Chapter 386 Dreaming (1/2)
”Hi-Hi! How's it going Mother? You can glow now? That's cool! Can I glow someday, or is it a Queen thing?”
The Queen didn't have time to spare to turn to the babbling child who had appeared beside her. She was deep in battle with a colossal Garralosh Sp.a.w.n, far taller than she was and the wounds on both sides had piled up. The creature leered with both its jaws as the Queen lowered her body to build the energy in her legs.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
It came again, that rumble that seemed to shake the world itself. There was hunger in it, the Queen could sense it. A vast hunger, appet.i.te without end, and rage also. She had no idea what had driven the old monster to such anger but she cared little.
”Someone sounds upset! I wonder why? Not enough Bioma.s.s maybe? That always annoyed me. The Senior used to stuff Bioma.s.s into my face all the time! Sometimes I wouldn't be able to talk for hours! The Senior really wanted me to grow up strong!” Vibrant nattered.
Somehow, the little soldier managed to dash back and forth as she battled at extreme speed, all whilst she talked at a constant, rapid speed. The Queen felt the faint beginnings of a headache. Distracted, she missed a dodge and a long armed swing from her opponent thundered into her side. Her mana enhanced carapace flared and sparks flew as the claws penetrated the energy and gouged into her side.
”Too slow! Gotta move faster than that, Mother!” Vibrant laughed as she dashed forward.
Before she could twitch an antennae, the smaller ant had appeared by the leg of her foe and latched on with her mandibles. She savaged the leg with all of her strength before she darted away and dodged a sweep of the monster's tail.
She wasn't going to fall for that again!
Seizing the moment, the Queen lunged forward and bulled her way into the face of the ma.s.sive lizard. Knocked off balance the creature roared with both its mouths but the Queen feinted high before she bit low, her mandibles dug deep into the torso.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!
That rumble came again and every monster s.h.i.+vered as the air seemed to vibrate inside their lungs. Such a thing would terrify any normal creature, but the ants were indomitable. The aura released by the Queen pumped them full of energy and filled their hearts with thirst for battle. They continued to rush forward and tear into the enemy, their own wounds and safety a distant thought in their minds.
The battle raged before the eighth wall. The ants threw themselves at the Garralosh sp.a.w.n and the remnants of the horde with reckless abandon and wounds mounted on both sides. Even with the flanking attack of the Shadow Beast pets, their superior teamwork, mage and healers, the ants were sustaining damage. Soldiers, scouts and more had begun to fall in increasing numbers but no backwards steps would be taken.
The Queen fought at the front throughout it all, tireless and without peer on the field, she threw herself into the more powerful Garralosh Sp.a.w.n over and over again. Supported by her children she was able to lay many of them low, but they were many and she was but one. Even she began to flag as her wounds began to mount.
”The Queen's started to struggle up there!” Advant shouted, ”we need to get healers up there immediately!”
”What healers?!” Grant called back, exhausted, ”almost all of them are recharging their glands and cores. We just have to get up there somehow!”
As the Queen battled and struggled, the ant's ferocity rose to a fever pitch. Every time she was injured, it was as if the entire colony flinched before they hit back twice as hard. The core shapers themselves dared to rise out of the pitfalls and fight alongside their pets, mages poured out their mana, holding nothing in reserve. The fight became increasingly b.l.o.o.d.y on both sides.
”She's coming!” the pheromone message smashed into Grant like a truck.
”What?!” she called back.
A scout raced up and down the line of battle as she repeated the same message again.