Antvance into the Unknown

Travelling the wildlands of the uncultured south wasn’t pleasant, dear reader, not at all! The deprivation! The sheer lack of fortified beverages! I jest, readers, of course I jest. Who am I, after all? Tolly! The bold explorer of the unknown! Despite what I may have been led to believe by the general discussion amongst the ladies in my circles, the trip wasn’t nearly as terrible as I might have thought.

Rolling hills, green grassland, forests alive with birds and wildlife. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was picturesque, do not be confused, reader, the sparse population of those lands means that the monster population is high and we saw many such critters roaming as we flew overhead. I only mean to state that it wasn’t nearly so desolate as many might have you believe.

For the journey, I travelled by Skimmer, a lovely beast by the name of Skydaisy, and her handler, Barlon, who was more than accommodating on the trip. A lovely gentleman, who was himself born and raised in the wild country, he proved an engaging and informative guide as the kilometres vanished. It took several weeks of travel to reach the lands once occupied by the frontier kingdoms, small fiefdoms established a mere few hundred years ago by breakaway families who sought to carve out their own destiny on the edges of civilisation, battling against the monsters and the land.

There is a certain romance in it, reader, is there not? As a fearless and brave adventurer, I myself perfectly understand the wild, untamed spirit that would cause someone to leave behind the comforts and security of home to take hold of their own fortunes! The difference being, I would never do it. I would miss my sherry and the warmth of my enchanted hearth far too much to give it up entirely. It’s already as much as I can bear to be away from my comforts for the time it takes to satisfy my curiosity and bring back these missives for you, you can’t ask more of me than that, my demanding readers!

On a more sombre note, it was clear when we crossed the border and the devastation caused by the wave rolled out. Ruined towns and cities, burned farmsteads, and a flattened countryside were cold reminders of the tragedy that occurred here. It was such a sorry scene, I needed my guards to pass my smelling salts to dash away a case of light-headedness. I shall not dwell upon that which is past, though it pained my old heart to witness it. Instead, I shall return the focus of this travelogue to the bizarre present and the unknowable future!

For it wasn’t long after that we began to fly over the first signs of civilisation! Newly built farmsteads with smoking chimneys, freshly ploughed fields, and dark tilled soil. Such a sight was almost enough to bring a tear to my tired eyes. The unfailing spirit of the sapient! The hardy folk of the frontier, risen from the ashes like the phoenix of Avar! Although they did not do it alone… as you are well aware.

My heart fair skipped a beat when I spotted the first one, all the rumours I’d heard of this strange place flooding back all at once. Still a day away from the newly established capital of Renewal, we flew over a small village, scarcely more than a handful of farmhouses built next to each other, unremarkable in every way. Except for that one, key detail.

The anthill!

Quite a remarkable sight, dear reader, even for one as well travelled as I. Nothing like a crude pile of dirt that the word might evoke in your mind, not at all. This was a masterpiece! A hundred metres tall if it was an inch, every part reinforced and compacted until it gleamed like polished stone. And the carvings! Remarkable. Hundreds, thousands of skilful, expressive, and detailed images of such quality, my eyes couldn’t quite work out what they should focus on and what should be ignored. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.

Then of course, there were the ants themselves. I could only spot three, peeking out the top of the ‘hill’, watching as we flew over. It quite whet my appetite, I must say, and it was with rising anticipation that I awaited our arrival in the city.

You know your Tolly, reader! My thirst for adventure is unquenchable! Await my next missive, in which I detail my first impressions of possibly the most remarkable city in the world!

Excerpt from Chapter Two of Travelling Tolly in the Lands of the Colony, published in the monthly Pangera Gazette