Entoma summoned her greater centipedes to surround the spot where Inta landed, its whorling many legs skittering in a circle around the rescuer and their rescue, her legs felt like they were on fire, and her entire body shook from the pain of her recent injuries, it was however, odd enough and familiar enough that it slowed the onrush of violence.
Throwing the odd and unaccountable before the threat of violence gave her the pause she needed, and with a snap of her golden fingers, the centipede vanished as if it never were, revealing Inta and the Ant Queen.
"Rescued. I am back. Saved me. Unchained am I. Home to nest, let me go." The Ant Queen's mandibles clicked and clattered, and with a wave of her hand, the oversized ants ignored scorpionpeople and spiderpeople alike, and began to go back to their tasks as if they'd never been interrupted.
Stains of acid and fallen strands of white webbing were scattered in every direction, sizzling and popping the stone and creating coils of white stickiness that would take many hours to clean up later, but things were nonetheless, calm.
"To… to the Chasm Father and Web Mother, at once… and… the Queen of Ants, we will have you returned at once." A slender scorpionman said, his tail lowered and his arms relaxed at his sides, his claws clicking with the excitement of youth, he raised an arm to point to the entrance to the great stone palace of their royalty.
Inta bent down and put his back to Entoma, prompting a look from both scorpion and spider people alike. "She was shelled by the beastmen to find out information." He explained, and a low rumble of fury went up from the many observers who knew quite well of the savagery of the Devorian interrogators.
Entoma would have blushed if she could have, but as it was, she simply wrapped her arms around Inta's neck and let him carry her on his back into the palace and through the long dark cool passages that led inexorably toward the central chamber where the ruling powers of the arachnid peoples waited.
Inta and Entoma's entry was without ceremony, the arachnid's seemed to have little real concept of it, the stark simplicity and business as usual thinking however, appealed to the battle maid's direct preferences.
So she thought nothing of it when she entered a silent chamber, and when Inta set her down, she rested her arm on his shoulder to hold herself up, and explained everything from beginning to end.
"They shelled you, and you did not run?" Chasm Father asked, and Entoma's 'bug armor' vanished, revealing the pustules of popping flesh where the insecticide was applied and the brutal injuries of having her shell peeled away. Both rulers sucked in their breath.
"You go so far for us?" The Web Mother asked, "Why?"
"My Lord desires allies. What is an ally who does not endure pain for those he wishes to fight beside? I carry out our Lord's good will… and bring it back to you in the form of your Ant Queen." Entoma said and then gasped as the pain of the air against the inner flesh burned suddenly sharper.
"Blood for blood. You bear pain for us. You render aid to us. We render to you the same. We will grant you your wish, cross our lands, kill the Devor. We will ally with your people, and after the war, if you survive or if you win, we will speak of closer terms." The Chasm father said, and glanced to the Web Mother to seek her confirmation.
"I confirm my brother's words. So it is said, so it will be. We are of the same chasm and of the same web, your people and ours." She said, with a grandiose wave of her hand which encompassed the room. "Bring us the marking stone, and we will etch our words into it in poison and web… but… what of the guide who went with you?"
"We were separated, but as he called us captives and we escaped from the Devor… I expect he will return." Entoma explained, and a low rumble of relief went up from the guards along the wall.
"Will you allow us the privilege of healing your wounds, what are your customs for this?" The Chasm father asked, his eyes centered on the boil like burns on Entoma's exposed flesh.
"I will go to my Lord, we have magic that will let me return without delay, and…" Entoma wished for the thousandth time that her face could light up the way a human's did when they were filled with happiness, "he will want to see, so that he knows how to punish the Devor for all that they have done."
"You have magic so powerful, why not use that for your armies, why cross our lands, why speak to any, why care for allies?" The Chasm father prompted, his claws clicking slowly in sync with his words.
"Because then nobody would see what we can do. Nobody would know what we can truly accomplish, and nobody would know that we didn't 'have' to ask. If you know that we can hurt you and choose not to, you will know we come as true friends. We will have peace, harmony, we will be of one web and one chasm that spans the whole world, with no enemies and only friends. And then there will be no war and no children will die too young. That is our just Lord's dream." Entoma said with the utmost pride, tilting her chin up and daring anyone to disagree.
"A world in which all grow up strong and without fear, that is the future we fight for, and the Devor who devour futures, have no place in it." Entoma emphasized, and if she doubted anything she said, neither Chasm Father nor Web Mother could find a hint of it in her voice.
"If this is true, we hope for your victory. When we are replaced, we will send an envoy to your people, but if there is no more… we would not wish the ones who rendered us such valiant aid to linger in pain. Show us this magic as your parting gift to us, and we will have the stone truth ready for you when it comes time for your war. Take it from this room, then march your army here, we will make bridges from end to end over which you may pass, our webs will be your roads, our chasms your place of rest. As it is said, so it shall be." The Web Mother emphasized, and then to their shock, seconds after the last words died on her lips…
The whorling vortex appeared in front of them, Inta and Entoma took a deep bow to the throne, and then Entoma hopped onto Inta's back, and when he stepped through the gate they vanished.
When the two were gone, the Web Mother and Chasm Father glanced at one another. "I think we chose right." He said.
"I think so too. We etch good promises in good stone." She agreed, and with that they let out deep sighs of relief, while scorpion claws clicked with excitement.