Chrysalis Chapter 1748 - Time for Vengeance

Having bid farewell to that eerie Priest and skillfully dodged Beyn, I make my way out of the nest and plunge into the lower levels alongside Tiny, Invidia, and Crinis. With the mountain problem sorted, it's our turn to assist Solant. The fifth level beckons, and there are a few slugs I'm eager to reunite with.

Gweheheheheh.

In all honesty, though. Should we manage to sway this battle decisively toward the Colony's side, it might just ease some pressures. At the moment, nearly every bit of the Colony's armed forces production is funneled straight into countering this assault. Fresh Antcademy graduates, metals, armors, weapons, Biomass, cores, engineers, builders, healers, core shapers—all of it.

Constructing that initial fortress demanded an immense effort, yet I'm certain Solant plans to erect one for each the Colony has pinpointed. The mind boggles at the massive resources needed to achieve that. If someone tallied it up using standard market prices, it might just cover the cost of acquiring the Silver City!

I realized early on that claiming the fifth would be tough and demand sacrifices, but this situation has spiraled way beyond control.

By diving in and delivering some solid blows, I hope to lighten the load on the Colony overall, even if only slightly.

[No, Crinis. For the final time, you can't join me beyond the safe zones.]

[But Master!] she objects... [How can we be sure you're protected? I could conceal myself within your carapace. You wouldn't notice a thing.]

Doubtful. My detection skills have sharpened when it comes to her attempts to slip into me, and it's downright alarming how frequently she attempts it.

[We've discussed this already. The mana down there is poisonous. That mana seeps into my body when I'm out in it. Got it? Since you're even more susceptible to it than the rest of us, it's far from secure for you to nestle inside.]

With no way to counter my airtight reasoning, Crinis settles into a moody cling on my back as we dash toward the fifth. Solant arranged various swift devices and paths to travel from the nest to the preparation zone... unfortunately, most don't accommodate my size. No great issue; it simply extends our journey a bit.

During the descent, I need to instruct Crinis to pull back from my carapace just twice. Improvement!

Upon arrival below, the immense scope of Solant's preparations slams into me like a high-speed swinging club.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

I previously considered the staging area ridiculously expansive, but now it's ballooned to triple or quadruple its former extent. Vast storage buildings, massive drill fields, sprawling workshops and smelters. Soldier quarters pile atop more quarters, which stack over supply depots resting above medical facilities. The whole Dungeon region near the fifth's gateway has been reshaped for miles around. Every wall bears modifications, hollowed and repurposed into useful areas. Open spaces have been meticulously arranged into a precise network of manufacturing zones.

And the activity! The fifth's gateway looms like a powerful drain, pulling in all that activity at a frenzied, vertigo-inducing rate. That's when it truly sinks in that Sloan and Victor weren't overstating things. War is raging down there.

My jaw hits the floor.

With so much bustle around, I barely notice the trio of Legionaries standing with folded arms, awaiting me. Regrettably, I spot them anyway. Even worse, they catch sight of me prior to my chance to slip away.

Blast! My upgraded Stealth skill clearly isn't cutting it any longer.

Morrelia offers a sorry shrug as the group starts advancing my way. Leading them, Commander Chyron appears utterly furious.

Why me?! I didn't exactly attempt to evade them—well, that's pretty much what happened. I'm meant to inform them of my whereabouts so these judgmental, creature-despising escorts can follow.

Morrelia, at least, isn't so bad.

[I forgot, okay? Geez,] comes my clever retort once the mental link forms.

Chyron fixes me with a stern glare, which feels far less daunting than she imagines. It's getting tougher to view these smaller folk as serious threats now.

No. Resist the urge to poke.

[Heading back to the fifth?] she questions me bluntly.

[Um, yeah? I came up here solely due to the Green Mountain danger. With that handled, I've got to head down and aid the push.]

[Handled? That's a polite term for it.]

[Will they persist in trying to snatch my kin? No? Then it's settled, as far as I'm concerned.]

Ha. Even Chyron can't dispute that point.

[And the Call plays no role in your rush to go below?] she probes sharply.

[Argh! Stop bringing it up!]

I've succeeded in tuning it out lately, but a single reference reignites the sharp tug embedded in my core. Staying in the fourth has grown increasingly painful, and being so near the fifth now makes it seem like an insistent pull on a tether. The knowledge of a nearby passage that could end the ache proves a strong incentive.

[It's not irrelevant,] I concede. [The pain is intense.]

[Suppose you push through the fifth?] Chyron challenges. [Then what? On to the sixth to claim it for your Colony?]

[Well... I'd like to witness it. Folks across Pangera haven't a clue what's lurking deeper. Curiosity gnaws at me. Wouldn't it intrigue you?]

She merely eyes me steadily. I suspect she realizes my intent to seize it for my family.