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Chapter 931 - Promise
🕑 Added 2022-01-30 11:45:54 +0000 UTCThe pain was beyond bone deep. Inside the communal bond, where once his servant, Issi, had been, was now a wound that tore into his very soul. Rassan'tep clamped his fangs together and forced himself to rise, despite the protests of his body. The air was still filled with dust, visibility was poor, but he began to move toward the echoes that rang through the bond. Powerful legs scratched at the rubble, and soon he began to unearth his attendants. The surviving ones.
What had happened? What was that?
No. He wouldn't allow himself to become distracted. The setsulah required his aid and the bond demanded that he give it, he could not do less, as their master. The mountain face above them must have collapsed, judging by the rubble, burying them all in tons of stone. He had survived thanks to his own shield, if not for that… it didn't bare thinking about.
After twenty minutes he had managed to excavate most of them, using only his legs. Even now the mental strain pounded in his brain, every touch of mana like a twinge on an exposed nerve. By the sands, he was tired.
"Mas… ter," Ammon'sil groaned as he was uncovered.
[Be silent,] the kaarmodo commanded, [you have numerous broken bones and I have not a speck of magic left in me. We will need to carry you inside the mountain.]
The leader of his servants closed his eyes and nodded wearily, his once pristine scales covered in dust, even torn away in places. His wife, Errol'sil crooned softly as she knelt by her husband and brushed her hand over his crest. Rassan'tep looked aside, it wasn't for him to observe such a private moment.
[What a disaster,] a mind touched against his own, filled with disgust and fatigue.
[Irion'tep. You have also survived?] he replied.
[Barely. You will have to answer to the mahaan for this failure, Rassan…]
Politicking already. He calmed his mind and sank his emotions under the dunes.
[In what way have I failed, Irion?] he said calmly.
His ally fell silent for a moment, though his rage practically vibrated over the mental link until he mastered it.
[Does that really need to be said?] Irion finally asked. [The evidence of your failure is all around us. I have lost two of my attendants in this disaster, directly as a result of your plan to lure the ants here with a false trail of pheromones.]
[And my strategy was a success. They were successfully lured, we trapped them and would have fed them to our termites had we not been interrupted. Are you really blaming me for not predicting the existence of a creature capable of such magic? Who could have known such a thing was possible?]
Unable to retort that yes, he should have predicted the existence of a super-ant with command over an unknown mana, Irion'tep could only fall silent as he dealt with the grief that overwhelmed all kaarmodo at the loss of their servants.
[Let us continue to retrieve those that can be saved,] Rassan'tep suggested, [these discussions can wait for later.]
The two fell silent as they continued to push through the rubble, searching for their allies and their servants amidst the rock. As they worked the dust continued to settle and the scale of the devastation gradually became known. It was absurd. In the face of the mountain, an enormous sphere had been carved that encompassed most of what had previously been the main entrance. That spell, whatever it had been, had ripped up the rock as if it were plain soil, tearing it from the mountain with ease. The trees in the distance, which had not long ago been coated in a layer of fungus, were now clear, but had been flattened, many uprooted and dragged across the ground, leaving enormous furrows in their wake.
If it hadn't been for their shield eating up so much of the spells energy, or their efforts to break the spell down, the scale of devastation would have been far greater. How could one creature produce such an effect against the combined efforts of so many minds? The secret had to lie in that strange mana type the ant had used, something that Rassan'tep had never encountered before.
Indeed, a very promising prospect.
The life of a cultist was a difficult one, they endured thousands of failures in their mission to create the final ancient, yet each toiled through the centuries knowing that only had to succeed once. For the first time in a long while Rassan'tep felt his heart quicken at the prospect of finally finding, the one.
This ant, this Anthony, already more powerful than an ant monster had any right to be, also possessed this strange power. With another evolution, possibly two, they would have a clearer picture, but any monster able to do something like this at tier six was more than a worthy candidate. He would have to report back to the other members of the Red Truth, things had escalated beyond what he was able to manage himself.
As the work continued, they found two of their fellow kaarmodo had succumbed to their wounds beneath the stone before more of their allies emerged from with the mountain to assist and provide healing. Below, the termites boiled out of the deep tunnels, responding to a perceived threat that no longer existed, only to find that their fungus gardens had been destroyed, which drove them further in a fury. It would be a day before they calmed themselves most likely.
As more kaarmodo emerged, discussions continued to evolve, next steps being considered, adjustments to the overall strategy, but Rassan'tep only half listened, he had other concerns to deal with. The largest issue being how to ensure that this promising ant survived the retaliation that may come as a result of this incident. His people did not tolerate the loss of their servants lightly, let alone two of their number. He tapped into the communal mind bridge to find his worst fears confirmed.
A divide had formed between those who wanted to directly intervene alongside the termites, a combined force of kaarmodo, setsulah and their controlled insects with no pretence of neutrality, to annihilate the ant force and take the fight directly to the tree, and those who simply wanted to increase the scale of the termite force.
He had wanted to apply pressure to the ant, but things could rapidly get out of hand.
[Master?] Ammon'sil approached his side and placed a hand against his scales after being healed.
[I am fine.]
He wasn't. He was tired, in pain and in desperate need of a scrub, the dirt between his scales rubbed fiercely, but he had no time to rest. He gathered himself before he made himself known within the discussion. With a little luck he could salvage this situation and ensure his precious prospect wasn't burned out before he had a chance to shine.
Comments
Cursemaster
He means never encountered outside of his battles with Anthony
BS91
What does he mean, "never encountered before?" He DID encounter it – back when he tried and failed to firebomb the grove!
RinoZ
There will be one when we get back to Anthony.
Andrick
Can’t for that gravity glad to become the strongest organ to ever exist. Also, all the younger ants are once again reminded why eldest is the eldest! Aka more statues and carvings.
Rahsheem Reid
Just how strong has Anthony become?
Louis Cypher
Please, please give us a Status chapter soon lol. I absolutely need to see how much he gained from this excursion. Not to mention it’s been months and most of Anthony’s skills should have ranked up too.
Tyrunex
Or the good ol' double gravity spear rip apart
Nathan Quitugua
Just how massive and how powerful was this spell? I can only assume that the kaarmodo and the setsulah are very accomplished spell casters and the last time Antony used his spell against the legion, it would exhaust a fair few mages ability to rip it apart. If we assume most kaarmodo have about 3-5 servants, then I can guess that Antony's spell was able to completely overwhelm 5 kaarmodo and between 12-20 setsulah. It's really starting to turn into his ace in the hole except its starting to get to a point where he needs to figure out a safer way to deploy it. I wonder if the other spell forms he uses with it will make a return one of these days. Just imagine hurling a super condensed gravity bolt that reverses gravity on a target and it just being hurled into the sky.
Tyrunex
While it must have hurt to lose his setsula rassan'tep still saw his mission to find a candidate. That is true devotion to a cause.
Nikita
I'm satisfied.
Runaway_Cactuar
Gandalf gives you choices based on what you've learned and experienced. If you've never had a high school physics class, it's really hard to understand why the apple falls on your head, or how. Most people would just take it for granted, like how the sky is blue.
Marter
Im i’m starting to wonder how no one has seen or heard of a gravity mana before in The history of the labyrinth you would think somebody would recognize it for what it is but great chapter the lizard deserved everything they got
InfernalDrake
Maybe a few thousand termites, but they aren't leveled up monsters, they're swarm monsters. He might get A level, but that probably about it. Probably got significantly more experience from the Kaarmodo.
Axel Isaías itzcoatl García Ruiz
Pues su nivel debería por lo menos ir un poco más de la mitad para evolucionar
Dan K
Damn. That’s gotta catapult his levels a good chunk to tier 7. I mean how could it not? Killed tens of thousands possibly into hundreds of thousands, along with a couple high level lizard wizards and their servants. Can’t be insignificant progress at least.
Anthony Romanov
Now Anthony need to figure out how to accelerate blackhole so it goes off further away from him. And not to fire it off in closed of areas.
Unraveler
So what level is Anthony currently now after this massive massacre?
Runaway_Cactuar
Well, at least Anthony got 2 lizzies in the bag. I was afraid they'd all survive.
Sam Beasley
In chapter 904 we hear from "Rapsep, wife of Ammon". In this chapter "His wife, Errol'sil crooned". Small continuity issue, unless they're polygamous. Otherwise excellent chapter.
Edgar maya
An ass kickin hell never forget
Jbb4Play
First
