Chrysalis

"There's something really strange about those things," Brilliant said.

"No kidding?" I reply sarcastically, "I would never have thought that on my own, watching this damn garden of terror explode over the plains."

"That's not what I mean," the much smaller ant waves my complaint aside, "I'm talking dimensionally. Also, the Dungeon sense I have is going wild. It's as if a giant monster was just appearing out of nowhere in front of me. It's crazy."

"How big of a monster?" I ask, curious.

"Huge. It's like the entire garden in front of us is one monster. What's more, it isn't even growing through the ground, not really."

I look at the vegetation bursting through the black rock of the third stratum with vigorous energy as if it were a timelapse instead of real time.

"If it's not coming from the ground, then where in the heck is it coming from?"

The little ant stares carefully ahead, using all of her prodigious sensing abilities.

"There's something odd about the way it moves through space, similar to how the worm tunnel felt. There's a compression? Or a dilation? I'm not really sure."

"Dilation? Since when do we even have pheromones for that word? So you're saying that it might not even be possible to trace the roots back to the tree? That they're detached somehow?"

"I can't be sure. All I can tell from here is that it's weird."

It's a bizarre sight, seeing an isolated little forest grow inside the demon layer, even more so than the second stratum. I mean, here we are, surrounded by fire and ash, and here is this blooming patch of greenery, replete with flowers and trees springing forth for no apparent reason. How does she even do this madness, that tree? What sort of tier do you have to get as a plant to be able to do something like this? How the heck did she even survive long enough to be able to do this?!

I'm looking forward to the day when I track down her main body and get to have a chat.

… if she doesn't squish me first.

It takes a day for the garden to finish forming and when it's all said and done, a massive root, the same as I had run into before, has formed in the centre of a lush kilometre square green space. Another interesting thing I notice is the way the demon larvae ignore the place. As their rolling melee goes on, they scrupulously avoid falling into or going near even a single leaf. Even more telling, they don't even spawn in there. Every inch of ground the garden covers is now a demon free zone. It's unnerving.

"What do you think?" I ask Brilliant. "Still feel like it's a monster in front of you?"

She nods.

"Yes. A truly massive one. The amount of mana is insane."

I can feel myself slump at the news. Just how high a tier is the damn tree? I'd hoped that maybe she was two in front of me, perhaps? Now it seems highly unlikely. I'm already tier six dammit! For how long am I going to feel weak in this damn Dungeon!?

As boring and depressing as it's been watching the mother tree manifest herself here in our turf, I can tell it's going to take a little more time before we find out why. I don't know how she spits out the grove keepers or bruan'chii but I'm guessing the process isn't instantaneous, which means we'll have to wait. Perhaps I can see the process unfold?

I try to take a step forward into the garden and I swear the plants hiss at me, the flowers and vines rattling with menace before I can put down a single leg.

"All right! Chill! I'm backing away…"

I have no clue if she can understand pheromones, but she clearly responds to my retreat, the greenery relaxing back into a gentle sway as if nothing had ever happened.

[Master, I find this plant to be disturbing.]

[I have to agree Crinis. I think she's nuts.]

[Nuts?]

[Crazy in the coconut,] I confirm, unaware of the confused blob attached to my carapace, [I get the feeling she's been in the Dungeon for a long old time, hundreds of years maybe. That's enough time to drive even the most kind-hearted flower insane.]

[What should we do?]

[Wait and see what she wants I guess? What else can we do? I'm not exactly going to try and blow up the garden, am I? As far as the Colony is concerned, the mother tree and the branchies are a potential ally.]

[What do you think they are going to do?]

[They?]

[Look.]

I single tendril extends from my back, pointing and I focus my eyes to see something I'd really rather not see. A kaarmodo, along with its attendants is standing atop an outcropping looking down on the garden with an unfriendly gleam in those reptile eyes. Ah, this is going to be trouble.

[We should head over there and see what they want,] I sigh to the others.

Please let this not turn into a fight. I've been so good! I have no doubt the council has been putting bets on who is going to break the peace first and I seriously don't want to lose! Just once!

We run around the plants since we apparently aren't good enough to go through it and arrive at the base of the rock on which the giant lizard is currently sunning itself. True to form, the arrogant beast ignores us as it continues to stare down on the mother tree's work, its long tongue flicking in and out.

[Hello up there!] I call up once a bridge is established. [Mind letting us know what you might be up to on this fine day? Since we're in the territory of the Colony and all.]

Gotta play it cool. Don't blow the peace! Despite my best intentions however, the damned scaly bum doesn't reply.

[Ah, hello? Are you unable to hear me? That doesn't make sense, I'm speaking directly into your mind… is your mind too weak? Surely not. I mean, you're a centuries old kaarmodo, no? Do you not speak my language? But the language is thought… are you incapable of thought? How can we communicate?]

[Your insolence is boundless!] a voice erupts in my mind.

[Hey! Whoa! How is it my fault if you won't reply?!]

[Not only do you trespass in our land, you are conspiring with our enemies. Such faithless monsters. We should have exterminated you when we had the chance.]

[Wait? What?! First of all. YOUR land? I suspect that you'll find we are most definitely in the lands of the Colony this time, friend. Just because your borders appear to be shifting, amorphous things, doesn't mean we can't keep track of our own scent trails, and second. What enemies? There's nobody here but us!]

[Then how do you explain the presence of the tree?] the kaarmodo hisses at us, lifting one claw to point at the luscious growth behind us.

I wave my antennae in agitation.

[You have beef with the tree?! What do you mean?! And how in the heck are we conspiring with the plant, she can't even talk!]

[Enough of your babble,] the kaarmodo peels back its lips to reveal dripping, knife-like teeth. [I have summoned my people. We will burn out our enemy and then deal with your infestation after.]

[Well, pants.]

I break the connection irritably and turn so I can sprint back to the garden, urging my friends to follow behind.

"What's going on, senior?" Brilliant asks, confused. "What did he have to say?"

"Looks like the lizards are in conflict with the tree and think we're working together to mess with them in some way. Seems like they want to get aggressive."

"What does that mean?"

"Looks like we might be heading into another war."

Brilliant recoils for a moment, pauses, then asks.

"So why do you look so happy, senior?"

I clack my mandibles with glee.

"The stupid tree is at fault here. I wasn't the one who broke the peace!"

"… does that really matter?"

"It matters to me!"