No quarter. No mercy. No hesitation. No remorse.
There can be only one.
* Wisdom of the Eldest.
Seized with a primal rage that bubbles from a genetic level, my siblings rush forward, all thought of strategy abandoned as their mandibles gnash eagerly. Even I feel it, the emotions of the Colony flooding through me and adding to the urgent need to destroy the enemy insect that I already possess. It's difficult to remain in control of myself in the face of such overwhelming battle hunger but I manage, barely. The steadying presence of my pets within my mind provides a rock which I can hold onto to avoid slipping into a mindless rage.
[Invidia, make sure you protect and heal the ants,] I force out, [they aren't going to look after themselves as they should.]
[Yessssss. I sssshall havessss their gratitude!]
[Crinis, you do the same, look after the family. Tiny, just smash everything, we need to end this quickly.]
Ahead of us the roots and plants continue to thrash against the encroaching termite threat, vines whipping through the air faster than I can see to smack into the insects, or wrapping around them and flexing in an attempt to crush them. However, it just isn't working as well as it should. The termites are tough, very tough, and it doesn't seem to matter how much the Mother Tree batters them with her vines, it isn't enough. If she wants to deal with these critters, then she needs to bring something bigger to the fight.
But the termites are quick and clever, I can see it from across the vegetation. They work together, scissoring the vines apart with their monstrous mandibles, protecting and shielding each other from harm as their very presence seems to wither the garden. The other thing I notice is the visceral reaction the termites have to our appearance. The moment they detect us charging their entire disposition changes and the garden no longer matters. I can practically feel the fury radiating from them as they organise themselves into a loose battle lane and rush to meet us in battle.
My core ignites in rage all over again at the sight, as if the very thought of the termites attempting to stand before me is an insult that cannot be borne.
In the eternal conflict between ant and termite, one thing has always remained true, the termites are builders, but ants, ants are destroyers.
"FOR THE COLONY!" the battle cry rings out once more and then the two lines smash into each other.
Far stronger than my opponents, I apply no subtlety or strategy, I simply charge into the leading termite like a battering ram. Unable to match up to my strength or mass the hapless beetle-descendant is sent rolling end over end and I rush to exploit the gap in their line, turning to my right to capitalise on the weakness. The termites are large, bigger than all but the soldiers at their equivalent tier, and their mandibles are truly savage, low, wide and razor sharp blades that seek to latch onto my neck and sever my head from my thorax.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
I mean, technically I don't have a neck, but the joint between the segments of my body is certainly a weak spot.
I won't have it though! My mandibles explode with light as I pump raw mana into them and activate my most powerful bite Skill: the Doom Chomp!
CRUNCH!
[You have slain level 34 Edax Aminae Termite (IV).]
[You have gained experience.]
[Basic profile of the Edax Animae Termite unlocked.]
[Edax Animae Termite (IV), Soul Eater Termite. Born of a modified Queen, this species of termite exists for a singular purpose: to hunt and destroy plant based monsters. Their mandibles are heavily mutated and attached to a Spirit Receptacle. The soul of those defeated by this monster will be drawn into the organ and devoured over time, furthering the growth and power of the termite.]
Revolting. To think the kaarmodo would think unleashing such a creature against the world would be acceptable! It's unthinkable!
My rage burns anew, I must quench it with termite experience!
But as I turn to look around me it becomes clear that the inevitable has happened. A few hundred termites against a berserking force of ten thousand ants was never going to be a close fight. The termites have been literally buried under the weight of the Colony, all I can see around me are piles of ant bodies that roll and shudder as the hapless insects beneath are torn apart. The smell of formic acid and the enraged speech of my siblings is all I feel against my antennae, the termite pollution having already been expunged.
I can tell that my siblings feel much as I do. It wasn't enough! We need more! But I have a feeling we won't have to worry on that front, just imagining the enormous, bloated termite queen out there somewhere in this fourth strata, pumping out eggs by the thousands every day, is enough to set my mandibles twitching.
"This is only the beginning!" I declare to my family. "There will be more, thousands more, millions! We have to be ready. Consume the Biomass and harvest their cores, we need to scout, build defences and prepare. Get to it!"
I can't let them indulge in their savage mindset anymore, we have too much to do before the termites, and by extension the kaarmodo, learn of our deployment here. I do wonder how the termites scout and locate prey, since they are completely blind. Likely they have invested in a more advanced form of sensing organ, otherwise the reptiles would have to do a lot of legwork to direct their creations where they want them to go, and something tells me legwork isn't exactly something a bunch of sunbathing lizards are all too keen on.
Termites that literally consume souls. Such a thing is surely an abomination in the eyes of almost every race on the planet! Imagine if the Legion got a hold of something like this?! They'd go ballistic! If they think the Colony is something that needs to get wiped out, then I can only imagine that something like this would send them right off the deep end. It might seem a little odd for me to reach out to those nutcases, but someone definitely should. If we can get them on our side for a change, I'd more than welcome it. At the very least they might be able to put pressure on the kaarmodo to end this madness.
[You have fought well. I see the trust of our Mother was not misplaced,] the Grove Keeper greets me as he walks over, his eyes roaming over the destroyed termites with a quiet satisfaction. [This is only one place where they encroach against the roots of the Mother Tree. There are hundreds of such locations and more are opening every day as the enemy digs more tunnels.]
[I think you'll find that the termites might have met their match when it comes to shifting dirt,] I tell the massive Keeper smugly, [but I agree that is something we need to work on, and quickly. By compressing and reinforcing the dirt we can create barriers that other burrowing insects are going to struggle with. If all goes well, we'll be able to funnel them into a much more narrow avenue of attack. Once that happens, we can get down to what insects do best.]
[Which is?]
[An all-out grindfest of a war. Whoever blinks first loses.]
[Hmmmmm… they have no eyes… and you have no eyelids. How is anyone supposed to blink?]
[It's just a … never mind.]