[And why would she help you?] the Keeper grumps.
[Because you’d be dead if I wasn’t here?]
There isn’t much he can say to that. Still bristling with anger, the Grove Keeper turns toward the bushes and engages in another rustling session with them before he turns back to me.
[Mother is most displeased at her roots being disturbed. What is your question?]
[The Dungeon is preventing me from moving through the gate. Does she have any idea what that might be about?]
[Hmmm. The Dungeon, you say?]
[It sounds crazy, I get it. Talk to the tree, would you?]
I’m being a little rude, but to be honest, the inability to walk where I want to walk is freaking me out more than I’m letting on. Not being able to go back up a stratum is one thing, I kind of expected that to happen as I kept evolving, but this constant tug dragging me downward is something else entirely. Now that I’m aware of it, I’m starting to think it’s been there for quite a while and I just wasn’t conscious of it. Ew, that’s weirding me out. I have to wonder why it’s so much stronger now than before, has something changed? In fact, when was the last time I travelled up a stratum?
This could also explain why I was so eager and reckless when it came to descending.
[Mother has some understanding of what you refer to,] the Keeper sounds just as surprised as I am at the answer we get back. [The Call. She says that many monsters have felt it at one time or another, even Mother, for a brief time. She believes that any monster with the potential to become the final Ancient is called to the depths to take up the mantle.]
Are you serious? Does this mean the Dungeon itself has acknowledged me or something? I don’t want it, the Dungeon can get stuffed!
[She experienced it herself? But doesn’t now? What made it go away?]
This is an important point.
[She believes that when she evolved to her current form, sacrificing much of her potential to be able to create us, her children, she no longer qualified.]
[Then if I take on some useless options during an evolution, I won’t have to put up with this?]
[Hmmm. Useless?]
[Ah! Sorry, poor phrasing. You know what I meant! Useless in the ‘becoming an Ancient’ sense. I like you branchies, always have, honest!]
The Keeper gives me a long look before he confers further with his mother.
[She has said all she wishes to say on this matter. Please refrain from attacking her any further.]
[That was totally a mix-up!]
I slap Crinis’ tentacles down with an antenna as they start to extend past me to throttle the Keeper as he turns to walk away.
[Ha-ha! Friends, am I right!]
I pause.
[Crinis! What the hell?]
[…He was being rude.]
[You weren’t connected, there’s no way you could know if that was true.]
[I could tell.]
Ah… I can’t deal with this right now. Actually, didn’t Garralosh mention something about a pull or call? Was this what drove her over the edge as she spent all that time locked in the first stratum? Holy moly, that’s horrible. Doesn’t forgive what she did, obviously, but having this damn hook yanking at my guts for decades would be enough to make me crazy too.
Gah! I need more information. I have to know what’s going on, if it can be subverted or overcome. If the Colony needs my help in the third, I’m supposed to just sit here and do nothing? Ridiculous! But who can I talk to?
Granin. He has to know something, surely. He’s the most informed when it comes to Ancient stuff. If I can get back to the third, I can track him down, or put out a call and get him to come here.
Wait a second. I’ve got an idea.
[Alright. This might sound a little weird, but listen in, guys. Tiny, Crinis, I want you two to pick me up and throw me through the gate.]
Crinis freezes on my back whilst Tiny just looks confused.
[Look, I can’t walk through the gate, so I need another way to get through. Invidia, use forcefields to bind me up so I can’t bite or move my legs, then you two pick me up and toss me through.]
[Master, I can’t do that!]
Crinis is appalled.
Tiny, on the other hand, is grinning widely and flexing his hands.
This might have been a poor idea.
121. Origins of the Call
I’m not sure what anyone on the other side of the gate was expecting to see, but catching a glimpse of ‘the Eldest’ as I soar gracelessly through the air probably wasn’t it. After I hit the ground, I roll several times, legs flailing wildly as I try to slow my momentum.
Dammit, Tiny! Was it really necessary to put that much arm into it? That lousy ape piffed me like a baseball. Just how strong is that idiot? I weigh multiple tons at this point!
As I finally get my legs under me and manage to slow my roll, I can see many ants standing guard around the gate boggling at me. I wave shakily with one antenna.
“H-hello, all. Nice to see you again.”
And then the hooks in my soul decide to make themselves known.
HAK! Holy moly! That suuuuuucks…
Tormented by the sudden intensification of the drag, I flop onto my back and flail at the air. It hurts! Great googly-moogly that stings! I feel like a fish with a shark hook lodged in my guts. It’s deeply unpleasant on a level I cannot hope to communicate.
Heedless of the damage my dignity suffers, I thrash my legs like a poisoned spider and shudder in agony. Without realising it, I’ve actually started to drag myself back toward the gate. Is this what Garralosh put up with for all those years? HOW?! It’s not possible, no way.
[Master, are you alright?] Crinis asks, her voice thick with concern once she rushes through the gate.
[No!] I yell. [Not okay! Not close to okay!]
[Should we take you back to the other side?] she asks.
[Yes! NO! Just give me a minute here… ugh.]
Tiny stomps through the gate and, seeing the situation, rumbles over and mimes picking me up again.
[No, don’t throw me again, you idiot! Just… don’t let me crawl over to the gate. Alright?]
The big ape nods, though he looks slightly disappointed. You enjoyed throwing me that much, eh? I silently endure the horrific and persistent tugging on my soul until it eventually becomes something close to bearable. Honestly, it’s worse than walking around with an inflated core. It’s a pain I can’t adequately describe. If it’s like this on the third stratum, I can’t even imagine how I’d feel going back to the second.
This sucks! There are still monsters on the third that are a higher tier than me! I refuse to believe they all trundle around enduring this sort of agony! In fact, aren’t there tier eight demons beneath me right now? How are they exempt from this when I’m not? According to the Tree, this sensation supposedly means I’m ‘qualified’ or have the ‘potential’ to become the final Ancient, which means all these other monsters who are stronger than me don’t possess that?
It’s flattering to have my awesomeness acknowledged, I just wish that appreciation manifested in a different form.
Once I’m up and walking, I head away from the gate and toward Roklu. If I’m going to find Granin, I’m likely to find him there. Increasing the distance from the gate is met with a corresponding increase in the yanking from the Dungeon, but I grit my mandibles and try to endure it. This is seriously awful. I don’t think I’ll be able to last up here all that long unless I find a better way to cope with it. Once I evolve, will it get worse? Or can I mitigate it in some way?