The ability to create functional gates was perhaps the greatest leap forward in magical technology since the time of Rending. Safely securing travel, even at significant expense, between strata, between cities, and finally connecting the civilisations in a meaningful way, changed life on Pangera forever. No longer were the civilised races forced to huddle in their cities, with only the mightiest of warriors able to leave or travel with any reliability.
Trade flourished. Cultural exchange blossomed. Alliances were formed and cemented. The gates are the greatest defence, and the greatest weapon against the Dungeon.
-? 'Forward March - Advancing society post-rending.' by Arcurial
Assistant was worried.
"It's nothing, she's fine," Experimant told her tersely.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. Now focus on your job."
Above them, perched on her station overlooking the experimental portal and the entire workspace, Brilliant flopped listlessly. Her legs dangled uselessly as her antennae shifted this way and that, seemingly without purpose.
"We're almost ready for the next test," Experimant reported up to their leader. "Repairs are complete, in record time, the power banks are charged and our monitors are reading steady."
"Of course the repairs are complete," Brilliant sighed, "there was barely any explosion at all last time."
"That's not a bad thing, remember?" Experimant griped acidly as she continued to direct the rest of the team.
"It's boring."
"We're on the verge of creating a breakthrough in portal technology for the Colony, and all you have to say is 'it's boring'?! We might even succeed on this attempt!"
"That's exactly the problem," Brilliant said, completely devoid of energy. "We are going to succeed on this attempt. There's no mystery, no excitement, no risk of anything blowing up, no sense of the unknown."
Her legs wiggled fitfully before she resumed her listless flop.
"I just can't feel any interest now that we've succeeded."
"But we haven't succeeded," Experimant snapped. "I don't see a stable gate here in the chamber, do you? How about you ensure that you're correct before you just… do whatever it is that you're doing?"
"I'm already sure I'm correct," the leader groaned. "Did you forget who I am? I'm Brilliant."
"Fine. Be that way. Assistant, do we have contact with the destination?"
"The s-s-signal is coming th-th-th-through."
"Stop your shivering. It's going to be fine!"
"I-I-I'm just excited!"
"Weak," Brilliant called.
"You be quiet."
Experimant took a deep breath and looked carefully around the chamber once more. The team were busy preparing the gate, ensuring the many, many enchantments, reading devices and sensor arrays were all operational and reading correctly.
Around the outside of the room, the vast powerbanks hummed with energy, the mana within churning as if begging to be released. Even the liquid mana tanks were half full, enough power to blast a hole in the dimensional weave should they so desire.
But they weren't going to blast a hole, they shouldn't need to anymore. As their tests had gone on, Brilliant had refined the process more and more, narrowing their focus and adjusting the method from a battering ram between dimensions to a handshake through space and time.
In the last test, they'd successfully established contact between the sending and receiving gates, but failed to stabilise it before there was another manifold collapse with only minor blowback.
"We begin the next test in one minute!" she announced to the room. "Clear the gate!"
"Gate is clear!"
"Begin recordings!"
"Recordings started!"
"Activate weave monitoring!"
"Activated!"
"Connect the powerbanks!"
There was a loud thunk and a rippling of energy within the gate.
"Connected!"
"Charge the shields!"
"Charged!"
"Assistant, are our coordinates locked?"
"Th-th-th-they're locked! We're holding s-s-s-steady. S-s-s-signal is still clear!"
"Initiate the handshake!"
Power crackled within the gate, sparks of dimensional energy flickering and leaping into the air.
"I-i-i-initiated!"
"Everyone into the bunkers! Go! Go! Go!"
There were over a hundred members of the team at this point, and they turned and dashed into the waiting cages that lined the room. Experimant grabbed Assistant and dragged her along as she ran.
"W-w-what about Brilliant?" she stammered.
"No need," Brilliant waved back at them lazily as she gazed down into the crackling rift.
"You heard her. Now run!"
As the chamber thrummed with power, the two threw themselves into the cages before scrambling to turn around and see what happened. Led by channels carved into the floor, the vast reserves of arcane energy streamed toward the gate. The sheer density of power caused reality to bend and twist, sending lightning sparking and writhing through the air.
The gate itself flickered and then rang like a gong, a deep intonation that rumbled through the chamber and rattled the ants inside their own carapaces.
"Here it goes," Experimant whispered.
There was a sound like inrushing air before the gathering purple energy within the gate suddenly exploded. Not outward, but forwards, as if tunnelling deep into the floor, except it wasn't; it was tunnelling through dimensions.
"Come on. Come onnnnn."
Above it all, Brilliant continued to gaze down into the rift, devoid of interest or energy.
Like a whirlpool, the dimensional energy drained down and down endlessly, forming a tunnel that would hopefully connect to the exit point.
Then, suddenly, it stopped. The whirlpool of energy ceased, grew still and stabilised. Huddled in the cages and protected behind powerful shields, the many members of the team boggled, not quite willing to believe what they were seeing.
Where was the explosion? Where was the detonation or life-threatening collapse or dimensional void-monster threatening them from the beyond?
"Wait!" Experimant demanded.
Everyone tensed.
"Don't go early. We don't know what could happen next."
They continued to watch in silence, waiting. At any moment, the entire thing would collapse and blow up in their faces. It always did. But as the seconds ticked by, and nothing continued to happen, a tiny whisper of belief began to grow in Experimant's heart.
"Yaaaaaay," Brilliant huffed, then proceeded to clap her legs together beneath her, sarcastically. "I did it."
-x-X-x-
Negotiations were always a delicate matter. There were many things to consider, after all. What was culturally and economically acceptable to both sides? What did each side want from the other? It was around these things that discussions would focus.
The first thing Eran Umizan needed to discern was what it was the Colony desired.
"Do they need food?"
Clearly, they had an interest in foodstuffs, as evidenced by the tea and scones. There was a brief consultation.
"They don't," Irisod told her. "Apparently, they grow all of their own food. Their own sugar, wheat, tea leaves and everything else they consume in large quantities. For satisfying their hunger, they generally use Biomass or… aphids? I'm not sure what those are."
Interesting.
"We can negotiate a price for access to our gates?" she suggested. "Would they be interested in discussing terms for such an agreement?"
The price would be hideously expensive, of course. If you couldn't make your own gates, then you were at the mercy of whoever was in a position to offer you access to one.
An ant entered with another tray covered in delectable-looking slices of layered cake, each topped with a twirl of pink cream. Eran's brow went up as the tray was carefully placed before her, and another was distributed amongst her retinue.
Again, no poison.
"I thought they were short on supplies?" she asked her Court Mage, quietly.
"Apparently, they just developed their own gate."
"What? When?"
"Just now."
"As in…?"
"As in, during this discussion."
"And the first thing they used it for was…"
"To bring us cake, yes."
She stared down at the delicate confection, each layer as clearly defined as if cut by a razor. On closer inspection, she could see glistening fruits embedded in each section, strawberries in the red layer, and peaches in the orange. She took her fork and bit into it.
It was delicious.
"Please thank them for the food," she said, then turned and glared at her daughter. "Piris! Manners!" she snapped.
Her daughter had seized upon her dessert and begun stuffing her face with it in a most un-decorous manner. The girl flushed under the withering glare of her mother and licked the cream from her cheek.
Eran tapped a finger to her chin. The Colony, as she now knew they preferred to be called, were an interesting case. They didn't want what most she negotiated with wanted, as they were monsters.
"Are they interested in jewellery? They could adorn their Queens with the finest gems the fourth stratum has to offer, cut by our expert crafters."
They seemed both protective and absurdly doting on their Queens, considering they seemed to have developed an entire culinary culture around serving their ant mothers sweets. Perhaps they would be interested in decorating them?
"They are mildly interested. To be more clear, they don't think the Queens will like them, but they are willing to offer some, just in case."
"Very well."
It was something. She would ensure a selection of the highest quality pieces were brought to the fortress as quickly as possible.
"Out of curiosity, are any of you talking to the large one?" she asked of her Mages.
"Not currently, no."
"Interesting."
She pondered a moment longer. Would they want arms and armour? None of the ants she saw around her were wearing anything of the sort, though she saw some wore clearly enchanted rings metal rings around where their legs joined their bodies.
There was some level of industry in the Colony, clearly.
"Would they be interested in purchasing equipment from us? Our forges produce materials of the highest quality. Particularly, for metals and woods infused with water mana, we are the best to be found on Pangera."
The ants rarely ever moved. No expressions crossed their faces and she had to constantly remind herself that she was looking at their skeletons. They couldn't move them. The level of stillness went beyond just their heads, they barely moved at all. Only the antennae shifted and twitched, but she couldn't begin to interpret such movements. Her negotiating partners were a blank wall. Another thing she had never encountered before.
"They… hmmm."
"Out with it, Irisod," she demanded softly, no hint of her irritation crossing her features.
The mage looked troubled, perhaps even a little offended.
"Don't you dare show anger," Eran warned. "Cultural differences can give rise to offence where none is intended. Tell me what they said."
"I apologise. They suggested they would love to purchase a sampling of our wares, but only so they could study them. The ants are confident they can make superior works themselves, given time."
Brathian pride would suggest that their mastery over the waters would never be questioned, since they were the only sapient race to live in it. They absolutely did have a far higher affinity for water mana than any other race, and were extremely accomplished when applying it in enchanting. She could see why Irisod might have been rankled by such a statement, but Eran was intrigued.
They had that much confidence in their own craftswork? It took decades to develop those Skills to an acceptable level, longer without training and guidance. The Colony was young, yet they didn't seem foolish.
Perhaps she was approaching this from the wrong angle.
"What sort of things would they be prepared to sell to us?" she asked.
The Court Mage looked surprised, but relayed the question as asked.
"They… aren't sure. Is there anything in particular that we are asking for?"
Eran looked around the room at the ants.
"I am interested in everything. If they are confident in the quality of their craftsmanship, then I would love to see what they make."
They were confused. Even without any facial expressions, she could tell they were confused.
"They made this furniture," Irisod conveyed to her. "They have a reasonably large community of artists who specialise in carving and produced all of the artworks that we can see."
A pause.
"The produce used for the food and drink we've consumed was made by them. Ah, one moment."
An ant entered with a flowing carpet held in its mandibles, laying itacross the table.
"They furnish their own fortresses for guests such as us, which includes weaving these carpets."
A glorious pattern formed of marching ants decorated the rug, each woven in a glittering golden thread that radiated a gentle warmth. They enchanted the carpet?
Another ant rushed in bearing metal bars.
"They forge these themselves on the third stratum," Irisod said as the bars were placed in front of her.
They radiated heat. Fire Iron.
Then they brought bows. And spears. And swords. Then side-tables. Closets came next. Fine ceramics followed the furniture, then bespoke cutlery.
Slowly, an endless variety of high-quality goods piled up on the table, and Eran Umizan could smell gold.
-x-X-x-
Perhaps there is no species on Pangera more suited to mass industry than the ants. They're addicted to work and have an endless level of focus when applying themselves to even the most mundane of tasks.
Combined with their numbers, it's little surprise they were able to achieve what they did.
-??Excerpt from 'The Antdustrial Revolution' by Niahm
"Clear the crucible!" Smithant roared.
"Clear the crucible!" her call was echoed around the cavernous hollow within the mountain.
She leaned back to look high overhead, more than two hundred metres up, where another carver met her gaze. Smithant raised the flag she gripped in her opposable claws and waved it.
For several seconds, nothing happened, then a dark red glow suffused the opening at the apex of the cavern. That light grew stronger and brighter as each second passed, until finally, the molten iron reached the opening and began to fall.
Immediately, the temperature in the entire cavern rose precipitously, to the point that Smithant's carapace began to smoke. Were it not for the many mutations that allowed her to resist high temperatures, she'd be taking damage just from the heat.
As it fell, the liquid metal reached the first of the heat-infusing rings, the discharge of energy feeling like a physical impact. The rods, sunk dozens of metres into the cavern walls, transferred heat from the lava pools trapped in the rock. At the wall, they glowed cherry red, brightening to pure white where they met the ring. As the metal fell through, it glowed ever brighter as additional heat was dumped into it.
The temperature rose yet again and Smithant could hear herself starting to sizzle. Three rings to go.
As the liquid fell, it passed through each of the heat-infusing rings in turn, and each time, the liquid glowed brighter and brighter, until it was white hot and so bright Smithant had to turn her back.
Were it not for her protective enchanted metal equipment, her eyes would have boiled out of her head.
The pour of liquid from the ceiling ceased just as the first drips entered the crucible below. Smithant could identify the exact moment as a dull roar shook the cavern. Fire Iron didn't like to melt. The more the ants heated it, the more obstinate it grew, but eventually it would break.
The super-heated iron from above completed its pour and Smithant waved her signal flag again. Seconds later, she heard a resounding clang as the lid slapped shut and, thankfully, the temperature began to drop once more.
"Ignition," she called, and her orders were repeated down the line.
It wasn't visible from where she stood, but she could certainly hear it when the gathered mages drew in their power and unleashed it. There was a rush of air followed by the roar of flames as the teams worked together to produce the hottest fire they could and blasted it into the crucible.
The gigantic furnace weighed over a thousand tons, but under the tremendous forces they subjected it to, it shrieked like a human kettle. The air inside had been superheated to such a degree that regular iron would be reduced to slag in a second. Yet for Fire Iron, it still wasn't enough.
She turned and signalled for a final time, and the teams of carvers went to work. A vast network of pipes, levers and dials had been constructed around the crucible, and it was to these the nimble crafters of the Colony set their attention.
"Pressure is rising, but within tolerable limits!" one reported.
"Oxygen levels are falling."
"Temperature is holding steady!"
"Release the valves!" Smithant ordered.
Clunk! Clunk! Clunk!
In sync, the ants pulled three separate levers, causing the pipes to shiver as they became pressurised. They huddled around their dials, checking the readings. All the while, the crucible shuddered, rocking the entire mountain beneath their claws.
Satisfied with what they saw, the carvers grasped the release valves in their mandibles and, with perfect timing, turned them at exactly the same moment.
Superheated, flammable gases flooded the chamber, igniting in an instant and causing such a roar that the crucible lid tried to jump from its housing, causing three of the locks pinning it in place to shatter.
"Check the readings!" Smithant demanded.
"Holding steady!" came the reply.
All they needed to do was hold firm. There was no metal the Colony could not tame, no matter how wild and unruly the mana contained within.
They held their nerve, and after several agonising minutes, the shaking subsided, the ear splitting screeching dimmed, and the crucible settled into place once more.
"It's done," Smithant announced.
The carvers all looked at each other. Then they sprinted down the stairs to the lower level, climbing over each other in their haste.
They arrived just before the pivotal moment. With casual precision, the smith in charge swung the chute into place, locking its position with deft twists of the mandibles, before she turned to the crucible and hauled back on a lever.
Eighteen steel locks, each a metre thick, groaned as they peeled back from the round opening just above the chute. Blazing gases hissed out, still so hot they shimmered in the air and emitted tongues of flame before they dispersed. After a few moments, Smithant got what she came to see.
From the opening came a molten iron like none she had ever seen. Even as a liquid, it glowed a deep, rust red. The fluid trickled out at first, but the flow increased and steadied as the chute filled. The entire chamber glowed with that light, and Smithant could almost smell the rich fire mana in the air.
From the chute, the molten iron flowed down into the moulds where it would be formed into ingots. Soon, they would arrive in her forge and she would shape them into powerful new tools for the Colony.
"How much did we get this time?" she asked the foreant.
"About ten tons, it looks like," the soot-covered ant replied. "Not as much as we would have liked, but we're still tinkering with the process."
"That's better than they're doing at the other smelters," Smithant assured her. "There's a reason I only came to visit this one."
"Good to know we're doing the Colony proud," the foreant acknowledged, gazing back at the crucible. "If you don't mind, though, I have a suggestion for something you could develop for us."
"Oh? If you have a need, I'm happy to hear it."
The foreant jerked an antenna toward the enormous crucible.
"I need you to find a way we can use Fire Iron to line the crucible. The metals we're using aren't up to the task, despite all the measures we've taken to mitigate the heat. This one is good for probably ten more firings, but after that, the damage will be too great for us to use it safely."
She clacked her mandibles in frustration.
Smithant was already considering the problem, her mind a mess of hammers, sparks and sizzling metal.
"I'll get right on it," she replied absently, her head already at the forge.
-x-X-x-
[I really don't think this is appropriate, Anthony.]
[What do you mean? You used to be a merchant, didn't you? You've negotiated for us a ton of times and been fantastic at it. What's the problem now?]
[I was negotiating with towns and cities that you'd conquered! It's not exactly hard to force a fair agreement down their throats when there's a set of mandibles locked around them!]
[I'm fairly sure there weren't ants standing around with their jaws poised to behead your negotiating partners….]
[Not literally, you oversized ant! I'm just saying I had the upper hand in those talks. And I was only talking to other merchants and petty city lords, not brathians!]
[What's the difference?]
[Brathians are… different! They're just different!]
[I mean, how have you even met brathians? I thought you'd never been this deep in the Dungeon?]
[I haven't. There's brathians at every level and also on the surface.]
The old woman sighed and pinched her brow. How could she explain this to this obstinate insect?
[The brathians are famous for being skilled negotiators, even in Liria. They cut hard deals and would sell the scales off their own back for the right price.]
[So they're ruthless when it comes to money. So's just about everyone who doesn't have six or more legs. The bruan'chii excepted.]
[It's pretty much a religion to them! They don't even live in kingdoms or empires. They form trading blocs, caravans and conglomerates instead. Their leaders are usually the best and most successful traders. I got fleeced by the brathians I met on the surface, what do you think is going to happen to me down here?!]
She felt a headache coming on. Then an enormous antenna attempted to rest comfortingly around her shoulders.
[Too heavy,] she grumbled.
[Sorry. Look. Ultimately, if you fail to come to an agreement, we don't really care. It seems like they want to peacefully coexist with us, so that's great, they just want to strike some sort of deal for our goods. If we can nab some cores in exchange for rugs and furniture, that's great! If not, they can get stuffed! Alright?]
[Wait,] Enid frowned. [They want your goods?]
The giant ant shifted a little.
[Well… it's not like they make anything that we're all that interested in. We don't wear clothes, don't eat fine cuisine, are only interested in ant-themed artwork and besides that, we make all our own stuff already. Even if there was something they could do better, we'd just figure out how they did it and then improve it from there.]
[So, they want to buy goods from you… and then onsell them to others at a markup?]
[Probably? I have to level with you, Enid, the sum total of things I know about business and money mainly involve loans and legs.]
[You lent people your legs? Can ants do that?]
[Let's go with yes. My point is, nobody in the Colony has any idea what they're doing with currency or trade. Alright? We depend on your wisdom and expertise once again. If you feel like you can't succeed, then just stop, tell us you can't do it, and we'll all move on with our lives.]
The old woman sighed, having known from the start she would eventually give in. The Colony had done so much for her and her people, and asked so little in return. It was extremely difficult for her to ever say no to their requests, especially when they came from Anthony himself.
[Fine. When are the brathian arriving?]
[Oh, they're here already. They've been waiting for us to finish this conversation.]
[WHAT!?]
Ten minutes later, a bedraggled and flustered Enid shuffled into the meeting hall, her back aching and her face flushed from the sudden attention.
[How did you even keep them occupied while I was coming?] she demanded of the big ant sitting idly on one side of the chamber.
[We just told them we were waiting for our negotiator to arrive.]
[So you DID just keep them sitting here?!]
[We told them ants have their own pace of doing things and that seemed to mollify them. That and the cakes and teas.]
The Colony certainly did have its own pace, and it wasn't slow…. Rather the opposite, the ants worked at breakneck pace at all times.
If the guests were mollified at all, it was probably the confectioneries that did the trick. How the ants managed to bake so well when they couldn't possibly have high ranks in the Baking or Cooking Skills was beyond her.
Trying to give at least some semblance of professionalism to her side of the negotiations, Enid approached the table and sat as gracefully as she could. She even managed to stifle her little groan as the weight came off her knees.
To her left and right, several members of the Council had gathered, Sloan and Advant, namely, with Anthony still slumped comfortably in the corner. Across the table sat an array of clearly high ranking brathians, bedecked in gossamer silks that seemed to float in the air and adorned with tasteful, jaw-dropping jewellery.
[You didn't tell me they were dressed so well! I would have tried to spruce up a little!]
[They are? I can't really tell.]
The people of the water, as they were sometimes called, the brathians were mostly human in their appearance, except for those elements of their physiology that adapted them to their aquatic environment. They were covered head to toe in scales, which varied in colour between families. There were several hues represented at the table, including a deep, shimmering lilac which was incredibly eye-catching. They didn't have fins, as such, but possessed webbed hands and feet, along with membranes on their forearms and calves they could use to propel themselves through the water at tremendous speeds.
"Greetings to you," she bowed in her seat, "I am Enid Ruther, a human, formerly of the surface kingdom of Liria. I was once a merchant and trader, so the Colony has called on me several times in the past to negotiate on their behalf."
The lilac-scaled woman seated directly across from her returned her bow and smiled. To any other race on Pangera, introducing oneself as a lowly merchant would have you dismissed in an instant, but not to a brathian. Merchants were the folk they respected the most.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Enid. I was beginning to fear there would be no haggling at all on this venture, since the ants are so disinterested in profits."
She sounded scandalised by the very concept. As if she'd met humans who didn't believe in breathing. Enid chuckled in sympathy.
"It isn't that they aren't interested in profits; there are things that they want, but in general, they are incredibly insular, in the sense that they don't believe anyone can make anything better than they can. Why would they bother to negotiate a long-term deal with you, when they believe they can purchase samples of your goods and replicate them in a year or less?"
The brathian gave a polite smile, clearly dismissing the ants' ability to produce works of the same quality as her own people, despite all that she had seen.
"I am Eran Thouris, wife of Satrap Umizan and the leader of this delegation. I have already gathered that the Colony does not wish to purchase goods, though I hope to change their minds. Instead, I wonder if we would be able to purchase from them. There is much they produce, but as I understand it, they don't have a market to sell to?"
Already, Enid could feel Eran's Skills reaching out to ensnare her from across the table. Doubtless, she was an incredibly powerful negotiator, able to twist deals to her favour no matter the context. It would be madness for Enid to try and go head to head with her. The only way to extricate herself from the talks with a satisfactory result was to be as direct as she could be.
"The only thing the Colony wants from you is cores. No currency, no goods, only cores. If you draw up a list of the goods you want, we will attach prices we think are reasonable, and we can use that as the basis of our agreement."
Eran Thouris, of course, knew what she was trying to do. Her eyes sparkled across the table.
"So straightforward. I'm sure there's room for discussion as to the goods, the volume of trade, and price. After all, the prices will dictate what we want and how much of it we are prepared to purchase."
So much for the easy way out. Enid felt the old fire in her chest begin to burn once again. It had been a long time since she'd had her back to the wall in a trade. Her gaze heated up.
"Very well. Let's talk."
-x-X-x-
Truly, there is nothing so terrifying as being put in a social situation with someone who has mastered the Skills that impact those interactions. Masters of Speech, Negotiation, Persuasion, Haggling, Diplomacy, Intimidation, the other related Skills, the many, many fusions, and those who have levelled the various Classes which give bonuses to one's words.
To the unprepared or undefended, these people can talk them into, or out of, almost anything. Naturally, this can prove difficult for normal people to navigate, but at the higher level of diplomatic and trade negotiations, every empire, kingdom or conglomerate comes heavily armed, metaphorically speaking, to the table.
-??Excerpt from 'The Power of the Word' by Zathus.
Enid felt like she had been wrung dry of every ounce of water in her body. Her eyes were dry, her skin felt parched and itchy. Even her tongue felt as raw as sand in a desert.
Still, she clung to the table, her teeth clenched and a rictus grin entrenched on her face.
Her opponent, seated opposite, could not have appeared more relaxed. The brathian sat comfortably in her chair, sipping tea and cutting small wedges from her double-layered chocolate cream surprise with the side of her fork. When they had gotten down to discussing prices, things had gone about as well as Enid had expected.
Which is to say, she'd been torn to shreds.
She was far from an expert on brathian culture, but she knew enough to know who and what she was dealing with. Eran Thouris was who she was negotiating with, but Eran was not her name, but her title. This was the title given to the person the conglomerate trusted as their commander in battle. Of course, which battlefield did the brathians take most seriously? This one, the negotiating table.
"Now of course, we are yet to discuss the risks of transportation through the fourth stratum," Eran smiled pleasantly, "nor the burden of suspicion that will be placed on my people for cooperating with an emergent race of monsters such as yourselves. Naturally, these difficulties must be compensated for, which can be reflected in the price."
Her words were so persuasive, so reasonable, it was almost insidious how easily they snaked into Enid's mind. She resisted.
"You come to the Colony asking for trade, and then demand compensation for it?" she rebuffed, forcing the words out from a throat that constricted to prevent her from speaking. "If you want to trade, then trade. If you don't, then leave. The Colony doesn't care."
Eran Thouris leaned forward, a look of polite exasperation on her face.
"The Colony stands to gain thousands of cores every month. I'm sure they very much do care about that. Considering they are producing these goods already, with no market to sell them to, they stand to benefit the most. All I'm asking for is that my people receive a fair share of the profits."
Again, it all sounded so reasonable, but Enid knew from personal experience that the brathian would happily slice the amount they needed to pay the Colony down to the bone if she could. After all, the cheaper they acquired the goods, the more money that would flow into the coffers of her conglomerate.
The old mayor knew when she was beaten, and in truth, she'd been beaten a long time ago. All she'd done was run a desperate defensive action, pushing off the woman's demands and holding as much ground as she could, but eventually, she would be worn down and forced to concede to her conditions, which would see the Colony earning a pittance for everything they sold.
Thankfully, she had a secret weapon, one that no negotiator could hope to win against.
"At this point of our talks, I would like to bring in a member of the Colony to give their input on our final discussions," she managed to force out.
She reached a trembling hand onto the table and took a sip of tea to soothe her ragged throat.
Eran Thouris pursed her lips, looking thoughtful.
"Are you not empowered to negotiate on their behalf?" she enquired.
"It was made clear to me that they would have the final say over any terms we settled on," Enid replied, truthfully.
Being honest was critical in talks at this level, since there were many who could detect lies and turn them against you. Skirting the truth was an artform as old as time for merchants of all levels.
"Very well," the brathian conceded, as if she were the one giving permission.
She didn't have a choice, she had to accede to this request; since the Colony had the final say, they had to be included in the talks. Enid permitted herself a small smile. She turned to the giant ant who now lay, legs splayed, against the wall of the chamber, and pointed to her head. A few moments later, she felt that vast mind reach out to hers.
[Hey Enid, how's it going? You look…. You've looked better, I have to say.]
[How rude,] she sniffed. [Who do you think I'm enduring this for? I told them I was going to bring you into the talks at this point since you will have final say on everything.]
[Oh? Why me? I don't think I'm equipped for this, Enid. I don't exactly have a mind for logistics.]
[Don't worry about any of that. Just know that you will be put into direct mental communication with their representative, Eran Thouris, which she will only agree to if her mages can join as well to ensure she is protected.]
[Who's going to protect me?] the big ant asked, and Enid scoffed.
[Do you need protection?]
[Probably not….]
[Fine then.]
"And who are you bringing into the conversation?" Eran asked with unwavering confidence.
Enid gestured toward him.
"The Eldest of the Colony. The Eldest is highly regarded within the family and the others will follow their words."
Eran eyed the gigantic monster while the mages behind her grew extremely agitated. Connecting the mind of their leader to such a monster was an obvious risk, but there was so much money at stake, the brathians could hardly refuse.
So they didn't.
[Hey, nice to meet you. You want stuff, we want cores. This shouldn't be too complicated.]
Enid smiled. Let the games begin.
-x-X-x-
Already, Enid could detect the faint signs of tightness around Eran Thouris' eyes. She controlled her face. She didn't want to appear smug during the negotiations.
[I am simply communicating the many difficulties that we will incur in order to facilitate this transaction,] Eran patiently explained.
[Hey, if it's too hard for you, we can just call the whole thing off,] Anthony replied cheerfully. [We don't want to impose. No need to endure any hardship on our account.]
It was already the fourth time he'd suggested ending the talks in three minutes of dialogue.
[Wouldn't it be a shame for your Colony to miss this opportunity to gain cores? I can only imagine how precious they are to you and your family.]
[Oh, of course. We need, like, infinity cores.] The giant ant shrugged his antennae. [But if this doesn't work, we'll figure something else out. We're pretty creative and hardworking. I mean, we're ants.]
[But since this opportunity is here in front of you, don't you want to make the most of it?]
Anthony scratched at his carapace with one antenna, confused.
[I mean, sure? I'm trying to understand if you want this trade or not, if I'm honest. You won't stop talking about how hard it is for your side to make it happen and compensation, so I suggest we call it off, and then you won't stop insisting on how the Colony will be missing out. I've told you several times already, there's no need to worry about us, we're doing fine. If anything, it sounds like your conglomerate are the ones who need help. Is there anything we can do for you? You need food? Protection? We can have fifty thousand ants deployed in an hour if you need them. We… uh… just can't go underwater. Yet.]
Enid laughed and then disguised it as a cough, patting herself on the chest and picking up her cup to sip her tea. There was a bare hint of floral notes to this blend, with just the right amount of sugar stirred in.
In one fell swoop, Anthony had punctured through Eran's talk of difficulties by questioning the strength of the brathian Conglomerate, and then threatened them with an army fifty thousand strong which would arrive at their territory before the delegation returned home. Best of all, he hadn't intended any of it.
Perhaps it was because he was a monster, or just because he was Anthony, but he was maddingly immune to the effects of social Skills. Enid had never noticed any effect from her own, and it seemed even someone as talented and highly ranked as Eran couldn't make a dent in him. The frustration was starting to mount, Enid could detect a slight darkening of the scales around the brathian's neck.
[Well, perhaps we should go over some of the prices your negotiator and I have established so we can find some common ground. I think you'll find they are most fair.]
[You've got a list or something, Enid?]
[Yes. Yes I do.]
The old woman grimaced. It wasn't a list she could be proud of. She'd held on as best she could, but that didn't detract from the absolute drubbing she'd received.
[Firstly, let us look at the household items, starting with the carpets. Naturally, we need to take into account the weight and delicate nature of such goods when transporting them, as well as finding customers for your… unique designs.]
Eran launched into a detailed explanation of the many costs involved in collecting, checking, storing and transporting the goods, but Anthony was shifting uncomfortably after a minute.
[We can do all of that,] he said, a little irritation bleeding through. [Show us how you want it packed and we'll get it done. We can transport it and provide the security ourselves if it's so difficult. How many guards do you need for a caravan? Ten? Twenty?]
The brathian permitted herself a small smile.
[We would usually have two hundred guards, minimum, for a caravan of any value.]
The giant ant waggled his antennae in confusion.
[I was talking thousands. Ten thousand, or twenty thousand guards. You only need two hundred? That's… not many?]
Eran blinked.
[Let's not worry about all the talk about difficulties,] Anthony said, smoothly attempting to divert the conversation away from boring details. [Just give me the percentages. In terms of how much you will sell the product for, what percentage will the Colony earn?]
[Such a crude manner of examining commerce does not take into account the many nuances involved…] Eran sputtered.
Which is exactly why Anthony likes it, Enid thought smugly to herself.
[I assumed you might want something like this, so I took the liberty of enquiring after these numbers. I have them here if you want them.]
[Oh? Thanks, Enid! Hit me.]
[H-hit… you?]
[Tell me the numbers.]
[Oh. Well, for the carpets and rugs, the Colony would receive twenty percent of the final sale price.]
Ants never moved much, when they didn't want to. Aside from assiduously cleaning their antennae, they weren't moving all that much during these talks, but right now, Anthony grew perfectly still. He didn't move at all, for a long, awkward moment.
[Twenty?] he said, finally, his mental tone curiously flat. [We harvest the raw materials, do all the Skilled labour, enchant it, bring it down to the fourth and we get… twenty percent?]
The gigantic ant actually stood, turning to face the brathians directly, his enormous and menacing mandibles pointing directly at them. The scaled guards were not pleased with this development, though the Eran herself remained admirably cool.
[Are you wanting to break our legs as well?] the ant demanded.
Eran blinked.
[No? Why would we want to break your legs? We don't want to hurt you at all.]
[Then why do I feel so much pain right now?]
He communicated to Enid directly.
[These aren't fish, these are sharks!]
[I tried to warn you,] she said. [Commerce is their life. They love the process of making money just as much as they love the wealth they generate. They'll squeeze as hard as they can.]
[Sheesh.]
He reopened communication to Eran.
[Yeah. I'm thinking we get eighty percent, since we do all the work? You can skim twenty off the top for your trouble. Sound good?]
-x-X-x-
As it turned out, it did not 'sound good', to the brathians.
[Twenty percent! That's usury,] she declared flatly.
[Isn't that the percentage you were offering us?] Anthony pointed out.
[This was a number we arrived at after a lengthy discussion of the costs and risks of conducting business. I would be happy to go over them with you….]
Anthony scratched at his head as Enid did all she could to contain her smile, regardless of how hard it threatened to creep over her face.
[We are the ones making the stuff,] he insisted. [Without us, there's no trade for you to profit from at all, you'll have no goods. All you have to do is receive the stuff and take it somewhere you can sell it, which is something you already do. As I understand it, you have a network of caravans, merchants, markets and stores already, so you don't have to establish anything new, this is just another source of goods for you to plug into your pipeline.]
Eran tried a different tack.
[It's true we have an exceptionally successful business spread over multiple strata, and a strong presence in some of the biggest markets in the fourth stratum, including the Silver City. We deal with many, many suppliers as well as create our own artisanal products for sale. This isn't a trade that we need,] she spoke with just the right amount of deprecation, insinuating that she was doing them a favour. [Access to our conglomerate is worth paying a heavy price.]
Surprisingly, Anthony nodded.
[That's persuasive, you've done a lot of work and we would benefit from that. We can't have hard work be unrewarded.]
Eran Thouris eased ever so slightly in her chair. Clearly, she thought she was finally getting somewhere. Enid knew better.
[Soooo. You can have twenty-five percent,] the Ant announced with an air of finality. [That seems fair to me.]
The brathian reeled, but collected herself a fraction of a second later. Enid was impressed. This woman was tough. Dealing with Anthony was enough to send a teenager grey.
[You added five percent in recognition of our input?] she sought to clarify, a little coldly.
[Of course not,] Anthony replied reasonably. [Before, I was giving you twenty percent, but fifteen of that was just because I'm nice. Now I think you actually deserve twenty five. It's a totally different calculation.]
There was open confusion on the face of the brathian negotiator now. Her Skills weren't working as they should, and the direction of the conversation had gone far from what she had intended. Enid almost felt sorry for her. It was only going to go downhill from here.
She threatened to walk away from the deal if the percentage wasn't better. Anthony didn't care.
She demanded they begin negotiating prices at fifty percent, no lower. Anthony threatened to walk away.
She tried to talk down the quality of the produce and thus diminish its price. Anthony didn't believe her, stating anything his siblings made was either the best in the world, or soon would be.
She tried to emphasise the power of the conglomerate and the influence they had. She hinted they could ban the Colony from ever trading in the fourth if they so chose. Again, Anthony didn't care. The ants were perfectly content making things just to decorate their nests and insisted they would find other ways to procure the cores they needed. He made it clear in no uncertain terms that he considered this deal to be the Colony doing the Brathian Island Conglomerate a favour, and not the other way around.
She protested. He shrugged.
She needled. He got bored.
She marshalled her words and went into battle, eloquently and viciously. He stopped listening.
It went on for hours with the giant ant growing more and more irritated and the brathian delegation growing more and more desperate. Finally, one of them cracked.
[Fine! You can have forty percent, alright? We'll pack and ship the goods to you ourselves, you can station people here in the nest to make sure it's done to your satisfaction and then you can deal with it from there.]
A major concession from Anthony's perspective, an insulting offer from his opponent's. Eran Thouris' mouth tightened to a thin line. Before she could say anything over the mind-bridge, Anthony cut her off.
[Considering we are doing all of the creating, and you are only doing the selling, I consider forty percent to be just shy of robbing us. I'm going to emphasise this point. Take it or leave it. The conditions aren't going to get any better than this. In fact, if you agree in the next thirty seconds, I'll extend the conditions of this deal to five years before it's renegotiated and throw in a fine set of knives delivered directly to your door. If you don't agree in thirty seconds, then we shake hands and go our separate ways, it wasn't meant to be.]
Finally, the ant had reached the end of his patience and Enid knew that he had bent as far as he was going to. She caught the eye of her opponent across the table and gave her a subtle nod. He meant what he'd said. Eran needed to think and think quickly.
She smiled and sipped her tea.
[It seems as though we have a deal,] she said.
The brathians around the table and in the chamber looked pained, as if they'd just been forced to digest something truly unpleasant, and honestly, Anthony radiated the same kind of energy. A successful negotiation, nobody was happy!
It all worked out better than she'd expected.
-x-X-x-
As nice as it is to sit down, eat tea and cake with our neighbours while discussing the inherent superiority of ant-made goods, there is still a wave going on. It's not like it's a big deal, there's just this globe-spanning disaster in the form of endlessly spawning monsters, savage and berserk, desperate for Biomass and experience.
So, with the ink barely dry on our trade deal, the brathians returned to the waters of the lake, vaguely promising that less monsters would assault us from the shoreline and promising to return when the wave ended. Which was all well and good, there were a lot of ants pulled from the frontlines to help with the negotiations and they needed to get their abdomens back into the fight.
I decided to chat with Enid for a while before she went back to her rooms.
[I can't believe you got them to agree to such terms,] the old woman shakes her head.
[What?] I reply, indignant. [We're practically getting robbed! We fight the monsters in the Dungeon and control the territory necessary to collect the raw goods. Then we process it all ourselves, then we do all the work shaping it, turning it into something of use, and enchant it! If that's not enough, we agreed to bring everything to the fourth stratum, AND pack everything according to their standards, AND drop everything on their doorstep! What else are they after? Blood?!]
[I think, technically, you don't have blood, you have ichor. Which they would want if they could get it, yes.]
Enid lent back in her chair and chuckled. I leaned in a little closer to inspect the old woman, she really didn't look well. The talks had drained her, she was as shrivelled as a prune.
[I'm not saying the Colony doesn't do a lot of work, but transportation and access to markets are expensive. Most producers are lucky to see thirty percent, if that.]
[For thirty percent, I would have told them to get stuffed and set up a market on the shoreline. They're dreaming if they think the Colony can be taken advantage of. There's no war we can't win, even an economic one.]
[You're probably most dangerous in an economic conflict,] Enid observed, her tone heavy with fatigue. [There's going to be millions and millions of you soon, so many workers, who effectively work for free…. You can afford to sell so much cheaper than anyone else.]
Hmmm. That's a good point. The workers in the Colony don't draw a salary, as such. They get housed, fed, educated, provided resources, but don't have anything like purchasing power of their own. I mean, they're ants, they don't feel the need for any reward, they work for the betterment of the family. If I offered them some sort of reward, cores for example, as payment for their work, I honestly think they would just donate them to the hatchlings.
[This is a problem,] I told Enid. [The workers of the Colony should get some sort of reward for their efforts.]
Enid shook her head.
[There's nothing they would accept and we both know it. I don't see anything wrong with what the Colony is doing. The workers don't get paid, but it isn't as if they're being exploited. The profit, if you want to call it that, of their work is accumulated by the family, not any individual.]
I wasn't satisfied, but what she said made sense.
[Well, thank you very much for your time, Enid. I can see that this wasn't easy for you.]
The old woman sighed and tried to push herself up from her chair, but failed.
[Damn. I feel so weak. No, don't fuss!]
She snaps at me as I approach, concerned, but she only waves me away.
[It was fun. I haven't engaged in a proper battle like that for many years. Were I twenty years younger, my blood would have been boiling after such a defeat, but I'm just tired. I'll need a lot of rest after all this.]
[Lots of rest is the least you're going to get.]
[What do you mean?]
Enid's face begins to change as understanding of what I mean starts to dawn on her, but it's too late. Her chair is seized by a team of ants and lifted into the air while she's still on it. Maintaining perfect balance, they begin to carry her away, to the medical ward if my guess is right.
[Anthony! Where are they taking me?!]
[Quick medical check, I expect. You can expect only the finest treatment after all you've done for the Colony today.]
[I don't want this! Just send me back to my room!]
[Sorry Enid… the mental… connection… appears to be… breaking up!]
[That's not how a mind bridge works!]
[Oh. In that case, sorry, I can't hear you, I already cut the connection.]
[YOU'RE STILL TALKING TO ME!]
[Damn, you're sharp. I'll catch up with you soon, Enid! Rest well!]
Still squawking indignantly, Enid is carried away to the hospital by her personal team of dedicated healers. As if we won't take good care of someone who works so hard for the family.
Well, this was all an interesting distraction, learning about a whole… conglomerate of brathians living in the lake next to us. We've barely scratched the surface of everything that's going on in the fourth stratum, but I guess we'll have more time to worry about things like that after the wave is finished.
It's not the right time to be adventuring all over the place. We have a wave to deal with, I have a little champion to train and there's three pets who need to evolve.
In fact… if the gate is operational….
I head down into the nest and find the gate-room. Sure enough, it's crackling with energy, a rather lethargic-looking Brilliant stumping about the place, poking at this and that with her antennae.
[Hey there, Brilliant! You actually did it! Working gate technology. This might be the single biggest contribution anyone has made to the family! Are you happy?]
She barely turns towards me.
[You doubted me? It was simple, I'm… Brilliant… or whatever.]
She's so flat! Where's her usual energy?
[What the heck is wrong with you? This time?] I loom over the tiny ant and prod her with a foreleg. [Where's your get up and go? Your gusto!]
[I'm just feeling bored. We had the gate thing pretty much figured out a week ago. There's a ton of fine tuning still to be done. It'll be months before we get our mandibles on all the little efficiencies needed to minimise the mana requirements.]
She sighs and kicks at a pebble.
[There's just no adventure in it. It's not exciting to me anymore.]
I look at her, confused.
[So… why are you still doing it?]
[I have to!] She throws up her antennae with a hint of her old vigour. [There's nobody else as good as me at working with dimensions, only I have the evolutions and mutations that allow me to see the weave!]
[Do you have to have those abilities to do the fine tuning? I thought you had a whole team helping you up in the second stratum.]
[I do, but they aren't good enough to do the work without my supervision,] she groans. [They just aren't…]
[Brilliant,] the two of us say together.
I tap her on the back.
[Yeah, so you start up a second team. One group can work on smoothing out the gates, and the other can work on something new. Mana cannons. Or enchanted rocks that walk around and smash things. Or creating islands that fly. Or short distance teleportation devices. Oh! Do you think you could create something that makes scouts invisible? That would be cool and save a ton of evolutionary energy. Self-repairing nest walls? Ooooo, could you siphon power from those other dimensions? And you're like a Dungeon Seer, right? You should train up a team of those and see what you can learn about the Dungeon. There's tons of things the Colony doesn't know about, which we really need to know about.]
The more ideas I pelt her with, the more Brilliant begins to vibrate, intense energy building up inside her carapace.
[But… but… so many…. So many ideas! I must pursue them all! I MUST UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING!]
[In that case,] I tell her, [you should set up more teams.]
[I will! And I will lead them all! Because I'm BRILLIANT!]
[Of course you are.]
-x-X-x-
"Do not discuss what we have seen or heard until we return home," the Eran warned her people as they made their way out of the grand ant fortress.
Here on an expedition, her word was law and even her daughter knew better than to cause trouble for her mother at this moment in particular. The brathians were silent for the remainder of the journey. They marched in silence through the enormous tunnels of the fortress, didn't breathe a word as they exited the vast gates and continued to keep their mouths shut as they were escorted by the ants through the monsters and down to the shoreline.
With dignity, they bowed to the ants, turned and walked into the water, their clothing floating around them as they walked deeper and deeper.
Once they were fully submerged, Eran Thouris gave her people a significant look and began to swim, weaving her magic to propel herself and the entire group through the water at an incredible speed. Enormous monsters churned through the water, closer than any would like, but the song of the siren filled the lake around them, and the monsters ignored them completely.
On they swam, through the murk and out into the brathian territory, passing through the barrier without difficulty.
"May we speak now?" Theraz asked cautiously.
"You may converse," came the terse reply, "but no details about the negotiation or what we've seen. The Satrap will want our unfiltered thoughts."
"That was so exciting!" Piris exclaimed. "An entire empire of ants! It's incredible! And that fortress? How long did it take them to build it? Almost no time at all!"
Theraz swam closer and nudged his cousin with his elbow.
"We aren't meant to be talking about it yet."
She turned and stuck her tongue out at him.
"But it was so interesting! Have you ever seen anything like it?"
"No, I haven't, but I know to keep my mouth shut before we meet the Satrap. You can talk all you want about it once we arrive."
Piris rolled her eyes, but quietened. She flitted about in the water, finding it difficult to contain her excitement, but she managed to bottle it up long enough for them to arrive before the Satrap.
The moment the door to her husband's chambers shut, Eran's smooth expression twisted in anger as she ripped the necklace from around her neck and blasted it through the water against the wall.
"DAMN INSECT!" she roared. "Forty percent! FORTY PERCENT! I haven't felt this humiliated for two decades."
The Satrap jumped in his seat, his expression growing faintly terrified as his wife showed her rage so publicly. He glanced toward Theraz, who shook his head in warning.
"Papa! It was so amazing! You won't believe how clever those ants are. They can make all sorts of things, and they served us incredible cakes, and tea, and the fortress was unbelievably huge, and there was an ant there who was enormous!"
"That's nice, my precious jewel," he smiled at his daughter before turning his concerned expression back to his wife.
"Darling, please. The delegation and court magicians are still present."
"They saw the whole thing! The creature was immune to all of my Skills. A mutation? Some sort of evolution? We were completely swindled!"
She clawed at the water around her, fingers tearing gashes through the lake.
Satrap Umizan flinched on his throne and turned to Theraz.
"Was it really that bad? Do we owe them money?"
He sounded as if he thought they'd demanded his head on a plate.
"No, nothing like that," Theraz said, his palms up. "There was a negotiation for the rights to trade the Colony's goods to other markets, and they demanded a high percentage of the final price. My honoured Aunt did extremely well against the initial negotiator, an old woman the ants brought in to speak on their behalf, but when the monster entered the talks… my understanding is that it didn't progress nearly so well."
Her scales were still flushed, but Eran managed to get control of herself and gave a strangled laugh.
"That's one way to put it," she said bitterly.
At that moment, Theraz' father entered the chamber, nodding to his brother. Marzban Corozan was powerfully built for a brathian, who tended to be slender and swift. Scars could be seen through the scales all over his arms and chest.
"Theraz," he said, his deep voice reverberating through the water. "I would like to hear about the threat that has shown up on our border."
"Not yet," Umizan broke in, frowning, "I need to hear about these trade negotiations first. Mages, Eran, gather and speak to me," he demanded, clapping his hands.
Minutes later, he sat, pensive, considering what he had heard.
"High quality merchandise, able to be produced cheaply and in mass quantities. In such variety? This is interesting, interesting indeed."
"I am deeply sorry, my Satrap," Eran bowed low, shame written all over her face. "The final terms are dreadful for our people. I will accept any punishment."
"What? No, that's nonsense, my wife," the Satrap declared absent mindedly, then jumped when she raised her head to glare at him. "I mean it! Against a monster who was immune to your Skills, you achieved the best deal that you could. In fact, I would go so far as to say that you may have done something incredible for the future of this conglomerate."
She frowned, puzzled, as the Satrap rose from his throne, his hands behind his back.
"This could play into your concerns as well, brother," he announced, as he began to drift back and forth in the chamber. He held up a hand to stall Marzban before he could speak.
"I need to hear from the others first. Olivis? Float forward, I need to hear from my Dungeon Seer."
"I am here, Satrap," the Seer bowed as she moved to the front of the delegation.
"How many ants in the fortress?"
"Hundreds of thousands."
"And they have gate technology?"
"They claim to have invented it while we were present. I believe those claims to be true."
"There must be millions of them already…. They had a human negotiator? Was she a captive?"
"I do not believe so, my lord. She was well cared for and claimed to be an ally of the Colony."
The Satrap pondered these words.
"It's possible you just secured the future of us all, my wife," he said, and went on to explain. "They can already produce goods of a high quality, in high volumes, at exceptionally low prices. What do you think would happen to us if they ever managed to bring them to market? They'd undercut everyone. Prices would collapse, markets thrown into chaos, trading kingdoms would topple off the face of cliffs! It would take years, decades maybe, but it would happen. If they continue to grow, expand their territory and increase their expertise, they would eventually dominate commerce on Pangera!"
Everyone gasped. The brathian trading conglomerates collapse? How dreadful!
"But we have been saved. We will control the prices when the Colony's produce goes to market. Of course, we will extract the full value of their work, take a healthy percentage for ourselves, and in so doing, make ourselves invaluable to the ants as their trading partners. We will make profit, ensure our safety, and prevent calamity! This may prove to be the best-worst deal you have ever struck, my wife!"
-x-X-x-
Time to get back to business. The wave is ongoing, the fortress needs defending and all of a sudden, the Colony is more interconnected than ever before.
The gates are working! I can take a few steps and be in the second stratum! Or the third! I mean, going to the second would be deeply unpleasant, but the third might not be so bad. I could say hi to Al, and all the other demons who ended up feeding me energy through the Vestibule.
A number which has been increasing, by the way. I'm not at all comfortable with it. Ants, I understand. Humans, those are a bit iffy. Demons? They're weird. At the current moment in time, I have implemented a standard policy to avoid inspecting what they're thinking about as much as possible.
Actually, maybe I should avoid the third….
Which is fine! I have plenty to be about right here on the fourth. Need to fight the wave, practise my Skills, mutate and most importantly of all, I need to help guide the evolutions of my dear pets! All three of them are still out there fighting, and although there isn't much experience to be had from the freshly spawned monsters of the wave, if they defeat enough of them, it's going to add up. Hopefully, by the time this current wave comes to an end, they'll have reached the required level and be ready to join me in the seventh tier.
Considering I have three mythic cores ready for them to absorb, courtesy of the Demon God, they should turn out super powerful as well. I can't wait!
Which means it's time to get in touch with my old friend. Fortunately, I can talk to him through the Nave. Actually, on second thought, I might just send a message. Speaking to people through the Nave tends to weird them out.
Since we have the gates, might as well put them to the test. I snag a scout and ask them to get in touch with Granin, see if he can make his presence known down here so I can ask a few questions, then I scuttle off to see how my student is getting on.
I find Solant doing pretty much what I expected, snapping out orders and managing her little battlefield like a conductor leading an orchestra. She's continued to drill her little army and they're getting more and more coordinated, allowing her to sneak in additional complexity. Normally, I find a battlefield between monsters and the Colony to look like organised chaos, the ants forming lines, advancing and retreating. This just looks… organised. No ant moves alone, always together, always as a group. When everyone retreats, they do it in a rippling wave. When everyone advances, they surge two, three, four times, overlapping charges that eat up space and drive back the monsters.
On some level, I can see what she's doing. Rampaging, berserking beasts they may be, but the creatures spawned of the wave still have that spark of animalistic intelligence in them. Solant manipulates them, dangling bait, exposing weaknesses, forming vulnerabilities in the line.
The moment the enemy leaps in, those points of attack fade away, like smoke, as if they were never there. I watch her at work for the rest of her shift, taking it all in. When the little general finally retreats and is replaced at the coal face, I rush up and give her a little nudge with one leg.
"Solant! Looking good out there! The moves, the fancy feet! How's it all coming along?"
She looks a little confused.
"Fancy feet? We don't have feet. We have claws."
"Fancy claws, then."
"I wouldn't describe them as fancy, as such…."
".... Just, take the compliment. I'm impressed with how well you have troops moving."
"Oh. I didn't understand what you meant. Yes, it's coming along."
She doesn't seem at all pleased.
"Not satisfied?" I ask.
"Not even close," she affirms. "There is much work to be done, and many more ideas to test before even this simple tunnel defence can be called a success."
"From what I understand, it's going very well. The troops are happy, the generals are happy. What's wrong with it?"
"It can be better," she says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I've been consulting with some core shapers who I think will be able to help out, and the more we drill, the better we get at responding to unexpected situations. There's still a lot of work to do."
"Well, good thing the wave won't be over any time soon. You've got twelve hours of solid fighting every day to work on your plans."
"I intend to make good use of them," she says, determined.
"Make sure you're getting your fair share of Biomass and experience as well," I warn her. "As important as it is for the troops to be getting stronger, the generals need to as well."
"I will, Eldest. Now if you excuse me, we need to run our drills."
"Didn't you just finish fighting?"
"It's the best time to go over the mistakes that were made."
So saying, she's off like a shot, and I notice her little army is already lined up and ready to go, her broodmates in the thick of it. I've no doubt that these ants will form the core of her following soon enough. Once they get caught up in the wake of the charismatic champions, it's very hard for my siblings not to get pulled along after them.
It's fine. Solant is going to be very important going forward. I can't wait to see what she does.
Well, might as well head on up and see if there's been a reply from Granin. With my pets so close to evolving, the excitement just won't stop bubbling up!
-x-X-x-
[Anthony,] Granin greets me shortly with a perfunctory nod.
Corun and Torrina are a little more excited, the former giving me a broad smile and the latter a more reserved wave.
[Well if it isn't the rock trio. What's been happening in your lives?]
[Trying to avoid mana sickness,] Granin says, [and this isn't helping much.]
The big golgari is a massive unit, almost tall enough to look me in the eye, even now, his granite coating shifting and folding as if it were truly his skin. I'm still not used to being bigger than him, to be honest. I've outmassed him since I met him, but being able to see the top of his head without climbing a wall is a new experience.
[How does it feel to be a midget?] I tease him, prodding his shoulder with an antennae. [Beside a mighty and enormous monster such as myself, you barely register on the scale.]
Granin, shockingly, actually laughs.
[You think you're a big monster? Compared to what I've seen, you're like a speck. Don't get too big for your carapace, you'll be dead before you can blink.]
[So… I'm immortal?]
[You know what I mean!]
Aaaand the grouchy is back. That didn't take long.
[Look, I'm sorry, I didn't bring you down here just to be annoying. I wanted to consult you about my pets and ask if you'd had any ideas about my progression. I'm ready for another round of mutations, got some Skill points to spend, so I thought I'd check in.]
Granin runs a hand over his stony head.
[I appreciate that. I don't mean to be so irritable. We've been trying to adapt ourselves to the higher mana levels so we can come down to the fourth more or less permanently, but it's been a struggle. This wave has produced the highest intensity of mana I've seen in my entire lifetime, and acclimating has been… problematic.]
[He means it's been extremely painful,] Torrina says, matter of factly. [Many of your human soldiers and priests are attempting to do the same, but it's proving incredibly difficult.]
[We were theorising that we may soon approach the theoretical limit of what an unmodified person can tolerate,] Corun chips in brightly. [People who were born this deep are better off, but if the waves keep increasing their intensity, we may reach a point in a few years where it'll be impossible for non-monsters to live in the fourth.]
Granin waves his hand to dismiss those words.
[It's just idle speculation, and regardless, it won't come to that. The people won't abandon their holdings down here, they'd rather drag the entire stratum up to the surface with their fingernails.]
[Do you guys even have fingernails?]
Granin holds up his hands.
[No, huh? That's weird. Do you have them underneath the rock?]
The three of them look awkward.
[That's… a rude question. It's like asking a human what they have under their clothes,] Torrina explains.
[I don't have clothes or a rocky exterior layer. You can cut me some slack. Now, let's get down to business. You guys said you had some good ideas for me, and surely you've cooked up something since then.]
Granin nods and Corun reaches into the satchel he's got strapped around his hip, pulling out what appears to be a thick ream of paper. Before I can run away, Torrina slaps his hand.
[Don't bring out the documents!] she hisses, mentally, for my benefit.
[Oh. Sorry. I worked hard on that,] Corun whines.
[He was about to run away! Don't show him the research.]
Granin coughs.
[Sorry about that, Anthony, you don't need to go over any of that, it was for our benefit. So, let me begin by talking about what approach we took.]
[This isn't like… a rehearsed presentation, is it?]
I can feel my legs creeping towards the exit already.
[No,] all three of them reply with a strangely rehearsed air of casualness.
I decide to trust them… for now.
[Your resets have focused on enhancing and building out the benefits of your unique gravitational mana, which we think is the right idea. It's a powerful ability which the System is clearly ready to capitalise on, given some of the options you've talked about. So we want to create a set of mutations and organs that will play to the strengths of your gravity mana, whilst also being generically strong. Overspecialisation has always been a flawed strategy in the Dungeon.]
I nod. I've always avoided the options which added a particular element to damage or resistance. It makes sense that there would be monsters who can counter gravity in the Dungeon, even if I don't know what they might be like. Ghosts or something.
[So Torrina had an idea for your acid which you might like. Torrina?]
[Yes,] she steps forward. [From what you told us, your acid gland hasn't been pulling its weight in a satisfactory way. Is that right?]
Sadly, it's true. Without investing heavily in mutations that increase the potency of the acid, the damage potential isn't quite there. Despite the small network of organs I have back there, I've been using my renowned commercial empire less and less here on the fourth as the acid just doesn't cut it against most of the monsters.
[You've built a fair amount of utility into your acid already,] Torrina continues. [It clings to the target, melts mana and propagates itself. All of that is independently useful, but with one more mutation, we may be able to help it synergise with your gravity spells. Is it possible to increase the mass of the acid?]
[The mass?] I ask, a little bewildered. [I'm… not sure. I don't think I've ever checked.]
[As you explained it, the higher the mass of your target, the more vulnerable they will become to gravity magic, is that right?]
[Pretty much….]
Even I know it's a little more complicated than that. More mass means more for the gravity to work on, but would you say a mountain is vulnerable to gravity, or a planet? Not really.
[If we focus on your acid's ability to cling, and its ability to propagate itself, then if we can use it to add mass to the target, you'll be able to make them heavier much more easily. Once you apply acid, it will stick to them, weigh them down, and then start making more of itself, which will in turn…]
[Stick to them and weigh them down more…] I chime in.
If I start pelting them with gravity bolts, or put them under the gravity domain, they'll suffer that much more from the pull. This is…
[I think that's actually a workable idea! What else have you got?]
-x-X-x-
Pleased by the positive reaction to their first suggestion, the three golgari shapers launch into their next suggestions with gusto.
[Well, I had Corun work on a suggestion for your mandibles, since you haven't mutated them after the reset. We know you had a few different mutations in the past, but you made a fair bit of use of the infusion mutation, right?]
It was true, infusing mana into my mandibles had been one of my earliest offensive mutations after the acid. By powering them up with raw mana, they were better at doing what good mandibles did, namely biting and crushing stuff, even dirt. The real sauce was infusing them with mana that had taken on an attribute. Fire bite? Sure thing, stuff some fire mana in there. My favourite effect was infusing them with gravity mana, which gave my mandibles the ability to yoink someone towards me.
Ahhhh, good times.
[Yep,] I confirm happily. [I had the savage mutation as well, for more chompy mandibles.]
A normal formica ant has mandibles that are a bit stubby, for gripping rather than cutting or puncturing. You might ask, what use are mandibles that can only grip in combat? You forget that for ant-on-ant warfare back on Earth, one of the main strategies was to grab hold of your enemies' legs and pull the darn things off. Ditto when battling other types of insects.
Of course, that wouldn't really work as well in the Dungeon, so I took that mutation to give my mandibles more of an aggressive shape. Longer and more spiky, they worked wonders with my bite Skills.
Corun steps forward, a serious expression on his face for once.
[Yes, well. I think this time around, you would agree that a different approach to your mutations will yield better results. Although the infusion mutation is flexible, and can be powerful in certain circumstances, we're not sure that it's the right mutation for you.]
[What makes you say so?] I ask, curious.
Corun coughs, looking a little embarrassed. Granin speaks in a flat tone of voice before his younger triad member can gather his courage.
[Because you're too forgetful. The main benefit of mana infusion is the many different effects you can manifest with it. There's no point for someone as scatterbrained as you to take it.]
There's dead silence for a second as I absorb this critique.
[Ouch.]
The big golgari folds his arms.
[Am I wrong?]
[No, you aren't wrong at all. I just didn't realise after all this time that you thought I was so dim.]
[I don't think you're dim, Anthony, I think you have the highest potential of any monster I've ever seen, and somehow you've managed to create an entire ant society, the first of its kind. You're clearly doing something right. However, we need to tailor our suggestions to who you are as a… monster. If you won't take full advantage of something, then there's no point to it.]
[Very true!] I declare. [Continue!]
Corun looks relieved.
[So we wanted to choose a set of mutations that would be strong and tailored to your own personal style. Firstly, a form-changing type of mutation along the lines of Savage isn't a bad choice. Although your mandibles aren't the same as they were when you first hatched, they aren't ideal for battle.]
Indeed, my current mandibles aren't as short and blunt as they were in the beginning, but they aren't as brutal and fearsome as they could be.
[We have a short list of mutations for you to consider that includes the Savage mutation, Razor, Warlord, Guillotine, Spiked and Toothed.]
[Toothed? I'd have teeth?]
[It's not like it sounds. That mutation would give you a lining of inwardly curved 'fangs' on the inside of both mandibles.]
[Isn't that the same as Spiked?]
[No. Spiked would give you three long spikes of varying lengths, shortest close to your face, longest at the tips, on the inside of the mandibles. It's intended to help punch through hardened defensive shells.]
[And guillotine?]
[That would adapt your mandibles for cutting, rather than piercing. Considering how hard your mandibles are, you could cut through just about anything if you made them sharp enough.]
But… would I be able to dig?
[Rejected. I think I like the Savage mutation.]
Trusty and reliable.
[It does give a good shape and we thought you might like this one the best,] Corun nods. [A little bit of everything, it doesn't excel in any one department, but it improves both cutting and piercing while extending the mandibles for added range. We recommend you take it twice and reinforce it at +15 to gain sufficient benefits.]
[Fair enough. Then what about from +20 to +30?]
[This was a lot harder and there are literally thousands of options to choose from. In the end, we thought you'd like something similar to the infusion mutation you had before, but more narrow in focus and would synergise with your gravity powers. Instead of infusion, have you ever considered the injection mutations?]
[Injection?]
I don't remember ever seeing them. Perhaps my eyes just glossed over them?
[Like, injecting poison or something?]
[Sort of,] Corun waves a hand back and forth. [It's a set of mutations, rather than just one. You can set your mandibles to inject just about anything, including mana. In this case, rather than a generic mutation, we recommend you take the option which allows you to inject gravity mana, specifically.]
I'm confused.
[Inject gravity mana, what would that do?]
Torrina takes over.
[To make the most of this mutation, you would need to train your external mana manipulation. But you are the best person to answer that question, since you know this mana type better than us. What could you do with a concentration of gravity inside your opponent's body?]
I mean…. A lot. If there was enough of the stuff, I could form a gravity bomb… inside them.
[Oh, that's nasty.]
[We thought you might like it,] Torrina's grin is wicked.
-x-X-x-
[Before you get too carried away,] Granin chips in, [remember that manipulating mana outside of your body is much harder than the mana inside it. Manipulating energy within someone else's body is another level of difficulty above that. You'll need to train hard before you can even dream of setting off those insane bombs you can make.]
That makes sense. If it was easy to manipulate energy inside an opponent, then almost any other method of fighting would be completely redundant. Even so, I like this idea. It would give me an almost unstoppable trump card if I can master it, and I can think of a few other uses for it outside of just the gravity bomb.
[I like it a lot!] I declare.
The triad has really come through for me and exceeded my expectations, so I tell them so. I never would have considered some of these ideas. I'm glad I finally opened up to them.
The three look pleased with my words, Corun grinning up at me, Torrina wearing a slight smile, and even Granin looks less grumpy. That could just be a trick of the lighting.
[We're working on mutation packages for your legs, regeneration gland and your whole acid… collection, in the event you reset those next,] Granin tells me. [For now, though, this is what we've come up with. It's more difficult for us to contribute to your Vestibule, Nave and Altar, since we haven't worked with those organs before.]
I'm a little disappointed, but Granin frowns at my drooping antennae.
[We still have to talk about your Skills,] he says, and I perk up immediately.
New Skills! This is what I've been waiting for!
[What have you got for me, Granin? Some sweet fusions? The mega-instant-death-to-all-foes Skill?]
[That is a good one, but no.]
[Wait, that's a Skill?!]
[Of course not! And don't forget, I've warned you before, learning too many Skills will become a weakness, not a strength. Without time to train them properly, you'll have a ton of Skills that aren't suitable for battle. Certainly not against powerful and prepared opponents.]
Sometimes I wish I could roll my eyes.
[Yeah, yeah, yeah. Surely, you've got a little something for me?]
If not, why bring it up at all?
[Yes,] Granin hurrumphs. [We've been carefully analysing the list of fusions for what we think will be the most optimal combinations for you to work towards. I set a hard limit of two for this exchange, despite the protestations of my pupils.]
Torrina and Corun look a little disgruntled at this, but hold their mind-tongues.
[First, there's a neat little fusion you can aim for which should help significantly, particularly with your sharp reflexes and foresight. We had you pick up the Coordination Skill. Now we recommend you add the Balance Skill, as well as one other. Took a bit of research to find this, since there isn't a lot of documentation on ants, but there's also a six-legged version of the Defensive Footwork Skill. These three, along with Predictive Thinking, can all fuse with the Grace Skill at rank four or higher to create the Precognitive Agile Defense Skill.]
[Ooooooo. Sounds fancy.]
[It'll make you lighter on your feet, harder to knock down, recover faster and more coordinated in tight spaces. Combined with your organs and mutations, you'll be pushing those advantages to their limits.]
Being hard to hit is one of the best ways to defend yourself. No need to absorb the blow that misses! I'm a fan of this idea. Combined with my sturdy carapace and plating, not to mention my extraordinary regenerative capacity, my multi-layered defence will only grow stronger. Am I an ant, or a fortress? MUAHAHAHAHAHA!
[I can see you like it,] Granin huffs. [For the next, we wanted to focus on the mental side. You've been throwing around some pretty mighty spells lately and handling a vast quantity of mana. I know you've got a lot of high rank mental abilities, but with a few added pieces, you can make the most of them.]
[Oh? I didn't realise I was missing anything significant.]
[That's why you came to us in the first place. We know a lot that you don't.]
[Right.]
[In this case, we suggest you take Concentration, Mana Weave and Divergent Thinking.]
[I've heard of Divergent Thinking. I thought I didn't need it, due to the brains that I'm packing.]
[At the time, we thought that way too. You have your multiple brains to help manage the mind constructs necessary for the complex mana manipulation you need, but there's a particular fusion for which the Skill is necessary. By combining those three, along with Meditation, you receive the Divergent Focus Skill.]
[Which does what?]
[Effectively, it layers the benefits of Meditation across each of your brains and constructs, giving a multiplicative boost to focus. A slightly unknown benefit is that adding the Mana Weave Skill into the mix boosts each of those minds in their capacity to manipulate mana. This will be almost a requirement if you're to succeed in using the mana after you've injected it.]
[At what rank can I achieve this fusion?]
[Four.]
That's doable.
[There's probably some super awesome high rank fusions you're keeping from me, aren't there?]
Granin nods.
[But what would be the point in me telling you now? It would take years, possibly decades, to achieve them, which won't help you survive now. If you don't already have the Skills necessary and aren't actively using them, then what are the odds you would get them to a sufficient rank?]
Pretty darn low.
[You're subject to the Call, Anthony. We both know what that means. Even if you resist with all your power, you'll have to go down eventually. It's dangerous down there, you need strength now.]
[You aren't wrong. Thanks for the advice, guys, I really appreciate it.]
[It's the least we can do… for the twentieth Ancient,] Granin replies, a little twinkle in his eye.
[Yeah, yeah. Now, got any advice for my pets? They should be ready to evolve by the time the wave ends.]