Chapter 829 - Confronting Our Demons pt 6

That's right dear readers! I ventured where so few  have dared to tread! Within the heart of the nest itself! Of all the exotic  locations I have plumbed over the years, all the dangers I have braved and  risks I have taken, I have to say that this, this was not like those.

A part of me wants to say it was anti-climactic, in  a sense, but another part of me wants to say that it was anything but. Here I  was, on the brink of stepping deep within a nest of ravening monsters! How  many thousands of them made war within the Dungeon just a few hundred metres  beneath my feet? It was exhilarating to think about and my two guards were so  tense their impressive muscles threatened to bulge right out of their armour.

On the other hand.

I was accompanied by a smiling tour guide who  laughed and chatted with the townsfolk on their way to the Colony, on the road  just as we were. We passed by a young mother and her small children on their  way, the little ones running and cheering as their mother tried to keep them  both in line as they dashed toward the impossible fortress that loomed ahead,  bristling with monsters.

"What reason would this young lady have to take  her children into the nest?" I leaned toward Emilia and whispered.

The old rumours came back to me in that moment.  Where these children about to be sacrificed to slake the insect hunger for  flesh!?

"The Colony runs a day care program for young  children twice a week," she smiled gently, "mothers can come and  spend time with each other as their children play with the hatchlings and take  lessons from the brood tenders."

"Brood tenders?" my curiosity seized hold  of my imagination before I had to process the idea of insect child care.

"They are the caste of ants specially bred to  raise the young and teach. They are hyper-specialised in this field and  provide heavy bonuses to anyone under their tutelage. Raising the young of the  Colony makes them immensely busy, but for two days a week the Colony allows  children from Renewal to take advantage in order to benefit the  children."

"And how does this benefit the Colony?"

"A stronger Renewal means a stronger  Colony," she smiled, "our citizens work with and for the Colony. Our  guards take tours of the Dungeon side by side with them, we trade with them,  they trade for us. There isn't an alliance or any such thing between the  Colony and the survivors of the frontier kingdoms. Though they have never  demanded anything from us, we are essentially one and the same. They have  never failed to help us when we asked, and they help us constantly without us  even having to ask. If we have any honour at all, then we have no choice but  to do the same."

Do you understand me now, dear reader? A fearsome  den of monsters this nest may be, but it is also a location for schooling  children. My feelings were very mixed.

• Excerpt       from Chapter Seven of 'Traveling Tolly in the lands of the Colony'       published in the Monthly 'Pangera Gazette'

[Do you really  think you can outlast be, INSECT?!] Grokus gloats as he swept toward me again.

I'm beginning to  realise that despite how threatening and surprisingly quick his charges were,  they are not really intended to hurt me. All the massive city lord was doing  was keeping me dodging and hopping out of his way whilst he waited for his  insidious aura to eat me from the inside. Obviously, if he did manage to catch me and stuff me in his  maw, that would be a bonus.

[I think you'll  find it a little more difficult than you think, big guy,] I say.

And he will, but  I'm not as confident as I should be. My mind constructs continue to churn,  drawing out and compressing my gravity bomb as my main mind remains free to  manoeuvre my body. The spell is growing within me at a tremendous pace, but I  dare not release it half baked. I need this spell to turn the tides on Grokus  and I've already seen how resistant he is to spells, shrugging off all the  damage I can do with basic elements without breaking a sweat. If the gravity  bomb isn't enough to hurt him, I'm going to be in big trouble.

One thing going in  my favour is that Tiny and Crinis have finished working on the other demons  with the help of the Colony. Spells and waves of acid along with attacks from  the soldiers closest to the front have been enough to tip the battle in their  favour and my two pets are free to help me take on the big guy.

[Be careful!] I  warn them, [his aura will cause damage over time. Make sure you don't stay  close to him for any length of time. Use your lightning Tiny, and Crinis just  try and chip away from range. If you get caught up in his area of effect I'm  not sure how long you'll last.]

I might be in a  position to endure for a while but neither of them have the kind of reserves I  do when it comes to healing. Tiny in particular has very little going for  himself in this department, which means he won't be much use for the fight.  Still, he does what he can and as I continue to dodge away from the demon  bolts of lightning come arcing over to stab into the city lord along with  barbed limbs that emerge from the shadows to start slicing at his legs.

It doesn't do much,  but every little bit helps at this point.

He charges my way  again and I leap to the side at the last minute, avoiding the swipe of his  claw by the barest of margins and ducking in to unleash another chomp combo  that doesn't seem to do anything to the massive demon.

[You think you can  hurt me, pathetic creature?!] Grokus laughs. [Just accept your fate!]

[I got a feeling  that you might be changing your tune soon enough,] I say as I hop away.

[Your spell? I can  feel you charging it. I'm looking forward to the moment you unleash it and  realise that it hasn't worked. Perhaps then the despair will grip you firmly  enough to surrender to your fate.]

[You wanna eat this  one? I think you might find it gives you indigestion…]

Is that damn spell  ready yet!?

[I fear nothing  that you are capable of, LITTLE THING.]

It's close. I'm  packing the gravity bomb with every ounce of mana that I possibly can. It's an  ominous ball of near perfect black hovering in my awareness, just begging to  be unleashed on the world. All I need is a little space and I'll let him have  it!