Chapter 1753 – Out Into the Slime Once More

It’s a little sad, but obviously Tiny and the gang can’t come with me once I go back out into the tunnels. Tiny and Invidia are both happy to be deployed to one of the deeper fortresses and help fend off the Krath who have been launching raids there, but Crinis is a little harder to convince.

[Master, noooooooo!] she sobs.

[Really, Crinis. This is a bit much, even for you.]

[You’re going to get lost, or captured, or vanish into a mysterious void! Let me go too!]

[That’s… probably not going to happen! I’ll be careful. Get off my carapace, dammit!]

[Never!]

I’m trying to scoop her off with my antennae, but she either clings on tighter or just flows around them, not letting me get a grip. As a result, the surrounding ants are treated to the sight of me rolling around trying to get my uncooperative death shadow of doom off my back.

Eventually, I have to give up and issue an order.

[I blame you entirely,] I tell a still-writhing Crinis as she blobs on the ground, trying to fling her tentacles onto me but unable to due to the order. [If you just cooperated, we wouldn’t be in this position.]

[I can keep you safe!] she protests.

[No you can’t and you dang well know so,] I snap back. [You’re being ridiculous. Solant has already told you what you can do to help, so go and get to it.]

It takes another ten minutes to get Crinis moving, and only then can I finally head back out to the edges of the Colony’s new territory, which means moving through the tunnels that have returned to their original form!

I’m quite excited to see what the fifth was originally like and it doesn’t disappoint! The natural mana must be some variety of bio-mana or something, because it’s clearly a fleshy, organic environment, and the monsters seem to fit that theme perfectly.

Many of them remind me of cells, while others resemble tissues, formed of multiple cells in a sort of cooperative group. Nearly all of them are some variety of fleshy, gloopy, organic-looking entities, though. At least none of them are all that strong, having largely been spawned rather recently.

With several guides, I run through the tunnels, smashing through the occasional monster who sees fit to challenge me, but for the most part they shy away when I draw near, making for a safe and swift run.

Even so, it takes a long time to reach our destination. The Colony has expanded its reach through thousands of kilometres of the fifth. Were it flattened out onto a map, it would be the size of a small country at this point. Running to the edge of it is quite the journey. Thankfully, Colony engineers have been hard at work creating express tunnels so I’m not running up and around all sorts of twisty paths, which helps a lot.

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In the end, I reach the border in a day, completely free of fatigue thanks to the still-enormous number of ants within range of the Vestibule.

Also, I seem to be getting some sort of energy out of the Beyn statue in there.

Which I won’t be thinking about.