Chapter 317 Advance (1/2)

We lay low in the Dungeon for hours. The dirt and stone that surrounded us meant that we heard nothing of our pursuers, even if they pa.s.sed within ten metres of us. The constant warfare amongst the regular monsters remained constant, as it always way when they weren't brainwashed by some fat a.s.s Croc.

Haaa. I really need to get back to the colony, all of this stress is giving me a potty mouth. Some down time might be nice.

[We need to get back to the village] Morrelia sent over our mental connection, catching me by surprise.

She'd been brooding and punching the walls in fits of anger during our stay here. I could tell she wasn't too pleased by what I'd had to say, who even knew if it was the truth. To me, it didn't really matter why an empire of elderly lizards was unleas.h.i.+ng a Dungeon monster on their weaker neighbours, what mattered is that they had, and how we were going to cope with it.

[If we rush back to the colony, won't we just lead them straight there?] I protested.

Leading the horde and Garralosh down onto my family was not my idea of being a filial worker. I could already see the twenty, rolling their antennae with frustration at this new mess that I'd caused them whilst refusing to say anything about to me because I was technically the eldest.

[We aren't dealing with back kingdom hedge wizards now, Anthony] Morrelia growled at me. She was angry, frustrated, and it was making her a bit short. [They'll have scried out the entire south by now, since they know which direction we came from. Maybe they had done that even before we poked the hive with a stick. Point is, they will know about the village and the colony. They aren't going to leave them be.]

Gawd.

[A tiny little village and colony of harmless ants? Why would go to all that I effort?] I muttered.

Morrelia snorted at my use of the word 'harmless', I don't think she's buying just how innocent and loveable we are. Or perhaps she knows what we might be capable of…

[They came here to eradicate the people, I don't think they'll leave before the job is done. Besides] she added, [I don't think they'll want you or I to survive, given what we've seen.]

Makes sense. It doesn't really mean much if you have raised a secret weapon that n.o.body knows you can control, if someone has seen you controlling it.

Dammit!

[So the only way we actually make it out of this alive, outside of fleeing through the Dungeon, is to rally the colony and village and fight against them?!]

The warriors face twisted at my mention of fleeing through the Dungeon, as if the very thought was repellent to her. Hey! I didn't actually consider doing it! As if I would leave the colony alone to fend for itself in its time of trial. That is my family right there.

[Correct] Morrelia nodded. [I have no idea how, but the only we make out is if we fight. If we try to flee, they'll hunt us down eventually. I don't know a way that we could hide from their scrying magic, we just don't have the Skills.]

And fleeing into the wilderness would put the colony at risk at just the moment we were beginning to explode in our potential. If we'd had an extra month then I wouldn't nearly be this worried, the number of ants the colony would be able to wield by then would smash the horde following Garralosh and drag the stupid Croc down into the mud.

As it was we just didn't have the firepower.

The villagers were in much the same position. The training and Dungeon expeditions had done a lot to take a collection of former famers, labourers and traders and put them on the road to becoming proper warriors, but they weren't there yet. There wasn't enough of them and they weren't far enough along in their skill development to turn the tide against a monster like Garralosh.

[Okay then. First thing first, we need to get the heck out of here and we need to do it fast] I decided.

[You have a plan?] Morrelia asked, her eyes sharpening on me.

[Nope] I admitted, [plans aren't really my strong point. I was thinking we could just bust out the way we came in and hightail it south. It's not subtle but it gets us there as quickly as possible.]

Morrelia stared at me for a moment before she threw back her head and barked out a laugh.

[Too bad the Legion doesn't accept monsters in the ranks] she chuckled, [I have a feeling you'd fit right in.]