75 Unexpected Growth

Searing pain was the only thing Zanir remembered before passing out. There weren't any wavy dream sequences or flashbacks of his life, he simply woke up with a splitting headache. The entire room felt like it was spinning, as he was assaulted by severe nausea and disorientation.

Despite the sensory overload, he clenched his eyes shut and grit through the pain. Checking his neck, he was relieved to find that he hadn't mutated into a multi-headed monstrosity. With his most pressing concerns alleviated, he was now able to relax.

Shutting his eyes helped block out some of the pain, his men and the Rangers who were watching over him noticed his movement. Calling the medical personnel over, they left the tent to give him some space and allow them to work.

Bringing over some spatial water his guards had provided, he was able to slowly drink some and rehydrate. Giving him a few minutes to recover, the field medics stood nearby in case his condition worsened.

Gradually, the pounding headaches subsided, and he no longer felt the room was spinning. Opening his eyes, he saw a hazy view of the medical tent that had been brought up in the temporary barricades around the anthill.

Finally, after some more water, and a little soup, he was refreshed enough to get out of the bed. While the medics helped him ease up off of the bed, he asked them about what had happened earlier.

"How long was I out for?"

One of the nearby medics responded.

"Only a few hours sir, we're still not exactly sure what happened."

Thanking the medics for their assistance, his guards carried him the rest of the way out. A large crowd had gathered around the infirmary, and they broke out into cheers once they saw that Zanir had pulled through.

Moving over to the nearby barricades, he noticed they were already cordoning off the now vacant anthill. He was sure it wasn't going to be a problem, but he wanted to ask the captains Garth and Jake if he could take it with him. After all, he needed somewhere for his new ants to stay, and what would be better than taking their original home?

Joining the crowd, everyone made their way to the ongoing feast, as they moved together. Seeing the large crowd of people returning, and in such good spirits, they knew that Zanir had survived. Everyone was thanking him and raising their glasses to toast, as he walked by them.

"Hey, you're alive!"

"Come on over, hero!"

Both of the captains called him over to the main table. Walking over to the seat they had reserved for him, he couldn't help but admit that it felt pretty good having everyone congratulate him. Having a sip of a drink to toast everyone, the field medics changed his drink for water.

Nobody could get mad at him, as he was still recovering from the ant queen's final, mysterious attack. Glad to have him back, the celebration really got started, now that everyone was together. For the Rangers, they felt a weight lifted off their shoulders, relieved since they knew that they would be going home soon.

Enjoying the accolades, he spent the evening recovering with spatial water, a warm campfire, and everyone feasting and trading stories. After coming back to full strength, he asked the captains if he could take the anthill with him.

Puzzled, they looked at each other unsure for a moment. Scratching their heads, they were about to reply, when one of the Rangers in the back said something.

'He took the ants, he should get the anthill too!'

Another nearby Ranger quickly supported the idea.

'If we leave it empty, more ants might move in, or something worse!'

Seeing that the Rangers had made valid suggestions, Garth and Jake approved as well. Raising their cups, they toasted again. With the approval that he needed, Zanir moved quickly. Excusing himself, he went over to one of the empty tents that had been set up.

Ordering them to guard the area, he went inside and warped to the spatial world, curious as to what had happened. Once he arrived in the spatial world, he received some system prompts that partially answered some of his questions.

[Cerberus bloodline activated.]

[Host assigned administrator.]

[Activating Cerberus secondary routines.]

Feeling a little heat on his neck, everyone watched as two runic tattoos flew into the air. Shifting into formless blobs, the two spheres rotated around him faster and faster, until they started making him a little dizzy.

Stretching and warping during the rapid rotations, the two oppositely colored white and black spheres began to change shape. Slowing down, they both started taking humanoid shapes. At this point, they looked like two silhouettes dancing around in the air.

Touching the ground as they stopped rotating, each landed on opposite sides of him. He was a bit surprised to see that each of them looked just like him. Thankfully, it seems that the system had altered the Cerberus bloodline to his advantage.

Looking at different versions of himself gave Zanir a strange feeling, but it passed after a moment, as he knew that it was something he'd get used to over time. Though their features were identical, he could clearly feel a difference.

The first one to approach was what he would call the 'bad cop'. Forming from the black sphere, it was a version of himself that was probably subconsciously hidden. Cold, calculating, sometimes you had to be hard enough to survive in a cold murderous world.

Approaching with a confident gait, he gave Zanir a handshake, nodding his head. These manifestations were extensions of himself, so he knew that there wouldn't be any competition. He could count on this version of himself to handle things when plans fell apart, and it really hits the fan.

From the other side, the 'good cop' waited patiently for his turn. Right away, he could tell that this version had plenty of patience and a heart of gold. The kind of nice that's so adorable, you can't even get mad at the guy.

Adjusting the feedback a little bit, he got used to having two clones. He was grateful for the system's assistance in setting up the display. Managing the multiple, simultaneous feedback, it was able to filter the most important information directly to him.

Not wanting to take too long, he warped back to the tent. His guards let him know that the Rangers had come by, but left after they told him he was resting. Bringing out his twin clones only mildly shocked the guards. At this point, they had seen so many incredible things that they were becoming immune.

Heading back to the Rangers, he had to explain that the twins were manifestations, resulting from the ant queens attack. After hearing the explanation, and seeing that each of the three men had the same damaged hand, the initial curiosity died down.

With all of the ants captured, only the anthill remained. Having received prior permission, three green dragons rose up in unison. Placing bets nearby, the guards and Rangers wagered on who would absorb the most.