Monster Breeder-167. Return to Base, Part 1

Monster Breeder-167. Return to Base, Part 1

Our group, consisting of myself, Jenny, Julia, Janine the Hob Secretary, Effie the Taurine Nursemaid, Mrs. Fleece the Electric Ewe, my classmates, the Doggin Guards, the Fleecy Sheeple fashionistas, Tricia the Komanezumi, Diane the Mochi Rabbit, and Moka the Dust Bunny, along with her remaining tunnel crew of Country Mice and Construction Bunnies, proceed through the subterranean passage. I lead the way with a Flame Magic torch in my palm. The first part of our trek is a straightaway just tall and wide enough to accommodate me. Any larger monsters going this route will have serious issues traversing the cramped hall.
Just when I start to question how Moka made it all the way from one town to the other in a single day, the dirt tunnel opens into a ‘T’ crossroad of cobblestone-paved tunnels. Peering around the corners to look one way and then the other, I see these corridors trail off into the dim distance where the illumination of my flame fails. Are these traces of the Mega Warren Lois mentioned? Well, that explains how Moka's digging crew made such good time.
“Which way?” I ask the Dust Bunny, who indicates the right branch. “Janine, please mark this on the map.” My Secretary obediently writes in her black ring binder while I use my Twisted Elder Earth Magic to seal the false path. This way, there’s no chance of future commuters getting lost. Also, feral monsters won’t have a chance to sneak up on us.
Careful observation as we travel lets me notice the places where Moka and the mice shoved the displaced dirt up through the ceiling onto the surface. I expect there is a line of ‘molehills’ in the general direction of Field Town, but it’s not like a random passerby would see them and make the connection as to what lies beneath the ground. Not to mention the piles of dirt will gradually weather away while Moka’s magically reinforced tunnel remains untouched.
We pass through more ancient underground roadways, more corridors and paths with me sealing the unnecessary forks with solid stone until we eventually encounter a gap in the wall ahead. Faint noises draw my attention to the hole, but Moka grabs me by the elbow and says, “Douse the light.”
I don’t question her. After extinguishing my flames, I pick a visual ability to compensate.
*Selected Darkling Sight!*
The others huddle together and hold hands while my eyes adjust. As I approach the gap, the dark becomes as day, and I gaze into the hole. We’re shockingly high up relative to the floor of a huge cavern beneath us! Far below, figures move—running, fleeing, and fighting.
Book of Monsters Entry – Myrmidon Miner: Swarm monster. 2
rd
Tier, Minion, Average Rank. Eusocial. The workers of a powerful insectoid monster. Often seen with a mining pick. Primarily docile; will retreat when facing a strong opponent. While they act as if automatons without a separate will from their Queen, this is not because they have no internal spark of their own. Workers with damaged antennae have been observed acting independently, often leading to execution by their soldier sisters.
Book of Monsters Entry – Myrmidon Infantrywoman: Swarm monster. 3
rd
Tier, Promoted Minion, Inferior Rank. Eusocial. The foot soldiers of a powerful insectoid monster. Extremely territorial. Will throw themselves at a superior enemy without regard for their likelihood of survival. Their swords and chitinous armor give them a distinct edge over many base monsters of similar strength, but their main advantage is sheer overwhelming numbers.
Book of Monsters Entry – Naked Mole-Rat Meatcatcher: Rodent monster. 3
rd
Tier, Promoted, Below-Average Rank. Eusocial. The foot soldiers of a powerful rodent monster. Where Mole-men retain some hints of their previous lives before becoming corrupted by starvation, these elevated specimens have lost all individuality in service to their corpulent queen. Their only purpose in life is to grab more meat for the grinder.
The Mole-rats’ eyes are tiny black dots in their heads, their dongs long and swinging limply as they walk. They all wield nets in one hand and cruel mattocks in the other that cut with equal ease through flesh and stone alike. Dozens of these seven-foot-tall, heavily muscled monsters with wrinkly skin and huge, grotesque incisors tower above their smaller opponents.
Scores of five-foot-tall warrior women in sleek black armor wielding scimitars defend their four-foot-tall civilian sisters from the incursion of giant mole-rats. They all have four arms, a pair of antennae, and an antlike abdomen protruding from the base of their spine.
I briefly consider going down there to turn the tide of battle, but several thoughts stay my hand.
Firstly, would the ant girls welcome my assistance? From what I know thanks to what I've memorized of the Book of Monsters, the soldiers would attack me on sight as a foreign monster, and the workers would mindlessly flee. If I’m reading between the lines correctly, the BoM implies their queen is exerting a form of mind control over them. Crippling their antennae might free them, but then what? Would that basically be declaring war on the Monarchy? Frankly, I’m not in a good position for fighting that fight or dealing with a colony of liberated ant people if I won.
Secondly, I’d be revealing my existence. If this battle is raging beneath the surface of the Region, but nobody I’ve met is talking about it, I have to assume neither of these forces has any idea what’s going on topside. Dealing with an army whose foot soldiers are nearly as strong as Peter the Rabbit sounds like a bad time right now. Sure, they could find out about us and start an Incursion at basically any time, but maybe it’s best to kick this can down the road a bit regardless—as the ancient saying goes. Who knows how many years these rival colonies have been fighting like this?
Thirdly, these monsters are all Promoted or some form of Minion. I’m sure getting marks from their Queens would be a huge boost for me, but who knows what their base monster evolution tree looks like to my Mark system? I might not get much for all my trouble.
Fourthly, reinforcements are pouring in on both sides. This is turning from a skirmish into a real battle. Honestly, I’m not sure how I’d do down there without Fluo present to form Blood Star. My magical abilities, while seemingly impressive, are untested on foes of this number and caliber. With the war I'm already committed to coming tomorrow...
Reluctantly, I wall off the screams of innocent ant girls with Earth Magic and make myself a promise. I’ll come back someday when I’m stronger to explore the remnants of the Mega Warren and set things right down here. Soon.
Julia startles me slightly as she hugs me from behind, having found me by the dim blue glow of Mrs. Fleece’s wool. I return the embrace, and Jenny joins us. We three hold each other as the others look on in silence. Sometimes, I need a reminder that I’m a teenage girl at heart, not just an Echidna with the weight of the world on her shoulders.
“Need a drink, Alex?” Effie asks, hefting a massive mammary in offering, only the nipple poking through her cute nurse’s outfit in a heart-shaped cutout.
“Yeah,” I say as I straighten, “All this work has made me thirsty. Janine, please mark this spot on the map. Area secure. Let’s move on after a quick drink break.”
It takes a few hours to return to Field Town through the underground tunnel network, but I’m confident the passage is completely safe now. The walls are reinforced with Dust Bunny magic and my own Third Tier Earth Magic, the side tunnels are thoroughly plugged with stone, and I found no sign of burrowing monsters in the area. I’m ready to authorize free travel between the Towns and endorse it with my good name!
We come up through the New Warren to find they already expanded this entranceway chamber in anticipation of larger monsters like me. The place is crawling with tiny Fuzzies—prepubescent smallfolk gleaned from Fuzzy Field in anticipation of the coming war. My companions who haven't seen them before all coo and awe over the adorable, tiny children. After a brief play session, we emerge into the heart of Field Town, and I form a proper stone staircase beneath us as we ascend the final few feet to the surface. Mice and bunnies excitedly scatter when they see us to spread word of our arrival.
Mrs. Fleece scans our surroundings to get the lay of the land, taking in the communal pavilion, the Parlour, Doug’s (formerly Gabby’s) hut, Gale’s nest, Sue’s pool, and the Kindergarten at a glance. “How quaint.”
“Is this where we’ll be staying?” Scotty asks with the barest façade of politeness containing his disappointment.
Shit, Jenny, Julia, and Effie are being really quiet while they look around… maybe I should cut loose and impress them a little?
Twisted Elder Earth Magic and multiple types of Plant Magic allow me to basically erect buildings and landscape the terrain at will. I turn all four of my multitasking focuses on touching up the place. In minutes, cobblestone paths lined with gorgeous flowering plants connect the different sections of Field Town. Sue’s pool is now a small pond with the decorative flourish of a small tree beside offering shade. I also reinforce the hut with stone, expand the garden, and plant a variety of fruit and nut trees (the seeds of which I 'pocketed' during our walk about of Home Town).
We also have a brand-new stone cottage for guests; a tall tree braces the rocky structure with its roots, standing there beside the little house like a chimney. I cover the slate roof with lush green moss to give the domicile additional character. The windows and doorframe are empty, of course, since I can’t grow moving parts, but my classmates can just throw up a sheet if they want to insist on privacy.
“Ahem, Alex, are you finished?” Jenny asks, her foot tapping on the cobblestones expectantly. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Eh?” It seems most everyone assembled during the commotion while I was distracted working. Convenient! I only feel a little bad making them all wait on me since their expressions show I’ve made a suitable impression with my display of might and magic. Throwing up a residence in an hour tends to do that.
“Lady Mayoress,” Lois the dormouse Matron curtsies to me, “We are proud to offer your esteemed guests our hospitality.” Mice and bunny waitstaff bring armfuls of delicious fruit (all thanks to the Nymphs) for sharing with the Home Towners at her signal. All of my current companions take a nibble or two and comment on the high-quality produce. The Doggins especially take a liking to the crunchy femur papayas with soft marrow seeds, but there are plenty of exotic mundane tropical fruit that are otherwise difficult or impossible to grow here normally.
Isabella and Mulu approach with the Pitchers from Charlatan Forest, each green woman bearing new flowers in her hair. “Care for a massage?” the voluptuous Desert Rose Dryad proposes, her Parlour girls forming up behind her in eager obedience. Jenny, Julia, Effie, and several of my classmates happily accept her proposition, scurrying off to enjoy their new sylvan companions.
Drosera the Sundew Trap struts forward with his cadre of Strangler Figs, the tangled monsters now seemingly tamed. Their tentacles gleam with Drosera’s sticky-slick Sundew sap after whatever ‘training’ he put them through. “If you prefer a different kind of ‘massage,’ we’re happy to oblige.” Mrs. Fleece and a few girls seems eager to get to know these plant monsters, who envelop the ladies in their tendrils before I can blink.
Scotty approaches Drosera directly, entranced, apparently sensing something that the Trap monster reciprocates (I think it used to be called, 'gaydar'). The Sundew Trap looks at the sizable bulge in his pants, wipes a line of drool from his mouth, and says, “Oh, you’ll do, big boy.”
A beansprout of a young male Mandragora (I think his name was Timothy) steps out from behind Drosera, grabs Scotty's by the ass, and says, "Yes, indeed."
Between those two groups, all of my classmates are soon preoccupied for the moment. The Doggin Guards hover protectively around Mrs. Fleece at a respectable distance (or else risk getting tangled with the Strangler Figs' tentacles) while Moka follows at my heels. The Construction Bunnies and Country Mice have already returned to work around the New Warren with their cousins marveling at their recent Promotions.
“Janine, this is Lois, my Field Town Quartermistress. Lois, this is Janine, my Mayoral Secretary.”
The mouse and Hob eye each other up and down a moment before Janine snaps her fingers, summoning the Fleecy Sheeple fashionistas to her side, “A woman of your esteem requires garments of equal measure. We can supply such before the lack brings shame upon my Lady’s household.”
Lois smiles as the Sheeple immediately start tailoring their fabrics to fit her voluptuous, if miniature, proportions. “I think we’ll work well together.”
“Janine, please have Lois show you to the Fruit Nymphs later. Once she’s explained their situation, I want you to arrange their schedules to maximize their lucid time. Also, put Jenny, Julia, and Effie at the front of the line; I want to have dinner with them and Marcy. In the meantime, I’ll be taking a walk.”
“Yes, Lady Mayoress.”

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167. Return to Base, Part 1