[Well, the cardinals were unsure whether the burden of cost for using the gate would be—]
[I will waive the cost,] Grokus forced out. [Quite the tempting offer, wouldn’t you say?]
Even now, with a rain of ant acid dropping on his city, the massive demon was still trying to hold onto every scrap of advantage he could. If Alir didn’t detest the games and petty manoeuvring of demons so much, he might have found it impressive. Instead, he felt it was a pathetic show of false strength.
[Grokus. I know what has happened with Orpule. Right now, their forces are streaming toward this city, and on top of that, you have an invasion from above to deal with. Your rule is hanging by a thread, and you come to me asking that the faithful deal with your problem like you’re doing us a favour?]
[The ants are weak,] Grokus waved a hand. [You could sweep half of them from the city yourself. There are thousands of them coming, I can sense them already. Such a wealth in cores and… subjects you could extract from, would be nothing but a boon to you, don’t you agree?]
[Right,] Alir grunted, noncommittally. [Except that I have a little information on these particular insects. Fascinating what can trickle down the grape vine if you squeeze it hard enough. They may not be quite as simple to deal with as you imagine.]
Still seated atop his throne, Grokus guffawed, the mouth split across his belly spraying drool over the courtyard.
[Pathetic monsters of the first stratum? Surely, you do not fear them? You really think they stand a chance against demons?]
Superiority between monsters was an idiotic concept as far as Alir was concerned, none were better than any others, they were all simply kindling. The only difference was how fast they burned.
[They have earned the respect of the Legion, and anything the Legion respects is something I fear,] he said.
That gave Grokus pause. The Abyssal Legion had swept through the third stratum once during his lifetime, leaving death and destruction in their wake wherever they tread.
[You cannot be serious…]
Grokus looked up at the four ropes descending from far above, each already bristling with ants marching down, spraying acid as they went. He was supposed to fear… them?
[The church has decided not to involve themselves in this matter. In fact, they have decided to recall all the faithful from Roklu. You are a sinking ship, Grokus. We are getting off.]
The city lord was stunned.
[Wh—H—Do you really think you can get away with this!] he raged. [You think I’ll just allow you to walk out of my city and through the gate?]
[No. Which is why we installed our own gate within the temple,] Alir sneered as he stood from his chair. He’d delayed long enough, he was now alone within the temple, everyone else had already escaped. [Die well, Grokus.]
With that final word, he broke the bridge that connected him to the enraged lord and stepped through the gate, a wry smile on his face.
Next to the pillar, Grokus was infuriated. With a sweep of one massive arm, he shattered a score of statues that had been erected around his garden, scattering the pieces far and wide.
Betrayed by a filthy human? That damned bite-sized larva! In the depths of his rage, a cold, calculated logic settled on the gigantic demon. If he were to survive this situation, then there was only one way he would manage it. He had to rally the demons of his city and fight his way out. The ants first, then the demon raid. He would either rise and stand victorious to gorge on the fallen, or he himself would become food, fuel for others’ growth.
With a mighty heave, he shoved with his legs and raised his ponderous bulk off the ground.
136. Confronting our Demons, Part 1
My tour through Renewal had been just wonderful, but it was only a portion, merely half of the equation when it came to this remarkable place. The people I met were delightful, open, and friendly folks who had pieced their lives back together after an unspeakable tragedy. I can’t speak highly enough of them, really. On the other hand, I was yet to unravel the true mystery, that of the ants!
I was somewhat shocked to learn just how open the insect monsters were to people. I’m honestly not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t what I found! When news of this strange place, where monster and human worked together in harmony, first reached me, I pictured savage cultists feeding their children to the monsters to ensure their cooperation, or something equally horrible. Instead, the people were just lovely, and the insects?
Well, that’s a story of itself now, isn’t it?
After completing the tour, I approached our guide, Emilia Cretherton, and asked what the chances were of gaining some access to the Colony. I was halfway to offering a bribe before the bright girl smiled widely and praised my bravery.
“Most people are a little hesitant to approach the Colony at first,” she assured me as she took me by the arm. “But they’re quite lovely, really. The hill is this way.”
I don’t think it’s ever been this easy to talk my way into a dangerous place!
My two guards were far from pleased when they learned of our destination, but the strapping lads had been paid well, and Emilia was quick to assert that no danger would come to us. After all, had any of the ants posed a threat to us thus far? Clearly not!
So persuaded, we made our way to the outskirts of the city. Already, I could see the massive anthill we’d spied from the air peeking at us between the buildings. As we walked, the human traffic didn’t diminish, but rather thickened, as well as an increase in the number of ants moving to-and-fro.
Eventually, we made our way out of the large gate on the western side of town, and the second we were through, it loomed over us like a mountain. It’s ridiculous to call it an ‘anthill,’ such a word doesn’t do justice to what was before me. It’s a castle! It’s a fortress! A palace! An undeniable mountain!
So large, it must stretch hundreds of metres into the air, if not a kilometre. The entire thing is formed of gleaming, polished rock that shimmers, revealing its reinforced and condensed nature. A wide road has been built between Renewal and the hill, expertly constructed and lined on both sides with imposing statues of ants carved in such loving detail that each one appears almost lifelike. For a moment, I actually thought they WERE alive, just preternaturally still, but a quick question to Emilia relaxed my nerves.
She laughed as she gestured to the mighty edifice that rose before us.
“This is the first anthill the Colony established after fleeing Liria during a wave. It was here they took their stand and the Great One defeated Garralosh, ending her rampage and slaughter once and for all. The Colony doesn’t name their nests, as such, they have a unique identifying scent, but that doesn’t really translate into a name. For our part, we call this Anthome. Be welcome.”
The moment I set foot in the city, a flood of sensory information flows in, threatening to dazzle me with its intensity. Teams of ants are roaming everywhere, pouncing on any demon who shows any sign of resistance. Through the Vestibule, I learn there are two main pockets of resistance to be found, both of them unsurprisingly centred around the two tier seven demons remaining. It’s an easy bet that Grokus himself is fighting close to the pillar near his palace. I can sense a huge concentration of ants in that direction, whereas the other clump is likely to be where Mongo had holed up.