Chapter 2929 - Chry 136

By the time the carvers return to finish the defensive works on the platform, I am a wreck.

And I don't mean in the emotional sense. I mean, I am physically and mentally a wreck.

Monster activity rose day by day, and the Krath egged it on, leading hordes and hordes of monsters to descend on us, taking pot shots and using their foul magic when they got the chance. I've been doused in acid and slime so many times I'm worried it's starting to seep into my diamond carapace!

Despite my best efforts, the platform has suffered significant damage. By the time the build teams return, massive chunks have been blasted out of the diamond coating and two of the intakes have been destroyed. I've done everything I could to take the heat off the battalions and keep the Templars safe, but the toxicity levels in the fifth have gotten so high I can no longer step into the mana for more than a minute at a time. That means I'm fighting on the front, trying to take as much punishment as I can to keep the others safe.

It's been… brutal.

The other platforms, without the aid of my magnificent self, have suffered even worse. We managed to avoid losing any ants to capture, but injuries and even casualties have been high. When the walls and defensive embankments are finally done, I can't help but collapse to the floor.

I need a holiday.

"Looks like you've been working hard, Eldest," Tungstant says as she walks over.

She's been here managing the build teams for the past few days, and as I look over to her, my antennae go stiff with shock.

"Holy moly, Tungstant! Are you alright?"

"What are you talking about, Eldest? I'm completely fine."

So she says, but her carapace has gone grey! I swear I can see the spectre of death hanging over her shoulder. Back, you demon! Back!

"You look like you're barely hanging onto life! Your legs are shaking and your antennae are dragging on the ground! What the heck happened?!"

"Oh… I've just been working hard along with the other builders. Don't worry… we've been getting enough rest."

She's practically a ghost! In fact, looking at all the builders as they make their way off the platform, every single one of them looks as if they are on the brink of falling straight into their own grave. I've never seen ants look so completely exhausted; it's almost beyond belief.

Seeing my concern, Tungstant waves me off with one leg.

"Oh, it's fine, Eldest. The fortress is just about finished now. A few final touches, and it'll all be done."

A few final touches? On what, their gravestones?! This cannot be allowed to stand!

"Get them!" I yell, pointing at Tungstant and several nearby work crews with my legs.

The nearby soldiers, healers, carvers and generals all freeze, wondering who the heck I'm talking to.

"Uh, Eldest?" Tungstant says, staggering to the side a little. "What are you…"

Shadows begin to gather.

"All of them," I demand. "All of the build teams need the full treatment. If they keep working like this, they're going to brick themselves into a wall or something."

Darkness crowds around the edges of my vision as the lights begin to grow dim.

"Eldest, who are you talking to?" Tungstant remains pleasant, completely oblivious to the gathering danger. This is a sure sign of just how out of it she is.

The world goes black, then blinks back to light in an instant. Tungstant and the rest of the build teams are gone, vanished without a trace. The surrounding ants and militia stare at the empty space left behind by the vanished ants, then turn their wide-eyed, haunted stares in my direction.

"Oh, come on!" I say. "You could see how tired they were, same as I could. The fortress is pretty much finished, so we need them rested before the wave breaks."

They know I'm right, they're just weirded out at hearing me tell the torpor police what to do. Bah. Who cares? If anything, maybe now they'll listen a little more closely when I tell them to get enough rest.

Speaking of rest, I think I need some too.

With the platform repaired and properly defended, with walls and all the other defensive gizmos the mages and carvers cooked up, the battalions should be able to hold much better than before.

"I'm heading out," I announce to anyone who's listening.

I feel a tug on my consciousness, and realise that the Templars are coming along as well. Fine, I suppose. They've been fighting hard too.

"Can someone make sure Tiny, Crinis and Invidia get a break as well. I'd like to talk to them," I say as I wander off.

The three of them are too far off for my pet communication to work, so I'll have to rely on someone else passing the word. I leave the platform behind and head along the glittering, starry path, underlit by the thrumming mana channels that are feeding power straight into the fortress.

The point where the platform reaches the shell of the fortress itself is barred by an enormous gate, crackling with power and looming over even my head. Speaking of my head, they carved it into the gate, of course. Damn Michaelangelant! I'll catch that villain if it's the last thing I do!

The gates swing ponderously open just enough to let me squeeze through, then crash shut behind me.

The fortress is finally complete.

-x-X-x-

I head deep into the fortress using the main tunnels, which are, of course, bustling with activity. There aren't as many groups running around delivering building materials, since the fortress is largely finished, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to do. The internals of the fortress are still being worked on, furniture, rugs and various other decorative items are being brought in, and I see so many ants carrying end tables and chairs I wonder if this place is turning into a furniture warehouse.

Other than that, with all the workshops up and running, deliveries of metals and other precious materials are still pouring into the fortress. Everything needed to build this place has been used, but now they want to stockpile replacements to fix the inevitable damage that will come during the wave.

So the fortress is still a hive of activity, but, when it comes to the Colony, that's always going to be the case no matter where you go. If they aren't feeling busy, then my siblings aren't satisfied.

I head deep into the fortress, close to the middle, before I find a chamber without too much activity and slump down, tired all the way down to my core.

I can understand why it's considered so hard to get anywhere in the fifth a lot better now. Sustaining any sort of presence requires such an absurd amount of resources and effort that for anyone other than the Colony, it simply couldn't be worth it. If the Colony were to be paying for all the materials and labor that's been used down here, it would bankrupt the Brathian Island Conglomerate ten times over. Literally millions of individuals have devoted every ounce of their effort over a period of months to get us this far, not to mention the precious resources that have been gathered across four layers of the Dungeon from the Colony's territory.

With all of that effort, and all of that expense, we've built a single outpost in the fifth. It's a mighty fortress, sure, but there's only one. We've breached less than a hundred kilometres into the fifth and have been holding out by the thinnest edge of our mandibles.

It's harder than I thought it was going to be, I guess is what I'm getting at.

I sit, ruminating on my experience in the fifth so far, until I hear heavy footsteps approaching. Tiny stomps into the chamber looking as tired as I feel. The big gorilla is slumped over at the shoulders, his fur singed and melted off in patches and he barely musters up the energy to flick me a thumbs up as he walks over and drops onto the ground next to me.

I wave an antenna in greeting and get a ghost fist in return.

Even now?!

[Hey, buddy. Been tough going out there?]

[Bad fights,] he huffs, and I get a brief glimpse into the simmering frustration bubbling under the surface.

He hasn't been able to fight the way he likes, punching things in the face, so I can understand why he's annoyed.

[We'll get our chance,] I promise him. [Somehow, someway, we'll find a way to let you sock them right between the eyes, alright?]

He nods and sighs loudly, his massive shoulders and chest rising and falling with his breath. I seriously wonder how much this ape weighs. He's got so much densely packed muscle, not to mention his absurdly dense bones.

It doesn't take long for Tiny to fall asleep, slumped against the chamber wall, and I sit, waiting until the next member of the group arrives. Invidia flutters in, looking much the same as he always does, a lidded eyeball with long, stick-thin arms dangling down from either side of his non-existent body. His little wings look comically small, but somehow they manage to hold him up as he drifts over and lands on Tiny's shoulder, settling into the fur.

[Hey there. How've you been?]

[I hassss worked hardssssss.]

[We all have, but I appreciate it. Thanks for your help.]

His eye gleams with some sort of devilish light.

[You are welcomesss,] he hisses in satisfaction.

Soon enough, his eye begins to droop down and he's fast asleep, absurdly small on Tiny's enormous frame. Which means I just need to wait for Crinis. Except, after a while, she still hasn't appeared. I thought she'd come running, since we haven't seen each other for a while.

A sneaking suspicion creeps into my thoughts and I look down at my shadow. Extending one of my legs, I start prodding at it, trying to sense if there's anything in there. I don't think there is… but she should be here already. Where the heck…

Ah, nards.

[Crinis… get out of me.]

There's silence for a moment.

[Crinis. I'll make it an order if I have to.]

[Fine,] she grumbles.

Darkness begins to seep out of my carapace and pool on the floor, a puddle of pure black that slowly takes shape into a little ball with innocent, wiggling tentacles. It is a decidedly unpleasant process to watch.

[Don't do that,] I tell her, shuddering. [The inside of my carapace is for me, alright? I need that space.]

[But you look so adorable from in there, Master,] she says pleadingly.

[Never, ever explain what you mean by that. Go to sleep. Sheesh!]

When Sarah arrives not long after, she finds the four of us bundled together against the wall, sound asleep.

-x-X-x-

When I 'wake up' from my torpor, Crinis, Tiny, Invidia and I spend a pleasant time chatting and catching up with each other. Everyone has struggled to some extent over the last little while. Defending the platforms has been a gruelling task, and none of us are so powerful we can comfortably shrug off the increasingly dangerous environment.

Tiny's had a hard time, since he has the shortest range of all of us, if we discount his ability to shoot lightning. Blasting things with large amounts of electricity has always been his least preferred method of doing things. After all, why not use the electricity on your fists, then punch and zap things at the same time?

The big ape mimes for us how he had to fight, ducking and weaving as he dodges imaginary blasts of slime and mucus, occasionally unfurling his wings for a dramatic leap into the sky before crashing down with mighty blows. It becomes clear just how hard it's been for him. Fighting at such short range, and with such pitiful defence, he was constantly forced to dodge and move to avoid being deluged with slime. Once monsters got close enough to the blue mana, he could finally unleash strikes from his hands and pummel them into oblivion, but the closer the monsters got, the more he had to dodge.

No wonder he's so irritated.

Invidia, of all of us, had the easiest time. He's been putting his combustion magic to good use, exploding swarms of enemies one after another from a safe distance. Even taking into account the capacity of the fifth to eat away at mana, his mind is so powerful he could still force his spells a good distance into the toxicity, far enough he was never in any real danger. However, even his massive brain has been pushed to the limit after fighting for such an extended period of time, and the monsters of the fifth have been unusually resistant to going boom.

Considering how squishy they are, I would have thought they would suffer a lot from his power, but with their layers of slime and resistance to fire, they've been able to avoid being burned as well as absorb the concussive force of his spells. So he had to work twice as hard to get things done.

Crinis… poor Crinis, has had it the worst of all of them. She literally has to reach out and touch her enemies to hurt them, which is a bad idea in the fifth. She's more than happy to demonstrate how her fights went, showing us how she would drag monsters into the blue zone before… doing what she does. However, every bit of her Darkness Flesh that was exposed to the fifth had to be cut away, lest the corruption spread throughout her entire body. Her body is closer to pure mana than the rest of us, and as it turns out, that makes her more susceptible to the fifth.

So she's had to cut loose a heck of a lot of her own flesh, which means getting fed a lot of Biomass to help her get it back. I give her a pat with an antenna, proud of what she's been able to accomplish. The poor thing. She's fighting hard even though conditions are so against her.

Naturally, she uses that as a chance to try and sneak inside my leg, and I have to shake it until she can't hold on any more. Honestly….

Sarah is a lot less forthcoming about her experience, but judging by the dewy-eyed looks she's getting from Odin, who still follows her around, she unleashed some rather spectacular violence out there.

We sit and chat until eventually someone comes to find me, that person being Solant, of all ants.

"Shouldn't you be busy right now?" I ask her.

"On the contrary," she replies coolly, "with the outer defenses complete and the fortress functioning correctly, there is a rare opportunity for me to step out of the command post."

"And you spend this precious time talking to me? I guess… I'm honoured?"

"No. I was passing by and picked up a message that was being delivered, so I thought I would do it myself, since it has the potential to be something interesting. There is a visitor for you."

"First, ouch. Second, a visitor? Who is coming down to the fifth stratum to visit? It's an absurd suggestion."

"Someone you may remember. I'm told you had dealings with this person during your tour of the fourth stratum. A mage from the Silver City."

My blood begins to heat up at the mere mention of that place, but I push my anger aside and think. A mage from the Silver City? There's a few that I met, but one in particular comes to mind.

Rathwyn Werilos. Seemed like a reasonable sort of person, even tried to talk me out of fighting the dragon-bird, as I recall.

"Alright then," I say, picking myself up. "I'll go and meet him. Where can I find him?"

As it turns out, the usual protocols for welcoming and housing guests aren't in place yet. Who would have thought, since we've been literally fighting for our lives, we haven't had the time. As a result, our guest has been housed close to the top of the fortress, just inside the entrance. With Solant helping, it isn't hard to get some rooms allocated, and I head over there to meet the mage when they make their way down.

Sure enough, Rathwyn wanders around the corner, his eyes lighting up when he sees me outside his room, but I'm surprised to see that he hasn't come alone. In fact, there are four other mages who've tagged along for the ride.

What the heck are they doing here?

-x-X-x-

The Tower, located in the Golden City in the fourth stratum, is a house of learning and knowledge second to none in all of Pangera. Here it is that the most respected and prodigious minds debate and study all aspects of life on Pangera. Classes, monsters, mana, the Dungeon, diplomacy, governance, gardening, pot making and the appropriate decorations for end tables. There is no question the scholars of the Tower will not pursue to the ends of the world.

With a reputation for truly ferocious 'discussions', the Tower is not a place for the faint-hearted. If one is not prepared to defend their position with logic, reams of evidence, masterful rhetoric and a robust, red-faced screaming session, then they will have a short career indeed.

- Excerpt from "Living in the Tower" by Rathwyn Werilos

Rathwyn is essentially what someone would think about when picturing a mage. He has a long, grey-ish beard, aggressive eyebrows and piercing eyes. The image is slightly thrown off by the shorts and short-sleeved shirt he's wearing, however.

Did this guy really come to the fifth for a holiday? Is there anything more insane than that?!

A mind bridge stretches out to me, and again, I can't help but notice the quality of its construction. The weave is tight as a drum, near flawless. It snaps into place so smoothly it's an almost totally different experience. This guy is damn good with his mind magic.

[Anthony, nice to see you well! Things were a little grim the last time we spoke.]

He's smiling, but his tone is sincere. I can't figure this guy out, just what the heck is going on here?

[Let's not mention that unfortunate incident,] I say, waving an antenna in greeting. [Tension is still high in the Colony as a result of what happened that day.]

And there will be a price to pay. Oh yes, I haven't forgotten, the Church of the Path is on my list, and the Silver City won't come out unscathed.

[That's sensible,] Rathwyn nods, stroking his beard with one hand while he holds his luggage with the other. [With peaceful relations prospering between the City and the Colony, there is no reason to dwell on the… unpleasantness.]

[Rathwyn, you and your… fellows… look like you're here on vacation. What in the name of heck are you doing in the fifth wearing shorts?]

His legs are as hairy as his face, for the record. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, but all of the mages are dressed the same way. I swear one of them has palm trees, or something very much like them, printed all over his brightly coloured shirt. How is that even a thing!

Rathwyn's eyes twinkle and he smiles broadly at my question.

[That's because we are on holiday. Technically speaking. What you see before you,] he makes a broad, sweeping gesture to include the smiling, bearded and shorts-wearing group behind him, [is the Interspecies Relations Department of the Tower. We have, each and every one of us, decided to take a vacation to come and visit the Colony and witness for ourselves what you are going to achieve here.]

They all seem very pleased with themselves, but to me, they all look insane.

[This is the fifth, and a wave is about to break! Don't you think this is a bit dangerous?!] I ask incredulously.

[Of course it is,] Rathwyn states reasonably, [but this an unprecedented academic opportunity! If the Colony succeeds even a little bit, there will be libraries filled with studies and texts written about your efforts. To excel in academia, sometimes it's necessary to take a little risk in order to be on the frontlines, so to speak.]

[And this has nothing to do with spying on the capabilities of the Colony?]

Rathwyn's broad smile doesn't even twitch.

[Don't be absurd, of course it does. Yet you'd rather have someone like me here as a spy for the Child Emperor than someone from the Church of the Path, don't you think?]

[As if we'd let them in,] I chomp my mandibles at the thought, even though I realise it isn't that simple. If the Child Emperor sent one to us as a representative, could we really turn them around and tell them to buzz off? Trade and friendly relations with places like the Silver City are supposed to protect us from those who would seek to harm us, like the Abyssal Legion. Would it be worth ruining that to keep out a single priest?

Maybe.

[So yes, I will be doing some poking and prying on behalf of my Emperor and the Tower, but for the most part, I'm here to study, learn, and hopefully, witness history,] Rathwyn says. [I have to say, judging by what I've seen so far, I think we've made a good bet. This fortress is remarkable. The staging ground above is like nothing I've ever seen before.]

[You haven't seen anything yet,] I tell him, sighing to myself.

Well, they're here now. May as well help them settle in. Things are going to get mighty hectic from this point onward.

-x-X-x-

[This… this is remarkable,] Rathwyn tells me, then turns to say something to the goggle-eyed gaggle of mages behind him. They all nod enthusiastically, each jabbering as quickly as the next.

[Why don't you just hook all of them into the mind bridge?] I ask him, a little exasperated. I've been watching him pass on my words for an hour now, and the lack of efficiency is starting to bug me. [You know I'm safe, as far as giant ants go.]

The group is standing inside one of the mighty gates that separates the inside of the fortress from the platforms and intakes outside. They were extremely keen to learn how the safe-zone was created and maintained, and there didn't seem to be a problem showing them. Just to be safe, I checked with Solant, and she didn't seem to care, so here we are.

They were fascinated, and somewhat charmed, by the wuffers, happily wuffing away on their platforms, chewing through prodigious amounts of toxic mana without breaking a sweat. Only half of the wuffer platforms in the fortress are active right now, so there's still a long way to go before this place is running at full capacity, but from what I've heard, the core shapers are really cranking them out, so it shouldn't be long.

[You're right,] Rathwyn chuckles. [I should connect them up; it would make my life easier, if nothing else. Give me a moment.]

He goes silent for a brief period, and I'm given another opportunity to witness his masterful control of mind magic.

[There, that should have all of us connected. Introduce yourselves, please.]

[I'm Anthony,] I say, giving a wave, [nice to meet you.]

[Englebert.]

[Horatio.]

[Lady Meritious.]

[Camsworth.]

[Kathy.]

These names are all so… wait a second… Kathy?! I stare hard at the woman in question without letting her know I'm staring. Easy to do with eyes like mine.

She seems… a lot more robust than the others, putting it mildly. I think I might have spotted the bodyguard they 'snuck' in. The rest of them are as bookish as Rathwyn himself. Certainly more believable that they're mage scholars.

[Well, welcome to the fortress. I hope we don't all die in the next few months. Anyone have any questions?]

[How is the fortress defended, militarily?] Kathy asks, folding her arms across her chest, inadvertently showing off the guns.

Sheesh, lady. Don't make it obvious! Still, there's no reason to hide it from them.

[Why don't we go take a look, then?] I say. [Just to check, we're all comfortable getting a bit closer to the action? Beyond this gate is an active warzone, after all.]

[There aren't any windows?] one of them, Camsworth, asks.

[Nope. If you want to see it, you've got to head out the gate.]

[I'm sure it'll be fine,] Rathwyn states encouragingly. [Let's go.]

I give a nod to the gate guards, and they activate the mechanism which opens the massive thing, letting it swing wide enough for me to squeeze through.

As promised, beyond the gate is a scene straight out of a nightmare. There's a bridge, blazing with light as massive amounts of mana are channeled through it, beyond which stands the platform itself. Tens of thousands of ants and militia hold the line, defending the intakes and holding back the nightmare creatures of the fifth.

The rage-filled screeches of the monsters are near deafening, even from here. Explosions, fire, acid and slime fly every which way. There's a steady stream of figures moving to and fro between the field hospital set in the centre of the platform. Burned individuals and those contaminated by toxic mana are rushed in to be cleansed before they get sent back out to do it all over again.

Each of the academics has a sickly look on their face as they witness the full horror of the fifth, and even Kathy looks impressed.

[Eight of these with over forty-thousand ants on each of them,] I tell the group. [This is where the mana intakes are located, so without them, the entire fortress would quickly be overrun by the native mana.]

[And you're going to defend these platforms throughout the entire duration of the wave?] Rathwyn asks shrewdly. [How do you intend to achieve that?]

[With difficulty,] I say grimly. [The fifth has been getting more and more toxic as the concentration of mana rises. There are a lot of plans afoot, but right now, we have to hold with what we have.]

Solant has all sorts of schemes in mind, but they aren't quite ready to implement. I'm about to turn around and usher the mages back inside the fortress when I first sense the oncoming power.

It's like a pulse, originating somewhere deep down, perhaps right in the centre of the planet, and it rolls outwards at tremendous speed. I feel it far below me, right at the edges of my mana sense, but before I can even say anything, it's already on top of me.

The mana around me compresses as that enormous force washes through and races onwards, up and up, all the way to the surface of Pangera. The change is immediate.

The colour of the toxic mana deepens, grows more dense and vibrant, and begins to press in on the safe-zone. The monsters throwing themselves against the Colony's defenses are thrown into an even greater state of frenzy, their cores overflowing with power.

The wave has finally arrived. The fortress was finished literally a day before it struck.

[If you'll excuse me, I'll have to leave you here,] I tell the mages. [I suggest you get back inside. Quickly.]

Even Rathwyn looks a little pale-faced.

[Yes… yes, of course,] he says.

He goes to say something else, but I'm already turning away, snapping off the contact. Good thing I brought them to my platform. Before I even reach the front lines, I have two gravity bombs in the works, crunching the mana down and summoning the power of the altar.

This is going to be awful.

-x-X-x-

Deep in the Dungeon, where the mana boiled and billowed, so thick the pressure of it could crush a man to death, a creature stirred from its deep sleep.

Tremors echoed out from the entity as its consciousness began to return. Flashes of sensation penetrated the dreams that still held its mind, great heat and slight discomfort after centuries without moving. In small increments, wakefulness returned, sleep relinquishing its grip.

It was a difficult thing, to awaken from such depths, and the creature idly wondered, as it lazed in a state of half-awake, half-asleep, just how long the process had already taken.

Months perhaps. Years, maybe. It didn't matter. This process had repeated itself many times over already, and would repeat many times more, unless the twentieth was found and the prison was finally broken.

Mana surged out from the core, an unfathomable torrent of power, and the creature sucked it in greedily. As the energy poured through its limbs, the creature rose steadily to consciousness, finally bursting through and opening its eyes.

Theorazzn was awake.

The Decaying World stirred alongside its master. A thick soup of toxin, poison, acid and decay, even mana itself was not immune from its corruption, the energy breaking apart, rotting, then reforming into something new. In this place, all things were remade in Theorazzn's image.

One by one, the Ancient stirred each of its limbs. Thick and powerful, each of the five arms flexed, drinking in the foulness that drenched them and using it to strengthen themselves. From beneath its massive body, ten legs unfolded and tested the ground, pushing Theorazzn up as its eyes extended atop long stalks.

At once, a dominating aura swept through the Decaying World, sending the denizens of that place fleeing into their dens, using their cunning and skills to conceal themselves. These were the most toxic and poisonous monsters in the entire Dungeon, yet they knew what to do when the Ancient was awake: hide. For those who were caught by Theorazzn, only the most dreadful of fates awaited.

Slowly at first, but with increasing speed, the Ancient extended its senses throughout its domain, trying to grasp what had changed over the passage of time. Hunger was there, deep within, a yawning void that would need to be filled, but that could wait, for the moment. First, the Ancient would listen, and learn.

It didn't take long until Theorazzn felt another consciousness reach out to its own, a tenuous connection that limited contact between the two vast minds.

[You have awoken, Theorazzn?]

Deep and bestial, the voice rattled like the dying sigh of an aged wolf.

[Odren. How unusual for you to take a break from hunting.]

Theorazzn skittered from side to side, feeling strength and power return with every passing second. The Father of Monsters growled, a flash of savage teeth snapping across their connection.

[The hunt has gone well. This Cycle shows great promise.]

For the first time in centuries, Theorazzn felt a trickle of interest. For Odren to say this much, the old monster must have caught something with real potential. Perhaps there was a chance for them after all? A way out of this cage.

[Who else is awake?] Theorazzn asked.

[Many. Tarriflyx awoke recently. Arconidem and Carriflare before that. Lerrewyn is awake, along with Braxxin and Kygar.]

A pause.

[Morribolg is stirring also,] Odren mused.

Theorazzn hissed, an explosion of toxin dissolving everything around the Ancient for a moment, creating a void occupied only by itself. So, the old heap of filth was soon to wake?

[Good,] Theorazzn stated, concealing any anger, [I have not spoken with Moribolg in some time.]

[I wonder why…] Odren wondered, but Theorazzn could practically feel the fellow Ancient's savage grin.

[Many are stirring now,] Odren continued, [it won't be long until we are all awake. Then we must choose.]

The toxic Ancient shoved its irritation down and focused. It was a deadly mistake to lose concentration when speaking to its peers, and Theorazzn, cunning and wily, didn't make such mistakes.

[You seem unusually enthused. Are the prospects really so promising?]

[There are two in the fifth as we speak,] Odren said. [Why not look and see for yourself?]

The fifth? It had been long since Theorazzn had made its presence felt in that place. Unlike Arconidem, who obsessed over his subjects, Theorazzn did not care to dwell on what it achieved in the past.

Yet… if it wanted to… it could.

The two Ancients allowed the contact to fray until it finally broke. Others reached out to their newly awakened member, but Theorazzn rejected their advances. It wanted to think, and to feed.

The mighty beast rose up on its legs and scuttled left and right, letting the ichor and mana flow through its body, working out the kinks from centuries of sleep. As it did so, Theorazzn extended its mind out into the surrounding tunnels. Poison, toxin and venom dripped from the air itself; every surface was in a constant state of being eaten away and regenerating. Nothing could survive here in the decaying world without being able to weather the most abominable conditions, but now that the master of this place had awoken, the danger would stir to even greater heights.

With every step, Theorazzn sucked in the poison, drank it in as if it were crystal clear water. The mana tried to ravage its insides, to burn, to break down, to savage and destroy, but it couldn't; instead, the Ancient took from it, drew nourishment and sustenance from the toxin, then returned it, breathing it out twice as potent as it had been before.

The walls around it began to sizzle and dissolve into slurry while Theorazzn grinned, the circular mouth hidden in the center of its limbs baring its green fangs to the world.

It was time to feast.

-x-X-x-

The wave had arrived; Goszi could feel it. Even here, in his little bubble of natural fifth stratum mana, he could sense the raging torrent of power at the edge of his senses.

He grinned savagely to himself, then chomped down on a scone. Apparently, the Colony hadn't covered it in the candied blood of their enemies, but instead some sort of jam. He'd been told it was made from strawberries, whatever that was. In any case, it was delicious, and he annihilated the treat between his needle-sharp fangs before spearing the crumbs with his radula.

For once in his long life, it was difficult for the old slug to determine how he wanted the future to play out. He'd betrayed his own people, certainly, and if he were caught by them, he would be put to death. This was something he'd rather avoid, of course.

However, he didn't like the ants, and he actively hated whoever the puppeteer pulling their strings turned out to be, probably the Legion, despite the farce he'd seen. If the entire invasion was destroyed down to the last insect, he would rejoice in his heart, then hope he could break out of his prison and loot their tea supplies.

He pondered this question further as he took his time selecting which scone he would devour next, only to be interrupted by a disturbance by the window panel.

The light shifted, the panel became clear and Solant was revealed on the other side, at ease, already enjoying her tea.

[Greetings, Goszi. I see you are well.]

[What do you want?] the Krath demanded, unconsciously moving to protect his precious scones. [You blackmailed me for all I can tell you!]

Solant clacked her mandibles, expressing her doubts about the accuracy of that statement before taking another sip of tea.

[I thought it would be prudent to speak with you again now that the wave has arrived. I have more free time now, after all.]

[More free time?] the slug scoffed. [Have you already surrendered your life to the fifth? That didn't take long.]

[It's simply that, with the fortress now complete and our defences established, there is nothing more I can do. We will either hold out, or we won't.]

[You won't,] Goszi chuckled evilly. [If you thought the fifth was difficult to manage before, you're in for a whole world of pain. Nothing in the Dungeon can prepare you for what's coming.]

[And what is it that's coming, specifically, Goszi?] Solant asked coolly. [Would you care to elaborate?]

[I don't feel the need,] he replied, smug. [After all, you've built your fortress; all you need to do is see if you can hold out. What does it matter what I have to say?]

[Interesting,] Solant mused. [You say your native stratum is so dangerous, so deadly, yet we are here. We have constructed an enormous fortress, defeated the Krath tribes, purified the mana. Where am I, Goszi? I'm sitting here, drinking tea and eating snacks. Am I in the fourth? The third? Or am I here, in the supposedly 'deadliest' stratum of the Dungeon.]

The Krath sneered.

[You think you can bait information out of me so cheaply? Why would I expose any information I possess when I can watch you come crawling back to me, begging for answers while the walls of your fortress melt before your very eyes? Perhaps then, your masters will finally make themselves known and we can cease this farce.]

[Is it really so surprising? That a species of sapient ant would be so successful in taming your home stratum?] Solant asked, genuinely curious. Goszi's insistence that someone had to be behind the invasion and the Colony couldn't be responsible had never bothered her, but it did confuse her.

Goszi didn't bother to reply, merely selecting another scone and tossing it into his maw. He chewed while he eyed the ant general surreptitiously. He didn't trust Solant. Her steely, unflinching attitude and the almost unemotional timbre of her thoughts told him all he needed to know of how cutthroat her decision-making really was.

Already, the wily ant had managed to get him to say far more than he'd ever intended; he wouldn't allow her to get any more. He might have betrayed his tribe, but he wasn't about to betray the fifth stratum entirely.

Solant watched the Krath in turn. After their many conversations, she felt she was starting to get some level of understanding. Goszi wasn't a coward, and he was far from stupid. The slug was, above all else, self interested, beyond even what other Krath were capable of. Food had been one lever to pry knowledge out of him, but it seemed she would need to find others if she wanted to know more.

[Very well, Goszi. How about we make a wager?] she said. [How long do you think the fortress will be able to survive the wave? A week? Two weeks?]

[So, if you beat the mark I set, you will win the wager? How am I supposed to collect in the event that you lose? Presumably, that would mean the entire fortress had been destroyed.]

[We can compromise,] Solant stated reasonably. [In fact, this could be the only way for you to secure a way out of the fortress in the event we start to lose. Let's say that the moment the outer wall is breached, you win the bet. It will take at the very least a few hours for the entire complex to fall after that. Enough time for you to collect.]

Goszi pondered the offer. It was a trap, of course it was. However, in order to win, all he needed was for the wall to be breached. From what he knew, that was a near certainty. All he had to do was make sure the terms of the deal were sufficiently favourable.

[The moment the outer wall falls, I get safe passage out,] he demanded, [a clear, unobstructed path to safety.]

[That's fine,] Solant agreed. [And if I win, you will answer my questions to the best of your ability.]

The Krath's eyes narrowed as Solant sipped her tea.

[You know what will happen if you answer unsatisfactorily,] Solant told him clearly, tipping an antenna toward her own plate of treats. [It would be in your interest to honour our deal.]

Goszi glanced down at his own plate of scones, now half depleted.

[I hear they are wonderful with jam and cream,] Solant said.

Goszi snarled.

-x-X-x-

"It's remarkable what they've achieved here," Rathwyn said to his colleagues. "Not just the scale of the construction, but the speed! To think this has all been done in such a small amount of time is incredible!"

He and his fellow researchers were sitting in their joint lounge. The Colony had put them into a set of adjoining suites, giving each their own sleeping quarters but with shared living space. Considering where they were, the quality of the lodgings was well in excess of what they had expected.

"The productivity of their society is astonishing," his colleague Meritious stated. "I'd be fascinated to know just how their economy functions. Though, I'm not sure if it could be described that way, since they don't have currency."

"Please," Horatio groaned, "let us not be drawn in by economics," he nearly spat the word out, as if it left a foul taste in his mouth. "We are here to advance real academia. The wave has begun, and we are perhaps the first academics to study the fifth stratum under these conditions. It's unprecedented."

"Don't forget why you are really here," a voice stated coldly from by the wall. The officer of the Golden City, Nemis, stared at the mages with a hard gaze. "You are here to assess the capabilities of the Colony and determine the likely success of this venture. The Child Emperor has allowed you to come here, so make sure you achieve the goals that were set for you."

The academics fell silent, except for Rathwyn, who made a soothing gesture.

"Of course we are aware of our mission, how could we not be? The Child Emperor's wishes are our priority, naturally! However, it was also agreed with the Tower that we would be able to conduct our own research. Please forgive our enthusiasm, but don't think for a moment we have forgotten our purpose."

Nemis grunted disbelievingly then returned to watching over the group. It was uncomfortable, having an agent of the crown in the room as they discussed, and it took some time for the conversation to resume its flow.

Shortly after, there came a knock at the door. Rathwyn rose to answer and found a strange pair of ants waiting outside the door.

One radiated cold, the other immense heat. Various features about them told of just how dedicated they were to their respective elements, such as the ice-rimmed antennae on the one, or the literal volcano-shaped carapace rising on the back of the other.

[Greetings,] the ice-mage said. [My name is Coolant, and this is my sibling, Propellant. We have come to ask if you and your fellow academics might be of some assistance. We have found something in the fifth that you may wish to take a look at.]

[Oh?] Rathwyn asked. [What might that be?]

[It's difficult to explain,] Propellant said. [You should come and take a look for yourself.]

It wasn't hard to convince the academics. The prospect of new knowledge was something they found almost irresistible, after all. Despite Nemin's glares and muttered complaints, the group happily bundled off through the tunnels, discussing amongst themselves and conversing with the two elemental ant mages.

After an hour, they eventually made their way to a small chamber deep in the heart of the nest. At one end, a relatively small basin had been shaped out of the wall, and it contained some form of glowing liquid.

[What we want you to see is inside the basin,] Coolant urged them.

Rathwyn nodded and led the way forward. The basin was around waist height for him, and he bent down to peer into the liquid, seeing naught but some fist-sized spheres resting within. Each of them was a light blue colour, though that could just be the water, and if he wasn't mistaken, there was some movement inside them?

[What are we looking at?] he asked.

[Krath eggs,] Propellant replied.

"Holy Jiminies of the Child Emperor!" Rathwyn cried, jumping back.

"W-what is it?" Meritious asked, hesitating to approach the basin herself.

"They said they captured Krath eggs!"

"That's impossible!"

[To clarify,] Coolant broke into Rathwyn's thoughts, [these used to be Krath eggs. We found them during the expansion, but they were… changed somewhat, when we brought them within the cleansed mana. Honestly, we didn't expect them to survive, but they have. These aren't all we found, but they are the closest batch to… ah, it's starting.]

[What is starting?] Rathwyn asked, mind spinning at the implications of what he'd heard.

Krath eggs? Actual Krath eggs? Cleansed somehow?! So what was growing inside them, then? Then his thoughts clicked.

"They're about to hatch!" he cried, and his companions leapt back in horror, worried a Krath was about to leap out of the basin and devour them.

[It's quite safe,] Coolant assured them. [Look closely. I hope you might be able to explain what you see.]

His companions hesitated, so Rathwyn swallowed, steeled his nerve, and walked closer to the basin, once again bending down to look more closely. There was movement, more and more, the eggs were vibrating slightly, rocking and back and forth as something inside tried to get out. His mind was filled with terrifying visions of vicious slugs leaping out of the pool and latching onto his face, but he firmed his resolve. If his hosts said it was safe, then it must be.

With a sudden pop pop pop, several of the eggs fell open at once, releasing shards and clouding the water, making it difficult to see.

Rathwyn rose, still looking down as he waited, filled with trepidation, for something to emerge. Soon, something did.

It was a snail, complete with a tiny, glittering shell. Its colour was soft, an almost pinkish blue, and its tiny eyes shone like jewels on the tips of its stalks, while two long moustaches drooped down from either side of its face. The newborn snail peered up at them curiously, but remained silent.

The academics, as one, fell flat on their backsides.

"Th.. th… th…" Rathwyn wheezed.

[These are the same as the others,] Coolant observed. [We've built a creche of sorts for them, but we don't know what they are.]

"That's a chal!" the mage uttered, filled with stunned disbelief.

-x-X-x-

The chal are a lost people, and knowledge of their society, their manner of speech, even their appearance, is long-abandoned knowledge. There is little use in clinging to the past on Pangera. Despite what the affluent people living in bejewelled cities within the fourth stratum may think, they are locked into an endless struggle to survive along with everyone else. There is never peace between the Dungeon and the sapient races, and the fall of the chal is just one example of the dreadful cost of failure.

Tucked away in various places, it's possible to find experts on the chal, those who have dedicated their lives to preserving what little remains of their once-mighty empire. If you were to ask them, they would describe the chal as wise, patient, peaceful and shockingly powerful. They were the first to raise a mighty empire in the fourth stratum, and then risked it all in a virtuous mission to rid the world of the blight that infested the fifth.

Obviously, they failed.

- Excerpt from 'Lost Peoples of the Dungeon' by Lalo

[A chal?] Coolant wondered. [I must confess, I don't know all that much about them. Is this some sort of monster?]

Rathwyn found himself barely able to speak. What he saw in front of his eyes simply couldn't be. It was impossible! And yet… the snail was there, placid, calm, looking at them with a level of patience that seemed almost surreal for a creature who had only just been born.

[Well… I can see you need a moment to collect yourselves,] Coolant observed, noting that one of the academics appeared to have passed out. [We'll gather these little ones and take them to the sanctuary we prepared. You can come along if you like.]

Another ant entered the chamber with a large, round dish gripped in its mandibles. Coolant and Propellant approached the basin from which more and more snails were emerging and for some reason, bowed. The snails turned their eyes toward the pair, then, without exception, bowed back.

[I don't know why, but they seem to like this gesture,] Coolant explained before using her antennae to prompt the baby snails onto the dish.

Rathwyn watched the whole thing occur in a blank state, still unable to process. The implications were impossibly out of reach, no matter how many times he reached for them. He turned, recalling that Professor Englebert was well read on the subject of the chal, only to find him foaming at the mouth and vibrating as he stared blindly into space.

With some difficulty, the mages of the Tower supported each other to walk behind the dish as they moved through several chambers similar to the one they just exited. All the while, the little snails remained calm, looking at everything happening around them with a sense of reserved curiosity.

[If you know something about these little guys, it'll be helpful for us,] Propellant said. [We don't know enough to be able to teach them anything of their own history or culture. I hope you'll be willing to share.]

[O-of course,] Rathwyn managed, collecting a little of his usual aplomb. [I apologise for… my lack of clarity. We're all just… rather surprised.]

Putting it mildly!

Finally they came into the room that the ants must have created to house the newly born snails. Considering it could only have been built over the last few days, they'd been remarkably thorough. It was larger than Rathwyn had expected, twenty metres square, and filled with all sorts of things that the Colony seemed to have assumed young molluscs would want. Pools of shallow water, leafy green and vibrant plants, along with surfaces of various textures that rose and fell, allowing the young chal to slide and climb all over the place if they so decided.

The dish was placed down and the latest group of chal were introduced to the room, sliding off onto the floor. Curiously, whenever they met another snail who they hadn't seen before, they bowed their little heads, a respectful gesture that seemed to be instinctual for them.

A dozen ants of a variety that Rathwyn had never seen before moved through the room, carefully placing their legs as they interacted with the newborn children, cleaning them, urging them toward the food or picking pieces of detritus off the ground.

[Brood Tenders,] Coolant answered his unspoken question. [Normally, you won't ever see them outside one of the antcademies or a brood chamber, but we felt their expertise would be needed to properly care for the little ones. Some were brought here on short notice. Thankfully, the snails seem amenable to being cared for by ants.]

[And what do you intend to do with these chal?] Nemis, or Kathy, to use her cover name, asked pointedly. [What reason do you have to care for them?]

Coolant and Propellant looked confused by the question, turning a little toward each other and waggling their antennae in a confused manner.

[Well, we have no plans at all. How could we? We had no idea what would come out of the eggs until a few days ago. It was by chance that we came across them in the first place. Since they have been born here in the fortress and in our care, we intend to look after and raise them as best we can. Why would we do any less?]

[I think my associate is only concerned that the young chal are being cared for. Since you clearly have every intention of looking after them, that's well,] Rathwyn broke in, staring hard at 'Kathy'.

Did she really think the Colony was planning on raising some mighty army of chal? There were a few dozen of the snails in this chamber, and they were barely hatched! To rebuild the chal empire to any sort of strength would be the work of hundreds of years!

[Let us leave the young to their rest,] Rathwyn suggested, [and we can go somewhere else and tell you all that we know of the chal.]

[That'd be great,] Propellant said.

-x-X-x-

"Englebert, you're our best expert on the chal, can you pull yourself together, man?"

"I'm… I just… I… I think… I am… I… no?"

Rathwyn shot a quick smile toward Coolant and Propellant, then briefly wondered if the ants were even able to read human facial expressions. They didn't have muscles on the outside of their heads… but then, they did spend a lot of time around people who did… so… maybe?

[I'm sorry, I'm afraid the shock hasn't quite worn off yet. I'm not sure you realise what a momentous event the… resurfacing of the chal will prove to be.]

He couldn't help but eye 'Kathy' as he said this. In their time, the chal were among the most dominant powers on all of Pangera. Perhaps not as mighty as the Abyssal Legion in the early, post Cataclysm times, but their empire flourished like no other as the race to settle the Dungeon began. She was already suspicious the ants would use the snails to become a strategic threat, as if the Silver City had anything to fear!

[You're all being strange,] Propellant said directly. [As far as we're concerned, these are just baby snails that need looking after. The most interesting aspect to all this that I can see, is that it's possible to 'purify' the Krath.]

[Indeed,] Coolant agreed, [my more hot-headed sibling has put forward our position accurately. The Krath, as it turns out, may be a product of their own corruption process. We know for a fact that directly exposing them to cleansed mana will kill them, but there may be a way to revert them back to what they were before.]

[I doubt they would even want that,] Rathwyn said after some consideration. [The Krath revel in what they are, there's a sick, twisted pride amongst the tribes in their way of life and what they do to others.]

The two ants considered each other, waving their antennae back and forth, before they seemed to shrug.

[It's only a thought. Now, tell us what you know of these snails. We'll pass that information onto the Brood Tenders, and they can devise a proper curriculum for the hatchlings.]

They were seated around a table, the academics recovering and muttering amongst themselves while sipping hot tea and nibbling biscuits, leaving Rathwyn to occupy the two ant mages. The insects were no longer willing to be denied, however, so he hoped they would have something valuable to share.

"Englebert, you better have something." Rathwyn warned. "They want to start designing curricula already."

"They were just born!" Englebert exclaimed. "How are they supposed to start learning already?"

It wasn't a bad point.

[Why wouldn't they?] Coolant replied after he'd queried them. She sounded genuinely confused. [My siblings start the learning process the moment they are born. Even before then, technically. I understand we are monsters, so there is a difference, but we will not fail in our duty to these hatchlings. We will do everything we can, starting now.]

There wasn't much to say to that.

Englebert and the others discussed amongst themselves for a few minutes, debating and collating what information they had, before the bald magio-scholar acted as their spokesperson.

[The chal were known for a few things that can still be found in the historical record,] he said. [Chief among these is their mental prowess. As you've seen from the young, the chal don't have any arms, and we don't believe they will grow any either. I wish we had a proper expert here to explain this better, but there are writings that describe the chal as able to move the world with merely their 'thoughts and songs'.]

[Thoughts and songs? So they were powerful mages and… singers?]

[Not quite,] Englebert said, starting to sweat. [Anyone can move things using force magic, but what the chal did seems to have been considered something different entirely. Without even calling upon mana, they could use their minds to manipulate the world.]

[That's weird,] Propellant snipped her mandibles thoughtfully. [No mana? How does that even work?]

[What about the singing?] Coolant said, turning to the others. [It's been days since the first of the snails was born, but we haven't heard a peep out of them at all. We thought they might be mute.]

[Again, I wish I had more I could tell you,] Englebert said, [but the records clearly state there was immense power to be found in the songs of the chal. I don't know how, or what form it took, but they were able to create miracles through their songs; many of the mighty works of the chal were said to have been created via song.]

[Hmm. This may pose an issue…] Coolant muttered. [We don't even have vocal cords. How are we supposed to teach someone how to sing?]

[Not to mention this mind… power that we don't know anything about,] Propellant agreed. [This might be more difficult than we thought.]

[Other than this,] Englebert continued, [we know the chal were very communally oriented. The ruins of their cities contained many gathering places and open spaces for them to gather. I think keeping them together is a good first step. With time and access to our resources in the Tower, we should have a great deal more we can say. Sadly, none of us are experts in this field.]

[That's fine, thank you,] Coolant said. [You've given us much to think on already.]

Rathwyn made their goodbyes and shepherded the academics back to their quarters, which immediately erupted into furious discussion with Nemis breathing down their necks demanding to know the military import of baby chal.

All he could do was try to manage expectations as he wondered just what on Pangera these ants were going to show him next.

-x-X-x-

I knew it was going to get bad, but sheesh, things are getting ridiculous out here.

The platform has been under constant assault since the wave broke, which is fine, that much was expected. What I didn't expect was just how disgusting the fifth was going to get. The tunnel leading toward the platform I'm defending has turned into a kilometre-wide river of sludge and mucus. The walls are literally dripping with snot and slime that seeps together into a slow-moving torrent of goop. Since the platform and the rest of the fortress is disconnected from the tunnel by an empty gap, all of it just flows down and falls into the absurdly deep gap that runs the entire height of the fortress.

There must be an absolute ocean of the stuff forming down there. I hope the Colony constructed some sort of emergency overflow valve down there or something. I'm worried that if things keep going, it'll pile up until this platform is 'underwater'!

Now, I'm not affected by the mucus directly. It isn't flying up and slapping me in the face, at least not yet. Does it contribute to the absurdly toxic atmosphere in here? Sure, but I don't have to fight it!

However, this disgusting, noxious river of sludge seems to drive the monsters spawning around here into an absolute frenzy. It's teeming with creepy slugs, crabs, weird sucker-fish things and plenty other things besides, all of them leaping out of the goop at the platform spewing out filth and trying to bite me.

It's just… so icky.

Naturally, I don't get much chance to rest, but thankfully, I don't need one. I never venture out into the toxic mana anymore, remaining on the platform with the rest of the Colony and militia, using my abilities as best I can to help stem the tide.

Chomp!

"Attack on the left. Watch out!"

Chomp!

"Swarm incoming! Be careful of the parasites!"

Gravity Bomb!

HOOOOWWWWWWWWWLLLLL!!!

I hate the parasites.

"Eldest!"

Cho–whoa! That's not for chomping!

"Bertran? What the heck are you sneaking up on me for!? There's a battle going on!"

I concentrate, gather up the mana and fire off another gravity bomb. There isn't much energy in it, but I empower it to provide the kick it needs to be effective. Considering just how dense the sludge and slime is out there, even gravity bombs aren't super effective. They consume literal tons of slime over a few seconds and peter out. To create one large enough to do serious damage, I'd be risking the integrity of the platform itself.

At least I can still lob them at dense packs of monsters before they get too close. With a few seconds of breathing room, I turn my attention back to the templar.

"Is everything alright? Is there a problem? Have we run out of salt?"

Bertran's salt bombs have been way more effective than I thought they would be. The man has a remarkable talent for making the most out of not much. He even designed the salt lobbers we've started using. The carvers were miffed about the 'inelegance' of the design, but couldn't argue with its effectiveness.

"No, nothing of the sort," the older man replied, ducking his head in an awkward sort of half-bow half-nod thing that I've asked him not to do several times already. "The general wanted to speak to you and… uh… the other templar were hoping you'd have a… break."

It isn't hard for me to sense the other templar, and when I focus in that direction, I see the other five sitting down, looking intently in this direction. The kids too… cowards! They sent Bertran to try and get me to rest because they didn't have the guts. Bah!

Wait a second.

"Is the general also going to ask me to take a break?" I demand.

"Maybe?" Bertran hedges, but I can tell he's just trying to avoid saying yes.

He, along with the other new Templar have learned how to use pheromonal language as part of their 'Class', which seems busted to me. I have to evolve and grow new organs to do stuff like that? You just get it when you level up? I get basically nothing when I level up!

Then again, they can't evolve, which kind of sucks.

The constant fighting has spurred on their growth, and most of them are close to advancing their base 'Templar' Class into something fancier. What that will turn out to be, none of us have any idea.

"Look, I've explained this a dozen times already, I don't need to rest! I'm specifically built not to need it, and I'm needed here!"

Just because I've been fighting for five days straight… that's nothing! This is going to go on for weeks!

"I know that, Anthony, I know it!" Bertran says holding up his hands in a soothing gesture, "But the kids are getting quite insistent on it. I think they're worried about you."

Wait… the kids?

I look over at them again, and quickly double take. They don't look so much 'worried' as they do… 'super annoyed'. Why are they glaring at me like that?

As I watch, a shadow seems to rise up behind them. The light blends with the darkness, revealing just enough of the ant concealed within that they can sign a message to me.

Don't. Make. Us. Do it.

My rage is instantly ignited.

Come. Get. Some.

I gesture back furiously.

You think you can put me to sleep! Tuck me in and read me a night-night story! I'm the one who insisted on the sleep schedule in the first place! Then it was Crinis who went and got a few enthusiastic ants and proceeded to take things way too far!

Wait… why are the kids marching towards me? Wait… did they not realise I was gesturing to the nameless one behind them? Do they think that message was for them!?

They look so determined as well! Emelia is practically cracking her knuckles! Am I really going to have to fight them?

"Fine!" I yell, exasperated. "Fine. You win. I'll take a nap. Sheesh. You people are impossible."

I turn around and fire off one last Gravity Bomb, then watch with satisfaction as it consumes the filth before winking out of existence.

Emelia, Trean and Allison are still looking at me distrustfully, and I can't help but rough up their hair with the tip of an antenna.

"I'm going, alright? I'm going!" I tell them. "I'll meet with the general first, then I'll go to sleep. You win."

They appear satisfied, but still insist on walking with me to go see the general. I'm halfway to the resting chamber inside the fortress before I realise that the nameless one may have cunningly set me up.

Dammit!

-x-X-x-

The inside of the fortress has become an interesting place since the wave started. After I take my requisite eight hours of rest, satisfying my own standards and getting the three human children off my case, I decide to poke about the inside for a few minutes, just to see what's going on. To be specific, I want to see what was going on particularly in the upper and outer layers.

The tunnels are packed full of ants and militia, running to reinforce one of the platforms, or on their way back from one. It's weird the way we defend this fortress. There's no manning the walls or any such thing down here, all we have to do is defend the platforms. Mana is flooding in through the channels now as more and more wuffer stations come online, stuffing the fortress full of cleansed mana and keeping us safe from the toxic nightmare outside.

However, it's exactly that cleansed environment that I'm curious about. Although the mana veins that normally distribute energy have been peeled and folded away inside the walls of the fortress, that doesn't mean spawn points can't form. In fact, the cleansed mana is so dense now, and continuing to thicken, that I'm convinced it has started to create a whole new type of monster.

When I appear in the upper levels, the last place I saw the little critters running around, I happen to bump into exactly the ant I was hoping to see: Bella.

I mean, Ellie would have also been fine.

"Bella! How is one of my two favourite core shapers going today?" I greet her cheerfully.

The normally chipper ant waggles her antenna disapprovingly.

"You shouldn't play favourites, Eldest. The Queens never do, and neither should you."

"I'm not a Queen!" I defend myself. "You're my siblings, not my children!"

"Even so," she replies, a little snippily, "you're the Eldest."

"Alright, fine. I suppose you have a point."

I reach out and prod her with an antenna.

"So, what's got you so frazzled?"

Bella sighs heavily.

"It's the monsters that are spawning up here. Ellie and I have been trying to study them, now that we have some spare time from wuffer management, but it's proving to be a bit of a pain."

"How so? Can't you just fight some, grab a core and get all the information you want?"

"Normally, yes," she says, frustrated, "but for some reason, it isn't quite working out like it normally would. We're getting more and more monsters spawning at various points around the fortress, but mostly up here, for some reason, so you'd think there would be enough for them to fight each other, get levels and get cores, but they aren't."

"Aren't getting cores?"

"Aren't fighting each other! Not that much, at least."

I'm confused.

"Uh, are you saying the Dungeon has actually produced monsters that don't really fight? That seems… unnatural."

All monsters fight, even the sapient ones. I've never seen the Dungeon produce something that had an instinctive belief in peace. What the heck is going on here?

"It's not that they don't fight at all, not exactly. It's probably easier to show you."

She directs me to follow her, and we trot off through a broad tunnel.

"I don't have long, mind you, Bella, I have to be back on the platform soon."

"It's not far. I've been trying to set up a rudimentary farm for the creatures, allowing the cleansed mana to pool within. Seeing it for yourself will be better than me explaining it."

Fair enough. As she said, we don't have far to go before we arrive at a side tunnel that Bella asked the carvers to excavate. Within is a relatively small farm, as these things go, dug out into a pit so that we can observe from above. I barely fit through the entrance, but that's okay; I can just get my head far enough inside to see the goings-on within.

"As you can see, Eldest, the monsters are strangely… cooperative."

She isn't wrong. Within the pit, I can see little packs of reddish globs, almost like slimes, just sort of… wibbling about together. Pale crab-looking things stalk among them, seemingly content to leave the others be. It's almost unnerving to watch them being so cooperative. What the heck is going on down there?

"Wait, I think we have an enemy spawn over there," Bella pointed out.

"An enemy?" I say.

"The other monsters down there don't fight among themselves much, but they will jump on certain types. Watch."

The mana is coalescing in specific little pits, and out of one crawls an ugly, imp-looking thing, covered in fat, finger-like tendrils that wave in the air. The moment it emerges, it tries to sneak toward the other monsters, but the crabs are having none of it. With a savagery that belies their previous chilled-outedness, they go absolutely feral, throwing themselves at the newcomer with a wild and selfless abandon that would bring a tear to Leeroy's eye.

In short order, the new arrival is no more, and the crabs waste no time consuming the Biomass before getting back to their own group and resuming the relaxed atmosphere from before. I watch the whole thing, quite stumped.

"Maybe the monsters here are especially tribal?" I say. "Some types work together against others?"

The real question is, are these the monsters that spawned in the fifth before it was corrupted, or are they something entirely new? The academics might know something, but I kind of doubt it. Records of the fifth before it was gooped would probably only be found… in the Legion.

"I'll keep studying them, Eldest, but as you can see, it'll take a long time before we get enough cores to start learning something. They just aren't amassing experience all that fast."

"Keep at it, and let me know when you have something to share. I'm curious."

"I will."

-x-X-x-

Leeroy had never felt stronger. Power coursed through her immense frame. Her musculature thrummed with energy, her mandibles gleamed with indescribable sharpness. Her carapace… had not been improved at all. Why would she bother spending her precious evolutionary energy on it, anyway? The Colony insisted on decking her out with increasingly more powerful armour, after all!

Indeed, once Smithant had discovered her newly evolved form, Leeroy had been forced to sit and wait while she was measured, weighed, and a new suit of armour was painstakingly constructed, enchanted and fitted. All the while, the smith had muttered and mumbled in Leeroy's ear, warning her not to do something stupid.

Of course she wasn't going to do something stupid! She was going to do the smartest and best thing it was possible for an ant to do! Sacrifice herself for the glory of the Colony! And now, in her powerful, tier seven form, fully armoured and with her sisters by her side, she felt she could achieve an end truly worthy of the Colony's investment in her.

"FORWARD, SISTERS!" she bellowed.

"WE SEEK!"

"DESTROY THE FILTH THAT ATTEMPTS TO DEFILE OUR PLATFORM! RAISE THE RELIQUARY HIGH! ADVANCE!"

There was no glorious charge, no headlong assault into the breach, for that would be assured destruction, which was apparently not allowed. Instead, the Immortals marched out in their armoured glory onto the platform and pushed themselves to the front lines.

The Colony was fighting a fully defensive war, which made heavy-assault troops of limited use, but while the Eldest was asleep, the Immortals would place themselves between their siblings and the danger that loomed all around. Indeed, they would put their bodies on the line to the point they were no longer able, finally freed from their burdens!

Leeroy could feel her spirit fortified by the blessed presence of the reliquary, and she gladly pushed herself in front, right in the heart of the monster assault.

What confronted her was a wall of mucus, sludge and vomit. It looked like heaven.

"Get behind me!" she declared before throwing herself in front of a wave of slime being spewed forth by a worm-slug five metres wide. Despite being as resistant to acid and toxin as the Colony could make it, her armour still steamed under the onslaught, and some leaked through to burn into her carapace.

Leeroy embraced the pain, welcomed it. The first tick of HP she lost sent a thrill running down her antennae. She was going to do it. Today was the day!

Snapping her mandibles viciously, she gripped the worm and heaved, pulling it back into the cleansed mana before using her body to pin it down. The wretched creature writhed like an eel, but she held it firm, even while it disgorged acidic slime that sizzled and burned. When the monster had finally burned away, she turned to seek the next challenge, a fire burning in her heart.

In her heart, but crucially not in her Phoenix Flame Organ! Normally, whenever she suffered, whenever she took damage, the cursed organ was there, filling up, gaining power, just waiting for her to finally collapse so it could release the pent up energy and bring her back from the brink.

No, it had been completely replaced within her body; she was freed from that abysmal, cursed organ.

Now she was a Fallen Zombie Soldier! No longer inflicted with the dreadful Phoenix Flame Organ, but blessed with the Eternal Zombie Fungus, whatever that was.

It didn't matter to her.

A massive turtle monster reared up from the river of slime, mouth agape with six leech-like tongues spitting parasites everywhere.

"I'll get it!" cried every member of the Immortals in range.

With her advantage in size and strength, it was Leeroy who got there first. She shouldered her siblings aside before leaping at the monster, trying to ram her face into its gaping maw. What better way to stop the parasite assault?

Of course, that meant the wriggling worms tried to force their way into her head, but they were sadly rebuffed by her armour.

"Too weak!" she cursed.

Her head was too large to fit into the creature's maw properly, so she withdrew and started chomping furiously at the beast. More Immortals joined the fray, throwing themselves bodily in harm's way in order to drag the monster into the cleansed mana, where they could pin it down as it was purged.

As soon as it stopped moving, Leeroy leapt to her feet.

"THE SEARCH GOES ON, SISTERS!" she cried.

"WE SEEK!"

For hour after glorious hour, it continued. Leeroy threw herself at every enemy, no matter how wretched or foul. She shielded her siblings by putting her body in harm's way time and time again, letting her armour and carapace be the bulwark between her sisters and harm.

They forced healing on her, of course, which she begrudgingly endured, but even that wasn't enough.

Her muscles ached and tore. Her armour was melted, dented and rent. Her helmet was split. Her carapace was gouged and scratched. Her HP… was falling lower and lower.

Many of her fellow Immortals had already been consumed by the cleansing fire. Dragged clear by the rest of the ants, they had arisen, fully rid of the toxic influence of the fifth and healed of all their injuries. Re-armoured, they were made to return to the fight fully fit and healthy, a dreadful state of affairs.

Leeroy's heart wept for them, even as she rejoiced for herself. It wouldn't be long now. She was right on the edge. Soon, the healers would demand she retreat for healing, but not quite yet. They didn't know she could no longer revive, and so they would allow her to stay in the fight, even as she grew weaker and weaker.

This was her chance!

All she needed… was the right fight.…

A shattering roar split the air as a massive monster breached the surface of the slime river. Formed of slug-like flesh, it reared up and opened its maw wide, virulent slime dripping from every inch of its body. Row after row of serrated, needle-sharp fangs bristled within, along with a burst of dense, toxic gas. The creature lumbered forward, propelled on two tree-thick stumps it used for arms and its long tail.

Leeroy… wept.

-x-X-x-

"I'll be going, my sisters!" Leeroy declared as she charged forward, gaining momentum and preparing for her grand leap of destiny.

The Immortals turned to watch, lumps in their throats and metaphorical tears in their eyes as they saw the first and most dedicated Immortal initiate her final fight. What a glorious sight. What a noble sacrifice. This was how it was always meant to be, here in the depths of the Dungeon, with the Colony in danger of being overwhelmed, THIS was how an Immortal was supposed to live, THIS was how they were supposed to end!

As one, the armoured sisters bowed low, touching their mandibles to the diamond platform.

"Seek no more, sister," they called, gladness in their hearts.

The rest of the militia watched the display, confused and not a little disturbed, as the platform was, in fact, not in any real danger of being overwhelmed, but they could sure use the help of the Immortals if they were willing to get up and fight.

Instead, they watched as Leeroy gathered her strength and launched herself into battle, sailing through the air to crash straight into the monster's chest. Immediately, she was overwhelmed by a wave of toxin so dense she couldn't see through it, only to be showered in thick, acidic slime the moment she made contact.

Even so, with the force of her charge behind it, the impact was shattering, sending the monster reeling as she latched on with her mandibles, biting deep into its slug flesh.

The monster screeched and lifted its arms, trying to slam Leeroy, knock her loose and send her flying into the bottomless abyss around the platform. A futile effort. Leeroy endured the blows with joy, watching her HP tick down as the gas and acid wore into her defences more and more.

She latched onto the monster with her legs, furiously biting as the slug began to tip forward, brought down by her sheer weight.

"Damn it!" Leeroy cried as her legs touched the ground again. "Give me some more!"

Her HP wasn't falling fast enough. At this rate, the others might bring the monster down before she was able to gloriously sacrifice herself! She pulled her head away, tearing a massive chunk of slug-flesh away and causing the creature to bellow in rage.

Seeing a chance, she leapt once more, throwing herself into its maw.

"Bite me, dammit!" she raged, using her mandibles to savage the beast from the inside.

There was a beat where time seemed to slow for Leeroy, as she felt the peril closing in around her, the shadow of death looking right over her shoulder.

She had never been happier.

Jaws crunched down, sending needle sharp teeth penetrating deep into her body. Armour crumpled, carapace cracked and organs were punctured, and Leeroy rejoiced.

Her HP immediately plummeted and she celebrated by forcing herself deeper into the monster, tearing it apart from within using the last of her fading strength.

Eventually, the entire monster fell over, collapsing face first onto the platform as the damage mounted. Leeroy felt it cease to struggle, a notification from the System ringing somewhere in the recesses of her mind. Cleansed mana continued to work on the beast, but Leeroy was blissfully unaware. All she could feel was her fading strength, all she knew was a deep and abiding joy.

Her purpose was fulfilled. At long last, bathed in acid, her body filled with toxins and poison, she was finally at peace.

"...For… for the Colony," she breathed and the world went dark.

~~~

The Immortals watched, nervous and tense, as Leeroy fought to the bitter end. When the monster finally collapsed, breathing its last, they resisted the urge to cheer. It was too soon to say that their leader had achieved a glorious end; they had, after all, been cheated so many times before.

The militia swarmed over the area while healers cursed and muttered amongst themselves, concerned that they had lost one of the pillars of the Colony. Every effort was being made, in the chaos of the never-ending fight, to retrieve the fallen Immortal.

The rest of the armoured ants helped where they could, but their attention was still riveted on the unmoving figure still emerging from beneath the slug creature.

Leeroy was unmoving. Her legs didn't twitch, her carapace didn't shift, and when her head was finally revealed, her antennae were still, flat on the ground.

They dared, just for a moment, to believe.

And yet, something was off, as the massive body of the tier seven soldier was dragged clear.

From the dents in her carapace, something was beginning to emerge. Thin tendrils rose straight up, climbing higher and higher until they were metres tall.

The healers demanded all stand back, fearing that some fifth stratum infestation had taken root within the soldier.

Still, Leeroy didn't move.

At the tips of the long stalks, a fruiting bud blossomed, a ball of fungal growth that began to glow.

In that moment, the air around the platform became suffused with soft light, revealing the entire space had been filled with spores, and more blooming from the monsters Leeroy had defeated every second. The drifting spots of light moved toward her, gathering into the tips of the stalks and filling it with light that began to travel down the stalk and suffuse the body of the fallen Immortal.

Her legs began to twitch. Her antennae began to rise. The Immortals began to lose hope.

Unfeeling, as if in a dream, Leeroy rose from the ground, her broken body slowly stitching itself together, and she went to force herself back into the fight.

She did not feel. She did not think. She felt as if her entire being had detached from her body and now filled the whole platform.

She had fallen, yet still, she had to fight.

Truly, she was cursed.

-x-X-x-

"You really are a moron."

"Eldest… please. Don't you think I feel bad enough already?"

"About what? LIVING?! Tell me you're upset that you survived, I dare you."

Leeroy, wisely for once, kept her scent to herself.

I'm tempted to thwack her anyway.

"Evolving in secret, trying to sneak yourself into a fight you couldn't survive, giving the healers an absolute conniption, not to mention the resources you could have wasted! I don't like to call my siblings selfish, Leeroy, but holy moly, you make it difficult!"

"I'm not selfish!" she protests. "I just want to give my all to the Colony! Is it so wrong to want to devote your entire self to your family?"

"Leeroy, we are far better served by your life than your death," I say, exasperated. "You do so much for the family, you're brave and strong, you and your followers fight so hard. All of that goes away if you go the great big Colony in the sky."

Leeroy looks confused for a moment.

"There's another Colony out there? We have to destroy them! I will gloriously sacrifice myself to ensure that we triumph as the superior ants!"

"That's not what I meant…."

I sigh. This ant is beyond redemption. No matter how many times I try to set her straight, she can't help but hold fast to her self-destructive philosophy. Somehow, in the process, she managed to turn the others who share her point of view into useful and productive members of the Colony. It's a miracle, really.

Leeroy now lies flat on the ground while numerous healers pick over her carapace, laughing to the point of losing their grip and falling off. All traces of the fungal growth are gone now, but I'm told it was quite the spectacular sight when it was in full bloom.

Well, not like I need to see it in order to know what it does—that's what Core Surgery is for.

[Eternal Zombie Fungus: A powerful variant of cordyceps fungus, this semi-sentient growth will use its host to spread vitality-draining spores to their enemies. Upon reaching critically low health, the fungus will activate, taking control of the body and drawing in what it has spread to heal the host.]

What makes this even more absurd is I'm pretty sure the spores from one Fungal host will work plenty well on another, since it's the same species of fungus and the same species of host. Which means when more and more Immortals reach tier seven, they'll be spreading the spores all over the place like crazy, making themselves even more unkillable.

"I have no idea how you did it, Leeroy, but you managed to make yourself even more unkillable."

Unlike the Phoenix Flame Organ, which had a clearly defined weakness, the time it took to refill after being used, this fungus will just keep the ants going forever. They can't even fall unconscious, the fungus will just take over and keep them fighting, and as long as they are inflicting damage, they're spreading more spores, which will lead to more healing.

Just thinking of how many spores they would spread on a frontal charge makes my head hurt; they'd be able to stick in the fight for hours. In fact, they would be forced to stick in the fight!

"You're going to force the other Immortals to choose this evolution, aren't you, Eldest?"

"Obviously. This evolution kicks thorax. Not a word from you about it either. You've done enough damage already."

Leeroy just sighs. I can see she's feeling pretty emotionally defeated, but at this point, I have no idea what to do about it. Still, I don't sympathise, this moron deserves to suffer if it means she has to stick around and help the family.

Suffer forever, fool!

"Well, now that I'm back, you can go and rest, along with the rest of the Immortals," I tell her. "I'm sure the others will have a lot of questions about your new form, and Smithant will probably have a few things to say."

"Alright, Eldest."

There's no fight left in this ant. Her glorious moment was snatched away, again. I'm sure it's temporary; nothing keeps these fools down for long. Leeroy and the rest of the Immortals will go back to scheming and fighting soon enough, I've no doubt.

Here they come now. Filing past in depressed, ordered ranks, each one with a healer on their back, checking them for injuries and whispering mockery into their antennae.

"You'll live forever."

"Look at you, not a scratch. Not now, not ever."

"I'm so impressed," one says, pretending sincerity. "You're dedicated to eternal service to the Colony. Eternal. Eternal."

"I heard you the first time," the poor Immortal complains.

"Eternalllll," the healer whispers, trailing off as she continues to check for injuries.

Shaking my head, I turn away from the sorry sight and head back to the defeated looking ant in front of me.

"You know what, Leeroy, you pretty much were dead out there, right?"

She shifts, looking at me reproachfully.

"Obviously not," she mutters, "I'm right here, aren't I?"

"You are, but read through your species again. You pretty much died, and then the fungus took over and put you back together. That wasn't you fighting there at the end, was it?"

"Well… no, I suppose not," she says, a little reluctantly.

"If you ask me, you were dead," I tell her, "dead as an ant-shaped doornail. The fungus zombified you and brought you back to life. So… in a way…."

"In a way what?" she says, showing signs of life.

"In a way… doesn't this evolution… give you the opportunity to die for the Colony… many times? You can give up your life for the Colony in a glorious charge… then the fungus puts you back together so you can do it again. It's not like you choose to come back, that's outside of your power, but you do choose to gloriously fight and die."

"It… it isn't the same!" she protests, but I can tell she's thinking about it. A seed of thought has been planted in that thick, thick head of hers.

Hopefully it will take root.

"I'll leave you be. Take it easy for a little while, Leeroy. I'll see you later."

And back out to the platform I go.

As ever, it's complete mayhem out here, and it's only getting worse as the wave intensifies. Well, nothing else for it, back into the thick of it.

My brains whip into gear as I start to draw deep on my gravitational mana, spinning it together and preparing to unleash a Gravity Well. While I'm at it, I start putting together a gravity mana construct. I'm going to be absolutely pumping out the gravity spells this time around. I need to get used to using my new magic, after all. We'll see how the fifth likes getting blasted in the face with a singularity or five.

I'm going to give the wave absolute heck until they force me to go back and sleep again.

The Templars are already out here, waiting for me as I step to the centre of the platform.

"Feeling rested, Eldest?" Emilia asks me.

I poke her with an antenna.

"Time for fighting."