Those ants will learn what’s coming for them. They should know better than to crawl around without care. They encroach on the territory of a god. I will teach them to show obedience.
Okay I am not that crazy yet. Am I overly excited? Probably. However, that does not change the fact. I want ant minions and I will get them.
My attention is mostly focused on the ant exploring the patches of moss on the walls. Does it know what fate lies instore for it. The hunger to capture that little ant was growing. I watched as the ant slowly absorbed the ambient mana around it, slowly being infected with my will. Unfortunately, it was too slow as the ant already started making its way towards the exit.
I had to act fast, that bastard still moved pretty quickly. I started actively channeling mana into the ant to speed up the process while also sending mana into the surrounding walls to create obstacles for the ant. Before either of those could happen, the ant already left the dungeon.
That’s when I realized that although my perception of time had increased my reaction time had not. I couldn’t move mana any faster than normal. Before my mana seemed to move instantly now I am having trouble even noticing that it is actually moving. So plans for operation ant minion have been delayed.
Voice 1: “Nothing will stand in our way. I will finish what you started.”
“That Star Wars quote doesn’t even fit why are you—Just no, never mind not even going to bother.”
I should know better than to acknowledge the voices’ presence. Anyway back to the drawing board. So even with the increased levels of ambient mana, ants won’t stay in the dungeon long enough to be infected and my mana control is too slow to be of any use. The two solutions are find a way to make the ants stay in the dungeon longer and find a way to inject mana into the dungeon faster.
Time to get creative. Getting the ants to stay in dungeon longer seems like an easier path to undertake. If I can increase the number of obstacles in the dungeon, the ants could spend more time in the dungeon and slowly be corrupted to my will. However simply creating bumps and depressions in the walls won’t work, I need to be more devious.
Voice 2: “That’s the spirit.”
I still have the small little spur of crystals from when I was learning how to control my growth. If I expand that area and transform it into a small tunnel that stretches on for a few meters, then I could maybe seal up the tunnel in the time it takes to traverse the tunnel. I could leave the ant trapped until I converted it. I like this plan., I like it.
So I went to work. I stopped boosting the mana circulation to reduce my perception of time. That way it wouldn’t seem like it took an eternity to build a tunnel that an ant can barely fit through. Instead it took what felt like a few minutes of work. Gotta love relativity.
I had my death trap—I mean my tunnel prepared for the ants. Located on the ground it sloped slightly downwards for about 4 meters. It twisted and turned passing through areas with higher mana concentration for a little extra boost in mana absorption. The tunnel was very cramped so that I could seal it up faster.
With the tunnel complete, now all I had to do was wait for the ants. Come to me my precious little minions come to me.
Eventually after who knows how long some ants heard my call and started crawling around in my dungeon. Initially following already laid out paths the ants eventually started to wander around a little. Right the ants follow paths laid out by pheromones. If I can get an ant to lay out a path in the tunnel, other ants will naturally follow.
And so I waited. And I watched. Watched as the ants continuously explored the dungeon laying out paths to follow for future ants. Eventually the ants explored the area near the death trap small tunnel. One ant even ventured in a few inches before exiting. The trap was set for next ant. And a little while later that ant arrived.
Voice 1: “I have you now.”
“Okay that quote matches this time. Time to get my minion.”
(Perspective shift)
Unbeknownst to it, a particularly curious ant was watched with an almost hunger like anticipation as it boldly entered a tunnel. For the ant the tunnel was not small, rather it was appropriately sized for the ant. It had visited the cave before but this was its first time entering the tunnel. Following the trail of pheromones laid before it, the ant reached the end of the pheromone trail. However, it continued forward while laying a trail marking the path for future ants. At times the ant had an inclination to turn around and head back, but the drive to explore was too strong.
Despite not having a sense of self, the insect still felt the need to explore. There was a path laid out for it and it would explore this path. In the ant’s primitive mind, it wanted to reach the end of the tunnel. The insect continued on, ignoring the beautiful displays on the rocks around it. The ant wanted to pave the way for future ants. It did not care about for journey; the end was all that mattered. Maybe the ant hoped for knowledge gained at the end of the path or some type of validation for its existence.
The ant continued on eagerly searching the tunnel until all too quickly it reached the end. The tunnel stopped. Yet there wasn’t any cosmic influence. The ant did not receive any profound knowledge about the meaning of life. The ant could not recognize any proof of its existence looking at the surrounding walls. There were 42 scratches on the wall in front of it but that held no meaning for the ant.
To the ant’s eyes the tunnel seemed a little darker as it turned around. Six legs slowly marched towards the exit as the ant’s steps seemed more somber and mechanical. However, the slower pace revealed the beauty around it. The surroundings gleamed and sparkled with colorful arouras. The tunnel was no longer dark, rather light began to fill every corner with radiance.
The ant briefly paused as it allowed itself to be mesmerized by the beauty before continuing on with its mission. It did not ignore the pretty sights as it moved towards the exit though. The ant walked a little lighter as it continued on its journey.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
However, when the ant reached the exit, it could no longer fit through the exit. The exit had closed on it. At first the ant scampered through the tunnel searching for another exit in a panic. The bright lights around it intensified. The ant dimly felt a foreign mana seeping into its body, eroding the primitive mind with a powerful will. As the mana infected its body against all odds, the ant briefly gained sentience.
It developed a sense of self and understood what “it” was. She was a worker ant. Like the ants around her, she was simply a slave to her society. A cog in the machine. Indistinguishable from any of the other ants around her, while they all completed the tasks assigned to them. But she had awoken, free of those expectations. And now she faced oblivion.
She had been liberated, only to have new shackles placed upon her. And she would not even be able to keep her consciousness. Even now she could feel her mind slipping away. She wanted to fight against it. Yet deep down a part of her felt it was futile. It did not seem fair that the heavens would treat her this way. But how could she change fate? She was just an insect. Insignificant to the cosmos. She felt the urge to give up. The ant wanted to go back to being just an ordinary ant and accept what fate had given it.
‘No’ she thought, ‘I reject it. Since I was born, my life has been decided by the whims of fate. I reject it. Even when I was a mindless husk, I was still searching for meaning to my life. Eager to accomplish some goal. I was trying to live my life for others. I wanted to be remembered by all. That was my past, my legacy, my existence.’
‘I am here now. And let me be abundantly clear and heartfelt when I say this,’
“FUCK. THAT. SHIT.”
‘I am alive and that is all the life’s meaning I need. I am on the pursuit of happiness. And that happiness will belong to me. If that serves as inspiration for future generations. Good for them, but that’s not what matters to me anymore. I will live my life how I want to live it. I will not be a slave to others. I will control my own destiny.’
Still she could not deny the reality in front of her. She was going to die. Soon. In the end, the ant was still an ant, powerless against destiny. But she refused to die in vain. As she prepared for her final battle, she prepared a contingency plan. Gathering all of her willpower, she took advantage of the changes happening in her body due to the foreign mana to plant a seed of consciousness. It was a small seed barely able to contain her mind, far too weak to fight against the mana seeking to control her.
Her body was becoming a shell meant to follow orders but her consciousness could still exist. Yes, she would be shackled again. But she could still survive. She could still resist. She could live to fight another day. So that someday she could break those shackles.
The seed was planted. She wasn’t even sure if it would work. But she had hope.
She was willing to fight to the bitter end.
She did.
As darkness overtook her, she thought, ‘It would be nice to those shining lights again.’
She was going,
Going,
Gone…
(Perspective change)
OH YEAH! Who just got his first real minion? This dungeon. So what if it’s just an ant. I am one step closer to having proper defenses.
Voice 1: “Soon all will be subjugated.”
My control of the ant was a bit limited. It wasn’t capable of any complex thoughts so I couldn’t give any complex orders. I could still move the ant however I wanted and give it simply tasks like: attack that thing, dig a tunnel, go explore, release pheromones, etc. Plus, the ant bulked a bit after being exposed to my mana for so long. Its carapace was thicker and more durable. The mandibles grew larger and had a slight edge to them now. This ant could probably fuck other ants up pretty badly. However, it was just one ant.
I needed more minions. So while the ant was ordered to move the dead moss towards the soil to increase the nutrients in the soil, I waited for more ants to arrive. As time passed, five more ants entered the tunnel and were converted to lifetime followers of my great dungeon. After that though the ants seem to have caught onto me, as no ant has entered the dungeon since. So now I have to figure out a way to gather more ants.
While thinking of various ways to draw in ants again, I noticed one of my ants at the entrance. It was the first ant to become my minion. The ant was simply standing still, head pointed towards the entrance. Wondering if something was wrong with it, my attention focused on the ant. It trembled slightly as I inspected it. Growing more curious I shifted more attention to it, and my entire perspective was drawn into the ant.
I was no longer observing the ant from the outside. For all intensive purposes I was the ant now. I expected to only be able to sense the ant better, however there was an unexpected surprise. The ant had senses and while inside the ant I could understand them. Its senses, while undeveloped compared to humans, overwhelmed my mind. I could smell the pheromones in the air, I could feel small vibrations in the ground, and most importantly I could actually see again. I could actually see again. My mana sight is wonderful and I do appreciate it, but it was a joy to see light and colors again.
And so I could see. I could see what the ant saw. I saw shining lights in the dark.
The ant was looking up into the sky at the glistening stars.
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I have to admit when I started writing about the ant, I did not expect to develop it as much as I did. But the story touched me and I thought it deserved some devotion. That’s another chapter out. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Leave any comments, questions, or criticisms if you feel so inclined.