[That doesn’t mean you have to fight,] Corun reminded her. [It didn’t work out so well last time, did it?]
Sarah flinched a little but then held firm.
[It didn’t go terribly,] she defended herself. [I helped protect the nest… and if I hadn’t, who knows what would have happened? It went bad at the end,] she shuddered, [but I think I can control myself better now.]
[I think you can too,] Granin told her, his usual gruff tone just a hair softer than usual. [You just need to remember not to get carried away.]
As they moved through the city, it was heartening to Sarah to hear many of the mage ants and others reach out to her as she passed.
[Friend Sarah! Welcome! You missed a great fight!]
[Sarah! Had enough slacking? We welcome your assistance!]
[It will be good to fight by your side once more! Now that you are finished being lazy, that is!]
Sarah pouted, no mean feat for a bear. She wasn’t lazy!
Still, as they continued their walk, there were many ants who waved or approached the bear to give her a friendly tap on the shoulder, communicating their welcome even if they weren’t able to form a mind bridge and speak with her directly. By the time they made it to the staging ground around the central pillar, the Asura Bear’s eyes were wet, as was the fur trailing down the sides of her muzzle.
The golgari triad politely avoided looking too closely or remarking on it in any way. Instead, they chatted to each other about the work the Colony had done, already rebuilding the city to the point it was hard to see any signs of the invasion at all. The area around the pillar, once exclusively the domain of Grokus’ compound, had been co-opted by the Colony to become their planning and organising centre. The wall that once encircled that section of Roklu was gone, replaced by an interlocking series of chambers which already had begun to look somewhat nest-like. It was almost as if the carvers couldn’t help themselves, given that this was their most frequently used design.
There they found Sloan, the general in charge of the defence of the city, pouring over maps and surrounded by a hundred other generals and scouts, each waiting patiently to say their own piece.
Despite the crowd, Sloan noticed immediately as they approached and rushed out to welcome them.
[Friend Sarah! Granin, Torrina, Corun. Welcome, all of you,] the general greeted once a bridge had been established. [We thank you for coming. If you are willing, there is much you can do here for us.]
Sarah nodded her big head slowly.
[I will do my best,] she promised.
5. Express Train
“Whooooooooo!” Vibrant cheered as she raced across the Plains of Leng, delighting in watching the larval demons leap from her path just in time to miss her flashing legs.
The air was boiling hot and seared against her carapace as it drove her antennae back. The smell of ash and molten rock smothered her senses as the terrain flashed by, but Vibrant cared little for any of it. The rush of pure speed was what she craved, and these wide-open plains gave her an opportunity to run like she never had a chance to before.
“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” she hollered, legs flickering so quickly they couldn’t be seen, her brain flashing just as fast as she processed the barrage of visual information that flooded her eyes each second.
Far behind, though not as far as one might think, her followers were working hard to keep up as best they could. Their job was made far more difficult by the fact they’d long since fallen out of range of the aura that boosted their own speed, since their leader had raced so far ahead. Still, they too yearned for speed, just as their leader did, and their hearts were thumping with joy as they raced across the plains as a unit, desperate to keep up.
When they eventually did, they found Vibrant standing rock still, staring up at the target of their current mission. Emilia the general was among the first to arrive and boldly approached their uncharacteristically still leader.
“Vibrant? Is everything alright?” she asked.
The large yet sleek soldier twitched her antennae as she recognised the scent.
“Emilia, glad you caught up!” Vibrant laughed. “Have a look up there, it’s a little different, isn’t it?”
Obedient to the whims of her leader, the general leaned back and looked up at the demon city of Orpule far above. Just like Roklu, it was situated on a disc of stone that extended out from the pillar that supported the roof of the stratum so far above, but it was immediately clear what Vibrant was referring to.
“It’s much larger, isn’t it…” she observed.
Not only was the plate on which the city was situated larger than that of the city the Colony had conquered, there was more than one plate! The second, which hung beneath the first, in its shadow so to speak, was much smaller than that above it, as if it had only begun to form recently. Which raised the question, how did a demon city expand? Or was this a sign of a more powerful and ambitious leader driving her population to greater heights and expanding the influence of her city?
“Remember, we need to be careful,” Emilia made sure to remind her glorious leader. “There are tier sevens here that we cannot fight.”
“I know that, Em-em!” Vibrant cheered. “We can have a look around, deprive the city of resources, keep an eye on things and make a general nuisance of ourselves in the meantime! Which means we get to run! Lots! This is going to be a fantastic mission!”
Seeing her so happy, the hundreds of ants who made up her followers were emboldened. When Vibrant was happy, things were generally going well. They might be hectic, or even dangerous, but usually manageable. When she was serious, that was when they knew things were going to be bad.
“OOOOOOKAAY!” Vibrant yelled, waving her two front legs about in the air for emphasis. “First thing we do is run around and see what we can see! Let’s keep an eye on the city as we do and make sure we keep our distance! Let’s also make sure we go super-fast! Do your best to keep up with me, everyone, I don’t want anyone falling behind! We can regroup here after we get a couple of laps in, make sure you scan the area carefully! Let’s go!”
Although she spoke at her usual breakneck pace, a combination of similar mutations among her followers and familiarity with this speed of communication meant they perfectly understood what Vibrant had to say. As one mind, the group set off, speeding across the plains in a broad circle around the demon city of Orpule. They were noticed, because of course they were. Nearly a thousand monstrous ants running rings around the city were bound to be seen, that was the point.
When they came across any demon more evolved than tier three, the group set upon it, devouring their hapless victims in a matter of seconds, before setting off once again. The experience and Biomass were welcome, of course, but more than that, any evolved demon was a potential recruit for the enemy. If one of these were to reach tier six and gain their full awareness, then to Orpule they would go, recruited for the enemy. So long as they were at war with the Colony, they would be deprived of all resources.
After a few hours, it was clear those watching from above understood what was happening and a sortie was sent forth, powerful demons that included a tier seven foe in their midst.
“Leader!” a mage called, racing toward the front of the pack. “I sense a powerful foe approaching!”
“Veer off!” Vibrant laughed as she sped away, leading her group to flee from the city.