Chapter 292

When Ants See A Problem In Their Nest

Poof.

I’ve never really been afraid of flying, but now I will say is that I do feel a slight hesitation now before and during Teleportation. This time as I enter subspace, or the realm between space that my body fully enters, before emerging into an intended destination, I feel my mind expanding.

Then for a moment, I look around, seeing the heavens of space around me, and for a moment my mind is able to expand and reflect on what has transpired. In this moment that is taking both a second and simultaneous an eternity, I feel my mind expand to cover everything. Though, admittedly my mind goes to the most recent battle. One where I was called in to protect others, while destroying the enemies. I did so without question, without hesitation, as I wanted to protect my own.

Though how Mallory knew that I would be able to come through in such a short time it was both telling of her belief in me, a belief that seemed to be reciprocated by everyone else who looking back, all seemed to have the same sense of expectation.

That is when I wonder how I became a universal problem solver. As I contemplate this, I realize that they called me due to my unorthodox approach to magic.

This brings me to my first train of thought, where I realize that I am drastically underestimating just how dangerous most spells are, or can be.

Take for instance something as simple as Teleportation. From recent interactions and my latest practical demonstration of just what can be done with Arcane Geomancy Teleportation I have to say my latest axiom is that Creativity is more dangerous than Intent.

Click.

At the sudden influx of that thought, I feel something slightly wind its way into my mind. Almost like a spring being bound slightly, while I know there is more to this compression, I can’t quite understand what exactly the winding is for.

Thinking about it, I also realize that that definition is not a complete picture of Creativity. For while Creativity is more dangerous than Intent, that doesn’t mean that Creativity itself is in fact dangerous. Meaning that I need to further refine my world view on Creativity.

Why Creativity? I don’t know, though I do feel that it is something important to me. As I’ve always been able to think my way out of most problems, and the number one catalyst for Intelligence is Creativity.

Then like that, I feel the concept further bind in my mind.

The greatest catalyst to be able to fully utilize your Intelligence is Creativity.

Click.

Then like that, I feel that I have become slightly more aware. Or not aware, but more cognizant to a universal truth I have always know, or at least one I have adhered to. Not sure if there is a true difference, but I can tell that both are similar and often parallel but there might be just enough of a variance between the two that my mind does make a mental distinction.

With that sobering thought, I also realize that my truths are not the world’s truths. I also realize that this is okay. This world is predicated on war, establishing conflict, and then eliminating that conflict through force. While that is my world, it is not something I wish to accept or encourage in this world.

At that, I can almost feel the bands of my mind fastening around another core thought of my mind, but then seem to stop.

I get all of this, these thoughts, this self-discovery, and self-reflection while pausing for an instant in between jumps. This is that split second from when I left World’s End and ended up where I Teleported the first half of the giant glowy worm thingy to.

Poof.

I land, and as I do I feel slightly disoriented as my mind that had seemingly been able to expand and momentarily grasp the secrets of the cosmos was once again restricted to my own little mind.

For a moment it felt like I was close to understanding the universe as a whole.

My understanding of the universe of course stemmed from my understanding of myself, which I was then able to use to help me understand the universe. Or at least how I learned to understand that the universe was different than me, but that was okay.

I still had no clue what was happening each time I Teleported. How the Teleportation Channel or spell latticework that I was using seemed to change as I moved on, but it had. In some deep fundamental way it had changed, but remained the exact same.

It changed in that my mind now seemed to be able to grasp everything all at once, and all it required was for me to focus on one intent, on action and work it to its fullest to truly gain complete comprehension. At least, that is how the situation felt at the time, though I know it wasn’t that easy.

These are my thoughts, as my consciousness seems to recede, while my senses begin to expand around me. Finally, I am able to see what happened to the front half of the giant worm thingy.

In this section, once again the center segment seemed to be able to detach from the front segment. The only problem was that it didn’t seem to matter.

I arrived to see what looked like giant ants climbing up the apparent legs of the glowing worm thing. Though now that I can see the legs, I realize that the device is likely a millipede type device. One with hundreds of legs all powered by dozens of low powered mages.

Well, they were powered by dozens of low powered mages, as the ants were not ants at all, but rather my Teleiotís. Teleiotís who looked possessed of intense killing intent as they selflessly clawed and crawled their way to the top of the great mechanical beast before finding each of the mages and either violently ripping out the much smaller mages from their cockpits, or by simply firing into the open view cockpits, before a second angry Teleiotís reached in to throw the now lifeless body to the ground.

Horror.

For a moment I felt shocked at the sight, as the Teleiotís clearly looked pissed as they stormed the great monstrosity and seemed to kill each and every mage without mercy.

A few of the mages held up their hands in surrender, only to be granted quick deaths, as they were shot, but in far more lethal places.

All I could do was watch, as body after body was thrown from the mechanical monster. Then when enough of the mages were killed, the beast began to rock forward, as the energy required to keep such a beast upright was clearly missing.

THUD!

Immediately upon crashing to the ground, the rest of the Teleiotís, who had either been thrown off, fallen off, or were just waiting their turn to climb the legs of the giant beast began to climb over.

I also saw how the few Teleiotís who went after the discarded middle segment mages were also joining the fray.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

It didn’t need to be said, but I checked anyways to find that all the Legrand mages in the center segment were also killed. Many not even getting a chance to defend themselves.

The scene was horrific, and worse, I almost knew it would happen.

In fact, I had almost planned on it, by bisecting the great beast with my collapsed and weaponized Teleportation Tunnel, I expected something like this to happen.

Just as Mallory and the others were no doubt massacring the mages controlling he back half of the structure now, these Teleiotís were destroying the front half.

Yet, I couldn’t help but be appalled by the utter savagery displayed here by my Teleiotís. And yes, I did consider them my own, I created them. I gave them life, and I set them free to destroy the mages that had ones imprisoned them to torture and kill children to keep imprisoned miners in line.

Now, I only had myself to blame for presenting them with the same exact obstacle. Of presenting them with the same corrupt mages, wielding the same type, if not deadlier, mechanoid units against civilians and soldiers alike.

So why did I suddenly feel like I would be sick?

Again, my mental response as to why I felt sick came down to responsibility.

I was responsible for this.

For a second, I was almost afraid to approach, concerned that I might be treated as one of the enemy mages. Still, I felt it was my duty to try to save the dead bodies. To Resurrect the ones that still could be Resurrected.

The only problem was that, I knew if I Resurrected the enemy right here, they would instantly be killed once more. Still, I had to do something.

My Teleiotís were clearly agitated, but seeming to be calming down.

This entire scene only took seconds, so efficient and coordinated at killing were they, that I could only feel slightly sorry for the soldiers that crossed their paths.

Taking a deep breath, I moved forward confidently. Glad that my wings carried me, and that I didn’t have to walk as I was not certain if my legs would be able to carry me forward at the moment.

As I approached, I could almost feel the moment the other Teleiotís became aware of me. There was a pause in their tension, it was palpable. Again, I got the sense that they were communicating like ants would, or maybe how I imagine ants would, with short wave energy releases that would state distress, happiness, or other human emotions that were hard to mimic otherwise.

Here, I could feel the energy signals going from a violent chaotic burst, to a more streamlined and rhythmic expression. The effect was instant, for the Teleiotís that changed their signals that they were emitting instantly began to calm down, their tense and hostile body posture instantly relaxed as they seemed to gain control over themselves.

Great, they were rampaging monsters that could go from zero to sixty and back to zero by a simple click of a switch. Then again, they were part machine, so this shouldn’t be too hard to believe. Though it did make me wonder about their stability.

I continued to make my way forward, once I was about five feet away from the closest Teleiotís, they knelt down, head facing the ground, as they raised their left arm up and pointed behind them towards the downed monster. The gesture was simple, it was almost how I would imagine a dog would go and present a giant serpent that it managed to kill in the backyard, before presenting it with pride.

With the first one kneeling, and pointing, others did as well.

Seeing this, it was clear that they still saw me as someone of importance to them. For that I was eternally grateful, as I didn’t know if I could handle these creatures, not as they were. They were too angry, too violent, and most importantly too tortured to be dealt with harshly.

I could understand, and in fact, I realize I relied upon them to stop the enemy. I needed them to stop the enemy, when I would not do the same. A necessary evil. Though they weren’t evil, they were just living as their conscience dictated, just as I was living as my conscience dictated.

Tingle.

Once again, I felt something in my mind slowly shifting into place. It wasn’t a truth yet, or I hadn’t correctly placed the thought the way my mind needed, but I was close. Why I needed to do this, and what exactly I was trying to do by arranging these concepts within my mind were lost to me, but I could tell that it was something that the system wanted me to do.

Seeing all the Teleiotís showing their reverence for me, I felt moved. That’s when I purposefully used my Dual Quintessence Healing on them. This was my level 400 Trait I acquired from my Quintessence Ethereal Healer class.

Whoosh!

Not having many chances to use this unique pool of Healing magic, I go wild with it, all but laying down a wide area Healing spell that encompasses everyone. Well all of the Teleiotís.

I see many of them shiver slightly, as aches, scrapes, and bent or crumpled joints began to heal instantly.

Logically, the spell made no sense, but it didn’t need to make sense, as that was the benefit of magic, of creativity.

And like that, I felt a final string click in my mind, as my personal understanding of Creativity solidified within my mind.

Creativity can bypass the structured laws of magic. Creativity is the greatest catalyst for how one can fully utilize their true Intelligence. And finally, Creativity is more dangerous than Intent.

A shiver ran down my spine as I fully grasped this concept. My first true concept, that of Creativity and what it means to me. Then as if the system recognized this accomplishment, or wished to help me make sense of what my mind was now processing, I received a quest prompt.

Hidden Quest Found: Beliefs of the Demi-God (Ongoing): You have begun to grasp that there are tenants and truths to this world that you will have to determine for yourself. As you progress on your path to awaken your bloodline to that of a Demi-God you are afforded three truths that will be crucial to your development and advancement. Current number of Personal Truths solidified (1 / 3). Find and solidify your remaining truths to further your progress. Rewards: Experience, Skills, Bloodline Perks, Variable.

Seeing that system message, I felt chills run down my body, as I realized that I was close to doing something that I didn’t want. At least, I knew I was far too reckless to understand the concepts of what I was doing.

I needed years, decades maybe to see what there was to being a demi-god. Yet, here I was already on the road of becoming one. Though technically I had started the path a while ago, but now it seemed that I was being forced to go down this path somewhat faster.

Movement.

Though before I could get too stuck in what was happening, and my own doubts of whether I deserved to be a demi-god, the Teleiotís moved.

Blinking my mind, and dismissing the prompts, and focusing through the new surge of energy that was coursing in me thanks to my newfound understanding, I saw the Teleiotís bowing.

Not just bowing, but fully prostrating themselves on their knees, heads pressed against the floor in reverence.

Chills.

Seeing them bow, I could almost swear that I felt their trust, their reverence, their faith in me. And for a moment it felt overwhelming.

Maybe they could feel that I had made that mental connection, perhaps there was a burst of energy that I missed. I didn’t know. All I knew was that right then and there, I felt a change within myself, and they seemed to sense that change from within me.

Unable to withstand their sudden and intense devotion, I said the only thing that I could think of, “rise.”

Then as one they all rose, like machines, perfectly inline and identical movements. Some of them, the larger hybrid models took longer to rise, but even those stood fully erect at the same time.

They were all standing there, waiting for me to tell them something. Expectantly waiting, and I said the only thing I could.

“Good job, and thank you.”

Jubilation.

With that the Teleiotís that were standing didn’t change or alter their postures at all, but I could feel that the signal they all released and shared was one of mirth and contentment.

Realizing I still needed to get the bodies out, and Resurrected safely, I thought about going over and grabbing the bodies and shoving them through a one way portal to Heal-Ulacrum’s area, where I felt she would be able to Mass Resurrect the enemy soldiers.

Then realizing I could out source, I decided to use the devotion of the Teleiotís to my benefit.

Arcane Geometric Teleportation.

Creating a one way portal to the second floor Mage’s Guild of the Arcanarus Tower, I then commanded the Teleiotís to move the bodies of the enemies.

“Grab the bodies of the enemies and dispose of them through this portal.”

Then without question, the Teleiotís began moving as one. Grabbing bodies and violently hurling them through the portal.

I almost winced at some of the throws, but I realized that was on me for not being better with my description on how to dispose of the bodies.

As they threw the bodies, I could feel the angry thoughts of Heal-Ulacrum seeping through the portal Telekinetically, all but demanding me to watch out.

Of course, I sent back a mental, “I’m sorry,” followed by the ever effective, “havi..ng a… hard time… break…ing up…” before ending the mental connection and closing the one way portal.

I will say that Teleiotís are efficient. In the same time it took them all to kill the mages, they had gathered the bodies, or what was left of them, and removed them from the field, into the portal. Even the bodies from the downed front half were gathered up and disposed of in under two minutes. That’s when I realized just how fast and deadly these Teleiotís were, and how I was glad they were on my side.

“Thank you for that,” I told the expectant Teleiotís. They were all staring at me, unmoving and motionless, like reverent machines would, or maybe should but, but it was still slightly unnerving to witness.

More jubilation.

Again, the Teleiotís were extremely happy from the slightest amount of praise from me.

“Unfortunately, I need to go, but is there anything I can do for you all before I go?” I ask.

And like that, the first Teleiotís once again just pointed back at the giant dead centipede robot.

I mentally paused, trying to understand the intent.

Then as if seeing my confusion, the energy frequency being emitted by the Teleiotís seemed to change.

Loss, hope, and something else.

“Do you want me to Resurrect that thing?” I ask, pointing to the downed centipede and former floating glow worm creature.

Nodding.

Excitement.

At my apparent understanding, the Teleiotís in charge just nodded their head vigorously and all the other seemed to release the same frequency of excitement.

Oddly enough, the excitement was close to the berserk or wild energy these Teleiotís were releasing when I first arrived, though excitement was slightly more constrained.

“Okay,” was all I replied, as I flew forward and found myself doing something highly questionable with magic once again.

This time, rather than bringing to life giant killing robots, I was going to bring to life the ultimate personification of killing robots made sentient.

Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself, as I wondered if I was doing something that the world was truly ready for, but then found myself curious if I could actually do it as well.

This would be the largest creature I ever brought to life, and I found myself wondering about the possibilities that this minor step would allow.

Besides the Teleiotís were mostly harmless, well, unless you were a Legrand soldier or mage who happened upon their territory. As it stood, this would only further increase the chance that my Teleiotís could survive any retaliatory attacks by the Legrand Empire who might wish to take back their mines.

Filled with the excitement of trying to push the boundaries of science and magic to their furthest, I realized that with my latest mental discovery about Creativity, it was just important that I believe I could do this, as it was for the rules to exist for me to be able to do this.

Which was how I, a four foot tall colossal pixie, decided to punch well out of my weight class by attempting to bring to life a thirty six-legged monstrosity that stretched for over a hundred feet long and stood at least two stories tall.

Smiling to myself, I opened my mind and began channeling energy into the area around me, as I once again tried to push the boundaries of what others thought was impossible.

Arcane Geomancy.

As the power came coursing through my body, I felt one last question come to mind. Nothing too dangerous could come from this, right?