The Antventure Begins

67. These Guys are a Serious Pain

That is definitely a human here behind this tree! What the heck are they doing here?

I have to admit a chill struck my heart. They are really close to me. It seems bizarre since I was a human not too long ago. In this life, however, humans have been nothing but trouble.

Inching around slightly reveals it’s one of those black clothed soldiers from before. They chased me out of the upper cavern and the tunnels, and now they’ve shown up again!

What the heck is your problem, guys?

To be honest, if I wasn’t such a friendly ant, I’d be starting to take it personally. I don’t recall doing anything, except being a monster, that would cause them to pursue and hate on me to this extent.

It dawns on me just how close we are to the ant hill and my heart grows colder, entering serious winter territory. Have they spotted it yet?

I highly doubt the workers or the queen would be able to stand up to humans. Having been one myself, it isn’t hard to imagine the kind of strength an organised human society would be able to muster in a place like this. I’m sure the system has been studied endlessly. All sorts of skill combos researched, magic systems investigated, and engineering feats accomplished.

The colony is still very young. Not many workers have evolved out of the hatchling state. Not to mention the entire colony population is under one thousand. We’re still weak—far too weak—to even consider fighting against trained soldiers.

For the first time I started to consider having to fight against people, my old kind. If this soldier located the nest and went to report back to the rest of them, what would I do? Just let them go?

Would I really be able to bring myself to kill them? Even to protect the colony?

Gah! I don’t know the answer to that… What is with this sudden existential dilemma? I can’t just throw away my fifteen years as a human. I may be a proud ant worker, but that’s only been for a month or so.

In any case, I don’t know exactly what this human has seen. It’s possible they still have no idea where the nest is. Don’t panic, Anthony, we might still be ok!

I retreat slightly, doing my best to remain fully concealed. I really don’t want to attract any attention to myself right now. Using one of my legs, I grab Tiny and hold him still. Thankfully he’s smart enough not to protest out loud, although he does look at me reproachfully.

Damn ape! You want to get killed?

The female soldier is crouched behind the tree, surveying the area. She has black leather armour with a few metal plates stitched into it around the shoulders and flanks. Her blonde hair is tied back to ensure it doesn’t obstruct her face or view. And her ears… well, they’re visible enough to determine she’s not an elf.

Dammit…

You idiot, Anthony, focus!

This soldier is equipped for combat. A longbow case is strapped to her back and a shortish-looking sword rests in a sheath on her hip.

Honestly, this is the best view of a human being I’ve had since being reborn in this place. There is a lot I can learn by checking out the equipment and uniform.

Hardly daring to breathe, Tiny and I wait, concealed in the brush to the human’s right side. We’re probably only five or six metres away.

After ten minutes or so the soldier rises from her position and begins to make her way through the forest decisively. After a few moments I lead Tiny and we follow at a distance, being careful to minimise sound.

Thankfully there is so much combat going on these days, it isn’t hard to conceal our traces.

[Advanced Stealth (II) has reached Level 4.]

Oh! Stealth! My first purchase and most faithful skill. I knew I could rely on you.

Even after all my gains, Stealth is still such a valuable purchase. I highly doubt I’ll ever be able to evolve to the point where I no longer have to fear anything in this place. Is that even possible for an ant? My hope is that the colony can grow strong enough that I can depend on the collective to keep me safe and let me live out my life in this new world as best as I can.

That isn’t too much to ask for, is it?

I was never very ambitious as a human. Don’t really think I should change that now that I’m a monster.

After following this soldier through the woods for a while, she meets up with another human dressed much the same as she is. The only real difference is the weapons. Where she has the bow and sword, this chap appears to be armed with a staff of some kind.

Have I seen these two before?

I’m getting a vague sense of deja vu. Before I was able to advance my eyesight it was really hard to make out the fine details. I wouldn’t have been able to identify a person from their features before.

Perhaps I glimpsed these two as they chased me out of the tunnels…

At any rate, they’re here now, talking softly to one another. They don’t even look at each other. Instead they constantly eye the surroundings for danger. Looks like they know how to stay alive in here at least. There are monsters absolutely everywhere right now.

In fact… my antennae twitch, picking up a heat signature approaching from my right. Thankfully I’ve managed to remain hidden and whatever is coming is headed directly at the human duo.

This could be interesting.

From the woods emerges a strange looking creature that I’d never seen before. Huge, massively muscled arms covered in bristling fur are the first things that strike my eyes. Those powerful limbs end in massive hands, each the size of my head. Black, jagged nails extend from each finger.

Atop the monster’s broad shoulders rests a massive lion’s head, lips drawn back in a dreadful snarl, revealing the long, curved fangs within.

The king of the jungle? Except with massive arms and hands. What the heck kind of monster is this?

The beast’s eyes are yellow, beholding the humans with a dreadful glee.

You know, in some ways I agree with what you’re thinking, massive lion beast. You charge in, see these thin, small, and weak looking things in front of you, what sort of self-respecting monster would think they’re any type of threat?

If you’re a dumb monster who was probably born yesterday, what would you know of the power of the human mind and its ingenuity and endless capacity to invent ways to kill things? You see these scrawny meat bags and they look like free Biomass. Of course you try and eat them.

The lion monster roars hungrily and pounces!

The female soldier frowns and whips her blade from its sheath and braces it in two hands, plunging it forward like lightning. That was so fast, if I was physically capable of blinking I might have missed it!

The strike plunges into the lion’s shoulder, biting deep. The monster growls viciously as its blood begins to flow. The attack thwarted, the lion steps back to prepare another swing, massive hands more like battering rams as it punches.

Before this punch can even connect, the male soldier has raised his staff. From the tip emerges a blazing spear of flame that streaks through the air and impales the lion between the eyes, killing it instantly.

Yep. Thought so.

The two humans move toward the corpse in a businesslike manner. The female soldier braces a foot against the body to pull her sword out and carves into the monster’s chest while the male stands guard, his staff raised.

Eventually the digging is rewarded with a core, pulled out of the monster’s gory chest. They move on, not hanging around in case more monsters are attracted by the smell.

Well… don’t mind if I do!

Tiny is already salivating next to me and by the time the humans have moved ten metres away we have already crept over to take a bite.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Leo Ogri. You are awarded one Biomass.]

[Basic profile of the Leo Ogri unlocked.]

[Leo Ogri: Lion Ogre. This monster is most feared for its massive strength. Two overdeveloped arms allow it to cause incredible damage with fists alone. Some Lion Ogres are known to grip crude weapons, such as rocks or branches. They are, however, quite dim.]

A Lion Ogre, eh? I’m not even surprised.

Tiny and I spend five minutes feasting, gaining two Biomass before we dash off in the direction the humans went, following the trail.