Chapter 1445 - Krath Assembly

“Is it really necessary for me to be here for this?” Goszi burbled unhappily. “My foot aches like I dipped it in an acid swamp. I’m too old to be traipsing around the tunnels on a long journey.”

Zluth didn’t bother to dignify that with a response. The older Krath took every opportunity to make himself seem harmless and elderly, while in reality only one of those things was true.

“Pay attention,” he hissed, stabbing one of his thin arms towards the other Krath, who, despite his advanced age, managed to parry the limb with ease. “If I have to feed you to a sump sloth to escape after your yapping brings the monsters down on us, I will do it with glee!”

Goszi glared at him.

“I’m starting to regret picking you as the next Krath’lath,” he muttered. “At least the old one wouldn’t force me out of safety.”

“With the old Krath’lath, you and the entire tribe would be dead,” Zluth scoffed. “To escape that fate, you had to reveal what a scheming, underhanded betrayer you are, which is why I don’t let you out of my sight.”

The compliments mollified the aged slug a little, and he slid along quietly until they reached the meeting point.

Puzith, Krath’lath of the Suggoth, was there to greet them, along with five of her trusted enforcers.

Hidden amongst a deep patch of moss, the slugs came together and conversed quietly while concealing themselves.

“You made it on time,” Puzith observed.

“I would not dream of keeping the leader of a powerful tribe like the Suggoth waiting,” Zluth replied, his eyes curving into wicked moons as he did.

Puzith did not laugh, though her eyes also curved, indicating her amusement. The Suggoth were indeed a much larger and stronger tribe than the Slee, even before they were devastated recently, but they were on their way to meet with tribes that were much larger still. The Bulg, the Lirz and Thuuz would all be in attendance, along with a host of smaller tribes, but those three represented the real power in this area of the stratum. They occupied prime territory, close to the heart, and were housed in enormous Slimegrounds ten times the size of the Slee hideaway.

At least, that’s what Zluth had heard. He certainly wasn’t going to question it when he met them.

“Let us be away, we have a long way to go.”

A statement that prompted further grizzling from Goszi, but nobody paid him any mind. For over a day, the eight slugs moved through the treacherous ground of the fifth stratum. Even to the Krath, these tunnels were filled with danger, and one wrong movement could have them killed a dozen times over. The slug tribes had never ruled this place by might, but by their wits and cunning, and it was in this manner that they travelled.

Punishingly narrow and concealed cracks in the walls were used as resting places, or shortcuts from one tunnel to another. They sunk deep into mucus rivers when it was safe to do so, sliding along the bottom and using the dense muck as protection. 

Puzith lost one of her guards on the journey when the fool was too hasty, sliding onto an unfamiliar patch of moss. As it turned out, it wasn’t moss, but the cleverly patterned tongue of a Slurp Dragon. The Krath barely had time to blink before he’d been wrapped up and pulled into the jaws of the concealed beast.

The rest of them had frozen in place for over an hour, waiting for the monster to finish its meal and move to another hunting ground, Puzith sizzling with quiet fury the entire time. Zluth wisely chose not to say anything.

Fools didn’t live long in the fifth.

Finally they arrived at the gathering place designated for the meeting. Todrool falls, a vast tower of slime that cascaded from the upper levels of the stratum down toward the heart below through a hundred kilometre long vertical tunnel had been selected for this purpose. First, because it was a place every tribe knew of, and second, because of the immensely powerful monster who made their home in the area. The upper areas of the falls were always clear, for none dared to enter lest they become prey for the beast.

Zluth, Puzith and the others squished themselves almost completely flat as they crept toward the entrance to the falls. There weren’t many good places to conceal themselves, and these became even more rare as they approached, as they noticed the emissaries of the other tribes had gathered, huddling in what cover they were able to claim.

As the representatives of smaller, weaker tribes, they made do with what little they could find on the outskirts of the gathering, watching with barely extended stalks as more and more Krath arrived.

Then the first of the major tribes arrived.

Zluth thought it was the Bulg, judging by the distinctive mottled colouring they chose as they moved boldly in the open. A full fifty slugs, their Krath’lath slithering along at the head of the column, enormous and radiating confidence. The other tribes pulled away as the Bulg marched through to take pride of place right at the entrance to the falls, but before they could become settled, the other great tribes arrived as well.

Tensions ratcheted up as the Thuuz and Lirz made their appearance. They also had brought dozens of slugs, who looked down on the huddling leaders of the minor tribes with open contempt. Zluth sizzled with quiet fury, but knew there was nothing he could do about it. He would need to be subtle, and get the great tribes on his side, if he wanted to achieve his goals. 

After all, they needed him. No other slug had more information on the invasion than he did.

As the major tribes openly feuded for better positioning at the edge of the falls, the other leaders crept forward. It was time for the gathering to begin. 

Chapter 1446 - Strategy of the Slugs

Zluth was instinctively uncomfortable, and judging by the body language and expressions of his fellow Krath, they felt the same way. Of all the dangers in the fifth, there were none more deadly than the slug tribes, even to each other, and as long as he had lived, Zluth had never seen so many different tribes gathered in one place. It was almost unnatural, but the circumstances demand that the tribes do something they very rarely did: put aside their enmity and fight together against a common foe. 

“Scouts from five different tribes have confirmed the invasion,” stated Ulliz, Krath’lath of the Bulg tribe. “Even the most suspicious among us has to concede that the assault on our stratum is real.”

The leaders of the major tribes stood together, though not too close to each other, right at the edge of the falls. Behind them, the enormous stream of mucus, oozing its way down in freefall, at several dozen metres per minute made for an impressive sight. 

Arrayed in a loose semi-circle in front of them, the rest of the representatives looked up at their betters, listening intently, but seething internally. 

“I want to hear from those tribes,” burbled the leader of the Lirz, a truly corpulent slug named Mulzoz. Despite his size, and advanced age, there was something about him that spoke of immense power. The acid that boiled in his flesh must have been truly potent, Zluth mused.

“Bring them forward,” the third major tribe leader, Chozth of the Thuuz agreed.

She stood out amongst the three leaders, being the youngest and smallest. Despite this, she had already built a fearsome reputation for ruthlessness and violence that had rippled through the gathered leaders the moment she had arrived.

“Try not to die,” Goszi whispered as Zluth began to make his way forward.

“You’ll die if I do,” Zluth whispered back, “I have a deal with Puzith.”

Only then did Goszi realise that two of the surviving Suggoth guards had sidled up on either side of him. A thunderous expression came over the old slug, and Zluth knew the traitor had been hoping he’d perish in this gathering. Perhaps he’d even hoped to tip the balance by calling out just the wrong words at just the wrong moment.

Pleased to have outwitted the old slug, Zluth chuckled to himself as he moved to the front, Puzith slithering along with him. Three other Krath’lath of minor tribes in the area moved along with them, arriving toward the front of the gathered Krath, but prevented from joining the three leaders who remained in a higher position.

“I have questions,” burbled Mulzoz.

“Then ask them,” Ulliz spat.

“Which of you can confirm seeing all the races of the fourth participating with your own eyes?”

Of the five, three raised one spindly arm, Zluth and Puzith included.

“Which of you have seen the Mythic with your own eyes?”

Now only two raised their arm, Zluth and Puzith.

“Describe the creature to me,” the oversized Krath’lath demanded, his eyes glittering atop their fattened stalks.

“An ant monster of considerable size,” Puzith answered first. “It is covered with a thick, purple shell, some sort of diamond or crystal, which is capable of deflecting very powerful blows.”

Zluth was surprised to hear this. He hadn’t realised the Suggoth had gotten so close and managed to witness the creature first hand. Of course, he didn’t believe for a second that Puzith herself had gone there, but who was going to call her a liar?

“Anything else?” Mulzoz asked. He was chewing something as he looked at them, his teeth audibly grinding against something incredibly hard.

“The monster is capable of wielding a type of mana I have never seen or heard of,” Zluth said. “It can create a… hole, a sphere of darkness that sucks in and destroys everything around it. I’ve seen it use this magic against monsters, against toxic mucus, against rock. It annihilates everything it touches.”

This statement caused quite a stir. A type of mana that a random Krath hadn’t heard of could be anything, but from the description, he was willing to bet that none of them had heard of it either.

“What’s more, the monster seems adept at finding and trapping our kind. It can pin us to any surface using a method I do not understand.”

“I can confirm this,” Puzith spoke up. “We Suggoth lost several scouts in just this way. They were slammed into the ceiling of the tunnel, unable to move at all.”

“Were they taken?” Mulzoz queried.

“Of course not. They were Krath.”

“That is good.”

The oversized Krath continued to chew as he pondered for a moment, then spoke.

“I have received word that the monster has received The Call.”

There was a ripple of discontent through the gathered Krath’lath. Even Ulliz and Chozth, the leaders of the other two major tribes, seemed irritated to hear this.

“Has there been any word from the Maker?” Ulliz demanded.

“As far as I am aware, the Maker yet sleeps,” Mulzoz replied.

“Then what do we care for the schemes of the others?” Chozth spat, her eyes bulging red with anger. “We will annihilate this invasion and consume this ant in its entirety.”

There were muttered snarls and angry hissess of approval from the gathered Krath at her words. This was the sort of thing that they wanted to hear.

“All I will say is that we must be prepared to change course should the Maker awaken and direct us to a different path,” Mulzoz warned. 

“Should such a thing occur, we will of course listen,” Ulliz said impatiently, “but until that happens, we have an invasion to crush! We must discuss our plans going forward. Who will go to fight, and how will they do it?”

To the surprise of no one, Chozth was the first to raise her arms.

“I will go myself!” she raged, visibly quivering and popping with the force of her anger. “These invaders must be destroyed and devoured!” 

“Don’t underestimate them,” Mulzoz burbled in warning.

Chozth turned and glared at the corpulent slug.

“You want to tell me how to war? I underestimate no one,” she spat.

Watching her glare at the other two Krath’lath, Zluth was left with no illusions as to whom she was referring to.