Chapter 288 Deflec (1/2)

Couldn't keep up eh? The monster kind is supreme, huh? We can faster, further, longer! Morrelia must have been laughing up her sleeve whilst looking down at my stupid, fat face. After we left the Village, giving Morrelia a short period of time to inform her squad and pack her essentials we set off, leaving a concerned looking Enid behind as we journeyed to the north, heading back towards the ravaged lands of the former kingdom of Liria.

My budding att.i.tude as a monster supremacist has been thoroughly crushed by the leather armoured, dark haired woman. With Tiny lumbering at my side and Crinis riding on my back we departed at a run, sprinting away through the trees, clods of dirt flying behind us as we employed our dash skills, drawing on our reserves of stamina.

I'd been so confident!

What a fool.

When we stopped to rest after thirty minutes of solid das.h.i.+ng, Tiny and I both huffing and puffing, pushed to our limits by the physical exertion, I turned to find Morrelia standing behind me, a quizzical frown on her face. She wasn't even sweating!

I'd been so startled to see her, my eyes had almost bugged out my head. I can only give thanks that she can't read my facial expression. Impatient, she'd tapped her gloved finger to her forehead, indicating that she desired a mind bridge in order to communicate.

I sighed and wove the spell, irritated at myself for opening my fat mandibles.

[Why are we stopping?] blunt as always.

[Just ah, sussing our the situation, making sure we don't stumble into any roaming monsters. Not exactly easy to scout whilst running at top speed now is it?] I deflected.

That caused her to raise one eyebrow in query.

[That was your top speed?] she asked.

[Of course not! How could I, the ant known as the Diamond Speedster, have such a low running pace? When I get serious I am naught but a blur! The eyes of mere mortals are not enough to - yes, yes that is as fast as we can dash I'm sorry.]

Pathetic.

Halfway through my empty boasting my façade cracks and I immediately come clean, all resistance shredded by those piercing eyes.

[The Diamond Speedster eh?] her tone is carefully flat, not mocking in anyway, which only makes it worse.

[No. Not at all. The fastest ant in the colony is Vibrant. I'm a distant second] I confess, no longer holding any desire to try and deceive this d.a.m.ned amazon of a soldier.

To my fortune, she gets distracted.

[Vibrant? I didn't realise you had names. Do all of you have names?]

[No, not all of us. I've handed out a few names here and there but certainly not to everyone in the colony. My name's Anthony by the way.]

So grateful am I to be spared any mocking I hand over my name without even considering it, eager to keep the conversation away from my foolishness.

[Anthony?] Morrelia has a puzzled expression on her face, as if not quite believing that she is having this conversation, learning the name of monster in conversation. [I suppose, it's nice to meet you Anthony. I guess I can't call you 'Monster' anymore.]