“You aren’t lacking confidence, nor have you ever lacked confidence. Humility and gratitude are the things I’m looking for.”
I give the no-longer-hatchling a hard stare with all ten thousand lenses in my compound eyes, and she wilts a little under the heat, but not much. She might have no achievements under her carapace at this point, but Brilliant is certain they will come with time. Is this some sort of inbuilt attitude that all Champions get in order to push them to leadership roles? Vibrant was never this overly arrogant, but then again, she never had a shred of doubt about herself either. Now that I think about it, pretty much none of my siblings have ever expressed much in the way of doubt. Perhaps this lack of questioning can be attributed to the nature of monsters? No idea. I’m not usually the reflective type myself!
“Alright then, you know the drill. We’ve maxed out your core and tossed in a Rare core to boot. Mutations are maxed. Make sure you go through all of the possibilities with a fine-tooth comb and pick the option you think melds best with you. There’s no need to rush, so take your time.”
“I’m going to have to go into the mouth, aren’t I?”
“Absolutely. You want to just hang out here in the open while you evolve? That’s madness!”
With a tired sigh, the little ant climbs into Invidia’s mouth and promptly vanishes from this dimension in order to evolve.
[Make sure you spit her out if she gets too big, Invidia,] I warn the demon. [We don’t want any accidents.]
[I knowssssssss. No worriessss.]
That’s precious cargo right there, the second Champion born to the Colony since it was created. We’ve only seen a glimpse of what she’s capable of so far, and I suspect there are great things in store for Brilliant in the not-so-distant future.
[Now that Brilliant is ready to evolve, what are we going to do?] Sarah asks. [Is it time to head back or are we going to keep hunting?]
[Keep hunting!] I declare. [Now that the little pest isn’t going to soak up so much of the experience, it’s time for us to get our rightful share! The other thing I want to do is head deeper into the tunnels and see if I can get a gander of the next level down.]
[Oh! That would be interesting. I’ve never heard how many layers there are to the third stratum.]
[I’ve no clue either,] I shrug an antenna. [But there’s only one way to find out.]
48. A Whole New World
Hello, dear readers! Tolly here, once again reporting on my ongoing adventures in the lands of the Colony! The town of Renewal and the surrounding farmlands were a picturesque and inspiring sight that told a tale of the strength of the living spirit. People who had risen up and rebuilt their lives after a devastating disaster at the hands of monsters with the help of, of all things, monsters. Getting to know these people and listening to their stories was a powerful experience that went a long way to diminishing my fear of the ants, which was likely why I felt compelled to make my request when I was already deep within the grand nest known as Anthome.
“You want to meet The Queen?” Emelia blinked.
“If at all possible.” I smiled politely as my two guards emitted an intense ‘oh no, not again’ aura.
A look of amused confusion flickered across my guide’s face as she considered my request.
“I’m… not sure you’ll be allowed. I don’t think anyone has asked to do that… ever. You understand that we need to go deeper into the Dungeon to do as you ask? The Queens don’t live this high up.”
“I assure you I am no stranger to the Dungeon.” I gave the poor girl a pat on the shoulder. “And, if I might be pardoned for a moment, did you say Queens? There is more than one?”
“Oh, yes. There are hundreds of Queens, possibly thousands. The Colony is very protective of them and don’t like to talk about them extensively. You’ll need to give me a moment and I’ll find someone we can ask.”
Emelia walked off a short distance to communicate with a few ants whilst I waited with a wonderful feeling of excitement and trepidation coiling in my belly. There really is no better way than plunging headfirst into danger to help one feel young. I recommend it to all my readers! In moderation, obviously!
A few minutes later, Emelia returned with a rather large ant, nearly as tall as I was, by her side. I felt the creature reach out to my mind, and I allowed the contact. A chance to speak with the ants directly? How invigorating!
[You wish to see a Queen?] The touch of the monster’s mind was alien, almost cold in the lack of strong emotion.
On the other hand, I could feel how calm and efficient she was, a creature of logic and reason. It so reassuring!
[Yes, please,] I asked, (never forget your manners, readers!). [I would consider it a great honour to lay eyes on The Queen.]
[The Queen?] she repeated back to me, and I realised there was a distinct difference in the way we used those words. [It will not be possible to see The Queen, she is very deep right now, but I believe we can facilitate a visit to the Queens who are staying below us. I will warn you that you will be guarded very closely during this visit. Are you still willing to go?]
What a thrill!
[I am,] I nodded, [and I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity.]
Emilia smiled widely when we concluded our discussion and clapped her hands together in excitement.
“I haven’t seen a Queen in over a year,” she beamed, “what a wonderful day!”
My two guards looked positively ill.
Well, I’ll be darned. There really is a whole ’nother level just like the first in the stratum. I mean, I didn’t really have any reason to doubt it, I was given the information from reliable sources, after all. I just couldn’t help but refuse to believe it until I’d seen it for myself. Perhaps it’s still the Earthling in me. One giant open chasm inside the planet is unbelievable enough, but two? One right on top of the other? It makes no sense! How can this possibly be real?
And yet, there it is.
[That’s a long drop down,] Sarah observes, and I can’t help but agree.
[Sure is.]
We both poke our noses over the edge of the pillar and stare downward at the plate city below and the plains that stretch endlessly through the smoke and ash which swirls even thicker here than above. The mana down here is noticeably denser than in the area above, not nearly as large as the difference between strata, but enough that I was able to sense it.
Once we decided to head down, it only took a few hours for us to reach the bottom of the tunnels. From there, it was a matter of finding a path leading to an opening into the space below, which we eventually found, and now we’re staring down a whole new pillar, with an unsuspecting and vulnerable demon city awaiting conquest.
There sure as heck is a lot of lava in those tunnels, though, particularly at the bottom. It felt like I was digging for diamonds with the rate at which lava kept flowing from each and every direction. I can still see it now, pouring out of the stone tunnels above and falling the vast distance into the plains below. In fact, there are hundreds of such lavafalls I can see from here. Is this the third stratum equivalent of rain?!