There was a termite in the city, and it was alive. I had seen it in the soldier’s barracks, at the training facility on the fortieth floor.
Could it be responsible for the ant’s death? Was it really killed by the termite? I asked Princess.
I know what I found. She scented, antennae quivering. And it was definitely the scent of a termite. Nothing else emits that wet wood odor. I have no doubt.
Not a single termite’s life had been spared on the tower. The soldiers had killed everyone. I know because I was among those who dragged the bodies to the treasury afterward. The soldiers still gorged on their meat; the pit was filled with their skeletons.
However, to imagine one of the termites had slipped past all the soldiers and workers and invaded so deep into the underground city.
It could have harmed the Queen! It could have taken the incubation chambers hostage! And no one would have been able to stop it.
But it hadn’t done any of the aforementioned, instead had killed one specific ant from the hundreds and thousands. The action was odd enough to raise alarm in my mind.
I know it’s absurd, but what if the termites only raided us to kill the ant; and if so, why?
We discussed but nothing came to mind. It was an absurd thought anyways, not worth mentioning twice. We would need to ask the termite to be sure. More important was the proof that the explorers weren’t completely honest with us.
Can you imagine the explorers missing the scent? I was elated but also worried. I only wanted Princess to stay away from them. I didn’t want to imagine them working behind our backs to harm the city.
Princess wasn’t pleased by my sarcastic comment. Let’s ask them. She said, making me wish I had approached the topic sensibly.
The idea of confronting the explorers gave me goosebumps, but when we reached the chamber they were nowhere to be found. The chamber was abandoned; the body had been moved, the explorers, long gone. Only a worker worked inside, scrubbing the lingering scent of death and disinfecting the chamber for future use.
I decided to question the worker. Do you know where they went? Since he was working I wasn’t expecting an answer and was surprised when he did.
A few soldiers came to get them. He said. They took the carcass with them. That’s all I know.
That was more than I was expecting to know.
How many more coincidences are they going to have in a single day? I blurted out. More like they found out about Princess's discovery and ran away before they could be questioned.
That’s enough. She said. We’ll confront them when we come around them. Let’s focus on what’s in front of us, for now. We can figure out our next steps once we have the truth from the termite.
For some reason, she felt really lonely at that moment. She had trusted them. Losing them was bound to hurt.
You can trust me. I told her. It wasn’t an empty claim. I hoped she would trust me like she had trusted the explorers like she trusted the Queen. She had saved me when I was at my lowest point in life. My trust was the least I could give her.
Can I — trust you? She asked.
Yes. I said.
She’s going to ask you the question, friend. My inner voice jumped in. Are you ready, yet?
I wasn’t ready, and it seemed, neither was she.
Okay, She said. I trust you.
And it wasn’t an empty claim, either. The phenomenon came down upon me with fanfare that it had only shown once while crowning me a loud-mouthed traitor.
[Royal Guard][Title]
[Be elated, for have found the complete trust of a royal heiress and officially become her royal guard.]
[Effect: You will know when your mistress is in mortal danger.]
[You can find her anywhere in a fifty head radius.]
[You can agree to exchange your life for her one time. The exchange can only be made between two life-forces of equal standing.]
***
The sun was up outside. The air ducts had been opened and the soldiers were moving about. The tunnels were lively, but the tension was still in the air.
On the fortieth floor the soldiers were training again. They had waited the night, now it was time to work. A few were leaving to join the hunting parties. War or no war, the city needed to be fed.
Among the ruckus was a group —quite a large group— that had formed around the pit. Scents ranging from astonishment and amusement to pain and anger hung around them. And they were all pretty elated.
I pushed a few soldiers around to get a clearer view of the commotion. They weren’t happy, but the sight of the Princess behind me made them reconsider their approach.
The termite was still in the pit —that was a relief— but it wasn’t alone. There was a soldier fighting with it, a bulky one with red striped limbs and dotted chest. He was getting beaten black and blue.
What are they doing?
Had the soldiers fallen in the pit? No. The others were cheering it on, not trying to rescue it. That meant the soldier had voluntarily jumped in the pit with the termites.
He’s training? I thought.
No. Princess, scented. The soldier’s fighting the termite.
Fighting the termite alone? In a close-range when poison didn’t work on them? It was insane!
And such was clear from the soldier’s condition; his days would be numbered if he didn’t get help soon. He was bleeding from the chest. It had broken. Not cut but broken, caved in, and he was limping on his left side; his middle leg was missing.
The termite was still healthy in comparison and was showing no sign of slowing down any sooner. It was bold and powerful. The fleeting sight of him had sent a shiver down my back last night; up close it gave me goosebumps. I had seen and fought one of them before, but this, though looked the same was a different kind of beast. It was ferocious.
The soldier was pulled out of the pit when the termite got another solid hit into him. The onlookers helped. The termite was literally drowned in poison that surprisingly paralyzed it. Turns out it wasn’t immune to poison. The soldiers had already found a way. Where quality hadn’t worked quantity had. Though the effect wore off soon, the paralysis gave them enough time to pull the soldier out. The termite was more aggressive once it started moving again. Its effort to escape increased, making the soldiers work harder to keep it in the pit.
Everyone, Princess scented, but there was no response. She tried again but there was again no response. There was too many scents in the air, too many emotions for her to get through — even with her sexual signals. I told her to back off a bit and blasted a wave of pheromones amidst the crowd.
EVERYONE! I blasted and the soldiers stopped moving.
Last time this maneuver had overwhelmed the soldier chasing me and sent her into a frenzy. This time I hadn’t dumped all my chemicals into the wave and it only got the soldier's attention. The effect wore off a snap later and they were bubbling with curiosity again; this time toward me.
What was that?
I felt like someone had poked me in my brain.
Yeah, and taken my brew.
—And made me drink poison instead. Yuck, I can still taste it in my mouth.
The voices were many and rowdier than before. Princess wasn’t any help. The commotion was too much for her to take.
Everyone! Their attention fell on me and the commotion hushed. It was the perfect time to say my piece.
Does anyone know where this termite was caught? I waited for a response. There was none. I continued, more out of desperation than need. It’s very important that we know this information. We believe this termite is responsible for the death of a guest from the far-city.
The soldiers stated scenting again, making conversation, but not the kind I wanted to hear.
Hey, isn’t he the one who barged into the barracks last night and scared everyone? There was a hushed whisper, but it found wind when the others started recognizing me.
Yeah, and I recognize the princess. She pushed the prison guards in a rush, and one even got hurt. What was she saying? None had gotten hurt!
Then someone made a comment that instantly pacified me.
Can you smell it? He has the smell of the stuff: The thing that the slaves eat. Is he one of them?
A few antennae turned toward me. I pulled away as they touched and felt me, caressed my face and body, and then they pulled away as if scared of touching me.
The smell is faint, but it’s there.
He’s one of them!
He’s not, but I know them both. They like to go down there.
He even looks like them with his ugly mug and limp, mean and green.
My heart thrummed. They had found out! This was why I was scared of associating with the slaves.
That’s enough! Princess bellowed out. Answer or I’m complaining to the commander.
What will he do? Send us to war? One gibed. The others let out amusement.
They didn’t anger but stupefied me. I had always seen the soldiers as these disciplined, battle-hardened figures that could be relied upon, but for the first time, I felt like they were not better than the workers who had outcasted me.
What I didn’t consider was the stress they were under. The night had been hard on them. Not everyone wanted to go to war. War and revenge sound good in stories, but in reality, are things that should be stayed away from. Many must have felt that way. They were bound to let loose in some way. Brawling with the termite was an extreme way of letting loose, but I was an easy target.
However, not everyone shared the sentiment.
Who’s asking? A drunken scent rose midst the cursing and the sarcasm.
I’m the royal guard of Princess Tinbuji. I let out in desperation, eyes, and antennae focused to locate the scents source.
An ant stepped out of the mass and approached me. I looked at the princess and she teetered to my side. All around the soldiers were becoming rowdy again and had started pushing each other. Even the termite in the pit was growing aggressive. For some reason, I felt its antennae on me. The sensation was cold enough to chill my chest.
We exchanged our ID’s and she commenced the conversation. What do you want to know? She asked. She was an old one, a rare one more than a thousand days old! Even her scars had scars of their own.
I told her the story and she disagreed. Outside the prison is where I found it, dazed and lost. As for why I didn’t kill it? Call it a coincidence. We had just finished this pit for the purpose of training against steep climbs with enemy troops atop. Now, I have fought termites in wars before, but none were quite like it, neither this big nor hard. So I decided to keep it to train the kids. Since we are on the cusp of a new war. You can’t be surprised if you know what to expect.
And it followed you all the way down here?
It quietly followed me to the floor, yes. She said, though even she knew how hard to believe that statement was. It only became aggressive at the entrance. We managed as you can see; Anything else? She asked.
Be careful! Princess suddenly scented. The soldier acted before I could react. I felt betrayed when the soldier pushed me back. Surprise and horror overtook the feeling when I watched a pair of mandibles held her from the chest and lift her up from the ground. There was a sharp crunch and the soldier lifelessly fell to either sides of the termite. The termite had broken free.
Finally, I sensed the damn scent of alarm floating in the air with my broken antennae. The termite had pulled a guard down and killed it, then climbed over and caught the 2564th soldier.
Get up! Princess pulled me to my feet as the soldiers drowned the termite in poison, a technique that should have paralyzed it, but didn’t. It decapitated a gunner and turned toward us. I was right about it being engrossed with me. It charged through the soldiers toward us.
A soldier managed to get his mandibles around its hind leg. The termite slowed but didn’t stop and pulled the soldier along. Another tried to catch it but died to its mandibles before she could get on.
Princess was frozen still. This was not supposed to happen. I separated from her. It followed me. I ran. A soldier rammed her mandibles into its abdomen — Useless. Nothing seemed to phase it. Another soldier dragged from its middle leg. The termite struggled and faltered when another got on its back. Its legs buckled and it fell to the ground, screeching. More soldiers piled atop of it as it struggled to get its legs under its body, but the soldiers knew how to handle large adversaries. They stretched its legs flat on the ground, completely immobilizing it in seconds.
One tried to kill it. I charged into the soldiers and pushed her away as she tried to stab her mandibles into the termite's head.
Don’t, I said. We need it alive.
You want more of us to die? The soldier blasted. A storm of pheromones was forming around us. The alarm was spreading, engulfing everyone’s sanities.
No! Another tried to get past me flaring the scent of valor, high on the thrill. I pushed my mandibles into his, deflecting them. The graphical squiggles overrode my sight for a second before I willed them away. I had no time for them.
Princess! I yelled. Quickly, do it quickly. The soldiers were advancing. Sanity was being forgotten under the effect of the alarm raised by those young. Soon they would be rushing to tear the termite apart, and anyone that tried to stop them along with it. She tried to push toward me, but the soldiers were many and she too far. She couldn’t make it.
I sensed her desperation from our new link. Not, now, her eyes seemed to be saying. We are so close. Not now. We had finally found a clue. She had only overlooked the explorers because she had somewhere else to concentrate her thoughts. How could I have let the soldiers kill the termite when it was her only hope?
The termite stirred. I was still parrying soldiers when it somehow got its hind legs free and jumped. Next thing I knew, I was underneath it, the soldiers rushing at us, its mandibles around my chest and pain flourishing inside me. I tolerated the pain. I heard the soldiers raise the banner of death for the termite and panicked. Amidst their rage was the sweet calling of the princess. But it was faint and almost indistinguishable. I tried to move but there was no wiggle room. Moreover, with my legs were facing up, my struggle was meaningless.
They stabbed the termite. Its mandibles loosened. I trying to swivel away when its antennae flashed in front of my eyes, reminding me of my purpose.
It is too late. It’s already dying. The little voice inside me said.
It was right; the glow was fading from the termite's eyes. I felt life draining from my chest. Then the glow flickered and grew stronger. It was a horrifying realization, but also a chance. I wrapped my antennae around it’s and the world grew silent. First, I felt nothing, and then my whole consciousness was pulled into the termite’s mind.
Its metabolism had stopped, heart growing cold, nervous cortex shutting off. His memories were decaying. A black fog of Death was quickly spreading from the edges of its memory vertices and toward the central node, sucking the life out of the memory tendrils that had grown off from the main roots.
I was surprised but forced my perception toward its central node where I found carnage, hunger, and darkness. Past them was a layer of fear and love. Something had already decayed its most precious memories. What I saw were small flashes of color amidst an eternity of darkness.
It had an unquenchable hunger; a pain that was eating it from the inside and it was spreading. Then I saw a sight — his first one. There was a tree, one that shouldered the sky. It had hundreds and thousands of branches and an uncountable number of roots. Millions upon millions of termites lived inside it — gorging it from the inside, growing numerous and strong. There was pain, not from the termites, but from the tree. The tree cried and its cry resonated with the termite, making it angry. Only a few heard the cry and something changed in them. I wanted to see more, but the vision cut off. There was darkness, then there was a flash of light and I was pulled away from the termite's mind. I believed I was returning back to my mind, but I was wrong!
I was pulled into the tree: up the hollow roots, into the tunnels gorged through the entirety of its dying husk. I passed through cavities (wounds) some thriving (infested) and others abandoned (dead). I stopped in front of the light at the heart of the tree, a dark sphere that had a violet glow.
Behind it, something moved. It was a giant beast, a horrible creation. It opened its serrated maw that encompassed the whole world and swallowed me.
I woke up.
I tried to stand, but someone held me. Stay, they released; it was a familiar scent. I was close enough to see who it was but didn’t have to. Princess stood behind a wall of colorful notifications. I willed them to go away, but they persisted. I ignored them the best I could.
I was wet and cold, not freezing but at a nice temperature to stop my injuries from flaring. She looked tired. I tried to stand up again and she slapped me gently on the head. Stay still. She said. What else could I do?
After some time she moved onto stretching my limbs. I felt embarrassed.
What happened? I asked her to keep my thoughts from straying.
You lost consciousness. She scented nonchalantly.
She made it seem like it was nothing. I wanted to press her for more information, but let the thoughts go. Other things took precedence.
What happened to the termites?
It died. It was already dying and the internal connection completely burned out its mind. She raised her face and looked at me with her oval eyes. That was pretty foolish of you. If I hadn’t pulled you out at the right time your mind would have died along with its. You came this close —she put her face right in front of mine, not even a hairsbreadth separating us apart— to dying.
She pulled back before anything could happen. Though my drumming heart said something had happened.
Did you find anything? She asked.
I tried to remember, but my memory was a mess. There were flashes of what I had seen, but also pain that came from trying to remember more than what I already could.
I don’t’ know. I told her and She believed me.
I was doing a final check of my antennae when the ground started vibrating. It wasn’t a passing tremor, but the city coming to life. Something had happened while I was unconscious. Princess confirmed my thoughts.
Messengers arrived from the western border city, Akhari-Killa-Ji, baring grave news. They are under siege. She told me. We are at war.
