Chapter 156 Into the castle
There is a stunned silence around after the Gravity Bomb flickers out of existence. The first thing I hear breaking the peace is a *thud*.
Twitching to one side I notice that the priest has fallen to knees, followed by the rest of the villagers. The soldiers are looking at me strangely also, their faces set in cold masks behind their helmets.
I look at the Queen.
[What?]
She too looks at me with an odd look in her eye.
[Those gates were mana warded. Your spell should not have worked]
Mana warded, is it? Doesn't look like it was too effective. Maybe they needed to put on a second coat? At any rate, is it really ok for us to stand around here with our thumbs up our commercial districts?
[Shouldn't we be going inside?] I prompt the Queen.
The elderly woman shakes herself a little and regains her dignified poise before shouting her commands aloud to her soldiers.
Roaring their battle cry the Guards' charge through the gate, some members dashing into streaks of light as they deploy their skills to close with their enemies. The ringing sound of steel clashing with steel soon fills the air as the defenders rush towards their breeched gates.
With the Queen in their midst the townsfolk also advance but at a more measure pace. Several of the braver ones run out in small groups to support the soldiers already engaged in battle but the rest remain defensive postured, watching all directions for threats.
[Stay with me monster, we will storm the throne room and Royal chambers, I'm sure we will find the masterminds there].
[hmm] I grunt in reply.
Surely we won't find the villain sitting languidly on the throne, ready to lure us with talk before springing the final trap? That would be way too predictable...
As we path through the gates a team of townsfolk rush to block the entrance behind us with whatever they can find, loose stone, a cart, someone finds the royal coach and they push it into the gap before tipping it on its side. Those with spears of long handled pitch forks stand in rows, weapons at the ready. Hopefully it'll do to hold out until they can be reinforced by the Guard.
After passing through the gate there is a wide road that runs towards the main doors and loops back through an elaborate garden with imposing statues placed at regular intervals. The entire setup screams royal luxury. I can't help but eye the Queen with a little disbelief. In the middle of the city you really want to take up so much real estate with your driveway?!
It just seems like such a waste... Perhaps I'm becoming biased because my colony basically lives on top one another. Even Tiny, Vibrant, Crinis and I packed into our own little chamber is odd and luxurious by ant standards.
My Queen sleeps with workers walking on her back for goodness sake!
As I grumble internally the great doors open and a densely packed group of soldiers charge out, weapons bared.
Although they may be dressed like mercenaries, these fellows look anything but. Determined faces, coordinated movements, tightly packed formation....
Aren't these soldiers for sure?!
The townsfolk in front me freeze at the sight of this mass charge, they are absolutely no match for this kind of assault! Not giving them time to decide to flee I jump to the fore and counter charge!
Have I gone insane? Am I suicidal? Or have I got my Gravity Domain on the boil?
Gweheheh.
As soon as I put one leg through the castle gates I knew the fighting was going to get close once we got inside the castle, much like it is inside the Dungeon tunnels. Naturally I started to reconstruct my most potent close range spell. How was I to know that the enemy would deliver themselves to me before I even made it to the door?
As the men with their shields and swords raised charge towards me, blades beginning to shine as they prepare to unleash their skills I continue to pump my Gravitational Mana into the construct, pushing with all the force of my two brains!
Closer... Closer...
Gravity Domain!
Just before the soldiers reach me and slash out with their skills my domain expands in a flash, the dark purple hemisphere expanding out to encompass the soldiers before me. Some of them cancel their attack skills and raise their shields to defend whilst others grit their teeth, determined to see their strike through.
BOOM.
With an almost audible impact the crushing force of gravity falls on the soldiers like a hammer from heaven, pressing them to the ground. A few blasts of sword light are released just in time, slamming into my Diamond carapace and buffeting me about but my defences hold firm and only minor damage is inflicted.
In a wide circle with a radius of ten metres the trapped soldiers are pressed downwards by an invisible, irresistible force. Their movements are slowed and some are unable to keep their feet, driven down to their knees.
You should never skip leg day!
Shattering Bite!
I unleash my fearsome mandibles upon these foes as they labour under the effects of my domain magic. So long as I maintain the spell the fight is one sided. As if their arms and legs were impeded with massive weights, as if their weapons and shields were ten times as heavy, the soldiers movements become slow and painful. Mustering the stamina to activate their skills seems incredibly difficult.
Several soldiers are able to raise their weapons, or their shield, but never both. I run amok amongst them, snapping and biting at every opening I see, dodging away with ease whenever a soldier manages to muster a strike.
[You have slain level 39 human swordsman]
[You have slain level 36 human scout]
[You have slain level 37 human soldier]
[You have gained experience]
[You have reached level 15]
[Piercing chomp has reached level 8]
Muahaha!
It would have continued in this vain if the townsfolk hadn't for some reason become madly brave and decided to charge directly into my domain.
Who can say what madness possessed them? I personally suspect that the priest urged them to charge and assist me in battle since I had so successfully suppressed the foes.
Naturally the moment these brave and determined townsfolk charged into my domain they immediately fell flat on their faces, completely unable to stand up under the pressure of my spell. Idiots!
What's more they are now a target to those soldiers who can still swing their weapons. Rather than watch the townspeople be massacred whilst lying flat on their faces I sigh internally and release the spell.
These people really are a pain in the business district.
-x-X-x-
Forced to withdraw my Domain, the magic flickers out of existence and the drain on my Gravitational magic gland trickles to a stop. The true benefits of the bottomless gland upgrade is showing now after this extended fight. Despite casting bolts, javelins, infusing my mandibles, the bomb and the domain, my Gravitational gland is kicking along at well over half full. Not to mention my own core is still topped off and ready to go.
Freed from the immense pressure of my spell the soldiers and townspeople scramble to their feet, brandishing their weapons. The townspeople outnumber their foes comfortably but they are individually significantly weaker. If it weren't for me having bitten the heck out of these soldiers whilst they grovelled beneath my domain they wouldn't have any chance at all.
The priest is the first to leap back to his feet, brandishing a heavy looking mace in his one hand like a madman, roaring at the top of his lungs. A times like these I'm glad I can't understand the words coming out of his mouth. This priest has achieved a level of obsession that cannot be considered healthy in any way. If I were to poop in a field I feel like this guy would raise a shrine and worship it for one thousand years.
This guy can only thank his lucky stars that the only things I can dispense from my back zone are acid and justice.
The battle quickly breaks down into a brawling melee, several townsfolk surrounding each enemy soldier and relentlessly stabbing them with incredible fervour and selfless courage. In the grip of their religious zealotry the poorly trained and armed farmers ignore their own wounds, ignore tiredness, pressing forward relentlessly.
Almost like ants! These people are doing the colony they worship proud.
Much like I had for the workforce in the past I run throughout the field of battle running interference wherever I can, biting and legs and arms, tearing weapons from hands or charging into soldiers to bowl them over, preventing them from grouping up.
Every now and again I fire off a Gravity Bolt, sending a soldier sky high before they come crashing back to hearth. Shockingly some of them don't die immediately on impact, utilising some sort of skill to absorb the tremendous impact or increase their survivability, but even so most die straight away and the survivors are greatly wounded.
Of course, I try to ensure my targets on the outside of the battle so they don't fall directly back on top of us.
Of course, I remember to exclusively use my piercing chomp skill for grinding purposes and also to ensure that no allies are caught up in my attack. The melee is too tight for me to deploy aoe skills and expect to not incur some friendly fire.
After twenty long minutes the battle is done and the townsfolk have been triumphant! Covered in sweat and wounds the people raise their weapons and cheer! Some of them have given up their lives for the cause here but they are not disheartened. In fact, the sacrifice of the martyrs has inspired them even more!
These people need help...
I myself managed to harvest another level from raining my enemies down on the hard stone as well as increasing my piercing chomp skill by one level. One more and piercing chomp will reach ten! Then both of my primary jaw attacks will become advanced skills.
According to the Queen's information on skills, once a skill is able to project the users' stamina outside their own body it can be considered an advanced skill. Surface races, with their class based system, have the ability to slowly raise skills associated with their own class type through training, without having to risk themselves in battle. Usually a trainee soldier or mercenary will be confined to the training yard to raise their skills to at least this level before being allowed in the field.
After all, what use is someone who can wave a sword or spear around against someone who can send out a wave of light to strike their enemies from ten metres away?!
Whilst some of my skills are raised through constant, passive use, such as Tunnel Map, I don't think it's possible for a monster to raise their attack skills through, biting trees or rocks, for example.
Yet another example of system prejudice against monsters.
It does help explain why monsters can experience more rapid growth than the surface races. Training is quite slow apparently, whereas a monster will only get stronger by constant combat, raising skills, gaining levels and consuming Biomass all at once. A young but strong monster can grow powerful and evolve in a matter of days whereas a human would be on the training field for months, if not years, to raise a single skill.
This also makes it clear how human mages are able to learn faster than I can. By studying, reading and conducting mental exercises the humans can raise magic related skills passively and then raise them again when they actually practice, whereas I can only repetitively practice over and over again. In this way humans are able to train their mage skills much more quickly. Monsters are compensated by the possibility of magic specific glands, basically shortcutting the process of learning proper magic.
It was only in this way that I was able to confirm with the Queen that the route I chose to learn magic is essentially the surface way, which all the advanced and sentient races use. Building the fundamental skills up from the ground. According to the Queen, monsters who can cast spells as humans can aren't unheard of but are exceedingly rare, and are only found deep in the Dungeon.
After five minutes or so to catch our breath the Queen, flanked by a small team of her Guards, lead us inside the castle. When the broad doors were opened a warm light from the entrance hall spilled out. I was a bit confused at first, the light looked almost like artificial light from Earth. When I scuttled inside alongside the townsfolk I could see that the light was produced by lamps placed at regular intervals along the walls.
What was stunning was that these lamps didn't seem to have an energy source that I could detect, no flame or gas or wire at all! What is up with these? Curiously I broke away from the huddled fighters around the Queen to climb up the high walls to get a closer look at this marvel from another world.
As I get closer ....
[Compatible monster core detected. Would you like to reinforce your core or reconstitute a monster?]
.....
Don't tell me...
Looking closely at the gold lamp stand attached to the wall and at the light source itself I can see that it is in fact, a small glowing gem. A core!
This is the attitude of the wealthy, right here! Whereas mercenaries had to scramble for every core they could, the Royalty was using them to light their castle! Such a flagrant waste of resources was almost offensive to me considering the circumstances I'd endured in my previous life... unbelievable!
Looking about cautiously to ensure nobody was watching as they advanced further into the castle I quickly confirm with Gandalf.
[Reinforce!]
There are six lamps in the entrance hall and naturally I refuse to let any of them off. Quickly zipping around on the walls I absorb all six of the cores before re-joining the strike force as we move towards the throne room.
Gweheheheh. The perfect crime!
I'm certain that nobody was able to see that.
As soon as I reach the back of the group I notice a twitch of movement behind me. What the hell?!
Turning my head slightly to get a rear view I can see the priest walking behind me, hand raised before himself in reverence.
....
This guy! He was waiting behind me this entire time! How still was he that I didn't even notice?! Creepy!
Sigh.
I guess I won't have much chance to keep this secret since he'll probably preach about the first chance he gets to open his mouth...
Not bothering to hide it anymore, every time we come across one of the glowing lamps I quickly clamber up the wall and absorb the core, nabbing myself another four before we make to the throne room.
Naturally as soon as I enter the throne room, shuffling in at the rear of our force, the first thing I notice is the abundant lighting in the room, causing my mouth to immediately begin to water.
So many cores!
I only need a few more to max out my core at 100mp! After that a special core to push me over the top and I'll be ready to evolve as soon as I hit max level! At level 16 now I'm more than halfway there!
The anticipation that only a monster can enjoy towards evolution is beginning to mount in me once more!
Our group has stop advancing so I push my way to the front to see what is happening. Sure enough, lounging nonchalantly on the throne is black leather clad mercenary lady, surrounded by flunky looking rich people and a force of soldiers between us and the dais.
....
This whole thing is too predictable!
-x-X-x-
The revered Queen Verita of Liria, second of her name, defender of the frontier and upholder of the Lion tenants of her ancestors was pissed.
Long had she puzzled over how the enemy had been able to gather so many more troops than she had been able to anticipate. Her closest advisors had worked with her on their strategy. The careful plotting, endless information gathering, debates and planning had been overthrown when her soldiers had been soundly defeated and outnumbered when the trap had finally been sprung and her enemies dashed out of the shadows into the light.
Where had all these fighters come from?
Seeing those organised warriors at the castle door was one thing and now looking at these disciplined soldiers dressed in mercenary gear arrayed against them before the dais of her own throne it all became clear.
These were not mercenaries or hirelings brought in to bolster the numbers for the fight. These were trained soldiers from a nearby kingdom! There must be a hundred of them there! This isn't a small number by any means. Someone must have wanted to interfere in the political situation in Liria desperately to commit so many of their people to a coup in another country!
Seeing the Andron ambassador standing beside Corrin as the filthy Mercenary Union lounged on Verita's throne she could easily guess who it had been.
"Great Queen Verita, how nice of you to join us" drawled Corrin, one leg dangling over the side of the throne, "we were just wondering when my coronation should be held. You wouldn't have any input on the matter would you?"
Verita disregarded the mercenary as beneath her notice and turned instead towards the ambassador Regix.
"Regix, so interesting to see you here. Incredible how quickly the kingdom of Andron has been able to adjust to the changing landscape here in Liria. One could be forgiven for thinking that you had known about all of this in advance" she said.
The ambassador smiled tightly and turned to Corrin, deferring to the Union leader.
Enjoying the display of her authority Corrin beamed at her former Queen.
"Don't be upset Verita. It turns out people other than me can notice how incompetent your reign has been. Our friends from across the border wanted to assist the people of Liria to have good governance, for once".
Verita could only roll her eyes at the pretence.
"Corrin, since you were born the only thing you cared about was money and power, let's not pretend anything other than these motivated your treason".
The mercenary leader's smile only grew wider. "It's important to pretend in front of the street rats though" she gestured towards the townsfolk nervously clutching their weapons behind their Queen, "I can't very well say to the public that I'll be rewarded with mountains of gold by Andron for destroying your rule and handing over the governance of our nation to a neighbouring country now, can I?"
Indignant rage flared within Verita at those words. Her family had founded this Kingdom, her own kin had fought and died in the campaign to liberate these lands from the monsters. Since then they had tirelessly worked to raise this nation out of the dirt for hundreds of years!
In a moment of clarity the Queen realised exactly why Andron would be prepared to go so far. They were afraid. Liria had risen so far and so quickly that their neighbour to the north feared they would be overshadowed and eventually absorbed. After all, it was Liria that was able to expand their territory by pushing south, Andron had nowhere to go. Rather than die a slow death, why not strike first? If they were successful the bright future of the Liria kingdom would belong to them instead.
Verita had to admit it made sense. Had she been Queen of Andron she might have been tempted to secure the future of her people in this way too.
But she wasn't, she was Queen Verita Leocor of the Leocor's. Liria was her kingdom and she'd be damned before she gave it over to these scum.
Throwing any pretence aside she drew herself to her full height and imperiously proclaimed, "Corrin, you will need to surrender yourself to me for judgement. Regix, order your men to stand down at once and you may escape my castle with your life".
Regix only shook his head and chuckled to himself but Corrin was more unrestrained, throwing back her head and laughing out loud.
"You haven't changed Verita, you'd think it was you sitting on this throne right now! I've no idea how you got back inside the city but the only that did is save me the trouble of hunting you down in the countryside and putting you down like a dog. You're outmatched here, give it up and I'll kill you quickly".
Judging by the sadistic look in the others' eyes Queen Verita sincerely doubted a quick death featured at all in her plans.
At this moment something pushed its way through the Guards behind her to appear at the front. As one the soldiers arrayed before her tensed and even Corrin's eyes widened in surprise. Without even turning Verita knew exactly who it was that was standing beside her now.
Concentrating fiercely she wove anew the mind bridge to allow communication between her and the monster. As soon as the weave was done the cold and emotionless voice she had still not grown accustomed to echoed in her mind.
[Who are these worms?] the voice demanded.
The Queen's mouth tightened. As Royalty she wasn't accustomed to being spoken to with the constant disrespect and rudeness she received from this monster but she could only overlook it, how could she expect manners from a monster?
[The leaders of the coup against me and a century of soldiers from a neighbouring kingdom]
She could almost feel the weary disinterest rolling off the creature in waves, confusing her. What was it so bored about?!
Corrin stood from her place on the throne, a grin twisting her face. "You've even allied with a monster in order to regain your throne Verita? What would your precious Legion say if they were to find out of this? Or the church of the path for the matter? If word of this were to get out you'd be finished!"
"Somehow I don't think you'll talking much when I separate your head from your shoulders" Verita bit back.
She turned toward the monster.
[If we can win here the rebellion will fall apart and our pact will be finished monster. Those people all have to die and you will have your reward, are you able to do it?]
Verita had to admit she was nervous as she asked. As far as monsters go this ant wasn't that large of powerful, but for some reason it managed to overcome impossible odds over and over again. The baffling magic that it was able to use continually surprised her, even filled her with trepidation. The blast that destroyed the gates was seared into her memory. No City wall, no matter how enchanted, would be able to withstand that shocking power!
That memory only firmed her resolve...
[So if I can kill or disable all of these people I can take my reward and leave then?] the monster asked.
Verita wasn't sure but she felt she detected something strange in the creatures tone.
She shook off her thoughts.
[Of course] she replied, [Is it possible]
[Tell your people to stay out of my way. I'll finish this quickly]
The monstrous ant leisurely walked forward as the hundred soldiers braced their weapons against it.
"One little ant Verita? This is the best you could find? Exactly how is this piece of garbage going to turn the tides here? You must be insane!" Corrin exulted.
The ant monster indeed looked weak as it slowly walked towards the enemy soldiers arranged neatly in their formation. Nobody in their right mind would think a single ant monster would be able to overcome these odds. Ants were not known for their individual strength, they were so feared because of their terrifying numbers!
But this ant was different, Verita knew. She wasn't sure why or how but this one was different.
The monster continued its unhurried march towards the enemy. The closer it got the tighter the soldiers grip on their weapons became.
When a short gap of only a few metres remained something changed. With the monster at the center a crackling purple energy sphere flickered into existence and expanded rapidly outwards.
-x-X-x-
Seeing that baleful magic flickering into existence, Queen Verita's heart froze in her chest. In all her days she hadn't seen anything as horrific as this magic. The sound. The destruction. Everything it touched was simply .... Gone, smashed to nothing as if consumed by a monstrous beast.
Even though it was her foes who were about to experience this horror the Queen had pity on them, feared for them even. Who knows what gods would await them on the other side of that dreadful maw?
The little ant opened its mouth and the vortex of death howled into existence. The air inside the throne room pulled at everyone as it was sucked towards the purple ball that raced through the air to impact against the shield of an enemy soldier in an instant.
Despite the horrific shriek of the wind the soldiers didn't panic but calmly began to deploy their defensive skills. They didn't believe this little monster would be capable of casting a spell strong enough to threaten them. How many monsters had they killed on training expeditions to the Dungeon? How many towering, powerful beasts had they faced down? To retreat in the face of this little thing would be an insult to their pride.
It would be their death instead.
As soon as it touched that shield the dark purple, almost black ball expanded outwards in an instant and the soldiers near the impact point vanished entirely. Those close to the edges had a split second in which their faces twisted with fear and shock before they too were pulled into the ball. Horror overtook every soldier in the room as the wind rose in pitch once again to a deafening howl. Soldiers tried to flee, tried to pull their comrades away from that sphere of death but they could not resist it and nothing would sate it.
Even the ant who cast the spell backed away slightly before becoming still and watching its creation consume the enemy. The Queen could only stare at the grisly spectacle before her. Seeing this magic employed against a gate was one thing, seeing it make proud, trained soldiers vanish in an instant was another. Fear gripped her. What level of mage would be required to defend against something like this?
It felt like a lifetime but it was only a few seconds before the sphere vanished. A tight, dense ball of ... something .... The Queen refused to think on it ... dropped to the ground with a wet THUNK and rolled several times before coming to a stop.
Even the floor had not been spared, the lower half of the spell had carved a groove out of it, the stone slabs were simply... gone. Carved away so precisely it could have been the work of god.
Before the shocked and demoralised soldiers could recover the monster was already acting again. The spherical, purple domain flickered and expanded outwards as the monster charged forward into the remaining soldiers.
Queen Verita had seen this spell before, the powerful domain type spell that had brought the enemy to their knees. What was this purple mana? What type of magic is this? She'd never heard of anything like it, capable of flinging people up into the air or crushing them flat into the ground.
It's hard to imagine that a monster, and one apparently quite young, could comprehend magic in the way this creature had. To cast the various types of spells in the same way that a human mage would take years to learn, it was terrifying.
Exactly how strong would this single ant become? Queen Verita narrowed her eyes. She didn't think she wanted to find out...
No longer complacent the soldiers wanted no part of this spell! Their morale was shattered and fear was plastered over their faces as they fled. The proud soldiers of Regix broke ranks and fled before one ant! If the Queen hadn't seen it herself she would have felt she had lost her mind. Even though she witnessed the events she almost couldn't believe them.
The monster was relentless chasing them down no matter how they fled. Verita knew, as soon as the spell took effect they would no longer be able to run, only slaughter would await them. Though there was no visible change the moment the spell began to function everyone watching could see it. The bodies of the soldiers sagged to the ground as if pressed down by a mountain. Those who were still able to keep their feet did so only by exerting extreme effort, their faces going red with the strain. The soldiers eyes were wild and filled with terror. What could possibly have prepared them for this?
There was no way they could resist what was to come.
The Queen snapped back to alertness and turned to her stunned Guards.
"Aim your strikes at the enemy but do not close the distance! Be sure to stay the hell out of that spell!" she ordered.
Loyal and disciplined her Royal Guard leapt into action, their weapons raining strike after strike down on the trapped foes and those who continued to run, desperate to avoid becoming sealed in that zone.
The townspeople watched the spectacle unfold with rapt amazement, their eyes afire with deep emotions. They could not participate as none had mastered the advanced weapon skill required to strike from a distance. But they could watch and silently praise.
As she watched her force become battered by wave after wave a sword light Corrin's expression grew ugly. She could not believe her eyes. How could one piss weak ant, legendary for being the weakest individual monster in the Dungeon, be devastating the highly trained soldiers she had brought with such efforts. How long had it taken her to weave this plot together? The months of preparation, the incredible effort needed to talk Regix into getting of their fat arses. It was disappearing before her eyes!
She turned to the Regix ambassador. "What the hell is happening Andron?" she raged at him, "your soldiers are worthless! Didn't you promise me the best?!"
The ambassador was pale faced and shaking. He was a diplomat, not a warrior! He had never seen such bloodshed and violence. Watching his soldiers being torn apart had rocked his mind, he could barely think, let alone speak. As she watched the trembling Regixian struggle to speak Corrin nearly screamed in frustration.
It had been so perfect! She had been so close! Wealth! A stupid amount of wealth! She could feel it all slipping from her grasp in this moment and the feeling drove her berserk. If it wasn't for that stupid monster! She had played the Queen like a damn fiddle but this idiotic monster had ruined everything!
Suddenly her heart froze in her chest. Dread swept over her like a cold blanket and sweat erupted from her forehead. Turning slowly she looked down at the monster to find it looking directly back at her. The smooth dark glittering carapace, the cold lidless eyes and the dripping jaws that glowed fiercely with purple light. No emotion or feeling emanated from that creature. In Corrin's eyes it was nothing less than an emotionless machine of death.
Corrin's mind turned slowly as if her thoughts drifted through molasses. When had those mandibles begun to glow?
The mandibles flared with light and she flinched backwards, but it was no use.
How to describe it?
The floor simply wasn't the floor anymore. Her feet slid along the ground as if it were suddenly a wall and she fell directly towards the monster. A scream rose and stuck in her throat as fear paralysed her mind. The only thing she could see was those mandibles as everything faded away. They grew larger and larger in her eyes as they opened wide.
Then they closed, and she knew no more.
-x-X-x-
Queen Verita surveyed the field of carnage that polluted her throne room in disgust. That it had come to this. Foreign soldiers slaughtered before the throne, the most officious and historical location in her young Kingdom, by a Dungeon monster. Her ancestors would shake their heads in despair if they knew of this farce.
Brusquely she ordered her Guards to clean the room and do something about the dead and escort the townsfolk out of the room. Then she ordered two soldiers forward to seize the ambassador and bring him before her. The Regixian was still frozen with terror on the dais, shaking in fear as his eyes stared vacantly at the broken bodies of the men and women he had brought here to fight.
When Corrin had been pulled through the air to her death he had been so terrified his legs had lost all their strength, causing him to collapse onto his knees. As the two Queen's Guard hauled him up by his armpits they sneered in contempt as they noticed the damp patch on the front of the ambassadors trousers.
The Queen thought for a moment before signalling another of her Guard to attend her.
The soldier approached and saluted smartly. "Take the head of Corrin and put it on a spike at the castle gate. That should take the wind out of any mercenary scum who want to try and continue their rebellion".
The soldiers saluted again. "At once your majesty".
The Guard picked his way through the remains toward the fallen Mercenary Union president to complete his grisly task. Soon he walked briskly out of the hall carrying a red stained cloth wrapped around a roundish object.
When the mercenaries battling desperately to push through the gate and into the castle recognised the head being held up high on the tip of a spear they were filled with equal parts rage and despair. They knew they would never grasp the profits they had been promised to secure their support for this uprising now. Many mercs decided on the spot to flee the country as fast as their legs could carry them. If they were quick enough they may be able to avoid arrest. After all, they could ply their trade anywhere the Dungeon was, which was everywhere!
The news that the Queen had taken back control of the castle spread through the city like wildfire. The citizens cheered and poured into the streets to celebrate. Many were glad to have their benevolent ruler secure again on her throne but many others were simply glad the fighting had come to an end and peace could once again return to their lives. After weeks of fighting, death and destruction they wanted to get on with rebuilding and forget any of this had ever happened.
Inside the castle ambassador Andron was dragged before Queen Verita by her Guards. When he was unresponsive a soldier stepped forward and slapped the man viciously until he was able to come back to himself.
"It's a shame we had to speak under these circumstances, ambassador" Verita drawled.
Andron spluttered, trying to draw himself up and regain some of his dignity. His efforts proved fruitless whilst he was being held upright by two callous soldiers who gripped him so tight he was sure to bruise the next day.
"You can't treat me like this Verita!" he spat, "do you think Regix will stand for this?"
His gumption rendered Verita speechless for a moment. "You know" she bit back, "I find myself not caring a whit what Regix will stand for or not. As far as I'm concerned your pox filled nation of rats can jump in the Dungeon so they can live amongst their own kind!"
Andron gaped at her. "You dare?!"
Verita looked at one her Guards and gave him a subtle nod. The soldier immediately stepped forward to deliver another powerful slap to the ambassador, drawing blood.
After letting him recover for moment the Queen resumed speaking. "I do. You're going to scurry back to your nest, rat. When you get there I want you to tell them that I'm coming. I'm going to march into Regix and burn it to the ground for what you've done here".
The quivering ambassador retreated before Verita's fury. Unable to muster a response he could only hang his head as the Guards dragged him out of the castle. They would throw him on a horse and send him on his way back to his own land within the hour.
For a moment the Queen was left to her own thoughts. Finally, she let herself feel relief. She had thought it was all gone. The night they had fled the castle, slipping through a hidden gate in the darkness, she had wept. All the work of her ancestors, the toil and sweat of the citizens to carve out a new country from what had been monster infested deathzone, gone to waste. All because of her.
Now it was back in her hands. All of it. The traitors had been rooted out. She would take a sword to the merchants who had backed this coup, wash away the stink of rebellion with the blood of traitors. Once again Liria would experience a meteoric rise, no longer suffering from the leeches which had drawn away its strength. The light of justice was shining on her kingdom today!
Wait...
For a kingdom basking in the light, why was it so dark in here?
Puzzled, Verita caste her eyes around the room only to find that the glow lamps on the walls had been extinguished! On one side of the room a single lamp remained lit and frozen above it like a gigantic spider was the monster, holding still as if a child caught with a hand in the biscuit tin.
The Queen could only stare at this strange creature who had made her resurrection possible. Probing mentally she found the mind bridge she had been maintaining.
[Monster. What have you done to my lamps?]
.....
Suddenly the final light winked out.
[Just taking a little of my payment in advance]
Verita was stunned. How could a monster be this shameless!?
The monster's pitiless voice echoed in her mind once again. [It seems you have what you want, Queen], Verita always felt the way the monster said "Queen" sounded doubtful for some reason, [I have fulfilled my end of our agreement].
It was clear what the monster wanted, now that it had done what it had promised to do, it wanted to be paid.
Verita carefully studied the still creature latched onto her wall. Despite not turning to face her she knew the insect was watching her just as she was watching him.
[I never learned your name, monster] despite tactfully asking several times the creature had simply refused to share it, declaring that "monster" was fine.
[You never did] the monster agreed, clearly refusing her yet again.
Veritas mouth tightened and she covertly signalled to her Guards in the throne room.
Still the monster was watching her. Its voice rang in her mind.
[Do you know of the phrase "Tit for tat?"]
[I don't] she frowned.
[It means that should one be treated well, they will return that goodwill, but should one be treated poorly, similarly it will be returned in kind]
The Queen drew herself up. From the corner of her eye she could see her soldiers slowly shifting their positions. [Are you threatening me monster?]
[Yes].
Silence lay between them for a moment. The monster spoke first.
[Think carefully on what it is that you choose to do next].
That cold voice sent a shiver down her spine. It seemed the monster had been able to guess her intentions. This creature was so powerful already, and it would only go stronger, smarter, more deadly in the future. How could she let it roam free?
Not to mention, should word of her alliance with Dungeon monsters be leaked, her reign would be destabilised. Most people hated and despised monsters, viewing them as the enemy of civilisation, if they knew she had willingly borrowed the power of a monster, trust in her authority would be shredded. The Guard would not speak, the townsfolk could be persuaded and the people in the city would not be believed. People saw all sorts of things in the heat of battle. The key to silencing the issue was in not letting this monster go!
In her heart the Queen could not believe that the monster could do anything to her here, in the seat of her power. In her own throne room there were many hidden cards she could deploy, not to mention the powerful Guards around her. It was over.
The Queen sneered, throwing all pretence aside.
[You can only blame yourself for trusting too easily, creature!]
She signalled to her Guard who immediately drew their weapons, over twenty blades drawn in unison!
BOOM!
In that instant the wall directly under the monster burst inwards as if smashed with a battering ram! Bricks and mortar flew across the room and the Queen sought refuge behind a hastily raised shield by a nearby Guard.
With heavy footsteps a new entity entered the throne room, obscured at first by the stone dust that hung in the air. The soldiers tensed at this unexpected development, weapons and shields drawn as they braced for anything.
As the dust slowly settled the giant form of a powerfully muscular ape was revealed. Huge hands knuckled the ground as it moved, staring balefully at the humans it loomed over them. After it had pushed through the new hole it had made in the wall the creature drew up to its full height, towering high as the ant began to climb down from its perch.
The Queen watched stunned, the situation was changing too rapidly for her to think. Her soldiers weren't sure anymore if they should engage and were waiting for her orders!
Before she could signal them the ape raised one hand and flung something towards them. The object arced through the air before landing heavily with a thud and rolling to a stop. Only when the shape groaned and shifted slightly did the Queen realise what it was.
"Captain Pendlen!" she cried.
This was the Guard captain that had been captured with her! As the giant ape raised another hand the Queen and her Guard flinched back as if it were going to throw something else at them but instead it simply dragged a bulging sack off the ground and flung it over its shoulder.
From across the room the Queen could see the sack appeared to be filled with small round objects, their outlines bulging against the fabric. Cores!
Her treasury!
She stared at the monster climbing down next to its ape pet in disbelief. How was this possible?! Is this some sort of heist!?
[You disappoint me Queen] the monsters' voice chilled her mind again, [from beginning to end this matter has been.... too predictable].
Rage burst inside the Queen's chest and she raised a hand to point at the two monsters as she screamed "Kill them!"
Her Guard charged immediately but quick as they were the ape was faster. Raising its free hand high it smashed it down onto the stone floor at its feet with a deafening crash! The room was once again showered with stone and dust.
When it cleared the soldiers were stunned to see the two monsters were gone, as if they had never been there. They tentatively approached, shields raised high and eyes scanning constantly, only to find the shattered floor opened into a tunnel that led straight down. The walls of the tunnel were threaded with veins of blue light and echoing from within the screams and roaring of thousands of monsters could be heard.
-x-X-x-
Boy was I glad to sense Tiny had managed to arrive on schedule! My biggest worry had been the big moron would get confused or lost somehow.
[You managed to find me ok big guy?]
[No]
[It was hard? What happened?!]
[Walls]
[You got stuck behind walls?]
[Yes]
[How did get through?]
[Punched 'em]
.....
I wonder how many walls the Queen is going to have to replace...
Thinking of the Queen I could only shake my head internally. Are humans in this world penalised on Cunning or something? From the moment I captured her she had demonstrated her dislike of monsters at almost every opportunity. To think that such a person would actually hold to an agreement with one? I hadn't believed it from the beginning!
I mean, the Queen can't be entirely blamed for being outwitted. How could she have known that I was not just an unusually intelligent monster but an actual human reborn? Of course I know about treasuries, betrayal and have the unfair advantage of being able to understand human mannerisms or tone. It was simplicity itself to have the colony tunnel under the castle and poke about until we located the sweet, sweet, wealth.
Being the noble and upstanding ant that I am, I wanted to uphold my end of the deal as much as possible, so I was went along and fought hard to restore the Queen to her throne. To be honest, it would have been pretty embarrassing had the Queen not actually turned on me at the end. At that point we had already connected the castle to several prepared Dungeon tunnels and emptied out her supply of cores!
Thankfully we managed to avoid that awkward scenario...
Tiny and I are currently racing down a separate tunnel we had prepared that hadn't been connected to the Dungeon itself so we are blessedly unobstructed by monsters as we run. I collapsed the entrance behind us so I doubt the humans will be able to locate us, they should be busy handling a flood of monsters right about now!
Gweheheheh.
The perfect crime Anthony, you genius you!
The best part of all? The sweet, gravelly tones of Gandalf that are still ringing in my ears!
[You have reached level 20, one skill point awarded]
[You have reached max level for your current evolution, would you like to access the evolution menu?]
[Monster core has reached capacity for your current stage of evolution].
[Piercing chomp has reached level 10, advancement available]
[Advanced Exo-skeleton defence has reached level 5]
[Pet communication has reached level 2]
[Shattering Bite has reached level 4]
...
By the bushy, bristling facial hair of the bearded one! SO GOOD!
The notifications fell like rain in my ears during the final battle! Max level! Thanks to stealing the cores from all of the lamps I have maxed out my core at 100 mp! If I can take in a special core I'll be ready to evolve once more! My POWAH! It Grows!
Combined with this sack full of monster cores we swiped, the future is looking exceptionally bright! The skills I'll be able to train, the special evolutions I'll be able to secure for my pets and the colony!
We really hit the jackpot this time!
The unfortunate part is that we have to move the colony, quickly. The Queen is perfectly aware of where we are presently situated so we can't sit still. Only by relocating somewhere out of her reach will we be able to avoid retaliation. Thankfully such a place isn't too far away! To the south of these lands the wild and untamed monster infested lands are vast! It'll be easy for our colony to get lost in there, giving us plenty of time to develop and grow.
The only tricky part is making sure we have some form of Dungeon access since the Queen isn't able to sustain herself on the surface. We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. If everything goes according to plan then we will be able to build a kingdom of our own. For ant kind!
Hold on there Anthony, don't get ahead of yourself! For the moment you still need to focus on fleeing the country! You are the fugitive!
Even if I want to evolve reeaaaallly bad!
It's addictive, evolving. Go to sleep and wake up as a better and more powerful you. There's an intoxicating quality to it. I must firm my will and resist. You can't evolve when you're dead!
Tiny and I continue to run through our emergency escape route as I chuckle gleefully to myself the entire way. There is a very real danger of me becoming conceited if I continue to celebrate my own success so enthusiastically.
When we finally burst out of the tunnel we find ourselves once more beneath the shady foliage of the forest. I breathe deep of the fresh forest air. Delicious! Freedom! I stretch my legs wide to embrace the trees.
This is the feeling of freedom, of liberty, of successful, guilt free theft!
Tiny looks at me as if I'm completely stupid.
Pah! You don't have the intelligence to appreciate the subtle nuances of this moment. You don't even realise that with that sack over shoulder you look like a mutated, evil Santa!
It takes another twenty minutes to make our way back to the ant hill. Seeing the large dirt structure, with its ever attentive guards, warms my heart. Home with the family once more!
Time to uproot and move them all again!
Skirting around the anthill I make my way straight to the farm, leaving Tiny to rest after his long haul. He might have power but stamina seems to be slight weakness of the big guy. Crawling down into the farm I see a familiar sight. The workers have continued to build a living layer of armour around their beloved Queen, essentially burying her beneath several layers of workers.
Once again I have to climb in and push my way through until the Queen's face emerges from the clutter right in front of my face.
"Mother! Hello! Have you been able to heal yourself?" I exclaim.
The Queen smiles, her antennae waving about until she manages to free one and give me a tap on my own, the ant high five.
"I am well child. I have healed myself".
"How does your core feel?" I ask.
Flipping on my mana sense momentarily I can see that once again her core is blazing with light. The density of mana in her core seems to have recovered to its maximum capacity.
"I feel fine" she responds.
This is great news! The Queen has made a full recovery. This means we can move immediately without endangering the most important individual in the colony.
"Hi-Hi!" a voice calls.
.....
I look at the Queen quizzically and she stares back at me calmly.
Was that.... Who was that?
"Where did you go Senior?! You took so long!" the voice comes again.
The voice seems somewhat high pitched, squeaky almost. If it isn't the Queen then who the hell is talking to me in here?! I turn around and cast about with my antennae until I finally come face to face with a small worker carrying a conspicuously large black lump on its back.
"Vibrant?!" I exclaim.
"Hi-Hi!" she says, "I learned to talk, Senior! I have sooo many questions!"
-x-X-x-
It's been two hours now and the little worker just. Won't. Stop!
"Why is your carapace so shiny?"
"How'd you get so big?"
"Can I do the magicky stuff?"
"Isn't talking FUN!"
"What are you doin'?"
"What are you doin' now?"
"Do you like eating? I think it's the best!"
"Should we dig something? I love digging!"
And on, and on.
It turned out the little lump on her back was Crinis who seemed delighted to grab hold of my antennae and migrate onto my back. She even quietly spoke up, saying [Welcome back master] after she'd settled onto my carapace.
So polite! Her voice was very soft and reserved, not at all like the image of the full grown JellyMaw I remember.
All that effort I spent making her more intelligent seems to have paid off! It'll be nice to have a pet I can have a decent conversation with. Tiny is great at the whole silent companionship thing but isn't much for a detailed conversation. Only thing is the little pet seems extremely reticent, no matter how I prodded I wasn't able to get any more words out of her.
Maybe she's just shy...
Vibrant on the other hand.... Apparently the bizzarre hatchling doesn't seem to struggle with this public speaking.
She won't shut up!
As soon as she could she climbed onto my head once again and practically danced with joy as she pelted me with endless questions, observations and random statements! I can seriously feel a headache coming on...
I tried my best to answer her at first but my responses became shorter and shorter the longer the conversation went on. Eventually I just had to shout "I need to talk to the Queen!" and started ignoring her for a moment.
Anything for relief!
The Queen seemed slightly amused by my predicament. I can only imagine that the Queen has been enduring Vibrant's endless thirst for conversation in my absence, seeing as she's the only other ant capable of talking back to the little thing.
My esteem for the Queen has risen to an even higher level. What saint like patience! What incredible tolerance for her own children!
Choking back my emotions I speak to the Queen. "Mother, we need to move the colony once more. We aren't safe if we remain where we are. The humans will come again, and soon".
Hearing of the creatures who killed so many members of the colony and wounded her, a faint anger can be felt from the Queen.
"I know a place where we can go that they won't follow. The problem is that you'll have to move across the surface if we are going to escape quickly enough. Do you think you can?"
Mother seriously considers my question for a moment before nodding. "I believe I will be able to sustain myself for some few days" she says, "I will let you know when the feeling of weakness returns".
"That's great! Make sure you tell me ok?! If you keep it to yourself again you really might get killed this time!" I plead.
The Queen simply acknowledges my words with a wave of her antennae and begins to mobilise the workers to return to the surface. As she makes her own way to the enlarged opening they created for her to enter the layer of workers around her just shuffles along, maintaining their defensive positions as she moves.
Vibrant had managed to hold herself in whilst I was speaking to the Queen but as soon as she begins to move away she pipes up again with her Squeaky voice.
"Where are we going?"
"To the south, we need to escape the humans".
She immediately became enraged. "Humans!? I will die to protect the colony!"
Why did this immediately become about her dying?
"You don't need to die or anything, we just need to move! If we can get far enough south they won't want to follow us" I say.
She seems a little mollified. "Ok then. But let me know if I need to sacrifice my life for the colony!"
"Nobody is asking you to die ok?! Its fine!"
She doesn't seem convinced and shuffles about on my head a little more before moving onto her next line of questions.
"So what are we doing?"
Oh god.
"We are going to get ready to move out. As soon as the colony is assembled we are going to leave" I answer.
"Ok!" .... .... .... "So why are your antennae so funny looking?"
....
Kill me.
Please.
Putting up with Vibrant's pestering I go to Tiny and get him moving. His job is obviously to carry our precious cores in the sack. Inspecting closely the sack seems to be of some sort of fine material. Is this velvet? Or a tapestry or something? Exactly where did he get this thing?
Doesn't matter.
Within ten minutes the colony has assembled, hundreds of workers carrying brood and eggs whilst others surround the Queen to protect her. All together in one huge mass with me and Tiny at the head we move out! The colony is on the march!
We march for two days straight, no rest, no sightseeing and strictly no deviation from the designated path.
Although I say no sightseeing, the pest on my head is completely curious about everything. Along the way I have to explain what a farm is, why they are necessary, the basic understanding of the human digestive tract, gut bacteria, bacteria in general and what a screaming mob of people running for their lives is.
The colony takes a day to make it out the other side of the forest and from there we mostly run into small farming communities on our way south. We skirt around the buildings, ignoring the people as we pass through. There is one instance where we come across a town in the night and rather than deviate we just power straight through, causing the small riot that prompted the little ones excited questions.
After forty eight hours of straight running we dig a temporary nest and almost the entire workforce goes into torpor, me included! I'm knackered after that run! Despite being so tired I spend a little time planning out my own immediate future path.
First, before evolving I need to try and get my mandibles around some Biomass! I'm painfully aware that the further I evolve the deeper I'll have to go into the Dungeon in order to secure a decent source of Biomass points. It'll be much easier for me if I can go on an eating tour of the upper level before evolving so I can be more efficient with my gains. Then I have a heap of skill points saved up. Whilst fighting against weak monsters it'll be a great chance to build up some new skills. I was hugely impressed by the upgraded versions of the dash skills I'd been able to see for starters, I think I'll definitely pick that up. After that I'll have a look and see what I can find in the menu.
I absolutely want to use my newfound core wealth to train core engineering as far as I can. If get a good evolution that will buff my mental stats again I'll be even more effective when modifying cores, increasing my level up speed. The day when I'll be able to realise my dream project is becoming closer and closer.
I also need to pay attention to my pets, paving the way for Tiny to successfully evolve as well as stuffing Crinis full a few times a day until she can start to fight and level up.
The days ahead sure are going to be busy!
First we need to escape though.
The next day we assemble the convoy and move out once more. The journey is tough and we have to tighten our belts a few times, what little monster prey we find is fed to the young and the workers go hungry. Tiny seems to have lost several sizes, I've never seen him so trim!
After three more days we reach the border, the vast monster filled wilderness is spread before us, our safety, our future!
-x-X-x-
Titus stood huddled with his advisor in the center of the cramped chamber his axe resting on its head on the dirt. Donnelan was afraid of that axe. It had even invaded his dreams. The thick, bloodthirsty aura that seemed to roll of it in waves was suffocating, and ever present. It had burst into wakefulness suddenly during the wave defence. The trainees had felt a strange stirring of the mana in the air before that aura had burst out, making them feel as if a demon had their throats between its teeth.
And that's how they had felt every moment of every day since.
The only blessing was that the beasts hated it as much as the trainees did. Ever since the axe had awakened they had ceased to attack the fort. Choosing instead to battle against each other, keeping their distance from the Legion. The line soldiers had been relieved that, even if they felt the spectre of death constantly, they no longer had to fight.
The endless tide of monsters that had clashed against their defences had claimed a few lives over the two week defence. For those young legionaries experiencing their first wave it was a sight they'd never forget. Thousands of monsters rolling forward like the tides. An endless sea of violence and death. Aiming hadn't been important, it was impossible to miss, no matter what skill was used. They fought for hours without pause, until their arms were heavy as lead, their vision blurred and their heads afire. Then they'd stumble to their blankets where they'd sleep like the dead before waking up to do it again.
It had been hell.
Up until the axe. Donnelan had seen the looks on the officers faces when it had happened. The monsters immediately fled the walls but the brass had been shocked. Shocked and worried. The commander had raced to his tent where he'd left the axe and walked out with the thing slung over his shoulders and his eyes tight with worry.
Being a magician in training Donnelan had managed to puzzle out exactly why they were so unhappy. That shift in the mana, as if it were being sucked down a sinkhole. The axe had drunk it in like water, causing it to 'awaken'. Putting aside the idea of a sleeping or waking weapon, something that Donnelan had never heard of, let alone thought possible, the reason why it was so strange was that it should not have happened. Not up here. Barely a few kilometres down the mana should never be as thick as this. Not even close. It had grown so dense that it was enough for the axe to pull in and rouse itself, something none of the officers, certainly not the commander, had expected to happen.
That left Donnelan with yet another worry. Why was the mana so dense? Why was it still rising?! He could feel it coming on now. Saturation sickness. Extended exposure to mana wasn't natural for human kind. The diffuse levels of energy on the surface were normal for their bodies, they had adapted to it over thousands of years. The levels he was experiencing now were too high, he was getting sick. All of the trainees were getting sick.
If they didn't get relief soon, they would suffer mana poisoning. If they weren't treated then, they'd die.
They knew that, everyone knew that. So why were they going deeper?!
Whilst Donnelan chewed over his worries Titus was speaking to one of his specialist trackers. "Your certain of that Lisestus?" he asked.
The Legionary nodded. "That's what my Dungeon Sense is telling me commander. Many ants died here in the chamber, along with a whole lot of other stuff. No ant has died here in the last week or so. Either they were all dead by that point, or packed off somewhere else".
"What about the Queen? You should be able to tell if a monster that size was killed, surely?"
Lisestus' face twisted a little as he concentrated, employing the skills of his secret class. "I can't tell commander, she may have died here with the colony or not. Too many monsters have died in the meantime, I just can't pinpoint her".
"No worries man, thanks for trying" Titus clapped him on the shoulder and send him to rest. Dungeon Seers were a tremendous use to the Legion, able to detect the residual energies of monsters after they had passed away. Deploying those unique skills depleted mental energy at a rapid pace however. Lisestus' would need a brief lie down after sensing this spot.
Titus looked around the tight dirt chamber. This had been where the ant colony had lived, presumably after the Queen had fled here from the lower levels, either chasing the young that had been stolen or fleeing from danger once her first nest had been uncovered.
He'd managed to locate the nest, but either the colony had been killed by the wave or had escaped. If they'd managed to flee then Titus had absolutely no idea where they could be. The matter was out of his hands now.
Whilst he pondered the legions next move he idly stretched his old bones. With the axe Anima Sitio having awakened, he didn't need to continuously swat small fry. The weapon was constantly advertising it's hunger, daring them to come. Only the stronger beasts would be able to step forward against that aura.
Titus froze and cocked his ear. Something was coming. He raised a hand to get the attention of his troops in the chamber with him and warned them "Hold yourselves!".
As the Legionaries looked at their commander quizzically they began to feel it also. As if the air itself had grown thick, the pressure upon them growing until it squeezed their insides.
They heard it then, rumbling up from the tunnels leading below . A low growl that shook the dirt around them like an earthquake and drove several trainees to their knees. Many soldiers were forced to brace their hands to the walls to steady themselves as their legs seemed to have turned to porridge.
The tremoring growl faded away only to be followed by a rising hiss that blew the air through the tunnels as if it were a gale. In the wake of that terrifying rush of air the Dungeon grew completely quiet around them, every monster having ceased battling where they stood.
The stillness was eerie after two weeks of endless din.
Titus face was grim. He stared down at his axe, seemingly lost in thought. To most observers he appeared calm, but as she burst into the chamber and took him in, Aurillia knew that in his eyes the thirst for battle was burning.
"Commander!" she hissed, "Was that what I thought it was?"
Titus slowly walked to his weapon and picked it up as he spoke. "Garralosh. That bastard is coming up".
Eyes wide with concern Aurillia pressed her commander. "What are your orders commander, will we move to intercept?"
Titus shook his head. "If we meet the old croc on the way down then I'll happily take another arm from it but we mustn't deviate from our mission" he turned to look his Tribune in the eye, "I know you worry about the situation on the surface but as bad as things are up there it is going to be ten times worse if we don't reinforce the bulwark below. You know this Aurillia, we have to go down".
Reluctantly the officer nods her head and leaves the chamber to organise the troops.
Donnelan shakes off the pressure that had nearly crushed his bones and approaches his commander. An action such as this would normally be unthinkable for the trainee, he loved to stay low key, but the panic rising in him overrode his judgement.
"Commander! Are we still going further down into the Dungeon?.... Sir?" he stammered, rushing forward to clutch at Titus' arm.
The commander looked surprised to be accosted in this way but not irritated. "Donnelan isn't it? Our fine young trainee. We have quite a ways down to go yet".
"But the what of the mana sickness? What of the wave? It still hasn't stopped! The mana levels are still rising! We have to get to the surface! We have to help them, or the whole city will be destroyed, my family, my friends! What about us trainees? If we stay here in the Dungeon then we'll all die! You aren't sick, I can tell, I can see it! But us? We're all falling ill, the saturation is too much! You can't let us die like this commander!" the trainee babbled.
Titus raised one of his thick hands and clamped it down on the young man's shoulder, trying to steady him.
"Easy there boy! Easy! We won't let you die of the sickness ok? You know I'm fine, the officers are fine, all of the full legionaries are fine. Once we get you down to HQ, you'll be fine too, but we have to hurry. I don't want to risk losing you to the saturation before we can get there. Now listen, we have a few days journey until we reach Periclasus' stair. That'll take us straight down twenty kilometers. From there it'll be a short hop to the city and you'll be right as rain".
Donnelans' head spun. "City?"
"You'll understand when you see it. We've done what we can for the surface, two weeks we bought them. From here out they have to manage their own defence. If they can't hold off the big croc then they'll have to flee. Once we reach the city we can see about contacting your family. We have ways".
Donnelan nodded, slowly calming himself down.
Titus clapped him on the back. "Hold it together a bit longer trainee. We've almost reached safety. Who knows? You might even get to see this axe take a chunk out of an Ancient monster on the way down".
-x-X-x-
The Queen is holding up incredibly well. In fact, if I hadn't been sneaking the odd peak at her with my mana sense on I wouldn't even know that her core was leaking energy. The brilliant radiance of her core has already faded to half of its full lustre. After five days on the move the whole colony is tired and desperate for rest. It's almost a shame that we aren't a nomadic ant species like the army ants.
Mind you, those buggers are completely blind, so if I'd been born as one of those separate from the colony there is no way I'd have been able to survive until now. Also, the entire reason those ants are nomadic is because they are so numerous, and so ferocious that they strip the land bare of everything they can possibly eat, forcing them to move to a new location constantly. There is a lesson in that for our own colony going forward. We can't be so greedy as to strip the land bare, intake will have to be managed. Well, that's in the far future if we ever manage to grow enough to dominate our environment.
...
An ant can dream dammit! Don't look down on my humble ambitions!
All I want is for my family to rise! To be ascendant!
It's a lot for a few ants to take on but with a bit of grit and a heck of a lot of tunnel digging, I'm sure we can make it!
We have arrived in our new land! A blessed place full of monster infested nests and forests. Battle awaits around every corner and that means only one thing. Biomass!
This colony is hungry!
We need food!
Like an angry demon the colony as a whole swept forward over the boundary separating the lands of Liria from the untamed wild. Despite keeping a close eye behind us we never saw pursuit from the humans we had left behind, which surprised me a lot. Once we made it over the border the tension I'd carried inside, expecting an attack to arrive at any moment in retaliation for our grand theft core, evaporated. There is no way they'll be bothered to chase us into here, surely?!
The workers don't care. They dive right in, marching forward, antennae eagerly sweeping over every rock and plant in the hopes of flushing out a monster. Whenever we run into some surface monsters they either attempt to flee or leap out to attack! The former are shot with acid until they can't move and the latter are promptly ripped to pieces and distributed amongst the workforce.
Even I'm forced to eat some of it in order to force away my hunger. I get a bonus point for new source but nothing else. These creatures are so weak they provide nothing to myself and Tiny. We have got to get ourselves into the Dungeon quickly so we can mutate!
Unfortunately we can't set up a nest until we find a section of Dungeon close to the surface that we can occupy. The Queen absolutely has to be inside the mana infused air of the Dungeon in order to live!
The imminent demise of our collective mother puts a lot of pressure on us workers and we hustle here and there trying to find an entrance. After two days of desperate searching, when the panic in my thorax was reaching critical mass, we finally succeeded! A relatively narrow crack in the earth, occupied by some rather tough looking dog faced bipeds that I'd never seen before.
After annihilating them with sheer numbers, a minor helping of gravity magic and Tiny's judiciously applied fist the digging work begun immediately. With over a thousand workers getting their faces stuck right into the work we are able to tunnel down into the Dungeon and occupy it through sheer numbers. Up above, the hill is rapidly forming. Once the Queen is safely ensconced under the ground, calmly regenerating her strength, covered in a defensive layer of workers, the surface chambers are formed and the brood are nestled within.
Home at last! Tiny and I, with minimal help from Vibrant, excavate our own private chamber once again with the upper reaches of the ant hill. The cores are safely stored within the wall and the four of us settle down for a well-earned rest.
"Why are we resting?"
"Be quiet, Vibrant"
...
HIYAH! I'm up! I'm ready! It's time to take on a new day! So many things to go about doing I can't even decide where to start.
First things first, I rush over to Tiny and poke him with a leg until he wakes up.
[Wake up big guy! It's time to go and eat until we can't walk!]
When he hears of the feast to come his eyes snap open, blazing with a fierce energy. He hasn't had a good feast in over a week, this ape is desperate for a feed! What's more, he knows we aren't hunting on the surface today but exploring a brand new stretch of Dungeon, if he's lucky then we might even find something tough to fight.
Personally I doubt it. One of the things I had learned from the human Queen when I interrogated her about the Dungeon was just what the environment down there was like. Apparently the tunnels, also known as the 'narrows' run in an almost endless web beneath the surface, main tunnels branching in all directions with smaller offshoots breaking off and looping back on themselves endlessly.
The main hunting grounds for the humans isn't these tunnels but is instead the areas they refer to as the expanses. Every expanse is a cavernous open space beneath the earth of impossible size, full of spawn points, bizarre plants, rare minerals and powerful monsters. The area beneath Liria was called the 'Forest Expanse' and according to the Queen the entire reason the city had been founded in that location was to gain easy access to the expanse and monopolise its resources. The Forest Expanse isn't even a large one, its considered quite small amongst those known of even locally. It had the great benefit of being much closer to the surface however.
Tiny and I gather up Crinis and Vibrant, who pesters us with endless questions as usual and we eagerly rush past a dozing Queen and her entourage into the lower tunnels. A brand new Dungeon! Excitement boils up inside me almost without me even noticing. Finding new places and learning new things is something that has brought me endless joy in this new world. I can't wait to see what we find!
-x-X-x-
The cool light of the Dungeon welcomes my small party home as Tiny and I follow the tunnel deeper beneath the earth, Vibrant and Crinis tagging along for the ride. The goal of this trip, and for the next few days is to absorb as much Biomass as I possibly can before evolving and pushing my evolutionary level penalty further and further. Every time I evolve, the less Biomass I'll get from creatures that haven't evolved as much as me. After my next evolution I'll be tier 4 monster, with three evolutions under my belt! Considering I started as the statistically pathetic hatchling worker ant, which has almost no strengths to speak of I can only say that I've come far from humble origins.
Not only do I require Biomass, Tiny also needs to eat, as well as gain xp to push him towards his next evolution. I briefly conversed with him as we rushed through the Queens chamber and he was able to communicate that he had not yet reached level 20, therefore he needs to be the one absorbing all of the xp.
Crinis and Vibrant have tagged along since they both need to eat and Vibrant needs to gain more xp so she can evolve. Considering she was born with a core we don't need to worry about using her first evolution to form one, so she can directly be promoted to mature worker ant. I still intend to have her absorb a special core and see if she gets any juicy options that I may have missed out on, since I didn't know that special cores and the extra evolutions they unlock even existed at that time.
Still, I wonder what monsters we will encounter! New section of Dungeon, hopefully we get to see something new, I really don't want to have to keep battling centipedes all the time. Ever since I was born there's been centipedes around every corner! Giant centipedes with spikes in their b-zone is not exactly something I want in my face all day, let alone actually having to eat!
If I see even one centipede I may call the whole trip off...
The tunnel we are following seems to be slightly narrow, most likely not a major one. I can feel monsters gestating in the walls, so apparently the wave is still not over but they don't seem to coming out at all? To my senses they seem to be developing less rapidly than the monsters in the Dungeon we had encountered during the wave, those guys had popped out after a dozen minutes so, like donuts in a deep fry.
When I flip on my mana sense I can see a more powerful reaction from these sleeping beasts. It seems the monsters here might be slightly stronger or more complex? Requiring more mana for the Dungeon to form them? Or is the wave receding and the mana isn't sufficient to pump out the monsters as quickly as before?
Bit of a head scratcher.
The workforce already invaded this section of tunnel and cleaned it out when the Queen took up residence so we'll have to push a little deeper if we want to sate our hunger. With Tiny in the lead we eagerly rush forward, looking left and right for something to fight. After five minutes or so I notice something off.
Isn't it ... quite green in here?
Contrary to my normal Dungeon experience the stone here seems to have actual vines growing on it? And is that a flower I detect?! Since when the hell have there been colourful flowers like this about?
The flower in question is poking out of the rock on the wall, about halfway up, looking offensively harmless. A bright red in colour and with vivacious petals that really give a refreshing feeling of spring...
I didn't come down here to admire the flowers! I came for food!
However, as if mocking my expectations, the vegetation only grows thicker and more vibrant as we descend until the tunnel until the tunnel widens out and we find ourselves in a place that looks rather less like the Dungeon and more like a scene straight from a rainforest. I expect singing bears and man cubs to walk around the corner at any minute. Not only do I not get any sweet rhythms, I also don't see any monsters around here...
Vines string across the tunnel, dangling moss in our faces and the rock walls are barely visible beneath layers of leaves and shrubs. Here and there are truly MASSIVE flowers and ferns that sway with the breeze.
Hang on... we're underground. There is no breeze!
The lightbulb goes on in my head just as the many plants and vines start shifting and moving, almost unfolding as they reveal hideous plant mouths laced with razor sharp teeth.
God dammit Seymour, not this crap again!
["Watch out for the plants, they're monsters!"]
Tiny was already into it before I spoke, roaring with excitement the giant ape leaps forward to grab one of the ... plants? ... by the .... Throat? Before beginning to pummel it in the face with his massive fists, rocking it from side to side with devastating hooks.
All around me vines begin to whip through the air as they try to latch onto me, or simply lash me with their suddenly razor sharp leaves. Some fire magic would surely go down well right about now!
I'll have to settle for implementing the jaws!
*Splintering Chomp!*
Pouring forth my vital energy the mandibles of light manifest themselves. When I use the shattering bite the ethereal mandibles look like wide, rusty saw blades that close like a vice, tearing and compressing. For the more armour penetrating chomp attack they manifest as blades studded with long, pointed spikes.
Ripping my mandibles closed they slam shut cutting vines and stabbing wide holes in fleshy plants. For now they only extend about a metre in front of my face but as I level up the skill they'll get larger and more potent, at least that is how it's worked with the shattering bite skill.
With vines and leaves falling around me like rain it's time to employ another new skill I purchased, dash!
HIYAH!
[Dash: Increases speed over short distances but increases stamina drain]
With a burst of movement I motor across the room faster than I've ever moved before. Turning my head I can see Vibrant is clinging to my head whilst cackling madly and even Crinis has extended extra tentacles as her main body is sliding back.
Geez! Even at level one the increase is close to 30% of my max speed! Although I can feel the corresponding stamina drain is vastly increased, I'm actually extremely impressed with this skill so far.
Rushing towards the nearest plant I sprint through the vines, ignoring those that smash into me, trusting my defences to deflect the damage. Above me a giant, somehow angry looking plant is looming, mouth agape and ready to devour me whole.
Not today buddy!
*Shattering Bite*
I bring my jaws down on the stem of the plant. It's time to mow this lawn!