I mean, it’s fine, I guess? If they all die, it’s not like I’m going to be alive anyway, right?
The great bearded one’s silence is not reassuring.
[Why?]
What do you mean why? It’s obvious I’d die attempting to save them! As if it were even possible that the Queen would be killed before me.
[I find it so curious that someone with your history of families would be so attached to what could only loosely be described as a family in this world.]
Loosely described? Don’t be absurd! We’re all related! Heck, most of us are straight-up siblings! And my previous experience might not have been perfect—
[You were abandoned and left to starve to death…]
You bring up the starving thing every time. It might not have been perfect, but I couldn’t have asked for a better family this time around. I get so much trust and support from them. It would be weird if I didn’t try to give it back. Which brings up something else I really wanted to say to you, now that I have the chance.
[Oh? Something you want to say to me?]
Yes. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I thought I should say it in case I don’t get another chance. I uh, suppose I, uh, just wanted to say thanks… I guess. Thanks for letting me be born here, as an ant. I feel like I fit in here, probably better than I ever did on Earth… and it’s been… good. So… thanks.
There’s a moment of silence between us.
[You know, I don’t think anyone has ever thanked me for being born here. Not in the entire history of the System,] the voice muses. [I have to say the experience is a little… odd. You’re welcome? Is that what people say at moments like this?]
I suppose so. Just how out of touch with manners are you?
[Very,] the voice chuckles. [Our time has come to an end, I sense. Good luck until I see you again. Try not to die.]
Well, that’s a cheery thought… to end… on…
The darkness takes me. Once more, my soul returns to my body and then all sensation disappears as I begin to change. My last thought is that I hope I’m not asleep for too long…
20. The Sanctum of Sleep, Part 1
The nameless one idled against the side of a tunnel for a brief moment, checking her surroundings. Activity had been furious within the nest ever since the siege had lifted, and opportunities to enter the Dark Passage had been harder to come across. Thankfully, the Eldest blessed her and the tunnel was, for this brief window of time, empty. She leaned against the deep shadows, ingeniously created by a collection of wrinkles that were so unobtrusive it was hard to even notice them. Even if one were to see, would they ever realise that each centimetre, every angle, was a deliberate choice designed specifically to create this convergence of shadows?
As the pressure increased, there was a small click, followed by a brief sensation of falling before she landed on her feet in a tunnel shrouded in complete shadow. The Dark Passage. A feeling of comfort overtook the nameless one as she was embraced by the darkness. This was the place where she felt most at home. There were no scent trails in the passage, a strange oddity for any place within the nest, but she wasn’t surprised. She reached out with an antenna, seeking along the wall until she found a particular groove, dug in a particular way, that told her just what she needed to know. Now confident, she began to move, her antennae always seeking along the tunnel wall.
Before long, she began to run into others, but they did not greet each other, no scent was exchanged, for such was forbidden. Instead, they ran alongside each other, working together whenever they came across a vile Dungeon spawn infecting the tunnels. The wave had complicated things, but she’d learned of the great work undertaken by the mages to peel back the Dungeon veins. It would only be a matter of time before the same method was applied here; their work was too important to allow for distractions.
As they ran, enshrouded in perfect dark, they came across more tunnels, each bringing more of her siblings into this main branch. Every tunnel was lined with the same enchantment, powered by pure black cores filled with Shadow Mana, the light eaters.
They ran together until finally, the tunnel, which had been growing wider as more branches folded into it, came to a dead end. A wall loomed before them, studded with light eaters to the point it appeared more as a wall of pure shadow rather than stone. Without pause, the nameless one approached and extended her antennae, feeling this, then that, until she found an almost imperceptible indent. The first located, it wasn’t long until she identified the second and pushed against both at the same time. She had to concentrate, if the timing was even slightly off…
Click.
So soft she nearly couldn’t hear it, the mechanical device slotted into place and the wall that blocked the way was suddenly gone, dropped into the floor. What lay beyond was the sacred ground of the order, the Sanctum. Each of her siblings ducked their heads to pay their respects as they crossed the threshold, as she herself did when it came her turn to enter. If anything, the darkness was even more complete in here, not a single speck of light allowed to exist within. There was no scent either, which meant each of the order was required to rely on their other sense, that which marked them apart from the rest of the Colony.
Once inside, she found herself within the antechamber, staffed at all times with several acolytes who stood as still as statues, mimicking the state of torpor as best they could. The nameless one had intelligence to share, so she approached the acolyte of knowledge.
Greetings, Sister. You have wisdom for the Sanctum? the acolyte signed, her antennae performing an intricate dance in the air.
A test? Too obvious. The nameless one had been part of the order since its very foundation.
The Eldest rests, she signed.
Eight hours a day, the acolyte wryly signed back, before both performed the eightfold genuflection.
It was a sacred number, the ideal amount of sleep, as prescribed by the Eldest. It was central to all that the order sought to accomplish.
Yes, Sister, I bring news from the mining shafts.
The acolyte’s antennae twitched in surprise.
I thought the shafts were closed for the time being. They weren’t planned to be reopened for thirty-one hours.
Trust the acolyte of knowledge to have such intricate awareness, it was her role, after all.
Some of the workers have banded together with a team from Vibrant’s army. They have arranged to reopen early, though it is only possible if they agree to work double shifts.
This cannot be borne, the acolyte showed dismay. Without rest, the workers will be sloppy, the soldiers, unable to properly perform their duties. All shall suffer from their greed to work! How dare they shun the wisdom of the Eldest in so blatant a manner. She shook off her irritation. The Sanctum thanks you for this news, Sister. Be welcome and find rest within.
Her task complete, the nameless one backed respectfully away from the acolyte of knowledge, who’d already turned to the acolyte of strategy, and made her way deeper within the Sanctum. Passing through the antechamber, she found the outer training grounds, where new members for the order endured the harsh training necessary to achieve full membership.
At the moment, it appeared as if a fresh induction group was being trained. An acolyte of instruction hung from the ceiling by a single leg, waving her antennae in slow, exaggerated motions, instructing the initiates in the hidden language of the order. Twenty young ants hung from the roof in front of her, each gripping the ceiling with only a single leg. Their weak Grip Skill was evident in their wobbling, and the nameless one knew from experience it was only a matter of time until one fell to the stone floor below.