[Worker Ant]

Devastation. That is the only word that can describe what the ant saw. Eggs overturned then swallowed up by the ground. A lone ant was also swallowed up by the ground where an enemy lay in wait.

This simple worker ant does not have the brain capacity to make decisions. She only follows the pheromone trail laid out before her, and she is following it right to the center of the colony where her queen lays.

She enters the queen’s chambers. Filled with guard ants that make the worker ants look like baby’s.

The queen sits on padded earth her egg sac pulsating with thick veins going throughout. Eggs are constantly being laid by her were a line of ants are waiting to carry them off.

The simple worker ant goes to her queen bowing her head greatly.

Ants do not speak they communicate using pheromones released from their bodies and they used their antennae to smell these pheromones. The worker ant releases an orchestra of smells to communicate the devastation caused by an unknown force.

The queen receives this and begins to shake with anger. Her mentally capacity is far greater than those of her subjects so she can analyze the problem more clearly. Something has burrowed under their cavern.

She remembers another ant colony doing this a while back. She only barely survived with her life and her forces were critically weaken. She will not make the same mistake twice.

The queen begins to vigorously vibrate her antennas sending out waves of pheromones. All the ants in the colony begin to go into a frenzy. All the warriors immediately head to the designated hallway.

…….

[Z]

After resting for a bit I sat to work creating two eggs. I placed them in the cave with my full grown ant who seems bored. She, yeah I figured out that I know everything about my creations if I focus on them, is sticking her head at the breathing hole taunting the ants above. They won’t stop trying to force their way in. Even the ants that normally tend the eggs are attacking the hole. Wonder what got into them.

I’m alone right now Enkindle is sleeping. I think because she originated from a mortal body she still needs to sleep up to eight hours a day. That is fine it does give me some alone time.

I won’t do anything when she sleeps so I use this time to think about certain things.

One being why do these ants kill those that I touch with my affinity. If they treated everything made of my affinity like the enemy they wouldn’t come here and feed off my used essence. So why are their eggs different?

A rumble starts going through the ground. It starts out feint but it grows bigger finally shaking the entire hallway.

I focus on the entrance or the point where my vision stops. The shaking gets worse and worse until finally the causes rush into my home. Giant ants bigger than mine stomp into the room pushing the other ants out the way. Heading straight for the air hole.

This is not going to be good.

Twenty giant ants surround the air hole forming a complete circle around. The smaller ants all pick up the eggs and leave hurriedly obviously getting the clue what’s about to happen. Once all the eggs are evacuated the big ants make their move. They gouge their bigger stronger mandibles into the hole and using their great strength rip out my sand from the ground throwing it aside. The moment the sand hits the ground I bring it to around my core hardening the sand arounded with it.

I am in no danger from these things. I am sitting pretty on the wall watching all this. I could put the sand right back where it was making their effort pointless. But I have a better idea one I’ve been brewing in my mind for the last month.

It started when Enkindle said we should make an army. A great idea, but she didn’t think it all the way through. What population of any species wouldn't know that hundreds of forces are gathering inside their home and are about to attack. They would snuff it out on pure instinct like what the ants are doing. They’ve made the hole almost big enough for them to fit through. I expand the miniature cave longways making my ant carry the eggs to the back.

Enkindle’s idea is still a great one. We will still need to use it if we want to take control of this entire colony. I will just modify it slightly.

My ant keeps on trying to rush to the front challenging the aggressors. I keep on telling it to move back, but it only obeys for a few seconds. Stupid thing you’ll ruin my entire plan if you keep this up. I move my presence right above the ant trying to make my orders stick.

I don’t know how, but when my presence touches the ant something weird happens.

My mind gets sucked inside the ant. At first all I can’t see anything then I start smelling my surroundings.

Thousands of different smells assault my nose. The instinct of the ants is to charge head first into a distinctive smell. The only way I can describe it is red. While two other objects smell blue which the ant instinctively protects.

Is this how the ants see, by smell? I thought the hallway was bright as day or was that just the essence I was seeing. I cannot think about his now I must focus on the plan.

I believe the red smell are the enemy ants and the blue smell are the eggs. I walk to the eggs getting into a guard position. This ability will come in handy in the future.

As the other ants break the last grains of sand away I keep still waiting.

They begin to charge in single file heading straight for me and the eggs.

Wait for it, wait for it. NOW! I release my hold on my ant letting her do what she wishes. She fights bravely instantly jabbing at the ant charging her. She catches the ant in the neck using her legs to pick up the ant then she twist her head snapping the its neck killing it instantly.

While she does this she is swarmed by the others who rib her legs off and tear her body apart.

I get a total of ten essence for their deaths. Filling me up to eleven essence. I cringe slightly my own monster’s death only gave my two essence while the outside ant gave me eight. I figured I get more for how much I invested in it. No matter, but I am remembering this little detail.

Once the ants are done tearing apart my ant they move on to my eggs where the simple slam their heads down on top of them making them explode. All the invading ants are inside the cave awaiting the allclear to leave. I am sorry to say to them that is not happening. Ever.

I close up the hole cutting off their escape path and air.

The ones at the back notice first and immediately start to pick at the sand where the hole was. It’s no use everytime that they rip a grain out I put it back to where it was. The other ants notice quick that something is amiss. They begin to jab at the ceiling trying to puncture a hole through.

I wait letting time run its course. As they move around alot they consume enormous amounts of air exhaling an unbreathable byproduct. The biggest ones feel it first their bodies start feeling sluggish and no matter how much they breathe the cant get enough air.

The first ant falls do to asphyxiation. Its body curls up into a ball and falls to the ground.

Its essence hits me filling my spiritual body to the brim and a little more.

I’m still aggravatingly sore from when I did this earlier today, but I know this must be done. My plan hinges that I have large amounts of essence to call upon. This morning was a warm up to see what this process felt like.

I brace myself knowing what is about to come is going to be a lot more painful then before. This time I will not relieve myself of any essence. I will take it all in. So far two of the twenty invading ants have fallen leaving only one hundred and forty four essence left.

I didn’t plan on this pushing me into the ranks. I laugh slightly Enkindle is going to have a shock when she wakes up. If she wakes up, if I die she goes along with me. No I can’t think like that I will succeed. I must.

I feel the rest beginning to die.

I take a breath prepared for what’s to come.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

……

[Dungian]

I stare closely at Z monitoring all his vitals.

If this little idiotic plan of his starts seriously threatening his life I’m pulling the plug. I am not losing my only dungeon.

I can’t control my creations minds, but their essence is under my complete control.

I notice a god enter the airspace around Z. It’s Lilithian.

I click my tongue. She always shows up at the damn greatest of times. I spare a small percentage of my consciousness to give her a greeting. I just hope that she doesn’t cause too much trouble.

She lands softly like the majestic goddess she is. Her outfit is different today. It’s a flowing gown of pure gold with pure diamond as a highlight.

“Dungian,” she orders,”I am here for a status report.” She walks over to me laying on the same grass couch as last time.

“Everything is fine precious nothing new to report. Except a couple of ants are having a little conversation want to annoy them.”

Her eyes narrow.

“Speak to me with all your consciousness Dungian when I speak to you.” Damn how did she notice so quickly.

“No can do Lilithian other things require my attention.”

“I’m no idiot Dungian I can detect that all of you are focusing on is that thing.”

She stops right next to me leaning right next to my face.

“You will show me respect you all but fallen god.”

A cold vibrant anger seeps into my being. A fallen god. A god who has lost all their divinity and is completely powerless and most the times completely insane. To gods that is the most unholy of insults. Violent wars have erupted from that statement alone.

“Watch yourself Lilithian you do not want to say something that you will regret. Especially to me.” She steps across my body feet on both sides of my legs. She gets right in front of my face mere millimeters away from touching me.

“Fal. Len. God.”

My hand grabs her neck squeezin with enough pressure to shatter mountains. She doesn’t even register its presence. I’ve shifted some consciousness over to her, but the majority is still monitoring Z.

“Still not giving me respect I see,” she says barely above a whisper.”Perhaps eliminating your thing will help you reclify that mistake.”

She raises her hand towards the ant pile charging up a powerful attack.

“No!” I shove her to the ground her attack fires missing Z by mere inches. We struggle throwing punches and biting, but my power is no where near hers and she gets on top of me and pins all my limbs to the ground. I feel like this has happened before.

And like a true god she isn’t even breathing.

“You shall pay for this attack Dungian,” she charges up another attack over her head aiming right at Z.

“Don’t ever threatened one of my children!” I scream head butting her. She flies across the grassland landing head first sliding for several hundred feet.

I want to go an destroy that wretched goddess where she stands, but I feel Z starting to get in trouble.

The essence is reaching a critical point in his core I need to stop him from taking any more in.

I take manual control of his essence getting ready to expel half of it. As I’m about to release it two hands grab my shoulders pushing me face down into the ground.

“You shall pay for that Dungian,” Lilithian grows pulling my head up by my ponytail. I don’t pay attention to her my entire focus is on Z trying to keep him from dying.

“The punishment shall be.” She picks me up off the ground turning my head towards her. I move Z’s essence about to push it out of him.

“A kiss.” A pair of lips soft as cotton touch mine.

…….

[Z]

I CAN DO THIS! I can take it. The last of the ants die giving me their essence. My already stretched spiritual body gets stretched painfully more. It’s like pulling taffy it keeps on getting thinner and thinner.

I let out another holler of pain. My very soul trembles in agony. I can do this I tell myself again.

Slowly the essence enters my being forcing my spiritual body to grow bigger.

Just one more left. My body is on the verge of tearing. The essence inside me starts turning around pushing against my sides.

The last piece of essence pushes its way in. I feel a tear starting to form on my side.

My mind freezes. Have I failed? Will I die killing Enkindle in the process?

I feel the tear growing about to spill open my insides.

Then a holy light engulfs my being. It has the texture of liquid gold and smells of the sweetest honey. It shines on the rip mending it instantly leaving it better than it was before.

I look around earnestly for the source of the light, but I am left unable to to see past its glow.

“Don’t fret little one,” a soft sweet voice says. I remember her presence from before she accompanied Dungian once when she checked up on me. I tell her the same and she responds in her glorious voice.

“You are correct little one. I have gifted you this healing for you have shown that you are better than your fallen brothers. But,” she says saden beyond imagine,”I can only give this gift once and because of the type of injury you had you can no longer collect essence they we that you were just doing ever again.”

I’m caught up in her voice not truly thinking over what she is saying.

“But you can still grow and become a mighty dungeon little one. One that your goddess is sure to be proud of. This is all the time that I can grant for our conversation. I the goddess Lilithian wish you a glorious and fulfilling life.”

She leaves taking her light with her. I try to grab it but it is like smoke going through my fingers.

Soon it is completely gone leaving my hallway dark and lonely. I sit here in quite.

Not thinking about much. I feel strangely at peace right now not worried about anything or anyone.

Then a certain flame nymph talks her sleep. Something about me being an idiot.

I laugh coming out of the space of enlightenment.

Then for the first time in my life I go to sleep, worn out by the long day.