There's just something so thrilling about delving deep into the Dungeon my dear readers! I can scarce describe it, the growing sense of unease and foreboding as the mana thickens in the air around you and the tunnel walls close in. Who knows what monster might lie around the next corner? What mystery the Dungeon will throw at you next?
Even if an old duck like me no longer has much to fear in the first stratum I still get a slither of energy rushing through my aged bones.
Except that, under the protection of the Colony, I experienced the most boring Dungeon exploration of my life. The creatures had tamed the Dungeon to a ludicrous degree, carving smooth, elegant walkways and passages, wonderfully constructed staircases with soft, firm padding on the stone, to make the passage of all humans as convenient and comfortable as possible. What struck me as ridiculous was that the ants themselves didn't even use these passages! They had vertical tunnels that they could traverse as easily as you or I walk along a flat road!
If any monsters existed on the path, I didn't see them. Not a single one! It was almost boring…
As we walked, the ants patrolling the tunnels became larger and more frequent. My guide stopped to exchange 'words' with each of them, and when I enquired what they were discussing, she smiled and explained that it was common amongst the Colony and those who lived with them to encourage each other to work hard and to remind them that they take the right number of breaks.
I laughed and said that surely it's difficult to make an ant stop working. Her expression grew serious, a trace of apprehension to her brow.
"Not really," she said softly.
Excerpt from volume nine of 'Traveling Tolly in the lands of the Colony' published in the Monthly 'Pangera Gazette'
I'm surprised at how long it takes for the emotion to bleed out of me as we march back to Orpule. I don't know what I'd expected would happen regarding Jim. I suppose in the back of my mind I always thought the Colony would find him eventually, as our numbers grew and we became ever more capable it was only a matter of time until we got our claws on him.
No matter how good he got at hiding himself in the past, slithering between tunnels and avoiding every fight that came his way, he couldn't possibly be so sneaky as to hide from literally hundreds of thousands of sentient creatures hungry for vengeance. Yet he managed to surprise me. Despite everything, the Colony still hadn't managed to get a sniff of him until now, a testament I suppose to just how deeply and desperately he hid himself. Somehow he even managed to come down to the third stratum, a desperately dangerous place for a creature like him, considering how open much of this layer of the Dungeon is.
And it's obvious why.
I glance across at the massive armoured bear marching along to the side of me. His strange attachment to Sarah was what caused him to betray the Colony in the first place, so I shouldn't be too surprised that he followed her down here, hoping to get in touch with her. I don't know how he spotted us as we roamed away from the Colony but he clearly saw his chance and decided to risk reaching out to her. An idiotic thing to do but I suppose it goes to show the depth of his obsession.
When we finally arrive back at the city we take the elevator up in silence as each of us ponders over the events that have just transpired. My friends don't disturb me, perhaps sensing the depth of my disquiet.
I keep a watchful mind construct on Brilliant at all times, monitoring the changes that ripple through her now larger form and waiting to see if she was ready to awaken, but by the time the elevator returns to the plate she remains comatose.
[Take her somewhere safe and quiet,] I instruct Tiny and Crinis, [and then watch over her. Make sure there's food available when she wakes up and reach out to me before she goes anywhere. I want to check in on her before she starts running wild about the place.]
[Yes, Master.]
With Brilliant still cradled in the crook of his arm, Tiny nodded and began to trundle his way toward the still growing nest built in the centre of the city. I watched them go before I turned to Sarah.
[Let's talk.]
She looked at me for a long moment before she sat with a thump and tilted her head back to stare up at the roof far above.
[I'm really not sure what I even want to say,] she admitted.
I didn't say anything.
[Jim was a companion to me for years. Years, Anthony. I trusted him. He was my friend. I can't just turn around and… I mean… I know what he did was terrible, I'm just…]
As she trails away I can't help but sigh.
[I get it. I understand where you're coming from. Jim was your only connection to the life you left behind, the only person who really understood what it was like to be reborn as a monster in this world. It isn't easy to turn him into a villain in your head, with all the history that's been built up between you. Not to mention, you don't recall the worst of what happened, since you were berserk at that time.]
I wander over to the bear who still hasn't moved and I give her a pat on the back with one leg.
[But you have to understand that, for us, there's no coming back after what he did. Because of him, hundreds, if not thousands, of brood died. Helpless larvae, eggs that never got to hatch. It's never going to be ok. The Colony will hunt him down no matter if it takes a hundred years.]
I let that statement hang in the air.
[That's going to be hard for you,] I continue, [I totally get that. If you can accept it, then you are of course welcome to stay with us, you're part of the family now. Whether you fight or not, whether you contribute or not, you'll always have a place amongst us. You have nothing to prove to us, ever again. If you want to try and save him? Then we may need to part ways.]
[He did it because of me,] she whispered, [we all know it. How is it not my fault?]
I shake my head.
[He did it for him. Don't ever let that thought confuse you, he might have felt like he was doing it for you, but it was for him. He has a weird and twisted view of what's in your best interest, coloured by jealousy and a need to possess. If he had the chance he would desperately try to convince you that he only wanted to help you, but the reality is he just wanted you to himself. And I think you know that.]
With a final pat on her massive, furry back I turn and leave her to her thoughts. It's a shame that everything is so complicated on her end, the emotional attachment built up over years of, if we're honest, incarceration together. For me? For the Colony? It's just so, so simple.
[Burke! Get your butt over here!]
[What's a butt?]
[Never mind! Got something big to talk about.]
Not needing to be told twice, the powerful scout zips over to me with impressive speed. Clearly she hasn't skipped leg day, by which I mean the day dedicated to mutating the legs.
[We had a sighting of Jim the worm, to the north. We tried to pursue but he ran into a section of the stratum near a large city. A kaarmodo was guarding the way, and they stopped us, but let him through.]
When I name the traitor I can feel my sibling grow still, a cold rage blossoming in her heart. She nods, slowly, processing all that I've said.
[What do you want us to do?] she asks.
Whatever I say, they'll do right now. If I demanded that city come down, they would make it happen. I sink into meditation to try and let my emotions quiet down.
[We can't rush,] I say, my mental voice suddenly cool, [I've just asked the Colony to draw back and secure its position, I won't ruin that by having us overreach now. We won't be ready for a confrontation with the kaarmodo for a long time. Right now, we need information. I want that whole section of Dungeon mapped, I want to know how many demons and lizards we're dealing with. Most of all, I want the edges of their territory watched in case that worm comes slithering back our way. Got it?]
[It will be done, Eldest.]