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Chapter 1236 - Unique Problems, Unique Solutions
🕑 Added 2023-10-01 06:42:10 +0000 UTCSolant watched the battle unfold from amongst the very thick of it. Close enough to the front that her own mandibles had seen their fair share of action, she looked into the jaws of the enemy and directed the fighting from amongst the thick of it.
“Burn and slide,” she ordered.
“BURN AND SLIDE!” roared the troops around her.
Instantly, powerful blue flames erupted, igniting the air in front of the line. Monsters cried out in the heat, but the flames continued; they had learned not to underestimate these creatures.
For a further ten seconds, the mages continued to burn as the soldiers and scouts massed behind them with generals for support.
At the same instant, every mage cut off their burst to reveal the tunnel ahead had become a searing wasteland, the rocks still smouldering as they glowed cherry red.
For a single second, the ant force assessed the field ahead of them, then launched their slide manoeuvre. Soldiers dashed, forcing their bodies forward, building speed until the front rank lifted their legs completely off the ground, held aloft by the momentum of the ants locked behind them. The moment they cleared the searing stone, their feet touched the ground again and the soldiers behind lifted their feet. Across the walls and ceiling, the scouts and generals surged, mandibles gnashing.
Solant had found that fire, while not sufficient to burn through the sturdy defences these monsters coated themselves with, did slow them down. Burning away the outer layer of sludge and clearing the rock allowed the ants room to approach and attack with their natural weapons.
An advancing wall of chitin and burning ant willpower, the leading soldiers dove forward, slamming into the slug monster and gripping tight with their jaws. Acid hissed and steam filled the air, but the soldiers endured. From the flanks, the ants came, latching on and cutting deep with their jaws.
The slug pulsed, preparing to release an explosion of acid and slime, but it was too late, Solant was already in control. In one smooth motion, the soldiers, scouts and generals rotated around the tunnel like the hands of a human clock, flipping the monster onto it’s back. Far from the devastating barrage of goop, the creature unleashed the acid directly onto the stone floor of the cavern. With its belly exposed, the remaining ants dove on its weakness, jaws scissoring and tearing through the burning protective flesh until they found the true creature within.
“Ice and Fire, two kilometres,” Solant ordered, “retreat and triage. I want it completed in five minutes this time.”
The ants didn’t salute, Solant considered it a waste of precious seconds, instead they simply leapt to their task. The mages, accompanied by their dedicated support troops, rushed to the front and began to work their elemental magic to push back the corrupted mana. Freezing followed by burning had proven to be far more effective that pure flame when purging the sludge the monsters of the fifth left behind, but such rapid cooling and heating of the rock was dangerous. Judicious use had been judged to be safe, but it wasn’t in the Colony’s best interest to destabilise the tunnels.
After all, if they collapsed and closed off the nest, that would stop all the experience, cores and Biomass from wandering up to them!
Thousands of ants rushed in many directions, yet there was no chaos, it was almost a dance, as ants filed into neat lines with perfect synchronisation, flowing between each other with effortless timing. The more time she spent with them and the more time they drilled, the smoother each and every movement became. Solant felt true joy spark in her carapace as she watched the flawless execution of their drills.
Truly, it was on the training ground that wars were won.
Using their mandibles to dissect and defeat the slug foes had proven to be the fastest and most effective method, yet it wasn’t without cost. Stoic and determined, the soldiers and scouts who had closed with the beast marched back to safety, despite the heavy burn wounds they suffered. As they passed, each was blasted with water magic to cleanse them of the offending slime and doused in healing fluid to kick start the mending process.
With proper treatment, they would be back on the frontlines in only a few hours, but having to rotate so many members of the army was putting a great deal of extra strain on Solant’s troops.
A more permanent solution was needed. She needed a tactic, method, or tool that more specifically countered these sludge monsters, something more efficient and targeted.
Fortunately, the Eldest, in their wisdom, had the foresight to ensure the Colony would always have a method to conjure solutions at a time like this. Solant had spent a great deal of time working with the core shapers lately. There were many things they could be used for in specific niche roles, something the ants weren’t always suited to do. Now here there was a monster it was difficult for them to defeat, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t create something that worked.
When she rotated off the frontline at the end of her shift, Solant bid her troops to continue their drills under the guidance of her broodmates before she set off to speak with the experts.
Ellie and Bella were present in the fortress, having arrived through the gate not that long ago. Solant felt it was time to take her concerns to the two of them directly. Surprisingly, she found the two council members resting, without anyone demanding their time. When she entered, the two of them sprang up, delighted to have a general enter their chambers.
“Come in! How nice to see you!” Ellie greeted her.
“Please, try some tea!” Bella encouraged as she guided Solant to a seat.
“That is… very kind,” the little general said as she accepted their hospitality.
It took a little time, but eventually she was able to convince the two she didn’t want cake, or biscuits, and get down to business.
“I believe that the core shapers are the key to solving our current crises, and will be of critical importance if the Colony is to make any headway moving into the fifth strata,” Solant said directly. “The monsters we currently face are difficult for us to fight directly, and we are yet to see the true might of the fifth, so it will only get worse. We need solutions that only you can provide, dedicated pets that will counter these monsters directly.”
The two council members looked at her soberly for a long time before they collapsed into each other, sobbing as they used their forelegs and antennae to embrace.
“At last! Our time has come, sister!”
“The core shapers will rise, at last!”
Comments
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Runaway_Cactuar
RinoZ, you missed a glorious opportunity to have a chapter named, "Modern Problem Require Modern Solutions"!
CUI13
And they even have some cores from the Krath to work with
Corpse Garden
At the pace they are going they just likely haven't had time to be useful. Why raise monsters when they are expensive and generally either less or equally as effective as ants? They aren't abandoned because they are useful and built into the species at this point and the ants are intelligent enough to see they have value, but why use a flame thrower on water elementals? Stick it in a closet until you find the invasive species of petrol beasts. As far as adapting them to their other strata they might in the future bit they've learned that overspecialization isn't a good thing, imagine leveling up am expensive sibling just for them to be stuck on a higher floor close to the surface due to their specialized path clashing with a lower level environment. The colony would seeth with waste and inefficiency. This doesn't even account for the fact of how young they are, they are growing so fast with so few real setbacks that haven't had a reason to stop and change tactics. Something Solant will likely change moving forwards.
Corpse Garden
Being afraid of the legion is a good start, being ostracized by basically all of the sentient races is another. That knocks out basically everyone but sentient monsters, who are either solo creatures or tribal groupings with their own ways of doing things, and you would still need the niche class of core shaping to even start. Then you would have to have a core to start with which would be nigh impossible for someone like the Krath at their given depth to get until now. Let's not forget that alot of the reason the Colony has been so successful is due to Anthony's obsession and Earth knowledge, and a massive amount of luck. We haven't even gotten to the plot armor yet.
Dejan
I don't see what is stopping anyone else just getting any ant core (even 1st tier) and just raising it as a pet. Then they turn it into a queen and get their own colony. Why is this different than what the 5th floor monsters are doing?
John Pratt
That Core Shapers have so little to do is consistently surprising, given that Eldest shaping the Queens core remains his most impressive feat and is the genesis of the entire Colony. I don't totally understand why successive generations of ants haven't been further specialized to their strata and chosen caste by Core Shapers.
Buck
Go, Ellie and Bella! Time to shine! 🎉🎉🎉
Heara17
I couldn't agree more, pets would also be essential to conquer the sea of the fourth state. Using troops that are aquatic or who knows, they could create a pet that works like a mask so the ants can breathe underwater. They could also create pets to explore lava, looking for metals or crystals. We need more attention and credit for this class!
mly85lc
Well core sharper pets abblity to make use difrend "skill trees" should be use at least for healers as pre case study of effect of poison/curse/hex/elemental/mind mana affects on ant. And by crafters like Smithant. For getin demonstrations adout what can be create/mimic by enchated gear and form what to protect. Heck scouts should be using teams of them as /guard/moving fortifactions/Rest area/base camp/support healers/ when they go out for hostile territories long times. Heck thous are the oblivios ones... well now when theyry Skill/art is up to standar. Heck theres nich for ohters to need to have hatclings in your care learn how to fights and run form supiorior foe? Whit out healp? Or danger? Core sharper got you covered. Oh have Anthony unload on form cultis "dont tell me your not ever think that your and your peapole skill is uder use by thos one top? Well ques what [pokes] nows your the change to prove them wrong"
Koala Man
:)
Codered999
Well it's kind of the issue you deal with in regards to, why bother with specialists when you have overwhelming firepower that is sufficient for your current needs? Thankfully thanks to Anthony the answer to that question is finally being answered, efficiency. With specialists you ultimately need less antpower to accomplish the same task(s) and thus you have more room to act in other areas. Also, flexibility, specialists in high enough numbers allow for flexible response measures for a much wider array of situations.
ZaneofBane
It seemed to have always been their purpose; Providing solutions to specific problems that isn't worth having ants specialize into countering. It's just that the ants have always been up to the task until now.
Anthony Romanov
Core shapers are criminaly underutilized but I guess because Colony didn't come to any sever challenge so far. Why create a creature that flings tons of acid when 100 ants can do the same?
Shaitan
I love this idea! I can see where having an auxiliary unit like this would be hugely valuable at this point!
Joshua Morris
Is it good or bad that I guessed how they were going to react before reading that part?
patrick n thomas
Finally
FunSize
Core shapers rise up!
guvvuf
Aw. Glad for the Shapers!
