Dawn crept across the grass like a pale river of mist. Dew clung to each blade, turning the world above Rock Hollow into a glistening maze. Beneath the stone, my seventeen hardened ants waited, antennae twitching, mandibles clacking in anticipation.
Stalk-Cutter had returned from his patrol, his antennae flicking urgently. The farthest foraging lane was lightly guarded — two soldiers, eight workers hauling seeds. Perfect.
I pulsed a command. Move.
We slipped out into the grass. Stalk-Cutter led the vanguard, vanishing between stalks. Iron-Mandible lumbered behind him, his jaws gleaming with spider venom stains. Leaf-Bearer's team carried coiled strands of salvaged spider silk — our traps.
[Faction Morale +3]
[Active Skill: Pheromone Surge — Ready]
The rival workers appeared ahead, a slow train of brown bodies carrying seeds twice their size, two soldier ants at the flanks. They moved in perfect rhythm, following the bitter scent of their colony back home.
We were already in position.
Leaf-Bearer's team dropped silk across the path and tugged the grass blades down to create a funnel. Iron-Mandible crouched behind a pebble, Stalk-Cutter signaling with quick antenna flicks.
I gave the pulse.
Attack.
My ants erupted from the stalks, striking like a black wave. The two enemy soldiers snapped their jaws, caught off guard. Stalk-Cutter darted behind one, biting its leg joint. Iron-Mandible slammed into the other head-on, jaws cracking against armor.
[100% Drop: Weak Spot Exploited]
The rival workers panicked, scattering. Our silk traps tangled their legs; Leaf-Bearer's team cut off their escape with collapsed grass stalks. I pulsed Pheromone Surgeand felt my followers quicken, their movements snapping into perfect coordination.
It was going smoothly — until a shadow moved behind the workers.
A third soldier ant emerged from the grass, bigger than the others, its mandibles like curved knives. It lunged, snapping a veteran clean in half.
My pheromones flared. Distract. Lure.
I darted forward myself, antennae high, rushing between its legs. It snapped at me, but I veered sharply, leading it toward the pit my diggers had prepared. It lunged — and fell, legs thrashing, into the hidden trap.
Iron-Mandible and two others leapt on its back, biting deep. Leaf-Bearer wrapped its legs with spider silk. The giant soldier hissed and stilled.
The lane was ours.
[Raid Success]
[Loot: 8 SeedFragments, 2 Captive Workers, 1 Soldier Carcass]
[Leadership Instinct +3]
[Follower Loyalty +5]
I signaled retreat. My ants formed a quick chain, dragging seeds and captives back toward Rock Hollow. We slipped into the mist, vanishing before reinforcements arrived.
Back in the hollow, the trophies piled high — seeds for food, a soldier carcass for armor, two trembling workers for information. The veterans clicked their mandibles in rhythm, a rising chant that filled the chamber. Pride. Not just survival.
[Title Gained: Raider-Lord]
[Evolution Available: Choose Path — Warrior Lord or Strategist Lord]
I climbed onto the spider fang totem, antennae sweeping across my followers. Their eyes shone back at me, bright with loyalty and hunger for more.
Outside, the rival colony's queen would scent this defeat. She would mark us as a threat. War would escalate.
But we were ready.
Even an ant could become a lord.
But now, for the first time, we had struck like a raiding army. This was only the beginning.