As before, my consciousness fades away before it's drawn from my body. The dizzying experience of having one's soul sent spinning down the plug-hole isn't one that I missed, but I'm starting to get used to it.
What does that say about my life?
Eventually, everything falls still and I float, formless in the void. I suppose that means I've arrived?
[Indeed. I am interested to see that you have survived yet again.]
Wow. Way to damn me with faint praise. You sound surprised that I survived. I've been kicking backside in the Dungeon! I'm taking names up there!
[You continue to surprise me with how well you have adapted,] Gandalf muses. [If all of your fellow introduced souls performed as well as you, progress would be much more swift.]
Progress? Progress to what?
[I don't believe that is any of your business.] The voice is faintly amused, happy to continue dangling his secrets beyond my grasp.
Fine. Keep your damned secrets to yourself then. I've got other things I want to complain about.
[You want to complain?] Gandalf sounds almost surprised, as if nobody had ever done so before.
Of course I do! Diamond Centipedes? I mean… really. DIAMOND CENTIPEDES! Why don't you just spit in my face, huh? Why not just show up and poke me straight in the eyes? It'd hurt less!
[I believe I've explained to you that I am not in direct control of such things. The centipede species has been performing well in the Dungeon and so they are being propagated. Success breeds success.]
Performing well? My family has stomped them into the ground every time we see them! Obviously, ants are the superior insect. Something must be direly wrong with the Dungeon if it keeps spitting out those clawed idiots.
[The working will take care of itself, there are no mistakes. The System does not play favourites.]
Could have fooled me….
[I am more interested in discussing your new evolution. You decided to forgo the Larval Deity evolution? An interesting decision.]
I can't really shrug as a bodiless soul-thing, but I make an attempt.
It wasn't really my vibe.
[An evolution like that would surely have been picked up by the powerful Dungeon Seers located around the globe. I doubt you would have survived to reach tier eight.]
… There's also that, I suppose. Yikes.
[I am pleased you continued down the Path of the Paragon to its conclusion. Though I didn't expect you to choose the Altar of Self. You have been rather selfless in your actions, generally speaking, to this point.]
I was pretty tempted by the Altar of Many. I can admit that. Perhaps this is a little un-ant of me, but I want to step forward to protect my family from the things out there that want to harm them. The best way for me to do that is to become strong enough to fight off all challengers.
[Even the Ancients?]
Especially the Ancients. Can you believe those bums stuck this stupid Call in me? It's a literal pain in the backside.
[It's almost irritating how stubborn they are,] the voice of Gandalf muses, [I ceased taking pleasure in their futile struggles millennia ago. Yet still they persist.]
Struggles? Against what?
[Fate, I suppose you might say.]
Care to… elaborate on that?
[No.]
You really are a stick in the mud. Are you going to let anything slip? It's not like I get a lot of opportunities to come down and speak to you. In fact, I'm probably running out of chances to engage in this conversation. Pretty soon, I expect I'll run into the wall and won't evolve much anymore. One or two more times, probably, three tops. After that, you'll be forever denied the pleasure of my company.
[You know, I may actually miss that. Observing your journey and engaging in these conversations has been a highlight of the recent cycle.]
There. You just throw out words like 'cycle' and I have no idea what that refers to.
[I suppose that is no great secret. The Dungeon operates in a cyclical manner, mana surging, new monsters emerging, fighting to see which are the best, then receding and slowing before starting again.]
So then I assume we are currently in a surging part of the cycle?
[Correct. Mana levels are rising and will continue to do so. New species will be injected into the Dungeon and refined. You may even see more ants start to pop up, considering your own success.]
Good! Ants are the superior insect after all…. Except that ants are often each other's worst enemy. Wars between ant colonies are horrific, bloody conflicts with death and destruction on both sides. Some ants' primary food source is other ants!
That might be bad.
Eh, we annihilated the termites. If some fancy ants want to challenge my family, they'll be put right back in their place.
[I'm sure there will be no shortage of challenges in the coming months and years,] chuckles Gandalf. [Turbulent times are coming for all who live on this world. The only way to be truly safe is to rise above it all so that none can challenge you.]
That's what everyone says. Is the endless pursuit of greater power really the only thing that anyone is interested in on this planet!?
[Are you not interested in it?]
Only because I need it to protect what I love from idiots who seem determined to be dumb at all turns! Why can't people just chill out?
[Will the Colony allow them that freedom? Or will they too seek to push until others begin to push back?]
I see what you did there. My family is different. We haven't started a war of aggression, not even once.
[That is true. So far. Now, our time together has come to a close, I believe. Try to stay alive, and I will see you again. Who knows, I may even share a secret with you if you make it back.]
Somehow, I doubt it….
-x-X-x-
When the Eldest rested, there was a change that came over the Colony. It was as if we were set adrift, without the guiding force that drove us. Naturally, we were as industrious as ever. We built, researched, expanded, administered, hunted and built with our customary vigour, yet something was missing. During those times, an air of stillness would descend upon the family, as if we were waiting, as if everything we did was simply in preparation for whatever would come next once the Eldest awoke.
Despite everything we had been given by the Eldest, our intelligence, curiosity and independence, we still lacked a crucial element that would allow us to truly flourish. After living through these events and reflecting upon the records, as well as interviewing many, many of my siblings throughout the history of the Colony, I came to the conclusion that, fundamentally, we still were ants. We were greedy, ambitious and determined, ever hungry for growth, for more brood, more territory, more resources, but the Eldest was the one who dared to dream for more than that. It was the Eldest who pushed us to strive for the truly valuable, intangible things that we didn't know we needed.
They pushed us to gain more freedom. It was the Eldest who demanded that we rise above our instincts and value our sense of self. It was the Eldest who fought to allow us the power of choice over our own lives. It was the Eldest who elevated us and allowed us to value these qualities in others, to forge partnerships and alliances.
While they slept, we reverted to a primitive state, bustling endlessly within our nests, waiting for the moment they woke so we could explode into motion once more, and grow in ways we didn't know we could.
For this reason, the Eldest must be preserved at all costs. The Colony requires them in order to achieve our fullest potential. No matter what need be done, they cannot be allowed to fall.
- Written submission from Historiant to the Council.
The shadows coiled around Crinis and she wiggled in pleasure as she felt the cool embrace of the darkness. The Nameless had been busy; as the fort had been constructed, they had worked their magic, creating pockets and tunnels of pure shadow in which they could conduct their sacred task. Her Master had to be protected during this vulnerable time, and she was pleased to know that his defenders would be rested and ready.
To have such pockets of perfect darkness within her reach was pleasing. They were like beacons that she could see with total clarity, could move through with complete ease. With their help, her reach was extended throughout the mountain.
Inside the chamber, her Master slept under the watch of her and her... siblings.
For that is what they were, she had begun to accept it. Their Master thought of the family constantly, and over time, it had worn off on all of them. Tiny lifted his head, a gleam of intent in his eyes. He had appeared asleep, dozing loudly, his breath rumbling throughout the chamber, until he had sensed something, snapping to alertness.
She formed a tentacle from her flesh and waved it at him, and the older monster flashed her a quick thumbs up before he closed his eyes once more. Shortly, the deep vibrations rattled throughout the chamber again, strong enough to send the antennae of the watching ants twitching.
Her older brother enjoyed his rest, but should he need to fight, he would be ready. It was almost amazing how swiftly he could snap to alertness. Though he might not give the impression of it, he was as dedicated to protecting their Master as anyone could be.
Her younger sibling hovered nearby, his eye fixated on the sleeping form of the giant ant in the centre of the chamber. The bright green glow that radiated from him filled the space; even without eyes, she could sense it driving back the shadows. Doubtless he was filled with envious thoughts, eager to evolve himself and ascend in power. Dangling beneath his body, the two stick-thin arms ended in those long claw-tipped fingers that curled and unfurled repeatedly.
He was an unusual creature, her demon sibling, but she did not question his devotion. He was committed to defending the Master, in his own way. How many times had his shields and healing saved the day?
Satisfied that all was as it should be, she turned her focus back to the shifting form of the Master. Not long ago, the changes had begun, fluctuating waves of mana rippling over the sleeping form. Already, the carapace was beginning to change, the sparkling light of the diamond covering fading away as something new was formed underneath.
She hoped that whatever took its place was as shiny as what had come before, for the Master's sake.
Ever vigilant, she flicked her awareness throughout the tunnels and chambers that filled the fortress, testing, sensing for any threat. Finding none, she relaxed once more and coiled around herself.
Soon, she too would reach tier seven, under her Master's guidance, as would her brothers. But she did not expect their ascension to stop there. As much as it lay hidden, there was an ambition to the one she was bound to, a hunger that demanded to be fed.
They would descend ever deeper into the Dungeon, of that she was sure. The Colony would follow in their wake and they would peel back the layers of this world until all of it lay bare before them.
And all of it would pay homage to the one she served.
-x-X-x-
"Hold, dammit!" Brilliant roared.
"I'm not sure it can take it," Assistant cried out. "It's going to overflow!"
"It needs more power! Give it everything you've got!"
"We can't do any more, the matrix will collapse!"
"A little further," Brilliant urged as the mana surged and frothed. Dimensional boundaries were cascading around them and she could peer into them all, flashing images of twisting reality that bent and warped themselves around her.
They were so close!
"It's gone! Run!" Assistant shrieked, and Brilliant was vaguely aware of her followers ducking for cover or diving into the blast cages. She herself didn't move, of course, transfixed as she was by the beauty she beheld in front of her.
"So beautiful," she whispered.
A moment later, she was spear tackled and knocked from her observation platform.
"Experimant! What are you doing?!" she yelled.
"Saving your life, again," the ant replied, flicking her antennae with irritation. "It's a little difficult to make use of your insights if you die in the process of getting them."
A point the Eldest had been at pains to make, numerous times, but Brilliant merely laughed.
"Danger can't hope to find me," she boasted, "I see it coming a full stratum away."
She moved to stand up only for Experimant to yank her back to the ground. Then the explosion finally happened, the haywire mana discharging as purple lightning that arced over the walls, searing jagged patterns into the rock.
"Oh, right," Brilliant muttered. "Forgot about that."
They waited another minute before the mages and carvers that made up her merry band began to emerge from the reinforced concrete bunkers someone had decided to install in their research chamber. She strongly suspected Assistant was the one responsible, but she couldn't quite prove it.
"Well done, everyone," Brilliant rushed around the team, giving everyone an enthusiastic tap with an antenna. "Fantastic experiment, another rousing success! We are getting ever closer to our goal."
"A-are you sure?" Assistant asked as she finally emerged, still hugging the floor as the last few sparks danced across the walls. "It seemed like it went rather poorly to me.…"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Brilliant chided, snapping her mandibles to emphasise her pheromones and mimic the human sound. "How many times do I have to teach you? Only a truly successful test will end with a multiple manifold-collapse. We were able to peer deeper into the weave than ever before! Our goal has never been closer than it is right now."
Not willing to waste any further words on those who didn't share her clarity of vision, she raced to the enchanted array embedded into the floor beneath the great stone edifice she had dubbed the rift-arch. Reinforced behind thick layers of hardened ice and embedded within a holding structure of living stone, the array was a sophisticated piece of enchanting, the only one of its kind within the Colony. Smithant herself had been consulted on the crafting of it, to the specifications of Brilliant's groundbreaking, mad design.
"Look!" she crowed. "Just look at the readings! One-two-three… sixteen identifiable threads. Our spatial pathway managed to make it a third of the way to its destination before collapsing!"
"Yes," Experimant drawled, "which means any ant who travelled through it would be liquified. Not quite the result we are aiming for."
"Bah! We are making great strides. Great strides. You don't discover the secrets of teleportation magic without exploding a few gateways. If you could see as I do…"
"I'm not sure my brain could handle it…." Assistant said.
"I still don't understand why this is so difficult…" Experimant huffed, clearly frustrated, her antennae swinging low. "If we only want to travel through regular space, why is it necessary to map such a difficult course? Why bother with these other dimensions at all?"
Brilliant rounded on her helper, contempt evident in every line of her carapace, but it was Assistant who interjected first.
"There i-is no such thing as r-regular space. It is a dimension. Everything i-is a dimension. If you punch a h-hole in one, you punch a hole i-in all of them."
"Exactly right!" Brilliant declared, sliding the protective screen clear and fiddling with the delicate instruments attached to the matrix. "It's almost as if we aren't looking to find a destination in three dimensional space, but rather find our way back to it. Right now, all we are doing is shooting bright light into the dimensional weave, illuminating the darkness so we can better understand it. Once we have a clearer picture, we can step with more confidence."
"But can't you already move through space?" Experimant pressed. "Is it that much harder to make a functional gate?"
"Don't be ridiculous! For one, I am an incredible genius! For two, you are comparing an ant slipping through cracks in the wall, to knocking a hole in the thing and building a tunnel through it. I am protected by my vision, knowledge and Skills. How do we construct a path that will allow any ant, who has none of those things, to pass through safely? You're comparing tea and biscuits."
All around them, the team had come to life, examining the data, conferring with each other and adjusting the runes scratched into the rift-arch using the special plates that Brilliant had designed. An ant crawled up the arch, gripped the scorched metal sheet in her mandibles and pulled it from its slot before returning with a new, non-melted sheet and sliding it in place.
Brilliant was in the thick of it all. She rushed from group to group, cajoling, exhorting and haranguing every individual and group she came across. The ants who worked on this team were used to it and endured her ranting with otherworldly patience, following the directions they could interpret until, finally, everything had been ordered to her satisfaction.
"Excellent!" Brilliant cackled as she beheld the new configuration. "I have high hopes for this one. Very high! How are the dimensional mana banks, Assistant?"
"Th-they've reached fifty p-percent and rising, leader."
"Experimant! Is the matrix holding steady?"
"Readings are stable, leader."
The little ant rapidly climbed back up to her observation post, looking down directly into the rift-arch.
"I've told you so many times," she chuckled, "call me BRILLIANT!"
-x-X-x-
"The tea is excellent this season," one queen observed.
"Indeed," another noted, sipping again from her porcelain cup, "and the biscuits have elevated once again. This flavour is just divine."
There was a general chorus of agreement from the "table" the gathered royalty sat around. The special seats invented by the carvers had certainly evolved since the early days. Once upon a time, they were simply a stone edifice, carved to fit the carapace of the ant who sat upon it.
The queens now rested upon seats lined with the finest leather, stuffed with the softest feathers, and coloured to each of their own personal favourite shades. Gold thread had been used to embroider and decorate each of the chairs with personalised filigree and symbols representing each of the eight gathered ants.
"They spoil us too much," another huffed. "The waste of resources and time is simply profligate."
"What can we do about it?" laughed the first. "We have asked them to stop, but they won't."
The eight gathered queens all nodded seriously in understanding. They had indeed asked their precious family to stop lavishing such extravagant gifts on them, even threatened to risk themselves as the Queen did, but to no avail.
"How are things going in the second egg-chamber?" the fourth asked. "Any interruptions or issues?"
"No," replied the fifth in her typical blunt fashion. "We've been meeting our quotas easily. There seems to be plenty of Biomass to go around."
"Same for us," the seventh noted, "everything has been working so smoothly lately. The Brood Tenders have been ecstatic."
The eight queens sipped from their tea again, a few of them lowering their massive frames to nibble on the delicate biscuits. They had to be careful not to damage the plates. Exquisite works of gleaming porcelain, the plates were beautiful to behold, but not entirely practical for an ant to eat from. As of yet, an eating vessel designed specifically for their mouths had not been created, though doubtless someone somewhere was working on it.
"The biscuits seem a little sweeter than usual," the second queen noted, her antennae swaying thoughtfully. "Perhaps they've adjusted the recipe?"
The first took a larger bite and chewed carefully.
"I believe you're right. They may have increased the amount of sugar."
"Are they ever going to stop experimenting with the snacks?" the eighth grumbled. "They were perfectly fine before."
"I don't know," the second continued to take small sampling bites, "I think they may be better this way."
"Nonsense," the eighth refuted, "they're too sweet. They no longer have the perfect balance with the tea."
"Isn't that just because you put too much sugar in your tea?" the seventh prodded her sister with an antenna. "You're making a bad habit of that lately."
The queens continued to chat and laugh amongst themselves in the centre of the chamber. Around the outside, scores of ants patrolled in a never-ending cycle, with thousands more guarding the tunnels beyond the chamber, and thousands more beyond them.
These eight represented the single most important aspect of the Colony's social structure, the young. Without the queens, no young would be born, an unthinkable atrocity to the ants. Despite the size of their mining, smelting operations, or the vast fields of crops and fine tea leaves, by far the largest industry within the Colony was the harvest and transport of Biomass. Hundreds of tons flowed into this nest every day, to be consumed by the eight and turned into new young. To make that happen, a workforce of thousands laboured around the clock.
Ever since the queens had evolved to tier six, the demands on the workers had only increased. Patrols had been extended for kilometres in every direction to ensure the Dungeon provided enough food to fuel the nest.
The ants had learned to tend to the Dungeon just as they would a garden. Overhunting would eliminate spawn points, devastating the rate of replenishment. If they hit an area too heavily, they risked reducing the diversity in that part of the Dungeon, which was also a problem. The aim was to extract as much Biomass as possible, after all. That meant allowing the monsters within their territory to hunt and fight each other, to mutate and evolve so they provided better food for the queens.
The scouts were relentless in their observation of the hunting grounds. Carefully monitoring populations, tiers and mutations to maintain the most rich selection of prey.
As the discussion wore on, eventually the tea had been drunk and the tray of snacks had been depleted.
"Time to sleep, I suppose," the first noted cheerfully. "Very important to get our rest, let's not forget."
The others nodded solemnly. The Eldest had decreed that all needed to rest and queens were no exception. They were also known to fall victim to the... enforcers, if they pushed the limits. No one could flaunt the instructions given by the Eldest.
The eight said their farewells and turned their large, ponderous bodies around before making their way to their own rest chambers. Tomorrow would begin with a cleansing as the healers ensured that they were in peak physical condition, followed by a feast as the food that had amassed as they slept would be brought to them.
Then they would begin their work, laying the hundreds of eggs they could produce each day, contributing to the next generation.
A queen's work was never done.
-x-X-x-
[What do you see?]
[Much, prey. Dangerous.]
[Let me take a look.]
The vision was blurry, incomplete, but enough to show that the assessment was correct. They couldn't go this way.
[Alright. Come back. Make sure you aren't seen.]
Columbant withdrew her awareness from her distant pet, the small cavern in which she crouched snapping back into focus with disorienting clarity. Even after advancing the Skill to the second rank, it was still difficult to use, especially over a distance.
We can't use that path, she thought to herself, which is going to severely limit our options. Are we cut off?
She consulted her tunnel map and began to plot out the routes still available to her. They'd ranged far from the meeting point, but there were still five days left before she was due to rendezvous with Magellant. She just hadn't expected monster activity to be so high in this area.
[What do you think, Mistress? Shall we fight our way out?]
Her smartest pet, Rist, had long worked out how precarious their circumstances were. The flame demon had a good mind and a flair for fire magic, but was often too eager to engage, a tendency she had to be mindful of.
[It's not ideal,] she confessed before she began to sketch out a rough version of her tunnel map on the floor with one leg. [We currently sit between two expanses that are unusually close together. This one is the shadow coral reef we explored earlier, this one we haven't been into, but I suspect is a shadow swamp type. The spillover of monsters between the two is flooding the tunnels around us and causing the monsters to be higher tiers than I expected. If we try and fight our way out, we need to make it through these three junctions.]
She indicated the points where the tunnels met with an antenna while she continued to sketch with her leg. As she spoke, Rist watched with his ever-burning eyes, carefully taking in her words.
[Due to the density, we might end up pulling more monsters down on our heads than we can handle.]
[Tunnelling?] the demon said, a little disappointed. He hated digging.
[Not really an option,] Columbant shook her head. [The death mana is just too thick in the stone down here. It's sapping the life out of me even to touch it.]
She climbed up the wall and poked at the ceiling, once again experiencing the strange draining sensation she'd felt before. They could still dig through, but it would take more than twice as long as normal due to the frequent breaks they'd need.
[We can dig,] Rist said forcefully, [we dig you out.]
The bottomless, compelled loyalty of the pets was on display. She would sacrifice them if needed to save her own life, but the core shaper would do everything possible to avoid that point.
[No,] she refuted. [We will all make it. I have a plan. Quietly train your Skills and wait for Slither to return. I need to think for a moment.]
The demon nodded and gave her some space, retreating to the corner where he continued to practise his fire manipulation, twisting the flame into shapes and making them dance on his palm. Columbant skittered across to where her third pet rested, still recovering.
She formed the healing mana construct with difficulty, she needed so much more practice with it, before reaching out with soothing energy. The beetle-beast groaned as the jagged wound across her flank began to seal over, bit by bit. A day after the fight that caused it, the tear, two metres long across the flank, already looked much better than it did before.
[How are you, girl?] Columbant asked gently.
Garg extended her head a little from her shell, letting her mistress see the determination in her eye.
[Ready,] she insisted.
[No, girl. Not yet.]
[Ready!]
The small ant felt a pain in her heart.
[Alright. We'll get some more food into you, and then you'll be ready, okay?]
That would give her enough time for another round of healing magic as well. Combined with a bit of Biomass, it would nearly be enough to heal the wound. Nearly.
[Your pet has gained experience. You have received a portion.]
She jumped as the notification came in. What had happened? Was Slither alright? She resisted the urge to reach out to him. He needed to concentrate in order to return safely.
She paced back and forth for a few minutes as she waited for the shadow creature to return, sighing with relief when he finally dropped down from the narrow opening above. A slug-variant of her own creation, Slither splatted onto the ground before reforming himself. Without a word, he crawled to where Garg lay and regurgitated a pile of Biomass. A fresh kill, uneaten.
[Thank you, Slither] Columbant said. [That will help a lot.]
[Thanks,] Garg agreed, her gratitude rolling off her in waves.
The big beetle extended her jaws and in two quick chomps, the food was gone. Was it enough? It would have to be.
[We'll move in fifteen minutes,] she declared to her pets. [Make sure you are ready.]
The three of them nodded and began to rest, conserving their energy for the time to come. For her part, Columbant sank into meditation. This far from the Colony, she had nobody to rely on but herself, and her pets. She couldn't afford any mistakes. If she failed, not a single ant would know of her fall, just another core shaper lost ranging in the Dungeon.
Eldest, Queen, give me strength.
She employed the Meditation Skill to calm her nerves and concentrated on pulling in more mana to restock her reserves. If they were able to make it out of this mess, she might have to withdraw to the first stratum to make it back to the Colony. The mana was already rising, this level was getting dangerous.
After ten minutes had elapsed, she made her way to Garg and healed the monster once more, closing over the wound that little bit more. She wouldn't be able to move without pain, but hopefully the injury wouldn't hinder her in battle.
[Alright, gather up,] she told her pets when the time had come.
The three moved until they stood alongside her, looking down at the map she had sketched.
[We will break out and make our way to this junction. Stealth will be the order of the day, so we will be counting on you, Slither.]
[Okay.]
[But there's little chance we can make it without having to fight. It's important that we retreat into this tunnel, should that happen,] she pointed again.
[Are we clear?] she asked.
The three nodded, though she suspected Garg had only followed a part of it. She really needed a tiny bit more brainpower in her next evolution.
[Let's go.]
-x-X-x-
It all started well, as things tended to, in Columbant's experience. Usually in the middle was where things started to go all the way downhill. They hadn't reached that moment, but she had plans in place in the event the inevitable happened.
Slither was her stealth specialist, a creation she was incredibly proud of. The slug-like creature sank his body into a shadow, deepening and thickening it. He couldn't maintain this form indefinitely, so she moved quickly, climbing onto Garg along with Rist.
The powerful beetle-beast settled into the black pocket, her dark carapace blending in beautifully.
[Alright Slither, activate your Stealth aura and let's get out of here. Garg, you know what to do.]
[Yes.]
The big insect became enveloped in the darkness and they made their way out of the hiding place swiftly, climbing up the walls and out into the tunnel above.
A little earth magic was necessary to soundlessly widen the opening, but once they were up, Slither directed them away from the main thoroughfare and they managed to blend into the remote parts of the tunnel. Garg moved swiftly and silently, not something that came naturally to a monster of her size. Purchasing and having her train the Stealth Skill had been the right decision.
You couldn't fight everything you found when ranging solo. Being flexible was the name of the game for core shapers.
Slither was able to create an oval-shaped patch of darkness around eight metres from end to end, enough space for Garg to fit with room to spare. They crept along the tunnel, Columbant steering her bulky pet with antennae taps on the carapace as they navigated.
There were monsters everywhere, and several times, they nearly stumbled upon a nest or gathering, having to back up and choose another path. Growls, hisses, snapping and cracking could be heard in all directions. This deep in the second stratum, almost every monster was touched with an aspect of death, causing them to be exceptionally lethal. It was impossible to know which monster could apply a touch of death, or how.
[Slither. Care,] she breathed over the mental link. [I sense something coming, we need to hold.]
[Time is short,] he told her.
[Got it. We still have to wait. Let's hide behind that rock.]
The quartet snuck their way over to the side a little further as the foreboding feeling grew stronger. Even the regular monsters, without the benefits of her senses, were able to detect it. As the seconds ticked past, they became more agitated, scrambling to finish their fights, or escape into a separate area. Several leapt out into the larger tunnel connected to this one that Columbant was heading for, maybe hoping to slide into the smaller paths whose openings dotted the walls.
It wasn't to be.
There was a sudden rushing sound, followed by a dull CRUNCH. Those desperate monsters were gone in an instant, vanished into the ethereal gullet of the new arrival.
Bones as black as night enveloped in ghostly, translucent flesh, the serpent was a nightmarish vision. For a long moment, it hovered in place, looming over everything with its enormous, elongated body. When no further prey made itself known, the creature once more began to glide forward, soon sliding out of view.
That was far too close, Columbant shivered, that's exactly where I wanted to go.
She let a few more seconds pass by before she indicated to Slither it was time to move forward. That bright core she had detected was fading away as the ghost serpent found other tunnels in which to feast.
She would dearly love to get her hands on that core, but now was hardly the time to try hunting such a high tier prey. It wasn't often that she found monsters such as those, ones that had managed to, by luck or design, achieve a powerful core and secure potent evolutions. Such creatures were lords of their own little slices of Dungeon, suppressing everything beneath them until such time as they grew too powerful and needed to descend in order to stay alive.
[Out of time,] Slither gasped.
The shadow returned to normal as her slug pet reformed, sliding out of the ground and into the tunnel. The darkness around them retracted, revealing Garg and her passengers to their surroundings.
Fortunately, not many monsters noticed, or else they were still so intimidated by the recent passer-by that they refused to emerge and challenge them.
[Move, quickly!] she urged the beetle and Garg responded, rushing forward and taking them into the larger tunnel. [Now left, we need to go this way.]
This junction was just one of several they would need to pass if they wanted to make it back to safe ground, and now they found themselves in a major arterial tunnel, much larger and more heavily populated than the one they had left behind.
[Stay together,] she urged her pets.
Getting here without having to fight had been a significant win. They were fresh and ready, without having been tangled in a dozen skirmishes just to get this far. Now they would have to fight, the only question was how long they could put it off.
Not long, as it turned out.
They hadn't made it far before the hundreds of monsters who had ducked for cover as the serpent came through began to emerge once more. As with all monsters, they had only one thing on their mind, growing stronger! In small packs, or as individuals, they began to hunt and the sounds of combat rang out in all directions once more.
She tried to avoid them, but it was inevitable that they would stumble into something.
Two spine-covered creatures that reeked of death had been hidden beneath a small patch of coral. Their cores were weak, to the point Columbant almost didn't see them until they were upon them. The monsters leaped from their hiding place, desperate to sting the attackers.
[Garg, use your carapace!] She warned her loyal pet.
The beetle-beast responded instantly, turning to present her massively thick shell to the spines of the monsters, which pierced into the hardened chitin, but failed to penetrate.
[Rist!]
The demon was ahead of her, already directing flames down to sear the two creatures. The spined things took heavy damage, weak to fire as most things in the second stratum were.
To strike the final blow, Slither leapt from the darkness and showered their opponents in thick acid, burning them away.
[Your pet has gained experience. You have received a portion.]
[Expert Pet Commander (III) has reached level eight.]
The fight was over, but the danger hadn't passed. Columbant swept her senses through the tunnel, waiting to see if any had been drawn closer by the noise.
At first there was nothing, and she began to feel relieved, but then came the slithering hisses and she knew trouble was coming. When wasn't it?
-x-X-x-
[Move quickly, Garg, we need to gain distance.]
[Right.]
Nothing brought monsters to an area faster than the sounds of battle. The chance to jump on others in the middle of a fight, or capitalise on an exhausted victor, was too good to pass up. Of course, what ended up happening most of the time was that a smaller fight quickly escalated into an all out melee as the opportunists ran into each other.
They were coming now, she could sense them, weak cores flickering in the darkness as the monsters skittered forward.
From her position on Garg's back, Columbant fired acid blasts at the targets behind them, the sizzling liquid boiling through the air. Almost all of the shots went wide, but at least one hit home, a monster crying out in the darkness and drawing others towards it.
All around them, the sounds of battle began to ignite, the frenzy spreading rapidly. Which meant the monsters in front of them were also drawn to the fight.
[Garg, charge!] Columbant ordered.
[Gladly!] the big beetle replied.
She lowered her head and rushed forward, putting all of her significant mass behind her reinforced horn. The pride and joy of Garg and Columbant's beetle-beast design, the horn was formed of condensed bone covered in hardened chitin. Highly mutated, it was a deadly weapon and a powerful defensive tool at the same time.
And Garg demonstrated it now, lowering her head and spearing the first target to put its head up in front of her. A shadow beast crept over the rock and hissed at them, only to receive a horn to the torso. Garg threw the monster off with a flick of her head and rumbled out a laugh as she continued to barrel forward.
[Keep up with us, Slither!]
[I'm here.]
[Rist, give us a fire wall.]
[Gladly.]
It took only a moment for the fire demon to unleash his power, the tunnel brightening as the fire erupted behind them. The flare revealed the hovering beasts, each looking for an angle, but they shied away from the heat before pouncing on each other, giving Columbant and her pets the space they needed.
[Run, Garg! Follow my directions!]
Steering the beetle with antennae taps, Columbant directed her group through the packed tunnel as more fights began to break out around them. As long as they stayed that little bit ahead and didn't get caught in the middle of it, they would make it out.
The terrain rushed past as Columbant ducked low on Garg's back. In her mind, she kept checking the Tunnel Map, tracking their progress as they drew closer and closer to the next junction.
She steered her charging steed expertly, narrowly avoiding spires and rocks and more monsters emerging from their hiding places to seek prey in front of them. There were many victims of Garg's horn as the race continued and the beetle-beast was rumbling merrily by the time they arrived at the second junction.
[Slither, we need your shadow again.]
[I don't have long.]
[That's fine, over there!]
As one, the group dove into a pocket of darkness and once again sank into the shadow that Slither provided. Not a moment too soon. As the fighting behind them caught up, chaos erupted. This was a meeting place between two large, arterial tunnels, monsters were everywhere and any excuse was enough to send them into a feeding frenzy.
[One minute,] her shadow pet ground out, the strain evident in his voice.
[That's fine,] she assured him, [don't push yourself too hard.]
She constantly scanned the surroundings as the brawl spread. They'd come this far, their odds of escaping had climbed significantly, but the next part would be the most dangerous. With the shadow exhausted, they had no choice but to make a break for the third and final junction. If they made it to that point, they'd be clear to ascend higher in the stratum where they outclassed the monsters much more heavily and spawn rates would be lower.
For fifty seconds, they rested and waited as Slither shrouded them in darkness, but all too soon, their time was up. Once more they were revealed, but Columbant held them still.
[How's your mana, Rist?]
[Almost full. I can go anytime.]
[How are the legs, Garg?]
[Fine.]
[All right. We're going to creep to the left side and then make a break for it.]
[Got it.]
The three smaller group members piled onto the top of Garg and prepared for the next dash. They were in a tight spot, but they'd been in many before. They could make it.
Hugging the walls, Columbant directed them to the far left side before she aimed and carefully fired three acid shots towards the right. The sizzling liquid arced through the air, catching the attention of the more dull-witted monsters and pulling them away from her crew.
[Now!]
[Quietly?] Garg asked.
[No! Full speed ahead!]
The beetle-beast was tired, but rallied herself and charged forward, horn lowered. She had utmost trust in her mistress to steer her to safety. The ground rumbled as the six-legged monster charged ahead, her weight enough to crack the stone beneath her as she ran.
[Need you to free fire here, Rist. Try not to run out of power, but don't hold back too much,] she instructed her demon pet.
At tier six, Rist was the strongest of her helpers, a scarce demon core that fell into her grasp before this current outing. He'd only grown into maturity two weeks ago and was still coming into his own, improving his Skills from their baseline levels.
[Got it,] he replied before his hands ignited and he began to hurl explosive balls of concentrated fire out into the darkness.
The cries and shrieks of monsters rang out immediately as the cavern lit up. Despite their power, the explosions didn't spread as far as they should; the suffocating thickness of the cold and shadows suppressed the fire and light.
[Keep going, Garg! You're doing well.]
[I will.]
And on they rushed. They were climbing now, gradually making their way higher into the Dungeon and toward safety.
Hope rose in Columbant's heart. She felt rising relief that none would need to be sacrificed. She loved her pets and desperately wanted them to survive.
The monsters were thick around them now, and she bit and fired acid at everything she could reach. But nothing could stop Garg's momentum. She was a spear, designed for this and this alone.
Then suddenly, things grew quiet. Monsters scrambled to hide and the surroundings grew colder. Columbant felt a shiver of fear run over her carapace.
She'd been too busy piloting and watching the monsters around her to notice the real danger. Now it reared up before her, staring down with cold, cold eyes.
The serpent had returned!
-x-X-x-
The ghostly serpent hovered above them for a short moment, its powerful core glowing bright in Columbant's eyes. Then it bared its fangs and lunged for them.
[Dodge, Garg!]
The beetle-beast tucked her legs and rolled to the side as the others threw themselves from her carapace, barely avoiding the lightning fast strike.
[Garg, up front! Slither, sneak attack. Rist, behind me. Standard formation, everyone.]
Her Pet Detection array sparked to life inside her, giving the ant a perfect picture of where her allies were positioned and their general state. The Skills she had trained so diligently came to the fore as she tried to squeeze out every advantage for the coming fight.
Pet Commander gave bonuses to any action she ordered her pets to complete. Pet Coordinator allowed her to direct and position her pets with maximum efficiency. Even the more passive Skills that made her pets grow faster and stronger, increasing their Skill growth, stirred as her pets drew on their abilities.
Before the serpent could retract for another strike, Garg was already there, recovering from her roll and charging in headfirst, trying to land a blow with her horn. The monster was too quick for that, twisting its long, ethereal body to dodge, and pulling back for another bite.
Despite herself, Columbant couldn't help but admire the elegant design of the monster. So simple, yet so brutal. Somehow, the creature had lucked into a powerful evolution despite being completely wild. A rare event, but with millions of Dungeon monsters being spawned and killed every hour, it happened more than most would think.
Balls of fire streaked overhead and again, the serpent twisted, coiling itself with incredible speed to avoid the flames. It didn't realise that the explosions were coming.
BOOM!
A deathly hiss filled the tunnel as the flames scorched the monster's ghostly flesh. Fury ignited in the serpent's eyes as it locked onto Rist, the source of the offending fire.
[Slither!] Columbant called.
The slug revealed itself, rearing out of the shadows not two metres from the serpent's tail. His mouth opened and he spewed forth a torrent of black, acidic goo.
In a flash, the giant serpent reacted, spinning to slash at Slither with its tail. In one blow, the loyal pet was launched from the safety of its shadow and splatted against the distant wall.
[Slither!]
[I'm fine,] he replied as he reformed his body and sank into the shadows again. [Much faster than I thought.]
[Charge!]
Garg had reoriented herself and rushed forwards once more. It was her only move, but it was a powerful one.
The giant bug blurred as she lunged, utilising her Skills to the fullest extent to reach incredible speeds. Not even the serpent was quick enough to uncoil itself to avoid the charge and Columbant felt a surge of triumph as the beetle-beast struck home with her deadly horn.
Garg bellowed joyfully as she felt the contact, twisting her head to maximise the damage, but the response didn't feel right. Columbant could see the ghost-flesh of the serpent didn't sustain injury the way a normal body would.
Threads broke off, translucent strands that drifted through the air like the dark weeds that floated in the shadow sea. Clearly, the monster had suffered damage, but rather than writhing in pain at the grievous blow, the serpent instead rose up, baring its fangs.
It doesn't feel pain!
[Garg, dodge!]
Her pets were well trained and Garg reacted instantly, pulling back and rolling, except she couldn't. The unhealed wound in her flank reared its ugly head at the worst possible time. She staggered as her middle-left leg spasmed, the muscle tearing as she put too much force through it.
The snake bit home.
Two enormous fangs punched through Garg's hardened carapace, tearing into the flesh beneath.
Dammit, no!
Fire roared overhead as Rist unleashed his remaining arsenal, trying to protect his fellow pet. Columbant poured her efforts into forming a healing mana construct, pumping out the precious life-giving energy as she blasted acid at the snake.
Their efforts were enough to force the serpent to release its grip. Garg quickly scuttled back out of range, but was deeply wounded. Columbant didn't need her advanced Skills to know that. Only her incredible carapace saved the big bug from instant death.
[Hold still, Garg, I've got you.]
[I can fight,] she groaned, [I'm alright.]
[Don't be stupid.]
The core shaper sent every drop of healing energy into her loyal pet that she could and felt the wounds begin to close. She cursed her lack of energy, but gave everything she had to Garg.
[Get yourself out of sight and recover. That's an order!] she snapped before she turned and rushed at the serpent.
Unable to refuse, Garg ground her teeth in frustration and limped to the shadows, still burning with pain.
This is far from ideal.
The serpent hissed as it loomed over the smaller ant. Columbant thought furiously about what she could do. With Garg out of action, Slither wounded and Rist running low on mana, they were in a near hopeless predicament.
The serpent was strong. It would be a tough fight if they were in peak condition, but they were far from that.
I could run. I could order Slither, Rist and Garg to charge and then escape.
It was what core shapers were meant to do; they were the true investment of the Colony, not the pets. The Eldest had demanded that they preserve their own lives to the fullest extent, but she knew she wouldn't do it.
Guess I'm a failure of a core shaper.
[Rist, give it everything you have left! Slither, we need more acid!]
It wouldn't work, but she would go down fighting alongside her pets to the end. Columbant gnashed her mandibles and charged for a final time.
The serpent swerved through the air, mouth wide and ready to bite down on the puny ant rushing toward it, when it felt something cannon into its side.
Columbant almost couldn't believe her eyes when a monstrous turtle rumbled forward and pounced on the snake, snapping at its ethereal flesh.
She knew that turtle!
"Magellant?" she called.
"You look like you're in rough shape," her fellow core shaper called back. "Good thing I was in the area!"
Two more pets sprang out of the darkness, a bear tyrant and shadow spider, throwing themselves at the serpent, which hissed with fury as it suffered yet further damage.
[Let's go, Slither! Can't let them take all the glory!]
Looked like she wouldn't have to die after all.
-x-X-x-
"It's all yours," Magellant said magnanimously.
"Are you sure?" Columbant replied, antennae flicking with indecision.
"Of course. You and your team did the bulk of the work, I only arrived to provide cleanup at the end."
"Then I will claim it with gratitude. You have my thanks."
With one swift movement, she scooped up the powerful core sitting on the stone between them and tucked it into the pouch slung around her carapace. All of a sudden, the bag felt far more burdensome than before as the dense core settled amongst so many weaker ones, but it wasn't unwelcome.
The serpent had been a powerful monster, with a strong core. She would study it carefully when she had the time, documenting everything she could find for the core shaper records. After that would come the brain-bending work of altering the core, attempting to engineer an even more perfect creation.
If all went well, she might have found her fourth pet! She'd need to buy the Skill to increase the number she could have first, though.
"I can't thank you enough for arriving when you did. The situation was hopeless."
"I noticed that the tunnels were far more dangerous than expected and thought it would be best for us to meet up early. I'm glad your trail hasn't faded, otherwise I might never have found you."
"It's a bit embarrassing, but I made the poor decision to flee trouble by going deeper into the Dungeon. A foolish mistake, I know."
Ranging from the Colony as they did, there were basic principles that they all strove to follow. The most fundamental of all: deeper is more dangerous, not less. No matter how inviting and safe that tunnel might appear, or how much pressure you were under, you didn't go deeper unless you were fully prepared.
Feeling the pinch from heavier than expected fighting, Columbant had taken one turn that she should never have considered and ended up in an even worse predicament as a result.
"What's the plan now?" Magellant asked. "You want to head back to the nest?"
"If you're amenable. I know we planned to stay out longer, but after recovering this core and running so close to disaster, I need to get my bearings and do a bit of study."
"That's not a problem. We've got a long way to go before we get home, I'll be able to hit my Biomass targets as long you donate a little my way."
If that was going to be the price of cutting the expedition short, then that was all well and good.
The two core shapers began to plan the return journey, scratching out maps and lines on the tunnel floor. They were sixty kilometres from the territory of the Colony in a straight line. Naturally, the Dungeon didn't work in straight lines. They'd have to move much farther than that before they reached safety.
They spent long hours planning their route as the pets continued to annihilate any monster who drew close to the position they held, huddled against the wall. It was necessary that they have a firm agreement on as much as possible before the journey began, so they talked back and forth, working out as many kinks as they could before departing.
This far from the nest, they had no one to rely on except each other and their loyal pets. A successful expedition was one that was properly planned, this was a core shaper maxim.
"This will work," Columbant said, examining the diagram closely, "are you ready to depart?"
"Right away."
[Gather up, everyone, we're heading home,] Columbant said to her pets.
Garg pushed herself to her feet, the healing process nearly complete after a day of repeated treatments and several large meals. The brush with death had forced Columbant to reevaluate just how durable her design really was. She'd felt that nothing would be able to threaten the beetle-beast within the second stratum, but she'd been proven wrong.
She would do everything she could to secure a strong evolution for Garg. Elevating her to the fifth tier would do a lot for the group, allowing the softer targets like Rist and Slither to move more freely.
She quickly checked on Garg's status. She wasn't far away, though there was a little work to be done on mutations.
The journey was a long one, the rising tide of monster spawns slowing their progress significantly. Thankfully, as a consequence, Magellant had no issues collecting the Biomass she'd wanted for her pets. Even so, Columbant was able to harvest her fair share.
When the two weary core shapers finally crossed the threshold into the Colony's territory, they heaved a massive sigh of relief.
It was an exhausting process, ranging out so far from the colony, but the instant they crossed the boundary and sensed the familiar pheromones against their antennae, all their stress melted away. The random monster attacks ceased; within the well regulated lands of the ants, such a thing didn't happen.
Soon they came across siblings who waved and welcomed them back vigorously.
"Welcome home! How far out did you go this time?"
"Working hard out there?"
"Make sure you... get some rest."
That last one had seemingly come from the shadows, but when Columbant turned to look, she saw no one there.
Not matter, she wouldn't be caught skipping on rest. Now that she was home, she had a great deal of torpor to catch up on.
The second homecoming for the two core shapers occurred when they entered the complex reserved for their caste.
"Welcome back, you two," the door-ant greeted them at the entrance. "Make sure you sign into the book."
"Wouldn't dream of forgetting," Columbant chuckled.
The two lined up and wrote down a brief description of their journey, including number and quality of cores collected, and Biomass harvested for their pets.
"Profitable trip then," the door-ant noted. "Turn over any spare cores, and welcome home."
The two ants picked up their pouches in their mandibles, rummaging to hand over every core they could afford to part with.
"The caste is grateful for your generosity, sisters. These will be used well to support the rise of the next generation."
"You're more than welcome," Columbant clacked her mandibles happily.
It felt good to support the growth of the caste. She herself had relied on donated cores to start practising her Skills.
Through the entrance, they were immediately amongst core shapers. Greetings were exchanged, brood mates warmly tapped, but they had a more important job to do before they could truly rest.
[There you go, Garg,] she told the big beetle, [go in and have a good sleep.]
Garg scuttled into her pen, a fresh meal of Biomass already waiting for her. Slither ducked into his own deeply shadowed chamber while Rist found comfort in his heated, rocky rest-area.
Seeing the three of them settled brought a smile to Columbant's heart. They'd worked hard, all four of them. They would regroup and recover, plan and prepare, and then they would go out again.
-x-X-x-
"Congratulations," Enid smiled down on the still recovering young woman.
"Thank you mayor," Lilin replied, radiantly happy despite what she'd just been through.
"We're very happy," her husband Phillip said as he stared lovingly down at his wife.
"And how has the care you've received been?'
"Oh, just perfect," Lilin said.
"We couldn't be happier, mayor. Thank you," Phillip said.
"That's good. After the effort we put into building this place, I'm glad it's all come together."
[We told you it would be fine,] the on-rotation ant-medic said. [I still don't understand why you doubted us in the first place. When is the Colony anything but first-rate?]
[I should have believed in you,] Enid admitted, [but even I wasn't sure how well you would be able to run a maternity ward. You don't know anything about human reproduction.]
[Bah,] the ant groused, [our queens give birth hundreds of times every day. You think we can't heal someone who has given birth only once? Don't be ridiculous. Now get out of the way, I need to check the patient.]
Healers, medics and doctors always managed to be rude and ill-tempered. Even the non-human ones! In some ways, Enid took comfort knowing that this fact of life was even more universal than she'd thought.
The ant bustled forward, its head just barely high enough to see over the top of the bed Lilin rested in. Even if the eyes didn't quite reach, the antennae certainly did. The recovering mother was lightly tapped and brushed by those curious feelers as Lilin's eyes took on that slightly glazed expression of a person engaged in mind to mind conversation.
After a few moments, the antennae glowed brightly as they imparted a quick burst of healing mana to the patient.
Job done, the ant backed up and began to make her way out of the room.
[She'll be fine,] she said, [the baby has been cleaned up and checked. It will return to this room in one minute.]
And so it was, nestled in the mandibles of another healer ant. For a moment, Enid was forced to confront just how bizarre it was that she could see a genuine Dungeon monster skittering around with a newborn in its grip and feel absolutely no fear for the child. How strange. How marvellous.
[Here he is,] the new ant said cheerfully, and Enid could only assume it was a younger, less evolved healer. She hadn't had time to absorb the proper grumpiness expected of the caste.
Lilin's face lit up as her new baby boy returned to her arms. As Phillip leaned in to embrace them both, Enid brushed a tear from her eye. Such a touching scene, one that she would never tire of. How long had it been since she saw her own children? Too long. Goodness knows where they were now.
"Well, I will leave you to it. Congratulations again."
"Thank you, mayor," they replied and she smiled at them once more before she exited the room."
Who could have imagined they would have their own hospital? It was less than a year ago that they had fled the ruins of their homes, and already they thrived as they never had before.
She raised one hand to pat at the expertly cut stone walls before she exited the facility, doing her best to stay out of everyone's way. She stepped out into the streets of Renewal, and finding herself in a reflective mood, began to appreciate just how well built they were.
Wide and composed of perfectly formed stone, with deep drainage ditches along both sides, they were the sort of roads only the wealthiest lived on in Liria. This sort of mage-work was laborious, and expensive, which made it rare, at least, rare before the catastrophe. Every street in Renewal was formed this way, crafted by the carvers with exacting precision. Not only that, the layout of the town itself was a masterful stroke of planning and forward thinking.
The town council could take some credit for that, but even there, the influence of the Colony was felt. Traffic flowed so smoothly, it was rare to see someone waiting more than a few seconds at any particular junction.
She was engaged in conversation regularly as she made her way to her destination, the citizens pleased to see her and unafraid to approach and ask whatever questions were on their minds. She welcomed it. Where not long ago these exchanges were a never ending series of disasters as too few resources were divided amongst too many people, now that desperate edge was gone.
The people were comfortable. In fact, the people were thriving. Renewal had more than delivered upon its promise.
She found her way back to the council chambers in time, her own office situated in the same building. She walked behind her desk and sat with a weary sigh, her old bones creaking as she took the weight of them.
She kneaded her hands for a few minutes. They were so stiff these days, and healing magic didn't help at all. It wasn't possible to heal ageing, after all.
When they felt limber enough, she grabbed a pen and began to compose a letter. It wasn't overly long, but she carefully pondered each word, which dragged out the time. As it turned out, she finished just before the meeting was due to take place.
She debated taking the time to place it in an envelope and seal it, but decided against it. A waste of paper. Too inefficient, as the Colony would say.
She groaned as she heaved herself to her feet and made her way to the council chamber to find the others had already arrived, chatting amongst themselves.
It was interesting to note that the worried frowns and concerned whispers that so often marked these gatherings in the early days were gone, replaced with chuckles, back slapping and warm greetings.
"You're all here, that's fantastic," Enid greeted them, waving back those who came to speak with her. "If it's all the same with you, I'd like to jump straight to the business at hand. Unless there are any objections?"
There were none, so Enid sat at the head of the table and began to chair the gathering.
"Very well, let's get started. Mrs Hull, you're our minutes taker today?"
"Yes, mayor. Ready when you are."
"Wonderful. Thank you, dear."
She pulled out her letter and placed it on the table.
"I had the pleasure of witnessing a birth today. This child was conceived, carried and born in Renewal, the first of many, I hope. So it seems as good a time as any. I'm resigning my position as mayor, effective immediately."
She stood and stretched her back.
"Good luck with the rest," she said as she made her way to the door surrounded by stunned silence. "I need some tea."
-x-X-x-
"Are you sure you want to retire now? There's so much uncertainty around town right now," Terrence asked.
"Wherever there are people, there's uncertainty," Enid groused as she brought her tea to her lips for a drink. "Ah, that's lovely. Is this a new blend?"
"The Colony delivered a few bags yesterday. They said it was a test batch. I'll need you to fill in a survey when you're done."
"Hah," she laughed. "I'll be happy to. Drinking their tea has been one of the great pleasures of recent months."
She picked up a biscuit and gave it a hearty nibble.
"And they bake so well. Who would have thought?"
"Mayor," her secretary said sternly. "You haven't answered my question. Are you sure you should retire now?"
"Of course I'm sure. If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have done it," she waved the man's concerns away. "I've done everything I can for this place, more than I ever thought I could, but I'm old and tired. I don't have much time left and I believe it's important to turn these duties over to the younger folk while I'm still around to offer advice."
She eyeballed Terrence over the edge of her cup.
"And by the way, aren't you the mayor's secretary?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you here? I've resigned."
"I suppose I'll have to take the tea with me then...."
"Nobody said you have to go that far!"
The two chuckled together.
"I'd like to say thank you for all that you've done then, Mayor Ruther."
"Pish! Call me Enid."
"Very well. What do you hope to do in your retirement then, Enid? Now that you're free of all obligations?"
The old woman thought for a moment, a frown adding a few further wrinkles to her brow.
"I'd like to help in the hospital, for one. It's a joy seeing new children brought into the world. Even if all I do is chat to the parents, I think I'd enjoy that. I wouldn't mind one last trip into the Dungeon either. I haven't seen the Queen for a while, I'd love to have a chat with her again. Anthony as well, though that might not be possible. Goodness knows how deep he is now. Too deep for my old bones, I'd say."
"One last trip? You make it sound as if you've got one foot in the grave," Terrence said. "Surely you aren't as infirm as that."
"I'm old, Terrence. Far too old to be running this place. I've done the best I can to get Renewal off to a good start, but it's time for someone younger, with a little more vigour, to take on the role."
She eyed him seriously.
"I'm perfectly happy being a secretary, thank you very much," Terrence replied dryly. "I don't have a way with people like you do."
"Pish," Enid scoffed, "if you put in a little effort, you'd do just fine."
The two paused and sank into a companionable silence. Enid looked out the window, a soft smile on her face as she watched the people going about their days outside the window. She could never have imagined she would have the opportunity to make something good, this late in her life. The satisfaction in knowing that she had done the best job she could do, and the pride she felt seeing her fellow refugees rise to every challenge to make something remarkable, was something she never expected to feel at this age.
"Are you sure you'll be able to go that deep into the Dungeon?" Terrence asked quietly. "To meet the Queen and Anthony? It's dangerous down there."
Enid looked pensive.
"It won't be easy, but that doesn't mean it's not worth doing," she huffed. "I'm old, not decrepit. As long as I take my time and adjust to the mana levels, I'll be fine."
Terrence nodded. The Colony were very good about helping people go up and down in the Dungeon. They had begun to build chambers with the sole purpose of helping people adjust to varying mana concentrations.
"What do you think is happening back in the council chamber?" Terrence mused, allowing his mind to wander.
Enid snorted.
"They'll be running around like chickens with their heads cut off. But that's fine, they'll sort it out in the end."
Back in the council rooms
"She can't just quit!"
"This is a disaster!"
"Get that old woman back in here, right now!"
"Show a little respect!"
It was pandemonium, with fingers being pointed, shouting and a general feeling of bewilderment. Diplomant, the only Colony member in the room, watched it all happen with studious interest.
Such a fascinating lack of control. These boiling emotions demanded release and the normally professional and friendly members of the council had turned on each other to vent their frustrations.
Unthinkable amongst the Colony. Very few ants were so forward with their feelings, and none would let them get in the way of work. She would be fascinated to see how the rest of this conversation played out.
"Would all of you SHUT UP!"
A meaty fist crashed down on the table, cutting through the noise and drawing eyes to Mr Durn, owner of said fist.
"Good," he growled before jabbing a finger at the individuals around the table. "The mayor is allowed to resign. Of course she is! Enid Ruther has worked herself to the bone for this place, and I'll be damned before I let anyone take away her chance to rest and relax. If anyone in this place deserves it, it's her."
He glared and more than a few people wilted under that steady gaze.
"Well, what do we do now?" Mrs Blindon asked. "We've only ever had one mayor. Enid wasn't technically elected, even, nobody ran against her!"
"Well that's it then," Mr Durn stated, "we need to make an announcement about the mayor's retirement, and give notice that there will be a new mayoral election. If anyone wants the job, they'll have a week to secure a nomination."
"Isn't that too short?"
"We've got a thousand projects on the go right now. We need to establish a leader as quickly as we can, otherwise things will go to pot. Any objections?"
There were none. One foreleg rose into the air.
"Diplomant would like someone to explain the concept of an 'election'," the translator standing next to the ant said. "She is most curious about it."
-x-X-x-
"Thank you for everything, mayor." A woman tearfully held Enid's hand in a too-tight grip, looking down at the aged mayor.
"You're more than welcome, dear," Enid smiled, patting her on the shoulder and diplomatically freeing her hand. "What we achieved, we achieved together. No one person can take the credit."
A few more words were exchanged and then she moved on, only to be stopped down the road by someone else who wanted to thank her for her service. It had been like this ever since her retirement had been officially announced by the council three days ago. Every time she stepped out her door, she was accosted by the people of Renewal who wanted to let her know how much she meant to them.
[This must be confusing for you,] she said to Diplomant, who accompanied her, [this outpouring of gratitude to someone who no longer wants to work.]
The ant skittered along at her side, antennae waving slowly.
[There are several concepts at play that are not wholly understood by us. As creatures of the Dungeon, formed of mana, we do not age, so the idea of 'retirement' is not one that we think about. I can see how one might want to indulge in a 'well-earned rest', as their capacity to work diminishes. The gratitude of the people is also heartwarming to see. They deeply appreciate the work you have done, and so thank you for it.]
[You've grasped it quite well,] Enid mused. [We humans eventually slow down and run out of steam, unlike you monsters. Usually, once we can't do as good a job as we could do before, we stop working, and our families take care of us until we die.]
[There are several points I don't understand in what you said. Firstly, I do not believe that your work has suffered at all. The town is thriving, the people are happy and the decisions you have made benefited all. The Colony has learned much by closely observing your performance as an administrator.]
[That's awfully kind of you to say. If I were to be specific, then I would say that I don't believe my performance has declined yet, but that it soon will, so I wish to remove myself before that happens.]
[Very well then. Secondly, you say that old humans depend on their families to care for them? I was unaware that you had family in the area.]
[I don't,] Enid sighed, [not for a long time.]
[Then the Colony will care for you,] the ant said firmly. [You have contributed much and we would celebrate that.]
The old woman felt genuinely touched.
[I thank you,] she said with a smile. [That is most kind. I will trouble your hospitality then.]
"Mayor Ruther! Mayor Ruther!" A breathless young man ran up to her.
She scowled.
"Matthew Porl, I'm not the mayor anymore, just call me Enid."
"You remember my name?" he blinked.
"I'm old, not senile," she groused. "What do you want? You ran over here like a crazy person."
"I wanted to know who to vote for," he said, "I mean, who you think I should vote for. I'm having trouble deciding."
Enid gaped at him.
"Don't ask me! You're supposed to work it out for yourself. There's no right or wrong answer, you pick the person you think will do the best job."
Mayoral elections weren't anything new to people born of the frontier. The country might reside in the hands of the monarchy, and the titles in the hands of the nobility, but at the local level, it was normal to have a commoner step in to do the actual work.
[Are you even aware of who the candidates are?] Diplomant asked her, after a pause to have the conversation translated.
[Not especially,] Enid replied. [I haven't been keeping track of it on purpose, it's not my business anymore.]
She turned back to young Matthew.
"Do you know who is running? Have you informed yourself at least that much?"
"Of course!" he exclaimed. "The nominations aren't closed yet, but most of the big names are already in the mix."
[Ask him to elaborate,] Diplomant said, [I should like to know more of this process from his point of view.]
[Fine,] Enid rolled her eyes.
"Well now, there's a lot to say already," Matthew scratched his cheek as he pondered where to start. "The Followers of The Great One and the Ant Path have a lot of sway in town, obviously, and there were rumblings that Priest Beyn would be put forward as a candidate, but a representative stated he was too busy and that nobody with a position in the Church could take up authority in the town."
Enid nodded. That was something they had agreed on early in the town's history. She had great respect for the work Beyn's people did, but there needed to be delineation between the roles. The Church would do what a Church should do, and the Town Council would do the rest.
"Head of the Farmer's Association, Bill Knightly, has put himself forward, running on an unsurprisingly pro-agriculture platform," Matthew went on. "He won't win, though, because he's demanding that the ants get more involved in harvesting crops."
[Why is that a bad thing?] Diplomant wondered. [We will help when asked.]
"The public doesn't like it when someone makes demands of the Colony," Matthew replied when Enid passed on the query. "Asking them for help is one thing, but making it public policy is quite another."
Enid had always included a line about "reaching out" to the Colony in her proposals, but never depended on them coming through. The people of Renewal loved the ants, but didn't want to be a burden to them.
"Mr Durn is making a strong run," Matthew went on. "He's already announced his own preferences for council seats and they are a diverse and competent group, even including a few others who have announced their candidacy. He has a lot of trust amongst the people, since he worked closely with the previous... with you, Enid, and has a strong financial position, given his business success."
Mr Rothen Durn had been a trader, from further north, before the wave. He'd had contacts and assets in still standing kingdoms and older empires, but had chosen to come here with the other survivors. He was competent and brooked no nonsense.
"There is a general upswell of momentum for another candidate, but it lacks a central figure to push forward," Matthew said.
Enid frowned.
"And how can that be?"
"There's a large group of people who would vote for a candidate put forward by the Colony, without question. Except nobody has been able to convince an ant to run."
He and Enid both looked at Diplomant.
[We aren't interested,] the ant waved an antenna when she understood the problem. [We are still feeling out exactly how involved we should be in territories that we work with, or those we absorb, but generally, we feel that direct control is not the best practice. Even if we gain it through electoral means.]
"That's a shame," Matthew sighed, "that movement was just starting to get organised. They even named their group."
"What did they call it?"
"The Colonisers."
Enid made a face. Then brushed it aside. She looked at Matthew Porl with new eyes.
"You are actually remarkably well informed on the matter, aren't you?"
The young man grinned and patted himself on the chest.
"I take this seriously, you know? It's important for Renewal, and the town is important to all of us. I'm so worried about making the wrong choice, it's keeping me up at night."
"Why don't you come with me, young man, we should have a conversation. Tell me, how much do you know about the printing business?"
-x-X-x-
"Support might be weakening for the Labourer candidate after his new policy proposal landed flat yesterday. People weren't happy with the idea of using the ants as farm animals. Unsurprising. This is interesting: apparently, there's been a late surge by a new group," Enid mused as she read over the pamphlet that had been delivered that morning.
"I cannot believe how quickly you got that organised," Terrence muttered as he poured tea for the two of them. "Where did you even source the ink?"
"The Colony was able to facilitate a trade with one of the underground cities that they manage. The whole thing was above board."
"And your enchanted printing press? I suppose you purchased that for the market price?"
Enid had the grace to look abashed.
"I have to admit, I didn't expect something like that to appear. The ants were curious about the concept of mass printing, and I told them how I believed it was done. I could hardly expect they'd drop a completely finished press on the doorstep two days later."
"You did have a rather amusing expression on your face, as I recall."
"Oh hush and pass the tea. Thank you."
"The real question is if they'll be able to adapt the technology to mass print their scent writing. If so, then they'll be able to produce books, libraries, and whole repositories of knowledge."
"A golden age of ant information sharing?" Enid said. "Come to think of it, this could be the perfect time for them to take up such technology. They're getting more and more spread out as they expand, pretty soon, a crafter on one side of the Colony will never meet one on the other. Being able to share information will be critical."
"And you just happened to introduce them to the idea right when they might need it," Terrence rolled his eyes.
"Not everything I do is part of some grand scheme," the old woman huffed as she sipped from her fine cup. "Sometimes it's just an accident."
"Fine."
The two sat in companionable silence for a time, enjoying their drinks and the warm air that wafted in through the open window. It had been five days since Enid had first pitched the idea to young Matthew about putting out some writing about the election. It was important to educate the people on what was happening, and he'd been just the person to get the ball rolling. She hadn't expected it to blow up as quickly as it had.
Already, he was doing limited, daily runs of short pamphlets detailing the goings on around town and the election. Likely, the pace would slow down once they had a new mayor, but already, Enid was seeing some return on her initial investment.
She'd never expected to be a printing mogul in retiring years. Oh well, something to take up the time.
"So who is making a late surge then?" Terrence finally asked.
"The Well Rested Alliance," Enid replied.
"I can probably guess their platform."
"It may have something to do with the number eight."
"I figured. People are already terrified to miss out on sleep! Renewal is already the most rested place I've ever seen! Even the tavern closes early. What further policies can they possibly enact? We already have kidnappings for goodness' sake!"
Enid eyed her former secretary over the edge of her cup.
"That's dangerous talk," she warned him. "They'll come for you if you aren't careful."
"And do what? Read me a lullaby?"
The only way to experience the true terror of the sleep police was to fall into their shadowy clutches. It wasn't even what they did, that was downright helpful, it was their unnerving and uncanny ability to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
"In truth," she returned to their earlier topic, "the Well Rested Alliance is not interested in forcing people to sleep eight hours a day."
Terrence raised his brows in surprise.
"They aren't?"
"No." She sipped her tea. "They want to make it nine."
"Path's mercy," he groaned.
Enid laughed.
"That way, they can be even more certain that the proper number of eight has been achieved. They worry about 'sevens', people who are getting seven hours and fifty-something minutes."
"How dreadful."
"One does have to admit that general productivity is up, violence is down and people are far more pleasant to be around since this was enforced. I'm not saying ten minutes either way makes a difference," she held her hands up at Terrence's irritated glare. "I'm just saying I can understand why they've latched onto this particular aspect of ant-culture, it has measurable benefits. They have other proposals as well."
"Such as what?"
"A lot of stuff about ensuring sleep quality is as high as possible. Under their plan, better quality mattresses, pillows and blankets would be provided by the council to every citizen. They also intend to form a blanket collective, which will source volunteers to help make blankets that will be shared out amongst the populace. Since so many people are sitting in bed when they wake up early, there's already an underground quilting community out there, this will suit them just fine."
"Oh, no. They're going to win, aren't they?" Terrence sounded horrified. "Who's the candidate?"
Enid checked her pamphlet again.
"Mr McRanith."
"WHAT?!" Terrence slammed a hand down on the table. "Doesn't he sell bedding? Is he trying to send himself out of business?" His eyes narrowed. "Or is he hoping to sell his own stock to the council at a markup?"
Enid grinned, and Terrence's face sank.
"He's promised to donate everything he has to the council, if elected," she told him. "He already signed the documents and holds them up everytime he speaks in public."
"You're saying, he actually believes what he's saying? He buys into this madness?"
"An honest politician," Enid hummed.
"Great One save us," Terrence could only shake his head.