The Antmite General had several growing armies spreading out through Chilvale. He was advanced enough that he could handle several forces at once and while yes he had lost many troops to the battle with the elementals, but he had learned from the experience and one of the lessons he picked up as more Subjects joined his army.
Chilvale's nobility did not have the coordination to effectively protect their heartland, they were gathering around their queen and readying to ride out to face him rather than the uncoordinated strikes by lesser nobles that he had dealt with previously. The fake refugees had already spread misinformation and planted seeds of the Swarm deeper in their wake.
One of his armies had just started to close around a city known as Argoush, it was not the most important of cities and as such lacked great Mages and famous Adventurers to combat threats. But it had thousands of humans living within it's stone walls and as such would serve as a great boon to the Swarm if they were consumed.
Expert Artisans and Craftspeople who could help refine and research goods that the Swarm could produce, Magic Users to help bolster the mystical capabilities of the Swarm. And of course the excess brain power that Subjects added to the various Collectives. Strategically Argoush would also be a boon as it could become a Settlement that would serve as a station for future conquests.
It was by no means the only target that the Antmite General was preparing to siege, but he was capable of both multitasking and focusing on a singular task. Which was why he was flexing his new energy allotment to create reinforcements to improve his army mostly comprised of basic Units. The first three of their kind rose as plants and thorns started infecting and enhancing three Fungal-Floral Zombies-
Blood-Thorn Vampires joined the fray as the army began to prepare the encirclement of Argoush.
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Neistel felt the concentration of death magic moving towards his city. Or rather the city ruled by his mother, but she was still gone so for now he thought of it as his city. As the Court Mage of Almura it was only natural that he served as regent while the rest of the court followed his mother to meet with their cousins of the woods and stone.
Technically, Ørjya was also there as a High Blooded Leigh of Almura, but her decadent ways had resorted to her being punished...again. Which meant his position was undisputed. He stood at the balcony of the palace and looked out over the grand city and into the darkness of the depths.
The Draug was out there, he had been seen gathering the dead for months. Wraiths, zombies, and stranger things rose to his call as his half-a-boat sailed through the streams to gather soldiers. And now it was coming towards the city. Neistel was usually confident, as a leigh and a practitioner of mortal magics he was powerful beyond the comprehension of most.
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Leigh, dragons, and dryads were among the few beings with innate magic who could learn to wield magic like those who lacked it. An advantage he had been quick to exploit to get ahead of his fellow siblings, but he was not confident when it came to countering the Draug.
"I am not an ancient legend of the sea, our ancient ones are away and may not come to the call in time. The Draug is a story as old as any, Venklu...you must give me support as I wait."
He whispered fearfully as he began to see what he had previously sensed, thousands of dead coming through the water and along the seabed. Fish, merfolk, drowned dead, and even the corpses of dead leigh, their bones glowing with innate power were coming and behind them was the boat. Or rather the half of a boat that hosted the Draug. The dead were coming.
And yet...the city of Almura was strangely silent.
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The Siege of Hor had been a drawn-out affair in spite of the physical realities rather than because of it. The divine shield was strong but the Swarm had enough lives to spend that it could have been overcome. It had been necessary because the will of the city had to be broken before it could be taken.
Antmite General did not feel a need to do the same with Argoush. He would shatter the city with force rather than prolonged guile, he had shattered countless hives with such means and why would he do different now? Argoush had magic infrastructure and adventurers to protect it, but even if they were stronger than most of the Units and Subjects within him. It meant little compared to fighting a Swarm.
Individual excellence was overrated compared to the coordination of the Swarm and the general quality of the troops. Which only rose as the Swarm grew stronger. No, he would make his siege camp and then begin the assault. Hundreds would die, but thousands of new Subjects would join the Swarm once they were done being individually broken. The rest would serve as Units.
Workers and Spiderling Engineers were shaping the stones and other resources available to build the necessary fortifications. The general could wait.
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Listig shivered as they looked out over the army outside of Argoush. They had felt the deaths of their party as they were removed from his party after they had left. Removing people from their party on purpose was seemingly impossible, even when they had fled from Hor in fright of the monster.
"One of us...is that."
They had sensed the being behind the monsters of the forest and seeing that another person from earth had become something so...alien had shaken them. Fleeing without direction or plans for months as fear and shame hounded them. But it had all been for naught, and now the monster was here.
More than last and Listig had not been diligent in leveling. But at least there were more adventurers here, yet they felt in their bones. They would die here. Two people from earth versus one monster from earth. A city in the balance.
The Catkin looked up at the sky and gritted their sharp teeth with resolve.
"Bring it on."