Bodies fell around me. Poison and acid mist had mixed to create a fog that spread with the wind. It was thin and harmless, but morbidly blinding. It interfered with both my sight and antennae.

The battlefield was a mess. No one knew what was happening. It was questionable whether we were winning or losing.

My senses tingled continuously. Sunlight made the fog glimmer and created shadowy monsters of the objects. They induced more fear than the actual monsters.

I charged at a call for help, only to find the termite already dead. The mist distorted the scent messages and trails, changing them into incoherent wails and stretched echoes.

I almost had a heart attack when a body fell to the ground next to me. I charged away to save myself only to collide with an infected, incidentally saving the soldier it was targeting. There were body parts lying to my left and right: a head half-eaten, a chest sheared in two. The sight was nauseating, but the infected was delirious; I had somehow destroyed one of its antennae. It was an opportunity and I accepted it with haste. They could regenerate, these monstrous bastards, and there was enough flesh lying around to aid its recovery and more. I pounced at the first chance I got, stabbed my mandible into its chest, and pulled it to the ground.

It floundered underneath me screaming and snapping its mandible at my face, intending to get lucky. The wound didn’t kill it so I stabbed again and again until it stopped moving. It still didn’t die, even though its chest was shredded and poked full of holes.

I was pulled away by a group of termites whom I barely knew. They didn’t introduce themselves but were quick to dismantle the infected ant body limb by limb, killing it in the process.

You have killed a Puppet of gluttony. Experience earned. Level 3/10.

The message rang in my head.

Finally, they introduced themselves as a group under Star and asked me to join them. I agreed.

We ran around killing infected, but there was an uncountable number of them, and we were a small group of six. It wasn’t long before we found ourselves backed away underneath a grass blade with four infected looking for us. They had found our scent; it was a matter of time before they were upon us.

Let’s separate. The idea came from one of my partners and the others were quick to act. They all went in different directions, while I stayed behind to keep the infected occupied. I was confident that I could survive and decided to engage the infected so they could safely escape. It wasn’t a choice forced upon me, but a decision I made for myself. Greed only played a small part in it. I understood that I couldn’t possibly save everyone. There were termites dying all around me, but that was war and it was bloody. However, I was tired of running all the time and I wanted to fight.

That’s why, when the fantastic four noticed me, yet hesitated between accompanying me or going after the others —they had found their scents— I caused an overwhelming blast of pheromones and got their attention.

Only one of them had tentacles growing out of its body and a thicker exoskeleton; the rest were bulkier compared to a normal ant soldier, but not different otherwise. The infected pounced at me with tentacles swirling in the air and mandibles snapping. Their abdomens quivered in hunger. They wanted a taste of me.

I made a tactical retreat before they could take hold of me, which they did try. I ran up the grass shoot, created a scent beacon further ahead, and hid behind an adjacent grass blade. The scent of death was strong so high up from the ground. It proved to be an excellent cover as the four rushed passed me and lashed at the beacon without any hesitation.

I could have run, but I chose to attack. I sneaked toward them and attacked the tentacle monster on the back. There was intelligence in taking the strongest out in the first strike, but the infected couldn’t be killed in a single strike. Maybe there was a trick to killing them in a single blow? Well, I hadn’t found it and the result was my opponent’s retaliation. Its one hundred tentacles swished and swirled at me, hitting my body with enough force to remind me of the aged warrior and her training. I held onto her despite everything. Toughness was one of the skills that had risen from the level up and it proved effective, but I couldn’t have done it without Pain resistance.

I pestered through the pain and pulled my head down instead of away. It was hard to cut through its chit infused flesh, but I did it somehow and tore open its back. Its black nauseating blood covered my face, but I was happy with the result. It jolted forward in shock and pain, causing me to fall away. We both fell to the ground. I got up; it lurched and floundered, having a seizure. There were no termites free to finish it for me, but it did have help. However, it was in pain. If they could feel pain then there was still hope.

One of the remaining three tried to feed it flesh so it could recover. It was such an easy target. Charge, head butt, and explosion. Its head exploded into flesh and bits, covering me in a grey slush and making a target out of me.

My experience increased again. Of course! They could only regenerate by eating! One needed a head and a mouth to eat, didn’t they? Why hadn’t anyone else found the weakness until now?

Can anyone else burst their head like a soft and warm newly laid egg? The voice in my head laid it out for me. The answer was no.

I killed the injured one the same way and turned toward the other two. They chose to find an easier target instead. Fear, an emotion of the living; watching them scampering for their lives made me wonder if they could be healed, changed back, returned to their previous lives… saved.

Maybe in the future, it would be possible, but for now, it was a blood bath.

One infected could easily take down a whole bunch of termites before falling. I helped as much as I could, but what help could I give? I was not Bella; she was a monster among monsters.

But I protected the termites, grouped those that were lost and alone, made a few take the injured back to the advanced barracks, and worked with rest to kill the infected one by one.

The ants had poison but I was resistant to it. We killed but a drop in the ocean. However, even that was enough to raise my levels. Poison resistance and toughness saw unprecedented growth; while every other skill woke from their slumber at least once. There was only a slight chance for a skill to grow with level up; I guess the pressure, the restlessness, and the fighting must have triggered them somehow.

It wasn’t long before I was level 5 and strong enough to go head-on head with an infected, but it was still a stalemate. That’s when Bella came down to take me.

Let’s go.

What why?

She pointed in the air, to the east. A larger group, at least one hundred strong, was flying toward us. And they were not like the infected that crawled on the ground. No sir! They were bulkier, stronger, larger, and worst of all, uglier in every possible way. They made the tentacle atrocities look like hapless workers. They looked like the termite giants that had almost taken over the tower during the raid.

Bella pulled me into the sky, using my lapse in attention to take me away, but I pulled back. I charged toward the ground, getting away from her before she could hold me immobilized between her legs, and stood up rolling.

You promised you would listen to me! You are going to die! The buzz of her wings droned above me.

I looked around, there was death everywhere.

I’m not leaving them. I scented. I don’t know whether it reached her or not, but I knew one thing… she left me. She left me all alone in the middle of the infected and flew away.

I moved around in a daze for the next few seconds. How could she leave me? I accidentally ended up following Star’s tracks and found him making a last push against the infected. He had bunched up the remaining termites together and created a group that was a few hundred strong. There were two only termites for everyone infected. That’s when I understood that it was already too late. Bella was right. This was suicide. But how could she leave me? How could—

A flying monster dropped amongst Star’s group of termites, crushing a soldier with the force of its weight alone. Star noticed the enemy reinforcements coming from the sky just a second late and called a retreat, but it was already too late by then.

Bella didn’t tell him anything either.

The newcomers dropped from the sky into the battlefield. Not all of them had aimed for the termites, but those that had found themselves surrounded. They raised their heads, roared, and started the slaughter. The termites could do nothing against them. They were panicking, losing hope. This was not going to do. They had done so much, almost achieved the impossible. Someone needed to set an example. The winged infected were exactly like the beetle that Bella had us trap: they were large and hard hitters, but also slow. Their legs were short and inflexible. They had wings for a reason. If a beetle armored from top to bottom could be killed then there was no way those cheap imitations couldn’t be; I was sure of it.

As for Bella: I could do nothing, but believe in her. She was bold and loud-mouthed, creating chaos wherever she went, but she was not a backstabber. I was sure she’d be back. She wasn’t one to run away from a hard fight! She was a wasp; and wasps are prideful.

I charged into the mayhem collecting my pheromones at the bulbous ends of my antennae to release them at the right moment. Someone needed to set an example for the others to follow. It was easy to find the perfect ant for the mission. I chose myself. Who else could do the things I could? None was the answer; so there was no misunderstanding.

WATCH ME! I overwhelmed a blast using half my pheromone.

Everyone stopped for a second. The infected might be monsters, but they also had antennae, and the skill worked on everyone with a pair. The paralysis lasted for less than a moment, but that was all the time I needed. I whipped my antennae at anyone that tried to get close and stabbed the infected in the head to take them out. It was their weaknesses, about time someone also made it their problem.

I was taxed by my endurance as I charged for the largest winged infected ant near me, but it was the only way I could get past the swarming infected. It must have been a royal male once, leading a good team and waiting for the festival of rebirth. Now it was a hunk of flesh and chitin armor, and I was going to kill it.

I didn’t think the going would be easy, and it wasn’t. I was pulled out of the charge by a smaller infected ant. I had believed it as something impossible until then, but the infected had fairly wrapped a tentacle around my left rear leg, crushing it in the process. The leg was lost, pulled directly out of the socket. It hurt; oh, it hurt so badly! I could have eaten a whole infected one to curb the pain. But that was not an option now, was it? I burned through another point of endurance, coming dangerously close to the last few points, and charged away.

No time to waste. The termites looked at me. I had their attention and needed to pounce on the opportunity to give them hope.

The smaller infected gave way when their larger counterpart roared. It charged toward me, snapping its mandibles to induce fear. Well, all it did was make it easier for me. We collided. It barely missed by a heads margin, but I didn’t miss the opportunity. I came out of charge sliding underneath its snapping mandible and stabbed my mandible into the bottom of its jaw. I pulled. My strength against its defense: I came out stronger. The lone mandible tore through its flesh, goring it a new slit for a mouth.

Big or small, ants are ants. The monster released pain, enough of it to make everyone cringe away. A grey slush dripped from the wound as I pulled out and climbed atop its head.

Ants need their antennae to go about their daily lives. I wondered if the same was true for these things or not? I cut the pair and my conjunction held true. The monster fell to the ground, unable to hold its weight. It was my victory. And I was waiting for this moment.

CUT THEIR LEGS! PULL THEM APART! WE CAN DO THIS!

The message spread into the termite ranks like a wildfire. It burned hope into them. If I could kill a giant then they could do the same. Conviction replaced fear. The termites charged forward. Step by step they took back the land that the infected had claimed. I took lead beside Star. He was thoroughly convinced.

Is this the end, kid? He asked, antennae moving in front of his face. His eyes, however, burned with hope. The termite soldiers were right behind us, following without a hint of doubt. This was a message for them.

I suppose it is.

Never thought I would die fighting alongside termites.

Do you know the best part? I said.

What?

No one will know of this battle if we lose. Or die. Everyone will assume that the termites destroyed the 47th city; they will look at the broken limbs, call it cruelty, and raise a united front against them.

The soldiers whispered behind us.

What can we do to change it? Star, let me have the honor, and I did it justice to the best of my ability.

We need to survive. I said with dignity. Everything that you did out here is meaningless otherwise.

But the infected are strong and reinforced. He complained, becoming the soldier’s voice.

I looked at the sky. The blue color and the clouds were still far for my eyes, but I could see a shape growing larger.

They are not the only ones with reinforcements. I told him, confusing him.

A shadow grew to cover the battlefield, a chirp resounded, pausing all activity for a moment. Ants or termites, infected or not, there was no one who didn’t know the terror of a sky predator.

We also have help.

Fear rose behind me as Madhuri spread her wings and passed over my head. The wind she created blew my antennae forward and spread fear from us to the infected.

She landed in the middle of our enemies, sliding over their bodies and instantly killing a third of them. That was a big blow to the infected and a huge boost of morale to our side. Under Star's leadership, the soldiers engaged with the infected once again, for the last time.

Madhuri’s chirp put strength back into their bodies.

They didn’t know that she was injured. And I didn’t tell them. They had finally found hope; I wasn’t going to be the one to break them once again.

The infected tried to hurt Madhuri, to get her to leave, but she wasn’t alone. Barry was with her.

I heard a burst of wings as Bella appeared in front of me. Star squirmed at her presence, but he already knew she was not an enemy. It didn’t matter whether he considered her a friend or not, but he released amusement as Madhuri released another chirp and started stomping, decimating all resistance that the winged infected tried putting against her.

Bella buzzed to apologize, but also presented me a leg to take. Madhuri was a huge deterrent, but she was also hurt. She needs you. Bella scented. I agreed.

If there was time to curse I would have cursed the living shit out of her for bringing Madhuri into the mess. Hadn’t she had enough, already? Did we have to hurt her more to get our things done?

But I caught the leg she had extended instead, and we flew toward the center of this new frontier.

We need to keep the ants away from her wounds. I told Bella. Ants were notorious for finding weaknesses. I didn’t even want to imagine the result if even one of the infected made it inside her.

But Madhuri burned with passion. She stomped without care or worry. She pecked one to my worry but spat it out right away. The mutated anomaly must have tasted horrible. She had made a meal out of thousands of moths at the beehive, but the ants were infected and could infect her, too. She cried when they climbed her back, but Barry stood an unmovable wall between them and her. However, he was one and they were many.

I overwhelmed a bust of pheromones to let her know I was around and that got her excited.

Where were you? I was afraid. I thought you left me too! She had much to say, all of which was about me. It made my heart grow warm.

Barry apologized for bringing Madhuri into the mess.

It was her idea. He scented, pushing all the blame on Bella.

I understand. I told him.

We tensed when a winged infected landed right atop of Madhuri’s chest and crawled into her wound. However, Bella was quick to the uptake. She pulled it out before it could do damage and threw it toward Barry who punctured it in the chest. It was still moving when I head-butted it to the ground; I don’t know what happened to it afterward.

I was falling but Bella caught me and dropped me over another group on the ground that was trying to climb Madhuri’s feet. I overwhelmed a burst of pheromones, which paralyzed them and attracted Madhuri’s attention. She saw the infected and stomped them to oblivion. Star came with a group of termite soldiers to help, but I pushed him away.

She can’t distinguish between friend and foe. I told him and he understood. The termites kept their distance from her thereafter.

Bella and Barry didn’t stay idle either; they took care of their own share of trouble. The heavy immobile winged infected were nothing in front of them —especially Bella; she shone against opponents her size. They had no trouble keeping them down, but the monsters could regenerate, and that annoyed Bella like nothing else.

I don’t like my prey moving about after I have killed them.

What could I say? None of us did.

It wasn’t long before the battle finally ended. We didn’t manage to kill them all, but they fled back to the city in the rocks. It was our win.

The termites couldn’t believe it when the infected started retreating. The soldiers wanted to chase, but Star ordered them to fall back.

Treasure the win, but don’t forget about our losses. Remember the comrades that fell here today. Remember their sacrifice. Our enemies will be back. You will have another chance for revenge but fall back for now. It’s enough. The soldiers followed him and took the bodies back with them.

There were no victory celebrations, only a bunch of tired beings looking back at the life they had lived, reminiscing the bonds that were broken forever.

I was talking with Bella when he came to me. Bella saw him and decided to leave us alone.

Alright, I’ll see you two lovebirds later. There is no greater feeling than stabbing retreating enemies in the back. And she was gone.

Star was staring in the direction Bella had disappeared into, and he was mighty interested in Madhuri. She was still stomping the infected that squirmed every now and then, making sure they were dead with no chance of waking up again.

These are the friends you were talking about? He asked.

What do you think?

I think I need to hear that story of yours. Something tells me it won’t be an ordinary tale.

I slapped him on the back and told him to take care.

Are you going somewhere? He asked, stopping, antennae raised above his head in dismay. He wasn’t expecting me that, but the time had come.

Yes. I told him, looking away to the east, past the rock city, and the horrors it contained.

I’m going home.