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Chapter 1588 - Zluth Is Risen
🕑 Added 2025-04-22 06:36:11 +0000 UTCA council of Krath’lath was a tense, if not deadly, affair at the best of times. The Krath’lath Zluth had known throughout his life were, for the most part, petty bullies, upstarts and thugs. Stronger than the others, or bigger, they were able to gain influence using the most crude methods. When such tribe leaders met, the outcome was inevitable: fighting, death and destruction.
But those had been petty leaders of minor tribes, such as his own Slee. Weak and irrelevant, their squabbles over the least desirable tunnels in the entire stratum were so insignificant, the truly powerful Krath had never even heard of them. In front of him now was a very different scene. Ulliz, Mulzoz, Chozth, Soluzz, leader of the Zissth tribe, and others, mighty leaders of the deep tribes who had gathered at the call of the Ancient.
These leaders were as viciously cunning as they were powerful. Eyes darting atop their stalks, they saw everything, always alert for the slightest sign of weakness. Even Chozth, sleek and deadly, a coiled snail-snake ready to spring, looked ordinary amongst them, one among the many.
Soluzz, huge and positively crackling with acidic might, was first among equals here, and it was he who held the central position.
“Our scouts have been able to determine that there are pockets of native mana erupting within the fortress,” Zluth continued his report. “The vents are straining them, though perhaps not as much as we had hoped.”
Atop their stalks, those eyes watched him intently, and he felt their gaze like a physical weight upon his flesh. It was difficult not to reflexively enter camouflage.
“Which scouts were able to glean this information?” Ulliz burbled. “Perhaps we should be speaking to them instead.”
“I did,” Zluth replied, a sly lilt in his voice.
It hadn’t been easy, either. Sneaking under the platform itself using the built-up mucus clinging to sections of the underside had been one of the most dangerous things he’d ever done. But he had to, there hadn’t been any other choice. If some other scout had retrieved better information, then they would be here before the tribe leaders and not him. They’d been desperate, too. Seeing opportunity, the Krath scouts had tried every sly, conniving method they could to glean intelligence or hamper their rivals.
It was the kind of contest all Krath revelled in, and Zluth had won.
“And were you able to get close enough to confirm the singing?” Soluzz demanded.
“Yes, the singing interests me the most,” said another voice.
The Krath’lath of the Gluzzgith tribe, Thulziss, had arrived from the depths only a few hours ago, along with several hundred of her finest Krath warriors. Like Chozth, she wasn’t as large as some of the other leaders, but felt dense and explosive. The air of danger around her was as thick as a toxic miasma.
“Were you able to hear it?” she asked him.
Zluth tried not to shudder at the memory.
“I did,” he confirmed.
“And? Describe it to me,” she told him, eyes bulging red with the force of her will as it pressed down on him.
“It… it…” Zluth struggled for the words. How to describe it? Despite barely being able to catch the sound, it had filled him, burned him, turned his mind red and his acid to boiling. He shook his head and breathed deep, casting away the memory. “It was enraging. Foul and disgusting, it stirred the rage in me like nothing I’ve ever experienced.”
“An abomination,” Thulzziss breathed. “A foul stain on our home, a blight on the creation of the Maker. We must ensure that the singing will cease, no matter the cost.”
“Theorazzn asked us to do it, and we will. The question is how,” Ulliz burbled.
The mighty Krath’lath thought to themselves for a moment, each pondering their own schemes and strategies. Minds with as many twists and turns as a labyrinth considered, planned and worked through their own plans each more convoluted and diabolical than the last.
“If I might make a suggestion?” Zluth said ingratiatingly. “I have a thought that has developed during my time observing these invaders.”
Once again, all eyes turned to him, swivelling atop their stalks. Whatever he had to say, it had better be good, or he would likely be devoured in moments.
“The invaders. These… ants. They are fiercely loyal to each other, which is proven by their willingness to throw themselves into danger in order to save each other.”
The surrounding Krath’lath smirked and chuckled.
“You think this weakness can be exploited?” Soluzz asked.
“It can. The Ancient asked us to turn two monsters. As far as I know, we haven’t found one of them, but the other is here on the platform. They are fiercely protective of this creature. Everytime it is in danger, they react.”
“It’s also powerful. Every scout agrees that this is a difficult beast to contend with,” the Krath’lath stated, eyes blazing red.
“There are ways we can approach. And if we can approach, we can make a move. If we take that ant and turn it, the others will come after us, even during a wave.”
“You really think so?”
“I do,” Zluth confirmed, then grinned evilly. “We can bring them out of their little fortress and destroy them.”
Comments
Enzo Elacqua
I think it’s more a difference in culture, they likely see the way ants react towards a reg ant getting captured and think that’s just normal ant behavior which naturally if they extrapolate it to the top guy will mean the whole nest explodes outward. They probably can’t wrap their head around them actually caring for each other that much, or risking their life in the entirety for just a random member
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter! Dammit I hope there is a reason for this abomination of a "smart plan"... I was already hating the big amount of screentime these Slugs got... If even their plans are now strategically on internet troll level of "well so we didn't win so far I have an Idea guys how about we just use our forces and WIN NOW!!!!" xD like maybe the compulsions are forcing the single mindedness or something?
Gopard
lol yeah... "Lets attack the one and by far STRONGEST enemy position!!! To... BAIT the others AFTER we WIN"... I hope the other Leaders fucking eat him for this... these Slugs were supposed to be "Cunning, Devious and Strong" not "Musclebrained idiots who take the most obvious and most directly stupid plan to a problem only to then apply all kinds of devious little tricks to make the plan of basically "I will punch this concrete wall" instead of "I will kick in the wood door in the wall" seem cunning and devious".
Gopard
Yeah honestly... Dude this chapter actually made me Mad As Fuck!! Aren't the Slugs and Sluth specifically supposed to be SMART??? From their persepctive they just decided to "Directly attack the enemies most strongest best fortified and most important position which will literally mean instant victory if we succeed" as a DISTRACTION. What the fuck??? Thats like saying in a nuclear war "first we invade the enemy stealthily completely destroying EVERY single bit of nulcear capabillity" and THEN we can start a conventional war against them! No man Sluth! If you guys were fucking capable of capturing Anthony you would have WON ALREADY lmao...
Gopard
But he is also stupid right? Lol... Why would the plan be to focus on "CAPTURING ANTHONY"??? Thats like saying "First we will use our forces to invade the enemies most defended strongest positions in their capital to take their most beloved Maskot and thus bait them into overstretching and making a mistake"... Its insane... Its as if the Answer to "hmm WW2 yes we should first invade berlin and capture Hitler to lure the Nazis into an overextension strike!!"... Because so far we have literally never seen those "Muccusbombs" used against Anthony hit somewhere else right? Anthony can barely react in time... How would the Platforms where its only the "lower tier fighting forces massed" do that? Literally breaking ANY platform is the Win Condition and they come up with the plan not to BREAK Anthonie's "Platform" but to CAPTURE him which is the ONLY way that they can AFTER archieving "Millitary victory" (Because if they get close and strong enough to capture Anthony then they should also have enough of a presense there to just blow up the platform instead of doing an extremely draining fighting retreat with captured Super Ant...) still LOSE if The Ants have a way to free Anthony. This is legit the dumbest straight up dumbest "Millitary strategy" I think I ever read from a character who was not INTENTIONALLY written as an Idiot lol. Or the alternative is... RinoZ will just pull the "Well we readers focused on a narrow part of the context" Card "if you had gotten the whole picture it would make sense" that's possible Authors privilege to decide how the story goes. And I'm not actually complaining that now likely: in an extremely difficult cat and mouse war Anthony, the Scholars, the new Pets and Solant will do everthing to stop the renewed aggression on the Platform only to fail have Anthony Abducted and then Solant to reveal that this was part of her plan to finally unleash the Vent Pushback. Thats my prediction for whats coming. And I would love it... if I didn't think the Slugs would literally need to have accidic ROCK for BRAINS to ever even conceive the plan of thinking "Capture the enemies strongest Combatant right from their Fort!!!! Thats our great plan!!!"
Gopard
How the fuck did they come to THAT conclusion? LMAO??? Or was this something that happened BEFORE The whole "Muccus Bomb strategy was countered by Anthony"? Because right now there is one single Strategy that makes sense: Break a platform NOT defended by One of their absolute Elite monsters/Forces (Legion) and capture Ants from there to then use THOSE as bait against Anthony! Honestly focusing on breaking the STRONGEST FORCE of the enemy IN THEIR OWN SUPER FORTIFIED POSITION, to "LURE out the REST of them" lmao... Without Anthony they likely wouldn't even have HELD so long. Taking him IS the "Victory" not a "good bait for the rest"... There just isn't any tactical or strategical benefit to focus on the one Ant EVERYONE considers a "priority target" in order to capture them as BAIT of all things. At least thats what logic tells me... Maybe there is just an entirely huge amounts of different information we as readers don't have that stop the Krath from just pushing super hard one of the less specially defended Platforms and break it there?
alt31415
THE SINGING MUST STOP
alt31415
I like how Zluth is becoming, like, a classic folk hero of the Krath. Rises to overthrow his leader, trained by a mentor that later, ahem, dies. Makes his way up by using the Krath's values (cunning, deceit, treachery, revenge). He's even got his own nemesis in the form of Anthony!
jeffrey niski
Wait weren't we just supposed to capture one of these?
Gabus Deux
Them: yes! We got them! >:D >:) :) :| :( D: Them: WHY ARE THERE SO MANY OF THEM
jeffrey niski
Every time these jabronies plot something, it kind of reminds me of the Willey cayote and his plans to take down the road runner.
stubs
the singing ought to be weaponised. If the slugs truly get enraged by the sound it would eliminate, or hinder their strongest attributes, which is their plotting and sneakiness. Give the shrimps a megaphone!
real
The end of the krath tribes
Rahsheem Reid
Horrible idea.
giann flroesca
*cough* LEROY *cough*
CentaureHeart
Bad move
Brandon14754
Crinis is not gonna be happy
Anthony Romanov
Thank you for the chapter!
Megabeast_pro01
Well very good luck with that zluth heck Anthony would even Preffer this!
