Chapter 1473 – Well Well Well

“No, you can’t just hang around,” I roar at Leeroy as she helps pull the trapped and struggling members of the Immortals out of the mucus that still clings to them. “You have to get back to the Colony as soon as possible! All of you are going to be infected with toxic energy.”

“Well… we might be able to… find something that will help the family…” Leeroy says, in an openly shifty way.

“Do you really think dying of curable mana poisoning is a glorious death in service of the Colony?” I snap, running out of patience. “Get yourself, and our poor sibling, back to the safe-zone and get cleansed, Leeroy. If not, I’ll trap you in a gravity well and drag you back myself!”

The entire column of Immortals begins to emit a sullen energy, but I’m totally uninterested in indulging them. Instead, I follow my senses forward deeper into the area under the effect of the gravity well. It’s not much, in fact, it’s tiny, but I recognise this pattern, and I’m rather surprised to find it.

Casting a well that could lift up an entire mucus river took a lot of my remaining energy, and I won’t be able to maintain it much longer, but I have enough time that I don’t need to rush. I wander down to the edge of the spell and take a look. The mucus draining back into the now empty river is getting caught and rising up into the air. It’s an odd sight, to say the least.

I turn back to look at the slime spreading out across the ceiling, waiting. A few long seconds pass, and nothing happens. Which is curious.

I reach out with an antenna and prod a certain piece of muck, which looks no different from any of the other slime around it. I prod something fleshy, and it retracts away from the antenna before growing still again.

Once more, I wait. Once more, nothing happens.

Curiouser and curiouser.

I whip together a mind bridge and latch it onto my target.

[I know you’re there,] I say.

For a long moment, there isn’t a reply, and I have to remake the bridge since the mana here decays everything.

[This is unexpected,] I hear back.

The voice sounds old, sort of thin? Have I found a geriatric Krath?

[I’ll say. Don’t you guys melt yourselves when you get caught?]

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

I have to say, touching minds with a Krath is… less than pleasant. Even their thoughts reek of corruption.

[I… enjoy living more than a good Krath should.]

Well now… that is something I don’t mind hearing. Hang on. Why the heck is this Krath more keen on living than Leeroy and the other idiots in armour behind me?! I turn back to yell at them.

“Hurry up! I’m leaving soon, and you’d better be gone by the time I do, or I’m dragging you all back and putting you in mandatory rest!”

A chorus of boos rises from the armoured ants, and I snap my mandibles at them in warning before turning back to my weirdly cooperative Krath.

[So… you would like to continue living.]

[… If possible.]