Grokus had known that something was brewing in the stratum above. A pesky Colony of ants led by an unusually large specimen, he hadn't thought it would anything that he couldn't manage, but this! This was absurd!

The constant rain of acid had begun soon after the spears landed in the city, coating everything, including himself, in the burning liquid. It wasn't enough to damage him, but it was certainly enough to tick him off. How long had it been since he'd actually been attacked personally? A hundred years?! This entire situation was ridiculous! But it wasn't too late to turn it to his advantage.

"Where is that filthy human Alir?! Why has he not responded to my summons?" he demanded of the air.

He was in a bad position right now, but with the support of the church of the path, everything could be salvaged. He did not underestimate the strength that the church could bring, far from it, he had high expectations. As chaos reigned all around him, Grokus counted down the long seconds as he impatiently waited for news of the priest. With disaster looming larger and the demons falling into disarray in the city, he had grown irritated enough that he’d begun to stir himself at last, shifting the weight on his ponderous legs that hadn't seen daylight in over a decade. He was about to take his first step when a mind bridge reached out to him from across the city. Recognising the mental patterns of the human, he allowed the connection.

[It has taken you some time to respond to my call, priest.]

The city lord allowed his mind to rumble with the undertones of the displeasure he felt. He may be the supplicant in this situation, but he still demanded the respect a demon city lord was due. On the other side of the connection, Alir Vinting rolled his eyes within the inner sanctum of his temple. Push had come to shove and now he wanted to beg a favour. The greed of a demon like Grokus was only to be expected really, considering what he was.

[Things have been rather hectic over the last ten minutes, as you might well imagine,] he responded dryly, not bothering to mask his dislike for the touch of the demonic mind against his own. [How might I serve you, O child of the path?]

Grokus grit the teeth in both his mouths at the open mocking of the last sentence but swallowed his anger down to his belly where he allowed it to simmer.

[I had hoped that your hierarchy would have a response to the deal that I proposed,] Grokus opened, [it seems that the time is ripe for a harvest as the insects have delivered themselves to our doorstep, saving you the trouble of hunting them.]

Alir tried not to yawn in case it was somehow transmitted across the bridge.

[Well, the cardinals were unsure whether the burden of cost for using the gate would be-]

[I will waive the cost,] Grokus forced out, [quite the tempting offer, wouldn't you say?]

Even now, with a rain of ant acid dropping on his city, the massive demon was still trying to hold onto every scrap of advantage that he could. If Alir didn't detest the games and petty manoeuvring of demons so much, he might have found it impressive. Instead, he felt it was a pathetic show of false strength.

[Grokus. I know what has happened with Orpule. Right now, their forces are streaming towards this city and on top of that, you have an invasion from above to deal with. Your rule is hanging by a thread, and you come to me asking that the faithful deal with your problem like you're doing us a favour?]

[The ants are weak,] Grokus waved a hand, [you could sweep half of them from the city yourself. There are thousands of them coming, I can sense them already. Such a wealth in cores and… subjects you could extract from, would be nothing but a boon to you, don't you agree?]

[Right,] Alir grunted, noncommittally. [Except that I have a little information on these particular insects. Fascinating what can trickle down the grape vine if you squeeze it hard enough. They may not be quite as simple to deal with as you might imagine.]

Still seated atop his throne, Grokus guffawed, the mouth split across his belly spraying drool across the courtyard.

[Pathetic monsters of the first stratum? Surely you do not fear them? You really think they stand a chance against demons?]

Superiority between monsters was an idiotic concept as far as Alir was concerned, none were better than any others, they were simply all kindling. The only difference was how quickly they burned.

[They have earned the respect of the Legion, and anything the Legion respects is something that I fear,] he said.

That gave Grokus pause. The Abyssal Legion had swept through the third stratum once during his lifetime, leaving death and destruction in their wake wherever they tread.

[You cannot be serious…]

Grokus looked up at the four ropes descending from far above, each already bristling with ants marching down, spraying acid as they went. He was supposed to fear… them?

[The church has decided not to involve themselves in this matter. In fact, they have decided to recall all of the faithful from Roklu. You are a sinking ship, Grokus. We are getting off.]

The city lord was stunned.

[W-H-Do you really think you can get away with this?!] he raged. [You think I'll just allow you to walk out of my city and through the gate?!]

[No. Which is why we installed our own gate within the temple,] Alir sneered as he stood from his chair. He had delayed long enough, he was now alone within the temple, everyone else had already escaped. [Die well, Grokus.]

With that final word, he broke the bridge that connected him to the enraged lord and stepped through the gate, a wry smile on his face.

Next to the pillar, Grokus was infuriated. With a sweep of one massive arm, he shattered a score of statues that had been erected around his garden, scattering the pieces far and wide. Betrayed by a filthy human?! That damned bite sized larvae! In the depths of his rage, a cold, calculated logic settled on the gigantic demon. If he was to survive this situation, then he there was only one way he would manage it. He had to rally the demons of his city and fight his way out. The ants first, then the demon raid. He would either rise and stand victorious to gorge on the fallen, or he himself would become food, fuel for others growth.

With a mighty heave he shoved with his legs and raised his ponderous bulk off the ground.