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Chapter 1735 - Night Time in the City Above
🕑 Added 2025-12-15 01:00:13 +0000 UTCIt has always been a challenge to stand between the Colony and the outside world in matters of business and finance. In my heart of hearts, I am an ant, and I agree wholeheartedly with the way my siblings view money. Largely unnecessary, a sign of a lack of cooperation, or perhaps of an inherent selfishness, it’s perfectly possible for a society to function without it.
A society of ants, at least.
This was the reason why the Colony would habitually seize riches from the wealthiest individuals whenever they conquered new territory. To them, any one person hoarding so many resources was simply selfish, and there was no reason for them to indulge such an individual when they didn’t have to.
I have created vast fortunes for others in my dealings, caused some to become colossally wealthy through trade agreements with my family. I smile, and clack my mandibles happily, I share a cigar and clap them on the back as the papers are signed.
I like business, I enjoy commerce, it’s all part of the great game.
But deep down, I do not like those people. They are selfish to the core, hoarding for themselves rather than distributing for the benefit of all. After all, I have no personal fortune of any kind. Everything goes to the family.
- Excerpt from the private notes of Merchant.
Battle raged in the tunnels below and all in Green Mountain were aware of it, to some extent. Word travelled quickly. Vibrations caused by the fighting could be felt at the guard stations and barracks in the lower reaches of the city.
Discussions rippled through Green Mountain, indecision and fear warring with anger and daring.
Should the remaining army sally forth and join the fighting? Should the delvers be dispatched to seek their revenge against the monster that had tormented them? Was it too risky? Was it necessary?
Ultimately, it was decided that meddling in the battle at this late hour would be more hindrance than help. With a Judgement Battalion and four thousand troops from the Mountain, they should have more than enough to get the job done.
Tense, unwilling to let this opportunity slip, some still pushed to be allowed out of the city, but were ultimately denied. The risks were too high, the need was too low. Instead, the majority were stood down, sent back to their beds as night fell over the city.
Lights were put out, windows drawn down, globes extinguished as the citizens of the Mountain went to sleep, uneasy, fearful of the battle raging below.
Of course, the Nameless didn’t care for their worries or concerns. The Nameless came for one thing and one thing alone.
Delvers lived all over Green Mountain, not in any one place, district or borough, so the list of targets was long. Merchant had secured the needed addresses; anything could be purchased for the right price, after all.
Shadows deepened to the purest black and stretched along the quiet streets, sliding down walls and creeping under doorways. Like water, they dripped and pooled, thickening until it was possible to glimpse the many-lensed eyes looking back out from within.
The first were taken without a whimper. They simply vanished, swallowed whole by the darkness, sinking into their beds or consumed by shadows that rolled over them like a breaking wave. Silent and unseen, the Nameless struck again and again, citizens of Green Mountain disappearing from within their houses, sometimes with their spouse asleep by their sides.
With thousands of targets and a very limited window of opportunity, this many Nameless had not been assembled for some time, yet they were prepared. They were always prepared.
Olivine Street has been cleared, one signed to the Nameless One.
All six targets? Did you ensure to capture Jacob Smith?
Of course.
And his landlady Josephine hasn’t noticed?
Not yet.
Excellent. We move to Elm Street next. There are eight targets. Make sure to check your running list.
It was difficult to tell, sometimes, where the dimension of shadows ended and the real one began. Sitting on the border, the Nameless One felt she was in both and in neither at the same time. She sunk down once more, a pool of darkness that slid across the cobbled street, around the oak tree planted in the garden and higher up the Mountain.
Not this street, nor this one, but the next. From the shadow, she read the sign: Elm Street. This was it.
Silently, she gestured to the others, and they knew what to do, their targets having been determined well in advance. They moved as quietly as death and as secretive as the grave.
Eight ants, eight targets. In just a few minutes, they were secure, hapless delvers taken into the shadow realm and spirited away. Soon, they would emerge from the darkness, still asleep, within the tunnels, there to be transported back to the nest and into the comfortable beds that had been prepared for them.
Good work, the Nameless One signed. We have three more streets in this section of the city, then we move to the next neighbourhood. Be on your guard, the alarm will be raised any moment.
The others nodded, knowing their work, but aware that these things needed to be said.
As it turned out, the Nameless One had overestimated Green Mountain. They had almost finished their harvest before the alarm went out. Bells clanged and people shouted, running the streets with raised voices. Lights blazed indoors and the citizens were roused from their beds, alert and tense.
Well, the Nameless knew when they weren’t welcome… they usually didn’t care, but in this instance, they had promised the Eldest they would retreat once they became known. Like droplets running together to form a stream, the shadows gathered together as they raced down the mountain, gathering momentum and strength as they went. They slipped down drains, ran through gutters and underground cellars, down, down deeper until they reached the tunnels once more.
From there, they could never be caught. Too many shadows, too much darkness, and they were simply too good.
In just a few hours, their task was complete. Once more, they took up their posts within the nests, and if anyone had noticed they were gone, they wisely said nothing. If anyone noticed that the cells used to comfortably house the captives previously were somehow full once more… they doubly said nothing.
The Eldest had called on them for this task, knowing the shadows would be able to succeed while their senior created a distraction down below, and the Nameless would never refuse the call to action.
Their part was done, but that simply meant they would be able to return their focus to what was truly important. Eight hours were the mandate, and eight hours was what the Colony would have.
Whether they liked it or not.
Comments
Gonvas
Air force champion (scout caste).
bobby2dreki
I saw one comment about wanting a nameless champion, but like a reply pointed out that spot is already taken by Crinis. What we could speculate about is what the next champion will be. . We got money, exploration (for vibrant), strategy, mad scientist, euhhh did I forget one? . Anyway, maybe a magic focused ant? Like brillant isn't that, she is a scientist, not an archmage. . Not a champion but would love for the original queen to get a more active roll again, Solant is the mastermind at the back, but we kind of lack a general in the front that is right in the middle of the fighting. So either the queen gets that position or a new champion. . Beyn is doing a fine job on the religious side, but at the same time maybe an ant to link the colony to that? Not sure if there is any point for this one tho. Maybe if you combine it with some diplomatic stuff? Then again Merchant does fine on that front already. . hummm if I get other ideas I might come update this comment. I also hope some replies will have cool ideas
Sean Bloodgood
Tyftc
CherMi
I think it's believable for Green Mountain. From everything we've seen, they're overly prideful and stiff, but are a relatively small fry in the fourth stratum. Not having specialist classes against assassins on duty is expected. In fact, I expect such classes to guard nobles which weren't targeted at all. After all, who would send expensive assassins after ordinary delvers, right?
Cypha
Idk man. The Nameless are fun but at some point this is too ridiculously op. As long as they are only focused on the colony all their insane skills are kinda fun but for me it stretches any believability that the city guards and delvers are that terrible at keeping proper watch.
Nathan Quitugua
I need the nameless in my life please.
Greyg
All the delvers that were sold previously back to green mountain were recaptured from their own beds is my interpretation
Scott Faulkner
so did they take the extra delvers to sell complete sets of stupid or did they just capture all the big merchants and money lenders to ease the negotiations when those happen
Buck
I love the Nameless.
Nordbard
these arent normal monsters
Sulhythal
I WANT the Nameless to help me get the 8 hours, please. Insomnia is a curse
kingoff00ls
I guess I'm going to bed early.
alt31415
Okay, *this* one was a bit odd. A big magical city like Green Mountain, which hates monsters, doesn't have wards against this kind of fuckery?
Charles price
Up until now, I really thought of merchant as the ultimate tycoon, but it’s incredibly interesting that at the end of the day, she is still 100% ant. No personal wealth interest, focused on gain for the collective, more so enjoying the skills needed rather than the money itself which for a merchant is so unique!
TheLostGolem
Nightmare on Elm Street.
Black Rose
Tftv
Peter Cigáň
I got here intending to utter these words of the great one. Pointless endeavor now that you bested me😂😂. Here take like instead
Koala Man
Crinis is the head of the Nameless , I don’t think there will ever be a Champion to take her spot .
UNKNOWN
Honor the sacred eight or we will visit your house tonight...
David Harshman
Also, between Olivine and Elm streets, I wonder if all the streets in Green Mountain are named after green things.
Anthony Romanov
Rinse and repeat! Why sell multiple products when you can borrow same one to sell again and again and again and etc.
SomeponyElse
A merchant that lies? Never heard of such a thing.
Bek Lawson
Nightmare on Elm Street 😂
David Harshman
So...was Merchant lying about not taking delivers out of Green Mountain?
Aaron S
Despite all of the awesome concepts in this whole series, I think the nameless might be my favorite thing in the entire story. The shady, secret police force that work in the shadows to do the ugly work of culling the weak from the herd, who keep the society, pure and optimal…. By making people take fucking naps. It’s even funnier if you realize that if the dungeon monsters weren’t actually immortal and did age and die, they would almost certainly be in charge of tracking down the elderly and executing them to make way for younger more fit workers, and the ants would probably view them the exact same way without anything changing
Val
Now i want a nameless champion.
blucube 14
Thanks for the chapter! Ah the nameless strike again, terrifying every time.
Koala Man
Oh that’s a clever ploy :)
No_Creative_Name
The subtle nightmare on elm street joke was golden.
