Chapter 1646 – Mollusc Music

The contamination inside Anthony had spread too far and too fast. Without the ant himself to hold back the tide, there was only so much the golgari and healers could do. Working with mana inside the body of another was so much harder than manipulating it in almost any other context.

The triad maintained their connection, pooling their three minds into one, yet they felt they were barely having an effect.

The mana of Theorazzn was absurdly potent, truly the work of an Ancient. Containing it, breaking it down, preventing it from spreading, was a monumental task, and frankly, it was impressive Anthony had held on as long as he had. The triad focused, bending their minds to the utmost to try and ensure the giant ant would survive, as did the hundreds of healers pressed against his carapace.

The evolution process had begun, Anthony had been dormant for almost two hours now, and the evidence was there to see for those pushing their consciousness within his body. The triad had to focus to avoid being too distracted, as none of the three had ever seen anything like this. Unfathomable energies swirled within that massive carapace, only just starting to take shape. New organs were forming, tissues being created, more layers of exo-skeleton being put together. Torrents of power flowed from within the core, spreading out to every inch of the ant’s body.

And already, they were starting to suck in the poison, drawing in the power of Theorazzn and using it to shape themselves, yet the process was just too slow.

Is he going to make it?

The unity of the triad wobbled as doubts started to bubble up from within. If the three minds weren’t in harmony, they could fall apart, which they couldn’t afford to do. A fraction of a second later, they stabilised, their collective resolve firming.

He IS going to make it!

They just needed to hold on a little longer. Vortices of power were taking shape within Anthony, sucking in the energy they needed to take on a new form. With every passing second, those swirling masses of energy grew stronger, pulled in more and more power. In ten, perhaps twelve hours, they would be consuming the energy of Theorazzn faster than it could replicate itself. A day or so after that, they would probably be eating it so quickly that the healers and golgari wouldn’t even be needed.

The finish line was there, they just had to make it, no matter how impossible it seemed right now.

When the singing started, the triad were so focused on their work they didn’t react at first. It was external stimulus, a distraction, background noise that they and the other healers couldn’t afford to pay attention to. They had a task, and it required every drop of focus and concentration they could muster.

When the change started, they certainly took notice. A tiny shift, an ever-so-slight wisp of energy, yet they saw it in an instant, because what they sensed simply could not be.

The energy of Theorazzn reacted. It changed. It never did that, it only consumed. The triad reeled back in shock, their harmony shattering in an instant.

“What in the name of the Worm was that?!” Granin bellowed.

“I-I don’t know,” Torrina replied, clutching at her temple.

“Did I… was that what I think it was?” Corun muttered, shaking his head as the forceful separation of their minds rattled him.

Stolen story; please report.

Granin was the first to recover, glaring about the chamber, desperate to understand what the disturbance could possibly be. Then his eyes landed on the snails, dozens of them, with glowing blue skin and shining golden eyes, replete with dignified moustaches, singing in unison a song so beautiful it brought tears to his eyes.

“What the heck is this?!” he bellowed, eyes boggling from within his stone skin.

A mind pushed toward his own, and he allowed the connection, which rapidly snapped into place.

[Keep your voice down! You’ll disturb the hatchlings.]

Granin looked around until he saw a Brood Tender walking towards him. He dipped his head in respect, knowing just how highly the Colony held this particular caste of ants. Even so, it was difficult to ignore what was happening in front of him.

[Hatchlings?] he said, full of confusion.

They certainly didn’t look like ants….