Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty-One

Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty-One

The Maw

For once, the Maw is glad it has no mouth. It can only imagine how much it would be drooling at the prospect of whats happening. The surface alliance is finally making their move, and in the Maws opinion, theyre already making mistakes.

Even if the Harbinger hadnt suborned the rockslides around its territory, the surfacers are either ignoring the town or underestimating the impact they could have, as the Harbinger has found no other signs of surveillance. The Maw would have liked to station least in torpor around the small city, but the odd denizens are too unpredictable to leave in that state around the delvers. While it could get it an influx of mana from the kills, it would lose out on mana in the long run. Better to keep them near the Harbinger, where it can easily control them.

There are a few handfuls of lessers now, and though they are very good at organizing the least, their influence doesnt extend especially far, only a hundred feet or so. More lessers would easily blanket a full army in their control, but the Maw just doesnt have that many of them. For now, it stations them nearby the ambush sites, so they can rip apart whatever surface forces try to claim the false targets of opportunity.

Theyll have their hands caught in the cookie jar and bitten clean off.

The Harbinger itself is stationed with the clergy, prepared to defend its core against whatever feeble attack the surfacers have planned. Its other scion is stationed at the primary entrance to the Maw. The Redcap could probably eliminate the approaching foes all on his own, but any true chef should have subordinates to mind the details of the meal. The Maw intends to feed the surface invaders a bitter feast of defeat.

Its forces move and the Maw considers the powerful magic it felt wash over itself. It was an impressive display, but they must have spent themselves casting it. It doesnt appear to be any sort of subtle poison or a massive scry, and the lack of effect has the Maw wondering if they actually failed to complete whatever they were trying to create. If so, theyll probably retreat and regroup.

It wishes its denizens were as sneaky as the rockslides which it now technically owns, actually. Its far too late to make a spawner for them and get any use out of it, but the Maw can move them out to try to find the surface forces! It gleefully spends the mana to order them to do just that, eagerly awaiting what news they would have to give.

It needs to do something about the rapid change in the battle, but what? The lessers are outside its reach now theyre on expedition to the ambush sites! And those tunnelers could let the surface dwellers make their own entrances into the Maw, wherever they like! From the last of the reports from the rockslides, it seemed the tunnelers were aiming to pierce the Maws demesne from practically every angle!

A chill runs through the Maw as it realizes its delicious koblds could even be a major target! Even if they dont know exactly where the enclave is, with all the potential breaches, one of them will stumble over it by pure luck!

It orders the Redcap to protect the enclave and leave the main entrances to the denizens to hold. Keeping them would be helpful, but if the tunnelers get through, the intended entrances wont matter!

It orders the Harbinger to tell the clergy to secure the town, then orders it to respond to the tunnelers. The least are probably its best option to counter them, either by collapsing the tunnels, or meeting them with their own tunnels and forcing combat. It moves its other denizens around, securing its own tunnels and passages as best it can. The iron maidens will work best around the enclave, where the Redcap can easily force invaders into the traps. Lodewisps will have to try to sense metal as the tunnelers get near, giving warning to other denizens so they can attack. Rust elementals are released into the town, to counter the foreign delvers and traitor townsfolk at once.

The Maws mood is thoroughly soured as it is forced to react to the complex attack of the surface. Its forced to spend mana on extensive expeditions of needleslinks and bladesprites, trying to get information about whats happening! It needs to know if the ambushes are going off properly, or if theyve vanished like the rockslides, probably even to the same infernal wyrms!

The Harbinger seems to echo the Maws apprehension about the attack, and the Maw can feel it trying to figure out what was that spell that seemed to be the signal to start. Perhaps thats all the spell was; a signal? Something like that would not be as expensive as an actual attack, and would explain how coordinated the attacks are.

Yes it must have been a signal. That would explain so much! The Maws mood shifts from reflecting the Harbinger to reflecting the quiet confidence of its Voice. The attack is well planned, but the Maws defenses should be more than enough to repel them. It will be messier than it had expected, but some meals are all the better for how much of a mess they make.

Its clergy and the Maws own delvers will repel the foreign delvers and subdue what townsfolk are foolish enough to try to take the opportunity to rebel. The tunnels will be annoying to deal with, but shouldnt prove anything worse than that. Theyll be natural chokepoints, allowing its denizens to deal with the intruders with as much backup as the Maw can spawn! And with the Harbinger organizing the response with the least and some lessers, the invaders can be on the receiving end of a few coordinated attacks!

Let the invaders eat their fill of the simple bread of the Maws denizens! It knows this meal will have many courses, and it will be fully prepared and hungry for when the entree arrives.