A smooth yet hairy creature flaps its wings, navigating through a rocky cave as countless eyes watch. No moss shines here; the only light stems from strange ripple patterns decorating the cave's ceiling. As this lone worker bat soars, the sound of its wings echoes around the shivering cave. The bat begins to slow as it rises to the ceiling, perching before a large burrow. Atop its head, the cave's strange ripple pattern flares brightly for but a moment before fading away. In response, a far larger pattern of the same design glows intensely, illuminating a figure in the burrow. The owner of this glow is far larger than the worker, its colossal body and expansive wingspan an indicator of overwhelming might. The worker gazes upon their colony's master, the bat lord Omori, with utmost reverence, their mind going blank for several moments.
Ensnared by the intensifying gaze of its lord, the bat eventually regains its composure. Speaking with a mixture of fear and admiration, the bat speaks, "Ruler of the Night, Bat Lord Omori, it is a pleasure to hang before you." The bat pauses for a moment, only continuing after approval "I have been sent as a messenger from the scouting parties. Earlier today, one squadron reported signs hinting at the existence of the unique monster, Queen Eviction Ant." Nervously gazing at their lord, the bat feels unnerved. He knows full well their leader won't be satisfied with such an incomplete report, but he has no choice, as the others forced him into doing this. Peeking downward, he sees the expression of their leader tense, sending a shiver down this worker's spine.
"An Eviction Ant colony is nothing more than fodder to grow my power. Unless there are other important matters or the colony possesses defiant eviction ants, you are dismissed," booms the annoyed voice of Omori, his every word shaking the worker's very core.
Catching his breath, the worker continues, "Regarding recent events, there is one other oddity. The squadron in charge of monitoring the ancient door for signs of the wolves' challenger claimed it suddenly burst with light. A small lump of flesh formed in the aftermath, but after some hours, it was reported devoured by a berserker moose." A pain shoots through the worker's very being as the pressure from their leader intensifies.
As the worker grows weak and falls, Omori begins once again, "There was an incident involving not only the door, but the potential appearance of a challenger? An existence capable of overthrowing the balance of power, yet news of its existence reaches my chambers only after its death. You imbecile! Leave this place at once and pass on the order to retrieve any remnants of this creature!" booms Omori angrily, clearly infuriated by the choices his underlings have taken. As the worker crawls away to pass on their lord's words, those in the bat colony's cave share a fearful shiver.
Within the cave of entry, there has been an unusual increase in bat activity. This has attracted the attention of various animals, including the wolves within Scrowl's pack. This led to the wolves discovering the existence of the eviction ant colony, and they began searching for the Queen. Amidst this precarious time, one of the bat's search targets was being explored undetected. During its search for powerful beasts to absorb, Calamity had discovered the ants by reading their pheromones. Allured by the chance at devouring a colony of powerful insects, Calamity has been tracking them down. Arriving upon a group of workers, Calamity notices three are larger, comparable to small rats. These larger individuals are called soldier eviction ants. Calamity readies itself to engage these insects. Suddenly, its body froze up, its muscles no longer obeying the monster's will. Within the monsters' brain, a voice not its own spoke, repeatedly issuing an order.
"All my dear workers, focus on gathering foodstuffs and resist evolution until I grant permission," echoed the mysterious voice. Calamity attempted and failed to drown out the voice, as its body began to shrink, and its thoughts began to dull. Unable to do anything but submit to the order resonating from its ant DNA, Calamity is forced to give in.
A creature stamps through the grasslands, causing a rustling sound that captures the attention of a trio of soldier ants. These soldiers pay close attention, preparing for a fight if need be. As the blades of grass part, a lone worker is revealed, one that emits slightly strange pheromones. One of the soldiers identifies it to be lost, so he orders the worker to join the others. Like clockwork, the worker joins and begins gathering foodstuffs under the soldier's watchful gaze. Another soldier lets out a message to discern where this worker came from but instead receives a danger alert. Quickly and calmly, she alerts the lookout and other ants, as the group move to take a defensive position. The soldiers go out front to where the danger was reported to be, while all the workers huddle together behind them. Their eyes, soldier and worker alike, dart around, attempting to spot the reported danger.
Keeping a safe distance from the surrounding grass, the ants position themselves in such a way to force their predator into the open. Creeping from the grass come mighty brown legs, momentarily revealing the field spider's body. The trio of soldiers leak danger pheromones in hopes of reinforcements, reinforcements that are likely not to arrive in time. In their moment of hesitation, the spider strikes, robbing the life of one of the soldiers. Panick ensues as the other soldiers try to back away, searching for any means of counterattack. Collecting herself, the level 3 soldier charges forward, pinning down two of the spider's four front legs. She sharply sends a signal back, resulting in the other soldier charging in and pinning the other's legs down. This makes it hard for the spider to retaliate. These two brave soldiers hold on with all their might, narrowly avoiding the spider's fatal bites. Understanding there to be no other choice, the level 3 orders the workers to attack. Guilt overwhelms her mind as she knows they will all die. As this ordinary soldier glances back guiltily, she is filled with shock at the sight.
For a moment, the soldier couldn't believe her own eyes. One of the soldiers was moving freakishly quickly with an erratic rhythm. Every time its feet fell, its body grew, its exoskeleton cracked. Its body ballooned in size, and grotesque limbs began forming; she could only describe this sight one way. Monstrous. The innocent worker she saw was gone, replaced by a raging monster unlike anything she had ever seen. So preoccupied with the bizarre sight, she nearly forgets to move, only realising the danger she is in, nearly too late. Having regained herself slightly, she throws the spider's legs away and panickily alerts the other soldier. Just in time, both ants jump from the monster's path. The creature slams into the field spider, using its many slashing limbs to create a gruesome blood bath. The level three soldier witnesses the sight, a feeling of existential terror overwhelming their very self, mind and all.
The freakish monster continues tearing apart the spider, instilling terror in the eviction ants. Suddenly, the level 3 soldier's flight or fight instinct activates, causing her to burst with danger and retreat pheromone signals. All the ants receiving the signal begin to flee for the nest. Only a few seconds after starting to run, she turns around, her heart nearly giving in. The monster was staring at her, covered in blood. She knew they couldn't escape. She would die today, her very being accepted the fact. Collecting the scraps of her resolve, she changes course towards the monster. Ready to die, she charges, yet death didn't claim her. The monster had run past, leaving her standing alone. Turning around, she meets another unexpected sight; the monster has seemingly disappeared.
Confused and worried for her squadron, she hastily looks around. She eventually spots the monster, once again in the form of a worker ant. In disbelief, she stumbles forward, her thought of calling the monster back becoming a reality by accident. The strange worker stops mid-motion, turns, and returns to her. It stops just before her, its body fully occupying her sight. Fearfully, she places a leg on its head, expecting some form of violent reaction. Yet nothing came. Steeling herself, she begins pressing down to kill, but the monster provides no resistance. It was as if she were touching a baby, a creature possessing no awareness of its situation. The absence of resistance caused her resolve to waver, allowing her to finally notice the giant presence looming behind her.
The soldier slowly creeps their head around to discover the creature behind this giant pressure. What stands there is a general eviction ant, an insect the size of a large dog. The soldier's heart skips a beat. What she wants to become one day is standing here with her. Lowering its head, the general clamps its mandibles together, producing a chirp as an audible conversation. This general inquires what has gone on here, also telling her to stop the pheromones. Slightly embarrassed, she stops her signals before responding with her own chirps. She explains what has just happened, earning her the impression of being crazed. Giving the soldier a chance, the general asks her to provide proof. Thinking quickly, the soldier chirps at the strange worker, telling it to transform again. Nothing happens. Convinced of the soldier's craziness, the general moves to leave for the other, hopefully sane soldier. Frustrated at not being believed, the soldier's thoughts leak as pheromones once again, commanding the worker to just transform already!
Catching the soldier's pheromones, the general turns to discipline the crazed soldier, but stops at the sight. The small worker's body was cracking apart, growing into something far different. Spider legs erupted from its shell, its legs fused and began morphing. It was growing into something unbelievable, a monster beyond what the general had ever seen. Turning to the soldier, the general questions what is happening.
"What I said is being" smugly began the soldier, before seeing it grow too large and fearfully uttering "true?" The worker has grown larger than even the general. Panick sets in as she hurriedly orders it to shrink. The growth stops instantly; the shell reforms, and the monster becomes a worker ant.
After some time has passed, the general asks the soldier, "Do you have complete control over this… thing?"
"I-I don't know if I have complete control or if anybody can…" nervously responds the soldier. The pair stare at it. The general then tests her theory. Using pheromones gives the worker an order, jump. Nothing happens. Mimicking the signal, the soldier tries. It jumps. They conduct several similar tests, such as walk, sit, and spin. It only does what the soldier commands. Jokingly, she orders a fly, causing it to sprout mothlike wings and fly upward. The tests conclude, and the general stares intensely at the soldier. She doesn't know why it only follows this ant's orders, but it makes her highly important.
"Young soldier, you are to come with me. Order that monster to follow along as well," chirps the general, finishing her order by calling the soldier "Monster Tamer."
A serene lake lay at the end of the cave, hosting a discussion between two powerful creatures.
"An ant colony of approximately thirty thousand?" questions a wolf larger than Omori who bathes in the lake. In response to the question, another smaller wolf, called Vanishing Fur Wost, responds affirmatively. "Thirty thousand, a number tenfold from the last one. Undoubtedly the largest colony since I took command of the pack all those centuries ago," mutters the Divine Wolf Scrowl. Wost begins to voice a supporting opinion when Scrowl seemingly teleports behind Wost. "And what of the clan of Omori? How has that unbearable bat reacted to this situation?" inquisitively questions Scrowl.
"It appears the colony is attempting to locate the Queen, no doubt to allow Omori to reap the benefits. However, their methods are strange, so there may be something else they're also looking for," calmly replied Wost, unfazed by their leader.
Scrowl further questions Wost, "Any clue as to what else they're searching for? Perhaps something else has re-emerged earlier than expected?"
Wost wears a perplexed face before admitting, "We have been unable to uncover anything else," his expression and shaking of the head confirming it is nothing but true. The uncertainty causes Scrowl's mood to be spoiled. Understanding their leader without words, Wost bows briefly before leaving.
With a scrunched expression and baring his teeth, Scrowl thinks, "The unsettling presence I felt the other day. Was it this abnormally large ant colony? Or has some other disaster begun to brew? Not knowing the answer is…" as he crosses the lake to contemplate.
With the threat of an ant colony unlike anything in known history, the cave has undergone a drastic change. Bats fill the air without regard for time; the wolves' training now echoes louder than ever. While ants are often considered weak monsters, the reaction from the dominant creatures of the cave quickly changes this stereotype. Under the orders of their respective leaders, both bat and wolf alike were slaughtering all the ants they came across. This increased aggression was no doubt to lure the queen out, to pave a path towards uprooting this issue. Yet nothing has found the Queen, nor her colony. Slumbering deep beneath the earth, hidden by the dense forests, the ants are moving. Their Queen, one who is far stronger than her predecessors and never leaves the nest, prepares for a meeting. A meeting with a creature born not from herself. She lay in wait for the audience with the monster masquerading as one of her own. This day would forever change the future of not only the ants but the cave at large.