In the face of such determination, how could she hold back? In the past week, every able-bodied refugee had been pushed to the edge of their tolerance and then a little further. Constant practice in the village, constant delves into the Dungeon, brought everyone to the edge. Morrelia herself had barely slept in the past week. Snatching a few hours when she could. She was used to it. Broken sleep like this was standard practice when on a delve. The villagers had no such tolerance, and once the training had been declared over, they’d collapsed in a heap and barely moved since.
No point regretting it now. You did everything you could. Let’s see if it was enough to keep them alive.
She drew a deep breath.
“Time to GET UP, you useless sacks of sick! There’s BLOOD to be spilled, and it sure as hell isn’t going to SPILL ITSELF!” she bellowed.
Her roar echoed off the earthworks and the distant trees, returning to thunder in the ears of the unfortunate villagers a second time as they responded instantly to her call. Sleep was rubbed out of eyes and limbs were stretched as the men and women she trained picked themselves up.
Little did she know, on the rampart, someone was having a very different reaction.
“Puts my old drill instructor to shame,” Isaac sighed as he watched Morrelia’s distant form, her shout still ringing in his ears.
Enid looked at the man sidewise before she shook her head slightly to clear her ears. Apparently, she wasn’t deaf enough.
Used to this sort of treatment, and volume, Morrelia’s troops were up and in almost neat rows in a respectable amount of time. Their gear was even mostly worn correctly. Morrelia couldn’t help the twitch in the corner of her eye when she spotted a shirt not tucked in or scabbards not fastened correctly.
She took a breath. These aren’t professionals, just villagers trying to survive. Don’t judge them by the old standard. In fact, looking at their drawn faces, covered in grit, their hands blistering with fresh callouses, and the determined light in their eyes, incredible pride filled her.
“The ENEMY is no longer coming!” she roared, pausing before she raised a finger to point at the wall behind her. “THEY ARE HERE!”
She watched their faces closely. No fear did she see. No terror. Only determination. Her heart lifted. She wasn’t much of one for speeches. If she was a leader, then she was a leader in the mould of her father. Her brother had the charm, the magnetism and decisiveness of their mother that she always lacked. In so many ways, she was Titus’ daughter. Maybe that was why she found it so hard to forgive him. Just as she knew that he would never forgive himself.
“REJOICE!” she bellowed. “REJOICE! The waiting is over! There is work to be done! Get your BACKSIDES up on that wall!”
And they did. Faces hard and shoulders square, they marched to the wall and took in the sight of the endless horde. Their armour was ragged, nothing but sewn leather and smashed together metal plates. Their weapons were chipped in places, the hafts splintered in others, the best the forges could produce on such short notice, but they didn’t care. The hands that had once known the plough now gripped a spear just as surely. The men were grizzled, no time for shaving in the last week. The women had hacked their hair short, much as Morrelia had done. No time for vanity when fighting.
They would do themselves proud today. Filled with a resolute spirit, Morrelia joined them. Her twin blades rattled as she drew them from their sheaths. They would work hard today.
Up on the wall, Isaac brushed a single tear from his eye.
“One day, I’m gonna marry that woman.”
125. Contact
“About time they got here,” Burke muttered to herself as the horde made its final approach to the outer layer of fortifications the colony had erected.
“Everything ready?” Wills asked for the fourth time in the last five minutes.
“Yes, everything is ready. You really should have rested when you were told to.”
“Couldn’t,” Wills flicked her antennae. “The scouts were still out there.”
“That doesn’t mean you had to be.”
“We disagree on that point.”
“I know.” Burke lifted an antenna and brought it down with a gentle thwack on her sibling’s head. “Now that the battle has arrived, you’re useless. Go back with the other late returning scouts and get an hour of rest. This isn’t going to be over by then.”
Stubborn, Wills shook her head.
“I’ll be fine for a while yet,” she said. “I’ve got a full load of acid and I’m not sleeping till these invaders have felt every drop of it.”
“Fair enough. Just make sure you don’t push too far forward. Stick to the plan. Deliver the product and then get to safety.”
The horde was on its final approach. One hundred metres. That’s all that separated the enemy from the first defensive line. After a week of solid fighting, it was a relief to have it come to this.
“About time then,” Burke announced.
“Seems like it,” Wills agreed.
“Pass the order to open fire,” Burke told the general resting behind her.
The ant snapped out a quick salute. “Of course, elder. Fire when ready!”
All along the outer wall, the order was passed in rapid pheromone communication. Not a single sound was uttered, yet a thousand monstrous ants leapt into motion simultaneously. Not far away, the human defenders could only marvel and the eerie quiet in which the ants operated.
To the ants however, the noise was deafening.
“Scouts, prepare to fire! Long-range will engage in ten seconds—Ten seconds! Soldiers and generals will fire in thirty seconds. Wait for the command!”
“Here they come! Are you ready to work?”
“Five seconds! Five seconds! Check your angles. Don’t aim for the front line. Second row!”
“Show them what real monsters are made of!”
“Two! One! FIRE!”
In an instant, the entire scouting brigade of the Formica Sapiens, their collective business districts pointed at the foe, unleashed a barrage of acid skyward.
POW!
A faint whistle emitted from each ant’s volley as the acid cut through the air with incredible power. Altogether, the shrill sound pierced the air and quickly faded as the acid lost momentum and began to reach its apex.
Even from this range, Burke could see the rage and pain on the monsters’ faces as the acid fell amongst them, eating into their bodies and chewing into their flesh. Any monster who fell was set upon by its fellow horde members, torn apart and consumed in seconds. Hundreds of monsters were felled in this way, but it barely made a dent in the sea of enemies that lay before them. The ants were undaunted.
POW! POW! POW!
The scouts continued their steady barrage, firing in sequence as a well-drilled unit would.
“I’m about half empty,” Burke observed. “What do you think of the range?”
“I think it’s close. I haven’t been tracking the time,” Wills replied.
“Soldiers and generals, FIRE!” the order rippled down the line.
POW! POW! POW! POW!
The rest of the soldier caste on the wall joined in the barrage. So much acid filled the sky, it began to fall on the horde like burning rain. The ants were careful to spread their fire as much as possible. It wasn’t as if it were possible to miss in this scenario, but to inflict maximum damage on the horde, the ants didn’t need to inflict fatal damage. It was better to wound as many as possible and allow their ravenous allies to deal with the rest.