The moment there’s a hole in the line, the ants start to pour through it, wrapping around the demons on either side with expert precision. Sarah, of course, is rather oblivious to the trouble and simply rushes on, trying to catch the opponents who are now fleeing from her. With the battle on the verge of being won by the Colony, there’s little point in holding back anymore, and I reach out with my senses, trying to grasp hold of Brixin and her allies the moment they reveal themselves.
Which turns out to be now. From high above, a dense sphere of mana forms, crushing in on itself until it glows bright in my minds like a star. Almost as soon as it appears, it begins to drop, rocketing toward the clustered ants on the edge of the plate.
Aha! They wanted to annihilate us from above as we were cramped and vulnerable. If only we hadn’t been able to anticipate such an obvious move!
“SHIELDS UP!” comes the call that rattles the antennae of every ant in the city.
Dozens of mages leap to the task of weaving barriers above whilst they simultaneously reach out to try and snuff the incoming ball of condensed mana. Each of my mind constructs is bent to the task, having dropped the domain the moment it wasn’t needed, spinning shields and tearing chunks out of the spell above us with frenetic energy. I can feel so many minds around me doing the same thing, including Invidia and Al, which leads me to feel confident that we’ll be able to deflect this spell no problem.
Except, that doesn’t appear to be the case…
Barrier after barrier gets thrown up and mana is stripped from the giant ball of flame at an accelerating pace as it descends toward us, yet there are powerful minds still pumping the spell with mana, weaving vast amounts of Fire Mana every second. How is this possible? Are they literally up there riding the damn fireball down to us? Because that would be metal as all heck.
No, don’t think about that! I can’t allow my siblings to be roasted! We need victory here!
I’m already working as hard as I can, and so is everyone else, but we won’t be able to dissipate the spell before it reaches us, not even close. Which means the barriers would need to hold, which I’m not sure they will. If nothing is done, then a lot of my family members are going to get snuffed out right here. I can’t allow that!
But what to do? There’s little time until we’re all bathed in this dark fire, perhaps ten seconds at best. Not enough time to whip together a Gravity Bomb, not enough time to try and climb up there and attack the demons responsible for the spell directly. Perhaps Vibrant could… no, she would need to run to the pillar, climb up it, and then jump off. That’s too much, even for her. I could reach out to Al, but the fiery eyeball is already throwing all he has into defence. Which is rather a lot, by the by. He’s putting more shields in place than ten of me could…
That doesn’t leave many options! My main mind spins as the flames grow larger in my vision. I can sense the demons now, riding atop the fireball. I can even feel their gravitational fields, weak as they are. With the spell between us, I don’t see how I can possibly get to them in time.
[Master!] a voice rings in my mind.
[Wha—? Crinis?]
[Run through!] she urges me, and I spin in confusion.
Then I notice what the heck she’s talking about. Right behind me, my most horrific helper has poured all of her Shadow Mana into a black void on the ground as is currently trying to pull me toward it with her tentacles. There’s a second where I wonder if she’s trying to save my life by helping me escape, but I don’t think so. Crinis has grown protective of the Colony over our time together, almost as much as me, so I doubt she’d give up on all of the ants here.
Deciding to trust in my friend, I throw myself into the darkness. For a disorienting moment, I’m absorbed in a reel of perfect shadow before being spat back out again.
Aaaaand I’m falling.
Where the heck did she send me?! What shadow did she use as an exit? It takes a frantic second for me to get my bearings, and when I realise where I am, and can’t help but unleash an evil chuckle.
Gwehehehehe.
Crinis! You genius! With a giant fireball being formed by the tier sevens above it, where would a shadow be cast? Why, above them, of course! Right beneath me are three powerful demons, including Brixin, each of them focused downward on the dread ball of doom they have created. It must have cost Crinis just about everything she had in her to create a portal of this kind of distance, including almost every drop of mana inside her core. I have an idea what her limits are, and moving something like me this far is something I assumed was far beyond her. Transporting her own shadow limbs about the place using her Shadow Magic is one thing, a humungous ant is quite another.
I can’t let this opportunity go to waste! With only a few seconds left before the spell hits the ground, I need to do everything I can to stop them from reinforcing as soon as possible! But what kind of mischief can I get up to in just a few seconds?
35. Assault on Orpule, Part 11
All of the power in this world flows from the Dungeon. Cores are its greatest wealth, experience its greatest power. For this reason, one might think the bulk of the population would dwell within the Dungeon itself, pursuing all that Pangera has to offer its people, but this is far from the truth. In reality, the majority of the citizens of this world live on the surface, leading much more mundane lives under the sky, farming, fighting the weak monsters found there, trading, and travelling. Why is the case?
Numerous factors come to bare, and it can be difficult to determine which are the most impactful. The Dungeon is certainly more dangerous to live in than on the surface, of that there can be no question. Seeking out even more extreme risks in order to elevate oneself to the peak of humanity is a powerful lure to some, not so much for others. Many are poorly disposed toward violence in the first place, content to create instead. Without such individuals, society could not push itself forward.
There are other considerations also. For over a thousand years, the Dungeon has been plumbed by the surface empires, and the citizenry have been encouraged to explore its depths. But for most who are born on the surface, life within the Dungeon is simply too alien, too strange. No sky, no air, the constant risk of attack, and the ever-present threat of a wave, these factors combine to put a great deal of stress on any individual who lives within the Dungeon.
Perhaps often overlooked is the issue of mana saturation. It isn’t known why some individuals are more receptive to mana than others, but it is a recognised phenomenon. Some people are simply better suited to absorbing this form of energy than others, which means they have an enormous advantage when it comes to securing a life for themselves below the ground.
An entirely different case are those born in the Dungeon. With their own set of advantages and disadvantages that will be discussed in a further lecture.