C1881 - Arguing With Believers is a Pointless Exercise
"You want me to take children into the sixth stratum? That's insane."
"We aren't children," Emelia says flatly, "we're Templars."
"I don't care if you're the Child Emperor in disguise, you aren't coming with me to the sixth. That goes for all of you! Even the old man!"
"I like to think I'm in my prime," Bertran says with a smile. "Aged like a fine wine."
"I know for a fact you only drink tea and the occasional hard cider, Bertran!"
"Just because I don't drink wine doesn't mean I can't know that it ages well under the right conditions."
"Well… that's true."
Damn him and his unflappable logic.
"We have to be around you in order to properly level our Classes," Jern says as he sits down and leans into the wall, placing his axe across his legs. "And we can't properly protect you from spiritual danger if we aren't close. So it makes sense for us to hang around."
"I agree, Eldest," Protectant says, momentarily popping into existence on top of my head.
"Ah! Dangit! I forgot you were up there. Stop mutating that stupid organ, it's getting too effective."
"We won't," she replies smugly, once again fading from my awareness.
But not from my Vestibule. As long as I think to check on them, I can always work out where they are, it's just that I forget about them more and more as time goes on and that stealth organ of theirs gets stronger.
So annoying! Why is everyone trying to get on my nerves today?
"We don't know if there's going to be spiritual threats in the sixth," I point out, "so who says I need your protection?"
"Can you say with confidence that there won't be?" Bertran replies reasonably. When I glare at him, he spreads his hands. "It's not an unreasonable question, Great One."
"We want to help!" AlisAlisAriss says, standing next to Jern. "We've been helpful before and we're stronger now, so it should be fine."
The three children just glare at me. Honestly, I can't tell if they even like me or view me as an annoying pest that they need to take care of.
"It's not happening, so there!" I declare before turning my back on them, facing the wall, and promptly dropping to the ground with a room-shaking thud.
Lousy Templars, trying to bully me around. I only just recently started not having to worry about my own protection detail all the time, now the Templars want to tag along? They're so small and squishy! They'd be crushed in no time. Who knows if they can even survive the mana density down there?
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
That's right, I'm saving them from themselves. Now, back to my mental exercises. I can't remember the last time I was able to sit still and practise one thing with this much dedication. Since I've been seeing results, it's enough to keep me interested, I suppose. Also, I can't stand being worse at casting magic than Propellant. She has the attention span of a lit match, for goodness' sake.
Right, then. I've been getting a lot better at the last third of the segments for the Singularity. What I need is to practise weaving them together more consistently. Time to focus!
…
"What are you doing?"
"I don't know what you mean. Could you explain?"
Even facing the wall, I don't need to turn my head in order to look at the Templars, given my compound eyes, and what I see is not something that brings me joy.
They're kneeling, in a row, with their hands clasped before their faces and their eyes closed, facing me earnestly with bowed heads.
"This… this isn't what it looks like is it?"
"What does it look like?" Jern asks me without opening his eyes.
"I… I don't want to say it."
"Then we can't answer your question, Great One," Alis says.
Ugh… this is the worst.
"It's not going to work. I'm going back to my practice now."
"As you say, Great One," Bertran says, smiling. "We won't bother you."
Right. Ignore them, back to the training. Now… where the heck was I? Ah, I was working on the final third of the spell. It's tricky stuff, largely due to the huge volume of power involved. Pushing two Gravity Bombs into each other is what causes the reaction, but if the spell isn't prepared properly, then all that energy will just explode in my face. Which would be bad.
So… I better… make sure I get it… right.
Are they still?
…
They are.
…
Gah! I can't take it!
"Dammit! Stop praying at me!"
"We are praying to you," Jern corrects me.
"I don't hear prayers! I'm not a god!"
"I feel like you do hear them," Jern says.
"I just told you I don't."
"My god may not always be honest," he shrugs, still praying.
I refuse to tell him that I can hear his prayers. I refuse! All of the Templars have direct access to the Nave through their statue-thingies. Their Will always flows in, no matter where they are. So technically I can hear his prayers, but not in a religious way!
Even the three children are praying. How do they look so innocent and yet so devious at the same time? They know how much this annoys me!
"Fine! FINE! I'll take you to the sixth! Stop praying at me, and never call me your god again, and I'll take you. Sheesh!"
In the process of standing up with bright smiles on their faces, the six of them exchange glances, then kneel back down again.
"Can't do that, Great One," Jern tells me, resuming his prayerful pose.
"You guys are the worst."
"I'm a devoted servant."
I sigh.
"You win. No more prayers, you can come to the sixth."
"Good choice, Great One," Jern says as they all climb to their feet. "And I'll never pray at you again. You have my word."
-x-X-x-
What went on in the sixth stratum, nobody in all of Pangera could possibly have known. Now, we are aware that the Abyssal Legion maintained a presence there, for how long we still don't know, but at the time that entire layer of the Dungeon was considered unexplored territory, untouched in the history of the world.
The fifth acted as a barrier, preventing anyone from passing through. With a crack finally appearing in that wall, who could be shocked at the unstoppable wave of delver spirit that was awoken?
What we found in the depths was certainly unlike anything that we expected.
- From the notes of the Magio-Scholar Eribus
I've been bullied by my own Templars. What did I do to deserve this, dammit?! Trying to look out for others was never supposed to be this much of a pain in the thorax. Nobody is grateful for my help these days!
After they get what they want, the Templars leave me alone for the most part. There's always one or two of them hanging about, but they spend the rest of their time training and fighting against the wave, preparing for the descent to the sixth.
Just like that, I spend the next few days grinding away, practising my skills.
Tiny, Invidia and Crinis continue to spend their time out fighting against the wave and dealing with the powerful monsters who are increasingly rising up from below.
It's all going nicely, they are getting valuable learning experience, Levels and Biomass, but there's only one problem.
I don't have a chance to vent my anger!
Being pushed around by the Templars has got me in a bad mood, but there's nowhere for me to direct these negative emotions. I want to fight! I want to lay the smackdown on some monsters! The thrill of battle! Energy surging throughout my carapace! My minds pushed to the limit as they spin the threads of power into pure magic!
Maybe I've gotten too used to fighting all the time and become addicted to the thrill of it. I can't imagine that's healthy for a growing ant such as myself, but it's too late to worry about it now.
I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm bored! Desperately bored! Angrily bored!
Being annoyed at the Templars for praying at me is making it too hard to focus on my training, and that's left me with nothing to do but internally flail about and sulk. It's unbecoming of the Eldest of the Colony.
I've started to try and drop subtle hints to the others about helping them out on their shifts, maybe even taking one over for them, but none of them have taken me up on it. Crinis thinks I've started to consider her as incompetent, so now she's out there fighting twice as hard as before, no matter how many times I tell her she's wrong. Tiny won't give up the chance to punch things no matter what, that was always a non starter. I was sure Invidia would help me out, but he also refused!
Apparently he's become invested in working on some new magic and doesn't want to miss a chance to train it. Then he said that, as a friend, I should support his interests and growth… which… I mean… yeah? That's hard to argue with. All I could do was cheer him on and wish for his success. He seemed happy with that. I wonder what sort of magic he's working on anyway?
Bah! That still doesn't fix my problem! I'm boooooooored! I need something terrible to happen, quickly! A surprise attack by the Krath. The Legion suddenly leaping out of a secret trap door in the floor to try and cut my head off. Something. Anything!
Even a super strong monster rising up out of the depths would be fine!
Just when I'm on the brink of giving up my dignified demeanour and rolling around on the ground in frustration, I feel it.
It's big! It's strong! That's a whopping core! Gotta be tier eight and strong enough to knock this fortress on its backside!
Fantastic!
I'm off and running to the platform in a flash. I can't let this opportunity go to waste and slip through my mandibles. Big powerful monster crawling up out of the depths is exactly the reason why I've been staying here. Nobody can stop me, I'm just doing my job.
I leap through the open gates and out over the platform, soaring through the air as if borne by the wings of an eagle.
Freedom! Adventure! Excitement! A chance to beat something up!
[Nope! This one's mine, Tiny!]
[No!] he protests. [My fight!]
[Not this time, buddy, it's too strong for you. Stay here on the platform!]
I'm not even lying to him. Maybe he could fight it, but not on his own. Leaving a truly miserable-looking Tiny behind, I dash off through the tunnel, ignoring the monsters in the way who either run for the hills or try to lash out as I come close. All the while, I can feel the power rising up through the tunnels. Such a strong monster, not even bothering to try and conceal its strength… this is going to be something interesting, I'm sure of it.
Epic combat, here I come!
Chuckling evilly to myself, I start to spin together a Singularity, rejoicing at how quickly I'm able to pull the spell together. There's still a long way to go, but the training continues to pay dividends!
Continuing to run headlong towards the monster, I build the spell as fast as I can, dumping huge amounts of Gravity Mana into the working until I slide around a corner, feeling the powerful core straight ahead in the distance.
Eat this!
Unleashing the Singularity is always interesting. When that beam blasts out, the world turns black and white. Colour is gone, even sound seems to vanish. All that's left is the unbelievable power contained in that beam of radiant light.
When it fades away, I stand ready, antennae waving eagerly as I wait for my opponent to emerge from the darkness. They weren't done with just that, right? I didn't bother hiding that I was whipping up a spell, there's no way they let themselves get hit. Surely?
…
Please?
As the seconds tick by, I start to think I may have made a mistake opening with my strongest spell. Don't tell me the epic combat I yearned for has been blasted away in an instant?
I'm so despondent that, when a thread of a mind bridge pokes into me, I allow it to connect without even thinking about it.
What the heck is this?
[Uh… hello?]
[The heck was that?! I come in peace, by thunder!]
[Wait… you do? You aren't here to fight?]
[No, I'm not!]
Dammit.
-x-X-x-
We always knew it would be an advantage to have access to the sixth stratum earlier than anyone else. Access to new resources, new monster cores and materials. Our antgineers and researchers would be the first to examine them and plumb their possibilities.
Of course, we would also have the first opportunity to claim territory, fortify our hold and strengthen our claim.
Ultimately, we could never have foreseen just how great that advantage would become, nor what shape it would take.
- From the Private notes of Historiant
Super powerful monster, probably Mythic, tier eight for sure, rising up out of the sixth, and it's here to have a chat? There's no way. What kind of monster wants to have a chat anyways?!
And this mind bridge they've connected to me, it's so thin and tenuous. We couldn't attack each other through it even if we wanted to, which I suppose is the point.
[Are you sure you don't want to fight?]
[Yes I'm sure! Do you not understand what 'I come in peace' means? Please tell me you're at least more civilised than the Krath.]
I'm confused.
[Wait a second… you are a monster, right?] I ask.
[Of course I'm a monster. You can sense me, I can sense you. We're both monsters. You… you aren't simple are you?]
[No I'm not simple! It's just… this isn't what I expected. I suppose… I was also hoping for a grand epic battle to help blow off some steam.]
What kind of monster just wanders up from the depths for a conversation? Most of the time, monsters rising up have been displaced by monsters from below them, pushed out of their cozy hunting grounds and forced to flee to safety higher in the Dungeon. That makes them desperate and aggressive. This monster, on the other hand, sounds perfectly calm. If a bit startled.
[Well… sorry about trying to blast a hole in you with a spell… I suppose.]
[What the heck was that, by the way?]
[No comment.]
[Fair enough. Look, any chance we can have a nice exchange of words here without attacking each other? I've come up here on a fact-finding mission for my people.]
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
[Your people? Got a monster tribe or something down there?]
[Something like that. We heard that the fifth wasn't dumping ooze into the stormcloud for some reason, so I came to check it out. The last thing I expected to see was that the place wasn't toxic anymore! How in the name of the blessed bolt did that happen?]
[Well… that's a long story. The short version is my family and I invaded and kicked the Krath in their slimy backsides.]
[Good. I can't stand those slugs.]
[Who can? I'm kind of surprised you had much contact with them. Did they go down into the sixth much?]
[They gave up trying to pollute our layer well before my time. We traded with them a bit, that's all.]
[Well, if you're interested in trade, you can talk to my sister, Merchant. She's all about making trades and deals. What would you even trade with the slugs? Is anything from the fifth useful in the sixth? What with the corruption and all…]
I mean… unpurified, everything in the fifth is kind of useless. Worse than useless, it will actively harm anything it comes into contact with.
[I'm not in the habit of spilling secrets just because I was asked.]
[Alright, no need to be a stick in the mud. I was only curious.]
The more this conversation goes on, the more surprised I become. Just what is going on in the sixth?
[So… you're a member of a tribe… or group… or gathering of monsters? Are you all born from the same parent or something?]
[What? No, that's absurd. Do all of you have the same mother?]
[Well… yes. Is there a problem with my mum?]
[You are? How does that even work?]
[We're an insect type monster species. The Queens lay a lot of eggs by converting Biomass. If you trace back the lineage, all of us came from the one Queen who was spawned from the Dungeon.]
[Huh… interesting. We were all spawned from the Dungeon. I guess you would describe us as a loose alliance of monsters with a common interest.]
[Which is?]
[Fighting other loose alliances of monsters, for the most part,] the hidden creature laughs.
[The sixth sounds like an interesting place…. So you all have territory that you've claimed down there? And you fight over it?]
I kind of assumed it was going to be a wild frontier free-for-all once we got to the sixth. Now I find out it's already claimed by these… monster alliances? What the heck?!
[Pretty much. Below here belongs to my group.]
[Well dang. That's disappointing.]
[Oh?]
[Yeah. I was keen to go down and conquer new lands for my family. Nobody from up here has been able to access the sixth since… forever. I was hoping to be the first to plant a flag, metaphorically speaking.]
[What? You were going to invade us?]
[Well… not invade you specifically, just the sixth in general. Now that we've finally made it through the fifth, it seemed like the natural next step.]
[Hah! By thunder, that's interesting,] the monster laughs out loud.
[Why is that?]
[Well… the only thing keeping us down below was the toxin in the fifth. During a wave, we can go up as much as we like. What's going to stop us?]
Oh… I see where this is going.
[Those slugs didn't keep us safe from you, they kept you safe from us.]
-x-X-x-
Well now… this isn't the turn I expected the conversation to take. But hey, I'm all for it! I came out here looking for a fight, and if I'm not very much mistaken, those were fighting words.
[So you're going to try and invade this land that's been cleansed and claimed by my family?]
[Maybe… that's one of the reasons I came up here, to have a look around and see what was happening.]
[Scouting out for a potential invasion isn't exactly 'coming in peace', now is it?]
[Well… depends on your perspective.]
[Does it?! Look, as far as I can see, you're right back into the enemy bucket, and therefore eligible for chomping. You want to come out and fight or what?]
[No, I don't want to fight! How many times do I have to say it?]
Sheesh… this guy. Tiny would be embarrassed to meet a monster this disinterested in fighting.
[Can we at least see each other? I'm tired of whispering back and forth through a tiny, thin little mind-bridge to someone I can't even look at. It's silly.]
[It's safe. Monsters tend to fight a lot once they start sizing each other up.]
[I'm starting to wonder if you've ever fought a day in your life! Keep your distance if you're scared.]
[Don't insult me. I can feel that you aren't any stronger than I am. Throwing out words like that is going to get you in trouble in the sixth.]
I can practically hear the teeth being bared in the other's thoughts. Finally, a show of spine.
[I'll apologise if you were offended then, but the point stands. You want to throw down with the Colony? I'm game. We can start right now, right here. If you want to talk peace, then that's another matter. We were strong enough to break all the way through the fifth, something, I feel I should point out, that your crew has failed to do.]
There's a moment of silence as the monster digests what I have to say.
[You make a good point. We can see each other, to show I'm serious, but I am not here to fight.]
[Fair enough. Step on out.]
I've been standing in the middle of the tunnel this whole time, bold as ant-shaped brass, so I don't need to move a leg. Slowly, cautiously, the monster I've been talking to emerges from a side tunnel, and I am shocked speechless.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
What in the great googly-moogly?!
This monster, who doesn't want to fight, is a massive, bat-faced gorilla, with fur that seems to be formed of purple, metallic spikes that crackle with lightning.
A pacifist version of Tiny? How is such a thing possible?! I'm stunned to see the monster face to face, but simultaneously they seem to be stunned to see me.
[What the heck are you?]
[Me? I'm an ant! One of the finest creations in the history of the Dungeon, mind you.]
[Is that… some sort of insect?]
[Not just some sort of insect. The best form of insect. Superior in every way to the alternatives.]
[So you're kind of like the centipedes then? All hard on the outside?]
[... How dare you, sir. I will not be compared to a disgusting centipede!]
[You don't like centipedes?]
[I hate centipedes with a passion that burns with the heat of a thousand suns.]
[That seems… like a lot of heat.]
[It's impossible to emphasise enough just how much I hate them. Are you telling me there are centipedes in the sixth?]
[Oh yeah, a bunch.]
[Soon, there won't be.]
[Wow, okay. Good to know. Anyway, I'm standing here. You aren't going to shoot another massive spell at me, are you?]
[I wasn't planning on it.]
I might have started pulling the spell together as stealthily as possible, though… just in case.
[My name is Gylax,] the big ape tells me. [I represent Storm Bringers. If you intend to come down into the sixth, then you should run into us eventually. Our territory is almost directly below this place. Though I would encourage you to be careful, the Legion have been active around here lately.]
[The Legion? Dangit.]
[You know them?]
[I know them,] I say glumly. [They want to kill me.]
The big ape looks at me for a second.
[Well, that's… unfortunate. Good luck! If you survive long enough to find us, I'll be impressed.]
Really? What the heck do they have going on down there?! There's five thousand of the Legion in the nest waiting for me, but they can't do a dang thing. Honestly, it might make sense if they have some sort of super-duper soldiers down there, which is why they've been happy just to keep tabs on me while I was in the fifth.
They were just waiting until I got low enough that they could bring out the big guns. Sadly for them, I might have gotten a heads up that they didn't expect.
Gweheheheheh.
[I'm Anthony, a proud member of the Colony. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to make it to you. Am I likely to get jumped by a dozen different monsters like you if I show up?]
[We're more civilised than that, by thunder!]
[Tiny will be so disappointed.]
[Who, or what, is Tiny?]
[He's my friend. He kind of looks like you.]
Without the cool metal spikes. Then again, he isn't tier eight yet.
[Fine. Do you mind if I poke around this area a bit longer? I'd like to confirm a few things.]
I think about it. Letting a monster this powerful roam around on their own is pretty much impossible. He could slip the net and get high in the fifth. Without me to stop him, he could do a heck of a lot of damage.
[Sure,] I say, [for a while, but I'll have to go with you.]
[Oh… yay.]
-x-X-x-
It's a bit weird, showing around a strange monster, but that's what I find myself doing. For his part, Gylax is a polite guest, as polite as a giant bat-faced ape covered in metal, spiky fur that emits lightning can be, I suppose.
Seeing the original fifth stratum returning is something of a shock to his system, and he's constantly amazed as I show him around a few tunnels and he can see the new… or old monsters spawning and fighting all over the place. With the two of us together, almost all of the critters leave us alone, which is nice, though it's a bit awkward to wander about with monsters battling each other all around us. Especially weird ones like the natives here.
[How long did it take you to do all this?] Gylax asks.
[About a year, I think? I was asleep for a part of it.]
[Storms below! A year?! I'm not sure I can believe that.]
I can't help but chuckle.
[My family is rather industrious. We can get a lot done when we set our minds to it. Also, there's a lot of us.]
[How many?]
[I'm not going to answer that. Let's just say, a lot.]
[Fine.]
Hey, I'm not giving away anything I don't have to. Gylax isn't exactly sly about it either. After an hour or so of tromping through tunnels, he eventually makes a request.
[There's obvious evidence what you say is true,] he says to me, gesturing around at the generally non-toxic state of the environment, [but I need a little more. This could have been anyone and you're the only ant I've seen up here. I need to see more.]
[That's…]
[Honestly, it puts me in more danger. I'm offering to be taken where there are more of you,] he points out. [But I don't want to report back to my people that there's a massive army of ants or something without actually seeing it.]
Well.. that's a fair call. I can't imagine even a cooperative group of powerful monsters in the sixth is going to believe the Krath were defeated by a colony of ants from the first without some sort of proof. As far as Gylax knows, I'm the only ant here.
[Fine, fine. I'll take you over to the fortress. Just don't pull any funny business.]
[Of course! You have my word as a Storm Bringer.]
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
[I… don't know if that's worth anything. Is it?]
The big ape stares hard at me.
[I'm trying not to be offended,] he replies eventually. [It's a reasonable question. Yes, it's worth something. If we don't keep our word, then there isn't anything to separate us from the unthinking monsters who only think of fighting and eating.]
[Right this way.]
We aren't far from the ant fortress. In fact, Gylax could probably sense the cores of my many siblings from where we were. Seeing is believing, though, so I dutifully lead the ape towards the platform.
[I'm just going to call ahead and let them know not to attack us.]
[Me, I understand, but would they attack you?]
Tiny might.
[Accidents happen,] I shrug. Weaving a new mind bridge, I reach out towards the fortress. [Ahoy over there! Coming in with a guest.]
[A guest?] one of the generals in charge replies. [Isn't that the powerful monster you were going to fight? What happened?]
[Turns out they were more of an envoy? I guess? I'm accompanying them to have a quick peek, then escorting them back to the sixth.]
Then I reach out to Tiny directly.
[Tiny, no fighting.]
[What?] he replies, shocked.
[You are not allowed to fight the monster coming to the platform with me. That's an order.]
He doesn't say anything, but I can feel his powerful sulking through our link. He's going to be in a mood for days.
[Alright, the way is clear. Let's go.]
Obviously I can't take Gylax onto the platform itself, that's being a bit too friendly, but we get close enough to see it. The big ape looks about, staring up at the massive walls of the fortress and out over the thousands of ants deployed on the platform. When he sees Tiny, he freezes.
[Great blue bolts! What is that?]
I mean… who is that would be more appropriate.
[That's Tiny. He's my friend.]
[He's from the sixth? How did he get up here?]
[He's from the first stratum, actually. I reconstituted him when I was quite young.]
In shock, the ape turns to me.
[He's a pet?]
Tiny, for his part, doesn't appear all that shocked to see a monster that looks so similar to himself. He just looks angry that he can't fight. He eyes Gylax's impressive physique for a long moment, before he draws himself up to his full height, pounds his palms onto his chest and flexes.
[What… what is he doing?] Gylax asks me, confused and upset for some reason.
[He's flexing. He likes to show off his size.]
[I can see that he's trying to flex, but why is he doing it so poorly? Behold!]
Throwing off his earlier hesitation, Gylax roars, baring his fangs before he too rises to his full height, drawing his enormous arms up before lacing his fingers together and holding them behind his head. Crunching down, he flexes his chest and core, straining from the sheer power involved.
Tiny's eyes narrow and he nods, slowly.
He loosens his stance, shakes out his arms, then breathes out through his nose heavily, gaze sharpening to a razor's edge. With a mighty bellow, he tightens one bicep, bringing his arm across to pose side-on, showing off his arm and shoulder. He too is visibly shaking from the effort of his potent flex.
What the heck is happening here?
-x-X-x-
When Gylax and Tiny finally finish after an hour-long flex-battle for the ages, the two stand apart, breathing heavily, exhausted by the physical exertion they have engaged in. It's difficult to read their bat-faces, but I think I see a gleam of mutual recognition in their eyes. They are satisfied with what has taken place here, and recognise in the other a kind of kindred spirit.
[Are you guys done?] I ask, utterly bored.
[We have completed the ritual posedown. Your pet,] he grimaces with distaste, [has acquitted himself well. Impressive, considering he has never been around others like myself. He's entirely self-taught?]
Sometimes, I really wish I could blink.
[I sure as heck didn't teach him any of that. I mean… how could I?]
[It's true, you don't really have the build for it.]
[The build for it? I don't have the skeleto-muscular structure for it!]
[Yes, I suppose that's true. A pity. You can't enjoy the true wonder of the physical form.]
[What?! You, sir, are blind to the glory and splendour of the carapace. Imagine walking around with your soft bits all dangling about on the outside? It's disgusting!]
Gylax only chuckles to himself, shaking his head, then his troubled expression returns.
[Is keeping monsters as pets a common practice among your people?] he inquires.
I can tell that it's really bothering him, which is strange, because I've never met anyone who was against the practice.
[Most of my siblings don't have pets, but some do,] I answer honestly. [I myself have three. They're my friends.]
[Are they?] Gylax asks me, looking me in my compound eyes. [Or are they your servants? They have no choice but to obey you. I… I should not speak on this more. Your ways are not our ways. Only, we do not look favourably on the practice. Monsters should be free.]
As much as I would like to tell him that Tiny, Crinis and Invidia are most certainly free, I actually can't. I've been trying to find a way to liberate them for ages, to no avail.
[Do you know of a way to free a pet?] I ask hopefully. [I'd like for them to have their full lives back, but I don't know how.]
Gylax remains silent for a long moment, then speaks.
[If you find us below, we will speak of this more. For now, I should be going. You have shown me enough.]
[You know I have to walk you back to the sixth, right?]
[I suppose so,] he grumbles.
[Can't have big lightning gorillas running around unsupervised. You never know what they might start flexing at.]
That gets a laugh out of him. He's a nice enough fellow, Gylax. Not that you'd want to pat him on the back. You'd get stabbed and electrocuted at the same time for your trouble.
I escort him down to the swirling barrier between the fifth and the sixth and watch as the big ape descends back into his home layer. Reluctantly, I turn my back and begin to head to the fortress. I'd love to head down there for adventure and mischief—that is to say—serious business and such. During a wave is probably not the best time, unfortunately.
More than that, even the act of turning around is enough to cause the Call to yank savagely on my soul. Every step away from it is extremely ouchie.
I'm not a fan of the experience, to say the least.
Nevertheless, I continue to put one leg in front of the other until the sensation starts to fade. Well, 'fade' is a rather strong word. 'Recede slightly' is probably a bit better.
Stupid Call and its stupid soul… hook thing. The bit I hate the most about it is that I can't always tell when my decisions are being influenced by the constant niggling sensation of being in quite a lot of pain. Maybe, in the back of my mind, I want to be done with it and start running down the levels just to make it stop for a while, yet I make the excuse to myself that I'm acting in the interests of the family, or trying to defend everyone.
In that scenario, I could wind up putting everyone in rather a lot more danger. Which isn't the goal!
Grumbling, I return to the fortress to find Tiny, sulking less than I might have expected. He didn't get the epic fight he wanted, but he did get to perform in a mighty battle of flexing that seems to have initiated some deep introspection on his part.
I find him on the platform in the thinking pose, chin resting on one of his massive fists, brow furrowed, as he contemplates all things muscle.
[Hey, Tiny. How are you?]
He blinks slowly, pulled out of his thoughts, and looks up at me.
[Good,] he says simply. [Thinking.]
[About flexing?]
[Yes.]
Normally, I'd leave it there, there's no need to intrude on an ape when he's deep in thought, but after talking to Gylax, I'm prompted to dig a little deeper.
[What are you thinking about, specifically? Different sorts of poses? How you might do better next time?]
[Do better?] he sounds confused.
[You think you did everything perfectly, do you? I'm impressed.]
[No…] he suddenly looks excited, his big brown bat-eyes growing wide as he stares at me. [I can do it again?]
[What? Well… yes, I don't see why not. We'll be going down there once the wave is over, so you should be able to meet Gylax again. That's the other big ape monster you met.]
A big broad grin splits Tiny's face, and he hoots to himself with glee.
[Good!] he says.
He looks genuinely delighted, rocking back and forth on his backside grinning.
I can't help but smile, so to speak, and give him an encouraging pat on the shoulder with one leg.
[Good for you, buddy, glad you're happy. We'll get you another flex competition for sure.]
Back to the chamber for me. Waiting for the wave to end.
-x-X-x-
There is a cyclical nature to the Dungeon that not many understand. On the surface level, it seems rather straightforward. There is a wave every now and again, and eventually it recedes, returning the Dungeon to its normal function.
Further analysis reveals that the waves go through periods of rise and fall. Not all waves are created equal, as some reach greater concentrations of mana than others. When they recede, they are followed by a stronger wave, and that, by a stronger wave still, until eventually the pattern reaches a crescendo, and the waves begin to recede again.
If we track the data, mark the average peaks of each wave, so to speak, then we can track the trend over centuries, even millennia. What is revealed is a pattern of gradually strengthening waves. Each time the cycle repeated, rising and falling, it grew a little stronger.
The implications are… unpleasant, when one considers the future of Pangera.
- Excerpt from 'Longform studies of Dungeon Phenomena' by Xinci
Ascendant was still getting used to having a name of her own. It was nice not to be called 'hatchling' all the time, especially since she wasn't a hatchling anymore, but a tier five scout of the Colony!
After her meeting with the Eldest, she'd spent her time doing flying reconnaissance and engaging in combat missions in the third stratum. Seeing the wave there was quite something, so many demons, they were everywhere! It also meant there were lots of monsters for her to fight. She could fly over the plains and have her pick from the dense carpet of monsters fighting constantly below.
The only problem was the constant presence of ash that ate at her wings. She couldn't fly out for more than an hour at a time before they started to become damaged. By two hours, she could barely fly at all.
Which was why she'd emphasised a self-regeneration function for her wings when mutating them. After evolving to the fifth tier, she'd been able to make significant improvements to her form that enabled her to be a more effective flyer.
A better power-to-weight ratio was important, and adding such densely packed muscle fibres, especially around her back, to keep her overall size relatively small used a good chunk of evolutionary power, but it was worth it in the end.
Mutations to her stomach and added digestive organs allowed her to store more energy in the form of compact sugar reserves that regrew using excess vitality when she rested. Along with improvements to her vascular system that allowed her muscles to work under high stress for longer, she was able to fly for much longer without needing to rest, which was fantastic!
She looked a lot different too, having adjusted the shape and form of her carapace to be more aerodynamic. She even had a piece of clothing! Merchant had insisted. It wasn't much, just a scarf that she wrapped around her neck, but Ascendant had grown to enjoy it flapping in the wind as she flew.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
But the wave was starting to recede, so it was time to head down to the fifth and catch up with her sister!
"Thanks for having me!" Ascendant chirped to the team she'd been working with, her wings buzzing with excitement.
"You did well for a rookie," the general, Lieutenant, told her with an approving nod. "Keep working hard and don't let us down."
"I will, of course!"
It was a long trip down to the fifth, but she was able to take a gate to cut the trip significantly. It was a little annoying that she had to be escorted once she arrived in the fifth, but only because she was slowed down.
At times like this, she really understood what her senior, Vibrant, was talking about. When she was out by herself, flying over the plains, she'd been able to go her own speed and make her own decisions. Getting locked back into doing what she was told to do all the time was a little shock to the system.
As it turned out, tracking down Hippocrant was a little more difficult than Ascendant had initially anticipated. First she was directed to a fortress high in the fifth that had seen a lot of fighting, which was exciting, but when she arrived she found out that her sister had moved on once most of the patients had made it out of the hospital.
Further down, to another fortress, this one not as close to the frontline, where apparently Hippocrant had been conducting research on different types of mana? Or something?
Only, she wasn't there either!
Ascendant could only slump in defeat and follow the trail. The next two locations didn't have Hippocrant either, which didn't leave her feeling all that hopeful for the next.
Towards the middle of the fifth, there had been a concerted push by the Krath, apparently, trying to make a final effort by using the fading energy of the wave. Hippocrant had gone to work and heal there, or at least, that's what she was told.
So off she went, trudging through the tunnels along with her escort, only allowed to fly in limited bursts because it was 'too dangerous' for her to be zipping about on her own.
Ascendant was going a little stir crazy and couldn't stop hopping at all times. She felt if more than two of her legs touched the ground at once, then she might just lose her mind!
When they finally arrived at the fortress, she made her way to the hospital, expecting to find that once again her sister had moved on to another location.
Except… there she was… tending to a patient.
"Hipprocant!" she cheered, her wings buzzing to life as she zipped through the air, leaving her escort in the dust.
Full force, she bowled into her sibling and knocked her over, sending the two of them sprawling to the ground.
"Hey! What are you… what are you doing?!" the healer demanded.
"I finally found you!" Ascendant laughed, jumping up and down with excitement. "I missed you!"
Hippocrant sighed heavily and picked herself up off the ground.
"I missed you too," she said, tapping her sister on the head with one leg. "But can we do this outside of the hospital?"
"Oh… sorry."
-x-X-x-
As it turned out, Hippocrant was also a tier five ant monster now, having evolved during the wave. It had proved necessary to take the leap, in part because she needed the assistance of further organs and mutations to be useful in the fifth, and also in order to specialise further in the mysterious Bio-mana.
Needless to say, the type of healing required in the fifth was rather demanding. Ants who had been contaminated needed to be cleansed of any toxic mana urgently, and then receive enormous amounts of healing in order to repair the damage done to their internals.
It just wasn't something a tier four healer was cut out to do.
As for the Bio-mana, Hipprocant had found the stuff to be just as fascinating and rich with possibilities as she'd been led to believe, but it was exceptionally difficult to work with. After consulting with Coolant and Propellant, among other esteemed mage ants of the Colony, she'd shaped her evolution to allow her to better investigate this strange new type of energy and see what she could do with it, the first ant in the Colony to have done so.
Still, she hadn't had much time to work on it. For weeks she'd been running from one hotspot to the next, trying to keep her family members alive while they stubbornly threw themselves into harm's way over and over again. It really had been endless, and a rather harsh awakening to just what the members of her caste had been put through in this stratum.
Now that it was finally over, she was hoping to get more time to conduct research while improving her healing Skills at a less frenetic pace.
"Would… would you get off of me?" she demanded tiredly.
"I'm trying to carry you!" Ascendant laughed. "I swear I can!"
"No you cannot, now let go of my carapace, you're going to hurt yourself."
"Will not!"
"Will so!"
The argument ended with the two of them tussling in the corridor, grabbing and biting at each other while the other ants just stepped around or over them. It wasn't really a fair fight, considering one was a healer and the other a scout, but then it wasn't really a proper fight at all.
"Alright, I won't try and carry you," Ascendant declared in a huff, extricating herself and hovering just off the ground, her wings buzzing loudly. "But you walk so slowly! It'd be faster if I carried you."
"We're only going to eat, what's the rush?" Hippocrant grumped as she picked herself up. "And since when did you wear clothes?"
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"It's a scarf!" Ascendant said, flipping it around her neck. "Isn't it great?"
"It's fine, I suppose."
Perhaps there was some unspoken bond that had been formed while they were still eggs, but Hippocrant found herself feeling strangely comforted by the presence of her bouncy sibling. Even if she found the boundless enthusiasm of her sister somewhat exhausting, and her disregard for personal safety aggravating.
"Now that the wave is ending, do you have any idea where you're going to go?" she asked Ascendant, genuinely curious. "I'll be staying here in the fifth for the time being, I need more time to study Bio-mana and see how it can be used. Do you want to stay down here?"
"I do!" Ascendant declared, then slumped a little in the air, "If they'll let me."
Hippocrant nodded, sharing her sister's frustration. The two of them were still so young, the Colony wanted to look after them and treat them gently, not letting them do anything too risky. She herself may have been in the fifth stratum, but she'd been heavily protected the entire time, not allowed to set a single leg anywhere near the actual fighting.
The two made their way through the fortress to the mess hall and lined up with the rest of the ants, accepting their portion of Biomass in their mandibles and carrying it back to their table. Sitting on the chairs, they ate their meal, consisting of locally sourced Biomass from the fifth, served with increasing frequency to the ants, Hippocrant had found.
"I'm sure they can find somewhere here that you can fight," she said as she munched on the food. "You're fifth tier, surely that's enough to get experience and Levels."
"I may have to ask Solant," Ascendant said, a little unhappily. She was still a bit intimidated by the cold and logical general. Then she brightened. "Or I could speak to the Eldest!"
"The Eldest? I think they're getting ready to go to the sixth. If you want to talk to them, you'd have to do it quickly…" Hippocrant thought. "I suppose if the Eldest said you could stay, then Solant would have to let you…"
It was worth a try. Hippocrant would much rather her sister was somewhere nearby so she could keep a compound eye on her at the minimum. Without someone looking after her, the idiot would probably fly straight into the mouth of a waiting monster without even noticing.
"In fact," she said slowly, "if you're going to go down and see the Eldest, then I'll go with you. My research can wait a little while."
"Oh great! That'll be fun!"
Ascendant had a habit of rapidly pulsing her wings when she was happy, even if she was sitting down. Even when she was in torpor. It wasn't that loud, but it did move a significant amount of air around, causing Hippocrant's antennae to blow wildly around her head.
"Stop that," she grumped, finishing her meal. "You're disturbing the table."
"It's fine," Ascendant said happily, chomping on the last of her Biomass. "I'm inspiring others to take up flying and become my followers."
"You want followers?" Hippocrant asked her.
She personally didn't. She was busy enough as it was and didn't want to waste her time dealing with others following in her footsteps.
"Of course! Flying is fun, and when you do fun things together with your family, they become more fun!"
All Hippocrant could see was a rapid rise in flight-related injuries occurring across the Colony. She sighed.
"More work… great," she muttered.
-x-X-x-
In truth, the invasion of the fifth had been such a colossal investment of resources on the part of the Colony that deficiencies were felt all over our claimed territories. Projects were halted, materials and workers diverted, to the point where the vast majority of the family's output was dedicated solely to this one endeavor.
It's impossible to properly calculate the cost this may have taken. Cities and vast swathes of Dungeon were underinvested in for years as a result, and the family was continually playing catch-up, trying to get back on track to where they had originally planned to be.
Millions of individuals fought in the fifth, but double that number at least were required to fuel the war machine in the other strata, moving hundreds of thousands of tons of material every day through a vast network of gates, tunnels and rails to deliver it to the depths.
Ultimately, it was successful, but even now it can still be argued that it wasn't worth the cost.
- Excerpt from 'Triumph and Tragedy' by Historiant
Solant stood, as she often did, in the centre of her command centre, staring hard at the ever-evolving three-dimensional map that dominated the space. An enormous carving of living stone, it moulded and changed according to the mana inputs used to feed it, all directed by a team of meticulous and dedicated mages.
What she was most fixated on at the moment was the number representing the concentration of mana in the fifth, which was consistently and steadily falling, hour by hour. The wave was finished and the tide was starting to wash out.
As she had anticipated, it had been difficult to hold the line. Too difficult, as it turned out. All in all, the Colony had been forced to abandon ten percent of their territory to the Krath.
Solant hated to lose, hated it, but she was not going to risk losing tens of thousands of her siblings and precious resources when she could take a temporary setback instead. Fortunately, they had only been forced to abandon a single fortress, and hadn't lost any hearts, which meant that retaking what they had lost would be a relatively simple matter. For now, her siblings needed time, time to rest and recuperate, time to repair shattered defenses, time to regather their strength for the push to come.
And it would be the final push, of that she was sure. Word through Merchant's network was spread quickly, of multiple invasions into the fifth already underway. Footholds had been established and, judging by the movement of materials through the fourth stratum, they'd already accelerated their wars on the Krath.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
With so much pressure piling up on the slugs, the Colony would be able to expand and consolidate its holdings.
But it wasn't good to get ahead of herself. Solant refused to allow even a hint of complacency to creep into her thinking. She was a loyal servant of the family.
And she would not lose.
"You're looking unusually determined," Leonidant observed from beside her, causing Solant to turn curiously.
"I don't normally look determined?" she asked.
"No, you always look determined," Leonidant corrected, "but at this moment you look more so than usual. Is something bothering you? Is there a problem I don't know about?"
"No, I am merely determined that we do not succumb to short-sightedness, or allow ourselves to become lax when the finish line is in sight. We've done all the hard work to get to this position, it would be a tragedy to make a misstep at this point."
"I see what you mean," Leonidant mused. "So you're girding yourself to ensure that you are just as diligent at the end of the invasion as you were at the start."
"Twice as diligent," Solant replied with determination. "There cannot be mistakes. So long as we do our work well in this final phase, then we won't have to worry about our position in the fifth for decades to come."
Solant anticipated that territory in the fifth would become hotly contested in the coming years, with many great conflicts occurring after the fall of the Krath. Indeed, the cleansing of the stratum would only be the beginning.
So long as the Colony was able to thoroughly fortify and embed itself, then they would always be the least tempting target. That wasn't to say that they wouldn't be attacked, but hopefully incursions could be kept to a minimum.
"We have a little time before things get busy," Solant said, mainly to herself, "why don't we go down and see what the Eldest has been doing?"
"The Eldest?" Leonidant asked, a little confused. "Are you going to seek their wisdom regarding the coming conflicts? Or perhaps you have something you want to know regarding the exploration of the sixth?"
"Seek their wisdom?" Solant asked blankly. "Ah, no. Not exactly. I've found that it is useful to consult the Eldest at times like this, as they don't seem to think quite like any other ant."
"Neither do you."
"That is true," Solant conceded, "but I am restricted by the bounds of what is rational. The Eldest is not."
"If you say so," Leonidant shrugged. "If we're going to go, then there's no time quite like the present."
"Agreed," Solant said, rising from her seat. "I'll make arrangements for our absence. It shouldn't take too long."
-x-X-x-
Yes. Yessssssssss. Finally, finally, I am free!
I can feel the mana going down. The blazing, potent energy of the wave is receding, slowly, slowly returning to normal. Which means I don't have to sit around on my thorax anymore! No more practising this stupid spell!
I'm sick of it! If I never have to pretend to cast another Singularity, I'll die a happy ant. It's been weeks! WEEKS! Non-stop drills with the very occasional expedition out onto the platform to fight just to stop myself from going crazy.
The improvement has been there, for sure, but that's beside the point. I haven't experienced such soul-crushing monotony and boredom from the moment I was reborn on Pangera. But it's fine, it's fine! I no longer have to stay in this boring chamber, repetitively doing the same, boring mental exercises.
"I'm free!" I declare, doing a six-legged dance to celebrate.
I have to say, despite my size, I can really move when the mood takes me. Tiny's got nothing on my fancy feet!
"To be fair, Great One, you were free all along," Jern says from nearby.
He's sitting on a rock, sharpening that massive axe he carries around. Strange how someone can look like a country boy who builds barns for a living, while also being surrounded with such an air of danger. I've seen what he can do with that axe. I'm not sure what sort of benefits the Templars get from their Class, but Jern has put in some serious work and turned into a rather intimidating fighter.
To be honest, Alis and Bertran have also come a long way. To their credit, they've been fighting and training consistently throughout the wave and done their best to get stronger. In fact, pretty much everyone but me has been getting a lot stronger.
Which is fine. They had some catching up to do considering how far ahead I was. I'm just such a paragon of excellence, how can anyone hope to keep up?
Gweheheheh.
"Look, I could have left, technically, but I wasn't going to abandon Tiny, Crinis and Invidia while they were trying to evolve, and I wasn't going to drag them away from their opportunity."
"Technically being able to leave is the same thing as being able to leave, Great One," Jern says simply, not looking up from the edge of his axe.
Geez, it looks wickedly sharp already, just how much more sharpening can it possibly need?
"Can… can you just call me Anthony? Didn't we have this conversation?"
A copied chapter from NovelPhoenix appears here without the author's consent; the author's posting there supports the creator through readership.
The big man blinks.
"We did, didn't we? Sorry about that. It's easy to forget sometimes. Sitting in the same room as you gets me feeling spiritual for some reason."
"Jern… you are absolutely hopeless."
"Sorry, Great One."
Dammit.
I can't even muster the energy to curse out loud. Trying to talk Jern out of his beliefs is an entirely pointless exercise. If he wasn't so matter of fact about it, I might find it hard to be around him, but even though he thinks I'm so much greater than I really am, he still treats me fairly normally, which is a comfort.
"Who's out on duty at the moment?" I ask him.
"I think Tiny is right now. Crinis and Invidia have been sleeping for the last little while, but I think they'll probably wake up soon. They've been trying to fight a few more hours a day while the spawn rate is still elevated."
Makes sense. All three of them are on the final push to reach their tier eight evolutions, and I'm excited to see how they go. Once they're done, we can drop down into the sixth and wreck the place—I mean explore a bit.
"Oh, Great One, it looks like you have visitors."
Visitors?
"Who the heck is coming all the way down here to say hello?"
We really are in the depths of the stratum here. In the depths of Pangera, truth be told. There's no one from the upper strata down here but us.
And the chal, I suppose.
And the wuffers. Do they count? Maybe.
I turn around to face the entrance, though I don't have to in order to see behind me. It always seems more polite to actually face the person I'm talking to, perhaps that's a hang-up I've held over from my time as a human.
"Well, well, well! Look who we have here. Ascendant, Hippocrant and Demetant. Still looking after these two, are you? Surely they can't have gotten into that much trouble. They've barely hatched!"
"I'm tier five now!" Ascendant huffs, flapping her wings rapidly. They really are rather impressive. As long as her body, they're folded against her back when she isn't using them, which isn't often. Almost translucent and shimmering with some sort of energy, they blur and become almost invisible when she flies, leaving nothing but a blue and greenish tint in the air.
And is she wearing a scarf?
"Tier five, really?"
I lean down to look at them. Well, Ascendant looks a bit bigger, maybe, but Hippocrant is still tiny. Well, she is a healer, I suppose. They tend to be rather small, one of the more intelligent castes of ant, with most of their evolutionary energy going into casting Healing Magic better and replacing their acid glands with regeneration fluid dispensers.
"How were the evolutions? You two have rare cores now?"
"We do," Hippocrant confirms, looking up at me with a little trepidation if I'm not mistaken.
I mean, I am huge and incredible. Also shiny.
"Well now, tier five! Good job, you two! Geez, you weren't even born that long ago. It took me a lot longer to get to tier five, let me tell you. I suppose you've had a lot of help from the family along the way, but you'll need to do a bit more to earn your keep now. Build up your expertise from the ground up, no more shortcuts!"
Demetant gives both of her young charges an encouraging pat on the back.
"That's why we came to talk to you, Eldest. I think these two both want your advice."
Somewhere behind me, Jern laughs, then covers it with a loud cough.
-x-X-x-
Advice? From me? What the heck do I know? Well, I can't exactly say that, can I? The youth of the Colony, two young Champions, no less, have come to me seeking guidance. I can't possibly let them down.
"Well, naturally! I'm a font of wisdom and… other wise things. Just… knowledge… and stuff. A knowledge hose."
I think that metaphor works.
"Are you alright, Jern?"
There's a lot of coughing coming from back there. He's grounded his axe and is leaning over the handle. He holds up a hand and signals he's fine, still coughing loudly. Is there a dust issue in here suddenly?
I refocus on the matter before me. Life advice for two new Champions. If I say something dumb, this could have serious negative consequences for the entire family. Good thing my advice is always excellent.
However… I don't really know all that much about these two, and they're so young. They're barely old enough to know the joys of a good cup of tea with biscuits. Deciding I'd better ask them for a little more information before handing out any pearls, I turn to Ascendant first.
"Well, what are you thinking of doing with yourself? You've gotten bigger and better, got some practice flying and fighting. What do you want to do next?"
Ascendant buzzes her wings for a moment. I can see how that might get annoying for some people, considering the wind she generates, but this room is nice and tidy and it isn't possible for me to get dust in my eye. Well, I can, but my eye is made of an incredibly hard crystal material, so it doesn't bother me.
"I want to stay in the fifth and do more fighting," she tells me after a moment. "I don't want to be too far away from my sister, but I know I need to keep flying and fighting in order to get stronger. So that's what I want to do!"
With a few hops for emphasis, she tells me straightforwardly what she wants, which is refreshing. It's nice to deal with an earnest Champion every now and again. Solant and Brilliant are just so… so schemy.
"Alright, I'll have a think about that," I say, turning to Hippocrant. "And what about you?"
She shrugs.
"I've mostly been healing my siblings down here in the fifth, so I'll probably keep doing that. I also want to study Bio-mana, which I may finally have the time to do now that the wave is over. So I'll probably stick around in the fifth and do some research."
Well… isn't this really easy then? I don't see what's wrong with either of those plans. Hang around in the fifth stratum for a while doing what they do and figuring out how to be the best Champions that they can be? Sure! Why not?
On the NovelPhoenix site, this chapter comes from its author; this copy was reproduced without permission, and the source supports their work.
Before I can pat them on the back and give my blessings, there's another disturbance at the entrance and another group of ants skitters in.
"Wha—Solant? What are you doing here? Aren't you busy at the moment?"
"Senior," the little general greets me as she walks closer, giving a brief nod to the two Champions and a more respectful one to Demetant. "As it turns out, I do have a little window of time before I become truly busy again. With the wave winding down, we can finally rest for a few days, so I thought I'd pay a visit to see how you're doing."
"And what I'm doing?" I guess and Solant nods.
"Yes, that too," she admits.
"At the moment, nothing, which is what I've been doing for the last few weeks," I grump. "Well, your two fellow Champions here came down to get some advice about what they should do next. Apparently they want to stay in the fifth."
Neither Ascendant nor Hippocrant seem all that happy for me to be spilling the beans in front of Solant, looking from me to her and back again. For her part, Solant just cleans her antennae as she contemplates.
"Yes, I can see how that might work," she says smoothly. "I'm sure we can find a place for them in the fifth."
One of these days, Solant is going to work out to just what degree I can read her intentions via the Vestibule. It isn't always easy to single out her thoughts amidst the flood of energy pouring into me, but when she's right in front of me like this, it's fairly straightforward.
I tend not to enjoy reading Solant's thoughts, she's a wily one, and she doesn't think quickly so much as she thinks deeply. Brilliant's mind hops all over the place at the speed of thought, like a hummingbird, always in motion. Solant is more like a large river fish, slow and steady, drifting in the depths. However, at times like this, it proves to be a fruitful exercise.
"Oi, don't make me thwack you," I warn her with a chuckle, flexing one antenna. "If Brilliant can survive it, you probably can too."
Solant eases away from me warily.
"I'm not sure what you mean, Senior," she says.
"Yes you are, don't play games." I bring forward an antenna and prod her with it. As thick as a telephone pole, it can't be pleasant being poked with the thing. "Listen to yourself. 'We can find a place for them'. Who is 'we'? You don't own this stratum any more than I do."
"You put me in charge of the invasion yourself, Senior," Solant points out.
"We aren't talking about the invasion right now. We're talking about two Champions who want to learn and grow in the fifth. That doesn't make them part of the invasion and it sure as heck doesn't put you in charge of them."
I clack my mandibles in irritation.
"Who ever heard of one Champion being in charge of another? The whole idea is absurd! Champions are supposed to independently grow and develop their ideas in order to uniquely contribute to the family. How the heck can they do that with you telling them where to go and what to do?"
"I don't understand," Solant says, sounding genuinely confused. "Haven't I been in charge of Vibrant this entire time?"
I burst out laughing. I laugh so long and so hard my legs go weak and I'm left rolling around on the ground flailing my legs in the air.
"Ohhhh, oh," I say as I recover, "I haven't laughed like that in ages. Thanks, Solant."
-x-X-x-
Chapter 1892 - More Visitors?
"Let them do what they want, I tell the little general, giving a stern warning that is only slightly ruined by the fact I'm still lying on my back. "You can advise them where to go and what to do, but you can't order them. What nonsense. There's only one person in this family who can boss Champions around, and that's me."
Mainly because someone has to point them in the right direction. Also, Brilliant probably would have gotten herself killed if I hadn't stepped in. She really was a pain in the abdomen.
"Fine, fine, I hear you, Senior," Solant says, looking as icy cold and logical as she always does. "Your words have merit. Interfering with the development of a Champion isn't something I should be doing without having your... unique insight."
"Dang right."
I turn back to the two Champions.
"As for you two, I think you've figured out a good plan in the short term. Go learn, grow, try a few things out, don't be afraid to make mistakes, and if you need any help, come and find me. I'll always have time to chat."
"Yippee!" Ascendant says, hopping to the side and enfolding her sister in a big hug. "Did you hear that, Hippocrant?"
"Of course I did. Get off."
"I'm sure I can lift you now. Let me try!"
"No."
These two really are quite friendly with each other, which is unusual. Solant is still quite close with her direct siblings, the ants who were born from the same clutch of eggs, but they are followers first and friends second. These two both being Champions might be the difference, but they seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company, even if Hippocrant is trying to push her sister off her without much success.
That's interesting. Good for them!
"They look like they're having fun, Jern says, smiling.
"Oh? You're over your coughing fit, are you?"
"Yes, Great One."
"Sheesh."
"Well, as for what I'm up to," I say, turning back to face Solant, "I'll be here for a little bit longer until Tiny, Crinis and Invidia have evolved, and then I'll be off to explore the sixth. Quite keen to get started, but there'll be a little while to wait before we get there."
It took me six months to evolve to tier eight. I'm hoping that was just a complication as a result of my entoxification at the hands of the Krath and not a normal thing for a tier eight Mythic to go through. Otherwise I really will go crazy waiting.
"You did well guarding the entrance to the sixth for us during the wave, Senior. Thanks to your efforts, we could deploy only a small garrison here and concentrate our efforts in other areas without having to worry about something unexpected cropping up."
"Oh, I was happy to do it, and it was a great experience for my three friends. I'm glad it was helpful. To be honest, I sat around on my carapace doing not much of anything most of the time. I almost felt lazy. I wasn't!" I hasten to emphasise. "I've been doing special mana training the whole time. It just felt a little lazy because I wasn't fighting."
"I understand, Solant says. "I'll leave you to it, Senior. I'll be here for a few days, so I may as well inspect the garrison and get a report from the fortress commander."
"See you later."
I give Solant a wave as she heads off. It'd be good if she learned to relax a little bit, but then I'm not sure she's capable of it. For better or worse, Solant is always on the job.
"Well, I think you two got what you wanted in the end, didn't you?" I say to the two hatchlings, who've finally managed to disentangle themselves. That is, Hippocrant has finally managed to get Ascendant off her. "If Solant gives you a hard time, make sure you come and see me. I can sort her out for you."
"Thank you, Eldest, Demetant says warmly. "They won't say as much, but I know these two were worried.
"It's fine, it's fine, I wave off her thanks, "it's the least I can do. When I taught Solant, I was pretty hard on her. After you two have grown up some more, I look forward to giving you a hard time as well!"
"That... that won't be necessary, Eldest," Hippocrant says.
"Oh, but it is," I assure her, clacking my mandibles happily. "A little extra motivation and guidance can go a long way to furthering the development of a Champion! I promise I won't throw you into a multi-dimensional mouth."
"Was that likely to happen?" Ascendant asks curiously.
"Not a second time. It might have driven Brilliant a little nuts."
If I'm honest, I don't think it had any impact on the mage at all. She was born crazy. Imagine having the entire Colony trying to hunt you down before you'd even become a pupa! Absurd.
"Have fun out there, I'll talk to you again when I get back from the sixth," I tell the two Champions. "But you're still way too young to be messing around this deep. Stay in the fifth, sure, but close to the top, alright?"
After a few more minutes of chatting, I wave the Champions and Demetant goodbye as they go to rest before they head back up. Every time I see them, I think a little more positively about the two Champions. I think they'll work out just fine.
"A lot of visitors today, Great One,' Jern observes. He's finally put his axe away, apparently satisfied with the edge at last.
"Where were they when I was bored out of my mind?" I grumble. "And we aren't done yet. There's a few more coming. Some expected, some very unexpected."
Jern cocks an eyebrow.
"If you know they're coming, how is it unexpected?"
"Well, I asked Granin, Torrina and Corun to come, so that's very expected, but I didn't ask the other guests, and they've come quite a long way."
"How far?"
"All the way from the third stratum..."