Master Of None

As Su slammed in to the massive ant covered in glowing green mushrooms, the flames leaped from her and covered the ant. It didn’t even seem to react though, instead, it whipped it head around to slam in to her shield and actually managed to push her back a little. Something that most monsters would struggle to do with how tough her defenses were.

Midnight and Remey grabbed those struggling to move while Gil pushed the insane looking researcher and guards who could move toward the entrance they had come in. None of them seemed to be willing to argue with how Walker had just announced their entrance. They felt his anger and knew that there was nothing they could say or do to make it right at this moment.

Walker had also noticed that there was more sound coming from deeper. However deep the ancient earth mages had made this sealed apce didn’t matter, but it did bring forth the question of how many of these ants were here.

’Pillager ant

This ant is a descendant of the rampaging ant, or otherwise known as the gluttonous ants. A colony of these ants can consume a forest and keep eating more and more to grow their colony rapidly. They will even swarm larger prey despite having hundreds of their numbers consumed or killed. They are a brutal species that does not care for their own or the surroundings. They care only to consume and multiply.

Their colonies were often eaten by massive ancient monsters entirely to prevent them from growing and also as a source of nutrition.

They have been trapped in multiple sealed locations for many years attempting to remain within a dormant state. Almost every colony has entirely perished and the few that are not can no longer reproduce meaning they will be an extinct species and blood line within the next couple of months.

This pillager ant is only still moving because it is entirely possessed by a unique species of mushroom grown and evolved out of the isolation and need for sustenance within the sealed space over many years. It does not have a will of its own other than multiplying…’

’Possessive Mushroom

This mushroom used to be known as the green glow mushroom, however, over the years it began to perish due to being in isolation without the necessary nutrients that it fed on, the waste of ant colonies. Due to this, it began to find refuge within the bodies of the ants around it slowly allowing it to feed on the ants while they lived. For a short while it was a perfect symbiosis allowing the ants to survive longer in a dormant state.

They produce a toxic fume of spores and gases that paralyze others allowing the spores to safely grow within the bodies of those who are infected.

As time moved on, the mushrooms began to need nutrients that the ants could not provide even after consuming one another, due to this, they began to absorb the nervous system of the ants and take control of their bodies entirely.

With this control they are able to utilize the basic instincts of the ants forcing them to go dormant and slowly maintain their basic functions similar to a being on the border if being alive or dead. They are functionally an undead body controlled by the mushroom.

This has a high potential to be transmitted to other living beings and could be seen as a worse scourge on the world than the ants originally sealed by…’

Walker increased the flames using his magic while Su split her twin shields and started smashing the weakened carapace of the ant. The mushrooms on the outside of its body were burning along with most of the spores in the air. The party could resist it but they had to ensure that they burned everything up. Purified every single bit of threat in this sealed space.

Outside, Alice had already found the threat and begun seeing a louder more powerful purifying song. The light all around radiated over those already injured and dragged outside, but even more so the immediate area that might have a single spore.

While she had seen many similar cases of infectious parasites, the possessive mushroom gave her a gut feeling of dread. Something she would not be able to heal someone from if she let it go too far.

If ending its threat meant using all her mana and passing out in the wilderness without protection, then so be it. That was a price she was willing to pay. She would always give her all to make sure that no one was harmed or perished under her care.

”Do not worry, I am here to protect you. You are family and I will support your full effort in your song. Purify this danger while our family works to halt it elsewhere.” Onyx took his full sized form, the shadows grew while the light also glimmered brighter.

Various younger serpents darted from the shadows starting to target a few monsters attracted by the usage of mana and promise of potential prey. Onyx was never alone now. He was a patriarch of his own people. They followed him and he supported them by showing them the paths they could carve for themselves. Why would they not heed his call when he himself was traveling an unexplored path through the wilderness?

”Remey, use that defense breaking fist and bring flames to the insides of their body. They are mostly hollow on the inside from years of being puppets in a dormant state.” A vicious grin showed on Remey’s face and she followed her brawler’s desires and began to crush the defenses of every ant that crawled out of the depths.

Some were missing limbs which had been consumed while they tried to survive the many years of being sealed. It was clear that this had once been a nest of thousands before the earth mages encompassed it in dense earth they couldn’t escape from.

Killing off every ant in this nest would have been an impossible task back in ancient times. Now though, the ants had cannibalized themselves and been taken over by a parasitic mushroom. They were weak and nothing like their ancient counterparts. Meaning that the hundreds left behind were just scraps to be taken out and purified by the flames Walker was enhancing.

Turning toward the lower floor, Gil fired another set of fire arrows. They exploded in brilliant orange showing off the craftsmanship and care taken to create them. He hadn’t stopped firing arrows since he had plenty in stock. Perfect for a swarm like this.

”Su, a little help making a path for us to head to the bottom? I want to drop a few more powerful arrows on their base.” Su charged forward still wreathed in the flames of Walker’s skill. She easily flowed through the ants laying ahead and opening the exact path Gil wanted.

The roaring boom of flames as he released a high class and somewhat unstable pure flame arrow showed the gnarled and damaged bodies. Plenty of glowing green mushrooms, some larger than others all surrounding a pile of what could only have once been the queen of their colony.

They were consuming it, or whatever had been left after it died. Their furious hunger was just proof that they no longer felt anything. The instincts an ant would have to protect the queen of their colony were gone. All that was left was to eat and fight. Feed the mushrooms and grow. Pass on more of the spores to the net prey the mushroom needed.

It was an endless cycle that would have kept going until the potential for survival was entirely gone in this sealed space. A tragic way to perish for a species of ancient monster that had ravaged the entirety of this continent when they existed.

Now, the earth mages in their next life might have a sense of one of their greatest enemies finally being defeated. If they could rest easy while Walker and the others ended this threat, then that would be a good thing.

Walker looked down at the disgusting mass of ants and moved toward Gil, Gil had a more powerful arrow already prepared, but with Walker channeling pure fire mana in to it enhanced by natural mana, the arrow head showed clear cracks. ”Fire this and get back behind Su.”

The shrieking of the arrow degrading as it was released and the blinding flash of intense heat was all they felt before Su took a stance to defend them. Remey seemed to be in the heat for a moment before she looked away toward the ashy bodies falling to pieces. Even the air felt like it had been burned up here. Exactly what was necessary for this place to be purified.

…..

….

….

Please say no to piracy! Don’t take part in crime! Don’t patronize thieves!

Drop those golden tickets!