Queen Flórida on the Hunt
"Come, Mr. Joe, and please bring Queen Flórida with you!"
The craftsman was cheerful and excited to see Queen Flórida in full for the first time.
"Mr. Joe, I need to make a few adjustments to this little armor. Can you let Flórida know I don't mean to hurt her?"
"You can leave it to me. I know you're also afraid she might bite you."
"Did you know that the bite force of a normal ant is up to 400x its strength? So, how strong would this queen's bite be?"
Young Joe was astonished; he had no idea about this fact.
After the craftsman made his adjustments, the armor was perfect, fitting Flórida as though it had been tailored for her. It gave her a commanding presence, even with her small stature.
The armor was red, segmented to ensure it wouldn't hinder Flórida's movement. The final touch was a helmet that left only the bare minimum exposed, with openings for her antennae and eyes, and a movable lower part so Flórida could use her powerful mandibles.
To complete her look, she wielded the *lance-lasso*, which might appear harmless but was, in fact, a formidable secret weapon.
As craftsman Benki gathered his tools, ready to leave, Joe remembered his archer ants and the 50 new ants that had received their status screens. Opening the case, he revealed them to Benki, who was thrilled.
"They're much smaller than Flórida, but I believe they're equally fierce."
"Mr. Benki, do you happen to have any tiny weapons for these mini-archers?"
The craftsman pondered briefly before responding, "I do have some miniature bows stored away, but they're not high quality. If you'd like, I can fetch them."
Moments later, Benki returned with 15 tiny bows and arrows.
Joe took one bow in hand and examined it closely:
⬆️ *on* 🏹 📱🔍 [...'..'...'....'...'....'...'...'...'...'...]
*[Adversity Detection Skill: Low-quality mini bow. Likely to break after 10 shots.]*
"May I have an arrow, Mr. Benki?"
"Of course, young sir. Here you go."
⬆️ *on* 🏹 📱🔍 [...'..'...'....'...'....'...'...'...'...]
*[Adversity Detection Skill: Fragile mini arrow. Likely to break after a second use.]*
"Mr. Joe, I know this equipment isn't to your liking, but I never imagined it would be used seriously. Once we gather the materials I need, rest assured I'll craft the best equipment possible."
"Thank you, Mr. Benki. For now, just let me know the cost of these."
"Young man, how could I charge for something so close to useless?"
"At least accept this sweet bread as a token of thanks."
"Oh! How did you know I love sweet bread?"
"It was just a lucky guess, Mr. Benki. Pure coincidence."
Joe then tried a skill:
"Per Joe! Enable screen creation with intelligence attribute."
⬆️ on 🖼️ Screen Creation Level 2 🔗 Connection 0.50% + ⬆️ on 🧠 Intelligence Level 2.65 = 5.15.
[At this level, you can open status screens for inanimate objects, such as bows and arrows. However, you have no XP.]
At that moment, as if she had heard him, Flórida, through her helmet, spoke to Joe:
>"I *have* XP!"<
And she truly did, along with the ability to conceal it from detection.
👑🐜 *Level 2* /📏 *20 cm* /⚖️ *50 grams* /🦾 *4 kilograms* / 🐜💨 *1 km/h, or 277.8 mm/s*.
🤎 *10.8* /⭐ *6.6 XP/hour = 12 hours = 79.2 XP.* 😊
"Let's act now. Maximize these bows and arrows as much as possible, Per Joe!"
⬆️ *on* 🖼️ *Screen Creation Level 2* 🔗 *Connection 0.50%* + ⬆️ *on* 🧠 *Intelligence Level 2.65 = 5.15*.
*[Creating screens for a set of 12 mini bows and 100 low-quality arrows = 12 XP + Level 1 = 24 XP + Level 2 = 36 XP + Level 3 = 48 XP + Level 4 = 60 XP + Level 5 = 72 XP / Maximum allowed level.]*
Handing the upgraded bows and arrows to Benki, Joe asked,
"How's the quality now, Mr. Benki?"
Still chewing on the sweet bread, the craftsman examined them. After swallowing a hefty bite, he replied:
"Mr. Joe, what did you do? These are of exceptional quality! Even I would struggle to surpass them."
"It's a small secret of mine. But if you could, craft the rest like this. I'll pay well for all of them."
Finally, they set off toward the Sea Forest, retracing the path of Joe's earlier tunnel excavations.
They passed near one site and traveled an additional 5 km, reaching a dense forest that loomed ominously in the distance. In some areas, sunlight barely penetrated through the thick foliage.
Benki didn't enter immediately. Instead, he circled the perimeter until he found a less dense area with better light. He turned to Joe and cautioned, "This is where we'll enter, Mr. Joe. But stay alert at all times."
Joe, ever cautious, nodded and signaled to the ants that followed at a moderate distance. Queen Flórida, however, remained perched on his shoulder, her senses sharp and unwavering.
Little Joe, always cautious, nodded and signaled to the ants accompanying him from a moderate distance.
Little Joe, ever alert, signaled to the archer ants that followed him at a safe distance. Queen Florida, however, remained still on his shoulder, her senses on high alert. As soon as something unusual appeared, she would not hesitate to attack to protect her master.
It didn't take long for the Queen to detect an animal the size of a chicken, but infinitely more dangerous. Without waiting for a command, she quickly descended from Joe's shoulder and charged toward the enemy. Her speed was astonishing, and her determination made it clear that this fight would be quick and brutal.
"Florida, be careful!" shouted Benki, the dwarf craftsman, clearly worried as he saw Florida advancing in such a manner. He wanted to warn her of the danger she faced, but it was too late; she had already taken the initiative.
Then Florida showed why ants of the *Mortallis* family were so dangerous and needed no warnings. She was already prepared to face the "sleep-arrow piglet" (or sleep piglet, for the more familiar), a highly dangerous creature with a broad covering of tiny spines that, when hitting their enemies, would make them fall asleep immediately.
The reason it was considered such a serious threat was that these animals never traveled alone and were extremely carnivorous, devouring any other species.
The fight between the small animal and Florida was something neither the dwarf craftsman nor little Joe could predict the outcome of. The small creature, with its shell covered in venomous spines, launched an attack of sharp projectiles.
Some of the spines penetrated the joints of Florida's armor. After all, even though she was protected by the armor, she was still an ant, while her opponent had a formidable defense. But Florida simply ignored the pain of the punctures, ripped out the larger spines with her mandibles, and kept moving forward.
The clash was brief. Florida leaped onto the piglet, sinking her powerful mandibles into its neck. Even with its spiny shell and paralyzing venom, Queen Florida remained unfazed.
As quickly as it started, the fight ended. Florida, now on top of her adversary, was covered in small, thin spines that she simply ignored.
Victorious, she held the small spiny creature by the neck with her powerful mandibles. Lifting the defeated piglet, she presented it to Joe as a trophy.
Meanwhile, the dwarf craftsman still thought she might collapse at any moment from the sheer number of spines her body had received.
What he didn't know was that one of the *Mortallis* ants' greatest traits was their resistance to most poisons. Being an enhanced ant, Queen Florida's resilience was absurdly beyond normal.
"Impressive..." murmured Benki, in awe. "This queen is truly special."