Chapter 8 : The Hunter's Might
“It's… it's a Queen Ant. And it's very rare to see one…” Aspen whispered.
“Eeek! It's way bigger than the beetle!!” Ryl squeaked.
[ QUEEN ANT : High-rank beast. Leader of the ant colony. And known for its acid-like saliva. ]
“Shh!” Aspen clamped his hands over Ryl’s mouth. “Quiet! It hasn't noticed us yet.”
They began tiptoeing backward - but then,
Crack!
A dry branch snapped under Ryl’s boot.
The queen’s massive head turned towards them, its antennae twitching.
His heart nearly stopped. “Oh noo…”
“Run!” Aspen grabbed his hand.
They bolted through the forest, lungs burning, not daring to look back.
The Queen’s screeches echoed behind them, then slowly faded.
They sprinted straight into the Hunters Guild, skidding to the counter.
“There’s-there’s a Queen Ant! In the west forest!” Aspen blurted.
The worker’s eyes widened.
Within moments, the report spread through the guild like wildfire.
A hunter group was immediately dispatched.
_ _ _
“Ryl, it's a great opportunity! We should tag along with them!!” Aspen’s eyes gleamed.
“Are you insane?!” Ryl blurted. “That’s a high-rank beast! You have a death wish or what?!”
“Then I’ll go alone.” Aspen turned away dramatically.
Ryl grabbed his arm.
“You’re crazy! We don’t even have permission!”
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“Fine then...” Aspen paused. “...I know you hid your dad's shoes under your bed… just to annoy him.”
“What?!!”
“Oh, and you half-burned your mom's favourite dress while roasting corn… and she didn't know it was you.”
“It was an acc- !”
“And you stole your neighbour’s chicken eggs which were kept after a long time and you cook- ”
“Let’s go.” Ryl snapped, face red.
Aspen grinned victoriously as they trailed behind the hunters.
_ _ _
They climbed a tree overlooking the battlefield.
Aspen’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Ryl just groaned beside him.
Below, a towering man stood facing the Queen Ant, holding a massive glaive.
“It’s a shame I have to kill something this rare,” the man said, spinning the weapon until it hummed through the air.
He slid his legs into a stance - blade back, pole gripped, knees bent.
The beast lunged again, its needle-like legs stabbing the ground.
TIK - TIK - TIK - TIK
it was fast enough to blur.
The man dodged everything.
Then-
He sprang onto the tree and struck its side with a powerful kick, forcing it to skid and snapping the surrounding trees.
WHHUDD!!
The ground erupted with dust and light.
“Do you think it’s dead?” Aspen squinted.
“Yeah… it should be,” Ryl yawned.
Around them, four mid-rank hunters fought off the swarm of mid-sized ants.
One - a bulky man covered with blue liquid - swung his hammer like it weighed nothing, smashing ants into splatters of glowing fluid.
Another, yellow haired, the youngest among them, twirled his spear in a blur, flinging an ant high before striking it down.
A woman swung her sword, slicing the ants into half cleanly.
The last one, with purple hair covering one eye, poured a bluish chemical into tunnels, muttering, “This should draw them all out…”
From the tree, Aspen watched in awe.
As the dust cleared, the Queen lay motionless.
Until-
It twitched, then rose again with a furious shriek, its eyes now glowing predatory.
“It’s still alive!” Aspen gasped.
“Good thing we didn’t fight it,” Ryl said lazily.
“We’d be pancake mush by now.”
Aspen glared. “You’re unbelievable.”
The man below gripped his glaive tightly. “Stubborn thing…”
The Queen lunged, mandibles clacking.
Its speed now doubled.
He spun the glaive once and hurled it straight at the Queen Ant.
With an ease It caught it between its mandibles.
It drooled as the pole melted, sizzling against the metal.
The pole hissed and split into two, molten edges dropping to the ground.
He dashed forward.
Caught the blade part mid-fall.
In one clean motion, he slashed across its neck.
A shockwave burst through the clearing - and the Queen’s head tumbled to the earth.
Its body hissed, disintegrating into mist, leaving only its mandibles behind.
He picked them up and turned to the others, who were still finishing off the last ants.
“That one was tough,” he said, glancing up at the sky.
Then, without turning, he called out,
“I know you’re both up there. Come down.”
Aspen froze.
Ryl’s jaw dropped. “How did he- ?!”
“He really is sharp,” Aspen muttered.
They climbed down sheepishly.
Before they could speak, the man rapped both their heads with a firm thunk.
“What do you think you’re doing here?!” he scolded. “This place isn’t a playground.”
They both bowed deeply.
“We’re sorry! We didn’t mean to!” Aspen stammered.
“Yes, sir. It’s all his fault! I told him it was dangerous, but he didn’t listen!” Ryl said, throwing Aspen under the carriage immediately.
The man sighed. “Alright. No harm done this time. Don’t ever repeat it.”
He turned and walked off to help the others finish clearing the nest.
Aspen watched him silently.
After a while, the hunters left. The forest grew quiet again.
_ _ _
Aspen and Ryl walked home, the grass crunching softly beneath their feet.
“He was so strong…” Aspen murmured.
“If we’d fought that thing alone… would I even be alive?”
He stopped and shook his head. “No. Don't think negatively. I must train harder!”
Ryl noticed him. “Still thinking about it?”
“Yes,” Aspen said - and then noticed Ryl’s bulging pockets.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, these? When everyone was fighting, I… picked up a few mineral stones.” He grinned.
“Ryl! That’s stealing!”
He rolled his eyes. “Relax. It’s thanks to us that they even found that nest. And don’t forget - you bought a whole sack of sugar for this!”
“But still- ”
“Only a little! They won’t miss it.” Ryl shrugged and walked.
Aspen sighed and followed.
Later that evening, he learned that the glaive-wielding man was a top-tier hunter named Ethan Thorne, who had joined the mission by chance.
Aspen stood by the window, thoughts stirring.
“I should talk to him before he leaves… There’s so much I want to learn.
One day - I’ll be a hunter like him.”
*****
Chapter 9 : The Promise Made
