Chapter 588 The Delegation Pt 2
It took ten minutes for the ants to herd the humans into a side tunnel and from there into a small but comfortable room, complete with chairs and at which they could sit. Enid herself had no eyes for the furnishings, instead her focus was laser sharp on the ants around them who definitely appeared more tense and alert than they did a moment ago.
Antennae twitching, mandibles flexing, sudden, jumpy movements were all indications of nervousness that she'd witnessed in the ants and all of those signs were present in those watching them at this minute. All except Coolant, that is. The powerful mage was as her name, relaxed and comfortable as she asked for the humans to sit and took her place at the head of the table on a strange, ant shaped seat.
It slowly dawned on Enid what it meant to be so close to the brood. She knew how the lifecycle of the ants went. The larval ant monsters demanded a huge amount of Biomass before they could weave their cocoons and mature to full grown members of the Colony. Somewhere nearby, a literal army of flesh eating grubs were being served mountains of monster remains. In the back of her mind, she almost felt as if she could hear the sound of thousands of mandibles tearing into meat and crunching bone.
She felt sick.
Beyn on the other hand, was totally elated! He was so close to the heart of the Colony, he could practically hear the heartbeat thudding in the walls. It filled him ecstasy, yet also humbled him. What was one, pathetic life next to the majesty of the Colony and its children? Thousands of young miracles were being reared nearby, angels of the System. What could one such as him do in comparison to that?
The rest of the council looked nervously to Enid for leadership and she laboured to pull herself together. It wouldn't do to shame herself or the proud people of Renewal here! Come on Enid, pull yourself together! She reprimanded herself harshly and rallied her spirit, chasing the gnashing sounds away.
[Thank you for accommodating us here, Coolant,] she gestured to the seats and table, [it's clear you went to some trouble to make us comfortable.]
[Oh, it's nothing. The furniture is but stone and wood, things we shape easily enough.]
Aarran harrumphed quietly at this insult to his profession, but Coolant either didn't notice or ignored the man.
[We thank you anyway,] Enid continued as she kicked the idiot craftsman under the table, [though I must ask, why bring us so close to the brood chambers if it makes you uncomfortable? I, for one, am happy to relocate to another place if our hosts will be more at ease.]
Please let us leave!
[That won't be necessary,] Coolant replied, dashing her hopes, [the Eldest made it clear to us that if we want to receive trust from another sapient being, then we must extend trust. This is true on an individual level, but also on a societal level. It is our intention to seek greater trust from you and your people, so it is necessary that we display trust towards you. For that reason we have brought you here, next to our heart.]
The mage turned toward one wall to better gesture for her human audience.
[Through that wall and down a tunnel lies the egg-laying chamber of this nest where the Queen resides.]
This announcement was met with a stunned silence in the room. Not a single human made a sound as they stared toward that unassuming wall. None except for Beyn. The priest's eyes bulged in their sockets and a strangled gargling sound croaked out of his throat as he desperately tried to hold in his jubilation. So intense was the war of feeling within him that his face turned a deep shade of red and he was forced to bring his hand to his throat to prevent his roars of praise escaping his soul. This bizarre demonstration quickly drew the attention of everyone in the room, including Coolant, who had no idea what she was looking at. To the humans, it appeared as if the priest was actively trying to choke himself to death.
Enid wanted to leap across the table and knock the idiot out, but at her age and with her stats, she wasn't likely to succeed. The closest to Beyn were his acolytes, who insisted on sitting behind him, but they were just as lost to religious fervour as their leader, either silently praying with frantic energy or actively in the process of fainting. Before Enid had a chance to rectify the situation, Coolant went and made things worse.
[It was our intention to bring any who were willing to meet the Queen down into the chamber once our discussion was complete...]
Coolant sounded ever so slightly hesitant as she took in the strange mix of reactions she was getting. Nevertheless she pressed forward with the Colony's most generous offer of hospitality. Holding the mind bridge in so many divisions was taxing, even if she had help, and interpreting human responses was difficult at the best of times. When the two different groups were presenting her with such divergent expressions, she didn't know what to make of it.
When Beyn heard those words, a piercing shrill escaped his mouth, like the scream of a dying eagle, which caused him to clamp down on his throat even more vigorously, cutting off that noise and strangling it down to a low croak. By this time his eyes were completely bloodshot and his face had begun to darken its shade of red to verge on purple. He desperately needed oxygen but he wasn't willing to risk it. He couldn't! What if he disturbed the Queen?! What if he were to startle the larvae as they grew?! No, better that he do what he must to prevent such a travesty from taking place. Better he were dead!
The rest of the acolytes were in little better shape as they each battled to contain an entirely new, even greater wave of exultation. As if their previous dam had been able to contain the waters of their joy, but this new flood, so soon after the first, was just too much for their reinforced banks to withstand. First one, then more, began to sway on their feet and collapse to the floor.
Beyn himself continued to hold on, though it only appeared he suffered more for it. The town council watched with horrified fascination as Beyn continued to croak and gurgle with his one remaining hand locked in a vice grip on his own neck. Wild eyed and trembling, the priest began to foam at the mouth as his eyes rolled up in his head and for the first time in months he wished he had his other hand back. The better to strangle himself with.
There was a profound silence in the room as the addled priest finally slumped from his chair, unconscious.
[I am uncertain what has happened,] Coolant said.
[Erm,] Enid stammered, [p-perhaps we might say that the honour of meeting the Queen was too much for Beyn and the acolytes. They felt that they were unworthy.]
The massive ant considered that for a moment before she nodded.
[It is well that they hold such respect. The Queen is the progenitor of us all and deserves such consideration.]
Enid breathed a sigh of relief as she inwardly damned Beyn and his idiot followers. They'd come so close to disaster thanks to these morons! Ironically, if they'd been any less devout, things would have been much, much worse!
-x-X-x-
The talks themselves were the most straightforward negotiation of Enid's life. Coolant was calm, intelligent and without guile as she spoke clearly and directly with the human council.
The Colony wanted them to assist with negotiations going forward into the future, was this possible?
Yes, it was something they could do, indeed, there would be many who would be happy to volunteer to assist the ants, beyond the passed out fanatics on the floor.
In exchange for the assistance, the Colony would be prepared to expand their efforts to assist the town in its development. Including a wide ranging search campaign for more refugees.
Fantastic, this help would be most welcome.
And it was done. From start to finish it took less than five minutes for them to reach an in-principle agreement, and then a further five were required for Coolant to outline exactly what the oncoming talks with the Dungeon city of Rylleh would entail. Enid was able to gather, from the things that the mage said, that the Colony didn't really know what to do with the city, nor had any real interest in extracting anything from it. The city had presented a threat, they neutralised that threat, now they just wanted to ensure that the city went along, doing its own thing, whilst not building any gates.
Coolant seemed to feel that this was an entirely reasonable position for the ants to take, and from their perspective, it was. Enid was quite certain that the people of the city wouldn't quite see it that way, what with their access to the broader Dungeon society being completely cut off. The list of complaints they'd bring to the table would be staggering, of that she had no doubt. But that was now her problem to deal with as much as it was the Colony's, that was her agreement.
With the generic talks completed, the moment that each and every member of the council had been dreading had arrived. Coolant was almost cheery as she brought it up to the delegation.
[With the more unpleasant business out of the way, I would like to now, as a gesture of trust, invite all of you to meet the Queen in her chamber. You will be heavily under guard, of course, but this is the deepest gesture of openness that we can offer, apart from allowing you to contact our young, which we aren't comfortable doing at this time.]
Such a direct and well-mannered invitation! Enid glanced at the rest of the council and sure enough, each of them was already sweating bullets. They managed to hide it well, but the widened eyes and frozen expressions on their faces told of the inner struggle taking place as they sought to find a reasonable excuse to turn down this visit. As if such a thing could be allowed. Imagine if the ants were to extend this invitation with open hearts, only for every visitor to refuse it. The mayor wasn't sure how the ants would take it, but in sapient societies, such a rejection would be seen as a massive slap in the face. She wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of coming face to face with such a monster, but she refused to insult the Colony in such a way.
[If you don't mind, Coolant,] she led with, [I'd like to accept your gracious invitation on behalf of the council. I would not want to disturb her majesty overmuch with our visit, I alone will be sufficient representative of Renewal.]
The palpable relief on the faces of her fellow council members was a disgrace and Enid turned a hard glare of contempt at the lot of them. They didn't even have the decency to look ashamed! Next time the elections came up, she'd have to make sure that more capable members of the community were persuaded to run. If this was the best that their people had to offer then they were doomed to begin with.
She turned back to Coolant.
[Though it would be nice if Isaac could join me in case I trip. I am very old for a human you understand.]
The giant ant tipped her antennae in acceptance even as Isaac released a disgraceful whimper, his face a picture of wounded betrayal.
[This is acceptable. I'm sure the Queen would prefer to not be crowded. Though I must ask, what is the term 'your majesty' referring to?]
Enid faltered.
[It's uh... a term used to refer to royalty.]
[Who is royal?]
[The Queen?]
Coolant stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending before she replied.
[But the Queen is not royalty, she is the Queen.]
...
[Of course.]
Enid and an openly weeping Isaac were escorted out of the room and back into the adjoining tunnel. Isaac managed to pull himself together after Enid whispered 'Morrelia' under her breath, which fortunately occurred before they reached a downward slope that they could see opened into a larger chamber.
The two humans steeled themselves before they descended under the watchful eyes of the massive insects that loomed over them, watching their every move. At the bottom of the slope, Enid closed her eyes for a moment as she braced her aged heart and then stepped forward into the chamber.
The Queen both was, and wasn't what she had expected. She was, by far, the biggest ant that Enid had ever seen, towering over the humans as she turned to stare at the two intruders with mild curiosity. Massive mandibles, a gleaming, thick carapace, her legs reached as tall as a house roof before angling back down to the ground. But where she'd expected a bloated, pulsating creature that was barely able to move under her own power, the Queen was instead powerful, sleek and mobile. Only her larger rear segment gave hint to the different nature of her species.
More than that, the presence of two other Queens was quite a shock to the system! Not as large as their mother, the two younger ants stood behind their larger parent as they goggled at the humans who had tread into this, the most private of all chambers. Indeed, other than Enid, Isaac, Coolant and the guards they'd come in with, there were no other ants in the chamber, making it the most peaceful and unpopulated room in the nest that they'd seen.
[I'll handle the mind bridge connection,] Coolant announced, [just give me a moment.]
An awkward silence descended between the two sides as they stood looking at each but unable to offer comment. Isaac had managed to take hold of himself quite well utilising deep breathing exercises and imagining Morrelia's excited face spattered in gore during an intense battle. Even the site of these truly intimidating insects wasn't enough to blow away the ardour he felt towards his goddess.
[Done,] Coolant announced, [Mother, this is Enid, Mayor of the human settlement on the surface and Isaac, some sort of soldier.]
The giant Queen brought her antennae toward each of them as they were introduced, getting a sense for them.
[Welcome to the egg-laying chamber, guests of my family. I must admit, I did not expect that any would accept the offer to visit this place, but I welcome you.]
The Queen's voice was deep, and warm. Not at all harsh or domineering as one might expect of a mighty monster of the Dungeon. Enid could feel a connection to that voice immediately. This was the voice of a matriarch, of someone who placed family above all. That was something she could relate to. She took a bold step forward and addressed the Queen.
[I... We are most pleased to be her, Queen of the Colony.] Manners never hurt anyone, it was one of Enid's dictums. [I have to ask, why did you think nobody would come here?]
Initially she'd thought that the Queen was assuming they'd be too frightened, but when she thought a little more, she doubted that was true. The Queen wouldn't think that anyone would be afraid of her, why would they? If the Colony had said they would be safe, then they would be safe. That's the end of the matter. And why would anyone doubt the word of the Colony? As far as Enid was aware, not one ant had lied even once in all of their dealings and conversations with humans. She thought something else must have gone on in the mind of the Queen, and she was interested in knowing what it was.
The Queen pointed toward Coolant with an antenna as she explained.
[I have a small understanding of human society. Of 'mayors' and 'rulers'. Individuals in charge of things. I am not such a figure in the Colony. I am the mother of many, but I am not a central figure now that we have more Queens.]
[Mother! That simply isn't true!] Coolant protested.
THWACK!
The Queen whipped one of her antennae down to crack it onto the head of the mage ant in a move that brought nothing to mind so much an impatient mother rapping her child on the head with a wooden spoon. The image was so comical that Enid near laughed out loud.
[You and your siblings' continued insistence on something that I do not see as real makes you near as frustrating as the troublesome one. Accept what I say.]
[Yes, mother.]
-x-X-x-
Though the Queen probably wouldn't describe herself this way, to Enid, she was quintessentially a grandmother who was tired of her children and grandchildren fussing around her. To the elderly mayor of Renewal, this was something she could immediately empathise with.
[It's irritating when they don't take your word at face value, is it not?] Enid asked.
The Queen nodded, a dip of the antennae, in ant body language.
[I am frustrated when they claim on the one mandible that they have the utmost respect for my wishes, and on the other they go behind my back to circumvent me at every turn.]
[I wouldn't put it that way, Mother!]
The antenna twitched and Coolant fell silent, again.
[I wouldn't have been able to participate in the siege of Rylleh had Vibrant not told me about it, something I assume that she was specifically told not to do. This is exactly the sort of thing I'm referring to.]
The Queen's gaze was calm and still, yet Coolant could do nothing but wilt in the face of those implacable eyes. This was the ant who had raised the Colony up from nothing, literally by herself. Where it not for a quirk of fate, the respect afforded to the Eldest would instead fall on this individuals shoulders. There was little the Council could do when confronted by their mother directly, which is why they tended to scheme behind her back in an effort to keep her from harm's way.
Enid found herself feeling sorry for the poor mage and stepped in to redirect the Queen's attention.
[It can be frustrating, that is true,] she sympathised, [I have experienced the same thing myself, many a time. I do find that it is important to remember that their concern comes from a place of love. They do not wish for you to come to harm, because they care for you.]
The mayor shot Coolant a glare before she could pipe up again and get herself thwacked. Where had the intelligent and calm negotiator gone? Enid could only lament. It appeared that being exposed to their mother turned all of the ants' brains to mush. The Queen, for her part, only looked confused by what had been said. She absentmindedly raised her forelegs to clear her antennae as he pondered it.
[I do not understand,] she said finally, [if harm were to befall me, the colony would only suffer in the sense that the egg production I provide would need to be replaced. This is something that our family has the ability to do. Hundreds of my children come to harm every day, if what way am I more special than them?]
Although she was talking to Enid, the Queen's soft gaze drilled directly into Coolant's carapace. She wasn't sure how she'd come to adopt this role of conflict resolution between the ant council and their parent, but Enid found herself enjoying it immensely. If Anthony were here, would he squirm just as badly as Coolant? She had to wonder just how often it was necessary for the Queen to knock him back into line. If she had to guess, it would be a frequent occurrence.
Coolant adopted a pleading stance toward Enid and the old woman once again stepped in on her behalf.
[It might be possible that this idea of emotional attachment to an individual is new in the Colony, but it is quite common amongst all the Sapient races, not just humans. It is also natural for most organisms to feel a bond to their parent, just as a parent feels a bond towards its children. I'm sure you would agree, Queen, that you care for your children and wish the best for them. Likewise, they care for you and wish the best for you.]
The Queen flicked an antenna in dismissal.
[Then they should stop fussing about and let me serve the Colony as best I can. I will not be prevented from performing the work I deem best suits my abilities. Doing such a thing is not ant.]
[I would also suggest that your children do a better job respecting the wishes of their mother.]
Coolant sank into the floor as both the Queen and the human mayor turned against her so suddenly. Out of desperation she reached out for a final handhold.
[Isaac Bird, what is your view of this matter?]
The man had been standing almost preternaturally still in an attempt to avoid drawing the attention of the ants, something he'd failed spectacularly at. Whilst the Queen was engaged with Enid, Antionette and Victoriant had both, wisely, chosen to avoid that conversation and instead moved to inspect this other human who had entered their chamber. The two massive Queens had engaged in an extended bout of trying to engage the guard in conversation and poking him with their antennae when he refused to answer.
Almost glad for the distraction, he turned to Coolant and replied.
[Ah. If I told me mam what she could do, she'd fair whack me on the head. I don't try and I'm happier for it.]
Not really what the mage ant had wanted to hear, but she sagged in defeat. The next time this sort of thing happened, she'd be sending the generals along, she thought bitterly. Sloan and Victor where the main culprits when it came to schemes that revolved around mother, yet they always managed to avoid the blame. Actually, that gave her an idea...
[I understand you mother, and I am sorry that we have caused you frustration. In truth, it is Sloan and Victor who make decisions regarding the members who are to be deployed in battle. If you wish to avoid further incidents in the future, I suggest you speak to them directly.]
It was difficult for Enid not to burst out laughing. Did she really just watch a giant ant monster dob on its siblings to its mother?! What was the world coming to? If she were to describe this entire conversation to Beyn later, she wasn't sure that he would believe it. Heck, if she'd told her past self just ten minutes ago how this chat would go, she'd have called herself mad.
Yet she could only stifle her grin as a messenger was summoned, presumably through pheromones, and then sent scampering away to fetch the two generals who would no doubt receive a strongly worded dressing down from the irritated Queen. As they waited, Enid continued to converse with the giant ant and found her to be every bit the proud matriarch she appeared to be. They each boasted of their children and the accomplishments of their families, though Enid had to concede her own brood hadn't quite measured up to the Colony, but the Queen was prepared to make allowances for her humanity holding her down in that regard.
In fact, when the Queen discovered that humans required an entire nine months to bring a single baby to term, she'd been quite shocked. How where there so many humans then? It just didn't make sense!
[Have you tried eating more?] the Queen asked, concerned. [I know it isn't the same between you and monsters, but I feel that such a length of time just can't be healthy.]
Unfortunately, Enid didn't manage to explain human biology to the Queen's satisfaction by the time she had to leave, but she did feel as though she might have made a friend.
-x-X-x-
[Damn spider! Get down here and face me!]
The house-sized arachnid, safe in her hole in the wall ringed with poisonous strands of webbing as thick as a car waggled her fangs at me in derision and pointed one leg at the hundreds of ants standing next to me.
[Oh? You'll come out if they go away? Somehow I doubt that you eight-legged coward!]
The spider clacked her fangs and by waving her front four legs managed to convey the message that I was an invading, leg-deficient fool who couldn't be trusted and I may as well scuttle away with my stupid pets and fellow ants because she wasn't coming out to fight. I think she also insulted my mother.
[COME DOWN HERE AND SAY THAT, BUG!]
I was so mad I was hopping on the coating of stone and dirt we'd covered the webbing in, causing trickles of the material to fall into the cavernous space below.
"Eldest, why are you so upset?" Emilia asks.
"She insulted our mother!" I roar back.
The smaller generals aura turns dangerous as she stares up at the giant spider.
"Oh did she...."
The ants within smellshot pass the message along and within moments all of the ants are flinging scented insults up at the spider who gleefully waggles her legs back at us. The rage is rising to a fever pitch when another mind cuts through my emotions.
[Isssss bait. Thissss creature wantsssss death. Not for itssssself, but for you. Denyyy it.]
Invidia's eye glowed with insight as it stared up at the looming mother spider. I brought myself back under control and told the ants to stand down. It wasn't like us to lose control of our emotions. Actually, it was totally like me. It wasn't like my siblings to lose control of their emotions. This dastardly spider might be more clever than I've been giving it credit for.
[Fine, you stay up there you bloated sack of schemes. Just keep this in mind, there's going to be an army of ants marching through here at some point, and if you're still around, I'll personally feed you to my mother. Clear?]
I aggressively snap my mandibles at the spider matriarch before turning around and leading our strike force away. The ants are reluctant to leave, unwilling to leave the insult unaddressed, but when I firmly turn and walk away, they follow along as I head back to base camp, my pets trundling along in my wake.
It takes a long time to traverse the vast web back down to the ground. It's taken a full week of campaigning to get to this point, but the expanse has been basically conquered. Obviously, we did discover the presence of a powerful spider who was laying eggs in here, but it took a long time before we were able to pin down the location of her lair. It was also quite a project to neutralise the blasted webs. Once we worked out that we could treat the webs much the same as I treated that damn slug's goo all that time ago, it was a lot of work to haul the dirt and soil necessary to create our superhighway through the ridiculous net of mega-webs that cover this expanse top to bottom.
Once we did though, it was all over for the arachnids. Turns out that the spider brood wasn't nearly as cooperative as the ants. Such an inferior species! Gweheheheh. With hundreds of cooperative ants working together with our advanced tactics, the hidden super squad and my pets and I, they never had a chance. Even so, there were so many of the darn things in this huge expanse that they took a whole week to wipe out! I've been biting so much, my mandibles hurt!
The haul in experience and Biomass has been worth it, not really for me, but for Vibrant and her squad, it's been super valuable.
"Hey-hey! Welcome back! How'd you go with the big one?! Was it big? Was it tasty?! I bet it was!"
Speaking of whom, the hyper energetic soldier comes bouncing along the web from a separate corner of the expanse.
"Find anything on your side?" I ask her.
"Nope-nope! It's all been cleared out! We left the spawn points alone though, just like you said. It's so empty here now, it's almost weird!"
I nod. Leaving the spawn points alone will let this place regenerate into a nice hunting ground for the Colony. Unless I miss my guess, the fat spider will move out and into a different territory. We've wiped out her army and cornered her once, if we come back with more ants, I don't care what sort of traps she has tucked away up that cave of hers, it won't be enough. A monster doesn't get to tier six or seven without developing enough of a brain to work out when they're outmatched.
"I suppose we better continue our recon mission then. Gather everyone up and we'll head out into the tunnels. We've got a lot of ground to cover and we spent a lot of time in here."
"We got a lot of levels though! My friends have never been so big before! Soo many evolutions!"
Wait a sec...
"Did you just say friends?" I ask her.
Vibrant tilts her antennae in confusion.
"I suppose so? Is that bad?"
"Ah, not really? I think? I mean, do you even know what friends are?"
"Yup-yup! Just like Crinis and me! Buds for ever!"
A tentacle extends from my back and reaches out to Vibrant to give the inky tendril of darkness a quick 'slap!' in the air with an antenna. I guess that's a high five?
[You two did hang out a lot when you were little, didn't you, Crinis?]
[We did. And Vibrant helped me a lot when you went missing. We even ate humans together.]
[I see. Well that's good then.]
...
Hang on, WHAT?!
Ah, forget it. Do I even want to know? Not like they were eating ants. Nope, the Colony has a strange respect for the dead, at least, the same respect that a normal ant Colony has for its dead. They take them out of the nest and watch them, much like normal ants remove bodies and place them a distance away so they don't invite fungus or disease into their home. In this world, it goes a little farther. They don't eat the Biomass, nor do they harvest the cores from the deceased ants. In what might seem like a tremendous loss of efficiency, they let them return to the dungeon, dissolving into pure mana before they vanish. I've seen a few such... I hesitate to call them ceremonies, but they do feel quite impactful, in their own way, since I've arrived. I'd rather not see any more.
The real haul for me personally has been the ongoing development of my Skills. Nothing helps pump up those levels like combat experience, even against weaker foes. Thanks to having a decent group of ants around me, my brains have been able to churn out battle magic non-stop. The day of elemental fusion is drawing ever closer! MUAHAHAHA!
I'm so close to the avatar state I can almost feel the arrow on my forehead. Watch out Dungeon! I'm coming for you!
-x-X-x-
Another expanse conquered, the great web has been brought low. Vibrant and I lead our group back out into a new section of tunnel as we prepare to launch the next leg of our advance party scouting. The first item on our list of jobs is to retrace our steps, filling in our Tunnel maps and checking that nothing has passed us by during our battle. After climbing through the Dungeon, we reconnect to the point we entered the expanse and find a group of three scouts sneaking about on the roof.
With a quick salute, they report that no changes have been reported to the main nest at this stage. The scouting and expansion mission goes on in all directions around the main nest. The two new nests are under construction, new Queens almost ready to move in. Sounds like great progress is being made on all fronts! There's some news regarding Leeroy and a new squad being sent to fight and level up in the second strata, which is a bit surprising.
A squad with Leeroy in charge? Sounds like a bad DC movie with a band of mildly super-powered criminals banding together. I hope the generals have some idea what they're doing. If I get up there and Leeroy has managed to get herself killed, I'm going to be super annoyed. I've spent a lot of effort keeping that ant alive and I refuse to let all of it go to waste! I'll make a sensible damn member of the council out of her yet.
With all of the news being positive, we pass our update to the scouts so they can return it to the Colony and resume our mission. The time for the next meeting of the council isn't far away and we probably should head back, but since there isn't any major news, I feel comfortable extending our search to the nearby tunnels. Levelling up is one of our objectives, checking for signs of an approaching force is the other! Plenty of the first has been done, but not much of the second.
In terms of powering up Vibrant's squad, we've been an unmitigated success. Every last one of them has reached tier four and are well on the way to maxing out their mutations. There were even plenty of cores to soak up in there, meaning that a lot of them have solidly reinforced their internal gems.
I'm becoming certain that a larger core does more than simply increase the maximum amount of mana that can be stored. The more sensitive my mana sight becomes, the clearer I can detect the flow of mana in my fellow monsters and it's clear that larger cores equate to more mana moving throughout their bodies. It's difficult to examine myself, but my pets are clearly circulating a great deal more energy throughout themselves.
As I continue to think about the nature of monsters and mana (without getting anywhere) and practice my elemental magic, the group spreads out through the tunnels seeking signs of habitation or a force on the move.
[Blue fire magic affinity (IV) has reached level 40, upgrade available]
[Advanced Blue Fire magic affinity (V), cost 1 sp. Enables those who possess skill access to more advanced manipulations of the greater flame. Concentrating heat to finer points and generating greater heat at the point of ignition are key elements of this skill.]
So I can what... create a blowtorch? Whatever, gotta buy it anyway. As I confirm the choice, the usual trickle of knowledge seeps into my brain, drowning out the endless chatter that streams out of Vibrant for a precious few seconds. This is the first of my basic elemental magics to reach rank five, a cause for celebration! Although I can't dwell on it for long. I can almost feel my sub-brains sigh wearily as they whip up a new construct, releasing the fire mana converter they've been holding for several days now. Water next, I suppose, go with the opposite, just to keep things interesting.
I regret going for the rank five fusion. It takes sooo many levels! I've been grinding away at these damn elemental Skills for weeks! I mean, that's rapid progress compared to what most would be capable of, due to my Vestibule and multiple brains setup, but it's getting more than a little tiresome. At least fire is done. I can cross that off the list. Another thirteen levels of ice, and that'll be in the cooler too.
"Hey-hey senior! The scouts think they might have found something! Over here, over here!"
Before she's even finished talking, Vibrant has zoomed off, leaving me to trail along in her wake, as usual. When I do finally catch up after ten minutes of solid running, I find the scouts have indeed managed to find something interesting. In a wider tunnel, already cleaned out by Vibrant's squad, we find clear signs of civilisation. Built into the wall appears to be some kind of way station. A solid, curving wall that tucks the door tight against the wall, concealing it from casual monster investigation is all that can be revealed from this side, but from the size of the entrance, it doesn't seem as though too much would fit inside there.
Perhaps this is a kind of resting point for delvers? Giving shelter and a place to resupply? I haven't seen any such thing before, but that certainly doesn't mean that they couldn't exist. How else would soft humans get around down here? At least the Golgari have the common sense to cover up their spongy flesh with something approaching a carapace.
"What are you thinking, Vibrant?" I ask the hyper-excited ant.
"We crack it open and take a look! Why wouldn't we? Right?! Don't you want to know what it is? I do!"
"But what do you think is going to be - aaand she's gone."
Without waiting for me to finish my no doubt boring sentence, Vibrant leaps forward to engage her loyal squad.
"Open it up! Let's gogogogo!" she cheers.
The ants salute, snapping an antenna to their heads and in less than a minute the wall has been chomped and magicked out of the way to reveal, much as I suspected, a rather small open area with space to lay out a few bedrolls, tightly packed shelves set into the wall with neat packages and jars. There you go, what a nice little design. It's almost like an igloo carved into the wall. A little safe haven for those who need a break from the rigours of the Dungeon. I can imagine how it would feel, for a delver, to make it to this place. Drained, tired, arms heavy and burning after hours of fighting. The horrors of the Dungeon behind you, for just a moment, you crawl through the narrow entrance, muffling all sound, for even here you aren't truly safe. A comfortable meal, a restful sleep. Must be worth more than a person's weight in gold, that sort of rest, down here.
Then imagine that peaceful rest being interrupted by an army of giant ant monsters tearing into the shelter and exposing you to open air. What sort of look would you have on your face?
Turns out, I don't need to wonder about that, since I'm staring at two examples right now. A naked pair of strange furred humanoids stare out at us in utter terror, shock and perhaps embarrassment, before they pass out. Prisoners! How convenient!
-x-X-x-
Thankfully, this awkward moment is resolved in the best way possible when both of the humanoids collapse to the ground, passed out. My siblings around me react with general confusion before they shrug their collective antennae and grab the two prisoners to take back to the Colony for questioning. I do step in to ensure that we take their supplies back with us, which a few soldiers and scouts step forward to do. I imagine these two are going to want some clothes when they wake up.
A detachment of thirty return to the nest while the rest of us continue to make our sweep. The monsters are densely packed here in these tunnels and even with our mage ants teaming up to firebomb the hazardous corals, webs, seaweed and various other deadly things that fill up the space here in the second strata, it takes time.
It's taken me a long time, but I'm finally starting to get the hang of this place. It's always freezing cold, which isn't ideal for us ants. There are many species of ant who hibernate in the winter, we aren't fans of low temperatures at all. Fire magic provides some relief, the ants huddle around flames that burn constantly around the mages when they need a little warmth. Apart from the cold, the dark is the second issue. It's oppressive, and every ant who's come down here has been drilled to train their mana sense, regardless how poor their mental stats may happen to be. Relying on our completely rubbish natural eyesight would be a recipe for utter disaster!
I know that some members of the Colony have been experimenting with different mutations for vision. Rather than doing as I've done, and just brute force quality mutations to try and bring back something akin to human levels of focus from a compound eye, they've been switching to infrared, or hyper-sensitive movement detection, or vibration vision.
Almost all of which sound cooler than what I chose. Not being able to see was a real point of stress for me after I spawned in the Dungeon! I needed that comfort!
After spending another half day poking deeper into the Dungeon, sweeping out tunnels and expanding our map, I decide to pull the pin and drag Vibrant back to the nest. We profited a lot in terms of experience and Biomass, I even managed to force the secret squad to level up, which is a hidden bonus, but we failed to detect any sign of the coming invasion, and meeting aside, I don't want to get much further away from the rest of the family in case the invasion sneaks past us.
So back we go, it takes a while to retrace our steps, we pushed a fair way down, but after a nearly a day of climbing, we make it back home to the nest.
"What. In the name of heck. Are you wearing?" I say to Leeroy.
"Armour."
"But... why?"
"To keep me alive."
"I get that... Just... I mean, has it worked?"
"Extremely well."
She sounds miserable admitting that.
"And there's a group of you that wear this?"
"Five of us now."
That's is literally tons of metal being forged to make that much armour...
"So this is the Leeroy squad then? Your team? What are you called?"
"I didn't want us to have a name," Leeroy hedges.
"But someone came up with one anyway?" I press her, "surely a team with this many resources poured into them has got a name. The council loves naming stuff."
They seem obsessed with it these days.
"Maybe someone did..." Leeroy mutters.
"Out with it Leeroy," I demand, "it can't be that bad."
"... The Immortals."
"Oof. That's rough, Leeroy," I try to comfort her. I know that the idea of being immune to death would be a miserable situation for her.
"Do you really mean that, Eldest?" she perks up.
"No. I hope you live for a thousand years before you finally die in a tunnel collapse or something. Stop being stupid." I reprimand her. "You're not a hatchling anymore, you need to live and work."
"I suppose so," she says, but I can see her heart isn't in it.
"Look on the bright side," I relent, "now that you have this armour and a group to work with, odds are the generals are going use you on the frontline in the upcoming battles. You'll be right in the thick of the danger, where the fighting is hottest! That doesn't sound so bad, does it?"
"I suppose not..." I can see the gears turning in her head. There's absolutely no chance the generals will send her in without some plan to extract her out again, but I can let her dream a little I suppose. I'm too soft dammit!
"By the way, Eldest, you were supposed to pay a visit to Smithant at some point soon, she's really excited about it."
There's a hint of ill feeling in Leeroy's pheromones as she mentions the name, but I don't recognise it.
"Who's this?" I ask.
"Smithant, the crafter who came up with this idea," she raps her helmet with one antenna for emphasis.
"You mean it wasn't Tungstant or Cobalt who came up with this?" I'm genuinely shocked.
"No, they hated the idea. This one nutter was obsessed with it and now I'm stuck with this."
Fascinating!
"I'll definitely pay her a visit!" I tell Leeroy as she turns to leave. She waves a weary antenna back at me and I continue on my way deeper into the nest.
The place is absolutely jumping with activity. Even more crowded than before, the many layers of pheromone trails have been overlain with all new scents. Construction teams for nests two and three, resource transportation and storage trails, even a tea room!
Hold up. A team room?! I have to see this. So thinking, I turn from my path toward the council chamber and scuttle along, following the path around the many twists and turns of the nest until I come to an area on the outskirts of the nest. The tunnels are thinner and more narrow here, to the point I just barely squeeze in, my legs pinched up against my sides. The chambers are smaller too, with doors on them for some reason. When the heck did we start making doors?
When I make it to the end of the trail and stick my head into this so called 'tea-room' I realise exactly what this area is for. Inside, I find Enid, Beyn, Torrina and Corun engaged in conversation, seated in comfortable wooden furniture, replete with cushions, around a dainty table. The entire room is bedecked with all the trimmings of a fine human home, with cupboards, fine china and a tea pot lovingly wrought in the shape of an ant's head.
After a moment of whipping up a mind mana construct, I intrude into what was clearly a cosy conversation.
[You lot are all looking very comfortable. Any work getting done around here?]
They've seen me already, hard not to notice such a shiny head poking through the open door, not to mention my size.
[A great deal of work, in fact,] Enid snaps back, a little waspish. [Some of us have been negotiating on behalf of your Colony for the entire day against stubborn, greedy, idiotic merchants and over-privileged morons.]
I twitch my mandibles in surprise. It's unlike Enid to be so rude!
[Ah, thanks Enid. How'd it all go? The Colony brought you in to do all the talking, I suppose. Wasn't my idea, you can't blame me.]
The old mayor sighs and raises a hand to massage her brow as Torrina and Corun sip their tea, content to observe rather than contribute.
[I apologise, Anthony. The talks have been glacially slow, and it doesn't help that I have to explain the details in excruciating detail to the ants immediately after I finish haggling with the damn delegates.]
I can imagine my siblings are quite interested in learning about this sort of thing. Negotiations between rival powers aren't something the Colony has had to deal with in the past. Come to think of it, no ant would have had to deal with these issues in the history of Pangera.
[If they're being difficult, surely there's a few things we can do to hustle the dialogue along?]
She thinks for a moment before a slow smile dawns on her face.
[If you have the time, I'm sure we can work something out...]
-x-X-x-
After chatting with Enid a little more, she finishes her tea and heads off to rest. The next day of talks will prove to be an eventful one, I'm sure, given what we've discussed, but for now I have two expectant looking Golgari to deal with.
[Been a while, Anthony,] Corun greets me coolly, [how were things down in the Dungeon? Anything interesting happen?]
Torrina is looking at me with her usual deadpan expression, but I can tell that she's a little more frosty than usual. It's easy to see that something is up with these two.
[Alright then, what's gotten into you two? It's not like you guys to skirt around the subject, goodness knows Granin wasn't even physically capable of holding his words in.]
That got a slight smile out of Corun, and perhaps a mild release of tension around the eyes for Torrina. Even so, they still took a long glance at each other before Torrina spoke to me.
[Anthony, why do you think we are here?]
Well, that's quite the question, isn't it?
[I suppose because Granin thought I had potential to become an ancient and he wanted you two to keep an eye on me and record my progress for history? Make note of my successes and failures so that you can implement the knowledge better for future subjects?]
She shakes her head.
[Not exactly. We're supposed to be here, not just as some sort of supervisors, but as guides and assistants. We are willing and able to take on a much more hands-on role than you seem to have envisioned for us.]
[What do you mean,] I protest, [I haven't told you what you can and can't do at all. As far as I'm concerned, I trust you guys and you're free to do what you want concerning your mission and myself. I just recommend you step lightly around the family, they can be a bit touchy sometimes.]
Neither of them blink at me describing a growing civilisation of thousands of murderous ant monsters 'a bit touchy' which shows me that they're acclimating pretty well to life around here. Murder ants are the norm in the nest!
[I thought this might be the case,] she sighs, [you think you'll just leave us to our devices and we'll work things out? That's not exactly how we want to operate.]
[Well, how do you want to operate? My time amongst the Golgari wasn't exactly a happy memory, you know. I'm aware that it wasn't your fault, but the Cult of the Worm's way of doing things isn't exactly something I'm willing to invest in, you know?]
[I understand your frustration, I just want you to hear ours a little.] She gestures to herself and Corun, [we can help you a lot more than we have been able to so far, we just need you to trust us, and bring us along. When you dive off into the Dungeon for a week at a time and leave us behind, or when you take us to the surface and then vanish back underground without us, it makes it hard to be able to help.]
[Sooo, you want to tag along a bit more closely when I'm moving around?]
[In short, yes] she nods.
Uuuuughhh. Another member of the entourage? I've got more than enough people following me around as it is! Corun appears to sense my reluctance, and jumps in to back Torrina up.
[Look, we don't need to get in the way, and we certainly don't need to be up front and fighting or anything. So long as we're in the general area so that we know what's happening, and can approach you when we feel we have something to contribute. That doesn't sound too bad, does it?]
I think about it.
[You know what, that sounds pretty good. You've got a deal.]
I extend an antenna through the door and they both shake it solemnly before returning to their tea. I excuse myself and get back onto the pheromone trails. Things to do, ants to see! Back into the bustling tunnels and my first port of call is the industrial district. The crafters have turned this section of the nest into their own empire. The mining efforts of the Colony have expanded to cover hundreds of square kilometres of Dungeon by now, and every scrap that is extracted in the field is brought back here for processing.
Tons of material are hauled into this section of the nest each day and the fires burn all day and all night, melting down the slag, extracting and purifying the metals. It's hot, hard work, but the smallest caste of all is more than up to the task, using tools and ingenious devices, even magic, when their frames aren't up to the task. Buried deep at the end of this maze of workshops I find the remarkable ant I was told to find.
"Smithant, I presume?"
A relatively large crafter, obviously tier four, is busy in her own private workshop working on several things at once. With one leg, she's poking and prodding at her forge, manipulating whatever she has heating in there, with another she's working her pulley hammer, pounding a sheet of heated steel into shape, using her mandibles to grip and bend the material, whilst also using magic to inscribe runes onto yet another, finished piece. I've heard about working hard, but this is insane! More to the point, she doesn't seem to realise that I'm here.
"Hello there? Everything alright?"
Without pausing in her work, the ant snaps at me.
"I had a rest two days ago! You mandatory rest enforcers are getting more insufferable by the week! I can't be asleep, and fulfil the order the council has placed for armour at the same time now, can I? So shove off?"
"Two days eh? Sounds like someone is well overdue for a nap."
"I TOLD you.... Oh."
Finally dropping her work to face the doorway fully, Smithant finally sees who has come to visit and the realisation is written all over her face.
"When we're done here, you're going to sleep. No arguments," I warn her.
She deflates a little.
"Yes, Eldest."
"I've seen your work, the suit you made for Leeroy? Amazing! I'm told you also enchanted it yourself?"
"That's true..." full of fire only a moment ago, the crafter seems quite shy when it comes to taking a compliment. "But that suit is nothing," she fires up, "complete garbage compared to what I can make now. My enchanting and smithing keep levelling and the refinements I can make will improve the durability of the metal and the efficacy of the magic by fifteen, maybe even twenty percent!"
"That's not a small amount."
"It's just the beginning," the more she talks about her work, the more animated she becomes until her passion is burning just as hot as the forge behind her. "The more we expand, the better quality ore we find and as more time passes, the better we get at processing it. I feel like the metal I get improves every day I crawl into my workshop. And the better the metal I work with, the faster my skills climb! I've even heard that there's a team of crafters working on a more efficient anvil and hammer design."
She pats her still glowing anvil with her claw.
"Much as I love the old thing, it's hard to keep up with demand."
I'm a bit surprised.
"Aren't there more crafters who can work with you? At the very least support you?"
The usual solution the Colony attempts to employ is to throw greater numbers at the problem. Generally works out okay, I don't see why this situation would be any different. Smithant clacks her mandibles in irritation.
"Most of the crafters still don't see the need for armour on ants. We have a carapace after all."
"But even the council seems to find it useful!"
"They still haven't ordered anyone to assist me, and until they do, I don't think anyone will bother. I'm the only one working on armour in the entire Colony."
What nonsense is this?! The most talented smith in the entire colony, slaving away on her own without support?! This is worse than madness!
"That's going to change," I tell her, "anything that helps to keep our people alive is something that needs to be explored. A carapace isn't going to be enough for the fight that's coming. I'll put the word out that this is to become a priority. I don't think every ant needs a full set of armour, but defensive enhancement is something I want every frontline soldier to have. After I next evolve, I'll get you to make me a set as well."
Time for the antdustrial revolution to reach an entirely new phase!
-x-X-x-
The centuries following the event that came to be known as the Descent, when the System applied itself to the peoples of Pangera, remain shrouded in darkness. The Cataclysm that came afterward destroyed almost all records, but those scraps we have access to speak of great upheaval, followed by an age of enlightenment before the Dungeon opened on the surface.
Like most things that fall into a civilised society's hands, the System was quickly seen as a weapon that would give a tremendous advantage to those who were able to master it first. This is largely conjecture on my part, but it is highly likely that the people of that time engaged in the same sort of questionable practices that were seen in the post-Rending era, when people sought to recapture that which was lost.
In that time it was unheard of to die of old age, not just because of the many conflicts, but allowing a person to pass away naturally would waste a tremendous resource. It was common for children to execute their parents as they lay on their deathbed, so that they could inherit the experience gained for the kill. Compared to other atrocities, that practice could be considered mild. Slaves were forced to endure unimaginable horrors in the name of experimentation, all to secure an edge over their competitors.
Many hoped that the storied 'golden age' would re-emerge after the age of suffering and secrecy, but in many ways that veil still remains. Knowledge of the System is hoarded between societies, faiths, even members of the same delving teams have been known to withhold what they've gleaned of its inner workings. Builds, classes, fusions, any piece of information can lead to a competitive advantage.
And that is meaningful. The System allows a person to rise to unbelievable heights. With the power of mana, and the knowledge of how to wield one's inner strength, incredible feats become possible. Firing blades of light from your weapons, weaving the elements or even bending light with one's mind. Those few who managed to scale the heights and achieve the pinnacle, the highest level, the most powerful classes, all had a deep, lasting impact on Pangera. Many founded their own kingdoms, others destroyed empires that had existed for centuries.
In the pursuit of that sort of power, people will do almost anything. The question I have is, how this conflict was managed during the 'golden age'? The only answer that seems plausible, is that someone so powerful arose that they were able to enforce their ideals on the entire planet. If that is indeed the case, what happened to them?
Excerpt from 'A dissertation on the consequences of the Descent and its impact on modern society' By Innirit the heretic.
It's a shame that I had too much on my plate to participate myself, but the other members of the council were more than capable of running such a simple mission. Enid's idea to simplify the negotiation process was simple and ingenious. It hadn't taken her long to realise what the problem was, what exactly was causing the talks to be so painfully slow and make the natives of Rylleh so intractable. The people in charge were wastes of space.
They weren't stupid or anything, at least, not in her opinion, they just existed in very comfortable circumstances and didn't want to see that change. For the most part, they were born into those circumstances, inheriting their positions as descendants of those intrepid delvers who managed to gather enough wealth and power that they were able to carve out their own independent space which eventually grew into the city of Rylleh.
So how to deal with these well-to-do leeches? Simple. Under the direction of Sloan, and working with Wallace on the inside, the Colony abducted each and every one of them, moved them to Renewal, dropping them on the doorstep of Beyn's church like lost lambs. While they were at it, the ants looted their mansions and broke them down to rubble, carting away the precious materials watched by, oddly enough, the cheering masses. Generations of discontent erupted once people got wind of what was happening and in a dramatic shift in public opinion, the Colony became the champions of the people in one night.
Not to say that there wasn't unrest, you can't simply uproot large family units unilaterally and expect everyone to be happy about it. The ructions in Rylleh were largely overshadowed by the outpouring of goodwill the Colony experienced, a worthy trade. In Renewal, the once noble class were now destitute and dependant on the support of an ant worshipping community. It only took a day before they gave up trying to convince people to take them into the Dungeon in exchange for promised riches. The next day they banded together to launch an expedition of their own. I'm told they made it about two hundred metres outside the town before a detachment of scouts chased them back. The next day they took up farming.
With the talks on hold until elections could be arranged in Rylleh, a much more cheerful Enid spent her time drinking tea and chatting with myself, Corun and Torrina, and occasionally Beyn, when we managed to stop him wandering around the tunnels.
For my part, I had to meet with the Council, minus Sloan, to try and work out what our next steps were. We gathered once more in the somehow even more luxurious council chamber, the ant chairs now lined with soft fabrics and the table topped with a beautifully carved wooden surface instead of the rude stone we'd had before.
What the point of the fabric is, I've no idea. We're ants! We have a skeleton on the outside of our bodies! Although it does mean there's less chance the stone will scuff my diamond carapace...
It can stay.
-x-X-x-
As the Colony expands and grows, it's becoming increasingly difficult to get the Council together. The members are needed all over the place. Victoriant and Antionette have their regular egg-laying duties, which takes the bulk of their time. When they aren't laying, they usually have a ridiculous amount of Biomass they need to consume, as well as accruing experience from the monsters the Colony brings to them for last hitting. Evolving the Queens is still one of the top priorities of the Colony after all.
Needless to say, Burke and Wills have covered an unbelievable amount of territory over the last week. I don't think I've ever seen either of them look tired, but their legs are definitely hanging a little lower as they rest on their chairs. Coordinating the scouting expeditions throughout the literally thousands of tunnels and branches in every direction must have come close to frying their brains. Turns out when your territory is largely spherical, it's harder to manage than a nice flat piece of land.
The Soldiers have all been fighting in the many, many battles of expansion taking place all throughout the second strata as we strive to soak up as much space and resources as we possibly can before the attack begins. Chief amongst those resources is Biomass and experience. Our troops need to be fighting fit and as strong as they can get, as fast as we can get them there. Needless to say the Generals have been heavily involved in this activity. Organising the logistics of it all must have been a nightmare.
The worker classes have all been busy running support in the meantime, not to mention the constant research and development that goes on. Nest building, manufacturing, testing, experimenting and pushing the boundaries of possibility in all areas. They are the scientists and engineers pushing the Colony forward. Which reminds me of something.
"I understand you had something of a breakthrough recently?" I ask Ellie and Bella, the two core shapers as they settle into their chairs.
The two of them perk up immediately, delighted to talk about their work.
"Oh, we sure have! We've been testing with that core combination technique you brought back to us from the Sophos, geez I'd love to meet them. Anyway, since we've evolved to tier four, along with many of our fellow researchers, we've been making a lot of headway in utilising the technique. Our first 'folded' pet core design was completed yesterday!"
"Oh? What did you manage to fuse?"
"A centipede and a garralosh infant..."
Holy heck. I do NOT want to see that.
"How on Pangera did you manage to get those two to go together?"
Their antennae twitch wildly.
"It ... wasn't easy. Extensive modifications were made to both creatures before the cores were able to merge. We don't believe the resulting creature will be useful, at all, but it's an important milestone!"
"Agreed... you didn't actually reconstitute one of these did you?"
"We did not."
Phew. Such a monstrosity should not be called into existence, even in the name of progress.
"This is really good news. Keep it up you two! I have high hopes for you. If we can develop more powerful and useful pets, it can have a positive impact in all aspects of the Colony."
The two core shapers happily salute me and prepare for the council proper to begin. I sincerely believe what I said, the Sophos have shown the raw power that pets can hold. The core shapers have already proven that their pets can be useful, but with time, and as their Skill levels rise, their creations will become more and more deadly. The Colony will be able to pour enough resources into those pets that they can become truly powerful.
"Alright then," I address the gathered council members, "where the hell are they?"
"What do you mean, Eldest?" Victor asks.
"We're expecting an invasion from multiple fronts! Where are they?! Have they just given up and gone home? Are we safe? I mean, has anyone seen any sign of the golgari invading us?"
There's an awkward moment around the table as the ants look at each other.
"We haven't seen anything," Burke admits, "we've been expanding our zone of control in every direction and our scouts have pushed hard toward golgari territory, but so far there hasn't been any sign of them."
Wills backs her partner up.
"It's true. We've set up relays of scouts to bring word as soon as they spot anything approaching through the tunnels. Right now, we just haven't found evidence of the invasion."
"That doesn't mean they aren't coming though," Advant warns the table, "we are still expecting a large enemy force to approach us, possibly from multiple directions."
"Our expansion has been going according to plan," Tungstant chips in, "the next two second strata nests are active and we've begun to develop surface nests to complement them. The new Queens are in place and the Biomass has begun to flow."
"Egg production has reached a new high at a touch over five thousand per day. It's going to put a strain on the academy as we attempt to graduate these larger classes. Our territory will need to continue to expand if we want to secure the experience and cores necessary to ensure our standards are met," the Brood tender, Florence informs the table.
"Also, we estimate that the total number of members in the Colony at around a hundred thousand," she adds.
"Five thousand a day?! A hundred thousand?!?!" I shout.
*THWACK!*
"Eldest! What was that for?" Leeroy complains.
"Sorry, I was shocked there for a second."
"But I didn't do anything!"
"You have a helmet on, you probably didn't even feel a thing. Shush."
"That's right," Theresant affirms, "it's become quite stressful, trying to keep up. A problem which will only get worse when the hatchlings from the two new nests emerge. We actually want to take this opportunity to ask for more resources to be dedicated toward the academies and rearing the brood."
"Done," every member of the table immediately agrees.
Regardless of the situation, the Colony does not hesitate to invest in the next generation. Sacrificing the future to preserve the present is not a trade any ant is willing to make. Everything is for the brood.
"I suppose that means that we need to rush the construction of the surface nests in order to provide training grounds," Cobalt muses. "That might mean the defences for the new nests are left unfinished for longer than we anticipated."
"It might be necessary," I say, "if the war against the golgari drags on, we'll have time to shore up our defences, but those hatchlings will be necessary reinforcements down the line."
A heavy silence falls around the table as the council is forced to confront the idea that a protracted fight will leave many ants dead. It's not something that the Colony has had to deal with so far, extended war against a superior foe. Which leads me to believe that there's another thing I need to say which they may not have considered.
"We need to think about what will happen if we lose this fight," I announce.
Each member of the council goes perfectly still, their antennae frozen with shock as they process what I said.
"We don't know what is coming, we don't know when they're going to get here, and we don't know that we'll be able to defeat this enemy. In the event that we lose, there needs to be a plan that will allow the Colony to survive. They'll try and hunt down every one of us if we can't push them back, so we'll need to be clever, hide Queens in faraway places, build disguised nests on the surface and place tier one and two ants there who can rebuild from scratch, given time. It's important that our family carry on, even if we should fall."
The council digests my words for a few long moments. I can tell they aren't happy about it, but they know it makes sense. No matter what happens, the Colony must survive.
-x-X-x-
In this world.
All things.
Flow.
To the Colony.
· Spoken by Cobalt at the seizure of the lightning mines of Al'Razza.
The plan has to have a name, of course. What is it with these ants and their insistence on stupid names?! I shoot down a few of the more obnoxious ones, like "Omega Seed Shield" and "Phoenix Ant Flames". I mean... why?! What the heck does flames have to do with anything, even if there are phoenix flames? That's just stupid and I administer a phew THWACKS to drive the point home to these thickies.
In the end, I manage to sell them on "Slow Grow".
"There's a chance that through some unknown magical means, the enemy may be able to interpret our pheromones," I tell them, "so any reference to seeds or phoenixes may lead them to uncover the plot and immediately know what it means. From this point, Slow Grow will be used to refer to this concept, and any pheromone messaging related to it will be scrubbed as thoroughly as possible. Acid wash the whole room if you have to."
The council agreed immediately. No measure is too extreme when the survival of the Colony, and indeed, our entire species may be on the line.
"Make this a priority," I inform them, "for my part, I'm going to get myself back out into the tunnels, scouting and fighting. I'll make sure not to get too far away, and I'll keep a scout relay between me and the nest at all times. Vibrant, you should get your team back out into the field as well. Skills and levels are going to win us this war, we need to get 'em."
"Are you sure you don't want to go with Vibrant again, Eldest?" Sloan asks, "your last expedition was very fruitful as I understand. The expanse you conquered is certainly one of the largest we've yet seen."
"Be careful in there," I warn her, "the big spider mother in there wasn't defeated and I get the feeling she holds a grudge. She's a sneaky so and so, don't take any risks. If she's still in there, we'll need an extensive digging project to get her out."
Leeroy looks like she's about to volunteer something, but her fellow Soldier, Brendant, puts a claw on her back and she quiets. Sending her and her squad after a large, powerful monster would be exactly the sort of thing she'd be looking for to enact her 'glorious sacrifice' plan. That's not happening.
"That reminds me. I've seen the work that Smithant has done for Leeroy and the group and after talking to her, it's become clear that she isn't getting the help that she needs. It seems that most carvers don't feel that making armour is worth their time."
Both Tungstant and Cobalt shift in their seats, uncomfortable with the topic.
"It's true that there isn't much enthusiasm when it comes to creating armour or weapons for ants," Cobalt admits, "most of the artisans feel that it's a waste to pour their effort into making things that we get naturally. If we want tougher defences, just mutate your carapace, if we need stronger weapons, mutate the mandibles. So far, our bodies have proven to be more capable than the things we can make."
It's clear from their words that they, in part, seem to agree with this sentiment. Sheer stupidity in my opinion.
"Look, the reality of the situation is that for most members of the Colony, tier four or five is the highest they can expect to go in terms of evolutions. Particularly in the short term. If we manage to continue to expand and we exist as a stable family for the next hundred years, that'll change, but for now, it's not. So if a soldier has maxed mutations for carapace, mandibles and whatever other organs they have which are combat related, they are no longer able to get stronger until they evolve, which may be a long time coming. How can that ant possibly improve?"
"I see what you're saying," Tungstant says, "the armour can be used in the meantime to shore up their carapace until they can evolve."
"Better than that, wearing the armour will help keep them alive until they can evolve. It's win-win. After my next evolution, I myself intend to order a set. I'll certainly get one for Tiny."
"If we spread word of that around, a few more crafters may be willing to lend a hand," Cobalt muses.
"Do whatever you have to do," I tell them, "just get Smithant the help that she needs. Asking her to produce enough sets to clad even a small force of ants on her own is just ridiculous. The amount of work that goes into one of these suits is insane."
I have a think.
"I think I'll go pay a visit to our prisoners before I leave," I announce, "from what I hear, we haven't gotten much out of them, so I may as well poke my antennae in and see what they have to say."
"The human, Beyn, has been speaking with the two new ones you brought in, Eldest," Mendant tells me in her gentle, soothing voice, "he's been quite excited to speak with them from what I understand."
That's just great. He'll be filling their heads with all sorts of nonsense.
"As soon as we hear anything about the enemy making their approach, we need to meet back here as a matter of urgency. Until then, continue the expansion, continue to develop our defences and networks, and put Slow Grow into action as soon as possible."
Nods all around. I make a circuit of the chamber, exchanging pheromones with each of the council members as I make my way out. The Colony is growing too large to be managed by just these twenty individuals. Perhaps not numerically, there are plenty of cities with one hundred thousand people in them who get by with a council, but geographically we are covering a huge amount of space. The two new nests are one thing, but the hunting territories around them, the various expanses that the Colony has conquered, the extensive mining operations, there's a whole lot going on. Sometime soon I'm going to have to ensure that the council is getting sufficient help, they can't keep doing it on their own.
I mean, at the rate the eggs are going to be laid, we'll be up to a million strong Colony before too long! What an exciting and scary thought! If the golgari were scared of us before, they'll be terrified of us then! Gweheheheh.
Still, as I leave the council, there's a certain feeling of stress and gloom hanging over the members as they each contemplate their roles under the threat of the impending invasion. A million things to do, but all of them will be dropped the instant one of those stone-skinned fools poke their noses into our territory.
With a shake of my antennae, I try to brush my concerns away. The only thing I can do, is try my best to do my duty as the strongest ant in the colony. Get stronger, and allow my siblings to rise up alongside me. I'll act as their sword to drive away those that would bring them harm, and their shield to defend them as they grow and become strong.
To that end, we need MOAR LEVELS!
[Are we heading back out into the Dungeon, Master?] Crinis asks.
[Sometimes I forget you don't hear what's said in pheromone language, Crinis. I just walk around assuming that you know what's been discussed after a meeting like that.]
[I know,] she huffs, [I've been considering acquiring a pheromone sensory gland when I next evolve, but when I checked the menu last time, it was unusually expensive. I think because I have none of the sensory receptors or nerve centres required to interpret the information.]
[That'd be a waste! Just remind me and I'll be happy to let you know what's going on.]
[Then I will do that, Master,] she sounds happy.
[By the by, what level are you Crinis?]
[Only level 21 Master,] she sound sad.
[That's not so bad! Why are you down about it?]
[I'll evolve a long time after you, again.]
[I got a lot of experience fighting against big nasty monsters, Crinis. Garralosh, the stupid tournament. All of those were extremely challenging and not exactly something I would have sought out on my own, given the choice.]
[I know that,] she mutters in my head, [I just don't like when you are so much stronger than me. How can I protect you against the sorts of enemies you'll go up against at tier six?]
[Look on the bright side,] I say, [when I'm tier six, you won't have to protect me from enemies at tier five anymore.]
[That doesn't help...]
Ah well. Worth a shot. Crinis has continued to be as protective of me as always, ever since we reunited after I escaped (with help) from the golgari. She's still riding around, attached to my carapace. She's heavy, but I can't quite bring myself to complain about it to her.
[Hey Tiny, Invidia. We need to get ready to go.]
The big ape looks up, his fists clenching with excitement.
[Fiiight?] he grunts.
I sigh.
[Yes, we're going back out to fight.]
He grins broadly and lumbers toward me, slapping me on the back with happiness. For his part, Invidia materialises his haunting, toothy grin in the air beneath his hovering eye, which flashes green.
[I willll haaaavvveeee levellllssssss.]
[Not too many,] I warn him, [you're still a higher tier than the rest of us. No point funnelling experience into you.]
The large eye flashes brighter as the envy demon baulks at being denied that which he desires, but I prod him with my antennae.
[None of that. We'll go check in on Jim and Sarah, pop by the prisoners, then a final check on our Biomass and Skills situation, then out to scout and take names. Let's go.]
-x-X-x-
I find Jim and Sarah in a place I didn't quite expect, visiting the golgari prisoners, which is an unexpected convenience for me. As I bustle onto the scene, my pets in tow, my two fellow ex-prisoners appear to be getting ready to leave.
[Hey there you two! How've you been?]
I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing humanish reactions from giant monsters. Jim is a gigantic worm, he basically doesn't have a face, you can't even see his mouth most of the time, but I can still recognise the awkward jerking motion he makes as he reacts to my voice.
Sarah, for her part, has a much more standard face. Eyes, nose, big ol' horrifying bear maw filled with death fangs of murderising. Standard. Those huge eyes blink slowly as she looks down at me for a moment.
[Anthony? I-I didn't expect to see you here...]
[Yeah, I've been ignoring this lot for a while. Letting them stew in their own juices, as the fairly disgusting saying goes. I guess I'm not that shocked to see you here, considering how long you were... a guest of the cult. Manage to get anything out of them?]
[I'm afraid not,] she says sadly, [they don't want to open up to me. I can't get any answers out of them about what they planned to do with me, or why. I guess I just wanted to know what made them want to turn on me.]
[Self-interest,] I shrug, [isn't it always? That's why you're better off hanging with the Colony. If you ask one of these ants if they're self-interested, they'd probably slap you in the face.]
[What about you Anthony?] Jim interrupts suddenly, his tone a little sharp, [can you make the same claim? You aren't an ant like them, after all, you were human once.]
I'm a little taken aback at these words, but I consider for a moment and do my best to answer.
[I don't think I'm particularly self-interested, or selfish. I didn't have that many wants or needs in my past life. I mean, some security would have been nice. Physical or emotional, either one, I'm not picky. Could have used some heat in the winter actually, those last few years were rough. Perhaps a few less beatings? I always wondered about that, you know? They knew I didn't have any money, so why continue the beatings? I tried asking once, but -]
[Jeez, I don't need your life story. I just want to know you won't turn on us to look after yourself like they did,] the big worm jabs his ringed tail back towards the improvised 'cell' the golgari are being kept in.
I scratch my head with an antenna.
[How did you die, Jim?]
He freezes for a long second.
[I'd rather not talk about it,] he mutters.
[That's fair enough. I shouldn't have asked. I myself starved to death because I gave all my last scraps of food to an ant colony I'd raised in my room. There were so many of them, I kind of figured they'd need it more than me, you know?]
[Thank you, Anthony,] Sarah says quietly, [I think you answered his question.]
[All good,] I give the two of them a cheery wave with an antenna, [all the people from Earth who wind up in this place are a little weird. We need to keep looking out for each other.]
[Right,] the enormous bear lumbers to her feet and begins to plod down the corridor, her vast bulk taking up most of the available space.
[Come on, Jim,] she calls back, [let's go hunting.]
[Again?!] the worm is aghast. [We just got back!]
[I feel motivated. Come on.]
[Fine, fine.]
If a worm can slither in a resentful way, then that's what I witness as Jim and his many segments vanish around the corner. Those two have been out hunting? Nice! I hope Sarah managed to keep herself under control. Having an insane raging doom bear stronger than myself tearing the tunnels apart would be a slight problem, to say the least. She has Jim to help keep her in line, that should be enough.
Pushing the two friends out of my mind, I round another corner to find who I came here to see. When I lay eyes on the 'cell' the colony stashed these two in, I almost stumble over. It's clear the ants don't have any real understanding of the concept of prisoners. These rooms are done up just the same as Enid's sitting room! The damn golgari are just sipping tea and relaxing in an idyllic, well-furnished sitting room! That's not the play!
If it weren't for the team of eight mages placed about the place watching them like hawks, you'd never know they were captives.
"Just having a quick chat," I inform the guards.
"Go ahead, Eldest. These two don't do much. Maybe talking to you will stir something up."
I hope not. I don't expect them to give us any meaningful intelligence, but at the least we might be able to use them as bargaining chips. It's unlikely, given how willing their leaders were to throw lives away, but I don't want to rule anything out at this point.
I reach out with a mind bridge and feel it snap into place in short order.
[I was wondering when you would come to gloat,] Irette Plamine sneers at me.
How do you even sneer over a purely mental form of communication? Her face didn't move, but there's a definite sneerish tone to her thoughts.
[Gloat about what? ] I ask, curious.
[Flipping the tables on us? Taking us captive and placing us in your control where once you were in ours?] she seems almost flabbergasted that I would need to ask.
[Oh, that. Honestly, I kind of forgot you two were here. There's a lot going on around here at the moment.]
[You WHAT?!] Plamine bursts out before her fellow triad member settles her down and turns to speak to me.
[Come now, Anthony,] she says, calm on the surface but with a simmering anger underneath, [you don't really expect us to believe that you forgot we were here, do you?]
Ahh... They seem annoyed. Might as well play it cool.
[Of course not. I've been... brooding! Yes, indeed! Brooding about... the unspeakable torture that I'm going to inflict on you, my former tormentors! Aha! What suffering... err... awaits you! Unless you tell me what I want to know!]
[You really did forget us didn't you?]
[I really did, yes, I'm sorry.]
I'm not that good at playing the villain.
[I don't think it's entirely my fault,] I say to their chagrined faces, [what with the whole threat of invasion thing hanging over our heads. The golgari who chased us were not happy, not happy at all.]
[Did they say anything about us?] Biritite Cryslas perks up.
[Not a word. Don't think they care about Shapers much, from what I gathered. No, they were mainly concerned with annihilating us.]
[As you deserve,] Irette spits at me, [a failure like you shouldn't even exist.]
[That's a lot of resentment from someone who had me locked up and forced to fight in a death tournament against my will. You seriously don't think you deserve just a little of the misfortune you've suffered? And what do you think is going to happen if the golgari do make it this far? I highly doubt they'll think a Colony of intelligent ant monsters kept you living comfortably and supplied in tea, during your entire captivity. Do you?]
I can tell that Irette is simply too angry to listen to what I have to say, but a flicker of understanding appears in the eyes of Biritite and I keep speaking to both of them, but mainly to her.
[The only chance you have of getting back into the empire of stone, or whatever you call yourselves, is to cooperate with me. There are cult members in the Colony right now, it's not like I've totally cut ties. The nutcase warriors on the way here are never going to take you home. The question you have to ask is, how badly do you want to see me fail? What price are you willing to pay?]
With that thought, I leave them to stew a little longer. I'll check in again when I get back from this excursion. Who knows? They might have something useful to share.