Preparation is Key

I begin my training to get ready to face the Ant Queen. My aim for this training is to try and get my evolution level and skills levels up as high as I possibly can.

"Right Alicia! When we go to attack where their colony is based, there will always be more than one of the smaller ants together. Whatever they do, they do in a group. The smallest group I have seen is a group of four, so you need to be prepared to face multiple opponents."

If that is true, I need to try and learn an area flame element attack. Maybe like dragons in my old who just continuously let out a stream of fire from their mouths.

"I shall start by bringing one ant of the level you will be facing and slowly increase from there. Then we shall move onto the giant lumbering ants. They don't really work together in groups, so they act independently from each other really. However, although they work independently they may send herds of them at you, so you still have to be prepared to take on more than one."

The size difference will probably be a problem, if they are so big they most likely have quite a lot of vitality. The fact that they didn't instantly die from Mothers attacks points to that as well.

Therefore all attributes need to be focused on in order for me to succeed here.

---

My training then began.

As Mother said she would, she started by bringing one smaller ant to fight me. This ones race was a Warrior Colony Ant. As the names suggests it specialises in combat and strength. It is the main body of the colonies defence and attack.

The massive heard that tried to attack last month were apparently made up of lots of this type.

"Kyuuuu [Fireball]!"

At the moment I am keeping my distance and firing my fireballs. I know that it specialises in close combat with its sharp mandibles and the needle like pointer coming out of the end of its abdomen.

I learned that even one of these ants were tougher than all my opponents up to this point from fighting. As I constantly dodged its rather quick strikes and stabs, I eventually slowed it down with the constant fire damage from my attacks.

I then charged in wrapping myself in fire and strengthened my body with [Body Strengthening].

"Reeeeee!" It screeched as I made contact with it.

As I tackled it, I heard the crunch of its limbs snapping and the rest of its body caving in on itself. It is sent flying and lands some way away from me.

I wait to make sure it is dead, then when I am certain...

"Mother! What do you think?!"

I run over to Mother, who is watching nearby, looking for praise.

"Brilliantly done Alicia." She said with a smile.

I feel a lot of pride swell up within me as I turn and look at my handy work, the dead ant.

"I know right! Watch out Mother! Before long I'll be catching up to you and be destroying armies of these things like you! It'll be BANG! BOOM! Hahaha… huh"

I turn around and look at Mother quickly as I felt a dangerous presence. I squint my eyes at her…

"Mother… you weren't going to dive on me again and s-stroke me again right? I mean you did promise that you wouldn't be constantly doing that didn't you? As it would get in the way of my training."

"O-of course not! H-hahahaa... Tch I don't know how long I can keep my promise…"

I didn't hear what she said at the end there but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, she was pretty suspicious though…

Afterwards, I decided to head down to the plain and fight some weaker monsters coming out of the forest, to get a little bit stronger. Then I headed home with Mother and ate the monsters that I killed and headed off to bed.

The next day, Mother brought back a couple more Warrior Ants, as well as what she called a Worker Ant. These types of ants were the ones in charge of building and expanding the nest for the colony. They were not as strong in combat and the Warrior Ants, but they had more stamina as they built the nest for the majority of the day and had to tunnel through sometimes hard materials to make it.

"Okayyy, there is a new opponent so make sure you are careful when fighting this one!" Mother shouted at me.

"Riiight!" I yelled back.

Throughout the fight the two Warrior Ants tried to work together to try to corner me. However, I could overpower them and managed to keep them at bay. The Worker Ant burrowed around me and tried to sneak up on me while I was preoccupied.

The ants are not to intelligent though and could not fully utilise their teamwork and timing to really put pressure on me.

I used yesterdays practice to try and produce a prolonged fire attack, that does damage to an area. It paid off as I was now able to breathe a continuous stream of fire, that spreads out as it comes out of my mouth.

It does less instant damage then one fireball would, but as it is continuous it does a steady stream of damage, and now was the time to show it off.

I jump back as the three coincidentally attack at the same time. With the Warrior Ants jumping in with there needle like abdomen weapon and the Worker Ant coming up out of the ground to bite me with its mandibles.

I then unleash my [Fire Breath] and it spreads out as it flies towards them burning up the area were they stood. As I stopped breathing the fire, I noticed the two Warrior Ants had died after roasting in the fire for a few seconds.

However, the Worker Ant was nowhere to be seen, it must have crawled back into its hole.

As it thought that, I heard a cracking behind me in the ground.

Just before it crawls out, I jump upwards.

"REEEE!"

The ant comes scrambling out of the ground and tries to attack me, it misses me as I am to far in the air.

"Have THIS!"

As I am on my way down, I let off my attack.

I use [Body Strengthening] on my tail and whack down onto the head of the ant. I put a lot of power into it, and it crushes the head of the ant and sends me upwards yet again.

I land a bit away from where the Worker Ant was and turn to make sure that it is dead. It was no longer moving, and I sensed no threat coming from it.

"KYUUUUU! ANOTHER VICTORY!" I shouted.

Mother once again praised me with a gentle smile, as excitedly bounced around her.

"Hehe, keep it up, it will only get harder from here my dear. Now come, lets have some rest then go find some more enemies to fight down in the plain!"

"Yes, Mother! To the plain!"

And so we both speedily and happily head off to the plain.

---

After a few weeks of fighting an increasing amount of smaller Warrior and Worker Ants, I was now waiting in the plain for Mother to bring my new enemy. The Giant Ant.

After the first couple of times we had to move down to the plain to fight the ants Mother brings, as she couldn't fit the increasing amount of ants she had to bring in her claws. So now she herds them towards me.

After a while I see Mothers Dragon form in the sky.

As she gets closer I prepare myself for a fight. I begin to hear rustling in the forest, this is followed by a dark silhouette crawling out of the forest.

"Aliciaaaaa! Be careful with this one! It is very big and very strong so make sure you avoid its attacks!"

I nodded strongly at Mother, then turned my attention to the approaching Giant Ant that had now spotted me.

I keep my distance at first, firing my [Fireball] attack at it and trying to do as much damage to its legs. Although it was really big, its legs were still quite skinny so I thought I should try and aim for them.

However, after a while of hitting it with the fireballs, it was still standing strong. I am starting to get tired while its movements, while slow, are still going at a consistent pace.

As the Giant Ant was slowly catching up with my pace, I got to trying to think of a way to end this as quickly as possible, then it hit me.

Let's try it….

I gathered some flame magic around me, however I made the fire round my tail sharp and blade like.

"REEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The Giant Ant gave a massive shriek and goes to try and stamp on me.

Just as it was about to connect with me, I pictured it must have looked like I disappeared to a normal person. I applied [Body Strengthening] to my legs, pushed off the ground and flung myself towards its other legs.

I quickly apply the body strengthening to my tail as I quickly approach one of it middle legs, my tail flicks out and lashes at the leg, completely severing it.

I did put too much strength into my attack though as I follow through and sever the back leg as well, then landing and sliding along the floor behind it.

A rather happy mistake, I snigger to myself.

"REEEEEEE REEEEEE!" It gives another shriek, this time in pain.

It slumps to floor and struggles to try and escape. No chance I am letting that happen.

This time I strengthen my body again and jump upwards, because it has fallen down I can now jump higher than it.

I gather the last of my MP in my stomach…

"HAHA ANOTHER NEW MOVE TO FINISH IT.... KYUUUUUUU [Flame Beam]!"

I send a highly concentrated beam of flames down into the body of the Giant Ant.

"RREEEEEeeeeeee!"

It gives one last death shriek, and collapses to the ground.

I could no longer sense any threat from it.

I have won.

….

"KYUUUUUUUU!"

I give my classic victory roar as joy overwhelms me, but...

"KYUUUUUUU… Huh?"

Wait my bodies gone limp! I won't be able to land properly!

…

…

I'm not falling?

"Oops, can't have you falling and getting hurt can we."

Mother, already anticipating that I had used up all my energy had caught me, and that lack of energy soon caught up with me.

"Thanks… Mother… Sorry I'm… Really tired…"

I could feel my eyes closing now I was in Mothers arms.

"Hehe its okay Alicia. You sleep now, you have done very well."

"Hehe… I'll do that… goodnight…"

With that I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

"Haaah so cute, reminds me of the first time I met you Alicia. Right, let's get you home…"

---

The next morning, I woke up.

Mother lets me have the day off and we just spend the day relaxing.

I tried to argue that I could fight again today, and Mother said she could understand my feelings but…

"I totally understand Alicia, but it was a hard battle yesterday. So I want you to fully recover today and then you will be able to go again at full strength tomorrow. It should be easier next time as well, defeating it has made you a bit stronger and now you have a technique to beat the big ones."

I could not argue with her logic. Even with my [Dragon Regeneration] skill, I could still feel yesterdays fight on my body.

"Haaahh, fine I understand"

And so I spent the day mostly being petted and spoilt by Mother, but the next day it was back to work!

For the next few weeks I faced off against all the enemies I had faced before in various combinations until….

---

One month later.

A woman and a small Dragon stand staring at the early morning sky. The woman then turns to the small dragon and smiles sweetly.

"Fufufu, Alicia are you ready?" She says calmly.

The small Dragon puffs out her chest and stands up as tall as she could.

"Yes Mother, let the subjugation of the Ant Queen begin!"

And so it begins.