Sarah was confused. [I thought you wanted to fight for every inch of ground, wear the golgari down. Has that changed?]
[We have worn them down,] Coolant told her. [In no small part thanks to you, we have been able to force them to pay a high price for advancing. There are many circumstances that led to this decision being made.]
[Like what?] Having been so ready to throw herself back into the fight, Sarah was keen to understand the change.
[The Mana is rising in the tunnels. The spawn rates of the shadow creatures are rising. Extending our supply lines outside the nest is becoming more difficult and it is necessary to withdraw soldiers to defend the young. And if it is difficult for the colony, with all our numbers, to hold off the beasts…]
[It’s worse for the golgari…]
[Just so. We anticipate there will be another wave before too long. Though, exactly when is not something we can guess. If we are able to repel the enemy at the gates, then our hope is that they will be forced to retreat when the Dungeon becomes too dangerous.]
Slowly, Sarah and Jim began to understand what this meant to the ants.
[The time for the final stand is fast approaching,] Coolant confirmed. [We will live or die based on the events of the next few days. Keep in mind, Sarah and Jim, you are friends of the colony, but you are not compelled to fight. The battle will be fierce at the gates, so think carefully whether you want to fight. None will think less of you if you choose to sit out.]
The ant spoke to both of them, but all present understood it was to the great bear that her message was intended. Sarah wanted to reply immediately, but felt her thoughts constrict unexpectedly. Before she could force herself to agree, Coolant had vanished.
Had she been less distracted, she would have noticed the council member being dragged away by a team of ants as she struggled for freedom. With the liaison gone, she had little choice but to join the trail as they made their way back to the nest.
118. Under the Sea
When the order came to pull back to the nest, I honestly couldn’t say if I was unhappy or relieved. We’d battled these stupid Legion punks for every inch of ground. Thousands of colony members had died. Now we were just supposed to hand over the last five kilometres of tunnel for free? As a gift? Were we rolling out the red carpet for these killers?
I know that’s not the intention, but it still rankles me. On the other hand, I’m freakin’ tired. Exhausted even. I haven’t enjoyed proper torpor in so long, I swear I’ve sensed Protectant and her gang grouping up to try and drag me away. My body might feel young and sprightly, filled to bursting with the energy the colony supplies, but my mind is spongy and bruised. I need sleep! I need release from this endless war of attrition.
It’s with these mixed feelings that I finally make my return to the main nest. Each of the three nests are expected to be hit in the upcoming siege, but this is still the centre of the colony’s strength, and despite not being asked to, I want to position myself here where the fighting is going to be hottest.
As the massive trail of thousands of ants winds toward home, it’s hard not to take notice of how freaking cold it is. Ants aren’t the best when it comes to dealing with low temperatures, and I can tell the soldiers are struggling somewhat to deal with it. The sea of shadows has grown thicker over the last few days, the oppressive darkness and freezing cold are pressing down on us ever more viciously.
It’s obvious another wave is coming. Possibly worse than the first. This deep down, we’re sure to run into significant numbers of third stratum monsters as they rise, possibly even the fourth. Where the last wave turned into an opportunity for us, this one may be a great trial. Should we survive our current predicament, we’ll be thrust right into a fresh onslaught. Even so, I find it hard to believe the colony will falter. My new family has never let me down.
Plenty of time to worry about the future when it happens, right now I need to take a comprehensive look at my situation. Fighting against the Legion is certainly good for Skills, I can’t complain about that much. I’ve experienced growth in a lot of areas, particularly in those I’ve been using repeatedly. My mental Skills, along with my targeting have grown by leaps and bounds, as well as solid improvements in my magic.
My stockpile of Biomass hasn’t grown by as much as I would like, opportunities for hunting have been nil for a long time. The colony did keep us well-fed over the course of the battles, but not enough to significantly increase what I’d stashed away before the Legion arrived. Still, there’ll be room for a few final mutations before the last battle heats up.
As I busy myself poring over my Skill list and wondering which of my organs and body parts I should mutate next, the convoy rolls ever forward until finally we reach the gates of the nest.
If I thought things were ostentatious and overdone before, the carvers have taken things to an entirely new level. The tunnel bristles like a porcupine on a bad hair day with reinforced steel spikes. There are ambush and firing tunnels every few metres, peppering the roof of the tunnel. Even the slope moving toward the gate has been changed to a steep downward grade, forcing the enemy to march uphill. The massive steel doors themselves are now packed so full of enchantments and cores I can practically feel them vibrate in place.
This is just the outer gate! The inner one is surely even more ridiculous.
It is.
The carvers have not been slacking whilst the other castes have been fighting. I’m impressed as hell. The vats full of acid ready to tip on the enemy are the cherry on top of a spectacularly deadly cake. If the Legion tries to approach through the front door, they’re in for a very bad time. Hopefully, the colony has considered what to do in the event that the enemy decides to tunnel around our defences. Magically condensed stone is wonderful and all that, but it can be beaten. We’ve done it ourselves.
Just as I make my way into the nest proper, I spy a few unexpected faces before I can slither away to work on my mutations.
[Enid,] I say. [Imagine seeing you here. And in such good company…]
I pointedly try to avoid looking at the thirty robed figures who crashed down to their knees the moment I appeared. The mayor rolls her eyes discreetly and replies.
[I think you’re going to be more than a little surprised when you realise just what’s happened up there. I don’t think even you could have predicted this.]
[Predicted what?]
Rather than answer, Enid just smiles and gestures toward the foremost robed figure, one conspicuously missing an arm. Dammit. Somehow, I know this is going to be annoying.
[Beyn, if you yell at me, I swear I will banish you from the colony for all time. Try to keep it down and tell me what is going on here.]
The threat works a treat and I see a naked fear take root in the priest’s eyes. For once, he actually hesitates before blasting my mind with his thoughts.
[Great One. A new miracle has occurred. My fellow faithful have been blessed with a unique Cass by the System that will allow the people of the surface to fight alongside their saviours. So we have come—]
[Hell no.]
He stares at me. I stare unblinking back at him.
[Do you have any idea what the Legion would do to you people? It’ll be a massacre. No way.] I turn to Enid. [Tell him how stupid this is, Enid. Unless this new Class of theirs allows them to shoot beams of pure destruction from their butts or something, there’s no chance they’ll be able to stand against the Legion.]
[Why the butt?] Enid wonders.
[I was born shooting acid from back there, alright? Don’t judge me. Now explain to this moronic priest why he’s such a moron.]