"See that ant?" Liam said, pointing toward an insect with an unusually large, swollen abdomen.
Michael followed Liam's gaze to the ant that stood apart from the rest. While the other ants busily gathered sugar and transported it back to their hive, this particular ant lingered, observing the activity with an air of authority as if it were their commander.
"It's called a Deathguard Ant," Liam continued. "It's one of the hive's bombers. The Queen usually deploys two or three bombers to protect the workers. The queen of this hive, however, has sent only one bomber. What a stingy queen, if you ask me."
[Whispering Arrow].
The arrow of air streaked through the air and struck the Deathguard Ant. The impact triggered a violent explosion, flames and smoke erupting from the ant's body.
"The Deathguard Ants are self-sacrificial. If there's a threat, they leap into the path of danger to shield the workers, buying time for them to escape."
Liam let out a sigh. "However, the Queens of the Bomber hives are known for their vindictive nature. If one of her bombers falls, she'll continue sending more to exact vengeance until either the vengeance is fulfilled or all of her bombers have been destroyed. Which is a good thing for us."
Michael did not understand how any of that could be good.
Michael furrowed his brow, trying to make sense of Liam's plan. "How can that be good? You've just killed a Deathguard Ant, and now we'll have a flood of them swarming in here."
"That's exactly what we want," Liam said, his eyes glinting.
Finally, something snapped in place, and he understood what Liam was after. If the ants' exploding powers could be harnessed, it would certainly be useful against the upcoming attack from the Titan Spawns. But did they have to do this inside a cave? It would have been safer outside.
Michael was not afraid of these exploding ants, not when his [Insect Bane] was active. The problem was… What if they donated the entire cave? [Insect Bane] could not ward off chain explosions.
The flame from the explosion of the previous ant was still burning hot. How strong were those flames?
"How long before…"
A swarm of ants with those bulbous abdomen crawled out of every shadows, surrounding them. They circled the two of them, clicking their mandibles threateningly, though none crossed the threshold of the spell that warded against insects.
Michael leaned closer to Liam. "What's your plan?"
"It's simple, really. I will put them to sleep. That way, they cannot detonate. I won't even need your Mana for this."
Once the ants stopped filling in, Liam spread his hands wide, releasing a spell.
[Sleep].
A wave of green flooded out of him, washing over Michael and the ants, encompassing the entire area. Suddenly, Michael felt a powerful urge to sleep. He managed to keep it at bay, however.
Unlike Michael, who managed to stay awake, the ants began to fall over one after another.
Michael inspected Liam's work with the unconscious and sprawled about them. "That was easier than I expected," Michael mused.
"Don't get too comfortable, Michael. The hard part is yet to come. We must collect the ants. The trick is to handle their abdomen delicately lest they go off."
Michael swallowed a lump in his throat and got to work, being as delicate as he could. As he collected the ants into his basket, sweat beaded on his forehead. He lost himself in the work's rhythm, trying not to think about what would happen if the ant exploded in his hands.
Michael shuddered.
It took them hours to collect all the ants safely. And thank all the gods in the universe that neither had got their hands blown off.
The two of them returned to the village, carrying the hazardous price using the [Flight] skill. Neither wanted to die because of an accidental bump.
***
Back at the village, Michael watched as a group of villagers worked to cut open the abdomens of the ants, extracting two types of sacks: one as large as an eyeball and the other four times smaller. The liquids from these sacks were drained into separate containers.
"Are they going to be alright?" Michael asked Liam in a whisper.
"They'll be fine," Liam said. "They know what they're doing—they have done this before. As long as liquids from those two sacks do not mix, there won't be an explosion."
Interesting, Michael thought. So the explosion is the result of chemical reactions between those two compounds.
Those liquids could be weaponized in so many ways. The possibilities were endless.
"Come, Michael," Liam said, interrupting his thoughts. "We have more duties to attend to. The village needs our help to fortify the defences."
Michael heaved a sigh. There was so much work to be done. He followed Liam to the outskirts of the village, where their next task awaited.
For their second duty of the day, Michael had to allow Liam to draw upon his Mana. The villagers had requested their help in digging two rings of trenches around the perimeter of the village to set up traps for the incoming tide of Titan Spawn.
Michael and Liam set to work, walking in opposite directions along the pre-marked lines, using the [Plough] spell to loosen the compact earth as they moved. The villagers worked in tandem behind them, shovelling the loosened earth into mounds.
The work wasn't complex, but it required incredible focus and more stamina than Michael had. But watching the villagers working hard to defend the village, Michael's own determination grew, and he persevered.
It took them the rest of the day to dig two rings of tranches even when half the villagers were working on the project. Even then, they would have to further work on the trenches the next day to make it deeper. They wanted traps to be deadly, not just an inconvenience for the Titan Spawn.
The remaining villagers were busy building the traps, gathering supplies, and preparing for the battle.
Michael and Liam rested beneath a tree, leaning against its trunk after a good day's work. A goodwife approached with warm tea and bread with cheese, which Michael devoured with gratitude.
"This almost feels like we're preparing for war, doesn't it, Liam?" Michael said, taking a sip of the tea.
Liam gave him a sidelong glance. "What else would you call it?" He said, gesturing to the busy, mud-streaked villagers who were eating, laughing, singing, some were even playing musical instruments… "We are at war against Monsters, do not mistake it for anything else."
The vehement fire and that hatred behind Liam's eyes made Michael's heart twist in pain.