Evolution begins with an ant colony

Chapter 29: • Humans! how dare they

"Hey, Leona," Akun inquired curiously, "I noticed that I’m not seeing some of the evolved male ants around. Where did they go?"

Leona’s face lit up with a smile as she shared, "You see, they’re off on a little adventure to collect food for the anthill. It’s an important job to make sure everyone has enough to eat and stay full of energy."

Akun raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Leona’s response. "Isn’t most of the work in an ant colony handled by the females? Why send the males out for this task?" he asked.

Leona replied with a warm smile, "The female ants still handle most of the actual gathering, but I don’t want the male ants to become lazy or feel less capable, boss. They should all be more like you, a true leader."

Akun pondered to himself as he observed the male ants around him. "Except for Ember and I, all their stats are downright cringe-worthy," he thought with a hint of amusement. "The only thing they all seem to have in common is their good looks." He chuckled softly at the thought.

He saw some promise in his fellow male ants, you know? Their fighting skills might not be as flashy as the females’, but they could be real assets in other ways for the anthill. "I’m thinking, down the line, we could set them up to gather info and create like a scouting crew," he thought out loud.

Of course, Akun was also aware that they’d need to amp up their abilities a bit for those jobs to work out.

"Leona, can you tell me where they went? I want to go check on them," Akun said, his curiosity piqued.

Leona nodded and replied, "They’re near the edge of the forest."

"Alright, I’ll go check them, you can stay here" Akun said, as he then began to walk up the wall.

Meanwhile at the edge of the god forsaken forest, six of the male evolved ants, Liam, Oliver, Jake, Ethan, Max, and Leo, stood, pouting and discussing their newfound responsibilities.

Liam crossed his arms, "This is so unfair! Ever since we evolved, the females have been making us do all the work."

Oliver chimed in, "Yeah, seriously! We used to have it easy, and now they treat us like worker bees."

Jake added, "I thought evolving was supposed to make things better for us, not worse."

Ethan nodded, "Exactly. We should be out having fun, not working all the time."

Max gave a playful smirk, "I miss the good old days when the ladies would do all the heavy lifting."

Leo, always the thoughtful one, observed the conversation with his usual contemplative expression.

So, little did they know, a bunch of adventurers were low-key watching the guy ants chat it up. Their faces were all like, "Huh? What’s going on here?" but you could tell they were also kinda curious about it.

Darius, the leader, furrowed his brow and whispered to the others, "What are those creatures? They look so much like humans, but something feels off about them."

Lyra unleashed a torrent of flames towards the evolved monster ants, the spell erupting from her hands with dazzling brilliance. However, as she had warned, the attack seemed weaker than usual, as if the forest itself was sapping her power.

As the battle unfolded in the distance, a sudden burst of bright light caught Akun’s attention. The explosion was so powerful that even from afar, he could see the fiery glow illuminating the canopy of the god forsaken forest. Without hesitation, Akun tapped into his aspect power, feeling the energy surge through him, and he lifted himself off the ground.

Akun soared through the air, his speed increasing as he propelled himself toward the source of the explosion.

As Akun watched the distant explosion, his mind raced with thoughts and speculations about its source.

"Who could have caused such a powerful explosion?" he wondered to himself, his eyes narrowing in thought. "The Kingins? No, their expertise lies in dark magic, and this looked more like a mage’s work."

He mentally dismissed the possibility of the Kingins being responsible, knowing that their capabilities didn’t match the scale of the explosion.

"The orcs? Impossible," he thought, recalling their amicable relationship. "Well, I did fight one of their guards, but it was his fault and they owe me! They wouldn’t attack us without reason."

As he continued to ponder, the idea of goblins came to mind. They were known to be mischievous and sometimes aggressive, but their attacks were usually uncoordinated and lacked the finesse displayed in the explosion.

"Goblins? Unlikely," Akun concluded. "They’re cunning, but not that organized, and they typically don’t possess the power for such a destructive spell."

He furrowed his brow, his mind searching for other possibilities. However, none seemed to fit the bill. The forest was full of diverse creatures and factions, but the scale and precision of the explosion didn’t align with any known inhabitants.

Akun’s heart pounded with a mix of anger and concern as he soared closer to the source of the explosion. When he finally arrived, his eyes widened in shock and frustration. He saw a group of human adventurers attacking his ant comrades.

"What the... what is going on?" Akun muttered, clenching his fists in fury.

The evolved male ants were clearly in pain from the earlier explosion, but they were fighting back with determination. Their faces were etched with grit and defiance as they defended themselves against the unexpected assault.

Akun’s emotions surged as he watched his ant friends bravely holding their ground. He couldn’t understand why these adventurers would attack peaceful creatures like them. A mixture of disbelief and rage surged through him.

"Humans? how dare they?" Akun seethed inwardly, his mind racing with anger.

Akun’s presence caused a momentary pause in the chaos of the battle. The adventurers turned their attention towards him, taken aback by his sudden arrival and the intensity in his eyes.

His purple eyes glowed brightly with a mix of fury and determination, a reflection of the power surging within him. The evolved male ants, though still in pain, looked up at their boss with gratitude and relief, knowing they now had someone to protect them.

"I hope you humans have a very good explanation for your attack on my comrades," Akun’s voice rang out, firm and commanding.

"If not, this place shall become your graves."