Chapter 910: Drawn Down

There are no precise records of how old the Mother Tree may actually be. Without being present to see her spawn within the Dungeon it wouldn't be possible to know this information. Along with the more secretive, long-lived nature of plant monsters it isn't difficult to understand why documented sightings of her are so rare. Only when she evolved and became a much larger presence within the Dungeon did sightings become more common and her movements and growth more documented.

I estimate she would have been tier seven, or perhaps eight, at the time of the first recorded sighting by the Legion. A powerful tree of great size that nonetheless was already capable of moving through its extensive root system, vanishing from one place overnight to reappear in another. From analysis provided by plant-type monster specialists within the ranks of the Loremasters it's assumed that the Mother Tree invested the bulk of her evolutionary energy, and specialised her mutations, into greater survivability. Her ability to relocate is just the tip of what the monster can do to preserve her own life. During combat with the tree it has displayed remarkable regenerative capacity, drawing on hidden stores of both mana and Biomass to regrow what is lost at a rapid pace. The roots can appear almost anywhere, even disconnected from the tree itself, able to capture Biomass and siphon it back to the main body of the monster across vast distances.

The Mother Tree has even survived the destruction of her trunk on two occasions that the Legion is aware of. One of these was inflicted by the Legion itself, during the ultimately failed attempt to exterminate this high tier creature, and the other occurred earlier in the monster's life, yet she was able to fully recover both times. Some speculate that the tree itself is naught but misdirection, and her true self lies elsewhere.

Excerpt from 'The Root of Evil - An analysis of the Mother Tree' by Alberton.

Two weeks is both a long and a short amount of time, depending on perspective. Is it a long time to be standing around doing nothing? Absolutely. You'd go mad within a day. Is it a long time to prepare an invasion of the fourth stratum? No. No it is not.

Despite the importance of the mission the Mother Tree had dumped on us, I didn't want the upcoming invasion to take away the main focus of the Colony, which was to continue expanding through the second and first strata to help build our capacity and strengthen our foundation before an eventual move into the third. With a wide chunk of territory in the third, we'd have the resources needed to harvest the experience and Biomass required to produce more tier six ants.

Only then would we be strong enough to invade the fourth in strength and take hold of land there. Without those precious resets, we'd simply be too outmatched against the creatures born in an environment so rich in mana compared to ours. For the two weeks we had available, the Colony focused on bringing as many ants to tier five and six as possible, trying to power up an elite force that would be capable of going toe to toe, mandible to mandible against the termites.

And of course, things between us and the kaarmodo didn't simmer down in the meantime, oh no, they only got more tense. A defensive fortification was constructed to protect the garden of the Mother Tree and manned with over ten thousand ants at all times. Even so, the reptiles and their bonded slaves never stopped poking about, arriving in small patrols or in a grand show of force, flinging spells at us only for them to be taken apart, or dissipate harmlessly against our shields.

And maddeningly enough, somewhere out there is that treacherous worm. I haven't caught a sniff of him since the garden grew and without Brilliant to help me trace the worm tunnels, I've very little hope of getting hold of his tail.

Although, interestingly enough, Sarah has volunteered to go to the fourth strata and fight against the termites. Perhaps he'll make an appearance? I mean, it would certainly be out of character for him to venture somewhere so dangerous, but I would have said the exact same thing about him coming to the third.

[Master, it's almost time.]

[Huh? Oh, thanks Crinis.]

For me the past two weeks have been spent training and grinding, pushing my level as high as I can in preparation for the test to come. It's been a gruelling regime of roaming far and wide with my friends by my side, hunting down every strong demon we could find. It was a brutal regime, but it bore results.

In front us stands a glittering portal bound by a great arch of wood through which are threaded golden veins of potent mana. The Grove Keeper hadn't lied when he told us that this was a significant investment on the part of their mother, the amount of energy she's poured into growing this gate is nothing short of amazing. The fact that she's even capable of doing something like this is absurd in the first place! This must be how she can spread clusters of roots all over the place without any of them being connected to each other. Which means that not only are these gates capable of moving material objects through, like an army of ants, but also energy.

The Colony desperately needs to master the secret of these gates! If we would link all of our nests together…

The Grove Keeper stands at the ready in front of the gate, his eyes roaming over every detail and twist of the roots and boughs that make up the portal. Since it isn't ready, I might as well try and hunt down something before I forget.

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Where is she?

I dip my consciousness down into the flowing stream formed of the Colony's Will. She's going to be in here somewhere, though it isn't always easy to spot it. Her thoughts are just as slippery as the rest of her when she wants to be hidden. It takes a few minutes, but eventually I catch a stray thought and I point with one leg.

[Over there, Tiny. Go get her.]

Like an excitable puppy thrown a ball, the giant, bat-faced gorilla leaps forward as if shot from a cannon, his powerful limbs slamming into the ground, crushing the stone as he bounds across the ground. As he draws nearer he leaps high into the air before crashing down amidst the foliage on the edge of the garden like a fallen tree. The leaves and flowers rustle indignantly but Tiny pays them no mind as he rummages about. After a few tense moments of groping at something beneath our line of sight he grins and hauls up a wriggling ant by one leg.

[Good job Tiny! Bring her on back!]

Filled with pride he walks back as the Grove Keeper approaches.

[The gate will be ready in a few moments. Have you gathered all that you will take? It will not remain open permanently, an hour a day is all the Mother can maintain right now.]

That isn't what I wanted to hear, but we were prepared for something like this.

[We'll manage. Everyone is here, ten thousand of the finest.]

[Hmmmm. I hope it is enough.]

[Don't worry about it, I'm going, aren't I?]

He looks at me in a way that suggests my words might not have been as comforting as perhaps I had hoped. How rude!

[The gate is ready,] he announces a moment later, [move quickly.]

A qualitative change has come over the flickering space between the boughs. Where before it had been a hazy field of twitching energy, it had now become a rippling window of golden light ten metres wide and ten high. An impressive feat for a plant, no doubt about it.

Behind me the various members of the council, along with the rest of the expeditionary force waited in quiet ranks. Leeroy, Bella, Cobalt, Advant, Burke and others had come to help guide their castes in this new environment.

"Alright then, a taste of the fourth stratum. Let's go get it!" I declare before I begin to step forward.

As the portal looms larger in my eyes I feel my heart pound in my chest and the mana rushing through my body. I feel as if I couldn't turn around even if I wanted to. I must step forward into the unknown.. I don't even have a choice.

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