Ant Nest (3)

Astroth rolled his eyes as he surveyed the entire food stockpile. Despite the putrid food clogging their throat, his grin proved otherwise.

An intense smirk and a mischievous aura hinted at his machinations.

Eli watched from an arm's length away. She twitched, as her head whirred, and she covered her nose tightly with her hand.

Eli glanced at him, stunned at his expression. Even though his appearance carried a connotation, she didn't understand what it meant.

|Is Ash inherently virtuous or evil? What does he want to do with these disgusting foods? Don't tell me his hunger exceeds the limit, and now he wants to eat this shit!|

Astroth, wandering in his thoughts, raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A green, scorching flame pops out, floating over his finger.

Eli received the shock of her life. These green, harmonious flames were nothing but [green fire], dynamic magic yet laborious to invoke.

The flame was calm but fiery. The bright torch was enticing enough to draw one in, but its scorching heat could burn someone to ashes.

This magic is complicated enough for competent mages, yet Astroth learned it himself. In awe and admiration, she stares at Astroth.

Astroth noticed Eli, his shoulder raised with a cocky smile. To begin with, this wasn't his first time using this magic; he had done so before in the forest. Although challenging, it provides the most desirable outcome.

"Let the game begin!" he said, turning to heaps of food, pointing his finger, and releasing his magic.

His magic burns the nearest carcass and spreads to other objects link by link. Within seconds, the blazing flames engulfed the entire storage room.

In the enclosed space, the storage smolders with sweltering sparks. Their eyes converged and shone with the view before them.

Astroth snickers, holding Eli's hand, and leaves the chamber, sprinting down the narrow alley. Before any ant could notice them, they rushed their way.

--

As they drift, they move to the opposite side of the floor.

Huff! Huff!

Both gasps; For some reason, Astroth stopped before the stairway to the upper floor. He turns his neck around, maybe to inspect sideways. He ponders and conjures mana, camouflaging them with magic.

These actions passed over Eli's mind, and she knew nothing about his behavior.

Staring at Astroth with a frown on her face, she was baffled. Her naive brain couldn't discern his devasting plot.

|Why did he burn their food? And now, he is not even escaping. Is he betting with our lives on the line?|

Astroth, on the other hand, was busy watching and waiting for the flames to ignite the entire floor and create what he wanted.

Nothing happened in the chamber for several minutes. Astroth squinted his eyes shut, lost in thought.

|Why is nothing happening? Is it a failure? But there must be at least some kind of reaction .|

His mind was in disorder. If his plan didn't work, he wasted his mana for nothing in these dire moments. He was deliberating his later action since nothing could happen now.

Suddenly, two worker ants descended to the floor and passed through him just as he lost hope. Moments later, they scrambled back up.

A loud echo echoed from the upper floor, rustling and thumping.

Curr! Curr!

Some ants walk past them hurriedly, and within moments, a colossal number of worker ants march through the way.

Their purring vibrates the entire floor. There was a hefty pressure in the atmosphere caused by the mob's demeanor.

Astroth and Eli both felt their breath choked in their throats. They leaned back against the wall, narrowly escaping the march.

Astroth and Eli sweat buckets. Slowly, their palms filled with sweat, watching hundreds of ants moving like an army.

Once they see through Astroth's camouflage, they will be done for. Nothing here could save them from these bloodthirsty ants.

Bewildered, Eli thought he wanted to provoke the ants. Then why is he frightened now?

Ants congregated to subdue the flames and suppress the turmoil Astroth initiated. They poured dirt and trash into the flames. Some even jumped into the flames to extinguish the fire.

Their efforts, however, have fanned the flames, adding fuel to the magical fire.

Boom!

Suddenly, an explosion erupted in the food storage, consuming nearby ants and chambers. Startled, Eli glanced at Astroth in confusion. She was shocked to see his elated expression.

| What? He was anxious moments ago. Now, what does this sudden change signify?

She whispers to him, "What are you planning? At least reveal your plan now. "

Astroth smirks and points his nose high in the sky, "These ants are normal if you remove mana from them and set their sturdy exoskeleton aside."

Eli raised her eyebrows, "Normal? Please elaborate! "

Astroth smiles softly while rubbing his chin, " An animal has only three needs: food, shelter, and the urge to reproduce. Evolution has brought about some advanced luxury needs for intelligent species, but these three are the basic needs.

Likewise, if one targets any of these needs of some animal, it may respond fiercely. The ants are now in the temperament of emergency, trying to extinguish the flames.

They require food for survival and reproduction, so given the appearance of the dungeon, they cannot even leave their shelter for an extended period.

Of course, this was the reaction."

"..."

"Wait! How do you know this is the breeding season?" Eli asks in agitation.

Astroth replies in his boastful tone, "Have you noticed any guard ants yet? It's unusual to not encounter any guard near a storage shed in any castle, indicating they have something more significant to protect.

They Must be in charge of the larvae or Queen, and guards are not allowed to leave their side in any crisis.

That's why I'm worried. Since no other ants than workers came, We may have to face more sturdy ants on the upper floors.

Huu!," he sighed,

"The worker ants are at least out of the picture now. "

Eli was baffled by his ways, for she had never imagined one could demolish a high-security castle by targeting its needs.

She had a bright glint in her eyes as she watched Astroth. Even though they had a strong bond, his intentions were difficult to guess, displaying out-of-the-box ploys periodically.

Astroth felt awkward and scratched his head, pitying Eli since these are the basics of war, and commanders would mostly attack rations first and foremost to bring down a castle.

One must learn these basic strategies to triumph in war.

However, Eli never learned these strategies from anyone since she doesn't have castle responsibilities, so no one told her.

And this world was devoid of any digital technology where children could surf the internet to learn and entertain.

Astroth sighed and sighed; the internet and smartphones were great evolutionary discoveries.