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Chapter 1487 - The Breach pt 5
🕑 Added 2024-11-13 04:36:23 +0000 UTC“Abandon the captives,” Zluth told his war party, “slide as fast as you can!”
His group were much further back than most and had managed to avoid the crushing force of the large ant’s spell entirely, but many others hadn’t been so lucky. As Zluth raced to escape before the twisting roots could block the tunnel, he turned one eye around to see what was happening behind.
It wasn’t pretty. Many Krath had acted cautiously, just as Zluth had, but many others had not. When he’d shouted his warning, several Krath’sizz had pulled their groups back just far enough they’d either outrun the strange spell, or been caught right on the edge. By pressing themselves down to their smallest, thinnest shape, they were still able to push out of the field, if only just.
Yet there were several dozen Krath who were caught right in the middle. Despite straining with all of their strength, it was unlikely they would make it clear of the crushing force before the giant ant was able to reach them. Indeed, as he watched, the massive ant clacked its mandibles mockingly as it strode forward, out of the blue mana toward the captured slugs.
His initial fears that some would betray the tribes, as Goszi had, were allayed as his fellow Krath began to detonate themselves one by one. The loss of good slugs was a blow to Chozth, but more traitors would have been enough to send Zluth into a fury.
Chozth herself hadn’t been idle. As her people rushed towards her with all the speed they could muster, she once again sucked in mana and began to work a spell. When she turned and started racing for the tunnel exit herself, she dropped down from the ceiling and began to hurl a stream of slick goop from her mouth.
With the trail of slime in front of her, she raced across the ground at an absurd pace, her lithe and powerful body capable of speeds that Zluth could only dream of.
“Quick! Onto the trail!” he yelled to his followers, sliding onto it himself and instantly finding himself gliding faster than before.
His followers responded and soon the growing wall of roots began to fill their vision.
“Damn tree!” Zluth cursed, eyes bulging with fury atop their stalks.
There was only one tree monster capable of doing something like this. At least, only one that wasn’t an ancient, and every Krath knew, and hated that cursed creature. Zluth sizzled with anger as he realised he should have seen it coming. The cursed children of the wooden thief had been seen assisting the ants, so of course they were here with her knowledge and approval. The Krath had expected the ants to tunnel around behind them and had taken measures to ensure they couldn’t be surprised, but they hadn’t bothered to try and detect the presence of the Mother Tree’s roots.
A costly mistake, but one that wouldn’t be the end of him! He was going to make it out, no matter what!
Ahead, Chozth was already far ahead of them, the stream of goo from her mouth finally coming to an end as she ran out of power. Yet, for her, it didn’t matter, she had reached the growing blockade and leaped through, roots lashing after her form as she sailed through the open gap.
That gap was rapidly closing.
Zluth’s cast his eyes about frantically, looking for another way out. He pushed as hard as he could for the exit, but he could already tell it was going to be close. Desperate for a fallback plan, he hunted for a crack or crevice in the tunnel walls, anything that he could force himself into and try to dig his way out, but there was nothing. The ants had been busy, reforging the natural walls of the tunnel into reinforced stone, smooth and without blemish.
Seeing no alternative, he abandoned his search and concentrated on the only escape he could still see; the narrowing gap ahead.
“Push harder you weaklings!” he roared to his war party behind him, some of whom were already flagging. “Faster! Or you won’t make it!”
Despite the risk of slowing him down, Zluth pulled in more mana and began to blend it with the acid inside him. Weaving a quick spell, he launched a glob of lurid, sizzling acid, splattering it over the roots, which immediately began to sizzle and burn.
He grimaced at the expense. The acid stores within him had grown thin, and he didn’t have enough for any more magic. What remained pulsed throughout his slug flesh, but lacked the vigour and heat he was accustomed to.
It would be the work of many days to restore himself, but that was something he could worry about after he survived.
As the wall of roots loomed larger and larger in his eyes, he pushed himself to the limits, his foot straining to eke out every bit of speed he was capable of.
With a roar, he launched himself, compressing himself to lower the wind resistance as he sailed through the air. Roots scraped against his flesh, digging painful grooves along his foot, but Zluth was through. The tunnel beyond was clear, Chozth waiting a short distance away.
The rest of Zluth’s war party followed soon after and a small number of other groups made it through. More Krath launched spells at the roots, trying to burn them away with acid and sludge, but it had little effect. As time passed, the roots grew thicker and thicker, adding layers as well as mass to the wall.
Soon, it formed a solid barrier, the Krath trapped on the other side were left with no way out.
Chozth’s flesh bubbled and popped with the strength of her fury as she beheld the small number of Krath who had managed to escape. Only a third of those involved in the attack had found a way out. This assault had been a disaster.
Yet, witnessing the raw power of the Krath’lath, there were none who entertained the slightest thought of challenging her, not even Zluth.
“We will retreat,” she burbled furiously. “Move.”
Tired, weakened, and burning with fury, Zluth gathered his war party and slid away, an eye fixed on the barrier behind him.
Comments
alt31415
Not Rekt - X Rekt - X Tyrannosaurus Rekt - CHECK
Roombot
Get rekt slugs!!!
Gonvas
IIRC, in the area surrounding Colony’s invasion there's 3 major tribes. Because there can only be a single tribe leading the atk, they decided on one of them to lead the rest of the tribes. So even though the other 2 major tribes didn't participate, the rest of the lesser tribes did under the command of the 3rd one. If the major tribes don't have a great number of Krath in comparison to the lesser tribes combined, then RIP Krath offensive.
Greyg
Nothing yet
Sargon Yami
What happend to the purified eggs?
CentaureHeart
This should calm their war boners for a little bit. Dudes are already super suspicious, now they'll be scared all the time that their offensive will turn against them.
Sargon Yami
Second time it was mentioned that it happend once before
Gopard
I assume the effectiveness of this ambush was likely at least somewhat due to the information they got out of Goszi maybe?
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Gonvas
The war we saw of Bruanchii vs Legion was because the Tree a mythic monster had apparently created a race of monsters. Mythic + monster race to support it was deemed a threat too big to let go. If they went after her due to the call it was probably another conflict. Maybe it was the 1st time someone cut her trunk as we know the Legion records show that happened 2x.
Ether's Blessed One
The Dark One is pleased. Muwahaha Gwehehehe.
Grey Knight Lord
The first time I read this, I barely understood what I read. Just found out I have covid again, and my brain wasn’t really on.
evyatar
Yea but this is a whole strata, and a whole planet, they are territorial to the extreme so I guess there is thousands of kilometers because three tribes to a whole strata would cause them to spread far away
Robothaus
i think there was a flash back where they cut down her body in the fourth but not sure what the knowledge of the time was, they go after anyone with the call and she did have the call prior to whatever mutation made her children not be monsters. I think the dungeon seers can use divination to locate monsters with the call to some extent and after she was no longer affected by it they realized that they had little hope of locating whatever vital part of her they needed to destroy to kill her for good so they weren't gonna throw away resources at a monster that didn't have the call and couldn't locate, there was also some pushback from the folk but i think it was more about not knowing how and it no longer being a priority
Brandon14754
That is correct on the legion's views of both the tree and the bran'chii but most likely the legion either suspected or already knew that, they burned and cut down her entire trunk 50 years ago so they probably already knew/suspected a huge root network that would allow her to survive.
Brandon14754
Remember there are 2 other major tribes, this was just one of them and a bunch of smaller tribes aligned with them
Ranger Dave
Am curious what the Legion think of "that tree" getting involved, and revealing she has a significant presence in the 5th? I seem to remember they tolerate her children as they are not monsters, but are not fans of their progenitor.
Bethany Bluebird
It always makes me so happy when I see a chappy pop up <3
alt31415
Biiiig oof for Chozth's authority. Wonder how Goszi's doing - it's been several days since Solant told him "Be ready to make a deal tomorrow" right? Has anything come of that? Still, LOVING the PoV of the slugs, putting respect on the ant's.
Fistro nio
That should make it until the fortress is complete I guess
Hayden Leech
Love it. Hit back! For the Colony!!!
Buck
Nice! Killed a lot of Krath!
