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Chapter 1518 - Snail Nursery
🕑 Added 2025-01-12 06:52:29 +0000 UTCThe chal are a lost people, and knowledge of their society, their manner of speech, even their appearance, is long-abandoned knowledge. There is little use in clinging to the past on Pangera. Despite what the affluent people living in bejewelled cities within the fourth stratum may think, they are locked into an endless struggle to survive along with everyone else. There is never peace between the Dungeon and the Sapient races, and the fall of the chal is just one example of the dreadful cost of failure.
Tucked away in various places, it’s possible to find experts on the chal, those who have dedicated their lives to preserving what little remains of their once-mighty empire. If you were to ask them, they would describe the chal as wise, patient, peaceful and shockingly powerful. They were the first to raise a mighty empire in the fourth stratum, and then risked it all in a virtuous mission to rid the world of the blight that infested the fifth.
Obviously, they failed.
- Excerpt from ‘Lost Peoples of the Dungeon’ by Lalo
[A chal?] Coolant wondered, [I must confess, I don’t know all that much about them. Is this some sort of monster?]
Rathwyn found himself barely able to speak. What he saw in front of his eyes simply couldn’t be. It was impossible! And yet… the snail was there, placid, calm, looking at them with a level of patience that seemed almost surreal for a creature who had only just been born.
[Well… I can see you need a moment to collect yourselves,] Coolant observed, noting that one of the academics appeared to have passed out. [We’ll gather these little ones and take them to the sanctuary we prepared. You can come along if you like.]
Another ant entered the chamber with a large, round dish gripped in its mandibles. Coolant and Propellant approached the basin from which more and more snails were emerging and for some reason, bowed. The snails turned their eyes toward the pair, then, without exception, bowed back.
[I don’t know why but they seem to like this gesture,] Coolant explained before using her antennae to prompt the baby snails onto the dish.
Rathwyn watched the whole thing occur in a blank state, still unable to process. The implications were impossibly out of reach, no matter how many times he reached for them. He turned, recalling that Professor Englebert was well read on the subject of the chal, only to find him foaming at the mouth and vibrating as he stared blindly into space.
With some difficulty, the mages of the Tower supported each other to walk behind the dish as they moved through several chambers similar to the one they just exited. All the while, the little snails remained calm, looking at everything happening around them with a sense of reserved curiosity.
[If you know something about these little guys, it’ll be helpful for us,] Propellant said. [We don’t know enough to be able to teach them anything of their own history or culture. I hope you’ll be willing to share.]\
[O-of course,] Rathwyn managed, collecting a little of his usual aplomb. [I apologise for… my lack of clarity. We’re all just… rather surprised.]
Putting it mildly!
Finally they came into the room that the ants must have created to house the newly born snails. Considering it could only have been built over the last few days, they’d been remarkably thorough. It was larger than Rathwyn had expected, twenty metres square, and filled with all sorts of things that the Colony seemed to have assumed young molluscs would want. Pools of shallow water, leafy green and vibrant plants along with surfaces of various textures that rose and fell, allowing the young chal to slide and climb all over the place if they so decided.
The dish was placed down and the latest group of chal were introduced to the room, sliding off onto the floor. Curiously, whenever they meet another snail who they hadn’t seen before, they bowed their little heads, a respectful gesture that seemed to be instinctual for them.
A dozen ants of a variety that Rathwyn had never seen before moved through the room, carefully placing their legs as they interacted with the newborn children, cleaning, them, urging them toward the food or picking pieces of detritus off the ground.
[Brood Tenders,] Coolant answered his unspoken question. [Normally you won’t ever see them outside one of the antcademies or a brood chamber, but we felt their expertise would be needed to properly care for the little ones. Some were brought here on short notice. Thankfully, the snails seem amenable to being cared for by ants.]
[And what do you intend to do with these chal?] Nemis, or Kathy, to use her cover name, asked pointedly. [What reason do you have to care for them?]
Coolant and Propellant looked confused by the question, turning a little toward each other and waggling their antennae in a confused manner.
[Well, we have no plans at all. How could we? We had no idea what would come out of the eggs until a few days ago. It was by chance that we came across them in the first place. Since they have been born here in the fortress and in our care, we intend to look after and raise them as best we can. Why would we do any less?]
[I think my associate is only concerned that the young chal are being cared for. Since you clearly have every intention of looking after them, that’s well,] Rathwyn broke in, staring hard at ‘Kathy’.
Did she really think the Colony was planning on raising some mighty army of chal? There were a few dozen of the snails in this chamber and they were barely hatched! To rebuild the chal empire to any sort of strength would be the work of hundreds of years!
[Let us leave the young to their rest,] Rathwyn suggested, [and we can go somewhere else and tell you all that we know of the chal.]
[That’d be great,] Propellant said.
Comments
KopiCAT
@Anthony Romanov But the Sophos was turned into dungeon monsters after the Legion did what they did iirc. It was basically a survival mechanism that eventually made them into monsters.
KopiCAT
This has been mentioned before though. That the Krath aren't monsters, but corrupted non-monsters.
Anthony Romanov
Sophos were turned into dungeon's monsters but Krath/Chal are not dungeon's monster. Krath are just very aggressive with everyone!
andwhyisit
The fact that krath were corrupted chal may be new information, but the idea that the krath weren't a monster race was raised back in chapter 1413.
Edgar Delibo Jr.
I wanna see some cute little snail art😊
atome 4 000
So the reason krath don't talk about their Tier is because they are not monster ? Only corrupted Sapien ?
Greyg
Legion would treat the chal just like the sophos a monster adjacent species more than likely terminate on sight nor would they welcome more competition from a formerly extinct civilization.
TheLostGolem
I feel like this will give way more legitimacy to the colony in the eyes of most of the sapient non monster races. Reviving the Chal who were long thought to be extinct? Definitely will go a long way. On the other hand, it might make the legion even more likely to attack them, with the idea being that they have to save the Chal before the colony becomes enslaved by (insert ancient monster here). Nothing malicious about it more than likely. Just the underlying belief that, while the Ants are sane and rational now, they will become a massive enslaved army in the future that will wreak devastation on the world. Got to save the Chal before that happens kind of deal.
DrDankness
I agree. Its possible the Chal are a noble people and in their attempts to recover their lost brethen opened themselves up to a complete wipe.
DrDankness
A century? Please for these Ants? Anthony might take a few decades but the colony will naturally integrate these guys into their ranks like fish getting used to water. The Chal seem amicable from the start.
Sean
An excerpt about it at the beginning feels appropriate soon
alt31415
Probably not care. If toxified creatures could just choose to be angry about the toxifiers they wouldn't view the toxin ancient as the Maker. Hell, Gozsi might even know already.
KRY
I'm betting it takes only a year to build it. The ants technology, growth, and champion-rate are going exponential after all
McMax
Has it even been a year since the colony was formed?
Anthony Romanov
Colony aren't just ants alone, any one who wants to join Colony is welcomed. So in future Chal may have separate cities of their own. I think they will identify being with Colony strongly.
Anthony Romanov
I am more wondering how Gozsi will react that he should have a Shell and 5th "stole" it from him!
Jac Onue
I agree that it's too early for that. But maybe a PoV from some other sentient race (empire of stone? Or the Golden City) about the Colony rediscovering the Chal and nurturing them back to (some) power, as well as the implications that the hated Krath were actually corrupted Chal.
CUI13
I wonder if they'll introduce the Chal to Gozsi, and suddenly he'll decide that the Chal were behind the ants all along
alt31415
I mean let's be fair, the Chal don't have the rapid-growth advantage of being a monster.
BelligerentGnu
Snail buddies!
Runaway_Cactuar
Lol Anthony bumbled his way into an Ant Empire in a couple of years, I think his more-competent siblings could do it in 3.
Fabian
I feel like thats too early. At this point, it spoils the whole relationship they are building.
Crimsonkap
Hundreds of years? This is the colony we’re talking about, I give it 12 tops. 😂
Greyg
100 years No give the ants a year at most
CherMi
I so want an epigraph from one of the chal years later, with their perspective on ants.
Fabian
Maybe their need to save their own kind is the culprit. Their inherent need to respect their own kind. I don't think there were Krath at first. The first Chal got turned by the ancient, starting the chain of events. They may have been turned/wiped out in the end by a wave, possibly corrupting all the eggs. If they moved all up to the 4th/5th, the toxic mana could have wiped them.
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Gopard
Yeah it was always a bit fishy "an incredibly powerful and old pacifistic Empire of friendly SLUGS is the first to attempt to colonize the 5th and is... "Completely wiped out by the Krath" supposedly?" I mean we know how the Krath act... They are a people utterly territorial but a gigantic Slug Empire would have holdings on the surface, in the first, the second, the third (maybe only little ones here as slugs don't like heat and all...) but how would the KRATH who are basically confined to the toxic 5th stratum wipe out this empire not only from the 5th, the 4th but ALSO everywhere else? The answer is they got corrupted into Krath and I assume at first they weren't so super adapted to the 5th and were still able to massacre their way through the entire Chal empire corrupting or killing all old Chal before returning to the 5th to gain an indomitable living space noone could ever contest them on...?
Buck
Love this arc about the Chal. Can’t wait to read more about them. I am curious to see how Anthony and his close companions will react to them. TFTC!
Khalil Redd- Gomez
Hey first, that's what's up. I like the idea of wise, peaceful, respectful, yet powerful snails joining the ants
Ether's Blessed One
Kekeke, somehow I think the burning of Silver City would be written this year. Just a hunch
StinkyFard
So the Chal got turned from pacifists? to the absolute menaces of the fifth huh. saw it coming but i love it nonetheless and so glad we got it confirmed
