The Antventure Begins

94. The Colony Flexes

The croca-beast doesn’t last much longer than the Lion Ogre. With the sheer number of swarming ants, any individual monster is going to get chomped apart without any chance to retaliate.

I almost feel sorry for these guys. Covered in much smaller monsters that bite and spray acid from point blank range. The croca-beast had six Hatchling Workers pulling on just one leg, ensuring it couldn’t move, before I looked away.

It’s a tough Dungeon. Don’t look at me like that, croc!

Clearly, I don’t feel too badly for the monster since I’m already searching for another.

There, that Adult Centipede!

YOINK!

Aha! Another gym-bro Deer!

YOINK!

Yet more victims are pulled to the top of the anthill, only to be summarily devoured by the hungry swarm of hatchlings.

It doesn’t take long before I start to see workers transporting the Biomass down into the nest, already industriously dispensing food throughout the colony. And at this point, the gravy train is over. As fun as it’s been pulling monsters out of the battle to their immediate doom, the drain on my Gravity Magic Gland has been severe. I’m already down to twenty percent!

Reluctantly, I shut off the Infused Mandibles and the Mana gradually fades out. At least the advantage of the Gravity Gland shows itself in my still fully charged core. If push comes to shove, I can still activate my regular Infused Mandibles to give myself some added cutting power.

Somewhat at a loss for what to do next, I survey the situation.

A scene of pure chaos meets my eyes.

All around the base of the anthill a wild free for all is taking place. Larger monsters stand tall amidst a veritable sea of smaller beasts. Titan-crocs, Bear Tyrants and Death Rabbits are all battling against each other, while around their feet, spark chimps, centipedes, blade tailed rats and others crash into each other like waves breaking against each other.

What a catastrophic scene! This is the last thing I wanted to happen leading into the wave. I should be talking to the queen and trying to work out a strategy to ensure the colony can survive. We don’t have time for this stupid free for all.

Glancing at the workers around me, their blood lust is up. There is Biomass to be had for the colony and by golly they are going to go and get it! I don’t think I could possibly dissuade them from doing something so fundamental to their identity.

They are at the very least cautious enough to continue launching acid into the crowd of monsters swirling around the base of the hill. With the combatants so thick on the ground it’s impossible to miss. Hundreds of individual shots are launched into the sky, literally making it rain on the crowded creatures below.

With five hundred ants firing their acid at once, it makes for an impressive sight. Hopefully Tiny managed to avoid getting hit…

Thinking I may as well join in on the action, I present my commercial zone to the enemies and pick out some of the larger targets in the fray.

POW!

Take that, titan-croc!

POW!

Take a second shot, titan-croc. I hate you guys!

POW!

Stupid Bear! Feel the burn of my acidic justice.

Since my evolution, my acid gland has expanded its capacity, allowing me to fire ten shots at a time. I continue to pick out the largest and most threatening targets in the crowd to inflict my Restrictive Acid upon, hopefully weakening them for the battle to come.

Even as the acid burns away at dozens of monsters in the melee, I’m still concerned for these workers advancing into that maelstrom. Several hundred of these workers were only just hatched. If they die now, they won’t be able to protect the colony during the true disaster on the horizon!

I’m so annoyed at myself. I tried so hard to avoid bringing harm down on the colony, and now, because I was in a hurry, I brought the very disaster I was hoping to avoid at the moment I could least afford to do it.

Dammit, Anthony, you’ve got to fix this somehow!

At this moment, the anthill shudders beneath my feet. The dirt is shifting, as if something in the ground were pushing upwards.

My heart sinks at what is about to happen.

Sure enough, two long antennae emerge, followed by a massive ant head. In a familiar scene, the peak of the anthill collapses as the queen drags herself out and onto the field of battle.

Dammit, not this again! What if something happens to her?

I run up to the queen. I’m not even sure why. Perhaps to try and reason with her so she goes back down into the nest?

“Queen! What are you doing up here! Shouldn’t you go back down into the colony?”

It’s kind of strange. I actually ‘shout’ in the sense that I ‘speak’ loudly with my pheromones due to the sheer amount of noise around us. It’s completely unnecessary since we’re communicating with smell rather than sound. I could whisper, barely releasing any scent at all and she would still be able to understand me perfectly well.

“The colony is threatened,” she replies. “We must defend it.”

“Do you need to be here though?” If the queen ends up dead because of this, I’ll be giving myself a right kicking to say the least. This is my mother we’re talking about!

“I will protect my children!” the queen replies in her deep, matronly voice.

Without delay, she races down the anthill, charging with unstoppable momentum. The workers eyes are literally on fire, blazing with a feverish energy so intense it may as well scorch their foes to death before any bite is applied.

I can’t stop them now…

Everywhere workers are rushing into battle, eagerly, joyfully even. With the queen by their side, they are implacable. I feel as though I need to keep reminding myself that these are ants, not people. A person would hesitate, whereas these workers will gladly die for the colony.

The only way to protect them now is to fight! If I destroy every monster here, then there won’t be any left to kill my fellow ants. Let’s do this, Anthony!

Chaaaarge!

I hurtle down the anthill with such speed I feel I’m in constant danger of tripping. I’m going so fast I pass the queen and find myself in front of my fellow ants. In the brawl below is Tiny, mighty fists swinging, hooting in triumph as he moves from opponent to opponent, destroying his enemies with electrified punches.

As the combatants at the base of the hill grow rapidly larger in my sight, I begin infusing my mandibles with Mana from my core, causing them to glow brighter and brighter.

Closer! Faster!

Out of the melee I pick one target, a mighty Bear Tyrant, mottled green streaks through his fur glowing with fierce energy as the wounds and cuts in his body regenerate at a tremendous pace.

I rush in, mandibles wide—here we go!