Ant Lord Chapter 19

WHAM

Terry slammed his Warhammer down where I had been standing a moment ago, but I was already a dozen feet away after having kicked off the ground to the left. I kicked off again, this time aiming myself behind Terry, while raising my bastard sword for a downward strike. But Terry had already figured out that I liked going for my enemies blind spot, so he twisted himself around and, as he expected, saw me coming right for him.

With a grunt he lifted his hammer and, not backing down, met my blade full on. The two of us clashed, creating a shockwave so mighty that the grass surrounding us was bent backwards. Our weapons remained locked for a moment, then we disengaged.

“You’re getting better with that thing, but don’t assume that every enemy is going to go right for your backside.” I said, examining my sword for any damage.

The chitin remained as sharp and as flawless as ever though.

“Thanks. And you need to stop attacking from behind so much. You do it every time we spar, you know? If you’re in a fight that lasts long enough you’ll just wind up creating an opening for your opponent to hit you.” Terry said, planting the head of his hammer into the ground and resting on its handle. “Still…I can’t believe you managed to match me during that final clash. I’m so much bigger than you are yet our strength is equal…no, no you might be even stronger than me.”

“It can’t be helped” I said “Even if Hercules beetles are proportionally stronger than ants- I am an evolved. I’m sure these fights will be very different after you become a viscount as well.”

“An evolved huh…” he said, thoughts turning inward.

I could understand his concern. In order to evolve he needed to consume a massive amount of very diverse prey. The problem was- he had already done just that. Over the past month Terry had been tirelessly hunting for anything and everything, and he had been extremely successful.

“I just don’t understand, I’ve eaten everything you’ve eaten and yet I’m still not an evolved…maybe because my body is bigger I need to eat more than you did?” Terry said out loud.

“I don’t think that’s it and…actually, I can think of three things you haven’t eaten yet.”

“…and they would be?” Terry said, dreading my answer.

It wasn’t hard to see why, after all I looked and talked more like a human than i had the first time we met.

“Well, the first was another Lord…” I said, pausing as he grimaced before saying “I didn’t kill her, she killed herself.”

“That doesn’t make it much better…but I do remember you mentioning something about her ‘tasting like crab” He said, allowing himself a dark chuckle.

“Well it was before you and I met, so I doubt that she was the catalyst anyway. The second was the evolved Cleaner that attacked us right after you left. I have to admit, I did feel a whole lot stronger afterwards.”

“I’ll have to keep an eye out for weird looking bugs then. What was the third?”

“…you’re not gonna like it.” was all I could say. He knew the answer without me telling him.

“I will…I will keep an eye out for any evolved. I doubt it was the hu-”

“No. It was definitely the human that did it. I evolved right after I ate him.” I said, making my opinion on the matter clear. “It fits into the theme of this Queen’s plan, I think. To Allow only those who can reject their humanity and embrace this new power advance.”

“That’s just evil…!” Terry said, astonished.

“To you.” I replied. It made perfect sense to me, only those who were willing to do anything to get stronger would be able to move forward.

“To me? She’s forcing us to cannibalize-!” he started, but I jumped up on top of his massive body, putting my face within an inch of his.

“Not forcing. And not cannibalism.” I said, switching to telepathy “What did I tell you all those weeks ago when I found you and your friends on the road? I told you that you had a choice, either die or become like me!” I knew I was being forceful, but he had to get this through his head.

“I didn’t think that would also mean eating humans!” he shouted back.

“Why wouldn’t you think that? Look in the mirror Terry, we’re giant bug monsters. You’re not a human anymore, you can’t afford to live by their standards! If the thought of eating a human is too much for you to bear then you would be better off walking into a lake and drowning yourself, because the alternative is being ripped apart and eaten the moment something shows up that’s too strong for me to protect you from!”

“You…I…!” was all Terry managed to force out before stopping and turning around. He was paused like that for a moment before finally opening up his massive mouth and screaming his frustration out at the world. Unlike my scream, which was a high pitched and sent shivers down your back like nails on a chalkboard, Terry’s was a low rumbling roar. Deeper than any lions, deeper than any animal man had ever heard.

It awakened in me something primordial. Not fear necessarily, but the knowledge that the man before me was unbreakable. Unbeatable. The living embodiment of strength itself.

After his rage finally subsided, Terry simply stood there gazing into the fog. But, though his body was still, his emotions were rolling off of him in waves crashing against my consciousness. Anger, sadness, regret, and even a tinge of fear…

To Terry, dying was the easy option. But becoming a monster? That would be difficult for a man like him.

I was once again struck by a strange admiration for this man.

“Terry…” I said “I’m not asking you to kill anyone. I’m not asking you to become a jaded, evil piece of shit like me either. Your kindness and honor are the things I value the most about you. But nothing is ever free. To save the world, you have to get stronger. And to get stronger, you need to lose something. For us, that something is our humanity.”

“Dammit…dammit! I know that, but that doesn’t make it any easier…”

“I know, it took me months to be able to eat insects. Then, when I was on the brink of starvation, I met Lizzy.”

“…and you ate her?” he finished.

“Not at first. I didn’t even plan on eating her. I tried to help her,you know? To tell her that being what we are isn’t as bad as it seemed but…it wasn’t enough. I’m not very elegant, I suppose. The first night I fell asleep, and when I woke up she was gone. I managed to track her to a gas station, where I found her just sitting there with a canister of gasoline next to her.”

“Did she…light herself on fire?”

“Yeah, but before that she told me what happened to her the day the fog came. Her life was going pretty well. Better than Marcus’s life had been.”

“Marcus…?” he said, but I ignored him this time.

“I was mostly just surprised at first. But then the smell…god the smell, it was intoxicating. After months without a meal, I just couldn’t resist. And you know what? I don’t regret it a bit. She was a good girl, and I think she made the right choice for her. This world isn’t for everyone, and if you decide to follow her, I’ll eat you too. But…Terry?”

“…What?”

“I would like it a lot if you stayed with me. If this world is going to be saved then it needs the both of us. I will cruelly and happily slaughter and devour everything in my path, and you can keep me steered in the right direction. Otherwise I’m liable to spend the rest of my days wandering this world, randomly killing and eating long after the time of humanity has passed.”

He wasn’t looking at me, but I could sense his feelings coming to a head as he finally asked the question that was at the forefront of his mind.

“What do I do if I lose myself?” he asked, finally turning back around to face me.

I thought for a moment, then said “I don’t know. But keep asking yourself that question. Never forget it. Remember to think about it every morning, evening and night, and as long as you do that I think you’ll be fine. And if you ever do forget, don’t worry. I’ll remind you, my friend.”

He didn’t reply but, as he started walking back towards the house, I could sense gratitude. And his resignation.

Terry the Hero had made his choice.