Chapter 563 Scouting Repor (1/2)
Records of the early days of non-monster habitation of the Dungeon are scarce, to say the least. The Dungeon opened itself during the cataclysm known as the Rending, and certainly before that time the vast network of caves and tunnels beneath the ground was both unknown and inaccessible to those on the surface. During the event itself, when hordes of monsters poured out of holes in the surface every day, pressing forward into the Dungeon was difficult, but not impossible. There are scattered records of several expeditions that managed to gain a foothold beneath the surface. According to the journal written by Alain of Exeter, the ruling ten decreed that defending against the monsters beneath the surface, where narrow tunnels make perfect chokepoints, would be far less costly than attempting to curb them on the surface, and so dispatched a mighty force to seize a Dungeon entrance.
Although the loss of life was horrific, Exeter was the first nation on record to establish a permanent foothold within the Dungeon. It began life as a crude defensive fort at first, the site, which came to be named Victoria, was reinforced and expanded throughout the Rending. It became a frontline defence against the monsters and was effective at reducing the numbers that breached the surface.
Victoria still exists today, though not in the form it once did. As Exeter pushed deeper into the Dungeon to seize its wealth and research its secrets, Victoria became a gateway city between the depths and the surface kingdom, a place of trade and travel. Although firmly placed within the first strata, Victoria is considered the first true metropolis beneath the ground, though many others would follow. Empires, kingdoms and nations of all sorts would rush to seize land in the Dungeon, establis.h.i.+ng cities of their own. Even powerful merchant collectives or independent mercenary companies were able to construct their own safe havens in less desirable Dungeon locations. In this way, the community below ground expanded.
Excerpt from ”Societies of the Dungeon, Chapter 1: Introduction” by H.R. Dough'n'Stough
I keep a suspicious eye on Advant as we march around to the council chamber, the teasing flicker in my Vestibule having now conspicuously vanished. They're trying to pull something over on me here, and I will not allow it! To think, the council that I raised and taught from mere hatchlings to the powerful and advanced monsters that they are today would try and sneak something past me. The whole idea is absurd! It will not be allowed to stand!
By the time we reach the chamber and settle in, Advant is almost shaking after receiving my withering, omni-directional glare for ten minutes straight. She hasn't cracked though, which means I'm still in the dark regarding their nefarious scheme. It's unfortunate that the survival of the Colony is at stake right now, I can't afford to be distracted by these side games. After another five minutes pa.s.s, the entire council has been a.s.sembled and settled into our individual seats.
”Hi-Hi! Eldest!” Vibrant chirrups the moment she enters the room. ”It's been exciting out there! Things have moved soo fast! Even for me! I've been all over the place for the last day, I don't think I've stopped moving, even for a moment!”
”That's great, Vibrant,” I break in to stop the flow of scents flying from her before she can really get going. One of the things I've noticed about pheromone based communication, is that at no point is the person 'speaking' required to pause to take a breath. If an ant really wants to, they can launch into a diatribe that can be quite horrendous in length. Eventually they'll run out of pheromones, but with a few mutations, they can last a heck of a long time.
”So, what exactly did we learn?” I ask, moving to head off potential monologues from Vibrant.
”Quite a lot,” Burke responds smoothly, ”our scouts managed to infiltrate the outskirts undetected and gather quite a chunk of actionable intelligence.”
”You're sure that you weren't found?” I'm doubtful. How could a city in the Dungeon survive without being monster proof?
”We can't be completely sure,” Wills answers me, her antennae drooping slightly, ”but we took every possible measure we could to avoid discovery. We tunnelled in ourselves, sent our stealthiest members and cooperated with the shapers and mages.”
”That's right,” Bella waved a leg to draw attention to herself. ”We sent the pets in to see what they could see! We even made them fight each other to look believable. The tunnel approaches are watched carefully, that's for sure. The second we crossed a line, BAM, a bunch of humans jumped on the pets and annihilated them!”
That's a little worrying.
”Did you dig past that line?” I ask, intent.
”Are you concerned about a spherical detection zone?” Propellant asks. ”We considered the same thing. Not to worry, we made sure to retreat before crossing over the line.”
Hmm.
”So how much did we actually learn? It doesn't sound like we were able to get close to the city at all!”
”We know it's location, how much s.p.a.ce it occupies, we've identified all of the entrances and tested the defences. Preparations have been made on tunnel access from a wide range of entrance points and every path in and out of the city is being monitored. Quite a bit in twenty four hours, I should say.”
When you put it like that… Actually, what the heck did I expect? A complete census of the city? The names of every man, woman, child and a detailed inventory of their house pets? The place is effectively surrounded and pus.h.i.+ng any further risks exposing us at a time when surprise is our most powerful weapon. Hang on, there's a thought.
”A census! I want a census done of the Colony! A record of every single member of the family. I want to know their cast, their age, the MP that their core can take, their skill levels and mutations! I want the works! Someone get on that!”