"Well let's start at the beginning, shall we your majesty" Ian said as he put his cup on the wooden table.
Antares nodded silently. He was wondering if the Ant tribe had similarities with ants of his previous world in terms of social ranking.
"There is a social ranking in the tribe that every individual falls under." Ian paused before continuing. "The first class is that of the regular Antmen, this class is the largest and makes up majority of the population of the tribe, from this group, nest cleaners, hunters, foragers and soldier are recruited." Ian said.
In Antares view these guys were just the same as worker ants who had the same tasks as them.
"Next are the Antmen belonging to minor clans." Ian said.
This peeked Antares's interest, he never thought that there were minor clans in the tribe. "Go on" he signaled him to continue
"These clan actually handle specific tasks, like the Tharvok clan. Born in the forge and marked by fire, their members are skilled in construction, crafting, mining, tailoring, and anything requiring the use of hands, they are one of the pillars of the tribe." Ian said as he stood up to refill Antares's cup with juice.
"Hmmm, so how many minor clans are there?" Antares asked as he continued to sip on juice in his cup, he was becoming an addict of this new flavor he discovered in this world.
"Apart from the Tharvok clan, there is the Serthyn clan also called the guardians of abundance, their main job is to manage the resources of the tribe and make sure everything is used to its full potential, other clans but they don't really do anything noteworthy and, in my opinion, the Tharvok clan should be on the same standing with the other main clans, your majesty." Ian said solemnly as he had lost interest talking about the other clans because he saw them as useless compared to the Serthyn and Tharvok clans.
"Hmmmmm, maybe you're right." He paused briefly "Why don't you tell me about the main clans, those that hold significant power in the tribe." Finally, Antares asked about the topic he had been intrigued about.
"Of course, your majesty, but before that there is another class of Antmen you should know about." Ian replied to the enthusiastic Antares.
Antares put his empty cup on the wooden table and became attentive
Ian continued "This class are called the special rank since they are under the ant king and only answer to him, these Antmen include me, Zarah, your personal guards Eli and Levi and other ant men that work in the inner nest my lord."
"I see, go on." Antares clearly not unfazed or confused by the information, immediately asked Ian to proceed with his explanation.
Seeing that Antares wasn't interested in hearing about the special rank, Ian sighed and continued with his explanation.
"Then let's talk about the main clans your majesty." Ian paused briefly to see if Antares was listening and what he saw was Antares staring and listening to him intently, he clearly had piqued his interest.
"There are 2 main clans in the tribe, each hold significant influence and power but all remain loyal to the ant king." said Ian
"So far so good." Thought Antares
"At least that was what we expected from them." Ian continued
"Of course it was going to be that easy." Antares thought as he smiled wryly
"The main clan are a bit more special than the others." Said with a hint of pride in his voice
"How so?" Antares asked curiously
"The main clan were originally created from the first ant king's blood and other races."
"What do you mean by that" Antares said
"What mean is that individuals of the main clans possess traits of other living species other than that of us Antmen, like the Ashfang clan members who have a resemblance to orcs."
"Hmmmmm, I see continue." Antares gestured Ian to continue with his explanation.
"Then let me proceed my explanation with the Ashfang clan" Ian sipped some of the juice in his cup before he continued "This is a clan where its main focus is battle, in here the strong rule the weak and the presence of orc blood in the veins of these Antmen make them naturally talented in combat and gives them a natural boost in strength, in a nutshell these guys were created for war, but with the defeat we had suffered against the goblins and lord Henry's death, it would seem that they have lost the spark they once had and now they just stay on their side of the tribe's settlement in silence." Ian said with a sadness in voice
Antares could see how the death of his father had been a big blow to not only him but the whole tribe, many were still mourning him since majority of the ant tribe did not except Antares to recover and with him, they knew that the long line ant kings that had ruled over them had ended.
But now Antares had recovered and he was more than determined to improve the state of his people.
"That's understandable considering their nature." Antares said blankly while refilling his cup with more juice.
Ian was thinking that maybe the young king was heartless but little did he know, Antares was already plotting on how to exploit these clans to his advantage.
"Ahem, then we have the Arcanis clan your majesty, this clan is mainly known for being skilled in magic arts and elemental manipulation though they are not many, they are one of the pillars of the tribe. They have an unspoken rivalry with the Ashfang clan since they are compared to each other most of the time."
"Hmmmmm magic users, I am sure that they are going to be useful in the future." Antares tried his best to hid his excitement but Ian could see right through him.
Like a kid who fantasized about super heroes, Antares in his old world was a big fan of anything fantasy related, he read tons of novels and Mangas, at this point he was a pro.
"And what kind of blood runs through their vein." Antares asked
"Well, it is believed by most that they have elven blood in their veins ."
Elves are tall, graceful beings with pointed ears, long lifespans and with a deep connection to nature. Their skills in magic are what attracted the first ant king since the number of Antmen who could use magic were too few and they could be counted with both hands. He married one of his sons to one of their princesses and from this union the Arcanis clan was born.
The two continued to talk until evening.
"Ahhhhhh tomorrow is going to be a long, I'm already tired." Antares said after sighing, already evaluating the workload he was going to handle the next day.
"Do you want to reschedule the meeting your highness?" Ian was worried that Antares might be overworking himself, a week had not even passed since he woke up but he had made so many plans.
"We are going to reschedule nothing, that would be a sign of weakness." Antares said firmly.
In reality, Antares had planned to spend his day relaxing but his little trip to the ant king's tower had drained him, he needed to rest. "I'm going to get some sleep, we will continue this conversation in the morning before the meeting and I'll handle the clan leaders when the time comes." Antares said as he stood up and headed back to his private room.
"Of course, your majesty" Ian bowed then followed Antares behind to escort him to his room, Antares saw the man walking behind him in silence and he did not mind.
After walking for a while Antares realized that he was completely lost and was clueless and did not know where his room was located.
He looked at Ian who was walking behind him and he flashed Ian a helpless smile, Ian understood the assignment and he took the lead.
As they were walking Antares took time to look around and he realized that this place that was called ant king's palace was barely furnished, it was as if this place was raided by bandits and they left scraps.
When they reached the hallway leading to his room, Antares came to a sudden halt and his nostrils caught the rich perfume coming from his room, puzzled by what it could be, he brought out his antennae and activated his detection ability.
He could tell that someone was in his room and he knew who it was.
"You are dismissed, thank you for escorting me to my room."
Ian who was walking in the front, returned to Antares' side, he made a small bow and walked away leaving Antares alone at the hallway's entrance.
"Ian" Antares spoke up with his voice slightly raised
Ian who was already on his way to leave, turned back and kneeled behind Antares who was facing forward.
"Tomorrow's meeting will be crucial in paving the way for the ascension of the tribe." Antares spoke with a firm voice ''By all means necessary everything must be ready, I will not tolerate failure." He glanced back at Ian who was kneeling behind him.
"You can leave everything up to me your majesty, I will prepare everything myself, you can rest easy." Ian said with a voice full of confidence which Antares liked because he needed capable individuals at his side more than ever, the journey he had started was one full of hardships.
Without a word, Ian stood up, made a small bow then left.
Antares then proceeded to his room, with a deep breath he pushed the door open, the intensity and thickness of the perfume intensified.
Antares' eyes widened at the sight of the woman elegantly seated on his bed.
Zarah was wearing a sleeveless black gown that was made in a way that would accentuate her figure, the way she looked right now this made her the desire of everyman.
Antares's eyes devoured the sight, for a moment he stopped thinking and his mind focused on the view in front of him, he was not moving at all.
"Antares...…"
Zarah called out softly when she saw Antares not moving.
Antares snapped out of his daze and he walked up to the bed where Zarah was seated and he kneeled in front of her.
He used his right hand to hold Zarah's left hand and the other was softly placed on her thigh.
"I did not expect to find you here my love." Antares said softly as he tenderly kissed her hand. He had already known that she was here since he had already scanned the room with his antennae.
"I thought that you might want some company tonight, do you want me to leave?" Zarah asked shyly.
The light crystals that were dimly lit, it really lightened the room and gave off a romantic sensual vibe.
Antares looked right into her eyes and he smiled "I would never chase you away love." He stood up and pulled Zarah to the bed with him, "Ahhhhhh.'' he kissed her gently until she moaned softly.
"What about your meeting tomorrow, shouldn't we rest tonight?" Zarah asked but her body clearly wanted something else.
"Don't worry Ian is already preparing everything." His deep voice as continued to tease her "And I will go easy on you since tomorrow we have a big day."
The night was long for Zarah and Antares while they were lost in the heat of passion, Ian had already started making arrangements for the meeting with the clan leaders the next day.