The Acknowledgement - Volume One

Losing Control

                In The Queen's Chamber, the others could sense and feel the powerful aura. Even hearing the roar of the great ant king. Macey fell to the floor, gagging. "Such a menacing aura-" she covered her face, "I can't believe it!" Macey thought, "How is it possible for a single beast to be capable of such strength?!" Erik thought. "Whatever that is, it is no ordinary beast!" She decided. The beast that suddenly appeared before Winter stepped closer, and the very echoing sound of its footsteps sent shivers down the others' spines. "This one is not near her chambers, he could not have harmed mother," it thought as its dark red aura billowed from its body as it stepped past Winter, but he grabbed his wing. It turned back and opened its mouth, roaring in his face with great rage. "I'm not letting you get past me that easily!" Winter smiled. His eyes glowing with blood-red, vertical-slit irises and red flesh sclera with black straight lines diverging from each iris. "I have to save the queen!" It thought, and without hesitation, the ant king threw a massive right hook. Winter blocked it with his left wrist, and with an explosion of mana and dust he launched a right hook into the ant's stomach. It cackled and lifted both hands up over his head before bringing it down with much of its strength. Winter blocks it against my left forearm with another eruption of mana, and the earth underneath them breaks. Displaced by the sheer force of the attacks, they break away from each other and pound their fists away at each other. Trading blow for blow, waves of mana rush through the area with each attack landed on each other. The ant king had other plans than this, and with an uppercut that whipped its head up, it unleashed its sharp, blade-like tongue. It lunged in with it, narrowly cutting Winter's cheek. Leaping away, he fell to his knees, "Poison?" Winter thought, "No, neurotoxin," Ultima corrected, "After consuming a cone snail, I obtained the power of its neurotoxins," it thought, "It may not the strongest substance created by nature, but I've made it deadlier by mixing it with my mana," it reasoned. "You tried your best human!" It thought, "Now get out of my way!" It slammed the back of its right hand into Winter's body, knocking him out and launching him into the tunnel wall. Breaking through it, he is launched into the swarming ants that are fighting their way through the tunnels. They bite at him and chomped onto his limbs and appendages.

          The ant king moves on through the tunnel, arriving at the queen's chamber. "What is that thing?!" Tommy thought, "We don't have time to be standing around, we need to defeat that thing!" He added as the king stepped by. As if his body was being torn apart, Tommy felt the ant king's aura pass through his body. "It walked right past us?" Erik thought, "I was too late-" it stepped up to the queen's corpse- "I couldn't save her!" it opened its mouth again, and with all its grief and rage it roared. Sending everyone in the room to the floor with its overwhelming aura, "Who killed mother?!" The ant king thought, turning to the Klato strike squad, only Macey stood on her feet. She trembled as she lifted her sword, "you-" it flashes stepped- "IT WAS YOU!" It appeared behind her, slamming a mighty backhand into her torso. Breaking her arm and ribs as she bends unnaturally from the attack before launching into the tunnel wall. Spitting blood, she fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious. "Help me-" Macey pleaded- "I can't without risking our life, but maybe he can," a voice that is both captivating and authoritative, a vocal tone so rich and velvety that it resonates with timeless elegance replied in her mind. Slowly, Macey drifted out of consciousness. "These walls were much stronger than the tunnels, perhaps to protect the queen," the ant king thought as the ant looked at the dent Macey left in the wall. "Ms. Mears!" Tommy yelled, rushing over. The king stood in his way, and with a weak jab into the shield, it broke both it and Tommy's fist. He attempted to stab the ant with his spear, but it grabbed his wrist and ripped both of his arms off. Tommy roared in pain as blood spilled from his wounds. The ant king stepped away as Erik roared, leaping in. It dashed past him, leaving streaks of light from its cuts on Erik. Aaron lifted his hand and attempted to use fire, and the ant king appeared before him as well. Cutting through his chest. "I've got a clear shot! There's no way I'll miss from this distance!" Dwight thought, launching an arrow at the ant. It quickly flew toward the ant's head, but just as it reached the ant's reach, it was snatched out of the air. "It caught it?!" He thought, as the ant shattered the arrow. It lunged in at Dwight and back handed his head, launching him away. The ant king looked back at the others, finding Tommy rushing in and slamming his side into itself.