73 Special Assignment
With his interest piqued, Zanir asked if there were any areas close by, that he could help out with. As long as the area wasn't too far, he could help them clear out the areas while leaving some of his men at headquarters to watch over the businesses.
Considering the offer, Raul thought about the nearby sites, as the perfect opportunity occurred to him. Explaining the situation to Zanir, he informed him that a small group was going to be sent off, to relieve the Rangers guarding one of the nearby restricted sites.
This particular site was an anthill, populated by aggressive, carnivorous ants. Due to their large numbers and giant size, the entire area was blocked off. A Ranger station had been built, just outside of the fortifications.
From there, a team of Rangers protected the area. Monitoring the anthill, they kept an eye on the activity, making sure that the ants didn't try to overwhelm the blockade. Of course, Zanir was quick to offer his help.
If he was thinking correctly, ants would be quite easy for the system to absorb, since the lower level ants wouldn't have individual personalities. If his hypothesis was correct, he'd only have to worry about the higher tier ants.
He was more than confident that his troops and his friends, along with the Rangers, could handle the guards and the queen ants. Talking with Raul, he confirmed that the team would be setting out later tonight and that the journey would only take two days.
Excusing himself to prepare, he said goodbye to Raul for now. Heading back to his tent, he brought up the system prompt. Spending a few points to reproduce the communication shells, he had senior Lee distribute them to his men.
With a network of communication shells, his men would be able to reach Zanir directly in case of emergencies, as well as reach their fellow workers in the space. The workers were impressed by the new technology, expressing their thanks to Zanir, since it would also make work much easier.
Finally! With all the boring work taken care of, he could let his men run the shops for a few days, enjoying the profits and points rolling in while he enjoyed a few days vacation. Well, technically he could call this a business trip, as he was sourcing new things for the spatial world.
Meeting up with the Ranger team, he arrived at the chosen location, which was actually nearby at one of the bazaar stands. There were a few Rangers he didn't recognize, but he also saw a few familiar faces, like Garth and Jeremy.
Greeting them, he joined the team in line, looking over to see what everyone was waiting for. This particular stand was selling something that he wasn't expecting, it was a food item that had been crafted by one his citizens.
A round circular bread, about the size of a plate, was brought out of an oven. It would be sliced open and some of the inner bread scooped out. While it was still fresh and steaming, a mixture of Fat Hog bacon and Big Horn steak was poured in.
Together with the seasoning and the beans included, it was a bacon and steak chili bread bowl. The chili would soak into the fresh bread and the entire dish was very filling overall. While eating the hearty meal, he was pleased to see what people were doing with the ingredients.
Discussing the assignment, he came to understand that the giant ants had been living inside the hive for a few generations and had always been a problem for the Rangers. They had most of the hive mapped out and had kept a close eye on their population.
Due to their numbers, any dangerous mutations would spread quickly. Regular culling kept the population reduced to standard ants. With a chance to significantly reduce the threat of these giant ants, they prepared to head out.
Heading out of the bazaar, they began the journey towards the restricted anthill. Once they got out the forested area, Zanir was able to bring out his armored carriage. Boarding the carriage together, he now had undead Big Horn cattle, which could pull the carriage without getting fatigued.
Tirelessly, the undead animals pulled the carriage at top speed. Due to the innovative suspension system, they hardly felt anything while the carriage was in motion. One could almost forget that they were in transit, if not for the scenery whizzing by on the window.
While the journey was supposed to take two days, that was calculated at a normal speed. By the time evening had arrived, they were about three-quarters of the way to the anthill. Ahead of schedule, they slowed down at an upcoming clearing.
Making camp for the night was simple, with his help they were able to put together a decent sized wooden cabin. With great visibility and a small stream running through it, the clearing was an ideal space to make camp.
Simple meals under the stars allowed the men to appreciate the freedom they had to adventure. During the meal, however, they received a distress call from the nearby Ranger outpost. Packing everything up in a hurry, they headed out as soon as possible.
Analyzing the message on the way, they found out that the reports indicated that a large number of mutated variants had appeared. Not only was it more than the Ranger outpost was equipped to handle, there was more than one type of variant reported!
This was a big deal, as different variants would never coexist. They had always been naturally inclined to battle each other in the past. From the reports, they had spotted both fire and ice ants. The Rangers on the team discussed what might cause that to happen.
Racing through the night, they arrived at the Ranger outpost. It was a good thing they were already on the way, as it would take more time for reinforcements for headquarters to arrive, and they were about to be overwhelmed.
Rangers with long spears were stabbing giant red and blue ants, as they attempted to swarm up the walls and into the ramparts. It was obvious at a glance, that there were far too many ants and not enough soldiers on the wall.
Seeing help arrive, the exhausted defenders quickly opened the gate, allowing the group into the base. Moving to the ramparts, they grabbed some spears, letting the tired defenders have a well-needed break.
Heading for a section that was about to be overrun, Zanir activated his ghost hand, expanding it as large as it would grow. Then he directed it to start 'eating' the oncoming ants. Due to their hive minds, they were unable to resist the absorption, as he predicted.
[Material analyzed:
Name: Giant Ant
Type: Insect, Mutated (Fire)
Rating: Level 3
Description: These giant ants have recently mutated due to the appearance of a new queen. Taking after her fire lineage these ants have a painful burning bite that can set enemies ablaze.]
[Material analyzed:
Name: Giant Ant
Type: Insect, Mutated (Ice)
Rating: Level 3
Description: These giant ants have recently mutated due to the appearance of a new queen. Taking after her ice lineage these ants have a painful freezing bite that can slow and freeze enemies.]
Chomping ant after ant, the large green dragon swam through the attacking crowd. Moving the dragon through the area, he pushed back the attacking swarm, until they thinned out. Gobbing up the last ant, he turned back to see the stunned Rangers.
No one had expected him to just suck up all the ants like that. Ignoring the shock, he passed out some of the mysterious pink salve to wounded Rangers. After that, he checked the system count and was impressed.
By fending off the attack and saving the Rangers outpost, he'd also capture a number of giant ants. Figuring he'd get the shock over with now, he had his dragon 'spit' out the converted ants. Modification by the system had enhanced them slightly.
When they were captured, it had analyzed their powers and mutations. The more mutated creatures he got, the closer the system would be to understanding what caused them. It would also check their anatomy, looking for any optimizations that could be made.
Bringing out the result, the Rangers were shocked! His ants were slightly smaller than the original, but they also looked like they had thicker armor plating. Moving them around in groups, he noticed that they were faster in comparison.
Ordering them to attack some nearby trees, he tested the bites, as well as their claws. Watching the ants clips and bite trees, slicing through the thick trunks like butter, the Rangers eyes went wide. Where the bites had been used, the effects were much more pronounced.
Charred stumps were reduced to ash where the fire ants bit, while the ice ants had turned the remaining stumps into ice sculptures. Looking over, he couldn't help but grin as he noticed that there were many dead any bodies of both kinds, left behind from the defenders' struggle.
"Gather the bodies with care everyone, we can use them as well!"
Turning the misty dragon black, the nearby Rangers felt a shiver down their spines. Seeing him bring up a few ant ghouls and zombies, they knew that this was a turning point. With the captured and enhanced ants, together with undead ants, it was only a matter of time before they swarmed the ants.
Excited that they would be able to go home soon, the Rangers complied, assisting in bringing all of the corpses over to Zanir. For the remainder of the night, he would create an undead army from their remains.
After the Rangers left him alone, he created a secret unit of shades. For now, he wanted to keep the existence of his final undead creation under wraps. It would serve as a trump card, in case things went wrong.
Sensing the creation of other shades, the original shade came out. Growling at the smaller ants, they bowed down in submission. Since the wolf had been the matriarch of her pack, they naturally recognized her as their queen.
Petting the large shadow wolf, he could feel her proud energy.
"Haha, I won't forgot about you. In fact, it's time to give you a name. How about Cerberus?"
Awoooooo!
Howling in delight, the shade wagged her tail excitedly. Licking his face, he felt a strange cold sensation, but it didn't harm him. While he was laughing, an unexpected system prompt caught his attention.
[Side Mission: Kill the ant queen and allow Cerberus to absorb both her legacies.]
[Reward: Unlock Cerberus bloodline.]
