Chapter 18 The world below (1/2)

Spreading out before my very (small) eyes is an impossible vista. A huge underground world of incredible size, the entire floor covered in strange, magical plant life.

Bizarre looking trees and giant mushrooms loom below me, casting deep shadows over a forest floor covered in gra.s.ses and plants similar to the strange crystal flower I saw in the shaft. The entire scene is suffused with the blue light I've seen in the tunnels before, the plants themselves have the creeping veins of light twisting through their forms.

As I watch the entire seen pulses, just like I'd seen in the tunnel walls.

This is insane.

…

Gandalf? What is going here?!

How can an under-ground s.p.a.ce of this scale exist? I can't even see the other side?! The roof looks like its 60 meters high! I didn't expect to see this flouris.h.i.+ng eco system?

This place must be absolutely crawling with monsters!

The thought grips my little ant heart. Somewhere in this ma.s.sive cavern my colony exists, or perhaps they are even further away than this and the scout pa.s.sed through this area on its way higher up!

At any rate, I somehow have to explore this s.p.a.ce.

I can't help but feel depressed. The vista in front of me is exotic and exciting but I can't appreciate it whilst I'm in a position of not knowing the first thing about it! In such a ma.s.sive open s.p.a.ce, what size could the monsters have grown to? How much Bioma.s.s could they pile up in a flouris.h.i.+ng area like this?

I have no idea!

Gah!

Firm your resolve Anthony! You are going to make it! You will conquer this s.p.a.ce and reunite with your colony!

However!

First I will retreat to higher up and get some levels.

Don't look at me like that, this is clearly the sensible choice! I need to raise my level and gain more mutations before I'm prepared to explore this s.p.a.ce. I will conquer the known before I attack the unknown!

Back up we go!

I retreat up the shaft and regroup back in my nest.

I'm feeling pressured by time now. If my suspicions are correct then the 'main' tunnel up here is connected to the cavern I was in earlier, which is now fully occupied by soldiers. They could come down in this direction at any time, so I have to stay safe, a.s.suming that they will.

Once they do come down, I won't have access to the easier XP and Bioma.s.s I can gather from there and will be forced into the open s.p.a.ce below without any further preparation. Taking all this into consideration….

I have to move fast. It has become necessary to throw some of my earlier caution to the wind and make bold moves. Without XP and Bioma.s.s I won't survive if I push deeper into this place and I can't take my time acquiring said XP and Bioma.s.s as I'd like to. Time for this ant to go into battle.

My mind made up I zip back out to the main tunnel and immediately stealth up to the ceiling, antennae waving in the air as I cast my eyes about to spot prey. If I want to maximise my Bioma.s.s gains then I should be sure to target the creatures I haven't been able to consume yet, ensuring I get the bonus point from Gandalf, which means I would need to try and hunt one of the mollusc creatures (ugh), the tail rat and if possible one of the croca-beasts.

I have no idea how the h.e.l.l I would hunt one of those giant crocodiles, they are so much more frightening than everything else around here.

Looking about I notice one of the slug creatures is sliding along on the wall to my left. I don't have two days to sit around starving myself as I obsessively study the creature, I'm going to have to move quickly!

Entering shark mode, I sneak up behind the hideous snail creature, making sure to avoid standing in its slime trail. I keep a constant eye on my surroundings as I do, not wanting get caught out by anything as I'm hunting.

Up close the creature is even less appealing, probably twice my body length they are very sizeable, a long slimy body topped with brightly coloured spines that seem to grow organically from the creatures back. I absolutely won't touch those!