The Legion unload their ships, pack their supplies, and move onto the mountain. Apparently, they have some barracks or something, they certainly brought quite a few troops. A full Legion, which is five thousand soldiers, plus non-combat staff, I’m told. I mean, the Colony has ten thousand, but I don’t like those odds. We have a heck of a lot of carvers in our mix, not exactly our strongest and best fighters. One saving grace is that we brought a decent contingent of mages, more than we usually would in a group this size, so we are packing quite the magical heat, as it were.

Still, as they move around, I make a point to greet them, friendly style. Clacking my mandibles every now and again, things like that. It’s not like I’m snapping them as loudly as I possibly can or anything, just loud enough to send an ear-piercing crack through the air, like a gunshot.

Judging by the reactions of the soldiers, they seem to welcome my provocation—that is to say friendly greeting, glaring up at me. Morrelia plants her face in her palm and I see her taking several long, slow breaths every time I do it, so I’m sure she’s enjoying it.

[Are they interested in talking to me at all?] I ask Grey.

The scruffy swordsman almost turns to look at me.

[Why would they want to do that?]

[They’re here for me, aren’t they?]

[They are here to destroy you. The context is important.]

[Is it a Legion thing to not talk to their targets?]

[Anthony, I do not hold long, philosophical conversations with the monsters I kill, regardless of how intelligent they are. If the Legion are one thing, it’s stubborn. They haven’t changed their attitude in thousands of years, and they won’t now. To them, all monsters are dangerous and need to be eliminated. Monsters with potential for mass destruction, like ants, are incredibly dangerous, and need to be stamped out. Powerful individuals from a species capable of mass destruction—]

[Let me guess. They need to be eliminated.]

[Correct. In addition, any monster who hears the Call…]

[Eliminated?]

[Annihilated.]

[Great. That’s… that’s great.]

I’m really trying to work on an angle where I can have a chat with Morrelia, check in, see how the family is, but I really don’t see how it’s going to work out.

[Why the hate against monsters like us anyway? Every time this sort of thing comes up, people seem certain that monsters are going to go feral, no matter what. The Colony hasn’t gone stomping on anyone’s toes unprovoked.]

Besides a few independent cities who found themselves within Colony territory. No need to mention those.

Grey just smiles grimly, but doesn’t reply. I poke him with an antenna, or at least I try to, he steps smoothly away.

[What?] he asks, irritated.

[I asked you a question.]

Normally completely unruffled, he displays a rare sign of ruff and turns to face me.

[There’s no way you don’t know the answer to that,] he says flatly. [I’m insulted you would even attempt such base trickery.]

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

[Whoa, whoa! Hold on there!]

I bend my legs and lower myself down to roughly his level. A few people standing under me had to scramble out at short notice. Whoops.

[Look, I am not messing with you. The Colony is very young. I am very young, relatively. I genuinely don’t know the answer to this question.]

Now the wolf-Kin just looks confused. He exchanges a glance with White, who similarly appears unsure, and shrugs.

[I learned enough about your history when I spent time with you to know that you’ve seen the phenomenon for yourself. You were attacked by the creature, Garralosh, who had amassed an army of monsters. Am I not correct?]

[You are,] I reply, slowly.

[There you have it,] he nods, satisfied.

[Have what?]

[Anthony…]

[I swear I’m not being deliberately thick! I’m this thick all the time!]

Grey sighs.

[Weaker monsters can be overwhelmed by stronger ones. The force of your core, your Will, forms an… an aura like effect. Have you ever felt such a thing?]

[Oh, for sure! Strong monsters, especially ones stronger than me, felt suffocating to be around. It sucked.]

[Yes, but sucking at your Will is not all that this effect can bring about. Should a monster sufficiently strong come close to one who is sufficiently weak, they can dominate them entirely.]

[Wait… so that’s how Garralosh had all those monsters following in her wake? She just… hit them with the rizz?]

[Well… if by ‘rizz’ you mean she crushed their will to resist and demanded that they follow, then yes. It seems absurd that you don’t know this; you are more than capable of doing it yourself.]

Wha? That seems… not… good.

[I don’t spend that much time around weak monsters… I suppose. At least, I’ve never noticed it happening.]

I haven’t been to the first stratum in… forever. Demons didn’t seem affected… but I suppose they have some sort of connection with Arconidem… perhaps they’re immune to outside influence? I’ve been on the fourth for a while, monsters here may be born with such high mana concentration they aren’t affected by me?

When would I have had a chance to notice something like this?

[You should have a similar effect against members of your own family. Any up to tier three could be susceptible to you right now,] Grey says. [You’ve never seen such a thing?]

I shake my head vigorously.

[Of course not! I’d be horrified if I did!]

[That seems… unusual. Nevertheless, it is a real thing.]

[So the Legion are worried some big monster is going to swan up to the Colony and subsume their will?]

[They are worried an Ancient will do that,] Grey says flatly. [The Legion was founded during the Rending and they believe we should be prepared for it to happen again. If one of them got close enough to your Colony, you would become slave soldiers in an instant.]

Well, nards. I’m not a fan of that outcome.

[Why do those big fat monsters cause me so much trouble? What did I ever do to them? And how the heck do you know so much about the Ancients? I thought your people weren’t around during the Rending at all!]

[Information exchange.]

His reply is terse.

[Information exchange?]

[Yes. We learned via an information exchange.]

[With who?]

He stares at me levelly.

[Ok, secrets. I got it.]

Yeesh. Well now I’m left with my original problem of wanting to have a chat with Morrelia and not being able to. How am I going to find a way to talk to her one on one? Just extending a mind-bridge to a soldier of the Legion could be construed as an attack. Getting caught even making an attempt will be disastrous.

Then I have an idea.

[Hey, Grey. Am I still welcome at the fighting pits?]

[Of course. All are welcome at the arenas.]

[Even the Legion?]

He blinks. Twice.

[Yes,] he replies slowly, [of course they are.]

[Sweet. Can you let the Legion know I’ll be fighting tomorrow at the same arena as last time? They can come and have a crack.]

I snap my mandibles loudly.

[If they’re brave enough.]

Gweheheheheheheh. I’m a genius.