Upping The Ante

33. The Mini Escapade

Nothing was happening and Vibrant was getting hungry. Since she’d snapped at the pink creature’s ankle, her senior and the creature had been very still, looking at each other for several torpors’ worth of time.

The young ant worker could tell there was something happening, though she couldn’t say how she knew, or even what it was she did know. She simply felt that her powerful senior worker and the strange creature were engaged in some kind of exchange she had no way of participating in.

She was bored.

At first, she tried nipping at her senior, her mandibles scratching against the others’ tough carapace, but there was no reaction. Not to mention the exercise probably hurt her face more than it hurt the other.

How did this ant get so strong!

Vibrant had always been able to sense it, even as a larva. This individual was different, special. She could feel a powerful vibe from the other, something that made her want to follow and learn.

However, that didn’t do much to alleviate the current situation. After deciding that nothing much was going to happen anytime soon, the little ant climbed up onto the senior’s back in order to commune with her fellow traveller.

As a creature without any sensory input other than touch, Crinis had no idea what was happening. Everything was still and quiet, there wasn’t any movement that she could sense, though her master was close by. In her growth stage, there wasn’t anything else the little creature could hope for.

Idly, the little monster tugged on the shining thread in her consciousness that connected her to the creature who created her. A constant sense of distance and position came to her through this thread, alerting her about wherever her master happened to be, as well as the occasional words when she was spoken to.

Crinis felt she could probably talk back, but so far hadn’t really felt any urge to. She’d been tempted a few times, but decided she didn’t have anything that important to say. At this stage of her life, it was only important to eat and grow so she could become useful.

Suddenly, the little monster felt a tugging on one of her tentacles.

What was it! Out of reflex, the jelly-like monster unfolded two more tentacles from her main body and lashed out. At her present stage of growth, this strike had almost no power behind it at all, depressing Crinis a little when she made contact but her opponent barely budged.

Vibrant was completely undeterred by this response. She’d worked out long ago that her blobby associate couldn’t recognise what was going on, so the worker continued to extend her leg to prod her companion, trying to get the little blob to stick onto her back.

Why? In Vibrant’s mind, the two monsters spent so much time in close proximity, they may as well continue to stick together. The human concept of friendship wouldn’t apply to monsters, they simply didn’t think that way, but comfort or companionship, these were things they were fully capable of feeling toward a monster not of their own kind.

Eventually, Crinis was able to work out who was annoying her and internally sighed. This pesky creature had interacted with Crinis before. The blob knew from experience this irritating creature wouldn’t leave her alone until she gave in. Crinis had no idea why the master tolerated this little pest to ride upon their person, but who was she to argue?

After several more minutes of insistent prodding, Vibrant was rewarded when the little blob reached out with its tentacles and gradually dragged itself onto her back.

Oof!

Vibrant was annoyed. Why was it that this blob was growing so quickly, but she’d remained small? Once again, the worker pondered the words of her wise senior about mutation. She had frequently heard a ‘voice’ speaking to her when eating, and she roughly grasped the idea of Biomass and spending it. Her instincts prompted her to spend her Biomass in ways without her really thinking about it, and the senior’s words went against those instincts.

The little worker had yet to spend any points on mutation at all.

As more time passed, she was more and more interested in talking to the senior and asking questions. It probably wouldn’t be long until she went against her instincts and purchased an upgrade.

With her passenger in position, the duo set off, scrabbling up the internal shaft of the nest and out into the forest!

Vibrant was excited, but Crinis was far more subdued. After all, the blob monster had no concept of where they were. She was comforted, however, by the faint awareness of the other like her.

Similar to the link between herself and her master, but much weaker, she was able to faintly sense the other monster who shared the same kind of existence as her. Right now, that presence was close by.

Vibrant also naturally could see the huge monster who followed her senior around. Right now, he was sitting on top of a creature who looked somewhat similar to the one inside their chamber. The smaller, pinkish creature looked extremely uncomfortable being crushed by the much larger monster, but Vibrant didn’t have any sympathy. She even walked closer and snipped at the creature’s hand with her mandibles.

Take that!

The creature swiped at her with the hand, knocking her back, causing her to snap her mandibles angrily. The giant monster reached down with one hand and knocked the creature lying beneath it with one fist, causing it to grunt in pain.

Vibrant was delighted. Take that! She bounced back and forth a few times, still clacking her mandibles and aggressively waving her antennae. This creature needs to learn its place!

Crinis was disturbed by all the sudden movement and had to reach out with a few more tentacles to grip onto the shifting ant she was stuck to. What was this crazy thing doing?

Both of them were distracted at the same time by the alluring scent of Biomass.

Where was it?

Crinis was able to detect the presence of food through her skin. She extended a few tentacles and wiggled them furiously in the air, trying to pick up on a direction. She was hungry!

Vibrant noticed the giant monster was chomping on something he’d been holding in his other hand. Biomass!

Moving speedily, she climbed over the squashed creature’s face and up onto the monster until she was staring him right in the eye, pointing excitedly at the food in his hand.

It took the big monster a while to realise what these two irritants wanted. Eventually he realised and pointed toward the tree line, and Vibrant was off and racing!

It wasn’t long before she found piles of Biomass, a few workers picking over it and dragging it back to the colony.

Food!

Both monsters were incredibly excited. Crinis had cast aside her earlier reservations and was now fully prepared to leap off and eat. She practically hummed with anticipation.

Vibrant was only too happy to place her comrade down on the food, guiding with one slender antenna before she started to chow down herself.

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

[Basic profile of Human unlocked.]

Delicious!

The two small monsters continued to eat until they were full. Then Vibrant collected her associate and they wobbled their way back to the nest.