Chapter 1455 – Reporting Back

I’m not used to having to come back to my family with news of failure, though it feels like it’s becoming more of a thing lately, and I’m not happy about it. I can’t wait until we crush this stratum in its entirety so I can run around smacking the slugs about with my antennae. Without the benefit of their toxic environment, they’ll be helpless before me, forced to bow down and bury their sluggy faces into the dirt!

Whoa!

Need to be careful, that felt like the dark one was beginning to rise up. I swear, this place is really bringing out the worst in me. Disgruntled and annoyed, I make my way up the tunnel and back into the safe-zone, welcomed by the large battalion of soldiers the Colony had put in place to defend it. They all pat me on the carapace with their antennae and I exchange jokes and yell at them when they say I’m slacking.

They won’t advance without orders from Solant, so there’s no need to let them know how the fighting went.

Solant, as usual, is an island of calm within a sea at storm.

“It got away,” I announce without fanfare.

Solant turns to look at me for a moment.

“It got away?” she asks.

“Well… there were… complications… but yes. The enemy shed a chunk of its body and escaped.”

Stupid snake-slug! This is embarrassing! Next time I see you, I’ll bury you under the weight of a black hole so powerful it would have eaten that golgari mountain for breakfast!

“So long as it has cleared out of the area, we can begin capture and decontamination. Construction of the fortress is the only thing that matters. Thank you, Eldest.”

Wait… she isn’t mad? I’m a little surprised.

“It’s fine, then? You predicted that I might fail?”

“In what way did you fail?” the little general asks, turning back to consider her ever-expanding model. “You were tasked with removing the obstacle and it is gone. I fail to see the issue.”

Well… that’s good, then!

Seriously, though, I don’t know how they’re expanding this model, but every time I come back, it’s grown. As the Colony expands its controlled area and uncovers more tunnels, the model grows to reflect these new discoveries. Even the furthest edges, which haven’t been confirmed by our scouts but are guessed at by our dungeon seers and those with the finest tunnel senses, are here, constructed from a different coloured stone.

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I’ve never seen anyone working on it, but I highly doubt the Colony has managed to create an automated construction array that updates the model according to some sort of input. Even Brilliant wouldn’t be able to do that! I think…

“Well, if we run into the monster again, make sure to let me know. I have a score to settle with that slug.”

“A slug? I thought it was a snake?”