Chapter 2905 - Chry 113

The Eldest had laid down the challenge and Solant could feel the pressure immediately. Someone like her, not even a full graduate of the Antcademy, was to be put in charge of a battlefield during a wave. Only the authority of the Eldest made something like this possible, the defenders of the nest put their faith in their strongest member and trusted that Solant would not fail them.

The pressure was immense.

Clearly, the Eldest intended to put her and her broodmates directly into the fire, the only place the strongest steel could be forged. The weight of responsibility settled on her carapace immediately, a crushing weight that threatened to drive even the mana from her core.

She welcomed it. More than that, she relished it.

"I am grateful to the Eldest," she told her precious sisters as they gathered in their chamber after torpor. "Either we are right in what we do and how we do it, or we are wrong. If we are wrong, let us fail now, before too much damage can be done. If we are right, then let us succeed, and lead the family to victory."

The others listened solemnly, fully aware of what was riding on their performance in battle that day.

"We're with you," Leonidant assured her. "All the way."

"Of course. There's no such thing as a general, unless there is an army."

Two parts of a single whole.

When they emerged from the chamber, they found the Eldest and the three guardians waiting for them.

"Ready for the big day?" the Eldest asked, looming over them without trying to.

"Of course," Solant confirmed, no hint of wavering in her scent.

"Good. You're in charge, lead the way."

A little taken aback at the thought of leading the Eldest anywhere in the nest, Solant nevertheless stepped forward and marched to the centre of the enormous staging chamber, in which the gathered generals administered the never ending defensive battle.

Hordes of ants swarmed everywhere, rushing in and out of the dozens of tunnels that led from this one central hub. Some were returning to rest, others shifting from one field of engagement to another. The priorities under the nest changed from minute to minute, depending on what dreadful creatures emerged from the depths.

Luckily, Vibrant and her army were still in attendance. With their unmatched speed, they could leap from one hotspot to another, the best relief force in the entire Colony.

"I will take command of the A3 tunnel for the next twelve hours," Solant announced to the frazzled Victor, who sat surrounded by messengers and generals on all sides.

"What?!" the general shouted, then noticed the Eldest looming in the back. "Oh. Fine. Go quickly and don't make any mistakes. We're hard pressed down here and it'll be tough to cover for you."

"Don't worry. We will achieve victory."

After announcing this, the little general turned and led her procession to the tunnel scent-marked as A3. She had led the troops in this segment before and hopefully they remembered her preferred arrangements.

When she arrived, she immediately made contact with the general in charge of the tunnel.

"I've been instructed to take command of the tunnel for the next twelve hours," she announced to the far larger and more experienced general.

The ant sized her up in an instant.

"I remember you. The changeover is happening in two hours. I'll inform the other generals, you should go talk to the troops."

"Thank you," Solant snapped out a quick salute with her antennae which was returned before the two generals went their separate ways.

Seemingly uninterested by the minutiae of leadership, the Eldest moved to one side of the tunnel and flopped down with the three guardians beside them. It hurt her heart to see the strongest fighting force of the Colony doing nothing, but then she shook her head.

The Eldest is here for you, she reminded herself, if they don't think it's a waste of time, then it isn't.

With her broodmates around her, Solant took the time to speak to all of the troops waiting for their turn on the frontline. She needed to check in with the healers, the soldiers, the scouts, the mages and the core shapers and cover her ideas in detail, especially since there would be changes this time around.

"You mean the Eldest isn't going to let the monsters attack their carapace?" one of the larger and stronger soldiers asked.

"That's right," Solant nodded, before she stepped forward and prodded the tier six soldier with one antenna, "which means we are going to get some work out of you this time."

"Good! I was starting to worry I was getting lazy."

"We have formation practice in an hour," she informed them, "we need to go over the rapid rotation and the new manoeuvre, which I call tea and biscuits."

"Sounds… delicious?"

"It's meant to."

With the authority of the Eldest and the certain knowledge that nothing could go too wrong so long as the strongest ant in the Colony was standing behind them, the ants were more than happy to go along with whatever Solant had to say.

Well before they were due to fight, she had them running exhausting drills, doing everything she could to prepare her troops for the trials to come. She was everywhere, picking up on every tiny mistake and correcting it on the spot. If a soldier put a leg out of place, or a mage mistimed their spell, or a healer was too slow to rotate, Solant would appear like magic, patiently explaining what had gone wrong and what the result would be in battle were the error to be replicated.

Battles were won on the training ground.

This was another core tenet of Solant's philosophy, and she wished she had far more time to ingrain even these simple formations into her troops, but that wasn't how things had shaken out and she made her peace with that. Before too long, it was time to rotate and replace the troops battling hard on the frontline. With her excitement bottled tightly deep within her thorax, Solant led her first army to the battlefield, nothing but victory in her eyes.

-x-X-x-

As they drew closer to the front, the endless roars of monsters grew deafening until Solant's antennae were vibrating from the force of it. Her general's eye crackled into life the closer they got to the field, her intuition and mutations blending together to give her an almost supernatural sense for the battlefield.

The ants were tired, which was to be expected. They moved sluggishly, taking more damage than they should, and attacked without sharpness, inflicting less punishment on the enemy than they were capable of.

This was a compounding problem that led to more damage being taken and more ground lost as the shifts dragged on. Of course, the Colony could simply rotate the ants more often, but that introduced more problems than it solved. Logistically, shifting hundreds of thousands of ants around was a nightmare already, doing it more often would just compound the issue.

Despite the huge numbers of ants inside the nest, there was far more fighting taking place than any of the leadership had expected. The tunnels beneath the nest were absurdly extensive, as if a tunnel network the size of the entire first stratum had been bolted onto the bottom of the mountain. The absurd number and size of monsters appearing out of the waters had also taken the Colony by surprise, drawing their resources even thinner.

Solant would need her current group of troops to hold at the front for four hours before they would be relieved by the next shift. In another two hours' time, she would arrange for the incoming ants to go through the same drills the current group had under the leadership of her sisters, since she wouldn't leave the front.

"Get ready to charge," she announced calmly as the massive soldiers and scouts clacked their mandibles eagerly.

She watched the fighting ahead with her intense gaze, waiting for the perfect moment.

The monsters surged, the ants reared back, and she had found the timing.

"Charge," she said.

Her troops rushed forward, covering half of the tunnel surface as they ran. The thousands of ants already fighting saw their approach and the general in charge coordinated the retreat.

"Acid and magic blast, go!" she roared and the exhausted troops gave everything they had left to beat back the monsters and give them the separation they needed to retreat.

It was a delicate moment, and Solant watched carefully as the current shift began to compress their formation and fall back. An almost bizarre sight, like two fluids moving in opposite directions through a single pipe, took place as the retreating ants crushed into one side flowed back to safety while Solant and her fresh army pushed forward, towards the enemy.

"Snap into place and brace," she instructed the soldiers in front and they knew exactly what to do.

Right at the front of the formation, Solant had picked the exact moment the retreating line of soldiers had passed them and had her own reform the line, covering the entire ring of the tunnel's surface. The soldiers rushed into position and braced themselves, ready to receive the deadly charge of the monsters ahead.

That charge came swift and brutal. Larger and stronger than what the Colony had fought higher in the Dungeon, the beasts of the fourth were fewer in number, but much harder to deal with.

An enormous, elongated caterpillar squirmed towards them, acid rolling from its body and sizzling on the rocks below. The soldiers received its charge, ignoring the pain as the burning liquid splashed on their carapace. With their enormous heads and reinforced mandibles, they latched onto the beast, halting its momentum and tearing at its soft flesh as the rest of the formation took shape behind them.

"Hold," Solant informed them, "ten seconds."

It was important not to rush, despite the danger to the soldiers on the front. If the rest of the troops were sloppily arranged and asked to engage before they were ready, it could upset the flow of battle for the next several minutes. She would gladly allow an extra few seconds to ensure that didn't happen.

"Step back on the left."

"Push forward."

"You're not in line, watch your flanks."

A steady flow of calm commands rolled from her pheromone gland to the struggling soldiers, helping them to hold the line and avoid the worst of the acid until, finally, the defensive position had been established.

"Fire on my command," Solant ordered, waiting a beat, then, "fire."

Scout acid and magic blasts slammed into the caterpillar's face, sending the monster reeling back.

"Again on my command… fire."

The moment it regained its balance, the beast was hit again. It screeched in fury and retreated slightly. An opening.

"Advance ten metres," Solant snapped.

Already an opportunity to move the line forward had appeared; she wouldn't say no. Ground taken now could be freely given later, when her troops were more fatigued.

Moving as one entity, the entire force of thousands of ants surged forward ten metres and reengaged the caterpillar, seizing on its weakness and putting it down.

With a moment of respite, the beast was dragged to the back of the formation. Valuable Biomass that would help heal and refuel the army.

The first minute had passed.

"Rotate," Solant ordered.

Step, step, dash.

Just like that, the frontline troops swapped over. The first wave of soldiers moved to the back of the line where they were fed and received medical care while a fresh group replaced them. The same occurred behind them, as mages and scouts repeated the move, their accompanying generals holding position at the front of the formation.

Just in time. More monsters were coming.

-x-X-x-

Solant felt as if her mind was balanced on a mandible's edge. She saw everything that occurred and her mind catalogued every event, filing them, ordering them, and then she responded to each in turn as best she could.

Minute by minute, her four groups rotated through, regardless of the conditions at the front. The ravenous, unthinking beasts of the wave weren't watching or analysing their movements, and so didn't anticipate or take advantage of the minute openings in her tidy formation the manoeuvre created, as a disciplined and thinking opponent would.

Adjust the tactics to suit the opponent. There was no such thing as a universal strategy.

Another of her idioms.

The monsters of the wave were crazed, desperate and savage, throwing themselves against her defensive position over and over again. Many times, she was forced to give ground, only to claw it back later.

Fortunately, she didn't have to employ her new move until the troops had settled into a good rhythm.

From around the corner, Solant spotted a new threat approaching: a shimmering turtle, almost the same size as the Eldest, glimmering with energy that rolled from it in waves. Her front line was currently occupied with a pack of ape-like creatures that could summon clouds to obscure their bodies and even phase themselves into the mist.

"Hard push," she ordered, "starting in ten seconds."

The energy and mana available to her troops was a resource that had to be carefully managed, but she ordered them to spend it. Ten seconds later, a barrage of fire burned away the cloud and apes alike, allowing the soldiers to latch onto the struggling monsters and bring them down.

"Rotate," she ordered, not missing a beat and allowing her formation the few seconds necessary to switch. "Forward."

Huddled just behind the front line of soldiers, she had a good view of the monsters approaching down the tunnel, and at this moment, the giant turtle was the only thing coming. She wanted a little extra room to work with as they engaged the beast.

"Tea and biscuits in ten seconds."

A moment of hesitation rippled through the troops, a result of their lack of familiarity with the tactic. The ants began to respond, urged by her broodmates amongst their ranks, and Solant picked up the slack, issuing incisive orders.

The turtle represented exactly the kind of opponent the Colony was struggling with in the fourth. Too tough for them to bring down efficiently, resulting in their lines being pushed in, the troops exhausted and vulnerable to whatever came next.

Having them fruitlessly flail against the Eldest's undefeatable carapace while everyone else poured on damage was one option, but was probably the least effective use of that particular individual's talents. Tea and biscuits was a new attempt at implementing an old strategy.

Each second that passed, the monster loomed closer and Solant prepared to engage her stratagem. The turtle crashed closer… closer still!

"Now!" she snapped.

Several things happened at once. The front line drew back, while two scouts slid in behind her and seized hold of her back legs. Once she felt that contact, Solant threw herself forward and rotated to land on her back.

"Oh no!" she cried, though it was unlikely the turtle could smell pheromones. "It's a disaster!"

Then she waggled her four free legs helplessly.

Not many ants had enjoyed successive special evolutions as she had. In fact, vanishingly few had that privilege compared to the enormous numbers of the Colony. Could she compare to the delicious ten course meal that the Eldest represented?

Not even remotely. But she was, at the very least, a delectable snack. Tea and biscuits.

Enraged and unthinking, the turtle lunged for her, its hooked maw open wide, but the scouts dashed away like lightning, dragging the general with them. Of course, they didn't go too far.

Solant remained, waggling her legs helplessly, just out of the monster's reach.

Furious at being denied, the turtle pushed itself up again and rumbled forward, its jaws gnashing with hunger and rage. The scouts kept Solant just out of reach as they lured the turtle deeper and deeper.

And then the trap was sprung.

While being focused on the helpless little treat in front of it, the monster had been lured deep into the ant formation and was now surrounded on all sides.

"Attack!" Solant ordered.

Three quarters of her force descended on the beast, striking at its flanks, its tail, from underneath and above while the last division once again sealed the tunnel and defended it from whatever may come next. With only twenty-five percent of their force dedicated to holding the tunnel, the ants knew they were in a race against the clock to defeat the turtle and so threw everything they had at it, reserving nothing in an effort to bring it down.

Solant watched with satisfaction as it eventually fell. Fighting it head-on would have been difficult, to say the least, exhausting her forces. Since these maddened monsters were so easy to deceive, it seemed a waste to fail to take advantage of it, luring them into even more unfavoured ground than they were in already.

It wasn't as if the plan was without risks, but it could certainly be changed to add layers of safety. It wasn't even necessary to dangle an ant as bait, as she had done. With some time and preparation, a sufficiently large core could be used to lure the beasts deeper into the ant nest where they could be crushed from all sides.

"Reform the line!" Solant demanded. "The formation must be established in ten seconds! Go!"

As the frontline held on, the rest of the army scrambled to fall in behind them, and soon enough, they resumed their rotations, the little general managing the entire field of battle like clockwork.

-x-X-x-

I watched the battle unfold with a keen interest, using all of the senses at my disposal to follow the goings on. As large as I am, it wasn't really practical for me to shove myself forward and block up the tunnel, I'd destroy the formation I was trying to inspect!

So I fall back on my more esoteric options, such as the Vestibule.

Despite what Solant may think, tracking one ant's flow of Will through the glittering organ isn't nearly the same as mind reading. It's not even like I'm following the path of their thoughts. More like… I'm getting a stream-of-consciousness flow of their wants and goals. It's Will, after all, not thoughts.

This is why it can be so difficult for me to separate myself from the Will of the Colony at times. When a hundred thousand or more individuals all want the same thing, all willing for it to occur, that becomes a very difficult impulse for me to resist!

At any rate, the battle is travelling extremely smoothly, which pleases me. What Solant needs to grow and develop as a Champion is very different than what the last two needed.

As a general, there's only one way for her to improve, and that's to be out and about generalling! And she needs to be in charge of her own battles, because putting her under the regular generals will just stifle her creativity!

The troops continue to rotate every four hours, including the little general's broodmates, coming in and out of the front with the rest of the troops, but Solant remains at the coalface, working her little thorax off until the very last minute.

When the full twelve hour shift is done, she comes back along with the last set of troops, exhausted, but clearly pleased with herself.

"You look happy. It all went well then?" I ask.

She considers seriously before replying, as is her habit.

"It went satisfactorily," she demurs, "there are many areas I can still improve, and with more time to work with the troops, I'm sure we can reach a much higher level of performance."

"I wouldn't worry about that too much," I mutter, watching the ants stroll past.

After being exposed to the unique charisma of a Champion, there's no doubt this lot will be all too happy to join the eventual army that will form around Solant. She'll have all the time she needs to whip them into shape.

"Regardless, you'll be back here tomorrow, and every day for the next week, for that matter. You've got to continue to develop your Skills and ideas, and the only way I know to make you do that is to shove you into battles over and over again. Don't worry, though, I'll be hanging around the whole time, so things can't go all that wrong! Rest assured!"

This is absolutely not a scheme to get more rest and relaxation for myself. Not at all.

"So you should just go back and get some rest," I continue, "you must be exhausted after twelve hours of directing the fighting."

Solant looks at me like I'm crazy.

"I've got four hours left before mandatory torpor and an almost unlimited number of things to do before tomorrow. What about the review? Or the brainstorm discussion? Five items of improvement? We need to drill! At least four rounds of drills! I have a hundred formation adjustments I want to make, and a list of things to discuss with the core shapers!"

"Uhhhh."

But… rest?

"I guess… you go for it. I'll be over here if you… if you need me, I suppose."

Not needing any further encouragement, Solant speeds off to gather her faithful and loyal nineteen broodmates together for an intense session of antennae thwapping and waggling. After thirty minutes of this, they rush off to gather the off-duty shifts, and soon enough, I'm treated to the sight of the little general running the ants through their paces.

It looks… tiring.

When the heck is she going to be done?!

She said she had four hours until her mandatory torpor and she uses every little bit of it to keep training with the troops until her time runs out. Before the shadows can begin to materialise, she sprints back to her resting chamber along with the rest of her sisters and I'm sure they waste no time getting themselves to sleep.

For my part, I stand and stretch. I've got an eight hour break from babysitting, so I might as well go and make myself useful.

[Come on, you three. Let's go and fight something. I don't think I'll need you tomorrow, so you may as well stay out and get some Levels.]

[Are you sure, Master?] Crinis is clearly reluctant.

[Yes I'm sure. If I could, I'd tell you to stay out until you reached max Level!]

[Noooo.]

She clings to my carapace and I swear I feel my organs constrict. Better not to think about it.

[Go on, get!] I shoo the blob of endless nightmares away, and she reluctantly peels herself off my carapace and vanishes into the shadows.

Tiny is long gone at this point, Invidia drifting along behind him. At their current level of evolution, they're stronger than any ant out there, with the possible exception of Vibrant, and me, obviously, but when they evolve again, some new powerhouses will be introduced to the family.

I can hardly wait.

-x-X-x-

Titus took another deep, slow breath, feeling the mana thunder through his body, tearing away at him from the inside. The conflict was never-ending. Much like the wave that ravaged his world, the raw arcane energy that permeated the Dungeon poured into him and sought to rend his flesh.

How long had it been since he'd sustained himself this deep? Before his children had been born. He'd been a much younger man then, in body and mind. In those days, he'd relished the struggle to master himself, to harness the power that pulsed in the veins of his post-baptism body. Now, he simply endured, patiently waiting as his condition slowly adapted to this new normal.

"You look miserable," Minerva observed from somewhere nearby.

The commander kept his eyes closed.

"This is my normal face," he said.

"I know."

He felt a sharp poke on his forehead, but didn't react, controlling his breathing instead. He'd learned a long time ago that the best way to annoy his fire-breathing monster of a wife was to simply not react. Sure enough, after he maintained his routine for another minute, he received a quick 'paff' to the top of his head.

"How can you sit there all day?" Minerva grumped. "If you don't move soon you're going to grow moss."

"Unlike some, who were relaxing deep in the Dungeon, I've spent the bulk of the last twenty years on the surface, darling wife, and I need time to adapt to these conditions. I feel like a highly qualified officer in the Legion would have known that before she dragged me down here in the first place."

"What cheek," she harrumphed, giving him another soft thwap on the head which he barely felt.

If she wanted him to feel it, then he surely would. At least the famed berserker had learned some restraint over her tenure as Consul.

"I'm just impatient to see you in action again. You must be getting bored being cooped up in this adaptation chamber all day every day. Are you sorry I brought you down here?"

At her words, he opened his eyes finally and saw she was looking genuinely apologetic. He was taken aback slightly.

"Have you gone soft?" he demanded.

"No. This just isn't the romantic getaway I'd been hoping for."

He wasn't quite sure if she was joking. It was entirely possible that Minerva did consider the two of them returning to the Dungeon's depths to fight against the most deadly monsters a Legionary could face as a romantic getaway. It was how they'd spent the early years of their marriage, after all.

"No need to get your Praetorian armour in a twist. I think I'm pretty much ready to go."

Despite all the time they'd been together, it still moved him to see her eyes light up.

"Really? Finally!"

She latched onto his arm and began to try and drag him from his seat.

"Well what are we waiting for? Time to suit up! Let's go, let's go!"

Titus did his best to prevent his wife from dragging him out of the chamber.

"Hold on a minute, Minerva. Wait, damn you!"

"What now?" she demanded, turning back to look at him.

"I need to get dressed. After that, I need to report to command. After that, I need to speak to the armoury. After that, I need to acclimate to the suit. There's a laundry list of things I need to do before I can sortie and fight. Not all of us can jump into Praetorian armour after a ten year break without batting an eye."

"Not my fault you can't handle it," she huffed.

"Nobody said it was."

Attempting to keep up with Minerva was a waste of time, even though she didn't see it that way. If he wanted to do his duty and perform as well as he knew he could, then he would take his time and do things by the book.

If he ran out there now, he was just as likely to chop his own foot off. Minerva had arranged for his old Praetorian suit to be delivered here, and once upon a time, that armour had been just as comfortable as his own skin, but it'd been near twenty years since he'd been inside it. Slow and steady was his way.

"Fine, fine," his wife gave in, "have it your way. I guess I'll go sortie and cut something to pieces to relieve some stress."

"Good luck, dearest," he chuckled before he pulled her in for a quick, one-armed hug. "I'll be out there soon enough, don't you worry. If I perform too badly, they'll wonder why you ever married me."

"They'd never dare," her eyes flashed before she stepped out of the chamber and rushed off to the armoury. Idly, he wondered if there was even a group heading out, or if it mattered. It was hard to say no to a former Consul, let alone that one.

The commander flexed his hands, slowly closing them into fists and then relaxing them again.

He'd not been exposed to this much mana since… he couldn't remember. Had there ever been a time when the density had been this high? This series of waves, which had begun just before the discovery of that ant colony, showed no signs of stopping.

Would it ever end?

-x-X-x-

"Engineer Griner?" Titus rumbled.

"That'd be me. You must be the commander?" the burly, sleeveless man said as he turned from the enormous armoured suit he'd been working on.

Titus rolled his shoulders.

"Just about everyone down here is a commander, or higher," he noted wryly, "so why would I be, 'the commander'?"

Griner shrugged.

"I don't make the rules. Turns out when you command successfully down here and up there, people take notice."

Some in the Legion thought that the soldiers stationed in the deep looked down on those fighting high in the Dungeon, but that was far from the truth. Legionaries in these depths relied on the plentiful mana, powerful techniques and equipment it enabled to fight. In the first stratum, they would be helpless.

"'Titus' is fine, Engineer Griner. Now, I'm told you're the man who's been taking care of the old girl. How is she?"

The two turned and looked up at the intimidating suit of Praetorian armour looming over them. At eight metres tall, the suit wasn't close to the largest the Legion could field, but the added bulk of thick armour certainly meant it was on the heavier side. Without a weapon or shield, the suit looked… undressed, but still presented an intimidating visage. Brought across the chest, with thick pauldrons at the shoulders and the Legionem Abyssi emblem engraved on the front. The decorative touches around the edges of the plates imbued it with a tangible sense of gravitas.

"I won't say she's as good as new. I've given it the once over, and, mechanically, she's as sound as can be."

"What about the mana circuits?"

"Aye, we've had those inspected as well. She's been through a lot over the years, been assigned to two others after you left. Didn't do nearly as well, but serviceable enough. Lot of wear and tear is what I'm trying to say, I guess."

"But she's functional? Ready to deploy?"

"Ready as she'll ever be. Without ripping out the core and rebuilding the damn suit from scratch, we aren't going to be able to do better than this. It won't be too much longer before the old girl needs to be decommissioned, but for now, she's clear to fight."

Titus nodded gratefully, reaching out a hand to press against the cold, Abyssal Iron plating.

Indomitable. It had been his Praetorian suit for almost ten years. Seeing it now was… hard to describe, like an old friend, or pet, that he'd never really thought he would meet again.

"No point in delaying. Can you help get it ready? I want to try a test run."

"Sure thing, Commander."

Commander again. He rolled his eyes. He hoped whoever had the misfortune to take over his last command was having more luck with the troops than he was.

The two men were alone in the armoury. Unsurprising, given so many of the bays were empty at the moment. Clearly, Minerva had been in luck and there was a fight going on somewhere. Of the twenty open bays that held the Praetorian suits, all but three were empty.

Dim, silver light glowered from overhead, gleaming off the polished metal of Indomitable as Titus moved to the back and began to climb up the suit. He definitely had a few more twinges in his shoulders than the last time he'd done this, but it didn't overly matter. In short order, he reached the shoulders and triggered the mechanism to open the suit.

Immediately, the back armour fell away as the head rose up, creating a gap for him to slip inside.

"Go on in and get yourself comfortable. I'll hook up the liquid mana once you are ready," Griner called up.

"Thanks," Titus acknowledged.

Carefully, he slipped inside the enormous metal suit, closing the opening behind him. When the metal clanged shut, followed by the audible click as it locked and sealed, he became enveloped in total darkness.

It didn't matter. He'd spent so long inside this suit, he could find what he needed without light.

He stretched out his arms, finding the panels and grips that he sought, wrapping his thick fingers around them. He settled his feet, pressing them into the paddles below, feeling them mould to the shape of his toes.

He leaned forward, pressing his face into the mask, the matrix that melded his consciousness with the armour. He tsked. Whoever was in the suit last had been a touch shorter than him, he'd need to adjust the angle.

A hollow clang rang from the side of the armour.

"You ready in there?" came a muffled voice.

"Ready," Titus replied.

He tensed, but had to wait a few long moments before the sudden deluge began. The liquid mana burned like ice, froze like fire and forced pure arcane power into his veins. He gasped at the touch of it, then grit his teeth against the pain as the hollow inside of the suit began to fill from his feet up.

It was agonising. His body, which had barely become adapted to the level of mana he was exposed to at this depth, was flooded with more, stretching him to the point of bursting. He endured.

When it reached his waist, he called out, "That's enough!" and the flow, which had been running down his back, slowed to a trickle, then stopped.

"I've disconnected the hose!" he heard from outside. "Try walking around!"

"Alright then, Titus," he muttered to himself through gritted teeth, "let's see if you can remember how to do this."

Without delaying any further, he pressed his face to the mask and felt his consciousness get sucked from his body and suffused with dark, cold iron.

-x-X-x-

"Wipe that grin off your face," Titus muttered.

"What grin?"

"That grin. It's unprofessional. The troops expect a little more decorum from a Consul."

"I'm not Consul any more," Minerva responded, "so if I want to express my happiness, then I will."

Titus rolled his eyes. A small part of him had hoped that the dignity Minerva had cultivated in the highest office in the Legion would have rubbed off on her, but alas, it did not appear to be the case. The moment she was freed from the responsibilities, pomp and ceremony attached to the role, she had reverted back to her more relaxed ways.

Part of him loved her for that, the part that viewed her as his wife and the mother of his children. The part of him famed for its iron disciplinarianism found it endlessly frustrating.

She got away with it due to being one of the best fighters ever to pull on a suit of Legionary armour.

"Fine, just make sure you're sharp when we get out there," he growled.

She rolled her eyes.

"You're telling me to make sure I'm sharp? You haven't sortied in two decades! I was out yesterday."

"That's why you'll need to make sure you're in the right frame of mind to pick up the slack. It's only the two of us going out, isn't it?"

"That's right."

"I'll be counting on you to cover for my lapses then. I'll be in your hands, Commander," he snapped out a brisk salute and got punched in the arm for his trouble.

"So what else is new?" Minerva grinned. "Go jump into your old bucket of bolts and I'll meet you out there."

"Bucket of bolts?" he sputtered.

The Indomitable might have seen better days, but it certainly didn't deserve to be disparaged like that!

"I prefer to call it 'reliable and battle tested'", he said sagely, but Minerva wasn't listening, already having jogged down the armoury toward her own suit of Praetorian armour.

Unlike him, who had requested his old gear, Minerva had been more than happy to jump into a new berserker model. Adaptability was simply another of her strengths.

"Heading out for real this time?" Engineer Griner noted as he started to help Titus prep. A last second check over the armour, ensuring there were no obvious flaws, as well as a quick look over Titus himself. Exposure to the sort of mana levels that were needed to operate the Praetorian suits could have a devastating effect on a soldier, and the signs could appear out of nowhere.

When everything was cleared, Titus nodded in thanks and climbed up the back of the suit, sliding inside and closing it behind him. After a few moments to acclimate, he knocked on the side with his knuckles and moments later felt the burning cold of liquid mana running down his back and rising from between his toes.

A mix of nerves and anticipation rose in Titus as he felt the power rushing through his veins. Many times during the long years he had spent on the surface, he had yearned for this, but now that the moment was here, he felt a little trepidation. There was no help for it, though, he was committed.

Not for the first time, he wondered why Minerva had used her authority to drag him back down here. Was it really just because she yearned for the good old days, the two of them fighting shoulder to shoulder in the depths? Or was there something else that she wanted?

Titus was under no illusions that he would be able to perform as well as he could in his prime. He may have gained a great deal of experience and levels since the last time he'd fought this deep, but very little of that was relevant to the type of combat engaged down here. The vast majority of the soldiers he met in the mess or passed in the halls were younger and hungrier than he. Deep down, he hoped he would still be useful.

As the liquid mana reached his neck, he knocked on the side and the flow reduced to a trickle and then stopped. After several deep breaths, he pressed his face to the plate and submerged his consciousness into the metal.

The Indomitable came alive as the will of the Commander suffused it. The right hand of the armour reached out to grasp the enormous metal axe standing beside it, Titus' own weapon embedded in a slot on its side.

The demon contained within raged within the larger, Abyssal Iron weapon, thirsting for violence and blood.

With the left, the armour grasped hold of a weighty shield, embossed with filigree and the emblem of the Legion. Titus took a few steps to steady himself, then braced his weapons and moved to exit the armoury.

Again, most of the suits were already out, having sortied several hours ago, and Titus felt glad that he would no longer be taking up space without doing his share of the fighting. When he reached the exit, the port was already down, revealing Minerva's berserker suit waiting for him outside.

"About time," she remarked, twirling her twin blades in her armoured hands. "I was about to go hunting without you."

"Then what would be the point of dragging me down here?" Titus growled as he stomped out of the armoury and down onto the ground. Immediately, his eyes were treated to a sight he'd not seen for many years.

Glittering caverns of sparkling steel, molten iron that ran like rivers, trees of shimmering diamond, and above all, the oppressive weight that pressed against him.

"Welcome back to the seventh, darling," Minerva teased.

-x-X-x-

Eeeeenid. Eeeeeeeeeeeenid!

"What in blazes is that?!" The former mayor of renewal sat bolt upright in bed.

Thiiiiis is the ghost of Anthoooonyyyyy. Whooooaaaaooooaaaaa.

"The what?!" The old woman boggled as she reached to her nightstand to grab her shawl and wrap it around her shoulders.

Yesssssss. I'm totally deaaaaaaaaaad. Spooooooooky!

"Oh pish, you irritating ant," she scoffed into the empty room. "I'll believe it when I see your rotting carcass in front of me."

But I would get eaaaaaaaten. I mean, I have been eeeeeaten.

Enid rolled her eyes. As disturbing as it was to have the 'Great One's' voice echoing through her room, or mind, it was hard to tell, he continued to be utterly dreadful at deception of any kind.

"You've been eaten, have you? How did you taste?" she asked, folding her thin arms across her chest.

Deliciooooous. Like a pluuuump roast chiiiiiiicken.

"How would you know how you tasted?"

By the look of satiiiiiisfaaaaaaction on my enemy's faaaaaaaaace!

"And how would you see that if you were dead?"

With my ghoooooost vision. Ooooooooooooo!

He really was determined to try and make this work. Enid brought up a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. It was bad enough he had to wake her up, but now he was starting to give her a headache.

"Would you stop being ridiculous?" she snapped. "I'm an old woman and I need my rest. If you want to play silly tricks and annoy people, do it to Beyn, he'd probably enjoy it, I simply don't have the patience."

A long pause.

[I could have been dead, you know. It's not like I'm immortal or anything.]

Anthony's voice rang out in her mind in a more normal way now that he had abandoned this 'ghost' pretence.

[If you died and came back to life as a ghost, I think the last thing you would feel the need to do is haunt me,] she thought back at him, but then wondered if he could hear the internal dialogue. There was no sense of a mind bridge connecting them… how was he doing this?

[What's going on, Anthony? How are you talking to me?]

[You probably don't want to know….]

[What? Why wouldn't I want to know? Have you done something to me?]

[No. If I explained it, you would be forced to compare yourself to Beyn, though.]

[Pass.]

[Exactly.]

[So… where are you?] Enid huffed. [I came all the way down to the fourth to try and catch up with you, and I've been waiting for weeks now. Just what have you been up to?]

[Oh, you know. Fighting tier eight demons, battling the wave, training the youth. Not much.]

[Well then, you have plenty of time to come and visit an old woman before she kicks the bucket,] Enid smiled. [When can I expect you?]

[You should have considered being a monster. We don't even age.]

[Oh, that's a tactful thing to say.]

[I know, right? I've been working hard on my tact.]

[I was being sarcastic.]

[Dammit!]

[Anthony…]

[All right, all right. I'm in the nest anyway, so I can be over there pretty quick. See you in an hour.]

[How do you know where I am?]

[Because… reasons.]

[Are you sensing me with mind magic?]

[Ssssssssure. Let's go with that.]

[I don't like the sound of that.]

[You shouldn't! See you soon.]

Grumbling to herself, Enid slowly pushed herself out of bed and got dressed, unsure how that giant, idiotic ant was supposed to meet her inside the unfinished guest accommodation of the nest. It was quite understandable that this section of the fortress had been left unfinished, considering the ants hadn't expected anyone to actually come down here and use these rooms for some time yet. She was surprised they'd actually let her come in the first place. Probably, her relatively close relationship with the Eldest was responsible for that. As it stood, she was the only human resident of the fourth stratum who wasn't a dedicated fighter, and she relied on the ants for everything.

She felt bad for the Colony, having to wait on her hand and foot, but they refused any offer of apology. Seniority meant a lot to them, and as old as Enid was, they seemed to think that granted her a level of status.

Half an hour later, a soft knocking came at her door and Enid shuffled toward it, wondering if Anthony had somehow managed to shrink himself into the corridor.

Of course, that wasn't the case. When she opened the door, she found herself greeted by two smaller ants, mages, who soon connected a mind bridge.

[Hello Enid,] they greeted her, [we've been asked to escort you to a chamber so you can speak to the Eldest.]

[Oh you needn't bother,] she told them, [if you tell me where to go, I'll be fine to walk on my own.]

The two ants nodded as if they understood, then swiftly enveloped her with force magic and gently placed her on one of their backs.

[This won't take a moment,] one of them assured her as they began a smooth scuttle down the corridor.

Enid rolled her eyes. She thought if she'd stayed with the humans, they'd start to baby her as she deteriorated. Who could have foreseen that the ants would be even worse!?

At the end of the corridor, which curved around the internal wall that separated the inner and outer fortress, she knew there was a large open chamber, which wasis where she assumed she would find Anthony. She peered ahead and saw something enormous sway across the entrance, momentarily blocking the light.

[What was that?] she squawked.

[I believe the Eldest has arrived,] one of her escorts informed her.

Just how big had that damned 'Great One' gotten? She was almost afraid to look. Feeling slightly ridiculous, she kept her eyes down as she was carried into the open space, only daring to look up after she had taken several steadying breaths.

She'd heard about tier seven monsters, of course. Her dear husband, Derrion, had seen a few over the course of his career, but never fought one. A level of power that she had hoped to never see.

Now, when she glanced up, she didn't see anything at all. Where had he gone?

She heard a scratching sound overhead….

When she turned her eyes to the ceiling, she saw him, gigantic, clutching to the ceiling like a vision from her nightmares.

[Boo!] Anthony cried in her mind.

Enid clutched at her chest and fell backwards.

-x-X-x-

[Holy moly, Enid! Don't scare me like that!]

[Don't scare you like that?] Enid squawked. [You damn near killed an old woman, you buffoon! I thought my heart was going to stop….]

[I'm not that scary looking. Crinis says I'm very handsome.]

[You're enormous! And purple! Your mandibles are the same size as my bed! You knew damn well you were going to take me by surprise hanging off the roof like that.]

The gigantic monster scratched itself on the head with one of those enormous antennae. As thick around as a man's leg and as long as a house was wide. It didn't feel like that long ago since Enid had last seen him, but Anthony had changed an enormous amount.

[Your last evolution really was a big change,] she said. [I can't believe how different you look.]

For want of a better word, the ant preened, cleaning his antennae and shifting to bounce the light off his carapace.

[Well. I did put on a lot of size. Gotta boost that Might somehow.]

[It's not just that. Step back a little, let me get a good look at you.]

[What?]

[Go on, back up.]

After a moment of hesitation, Anthony took a few steps back and paused, unsure, while Enid passed her gaze over his new form.

The first thing that stood out was his sheer size, of course. From the most forward tip of his mandibles, to the very back of his abdomen, he was between fifteen and twenty metres long, and possibly eight tall, at her estimate. Each leg was an absurd length, so thick they didn't look like they belonged to an insect at all, though compared to the rest of his body, the proportion was about right.

The carapace was the next greatest change, no longer a shiny diamond coating over the common colours of the Colony, Anthony's shell had transformed into something else altogether. A deep, shimmering purple, somewhat opaque, so that she almost felt as if she could peer into it, darkening to black as it grew thicker. Light seemed to ripple as it played across the material that comprised the carapace, as if touching the surface of a lake. His entire body was coated in the stuff, including thinner plating on the legs and his mandibles.

The mandibles themselves were horrifying. As long a large person was tall, they weren't the stubby, somewhat blunt gripping tools she saw on the mages and healers. No, these were deadly weapons and they looked the part. Hooked at the ends, with barbs evenly spaced along the ends, they looked like they could punch through armour just as readily as crunch a boulder.

On top of his head, Anthony's eyes were much the same as they'd always been, though the lenses seemed to have gotten bigger, to the point she could pretty much see the lines that separated them. Some were clearly larger than others too, which was interesting. His antennae were interesting as well. In the light, she could see they weren't quite as solid as she imagined, as she glimpsed incredibly fine wisps of thread drifting around them.

[I know I'm magnificent, but this is getting awkward. You didn't call me up here just to take a gander at my shininess, did you?]

[Of course not,] the old woman scoffed. [But I've never seen a tier seven monster, let alone a mythic one before. I thought I should take a good look while I had the chance.]

[You aren't dead yet, Enid.]

[No thanks to you!]

[Alright! I'm sorry! Geez. Ah, the healers are here.]

A team of ants scurried into the chamber, five of them, rushing toward her and immediately poking and prodding her gently with their antennae.

[Wha-what is going on? Shoo!]

She tried to wave them away, but they ignored her, and she suspected that she knew why.

[This is your doing, isn't it?] she demanded of the 'Great One'.

[Yep! I thought I should get you checked out by the crew. We can't have you dying on us, Enid. Not for a long time yet.]

[I'm old,] she tried feebly to brush the ants away, [there's no cure for that. Besides, I hardly think it matters if I'm still around at this point. I've resigned as mayor. I think people can get along just fine without me.]

She started as the giant ant loomed close suddenly bringing one massive eye within touching distance.

[What are you doing?]

[I'm looking for some common sense in there. What are you talking about? There's a reason we ants revere the Eldest, and the elders among us, and since we ants do it, it's objectively the correct thing to do! You've got buckets of knowledge, experience and wisdom in that noggin' of yours. In fact, of all the humans we've met, I think you've done more than any other for us. You think all that goes out the window, or that we aren't grateful? You're talking nonsense!]

Diagnosis complete, the ants began to funnel healing magic into her, which was fine. Warm light suffused her body, easing her aches and pains. It was almost enough to make her laugh. She'd heard about rich nobles having themselves healed every morning to extend their lives and reduce the pain of ageing, but never imagined it would apply to her.

[Well, that's very kind,] she said finally. [I still think it's a bit of a waste… there are lots of soldiers out there fighting who could do with healing.]

[And that is why you're important, Enid. I swear you were an ant in a past life.]

She'd been no such thing and was about to say so when the five healers turned around and promptly covered her head to toe in viscous green fluid.

If seeing a tier seven monster had been a remarkable sight, seeing him flop onto his back and kick his six legs in the air while screaming with laughter in her head was quite another experience.

-x-X-x-

Mendant and Francis didn't know when the healers had gotten a reputation for being curmudgeons, but they both strongly felt it wasn't deserved. They weren't grumpy! They were providing vital, life-giving services to their siblings! If anything, the accusation they were ill tempered just made them feel like the others were being ungrateful.

"Mendant! Lovely to see you again, how are things down in the tunnels?"

"Francis! Wonderful to see you too. Things are going well, so far. The tunnels are holding steady, despite the number of monsters rising just about every hour. There aren't enough healers to go around, but then again, there never are."

"Very true. Come over here and have a cup of tea."

"Oh? You have tea! How did you manage to get your mandibles on that? I thought we'd run out."

"New shipment came in this morning and I managed to snag a box for myself."

"You sneaky thing! I'm in awe of your talents, as always."

The two sisters settled in around the table and sighed in pleasure as they lowered their heads and began to sip their brew.

"Just the right amount of sugar," Francis sighed, "you really know how to make a good cup."

"If only I had some biscuits, but alas, I couldn't secure any."

"No need to lament, sister of mine. I'll be back in a moment."

Francis rose from her chair and disappeared from the chamber, only to return a moment later with a small platter of biscuits gripped in her mandibles.

"Ah, wonderful!" Mendant exclaimed, her eyes shining in delight. "Just perfect. Thank you, Francis."

"The pleasure is mine, of course."

Once again, the two sisters settled down to enjoy their snacks, only to be rudely interrupted as a messenger scout burst into the room.

"We need healers in the tunnels, immediately!"

"What?!" the two council members snapped.

"What have you done now?" Francis groaned.

"What have you done to the healers stationed down there?" Mendant demanded, glaring at the scout. "Overwhelmed and overworked again?"

The scout was sufficiently braced, having known that this would happen. She employed the expert tactic passed down throughout the messenger corps, 'divert the blame!'

"Sloan ordered me to send for the two of you," the scout snapped out a crisp salute, "she requests your presence in the staging chamber immediately."

Then she turned and dashed for it.

When the two council members arrived beneath the fortress, it was as if they were followed by individual thunderclouds. Other ants had avoided them the whole time they were making their way down, and now that they'd arrived, even the largest soldiers stepped lightly as they stormed toward the generals in the middle of the chamber.

"What's going on, Sloan?" Francis demanded as the two pushed their way into the circle.

"This had better be good…" Mendant grumbled.

Sloan jumped as the two made themselves known and turned.

"Oh! Right. Thanks for coming, you two, I know that you just finished shifts, so I'm really gratef–"

"Just get on with it," Mendant cut her off.

"You're wasting time," Francis said pointedly.

"Right. Sorry. There's been a surge of injuries in three of the tunnels and the frontline healers are overwhelmed. The hospital over there is swamped as well."

"What else is new?"

"Ah. Yes."

"Any plans to bring through more healers with the next group of reinforcements? Like we've been asking? For weeks?"

"Of course we've asked for more healers!"

"How many?"

"Two thousand."

"Out of how many ants?"

"... forty thousand."

Both healers slumped at the news, but only momentarily. Their internal grumpiness only fuelled them… to be more grumpy!

"You're going to be reattaching your own legs with sugar syrup if this goes on much longer," Mendant warned the general. "And it won't be me who tears them off. If the healers get stretched any thinner, we'd be see-through."

"We need more soldiers for the front lines—"

"They don't do any good if they're in a hospital bed!"

"Come on, Mendant," Francis said, "they aren't listening. Let's get to work."

"Good thing some of us are working," Mendant grumbled, causing Sloan to twitch in anger.

Wisely, the general kept her pheromone gland shut.

The two healers stuck together and hit the first tunnel, rushing into the forward medical post.

"What have we got?" Francis asked.

The healer in charge didn't look up from where she was busy closing an ugly wound in a mage's carapace.

"I've got three hundred and forty two broken legs, six hundred and eleven severed legs and almost a thousand severe carapace trauma."

"Dammit. Quick, Francis, let's scrub up."

The two ants dashed to a side area, glowing with enchantments and waved their antennae through the light. Properly cleansed, they moved into the hospital proper and began working.

"Three severed legs? That's rough, soldier. I'll kick start the healing process, but it'll take a week for them to grow back. Make sure you eat Biomass, three times a day."

"Thank you, healer."

"What are you doing out there? I swear you're trying to get injured. Look at your carapace! That's a direct hit! I'll do my best to close it over, but you'll be moved to the main hospital for an extended stay. You're lucky to be alive."

"Th-thanks, healer."

The two tore through the hospital in an hour, using their energy as efficiently as they could before they departed, calling for more healers to come off their breaks and get back into the medical chambers before they rushed to the next one.

Everywhere they went was a disaster, the healers pushed to capacity, running out of mana and healing fluid.

By the time they finished with the three tunnels, they were exhausted and slumped their way back to the central chamber to find Sloan had been replaced with Victor.

"Glad you're here," Victor said, "we've got emergencies in two tunnels. The healers are overwhelmed."

"I'll bet," Francis said sarcastically.

Mendant was about to leap forward and tackle the general with her own mandibles when a runner sped up to them.

"Message from the Eldest, top priority!"

Victor turned around, startled.

"What? What do they want?"

"Message is as follows: 'bring more healers down, what the heck is wrong with you?'. Message ends."

Victor nodded, accepting defeat as Francis and Mendant high-fived with their antennae. Good to know someone was looking out for them.

-x-X-x-

In times of war, or great peril, many things are put aside. Morality, order, law, hierarchy, respect, such things are often cast away in order to ensure the one thing that matters most to a sapient creature: survival.

We are not that way. Our mission is sacrosanct. Our law is woven into the very fibre of our beings. There is no life, without the mission, there is no future, without mission and there will never be a present, without the mission.

Though the world should burn around us, we continue to serve.

- Excerpt from the 'Dedications of the Nameless'

The nameless one executed the eight-fold genuflection and stepped within the Sanctum of Sleep.

To be embraced by the pure darkness was like being held close by the Colony itself. It was home. Guided by scent alone, she manoeuvred through the narrow and twisted corridors until she found who she was looking for.

The Acolytes, still as a sleeping ant, stood in a loose circle around a dim light sunk into the ground. There, they kept their vigil until the second eight of the day had passed.

The nameless one approached and genuflected once more. The Acolyte to her left, the Acolyte of Shadows, signed subtly, and so she approached.

The Eldest rests, the Acolyte began the ritual greeting.

Eight hours a day, the nameless one replied.

Greetings, nameless one. You are welcome in the Sanctum.

I greet you, Acolyte. What news of the waking world do the shadows hold?

It is difficult. The number of transgressions against the Eight number in the hundreds each and every day. Our ability to snatch the heretics from the battlefield is limited, and thus they escape our wrath and righteous cleansing. They do not sleep, their carapaces remain unwaxed, their antennae laden with grit and ungroomed.

Disgraceful, the nameless one signed savagely. This cannot be allowed to stand. Give me the order, and I will hunt down those who spit acid in the Eldest's face!

Find your inner rest, nameless one, the Acolyte signed, the order is not served by your anger. Put it to one side, and think on what you can do.

With difficulty, the nameless one pushed her anger down and sought the icy calm that served her so well in her long service to the Sanctum.

I apologise for my outburst, she signed, but the Acolyte waved it away.

It is nothing, we are all on edge at such rampant and widespread heresy. There are simply too many, and we too few. We will take those we can, and remember those we cannot. They will have their time in the cells, never fear.

I hear and obey.

The healers are being forced to go without breaks to overcome the shortage in numbers; we shall overlook them today, lest our sisters suffer and die for lack of care. There are several scouts who have spurned the Torpor chambers for several days. Capture them and let them learn the error of their ways.

They shall experience luxurious rest and relaxation before this day is done.

This is well.

Her orders received, the nameless one set out through the dark tunnels once again. Narrow passages and secret pathways that wound throughout the great fortress like insidious tendrils of truth. There was no place she could not reach, and her quarry would not escape her justice.

Eight hours later, she returned to the Sanctum. Three targets she had been given, and three she had delivered. Those scouts now rested in the cells, their blatant violation of the Eight put to rights. There was satisfaction in that knowledge, a quiet joy that warmed the nameless one from the inside. But overwhelming that sensation, was outrage.

The number of violations continued to climb to catastrophic levels. Members of the Colony turned away from the law of the Eldest at every turn. It burned in her gut, just as it burned inside every other member of the Sanctum she saw.

Hopefully, the upcoming torpor would help relieve her frustration, and cleanse her heart of this rage. She was a creature of the shadows. Patience and cold, ruthless logic were her sharpest weapons.

Greetings, nameless one, the Acolyte of Rest welcomed her as she entered the grand resting chamber. I hope your work has been fruitful.

In the centre of the massive room, carved deep into the floor, waited the wheel, separated into eight segments. One portion already stirred as the ants resting there began to wake.

Lethargy already gripped the nameless one as she waited for her chance to shuffle onto the wheel. She needed this rest, as did they all. Service to the mission was always difficult, but in this place, and at this time, it was harder than she could ever recall.

Please take your deserved rest, the Acolyte signed as they finally began to shuffle past onto the wheel, as the Eldest intended.

Before the nameless one could find a suitable space to rest, she felt a change in the chamber. There was a shift in the air, a darkening, a deepening, of the mana. Every ant still awake went into high alert, their senses probing as they employed their Skills to meld with the darkness.

Except, to their shock, they found that darkness was already occupied.

Writhing tentacles pushed them back before sprouting from every surface in the chamber, a forest of pitch black limbs that waved and curled furiously through the air.

A visitation from the Shadow! Such a rare and precious occurrence!

As one, the nameless ones genuflected, their hearts leaping with joy as the tentacles, in sets of eight, responded.

Then they began to sign to them.

My Master's words are being ignored. They should NEVER be ignored. Prepare. We will show them ALL. This entire fortress will be plunged into darkness.

So saying, the tentacles began to retreat, sliding into the shadow and vanishing once more.

The nameless one felt her heart leap for joy. The outrage had gone on too long, even the Shadow had been pushed to the limit. Finally, something would be done about it. It took her several minutes to calm herself sufficiently to enter torpor, but when she did, for the first time in weeks, she felt truly at peace.

-x-X-x-

To plunge an entire fortress into darkness, to commit every ant within to the cells. Such a thing had never been done in the history of the Sanctum, in the history of the Colony.

The nameless one crouched in a deep and dark tunnel, motionless. Soon, another ant approached.

Greetings, nameless one.

I see you, nameless one.

What word from the Sanctum?

Twenty-four hours until the Fortress goes dark.

We're going ahead, then.

Of course. The mission stands above all.

Agreed.

After exchanging signs, the two parted ways, the other skittering away to reconnect with her sisters, while the nameless one remained at her post, waiting for the next member of the Sanctum to come down the passage.

Only, the one she found wasn't the one she expected.

From the darkness around her, she noticed a small tentacle grow, extending out to just in front of her eyes. In the presence of the Shadow, the nameless one held herself perfectly still, awash with reverence.

The tiny limb flicked several times in a familiar gesture. Come this way, it signed.

The ant was unwilling to leave her post, but unable to deny the summons of the Shadow, she followed. Heading in the direction indicated by the tiny tentacle, she soon found herself running down a labyrinthine passage into the bowels of the nest.

She wondered what the Shadow may be calling on her for, something to do with the coming darkness, she was sure. This was the first time the Shadow had taken such a direct hand in the affairs of the Sanctum, who knew what was going on in the mind of the Guardian?

One turn followed another, as she crawled, until finally she emerged , pushing herself out into the light. She found herself in a large, open chamber, with one wide open entrance on the opposite side from where she emerged. Resting inside the chamber was the largest ant in the Colony.

"Eldest?" the nameless one said in shock.

The giant ant didn't turn around to face her, remaining side on and blocking sight from the entrance to the nameless one, but she felt a strange power seize hold of the area around her, pressing her down and wiping her scent away.

From the Eldest's carapace, the Shadow emerged, extending her limbs outward toward the smaller ant.

Make no scent, she signed, my Master is not tied to the Sanctum directly, and never will be.

The nameless one recovered her poise and ducked her head in ascent. Of course, how foolish of her! She wasn't a fresh recruit any longer, she knew how important it was to conceal all traces. Pheromone traces can remain for days, weeks!

I am here to serve, the nameless one signed.

The great ant shifted imperceptibly, and the tentacles continued to sign.

My Master is aware of all that takes place within the nest, including the activities of the Sanctum. Master shares your frustration. The carelessness, the recklessness, the selfishness. Generals go without sleep, putting their troops at risk, medics are pushed to the brink, scouts run ragged, core shapers left fighting for days on end. The entire fortress is on the verge of collapse.

The nameless one felt the dull anger that had been burning in her thorax roar back to life. Yes. YES. The Colony spat acid on the wisdom of the Eldest, turning their eyes away from the instruction that had served them so well in the past. All within the Sanctum felt it, and now she knew the Eldest felt it too.

She was deeply moved.

The Sanctum must be prepared, the Shadow signed, it will be a monumental task to serve so many guests at once, but my Master has confidence in you. It is the wish of my Master that you focus your energies on this task specifically. Leave all concerns regarding the defence of the nest to us.

The nameless one stiffened in shock.

Will the Eldest defend the entire fortress alone?

The Shadow bristled, and the nameless one quickly added: with the help of the three guardians, of course.

The tentacles writhed for a moment before they settled once more.

How we defend the fortress is not something you need to worry about. Rest assured that it will be. Now I must ask that you return to the Sanctum and pass on this message.

The nameless one bowed low, and the tentacles dipped to her in kind. Even the antennae of the Eldest, to all appearances still at rest, dipped a fraction lower toward her. Filled with awe, the nameless one rushed back to the Sanctum, eager to pass on the momentous news.

What she had to say would shake the Sanctum down to its foundations!

~~~

Crinis watched as the little ant scurried away, vanishing into the dark, hidden tunnels of the Sanctum, carrying work of their Eldest's blessing. She was curious why her Master had gotten involved in this situation. He knew about the Sanctum, naturally, it was something she had helped put in motion, but never before had her Master bothered to involve himself.

[Master?] she asked.

[Yyyyes, Crinis?] came the sleepy reply.

[I just wanted to ask… why you wanted to get involved? Are you really that annoyed at the ants for refusing to sleep like you told them to?]

The Master's siblings, ignoring the instructions passed down to them by their gracious senior, filled her with undying fury and endless rage, but she knew it wasn't like that for him. Much too lenient.

The giant ant stretched out those long, segmented legs before relaxing again.

[Well, the fighting is going okay without me, Solant is doing well with her training and you three are doing great getting levels… so I'm getting a bit bored. And I have to say,] he chuckled, [that this, is going to be HILARIOUS.]

-x-X-x-

Something was off, Sloan could feel it.

"What word from the walls?" she demanded of her scout coordinator.

The distinguished scout, Postant, had been working with her for months, and responded immediately to the sudden demand.

"Holding firm at last report."

"And the tunnels?"

"Same. There's been no significant change."

"That can't be right. I want a fresh runner sent topside immediately. There's something going on around here, I can feel it in my antennae."

"As you wish, general," said Postant before she turned to direct her scouts.

But as information continued to trickle in, everything seemed… fine. The wave was being held off pretty well all around the fortress. Ants were fighting hard, gaining Levels, training their Skills, and a constant stream of Biomass and cores flowed into the nest, precious resources needed to grow the Colony. Everything was going so well, yet she couldn't help but feel that something terrible was not only about to happen, but possibly already had.

The runners came back soon after, no significant changes, everything was holding steady. In fact, things were probably a little better than they'd been the day before.

"Better?" Sloan couldn't believe it. "How are things better?"

"I'm not sure," Postant replied after conferring with her troops. "The general feeling is that the defence is holding firmer than previously, but nobody has really been able to pin down a reason why."

Sloan thought back. She'd been on the job since yesterday, could she recall any significant changes since then? Directing the flow of the defence in the tunnels had been her sole responsibility in all that time, so if anyone had noticed a difference, it should have been her!

The general pondered the question.

"Let me see the latest troop report," she said suddenly.

Other generals, members of her staff, quickly pulled out the stone tablet marked with dense and detailed pheromones, rows and numbers that described the numbers of available troops. There was a change! The number had gone up.

"Have the reinforcements arrived?" she asked as she continued to trace her antenna over the tablet.

"Not yet, general. They aren't scheduled to arrive for another three days."

And they were mostly healers anyway. Sloan understood what the Eldest wanted, but she would have really preferred more fighting ants instead. Still, she felt bad that Mendant and Francis hadn't been listened to, to the extent that the Eldest had to intervene on their behalf.

No, the additional numbers weren't as significant as a full reinforcement, but were significant enough to have made a difference. Where had they come from, though? A wave of freshly healed troops from the hospital? Unlikely.

Some sort of shifting error putting more ants on the frontlines than there should be? Even more unlikely.

"When did we start our shift, Postant?" Sloan asked, getting frustrated.

"Thirty-six hours ago, general," came the immediate reply.

Over those thirty-six hours, how had she not noted such a significant shift? It was maddening!

Sloan froze, her mind halting in its tracks.

"What… did you say?" she said, slowly.

Postant shifted.

"Thirty-six hours, general."

That… shouldn't be the case. It couldn't be the case.

"Light the torches!" she cried, and the generals sprung into action, igniting the braziers they kept close to hand for emergencies such as this.

In an instant, flames crackled all around them, driving the shadows away as every ant eyed even the tiniest sliver of darkness warily.

"We need to finish up soon," she told everyone. "We've gone too long without resting."

They all nodded, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Even in wartime, it wasn't good to push your limits too far. And by limits, she meant… their patience.

She must have come extremely close to disaster. It was so easy to let time slip by during such pressure-filled situations as these. She brushed her antennae through her elbow joints, cleaning them, to help relieve her stress. She was safe from their clutches for the moment. As long as she acted fast, she could be back in command soon enough.

In fact… it was a little odd that they hadn't come for her already. Thirty-six hours was a lot… not something they would normally tolerate.

"Let me see that tablet again," she requested, taking hold of it in her mandibles once more and pouring through the numbers.

There was a reason there were more ants in the fight. The listing, which usually read Casualties of rest, was missing entirely.

They… hadn't taken a single ant… for a full day.

Sloan's mandibles began to tremble and the tablet fell from her grasp to clatter against the stone floor of the chamber. Her staff shifted, surprised to see her so clumsy.

"Is everything alright, general?" Postant asked, looking concerned. "I've sent messages to bring our replacements in, we'll be done within the hour."

"No," Sloan whispered. "It's too late for that."

Her eyes darted around the chamber. Bright burning fire surrounded her in all directions, but suddenly, she knew it wasn't enough. Every hint of shadow loomed like an impenetrable ocean of darkness. She could almost hear the malicious gnashing of mandibles, coming from some dark space just at the corner of her eye.

"I-I need runners sent immediately," she rounded on Postant. "Get in touch with Victor, let her know that they haven't taken anyone in an entire day. A full day, do you understand? They're planning something. Something big. We have to be ready!"

Ohhhhhhhh. It's FAR too late for that. Heretic.

Heresy. Heresy. Heresy. Heresy.

Unbeliever. Unbeliever. Unbeliever.

Whispers, from a realm of madness the waking could never see, surrounded Sloan in an instant.

"Stoke the fires!" she demanded.

But that, too, was too late. One moment, the braziers burned brightly, the next, they were gone. The fires sputtered and died, robbing the huddled ants of their soothing light.

Just like that, shadows abounded.

Sloan trembled. She didn't want to go out like this, not now! There was a war to fight, things to do! She shivered in fear at the thought of what may await her. The comfortable bed, the carapace wax and shine, the complimentary tea! She couldn't endure it again!

"We're going!" she protested to nobody, "we're going to rest soon! An hour is all we need!"

The whole staff froze in place as they realised exactly who she was talking to.

Too late.

Late.

Late.

Late.

Late.

Too late for ALL of you.

Late.

Late.

Late.

Late.

Prepare yourself, for the coming darkness.

Sloan's shadow began to expand and she knew it was over, knew she was to be taken, but to her shock, she wasn't. Not immediately.

The shadow grew, and grew, wider and wider, until it began to expand upwards, rising from the floor like a pillar of pure void. Higher and higher it rose, until all activity in the chamber grew to a halt as all the ants saw it, recognised it, and trembled in fear.

You have gone too far, the whispers continued, we will no longer tolerate your disrespect to the commands of the Eldest.

"We're fighting a war!" Sloan roared up at the shadow, but she knew they wouldn't listen.

They never listened.

The pillar of darkness trembled for a moment, then lost its shape, flowing into a liquid that exploded outwards, expanding into a tidal wave that fell down upon them like a collapsing mountain.

Sloan could see them now, their mandibles gnashing and eyes burning with fervour and glee. Hidden inside the shadow, they came for her, and for all of them.

Eldest have mercy.

-x-X-x-

"We're under attack!" Victor roared!

The generals looked confused. They were fighting a wave… of course they were under attack!

"Not like that!" she groused. "There's trouble inside the fortress!"

Messengers had gone missing. Reports weren't coming back. Entire hospitals had gone dark. Several shifts hadn't reported to the front over the last hour. It all pointed to one thing.

"There's an enemy inside the nest," Victor declared, a grim light gleaming in her eyes. "We need to rally the troops and find out what's going on. If we can reach the Eldest and bring them into the battle, then there's no opponent we can't beat."

The hundreds of ants clustered around her in the command post appeared shaken, but determined. How the fortress could have been infiltrated without the Colony knowing, it was almost unthinkable. Through the layers of fortified walls, the enchantments, the endless patrols, the hundreds and thousands of ants, the mages on constant alert!

But that didn't matter now. No matter how'd they'd gotten in, if Victor said they were under attack, then they were.

"Quickly, to me!" she ordered.

The ants rallied bravely and rushed from the chamber, forming into ranks as naturally as breathing.

"Send runners to the walls, let them know what's happening. They need to hold at all costs!"

Several scouts dashed away.

In the corridors, they found Advant, leading a charge of her own.

"Sister, what's going on?" demanded the big soldier. "There's something very wrong inside the nest!"

"I believe we're under attack," Victor replied grimly, her mandibles grinding together. "Come with me, we need to get a hold of this quickly and find the Eldest!"

They hadn't gone far when the scouts returned from the walls, frazzled after their lightning fast run.

"The guardians have reported to the walls!" they reported. "The three of them are spread around the fortress and are holding off the wave!"

"Finally, some good news," Victor said, relieved. "Tell the troops to fall back and join us here. If the guardians can give us some breathing room, we can right the situation inside the nest and then get back to the defence before things are too far gone."

"That sounds good, but we need to move fast," Advant agreed. "I'll take these ants and go ahead, you gather up everyone from the walls and follow after."

"Sounds good."

In short order, the soldier had the ranks organised and set off toward the central shaft.

Victor watched as they set off, and then waited. Every moment that passed felt like a lifetime, but she knew Advant was capable, more than capable, of dealing with whatever she found. Soon, the troops from the walls began to trickle in. A few hundred at first, but then in their thousands. Weary, injured, and still recovering from their heroics on the walls, they were more than a little confused at being pulled from the fight ahead of schedule.

Getting them organised and moving was no small task, but it was exactly this kind of situation that Victor specialised in.

"Generals to me! Medics, take everyone who is too injured to fight into the central planning chamber and establish an emergency hospital there. I want an assessment checkpoint set up for every ant to move through as they come from the walls. Scout leaders to me. Stick to your squads. Move, move, move!"

In a shockingly short amount of time, she had divided the fighting fit ants into four columns and had them advancing towards the shaft.

It had been common design practice for the Colony, going back to before their rebirth as Formica Sapiens, to construct their nests with a main, vertical shaft connecting all levels in the nest.

With the design of this fortress, that had changed. The carvers had decided that having a single shaft that gave access to the entire nest was too risky, and had instead broken it into segments. Although each segment was close to the previous one, it created a chokepoint that the Colony could defend should an enemy invade.

Naturally, taking control of as much of the central shaft as possible was the first priority on Victor's plan of attack.

"Follow me! Forward, into the breach!" she called, leading her troops from the front and straight down into the shaft.

The scent trails left behind by Advant and her troops were thick in the air, they'd already been here and gone ahead. She had to catch up quickly!

Things were quiet, eerily so, inside the vertical tunnel. Normally, the veritable heart of the fortress, filled with ants rushing up and down, now it was deserted. Victor saw nothing but a blank tunnel ahead of her, whilst behind, thousands of troops marched in her wake.

Whatever had happened to the nest, whoever had done this, they would pay.

They reached the bottom of the shaft without incident and exited, moving down the wide tunnel that led to the next segment of the shaft. When they reached it, Victor knew immediately that something was very wrong. Instead of the huge, arterial path that connected the depths of the nest to the peaks, she saw… nothing.

Inside was simply… darkness.

Like a fog or mist, the inky black void rippled and shifted, occasionally sending wisps or tendrils into the air that curled in on themselves before they dissipated like smoke, or fell back down to merge with the shadows below. It was almost as if they were staring into the deepest and darkest depths of the shadow sea.

Was this an invasion by monsters of the second stratum? That made no sense!

Whatever the case may be, the scent trails of Advant and her leading party plunged directly into the abyss, vanishing at the edge of the pool. Victor was hesitant. The Eldest was further down, and if she could connect with the troops fighting in the depths, they'd have the numbers necessary to storm the rest of the fortress. She had to go down.

"We're going in, everyone. Pass the word back, get in formations. I want fire mages up front in every squad, burning a bright flame. We need all the light we can get."

"General, should we fire down into… that?"

She shook her head.

"We can't take the risk, we might be firing into the backs of our own sisters. We have to go in blind and be prepared for anything. There's no time to waste."

She waited for precisely one minute as the changes she demanded rippled through the ranks and then plunged forward herself. The darkness almost seemed to rise up to welcome her inside, but she didn't hesitate. The moment she stepped down the wall of the shaft, her vision was gone, but nevertheless she continued forward, her antennae sweeping the ground before her.

The flames of the mages helped a little, but not much. The black mist seemed to smother the lights, thickening, crowding close around the fire until they were barely there, illuminating a scant few metres around them, no matter how much mana was poured in.

Sound was muted too, Victor almost couldn't hear her own claws on the stone as she descended, nor those of the thousands of ants following behind her. It was almost as if she were alone there, in the dark.

Despite the illusion of isolation, she knew that she wasn't alone, she had the scent trail of her sister, Advant, under her antennae the whole time.

"Nothing sighted, moving forward. Nothing sighted, moving forward. Darkness is definitely mana based, some sort of blinding attack? Nothing sighted, moving forward. Stay together, team!"

The constant stream of orders and observations was a comfort to Victor as she followed the trail put down by her sister.

"No variation in the density of the shadows. No gaps either. Hopefully not all of the shaft segments are obscured in this way. It's so dark in here I feel like I'm in torpor. Nothing sighted, moving forward. Keep the formation tight on the left flank! I can feel you shifting over there, keep an antenna on the ant to your right! Don't fall asleep on us, stay alert!"

Professional and brave as always.

"Don't fall asleep! Nothing sighted, moving forward…. Nothing sighted, moving forward…. Don't… fall asleep! Keep the formation! Nothing sighted… moving… forward…. Feeling… so tired. Stay with me… everyone. Nothing… sleeping… moving… sleepward…. So… dark…. Sleepy…. Tired…. Torpor…. Is…. calling…. Isn't it…. Victor?"