Ari stared at his mandibles, the cool metal catching the faint light. The smooth surface pressed lightly against his fingers, grounding him in the moment.
I can't believe it… I actually beat them. It was scary because of their acid but...
He looked down at his hands.
these mandibles Valeria gave me… they saved us.
His voice trembled slightly, the weight of his own words sinking in. "I...I saved us."
Lancelot placed a hand on Isla's shoulder. "You holding up?"
Isla nodded, though her eyes kept drifting back to Ari. He… he took them out without a problem at all...
"Yeah," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm fine."
Lancelot followed her gaze, watching Ari flex the mandibles with careful fascination. He's stronger than I expected… and if he keeps this up, he might be the one to take down that monster this winter. Though It might be a long shot
Lancelot closed his eyes. Shaking himself out of the thought, Lancelot crouched near a pale blue flower tucked among the blades of grass. The cool evening dew dampened his fingers the moment he touched it.
"Got it," he said, tugging gently at the roots. "This is the one we need to move on to complete this training."
"Let's head back to the colony," Lancelot said, his voice steady now, the cool wind ruffling his hair. "We can't risk another termite ambush."
"Yeah… you're right. Let's go," Ari added, his armored feet crunching softly against the underbrush.
Isla hesitated, her fingers resting on the edge of a burnt leaf. The surface crumbled slightly under her touch. "What about the others?" she asked. "Shouldn't we try to find them?"
Her voice came out softer the second time.
Lancelot took a slow breath and ran a hand through his hair. His fingers caught on damp strands before he pulled them free. "As much as I want to… the reality is, they're either lost beyond reach… or worse...dead" he said.
Isla's eyes widened. Her shoulders stiffened.
"We're not strong enough to go looking for them through terrains we don't know" he said. "we're still recruits."
He lowered his hand, jaw tightening slightly. "If we head out now, we might share the same fate."
He paused, eyes moving across the shadowed forest. "Worse… we could walk straight into their colony," he said.
His gaze fixed ahead, unfocused for a moment. "Their acid isn't something we can gamble against."
Isla shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her fingers pressed lightly against her arm. "I know…" she said. "But it still feels wrong."
"Whether it feels that way or not, there's nothing we can do," Lancelot said.
"We need to get back. We have to warn the Captain about this," Ari said.
They nodded at each other and moved quickly. Their armored feet struck the forest floor in sharp, uneven steps. Metal clicked and scraped against stone and root. Twigs snapped underfoot as they pushed forward through the trees.
Far beyond the clearing where Ari and Lancelot stood, the forest became a jagged maze of shadows and sudden, sharp noises.
Three ants burst through the dense ferns, their armored feet churning the soil with heavy thuds. Their breath rigged. Out of nowhere behind them in the dark, A glob of caustic, translucent green fluid arched through the canopy, catching one of the ants square between his shoulder blades.
He didn't even have time to trip. The moment the acid touched his exoskeleton, the brown plates bubbled and liquified. A guttural, wet scream ripped from his throat, cutting off abruptly as the chemical heat melted through his spine and lungs.
In seconds, the screaming stopped, replaced by the violent sizzle of organic matter hitting the ground. Where a soldier had stood, there was only a steaming patch of blackened dirt and a faint, scorched smell.
"Gordon!" the second ant shrieked, skidding to a halt. Terror overrode instinct. Instead of running, he reached for the mandibles sheathed at his thigh, the metal rasping against his leg. He spun, blade raised to strike the shadow emerging from the brush.
He never swung.
A pale, thick hand shot out of the gloom. The hand clamped onto the ant's head like a vice, fingers digging into his head. The ant's mandibles clattered harmlessly against the attacker's wrist.
Before he could struggle, a low hum vibrated from the termite's palm. Smoke curled from the ant's eye sockets as the concentrated heat of the termite's acid surged forward. The soldier's body jerked once, twice, and then went limp, his head charring to a featureless cinder before the termite tossed the corpse aside.
The last survivor, a young recruit, scrambled backward, but a thick, thorny vine snagged his heel. He hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from his chest. He looked up, his antennae flat against his head in fear.
The termite stepped over the smoldering remains of the second ant, its shadow swallowing the recruit. It looked down with cold eyes.
"Die."
The ant's final scream was swallowed by the indifferent rustle of the trees.
Back at the colony, Valeria stood near the entrance, arms crossed, her gaze tracking returning squads as they trickled in. She noticed how some celebrated while other collapsed to the ground exhausted.
"Beatrice. Status report. Have all squads cleared the task?" Her voice stayed steady, firm, and controlled.
Beatrice kept her gaze on the distant treeline. "No, Captain," she said. "But if they stayed on their assigned routes, some should be arriving soon."
Valeria gave a small nod. Her antennae twitched once. "Good," she said. "The sooner, the better."
A brief pause followed. Her eyes stayed forward. "We won't be living in peace for much longer," she muttered.
One by one, the squads returned, each carrying their assigned plants. Their movements were stiff and quiet, armor lightly scraping with every step. All of them were alive.
Beatrice's eyes tracked each group as they arrived. Her expression eased slightly as she counted them. Then she paused. Her gaze stopped on a gap in the formation.
"Captain," she said, her voice tightening. "Every other squad arrived unscathed except…" Her words cut off as she spotted Lancelot, Isla, and Ari approaching alone. Their steps were uneven, but they kept moving forward. "…That's all that's left of their troop."
A beat of silence followed. As they got closer, Beatrice stepped forward. Her antennae flicked once, sharper now. Concern crept into her voice. "Where are the other recruits?"
Lancelot shook his head. His mouth stayed set in a flat line, eyes heavy and shadowed with exhaustion. "Over half were killed," he said. "The rest scattered in panic."
A brief pause. "We're all that's left."
Beatrice's eyes widened slightly. "I see…" she said. Her voice faltered for a moment. Her antennae dipped, then steadied again. "I'm so..."
"Don't apologize," Valeria cut in. Her voice was firm, but not unkind. She stepped forward, eyes moving across the group. "This is the reality outside our colony walls. Death follows us. Sometimes it claims us."
A pause. "If you aren't ready to face that truth then you don't belong in the military."
She paused, then tilted her head toward Ari, Lancelot, and Isla. "You three. Come with me." She folded her arms and turned. "Beatrice, keep the others occupied. Move them on to the next stage of training."
"Yes Captain Valeria," Beatrice said.
Inside a command post outside the colony's outskirts, Valeria stood straight, her expression unchanged. "Tell me exactly what happened out there," she said. Her tone was sharp.
Lancelot began, his voice low. "We were attacked by termites," he said. "They fired some kind of toxic substance from their hands… or body. It melted everything in seconds. That's what I saw."
"Termites…" she muttered as she processed the information. "I ordered my soldiers scouted those paths carefully. Termites don't usually wander far from their colonies."
Ari nodded once. "Their colony has to be nearby," he said. "A few days away at most."
Valeria lifted a hand to her chin. A strand of hair shifted across her cheek as she spoke. "I've dealt with termites before," she said. "They're easy to kill, but their acid is lethal. That alone makes it a tedious task. And if even one escaped…"
Her eyes sharpened. "Our colony could be in danger." Her gaze shifted and locked onto Ari. "I will deploy four hundred soldiers to wipe them out. But first, I need to speak with Queen Celeste and the elders."
"Wait," Ari said. "That's reckless. We don't know their exact location or numbers. Charging in blindly will only get hundreds killed."
Valeria raised an eyebrow. Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Is that so…" she said. "Any suggestions then?"
Ari began pacing. His steps were quick but controlled. "Yeah, I do," he said. "It'll be the most effective way to defeat them without major casualties."
He stopped briefly, then continued. "Listen. I'm not clear on their exact colony location, but termites build in wooden terrain, am I right?"
"Go on," Valeria responded.
"A direct assault is practically suicide," Ari said. "We need to surround the colony first. Three hundred ants to form a perimeter, and a hundred to flush them out and eliminate them as they appear."
Isla blinked, her antennae twitching slightly. "Flush them out? How?"
Ari's smirk was faint, almost unreadable. "You'll see soon enough," he said, letting a beat hang before adding, "Just… trust me."
Valeria studied him, her gaze sharp and steady. She didn't speak at first. The silence stretched.
Lancelot shifted his stance slightly, shoulders tightening. What's she thinking…
"Interesting," Valeria said. "You've got guts. And your plan is good." She turned her head slightly toward the group. "Looks like I'm putting my trust in your decisions once again, recruit. Don't let me down. Fill me in on the details later."
She turned briskly and walked away. A brief pause followed.
"…Yes," Ari said under his breath.
"Are you going to join the assault on the termites too, Ari? We're still recruits… it's dangerous. So… will you?" Isla asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Ari glanced at her. "Yeah," he said. "I need to be there. I'm the one who came up with the plan, after all."
"In that case, I'm coming too," Lancelot said. A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. "Can't let you hog all the recognition as the only recruit who gets noticed, now can I?"
Isla hesitated. Her hands tightened briefly at her sides. "I'm coming as well!" she said. Her voice cracked slightly. She lowered her head. "I'm scared… but I won't be left behind."
Ari exhaled softly. His eyes stayed forward on the path ahead. His posture straightened.
Will this work…?
He pushed the thought down. "I wonder how this will play out," he said quietly. "Hopefully my plan actually works."
The next morning, the first light spread over the colony. Captain Valeria stood before the assembled soldiers. Her posture was rigid, her gaze steady as it moved across the formation.
Rows of ants stood in silence. Armor shifted faintly as they adjusted their stance. Footsteps had long stopped only stillness remained. Ari, Lancelot, and Isla stood near the front.
Valeria's voice cut through the air. "Listen well," she said. "Today, our mission is to destroy the termite colony."
A pause. "This operation will be led by Recruit Ari."
A ripple of quiet movement passed through the ranks. subtle shifts, lowered whispers that died quickly. Valeria continued without breaking pace.
"You will follow his orders as if they were mine. Anyone who questions that will answer to me."
Silence returned, heavier this time. Beatrice's eyes narrowed slightly. Her lips pressed into a thin line. "With all due respect, Captain…" she said. "Trusting a recruit with the lives of four hundred ants?"
Valeria didn't hesitate. "He survived what most of his platoon didn't," she said. "And he's the only one thinking three steps ahead."
Her gaze swept across the soldiers. "That is why Queen Celeste allowed him into this colony."
Beatrice looked toward Ari again. Her expression tightened. Trusting a recruit… like this? I've never seen her do that. Who is he? What can he really do?
Lancelot watched Ari as he moved along the formation line, speaking briefly to nearby squads. Ari's steps were steady, controlled, unhurried.
He's different. It's not just strategy… there's something about this Myrmexian. Even the Captain sees it.
Isla followed slightly behind the formation line. Her breathing was shallow, uneven. Her steps dragged faintly against the ground. Her eyes stayed on Ari's back.
He's really going to lead us into battle…
She swallowed. I hope he knows what he's doing.