786 couldn’t concentrate on even being lazy.

Three days since the incident and the corpse piler’s death was still the most talked about topic on the farm. She grew flustered just thinking that she had compared the dazzling ant to a nymph’s sleek bottom.

What kind of an information broker was she when she couldn’t even gauge the strength of someone standing right next to her? It was an amateur mistake. She had grown overconfident. It’s good that others hadn’t caught up to the fact, yet. That meant her prices were still the same. But professionally, it was a complete failure on her part.

Monster hunter, that’s the nickname those present at the scene gave Silver. And it stuck like an aphid to a plant. Controversy and gossip weren’t the only things he had brought. The farm was changing. The groups that had grown complacent had woken to the harsh reality that change was on the horizon.

And after a lifetime of idling, they had finally gotten up and started combing their territories and saving aphid lives. The tribute to the tower had increased by 300 percent in the last two days alone. It was a height of activity that no one was expecting —making the authorities wonder how the farm was still standing when it was riddled with interlopers.

Sure, there were also groups that didn’t jump on the bandwagon for a variety of reasons —like 786th and her group of dirt ants— but even they were nervous about their inactivity.

And the result of the group’s sudden aggressiveness was an unexpectedly period of peace, and it was awkward. The inner region was supposed to be chaotic, but now the day was almost coming to an end and not a single alarm had risen.

This growing nervousness and insecurity among her group was really putting a lot of unwanted stress on them, and consequentially on her. She could sense them getting ready to use her as a wet board to cure their emotional instability. They would blame her for something and she would whisk out their so-called secrets, like little sparks, and ignite their lazy asses. They would then burn for a while, and then slowly come around asking her forgiveness.

Well, not today.

She was sick of the usual games. She got up from the young green leaf that was under her private space and left the territory altogether.

Much better; now she only needed to get her mind back on track and she’d be just fine.

All around her ants squirmed. Here and there were jawbreakers carrying pieces of dead invaders, with shepherdesses excitingly shuffling behind them. The groups were hard at work to escape the brunt of the evaluation coming at the end of the week. As for getting into the tower, they only worried about reaching the newly risen average. The rest didn’t bother most of them. Only one group could make it to the tower and that group was already decided. So why bother. It was not like there was a reward for the trouble.

786th visited the place where the invader was killed. Once a regular place like any other, it was slowly growing into the new central hub of activity, at least for the western region. History was rewritten there; of course, it was a special place. A one of a kind dirt spire had been erected where the corpse piler had fallen. It depicted a pair of mandibles in full bloom, arising out of the leaf to cut the emptiness above. Soldiers had gathered from all over the farm to forget their personal grievances and become a part of something larger.

Some waved at 786th and she waved back. She didn’t forget to con them for a drop of honeydew. Everyone always carried some with them since the daily drops were not accumulative and had to be taken every day to not be at loss. It was easy. Most of the soldiers only knew how to fight, and that was the extent of their lives. Her group thought they could contain her by taking her food source; well, she had news for them.

She went to see the tower next. It was just one of the things she did. There was not getting in there for her. It was a purposeless visit. Only a select few were allowed near the tower, but there was a plant that had grown past the others in height, and from the top of it the tower could barely be seen. Not many visited it because nostalgia was not a sought after emotion in the ant society, but she was different; the others had made sure she wouldn’t forget it ever. Most said the tower was a natural construction, but there were some who doubted it. It was far too symmetrical to be natural, they argued.

But her plans changed when she saw a shepherdess. She was coming from the tower, and not just any shepherdess, but the one that worked for the monster hunter. The shepherdesses were easy to distinguish since all of them were workers on a farm filled with soldiers. Two jawbreakers accompanied her; it was a routine rather than a preventive measure since no one would dare attack one of them. The shepherdesses worked for the farm, attacking them meant attacking the farm, and there could only be one result of that.

786 followed after her. It just happened. One moment she was up thinking about the tower, and then she was rushing behind the shepherdess, keeping her distance. It was too bold of her. She had never followed someone in the open before! She almost felt antennae turning toward way, few eyes watching. Heart pounded in nervousness; it was like a dream where things just happened. Was she planning on meeting the monster hunter, the silver enigma? That would be very courageous of her.

No, her habits kicked in when she noticed the group approaching and hid behind a group of young budding leaves. She retracted her scents as she would on a mission and waited. Hiding was the first thing she had learned and it was her greatest strength. She was confident that she could be hiding in the middle of someone's territory, and they wouldn’t know.

It was all so stupid, however, so embarrassing. She wasn’t on a mission! Why was she hiding? She could have asked the shepherdesses permission and follow her into the territory to meet him if she wanted. However, if she was caught —I won’t be, caught— but you never know. And where was that confidence coming from? There was no difference in failing once. Success didn’t matter much in her business, but failing meant repercussions of the kind one was better off not knowing.

However, she had to admit, it was a nice hiding spot. She was pretty well hidden and the leaves masked her scent. With the wind blowing in her direction, she would easily catch all they said, while they wouldn’t catch a whiff of her.

It wasn’t like she wasn’t interested. A leader who knew how to fight, everyone wanted to know about him.

Information on Silver and his group was highly sought after, but none had anything on them. Neither their plans nor their motivations were known. She hadn’t told anyone what she knew yet. It just didn’t cross her mind. It was another failure on her part as an information broker.

A piece of information’s only as valuable as its demand. It was a matter of time before the others figured out that the monster hunter was vying for the tower. Perhaps, they already knew, hence the sudden aggressiveness in hunting invaders? 786th would look into it, or not. However, she had to say, hiding and eavesdropping on others brought her much excitement. She preferred this state of constant danger. Here she was in her element, quickly growing confident and interested. Old habits die hard.

It was a mix of these emotions, and circumstances that brought the group in the range of her detection, and she decided to stay. It was an opportunity that many were trying to create, but none had managed to get hold of. What kind of a broker refuses free information?

A broke broker, she thought, finding amusement in peril.

But where were the pheromones? The wind still blew toward her from the group, but it held not a single mote of information. It was clean. Well, it contained various tidbits from far away groups, but none from the one she wanted. That was odd. Never in her days as an information gatherer had she ever been in a situation quite like this.

...Bounty… more… tower….

There it is. She was finally getting something. What was it, bounty, tower, so they wanted to kill more invaders to get into the tower? She wondered how much this information was worth it. Well, not much since it was a common goal.

Idea?... three days… limit…

So they were under constraints? Some kind of baffling challenge the merchants had thrown at them? That was so like those stuck up bastards. Not her thoughts, just what she had heard from others. It was a nice trick, however. She would keep it in mind. The pressure is a great stimulant, after all. But getting to the tower in a week? That was impossible; as impossible as killing the corpse piler, alone. So that means pretty possible. Well, if it was he…

But there hadn’t been any alarms. Could be that the groups would rather let the interlopers escape than to let others have a stake in them? And not all groups participated in this new wave of aggressive maneuvers.

We have a guest.

Oh, that was pretty clear. Wait a minute! She almost had a heart attack when she felt a pair of extremely sharp mandibles —they had cut down a shading corpse piler— held her from the chest and pulled her out of hiding. She felt like a helpless nymph being carried by a caretaker for transportation to the incubation chamber.

Please don’t kill me. The fear and alarm just slipped out of her without control. It was the big ant himself who had personally decided to give her a taste of his strength. She was lucky to be alive!

I can help you get more kills. I can show you where to find more intruders. I can help you get to the tower in a week.

The last one’s a lie. Different sent. Someone who could talk directly with the monster hunter? It was Red, the captain strategist. The rest I’m not so sure about. How much did you let her hear?

Let her hear? Like there was someone around with that kind of control over the pheromones.

But he killed the corpse piler. She thought. This was a dangerous line of thought. Explaining everything with, ‘because it’s him’ was not information that anyone would pay to buy.

Stop! She screamed in her mind. It is no time to be worrying about that!

Well, one thing was sure, she was pretty vulnerable for someone who claimed to have years of experience spying on others.

She is pretty interesting. Silver scented. 786th latched on to the words like a shading leech! He called her interesting. In her experience that meant she still had hope. I’m sure this is the first time she’s been caught.

It shows. Red said touching her antennae. He caressed her segments, reading her life file, then reached the middle and stopped. Something sparked between them. They both stared at each other with eyes that couldn’t see and instantly felt a connection forming that every fellow intellectual would upon finding others like them.

She is pretty interesting indeed. Hope grew another limb. She might survive this.

What are you doing here? The shepherdess finally couldn’t hold it inside. She was more scared than 786th. It was her territory. The others couldn’t simply barge in there —without permission being the keyword and her main concern. She was afraid of what the soldier had heard and the effect it would have on her relationship with the crew.

It vexed her when the soldier treated her like a worker, by ignoring her. She hadn’t left her peaceful life behind to be treated this way!

I’m telling the truth. 786th scented. I can help you get to the tower.

The shepherdess rose but was interrupted again, this time by Red, another soldier. And how do you plan to do that? He asked.

By sharing my secrets with you. 786th wasn’t lying; she had an idea about their conundrum.

Shepherdess scoffed. What secrets could you have? She said. You and your group are very popular, miss. Your group has made the least amount of tributes for the last five weeks. What secrets can you have?

Don’t claim to know something when you, in fact, don’t, Shepherdess. 786 started. You will get hurt.

I’m the shepherdess. I work for the farm.

That might be true, but they are against the members of the alliance.786 replied. Not the farm itself.

I know them, too. The shepherdess insisted, but 786 had-had enough. She wanted out of the constraints. He could kill her if he wanted, not like she was living a highly valuable life anyways.

Put me down. She told the silver monster, with a bite of the chemicals. He followed, no questions were asked or suggestions given. Neither he nor anyone else as a matter of fact acted in anyways to restrain her movements.

It was all too different from what she had predicted.

She felt like an aphid, trapped by her hunger and the inability to recognize harm. Were they signaling her to run so they could act in self-defense? It was a brilliant maneuver if that was so.

She didn’t like this treatment. At least she could retaliate against her companions. This silence was torturous. And it showed when she replied to the shepherdess.

You should ask around about your so-called friends. They think you are a soft target. She let it rest there. There was much she had come to know while digging around in the last two days, but all her information was without proof. Half-truths such information was called in broker’s terms: something they were supposed to know, but not tell, for they generally did more harm than good.

What is that supposed to mean?

Silver interrupted them.

That’s enough. Tell me, what are you planning?

I’m planning to let you into my territory and hunt to your heart’s content. We haven’t cleaned our plants for a while. And I might know others who might let you in, too —for a share of the rewards. Those without ability are the greediest, after all. Not every group cleaned their house when the fire you lit scalded the farm.

That was only one half of it.

Shepherdess, The defeated leaf cutter raised her head, and her deflated antennae sprung up with life when she heard her role in the plan that 786th had cooked up. They will need your help to get all the achievement points. The groups can have the 30% meat that you’ll receive for every tribute. But they must get all the achievements. It’ll be up to you to make it happen. They can’t get to the tower without you.

And then she turned toward the group, the main actors of the play. Nothing matters if you can’t kill the invaders. You should have no problem with that, right?

Silver released amusement. The others joined.

Seems like a plan to me. Red scented. And it was decided. They would shake the farm from its very roots and collect the fruits that dropped to the ground.

***

Silver stood outside 786’s territory. She had been gone for well over ten minutes.

Only twenty of his group stood beside him, scared at the prospect of fighting aliens under his leadership. Red had stayed behind to lead the rest. 786th warned them of subterfuge. Certain groups are already vying to destroy your reputation before it climbs any higher. And an empty territory will be too easy a target for anyone to give up.

The shepherdess refuted her claim but had doubts when she was told in confidence that it had happened before. So in a sense, the inner regions weren’t much better than the outer ones. 786th called it a political mess and refrained from adding anything more to the discussion. It’s too broad a topic to be taking on our first meeting. She had told them.

But Silver and his slaved weren’t alone. For better or worse, he had gathered a mass of spectators. They wanted to see the monster killer in action. The news that he was moving had traveled far and wide, attracting soldiers from every corner of the farm.

Most had gathered for a show, while some were there to gauge his strength and the danger his group represented to the political stability of the farm; there were also few with sinister motivation. All in all, his actions had caused the first of its kind festival where at least one soldier from every known and unknown group was present.

The crowd would have put his slaved soldiers under a lot of pressure if they hadn’t experienced a similar phase of popularity at the army.

Finally, 786 approached. She had a spring to her steps and shine to her face. The rest of her group trudged behind her, antennae straight and pointed and buzzing. They were angry at her, scared of Silver, and excited at the prospect. They really wanted that 30% markup of whatever was caught in their territory. That was free food. It was not something they wanted to give up after having spent their days dieting on the honeydew, which they had already gotten over. They wanted meat, and that’s how she had gotten them to agree.

Th-they ag-ag-ree to the terms? The shepherdess made it somehow. The group was pulling in too much attention for her sanity to bear. The crowd stirred behind them, wanting to know what they were doing, but the two kept their talks precise and practiced and didn’t divulge more information than necessary. 786 didn’t have any problem with the attention; it annoyed her if anything.

So we can come in now? Silver asked.

Do you promise the markup? You won’t try to cheat us afterward? The territory owners asked one after another. Usually, this type of exchange would be performed by the shepherdesses, since it was their territory and the groups were only assigned as guardians, but their shepherdess had already left them on their own. She was trying to get assigned to a different group. This pack of dirt was not worth stressing over in her eyes.

Silver nodded. I will only take what we have promised.

They hesitated at first, but some motivation from 786th pulled them along.

Then you can come in.

786th took the lead and the group finally made into the territory. The owners also hurried behind them.

The crowd tried to enter, but the shepherdess stopped them. She might be intimidated, but she held authority in the farm that no soldier could refute. And the crowd was intimidated. Not by her show of anger, but by the twenty jawbreakers that stood between them and the shepherdess. They were her authority. She had come prepared.

The crowd had to make do with speculations, but just a minute in and there was already an alarm in the air. That did a great job of unsettling them. But the alarm was neutered before the spectators could even band to invade the territory in the name of help. An alarm raised three times was an open invitation for help, but raised once, it only commanded vigilance.

The shepherdess ordered the jawbreakers to kill anyone that tries to go past them and hurried inside. The crowd felt an opportunity wasted. Had she asked them to immobilize or stop and the crowd could have overwhelmed the guards with numbers without any risk but asked to kill… well, the shepherdess had given the correct order in her haste. She simply did not want to miss the group in action, especially Silver.

She still regretted not being there when he killed the corpse piler: not for missing him in action, but for letting the other groups rob him of his achievements in the name of being a helper.

Now she was afraid of them getting snatched from her. She needed to make sure that their newfound popularity wouldn’t attract parasites. The groups were given at random, but it was up to the shepherdess’s ability to keep them. Her test had already begun.

She found them congregating over a branch that was slanting toward the ground. There was a huge aphid signal in the middle of it and for some reason, it had attracted Silver, the enigma.

What did you find? She asked, hurrying, but they didn’t have to tell her. The aphid signal was morphing, changing ever so slightly as if being undone. This was a level of camouflage that she had never even heard about. How did he find it? The process was slow and aggravating, but a new face appeared once it as done.

The thing was large enough to coil around the branch and was feeding upon aphids without creating any disturbance. It wasn’t slaughtering them like the corpse piler, rather tapping their backs with its long antennas like an ant, and was drinking the dew. It was graceful in its movement and crawled at a very slow pace. Its multiple legs moved like a wave, one after another, slowly moving its hefty body forward.

What can you tell me about that? Silver asked the shepherdess. There was nothing she could say. It was her first time sensing such signals. Just goes to show how dangerous life on the farm was. 786’s group was having it hard. They were releasing disbelief; even the ever so confident 786 was lurching, trying to hide. They had been living with this something so close to them? The height was disbelief was unimaginable.

It is a caterpillar of some kind. I don’t know. The shepherdess said. a caterpillar could be dealt with. She had seen the hunting smaller ones on the outer region. Sure they could take care of another. It was just another larger caterpillar, nothing too complex. She was hopeful because that was all she could be at the moment. There was a lot depending on whether they could hunt it or not. She had jumped the gun and loaned the jawbreakers. They would need to be used or her position would be in danger.

Kill it. Silver announced, and his confused but vigilant group pounced at the being with everything they had got. They were taught to fight that way, without assuming their enemies as either weak or strong.

Their confidence rose when silver joined them.

The caterpillar tried to run, but it could barely move away from them with its crippling motion. They had more trouble trying to keep it from jumping off the plant. There came a point when Silver just gave up on attacking it and put all his strength into holding it where they could reach it. He believed in his soldiers.

He took hold of it from the middle, and wave as the thing might, it couldn’t get free.

Its demise came when the soldiers managed to drill a hole into its flexible and bouncy grey outer skin and crawled inside. It didn’t survive much longer after that.

Finally, right when the night was on the cusp of breaking in, they called the jawbreakers and let them carry the pieces to the tower they had prepared to the tower. But it soon became apparent that if the transfer was left to the jawbreakers alone they would be there all night. So after discussing with 786 and intimidating the territory owners, the shepherdess went outside to ask for help. They were promised meat and the loyalists created a chain from the site to the tower.

Everyone, from an enthusiast to a hater, watched or sensed as ants from different castes and areas banded together and hauled the largest creature ever seen on the farm.

Speculations arose and fell as the transfer stretched into the night, making stars out of everyone that was even loosely related to the group —be it as a neighbor, or for as simple as having talked to the group once.

However, the real shock came when the situation repeated the very next day, alerting the groups of the core region. Then the various groups stopped accepting Silvers requests, putting a stop to their growth.