After our visit to the walls, I was most keen to see the cathedral up close and personal. The largest building in town, a great stone edifice covered in the most wonderful carvings, this place of worship was something that many of us in the big city had already heard of. Indeed, such open heresy is more than a little uncommon in this day and age! I was most eager to witness it for myself!
The fact that this community, these people, had come to revere the ants who saved them, was only natural in a way. A very real and physical presence that protected them in the face of very real and physical danger. What surprised me as we approached the cathedral itself, was the fervour in which the people were dedicated to their devotions.
Emelia’s eyes were practically shining by the time we arrived outside the grand edifice itself, the girl all too happy to explain with great enthusiasm the manner in which the cathedral operated as the spiritual centre of the people’s lives.
I was somewhat surprised to learn that there were no daily devotions. No gatherings in the morning or dusk, or both, as I’ve seen at the Church of the Path. The reason being that the ants the people had gathered to revere did not consider such an activity as ‘work,’ and therefore dismissed it as a waste of time.
I had a hearty chuckle when I heard that! Instead, the cathedral operates all hours of the day and night, its doors open to allow people to visit whenever they are passing by, or might have the time, to offer a prayer or listen to a sermon.
Prominently placed on either side of the grand arch that marked the entrance were two tall speaking stones, shaped ever so cleverly to appear as anthills, I might add. Emelia assured me that no matter the time, two acolytes would be in position, espousing the wisdom of the Great One to the people as they passed by. Even as I watched, small crowds gathered at the feet of the two preachers, who spoke with clear voices and great conviction to their enraptured audience.
I had so many questions!
“Can you give me a sample? A taste, of the wisdom of the Great One?” I asked the dear girl beside me. “What is one thing that is taught here at the cathedral that would be easy for me to understand?”
She thought very seriously on this, her brows furrowed in concentration.
“It is very important,” she began, “to sleep eight hours a day. No matter how busy you are, or how much work you need to get done, if you do not rest, then you will be unable to give your best on the next day. This will weaken the community.”
I couldn’t help but laugh with delight. The look on her face was deathly serious! I have to confess, reader, if I could turn up to a church and get told I needed to sleep more, I’d probably attend with greater regularity!
The speed I can spit out Gravity Bolts is impressing the hell out of me. Like, I can remember how hard it was when I wanted to cast a single one of these suckers, now I can spit them out at a pace of more than one a second! The Mind Constructs display their power! Gwahahahaha!
Even more in my favour, the demons appear to have decided that since the purple bolts of Mana don’t appear to be doing them any harm, they aren’t even bothering to dodge, focusing their attention on the more obviously lethal explosions and lightning being sent their way. Not that I mind.
The more shredded the disc becomes, the more engaged the pride demon in the lead gets, until his face is a twisted mask of pure disgust.
[You will DIE for your INSOLENCE, WORM!]
Oi. There’s only one worm that needs to be destroyed due to its insolence, and it sure isn’t me!
[Big talk from a little demon!] I taunt. [How about you come over here and say that?]
The five demons on the platform appear to take my invitation more literally than it was intended and launch themselves at us at blistering speeds, their claws bared. With a whoop of delight, Tiny smashes both hands into the ground, crushing a section of stone into dust, and launches himself forward, lightning crackling around his torso. In the blink of an eye, he crashes into the assaulting monsters, using his body to block their path and smacking two of them out of the air with punches so fast I can’t even see them.
The crew of demons are a mixed bunch. The pride demon in the lead is followed by two beefier models, and two others who are clearly more of a caster variety, judging by the lack of skin on their bones. I mean, Invidia is very small, but he has extremely little in the way of bones and muscle mass, which are apparently not what you want to be stuffing into your pocket dimension. Brain matter? All good. Biceps? Not so much.
By all accounts, this appears to be a balanced group of demons, on their way to take part in some sort of war? I’ll have to ask Al what it’s all about when we’re done here.
As Tiny is set upon, the grinning ape being torn into by his five opponents, Crinis rises from the depths, her tentacles snaking out to grasp the demons around their limbs, the horrific buzzing of her barbs rising in the air. The pride demon in particular appears offended by this turn of events, hacking off the limb that grasped him and trying to leap into the air to create some distance.
Unfortunately, he’s just too heavy.
125. Yes, I Know That’s not how Gravity Works
After being hit with literally dozens of Gravity Bolts, the pride demon’s powerful leap takes him practically nowhere, dragged back down to the ground by his own mass. How do you like that, fool! Smoked by the power of gravity! Man, I cannot wait to get my hands on that gravity Skill!
Having had my fill of throwing spells, I Charge, Dashing toward our foes, my legs a blur. Unhappy with the treatment her tentacles were given, Crinis is already unwinding more, snaking them through the air on a collision course with the pride demon as the confused monster tries to understand why he can’t move the way he wants.
Behind him, one of his allies, a strangely serpentine demon, raises itself up, a powerful aura of Healing Magic gathering around it.
“Exterminate the healer! Rapid take down protocol!”
I’m so surprised to hear the pheromones that my grand Charge almost collapses on itself as my legs come within a hair’s breadth of tangling against each other. I manage to correct it in time, and hopefully nobody noticed. From thin air, Protectant appears already descending upon the snakish demon, along with six of her fellow bodyguards. Before the poor creature can even complete casting the potent healing spell, the seven ants rip into it, their combined weight driving the monster to the ground where it’s finished by their mandibles.
A moment later, the ants are gone, leaving behind nothing but Biomass.
That was… different.
In another second, I collide with the pride demon, the force of my Charge ripping the monster from Crinis’ grip and sending him a few metres away, sprawling in the searing stone of the third stratum. Hundreds of little infant demons skitter out of the way as I advance on him, my mandibles gnashing. Behind me, Tiny and Invidia continue to rip into the remaining opponents, the combination of the big ape’s awe-inspiring offence and the envy demon’s perfect support magic—and explosions—being far too much for even their tier six foes to deal with.
My mental constructs do not cease their work, spinning together a dizzying barrage of Mind Magic packets to fire across the bridge my opponent so foolishly didn’t cut off when he had the chance.