The United Ant's Front (929)

In seconds I had enough fire mana to send spears of bright flame roaring through the air, igniting every bit of fungus that they drew close to. Smoke and fire billowed out immediately, drifting over the wide entrance to the termite mound and sending every one of the blind insects into a frenzy. Then I rush forward, my jaws locking in place as they flood with pure mana. When I'm close enough I spin together a mind bridge and extend it to the large ant zipping through the conflict at warp speeds, latching onto her almost by lucky accident.

[Senior! I had a feeling you might show up-up!]

[If you're talking slowly enough that I can understand you then I imagine you're exhausted. How are you holding out?]

As I draw closer to the melee I can see her troops are flagging, the relentless press of the enemy has been wearing them down. We've arrived just in time.

[We'd be fine if we could run!] Vibrant's indignation at being denied the freedom to move is total. [Those lizard-gizards won't let us leave!]

[Of course not, they want all of you to be trapped and die.]

[That's terrible!] she gasps over the mental connection.

Even while running I slap myself between my eyes with one antennae.

[What did you think they wanted with you? To go for a friendly jog? They want the termites to rip out your souls and feast on your Biomass! We need to break their concentration or force them to retreat and then we need to get the heck out of here!]

[We aren't going to invade the nest?] she sounds disappointed.

[Of course we aren't going to invade the damned… no. That isn't going to happen. I'll be happy if we can you are your group out alive.]

[Thanks Senior!]

Despite all of the idiocy that led to this point, I can feel just how heartfelt her gratitude is, and underneath that, her desperate concern for those who had chosen to follow her. No more time for discussion, as I hit the melee, I force my way to the front and unleash a Doom Chomp, shattering the bugs in front of me before I hurl concussive blasts of fire down the tunnel. As I arrive, so too does Tiny, the giant ape crashing into the encroaching hordes of termites with fire in his eyes and a broad grin on his face. Lightning crackles and fists of pure, blinding energy erupt in rapid succession as he deploys his patented ape boxing to devastating effect.

Invidia's arrival is explosive, to say the least. Detonations rock the face of the mountain, even reaching out to threaten the kaarmodo in their vantage point, however a powerful shield wavers in front of them and my green eyed friends, efforts are repelled.

[Give them the eye-beam,] I command him. [You have my permission!]

It'll take a little while for him to charge it up, but I'm sure he'll be ready to unleash hell at roughly the same time I will. I flick my attention inward to check on the progress of my sub-minds and come out pleased. Compressing a gravity-bomb is no small feat, especially at the levels of density I can achieve now. Comparing it to how I was after my second evolution is like comparing a match to a bonfire. I'll have to step in with my main brain soon, but for now I can leave it to the constructs.

Wave after wave of termites continues to pour out from the heart of the nest, but I fear that they are only just getting started. There are likely to be far more termites in the nest than this, millions even, but they could be anywhere, high up in the mountain, or down deep underground, tending to yet more fungus gardens. In fact, those who were chasing behind us are now starting to arrive and if enough of them turn up, Vibrant and her group are going to get surrounded. Which isn't ideal.

Chomp! Chomp!

I lash out at the enemy before me, dipping dangerously into my stamina in order to relieve the pressure on the other ants as much as possible and give them time to recover. They're going to need their energy in the sprint out of here.

It's almost with relief that I see a wave of dark tentacles emerge from all sides of the tunnel entrance, sprouting from the perfect darkness with each and lashing out at the nearest termite they can find. As the dark limbs covered in barbs wind around their victims, I turn away and focus on the greater threat above me, the kaarmodo.

I mean, it is important that I deal with these guys in order for us to escape, but I also really don't want to see what Crinis does to the termites. I almost pity them.

But not enough to tell her to stop.

Determined to give these giant lizards and their slaves a piece of my mind, I turn and run back, creating some distance but soon enough I slam into a barrier placed before me. The impact is sharp, but not enough to damage me and I shake it off quickly and look up to see the shimmering barrier that they've erected. Now that my pets and I are inside, they don't want us to leave, eh? I thought as much would happen when we rushed down here.

I rear back and begin to repeatedly charge into the barrier, smashing my hardened carapace into it with all the strength I can muster, only resting to unleash my most potent chomps upon it.

It's a futile effort, obviously, I can't break down a barrier created by five kaarmodo and their dozens of attendants, but what I can do is keep them reinforcing it, trading my energy and stamina for their mana and mental reserves whilst something else is built within me.

Switching my focus internally, my main mind takes over the handling of the gravity bomb, leaving my body in the hands of a sub-mind whilst I marshal the rest of the constructs to assist in the formation of this, the most potent bomb I've ever formed. The dark energy roils within me, a growing sphere of malevolent force, already emanating with its irresistible pull. The spell has grown so dark now it's practically black, a perfect well of darkness that I continue to feed with gravity mana as I press and squeeze with every ounce of my will, struggling to keep it contained.

At this point, it's as if the spell takes over, the flow of mana from my gravitational gland increasing from a steady flow to an outpour that threatens to outpace my minds as the greedy ball sucks in everything it can whilst my minds combine to hold it desperately together. What the heck is this!? Does the spell have a mind of its own!

[Invidia! Now!]

Immediately the little demon glares upward and unleashes a bright beam of green light that blasts toward the kaarmodo and shatters against their shield, the lizards looking on impassively as they maintain their protection. Let's see how they feel about this.

Eager to relieve myself of this dangerous magic, I go to cast the spell and am stunned when I find it resist me, as if the magic doesn't want to move. It's so damn heavy, as it sits inside me and continues to drink my gravitational mana.

Oh no you don't!

With a heave I force the spell out and launch it towards the kaarmodo and at that moment something truly awful was born.

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWLLL!!!!!!