Going Deep(er) (1011)

It is difficult to say how the Colony's attitude to the pets raised by the eldest came to be what it is today. There was always a level of respect afforded to them, naturally; they were allies and assistants to the Eldest, and therefore allies to all of us. Some of the dignity and power of the most august ant, the first among equals, attached itself to them.

But that began to change as we and they continued to develop. Our society grew more sophisticated, our understanding of pets and their attitudes more developed, and at the same time, they were changing. They grew stronger, learned, fought, evolved and with the astonishing level of freedom and independence that the Eldest fostered in them, they began to interact with us in new ways.

The Shadow began to contact… some ants… in clandestine ways, seeking to assist in their task and develop their skills, teaching them the ways of the darkness.

The Storm would often go out of its way to help hunters in need, sharing food and protecting them from harm. Many would tell stories of the Storm descending from above and smashing foes to bits, before being patted on the carapace and fed Biomass.

The Eye was much less inclined to interact with the Colony at first, its taciturn and hoarding nature precluding such activities. But with time, this changed. When the Colony had something to teach, the Eye would always appear, ready to learn, and exchange knowledge in return.

We called them Guardians for a long time, as they protected and defended the Eldest from harm, but in time they grew into that name, and became defenders of us all.

- From the notes of Historiant.

[Holy moly! There's a ton of the buggers,] I exclaim to my pets.

[Perhaps the ka'armodo were holding back their true numbers to prevent losing too many in the collapse, Master.]

[That makes a lot of sense, Crinis. Good thinking.]

I notice the dark tentacles flail wildly for a moment before they steady and go back to extracting their terrible toll on the enemy.

She's getting much better at taking compliments, it's good to see.

And she's likely right. Now that their whole "cutting the mountain in half" strategy has failed them, the lizards seem to be getting desperate. From out of the deep tunnels an absolute tidal wave of termites is breaking, climbing up all of the walls and launching themselves at us with unbridled ferocity.

To make matters even more interesting, they burst out from side tunnels as well, rushing into the flanks of the Colony formation, much as we'd predicted. Even if it's all within expectations, that doesn't mean we aren't almost entirely surrounded by a ravening horde of termites on their home turf.

It's the final gambit of the ka'armodo, they need to drive us back or drag us down, and fast.

Naturally, I feel delighted to disappoint them.

[Tiny, time to go loud. Light 'em up. Invidia, you go second. Once that's done, we dive.]

[RAAAAAAH!]

The big ape's mind and body harmonise and he unleashes a mighty bellow with both, exploding with electricity before hurling it around him in deadly bolts. The sheer amount of juice Tiny can output nowadays is slipping right off the scale and he takes full advantage of the wattage, unleashing a devastating electrical storm that savages the termites within the narrowing tunnel entrance.

If they had wiring in this place, it's wrecked now….

Filled with fury and glee, my first ally in the Dungeon throws himself down the tunnel, bursting everything around him with punishing bolts of lightning that sizzle through the air, leaving a sharp tang on my antennae. All around, termites are dropping like flies, zapped right in their big dumb faces by a massive, gorilla shaped zapper.

I plunge forward to join the ape in his mad assault, Void Chomping whenever I need to clear space in front of me as Crinis and Invidia rush along behind.

It's all going great for Tiny, he's having the time of his life, roaring and smiting as he goes, until it all comes to an abrupt and sudden end. It's obvious he hasn't been keeping track of how much he had left in the tank as he suddenly runs out of spark mid-leap and lands in the centre of a termite cluster. He immediately becomes covered in a gnawing pack of bug monsters, the confused expression on his face covered by termites.

Crinis comes to his rescue, her tentacles snapping out, dozens at a time to wrap around the offending enemies and rend them into bite-size delectables.

Which means it's now Invidia's turn.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Repeated explosions rock the tunnel entrance as the envious little demon, his eye flaring a bright green, begins to unleash his pent up frustration. What could be more painful for an Envy Demon than to watch someone else get all the experience and glory while you've been ordered to sit and wait?

That's why Tiny always goes first.

Filled with ire and the need to satisfy his obsession, Invidia explodes into action, with explosions! The tunnel descending down into the bowels of the nest before us is lit with repeated detonations. The termites have thick carapace and can take an unusual amount of punishment for their tier. Each time the demon casts his spell, he doesn't actually finish off that many of them, but he often dislodges their grip, sending them tumbling down into the darkness, scrabbling at each other and clearing our way forward.

I quickly check behind me to see the Colony fiercely defending the ground they've taken in the nest entrance, but halting their advance for now. Even Leeroy, somehow, has restrained herself and the Immortals hold position on the front line, several of them igniting into glorious, healing flames.

It's time to finish this war.

[Give it to them, Invidia! Let's see the laser!]

[Yesssssssss!]

A lance of pure green light blasts through the darkness, annihilating every termite it touches. We follow along as he flutters ahead of us, the deadly beam of destruction both lighting, and securing our descent.

When he finally runs out of power and the power of his eye fades away, the four of us pull together and continue our trek into the heart of the termite nest. The Colony is depending on us to finish the fight and I'll be damned if I let the family down.