Chapter 686 - The Siege - FINAL
By Gandalf I'm tired.
BAM!
Stop hitting me, dammit!
DOOM CHOMP!
Just like every time I activate the Skill, a team of Legionaries with heavy shields leap forward, activating a host of abilities and anchoring against each other.
CRUNCH!
Despite my mandibles biting deep into the metal slabs these muscle heads call shields, I once again am not able to penetrate through and deal real damage. Stupid tin cans! Eat acid then! I drop my thorax low and raise my abdomen so I can blast the a-team in front of me with a face full of burn juice before resetting my position in the formation. The ants on my left and right depend on me to protect their flanks and if I extend too far or drop back a bit I expose them to unnecessary danger, something that's happened a fair bit over the course of the battle.
"Need a heal?" I scent the pheromones of my designated healer friend behind me.
"You've recharged already?" I'm a bit shocked.
"Nope. But I've found another healer who can top you off if needed."
I find it a little suspicious how capable and seemingly high level the healer who was placed behind me in the battle line turned out to be, and now, when healers are needed desperately all along the line she just so happens to have another of her caste waiting in reserve?
"I'm totally fine," I lie, "get that healing where it's needed."
I can almost hear the shrug of antennae behind me and the little ant burrows back down into the soil as the fight rages on. A few more exchanges and I see Tiny off to my right getting battered in the chest. A salvo of fireballs and charged arrows strike him right in the chest plate, knocking him off his feet. The big ape howls with rage but he's so exhausted he can't keep his feet any longer and topples over, scattering the Colony members beneath his feet.
[Invidia! Crinis! Make sure Tiny gets out of there in one piece.]
Desperate to make a distraction, I charge forward into the ranks of the Legion once more, shoving them back with my bulk. Only this time, I don't retreat quickly, instead, charging out again, snapping my mandibles for all I'm worth and blasting everyone I can see with gravity bolts. It's been a miracle that Tiny made it this long, he's not exactly built for endurance. Without the armour protecting him, I'd have ordered him out of the fight ages ago. If I actually survive long enough, I'm going to find Smithant and personally thank that little genius. I'll have to see if she can find any see-through materials when I get my own armour. I can't have my magnificent carapace obscured for any reason!
BAM!
Although, I could probably do with some extra shielding now... The Legion forces are quick to capitalise on my poor position and close around my flanks faster than Vibrant eating breakfast. My senses sharpen to their finest point as my antennae, reflexes and muscles move in perfect synchronisation, deflecting and dodging every blow I can and diverting others to clash against my carapace. Precious diamond carapace, saving my bacon once again!
Truth be told, the Legionaries are moving a bit slow, certainly they lack the oomph they usually do. The battle has been long as just as the ants have grown weary, even these indomitable humans have grown tired of the constant effort. Trying to fight your way through tens of thousands of monstrous ants is going to take it out of you, no matter who you are. Although the gravity domain and bolts that I'm firing out might not seem like they have much of an effect, I'm confident they are keeping me alive right now as the soldiers targeting my life find it that little bit harder to move and swing their weapons.
Chomp! Chomp! CHOMP!
I thrash around desperately and I'm pleased to see that my distraction has done its job. A chance to put down the indescribably attractive ant that I am has lured the Legion away from the area Tiny fell and the Colony has rushed extra numbers to shore up the line as Crinis drags her fellow pet away whilst Invidia heals him out of any immediate danger.
[Great work!] I call back to them. [Once Tiny is safe, please come and rescue me...]
[MASTER!]
I'm going to get told off pretty bad by Crinis after this. Perhaps death is the answer. No! Can't think like that, need to live!
From behind the lines Victor watches the surge offense of the Eldest falter as they are quickly surrounded. The loss of the great ape guardian has been keenly felt in the lines, but there is nothing for it, the Colony has no choice but to press forward!
"Get in there and fight!" she orders every ant in reserve forward. "Follow the Eldest and battle for the Colony!"
"FOR THE COLONY!" comes back the roar as the ants, only recently healed from their injuries plunge back into the fray once more.
Unwilling to be left behind, Victor herself runs forward to join the conflict. What does it matter if she were to fall here? After this, there are no more plans or strategies that she needs to look over. Either they stand here, or perish. Sensing the frantic energy of these final moments, the human allies join with the surging ants as they charge forward with their final gasp of strength. All the while, the Eldest rampages throughout the Legion ranks, throwing their weight around and absorbing an absurd amount of punishment as they seek to disrupt the enemy's battleline.
"Break through!" Victor roared as she lunged forward, her mandibles chomping as she hurled her body into the soldiers in front, buckling their line as the next wave ran over her back to crash in again.
Every available ant had joined the charge and all along the line the scene of fresh troops surging into the Legion shields and swords was repeated. Soldiers, scouts, mages, healers, every ant present on the field of battle had joined this final assault in the hopes of finally breaking through. The enemy realised quickly what was happening and redoubled their efforts, fighting as a cohesive unit to stave off the wave of ants who had arrived.
The ferocity of the battle had reached a frenetic peak. Neither side was willing to take a backward step and in three short minutes Victor had witnessed hundreds of acts of selfless courage, skill and sacrifice from both sides. In the middle of it all, the diamond ant burned bright, like the flare of a candle on the verge of going out. No matter how the ants pressed, or how much ground they gained, the Eldest remained always beyond reach. As if psychically linked with the Colony itself, every time Victor surged along with her siblings, the Eldest would also plunge deeper into the sea of Legion troops. Unable to reach their progenitor, the first of their kind and most selfless defender, the ants of the Colony only grew more frenzied, charging again and again into the enemy line to shove them back, heedless of their own injuries.
Victor could see the Legion's strategy play out. They wanted to absorb the charge, give ground and let the Colony's spirit break along with their momentum. In that moment, they would seek to return the pain they had endured a hundredfold with a counter charge that would shatter the ant formation and break open the nest once and for all. Even knowing this, there was nothing Victor could do. All they could do was follow in the footsteps of their progenitor, the first of their kind, and charge into the blades of the enemy.
Suffused with the boost of their human allies, who roared and screamed as they raised their shaking arms and ran on unsteady legs, the Colony unleashed its true ferocity on the Legion. For one moment, one shining moment, Victor thought they would break. The Eldest was unstoppable and no matter how they tried, the Legionaries could not bring them down. Wherever they went, the Legion formation buckled and broke, opening gaps through which poured hundreds of giant ants within seconds as they bit and crunched whatever they could find in their need to reach their saviour. After driving so deep, and causing so much disruption, Victor saw the line on the verge of collapse and felt hope surge from deep within her core.
But like an illusion, it rippled and was gone, the gaps closing over before her eyes and the wall of shields re-established itself and the ant's charge finally faltered. A moment later she saw why. The Eldest had collapsed, one of their legs finally getting caught and had been severed at the joint and their momentum had brought them down with a crash. In just a few moments, the Legionaries would descend on the prone form of the strongest ant and there was nothing Victor could do about it.
And that's when it came. A tidal wave of mana that tore through the tunnel like a scream. The Dungeon veins latticed through the stone seemed to pulse and writhe as the walls began to shift as monsters took shape within, soon to be spawned and emerge.
Both sides stopped instantly and Victor could almost curse as the joy surged within her. Now?! The wave comes NOW?! Even ten minutes earlier and he wouldn't have had to endure this mad rush of disaster. Without a word, the Legion forces pulled back and marched a brisk pace, their fatigue only showing in rare places as they vacated the battlefield, taking their wounded with them. After a second, Victor rushed forward to support the Eldest and soon the giant ant was hoisted onto the backs of a few strong soldiers so they could be transported back to the nest.
"Just like that?" the Eldest echoed Victor's own thoughts, "they pick up and leave?"
No one replied for a long moment as the mana continued to surge around them, filling the tunnel with an intoxicating level of energy. Then the Eldest began to laugh, both in scent and in thought as mind magic spilled out of them and into every ant and human in reach. It was as if a bubbling wellspring of relief and gladness had burst into being within all of them and none dared to speak lest they disturb it and snuff it out. So it was that Eldest was silently escorted back into the nest, laughing joyously all the way.
-x-X-x-
Titus was relieved to find Morrelia had been returned as promised not an hour after the Legion had withdrawn from the battle. The instant the surge of mana had arrived, Titus had stood down in his fight with the Keeper and the bruan'chii had stood aside. The purpose of the tree-people had been to stymie the Legion and their mission had been accomplished. The Keeper had been gracious, but the leaves had not, rustling with obvious happiness at seeing her enemies fail in their task. Titus didn't care. Including the auxiliaries, hundreds of good Legionaries had been lost in this endeavour and even the safe return of his only child couldn't completely snuff the morose feeling in his chest.
Legionaries fight monsters and died doing it all the time, he knew that it was just a reality of the world, but he was never able to completely shut away the pain of his soldiers dying under his command. His wife would just say he lacked maturity, but then she was always more suited to command than he was. She was in charge of the whole bloody Legion at this point after all.
"Morrelia," he said, embracing his daughter when she reached him, "I'm glad to see you are safe."
She'd been escorted back by a group of humans led by Enid Ruther to the end of the tunnel that led toward the nest. Titus had recalled all his troops to this point and was still waiting for some of the further out groups to come back. He pushed his daughter back so he could look into her face and saw the mixed emotions there. Happiness, shame, guilt. No doubt she blamed herself for losing control of her berserker skills in the midst of battle and getting captured. She had so much promise, if she learned from her mistakes she would be a commander before too long.
He reached up and placed a hand on her head.
"Your mother will be so pleased to see you again. If you'd died just before she finished her commission, I fear she would have collapsed the Iron Mountain down on her own head."
It was a poor attempt at a joke and the more Titus thought about it, the more realistic a scenario it seemed. Watching the expression on her father's face shift from joking to a glum realisation made Morrelia laugh and the knot inside her eased slightly with the release of tension. She had betrayed the Legion, but she believed it had been for the right reasons. With any luck they would never return and the Colony would continue to be peaceful and cooperative with everyone they came across. If so, she would never have to regret too strongly the decision that she had made here.
"I hope you and your people are able to retreat safely before things get too crazy down here," Enid said. Then she frowned. "I also hope you never come back."
It was far more grace than he could expect to receive from opponents he'd been fighting not an hour previous.
"I thank you for your words," Titus nodded, "I do not know where the Legion will send us next, With this new wave coming so close on the heels of the last one, there will be problems all over Pangera. We defend many remote communities from the Dungeon and our people are stretched thin."
"I know the work you do to defend the helpless and it is appreciated around the world," Enid snapped, "if only you'd devoted yourselves to doing that instead of coming here and trying to kill people that didn't need killing. I've lost a lot of good folk and so have you."
The commander could only shake his head.
"The two tasks are one and the same. We came here to protect people from what these monsters will become. I hope you realise the mistake you have made before it's too late."
With nothing left to say to each other, the two sides parted ways and Titus got back to organising his forces, counting the dead, ensuring the injured were cared for and arranging logistics. He would need to get his Legion to a gate as soon as possible and he was determined that none would be left behind. After two more hours, every head had been accounted for and the Legion began their march. They were exhausted and drained, but none complained. Better a hard stretch of travel now followed by rest than a never ending battle against the monsters who were already beginning to spawn from the walls.
Enid sighed as she watched them go before she turned back to walk up the tunnel to the nest. Already the ants were swarming over the ruins of their once pristine tunnel, trying to re-establish their defences before the wave hit in force. It was amazing the damage that good people with bad ideas could do, she reflected. Though doubtless Titus would say the exact same thing about her. Not wanting to dwell on such depressing thoughts, she instead turned her mind to the things she would need to do next and the list quickly grew.
First of all she would need to contact the families of those who had fallen. An unenviable job, but a necessary one. She could remember many times her husband would take on this duty, informing the loved ones of those who hadn't made it back from a delve. Shoulders square, Enid walked briskly. There was work to be done.
When the High Blade Balta had awoken he had instinctively felt that they had lost. That he had lost. Not only the duel, but the expedition, his reputation and that of his house. When confirmation came from contacting the Abyssal Legion that the reincarnator yet lived, he knew that he had been ruined. The reputation he had staked, the favours he had called in, all for nothing. Less than nothing. The wave wouldn't finish the ants as some of his advisors hoped, he was sure of it. In fact, he was scornful of those who were prepared to think it. The ants had been stronger, far stronger, than he had expected and thousands of golgari had been lost in the tunnels. When he returned to the empire the disgrace of this failure would haunt the house of Balta for years. He felt so frustrated he could burst.
Full of spite and bitterness, he barely paid attention as the lesser nobles arranged their swift retreat back to the nearest gate. They would need to travel hard and even then they wouldn't make it before the monsters started to spawn. Yet more trouble awaited them. When they finally began to move, the golgari expedition was a silent and morose column of warriors and shapers each lost in their own thoughts. Such was the manner of the defeated.
Inside the nest, the Colony had not paused to rest for even a moment. The council had launched into action only to find that their various caste members had already leaped into their work. The carvers were everywhere, in the tunnels, working on the gates, shaping stone and metal with the assistance of the soldiers who were doing the heavy lifting, many of them injured. The healers worked frantically, trying to turn over as many wounded as possible in as short a time as they could manage. If an ant was eighty percent healed, they were out the door, Biomass, time and their own regeneration would take care of the rest. The more severely damaged Colony members were overflowing the more long term wards within the nest and tunnels were co-opted for emergency treatment areas.
The Colony had lost many over the duration of the conflict. The final toll, when it was eventually counted, was large, over ten thousand members of the family had fallen in the fighting. Fortunately, the Queen's had not ceased egg production during the long siege and the total population of the Colony hadn't much changed. Even so, many excellent ants had fallen and they were mourned. The Colony grieved in the only way they knew: work.
-x-X-x-
Legs are something I grow back easily enough. The cracks and damage to my carapace is going to take significantly longer, especially considering how I'm totally out of juice in my regeneration gland. The inner plating will help a ton though and before too long, I'll be back on my feet and out there working with my siblings in no time.
...
BUT I DON'T WANNA! I'm tired dammit! The Legion has been gone less than an hour and I still don't have a full complement of legs! Give me a break! Please! Where are the mandatory rest enforcers? I have an emergency situation for them?! Actually, I think I spot one over there, what's she doing? Lifting rubble. Dang. I suppose in these dire times, even the strictest of Colony rules must be waived to some degree. Until I get all of my legs back, I'm stuck sitting in the middle of the chamber within the gate whilst a flurry of work gets done around me. At least I get to 'listen' in on the various reports as they come in.
The brood chambers have been secured, though it was apparently quite difficult to defeat the golgari. I have only sympathy for the soldiers and scouts who had to go in there. Trying to fight amongst the brood without injuring them? A nightmare scenario. A few clutches of eggs were totally destroyed, as well as many larvae. Even though the damage was contained to just a few rooms, the losses could be as many as a thousand. The eggs are kept fairly bundled up after all, there are hundreds of them in each egg chamber.
The very thought of the losses suffered by the next generation makes my blood boil and I'm sure every ant in the Colony feels the same. If it weren't for the wave, I'm fairly confident a team would have been launched to chase down the stone people and end them. I'd have gone. Just thinking of the adorable grubs who never managed to reach maturity... I wonder if the Colony will let me retire and become a full time grub tickler? There's a need that I can fill! The grubs deserve only the best tickles!
Bah. No chance. The Queen would chase me out of the brood chambers in a matter of minutes. It was a relief when a passing brood tender was able to let me know that the Queen was alright. For some reason I'd thought she'd be safe in the egg-laying chamber, but trust the Queen to find some way to nearly die whenever there's a major fight going on. Apparently, she nearly died twice this time, which is a new record. Her injuries were fairly major and they don't think she'll be back to egg-production for a few days, which must be serious. Sarah has apparently holed herself up in the chamber with the Queens and is refusing to leave, though she needs some serious healing as well from what the tenders tell me. I'll have to pick myself up and get over there for a visit, once I can walk that is.
As for that traitorous ringworm, there hasn't been any sighting. He's so damn good at hiding in the stone and soil of the Dungeon, it'll be a nightmare to find him. With the wave going on, I doubt the Colony will have the antpower to spare looking for his treachery laden backside. The second he turns up, he's going to be food, I swear it on the lost grubs! What he hoped to achieve with his betrayal, I've no clue, and I don't care. Justice will find him eventually.
Knowing how bad he is at fighting, I've little doubt he's burrowed himself as deep and far as he can from any tunnel or expanse and he'll stay there until the wave is passed. He lived a long time that way, I don't expect his habits are going to change now.
"Hey Eldest, slacking off I see?"
"Brendant? What do you mean?" I gesture down at my missing limbs. "What exactly are you expecting of me in this situation, eh?"
"Not much I suppose," she clacks her mandibles, seemingly feeling quite chipper. "The council wants to have a full meeting in a few hours, once we get a better sense of where we stand. The wave is going to be a real problem and the nest is in pretty bad shape right now."
"What about the other nests?" I ask, "have we had any word of how they are travelling?"
"Runners are on the way as we speak. We should hear back before the meeting."
I'm nervous about those other nests. They're smaller and less well protected than this one. Even if the golgari and Legion left them alone, I fear that the wave will be a huge challenge for them to overcome.
"What's the most important undertaking right now? What's got the highest priority?" I'm curious about what they're focusing on.
The big soldier thinks for a moment.
"Probably moving the hatchlings up to the surface training grounds. If we don't manage to move them before the wave really picks up, it's going to be a nightmare to shift them later. There's thousands of the little sisters packed away under the Queen's chambers and they need to get to the academy as quickly as we can manage."
"I guess we can restart the farm project as well," I muse, "they were able to provide a ton of Biomass during the first wave. And I guess we need to secure the surface nests as well. There's no guarantee that any nasties that climb up from below will bump into us here, they might get all the way to the surface..."
Holy moly, I'm starting to see the sheer body of work in front of us. Brendant sees the realisation flicker in my antennae and clicks her mandibles in understanding.
"Get well soon, Eldest," she says, "there's plenty for you to do."
Great. She skitters off to organise more escort groups for hatchlings and I continue to flop about as the small stumps that will become my new legs continue to sprout. Before much time has passed I feel a familiar mind reach out to me.
[Not looking so hot over there, kid. Not exactly like the mighty ancient I had in mind.]
What the?
[Granin?!]
I use a few legs on one side to spin my body around and face the big shaper standing behind me with his two triad-mates by his side.
[What the hell happened to you, you old brick head?] I cry, [I thought you were stuck with the golgari?]
He pulls a face.
[Bah. It's all politics. I wanted to stay and help out with the cult and try to clean up the mess we were left with when the city found out about the stupid games they were playing. Instead, the Balta clan went nuts, demanded they be given the rights to hunt you down as a matter of honour and drafted me into the expedition. Typical warrior circle rubbish,] he spat. [On the fringes of the empire, the houses can do whatever they want and get away with it, the interior doesn't care. I swear, the whole golgari race has been in decline ever since the cataclysm. Too much pride isn't healthy, especially when a giant worm shows up and eats everyone.]
I can tell the old shaper is deeply irritated, so I let him grumble for a few seconds before I follow up with another question.
[So what's your plan now? You going to hang around.]
[If you'll have me,] he shrugs. [I'm not good for much but I happen to be an expert in monster evolution, between the three of us here, we can be a big help. The later evolutions are very different from the first, the options really widen up.]
Wot?
[MORE options?! You have to be kidding me! The menu lists are a mile long!]
He chuckles.
[Oh boy, you're not going to like this then. Good thing you have us around. No rush, there's still time until you evolve again. What's your level anyway?]
Uhhh, good question. I've been pretty much ignoring the System messages for days now. I'll take a quick peak.
HOLY MOLY! Seventy three?!
-x-X-x-
My reaction must have given something away, Granin was always quite good at reading me. Amazingly so considering I don't have facial muscles and therefore no expression to speak of. Perhaps his many decades of experience working with monsters has given him some sort of sixth sense in matters such as this.
[What's your level?] he asks.
[Bit rude, just up and asking like that, isn't it?] I feel exposed.
He grunts.
[Keep your false modesty. There's a whole nest of ants here who need your strength, so out with it.]
[Seventy three.]
[That's close,] he whistles, [you're going to need that consultation before too long. With the wave coming, those levels and the Biomass requirements should be filled pretty quick.]
He pauses our conversation for a moment to turn and speak to Torrina and Corun. The three of them converse in rapid tones for a moment before he turns back to me.
[Sounds like you haven't exactly been availing yourself of the help I sent you,] he says sourly.
I feel a little guilty. The two golgari cultists had abandoned their people to come and help me because they, along with Granin, saw potential for something great in me. I've just never been much of a careful planner. Or a deep thinker. Or patient. Hang on a second. Am I just stupid?
[Don't think about it too much,] Granin sighs, [I know you can't be bothered thinking about this stuff. Since you aren't going anywhere until the little stumps wiggling on your side grow a bit more, I may as well explain a couple of things.]
The big shaper lowers himself to the ground and sits in front of me, looking at me face to face.
[The thing you need to keep in mind, is that monsters are stronger than people.]
That doesn't seem right. That Titus guy was crazy strong! He carved down one of the frickin' gates by himself! As if sensing my protest before it arrives, Granin raises a hand.
[I know, alright? Just stop thinking for a minute and listen. Yes, individuals can become very strong. You might even say monstrously strong,] he smirks before he settles and continues, [in the legends, during the Rending, the great golgari heroes were supposedly capable of truly ridiculous feats. One of the first shapers was supposedly so strong in earth magic, he could conjure a mountain to smash his foes with. Whether or not that's true, none can say. Now whilst that strength might seem impressive, the number of golgari, human, folk or any other race who manage to achieve that kind of power are less than one in a million. Way less. The other indisputable fact is, no person has ever matched the kind of strength that the ancients possess, and each of them, is a monster.]
[How many billions of monsters does it take before one rises to the level of an ancient?] I say sceptically, [all you've really told me is that monsters have higher potential.]
Granin waves a hand.
[We're getting a little side tracked, talking about the ancients. What I was more trying to emphasise is that, generally speaking, a monster is stronger than a human or golgari. Strong monsters need teams of strong people to bring them down. Eventually, some monsters get powerful enough that large teams of up to a hundred are necessary. You've probably met a few like that, surely?]
Garralosh, obviously, but she was a special case, being a reincarnator like me. I've seen strong monsters though. The giant whale fish thing I glimpsed in the first expanse I visited in the second strata, or the giant spider mama who was such a pain in the butt. Seeing agreement in me, he continues.
[Right. At the moment you're tier five, once you reach tier six and above, you've joined the ranks of the elite monsters, the type that very few people can hope to match one on one. They exist of course, especially the deeper in the Dungeon you get, but you're on the precipice of real strength.]
He gives me a second for that to sink in.
[The other thing you need to be aware of is how the options will change starting with your next evolution. You probably noticed looking at your eyeball over there,] he gestures toward Invidia, [that he has mutations and abilities that haven't been available to you. Am I right?]
I nod slowly.
[That's true. I figured it was because of the strata we originated from. As a demon, he gets access to juicier stuff than me, since I'm just an insect from the upper layers.]
[That's true. The deeper you go, the 'juicier' the options a monster will get by default. However, the playing field is meant to be level in the Dungeon. Sapients and monsters alike, everyone is supposed to have the same chance to succeed. This means there must be a way to balance this discrepancy.]
[I'm assuming your about to tell me what it is?]
[Obviously. It's called the Rescindic Principle of Mutable Advancement in the academic circles. We mostly just call it a cash in.]
[... a cash in.]
He nods.
[Yes. Basically, you trade in all your current mutations on a particular body part in order to upgrade it to a better base model. Once you evolve at +25, this option will become available to you.]
[What do you mean by better base model?] I'm confused.
I can tell Granin is passionate about this stuff, the more he explains, the more animated he gets and I'm starting to get a little lost. Seeing the dazed emotion in my eyes, he settles himself.
[Let's use your carapace as example.]
[Not my carapace!] I try to cover my glittering shell with my antennae and fail miserably.
[Bear with me, alright? You'll like this.] He soothes me with a gesture. [Your carapace started out as the default exo-skeleton that all insect monsters in the first strata have access to. The thickness might have varied, but you ultimately had the exact same protection that the centipedes had.]
How revolting.
[Now, you've made excellent improvements and your diamond carapace is extremely durable, I think you picked very well. But what if I told you, it's possible to revert your carapace back to +0, but instead of starting over with plain jane regular chitin, it could be diamond from the get go?]
Wait... that would mean...
[Right,] he affirms. [Then you could upgrade it from scratch again, adding more and more diamond mutations along the way. By the time you got back to +25, your carapace would be twice as tough as it is now. Not only is this a great way for a monster such as yourself to power up, it's also a necessary step for you to compete with monsters in the deeper layers. Unlike you, they were spawned in an environment with far higher mana concentration, so they get the good stuff right out of the gate.]
[But the amount of Biomass that would take!] I protest, [it's insane! I'll struggle to get everything maxed before I hit level eighty as it is. Then the next evolution won't be until level one-sixty. And the Biomass to take everything from zero to +30 will be bonkers!]
It just doesn't seem feasible, and it appears that Granin agrees.
[Which is why you don't reset everything. That's stupid,] he says, [at most, I recommend that you do two of your body parts. Some of these resets will probably appear in your evolution choices as well, and those count too. Say you get one cash in from your evolution, then during the process, cash in one other thing. Also keep in mind that there are better cash in choices available at +30 than there are at +25, and so on. If you want your carapace to be as strong as possible, you either need to reset it every evolution, or wait until your reach tier seven or eight before you cash in.]
My mind is spinning. The number of possibilities this opens up is nuts...
[I told you it was going to get crazy,] Granin grins. [Look at the envy demon. You could make your internal structure mutable at your next evolution, then chomp away until you get it to +30. The next time you evolved you could cash in and change it to the same as his, the pocket dimension. No matter what breaks through your shell, your organs would suffer no damage. It's a handy one to have.]
He stands up and brushes off his granite exterior.
[I'll have a word with you about the choices you could look at first when it's time for you to evolve. In the meantime, I want to have a word with the rest of the leadership. There's a council or something right?]
[Uh, yeah?] I'm confused. [What do you want with them?]
[I want to make sure they know how important it is to funnel resources to you,] he says flatly, [one tier six powerhouse will do more to protect the Colony during the wave than a thousand tier threes. If they'd concentrated their efforts on you, you'd be tier six already and this siege would have gone much better for you and your whole family. You wouldn't have been able to take on the Legion single handed, but they would have had to have been very careful about what they chose to put in front of you. From here on out, it's the big leagues, Anthony. Especially this high up. If the Colony is going to survive, they need strong members, and they should start with you.]
... I think they wanted to do that ages ago, but I told them no... I won't mention it though. Might as well keep that tidbit to myself.
-x-X-x-
The process of 'peeling', or 'folding' Dungeon veins in order to create low mana density zones within the Dungeon was possibly the most important technique developed in the history of sapient habitation of the world below. Without this method, it would be difficult enough to live at any depth during times of normal mana concentration. During a wave, it's impossible to exist as any settlement would be forced into a constant state of warfare as monsters leap from the walls, roof and floor.
Though expensive, labour intensive and requiring specific materials to achieve, the technique has been a foundational pillar of every major city and gathering place within the Dungeon, even in the upper strata. The method itself makes use of the Dungeon veins' own behaviour, wherein they invade and extend themselves into every available space.
Evidence exists that societies were performing the 'folding' technique during the latter stage of the Rending, as the various surviving empires and militaries began to extend their reach into the lower levels. It isn't known if the factions spread the knowledge amongst themselves or if the method was derived separately by each, but those who were able to first grasp the process and make use of it enjoyed a significant advantage in the territorial struggle that followed.
· Excerpt from page 25 of 'Territorial disputes and sovereignty in the Dungeon', by Cicero.
Tungstant's brain was spinning with a heady combination of exhaustion, exhilaration, grief, relief and worry. There was so much work for the carver caste to do and so little time in which to accomplish it that she honestly didn't think there was much chance it would be completed in time. What she needed to know yesterday, was exactly how much they could get done, and exactly what state the nest's defences would be in by the time the wave hit for real.
"How long until the gate is ready to go?" she asked with as much patience as she could muster.
The team in front of her launched into a long and detailed explanation of the structural integrity of the gate, the need to forge new brackets and anchor them to the wall, the re-shaping and compacting that needed to be done to the rock until she cracked.
"Just estimate a time!" she barked. "I know there are challenges, I know it's complicated, and I know you're working as hard as possible, just give me your best guess. Please."
The lead carver on the job sized up the council member for a moment, her antennae scratching the top of her head.
"It would take days to get the gates refitted in any proper way," the ant said finally, "there's just too much damage to the brackets and getting new ones fitted can't be rushed."
That was far too long. Monsters would be storming up the tunnel in less than an hour! The carver clacked her mandibles to settle the uneasy team around her.
"Instead, we go fast and nasty. Stand up what's left of the old gates, patch them up as best we can and mould the rock around them to hold them in place. It's bad work, but we can get it done in a few hours, worry about the rest when we get a chance."
Tungstant and the other carvers bristled at the suggestion and even the one suggesting it looked somewhat disgusted. If there was one thing the entire caste hated, it was sloppy craftsmanship, and that extended to all circ.u.mstances and projects, even emergencies. In this situation though...
"Get it done as fast as you can," she told the team. "If you need help from the mage caste, make sure you put in a request quickly, they've been cooking up something big over there and you'll need to get in early if you want the extra help."
One of the carvers flicks an antenna dismissively.
"They can't handle earth magic as well as we can," she said, "I'm sure we'll be fine."
"Fast work, not good work," Tungstant grimaced (which for an ant, involved flexing the mandibles and tilting the antennae in an unsightly angle). "If the extra mage support will get the job done faster, that's what we care about right now. We can do emergency patch work after the fact if necessary."
They all grumble but accede to the wisdom of the decision in the end. A renewed frenzy takes over the worksite as the new direction is adopted and the carvers get to work establishing the leverage they'll need to get the gates standing again. With that relatively minor fire put out, she was able to turn around and rush back into the nest, already considering the next emergency she needed to take care of.
Right! The council meeting!
Suddenly remembering that she had that chore to deal with, she changed direction sharply, making her way to the designated council chamber as quickly as she could. A part of her was irritated at the idea that important work was being delayed for a meeting of all things, but she understood the necessity of it. Without proper coordination, the complex machinery of the Colony couldn't function properly, especially in a crisis like this. Most of the time the Colony ran itself just fine, her siblings were perfectly capable of making decisions regarding what needed doing, and how. But sometimes the overall macro plan needed to be considered and the council suited that function.
She raced in to find most of the members already gathered. Even the Eldest was there, although they were still somewhat lacking in the leg department. She rushed to her seat and no sooner had she plopped herself down in it, her thorax resting comfortably in the carved grooves than Cobalt flicked a quick query her way.
"How's things looking with the gate?" she scented quietly.
"Not great," she replied, just as softly, "but I think we'll be able to hack together a rough solution in a few hours that should hold for now."
The other carver pulled a face and Tungstant had to stifle a laugh. Some things were consistent for all of them.
"I know we're all very busy," called Coolant from her end of the table, "so let's try and get through this as fast as we can. Before we start, is there anything you would like to say to the group, Eldest?"
All twenty members turned their eyes to the Eldest who fidgeted on their chair with the sudden attention.
"Ah, me? Say something? Anything? Like what?"
"Whatever you want," Coolant replied, a little exasperated.
"I suppose I can," the Eldest said and then paused for a moment, clearly gathering their thoughts, "first thing I want to say is that I'm proud of all of you. Yeah. You've done a great job and as a family we've come so far since the time you were born. I know I could never do the things that all of you do every day and I guess.. I just wanted to say how proud I am. Every member of the Colony is incredible, and so are you. Don't forget it."
The last sentence is a little more firm than the others and each member felt an implicit threat, as if they would suffer dire consequences should they dare forget how much the Eldest was pleased with them.
"Second thing I wanted to say was that... the upcoming wave is going to be a challenge, obviously. There's going to be a huge amount of monsters banging on the gates and flooding our territory. It's going to be hard, it's going to be exhausting. And so soon after we just overcame the greatest threat we've ever faced. The creatures we'll see, probably from the third strata, are going to be stronger than anything we've encountered before. But I wanted us to look at this wave in a different way. For all the challenges we'll face, this wave could be an opportunity. More monsters means more experience, more Biomass. The last wave forced us to escape to the surface, we weren't strong enough to hold our ground, but even then we were able to farm and benefit a great deal. This time, we have nests, we're deep, we have tens of thousands of members. We can do so much more than we did before. We're not going to retreat. We're going to step forward. This wave is going to give us cover from the Legion, and the golgari and we need to use the time to get so strong they won't even bother trying to mess with us. That's all I wanted to say."
There was silence around the table as the Eldest settled back into their seat. The Eldest had gotten more steady the more they had spoken and in the end had spoken quite clearly about the direction they envisaged the Colony should go in. Tungstant found the message inspiring. Instead of a threat... this was a chance. If they became so strong that even the Legion would be too hesitant to attack. If that happened, they would get even more space, and then use that space to grow even more powerful.
The glorious future of the Colony was shining brightly in her mind in that moment, and in the minds of all the others who sat around that table. Except the Eldest, who was waggling the stump of a leg back and forth.
-x-X-x-
Discussions progressed at a rapid pace after my initial, rather embarrassing speech. There was a ton of things on the go around the Colony and still too much that we didn't know. The status of the two satellite nests was still unknown, how exactly we were going to handle training the surge of hatchlings heading up to the surface, the huge amount of wounded that still needed caring for. Several things were easy to take care of. We made sure to issue an emergency recall of all aphids who were currently deployed in the expanse within our territory. It wouldn't be safe for them to remain in place during the wave and I'm fairly confident most of them were brought back to the nests before the siege anyway. Prioritising the expansion of the colony's capability in the metallurgy space was a no-brainer and the carvers were directed to get back onto this process as soon as the defences were done.
Cobalt and Tungstant had worked with their caste to design a truly ambitious system for the delivery, sorting and smelting of ores that would increase the capacity of the main nest to produce ingots by tenfold should it get off the ground. Securing a supply of raw ore would be difficult during the wave, but it was important the Colony work to position itself to come out of the onslaught in the best possible position.
In the middle of discussions, I dropped a bomb.
"I'm not certain that tier three is enough for our graduates anymore."
My pronouncement was met with a stunned silence and I quickly raised my antennae in a placating gesture.
"I know, I know. Getting so many ants to tier three so quickly is already a massive task. There already aren't enough cores to go around, Biomass is in constant demand and as the number of satellite nests increases, so will the number of hatchlings in need of training. I get it. The challenges are real. I want to ask you though, do you really believe that tier three is enough to contend with what we are facing right now, and are likely to face in the future?"
The council members all consider my words carefully as I speak and Victor pipes up after a few moments of thought.
"From the perspective of a general, a tier four in the warrior caste is more than twice as useful as a tier three. The evolutions of the general caste are better fighters, provide more beneficial auras and even their raw stats make them better planners. Soldiers, it goes without saying just how much a soldier can gain in terms of defensive ability, jaw strength, regeneration and speed in that one evolution. Scouts are the same, I'm sure you would agree, Burke and Wills, are much more capable at the fourth tier."
"Getting them to tier five would be far better than getting them to tier four, but that doesn't mean it's feasible," Propellant objected. "Obviously a mage is far better at controlling spells with an extra evolution under their belt, but the bottom line is, experience and cores, where are you going to get them from? If we end up pushing more ants to evolve faster, but without providing the necessary cores to increase the available evolutionary energy, then we'd be crippling rather than helping ourselves."
"I agree with that point," I tell them, "in fact I want us to put a higher priority on maxed cores for every evolution as well."
More silence meets my second announcement.
"Look," I say, resting my two antennae on the table much like a human putting their elbows down and steepling their fingers, "we aim to get smarter and better in every aspect of Colony life, all the time. Am I right?"
The other council members could only agree.
"Raising the brood to be as strong as possible is the most fundamental and important duty this Colony undertakes. There is nowhere and nothing more deserving of innovation and improvement than this. We need more experience? Let's think about how to make it happen. We need more cores? Let's explore ways we can make it happen! I know the brood tenders have put an enormous amount of work into their curriculum and their methods of instruction for the hatchlings, they haven't stopped trying to improve. It's the rest of us who need to lift when it comes to supplying the raw materials. During the wave, I don't think this is going to be much of a problem, but going forward, I think this is a change we have to make."
The two brood tenders on the council, Theresant and Florence, both clack their mandibles in gratitude that I acknowledge the hard work they and their entire caste has put in, something the rest of the council immediately echoes. After more discussions and apportioning of work, the council breaks up and everyone rushes back to doing what needs to be done. Everyone has their role and their own special task assigned to them, even me, which is why I find myself outside the nest looking curiously at the overflowing vegetation that has taken over this section of Dungeon.
Scouts had reported the strange phenomenon, as well the presence of unknown creatures lurking amidst the growth not long after the siege had been lifted, so naturally the council decided to send me to stick my nose in and investigate.
Using all the senses I have available, I step forward slowly toward the abundant plant life that has seemingly sprung from nowhere but I order my three loyal pets to stay back. This stuff could be poisonous, or worse. I get a really weird feeling from the plants. I'm not sure if it's the mana flow, or the way they look... but something about it just rubs me the wrong way and I find myself very reluctant to push forward.
Good thing too, because only a few moments later a gigantic creature who looks like five tree-trunks arranged in a vaguely humanoid shape stomps around the corner and approaches. At first I want to give the monster both barrels of a fire ball but slipping along in his wake are creatures that I recognise much more clearly.
Branchies! What the heck are branchies doing down here in the Dungeon?!
Almost eagerly, I spin together a mind bridge and reach out only to find another mind probe toward mine first.
[Ah, hello?] I start out with a classic.
[Greetings, friend insect. It is nice to see that someone has come out to see us, at last.]
Come on, man/giant tree thing! We've got stuff to deal with in the nest, give us a break!
[I apologise if there has been any offense,] smooth, diplomatic, and most importantly, smooth. Like a buttered snail surfing in a tub of grease. [There has been a great deal to do within the nest and the scouts reported the presence of this... plantlife, not that long ago.]
The giant wooden guy waves a creaking arm.
[No offense, was caused,] the mind that touches mine is strange and complex. It feels deep and old, yet at the same time, young and childlike. [We wanted to remain to speak with your people before we retreated back to our grove. I am a Grove Keeper, and I can better keep my people safe in the seat of my mother's power.]
Feels like there's a lot to unpack there.
[Your people? Are you referring to the people behind you? I think I met some of them while I was up on the surface. Not these people exactly, you know, but... people.]
Those giant eyes blink slowly.
[Yes,] he finally answers, [a small group of the Bruan'chii had made their home in the Lirian forest. They told the mother about you and she has extended her roots through this area in an attempt to seek you out. In the end, it was pure happenstance that you stumbled into one and she was able to determine your position.]
Bruan'chii, eh? How... convenient. Wait, his mother has roots? As in, literally a tree?
[So your mother was looking for us? Is it possible that I ask why?]
Please don't be a psycho killer tree, please don't be a psycho killer tree. I do NOT need that in my life right now.
[Because we were able to recognise you for what you were. A traveller from another world, just as she was.]
[Another reincarnated soul?] I'm shocked, [how about that?]
Wait a minute. All of us transplanted souls are a bit... on the iffy side, sanity wise. Might as well ask a probing question.
[Would you say your mother is... how to phrase this... a rational and calm sort of individual?]
The giant tree-person hesitates and the leaves around me break out loud rustling that almost sounds like laughter.
[No,] comes the answer, [no I would not.]
-x-X-x-
My conversation with the bruan'chii Grove Keeper was disappointingly short, but enlightening. There was precious little time before the wave reached a full throated roar and the tree-people didn't want to be caught out in the open. Apparently the 'mother tree' wasn't able, or didn't want to, maintain all the vegetation that she had caused to grow through the tunnels over the duration of the wave. I was a little shocked to learn that every leaf, vine and flower I saw was in fact as extension of the one tree rather than separate plants. Since she's a monster like me, I wonder what tier it takes to become powerful enough you can essentially extend yourself through huge swathes of Dungeon at will. I could have asked of course, but I think it would have been a bit rude. If I ever get close to enough to the tree herself, I might be in a position to ask a few, more pointed questions.
With the Grove Keeper and his charges returning to their grove, there isn't much else for me or my pets to do but help out with the defence of the Colony. The wave is just about to break and I can feel the heat sources in the walls building constantly. At this stage, we only have a few minutes before they start pouring out. Already the spawn rate in the Dungeon has gone crazy and the tunnels are beginning to fill with the roars, shrieks, and clashes of monstrous combat. I remember this noise, and not too fondly. Better get used to it since it'll be weeks until we get to enjoy anything like quiet again.
[Alright guys, we're going to split up and defend the nest. I'll take the spot in front of the damaged gate. I want Crinis to block the entrance to the tunnel that connects to the brood chambers, Invidia and Tiny can take the gate the golgari damaged. Make sure as few monsters as possible get passed you, alright?]
This will give the Colony a little more time to finish organising the defences. They'll be busy cleaning up the monsters that spawn on the inside of the nest anyways. Crinis raises a tentative tentacle.
[Are you sure you'll be alright on your own Master? You nearly died... again... in the last battle.]
There's a certain intensity to the little blob of indescribable horror that sends a shiver down my non-existent spine. Dammit, she's not happy.
[I get it, I understand what you're saying, Crinis. It was my fault that time, I got a bit carried away. Thankfully, we all survived and are healthy, so we can perform this duty.]
[But...]
[Crinis,] I say, drawing closer and looking down at anxiously wobbling blob. She stills as I come near, and I use an antennae to pat her on the ... let's say head? [That hole is still being closed by the Colony and there's a chance that monsters will break through and attack the brood. We can't let that happen, no matter what. This is the most important position and I only trust you to do it. You'll be able to make sure not a single monster gets through. Please, I'm counting on you to do this.]
The little ball vibrates in place as my words of place pile up until she explodes as I finish speaking.
[O-of course! Master! I won't let any disgusting filth slip by! You can count on me!]
Gweheheheh. Crises averted. The blob of impenetrable darkness wastes no time, sinking into the shadows and in a moment, she's gone, making her way around to the other side of the nest where a mighty forest of barbed limbs will soon sprout. It's a little mean to manipulate Crinis out of being mad at me, but what I told her was the pure truth. She's much better suited to tackling huge numbers of relatively weak monsters, it's her specialty. With her guarding the tunnel dug by the hated worm, I won't have to worry a bit.
[Tiny, Invidia? Got any questions?]
Tiny looks at me, looks at Invidia, looks at his stomach, then back to me, all without a change of expression. Somehow, it makes perfect sense to me. I think my brain is degenerating the more I interact with him.
[I don't know how you guys want to split up the Biomass, work it out between you. I will say, however, if you want more to eat, try not to explode as many monsters. That goes for both of you. Your full-strength punches are just as bad as Invidia's explosions right now, you know that right?]
He was about to point and laugh at this demonic companion but my admonishment wipes the smile from Tiny's face and he looks a little pensive as the two of them make their way back through the nest to the other side. I can tell what he's thinking, he's trying to weigh up his love of food versus his love of hitting things as hard as he can. I honestly don't know which urge will turn out to be the winner. He does need to make sure he gets the Biomass he needs for his next evolution. He's still a long way from the tier six evolution, much as Crinis is, but it doesn't hurt to start racking up those points as early as possible. I've still got a lot of eating ahead of me regardless of whether or not I can pile up the seven levels I need.
With my troops deployed, there isn't much for me to do except plant my butt in front of the destroyed gate and wait for the fireworks to start. My carapace is pretty much fully healed by this point, but I'm not too worried. The monsters that will spawn around here are likely to be shadow beasts and the like, only at level one at that. As the heat signs grow stronger in the walls, I laboriously put together the omni-elemental construct, the stupid thing sitting like a lump of iron in my minds. Tell you what, I can't wait until I evolve and pump up my brains some more, then this thing won't be such a pain in the thorax.
By the time I finish getting it ready, the monsters have already begun to emerge. The distant din of combat grows louder by the second until the first monsters of the wave make themselves known. All along the tunnel, from the walls, floor and ceiling a shower of dirt erupts as claws, heads, maws and monsters of all types erupt from the Dungeon veins. Instantly, the tunnel around me has as many as thirty monsters in it, each of them starving and enraged, drunk on the overflowing mana that birthed them. Without a pause to catch their breath, they begin to throw themselves at each other in a display of savage violence. Survival of the fittest is law in the Dungeon, something no monster needs to be taught.
A couple of the closer ones decide that I look like a juicy enough morsel that they ignore the weaker pray and charge toward me, shadow flesh bulging and distending with the force of their roars. I idly spin together a few fire bolts. Time to harvest a few Skill levels.
-x-X-x-
They'd done it. After so much time and effort had been expended, they'd finally done it. The mage caste had put themselves through the ringer during the siege, they had battered their minds against the invaders until they bordered on shattering. It had been a painful regime of brutal mental warfare seemingly without end. What had made things even more difficult for the brainy caste of spell-slingers were the critical research tasks draining their numbers. The Colony had decided that the gates and Dungeon vein removal projects were so critical, so vital to the future success of their kind, that even the threat of imminent destruction was not enough to curtail the development of these techniques.
Progress on the gates remained painfully slow. It was clear that without higher levelled specialists in both enchantment and the as yet unseen space magic would be required to make significant headway there. On the other hand, the teams assigned to reverse-engineering the methods witnessed in the city of Rylleh had achieved a breakthrough.
As jubilant as she was, Propellant couldn't help but look askance at the team of mages and carvers who had worked together to make this possible. She studied the complex, almost wavy, interlocking series of walls in front of her once more.
"And you're sure this is going to work?" she asked them.
One of the mages stepped forward, her antennae waving furiously.
"Of course it's going to work you old bat! What the heck do you think we've been doing down here while y- HRCK!"
With extreme speed, a team of previously stealthed ants leapt from the ceiling of the chamber and tackled the mage to the ground mid-rant. Before anyone could think to intervene, the new arrivals had swarmed over the downed ant, expertly knocking her out with a precision bite to cut off circulation to her brain before the shadows enfolded them once more. In less than a second they were gone once more, taking the furious mage with them. The only sign of their presence was an ominously lingering pheromone message that hung in the air long after they were gone.
"Sleep well..." was all it said.
Even Propellant felt a chill run down her carapace at the display. The sleep monitors took their work deadly seriously. They were clearly starting to manage their evolutions and skills in a direction to better allow them to perform their role, making them terrifyingly capable. The sudden disappearance of their colleague had an even greater effect on the rest of the research, their terror was clear to see in every inch of their frames.
"Just how long as it been since your team leader slept?" Propellant asked.
"T-t-t-three days," stammered a carver.
"And how long have you been awake?" she followed up.
The little ant trembled so violently Propellant was worried her exo-skeleton was about to crack.
"She's been awake for two days and twenty-two hours," another team member helpfully supplied.
Propellant clacked her mandibles.
"Better get through this quick then. So, someone else this time, preferably someone not driven near delirious from lack of rest. Are you sure this is going to work?"
The much smaller ants consulted amongst themselves for a moment before a pair stepped forward, one carver and one mage.
"According to our calculations, there is a strong chance of success," the mage spoke with crisp words, "although we were unable to derive the exact method used in Rylleh, we believe that this is as close as we can get to an approximate recreation."
Math. The council member tried to be too repulsed by the sudden mention of 'calculations'. That stuff was far more up Coolant's alley. She herself was firmly in the 'blow stuff up and think about it later' school of magic. Whichever cursed fool on the surface had introduced the concept to the mage caste, it had spread like wildfire and split her siblings right down the middle. She turned to the carver.
"What do you think?" she asked.
The smaller ant rubbed one of the strange claws on her foreleg across the top of her head.
"It's a butt load of work, fine work at that," the ant sighed, "but it's held up in our tests so far. Only problem is, we haven't been able to try it on as large a surface area as the nest, so we can't be certain everything will be the same."
She didn't like the sound of that. Propellant wandered over to the mock-up the team had erected in the centre of the room and tried to ignore the battles going on elsewhere in the chamber. Damn waves made it so hard to concentrate. It really was precise work. The team had erected no fewer than ten separate walls in a space less than a foot wide, each one folding back on the others in pattern so complex it could pass for a magic construct. It was only possible to create such razor thin walls and shape them in such a way by reinforcing and compressing them to an absurd degree with magic. The level of earth magic on display was formidable. To replace the outer walls of an entire chamber with this layered wall formation would be... a monstrous undertaking.
They'd attempted to explain it to her, something about guiding the veins, folding them and then 'rolling' them along 'pre-determined channels of high mana sensitivity'. It didn't make a whole lot of sense to her, but she hadn't spent weeks working non-stop to develop the method.
"You've got the go-ahead," she told them. "I want the egg-laying and brood chambers to be done within forty-eight hours. We'll mobilise the entire mage caste and every carver with an earth magic Skill of rank four or above."
The team went wild with joy, slapping each other with their antennae, high-fiving and clacking their mandibles with glee. Propellant watched them celebrate with a warm feeling until she noticed the shadows extending from the walls, drawing closer to the team each second.
"BUT-", she suddenly shouted, before she lowered the intensity of her scent and continued, "but only after you rest. This work is too important to trust to tired minds. Six hours for all of you, minimum, in the meantime I'll start organising the shifts and getting the antpower we need."
The team grumbled amongst themselves about the delay, but she paid them no mind, instead watching as the darkness began to recede back to the walls.
By the Eldest, she thought to herself, that's terrifying.
"Congratulations to all of you," she told them, "this breakthrough will go down in the history of the Colony and I believe the Eldest will want to come and congratulate you personally on your achievement. Our whole family is proud of you."
The delighted team continued to celebrate and praise each other as they made their way to the mage torpor chambers, never realising the dark shadows that trailed along behind them the entire way.
-x-X-x-
When word finally came back from the satellite nests the sense of relief in the Colony was noticeable. Burke herself was the first to receive the message and made sure to pass it on as quickly as she could. The smaller nests had held up well, suffering no more than a few probing attacks intended to keep them in place. They hadn't been able to stock away Biomass as the main nest had though, the lack of food growing into a real problem over the course of the siege. Now that the wave was underway, that problem was in the process of rapidly rectifying itself.
The Eldest and their pets continued to guard the most vulnerable points of entry into the nest itself whilst a flurry of activity continued behind them. Burke and Wills where everywhere, running messages, coordinating scouting parties and doing the legwork that kept the Colony running as one efficient unit. The two bumped into each other sprinting in opposite directions down a long tunnel and decided to take a short break to catch up on news.
"I heard about the satellites, that's good news," Wills told her, "from the sounds of things, the Queens haven't been able to maintain production over there. Our need for graduated hatchlings is dire."
"We could double the number of scouts and I'd still have work for them to do," Burke agreed, "but there's little we can do about it right now. Once the nests are secure, we can move forward from there."
"Agreed. Have you seen what the mages are up to in the brood chambers?"
Burke indicated to the negative and Wills quickly filled her in on the new technique and the massive scale of the earthworks taking place in the heart of the nest.
"That's a big deal," the scout clacked, "if they can do that for the entire nest..."
During their conversation a roaring shadow beast erupted from the wall right between the two. Reflexes and instincts highly trained, they both turned as one and snapped at the creature, ending its existence in the Dungeon as quickly as it had begun.
"... things will get a lot easier to manage around here," she finished.
Wills nodded.
"From what I hear, the carvers are raving mad about it. The constant spawns are making it almost impossible to do any sort of industrial work. Their workshops are crowded as is and now they need to cram soldiers into every nook and cranny to defend them. It's a mess."
The ants who focused their attentions on crafting were indeed being 'driven mad'. Workshops were being upended as monsters crawled out of the floor under their work stations, screamed out of the walls and generally made a mess of the place as the soldiers and scouts charged forward to battle them. The only group of production style ants that weren't too perturbed by the whole thing were the core shapers. Maintaining their concentration was hard, but the never ending monster spawns provided an endless stream of experience and biomass for their weaker creations.
If the mages were actually able to achieve what they had set out to do, life in the nest might return to some semblance of normality. And this was only the beginning. In another section of the nest, Victor and Sloan huddled together, along with dozens of other high level generals working together in teams. The enormous scale model of the section of Dungeon they were in had been expanded to include every piece of new territory the Colony had explored and the two council members were busy identifying potential choke points, trying to anticipate problems and organise the troops within the nest.
"What's the status at the gate?" Sloan asked a passing scout.
"The Eldest is still there, very little has managed to approach the gate itself," came back the report.
The two generals breathed a sigh of relief. The Eldest was buying them precious time to re-establish their defences and get some control back. The two generals were determined to make the most of the opportunity. It wouldn't last, they both understood that. How could it? Right now the Eldest and their guardians would be holding off the monsters with ease since they were level one, tier one creatures springing into the tunnels the moment they were spawned. Although the constant 'waves' of spawns were draining, disrupting and all around irritating, the Colony had grown to a point where even in the second strata, they weren't much of a threat. The real danger of the wave had only just begun to take shape and was yet to appear. It was the survivors, the winners, the monsters who, for whatever reason, were able to survive and thrive in the mess of the Dungeon. Be they newly spawned, fresh out of a wall, or perhaps had already had a few evolutions under their belt before the wave got going, it was those creatures who would rapidly rise in power that would become a threat.
Then, after that, would come the creatures from below. They hadn't had to experience it during the first wave, apparently the Legion had been holding off the beasties from the depths, unintentionally saving the Colony a great deal of pain. Perhaps even saving their lives. This time, there would be no such protection. The creatures from the third strata would come screaming up from below and begin to batter against the Colony in earnest. It would take a little while before they arrived, but they would.
"What about here?" Sloan indicated a particular section of tunnel with an antenna.
Victor leaned closer.
"Feasible. We'll need to coordinate with the fortification teams. We'll need to find a carver with a high level of the 'defensive fortification' Skill and place them with each design group. These barricades cannot be weak."
"Good idea," her sibling agreed, "I think we also need to ask the core shapers to take a greater role in the tunnels. This environment is perfect for them and they'll leap at the chance."
"With so many soldiers and scouts injured, it'd certainly take a load off our shoulders," Victor sighed.
The two of them were fatigued to a dangerous extent. It wouldn't surprise either of them if they were to be seized and dragged away at any moment, but they both refused to go for torpor until the bones of the strategy for tackling the wave had been constructed. The Eldest had been right about this wave. The Colony wasn't the same as it was the last time. There were well over a hundred thousand of them now. They were smarter, stronger, better prepared. If they moved fast, were smart, and gripped this chance tight in their mandibles, they could come out the other end in a far better position than they went in.
All around them, teams of generals dissected the Dungeon layout and planned. Patrols, aggressive sweeps, defensive emplacements. They targeted areas that could be controlled, areas they could build in. They paid particular attention to areas with water sources or particularly high concentrations of mana. Every expanse they had encountered was being analysed for their potential as a threat, but also as a resource.
The largest farming operation in the history of the frontier kingdoms was beginning to take shape.
-x-X-x-
I've been out here for hours and I still haven't levelled up. Oops, here comes another one. Thirty metres down the tunnel, the dirt bulges before crumbling away to reveal a newly spawned shadow crawler. Despite having six legs, I really can't approve of these things, their faces look like a mosquito, with a piercing snout almost a metre long. My minds churn and, in a few moments, a condensed fireball whizzes forward, smacking into the creature and detonating with a wave of heat that rolls all the way back to me, lighting up my antennae and drying out my eyeballs.
Dammit.
[You have slain level 1 - ...]
Yeah, yeah, yeah. A tier one, level one enemy isn't going to do squat for me. It's pretty much not even worth the time to go and eat the Biomass. I've seen a couple of monsters make their way up the tunnel who were rank three and I happily consumed them, but for the most part I've been content to let the masses of creatures have it out with each other, occasionally deploying the flame thrower like fire magic to keep them away from the gate. Only twice has anything above tier three come close enough for me to fight and those battles were at least interesting. Despite the near deafening noise of screaming, screeching and roaring, accompanied by the visually stimulating sight of hundreds of monsters fighting for dear life within eyeshot, I'm bored. I'M SO DAMN BORED. All I'm doing is sitting here picking on small fries whilst the Colony goes insane working their abdomens off behind me.
Already the remains of the gate have been raised and sealed into place. I can still see the carvers at work now, guarded by teams of soldiers as they crawl all over the metal surface of the once mighty bulwark, doing whatever they can to repair the metal and the enchantments that were woven into the structure of the steel. I have to say, despite their best efforts, the gate still looks like garbage. Huge rents, dents and tears are still evident all over the place and the once mighty ant head carved into the surface is looking much worse for wear. If I'm being honest, it's so ugly it could pass for a centipede.
I know that me being here is buying the Colony precious time, and that it's valuable, but it's just not all that stimulating. Still, I remain. If I were to go do something else, they'd need to station a whole team of soldiers and scouts to replace me and both of those castes saw massive casualties during the siege, and there are still thousands of injured who need time to get their legs back under them. And this is a wave, after all. I'm sure that the inside of the nest is a complete mess, with soldiers on duty every twenty metres of tunnel and clinging to walls all around the chambers.
Ah well, hopefully I'll be able to move on soon and do something a little more exciting. I have to admit, being this close to my next evolution is tantalising. Evolving is such a massive boost of power for a monster and I've been in my current form for quite a while. Amassing eighty levels is no easy feat, especially when I'm sharing a lot of experience with my pets and my twenty bodyguards. Just thinking about what juicy options may appear gets me excited. What body parts will I make mutable this time? What could I add to my perfect ant form? So many questions...
Even just planning out the possible stat distribution is exciting. Gah! I need to distract myself and think about something else.
At least all this spare time has removed any excuse I might have had to continue avoiding my status. Trawling through the numbers has always been a bit of a pain, but I have to admit it was pleasant to see the number of upgrades I've managed to accrue. Turns out fighting non-stop for days on end is pretty helpful when it comes to levelling skills. Who'd have thunk it?
Name: Anthony
Level: 73 (Rare) (V)
Might: 91
Toughness: 79
Cunning: 64
Will: 45
HP: 158/158
MP: 300/300
Skills:
General:
Master Excavation (IV) Level 3; Expert Grip (III) Level 9; Expert Stealth (III) Level 6; Tunnel Guide (III) Level 11; Iron Mind (IV) Level 30; Master Stamina (IV) Level 6; Still Meditation (IV) Level 12; Snap Dash (IV) Level 11;
Mana:
Mana Craft (V) Level 24; Condensed Mana (IV) Level 18; Finer External Mana Manipulation (IV) Level 16; Mana Hoarder (IV) Level 22; Master Mind Magic Affinity (IV) Level 20; Directed Mana Sensing (IV) Level 12; Expert Healing Magic Affinity (III) Level 14; Omni-Elemental Affinity (V) Level 4; Mana Masking (II) Level 6;
Pet:
Further Pet Communication (III) Level 7; Core Crafting (IV) Level 13; Pet Growth Speed (I) Level 5;
Defensive:
Grandmaster Exo-Skeleton Defence (V) Level 11; Master Dodge (IV) level 25; Master Endure (IV) Level 6; Expert Grace (III) Level 14;
Offensive:
Unerring Acid Shot (IV) Level 6; Master Precise Shooting (IV) Level 23; Doom Chomp (V) Level 23;
Mutations:
Senses:
Perimeter Eyes +20, Far-sight Oracle Antennae +25;
Defence:
Complete Diamond Carapace +25, Braced Healing Inner Carapace Plating +25;
Physical:
Hardened Rapid Absorption Legs +25, Mana Flooded Mandibles +25, Frequent Potent Regeneration Gland +25, Loquacious Pheromone Gland +15, Vast Hungering Stomach +25; Lock Hyper-Twitch Musculature +25, Instant Transmission Sub-Neural Network +20;
Acid:
Propagating Mana-Feasting Bind Acid Gland +25, Hyper Pressurised Scattershot Acid Nozzle +20; Thickened Weakening Acid concentration gland +20, Fatiguing Acid Stimulation Gland +10;
Mental:
Unyielding Coordination Cortex +25;
Mana:
Bottomless Gravity Magic Gland +20, Endless Collective Will Vestibule +25;
Species: Juvenile Colony Paragon (Formica Sapiens)
Skill points: 14
Biomass: 224
A lot of Skill upgrades have come in, which cost me more than a small number of Skill points. All in all, my physical Skills as well as my generic mana Skills have seen a massive upgrade. One of the most impactful is probably the often-under-appreciated Stamina Skill, which has made it all the way up to rank four. At this level, the knowledge of how to move and rest my body in order to minimise the expenditure of energy has seeped into the deepest crevices of my mind. Combined with the Vestibule, it's this Skill that allowed me to fight for as long as I did. Grandmaster exo-skeleton defence is likely what kept me alive during that final battle, rank five Skills are no joke and my precision when shifting my body to best utilise my carapace has grown to a new height. Combined with the Endure Skill reaching rank four, I was able to deflect, absorb and otherwise tank a heck of a lot more damage than I otherwise would have. Although I didn't achieve too many rank ups in my magic skills, the levels are progressing nicely. I can already tell that when some of these Skills hit rank five I'll see a huge upgrade in my spell casting capacity. With a few Skill points in the bank, all I really need to worry about now is finalising my mutations and capping out my core before I'm ready to evolve! I'm getting pumped up!
After hosing down a few more piddling monsters with blue flames, I continue to wait until my reverie is disrupted by an exhausted looking Sloan.
"Hey, Sloan! You look rough! Be careful you don't get caught out skipping torpor."
The general waves a droopy antenna in dismissal.
"I'm so far gone I'm sure they're on their way right now," she says, "besides, you're my last stop before I go get some rest."
"Oho! Does this mean you don't need me here on the gate anymore? Got another job that needs doing?"
She nods.
"Yes. Well, no. Sort of. I'm so damn tired..."
I give her second to gather her thoughts as the weary ant literally sways on her legs.
"You're setting a bad example Sloan."
"I know, I know. We can hold the gates here now, and there really isn't anything that we need your help with urgently, except level up. We need you to evolve as quickly as possible in order to help us deal with the monsters from the third strata when they come."
That's ... a good call. Invidia is an example of a third strata demon, albeit a finely crafted and powerful one. If a swarm of creatures on his level come charging up the tunnels, things will get really hairy, real fast.
"So you just want me to charge off into the Dungeon with my crew and try to level up? You sure about that?" I ask dubiously.
That's the sort of thing I usually do when I'm trying to avoid my responsibilities. Now it turns out that it's exactly what the council wants me to do?
"We're sure. Even more than that, we're going to start stockpiling Biomass here at the nest for you. Get all the experience you can, as fast as you can. Once you reach level eighty come home and we'll make sure everything is ready for the evolution."
"Sounds good to me, Sloan! I'm off!"
Whoo! By the time she finishes talking, I'm already gone, dashing through the monsters littering the tunnel and making my way around the nest to collect my pets. After bashing my head into the Legion for so long, I'm about ready to find someone my own size to pick on! Tier six, here I come!