Chapter 1460 – Revelations

It was never possible for there to be peace between the Colony and the Church of the Path. How could there be? The Church was almost as virulently anti-monster as the Abyssal Legion, though for very different reasons.

The Legion has always feared the Dungeon, believing that if it were left unchecked, the end result would be a repeat of the Rending, if not worse. For that reason they have sought to combat monsters, find new and better ways to destroy them.

The Church looks upon monsters not as a threat, but as a gift. A sacred offering made for the betterment of the civilised races of Pangera. To them, it was nothing less than their sacred mission to destroy monsters and reap the XP provided. Any means that allowed them to reap a greater harvest was justified, and any obstacle to this purpose was unholy.

Their wanton pillaging of the Dungeon, and unwillingness to engage with monsters as the severe threat that they are, was the primary reason the Church and the Legion were always at odds.

– From the writings of Alberton, Liria branch Legion Loremaster

Well… I don’t know what I expected the Church to be doing with the monsters they captured, but this wasn’t it. I mean… I’ve seen and experienced some pretty nasty stuff since I was born into this world, but this is the first thing I’ve come across that I would describe as actually evil.

Like… cartoon bad-guy sort of stuff.

I almost can’t comprehend it. The thought of something so terrible happening to one of my sisters just doesn’t seem real. It’s not possible. My brains refuse to accept that I live in a world where that occurred.

The idea that they are still out there, hoping to do this to more of us, is unacceptable. One is too many. It would be an unforgivable, irredeemable sin were it only to occur once. Any more than that, a single instance, and I will do something drastic, something severe, to ensure that it never happens again.

Before I even realise it, a new resolve has taken shape within me. Once the Colony is done with the fifth, we will need to revisit this problem. A permanent solution must be found, and recompense must be extracted.

But for now, there’s nothing that can be done. I’m sure the Church is going out trying to recruit others to their cause. If enough become interested, then I’m sure there would be a large-scale attack on the Colony. Were enough to join in, it’s possible they would be able to bring an end to us altogether, but we’ve already put a dint in those plans. My initiative to bring trade to the Colony was a massive success, and it’s unlikely the Silver City will be willing to launch a war of extinction against someone they do business with.

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Hopefully it’s enough for now. Later, we can look for something a little more permanent.

With a great effort, I push all thoughts of the horrifying reality out of my mind. I don’t have any space to think about it right now; my mandibles are full dealing with our current problems, namely the army of Krath gathering right outside our territory.

Not to mention the rest of the difficulties we face in conquering this stratum. There’s a lot to do!

If I went to report to Solant now, I don’t doubt I’d be sent back out to scout more tunnels and get a better sense of how many slugs are out there. Which is fine, I’m happy to do that, once my leg grows back, of course, but first I want to go and check in with the best non-insect monsters in the entire Dungeon.

I find Tiny, Crinis and Invidia all hanging out together, and I run up to greet them with a friendly wave of the antenna.

[Hey, gang! How are you–]

Ghost fist.