The Cleanrot Knights gathered their fallen comrades in one place, preparing to transport the bodies back to the surface and bury them beneath the Haligtree once the lift regained power. Despite the prolonged siege, the knights were exceptionally powerful; their losses were few, and the wounds of the survivors had been stabilized through incantations.
"The lift still lacks power," Raven said, standing up with a frustrated sigh after inspecting the mechanism for some time. "The energy is returning slower than expected. In fact, I can hardly feel it recovering at all."
"Are you saying something is wrong with it?" Malenia asked. "Is there any way to repair it?"
"Even the Academy knows very little about the technology of the Eternal City. I doubt the combined efforts of every Master and Professor could claim the ability to fix this," Raven said, shaking his head. "Something is likely wrong with the internal magic circuits. It could be natural degradation due to age, or perhaps..."
He trailed off, lost in thought.
"If it cannot be helped, we will have to cremate the bodies and take back their ashes," Malenia sighed softly. "Regardless, I will ensure they return to their homeland."
Raven nodded and walked toward the large cavern at the bottom of the well. The carcasses of the giant ants remained where they fell, showing no signs of rot for the moment. He stopped a few Cleanrot Knights who were attempting to carve out meat for roasting.
"This ant meat is toxic," Raven warned. "It is inedible unless treated through specific means."
"Specific means?" A Knight-Captain walked over, inquiring further.
"The necessary ingredients are hard to find, and the process is too cumbersome to allow ant meat to serve as a large-scale military ration."
"I am the quartermaster of the Cleanrot Knights," the man said, looking worried. "With the lift out of commission, logistics will be a major issue. While our knights can survive in harsh environments and go a month or two without food or water, it is hard to say how much combat effectiveness they would retain by then."
"The Monitor said he has a plan." Raven himself was curious about the Monitor's intentions. If Miquella were here, his power to accelerate plant growth could easily solve the food problem. Perhaps the Monitor carried some artifact imbued with Miquella's power?
A few hours later, the main body of the expeditionary force finally arrived at the bottom of the well.
Upon hearing that the lift was unusable, the Monitor waved a hand dismissively. "If we could utilize ropes to descend from the entrance, we can naturally use them to ascend from the bottom. It is not an issue. Furthermore, should we encounter rebels from the Deeproot Depths along the way, we might learn the path to the Roots, providing another way back to the Capital."
After a brief rest, the expeditionary force set out once more, marching into the dark caverns.
To conserve fuel, the army lit very few torches. Everything around them was a blur of shadows, as if countless monsters lurked in the dark. The ground was coated in a layer of slime, making a squelching sound with every step and leaving long, sticky threads trailing from the soles of their boots.
With both Queens dead, it appeared the colony had completely abandoned this section of the cave; they didn't encounter a single ant for a long time. They passed several shallow alcoves that were almost empty, save for small amounts of a milky-white, gelatinous substance in the corners.
"This is the colony's food storage," Loretta said. She flipped up her visor, dipped a finger into the gel, and tasted it to identify the flavor. "It is food produced after ant regurgitation. It isn't toxic; we can eat it too."
"I have no desire to eat ant vomit," a Leyndell Knight grumbled.
"It seems the swarm cleared out these storage rooms when they retreated," Loretta said, frowning. "This is highly unusual, as if the Queen were still alive. Theoretically, a colony that loses its Queen should collapse instantly; they shouldn't exhibit this kind of organized behavior."
"Could there be a third Queen?" Raven asked.
"I don't know," Loretta shook her head. "My previous experience no longer seems to apply."
By the sixth day of marching through the tunnels, the atmosphere had become oppressive. The monotonous, repetitive tunnels and the eternal gloom would have broken the minds of lesser men, but the soldiers of the expedition were of sturdy resolve.
On the first day underground, the Monitor had implemented a rationing system. The amount of food distributed to each person was quite limited. The Leyndell Knight who had previously expressed disgust at the ant gel was now the first to dive into any storage alcove they found, desperately searching for remnants. Unfortunately, earlier scouts usually picked them clean.
"Back then, we were lost in these ant tunnels for a long time," Loretta admitted sheepishly. "We relied entirely on Master Blaidd's keen sense of smell to track the airflow and lead us out. Now, I don't recognize the path either."
The expeditionary force was now led by the Monitor. He never consulted a map. Whenever they reached a fork in the road, he would toss a golden, prism-like object onto the ground and then decide which way to go.
"What is that thing you keep throwing?" Raven asked the Monitor during one such instance. "Can it truly lead the way?"
"This is a Grace Mimic. Its light guides the way for those who possess a mission," the Monitor said with a faint smile. He handed a golden prism to Raven. "Here. You throw it and see what you can find."
Raven weighed it in his hand. It felt weightless and ethereal, yet when touched, it possessed a distinct hardness.
He hesitated for a moment, then tossed it onto the ground.
The golden prism stuck straight into the earth, emitting a bright glow. However, the light had no direction; it was like the light from a torch or a glintstone lamp, serving no purpose other than illumination.
"Did it show you a direction?" the Monitor asked.
"No."
A subtle smile played across the Monitor's face, one carrying an unfathomable meaning.
Raven furrowed his brow. He had gotten along well enough with this old Monitor sent by Marika over the past few days, but at this moment, an inexplicable hostility rose in his heart.
"Many people claim to have a mission. However, only those who believe in their mission without a shadow of a doubt—who believe their entire life and meaning reside within it—can see the guidance of Grace," the Monitor said. "This is Manifest Destiny."
"Since I cannot see it..."
"Then it means you are not a man of destiny," the Monitor finished.
"That's fine. I'd rather not carry any so-called destiny," Raven laughed. "And you? What is your destiny? Don't tell me reaching the Lake of Rot is your ultimate fate?"
The Monitor chuckled as well. "My mission is Queen Marika. Nothing more."
"Serving the Goddess, then." Raven nodded. A devout believer who viewed Marika's will as their life's direction was common enough in the Lands Between; it wasn't particularly surprising.
Walking at the very front of the column alongside the Monitor, Raven suddenly halted. "Something's ahead."
"Yes... I smell the stench of dead ants," the Monitor noted.
They rounded a corner in the tunnel and found two ant carcasses lying on the ground. The spilled blood had already dried.
"These wounds are strange. Some unknown energy is lingering on them. They certainly didn't die from infighting." Raven examined the giant ants, attempting to analyze the cause of death.
Suddenly, a raspy voice rang out from the soil nearby.
"Oh... outsiders. Was it you who slew the Queens?"
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(250 Chapter - Ongoing)
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