Having drills jammed up (or down) your molars gives a strange sensation.

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[Ties] Bootcamp 12

Deep underground, a place called the catacombs. Old ruins sprawled out and created complex networks of caves and passageways. Along the walls were crypts and coffins, long emptied out as the dust had settled in. The reminders of death in this place had long disappeared and pyrocite lamps provided dim illumination to anyone venturing within.

"Kashhk, kashhk."

"Kashhk, kashhk."

A nest of Fire Ants had made a part of the catacombs their home. Hordes of ants passed through the passageways and even dug out caves for their own use. Amongst the networks of these passageways, a large stone structure was erected. Made from large stones piled on top of one another, a large Fire Ant, larger than the rest, was perched upon it.

Around this large ant were the regular Fire Ants working to bring food in and, expectedly, larvae out. The large Fire Ant was the Queen Ant, and this was her nest.

"Shhck, shhck."

The Queen Ant moved around its mandibles and antennae, and the Fire Ants around it stopped moving and raised their heads. Immediately, in unison, they all filed into a tunnel until the Queen was only left with a small number of other ants, presumably for its protection.

"Shhck, shhck."

Suddenly, as though the ants had some semblance of intelligence, took up formation around their queen. Lines and groups of Fire Ants formed a tight enclosure that protected the Queen Ant. As soon as they finished moving,

"Boom!"

"It's here!" shouted a soldier, "The queen has been located!"

"Get me reinforcements," ordered an officer, "I'm not sending my men to their deaths here!"

Voices of affirmation echoed throughout the catacombs as each and every squad that was sent down here moved to surround the Queen Ant.

"Set up defenses around those rocks!" ordered another officer, "Avoid any tight corridors!"

"Move that pillar out of the way!" shouted an engineer, "Get me some bombs in here! Topple that thing for cover!"

As soon as the soldiers poured into the nest, they all set up their respective defensive zones to protect themselves from the Fire Ants as they awaited reinforcements. Not to sit idly, the first wave of ants came forth.

"Kashhk, kashhk."

The first line of ants turned on their backsides to spew out flames. As soon as they did this, all of the exposed soldiers dove for cover behind rocks, debris, and Steam Knight shields.

"Incoming flames!" warned a soldier, "Take cover!"

A large fan of fire swept forward, burning everything that was unprotected. Fortunately, the soldiers that had arrived properly took care of their cover and were spared from being cooked alive.

"As soon as the flames die down," said an officer, "throw out some bombs to knock'em out, then let it rain steel!"

...

High above, back in he arena.

"Lakeng! Run behind that pillar!" yelled Malachi, "Axel, take position behind that counter with Arlianne but lob a grenade, first! Support the troops!"

Malachi and the rest had arrived at the northern entrance of the arena. Currently, they had met up with a squad engaged with a group of Fire Ants occupying the entrance. Lakeng moved as ordered to a pillar a short distance away from the nearest Fire Ant taking fire from multiple directions.

"What are kids doing here!?" cried a soldier, "Hey, you! What the heck did you bring them here for!? Why are they armed as well!?"

The soldier screamed at Lakeng taking aim with his pneumatic fusil. Lakeng replied by pointing on his sleeve, the patch that displayed his rank. Looking around, all the other soldiers had blades on their sleeves. Apart from Lakeng, who was an officer, they were all enlisted personnel. This caused most of the soldiers to quiet down. There were, however, curious gazes being sent to Malachi who was directing Lakeng and the rest, questioning the background of the boy.

Nevertheless, such thoughts were unimportant in the middle of a battle. The soldiers once again resumed fighting the Fire Ants.

Axel's grenade flew in a high arc and landed right in the middle of the group of Fire Ants.

"BOOM!"

The resulting explosion deafened much of the soldiers, but those who were still standing took it as an opportunity to shoot the Fire Ants' exposed soft interiors, successfully neutralizing the threats. While a number of Fire Ants were taken out, there were still some more that had intact carapaces that successfully deflected much of the bullets.

Like how Malachi had told him before, Lakeng aimed for the Ants' eyes and shot them. The makeshift armorpiercing ammunition made by Malachi pierced and blinded the ant that was hit, having its body flail around in confusion.

"Axel! Arlianne! Explosive bolts!" shouted Malachi, "Fire!"

The two hiding behind the counter took aim at the flailing Fire Ant. As soon as an opportunity presented itself, the two launched their explosive bolts. Like before, the bolts detonated upon impact, and small explosions blanketed the fire ant, destroying much of its carapace.

"Eat this!" cried Malachi as he aimed his crossbow.

His timed explosive bolt dug deep into the Fire Ant, and like the victim before it, bulged and exploded into many pieces of nasty insectile gore. The soldiers who saw this couldn't believe their eyes as a small group of children, despite being with an officer, took down a Fire Ant on their own with unfamiliar weapons.

"The fight's not finished yet!" bellowed Malachi, "More creepy-crawlies incoming!"

Like he said, another horde popped out from underground and reinforced the then dwindling Fire Ants in the northern entrance. Right before the clash, however, a muffled noise of hammering steel could be heard from the entrance.

"Knock, knock!" shouted someone from the other side, "Pest extermination!"

"Boom!"

The gates of the arena entrance blew back, and a squad of lumbering Steam Knights came into view. As soon as the doors went open, a Steam Knight charged forward with a Blast Hammer in hand, and took a swing at a Fire Ant. The pyrocite tip of the hammer lit up and subsequently detonated, creating a powerful crushing force on the Fire Ant's body.

"Royal Engineers, reporting for duty!" announced the Steam Knight, "Search and destroy!"

"Ura!!!" cheered the other Steam Knights.

Malachi and the rest stood back and watched as much of the Fire Ants were blown away by the onslaught of Steam Knights. The rest of the soldiers followed behind to provide supporting fire. One Steam Knight, however, approached Malachi's group.

"Civilians? Eh, a Falcon?" wondered the Steam Knight, "Well, you're safe now. The Royal Garrison has been deployed, and this mess will be cleaned up shortly. Best if you evacuate to a nearby shelter for now."

"Yeah, we'll do just that," replied Malachi, "Thanks for the rescue."

"No problem," affirmed the Steam Knight, "Well, you've got a Falcon with you, so I doubt you'd be in any more trouble than this. Well, sir, I'll leave everything to you."

Lakeng replied with a salute, and the Steam Knight did the same.

"Come on, let's not tarry any longer," said Lakeng, "The nearest evacuation center is a guard post north of here."

Yet, despite being saved by the garrison, another problem came up. The floor shook a bit, and the chandeliers swung around.

"Oh, hell," cursed Malachi, "Aftershocks! Take cover!"

The earth shook once more, stronger than before, and even collapsed much of the walls and pillars around them. The Steam Knight moved to cover the rest from any falling debris until the shaking stopped. Unfortunately, Malachi was watching the northern entrance, and saw that the entryway collapsed, sealing them inside.

"Oh, man, this sucks!" cried Malachi, "Hey, can you blast that rubble away?"

The shaking stopped, and the Steam Knight looked at the collapsed entryway.

"Too dangerous." replied the Steam Knight, walking over and inspecting the remaining structure, "That last quake weakened the frames and foundation, a blast would make the entire area cave in, instead."

"Rumble."

A low rumble came from behind them. They all hesitated to turn around, but the audible noise coming from behind them had blood drain from their faces.

"Kashhk, kashhk."

Another horde of Fire Ants emerged from underground, pinning their group against the wall. The Steam Knight operated his radio, and yelled into it.

"Hey guys," said the Steam Knight, "Double back and help me out here!"

"Kssh, no can do," replied a soldier over the radio, "Kssh, we have our hands full with a horde ourselves! The last quake opened up the abyss! Oh, god!"

The signal was cut off, and the Steam Knight readied his shield as the Fire Ants turned on their backsides.

"Get behind me, now!" ordered the Steam Knight.

With his shield deployed, three kids and one adult hid behind the Steam Knight in a tight squeeze. The Fire Ants spewed out a wall of fire, and Malachi could see and feel the rising heat around him.

'Hot damn!' he thought, 'The pressure and heat is amazing!'

Without realizing it, Malachi was grinning from ear to ear. Arlianne saw this, and slapped Malachi out of his trance.

"Malachi!" she cried, "What are you smiling for!? We're in the middle of a deathtrap here!"

"Ah, eh, sorry," he apologized, "Nothing, just remembering some things."

"I don't know what's going on behind me," said the Steam Knight, "but seeing you have weapons on yourselves, I suggest that you get ready to fight! As soon as the flames die down, I'm charging forward with my hammer. Cover me!"

As the Steam Knight said, the flames had begun to die down. Once the flames dispersed, the Steam Knight threw away the already bright red shield at a Fire Ant, pulverizing it, and charged forward with a hammer overhead.

"Lakeng, let that knight get all the aggro," said Malachi, "Flank to the sides, and blind any ant you see!"

"Aggro?" wondered Lakeng, "What?"

"Er, just let the knight get the ants' attention," clarified Malachi, "Just do the usual, and watch your surroundings. While we are pinned to a wall, it's good since we don't have to watch our back. Now, go! Axel, Arlianne, spread out behind Lakeng to and shoot any ant he shoots at! We will take them down one by one!"

While the Steam Knight jumped into the fray and went nuts, Lakeng skillfully took out the stragglers, and the rest took them out. Slowly but surely, the Fire Ants were reduced to half, and further down to a third by the efforts of the Steam Knight. Fortunately, due to the Steam Knight being in close contact with the Fire Ants, none of the ants could successfully shoot out flames lest they provide an opportunity to get crushed by the Blast Hammer.

However, once the Steam Knight had swung down the hammer on the next ant, the pyrocite tip didn't light up, and just produced a dull sound of metal smashing onto a hard surface.

"Argh," cried the Steam Knight, "I'm out of juice!"

"Axel! Lob a grenade!" followed up Malachi, "Knight, fall back!"

The Steam Knight didn't hesitate to jump back and, in its place, a grenade landed in time. Axel's grenade detonated, and crushed much of the remaining Fire Ants' carapaces, giving the rest of them to shoot the soft insectile interiors with their explosive bolts and other weapons.

"Forget the rest, shoot the unarmored parts!" cried Malachi as he shot his handcannon.

Lakeng switched to a repeater, and unleashed a rain of bullets. Axel and Arlianne shot their crossbows, and their bolts' explosions tore away much of the ants' soft interiors, effectively killing them.

"Just a few more, and we're clear!" announced Malachi, 'As long as no other hordes pop out for the time being. Having these things as enemies suck, though I would love to capture one alive to know more about it.'

While hiding his motives in his thoughts, Malachi and the rest finished off the stragglers.

...

Back underground.

"Cover the left flank!" screamed an officer, "More coming in from above! Pull the wounded out of the line of fire!"

Chaos ensued in the catacombs as the soldiers fought to eliminate the Queen Ant and the remaining Fire Ants. However, due to the architecture of the catacombs and the tightness of the dug out caves, the flames of the Fire Ants were showing their full potential. The battlefield was littered with burns and molten metals. Bright red shields and armor lay here and there, and burnt corpses polluted the air.

The Fire Ants were initially surrounded when the nest was found, then the small number slowly dwindled. However, as time passed by, a portion of the Fire Ants that left earlier came back, and ambushed the defensive encampments made by the soldiers. Thus, creating havoc in the rear lines.

"Get me some cover fire!" shouted a Steam Knight, "Move in formation with me!"

Three Steam Knights lined up together, two had their hammers out and one deployed a shield. The Fire Ants before them shot out flames, and blanketed the three Steam Knights. Unable to go through the shield, the Steam Knights moved forward, closing the distance, and crushed any ant that came their way.

"Up top," shouted a soldier, "Fire Ant on that ledge!"

A Fire Ant shot another stream of flames from an elevated position. One of the three Steam Knights, one that carried a hammer, switched out with a shield and blocked the flames coming from above. This left only one Steam Knight to destroy the surrounding ants.

"Fall back!" shouted an engineer, "Your shields can't take much more, fall back!"

"Another ant in a cave to the right!" cried another soldier, "Cover their retreat!"

The lines of battle shifted forward and back repeatedly into a stalemate. The sudden onslaught of Fire Ant hordes that took them by surprise ruined their chances for a decisive victory. Adding the uneven terrain and the Fire Ants' advantage to scale the walls, the soldiers out on a hunt had become the prey to be hunted.

Suddenly, a small group of lightly armed individuals came from behind the soldiers. The first to react was a Royal Buzzard that oversaw the operation.

"Your Majesty!?" cried the officer, "What are you doing here, sire!? This place is dangerous!"

Eleazar strode forward with his entourage. The soldiers holding their positions were momentarily stunned at the sight of the highest ranking person in the entire kingdom being in the battlefield. Behind Eleazar was a group of light-skinned and light-haired individuals carrying bizzare weapons, and had metallic augmentations attached in their bodies.

"Graham, ensure that the 'Vault' is secure." said Eleazar, looking at the place where the Queen Ant was perched, "As for the rest of your 'Family,' eliminate all that threaten our peace."

"Understood." said a man of seemingly the same age, "Anything for our Savior."

The man who appeared to be the same age as Eleazar, Graham, sauntered forward and pulled out a pair of cannons, larger than any soldier had and what Malachi carried. Actually, it was less of a hand cannon, and more of a handheld swivel gun that most would find on medieval ships sailing to and fro the New World. His guns were each mounted below his arms, and gripped in his hands were some sort of trigger device with buttons and switches.

Curiously, even though he had a large build, his back was unnaturally bulky, as though there was something hidden underneath his clothes. As soon as he flexed his muscles, his clothes ripped and revealed horrific modifications on his body.

Graham was half machine. While not cybernetic, the machines augmented into his body were independent from his bodily functions, and were more of attachments permanently sutured into his flesh. The soldiers around him were aghast at the sight of this and turned to look at Eleazar. Eleazar gave them a stern look without saying a word, and gestured with his hands to silence them all or face the death penalty.

The soldiers paled, and returned their focus on the fire ants.

After Graham, a young woman of similar color stepped forward. Unlike Graham and his bulky equipment, the young woman had a sleek and long weapon attached to her right arm, and a tube ran from her weapon into a box on her back. Cold air leaked out of the barrel of her gun, and each movement she made had cold air escape her lips.

Finally, a young man stepped forward with most of the machinery attached on his legs. This allowed him to run faster and scale the walls of the catacombs with ease. His weapon, however, was a metallic rod that emitted sparks of electricity when struck. The zapping of his rod was unnerving for some of the nearby soldiers as they imagined the effects of getting struck by it.

Graham and the other two leisurely strode forward, leaving Eleazar and the other soldiers behind.

...

Topside.

"Kssh. Have you found them yet?" asked Emmanuel over Gregory's radio, "The Royal Garrison has arrived, but that recent quake has me worried. Kssh."

"Apologies, " replied Gregory, "I just arrived at the west block and met up with Axton. His left arm got torn off. The shock knocked him out, but he's still alive. I just handed him off to a nearby squad."

"Kssh. I see," said Emmanuel, "Oh, damn! Reports of another horde coming in had arrived! Wait! There's a report of kids fighting in the northern entrance! It must be them! Hurry, Gregory! Kssh."

"Never a dull moment." commented Gregory, changing his direction as he ran into another corridor.

...

"Keep moving!" roared Malachi, "Ignore the corridors and meet up with the Royal Garrison squad!"

Finally eliminating the threat that pinned them at the collapsed entrance, Malachi and the rest, including the lone Steam Knight, went on to meet up with the squad that broke through earlier. Due to the aftershocks, more corridors were filled with Fire Ants, and a number of scattered soldiers were hard pressed in fighting back.

"Where is this route leading to?" asked Malachi, turning to the others.

"Into the east block," replied Axel, "This block houses much of the arena's personnel. It's also where the Administrative Quarters are, up above."

"The south entrance is flooded by ants," muttered Lakeng, "No sign of soldiers down there. The north is also sealed up due to the quake. The west is pretty much a dead end, might as well go to where there are more soldiers and add to their efforts."

"Axel, Arlianne, can you still keep up?" asked Malachi, "I think you can get a ride on Ms. Knight here."

"Oh? How did you know I was a woman?" asked the Steam Knight, shocked at Malachi's suggestion, "My voice should be muffled at best being inside this can."

"The way you swung your hammer reminded me of the other female Knights," replied Malachi, "A lucky guess, I suppose. Well?"

"I'm fine." answered Arlianne, ironically gasping for breath, "I can still go on."

"Me too." added Axel, also gasping for breath.

"Don't push yourself too much, " followed Malachi up, "This is your first time fighting for your life, being too tired will put you, and the rest, at risk. Miss, do you mind helping them up?"

"I don't mind, but what about you?" asked the Steam as she lifted Axel and Arlianne up, "Aren't you tired?"

"I've prepared myself for situations like this," answered Malachi, "If I ever want to be in the military, this is but an obstacle I have to overcome."

"Oh, yeah, " said Lakeng, "You did say you wanted to enter the academy. Seeing your performance today, and the makeshift weapons you've made, you will be a boon to our military."

"Makeshift weapons?" wondered the Steam Knight, "Those explosive bolts?"

"Yeah, those and these pointy ammunition." added Lakeng as he showed the makeshift armorpiercing bullets Malachi had carved, "It's the reason why I was able to punch through those ants with relative ease. He said some other things, but I was too amazed at them to listen attentively."

"For a Falcon to praise you," said the Steam Knight, "Who are you, really, anyway? Those goggles make me think you want to be an Engineer, but the way you throw out orders and make snap decisions is befitting for an officer."

"Let's leave that for the future." suggested Malachi, "If we get out of here alive, and we have time to tell stories, I'll answer some of your questions. Hmm? Firefight, dead ahead!"

As soon as Malachi tried to finish their conversation, a squad fighting against Fire Ants appeared in his sight. A member of the squad closest to them saw the Steam Knight bringing kids with her.

"Why the hell are there kids here!?" cried out a soldier, "What the—"

"Shut up and fight, goddammit!" roared Malachi, "Forget us and fight for your lives!"

Pissed off at the fact that the soldier had the moment to notice them being kids, Malachi scolded the soldier and pulled out his handcannon.

"Bang!"

Malachi let loose a shot at a Fire Ant that was closing in on said soldier. The soldier roared himself as he relocated to flank the ants. Like before, Malachi had his group take down the Fire Ants one by one with their weapons. Each time he delivered his orders, with equal or greater efficiency than the present officers, the soldiers could only stare in awe at Malachi's judgments.

"What the hell are you staring at!?" shouted Malachi, "Fire Ant at your left! Lakeng, blind that thing! Lobbing a grenade!"

As soon as Lakeng was in position for a shot, Malachi primed his grenade. In unison, Lakeng shot his pneumatic fusil and Malachi threw his grenade. With great precision and timing, an ant was blinded and had its carapace blown away in quick succession.

"Kill that thing, now!" ordered Malachi.

Never mind the soldiers, the quick reactions of Axel and Arlianne due to being with Malachi the longest killed the ant as soon as Malachi's orders left his lips.

"Miss, knock that ant away!" ordered Malachi, pointing at an ant about to turn on its backside.

The Steam Knight, having regrouped with a squad, swapped out her consumed pyrocite with a new one, and was ready to kill. With brute force and fury, she blasted the ant's abdomen before it could fire a wall of flames in the area.

"Stop gawking and start killing!" bellowed Malachi.

It must be noted that ever since Malachi was surrounded by soldiers, his demeanor had changed significantly. Although, due to the situation, none of his companions noticed this as they, too, were as tense as the others were.

"Taking a shot!" announced Malachi as he raised his crossbow loaded with a timed explosive bolt.

A Fire Ant was hit in the eye, and the bolt went deep inside. Lakeng's eyes widened as he witnessed this and turned his gaze at Malachi. Unable to see through his goggles, he couldn't see that Malachi's eyes hadn't blinked even once. Malachi had complete focus on the task at hand.

The Fire Ant that was hit had its head explode into insectile gore. The soldiers were also surprised and turned to look at the boy who was in the middle of reloading his crossbow and shouting out orders one after another. As he reloaded, though, he wasn't even looking at his weapon and loaded the bolt with perfect movements as his head turned to survey the area repeatedly. Even when an ant was about to approach, he reacted quickly by pulling out his handcannon, used its stopping power to stop the ant from moving, and shot it with an explosive bolt afterwards.

Malachi's fluid movements made many give praise and earn fear for such a young boy.

"Another horde, incoming!" reported a soldier, "Right side corridor!"

"Fusiliers, line up along the left pillar!" ordered Malachi, "Flank the left side as they funnel through! Repeaters cover the right and do the same! Lakeng, snipe as you see fit! Axel, Arlianne, send them all to hell! Steam Knights, protect the flanks! Let the ants funnel through to their deaths! Engineers, prepare to lob grenades to smash their armor!"

Morale was at an all time high, and no one bothered anymore to question Malachi's orders despite being a child and a civilian.

...

Down below.

"Fall back! Fall back!" roared Eleazar, "The Queen is rising! Fall back!"

In the area around the Queen Ant, scorch marks and frozen ants littered the place. Graham and the other two augmented individuals had already arrived next to Eleazar, and all the others stood back to watch the Queen Ant rise from its perch.

The ceiling of the catacombs crumbled fro the force of the Queen Ant, and created a large cavern overhead. The rocks fell like bombs and crushed much of the remaining ants underneath. Fortunately, Eleazar had ordered a retreat, and none of the soldiers died in vain.

"Connect me above ground!" ordered Eleazar as he grabbed an Engineer, "Report that the extermination failed and the Queen is surfacing!"

The Queen Ant bisected its body and left behind its egg-laying organ. Its legs spread out, and its mandibles dug deep into the stone, digging its way out of the catacombs and up to the surface.