Ezekiel moved forward with a look of intense concentration as the first ant stepped beyond where James' invisible wall had been. He raised his hands, his voice echoing through the tunnels with a power that seemed to vibrate against the very air. "No ant shall pass nor attempt to harm us!" His words, imbued with the authority of his Talent, set a tangible rule within the confined space.
Daniel jumped in then, conjuring walls of glowing energy to funnel the ants into a narrow path, limiting the number that could reach them at any given time. His control over the barriers was precise, allowing him to adjust the openings to manage the flow of ants, turning what could have been a flood into a manageable stream without placing undue stress on the barriers.
This allowed him to place himself squarely before the resting Maria, his shield ready to stop anything that might pass by the others.
As the first wave of ants attempted to get closer, surpassing the line of their crushed brethren and crowding through Daniel's barriers, they ran afoul of Ezekiel's decree.
The moment attempted to attack, they broke the rule. Their bodies convulsed, visibly weakened by the violation of the decree. Some ants' exoskeletons cracked, oozing dark fluid as they stumbled over each other, their movements becoming erratic and less coordinated.
James seized the opportunity. Despite his inability to harm the monsters psychically, his telekinesis had still grown enough over the last few months that he could use it to inflict severe damage, and he began using it to crush the weaker ants that Ezekiel's spell had debilitated. The pressure of his mind was like an invisible vise, snapping carapaces and causing the ants to collapse under the force.
When the ants that managed to slip by surged forward, James switched tactics, his hands moving with precision to strike at the surviving monsters. He crushed them in one blow and sent the headless corpses flying back into the teeming mass, further disrupting their advance.
Oh, hey, got a level. At least they are useful for something.
Lauren was a shadow, her form blending into the darkness as she summoned tendrils that pierced through the ants with lethal accuracy. Her attacks focused on slowing them down, targeting their legs and underbellies, creating openings for James to exploit. For all their number and ferocity, the ants began to falter under the coordinated assault.
However, the ants continued their relentless assault, undeterred by the devastation wrought upon them. They seemed uncaring of their dead, stepping over the charred and broken bodies of their kin to reach the defenders. At one point, the battle became a melee, with ants coming into direct contact with Team 0. James felt the wicked strength of their pincers as one managed to catch his arm, the force applied threatening to damage the suit he wore, if not the limb inside.
Damn, we really need to get better equipment if we're going to keep facing this kind of threat. These aren't even the strongest things we'll fight here, and they can already damage our gear. I'll have to put in a requisition order soon. I just hope they'll give us the good stuff, even without Miss Walker there to make sure. Well, at least I get to become more resistant to crushing force this way.
That he had enough time, in the middle of a fight and while being physically attacked by a monster, to contemplate such things made James chuckle. The ants were many, yes, and they could lose if they were allowed to swarm them. But with their stratagem, the pressure was simply not there. Eventually, he refocused and, with a quick punch, crushed the ant's head.
To its merit, he then needed to pry the still-clamped mandibles from his arm while dodging the dead monster's family. It only took him a few seconds to do so, and he grabbed the ant's corpse, using it as a battering ram to charge into the mass. Just as he was about to collide with the frontline, James pumped the corpse full of explosive mana. He used his psychic power to keep it momentarily contained, even as it roiled angrily, and let go of the body, jumping back.
The corpse exploded in a shower of gore, though Team 0 was spared from being covered by Daniel's timely barrier. The ants were not so lucky, and the pressure crushed the first few while those behind were thrown back.
Having used a significant portion of her mana to create the dragon of fire, Maria had sat back behind Daniel, her breathing heavy but her eyes alight with determination. She was not one to remain on the sidelines for long.
Indeed, she eventually fished a potion from her pouch and drank it in one go through the corresponding opening in her gas mask, grimacing slightly at the taste. As she recovered her mana, the anticipation of rejoining the fight was evident in her posture.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
When she finally stood, her hands ignited again, not with the grandeur of the serpentine dragon but with powerful beams of fire that she directed with deadly precision. The heat licked across the ground, cleaning up the remnants of the horde in a display of raw power. "Was that all of them?" She asked, panting.
Before James could answer, several spikes emerged from the shadows, impaling the heads of a few monsters still twitching. "Now they are all dead," Lauren replied.
In the aftermath of the onslaught, the tunnel around Team 0 was eerily silent, save for the crackling of dying flames and the soft thud of charred ant carcasses cooling amid the smoldering remains of the assailing force. Maria stood with her hands on her knees, catching her breath after exerting her potent magic. The heat from her attack still radiated off the walls, the temperature elevated enough to cause beads of sweat to form on her teammates’ brows.
The team regrouped, their faces a mix of relief and apprehension. James checked his communicator for any sign of a response from the AA but found nothing but silence. The lack of signal, even on the emergency frequencies once he thought to check, made him frown in worry.
Alright, this has gone from weird to genuinely worrying. I sincerely doubt any guild, or even the AA itself would be able to turn off the emergency line. It's built precisely to avoid that. There is something else going on.
"We've got nothing," James announced, his voice echoing slightly in the tunnel. "No response, and the signal's dead. Something's jamming us." The team exchanged worried glances. The implications were clear: they were on their own, with no immediate hope of reinforcement.
"Could the ants be causing the interference?" Daniel speculated, his gaze scanning the darkened tunnel ahead, where the threat of more ants loomed.
"It's possible." James conceded, his mind racing through the possibilities. "Normal ants communicate with chemical signals, and I have noticed I cannot mentally interfere with these ones, so there might be something to it. But we should keep all options open, considering how weird things have been lately." The suggestion that they might be deliberately cut off was chilling, adding layers of complexity to their already dire situation. If they were being isolated intentionally, it meant their presence in the tunnels was no accident.
"We can't just leave," Maria stated, her resolve hardening. "Not with the neighborhood right above us. If these things break through…"
Her words hung in the air, the unspoken outcome clear to all. The responsibility weighed heavily on them, a burden they all felt keenly. The decision to continue was not made lightly, but the alternative - abandoning innocent lives to a horde of monsters - was unthinkable.
"We stay," James affirmed, his voice steady. "We keep going. We clear this nest, interference or not. We can't allow these things to surface." The determination in his voice bolstered the spirits of his team, a shared resolve taking hold.
As they prepared to explore the ant-infested tunnels further, each member took a moment to check their equipment and share a look of solidarity. They were far from the desperately needed reinforcements, yet they were united in their purpose.
"If you give me a few minutes, I can scout this place and see what we are dealing with, " James eventually said. The others agreed and formed a perimeter around him, knowing he'd be vulnerable to attacks with his mind projected so far away from his physical body.
James closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he mentally prepared to extend his senses deeper into the ant nest. Although he had performed this psychic exercise countless times, the complexity and vastness of the network he was about to explore made this endeavor significantly more daunting.
As his consciousness began to spread out from his body, James could immediately feel the intricate maze of tunnels stretching beneath them. He pushed deeper and deeper, passing through hundreds of feet of compacted dirt. The psychic landscape that opened to him was a chaotic symphony of movement and life, thousands of ants bustling about with single-minded purpose.
James marveled at the nest's complexity, a testament to the ants' industrious nature but also a reminder of the threat they posed.
Focusing his attention, he pushed his senses further, navigating the twisting tunnels with his mind. The further he delved, the more he could feel the ants' collective mental presence, a constant, unsettling buzz at the edge of his perception. Among the masses, James detected clusters of stronger signatures, ants that were significantly larger and more powerful than the ones they had just fought. These were the soldiers, he realized, protectors of the nest, and their concentrated presence suggested he was nearing something important.
As James's mental exploration reached the limits of his range, he encountered a formidable group. A dozen or so of even stronger ants were blocking the way to a vast chamber, their psychic signatures a dense wall of aggression and strength. Despite the distance, James could sense the importance of this chamber, an instinctual understanding that it was the heart of the nest, likely home to the Boss.
Given the way the mana feels so thick and almost syrupy, I'd say that's a jackpot. I'm too far from it to sense anything in detail, but something about the signature emanating from that chamber feels familiar. Fuck if I can remember what it is, though.
He realized then that, given the nest's construction, they would have to work their way through most, if not all, the ants to reach it. There was simply no straight path that led there, and while they could try to carve one, it would take time they didn't have.
The ants were preparing to do something, and while James was not a betting man, he wouldn't mind dropping a few dollars on them being about to emerge in force from the nest.
Team 0's presence had riled them all up. They might not all be coming their way at once, but he could sense a significant contingent, headed by several soldier ants, marching towards them.
Alright, I don't think we have any other choice but to fight anyway. They'd get to us sooner than we can reach the outside and begin evacuating people. And then they would slaughter who knows how many. No, it's better to stay here and draw them to us.
Pulling his consciousness back, James opened his eyes, the physical world snapping back into focus. He took a moment to collect himself, the residual psychic echoes of the ant nest still buzzing in his mind.
"We have a target," James announced, his voice carrying a mix of determination and caution. "There's a large chamber at the edge of my range, heavily guarded by powerful soldier ants. I believe that's where we'll find the Boss."
"Anything we should be worried about in the immediate?" Daniel asked.
James sighed, nodding. "A group of similar size to the one we just fought, but accompanied by stronger ants, is coming. They'll be here in a few minutes if they maintain their pace, so let's try to prepare something to welcome them."