another charge. Using them as shock troops to charge over and again was a brutally effective tactic the Legion had long made use of. It was hard on the half-monsters, in terms of effort and casualties, but it was a role they seemed to relish. The ants had held up remarkably well against the punishment, but as he expected, they were being ground down.
In the distance, he could see the abomination buck and lash out with its mandibles, using its body to shove against the tide and try to push the Legion back, all to no avail. The auxiliary troops rammed into the gaps the regular Legionaries opened up for them, and the ant lines were thrown back once more.
Another wave of the giant insects flooded out of the gate, jaws snapping at the air in rage as they replaced those who�d fallen. After a few minutes of furious fighting, the order was given and the irregulars pulled back, replaced by the iron wall of the Legionaries who continued to relentlessly batter away at an enemy that outnumbered them immensely, but couldn�t hope to match them one-on-one.
In a way, the ants had chosen a poor field of combat. Within the confines of the tunnel, their ability to maximise the effectiveness of their numbers was hampered. In a more open battleground, where they could flank or open more fronts, their numbers would matter far more. Still, they hadn�t had a choice. In many ways, he had to acknowledge the cleverness of whoever coordinated the defence of the ants, presumably the abomination. This was the only plan that could hope to save them, and it almost worked.
Had the wave come early, and he�d been worried for some time that it would, he would have ordered his troops back to the base camp already. Orders were orders, but any commander who pushed to complete the mission and got their Legion wiped out would get hanged, and deservedly so.
Even now, there was a chance, a narrowing window in which he would be forced to order the retreat. However, it was reaching the point where he felt a rising confidence that this nest would be purged before time ran out.
It was likely the satellite nests wouldn�t survive the surge of monsters from the third stratum without the support of their most powerful members here. Just in case, he planned to have his troops bunker down within the nest to ride out the wave. Once it was done, they could emerge and track down the remnants at their leisure.
�Looks like the gate is starting to take damage, Commander,� Aurillia observed from his side.
The other Tribunes attached to his Legion nodded, each of them with decades of experience, watching the fight with the air of hawks.
�After the next push, they�ll probably fall back behind the gate and wait for us to break it down,� Titus mused.
�Do you think they have another gate?� Alberton asked, the Loremaster having joined with his advisors. �They have two, why not three?�
�Judging by the size of the nest, I deem it unlikely,� interjected Meognus, a newly attached Tribune. �Though the possibility exists, as you say. If we find another gate, we�ll knock that one down too. How else can we achieve our aim?�
The young Tribune was a fresh promotion, placed within Titus� Legion for a bit of seasoning. He was a good soldier, but Titus found him a little green as a leader.
�Our troops are tired and drained, casualties are mounting, and exhausted Legionaries make more mistakes,� Titus spoke slowly, no judgement in his voice. �If there is another gate, we will pull back to give rest, water, and food to our people. The men and women who put on the armour of the Legion are our greatest resource, and it mustn�t be wasted under any circumstances.�
There were a few nods, though it was Alberton who protested.
�B-but��
Titus silenced him with a glare.
�Under
His friend turned away from the anger on the commander�s face, his
protest dying in his throat. �
Despite appearances, Titus
After a few moments of awkward silence, the other Tribunes began to offer their own thoughts on the battle. To the more seasoned officers, the cold, brutal calculation of war was evident in their observations. Discussions centred on the rate the monsters were slain versus the number of Legion casualties and how those numbers could be improved were done in quiet voices, various hypotheses being pondered. Such talks might seem inhuman, and Titus found new officers often struggled with them, but in reality, this was how a commander and his Tribunes ensured aims were accomplished with the minimum possible losses. To do anything less than confront the harsh reality the Legionaries faced with unemotional logic would be an unthinkable abrogation of responsibility.
Over the next minutes, things played out much as expected. Though the abomination and the pets it raised caused significant issues, they were not individually powerful enough to overthrow the course of the battle. It was lucky they hadn�t had a chance to evolve again. Had the reincarnated monster reached the next tier, this fight would have been far more difficult.
As it was, the next charge of the irregulars disrupted the ant lines enough that they were forced to pull back lest the Legionaries cut their haphazard formation to pieces. Acid and spells rained upon the Legion forces as they advanced and began to batter at the gate itself.
Without proper siege equipment, it would take some time to break down,
but with the proper application of fire and water, the metal could be
warped and splintered. Throw in some good old-fashioned whacking with
sword and axe Skills to provide some
The closer they got to breaking through, the tenser Titus became. He hoped he could trust the enemy to provide mercy to his only remaining child. Would they hold to their word and keep her safe? Or would they strike her down out of spite?
So lost in his thoughts was the commander that he didn�t notice the disturbance until Aurillia shook his arm.
�Titus!� she shouted. �Look behind!�
Shocked at his own lack of awareness, the veteran turned to see something he had truly hoped not to see.
Green. The entire tunnel had turned green. Even as he watched, vines and leaves sprouted through the Dungeon walls, transforming the darkness around them into an emerald sea.
�That damned tree!� Titus growled under his breath as he drew his axe in a tight grip.
�The Great Mother Tree feels much the same toward you,� an unfathomably deep voice echoed out of the darkness. �You have made war on her, and she does not forget, nor forgive.�
�Your mother is a monster,� Titus spoke flatly.
�Haaaa.� A sound halfway between a sigh, a laugh, and a bending tree branch resounded through the tunnel, causing the leaves to bend and flutter.
A great, massive figure stepped into the light, as his kind always were. His head near scraped the ceiling of the tunnel, and his thick wooden limbs were as far around as the mightiest of trees.
A tense air descended amongst the officers and those Legionaries around them as each stared at the newcomer.
�What care do we children have for the origins of our parent? She made us, that is enough.�
�She is spawned from the Dungeon,� Titus replied. �That is enough.�
As if it sensed the hostility, the greenery ceased its expansion and remained as it was, ominously writhing and twisting with every word spoken. At Titus� declaration, a rustle so loud it was almost a shout rippled through every leaf, and the giant figure cocked its head.
�She has told your kind she had no choice regarding the manner of her birth in this world,� the giant said.
�Did she also have no choice in the lives she has consumed?� Titus didn�t back down.
The giant shook his wooden head slowly.
�There can be no understanding between our people, this is old growth.�
�Why are you here, Grove Keeper?� Titus demanded. �This conflict has nothing to do with your kind, or your damned mother.�
From the abundant growth, more figures emerged. Smaller and thinner, but nonetheless powerful, the bruan�chii formed loose ranks behind their Keeper.
�Haaaaa,� that sound came again as the Grove Keeper looked down on them with ancient eyes. �You want something, so the Mother will take it away. She can be petty like that.�
The leaves rustled again with malicious glee.
The massed ranks of my siblings can only watch as the gate bulges and buckles under the immense weight of the pressure the Legion applies. Exhausted and weary, the last ants fit for fighting on this side of the nest stand ready for the final conflict.
Once those gates come down, this will be the last stand. If the Legion breaks through this point, they�ll be able to separate into smaller teams in the narrower tunnels where we can�t hope to apply the numbers needed to defeat them. They�ll destroy the nest one piece at a time until they reach the brood chambers, where the golgari are already fighting, and complete the annihilation of the Queens and young.
We�ve all been pushed to the brink. Almost every ant carries wounds, and the healers are so tapped out they have to be selective where they apply their ministrations. I�m pretty sure I saw Beyn spitting blood a little while ago, even his legendary vocal endurance is unable to go the distance.
Tiny�s hands have been healed a few times already, and still, they remain raw and broken. Crinis has lost almost her entire reserve of flesh, and Invidia is suffering the kind of mental exertion migraines I frequently experience after casting too many spells.
Even so, we need to front up again. The gate booms and shudders as our enemies batter it down, but each second that passes is a blessed relief. A few moments to recuperate will do wonders for all of us. We�re going to need all the energy we can get in a minute.
A strange silence descends amongst the collective ants and humans that remain. The gate gradually breaks down, and we await the foe.
An Asura Bear was a cursed creature at its core. Truthfully, Sarah couldn�t remember even choosing the evolution; so lost in the rage and fear was she at that time, it�s possible she hadn�t made a choice at all. Yet somehow, the form she�d chosen was so devastatingly suited to her that it succeeded in tipping her over a precipice that had taken her a decade to climb back up.
She was teetering on the lip of that cliff now, her psyche balanced on
the edge of sanity and a pit of mindless violence in which she�d
dwelled. The problem was, deep within, it was
Next to her core, in the centre of her massive frame, beat the asura heart, the powerful organ that gave her species its name. It provided incredible strength, at a cost. The heart fed on her negative emotions, her rage, pain, and fear, magnified them, pumping them throughout her body until every inch of her frame became suffused.
She could feel it now. The pain of betrayal, the anger of broken trust, the fear of losing herself again. It all echoed through every cell of her body until she was drunk with it.
And it made her
She could barely see the golgari, her vision had long since faded from
red to black. There was a chance her wild swipes did just as much damage
to the colony as they did the target of her wrath, but she didn�t,
There was pain, somewhere. Her entire body ached, but she couldn�t tell why. It didn�t matter. She could still swing her paws and bite with her muzzle. That was all that mattered.
The Queen watched everything from a distance with worry growing in her heart.
�Will she be alright?� she asked the healer by her side once again.
Frances clacked her mandibles.
�I don�t know.� The healer was uncharacteristically short, the stress of
the situation causing her to constantly rake her antennae through the
elbows of her front legs. �Mother,
�I will not,� the Queen replied, her tone sharp. �Cease treating me immediately and go help the others. The bear appears on the verge of collapse, why do you not treat her instead?�
�I cannot reach her, and even if I could, we can�t be sure she won�t just kill me on the spot. We�ve already had a number of ants wounded by her in this fight.�
�And so?� the Queen demanded. �Is she not lost to her rage as she has been before? Why do we not help her?�
�We aren�t strong enough!� Frances was growing exasperated. No matter how she tried, she was unable to persuade her mother to leave this dangerous area and it was making her desperate. �The only one in the colony who could hope to stand up to friend Sarah is the eldest, and they aren�t here!�
�But I am,� the Queen stated and pushed herself to standing.
The healer watched her mother rise with growing horror.
�Mother, no!�
But it was too late; the Queen stepped forward once, twice, then waded into the thick of battle, the rampaging form of the bear firm within her sights.
�You won�t retreat?� Titus asked.
�We will not,� the Grove Keeper replied.
The standoff between the two sides continued as Titus weighed his options, his mind churning furiously. There were only two paths he could take that he could see. He could stand down, order his Legion to retreat, and possibly secure the release of his daughter in the process, or he could fight.
He�d promised not to take action against the colony, and he would not, but the bruan�chii were another thing entirely. If they were able to hold off the children of the mad tree here, and the Legionaries succeeded in breaking into the nest, there was a chance they could still succeed. His grip tightened around the haft of his axe.
�You don�t leave me with many choices,� Titus ground out, his anger beginning to kindle in his chest as he weighed the lives of his soldiers in his mind.
�That is our intention,� came the answer. �The Mother will take everything from you that she can. So far from your metal mountain, there is nothing you can do to resist her.�
�Is that so?�
Even as they spoke, the number of figures who emerged from behind the Grove Keeper continued to rise. Fortunately, there was only the one Keeper; the tree wouldn�t be able to support more than that this high in the Dungeon.
�Haaaaa. It is so,� the Keeper replied.
Titus brought up his axe so he could hold it in a two-handed grip.
�Let�s find out then,� he said grimly.
A chasm plunged downward, filled with an impenetrable darkness. There was no movement here, no living thing would dare set foot so close to the home of the hungering one. To do so was certain death. This was instinct so ingrained that it seemed as though monsters were now spawned with it. For a hundred years, no monster except those with the misfortune to be born in the area had existed in this place, and those that were spawned here did not live for long.
From somewhere deeper, though it felt not that far away, an inaudible
Silence reigned once more.
For a few moments, it seemed nothing would happen, but this was merely the calm, the storm was sure to follow. And follow it did. The Mana in the area drained away rapidly, thinning to less than half of what it had been only a few moments ago, then it came roaring back.
Like the tide which retreats, only to crash back in fury as a tidal wave, Mana flooded outward with a tangible roar, suffusing every rock, every twig with a dizzying amount of power.
Then there came a stir. Slowly at first, then with growing speed, the great chasm began to close. There was a cracking sound as hundreds of tons of stone shattered into pieces, the two walls finally crunching together with a deafening crescendo. Then, after a moment, they parted once more.
Visible here and there now that the dirt and rock had begun to fall away were massive, triangular ridges, each one stained a deep red. If an observer stood back far enough, it would be easy to guess what they were�teeth. Hundreds and hundreds of teeth.
An aura filled with a terrible madness exploded outward, driven by one, insatiable urge.
HUNGER.
When the gates fall, they fall with a resounding
Might seem a little excessive to knock the damn things off their hinges, but that�s what the Legionaries decided to do anyway. Perhaps they felt the width of the nest entrance was a reasonable width for them to engage in, and I have to agree. The tunnel approach to the nest narrows as it nears the gate, then stays the same for a short distance before it opens out into the chamber beyond. To be honest, they�re probably just happy not to see yet another gate waiting for them.
Once the gates are down, it takes the Legion a few minutes to reorganise their formation before they once again begin their approach.
Boom!
What the heck was that? The vibrations of a colossal impact roll through the rock beneath my legs and my antennae waggle through the air in confusion as I try to pick up the source. It didn�t happen within the nest, that�s for sure. Whatever it was that caused that, it surely originated outside the gates.
�Eldest! Can you sense what that was?� Burke rushes up to me.
�I�m trying to work it out,� I reply distractedly as I focus on watching the approaching soldiers whilst reaching out with my mind.
The distance is too far for me to reach, even with my relatively high Skills, but there are definitely fluctuations in the Mana farther down the tunnel, behind the approaching force.
�I can�t be sure,� I respond tersely as I set my mandibles. �But it seems like something is happening at the rear of the Legion forces.�
�Like
�How the hell am I supposed to know, Burke? Maybe put a scout on it?�
�There�s an army between us and that location!�
�I noticed!�
The two sides have already begun to accelerate toward each other, and I join my brethren, using all three pairs of legs to synchronise three separate Dashes to achieve maximum speed.
CRUNCH!
The two fully braced armies smash into each other, both sides activating everything they have at their disposal. Armour and carapace are dented, cracked, and splintered as neither side holds back any of their strength. The Legion on the precipice of victory, the colony on the edge of annihilation.
My carapace absorbs numerous blows in the first few seconds as weapon light blooms all around me. Only my future sight and heightened reflexes keep my antennae attached to my head as my body makes the minute adjustments necessary to absorb all the strikes with my diamond exo-skeleton. Precious Diamond Carapace. Where would I be without you? If I could, I�d kiss that precious stuff, but thankfully for my dignity, such a thing is impossible.
By this point, my sub-brains are fairly cooked, and I�ve released the Omni-elemental Construct, opting instead to deploy a simple Gravity Domain over as wide an area as I can, hoping the already tired Legionaries will suffer under the added weight of their armour. It�s hard to tell what sort of effect it�s having, but then again, it�s hard to get a good visual of the battlefield when I�m doing the dirty work here in the front line. Shields and the flashes from enemy attacks are pretty much all I can see at any moment!
The fighting is savage and relentless as I chomp everything in front of me until my jaws ache with a constant throbbing pain, and the barbs on my mandibles begin to crack and splinter. My regeneration gland is running dry again, and my helpful healer friend had to pop up and top me off within the first five minutes of the conflict.
�For the colony!� the cry rises from somewhere behind me.
�FOR THE COLONY!� a thunderous wave of pheromones crashes through the battlefield, stunning my antennae with its intensity.
Within the egg-laying chamber, the Queen pushed herself to the forefront of the battle, shouldering aside the children who tried to block her way. She would not be denied by them, not this time. Unwilling to put up any real resistance to their mother�s advance, the soldiers and generals gave ground the moment they felt her push against them. If she wanted to go to the front, none were prepared to go all out to stop her. What were they supposed to do? Fight their mother and drag her from the front whilst also fighting the golgari?
So it was that the Queen reached the place she wanted to be, right by the side of the bear who appeared to be on the brink of death. Covered in wounds, her fur matted and dark with her own ichor, the friend of the colony fought on as if she felt none of it, a seemingly never-ending roar bellowing from her maw. The giant ant reared back, her antennae bursting into light so bright it chased away the shadows in the chamber before she unleased a vast pulse of Healing Magic that swept through the ant forces, though a great chunk of it was absorbed by the bear.
Wounds visibly knit before her eyes as the body of the raging beast soaked up the healing power and regenerated itself, but the bear didn�t seem to notice. No change came over her at all.
The golgari certainly noticed. They�d been on the verge of finally bringing down this monstrous entity, only for it to get a sudden boost of health. Despair gripped their lines, which was only made worse when the Queen activated her war form. Drawing energy from every ant in the room, she grew in size until she loomed over the enemy, who shrank back from the mighty visage before them.
The Queen had changed from her fight with Garralosh. Unable to protect her children in that fight, she�d taken steps to ensure she would not be found lacking in strength. Her daily hunts had helped to Level her combat Skills, the extra Biomass she�d taken in was spent to improve her body for fighting. Never again would she allow the enemy to bully her children.
�GET OUT OF MY NEST!� she roared.
Her mandibles glowed bright and manifested two enormous jaws that extended from her own before slamming shut, crunching the font rank of the golgari.
With the Queen returning to the battle, the tide shifted in the colony�s favour. After having matched the strength of the demonic bear for so long, and grinding out the battle against the endless ants, the sudden appearance of a powerful tier six monster was too much for them to handle, and they began to pull back from the front, drawing their forces into the tunnel through which they�d come.
That�s when things changed.
Sarah�s endless roar of mindless rage had only grown louder as the fight had gone on. Now, she found nothing in front of her to rend, so she turned and lashed out at the first thing she saw.
Claws raked down the side of the Queen and carved deep gouges in her carapace. Taken by surprise, the Queen was slow to respond. Before she could turn her gigantic body, another swipe ripped a chunk of exo-skeleton away, spraying the air with ichor.
�DEFEND THE QUEEN!� The colony became frantic at seeing their mother attacked and rushed in to protect her.
�GET BACK!� the Queen demanded as she faced down the maddened bear. �She does not know what she is doing!�
With her mandibles between them, she was much better able to ward Sarah away, lunging forward to ram the bear and put her off-balance. Whilst it prevented her from taking any more serious wounds, everything the Queen did only seemed to drive the bear deeper into her rage, increasing her strength until her claws ignited with a murderous red light that practically tore at the fabric of reality, as well as filling the Queen�s mind with gibbering voices of anger with every swing. The colony watched, paralysed, as the Queen struggled to fend off the mighty creature, and the golgari, sensing a change in their fortunes, stopped their retreat and waited to see what might happen.
Grove Keepers were unreasonably strong. How exactly they were born, the Legion wasn�t sure. They weren�t monsters, as such, none of the bruan�chii were. They were not spawned of the Dungeon, and unlike the ants, they weren�t created by a �parent� monster through the traditional means.
This was why the Legion didn�t really have a problem with the wood people per se, but rather their murderous, meddling parent. Naturally, the bruan�chii were unwilling to sit by and allow the Legion to destroy the source of their entire race, and so conflict had ensued. Throughout the decades of battle, the Legion learned many lessons, one of the most important being: Grove Keepers were unreasonably strong.
The gigantic tree creature brought one ponderous wooden fist down in an overhead smash that could collapse a house, but Titus was undaunted. Timing his footwork perfectly, he Dashed to one side before pivoting and Dashing forward, his axe raised to strike.
The Keeper moved with deceptive speed and grace, pulling his left leg back and rotating his body to sweep his left arm in a wide arc to catch the commander before he could unleash his blow.
Without pause, Titus brought the axe down, using the enormous power of his wrists to divert the blade to the side where it collided with the offending arm, releasing a shockwave that rumbled the stones around him.
�Haaaa,� the tree rumbled with its impossibly deep voice. �You are a strong one.�
Titus reset himself, his eyes absorbing everything in an instant. The blow had been shallow, without the full weight of his Skills or Might behind it. Even so, he�d carved a deep wound through the bark of his opponent from which leaked a thick, golden sap. The commander breathed deep, soaking the Mana surrounding him into his body and sending it circulating through his Mana channels at a furious pace.
As if awakening to a craving he�d long put behind him, no matter how much energy he poured into his body, it still wanted more. The amount wasn�t the problem, but the purity. Once he�d become acclimated to the Mana in the deeper strata, the thin stuff this high up would never be enough to truly top him off. Nevertheless, he would make do with what he had.
He approached the tree with caution, unwilling to be caught off guard. With a flick of his wrist, his axe ignited with red light, a powerful aura rising from the blade. In an instant, the vines and growth around his feet lashed out from the wall, and a thousand barbs reached for his flesh and sought to twist within his armour.
�HAH!�
With a mighty roar, energy exploded from Titus� body and the vines were incinerated to ash before they could reach him. Seeing the green growth burned ignited anger within the eyes of the Grove Keeper for the first time, and his body suddenly illuminated with thousands of runes shining with green energy.
�This place has been claimed by the Mother Tree!� the giant roared, pushing forward with both hands.
A surge of energy erupted from the Keeper, and the plant life around
them went
A wave of force erupted from the edge of the blade that annihilated the growth in a ten metre radius, centred on the heavily armoured Legionary. The Keeper hummed out a low growl and stepped forward, drawing his hand back for a mighty blow. Titus� face bore no expression, still carved in lines of iron as it always was, and he watched the strike come before he shifted his feet and prepared to intercept it. The demon sealed within his weapon howled with glee as he slashed, putting the weight of his armour behind the blow, and grunted with satisfaction as he felt the weapon bite deep.
Still, Grove Keepers were known for their potent regeneration, and Titus knew it would take too long for him to bring down this bruan�chii to stop his Legionaries from falling at the hands of the others. Instead, he delayed and hoped the battle within the nest went well for his people. Determined, he raised his axe again and waited for the other to make the next move.
Within the egg-laying chamber, the Queen was stuck in a battle for her life. The enraged bear, though smaller than the Queen in her war form, was still significantly stronger, the power of her rage driving her Might to incredible heights.
Whilst the giant ant was permanently on the defence, unwilling to unleash any bite that would deal significant damage to her opponent, Sarah did not hold back, attacking in an endless, mindless rush that never ceased. The Queen knew this couldn�t go on forever, there was only so much ground she could give, only so long she could drag out the fight, before her larger form expired and she would be reduced to her normal size. Without the bonus stats she gained from drawing on the strength of her children, she would fall quickly to the bear.
�Whatever it is you want to do, you need to do it fast, Mother,� Brendant warned her from nearby. �We will not sit by and watch her destroy you, friend of the colony or not.�
�There must be something we can do to reach her,� the Queen argued. �Haven�t you done so many times before?�
�We have, but never have we seen her so far gone that she would attack us. It is what she feared would happen, but we were unable to persuade her from battle for long.�
The soldier shook her head with genuine grief. Sarah had been a loyal friend to the ants and had bled for them many times during the invasion. Without her, the golgari would have done far more damage, and advanced far more quickly. It pained her to see the bear lost to the madness she feared for so long. Even so, she hardened her heart. There was no life, except perhaps that of the eldest, that she would put before the Queen�s.
�Get a mage!� the Queen demanded. �Connect my mind to hers. Let me try to reach her.�
Ever ready to obey the commands of their mother, Brendant didn�t need to say anything before a small team of mages leapt forward to weave the necessary Mind Magic. In only a few seconds, the connection was established, and the Queen could feel her thoughts match with those of the once-human, Sarah.
[Sarah,] she called. [You do not need to fight.]
The maddened bear did not react, nor slow in its assault. Wild swings of those deadly claws slashed through the air and threatened to rip the Queen apart if she didn�t dodge.
[We will not hurt you,] the mother of the colony spoke again. [There is no need to embrace your rage.]
She searched the bear in front of her for any flicker of recognition, any hint of the person within, but she saw nothing. There was nothing to indicate that she�d even been heard. It was difficult; unlike the meddlesome one, the Queen did not have the mastery over Mind Magic necessary to project her mind into another being�s consciousness. All she had were words.
Words, and actions.
Instead of retreating, instead of trying to fend away the vicious claws that tried to end her life, the Queen did the unthinkable: she lunged. She didn�t bite, or dodge, or defend herself at all. She brought her antennae down on the bear�s head and allowed her Healing Mana to flow through them whilst those dreadful claws tore into her.
�MOTHER!� Brendant cried in horror. �Attack!� she ordered. �Get in there and save the Queen!�
[It�s fine now.] The Queen paid no mind to her mounting wounds as she sought to reach out to the rage-filled soul in front of her. [You are safe, you are protected, you have done well.]
The ants swarmed to defend the heart of their family, but the distance they�d kept in order to respect the Queen�s wishes cost them precious seconds.
Again and again, the mighty bear slashed with her paws and snapped with her maw until the Queen�s carapace was cracked and rent. All the while, the Queen continued to pour her Healing Magic into the other and repeat the same soft words of praise.
As Brendant rushed forward to attack the bear and sell her life in the defence of the Queen, she was shocked to find that Sarah was slowing down. Her swipes were becoming less damaging, with longer pauses in between, and the deathly aura was fading from her claws. As one, the colony�s charge slowed to a halt as the Queen continued to soothe the bear, whose endless roar had finally begun to fade, receding until it was scarce more than a whimper.
The Queen was exhausted and on the verge of collapse, but she watched the light return to the eyes of the one who helped save her children with joy.
[You are safe,] she said. [You are protected. You are home.]
By Gandalf, I�m tired.
BAM!
Gaaah, stop
DOOM CHOMP!
Just like every time I activate the Skill, a team of Legionaries with heavy shields leap forward, activating a host of abilities and anchoring against each other.
CRUNCH!
Despite my mandibles biting deep into the metal slabs these muscle heads call shields, I�m once again unable to penetrate and deal real damage. Stupid tin cans! Eat acid then! I drop my thorax low and raise my abdomen so I can blast the team in front of me with a face full of burn juice before resetting my position in the formation.
The ants on my left and right depend on me to protect their flanks, and if I extend too far or drop back a bit, I expose them to unnecessary danger, something that�s happened a fair bit over the course of the battle.
�Need a heal?� my designated healer friend behind me scents.
�You�ve recharged already?� I�m a bit shocked.
�Nope. But I�ve found another healer who can top you off if needed.�
I find it a little suspicious how capable and seemingly high-Level the healer who was placed behind me in the battle line turned out to be, and now, when healers are desperately needed all along the line, she just so happens to have another of her caste waiting in reserve?
�I�m totally fine,� I lie. �Get that healing where it�s needed.�
I can almost hear the shrug of her antennae, and the little ant burrows back down into the soil as the fight rages on. A few more exchanges and I see Tiny off to my right getting battered. A salvo of fireballs and charged arrows strike him right in the chest plate, knocking him off his feet. The big ape howls with rage, but he�s so exhausted he can�t keep his feet any longer and topples over, scattering the colony members.
[Invidia! Crinis! Make sure Tiny gets out of there in one piece.]
Desperate to make a distraction, I charge forward into the ranks of the Legion, shoving them back with my bulk. Only this time, I don�t retreat quickly. I charge again, snapping my mandibles for all I�m worth and blasting everyone I can see with Gravity Bolts.
It�s been a miracle that Tiny made it this long, he�s not exactly built for endurance. Without the armour protecting him, I�d have ordered him out of the fight ages ago. If I survive long enough, I�m going to find Smithant and personally thank that little genius. I�ll have to see if she can find any see-through materials when I get my own armour. I can�t have my magnificent carapace obscured for any reason!
BAM!
Although, I could probably do with some extra shielding�
The Legion forces are quick to capitalise on my poor position and close around my flanks faster than Vibrant eating breakfast. My senses sharpen to their finest point as my antennae, reflexes and muscles move in perfect synchronisation, deflecting and dodging every blow I can and diverting others to clash against my carapace. Precious Diamond Carapace, saving my bacon once again!
Truth be told, the Legionaries are moving a bit slow, lacking the oomph they usually do. The battle has been long, and just as the ants grow weary, even these indomitable humans have grown tired of the constant effort. Trying to fight your way through tens of thousands of monstrous ants is going to take it out of you, no matter who you are. Although the Gravity Domain and bolts I�m firing might not seem like they have much of an effect, I�m confident they are keeping me alive right now as the soldiers targeting me find it that little bit harder to move and swing their weapons.
Chomp! Chomp! CHOMP!
I thrash around desperately, and I�m pleased to see my distraction has done its job. A chance to put down the indescribably attractive ant that I am, has lured the Legion away from the area Tiny fell, and the colony has rushed extra numbers to shore up the line. Crinis is dragging her fellow pet out of immediate danger whilst Invidia heals him.
[Great work!] I call back to them. [Once Tiny is safe, please come and rescue me�]
[MASTER!]
I�m going to get told off pretty bad by Crinis after this. Perhaps death
From behind the lines, Victor watched the surge offense of the eldest falter as they were surrounded. The loss of the great ape guardian has been keenly felt in the lines, but there was nothing for it, the colony had no choice but to press forward!
�Get in there and fight!� she ordered every ant in reserve. �Follow the eldest and battle for the colony!�
�FOR THE COLONY!� came the roar as the ants, only recently healed from their injuries, now plunged back into the fray once more.
Unwilling to be left behind, Victor herself ran to join the conflict. What does it matter if she were to fall here? After this, there were no more plans or strategies that she�d need to look over. They�d either they stand here or perish.
Sensing the frantic energy of these final moments, the human allies joined with the surging ants in their final gasp of strength. All the while, the eldest rampaged throughout the Legion ranks, throwing their weight around and absorbing an absurd amount of punishment as they sought to disrupt the enemy�s battleline.
�Break through!� Victor roared, lunging and chomping at the soldiers in front, buckling their line as the next wave of ants ran over her back to crash in again.
Every available ant joined the charge, and all along the line, the scene of fresh troops, with buran�chii support, surging into the Legion shields and swords was repeated. Soldiers, scouts, mages, healers, every ant present on the field of battle had joined this final assault in the hopes of finally breaking through. The enemy realised quickly what was happening and redoubled their efforts, fighting as a cohesive unit to stave the surge of ants.
The ferocity of the battle had reached a frenetic peak. Neither side was willing to take a backward step, and in three short minutes, Victor witnessed hundreds of acts of selfless courage, skill, and sacrifice from both sides.
In the middle of it all, the diamond ant burned bright, like the flare of a candle on the verge of going out. No matter how the ants pressed, or how much ground they gained, the eldest remained always beyond reach. As if psychically linked with the colony itself, every time Victor surged along with her siblings, the eldest would also plunge deeper into the sea of Legion troops. Unable to reach their progenitor, the first of their kind, and most selfless defender, the ants of the colony only grew more frenzied, charging again and again into the enemy line to shove them back, heedless of their own injuries.
Victor could see the Legion�s strategy play out. They wanted to absorb the charge, give ground, and let the colony�s spirit break along with their momentum. In that moment, they would seek to return the pain they�d endured a hundredfold with a counter charge that would shatter the ant formation and break open the nest once and for all. Even knowing this, there was nothing Victor could do. All they could do was follow in the footsteps of their progenitor and charge into the blades of the enemy.
Suffused with the boost of their human allies, who roared and screamed as they raised their shaking arms and ran on unsteady legs, the colony unleashed its true ferocity on the Legion.
For one moment, one shining moment, Victor thought they would break. The eldest was unstoppable, and no matter how they tried, the Legionaries could not bring them down. Wherever they went, the Legion formation buckled and broke, opening gaps through which poured hundreds of giant ants who bit and crunched whatever they could find in their need to reach their saviour.
After driving so deep, and causing so much disruption, Victor saw the line on the verge of collapse and felt hope surge from deep within her core.
But like an illusion, it rippled and was gone, the gaps closing over before her eyes as the wall of shields re-established itself and the ant�s charge finally faltered. A moment later, she saw why. The eldest had collapsed, one of their legs finally getting caught and being severed at the joint. Their momentum had brought them down with a crash. In just a few moments, the Legionaries would descend on the prone form of the strongest ant, and there was nothing Victor could do about it.
And that�s when it came. A tidal wave of Mana that tore through the tunnel like a scream. The Dungeon veins latticed through the stone pulsed and writhed as the walls began to shift and monsters took shape within, soon to be spawned and emerge.
Both sides stopped instantly, and Victor could almost curse at the joy which surged within her. Now? The wave comes NOW? Even ten minutes earlier and she wouldn�t have had to endure this mad rush of disaster. Without a word, the Legion forces pulled back at a brisk pace, their fatigue only showing in rare places as they vacated the battlefield, taking their wounded with them. After a second, Victor rushed forward to support the eldest, and soon, the giant ant was hoisted onto the backs of a few strong soldiers so they could be transported back to the nest.
�Just like that?� the eldest echoed Victor�s own thoughts. �They pick up and leave?�
No one replied for a long moment as the Mana continued to build around them, filling the tunnel with an intoxicating level of energy. Then the eldest began to laugh, both in scent and in thought, as Mind Magic spilled out of them and into every ant and human in reach. It was as if a bubbling wellspring of relief and gladness had burst into being within all of them, and none dared to speak lest they disturb it and snuff it out.
So it was that the eldest was silently escorted back into the nest, laughing joyously all the way.
Titus was relieved to find Morrelia had been returned as promised not an hour after the Legion withdrew from the battle. The instant the surge of Mana arrived, Titus had stood down in his fight with the Keeper, and the bruan�chii stood aside. The purpose of the tree-people had been to stymie the Legion, and their mission was accomplished.
The Keeper had been gracious, but the leaves had not, rustling with obvious happiness at seeing her enemies fail in their task. Titus didn�t care. Including the auxiliaries, hundreds of good Legionaries had been lost in this endeavour, and even the safe return of his only child couldn�t completely snuff the morose feeling in his chest.
Legionaries fought monsters and died doing it all the time. This was a
reality of the world. He was just never able to completely shut away the
pain of
�Morrelia,� he said, embracing his daughter when she reached him. �I�m glad to see you are safe.�
She�d been escorted back by a group of humans led by Enid Ruther to the end of the tunnel that led toward the nest. Titus had recalled all his troops to this point and was still waiting for some of the further out groups to return.
He pushed his daughter back so he could look into her face and saw the mixed emotions there. Happiness, shame, guilt. No doubt she blamed herself for losing control of her berserker Skills in the midst of battle and getting captured. She had so much promise; if she learned from her mistakes, she would be a commander before too long.
He placed a hand on her head.
�Your mother will be so pleased to see you again. If you�d died just before she finished her commission, I fear she would have collapsed the Iron Mountain down on her own head.�
It was a poor attempt at a joke, and the more Titus thought about it, the more realistic a scenario it seemed.
Watching the expression on her father�s face shift from joking to a glum realisation made Morrelia laugh and the knot inside her eased slightly with the release of tension. She�d betrayed the Legion, but she believed it had been for the right reasons. With any luck, they would never return, and the colony would continue to be peaceful and cooperative with everyone they came across. If so, she would never have to regret too strongly the decision she made here.
�I hope you and your people are able to retreat safely before things get too crazy down here,� Enid said. Then she frowned. �I also hope you never come back.�
It was far more grace than he could expect to receive from opponents he�d been fighting not an hour previous.
�I thank you for your words,� Titus said. �I do not know where the Legion will send us next. With this new wave coming so close on the heels of the last one, there will be problems all over Pangera. We defend many remote communities from the Dungeon, and our people are stretched thin.�
�I know the work you do to defend the helpless, and it is appreciated
around the world,� Enid snapped. �If only you�d devoted yourselves to
doing
The commander could only shake his head.
�The two tasks are one and the same. We came here to protect people from what these monsters will become. I hope you realise the mistake you have made before it�s too late.�
With nothing left to say to each other, the two sides parted ways. Titus got back to organising his forces, counting the dead, ensuring the injured were cared for and arranging logistics. He would need to get his Legion to a gate as soon as possible, and he was determined that none would be left behind. After two more hours, every head had been accounted for and the Legion began their march. They were exhausted and drained, but none complained. Better a hard stretch of travel now, followed by rest, than a never-ending battle against the monsters who were already beginning to spawn from the walls.
Enid sighed as she watched them go, then turned back to walk up the tunnel to the nest. Already, the ants were swarming over the ruins of their once pristine tunnel, trying to re-establish their defences before the wave hit in force. It was amazing the damage that good people with bad ideas could do, she reflected. Though doubtless, Titus would say the exact same thing about her. Not wanting to dwell on such depressing thoughts, she turned her mind to the things she would do next and the list quickly grew.
First of all, she needed to contact the families of those who had fallen. An unenviable job, but a necessary one. She remembered many times her husband would take on this duty, informing the loved ones of those who hadn�t made it back from a delve. Shoulders square, Enid walked briskly. There was work to be done.
When the High Blade Balta had awoken, he instinctually felt they�d lost.
That
The reputation he staked, the favours he called in, all for nothing. Less than nothing. The wave wouldn�t finish the ants as some of his advisors hoped, he was sure of it. In fact, he was scornful of those who were prepared to think it. The ants had been stronger, far stronger, than he expected, and thousands of golgari had been lost in the tunnels. When he returned to the empire, the disgrace of this failure would haunt the House of Balta for years. He was so frustrated he could burst.
Full of spite and bitterness, he barely paid attention as the lesser nobles arranged their swift retreat to the nearest gate. They would need to travel hard, and even then, they wouldn�t make it before the monsters started to spawn. Yet more trouble awaited them. When they finally began to move, the golgari expedition was a silent and morose column of Warriors and Shapers, each lost in their own thoughts. Such was the manner of the defeated.
Inside the nest, the colony had not paused to rest for even a moment. The council launched into action only to find that their various caste members had already leaped into their work. The carvers were everywhere, in the tunnels, working on the gates, shaping stone and metal with the assistance of the soldiers who were doing the heavy lifting, many of them injured.
The healers worked frantically, trying to turn over as many wounded as possible in as short a time as they could manage. If an ant was eighty percent healed, they were out the door, Biomass and their own regeneration would take care of the rest. The more severely damaged colony members were overflowing the long-term wards within the nest, and tunnels were co-opted for emergency treatment areas.
The colony had lost many over the duration of the conflict. The final toll, when it was eventually counted, was over ten thousand members of the family who had fallen in the fighting. Fortunately, the Queen�s had not ceased egg production during the long siege, and the total population of the colony hadn�t much changed. Even so, many excellent ants had perished, and they were mourned.
The colony grieved in the only way they could: work.
Legs are something I grow back easily enough. The cracks and damage to my carapace are going to take significantly longer, especially considering how I�m totally out of juice in my regeneration gland for the moment. The inner plating will help a ton, though, so I�ll be back on my feet and out there working with my siblings in no time.
BUT I DON�T WANNA! I�m
Actually, I think I spot one over there, what�s she doing? Lifting rubble. Dang. I suppose in these dire times, even the strictest of colony rules must be waived to some degree. Until I get all of my legs back, I�m stuck sitting in the middle of the chamber within the gate whilst a flurry of work gets done around me. At least I get to listen in on the various reports as they come in.
The brood chambers have been secured, though it was apparently quite difficult to defeat the golgari. I have only sympathy for the soldiers and scouts who had to go in there. Trying to fight amongst the brood without injuring them? A nightmare scenario. A few clutches of eggs were destroyed, as well as many larvae. Even though the damage was contained to just a few rooms, the losses could be as many as a thousand. The eggs are kept fairly bundled up, after all, there are hundreds of them in each egg chamber.
The very thought of the losses suffered by the next generation makes my blood boil, and I�m sure every ant in the colony feels the same. If it weren�t for the wave, I�m confident a team would have been launched to chase down the stone-people and end them. I�d have gone. Just thinking of the adorable grubs who never managed to reach maturity� I wonder if the colony will let me retire and become a full-time grub tickler? There�s a need that I can fill! The grubs deserve only the best tickles!
Bah. No chance. The Queen would chase me out of the brood chambers in a matter of minutes.
It was a relief when a passing Brood Tender was able to let me know the Queen was alright. I�d thought she�d be safe in the egg-laying chamber, but trust the Queen to find some way to nearly die whenever there�s a major fight going on. Apparently, she nearly died twice this time, which is a new record. Her injuries were fairly major, and they don�t think she�ll be back to egg production for a few days, which must be serious.
Sarah has apparently holed herself up in the chamber with the Queens and is refusing to leave, though she needs some serious healing as well, from what the Tenders tell me. I�ll have to pick myself up and get over there for a visit, once I can walk that is.
As for that traitorous ringworm, there hasn�t been any sighting. He�s
The second he turns up, he�s going to be food, I swear it on the lost grubs! What he hoped to achieve with his betrayal, I�ve no clue, and I don�t care. Justice will find him eventually.
Knowing how bad he is at fighting, I�ve little doubt he�s burrowed himself as deep and far as he can from any tunnel or Expanse, and he�ll stay there until the wave is passed. He lived a long time that way, I don�t expect his habits are going to change now.
�Hey, eldest, slacking off I see?�
�Brendant? What do you mean?� I gesture down at my missing limbs. �What exactly are you expecting of me in this situation, eh?�
�Not much, I suppose,� she clacks her mandibles, seemingly quite chipper. �The council wants to have a full meeting in a few hours, once we get a better sense of where we stand. The wave is going to be a real problem, and the nest is in pretty bad shape.�
�What about the other nests?� I ask. �Have we had any word on how they�re travelling?�
�Runners are on the way as we speak. We should hear back before the meeting.�
I�m nervous about those other nests. They�re smaller and less protected than this one. Even if the golgari and Legion left them alone, I fear the wave will be a huge challenge for them to overcome.
�What�s the most important undertaking right now? What�s got the highest priority?� I�m curious about what they�re focusing on.
The big soldier thinks about that.
�Probably moving the hatchlings up to the surface training grounds. If we don�t manage to move them before the wave starts, it�s going to be a nightmare to shift them later. There�s thousands of the little sisters packed away under the Queen�s chambers, and they need to get to the Academy as quickly as we can manage.�
�I guess we can restart the farm project as well,� I muse. �They were able to provide a ton of Biomass during the first wave. And I guess we need to secure the surface nests as well. There�s no guarantee that any nasties that climb up from below will bump into us here, they might get all the way to the surface��
Holy moly, I�m starting to see the sheer body of work in front of us. Brendant recognises the realisation flicker in my antennae and clicks her mandibles in understanding.
�Get well soon, eldest. There�s plenty for you to do.�
Great. She skitters off to organise more escort groups for hatchlings, and I continue to flop about as the small stumps that will become my new legs continue to sprout. Before much time has passed, I feel a familiar mind reach out to me.
[Not looking so hot over there, kid. Not exactly the mighty Ancient I had in mind.]
What the?
[Granin!]
I use a few legs on one side to spin my body around and find the big Shaper standing behind me with his two Triad-mates by his side.
[What the hell happened to you, you old brick head?] I cry. [I thought you were stuck with the golgari?]
He pulls a face.
[Bah. It�s all politics. I wanted to stay and help out with the
Cult and try to clean up the mess we were left with when the city found
out about the stupid games they were playing. Instead, the Balta clan
went nuts, demanded they be given the rights to hunt you down as a
matter of honour, and drafted
I can tell the old Shaper is deeply irritated, so I let him grumble for a few seconds before I follow up with another question.
[What�s your plan now? You going to hang around?]
[If you�ll have me,] he shrugs. [I�m not good for much, but I happen to be an expert in monster evolution, and between the three of us here, we can be a big help. The later evolutions are very different from the first, the options really widen up.]
Wot?
[MORE options? You have to be kidding me! The menu lists are a mile long!]
He chuckles.
[You are certainly not going to like this, then. Good thing you have us around. No rush, there�s still time until you evolve again. What�s your Level, anyway?]
Uhhh, good question. I�ve been pretty much ignoring the System messages for days now. I�ll take a quick peak.
HOLY MOLY!
My reaction must have given something away. Granin was always quite good at reading me. Amazingly so, considering I don�t have facial muscles and therefore no expression to speak of. Perhaps his many decades of experience working with monsters has given him some sort of sixth sense.
[What�s your Level?] he asks again.
[Bit rude, just up and asking like that, isn�t it?] I feel exposed.
He grunts.
[Keep your false modesty. There�s a whole nest of ants here who need your strength, so out with it.]
[Seventy-three.]
He whistles. [That�s close. You�re going to need that consultation before too long. With the wave coming, those Levels and the Biomass requirements should be filled fairly quick.]
He pauses our conversation to turn and speak to Torrina and Corun. The three of them converse in rapid tones for a short time before he turns back to me.
[Sounds like you haven�t exactly been availing yourself of the help I sent you,] he tells me sourly.
Now I feel a little guilty. The two golgari cultists had abandoned their people to help me because they, along with Granin, saw potential for something great in me. I�ve just never been much of a careful planner. Or a deep thinker. Or patient� Hang on a second. Am I just stupid?
[Don�t think about it too much,] Granin sighs. [I know you can�t be bothered thinking about this stuff. Since you aren�t going anywhere until the little stumps wiggling on your side grow a bit more, I may as well explain a couple of things.]
The big Shaper lowers himself to the ground and sits in front of me, looking at me face to face.
[The thing you need to keep in mind, is that monsters are stronger than people.]
That doesn�t seem right. That Titus guy was
[I know, alright? Just stop thinking for a minute and listen. Yes, individuals can become very strong. You might even say monstrously strong.] He smirks before he settles and continues.
[In the legends, during the Rending, the great golgari heroes were supposedly capable of truly ridiculous feats. One of the first Shapers was supposedly so strong in Earth Magic, he could conjure a mountain to smash his foes with. Whether or not that�s true, none can say. Now, whilst that strength might seem impressive, the number of golgari, human, Folk, or any other race who manage to achieve that kind of power are less than one in a million. Way less. The other indisputable fact is, no person has ever matched the kind of strength the Ancients possess, and each of them, is a monster.]
[How many
Granin waves a hand.
[We�re getting a little sidetracked, talking about the Ancients. What I was more trying to emphasise is that, generally speaking, a monster is stronger than a human. Strong monsters need teams of strong people to bring them down. Eventually, some monsters get powerful enough that large teams of up to a hundred are necessary. You�ve probably met a few like that, surely?]
Garralosh, obviously, but she was a special case, being a reincarnator like me. Though, I have seen strong monsters. The giant whale fish thing I glimpsed in the first Expanse I visited in the second stratum, or the giant spider mama who was such a pain in the butt. Seeing agreement in me, he continues.
[Right. You�re currently tier five. Once you reach tier six and above, you�ve joined the ranks of the elite monsters, the type that very few people can hope to match one-on-one. They exist of course, especially the deeper in the Dungeon you get, but you�re on the precipice of real strength.]
He gives me a second for that to sink in.
[The other thing you need to be aware of is how the options will change starting with your next evolution. You probably noticed looking at your eyeball over there,] he gestures toward Invidia, [that he has mutations and abilities that haven�t been available to you. Am I right?]
[That�s true� I figured it was because of the stratum we originated from. As a demon, he gets access to juicier stuff than me, since I�m just an insect from the upper layers.]
[Very good, Anthony, you�re correct. The deeper you go, the �juicier� the options monsters get by default. However, the playing field is meant to be level in the Dungeon. Sapients and monsters alike, everyone is supposed to have the same chance to succeed. This means there must be a way to balance this discrepancy.]
[I�m assuming you�re about to tell me what it is?]
[Obviously. It�s called the Rescindic Principle of Mutable Advancement. Also known as a cash in.]
[�A cash in.]
[Precisely. Basically, you trade in all your current mutations on a particular body part in order to upgrade it to a better base model. Once you evolve at +25, this option will become available to you.]
[What do you mean by
I can tell Granin is passionate about this stuff, the more he explains, the more animated he gets, and I�m starting to get a little lost. Seeing the dazed emotion in my eyes, he settles himself.
[Let�s use your carapace as an example.]
[Not my carapace!] I try to cover my glittering shell with my antennae and fail miserably.
[Bear with me, alright? You�ll like this.] He soothes me with a gesture. [Your carapace started out as the default exo-skeleton that all insect monsters in the first stratum have access to. The thickness might have varied, but you ultimately had the exact same protection that the centipedes had.]
How revolting.
[Now, you�ve made excellent improvements, and your Diamond
Carapace is extremely durable, I think you picked very well. But what if
I told you, it�s possible to revert your carapace back to +0, but
instead of starting over with plain jane regular carapace, it could be
Wait� that would mean�
[Exactly!] he affirms. [Then you could upgrade it from scratch again, adding more and more diamond mutations along the way. By the time you got back to +25, your carapace would be twice as tough as it is now. Not only is this a great way for a monster such as yourself to power up, it�s also a necessary step for you to compete with monsters in the deeper layers. Unlike you, they were spawned in an environment with far higher Mana concentration, so they get the good stuff right out of the gate.]
[But the amount of Biomass that would take!] I protest. [It�s insane! I�ll struggle to get everything maxed before I hit Level eighty as it is. Then the next evolution won�t be until Level one-sixty. And the Biomass to take everything from zero to +30 will be bonkers!]
It just doesn�t seem feasible, and it appears that Granin agrees.
[Which is why you don�t reset everything. That�s stupid. At most, I recommend that you do two of your body parts. Some of these resets will probably appear in your evolution choices as well, and those count too. Say you get one cash in from your evolution, then during the process, cash in one other thing. Also keep in mind that there are better cash in choices available at +30 than there are at +25, and so on. If you want your carapace to be as strong as possible, you either need to reset it every evolution, or wait until you reach tier seven or eight before you cash in.]
My mind is spinning. The number of possibilities this opens up is nuts�
[I told you it was going to get crazy.] Granin grins. [Look at the envy demon. You could make your internal structure mutable at your next evolution, then chomp away until you get it to +30. The next time you evolved, you could cash in and change it to the same as his: the pocket dimension. No matter what breaks through your shell, your organs would suffer no damage. It�s a handy one to have.]
He stands up and brushes off his granite exterior.
[I�ll have a word with you about the choices you ought to look at first when it�s time for you to evolve. In the meantime, I want to speak with the rest of the leadership. There�s a council or something right?]
Ok, Granin is now seriously confusing me.
[Uh, yeah?] I say. [What do you want with them?]
[I want to make sure they know how important it is to funnel resources to you,] he says flatly. [One tier six powerhouse will do more to protect the colony during the wave than a thousand tier threes. If they�d concentrated their efforts on you, you�d be tier six already and this siege would have gone much better for you and your whole family.
[You wouldn�t have been able to take on the Legion single-handed, but they would have been forced to be very careful about what they chose to put in front of you. From here on out, it�s the big leagues, Anthony. Especially this high up. If the colony is going to survive, they need strong members, and they should start with you.]
�I think they wanted to do that ages ago, but I told them no� I won�t mention it, though. Might as well keep that to myself.
Guess it�s time to start stuffing my face again! Tiny�s gonna love this.