Re:Ant Lord-Chapter 115: Death Warrant

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Elsewhere the Queen stood alone beside a window of her high castle, gazing toward the desert location. Where stars still flickered faint red, ghost of battle. She reviewed fresh parchments: casualty numbers long as river, lists of missing. Under "Scout-Leader Kai" a red glyph, "This Worker ant is Dead."

Her veil hid expression, but slowly exhaled clouded glass. "A pity," she whispered. "Mia speaks highly of him."

Yet strategy allowed no indulgence. She signed orders, passed a scroll to the steward, "Redeploy Vanguard to the border. Announce the day of mourning for all who died. Add that worked ant name Kai on dead. It will give Mia some relief. She got over attached to him."

Far below, in an empty courtyard, crystal chimes rang in restless wind an echo for souls still wandering dune shadow.

Mia startled awake to cold grey. Her armor lay discarded by the side. Her cheeks were stained by tears. She rose from her bed, touched the mirror. Her eyes were swollen, face of loss. She washed her tears in lavender water, braided hair, and donned a training tunic. If she lay abed, sorrow would drown her; better to drill until muscles forgot grief.

Courtyard stones still damp from night dew. She unleashed a flurry of sword forms called Crescent-Arc, Tide-Breaker, Tear of Dawn. Each cut sharper, faster, until blade edges hissed white. Sweat poured. With every swing she pictured Kai’s goofy grin face and pain became fuel, forging steel inside ribs.

When sun breached towers she halted, chest heaving. She bowed to the east, whispering, "Kai, you must live. Come back to me so that I can scold you." Then she replaced her blade, shoulders squared, and went to greet the day.

None saw tiny droplets of tears fall to flagstones which sparkled amber in dawn.

Back in the desert...

Ten faint glyphs glowed in Kai’s vision, each one a day, stacked like burning dominoes over an invisible hour-glass.

[Quest Timer: 10 days 00 hours 00 min

Target: Captain Darius

Progress: 0 %]

He tightened the ragged sling across his shoulder and slipped from the collapsed Mantira tunnel into night air. A scalding wind barreled across the dunes, flinging skeins of sand that hissed against his exoskeleton like tiny knives.

"Ten days," he muttered. "I only need hours to finish that backstabbing bastard."

Behind him the desert’s battlefront glimmered, fires of the Queen’s battle still dotted the horizon. He turned his back on them and struck north-east toward unclaimed badlands, where rumor said deserters and smugglers vanished among basalt spires.

The egg at his belt, Miryam pulsed a sleepy bronze glow. "Stay calm, little one. Thank you for your help." He patted the pouch. "Your godfather has a rat to catch."

Night OneHour four into the march a rasp echoed between dune ridges. A trio of Luminous Vipers, one star rank serpents with crystal fangs slithered from the sand, eyes glowing like green coals. They were attracted by the scent of star-milk leaking from his pack.

Kai readied on his broken spear shaft, now fitted with an obsidian Mole-talon blade.

He lunged side-step right, impaled the lead viper through its open jaw, (+10 EXP) swung the corpse like a flail, smashing the second aside, then pivoted, driving heel into the skull of the third. A quick bite of Essence Eater, dark ichor, two gulps, granted (+1 stat) each, dull but welcome. The bodies... he buried them beneath loose drift, no time to butcher fangs.

Dawn OneAt yellow sunrise he spotted a rocky bowl dotted with brittle shrubs: perfect ambush pocket. Sure enough, four Iron-Horn Dune Goats (two-star) snorted from behind rocks. Their curved horns glittered like forged steel; each charge hit like a hammer.

Kai duck-rolled under the first, stabbing at hamstring tendons. It collapsed with a bleat (+20 EXP). The other three circled. His Predator Instinct marked the dominant buck; he triggered Tiny Tank, plates hardening, and let the leader ram his chest. Pain thundered, but armor held. Counter-thrust under jaw, twist (+20 EXP). The last two bolted.

He carved the two cores of two-star for later barter and pressed east, following the faint magnetic tug of the Ruler-Roar stigma, an inner compass that seemed to pull him toward richer auras.

Late afternoon Kai reached a sunken crater called the Scar Basin. It was black glass walls gouged by ancient meteorites. There a Quartz-Plated Gorgonax prowled: a brute three-star lizard with mirrored scales. Perfect.

He studied the beast’s patrol loop, then crept to a ridge of stalagmite spikes. When the lizard lumbered beneath, Kai hurled a shard of star-crystal to clang against glass, drawing twin red eyes up. He leapt, dropping full weight, blade first, onto the softer eye-ridge. Roar shook the crater, the creature writhed, but Kai clung, stabbing again and again until it stilled.

He exhaled a victorious laugh, then felt Miryam’s egg vibrate, apparently pleased. He only managed to siphon a sip of essence liquid (+3 stats). He had no time or need to collect the meat.

Yet two minutes later, panting atop the corpse, he frowned. Something itched in his head: "Darius... directionless."

He opened the full Quest pane for the first time since escaping from the five star predator beast.

A second window blinked below the timer:

[TARGET LOCATION: 177 leagues East-North-East.

Note: Signals updated each dawn + dusk.]

Kai’s antennae drooped. "You idiot," he told himself. "Two days wandering blind and the map was right here."

The System’s voice chimed with dry amusement: [Observation: Next time, The host should consider reading instructions.]

"Mock me after Darius is dead," he growled, yanking the spear free. He started to head 177 leagues East-North-East.

Evening TwoThe coordinate arrow painted by the system floated at the edge of his field of vision, tugging him toward a blurred mesa peninsula called the Shatter-Teeth Range.

Night fell yet he ran anyway, Reflex Mode flickering in bursts to dodge scorpion pits. Twice he skewered one-star Dust Scythes for +10 EXP each; once he outran a swarm of Sand Locusts by dousing trails with star-milk droplets that diverted them. freёwebnoѵel.com