Well now… this isn't the turn I expected the conversation to take. But hey, I'm all for it! I came out here looking for a fight, and if I'm not very much mistaken, those were fighting words.
[So you're going to try and invade this land that's been cleansed and claimed by my family?]
[Maybe… that's one of the reasons I came up here, to have a look around and see what was happening.]
[Scouting out for a potential invasion isn't exactly 'coming in peace', now is it?]
[Well… depends on your perspective.]
[Does it?! Look, as far as I can see, you're right back into the enemy bucket, and therefore eligible for chomping. You want to come out and fight or what?]
[No, I don't want to fight! How many times do I have to say it?]
Sheesh… this guy. Tiny would be embarrassed to meet a monster this disinterested in fighting.
[Can we at least see each other? I'm tired of whispering back and forth through a tiny, thin little mind-bridge to someone I can't even look at. It's silly.]
[It's safe. Monsters tend to fight a lot once they start sizing each other up.]
[I'm starting to wonder if you've ever fought a day in your life! Keep your distance if you're scared.]
[Don't insult me. I can feel that you aren't any stronger than I am. Throwing out words like that is going to get you in trouble in the sixth.]
I can practically hear the teeth being bared in the other's thoughts. Finally, a show of spine.
[I'll apologise if you were offended then, but the point stands. You want to throw down with the Colony? I'm game. We can start right now, right here. If you want to talk peace, then that's another matter. We were strong enough to break all the way through the fifth, something, I feel I should point out, that your crew has failed to do.]
There's a moment of silence as the monster digests what I have to say.
[You make a good point. We can see each other, to show I'm serious, but I am not here to fight.]
[Fair enough. Step on out.]
I've been standing in the middle of the tunnel this whole time, bold as ant-shaped brass, so I don't need to move a leg. Slowly, cautiously, the monster I've been talking to emerges from a side tunnel, and I am shocked speechless.
What in the great googly-moogly?!
This monster, who doesn't want to fight, is a massive, bat-faced gorilla, with fur that seems to be formed of purple, metallic spikes that crackle with lightning.
A pacifist version of Tiny? How is such a thing possible?! I'm stunned to see the monster face to face, but simultaneously they seem to be stunned to see me.
[What the heck are you?]
[Me? I'm an ant! One of the finest creations in the history of the Dungeon, mind you.]
[Is that… some sort of insect?]
[Not just some sort of insect. The best form of insect. Superior in every way to the alternatives.]
[So you're kind of like the centipedes then? All hard on the outside?]
[... How dare you, sir. I will not be compared to a disgusting centipede!]
[You don't like centipedes?]
[I hate centipedes with a passion that burns with the heat of a thousand suns.]
[That seems… like a lot of heat.]
[It's impossible to emphasise enough just how much I hate them. Are you telling me there are centipedes in the sixth?]
[Oh yeah, a bunch.]
[Soon, there won't be.]
[Wow, okay. Good to know. Anyway, I'm standing here. You aren't going to shoot another massive spell at me, are you?]
[I wasn't planning on it.]
I might have started pulling the spell together as stealthily as possible, though… just in case.
[My name is Gylax,] the big ape tells me. [I represent Storm Bringers. If you intend to come down into the sixth, then you should run into us eventually. Our territory is almost directly below this place. Though I would encourage you to be careful, the Legion have been active around here lately.]
[The Legion? Dangit.]
[You know them?]
[I know them,] I say glumly. [They want to kill me.]
The big ape looks at me for a second.
[Well, that's… unfortunate. Good luck! If you survive long enough to find us, I'll be impressed.]
Really? What the heck do they have going on down there?! There's five thousand of the Legion in the nest waiting for me, but they can't do a dang thing. Honestly, it might make sense if they have some sort of super-duper soldiers down there, which is why they've been happy just to keep tabs on me while I was in the fifth.
They were just waiting until I got low enough that they could bring out the big guns. Sadly for them, I might have gotten a heads up that they didn't expect.
Gweheheheheh.
[I'm Anthony, a proud member of the Colony. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to make it to you. Am I likely to get jumped by a dozen different monsters like you if I show up?]
[We're more civilised than that, by thunder!]
[Tiny will be so disappointed.]
[Who, or what, is Tiny?]
[He's my friend. He kind of looks like you.]
Without the cool metal spikes. Then again, he isn't tier eight yet.
[Fine. Do you mind if I poke around this area a bit longer? I'd like to confirm a few things.]
I think about it. Letting a monster this powerful roam around on their own is pretty much impossible. He could slip the net and get high in the fifth. Without me to stop him, he could do a heck of a lot of damage.
[Sure,] I say, [for a while, but I'll have to go with you.]
[Oh… yay.]