A smile creased the wooden face of the Keeper as these new children of the Mother were born. It wouldn’t be long now until they emerged, fully formed and ready to become the vessels of her anger. He raised one hand and blessed their growth, those natural energies flowing out from him and infusing the growing forms. The bruan’chii were coming.
In the Legion camp…
Titus leaned against the table and examined the various scout reports laid out atop it.
“An enchanted gate made of steel?” he asked.
“That’s right,” Aurillia replied.
“Twenty tons?”
“At least.”
“The same at the other identified nests?”
“Yes.”
He raised one hand to pinch his brow.
“They’ve developed so fast…”
“Good thing we’re here then.”
He leaned back. “With the irregulars who’ve arrived, we should be able to succeed on a full frontal assault of the gate, but I’m worried about the no doubt hundreds of traps they’ve woven into the place.”
“Ants are industrious, who’d have thought?”
Titus only grunted, too focused to even make a pretence of laughing.
“Has the siege team had any luck identifying weak points in the stone?” he asked.
The report from the Earth Magic specialists was already on the table and he’d read it twice, but he asked anyway.
“None of it is especially hard, but none of it is soft either. We could tunnel through easily enough, but the diggers are reluctant to drill into an ant nest. They’ll know it’s happening immediately and move to counter us.”
The fact this colony of ants was already capable of causing even a slight headache to his admittedly fresh Legion was a problem. If they were given a year? Or five? It would take a hefty mobilisation of forces and the number of casualties would be high. Better to strike decisively now, nip the problem in the bud.
“Looks like I’ll have to frontline myself,” Titus said.
“You’ve explored every other avenue, Commander.”
The Abyssal Legion did not like to let their high-Level members take centre stage when they didn’t have to. Whereas some armies would let Level seventy elites shepherd and protect rookies through hard battles, the Legion preferred to trust their training and equipment and push the new Legionaries into combat. Expecting that Titus would step in and solve every issue, fight every battle when it got hard, would only stifle the growth of the soldiers, letting them embrace a security blanket that wouldn’t always be there. They wanted smart, powerful Legionaries, not cowards.
Given the pressure they were under in this conflict, both timewise and in a lack of personnel, it was permitted that Titus take the field. To prevent the numerous casualties it would take to assault the gate, it was more than acceptable that he bear the responsibility of destroying it himself.
The commander stood from the table and rolled his shoulders as he took a deep breath. The Mana was rising steadily. There wasn’t much time left until the wave, another reason why he needed to act fast. Mana stirred in his bones as he breathed in again. How long had it been since he’d needed to fight hard? Not since Garralosh had gotten away from him, and even then, he’d been hampered by the lack of Mana in the first stratum. The current level of ambient Mana was just enough for him to really cut loose.
Almost enough to make him smile. His last campaign in the sixth layer was so long ago now. Did he even still have the moves?
In the golgari camp…
Kooranon Balta knelt on the stone, his blade standing straight before him, the tip balanced perfectly on the flat ground. As he’d been taught so long ago, he focused his entire being on the sword, his mind and soul, seeking resonance with the blade. It was believed amongst the Blades in the golgari that the precious weapons they wielded, formed and shaped from the Living Stone to fit their wielders over a period of years, were living creatures. The stone itself was alive, certainly, but more than that, the swords could develop and grow a personality of their own.
It was to connect with that gestalt being that the High Blade now sought to do, but it was elusive. Sometimes, for a fleeting moment, he would sense a response from the weapon as it reached to him, but then it would be gone, lost as if it had never been.
After another hour, he relaxed his stance and withdrew the blade from the ground before he cleaned it meticulously. As he nourished it with Mana, he felt the blade quiver in delight as it fed before it once more became inert. Kooranon was not discouraged, he knew of High Blades who’d sought and nourished their blades for hundreds of years who only received fleeting acknowledgement from their weapons. Even so, the pursuit of oneness with the blade was well worth the price.
After a moment to centre himself, he sheathed the blade with care and turned to find his attendant waiting in the same place as when he’d begun his communion.
“Prepare the camp,” he ordered. “It’s time.”
120. What’s it Take to Get Biomass Around Here?
Turns out food gets scarce during a siege. I know for a fact the colony created a massive stockpile in preparation for this. Like, a mountain of Biomass, packed up and ready to go. Problem is, almost all of that is being delivered to the Queens to ensure the colony’s brood production doesn’t flinch from the daily maximum, even during a period when we can’t easily hunt.
I get it. I do. The brood comes before all, obviously. We’re ants after all. But dammit… I’m hungry!
There’s a nudge at the edge of my attention and I turn to see Tiny staring at me with wide, pitiful eyes.
I shift my head side to side and two huge tears begin to well up within the ape’s eyes.
[I know, buddy. It’s going to be rough for a little while, but we can survive. We’re going to get through this together.]
Tiny reaches out to me with one shaking hand and places it against my carapace as if trying to draw strength through it.
[In times like this, we can only depend on each other. We’ve been together through the times of plenty. We can fight it out together in the lean times as well. If you don’t believe in yourself, Tiny, believe in me who believes in you. There is power in you yet. Your race is not yet run. Conquer the hunger!]
Chomp.
What… What was that?
Tiny’s hand has now grasped my leg, which he’s raised to his mouth.
[Did you just try and bite me?]
Silence.
[Tiny…] I focus on him dangerously as he begins to sweat through his fur. [If you’re attempting to eat me right now, I’m going to hand you over to Crinis for punishment. Now take my leg out of your mouth.]
He does.
[Ah! You got slobber all over it! I can’t believe I have to say this, but from this point forward, you are ordered to never eat me!]
Stupid ape!
“Eldest, how are your preparations going?”
AH!
“Nothing weird is happening here, Advant! Nothing! My dignity hasn’t been impacted in the slightest! And if you ask your babysitter squad, they’ll tell you the same!”
When saying the last part, I raise my abdomen high to threaten the ceiling of our chamber with a judicious acid spray to ensure Protectant and her squad get the message. Imagine the colony finding out that one of my own pets tried to eat me while I comforted them for a lack of food. The shame.
“Of course, eldest,” Advant brushes it off. “I was just wondering how you were doing making your final preparations. The council meets in a few hours, and we need you to be there.”