The Antventure Begins

23. The Invasion

As quickly as possible I start chowing down, trying to consume as much Biomass as I can.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Lupus Draco Cub. You are awarded one Biomass.]

[Basic profile of the Lupus Draco Cub unlocked.]

[Lupus Draco Cub: Wolf Dragon Cub. The young form of the fearsome Wolf Dragon, they have a high resistance to flame]

Good to know. These creatures are only the young? Crazy.

Must keep eating!

The sounds are growing louder and I have a terrible feeling of exactly what is coming my way.

If only I had an extra hour, even ten minutes would be enough. Don’t think, just eat!

[You have gained one Biomass.]

Must. Keep. Eating.

[You have gained one Biomass.]

Dammit, I’m getting too full to eat. I’ve consumed an entire Wolf Dragon at this point and my stomach is near to bursting.

Wait! I just remembered a disgusting thought. Something I recall learning due to my hobby of keeping a pet ant colony at home.

Ants have two stomachs. Scouts and workers don’t always carry prey back to the nest. Sometimes they eat and fill up their ‘social stomach’ and once back at the nest, regurgitate the food for other ants to eat.

If I recall correctly, honeypot ants take this to a massive extreme. Some worker ants will turn themselves into living storage containers, their gaster swelling to ridiculous sizes as they stay in the nest and give food to their hungry colony.

So, if my personal stomach is full…

Time to fill the social stomach!

I move to the centipedes and start wolfing down food as quick as I can.

The rapidly growing sounds are like a whip on my back, urging me to work faster. I can make out the sounds better, the clash of swords and the roar of flame is growing closer and closer.

I need one more Biomass and then I’m outta here!

C’mon.

C’MON!

[You have gained one Biomass.]

Finally! Thank you!

Go, go, go, go. I need to get back to my nest and down the shaft as quickly as possible. I try to burst out with all my speed, only to find my back section is too heavy, weighed down by all of the Biomass. It’s dragging on the floor!

Nooooo. Don’t do this to me!

Scrambling as fast as my little legs will carry me, I drag myself towards the wall and start climbing. I’m so damn heavy.

Climb, climb, climb, you fat ant!

Slowly I pull myself up the wall and head towards the side tunnel where my nest is. The roar of monsters is ear-piercing as they throw themselves into battle against the clash of human soldiers ripping the creatures apart.

I can see my nest, only ten more metres.

And something else too… Soldiers are starting to come into view.

Advanced Stealth, I need you now!

Haul, Anthony, haul yourself up this damn wall!

More and more soldiers are appearing up the tunnel. Advancing in organised groups, they’re blasting apart every monster they see with coordinated fire, moving to side tunnels launching magic and arrows before sending pairs of soldiers in to make sure they leave nothing behind.

This is an extermination!

Finally, I reach my tunnel and rush as quickly as I can to my dirt wall. I pass through the gap I left at the ceiling—and I’m stuck!

My back section is too fat to fit through the gap. Dammit! I’ve got too much junk in the trunk to squeeze through.

Pull, man! I mean, pull, ant!

Using all six of my legs I Grip the wall as hard as I can and drag my body through the small gap.

With an audible pop I get through, the sudden momentum causing me to lose my grip and fall off the ceiling, landing flat on my face.

With this tiny bit of breathing space, I’ll spend my Biomass and haul ant-bum down the shaft!

[Do you want to purchase Acid Gland +3 and Legs +1? This will cost four Biomass.]

Go for it!

The horrible sensation of mutation immediately erupts, especially in my Acid Gland, but I don’t wait for it to subside. The fear of staying here and getting caught propel me to keep moving.

Straight away I crawl to the shaft and start making my way down, my increased weight slowing my descent more than I’d like. I’m having to carefully shift my bulky backside, making sure I’m properly supported before each step so I don’t immediately fall to my death.

Hopefully the +1 Legs will be able to sustain my bulk a little better and allow a safe journey.

When I’m almost halfway down, a muffled boom echoes down the shaft above, followed by dirt cascading down over me. It takes me a moment to realise what just occurred.

They’ve detonated my dirt wall! This means they’re coming past my nest and will find the shaft.

I redouble my efforts, accelerating down the wall at a dangerous pace. My claws slip and slide as I risk unsafe footholds to expedite my passage. Eventually I’m able to reach the bottom of the shaft without anything drastic happening, but I don’t feel safe yet.

I’m worried they want to explore this place and make the climb down, which means I can’t remain here for long. I leave the bottom of the shaft and make my way into the narrow tunnel that connects to the vast underground tunnel.

But before I exit this place, I have one important task. I can only hope that I have enough time.

[Would you like to use the Evolution menu?]

Yes, I would!

[Congratulations on reaching the maximum Level for your current species. Evolution will allow you to change your form and increase your stats as a monster.

Warning: Evolving will make securing XP and Biomass more difficult as fewer rewards are given for preying on creatures less evolved than yourself.

Your evolution options are as follows: – Mature Worker Ant (Formica)

– Condense Monster Core]

Oh ho! Two different options? I don’t have a lot of time here, Gandalf, hit me with the details!

[Mature Worker Ant – Advance from a Hatchling of your kind into an adult. Base stats will significantly increase, new skills will be unlocked.]

[Condense Monster Core – Condense Mana absorbed by the individual into a monster core. The core allows monsters to store and utilise MP. Can also be utilised to empower custom evolution. 100% of Mana required has been obtained.]

Oookay. The option that will provide a significant increase in stats is to advance into a mature worker of this wood ant species.

I’ll put that aside for now. The second option is very intriguing. Monster cores are a real thing in this world after all! What’s more, it allows me to store MP. Presumably storing MP will put my tiny feet on the path to being able to use magic. This is exciting!

Mind you, according to Gandalf, I’ve stored 100% of the Mana required. When the heck did I do that? Perhaps I’ve been absorbing some just by walking around, or maybe the water in the rock pool? Was that shocking taste my body drawing in Mana?

Advancing to a mature worker ant will give me the greatest boost to my survival chances, gaining stats and perhaps some useful skills. Condensing the core and opening the door to being able to use magic is incredibly tempting… It won’t boost my survival chances in the short term but in the long term it may pay off huge dividends.

This could be a time to take a risk to seize the late game!

[Would you like to spend this evolution to Condense your Monster Core?]

Yes!

My vision immediately goes black.