Chapter 24: Useful
It was damp and humid. Humans would find breathing almost impossible in this place. The heavy scent of vinegar lingered in the air. A weak shriek rang through the air along with the sharp crunch of carapace fracturing. In one of the deepest tunnels, a lone black figure moved.
Surrounding him was over twenty Worker Ants all of which chattered aloud but trembled. Their antennas were frantically waving as if they wanted to make peace. Some of them, even lowered their bodies to appear more subservient.
Yet the trail of ant blood that flowed like a river beneath their feet said it all. The man before them listened to nothing, spared nothing and left nothing. Like a calamity that walked, it butchered everything it came across with no reason or rhyme.
But they had no choice. They were ordered to delay the invader, be it their honor or death sentence, there was nothing else that mattered.
KREEEE!!! KREEEE!! KREEEE!!!
Steeling their will, the ants made their move. Only he moved faster. In an instant, the 'river' below them suddenly sprouted long needle-like spikes that nailed them in place. The pain was indescribable. They all twisted their bodies. Yet none of them could even move an inch.
Pierced all over, even their heads were not allowed to even turn. In horror they watched the black demon come closer. It approached one of their brood. Without mercy ripping the exoskeleton of a Worker while she was still alive. And then.
And then—it fed.
Roots erupted, tearing the Ant's core apart. Like a beast it gorged itself in the most primal manner. It only stopped not because it was full, but because there was nothing left.
It was a being, they never knew existed. A warrior made of metal without weakness nor flesh. And they antagonized it by mistake. Whatever brought this predator onto their colony was their biggest blunder. And now they were close to the brink of extinction because of it.
All of the ants skewered in place, felt a will gaze behind their eyes. It was the will of their queen. The greatest honor an Ant could have was to serve her. But the Worker ants felt things they couldn't comprehend.