The rocky mountain rose before them like an immovable colossus, an irregular mass whose cracks exhaled a dense, earthy, acidic smell—a clear sign that the anthill beneath their feet was not just large, but ancient.
Inside, faint vibrations echoed, almost imperceptible, like the dull hum of thousands of legs brushing against narrow tunnels. The air, heavy with humidity and dust, seemed to grow thicker as they approached.
Rylan moved to the front, just as they had agreed. His stance showed no tension, but anyone who knew him even slightly could tell he was fully focused. His fingers brushed the invisible hilts of his swords, ready to materialize at a single thought.
Behind him walked Liora and Jhon. Liora scanned everything around her with sharp eyes, as if every crack in the rock were an equation she needed to solve before something emerged from it. Jhon, for his part, rested his rifle on his shoulder, alert, watching for any sign of movement among the reddish shadows inside.
Emma brought up the rear, her steps slow and steady. They had agreed it was best to conserve their ether and not transform until absolutely necessary.
Adrian had already claimed his reward and left, leaving the group in a tense silence. No one needed to comment; hearing it confirmed aloud gave the situation a different weight.
The initial tunnel was wide, almost spherical, like a stone throat eroded over centuries of constant movement. The walls were polished, marked with parallel grooves that looked like gigantic scratches. With each step, the acidic smell grew stronger.
Rylan moved slowly, hyper-aware of every vibration. When the first shadow flickered at the end of the tunnel, he didn't hesitate. His two swords materialized in a sharp flash of white energy, cutting the air with a clean sound.
The ant, the size of a large dog, shot out from a side opening. Its black mandibles snapped shut with a force that could have torn a human arm effortlessly.
Rylan spun on his heel and, with a simple but precise motion, split the creature in two. Its body hit the ground, expelling a stream of yellowish viscous fluid.
—Not a small scout —Liora said, crouching beside the corpse—. This is an advanced worker. If they're already patrolling these areas, it means they've been sensing outside vibrations for a while.
—Then let's speed up —Jhon said, adjusting his rifle—. The longer we take, the more will come.
Emma nodded silently.
They continued. The tunnel forked every thirty or forty meters, always descending. Liora kept a mental record of the curves, counting steps and measuring inclines. She didn't say it aloud, but she was mapping the anthill roughly in her head.
—They're built in a spiral —she analyzed softly—. If we keep descending this shaft, we should reach the central chamber… or a secondary war zone.
—War zone? —Rylan asked, eyes forward.
—Big queens don't live alone. Sometimes they raise subcolonies for specific tasks: feeding, defending, expanding. If there's a secondary queen, she could be closer to the entrance… or on the move.
Jhon didn't like that idea.
—A moving queen? Wonderful.
The tunnel suddenly narrowed and spiraled downward. Rylan raised a hand, signaling them to slow. The floor vibrated.
It wasn't footsteps. It was hundreds of footsteps.
Before they could react, a group of ants dropped from an upper opening, raining down on them like living hail.
Rylan acted first, cutting down two before they hit the ground.
Jhon raised his rifle and fired three glowing projectiles, piercing two more and pinning them against the wall.
Emma grabbed the first ant to attack her by the fangs and threw it against the wall.
Liora formed a blue bubble around herself just in time: an ant leapt from a blind angle, striking the barrier with such force it left a luminous crack in its surface.
The creature fell stunned. Liora dissolved the bubble and formed another, red and smaller, which she hurled directly at the ant. The impact detonated with a sharp burst, leaving a dark puddle on the floor.
—Its strikes are stronger than expected —she said, catching her breath—. Its chitin density is higher than a standard exam-level monster.
—The professors really outdid themselves this time —Jhon replied.
They continued for several minutes, eliminating small groups of ants attempting to ambush them from side openings. The pattern repeated: first the noise, then the shadows, and finally the frontal or ceiling attack.
Every encounter reinforced an idea in Liora's mind: the ants were not acting purely on instinct. There was coordination. There was strategy.
As they descended a narrower, almost vertical tunnel, Liora shared her theory.
—This isn't a normal anthill. They're being guided. Not by an ordinary queen. The main queen must be extremely intelligent… or have a trait of her own.
Rylan paused for a moment, turning his head slightly.
—A queen with a trait?
—Wouldn't be the first time —Liora replied—, but it would be the most dangerous. If she has one, she could be using scout ants with enhanced sensory abilities, or sending more complex signaling waves.
That would explain why they reorganize so fast.
Jhon muttered.
—Then whoever gets the egg basically beats a trained mini-army and earns a top 3 spot.
—Exactly —Liora affirmed—. The egg is more than a symbol. It's proof you can reach the anthill's core, kill the queen, and survive. The scale of danger is absurd.
That's why Adrian had no business here. His style doesn't work in confined spaces or against multiple small enemies.
Emma listened silently.
—And if there are two queens? —she asked.
Liora didn't rule it out.
—If there are two, one must be expanding. The other would be central. But the exam wouldn't put something impossible. I lean toward a single queen with a trait.
The group advanced toward a large chamber, lit only by the reddish glow of spilled ant fluid from the ones they had killed. The ceiling was so high it disappeared into darkness. Several entrances opened in different directions, complicating the choice.
Liora knelt and examined the floor, observing the footprints, groove directions, and density of remains.
—They're heading east —she determined—. The main flow goes through that tunnel. That's where the center is.
Rylan readied himself to move forward, but Jhon's voice stopped him.
—Not so fast. Doesn't it seem odd that no more ants are appearing?
Emma noticed it too.
—Absolute silence… too much.
Liora nodded. She had noticed it as well. And there was only one explanation.
—They're regrouping —she concluded—. The queen knows we're here.
The silence pressed down on them like a weight.
Rylan, calm as ever, stepped toward the indicated tunnel.
—Then let's move before they finish organizing.
The group resumed their march.
The next stretch was tense, almost suffocating. The walls seemed to close in with every step, as if the anthill itself was breathing around them.
Liora analyzed the vibrations—they were different: deeper, more pronounced.
—The big ones are close —she said.
They didn't take long to find them.
A massive ant, nearly the size of a bull, burst from the ground, breaking the rock with brutal force. Its curved black mandibles could split stone. Its body vibrated in irregular patterns, as if sending signals through the ground.
Rylan stepped forward immediately.
Jhon readied his rifle.
Liora raised a defensive bubble.
Emma ran from the opposite side, ramming it and throwing it off balance, denying it any chance to counterattack.
Jhon rolled to the side, seeking a better angle, and fired precisely where the swords had opened a crack in the chitin, widening the wound.
Liora hurled an explosive bubble at the ant's head, cracking its exoskeleton with a dull blast.
Rylan used the confusion to his advantage, launching off the cave wall and driving his swords deep into the monster's neck, pinning it to the ground.
The creature fell, but its final scream reverberated like a message sent to the others.
Jhon whistled, resting his rifle on his shoulder. —You're smart as hell, aren't you? —he said to Liora, impressed.
—I told you it would work —Liora replied, with a satisfied smile.
—That one was a captain —Liora said, removing her smile—. The queen is using hierarchical units. This confirms my theory. She's not a normal queen. She's thinking, organizing, measuring our strength.
—Then —Rylan said, wiping the yellowish blood from his swords—, she also knows we're coming for her.
—She does —Liora concluded.
The group readied themselves to move forward.
In everyone's mind, the same certainty remained: the worst was yet to come. But they were inside.
They had crossed the invisible line where turning back was impossible.
The path to the queen had just begun.