We were too late.
The infected and the soldiers were already engaged in a bloody battle. The infected and the soldiers, the attackers and the defenders, all hailed from the same colony. It was a perilous situation. One thing was sure, Agnee-Rath-Ji, the city that had reduced the whole termite empire into a band of nomads was on the path to destruction and there was no stopping it.
The infected outnumbered the solider by one to ten. Usually, the natural difference between a soldier and a worker would have been enough to balance things out, but the infected were as strong as the soldiers. The only thing working in the solder' way was their lifetime of experience. They had their strategies, and they were working. But they had no margin for error. A single mistake was all the infected needed to destroy the balanced odds.
Barry tightened his grip against my chest as we flew over them. He flew straight toward the tower but didn’t plan to drop me there in the middle of the mayhem all lone. We were not alike, I understood that naturally, but he didn’t have a say in this matter. It was my city, and I couldn’t just let it fall in front of my eyes.
Let me go, Barry. He didn’t’ listen and kept flying straight. Soon we had left the battlefield behind and were right in front of the tower. That’s when the black cloud hovering above the gigantic mushroom cap stirred. They were royal males and females, all infected, and they had noticed us. Dazzling, and brilliant; the festival of rebirth would have been a sight to see. But right then it was a painful reminder that not even the sky was left untouched by the infection.
That wasn’t all. A new wave of infected rushed out of the tower. The front line tankers retreated as they were outnumbered and outgunned. The gunners relentlessly attacked the surging infected with poison bullets and mist, but the infected were almost completely resistant to poison and their effort reaped no reward.
Barry broke his momentum mid-air, turned, and made a beeline back toward our encampment. I had a nice view of everything, and it completely curbed my struggles.
The soldiers retreated under a strategy. They had a trap laid out for the infected just behind the former front line. A large cross-section of land had only mandibles protruding out of the ground; the soldiers had hidden underground, just like ant lions but without the pits.
The infected naturally followed the soldier’s scent, the trail that they had deliberately laid out, as they waited just behind the trap. Then carnage ensued. The snappers came into motion when the infected passed above them. They didn’t dig themselves out as a surprise. No. That would have been pointless. The mandibles moved instead, snapping legs of the infected as they passed by, immobilizing them.
That’s when the front line soldiers came into action. They destroyed those that were immobilized and the gunners held back those that had passé through the trap unhurt. Though poison couldn’t kill the infected, it could still paralyze one in enough quantities.
Their strategy worked charmingly well since the infected cared not for their fallen or the situation. A mountain of corpses slowly formed on either side of the trap, creating a beacon of glowing scent that further attracted the infected ants.
The infected might be enraged and stupid, however even they had their moments. Regeneration was not something ants normally possessed, but it was their relentless hunger and anger that turned out to be the real problem. Any of them that managed to stay standing took at least one of the soldiers down with them. Soon the infected had killed enough snappers that the whole trap simply failed.
Then the carnage ensued, a match of nothing but pure raw strength.
Barry turned back as the winged infected chased us. He saw a spot and finally decided I would be much safer on the ground than in the air, and dropped me in the middle of my comrades.
The soldiers attacked me as soon as I touched the ground. Why wouldn’t they? I rode a hornet, arrived from the sky, and was hostile from the get-go —caused by tension. But they cringed back upon smelling the scent of a wasp from me. If we workers knew the terrors of a wasp, the soldiers had felt the terror directly, for it was them that who had to chase the wasps out of the colony.
I was mad angry at Barry for not listening to me. He had dropped me far behind the front lines. I was so far from the tower it was impossible to get there without help. Therefore when the soldiers showed aggression, all of my anger exploded at them.
Who is your commander? I scented out with strong emotional pressure. I didn’t forget to raise the scent flag of our city for protection and flaunt my identity of a royal guard for attention. Still, they remained vigilant. I wasn’t physically attacked, but their pointed antennae were no less than thorns piercing my skin. And then I was ignored.
I repeated again. Who is leading this attack? I have brought news from 47th city.
What news? Finally, someone listened. She was an old warrior, countless scars, two missing legs, exoskeleton shaved off by age and battles, yet she dragged an infected behind her from the front lines. She stopped near me, dropped the infected to the ground, and finished it off by separating its head, which coincidently rolled to my feet. It was a show of intimidation. Very well, but I wasn’t there to play games.
The 47th has fallen. That immediately got me the attention of more than a few soldiers. Actually, all the soldiers at the back of the front line —the gunners— raised me an antenna. Maybe I should have started with that.
When did it happen? The old warrior asked, standing back up. Her antennae never left me.
Before the—
Well, we were interrupted by an infected.
It dropped from the air right between the gunners. Releasing hunger it jumped at one. The gunner blasted it at point-blank range, spilling poison all over her and the infected. She died but the infected turned towed the next in line. I charged at it before it could cause more damage, tackled it to the ground, stabbed my mandible through its head, and separated its limbs as fast as I could.
I threw the head at the old warrior’s feet, and she was impressed but was also surprised when she noticed my caste.
You… are a worker? Who did you say you were?
I’m the royal guard of Princess Tinbuji. Now take me to your commander. I have important information for the commander.
I didn’t know but being a royal guard —even as a worker— gave me some privileges and power. I was higher in rank than the soldiers and it helped my case.
Follow me.
She took me back, away from the front line and toward the advanced tower. We moved on an empty messenger trail. Gunners with shrunken abdomens ran parallel to us, on a short trail that led straight to a mobile poison vat. There they refilled their poison and ran straight back on the same trail to rejoin the effort.
Further away from the front line was a hastily patched together barricade. Made from the material the soldiers had found lying around like leaves, stones, and twigs, and carcasses. It was an eye-opener.
It can’t stop the enemies, but the bodies will make sure they stop to eat them before moving forward. The old warrior explained because she knew the morbid creation needed an explanation.
A camp for the injured had been erected right behind it, makeshift towers surrounded it from all sides. Naïve minds would think the barricade was there to protect the injured. And they would be wrong. These were not the injured, but the dying, another bait to stop the infected. The injured were further down the line, or had already rejoined the front line and died there.
Their pain had the air saturated. Drastic times needed a drastic measure. It couldn’t be helped, but having heard Star's speech about respect and honor of the dead, my heart refused to approve any of this. It was no wonder the morale was low among the soldiers stationed there.
Past the camp were trenches under work. Bunkers had been erected for the gunners and pits for the snappers.
The old warrior took me past turning antennae and rising heads. They all released panic upon noticing the scent of a wasp. I had to overwhelm them with a burst of pheromones to stop them from doing something drastically dramatic. Panic was the last thing we needed.
At the end of it, all were a series of burrows, some small and one larger than the rest. There were guards stationed outside all of them; most were common soldiers, but one was different. Her, I knew very well.
Youse is not allowed here. The long-legged monstrosity scented. Turn back before you are captured and executed.
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The old warrior looked at me funny as the guards came forward in a show of strength. Backed by an explorer, of course, they were only performing their duty.
Normally a worker would have retreated at this point, but I pounced on her instead. She stood up tall and unworried, but a blow to the forelegs was all it took to drop her to the ground face first. She only managed a groan before I head-butted her on the forehead and her lights went out.
By the time the guards reacted I was already hurtling down the entrance and toward the chamber at the end.
If she was back that meant others were, too. And I had some grievances to share with her captain.
What’s just happened? I heard behind me as I invaded the chamber. The guards rushed after me, but I was faster, even though my legs were shorter, and I was stronger, even though my mandible was broken.
The tunnel was barely wide enough for a giant soldier to pass through. It was irregularly shaped, newly dug, and unfinished. It was not pretty but served its purpose well.
The explorers were all inside, other than the talkative one and the long-legged soldier. They were surprised to smell a wasp in their midst. The advisers at the back of the chamber panicked and rushed to the corners. The nurse, still as buff as before, turned stiff. The giant stood up in front of her with a quiver of antennae, his legs shaking. The nurse needed no protection, but he was in a much dire need for some healing. Missing legs and a part of his jaw, melted chest, and a leaking abdomen said he was on the death bed. Well, for once I didn’t care.
There were another two soldiers inside the chamber beside them all. Both looked old and wise. I only had one thing to say to the ensemble. The chamber was too congested.
I ignored the rest and charged straight at the captain. The giant jumped in between, making me drop the charge and roll under his legs instead. He released surprise as I rolled out on the floor behind him. The momentum carried me to my feet and pushed me forward, straight into a bullet of poison fired by the captain himself. It was twenty percent poison, not enough to kill but enough to paralyze a normal worker. I wasn’t normal and barged through the bullet.
The two soldiers that were inside the chamber rushed at me from the front. Their mandibles were closed; they were thinking of subduing me. I ran straight at them without fear. I could take them on any day. However, the two jumped away and another two poison bullets struck me. Both were of 50% concentration of poison. I resisted them, but the first impact slowed me. The second one halted my steps. And by the time I realized why my back was tingling the Giant had caught me, wrapped her legs around my chest, and bound my feet. The soldiers didn’t stay behind. They stood with their stingers pointed at my head and chest.
Shading Hell! What in the name of the queen’s bountiful bottom was that? The scent came from the entrance. It was the long-legged monster; she was finally up.
He is not hurt. The nurse diagnosed. The poison didn’t hurt him.
A worker of the city that is masquerading as a wasp, and fights like…
The captain slowly approached, antennae moving, buzzing, and collecting my scent. He stopped right behind the soldiers that had their stingers at my face.
One of us? The nurse helped and he agreed.
You just attacked the commander of this whole operation, boy. It is a crime punishable by death. One of the two soldiers threatened, but dropped all pretense and cut right to the chase when I showed no sign of bending under the pressure. Who are you? What do you want? Who sent you?
They questioned; well, I also had one to ask.
Why did you lie about the scent? I asked the captain and he knew.
He looked at the nurse and she shook her head in response.
What scent?
The wooden sent that you found in the mushroom farm, but claimed otherwise. That got their attention as if Bella had suddenly busted into their little bunker tearing through the roof.
How do you know about that? Surprised as he was, the captain didn’t show it. He was tough for sure.
The nurse shuddered as the realization dawned upon her, and quickly checked my I.D.
It’s him. She exclaimed. You are alive? How did you survive the outbreak? The captain gestured her with his antennae and she let me go. She stood up, but suddenly the giant fell to the ground behind me and she rushed to his aid.
Stay there. Sting him if he moves. The captain ordered the two soldiers and similarly rushed to the Giant’s side.
I was curious and tied to look, but the soldiers turned aggressive. Don’t. One of them warned. I grew solemn. They didn’t scare me. But I needed answers. I needed to find out whether they were traitors or there was something more to the story. I let the scent carry my grievances.
Did you think we wouldn’t find out? Well, Princess found the sent that you were hiding. The wooden scent, whose was it? Did it belong to a termite? Or was it someone else?
I didn’t expect an answer. This lot liked to be cryptic. I wasn’t expecting anything. It was all too late, anyways. What was the point of figuring out whether the ant was a piece of deception, or a tool of destruction when the city had already fallen?
The termites claim the wooden scent wasn’t theirs.
I had no idea what I was doing there. I needed to find the princess. There was no way the explorers of all would risk their life for her. They couldn’t be trusted anyway. Still, I said my piece —to let out the feelings I had been holding, rather than to ask for their help. I had been holding them inside for far too long.
One of their elders promised they didn’t kill the ant. So was their purpose, but they never managed to complete it.
I sensed motion behind me. It was the captain and he had his mandibles around my neck before I could let out another word. He tried to be scary, but it only seemed like an act of desperation to me.
Where did you meet the termites? He asked.
I went to the 47th city.
What? He was taken back. The mandibles bit into my neck, but he held himself back before he could learn about his powerlessness. You are lying. The 47th is—
Days away from here, I interrupted. I know. And I also know the city is situated on the riverside, but protected by a group of rocks. It has no tower or advanced posts and is at least three days on foot from the 43rd.
So how did you made the back and forth journey that should have taken you over a week in under five days? He exerted pressure with his mandibles, but it all felt too comical, too fake. So I ignored it.
Four days. I corrected him. And I had help. He’s right outside, fighting the winged infected. Do you want to meet him? He’s generally a nice guy, but I don’t think he likes over intelligent liars like your lot. He might get angry if I told him you are the reason I had to journey so far from the city all alone.
I noticed the soldier's legs shake. The atmosphere and knowledge had exhausted them. Our conversation stalled. A minute passed and the captain finally decided what I had decided long ago.
Fine, he scented and removed his mandibles from my neck. You win. Tell me what do you want?
The wooden scent, tell me what you didn’t tell us then.
It wasn’t a wooden scent, he scented, but the scent of fungus. It’s exactly the same so I can see where your princess couldn’t find the difference. That should answer your question.
What? This time it was my turn to be taken back. The slaves did it? But why? How? Impossible! You are lying.
Am I? He released the tension and stood back straighter and firmer, with the arrogance of a commander. Well, it doesn’t matter. The slaves are already dealt with, and so will be infected once the army arrives.
It suddenly dawned upon me what he meant.
Did you kill the slaves? All of them?
The army has no forgiveness for the enemies of the city. Don’t feel bad for them. They died smug and arrogant. Never thought I would live to see the city bedizens going so far over petty grievances. Anything else you want?
I needed to take a break. The information, it had my head spinning. To think the slaves… but there was one more thing I needed, the most important of all.
I want to go to the city.
Once again, I held no expectations, but he surprisingly came through.
Well, you come at the right time. We were talking about just the thing.
He motioned the soldiers to put away their weapons and called the advisers back. They had hidden away from fright and gave me a wide berth upon returning. They were workers and showed extreme repulsion to my presence, but their fear proved once again that titles weren’t invulnerable.
Commander, They humbly called. We have thought hard and considered every possibility, but we don’t think there is a way to get into the city without going through the front door.
I stood up to manually clean myself. I was brushing my antennae when I remembered I had another way. Old habits take time to die. I cursed and cleaned myself. The soldiers noticed but it only made them back further away from me. Not a problem for me. It wasn’t a very satisfying experience, but I needed to make the trio stop wasting time. They hadn’t found a solution to the problem yet, but I knew the answer.
Have you thought about going through the 26th floor? The captain of the explorers —well, you could call him the commander, but I won’t— instantly stopped whatever they were doing when I barged into their little congregation.
The captain turned toward the advisers who were already in an internal connection but came up with nothing. So they didn’t know. Well, luck was on their side, because I did.
The 26th floor, the chamber where you met Princess TInbuji, it was being dug out as a secondary queen’s chamber. There are air shafts that run straight down from the surface to it. The best thing is, since the floor was being dug away from the main colony, there is no one guarding the area. I saw from the air: The land was empty.
How do you know that? One of the advisers asked.
Because he’s a worker, youse termites brained simpletons. The scent came from behind me. The long-legged one stood at the door. Was she boxing me in? The captain shrugged at the question I hadn’t asked.
Now, she approached with legs spread for balance eyes straight at me. She was vigilant. Well, good for her. Tell us everything youse know. The safety of our Queen and the city depends upon it.