The shouts and strange sounds increased in volume, echoing up the tunnel as she hurried forwards. The volume steadily increasing until she turned a corner and suddenly the passage opened out into a large chamber. The first thing she saw was Ama’s staff, glowing brightly in the centre of the large cavern. Ama cast a light around the whole ant-dug room and the dire scene playing out around her. They were caught in a dip, the whole group fighting in a rough circle to hold their weak position as ants surged down at them from all sides.

  They had clearly gone down the slope, reaching the lowest point when the ambush was sprung. Ants rushing in from each side, out of tunnels too small for humans to walk through. They crawled over the walls even, foragers crashing down on the group from the almost vertical sides as legions of guardians marched down the more gradual slopes in the front and back, blocking off both their entrance and exit.

  Ash watched as Hestia blasted a score of the smaller ants off the wall to her left, while Lance sent a wave of sparks out through those on their right. Vidar guarded the far side, loosing bolt after bolt, reloading his heavy crossbow with inhuman speed, each one punching through a guardian’s defence and allowing the second to finish the job. Ama stood fast in the centre with her rejuvenating aura emanating from her, occasionally fending off a stray ant that snuck through. Stavos seemed to be in most trouble. He stood at the side facing Ash, holding back the tide. But a single massive ant, looking like one of those she had spotted guiding in the last assault, bore down on his great barrier of light. He was visibly straining beneath the combined attacks of that and numerous smaller guardians, the barrier flickering and cracking at the edges.

  They were going to be overwhelmed, and soon. Ash needed to do something. She raised her weapon, set her feet, then ran forwards. The ants soon noted her presence behind them, but it was too late.

  She swung and a guardian splattered into shards on her right. She followed up, another strike slamming home before the next ant could raise its defence. Another down. She continued, almost breaking through to the front ranks. Her club circled back up at another guardian. This one was more prepared, bringing its shield arms up defensively. Her club cracked into them anyway, the ice smashing though the creature’s defence and caving its head in regardless.

  Damn, I got strong! Ash marvelled, but didn’t let the moment disrupt her focus.

  Before her stood the giant ant. From this close, it was clear that it was more than just a bigger version of the guardian. It stood taller than her, rearing up on its hindlegs as it brought its bulk down on to the barrier. Its front legs were both bulky at the top like a guardian’s but sharp and curved at the tip like the infiltrators. They cut downwards, the first cracking a jagged rent in Stavos’s defence, the second shattering it completely. The man fell back onto his knee, arm raised with a mundane shield to catch the falling strike. Ash heard the sound of the wood splintering as the monster’s momentum continued down, tearing at this new, flimsier defence. Other guardians surged forward, advancing on the rest of the group, while two rushed in to attack the defensive mage from each side.

  Ash felt an ant claw scythe into her thigh, but ignored it. Continuing her momentum and bringing her Great-hammer to bear on the monster’s exposed back. She timed her ice touch perfectly, and the impact splintered into the hardened carapace, sections breaking away and frozen shards scattering.

  The creature did not fall. As strong as she had gotten, her attack was not enough. She needed more, more explosive power to fell the monster before it had a chance to hurt those she cared about. The ant wheeled around letting out a chittering screech as it searched for its attacker. Ash was already swinging. She screamed out as she felt two more talons scrape across her back, a set of insectile jaws clamp around her leg. The creature saw her strike, raising its arms to block.

  She needed to be faster. More power. More speed. And she had a theory of just how she could get it.

  The flame burst ripped out of the head of her club, but this time it did not project forwards, instead it burst out of the back of the weapon. She felt the club jerk forwards, the explosion of flame adding to her swing and pushing it on faster. It swept past the ant’s rising arms and straight into its hideous chittering face. Ice burst out, the chitin solidifying into a single chunk as the neck fractured. The creature’s head broke free, flying off to smash into a group of foragers crawling across the wall.

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  The beast’s body crumpled and Ash jumped forwards, leaping past the collapsing behemoth and away from the attackers behind her. She rushed into the group of her friends, letting out ice imbued attack after another, splattering two more guardians in moments before realising she had finally run out of Will.

  She continued to fight, but to much lesser effect. Damn, my lack of endurance is limiting me again. Ash thought frustratedly as she got hit by another attack from a guardian that survived her first un-enhanced hit. The glow spell isn’t helping me damage-wise. These aren’t undead. I’m taking hits because I’m not killing them fast enough!

  She checked her health, only down to 22, and now that she was inside Ama’s rejuvenating aura, she saw that begin to tick back up. Having more to work with was definitely helping her out.

  “Barrier!” Stavos called, resummoning his defence. “What are you doing here, girl! I thought- Ah, to hells with it. Keep knocking them back! With the big one down they’ll be less coordinated. We may even get them to flee again!”

  “Ash!” Hestia called out, turning to face her “You came after us? I though you agreed to not be so reckless!”

  “Infiltrators!” Vidar yelled, his crossbow loosing a thick bolt at the side of the chamber.

  That’s when Ash saw them. 6 larger ants rushing rapidly down the wall. The bolt smashed into one, knocking it free from its grip but the others leapt off, arms scything through the air as they launched themselves towards the people below.

  Ash saw two soaring straight for Hestia. Four jagged scythes slicing into the woman’s undefended back in a spray of blood.

  “No!” her scream rang out with Hestia’s cry of pain, the woman falling forwards in agony. Then Ash was rushing forward. She knocked the one that came for her aside, but without her ice adding to the attack she knew that it wasn’t dead. She saw the ants swing at Hestia again, and she left it, rushing to her side.

  Not enough! It’s just not enough!

  She made a decision, flicking up her stat sheet and assigning her spare point to Wits. Instantly she gained 6 more Will, leaving her with just enough.

  The ice infused strike splattered the first infiltrator, the second managing to get another pair of hits into Hestia’s bloodied back before Ash knocked it aside. Then two talons scythed into her back, rending her for 8 damage in an instant. She wheeled, club swinging, only to see her attacker take a bolt to the chest, Vidar followed up efficiently, a fresh bolt clicking into place before he fired again, taking out the other she had just hit as well.

  The others seemed to have fended off the remaining infiltrators. Lance sported a few viscous gashes in his arm, but the wound was quickly closing. All around them, the ants seemed to be in retreat, Stavos pushing the last few away with skilful shifts of his barrier. Ash had eyes only for Hestia’s bloodied back. 5 sets of 8 damage in almost an instant. That would have killed Ash outright.

  But Hestia has more health than that, right? How injured had she been before this?

  She can’t be… Not like this. Not like Eric.

  Hestia groaned, then Ama was next to her, hands pressed to the wound.

  “Lesser restoration!” The healer intoned, and Ash saw the torn flesh rapidly begin to knit back together.

  “Damn.” Hestia cursed, sitting up. “I got jumped good. I haven’t been down to single digits in a while. Thanks Ama”

  “Thank Ash” Vidar intoned, casually sniping a retreating guardian in the back “She got them off of you.”

  Hestia looked up at her, her eyes widening.

  “Ash… I…”

  “I know you’re just worried for me. It’s okay. I’m not actually being reckless this time.” Ash reassured her “I came because I’m strong enough now. 33 Hitpoints!”

  “Fine, you can stay. I guess you did help with that big one too.” Stavos admitted from behind her, surprising Ash that he would even praise her that much.

  “Wow. You really did come in the nick of time.” Lance said. “I think we were about to be overwhelmed.”

  “Enough. This is no time for idle chatter.” Stavos cut in “You’re with us now Ash, don’t become a burden. Now, let’s get out of this ridiculous indefensible pit. We would never have had an issue if we didn’t allow them to surround us. This was stupid.” He spat to the side, striding forwards up the slope and to the far edge of the chamber. “We can fight a battle from 2 sides, but getting attacked from all of them is asking for a painful death.”

  With that they followed, heading deeper into the sprawling hive. Once in the more defendable tunnel, Stavos took greater command, checking everyone’s current resources and adjusting. As the only other close-range fighter but low on will, Ash was instructed to take the rear-guard position. Stavos took point, trailed by Vidar then Lance, Ama and Hestia just before Ash.

  Ama also mentioned she was low on Will and was told to reserve her strength for her aura.

  “If you get too injured, fall back and wait to heal if you can.” Stavos instructed. “We don’t know how far we have to go before we can take out their Queen, so conserving Ama’s resources is paramount to our success… and survival.”

  With that grim statement, they descended deeper.