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A lot of time passes. I can't keep track at this point. It's not like I have a clock or any sort of thing to record it. What I did was watch the cycle between light and darkness and mark down a day. However, what is the point of that? Time does not seem like an important thing at the moment.
Anyways, 120 mounds have been created. I plan on having Kess continue producing them and have Xelu and Vulki start on constructing their own. The experience to come from this war is going to be massive. I do regret having to sacrifice the spiderlings but, they seem to know about this and are fine with it..... Well, that is according to Kess..... Perhaps they reincarnate into new spiderlings after they die?
Back onto the matter of experience, Kess has been stagnating at level 5 and the rest of us at level 6. For now the goal is to get everyone to level 15 and to possibly rank up again. It won't be easy this time. There was no way I would have completed the last rank up if it wasn't for the treants and harpies.
This time we are facing off against wretched. I got a lot of information from Vulki on them. Apparently, they are a legend of sorts. Not the good kind either. They devour anything and everything and assimilate whatever they eat into themselves. The ones they devour don't die either..... That's the reason they are called wretched.....
I ask her about their affiliation with the aspect of gluttony and she gets confused. I mention all of the coincidences that I have encountered. I have a lot of relations to gluttony. Between Kess, my roots 'eating' things, the larder, and now these wretched.
"This is.... I think there may be more examples than you think. When you assimilated me into one of your subordinates, that could be seen as 'eating' our old selves and producing a new being. In fact, now that I think about it, would experience be seen as eating power from other creatures? That's odd though, the system effects everything so for that to have-....." Vulki
"This talk is too much for me." Kess
'Master, why don't you talk to me this much~.'Set
'????' Xelu
Everyone else is upset for various reasons. Xelu and Kess don't understand. Set however is a little scary at the moment. Her tone was pleasant but, there seems to be something weird mixed in as well.... Likely my imagination.
"-.... You said you have a relation to the larder? Do you know what the larder is?" Vulki
"Not really, It has to do with why I am in this world is all I know.... I was attacked by some rats from there a while ago as well." Gin
"WHAT!?!? WHY!?!?" Vulki
"Ehhh? I kept on getting messages like about gnawing after level ups and after my fifth they appeared from a portal. Luckily we were in the middle of a war so, we let them kill each other." Gin
"Well.... Anyways, the larder is said to be where one of the most evil, vile, and powerful being resides. A lot of drow actually worship her as well. Her name is Sillith..... You can find countless shrines to her. Even for settlements that worship snakes, spiders, and crows. Other than her realm and her name, not much is known. It seems that every powerful being that the drow race has discovered is scared of her though....." Vulki
"So what is she? A god?" Gin
"Probably? As I said, not much is known. The fear that she produces is nothing normal though." Vulki
...
"Onto another subject, this place is getting full so, it's about time to open up the nest." Gin
"War?" Kess
Kess looks at me with expectation. She has been upset recently. She developed a hatred of rocks and is really looking forward to the upcoming war. I can't wait to get some fresh air myself.
"This is going to be a long war from what I can tell. Luckily the wretched won't form ranks or make strategic attacks. Their shear numbers and strength is what they have advantages in. They have a large variety of forms as well. It may be difficult but, as more mounds, pools, and cubes are built it will only be a matter of time" Gin
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As we opened the main entrance at the base of the cliff, I was suprised. There were no wretched. In fact it seems that no life existed anywhere nearby. The trees, grasses, bushes, everything was gone. No insects or small animals. What was left was torn up dirt and stones. It seems that the wretched came through here and took everything. This will make it difficult. Sneaking will be harder....
On top of that, it makes this whole area an open battlefield.....? I don't see any wretched. Their base should not be too far so to not see any coming this way is weird. I send Set out to scout. What she comes back with is weird.
'They are splitting up into two steams. One goes towards the dungeon and the other towards where Vulki said the drow settlement should be' Set
I expected them to go towards the drow settlement but, the dungeon was something I did not take into account. It makes this easier though. The plan is this. Xelu and Vulki will build as spawners as they can on top of the cliff. Kess will build defenses around them and Xelu will put down some sentries to help. This will be much quicker as rooms don't need to be carved out.
After we have enough spawners, spiderlings( Xelu's and Vulki's) will be sent to attack the stream going towards the dungeon. We will keep on building mounds inside the nest as well. After that, I expect the stream to either split off further or for it to re-aim itself at my nest. The wretched aren't the smartest of creatures according to Vulki, but, they at least can tell that they probably missed some creatures in the vicinity.
That is fine though. At that point we should have plenty of spawners constructed. It will be a stream of my spiderlings facing off a stream of the wretched.