With a flick of his finger, the fire wyrms dashed forward, each entering a separate hole. “Daniel, I'll leave the weaker ones for you to deal with.” He then turned towards the ant. “Xenonia, assist my student if he requires it.”

After a few seconds, smoke began billowing out of the holes the fire wyrms had entered. Daniel could hear distant noises coming from the remaining holes.

“Prepare yourself. They’re coming. Summon your imp too so that he can level up,” Shadewood instructed while creating magic circles in the air. The tips of the fire spears poked out of the magic circles, ready to target any unfortunate rat that dared to show themself.

Daniel nodded and quickly summoned Gnarl. With a flash of dark energy, the tiny creature appeared by his side, clutching the dagger Alex had given him. “Attack the ones that get too close, Gnarl.” The imp screeched as it jumped before Daniel, aiming the dagger towards the hill.

The first of the giant rats began to emerge, their golden-striped fur singed and smoking. Shadewood wasted no time, and with a slight nod, he launched flame spears. The fiery projectiles pierced the air, striking the rats with deadly accuracy. The creatures squealed in pain as they were incinerated, their bodies collapsing into smouldering heaps near the entrances.

A few moments later, more rats started to pour out. Some of them were smaller and less ferocious. Shadewood allowed these weaker ones to slip past his fiery barrage, directing his attention to the more formidable ones. “Daniel, now!” he shouted, focusing his energy on another batch of incoming rats.

Daniel sprang into action, casting Firebolt at the nearest rat. It hit the rodent square on the head, killing it instantly. Gnarl cackled gleefully as he pounced on another rat, stabbing it in the back of the head. The rat fell, and Gnarl wasted no time jumping on its back, scratching it, and stabbing it until it stopped moving.

Gnarl jumped on another rat that had already been injured by one of Daniel’s Firebolts, quickly finishing it off before returning to his master, who was dealing with the next wave of rodents.

Despite the initial chaos, Daniel quickly found his rhythm. He alternated between Firebolt and Abyssal Bolt, each spell striking its target. When a rat got too close, he switched to his family’s black dagger, cutting through their tough hides with Gnarl by his side. Their attacks became more coordinated over time.

Xenonia occasionally stepped in, his blades a blur as he cut down the more resilient rats that Daniel and Gnarl struggled with. The ants' movements were almost too fast to track with the naked eye, and as he darted around the battlefield, his insect wings created a low hum.

Suddenly, a particularly large rat rushed out from one of the holes. Its fur was matted and scorched as it barreled toward Daniel with a deafening screech. Daniel raised his hand and cast Abyssal Bolt, but the rat stepped to the side, dodging the attack, and kept running while closing the distance between them.

Just as the rat was about to reach him, Xenonia intervened, his blade slicing through the air. The rat let out a final pained squeal before its head parted from its body and dropped down before Daniel’s feet. Xenonia nodded at Daniel before turning to face the next wave of rats.

“Keep your focus, Daniel,” Shadewood called out, his voice steady amidst the chaos. “There are still more to come.”

A new wave poured out, and two giant rats surrounded Xenonia, leaving him unable to assist Daniel momentarily as his blades bounced off their fur. Suddenly, a massive rat emerged from a nearby hole and made a straight line towards Daniel. When he spotted the rodent sprinting towards him, he instantly fired a Firebolt, but the creature barely flinched as it struck him on the chest and continued charging.

Now close, the rat lunged, and Daniel barely managed to leap to the side, avoiding its snapping jaws by a hair's breadth. Thinking quickly, he jumped onto the rat's back, grabbing a handful of its coarse fur for balance. The beast bucked and twisted, trying to throw him off, but Daniel held on tightly.

Daniel saw an opportunity as he rode the rat and threw Firebolts at the other rodents swarming the area. His spells missed most of the targets, but the ones that hit their mark incinerated the rodents. But the rat he was riding was relentless, its powerful muscles straining as it tried to throw him off.

Knowing he couldn't keep this up forever, he drew his dagger and aimed for the base of the rat's neck. With a fierce thrust, he drove the blade deep into its flesh. The rat screeched in agony, thrashing even more violently, but Daniel held firm, twisting the dagger.

The attack did little but anger the rodent. He knew he couldn't finish the beast with a spell since he was too close, and jumping off wasn't an option because the unoccupied rats might rush him. Before he found his footing, he decided to look around.

He spotted Gnarl, who was dealing with a weaker rat. He had a small opening and decided to use the spell he could cast the quickest. He launched an Abyssal Bolt towards the rat assailing Gnarl it hit its mark killing the rodent instantly as the dark lines formed on the rodent and the black smoke left its body. As it fell, he saw a system notification in the corner of his eye. Like before, he closed it and decided to check it when returning to the academy.

Momentarily free from his fight, Gnarl turned to where the spell originated and spotted Daniel and the massive rat. Seeing his master in trouble, the imp ran over and leapt onto the rat's face, stabbing his dagger into one of its eyes. The rat's movements became more erratic. Seeing an opportunity, Daniel grabbed his dagger that he had left in the neck of the rodent and stabbed it a few times until it finally fell and stopped moving.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Daniel jumped off the corpse and looked around while breathing heavily. He spotted a few piles of still-burning corpses left from Shadewood's attacks.

He saw Xenonia moving swiftly across the battlefield to his left, dispatching the last rodents. His blades were gleaming with blood as he finished them.

Finished with the onslaught, the professor returned to his student, “Good work, Daniel!” Shadewood called out, his voice cutting through the lingering sounds of battle. “We have finished most of the weaker ones off. My fire wyrms were destroyed as they neared the lower layers of the nest. We'll take a break until my mana reserves are filled up again and the rest of the ant army arrives.”

Daniel looked confused. “The rest of the army?”

“Yes, you probably lost in thought when the queen and I discussed our plans for this attack”, the professor said. “We agreed that you and I were to finish most of the weaker ones off before the rest of the army arrived so that we have the numerical advantage when we enter the nest.”

Before he could reply, the professor spoke again and pointed, “Look behind you; the ant army has arrived.”

When he turned around, the sight took his breath away. In the distance, the White Ant General led a procession of humanoid soldier ants, the very ones they had seen in the throne room. Following closely were the guard ants Daniel had encountered outside the colony. The parade stretched endlessly through the trees. The ground beneath Daniel began to shake slightly as the procession drew closer

….

After the army finally arrived at the base of the hill and Shadewood had replenished enough mana, they decided to descend into the largest entrance of the hill. Berix, the white general, led the attack force. Shadewood introduced the general since Daniel hadn't caught it earlier in the throne room.

Berix led with a detachment of humanoid soldier ants, followed by a few guard ants. Daniel, Gnarl and Shadewood followed, with Xenonia and his detachment bringing up the rear. Shadewood cast a few orbs of light to illuminate their path, as Daniel had trouble seeing in the dark despite his trait that should help him in low-light conditions.

The descent into the nest was tense. The tunnels were narrow and winding, the walls scorched, and the parts that the flames didn't touch were coated in a smelly yellow slime, and its stench filled the air. Daniel kept his dagger ready while glancing around nervously. Berix moved confidently, his white exoskeleton glowing faintly in the light of Shadewood's orbs.

As they delved deeper, the group encountered several injured rats. Shadewood's earlier assault already weakened these creatures and posed little threat. Berix dispatched them ruthlessly, his mandibles snapping and slicing through their hides. Each skirmish was over in seconds, and the rats barely had a chance to react before their lives ended.

Despite the ease with which Berix handled the threats, Daniel remained on edge. The tunnels were eerily silent, apart from the occasional scuffle, and the deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. Shadewood's light orbs cast long shadows, making it hard for Daniel to see if anything was coming from the intersecting tunnels.

“Stay alert,” Shadewood's voice echoed softly in the confined space. “We’re nearing the heart of their nest.”

They continued their descent, encountering more injured rats. One particularly large rat lunged at Daniel from a side tunnel. Its eyes gleamed with desperation. Daniel reacted instinctively, casting a Firebolt. The spell struck the rat, but it only slowed it down. Before Daniel could follow up with another spell, Berix was upon the creature, decapitating it with a swift strike.

“Thanks,” Daniel muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow. Berix gave a curt nod before continuing down the tunnel.

As they progressed, the attacks became less frequent. The rats they encountered were increasingly battered and weary, no match for Berix and his soldiers. The humanoid ants moved with lethal grace, their synchronised movements ensuring no rat could slip past them.

The tunnel eventually widened, leading into a large cavern. The space was vast, the ceiling lost in shadow. The air was thick with the scent of earth and something metallic and harsh.

Shadewood held up a hand, signalling the group to stop. He cast a more powerful light spell, illuminating the cavern. The sight that met their eyes was sobering. The floor of the cavern was strewn with rats' bodies, many of them charred or dismembered. It was clear that Shadewood's earlier attack had done significant damage.

“This is it,” Shadewood said quietly. “I sense a creature with a large mana signature close by”, while pointing towards the space's centre.

Daniel stepped forward, his eyes scanning the cavern. In the centre of the space was a large hole, broader and deeper than the others they had seen. He could hear faint sounds from within – the scurrying of claws on stone, the squeaks and hisses of more rats.

“We need to prepare,” Shadewood continued. “The only creatures left unharmed are the most powerful ones.”

Berix and his soldiers fanned out, forming a protective circle around the hole's entrance. Xenonia and his detachment took up positions at the rear, their blades at the ready.

After a short instruction, Shadewood began to chant, the air around him shimmering with magical energy. His voice grew louder, the arcane words echoing through the cavern. The ground beneath them trembled, and Daniel could feel the raw power emanating from his teacher.

The mana Shadewood was releasing stirred something deep within the hole. Suddenly, a horde of rats burst out of the hole. They were larger than the ones they faced before. Their eyes glowed with malevolent intent, and their screeches filled the air. The ants, led by Berix and Xenonia, fought bravely, but the sheer number of rodents made it a desperate struggle.

Daniel gripped his dagger tightly, casting Firebolt after Firebolt at the advancing horde. By his side, Gnarl cackled and slashed with wild abandon, but the imp started to tire after a while. Meanwhile Xenonia's blades were a blur as he was cutting down rats with precise strikes, yet the ants' line barely held.

Just as the tide seemed unstoppable, Shadewood's chant reached its climax. His eyes blazed with energy, and he raised his hands high, a brilliant aura surrounding him. The air crackled with power, and Daniel could feel the temperature dropping sharply.

“Come forth, Void Tendrils!” Shadewood shouted, his voice booming through the cavern.