Within, it was nothing like the interior one would expect from a castle. Instead, it was a literal hive of activity. Ants swarmed through large tunnels that were crafted by the skilled builders of the ant race. The Queen lay in the throne room, what would be her egg chamber once her ability to do so regenerated.
Everything had changed after the war, the colony had taken the city from the humanoids that had inhabited it.
The swarm of her generals and children were too much for the defenders to handle. It was a pyrrhic victory however, many of her children gladly giving their lives for the betterment of the colony—as was their purpose.
Her generals and herself had been wounded severely, including her ability to repopulate. Those infernal curses placed upon her in the last moments of the fighting, a desperate attempt at slowing their limitless expansion. But because of those actions it would have only been a matter of time until they were wiped out by reinforcement from the humanoids. A Queen that could not repopulate her hive was no Queen at all.
That was until the system gave them an opportunity. An opportunity to be transported to a newly initiated universe and participate in a tutorial. She was given certain limitations in exchange for renewal and a chance at survival. The decision was easy, the survival of the colony was all that mattered.
The limitations seemed manageable. A dome would keep them contained until the system freed them, with only her lower leveled, unevolved children being allowed to pass through. Her generals would be placed within system constructed dungeons to guard the access to her lair. She would usually prefer to live underground but what lay beneath… That was something not of her colony. Something darker and more sinister, crafted either by the system or some foreign power.
Things had begun yesterday. Reports from her children had informed her that there were new intruders in the city. Many of her children had been slain, their bodies being brought back to feed the newly hatched larvae.
Bodies of the intruders had been brought too. They looked different to the humanoids her colony fought before. Not that it mattered. They all needed to die.
Fury rose within the Queen as she wished to take care of all those who dared harm her children. Sadly she could not intervene, she could not even add soldiers to her army. Not until the allotted time had passed or all the humanoids had been vanquished. Those outside the dome would have to fend for themselves until then, although she knew they would likely perish.
There was a chance to wipe out the humans in one night, she could feel it… In the coming days, a blood moon approached, the torpor that inflicted her youngest children every evening, weakening their power and forcing them to sleep, would drop, just for a night.
A night of carnage.
~
Leo’s trio moved out in their directed area, cautiously passing through the rural streets in the semi circle discussed. They passed many ruined buildings, some still standing, avoiding whatever destruction had plagued this city previously. The more he saw, the more he figured that there had been a great battle in this place. One that had happened far before the time they were in now.
Or just created by this system god or whatever it is.
It wasn’t long before their first encounter. Upon a small clearing lay three Level 3 Lesser Antlings, Leo had pointed them out before the trio had been discovered. Holding everyone up and gesturing towards them.
“Three could be risky,” Cecelia began, in a hushed tone. “I think I could take one of them at this point but you’d have to take the other two. Should we try and move around?”
“I think I can handle it. I want to try my new skill anyway,” Leo replied quietly, but confidently.
“Alright, I’ll follow your lead.” Cecelia nodded, eyes focused intently ahead.
Leo charged from cover, launching himself at the nearest ant. The power from his new skill started to build in his fist as he swung it back. The antling reacted, turning its head towards his steps. Leo coated it in mana, further amplifying the strike as Powerful Haymaker impacted the creature's head.
His fist hit the hardened shell and didn’t stop. The ant’s head shattered, green blood spraying as the notification appeared. Coating his fist all the way up to his elbow.
You have slain: Lesser Antling - Level 3
Experience Gained
+6 Store Credits
“That went well,” Leo muttered, staring at his gore coated fist in incredulity.
Cecelia wasted no time, her blade gleaming softly with moonlight. She swung powerfully, slicing deeply into another ant's armored body, immobilizing it instantly. Leo pivoted swiftly to flank the remaining antling, dispatching it quickly in tandem with Cecelia.
“Excellent, I gained a level,” Cecelia announced. Leo identified her.
Human - Level 4
“That was some strike just now. I could have sworn I felt the ground tremble a touch. Your new skill, I presume.”
“Yeah, it’s called ‘Powerful Haymaker’. It won’t be long until you get a new skill of your own,” Leo smiled.
“Oh nice you hit level 4 Cecelia! Congrats!,” Ashley cheered, carefully approaching over the corpses of the fallen ants.
“I didn’t get a level, even if I got some experience.” Ashley sighed.
“Do you get experience if you don't heal?” Leo asked curiously.
“Yeah. When I got my healer class it came with three skills, Healing mastery, Healing Touch and Regen Aura. The last one gives people health, stamina and mana regeneration when they are nearby. It’s not a lot but it’s enough to make me gain at least a little experience.”
That was news to him. A regeneration aura like that was incredibly useful no matter how small. Considering his stamina and mana expenditures he already had, he would definitely try and fight with a healer.
“That’s amazing! Auras are incredibly powerful. They are usually passive effects that don’t cost anything—in games at least.”
It did make him happy he didn’t have to always take hits in order for her to gain experience, but it wasn’t like he’d had many fights where that didn’t happen.
Ashley beamed at his encouragement. Then Cecelia spoke up decisively, "Let's move. We don't have much daylight left."
The team continued scouting, encountering numerous ants. Each skirmish boosted their levels steadily. By day's end, Leo reached Level 6, while Cecelia and Ashley hit Level 5. Earning another 25 Store Credits. Sadly, not a single person had been found, nor anything of real value. Exhausted, they dragged themselves back toward base.
On the way, Leo briefly reviewed his stats.
Name: Leonidas Hawkins
Level: 6
Race: Human (F)
Class: Pugilist
Health Points (HP): 260/260
Mana Points (MP): 180/180
Stamina Points (SP): 210/210
Stats
Strength: 20
Agility: 28
Endurance: 21
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Vitality: 26
Toughness: 13
Intelligence: 18
Wisdom: 12
Will: 16
Free points: 1
Bloodline: Bloodline of the Elements
Essences
Fire- (F)
Fuel the Fire (Uncommon)
Ice- (F)
0/2
Lightning- (F)
0/2
Earth- (F)
0/2
Titles
Bloodline Originator
First Blood
Class Skills
Unarmed mastery (Common)
Mana Strikes (Common)
Powerful Haymaker (Common)
Race Skills
Multiversal Polyglot (Unique)
Identify (Common)
His stats were coming along great, his toughness and wisdom were pretty low but so far he hadn’t had all that much need for them apart from almost dying several times… He suddenly considered if he should put a point into Toughness, just to increase his survivability.
That would be the best and safest idea. So he gladly willed the free point to allocate into the right stat.
That stat, of course, being Strength.
Couldn't go wrong with hitting harder after all. He told himself it was because his new skills would benefit with the increase and that he wanted to keep the stats of Agility and Strength closer together but in reality Leo just didn’t like building tanky characters. A potentially naive and life ending decision but one he could live with. Ideally.
As they were approaching the current makeshift base, Ashley pulled him aside and spoke to him in a quiet tone, “Would you mind if I asked you for help with my skill choice?”
“Sure thing, just make sure to stop me if I start rambling too much,” he replied, smiling.
They moved into the house, seeing Bjorn, Ron and Amy looking much worse for wear and exhausted, a few new blood stains littered their armour and clothing.
They were all level 4 apart from Ron who had hit level 5, which surprised Leo. He assumed they would struggle to fight if the groups were as many as what they encountered. Perhaps he had been underestimating them a bit.
“Welcome back,” Bjorn said warmly. "Glad to see you all okay. I’m guessing that you didn’t find any survivors out there?”
“Only endless ants,” Cecelia complained, clearly exhausted.
“Same here,” Bjorn nodded, “We did stumble upon something interesting however, something called a Dungeon.”
Leo's head instantly snapped up, face alert, the exhaustion of the day completely subdued.
“Easy kid, we didn’t go in,” Bjorn chuckled, “figured we would ask you first. It required level five and recommended a party of five anyway,”
Leo realised everyone was waiting for him to offer his input.
“Dungeons—in games at least—tend to be like separate dimensions that can be repeated or entered by several groups at once and are usually filled with stronger monsters and better rewards. Not sure if it’ll be the same here but with it recommending a party of five, it sounds similar. We should definitely check it out.”
“Agreed, but first, sleep,” Cecelia groaned. “I'll take second watch.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Bjorn agreed, yawning. “Any volunteers for the first watch?”
“Yeah, I still have some stamina left,” Leo said, raising his hand.
“I’ll do it too,” Ashley agreed.
“Alright, thanks. Come wake me in around 4 hours or so.” Bjorn waved, moving off to find a place to sleep.
Leo and Ashley took up seats just next to the window. The sun slowly set behind the many buildings. Another day coming to an end, Leo checked his tutorial quest.
Time remaining :58 days
Survivors: 1134/1500
Store Credits: 136
Leo stared at the number for a long moment, waiting for it to settle.
Over three hundred people, gone in less than two days. The System displayed it without hesitation, as if it were no different than a health bar.
He tried to imagine who they’d been before all this, but his mind kept circling back to his own near-death instead. The weight of the Soldier Antling’s body, the breath crushed from his lungs, the certainty that he hadn’t been seconds away from survival so much as seconds away from dying.
His hands were still shaking as he noticed.
Not from fear, exactly. More like his body hadn’t caught up to the fact that he was still standing.
He wanted to help them. All of them. The idea came easily, almost instinctively. The reality wasn’t so easy.
Leo forced himself to breathe and dismissed the counter.
He couldn’t carry hundreds of lives on his shoulders. Trying would just get him killed, and then he’d be another number added to the list.
So he narrowed his focus.
He would protect the people near him. The ones he could reach. The ones depending on him right now. Anything beyond that would have to wait, whether he liked it or not.
The watch began as people settled into sleep. After a beat of silence while Leo’s thoughts consumed him, Ashley spoke up, asking him to help her with her choice of skills. Leo gladly agreed—anything to distract him.
Ashley listed her skill options as a brief summary:
- Ranged Healing Bolt
- Light Mana Bolt (offensive)
- Protective Shield
“You've got a nice choice of skills there,” Leo began explaining, “each of them seem to take you down different paths. From a standard healer, a light mage, or a more support focused healer. In the end it's entirely up to you, what path calls to you?”
He was trying to make her think for herself. If Leo decided all of her skill choices then he would basically just be building another character as a healer. That thought did appeal to him a little but in the end this wasn’t a game. She needed to make her own choice.
Ashley thought about it, face contorting in different ways. Leo just watched with silent amusement at her expressions.
“Do you think I was offered the shielding skill because of the Essence skill I got?” Ashley asked.
“That could be the case. I can’t say for certain without more information. I wasn’t offered anything to do with the Fire Essence skill I unlocked,” Leo answered honestly.
“Hmm.” She paused for a moment before deciding firmly, “I think I’ll go with the shield. It should get increased strength because of my Essence.”
“Nice choice. Wanna give it a go?”
She nodded, then held her hands up. A faint white glow came from them. Instantly, a barrier made of light formed on Leo’s torso.
It glowed a dim but beautiful light in the quiet darkness of the house. The shield stretched from his neck to his waist, moulding perfectly around the front of his torso and armour. It seemed a bit thin but durable. Well, as durable as something made of light could be, he supposed.
He tried moving and the shield moved with him, dissipating after about five seconds.
“That was kinda underwhelming,” Ashley complained.
“Not at all,” Leo encouraged, "we need to test its durability now. Can you keep casting it?”
“I can do a fair few more, yeah. Should I do it on myself?”
“Sure, if you’re okay with me punching the shield.”
She looked very alarmed suddenly, her eyes widening.
“Woah, woah not like the haymaker I used on the ants,” Leo reassured her, laughing slightly. "Just enough to cause damage but as light as I can. We need to test what kind of hits it can take.”
“Okay, please be gentle.” She looked incredibly nervous still.
A shield appeared on her torso and Leo moved his hand forward in a fist and struck at about 30% of his power. She was knocked back a little, stumbling but the shield remained whole, if a little cracked.
“Are you okay? Did you lose any health?” He asked quickly.
“No, I'm fine, I didn't lose anything. The shield absorbed all of it,” She said in surprise and admiration.
“Hit me again! Harder this time!” she shouted out excitedly.
“Alright, if you say so..”
They spent hours testing the shield’s limits, discovering it absorbed most of Leo’s strength before shattering. Even then, the force carried through was manageable.
Ashley was still knocked back by the impact, but she took little actual damage and healed what remained with ease. The shield could be formed over any part of the body, making its effectiveness dependent on her timing and positioning.
They had been at it so long that they didn’t notice Bjorn approach with a strange look, seeing Ashley on the ground clutching her stomach a little and Leo looking apologetic but not angry. Clearly not expecting these two to be fighting.
“You kids alright?”
They both looked at him, realising instead of watching outside for possible dangers and killer ants, they instead had been messing around like excited children. Guilt crept into Leo, so he quickly apologised to Bjorn about getting carried away testing Ashley’s new shielding skill.
Bjorn, thankfully, was not mad about the watch being neglected and was more interested in this new magic. Leo described all they had discovered and Bjorn looked very happy to hear it. Glad to have another means of defense, even if he didn’t really understand it.
An overwhelming tiredness took over his mind. When relieved by Bjorn, Cecelia and Ron he quickly moved to a corner, wished Ashley a goodnight and hit the ground.
He didn’t even think about whether or not a dream would happen the same night as before. The sweet embrace of sleep was all he could think of.