The Earth Dragon loomed over me, her eyes narrowing as she processed my question. "The central area?" she rumbled, the ground trembling with her voice. "You're braver—or more foolish—than I thought, human. You want to head into a death trap?"
"Not want," I said, leaning casually against my spear. "But if I have to, I'd prefer knowing what's waiting for me. Details, scales-for-brains. Spill."
Her growl sent vibrations up my spine, but I'd spent enough time around her to know she wasn't going to squash me...yet. She sighed, long and deep, as if I was more trouble than I was worth. Probably not wrong.
"The central area is unlike the rest of this cursed forest," she began, her voice taking on a grimmer tone. "It's not ruled by scattered overlords or warring factions. There's only one dominant force there: the Blazing Fire Ants."
"Ants?" I echoed, raising a brow. "Sounds underwhelming."
Her glare could've melted steel. "These aren't your petty garden pests, mortal. The Fire Ants' queen is a master-ranked creature—easily on par with the strongest beings you've faced. She commands legions of rankers. Thousands upon thousands of them. You step into their territory uninvited, and you'll be overrun faster than you can blink."
"Thousands, huh?" I muttered, filing that information away. "Guess I won't be strolling in and offering cookies."
The Earth Dragon didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, she continued, "Even I avoided the central area when I was younger. Back then, I was an infant—a hatchling compared to what I am now. Facing the Fire Ant Queen at that time would've been suicide."
"Sounds like you're still scared," I teased, smirking.
Her eyes flared with molten fury, and I took a casual step back. "Scared? No. Smart? Yes. Even now, the losses would be...inconvenient."
I rolled my eyes. Dragons and their egos. "Alright, fair point. But I'm thinking—what if we didn't fight them? What if we, I don't know, allied with them?"
Both the Earth Dragon and Zainab, perched nearby, froze.
"Ally...with ants?" Zainab's primary head spat the words like they tasted bitter. Her other heads muttered amongst themselves, one calling me insane, another hissing something about betrayal.
"Yeah, ants," I said, folding my arms. "Think about it. Being allied with a master-ranked creature increases our survival odds. And having an army of thousands at our disposal? That's a tactical goldmine. They can scout, gather intel, even act as distractions if we need them to. Remember the ambush with those dozen master-ranked abominations? That wouldn't have happened if we had eyes everywhere."
The dragon rumbled thoughtfully, and Zainab's heads quieted down, though their expressions made it clear they weren't convinced.
"And the queen," I continued, my tone sharpening, "if she's as maternal as you say—sees her ants as her children—then she'd have a vested interest in taking out the abominations. If those things are killing her kids, she'll want revenge. We're offering her the chance to strike back."
The dragon's massive tail swept the ground, sending leaves and dirt scattering. "You're not wrong," she admitted grudgingly. "But convincing her won't be easy. She's no fool."
I shrugged. "It's worth the risk."
"Your arrogance will be the death of you," she muttered, though there was a flicker of amusement in her tone.
She didn't need to know my ulterior motive. If the ants had a planet shard—or if there was one near the central area—I wanted it. But no need to share that tidbit yet.
The next morning, we set out. The dragon and Zainab both used their polymorph skills, shrinking down to a manageable size of ten meters. Still massive, but at least they weren't towering beacons screaming come eat us.
"Feels weird being this small," Zainab grumbled, her heads arguing amongst themselves about how humiliating it was.
"Focus," I said, gesturing for Nibbles to take point. The little squirrel darted ahead, his tail flicking as he signaled the all-clear.
Traveling through the forest was slow and deliberate. The dragon didn't dare take flight; we'd be spotted instantly. Instead, we crept through the undergrowth, avoiding unnecessary fights. Nibbles was a lifesaver—his sharp eyes and quick reflexes let us sidestep several patrols of abominations.
At one point, Nibbles froze, his tiny paw raised. He pointed toward a cluster of trees ahead, where faint rustling hinted at movement. I motioned for the group to stop, crouching low.
"What is it?" Zainab whispered, her primary head glaring suspiciously at the trees.
Nibbles scurried back to me, miming something with his paws. Two creatures, large, armed, blocking the path. He puffed up his chest dramatically, then mimed falling over dead.
"Two threats," I interpreted, smirking. "Big ones. But manageable."
The Earth Dragon let out a low rumble of approval. "Your rodent is impressive," she said begrudgingly.
"Rodent?" I glanced at Nibbles, who was puffing up indignantly. "He's a strategic asset, thank you very much."
We circled around the threat, using the dense foliage for cover. It was painstaking work, but it paid off. The enemies never noticed us, and we slipped past without incident.
"You're better at this than I expected," the dragon admitted as we continued.
"Survival's an art," I said with a shrug. "And I'm a damn good artist."
Of course, our luck didn't hold forever.
By midday, we hit a dead end. The path ahead was completely blocked by abominations—twisted creatures of flesh and shadow, their forms shifting unnaturally as they patrolled the area.
"No way around?" I muttered, scanning the dense forest.
Nibbles darted up a tree, checking the area. He returned with a frantic shake of his head. No clear path.
The Earth Dragon growled, her claws digging into the ground. "Then we fight."
I nodded, gripping my spear tightly. "Make it quick. No need to waste energy here."
The battle was short but brutal. The dragon and Zainab tore through the abominations with ferocious efficiency, their reduced size doing nothing to diminish their lethality. I focused on keeping the smaller ones off their backs, using water manipulation to trip and slice through them.
Within minutes, the clearing was silent, the abominations reduced to lifeless heaps.
"Too easy," Zainab muttered, her heads scanning the surroundings warily.
"Don't jinx it," I said, flicking blood off my spear.
As we pressed on, the forest grew quieter, the oppressive atmosphere thickening. Even Nibbles seemed on edge, his usual playful energy replaced with sharp focus.
We were getting closer. The central area wasn't far now.
The dragon glanced at me, her molten eyes glinting. "You're sure about this plan?"
"No," I admitted, "But when have I ever been?"
She snorted, a puff of smoke escaping her nostrils. "You're either a genius or an idiot, mortal. I haven't decided which yet."
"Why not both?" I shot back, earning a low rumble of amusement.
As the trees thinned and the ground began to slope downward, I felt a flicker of anticipation—and a twinge of unease. The Fire Ants were close. The next step would determine whether this plan was genius or suicidal.
Probably both.