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Chapter 1664 - Shifts in the Sanctum Part 1
🕑 Added 2025-08-29 02:00:08 +0000 UTCFar to the west of the lands claimed by the golgari, over the sunken ocean and beyond the Burning Islands, the vast area known as the Somnos
Legends say that Horgran the Butcher is sustained by slaughter, that the fields of death left in his wake are all that he needs to survive. The Hatchet Cult are… difficult to work with, even for a group accustomed to affiliating with the deranged and demented. Glorifying acts of butchery, they certainly know how to serve a good steak, obsessing over meat to an entirely unhealthy degree.
The Ancient they deify has no such concern for the thing he cuts apart. Those who dream of Horgran are swept into a whirlwind of red-stained metal and hunks of flesh.
The Iron Sands now stand in the place where the Ancient rose to the surface. Even now, blood still stains the ground there. Perhaps it always will.
- Excerpt from ‘Collective Wisdom of the Cults’ by Granin Lazus
The nameless one looked down on her handiwork, pleased with the result. This carver had been working in a mine for three days straight. Obsessed with removing and sorting ores, she had evolved and mutated herself almost exclusively for this purpose. As a result, she had become able to smell rare minerals and her mandibles became excavation tools without peer, capable of shearing through stone and scooping out the precious metals within. She even had glands that modified her acid to attack stone and leave other minerals behind.
Despite being so productive in her allotted shift, she had become addicted to unearthing metals, refusing to rest, ignoring food, driving herself to the point of exhaustion. Luckily the nameless had been able to seize her before it was too late.
Now, the carver rested, tucked into an ant-shaped bed, covered by a knitted blanket with an image of the Eldest snoozing stitched into the middle. Her carapace gleamed from the wax and polish. Her antennae sparkled after being combed and treated, the fine hairs cleaned and treated to remove dirt and harmful oils, then nourished with a lotion of nameless design. Under one leg, the carver held a small toy version of Solant, the general looking cool and composed as always.
After this, the carver would think twice before defying the will of the Eldest. The shame would burn within her for weeks, driving her back to the torpor chambers as regular as clockwork. Rested and clear-thinking, her work would improve, and perhaps she would eventually realise that the Eldest’s way was the correct way.
Disturbing to think she hadn’t been able to appreciate such an obvious thing from the moment she was born. It was… almost heretical.
Nevertheless, the nameless had finished her task and soon it would be her time to rest. First, she must report the completion of her work.
Moving through tunnels of pure darkness, she ran with ease, following the twists and turns without a single misstep as she navigated her way through the Sanctum.
When she eventually found her way to the antechamber, she approached the acolyte of duty.
The Eldest rests, she signed.
Eight hours a day, the acolyte signed back.
They performed the eightfold genuflection with proper reverence before moving on to discuss the matter at hand.
The sleepless stone miner is sleepless no more, the nameless reported, to which the acolyte nodded, pleased.
This is pleasing to the Shadow. That one shows great promise and dedication, but must learn to follow the wisdom that has been placed in front of her. You have done well.
The nameless one nodded, well satisfied with the completion of her task.
Is there another duty for me to complete before I take my rest? she signed.
There is a gathering of the nameless who have achieved your rank taking place in the seventh hour. I advise you to attend.
A meeting? The nameless were a ruthlessly organised group and held rigorous meetings at the beginning of every shift, identifying targets, exposing areas of weakness and planning their future expansion. After all, as the Colony grew, so too did the demands on the Sanctum. However, something like this was most unusual, not least because rank was almost never brought up amongst them.
I take it the Shadow has called this gathering? the nameless one signed.
Indeed, the acolyte signed back.
That would explain it. The Shadow rarely called for a gathering of the nameless, but when she did, it was always a portent of change. The last time this had happened was when the humans had been brought in for training.
I will be there, she signed before turning away and scurrying out of the antechamber, making way for the next of the nameless to make her report.
Back into the pitch black passages of the Sanctum she went, exchanging short, silent greetings with her sisters as she passed them. There were many within the passages today, but that was only to be expected. The fourth had grown extremely busy for the nameless as the Colony’s presence continued to grow in the stratum, requiring more and more of her sisters to relocate here to keep up with demand.
Complacency grew quickly amongst her siblings, the nameless was sad to admit. If they were not diligent, then sleeplessness would spread throughout the nest like a disease. Despite her best attempts to focus on her duty, the nameless one couldn’t help but wonder what it was the Shadow had in store for them. As the founder of the order and most devoted follower of the Eldest, her word was law to the nameless, so whatever it was she asked, they would do. She had never steered them wrong, after all.
Fortunately, the nameless did not have to wait long. With less than an hour before her own shift would end and she would go to rest, the meeting began. In a solemn room adjoining the grand resting chamber where the nameless took their torpor, a gathering of the oldest and most senior of the order took place.
In the centre, a pool of shadow and darkness so complete as to be invisible even to the eyes of those who lived in shadow, yet as bright as a sun to their sense of darkness, the Shadow awaited.
Comments
Andres
Oh my god the carver sleeping with her Eldest blanket and Solant toy is the most adorable thing in the world. MUST PROTECT.
haru read
Amazagin CAP 🔥❤️
Buck
This should be good…!
Greyg
I believe your right that monsters including brood tenders need kills for xp and biomass/core absorption to evolve Anthony also kinda cheats with skill grinding passively. A few options exist assisted hunting with pets(the colony takes after sophos or Anthony was inspired by them in designing the ants their society doesn’t view pets as a waste sunk cost fallacy doesn’t matter to the ants), monster farm/factory setups, feeding weakened monsters(see this for queens besides main war queen she hunts her own food). Anthony wanted every ant to have an optimal core formation and biomass he also wanted ants to choose for themselves, but standards dropped at times or entire broods were told to be soldiers(many ants could choose not to advance further to use resources on newer generations instead) or standards drop
Dailion
I wonder how the non combat ants level, I was under the impression that being a monster they can only level via slaughter, so being a broodtender or a mining ant you don't do a lot of killing, if the colony captures and weakens monter for the non combatants to kill it has to be non efficient at the higher levels, right? or am I misremembering and confusing multiple novels?
due
Tyftc any update on the comic?
Owen Kaz
Yes, which provides the other half the colony's protective systems. The Nameless are the intelligence. But the Sleepless? They see everything, every shadow in the colony is as bright as the sun to them. For the truly devoted, even the few Nameless who've adapted just a portion of Brilliants dimensional skills cannot remains hidden. For the Sleepless are the worlds best counterintelligence force out there. If they can give the Nameless the run around, Elder help a spy who attempts to remain hidden within the colonies tunnels. Bonus points go to the scenario where a sleepless exposes a spy, and a nameless attempts to take them both in. So desperate to catch this vile sleepless that they nearly allow the spy to escape. With the only reason the sleepless being can't escape is because they need to serve the colony and make sure the spy is apprehended. Perhaps the sleepless started with a champion, the most devoted champion the colony has yet seen. She eventually gains followers much as the others have
Tosk
The angels of rest are some of my favorite chapters
giann flroesca
well certain demons. you have to remember that demons are beholden to their desires to an absurd excess. That's how invidia became a friendship demon. So slaughter , war, and other conflict based emotions and obsessions sure but not so much the others.
Brandon14754
Nah he's just gonna leave it at part 1
Koala Man
Come to think of it they had a pretty publicly active role in getting Anthony out of the heart. How many nameless does it take to make sure all the ants get their proper 8 hr rest ? 1 for every 1000? That’s a lot of ants to bring into “publicly” active duty., they would be crazy as spies, Assassinant Wouldn’t there have been ants who took evolutions to counter torpor so they could work longer and avoid the nameless? , the torporless,,,, like crazed obsessed ants that go about their business muttering to themselves and all the other ants just sort of not notice them ,excessively , or where the random results from some obscure research came from. Obscureant
Huy Ngo
Finally 😭. Thank you for the chapter. It feel kind short for a chapter 🥲
Brandon14754
Huh I feel like acronidem and Horgran would get along well, that sounds exactly like what aceonidem forces the demons to do
Koala Man
Oooooh
alt31415
Somnos jumpscare.
Napalm078
Thank you for the chapter :D
Roombot
I wonder what our favorite murder nightmare will have to say
