Chapter 1632 – How To Solve a Problem Like Theorazzn?

“How bad is it?” Corun asked.

Granin took his hand off the dark purple carapace and grunted.

“I won’t make a song and dance about it. It’s bad.”

Corun looked shocked, but Torrina only nodded, her expression grim.

“What are the options? There has to be something we can do, otherwise you wouldn’t have agreed to come here,” she asked him.

Granin grunted again and folded his arms, thinking.

“It’s not up to us, it’s up to Anthony, and it’s up to the Colony. There are things we can do, but only if they let us, and all of them will have consequences. This is a delicate moment for Anthony; we have to respect his wishes.”

There were dozens of healers crawling over the massive ant now, poking and prodding, their minds turned inward, trying to break down the mana within his body, an exceptionally difficult task.

“There are ways he could expel the mana,” Torrina said, stepping up beside Granin, her eyes locked onto his. “You know as well as I do that he can get rid of it.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Granin growled. “Are you going to force him to do it? You know he won’t.”

“He’s a proto-Ancient,” Torrina insisted. “You’ve been charged by Yarrum himself–”

“Stop. Right now.”

Granin scowled, his deep, rumbling voice brooked no argument. Only when his student remained silent, despite her obvious frustration, did he continue.

“I know all of that. There is no one who wants him to come through this more than I do, but it is impossible for us to force him to take the easy way out. Even if we convinced the Colony to help us, he still wouldn’t cooperate. If all of us try to force him, then he will resist, and it will become very dangerous, very quickly. If he’s overcome by the corruption here, inside the fortress, then the cleansed mana will kill him in a matter of minutes and everything is finished.”

[What are you whispering about?]

Anthony’s voice rang in the golgari Shaper’s head, sounding more strained than Granin could ever recall hearing it. It was always strange to hear such a young-sounding voice coming from such a large monster. It was difficult to remember sometimes just how recently he’d been hatched.

[Talking about options to dispense with the mana inside you.]

[I’m taking suggestions.]

[I bet,] Granin chuckled, then grew serious. [Anthony, there are ways… that you could get that mana out of your system. It won’t be easy, but you do have a mutation that will help.]

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“Are you talking to him?” Corun asked.

“Yes, I’m talking to him,” Granin snapped.

“Are you going to bring it up?”

“Yes! I’m just being tactful!”

Torrina and Corun both stared at him, eyes full of doubt. Granin cursed under his breath and ignored them. He could be tactful when the situation demanded!