Antvance into the Unknown

120. A Breakthrough, A Revelation

Beyn stared at the notification in complete shock.

[You have reached Level 20.]

[Your current Class, Antmancer, has reached its maximum Level. Class evolution is now available. Would you like to evolve your Class?]

He’d finally done it! After all this time working alongside the ants of the Colony and assisting his brethren in completing their work, it all paid off and he was now the first who would be given the chance to evolve this sacred Class and see the wonders which lay beyond!

O blessed day! O joyous occasion!

He wanted to run, to leap and shout his joy to the heavens, but he refrained from doing so only with the greatest of effort. Currently, he was on patrol with a mixed detachment of humans and ants, sweeping away the monsters from within a Swamp Expanse in order to allow the Colony to return their aphid workforce in safety. It was slow, gruelling work, and the humans were tired and drained. Even the ants were beginning to flag, their antennae drooping in a tell-tale sign of insect fatigue.

“Something the matter, Priest?” one of the nearby human guards asked him, concern plain on the young man’s face.

“Not at all,” he said, not wanting to distract anyone in an active combat zone. “Please, focus on your task and I will ensure that my Skill remains active.”

Indeed, the presence of the Antmancers meant a great deal to both human and colony participants in these patrols. The buff it provided to any mixed group was invaluable and allowed the relatively green guard force from Renewal to perform well above their Level so long as there were ants nearby. The ants themselves also enjoyed the buff, though they needed it less, especially when clearing monsters from here in the first stratum. The speed at which they’d been able to sweep the various Expanses within their territory spoke volumes to the growing strength of the Colony.

“I think we’ll be done here in a few hours,” another guard commented, her eyes never leaving the surrounding foliage.

Several of them had been injured by underestimating the plant life. Only the intervention of ant healers saved their lives.

“Another day, another Expanse,” the first guard chuckled, and the others laughed along, if quietly.

“There is much noise from the humans,” Beyn detected the pheromones of one of the soldiers, a huge soldier the size of a small building who had been up front. “Is something the matter?”

He was more or less used to it, but when he suddenly switched from listening to words with his ears, to smelling them with his nose, it was always a struggle to reorient his mind.

“I will check with the antennae’d one,” a much smaller mage said.

This was his cue to step forward. The ants had taken to calling the order of Antmancers antennae’d ones since they functionally had antennae, both on their hoods, and in their capacity to smell and interpret the ant’s communications.

In short order, he felt a Mind Bridge connect and the orderly thoughts of the mage intrude on his own.

[Human Beyn. It has been noted that your fellow humans have been making noise. Is something the matter? Can we assist?]

By this time, Beyn had become more accustomed to addressing the holy workers of the Colony. He hardly ever shouted at them anymore. At first, the ants tolerated it unquestioningly, but eventually they’d learned that deafening mental communication was not in fact the natural state of human mind-to-mind speech. This caused Beyn no end of embarrassment, and he’d lashed himself at the failure to properly perform his role until he managed to master his fervour.

…Most of the time.

He made a simple bow as he spoke to the ant mage.

[Honoured worker.] The ants were quite pleased to be referred to as ‘worker’ no matter the caste. In fact, to address them by any other name subtly implied they were not, in fact, workers, which displeased them to no end. [We are simply remarking on how quickly we have progressed on our mission today. It is an unusually large amount of territory to cover in such a short amount of time, by our reckoning.]

The mage tilted her head slightly.

[It is only natural,] she remarked. [When many of us work together, we achieve far more than we could working without support. This is the strength of the collective.]

A wave of emotion rolled through Beyn. Yes. It was true. This path was so simple for the members of the Colony to walk on. This was their natural mode of life. Whereas others were riven by jealousy and greed, they instead possessed harmony and peace. He wiped a tear from his eye. This was the truth.

Their estimation of the time needed to complete the task had in fact been too large. In an hour and a half, their sweep had been completed. The monsters were dead, the Expanse secure, and the ants began to escort their precious aphid cattle into the open space, planting them on the lush Dungeon vegetation and herding them with antennae to ensure the smaller bugs moved to the best and juiciest parts of the plant.

Work complete, Beyn and his human cohorts parted ways with their ant allies and began the trek back to the human barracks the ants constructed for them within the territory of the Colony. While it was called a barracks, in reality, the furnishings and accommodations were far beyond anything most of them were used to.

The comfortable beds, clean, fresh sheets daily, and surprisingly delicious tea were one thing, but at some point an ant had taken great fascination with the art of embroidery, creating the most incredible scenes on the rugs. Beyn himself found it immensely moving to kneel on the artistically represented ant hill on the rug within his own room while he prayed.

Not that he had time for that. Before he could pray, before he could eat, or even wash off the muck from his journey, there was a task that must be fulfilled! He couldn’t even bring himself to speak to his brethren, such was his rush to discover what the future had in store for all of them. Once he confirmed the evolution options for his Class, he would gather the faithful and speak to them in full!

Breathless, he rushed into his room and slammed the door, throwing himself behind the—wonderfully carved—desk, and gathered paper, ink, and a quill with his shaking hands. With all at readiness, he gathered his wits and reopened the menu.

[Your current Class, Antmancer, has reached its maximum Level. Class evolution is now available. Would you like to evolve your Class?]

By the Great One! Yes!

[Please select one of the following options:

Antspeaker.

Antbishop.

Antorator.

Antstandardbearer.]

Eager to see what each of the new Classes offered, he dismissed the stat gain per Level and focused on the unique benefits of each Class.

[Antspeaker: This Class evolution will enhance the passive perception of pheromonal language and allow the Class holder to convert their Mana directly into pheromones, enabling direct communication with ant type monsters. A social based Class that will enable the holder to act as the bridge between two peoples. When engaged in conversation between an ant and a sapient, both will be more inclined to look favourably on the other.]

[Antbishop: Your service to the ant is as much religious as it is practical. This Class evolution will enhance the United in Purpose aura Skill and turn it into the Fervour of the Faithful aura Skill. For those that share your faith, the range and benefit provided by the aura will be increased. Be warned, in order to Level this Class, it is no longer sufficient to battle alongside ants and people. You must serve alongside ants and believers. An additional Skill will be granted, Ant’s Peace, that shall enable you to radiate the selfless nature and hardworking attitude of the ant around you.]

[Antorator: Powerful in both word and deed, the Antorator is a potent motivational speaker, able to persuade and convince people to follow in the path of the ant so long as the insects are present. Speeches given under these conditions will receive large bonuses, allowing you to sway others to your cause. You will become a diplomat, bringing others into the fold of your union with the ant.]

[Antstandardbearer: You have marched alongside the ant and made their battles your own. This Class will give you the tools required to lead your people into a deeper bond of cooperation on the field of battle, carrying the standard of your union. So long as you bear the standard, the effects of your aura will be further enhanced and its range increased. Furthermore, a new Skill, Rallying Cry, will be gained, allowing you to raise the morale of both insect and sapient in the heat of battle.]