Chapter 1519 – What Was Known, What Was Lost

“Englebert, you’re our best expert on the chal, can you pull yourself together, man?”

“I’m… I just… I… I think… I am… I… no?”

Rathwyn shot a quick smile toward Coolant and Propellant, then briefly wondered if the ants were even able to read human facial expressions. They didn’t have muscles on the outside of their heads… but then, they did spend a lot of time around people who did… so… maybe?

[I’m sorry, I’m afraid the shock hasn’t quite worn off yet. I’m not sure you realise what a momentous event the… resurfacing of the chal will prove to be.]

He couldn’t help but eye ‘Kathy’ as he said this. In their time, the chal were among the most dominant powers on all of Pangera. Perhaps not as mighty as the Abyssal Legion in the early, post Cataclysm times, but their empire flourished like no other as the race to settle the Dungeon began. She was already suspicious the ants would use the snails to become a strategic threat, as if the Silver City had anything to fear!

[You’re all being strange,] Propellant said directly. [As far as we’re concerned, these are just baby snails that need looking after. The most interesting aspect to all this that I can see, is that it’s possible to ‘purify’ the Krath.]

[Indeed,] Coolant agreed, [my more hot-headed sibling has put forward our position accurately. The Krath, as it turns out, may be a product of their own corruption process. We know for a fact that directly exposing them to cleansed mana will kill them, but there may be a way to revert them back to what they were before.]

[I doubt they would even want that,] Rathwyn said after some consideration. [The Krath revel in what they are, there’s a sick, twisted pride amongst the tribes in their way of life and what they do to others.]

The two ants considered each other, waving their antennae back and forth, before they seemed to shrug.

[It’s only a thought. Now, tell us what you know of these snails. We’ll pass that information onto the Brood Tenders, and they can devise a proper curriculum for the hatchlings.]

They were seated around a table, the academics recovering and muttering amongst themselves while sipping hot tea and nibbling biscuits, leaving Rathwyn to occupy the two ant mages. The insects were no longer willing to be denied, however, so he hoped they would have something valuable to share.

“Englebert, you better have something.” Rathwyn warned. “They want to start designing curricula already.”

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“They were just born!” Englebert exclaimed. “How are they supposed to start learning already?”

It wasn’t a bad point.

[Why wouldn’t they?] Coolant replied after he’d queried them. She sounded genuinely confused. [My siblings start the learning process the moment they are born. Even before then, technically. I understand we are monsters, so there is a difference, but we will not fail in our duty to these hatchlings. We will do everything we can, starting now.]