Chrysalis



Gweheheh, with the ball reinforced like this, I won't break the damn thing in my mandibles. If I'm not sabotaging myself, I really wonder how my little opponents can possibly hope to handle me?

With the ball gripped firmly (but not too firmly!) in my mandibles, I begin to stride forward. The Endless are arrayed before me and I can already feel them trying to attack the ball and break it down from within the shell I've constructed for it.

No chance!

I dedicate a group of mind constructs to maintaining the ball and prepare to finish this attack in the least possible time. With the Call yanking at me, I don't want to be up here any longer than I need to be, even if my adoring public is enjoying seeing me go to work as much as they are.

~~~

"They're coming," Washingtant said, intently watching the Eldest's movements.

"Let's see what they have in store for us," Solant replied. "Continue the magic attack, we need to be testing the Eldest's resources, even if it seems like we aren't getting anywhere. The more we learn about our opponent, the stronger we become."

Up front, the two soldiers, Sumant and Taylant, grit their mandibles and dug in their claws.

After the first hit they'd received from the Eldest, they weren't optimistic about their ability to take any more. The difference in size and power was plain for anyone to see.

Thankfully, Solant had developed a strategy that didn't rely on them to hold their gigantic sibling back.

~~~

"Ball gripped tight, the Great One is lowering their stance."

[We might get a better look at that insane dash speed we saw earlier! I can practically feel the Eldest pulling in their energy and then….]

BOOOOOOM!

ROAAAAAR!

"There it is! Once again, I simply cannot describe what is happening on the pitch! I can't see a thing!"

[A flash of light, a shattering crunch and now a cloud of dust and stone has filled the pit! There's destruction and chaos down there! What has the Eldest done, the defensive end of the Endless has been completely annihilated!]

"Mages are settling the dust now… and… we can… oh wow, we can see the carnage. The Endless are fine, if a little confused, I want to assure the listeners of that, but the stone wall of the pit behind them is a shattered ruin. The Eldest can't be seen at all!"

[I think you'll see them shortly. The rubble is shifting, and… yes! The Eldest stands tall! Shouldering aside the boulders as if they weren't even there, the Eldest stands tall and defiant! A charge so fast, we couldn't even see it! A charge so strong, even the stone wall couldn't resist it!]

"The Endless have moved to one side of the pitch, getting out of the way as officials descend to reconstruct the pit. We've often seen damage to the pit during play, but not quite to this extent!"

[The Eldest still has the ball gripped in their mandibles as they proudly march back toward their own end. What a dominant display!]

"The Great One continues to dazzle and befuddle the Endless. Previously, we saw them shatter the ball twice, leading to no points scored, and now we see them shatter the touchline, which obviously means no points are scored. I almost feel as if the Eldest is telling them 'your rules can't constrain me. Look what would happen if this game wasn't protecting you from me!'"

[I wonder how many rounds the Eldest is going to persist with this strategy, refusing to score even though they obviously could. Will this be successful in rattling the mental solidarity of the Endless? They're an indomitable team, but they've never been on the pitch with an opponent like this one!]

~~~

"I'm not sure if I can block a charge I can't even see," Sumant said drily.

"There was never any hope of us being able to pin down the Eldest anyway," Solant waved off her concerns.

"The real question," Washingtant wondered, "is when the Eldest is going to start to score, because it seems like we don't have any way to stop them."

"Not yet," Solant corrected her. "We still have cards to play. Besides, our best hope in this game was always going to be finding a way to score. Let's focus on that."

~~~

I wonder how they liked those apples. An altar infused charge, smashing through five metres of solid reinforced rock. It wasn't easy to spot a path through them so I didn't end up hurting anyone, but those little ants must be shaking in their boots after seeing something like that!

Heh.

Let's take a look at that scoreboard.

….

What? WHERE'S MY POINT?!

~~~

[The Endless are forming up once again, and just look at the intimidating sight in front of them!]

"The Great One is pacing back and forth, antennae flicking and waving dangerously! I wouldn't want to be trying to advance into that!"

[It certainly seems like the Eldest is done mucking around. They are ready to play and I can't help but feel sorry for the opposition.]

"The repairs are complete and I'm told the Eldest has received an official warning for excessive damage to the pit, so we are ready to go!"

[Solant in possession of the ball, the Endless advance, what's the play? How are they going to attack this time?]

"And how is the Eldest going to defend? The Great One advances!"

[Rapid passing from the Endless! The ball is flicking between them so seamlessly, I can't believe my eyes! An amazing feat of skill unlike anything we've seen before!]

"And the counter? It's the Eldest conjuring something… a storm! A powerful wind has descended and the Endless are holding on!"

[Or are they? NO!]

ROAR!

[They are not! The team goes flying and so does the ball! I don't care how fast you can move that ball, you can't outrun the wind!]

"The Eldest has thrown down the gauntlet! Defend yourself against my magic or you'll never see this side of the midline again!"