Chrysalis Chapter 1726 - Unexpected Wins

Fortunately, nothing suspicious crossed my path as I navigated the tunnels, with the Colony's troops marching steadily in my wake. It appears the explorers from Green Mountain have backed off for now, fearing I might still be hiding in the darkness, ready to snag them again.

And I certainly am.

However, the nearer we draw to Green Mountain proper, the more bustling signs I pick up. Leading the charge without hiding my mana anymore, it's obvious— I sense various small squads fleeing the moment they detect me entering their vicinity. With any luck, they'll spread the news of my arrival without spotting the company trailing behind.

At last, I arrive at a spot merely a dozen kilometers or so from right under Green Mountain itself. We're definitely on their turf now, and to an outsider, we might look like invaders. Green Mountain could justifiably muster their forces, including delvers, to crush this potential danger.

Truth be told, if they did that, I'd be thrilled!

[Okay, Crinis. You know your role.]

[DESTROY THE FILTH!]

…

[Uh… pardon?]

Crinis, shaped like a shapeless blob, peels away from my shadow and splats down on the tunnel floor next to me. She flails a bunch of tentacles wildly, obviously mortified.

[I slipped up!] she protests, shielding herself from my glaring look.

[Yeah, right.]

Your facade cracked just then, Crinis. Ensure it's locked tight before you emerge from beneath my jaws. No room for errors.

[No destroying of anything, whether filthy or clean. You're going to protect them. Remember?]

[Y-yes, Master. I do.]

[No slip-ups, okay?]

[Absolutely not!]

[No… slicing folks into extra pieces they don't need?]

[W-well…] she falters, [how many pieces is a person supposed to stay in?]

[ONE!] I bellow. [They're meant to remain in one piece, Crinis!]

She twitches her tentacles toward me, as if warding off trouble.

[Got it! I'll ensure every person I encounter stays intact.]

[And without any trauma whatsoever.]

[Darn it.]

[AHA! I caught you! Head out to scout—no fighting whatsoever! Zero. You obviously can't be relied on at the moment.]

Sheesh.

Caught out and scolded, a mildly annoyed Crinis hoists herself from the floor, then plummets, vanishing straight into her own shadow, which shimmers like pond water before dissolving away. She's vanished, delving into the shadow world. From this point, dangers could lurk around every bend with possible traps everywhere. I'm employing my gravity detection to catch any tricks, but it's not infallible. Having Crinis out there watching, in a figurative sense, will make me far more at ease.

“Are you certain of this plan, Eldest? It feels reckless to enter combat with one leg tied, let alone three.”

Sloan is concerned, and rightfully so. Battling foes intent on annihilation while holding back from doing the same is… downright ridiculous. It's big 'S' silly. The kind of silly that bursts beyond sausage limits.

“We're not truly planning to clash with them,” I calm the general, “not exactly. Just some showing off, a little back-and-forth flexing like Tiny would say, then we retreat, leaving them clueless. View it as a power demonstration drill. Let them see we're serious.”

“We're deep in foreign lands,” Sloan counters, rubbing her antennae against her elbow joints to steady herself. “They might sneak around and trap us into a fight.”

“That's precisely why we're being cautious. Scouts and mages are deployed in the passages. We've got core shapers guarding the sides.”

Stumbling into combat would spell disaster. If we had to fight back, losses would be unavoidable.

[Master?] Crinis contacts me, her mind-voice distant, like she's far away. [Can you hear?]

[Loud and clear. Problem?]

[I've spotted something you should check out.]

[It isn't a oddly chopped-up body, right?]

[No way!]

This could be intriguing.

[What's the find?]

[I should return, before they spot me.]

They? Who's they?

“Crinis has uncovered something surprising,” I inform Sloan, who reacts poorly.

“Surprising? That's bad! Surprising how? Surprises can swing positive or negative.”

“You need a break. You're overly tense. When did you last enter torpor?”

“... Pass.”

Not ideal.

Soon enough, Crinis reappears, emerging from the shadows and forming a small blob beside me.

[There's a full army in these tunnels, Master,] she reports bluntly.

[This soon? We barely arrived.]

[They've likely been stationed here for days. And they're not from Green Mountain, I believe.]

Not mountain folk? Then… from where? Who's dispatching troops underground?

[Master, they seemed a bit… fanatical.]

Fanatical? Hold on…

[Are you saying the Church of the Path dispatched an army here?!]

[I believe that's it.]

…

[Tiny, sparring's canceled.]