Chapter 134 Once more into the breach
It is a known phenomenon that not all monsters of the same species are created equal. From as far back as the Rending, when monsters had first appeared on the surface of Pangera, it had been noted that some monsters boasted far more individual strength than others of the same kind. The difference was so pronounced it could not be explained by a simple difference of levels.
Indeed, over the centuries, as all the sentient species of the surface delved into the Dungeon, eager to unlock its mysteries, it was discovered that some monsters are simply spawned stronger than others. Faster, more powerful, more intelligent and altogether more deadly.
When these monsters reached maturity they typically were able to display a leadership type quality amongst other monsters of their own kind, gathering together bands of followers, groups of monsters that grew in power rapidly due to the leadership and guidance they received.
It is generally accepted that this is the reason such monsters came to be known amongst scholars as 'Champions'. Mercenaries and freelance explorers were more crude and direct with their naming, out of fear these elite monsters caused in them as well as the strength they displayed, the common name for such monsters became 'Brutes'.
It isn't known why such monsters spawn, or how. They appear infrequently in normal times but numerous studies suggest that in times of great conflict or upheaval in the Dungeon the spawn rate of champions rises tremendously.
Some have claimed that Champion monsters can grow so powerful as to exert their controlling influence over monsters not of their own kind, forming armies of mixed monsters in the depths that rampage endlessly until they burn themselves out in endless conflict, or settle down and go into hiding.
Such claims are often rebuffed, as little evidence of such has reached the surface in the time of writing.
Excerpt from Chapter 4 - Dungeon Champions, from 'The Dungeon Monsters, a primer' by Hedger Oldfinger.
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After breaking down the final bit of dirt the now familiar glow of the Dungeon assaults my eyes. The screaming of the monsters, the sound of claws tearing at flesh and pulse running through the mana veins on the walls, like the pulse of the very planet itself.
I almost missed this. Not quite, but almost.
Tiny certainly did though. Crouching in the narrow tunnel behind the sounds of vicious combat are like music in the ears of the ape. In an incredibly short amount of time he can no longer contain himself and shoves me forward out of the way, leaping into the Dungeon with a bloodthirsty roar!
Tiny is back in town!
I however, am crumpled on the floor with a rather heavy ape standing on my back.
[Get off me you goon!] I shout.
I don't think he hears me, or if he does he clearly chooses to ignore me. Screeching with rage the giant ape hurls himself onto the centipedes, hounds, lizards and rabbits in his path, fists blazing with electricity.
We are not significantly deeper into the Dungeon here than the farm is but I can already see that the monsters spawning here are visibly more powerful, with some of the more dominant low level monsters appearing.
Even this little upgrade is enough to pump Tiny's blood and wake his thirst for battle!
As the giant ape leaps into action the enemies rapidly crumple one by one as they are unable to resist those potent fists. Body after body is being blasted into the walls or smashed into the floor, never to rise again.
Hold on! Leave some for me!
I scramble to get my feet under me and hurl myself into the fight!
Ten minutes later we have cut down everything in our way in this section of tunnel and have settled down to munch on some Biomass.
[You happy now Tiny? You got have a decent fight finally] I say to my gorging pet.
He doesn't even pause his eating but a frown creases his bat forehead as he ponders my question, turning the words over in his mind.
[No] he replies.
I'd figured as much. Although it was a little tougher than the farm it simply isn't enough to satisfy the big guy. That's ok though. We'll keep digging deeper until we find something and start to level up once more.
Speaking of levels I actually gained one in this fight! Nobody was as surprised as me to finally get my level up from killing a thorn lizard but hey, there it is.
The little worker and JellyMaw have also leaped off their transportation (me) to stuff themselves once more, packing their miniature bodies with absurd amounts of food. I really have to name these two, thinking of them as 'little worker' and 'JellyMaw' is starting to feel a little rude.
Surely a bit more consideration wouldn't hurt, right?
The worker is small and hyper active, full of energy and a complete pain in the gaster. Her name should represent her curious and exhausting self. I'll call her Vibrant.
I'm not sure why, but the name just speaks to me.
Satisfied, I turn my attention to the ball of magical black rubber that is busy feeling its way around with small tentacles, trying to locate the next mouthful. So far the young JellyMaw has been fairly quiet, mind you I'm not sure if she can even talk back to me at this stage of her development.
I don't have too much to go on.
Also, should I give a boy or girl name? Tiny is fairly gender neutral, maybe I should go down that road again.
What sort of name would fit a blind, tentacle monster of endless doom though? I'm fairly stumped. I may just have to pick something think sounds fitting and not worry too much about the meaning.
..... Crinis?
Eh, sure why not.
Sounds sort of Latiny, like most of the monster species names. I'll roll with it.
I'm not the sort to put too much thought into these things.
We find three cores amongst the remains and I take two, leaving one for Tiny to absorb. I make sure to give him a hard stare until he does, in fact, absorb the thing. He knows what'll happen if he doesn't!
Although it would have been troublesome, I could have taken these cores to the surface for skill grinding but I decided to straight up absorb them and return to the path of powering up my core. It feels nice to once again be on the path of strengthening oneself.
As we rummage around in what used to be the tail end of the escape tunnel I make something of a discovery.
It appears as if the loosely packed soil the colony had left behind was not enough of a deterrent to the Dungeon veins and they had remained inside the dirt we had left behind. It may have been spawning the odd monster inside the earth or something may have followed the trail of veins and dug its way through but certainly something has followed from below.
Right at the end of the old escape tunnel I find a hole that opens into a narrow passage that retraces the colonies steps back into the depths of the Dungeon.
..... Nards.
I was afraid of something like this. This means the human church isn't only exposed to the small monster producing space we left behind but is potentially connected to the entire Dungeon!
[Tiny! Crinis! We have to get moving. It's time to explore a little deeper]
Tiny is visibly pleased with the news but I don't get a response from the small blob. Oh right I didn't tell it what its name was.
I walk over to it at tap it with one leg.
[Climb on up. From now on your name will be Crinis. Pleased to have you on the team!]
The little ball wobbles with what I think might be joy before latching onto my leg and climbing up onto my back. Once Crinis is securely positioned I go to collect the little worker.
"From now on your name is Vibrant! Make sure to get the pheromone language mutation and then we can chat. Let's go!"
Vibrant twitches back and forth with nervous energy as her eyes focus on me for a long moment, then she leaps up into her normal position and we descend further into the Dungeon.
-x-X-x-
We venture forth, squeezing into the narrow tunnel and descending into the depths. Every now and again I can detect a monster forming and this prevents us being ambushed as we pick our way down.
I've managed to pile up a healthy amount of Biomass over the last while and none of it has been spent. While I wasn't paying attention it stacked up to twenty one! This was unheard of wealth when I was just starting out, completely ridiculous. Now, I've managed to not even realise I had so much as I devoted all of my attention and energy on my skills.
With this much I can purchase the +6, +7 and +8 upgrades for a single organ, but which to pick? I could go the new hotness of the gravitational organ or the old reliable of the infused mandibles, even hark all the way back to the eyes?
I think I'll go something that is directly combat relevant and upgrade my mandibles to +8. I don't want to run into anything else I can't tear through with my trusty face scissors. Combined with the power of my shattering bite skill this upgrade could have a powerful effect!
[Do you wish to improve Mandibles to +8? this will cost 21 Biomass]
Go for it!
OH GOD!
My face! MY PRECIOUS FACE!
Once again the horror of the mutation itch has somehow slipped my mind completely and has stormed back to remind me just how mind meltingly irritating it really is.
My face is on fire. FIRE I SAY!
There was a distinct leap in the level of itch from +4 to +5, but I had assumed that was largely because of the mutation advancement. Apparently not!
Eventually the feeling fades and I came back to my senses. Tiny is impatiently standing behind me whilst I have been wibbling about the place madly scratching at my face. Don't look at me like that you lousy ape! Why is it I never see you scratching away yourself when you mutate?
I'm going to try and keep a closer eye on these pets of mine and see if I can spot them having trouble as they upgrade themselves. To help them? Of course not! I shall point and laugh! Let's see the look on your face then, Tiny!
Having recovered we continue on our way down the tunnel and we come to the section of tunnel were we had connected to an existing section of Dungeon in order to hunt and feed the colony. Here the trail stops. It looks like whatever had drilled out the old escape tunnel had started from here and not from the old nest.
Thank goodness!
If those horrific beasts I had heard but not seen had followed us all the way up here we would have had some serious problems, not to mention the human town would have been in some strife. This is by far the better outcome.
This time I make sure to leap into the active Dungeon tunnel before Tiny can lose his patience and shove me down. What greets my eyes is the same bustling scene from the first time we invaded this place. Low level Dungeon monsters fighting each other furiously in twos and threes up and down the tunnel, fallen monsters on the ground being contested fiercely as creatures try to heal and sustain themselves through the endless fighting.
[Get 'em Tiny!]
This tunnel is barely large enough for the big ape to move comfortably, being the kind of smaller offshoot tunnel that I had been born in rather than a main thoroughfare. He makes the best of it though and gleefully starts smashing his way down the tunnel whilst I follow along with my passengers aboard.
Whenever a monster from behind us tries to attack I subdue it with a quick blast from the business district. The unfortunate target is quickly set upon by nearby creatures as its movement becomes restricted and the acid begins to eat away at its health.
My goal is to try and find a larger, main tunnel. The monsters we find there should be more on our level and provide a larger boost to our growth. If I'm lucky we might even harvest a decent number of cores from such a location.
With Tiny in front we follow the twist and turns of the tunnel for thirty minutes, punching our way through every step of the way, before we come to what it is I've been looking for.
Ahead of the us the smaller tunnel suddenly opens wide into a much larger passage, the sound of fighting and the roar of monsters is our welcome.
Perfect.
Before us there is a rolling brawl of the sorts of monsters we had become accustomed to seeing in the forest. Bear Tyrants, Lion Ogres, Wolf-Dragons and others that I've never seen before. Armoured lizards the size of horses with mighty club like tails and two heads are facing off against huge creatures with snakelike tails that lead to an upright body festooned with claws and spikes that they whip about with blinding speed.
Tiny has become very still for some reason. I shuffle forward a little so I get a good look at his face.
[You okay there buddy?]
His face has gone completely slack as his eyes drink in the scenes of glorious carnage before him as if he were dying of thirst and staring at the freshest of pure mountain streams.
The infatuation, the adoration in those eyes... He looks like a giant bat faced ape in love!
Are you that desperate to fight things?! Really?!
Fine! You stand there and take in the sights. I'll jump in and steal your Xp!
Bwahahahaha!
With my two passengers clutching on tightly I leap down into the main tunnel, mandibles ablaze with energy as I channel mana into them.
Shattering Bite!
The illusory jaws of energy extend from my mandibles and crunch down on the nearest monster who, refreshingly, doesn't collapse from the first attack.
The blood is starting to pump through my body as the excitement rises in my chest. Finally a good battle! I can stretch out and move at last!
I can test out my new techniques!
As I feint forward and back against my opponent, a battered Tyrant Bear who rumbles and slashes at the air in response to my provocation, bearing its tremendous fangs, I begin to craft my new magic within myself.
I hope you're ready for some of this flava! Taste my Gravity Bolt!
My practice has certainly paid off! It only takes me a few seconds to shape the magic and pump it full of energy until it is ready to launch. I lunge to once side, causing the bear to rear back out of my range as it prepares a retaliatory attack. At this precise moment I fire the Gravity Bolt! The foe has no time to react before the spell impacts it in the side, right on target! Immediately the magic takes effect and starts to drag the bear down.
Gweheheh.
I'm impressed though. The raw physical strength of this monster has allowed it to remain on its feet as opposed to being pressed flat against the ground like the weaker beasts I'd practiced on. The powerful gravity is still having an effect however, the bear is using so much strength to battle against the pull its legs are practically shaking, its eyes are still fierce but a tinge of fear is there for the first time.
How are young to fight in that sort of condition Mr Bear?
You can't!
Shattering Bite!
Trying not to get cocky I keep an eye on my surroundings as I circle around the bear and begin my assault on its tremendous defences. In order to puncture that insanely tough hide I need to close the distance and use my physical mandibles. This is made fairly trivially easy however since I am quite nimble but the bear is struggling to turn and keep me in its eyes.
Shattering Bite!
Shattering Bite!
More mana into the mandibles!
Shattering Bite!
[You have slain level 8 Earth Bear Tyrant]
[You have gained experience]
Behold my power!
As I'm glorying in my triumph a shattering screech echoes down the tunnel. Tiny is ready to fight!
-x-X-x-
The ear shattering screech out of Tiny has only gotten stronger over time. As the sonic waves roll over my precious ear canals the stunning effect slams into my soft brain(s) like a sledgehammer.
Thanks to my sturdy willpower I can shake it off after a second and see how the rest of the monsters are doing.
Generally, not great.
There are plenty of beasts reeling or stunned completely from that vocal blast whilst a few larger creatures seem to have managed to resist largely as well as I did. Having announced his mighty presence, Tiny leaps down into the cavern, the rocks cracking under him when he lands with a boom.
The long hair on his arms and back is slowly starting to rise into the air as he glares hungrily at the monsters before him, who can only shrink back from this intimidating beast. I can only imagine that seeing such a beefy, strong looking monster land in their midst is not exactly what they had expected or hoped for. Tiny's hands and body are starting to spark in earnest now, little zaps of electricity rippling over his body and swimming across his fingers.
ROAR!
Not intimidated by the fearsome display one of the armoured lizards bellows a challenge from across the tunnel! Tiny's bat ears twitch in outrage and he screeches back, the sonic blast physically impacting some smaller monsters and knocking them right off their feet!
Crunch! Crunch!
As the two monsters stomp towards each other their heavy tread shatters the stones beneath their feet. Not willing to be caught in the fray the smaller monsters back the hell up, desperate to get out of the way of what is about to take place. Even I can follow their logic. If these two big fellas' want to fight each other, that is a hell of lot better than them picking on us! Let's move to the side and eat each other whilst they do their thing.
I have to admit I feel like a proud Dad as I watch my once little ape stomp towards a fiendish armour beast in preparation for a no holds barred battle to the death.
...
Should I cast a sneaky Gravity Bolt in there to help Tiny out? Asides from the risk of hitting my own pet accidently, I'm not sure he'd be ok with me interfering in his long awaited battle. I might just have to keep an eye on things and play it by ear.
As they two monsters draw closer to each the other the pressure in the air increases to unbearable levels. Two monsters enter! Only one will leave!
Suddenly swinging his fists in wide arcs Tiny is the first to act! Electricity crackles in the air as he raises both massive hands in the air before leaping forward and crashing them down like a thunderbolt!
Reading his move the massive lizard dives forward fearlessly! By shifting the point of impact in this way the blow will fall on its back where thick bony plates will absorb the damage, rather than straight onto its head.
CRASH!
The feet of the lizard are forced three inches into the cavern floor as that titanic blow, with all the weight of an angry bat-ape behind it, shudders through its body. It isn't the physical damage that that troubles the beast though. Bright rippling arcs of electricity discharge from Tiny's fists as they impact, piercing straight through that hard shell to roast the tender flesh beneath.
Gasp! Is this the legendary Ape Thunder Strike?!
As I'm absorbed by watching this clash I manage to notice something in my peripheral vision. A second of the large shell lizards is positioning itself for a charge to one side! Clearly the monster is planning to intrude on what is clearly a thrilling one versus one battle! How rude!
Sneakily I begin to prepare a spell. Let's see how you like this tasty little dish!
After being damaged by Tiny's strike the lizard shakes itself vigorously before turning its large body with deceptive speed! The clubbed tail behind it whips through the air so quickly it almost can't be followed by the eye!
[Look out Tiny!]
The big ape appears to see it all coming, hardly needing any warning from me! He rotates his body and flashes out a clean right hook, connecting flush with that bony tail and smashes it away!
Holy hell! That was so fast!
Punching in such a way isn't without cost however, a clear crunching sound can be heard from Tiny's fist in the moment of impact. He must have broken at least some fingers!
With his back turned however, the interloping lizard has found its moment to charge! Unleashing a furious roar it pounds the rocky floor with its mighty four-legged tread, its incredible mass and hard armour shattering any stone pillars or monsters unfortunate enough to be in the way.
Ha! I've been waiting for you my friend! I skitter forward until I am facing down the rampaging monster who clearly intends to crush this pitiful ant flat on its way to assist in taking down the fearsome gorilla monster.
If only it were that easy for you big guy.
Try this dish! The Inverse Gravity Bolt!
With malicious glee I release the powerful blast of purple magic that shoots through the air like a bullet. With its large frame and momentum the lizard has no chance of dodging my strike and can only choose to continue head on!
I can almost see the flicker of surprise in the beasts eyes as my spell impacts and it feels no pain at all. Did the spell have no effect? In fact, not only did it not hurt, my body feels lighter than ever! I feel like I'm flying!
Huehuehuehue.
You sure are buddy!
Confused growls followed by panicked squeals erupt from the beast as it realises that it is rising from the floor and instead of smashing me to pieces with an irresistible charge it has sailed gracefully over my head, legs waggling in the empty air.
As its forward momentum peters out the poor monster is left hovering in mid-air close to the ceiling, legs and tail thwipping about as it tries to control its body and move the way it wants to.
Not to worry big guy, you'll be coming down sooner than you think!
As I prepare another spell Tiny has pivoted back to his foe and swung out with his fists once more, smashes the lizard so hard he knocks it several feet to once side, unleashing another charge of electricity as he does so.
Once again the scent of roasted flesh fills the air as the lizard roars in pain, unable to resist this fierce elemental damage!
Then its eyes fiercely glow and it unleashes something I didn't expect!
From the floor of the cavern the rock suddenly becomes soft for a moment before a reforming into a sharp lance that pierces through the air like the fierce thrust of a spear!
Unable to predict the stealthy attack from below, Tiny is caught unawares! Unable to dodge the spear in time it pierces him in the side. He manages to catch the tip in one hand, preventing the stone spike from penetrating any deeper as it continues to extend, lifting the massive ape from the ground!
Earth magic! I hadn't expected that! These monsters must be double evolved to be able to use something nifty like that, surely? My eyes light up with greed at the thought of the Xp and Biomass to be harvested from battling against monsters as evolved as I am for a change.
Tiny seems to think the same as me. Far from panicking at being wounded, his fangs are revealed in a manic grin, his eyes wide open and blazing with hunger. He looks even fiercer than before, to be honest.
Still holding onto the spear with one hand Tiny bellows and clutches the other fist before his face. Instantly dazzling blue electricity begins coursing through his body and concentrating on that fist.
I know what this is!
I manage to turn my head away just in time as Tiny thrusts his hand forward, discharging a blinding arc of lightning at his foe! This time he doesn't cut it off after one blast however and I turn my head back, expecting the attack to end but instead get an eyeful of blazing lightning as Tiny continues to channel it through his hand, electricity pouring out from all over his body and rushing to his hand in unending streams.
Under this ferocious attack the lizard cannot maintain control over its magic and the spear of stone crumbles to nothing as Tiny continues his electric assault.
Actually isn't it about time...
Glancing up towards the roof I think my floating friend is just about to run out of charge.
My sense of timing is close to spot on as the beast roars in triumph, the sensation of floating has started to fade! Soon it will drop back to the floor!
Oh, you'll fall back to the floor alright.
Gravity Bolt!
-x-X-x-
Impacted by the second Gravity Bolt the poor lizard experiences a brief moment of suspension. A narrow window of time in which the effect of the upwards gravity is fading and the new, downward force is only beginning to kick in.
The tentative balance is suddenly broken and with sensational effect!
From hovering in place like an awkward levitating turtle the monster suddenly descends so quickly my eyes almost cannot catch its motion.
BOOM!
A tremendous impact occurs, sending dust and debris flying into the air, obscuring my vision and showering the cavern with shards of rock.
Holy moly! I didn't expect that to happen! Well, not quite so spectacularly at least. Scurrying quickly I use my antennae to swipe at the air and try to clear my view and inspect my prey.
Eventually I have to stop in place as I feel I may have walked too far. Where the heck is it? Is this dust ever going to settle?!
On my back the two interlopers are just as blind as I am, although, for Crinis, it is a fairly standard state of affairs. Turning on the spot it takes a moment for me to realise the texture of the floor beneath my feet is slightly different.
Looking down I notice that I'm standing on the back of the monster!
It's been squished right into the floor!
Slowly the dust falls to reveal that the lizard has been completely submerged in the rocky floor of the cavern by the impact and somewhat lacking it tact, I've wandered directly onto it's back. Even worse, the monster is still alive, groaning painfully as the downward pressure continues to compact it straight into the ground.
Sorry about that buddy! I'll er... ease your suffering?
Piercing Chomp!
Crunch!
Phew, this shell is seriously tough!
Piercing Chomp!
Crunch!
Still not there!
Again! Again! Again!
By the time I finally break through those tough armour plates my face is feeling extremely sore and I've managed to level up my piercing bite once! No wonder Tiny was struggling to crack it with his hands. Even using my armour penetrating skill it took almost twenty strikes.
[You have slain level 12 Os Lacerti]
[You have gained experience]
Feel my wrath you dinosaur wannabe! Moohahahaha! Vibrant seems somewhat confused by my domineering victory pose, her antennae are wibbling about in a confused manner until she eventually decides to somewhat copy my dynamic stance, one leg raised to punch the air.
...
Don't copy that! For starters you didn't even do anything! Second, you're making me feel childish in my moment of victory! This battle was the first in which my incredible magical superiority played the decisive factor, allow me my moment of pride dammit!
Meanwhile Tiny has also completed his battle. After sustaining his brutal lightning attack until the enemy was almost completely roasted he then approached his incapacitated foe and punched its head in.
Instead of expressing his dominance to other monsters by posing coolly, Tiny instead approaches his defeated foe and immediately starts ripping into the Biomass, tearing it apart with his bare hands and shoving it into his face.
You know, looking at the response of the other monsters in the chamber, his method may be more effective in the intimidation department, but it lacks style!
Indeed the other monsters in this section of tunnel are giving both Tiny and myself a large berth as they continue to battle amongst themselves. Incredibly, I actually see a few of the normally battle crazed beasts slinking off down the tunnel, disengaging from fighting entirely!
Is it just me or are some of these creatures getting smarter?
In the early days of the wave they would hurl themselves into bloody slaughter the moment they were created and clawed out of the dirt, regardless of the odds! I couldn't possibly imagine for a second one of those creatures would voluntarily escape from battle. Calculating the odds just wasn't something they seemed capable of!
Now though, it looks a little different. Between a monster who can decide if a fight is too dangerous and tactfully retreat, or a monster who suicidally charges forward no matter what, which is more dangerous? In the short term, the suicidal monster is a little dangerous, in the long term, the sneaky one is by far the greater threat! In this world the potential for growth of monsters seems nearly infinite! All we need is time and resources. For a monster, surviving to fight another day is the only thing that matters!
I'll have to think about this development later. For now, the stupid monsters who decided to stick around shall become my food!
Tiny finishes crunching on his Biomass and then turns his greedy eyes towards the other monsters battling on the fringes of the cavern. None shall be let go!
The two of us catapult forward to continue the battle once more. Having discharged most of his electricity Tiny is reduced to smashing his opponents with just his raw strength whereas I have plenty of juice left in the tank.
Instead of just chomping everything to death I try and work on some new tactics. The Gravity Bolt combo I used on the lizard is just one of my new strategies, I have other ideas as well! The first is to test the Gravity Spear in combat situations!
After launching a spear towards a cluster of monsters the pulling effect is strong enough that none of them are able to escape, instead being sucked into a comical ball of writhing monsters who stab and snap at each other viciously with no way to escape!
Heheheh. Now is the time to apply some AOE damage. Shattering Bite!
CRUNCH!
Pouring forth my stamina I manifest the two ethereal mandibles around the condensed monsters and savagely bite, crushing the creatures between them!
[You have slain ....]
[You have slain ....]
[You have slain ....]
It's so easy it almost feels mean...
THIS is the strength of the Mind Ant! Being able to wield these powerful spells and destroy my opponents with ease! It was for this sort of effect that I've been striving from the very beginning, practicing my magic skills and prioritising the growth of my core, grinding away all of those hours and finally choosing this evolution, sacrificing strength, sacrificing toughness, all to boost my capacity to wield magic in this new world.
All of it was for this!
And it was totally worth it!
I start to run around the cavern, gleefully hurling a new gravity Spear every time I form one and running towards the hapless targets to crunch them with my mandibles. Even as my flagrant use of my own stamina and mana mounts up and exhaustion sets in I don't stop until every monster I can see has been defeated.
So much fun!
I even went up a level!
This trip into the Dungeon has certainly been profitable! Being able to cast my spells so smoothly in combat feels so rewarding! I still feel it's possible to bring them out faster but I'll need a lot of practice to make that happen.
I also shouldn't overestimate my strength either. There will surely be some forms of counter to magical attacks, shields of some sort or magic dampening abilities. Just because I can beat up on these small fry doesn't mean I should start celebrating too much!
Keep it cool Anthony!
With the main bulk of our work complete we try and wrap up the rest of our task as quickly as possible. I get Tiny to help me locate any cores we find and I get him to hold onto them for me before we settle down to have a rapid meal.
The two lizards we defeated are undoubtedly the strongest monsters we fought here so they are the Biomass of choice!
[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Os Lacerti, you are awarded one Biomass]
[Basic profile of the Os Lacerti unlocked]
[Os Lacerti: Bone Lizard, This monster is famed for the powerful armour covering its body, its immense physical strength and the devastating power of the clubbed tail. Although not too powerful, the beast is capable of simple earth magic spells, be careful.]
Yeah, now they tell us.
Drained but satisfied, Tiny, myself, Vibrant and Crinis tuck into into the Biomass enthusiastically. I personally manage to pick up another nine points!
-x-X-x-
Overall we managed to harvest six cores from the wide section of tunnel, including two tasty looking ones from the Bone Lizards. All in all this has been an extremely profitable trip! It feels good to get levels and Biomass again so freely like this! Now that I don't have to worry so much about the colony surviving the terror of the wave, I'll be able to head down here with Tiny every now again in order to make sure my personal strength isn't lagging too far behind!
I can already feel more heat readings from the walls growing with every passing second. A new wave of monsters is about to spawn and I'd rather not get tangled up with them. I collect my passengers and tell Tiny that it's time to leave.
The big ape has mostly healed up after consuming all of that Biomass but his fist still looks like it's in rough shape. Not too surprising considering what he punched! More importantly he looks relaxed and happy, something I haven't seen for over a week now.
Being a little careful with ourselves we begin the long trek to the surface one more, clearing out the monsters who had spawned behind us as we'd descended. The two little ones are probably the members who gained the most from this trip. I'm not sure that eating more advanced Biomass expedites the growth of young monsters but it probably does, I'll be interested to see how much Crinis has grown tomorrow. Since Vibrant is a fully grown monster, albeit a small one, she will have gained a truckload of Biomass from consuming a creature two evolution levels above her, perhaps as many as fifteen points!
Considering how limited her stomach capacity is, getting so many points from one meal is quite an amazing haul!
Eventually we make our way back to the surface. I climb out first in order to detect if there are any humans or other creatures around the opening to the tunnel. We need to be somewhat careful moving in and out of here as we aren't too far from the human settlement. Some caution goes a long way in avoiding unnecessary complications!
Since we've cleaned out the lower tunnels twice there shouldn't be too much there for the humans in the church to fight, just the very weakest monsters who spawned above where my new tunnel connects to the old one. Not only have I protected their lives, I've also robbed them of experience. Truly giving with hand and taking with the other. Gweheheh.
To be honest, I haven't hurt them at all, and taking little steps like this to protect my colony, my family, is surely permissible right? Gandalf?
Eh. My conscious is clean.
The four of us begin the long trek back into the forest, well, two of us begin the long trek back into the forest. I'm fairly certain that Vibrant has fallen asleep on my head. Judging by the rhythmic expansion and contraction of the little ball on my back, Crinis has also!
Why I oughtta!
Ah fine. They've had a big day I suppose. The faster they digest that Biomass and grow the sooner they'll be off my back and working hard for the colony. Just you wait you little freeloaders...
It takes a few hours to walk back to the anthill and things are perfectly peaceful on the journey.
However, when we are almost there, faint sounds of battle attract my attention.
My heart slows in my chest as I recognise the sound of human voices shouting and the clash of steel. People are fighting near the colony!
Immediately I start sprinting forward at top speed, not caring that my rapid movement has jolted my two passengers awake. Tiny seems to detect my rising panic and rumbles after me as quickly as his long arms reach out and seize the ground.
With every step my heart is pounding and a scream is rising in my head. Not my family! Not my family! Not my family! NOT AGAIN!
The sickening sounds of weapons crunching through monster flesh are enough to bring tears to my eyes. I mean, if I had tear ducts. Just let my colony be safe!
In a few moments that felt like hours we finally burst onto the scene. The anthill rises like small mountain to my right, dominating the center of the clearing, workers pour out of the top, mandibles clacking with rage, antennae twitching angrily, no doubt sensing the call to arms pheromones that have summoned the workforce to battle!
To my left are ten humans, each equipped with glittering weapons and armour, intricately adorned with insignia and embossed filigree. Two mages stand at the back, ornate staves in their hands and flowing robes running over their shoulders. These are some of the most elaborately equipped humans I've ever seen.
And they are massacring the ants.
The workers swarm forward mindlessly, desperate to defend their home, but they cannot get close enough. The magicians have conjured some type of shield that pushes the workers back, allowing the warriors to swing freely and unleash their sword skills, sending waves of sword light slashing through the ants. The acid fired from above is likewise blocked by magical means, scattering harmlessly and running down the invisible barrier.
In the center of my view is the most horrifying sight of all. The Queen has come out! Her huge frame is shuddering with rage as she tries to heal her children and push forward to rend her enemies at the same time.
My family is dying!
[TINY! KILL!]
I'm barely coherent enough to roar this words to my companion before my mind goes totally red. My precious siblings are being killed, torn apart like paper, right before my eyes. I have to save them!
In one movement I vigorously shake off the two little ones and start sprinting at the enemy. They dare to attack my family! I'll bite them to pieces!
Blinded by rage I act without any sort of plan, rushing directly forwards. Closer, closer, closer! When I'm just a few metres away one of the spell casters turns his head and almost contemptuously flicks his wrist towards me.
Immediately I feel an impact on my face, as if an invisible barrier just rushed at me, trying to bounce me away.
Not today Mr Mime!
I dig in with my claws and crunch down with my mandibles, trying to rip this wall to pieces with sheer physical force. At the same time, the blow to my head has returned some of my senses. Charging blindly into an unknown force may not be the best idea Anthony, but if it saves the ants it'll be worth it!
Even as I wrestle with this barrier I engage my sub brain to begin construction of a Gravity Spear, if any one spell is going to disrupt their formation this'll be it. The mage seems a little confused at first by my stubborn resistance to his spell, somewhat surprised that I wasn't simply knocked back, possibly even killed by the impact of the barrier. I glare at him as he studies me a little more close, taking in my advanced size and mutated body parts, then he smirks and thrusts his hand forward, doubling the pressure on me in an instant!
Not enough!
Determined, I hold my ground ,refusing to budge. I don't have time to waste with this idiot! Every moment that passes those swordsmen cut their way through the workers like wheat, getting ever closer to the Queen!
[Where the hell are you Tiny?!]
At that moment a thunderous screech blasts the ears of everyone present. The sonic wave so intense it feels like my ear drums have been punched directly. Charging with all of his might, Tiny takes a huge running leap, raising both fists over his head to hammer down on the barrier!
The mage facing me pales in fright when he sees this massive ape monster burst out of the trees, leaping towards them in just a few seconds. He screams something in their language and the second mage, a woman, turns quickly and the two of them raise their staves in one motion as Tiny descends from above.
The pressure on me is released instantly.
Infected by my own desperate rage, Tiny's eyes are completely red as his massive body descends, lending all the weight of his mass to his strike. His fists hammer down like meteors, slamming into the defensive barrier with a colossal impact!
BOOM!
-x-X-x-
Under the impact of Tiny's mighty fists the barrier flickers in and out of existence, on the verge of total collapse. The two mages recoil physically from the power of that strike, one of them is even driven to their knees. Still, their eyes are burning with determination and they keep their staves raised to the sky, apparently reinforcing the barrier with everything they have.
To resist that full bodied strike from Tiny the shield up there must be incredibly strong!
The shield down here near me however...
Infused mandibles!
Still desperately constructing the Gravity Spear within myself I start to charge my mandibles as well. The strain on my mind is so immense I would have blood flooding out of my nose if I had one! Straining with all of my spirit I desperately control the mana, directing it into my mandibles whilst leaving as much of the load as possible to the sub brain. It feel as if both of brains are on fire, cooking themselves with the strain.
As the traces of mana flow out of my core and into my mandibles they begin to emit light, a glow, that grows stronger every moment. My face is already pressed against the barrier, its invisible resistance pushing back against me. My mandibles are spread wide, digging in but not penetrating through the barrier. As the mana flow grows from a trickle to a stream and the light emitted grows more intense I begin to feel the tiniest bit of give.
Yes! With Tiny distracting their attention they have reinforced the barrier above but it has grown noticeably weaker below. This is my chance!
Straining with every muscle fibre of my face I push my mandibles to the limit!
Break through, dammit!
The barrier gives a little more under my assault, then a little more! Seemingly sensing something, the closest mage lowers his head to turn from Tiny to me, noticing my fiercely glowing mandibles he tries to redirect his attention to stop me from breaking through, raising his free hand at the last second.
Too late!
Tearing through the barrier my mandibles close with a mighty snap! The invisible shield before me cracks and dissolves, the forward pressure I'd created with my legs sends me flying forward, tumbling inside the dome!
Snapping one section of the barrier has a visible impact on the mage closest to me and he wilts under the strain. I don't have much understanding of barrier spells to this point so I'm sure exactly how this recoil works but I sure as heck am going to take advantage of it!
Snapping to my feet I use all of my mental power to complete the Gravity Spear as quickly as possible. Cutting off the flow of mana to my mandibles relieves a lot of the pressure on my mind and the spell construction continues at a blistering pace!
Before the mage closest to me can recover, I dart forward, mandibles wide open.
Shattering Bite!
With all of my strength I bring my jaws shut upon the mage, I don't even rely on the manifested mandibles but instead ensure I'm close enough that my mandibles crush him directly.
CRUNCH!
With a sickening noise the pulverizing force of my mandibles closes on the mage before he is able to recover. When I release him from my bite he collapses to the ground and doesn't get up.
[You have slain level 43 High Mage]
[You have gained experience]
[You have reached level 11, one skill point awarded]
[You have reached level 12, one skill point awarded]
The second mage turns in time to see her compatriot fall from my jaws and her face is filled with horror, but she hasn't time to act against me as Tiny has prepared another strike against the shield!
She is in a dilemma now, does withdraw her mind from maintaining the shield and attack me, letting Tiny smash it to pieces and robbing the warriors or its defence or does she leave herself vulnerable to my attack and try and maintain the shield.
I expected her to fight to maintain the shield but instead she decisively brings her staff around towards me, hands weaving patters in the air as she manipulates the mana around her.
Of course, this means Tiny gets a free swing.
From the corner of my eye I can see the massive ape rear back with his good hand, rotating his body so far that his back is to the barrier before he unwinds and unleashes his fist as if firing it from a cannon!
With a shattering sound like a thousand panes of glass breaking at once, the invisible dome collapses, diffused shards of mana fall like rain upon us even as they dissolve into nothing, no longer controlled or shaped by any mind.
The soldiers pause in their butchery out of shock, several turn to witness the situation behind them and become aware of my position for the first time.
I don't have much time to act, this mage is going to blast me right in the face in one second! How is this spear still not ready?!
Finally the spell hums into life as it finally finishes charging having being completed construction just a moment ago.
I hope I'm in time!
Without a thought for my own safety I decisively turn and fire the Gravity Spear towards the warriors on the front line, desperate to prevent their swords from killing any more of my siblings.
Before I even see my spell impact against the warriors the female mage has completed her spell, dozens of blades of ice have formed in the air hovering around her. With one wave of her hand each of the blades blasts towards me with supersonic speed!
Holy moly!
I can't even dodge if they move at this speed! Before they impact all I can do is tuck my legs and antennae under my body and tilt my head down in order to protect my eyes, then receive the blow head on!
Just before they impact me something strange tickles my awareness. The ice blades are registering on my heat sense as immensely cold, the temperature of the air around the female mage has dropped precipitously. Now that those blades are screaming through the air towards me they leave vapour trails of cold behind that is detected by heat sense.
With all of this cold in the air... What is that source of heat on my left? There isn't anything there?
Before I have time to properly think about it the ice blades strike home against me!
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Immediately intense pain erupts throughout my body as the magical blades slice into my diamond carapace, cutting my flanks, back and directly chopping off one leg plus an antennae!
Holy MASOIUGLKASNF Gandalf!
That stings like the dickens!
My whole body is screaming with pain! Those numerous blades have cut through me all over! My diamond carapace was specially chosen to defend against physical attacks, it is clearly not up to the task against something that is imbued with mana.
Activate the regeneration gland!
I try to slump forward as if on the verge of death even as the regeneration fluid rapidly spreads through my body, closing over the cuts and repairing my damaged muscles. Thankfully none of those blades was able to penetrate deep enough to damage my core!
I can only imagine that significant damage to a monsters core would be completely disastrous if not immediately fatal! Once it has been created the core is central to a monsters life force, the storage and nerve center of the monster as a magical being! Much like the brain operates as the center of thought, the core is the center of mana and I'm not confident a monster can live without it once they have adapted to it!
Certainly it isn't a theory I want to try out...
My ruse seems to have worked, in the heat of the moment, with the barrier destroyed, there are other threats than me that these humans need to deal with! When the mage turns her staff away from me I push my healing legs underneath myself, ready for my next move!
-x-X-x-
I can't afford to let the mage attack Tiny, if she is able to disable him or even heavily wound him with her magic then we might lose our best chance to deal with those deadly fighters. Not to mention the terrible possibility Tiny might be killed!
Quick as a flash I spin around to present my b-zone towards the mage. My sudden energetic and rapid movement takes her completely by surprise as merely seconds ago I'd been cut to ribbons by her magical barrage.
Victory is always decided by the one who thinks the fastest! Receive the famed produce of my commercial district!
POW! POW! POW!
At this close range I don't worry about aiming and punch out three blasts of acid as rapidly as I can. The jets of acid streak through the air and impact hard against the mage. At this close range the physical force of the acid spray is almost enough to knock her off her feet. She manages to retain her balance by falling to one knee and using her staff to prop herself up but by then the restrictive nature of the acid is already kicking in, making it difficult for her to move.
So long as she is delayed from effecting the rest of the fight then my purpose will be served, more than taking her out straight away I'm most concerned with stopping the dreadful slaughter of my siblings.
Using their blade skills the warriors have been able to maintain a distance from the fearless workers, relying on the barrier to keep the ants from pressing forward and giving them the space to unleash their advanced sword skills, slashing out arcs of energy, much like my own shattering bite skill, that carve apart three or more workers with every strike!
When I see the broken and destroyed remains of my family members littering the ground my heart twists with pain. These warriors are too good at their work, most of these workers are already dead, beyond what the Queen's healing can fix. They didn't even have a chance to drag their damaged bodies clear of the fight.
Disrupting the warriors from striking at the colony is the number one priority!
Thankfully my Gravity Spear is starting to take effect!
I'd been careful when I constructed the spell to ensure the gravitational fields range was controlled so as not to be too large. So when the target of my spell realises he has an ethereal purple spear sticking through his guts his first instinct seems to be to scream in horror, unaware that the true terror is yet to be unleashed.
The target itself feels nothing from the spell, no effect at all, but it isn't long until the warriors nearby, most of whom are still facing the ravenous ant tide, begin to notice something is wrong.
Inexorably the pulling force of the Gravity Spear begins to show its effect, the warriors are finding themselves thrown off balance, having to exert force in their feet in order to resist this unknown force. The disruption is so strong that the barrage of sword attacks ceases almost immediately as they try to identify this new threat.
To my shock they remain disciplined, quickly barking words and instructions to each other as they resist the building force with all of their might, gradually falling back to the source of the pull without losing their feet.
These guys must have some serious physical stats to be able to resist the gravity in this way! They haven't even lost their feet! The calm way they dealt with this new situation worries me immensely. These warriors are so disciplined and powerful they can't be ordinary, not to mention the mage that I killed (not thinking about that too deeply just now!) was some ridiculous level over 40!
Still they have retreated and grouped up, which is nice of them.
[Tiny! Smash those guys!]
After destroying the shield Tiny has been impatiently waiting for it to completely dissolve before advancing. Now that I've given him a target he bellows his anger, eyes blazing with wrath as he charges towards the grouped up warriors.
One of the soldiers barks a quick command to the others and steps forward, glittering sword in one hand and imposing tower shield on the other. Clearly he intends to face off against Tiny himself and leave the ants to his fellow soldiers.
Glancing quickly at the mage who is yet to rise back to her feet I decide to gamble and leave her be for the time being so I can intervene and assist Tiny.
Skirting to one side I open up the angle a little and once again unleash my potent range of products from the commercial district!
POW! POW!
Two rapid fire shots blast into the warrior, one catching him on the leg whilst the other hits on the side of his chest. Hopefully the restrictive properties and damage are enough to help Tiny batter his way through!
With a little momentum behind him the giant ape lumbers forward and unleashes his devastating fist straight on! The warrior doesn't lose focus for a second, his eyes show no fear or surprise at all, even when my acid splashes against him. Faced with the massive fist of Tiny rushing towards him he shouts aggressively and steps forward like lightning, rotating his body and smashing his shield into Tiny's arm, deflecting the blow!
Holy heck!
This guy is insane! He actually managed to defend himself against Tiny? I'd expected we'd be finding parts of him in the next postcode when that fist was unleashed! Clearly my restrictive acid isn't enough to deal with him!
Tiny isn't perturbed in the slightest. When his fist failed to destroy the target he simply wound back his other hand and unleashed a vicious hook. His fist cuts through the air so quickly a shrill whistling sound can be heard ringing in the ears of everyone in the clearing.
I can also see the subtle signs of Tiny winding up his electrical engine. Little sparks are beginning to appear on his body and the hair on his arms is beginning to rise.
Shockingly this blow is also deflected but not quite as gracefully. Ducking low, the warrior braces his shield against his shoulder and angles it to deflect the punch, which he manages to do. The shield buckles when that colossal fist smashes into it but it is successfully deflected, a solid imprint of one of Tiny's knuckles has been left on the patterned metal.
The warrior wasn't able to completely deflect the force however, his whole body is rocked by the impact and it looks as if his bones have been rattled, nonetheless he quickly lashes out with his blade, opening a wound on Tiny's chest.
I'll have to let these two go at it and hope Tiny can hold his own, the rest of the soldiers are already preparing to unleash their skills upon the onrushing horde of ants! To my dismay the Queen herself has pushed forwards to the frontline now. Fury blazing in her eyes as she marches over a carpet of her own destroyed offspring in order to attack their killers.
Dammit!
I really wish she wasn't so damn brave! These guys will cut her apart!
Just as I'm preparing to leap forward and unleash my mandibles upon the clustered warriors I notice another development in the corner of my eye. The female mage has stood up and her entire body is glowing softly with blue light. Looking more carefully I see that my acid is rapidly dissolving, lifting away from her robes and skin as if fades away into the air.
ARGH!
Now this mage is going to start flinging spells everywhere again! I don't want to get sliced up by that magic again and I sure as hell don't want to expose the workforce to it!
Making a split second decision I turn back to face off against the mage and begin weaving a Gravity Bolt as fast as I can even as I dash forward to threaten her with my mandibles! She mustn't get a chance to cast a spell!
As she sees me charge toward her the mages eyes flicker with panic and dart to her side. For some reason I get the feeling she isn't worried about herself?
-x-X-x-
Seeing that unwilling flicker of eye movement I'm reminded of the mysterious heat I'd detected a few moments ago. I still can't see anything occupying that space but even though one of my antennae is still in the process of regenerating, I can still detect that there is some random heat emanating from that space.
What the heck is it?!
In the heat of the moment I don't have much time to decide my course of action. Any second that mage is going to start casting her spells again! I refuse to be diverted and continue using almost all of my mental energy on the construction of my Gravity Bolt. This one happens to be inverse. We'll see how well this mage can cast spells when she's one thousand feet up!
In order to throw her off balance I still lunge forward with my mandibles, activating my shattering bite skill as I do so! The ethereal mandibles that are manifestations of my stamina lash out through the air, closing rapidly on the mage. The warriors might be able to resist this attack but I highly doubt a mage can! Not without some sort of barrier at any rate.
The old woman shocks me by nimble rolling under my strike, expertly tucking her staff flat against her stomach to avoid it catching on anything as she completes the motion and stands ready to strike at me, staff extended!
Yikes!
I hastily leap forward and narrowly dodge a lance of ice that materialises from the tip of her staff and streaks through the air like an arrow, smashing into the ground just behind me.
Close!
I can't help but note that when she made her dodge roll she managed to place herself in between me and the mysterious heat source. She is clearly trying to protect it! This only piques my interest. If she is willing to put herself in harm's way for that thing then it may be able to swing the outcome of this battle!
With a start I realise that my own spell is prepared! Have a taste of this delicacy, mage!
Ducking low as if I were about to pounce I instead fire the Inverse Gravity Bolt directly at the mage's torso. Caught by surprise she doesn't have time to dodge and her eyes flicker with shock as, instead of the wild leap I'd threatened, this bolt of magic has been fired at her.
Twitching her wrist around with incredible speed she places the tip of her staff in the way of the bolt and manages to catch it somehow! The Inverse Gravity Bolt remains pushing against the staff as the mages face quickly becomes mask of concentration as she uses her staff and then her other hand to press back against my spell!
Is that even possible?!
Luckily I hadn't sat on my behind just in case this spell wasn't effective and I'm already on the move, rushing forward with my mandibles open to strike!
Shattering Bite!
Trying not to get too close in case she can do something ridiculous like rebound my own spell at me, I marshal my spirit and crunch down on the mages leg, crushing it between my mandibles!
With a despairing cry she falls to one side, finally deflecting my spell into a nearby tree that immediately starts to pull at its roots in the ground, attempting to rise into the sky.
Now's my chance!
Dashing forward I rush towards the heat source that I can feel recoiling back from me somewhat like a person would? What the hell?!
I feel a tugging at my foot and realise that the mage has reached out desperately to grasp my leg in her hand. As soon as she grabs me ice begins to form on my leg, rushing up towards my body.
You are too persistent!
Shattering Bite!
[You have slain level 46 High mage]
[You have gained experience]
[You have gone up a level, one skill point awarded]
My freakin' leg feels like it has been put in the deep freeze! As I continue to move toward the heat source it directly shatters! I don't even care, keep moving, every second counts!
Behind me the battle has continued at its ferocious pace. Tiny and the human soldier are continuing to batter at each other and it is becoming clear that Tiny is gaining the upper hand. He still doesn't have a full tank of electricity but there is enough for him to wreath his fists in lightning and punch out against the shield.
Every time his fists batter against the shield lightning rips through it, leaping onto the warriors body and shocking him with every blow. The warrior appears to have formidable resistance, but each mighty fist wears him down that little bit more.
Not that he hasn't been able to strike back. Tiny is sporting cuts all over his body, bleeding profusely where the blade has managed to flash out like a striking snake between blocks. The difference between the two is that Tiny isn't running out of strength, his huge frame is able to sustain this much damage, at least for now.
I really need to get the big guy to invest in a regeneration gland. His Might stat must be out of this world but I'm beginning to suspect his Toughness is in the tank. If he doesn't have much on the defensive side then the regeneration gland would really help him out in a situation like this where he isn't able to defeat his opponent in just a few strikes.
What really worries me is the warriors against the Queen and the rest of the colony. The scene is so chaotic over there I can't make out what is happening. I hope to heck they are ok over there!
Whatever this mysterious heat source is, it had better help resolve this situation. It has to be something good if that mage was willing to die for it!
The closer I get and the further my antennae regenerate the more clearly I can sense this heat source. It is starting to feel more and more like a person, on the ground, crawling away from me?
I can't see a single thing in front of me?!
Don't tell me ... Invisibility?!
Pouncing suddenly I leap forward and land over the top of the heat source. Whoever this person is they are collapsed beneath me now, I can sense their hands are raised to protect their face.
I don't think this person is very good at fighting.
A sneaking suspicion is starting to tickle the edges of my mind.
I can't hesitate, my family is being killed every second!
Using my antennae to rapidly tap here and there I manage to locate what I think is this person's neck and I reach forward with my mandibles, bringing them closed just enough that I can force this invisible person to move without harming them.
With this done I raise the invisible form up from the ground. Whoever it is, they 'aint heavy!
With the chaos battle ringing in my ears I turn back towards the fighting and shake my prisoner slightly. Thankfully, whoever I have hold of manages to get my message.
The invisibility falls away to reveal my mandibles gripping the neck of an elderly lady dressed in simple but elegant robes. Most importantly, her head is decorated with a seriously expensive looking crown!
Somehow, even with a monsters jaws gripping her by the neck this lady manages to maintain a solemn dignity, appearing neither upset nor fearful in this critical moment.
The solider battling against Tiny is the first to notice and screams something in a despairing tone, drawing the eyes of every human towards me. He tries to turn from Tiny and rush towards me but I flex my mandibles threateningly, holding my prisoner threateningly before me.
He seemed stunned by my display of intelligence and backs up, turning away only when Tiny attacks again, threatening his life.
"Everyone back off! Step away!"
[Tiny, back up a second!]
I shout at my allies until they accede to my request, giving both sides a little breathing room. The soldiers all turn to face me, their faces filled with panic and fear as I threaten what I can only presume is the life of their ruler.
What the hell are these people doing in this forest in the first place?!
When I finally get a chance to look, I can see that many ants have been destroyed by these warriors. Even the giant form of mother is listing to one side, heavily wounded.
Rage is ignited in my heart. These people will pay!
-x-X-x-
With the human Queen locked between my jaws there is little the soldiers can do to prevent me from giving her a fatal haircut if I so choose.
The power is in my hands/claws!
Unfortunately for these soldiers the rage in my heart is burning furiously after witnessing the damage they've done to my family. I have no idea how many ants have been destroyed by these invaders, the Queen herself has been wounded by their blades.
I demand vengeance!
The soldiers are talking amongst themselves now, faces tight with worry as they try to work out how to deal with this situation. I don't want to give them enough time to formulate a plan. If they decided to threaten the ant queen then we might end up in a stand-off instead of this situation where I have the clear advantage.
I step forward aggressively, the human Queen swaying in the grasp of my mandibles, her feet dragging on the ground as she tries to keep her feet under her. When the soldiers see me treating their royalty so poorly they react angrily, clutching at their weapons and yelling at me in their language.
In response I flex my mandibles around her neck menacingly. In an attempt to communicate my demands I use one of my antennae to point several times at the ground.
Put your weapons down!
The soldiers look back and forth between themselves, confused by my gesture. I don't think they expect to be able to engage in any sort of dialogue with a monster and I don't really blame them. I get the impression that intelligent monsters do exist but the feeling I have is that those monsters wouldn't want to play nice with any creatures on the surface. From what I've seen of monsters so far I can only imagine they put that higher intelligence to the task of inventing ways to kill people more efficiently.
Clearly in this situation they don't know what to do.
Once again I flex my mandibles forcefully and point several times to the ground with both antennae this time.
Put your weapons down!
There is real fear in the faces of these soldiers. Not for themselves but for the life of the person I hold between my mandibles. They know there is very little chance that they can find a positive way out of this mess.
They talk back and forth for a few seconds before the soldier who had been battling Tiny shouts at the others and then lies down on the ground. Seeing his example the others reluctantly comply, lying face down on the ground.
....
Ok sure. That works too.
[Tiny, walk over to them and take their weapons and shields away]
With them lying down we can reduce them as a threat by removing their equipment, this will help bring everything even further under control. Perfect.
As I'm congratulating myself on my chess like moves I eventually notice that Tiny hasn't moved. Focusing my attention on him I realise that he's still standing still, looking at me with a confused expression.
[What are those?] he asks.
Oh boy.
[Take away the pointy metal things, like what that guy stabbed you with, and their big metal boards which he used to block your punches!] I try to explain exasperatedly.
He stares at me with incredible intensity, the thoughts ticking over in his mind with excruciating slowness. Come on man!
Slowly he turns and stomps towards the soldier he had fought with, probably the leader or captain of these men, looking at me all the while. Then he slowly bends down towards the nervous soldier and grasps the sword between two of his thick fingers, glancing back to me like a child wondering if they'd done the right thing.
[Yes! That is the sword! Good job Tiny!] I praise him.
His bat face splits in a wide grin and he picks the sword up and brings it to me, placing it carefully at my feet as if he were a dog playing fetch. Now that knows what he's doing he manages to go to each soldier and take their sword, bringing them back to me one by one before he tries to work out what the shield is. When he eventually figures it out he collects them one by one again, bringing them to me and completing his small pile of equipment in front of me.
It takes almost ten minutes for him to get it all done.
[Good job Tiny] I say exhaustedly.
He seems immensely pleased with himself. Just how low is your cunning stat, seriously?!
With all of the soldiers disarmed I feel a lot safer. With their incredible sword skills just how many of my fellow workers have been destroyed? I refuse to let them off.
Moving slowly I start to take the Queen towards the nest, allowing her to walk steadily as she matches my movement. The soldiers look on with worried eyes as I take their Queen away from their line of sight. When one of them tries to turns his head to watch me move I furiously point at him with an antennae until he turns back around.
As I draw closer the true extend of the damage that has been done in this battle has been exposed. As many as one hundred workers have been killed, their bodies sliced apart by the devastating sword light of their opponents.
These individual ants are simply too weak to fight against high level enemies like these. They aren't intelligent enough to use tactics and they aren't strong enough to push through the front. If there had been more numbers, say one thousand ants, perhaps they would have been able to swarm over the barrier and break it down. Then again, perhaps the mages would have been able to hold on long enough for these few humans to destroy thousands of my kind.
It isn't good enough!
This shocking occurrence has clearly shown that against high level opponents the colony will only be able to achieve victory at the cost of many lives. For a normal monster ant colony that may be fine, victory whilst throwing away the individual workers or treating them as disposable. If I have accepted that the workers of this colony are my family members, my siblings, then I refuse to let them die so simply.
This will be the last time.
[Tiny, I want you to bring that guy you were fighting over to the nest. Then I want you to come back out here and destroy the others].
The big ape nods, smiling happily.
-x-X-x-
Only now do I remember my two passengers that I'd thrown off in a rush. Poor Crinis! The little thing can't even see!
[Crinis! Crinis! Where are you?!] I frantically yell in my mental channel.
Turning quickly I unceremoniously drag the Queen this way and that until I notice some movement in the grass on the forest floor. Rushing over I see several little tentacles extended straight up, wiggling frantically.
There it is!
I carefully place one of my legs so that it is just touching the seeking limbs.
[It's me! Climb up!]
Moments a later a much more relaxed blob is resting on my back and a very small worker has emerged from behind a nearby tree to climb up onto my head. Mini crew assembled I return, Queen in tow, to the scene of the carnage.
Surrounded by the remains of her own deceased children the Queen isn't looking good. A horde of workers are rushing about her, their anxiety is plain in their disjointed movements, darting backwards and forwards, unsure what they should do to help the situation.
The human Queen seems rather unhappy about being this close to such a massive monster but I hardly care. Her people are what caused this problem, if she gets uncomfortable I'll shed no tears. If she tries to harm the real Queen then she will very quickly regret it.
"Mother! Are you ok?!" I cry.
In my mind I hadn't imagined she could be injured this badly, she'd always seemed so indestructible that even if I worried about her getting injured, I hadn't really believed it would happen.
Her super hard carapace met its match in those devastating sword skills today, numerous cuts and gashes mar her body, some of them very deep.
"I will ... be ok" she replies, her usual calm voice strained to the limit.
"Can you heal yourself? Cast some magic?" I urge her worriedly.
She doesn't reply for a moment, her great body heaving as she labours to draw in air.
"No .... Strength" she manages finally.
No strength!? What the heck does that mean? She can't concentrate enough to cast the spell? Does she not have enough mana?! This is really bad!
Becoming more concerned every moment I start to tap up and down her wounds with my antennae almost without thinking about it, my ant instincts kicking in and overriding my more rational behaviour as I try to scramble for a solution.
Holy heck!
One of these cuts is way too deep! Right in the center of her thorax a deep and wide wound has opened in her carapace, within the wound I'm sure I can see something glittering.
Is that her core?!
A chill strikes me to the bone. Had that skill gone any further then it might have damaged the core directly, something I feel very confident would be immediately fatal to a monster. Just a few more inches and mother would have perished.
Appalled by the thought I turn on my mana sense and examine her core. Usually blazing bright, her core is more of a dim ember right now. Why is her core so weak?! It should be full of mana and packed with energy! Is this why she seems so weak? Is there something wrong with her core?
Desperate to make a difference I start pulling all of the mana I can out of my own core and sending it in a stream of mist towards the Queens. Without knowing if it will help in any way I persist until my core has almost been tapped completely dry of mp before I flick on my mana sense again and anxiously seek any changes.
There is a slight different I think? The response I get seems a little more energetic this time.
Is she not getting enough mana in her core?
"Take the Queen into the farm!" I shout as loudly as I can to all of the surrounding workers, "rush in there and destroy everything and then take mother inside and protect her!"
If she needs more mana then placing her inside the farm is going to be the best place we can find in the short term. If the workers pack in there tightly enough then there is practically no chance that a monster will be able to spawn and have a chance of hurting the Queen.
"As soon as you can you need to heal yourself!" I urge the Queen, "your injuries are very serious!"
I'm worried she'll start trying to heal the injured workers before she bothers to cast the spell on herself. She is usually selfless to a fault!
She begins to carry herself away, slowly and painfully moving towards the farm. Half the colony has assembled to help her, many workers walking straight under her and using their own backs to lift up their parent, trying to help her take the weight of her feet.
I watch her go, still very concerned.
I have other work to do right now though. I'll have to trust that my siblings will be able to complete the task they've been given.
Tiny is already on his way back to the battlefield to complete his task. He has already transported the officer to the top of the anthill where several workers have surrounded him, tapping him with antennae and taking the odd nibble as he resolutely lies face down in the dirt.
"Watch him and don't let him move", I tell the workers as I move past, dragging the human Queen up the side of the ant hill towards the opening at the top.
The trick now is going to be getting her down there.
Shrugging mentally I slowly lift my head until my captive is forced onto her toes. Eventually she reaches up to grab my mandibles with her hands in order to help carry her weight, rather than have all of her body weight hanging from her neck.
Once this is done I begin the decent. Fortunately we don't need to go far until I can stash the Queen in my own personal chamber near the top of the hill.
One inside I lower her to the ground and release my mandibles.
The second I do, a Titan-Croca smacks me directly in the brain!
At least that's how I feel! My mind rocks back and forth within my head as if it were a bell that had been struck by a hammer. Gritting my mandibles hard I try to shake it off. What the heck was that?!
BOOM!
Another one! I can feel my body physically recoil as if I'd actually been hit. Despite being disoriented I can tell that my body hasn't been hit. Something is attacking my mind! Darkness threatens to overwhelm me but I barely manage to hold on to consciousness!
It'll take a hell of a lot more than that to put me down!
It's pretty obvious who the culprit is. The Queen is sitting on the dirt floor of my chamber, fingers placed on her temples as she stares daggers at me.
I will never yield to you!
The rage I felt at watching my mother crawl away on the edge of death explodes in my heart and burns away the dizziness I feel. These damn humans have killed so many of us today, you want to try and take me out too?!
Pouncing forward suddenly I open my mandibles wide, threatening a fatal strike!
Before I can get close enough my mind is struck once more! Not a hammer this time, a drill!
Pointed, insistent pressure batters at the walls of my mind, trying to tear down my defences and invade my thoughts. I have no idea what sort of attack this is but I sure as hell don't enjoy it! Dammit if only my core wasn't so tapped out I might be able to push back with mana in some way.
All I can do is stoke the fires of anger within me and use it as fuel to endure the pain. As the drilling pushes harder and harder against my mind I push back just as hard, even as it intensifies the pain.
My vision has gone completely blank at this point, the pain in my mind is sending everything white. I flip on my mana sense, hoping I might be able to make something out. To my surprise I can. A glittering bridge like magical construct has been formed between myself and the Queen, the main difference being the part that touches me is less a friendly, welcoming path and more of a pointed needle.
Mind magic!
I redouble my efforts to push back. Who knows what might happen if she succeeds in this attack. She might just kill me or she might take control of me, I have no idea what mind magic is capable of!
God it hurts!
Our mental bout continues until I'm sure the torture will go on forever. My mind feels like its breaking apart at the edges!
Then, suddenly, the pressure evaporates!
My vision floods back and I shocked to see the human Queen stumbling to once side, surprise written all over her face and a tiny ant latched onto her ankle!
Vibrant!