The Antventure Begins

11. Forced From Home?

Yesterday was a little too hectic for my tastes, I have to say. It is my dearest wish that today will be a little calmer. My only aim is to secure one more Biomass so I can mutate my Eyes to +3, and perhaps relocate my nest to a location a little more distant from the surface.

However, it doesn’t appear as if my day is going to be as peaceful as I’d hoped.

Why on earth are there all these soldiers out here!

When I emerge from my nest and move towards the cavern, there are already human soldiers everywhere. They move systematically, luring monsters out of their side tunnels and killing them with superior force. From my position huddled on the ceiling in the shadows, I can see they’ve established some sort of formation around the water pool. Wooden tripods extend over the water’s surface and hanging from each is some sort of crystal or device that appears to be absorbing light from within the water.

What on Pangea is this fancy technology? What are they absorbing? What are these funky crystals!

More importantly, how am I getting out of here alive?

The cavern has been completely occupied by them. Even if I try to rely on my stealth, I’ve already seen the monster detecting equipment they have. I’d be stupid to think I could sneak past. Even If I could, there’s only the large tunnel down halfway up this tunnel for me to head to, and that is clearly how they are going to advance farther into the Dungeon.

Can I hide in my nest successfully?

No, I don’t think so. When they see all the dirt I’ve shifted they may even realise it’s the work of a monster and start to clear it out. It’s possible they already know how this tunnel is meant to look and will realise something is off when they notice the dirt obstruction.

In that case, what the hell am I supposed to do?

Stupid humans!

There is only one option left available to me, but that choice is almost certain death. I have to escape past my nest and farther into the tunnel towards the area I saw my first croca-beast.

Isn’t this a classic case of out of the frying pan and into the waiting jaws of doom!

Clinging to the shadows near the entrance to my tunnel, the disciplined soldiers are already beginning to sweep around to my side of the pool, waving torches to drive away shadows and identify every stray corner and tunnel that may be hiding. I haven’t got much time left before they make their way to my tunnel.

Why do these soldiers need to work so hard? Take a break, guys. Relax! No? Dammit.

I’ve no choice. Time to face the music and, quite literally, death.

I skitter back through my tunnel and dive into the nest. My heart pangs a little as I crawl through the small gaps I left on the ceiling and leave my temporary lodgings behind.

This was my place of—somewhat—safety in this world, my only refuge. It was only for a few days, nest, but we had good times. If I’d had a few of my fellow ant bros to stay with me, it would have been a real home.

You know what? If I could find my birth nest, that may be the safest place for me. I’ve already seen the kind of reception I get from surface society in this world—hint, it wasn’t great—so maybe it’s time I try and get along with my own kind. Ant kind!

After all, how far away from my nest could I possibly have been dragged before I was born? The nest may be closer than I think.

Stay positive, Anthony. Charge forth and find the queen. That is to say, Mum!

However, I will do so in a safe way, without being seen. I hope.

I emerge out of my nest and into the unexplored side of this tunnel. I haven’t been out here since the first day I awoke in this place and witnessed one of my brethren being chomped to death by a horrible, bipedal crocodile.

Things have changed a little since then though. I’m Level two now, and have a few Biomass Points spent. I’m not as weak as I was!

I latch onto the roof with all six off my claws and begin to carefully make my way. My antennae wave in all directions and my eyes stare hard at every shadow as I advance.

Is it just me or does the tunnel seem brighter than it did last time? I swear the veins along the wall are glowing more brightly and are pulsing with slightly more frequency than they did before. What is that?

Gingerly, I approached the corner around which I saw the first monster.

I have serious trauma about this place, dammit. Please no monster, please no monster.

I sneak a peek and thankfully nothing is there. Phew!

No signs of the ant who was eaten or the beast that did the eating either. For now, the tunnel seems to continue to a wide curve to the left—my right since I’m upside down. I can also tell, perhaps thanks to my Tunnel Sense kicking in, that the path is starting to slope away from the surface and farther underground.

This is fantastic news. Take me away from the cursed surface and its nasty human armies!

I once again advance boldly while sneaking the entire time.

Wait… My antennae are picking something up. Only a hundred metres farther into the tunnel I sense a change in the air. Very quickly it becomes apparent why. The tunnel splits into two paths.

Using all my senses I try to determine if one path is safer than the other.

I can’t see anything nearby, and despite wiggling with all their strength my antennae aren’t picking up anything either.

I’m not happy about this setup. One of these tunnels could mean instant death. Both tunnels could mean instant death!

I can’t hold back any longer.

[Do you wish to improve Antennae? This will cost two Biomass.]

Do it! BUGAAA!

I can’t even try and scrape at the itch right now since I’m trying to stay hidden. Why are you like this, Gandalf?

Eventually it passes and my antennae have now grown noticeably longer than they were before I upgraded them the first time. With my new and improved senses, I again attempt to determine if either of these choices contains less death aroma than the other.

Hold on. What the heck is that? My whole ant body tingles as I grasp the faintest wisp of a scent from the left tunnel. There is something about this scent that speaks to me. What on earth could it be?

Drawn by this sensation, I choose the left tunnel. Whatever this is, it doesn’t feel threatening, so investigation seems logical. I really have no other information to go on anyway.

Disregarding the right tunnel, I creep into the left, sticking to the ceiling and moving cautiously, as always. The subtle smell becomes more and more noticeable, from a distant waft of a mist, it has now grown to the strong tendrils of a smoke.

The walls of this tunnel are almost entirely stone, webbed with the now familiar branching lines of blue light that permeate almost everywhere inside this place. My claws make soft scritching-scratching noises against the rock, always supporting my body with four legs as I reach forward with two.

I’m still not a fully coordinated ant but I’m making a lot of progress in this body, if I do say so myself. To go from four limbs to six isn’t easy at all. But to go from two legs and two arms, to six legs and no arms is an even greater shift!

It only takes a few minutes before I locate the source of the scent.

But there isn’t anything here. No bodies or creatures of food of any kind.

Confused, I glance around. There definitely isn’t anything. The tunnel just continues to curve to the left and slightly down.

I use my antennae to feel the stone in front of me and gradually follow the scent down off the roof and onto the floor of the tunnel. As my antennae tip tap here and there, inspiration zaps me.

Pheromones!

How do ants keep in contact without being able to speak? How do ants create those long trails away from the nest to sources of food?

The answer is pheromones! By using a Pheromone Gland, they can lay a trail of scent for other ants to detect and follow. Something is telling me that this is a pheromone trail laid down by a scout ant seeking either food or perhaps trying to locate the stolen brood from the nest.

My people are calling me home!