Elsewhere in the colony…
“Surely, the fire mages will cause the most damage!” Propellant declared.
“Nonsense!” Coolant refuted coolly. “The Water Mages will wash away the stain of the invaders by the hundreds. If not thousands. I struggle to see how your hot-headed members will keep up.”
“Bah! You really think the enemy is going to be scared off by getting DAMP? My Mage ants will be causing explosions, not hosing the enemy down. Are you trying to hurt them or clean them?”
The two council members continued to bicker as their fellow caste members rested within the chamber. Soldiers patrolled the space, as this chamber was below ground level, a deliberate choice in order to afford the mages a chance to refill their cores and Magic Affinity glands.
A curious phenomenon had been observed by the colony as the numbers of the Mage ants continued to swell in the build-up to the battle. Of the four base elements that were the cheapest and easiest to train, the vast majority eschewed earth and air, following their elders into either fire or water. A mild rivalry between the two camps had appeared immediately.
“Do you think the open field will have an impact on the result?” Coolant mused.
“You mean, as opposed to fighting in the Dungeon tunnels?” Propellant queried, her earlier ire vanished as if it had never been.
“Right. I’ve been thinking about the impact of the more open space on our respective elements’ spell selection.”
“Any particular construct you have in mind? I can’t imagine the bolt spell will be much less applicable in the open than it is in a tunnel…”
“I think it will be more useful due to the increased range. But no, I was thinking of the domain spells.”
Propellants eyes lit up. “Do you mean, using them in an offensive capacity?”
“Quite.”
“Ho! Ho! That does sound interesting. Have you calculated the Mana expenditure against the expected damage inflicted?”
“The numbers appear to be very promising.”
“Surely, the fire barrier outperforms water in this capacity.”
“It does enjoy a slight edge…”
“Ha! Do you think we’ll be able to work it into our tactics before the battle starts?’
“Depends on how long we have after the imposed rest period ends and the call to deploy comes from the scouts.”
“Hmm. It’s going to be tight.”
The two Mage ants fell into contemplative silence as they pondered on the possible timelines they might be confronted with in testing and utilising this possible new tactic.
“You know,” Propellant spoke slowly, her mind still occupied with the problem of timing. “After this battle is done, we, Mage ants, will be hailed as the heroes of the colony.”
“Naturally,” Coolant said absently. “We should already be seen as such, really. The battle will merely establish in the others’ minds what we already know.”
“Our resource allocation should double at least.”
“Triple, I should think.”
“What we could do with triple the resources…”
In the minds of both members of the twenty, a glorious future began to unfold. The colony would be reborn. At the pinnacle of the new structure would be the Mage Ant! Given priority for cores, Biomass and the best assignments, the Mage caste would lead the colony into the future, every other caste subsumed into serving their more capable siblings.
After all, isn’t the eldest primarily a Mage ant?
The two Mages continued to imagine the incredible future that awaited them, neither one considering for a moment that they might lose the fight.
124. The Approaching Tide
In the distance, a rising tide of fangs, claws and flesh approached. When Morrelia squinted, she could make out the individual forms of the monsters as they undulated across the land and between the trees. There didn’t seem to be an end to the horde. They spread. Like water pooling over the floor from a spilled cup, until they filled the space in front of her.
It wouldn’t be long until they lapped up against the fortifications the villagers erected and the battle would begin in earnest.
“I’m still not certain we shoulda put ourselves so close to our neighbours,” Isaac muttered.
Morrelia rolled her eyes. “You spent several days with their leader and came home just fine. Do you really think they’re going to eat us?”
The former guard shifted uncomfortably. “I’m jus’ sayin’, we might want to be on our guard once the fightin’ is done. Maybe we look appetising at that point.”
“If we live to see the end of this battle, there’ll be tens of thousands of dead monsters right over there. I don’t think they’ll need to turn on us for food,” Morrelia pointed out before turning her back on the man.
Despite his experience in the field with Anthony, he still had difficulty overcoming his instincts to distrust monsters.
Not that he’s entirely wrong about that.
Morrelia couldn’t be entirely sure why she wasn’t afraid of the colony of strange ants or their stranger spokes… ant. She just, wasn’t. She was cautious, always cautious, but not afraid. Perhaps she was just losing her edge. More likely, grabbing onto whatever piece of debris she could reach after a tsunami had washed the nation of her birth away.
“How much longer until they arrive?” Enid asked, walking up behind them.
Morrelia faced the leader of the human village and nodded respectfully. Enid may never have been a soldier, but she had Morrelia’s respect for her attitude and grit alone.
“Should be less than an hour before the main body of the horde reaches us. Could be a lot less if they decide to pick up the pace as they reach the final stretch.”
Enid frowned as she looked over the edge of the dirt wall at the monsters. Morrelia choked back a laugh as she watched the older woman. Enid looked as if she were staring at a dog that had spread mud on her carpet, rather than a slavering mass of Dungeon monsters the likes of which the surface hadn’t seen in thousands of years.
“I suppose we’ll have to get our people in position then. Is everyone ready?” Enid sighed.
“Ready as they’ll ever be, ma’am,” Isaac chipped in, flashing a broad smile.
The man had been on the charm offensive the moment he’d met Enid. If the age difference were any less severe, Morrelia would have suspected him of ulterior motives. As it was, she believed he was simply accustomed to greasing the wheels of leadership whenever he could. A vital Skill for a guardsmen, she was sure.
“I’ll go ready the troops,” Morrelia grunted before she leapt down from the rampart and jogged toward the shaded area the villagers were resting in.
She was decked out in her full fighting gear and the boiled leather gave her an intimidating air that was only heightened by the plethora of weapons gracing her form. Her bow, dual blades, knives strapped to her forearms and sheathed in her boots. Morrelia was ready for war.
The troops in this case were lying flat on their backs, many of them asleep, resting in the shade spread by nearby trees. Looking at their tired faces, Morrelia mentally kicked herself. She had to continuously remind herself she wasn’t dealing with professional soldiers, trainees or mercenaries, but determined village people. They were farmers, traders and craftspeople. Most of them hadn’t held a blade until the current crisis.
But they were willing. By the Legion, they were willing. When she beat them down, they stood up. When she drilled them to exhaustion, they wanted more. When the monsters charged, they charged right back.