Chapter 1688 – Council Gathers

After the triad leaves, I keep eating and practicing walking around. A few test chomps with the mandibles, building up a bit of confidence, just basic stuff. It’s nice talking to Crinis, Tiny and Invidia, and they fill me in on what they’ve been up to while I was asleep.

Tiny, it seems, has fully devoted himself to the art of punching. It’s not easy to get any details out of him, being of a more taciturn nature, but from what I can piece together, he found a supposedly unbreakable material somewhere in the fourth, the heart of a mountain, and practised punching it.

[That’s it?] I ask him.

He nods slowly.

[You just punched it?]

Again, he nods.

[Did it… help?]

A final nod. He holds up his fist for me to see with a proud smile, but I really can’t tell anything special about it. Prodding it with an antenna doesn’t help either.

[Well… good. I’m glad. Well done, buddy.]

It seems odd to think of the easily bored Tiny punching a rock all day every day for six months, but… sure? Maybe he was able to level up his boxing skills? He seems happy, which is the most important thing.

Crinis, although she tries to conceal it, spent most of her time with the nameless ones, ensuring their reign of sleepy terror continues to grip the Colony everywhere it goes. On the one hand, it’s great that my siblings are getting regular rest and not pushing themselves too hard. On the other hand, it’s hard not to feel like they’ve gone a little overboard. Well, it’s way too late to do anything about it now.

[As long as you’ve been getting enough rest, Crinis. You aren’t overworking yourself, are you?]

[W-who, me? Of course not, Master. I-I would never!]

That’s… a bit suspicious.

Invidia has been the busiest of the three by far from the sounds of things. He’s happy to talk, in his usual sibilant and raspy way, about his many, many good deeds. The little guy has been on a mission to be as helpful to as many different people as possible, it seems! Helping the mages train their magic. Helping the carvers with their building. Helping the battalions fight in the tunnels. Helping the core shapers work on cores. He even took over some of the logistical work for Solant with that massive brain of his! I’m shocked she trusted him, but it seems the former envy demon is everyone’s best and most reliable friend.

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