As they walked, Viktor couldn't help but notice the change in the environment.
"It's getting hotter here..."
Jonh, trying to make conversation to calm the situation they were in while walking as fast as possible.
"Have you ever noticed how much hotter it is down here underground than you think? No one knows exactly why."
Viktor remained silent, but in his mind, he had a theory. He had his suspicions but chose not to share them at that moment, hoping he was wrong.
Jonh continued. "Thanks to this heat, the underground settlements created by outlaws and smugglers are thriving. But we face many creatures of fire, lava, and earth. It practically feels like we're not welcome on this planet."
"Yes, it's true..." he muttered, silently agreeing.
Jonh frowned, not fully understanding what Viktor meant. "What do you mean by that?"
Viktor looked at Jonh, his eyes reflecting a mix of exhaustion.
"Maybe we're not really welcome here."
Jonh sighed, feeling the weight of Viktor's words. "Maybe you're right."
Viktor, his ears still ringing from the pain, walked as fast as he could, but with difficulty.
"Come on, we have to get out of here before the queen realizes what happened, we have little time"
"I think she already knows..." Jonh said fearfully.
"Well, I'm already feeling hot!" Viktor murmured as he began to take off the blood-stained jacket from the ant.
The fabric was soaked and heavy, the metallic smell of blood permeating the air around him.
"What are you doing?" Jonh asked, confused and worried to see Viktor undressing at such a critical moment.
"I'm buying us some time."
He had no knowledge of fire ants, but his experience as a mercenary, but he knew that the fire ant queen was following the scent of the dead baby, just like the beasts, going after the young to protect them. Viktor had experience facing the beasts in the past on his transport missions and had learned a few tricks from his colleagues who had gone too fast. Taking off his jacket, Viktor had to make sure it would work.
Carefully, he wrapped the jacket around the first rock he saw nearby and threw it away, in the opposite direction of where they intended to go. One of the holes made by the fire ants. The jacket flew through the air, landing in an area further away from them. The strong smell of blood quickly spread throughout the area.
As they moved forward, the heat intensified. The air was stuffy and humid, and the sound of ants moving along the walls around them was constant, a reminder that imminent danger surrounded them.
Sweat dripped down both their faces, and breathing became more difficult with each passing moment.
'Atlas, how long until we reach the exit?' Viktor asked, exhausted from the heat.
'WE ARE ABOUT 500 METERS AWAY.' Atlas replied. 'WARNING! THE PATH HAS OBSTACLES.'
The heat was almost unbearable and the heavy sound of ants on the walls and ceiling seemed to increase with each step, heading towards the place where the slaughtered cub was. Viktor noticed the noises everywhere, starting to get anxious and looked at Jonh, noticing the tiredness and pain on his face.
"Hang in there."
Jonh nodded, trying to ignore the pain in his leg. "I know."
Suddenly, a louder and more threatening sound echoed through the cave. Viktor stopped, trying to identify the source of the noise.
"What was that?" he asked, worried.
"It sounds like the queen is getting closer.." Jonh replied, fear evident in his voice.
"She's fast!! We need to hurry!!" Running quickly toward the exit, they spotted a light ahead and rushed through.
Viktor and John entered a large, hot area where molten lava slowly flowed, illuminating the cavern with a reddish glow. The ceiling was covered in sharp stalactites that hung down like menacing teeth.
The floor was covered in enormous boulders, some so large that they offered natural hiding places but also treacherous obstacles. The heat was almost unbearable, making the air shimmer and making it difficult to breathe. Sweat dripped down both their faces, and the humidity in the cave made every movement seem heavy. The sound of lava bubbling and flowing echoed through the area.
"Great, more heat..." John muttered, trying to catch his breath.
"We need to find a place to hide."
They moved quickly, finding shelter behind a large rock near the lava. The heat was intense, and sweat dripped down their faces, mixing with the dust and dirt of the cave.
"We need to catch our breath..." Viktor said, panting.
"But it's hard in all this heat."
The noise grew closer, louder, and more menacing. The sound of the fire ant queen's legs echoed through the cave, a rhythmic, heavy sound that made the ground shake slightly.
Suddenly, a loud explosion reverberated through the cave, and debris flew in all directions.
The queen of the fire ants, a colossal and terrifying creature, emerged from the darkness of the cave, her imposing and threatening body.
Her scream echoed through the passage, causing the walls to tremble and small stones to fall from the ceiling, while her fierce gaze swept the area in search of her enemies. A familiar scent, a pungent and penetrating aroma, filled the air, making Jonh and Viktor shrink back, trying to avoid detection.
Before Jonh and Viktor walked toward the exit and hid from her, the queen of the fire ants was drawn by the familiar scent of her pup. When she found her precious pup, she leaned over its body, her antennae slowly waving as if trying to catch the last whisper of life that still lingered in the air.
Her fierce gaze softened, giving way to overwhelming sadness. Tears, though invisible to human eyes, seemed to flow from her essence as her body shook with a deep sob. The pain quickly transformed into an uncontrollable fury as she caught the scent of those responsible for her newborn's death. With a piercing roar that echoed through the cave, she began her relentless hunt. Every step of her legs was marked by destruction. She tore apart everything in her path, screaming in rage as she tried to maintain her sanity amidst her despair.
She abruptly turned toward a familiar scent. it was a coat. Her antennae twitched frantically, picking up the aroma that indicated the presence of her dead pup's body. When she reached the coat, her mandibles clamped down hard on the fabric, tearing it into pieces.
She searched for those responsible. Her fury was evident in her body radiating extreme heat. The sound of fabric being ripped echoed through the cave, a sharp and penetrating noise that reverberated against the damp walls.
As she remembered the loss of her pup, her body froze, transforming into a mix of deep pain and anguished fury as she resumed her hunt. She advanced with surprising speed, her sharp mandibles ready to attack any threat. Her heavy and powerful feet struck the ground, causing it to tremble beneath her weight and creating large craters of scalding heat. Finally, after a frantic search, she found the scents of the culprits in a large, hot area of the cave. Molten lava flowed slowly nearby, illuminating the surroundings of the cave.
The intense heat enveloped her body but was not enough to calm the storm raging within her. With a look of rage, the queen advanced toward those responsible for her pain, ready to seek justice for her lost pup. Meanwhile, John and Viktor remained quiet, praying for a miracle but feeling desperate as they hid near the lava, thinking it was a good idea at first.
The heat was almost unbearable, and the proximity of the lava made the air around them shimmer. The queen was tracking those responsible for the death of one of her newborns; the scent was close.
The queen moved forward with unsettling precision, her antennae moving frantically, picking up any sign of movement or scent. Her eyes glowed with a cruel intensity, reflecting the anger and grief of a mother who has lost a cub.
'Is she tracking our scent?' Viktor asked, startled.
Atlas responded quickly. '85% PROBABILITY THAT SHE IS FOLLOWING THE SCENT YOU LEFT ON THE YOUNG ANT YOU KILLED.'
Viktor tried to calm himself. 'Great, just great.'
Knowing he was about to fight for his life, he said.
'I won't go down without a good fight.'
He held the electric knife in his right hand and the tech pistol in his left, which he hadn't used yet due to lack of ammunition. John's second gift, though he wasn't happy about it. The fire ant queen was just a few feet away from Viktor. He could feel the heat emanating from her body, almost as intense as the lava next to them.
The smell of burning sulfur was strong, and Viktor knew that any wrong move could be fatal. He held his breath, trying not to make any sound that might alert the creature. However, a gigantic mouth with sharp teeth emerged from the lava, ready to devour the fire ant queen.
The creature was enormous, with shiny scales and flaming eyes, and its roar shook the cave. The lava around it bubbled violently, spewing sparks and small explosions of molten rock. The queen, however, was faster and dodged the attack with her quick agility for her size. The mouth returned to the lava, but soon began to slowly emerge, revealing her giant body in its entirety.
It was a magma salamander, a colossal creature with bright red scales made of solidified lava, and its body was as large as the queen's. Its flaming eyes reflected the fury and determination of a predator that was not willing to let its prey escape.
Viktor watched the two beasts, realizing that they knew each other as territorial rivals. The scars on their bodies and the way they looked at each other indicated it.
"WE'VE INVADED THE TERRITORY OF A LORDS AND BROUGHT ANOTHER LORDS WITH US!" Viktor, his voice full of shock and fear.
'AFFIRMATIVE, USER! I RECOMMEND YOU STAY AWAY FROM THE DANGEROUS ROUTE AHEAD,' Atlas replied, not understanding Viktor's reaction.
'What do you mean by 'danger'? You were the one who told us that this was a safe route to begin with!' Viktor asked, confused.
'I DON'T UNDERSTAND, USER?'
'YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SAID THIS ROUTE WAS SAFE!' Viktor pointed out, gesturing to the two lord-level creatures fighting each other, causing destruction in their path.
'YES, USER!' Atlas confirmed, without understanding what Viktor was trying to say.
"SEEMS SAFE TO ME!" Viktor pointed at the creatures, who were fighting just a few feet away.
'USER, DID YOU FORGET THE IMPORTANT FACTOR?' Atlas asked, trying to understand what Viktor was trying to say.
"Important factor? What important factor?"
'YOU!' Atlas replied, with a serious tone.
"…What?" Viktor asked, with a confused expression.
'USER, THE REASON IS YOUR LACK OF LUCK ' Atlas explained, with a calm tone.
"Lack of luck... wait, are you blaming me?" Viktor exclaimed, indignant.
'USER, SEE WELL...' Atlas began to explain, but Viktor interrupted him.
"How did my lack of luck put us in this mess... EXPLAIN IT TO ME!"
While the two were arguing, Jonh was observing the scene, looking at Viktor with a concerned expression. He was shouting at someone, raising his hands to the sky, and seemed to be losing his temper.
"Has this kid gone crazy?" Jonh thought, while looking at Viktor.
He turned to the two creatures fighting a few meters away, ignoring the two humans who had appeared in their territory. The magma salamander, in particular, was emerging from the lava, ignoring the humans.Jonh almost got stepped on by the salamander, but managed to dodge it just in time. He had come close to one of these creatures once in his life, but after getting to know them up close, he wished he never had to see them again.
He turned around, leaned against the wall he was hiding behind and sat down, tucking his feet under him as he stared at the horizon, a river filled with hot, scalding lava.
He began to rethink his entire life, how he had ended up in this crazy situation. He looked to his left and saw the boy he had saved raising his fist to the sky and yelling at someone, he didn't know who, but he didn't want to know. He turned around and saw the two creatures fighting each other, a few meters away, and felt the heat they were generating.
Looking up, John made a decision that would change his life.
"You know, kid!"
"...yes, John..." Viktor replied, giving up arguing with Atlas for now.
"If we survive this madness, I'll retire from the hunters' guild, I'll never be a hunter again, and then I'll leave the resistance, I'll no longer get involved with these people..." he took a deep breath, looking up with empty eyes.
"I'll be a baker..." He concluded, his life now.
"...What?..." Viktor asked in disbelief.