Ashi’s messenger dragon had left Kaden with a set of coordinates for a FarPortal, and Kaden rushed to them. The pollen, the lessons, all of it would have to wait. He paid the drunken looking portal mage and received a ride worse than what Eve managed.

Fortunately, so many trips with Eve had taught him: Hands in front of face, roll, don’t bounce, and have a healing potion handy. Kaden skided to a stop in the middle of a war zone—or more accurately, the aftermath of a war. This had been a forest, once, the shredded and fallen tree trunks assured him of this. What was more disturbing was the gear that lay scattered everywhere, swords and shields, pieces of armor with bloodstains.

The [FalCrow] phased into existence above, circling wider and wider.

“Ashi, what did you get yourself into?” Kaden spoke to no one. It was unlikely she would have called for him and then left.

“Kill everything that moves!” The [FalCrow] said in Eve’s voice as it came gliding back to perch.

“Where are they?” Kaden asked.

In answer, a blip of pink light emerged from his shadow, and began to bob forward.

“71! I’ll get you back to the forest. Can you take me to Ashi?” Kaden asked.

It sailed forward, then turned, and began to lead him through the destroyed forest. No underbrush, shredded tree trunks, splintered wood everywhere. Kaden sent the [FalCrow] to Ashi, but kept head moving. How 71 actually knew where to go, he wouldn’t guess, but for now Kaden’s plan started and ended at ‘keep moving.’

The [Wisp] stopped—then darted behind Kaden, leading back the other way—then sideways. It had drunk too much moonlight, or maybe the complients had gone to its core. As it zipped sideways and back and forth, Kaden began walking back the way he’d come, collecting weapons and armor, half a [Mage] staff.

And in the distance, he heard someone shouting for help. Kaden sprinted through the forest, listening as the cries grew louder. He summoned Trinity so she’d be ready, and the Hydra raced him, seeming to hear better with three sets of ears.

Now, the splintering of wood accompanied those cries.

Kaden leaped over a fallen trunk while Trinity flattened to go under—and burst into trouble. A swarm of Formicidians surrounded a tree, chewing on the trunk. High above, a naked man clung to a branch, weakly calling for help.

Eight of them versus Kaden and Trinity wasn’t a fair fight. And the enemy?

[Formicidian]

Ants are some of the most tireless of workers, the fiercest of fighters, and the most patient of enemies. They come in colonies, and to wander into the nest is to discover just how every path becomes a trap and every branch leads closer to your doom. These are not Beasts. Your skills reveal nothing about them.

Level: 25

HP: 1400/1400

Mana: 300/300

Skills: Edged Weapons, Shieldwork, Acid Sting, Cutting Bite

Talents:Acid Touch, Hive Mind, Sensory Net, Heat Sense, Chemical Smell, Long-Talk, Nurse Egg, External Digestion.

Really not fair, but Kaden had been spoiling for a fight. He borrowed [MultiTasker] from Trinity, giving up [Razor Scales] for the ability to attack multiple targets without a penalty. And he activated [Moment of Speed] to land a maiming blow on the closest Formie.

It responded with blast of pink bile that bubbled and burned, eating at the exposed skin.

You have been afflicted with [Acidic Burn].

Your skill with Resist Acid increases.

Trinity overran the pack, striking one with each head, spearing a fourth, and trampling a fifth, then looked back at him as if to say *One at a time? Please, you’re embarrassing me.*

“I don’t have three heads!” Kaden shouted as he smashed a maimed Formie and dove to avoid three spews of acid. He came up facing one and blocked a spray with his Eldritch Shield, then bashed that Formie and landed another maiming blow.

[Split Second] drained his already low mana to let him keep his face as the Formies attacked. And they didn’t attack individually, they attacked as a swarm, a group that coordinated their attacks in a way he couldn’t avoid. Some had to be endured.

These formies didn’t carry swords. Their second tier evolution had sharpened their claws and legs and covered their bodies in hair-like spines that glistened. They didn’t need weapons because they were weapons.

Kaden muffled a groan of pain as he dodged four attacks and blocked one. The other sliced across his stomach.

Trinity roared in rage and bit down with her middle head, crunching a Formie’s carapace even as her tail struck a second one. Her serpent head spat acidic drool on a Formie, but since the beasts had [Acidic Touch] it didn’t have the desired effect.

“Get me a sword” The man in the tree shouted.

Kaden dumped three from Inventory as he rolled away from another strike. With his eldritch shield, he slapped aside three attacks, then dismissed it to go on the offensive. It wasn’t enough to damage, he needed to maim, and aimed for leg joints.

Every sickening crunch gave him hope, and two Formies gave up attacking Kaden because Trinity had turned her attention on them.

The naked man in the tree dropped to his feet and took up two swords, charging into the battle. “You keep them distracted, I’ll cut them down.”

Kaden hit them with [Mana Drain] and siphoned one dry—then another, and another. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t use it all, what mattered was that they couldn’t. Three on five was a different battle entirely, especially when one of the three could take on three opponents at once.

Kaden switched to more dangerous, ponderous blows, aiming to crush or cut with every one, and when the chance presented itself, [Moment of Speed] let him deliver a smashing blow that broke a Formie’s leg.

Your skill with [Brutal Blows] has increased.

Yes, it had. The same way [Cooking] showed him when a dish was done, Kaden had a slightly better grasp of just where to strike. Shield and hammer, hammer and shield, he carved through the last two Formies and crippled the one that hacked at Trinity with both arms even as she crushed it.

You have killed a Formicidian.

You have gained experience.

In the silent forest, he tossed the man a spare set of clothes he’d worn in ShadowVale, then [Field Harvested] the Formies, receiving Formic Acid x1 which was a reagent if ever he saw one. “I’m looking for my party, but my [Wisp] got confused.”

“They’re down below, in the colony, then.” The man shuddered. “We were supposed to be picking off workers. Standard ant-control mission. There was a [Juvenile Queen] and her escorts returning, and one of the archers took a shot.”

That sounded terrible. “And the ants took offense.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“They dug new tunnels. They collapsed old ones, and dragged a bunch of people into the colony. Then that crazy woman showed up and said she was heading in to rescue people.”

Ashi had been able to call for Kaden, which was unlikely if she was being dragged. “Say I want to go down into the colony. Which way do I go?”

“Anywhere,” the man said. “Going in alone? You’re as nuts as the other group combined. The snake woman and the priestess and the mage. She said she wanted the deepest entrance because it would take her to the heart of the nest. I said it was probably the one by the lake.”

Kaden left him standing there and sprinted toward the lake with Trinity crashing through the wreckage behind him. The ground dropped sharply as he neared the lakebed, and Kaden leaped off the edge to [Backslash] a single Formie dragging a corpse.

Trinity’s version of [Backslash] was more “Jump with the weight of a TriTerror and crush with claws and bite with three sets of teeth at once,” But Kaden shoveled the corpse into Inventory, harvested the formie and pulled Trinity into his soul.

[Stealth Aura] wrapped him, and he called out. “Wisp? You’re the prettiest Wisp in existence. Find them for me through this tunnel.”

Its’s confusion had probably been because he was on top of the tunnels.

A [Wisp] emerged, glowing deep blue. It bobbed back and forth, then led down the tunnel. Kaden wasn’t sure [Stealth] worked against Formies. They had a host of abilities that sounded like they would bypass [Stealth] completely, but it was safer to try it. The tunnels here were smooth dirt packed down, and it dropped downward sharply.

Kaden summoned a [Mana Dart] and let it rise, glowing brighter and brighter before dropping it. It bounced not twenty feet down, so he leaped and slammed Remembrance into the floor-wall to slow himself, then dropped the last few feet. “Come on. Take me to my party.”

The bright blue orb zipped away, and Kaden followed it. Where were the Formies? The forest outside was shredded, evidence of an overwhelming force. The tunnels were empty. As Kaden passed an alcove, a row of white, glistening ovals stood, and the nearest one cracked. A Formie pushed its way out, skin slick and its shell still soft.

But it sniffed the air and looked straight at him.

[Juvenile Formicidian] has used [Chemical Sense].

Before it could scream, Kaden split it in two with Remembrance, then went down the row killing the pupae. When the entire room lay in ruins, he could take a breath. [Stealth] didn’t work.

Kaden had the worst idea in existence.

He picked up a Juvie, still wet and warm, and rubbed it over his body until every inch was covered in slime. For good measure, he picked up another corpse and tossed it over his shoulder.

Now, to find another Formie and test.

Fifty feet or a hundred down the tunnel, he found another alcove, this one with small larva the size of Kaden’s chest. And among the eggs, a different kind of [Formicidean] walked.

[Brood Tender]

These formicideans lack the terrible weapons of the soldiers and the tenacity of the workers. They exist to feed the young and are specialized to do so.

The monster was bulbous, with a soft shell that let tufts of hair that looked like the glistening spines of the soldiers stick out, but these tufts secreted drops of clear liquid into a gel, then the [Brood Tender] packed the gel into a cube, which it fed to wrigling larva.

The [Brood Tender] didn’t so much look at Kaden as it raised its head and waved its antenna—then went back to work. When he approached, it offered him a cube.

You have received 1x Formicidean Jelly.

Kaden shoved it into Inventory and moved on. Killing the Brood Tender would only attract attention. His guide began to dance more urgently, insisting he take a left hand fork past rooms where soldier formies stood motionless, not asleep but unmoving.

They ignored Kaden, putting off a rank chemical reek that [Beast Soul] attempted to translate as *Hatchlings. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t squish ‘em.*

Each of these was taller than Kaden, and he had no question that continuing to use his chemical [Stealth] was the right approach. After sixteen turns and three more tunnels, Kaden knew exactly where he was—completely lost—until the blue wisp stopped fleeing and instead bobbed slowly, waiting for Kaden to approach.

He’d reached an underground cavern.

A really large underground cavern lit with yellow mushrooms. Two lines of Formies moved in and out from opposite sides, surrounding what could only be the [Queen Formicidean]. Sixteen feet long, with wings that glowed a soft yellow, its shell wasn’t hardened or black, but looked like diamond. Every few seconds, it accepted an offering from a worker.

Bodies.

Chunks of bodies.

Occasionally, both lines would pause, and the Queen’s body would heave a white oval out. The entire colony thrummed with mana.

The wisp began to sail forward, leading Kaden toward the monster. Kaden refused to accept it. Ashi could not have been devoured. He would have known it. Maybe. There was a passing chance he would have known it, not entirely likely.

It was the kind of lie he liked to tell himself.

Instead of moving toward the Queen, Kaden headed down the tunnel the workers came from. No doubt they’d stored the dead to feed them to their Queen. If he found Ashi’s body, he could have her resurrected.

The wisp became more and more frantic, expanding in size, glowing brighter.

And the Queen stopped, looking his way.

Wisp 48370 declares its vengeance is at hand!

He’d been following the wrong wisp. Kaden was certain he was imagining it laughing as he quickly darted down the nearest tunnel, holding on to the Juvi corpse and waving it in the air. The Formies waiting to feed the Queen clung to the ceiling, leaving Kaden free to run as fast as he could. And the colony began to rustle as a new scent rushed down the hallway.

It wasn’t quite *stop that hatchling* but Kaden didn’t have time to quible over nuance as he ran—then stopped at a side room entrance. The room housed mushrooms with chunks taken from them, and Kaden ducked in, tossing the dead Juvi at the door, then crouching in the back

Feet skittered in the dirt and mandibles clicked and clacked as the Formies filled the nest with a smell that was either *bring him to me* or *I like aged cheese*. A monstrous soldier stood over the dead juvenile, tapping it with antenna while emitting scents.

*This the guy?*

*Sure smells like the guy*

*Must be the guy*

*For the Colony!*

It snapped the dead Juvi in half and then dragged the halves away to chemical cheers, the equivalent of *Never liked that guy, anyway*.

Kaden remained hidden, waiting until the scents died down in the colony. The food storage had to be this way, because that’s where ants with bodies emerged.

Now Kaden was on a timer.

The Juvi’s scent would only last so long.

He darted into the hallway and ran, following the line of Formies upward. The tunnel was absolutely rising higher and higher—and the first screams reached his ears. With Remembrance, Kaden climbed up a rise in a tunnel, and into butcher shop. Formicideans worked to dismember living Adventurers.

There were moments to plan and moments to act, and now was a moment to act. He drew Remembrance, picking a Formie. Before he could attack, the butchery lit up with a silver glow. An asteroid materialized in the air above Kaden and exploded into the tunnel that led out, as arrows rained down.

There, hovering in the air, a [PolyMage] he knew so well.

“Ashi!” Kaden shouted as he leaped over to [Backslash] a distracted Formie who’d bitten an arm off a man who screamed in agony. “Sorry to do this.” He drew the Levicon Blade and cut the man’s throat.

You have slain the [Bard] Thandon Lars.

You have gained experience.

More importantly, Thandon fit into Inventory now, which is where Kaden put as many of the other corpses as he could.

A Formie rushed toward him and then stopped, antenna waving, and turned.

[Backslash!] He rewarded its hesitation with a crippling blow—then flinched as fire rained down on the Formie.

“Kaden Birch, you were slow,” Ashi said. “We could not wait. Rey was taken by these monsters. Sara’s lover must not be a meal for them.”

“He’s not here!” Sara shouted, her voice almost frantic.

“First we kill these, then I’ll be buffed enough to take on the colony,” Cutter called.

Sara wasn’t paying any attention, her Horror was lashing out at the nearest Formies, and only the intervention of Cutter’s party kept her from being in deep trouble. Eve stood nearby, using [Plague], [Life Explosion] and every other dirty trick she knew to cripple formies. “I can raise him. Unless he’s already been digested.”

“Get those adventurers out!” Kaden shouted as he ambushed another Formie which seemed deeply confused about why he wasn’t attacking Ashi. Ashi finished it off with bursts of lightning.

“Tell me you used [Stealth Aura] and did not emerge from the Nest,” Ashi said.

“Kill first, talk later,” Kaden said. He used [Moment of Speed] over and over to attack Formies until he reached the pit where they’d stored the still living victims. Kaden dropped a rope down and held it while the first few scrambled up. “You help everyone else out.”

“You.” Cutter called as she blurred, heading this way. “You definitely came out of that tunnel right as Polly was collapsing it. I need to keep attacking or my buffs will drain off. What’s down that way?”

“The Queen, if you go far enough,” Kaden said. “There were two lines bringing food to her, so there’s a second butchery. If we can get Sara to the Queen, we can kill her.”

“How?” Sara spoke, her voice like steel. “Tell me and it will be done.”

“Your Crawling Horrors. They have [Blasphemous Flesh]. The queen swallows one, bam, dead.” Kaden looked to the tunnel. The orb of moon rock had shifted, and sank. “We’re about to have company.”

“Good!” Cutter screamed. “Bring them on! Bring them now!”

Kaden ran, sprinting toward the tunnel, and brought Remembrance down in a high arc to smash the moon-rock blocking the tunnel, just as the formicideans broke through. The first to poke their head through received the smash of a lifetime.

Scents flooded out of the newly opened tunnel, and [Beast Soul] did its best to interpret.

*Hey, we found them, up here*

*Get them!*

*You know, I think Tony is dead and his body is blocking the tunnel. It’s inconvenient. Should we pull his body off or wait?*

*I don’t know, it’s not polite to pull someone’s body off their head without asking if they’re dead. Did you ask?*

*Yes, but he’s not answering. This is so much pressure! If you’re not dead, twitch your legs!*

*Screw it, I’m pulling his body off. Wait, his leg just twitched. Tony, one twitch for yes, I’m dead, or two twitches for—*

An explosion of fire turned the top formicidians into ash.

The Formicidians swarmed onward.