Chapter 820 - Scuttles, Schemes and Broken Dreams
Grokus enjoyed being a city lord for a few, very simple reasons. First, it meant that he didn't have to put up with anything getting between himself and the only thing that gave him satisfaction in life, eating, and second it meant that he had a city full of demons who he could force to provide the abundant amount of Biomass he required without having to lift a finger. It had been decades since he'd bothered to check how much Biomass he'd amassed, having maxed out his mutations ages ago, but it was likely to be well into the thousands, perhaps even the tens of thousands, despite the fact he only ate things a lower tier than himself.
Tier seven prey just didn't offer itself up on a plate… not out here.
He had ruled over Roklu in this manner for centuries, content to allow the backwater city to remain a weak and uninteresting entity that none would bother to pay attention to. This way he could continue to feast without pause and indulge his d.e.s.i.r.es without concern, a paradise for a demon such as himself. However, things had begun to change in the last decade. First had been the arrival of Allocrix, a powerful tier seven demon fleeing some trouble from a deeper layer, keen to avoid detection.
As the city lord, Grokus had always acted swiftly to dispose of would be rivals to his throne, but Allocrix was slippery and cunning. The filthy fireball could only be caught by Grokus himself, which would necessitate that he actually move, something he hadn't had to do for several decades at least. It would also mean he had to stop eating! Unforgivable. Before he'd managed to reconcile himself to the possibility of having to physically shift his bulk, another tier seven had arisen, this time from within the city itself!
Mongu'nin had gotten lost on a scouting mission into the tunnels and had not only survived, but thrived under the pressure, achieving the coveted evolution to tier seven and enough power to threaten Grokus' position. If the lord were to stir himself and venture out into the city, there were now two rivals who could move against him, not odds that he liked. So had the long standoff begun, with Grokus unwilling to move, Allocrix not wanting to make a move and Mongu'nin seeking to strengthen himself by devouring the weaker of his two obstacles before trying to conquer the city for himself.
This state of uncertainty hung over the city for years and went a long way to ruining Grokus' appetite before he was finally willing to try and break the deadlock. Out of desperation, he had agreed to host the Church of the Path and provide the… materials for their practices from his own citizens. With a steady source of experience, it was only a matter of time until he grew in strength to the point he no longer needed to fear his rivals and could once again eat in peace.
But then more trouble just kept coming! The attention the church brought to his city was unwelcome, a powerful and ambitious lord rose in nearby Orpule and lately that damned ant! Just thinking of that irritating insect was enough to churn the acid in his gut!
He'd hoped that introducing the interloper from the first stratum might tip the apple cart a little, or perhaps even draw the church into cleaning up the problem for him. Instead, the damned invader had just destroyed half the city and fled, but only after stirring Mongu'nin into a rage that lasted for an entire day! To top things off, Allocrix appeared to have allied himself with the newcomers and there were steady reports of suspicious activity at the top of the pillar. Not to mention the growing pressure from Brixin, the neighbouring city lord.
[As I told you before, I know nothing of secret forces dispatched to act against your city, Brixin! If your raiding parties have been destroyed, then it is not by my hand!]
The mind array that connected his mind to that of his fellow lord, far away in Orpule crackled with indignant energy.
[Do you expect me to believe a word that comes out of your mouth, Grokus? Two of my raid groups have vanished, one of them not so much as an hour ago, and you really think I'll accept your denials? INSOLENCE. I will not tolerate this insult! I am escalating our formal war to one of conquest.]
One massive hand froze in the act of shovelling food into his mouth as he processed this and Grokus cursed internally. Despite the bl.u.s.ter, he could almost detect the smug radiating off Brixin from where she sat.
[You've been looking for any excuse to escalate this war,] the enormous demon rumbled dangerously, [I wouldn't put it past you to have destroyed your own raiding parties in order to pull this.]
Brixin was not intimidated. Far from it, this was the conflict she craved.
[I am coming for you myself, Grokus. I'm not even an hour away. Make sure you fatten yourself up a little more before I get there.]
The array went dead, and the city lord shoved it away as he resumed shovelling biomass into his maw. Inside, his vast stomach that occupied not only this dimension, but another as well rumbled in disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e at the delay. He would need his strength soon enough. How long had it been since he was forced to fight?
He turned to his attendant demons.
[Rally the city,] he demanded, [a full invasion will occur in an hour. Ensure Mongu'nin knows who the real enemy is.]
If that fool decided to rampage again then all would be lost. This was a bad position to be in, but all wasn't lost yet. If things went well, it might even turn to his favour. He would need to call on the human, Alir Vinting, drag him out of his damned chapel if he had to. With the church on his side, he would have a chance to repulse the attack from Orpule and with a little luck, remove one of his rivals at the same time. If only Allocrix were still in the city, then he would have been able to move against that threat as well…
[City lord! Something is happening above!]
[What?!]
Unwilling to deal with more surprises, Grokus craned the humanoid neck of his upper body back so he could stare directly up the pillar to the area it connected with the world above. It was difficult to make out, even for senses as finely attuned as his own, but something was going on up there. Wait, is something dropping down? At first it was a steady downpour of loose soil, then rocks, then boulders that began to fall, most of them missing the city but a few crashing down on buildings with a resounding roar.
Then came the spears.
Honed pillars of gleaming steel, the four spears fell from above like hammer blows from an angry god, smashing through whatever they landed on and penetrating deep into the stone plate Roklu resided on. Blinking all of his eyes in bewilderment, Grokus stared as four separate cords, each one metres thick, gradually wound up and pulled tight, connecting the plate to the roof high above in four new places. The acid in his stomach roiled unpleasantly.