Antvance into the Unknown

138. Confronting our Demons, Part 3

Say what I will about Grokus, he’s an intimidating sight when he’s up and moving. However much I weigh in my tier six body, the demon has me massively outclassed. Not only is he taller, his girth is also considerably wider. And if I were to hazard a guess, his demon flesh and musculature is far denser than my own. Even with a portion of his body stuffed into a pocket dimension, he literally makes the ground shake with every step he takes.

The two massive claws that sit on either side of his ravening maw scratch furiously at the ground as he drags himself toward us, screaming and bellowing at the top of his lungs.

[Whatever you do, Tiny, don’t get caught by those hands,] I warn the big ape. [One second and he’ll have you stuffed into his mouth, and there won’t be any coming back.]

The bat-faced ape is alive with joy and rage as he bounds toward a worthy foe, but I notice his ear flicker—he’d heard what I had to say.

[And Crinis, you need to play it a little cautious as well. Go to work, but don’t try and connect to his mind, I think he’ll be far too strong for your tendrils to work, and they might backfire on you.]

[I’m not sure they can, Master.]

[I sure as heck don’t want to find out,] I tell her firmly. [Play it safe and chip away from the shadows. I’ll stand up front and take the heat, so you’ll have plenty of chances.]

I can sense her hesitation, but I give her clear orders, and finally she concedes.

[Very well. Be safe, Master.]

[Of course!]

I’m not aiming to throw my life away, I’m gonna play it cool. Rather than charge directly into Grokus’ teeth, I skirt the edge of his range, avoiding his grasping hands with swift steps. He’s a hell of a lot quicker than he should be, considering his girth, and the tingling of my antennae gives me the warning I need to dodge. Time to check if Al was correct in his judgement that Grokus is heavily magic resistant. Not that I doubt him, but it always helps to verify.

My Mind Constructs spin independently to pull together Ice Mana that I shape into a barrage of spears. The moment my spells are prepared, I unleash them, a flurry of hardened projectiles made from ice flash through the air and burrow deep into the demon’s flesh.

Aha! He doesn’t seem that impervious to me!

Except he isn’t hurt. I hardly expect that a few puny ice spears are going to bring down a demon of this size, yet before my befuddled eyes the ice just melts away to reveal smooth flesh underneath. He wasn’t injured in the slightest. If Ice Magic doesn’t work, then I have others…

Tiny approaches from the left, his fists sparking with electricity, seeking to deliver a heavy strike. Before he gets the chance, the demons behind the city lord surge to block his advance, engaging him in a brawl that drags him away.

[Crinis! Help Tiny and make sure he survives; without Invidia around, he’s a much more vulnerable target!]

He might have incredibly hard bones, but the rest of him is as soft and spongy as ever. It’s unfortunate that he hasn’t been able to collect his new armour yet, but hopefully he’ll be able to pull through with the incredible power he’s pulled together since evolving.

As for Grokus, it looks as though I’m going to have to go one-on-one for now. Not exactly what I want, facing off against a demon a full tier stronger than I am. For his part, the city lord continues to lunge toward me, his wide arms sweeping out, threatening to snatch me up and throw me whole into his slavering gullet. Again, he moves faster than I expect and only my preternatural reflexes are able to keep me skittering free of his clutches.

My Mind Constructs spin with desperate speed, operating the Omni-Elemental Construct with greater Skill and rapidity than I ever have before. I throw all that Mana at the hulking city lord, to no effect. Fire, earth, lava, ice, air, nothing! All of it washes off the massive demon as if I were showering him with pure spring-water. How is this possible? Is he naturally resistant to any form of Mana? That seems ridiculously powerful! I don’t believe it…

If I’m going to inflict damage using my magic, I’m going to need to go a little louder than just base elements.

In the meantime, I’ll have to try and resist him with just my mandibles and shiny, shiny carapace. Snapping my jaws together, I brace myself to go toe to toe with the big guy as my minds fire themselves into overdrive. Deep within my carapace, Gravity Mana begins to flow. It’s a trickle at first, then a great flood as multiple constructs draw on it at the same time, compressing the Mana in the beginnings of a Gravity Bomb.

You’re resistant to Mana, huh? Let’s see if you can resist this…

Unwilling to put all of my eggs into the one basket, I keep a few of my constructs free to form Gravity Bolts, which I fling at the city lord. If they have any effect at all, it should be significant considering how much raw mass the demon has. Slowing him down would be quite the help, considering I can’t get close to him without risking getting grabbed.

[WHAT’S WRONG, INSECT? DO YOU FEAR ME? COME CLOSER AND LET ME TASTE YOUR COWARDICE!]

His repulsive mind booms against mine and I’m caught off guard by the sheer force of his hunger. All of a sudden, the demon’s aura expands and rolls out from him in a wave, suppressing the ants caught within range and forcing them to grow still. What’s more, I feel a maddening hunger take hold of me, a boiling pain erupts from inside my carapace, as if my stomach were attempting to eat my body from the inside out.

A quick glance at my status confirms that I’m actually taking damage from this effect, whatever it is, and the pain is horrendous.

“Back away!” I command the thousands of ants scattered around us. “You can’t fight this!”

[I’ll give you a taste alright, a taste of these mandibles!]

I draw deeper on the energy that flows from the Colony and into me, letting it replenish my body and fuel my strength as I Dash closer to the huge monstrosity. One of his arms rises to snatch at me, but the warning of my antennae gives me the time I need to leap at the perfect moment, rising above the grasping claw as my jaws lock back into position.

Omen Chomp!

I don’t want to get too close, so only the black mandibles of my manifested energy strike home, biting deeply into the girth of the city lord. Even so, the feedback I get is strange, as if I bit, but also as if I didn’t. Using my legs, I spring back from Grokus before he has a chance to grab at me again, then look at the wound. Except it’s barely there at all! Is this guy indestructible?