25. A Breath of Fresh Air (Patreon)

Rowan stood and looked over his shoulder at the green-glowing mushrooms. Or rather… what do those other mushrooms have that you don’t?

Curious, he walked to the primary mound and knelt, feeling the soil. Moist… but no more or less than my mound. A few pellets of what he assumed were ant droppings scattered here and there, providing fertilizer. He circled it slowly, brows furrowed. Why are you so much happier than those mushrooms?

A faint breeze stirred the hair at the back of his neck. He turned toward it and found a tunnel in the wall. Ants scurried in and out, carrying fresh branches for the piles.

Does it need fresh air? Not much of one, but… a breath of fresh air. Just enough to circulate the air and make it a little cooler.

Rowan pressed a hand to his chin, thinking. A fan? Maybe I could get one of the ants to wave its leaf at… no, that’s ridiculous. A fresh air spell? I don’t have one, and… what would Hairdressers have? Hairdryer! ...would be hot, and dry out the mushrooms. That's no good.

No… maybe there’s something simpler. Something that doesn’t require the System. Rowan glanced at the wall, then climbed over the mound to the far side. Crouching, he sidestepped along the wall, knocking every few feet. Dull, dull… a loud, empty knock.

Time for the hand trowel to show its true power! He drew out the trowel and began to dig.

An ant came up and twitched its antennae at him, curious. He patted the wall beside him. “Come on. Two can dig here.”

It twitched its antennae again and scampered off, into the mix of ants hurrying around the room. Rowan watched it go, then shrugged and turned back to his task.

“What are you doing?” Kaidu asked, arms crossed.

“What everyone wants me to do. Gardening.” He thumped the trowel into the wall and carved out a slice of dirt.

“It doesn’t look like you’re gardening. It looks like you’re digging a hole in the wall.”

Rowan raised an eyebrow. “Who’s the Gardener here?”

Kaidu shrugged and shook his head. Stooping, he retrieved a few more branches and walked away.

Rowan’s hair stirred around his brows. He pulled his trowel out and peered through a gap into the wall into the passageway behind.

On the far side, an ant jumped and dropped its branches.

Success. Grinning, Rowan sliced into the dirt again. Stones and clumps fell to the earth at his feet. He struck harder. Chunks of dirt smashed into the ground.

The wall crumbled away. The faintest breath of air touched his face. Rowan glanced over his shoulder at the mushrooms. Come on, be happy already.

Red faded to a brown, not green but on its way there. Rowan sighed. It’s a step in the right direction.

Sharp edges pressed into his guts. Rowan froze. He curved further around, to look over his other shoulder.

The horse-sized ant stood over him, holding him in its grip. It twisted its mandibles and lifted Rowan off his feet.

“Whoa, whoa, hey!” Rowan shouted, flailing.

The ant tightened its grip. Blood welled up, bright red on his shirt.

Rowan fell still, petrified. He gripped the mandibles and held them apart with all his might. “S—stop…”

Branches rattled against the ground. Kaidu charged, scissors held low for the thrust.

The ant tossed its head and smashed Rowan into Kaidu. They collided in a jumble of limbs. Rowan grabbed Kaidu, who shoved him away.

“Kaidu!”

“Fight back, dammit!”

The ant snapped out and caught Kaidu in its mandibles as well. He stabbed the ant’s mandibles furiously, but his sharp-tipped steel scissors bounced off the armored limbs.

The ant shook its head. Rowan rattled around in its grip. His brain knocked around in his skull. His vision blurred, and he fell limp, sagging against the mandibles.

Kaidu struggled. He kicked and stabbed, refusing to give in. Every time he struggled, the mandibles gripped tighter. Caught in the tighter point, the mandibles squeezed Rowan fiercer. Sharp edges scored cuts in his sides.

Rowan grabbed his shoulder. “Stop it! You’re killing me!”

Kaidu whirled over his shoulder. Narrowed eyes, sharp as swords. He lifted a lip in disgust. “Weakling.”

“Yeah, I’m a fucking weakling! I’m a support class! Settle down and stop before the damn ant cuts me in half!”

He paused. Kaidu looked at the scissors in his hands. A short breath. Kaidu let it out and put the scissors away.

“Thanks. Fuck. Thank you,” Rowan panted, gripping the mandibles again. Pushing with all his might, he held himself up to alleviate the pain of his entire body weight resting on the sharp edges.

“After all that, you put a hole in the wall and pissed them off,” Kaidu grumbled.

“I was gardening!”

Kaidu scoffed.

Rowan pushed at the ant’s mandibles and scowled. “Everyone wants me to garden, then gets angry when I garden. What do you want?”

“A reliable party member,” Kaidu replied evenly.

“Well, become a combat class, then, dammit,” Rowan snapped.

Silence. Kaidu turned his head away.

They reached a long corridor. Carved into stone, it curled away into the earth. Cavities opened up to the left and right, blocked off by earthen walls. The ant chittered loudly.

Smaller ants crawled out from gaps in the stone. Busily, they deconstructed one of the earthen walls. In a matter of seconds, the earthen wall laid in scraps on the floor.

The large ant tossed Kaidu and Rowan into the cavity. The little ants constructed the wall after them, building it back up. Rowan started toward the edge, but the large ant clicked its mandibles and strode forward aggressively.

Rowan put his hands up and backed down. “Okay, okay!”

Working quickly, the smaller ants piled up the earth to block the doorway. The large ant stood menacingly over their shoulder, flat black eyes glued on Rowan and Kaidu.

Dirt blocked off their view. The ants scurried up to block off the last of the entryway, and darkness eclipsed them.

Silence. Rowan ran at the wall and threw his shoulder against it. He bounced off. Thin dust rained down.

He staggered, barely catching himself. What on earth did they make that wall out of?

Beside him, a second thump rang out. Kaidu cursed under his breath.

Rowan turned in the thump’s direction. “Hey, Mr. Ant Facts. Do these ants make superglue, or something? What’s up with this wall?”

“I don’t know everything about the first floor. Don’t be ridiculous.”

So much for that. Rowan grabbed his trowel and stabbed the wall, half out of frustration. Tiny pebbles rattled off the ground. His trowel slid in his hand, metal slicing his fingers. Retracting his hand, he cradled it. “Dammit.”