Soon after the Immortals sohow ran into the air on a golden road, they started coming back down again. Not particularly gently, either. With enemies gripped in their mandibles, the armour-clad ants are literally dragging their opponents to the floor of the heart, crashing into the liquid mana with trendous force and holding their victims down as the purified energy breaks them down.
Honestly, if the liquid hadn't risen so high, I think the fall would have been enough to bring the enemies and the Immortals to a rather ssy end. In fact, I suspect that might have been the point. More than one of the 'victorious' ants can be seen grumbling as they pick themselves up and start scaling the walls of the heart, no easy feat with all that armour weighing them down.
I'm starting to get genuinely worried one of them might fall on , and I'm in no position to get out of the way. With so much of my focus on trying to halt the spread of the toxin within , I don't have the attention to spare for dodging. I'll just have to hope they're careful enough not to squish along with themselves.
Then again… my carapace might be enough to withstand the impact, the gravity compressed diamond is no joke.
Neither is my wrath, which I will unleash on the first ant who lands on !
Or… uh… what? What the heck was that?
A sense of unease stirs in as I wonder where on Pangera that stray thought ca from. Is… was that Dark Anthony? Has he stirred from his restless slumber?
I search inside myself, but I don't see any trace of Dark Anthony, no evidence that he's taken over at all. That's… that's not a good thing.
"I don't want to alarm anyone, but a strange and unfriendly thought popped into my head a mont ago," I tell the healers.
"That shouldn't be possible," one of them snaps, latching her antennae onto my head. "The corruption hasn't gone anywhere near your brains, nor your core. How could it be affecting your thoughts?"
"I don't know! Either I'm just really angry and wanting to chomp my own siblings, which has never happened before, or the toxin is getting to !"
"This is a problem…."
"Really?!"
I don't want to beco sludge Anthony, sludge Anthony is a massive jerk and probably leaks mucus out of his eyeballs. No thanks!
"We might have to move you back to the fortress imdiately," the healers tell .
"Is that really a good idea? At least I'm swimming in cleansed mana here, almost literally."
I can tell it's having a positive effect on . The little bits of Ancient Goop that clung to my carapace have been purified now, which ans no more corrupt mana is getting into . Honestly, digging a hole in my carapace and pouring the stuff inside might do the trick, but I'm a little worried my organs won't hold if dunked in such purified mana.
"You might… be right," the healer sighs, still poking and prodding at .
Honestly, the situation isn't looking too promising right now. We're managing to hold our ground, but we aren't pushing the toxin back. In fact, if Protectant hadn't taken so of the infection away, I might well be toasted already.
I hope she's doing alright, her and the others.
So I can crunch them myself!
Ohhhhh no. Newp. Don't like that at all.
A mass of darkness shifts above and, to my surprise, the six Templars step out onto my carapace.
"Where the heck did you co from?" I ask them. "And should you even be here?! This is dangerous!"
Alis stamps her foot, on my back, mind you.
"Everywhere you go is dangerous! Aren't we supposed to protect you? You saved … so you can't complain when the situation is reversed."
Well… that's fair, I suppose.
"Yes, alright, but I wasn't talking about the battle, I was talking about the concentration of mana in here."
I don't need to point to the liquid mana still literally raining down around us. If a regular human were to touch the stuff… I don't think it will go well for them. Very quickly.
"The toxin is hurting you spiritually," Jern says, seemingly ignoring my concerns. "It isn't affecting the Nave right now, but we can feel it. It's changing you."
Well great. I guess that explains the twisted impulses I've started getting.
"Is… is there anything you guys can do to help with that?" I ask, a little reluctantly.
I'm supposed to be the one putting myself on the line to save others, not the other way around!
It's Bertram who answers.
"I think so. A few of us are going to have to stay in contact with you. Not all of us have the exact sa Skills, so we can't all do the job. That frees up so of us for winning the battle."
"You're going to fight?"
The older man blinks, scratching at his stubbled cheek.
"Well, not . Or Alis. But the rest can."
The kids?! Ah, heck.
They're glaring at too, they know what I'm thinking. I'll need to tread carefully, otherwise they'll start guilting into more things.
"Just… try not to get hurt," I sigh.
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